Knowledge

She resides on a pure lotus,

In the harp's notes,

In endless joy,

And in the poet's heart!

She lights up knowledge,

That is sought and understood.

She's the message of kindness,

Of blemish-less sages.

She lives in maidens' sweet songs,

In a child's babble,

In the song of a cuckoo,

And in the parrot's tongue!

In sincere work and in a painting,

In temples and their towers,

She is in the beauty of these.

Oh, she is bliss personified!

Source: Vellai thAmarai poovil iruppAL

Poet: Mahakavi Subramanya Bharati

Translated on: Dec 17, 2015

Reference: http://krithis-theirmeanings-thestories.blogspot.com/2012/10/vellaith-thaamarai-poovil-iruppaal.html

No fear, no fear, no such thing as fear!

No fear, no fear, no such thing as fear!

Even if the whole world opposes us,

And treats us with disdain and lowly,

Even if we have to eat by begging,

Or lose everything we desire.

No fear, no fear, no such thing as fear!

Even if voluptuous maidens flash their eyes on us,

Or a friend feeds us poison;

If green armies were to march towards us,

Or the sky comes crumbling down on us;

No fear, no fear, no such thing as fear!

Poet:

MahAkavi Subramanya Bharati

Tamil Text Reference: 

http://www.lakshmansruthi.com/tamilbooks/bharathiar/bharathi-II78.asp

Translator: Narayan Srinivasan

~ This poem has motivated so many. One can see the intensity of BharatiAr’s passion for India to be freed from British rule!

Open up!

As we look at the world, with all its walls and lines,
May we also look at it from a really far, far place.
Where are those walls and lines?

As we see another being's differences,
May we also look at what is common.
Where from our breath comes from?

He is this, she is that,
The world is all mayhem - we say.
Let's calm down and work it out.

To view each event by its own light,
To see each zebra by its own stripe.
Ah, the glory of universal vision!

Baby Firewall

Baby Fireball

I found a baby fireball!

Placed it gently in a pit in the woods.

Oh it burned down the place!

When was age a factor for valor?

Thattharigita thatharigita thitthom!

~ Translation of part of the poem "Aggini kunjonRu kanden" by Mahakavi Subramanya Bharati

http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~vasur/akkini.html

~ An uplifting and exciting song that talks about what happens when one taps into their potential… and that age or size or any so called limit is no bar! The metaphor of the "baby fireball" is very famous due to BharatiAr! I have kept the ending line to show the excitement that the poet had in the song!