Ritual songs and folksongs of the Hindus of Surinam

[p. 148]

85 Birahās vii [Paramaribo, 1965]
Alcārī: water as Kālī. a woman praying for her husband's death

ąguri au goṛ maiyā dharati maį sumiraų more mātā
aba caura caura ḍyäuhār
are kālī maiyā tuhare bharosavā more mātā
maį to aba ḍāro jaläuvā mę goṛa
kālī kalakattā mę gāṛai dihini jhaṇḍā
jina ke pūj na lihini angarej
kālī maiyā tohare maį khasiyā caṛrhäiho more mātā
kahį buṛhavā ke dhare ghariyāl
are buṛhava bhatār more jiyā ke javān bāṭe more mātā
u to ṭikuli de ke jari jāy

(Bowing to you, touching you with my) knees and fingers, I remember you, my mother -¹
(And I remember) the Ḍīh of every platform.
(My) dependence (is only) on you, mother Kālī;
(And) I have now placed (my) foot in the water.²
Kālī has dug in her flag in Calcutta -
(Kālī) whom (even the) Englishmen have worshipped (there).
Mother Kālī, I shall make to you the offering of a goat, my mother -
(If) somewhere a crocodile takes hold (of) the old man.
O, (my) husband is old; (the state of) my heart³ is young, my mother -
Whereas he gets burnt (merely) by placing a mark (on my forehead).

1 The mother goddess.

2 Identification of jala-mātṛ or Gaṅgā, see note 2 on song No. 22.

3 Jiyā (S. Jīva) may be translated here as life: my life is still young.