I really like this movie, but I was suprised with the inclusion of music in a film with some very intense sences. I especially like the scene where the dad sings to his adopted daughter. Could someone pleae tell me what he is singing to her about?
shareHi,
I love this song, and i'll attempt a loose but hopefully effective translation.
(refrain):
Oh how the heart throbs and
how the ears fill with music
when you kiss my cheek,
when you kiss my cheek!
Opener:
Little flower from God,
What is it that your eyes seek?
you are where life begins,
and you are where the sky ends,
you came like the breeze,
and stayed in my living breath,
O life that seeps and throbs in my chest,
Little flower from God,
What is it that your eyes seek?
(Refrain)
verse 1:
you are my kin, just as you are my foe
blossom of love, thorn in my womb,
gentle rain, tiny thunder,
the body that is born, and the spirit that leaves,
and life that transcends death.
Little flower from God,
What is it that your eyes seek?
(refrain)
verse 2:
you are my wealth, just as you are my poverty,
the verse I wrote, and the miss-spelled word,
borrowed light, tears in the dark,
you are my sky, and the wings I lost,
you are the sorrow that I took home to raise.
Little flower from God,
What is it that your eyes seek?
While several interpretations are valid, at a personal level, this song carries incredible depth and meaning, and to me, it address the very experience of parenthood - the irreversible bond that is created when one becomes a parent, the primal joy of being a parent, as well as the all too real loss of possibilities and the crushing responsibility that comes with it... however, to me, the lyrics do not sound regretful, they only hint at an impersonal awareness of the reality, the dark and the bright side, of parenthood. Culturally, while even acknowledging the troubles of parenthood is almost taboo not just in india but almost in any mainstream society, Vairamuthu brings such a breath of fresh air with this one.
A very good translation Sandhya. Great work.
shareBetter late than never.. I don't even know if you'll see this, but thank you so much for the lovely translation. I just went last night to madrastalkies.com to ask Mani Ratman (indirectly, of course) to please, please include song lyric translations in the subtitles in any future films. Since I speak no Tamil/Telugu/? I was disappointed not to have the lyrics available (as they are also not available in Dil Se - no Hindi either), especially when they are such an integral part of the script. Anyway, it was a delight to find that you had translated this little gem, and if it had been in the subtitles, I would have been effected even more by this lovely movie.
shareIf you should read this post, I would like to know about the subtitles in the version of the film that you saw. My husband and I just watched this astounding film this very evening (he had tears streaming!) and the subtitles tranlsated the song perfectly, we even rewound a few times to be able to appreciate the paradoxical verses. Were your subtitles in English? Why should our DVD have them and yours not? Puzzled.
shareyou'll probably never read this.. 3-4 years ago now. but my (three) copies were in English subtitles... all from filmmovement.com, which is based in New York. It was the only place I could find that carried the movie (three copies because I gave one to a friend and bought another thinking I could find one with subtitles to the songs)...
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