Jadyn Duncan

I Am Mad With Love by Mirabai


I am mad with love 
And no one understands my plight. 

Only the wounded 
Understand the agonies of the wounded, 
When the fire rages in the heart. 
Only the jeweller knows the value of the jewel, 
Not the one who lets it go. 
In pain I wander from door to door, 
But could not find a doctor. 
Says Mira: Harken, my Master, 
Mira's pain will subside 

When Shyam comes as the doctor. 

Biographical Information

Mirabai was born around the start of the sixteenth century in the village of Chaukori located in Merta, Rajasthan. She was faithfully devoted to Sri Krishna, a religious figure for Hindus. At a young age her family had arranged for her to marry prince Bhoj Raj. Marrying a prince would advance her social status and provide a “better life” for her. Conflict between Mirabai and her husband’s family arose because they worshiped the deity Durga and didn’t support Mirabai’s devotion to Sri Krishna. Historians know so much about Mirabai’s life because she wrote her life experiences into poetry ranging from the troubles she faced in her marriage to the happiness her religion brought her. She inspired others with to worship Sri Krishna with her strong devotion.

Poem Analyzation

The poem “I Am Mad With Love” written by Mirabai expresses how she feels about love. From the poem you can tell she is broken hearted and seeking emotional healing. The theme of the poem is emotional healing starts within. Figurative language can be seen in the line “When the fire rages in the heart”. This line is both a metaphor and personification. It is a metaphor because its comparing anger to a fire without using like or as, and personification because the author gave human emotion to fire. By using figurative language Mirabai is able to express the intensity of the anger she is feeling. When Mirabai wrote the poem she didn’t include rhyme scheme. The absence of rhyme enhances the distance and loneliness she is portraying in the poem. The poem has a very lonely tone. Mirabai is feeling like nobody understands the pain she is going through and nobody wants to help her. In the last line, “When Shyam comes as the doctor”, Mirabai makes it clear that she relies on her religious figure for emotional healing not those around her.

Image Analysis

My image shows a hand reaching out for an object or person. I chose this image because Mirabai writes about how she was reaching out for help, but she couldn’t find anyone to help her: “In pain I wander from door to door, but could not find a doctor”.

https://allpoetry.com/I-am-mad-with-Love(poem)
https://pixabay.com/en/hand-hold-reach-place-846092(picture)