Tharu Eliye

In the starlight..
the day you and I walked together,
as if all my sighs and feelings were wiped away,
in the royal chamber..
the day I became the queen-princess,
what I wished for was a life in your world hereafter
the cold dew wet my head,
my heart was sent far, far away,
I felt my own heart like a wisp of cotton
in the royal chamber..
the day I became the queen-princess,
what I wished for was a life in your world hereafter

Easing my weariness.. in the thick dark,
coolness always.. in the starlight,
walking on.. through the grove of flowers,
the day I saw you.. I remember it still
my whole lifetime I offered up to him,
filled with the sandalwood fragrance of love,
upon the beads of dew, he and I were made alone together

In the starlight..
the day you and I walked together,
as if all my sighs and feelings were wiped away,
in the royal chamber..
the day I became the queen-princess,
what I wished for was a life in your world hereafter

A dreamy, romantic duet by Rookantha Goonatillake and Chandralekha Perera, looking back on the night two lovers came together. In the starlight, the woman recalls, the day they walked side by side, it was as if every sigh and ache in her was wiped away; and on the day she became the queen-princess, her one wish was simply for a life in his world, forever after. Love is remembered as a kind of coronation.

The imagery is soft and nocturnal, cold dew wetting her head, her heart sent drifting far away, her own heart felt as light as a wisp of cotton. The senses blur happily in the memory of that night, love loosening her from herself.

The tenderest lines make the vow explicit: my whole lifetime I offered up to him, she says, filled with the sandalwood fragrance of love, and upon the beads of dew he and I were made alone together. Sung as a duet, the two voices circle the same cherished memory, a starlit night, a grove of flowers, a love felt as royalty and given away completely. It is a warm, nostalgic celebration of the moment two people knew they belonged to each other.