Book description
Knowledge ahead, knowledge behind, knowledge to the left and right. The
knowledge that knows what knowledge is: that's the knowledge that's
mine. -Bijak, sakhi 188 One of India's greatest mystics, Kabir
(1398-1448) was also a satirist and philosopher, a poet of timeless wit
and wisdom. Equally immersed in theology and social thought, music and
politics, his songs have won devoted followers from every walk of life
through the past five centuries. He was a Muslim by name, but his ideas
stand at the intersection of Hinduism and Islam, Bhakti and Yoga,
religion and secularism. And his words were always marked by rhetorical
boldness and conceptual subtlety. This book offers Vinay Dharwadker's
sparkling new translations of one hundred poems, drawing for the first
time on major sources in half a dozen literary languages. They closely
mimic the structure, voice and style of the originals, revealing Kabir's
multiple facets in historical and cultural contexts. Finely balancing
simplicity and complexity, this selection opens up new forms of
imagination and experience for discerning readers around the world.
