Here you will find many poems that I have translated from the Pali over the years. Most were originally published on the back page of the Insight Journal, which is published by the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, and of Insight, a magazine I edited when executive director of the Insight Meditation Society. 

The print quality is uneven, as these are pdf files from scanned images of the original print journal, but in each case I give the original Pali, an English translation, and a brief commentary highlighting some important feature or poetic device of the verse. 

These poems all come from various parts of the Pali Canon: Theragatha, Therigatha, Dhammapada, Udana, Itivuttaka, Samyutta Nikaya, etc. They are listed here from the newest to oldest, and I will add new translations from time to time to the top of the list.

Pali Poetry

Andrew Olendzki

Buddhist Scholar, Teacher and Writer