On Translating Mira (Again!)

Mira—also known as Mirabai—is always talking to or about God. For Mira, God is Krishna, an avatar (or embodied form) of the Hindu divinity Vishnu, who is transcendent and also imminent—Mira’s beloved. He is often absent or inaccessible, a “yogi” who she imagines is off meditating in a forest while she awaits his return. These three poems deal with that absence in different emotional registers. The rueful, world-weary speaker of “Mira Should Have Known Better” warns other women about the dangers of love with a series of proverbial and figurative statements. The alternating voices in “Mira’s Over It” sound like a friend offering advice that Mira can’t seem to take. “Mira with Sarcasm” talks back angrily to Krishna. And yet, each poem ends on a note of devotion that overrides advice or rationality.