Religion

Song XLVII: There is a strange tree

by Kabir c. 1440–1518

Translated by Rabindranath Tagore, with Evelyn Underhill (1915) · From Songs of Kabir (1915)

Religion

There is a strange tree, which stands without roots and bears fruits without blossoming;
It has no branches and no leaves, it is lotus all over.
Two birds sing there; one is the Guru, and the other the disciple:
The disciple chooses the manifold fruits of life and tastes them, and the Guru beholds him in joy.
What Kabîr says is hard to understand: "The bird is beyond seeking, yet it is most clearly visible. The Formless is in the midst of all forms. I sing the glory of forms."

MLA

Kabir. “Song XLVII: There is a strange tree.” Translated by Rabindranath Tagore, with Evelyn Underhill. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/kabir/46/.

Chicago

Kabir. “Song XLVII: There is a strange tree.” Translated by Rabindranath Tagore, with Evelyn Underhill. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/kabir/46/.

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