Chengoona Ala Meeda...

From this Old Telugu Songs site, (thanks, Swarup for the link and for kuffir and Swarup for stoking this translation idea) here is my transcription of the song "Chengoona Ala Meeda..." sung by M.S. Rama Rao.  Telugu diacritics have always eluded me with their non-intuitive and computer-unfriendly styles, so I am not employing them in this below transcription. 

chengoona ala meeda midisee potadi meenu
chengoona ala meeda midisee potadi meenu
chinnavaadu edaraite' marachee potavu me'nu
kaadantaava?  kaadantaava chinnadaana neevu, kaadantaava chinnadaana

vallaamaalina mamata kamma timme'ra laaga
vallamaalina mamata kamma timme'ra laaga
kammukunnadi ninnoo, chinnadanaa
sammasaina vaadu sarasane' vunnado
pallakunta ve' le' chinnadaanaa neevu, pallakunta ve' le' chinnadaana

My translation:

Suddenly in the net, the fish leaps insolently
    suddenly in the net, the fish leaps insolently
Seeing in front the young lad, you forget yourself

Do you deny it,
    do you deny it, young lass,
Would you deny it young lass?

Overflowing affection, like an irresistible numbness,
    overflowing affection, like an irresistible numbness,
Overwhelms you, young lass

That who matches you is nearer, perhaps
Soon you'll be on a palanquin, young lass,
    you'll be on a palanquin soon, young lass

See?  How pallid and lifeless the translation reads?  Those who can read Telugu will know what I mean.  Click below to see more of this post with further updates, perhaps with a transliteration of the poem, soon.

Update #1:  A roughcut of the poem with English word equivalents.

(suddenly) (net) (on the) (insolently bounce) (fish)
chengoona ala   meeda        midisee potadi    meenu

(young lad) (faced in front)   (forget)   (you will)   (body)
chinnavaadu  edaraite'        marachee potavu       me'nu

(would you say no)  (young lass)   (you)
kaadantaava?         chinnadaana   neevu,

(excessive)     (affection) (a type of palm branch) (numbness) (like)
vallaamaalina mamata               kamma                   timme'ra   laaga

(pervaded)                (you)         (young lass)
kammukunnadi    ninnoo,    chinnadanaa

(evenly balanced) (lad)   (is near)   (situated)
sammasaina        vaadu   sarasane'  vunnado

(be on a palanquin/horse back)  (young lass)     (you)   
pallakunta ve' le'                            chinnadaanaa   neevu

Comments

[gaddeswarup]

I think 'pallakuntavele' does not refer to 'pallaki'. It means 'Why do'nt you talk' or 'Why do'nt you say any thing?'. I think that the poet Malladi Ramakrishna sastry is from Krishna district and some of the usage may be fron that area.

[Crazyfinger]

I think 'pallakuntavele' does not refer to 'pallaki'. It means 'Why do'nt you talk' or 'Why do'nt you say any thing?'

Interestingly, this phrase was the hardest for me to get a sense of. I did wonder if it means what you said. In that interpretation then, I'd think the "ve'le'" syllable is really "ve'", the part that addresses her, + "le'"; which is really "e'la" as in "why?" and becomes "le'" speech fragment when combined with the preceding.

As you can read too, I am taken by not just the sweet-ness of the language, as you rightly said, but there's a whole lot of nuanced and highly complex poesies going on here.

For example, that "meenu" vs. "me'nu" . I haven't heard telugu songs in so many years (literally) perhaps that's why when I heard the song the very first time, I was taken by that familiar tragic, melancholic I guess, tone (or was it just purely coming from the singer's voice?) of the song itself.

But then the more I heard it, during this exercise, it began to take on a somewhat more stern tone. Do you have any impression on this?

For example, the choice of the words: "me'nu" for the body is almost accusatory; the "kamma timmari" is not just sarcastic, but vicious; the "kammukunnadi ninnoo" is once again chiding. Then he calms down, reassuring the girl.

Regards,
Crazyfinger

[gaddeswarup]

I finished school in 54 and left Andhra for Madras in 56. I was out of university for a while and did my B.Sc in Hyderabad from 60-62. I probably heard the song around 1960. Then I spent most of time in mathes. Some songs, particularly Hindi ones, and of course Telugu songs keep coming back; more and more as I grow older. Most of the time, I did not have the songs available to me (until recently) and some lines and tunes have metamorphised in my mind. For example, I remembered the first line as 'Chenguna alameeda chediripotatadi manasu' and imagined the wavy folds of the saree and and young woman's heart against the folds moving in the air. Only when I heard the song a couple of years ago and got the book of Malladi's film songs, I realized that I got the line wrong. Usually, with Telugu songs, I just seem like the sweetness of the language and sometimes the rustic imagery. For some reason or other 'achatelugu' songs and lines appeal to me more. Like Arudra's 'Lambadolla Ramadasa' with lines like "gundello gunapallu guchare neevallu." or 'edabatante edalo mullu' or 'masaka cheekatilo, mallepamditilo priyuni samditilo'. Or peasant songs like 'bamdenuka bamdi katti..'
Coming to the above song, the expression probably comes from 'paluku'. "sammataina vaadu sarasane unnadu pallakumtavela chinadana'. I take to mean 'the one you like is by your side. why are you dumbstck?'.
'temmara' means gale or breeze I think. I take the lines mean that she is enveloped by affection. And so on. Probably some of my understanding is wrong. As Krishna Sastry said "Ediyo apurva madhura rakti sphuriyunchu gani arthammu gani bhavageetammulavi'. I like the idea here but not so much the language. May be, because I grew up in villages and am from a farming family. In school, we had Telugu medium. I still feel more comfortable in Telugu than English for everyday usage.
This does not answer your questions but as one grows old one tends to go with one's own flow (chadastam).

[Crazyfinger]

Or peasant songs like 'bamdenuka bamdi katti..'

Gaddar. When he writes and sings those words (was this song originally written by him, or is it a folk song?), one's blood tingles at the edges of fingers. I still get up from chair, suddenly all fidgety and animated, just by recalling how it sounded from an old T-series cassette tape. If you happen to run into any source for his lyrics, please pass on the word to me?

Like the "temmara" you referred to, I think there's a lot of deliberate "double-voicing" that goes on in telugu poetry singing, isn't it? I mean how much distance is there between "temmara" and "timmera" right? Of course poetry is just that, giving room to all kinds of polyphonies.

As Krishna Sastry said "Ediyo apurva madhura rakti sphuriyunchu gani arthammu gani bhavageetammulavi'. I like the idea here but not so much the language. I know what you mean. Sometimes these folks get a little bit too flowery - not unlike some of the technologists of these days:-) - and get carried away. Like you, I too prefer the peasant songs. Now that the topic came up, is it fair to generalize that "Andhra" poetics are a bit more romantic and less peasant whereas the "telangana" is the other way around? Yes? No? Just thinking out loud.

Regards,
Crazyfinger

[gaddeswarup]

May be Gaddar; but I do not know. I read it in the chapter 'Telangana samara sahityam' (Arudra's 'Samgra Andhra Sahityam', vol.13). I got the impression that it might have been a group. I can photocopy these stanzas and send them to you; my e-mail address is in my blog. I am not sure how affective is poetry in social change. Perhaps it helps momentarily to stir emotions. I was trying to understand farmers' suicides and tried some Telugu discussion sites and then slowly came to blogs. I found some of these like Alternativeperspective, fracturedearth, kufr, paddlesweep, theotherindia etc. more informative.
About A.P. I do not know much outside Guntur, Krishna districts. Now that I am retired I plan to spend a few months every year touring A.P. ; not because I think A.P. is great (though I think Telugu is a sweet language) but because it is probably easier to start from what one knew intimately at one stage. Probably to understand farmers' problems, one has to understand global economy etc.
Regards,
Swarup

[Crazyfinger]

Thanks Swarup, I'll keep that in mind. Well, I suppose my little sojourn into this topic will have to end here...

Regards,
Crazyfinger

[Cosmic Voices]

interesting post......more interesting comments... i particularly liked the way you placed the english equivalents just above the telugu ones.

I totally agree that translations never do justice. still it is a nice way for people like me to learn a word or two more in telugu in an era when every language is getting anglacised.

ur translation at kuffir too was nice. how i wish i had the transliteration of the poems to appreciate varying translations

[Crazyfinger]

Cosmic Voices: Thanks a bunch, I appreciate that. Actually the transliteration is not hard at all. As and when I can make time, I will attempt a few now and then. For now, I've updated this post (the comment on kuffir blog) with new transliteration and English annotation, just because you asked! :-)

One reason why I hesitate to get into it rightaway is, to be candid, it's hard to resist the temptation to go on and on, not just with the transliteration, the translation (either semantic or poetic), but also look at how really accommodating (in the sense of a poetic polyphony - is that a word, I just made it up) the word meanings are, and how when you hear this in its original Telugu language there is a poetic expression that thrusts forward and how that active expression becomes a mere passive meaning when translated...and I am just too tied up with travel etc. to do any justice that these poems deserve.

Regards,
Crazyfinger

[Cosmic Voices]

crazy,

I have no words to express my hapiness at this gesture of yours.

What I actually want is that you should give in to such temptation. When you not just translate but empathise with the poet, see through his eyes and feel through his heart, when you ponder what must have gone in his mind when penned those lines. Thats where the beauty of poetry would come out in its full glory.

The reason I find poetry more attractive than prose is that there is a lot of freedom for the reader to interpret and imagine, just like a speech pregnant with pauses. And when you try to hear words in those pauses, it makes the experience wonderful.

Personally, I must admit that I don't remember understanding a single poem. But I always love when someone discusses it, interprets the seemingly incomplete lines.

And speaking about translations, I totally agree. I am just wondering if there is an english equivalent to "manasu". A word that is used quite often in telugu. If I am unable to translate even such simple words, I can understand how frustrating it would be for someone who understands not just the poem, but even the poet.

Still, for purely selfish reasons, I keep pestering anyone whom I think knows more telugu than me to translate and tranliterate.

Once again, thanks for the transliteration despite your busy schedule. Hope to hear more from you despite your moratorium on your blog.

[Crazyfinger]

Cosmic Voices: I am just wondering if there is an english equivalent to "manasu". A word that is used quite often in telugu.

The first word that comes to mind is "heart." But curiously, this word is also used to connote "mind" as in "what's on your mind?" or "desire," or "thought." I am probably totally botching this one up but a rough (very very rough) equivalent in Hindi would be "dil." So if you take two phrases, "Dil ki baat," and "dil me' dard" the word "dil" connotes "mind/thought" in first and "heart," in the second, right?

In general, in Telugu, words are often used in compound form, i.e., a word like "manasu" is intertwined with other words so that the combined compund word delivers the exact "color" and shade to the context.

Actually that "color" metaphor, now that I think more about it, is a right one. In Telugu it is often the case that an appropriate word for a particular context is formed by poetically, grammatically and semantically intertwining two or three or four words in such a way that the new compound word delivers the exact meaning, in exact tone, shade and color to the surrounding context. So, "manasu" is used as often as "heart's desire," or "heart ache," or "peace of mind," or even "out of sight, out of mind."

Hope this helps. For simple words such as these, there's a good Telugu-English dictionary online, the Brown edition, here. I would also suggest a Telugu-Hindi dictionary online (I haven't looked for it), in case you are more conversant with Hindi.

And thanks a bunch for your infectious enthusiasm, which is refreshing and much wanted in this blog-eat-blog world!:-)

Regards,
Crazyfinger

[Cosmic Voices]

I would prefer the metaphor of shade than colour.

BTW, I knew the meaning of manasu. What I was trying to point out is the difficulty in finding the exact translation of such frequently used words in english.
And no matter how well you can coin phrases to convey the meaning, there is always a feeling of incompleteness in the meaning, which is deeply felt by the translator.

Thanks for the link and yes I would also love to have the hindi link too. Not that I am more conversant in Hindi, but I guess a languages that are culturally closer can translate each other better.

I would be happy if you make more such posts. Infact, I strongly feel that blogs would be best medium to resuscitate our fading cultures.

Keep going!!!