KABIR

Brother, I’ve seen some

Brother, I’ve seen some

Astonishing sights:

A lion keeping watch

Over pasturing cows;

A mother delivered

After her son was;

A guru prostrated

Before his disciple;

Fish spawning

On treetops;

A cat carrying away

A dog;

A gunny-sack

Driving a bullock-cart;

A buffalo going out to graze,

Sitting on a horse;

A tree with its branches in the earth,

Its roots in the sky;

A tree with flowering roots.

This verse, says Kabir,

Is your key to the universe.

If you can figure it out.

Translated from the Hindi by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra

Hang Up The Swing Of Love Today!

Hang the body and the mind between the arms of the beloved,

in the ecstasy of love's joy:

Bring the tearful streams of the rainy clouds to your eyes,

and cover your heart with the shadow of darkness:

Bring your face nearer to his ear,

and speak of the deepest longings of your heart.

Kabir says: 'Listen to me brother!

bring the vision of the Beloved in your heart.'

My Body Is Flooded

My body is flooded

With the flame of Love.

My soul lives in

A furnace of bliss.

Love's fragrance

Fills my mouth,

And fans through all things

With each outbreath.


When the Day came

When the Day came -

The Day I had lived and died for -

The Day that is not in any calendar -

Clouds heavy with love

Showered me with wild abundance.

Inside me, my soul was drenched.

Around me, even the desert grew green.