Friday, March 20, 2020

കാക്കേ കാക്കേ കൂടെവിടെ



"oh lady crow, of comely crow, show me your nest..
is your cute little one snoozing there,?
wont the sweet child be hungry and crying for food?"

The boy asked t he mother crow.. "


All the while he was munching a cookie..

Give me the cookie, wont you, my little friend..?
murmured the crow..

No, no, I will not..shouted the boy.

"You wretched hag of a crow, you cheated me.. ' cried the boy as the crow soared up snatching off the cookie ..

There is a Malayalam Nursery rhyme,, I just translated it as above.

കാക്കേ കാക്കേ കൂടെവിടെ
കൂട്ടിനകത്തൊരു കുഞ്ഞുണ്ടോ
കുഞ്ഞിനു തീറ്റ കൊടുക്കാഞ്ഞാല്‍
കുഞ്ഞു കിടന്നു കരഞ്ഞീടും
കുഞ്ഞേ കുഞ്ഞേ നീ തരുമോ
നീന്നുടെ കയ്യിലെ നെയ്യപ്പം
ഇല്ല തരില്ലാ നെയ്യപ്പം
അയ്യോ കാക്കേ പറ്റിച്ചോ

A verbatim translation would have been:-

Crow, Crow, where is your nest
is there your small child inside the nest
will not the baby cry if you do not give it any food?

Boy, Boy, will you give me the Ghee Cookie you are holding in you hands/
No, I will not give you that Ghee Cookie
You Crow, you cheated me..

Both what I gave at the beginning and what I give above are translations..

But which is better..?
It all depends on the reader..
Narration is a fine art... a sublime art,

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