thig13.1:0.1Verses of the Senior Nuns 13.1
thig13.1:0.2The Book of the Twenties
thig13.1:0.3Ambapālī
thig13.1:1.1My hair was as black as bees,
thig13.1:1.2graced with curly tips;
thig13.1:1.3now old, it has become like hemp bark—
thig13.1:1.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.
thig13.1:2.1Crowned with flowers,
thig13.1:2.2my head was as fragrant as a perfume box;
thig13.1:2.3now old, it smells like dog fur—
thig13.1:2.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.
thig13.1:3.1My hair was as thick as a well-planted forest,
thig13.1:3.2it shone, parted with brush and pins;
thig13.1:3.3now old, it’s patchy and sparse—
thig13.1:3.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.
thig13.1:4.1With plaits of black and ribbons of gold,
thig13.1:4.2it was so pretty, graced with braids;
thig13.1:4.3now old, my head’s gone bald—
thig13.1:4.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.
thig13.1:5.1My eyebrows used to look so nice,
thig13.1:5.2like crescents painted by an artist;
thig13.1:5.3now old, they droop with wrinkles—
thig13.1:5.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.
thig13.1:6.1My eyes shone brilliant as gems,
thig13.1:6.2wide and indigo;
thig13.1:6.3ruined by age, they shine no more—
thig13.1:6.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.
thig13.1:7.1My nose was like a perfect peak,
thig13.1:7.2lovely in my bloom of youth;
thig13.1:7.3now old, it’s shriveled like a pepper;
thig13.1:7.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.
thig13.1:8.1My ear-lobes were so pretty,
thig13.1:8.2like lovingly crafted bracelets;
thig13.1:8.3now old, they droop with wrinkles—
thig13.1:8.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.
thig13.1:9.1My teeth used to be so pretty,
thig13.1:9.2bright as a jasmine flower;
thig13.1:9.3now old, they’re broken and yellow—
thig13.1:9.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.
thig13.1:10.1My singing was sweet as a cuckoo
thig13.1:10.2wandering in the forest groves;
thig13.1:10.3now old, it’s patchy and croaking—
thig13.1:10.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.
thig13.1:11.1My neck used to be so pretty,
thig13.1:11.2like a polished shell of conch;
thig13.1:11.3now old, it’s bowed and bent—
thig13.1:11.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.
thig13.1:12.1My arms used to be so pretty,
thig13.1:12.2like rounded cross-bars;
thig13.1:12.3with age, they wrinkle and sag as a patala tree—
thig13.1:12.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.
thig13.1:13.1My hands used to be so pretty,
thig13.1:13.2graced with lovely golden rings;
thig13.1:13.3now old, they’re like red radishes—
thig13.1:13.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.
thig13.1:14.1My breasts were both once so pretty,
thig13.1:14.2swelling, round, close-set, and perky;
thig13.1:14.3now they droop like water bags—
thig13.1:14.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.
thig13.1:15.1My body used to be so pretty,
thig13.1:15.2like a polished slab of lustrous gold;
thig13.1:15.3now it’s covered with delicate wrinkles—
thig13.1:15.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.
thig13.1:16.1Both my thighs used to be so pretty,
thig13.1:16.2like an elephant’s trunk;
thig13.1:16.3now old, they’re like bamboo—
thig13.1:16.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.
thig13.1:17.1My calves used to be so pretty,
thig13.1:17.2graced with cute golden anklets;
thig13.1:17.3now old, they’re like sesame sticks—
thig13.1:17.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.
thig13.1:18.1Both my feet used to be so pretty,
thig13.1:18.2plump as if with cotton-wool;
thig13.1:18.3now old, they’re cracked and wrinkly—
thig13.1:18.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.
thig13.1:19.1This bag of bones once was such,
thig13.1:19.2but now it’s withered, home to so much pain;
thig13.1:19.3like a house in decay with plaster crumbling—
thig13.1:19.4the word of the truthful one is confirmed.