Chhattisgarhi Chandeni Epic (Lorik ke Chanda)
Here is O chandeni
beautiful !
With youth brimming from
all her body-
Her face like the
beautiful full moon,
This is Chandeni
The beautiful princess
the fairy princess.
Her nights are damped
with tears
And days she passes in
sorrowful musing.
She with all her beauty
and youth
Has to pass restless
nights and mournful daya
POO
Behold 1 Here she goes
Like lightning she
passes
The fairy princess - the
beautiful O chandeni!
In her ears falls the
soft melody of the flute
Enchanted by it she
looks around.
None, none can her eyes
discover.
Her heart aches,
And a tender thrill
passes through her whole body
Who can he be -
This maker of sweet
music ?
Behold! There he is
Seated under the shadow
of the mango tree
The maker of music
The most perfect youth
on the Earth !
Spell-bound, Chandeni
stands there
Self-forgotten, she
looks at the youth
His is the magic that is
wonderful
His is the charm that is
perfect.
He has charm in his
eyes,
And magic in his turban
;
Chandent (Cortd.)
He has charm in every
limb,
And magic in every word,
It was the triumph of
his magic
That Chandeni lost
herself.
The proud Chandeni
0, she was proud no
more.
O .
The queen of beauty
0! she is the one woman
in the world,
The one perfect woman !
But how unlucky?
Indeed, unfortunate is
she;
Life to her is a desert
and youth a waste
Bawan - her husband,
01 he is not a man
For him her youth and
beauty and charm have no meaning;
No curse would have been
worse
With her blooming youth
And the fire of passion eternally
burning in her heart.
None, none she has to
console her
! there is none to quell
her eternal burning
And Bawan is helpless
Magic is helpless -
spells don't work
Nor do medicines succeed
;
Terrific is the curse of
God Mahadeo
Which caused the loss of
his manhood.
Unhappy, indeed, is the
woman
In whose youthful heart
there is perpetual burning
The poor girl,
Her mental agony is
eating her away,
And now I
Now look to her
Our Chandeni is
changing,
Slowly, darling Chandeni
is changeing
Chantim* (Contd.)
To-day again she has
come to the forest*
The magic of that flute
has dragged her hera
Her beautiful lips today
She has coloured them
with betel
And her dress: how
beautiful ?
Indeed, she is Chandeni
The princess (As
beautiful as the full-moon.
Lorik is putting new
life into her.
Coy and beautiful
So shy was she !
Not a word could she
utter,
When Lorik approached
her.
'Speak, speak to me
Chandeni, beautiful',
said the man.
How could she? the shy
girl
! she wanted to speak
But she was lost in her
own thoughts.
Lorik, only Lorik could
make her happy.
Speak, speak to me
Chandeni, beautiful said
he again.
But she only smiled,
Not a word did she
utter.
'Speak speak to me
Chandeni, beautif uP
said he again.
Behold! her lips move,
She is speakipg to her
love.
Unknown, unknown are you
to me 1
tell me, how can I
speak?
* *
That flute is wonderful,
Wonderful indeed is his
sweet voice,
Wonderful is the music
that brings her into the jungle.
Behold! what Lorik has
done?
0, it is a madai
It is a work of magic
-it touches the sky.
'No* he said ;
'Not unless you give me
your betel'.
Take pearls, take gold
Take a whole kingdom
from me
But don't take the
betel. Lorik'
'What of pearls and
wealth and gold?
Nor a kingdom, I want
All that I have myself
got
It's only your betel
that I want*.
'How headstrong are you
?
Indeed cruel are all men
1 .
Take what you like,
Lorik
But do give me the magic
Swing."
And look !
Here is Lorik, virile
and vigorous,
And coy Cbandeni -the
beautiful !
He takes her in his lap
And seats her in the
magic madai
The madai that touches
the sky.
Behold him !
0, give a push,
And up goes Chandeni
she is in the sky.
And there Chandeni, in
the sky
she was bewildered
'Catch me, catch me
Lorik
Catch me in your arms'.
'No O chandeni dear
Call me once 'my dear',
'my lord'
Then only will I save
you/
Lorik! when?
If I fall to the ground,
Pll surely die
How cruel you are!
Chandeni(Contd.)
I call you my father, my
brother,
save me from death,
Lorik/
But adamant was he
'Address me as your
husband* he said
How cruel !
Indeed you are cruel
Save me, Lorik, dear,
save me
You are my lord, my
love, my husband 7 ,
Vigorously he extended
his arms
And down came Chandeni
Behold ! she is there
Behold ! they are locked
in each other's arms.
o o
0, Chandeni rise up,
0, sweet, feel not so
frustrated ;
1 am here, my love,
Your Lorik is by your
side,
And when Chandeni looked
up,
Her body like the tender
moon of the second night.
Glowed with joy,
She was all smiles !
Her Lorik was there by
her side,
And now she need fear
none,
The strength of his
muscle will protect her,
And his flute will
soothe her heart.
One, only one remedy was
there for all her suffering
And that she had by her
side,
Lorik, her man, her
love.
o o o *
Happy indeed was she
now,
But without Lorik her
life was a misery,
Her fire was kindled,
Her passions rose
Bawan - the impotent
Chandeni (Contd.)
0, he was her enemy.
Her eternal fire -
Will it burn her to
ashes?
Or will she get Lorik,
her man ?
Sleepless were her
nights
Full of tears and
suffering were the moments of separation.
Who would not pity her?
Her youth is being
wasted.
000
'Come Chandeni
Let us run away run away
to a distant land.
To a land of happiness
Where we will satisfy
all our desires. '
*0 Lorik dear
Do let us run away
Without you I cannot be
happy
Only in your bed will I
get comfort'.
Let us not delay then,
Chandeni;
Let us fix the date and
time, now
We will not be happy
here,
Till we drink the water
of an impotent man's kingdom.
Only when we two are
together, alone and free,
We will be happy.
And they decided to run
away
They thought, they would
But at that moment there
was an ill omen !
Would there be an
obstruction in their way ?
She was anxious
The malin had overheard
them
And they knew nothing about
it.
* *
The appointed hour came
And the two met together
'Let us leave this land
for ever they said,
Chandeni~~ (Cantd.)
And started on their
journey.
They crossed one forest,
And then they crossed
another ;
While they were entering
the third forest.
A fierce tiger came
rushing on them
'Pooh' said Lorik, it is
a dirty cat.
One arrow from his bow,
and the tiger was dead,
But Chandeni, 0, she was
really afraid,
I'll omen ! she had it,
once again
What is to happen?
Lorik braced her up, and
they crossed the forest.
On came the forces of
Bawan,
His soldiers and
horsemen.
c All our dreams are
shattered 1 whispered Ohandeni
C A frustrated life only
shall we have' she said in a low tone.
'0 Chandeni ! how timid you
are I
Be not afraid,
Your Lorik is by your
side 1 .
'No, Lorik ! you are
brave, I know
But they are forty and
you are one.
How will you fight them
all?.
Don't worry dear* said
he
Til fight them all
With only one of my
arms, I'll fight,
The other will protect
you
With only one arm I'll
beat them all',
ooo
Behold him fighting
The gallant hero, the
brave Lorik
His one arm is
protecting Ohandeni
And with the other he is
fighting.
He is one and they are
forty
And he is fighting with
only one arm!
Behold! How swift is he?
His sword moves like
lightening
And his arrows pour like
the rains,
He is one, and they are
forty.
Behold the gallant hero
in action.
He defends himself and
also attacks.
see, the enemies are
falling,
One, two, three, ten of
them are dead
And there is not a scar
on Lorik 's person
0, see how strong is he
!
Not for a moment does he
rest
He is killing them all,
one by one
Behold! half the enemies
are dead
And the others are
running away
He was one, and they
were forty
And yet he beat them.
* t *
Happy was Chandeni by
his side
She had got him, got the
man of her dreams.
No more tears will she
have -
And no more of sorrowful
brooding!
She will not have
restless nights.
Her passions have got
their reward -
;That fire will burn her
no more.
|pae has got her Lorik
by her side
The craving of youth
will burden her no more.
Happy indeed is she,
She has got her Lorik, the
man of her dreams 