{"product_id":"i-cannot-live-without-you-selected-poems-of-mirabai-and-kabir-9780995133334","title":"I Cannot Live Without You: Selected Poems of Mirabai and Kabir","description":"\u003cp\u003eWild and passionate, Mirabai is Indiaís greatest poet of devotion and love. Married at a young age, after her husbandís premature death she dedicated her life to worshipping the flute-playing Krishna. It was a decision that led her parents-in-law to evict her from their home. Mirabai spent the rest of her life travelling from village to village, singing and dancing to celebrate her love of Krishna. The rapturous lyrics she wrote enthralled worshippers then and continue to be sung in India today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKabir was a controversial figure. An illiterate weaver, Kabir celebrated both Indian and Muslim spirituality, while criticising each religionís blinkered believers. Yet his straight talking, his wit, and the continued relevance of his cutting insights, ensure his often knotty poems still resonate powerfully for contemporary readers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSuperbly translated into English-language poems that reflect their original imagery and forms, this collection shows why Mirabai and Kabir have enchanted devotees for five centuries. Their poems are accompanied by new versions of two of the key Upanishads that laid the foundations for Indian spirituality. These engaging versions will delight readers new to the work of two of Indiaís greatest mystical poets, and surprise those already familiar with their playful profundity. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMIRABAI: I SHALL DANCE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI shall dance in the presence of Krishna, my lord.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePurely to please, my bare feet will caress the floor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo solemn and enticing, I shan't be ignored, \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eand as I turn, closer-to examine him-will I draw.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes, love's tied bells to my ankles, tinkling, so small.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd who knows? Perhaps, as I dance, all my veils will fall.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat do I care for customs and the world's joyless laws?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen he arrives, I shall silently close the door.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes, Mira will share her lover's bed, embraced and warm.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey'll laugh and sip love's wine-she knows she won't be bored!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKABIR: ON THE COMPETENT GURU\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo competent gurus nor pupils I found, \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e just players of greedy games.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll sank in maya's sea, \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e for they sailed boats made of stone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI say, cut off that guru's beard whose\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e teaching doesn't scythe doubt, \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003efor not only does he sink but\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e he drags his pupils down.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn incompetent guru means\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e the pupil is incapable: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003egrasping pupil, profit-seeking guru, \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e and both are in trouble.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWithout a competent guru\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e you'll remain an illiterate fool.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDress like a saint, inside you're an idiot\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e begging from door to door.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Attar Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50380097880338,"sku":"9780995133334","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_7e78d619-15dc-4686-aed7-fee02dcf2f41.jpg?v=1728674969","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/i-cannot-live-without-you-selected-poems-of-mirabai-and-kabir-9780995133334","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}