Bapui Babaan|Inpui Naga Poem|Alung Khumba

Image credit: Isaac Inkah

He, apaiba nang theibo

Inpui choungbi tasuk –talatnu pa-am bo?

Eibe baning phaang bada lolo we

Khatle asung kalan la mangna ka ro we.

Tasiatnu kakungnu Inpui choung!

He, misa toga lung dabe kameiza khatle kapaisa amnu bazek ae.

Kameiza naosen ding kamaisa diye

Kapaisa naosen ding kapaisa diye

Atiluga singthou webe theikale– rangaak khatle katang diga

Patso hungnu kaanbina theiye mannu, manpa, katampi khatle katampu.

Dida khouring dingbe thei kaleye teitei toga

Aan naosen ding aanswan

Misa naosen ding naosen, mi swan kou mak.

Aan rangaak dingna aanla

Dida mi rangaak dingna mila di mak.

Aan kapaisa dingna aankhong

Dida mi kapaisa ding mikhong di mak

Sen kapaisia ding khatle ui kapaisia ding le senkhong khatle uikhong di mak!

Hadan ga bok rangaak dingna bokzan

Mi rangaak dingna mizan di mak!

Aan rangaak ding aanla, anzan di mak

Atiluga bokla diyebe bok katang ding thei

Sen rangaak dingle senzan, katang dingna senchan

Dida mi katang le aan katang dingna michan khatle aanchan di mak!

Basa dingba into ga thei zong?

Basazan, basala, basakhong, basachan?

Mak ae, samga theikale ye bapui-babaan diga.

Basa kameiza dingna bapui.

Basa kapaisa dingna babaan.

Basa naosen dingna basa swan-kamaisale kapaisa le.

Dida baning phaang lat riyo-

Mi kameiza khatle kapaisa ding mipui khatle mibaan diga kou mak tabo!

Ha dan ga khouring dingle

Aanbaan, uibaan, senbaan, bokbaan di mak pei zwe.

Atipei ngaaklena haba bing ga bapui babaan karwak ae.

Heiya rwe, ngaisa phaangsa kataknu

Choung bingbina thuk inkunu-

Tasuk talat, badop bamai

Kabat kale ngaaklena

Bakaba am kataknu Inpui choung.

Alung Khumba, Principal, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Imphal No.2 (CRPF Lanjing). He is also the author of  The Inpui Nagas: Traditional Culture and Christianity. 

Reproduced here with permission from the author.