Kabir (d. 1575?): Selected Poems Translated by Azfar Hussain

This union with the guru, O Kabir,
Sets me free; like salt mingled
With flour, I am no more I!

Now I have no caste, no creed,
I am no more what I am!

O dear brother!
By what name would you call me?

I do not quote from the scriptures;
I simply see what I see.

When the bride is one
with her lover,
who cares about
the wedding party?

I am not a Hindu,
Nor a Muslim am I!

I am this body, a play
Of five elements; a drama
Of the spirit dancing
With joy and sorrow.

A drop
Melting into the sea,
Everyone can see.
But the sea
Absorped
In a drop--
A rare one
can follow!

I am looking at you,
You at him,
Kabir asks, how to solve
This puzzle--
You, he, and I?

Dying, dying, the world
Is dying only.
But lo! None knows how to die
In such a way
That he dies never again.

Man, here is your worth:
Your meat is of no use!
Your bones cannot be sold
For making ornaments,
And your skin cannot be played
On an instrument!