lyrics for nenjukku nIthi - composer ?

[smala]

a beautiful song on Devi.....by Mambalam sisters. Thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Bph8Hr ... re=related

[rshankar]

Subramanya Bharati - The best version is from the incomparable Smt. MSS.

[cmlover]

Aye! Aye!!

[smala]

Lakshman-ji, could you please post the lyrics. Thanks.

[Lakshman]

nenjukku nItiyum. rAgA: sindhubhairavi. t/Adi tALA.

1: nenjukku nItiyum tOLukku vALum nirainda shuDarmaNIp-pUN
panjukku nEr pala unbangaLAM ivaL pArvaikku nERperuttI
vancanaiyinri paghaiyinri shUdinri vaiyaga mAnadarellA
tanjamenrE uraippIr avaL pEr shakti Om shakti Om shakti Om
2: nalladum tIyadum sheidiDum shakti nalattai namakkizhaippAL
alladu ningum enrE ulagEzhum araindiDuvAi murashE
shollat-taghunda poruLanru ingu shollumavar tamaiyE
allal keDut-tamarak-kiNaiyAkkiDum Om shakti Om shakti Om
3: nambuvadE vazhi yenra maraitannai nAminru nambiviTTOm
kumbiT-TennEramum shakti enrAlunaik-kumbiDuvEn manamE
ambukkum tIkkum viDattukkum nOvukkum accamilAdapaDi
umbarkkum-i mbarkkum vAzhvu tarumpadam Om shakti Om shakti Om
4: ponnaip-pozhindiDu minnai vaLarttiDu pOTri yunak-kishaindOm
annai parAshakti enruraittOm taLaiyattanaiyum kaLaindOm
shonna paDikku naDattiDuvAi manamE tozhil vErillai kAN
innum tEyuraippOm shakti Om shakti Om shakti Om
5: veLLai malarmishai vEdak-karupporuLAga viLangiDuvAi
teLLU kalaittamizh vANi ninakkoru viNNappam sheidiDuvEn
eLLattanaip-pozhudum payaninri-virAdenran nAvinilE
veLLamenapp-pozhivAi shakti vEl shakti vEl shakti vEL

[Enna_Solven]

Lakshmanji, some Corrections:

1: nenjukku nItiyum tOLukku vALum niRainda shuDarmaNIp-pUN
panjukku nEr pala tunbangaLAM ivaL pArvaikku nERperundI
vanjanaiyinri paghaiyinri shUdinri vaiyaga mAnadarellAm
tanjamenrE uraippIr avaL pEr shakti Om shakti Om shakti Om

2: nalladum tIyadum sheidiDum shakti nalattai namakkizhaippAL
alladu ningum enrE ulagEzhum aRaindiDuvAi murashE
shollat-taghunda poruLanru kAN ingu shollumavar tamaiyE
allal keDut-tamarark-kiNaiyAkkiDum Om shakti Om shakti Om

3: nambuvadE vazhi yenra maRaitannai nAminru nambiviTTOm
kumbiT-TennEramum shakti enrAlunaik-kumbiDuvEn manamE
ambukkum tIkkum viDattukkum nOvukkum accamilAdapaDi
umbarkkum-imbarkkum vAzhvu tarumpadam Om shakti Om shakti Om

4: ponnaip-pozhindiDu minnai vaLarttiDu pOTri yunak-kishaindOm
annai parAshakti enruraittOm taLaiyattanaiyum kaLaindOm
shonna paDikku naDandiDuvAi manamE tozhil vErillai kAN
innu madE yuraippOm shakti Om shakti Om shakti Om

5: veLLai malarmishai vEdak-karupporuLAga viLangiDuvAi
teLLU kalaittamizh vANi ninakkoru viNNappam sheidiDuvEn
eLLattanaip-pozhudum payaninri irAdenran nAvinilE
veLLamenapp-pozhivAi shakti vEl shakti vEl shakti vEL

eLLattanaip-pozhudum = Even for a second (as small as a sesame seed, Tamil idiom)
payaninri irAdu = without being useless
enran nAvinilE = in my tongue
veLLamenapp-pozhivAi = flow like flood

I make an appeal to you, oh Goddess of Arts!
Let not my tongue idle even for a second;
Flow like the flood from my tongue!

Yes, she did, she did indeed.

[rshankar]

pArvaikku nEr perum tI (fire)...

enran nAvinilE = in my tongue
veLLamenapp-pozhivAi = flow like flood

That is why, Sri Kalki in his tribute to bhArati says - 'gangaiyena pongi varum tan-tamizhilE kavidai pala punaindaLittAr veNNilAvE'

Smt. MSS sings the first, third and fifth verses

[smala]

Thanks Sri Lakshman-ji for the very lovely lyrics.

Please offer a _full_ translation, Ravi/Enna Solven.

[Lakshman]

Thanks enna_solven for the corrections.

[Enna_Solven]

I will translate if Ravi is busy and can't do it. His translation is poetic/better.

[rshankar]

I will translate if Ravi is busy and can't do it. His translation is poetic/better.

Not really, but we can tag team..

I will get the ball rolling with C1:

1: nenjukku nItiyum tOLukku vALum niRainda shuDarmaNIp-pUN
panjukku nEr pala tunbangaLAM ivaL pArvaikku nERperum tI
vanjanaiyinri paghaiyinri shUdinri vaiyaga mAnadarellAm
tanjamenrE uraippIr avaL pEr shakti Om shakti Om shakti Om

Adorning/bearing/wielding (pUN) herself with lustrous (SuDar) gems (maNi) like a heart (nenjukku) and shoulders (tOlukku) filled to the brim (niRainda) with justice (nItiyum) and unparalleled strength/breadth (vALum) [1] respectively, her (ivaL) scorching glance (pArvaikku) that is similar to (nER) a mighty fire/flame (tI) will burn away several (pala) of our worldly miseries (tunbangaLAM) like/similar to (nER) to bales of cotton (panjukku). Therefore, oh denizens (mAndar ellAm) of the world (vaiyaga), please chant (uraippIr) her (avaL) name (pEr) without (inri) falsehood (vanjanai), enmity (pagai), or deceit (SUdu) as your only means of support (tanjam enrE), and call out 'Om Sakti'!

[1] Translated contextually.

Of all poets, I love bhArati's treatment of his relationship to Sakti - they are direct, impassioned, and above all very personal - at least, when I read his poetry, I feel an intense personal connection that he has with the dEvi - like that of a favored/favorite relative. And from this connection and bedrock, all else seem to flow effectively - complaints, praise, advise to others etc...

[cmlover]

Well done Shankar! Good spirited translation!!
The anvaya is
panjukku nEr AM pala tunba^NgaL = the many miseries (pala tunba^NgaL) are equivalent to cotton bales(panjukku)
correspondingly
ivaL pArvaikku nEr peRum tI = her look (pArvai) is equivalent ti fire(tI)

The inference is just as the fire burns out bales of cotton, just her look will burn out (our) many miseries

A beautiful poetic comparison!

[rshankar]

Thanks, CML. The next one is the third in this series, but the second that Smt. MSS sings - in this, the poet is talking more to himself/his mind and soul:

3: nambuvadE vazhi yenra maRaitannai nAminru nambiviTTOm
kumbiT-TennEramum shakti enrAlunaik-kumbiDuvEn manamE
ambukkum tIkkum viDattukkum nOvukkum accamilAdapaDi
umbarkkum-imbarkkum vAzhvu tarumpadam Om shakti Om shakti Om

Today/at this time (inru) we (nAm) have believed (nambiviTTOm) in the vedic texts (maRaitanai) that (yenra) we have no other choice (vazhi) but to trust (nambuvadE). But, oh mind of mine (manamE), I will bow down (kumbiDuvEn) to you (unai) only if you worship (kumbiTTu) and chant (enrAl) 'Om Sakti' at all times (ennEramum), for it is the word (padam) that grants/bestows (tarum) life (vAzhvu) without (illAdapaDi) fear (accam) from arrows (ambukkum) [2], fire (tIkkum) [3], poison (viDattukkum) [4], and disease/distress (nOvukkum), not just for us mortals (imbarkkum), but to the celestials (umbarkkum) as well.

[2] Probably refers to the torture from the arrows of love/lust etc.
[3] Probably refers to the raging fire of anger/greed/sorrow/misery etc.
[4] Probably refers to the poisonous thoughts as much as to poisonous materials

[cmlover]

Beautiful metaphors! Nice interpretation!
ambu also can be the harsh unkind words unrighteously used by others...
tI can also be jealousy invoked by seeing prosperity of others which burns the heart

[Enna_Solven]

2: nalladum tIyadum sheidiDum shakti nalattai namakkizhaippAL
alladu ningum enrE ulagEzhum aRaindiDuvAi murashE
shollat-taghunda poruLanru kAN ingu shollumavar tamaiyE
allal keDut-tamarark-kiNaiyAkkiDum Om shakti Om shakti Om

nalladum: good, tIyadum: bad/harmful, sheidiDum: she who does both, nalattai: welness, namakkizhaippAL: will give us
alladu: harm, ningum: will leave us, enrE: saying so, ulagEzhum: to the seven worlds, aRaindiDuvAi: proclaim, literally 'beat the drum', murashE: Oh drum!
shollat-taghunda: that which can be talked about/described, poruLanru: it is not, kAN: see, ingu: here, shollumavar: those who say, tamaiyE: themselves,
allal: difficulties, keDuttu: removing, amararku: the dEvas, iNaiyAkkiDum: making them on peers of, Om shakti Om shakti Om: the great Goddes Shakthi!

The goddess Shakthi, who is at once a great benefactor and a destroyer, will only nurture us. Proclaim to the seven worlds that our difficlulties will disppear. This is not something that can be described, but She will protect those that say (the word = believe) and will make them equal to the devAs (immortals). Om Shathi Om Shakthi Om!

[arasi]

Super effort, Ravi and Enna_solvEn!
One of my favorites of bArati. MS sings it beautifully and your translations make the song come alive for those who do not know tamizh.
I have a feeling that those who do not care about lyrics do not care to look into this section either. If only they did! How can CM exist by AlApanais and svarams alone

[cmlover]

True arasi! That is the tragedy of too much classicism! We are outsiders !!

[Enna_Solven]

Thank you Arasi. In addition to helping others, it also lets me verify my own understanding. For example, I am not quite so sure about the first line of the following stanza. (A lot is lost in translation, especially Bharathi's fieriness and the way one word/phrase/sentence builds on the previous.)

4: ponnaip-pozhindiDu minnai vaLarttiDu pOTri yunak-kishaindOm
annai parAshakti enruraittOm taLaiyattanaiyum kaLaindOm
shonna paDikku naDandiDuvAi manamE tozhil vErillai kAN
innu madE yuraippOm shakti Om shakti Om shakti Om

ponnaip-pozhindiDu: You who bestows us wealth - pours gold on us, minnai vaLarttiDu: who causes light, pOTri: by praising, unak-kishaindOm: became your servants/followers,
annai parAshakti: Mother parAshkathi, enruraittOm: we said, taLaiyattanaiyum: all our obstacles, kaLaindOm: thus removed,
shonna paDikku: as I said, naDandiDuvAi: walk! manamE: Oh, my mind, tozhil: job vErillai: you have no other kAN: see, understand
innu madE: even now only that, uraippOm: we will say, chant shakti Om shakti Om shakti Om

Oh, the one that bestows wealth on us, that causes light (understanding?), we became yours by praising your qualities! We proclaimed you are the all powerful Mother Goddess! In saying so, we removed all our obstacles! Do as I say, oh my mind! You have no other recourse. We will keep chanting her name: shakti Om shakti Om shakti Om!

[rshankar]

And the last:

5: veLLai malarmishai vEdak-karupporuLAga viLangiDuvAi
teLLU kalaittamizh vANi ninakkoru viNNappam sheidiDuvEn
eLLattanaip-pozhudum payaninri irAdenran nAvinilE
veLLamenapp-pozhivAi shakti vEl shakti vEl shakti vEL

You shine resplendently (viLangiDuvAi) as the essence (karupporulAga) of the vEdas atop (miSai) a white (veLLai) flower (malar). Oh gleaming (teLLu) sarasvati (kalaivANi), dear to the tamizhs, I respectfully submit (SeidiDuvEn) the following (oru) request (viNNappam) to you (ninakku): Oh dEvi, please gush forth/emerge (pozhivAi) like a deluge (veLLam ena) from my tongue, so that I shall not remain unproductive (payan inri) for even a nano-second (eLLattani pozhudum), even as I proclain 'Sakti vEl'!

In this last verse, Bharati's abhorrence for being useless - not being productive - comes through so clearly. And it reminds me of the sentiment he expresses in 'nalladOr vINai SiedE'