GIVE ME LOVE - The Ballad of the Madman

Krishna thinking of Radha

Krishna loves Radha and He acts like a madman to see Her, to get closer to Her, to clamp His eyebrows to Her eyebrows. 

HH Gour Govinda Maharaja reveals how Krishna is mad for Radha's love and this poem is inspired by his lecture, which I suggest to listen at. 

http://audio.iskcondesiretree.info/02_-_ISKCON_Swamis/ISKCON_Swamis_-_D_to_P/His_Holiness_Gour_Govinda_Swami/English_Lectures/Various/GGM_Various_-_Radha_prema_makes_Krishna_mad.mp3

Caitanya Caritamrta Adi Lila I 4.122 

পুর্নানান্দা মায়া আমি চিন্মায়া  পুর্না তাতত্ভা

রাধিকার প্রেমে আমা করায়া উন্মত্ত 

"I am the full spiritual truth and am made of full joy, but the love of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī drives Me mad."

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Now also put into music : https://soundcloud.com/mauro-auaro/give-me-love


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GIVE ME LOVE - The Ballad of the Madman

Every  night He draws a full moon for meeting You  (1)

He makes lakes of flowers to bloom

And He paints many dawns in the skies

For remembering the lotus of Your eyes

He cries : Radhe Radhe where are you?

In many dresses He comes in a disguise

As the gardener or the laundry-man wife

to touch your garments or to garland You

wanders from the ghats to the kunds

He calls  : Radhe Radhe where are You?

Roves the roads rummaging every part

Waiting  to see You walk down the path

His friends mock Him when you pass

He pales and drops His flute and sash

His voice chokes : Radhe Radhe let me see You

The night He stands behind the tree,

keen to see His Dream unseen

when You bathe upstream, He swims

where flowers and water flow from Your skin

He despairs : Radhe Radhe where are You?

Roams restless through the groves and the lands

crying up the hill and on the river banks

Mudded and maddened, rolls in the sands,

as a Beggar of Your love and dancer in Your hands

 He pleas : Radhe Radhe give Me Your love!

(1) Sri Krishna Sandarbha, Anuccheda 172 : "In Goloka Vrindavana there are a spiritual sun and moon, and the full moon rises each night because it never wanes."                                    

The embellishments I used for this poem are inspired by the medieval Ballad.

For instance using the same consonant in three words in a row i.e. "roves the roads rummaging every part" or rhyming in the same stanza i.e. "keen to see His Dream unseen"  characterizes the Ballad.

Also the refrain at the end of a set of stanzas is typical of the "ballad" for the etymology of the word comes from French and it means " poem for a dance".

Therefore the nature of a Ballad is musical and the rhythm imbues the poetry.