Ritual songs and folksongs of the Hindus of Surinam

90 Birahās xii [Party from Meerzorg, 1967]
Finale (introducing the composer)

hansū sahara gulajāra hai more bhaiyā
aba bastī hai aparampāra

[p. 157]

III.

o pārāmāribo mę sahara ke habaṛā mę more bhaiyā

IV.

aba prema ke lāge bajārā

V.

hare mariyamburg asa koṭhī na dekhā

VI.

kantorau ke āge dukāna

VII.

aba hansū asa gäū na dekhā

VIII.

jahą̄ carahana ke adhikāra

are rāmaharakha hansū ke rahavaiyā
ham to ā̈ile divākara āj

jilā javanapura mora hai
aba cakavaliyā hai gą̄va
sūpara bhagata ke putra haų
aba bhagavantadāsa hai nāma

The city Hansū² is a flourishing one, my brother;
(And) the habitation (there) is unending.³
In Paramaribo, across (the river from the) city, my brother,
Now, there is established a market-place (full) of love.
O, an estate⁴ like Maryamburg (I) have not seen (elsewere),
(Where I have a) shop in front of the office.⁵
(I) have not seen cows (so good elsewhere) as in Hansū² -
Where (there is an) open right to pasturage.

Rāmaharakh, a resident of Hansū,
I have come to the Divākara⁶ today.

2 Ansoe is a village to the east across the Surinam river from Paramaribo.

3 A hyperbole.

4 Koṭhī, an industrial estate; in this case Marienburg, the only remaining sugar estate in Surinam. For a further list of Indianised Dutch names in Surinam, see Adhin (1964).

5 Kantoor: Hindi form kantorau; in this case the office of the Marienburg sugar estate.

6 The office of the Arya Dewakar Sabha in Paramaribo where the singers had been invited for this recording.

[p. 158]

C

I.

My district is Jaunpur,

II.

And Cakavaliyā is (my) village.

III.

I am the son of a devotee (named) Sūpar¹ -

IV.

(And) (my) name is Bhagavantadās.

1 The singer stated this to be Sūpardās.

7 A is a composition by a singer born in Surinam and shows the local linguistic effects; B is by an immigrant born in India.

1 See page 156, note 7.