Two Gondi Songs from Bastar

(as represented in Bangla font and translated into Bangla by Narayan Sanyal, DanDak Shabari, 1962)

Song 1 – Transliteration

barang sarapartey uditan saydar

badengey isey uditan?

belosankey isey uditan?

… ha dada saydar

kyaydi aarka potsi hetke isey hanDu

tatat humar kishun hetkey isey hanDu

… ha dada saydar

sarpar tahey hanDu

taney isey poyanDu

“ayo ayo” – hanDu

tuna tantey onti saydar

…ha dada saydar

Song 1 Translation

Serene, in the middle of the road

Why do you sit?

Why don’t you explain?

Whom do you wait for?

Is it for our Bolesa? 

…ha dada Saydar

Pitcher in hand, she has gone, softly

by the river

She is not here

You wait for her, futile, staring at the road

…ha dada Saydar

If she comes by the lonesome path 

You shall hold her hand

She shall say – “no, don’t,

i shall not go with you”

…ha dada Saydar

….

Song 2 – Transliteration

aring baring bader… raa—eyy

peron bader payenDu… raa—eyy

darka pirru dardar... raa—eyy 

jhimTi pirru jhimjhim…raa--eyy

Dori usha hanDu…raa—eyy

Dakka pichar hanDu…raa—eyy

Song 2 Translation

Rainy clouds wrap the sky

at times it gushes down in torrents

and at times, it drizzles slow

Doleful minstrel of wilderness playing on the strings 

Tearing through the ink-black darkness

At the twilit hour of dusk, from the western skies

Sun-god hurls his golden arrows

But, in the ceaseless waters flooding through,

those arrows of gold float away

To sacrifice their selves to the depths of darkness

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[given these are Gondi to Bangla to English translations, i think we might have deviated significantly from the original connotations]