Village Song

Full are my pitchers and far to carry,

Lone is the way and long,

Why, O why was I tempted to tarry

Lured by the boatmen's song?

Swiftly the shadows of night are falling,

Hear, O hear, is the white crane calling,

Is it the wild owl's cry?

There are no tender moonbeams to light me,

If in the darkness a serpent should bite me,

Or if an evil spirit should smite me,

Rām re Rām! I shall die.

My brother will murmur "Why doth she linger?"

My mother will wait and weep,

Saying, "O safe may the great gods bring her,

The Jamuna's waters are deep." . . .

The Jamuna's waters rush by so quickly,

The shadows of evening gather so thickly,

Like black birds in the sky. . . .

O! if the storm breaks, what will betide me?

Safe from the lightning where shall I hide me?

Unless Thou succour my footsteps and guide me,

Rām re Rām! I shall die.