Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I would endure anything rather than have You turn away from me.
Hold me close, and hear what my heart is saying.
This one is about how the thing deep love fears most is being cut off.
Kabir opens with a voice of fierce, whole-hearted love. Karvat bhalaa na karvat tayree — I would rather go through anything than have You turn Your back on me. The one thing he cannot bear is being apart from the One he loves.
His request is gentle, like a small child's. Laag galay sun bintee mayree — hug me close, and listen to what I'm asking.
This is love turned all the way up. It is not calm or careful. It is the whole heart calling out to be held and heard.
Think of a little kid in a big crowd who can't see their parent. They are not scared of the crowd. They are scared of being lost from the one they love. When you love someone completely, what you fear most is not hardship. It is being cut off from them. And the deepest prayer is the simplest one: stay close to me, and hear me.
Who do you love so much that being close to them matters more than almost anything?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI