Miles to go..

“So, what is happening with your blog? No new posts?”

“No”

“Nothing? Not even translations?”

“No”

“That is bad”

The questions were from  my old colleague and friend, who used to criticize all my attempts to write, alleging my translations kill both Malayalam and English :-D (I agree partially with this. My translations never go poetic. They only convey what they are meant to convey). Anyway, enquiries from the worst critic did the trick. Here I am, trying to resume blogging.

Here is a warm-up post, just for convincing myself that I need to come back here. This translation was born when my friend Pallavi expressed her wish to understand the meaning of the song from the movie Punaradhivasam.

Malayalam Lyrics (courtesy : musicindiaonline)

Movie Name: Punaradhivasam (2000)

Singer: G Venugopal

Lyrics: Girish Puthenchery

Director: Prakash V K
Kanaka munthirikal manikal korkkumoru pulariyil

Oru kurunnu kunu chirakumaay varika shalabhame
(kanaka)

Sooryane dhyaanikkumee poopole

Njaan mizhi poottave (sooryane)

Venal pollum nirukil melle nee thottu (kanaka)
Kanaka munthirikal manikal korkkumoru pulariyil

Oru kurunnu kunu chirakumaay varika shalabhame

Paathiraa thaarangale ennodu nee mindillayo
(paathiraa)

Enthe innen kavilil melle nee thottu

English Version

At the dawn, when the golden grapes reeve their pearls,
Flutter by with your little wings, oh butterfly!!

At the dawn, when the golden grapes reeve their pearls,
Flutter by with your little wings, oh butterfly!!

Like a flower  meditating the sun, when I closed my eyes (2)
You touched my forehead, that scorching in summer, gently (2)

At the dawn, when the golden grapes reeve their pearls
Flutter by with your little wings, oh butterfly!! (2)

Won’t you talk to me, oh you midnight  stars?
Won’t you talk to me, oh you  midnight  stars?

Why did you touch my cheek so gently today?

Listen to the song here : http://www.4shared.com/file/13455389/7b5429d7/Kanaka_Munthirikal_Manikal.html

Note : Thanks a lot to Joju of mashithantu.com, for the excellent dictionary. It helped me to come up with this, and reminded me how rusty my Malayalam, really is.