Chhattisgarhi folklore

 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