I trapped my breath in the bellows of my throat

by Lalla

English version by Ranjit Hoskote
Original Language Kashmiri

I trapped my breath in the bellows of my throat:
a lamp blazed up inside, showed me who I really was.
I crossed the darkness holding fast to that lamp,
scattering its light-seeds around me as I went.

-- from I Lalla: The Poems of Lal Ded, Translated by Ranjit Hoskote

<<Previous Poem | More Poems by Lalla | Next Poem >>


View All Poems by Lalla








I trapped my breath