Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World

About Kabir

Timeline (15th Century)

Kabir, Kabir poetry, Muslim / Sufi, Muslim / Sufi poetry, poetry, [TRADITION SUB2] poetry, Yoga / Hindu poetry

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English version by
John Stratton Hawley and Mark Juergensmeyer

Original Language
Hindi

Hey brother, why do you want me to talk?

Themes

Sound

Recommended Books

	The Bijak of Kabir, Translated by Linda Hess / Translated by Shukdeo Singh
	The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry, by Stephen Mitchell
	Kabir: The Weaver's Songs, by Kabir / Translated by Vinay Dharwadker
	Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West, Translated by Daniel Ladinsky
	One Hundred Poems of Kabir: Translated by Rabindranath Tagore, by Kabir / Translated by Rabindranath Tagore

More >>

Hey brother, why do you want me to talk?
Talk and talk and the real things get lost.

Talk and talk and things get out of hand.
Why not stop talking and think?

If you meet someone good, listen a little, speak;
If you meet someone bad, clench up like a fist.

Talking with a wise is a great reward.
Talking with a fool? A waste.

Kabir says: A pot makes noise if it's half full,
But fill it to the brim -- no sound.

-- from Songs of the Saints of India, Translated by John Stratton Hawley / Translated by Mark Juergensmeyer

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Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

About Kabir

Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World