The Senses

I’ve extinguished the flame:
there’s no more smoke from the lamp.
Only the moon’s left:
there’s nothing else.

I’ve dried out the wick:
I haven’t replenished the oil.
I’ve stopped beating the drum:
I’ve put the dancer to sleep.

I’ve broken the strings:
I’ve silenced the rebeck.
I’ve neglected my work
and ruined my routine.

Once I knew what I had to do,
I gave up singing:
my sermons, my satires,
my aphorisms, my tales.

Kabir says, those who break
the circuit of the senses
aren’t very far
from the supreme station,

their destination.

from Kabir – The Weaver’s Songs
Tr. Vinay Dharwadker