mmadu meikkum kanne lyrics and meaning

krishnaa · Post by **krishnaa** » 22 Sep 2007, 18:12

can i get the lyrics and meaning of the above mentioned kriti, in english

thanks
krishnaa

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 22 Sep 2007, 19:12

kAvaDicindu.

P: mADu meikkum kaNNE nI pOgha vENDAm sonnEn pOgha vENum tAyE taDai sollAdE nIyE
C1: kAccina pAlu tarEn kalkaNDu cIni tarEn kai niraiya veNNai tarEn veyyilil pOgha vENDAm
2: kAccina pAlum vENDAm kalkaNDu cIni vENDam ullAsamAi mADu meittu oru noDiyil tirumbi varEn
pOgha vENum tAyE taDai sollAdE nIyE
3: yamunA nadikkaraiyil eppozhudum kaLvar bhayam kaLvar vandu unai aDittAl kalangiDuvAi kaNmaNiyE
4: kaLLanukkOr kaLLan uNDO kaNDaduNDO sollum ammE kaLvar vandu ennai aDittAl kaNDa tuNDam sheidiDuvAi
5: gOvardhana giriyil ghOramAna mrgangaL uNDu karaDi puliyai kaNDAl kalangiDuvAi kaNmaNiyE
6: kATTu mrgamellAm ennai kaNDAl ODi varum kUTTam kUTTamAga vandAl vETTai ADi jeyittiDuvEn
7: pakSamuLLA nanda gOpar bAlan engE enru kETTAl enna badil sholvEnaDA ennuDaiya kaNmaNiyE
8: bAlaruDan vIdiyilE pandADurAn enru shollEn tEDi ennai varugaiyilE ODi vandu ninriDuvAn

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 22 Sep 2007, 19:28

This kAvaDi cindu paints a vibrant picture of a conversation between a concerned yaSOdA and a recalcirtant, mischevious, roguish krishNA - you can picture the timing - possibly sometime in the noon or when the sun is high and scorching. yaSOdA doesn't want krishNA to go out to graze the cows in these circumstances, so she tries to dissuade him - first, she tries to bribe him, next she tries to frighten him, and finally, she invokes the other, absent parent - This scene is so captivatingg in it's domesticity - something that all of us as parents have done: we have used/tried to use these tactics at different times, or all at once in an escalating fashion as yaSOdA is forced to, here! But, krishNA being krishNA has a comeback for every one of her arguements and is out the door at the end!

The bribery:
mADu meikkum kaNNE nI pOgavENDAm SonnEn
kA(i)ccina pAlu tarEn, kalnkanDu cIni tarEn,
kai niraya veNNai tarEn, veyyililE pOgavENDAm

I say (SonnEn) my beloved/precious (kaNNE) cowherd [one who grazes - (meikkum) cows - (mADu)], you (nI) please do not (vENDAm) go (pOga) out. Instead, I will give (tarEn) you your favorite snacks: boiled (kaccina) milk (pAlu), and some granulated sugar crystals (kalkanDu - used to be some thing that as kids, grandmothers used to dish these out very parsimoniously), and it that is not enough, I'll even throw in/give (tarEn) a handful (kai niraiya) of butter (veNNai), but please do not (vENDAm) go (poga) out in this hot sun (veyyililE).

The bribery doesn't work:
ka(i)ccina pAlum vENDAm, kalakaNDu cIni vENDAm
ullAsamAi oru noDiyil mADu meittu tirumbiDUvEn
pOga vENDum tAyE tadAi SOllAdE nIyE

I don't want boiled milk or some sugar crystals. What I want is to happily (ullAsamAi) set out and graze (meittu) the cows (mADu), and I will be back (tirumbiDuvEn) in just one (oru) second (noDiyil)...
Now, I have to (vENDum) go (pOga), so please do not (vENDAm) say (Solla) anything to prevent (taDai - literally means obstacle/arguement against) it, Oh mother of mine (tAyE)!
{my comment: even here, krishNa/composer takes care to not say that he doesn't care for butter!}

Scare tactics 1:
yamunA nadi karaiyil yeppozhudum kaLvar bhayam
kaLvar vandu unai aDittAl kalangiDuvAi kaNmaNiyE

There is always (yeppozhudum) the scare (bhayam) of theives and rogues (kaLvar) on the banks (karaiyil) of the river (nadi) yamunA. If these rogues (kaLvar) beat you (unai) up (vandu aDittAl), you will be upset (kalangiDuvAi) my darling (kaNmaNi - possibly the closest translation is 'apple of my eye')!

krishNA's 'I don't scare easily' 1:

kaLLanukku oru kaLLan unDO kanDadunDO Sollum ammA
kaLvar vandu yenai aDittAl kanDa tunDam SiediDuvEn

Oh mother (ammA), tell me (Sollum) if have you ever seen (kaNDadu unDO) a (oru) rogue/thief (kaLLan ukku) who will torment another rogue (kaLLan) - if the rogues (kaLvar) do set upon me (vandAl), I will cut them into pieces (kanDa tunDam SeidiDuvEn) - krishNA, the stealer of butter and hearts of people, very cleverly accepts that, and uses it to get out of his mothers request to not go out!

Scare Tactics 2:
gOvardhana giriyil ghOramAna mrigangaL unDu
karaDi puliyai kanDAl kalangiDuvAi kaNmaNiyE

yaSOdA knows it is a losing battle, so she tries to steer him away from the gOvardhan mountain - she says, there are (uNDu) very fearsome (ghOram Ana) animals (mrigangaL) on mount (giriyil) gOvardhan. You will certainly be upset (kalangiDuvAi) if you (kanDAl) see the big and ferocious bears (karaDi) and tigers (puli).

I don't scare easily 2:
kATTu mrigangaL ellAm yennai kanDAl ODi varum
kUTTam kUTTam Aga vandAl, vETTai ADi jeittiDuvEn

All (ellAm) the animals (mrigangaL) in the forrest (kATTu) are my friends - when they see (kaNDAl) me (yennai) they come (varum) running (ODi) to greet me. However, if they gang up on me (kUTTam kUTTam Aga vandAl), I will hunt them (vETTai ADi) and subdue them (jeittiDuvEn).

Final, last ditch attempt - invoke the DAD:
paTSam uLLa nandagOpar bAlan yengE endru kETTAl
yenna badil SollvEn aDA, yennuDaiya kaNmaNiyE

When your beloved/partial (paTSam uLLa) dad, nandgOpa returns home from his duties, and asks, 'where (yengE) is my son (bAlan)?' what (yenna) can I say (SolvEn) in reply (badil), my (yennuDaiya) precious one (kaNmaNiyE)

Don't worry, I have that covered as well!

bAlaruDan vIdiyilE pandADurAn yenru SollEn
tEDi yennai varuvardarkkuL ODi vandu ninriDuvEn....

Just tell him (SollEn) that I am out on the street (vIdiyilE), playing (ADurAn) ball (pandu) with (uDan) my friends, the other boys (bAlar)...and even before you come (varuvadarkkuL) searching (tEDi) for me (yennai), I will run back (ODi vandu) and be there (ninriDuvEn - literally means, I will be standing there) with them! - you can imaging the last words being hurled over his shoulder as he is out the door before gOpammA can come up with any more reasons.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAvNsc1H ... F4&index=1

This youtube link will show you how Smt Aruna Sairam interpretts this song with years of experience as a mother!
Smt. Priyadarshini Govind has choreographed this very well, and it is presented by Ms. Apoorva Jayram in the formers DVD/VCD on abhinaya pieces in a mArgam.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 22 Sep 2007, 20:45

Super delineation of the song, Ravi!
Krishnaa's requests are one-lined. Hope he appreciates his frequent requests being catered to with speed and with a lot of care too...

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 22 Sep 2007, 20:50

Thanks, Arasi!

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 22 Sep 2007, 21:06

Ravi: Good translation, editorial comments and captions.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 22 Sep 2007, 23:05

Thanks, VK...the song is a family favorite of ours and the captions and comments arose during the discussion we had about this....

krishnaa · Post by **krishnaa** » 23 Sep 2007, 13:52

Thanks so much for the beautiful translation Rshankar.
Yes Arasi, i accept theat my requests are more or less the same,

and i very well do appreciate the quick and amazing answers that i get.... all the time..........

thanks so much - all of you who always help me................................

chalanata · Post by **chalanata** » 23 Sep 2007, 15:17

who is the composer? my 90 year old aunt used to sing this song and i never realised that it is material for commercial exploitation until i happened to see a bharathnatyam based on the song and its theme.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 23 Sep 2007, 18:30

You can watch this on Youtube sung by A Sayeeram with zest!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAvNsc1H ... ed&search=

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 23 Sep 2007, 19:13

CML,
My post has the same link!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 23 Sep 2007, 19:26

Sorry shankar
I missed it! And as a compensation posting this link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-QjU86CA2k

krishnaa · Post by **krishnaa** » 23 Sep 2007, 20:09

Chalanata,
The composer is oothukadu Venkata kavi.

krishnaa

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 23 Sep 2007, 21:04

No, this is NOT an OVK composition as far as I remember. In one concert, Smt. Aruna Sairam introduces the song as a 'traditional' composition, passed from one gerneration to the next by word of mouth.

bhaktha · Post by **bhaktha** » 23 Sep 2007, 22:52

Probably like one of the many lullabies and other folk songs that our moms sang when we were babies...

-bhaktha

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 24 Sep 2007, 00:05

Lakshman can tell us from his collections whether this is OVK!
I will be quite surprised if this was a OVK !

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 24 Sep 2007, 00:32

I thought I saw somewhere on the internet that it is by Uttukadu. I will check and get back.