325

1Gauree, Kabeer Jee:

2In the darkness, no one can sleep in peace.

3The king and the pauper both weep and cry. ||1||

4As long as the tongue does not chant the Lord's Name,

5the person continues coming and going in reincarnation, crying out in pain. ||1||Pause||

6It is like the shadow of a tree;

7when the breath of life passes out of the mortal being, tell me, what becomes of his wealth? ||2||

8It is like the music contained in the instrument;

9how can anyone know the secret of the dead? ||3||

10Like the swan on the lake, death hovers over the body.

11Drink in the Lord's sweet elixir, Kabeer. ||4||8||

12Gauree, Kabeer Jee:

13The creation is born of the Light, and the Light is in the creation.

14It bears two fruits: the false glass and the true pearl. ||1||

15Where is that home, which is said to be free of fear?

16There, fear is dispelled and one lives without fear. ||1||Pause||

17On the banks of sacred rivers, the mind is not appeased.

18People remain entangled in good and bad deeds. ||2||

19Sin and virtue are both the same.

20In the home of your own being, is the Philosopher's Stone; renounce your search for any other virtue. ||3||

21Kabeer: O worthless mortal, do not lose the Naam, the Name of the Lord.

22Keep this mind of yours involved in this involvement. ||4||9||

23Gauree, Kabeer Jee:

24He claims to know the Lord, who is beyond measure and beyond thought;

25by mere words, he plans to enter heaven. ||1||

26I do not know where heaven is.

27Everyone claims that he plans to go there. ||1||Pause||

28By mere talk, the mind is not appeased.

29The mind is only appeased, when egotism is conquered. ||2||

30As long as the mind is filled with the desire for heaven,

31he does not dwell at the Lord's Feet. ||3||

32Says Kabeer, unto whom should I tell this?

33The Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy, is heaven. ||4||10||

34Gauree, Kabeer Jee:

35We are born, and we grow, and having grown, we pass away.

36Before our very eyes, this world is passing away. ||1||

37How can you not die of shame, claiming, ""This world is mine""?

38At the very last moment, nothing is yours. ||1||Pause||

39Trying various methods, you cherish your body,

40but at the time of death, it is burned in the fire. ||2||

41You apply sandalwood oil to your limbs,

42but that body is burned with the firewood. ||3||

43Says Kabeer, listen, O virtuous people:

44your beauty shall vanish, as the whole world watches. ||4||11||

45Gauree, Kabeer Jee:

46Why do you cry and mourn, when another person dies?

47Do so only if you yourself are to live. ||1||

48I shall not die as the rest of the world dies,

49for now I have met the life-giving Lord. ||1||Pause||

50People anoint their bodies with fragrant oils,

51and in that pleasure, they forget the supreme bliss. ||2||

52There is one well, and five water-carriers.

53Even though the rope is broken, the fools continue trying to draw water. ||3||

54Says Kabeer, through contemplation, I have obtained this one understanding.

55There is no well, and no water-carrier. ||4||12||

56Gauree, Kabeer Jee:

57The mobile and immobile creatures, insects and moths

58- in numerous lifetimes, I have passed through those many forms. ||1||