An Amazing Poem on Radha's Mad Love by Rupa Gosvami (translated by Shannan Mann)

Radha’s Mad Heart

Rupa Gosvami

Translated from the Sanskrit by Shannan Mann

i.

his honey-song flute — the muse

that maddens her mind

ii.

his heart is hurricaned

with her smell

iii.

everything he does                   dancing      cowherding      laughing

is a hook to catch the minnow of her heart

iv.

he pools to butter                   in the burning

palm of her pride

v.

he is dominated                  by the shadow

of envy pirouetting                  through her eyebrows

vi.

his mouth waters                  for the curses flowing

from her lips

vii.

the moonlight of his face                  emboldens the ocean

of her love with great tidal waves

viii.

he is the sapphire choker                  starred around her neck

ix.

he is the bumblebee                  at the dark lotus

of her mouth lapping                  the pollen of her tongue

x.his monsoon chest                  brims with raindrops

of musk from her breasts

Came across this translation on Poet Lore. The metaphors just blew me away. So powerful. Rupa Gosvami lived in India during the Vaishanavas' time, in the 1500s. He wrote Stavamala, which is a group of poems for Radha and Krishna.

I read Stavamala, but didn't come across this poem. Still, his other metaphors inspired me to write a poem!

I'm participating in #BlogchatterA2Z