Song of a Dom of Mithila — Pada 142
The Dom stands holding out his bowl, O beloved boy.
For so many days I have watched the road for the bridegroom; today that long-awaited day has finally come, O beloved boy.
Through age after age, dear child, others have received their turn; this time the turn is mine, O beloved boy.
Gods, human beings, and sages yearn for the remnants from your plate; only your devotees have a rightful claim to them, O beloved boy.
The Kurmi women glance this way and that; bridegroom, cast your gaze upon me as well, O beloved boy.
With hands joined again and again, I petition you: regard this Dom as one of your own, O beloved boy.
Says Rama’s devotee Asha: bridegroom, turn those gracious eyes toward me for just a moment, O beloved boy.
Song of a Domin of Mithila — Pada 143
O bridegroom, your very presence casts the evil eye; I offer myself to you, my dark beloved!
A wedding cloth crowns your head; yellow silk girds your waist; you wear a saffron robe.
A diamond flashes at your throat, delight shines upon your lips, and playful longing ripples through your hands.
Charming, colorful, graceful— your rose-red scarf is delightful.
Your brows draw Love’s bow, and your eyes shoot arrows; they strike again and again, their kohl a deadly poison.
I, the Domin of Mithila, will dwell in Awadh and gather the remnants from your plate.
Tasting the nectar from your lips, I shall spend my whole life in bliss.
Now I will never abandon this quarrel, even if you take me away to the city of Awadh.
I shall gaze upon your beauty in every house, courtyard, and assembly hall.
Whenever you bathe—in the morning or at midday—