Thig 5.2 — Verses of the Elder Vimalā

English translation by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

Translation

Text

Thig 5:2 Vimalā, the Former Courtesan

Intoxicated with my complexion
figure, beauty, & fame;
haughty with youth,
        I despised other women.
Adorning this body
embellished to delude foolish men,
I stood at the door to the brothel:
        a hunter with snare laid out.
I showed off my ornaments,
and revealed many a private part.
I worked my manifold magic,
laughing out loud at the crowd.

Today, wrapped in a double cloak,
    my head shaven,
    having wandered for alms,
I sit at the foot of a tree
and attain the state of no-thought.
All ties—human & divine—have been cut.
Having cast off all
effluents,
cooled am I. Unbound.