The Land of Our Lives

By Magin Mario Balthazaar

Translated from Sri Lanka Portuguese by Hugo C. Cardoso

This poem praises the people, the land, and the culture of the Sri Lanka Portuguese Burgher community.

October 5, 2021

Published in Voices on the Verge: Writing from Southeast Asian Creole Languages

Sri Lanka

Listen to Magin Mario Balthazaar read "Tééra nósa viida" in the original Sri Lanka Portuguese

Original Language

The fish sing over here,
The fish sing.
If you go to the seashore
You will hear them.

The shrimp fishermen
Are catching crabs.
Let’s buy some fish
And live the good life.

What’s the name of our land?
It is Batticaloa.
How beautiful is it?
So beautiful
Is our land, Batticaloa!

Where all the káfriinha¹ and baila²
First came to be,
We also dance the lancers.
We play the rabana³ until its skin bursts,
The violin and guitar until their strings break.

^1.^{A typical dance and musical tradition of the Sri Lanka Portuguese Burgher community.↩}

^2.^{A popular Sri Lankan musical style historically connected with the traditions of the Portuguese Burgher community.↩}

^3.^{A traditional Sri Lankan drum played with the hand.↩}

The fish sing over here,
The fish sing.
If you go to the seashore
You will hear them.

The shrimp fishermen
Are catching crabs.
Let’s buy some fish
And live the good life.

What’s the name of our land?
It is Batticaloa.
How beautiful is it?
So beautiful
Is our land, Batticaloa!

Where all the káfriinha¹ and baila²
First came to be,
We also dance the lancers.
We play the rabana³ until its skin bursts,
The violin and guitar until their strings break.

^1.^{A typical dance and musical tradition of the Sri Lanka Portuguese Burgher community.↩}

^2.^{A popular Sri Lankan musical style historically connected with the traditions of the Portuguese Burgher community.↩}

^3.^{A traditional Sri Lankan drum played with the hand.↩}

Tééra nósa viida

Peesi takantáá ákii,
Peesi takantáá.
Máára bóórda péértu andáá
Ovii poy juntáá

Kambráám tapeyáá jeentis
Kangrera tapeyáá.
Peesi lotomáá
Nóóspa boom viida loacháá

Kii nóómi nósa tééra?
Áka Bátikalo tééra.
Kii buniitu?
Boom buniitu
Nósa Bátikalo tééra!

Káfriinha bááyla tudu
Oondi yakunsáá,
Léénsas taam nóós lobayláá.
Rábáána lodááy pééli parumpa
Violin guitar lodááy váárva pakevráá.

Magin Mario Balthazaar

Magin Mario Balthazaar hails from Batticaloa, Sri…

Hugo C. Cardoso

Hugo C. Cardoso is a professor of linguistics at the…

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The Land of Our Lives

Tééra nósa viida

Magin Mario Balthazaar

Hugo C. Cardoso

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