Love Songs Of Radha And Krishna 8 Poem by Komarraju Venkata Vinay

He is rough, that cowherd,
That rustic boy.
With raw strength he crushes
Love’s tender joy.

He bit my breasts and dug
His nails, O deep
Into my tender flesh.
Love-torture I reap.

Yet, here, night-hid I wait
That he drink me.
Charmed am I to his wild love
Love-sweet agony.


Back ground:

While Jayadeva’s poem celebrates Krishna’s love and pays comparatively little attention to Radha the woman, Vidyapati is primarily concerned with the intense passion of Radha’s love. I, with my mortal heart, have attempted to strike a balance between the two. At times, I have clothed my emotions with the garb of Krishna and at other times with the bashful apparel of Radha. I have played both the parts within myself: personally and vicariously.

The mention of bites and fingernail marks is found in many a poem. They are considered signs of passion in Indian tradition.

They express the emotive power of the union between the lover and the beloved. It must be mentioned here that ‘the associations are not sadistic, but more like hickeys in American tradition or love bites in the British tradition’.

I have called these poems “The Fire of Love” in the sense that love, like fire, is all-consuming and all-purifying. The longing heart holds the inferno of a thousand suns. The cool shower of the sweetheart’s sight soothes the searing soul. I can vouch for it.