Songs of Kabir: XXXI-XL

XXXI-XL

XXXI

II. 100. nis` din s�lai gh�w

A sore pain troubles me day and night, and I cannot sleep;
I long for the meeting with my Beloved, and my father's house
gives me pleasure no more.
The gates of the sky are opened, the temple is revealed:
I meet my husband, and leave at His feet the offering of my body
and my mind.

XXXII

II. 103. n�co re mero man, matta hoy

Dance, my heart! dance to-day with joy.
The strains of love fill the days and the nights with music, and
the world is listening to its melodies:
Mad with joy, life and death dance to the rhythm of this music.
The hills and the sea and the earth dance. The world of man
dances in laughter and tears.
Why put on the robe of the monk, and live aloof from the world in
lonely pride?
Behold! my heart dances in the delight of a hundred arts; and
the Creator is well pleased.

XXXIII

II. 105. man mast hu� tab kyon bole

Where is the need of words, when love has made drunken the heart?
I have wrapped the diamond in my cloak; why open it again and
again?
When its load was light, the pan of the balance went up: now it
is full, where is the need for weighing?
The swan has taken its flight to the lake beyond the mountains;
why should it search for the pools and ditches any more?
Your Lord dwells within you: why need your outward eyes be
opened?
Kab�r says: "Listen, my brother! my Lord, who ravishes my eyes,
has united Himself with me."

XXXIV

II. 110. mohi tohi l�g� kaise chute

How could the love between Thee and me sever?
As the leaf of the lotus abides on the water: so thou art my
Lord, and I am Thy servant.
As the night-bird Chakor gazes all night at the moon: so Thou art
my Lord and I am Thy servant.
From the beginning until the ending of time, there is love
between Thee and me; and how shall such love be extinguished?
Kab�r says: "As the river enters into the ocean, so my heart
touches Thee."

XXXV

II. 113. v�lam, �wo ham�re geh re

My body and my mind are grieved for the want of Thee;
O my Beloved! come to my house.
When people say I am Thy bride, I am ashamed; for I have not
touched Thy heart with my heart.
Then what is this love of mine? I have no taste for food, I have
no sleep; my heart is ever restless within doors and without.
As water is to the thirsty, so is the lover to the bride. Who is
there that will carry my news to my Beloved?
Kab�r is restless: he is dying for sight of Him.

XXXVI

II. 126. j�g piy�r�, ab k�n sowai

O friend, awake, and sleep no more!
The night is over and gone, would you lose your day also?
Others, who have wakened, have received jewels;
O foolish woman! you have lost all whilst you slept.
Your lover is wise, and you are foolish, O woman!
You never prepared the bed of your husband:
O mad one! you passed your time in silly play.
Your youth was passed in vain, for you did not know your Lord;
Wake, wake! See! your bed is empty: He left you in the night.
Kab�r says: "Only she wakes, whose heart is pierced with the
arrow of His music."

XXXVII

I. 36. s�r park�s', tanh rain kah�n p��ye

Where is the night, when the sun is shining? If it is night,
then the sun withdraws its light. Where knowledge is, can
ignorance endure?
If there be ignorance, then knowledge must die.
If there be lust, how can love be there? Where there is love,
there is no lust.

Lay hold on your sword, and join in the fight. Fight, O my
brother, as long as life lasts.
Strike off your enemy's head, and there make an end of him
quickly: then come, and bow your head at your King's Durbar.
He who is brave, never forsakes the battle: he who flies from it
is no true fighter.
In the field of this body a great war goes forward, against
passion, anger, pride, and greed:
It is in the kingdom of truth, contentment and purity, that this
battle is raging; and the sword that rings forth most loudly is
the sword of His Name.
Kab�r says: "When a brave knight takes the field, a host of
cowards is put to flight.
It is a hard fight and a weary one, this fight of the
truth-seeker: for the vow of the truth-seeker is more hard than
that of the warrior, or of the widowed wife who would follow her
husband.
For the warrior fights for a few hours, and the widow's struggle
with death is soon ended:
But the truth-seeker's battle goes on day and night, as long as
life lasts it never ceases."

XXXVIII

I. 50. bhram k� t�l� lag� mahal re

The lock of error shuts the gate, open it with the key of love:
Thus, by opening the door, thou shalt wake the Beloved.
Kab�r says: "O brother! do not pass by such good fortune as
this."

XXXIX

I. 59. s�dho, yah tan th�th tanvure ka

O friend! this body is His lyre; He tightens its strings, and
draws from it the melody of Brahma.
If the strings snap and the keys slacken, then to dust must this
instrument of dust return:
Kab�r says: "None but Brahma can evoke its melodies."

I. 65. avadh� bh�le ko ghar l�we

He is dear to me indeed who can call back the wanderer to his
home. In the home is the true union, in the home is enjoyment
of life: why should I forsake my home and wander in the forest?
If Brahma helps me to realize truth, verily I will find both
bondage and deliverance in home.
He is dear to me indeed who has power to dive deep into Brahma;
whose mind loses itself with ease in His contemplation.
He is dear to me who knows Brahma, and can dwell on His supreme
truth in meditation; and who can play the melody of the
Infinite by uniting love and renunciation in life.
Kab�r says: "The home is the abiding place; in the home is
reality; the home helps to attain Him Who is real. So stay
where you are, and all things shall come to you in time."

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