Salok Bhagat Kabir, Salok 118 — the swan has flown
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Kabir says: the soul-swan has flown away, the body is being buried, and still the person keeps making signs with his eyes.
Even then, he will not let go of the hard, cruel look in his eyes.
Some hardness of heart holds on to the very end, so it is worth softening while there is time.
Hans udi-o tan gaadi-o: the swan has flown and the body is buried. The hans, swan, is an old picture for the soul. Kabir describes the end of a life plainly.
His point is in the eyes: sojhaa-ee sainaah, still making signs, and ajhoo jee-o na chhod-ee rankaa-ee nainaah, even now not letting go of the hard look in the eyes. Habits of the heart run deep.
Is there a hard feeling you could set down today?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI