So the rain can start
Pouring down in streams

Also, “zloata” doesn’t mean “drenched mud” – the Romanian DEX defines the word as: “ploaie amestecata cu zapada” – so the closest English translation for it is “slush” – for the time of the year when this is celebrated slush makes no sense, however we cannot really change the meaning of the Romanian text too much – it would lose its authenticity. It’s possible that instead of “zloata” that verse ends in “ceata” or “gloata” – that would make sense. So I will use “clique” to translate this: it’s the closest term that fits (“an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose”)

The more I think about it, the more I see that there is obviously no “correct translation” (I wonder where Joe got the “night” in his variant). But we could work together to come up with one which is at least acceptable.

My translation of the first verses (and grammatically correct):

Paparuda, ruda
Come and drench us,
So the rain can start
Pouring down in streams
With the pail,
All over the clique!
Where the pestle drops
Let the maize grow
Where the hoe hoes
Let it pour like water.

(Yes, the song has different lyrics, but it’s worth listening

Paparudă, rudă,
Vino de ne udă,
Ca să-nceapă ploaie,
Să curgă şiroaie
Cu galeată, leată,
Peste toată zloată:
Unde dă cu maiul
Să crească mălaiul,
Unde dă cu sapa
Să curgă ca apa.

Paparudă, rudă,
Vino de te udă,
Ca să cază ploile,
Cu găleţile,
Să dea porumburile
Cât gardurile,
Şi să crească spicele
Cât vrăbiile,
Paparudele!

Să sporească grânele,
Să umple pătulele,
Să deschize cerurile,
Să pornească ploile,
Şi să fereşti holdele,
De toate tăciunele,
Din toate ogoarele,
Paparudele!

Revista Atheneum

The correct (closer) translation

Paparudă= gypsy girl under rain goddess spell,
rudă – has a double meaning -> 1- family,
2 – repetition of the ending of the word “Paparudă” – done to
add more importance to the relation people – gypsy – goddess

Paparudă, rudă, This verse has no equal in english – see above translation
Vino de ne udă, Come and get us wet,
Ca să-nceapă ploaie, So the rain can start,
Să curgă şiroaie To come down in (buckets) / şiroaie=huge series of water drops
Cu galeată, leată, With bucket, ucket (my best of reproducing the romanian word shortening)
Peste toată zloată: Everywhere drenched mud:

Most of the verses are in a grammatically incorrect form.

Update (25 March 2009): Your translation however is wrong too: where did you find the “night” in the first 4 verses?

IT SAYS::PAPAR-UDA,(SLANG FOR DRENCHED)
COME AND DRENCH US
SO LET THE RAIN START
LET IT POUR ALL NIGHT