Thursday, December 23, 2010

Description of rain.


Mazhai

Mazhai eenimai yura peigindradhu
Mazhai padugindradhu
adhu pala kodi thanthi khal oodaiya yeesai karoovi
Vanaithil eerindhu amudha vaira kolgal vizhugindrana.

Rain pours pleasantly
Rain sings
It is a musical instrument having several crores of strings
Rain falls from the sky like diamond strips soaked in nectar.

To love all..


Annbhu seidhal

Inndha puvidhanil vazhum marangalum
inbha narumalar poonchedi kootamum
anndha marangalai soozhinda kodigalum
auvthadha mooligai poondupul yavaiyum
yendha thozhil seidhu vazhvanavo?

The trees that live in this earth
The groves of pleasing fragrant flowering plants
The creepers entwining those trees
The medicinal herbs,tubers and grass
That live and abound around us, generously
What do they seek to profess?

Who is a high born person?

Melkulathavar yavar?

Vaiyagam kaippaver ennum---siru vazhai phazhak kadai vai ipper aayenum- poiyagala thozhil seidhe- pirrar
poirrida vazhbavar yenghanamum 'mellor'! [prn. male oar]

Whether one is the ruler and protector of the entire world
Or is a petty shop owner ,selling plantains
If he pursues his profession sincerely, shunning dishonest practises
Thereby receiving the praise and best wishes of all
He will always be considered to be a 'high born'.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Woman's freedom.



Subhramaniya Bharathiyar [1882-1921] is a well known Tamil poet.He is famous for stoking patriotic spirit during the British rule , by his stirring poems that mirrored the anger of the people belonging to an ancient civilisation, against the repression by alien rulers.He is also considered as a National poet of India along with Rabindranath Tagore and few others.

He has also written poems on various other topics . I have attempted to translate a few of those that have caught my fancy.

The first one being on, Woman's freedom.


Penniku vidhuthalai yendru ingu vor needhi pirapitthen :

adharikku ooria perri khellir.


I have proclaimed a law regarding Woman's freedom,

Lend your ears to what I have decreed.


Mannukhul yev ooirum deivamendral ,

mannaiyallum deivam andro?madhi ketteere'!


If every life in this world is but a reflection of god

Isn't your wife also one such reflection? Fools!


Vinnukku parapadupol kadhaigal solveer,

vidhuthalai yenbheer karunai vellam yenbhir,


You spin exotic tales ,dreaming of space travels,

agitate for freedom and wax eloquently on love and kindness


Pennikku vidhuthalai neer illai yenral

pinn indha ulaghinile vazhikkai illai


If your not for Woman's freedom,

you have no right to live in this world.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Eternal romance.


There is eternal romance in these ancient Hindu belief's.

The chataka birds.....that quenches its thirst only from raindrops.

Rishyasringa.... The chaste boy sage whose very presence in a place afflicted by drought brought in wake pouring rains,owing to his purity.

Sanat kumar ...the wise mind born son of Brahma .An ancient eternal, youth.


Thingal mumaari peidhal [tamil].....raining thrice a month. Nine days of sunshine and one day of rain .

Theory of creativity.


I have a theory,

A man's creativity is, from the womb.

A woman's creativity, is her womb.

Rain?

Are you a harp strum by celestials?

Are you here at the invitation of trees and plants?

Do you shower ,condensed ,by the kindness of some soul?

Do you foam on your own to tame this fiery earth?

What is your brief?

What is my grief?

That you could be the tears ,

Of one, who was once here.

Concert.

Nature is a concert.

The sound of falling rain,

The sweet notes of a bird,

The gurgle of gentle waves,

The rustle of leaves,

Are her background music.

Compensations.

A drop of dew dazzled with the brilliance of a diamond !

The crushed ice's comforting lustre was that of peerless pearls!

The gentle waves sparkled with smooth silver rakes!

How lucky I was to witness all this splendour at that fraction of time!

The dew rolled down from the blade of grass dissolving the diamond.

The crushed ice melted to a puddle,philandering away the pearls.

The waves lost their silver as the sun drew them to himself as he rose higher.

I was at the right place at the right time!

The compensations of life.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Rain.



What is this mystique called rain?

Why is it so magical?

Sunrise and sun set and the air I breathe,

Are so vital to my being,

Yet not one moment do I stop in my tracks,

to give it a thought,

Feel grateful or thankful or absorb it in wonder at all!


These feelings are reserved for Rain.

Rain is enthralling like a tinkling glass curtain.

It is distracting ,

It is unpredictable,

Yet when it rains it douses all grouses.

It makes life standstill in streets as well as in forests.

Rain ,can you ever be taken for granted?

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Bubbles.


The woods are lovely ,dark and deep ,
But I have promises to keep ,
And miles to go before I sleep......are the popular lines of a 19 th cent American poet that reveals his take on life.

1800 years earlier ,the Indian king ,an ascetic as well as a poet Bharathri hari has made the following observation, in classical Sanskrit on life in his treatise Vairagya sataka... .


Ayur varshantam nranam parimitam ratru

thadharram gatam|

Tasyar dasya parasya chardhamparam balatva

vridhatvyoh|

Sesham vyasdhi vi yogadhu; Khashinta sevaddhibir

niyate|

Jive ' varita ghyabudbudha saukyam kutah

praninam|


Meaning...

100 years is the life span of man,

Half of that passes in the stillness of night,

And of the half remaining , half is childhood and old age.

The remainder is spent in service , with sickness ,separation and sorrow as companions.

And where happiness in life is like bubbles blown on water!


Down south Thondaradipodi Aazhwaar a devotee of Lord Vishnu ,in 8 th cent AD has couched his view on life in the following attractive verse in Tamil


Vedanool pirayum nooru manisartham puguverilim

Padhium urangipogum,nintrathil padhi aandu

Pedhai palakan aagum pinni pasee moopum thunbam

Aadhalal piravi ve'ndhyen Aranga ma nagarullane'!

Meaning...

Though Vedas allot 100 years of life to human beings'

Half of this is spent in sleeping,

The remaining half is confiscated by the ignorance of childhood, poverty, hunger, disease ,old age and sorrow.

Therefore ,do not grant me any more births , this my plea to you,the resident of Srirangam[ vishnu]