Cucurrucucú

Cucurrucucú, what a beautiful sound, seems as if like someone clearing her throat before singing some pleasing melody, Maybe a maynah perched above some branches in the tree, half hidden, singing contently without any worries or a damn to the world.

But sadly I cannot digress anymore, This post is not about any other gutteral bird calls or a treatise on nature, Its just a mere translation of the beautiful spanish song, sung by the Brazilian great Caetano Veloso. THis song is beautifully potrayed in the Spanish Movie Hable con ella(Talk to her)

Before I start, Let me Thank the google translator for helping me with the spanish words and Two great translators from Proz, Mercano and Paloma Maciel whose translations gave me the insight into the poems and help me translate it on my own.

Cucurrucucú, Paloma

Film: Hable Con Ella (Talk to her)
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Singer: Caetano Veloso
Music : Tomás Méndez

Dicen que por las noches
no más se le iba en puro llorar;
dicen que no comía,
no más se le iba en puro tomar.

Juran que el mismo cielo
se estremecía al oír su llanto,
cómo sufrió por ella,
y hasta en su muerte la fue llamando.

Ay, ay, ay, ay, ya cantaba,
ay, ay, ay, ay, ya gemía,
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ya cantaba,
de pasión mortal moría.

Que una paloma triste
muy de mañana le va a cantar
a la casita sola
con sus puertitas de par en par;

juran que esa paloma
no es otra cosa más que su alma,
que todavía espera
a que regrese la desdichada.

Cucurrucucú paloma, cucurrucucú no llores.
Las piedras jamás, paloma,
¿qué van a saber de amores?

Cucurrucucú, cucurrucucú,
cucurrucucú, cucurrucucú.

Cucurrucucú, Dove

It is said, in the darkness of the nights
All he ever did was cry
They say, food he didn't touch and never did eat
All he did was drink to die

It is sworn that the sky also trembled
As it heard him so bitterly cry
How without her he had so long suffered
That he called out to her as death did pry

Ay ay ay ay yaa, he would so sing
Ay ay ay ay yaa, he would so cry
Ay, ay, ay, yaa, he would so laugh
and of a mortal passion he did die.

What a sad little dove it was,
so early in the morning sang to him
To the tiny little house, the lonely house,
with the doors open wide, little but prim.

It is sworn that this little dove
is no other than his very soul
And with bated eyes, he still waits
For her to come back and be together

Cucurrucucú, dove;
cucurrucucú, dont cry;
Never ever cry for a stone, dove
For what ever do they know of love?

Cucurrucucú, cucurrucucú,
cucurrucucú, cucurrucucú.

Haikus on the road

Haikus are the Japanese take on minimalist poetry. Surprising, isnt it, that poems could be further deplumed and create a wonderful tool, celebrating raw narure bereft of any other supplements what so ever.

Before continuing any further, let me be clear that the underwritten are not traditional haikus, as thay are not of 17 syllables, nor does it contain a kigo, Its basically a modern haiku written cleebrating my numerous rides in the jungle of Bangalore traffic.

Haikus
Dark clouds and a light drizzle
Fast cars and an anxious mother
A child orphaned. (1)

Black bird cawing hidden in trees
Curious eyes searching for life
Horns Blare. (2)

An isolated mango hidden amongs the leaves in a tree
Stealing beggar caught by a screaming guard at hand
Onlookers yawn as a child wails hunger. (3)

Girl blowing life in a flower
Flowers galore as a woman clenses
Posters,they inspire. (4)

A child feeding in public view
Hungry kids playing in the prying sun
Bloody beggars!!! (5)

The Temple of pleasure: Madhushala

Let me begin by putting forward my condolences for all those in the world with little or absolutely no knowledge of Hindi... for Harivansh Rai Bachchan's epic cannot have any translation.. Its like translating Pushkin's Eugene Onegin from Russian. You can understand the plight of translators like Novakov of Lolita's fame , who translated the 200 lines Eugene Onegin in four volumes...

With all this forward, let me confess that I tried translating atleast 20 stanzas of Madhushala but then was left flabbergasted, How could I dare to change the meter, what about the rhyme scheme.. the alliteration used and concentrating on the technicalities I was bound to compromise on the meaning. For In addition to the deep philosophy that Madhushala professes it is also a poem that can be sung, a poem where the words clutter and stutter, sway and flow like the wine from an bottle.

In addition to this there was the limitation of language.. Now I am not undermining the english language, I cannot, it is so rich, but then its not yet rich enough to assimilate the Indian culture in all glory. What does Madhushala translate into? House of wine, pub, bar; No I cannot but differ. The cup bearer as Saki lacks the exotic flavor and "haala" and "pyala", "madhusha ki baala" even if translatable doesn't hold back the beauty of the word.

But I still havn't lost hope, I am trying but then the post on some of the couplets in Hindi in the anglo Roman Script couldn't wait. The 20 stanzas are selected from the DVD of Madhushala sung by Manna dey and are available in stores. I should add that the first 10 stanzas are in playful mode, mostly the writer being in awe of Madhushala, but then the last ten stanzas bring a sense of gloom and talks of madhushala and death in the same breath. I don't want to give any commentaries, atleast for now, so let me just end here else I start to digress.

Enjoy and do pray for me, I will be needing a lot of those:

Madhushala:

Madiralaya jaane ko ghar se, chalta hai peene wala
kis path se jaaoon asamanjas, me hai woh bholabhala
alag alag path batalate sab, par main yeh batalata hun
raah pakad tu ekk chalachal, paa jaaega madhushala. (1)
Click For Translation

Sun kal-kal chhal-chhal, madhukhat se girti, pyaalon mein haalaa
sun runjhun runjhun chal, vitaran karti madhusha ki baalaa
bas aa pahunche, door nahin, kuch chaar kadam ab chalna hai
chahak rahe sun, peene waale, mehak rahi le madhushala. (2)
Click For Translation

Lal sura ki dhaar lapat si, kehna isse dena jwalaa
hai nil madira hai mat isko, keh dena ur ka chhaalaa
dard nasha hai iss madira ka, Bigat smritiyan saaki hain
peeda mein anand jise ho, aaey meri madhushala. (3)
Click For Translation

Dharma granth sab jalaa chuki hain, jiske antar ki jwalaa
mandir, masjid, girje sab ko, tod chuka jo matwala
pandit, momin, padriyon ke, phandon ko jo kaat chuka
kar sakti hai aaj usi ka, swaagat meri madhushala. (4)
Click For Translation

Lalayit adharon se jisne, haay nahin choomi halaa
harshiv kampit kar se jisne, haay na chuaa madhu ka pyaalaa
haath pakad lajjit saaki ka, pass nahin jisne khincha
vyarth sukhaa daali jeevan ki, usne madhumaya madhushala. (5)
Click For Translation

Bane pujaari premi saaki, gangajal pawan halaa
rahe pherta avirat gati se, madhu ke pyalon ki malaa
aur liye jaa, aur piye jaa, issi mantra ka jaap kare
main Shiv ki pratimaa ban baithun, mandir ho yeh madhushala. (6)
Click For Translation

Ek baras mein ek baar hi, jalti holi ki jwalaa
ek bar hi lagti baazi, jalti deepon ki malaa
duniya waalo kintu kisi din, aa madiralaya mein dekho
din ko holi raat diwali, roz manati madhushala. (7)
Click For Translation

Adharon par ho koi bhi ras, jiwha par lagti halaa
haan jan ho koi haathon mein, lagta rakha hai pyaalaa
har surat saaki ki surat, main parivartit ho jati
aankhon ke aage ho kuchh bhi, aankhon mein hai madhushala. (8)
Click For Translation

Sumukhi tumhara sundar mukh hi, mujh ko kanchan ka pyalaa
chhalak rahi hai, jisme maanik roop madhur maadak halaa
main hi saaki banta main hi, peene waala banta hun
jahan kahin mil baithe hum tum, wahin gai ho madhushala. (9)
Click For Translation

Do din hi madhu mujhe pilaa kar, oob uthi saaki balaa
bhar kar ab khiska deti hai, woh mere aage pyalaa
naaz adaa andazon se ab, haye pilanaa duur huaa
ab to kar deti hai keval, farz-adaaee madhushala. (10)

Chote se jeevan main kitna, pyaar karoon, pee loon halaa
aane ke hi saath jagat main, kahlayaa jaane walaa
swagat ke hi saath bidaa ki, hoti dekhi tayyaari
band lagi hone khulate hi, meri jeevan madhushala.(11)

Shaant sakhi ho kab tak saaqi, pee kar kis ur ki jwaalaa
aur aur ki ratan lagataa, jataa har peene walaa
kitni ichchhaaen, har jane walaa chhod yahan jataa
kitne armaanon ki ban kar, qabra khadi hai madhushala. (12)

Yam aaegaa saaki ban kar, saath liye kaali halaa
pee na hosh main phir aaegaa, sura visudh yah matwaalaa
yah antim behoshi, antim saaki, antim pyaala hai
pathik pyaar se peena isko, phir na milegi madhushala. (13)

Dhalak rahi ho tan ke ghat se, sangini jab jeevan halaa
paatra garal ka le jab antim, saaki ho aanewala
haath paras bhule pyaale ka, swaad sura jwiha bhule
kaanon main tum kehti rehna, madhukan pyaala madhushaala (14)

Girti jaati hai din pratidin, pranayani pranon ki halaa
bhagna hua jaata din pratidin, shubhage mera tan pyala
rooth raha hai mujhse roopasi, din din yauwan ka saaki
sookh rahi hai din din sundari, meri jeevan madhushaala. (15)

Mere adharon par ho antim, vastu na tulsi daal pyalaa
meri jwiha par ho antim, vastu na gangaajal halaa
mere shav ke peechhe chalne walon, yaad isse rakhna
Ram naam hai satya na kehna, kehna sachee madhushaala.(16)

Mere shav par woh roae ho, jiske ansoo mein halaa
aah bhare woh ho jo surbhit, madira pee kar matwalaa
dain mujhko weh kandha jinke, pad-mad-dag-mag hote ho
aur jaloon us thaur jahan par, kabhi rahi ho madhushaala. (17)

Aur chita par jaae undela, patra na ghrit ka par pyaala
ghant bandhi angoor lata me, madhya na jal ho par haala
praan priye yadi shraadh karo tum mera, toh aise karna
peene walon ko bulwakar, khulwa dena madhushala. (18)

Naam agar pooche koi toh, kehna bas peenewaala
kaam dhaalna aur dhalaana, sabko madira ka pyaala
jaati priye pooche yadi koi, keh dena deewanon ki,
dharam batana pyaalon ki le, maala japna madhushaala. (19)

Pitr pakshya me putra uthana, arghya na kar me par pyaala
Baith kahin par jaana ganga, saagar me bhar kar haala
kisi jagah ki mitti bheege, tripti mujhe mil jaayegi
tarpan arpan karna mujhko, padh padh karke madhushala. (20)