The Courtesan Speaks to Her Lover - Kshetrayya

I'm seeing you at last.

It's been four or five months,

Muvva Gopala!

Last night in my dream

you took shape before my eyes.

I got up with a start,

looked for you,

didn't find you.

The top of my sari

was soaked with tears.

I turned to water,

gave in to sorrow.

I asked myself

if you might not

be thinking of me, too.

     I'm seeing you at last,

          the answer to my prayers

Ever since we parted,

there's been no betel for me,

no food,

no fun,

no sleep.

I'm like a lone woman

in a forest

after sunset,

soaked through by the rain

in the heavy dark,

unable to find a way.

     I'm seeing you at last,

          the answer to my prayers

My parents blame me,

my girlfriends mock.

This may sound strange,

but I can tell you:

ever since we first made love,

my world

has become you.

I have no mind

other than yours.

     I'm seeing you at last,

          the answer to my prayers

---

Kshetrayya (c. 1600–1680) India

Translated by A. K. Ramanujan, Velcheru Narayana Rao, and David Shulman

Source: When God Is a Customer: Telugu courtesan songs by Kṣētrayya and others, Edited and Translated by A. K. Ramanujan, Velcheru Narayana Rao, and David Shulman, University of California Press, 1994