©DEV VIRAHSAWMY AND ICJM
1. LATOUR KONTROL
Ena boukou million banane
Enn tibout kontinan Afriken
Detase e al kraz ar Lazi,
Fer Imalaya al tous lesiel.
Siyans koz mouvman plak tektonik.
Lergete Kreater ti bizen enn Latour
Pou pli tar li kontrol bann imen.
CONTROL TOWER
Many million years ago
A big chunk of African land
Broke away and hit hard Asia
And raised high Himalayas.
Science speaks of tectonic plates.
In fact our Lord built a huge tower
To watch over new specimens.
2. TOU PE SANZE
Lor latet Imalaya zean
Ki kontinie grandi sak segonn
Afors kolizion ti violan,
Kreater-liniver satisfe.
Laba dan kontinan Afriken
Kadrimann pe desann lor so pie
Pou peple planet ble ar imen.
IT’S CHANGING
On the ever-growing roof of the world,
Rising and rising every day,
So violent was Africa-Asia impact,
The Universal Creator is happy.
Look! Over there, In Africa,
Quadrumane gets down his tree
To people blue planet with humanity.
3. PE SANZE MEM
Kadrimann ranz zouti, transforme;
Li envant laparey pou koze
Ar organn respire ek manze.
Lanatir ek kiltir control baz.
Homo-sapienns aster finn pare
Pou al explor lezot kontinan.
Kreater liniver satisfe.
ONGOING CHANGES
Quadrumane uses hands to make tools
And invents speech skills with what’s there:
Lungs and nose, teeth and tongue and more.
Nature and nurture power new life.
Homo sapiens is now ready
To move out and people all lands.
The Universal Creator is happy.
4. KRWASAN FERTIL
Dan Krwasan fertile, bann homosapiens
Aprann fer dife ek prodwir manze.
Lanatir-kiltir vinn konplemanter.
Anmemtan lafwa pe trap direksion.
Nouvo kreatir dekouver pouvwar;
Li koumans santi ki limem pli gran.
Kreater tike. Li konn so devwar?
FERTILE CRESCENT
In the Fertile Crescent, homo sapiens learns
To master fire and to grow his food.
Nature-nurture link is reality.
And soon faith takes hold of his destiny.
The new creature knows what power is;
He feels he is second to none.
The Creator is uneasy. Does he know his duty?
5. DEPI SA ZOUR LA…
Depi sa zour la, tanzantan,
Kreater liniver avoy
So zanfan mesaz zot kapav
Konpran san tro difikilte.
Gita dir lavi enn kontradiksion;
Ansien Testaman ar so komannman;
Nouvo lor pardon; Koran lor partaz.
SINCE THAT DAY…
Since that day, from time to time,
Great Mother-Father sends us,
Their children, clear messages
Not too hard to understand.
The Gita says life’s a contradiction;
The Old Testament has clear Commandments;
The New on mercy; the Koran on sharing.
6. KILTIR LESAFODAZ
Kan mistik dekouver mesaz
Kreater liniver kler-kler
Li propoz sime ek peron
Pou ed nou tous lesiel lao.
Nou nou prefer peron beton,
Anpandan lor lesafodaz
Olie fer sanndya dan lakaz.
SCAFOLDING MUCH BETTER
When the mystic discovers truth
And proposes steps and ladders
To help us slowly reach for the sky,
What is it that we choose to do?
Worship both steps and ladders;
Cling lustily to the scaffoldings
Instead of going in to say our prayers.
7. ANBROUYAZ TIRER PLAN
Tirer plan patante gagn lizour:
Pa kapav les pouvwar kass lalinn;
Kan fanfrelis tap pil, lerla gagn
Chilling-chiling plen tenk san traka.
Toulezour enn nouvo simagre
Bous lizie, touf lespri angourdi.
Nou boursak degarni san mirak.
PLANNED CONFUSION
Expert scammers are quick to grasp:
Never-never let your power slip off;
Throw in piles of flashy doodah
And soon coffers will burst with goodies.
Every day a new gimmick rises
Confounding dull eyes and brain.
Pockets get empty sans miracle.
8. PA DAN LABIB SA!
Permet prens blan koken later nwar
Dan Lafrik ek lezot kontinan;
Permet bann solda blan masakre
Endizenn, li pa dan Labib sa.
Fouye, ponpe, koupe ek polie
Pou plen pos ar dolar Meriken
Pa dan ni Gita, ni Koran sa.
NOT IN THE BOOKS
Blessing white princes stealing black’s land
In Africa, America and elsewhere;
Blessing white soldiers killing natives
Is not Biblical ordinance.
Drill, pump, cut and pollute
To fill coffers with Yankee dollars
Is not taught by the Gita and Koran.
9. KI FINN ARIVE?
Degize an sadou, Prens Mamon
Finn ranpli nou lespri ar pwazon;
Defons laport legliz, sivala
Ek moske pou kouronn Shri Paysa.
Aster bann fodevo pe fer kwar
Ki kapav gagn moksha ar paysa.
Me avan bizen kraz ‘pa dakor’.
WHY IS THAT SO?
Dressed like a sadhu, Prince Mammon
Has filled our minds with poison;
Broken open doors of church, temple
And mosque to crown Lord Ruble.
Now the world’s Tartuffes want us to believe
That you can pay your way to nirvana.
But first smash the head of ‘think otherwise’.
10. APRE SA?
Pouvwar bliye devwar; mazeste
Koumans kwar li finn vinn Gran Bondie.
Olie plant armoni dan lape,
Dan lager ki zot rod rengn Sakre.
Dan plas lamour, partaz ek pardon,
Krwazad, ti-jihad ek ‘Gran Nasion’
Rod solision dan lagoul kanon.
AND THEN?
Power forgets duty and monarchs
Start to believe themselves to be divine.
Instead of planting the tree of love and peace
They use war to build God’s kingdom.
No place for love, sharing and mercy!
Instead, crusade, lesser-jihad and ‘My Right’
Find answers from the barrel of a gun.
11. RELIZION IDANTITE
Panndit, mawlana, monper dir mwa
Relizion so ritiel enportan
Pou nou konn ki nou’ete e kouma
Nou kiltir fer nou bien diferan.
Telman nou konsantre lor vizib
Ki nou finn bliye net Envizib,
Kreater liniver dan Labib.
IDENTITY RELIGIONS
Priests of all creeds and hues tell me
How important rituals are to tell us
Who we are and how our mores
Show clearly how different we are.
So truth is found in the visible.
And what about the Invisible
Creator proclaimed by the Bible?
12. PEYNA ENN SAN LOT
Peyna enn san lot. Madam san misie
Pa ekziste. Napeyna enn san lot.
Etero san omo pa ekziste.
Kan nou pou konpran peyna enn san lot.
Bann ki pa konpran kwar linga li la
San yoni; ki linga enn pese sa;
Ki zwisans yoni pese. Bachara!
NO ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER
One and the other are together.
No male without female and vise-versa;
No homo without hetero, don’t bother.
Learn brother! You’re nothing without the other.
Mark my words! Linga is because yoni is.
Linga’s no sinner, nor is yoni’s joy.
Only fools see sin in nature’s gift.
13. PE SERVI ZEZI
Avtarr vinn lor later pou montre nou lamour
Ek so siamwa, pardon.
Zezi finn montre nou falepa kil parad
Dan konba kont demon.
Me Mamon mont dadak lor ledo Zezikri
Pou koken teren ek bann dibien nou prosen,
Pou beni fizi ek bayonet asasen.
THEY’RE USING JESUS’ NAME
The Avatar came to teach us Love
And its Siamese twin, Mercy.
Jesus taught us not to throw in the towel
In the fight against Lucifer.
But Mammon rides roughshod over Jesus’ teachings,
Steals the land of natives and spoliates all else,
Blesses weapons to be used to murder innocence.
14. DISIP SANZ KAZAK
Kan titalber reysi kouyonn piondenn;
Kan lafiennza vinn dos ar sitronel;
Kan jab ar benitie finn vinn torsenn;
Kan se Molok ki vinn sef manivel,
Lerla tansion zanfan, taker lor baz.
Bann disip Zezi profit konfizion
Pou fer nou kwar dan fos liberasion.
TURNCOAT DISCIPLES
When evil courts the holy oak;
When flu loves lemon grass;
When the devil cherishes the font;
When Moloch drives faith,
Beware for you are in harm’s way.
Turncoat disciples will use confusion
To egg you on to false salvation.
15. POU MWA PLIS MEYER
Sak fwa Mama-Papa kreater
Avoy enn mesaz kler initer
Pou ki tou so zanfan larkansiel
Viv ini kouma ble dan lesiel
Li provok rekta net so kontrer.
Zot form group e sak group kriye for,
“Pou mwa plis meyer! Pou mwa vo lor!”
MINE IS BEST
Each time the Divine Creator sends
Message new to build and bind
And help their rainbow children
Find friendship, love and harmony,
They provoke the exact opposite.
Clans and sects are formed shouting loud,
“Mine is best, is made of solid gold.”
16. POU MWA PLI GRAN
Pli li gran, pli li ot, Madigra
Fer mari, deklar bay dan baitka;
Personn napa konn lir liv sakre
Me zot tou sort premie dan zaze.
Mo katedral pli gran, mo legliz enpozan,
Mo sivala pwisan, mo moske pli meyer.
Olie fraternize, zot fit sab pou lager.
MINE IS BIGGER
The bigger, the higher, Wacky-Tacky
Is big boss and bullies his buddy;
Not a word in the Book do they know
And gibberish is what they sow.
My cathedral is bigger, my church more imposing,
My temple more powerful, my mosque more ravishing.
Instead of love and care, the dogs of war keep moving.
17. KILTIR KANTITE
Depi ki Mamon finn vinn metdekol
Size prensipal finn vinn KANTITE.
Boukou plis meyer, pli boukou siper!
KALITE dir non? Met li dan prizon!
Boukou lapriyer ki aprann par ker,
Mem si pa konpran, pe fer boukou ler
Ki giji zorey disip Lisifer.
QUANTITY CULTURE
Ever since Mammon runs our schools
QUANTITY has become our main subject.
More is better, much more is much better!
QUALITY says no? Lock them up!
A lot of prayers, parrot learnt,
No need to understand, make pleasant noises
To tickle Lucifer’s eardrums.
18. PAROL SILANSIE
Parol silansie ki fer so sime
San tamtam, flafla sorti kot Bondie;
Enn laflam veloute ki pa brile,
Pirifie leker ek lespri anpe.
Me nou pov kouyon, ki nou prefere?
Tapaz kamouflaz, laraz koloryaz.
Drol sa ki partou Jalsa Douniya?
SILENT WORDS
Silent words calmly move along the peaceful road
Sans trumpet and drum, straight from the Supreme Soul;
It’s a velvety flame that burns not
But purifies heart and mind.
But what is it that auto-boots us?
Noisy camouflage and gaudy baggage.
No wonder we just look for furious excitement.
19. LONTAN
Mo rapel, lontan, dan vilaz laba,
Nou ti zwe sot-lakord, gouli-dannta,
Boul-kaskot, aring-bouring, kouk-kasiet,
Lamarel, lastik, sapsiway, kanet.
San rezo-watsap, san radio-teve,
Nou ti debrouye san difikilte.
Nou realite pa ti konplike.
LONG AGO
I remember my long-ago village
Where we used local natural stuff
To make rope, balls, clubs and shuttlecocks
To play healthy games with neighbours and friends.
We had no radio, tv or internet
And yet we managed to manage.
Life was then quite simple.
20. LETAN MARGOZ
Pou boukou dimoun, margoz enn senbol
Lavi difisil – ekzistans ganndol;
Manz manze pa bon akoz kiafer;
Rengn Kotomidor, enn lavi amer.
Nou pa konn seki neseser kone:
Margoz sinonim enn bon lasante
Kont jabet, kanser; pou nou viv ere.
BITTER MELON
Most people think bitter melon means
Existential bitterness when life is rough and tough;
When food is foul but has to be eaten;
When homelessness is the bitter rule.
They don’t know the whole truth:
Bitter melon also means good health
In our fight against killer diseases.
21. SOMA
Mo Bonje Soma kone ki li dir:
“Fim ek bwar soma pou koste ar mwa.”
Dan Vilaz-Lontan avan fos fitir
Soma ti meksinn, soma ti nisa.
Marsan nikotinn ek marsan melas
Ar panndit las-las ti fer enn pas-pas:
Soma dan latrinn; rom-taba lerwa.
SOMA
Divine Soma knew and said:
“To reach me, smoke and drink me.”
In Ago-Village, before bleak future,
Soma was cure and soma was fun.
Tobacco and rum dealers
Made ‘sacred heads’ spin:
Soma in the bin; Tobacco-Rum be king.
22. NOU KWAR NOU SIVILIZE
Dan lakour mo lanfans ti ena
Pie zanblon, pie papay, zavoka;
Sitronel, yapana, saponer;
Poul trene ek zwazo tou kouler.
Lakour mo lanfans finn deperi;
Bann meksinn natirel finn fini
E dokter-farmasien fer mari.
WE ARE MODERN
In my childhood yard there grew
Jamblang, papaya and avocado-pears;
Lemon grass, ayapana, soapwort;
Free-range chickens and birds of all hues.
My childhood yard is gone.
So have all natural cures
And now medical bwanas are supreme.
23. MO BAGNOL
Dan mo douniya, enn loto, PARDON,
Enn ‘bagnol’, montre dan mo vwazinaz
Ki mo pa nenport; prestiz mo volan
Explik mo grander ek mo letalaz.
Bann zalou pe koz sanzman klimatik.
Ki zot’le mo fer? Pedal bisiklet?
Roul ar tou dimoun dan transport piblik?
MY AUTOCAR
In my world, my car, – O Dear! –
My autocar tells my neighbourhood
I’m no Tom-Dick-Harry; my limo
Tells them I’m not one of them.
Envious buggers talk of climate change.
What they want me to do? Cycle?
‘Ride public’ with any Tom-Dick-Harry?
24. REV KOZ MANTI
Fer tansion bann rev ki plonz nou dan nwar –
Dir Willy Loman rakont so zistwar –
Rev grander, pouvwar ek pitay plennti
Dousma dan kosmar pe plonz nou lavi.
Rev enn lavi senp kot natir-kiltir
Viv anarmoni; kot peyna martir
Vers larm ek disan; kot zanfan sourir.
LYING DREAM
Beware of dreams that bring darkness –
Let Willy Loman tell his tale –
Dream of greatness, power and wealth
Slowly plunges us all into deep nightmare.
Dream of simple life where nature and nurture
Live in harmony; where growth needs
Neither tears nor blood; where children smile.
15.06.19