22Sri Aurobindo
Translations
CWSA.- Volume 5
Part Two. Translations from Bengali
Section One.
Vaishnava Devotional Poetry
Twenty-two Poems of Bidyapati
22
Hark how round goes the instruments’ sound!
Of Gocool’s child
She danceth mistress of the fair arts sixty-four.
And her hands rhyme keeping time,
Her smitten hands that still the fall restore.
And the tabors keep melody deep
And the heavy thrum
Of the measured drum
And anklets’ running cry their own slim music loving.
The waist bells sprinkle their silver tinkle
And bracelets gold that gems do hold;
Loud is the instruments’ din to madness moving.
And harps begin and the violin
And the five vessels
Where melody swells
Thro’ all the gamut move and various moods express.
And over and under the twydrum’s thunder,
With whose noise the vessels five mix and embrace.
From loosened tresses that toil undresses
And floating whirls
On the shoulders of girls
The jasmine garlands’ buds sprinkle the vernal night.
Ah revels of Spring! with powerless wing
These verses grieve not reaching your delight.