An attempt at Kannada translation of the poem "Worth While" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox:
This was a "collaboration project" between Dr. Chandana Sri and me, and it is something that gave a lot of satisfaction to both of us when we finished it. Significant amount of the work was by Chandana, including the choice of the meter, so most of the credit goes to her! We are just beginners here and there could be scope for improvements, but here's the outcome of first such "collaborative" verslation attempt. Hope this is the first of many!
ಅರ್ಹತೆ
ನಲಿವುದು ಸುಲಭವೆ ಜೀವನ ಸಾಗಿರೆ
ಸುಲಲಿತ ಗಾನದ ಗತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ,
ಸಲುವುದು ಮೆಚ್ಚುಗೆ ನಸುನಗುವೆದೆಯಿರೆ
ಬಲುಕಾರ್ಪಣ್ಯದ ನೆಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ.
ಎದೆಗಾರಿಕೆಯಂ ಪರಿಕಿಪುದವಘಡ
ಒದಗುವುದದು ಸರಿಕಾಲದಲಿ,
ಕಂಬನಿಗಳ ನಡುನಡುವಿನ ಬೆಳ್ನಗೆ
ಕೊಂಬುದು ಪೊಗಳಿಕೆ ಜಗದಲ್ಲಿ.
ತಳೆವುದು ಸುಲಭ ವಿವೇಕಿಯ ವೇಷವ
ಸೆಳೆತವು ಹಾದಿಯ ಬಿಡಿಸದಿರೆ,
ಒಳಗೋ ಹೊರಗೋ ಪಾಪದ ಮರ್ಮರ
ತಿಳಿವಿನ ದಿಕ್ಕನು ಕೆಡಿಸದಿರೆ.
ಬೆಲೆಯದು ಸಲ್ಲುವುದೆಂತು ವಿವೇಕಕೆ
ಕುಲುಮೆಯ ಬೇಗೆಯು ತಟ್ಟದಿರೆ?
ಜಯಿಪುದು ಲೋಕದ ಮನ್ನಣೆಯನು ಬಾಳ್
ಬಯಕೆಯ ಸೆಳೆತವ ಮೆಟ್ಟಿದರೆ!
ಗೋಳು ನಿರಾಸೆಗೆ ಕುಸಿದವರೆಲ್ಲರು
ಕಾಳಗ ಸೆಣೆಸುವ ಬಲ ನೀಗಿ,
ಗೋಳದ ಹೆದ್ದಾರಿಯ ತುಂಬಿರುವರು
ಬಾಳಿನ ಮೊತ್ತವೆ ತಾವಾಗಿ.
ಹಗೆಯವೊಲಾಸೆಯ ಹತ್ತಿಕ್ಕುವ ಬಲ,
ನಗುವಿನಲವಿತಿಹ ಕೊರಗಿರಲಿ,
ಹೊಗಳಿಕೆಗರ್ಹತೆಯಿವಕೇ ಜಗದಲಿ
ಸಿಗುವುವು ಕೆಲವೇ ಕೆಲವರಲಿ...
The original:
WORTH WHILE
It is easy enough to be pleasant,
When life flows by like a song,
But the man worth while is one who will smile,
When everything goes dead wrong.
For the test of the heart is trouble,
And it always comes with the years,
And the smile that is worth the praises of earth,
Is the smile that shines through tears.
It is easy enough to be prudent,
When nothing tempts you to stray,
When without or within no voice of sin
Is luring your soul away;
But it's only a negative virtue
Until it is tried by fire,
And the life that is worth the honor on earth,
Is the one that resists desire.
By the cynic, the sad, the fallen,
Who had no strength for the strife,
The world's highway is cumbered to-day,
They make up the sum of life.
But the virtue that conquers passion,
And the sorrow that hides in a smile,
It is these that are worth the homage on earth
For we find them but once in a while.
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