Poem by Mira

The key to unlock the gate of the palace was applied,
For desire had been expelled from my mind.
My mind is not a shallow roadside pond—
Who can travel in a puddle?
I have no use even for the Ganges or Yamuna now,
I have reached the sea.

I do not traffic with the servants of the palace,
Nor even with the Prime Minister.
I have nothing to ask from government officials,
I go direct to the royal court
To seek audience of the King in person.
I do not deal in glass or pewter,
Or place loads of iron on my head.
I do not even deal in gold and silver,
Diamonds are the only merchandise I carry.
My good fortune has been aroused from its slumbers,
And I have made acquaintance with supernal joy.
He who has drunk nectar from a silver cup
Will not go back to acrid water.
The Lord granted unto Pipa* his holy sight,
Which is a treasury stacked with gold.
Mira’s Lord is the roguish Giridhara.**
Her Lord has appeared before her in person.

Translated by A.J.A.

* Pipa was a Rajput King who renounced his throne. He is regarded as a pioneer of the Bhakti movement.

** Krishna, ‘he who holds up the mountain’