The Fire of the World
Bireshvar Chakravarti

I'll surely go mad now.
The fire of the world
burns in my brain--
how long can I bear it?
I lost myself in the pursuit
of women and wealth, O Tara!
I'm possessed
by this wretched burden,
and I die of fatigue
from the toil of carrying it.

I take great pains
to fix my mind on you,
but it won't stay.
It's teased by worldly affairs.
O Mother Kali,
your beggar servant
pleads in desperation-
he can turn to no one else
on earth, in heaven, in hell!
At your gracious feet, he begs
that his appeal not be in vain,
the way his life has been.

*Tara, or "The One Who Helps The Soul Cross Over," is another name for Kali.