Songs of Kabîr

Kabîr

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Songs of Kabir is a 1915 book consisting of 100 poems of Kabir, the 15th-century Indian poet and mystic, translated to English by Rabindranath Tagore. In this book Kabir has combined the philosophies of Sufism and Hinduism. The book had an introduction by Evelyn Underhill and was published by Macmillan, New York. This book has been translated to Persian and Kurdish by Leila Farjami and Sayed Madeh Piryonesi, respectively.

Kabir’s Poems

I

I.
13. Mo Ko Kahân Dhûnro Bande

O SERVANT, where dost thou seek Me?
Lo! I am beside thee.
I am neither in temple nor in mosque: I am neither in Kaaba nor in Kailash:
Neither am I in rites and ceremonies, nor in Yoga and renunciation.
If thou art a true seeker, thou shalt at once see Me: thou shalt meet Me in a moment of time.
Kabîr says, “O Sadhu! God is the breath of all breath.”

II

I.
16. Santan Jât Na Pûcho Nirguniyân

It is needless to ask of a saint the caste to which he belongs;
For the priest, the warrior. the tradesman, and all the thirty-six castes, alike are seeking for God.
It is but folly to ask what the caste of a saint may be;
The barber has sought God, the washerwoman, and the carpenter—
Even Raidas was a seeker after God.
The Rishi Swapacha was a tanner by caste.
Hindus and Moslems alike have achieved that End, where remains no mark of distinction.

III

I.
57. Sâdho Bhâî, Jîval Hî Karo Âs’â

O FRIEND! hope for Him whilst you live, know whilst you live, understand whilst you live: for in life deliverance abides.
If your bonds be not broken whilst living, what hope of deliverance in death?
It is but an empty dream, that the soul shall have union with Him because it has passed from the body:
If He is found now, He is found then,
If not, we do but go to dwell in the City of Death.
If you have union now, you shall have it hereafter.
Bathe in the truth, know the true Guru, have faith in the true Name!
Kabîr says: “It is the Spirit of the quest which helps; I am the slave of this Spirit of the quest.”

IV

I.
57. Sâdho Bhâî, Jîval Hî Karo Âs’â

Do not go to the garden of flowers!
O Friend! go not there;
In your body is the garden of flowers.
Take your seat on the thousand petals of the lotus, and there gaze on the Infinite Beauty.

V

I.
63. Avadhû, Mâyâ Tajî Na Jây

TELL me, Brother, how can I renounce Maya?
When I gave up the tying of ribbons, still I tied my garment about me:
When I gave up tying my garment, still I covered my body in its folds.
So, when I give up passion, I see that anger remains;
And when I renounce anger, greed is with me still;
And when greed is vanquished, pride and vainglory remain;
When the mind is detached and casts Maya away, still it clings to the letter.
Kabîr says, “Listen to me, dear Sadhu! the true path is rarely found.”

Kabir’s Poems

I

I. 13. Mo Ko Kahân Dhûnro Bande

II

III

IV

V

I. 63. Avadhû, Mâyâ Tajî Na Jây

I.
13. Mo Ko Kahân Dhûnro Bande

I.
63. Avadhû, Mâyâ Tajî Na Jây