,,songs ,,of ,,kab,r   ,translated by   
,rabindranath ,tagore  ,introduction by 
,evelyn ,underhill  ,new ,york1 ,the    
,macmillan ,company  #aiae              
,,introduction   ,the poet ,kabr1 a     
selection from whose songs is here for  
the first time offered to ,english      
readers1 is one of the most interesting 
personalities in the history of ,indian 
mysticism4 ,born in or near ,benares1 of
 ,mohammedan parents1 and probably about
 the year #addj1 he became in early life
 a disciple of the celebrated ,hindu    
ascetic ,rmnanda4  ,rmnanda had brought 
to ,northern ,india the religious       
revival which ,rmnuja1 the great        
twelfth-century reformer of ,brhmanism1 
had initiated in the ,south4  ,this     
revival was in part a reaction against  
the increasing formalism of the orthodox
 cult1 in part an assertion of the      
demands of the heart as against the     
intense intellectualism of the ,vednta  
philosophy1 the exaggerated monism which
 that philosophy proclaimed4  ,it took  

in ,rmnuja's preaching the form of an   
ardent personal devotion to the ,god    
,vishnu1 as representing the personal   
aspect of the ,divine ,nature3 that     
mystical religion of love which         
everywhere makes its appearance at a    
certain level of spiritual culture1 and 
which creeds and philosophies are       
powerless to kill4  ,though such a      
devotion is indigenous in ,hinduism1 and
 finds expression in many passages of   
the ,bhagavad ,gt1 there was in its     
medival revival a large element of      
syncretism4  ,rmnanda1 through whom its 
spirit is said to have reached ,kabr1   
appears to have been a man of wide      
religious culture1 and full of          
missionary enthusiasm4  ,living at the  
moment in which the impassioned poetry  
and deep philosophy of the great        
,persian mystics1 ,attr1 ,sd1 ,jallu'ddn
 ,rm1 and ,hfiz1 were exercising a      
powerful influence on the religious     
thought of ,india1 he dreamed of        
reconciling this intense and personal   

,mohammedan mysticism with the          
traditional theology of ,brhmanism4     
,some have regarded both these great    
religious leaders as influenced also by 
,christian thought and life3 but as this
 is a point upon which competent        
authorities hold widely divergent views1
 its discussion is not attempted here4  
,we may safely assert1 however1 that in 
their teachings1 two--perhaps           
three--apparently antagonistic streams  
of intense spiritual culture met1 as    
,jewish and ,hellenistic thought met in 
the early ,christian ,church3 and it is 
one of the outstanding characteristics  
of ,kabr's genius that he was able in   
his poems to fuse them into one4  ,a    
great religious reformer1 the founder of
 a sect to which nearly a million       
northern ,hindus still belong1 it is yet
 supremely as a mystical poet that ,kabr
 lives for us4  ,his fate has been that 
of many revealers of ,reality4  ,a hater
 of religious exclusivism1 and seeking  
above all things to initiate men into   

the liberty of the children of ,god1 his
 followers have honoured his memory by  
re-erecting in a new place the barriers 
which he laboured to cast down4  ,but   
his wonderful songs survive1 the        
spontaneous expressions of his vision   
and his love2 and it is by these1 not by
 the didactic teachings associated with 
his name1 that he makes his immortal    
appeal to the heart4  ,in these poems a 
wide range of mystical emotion is       
brought into play3 from the loftiest    
abstractions1 the most otherworldly     
passion for the ,infinite1 to the most  
intimate and personal realization of    
,god1 expressed in homely metaphors and 
religious symbols drawn indifferently   
from ,hindu and ,mohammedan belief4  ,it
 is impossible to say of their author   
that he was ,brhman or ,sf1 ,vedntist or
 ,vaishnavite4 ,he is1 as he says       
himself1 at once the child of ,allah and
 of ,rm4 ,that ,supreme ,spirit ,whom he
 knew and adored1 and to ,whose joyous  
friendship he sought to induct the souls

 of other men1 transcended whilst ,he   
included all metaphysical categories1   
all credal definitions2 yet each        
contributed something to the description
 of that ,infinite and ,simple ,totality
 ,who revealed ,himself1 according to   
their measure1 to the faithful lovers of
 all creeds4  ,kabr's story is          
surrounded by contradictory legends1 on 
none of which reliance can be placed4   
,some of these emanate from a ,hindu1   
some from a ,mohammedan source1 and     
claim him by turns as a ,sf and a       
,brhman saint4  ,his name1 however1 is  
practically a conclusive proof of       
,moslem ancestry3 and the most probable 
tale is that which represents him as the
 actual or adopted child of a           
,mohammedan weaver of ,benares1 the city
 in which the chief events of his life  
took place4  ,in fifteenth-century      
,benares the syncretistic tendencies of 
,bhakti religion had reached full       
development4  ,sfs and ,brhmans appear  
to have met in disputation3 the most    

spiritual members of both creeds        
frequenting the teachings of ,rmnanda1  
whose reputation was then at its height4
  ,the boy ,kabr1 in whom the religious 
passion was innate1 saw in ,rmnanda his 
destined teacher2 but knew how slight   
were the chances that a ,hindu guru     
would accept a ,mohammedan as disciple4 
,he therefore hid upon the steps of the 
river ,ganges1 where ,rmnanda was       
accustomed to bathe2 with the result    
that the master1 coming down to the     
water1 trod upon his body unexpectedly1 
and exclaimed in his astonishment1 ,ram6
  ,ram6--the name of the incarnation    
under which he worshipped ,god4  ,kabr  
then declared that he had received the  
mantra of initiation from ,rmnanda's    
lips1 and was by it admitted to         
discipleship4  ,in spite of the protests
 of orthodox ,brhmans and ,mohammedans1 
both equally annoyed by this contempt of
 theological landmarks1 he persisted in 
his claim2 thus exhibiting in action    
that very principle of religious        

synthesis which ,rmnanda had sought to  
establish in thought4 ,rmnanda appears  
to have accepted him1 and though        
,mohammedan legends speak of the famous 
,sf ,pr1 ,takk of ,jhans1 as ,kabr's    
master in later life1 the ,hindu saint  
is the only human teacher to whom in his
 songs he acknowledges indebtedness4    
,the little that we know of ,kabr's life
 contradicts many current ideas         
concerning the ,oriental mystic4  ,of   
the stages of discipline through which  
he passed1 the manner in which his      
spiritual genius developed1 we are      
completely ignorant4  ,he seems to have 
remained for years the disciple of      
,rmnanda1 joining in the theological and
 philosophical arguments which his      
master held with all the great ,mullahs 
and ,brhmans of his day2 and to this    
source we may perhaps trace his         
acquaintance with the terms of ,hindu   
and ,sf philosophy4  ,he may or may not 
have submitted to the traditional       
education of the ,hindu or the ,sf      

contemplative3 it is clear1 at any rate1
 that he never adopted the life of the  
professional ascetic1 or retired from   
the world in order to devote himself to 
bodily mortifications and the exclusive 
pursuit of the contemplative life4      
,side by side with his interior life of 
adoration1 its artistic expression in   
music and words--for he was a skilled   
musician as well as a poet--he lived the
 sane and diligent life of the ,oriental
 craftsman4  ,all the legends agree on  
this point3 that ,kabr was a weaver1 a  
simple and unlettered man1 who earned   
his living at the loom4  ,like ,paul the
 tentmaker1 ,boehme the cobbler1 ,bunyan
 the tinker1 ,tersteegen the            
ribbon-maker1 he knew how to combine    
vision and industry2 the work of his    
hands helped rather than hindered the   
impassioned meditation of his heart4    
,hating mere bodily austerities1 he was 
no ascetic1 but a married man1 the      
father of a family--a circumstance which
 ,hindu legends of the monastic type    

vainly attempt to conceal or            
explain--and it was from out of the     
heart of the common life that he sang   
his rapturous lyrics of divine love4    
,here his works corroborate the         
traditional story of his life4  ,again  
and again he extols the life of home1   
the value and reality of diurnal        
existence1 with its opportunities for   
love and renunciation2 pouring          
contempt--upon the professional sanctity
 of the ,yogi1 who has a great beard and
 matted locks1 and looks like a goat1   
and on all who think it necessary to    
flee a world pervaded by love1 joy1 and 
beauty--the proper theatre of man's     
quest--in order to find that ,one       
,reality ,who has spread ,his form of   
love throughout all the world4          
,footnote3 ,cf4 ,poems ,nos4 ,,xxi1     
,,xl1 ,,xliii1 ,,lxvi1 ,,lxxvi4  ,it    
does not need much experience of ascetic
 literature to recognize the boldness   
and originality of this attitude in such
 a time and place4  ,from the point of  

view of orthodox sanctity1 whether      
,hindu or ,mohammedan1 ,kabr was plainly
 a heretic2 and his frank dislike of all
 institutional religion1 all external   
observance--which was as thorough and as
 intense as that of the ,quakers        
themselves--completed1 so far as        
ecclesiastical opinion was concerned1   
his reputation as a dangerous man4  ,the
 simple union with ,divine ,reality     
which he perpetually extolled1 as alike 
the duty and the joy of every soul1 was 
independent both of ritual and of bodily
 austerities2 the ,god whom he          
proclaimed was neither in ,kaaba nor in 
,kailsh4  ,those who sought ,him needed 
not to go far2 for ,he awaited discovery
 everywhere1 more accessible to the     
washerwoman and the carpenter than to   
the self--righteous holy man4 ,footnote3
 ,poems ,i1 ,,ii1 ,,xli4  ,therefore the
 whole apparatus of piety1 ,hindu and   
,moslem alike--the temple and mosque1   
idol and holy water1 scriptures and     
priests--were denounced by this         

inconveniently clear-sighted poet as    
mere substitutes for reality2 dead      
things intervening between the soul and 
its love--  _/99   ,the images are all  
lifeless1 they cannot speak3     ,i     
know1 for ,i have cried aloud to them4  
,the ,purna and the ,koran are mere     
words3     lifting up the curtain1 ,i   
have seen4 99_/ ,footnote3 ,poems       
,,xlii1 ,,lxv1 ,,lxvii4  ,this sort of  
thing cannot be tolerated by any        
organized church2 and it is not         
surprising that ,kabr1 having his       
head-quarters in ,benares1 the very     
centre of priestly influence1 was       
subjected to considerable persecution4  
,the well-known legend of the beautiful 
courtesan sent by ,brhmans to tempt his 
virtue1 and converted1 like the         
,magdalen1 by her sudden encounter with 
the initiate of a higher love1 pre      
serves the memory of the fear and       
dislike with which he was regarded by   
the ecclesiastical powers4  ,once at    
least1 after the performance of a       

supposed miracle of healing1 he was     
brought before the ,emperor ,sikandar   
,lodi1 and charged with claiming the    
possession of divine powers4  ,but      
,sikandar ,lodi1 a ruler of considerable
 culture1 was tolerant of the           
eccentricities of saintly persons       
belonging to his own faith4  ,kabr1     
being of ,mohammedan birth1 was outside 
the authority of the ,brhmans1 and      
technically classed with the ,sfs1 to   
whom great theological latitude was     
allowed4  ,therefore1 though he was     
banished in the interests of peace from 
,benares1 his life was spared4  ,this   
seems to have happened in #adie1 when he
 was nearly sixty years of age2 it is   
the last event in his career of which we
 have definite knowledge4  ,thenceforth 
he appears to have moved about amongst  
various cities of northern ,india1 the  
centre of a group of disciples2         
continuing in exile that life of apostle
 and poet of love to which1 as he       
declares in one of his songs1 he was    

destined from the beginning of time4    
,in #aeah1 an old man1 broken in health1
 and with hands so feeble that he could 
no longer make the music which he loved1
 he died at ,maghar near ,gorakhpur4  ,a
 beautiful legend tells us that after   
his death his ,mohammedan and ,hindu    
disciples disputed the possession of his
 body2 which the ,mohammedans wished to 
bury1 the ,hindus to burn4 ,as they     
argued together1 ,kabr appeared before  
them1 and told them to lift the shroud  
and look at that which lay beneath4     
,they did so1 and found in the place of 
the corpse a heap of flowers2 half of   
which were buried by the ,mohammedans at
 ,maghar1 and half carried by the       
,hindus to the holy city of ,benares to 
be burned--fitting conclusion to a life 
which had made fragrant the most        
beautiful doctrines of two great creeds4
    ,,ii   ,the poetry of mysticism     
might be defined on the one hand as a   
temperamental reaction to the vision of 
,reality3 on the other1 as a form of    

prophecy4  ,as it is the special        
vocation of the mystical consciousness  
to mediate between two orders1 going out
 in loving adoration towards ,god and   
coming home to tell the secrets of      
,eternity to other men2 so the artistic 
self-expression of this consciousness   
has also a double character4  ,it is    
love-poetry1 but love-poetry which is   
often written with a missionary         
intention4  ,kabr's songs are of this   
kind3 out-births at once of rapture and 
of charity4  ,written in the popular    
,hindi1 not in the literary tongue1 they
 were deliberately addressed--like the  
vernacular poetry of ,jacopone da ,tod  
and ,richard ,rolle--to the people      
rather than to the professionally       
religious class2 and all must be struck 
by the constant employment in them of   
imagery drawn from the common life1 the 
universal experience4  ,it is by the    
simplest metaphors1 by constant appeals 
to needs1 passions1 relations which all 
men understand--the bridegroom and      

bride1 the guru and disciple1 the       
pilgrim1 the farmer1 the migrant bird-- 
that he drives home his intense         
conviction of the reality of the soul's 
intercourse with the ,transcendent4     
,there are in his universe no fences    
between the natural and supernatural    
worlds2 everything is a part of the     
creative ,play of ,god1 and             
therefore--even in its humblest         
details--capable of revealing the       
,player's mind4  ,this willing          
acceptance of the here-and-now as a     
means of representing supernal realities
 is a trait common to the greatest      
mystics4  ,for them1 when they have     
achieved at last the true theopathetic  
state1 all aspects of the universe      
possess equal authority as sacramental  
declarations of the ,presence of ,god2  
and their fearless employment of homely 
and physical symbols--often startling   
and even revolting to the unaccustomed  
taste--is in direct proportion to the   
exaltation of their spiritual life4     

,the works of the great ,sfs1 and       
amongst the ,christians of ,jacopone da 
,tod1 ,ruysbroeck1 ,boehme1 abound in   
illustrations of this law4 ,therefore we
 must not be surprised to find in       
,kabr's songs--his desperate attempts to
 communicate his ecstasy and persuade   
other men to share it--a constant       
juxtaposition of concrete and           
metaphysical language2 swift            
alternations between the most intensely 
anthropomorphic1 the most subtly        
philosophical1 ways of apprehending     
man's communion with the ,divine4  ,the 
need for this alternation1 and its      
entire naturalness for the mind which   
employs it1 is rooted in his concept1 or
 vision1 of the ,nature of ,god2 and    
unless we make some attempt to grasp    
this1 we shall not go far in our        
understanding of his poems4  ,kabr      
belongs to that small group of supreme  
mystics--amongst whom ,st4  ,augustine1 
,ruysbroeck1 and the ,sf poet ,jallu'ddn
 ,rm are perhaps the chief--who have    

achieved that which we might call the   
synthetic vision of ,god4  ,these have  
resolved the perpetual opposition       
between the personal and impersonal1 the
 transcendent and immanent1 static and  
dynamic aspects of the ,divine ,nature2 
between the ,absolute of philosophy and 
the sure true ,friend of devotional     
religion4  ,they have done this1 not by 
taking these apparently incompatible    
concepts one after the other2 but by    
ascending to a height of spiritual      
intuition at which they are1 as         
,ruysbroeck said1 melted and merged in  
the ,unity1 and perceived as the        
completing opposites of a perfect       
,whole4  ,this proceeding entails for   
them--and both ,kabr and ,ruysbroeck    
expressly acknowledge it--a universe of 
three orders3 ,becoming1 ,being1 and    
that which is ,more than ,being1 i4e41  
,god4 ,footnote3 ,nos4 ,,vii and ,,xlix4
  ,god is here felt to be not the final 
abstraction1 but the one actuality4  ,he
 inspires1 supports1 indeed inhabits1   

both the durational1 conditioned1 finite
 world of ,becoming and the             
unconditioned1 non-successional1        
infinite world of ,being2 yet utterly   
transcends them both4  ,he is the       
omnipresent ,reality1 the ,all-pervading
 within ,whom the worlds are being told 
like beads4  ,in ,his personal aspect   
,he is the beloved ,fakir1 teaching and 
companioning each soul4  ,considered as 
,immanent ,spirit1 ,he is the ,mind     
within the mind4  ,but all these are at 
best partial aspects of ,his nature1    
mutually corrective3 as the ,persons in 
the ,christian doctrine of the          
,trinity--to which this theological     
diagram bears a striking                
resemblance--represent different and    
compensating experiences of the ,divine 
,unity within which they are resumed4   
,as ,ruysbroeck discerned a plane of    
reality upon which we can speak no more 
of ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,spirit1 but
 only of ,one ,being1 the very substance
 of the ,divine ,persons2 so ,kabr says 

that beyond both the limited and the    
limitless is ,he1 the ,pure ,being4     
,footnote3 ,no4 ,,vii4  ,brahma1 then1  
is the ,ineffable ,fact compared with   
which the distinction of the            
,conditioned from the ,unconditioned is 
but a word3 at once the utterly         
transcendent ,one of ,absolutist        
philosophy1 and the personal ,lover of  
the individual soul--common to all and  
special to each1 as one ,christian      
mystic has it4  ,the need felt by ,kabr 
for both these ways of describing       
,reality is a proof of the richness and 
balance of his spiritual experience2    
which neither cosmic nor anthropomorphic
 symbols1 taken alone1 could express4   
,more absolute than the ,absolute1 more 
personal than the human mind1 ,brahma   
therefore exceeds whilst ,he includes   
all the concepts of philosophy1 all the 
passionate intuitions of the heart4  ,he
 is the ,great ,affirmation1 the font of
 energy1 the source of life and love1   
the unique satisfaction of desire4  ,his

 creative word is the ,om or            
,everlasting ,yea4  ,the negative       
philosophy which strips from the ,divine
 ,nature all ,its attributes and        
defining ,him only by that which ,he is 
not--reduces ,him to an ,emptiness1 is  
abhorrent to this most vital of         
poets4--,brahma1 he says1 may never be  
found in abstractions4  ,he is the ,one 
,love who ,pervades the world41         
discerned in ,his fullness only by the  
eyes of love2 and those who know ,him   
thus share1 though they may never tell1 
the joyous and ineffable secret of the  
universe4  ,footnote3 ,nos4 ,,vii1      
,,xxvi1 ,,lxxvi1 ,,xc4  ,now ,kabr1     
achieving this synthesis between the    
personal and cosmic aspects of the      
,divine ,nature1 eludes the three great 
dangers which threaten mystical         
religion4  ,first1 he escapes the       
excessive emotionalism1 the tendency to 
an exclusively anthropomorphic devotion1
 which results from an unrestricted cult
 of ,divine ,personality1 especially    

under an incarnational form2 seen in    
,india in the exaggerations of ,krishna 
worship1 in ,europe in the sentimental  
extravagances of certain ,christian     
saints4  ,next1 he is protected from the
 soul-destroying conclusions of pure    
monism1 inevitable if its logical       
implications are pressed home3 that is1 
the identity of substance between ,god  
and the soul1 with its corollary of the 
total absorption of that soul in the    
,being of ,god as the goal of the       
spiritual life4  ,for the thorough-going
 monist the soul1 in so far as it is    
real1 is substantially identical with   
,god2 and the true object of existence  
is the making patent of this latent     
identity1 the realization which finds   
expression in the ,vedntist formula     
,that art thou4  ,but ,kabr says that   
,brahma and the creature are ever       
distinct1 yet ever united2 that the wise
 man knows the spiritual as well as the 
material world to be no more than ,his  
footstool4 ,footnote3 ,nos4 ,,vii and   

,,ix4  ,the soul's union with ,him is a 
love union1 a mutual inhabitation2 that 
essentially dualistic relation which all
 mystical religion expresses1 not a     
self-mergence which leaves no place for 
personality4  ,this eternal distinction1
 the mysterious union-in-separateness of
 ,god and the soul1 is a necessary      
doctrine of all sane mysticism2 for no  
scheme which fails to find a place for  
it can represent more than a fragment of
 that soul's intercourse with the       
spiritual world4  ,its affirmation was  
one of the distinguishing features of   
the ,vaishnavite reformation preached by
 ,rmnuja2 the principle of which had    
descended through ,rmnanda to ,kabr4    
,last1 the warmly human and direct      
apprehension of ,god as the supreme     
,object of love1 the soul's comrade1    
teacher1 and bridegroom1 which is so    
passionately and frequently expressed in
 ,kabr's poems1 balances and controls   
those abstract tendencies which are     
inherent in the metaphysical side of his

 vision of ,reality3 and prevents it    
from degenerating into that sterile     
worship of intellectual formul which    
became the curse of the ,vedntist       
school4  ,for the mere intellectualist1 
as for the mere pietist1 he has little  
approbation4  ,footnote3 ,cf4 especially
 ,nos4 ,,lix1 ,,lxvii1 ,,lxxv1 ,,xc1    
,,xci4  ,love is throughout his absolute
 sole ,lord3 the unique source of the   
more abundant life which he enjoys1 and 
the common factor which unites the      
finite and infinite worlds4  ,all is    
soaked in love3 that love which he      
described in almost ,johannine language 
as the ,form of ,god4 ,the whole of     
creation is the ,play of the ,eternal   
,lover2 the living1 changing1 growing   
expression of ,brahma's love and joy4   
,as these twin passions preside over the
 generation of human life1 so beyond the
 mists of pleasure and pain ,kabr finds 
them governing the creative acts of     
,god4  ,his manifestation is love2 ,his 
activity is joy4  ,creation springs from

 one glad act of affirmation3 the       
,everlasting ,yea1 perpetually uttered  
within the depths of the ,divine        
,nature4  ,footnote3 ,nos4 ,,xvii1      
,,xxvi1 ,,lxxvi1 ,,lxxxii4  ,in         
accordance with this concept of the     
universe as a ,love-,game which         
eternally goes forward1 a progressive   
manifestation of ,brahma--one of the    
many notions which he adopted from the  
common stock of ,hindu religious ideas1 
and illuminated by his poetic           
genius--movement1 rhythm1 perpetual     
change1 forms an integral part of       
,kabr's vision of ,reality4  ,though the
 ,eternal and ,absolute is ever present 
to his consciousness1 yet his concept of
 the ,divine ,nature is essentially     
dynamic4  ,it is by the symbols of      
motion that he most often tries to      
convey it to us3 as in his constant     
reference to dancing1 or the strangely  
modern picture of that ,eternal ,swing  
of the ,universe which is held by the   
cords of love4  ,footnote3 ,no4 ,,xvi4  

,it is a marked characteristic of       
mystical literature that the great      
contemplatives1 in their effort to      
convey to us the nature of their        
communion with the supersensuous1 are   
inevitably driven to employ some form of
 sensuous imagery3 coarse and inaccurate
 as they know such imagery to be1 even  
at the best4  ,our normal human         
consciousness is so completely committed
 to dependence on the senses1 that the  
fruits of intuition itself are          
instinctively referred to them4  ,in    
that intuition it seems to the mystics  
that all the dim cravings and partial   
apprehensions of sense find perfect     
fulfilment4  ,hence their constant      
declaration that they see the uncreated 
light1 they hear the celestial melody1  
they taste the sweetness of the ,lord1  
they know an ineffable fragrance1 they  
feel the very contact of love4  ,him    
verily seeing and fully feeling1 ,him   
spiritually hearing and ,him delectably 
smelling and sweetly swallowing1 as     

,julian of ,norwich has it4  ,in those  
amongst them who develop                
psycho-sensorial automatisms1 these     
parallels between sense and spirit may  
present themselves to consciousness in  
the form of hallucinations3 as the light
 seen by ,suso1 the music heard by      
,rolle1 the celestial perfumes which    
filled ,st4  ,catherine of ,siena's     
cell1 the physical wounds felt by ,st4  
,francis and ,st4 ,teresa4  ,these are  
excessive dramatizations of the         
symbolism under which the mystic tends  
instinctively to represent his spiritual
 intuition to the surface consciousness4
  ,here1 in the special sense-perception
 which he feels to be most expressive of
 ,reality1 his peculiar idiosyncrasies  
come out4  ,now ,kabr1 as we might      
expect in one whose reactions to the    
spiritual order were so wide and        
various1 uses by turn all the symbols of
 sense4  ,he tells us that he has seen  
without sight the effulgence of ,brahma1
 tasted the divine nectar1 felt the     

ecstatic contact of ,reality1 smelt the 
fragrance of the heavenly flowers4  ,but
 he was essentially a poet and musician3
 rhythm and harmony were to him the     
garments of beauty and truth4  ,hence in
 his lyrics he shows himself to be1 like
 ,richard ,rolle1 above all things a    
musical mystic4  ,creation1 he says     
again and again1 is full of music3 it is
 music4  ,at the heart of the ,universe 
white music is blossoming3 love weaves  
the melody1 whilst renunciation beats   
the time4  ,it can be heard in the home 
as well as in the heavens2 discerned by 
the ears of common men as well as by the
 trained senses of the ascetic4         
,moreover1 the body of every man is a   
lyre on which ,brahma1 the source of all
 music1 plays4  ,everywhere ,kabr       
discerns the ,unstruck ,music of the    
,infinite--that celestial melody which  
the angel played to ,st4 ,francis1 that 
ghostly symphony which filled the soul  
of ,rolle with ecstatic joy4  ,footnote3
 ,nos4 ,,xvii1 ,,xviii1 ,,xxxix1 ,,xli1 

,,liv1 ,,lxxvi1 ,,lxxxiii1 ,,lxxxix1    
,,xcvii4  ,the one figure which he      
adopts from the ,hindu ,pantheon and    
constantly uses1 is that of ,krishna the
 ,divine ,flute ,player4  ,footnote3    
,nos4 ,l1 ,,liii1 ,,lxviii4  ,he sees   
the supernal music1 too1 in its visual  
embodiment1 as rhythmical movement3 that
 mysterious dance of the universe before
 the face of ,brahma1 which is at once  
an act of worship and an expression of  
the infinite rapture of the ,immanent   
,god4'  ,yet in this wide and rapturous 
vision of the universe ,kabr never loses
 touch with diurnal existence1 never    
forgets the common life4  ,his feet are 
firmly planted upon earth2 his lofty and
 passionate apprehensions are           
perpetually controlled by the activity  
of a sane and vigorous intellect1 by the
 alert commonsense so often found in    
persons of real mystical genius4 ,the   
constant insistence on simplicity and   
directness1 the hatred of all           
abstractions and                        

philosophizings1,footnote3 ,nos4 ,,xxvi1
 ,,xxxii1 ,,lxxvi the ruthless criticism
 of external religion3 these are amongst
 his most marked characteristics4  ,god 
is the ,root whence all manifestations1 
material and spiritual1 alike proceed2  
,footnote3 ,nos4 ,,lxxv1 ,,lxxviii1     
,,lxxx1 ,,xc4 and ,god is the only need 
of man--happiness shall be yours when   
you come to the ,root4  ,footnote3 ,no4 
,,lxxx4  ,hence to those who keep their 
eye on the one thing needful1           
denominations1 creeds1 ceremonies1 the  
conclusions of philosophy1 the          
disciplines of asceticism1 are matters  
of comparative indifference4  ,they     
represent merely the different angles   
from which the soul may approach that   
simple union with ,brahma which is its  
goal2 and are useful only in so faras   
they contribute to this consummation4   
,so thorough-going is ,kabr's           
eclecticism1 that he seems by turns     
,vedntist and ,vaishnavite1 ,pantheist  
and ,transcendentalist1 ,brhman and ,sf4

 ,in the effort to tell the truth about 
that ineffable apprehension1 so vast and
 yet so near1 which controls his life1  
he seizes and twines together--as he    
might have woven together contrasting   
threads upon his loom--symbols and ideas
 drawn from the most violent and        
conflicting philosophies and faiths4    
,all are needed1 if he is ever to       
suggest the character of that ,one whom 
the ,upanishad called the ,sun-coloured 
,being who is beyond this ,darkness3 as 
all the colours of the spectrum are     
needed if we would demonstrate the      
simple richness of white light4  ,in    
thus adapting traditional materials to  
his own use he follows a method common  
amongst the mystics2 who seldom exhibit 
any special love for originality of     
form4  ,they will pour their wine into  
almost any vessel that comes to hand3   
generally using by preference--and      
lifting to new levels of beauty and     
significance--the religious or          
philosophic formul current in their own 

day4  ,thus we find that some of ,kabr's
 finest poems have as their subjects the
 commonplaces of ,hindu philosophy and  
religion3 the ,ll or ,sport of ,god1 the
 ,ocean of ,bliss1 the ,bird of the     
,soul1 ,my1 the ,hundred-petalled       
,lotus1 and the ,formless ,form4  ,many1
 again1 are soaked in ,sf imagery and   
feeling4  ,others use as their material 
the ordinary surroundings and incidents 
of ,indian life3 the temple bells1 the  
ceremony of the lamps1 marriage1 suttee1
 pilgrimage1 the characters of the      
seasons2 all felt by him in their       
mystical aspect1 as sacraments of the   
soul's relation with ,brahma4  ,in many 
of these a particularly beautiful and   
intimate feeling for ,nature is shown4  
,footnote3 ,nos4 ,,xv1 ,,xxiii1 ,,lxvii1
 ,,lxxxvii1 ,,xcvii4  ,in the collection
 of songs here translated there will be 
found examples which illustrate nearly  
every aspect of ,kabr's thought1 and all
 the fluctuations of the mystic's       
emotion3 the ecstasy1 the despair1 the  

still beatitude1 the eager              
self-devotion1 the flashes of wide      
illumination1 the moments of intimate   
love4  ,his wide and deep vision of the 
universe1 the ,eternal ,sport of        
creation 7,,lxxxii71 the worlds being   
told like beads within the ,being of    
,god 7,,xiv1 ,,xvi1 ,,xvii1 ,,lxxvi71 is
 here seen balanced by his lovely and   
delicate sense of intimate communion    
with the ,divine ,friend1 ,lover1       
,teacher of the soul 7,x1 ,,xi1 ,,xxiii1
 ,,xxxv1 ,,li1 ,,lxxxv1 ,,lxxxvi1       
,,lxxxviii1 ,,xcii1 ,,xciii2 above all1 
the beautiful poem ,,xxxiv74  ,as these 
apparently paradoxical views of ,reality
 are resolved in ,brhma1 so all other   
opposites are reconciled in ,him3       
bondage and liberty1 love and           
renunciation1 pleasure and pain 7,,xvii1
 ,,xxv1 ,,xl1 ,,lxxix74  ,union with    
,him is the one thing that matters to   
the soul1 its destiny and its need      
7,,li1 ,i1 ,,ii1 ,,liv1 ,,lxx1 ,,lxxiv1 
,,xciii1 ,,xcvi72 and this union1 this  

discovery of ,god1 is the simplest and  
most natural of all things1 if we would 
but grasp it 7,,xli1 ,,xlvi1 ,,lvi1     
,,lxxii1 ,,lxxvi1 ,,lxxviii1 ,,xcvii74  
,the union1 however1 is brought about by
 love1 not by knowledge or ceremonial   
observances 7,,xxxviii1 ,,liv1 ,,lv1    
,,lix1 ,,xci72 and the apprehension     
which that union confers is             
ineffable--neither ,this nor ,that1 as  
,ruysbroeck has it 7,,ix1 ,,xlvi1       
,,lxxvi74  ,real worship and communion  
is in ,spirit and in ,truth 7,,xl1      
,,xli1 ,,lvi1 ,,lxiii1 ,,lxv1 ,,lxx71   
therefore idolatry is an insult to the  
,divine ,lover 7,,xlii1 ,,lxix7 and the 
devices of professional sanctity are    
useless apart from charity and purity of
 soul 7,,liv1 ,,lxv1 ,,lxvi74  ,since   
all things1 and especially the heart of 
man1 are ,god-inhabited1 ,god-possessed 
7,,xxvi1 ,,lvi1 ,,lxxvi1 ,,lxxxix1      
,,xcvii71 ,he may best be found in the  
here-and-now3 in the normal4  human1    
bodily existence1 the mud of material   

life 7,,iii1 ,,iv1 ,,vi1 ,,xxi1 ,,xxxix1
 ,,xl1 ,,xliii1 ,,xlviii1 ,,lxxii74  ,we
 can reach the goal without crossing the
 road 7,,lxxvi7--not the cloister but   
the home is the proper theatre of man's 
efforts3 and if he cannot find ,god     
there1 he need not hope for success by  
going farther afield4 ,in the home is   
reality4  ,there love and detachment1   
bondage and freedom1 joy and pain play  
by turns upon the soul2 and it is from  
their conflict that the ,unstruck ,music
 of the ,infinite proceeds4 ,kabr says3 
,none but ,brahma can evoke its         
melodies4  ,this version of ,kabr's     
songs is chiefly the work of ,mr4       
,rabndranth ,tagore1 the trend of whose 
mystical genius makes him--as all who   
read these poems will see--a peculiarly 
sympathetic interpreter of ,kabr's      
vision and thought4  ,it has been based 
upon the printed ,hind text with        
,bengali translation of ,mr4 ,kshiti    
,mohan ,sen2 who has gathered from many 
sources--sometimes from books and       

manuscripts1 sometimes from the lips of 
wandering ascetics and minstrels--a     
large collection of poems and hymns to  
which ,kabr's name is attached1 and     
carefully sifted the authentic songs    
from the many spurious works now        
attributed to him4  ,these painstaking  
labours alone have made the present     
undertaking possible4  ,we have also had
 before us a manuscript ,english        
translation of #aaf songs made by ,mr4  
,ajit ,kumr ,chakravarty from ,mr4      
,kshiti ,mohan ,sen's text1 and a prose 
essay upon ,kabr from the same hand4    
,from these we have derived great       
assistance4  ,a considerable number of  
readings from the translation have been 
adopted by us2 whilst several of the    
facts mentioned in the essay have been  
incorporated into this introduction4    
,our most grateful thanks are due to    
,mr4 ,ajit ,kumar ,chakravarty for the  
extremely generous and unselfish manner 
in which he has placed his work at our  
disposal4  ,e4  ,u4  ,the reference of  

the headlines of the poems is to3       
,sntiniketana2 ,kabr by ,sr ,kshitimohan
 ,sen1 #d parts1 ,brahmacharysrama1     
,bolpur1 #aiaj-aiaa4   ,for some        
assistance in normalizing the           
transliteration we are indebted to      
,professor ,j4 ,f4 ,blumhardt4          
,,kabir',s ,,poems     ,i     ,i4  #ac4 
mo ko kahn dhnro bande    ,o servant1   
where dost thou seek ,me8   ,lo6  ,i am 
beside thee4   ,i am neither in temple  
nor in mosque3 ,i am neither in ,kaaba  
nor     in ,kailash3   ,neither am ,i in
 rites and ceremonies1 nor in ,yoga and 
renunciation4   ,if thou art a true     
seeker1 thou shalt at once see ,me3 thou
 shalt     meet ,me in a moment of time4
   ,kabr says1 ,o ,sadhu6  ,god is the  
breath of all breath4      ,,ii     ,i4 
#af4 ,santan jt na pcho nirguniyn    ,it
 is needless to ask of a saint the caste
 to which he belongs2   ,for the priest1
 the warrior4  the tradesman1 and all   
the     thirty-six castes1 alike are    
seeking for ,god4   ,it is but folly to 

ask what the caste of a saint may be2   
,the barber has sought ,god1 the        
washerwoman1 and the carpenter--   ,even
 ,raidas was a seeker after ,god4   ,the
 ,rishi ,swapacha was a tanner by caste4
   ,hindus and ,moslems alike have      
achieved that ,end1 where remains no    
mark of distinction4      ,,iii     ,i4 
#eg4 sdho bh1 jval h karo s'    ,o      
friend6  hope for ,him whilst you live1 
know whilst you live1     understand    
whilst you live3 for in life deliverance
 abides4   ,if your bonds be not broken 
whilst living1 what hope of             
deliverance in death8   ,it is but an   
empty dream1 that the soul shall have   
union with ,him     because it has      
passed from the body3   ,if ,he is found
 now1 ,he is found then1   ,if not1 we  
do but go to dwell in the ,city of      
,death4   ,if you have union now1 you   
shall have it hereafter4   ,bathe in the
 truth1 know the true ,guru1 have faith 
in the true     ,name6   ,kabr says3 ,it
 is the ,spirit of the quest which      

helps2 ,i am the   slave of this ,spirit
 of the quest4      ,,iv     ,i4 #eh4   
bgo n j re n j    ,do not go to the     
garden of flowers6   ,o ,friend6 go not 
there2   ,in your body is the garden of 
flowers4   ,take your seat on the       
thousand petals of the lotus1 and there 
gaze on the ,infinite ,beauty4      ,v  
,i4 #fc4 avadh1 my taj na jy    ,tell   
me1 ,brother1 how can ,i renounce ,maya8
   ,when ,i gave up the tying of        
ribbons1 still ,i tied my garment       
about me3   ,when ,i gave up tying my   
garment1 still ,i covered my body in its
     folds4   ,so1 when ,i give up      
passion1 ,i see that anger remains2     
,and when ,i renounce anger1 greed is   
with me still2   ,and when greed is     
vanquished1 pride and vainglory remain2 
,when the mind is detached and casts    
,maya away1 still it clings to     the  
letter4   ,kabr says1 ,listen to me1    
dear ,sadhu6  the true path is rarely   
found4      ,,vi     ,i4 #hc4 cand      
jhalkai yahi ghat mhn    ,the moon      

shines in my body1 but my blind eyes    
cannot see it3   ,the moon is within me1
 and so is the sun4   ,the unstruck drum
 of ,eternity is sounded within me2 but 
my deaf     ears cannot hear it4    ,so 
long as man clamours for the ,i and the 
,mine1     his works are as naught3     
,when all love of the ,i and the ,mine  
is dead1 then     the work of the ,lord 
is done4   ,for work has no other aim   
than the getting of knowledge3   ,when  
that comes1 then work is put away4      
,the flower blooms for the fruit3 when  
the fruit comes1 the flower     withers4
   ,the musk is in the deer1 but it     
seeks it not within itself3 it          
wanders in quest of grass4      ,,vii   
,i4 #he4 ,sdho1 ,brahm alakh lakhy      
,when ,he ,himself reveals ,himself1    
,brahma brings into manifestation       
,that which can never be seen4   ,as the
 seed is in the plant1 as the shade is  
in the tree1 as the     void is in the  
sky1 as infinite forms are in the void--
   ,so from beyond the ,infinite1 the   

,infinite comes2 and from the           
,infinite the finite extends4    ,the   
creature is in ,brahma1 and ,brahma is  
in the creature3 they     are ever      
distinct1 yet ever united4   ,he        
,himself is the tree1 the seed1 and the 
germ4   ,he ,himself is the flower1 the 
fruit1 and the shade4   ,he ,himself is 
the sun1 the light1 and the lighted4    
,he ,himself is ,brahma1 creature1 and  
,maya4   ,he ,himself is the manifold   
form1 the infinite space2   ,he is the  
breath1 the word1 and the meaning4   ,he
 ,himself is the limit and the          
limitless3 and beyond both the          
limited and the limitless is ,he1 the   
,pure ,being4   ,he is the ,immanent    
,mind in ,brahma and in the creature4   
,the ,supreme ,soul is seen within the  
soul1   ,the ,point is seen within the  
,supreme ,soul1   ,and within the       
,point1 the reflection is seen again4   
,kabr is blest because he has this      
supreme vision6      ,,viii     ,i4     
#aja4 is ghat antar bg bagce    ,within 

this earthen vessel are bowers and      
groves1 and within it     is the        
,creator3   ,within this vessel are the 
seven oceans and the unnumbered stars4  
,the touchstone and the jewel-appraiser 
are within2   ,and within this vessel   
the ,eternal soundeth1 and the spring   
wells     up4   ,kabr says3 ,listen to  
me1 my ,friend6  ,my beloved ,lord is   
within4      ,,ix     ,i4 #ajd4 ais lo  
nahn tais lo    ,o ,how may ,i ever     
express that secret word8   ,o how can  
,i say ,he is not like this1 and ,he is 
like that8   ,if ,i say that ,he is     
within me1 the universe is ashamed3     
,if ,i say that ,he is without me1 it is
 falsehood4   ,he makes the inner and   
the outer worlds to be indivisibly one2 
,the conscious and the unconscious1 both
 are ,his footstools4   ,he is neither  
manifest nor hidden1 ,he is neither     
revealed nor     unrevealed3   ,there   
are no words to tell that which ,he is4 
,x     ,i4 #aba4 tohi mori lagan lagye  
re phakr w    ,to ,thee ,thou hast drawn

 my love1 ,o ,fakir6   ,i was sleeping  
in my own chamber1 and ,thou didst      
awaken me2     striking me with ,thy    
voice1 ,o ,fakir6   ,i was drowning in  
the deeps of the ocean of this world1   
and     ,thou didst save me3 upholding  
me with ,thine arm1 ,o ,fakir6   ,only  
one word and no second--and ,thou hast  
made me tear off all     my bonds1 ,o   
,fakir6   ,kabr says1 ,thou hast united 
,thy heart to my heart1 ,o ,fakir6      
,,xi     ,i4 #aca4 nis' din khelat rah  
sakhiyn sang    ,i played day and night 
with my comrades1 and now ,i am greatly 
afraid4   ,so high is my ,lord's palace1
 my heart trembles to mount its         
stairs3 yet ,i must not be shy1 if ,i   
would enjoy ,his love4   ,my heart must 
cleave to my ,lover2 ,i must withdraw my
 veil1 and     meet ,him with all my    
body3   ,mine eyes must perform the     
ceremony of the lamps of love4   ,kabr  
says3 ,listen to me1 friend3 he         
understands who loves4  ,if     you feel
 not love's longing for your ,beloved   

,one1 it is vain     to adorn your body1
 vain to put unguent on your eyelids4   
,,xii     ,,ii4 #bd4 hams1 kaho purtan  
vt    ,tell me1 ,o ,swan1 your ancient  
tale4   ,from what land do you come1 ,o 
,swan8 to what shore will you fly8      
,where would you take your rest1 ,o     
,swan1 and what do you seek8    ,even   
this morning1 ,o ,swan1 awake1 arise1   
follow me6   ,there is a land where no  
doubt nor sorrow have rule3 where the   
terror of ,death is no more4   ,there   
the woods of spring are a-bloom1 and the
 fragrant scent ,he     is ,i is borne  
on the wind3   ,there the bee of the    
heart is deeply immersed1 and desires no
     other joy4      ,,xiii     ,,ii4   
#cg4 angadhiy dev    ,o ,lord ,increate1
 who will serve ,thee8   ,every votary  
offers his worship to the ,god of his   
own creation3     each day he receives  
service--   ,none seek ,him1 the        
,perfect3 ,brahma1 the ,indivisible     
,lord4   ,they believe in ten ,avatars2 
but no ,avatar can be the ,infinite     

,spirit1 for he suffers the results of  
his deeds3   ,the ,supreme ,one must be 
other than this4   ,the ,yogi1 the      
,sanyasi1 the ,ascetics1 are disputing  
one with     another3   ,kabr says1 ,o  
brother6  he who has seen that radiance 
of love1     he is saved4      ,,xiv    
,,ii4 #ef4 dariy k lahar dariyo hai j   
,the river and its waves are one   surf3
 where is the difference between the    
river and its waves8   ,when the wave   
rises1 it is the water2 and when it     
falls1 it is     the same water again4  
,tell me1 ,sir1 where is the            
distinction8   ,because it has been     
named as wave1 shall it no longer be    
considered as water8    ,within the     
,supreme ,brahma1 the worlds are being  
told like beads3   ,look upon that      
rosary with the eyes of wisdom4         
,,xv     ,,ii4 #eg4 jnh khelat vasant   
riturj    ,where ,spring1 the lord of   
the seasons1 reigneth1 there the        
,unstruck ,music sounds of itself1      
,there the streams of light flow in all 

directions2   ,few are the men who can  
cross to that shore6   ,there1 where    
millions of ,krishnas stand with hands  
folded1   ,where millions of ,vishnus   
bow their heads1   ,where millions of   
,brahms are reading the ,vedas1   ,where
 millions of ,shivas are lost in        
contemplation1   ,where millions of     
,indras dwell in the sky1   ,where the  
demi-gods and the munis are unnumbered1 
,where millions of ,saraswatis1 ,goddess
 of ,music1 play on the vina--   ,there 
is my ,lord self-revealed3 and the scent
 of sandal and     flowers dwells in    
those deeps4      ,,xvi     ,,ii4 #ei4  
jnh1 cet acet khambh d    ,between the  
poles of the conscious and the          
unconscious1 there has     the mind made
 a swing3   ,thereon hang all beings and
 all worlds1 and that swing never       
ceases its sway4   ,millions of beings  
are there3 the sun and the moon in their
     courses are there3   ,millions of  
ages pass1 and the swing goes on4   ,all
 swing6 the sky and the earth and the   

air and the water2 and     the ,lord    
,himself taking form3   ,and the sight  
of this has made ,kabr a servant4       
,,xvii     ,,ii4 #fa4 grah candra tapan 
jot varat hai    ,the light of the sun1 
the moon1 and the stars shines bright3  
,the melody of love swells forth1 and   
the rhythm of love's     detachment     
beats the time4   ,day and night1 the   
chorus of music fills the heavens2 and  
,kabr     says   ,my ,beloved ,one      
gleams like the lightning flash in the  
sky4    ,do you know how the moments    
perform their adoration8   ,waving its  
row of lamps1 the universe sings in     
worship day and     night1   ,there are 
the hidden banner and the secret canopy3
   ,there the sound of the unseen bells 
is heard4   ,kabr says3 ,there adoration
 never ceases2 there the ,lord of the   
,universe sitteth on ,his throne4   ,the
 whole world does its works and commits 
its errors3 but few     are the lovers  
who know the ,beloved4   ,the devout    
seeker is he who mingles in his heart   

the double     currents of love and     
detachment1 like the mingling of the    
streams of ,ganges and ,jumna2   ,in his
 heart the sacred water flows day and   
night2 and thus the     round of births 
and deaths is brought to an end4        
,behold what wonderful rest is in the   
,supreme ,spirit6  and he     enjoys it1
 who makes himself meet for it4   ,held 
by the cords of love1 the swing of the  
,ocean of ,joy sways to     and fro2 and
 a mighty sound breaks forth in song4   
,see what a lotus blooms there without  
water6  and ,kabr says   ,my heart's bee
 drinks its nectar4   ,what a wonderful 
lotus it is1 that blooms at the heart of
 the     spinning wheel of the universe6
  ,only a few pure souls know of     its
 true delight4   ,music is all around   
it1 and there the heart partakes of the 
joy   of the ,infinite ,sea4   ,kabr    
says3 ,dive thou into that ,ocean of    
sweetness3 thus let all     errors of   
life and of death flee away4    ,behold 
how the thirst of the five senses is    

quenched there6  and     the three forms
 of misery are no more6   ,kabr says3   
,it is the sport of the ,unattainable   
,one3 look     within1 and behold how   
the moon-beams of that ,hidden ,one     
shine     in you4   ,there falls the    
rhythmic beat of life and death3        
,rapture wells forth1 and all space is  
radiant with light4   ,there the        
,unstruck ,music is sounded2 it is the  
music of the love     of the three      
worlds4   ,there millions of lamps of   
sun and of moon are burning2   ,there   
the drum beats1 and the lover swings in 
play4   ,there love-songs resound1 and  
light rains in showers2 and the         
worshipper is entranced in the taste of 
the heavenly nectar4   ,look upon life  
and death2 there is no separation       
between them1   ,the right hand and the 
left hand are one and the same4   ,kabr 
says3 ,there the wise man is speechless2
 for this truth may     never be found  
in ,vadas or in books4    ,i have had my
 ,seat on the ,self-poised ,one1   ,i   

have drunk of the ,cup of the           
,ineffable1   ,i have found the ,key of 
the ,mystery1   ,i have reached the     
,root of ,union4   ,travelling by no    
track1 ,i have come to the ,sorrowless  
,land3 very     easily has the mercy of 
the great ,lord come upon me4   ,they   
have sung of ,him as infinite and       
unattainable3 but ,i in my              
meditations have seen ,him without      
sight4   ,that is indeed the sorrowless 
land1 and none know the path that       
leads there3   ,only he who is on that  
path has surely transcended all sorrow4 
,wonderful is that land of rest1 to     
which no merit can win2   ,it is the    
wise who has seen it1 it is the wise who
 has sung of     it4   ,this is the     
,ultimate ,word3 but can any express its
 marvellous     savour8   ,he who has   
savoured it once1 he knows what joy it  
can give4   ,kabr says3 ,knowing it1 the
 ignorant man becomes wise1 and the     
wise man becomes speechless and silent1 
,the worshipper is utterly inebriated1  

,his wisdom and his detachment are made 
perfect2   ,he drinks from the cup of   
the inbreathings and the outbreathings  
of love4    ,there the whole sky is     
filled with sound1 and there that music 
is     made without fingers and without 
strings2   ,there the game of pleasure  
and pain does not cease4   ,kabr says3  
,if you merge your life in the ,ocean of
 ,life1 you     will find your life in  
the ,supreme ,land of ,bliss4    ,what a
 frenzy of ecstasy there is in every    
hour6 and the     worshipper is pressing
 out and drinking the essence of the    
hours3 he lives in the life of ,brahma4 
,i speak truth1 for ,i have accepted    
truth in life2 ,i am now     attached to
 truth1 ,i have swept all tinsel away4  
,kabr says3 ,thus is the worshipper set 
free from fear2 thus have     all errors
 of life and of death left him4         
,there the sky is filled with music3    
,there it rains nectar3   ,there the    
harp-strings jingle1 and there the drums
 beat4   ,what a secret splendour is    

there1 in the mansion of the sky6       
,there no mention is made of the rising 
and the setting of the     sun2   ,in   
the ocean of manifestation1 which is the
 light of love1 day     and night are   
felt to be one4   ,joy for ever1 no     
sorrow1--no struggle6   ,there have ,i  
seen joy filled to the brim1 perfection 
of joy2   ,no place for error is there4 
,kabr says3 ,there have ,i witnessed the
 sport of ,one ,bliss6    ,i have known 
in my body the sport of the universe3 ,i
 have escaped     from the error of this
 world44   ,the inward and the outward  
are become as one sky1 the ,infinite    
and the finite are united3 ,i am drunken
 with the sight of this     ,all6       
,this ,light of ,thine fulfils the      
universe3 the lamp of love that         
burns on the salver of knowledge4       
,kabr says3 ,there error cannot enter1  
and the conflict of life     and death  
is felt no more4      ,,xviii     ,,ii4 
#gg4 maddh kas' p jahn baithe    ,the   
middle region of the sky1 wherein the   

spirit dwelleth1 is     radiant with the
 music of light2   ,there1 where the    
pure and white music blossoms1 my ,lord 
takes ,his     delight4   ,in the       
wondrous effulgence of each hair of ,his
 body1 the     brightness of millions of
 suns and of moons is lost4   ,on that  
shore there is a city1 where the rain of
 nectar pours and     pours1 and never  
ceases4   ,kabr says3 ,come1 ,o         
,dharmadas6  and see my great ,lord's   
,durbar4      ,,xix     ,,ii4 #bj4      
paramtam guru nikat virjatn    ,o my    
heart6  the ,supreme ,spirit1 the great 
,master1 is near you3     wake1 oh wake6
   ,run to the feet of your ,beloved3   
for your ,lord stands near to your      
head4   ,you have slept for unnumbered  
ages2 this morning will you not         
wake8      ,,xx     ,,ii4 #bb4 man tu pr
 utar knh jaiho    ,to what shore would 
you cross1 ,o my heart8  there is no    
traveller     before you1 there is no   
road3   ,where is the movement1 where is
 the rest1 on that shore8   ,there is no

 water2 no boat1 no boatman1 is there2  
,there is not so much as a rope to tow  
the boat1 nor a man to draw     it4     
,no earth1 no sky1 no time1 no thing1 is
 there3 no shore1 no ford6   ,there1    
there is neither body nor mind3 and     
where is the place     that shall still 
the thirst of the soul8  ,you shall find
 naught     in that emptiness4   ,be    
strong1 and enter into your own body3   
for there your foothold     is firm4    
,consider it well1 ,o my heart6 go not  
elsewhere1   ,kabr says3 ,put all       
imaginations away1 and stand fast in    
that     which you are4      ,,xxi      
,,ii4 #cc4 ghar ghar dpak barai         
,lamps burn in every house1 ,o blind    
one6 and you cannot see them4   ,one day
 your eyes shall suddenly be opened1 and
 you shall see3     and the fetters of  
death will fall from you4   ,there is   
nothing to say or to hear1 there is     
nothing to do3 it is     he who is      
living1 yet dead1 who shall never die   
again4    ,because he lives in solitude1

 therefore the ,yogi says that his      
home is far away4   ,your ,lord is near3
 yet you are climbing the palm-tree to  
seek     ,him4   ,the ,brhman priest    
goes from house to house and initiates  
people     into faith3   ,alas6  the    
true fountain of life is beside you41   
and you have set     up a stone to      
worship4   ,kabr says3 ,i may never     
express how sweet my ,lord is4  ,yoga   
and     the telling of beads1 virtue and
 vice--these are naught to ,him4        
,,xxii     ,,ii4 #ch4 ,sdho1 so satgur  
mohi bhwai    ,o brother1 my heart      
yearns for that true ,guru1 who fills   
the cup     of true love1 and drinks of 
it himself1 and offers it then to       
me4   ,he removes the veil from the     
eyes1 and gives the true ,vision of     
,brahma3   ,he reveals the worlds in    
,him1 and makes me to hear the ,unstruck
     ,music3   ,he shows joy and sorrow 
to be one3   ,he fills all utterance    
with love4   ,kabr says3 ,verily he has 
no fear1 who has such a ,guru to lead   

him to the shelter of safety6           
,,xxiii     ,,ii4 #dj4 tinwir sjh k     
gahir wai    ,the shadows of evening    
fall thick and deep1 and the darkness of
     love envelops the body and the     
mind4   ,open the window to the west1   
and be lost in the sky of love2   ,drink
 the sweet honey that steeps the petals 
of the lotus of the     heart4          
,receive the waves in your body3 what   
splendour is in the region     of the   
sea6   ,hark6  the sounds of conches and
 bells are rising4   ,kabr says3 ,o     
brother1 behold6  the ,lord is in this  
vessel of my     body4      ,,xxiv      
,,ii4 #dh4 jis se rahani apr jagat men  
,more than all else do ,i cherish at    
heart that love which makes me     to   
live a limitless life in this world4    
,it is like the lotus1 which lives in   
the water and blooms in the     water3  
yet the water cannot touch its petals1  
they open beyond     its reach4   ,it is
 like a wife1 who enters the fire at the
 bidding of love4     ,she burns and    

lets others grieve1 yet never dishonours
 love4   ,this ocean of the world is    
hard to cross3 its waters are very      
deep4  ,kabr says3 ,listen to me1 ,o    
,sadhu6 few there are who     have      
reached its end4      ,,xxv     ,,ii4   
#de4 ,hari ne apn p chipy    ,my ,lord  
hides ,himself1 and my ,lord wonderfully
 reveals ,himself3   ,my ,lord has      
encompassed me with hardness1 and my    
,lord has cast     down my limitations4 
,my ,lord brings to me words of sorrow  
and words of joy1 and ,he     ,himself  
heals their strife4   ,i will offer my  
body and mind to my ,lord3 ,i will give 
up my life1     but never can ,i forget 
my ,lord6      ,,xxvi     ,,ii4 #ge4 nkr
 siwae k sirjai    ,all things are      
created by the ,om2   ,the love-form is 
,his body4   ,he is without form1       
without quality1 without decay3   ,seek 
thou union with ,him6   ,but that       
formless ,god takes a thousand forms in 
the eyes of ,his     creatures3   ,he is
 pure and indestructible1   ,his form is

 infinite and fathomless1   ,he dances  
in rapture1 and waves of form arise from
 ,his dance4   ,the body and the mind   
cannot contain themselves1 when they are
     touched by ,his great joy4   ,he is
 immersed in all consciousness1 all     
joys1 and all sorrows2   ,he has no     
beginning and no end2   ,he holds all   
within ,his bliss4      ,,xxvii         
,,ii4 #ha4 satgur s day kar dnh    ,it  
is the mercy of my true ,guru that has  
made me to know the     unknown2   ,i   
have learned from ,him how to walk      
without feet1 to see without     eyes1  
to hear without ears1 to drink without  
mouth1 to fly     without wings2   ,i   
have brought my love and my meditation  
into the land where     there is no sun 
and moon1 nor day and night4   ,without 
eating1 ,i have tasted of the sweetness 
of nectar2 and     without water1 ,i    
have quenched my thirst4   ,where there 
is the response of delight1 there is the
 fullness of     joy4  ,before whom can 
that joy be uttered8   ,kabr says3 ,the 

,guru is great beyond words1 and great  
is the     good fortune of the disciple4
      ,,xxviii     ,,ii4 #he4 nirgun ge 
sargun ncai    ,before the              
,unconditioned1 the ,conditioned dances3
 ,thou and ,i are     one6 this trumpet 
proclaims4   ,the ,guru comes1 and bows 
down before the disciple3   ,this is the
 greatest of wonders4      ,,xxix       
,,ii4 #hg4 ,kabr kab se bhaye vairg     
,gorakhnath asks ,kabr3   ,tell me1 ,o  
,kabr1 when did your vocation begin8    
,where did your     love have its rise8 
,kabr answers3   ,when ,he whose forms  
are manifold had not begun ,his play3   
when     there was no ,guru1 and no     
disciple3 when the world was not        
spread out3 when the ,supreme ,one was  
alone--   ,then ,i became an ascetic2   
then1 ,o ,gorakh1 my love was drawn to  
,brahma4   ,brahma did not hold the     
crown on his head2 the god ,vishnu was  
not     anointed as king2 the power of  
,shiva was still unborn2 when ,i     was
 instructed in ,yoga4    ,i became      

suddenly revealed in ,benares1 and      
,rmnanda illumined     me2   ,i brought 
with me the thirst for the ,infinite1   
and ,i have come     for the meeting    
with ,him4   ,in simplicity will ,i     
unite with the ,simple ,one2 my love    
will     surge up4   ,o ,gorakh1 march  
thou with ,his music6      ,,xxx        
,,ii4 #ie4 y tarvar men ek pakher    ,on
 this tree is a bird3 it dances in the  
joy of life4     ,none knows where it   
is3 and who knows what the burden of its
     music may be8   ,where the branches
 throw a deep shade1 there does it have 
its     nest3 and it comes in the       
evening and flies away in the morning1  
and says not a word of that which it    
means4   ,none tell me of this bird that
 sings within me4   ,it is neither      
coloured nor colourless3 it has neither 
form nor     outline3   ,it sits in the 
shadow of love4   ,it dwells within the 
,unattainable1 the ,infinite1 and the   
,eternal2     and no one marks when it  
comes and goes4   ,kabr says3 ,o brother

 ,sadhu6 deep is the mystery4  ,let wise
 men     seek to know where rests that  
bird4      ,,xxxi     ,,ii4 #ajj4 nis   
din slai ghw    ,a sore pain troubles me
 day and night1 and ,i cannot sleep2    
,i long for the meeting with my         
,beloved1 and my father's house         
gives me pleasure no more4   ,the gates 
of the sky are opened1 the temple is    
revealed3   ,i meet my husband1 and     
leave at ,his feet the offering of my   
body     and my mind4      ,,xxxii      
,,ii4 #ajc4 nco re mero man1 matta hoy  
,dance1 my heart6  dance to-day with    
joy4   ,the strains of love fill the    
days and the nights with music1 and     
the world is listening to its melodies3 
,mad with joy1 life and death dance to  
the rhythm of this music4     ,the hills
 and the sea and the earth dance4  ,the 
world of man     dances in laughter and 
tears4   ,why put on the robe of the    
monk1 and live aloof from the world in  
lonely pride8   ,behold6  my heart      
dances in the delight of a hundred arts2

 and     the ,creator is well pleased4  
,,xxxiii     ,,ii4 #aje4 man mast hu tab
 kyon bole    ,where is the need of     
words1 when love has made drunken the   
heart8   ,i have wrapped the diamond in 
my cloak2 why open it again and         
again8   ,when its load was light1 the  
pan of the balance went up3 now it      
is full1 where is the need for weighing8
   ,the swan has taken its flight to the
 lake beyond the mountains2   why should
 it search for the pools and ditches any
 more8   ,your ,lord dwells within you3 
why need your outward eyes be           
opened8   ,kabr says3 ,listen1 my       
brother6  my ,lord1 who ravishes my     
eyes1     has united ,himself with me4  
,,xxxiv     ,,ii4 #aaj4 mohi tohi lg    
kaise chute    ,how could the love      
between ,thee and me sever8   ,as the   
leaf of the lotus abides on the water3  
so thou art my     ,lord1 and ,i am ,thy
 servant4   ,as the night-bird ,chakor  
gazes all night at the moon3 so ,thou   
art     my ,lord and ,i am ,thy servant4

   ,from the beginning until the ending 
of time1 there is love     between ,thee
 and me2 and how shall such love be     
extinguished8   ,kabr says3 ,as the     
river enters into the ocean1 so my heart
     touches ,thee4      ,,xxxv         
,,ii4 #aac4 vlam1 wo hamre geh re    ,my
 body and my mind are grieved for the   
want of ,thee2   ,o my ,beloved6  come  
to my house4   ,when people say ,i am   
,thy bride1 ,i am ashamed2 for ,i have  
not     touched ,thy heart with my      
heart4   ,then what is this love of     
mine8  ,i have no taste for food1 ,i    
have     no sleep2 my heart is ever     
restless within doors and without4   ,as
 water is to the thirsty1 so is the     
lover to the bride4  ,who is     there  
that will carry my news to my ,beloved8 
,kabr is restless3 he is dying for sight
 of ,him4      ,,xxxvi     ,,ii4 #abf4  
jg piyr1 ab kn sowai    ,o friend1      
awake1 and sleep no more6   ,the night  
is over and gone1 would you lose your   
day also8   ,others1 who have wakened1  

have received jewels2   ,o foolish      
woman6  you have lost all whilst you    
slept4   ,your lover is wise1 and you   
are foolish1 ,o woman6   ,you never     
prepared the bed of your husband3   ,o  
mad one6 you passed your time in silly  
play4   ,your youth was passed in vain1 
for you did not know your ,lord2        
,wake1 wake6  ,see6  your bed is empty3 
,he left you in the night4   ,kabr says3
 ,only she wakes1 whose heart is pierced
 with the     arrow of ,his music4      
,,xxxvii     ,i4 #cf4 sr parks'1 tanh   
rain kahn pye    ,where is the night1   
when the sun is shining8  ,if it is     
night1     then the sun withdraws its   
light4  ,where knowledge is1 can        
ignorance endure8   ,if there be        
ignorance1 then knowledge must die4     
,if there be lust1 how can love be      
there8  ,where there is love1     there 
is no lust4    ,lay hold on your sword1 
and join in the fight4  ,fight1 ,o my   
brother1 as long as life lasts4         
,strike off your enemy's head1 and there

 make an end of him     quickly3 then   
come1 and bow your head at your ,king's 
,durbar4   ,he who is brave1 never      
forsakes the battle3 he who flies from  
it     is no true fighter4   ,in the    
field of this body a great war goes     
forward1 against     passion1 anger1    
pride1 and greed3   ,it is in the       
kingdom of truth1 contentment and       
purity1 that this     battle is raging2 
and the sword that rings forth most     
loudly is     the sword of ,his ,name4  
,kabr says3 ,when a brave knight takes  
the field1 a host of     cowards is put 
to flight4   ,it is a hard fight and a  
weary one1 this fight of the            
truth-seeker3 for the vow of the        
truth-seeker is more hard than     that 
of the warrior1 or of the widowed wife  
who would follow her     husband4   ,for
 the warrior fights for a few hours1 and
 the widow's struggle     with death is 
soon ended3   ,but the truth-seeker's   
battle goes on day and night1 as long as
     life lasts it never ceases4        

,,xxxviii     ,i4 #ej4 bhram k tl lag   
mahal re    ,the lock of error shuts the
 gate1 open it with the key of love3    
,thus1 by opening the door1 thou shalt  
wake the ,beloved4   ,kabr says3 ,o     
brother6  do not pass by such good      
fortune as     this4      ,,xxxix       
,i4 #ei4 sdho1 yah tan thth tanvure ka  
,o friend6 this body is ,his lyre2 ,he  
tightens its strings1 and     draws from
 it the melody of ,brahma4   ,if the    
strings snap and the keys slacken1 then 
to dust must this     instrument of dust
 return3   ,kabr says3 ,none but ,brahma
 can evoke its melodies4      ,,xl      
,i4 #fe4 avadh bhle ko ghar lwe    ,he  
is dear to me indeed who can call back  
the wanderer to his     home4  ,in the  
home is the true union1 in the home is  
enjoyment     of life3 why should ,i    
forsake my home and wander in the       
forest8   ,if ,brahma helps me to       
realize truth1 verily ,i will find both 
bondage and deliverance in home4   ,he  
is dear to me indeed who has power to   

dive deep into ,brahma2     whose mind  
loses itself with ease in ,his          
contemplation4   ,he is dear to me who  
knows ,brahma1 and can dwell on ,his    
supreme     truth in meditation2 and who
 can play the melody of the             
,infinite by uniting love and           
renunciation in life4   ,kabr says3 ,the
 home is the abiding place2 in the home 
is     reality2 the home helps to attain
 ,him ,who is real4  ,so stay     where 
you are1 and all things shall come to   
you in time4      ,,xli     ,i4 #gf4    
santo1 sahaj samdh bhal    ,o sadhu6    
the simple union is the best4  ,since   
the day when ,i met     with my ,lord1  
there has been no end to the sport of   
our love4   ,i shut not my eyes1 ,i     
close not my ears1 ,i do not mortify my 
body2   ,i see with eyes open and smile1
 and behold ,his beauty everywhere3   ,i
 utter ,his ,name1 and whatever ,i see1 
it reminds me of ,him2     whatever ,i  
do41 it becomes ,his worship4   ,the    
rising and the setting are one to me2   

all contradictions are     solved4      
,wherever ,i go1 ,i move round ,him1    
,all ,i achieve is ,his service3   ,when
 ,i lie down1 ,i lie prostrate at ,his  
feet4    ,he is the only adorable one to
 me3 ,i have none other4   ,my tongue   
has left off impure words1 it sings ,his
 glory day and     night3   ,whether ,i 
rise or sit down1 ,i can never forget   
,him2 for the     rhythm of ,his music  
beats in my ears4   ,kabr says3 ,my     
heart is frenzied1 and ,i disclose in my
 soul what     is hidden4  ,i am        
immersed in that one great bliss which  
transcends all pleasure and pain4       
,,xlii     ,i4 #gi4 trath men to sab pn 
hai    ,there is nothing but water at   
the holy bathing places2 and ,i know    
that they are useless1 for ,i have      
bathed in them4   ,the images are all   
lifeless1 they cannot speak2 ,i know1   
for ,i     have cried aloud to them4    
,the ,purana and the ,koran are mere    
words2 lifting up the curtain1     ,i   
have seen4   ,kabr gives utterance to   

the words of experience2 and he knows   
very well that all other things are     
untrue4      ,,xliii     ,i4 #hb4 pn vic
 mn piys    ,i laugh when ,i hear that  
the fish in the water is thirsty3   ,you
 do not see that the ,real is in your   
home1 and you wander from     forest to 
forest listlessly6   ,here is the truth6
  ,go where you will1 to ,benares or to 
,mathura2     if you do not find your   
soul1 the world is unreal to you4       
,,xliv     ,i4 #ic4 gagan math gaib nisn
 gade    ,the ,hidden ,banner is planted
 in the temple of the sky2 there the    
blue canopy decked with the moon and set
 with bright jewels is     spread4      
,there the light of the sun and the moon
 is shining3 still your     mind to     
silence before that splendour4   ,kabr  
says3 ,he who has drunk of this nectar1 
wanders like one     who is mad4        
,,xlv     ,i4 #ig4 sdho1 ko hai knh se  
yo    ,who are you1 and whence do you   
come8   ,where dwells that ,supreme     
,spirit1 and how does ,he have ,his     

sport     with all created things8      
,the fire is in the wood2 but who       
awakens it suddenly8  ,then it     turns
 to ashes1 and where goes the force of  
the fire8   ,the true guru teaches that 
,he has neither limit nor infinitude4   
,kabr says3 ,brahma suits ,his language 
to the understanding of     ,his hearer4
      ,,xlvi    ,i4 #ih4 sdho1 sahajai  
ky s'odho    ,o sadhu6  purify your body
 in the simple way4   ,as the seed is   
within the banyan tree1 and within the  
seed are     the flowers1 the fruits1   
and the shade3   ,so the germ is within 
the body1 and within that germ is the   
body     again4   ,the fire1 the air1   
the water1 the earth1 and the aether2   
you     cannot have these outside of    
,him4   ,o1 ,kazi1 ,o ,pundit1 consider 
it well3 what is there that is not in   
the soul8   ,the water-filled pitcher is
 placed upon water1 it has water        
within and without4   ,it should not be 
given a name1 lest it call forth the    
error of     dualism4   ,kabr says3     

,listen to the ,word1 the ,truth1 which 
is your     essence4  ,he speaks the    
,word to ,himself2 and ,he ,himself is  
the     ,creator4      ,,xlvii     ,i4  
#ajb4 tarvar ek ml vin thd    ,there is 
a strange tree1 which stands without    
roots and bears     fruits without      
blossoming2   ,it has no branches and no
 leaves1 it is lotus all over4   ,two   
birds sing there2 one is the ,guru1 and 
the other the     disciple3   ,the      
disciple chooses the manifold fruits of 
life and tastes them1     and the ,guru 
beholds him in joy4   ,what ,kabr says  
is hard to understand3 ,the bird is     
beyond     seeking1 yet it is most      
clearly visible4  ,the ,formless is in  
the midst of all forms4  ,i sing the    
glory of forms4      ,,xlviii     ,i4   
#ajg4 calat mans acal knh    ,i have    
stilled my restless mind1 and my heart  
is radiant3 for in     ,thatness ,i have
 seen beyond ,that-ness4  ,in company ,i
 have seen     the ,comrade ,himself4   
,living in bondage1 ,i have set myself  

free3 ,i have broken away     from the  
clutch of all narrowness4   ,kabr says3 
,i have attained the unattainable1 and  
my heart is     coloured with the colour
 of love4      ,,xlix     ,i4 #aje4 jo  
dsai1 so to hai nhn    ,that which you  
see is not3 and for that which is1 you  
have no     words4   ,unless you see1   
you believe not3 what is told you you   
cannot     accept4   ,he who is         
discerning knows by the word2 and the   
ignorant stands     gaping4   ,some     
contemplate the ,formless1 and others   
meditate on form3 but     the wise man  
knows that ,brahma is beyond both4      
,that beauty of ,his is not seen of the 
eye3 that metre of ,his is     not heard
 of the ear4   ,kabr says3 ,he who has  
found both love and renunciation never  
descends to death4      ,l     ,i4 #abf4
 mural bajat akhand sadye    ,the flute 
of the ,infinite is played without      
ceasing1 and its     sound is love3     
,when love renounces all limits1 it     
reaches truth4   ,how widely the        

fragrance spreads6  ,it has no end1     
nothing stands     in its way4   ,the   
form of this melody is bright like a    
million suns3     incomparably sounds   
the vina1 the vina of the notes of      
truth4      ,,li     ,i4 #abi4 sakhiyo1 
ham hn bh vlams'    ,dear friend1 ,i am 
eager to meet my ,beloved6  ,my youth   
has     flowered1 and the pain of       
separation from ,him troubles my        
breast4   ,i am wandering yet in the    
alleys of knowledge without purpose1    
but ,i have received ,his news in these 
alleys of knowledge4   ,i have a letter 
from my ,beloved3 in this letter is an  
unutterable     message1 and now my fear
 of death is done away4   ,kabr says3 ,o
 my loving friend6  ,i have got for my  
gift the     ,deathless ,one4      ,,lii
     ,i4 #acj4 sn vin dard kareje hoy   
,when ,i am parted from my ,beloved1 my 
heart is full of misery3 ,i     have no 
comfort in the day1 ,i have no sleep in 
the night4  ,to     whom shall ,i tell  
my sorrow8   ,the night is dark2 the    

hours slip by4  ,because my ,lord is    
absent1     ,i start up and tremble with
 fear4   ,kabr says3 ,listen1 my friend6
  there is no other satisfaction1       
save in the encounter with the ,beloved4
      ,,liii     ,i4 #abb4 kaum mural   
s'abd s'un nand bhayo    ,what is that  
flute whose music thrills me with joy8  
,the flame burns without a lamp2   ,the 
lotus blossoms without a root2          
,flowers bloom in clusters2   ,the      
moon-bird is devoted to the moon2       
,with all its heart the rain-bird longs 
for the shower of rain2   ,but upon     
whose love does the ,lover concentrate  
,his entire life8      ,,liv     ,i4    
#aab4 s'unt nah dhun k khabar    ,have  
you not heard the tune which the        
,unstruck ,music is playing8     ,in the
 midst of the chamber the harp of joy is
 gently and     sweetly played2 and     
where is the need of going without to   
hear     it8   ,if you have not drunk of
 the nectar of that ,one ,love1 what    
boots     it though you should purge    

yourself of all stains8   ,the ,kazi is 
searching the words of the ,koran1 and  
instructing     others3 but if his heart
 be not steeped in that love1 what does 
it avail1 though he be a teacher of men8
   ,the ,yogi dyes his garments with    
red3 but if he knows naught of     that 
colour of love1 what does it avail      
though his garments be     tinted8      
,kabr says3 ,whether ,i be in the temple
 or the balcony1 in the     camp or in  
the flower garden1 ,i tell you truly    
that every     moment my ,lord is taking
 ,his delight in me4      ,,lv     ,i4  
#gc4 bhakti k mrag jhn re    ,subtle is 
the path of love6   ,therein there is no
 asking and no not-asking1   ,there one 
loses one's self at ,his feet1   ,there 
one is immersed in the joy of the       
seeking3 plunged in the     deeps of    
love as the fish in the water4   ,the   
lover is never slow in offering his head
 for his ,lord's     service4   ,kabr   
declares the secret of this love4       
,,lvi     ,i4 #fh4 bhi k satguru sant   

kahwa    ,he is the real ,sadhu1 who can
 reveal the form of the ,formless to    
the vision of these eyes3   ,who teaches
 the simple way of attaining ,him1 that 
is other than     rites or ceremonies3  
,who does not make you close the doors1 
and hold the breath1 and     renounce   
the world3   ,who makes you perceive the
 ,supreme ,spirit wherever the mind     
attaches itself3   ,who teaches you to  
be still in the midst of all your       
activities4   ,ever immersed in bliss1  
having no fear in his mind1 he keeps the
     spirit of union in the midst of all
 enjoyments4   ,the infinite dwelling of
 the ,infinite ,being is everywhere3 in 
earth1 water1 sky1 and air3   ,firm as  
the thunderbolt1 the seat of the seeker 
is established     above the void4   ,he
 who is within is without3 ,i see ,him  
and none else4      ,,lvii     ,i4 #ff4 
sdho1 s'abd sdhn kjai    ,receive that  
,word from which the ,universe          
springeth6   ,that word is the ,guru2 ,i
 have heard it1 and become the disciple4

   ,how many are there who know the     
meaning of that word8    ,o ,sadhu6     
practise that ,word6   ,the ,vedas and  
the ,puranas proclaim it1   ,the world  
is established in it1   ,the ,rishis and
 devotees speak of it3   ,but none knows
 the mystery of the ,word4   ,the       
householder leaves his house when he    
hears it1   ,the ascetic comes back to  
love when he hears it1   ,the ,six      
,philosophies expound it1   ,the ,spirit
 of ,renunciation points to that ,word1 
,from that ,word the world-form has     
sprung1   ,that ,word reveals all4      
,kabr says3 ,but who knows whence the   
,word cometh8      ,,lviii     ,i4 #fc4 
ple pyl1 ho matwl    ,empty the ,cup6   
,o be drunken6   ,drink the divine      
nectar of ,his ,name6   ,kabr says3     
,listen to me1 dear ,sadhu6   ,from the 
sole of the foot to the crown of the    
head this mind is     filled with       
poison4      ,,lix     ,i4 #eb4 khasm na
 cnhai bwari    ,o man1 if thou dost not
 know thine own ,lord1 whereof art thou 

so     proud8   ,put thy cleverness     
away3 mere words shall never unite thee 
to     ,him4   ,do not deceive thyself  
with the witness of the ,scriptures3    
,love is something other than this1 and 
he who has sought it truly     has found
 it4      ,,lx     ,i4 #ef4 sukh sindh k
 sair k    ,the savour of wandering in  
the ocean of deathless life has rid me  
of all my asking3   ,as the tree is in  
the seed1 so all diseases are in this   
asking4      ,,lxi     ,i4 #dh4 sukh    
sgar men ke    ,when at last you are    
come to the ocean of happiness1 do not  
go     back thirsty4   ,wake1 foolish   
man6  for ,death stalks you4  ,here is  
pure water     before you2 drink it at  
every breath4   ,do not follow the      
mirage on foot1 but thirst for the      
nectar2   ,dhruva1 ,prahlad1 and        
,shukadeva have drunk of it1 and also   
,raidas     has tasted it3   ,the saints
 are drunk with love1 their thirst is   
for love4   ,kabr says3 ,listen to me1  
brother6  ,the nest of fear is broken4  

,not for a moment have you come face to 
face with the world3   ,you are weaving 
your bondage of falsehood1 your words   
are full of     deception3   ,with the  
load of desires which you4  hold on your
 head1 how can     you be light8   ,kabr
 says3 ,keep within you truth1          
detachment1 and love4      ,,lxii       
,i4 #ce4 sat ko kaun s'ikhwt hai    ,who
 has ever taught the widowed wife to    
burn herself on the pyre     of her dead
 husband8   ,and who has ever taught    
love to find bliss in renunciation8     
,,lxiii     ,i4 #ci4 are man1 dhraj khe 
na dharai    ,why so impatient1 my      
heart8   ,he who watches over birds1    
beasts1 and insects1   ,he who cared for
 you whilst you were yet in your        
mother's womb1   ,shall ,he not care for
 you now that you are come forth8   ,oh 
my heart1 how could you turn from the   
smile of your ,lord and     wander so   
far from ,him8   ,you have left ,your   
,beloved and are thinking of others3 and
 this     is why all your work is in    

vain4      ,,lxiv     ,i4 #aag4 sn se   
lagan kathin hai1 bh    ,now hard it is 
to meet my ,lord6   ,the rain-bird wails
 in thirst for the rain3 almost she dies
 of     her longing1 yet she would have 
none other water than the     rain4     
,drawn by the love of music1 the deer   
moves forward3 she dies as     she      
listens to the music1 yet she shrinks   
not in fear4   ,the widowed wife sits by
 the body of her dead husband3 she is   
not     afraid of the fire4   ,put away 
all fear for this poor body4      ,,lxv 
,i4 #bb4 jab main bhl1 re bh    ,o      
brother6 when ,i was forgetful1 my true 
,guru showed me the ,way4   ,then ,i    
left off all rites and ceremonies1 ,i   
bathed no more in the     holy water3   
,then ,i learned that it was ,i alone   
who was mad1 and the whole     world    
beside me was sane2 and ,i had disturbed
 these wise people4   ,from that time   
forth ,i knew no more how to roll in the
 dust in     obeisance3   ,i do not ring
 the temple bell3   ,i do not set the   

idol on its throne3   ,i do not worship 
the image with flowers4   ,it is not the
 austerities that mortify the flesh     
which are     pleasing to the ,lord1    
,when you leave off your clothes and    
kill your senses1 you do not     please 
the ,lord3   ,the man who is kind and   
who practises righteousness1 who remains
     passive amidst the affairs of the  
world1 who considers all     creatures  
on earth as his own self1   ,he attains 
the ,immortal ,being1 the true ,god is  
ever with him4   ,kabr says3 ,he attains
 the true ,name whose words are pure1   
and     who is free from pride and      
conceit4      ,,lxvi     ,i4 #bj4 man na
 rangye    ,the ,yogi dyes his garments1
 instead of dyeing his mind in the      
colours of love3   ,he sits within the  
temple of the ,lord1 leaving ,brahma to 
worship     a stone4   ,he pierces holes
 in his ears1 he has a great beard and  
matted     locks1 he looks like a goat3 
,he goes forth into the wilderness1     
killing all his desires1 and     turns  

himself into an eunuch3   ,he shaves his
 head and dyes his garments2 he reads   
the ,gt and     becomes a mighty talker4
   ,kabr says3 ,you are going to the    
doors of death1 bound hand and     foot6
      ,,lxvii     ,i4 #i4 n jne shab    
kais hai    ,i do not know what manner  
of ,god is mine4   ,the ,mullah cries   
aloud to ,him3 and why8  ,is your ,lord 
deaf8  ,the     subtle anklets that ring
 on the feet of an insect when it moves 
are heard of ,him4   ,tell your beads1  
paint your forehead with the mark of    
your ,god1     and wear matted locks    
long and showy3 but a deadly weapon is  
in     your heart1 and how shall you    
have ,god8      ,,lxviii     ,,iii4     
#ajb4 ham se rah na jy    ,i hear the   
melody of ,his flute1 and ,i cannot     
contain myself3   ,the flower blooms1   
though it is not spring2 and already the
 bee     has received its invitation4   
,the sky roars and the lightning        
flashes1 the waves arise in my          
heart1   ,the rain falls2 and my heart  

longs for my ,lord4   ,where the rhythm 
of the world rises and falls1 thither my
 heart     has reached3   ,there the    
hidden banners are fluttering in the    
air4   ,kabr says3 ,my heart is dying1  
though it lives4      ,,lxix     ,,iii4 
#b4 jo khod masjid vasat hai    ,if ,god
 be within the mosque1 then to whom does
 this world belong8   ,if ,ram be within
 the image which you find upon your     
pilgrimage1     then who is there to    
know what happens without8   ,hari is in
 the ,east3 ,allah is in the ,west4     
,look within your     heart1 for there  
you will find both ,karim and ,ram2     
,all the men and women of the world are 
,his living forms4   ,kabr is the child 
of ,allah and of ,ram3 ,he is my ,guru1 
,he is my     ,pir4      ,,lxx          
,,iii4 #i4 s'l santosh sad samadrishti  
,he who is meek and contented41 he who  
has an equal vision1 whose     mind is  
filled with the fullness of acceptance  
and of rest2   ,he who has seen ,him and
 touched ,him1 he is freed from all fear

     and trouble4   ,to him the         
perpetual thought of ,god is like sandal
 paste smeared     on the body1 to him  
nothing else is delight3   ,his work and
 his rest are filled with music3 he     
sheds abroad the     radiance of love4  
,kabr says3 ,touch ,his feet1 who is one
 and indivisible1     immutable and     
peaceful2 who fills all vessels to the  
brim with     joy1 and whose form is    
love4      ,,lxxi     ,,iii4 #ac4 sdh   
sangat ptam    ,go thou to the company  
of the good1 where the ,beloved ,one has
 ,his     dwelling place3   ,take all   
thy thoughts and love and instruction   
from thence4   ,let that assembly be    
burnt to ashes where ,his ,name is not  
spoken6   ,tell me1 how couldst thou    
hold a wedding-feast1 if the bridegroom 
himself were not there8   ,waver no     
more1 think only of the ,beloved2   ,set
 not thy heart on the worship of other  
gods1 there is no worth     in the      
worship of other masters4   ,kabr       
deliberates and says3 ,thus thou shalt  

never find the     ,beloved6            
,,lxxii     ,,iii4 #bf4 tor hr hirilw   
kcad men    ,the jewel is lost in the   
mud1 and all are seeking for it2   ,some
 look for it in the east1 and some in   
the west2 some in the     water and some
 amongst stones4   ,but the servant     
,kabr has appraised it at its true      
value1 and has     wrapped it with care 
in the end of the mantle of his heart4  
,,lxxiii     ,,iii4 #bf4 yau din gaune k
 ho    ,the palanquin came to take me   
away to my husband's home1 and it       
sent through my heart a thrill of joy2  
,but the bearers have brought me into   
the lonely forest1 where ,i     have no 
one of my own4   ,o bearers1 ,i entreat 
you by your feet1 wait but a moment     
longer3     let me go back to my kinsmen
 and friends1 and take my leave of      
them4   ,the servant ,kabr sings3 ,o    
,sadhu6  finish your buying and         
selling1 have done with your good and   
your bad3 for there are     no markets  
and no shops in the land to which you   

go4      ,,lxxiv     ,,iii4 #cj4 are    
dil1 prem nagar k ant na py    ,o my    
heart6 you have not known all the       
secrets of this city of     love3 in    
ignorance you came1 and in ignorance you
 return4   ,o my friend1 what have you  
done with this life8  ,you have taken   
on your head the burden heavy with      
stones1 and who is to     lighten it for
 you8   ,your ,friend stands on the     
other shore1 but you never think in     
your mind how you may meet with ,him3   
,the boat is broken1 and yet you sit    
ever upon the bank2 and thus     you are
 beaten to no purpose by the waves4     
,the servant ,kabr asks you to consider2
 who is there that shall     befriend   
you at the last8   ,you are alone1 you  
have no companion3 you will suffer the  
consequences of your own deeds4         
,,lxxv     ,,iii4 #ee4 ved kahe sargun  
ke ge    ,the ,vedas say that the       
,unconditioned stands beyond the world  
of     ,conditions4   ,o woman1 what    
does it avail thee to dispute whether   

,he is beyond     all or in all8   ,see 
thou everything as thine own dwelling   
place3 the mist of     pleasure and pain
 can never spread there4   ,there       
,brahma is revealed day and night3 there
 light is ,his     garment1 light is    
,his seat1 light rests on thy head4     
,kabr says3 ,the ,master1 who is true1  
,he is all light4      ,,lxxvi          
,,iii4 #dh4 t surat nain nihr    ,open  
your eyes of love1 and see ,him who     
pervades this world ,i     consider it  
well1 and know that this is your own    
country4   ,when you meet the true      
,guru1 ,he will awaken your heart2   ,he
 will tell you the secret of love and   
detachment1 and then you     will know  
indeed that ,he transcends this         
universe4   ,this world is the ,city of 
,truth1 its maze of paths enchants the  
heart3   ,we can reach the goal without 
crossing the road1 such is the     sport
 unending4   ,where the ring of manifold
 joys ever dances about ,him1 there is  
the sport of ,eternal ,bliss4   ,when we

 know this1 then all our receiving and  
renouncing is     over2   ,thenceforth  
the heat of having shall never scorch us
 more4    ,he is the ,ultimate ,rest    
unbounded3   ,he has spread ,his form of
 love throughout all the world4   ,from 
that ,ray which is ,truth1 streams of   
new forms are     perpetually springing3
 and ,he pervades those forms4   ,all   
the gardens and groves and bowers are   
abounding with blossom2     and the air 
breaks forth into ripples of joy4       
,there the swan plays a wonderful game1 
,there the ,unstruck ,music eddies      
around the ,infinite ,one2   ,there in  
the midst the ,throne of the ,unheld is 
shining1 whereon     the great ,being   
sits--   ,millions of suns are shamed by
 the radiance of a single hair of       
,his body4   ,on the harp of the road   
what true melodies are being sounded6   
and its notes pierce the heart3   ,there
 the ,eternal ,fountain is playing its  
endless life-streams of     birth and   
death4   ,they call ,him ,emptiness who 

is the ,truth of truths1 in ,whom all   
truths are stored6    ,there within ,him
 creation goes forward1 which is beyond 
all     philosophy2 for philosophy      
cannot attain to ,him3   ,there is an   
endless world1 ,o my ,brother6 and there
 is the     ,nameless ,being1 of whom   
naught can be said4   ,only he knows it 
who has reached that region3 it is other
 than     all that is heard and said4   
,no form1 no body1 no length1 no breadth
 is seen there3 how can ,i     tell you 
that which it is8   ,he comes to the    
,path of the ,infinite on whom the grace
 of the     ,lord descends3 he is freed 
from births and deaths who attains      
to ,him4   ,kabr says3 ,it cannot be    
told by the words of the mouth1 it      
cannot be written on paper3   ,it is    
like a dumb person who tastes a sweet   
thing--how shall it     be explained8   
,,lxxvii     ,,iii4 #fj4 cal hams w des'
 jahn    ,o my heart6  let us go to that
 country where dwells the ,beloved1     
the ravisher of my heart6   ,there ,love

 is filling her pitcher from the well1  
yet she has no     rope wherewith to    
draw water2   ,there the clouds do not  
cover the sky1 yet the rain falls down  
in     gentle showers3   ,o bodiless    
one6  do not sit on your doorstep2 go   
forth and bathe     yourself in that    
rain6   ,there it is ever moonlight and 
never dark2 and who speaks of one       
sun only8  that land is illuminate with 
the rays of a million     suns4         
,,lxxviii     ,,iii4 #fc4 kahain ,kabr1 
s'uno ho sdho    ,kabr says3 ,o ,sadhu6 
hear my deathless words4  ,if you want  
your     own good1 examine and consider 
them well4   ,you have estranged        
yourself from the ,creator1 of whom you 
have     sprung3 you have lost your     
reason1 you have bought death4   ,all   
doctrines and all teachings are sprung  
from ,him1 from ,him     they grow3 know
 this for certain1 and have no fear4    
,hear from me the tidings of this great 
truth6   ,whose name do you sing1 and on
 whom do you meditate8  ,o1 come        

forth from this entanglement6   ,he     
dwells at the heart of all things1 so   
why take refuge in empty     desolation8
   ,if you place the ,guru at a distance
 from you1 then it is but the           
distance that you honour3   ,if indeed  
the ,master be far away1 then who is it 
else that is     creating this world8   
,when you think that ,he is not here1   
then you wander further and     further 
away1 and seek ,him in vain with tears4 
,where ,he is far off1 there ,he is     
unattainable3 where ,he is near1     ,he
 is very bliss4   ,kabr says3 ,lest ,his
 servant should suffer pain ,he pervades
 him     through and through4   ,know   
yourself then1 ,o ,kabr2 for ,he is in  
you from head to foot4   ,sing with     
gladness1 and keep your seat unmoved    
within your heart4      ,,lxxix         
,,iii4 #ff4 n main dharm nahn adharm    
,i am neither pious nor ungodly1 ,i live
 neither by law nor by     sense1   ,i  
am neither a speaker nor hearer1 ,i am  
neither a servant nor     master1 ,i am 

neither bond nor free1   ,i am neither  
detached nor attached4   ,i am far from 
none3 ,i am near to none4   ,i shall go 
neither to hell nor to heaven4   ,i do  
all works2 yet ,i am apart from all     
works4   ,few comprehend my meaning3 he 
who can comprehend it1 he sits          
unmoved4   ,kabr seeks neither to       
establish nor to destroy4      ,,lxxx   
,,iii4 #fi4 satta nm hai sab ten nyr    
,the true ,name is like none other name6
   ,the distinction of the ,conditioned 
from the ,unconditioned is but     a    
word3   ,the ,unconditioned is the seed1
 the ,conditioned is the flower and     
the fruit4   ,knowledge is the branch1  
and the ,name is the root4   ,look1 and 
see where the root is3 happiness shall  
be yours when     you come to the root4 
,the root will lead you to the branch1  
the leaf1 the flower1 and     the fruit3
   ,it is the encounter with the ,lord1 
it is the attainment of bliss1     it is
 the reconciliation of the ,conditioned 
and the     ,unconditioned4      ,,lxxxi

     ,,iii4 #gd4 pratham ek jo pai p    
,in the beginning was ,he alone1        
sufficient unto ,himself3 the           
formless1 colourless1 and unconditioned 
,being4   ,then was there neither       
beginning1 middle1 nor end2   ,then were
 no eyes1 no darkness1 no light2   ,then
 were no ground1 air1 nor sky2 no fire1 
water1 nor earth2 no     rivers like the
 ,ganges and the ,jumna1 no seas1       
oceans1 and waves4   ,then was neither  
vice nor virtue2 scriptures there were  
not1 as     the ,vedas and ,puranas1 nor
 as the ,koran4   ,kabr ponders in his  
mind and says1 ,then was there no       
activity3     the ,supreme ,being       
remained merged in the unknown depths of
 ,his     own self4   ,the ,guru neither
 eats nor drinks1 neither lives nor     
dies3   ,neither has ,he form1 line1    
colour1 nor vesture4   ,he who has      
neither caste nor clan nor anything     
else--how may ,i     describe ,his      
glory8   ,he has neither form nor       
formlessness1   ,he has no name1   ,he  

has neither colour nor colourlessness1  
,he has no dwelling-place4      ,,lxxxii
     ,,iii4 #gf4 kahain ,kabr vicr ke   
,kabr ponders and says3 ,he who has     
neither caste nor country1     who is   
formless and without quality1 fills all 
space4   ,the ,creator brought into     
being the ,game of ,joy3 and from the   
word     ,om the ,creation sprang4      
,the earth is ,his joy2 ,his joy is the 
sky2   ,his joy is the flashing of the  
sun and the moon2   ,his joy is the     
beginning1 the middle1 and the end2     
,his joy is eyes1 darkness1 and light4  
,oceans and waves are ,his joy3 ,his joy
 the ,sarasvati1 the ,jumna1     and the
 ,ganges4   ,the ,guru is ,one3 and life
 and death41 union and separation1 are  
all ,his plays of joy6   ,his play the  
land and water1 the whole universe6     
,his play the earth and the sky6   ,in  
play is the ,creation spread out1 in    
play it is established4     ,the whole  
world1 says ,kabr1 rests in ,his play1  
yet still the     ,player remains       

unknown4      ,,lxxxiii     ,,iii4 #hd4 
jh jh jantar bjai    ,the harp gives    
forth murmurous music2 and the dance    
goes on     without hands and feet4     
,it is played without fingers1 it is    
heard without ears3 for ,he is     the  
ear1 and ,he is the listener4   ,the    
gate is locked1 but within there is     
fragrance3 and there the     meeting is 
seen of none4   ,the wise shall         
understand it4      ,,lxxxiv     ,,iii4 
#hi4 mor phakrw mngi jy    ,the ,beggar 
goes a-begging1 but   ,i could not even 
catch sight of ,him3   ,and what shall  
,i beg of the ,beggar ,he gives without 
my asking4   ,kabr says3 ,i am ,his own3
 now let that befall which may befall6  
,,lxxxv     ,,iii4 #ij4 naihar se jiyar 
pht re    ,my heart cries aloud for the 
house of my lover2 the open road and    
the shelter of a roof are all one to her
 who has lost the city     of her       
husband4   ,my heart finds no joy in    
anything3 my mind and my body are       
distraught4   ,his palace has a million 

gates1 but there is a vast ocean between
     it and me3   ,how shall ,i cross   
it1 ,o friend8  for endless is the      
outstretching     of the path4   ,how   
wondrously this lyre is wrought6  ,when 
its strings are     rightly strung1 it  
maddens the heart3 but when the keys are
     broken and the strings are         
loosened1 none regard it more4   ,i tell
 my parents with laughter that ,i must  
go to my ,lord in the     morning2      
,they are angry1 for they do not want me
 to go1 and they say3 ,she     thinks   
she has gained such dominion over her   
husband that she     can have whatsoever
 she wishes2 and therefore she is       
impatient     to go to him4   ,dear     
friend1 lift my veil lightly now2 for   
this is the night of     love4   ,kabr  
says3 ,listen to me6  ,my heart is eager
 to meet my lover3 ,i     lie sleepless 
upon my bed4  ,remember me early in the 
morning6      ,,lxxxvi     ,,iii4 #if4  
jv mahal men ,s'iv pahunw    ,serve your
 ,god1 who has come into this temple of 

life6   ,do not act the part of a       
madman1 for the night is thickening     
fast4   ,he has awaited me for countless
 ages1 for love of me ,he has     lost  
,his heart3   ,yet ,i did not know the  
bliss that was so near to me1 for my    
love     was not yet awake4   ,but now1 
my ,lover has made known to me the      
meaning of the note     that struck my  
ear3   ,now1 my good fortune is come4   
,kabr says3 ,behold6  how great is my   
good fortune6  ,i have     received the 
unending caress of my ,beloved6         
,,lxxxvii     ,i4 #ga4 gagan ghat       
ghaharn1 sdho    ,clouds thicken in the 
sky6  ,o1 listen to the deep voice of   
their     roaring2   ,the rain comes    
from the east with its monotonous       
murmur4   ,take care of the fences and  
boundaries of your fields1 lest the     
rains overflow them2   ,prepare the soil
 of deliverance1 and let the creepers of
 love and     renunciation be soaked in 
this shower4   ,it is the prudent farmer
 who will bring his harvest home2 he    

shall fill both his vessels1 and feed   
both the wise men and the     saints4   
,,lxxxviii     ,,iii4 #aah4 j din ke    
main jaun balihr    ,this day is dear to
 me above all other days1 for to-day the
     ,beloved ,lord is a guest in my    
house2   ,my chamber and my courtyard   
are beautiful with ,his presence4   ,my 
longings sing ,his ,name1 and they are  
become lost in ,his great     beauty3   
,i wash ,his feet1 and ,i look upon ,his
 ,face2 and ,i lay before ,him     as an
 offering my body1 my mind1 and all that
 ,i have4   ,what a day of gladness is  
that day in which my ,beloved1 who is my
     treasure1 comes to my house6   ,all
 evils fly from my heart when ,i see my 
,lord4   ,my love has touched ,him2 my  
heart is longing for the ,name which    
is ,truth4   ,thus sings ,kabr1 the     
servant of all servants4      ,,lxxxix  
,i4 #ajj4 ki s'unt hai jn rg gagan men  
,is there any wise man who will listen  
to that solemn music which     arises in
 the sky8   ,for ,he1 the ,source of all

 music1 makes all vessels full fraught1 
and rests in fullness ,himself4   ,he   
who is in the body is ever athirst1 for 
he pursues that which     is in part3   
,but ever there wells forth deeper and  
deeper the sound ,he is     this--this  
is ,he2 fusing love and renunciation    
into one4   ,kabr says3 ,o brother6     
that is the ,primal ,word4      ,,xc    
,i4 #ajh4 main k se bjhaun    ,to whom  
shall ,i go to learn about my ,beloved8 
,kabr says3 ,as you never may find the  
forest if you ignore the     tree1 so   
,he may never be found in abstractions4 
,,xci     ,,iii4 #ab4 samskirit bhsh    
padhi lnh    ,i have learned the        
,sanskrit language1 so let all men call 
me     wise3   ,but where is the use of 
this1 when ,i am floating adrift1 and   
parched with thirst1 and burning with   
the heat of desire8   ,to no purpose do 
you bear on your head this load of pride
 and     vanity4   ,kabr says3 ,lay it  
down in the dust1 and go forth to meet  
the     ,beloved4  ,address ,him as your

 ,lord4      ,,xcii     ,,iii4 #aaj4    
carkh calai surat virahin k    ,the     
woman who is parted from her lover spins
 at the spinning     wheel4   ,the city 
of the body arises in its beauty2 and   
within it the     palace of the mind has
 been built4   ,the wheel of love       
revolves in the sky1 and the seat is    
made of     the jewels of knowledge3    
,what subtle threads the woman weaves1  
and makes them fine with     love and   
reverence6   ,kabr says3 ,i am weaving  
the garland of day and night4  ,when my 
,lover comes and touches me with ,his   
feet1 ,i shall offer ,him my     tears4 
,,xciii     ,,iii4 #aaa4 kotn bhnu      
candra trgan    ,beneath the great      
umbrella of my ,king millions of suns   
and moons     and stars are shining6    
,he is the ,mind within my mind3 ,he is 
the ,eye within mine eye4   ,ah1 could  
my mind and eyes be one6  ,could my love
 but reach to my     ,lover6  ,could but
 the fiery heat of my heart be cooled6  
,kabr says3 ,when you unite love with   

the ,lover1 then you have     love's    
perfection4      ,,xciv     ,i4 #ib4    
avadh begam des' hamr    ,o sadhu6 my   
land is a sorrowless land4   ,i cry     
aloud to all1 to the king and the       
beggar1 the emperor and     the fakir-- 
,whosoever seeks for shelter in the     
,highest1 let all come and     settle in
 my land6   ,let the weary come and lay 
his burdens here6    ,so live here1 my  
brother1 that you may cross with ease to
 that     other shore4   ,it is a land  
without earth or sky1 without moon or   
stars2   ,for only the radiance of      
,truth shines in my ,lord's ,durbar4    
,kabr says3 ,o beloved brother6  naught 
is essential save ,truth4      ,,xcv    
,i4 #aji4 sn ke sangat ssur     ,came   
with my ,lord to my ,lord's home3 but ,i
 lived not with ,him and     ,i tasted  
,him not1 and my youth passed away like 
a dream4   ,on my wedding night my      
women-friends sang in chorus1 and ,i was
     anointed with the unguents of      
pleasure and pain3   ,but when the      

ceremony was over1 ,i left my ,lord and 
came away1 and     my kinsman tried to  
console me upon the road4   ,kabr says1 
,i shall go to my ,lord's house with my 
love at my     side2 then shall ,i sound
 the trumpet of triumph6      ,,xcvi    
,i4 #ge4 samajh dekh man mt piyarw    ,o
 friend1 dear heart of mine1 think well6
  if you love indeed1     then why do   
you sleep8   ,if you have found ,him1   
then give yourself utterly1 and take    
,him     to you4   ,why do you loose    
,him again and again8   ,if the deep    
sleep of rest has come to your eyes1 why
 waste your     time making the bed and 
arranging the pillows8   ,kabr says3 ,i 
tell you the ways of love6  ,even though
 the head     itself must be given1 why 
should you weep over it8      ,,xcvii   
,,ii4 #ij4 shab ham men1 shab tum men   
,the ,lord is in me1 the ,lord is in    
you1 as life is in every seed4     ,o   
servant6  put false pride away1 and seek
 for ,him within you4   ,a million suns 
are ablaze with light1   ,the sea of    

blue spreads in the sky1   ,the fever of
 life is stilled1 and all stains are    
washed away2     when ,i sit in the     
midst of that world4   ,hark to the     
unstruck bells and drums6  ,take your   
delight in love6   ,rains pour down     
without water1 and the rivers are       
streams of     light4   ,one ,love it is
 that pervades the whole world1 few     
there are who     know it fully3   ,they
 are blind who hope to see it by the    
light of reason1 that     reason which  
is the cause of separation--   ,the     
,house of ,reason is very far away6     
,how blessed is ,kabr1 that amidst this 
great joy he sings within     his own   
vessel4   ,it is the music of the       
meeting of soul with soul2   ,it is the 
music of the forgetting of sorrows2     
,it is the music that transcends all    
coming in and all going     forth4      
,,xcviii     ,,ii4 #ih4 ritu phgun      
niyarn    ,the month of ,march draws    
near3 ah1 who will unite me to my       
,lover8   ,how shall ,i find words for  

the beauty of my ,beloved8  ,for ,he is 
merged in all beauty4   ,his colour is  
in all the pictures of the world1 and it
 bewitches     the body and the mind4   
,those who know this1 know what is this 
unutterable play of the     ,spring4    
,kabr says3 ,listen to me1 brother'     
there are not many who have     found   
this out4      ,,xcix     ,,ii4 #aaa4   
,nrad1 pyr so antar nh    ,oh ,narad6   
,i know that my ,lover cannot be far3   
,when my ,lover wakes1 ,i wake2 when ,he
 sleeps1 ,i sleep4   ,he is destroyed at
 the root who gives pain to my ,beloved4
   ,where they sing ,his praise1 there  
,i live2   ,when ,he moves1 ,i walk     
before ,him3 my heart yearns for my     
,beloved4   ,the infinite pilgrimage    
lies at ,his feet1 a million devotees   
are     seated there4   ,kabr says3 ,the
 ,lover ,himself reveals the glory of   
true love4      ,c     ,,ii4 #abb4 k    
prem k peng jhulo re    ,hang up the    
swing of love to-day6  ,hang the body   
and the mind     between the arms of the

 ,beloved1 in the ecstasy of love's joy3
   ,bring the tearful streams of the    
rainy clouds to your eyes1 and     cover
 your heart with the shadow of darkness3
   ,bring your face nearer to ,his ear1 
and speak of the deepest     longings of
 your heart4   ,kabr says3 ,listen to   
me1 brother6  bring the vision of the   
,beloved in your heart4