Two Poems by Mirabai

Mirabai (approx. dates 1498-1546 CE), was born into a royal family in Rajasthan, in northwestern India. As a child she fell in love with the god Krishna, embracing a spiritual path that would shape her life. Refusing her marriage and rejecting expectations attached to her class and gender, she left home to join wandering communities of devotees. The poems she wrote address god as a beloved, speaking to and about him with all the intimacy that relationship entails. Mira longs for Krishna, rages about his absence, questions his commitment, and experiences his fleeting presence ecstatically. In doing so, she creates a familiar language with which to approach the utterly unfamiliar entity that is an all-powerful divine.

The language of these poems is Braj Bhasa, a pre-modern north Indian dialect related to modern Hindi-Urdu. Mira addresses Krishna by many names in her poems, but her favorite is Giridhar, “Mountain-lifter,” a reference to a story in which Krishna holds up a mountain to protect his village from a storm. This name appears both translated and untranslated here. The first line of each poem is typically sung as a refrain; these translations italicize the refrains, then repeat them in fragments or alternate versions through the poem. The intention of that choice is to give a sense of their musical effect without so much repetition on the page. Each poem closes with Mira’s name—it is both an internal signature and a reminder of her fiery, embodied presence in these lines.

Chloe Martinez

Mira’s Playing Games

My love’s the Mountain-lifter, whose color is night.

Let me tell you:

I was wearing a kaleidoscope robe,

my love colored me in

I went to play hide and seek,

            I’m starting to look like him

in the game I found my beloved,

suffused, tinted, stained with that color

fell head over heels when I saw him,

color me lifted

people write endless letters to distant lovers,

I’m dark as my own Giridhar

but mine moved into my heart and stayed.

I’m dyed in his colors

Mira says,

Mountain-Lifter of mine, Lord!

I watch the road for you, night and day.

म्हाँ गिरधर रंग राती॥

पँचरँग चोला पहर्या सखी म्हाँ, झरमट खेलण जाती।

वाँ झरमट माँ मिल्या साँवरो, देख्याँ तण मण राती।

जिणरो पियाँ परदेस बल्याँरी लिख लिख भेज्याँ पाती।

म्हारा पियाँ म्हारे हीयड़े बसताँ आवाँ जाती।

मीराँ रे प्रभु गिरधर नागर मग जोवाँ दिण राती॥

Mira Tries Everything

Oh mother, the guy with infinity eyes, the handsome one.
……………………………………………………………looked at my body and smiled.

Eyebrows like arrows and sidelong eyes    bow drawn tight, shot into my heart.

Is there some spell to calm me?            A medicine to pour down my throat?

looked at me

I’ve never felt a pain like this             never been so helpless.

My friends, get an amulet, cool me with sandalwood paste,

infinity

 mantras, diagrams, witchy incantations         I’m overcome around him.

You with the sweet face: come and meet me. I’m standing in the road, beaming.

……………………..smiled

Crack me open, look around:               something’s broken inside, or flooded.

Mira says, without seeing god, how can I stay           in this house?

हे मा बड़ी बड़ी अँखियन वारो, साँवरो मो तन हेरत हँसिके॥

भौंह कमाण बाण बाँके लोचण​, मारत हियरे कसिके।

जतन करो जन्तर लिखि बाँधों, ओखद लाऊँ धँसिके।

ज्यों तोकों कछु और बिथा हो, नाहिन मेरो बसिके।

कौन जतन करों मोरी आली, चन्दन लाऊँ घँसिके।

जन्तर मन्तर जादू टोना, माधुरी मूरति बसिके।

साँवरी सूरत आन मिलावो ठाढ़ी रहूँ मैं हँसिके।

रेजा रेजा भेयो करेजा, अन्दर देखो धँसिके।

मीराँ तो गिरधर बिन देखे, कैसे रहे घर बसिके॥