ಸೀತಮ್ಮ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಕಂದಮ್ಮ / Seetamma, my little darling

ಸೀತಮ್ಮ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಕಂದಮ್ಮ

 

ಸೀತಮ್ಮ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಕಂದಮ್ಮ

ಹಾಲ್ಗಡಲಲಿ ತೇಲುವ ಕೃಷ್ಣವರ್ಣನು

ಪಿಳಿಪಿಳಿ ಮಿಟುಕುವ ನಿನ್ನೀ ಕಂಗಳಲ್ಲವೆ?

ಮುದ್ದಾದ ಮುಂಗುರುಳು

ಶೇಷನ ಹೆಡೆಯಲ್ಲವೆ?

ಅರಳಿದ ಮುಖಾರವಿಂದ

ಚೆಲ್ಲಿದ ಬೆಳದಿಂಗಳಲ್ಲವೆ?

ಹವಳಗಳೆರಡರ ಹೊಳಪು

ಚಿಮ್ಮಿದ ಸೂರ್ಯಕಾಂತಿಯಲ್ಲವೆ?

ಮುತ್ತುಗಳರಳುವುದುಳಿದಿದೆ

ಆದರೂ ಎಷ್ಟು ಚಂದ ಕಂದಮ್ಮ

 

ಸೀತಮ್ಮ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಕಂದಮ್ಮ

ಪಟಪಟಪಟ ತಪತಪತಪ

ಹೊಡೆಯುವ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಕಾಲ್ಗಳು

ತೊಟ್ಟಿಲಿಗೆ ಮಸ್ತಕವೊಡ್ಡಿರುವೆ

ಪುಟ್ಟ ಪಾದಗಳಿಂದೊದೆದು

ಎನ್ನ ಕೃತಾರ್ಥಗೊಳಿಸೆಯಾ

ತಾಯಿ ವಜ್ರಗರಿಕಾಂಬಿಕೆಯೆ?

 

------ರಾಮಾಂಜನೇಯ

 

Seetamma, my little darling

 

Seetamma my little darling,

The dark hued one

            who floats on the ocean of milk,

Isn’t He your pretty blinking eyes?

Aren’t your pretty black curls

            hoods of the many hooded Shesha?

Isn’t your bright face, pretty as a flower

            scattered beams of moonlight?

And the gleam of the coral pair

            joy giving sunbeams soft?

The rows of pearls

            are yet to blossom,

Yet, how pretty you are

            my little darling!

 

Seetamma, my little darling,

Your little feet swing,

Pit-pat pat-pit tip-tup tup-tip,

To your cradle, my head I offer,

Kick them with your tiny feet,

And bless me, will you not,

Mother Vajragarikambika?

 

----------Ram Sharaph

This poem posed a peculiar problem in translation.  In most south Indian languages (atleast the ones I know), the suffix “amma” which means “mother”, is used both as a term of endearment and as an address of respect.  A father, will address his daughter (a little child or even a grown up one) as “amma”.  An elder male will address a younger girl as “amma” not as a term of endearment, but as an address of respect.  A young boy will address an elder woman (even if a stranger) as “amma” as a matter of respect.  It is also not necessary that only the males use the term “amma”.  Even girls/women address other girls/women as “amma”, as a term of endearment or respect, the meaning and intent depends on the situation.  Those not familiar with this usage would find it peculiar, but this is a beautiful way to address girls/women, who are a representation of the divine Shakti.  Even boys/men are addressed as “appa” or  “ayya” or “naaina” but it is less common than “amma” and certainly less beautiful.  In the present poem, the bhakta is addressing the infant Seeta as “amma” as a term of endearment outpouring from a heart filled with devotion.  How does one translate this into English?  Or for that matter, a non-South Indian language that does have such usage?  Remember the Hindi dubbed version of the movie Baahubali?  If you wondered why Kattappa keeps addressing a much younger Devasena as “maa”, you know why now.  What then, is the solution?  Since in the Kannada version of the poem I have used “amma” as a term of endearment, as one would to a little baby, I have translated it as “little dear” and “little darling”.  It is a distant and poor translation, but such are the constraints of translating from one language to another.  If you have a better term/translation, please let me know.