Sri Aurobindo

Translations

CWSA.- Volume 5

Part Two. Translations from Bengali
Section One. Vaishnava Devotional Poetry

Twenty-two Poems of Bidyapati

16

Beautiful Rai, the flower-like maid

Risen from the river where she played

Saw under down-cast lids and shy

The lovely boy, dark Krishna named.

A highborn child with face afraid

Before her elders and eyes ashamed

She might not gaze as she went by.

O subtle is that beautiful girl!

She left the gracious troop behind;

With half-turned face and half-declined

From far in front full sweet her call.

She broke her carcanet of pearl

And let the precious seedlings fall.

“O friends, my broken carcanet.”

Each girl her lovely hand did set

Stooping to find the scattered grain.

Meanwhile the damsel’s eyes full fain,

Like birds that on white moonbeams feed,

Of Krishna’s shape took amorous heed.

Divine the nectar that she drained,

O Krishna, from thy cheeks of light.

Yea, each of each had honied sight.

Thus gazing girl and boy extend

Love’s boundaries seen by none but me

The poet, sweet Bidyapati.