Poems Of India - XXV

You went riding elephants.

You went riding horses.

You covered yourself

with vermilion and musk.

O brother,

but you went without the truth.

you went without sowing and reaping

the good.

Riding rutting elephants

of pride, you turned easy target

to fate.

You went without knowing

our lord of the meeting rivers.

You qualified for hell.

-- BASAVAŅŅA [Translated by A. K. Ramanujan in the book - Speaking of Siva]

A fire

in every act and look and word.

Between man and wife

a fire.

In the plate of food

eaten after much waiting

a fire.

In the loss of gain

a fire.

And in the infatuation

of coupling

a fire.

You have given us

five fires

and poured dirt in our mouths

O Ramanatha.

--DĒVARA DĀSIMAYYA [Translated by A. K. Ramanujan in the book - Speaking of Siva]