Land of Lime

Basavanna, 101:

When a whore with a child
takes on a customer for money.

neither child nor lecher
will get enough of her.

She’ll go pat the child once,
then go lie with the man once,

neither here nor there.
Love of money is relentless,

My lord of the meeting rivers.

Akkamahadevi, 114:

Husband inside,
lover outside.
I can’t manage them both.

This world
and that other,
cannot manage them both.

O lord white as jasmine

I cannot hold in one hand
both the round nut
and the long bow.

Translated by A K Ramanujan and from Speaking of Siva.