Vidya Golam Translated by Vedita Cowaloosur

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Vidya Golam was a pioneer of Mauritian Kreol literature and a prominent voice of Mauritian unity and solidarity. His works include Voltiz Tu, Kanser [Cancer], Disab dan Liziye [Sand in the Eye], Lonorab Yago [The Honorable Iago], and Ti Bato Papye [The Little Paper Boat]. The poems from the collection, “Voltiz Tu” won a poetry contest organized by the NGO, Ledikasyon Pu Travayer [Education for Workers]. Golam’s progressive and social-minded poems paint a nuanced picture of the Mauritian working class—mostly descendants of slaves and of Indian indentured labourers. Golam passed away in 2014.

 

 

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Dr. Vedita Cowaloosur works at the intersection of languages, culture and communication. After completing her PhD in English at the University of Warwick, UK, she researched and taught at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, and at Curtin Mauritius and L’Université des Mascareignes in Mauritius. She has also worked in publishing in Hyderabad, India, where she trained as an editor with Orient Blackswan Private Ltd. Vedita is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, where she is a language coach, while she continues to write, research, and translate technical and creative prose between the following languages: English, French, Hindi, Bhojpuri and Kreol Morisien.

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(Translated from the original Kreol )

 

My pretty little flower

I

It’s been a while now, since I’ve been awake
Like a cyclone that is now gone
My head, my mind is very clear
Yesterday they were swimming in a whirlwind of fear
Around me, inside me, on all sides
The scent of life is diffusing slowly
The flower that is here, yesterday was part of my imagination
Today it is blooming ahead of the horizon
Its petals are adorning our universe
Yellow petal, red petal, blue petal, green petal
Together they are singing of freedom
Together they are decrying the past
With guitar, tam-tam and sitar
Like a united cry, upon realizing the same great dream
Earth and sky are taking up the same chorus
We have final arrived today at the crossroad of our destiny
The exhaustion of yesterday has started to engulf me
The scent of the flower of life has started to inebriate me
My eyes are closing against my will
My body is floating against its will
I am getting carried into another universe
A universe that is similar to the one I knew yesterday

Mo zoli ti-fler

I

Depi lontan mo somey finn kase
Kuma enn siklonn ki finn pase
Mo latet, mo lespri byin kler
Yer zot ti pe naz dan enn turbiyon lafreyer
Otur mwa, andan mwa, partu kote
Enn parfin-lavi dusma dusma pe fane
Fler ki la, yer ti dan mo limazinasyon
Zordi li ape fleri divan lorizon
So petal pe anbeli nu liniver
Petal zonn, petal ruz, petal ble, petal ver
Ansam zot pe sant laliberte
Ansam zot pe plor le pase
Avek lagitar, tamtam ek sitar
Kuma enn sel lavwa ape tir dife lor koltar
Later ek lesyel pe repran mem refrin
Finn reysi arrive azordi dan lakrwaze nu destin
Fatig yer pe kumans anvlop mwa
Parfin fler-lavi pe kumans sul mwa
Mo lizye par limem ape ferme
Mo lekor par limem ape amare
Mo pe transporte dan enn lot liniver
Enn liniver ki parey kuma mo ti kone yer

 

My pretty little flower

II

At the beginning life was not easy
How many have gone, how many have come to our little island
Arab, Portuguese, Dutch, French, English
Everyone had set their foot, everyone was driven by self-interest
Thunder rolled, lightning struck, the slaves disembarked
Chains on their feet, their voyage on their lips, they toiled
Clouds dissipated letting the sun emerge
Freedom resounded; visible chains vanished
Keep going, keep going, history must go on
Ground must be ploughed, the coolies land
Blood, sweat, jail, gallows,
Slowly, my flower bloomed
1968—a cyclone raids—my flower is bruised3
Parasites assail each petal
I lived in fear
I dreaded for my flower
But the scent of life pushed away the parasites
Their wings were broken, they were shoved into a swamp
Life took on its old course
New seeds were planted
Strive on, in the land of seven colored earth
There floats in the sky, our quadri-color flag

Mo zoli ti-fler

II

Dan kumansman lavi pa ti fasil
Komye finn ale, komye finn vini dan nu ti lil
Arab, Portige, Olande, Franse, Angle
Zot tu ti met lipye, zot tu ti ena lintere
Loraz kriye, zekler tape, bann esclav debarke
Lasenn dan lipye, lavwa amare, zot ti kas pake
Nyaz avanse pu les soley paret
Liberte rezone, lasenn vizib disparet
Rule, rule, listwar bizin kontiniye
Later bizin fuye, bann kuli arrive
Disan, laswer, prizon, pandi
Dusma dusma mo fler fleri
1968 enn siklonn passe mo fler gayn dimal
Bann parasite kumans atak bann petal
Mo ti viv dan lafreyer
Mo ti byin per pu mo fler
Me parfin lavi ti reysi pus bann parazit
Ti kas zot lezel ti zet zot dan enn ladig
Lavi repran mem sime
Bann nuvo lagrin ti seme
Lite lite lor later set kuler
Ala flote dan lesyel nu pavyon kat kuler

 

My pretty little flower

III

Here it is, this is the life
And we, who live this life!
My flower still blooms
We still nurture the hope of a better road
Gravels and thorns are not missing on our journey
When rain falls, beans sprout
When reason goes for a toss, prejudice sprouts
The poison of hate was poured on my pretty flower
To burn all hope in our hearts
So many petals were giving up
Rapidly, we doused them with water, so they don’t die
Disheartened, some—with their roots—turned away
To seek new pastures on the other side of the waters
Poets cried
Soldiers who fought for freedom beseeched
“Do not leave us and go
We need to put together a big raft
That will take us all towards a new horizon
Where we will all be quenched daily by a fountain”
This entreaty of patriots was heard by all
Soon after, it started raining
When I opened my eyes
On the footstep where I lay
A new day had been born…

Mo zoli ti-fler

III

Ala li la sa lavi-la
Nu ki pe viv sa lavi-la!
Mo fler kontiniye fleri
Lespwar pu enn meyer sime nu kontinye nuri
Me bann ros, bann pikan, pa ti manke lor nu sime
Kan lapli tonbe zariko puse
Kan lespri voltize, prezize puse
Pwazon laenn ti vide lor mo zoli fler
Pu bril lespwar dan nu leker
Enn kantite petal ti kumans zet lekor
Vit vit nu to vers dilo pu zot pa mor
Dekuraze, ena ek zot rasinn ti kumans vir ledo
Pu rod enn lot burzon lot kote dilo
Bann poet ti pe plore
Bann solda-laliberte ti sipliye
Napa kit nu turn to ledo
Ena pu met dibut enn gran rado
Ki pu amen nu tu ziska lorizon nuvo
Kot nu pu arose tulezur avek zed-do
Lapel bann patriot partu ti tande
Tutswit apre lapli kumans tonbe
Ler mo uver mo lizye
Lor peron kot mo ti alonze
Se t’enn nuvo lizur ki finn ne…

 

The call

Come my brother, come
Today, our mother earth is asking you to come
Come to this land, where your umbilical cord has been buried
As of today, you are no longer an abandoned street dweller

Come my brother, come
Your poverty is not a disgrace
You don’t have to suck blood in order to vomit honor
Together, the life of tomorrow will be less bitter

Come my brother, come
Do not wait for the return of fake saviors
All these dialogues, monologues—they are all butter
They will all stop you from seeing clearly

Come my brother, come
Why should you pull your hair out
Why should you shout “never, never”
Close in, close in, we will build a staircase

Come my brother, come
It is time for us to stop being fooled
Today, they are trying to make you swallow spikes
Till when will you agree to be their puppet

Come my brother, come
Do not forget that when the whip changes hand
The whip does not change its nature
Black or white, left or right, your back will still bleed

Come my brother, come
Do not let your love down
Do not bend your head in the face of prejudice
You have to break through hurdles in order to fly

Come my brother, come
Why do you wave the flag of “caste”
Why do you lift the banner of “communalism”
Enoughhh! 1968 is still too clear in my head

Come my brother…come

Lapel

Vini mo frer, vini
Azordi nu mama-later pe dir twa vini
Vini lor sa later kot finn anter to lonbri
Depi aster to nepli abandone lor lari

Vini mo frer, vini
To lamizer li pa enn dezoner
To pena pu sus disan pu vomi loner
Ansam lavi dime pu mwins amer

Vini mo frer, vini
Kifer to bizin ras to seve
Kifer to bizin kriye zame zame
Koste koste nu aranz enn leskalye

Vini mo frer, vini
Inn ler pu to aret manz lerb burik
Azordi zot pe rod fer twa aval pikan-lulu
Ziska kan to pu aksepte res zot zuzu

Vini mo frer, vini
Pa bliye kan fwet sanz lame
Fwet la li la, li reste
Blan-nwar, drwat-gos, to ledo pu kontinye seyne

Vini mo frer, vini
Pa les to lamur tonbe
Pa bes latet divan bann prezize
To bizin fonse bann baryer pu anvole

Vini mo frer, vini
Kifer to lev pavyon “djati”
Kifer to lev drapo “nu bann”
Aseee! 1968 li tro vivan dan mo latet

Vini mo frer… vini

 

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