(Chanted as a refrain after each verse)
Sleep, Mari, sleep – the village sleeps.
The snake coils under the anthill, the peacock sleeps on the hill.
The neem tree sways without wind –
That is your breath, O Mother of Seven Maidens. mariamman thalattu english translation exclusive
To sing the lullaby, you must know the Goddess. "Mari" means rain or change, and "Amman" means mother. She is the village guardian who brings the monsoon to save the crops. Simultaneously, she sends the scorching heat (Veyil) to kill germs and viruses. She is the Goddess of Smallpox, Chickenpox, and now, by extension, all sudden viral fevers. ( Chanted as a refrain after each verse )
When you sing the Mariamman Thalattu, you are not begging for mercy; you are coaxing the heat to settle down, like a mother stroking the forehead of a feverish child. Sleep, Mari, sleep – the village sleeps
The lamp flickers – that is your earring moving.
The wind stops – that is your anklet pausing.
The kolam at the doorstep dissolves into the dark –
That is your footstep erasing our karma.
Now even the temple elephant sleeps standing.
Now even the priest’s bell is silent.
O Mother who is both pox and peace,
Sleep. Sleep. Sleep.