MIZO HLA HLUI (MIZO FOLK SONGS)

-Dr.Laltluangliana Khiangte

Heta tangin kha kha a lang,
Khata tangin hei hi a lang
That is visible from here
This is visible from there

Khawmhma pal a er an ti,
A duh duhin er rawh se.
It is said the fencing is twisting
Let it twist on as it would be

Ur ur tak kai, ur ur tak kai,
Hnu sang hnuai tak ai, hnuai tak ai,
Up up above, up up above
Down it rolls on, it rolls on

A khi-ah khian lungpui a lo lum dawn e,
Ka nauvi kha a delh ange suan rawh u.
Rolling down is a rock from a hill high up
Move my little baby lest the rock crushes her

A khi-ah khian rammu an au dial dial e,
Ka nauvi pa telve maw? Ral that ve maw?
Brave warriors shout together yonder over there,
Does her dad join them and kill an enemy?

Valrual e, kan kalah khan,
Zingah khuanu a tap ai law. (Hla-do)
There we go, hunting young men,
When the Creator cried in the morn

Nauvate u, nau haia te u,
Tha te te khan min han chhilh rawh u
You dear children, oh my dear little children
You bury me here with a little tender care.

Ka Ngente khua, khua nun nuama kha,
Thla ka fam hma'n ka nghilh rua love.
My Ngente village, a delightful abode,
Never will I forget until I die

Ngente tualpui chhuahtlang lam rawn a,
Lungrual taka tuanlai ngai ing e,
When we enjoy the life of our Ngente village,
How much we feel and long to be there once again.

Ritva veng val tha chu keimahni,
Sai ang riang kila'n rua thlerin lian tlangah,
Nun thiam ang kan zirna mual liai luai
Scaring birds away in the paddy fields,
We play warriors brave in this hill spurs.

Nun thiam ang zira ban kan vawr,
Mi thar sawmfang a par lai a rawn lawr e,
Kel chal pal nawk a nawk vel e.
Playing our mock battles in the jhums
As if we were warriors with arms so strong,
We knocked everything right and left.

Buang khaw val kan nun a iang em ni?
Zai lo sa e, ri tleng tleng awn thing zarah,
Lentu ngirtling maw e, fang kotu.
Imitating lovers of Buang town,
The cicada sings melody in yonder tree,
Joyful harbinger of harvest time.

A tuarzia reng a awm nem maw,
Berhva chun ngai khawthlang lam vai ang hianin,
Ni ka leng zo love nang ngaih chu.
Painful, oh, painful beyond all bearing,
Yearning for you like a young bird for its mother
I pine, I faint through all day long.

Chhun a rei em, zan a tawi chuang lo,
Ka zal rawng rawng mai dawn laikhum thleh nemah
Kei ang hian di-in min ngai love.
Long is the day, nor shorter is the night,
I languish on my bed through the long hours
Pining for her who pines not for me.

Di ngaih hi chhunrawla ring awm maw;
Thu leh biahzai dang lo se zawh ka nuam e,
Ka chung lelte leh thlakhawng zawng zawng.
Could I but speak their tongues, fain would I ask
The birds and the singing cicadas of the air,
If ever a lover's yearning was subsistence enough.

Lem ang mi der suh la ka hma ngai rawh.
Luahlai a rem loh chuan sam ang mi then la
Ar ang ka vaih khua min tlai thlawn e.
Deceive me not, be considerate,
If you are not for me let me go
My bewildered path like a fowl benighted

A pawi em a ni e, dawn ve teh,
Khawvel damchhung reilote kan len laiin,
Duhtak leng pawm lova par chuai chu.
Come, think, how sad, how very sad it is,
As though this transient life on earth we pass,
To fade and not to know the bliss of love

Tlanga siahthing thli-in a chhem then thin,
Lunglen inbat karah hmelma-in, Parte,
Min sawi then mai awm e nang nen hian.
The trees on the hilltop sway in the wind,
Beloved, I fear lest our love should sway
In the malicious wind of whispering tongues.

Valpa e, hran ni khan e,
Kei chu e, zuam tuk aw hlah law;
Mualling e, leng hnuaiah e,
Kei chu e, Keitial sa ka chan e. (Hla-do)
Manly as I go bravely,
Let the roaring ever grow loder and loeher,
For me, unseen by others in the forest,
Then will I cut into pieces that fearsome tiger

Kei chu e, mi that ing khaw,
Mualah thle hlang ka duhin e,
Lu chung e, thlang vapual e,
Her law luai sawm ka luah e. (Bawh-hla)
Just as I am killing the enemy,
Celebrating the head in the local yard,
On my head the hornbill's feather,
Magnificently I move here and there.

Min kai ve u, Darlung kan awmkhua,
Laldang run in lai a zam ruai e,
Laldang run in lai a zam ruai e,
Nitin tian dar a chiar nghian e,
You come and live in our Darlung village,
Sprawling in the centre is the chief's house,
Sprawling in the centre is the chief's house,
The sound of gong reverbrates ever

Ral a lian e, tlangah dan rel ila,
Awmlai kawktui ang a lian e, ka dang zo love,
Chhingkhual angin zing zin theih chang se,
Hmuh ka nuam e, thlafam buantual ropui an relna (Saikuti)
Let's stop it, as enemy advances,
But death comes like a flood, nothing stands againts it,
A traveller I would be and leave the place,
I'd like to see the court where judgement is carried out.

Lianchhunge an than ni an e,
Tualah hnum khuang a ri e,
Rairah e, kan than ni a'n e,
Tlanga'n e kan lo ai lai rih e
A big grand feast a richman performs
Resounding joy and laughter in the village,
Poor as we achieved fame on the day
Echoing over the hills are the chants our hunting victory

Pialleia zal chu zaiin au i'n kir relin,
Ka ring lo Hawilo par chawiin,
Beram No lal hmaah zing pangpar angin,
Lei nun har hi nghilhin vul rengin ka ring. (Patea)
Singing for those who are laid on earth to return.
Waking no more but Hawilo par be dear
Like a morn-flower near Heavenly-Lamb
Forever they bloom as earthly sorrow goes away.

Chawngvungi man tam e,
Thi ka pek a duh lova,
Dar ka pek a duh lova,
Ka dar huai kher in ngen le,
Chawngvung man tam sumhluani.
So high is the price of Chawngvungi,
They refused the necklace I offered them,
Again they refused the gong I gave,
My precious sacred gong they demanded,
Oh Chawngvungi, your prices unsupassed all.

Thulakna: Mizo Songs and Folk Tales by Dr.Laltluangliana Khiangte