Love

She smiled a little when she saw me lurking there

by Vidyapati c. 1352-1448

Translated by Ananda Coomaraswamy and Arun Sen (1915) · From Bangiya Padabali (trans. 1915)

Love

Krishna:
She smiled a little when she saw me lurking there--
As if the rising moon lit up the night:
And when she rained on me her sidelong glances,
The heavens became a swarm of bees.

Who knoweth whose the maid may be,
Setting my heart a-shake, and vanishing?
The humble-bee is prisoned in the lotus-flower of love,--
I was amazed to see the timid fair one passing by.

Then was made manifest the beauty of her breasts,--
(Whose heart does not the golden lily snare?)
Half was she hidden, half revealed.
Her globéd breasts told me of her desire.

Vidyāpati says: That was love's dawn:
Whom does Madans secret arrow spare?

✦ ✦ ✦

The First Passion of Krishna, XII

MLA

Vidyapati. “She smiled a little when she saw me lurking there.” Translated by Ananda Coomaraswamy and Arun Sen. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/vidyapati/11/.

Chicago

Vidyapati. “She smiled a little when she saw me lurking there.” Translated by Ananda Coomaraswamy and Arun Sen. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/vidyapati/11/.

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