Nesara Shree
on translating Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa
The beauty of Kuvempu’s poetry truly lies in his ability to story-tell. He creates vivid scenes with simple characters that convey a fine divinity in his work. This poem is a lyrical one that describes two beautiful women — likely Gopikas — that seek the love and blessing of Lord Krishna. They plan to do so by selling milk at Brindavana, where the God is seen to be moving about along the banks of the river Yamuna. The poem itself has since been translated into a popularized song.
Lord Krishna has a myriad of incarnations and, therefore, names with which his devotees praise him. Kuvempu refers to him as Hari or Govinda, which I chose to maintain in certain parts of the poem. I characterize the deity with terms like the charmer, the lotus-eyed one — all reflections of the purity and playfulness Lord Krishna embodies.
It is challenging to translate certain words that encompass images and ideas as a whole — rannava, for example, can literally be translated to gemstones. But in essence, it is how they gleam under the sun, the milky glow of a pearl, the blood-like sparkle of a ruby. Likewise, Peetambara can be loosely translated to a dhoti, but it really is a description of its lustrous silk and gold-lined drapery. It is easily seen that there are no literal translations, given Kannada’s nuances and layered meanings.
Even the simple reference to the friend throughout this poem is delivered in many ways — like souymamukhi, the soft-faced, innocent one, or indhumukhi, one whose face resembles the moon. It is precisely why Kuvempu’s poetry — and any poem, for that matter — shines in a different light when kept in its intended form.
about the author
Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa (1904 –1994), known best under his pen name Kuvempu, was an Indian poet revered throughout the country for his many linguistic contributions to its rich literary history. His career included teaching and publishing poems, scripts, novels, essays, and more.
Born in Karnataka, Kuvempu majored in Kannada at the Maharaja College of Mysore, graduating to become an academic lecturer at the same university. Along with his expertise in the Indian tongue, he entered the literary field with a collection of poetry in English. Regardless, Kuvempu wrote primarily in Kannada because of his firm belief that he could do more justice to his roots and society through native rather than foreign speech.
He advocated extensively for students in Karnataka to be taught in Kannada as opposed to English, starting the Institute of Kannada Studies through Mysore University to further this cause. In addition, Kuvempu was vocal about societal change, advocating for the dismantling of gender inequality and such discrimination he perceived as dragging the nation down. To this day, his works are considered incredibly influential.
about the translator
Nesara Shree is a first-generation student with roots in Karnataka, India, where her parents were born and raised. Her family has extensively read and listened to musical renditions of Kuvempu’s poetry, an interest that inspired her to translate one of her favorites into English.
She speaks both Kannada and English at home, but cannot yet write or translate direct Kannada/Brahmic script, limited to the English alphabet spellings. She admires the softness of her language. She considers it poetry in itself to be able to preserve its effortless sweetness as it passes through the restricting sieve of another tongue.
