February 26, 2005

A poem : Lal Ded.

I drag a boat over the ocean
with a solid rope.
Will God hear?
Will he take me all the way?
Like water in goblets of unbaked clay
I drip out slowly,
and dry.
My soul whirls. Dizzy. Let me
discover my home.

-- Lal Ded
tr. by Willis Barnstone




From the book Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women, edited by Jane Hirshfield. (Who happens to be a wonderful poet herself! I had the pleasure of hearing her read last September at the Dodge Poetry Festival--if you have the chance to attend this event in New Jersey, I really suggest you go! It's literally a life-changing experience.)

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