Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Kannamma - My Love கண்ணம்மா என் காதலி

Your glowing eyes - Kannamma,
Are they the sun and the moon? 
Your black eyeballs - Kannamma,
Are they of sky's dark hue? 
Sparkling diamonds in your dark blue 
Silk saree are stars at midnight hour. 

Garden flower's brightness - 
Is that your alluring smile? 
Waves of the blue ocean - 
Are your innermost thoughts. 
Enchanting melody of the cuckoo- 
Is your sweet voice. 
Innocent girl are you - Kannamma,
I am in love with you. 

You talk of tradition - Kannamma,
Who needs all that? 
For those in a hurry - Kannamma 
Is tradition a hurdle? 
If elders accept, our wedding 
Shall happen later. 
How can I wait till then - 
Here, let me kiss your cheek.  

சுட்டும்விழிச் சுடர்தான்,- கண்ணம்மா! சூரிய சந்திரரோ? 
வட்டக் கரியவிழி,- கண்ணம்மா! வானக் கருமைகொல்லோ? 
பட்டுக் கருநீலப் - புடவை பதித்த நல்வயிரம் 
நட்ட நடுநிசியில் - தெரியும் நக்ஷத்தி ரங்களடீ! 

சோலைமல ரொளியோ - உனது சுந்தரப் புன்னகைதான்? 
நீலக்கட லலையே - உனது நெஞ்சி லலைகளடீ! 
கோலக்குயி லோசை - உனது குரலி னிமையடீ! 
வாலைக் குமரியடீ,- கண்ணம்மா! மருவக் காதல்கொண்டேன். 

சாத்திரம்பேசுகிறாய்,- கண்ணம்மா! சாத்திர மேதுக்கடீ 
ஆத்திரங் கொண்டவர்க்கே,- கண்ணம்மா! சாத்திர முண்டோடீ? 
மூத்தவர் சம்மதியில் - வதுவை முறைகள் பின்புசெய்வோம்; 
காத்திருப் பேனோடீ?- இது பார், கன்னத்து முத்தமொன்று!

8 Comments:

Blogger tris said...

I really can't discuss the content because my Tamil is rather inadequate but I can tell you how it reads in English.

7:13 AM  
Blogger inlivenout said...

Nice try.I am not great at translation,but,a few suggestions.
**"With elders' acceptance-our wedding shall happen later" would highlight Bharathi's never-say-if attitude.
**Since the last verse is a question in the tamil version, something like "Can I wait till then?" will be apt and adds a beauty to the love,by putting forward a question for which he knows her answer!

PS:spelling error.bosom.

3:33 PM  
Blogger Chenthil said...

Tilo, thanks. This translation work was aimed mainly at non tamils. If you can give me inputs on how it reads in English, will be much helpful.

Inlivenout, Bharathi says "Moothavar samadhiyil" which has a question in it. Hence I went with "If elders accept". Your second suggestion is apt. Have changed it, also the typo has been corrected. Thanks

8:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

lovely.
oru kurai:
you've not done justice to "suttum vizhi chudar" .."glowing eyes" doesnt evoke anything close to what you get when you hear "suttum vizhi chudar"...
lost in tranlation, i guess
translation is a mammoth task.
saathiram pesuguraai .. tamil is amazingly awesome!
u must be familiar with his inspiration from shelly.... i cant dig shelley's similar comparison of the woman's eye with a planets right now though.
again, lovely :)

9:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

*shelley

9:55 PM  
Blogger ItzMyLife said...

Chenthil - great work - thamizh, naadu, inam,mozhi makkal, ivai yaavaiyum kadanthu, nallaatchi puriya un thazuval uthavum!!

Ivai seyya vendum endru enni thudithirunthen - un seyal kandu kalikkiren!! Ethanai inbam enakku endru eppadi solven unakku!!
Nandru seithai!! Seiga men melum, Thamizh Valarchi perukkuga!!

Thamizhinai bharathi thandiyum valarkumaaru kettukolgiren
nadri adiyen Krishna!

10:57 AM  
Anonymous Vinay said...

Like you there is another blog doing translation: http://enbharathi.blogspot.com/

4:22 AM  
Anonymous Cinema Virumbi said...

Dear Chenthil,

Good work!

Once I had translated Bharathi's work as follows in Zine5.com.

You talk of Shastras Kannamma! Why does one need them anyway?
Do Shastras matter, Kannamma, to one who is in a hurry/ desperation?
If elders permit, we’ll take care of the nuptial formalities later on.
Why should I wait my dear, look there’s a kiss on your cheek here!

nanRi!

Cinema Virumbi
http://cinemavirumbi.blogspot.com

3:54 AM  

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