Rain, Road, Adversity, and Life

When it rains, 
you lucidly see the scratches 
and pits, on even the most-familiar 
and oft-taken roads.

The adversities in your life
expose your weaknesses to you, 
making you realize how equipped, and 
prepared you are.

Now, it is up to us, whether to
see the weaknesses as a threat
or as opportunities in disguise.

It is up to us, on how 
we plan to maneuver our pitfalls;
whether we mend our path, or
complain of our shortcomings.

Translation of Nanbane from Mankatha

Melancholy of Voices

Woman:
Why, my dear friend,
did you have to fool around,
and pretend to be so hapless?
Now, you've proven to me that
you are the greatest histrion,
the one that the world has ever seen.

A woman never falls in love
after testing the waters,
of a man's goodness and evil.
Oh well, what is the point,
of realizing, a tad late
that it isn't the Ganges but a mirage?

Man:
Love is a dream castle
Learn about it, my lady love...
I search for true love
in the realms of love; but,
never have I ever seen one, my love.

Woman:
I fell for you, on the twist
of my bangled arm...
And I yearned to cling to you
and travel around...
I scripted an epical love tale
and etched it in my soul.

Alas, only to realize so late that
the epic was flawed from A to Z.
And tears flowed down my eye's path.
I owe all of it on you.
Is this all that you have for a reason?
Why should all the hurt belong to me?
Indeed, you tore apart
an endearing love-scape...

If the Tamil lord has six faces,
the man has a hundred,
each showing a different colour.
Why, my dear friend,
did you have to fool around?

Man:
Will love win or will it fail?
No one ever knows its fate,
my lady love.
Are you sad that the love-scape is torn?
Why do you worry, 'cos even this will pass.

Woman:
I recollect that you bosomed me.
But, little did I realize that
you were just trying to shun away
the light of my love-sunk soul.

The tree becomes a withered log
when the wind slays it down.
Would you even realize...?
That you threw thunder on my heart
and pained my fragile being.

To My dear ladies of the world...
listen to my golden words!
Love is a dream castle
and all of it is an illusion
and full of hallucinations.
All is well only when
you live with caution.

Man:
Love is a dream castle.
Learn about it my lady love...
I search for true love
in the realms of love,
never have I ever seen one, 
my love.


This song is another beauty from Yuvan! Wish he comes back with a bang from his hiatus and gives such amazing gems to the music world. On my experience of translating this song... To start with, this song is really close to my heart, and another song that took a really long time for me to translate. Again, like any of my other translations, I am in two minds on whether I did justice to it or not.

The Human Eye

I walk on the road,
looking at the passersby
I glance at a human in black,
who appears suspicious to me
We lock our eyes long enough
to be convinced,
of the innocence.

Now, I pass and let go.


~ by The Dog