Kabir – “Breath” – Poem and Music

Breath

by Kabir

Are you looking for me? I am in the next seat.
My shoulder is against yours.
You will not find me in stupas, not in Indian shrine rooms,
nor in synagogues, nor in cathedrals:
not in masses, nor in kirtans, not in legs winding around your
own neck, nor in eating nothing but vegetables.
When you really look for me, you will see me instantly—
you will find me in the tiniest house of time.
Kabir says: Student, tell me what is God?
He is the breath inside the breath.

(as translated by Robert Bly)

And as a companion to the poem, here’s some beautiful and (probably very familiar music) from some wonderful street musicians my wife and I encountered in Montreal, Canada. I found this rendition very soulful, and there’s something about Pachelbel’s canon that reminds me of the in- and out-breath.

“Le Celebre Canon” as played by Sylvain D’encausse et Laurent Fugere from 30 Grands Succes Classiques Et Populaires

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