Men look upon the false
Pleasures of the world
As lasting and blissful,
They cherish them
With fervour and joy;
But all beings
Are food for Kal: some
Are between his jaws,
Some in hand, and some
Await their turn
In the plate.

K.G., p. 56:1

Kabir, this day or the next,
Or in the dark of night,
During work or walk,
All of a sudden,
At a moment unthought,
Kal will attack —
As the ruthless hawk pounces
On the bird of prey.

K.G., p. 56:2

Kal stands by your bed,
Gazing at you with glee;
Awake, says Kabir,
Dear friend, awake!
Neglecting the Lord's devotion
How can you afford
Thus to sleep carefree?

K.G., p. 56:3

K.G., p. 56:4

Turn by turn depart
Your dear ones;
Each day, my friend,
Your turn comes nearer.

K.G., p. 57:9

What has risen
Must one day set,
What has bloomed
Must wither away,
What has been made
Must crumble;
So also must go
The one who has come.

K.G., p. 57:11

Like a bubble in water
Is our fate;
One day we will vanish
Like the stars
That with the coming of dawn
Fade.

K.G., p. 57:14

What is this world, O Kabir —
One moment sour,
Next moment sweet;
Those who yesterday
In palaces sat,
Today in cemeteries sleep.

K.G., p. 57:15

K.G., p. 58:18

What are you vain of,
Proud man?
Kal already holds you
By the hair,
Who knows when he'll wield
The final blow —
At home or in some
Distant land.

K.G., p. 58:19

Kabir, love the Lord,
Do not be attached
To the world,
Filthy and false;
How can one foretell
The age of the goat
Tied at the butcher's door?

K.G., p. 59:27

The mourners have died,
So too have died
Those who lit the pyre;
They have passed away
Who wept and cried
And pined for the dead;
There's none in the world
Towards whom one can turn
To be saved.

K.G., p. 60:31

K.G., p. 59:29