Akkana Vachanagalu, edited by L Basavaraju, Geeta Book House, Mysuru, 1997.
17: teraniya hulu tanna snehadinda maneya madi
Like
a silkworm making her home with love,
from her entrails,
entangled in the circling threads,
turning and turning,
and dying,
I seethe,
desiring all that my heart desires.
Annihilate my heart’s greed,
and lead me to you,
O Chenna Mallikarjuna!
83: ayya, nee kelidare kelu, keladiddare manu
Hear me if you will; spurn me, if you won’t;
I cannot but sing your praises, ayya[1].
See me if you will; shun me, if you won’t;
I cannot but delight in you, ayya.
Cherish me if you will; detest me, if you won’t;
I cannot but embrace you, ayya.
Love me if you will; loathe me, if you won’t;
I cannot but adore you, ayya.
Chenna Mallikarjunayya,
Applauding you, worshipping you,
I shall dance in ecstasy, ayya.
[1] A respectful way of addressing a man.
83: ayya, nee kelidare kelu, keladiddare manu
Hear me if you will; spurn me, if you won’t;
I cannot but sing your praises, ayya[1].
See me if you will; shun me, if you won’t;
I cannot but delight in you, ayya.
Cherish me if you will; detest me, if you won’t;
I cannot but embrace you, ayya.
Love me if you will; loathe me, if you won’t;
I cannot but adore you, ayya.
Chenna Mallikarjunayya,
Applauding you, worshipping you,
I shall dance in ecstasy, ayya.
[1] A respectful way of addressing a man.
84: kanutta kanutta kangala muchchide nodavva
88: enna manava marugondanavva
He laid siege to my heart!
He devoured my body whole!
He feasted on every pleasure in every corner!
He came, came to live inside my being!
I’m Chenna Mallikarjuna’s beloved,
I am, avva[2]!
[2] An affectionate way of addressing one’s mother or a female friend.
93: erada mullinante paragandarenagavva
Other men,
they are like thorns,
hiding under a plane leaf, avva.
I cannot touch them,
I cannot go anywhere near them,
I cannot trust them nor confide in them, avva.
Because they have thorns in their chests,
I can embrace none of them –
none but my lord Chenna Mallikarjuna!
121: hasive neenu nillu nillu, trisheye neenu nillu nillu
O Hunger, wait a moment.
O Thirst, wait a moment.
O Sleep, wait a moment.
O Lust, wait a moment.
O Anger, wait a moment.
O Passion, wait a moment.
O Greed, wait a moment.
O Arrogance, wait a moment.
O Envy, wait a moment.
Every moving and non-moving thing,
I beseech you, wait a moment.
I am carrying an urgent missive
for my lord Chenna Mallikarjuna!
I am your humble supplicant.
315: giriyalallade hullu moradiyalladuvude navilu
Would the peacock fancy dancing on a grassy mound,
and not on a mountain peak?
Would the swan long for a shrinking pond,
and not for a brimming lake?
Would the cuckoo break into song,
if the mango is not in bloom?
Would the bee yearn for the flower,
if it has no fragrance?
Tell me O friends,
would my heart ache for anyone
but my lord Chenna Mallikarjuna?
321: kalavalada manavu talekelagadudavva
The anxious heart has turned turtle,
The gentle breeze has turned to fire,
Moonlight has turned hot, my friend.
I am agitated like a tax collector
doing the rounds in town.
My dear, go call him,
put some sense into him,
bring him to me, now.
Chenna Mallikarjuna is vexed with me
Now that we are apart.
326: ereyante karakaragi, malalante jarijaridu
Melting,
melting like moist soil,
Shifting,
shifting like dry sand,
Pining,
pining in my dream,
I was baffled.
Whirling,
whirling like kiln-fire,
I seethed.
No sakhis in sight
in my distress.
O Chenna Mallikarjuna,
grant me
a body that cannot be seen by stalking,
a bliss that cannot be had by ravishing.
