🌊 Pāl Vāyil — Nāṉ Pāṭu

  • Melancholic South Asian folk ballad at 90-100 BPM. verses are sung in one breath
  • quite quickly
  • chorus two voices ([Pāl Vāyil speaks] and [Time/Memory responses]) Opens with a solo bansuri (bamboo flute) in a plaintive minor raga (like Bhairavi or Malkauns)
  • joined by soft tabla bols (keherwa or dadra rhythm). Male vocals: first verse in reconstructed Proto-Dravidian (deep
🌊 Pāl Vāyil — Nāṉ Pāṭu

Lyrics

Verse 1

Nāṉ Pāl Vāyil, nīr niraikka vāyil,

Miṉ kuḻal neṭu, muḻu nāṭu tāṅkiya.

Yāṉ tīrattil nīr kuṭi,

Yāṉ pāṭṭil pāṭi,

Yāṉ makkal tām uṇarnta māyil.*

Chorus

[Pāl Vāyil speaks]:

Nāṉ pōṉēṉ… nīr illai…

Pāl Vāyil tāṉ kāṇāṉ.

Makkal yār? Vāṉ yār?

Ellām oḻiṉtatu… kaṇṇīr pol.

[Time/Memory responds]:

त्वं न नष्टोऽसि, पुरश्चन्द्रमाः,

स्मृतिमध्ये त्वममृतः स्थितः।

यत्र नद्यो गायन्ति तव नाम,

तत्र जीवसि — पुरातनात्मन्॥!

Verse 2

Iṉi nīr il, iṉi pāṭṭu il,

Iṉi kuḻaikkum kuḻaṅkaḷ il.

Vāṉam kuḷirntatu, niṉaivu kuṟaiyil,

Nāṉ oṟṟum cāyntēṉ —

Pāl poṉṉāy, nīr kāṟāy.*

Chorus

[Pāl Vāyil speaks]:

Nāṉ pōṉēṉ… nīr illai…

Pāl Vāyil tāṉ kāṇāṉ.

Makkal yār? Vāṉ yār?

Ellām oḻiṉtatu… kaṇṇīr pol.

[Time/Memory responds]:

त्वं न नष्टोऽसि, पुरश्चन्द्रमाः,

स्मृतिमध्ये त्वममृतः स्थितः।

यत्र नद्यो गायन्ति तव नाम,

तत्र जीवसि — पुरातनात्मन्॥!

Verse 3

Kālaṉ eṉṉai kāttāṉ,

Yuddham eṉṉai aḻittāṉ.

Āṉāl…

Nāṉ tāṉ tāṉ tāṉ pōṉēṉ —

Nīr poṉ ṉaṉ, nāṭu poṉ ṉaṉ,

Makkal poṉaṟku māṟāka.*

Chorus

[Pāl Vāyil speaks]:

Nāṉ pōṉēṉ… nīr illai…

Pāl Vāyil tāṉ kāṇāṉ.

Makkal yār? Vāṉ yār?

Ellām oḻiṉtatu… kaṇṇīr pol.

[Time/Memory responds]:

त्वं न नष्टोऽसि, पुरश्चन्द्रमाः,

स्मृतिमध्ये त्वममृतः स्थितः।

यत्र नद्यो गायन्ति तव नाम,

तत्र जीवसि — पुरातनात्मन्॥!