I liked Khalil Gibran's poem "Fear" that was shared recently. This is an offshot from its impact. Gibran's poem is also given below.
Now that I have taken the plunge Deep into the sea foward I lunge Taking in all that the sea has in store Many of which I've never seen before.
I shiver as the chill strikes me cold As I look for something to catch and hold But the deep sea pulls me towards her heart As the gentle me feel I am ripped apart
Into the swirl I go round and round Losing my shape, smell and sound My gentle ripples lost in her thunderous roars My sweetness diluting the salinity she stores
Half way in I push up to see the sun Only to find the sea and I have become one Memories full of things that I left ashore Will I ever get there back, I am not sure.
As wishful thoughts take me in their grip I feel the warmth of the sun heating me up I rise afloat with an eerie sense of pleasure That my dream will come through in good measure
As a mighty cloud I force a gust of wind To take me past the shore and into the land Hitting the hill top with much conviction I fall into its lap as rain from convection
Oh my God, I am back on my pasture Making my way as guided by nature Feeding life all my way down the valley And the plateaus and plains as I rally
Thank you Lord, for making me live again And for the respect I stand to gain Helping life forms to quench their thirst And the sinners to rinse off their dirt.
Though the woods and land as I flow I am proud to see settlements grow knowing this gift will last only a while, i rush For I already hear the sea waves lash.
It was testing time, the begining stage of spread of Covid-19 With the announcement of complete shut down, everybody was trying some escape route to spend their time. Fortunately for me, my wife was employed in the banking sector, an essential activity, and hence in the guise of driving her to and from office, I had some outing to do every day, in addition to visiting the shops during the restricted hours.
Naturally, the major source of entertainment for people was the media, particularly the ubiquitous YouTube on the computer screen and Whatsapp on the mobile screen. With this couple, one could easily keep themselves updated. Only the serious guys turned to newspapers, television, Netflix (or AmazonPrime as the case may be), and gaming.
Just prior to this hullabaloo in containment, I had been engaged in frequent travel to Bangalore to be of help to my daughter in take care of my grand-daughter. That necessitated my learning Kannada, out of my own interest to be of some real help to my grand-daughter, who was in her second class then. To achieve some degree of quic learning, I started listening or reading anything in Kannada - on the walls, inside buses and trains, and, of course, in the handheld media.
To make the long story short, I began to understand even lengthy and serious matter in Kannada, as provided in the vide clip below, and even attempt to translate them into the two languages I knew - Tamil and English.
I am sure you will find both the translations as much true to the original. Thanks for your patience.
The Tamil translation, that was done almost immediately after the release of this video in June 2020:
வெய்யிலின் தாக்கத்தில் தடுமாறிய ஏழை
நிழல் அகப்படாமல் தள்ளாடி விழுந்தான் பேதை
அவனைப் பார்க்கவும் அவ்விடத்தில் யாருமில்லை
அக்கறையுடன் விசாரிக்க அவனுக்கும் நாதியில்லை
இரங்கி, இறங்கி வந்தான் தேவன் அவனிடம்
முதியவன்போல் தரித்து வந்தான் வேடம்
கைத்தாங்கலாய் அழைத்துச் சென்ற இடமோ ஒரு சோலை
பசியாற ஈந்தான் சுவைகனிந்த மா, பலா, வாழை
உயிர்காத்தீர் பெரியவரே குளிர்ந்தது என் அகம்
கைம்மாறு என் செய்வேன் பகர்ந்தால் மிக்க நலம்
கைகூப்பிய ஏழையை அணைப்பால் தேற்றி
கூர்கோடரியைத் திணித்தான் அவன் கைகளைப் பற்றி
வேறொன்றும் வேண்டாம் மகனே இன்றெனக்கு
இம்மரங்களை வெட்டிவிடு வளராமல் என்றைக்கும்!
இதென்ன விபரீதம்! ஏவினான் மேலே ஏழை தன் பார்வையை
அவன் கண்கள் கண்டதோ அடர்ந்த பசும் மரப்போர்வை!
அங்கொன்றும் இங்கொன்றும் பட்சிகளின் கூடுகள்
குதூகலமாய் கூடிவிளையாடும் சின்னஞ்சிறு குஞ்சுகள்
கானப் பறவைகள் பொழிந்தன காதில் இன்பத்தேன்
கனத்த தேன்கூடுகளிலிருந்து சொட்டியது கையில் இனிய தேன்!
இயற்கையின் அமைப்பில் தான் எத்தனை உயிர்ப்பு!
இதனை அழிப்பதா? எழுந்தது மனதில் எதிர்ப்பு.
இத்தனை உயிர்களை எடுக்கத் தான் எந்தன் உயிரைக் கொடுத்தீரோ?
பிற உயிர்நீக்கும் கொடுஞ்செயலைப் புரிவேன் என்றே நினைத்தீரோ?
வேண்டாம் இப்பாதகம் இது தவறு
இதல்லவே நான் நினைத்த கைம்மாறு
என்றே நேர்மையுடன் நயந்து பேசினான்
கோடரியை கிழவனிடமே திரும்பி வீசினான்
மெச்சிய பரம்பொருள் காட்சி தந்தான்
பரமனைக் கண்ட ஏழையோ மூர்ச்சையானான்
விழித்தெழுந்த இடமோ அரசின் செயலகம்
மந்திரிகளைக் கண்டு அடைந்தான் பரவசம்
சுற்றுச்சூழல் மந்திரி அருகில் வந்து வினவினார், என்ன சிந்தனை?
சற்றும் தாமதிக்காமல் விடையளித்தான்,
இயற்றிடுவீர் இன்றே ஓர் ஆணை, மரம் வெட்டினால் மரணதண்டனை!
The English translation, inspired by a re-reading of the Tamil one just now:
Too weak and drained in the scorching sun
the poor man slumped
to the ground
His miserable
condition alarming none
for he rarely had
anyone around
The Lord took pity
and descended down
in the guise of an
old man offering help
Took him in his arms
without a frown
Gave him food to
chew and wine to gulp
Carrying the poor
man to a nearby grove
The old man laid him
to rest for a while
Spraying cold water
on his face from above
Asked him if he
could wake up and return a smile
Getting up alive,
the poor man was grateful
thanking profusely,
asked how he could repay.
Handing him an axe,
he uttered words hateful
“Cut off these
trees, you will make me happy!”
Shocked, the poor
man gazed left and right,
the green of the
leaves and colours of the flowers
He could hear the
young birds’ chirpy flight
and sense nature
through shine and showers
Sheltering a host of
animals, birds and bees
Isn’t this grove
supporting life on earth?
I shouldn’t submit
to destroy this peace
even if this devil
takes away my breath.
Shaking in stubborn
denial and standing firm,
threw the axe back
at the old man’s feet.
“Don’t you think
just ‘cos I am infirm
I will agree to kill
what I can’t create!”
“If that’s what
you expect me to perform
Take my life driving
that very axe down my meat.”
Pleased, the Lord
revealed his magnificent form.
The poor man fainted
again, his heart skipping its beat.
Opening eyes as he
gained his sense
he saw himself
seated at the kind Minister’s bar.
Propping him up with
curiosity intense
“Get up, poor man,
you seem to have come from afar!
What can I do for
you, what is your wish?”
Bowing in respect,
bent on his knees,
“A decree, your
Highness, so that life doesn’t perish,
