TRANSLATION STUDIES Unit I: Poetry – Balamani Amma's "To My Daughter"
TRANSLATION STUDIES
N. Balamani Amma (b. 1909)
To My Daughter
Daughter, lying on a snow-white
bed
far away in a hospital,
are you weaving midnight into
day
with the dark threads of
pain?Don't be depressed.
When we, too full of life,
rush about too much and need
rest,
the Goddess of Creation offers
us a sickbed.
Lie back, be refreshed;
reinvigorate yourself.
There are so many steps still
to be climbed.
Reading your poems in this
dew-wet courtyard
I wonder whether the spirit in
you,
which makes life blossom,
hurt you more than the body
that grew inside me like a
flower.
These cocoons you've spun,
to put to sleep the worms
gnawing at your core,
burst open; and wings,
jostling, fluttering, rising,
swarm my mind.
Your mind may grow restless
with unhappy thoughts,
your body may be weary of
household tasks,
but I have no fears for you.
Your power to turn worms into
butterflies
comforts me.
Translated from Malayalam by
the poet
****
🔹 10
Two-Mark Questions and Answers
🔹 5
Five-Mark Questions and Answers
🔹 10-Mark
Essay Question and Answer
Q: How does Balamani Amma’s “To My Daughter” portray a mother’s
perspective on pain, creativity, and hope?
Introduction
Balamani Amma, renowned as the "Grandmother of Malayalam poetry,"
brings her maternal insight into the poem "To My Daughter".
Written with deep emotion, the poem reflects a mother's understanding of her
daughter's pain and celebrates the transformative power of creativity. It is a
poignant meditation on suffering, strength, and hope.
1. Physical Pain and Emotional Suffering
The poem opens with the daughter lying in a hospital bed, a symbol of her
physical ailment. However, the mother’s concern goes beyond the body to the
emotional turmoil her daughter endures. The poet asks, “are you weaving
midnight into day with the dark threads of pain?”—a striking metaphor for
enduring long periods of suffering.
2. Rest as Divine Intervention
Instead of viewing illness negatively, the mother interprets the hospital
bed as a divine opportunity. She sees it as a form of rest granted by the
“Goddess of Creation,” suggesting that pauses in life due to illness are not
setbacks but necessary for rejuvenation and reflection.
3. Power of Creative Expression
The mother reads her daughter’s poems and reflects on the intensity of the
spirit within her. She wonders whether this inner fire causes more hurt than
her physical body. Poetry becomes a channel for processing pain. The daughter’s
creativity is viewed as both cathartic and life-affirming.
4. Transformation and Symbolism
The poem uses rich metaphors like cocoons, worms, and butterflies. These
symbols reflect the internal process of healing and transformation. The mother
takes comfort in her daughter's power to turn “worms into butterflies,” showing
her faith in the daughter’s resilience and poetic genius.
5. Mother’s Faith and Consolation
Throughout the poem, the tone remains tender yet confident. The mother does
not express fear but comfort. She reassures her daughter that the journey
ahead, though difficult, can be climbed. Her words are both a blessing and a
testament to maternal strength and support.
Conclusion
“To My Daughter” is a deeply moving poem that explores the layered emotions
of motherhood. Through compassionate words and vivid imagery, Balamani Amma
uplifts the daughter's pain and transforms it into poetry and potential. The
poem celebrates resilience, the power of creative expression, and the eternal
bond between a mother and her child.
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