Lalleshwari or Lal Ded was a 14th c. Kashmiri yogini in the Shaivite tradition. She is deeply loved in Kashmir, both by Hindus and Muslims, and it is said that only two words have meaning there: Allah and Lalla. For more about her, see this previous post. This verse was written near the beginning of her journey, and ‘crossing the river’ is a metaphor for the spiritual journey.
My path to this world was direct,
the road back is not.
The day passed by the riverside-
not a penny is in my pocket.
What would I pay to be ferried across?
Translation Jaishree Kak
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“What would I pay to be ferried across?”
Mullah voelde in zijn zakken.
“Geen cent.”
Hij keek naar het water, toen naar zijn lege handen.
Hij glimlachte.
“Misschien zoek ik op de verkeerde plaats.”
P.S. PoM Hazrat Inayat Khan:
“The whole world’s treasure is too small a price to pay for a word that kindles the soul.”
— Sayings 8-21