I Know I Shook Like a Vine
I know
I shook like a vine.
He kissed me
touched my two breasts as he pleased,
pushed the necklace aside.
I remember that much,
but what next?
The letting go,
the body turning to water.
But after that
I keep trying to remember
– and I cannot.
– Anonymous Sanskrit poem (tr. W. S. Merwin & J. Moussaieff Masson)
Sung by John Diamond
Date of Song’s Composition: September 1, 1985
Commentary: This powerful erotic poem was discovered by Dr. Diamond in an anthology called Sanskrit Love Poetry (Columbia University Press, 1977). First known from a fifteenth century anthology titled Subhashitavali, it is much older, and is one of several settings Dr. Diamond made of ancient Sanskrit poetry.