Beloved Face, Translation of Bharathiyar's Poem Asai Mugam By T Wignesan

Poet's Notes
(Show)

Become a Premium Member and post notes and photos about your poem like T Wignesan.


 

Translation of Mahakavi Bharathiyar’s poem: “Asai Mugam” or “Beloved Face”
                                                                                                By T. Wignesan

Out of mind that beloved face has gone – this
Tragedy who can I confess it to – My Dear
The chest never voids feelings of love – yet
Can the memory of His face be lost forever?

Even as it appears in the mind’s eye – there
Kannan’s* true image does not appear complete:
Even if His beauteous face manifests itself – that
Choice blossoming smile conceals itself replete.

He who toils not knowing any respite – He
Whose Self works selflessly in aim altruist:
Even as you espy His mouth enunciate – that
Illustrious burgeoning form’s between and betwixt.

The pity eyes may not comprehend - in life
Kannan’s real form cannot be erased:
As if in the bosom of mature women – alas 
Might one naïve*for once be recognised.

The bee that’s made to forget honey – glowing
Fullsome in blossom yet oblivious the flower:
The paddy that forgets the nourishing sky – such
In this entire world can never be true, My Dear.

If one cannot at will recall Kannan’s face – these
Two eyes would they be of any use staying open?
Since paintings of Him cannot be seen – verily
How might this life serve any purpose, Companion?  

*Kannan: the endearing Tamil sobriquet for Krishna,
supposedly the Eighth Avatar of Vishnu, one of the trinity of gods of the God-Head Brahman. 
*PEthai: also means a simple-minded woman; a girl from five to seven years old; or a haemophrodite.

(from the sequence: “Kannan – My Lover (2)” in Bharathiyar Kavithaigal. Chennai: Kavitha Publications, 2006, pp. 273-274.)



TRANSLITERATION


Asai mukam maranthu pOccE
rAgam :   PILAHARI

Asai mukam maranthu pOccE - ithai 
yAriDam solvEnaDi thOzhi?(Refrain)
nEsam marakkavillai nenjam - enil 
ninaivu mukam-marakkalAmO?(Ref: Asai)

kaNNil theriyuthoru thOTram - athil 
kaNNanazhagu muzhuthillai?
naNNu muka vaDivu kANil - antha 
nalla malar chirippai kANOm?(Ref:Asai)

Oivu mozhithalum illAmal - avan 
uruvai ninaittirukkum uLLam?
vAyu-muraippathuNDu kaNDAi - anda 
mAyan pugazhinaiyai pOthum?(Ref: Asai)
kaNkaL purinthu viTTa pAvam - uyir 
kaNNan uru marakkalAccu?
peNgaLinattilithu pOlE - oru 
pEthaiyai munbu kaNDathuNDO ?(Ref: Asai)

thEnai maranthirukkum vaNDum - oLi 
chirappai maranthu viTTa pUvum?
vAnai  maranthu irukkum payirum - intha 
vaiyya muzhuthum illai - thOzhi?(Ref: Asai)

kaNNan mukam maranthu pOnAl - intha 
kaNgaL irinthu payan uNDO?
vaNNa paDammum illai kaNDAi - ini 
vAzhum vazhi yennaDi thOzhi?(Ref: Asai)


Paratiar Chuppiramaniam (Bharathiyar Subrahmaniayam) – 1882-1921
(Abridged version)

Chuppiramaniyam who distinguished himself with his compositions at the early age of eleven was conferred the title of « Bharathiyar » by the King of Ettayapuram though he later moved away from his court to become a teacher in Madurai and a journalist in Madras (Chennai). Having lost his mother at five and his father at sixteen, he was married at fourteen to Sellamma, and yet he found time to work for the Indian Independence Movement : he was present at the Congress in Calcutta where he met the old guard under Swami Vivekananda, and later at Rajagopalachariyar’s place in Chennai, he met Mahatma Gandhi. He had had to escape British colonial disapproval for his activities by finding refuge in Pondicherry under French connivance from 1911 to 1918. He wasn’t quite happy there either, so on his re-appearance in Tamil Nadu (Madras Presidency), he was arrested and remanded for a month. He continued to write and publish, and, in 1917, his most popular collection: Kannan Pattu was released. In 1921, he was badly mauled by the temple elephant at ThiruvallikkENi, and he passed away – due to stomach complications – on September the 12th., at the age of 39.
Bharathiyar or « Mahakavi » (Great Poet) belongs in a long and reverred line of « saintly » poets, beginning in the sixth century with the ALVARS, and who closely resembled the Sufi poets and thinkers of the later centuries. Though born into the Brahmin caste, he disavowed all forms of social and racial discrimination and forsook the intervention of the priestly caste’s rites and ceremonies (chants and mantras) to reach out to God through direct exhortations, a form of devotion which has universally characterised the poetical effusions of these adherents throughout centuries. One might even say that when the Nobel Committee conferred its literary prize on Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali, the Swedish Academy was indirectly honouring innumerable collections in all the vernaculars in the sub-continent. 
  
This poem has been widely set to music, from the eminently classical renderings of Mahathi and Karthik to the jazzed-up versions by Shankar Tucker, the latter an American clarinettist from Massachusetts making inroads into Carnatic music traditions by introducing Western classical harmony and counterpoint. The moving version by Suchitra Karthik whose voice sustains the tense and solemn mood of the poem is – sadly – drowned by the orchestra’s insensitivity (the ghatam’s painful clock-work beat) to her rôle as the principal performer. All the Carnatic classic versions are commendable even if some (Karthik’s) tend to become exercises in restraint in a low key mode. The Iyer Sisters Vidya and Vandana’s version is certainly most captivatingly nuanced, but one wishes their soothing voices would take off now and then into the release of energy the poem’s spiritual fire commands. 
© T. Wignesan – Paris, 2015

Copyright © | Year Posted 2015



Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Be the first to comment on this poem. Encourage this poet.

Get a Premium Membership
Get more exposure for your poetry and more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry

Member Area

My Admin
Profile and Settings
Edit My Poems
Edit My Quotes
Edit My Short Stories
Edit My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder

Soup Social

Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us

Member Poems

Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread

Member Poets

Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest

Famous Poems

Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100

Famous Poets

Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War

Poetry Resources

Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetics
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
Store
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter