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Therīgāthā · Poems of the Elder Nuns

Thig 5:2 Vimalā, the Former Courtesan

34 selected poems · translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu

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.

See also: AN 7:48; Thag 6:9

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Explore poems at Dhammatalks.org ↗

Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu’s anthology of poems attributed to elder nuns. This source offers selections from the larger collection.

Edition & attribution

Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. These 34 selected poems are reproduced from dhammatalks.org under CC BY-NC 4.0. Formatting adapted for Buddhist Atlas; wording unchanged. This is a selection, not the complete Therīgāthā.

An introduction. Follow the source link below to read the translated text.

Introductions, reflection questions and added section headings are editorial material, separate from the attributed translation.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork created for Buddhist Atlas. It is an evocative companion, not a depiction of the text’s historical setting.

Selected translations · free

Source link checked October 1, 2026. The linked publisher provides the text and its usage terms.

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Therīgāthā — selected poems