Ritual songs and folksongs of the Hindus of Surinam

Death songs
45 Nirgun [Nieuw Nickerie, 1967]

terī do dina kī hai jindagānī re, garavai mati dekhi javānī
māyā kāyā kā ḍara chāyā, kyǫ mūrakha mana mę ḍarapāyā
rahe ānī jānī, garavai mati...

terī do...

[p. 96]

IV.

gäī javānī āyā buṛhāpā, ką̄pana lāgati kāyā

V.

ghara ke loga mukha se nahį bolę, rovana lage re bānī

VI.

bhare naina se pānī, garavai...

 

terī do...

VII.

yaha kāyā māṭī mę miri jāye, ūpara giri jāy pānī

VIII.

isa dehī para dūba jamegī, cari gäī gäū dīvānī

 

garavai...

 

terī do...

IX.

liyā diyā tere saṅga calegā, amara rahata nisānī

X.

natthidāsa ne yaha samajhāyā, raha gäī amara nisānī

 

teri do...

Your life is for two days (only); do not be proud seeing (your) youth.
The fear for the body ('s survival), an illusion, overshadows the people; why is the fool frightened in the mind?
(It is all) coming and going (i.e. transient); do not be proud...

Your life is...

Youth passed, old age came; the body starts to shake.
The people of the family do not speak (to the person any more); the speech begins to cry.
The eye is filled with water;¹ do not be proud...

Your life is...

This body (finally) mingles with earth and water falls on top (of it).
The dūb grass will grow on this body -and a crazy cow grazed and went away. Do not be proud...

Your life...

(What you have) taken and given, (that) will go with you - that mark (of your life) remains immortal.
Natthīdāsa² has admonished thus - (and) his mark (this song) remains immortal.

1 The composition is faulty; this is the approximate translation.

2 In this case the singer himself was the composer.