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Poetry
Chaikhana
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About VidyapatiTimeline (1340? - 1430) |
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English version by Original Language |
My friend, I cannot answer when you ask me to explain
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My friend, I cannot answer when you ask me to explain
what has befallen me. Love is transformed, renewed, each moment. He has dwelt in my eyes all the days of my life, yet I am not sated with seeing. My ears have heard his sweet voice in eternity, and yet it is always new to them. How many honeyed nights have I passed with him in love's bliss, yet my body wonders at his. Through all the ages he has been clasped to my breast, yet my desire never abates. I have seen subtle people sunk in passion but none came so close to the heart of the fire. Who shall be found to cool your heart, says Vidyapati.
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The speaker in this poem is Radha and the "him" she refers to is Krishna. Bhakti poetry often celebrates the love affair between Radha and Krishna, but it plays with multiple levels of reality at once: it can be read as erotic love poetry and, at the same time, as an exploration of the love between the soul (Radha) and God (Krishna).
Try reading this poem a few times. Start with the poem's surface meaning, its beauty, sensuality, and yearning. And, with each reading, look progressively deeper and with an open heart. See what emerges.
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Ivan
M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright ©
2002 - 2008 by Ivan M. Granger.
All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or
publishers.