Vidyaah: the sheer range of topics he wrote on is amazing. There's even a poem on Haley's comet!!
This next poem is one of the "Kannan(Krishna) songs" - Bharati sings of Krishna as a child, a mother, even as a lover!
But he was also a man of his times. Remember, Bharati was banned by the British for his "seditious" poetry. What your parents will tell you is that "Kannamma" was also a codeword for independent India. To read these poems with that in mind gives them a whole new layer of meaning - not only is this a simple love song, it is also a bhakti-sangeet, it is *also* a political song.
Don't know how many people are following this thread any more, but if you are, enjoy!! π
KaNNamma en kaadali (Kannamma, my lover)
ThIrtthak karaiyaniliE β theRka mUlaiyil
Chenbagath thOTTathilE
Paarththirunthaal varuvEn veNNilaaviNai
PaangiyO denRu chonnai
Vaarththai thavaRi viTTaay β aDi kaNNammaa
Maarbu thudikku thadI!
Paarththa vidathtilellaam β unnai pOlavE
Paavai theriyuthadI!
MENi kothikku thadI! Vaanidaiththai yellaam intha veNNilaa
Vanthu thazhuvuthu paar!
MOnath thirukku thadI! Intha vaiyakam muzhkith thuyivinilE naanoruvan maTTilum pirivenpathOr naragath thuzhaluvathO?
Kadumai yudaiya thadI! Entha nEramum kaavalun maaLikayil
Adimai pukuntha pinRum β eNNumpOthu naan angu varvatharkillai
Kodumai porukka villai kaTTun kaavalum
kUtik kitakkuthangE
nadumai yarasi yavaL etharkaakvO naaNikulainthiduvaaL
kUtip piriyaamalE β Ori raavelaam
konchik kulaviyangE
Aadi viLaiyaadiyE β unRan mEnilai
Aayiran kOdi muRai
naadith thzhavi manak-kuRai thIrnthu naan
nalla kaLiyeythiyE
paadip paravasamaay β niRkavE thavam
paNNiya thillai yadI!
ThIrththa β distant, remote
Karai- bank, seashore
Chenbagam β flower-tree
Paangi β friend, associate
Thudi- throb, palpitate (same as 'tarap' in Hindustani)
Paavai β image of a person in another's eye
Thazhuvu β embracing
MOnam β silence, muteness (same as maunam)
Vaiyakam β the Earth
MUzhku β poetic form of muzhuku β to bathe, submerge
Thuyil β sleep
Uzhal-to whirl, revolve, be agitated, unsettled
Kadumai β hardness
Adimai - slave
Kodumai β cruelty
Nadumai β middle, centre; zenith, meridian
Kurai β lack (mana-kurai : what the 'manas' lacks)
KaLi β joy, exultation
Tavam β 'tapasya', sacrifice
Kannamma my lover
On a distant shore, in the southern corner of the flower-tree garden,
If I see you [there], I will come with my friend in the light of the moon, you said.
You broke your word, O Kannamma!
My breast throbs with pain
Wherever I look, an image just like yours shows up, girl!
The body boils, girl! Look! The moon is embracing every bit of sky!
Silence writhes, girl! This earth is submerged in sleep.
I am the only one in whom is separation.
Is the nether-world unsettled?
Resolve breaks, girl! At your palace stands a sentry at all times.
Even after becoming a slave, I could never come there.
The cruelty is unbearable β there, tight security is assembled.
She, the queen of equanimity, for some or other reason, will shy away.
Unite; without parting, cuddle an entire night;
Dance and play β Embracing your body a million times, satisfying my heart-wants I reach ecstasy ;
Sing happily β I've not done the 'tapasya'* for all these, girl!
nb this line carries the sense - I have not done enough tapas/penance(?) for all these things (my 'mana-kurai', "heart-wants" to happen).