Folk-songs of Chhattisgarh

530 Pages·1946·59.742 MB·English

by  Verrier Elwin

SPECIMENS OF
THE ORAL LITERATURE OF MIDDLE INDIA
--
FOLK-SONGS
OF
CHHATTISGARH
VERRIER ELWIN
D.Sc.(OxoN)
WITH A COMMENT BY
W. G. ARCHER
/
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19v
lNDIAN 'RANCH
,,.,1..1; .. J..,..,1 $.,._,._ -- - -- -
INDIANA
UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
In this volume Dr Verrier Elwin has collected
and translated 497 folk-songs from Chhattisgarh, that
important but little-known country lying in the
south·east of the Central Provinces of India. The
'anthology' is arranged to show how po.etry dignifies
and inspires with beauty every aspect of the Indian
peasant's life from the cradle to the grave.
In his Comment, Mr W. G. Archer, I.CS., the
authority on Uraon poetry and Santai law, says that
'Verrier Elwin is to Indian poetry what Arthur
Waley is to Chinese', for in these poems he 'has
gone far to reveal the Indian sensibility in some of
its most truly indigenous and spontaneous fMms.'
He adds, '.Although much love poetry has been
written in our time, I do not know of any which
expresses a contemporary attitude quite so folly as
Verrier Elwin's translations', and concludes, 'These
translations are a fusion of two sensibilities- the
collective sensibility of certain Indian castes and
tribes and the alert sensibility of a sd1olar-poet and
it is because of this that they have given something
new to contemporary English poetry.'
FOLK-SONGS OF CHHATTISGARH
•
Also by Verrier Elwi1i
GENERAL
Lea'Ues f1om the Jungle
(MURRAY)
The Abo1'iginals (o.u.P.)
NOVELS
Phulmat of the Hills
(MuRR.~Y)
A Cloud that's D1agoniSh
(MURRAY)
MONOGRAPHS
The Baiga {MURRAY)
The Agaria (o.u.P.)
Ma1ia Mu1de1' and Suicide (o.u.P.)
Folk-Tales of Maha.koshal (o.u.P.)
The Muria and thei1 Ghotul (o.u.P.) In the press
Myths of Middle India (o.u.P.) In tke press
WITH SHAMRAO HIVA LE
Songs of the Forest &
(ALLEN UNWIN)
Folk-Songs of the Maikal Hills (o.u.P.)
I
'
•
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
a.c. 4
AMBN HOUSB, LONDON,
&DINBURGH GLASGOW NBW YORK
TORONTO MKLBOURNB CAPETOWN
5 4 3 8 7 7
80MBAY CALCUtTA MADRAS
GEOf·l.-REY CUMBERLEGE
PUBLISHER TO THE
UNIVERSITY
FIRST PUBLISHED 1946
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INDIANA UNIVERSITY
Ll~RA~JES
BLOOMINGTON
•
PRINTED IN INDIA AT THB DIOCESAN PRESS, MA.t>RAS, AND PUBLISHED FOR
1
'MAN IN INDIA BY GBOF'P'RBY CUMBKRLIOS
CJ.ff. 5) Jo-6-46-C6675
(P.l.C. NO. MS. DATBD
TO
SAROJINI NAIDU
IN AFFECTION AND ADMIRATION
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Men, patterns of moving d'ust, loving those familiar
Limbs learned to think lovely, curves so tenderly
Shaped to receive and give,
Closed their long eyes., their thighs cooled in the old
Tribal water and cooled their dreams in unending
Memory, endtess years.
Dayb'reak
FREDERIC PROKOSCH :
CONTENTS
w.
G. •
COMMENT BY ARCHBR
XI
• • • • • • ••• •••
•
INTRODUCTION
XXXIX
• • • • • • • • •
THE BEGINNING OF LIFE
• • • ••• •••. •••. I
•
PREGNANCY SoNGS
3
• • • • • • ••• • • •
DELIVERY SONGS 7
• • • ••• • • • •••
..
A CHHOHAR MANGA L SoNG
IO
•.
• •• •••
CRADLE SONGS
II
••• • •• • • • • ••
IJ
TA1TOOING SoNGS
• • • • • • • • • •••
SONGS OP THB MENARCHE 15
• • • • • • • •• •••
-·
LOVE AND THE APPROACH TO MARRIAGE 17
•••.
.
THE NAWRE OF LOVE 19
• • • • • • • • • •••
27
ASSIGNATION
• • • • • • • • • • • • •••
DaBAMs
33
• • • • • • • • •. • • •. .• ••.
•
BEAUTY 35
•
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •
HAIR 45
• • •. • • • ••• ••• • • •
THE DIAMOND 49
• • • • • • • • • • • • •••
THE HUNCHBACK 50
• • • • • • • • • • • • • ••
52
THE DANCING HORSE
• • • • • • •••. •••
•
..
THE KITE ... 53
• • •. • • •. • • • •• 4!.
•
THE CLOUD 54
• • • • • •. ••• •••. •••
•
..
Tm .
BBB SS
• • •. • ••• ••• •••
.. • •
THB
SPIDER " 51
• • • ••• ••• •••
• • • •. . •
Te:a EARTH 58
• • • • ••. • • • • • •.
• • ~
THB LAMP 59
• • • • • • • •• • • • •••.
• • •
LovE
6o
GoLDBN
• • • • • • ••• • • • •••
63
MARRIAGE
• • • • • •. • • • • • •. • • •
MARRIAGE SoNGS 6~
• • • • • • • • • •••
'
KAllAR
68
MARRIAGE SoNGS
• • • ••• • • • •••
.
.
BHUNJIA MARRIAGE SoNGS 77
• • • •. • • • • • •
..
PANKA BIRAHA 78
•. • • •. • • • • • • • • •
GoND
BIRAHA 79
• • • • • • • • • • •• • • •
8o
GAWAN
• • • • • • • • • ••• •••
•••
CONTENTS
Vlll
83
HUSBAND AND WIFE
• • • • • • • • • • • •
Nsw 85
THB BRIDE
• • • • • • • • • • •• • • •
89
RIDDLES
• • • • • • • • • • • • •••
go
THE BARREN WIFE
• • • • • • • •• •• •
THE IMPOTENT HUSBAND 91
.
• • • • • • • •• •••
THE JEALOUS HUSBAND 93
• • • • • • • • • • • •
POLYGAMY ..• 95
• • • • • • • • • • • •
DEWAR AND BHAUJI 97
• • • • •• • • • • • •
LIFE IN THE FARM 99
• • • • • • • • • •• •
..
SONGS ABOUT GRAIN IOI
' • • • • • • • • •
A
PADKI WEEDING SONG 105
• • • • • • • • • •••
A 1o6
HALBA WEEDING SoNG
• • • • • • • • • •••
A
REAPING SoNG •. • 112
• • • • • • • •• •••
SONGS OF THE THRESHING-FLOOR 113
• • • • •• • • •
SONGS OF THE HUSKER, BROOM AND FAN 114
• • • •••
SONGS OF THE GRINDSTONE ••• 119
• • • • • • •• •
A SONG OF SELLING VEGETABLES J22
• • • • • • •••
A
CHURNING SONG 123
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
A
WEAVING SONG 124
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
..
SEASONAL SoNGS 125
•. • • • • • • •••
LIFE IN THE WOODS . . . 131
• • • • • • •••
HuNnNG SONGS • • •. • • • • • • • •• .. •. 133
SONGS ABOUT BIRDS
• • • • • • • • • •••
-
.
.
FISHING SONGS
•. • •• • • • ••• • • •
THE HUMOUR OF ANIMALS
• • • • • • •••
POLITICS AND SOCIETY 1 55
••• • • • • •• • • •
POLITICAL SONGS
157
• • • • • • • • • • • •
THE WAR OF 193g-45
• • • • • • • • • ••• 15~
THB SOLDIER ON LEAVE
161
• • • • • • • • • • • •
THB LAND ••• 162
. • • • • • • • ••. • ••
THB INSPECTOR
163
••• • • • • • • • • • • • •
..
FAMINE SONGS
164
• • • •. • • • • •• • • •
SONGS ABOUT EACll OTHER ... 16g
• • • • • • • ••
THE DANCE . . . I;· J
• • • • • • •• • • ••
KARMA SONGS
••• • • • •• • • • • • • • 1-i :l
SUA SONGS
••• • • • • • • • • • • • •
A ff
ALBA SUA SONG
••• ••• • • • • ••