Yudhdham Oka Gunde Kotha
Translators’ Note
In recent times, it’s become imperative for regional literatures to have not merely national but also global recognition without overlooking the apparently singular nature of the regional ethos. Besides, literature is no longer limited by regional, national and linguistic boundaries. There is forever a desire to erase the boundaries, find a relevance by fitting in the wider global canvas and not be termed regional, hence, parochial while continuing to retain its stamp of local, linguistic identity. This largely accounts for the current translation boom prevailing in native Indian literature.
Perhaps it is this urge to reach out to a wider readership and recognition at the international level, that now and then is seen a work like War, Hearts’ Ravage, to break free into another world where attention is gained through global concerns which are political, religious and humanistic, at once contemporary, thus lifting the poem to a world mind, if we may so call it. Armed with such a new identity, the present poem aims to frog leap into a wider global world of internationalism—in its theme at once national and international and in treatment regional-ethnic. The reader is called upon to familiarize and identify himself with all at once—regional Telugu, national Indian, and English international—gaining a multi-identity while continuing to retain its regional root identity.
At no time before has man felt the sense of doom engulfing life from all directions as in the present day. The much analyzed, anticipated Wasteland is felt as not yet showing any vegetation even after almost a century after it was foreseen. That which at one time appeared real, at another metaphorical and metaphysical, has now once again more intensely than before felt as real and threatening world humanity reducing several nations to Ground Zero in the post- September Eleven scenario. The absurdity of life, in this context, is not confined to one region or nation but is mapped through the entire world.
The writer, Smt. Seela Subhadra Devi, in tracing this situation discovers a collapse of culture, all that man held as responsible for holding this world together. In treatment of this theme at a global level, she probes its depths of despair with passion and emotion, strength and weakness through the eyes of a mother, rather a universal mother, who unlike Brechtian mother resents contributing her sons to war sacrifice. The writer offers possible solutions, with a sense of urgency as well as immediacy rarely achieved in Indian literature in recent times. The title, Yuddham oka gundekotha, when translated reads, war as a lacerating experience of the heart. The poem affirms its position as belonging proudly to a living, vibrant culture and literature native to its language. It creates its own space both at the national and international level by finding for itself a ‘contact zone’ where different cultures interact with each other through inter-exchange of human values which alone ultimately could bind nations together. It has in it elemental simplicity of its theme and a transparent innocence of its world view, allowing the poem to function like a perfect mirror through which are reflected simultaneously all the possible ways of regarding the problems encountered by man in the war-ridden scenario of the present day. Closely related to the above is the epic struggle metaphorically represented between the innocent and evil forces through the sport of ‘Puligoodam’. Above this is the overaction cosmic level where metaphysical principals and symbolic truths are extended and offered. And below it, the poem moves into folklore and fable as a search for meaning at the human level.
The text in the source language, Telugu, speaks for itself largely in its own idiom, but while translating into the target language, English, a compelling need is felt to make the poem largely speak in English idiom. To this extent, the translation comes as close and exact as possible to the meaning in the source text. At the same time it endeavors to see that the poem in its translated version read as an English poem. Attempt has also been made to express all aspects of meaning in a way that is readily understandable to the readers who may or may not be familiar with the source language. In doing so, took into account the total context of the poem while finding an exact expression to words.
It is no exaggeration to say that the task of translating such a text as War, Hearts’ Ravage, was found challenging and exacting. Certain words and lines which were found to require highlighting are indicated differently. English words used in the source language have been indicated through italics, while non-Telugu and non-English words have been highlighted through the use of single quotes, whereas popular English nursery rhyme quoted, has been retained as it is within double quotes and italicized like the rhyme “Twinkle twinkle little star(s) “.
When it came to finding an equivalent word for certain expressions we felt it more useful to employ terms that are familiar to English readers and desisted from indulging in a process that may otherwise prove laborious to translate, such as, ‘Democle’s sword’ and ‘Liliputans’. In addition, idiomatic expressions or allusions to myths, folklore and fable, culture-specific in nature, have been highlighted through italics and numbered, explanation for such is offered in the Glossary at the end of the text. The Glossary only provides information necessary for understanding a myth providing a context rather than explain the relevance of it, many of whom are woven into the poetic fabric of the text. Even here the Glossary is kept to the minimum, merely supplying the essential background, without pointing out the links to the poem. In this the translators hope that the reader would establish his own patterns and meanings directly from his reading.
This translation grew out of several extended conversations and exchanges with the writer and her husband Sri Seela Verraju, a writer in his own right, in the course of translating this text. We are thankful to them for permitting us to translate War, Hearts’ ravage. Our thanks are also due those of our friends and colleagues who took keen interest in our work and ever enthusiastically came forward to render every help necessary. We are grateful to Dr. G. K. Subbarayudu for his keen eye no the poetic quality of the translation, Dr. T. Vijay Kumar for his insights into translation, Dr. Seetha Das for her patient reading of the final draft and Smt. Krishnaveni for her enthusiastic response in the preparation of the Glossary.
All through this translation we tried to see that poetry is kept intact and not lost through translation and keep the reader in a responsive relationship with the poem. As mediators we are aware of the distance separating us from the poem’s emotion ,where the positions are defining not interchangeable in the least. We question ourselves, can that a distance be covered through translation?
P. Jayalakshmi
Bhargavi Rao
