Shiva’s tandav nritya* the dance of destruction

He the transformer, limitless, omniscient

The holder of time the ultimate destroyer and creator

Man-woman centre of the trinity

Ever moving forward and backward

His cosmic dance

Frenetic in its final phases

We beat the drums and tablas

Dha din din tha, tha din din tha**

Urging him on to our final destruction, hoping to return

To a world reborn, renewed, refreshed

And pure as the first dew on the first day

Of the first dawn.

(*The dance of destruction
** Names of the basic tabla strokes)