Lyrics for thottu thottu pEsa varAn - behag - Periasamy Thoo

[smala]

thanks!

[Enna_Solven]

toTTU toTTu pEsa. rAgA: behAg. Adi tALA.

P: toTTu toTTu pEsa varAn avan tuDukkuttanattai aDakkuvAr illai
A: paTTil mADOTTum bAlagOpalan kaTTuk-kaDangAda kaDal alai pOl tuLLI
C: kaTTit-tayir pAl veNNai kalaiyattil Endi kAna vazhiyE nAn tanittu pOgaiyilE
kaTTi karumbE tEnE kaniyE enRazhaittu kai vaLai kulunga kuru nagai kATTiyE

Lyrics from Lji.

[rshankar]

Here is a clip of Ms. Bhargavi Gopalan presenting this delectably (with the meaning so vividly demonstrated, making it a veritable drishya kAvyam) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45MqGYdxOTk

I think the choreography is Smt. Priyadashini Govind's.

[smala]

Ravi, the choreography was so evocative. Would you do the honors?......At first I felt the song had sensuous undertones to it, as featured in the first few moments of shy anticipation ( a la Jayadev) in the dance but then the reference to the childhood pastimes takes it differently ....

Thanks, Enna Solven.

[rshankar]

Sure S-P - I would love to try my hand at this - Sri Thooran is rarely (if ever) overtly sensuous....

[rshankar]

S-P: here you go. I have added the second caraNam (the one Ms. Bhargavi dances to) to the lyrics provided by Lji (via E_S). I love the mental imagery of an innocent gOpi and her issues with having krishNa come too close, or go too far away, that this composition evokes - sort of 'ErinAl kuTRam, eranginAl aparAdham'.

pallavi
toTTu toTTu pEsa varAn avan
tuDukkuttanattai aDakkuvAr illai

He (krishNa) is invading my personal space and takes all sorts of liberties with me - when he comes (varAn) close to me to talk (pESa), and touches me (toTTu toTTu) all over! There is no (illai) one to control (aDakkuvAr) his mischievousness (tuDukkutanattai).

anupallavi
paTTil mADOTTum bAlagOpalan
kaTTuk-kaDangAda kaDal alai pOl tuLLI (toTTu toTTu"¦)

This young (bAla) krishNa/cowherd (gOpAlan) who herds (OTTum) cows (mADu) in this small hamlet (paTTil) frolics/leaps around (tuLLi) like (pOl) waves (alai) of the sea (kaDal) that do not respect (aDangAda) any bounds (kaTTukku) (and invades my personal space and takes liberties with me when he comes close to me to talk, and touches me all over"¦)

caraNam 1
kaTTit-tayir pAl veNNai kalaiyattil Endi
kAna vazhiyE nAn tanittu pOgaiyilE
kaTTi karumbE tEnE kaniyE enRazhaittu
kai vaLai kulunga kuru nagai kATTiyE (toTTu tOTTu"¦)

As I walk (pOgaiyilE) on the forest (kAna) path (vazhiyE) by my lonesome self (tanittu), carrying (Endi) pots (kalayattil) filled with thick (kaTTi) yogurt (tayir), milk (pAl) and butter (veNNai), he refers (azhaittu) to me as (enru) sweet sugarcane (kaTTi karumbE), honey (tEnE), and a ripe fruit (kaniyE), and smiles mischievously (kurunagai kATTiyE) as he makes my bangles (kai vaLai) jingle (kulunga) (even as he invades my personal space and takes liberties with me when he comes close to me to talk, and touches me all over"¦)

caraNam 2
eTTi irundAlum idayam tuDikkudu
viTTu SenrAlum kaNNIr vazhiyudu
eTT(u)iranDu ariyA yEzhai yen SeivEn?
yen Sevi kuLira inniSai UdinAn (toTTu tOttu"¦)

When he keeps (ninrAlum) away (eTTi) from me, my heart (idayam) feels agitated (tuDikkudu), and if he walks (SenrAlum) away leaving (viTTu) me behind, tears (kaNNIr) flow (vazhiyudu) from my eyes. What (yen) can I, a poor/destitute/innocent (yEzhai) and untutored/unlettered (eTTiranDu ariyA) [1] maiden, do (SeivEn) in this situation? Even as I start to ponder about this, he plays/blows (UdinAn) on his flute creating sweet music (inniSai) to delight (kuLira) my (yen) ears (Sevi)! (He invades my personal space and takes liberties with me when he comes close to me to talk, and touches me all over"¦).

FOOTNOTE
[1] eTTiranDu ariyA - someone who is unaware (ariyA) of elementary mathematics, i.e., the product of eight (eTTu) and 2 (iranDu)

[Rajani]

Ravi - thanks for the translation and the link to the beautiful dance.

I think "eTTiranDu ariyA " may also mean a young girl who is not yet sixteen.

[mahakavi]

I am wondering if the author meant something else other than math (multiplication) by eTT(u)iraNDu. I can understand additions such as mUnRun iraNDum aRiyAdha Ezhai.. (one who does not know how to add 3 and 2) which may be required for a milkmaid. But product of numbers....?

The number 8 is represented by " அ " and 2 is by " உ " in Thamizh numeration.
Does this have something to do in this context---such as basic language?

[rshankar]

Ravi - thanks for the translation and the link to the beautiful dance.

I think "eTTiranDu ariyA " may also mean a young girl who is not yet sixteen.

Thanks Rajani - I think you are correct...

[rshankar]

Another nice interpretation with the first caraNam also performed - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2q98zqsUiE. I think the singer is Bombay Smt. Jayashree. The intro wrongly identifies the rAga as bEgaDa.

[Pratyaksham Bala]

I think "eTTiranDu ariyA " may also mean a young girl who is not yet sixteen.

This reminds me of ‘eNNiranDu 16 vayaDu’ song by Kannadasan for the film Annai Illam.

[rshankar]

Here is another version of this padam - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkajhk3Oj2M

Lakshmanji - can you please provide the lyrics of yet another caraNam that is presented here?

How many caraNams does the original composition have?

[Lakshman]

This is what I have. The song is not found in any of the printed editions of his works.

toTTU toTTu pEsa. rAgA: behAg. Adi tALA. Periyasami Tooran.

P: toTTu toTTu pEsa varAn tuDukkuttanattai aDakkuvAr illai
A: paTTil mADOTTum bAlagOpalan kaTTuk-kaDangAda kaDal alai pOl tuLLI
C1: kaTTit-tayir pAl veNNai kalaiyattil Endi kAna vazhiyE nAn tanittu pOghaiyilE
kaTTi karumbE tEnE kaniyE enrazhaittu kai vaLai kulunga kuru nagai kATTiyE
2: eTTi irundAlum idayam tuDikkudu viTTu senrAlum kaNNIr vazhiyudu
eTT(u)iranDu ariyA yEzhai yen seivEn en sevi kuLira innisai UdinAn