Red Velvet Hat (A Weekend Musing)

Red Velvet Hat

Red hat, red hat
My red velvet hat
With three things – the winter jacket,
Little purse with cell phone in hand,
And the red hat
Like the Gulmohar flower on top
I started with my hubby
To the Saturday Farmers’ Market
In my tamarind brown van
Playfully swinging
Reached the large shed
In thirty minutes –
Cold, cold, shivering cold,
Tickling nippy cold
Biting cold, 
“Eggplants, red eggplants,
Onions, potatoes, oranges,
Apples, pears, ”
Strolled up and down
Several times
Bought three dollars’ apples, bell peppers…
Then I found my crown jewel missing!

My dear husband, nay mari perle
Walked up, and down
Checked all the stalls across
The two isles
Where would it go? In this North America
The norm has mostly been: “Finding intact
The lost ones”
“Where’re you going little damsel?” Thus
It
Greeted me. There, next to the (cardboard) oranges
Crate, it hung on the steel post
Beckoning me sweetly
My golden red hat, my red hat! 

(English translation of the Telugu poem "ఎఱ్ఱ టోపీ" both penned by the author) 
Copyright 2016 తె. వె. రావు.   

Lyrics of "Sita kalyana vaibhogame"

శంకరాభరణము - ఖండలఘువు

సీతా కళ్యాణ వైభోగమే

రామ కళ్యాణ వైభోగమే  || సీతా || 

పవనజ స్తుతి పాత్ర పావన చరిత్ర

రవిసోమ వరనేత్ర రమణీయ గాత్ర  || సీతా || 

చరణము 1 

భక్తజన పరిపాల భరిత శరజాల

భుక్తి ముక్తిద లీల భూదేవ పాల  || సీతా || 

చరణము 2 

పామరా సురభీమ పరిపూర్ణ కామ

శ్యామ జగదభిరామ సాకేతధామ  || సీతా || 

చరణము 3 

సర్వలోకాధార సమరైక ధీర

గర్వమానసదూర కనకాగ ధీర  || సీతా || 

చరణము 4 

నిగమాగమ విహార నిరుపమ శరీర

నగధ రాఘ విదార నత లోకాధార  || సీతా || 

చరణము 5 

పరమేశనుత గీత భవజలధి పోత

తరణికుల సంజాత త్యాగరాజనుత  || సీతా || 

seetaa kaLyaaNa vaibhOgamae
raama kaLyaaNa vaibhOgamae | | seetaa | |

pavanaja stuti paatra paavana charitra
ravisOma varanaetra ramaNeeya gaatra | | seetaa | |

charaNamu 1 
bhaktajana paripaala bharita Sarajaala
bhukti muktida leela bhoodaeva paala | | seetaa | |

charaNamu 2 
paamaraa surabheema paripoorNa kaama
Syaama jagadabhiraama saakaetadhaama | | seetaa | |

charaNamu 3 
sarvalOkaadhaara samaraika dheera
garvamaanasadoora kanakaaga dheera | | seetaa | |

charaNamu 4 
nigamaagama vihaara nirupama Sareera
nagadha raagha vidaara nata lOkaadhaara | | seetaa | |

charaNamu 5 
paramaeSanuta geeta bhavajaladhi pOta
taraNikula saMjaata tyaagaraajanuta | | seetaa | |

[Tyagaraju (త్యాగయ్య) was a great bilingual scholar. He learnt both Telugu and Sanskrit as a kid. His songs are replete with words and phrases borrowed from the twin languages. He could also coin new phrases with his linguistic skills. Therefore we should not distort or modify his original songs with our limited knowledge. Plenty of errors, typos, and transliteration distortions abound on the Internet and even in printed books regarding his Carnatic song lyrics. The disciplined singer is forewarned to look out for such avoidable mistakes and pitfalls. If you substitute soft 'da' for the aspirated 'dha', the meaning changes. In Sanskrit language even a single letter conveys meaning. Much of the profound meaning and feeling goes out of the window if you do not sing these songs faithfully with perfect diction. When properly sung, Carnatic songs produce unbelievable effects - both the body and soul become peaceful through the cool vibrations of sound. There are many instances where such soul-stirring music has produced beneficial effects to people. English transliteration is generated by Lekhini.]