Symmetry

(500)  Tumi je phul diyacho bhariya

Those flowers that You've packed
Into my flower basket—
With them, I have strung a garland.
Your smiles that have rained
Down upon my heart—
All my troubles they have allayed.

My hopes, around You they reel;
My speech but focuses on Thee.
All of my activities,
All of my accessories,
Are motivated by Your affinity.

In my mental blossom there is honey;^[1]
With it, my life-pollen has been smeared.
Having given everything,
Keeping nothing in arrears,
My wicker tray^[2] is arrayed carefully.

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Bittersweet

(499)  Mor nahi je samay

I am out of time;
No more time is mine.
At close of day, why did You arrive?
Oh Gracious Lord, this was ill-timed.

The bakul blooms^[1] of my mind have fallen down;
My jasmine flowers^[2] have dropped to the ground.
On the lampstand, my mental candle has gone out.
Having delayed, why did You arrive?
Oh Soulful Lord, this was ill-timed.

Lost to the great beyond are my companions;
Love, to what place has it drifted off?
My buds of hope, they have all shriveled up.
Why then, with tender smile, did You come sit by my side?
Hey, Omniscient Lord, this was ill-timed.

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A love song

(498)  Jhum jhumajhum

Jingle, jangle;
Jingle, jangle...
A song of love has rung out; so let's proceed.
All of you, move... to the woods, let's hurry!

Inside the forest, kadam flowers^[1] are there;
Night-jasmine^[2] and screwpine^[3] blossoms are falling.
On arms we'll wear bangles, on hair we'll tie garlands...
Round and around God's land we will dance.

In our rhythmic dance beat and lyric melody,
At a great distance our Deity won't keep.
Humans, animals, and birds, we agree;
With tears we did weep, we'll wash His holy feet.

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Children of God

(497)  Surja utheche tamah nashiyache

The sun has risen, gloom has disappeared;
The sky is bright with lustrous beauty.
A hundred ages laden with humiliation
Have faded away in that effulgence.

In the sea of light, a storm has come;
All inertia has silently withdrawn.
All stigmata have hidden their face,
Lord of Light, on seeing Your play.

In this light the dark shroud is consumed;
Black sky has morphed into deep blue.
Every injustice and every corruption,
Sheepishly views that brilliant splendor.

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Victory

(496)  Nutana rupete asiyacho tumi

With a fresh hue You have come;
I sing the triumph of the new.
My heart's despair You've removed;
No dark granules remain.

On mountain and sea, and in the dense jungle,
You are resplendent in every conception.
Getting or not the pain of frustration,
Nowhere am I dispossessed.

That which was secret, in my mind concealed,
A hand You did reach even to there.
To suppress anything, to screen my feelings—
There's never any possibility.

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On the shore

(495)  Amay dure rekho nako

Please don't keep me at a distance;
I want to be in Your presence.
My melody is attuned to Thine,
In Your heart and soul, I survive.

On sands by a river's landing stage,
Musing on You, I pass my days.
Even among countless afflictions,
Going on living, in joy I dance.

Pervaded by the desert's cruelty,
My sky is dried up by a fiery heat.
Amid this too is Your azure blue;^[1]
I pray for shade in thoughts of You.

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On Your path

(494)  Tomar bhavti bheve meteche je man

In thought of You my mind is consumed;
It pays no heed to any taboo.
On Your path I will move.

At the end of darkest night,
In a song of dawn, from life to life,
I will be with Thee.

Regarding my blooms that have fallen,
Never will I think of all those tales.
The barred doors of my memory are open;
Oh Lord,^[1] I will invoke You always.
At every blunder, with sincerity,
In my meditation I will cling to Thee.

Dearest Friend,^[2] my heart's sweetness
I will dispense per Your will.

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Come the bumblebee

(493)  Phulera vane bhomara elo

Into the flower garden came a bumblebee;
Humming and humming was he.
For him everybody had been longing,
Waiting with fancy dear.

The sky was covered with clouds repeatedly;
Thus it was colored like sandalwood.
Anxious was the verdant earth;
Eye to eye with sky was she.
Today, in every mind, faith has been reclaimed;
Dismay has been restrained.

Dancing in cadence to his rhythm and lyric,
Euphoric were those in on the secret.
The gates of their heart had been opened,
Effulgence was emitted.

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Universal home

(492)  Bandhu tomar lagi sajaye rekhechi ghar

Abiding Friend,^[1] for You we've arranged an abode;
You have made us blind to who is close and who's remote.

In the moonlight, every lotus petal smiles;
Heartfelt tears appear upon the mirror of the mind.

Abiding Friend, for You we've arranged a residence;
You have made us know that love is always radiant.

In a gentle breeze, the dispossessed approach from afar;
A sweet scent pours on everyone, content or distraught.

Abiding Friend, for You we've arranged a domicile;
You have made us realize that only benign truth is fine.

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With a golden glow

(491)  Kanaka kirane haraye hirane

With a golden glow surpassing gold...
Into my empty life You've come
With a golden glow.

In a forlorn heart, with loveliness of the new,
Surreptitiously, You have let me hold You.

What was beyond my imagination,
It became real; manifest it was made.
Sweet grandeur's crossed all limitation,
As You've bestowed unearned grace.

You burst open the gates of darkness;
Transcendent Lord, You've emanated rays.
You have quenched every thirst;
Amid a desert, You've brought shade.

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Celebrate

(490)  Bhal go

It's just marvelous!
The Unknown Traveler has come to our locale.
With splendor of form He's filled the earth;
He's made lilies blossom on desolate land.

Kneel down before Him!
The Unknown Traveler has come to our abode.
With fragrance of sandal He's filled the air;
He's touched everyone with a gentle hand.

Concentrate on Him!
The Unknown Traveler has come to our psyche.
With boundless happiness He's filled the world;
He's given His love to everyone impartially.

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Taming a wayward lover

(489)  Manete bhomra elo

In the mind came a bumblebee;
Humming away, where did he go?
In my home, heart to console,
My lover did appear.
He came but did not stay.

Every day at dawn, going to the pond,
I keep eyes peeled only for him,
The one who made me his own.
While at work in house and field,
I think of him and him alone,
The one who took my everything.
Now I'll sit and meditate;
I'll keep him in my life,
Although he did not stay.

Now, by force, my tale of woe,
I will make him heed,
Even though he chose not to hear.

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While birds sing

(488)  Udvela hiya tomari lagiya

My heart brims with love for You;
My mind pays heed to no taboo.
I orbit You in bashful sweetness;
Your thoughts suffuse my whole existence.

In the florid glow of a brilliant morn,
While birds sing their splendid song,
In their midst, I search avidly for Thee,
Since they conjure Your memory.
You set my anxious heart aflutter,
When You fill the world with form and color.

The break-of-day sun scatters red dye^{[nb 2]}
As crimson spreads across the vast, blue sky.
Attuned to music and revolving in dance rhythm;
Such is the pursuit I make of You.

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Where logic fails

(487)  Tora bal go tora more bal

Please do tell, oh do tell me.

In winter, why does the lotus never blossom?
I weep so bitterly, oh my cruel Love;^[1]
Tell me why to my home she won't come.

In harshest summer, why is rain not combined?
In song and dance I invite; eagerly I look, I bide...
Love, why does water keep afar; why does it lie?^[2]

Why does the palash tree not bear fruit?^[3]
He for Whom I take birth, He Whose work I do,
Why does He make my tears spew?

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My Desideratum

(486)  Kache nahi aso kabhu

You don't come near;
What is this love of Yours?
I love You so much,
And yet You visit infrequently.

In the fragrance of flowers, You spring to mind
In my heart's delight, You always appear.
You are the centerpiece of my life;
All my hopes revolve around Thee.

Not getting You, I weep bitterly;
On Thee I rely entirely.

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In Thine eyes

(1370)  Nayaneri ainjana manasarainjana

As the makeup on my eyes and the color of my mind,
From birth to death, You are my companion.
The beauty of Your body floats upon the vast heavens;
By You I've been mesmerized.

In the boundary of phenomenon, in Your magic mirror,^[1]
Everything resounds with a jangle of ankle bells.^[2]
Show pity, and please gather me into Your eyes,
In every life, oh my Citacor.^[3]

In Your universe, I don't long for anything;
Grant me pure devotion through self-sacrifice.
Your desire, that's my cherished goal;
You are the moon, and I am its chukor.^[4]

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The pleasure grove

(485)  Mora kaj niye bence achi

We live for our mission.
Dancing, to the forest we go;
Bearing timber, we come back home.

Inside the forest is a pleasure grove;
An air of joy and wind of dance are there.
We hear seven hundred critiques,
But we never lose our dignity;
We go on being happy constantly.

With flowers great is our affinity;
As much as life swings, so much is our fancy.
No fear or shame have we; love is what we feel.
With God alone we stay very close.

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You have come

(484)  Esecho paran bhariya esecho

You have come; fulfilling my life, You have come.

I have sought You, taking birth after birth;
Many nights passed, sleepless and tearful.
Then at long last, mercy befell with Your arrival;
By Your own hand, my lamp was kindled.

Verdure returned to an arid wilderness;
A trickling stream was brought to spate.
In song and dance, my broken heart found grace;
You've applied a tender caress.

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When we became one

(483)  Milaner dine prabhata kirane

On the day we merged, with the morning sunrays,
Inside my mind, darkness no longer remained.
With the fragrance of flowers and sweet smile of life,
Everything painful was swept aside.

Countless past lives have come to fruition;
Requited was every good and bad action.
In a split second everything drifts away;
All was forgotten when Yours I became.

You exist, whereas I merely persist;
In every exchange, it is You I've obtained.
By Your grace, attachments are erased;
All desires and acquires become alike.

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