Thig 3.4 — Verses of the Elder Dantikā

English translation by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

Translation

Text

Thig 3:4 Dantikā & the Elephant

Coming out from my day’s abiding
on Vulture Peak Mountain,
I saw on the bank of the river
    an elephant
emerged from its plunge.

A man holding a hook requested:
        “Give me your foot.”
The elephant
  extended its foot.
The man
  got up on the elephant.

Seeing what was untrained now tamed
brought under human control,
with that I centered my mind—
  why I’d gone to the woods
        in the first place.