Saturday poem 1: At the end of a crazy-moon night

by Lalla (Lal Ded), (14th century)

At the end of a crazy-moon night





At the end of a crazy-moon night
the love of God rose.
I said, “It’s me, Lalla.”

The Beloved woke. We became That,
and the lake is crystal-clear.

**

Lal Ded, also affectionately called Lalla, Lalli, Lal Diddi (“Granny Lal”), or Lalleshwari, was born near Srinagar in Kashmir in northern India. Little is known with certainty about her life, other than hints that come to us through her poetry and songs. She was a young bride, married, tradition says, at the age of twelve.

In her early 20s, Lalla could endure no more mistreatment and she left and became a disciple of a respected saint in the Kashmir Shaivism tradition of yoga. She took up the life of a holy woman dedicated God in the form of Shiva. She began wandering about, village to village, going naked or nearly naked, and singing songs of enlightenment.

Lalla’s songs are short, using the simple, direct language of the common people, yet she touches on complex yogic techniques and the most elevated states of awareness. The name Lalla can be translated as either “seeker” or “darling.”

Lalla is loved by Hindus and Muslims in Kashmir today, even amid terrible fighting. There is a saying that in Kashmir only two words have any meaning: Allah and Lalla.