O I saw witchcraft tonight

Mirabai 1498 (Kudki, Pali district, Jodhpur State) – 1556 (Dwaraka)



O I saw witchcraft tonight
in the region of Braj.
A milking girl going her rounds,
a pot on her head,
came face to face with the Dark One.
My friend, she is babbling,
can no longer say "buttermilk."
- Come get the Dark One, the Dark One!
A pot full of Shyam! -
In the overgrown lanes
of Vrindavan forest
the Enchanter of Hearts fixed his
eye on this girl,
then departed.
Mira's lord is hot, lovely
and raven -
tonight she saw witchcraft
at Braj.

[Translated  by Robert Bly]

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

28 sec read
154

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXXBXXBXXXXXXXBXA X
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 463
Words 94
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 18, 1

Mirabai

Mirabai was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Lord Krishna. more…

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