[Translation] Bharathiyaar's Kannan Mana Nilaiyai

 

 

In this love song the poet touches upon a deep seated love, the pangs of separation, the yearning, the restless of a love lorn woman.'The imaginary auditor here is Thangam, who is referenced in almost every line which enhances the musicality of the poem. I have translated Thangam as O precious one. In the second verse, the speaker adopts the royal 'we,' while expressing her feelings. 

Although the poem is about finding Kannan's state of mind, it is in effect the exploration of the speaker's mind in a steady stream of consciousness. It documents the speaker's range of emotions from calmness, to pride, to threats, to curses ending on a note of complete despair.  

[Original] 
kaNNan mananilaiyai Thangame Thangam
kaNDuvara vENumaDi tangamE tangam
eNNam uraittuvidil tangamE tangam - pinnar
Edenilum seyvamaDi tangamE tangam

 
kannigai yAyirundu tangamE tangam -- nAngaL
kAlangaL kazhippamaDi tangamE tangam
anniya mannar makkaL bUmiyiluNDAm--ennum
adanaiyum solliDaDi tangamE tangam
Oh Thangam, tell him I might spend

sonna mozhitavaRu mannavanukkE --engum
tOzhamai illaiyaDi tangamE tangam
enna pizhaigaLingu kaNDirukkiRAn?--avai
yAvum telivupera kETTuviDaDI

maiyal koDuttuviTTut tangamE tangam---talai
maRaindu thiribavarkku mAnamumuNDO?
poyyai yuruvamena koNDavan enRE --kizhap
ponni uraitha thundu tangamE tangam

ATrangarai adanil munnam orunAL - enai
azhaithu thani idattil pesiyadellam
Thutrri nagar murasu sATruvEn enRe
solli varuvaiyaDi tangamE tangam

cOram izhaittu iDaiyar peNgaLuDanE - avan
sUzhccit tiRamai pala kATTuv dellAm
vIra maRak kulattu mAdariDattE
vENDiya dillaiyenRu solli viDaDI

peNNenRu bUmitanil piRanduviTTAl - migap
pIzhai irukkudaDi tangamE tangam!
paNNonRu vEynguzhalil Udi vandiTTAn - adaip
paTRi maRakku tillai panjai uLLamE

nEra muzhudilum appAvi tannaiyE - uLLam
ninaindu maRugudaDi tangamE tangam
tIra orusol inRu kETTu vandiTTAl

 pinbu deyvam irukkudaDi tangamE tangam! 

 

 

 

[Translation] 

I bid you, O precious one, seek out and bring word
Of Kannan's state of mind
I would decide my future course
If he were to speak his mind clearly, O precious one.
 
 Tell him we might remain
A maiden for the rest of our lives, O precious one
And there are princes born of kings of foreign lands
Who roam the earth with open arms, O precious one.
 
 A king who forsakes his word
Finds no kinship anywhere, O precious one
What are the faults in me he perceived 
Let him list those, O precious one.

After inflaming my heart, O precious one 
He wanders incognito, unabashed
Now, I have heard old Ponni's say,
He is the very embodiment of falsehood, O precious one   

He spoke words of love in the past 
when he bid me come to the river bank, 
O precious one
Warn him that I shall proclaim to the world
Those very words, O precious one.

He has mastered many tricks, O precious one
From his practice with unsuspecting cow maids
Tell him they will not work 
upon a woman born in a warrior clan, O precious one. 

he life of one born as a woman, is fraught with misery
O precious one,
He came bearing an ethereal song on his flute 
Now this parched heart refuses to let go, O precious one.  

In all my waking moments 
My heart frets upon that wretch, O precious one
Bring one clear word from him, 
I shall entrust my fate in god’s hands, O precious one. 
 
Here is a lovely ragamalika rendition of the song