vElavarE- bhairavi

[tyagarajadasa]

Dear Ravi Shankar:

Could you check the lyrics of this padam and attempt a translation:
(This is how I have learned it, not sure if everything is right)

pallavi

vElavarE umai tEDi oru maDandai viDiyum muzhudum kAtturukkira vaghai enna
(vElavarE)

anupallavi

vAlibamum shel vizhi villupuruvam vaDivum nUliDaiyum madivadanamum
mElumavaL mEni pasum poNNiramum minnalkkoDiyum anna naDaiya oyalAga
(vElavarE)

caraNam

vidam vidamAga pacciLam nangai mIdinil vENa paNi tarittu pallu varishaiyum
kadalittuDayum adarakkani shorukkazhagum karuttai urukkum kalakala nan naDaiyil vandu
(vElavarE)

Thanks!

[rshankar]

Sure - Gokul - give me a couple of days (still getting over Sandy, so not fully functional yet)...
BTW, it is a beautiful padam at first glance.

[smala]

When recovered from Sandy, rshankar, do take a look at some other posts in this thread. Thanks. Hope Sandy wasn't too harsh in your area.

[rshankar]

Smala - thank you for asking...and, no, there were no major issues, but minor issues galore, which are really getting to be unbelievably annoying. And the Northeaster on top certainly hasn't helped one bit.

[tyagarajadasa]

Dear Ravi,

Please take your time!! I hope Sandy was not too destructive.

Speaking of Sandy, looks like we don't live too far from each other! May be we should meet up some time and I can talk to you about the other tamil padams I have learned and will learn!

--Gokul

[rshankar]

Hi Gokul,

By any chance, did you receive an email from me through the forum?

Ravi

[tyagarajadasa]

Dear Ravi,

Thanks! Your email found its way to my spam folder. I have replied to you back now!!

--Gokul

[Jigyaasa]

rshankar,

Could you please share the meaning of this composition if you have it? Thanks!

[rshankar]

A composition in contrasts - a refined rAga bhAvam, and rather coarse lyrics!
Here you go- I am not sure if the person speaking here is the sakhi of the nAyikA, or a sakha of the nAyaka (murugA), or even a paramour of the nAyaka sarcastically talking about the 'other' woman....:

pallavi
vElavarE umai tEDi oru maDandai viDiyum muzhudum kAtturukkira vagai enna (vElavarE)

Oh murugA (vElavarE) what (enna) is the meaning/purpose/point (vagai) of this (oru) woman (maDandai) who can come in search (tEDi) of you (umai), waiting (kAttirukkira) until (muzhudum) sunrise (viDiyum)?

anupallavi
vAlibamum shEl vizhi villupuruvam vaDivum nUliDaiyum madivadanamum
mElumavaL mEni pasum ponniramum minnalkkoDiyum anna naDaiyum oyalAga (vElavarE)

(What is the point of making this woman who has come in search of you wait until dawn, Oh murugA), over which time her youth (vAlibamum), fish-like (SEl) eyes (vizhi), arched eyebrows (puruvamum) like a bow (villu), beauty (vaDivum), slender (nUl) [1] waist (iDaiyum), and moon-like (madi) face (vadanamum), and additionally (mElum), the fresh (pasum) golden (pon) hue (niramum) of her (avaL) complexion (mEni), like a streak (koDiyum) of lightening (minnal), and her swan-like (anna) gait (naDaiyum) have all faded (OyalAga) [2]?.

caraNam
vidam vidamAga pacciLam nangai mIdinil vENa paNi tarittu pallu varishaiyum
kadalittuDayum adarakkani shorukkazhagum karuttai urukkum kalakala nan naDaiyil vandu (vElavarE)

(What is the point of making this) young (pacciLam) woman (nangai) (who has) come (vandu) (in search of you) wearing (tarittu/dharittu) many kinds (vida vidamAga) of ornaments (paNi) of her choice (vENa) [3], with her teeth (pallu) arranged in even rows (variSaiyum), thighs (tuDaiyum) like the stems of a plantain plant (katali), with the beauty (azhagum) of her lightly chewed (Sorukku) lips (adharakkani), with a beautiful (nan) bouncy (kakala) gait (naDaiyum), that can captivate (urukkum) one’s thoughts (karuttai) (wait until dawn, Oh murugA?)

FOOTNOTES
[1] nUl literally means a thread
[2] I guess, what is said in the anupallavi is that the women’s charms are fading through the long wait
[3] vENa I believe can also mean a geographical area in South India

[Jigyaasa]

Thank you! Could it not be the nAyikA (if only a rather vain one!)referring to herself in third person?

[Pasupathy]

The version in Rangaramanuja Iyengar's " kritimaNi mAla' Vol 4 is somewhat different in certain places. Yes, sringara -rasa- bubbling lyrics! I agree with 'vENa' , as interpreted by rshankar ; it appears basically to be a slang for 'vENdiya' .

[rshankar]

Thank you, Sri Pasupathy!
Jigyaasa, your interpretation could be right, but, in such circumstances, it's odd that the whole padam is in third person - but if you want to choreograph it with that bent, it should certainly be ok.

[Jigyaasa]

Haha far be it from me to choreograph anything - I have two left feet! I have just been listening to a lot of padams and jAvaLis lately and am trying to appreciate the lyrical beauty of these compositional forms.

[Ponbhairavi]

In the anupallavi can it be oyilAga instead of oyalAga?

[rshankar]

In the anupallavi can it be oyilAga instead of oyalAga?

You may be correct - but in this context, don't you think both are OK? with 'fading' in the context of the nAyikA waiting all night long, and graceful (oyilAga) is consistent with the rest of the ap as well?

[Pasupathy]

Kriti Mani Mala book says: ' oyilAgavE' in that place.

[rshankar]

Thank you!