Love
Everyone praises the gifts of love
Translated by Ananda Coomaraswamy and Arun Sen (1915) · From Bangiya Padabali (trans. 1915)
Rādhā:
Everyone praises the gifts of love,
That love whereby the virtuous woman is made a wanton!
Had I but known how cruel was love,
Should I have passed the limits of sin?
Now it has come to be poison to me:
Let no one set their love on Hari, on Hari!
Vidyāpati says: Hearken, fair damsel:
Would you first drink water and then consider
the giver's birth?
Codex Note
Reproaches, Lack and Longing, CXI
Cite this poem
MLA
Vidyapati. “Everyone praises the gifts of love.” Translated by Ananda Coomaraswamy and Arun Sen. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/vidyapati/110/.
Chicago
Vidyapati. “Everyone praises the gifts of love.” Translated by Ananda Coomaraswamy and Arun Sen. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/vidyapati/110/.
Read this poem with the Codex →