Chhattisgarhi Marriage songs

Marriage songs

The baratts are standing under the neem,

 And the bride, with her lord, is going round the marriage

poet.

Musical instruments are being played

Beeram ! the girl is going round the marriage post with

 her lord

Baratis are standing under the neem.

Mother ! under the bar are the bride and bride-groom.

Amongst five brothers there is one sister,

Oh Mother, she will go away with her lord today.

Father and mother are unhappy,

But the bhaufi indeed is happy.

0, do not send her thib year,

You may send her next year.

'Get I nath for my nose,

Mother I will go away in a dola

Get a pairi for my legs,

Mother I will go away in a dola

Got a tttri for my ears.

Mother, I will go away in a dola

There is a lemon tree in my lord's house,

And all birds return to it in the evening

1 grew to youth in my father's house in happiness

But now my pride will be shattered to pieces.

On the high platform ie seated the father,

And with him are his companions,

There is a thick bush of tulsi

Under which is seated the bride,

Nearby is the goldsmith hingul,

She gets a har, a tikuli and a nat h,

And yet she weeps!

Marriage Songs (Contd.)

c ls it silver or gold-

That you did not get, my girl? Asks the father,

'Why are you sorrowful?

'Neither it is gold, nor it is silver

Nor yet am I sorrowful

Father! I am fair and beautiful

And my lord is dark

For this 1 am sorry father!

Talk not about the colour, daughter!

Dark or fair! colour is not of our making

Lord Krishna even is dark

The Mother's womb is like a pot maker's ava,

Some pots coming out from it are fair,

And others are dark.

Raja Janak has one daughter,

And she is to be married.

Which prince deserves to marry her?

To whom should we send the coconut?

In Ayodhya there is King Dashrath

Four princes he has

Playing in the streets of Ayodhya.

The eldest of them is Rama,

He will be Seeta's husband.

Father, have a bamboo fencing

And let it have four gates.

Cover it well, my father!

Let not swans and pigeons enter it;

Let the Chowk be decorated with pearls,

And the lamp be of manik,

Father, call a priest from Benares to write

Stand with folded hands, Father,

When Raghuwar. comes for marriage

To him give all attention you can,

Marriage Songs (Condd.}

And when you serve him food

 Forget not to place a few tulsi leaves,

 Be not dismayed by his dark colour, father,

 Many in the world have a dark colour;

 Lord Krishna is dark in colour,

 Yet he enchants the world with his charming flute,

 The rod of the plough is broken,

 And now it is useless;

 To her Sasural I have seat my daughter

 After her marriage,

 And here I am sitting

 Laden with grief,

 Eat drink and make merry, girl!

 Only a day more for you,

 To take you away, the people have come

 All your way you'll have to weep.

Dewar- Bhauji ke thata 

Slightly he twisted my fingers in the night,

And woke me up!

parrot, in the night he woke me up.

'Dar dur' said I,

Is it a cat or a dog

Or a sinner that opened the door?

'Not a cat, nor a dog

Nor even has a sinner opened the door,

It is Nandlal, your Dewar } Bhauji

Who has opened the door 1 .

'Come you may, Babu

But go and sleep on your brother's cot*

'Not there Bhauji

There the mosquitoes will eat me up

With you will I sleep

I'll sleep happily on your cot!

'Not here, not here, Babu

There are sharp knives on my cot,

And there is a deadly she-cobra

Which will take your life'.

'How then, Bhauji ',

Does my brother save his life?'

'Great is the magic of your brother, Babul

Powerful is his spell

It is through that he saves his life

parrot, His magic makes this cot his own

The obstinate jogi

From the North has the jogi come,

And there he is at the door steps

There he is! sitting at the door, parrot!

'Give him a handful of rice, parrot!

He will leave the door'

'Not a handful of rice, Sister

Have that for yourself

Never will I leave the door/

'Give him a plateful of rice, parrot,

He will leave the door'-

'Not a plateful of rice, Sister

Keep that for yourself

Never, never will I leave the door',

'Give him the eldest nanad, parrot

He will leave the door.

Give him the second natiad, parrot

He will leave the door'.

'Not the eldest, nor the elder too

Keep them for yourself, sister

Never, never, never will I leave the door'.

'Give him the youngest nanad, parrot,

He will leave the door*.

parrot!

So happy was the jogi to hear this,

Not a moment did he lose,

And brought a dola to the door

To take away the youngest nanad

For the dear one

My mother is out,

And sister is in Sasural,

parrot! ray lord is in a far-off land

Alone am I here, parrot!

Cheerfully the bride in that, house asks:

{ Froin where did you get, betel, my love?'

Joyfully the man replies:

'In in} 7 father's house there are twenty slaves,

They gave me the bate!'.

Cheerfully the bride in that house asks:

'From where did you get the garland, My love?'

Joyfully the man replies:

'In my father's house there are twenty maizes

They gave me the garlands'.

parrot! look at me,

How unhappy am I in separation;

'1 hey talk and sing and are happy,

But my sweetheart has forgotten me;

For my dear one I weep. 

A marriage song

Whither are you going, Brother!

You have the bow ou your shoulders;

The axe in your hand,

And behind you is your wife,

With a basket on her head.

Whither are you going, O Brother!

To the neighbouring village we go

There to attend a marriage, boy!

Come not with us

Eat and live here, Boy!

When the rains of * Asar' set in,

34

A Marriage Song (concld.)

And the whole forest is aglow with flowers;

Then will 1 come, to take your daughter

With a crown of flowers on her head.

Here is a headload of bamboo

Will you lift it or not?

The rice for you is cooked

Will you eat it or not?

There is a marriage in the neighbouring Kamnr village.

Will you go there or not?