British Library Beowulf book reading in Telugu

లండన్ బ్రిటీష్ లైబ్రరీ లో భద్రపరుచబడిన ఒక 1870 వ కాలంలో తెలుగులో ముద్రితమైన ఒక అపూర్వమైన గ్రంధం బియోవుల్ఫ్ ... దీన్ని నేను చదువుతూ ఉండగా రికార్డు చేసి భద్రపరిచారు.. అదేవిధంగా ఇక్కడ పోతన భాగవతం తాళపత్రాలు గూడ ఉన్నాయి... వాటిని చేతిలో పట్టుకుని చదివి ఉప్పొంగి పోయాను. ఇలాగే తెలుగులో అనేక అపురూప గ్రంధాలు ఇక్కడ ఉన్నాయి..

Some of you may know I am a friend of British Library. I try volunteering for their projects. Recently I participated in "Beowulf" project. This book is translated in 1870s and in the treasures of British Library. They recorded the book reading using my voice to keep it in their permanent archives. Please listen to my reading clicking the link "TELUGU"...

http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2011/09/beowulf-in-hungarian-and-french-and-telugu-.html

Beowulf in Hungarian ... and French ... and Telugu ...

Ever wondered what Beowulf sounds like in Dutch, Greek or Russian, or in Telugu, a Dravidian language spoken in parts of southern India? Here at the British Library we've had some fun creating the recordings found here, representing nine different modern languages.

Photo of Mr Madhava Turumella, reading the Telugu translation of Beowulf (courtesy of Nigel Bewley, The British Library).

We are extremely grateful to all our readers (Marja Kingma, Karen Eeckman, Juan Garces, Dimitrios Skrekas, Ildiko Wollner, Laura Nuvoloni, Yasuyo Ohtsuka, Irina Lester and Madhava Turumella), and to Nigel Bewley of the British Library's Sound and Vision for making the recordings.

Dark nights of my soul

It pains me unbearably
tackling the two tongued
vicious snakes
for some strage reason
appear in human form...

It Pains me unbearably
dealing with cunning foxes
for some strage reason
appear in human form...

I look at the sky
the sun about to set,
it is not beautiful any more.
The rage in the pained heart
is painting it dark and red.

I started to stare
in to the onsetting darkness,
life inevitable...
What ever destined is bound to happen...

I turn to my God in silent prayer
for I can't really stare in to this blindening darkness
My heart longing for solace.

I wonder if there is a wee bit of spark,
the light of hope somewhere in this human existence.

Is it! I wonder,
the beginning of
the dark nights of my wandering soul.

-Madhava Turumella