Tagore Translation: Come As You Are

Come As You Are by Rabindranath Tagore loose translation by Michael R. Burch Come as you are, forget appearances! Is your hair untamable, your part uneven, your bodice unfastened? Never mind. Come as you are, forget appearances! Skip with quicksilver steps across the grass. If your feet glisten with dew, if your anklets slip, if your beaded necklace slides off? Never mind. Skip with quicksilver steps across the grass. Do you see the clouds enveloping the sky? Flocks of cranes erupt from the riverbank, fitful gusts ruffle the fields, anxious cattle tremble in their stalls. Do you see the clouds enveloping the sky? You loiter in vain over your toilet lamp; it flickers and dies in the wind. Who will care that your eyelids have not been painted with lamp-black, when your pupils are darker than thunderstorms? You loiter in vain over your toilet lamp; it flickers and dies in the wind. Come as you are, forget appearances! If the wreath lies unwoven, who cares? If the bracelet is unfastened, let it fall. The sky grows dark; it is late. Come as you are, forget appearances! Only Let Me Love You by Michael R. Burch after Rabindranath Tagore Only let me love you, and the pain of living will be easier to bear. Only let me love you. Nay, refrain from pinning up your hair! Only let me love you. Stay, remain. A face so lovely never needs repair! Only let me love you to the strains of Rabindranath on a soft sitar. Only let me love you, while the rain makes music: gentle, eloquent, sincere. Only let me love you. Don’t complain you need more time to make yourself more fair! Only let me love you. Stay, remain. No need for rouge or lipstick! Only share your tender body swiftly ...