Babatunde Olatunji's Music with Mirabai's Poetry

Ever since I first put up Mirabai's poem "It's True I Went To The Market," I've been thinking about what music shuld go with this poem. She might have been beating a drum, but not just any drumming will do for this poetry.

People of a certain age remember the song Jingo by Santana. That song was a cover. The original version was recorded by Nigerian master drummer Babatunde Olatunji (1927-2003) in 1959, on the album Drums of Passion.

This is a mix of sounds from the track Shango (Chant to the Thunder God), from Drums of Passion, and Mirabai's poem, translated by Robert Bly.



This poem was translated from the Rajasthani language by Robert Bly, and it first appeared in the book Mirabai Versions

10/31/2012 UPDATE: Counters inform me that over the past two months, many people from India have visited this post, coming from the cities of New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bangalore, Surat, Calcutta, Pune, Vadodara, Mahape, and many others.  What joy I feel to welcome you here!  It is my sincere hope that you will offer comment, either here or at SoundCloud.  A wise man once wrote: "Better is open rebuke than hidden love."  It is my sincere hope that more skillful creators than I will take the recitation of Mirabai's poem, and make more beautiful creations of words and music than this one.  It is my sincere hope that you will visit the post with a poem by Rabindranath Tagore, and hear the story of my family connection with the great poet.

It's True I Went To The Market by Mirabai

Mirabai wrote poetry in India in the 13th century, the same century as Rumi in Turkey and Dante in Italy. Her and her poetry are beloved in India to this day.

When she refers to "the Dark One," she is referring to Krishna, as Shyamasundara "the beautiful, dark one," is one of Krishna's titles.

When she talks about the price she paid, she is referring to the scandal her devotion caused in her family, and what she left behind.

The line starting out "Mirabai says:" is the way people signed their poetry back in those days.

Why am I sharing this poem with you? Because I put up "These Spiritual Windowshoppers" by Rumi a few days ago, and I wanted to show an example of someone who, whatever else she was, was no spiritual windowshopper. This poem is her receipt, her proof of purchase.

My friend, I went to the market and bought the Dark One.
You claim by night, I say by day.
Actually I was beating a drum all the time I was buying him.
You say I gave too much; I say too little.
Actually, I put him on a scale before I bought him.
What I paid was my social body, my town body, my family body, and all my inherited jewels.
Mirabai says: The Dark One is my husband now.
Be with me when I lie down; you promised me this in an earlier life.

It's True I Went To The Market - Mirabai by douglasbass

This poem was translated from the Rajasthani language by Robert Bly, and it first appeared in the book Mirabai Versions