I've just posted the last of the Lalla poems in my collection. There are 146 of them, the most likely to be authentic, and sufficiently documented. To give this some perspective, Grierson did 109, B. N. Parimoo did 101, Shambhu Nath Bhatt and Janki Nath Bhan did 161 in the Köshur Sama:cha:r collection (only 138 of which were accepted by Jayalal Kaul as being probably authentic), the same 138 were published and translated by Nil Kanth Kotru, and Jaishree Kak Odin had 148 in her collection. I benefited from the work of all these people, and Jaishree was also extremely helpful in providing materials, as was Virendra Qazi. ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 13

JK/NKK 13
kya:h bôDukh mu:hà bavà-södàrà dare,
sôth luharith pèyiy tamà pa:nkh     |
yamà-baTh karànay kö:ly choràdare,
kavà zanà ka:siy marànàny Sa:nkh     ||

Why has delusion
caused you to sink in the current
of the ocean of existence?
Having dismantled the dike,
you are stuck in the mire
of ignorance.
In due time,
the soldiers of Yama
will drag you, bleeding.
How will you deal with
the fear of death?

Note: In Indian mythology, Yama is the god of death.

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 101

JK/NKK 101
karàm zà ka:ran treh kômbith,
yèvà labakh paralokas ankh     |
vvoth khas su:rya-manDal tsômbith,
tavai tsaliy marànàny Sankh     ||

Going beyond the two works
and the three causes,
you will gain insight
into the other world.
Arise, ascend, and pierce through
the disk of the sun,
In that way you
will chase away
the fear of death.

Note: The "two works" are good works and bad works. The three causes are three "stains" or imperfections that cause limitation of perception. Overcoming them allows one to perceive the non-physical world. Through this experience we can overcome the fear of death, as Lalla had.

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 17

JK/NKK 17
niyam karyoth garba:,
tsètas karba: pèyiy     |
maranà bronThày marba:,
mörith tà martabà hàriy     ||

While in the womb,
you made a vow,
when will you remember?
Die (to the world)
before your death,
and after death
you will have reached
the highest state.

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ THE POEMS OF LALLA OF KASHMIR JK/NKK 106

JK/NKK 106
ra:zà hams ö:sith sapadukh kôlày,
kusta:m tsôluy kya:hta:m hèth     |
graTà gav band tay graTan hyôt gôlày,
graTà-vôl tsôluy phal-phôl hèth     ||

You were once a royal swan,
but now your voice is silent.
Someone has taken away
something that was yours.
The mill got stuck,
the grain channel became blocked,
and the Miller ran away
with the grain.

Note: Any writer would say that this is a depiction of writer's block. In Lalla's case, though, it has to be something more. A possible interpretation is that Lalla, addressing herself, had lost focus on the Self and become entangled with the world. The "miller," then, would be Shiva, and I have therefore capitalized the word in my translation. But no one knows for sure what she meant.

ॐ नमः शिवाय ॐ