Love
The night is late, the fair one timorous and fearful
Translated by Ananda Coomaraswamy and Arun Sen (1915) · From Bangiya Padabali (trans. 1915)
Krishna:
The night is late, the fair one timorous and fearful:
When will she of the olifant gait be here?
The path is filled with dreadful snakes,
How many dangers do her path beset, and she with feet
so tender!
To the feet of Providence I trust her,
Success attend the Beauty's tryst!
The sky is black, the earth is sodden,--
My heart is anxious for her danger.
Heavy the darkness in every airt,--
Her feet may slip, she cannot find the path:
Her glance beguiles each living thing
Lakshmī comes in human form!
Says Vidyāpati the poet:
The maid enamoured yields to none but Love.
Codex Note
(Rādhā's) Going-forth (to visit Krishna), LIII
Cite this poem
MLA
Vidyapati. “The night is late, the fair one timorous and fearful.” Translated by Ananda Coomaraswamy and Arun Sen. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/vidyapati/52/.
Chicago
Vidyapati. “The night is late, the fair one timorous and fearful.” Translated by Ananda Coomaraswamy and Arun Sen. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/vidyapati/52/.
Read this poem with the Codex →