- published: 18 Mar 2016
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Kavi Bilhana was an 11th-century Kashmiri poet. He is known for his love poem, the Caurapâñcâśikâ.
According to legend, the Brahman Bilhana fell in love with the daughter of King Madanabhirama, Princess Yaminipurnatilaka, and had a secretive love affair. They were discovered, and Bilhana was thrown into prison. While awaiting judgement, he wrote the Caurapâñcâśikâ, a fifty-stanza love poem, not knowing whether he would be sent into exile or die on the gallows. It is unknown what fate Bilhana encountered. Nevertheless, his poem was transmitted orally around India. There are several versions, including ones from South India which had a happy ending; the Kashmiri version does not specify what the outcome was. The Caurapâñcâśikâ was first translated into a European language, French, in 1848. Subsequently it was translated several other times. Notable translations are those of Sir Edwin Arnold (London 1896) and Edward Powys Mathers (Oxford 1919) titled Black Marigolds. This latter version was quoted extensively by John Steinbeck in Cannery Row.
When we started everything seemed shiny and bright
Beyond our means but not quite out of reach
How far beyond do you think we need to go
Cause I don't want to live that way
Amberwood
It doesn't matter what we planned to do this time
Those plans are being laid aside again
Unforeseen is my new middle name
But I don't want to live this way
Amberwood
Take a second
Take a minute
Take an hour
Take a week
To decide how it all will turn out
And in that second
In that minute
In that hour in that week
You will know if your ready to go
And if it's worth it all
Its not as far away as you might think it is
People are doing these things everyday
I don't see how they're much better than us
But they don't have to live this way
Amberwood