This is a rhythmic, ”approximate,” free verse translation of ”Vande Mataram,” India’s National Song. The attempt is inspired by past translations by several scholars, particularly Sri Aurobindo.
O Sovereign Mother!
Sovereign Mother! Thee I adore,
Whose fruits are sweet, whose water is pure
Whose skies are cooled by winds from ocean
Whose orchards wave in tender motion
Whose nights are lit with bright moonlight
Whose flowers blossom with delight
In laughter whose, we do rejoice,
Find boundless bliss in ringing voice
Who showers on us bounties free
Sovereign Mother! I bow to thee!
When seventy million voices roar
Your glorious name from shore to shore
Your sons in their tumultuous bands
Who raise unsheathed swords in their hands
Who dares to call my mother frail?
Undeterred, she reigns supreme, we hail
Row us across life’s transient sea
To peace and ceaseless harmony
Victorious for the world to see!
Sovereign Mother! I bow to thee!
You are wisdom, the eternal law
At heart serene, bereft of all flaw
In our mortal frame, life’s breath
That guards us from the shroud of death
Unvanquished power on our part
You are devotion in every heart
In every temple, every shrine,
Your idol, Mother, reigns divine!
O crest of mankind’s liberty
Sovereign Mother! I bow to thee!
O Goddess of War, who wields the sword
And slayed the evil enemy’s hoard
To your foes, a dreadful sight!
To your sons, a beacon light
O lotus-throned! In tranquil rest
Rejoicing in ethereal nest
I invoke you, Muse, in my verse
Thundering across the universe
March onward, O unbound and free!
Sovereign Mother! I bow to thee!
I bow to thee, O lotus-born!
Resplendent gems when you adorn
When nectar gushes through your streams
Exultant face with laughter gleams
Deity! Abide in our soul
In success, cheer; in loss, console
O cradle of our nation’s birth!
Bestowing wealth, O guardian Earth!
Perfect in virtue, seers decree
Sovereign Mother! I bow to thee!