The time of youth, when the body is strong, the spirit lively and the will firm, is the time to attend to meditation and realize the Lord. Kabir calls it the nighttime of life, the time for soul — the wife — to meet the Lord, her Husband. But the soul has wasted this time in sleep; she has remained indifferent to the treasure of divine love and spiritual bliss that lies within the human body. The best time of life has been spent in lethargy, neglect and worldly pursuits, and the opportunity of union with the Lord has been lost. Now the daytime of old age has come when body and will have both grown weak. Kabir says that even now one should try to make the best use of whatever period of life is left and devote it to the pursuit of God-realization.

Awake, dear friend,
Awake — sleep no more;
The night has faded away,
Why in sleep waste also the day?
Awake, dear friend, sleep no more.

Those who have awakened
Have found the rare ruby;
O foolish woman, while you slept
You even lost what you had.

The night has faded away,
Why in sleep waste also the day?

Your Husband is wise and alert;
You are foolish, O witless wife —
You never prepared the bed
For your Husband to rest.

The night has faded away,
Why in sleep waste also the day?

O crazy woman,
A blunder you've made:
During the vivacious days
Of your youth
Not once did you try
To recognize your Husband,
To make Him your own.

The night has faded away,
Why in sleep waste also the day?

Wake up, become aware —
See, your bed is empty,
The Beloved is not there;
He left you while you were
In the embrace of sleep.

The night has now faded away.
Why in sleep waste also the day?

Says Kabir: Only that wife awakes
Whose heart is pierced
By the arrow of Shabd.

Kabir, p. 263:36
Jāg piyāri ab kyā sovai