View source for Aku Pema

{{Short description|2003 song by Palgon}}
{{Italictitle}}
'''''Aku Pema''''' ({{bo|t=ཨ་ཁུ་པདྨ་|w=a khu pad ma}}; [[Amdo Tibetan language|Amdo Tibetan]] {{IPA-bo|akʰɯ panma|}})  is a [[Tibetan music|Tibetan]] song, written by the Tibetan singer [[Palgon]] ({{bo|w=dpal mgon}}, [[Amdo Tibetan language|Amdo Tibetan]] {{IPA|[χʷalɡon]}}). It is considered{{By whom|date=January 2010}} to be calling for the [[Dalai Lama]] to return, but this is indirect. At no point during the song do the lyrics mention the Dalai Lama. The reference to the Dalai Lama is through a nickname Aku Pema, [[Standard Tibetan|Tibetan]] for Uncle Lotus, which is a name for the [[Dalai Lama]] in [[Amdo|Amdo, Tibet]].
The song won the best lyrics award at the 2003 Tibetan Music Awards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musictibet.com/awards/2003/ |title=The first-ever Tibetan music awards 2003 |work=Music Tibet |accessdate=2008-05-26 | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080705102912/http://www.musictibet.com/awards/2003/| archivedate= 5 July 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>
== Lyrics ==
"Uncle Pema"<br />
By Palgon (original in Tibetan)
:Oh Uncle Pema!
:Oh mighty Eagle adorned with a conch-white stripe!
:If you soar up heavenwards, you adorn the azure sky,
:If you descend earthwards, you gladden the craggy mountains.
:And, your absence makes the craggy ledges bereft of any life!
:Oh Uncle Pema!
:Duck with the golden rosary
:If you fly out of the water, you adorn the meadows,
:If you swim in the water, you gladden the water’s spirits
:And, your absence makes the lake bereft of life and spirit!
:Oh Uncle Pema!
:Oh handsome Youth, adorned with conch-white teeth like a tiger!
:If you go [a]way, you are a credit to your fellow townsfolk, and
:If you come this way, you are a star amongst your peers.
:And, your absence makes my heart bereft of love and meaning!
== See also ==
*[[Tibet]]
*[[Dalai Lama]]
*[[Music of Tibet]]
*[[Amdo]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* {{youtube|id=OZCJFenIzq4|title=Video of Aku Pema}}
* [http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1421&context=isp_collection Oh Uncle Pema! The Role of Musical Agency in the Creation of a Modern Tibetan Identity]
[[Category:Tibetan music]]