diff options
Diffstat (limited to '24869-tei')
| -rw-r--r-- | 24869-tei/24869-tei.tei | 71552 |
1 files changed, 71552 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/24869-tei/24869-tei.tei b/24869-tei/24869-tei.tei new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d086f59 --- /dev/null +++ b/24869-tei/24869-tei.tei @@ -0,0 +1,71552 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> + +<!DOCTYPE TEI.2 SYSTEM "http://www.gutenberg.org/tei/marcello/0.4/dtd/pgtei.dtd" [ + +<!ENTITY u5 "http://www.tei-c.org/Lite/"> + +]> + +<TEI.2 lang="en"> +<teiHeader> + <fileDesc> + <titleStmt> + <title>The Ramayana</title> + <editor><name reg="Griffith, Ralph T. H.">Ralph T. H. Griffith, M.A.</name></editor> + </titleStmt> + <editionStmt> + <edition n="1">Edition 1</edition> + </editionStmt> + <publicationStmt> + <publisher>Project Gutenberg</publisher> + <date>March 18, 2008</date> + <idno type="etext-no">24869</idno> + <availability> + <p>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and + with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it + away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg + License online at www.gutenberg.org/license</p> + </availability> + </publicationStmt> + <sourceDesc> + <bibl> + Created electronically. + </bibl> + </sourceDesc> + </fileDesc> + <encodingDesc> + </encodingDesc> + <profileDesc> + <langUsage> + <language id="en"></language> + <language id="sa"></language> + <language id="la"></language> + </langUsage> + </profileDesc> + <revisionDesc> + <change> + <date value="2008-03-18">March 18, 2008</date> + <respStmt> + <name> + Produced by Juliet Sutherland, John Bruno Hare, David King, and the Online Distributed Proofreading + Team at <http://www.pgdp.net/>. + Page-images available at + <http://www.pgdp.net/projects/projectID3e283e798085a/> + </name> + </respStmt> + <item>Project Gutenberg TEI edition 1</item> + </change> + </revisionDesc> +</teiHeader> + +<pgExtensions> + <pgStyleSheet> + .boxed { x-class: boxed } + .shaded { x-class: shaded } + .rules { x-class: rules; rules: all } + .indent { margin-left: 2 } + .bold { font-weight: bold } + .italic { font-style: italic } + </pgStyleSheet> + + <pgCharMap formats="txt.iso-8859-1"> + <char id="U0x2014"> + <charName>mdash</charName> + <desc>EM DASH</desc> + <mapping>--</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x2003"> + <charName>emsp</charName> + <desc>EM SPACE</desc> + <mapping> </mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x2026"> + <charName>hellip</charName> + <desc>HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS</desc> + <mapping>...</mapping> + </char> +<!-- book-specific --> + <char id="U0x0144"> + <charName>n</charName> + <desc>LATIN SMALL LETTER N WITH ACUTE</desc> + <mapping>['n]</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x0152"> + <charName>OElig</charName> + <desc>LATIN CAPITAL LIGATURE OE</desc> + <mapping>OE</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x0153"> + <charName>oelig</charName> + <desc>LATIN SMALL LIGATURE OE</desc> + <mapping>[oe]</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x015a"> + <charName>S</charName> + <desc>LATIN CAPITAL LETTER S WITH ACUTE</desc> + <mapping>['S]</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x015b"> + <charName>s</charName> + <desc>LATIN SMALL LETTER S WITH ACUTE</desc> + <mapping>['s]</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x01f9"> + <charName>n</charName> + <desc>LATIN SMALL LETTER N WITH GRAVE</desc> + <mapping>[`n]</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x0391"> + <charName>Alpha</charName> + <desc>GREEK CAPITAL LETTER ALPHA</desc> + <mapping>A</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x039a"> + <charName>Kappa</charName> + <desc>GREEK CAPITAL LETTER KAPPA</desc> + <mapping>K</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x039f"> + <charName>Omicron</charName> + <desc>GREEK CAPITAL LETTER OMICRON</desc> + <mapping>O</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03a0"> + <charName>Pi</charName> + <desc>GREEK CAPITAL LETTER PI</desc> + <mapping>P</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03a3"> + <charName>Sigma</charName> + <desc>GREEK CAPITAL LETTER SIGMA</desc> + <mapping>S</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03b1"> + <charName>alpha</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA</desc> + <mapping>a</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03b2"> + <charName>beta</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA</desc> + <mapping>b</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03b3"> + <charName>gamma</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA</desc> + <mapping>g</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03b4"> + <charName>delta</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA</desc> + <mapping>d</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03b5"> + <charName>epsilon</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON</desc> + <mapping>e</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03b7"> + <charName>eta</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA</desc> + <mapping>ae</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03b8"> + <charName>theta</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA</desc> + <mapping>th</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03b9"> + <charName>iota</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA</desc> + <mapping>i</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03ba"> + <charName>kappa</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA</desc> + <mapping>k</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03bb"> + <charName>lambda</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMBDA</desc> + <mapping>l</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03bc"> + <charName>mu</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER MU</desc> + <mapping>m</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03bd"> + <charName>nu</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER NU</desc> + <mapping>n</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03be"> + <charName>xi</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER XI</desc> + <mapping>x</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03bf"> + <charName>omicron</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON</desc> + <mapping>o</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03c0"> + <charName>pi</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER PI</desc> + <mapping>p</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03c1"> + <charName>rho</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO</desc> + <mapping>r</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03c2"> + <charName>sigmaf</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA</desc> + <mapping>s</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03c3"> + <charName>sigma</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA</desc> + <mapping>s</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03c4"> + <charName>tau</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU</desc> + <mapping>t</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03c5"> + <charName>upsilon</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON</desc> + <mapping>u</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03c6"> + <charName>phi</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER PHI</desc> + <mapping>ph</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03c7"> + <charName>chi</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER CHI</desc> + <mapping>ch</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x03c9"> + <charName>omega</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA</desc> + <mapping>o</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x05d4"> + <charName>he</charName> + <desc>HEBREW LETTER HE</desc> + <mapping>H</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x05d5"> + <charName>vav</charName> + <desc>HEBREW LETTER VAV</desc> + <mapping>V</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x05d9"> + <charName>yod</charName> + <desc>HEBREW LETTER YOD</desc> + <mapping>Y</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x05e2"> + <charName>ayin</charName> + <desc>HEBREW LETTER AYIN</desc> + <mapping>'</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x05e6"> + <charName>tsadi</charName> + <desc>HEBREW LETTER TSADI</desc> + <mapping>TS</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1e0d"> + <charName>d</charName> + <desc>LATIN SMALL LETTER D WITH DOT BELOW</desc> + <mapping>[d.]</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1e45"> + <charName>n</charName> + <desc>LATIN SMALL LETTER N WITH DOT ABOVE</desc> + <mapping>[.n]</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1e47"> + <charName>n</charName> + <desc>LATIN SMALL LETTER N WITH DOT BELOW</desc> + <mapping>[n.]</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1e5b"> + <charName>r</charName> + <desc>LATIN SMALL LETTER R WITH DOT BELOW</desc> + <mapping>[r.]</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1e63"> + <charName>s</charName> + <desc>LATIN SMALL LETTER S WITH DOT BELOW</desc> + <mapping>[s.]</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1e6d"> + <charName>t</charName> + <desc>LATIN SMALL LETTER T WITH DOT BELOW</desc> + <mapping>[t.]</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f00"> + <charName>alpha</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH PSILI</desc> + <mapping>a</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f10"> + <charName>epsilon</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH PSILI</desc> + <mapping>e</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f18"> + <charName>epsilon</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH PSILI</desc> + <mapping>e</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f1d"> + <charName>epsilon</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH DASIA AND OXIA</desc> + <mapping>e</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f21"> + <charName>eta</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA WITH DASIA</desc> + <mapping>ae</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f24"> + <charName>eta</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA WITH PSILI AND DASIA</desc> + <mapping>ae</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f30"> + <charName>iota</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH PSILI</desc> + <mapping>i</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f35"> + <charName>iota</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH DASIA AND OXIA</desc> + <mapping>i</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f38"> + <charName>Iota</charName> + <desc>GREEK CAPITAL LETTER IOTA WITH PSILI</desc> + <mapping>I</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f3c"> + <charName>Iota</charName> + <desc>GREEK CAPITAL LETTER IOTA WITH PSILI AND OXIA</desc> + <mapping>I</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f3d"> + <charName>Iota</charName> + <desc>GREEK CAPITAL LETTER IOTA WITH DASIA AND OXIA</desc> + <mapping>I</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f41"> + <charName>iota</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH DASIA</desc> + <mapping>o</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f49"> + <charName>Omicron</charName> + <desc>GREEK CAPITAL LETTER OMICRON WITH DASIA</desc> + <mapping>O</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f4d"> + <charName>Omicron</charName> + <desc>GREEK CAPITAL LETTER OMICRON WITH DASIA AND OXIA</desc> + <mapping>O</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f50"> + <charName>upsilon</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH PSILI</desc> + <mapping>u</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f51"> + <charName>upsilon</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH DASIA</desc> + <mapping>u</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f70"> + <charName>alpha</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH VARIA</desc> + <mapping>a</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f71"> + <charName>alpha</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH OXIA</desc> + <mapping>a</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f73"> + <charName>epsilon</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH OXIA</desc> + <mapping>e</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f75"> + <charName>eta</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA WITH OXIA</desc> + <mapping>ae</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f77"> + <charName>iota</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH OXIA</desc> + <mapping>i</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f79"> + <charName>omicron</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH OXIA</desc> + <mapping>o</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f7a"> + <charName>upsilon</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH VARIA</desc> + <mapping>u</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f7b"> + <charName>upsilon</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH OXIA</desc> + <mapping>u</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f74"> + <charName>eta</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA WITH VARIA</desc> + <mapping>ae</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1f7d"> + <charName>omega</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA WITH OXIA</desc> + <mapping>o</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1fb6"> + <charName>alpha</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH PERISPOMENI</desc> + <mapping>a</mapping> + </char> + <char id="U0x1ff6"> + <charName>omega</charName> + <desc>GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA WITH PERISPOMENI</desc> + <mapping>o</mapping> + </char> + </pgCharMap> +</pgExtensions> + +<text lang="en"> + <front> + <div> + <divGen type="pgheader" /> + </div> + <div> + <divGen type="encodingDesc" /> + </div> + + <div rend="page-break-before: always"> + <p rend="font-size: xx-large; text-align: center; bold">The RÁMÁYAN of VÁLMÍKI</p> + <p rend="font-size: large; text-align: center; bold">Translated into English Verse</p> + <p rend="font-size: large; text-align: center; bold">by</p> + <p rend="font-size: x-large; text-align: center">Ralph T. H. Griffith, M.A.</p> + <p rend="text-align: center">Principal of the Benares College</p> + <p rend="font-size: large; text-align: center">London: Trübner & Co.</p> + <p rend="font-size: large; text-align: center">Benares: E. J. Lazarus and Co.</p> + <p rend="text-align: center">1870-1874</p> + </div> + <div rend="page-break-before: always"> + <head>Contents</head> + <divGen type="toc" /> + </div> + </front> +<body> + + +<pb n="001"/><anchor id="Pg001"/> + +<div rend="page-break-before: always"> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Invocation.<note place="foot">The MSS. vary very considerably in these +stanzas of invocation: many lines are +generally prefixed in which not only the +poet, but those who play the chief parts in +the poem are panegyrized. It is self-apparent +that they are not by the author +of the Rámáyan himself.</note></head> + +<lg> +<l>Praise to Válmíki,<note place="foot"><p><q>Válmíki was the son of Varuṇa, the +regent of the waters, one of whose names +is Prachetas. According to the <hi rend='italic'>Adhyátmá +Rámáyaṇa</hi>, the sage, although a Bráhman +by birth, associated with foresters and +robbers. Attacking on one occasion the +seven Rishis, they expostulated with him +successfully, and taught him the <hi rend='italic'>mantra</hi> +of Ráma reversed, or <hi rend='italic'>Mará, Mará</hi>, in the +inaudible repetition of which he remained +immovable for thousands of years, so that +when the sages returned to the same spot +they found him still there, converted into +a <hi rend='italic'>valmík</hi> or ant-hill, by the nests of the +termites, whence his name of Válmíki.</q> +</p> +<p> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson</hi>. <hi rend='italic'>Specimens of the Hindu +Theatre, Vol. I. p. 313</hi>. +</p> +<p> +<q>Válmíki is said to have lived a solitary +life in the woods: he is called both a <hi rend='italic'>muni</hi> +and a <hi rend='italic'>rishi</hi>. The former word properly +signifies an anchorite or hermit; the latter +has reference chiefly to wisdom. The two +words are frequently used promiscuously, +and may both be rendered by the Latin +<hi rend='italic'>vates</hi> in its earliest meaning of <hi rend='italic'>seer</hi>: +Válmíki was both poet and seer, as he is +said to have sung the exploits of Ráma by +the aid of divining insight rather than of +knowledge naturally acquired.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel</hi>. +</p></note>bird of charming song,<note place="foot">Literally, +<hi rend='italic'>Kokila</hi>, the Koïl, or Indian +Cuckoo. Schlegel translates <q>luscinium.</q></note></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Who mounts on Poesy's sublimest spray,</l> +<l>And sweetly sings with accent clear and strong</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Ráma, aye Ráma, in his deathless lay.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l>Where breathes the man can listen to the strain</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That flows in music from Válmíki's tongue,</l> +<l>Nor feel his feet the path of bliss attain</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Ráma's glory by the saint is sung!</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l>The stream Rámáyan leaves its sacred fount</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The whole wide world from sin and stain to free.<note +place="foot">Comparison with the Ganges is implied, that river being called the +purifier of the world.</note></l> +<l>The Prince of Hermits is the parent mount,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The lordly Ráma is the darling sea.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l>Glory to him whose fame is ever bright!</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Glory to him, Prachetas'<note place="foot"><q>This +name may have been given to the father of Válmíki allegorically. If we +look at the derivation of the word (<hi rend='italic'>pra</hi>, +before, and <hi rend='italic'>chetas</hi>, mind) it is as if the +poet were called the son of Prometheus, the +Forethinker.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel</hi>.</note>holy son!</l> +<l>Whose pure lips quaff with ever new delight</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The nectar-sea of deeds by Ráma done.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l>Hail, arch-ascetic, pious, good, and kind!</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Hail, Saint Válmíki, lord of every lore!</l> +<l>Hail, holy Hermit, calm and pure of mind!</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Hail, First of Bards, Válmíki, hail once more!</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div rend="page-break-before: always"> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Book I.<note place="foot">Called in Sanskrit also <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Bála-Káṇḍa</foreign>, +and in Hindí <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Bál-Káṇḍ</foreign>, +<hi rend='italic'>i.e.</hi> the Book describing Ráma's childhood, +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">bála</foreign> meaning +a boy up to his sixteenth year.</note></head> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-I"/> +<head>Canto I. Nárad.<note place="foot">A divine saint, son of Brahmá. He +is the eloquent messenger of the Gods, a musician of exquisite skill, and the inventor +of the <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">víṇá</foreign> or Indian lute. He +bears a strong resemblance to Hermes or Mercury.</note></head> + +<ab> +OM.<note place="foot">This mystic syllable, said to typify +the supreme Deity, the Gods collectively, +the Vedas, the three spheres of the world, +the three holy fires, the three steps of +Vishṇu etc., prefaces the prayers and most +venerated writings of the Hindus.</note> +</ab> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To sainted Nárad, prince of those</l> +<l>Whose lore in words of wisdom flows.</l> +<l>Whose constant care and chief delight</l> +<l>Were Scripture and ascetic rite,</l> +<l>The good Válmíki, first and best</l> +<pb n="002"/><anchor id="Pg002"/> +<l>Of hermit saints, these words addressed:<note place="foot">This colloquy is +supposed to have taken place about sixteen years after +Ráma's return from his wanderings and occupation of his ancestral throne.</note></l> +<l><q rend="pre">In all this world, I pray thee, who</q></l> +<l>Is virtuous, heroic, true?</l> +<l>Firm in his vows, of grateful mind,</l> +<l>To every creature good and kind?</l> +<l>Bounteous, and holy, just, and wise,</l> +<l>Alone most fair to all men's eyes?</l> +<l>Devoid of envy, firm, and sage,</l> +<l>Whose tranquil soul ne'er yields to rage?</l> +<l>Whom, when his warrior wrath is high,</l> +<l>Do Gods embattled fear and fly?</l> +<l>Whose noble might and gentle skill</l> +<l>The triple world can guard from ill?</l> +<l>Who is the best of princes, he</l> +<l>Who loves his people's good to see?</l> +<l>The store of bliss, the living mine</l> +<l>Where brightest joys and virtues shine?</l> +<l>Queen Fortune's<note place="foot">Called also Śrí and Lakshmí, the +consort of Vishṇu, the Queen of Beauty +as well as the Dea Fortuna. Her birth +<q>from the full-flushed wave</q> is described +in <ref target="CantoI-XLV">Canto XLV</ref> of this Book.</note> +best and dearest friend,</l> +<l>Whose steps her choicest gifts attend?</l> +<l>Who may with Sun and Moon compare,</l> +<l>With Indra,<note place="foot">One of the most prominent objects of +worship in the Rig-veda, Indra was superseded +in later times by the more popular +deities Vishṇu and Śiva. He is the God +of the firmament, and answers in many +respects to the Jupiter Pluvius of the +Romans. See +<hi rend='italic'><ref target="Notes_Indra">Additional Notes</ref></hi>.</note> +Vishṇu,<note place="foot">The +second God of the Trimúrti or +Indian Trinity. Derived from the root +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">viś</foreign> to penetrate, the +meaning of the name appears to be <emph>he who penetrates or pervades +all things</emph>. An embodiment of the preserving power of nature, he is worshipped as +a Saviour who has nine times been incarnate for the good of the world and +will descend on earth once more. See <hi rend='italic'><ref +target="Notes_Vishnu">Additional Notes</ref></hi> and Muir's +Sanskrit Texts <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</note> Fire, and Air?</l> +<l>Grant, Saint divine,<note place="foot">In Sanskrit <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">devarshi</foreign>. <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: 'italic">Rishi</foreign> is the general appellation of sages, and +another word is frequently prefixed to distinguish the degrees. A +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Brahmarshi</foreign> is a theologian +or Bráhmanical sage; a Rájarshi is a royal sage or sainted king; a <foreign +lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Devarshi</foreign> is +a divine or deified sage or saint.</note> the boon I ask,</l> +<l>For thee, I ween, an easy task,</l> +<l>To whom the power is given to know</l> +<l><q rend="post">If such a man breathe here below.</q></l> +<l>Then Nárad, clear before whose eye</l> +<l>The present, past, and future lie,<note place="foot"><p><foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Trikálajǹa</foreign>. Literally <emph>knower of the +three times</emph>. Both Schlegel and Gorresio quote Homer's.</p> +<lg> +<l>Ὅς ἤδη τ' ἐόντα, τά τ' ἐσσόμενα,</l> +<l>πρό τ' ἐόντα.</l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">That sacred seer, whose comprehensive view,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">The past, the present, and the future knew.</q></l> +</lg> +<p>The Bombay edition reads <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">trilokajǹa,</foreign> +<emph>who knows the three worlds</emph> (earth, air and +heaven.) <q>It is by <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">tapas</foreign> +(austere fervour) that rishis of subdued souls, subsisting on +roots, fruits and air, obtain a vision of the three worlds with all things moving and +stationary.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Manu</hi>, XI. 236.</p></note></l> +<l>Made ready answer: <q rend="pre">Hermit, where</q></l> +<l>Are graces found so high and rare?</l> +<l>Yet listen, and my tongue shall tell</l> +<l>In whom alone these virtues dwell.</l> +<l>From old Ikshváku's<note place="foot">Son of Manu, the first king of Kośala +and founder of the solar dynasty or family +of the Children of the Sun, the God of +that luminary being the father of Manu.</note> line he came,</l> +<l>Known to the world by Ráma's name:</l> +<l>With soul subdued, a chief of might,</l> +<l>In Scripture versed, in glory bright,</l> +<l>His steps in virtue's paths are bent,</l> +<l>Obedient, pure, and eloquent.</l> +<l>In each emprise he wins success,</l> +<l>And dying foes his power confess.</l> +<l>Tall and broad-shouldered, strong of limb,</l> +<l>Fortune has set her mark on him.</l> +<l>Graced with a conch-shell's triple line,</l> +<l>His throat displays the auspicious sign.<note place="foot">The Indians paid great +attention to the art of physiognomy and believed that character and fortune could be +foretold not from the face only but from marks upon the neck and hands. Three lines +under the chin like those at the mouth of a conch (<foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Śańkha</foreign>) were regarded as a peculiarly auspicious +sign indicating, as did also the mark of Vishṇu's discus on the hand, one born to be a +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">chakravartin</foreign> or +universal emperor. In the palmistry of Europe the line of fortune, as well as the +line of life, is in the hand. Cardan says that marks on the nails and teeth also +show what is to happen to us: <q>Sunt etiam in nobis vestigia quædam futurorum +eventuum in unguibus atque etiam in dentibus.</q> Though the palmy days of Indian +chiromancy have passed away, the art is still to some extent studied and believed +in.</note></l> +<pb n="003"/><anchor id="Pg003"/> +<l>High destiny is clear impressed</l> +<l>On massive jaw and ample chest,</l> +<l>His mighty shafts he truly aims,</l> +<l>And foemen in the battle tames.</l> +<l>Deep in the muscle, scarcely shown,</l> +<l>Embedded lies his collar-bone.</l> +<l>His lordly steps are firm and free,</l> +<l>His strong arms reach below his knee;<note place="foot">Long arms were regarded as +a sign of heroic strength.</note></l> +<l>All fairest graces join to deck</l> +<l>His head, his brow, his stately neck,</l> +<l>And limbs in fair proportion set:</l> +<l>The manliest form e'er fashioned yet.</l> +<l>Graced with each high imperial mark,</l> +<l>His skin is soft and lustrous dark.</l> +<l>Large are his eyes that sweetly shine</l> +<l>With majesty almost divine.</l> +<l>His plighted word he ne'er forgets;</l> +<l>On erring sense a watch he sets.</l> +<l>By nature wise, his teacher's skill</l> +<l>Has trained him to subdue his will.</l> +<l>Good, resolute and pure, and strong,</l> +<l>He guards mankind from scathe and wrong,</l> +<l>And lends his aid, and ne'er in vain,</l> +<l>The cause of justice to maintain.</l> +<l>Well has he studied o'er and o'er</l> +<l>The Vedas<note place="foot"><p><q>Veda means originally knowing or +knowledge, and this name is given by the Bráhmans not to one work, but to the +whole body of their most ancient sacred literature. Veda is the same word which +appears in the Greek οίδα, I know, and in the English wise, wisdom, to wit. The +name of Veda is commonly given to four collections of hymns, which are respectively +known by the names of Rig-veda, Yajur-veda, Sáma-veda, and Atharva-veda.</q></p> +<p><q>As the language of the Veda, the Sanskrit, is the most ancient type of the English +of the present day, (Sanskrit and English are but varieties of one and the +same language,) so its thoughts and feelings contain in reality the first roots and +germs of that intellectual growth which by an unbroken chain connects our own +generation with the ancestors of the Aryan race,—with those very people who at the +rising and setting of the sun listened with trembling hearts to the songs of the Veda, +that told them of bright powers above, and of a life to come after the sun of their own +lives had set in the clouds of the evening. These men were the true ancestors of our +race, and the Veda is the oldest book we have in which to study the first beginnings +of our language, and of all that is embodied in language. We are by nature +Aryan, Indo-European, not Semitic: our spiritual kith and kin are to be found in +India, Persia, Greece, Italy, Germany: not in Mesopotamia, Egypt, or Palestine.</q></p> +<p><hi rend='italic'>Chips from a German Workshop</hi>, Vol. I. pp. 8. +4.</p></note>and their kindred lore.</l> +<l>Well skilled is he the bow to draw,<note place="foot">As with the ancient Persians +and Scythians, Indian princes were carefully instructed in archery which stands for +military science in general, of which, among Hindu heroes, it was the most important +branch.</note></l> +<l>Well trained in arts and versed in law;</l> +<l>High-souled and meet for happy fate,</l> +<l>Most tender and compassionate;</l> +<l>The noblest of all lordly givers,</l> +<l>Whom good men follow, as the rivers</l> +<l>Follow the King of Floods, the sea:</l> +<l>So liberal, so just is he.</l> +<l>The joy of Queen Kauśalyá's<note place="foot">Chief of the three queens of Daśaratha +and mother of Ráma.</note>heart,</l> +<l>In every virtue he has part:</l> +<l>Firm as Himálaya's<note place="foot">From <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">hima</foreign> snow, (Greek χειμ-ών, +Latin hiems) and <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">álaya</foreign> +abode, the Mansion of snow.</note> snowy steep,</l> +<l>Unfathomed like the mighty deep:</l> +<l>The peer of Vishṇu's power and might,</l> +<l>And lovely as the Lord of Night;<note place="foot">The moon (<foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Soma</foreign>, <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Indu</foreign>, <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Chandra</foreign> <hi rend='italic'>etc.</hi>) +is masculine with the Indians as with the Germans.</note></l> +<l>Patient as Earth, but, roused to ire,</l> +<l>Fierce as the world-destroying fire;</l> +<l>In bounty like the Lord of Gold,<note place="foot">Kuvera, the Indian Plutus, or +God of Wealth.</note></l> +<l>And Justice self in human mould.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With him, his best and eldest son,</l> +<l>By all his princely virtues won</l> +<l>King Daśaratha<note place="foot">The events here briefly mentioned will +be related fully in the course of the poem. The first four cantos are introductory, and +are evidently the work of a later hand than Valmiki's.</note> willed to share</l> +<l>His kingdom as the Regent Heir.</l> +<l>But when Kaikeyí, youngest queen,</l> +<l>With eyes of envious hate had seen</l> +<l>The solemn pomp and regal state</l> +<l>Prepared the prince to consecrate,</l> +<l>She bade the hapless king bestow</l> +<l>Two gifts he promised long ago,</l> +<l>That Ráma to the woods should flee,</l> +<l>And that her child the heir should be.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By chains of duty firmly tied,</l> +<l>The wretched king perforce complied.</l> +<pb n="004"/><anchor id="Pg004"/> +<l>Ráma, to please Kaikeyí went</l> +<l>Obedient forth to banishment.</l> +<l>Then Lakshmaṇ's truth was nobly shown,</l> +<l>Then were his love and courage known,</l> +<l>When for his brother's sake he dared</l> +<l>All perils, and his exile shared.</l> +<l>And Sítá, Ráma's darling wife,</l> +<l>Loved even as he loved his life,</l> +<l>Whom happy marks combined to bless,</l> +<l>A miracle of loveliness,</l> +<l>Of Janak's royal lineage sprung,</l> +<l>Most excellent of women, clung</l> +<l>To her dear lord, like Rohiṇí</l> +<l>Rejoicing with the Moon to be.<note place="foot"><p><q>Chandra, or the Moon, is +fabled to have been married to the twenty-seven daughters of the patriarch Daksha, or +Aśviní and the rest, who are in fact personifications of the Lunar Asterisms. His +favourite amongst them was Rohiṇí to whom he so wholly devoted himself as to neglect the +rest. They complained to their father, and Daksha repeatedly interposed, till, finding +his remonstrances vain, he denounced a curse upon his son-in-law, in consequence of +which he remained childless and became affected by consumption. The wives of Chandra +having interceded in his behalf with their father, Daksha modified an imprecation which +he could not recall, and pronounced that the decay should be periodical only, not +permanent, and that it should alternate with periods of recovery. Hence the successive +wane and increase of the Moon. <hi rend='italic'>Padma</hi>, +<hi rend='italic'>Puráṇa</hi>, <hi rend='italic'>Swarga-Khaṇḍa,</hi> +Sec. II. <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Rohiṇí</foreign> in Astronomy is +the fourth lunar mansion, containing five stars, the principal of which is Aldebaran.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson</hi>, <hi rend='italic'>Specimens of the +Hindu Theatre. Vol. I. p.</hi> 234.</p> +<p>The Bengal recension has a different reading:</p> +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">Shone with her husband like the light</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Attendant on the Lord of Night.</q></l> +</lg></note></l> +<l>The King and people, sad of mood,</l> +<l>The hero's car awhile pursued.</l> +<l>But when Prince Ráma lighted down</l> +<l>At Śringavera's pleasant town,</l> +<l>Where Gangá's holy waters flow,</l> +<l>He bade his driver turn and go.</l> +<l>Guha, Nishádas' king, he met,</l> +<l>And on the farther bank was set.</l> +<l>Then on from wood to wood they strayed,</l> +<l>O'er many a stream, through constant shade,</l> +<l>As Bharadvája bade them, till</l> +<l>They came to Chitrakúṭa's hill.</l> +<l>And Ráma there, with Lakshmaṇ's aid,</l> +<l>A pleasant little cottage made,</l> +<l>And spent his days with Sítá, dressed</l> +<l>In coat of bark and deerskin vest.<note place="foot">The garb prescribed for +ascetics by Manu.</note></l> +<l>And Chitrakúṭa grew to be</l> +<l>As bright with those illustrious three</l> +<l>As Meru's<note place="foot"><q>Mount Meru, situated like Kailása in the lofty regions +to the north of the Himálayas, is celebrated in the traditions and myths of India. Meru +and Kailása are the two Indian Olympi. Perhaps they were held in such veneration because +the Sanskrit-speaking Indians remembered the ancient home where they dwelt with the other +primitive peoples of their family before they descended to occupy the vast plains which +extend between the Indus and +the Ganges.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</note> sacred peaks that shine</l> +<l>With glory, when the Gods recline</l> +<l>Beneath them: Śiva's<note place="foot">The third God of the Indian Triad, the God of +destruction and reproduction. See <hi rend='italic'><ref target="Notes_Siva">Additional +Notes</ref></hi>.</note> self between</l> +<l>The Lord of Gold and Beauty's Queen.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The aged king for Ráma pined,</l> +<l>And for the skies the earth resigned.</l> +<l>Bharat, his son, refused to reign,</l> +<l>Though urged by all the twice-born<note place="foot">The epithet <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">dwija</foreign>, or <hi rend='italic'>twice-born</hi>, is +usually appropriate to Bráhmans, but is applicable to the three higher castes. +Investiture with the sacred thread and initiation of the neophyte into certain +religious mysteries are regarded as his regeneration or second birth.</note> train.</l> +<l>Forth to the woods he fared to meet</l> +<l>His brother, fell before his feet,</l> +<l>And cried, <q rend="pre">Thy claim all men allow:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">O come, our lord and king be thou.</q></l> +<l>But Ráma nobly chose to be</l> +<l>Observant of his sire's decree.</l> +<l>He placed his sandals<note place="foot">His shoes to be a memorial of the absent +heir and to maintain his right. Kálidása (Raghuvaṅśa, XII. 17.) says that they were +to be <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">adhidevate</foreign> +or guardian deities of the kingdom.</note> in his hand</l> +<l>A pledge that he would rule the land:</l> +<l>And bade his brother turn again.</l> +<l>Then Bharat, finding prayer was vain,</l> +<l>The sandals took and went away;</l> +<l>Nor in Ayodhyá would he stay.</l> +<l>But turned to Nandigráma, where</l> +<l>He ruled the realm with watchful care,</l> +<l>Still longing eagerly to learn</l> +<l>Tidings of Ráma's safe return.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then lest the people should repeat</l> +<l>Their visit to his calm retreat,</l> +<l>Away from Chitrakúṭa's hill</l> +<l>Fared Ráma ever onward till</l> +<pb n="005"/><anchor id="Pg005"/> +<l>Beneath the shady trees he stood</l> +<l>Of Daṇḍaká's primeval wood,</l> +<l>Virádha, giant fiend, he slew,</l> +<l>And then Agastya's friendship knew.</l> +<l>Counselled by him he gained the sword</l> +<l>And bow of Indra, heavenly lord:</l> +<l>A pair of quivers too, that bore</l> +<l>Of arrows an exhaustless store.</l> +<l>While there he dwelt in greenwood shade</l> +<l>The trembling hermits sought his aid,</l> +<l>And bade him with his sword and bow</l> +<l>Destroy the fiends who worked them woe:</l> +<l>To come like Indra strong and brave,</l> +<l>A guardian God to help and save.</l> +<l>And Ráma's falchion left its trace</l> +<l>Deep cut on Śúrpaṇakhá's face:</l> +<l>A hideous giantess who came</l> +<l>Burning for him with lawless flame.</l> +<l>Their sister's cries the giants heard.</l> +<l>And vengeance in each bosom stirred:</l> +<l>The monster of the triple head.</l> +<l>And Dúshaṇ to the contest sped.</l> +<l>But they and myriad fiends beside</l> +<l>Beneath the might of Ráma died.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Rávaṇ, dreaded warrior, knew</l> +<l>The slaughter of his giant crew:</l> +<l>Rávaṇ, the king, whose name of fear</l> +<l>Earth, hell, and heaven all shook to hear:</l> +<l>He bade the fiend Márícha aid</l> +<l>The vengeful plot his fury laid.</l> +<l>In vain the wise Márícha tried</l> +<l>To turn him from his course aside:</l> +<l>Not Rávaṇ's self, he said, might hope</l> +<l>With Ráma and his strength to cope.</l> +<l>Impelled by fate and blind with rage</l> +<l>He came to Ráma's hermitage.</l> +<l>There, by Márícha's magic art,</l> +<l>He wiled the princely youths apart,</l> +<l>The vulture<note place="foot">Jaṭáyu, a semi-divine bird, the friend +of Ráma, who fought in defence of Sítá.</note> slew, and bore away</l> +<l>The wife of Ráma as his prey.</l> +<l>The son of Raghu<note place="foot">Raghu was one of the most celebrated +ancestors of Ráma whose commonest appellation is, therefore, Rághava or +descendant of Raghu. Kálidása in the <hi rend='italic'>Raghuraṇśa</hi> makes him the +son of Dilípa and great-grandfather of Ráma. See <hi rend='italic'>Idylls from the +Sanskrit</hi>, <q>Aja</q> and <q>Dilípa.</q></note> came and found</l> +<l>Jaṭáyu slain upon the ground.</l> +<l>He rushed within his leafy cot;</l> +<l>He sought his wife, but found her not.</l> +<l>Then, then the hero's senses failed;</l> +<l>In mad despair he wept and wailed.</l> +<l>Upon the pile that bird he laid,</l> +<l>And still in quest of Sítá strayed.</l> +<l>A hideous giant then he saw,</l> +<l>Kabandha named, a shape of awe.</l> +<l>The monstrous fiend he smote and slew,</l> +<l>And in the flame the body threw;</l> +<l>When straight from out the funeral flame</l> +<l>In lovely form Kabandha came,</l> +<l>And bade him seek in his distress</l> +<l>A wise and holy hermitess.</l> +<l>By counsel of this saintly dame</l> +<l>To Pampá's pleasant flood he came,</l> +<l>And there the steadfast friendship won</l> +<l>Of Hanumán the Wind-God's son.</l> +<l>Counselled by him he told his grief</l> +<l>To great Sugríva, Vánar chief,</l> +<l>Who, knowing all the tale, before</l> +<l>The sacred flame alliance swore.</l> +<l>Sugríva to his new-found friend</l> +<l>Told his own story to the end:</l> +<l>His hate of Báli for the wrong</l> +<l>And insult he had borne so long.</l> +<l>And Ráma lent a willing ear</l> +<l>And promised to allay his fear.</l> +<l>Sugríva warned him of the might</l> +<l>Of Báli, matchless in the fight,</l> +<l>And, credence for his tale to gain,</l> +<l>Showed the huge fiend<note place="foot">Dundhubi.</note> by Báli slain.</l> +<l>The prostrate corse of mountain size</l> +<l>Seemed nothing in the hero's eyes;</l> +<l>He lightly kicked it, as it lay,</l> +<l>And cast it twenty leagues<note place="foot">Literally <hi rend='italic'>ten +yojanas</hi>. The yojana is a measure of uncertain length variously reckoned as equal +to nine miles, five, and a little less.</note> away.</l> +<l>To prove his might his arrows through</l> +<l>Seven palms in line, uninjured, flew.</l> +<l>He cleft a mighty hill apart,</l> +<l>And down to hell he hurled his dart.</l> +<l>Then high Sugríva's spirit rose,</l> +<l>Assured of conquest o'er his foes.</l> +<l>With his new champion by his side</l> +<l>To vast Kishkindhá's cave he hied.</l> +<l>Then, summoned by his awful shout,</l> +<l>King Báli came in fury out,</l> +<l>First comforted his trembling wife,</l> +<l>Then sought Sugríva in the strife.</l> +<l>One shaft from Ráma's deadly bow</l> +<l>The monarch in the dust laid low.</l> +<l>Then Ráma bade Sugríva reign</l> +<l>In place of royal Báli slain.</l> +<l>Then speedy envoys hurried forth</l> +<l>Eastward and westward, south and north,</l> +<l>Commanded by the grateful king</l> +<l>Tidings of Ráma's spouse to bring.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then by Sampáti's counsel led,</l> +<l>Brave Hanumán, who mocked at dread,</l> +<l>Sprang at one wild tremendous leap</l> +<l>Two hundred leagues across the deep.</l> +<l>To Lanká's<note place="foot">Ceylon.</note> town he urged his way,</l> +<l>Where Rávaṇ held his royal sway.</l> +<pb n="006"/><anchor id="Pg006"/> +<l>There pensive 'neath Aśoka<note place="foot">The Jonesia Aśoka is a most beautiful +tree bearing a profusion of red blossoms.</note> boughs</l> +<l>He found poor Sítá, Ráma's spouse.</l> +<l>He gave the hapless girl a ring,</l> +<l>A token from her lord and king.</l> +<l>A pledge from her fair hand he bore;</l> +<l>Then battered down the garden door.</l> +<l>Five captains of the host he slew,</l> +<l>Seven sons of councillors o'erthrew;</l> +<l>Crushed youthful Aksha on the field,</l> +<l>Then to his captors chose to yield.</l> +<l>Soon from their bonds his limbs were free,</l> +<l>But honouring the high decree</l> +<l>Which Brahmá<note place="foot"><p><foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Brahmá</foreign>, the Creator, is usually regarded as the +first God of the Indian Trinity, although, as Kálidása says:</p> +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">Of Brahmá, Vishṇu, Śiva, each may be</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">First, second, third, amid the blessed Three.</q></l> +</lg> +<p> +Brahmá had guaranteed Rávaṇ's life +against all enemies except man.</p></note> had pronounced of yore,</l> +<l>He calmly all their insults bore.</l> +<l>The town he burnt with hostile flame,</l> +<l>And spoke again with Ráma's dame,</l> +<l>Then swiftly back to Ráma flew</l> +<l>With tidings of the interview.</l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then with Sugríva for his guide,</l> +<l>Came Ráma to the ocean side.</l> +<l>He smote the sea with shafts as bright</l> +<l>As sunbeams in their summer height,</l> +<l>And quick appeared the Rivers' King<note place="foot">Ocean personified.</note></l> +<l>Obedient to the summoning.</l> +<l>A bridge was thrown by Nala o'er</l> +<l>The narrow sea from shore to shore.<note place="foot">The rocks lying between Ceylon +and the mainland are still called Ráma's Bridge by the Hindus.</note></l> +<l>They crossed to Lanká's golden town,</l> +<l>Where Ráma's hand smote Rávaṇ down.</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ there was left to reign</l> +<l>Over his brother's wide domain.</l> +<l>To meet her husband Sítá came;</l> +<l>But Ráma, stung with ire and shame,</l> +<l>With bitter words his wife addressed</l> +<l>Before the crowd that round her pressed.</l> +<l>But Sítá, touched with noble ire,</l> +<l>Gave her fair body to the fire.</l> +<l>Then straight the God of Wind appeared,</l> +<l>And words from heaven her honour cleared.</l> +<l>And Ráma clasped his wife again,</l> +<l>Uninjured, pure from spot and stain,</l> +<l>Obedient to the Lord of Fire</l> +<l>And the high mandate of his sire.</l> +<l>Led by the Lord who rules the sky,</l> +<l>The Gods and heavenly saints drew nigh,</l> +<l>And honoured him with worthy meed,</l> +<l>Rejoicing in each glorious deed.</l> +<l>His task achieved, his foe removed,</l> +<l>He triumphed, by the Gods approved.</l> +<l>By grace of Heaven he raised to life</l> +<l>The chieftains slain in mortal strife;</l> +<l>Then in the magic chariot through</l> +<l>The clouds to Nandigráma flew.</l> +<l>Met by his faithful brothers there,</l> +<l>He loosed his votive coil of hair:</l> +<l>Thence fair Ayodhyá's town he gained,</l> +<l>And o'er his father's kingdom reigned.</l> +<l>Disease or famine ne'er oppressed</l> +<l>His happy people, richly blest</l> +<l>With all the joys of ample wealth,</l> +<l>Of sweet content and perfect health.</l> +<l>No widow mourned her well-loved mate,</l> +<l>No sire his son's untimely fate.</l> +<l>They feared not storm or robber's hand;</l> +<l>No fire or flood laid waste the land:</l> +<l>The Golden Age<note place="foot"><q>The Bráhmans, with a system rather cosmogonical +than chronological, divide the present mundane period into four ages or +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">yugas</foreign> as they call them: the +Krita, the Tretá, the Dwápara, and the Kali. The Krita, called also the Deva-yuga or that +of the Gods, is the age of truth, the perfect age, the Tretá is the age of the three +sacred fires, domestic and sacrificial; the Dwápara is the age of doubt; the Kali, +the present age, is the age of evil.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio.</hi></note> had come again</l> +<l>To bless the days of Ráma's reign.</l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">From him, the great and glorious king,</l> +<l>Shall many a princely scion spring.</l> +<l>And he shall rule, beloved by men,</l> +<l>Ten thousand years and hundreds ten,<note place="foot">The ancient kings of India +enjoyed lives of more than patriarchal length as will appear in +the course of the poem.</note></l> +<l>And when his life on earth is past</l> +<l><q rend="post">To Brahmá's world shall go at last.</q></l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Whoe'er this noble poem reads</l> +<l>That tells the tale of Ráma's deeds,</l> +<l>Good as the Scriptures, he shall be</l> +<l>From every sin and blemish free.</l> +<l>Whoever reads the saving strain,</l> +<l>With all his kin the heavens shall gain.</l> +<l>Bráhmans who read shall gather hence</l> +<l>The highest praise for eloquence.</l> +<l>The warrior, o'er the land shall reign,</l> +<l>The merchant, luck in trade obtain;</l> +<l>And Śúdras listening<note place="foot">Śúdras, men of the fourth and lowest +pure caste, were not allowed to read the poem, but might hear it recited.</note> +ne'er shall fail</l> +<l>To reap advantage from the tale.<note place="foot">The three <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">ślokes</foreign> or distichs which these twelve lines +represent are evidently a still later and very awkward addition to +the introduction.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="007"/><anchor id="Pg007"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-II"/> +<head>Canto II. Brahmá's Visit</head> + +<lg> +<l>Válmíki, graceful speaker, heard,</l> +<l>To highest admiration stirred.</l> +<l>To him whose fame the tale rehearsed</l> +<l>He paid his mental worship first;</l> +<l>Then with his pupil humbly bent</l> +<l>Before the saint most eloquent.</l> +<l>Thus honoured and dismissed the seer</l> +<l>Departed to his heavenly sphere.</l> +<l>Then from his cot Válmíki hied</l> +<l>To Tamasá's<note place="foot">There are several rivers in India of this name, now +corrupted into <hi rend='italic'>Tonse</hi>. The river here spoken of is that which falls +into the Ganges a little below Allahabad.</note> sequestered side,</l> +<l>Not far remote from Gangá's tide.</l> +<l>He stood and saw the ripples roll</l> +<l>Pellucid o'er a pebbly shoal.</l> +<l>To Bharadvája<note place="foot"><q>In Book II, Canto LIV, we meet with a saint of +this name presiding over a convent of disciples in his hermitage at the confluence of +the Ganges and the Jumna. Thence the later author of these introductory cantos has +borrowed the name and person, inconsistently indeed, but with the intention of enhancing +the dignity of the poet by ascribing to him so celebrated a disciple.</q> <hi +rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel.</hi></note> by his side</l> +<l>He turned in ecstasy, and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">See, pupil dear, this lovely sight,</q></l> +<l>The smooth-floored shallow, pure and bright,</l> +<l>With not a speck or shade to mar,</l> +<l>And clear as good men's bosoms are.</l> +<l>Here on the brink thy pitcher lay,</l> +<l>And bring my zone of bark, I pray.</l> +<l>Here will I bathe: the rill has not,</l> +<l>To lave the limbs, a fairer spot.</l> +<l>Do quickly as I bid, nor waste</l> +<l><q rend="post">The precious time; away, and haste.</q></l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Obedient to his master's hest</l> +<l>Quick from the cot he brought the vest;</l> +<l>The hermit took it from his hand,</l> +<l>And tightened round his waist the band;</l> +<l>Then duly dipped and bathed him there,</l> +<l>And muttered low his secret prayer.</l> +<l>To spirits and to Gods he made</l> +<l>Libation of the stream, and strayed</l> +<l>Viewing the forest deep and wide</l> +<l>That spread its shade on every side.</l> +<l>Close by the bank he saw a pair</l> +<l>Of curlews sporting fearless there.</l> +<l>But suddenly with evil mind</l> +<l>An outcast fowler stole behind,</l> +<l>And, with an aim too sure and true,</l> +<l>The male bird near the hermit slew.</l> +<l>The wretched hen in wild despair</l> +<l>With fluttering pinions beat the air,</l> +<l>And shrieked a long and bitter cry</l> +<l>When low on earth she saw him lie,</l> +<l>Her loved companion, quivering, dead,</l> +<l>His dear wings with his lifeblood red;</l> +<l>And for her golden crested mate</l> +<l>She mourned, and was disconsolate.</l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hermit saw the slaughtered bird,</l> +<l>And all his heart with ruth was stirred.</l> +<l>The fowler's impious deed distressed</l> +<l>His gentle sympathetic breast,</l> +<l>And while the curlew's sad cries rang</l> +<l>Within his ears, the hermit sang:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No fame be thine for endless time,</q></l> +<l>Because, base outcast, of thy crime,</l> +<l>Whose cruel hand was fain to slay</l> +<l><q rend="post">One of this gentle pair at play!</q></l> +<l>E'en as he spoke his bosom wrought</l> +<l>And laboured with the wondering thought</l> +<l>What was the speech his ready tongue</l> +<l>Had uttered when his heart was wrung.</l> +<l>He pondered long upon the speech,</l> +<l>Recalled the words and measured each,</l> +<l>And thus exclaimed the saintly guide</l> +<l>To Bharadvája by his side:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">With equal lines of even feet,</q></l> +<l>With rhythm and time and tone complete,</l> +<l>The measured form of words I spoke</l> +<l><q rend="post">In shock of grief be termed a śloke.</q><note place="foot">The poet +plays upon the similarity in sound of the two words: <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">śoka</foreign>, means grief, <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">śloka</foreign>, the heroic measure in which the poem is +composed. It need scarcely be said that the derivation is fanciful.</note></l> +<l>And Bharadvája, nothing slow</l> +<l>His faithful love and zeal to show,</l> +<l>Answered those words of wisdom, <q rend="pre">Be</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">The name, my lord, as pleases thee.</q></l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As rules prescribe the hermit took</l> +<l>Some lustral water from the brook.</l> +<l>But still on this his constant thought</l> +<l>Kept brooding, as his home he sought;</l> +<l>While Bharadvája paced behind,</l> +<l>A pupil sage of lowly mind,</l> +<l>And in his hand a pitcher bore</l> +<l>With pure fresh water brimming o'er.</l> +<l>Soon as they reached their calm retreat</l> +<l>The holy hermit took his seat;</l> +<l>His mind from worldly cares recalled,</l> +<l>And mused in deepest thought enthralled.</l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then glorious Brahmá,<note place="foot">Brahmá, the Creator, +is usually regarded as the first person of the divine triad of India. The four heads +with which he is represented are supposed to have allusion to the four corners of the +earth which he is sometimes considered to personify. As an object of adoration Brahmá +has been entirely superseded by Śiva and Vishṇu. In the whole of India there is, I +believe, but one temple dedicated to his worship. In this point the first of the Indian +triad curiously resembles the last of the divine fraternity of Greece, Aïdes the brother +of Zeus and Poseidon. <q>In all Greece, says Pausanias, there is no single temple of +Aïdes, except at a single spot in Elis.</q> See Gladstone's Juventus Mundi, p. +253.</note> Lord Most High,</l> +<l>Creator of the earth and sky,</l> +<pb n="008"/><anchor id="Pg008"/> +<l>The four-faced God, to meet the sage</l> +<l>Came to Válmíki's hermitage.</l> +<l>Soon as the mighty God he saw,</l> +<l>Up sprang the saint in wondering awe.</l> +<l>Mute, with clasped hands, his head he bent,</l> +<l>And stood before him reverent.</l> +<l>His honoured guest he greeted well,</l> +<l>Who bade him of his welfare tell;</l> +<l>Gave water for his blessed feet,</l> +<l>Brought offerings,<note place="foot">The <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">argha</foreign> or <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">arghya</foreign> was a libation or offering to a deity, a +Bráhman, or other venerable personage. According to one authority it consisted of water, +milk, the points of Kúsa-grass, curds, clarified butter, rice, barley, and white mustard, +according to another, of saffron, bel, unbroken grain, flowers, curds, dúrbá-grass, +kúsa-grass, and sesamum.</note> and prepared a seat.</l> +<l>In honoured place the God Most High</l> +<l>Sate down, and bade the saint sit nigh.</l> +<l>There sate before Válmíki's eyes</l> +<l>The Father of the earth and skies;</l> +<l>But still the hermit's thoughts were bent</l> +<l>On one thing only, all intent</l> +<l>On that poor curlew's mournful fate</l> +<l>Lamenting for her slaughtered mate;</l> +<l>And still his lips, in absent mood,</l> +<l>The verse that told his grief, renewed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Woe to the fowler's impious hand</q></l> +<l>That did the deed that folly planned;</l> +<l>That could to needless death devote</l> +<l><q rend="post">The curlew of the tuneful throat!</q></l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The heavenly Father smiled in glee,</l> +<l>And said, <q rend="pre">O best of hermits, see,</q></l> +<l>A verse, unconscious, thou hast made;</l> +<l>No longer be the task delayed.</l> +<l>Seek not to trace, with labour vain,</l> +<l>The unpremeditated strain.</l> +<l>The tuneful lines thy lips rehearsed</l> +<l>Spontaneous from thy bosom burst.</l> +<l>Then come, O best of seers, relate</l> +<l>The life of Ráma good and great,</l> +<l>The tale that saintly Nárad told,</l> +<l>In all its glorious length unfold.</l> +<l>Of all the deeds his arm has done</l> +<l>Upon this earth, omit not one,</l> +<l>And thus the noble life record</l> +<l>Of that wise, brave, and virtuous lord.</l> +<l>His every act to day displayed,</l> +<l>His secret life to none betrayed:</l> +<l>How Lakshmaṇ, how the giants fought;</l> +<l>With high emprise and hidden thought:</l> +<l>And all that Janak's child<note place="foot">Sítá, daughter of Janak king of +Míthilá.</note> befell</l> +<l>Where all could see, where none could tell.</l> +<l>The whole of this shall truly be</l> +<l>Made known, O best of saints, to thee.</l> +<l>In all thy poem, through my grace,</l> +<l>No word of falsehood shall have place.</l> +<l>Begin the story, and rehearse</l> +<l>The tale divine in charming verse.</l> +<l>As long as in this firm-set land</l> +<l>The streams shall flow, the mountains stand,</l> +<l>So long throughout the world, be sure,</l> +<l>The great Rámáyan shall endure.<note place="foot"><p><q>I congratulate myself,</q> +says Schlegel in the preface to his, alas, unfinished edition of the Rámáyan, +<q rend="pre">that, by the favour of the Supreme Deity, I have been allowed to begin so +great a work; I glory and make my boast that I too after so many ages have helped to +confirm that ancient oracle declared to Válmíki by the Father of Gods and men:</q></p> +<lg> +<l>Dum stabunt montes, campis dum flumina current,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Usque tuum toto carmen celebrabitur orbe.</q></l> +</lg></note></l> +<l>While the Rámáyan's ancient strain</l> +<l>Shall glorious in the earth remain,</l> +<l>To higher spheres shalt thou arise</l> +<l><q rend="post">And dwell with me above the skies.</q></l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke, and vanished into air,</l> +<l>And left Válmíki wondering there.</l> +<l>The pupils of the holy man,</l> +<l>Moved by their love of him, began</l> +<l>To chant that verse, and ever more</l> +<l>They marvelled as they sang it o'er:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Behold, the four-lined balanced rime,</q></l> +<l>Repeated over many a time,</l> +<l>In words that from the hermit broke</l> +<l><q rend="post">In shock of grief, becomes a śloke.</q></l> +<l>This measure now Válmíki chose</l> +<l>Wherein his story to compose.</l> +<l>In hundreds of such verses, sweet</l> +<l>With equal lines and even feet,</l> +<l>The saintly poet, lofty-souled,</l> +<l>The glorious deeds of Ráma told.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-III"/> +<head>Canto III. The Argument.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The hermit thus with watchful heed</l> +<l>Received the poem's pregnant seed,</l> +<l>And looked with eager thought around</l> +<l>If fuller knowledge might be found.</l> +<pb n="009"/><anchor id="Pg009"/> +<l>His lips with water first bedewed,<note place="foot"><q>The sipping of water is a +requisite introduction of all rites: without it, says the Sámha Purána, all acts of +religion are vain.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Colebrooke.</hi></note></l> +<l>He sate, in reverent attitude</l> +<l>On holy grass,<note place="foot">The <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">darhha</foreign> or <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">kuśa</foreign> (Pea cynosuroides), a kind of grass used in +sacrifice by the Hindus as <foreign lang="la" rend="font-style: italic">cerbena</foreign> +was by the Romans.</note> the points all bent</l> +<l>Together toward the orient;<note place="foot">The direction in which the grass should +be placed upon the ground as a seat for the Gods, on occasion of offerings made to +them.</note></l> +<l>And thus in meditation he</l> +<l>Entered the path of poesy.</l> +<l>Then clearly, through his virtue's might,</l> +<l>All lay discovered to his sight,</l> +<l>Whate'er befell, through all their life,</l> +<l>Ráma, his brother, and his wife:</l> +<l>And Daśaratha and each queen</l> +<l>At every time, in every scene:</l> +<l>His people too, of every sort;</l> +<l>The nobles of his princely court:</l> +<l>Whate'er was said, whate'er decreed,</l> +<l>Each time they sate each plan and deed:</l> +<l>For holy thought and fervent rite</l> +<l>Had so refined his keener sight</l> +<l>That by his sanctity his view</l> +<l>The present, past, and future knew,</l> +<l>And he with mental eye could grasp,</l> +<l>Like fruit within his fingers clasp,</l> +<l>The life of Ráma, great and good,</l> +<l>Roaming with Sítá in the wood.</l> +<l>He told, with secret-piercing eyes,</l> +<l>The tale of Ráma's high emprise,</l> +<l>Each listening ear that shall entice,</l> +<l>A sea of pearls of highest price.</l> +<l>Thus good Válmíki, sage divine,</l> +<l>Rehearsed the tale of Raghu's line,</l> +<l>As Nárad, heavenly saint, before</l> +<l>Had traced the story's outline o'er.</l> +<l>He sang of Ráma's princely birth,</l> +<l>His kindness and heroic worth;</l> +<l>His love for all, his patient youth,</l> +<l>His gentleness and constant truth,</l> +<l>And many a tale and legend old</l> +<l>By holy Viśvámitra told.</l> +<l>How Janak's child he wooed and won,</l> +<l>And broke the bow that bent to none.</l> +<l>How he with every virtue fraught</l> +<l>His namesake Ráma<note place="foot">Paraśuráma or Ráma with the Axe. See <ref +target="CantoI-LXXIV">Canto LXXIV</ref>.</note> met and fought.</l> +<l>The choice of Ráma for the throne;</l> +<l>The malice by Kaikeyí shown,</l> +<l>Whose evil counsel marred the plan</l> +<l>And drove him forth a banisht man.</l> +<l>How the king grieved and groaned, and cried,</l> +<l>And swooned away and pining died.</l> +<l>The subjects' woe when thus bereft;</l> +<l>And how the following crowds he left:</l> +<l>With Guha talked, and firmly stern</l> +<l>Ordered his driver to return.</l> +<l>How Gangá's farther shore he gained;</l> +<l>By Bharadvája entertained,</l> +<l>By whose advice he journeyed still</l> +<l>And came to Chitrakúṭa's hill.</l> +<l>How there he dwelt and built a cot;</l> +<l>How Bharat journeyed to the spot;</l> +<l>His earnest supplication made;</l> +<l>Drink-offerings to their father paid;</l> +<l>The sandals given by Ráma's hand,</l> +<l>As emblems of his right, to stand:</l> +<l>How from his presence Bharat went</l> +<l>And years in Nandigráma spent.</l> +<l>How Ráma entered Daṇḍak wood</l> +<l>And in Sutíkhṇa's presence stood.</l> +<l>The favour Anasúyá showed,</l> +<l>The wondrous balsam she bestowed.</l> +<l>How Śarabhanga's dwelling-place</l> +<l>They sought; saw Indra face to face;</l> +<l>The meeting with Agastya gained;</l> +<l>The heavenly bow from him obtained.</l> +<l>How Ráma with Virádha met;</l> +<l>Their home in Panchavaṭa set.</l> +<l>How Śúrpaṇakhá underwent</l> +<l>The mockery and disfigurement.</l> +<l>Of Triśirá's and Khara's fall,</l> +<l>Of Rávaṇ roused at vengeance call,</l> +<l>Márícha doomed, without escape;</l> +<l>The fair Videhan<note place="foot">Sítá. Videha was the country of which +Míthilá was the capital.</note> lady's rape.</l> +<l>How Ráma wept and raved in vain,</l> +<l>And how the Vulture-king was slain.</l> +<l>How Ráma fierce Kabandha slew;</l> +<l>Then to the side of Pampá drew,</l> +<l>Met Hanumán, and her whose vows</l> +<l>Were kept beneath the greenwood boughs.</l> +<l>How Raghu's son, the lofty-souled,</l> +<l>On Pampá's bank wept uncontrolled,</l> +<l>Then journeyed, Rishyamúk to reach,</l> +<l>And of Sugríva then had speech.</l> +<l>The friendship made, which both had sought:</l> +<l>How Báli and Sugríva fought.</l> +<l>How Báli in the strife was slain,</l> +<l>And how Sugríva came to reign.</l> +<l>The treaty, Tára's wild lament;</l> +<l>The rainy nights in watching spent.</l> +<l>The wrath of Raghu's lion son;</l> +<l>The gathering of the hosts in one.</l> +<l>The sending of the spies about,</l> +<l>And all the regions pointed out.</l> +<l>The ring by Ráma's hand bestowed;</l> +<l>The cave wherein the bear abode.</l> +<l>The fast proposed, their lives to end;</l> +<l>Sampati gained to be their friend.</l> +<pb n="010"/><anchor id="Pg010"/> +<l>The scaling of the hill, the leap</l> +<l>Of Hanumán across the deep.</l> +<l>Ocean's command that bade them seek</l> +<l>Maináka of the lofty peak.</l> +<l>The death of Sinhiká, the sight</l> +<l>Of Lanká with her palace bright</l> +<l>How Hanumán stole in at eve;</l> +<l>His plan the giants to deceive.</l> +<l>How through the square he made his way</l> +<l>To chambers where the women lay,</l> +<l>Within the Aśoka garden came</l> +<l>And there found Ráma's captive dame.</l> +<l>His colloquy with her he sought,</l> +<l>And giving of the ring he brought.</l> +<l>How Sítá gave a gem o'erjoyed;</l> +<l>How Hanumán the grove destroyed.</l> +<l>How giantesses trembling fled,</l> +<l>And servant fiends were smitten dead.</l> +<l>How Hanumán was seized; their ire</l> +<l>When Lanká blazed with hostile fire.</l> +<l>His leap across the sea once more;</l> +<l>The eating of the honey store.</l> +<l>How Ráma he consoled, and how</l> +<l>He showed the gem from Sítá's brow.</l> +<l>With Ocean, Ráma's interview;</l> +<l>The bridge that Nala o'er it threw.</l> +<l>The crossing, and the sitting down</l> +<l>At night round Lanká's royal town.</l> +<l>The treaty with Vibhíshaṇ made:</l> +<l>The plan for Rávaṇ's slaughter laid.</l> +<l>How Kumbhakarṇa in his pride</l> +<l>And Meghanáda fought and died.</l> +<l>How Rávaṇ in the fight was slain,</l> +<l>And captive Sítá brought again.</l> +<l>Vibhíshaṇ set upon the throne;</l> +<l>The flying chariot Pushpak shown.</l> +<l>How Brahmá and the Gods appeared,</l> +<l>And Sítá's doubted honour cleared.</l> +<l>How in the flying car they rode</l> +<l>To Bharadvája's cabin abode.</l> +<l>The Wind-God's son sent on afar;</l> +<l>How Bharat met the flying car.</l> +<l>How Ráma then was king ordained;</l> +<l>The legions their discharge obtained.</l> +<l>How Ráma cast his queen away;</l> +<l>How grew the people's love each day.</l> +<l>Thus did the saint Válmíki tell</l> +<l>Whate'er in Ráma's life befell,</l> +<l>And in the closing verses all</l> +<l>That yet to come will once befall.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-IV"/> +<head>Canto IV. The Rhapsodists.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When to the end the tale was brought,</l> +<l>Rose in the sage's mind the thought;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now who throughout this earth will go,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">And tell it forth that all may know?</q></l> +<l>As thus he mused with anxious breast,</l> +<l>Behold, in hermit's raiment dressed,</l> +<l>Kuśá and Lava<note place="foot">The twin sons of Ráma and Sítá, born after Ráma had +repudiated Sítá, and brought up in the hermitage of Válmíki. As they were the first +rhapsodists the combined name Kuśílava signifies a reciter of poems, or an +improvisatore, even to the present day.</note> came to greet</l> +<l>Their master and embrace his feet.</l> +<l>The twins he saw, that princely pair</l> +<l>Sweet-voiced, who dwelt beside him there</l> +<l>None for the task could be more fit,</l> +<l>For skilled were they in Holy Writ;</l> +<l>And so the great Rámáyan, fraught</l> +<l>With lore divine, to these he taught:</l> +<l>The lay whose verses sweet and clear</l> +<l>Take with delight the listening ear,</l> +<l>That tell of Sítá's noble life</l> +<l>And Rávaṇ's fall in battle strife.</l> +<l>Great joy to all who hear they bring,</l> +<l>Sweet to recite and sweet to sing.</l> +<l>For music's sevenfold notes are there,</l> +<l>And triple measure,<note place="foot">Perhaps the bass, tenor, and treble, or +quick, slow and middle times. we know but little of the ancient music +of the Hindus.</note> wrought with care</l> +<l>With melody and tone and time,</l> +<l>And flavours<note place="foot">Eight flavours or sentiments are usually +enumerated, love, mirth, tenderness, anger, heroism, terror, disgust, and surprise; +tranquility or content, or paternal tenderness, is sometimes considered the ninth. +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson</hi>. See the <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Sáhitya Darpaṇa</foreign> or <hi rend='italic'>Mirror +of Composition</hi> translated by Dr. Ballantyne and Bábú Pramadádása Mittra in +the <hi rend='italic'>Bibliotheca Indica.</hi></note> +that enhance the rime;</l> +<l>Heroic might has ample place,</l> +<l>And loathing of the false and base,</l> +<l>With anger, mirth, and terror, blent</l> +<l>With tenderness, surprise, content.</l> +<l>When, half the hermit's grace to gain,</l> +<l>And half because they loved the strain,</l> +<l>The youth within their hearts had stored</l> +<l>The poem that his lips outpoured,</l> +<l>Válmíki kissed them on the head,</l> +<l>As at his feet they bowed, and said;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Recite ye this heroic song</q></l> +<l>In tranquil shades where sages throng:</l> +<l>Recite it where the good resort,</l> +<l><q rend="post">In lowly home and royal court.</q></l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hermit ceased. The tuneful pair,</l> +<l>Like heavenly minstrels sweet and fair,</l> +<l>In music's art divinely skilled,</l> +<l>Their saintly master's word fulfilled.</l> +<l>Like Ráma's self, from whom they came,</l> +<l>They showed their sire in face and frame,</l> +<pb n="011"/><anchor id="Pg011"/> +<l>As though from some fair sculptured stone</l> +<l>Two selfsame images had grown.</l> +<l>Sometimes the pair rose up to sing,</l> +<l>Surrounded by a holy ring,</l> +<l>Where seated on the grass had met</l> +<l>Full many a musing anchoret.</l> +<l>Then tears bedimmed those gentle eyes,</l> +<l>As transport took them and surprise,</l> +<l>And as they listened every one</l> +<l>Cried in delight, Well done! Well done!</l> +<l>Those sages versed in holy lore</l> +<l>Praised the sweet minstrels more and more:</l> +<l>And wondered at the singers' skill,</l> +<l>And the bard's verses sweeter still,</l> +<l>Which laid so clear before the eye</l> +<l>The glorious deeds of days gone by.</l> +<l>Thus by the virtuous hermits praised,</l> +<l>Inspirited their voice they raised.</l> +<l>Pleased with the song this holy man</l> +<l>Would give the youths a water-can;</l> +<l>One gave a fair ascetic dress,</l> +<l>Or sweet fruit from the wilderness.</l> +<l>One saint a black-deer's hide would bring,</l> +<l>And one a sacrificial string:</l> +<l>One, a clay pitcher from his hoard,</l> +<l>And one, a twisted munja cord.<note place="foot">Saccharum Munja is a plant from +whose fibres is twisted the sacred string which a Bráhman wears over one shoulder after +he has been initiated by a rite which in some respects answers to +confirmation.</note></l> +<l>One in his joy an axe would find,</l> +<l>One braid, their plaited locks to bind.</l> +<l>One gave a sacrificial cup,</l> +<l>One rope to tie their fagots up;</l> +<l>While fuel at their feet was laid,</l> +<l>Or hermit's stool of fig-tree made.</l> +<l>All gave, or if they gave not, none</l> +<l>Forgot at least a benison.</l> +<l>Some saints, delighted with their lays,</l> +<l>Would promise health and length of days;</l> +<l>Others with surest words would add</l> +<l>Some boon to make their spirit glad.</l> +<l>In such degree of honour then</l> +<l>That song was held by holy men:</l> +<l>That living song which life can give,</l> +<l>By which shall many a minstrel live.</l> +<l>In seat of kings, in crowded hall,</l> +<l>They sang the poem, praised of all.</l> +<l>And Ráma chanced to hear their lay,</l> +<l>While he the votive steed<note place="foot">A description of an Aśvamedha +or Horse Sacrifice is given in Canto XIII. of this Book.</note> would slay,</l> +<l>And sent fit messengers to bring</l> +<l>The minstrel pair before the king.</l> +<l>They came, and found the monarch high</l> +<l>Enthroned in gold, his brothers nigh;</l> +<l>While many a minister below,</l> +<l>And noble, sate in lengthened row.</l> +<l>The youthful pair awhile he viewed</l> +<l>Graceful in modest attitude,</l> +<l>And then in words like these addressed</l> +<l>His brother Lakshmaṇ and the rest:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Come, listen to the wondrous strain</q></l> +<l>Recited by these godlike twain,</l> +<l>Sweet singers of a story fraught</l> +<l><q rend="post">With melody and lofty thought.</q></l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The pair, with voices sweet and strong,</l> +<l>Rolled the full tide of noble song,</l> +<l>With tone and accent deftly blent</l> +<l>To suit the changing argument.</l> +<l>Mid that assembly loud and clear</l> +<l>Rang forth that lay so sweet to hear,</l> +<l>That universal rapture stole</l> +<l>Through each man's frame and heart and soul.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">These minstrels, blest with every sign</q></l> +<l>That marks a high and princely line,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In holy shades who dwell,</l> +<l>Enshrined in Saint Válmíki's lay,</l> +<l>A monument to live for aye,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">My deeds in song shall tell.</q></l> +<l>Thus Ráma spoke: their breasts were fired,</l> +<l>And the great tale, as if inspired,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The youths began to sing,</l> +<l>While every heart with transport swelled,</l> +<l>And mute and rapt attention held</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The concourse and the king.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-V"/> +<head>Canto V. Ayodhyá.</head> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Ikshváku's sons from days of old</q></l> +<l>Were ever brave and mighty-souled.</l> +<l>The land their arms had made their own</l> +<l>Was bounded by the sea alone.</l> +<l>Their holy works have won them praise,</l> +<l>Through countless years, from Manu's days.</l> +<l>Their ancient sire was Sagar, he</l> +<l>Whose high command dug out the sea:<note place="foot">This exploit is +related in Canto XL.</note></l> +<l>With sixty thousand sons to throng</l> +<l>Around him as he marched along.</l> +<l>From them this glorious tale proceeds:</l> +<l>The great Rámáyan tells their deeds.</l> +<l>This noble song whose lines contain</l> +<l>Lessons of duty, love, and gain,</l> +<l>We two will now at length recite,</l> +<l>While good men listen with delight.</l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">On Sarjú's<note place="foot">The Sarjú or Ghaghra, +anciently called Sarayú, rises in the Himalayas, and after flowing through +the province of Oudh, falls into the Ganges.</note> bank, of ample size,</l> +<l>The happy realm of Kośal lies,</l> +<pb n="012"/><anchor id="Pg012"/> +<l>With fertile length of fair champaign</l> +<l>And flocks and herds and wealth of grain.</l> +<l>There, famous in her old renown,</l> +<l>Ayodhyá<note place="foot">The ruins of the ancient capital of Ráma and the Children +of the Sun may still be traced in the present Ajudhyá near Fyzabad. Ajudhyá is +the Jerusalem or Mecca of the Hindus.</note> stands, the royal town,</l> +<l>In bygone ages built and planned</l> +<l>By sainted Manu's<note place="foot"><p>A legislator and saint, the son of +Brahmá or a personification of Brahmá himself, the creator of the world, +and progenitor of mankind. Derived from the root <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">man</foreign> to think, the word means originally +<hi rend='italic'>man</hi>, the thinker, and is found in this sense in the Rig-veda.</p> +<p>Manu as a legislator is identified with the Cretan Minos, as progenitor of +mankind with the German Mannus: <q>Celebrant carminibus antiquis, quod unum +apud illos memoriæ et annalium genus est, Tuisconem deum terra editum, et +filium Mannum, originem gentis conditoresque.</q> <hi +rend="font-variant: small-caps">Tacitus</hi>, <hi rend='italic'>Germania</hi>, Cap. +II.</p></note> princely hand.</l> +<l>Imperial seat! her walls extend</l> +<l>Twelve measured leagues from end to end,</l> +<l>And three in width from side to side,</l> +<l>With square and palace beautified.</l> +<l>Her gates at even distance stand;</l> +<l>Her ample roads are wisely planned.</l> +<l>Right glorious is her royal street</l> +<l>Where streams allay the dust and heat.</l> +<l>On level ground in even row</l> +<l>Her houses rise in goodly show:</l> +<l>Terrace and palace, arch and gate</l> +<l>The queenly city decorate.</l> +<l>High are her ramparts, strong and vast,</l> +<l>By ways at even distance passed,</l> +<l>With circling moat, both deep and wide,</l> +<l>And store of weapons fortified.</l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">King Daśaratha, lofty-souled,</l> +<l>That city guarded and controlled,</l> +<l>With towering Sál trees belted round,<note place="foot">The Sál (Shorea +Robusta) is a valuable timber tree of considerable height.</note></l> +<l>And many a grove and pleasure ground,</l> +<l>As royal Indra, throned on high,</l> +<l>Rules his fair city in the sky.<note place="foot">The city of Indra is +called Amarávatí or Home of the Immortals.</note></l> +<l>She seems a painted city, fair</l> +<l>With chess-board line and even square.<note place="foot">Schlegel thinks that +this refers to the marble of different colours with which the houses were +adorned. It seems more natural to understand it as implying the regularity of the +streets and houses.</note></l> +<l>And cool boughs shade the lovely lake</l> +<l>Where weary men their thirst may slake.</l> +<l>There gilded chariots gleam and shine,</l> +<l>And stately piles the Gods enshrine.</l> +<l>There gay sleek people ever throng</l> +<l>To festival and dance and song.</l> +<l>A mine is she of gems and sheen,</l> +<l>The darling home of Fortune's Queen.</l> +<l>With noblest sort of drink and meat,</l> +<l>The fairest rice and golden wheat,</l> +<l>And fragrant with the chaplet's scent</l> +<l>With holy oil and incense blent.</l> +<l>With many an elephant and steed,</l> +<l>And wains for draught and cars for speed.</l> +<l>With envoys sent by distant kings,</l> +<l>And merchants with their precious things</l> +<l>With banners o'er her roofs that play,</l> +<l>And weapons that a hundred slay;<note place="foot">The <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Śataghní</foreign> <hi rend='italic'>i.e. centicide</hi>, or +slayer of a hundred, is generally supposed to be a sort of fire-arms, or the +ancient Indian rocket; but it is also described as a stone set round with iron +spikes.</note></l> +<l>All warlike engines framed by man,</l> +<l>And every class of artisan.</l> +<l>A city rich beyond compare</l> +<l>With bards and minstrels gathered there,</l> +<l>And men and damsels who entrance</l> +<l>The soul with play and song and dance.</l> +<l>In every street is heard the lute,</l> +<l>The drum, the tabret, and the flute,</l> +<l>The Veda chanted soft and low,</l> +<l>The ringing of the archer's bow;</l> +<l>With bands of godlike heroes skilled</l> +<l>In every warlike weapon, filled,</l> +<l>And kept by warriors from the foe,</l> +<l>As Nágas guard their home below.<note place="foot">The Nágas (serpents) +are demigods with a human face and serpent body. They inhabit Pátála +or the regions under the earth. Bhogavatí is the name of their capital city. +Serpents are still worshipped in India. See Fergusson's <hi rend='italic'>Tree +and Serpent Worship</hi>.</note></l> +<l>There wisest Bráhmans evermore</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The flame of worship feed,</l> +<l>And versed in all the Vedas' lore,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Their lives of virtue lead.</l> +<l>Truthful and pure, they freely give;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They keep each sense controlled,</l> +<l>And in their holy fervour live</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Like the great saints of old.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-VI"/> +<head>Canto VI. The King.</head> + +<lg> +<l>There reigned a king of name revered,</l> +<l>To country and to town endeared,</l> +<l>Great Daśaratha, good and sage,</l> +<l>Well read in Scripture's holy page:</l> +<pb n="013"/><anchor id="Pg013"/> +<l>Upon his kingdom's weal intent,</l> +<l>Mighty and brave and provident;</l> +<l>The pride of old Ikshváku's seed</l> +<l>For lofty thought and righteous deed.</l> +<l>Peer of the saints, for virtues famed,</l> +<l>For foes subdued and passions tamed:</l> +<l>A rival in his wealth untold</l> +<l>Of Indra and the Lord of Gold.</l> +<l>Like Manu first of kings, he reigned,</l> +<l>And worthily his state maintained.</l> +<l>For firm and just and ever true</l> +<l>Love, duty, gain he kept in view,</l> +<l>And ruled his city rich and free,</l> +<l>Like Indra's Amarávatí.</l> +<l>And worthy of so fair a place</l> +<l>There dwelt a just and happy race</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With troops of children blest.</l> +<l>Each man contented sought no more,</l> +<l>Nor longed with envy for the store</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By richer friends possessed.</l> +<l>For poverty was there unknown,</l> +<l>And each man counted as his own</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Kine, steeds, and gold, and grain.</l> +<l>All dressed in raiment bright and clean,</l> +<l>And every townsman might be seen</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With earrings, wreath, or chain.</l> +<l>None deigned to feed on broken fare,</l> +<l>And none was false or stingy there.</l> +<l>A piece of gold, the smallest pay,</l> +<l>Was earned by labour for a day.</l> +<l>On every arm were bracelets worn,</l> +<l>And none was faithless or forsworn,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A braggart or unkind.</l> +<l>None lived upon another's wealth,</l> +<l>None pined with dread or broken health,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Or dark disease of mind.</l> +<l>High-souled were all. The slanderous word,</l> +<l>The boastful lie, were never heard.</l> +<l>Each man was constant to his vows,</l> +<l>And lived devoted to his spouse.</l> +<l>No other love his fancy knew,</l> +<l>And she was tender, kind, and true.</l> +<l>Her dames were fair of form and face,</l> +<l>With charm of wit and gentle grace,</l> +<l>With modest raiment simply neat,</l> +<l>And winning manners soft and sweet.</l> +<l>The twice-born sages, whose delight</l> +<l>Was Scripture's page and holy rite,</l> +<l>Their calm and settled course pursued,</l> +<l>Nor sought the menial multitude.</l> +<l>In many a Scripture each was versed,</l> +<l>And each the flame of worship nursed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And gave with lavish hand.</l> +<l>Each paid to Heaven the offerings due,</l> +<l>And none was godless or untrue</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In all that holy band.</l> +<l>To Bráhmans, as the laws ordain,</l> +<l>The Warrior caste were ever fain</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The reverence due to pay;</l> +<l>And these the Vaiśyas' peaceful crowd,</l> +<l>Who trade and toil for gain, were proud</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To honour and obey;</l> +<l>And all were by the Śúdras<note place="foot">The fourth and lowest pure caste +whose duty was to serve the three first classes.</note> served,</l> +<l>Who never from their duty swerved,</l> +<l>Their proper worship all addressed</l> +<l>To Bráhman, spirits, God, and guest.</l> +<l>Pure and unmixt their rites remained,</l> +<l>Their race's honour ne'er was stained.<note place="foot">By forbidden +marriages between persons of different castes.</note></l> +<l>Cheered by his grandsons, sons, and wife,</l> +<l>Each passed a long and happy life.</l> +<l>Thus was that famous city held</l> +<l>By one who all his race excelled,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Blest in his gentle reign,</l> +<l>As the whole land aforetime swayed</l> +<l>By Manu, prince of men, obeyed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Her king from main to main.</l> +<l>And heroes kept her, strong and brave,</l> +<l>As lions guard their mountain cave:</l> +<l>Fierce as devouring flame they burned,</l> +<l>And fought till death, but never turned.</l> +<l>Horses had she of noblest breed,</l> +<l>Like Indra's for their form and speed,</l> +<l>From Váhlí's<note place="foot">Váhlí or Váhlíka is Bactriana; its +name is preserved in the modern Balkh.</note> hills and Sindhu's<note place="foot"><p>The +Sanskrit word Sindhu is in the singular the name of the river Indus, in +the plural of the people and territories on its banks. The name appears as +<hi rend='italic'>Hidku</hi> in the cuneiform inscription of Darius' son +of Hystaspes, in which the nations tributary to that king are enumerated.</p> +<p>The Hebrew form is <hi rend='italic'>Hodda</hi> (Esther, I. 1.). +In Zend it appears as <hi rend='italic'>Hendu</hi> in a somewhat +wider sense. With the Persians later the signification of +<hi rend='italic'>Hind</hi> seems to have co-extended with their +increasing acquaintance with the country. The weak Ionic +dialect omitted the Persian <hi rend='italic'>h</hi>, and we find in Hecatæus +and Herodotus Ἴνδος and ἡ Ἰνδική. In this form the Romans received the names +and transmitted them to us. The Arabian geographers in their ignorance +that Hind and Sind are two forms of the same word have made of them +two brothers and traced their decent from Noah. See Lassen's Indische +Alterthumskunde Vol. I. pp. 2, 3.</p></note> sand,</l> +<l>Vanáyu<note place="foot">The situation of Vanáyu is not exactly +determined: it seems to have lain to the north-west of +India.</note> and Kámboja's land.<note place="foot">Kámboja was probably still +further to the north-west. Lassen thinks that the name is etymologically +connected with <hi rend='italic'>Cambyses</hi> which in the cuneiform +inscription of Behistun is written Ka(m)bujia.</note></l> +<pb n="014"/><anchor id="Pg014"/> +<l>Her noble elephants had strayed</l> +<l>Through Vindhyan and Himálayan shade,</l> +<l>Gigantic in their bulk and height,</l> +<l>Yet gentle in their matchless might.</l> +<l>They rivalled well the world-spread fame</l> +<l>Of the great stock from which they came,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Of Váman, vast of size,</l> +<l>Of Mahápadma's glorious line,</l> +<l>Thine, Anjan, and, Airávat, thine.<note place="foot">The elephants of +Indra and other deities who preside over the four points of the compass.</note></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Upholders of the skies.</l> +<l>With those, enrolled in fourfold class,</l> +<l>Who all their mighty kin surpass,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Whom men Matangas name,</l> +<l>And Mrigas spotted black and white,</l> +<l>And Bhadras of unwearied might,</l> +<l>And Mandras hard to tame.<note place="foot"><q>There are four kinds of elephants. +1 <hi rend='italic'>Bhaddar</hi>. It is well proportioned, has an erect head, +a broad chest, large ears, a long tail, and is bold and can bear fatigue. +2 <hi rend='italic'>Mand</hi>. It is black, has yellow eyes, a uniformly sized +body, and is wild and ungovernable. 3 <hi rend='italic'>Mirg</hi>. It has a +whitish skin, with black spots. 4 <hi rend='italic'>Mir</hi>. It has a small +head, and obeys readily. It gets frightened when it thunders.</q> <hi +rend='italic'>Aín-i-Akbarí.</hi>. Translated by H. Blochmann, Aín 41, +<hi rend='italic'>The Imperial Elephant Stables</hi>.</note></l> +<l>Thus, worthy of the name she bore,<note place="foot">Ayodhyá means +<hi rend='italic'>not to be fought against</hi>.</note></l> +<l>Ayodhyá for a league or more</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Cast a bright glory round,</l> +<l>Where Daśaratha wise and great</l> +<l>Governed his fair ancestral state,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With every virtue crowned.</l> +<l>Like Indra in the skies he reigned</l> +<l>In that good town whose wall contained</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">High domes and turrets proud,</l> +<l>With gates and arcs of triumph decked,</l> +<l>And sturdy barriers to protect</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Her gay and countless crowd.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-VII"/> +<head>Canto VII. The Ministers.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Two sages, holy saints, had he,</l> +<l>His ministers and priests to be:</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha, faithful to advise,</l> +<l>And Vámadeva, Scripture-wise.</l> +<l>Eight other lords around him stood,</l> +<l>All skilled to counsel, wise and good:</l> +<l>Jayanta, Vijay, Dhrishṭi bold</l> +<l>In fight, affairs of war controlled:</l> +<l>Siddhárth and Arthasádhak true</l> +<l>Watched o'er expense and revenue,</l> +<l>And Dharmapál and wise Aśok</l> +<l>Of right and law and justice spoke.</l> +<l>With these the sage Sumantra, skilled</l> +<l>To urge the car, high station filled.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">All these in knowledge duly trained</l> +<l>Each passion and each sense restrained:</l> +<l>With modest manners, nobly bred</l> +<l>Each plan and nod and look they read,</l> +<l>Upon their neighbours' good intent,</l> +<l>Most active and benevolent:</l> +<l>As sit the Vasus<note place="foot">Attendants of Indra, eight Gods whose +names signify fire, light and its phenomena.</note> round their king,</l> +<l>They sate around him counselling.</l> +<l>They ne'er in virtue's loftier pride</l> +<l>Another's lowly gifts decried.</l> +<l>In fair and seemly garb arrayed,</l> +<l>No weak uncertain plans they made.</l> +<l>Well skilled in business, fair and just,</l> +<l>They gained the people's love and trust,</l> +<l>And thus without oppression stored</l> +<l>The swelling treasury of their lord.</l> +<l>Bound in sweet friendship each to each,</l> +<l>They spoke kind thoughts in gentle speech.</l> +<l>They looked alike with equal eye</l> +<l>On every caste, on low and high.</l> +<l>Devoted to their king, they sought,</l> +<l>Ere his tongue spoke, to learn his thought,</l> +<l>And knew, as each occasion rose,</l> +<l>To hide their counsel or disclose.</l> +<l>In foreign lands or in their own</l> +<l>Whatever passed, to them was known.</l> +<l>By secret spies they timely knew</l> +<l>What men were doing or would do.</l> +<l>Skilled in the grounds of war and peace</l> +<l>They saw the monarch's state increase,</l> +<l>Watching his weal with conquering eye</l> +<l>That never let occasion by,</l> +<l>While nature lent her aid to bless</l> +<l>Their labours with unbought success.</l> +<l>Never for anger, lust, or gain,</l> +<l>Would they their lips with falsehood stain.</l> +<l>Inclined to mercy they could scan</l> +<l>The weakness and the strength of man.</l> +<l>They fairly judged both high and low,</l> +<l>And ne'er would wrong a guiltless foe;</l> +<l>Yet if a fault were proved, each one</l> +<l>Would punish e'en his own dear son.</l> +<l>But there and in the kingdom's bound</l> +<l>No thief or man impure was found:</l> +<l>None of loose life or evil fame,</l> +<l>No tempter of another's dame.</l> +<l>Contented with their lot each caste</l> +<pb n="015"/><anchor id="Pg015"/> +<l>Calm days in blissful quiet passed;</l> +<l>And, all in fitting tasks employed,</l> +<l>Country and town deep rest enjoyed,</l> +<l>With these wise lords around his throne</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The monarch justly reigned,</l> +<l>And making every heart his own</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The love of all men gained.</l> +<l>With trusty agents, as beseems,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Each distant realm he scanned,</l> +<l>As the sun visits with his beams</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Each corner of the land.</l> +<l>Ne'er would he on a mightier foe</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With hostile troops advance,</l> +<l>Nor at an equal strike a blow</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In war's delusive chance.</l> +<l>These lords in council bore their part</l> +<l>With ready brain and faithful heart,</l> +<l>With skill and knowledge, sense and tact,</l> +<l>Good to advise and bold to act.</l> +<l>And high and endless fame he won</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With these to guide his schemes,</l> +<l>As, risen in his might, the sun</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Wins glory with his beams.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-VIII"/> +<head>Canto VIII. Sumantra's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But splendid, just, and great of mind,</l> +<l>The childless king for offspring pined.</l> +<l>No son had he his name to grace,</l> +<l>Transmitter of his royal race.</l> +<l>Long had his anxious bosom wrought,</l> +<l>And as he pondered rose the thought:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">A votive steed 'twere good to slay,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">So might a son the gift repay.</q></l> +<l>Before his lords his plan he laid,</l> +<l>And bade them with their wisdom aid:</l> +<l>Then with these words Sumantra, best</l> +<l>Of royal counsellors, addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hither, Vaśishṭha at their head,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Let all my priestly guides be led.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To him Sumantra made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hear, Sire, a tale of days gone by.</q></l> +<l>To many a sage in time of old,</l> +<l>Sanatkumár, the saint, foretold</l> +<l>How from thine ancient line, O King,</l> +<l>A son, when years came round, should spring.</l> +<l><q>Here dwells,</q> 'twas thus the seer began,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Of Kaśyap's<note place="foot">Kaśyap was a grandson +of the God Brahmá. He is supposed to have given his name to Kashmír = +Kaśyapa-míra, Kaśyap's Lake.</note> race, a holy man,</q></l> +<l>Vibháṇdak named: to him shall spring</l> +<l>A son, the famous Rishyaśring.</l> +<l>Bred with the deer that round him roam,</l> +<l>The wood shall be that hermit's home.</l> +<l>To him no mortal shall be known</l> +<l>Except his holy sire alone.</l> +<l>Still by those laws shall he abide</l> +<l>Which lives of youthful Bráhmans guide,</l> +<l>Obedient to the strictest rule</l> +<l>That forms the young ascetic's school:</l> +<l>And all the wondering world shall hear</l> +<l>Of his stern life and penance drear;</l> +<l>His care to nurse the holy fire</l> +<l>And do the bidding of his sire.</l> +<l>Then, seated on the Angas'<note place="foot">The people of Anga. <q>Anga +is said in the lexicons to be Bengal; but here certainly another region is +intended situated at the confluence of the Sarjú with the Ganges, and not +far distant from Daśaratha's dominions.</q> <hi +rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>. It comprised part of +Behar and Bhagulpur.</note> throne,</l> +<l>Shall Lomapád to fame be known.</l> +<l>But folly wrought by that great king</l> +<l>A plague upon the land shall bring;</l> +<l>No rain for many a year shall fall</l> +<l>And grievous drought shall ruin all.</l> +<l>The troubled king with many a prayer</l> +<l>Shall bid the priests some cure declare:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The lore of Heaven 'tis yours to know,</q></l> +<l>Nor are ye blind to things below:</l> +<l>Declare, O holy men, the way</l> +<l><q rend="post">This plague to expiate and stay.</q></l> +<l>Those best of Bráhmans shall reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">By every art, O Monarch, try</q></l> +<l>Hither to bring Vibháṇdak's child,</l> +<l>Persuaded, captured, or beguiled.</l> +<l>And when the boy is hither led</l> +<l><q rend="post">To him thy daughter duly wed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But how to bring that wondrous boy</l> +<l>His troubled thoughts will long employ,</l> +<l>And hopeless to achieve the task</l> +<l>He counsel of his lords will ask,</l> +<l>And bid his priests and servants bring</l> +<l>With honour saintly Rishyaśring.</l> +<l>But when they hear the monarch's speech,</l> +<l>All these their master will beseech,</l> +<l>With trembling hearts and looks of woe,</l> +<l>To spare them, for they fear to go.</l> +<l>And many a plan will they declare</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And crafty plots will frame,</l> +<l>And promise fair to show him there,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Unforced, with none to blame.</l> +<l>On every word his lords shall say,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The king will meditate,</l> +<l>And on the third returning day</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Recall them to debate.</l> +<l>Then this shall be the plan agreed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That damsels shall be sent</l> +<l>Attired in holy hermits' weed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And skilled in blandishment,</l> +<l>That they the hermit may beguile</l> +<l>With every art and amorous wile</l> +<pb n="016"/><anchor id="Pg016"/> +<l>Whose use they know so well,</l> +<l>And by their witcheries seduce</l> +<l>The unsuspecting young recluse</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To leave his father's cell.</l> +<l>Then when the boy with willing feet</l> +<l>Shall wander from his calm retreat</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And in that city stand,</l> +<l>The troubles of the king shall end,</l> +<l>And streams of blessed rain descend</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Upon the thirsty land.</l> +<l>Thus shall the holy Rishyaśring</l> +<l>To Lomapád, the mighty king,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By wedlock be allied;</l> +<l>For Śántá, fairest of the fair,</l> +<l>In mind and grace beyond compare,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Shall be his royal bride.</l> +<l>He, at the Offering of the Steed,</l> +<l>The flames with holy oil shall feed,</l> +<l>And for King Daśaratha gain</l> +<l><q rend="post">Sons whom his prayers have begged in vain.</q></l> +<l><q rend="pre">I have repeated, Sire, thus far,</q></l> +<l>The words of old Sanatkumár,</l> +<l>In order as he spoke them then</l> +<l><q rend="post">Amid the crowd of holy men.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Daśaratha cried with joy,</l> +<l><q>Say how they brought the hermit boy.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-IX"/> +<head>Canto IX. Rishyasring.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The wise Sumantra, thus addressed,</l> +<l>Unfolded at the king's behest</l> +<l>The plan the lords in council laid</l> +<l>To draw the hermit from the shade:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The priest, amid the lordly crowd,</q></l> +<l>To Lomapád thus spoke aloud:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hear, King, the plot our thoughts have framed,</q></l> +<l>A harmless trick by all unblamed.</l> +<l>Far from the world that hermit's child</l> +<l>Lives lonely in the distant wild:</l> +<l>A stranger to the joys of sense,</l> +<l>His bliss is pain and abstinence;</l> +<l>And all unknown are women yet</l> +<l>To him, a holy anchoret.</l> +<l>The gentle passions we will wake</l> +<l>That with resistless influence shake</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hearts of men; and he</l> +<l>Drawn by enchantment strong and sweet</l> +<l>Shall follow from his lone retreat,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And come and visit thee.</l> +<l>Let ships be formed with utmost care</l> +<l>That artificial trees may bear,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And sweet fruit deftly made;</l> +<l>Let goodly raiment, rich and rare,</l> +<l>And flowers, and many a bird be there</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Beneath the leafy shade.</l> +<l>Upon the ships thus decked a band</l> +<l>Of young and lovely girls shall stand,</l> +<l>Rich in each charm that wakes desire,</l> +<l>And eyes that burn with amorous fire;</l> +<l>Well skilled to sing, and play, and dance</l> +<l>And ply their trade with smile and glance</l> +<l>Let these, attired in hermits' dress,</l> +<l>Betake them to the wilderness,</l> +<l>And bring the boy of life austere</l> +<l><q rend="post">A voluntary captive here.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ended; and the king agreed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By the priest's counsel won.</l> +<l>And all the ministers took heed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To see his bidding done.</l> +<l>In ships with wondrous art prepared</l> +<l>Away the lovely women fared,</l> +<l>And soon beneath the shade they stood</l> +<l>Of the wild, lonely, dreary wood.</l> +<l>And there the leafy cot they found</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Where dwelt the devotee,</l> +<l>And looked with eager eyes around</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hermit's son to see.</l> +<l>Still, of Vibháṇdak sore afraid,</l> +<l>They hid behind the creepers' shade.</l> +<l>But when by careful watch they knew</l> +<l>The elder saint was far from view,</l> +<l>With bolder steps they ventured nigh</l> +<l>To catch the youthful hermit's eye.</l> +<l>Then all the damsels, blithe and gay,</l> +<l>At various games began to play.</l> +<l>They tossed the flying ball about</l> +<l>With dance and song and merry shout,</l> +<l>And moved, their scented tresses bound</l> +<l>With wreaths, in mazy motion round.</l> +<l>Some girls as if by love possessed,</l> +<l>Sank to the earth in feigned unrest,</l> +<l>Up starting quickly to pursue</l> +<l>Their intermitted game anew.</l> +<l>It was a lovely sight to see</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Those fair ones, as they played,</l> +<l>While fragrant robes were floating free,</l> +<l>And bracelets clashing in their glee</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A pleasant tinkling made.</l> +<l>The anklet's chime, the Koïl's<note place="foot">The Koïl or +<hi rend='italic'>kokila</hi> (Cuculus Indicus) as +the harbinger of spring and love is a +universal favourite with Indian poets. His +voice when first heard in a glorious spring +morning is not unpleasant, but becomes +in the hot season intolerably wearisome +to European ears.</note> cry</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With music filled the place</l> +<l>As 'twere some city in the sky</l> +<l>Which heavenly minstrels grace.</l> +<l>With each voluptuous art they strove</l> +<l>To win the tenant of the grove,</l> +<l>And with their graceful forms inspire</l> +<l>His modest soul with soft desire.</l> +<l>With arch of brow, with beck and smile,</l> +<l>With every passion-waking wile</l> +<pb n="017"/><anchor id="Pg017"/> +<l>Of glance and lotus hand,</l> +<l>With all enticements that excite</l> +<l>The longing for unknown delight</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Which boys in vain withstand.</l> +<l>Forth came the hermit's son to view</l> +<l>The wondrous sight to him so new,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And gazed in rapt surprise,</l> +<l>For from his natal hour till then</l> +<l>On woman or the sons of men</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ne'er had cast his eyes.</l> +<l>He saw them with their waists so slim,</l> +<l>With fairest shape and faultless limb,</l> +<l>In variegated robes arrayed,</l> +<l>And sweetly singing as they played.</l> +<l>Near and more near the hermit drew,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And watched them at their game,</l> +<l>And stronger still the impulse grew</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To question whence they came.</l> +<l>They marked the young ascetic gaze</l> +<l>With curious eye and wild amaze,</l> +<l>And sweet the long-eyed damsels sang,</l> +<l>And shrill their merry laughter rang.</l> +<l>Then came they nearer to his side,</l> +<l>And languishing with passion cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Whose son, O youth, and who art thou,</q></l> +<l>Come suddenly to join us now?</l> +<l>And why dost thou all lonely dwell</l> +<l>In the wild wood? We pray thee, tell,</l> +<l>We wish to know thee, gentle youth;</l> +<l><q rend="post">Come, tell us, if thou wilt, the truth.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He gazed upon that sight he ne'er</l> +<l>Had seen before, of girls so fair,</l> +<l>And out of love a longing rose</l> +<l>His sire and lineage to disclose:</l> +<l><q>My father,</q> thus he made reply,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Is Kaśyap's son, a saint most high,</q></l> +<l>Vibháṇdak styled; from him I came,</l> +<l>And Rishyaśring he calls my name.</l> +<l>Our hermit cot is near this place:</l> +<l>Come thither, O ye fair of face;</l> +<l>There be it mine, with honour due,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Ye gentle youths, to welcome you.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They heard his speech, and gave consent,</l> +<l>And gladly to his cottage went.</l> +<l>Vibháṇdak's son received them well</l> +<l>Beneath the shelter of his cell</l> +<l>With guest-gift, water for their feet,</l> +<l>And woodland fruit and roots to eat,</l> +<l>They smiled, and spoke sweet words like these,</l> +<l>Delighted with his courtesies:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">We too have goodly fruit in store,</q></l> +<l>Grown on the trees that shade our door;</l> +<l>Come, if thou wilt, kind Hermit, haste</l> +<l>The produce of our grove to taste;</l> +<l>And let, O good Ascetic, first</l> +<l><q rend="post">This holy water quench thy thirst.</q></l> +<l>They spoke, and gave him comfits sweet</l> +<l>Prepared ripe fruits to counterfeit;</l> +<l>And many a dainty cate beside</l> +<l>And luscious mead their stores supplied.</l> +<l>The seeming fruits, in taste and look,</l> +<l>The unsuspecting hermit took,</l> +<l>For, strange to him, their form beguiled</l> +<l>The dweller in the lonely wild.</l> +<l>Then round his neck fair arms were flung,</l> +<l>And there the laughing damsels clung,</l> +<l>And pressing nearer and more near</l> +<l>With sweet lips whispered at his ear;</l> +<l>While rounded limb and swelling breast</l> +<l>The youthful hermit softly pressed.</l> +<l>The pleasing charm of that strange bowl,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The touch of a tender limb,</l> +<l>Over his yielding spirit stole</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And sweetly vanquished him.</l> +<l>But vows, they said, must now be paid;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They bade the boy farewell,</l> +<l>And, of the aged saint afraid,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Prepared to leave the dell.</l> +<l>With ready guile they told him where</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Their hermit dwelling lay:</l> +<l>Then, lest the sire should find them there,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sped by wild paths away.</l> +<l>They fled and left him there alone</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By longing love possessed;</l> +<l>And with a heart no more his own</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He roamed about distressed.</l> +<l>The aged saint came home, to find</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hermit boy distraught,</l> +<l>Revolving in his troubled mind</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">One solitary thought.</l> +<l><q>Why dost thou not, my son,</q> he cried,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Thy due obeisance pay?</q></l> +<l>Why do I see thee in the tide</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Of whelming thought to-day?</l> +<l>A devotee should never wear</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A mien so sad and strange.</l> +<l>Come, quickly, dearest child, declare</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">The reason of the change.</q></l> +<l>And Rishyaśring, when questioned thus,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Made answer in this wise:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O sire, there came to visit us</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Some men with lovely eyes.</l> +<l>About my neck soft arms they wound</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And kept me tightly held</l> +<l>To tender breasts so soft and round,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That strangely heaved and swelled.</l> +<l>They sing more sweetly as they dance</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Than e'er I heard till now,</l> +<l>And play with many a sidelong glance</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">And arching of the brow.</q></l> +<l><q>My son,</q> said he, <q rend="pre">thus giants roam</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Where holy hermits are,</l> +<l>And wander round their peaceful home</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Their rites austere to mar.</l> +<l>I charge thee, thou must never lay</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thy trust in them, dear boy:</l> +<l>They seek thee only to betray,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">And woo but to destroy.</q></l> +<l>Thus having warned him of his foes</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That night at home he spent.</l> +<l>And when the morrow's sun arose</l> +<pb n="018"/><anchor id="Pg018"/> +<l>Forth to the forest went.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But Rishyaśring with eager pace</l> +<l>Sped forth and hurried to the place</l> +<l>Where he those visitants had seen</l> +<l>Of daintly waist and charming mien.</l> +<l>When from afar they saw the son</l> +<l>Of Saint Vibháṇdak toward them run,</l> +<l>To meet the hermit boy they hied,</l> +<l>And hailed him with a smile, and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O come, we pray, dear lord, behold</q></l> +<l>Our lovely home of which we told</l> +<l>Due honour there to thee we'll pay,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And speed thee on thy homeward way.</q></l> +<l>Pleased with the gracious words they said</l> +<l>He followed where the damsels led.</l> +<l>As with his guides his steps he bent,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That Bráhman high of worth,</l> +<l>A flood of rain from heaven was sent</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That gladdened all the earth.</l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Vibháṇdak took his homeward road,</l> +<l>And wearied by the heavy load</l> +<l>Of roots and woodland fruit he bore</l> +<l>Entered at last his cottage door.</l> +<l>Fain for his son he looked around,</l> +<l>But desolate the cell he found.</l> +<l>He stayed not then to bathe his feet,</l> +<l>Though fainting with the toil and heat,</l> +<l>But hurried forth and roamed about</l> +<l>Calling the boy with cry and shout,</l> +<l>He searched the wood, but all in vain;</l> +<l>Nor tidings of his son could gain.</l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">One day beyond the forest's bound</l> +<l>The wandering saint a village found,</l> +<l>And asked the swains and neatherds there</l> +<l>Who owned the land so rich and fair,</l> +<l>With all the hamlets of the plain,</l> +<l>And herds of kine and fields of grain.</l> +<l>They listened to the hermit's words,</l> +<l>And all the guardians of the herds,</l> +<l>With suppliant hands together pressed,</l> +<l>This answer to the saint addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The Angas' lord who bears the name</q></l> +<l>Of Lomapád, renowned by fame,</l> +<l>Bestowed these hamlets with their kine</l> +<l>And all their riches, as a sign</l> +<l>Of grace, on Rishyaśring: and he</l> +<l><q rend="post">Vibháṇdak's son is said to be.</q></l> +<l>The hermit with exulting breast</l> +<l>The mighty will of fate confessed,</l> +<l>By meditation's eye discerned;</l> +<l>And cheerful to his home returned.</l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A stately ship, at early morn,</l> +<l>The hermit's son away had borne.</l> +<l>Loud roared the clouds, as on he sped,</l> +<l>The sky grew blacker overhead;</l> +<l>Till, as he reached the royal town,</l> +<l>A mighty flood of rain came down.</l> +<l>By the great rain the monarch's mind</l> +<l>The coming of his guest divined.</l> +<l>To meet the honoured youth he went,</l> +<l>And low to earth his head he bent.</l> +<l>With his own priest to lead the train,</l> +<l>He gave the gift high guests obtain.</l> +<l>And sought, with all who dwelt within</l> +<l>The city walls, his grace to win.</l> +<l>He fed him with the daintiest fare,</l> +<l>He served him with unceasing care,</l> +<l>And ministered with anxious eyes</l> +<l>Lest anger in his breast should rise;</l> +<l>And gave to be the Bráhman's bride</l> +<l>His own fair daughter, lotus-eyed.</l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus loved and honoured by the king,</l> +<l>The glorious Bráhman Rishyaśring</l> +<l>Passed in that royal town his life</l> +<l><q rend="post">With Śántá his beloved wife.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-X"/> +<head>Canto X. Rishyasring Invited.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">Again, O best of kings, give ear:</q></l> +<l>My saving words attentive hear,</l> +<l>And listen to the tale of old</l> +<l>By that illustrious Bráhman told.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Of famed Ikshváku's line shall spring</q></l> +<l>('Twas thus he spoke) a pious king,</l> +<l>Named Daśaratha, good and great,</l> +<l>True to his word and fortunate.</l> +<l>He with the Angas' mighty lord</l> +<l>Shall ever live in sweet accord,</l> +<l>And his a daughter fair shall be,</l> +<l>Śántá of happy destiny.</l> +<l>But Lomapád, the Angas' chief,</l> +<l>Still pining in his childless grief,</l> +<l>To Daśaratha thus shall say:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Give me thy daughter, friend, I pray,</q></l> +<l>Thy Śántá of the tranquil mind,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The noblest one of womankind.</q></l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The father, swift to feel for woe,</l> +<l>Shall on his friend his child bestow;</l> +<l>And he shall take her and depart</l> +<l>To his own town with joyous heart.</l> +<l>The maiden home in triumph led,</l> +<l>To Rishyaśring the king shall wed.</l> +<l>And he with loving joy and pride</l> +<l>Shall take her for his honoured bride.</l> +<l>And Daśaratha to a rite</l> +<l>That best of Bráhmans shall invite</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With supplicating prayer,</l> +<l>To celebrate the sacrifice</l> +<l>To win him sons and Paradise,<note place="foot"><q>Sons and Paradise +are intimately connected in Indian belief. A man desires +above every thing to have a son to perpetuate +his race, and to assist with sacrifices +and funeral rites to make him worthy to +obtain a lofty seat in heaven or to preserve +that which he has already obtained.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</note></l> +<l>That he will fain prepare.</l> +<pb n="019"/><anchor id="Pg019"/> +<l>From him the lord of men at length</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The boon he seeks shall gain,</l> +<l>And see four sons of boundless strength</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">His royal line maintain.</q></l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thus did the godlike saint of old</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The will of fate declare,</l> +<l>And all that should befall unfold</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Amid the sages there.</l> +<l>O Prince supreme of men, go thou,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Consult thy holy guide,</l> +<l>And win, to aid thee in thy vow,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">This Bráhman to thy side.</q></l> +<l>Sumantra's counsel, wise and good,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">King Daśaratha heard,</l> +<l>Then by Vaśishṭha's side he stood</l> +<l>And thus with him conferred:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Sumantra counsels thus: do thou</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">My priestly guide, the plan allow.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Vaśishṭha gave his glad consent,</l> +<l>And forth the happy monarch went</l> +<l>With lords and servants on the road</l> +<l>That led to Rishyaśring's abode.</l> +<l>Forests and rivers duly past,</l> +<l>He reached the distant town at last</l> +<l>Of Lomapád the Angas' king,</l> +<l>And entered it with welcoming.</l> +<l>On through the crowded streets he came,</l> +<l>And, radiant as the kindled flame,</l> +<l>He saw within the monarch's house</l> +<l>The hermit's son most glorious.</l> +<l>There Lomapád, with joyful breast,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To him all honour paid,</l> +<l>For friendship for his royal guest</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His faithful bosom swayed.</l> +<l>Thus entertained with utmost care</l> +<l>Seven days, or eight, he tarried there,</l> +<l>And then that best of men thus broke</l> +<l>His purpose to the king, and spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O King of men, mine ancient friend,</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">(Thus Daśaratha prayed)</l> +<l>Thy Śántá with her husband send</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">My sacrifice to aid.</q></l> +<l>Said he who ruled the Angas, Yea,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And his consent was won:</l> +<l>And then at once he turned away</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To warn the hermit's son.</l> +<l>He told him of their ties beyond</l> +<l>Their old affection's faithful bond:</l> +<l><q>This king,</q> he said, <q rend="pre">from days of old</q></l> +<l>A well beloved friend I hold.</l> +<l>To me this pearl of dames he gave</l> +<l>From childless woe mine age to save,</l> +<l>The daughter whom he loved so much,</l> +<l>Moved by compassion's gentle touch.</l> +<l>In him thy Śántás father see:</l> +<l>As I am even so is he.</l> +<l>For sons the childless monarch yearns:</l> +<l>To thee alone for help he turns.</l> +<l>Go thou, the sacred rite ordain</l> +<l>To win the sons he prays to gain:</l> +<l>Go, with thy wife thy succour lend,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And give his vows a blissful end.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hermit's son with quick accord</l> +<l>Obeyed the Angas' mighty lord,</l> +<l>And with fair Śántá at his side</l> +<l>To Daśaratha's city hied.</l> +<l>Each king, with suppliant hands upheld,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Gazed on the other's face:</l> +<l>And then by mutual love impelled</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Met in a close embrace.</l> +<l>Then Daśaratha's thoughtful care,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Before he parted thence,</l> +<l>Bade trusty servants homeward bear</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The glad intelligence:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Let all the town be bright and gay</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With burning incense sweet;</l> +<l>Let banners wave, and water lay</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">The dust in every street.</q></l> +<l>Glad were the citizens to learn</l> +<l>The tidings of their lord's return,</l> +<l>And through the city every man</l> +<l>Obediently his task began.</l> +<l>And fair and bright Ayodhyá showed,</l> +<l>As following his guest he rode</l> +<l>Through the full streets where shell and drum</l> +<l>Proclaimed aloud the king was come.</l> +<l>And all the people with delight</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Kept gazing on their king,</l> +<l>Attended by that youth so bright,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The glorious Rishyaśring.</l> +<l>When to his home the king had brought</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hermit's saintly son,</l> +<l>He deemed that all his task was wrought,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And all he prayed for won.</l> +<l>And lords who saw that stranger dame</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">So beautiful to view,</l> +<l>Rejoiced within their hearts, and came</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And paid her honour too.</l> +<l>There Rishyaśring passed blissful days,</l> +<l>Graced like the king with love and praise</l> +<l>And shone in glorious light with her,</l> +<l>Sweet Śántá, for his minister,</l> +<l>As Brahmá's son Vaśishṭha, he</l> +<l>Who wedded Saint Arundhatí.<note place="foot">One of the Pleiades and +generally regarded as the model of wifely excellence.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XI"/> +<head>Canto XI. The Sacrifice Decreed.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The Dewy Season<note place="foot">The Hindu year is +divided into six seasons of two months each, spring, summer, +rains, autumn, winter, and dews.</note> came and went;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The spring returned again:</l> +<l>Then would the king, with mind intent,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His sacrifice ordain.</l> +<pb n="020"/><anchor id="Pg020"/> +<l>He came to Rishyaśring, and bowed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To him of look divine,</l> +<l>And bade him aid his offering vowed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">For heirs, to save his line.</l> +<l>Nor would the youth his aid deny:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spake the monarch fair,</l> +<l>And prayed him for that rite so high</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">All requisites prepare.</l> +<l>The king to wise Sumantra cried</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Who stood aye ready near;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Go summon quick each holy guide,</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">To counsel and to hear.</q></l> +<l>Obedient to his lord's behest</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Away Sumantra sped,</l> +<l>And brought Vaśishṭha and the rest,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In Scripture deeply read.</l> +<l>Suyajǹa, Vámadeva came,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Jávali, Kaśyap's son,</l> +<l>And old Vaśishṭha, dear to fame,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Obedient every one.</l> +<l>King Daśaratha met them there</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And duly honoured each,</l> +<l>And spoke in pleasant words his fair</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And salutary speech:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">In childless longing doomed to pine,</q></l> +<l>No happiness, O lords, is mine.</l> +<l>So have I for this cause decreed</l> +<l>To slay the sacrificial steed.</l> +<l>Fain would I pay that offering high</l> +<l>Wherein the horse is doomed to die,</l> +<l>With Rishyaśring his aid to lend,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And with your glory to befriend.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With loud applause each holy man</l> +<l>Received his speech, approved the plan,</l> +<l>And, by the wise Vaśishṭha led,</l> +<l>Gave praises to the king, and said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The sons thou cravest shalt thou see,</q></l> +<l>Of fairest glory, born to thee,</l> +<l>Whose holy feelings bid thee take</l> +<l><q rend="post">This righteous course for offspring's sake.</q></l> +<l>Cheered by the ready praise of those</l> +<l>Whose aid he sought, his spirits rose,</l> +<l>And thus the king his speech renewed</l> +<l>With looks of joy and gratitude:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Let what the coming rites require</q></l> +<l>Be ready as the priests desire,</l> +<l>And let the horse, ordained to bleed,</l> +<l>With fitting guard and priest, be freed,<note place="foot">It was +essential that the horse should wander free for a year before immolation, +as a sign that his master's paramount sovereignty was acknowledged by all +neighbouring princes.</note></l> +<l>Yonder on Sarjú's northern side</l> +<l>The sacrificial ground provide;</l> +<l>And let the saving rites, that naught</l> +<l>Ill-omened may occur, be wrought.</l> +<l>The offering I announce to-day</l> +<l>Each lord of earth may claim to pay,</l> +<l>Provided that his care can guard</l> +<l>The holy rite by flaws unmarred.</l> +<l>For wandering fiends, whose watchful spite</l> +<l>Waits eagerly to spoil each rite,</l> +<l>Hunting with keenest eye detect</l> +<l>The slightest slip, the least neglect;</l> +<l>And when the sacred work is crossed</l> +<l>The workman is that moment lost.</l> +<l>Let preparation due be made:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Your powers the charge can meet:</l> +<l>That so the noble rite be paid</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">In every point complete.</q></l> +<l>And all the Bráhmans answered, Yea,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His mandate honouring,</l> +<l>And gladly promised to obey</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The order of the king.</l> +<l>They cried with voices raised aloud:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Success attend thine aim!</q></l> +<l>Then bade farewell, and lowly bowed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And hastened whence they came.</l> +<l>King Daśaratha went within,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His well loved wives to see:</l> +<l>And said: <q rend="pre">Your lustral rites begin,</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">For these shall prosper me.</l> +<l>A glorious offering I prepare</l> +<l><q rend="post">That precious fruit of sons may bear.</q></l> +<l>Their lily faces brightened fast</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Those pleasant words to hear,</l> +<l>As lilies, when the winter's past,</l> +<l>In lovelier hues appear.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XII"/> +<head>Canto XII. The Sacrifice Begun.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Again the spring with genial heat</l> +<l>Returning made the year complete.</l> +<l>To win him sons, without delay</l> +<l>His vow the king resolved to pay:</l> +<l>And to Vaśishṭha, saintly man,</l> +<l>In modest words this speech began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Prepare the rite with all things fit</q></l> +<l>As is ordained in Holy Writ,</l> +<l>And keep with utmost care afar</l> +<l>Whate'er its sacred forms might mar.</l> +<l>Thou art, my lord, my trustiest guide,</l> +<l>Kind-hearted, and my friend beside;</l> +<l>So is it meet thou undertake</l> +<l><q rend="post">This heavy task for duty's sake.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then he, of twice-born men the best,</l> +<l>His glad assent at once expressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Fain will I do whate'er may be</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Desired, O honoured King, by thee.</q></l> +<l>To ancient priests he spoke, who, trained</l> +<l>In holy rites, deep skill had gained:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Here guards be stationed, good and sage</q></l> +<l>Religious men of trusted age.</l> +<l>And various workmen send and call,</l> +<l>Who frame the door and build the wall:</l> +<l>With men of every art and trade,</l> +<l>Who read the stars and ply the spade,</l> +<pb n="021"/><anchor id="Pg021"/> +<l>And mimes and minstrels hither bring,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And damsels trained to dance and sing.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then to the learned men he said,</l> +<l>In many a page of Scripture read:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Be yours each rite performed to see</q></l> +<l>According to the king's decree.</l> +<l>And stranger Bráhmans quickly call</l> +<l>To this great rite that welcomes all.</l> +<l>Pavilions for the princes, decked</l> +<l>With art and ornament, erect,</l> +<l>And handsome booths by thousands made</l> +<l>The Bráhman visitors to shade,</l> +<l>Arranged in order side by side,</l> +<l>With meat and drink and all supplied.</l> +<l>And ample stables we shall need</l> +<l>For many an elephant and steed:</l> +<l>And chambers where the men may lie,</l> +<l>And vast apartments, broad and high,</l> +<l>Fit to receive the countless bands</l> +<l>Of warriors come from distant lands.</l> +<l>For our own people too provide</l> +<l>Sufficient tents, extended wide,</l> +<l>And stores of meat and drink prepare,</l> +<l>And all that can be needed there.</l> +<l>And food in plenty must be found</l> +<l>For guests from all the country round.</l> +<l>Of various viands presents make,</l> +<l>For honour, not for pity's sake,</l> +<l>That fit regard and worship be</l> +<l>Paid to each caste in due degree.</l> +<l>And let not wish or wrath excite</l> +<l>Your hearts the meanest guest to slight;</l> +<l>But still observe with special grace</l> +<l>Those who obtain the foremost place,</l> +<l>Whether for happier skill in art</l> +<l>Or bearing in the rite their part.</l> +<l>Do you, I pray, with friendly mind</l> +<l>Perform the task to you assigned,</l> +<l>And work the rite, as bids the law,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Without omission, slip, or flaw</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They answered: <q rend="pre">As thou seest fit</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">So will we do and naught omit.</q></l> +<l>The sage Vaśiṣṭha then addressed</l> +<l>Sumantra called at his behest:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The princes of the earth invite,</q></l> +<l>And famous lords who guard the rite,</l> +<l>Priest, Warrior, Merchant, lowly thrall,</l> +<l>In countless thousands summon all.</l> +<l>Where'er their home be, far or near,</l> +<l>Gather the good with honour here,</l> +<l>And Janak, whose imperial sway</l> +<l>The men of Míthilá<note place="foot">Called also Vidcha, +later Tirabhukti, corrupted into the modern Tirhut, a province +bounded on the west and east by the +Gaudakí and Kauśikí rivers, on the south +by the Ganges, and on the north by the +skirts of the Himálayas.</note> obey.</l> +<l>The firm of vow, the dread of foes,</l> +<l>Who all the lore of Scripture knows,</l> +<l>Invite him here with honour high,</l> +<l>King Daśaratha's old ally.</l> +<l>And Káśi's<note place="foot">The celebrated city of Benares. See +Dr. Hall's learned and exhaustive Monograph +in the <hi rend='italic'>Sacred City of the Hindus</hi>, +by the Rev. M. A. Sherring.</note> lord of gentle speech,</l> +<l>Who finds a pleasant word for each,</l> +<l>In length of days our monarch's peer,</l> +<l>Illustrious king, invite him here.</l> +<l>The father of our ruler's bride,</l> +<l>Known for his virtues far and wide,</l> +<l>The king whom Kekaya's<note place="foot">Kekaya is supposed to have been in +the Panjáb. The name of the king was +Aśvapati (Lord of Horses), father of +Daśaratha's wife Kaikeyí.</note> realms obey,</l> +<l>Him with his son invite, I pray.</l> +<l>And Lomapád the Angas' king,</l> +<l>True to his vows and godlike, bring.</l> +<l>For be thine invitations sent</l> +<l>To west and south and orient.</l> +<l>Call those who rule Suráshṭra's<note place="foot">Surat.</note> land,</l> +<l>Suvíra's<note place="foot">Apparently in the west of India not +far from the Indus.</note> realm and Sindhu's strand,</l> +<l>And all the kings of earth beside</l> +<l>In friendship's bonds with us allied:</l> +<l>Invite them all to hasten in</l> +<l><q rend="post">With retinue and kith and kin.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Vaśishṭha's speech without delay</l> +<l>Sumantra bent him to obey.</l> +<l>And sent his trusty envoys forth</l> +<l>Eastward and westward, south and north.</l> +<l>Obedient to the saint's request</l> +<l>Himself he hurried forth, and pressed</l> +<l>Each nobler chief and lord and king</l> +<l>To hasten to the gathering.</l> +<l>Before the saint Vaśishṭha stood</l> +<l>All those who wrought with stone and wood,</l> +<l>And showed the work which every one</l> +<l>In furtherance of the rite had done,</l> +<l>Rejoiced their ready zeal to see,</l> +<l>Thus to the craftsmen all said he:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I charge ye, masters, see to this,</q></l> +<l>That there be nothing done amiss,</l> +<l>And this, I pray, in mind be borne,</l> +<l>That not one gift ye give in scorn:</l> +<l>Whenever scorn a gift attends</l> +<l><q rend="post">Great sin is his who thus offends.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And now some days and nights had past,</l> +<l>And kings began to gather fast,</l> +<l>And precious gems in liberal store</l> +<l>As gifts to Daśaratha bore.</l> +<l>Then joy thrilled through Vaśishṭha's breast</l> +<l>As thus the monarch he addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Obedient to thy high decree</q></l> +<l>The kings, my lord, are come to thee.</l> +<pb n="022"/><anchor id="Pg022"/> +<l>And it has been my care to greet</l> +<l>And honour all with reverence meet.</l> +<l>Thy servants' task is ended quite,</l> +<l>And all is ready for the rite.</l> +<l>Come forth then to the sacred ground</l> +<l><q rend="post">Where all in order will be found.</q></l> +<l>Then Rishyaśring confirmed the tale:</l> +<l>Nor did their words to move him fail.</l> +<l>The stars propitious influence lent</l> +<l>When forth the world's great ruler went.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then by the sage Vaśishṭha led</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The priest begun to speed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Those glorious rites wherein is shed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The lifeblood of the steed.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XIII"/> +<head>Canto XIII. The Sacrifice Finished.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The circling year had filled its course,</l> +<l>And back was brought the wandering horse:</l> +<l>Then upon Sarjú's northern strand</l> +<l>Began the rite the king had planned.</l> +<l>With Rishyaśring the forms to guide,</l> +<l>The Bráhmans to their task applied,</l> +<l>At that great offering of the steed</l> +<l>Their lofty-minded king decreed.</l> +<l>The priests, who all the Scripture knew,</l> +<l>Performed their part in order due,</l> +<l>And circled round in solemn train</l> +<l>As precepts of the law ordain.</l> +<l>Pravargya rites<note place="foot"><q>The Pravargya ceremony lasts for +three days, and is always performed +twice a day, in the forenoon and afternoon. +It precedes the animal and Soma +sacrifices. For without having undergone +it, no one is allowed to take part in the +solemn Soma feast prepared for the gods.</q> +Haug's <hi rend='italic'>Aitareya Bráhmaṇam</hi>. Vol. II. +p. 41. note <hi rend='italic'>q.v.</hi></note> were duly sped:</l> +<l>For Upasads<note place="foot"><hi rend='italic'>Upasads</hi>. <q>The Gods said, Let us +perform the burnt offerings called Upasads +(<hi rend='italic'>i.e.</hi> besieging). For by means of an +<hi rend='italic'>Upasad</hi>, <hi rend='italic'>i.e.</hi> besieging, they conquer a +large (fortified) town.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Ibid.</hi> p. 32.</note> +the flames were fed.</l> +<l>Then from the plant<note place="foot">The Soma plant, or Asclepias Acida. +Its fermented juice was drunk in sacrifice +by the priests and offered to the Gods +who enjoyed the intoxicating draught.</note> the juice was squeezed,</l> +<l>And those high saints with minds well pleased</l> +<l>Performed the mystic rites begun</l> +<l>With bathing ere the rise of sun</l> +<l>They gave the portion Indra's claim,</l> +<l>And hymned the King whom none can blame.</l> +<l>The mid-day bathing followed next,</l> +<l>Observed as bids the holy text.</l> +<l>Then the good priests with utmost care,</l> +<l>In form that Scripture's rules declare,</l> +<l>For the third time pure water shed</l> +<l>On high souled Daśaratha's head.</l> +<l>Then Rishyaśring and all the rest</l> +<l>To Indra and the Gods addressed</l> +<l>Their sweet-toned hymn of praise and prayer,</l> +<l>And called them in the rite to share.</l> +<l>With sweetest song and hymn entoned</l> +<l>They gave the Gods in heaven enthroned,</l> +<l>As duty bids, the gifts they claim,</l> +<l>The holy oil that feeds the flame.</l> +<l>And many an offering there was paid,</l> +<l>And not one slip in all was made.</l> +<l>For with most careful heed they saw</l> +<l>That all was done by Veda law.</l> +<l>None, all those days, was seen oppressed</l> +<l>By hunger or by toil distressed.</l> +<l>Why speak of human kind? No beast</l> +<l>Was there that lacked an ample feast.</l> +<l>For there was store for all who came,</l> +<l>For orphan child and lonely dame;</l> +<l>The old and young were well supplied,</l> +<l>The poor and hungry satisfied.</l> +<l>Throughout the day ascetics fed,</l> +<l>And those who roam to beg their bread:</l> +<l>While all around the cry was still,</l> +<l><q>Give forth, give forth,</q> and <q>Eat your fill.</q></l> +<l><q rend="pre">Give forth with liberal hand the meal,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">And various robes in largess deal.</q></l> +<l>Urged by these cries on every side</l> +<l>Unweariedly their task they plied:</l> +<l>And heaps of food like hills in size</l> +<l>In boundless plenty met the eyes:</l> +<l>And lakes of sauce, each day renewed,</l> +<l>Refreshed the weary multitude.</l> +<l>And strangers there from distant lands,</l> +<l>And women folk in crowded bands</l> +<l>The best of food and drink obtained</l> +<l>At the great rite the king ordained.</l> +<l>Apart from all, the Bráhmans there,</l> +<l>Thousands on thousands, took their share</l> +<l>Of various dainties sweet to taste,</l> +<l>On plates of gold and silver placed,</l> +<l>All ready set, as, when they willed,</l> +<l>The twice-born men their places filled.</l> +<l>And servants in fair garments dressed</l> +<l>Waited upon each Bráhman guest.</l> +<l>Of cheerful mind and mien were they,</l> +<l>With gold and jewelled earrings gay.</l> +<l>The best of Bráhmans praised the fare</l> +<l>Of countless sorts, of flavour rare:</l> +<l>And thus to Raghu's son they cried:</l> +<l><q>We bless thee, and are satisfied.</q></l> +<l>Between the rites some Bráhmans spent</l> +<l>The time in learned argument,</l> +<pb n="023"/><anchor id="Pg023"/> +<l>With ready flow of speech, sedate,</l> +<l>And keen to vanquish in debate.<note place="foot"><q>Tum in cærimoniarum intervallis +Brachmanæ facundi, sollertes, crebros sermones +de rerum causis instituebant, alter +alterum vincendi cupidi. This public disputation +in the assembly of Bráhmans on +the nature of things, and the almost fraternal +connexion between theology and +philosophy deserves some notice; whereas +the priests of some religions are generally +but little inclined to show favour to philosophers, +nay, sometimes persecute them +with the most rancorous hatred, as we are +taught both by history and experience.… +This śloka is found in the MSS. of different +recensions of the Rámáyan, and we +have, therefore, the most trustworthy +testimony to the antiquity of philosophy +among the Indians.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel</hi>.</note></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">There day by day the holy train</l> +<l>Performed all rites as rules ordain.</l> +<l>No priest in all that host was found</l> +<l>But kept the vows that held him bound:</l> +<l>None, but the holy Vedas knew,</l> +<l>And all their six-fold science<note place="foot">The <hi rend='italic'>Angas</hi> +or appendices of the Vedas, +pronunciation, prosody, grammar, ritual, +astronomy, and explanation of obscurities.</note> too.</l> +<l>No Bráhman there was found unfit</l> +<l>To speak with eloquence and wit.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And now the appointed time came near</l> +<l>The sacrificial posts to rear.</l> +<l>They brought them, and prepared to fix</l> +<l>Of Bel<note place="foot">In Sanskrit <hi rend='italic'>vilva</hi>, +the <hi rend='italic'>Ægle Marmelos</hi>. +<q>He who desires food and wishes to grow +fat, ought to make his Yúpa (sacrificial +post) of Bilva wood.</q> Haug's <hi rend='italic'>Aítareya +Bráhmanam. Vol. II.</hi> p. 73.</note> and Khádir<note place="foot">The +<hi rend='italic'>Mimosa Catechu</hi>. <q>He who desires +heaven ought to make his Yúpa of +Khádira wood.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Ibid.</hi></note> six and six;</l> +<l>Six, made of the Paláśa<note place="foot">The +<hi rend='italic'>Butea Frondosa</hi>. <q>He who desires +beauty and sacred knowledge ought to +make his Yúpa of Paláśa wood.</q>—<hi rend='italic'>Ibid.</hi></note> tree,</l> +<l>Of Fig-wood one, apart to be:</l> +<l>Of Sleshmát<note place="foot">The <hi rend='italic'>Cardia +Latifolia</hi>.</note> and of Devadár<note place="foot">A kind of pine. The word means +literally the tree of the Gods. Compare the Hebrew עצי יהוה +<q>trees of the Lord.</q></note></l> +<l>One column each, the mightiest far:</l> +<l>So thick the two, the arms of man</l> +<l>Their ample girth would fail to span.</l> +<l>All these with utmost care were wrought</l> +<l>By hand of priests in Scripture taught,</l> +<l>And all with gold were gilded bright</l> +<l>To add new splendour to the rite:</l> +<l>Twenty-and-one those stakes in all,</l> +<l>Each one-and-twenty cubits tall:</l> +<l>And one-and-twenty ribbons there</l> +<l>Hung on the pillars, bright and fair.</l> +<l>Firm in the earth they stood at last,</l> +<l>Where cunning craftsmen fixed them fast;</l> +<l>And there unshaken each remained,</l> +<l>Octagonal and smoothly planed.</l> +<l>Then ribbons over all were hung,</l> +<l>And flowers and scent around them flung.</l> +<l>Thus decked they cast a glory forth</l> +<l>Like the great saints who star the north.<note place="foot">The +Hindus call the constellation of +Ursa Major the Seven Rishis or Saints.</note></l> +<l>The sacrificial altar then</l> +<l>Was raised by skilful twice-born men,</l> +<l>In shape and figure to behold</l> +<l>An eagle with his wings of gold,</l> +<l>With twice nine pits and formed three-fold</l> +<l>Each for some special God, beside</l> +<l>The pillars were the victims tied;</l> +<l>The birds that roam the wood, the air,</l> +<l>The water, and the land were there,</l> +<l>And snakes and things of reptile birth,</l> +<l>And healing herbs that spring from earth:</l> +<l>As texts prescribe, in Scripture found,</l> +<l>Three hundred victims there were bound.</l> +<l>The steed devoted to the host</l> +<l>Of Gods, the gem they honour most,</l> +<l>Was duly sprinkled. Then the Queen</l> +<l>Kauśalyá, with delighted mien,</l> +<l>With reverent steps around him paced,</l> +<l>And with sweet wreaths the victim graced;</l> +<l>Then with three swords in order due</l> +<l>She smote the steed with joy, and slew.</l> +<l>That night the queen, a son to gain,</l> +<l>With calm and steady heart was fain</l> +<l>By the dead charger's side to stay</l> +<l>From evening till the break of day.</l> +<l>Then came three priests, their care to lead</l> +<l>The other queens to touch the steed,</l> +<l>Upon Kauśalyá to attend,</l> +<l>Their company and aid to lend.</l> +<l>As by the horse she still reclined,</l> +<l>With happy mien and cheerful mind,</l> +<l>With Rishyaśring the twice-born came</l> +<l>And praised and blessed the royal dame.</l> +<l>The priest who well his duty knew,</l> +<l>And every sense could well subdue,</l> +<l>From out the bony chambers freed</l> +<l>And boiled the marrow of the steed.</l> +<l>Above the steam the monarch bent,</l> +<l>And, as he smelt the fragrant scent,</l> +<l>In time and order drove afar</l> +<l>All error that his hopes could mar.</l> +<l>Then sixteen priests together came</l> +<l>And cast into the sacred flame</l> +<l>The severed members of the horse,</l> +<l>Made ready all in ordered course.</l> +<l>On piles of holy Fig-tree raised</l> +<pb n="024"/><anchor id="Pg024"/> +<l>The meaner victims' bodies blazed:</l> +<l>The steed, of all the creatures slain,</l> +<l>Alone required a pile of cane.</l> +<l>Three days, as is by law decreed,</l> +<l>Lasted that Offering of the Steed.</l> +<l>The Chatushṭom began the rite,</l> +<l>And when the sun renewed his light,</l> +<l>The Ukthya followed: after came</l> +<l>The Atirátra's holy flame.</l> +<l>These were the rites, and many more</l> +<l>Arranged by light of holy lore,</l> +<l>The Aptoryám of mighty power,</l> +<l>And, each performed in proper hour,</l> +<l>The Abhijit and Viśvajit</l> +<l>With every form and service fit;</l> +<l>And with the sacrifice at night</l> +<l>The Jyotishṭom and Áyus rite.<note place="foot"><p>A minute account of these ancient +ceremonies would be out of place here. <q>Ágnishṭoma is the name of a sacrifice, +or rather a series of offerings to fire for five days. It is the first and principal +part of the Jyotishṭoma, one of the great sacrifices in which especially the juice of +the Soma plant is offered for the purpose of obtaining Swarga or heaven.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Goldstücker's Dictionary</hi>. +<q>The <hi rend='italic'>Ágnishṭoma</hi> is Agni. It is called so because they +(the gods) praised him with this Stoma. They called it so to hide the proper meaning +of the word: for the gods like to hide the proper meaning of words.</q></p> +<p><q>On account of four classes of gods having praised Agni with four Stomas, +the whole was called <hi rend='italic'>Chatushṭoma</hi> (containing four Stomas).</q></p> +<p><q>It (the Ágnishṭoma) is called <hi rend='italic'>Jyotishṭoma</hi>, for they +praised Agni when he had risen up (to the sky) in the shape of a light +(<hi rend='italic'>jyotis</hi>).</q></p> +<p><q>This (Ágnishṭoma) is a sacrificial performance which has no beginning and no +end.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Haug's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Aitareya Bráhmaṇam</hi>.</p> +<p>The Atirátra, literally <hi rend='italic'>lasting through the night</hi>, is a +division of the service of the Jyotishṭoma.</p> +<p>The Abhijit, <hi rend='italic'>the everywhere victorious</hi>, is the name of a +sub-division of the great sacrifice of the Gavámanaya.</p> +<p>The Viśvajit, or <hi rend='italic'>the all-conquering</hi>, is a similar +sub-division.</p> +<p>Áyus is the name of a service forming a division of the Abhiplava sacrifice.</p> +<p>The <hi rend='italic'>Aptoryám</hi>, is the seventh or last part of the +Jyotishṭoma, for the performance of which it is not essentially necessary, but a +voluntary sacrifice instituted for the attainment of a specific desire. The literal +meaning of the word would be in conformity with the +<hi rend='italic'>Prauḍhamanoramá</hi>, <q>a sacrifice which procures the +attainment of the desired object.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Goldstücker's +Dictionary</hi>.</p> +<p><q>The <hi rend='italic'>Ukthya</hi> is a slight modification of the Ágnishṭoma +sacrifice. The noun to be supplied to it is <hi rend='italic'>kratu</hi>. It is a Soma +sacrifice also, and one of the seven Saṇsthas or component parts of the Jyotishṭoma. +Its name indicates its nature. For <hi rend='italic'>Ukthya</hi> means <q>what refers +to the Uktha,</q> which is an older name for Shástra, <hi rend='italic'>i.e.</hi> +recitation of one of the Hotri priests at the time of the Soma libations. Thus this +sacrifice is only a kind of supplement to the Ágnishṭoma.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Haug</hi>. <hi rend='italic'>Ai. +B.</hi></p></note></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The task was done, as laws prescribe:</l> +<l>The monarch, glory of his tribe,</l> +<l>Bestowed the land in liberal grants</l> +<l>Upon the sacred ministrants.</l> +<l>He gave the region of the east,</l> +<l>His conquest, to the Hotri priest.</l> +<l>The west, the celebrant obtained:</l> +<l>The south, the priest presiding gained:</l> +<l>The northern region was the share</l> +<l>Of him who chanted forth the prayer,<note place="foot"><q>Four classes of priests +were required in India at the most solemn sacrifices. 1. The officiating priests, +manual labourers, and acolytes, who had chiefly to prepare the sacrificial ground, to +dress the altar, slay the victims, and pour out the libations. 2. The choristers, who +chant the sacred hymns. 3. The reciters or readers, who repeat certain hymns. 4. The +overseers or bishops, who watch and superintend the proceedings of the other priests, +and ought to be familiar with all the Vedas. The formulas and verses to be muttered by +the first class are contained in the Yajur-veda-sanhitá. The hymns to be sung by the +second class are in the Sama-veda-sanhitá. The Atharva-veda is said to be intended for +the Brahman or overseer, who is to watch the proceedings of the sacrifice, and to +remedy any mistake that may occur. The hymns to be recited by the third class are +contained in the Rigveda,</q> <hi rend='italic'>Chips from a +German Workshop.</hi></note></l> +<l>Thus did each priest obtain his meed</l> +<l>At the great Slaughter of the Steed,</l> +<l>Ordained, the best of all to be,</l> +<l>By self-existent deity.</l> +<l>Ikshváku's son with joyful mind</l> +<l>This noble fee to each assigned,</l> +<l>But all the priests with one accord</l> +<l>Addressed that unpolluted lord:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Tis thine alone to keep the whole</q></l> +<l>Of this broad earth in firm control.</l> +<pb n="025"/><anchor id="Pg025"/> +<l>No gift of lands from thee we seek:</l> +<l>To guard these realms our hands were weak.</l> +<l>On sacred lore our days are spent:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Let other gifts our wants content.</q></l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The chief of old Ikshváku's line</l> +<l>Gave them ten hundred thousand kine,</l> +<l>A hundred millions of fine gold,</l> +<l>The same in silver four times told.</l> +<l>But every priest in presence there</l> +<l>With one accord resigned his share.</l> +<l>To Saint Vaśishṭha, high of soul,</l> +<l>And Rishyaśring they gave the whole.</l> +<l>That largess pleased those Bráhmans well,</l> +<l>Who bade the prince his wishes tell.</l> +<l>Then Daśaratha, mighty king,</l> +<l>Made answer thus to Rishyaśring:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O holy Hermit, of thy grace,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Vouchsafe the increase of my race.</q></l> +<l>He spoke; nor was his prayer denied:</l> +<l>The best of Bráhmans thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Four sons, O Monarch, shall be thine,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Upholders of thy royal line.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XIV"/> +<head>Canto XIV. Rávan Doomed.</head> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The saint, well read in holy lore,</l> +<l>Pondered awhile his answer o'er,</l> +<l>And thus again addressed the king,</l> +<l>His wandering thoughts regathering:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Another rite will I begin</q></l> +<l>Which shall the sons thou cravest win,</l> +<l>Where all things shall be duly sped</l> +<l><q rend="post">And first Atharva texts be read.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then by Vibháṇdak's gentle son</l> +<l>Was that high sacrifice begun,</l> +<l>The king's advantage seeking still</l> +<l>And zealous to perform his will.</l> +<l>Now all the Gods had gathered there,</l> +<l>Each one for his allotted share:</l> +<l>Brahmá, the ruler of the sky,</l> +<l>Stháṇu, Náráyaṇ, Lord most high,</l> +<l>And holy Indra men might view</l> +<l>With Maruts<note place="foot">The Maruts are the winds, deified in +the religion of the Veda like other mighty powers and phenomena of +nature.</note> for his retinue;</l> +<l>The heavenly chorister, and saint,</l> +<l>And spirit pure from earthly taint,</l> +<l>With one accord had sought the place</l> +<l>The high-souled monarch's rite to grace.</l> +<l>Then to the Gods who came to take</l> +<l>Their proper share the hermit spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">For you has Daśaratha slain</q></l> +<l>The votive steed, a son to gain;</l> +<l>Stern penance-rites the king has tried,</l> +<l>And in firm faith on you relied,</l> +<l>And now with undiminished care</l> +<l>A second rite would fain prepare.</l> +<l>But, O ye Gods, consent to grant</l> +<l>The longing of your supplicant.</l> +<l>For him beseeching hands I lift,</l> +<l>And pray you all to grant the gift,</l> +<l>That four fair sons of high renown</l> +<l><q rend="post">The offerings of the king may crown.</q></l> +<l>They to the hermit's son replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">His longing shall be gratified.</q></l> +<l>For, Bráhman, in most high degree</l> +<l><q rend="post">We love the king and honour thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">These words the Gods in answer said,</l> +<l>And vanished thence by Indra led.</l> +<l>Thus to the Lord, the worlds who made,</l> +<l>The Immortals all assembled prayed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Brahmá, mighty by thy grace,</q></l> +<l>Rávaṇ, who rules the giant race,</l> +<l>Torments us in his senseless pride,</l> +<l>And penance-loving saints beside.</l> +<l>For thou well pleased in days of old</l> +<l>Gavest the boon that makes him bold,</l> +<l>That God nor demon e'er should kill</l> +<l>His charmed life, for so thy will.</l> +<l>We, honouring that high behest,</l> +<l>Bear all his rage though sore distressed.</l> +<l>That lord of giants fierce and fell</l> +<l>Scourges the earth and heaven and hell.</l> +<l>Mad with thy boon, his impious rage</l> +<l>Smites saint and bard and God and sage.</l> +<l>The sun himself withholds his glow,</l> +<l>The wind in fear forbears to blow;</l> +<l>The fire restrains his wonted heat</l> +<l>Where stand the dreaded Rávaṇ's feet,</l> +<l>And, necklaced with the wandering wave,</l> +<l>The sea before him fears to rave.</l> +<l>Kuvera's self in sad defeat</l> +<l>Is driven from his blissful seat.</l> +<l>We see, we feel the giant's might,</l> +<l>And woe comes o'er us and affright.</l> +<l>To thee, O Lord, thy suppliants pray</l> +<l><q rend="post">To find some cure this plague to stay.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus by the gathered Gods addressed</l> +<l>He pondered in his secret breast,</l> +<l>And said: <q rend="pre">One only way I find</q></l> +<l>To slay this fiend of evil mind.</l> +<l>He prayed me once his life to guard</l> +<l>From demon, God, and heavenly bard,</l> +<l>And spirits of the earth and air,</l> +<l>And I consenting heard his prayer.</l> +<l>But the proud giant in his scorn</l> +<l>Recked not of man of woman born.</l> +<l>None else may take his life away,</l> +<l><q rend="post">But only man the fiend may slay.</q></l> +<l>The Gods, with Indra at their head,</l> +<l>Rejoiced to hear the words he said.</l> +<l>Then crowned with glory like a flame,</l> +<l>Lord Vishṇu to the council came;</l> +<l>His hands shell, mace, and discus bore,</l> +<l>And saffron were the robes he wore.</l> +<pb n="026"/><anchor id="Pg026"/> +<l>Riding his eagle through the crowd,</l> +<l>As the sun rides upon a cloud,</l> +<l>With bracelets of fine gold, he came</l> +<l>Loud welcomed by the Gods' acclaim.</l> +<l>His praise they sang with one consent,</l> +<l>And cried, in lowly reverence bent:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Lord whose hand fierce Madhu<note place="foot">A Titan or +fiend whose destruction has given Vishṇu one of his well-known titles, +Mádhava.</note> slew,</q></l> +<l>Be thou our refuge, firm and true;</l> +<l>Friend of the suffering worlds art thou,</l> +<l><q rend="post">We pray thee help thy suppliants now.</q></l> +<l>Then Vishṇu spake: <q rend="pre">Ye Gods, declare,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">What may I do to grant your prayer?</q></l> +</lg> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>King Daśaratha,</q> thus cried they,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Fervent in penance many a day,</q></l> +<l>The sacrificial steed has slain,</l> +<l>Longing for sons, but all in vain.</l> +<l>Now, at the cry of us forlorn,</l> +<l>Incarnate as his seed be born.</l> +<l>Three queens has he: each lovely dame</l> +<l>Like Beauty, Modesty, or Fame.</l> +<l>Divide thyself in four, and be</l> +<l>His offspring by these noble three.</l> +<l>Man's nature take, and slay in fight</l> +<l>Rávaṇ who laughs at heavenly might:</l> +<l>This common scourge, this rankling thorn</l> +<l>Whom the three worlds too long have borne</l> +<l>For Rávaṇ in the senseless pride</l> +<l>Of might unequalled has defied</l> +<l>The host of heaven, and plagues with woe</l> +<l>Angel and bard and saint below,</l> +<l>Crushing each spirit and each maid</l> +<l>Who plays in Nandan's<note place="foot">The garden of Indra.</note> heavenly +shade.</l> +<l>O conquering Lord, to thee we bow;</l> +<l>Our surest hope and trust art thou.</l> +<l>Regard the world of men below,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And slay the Gods' tremendous foe.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When thus the suppliant Gods had prayed,</l> +<l>His wise reply Náráyaṇ<note place="foot">One of the most ancient and popular +of the numerous names of Vishṇu. The word has been derived in several ways, and may mean +<hi rend='italic'>he who moved on the (primordial) waters</hi>, or <hi +rend='italic'>he who pervades or influences men or their thoughts</hi>.</note> made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What task demands my presence there,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">And whence this dread, ye Gods declare.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Gods replied: <q rend="pre">We fear, O Lord,</q></l> +<l>Fierce Rávaṇ, ravener abhorred.</l> +<l>Be thine the glorious task, we pray,</l> +<l>In human form this fiend to slay.</l> +<l>By thee of all the Blest alone</l> +<l>This sinner may be overthrown.</l> +<l>He gained by penance long and dire</l> +<l>The favour of the mighty Sire.</l> +<l>Then He who every gift bestows</l> +<l>Guarded the fiend from heavenly foes,</l> +<l>And gave a pledge his life that kept</l> +<l>From all things living, man except.</l> +<l>On him thus armed no other foe</l> +<l>Than man may deal the deadly blow.</l> +<l>Assume, O King, a mortal birth,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And strike the demon to the earth.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Vishṇu, God of Gods, the Lord</l> +<l>Supreme by all the worlds adored,</l> +<l>To Brahmá and the suppliants spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Dismiss your fear: for your dear sake</q></l> +<l>In battle will I smite him dead,</l> +<l>The cruel fiend, the Immortal's dread.</l> +<l>And lords and ministers and all</l> +<l>His kith and kin with him shall fall.</l> +<l>Then, in the world of mortal men,</l> +<l>Ten thousand years and hundreds ten</l> +<l>I as a human king will reign,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And guard the earth as my domain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">God, saint, and nymph, and minstrel throng</l> +<l>With heavenly voices raised their song</l> +<l>In hymns of triumph to the God</l> +<l>Whose conquering feet on Madhu trod:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Champion of Gods, as man appear,</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">This cruel Rávaṇ slay,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The thorn that saints and hermits fear,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The plague that none can stay.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In savage fury uncontrolled</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">His pride for ever grows:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He dares the Lord of Gods to hold</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">Among his deadly foes.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XV"/> +<head>Canto XV. The Nectar.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When wisest Vishṇu thus had given</l> +<l>His promise to the Gods of heaven,</l> +<l>He pondered in his secret mind</l> +<l>A suited place of birth to find,</l> +<l>Then he decreed, the lotus-eyed,</l> +<l>In four his being to divide,</l> +<l>And Daśaratha, gracious king,</l> +<l>He chose as sire from whom to spring.</l> +<l>That childless prince of high renown,</l> +<l>Who smote in war his foemen down,</l> +<l>At that same time with utmost care</l> +<l>Prepared the rite that wins an heir.<note place="foot">The +Horse-Sacrifice, just described.</note></l> +<l>Then Vishṇu, fain on earth to dwell,</l> +<l>Bade the Almighty Sire farewell,</l> +<l>And vanished while a reverent crowd</l> +<l>Of Gods and saints in worship bowed.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The monarch watched the sacred rite,</l> +<l>When a vast form of awful might,</l> +<l>Of matchless splendour, strength, and size</l> +<l>Was manifest before his eyes.</l> +<pb n="027"/><anchor id="Pg027"/> +<l>From forth the sacrificial flame,</l> +<l>Dark, robed in red, the being came.</l> +<l>His voice was drumlike, loud and low,</l> +<l>His face suffused with rosy glow.</l> +<l>Like a huge lion's mane appeared</l> +<l>The long locks of his hair and beard.</l> +<l>He shone with many a lucky sign,</l> +<l>And many an ornament divine;</l> +<l>A towering mountain in his height,</l> +<l>A tiger in his gait and might.</l> +<l>No precious mine more rich could be,</l> +<l>No burning flame more bright than he.</l> +<l>His arms embraced in loving hold,</l> +<l>Like a dear wife, a vase of gold</l> +<l>Whose silver lining held a draught</l> +<l>Of nectar as in heaven is quaffed:</l> +<l>A vase so vast, so bright to view,</l> +<l>They scarce could count the vision true.</l> +<l>Upon the king his eyes he bent,</l> +<l>And said: <q rend="pre">The Lord of life has sent</q></l> +<l>His servant down, O Prince, to be</l> +<l><q rend="post">A messenger from heaven to thee.</q></l> +<l>The king with all his nobles by</l> +<l>Raised reverent hands and made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Welcome, O glorious being! Say</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">How can my care thy grace repay.</q></l> +<l>Envoy of Him whom all adore</l> +<l>Thus to the king he spake once more:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The Gods accept thy worship: they</q></l> +<l>Give thee the blessed fruit to-day.</l> +<l>Approach and take, O glorious King,</l> +<l>This heavenly nectar which I bring,</l> +<l>For it shall give thee sons and wealth,</l> +<l>And bless thee with a store of health.</l> +<l>Give it to those fair queens of thine,</l> +<l>And bid them quaff the drink divine:</l> +<l>And they the princely sons shall bear</l> +<l><q rend="post">Long sought by sacrifice and prayer.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Yea, O my lord,</q> the monarch said,</l> +<l>And took the vase upon his head,</l> +<l>The gift of Gods, of fine gold wrought,</l> +<l>With store of heavenly liquor fraught.</l> +<l>He honoured, filled with transport new,</l> +<l>That wondrous being, fair to view,</l> +<l>As round the envoy of the God</l> +<l>With reverential steps he trod.<note place="foot"><p>To walk round an object keeping +the right side towards it is a mark of great respect. The Sanskrit word for the +observance is <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">pradakshiṇá</foreign>, from +pra pro, and <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">daksha</foreign> right, Greek +δεξίος, Latin dexter, Gaelic deas-il. A similar ceremony is observed by the Gaels.</p> +<p><q>In the meantime she traced around him, with wavering steps, the propitiation, +which some have thought has been derived from the Druidical mythology. It consists, +as is well known, in the person who makes the <hi rend='italic'>deasil</hi> walking +three times round the person who is the object of the ceremony, taking care to move +according to the course of the sun.</q></p> +<p><hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Scott</hi>. <hi rend='italic'>The Two +Drovers.</hi></p></note></l> +<l>His errand done, that form of light</l> +<l>Arose and vanished from the sight.</l> +<l>High rapture filled the monarch's soul,</l> +<l>Possessed of that celestial bowl,</l> +<l>As when a man by want distressed</l> +<l>With unexpected wealth is blest.</l> +<l>And rays of transport seemed to fall</l> +<l>Illuminating bower and hall,</l> +<l>As when the autumn moon rides high,</l> +<l>And floods with lovely light the sky.</l> +<l>Quick to the ladies' bower he sped,</l> +<l>And thus to Queen Kauśalyá said:</l> +<l><q>This genial nectar take and quaff,</q></l> +<l>He spoke, and gave the lady half.</l> +<l>Part of the nectar that remained</l> +<l>Sumitrá from his hand obtained.</l> +<l>He gave, to make her fruitful too,</l> +<l>Kaikeyí half the residue.</l> +<l>A portion yet remaining there,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He paused awhile to think.</l> +<l>Then gave Sumitrá, with her share.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The remnant of the drink.</l> +<l>Thus on each queen of those fair three</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A part the king bestowed,</l> +<l>And with sweet hope a child to see</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Their yearning bosoms glowed.</l> +<l>The heavenly bowl the king supplied</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Their longing souls relieved,</l> +<l>And soon, with rapture and with pride,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Each royal dame conceived.</l> +<l>He gazed upon each lady's face,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And triumphed as he gazed,</l> +<l>As Indra in his royal place</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By Gods and spirits praised.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XVI"/> +<head>Canto XVI. The Vánars.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Vishṇu thus had gone on earth,</l> +<l>From the great king to take his birth,</l> +<l>The self-existent Lord of all</l> +<l>Addressed the Gods who heard his call:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">For Vishṇu's sake, the strong and true,</q></l> +<l>Who seeks the good of all of you,</l> +<l>Make helps, in war to lend him aid,</l> +<l>In forms that change at will, arrayed,</l> +<l>Of wizard skill and hero might,</l> +<l>Outstrippers of the wind in flight,</l> +<l>Skilled in the arts of counsel, wise,</l> +<l>And Vishṇu's peers in bold emprise;</l> +<l>With heavenly arts and prudence fraught,</l> +<l>By no devices to be caught;</l> +<l>Skilled in all weapon's lore and use</l> +<l>As they who drink the immortal juice.<note place="foot">The +<hi rend='italic'>Amrit</hi>, the nectar of the Indian Gods.</note></l> +<pb n="028"/><anchor id="Pg028"/> +<l>And let the nymphs supreme in grace,</l> +<l>And maidens of the minstrel race,</l> +<l>Monkeys and snakes, and those who rove</l> +<l>Free spirits of the hill and grove,</l> +<l>And wandering Daughters of the Air,</l> +<l>In monkey form brave children bear.</l> +<l>So erst the lord of bears I shaped,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Born from my mouth as wide I gaped.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus by the mighty Sire addressed</l> +<l>They all obeyed his high behest,</l> +<l>And thus begot in countless swarms</l> +<l>Brave sons disguised in sylvan forms.</l> +<l>Each God, each sage became a sire,</l> +<l>Each minstrel of the heavenly quire,<note place="foot"><hi +rend='italic'>Gandharvas</hi> (Southey's Glendoveers) are celestial musicians inhabiting +Indra's heaven and forming the orchestra at all the banquets of the principal +deities.</note></l> +<l>Each faun,<note place="foot"><hi rend='italic'>Yakshas</hi>, demigods +attendant especially on Kuvera, and employed by him in the +care of his garden and treasures.</note> of children strong and good</l> +<l>Whose feet should roam the hill and wood.</l> +<l>Snakes, bards,<note place="foot"><hi rend='italic'>Kimpurushas</hi>, +demigods attached also to the service of Kuvera, celestial musicians, +represented like centaurs reversed with human figures and horses' +heads.</note> and spirits,<note place="foot"><p><hi rend='italic'>Siddhas</hi>, demigods +or spirits of undefined attributes, occupying with the <hi rend='italic'>Vidyádharas</hi> +the middle air or region between the earth and the sun.</p> +<p>Schlegel translates: <q>Divi, Sapientes, Fidicines, Præpetes, illustres Genii, +Præconesque procrearunt natos, masculos, silvicolas; angues porro, Hippocephali Beati, +Aligeri, Serpentesque frequentes alacriter generavere prolem +innumerabilem.</q></p></note> serpents bold</l> +<l>Had sons too numerous to be told.</l> +<l>Báli, the woodland hosts who led,</l> +<l>High as Mahendra's<note place="foot">A mountain in the south of India.</note> +lofty head,</l> +<l>Was Indra's child. That noblest fire,</l> +<l>The Sun, was great Sugríva's sire,</l> +<l>Tára, the mighty monkey, he</l> +<l>Was offspring of Vṛihaspati:<note place="foot">The preceptor of the Gods and regent +of the planet Jupiter.</note></l> +<l>Tára the matchless chieftain, boast</l> +<l>For wisdom of the Vánar host.</l> +<l>Of Gandhamádan brave and bold</l> +<l>The father was the Lord of Gold.</l> +<l>Nala the mighty, dear to fame,</l> +<l>Of skilful Viśvakarmá<note place="foot">The celestial architect, the Indian +Hephæstus, Mulciber, or Vulcan.</note> came.</l> +<l>From Agni,<note place="foot">The God of Fire.</note> Nila bright as flame,</l> +<l>Who in his splendour, might, and worth,</l> +<l>Surpassed the sire who gave him birth.</l> +<l>The heavenly Aśvins,<note place="foot">Twin children of the Sun, the physicians +of Swarga or Indra's heaven.</note> swift and fair,</l> +<l>Were fathers of a noble pair,</l> +<l>Who, Dwivida and Mainda named,</l> +<l>For beauty like their sires were famed,</l> +<l>Varuṇ<note place="foot">The deity of the waters.</note> was father of Susheṇ,</l> +<l>Of Sarabh, he who sends the rain,<note place="foot">Parjanya, sometimes confounded +with Indra.</note></l> +<l>Hanúmán, best of monkey kind,</l> +<l>Was son of him who breathes the wind:</l> +<l>Like thunderbolt in frame was he,</l> +<l>And swift as Garuḍ's<note place="foot">The bird and vehicle of Vishṇu. He is +generally represented as a being something between a man and a bird and considered +as the sovereign of the feathered race. He may be compared with the Simurgh +of the Persians, the 'Anká of the Arabs, the Griffin of chivalry, the Phœnix of +Egypt, and the bird that sits upon the ash Yggdrasil of the Edda.</note> +self could flee.</l> +<l>These thousands did the Gods create</l> +<l>Endowed with might that none could mate,</l> +<l>In monkey forms that changed at will;</l> +<l>So strong their wish the fiend to kill.</l> +<l>In mountain size, like lions thewed,</l> +<l>Up sprang the wondrous multitude,</l> +<l>Auxiliar hosts in every shape,</l> +<l>Monkey and bear and highland ape.</l> +<l>In each the strength, the might, the mien</l> +<l>Of his own parent God were seen.</l> +<l>Some chiefs of Vánar mothers came,</l> +<l>Some of she-bear and minstrel dame,</l> +<l>Skilled in all arms in battle's shock;</l> +<l>The brandished tree, the loosened rock;</l> +<l>And prompt, should other weapons fail,</l> +<l>To fight and slay with tooth and nail.</l> +<l>Their strength could shake the hills amain,</l> +<l>And rend the rooted trees in twain,</l> +<l>Disturb with their impetuous sweep</l> +<l>The Rivers' Lord, the Ocean deep,</l> +<l>Rend with their feet the seated ground,</l> +<l>And pass wide floods with airy bound,</l> +<l>Or forcing through the sky their way</l> +<l>The very clouds by force could stay.</l> +<l>Mad elephants that wander through</l> +<l>The forest wilds, could they subdue,</l> +<l>And with their furious shout could scare</l> +<l>Dead upon earth the birds of air.</l> +<l>So were the sylvan chieftains formed;</l> +<l>Thousands on thousands still they swarmed.</l> +<l>These were the leaders honoured most,</l> +<l>The captains of the Vánar host,</l> +<l>And to each lord and chief and guide</l> +<l>Was monkey offspring born beside.</l> +<l>Then by the bears' great monarch stood</l> +<l>The other roamers of the wood,</l> +<pb n="029"/><anchor id="Pg029"/> +<l>And turned, their pathless homes to seek,</l> +<l>To forest and to mountain peak.</l> +<l>The leaders of the monkey band</l> +<l>By the two brothers took their stand,</l> +<l>Sugríva, offspring of the Sun</l> +<l>And Báli, Indra's mighty one.</l> +<l>They both endowed with Garuḍ's might,</l> +<l>And skilled in all the arts of fight,</l> +<l>Wandered in arms the forest through,</l> +<l>And lions, snakes, and tigers, slew.</l> +<l>But every monkey, ape, and bear</l> +<l>Ever was Báli's special care;</l> +<l>With his vast strength and mighty arm</l> +<l>He kept them from all scathe and harm.</l> +<l>And so the earth with hill, wood, seas,</l> +<l>Was filled with mighty ones like these,</l> +<l>Of various shape and race and kind,</l> +<l>With proper homes to each assigned,</l> +<l>With Ráma's champions fierce and strong</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The earth was overspread,</l> +<l>High as the hills and clouds, a throng</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With bodies vast and dread.<note place="foot">This +Canto will appear ridiculous to +the European reader. But it should be +remembered that the monkeys of an +Indian forest, the <q>bough-deer</q> as the +poets call them, are very different animals +from the <q>turpissima bestia</q> that accompanies +the itinerant organ-grinder or grins +in the Zoological Gardens of London. +Milton has made his hero, Satan, assume +the forms of a cormorant, a toad, and a +serpent, and I cannot see that this creation +of semi-divine Vánars, or monkeys, is +more ridiculous or undignified.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XVII"/> +<head>Canto XVII. Rishyasring's Return.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Now when the high-souled monarch's rite,</l> +<l>The Aśvamedh, was finished quite,</l> +<l>Their sacrificial dues obtained,</l> +<l>The Gods their heavenly homes regained.</l> +<l>The lofty-minded saints withdrew,</l> +<l>Each to his place, with honour due,</l> +<l>And kings and chieftains, one and all,</l> +<l>Who came to grace the festival.</l> +<l>And Daśaratha, ere they went,</l> +<l>Addressed them thus benevolent:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now may you, each with joyful heart,</q></l> +<l>To your own realms, O Kings, depart.</l> +<l>Peace and good luck attend you there,</l> +<l>And blessing, is my friendly prayer;</l> +<l>Let cares of state each mind engage</l> +<l>To guard his royal heritage.</l> +<l>A monarch from his throne expelled</l> +<l>No better than the dead is held.</l> +<l>So he who cares for power and might</l> +<l>Must guard his realm and royal right.</l> +<l>Such care a meed in heaven will bring</l> +<l>Better than rites and offering.</l> +<l>Such care a king his country owes</l> +<l>As man upon himself bestows,</l> +<l>When for his body he provides</l> +<l>Raiment and every need besides.</l> +<l>For future days should kings foresee,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And keep the present error-free.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus did the king the kings exhort:</l> +<l>They heard, and turned them from the court</l> +<l>And, each to each in friendship bound,</l> +<l>Went forth to all the realms around.</l> +<l>The rites were o'er, the guests were sped:</l> +<l>The train the best of Bráhmans led,</l> +<l>In which the king with joyful soul,</l> +<l>With his dear wives, and with the whole</l> +<l>Of his imperial host and train</l> +<l>Of cars and servants turned again,</l> +<l>And, as a monarch dear to fame,</l> +<l>Within his royal city came.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Next, Rishyaśring, well-honoured sage,</l> +<l>And Śántá, sought their hermitage.</l> +<l>The king himself, of prudent mind,</l> +<l>Attended him, with troops behind.</l> +<l>And all her men the town outpoured</l> +<l>With Saint Vaśishṭha and their lord.</l> +<l>High mounted on a car of state,</l> +<l>O'er canopied fair Śántá sate.</l> +<l>Drawn by white oxen, while a band</l> +<l>Of servants marched on either hand.</l> +<l>Great gifts of countless price she bore,</l> +<l>With sheep and goats and gems in store.</l> +<l>Like Beauty's self the lady shone</l> +<l>With all the jewels she had on,</l> +<l>As, happy in her sweet content,</l> +<l>Peerless amid the fair she went.</l> +<l>Not Queen Paulomí's<note place="foot">The consort of Indra, +called also Śachí and Indráṇí.</note> self could be</l> +<l>More loving to her lord than she.</l> +<l>She who had lived in happy ease,</l> +<l>Honoured with all her heart could please,</l> +<l>While dames and kinsfolk ever vied</l> +<l>To see her wishes gratified,</l> +<l>Soon as she knew her husband's will</l> +<l>Again to seek the forest, still</l> +<l>Was ready for the hermit's cot,</l> +<l>Nor murmured at her altered lot.</l> +<l>The king attended to the wild</l> +<l>That hermit and his own dear child,</l> +<l>And in the centre of a throng</l> +<l>Of noble courtiers rode along.</l> +<l>The sage's son had let prepare</l> +<l>A lodge within the wood, and there</l> +<l>While they lingered blithe and gay.</l> +<l>Then, duly honoured, went their way.</l> +<l>The glorious hermit Rishyaśring</l> +<l>Drew near and thus besought the king:</l> +</lg> + +<pb n="030"/><anchor id="Pg030"/> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Return, my honoured lord, I pray,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Return, upon thy homeward way.</q></l> +<l>The monarch, with the waiting crowd,</l> +<l>Lifted his voice and wept aloud,</l> +<l>And with eyes dripping still to each</l> +<l>Of his good queens he spake this speech:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Kauśalyá and Sumitrá dear,</q></l> +<l>And thou, my sweet Kaikeyí, hear.</l> +<l>All upon Śántá feast your gaze,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The last time for a length of days.</q></l> +<l>To Śántá's arms the ladies leapt,</l> +<l>And hung about her neck and wept,</l> +<l>And cried, <q rend="pre">O, happy be the life</q></l> +<l>Of this great Bráhman and his wife.</l> +<l>The Wind, the Fire, the Moon on high,</l> +<l>The Earth, the Streams, the circling Sky,</l> +<l>Preserve thee in the wood, true spouse,</l> +<l>Devoted to thy husband's vows.</l> +<l>And O dear Śántá, ne'er neglect</l> +<l>To pay the dues of meek respect</l> +<l>To the great saint, thy husband's sire,</l> +<l>With all observance and with fire.</l> +<l>And, sweet one, pure of spot and blame,</l> +<l>Forget not thou thy husband's claim;</l> +<l>In every change, in good and ill,</l> +<l>Let thy sweet words delight him still,</l> +<l>And let thy worship constant be:</l> +<l>Her lord is woman's deity.</l> +<l>To learn thy welfare, dearest friend,</l> +<l>The king will many a Bráhman send.</l> +<l>Let happy thoughts thy spirit cheer,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And be not troubled, daughter dear.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">These soothing words the ladies said.</l> +<l>And pressed their lips upon her head.</l> +<l>Each gave with sighs her last adieu,</l> +<l>Then at the king's command withdrew.</l> +<l>The king around the hermit went</l> +<l>With circling footsteps reverent,</l> +<l>And placed at Rishyaśring's command</l> +<l>Some soldiers of his royal band.</l> +<l>The Bráhman bowed in turn and cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">May fortune never leave thy side.</q></l> +<l>O mighty King, with justice reign,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And still thy people's love retain.</q></l> +<l>He spoke, and turned away his face,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And, as the hermit went,</l> +<l>The monarch, rooted to the place,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Pursued with eyes intent.</l> +<l>But when the sage had past from view</l> +<l>King Daśaratha turned him too,</l> +<l>Still fixing on his friend each thought.</l> +<l>With such deep love his breast was fraught.</l> +<l>Amid his people's loud acclaim</l> +<l>Home to his royal seat he came,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And lived delighted there,</l> +<l>Expecting when each queenly dame,</l> +<l>Upholder of his ancient fame,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Her promised son should bear.</l> +<l>The glorious sage his way pursued</l> +<l>Till close before his eyes he viewed</l> +<l>Sweet Champá, Lomapád's fair town,</l> +<l>Wreathed with her Champacs'<note place="foot"><p>The <hi rend='italic'>Michelia +champaca</hi>. It bears a +scented yellow blossom:</p> +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">The maid of India blest again to hold</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">In her full lap the Champac's leaves of gold.</q></l> +</lg> +<p><hi rend='italic'>Lallah Rookh.</hi></p></note> leafy crown.</l> +<l>Soon as the saint's approach he knew,</l> +<l>The king, to yield him honour due,</l> +<l>Went forth to meet him with a band</l> +<l>Of priests and nobles of the land:</l> +<l><q>Hail, Sage,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">O joy to me!</q></l> +<l>What bliss it is, my lord, to see</l> +<l>Thee with thy wife and all thy train</l> +<l>Returning to my town again.</l> +<l>Thy father, honoured Sage, is well,</l> +<l>Who hither from his woodland cell</l> +<l>Has sent full many a messenger</l> +<l><q rend="post">For tidings both of thee and her.</q></l> +<l>Then joyfully, for due respect,</l> +<l>The monarch bade the town be decked.</l> +<l>The king and Rishyaśring elate</l> +<l>Entered the royal city's gate:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In front the chaplain rode.</l> +<l>Then, loved and honoured with all care</l> +<l>By monarch and by courtier, there</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The glorious saint abode.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XVIII"/> +<head>Canto XVIII. Rishyasring's Departure.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The monarch called a Bráhman near</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And said, <q rend="pre">Now speed away</q></l> +<l>To Kaśyap's son,<note place="foot">Vibháṇdak, the father of Rishyaśring</note> +the mighty seer,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And with all reverence say</l> +<l>The holy child he holds so dear,</l> +<l>The hermit of the noble mind,</l> +<l>Whose equal it were hard to find,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Returned, is dwelling here.</l> +<l>Go, and instead of me do thou</l> +<l>Before that best of hermits bow,</l> +<l>That still he may, for his dear son,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Show me the favour I have won.</q></l> +<l>Soon as the king these words had said,</l> +<l>To Kaśyap's son the Bráhman sped.</l> +<l>Before the hermit low he bent</l> +<l>And did obeisance, reverent;</l> +<l>Then with meek words his grace to crave</l> +<l>The message of his lord he gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The high-souled father of his bride</q></l> +<l>Had called thy son his rites to guide:</l> +<l>Those rites are o'er, the steed is slain;</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy noble child is come again.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Soon as the saint that speech had heard</l> +<l>His spirit with desire was stirred</l> +<l>To seek the city of the king</l> +<l>And to his cot his son to bring.</l> +<pb n="031"/><anchor id="Pg031"/> +<l>With young disciples at his side</l> +<l>Forth on his way the hermit hied,</l> +<l>While peasants from their hamlets ran</l> +<l>To reverence the holy man.</l> +<l>Each with his little gift of food,</l> +<l>Forth came the village multitude,</l> +<l>And, as they humbly bowed the head,</l> +<l><q>What may we do for thee?</q> they said.</l> +<l>Then he, of Bráhmans first and best,</l> +<l>The gathered people thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now tell me for I fain would know,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Why is it I am honoured so?</q></l> +<l>They to the high-souled saint replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Our ruler is with thee allied.</q></l> +<l>Our master's order we fulfil;</l> +<l><q rend="post">O Bráhman, let thy mind be still.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With joy the saintly hermit heard</l> +<l>Each pleasant and delightful word,</l> +<l>And poured a benediction down</l> +<l>On king and ministers and town.</l> +<l>Glad at the words of that high saint</l> +<l>Some servants hastened to acquaint</l> +<l>Their king, rejoicing to impart</l> +<l>The tidings that would cheer his heart.</l> +<l>Soon as the joyful tale he knew</l> +<l>To meet the saint the monarch flew,</l> +<l>The guest-gift in his hand he brought,</l> +<l>And bowed before him and besought:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">This day by seeing thee I gain</q></l> +<l>Not to have lived my life in vain,</l> +<l>Now be not wroth with me, I pray,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Because I wiled thy son away.</q><note place="foot">A hemiśloka +is wanting in Schlegel's text, which he thus fills up in his Latin +translation.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The best of Bráhmans answer made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Be not, great lord of kings, afraid.</q></l> +<l>Thy virtues have not failed to win</l> +<l><q rend="post">My favour, O thou pure of sin.</q></l> +<l>Then in the front the saint was placed,</l> +<l>The king came next in joyous haste,</l> +<l>And with him entered his abode,</l> +<l>Mid glad acclaim as on they rode.</l> +<l>To greet the sage the reverent crowd</l> +<l>Raised suppliant hands and humbly bowed.</l> +<l>Then from the palace many a dame</l> +<l>Following well-dressed Śántá came,</l> +<l>Stood by the mighty saint and cried:</l> +<l><q>See, honour's source, thy son's dear bride.</q></l> +<l>The saint, who every virtue knew,</l> +<l>His arms around his daughter threw,</l> +<l>And with a father's rapture pressed</l> +<l>The lady to his wondering breast.</l> +<l>Arising from the saint's embrace</l> +<l>She bowed her low before his face,</l> +<l>And then, with palm to palm applied,</l> +<l>Stood by her hermit father's side.</l> +<l>He for his son, as laws ordain,</l> +<l>Performed the rite that frees from stain,<note place="foot">Rishyaśring, +a Bráhman, had married Śántá who was of the Kshatriya or Warrior +caste and an expiatory ceremony was +necessary on account of this violation of +the law.</note></l> +<l>And, honoured by the wise and good,</l> +<l>With him departed to the wood.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XIX"/> +<head>Canto XIX. The Birth Of The Princes.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The seasons six in rapid flight</l> +<l>Had circled since that glorious rite.</l> +<l>Eleven months had passed away;</l> +<l>'Twas Chaitra's ninth returning day.<note place="foot"><q>The poet +no doubt intended to indicate +the vernal equinox as the birthday of +Ráma. For the month <hi rend='italic'>Chaitra</hi> is the +first of the two months assigned to the +spring; it corresponds with the latter +half of March and the former half of +April in our division of the year. <hi rend='italic'>Aditi</hi>, +the mother of the Gods, is lady of the +seventh lunar mansion which is called +<hi rend='italic'>Punarvasu</hi>. The five planets and their +positions in the Zodiac are thus enumerated +by both commentators: the Sun +in Aries, Mars in Capricorn, Saturn in +Libra, Jupiter in Cancer, Venus in Pisces.… +I leave to astronomers to examine +whether the parts of the description agree +with one another, and, if this be the case, +thence to deduce the date. The Indians +place the nativity of Ráma in the confines +of the second age (tretá) and the third +(dwápara): but it seems that this should +be taken in an allegorical sense.… +We may consider that the poet had an +eye to the time in which, immediately +before his own age, the aspects of the +heavenly bodies were such as he has +described.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel</hi>.</note></l> +<l>The moon within that mansion shone</l> +<l>Which Aditi looks kindly on.</l> +<l>Raised to their apex in the sky</l> +<l>Five brilliant planets beamed on high.</l> +<l>Shone with the moon, in Cancer's sign,</l> +<l>Vṛihaspati<note place="foot">The regent of the planet Jupiter.</note> +with light divine.</l> +<l>Kauśalyá bore an infant blest</l> +<l>With heavenly marks of grace impressed;</l> +<l>Ráma, the universe's lord,</l> +<l>A prince by all the worlds adored.</l> +<l>New glory Queen Kauśalyá won</l> +<l>Reflected from her splendid son.</l> +<l>So Aditi shone more and more,</l> +<l>The Mother of the Gods, when she</l> +<l>The King of the Immortals<note place="foot">Indra = Jupiter Tonans.</note> bore,</l> +<l>The thunder-wielding deity.</l> +<pb n="032"/><anchor id="Pg032"/> +<l>The lotus-eyed, the beauteous boy,</l> +<l>He came fierce Rávaṇ to destroy;</l> +<l>From half of Vishṇu's vigour born,</l> +<l>He came to help the worlds forlorn.</l> +<l>And Queen Kaikeyí bore a child</l> +<l>Of truest valour, Bharat styled,</l> +<l>With every princely virtue blest,</l> +<l>One fourth of Vishṇu manifest.</l> +<l>Sumitrá too a noble pair,</l> +<l>Called Lakshmaṇ and Śatrughna, bare,</l> +<l>Of high emprise, devoted, true,</l> +<l>Sharers in Vishṇu's essence too.</l> +<l>'Neath Pushya's<note place="foot"><q><hi rend='italic'>Pushya</hi> is the name of +a month; but here it means the eighth mansion. +The ninth is called <hi rend='italic'>Asleshá</hi>, or the snake. +It is evident from this that Bharat, though +his birth is mentioned before that of the +twins, was the youngest of the four +brothers and Ráma's junior by eleven +months.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel</hi>.</note> mansion, +Mina's<note place="foot">A fish, the Zodiacal sign +<hi rend='italic'>Pisces</hi>.</note> sign,</l> +<l>Was Bharat born, of soul benign.</l> +<l>The sun had reached the Crab at morn</l> +<l>When Queen Sumitrá's babes were born,</l> +<l>What time the moon had gone to make</l> +<l>His nightly dwelling with the Snake.</l> +<l>The high-souled monarch's consorts bore</l> +<l>At different times those glorious four,</l> +<l>Like to himself and virtuous, bright</l> +<l>As Proshṭhapadá's<note place="foot">One of the constellations, containing +stars in the wing of Pegasus.</note> four-fold light.</l> +<l>Then danced the nymphs' celestial throng,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The minstrels raised their strain;</l> +<l>The drums of heaven pealed loud and long,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And flowers came down in rain.</l> +<l>Within Ayodhyá, blithe and gay,</l> +<l>All kept the joyous holiday.</l> +<l>The spacious square, the ample road</l> +<l>With mimes and dancers overflowed,</l> +<l>And with the voice of music rang</l> +<l>Where minstrels played and singers sang,</l> +<l>And shone, a wonder to behold,</l> +<l>With dazzling show of gems and gold.</l> +<l>Nor did the king his largess spare,</l> +<l>For minstrel, driver, bard, to share;</l> +<l>Much wealth the Bráhmans bore away,</l> +<l>And many thousand dine that day.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Soon as each babe was twelve days old</l> +<l>'Twas time the naming rite to hold.</l> +<l>When Saint Vaśishṭha, rapt with joy,</l> +<l>Assigned a name to every boy.</l> +<l>Ráma, to him the high-souled heir,</l> +<l>Bharat, to him Kaikeyí bare:</l> +<l>Of Queen Sumitrá one fair son</l> +<l>Was Lakshmaṇ, and Śatrughna<note place="foot">Ráma means the Delight (of the World); +Bharat, the Supporter; Lakshmaṇ, the +Auspicious; Śatrughna, the Slayer of Foes.</note> one</l> +<l>Ráma, his sire's supreme delight,</l> +<l>Like some proud banner cheered his sight,</l> +<l>And to all creatures seemed to be</l> +<l>The self-existent deity.</l> +<l>All heroes, versed in holy lore,</l> +<l>To all mankind great love they bore.</l> +<l>Fair stores of wisdom all possessed,</l> +<l>With princely graces all were blest.</l> +<l>But mid those youths of high descent,</l> +<l>With lordly light preëminent.</l> +<l>Like the full moon unclouded, shone</l> +<l>Ráma, the world's dear paragon.</l> +<l>He best the elephant could guide.<note place="foot">Schlegel, in the +<hi rend='italic'>Indische Bibliothek</hi>, +remarks that the proficiency of the Indians +in this art early attracted the attention +of Alexander's successors, and natives +of India were so long exclusively employed +in this service that the name Indian was +applied to any elephant-driver, to whatever +country he might belong.</note></l> +<l>Urge the fleet car, the charger ride:</l> +<l>A master he of bowman's skill,</l> +<l>Joying to do his father's will.</l> +<l>The world's delight and darling, he</l> +<l>Loved Lakshmaṇ best from infancy</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ, lord of lofty fate,</l> +<l>Upon his elder joyed to wait,</l> +<l>Striving his second self to please</l> +<l>With friendship's sweet observances.</l> +<l>His limbs the hero ne'er would rest</l> +<l>Unless the couch his brother pressed;</l> +<l>Except beloved Ráma shared</l> +<l>He could not taste the meal prepared.</l> +<l>When Ráma, pride of Reghu's race,</l> +<l>Sprang on his steed to urge the chase,</l> +<l>Behind him Lakshmaṇ loved to go</l> +<l>And guard him with his trusty bow.</l> +<l>As Ráma was to Lakshmaṇ dear</l> +<l>More than his life and ever near,</l> +<l>So fond Śatrughna prized above</l> +<l>His very life his Bharat's love.</l> +<l>Illustrious heroes, nobly kind</l> +<l>In mutual love they all combined,</l> +<l>And gave their royal sire delight</l> +<l>With modest grace and warrior might:</l> +<l>Supported by the glorious four</l> +<l>Shone Daśaratha more and more,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As though, with every guardian God</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Who keeps the land and skies,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Father of all creatures trod</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The earth before men's eyes.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XX"/> +<head>Canto XX. Visvámitra's Visit.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Now Daśaratha's pious mind</l> +<l>Meet wedlock for his sons designed;</l> +<pb n="033"/><anchor id="Pg033"/> +<l>With priests and friends the king began</l> +<l>To counsel and prepare his plan.</l> +<l>Such thoughts engaged his bosom, when,</l> +<l>To see Ayodhyá's lord of men,</l> +<l>A mighty saint of glorious fame,</l> +<l>The hermit Viśvámitra<note place="foot"><p>The story of this famous saint is given +at sufficient length in Cantos LI-LV.</p> +<p>This saint has given his name to the +district and city to the east of Benares. +The original name, preserved in a land-grant +on copper now in the Museum of +the Benares College, has been Moslemized +into Ghazeepore (the City of the Soldier-martyr).</p></note> came.</l> +<l>For evil fiends that roam by night</l> +<l>Disturbed him in each holy rite,</l> +<l>And in their strength and frantic rage</l> +<l>Assailed with witcheries the sage.</l> +<l>He came to seek the monarch's aid</l> +<l>To guard the rites the demons stayed,</l> +<l>Unable to a close to bring</l> +<l>One unpolluted offering.</l> +<l>Seeking the king in this dire strait</l> +<l>He said to those who kept the gate:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Haste, warders, to your master run,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">And say that here stands Gádhi's son.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Soon as they heard the holy man,</l> +<l>To the king's chamber swift they ran</l> +<l>With minds disordered all, and spurred</l> +<l>To wildest zeal by what they heard.</l> +<l>On to the royal hall they sped,</l> +<l>There stood and lowly bowed the head,</l> +<l>And made the lord of men aware</l> +<l>That the great saint was waiting there.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The king with priest and peer arose</l> +<l>And ran the sage to meet,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As Indra from his palace goes</l> +<l>Lord Brahmá's self to greet.</l> +<l>When glowing with celestial light</l> +<l>The pious hermit was in sight,</l> +<l>The king, whose mien his transport showed,</l> +<l>The honoured gift for guests bestowed.</l> +<l>Nor did the saint that gift despise,</l> +<l>Offered as holy texts advise;</l> +<l>He kindly asked the earth's great king</l> +<l>How all with him was prospering.</l> +<l>The son of Kuśik<note place="foot">The son of Kuśik +is Viśvámitra.</note> bade him tell</l> +<l>If all in town and field were well,</l> +<l>All well with friends, and kith and kin,</l> +<l>And royal treasure stored within:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Do all thy neighbours own thy sway?</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Thy foes confess thee yet?</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Dost thou continue still to pay</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">To Gods and men each debt?</q></l> +<l>Then he, of hermits first and best,</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha with a smile<note place="foot">At the recollection of their former +enmity, to be described hereafter.</note> addressed,</l> +<l>And asked him of his welfare too,</l> +<l>Showing him honour as was due.</l> +<l>Then with the sainted hermit all</l> +<l>Went joyous to the monarch's hall,</l> +<l>And sate them down by due degree,</l> +<l>Each one, of rank and dignity.</l> +<l>Joy filled the noble prince's breast</l> +<l>Who thus bespoke the honoured guest:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">As amrit<note place="foot">The Indian nectar or drink +of the Gods.</note> +by a mortal found,</q></l> +<l>As rain upon the thirsty ground,</l> +<l>As to an heirless man a son</l> +<l>Born to him of his precious one,</l> +<l>As gain of what we sorely miss,</l> +<l>As sudden dawn of mighty bliss,</l> +<l>So is thy coming here to me:</l> +<l>All welcome, mighty Saint, to thee.</l> +<l>What wish within thy heart hast thou?</l> +<l>If I can please thee, tell me how.</l> +<l>Hail, Saint, from whom all honours flow,</l> +<l>Worthy of all I can bestow.</l> +<l>Blest is my birth with fruit to-day,</l> +<l>Nor has my life been thrown away.</l> +<l>I see the best of Bráhman race</l> +<l>And night to glorious morn gives place.</l> +<l>Thou, holy Sage, in days of old</l> +<l>Among the royal saints enrolled,</l> +<l>Didst, penance-glorified, within</l> +<l>The Bráhman caste high station win.</l> +<l>'Tis meet and right in many a way</l> +<l>That I to thee should honour pay.</l> +<l>This seems a marvel to mine eyes:</l> +<l>All sin thy visit purifies;</l> +<l>And I by seeing thee, O Sage,</l> +<l>Have reaped the fruit of pilgrimage.</l> +<l>Then say what thou wouldst have me do,</l> +<l>That thou hast sought this interview.</l> +<l>Favoured by thee, my wish is still,</l> +<l>O Hermit, to perform thy will.</l> +<l>Nor needest thou at length explain</l> +<l>The object that thy heart would gain.</l> +<l>Without reserve I grant it now:</l> +<l><q rend="post">My deity, O Lord, art thou.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The glorious hermit, far renowned,</l> +<l>With highest fame and virtue crowned,</l> +<l>Rejoiced these modest words to hear</l> +<l>Delightful to the mind and ear.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XXI"/> +<head>Canto XXI. Visvámitra's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The hermit heard with high content</l> +<l>That speech so wondrous eloquent,</l> +<l>And while each hair with joy arose,<note place="foot">Great joy, according to the +Hindu belief, has this effect, not causing each +particular hair to stand on end, but +gently raising all the down upon the body.</note></l> +<pb n="034"/><anchor id="Pg034"/> +<l>He thus made answer at the close:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Good is thy speech O noble King,</q></l> +<l>And like thyself in everything.</l> +<l>So should their lips be wisdom-fraught</l> +<l>Whom kings begot, Vaśishṭha taught.</l> +<l>The favour which I came to seek</l> +<l>Thou grantest ere my tongue can speak.</l> +<l>But let my tale attention claim,</l> +<l>And hear the need for which I came.</l> +<l>O King, as Scripture texts allow,</l> +<l>A holy rite employs me now.</l> +<l>Two fiends who change their forms at will</l> +<l>Impede that rite with cursed skill.<note place="foot">The Rákshasas, giants, +or fiends who are represented as disturbing the sacrifice, +signify here, as often elsewhere, merely +the savage tribes which placed themselves +in hostile opposition to Bráhmanical institutions.</note></l> +<l>Oft when the task is nigh complete,</l> +<l>These worst of fiends my toil defeat,</l> +<l>Throw bits of bleeding flesh, and o'er</l> +<l>The altar shed a stream of gore.</l> +<l>When thus the rite is mocked and stayed,</l> +<l>And all my pious hopes delayed,</l> +<l>Cast down in heart the spot I leave,</l> +<l>And spent with fruitless labour grieve.</l> +<l>Nor can I, checked by prudence, dare</l> +<l>Let loose my fury on them there:</l> +<l>The muttered curse, the threatening word,</l> +<l>In such a rite must ne'er be heard.</l> +<l>Thy grace the rite from check can free.</l> +<l>And yield the fruit I long to see.</l> +<l>Thy duty bids thee, King, defend</l> +<l>The suffering guest, the suppliant friend.</l> +<l>Give me thy son, thine eldest born,</l> +<l>Whom locks like raven's wings adorn.</l> +<l>That hero youth, the truly brave,</l> +<l>Of thee, O glorious King, I crave.</l> +<l>For he can lay those demons low</l> +<l>Who mar my rites and work me woe:</l> +<l>My power shall shield the youth from harm,</l> +<l>And heavenly might shall nerve his arm.</l> +<l>And on my champion will I shower</l> +<l>Unnumbered gifts of varied power,</l> +<l>Such gifts as shall ensure his fame</l> +<l>And spread through all the worlds his name.</l> +<l>Be sure those fiends can never stand</l> +<l>Before the might of Ráma's hand,</l> +<l>And mid the best and bravest none</l> +<l>Can slay that pair but Raghu's son.</l> +<l>Entangled in the toils of Fate</l> +<l>Those sinners, proud and obstinate,</l> +<l>Are, in their fury overbold,</l> +<l>No match for Ráma mighty-souled.</l> +<l>Nor let a father's breast give way</l> +<l>Too far to fond affection's sway.</l> +<l>Count thou the fiends already slain:</l> +<l>My word is pledged, nor pledged in vain.</l> +<l>I know the hero Ráma well</l> +<l>In whom high thoughts and valour dwell;</l> +<l>So does Vaśishṭha, so do these</l> +<l>Engaged in long austerities.</l> +<l>If thou would do the righteous deed,</l> +<l>And win high fame, thy virtue's meed,</l> +<l>Fame that on earth shall last and live,</l> +<l>To me, great King, thy Ráma give.</l> +<l>If to the words that I have said,</l> +<l>With Saint Vaśishṭha at their head</l> +<l>Thy holy men, O King, agree,</l> +<l>Then let thy Ráma go with me.</l> +<l>Ten nights my sacrifice will last,</l> +<l>And ere the stated time be past</l> +<l>Those wicked fiends, those impious twain,</l> +<l>Must fall by wondrous Ráma slain.</l> +<l>Let not the hours, I warn thee, fly,</l> +<l>Fixt for the rite, unheeded by;</l> +<l>Good luck have thou, O royal Chief,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Nor give thy heart to needless grief.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus in fair words with virtue fraught</l> +<l>The pious glorious saint besought.</l> +<l>But the good speech with poignant sting</l> +<l>Pierced ear and bosom of the king,</l> +<l>Who, stabbed with pangs too sharp to bear,</l> +<l>Fell prostrate and lay fainting there.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XXII"/> +<head>Canto XXII. Dasaratha's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>His tortured senses all astray,</l> +<l>While the hapless monarch lay,</l> +<l>Then slowly gathering thought and strength</l> +<l>To Viśvámitra spoke at length:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My son is but a child, I ween;</q></l> +<l>This year he will be just sixteen.</l> +<l>How is he fit for such emprise,</l> +<l>My darling with the lotus eyes?</l> +<l>A mighty army will I bring</l> +<l>That calls me master, lord, and king,</l> +<l>And with its countless squadrons fight</l> +<l>Against these rovers of the night.</l> +<l>My faithful heroes skilled to wield</l> +<l>The arms of war will take the field;</l> +<l>Their skill the demons' might may break:</l> +<l>Ráma, my child, thou must not take.</l> +<l>I, even I, my bow in hand,</l> +<l>Will in the van of battle stand,</l> +<l>And, while my soul is left alive,</l> +<l>With the night-roaming demons strive.</l> +<l>Thy guarded sacrifice shall be</l> +<l>Completed, from all hindrance free.</l> +<l>Thither will I my journey make:</l> +<l>Ráma, my child, thou must not take.</l> +<l>A boy unskilled, he knows not yet</l> +<l>The bounds to strength and weakness set.</l> +<l>No match is he for demon foes</l> +<l>Who magic arts to arms oppose.</l> +<pb n="035"/><anchor id="Pg035"/> +<l>O chief of saints, I have no power,</l> +<l>Of Ráma reft, to live one hour:</l> +<l>Mine aged heart at once would break:</l> +<l>Ráma, my child, thou must not take.</l> +<l>Nine thousand circling years have fled</l> +<l>With all their seasons o'er my head,</l> +<l>And as a hard-won boon, O sage,</l> +<l>These sons have come to cheer mine age.</l> +<l>My dearest love amid the four</l> +<l>Is he whom first his mother bore,</l> +<l>Still dearer for his virtues' sake:</l> +<l>Ráma, my child, thou must not take.</l> +<l>But if, unmoved by all I say,</l> +<l>Thou needs must bear my son away,</l> +<l>Let me lead with him, I entreat,</l> +<l>A four-fold army<note place="foot">Consisting of horse, foot, chariots, and +elephants.</note> all complete.</l> +<l>What is the demons' might, O Sage?</l> +<l>Who are they? What their parentage?</l> +<l>What is their size? What beings lend</l> +<l>Their power to guard them and befriend?</l> +<l>How can my son their arts withstand?</l> +<l>Or I or all my armed band?</l> +<l>Tell me the whole that I may know</l> +<l>To meet in war each evil foe</l> +<l><q rend="post">Whom conscious might inspires with pride.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And Viśvámitra thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Sprung from Pulastya's race there came</q></l> +<l>A giant known by Rávaṇ's name.</l> +<l>Once favoured by the Eternal Sire</l> +<l>He plagues the worlds in ceaseless ire,</l> +<l>For peerless power and might renowned,</l> +<l>By giant bands encompassed round.</l> +<l>Viśravas for his sire they hold,</l> +<l>His brother is the Lord of Gold.</l> +<l>King of the giant hosts is he,</l> +<l>And worst of all in cruelty.</l> +<l>This Rávaṇ's dread commands impel</l> +<l>Two demons who in might excel,</l> +<l>Márícha and Suváhu hight,</l> +<l><q rend="post">To trouble and impede the rite.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then thus the king addressed the sage:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No power have I, my lord, to wage</q></l> +<l>War with this evil-minded foe;</l> +<l>Now pity on my darling show,</l> +<l>And upon me of hapless fate,</l> +<l>For thee as God I venerate.</l> +<l>Gods, spirits, bards of heavenly birth,<note place="foot"><q>The Gandharvas, or +heavenly bards, had originally a warlike character but +were afterwards reduced to the office of celestial musicians cheering the banquets +of the Gods. Dr. Kuhn has shown their identity with the Centaurs in name, origin +and attributes.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</note></l> +<l>The birds of air, the snakes of earth</l> +<l>Before the might of Rávaṇ quail,</l> +<l>Much less can mortal man avail.</l> +<l>He draws, I hear, from out the breast</l> +<l>The valour of the mightiest.</l> +<l>No, ne'er can I with him contend,</l> +<l>Or with the forces he may send.</l> +<l>How can I then my darling lend,</l> +<l>Godlike, unskilled in battle? No,</l> +<l>I will not let my young child go.</l> +<l>Foes of thy rite, those mighty ones,</l> +<l>Sunda and Upasunda's sons,</l> +<l>Are fierce as Fate to overthrow:</l> +<l>I will not let my young child go.</l> +<l>Márícha and Suváhu fell</l> +<l>Are valiant and instructed well.</l> +<l>One of the twain I might attack.</l> +<l><q rend="post">With all my friends their lord to back.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XXIII"/> +<head>Canto XXIII. Vasishtha's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>While thus the hapless monarch spoke,</l> +<l>Paternal love his utterance broke.</l> +<l>Then words like these the saint returned,</l> +<l>And fury in his bosom burned:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Didst thou, O King, a promise make,</q></l> +<l>And wishest now thy word to break?</l> +<l>A son of Raghu's line should scorn</l> +<l>To fail in faith, a man forsworn.</l> +<l>But if thy soul can bear the shame</l> +<l>I will return e'en as I came.</l> +<l>Live with thy sons, and joy be thine,</l> +<l><q rend="post">False scion of Kakutstha's line.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As Viśvámitra, mighty sage,</l> +<l>Was moved with this tempestuous rage,</l> +<l>Earth rocked and reeled throughout her frame,</l> +<l>And fear upon the Immortals came.</l> +<l>But Saint Vaśishṭha, wisest seer,</l> +<l>Observant of his vows austere,</l> +<l>Saw the whole world convulsed with dread,</l> +<l>And thus unto the monarch said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thou, born of old Ikshváku's seed,</q></l> +<l>Art Justice' self in mortal weed.</l> +<l>Constant and pious, blest by fate,</l> +<l>The right thou must not violate.</l> +<l>Thou, Raghu's son, so famous through</l> +<l>The triple world as just and true,</l> +<l>Perform thy bounden duty still,</l> +<l>Nor stain thy race by deed of ill.</l> +<l>If thou have sworn and now refuse</l> +<l>Thou must thy store of merit lose.</l> +<l>Then, Monarch, let thy Ráma go,</l> +<l>Nor fear for him the demon foe.</l> +<l>The fiends shall have no power to hurt</l> +<l>Him trained to war or inexpert,</l> +<l>Nor vanquish him in battle field,</l> +<l>For Kuśik's son the youth will shield.</l> +<l>He is incarnate Justice, he</l> +<l>The best of men for bravery.</l> +<l>Embodied love of penance drear,</l> +<l>Among the wise without a peer.</l> +<pb n="036"/><anchor id="Pg036"/> +<l>Full well he knows, great Kuśik's son,</l> +<l>The arms celestial, every one,</l> +<l>Arms from the Gods themselves concealed,</l> +<l>Far less to other men revealed.</l> +<l>These arms to him, when earth he swayed,</l> +<l>Mighty Kriśáśva, pleased, conveyed.</l> +<l>Kriśáśva's sons they are indeed,</l> +<l>Brought forth by Daksha's lovely seed,<note place="foot">These mysterious +animated weapons are enumerated in Cantos XXIX and +XXX. Daksha was the son of Brahmá and one of the Prajápatis, Demiurgi, or +secondary authors of creation.</note></l> +<l>Heralds of conquest, strong and bold,</l> +<l>Brilliant, of semblance manifold.</l> +<l>Jayá and Vijayá, most fair,</l> +<l>And hundred splendid weapons bare.</l> +<l>Of Jayá, glorious as the morn,</l> +<l>First fifty noble sons were born,</l> +<l>Boundless in size yet viewless too,</l> +<l>They came the demons to subdue.</l> +<l>And fifty children also came</l> +<l>Of Vijayá the beauteous dame,</l> +<l>Sanháras named, of mighty force,</l> +<l>Hard to assail or check in course.</l> +<l>Of these the hermit knows the use,</l> +<l>And weapons new can he produce.</l> +<l>All these the mighty saint will yield</l> +<l>To Ráma's hand, to own and wield;</l> +<l>And armed with these, beyond a doubt</l> +<l>Shall Ráma put those fiends to rout.</l> +<l>For Ráma and the people's sake,</l> +<l>For thine own good my counsel take,</l> +<l>Nor seek, O King, with fond delay,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The parting of thy son to stay.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XXIV"/> +<head>Canto XXIV. The Spells.</head> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Vaśishṭha thus was speaking still:</l> +<l>The monarch, of his own free will,</l> +<l>Bade with quick zeal and joyful cheer</l> +<l>Ráma and Lakshmaṇ hasten near.</l> +<l>Mother and sire in loving care</l> +<l>Sped their dear son with rite and prayer:</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha blessed him ere he went;</l> +<l>O'er his loved head the father bent,</l> +<l>And then to Kuśik's son resigned</l> +<l>Ráma with Lakshmaṇ close behind.</l> +<l>Standing by Viśvámitra's side,</l> +<l>The youthful hero, lotus-eyed,</l> +<l>The Wind-God saw, and sent a breeze</l> +<l>Whose sweet pure touch just waved the trees.</l> +<l>There fell from heaven a flowery rain,</l> +<l>And with the song and dance the strain</l> +<l>Of shell and tambour sweetly blent</l> +<l>As forth the son of Raghu went.</l> +<l>The hermit led: behind him came</l> +<l>The bow-armed Ráma, dear to fame,</l> +<l>Whose locks were like the raven's wing:<note place="foot">Youths of the Kshatriya +class used to leave unshorn the side locks of their +hair. These were called <hi rend='italic'>Káka-paksha</hi>, +or raven's wings.</note></l> +<l>Then Lakshmaṇ, closely following.</l> +<l>The Gods and Indra, filled with joy,</l> +<l>Looked down upon the royal boy,</l> +<l>And much they longed the death to see</l> +<l>Of their ten-headed enemy.<note place="foot">The Rákshas or giant Rávaṇ, king of +Lanká.</note></l> +<l>Ráma and Lakshmaṇ paced behind</l> +<l>That hermit of the lofty mind,</l> +<l>As the young Aśvins,<note place="foot"><q>The meaning of Aśvins (from +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">aśva</foreign> a horse, Persian asp, +Greek ἵππος, Latin <hi rend='italic'>equus</hi>, Welsh ech) is Horsemen. They +were twin deities of whom frequent mention is made in the Vedas and the Indian +myths. The Aśvins have much in common with the Dioscuri of Greece, and their mythical +genealogy seems to indicate that their origin was astronomical. They were, perhaps, at +first the morning star and evening star. They are said to be the children of the sun and +the nymph Aśviní, who is one of the lunar asterisms personified. In the popular +mythology they are regarded as the physicians of the Gods.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</note> heavenly pair,</l> +<l>Follow Lord Indra through the air.</l> +<l>On arm and hand the guard they wore,</l> +<l>Quiver and bow and sword they bore;</l> +<l>Two fire-born Gods of War seemed they.<note place="foot">The word Kumára (a young +prince, a Childe) is also a proper name of Skanda or Kártikeya God of War, the son of +Śiva and Umá. The babe was matured in the fire.</note></l> +<l>He, Śiva's self who led the way.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Upon fair Sarjú's southern shore</l> +<l>They now had walked a league and more,</l> +<l>When thus the sage in accents mild</l> +<l>To Ráma said: <q rend="pre">Beloved child,</q></l> +<l>This lustral water duly touch:</l> +<l>My counsel will avail thee much.</l> +<l>Forget not all the words I say,</l> +<l>Nor let the occasion slip away.</l> +<l>Lo, with two spells I thee invest,</l> +<l>The mighty and the mightiest.</l> +<l>O'er thee fatigue shall ne'er prevail,</l> +<l>Nor age or change thy limbs assail.</l> +<l>Thee powers of darkness ne'er shall smite</l> +<l>In tranquil sleep or wild delight.</l> +<l>No one is there in all the land</l> +<l>Thine equal for the vigorous hand.</l> +<pb n="037"/><anchor id="Pg037"/> +<l>Thou, when thy lips pronounce the spell,</l> +<l>Shalt have no peer in heaven or hell.</l> +<l>None in the world with thee shall vie,</l> +<l>O sinless one, in apt reply,</l> +<l>In fortune, knowledge, wit, and tact,</l> +<l>Wisdom to plan and skill to act.</l> +<l>This double science take, and gain</l> +<l>Glory that shall for aye remain.</l> +<l>Wisdom and judgment spring from each</l> +<l>Of these fair spells whose use I teach.</l> +<l>Hunger and thirst unknown to thee,</l> +<l>High in the worlds thy rank shall be.</l> +<l>For these two spells with might endued,</l> +<l>Are the Great Father's heavenly brood,</l> +<l>And thee, O Chief, may fitly grace,</l> +<l>Thou glory of Kakutstha's race.</l> +<l>Virtues which none can match are thine,</l> +<l>Lord, from thy birth, of gifts divine,</l> +<l>And now these spells of might shall cast</l> +<l><q rend="post">Fresh radiance o'er the gifts thou hast.</q></l> +<l>Then Ráma duly touched the wave,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Raised suppliant hands, bowed low his head,</l> +<l>And took the spells the hermit gave,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Whose soul on contemplation fed.</l> +<l>From him whose might these gifts enhanced,</l> +<l>A brighter beam of glory glanced:</l> +<l>So shines in all his autumn blaze</l> +<l>The Day-God of the thousand rays.</l> +<l>The hermit's wants those youths supplied,</l> +<l>As pupils use to holy guide.</l> +<l>And then the night in sweet content</l> +<l>On Sarjú's pleasant bank they spent.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XXV"/> +<head>Canto XXV. The Hermitage Of Love.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Soon as appeared the morning light</l> +<l>Up rose the mighty anchorite,</l> +<l>And thus to youthful Ráma said,</l> +<l>Who lay upon his leafy bed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">High fate is hers who calls thee son:</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Arise, 'tis break of day;</l> +<l>Rise, Chief, and let those rites be done</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Due at the morning's ray.</q><note +place="foot"><q>At the rising of the sun as well as at +noon certain observances, invocations, and prayers were prescribed which might +under no circumstances be omitted. One of these observances was the recitation of +the Sávitrí, a Vedic hymn to the Sun of wonderful beauty.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</note></l> +<l>At that great sage's high behest</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Up sprang the princely pair,</l> +<l>To bathing rites themselves addressed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And breathed the holiest prayer.</l> +<l>Their morning task completed, they</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To Viśvámitra came</l> +<l>That store of holy works, to pay</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The worship saints may claim.</l> +<l>Then to the hallowed spot they went</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Along fair Sarjú's side</l> +<l>Where mix her waters confluent</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With three-pathed Gangá's tide.<note place="foot"><hi +rend='italic'>Tripathaga</hi>, <hi rend='italic'>Three-path-go,</hi> flowing +in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. See <ref target="CantoI-XLV">Canto +XLV</ref>.</note></l> +<l>There was a sacred hermitage</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Where saints devout of mind</l> +<l>Their lives through many a lengthened age</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To penance had resigned.</l> +<l>That pure abode the princes eyed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With unrestrained delight,</l> +<l>And thus unto the saint they cried,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Rejoicing at the sight:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Whose is that hermitage we see?</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Who makes his dwelling there?</l> +<l>Full of desire to hear are we:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">O Saint, the truth declare.</q></l> +<l>The hermit smiling made reply</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To the two boys' request:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hear, Ráma, who in days gone by</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">This calm retreat possessed.</l> +<l>Kandarpa in apparent form,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Called Káma<note place="foot">Tennyson's <q>Indian Cama,</q> +the God of Love, known also by many other names.</note> by the wise,</l> +<l>Dared Umá's<note place="foot"><foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Umá</foreign>, or <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Parvatí</foreign>, was daughter of +Himálaya, Monarch of mountains, and wife of Śiva. See Kálidasa's +<hi rend='italic'>Kumára Sambhava</hi>, or +<hi rend='italic'>Birth of the War-God</hi>.</note> new-wed lord to storm</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And make the God his prize.</l> +<l>'Gainst Stháṇu's<note place="foot"><foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Stháṇu</foreign>. The Unmoving one, a name +of Śiva.</note> self, on rites austere</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And vows intent,<note place="foot"><q>The practice of +austerities, voluntary tortures, and mortifications was anciently +universal in India, and was held by the Indians to be of immense efficacy. Hence +they mortified themselves to expiate sins, to acquire merits, and to obtain superhuman +gifts and powers; the Gods themselves sometimes exercised themselves in +such austerities, either to raise themselves to greater power and grandeur, or to +counteract the austerities of man which threatened to prevail over them and to +deprive them of heaven.… Such austerities were called in India +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">tapas</foreign> (burning +ardour, fervent devotion) and he who practised them +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">tapasvin</foreign>.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</note> they say,</l> +<l>His bold rash hand he dared to rear,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Though Stháṇu cried, Away!</l> +<l>But the God's eye with scornful glare</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Fell terrible on him.</l> +<l>Dissolved the shape that was so fair</l> +<pb n="038"/><anchor id="Pg038"/> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And burnt up every limb.</l> +<l>Since the great God's terrific rage</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Destroyed his form and frame,</l> +<l>Káma in each succeeding age</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Has borne Ananga's<note place="foot"><hi rend='italic'>The +Bodiless one.</hi></note> name.</l> +<l>So, where his lovely form decayed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">This land is Anga styled:</l> +<l>Sacred to him of old this shade,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And hermits undefiled.</l> +<l>Here Scripture-talking elders sway</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Each sense with firm control,</l> +<l>And penance-rites have washed away</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">All sin from every soul.</l> +<l>One night, fair boy, we here will spend,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A pure stream on each hand,</l> +<l>And with to-morrow's light will bend</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Our steps to yonder strand.</l> +<l>Here let us bathe, and free from stain</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To that pure grove repair,</l> +<l>Sacred to Káma, and remain</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">One night in comfort there.</q></l> +<l>With penance' far-discerning eye</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The saintly men beheld</l> +<l>Their coming, and with transport high</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Each holy bosom swelled.</l> +<l>To Kuśik's son the gift they gave</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That honoured guest should greet,</l> +<l>Water they brought his feet to lave,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And showed him honor meet.</l> +<l>Ráma and Lakshmaṇ next obtained</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In due degree their share.</l> +<l>Then with sweet talk the guests remained,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And charmed each listener there.</l> +<l>The evening prayers were duly said</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With voices calm and low:</l> +<l>Then on the ground each laid his head</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And slept till morning's glow.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XXVI"/> +<head>Canto XXVI. The Forest Of Tádaká.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When the fair light of morning rose</l> +<l>The princely tamers of their foes</l> +<l>Followed, his morning worship o'er,</l> +<l>The hermit to the river's shore.</l> +<l>The high-souled men with thoughtful care</l> +<l>A pretty barge had stationed there.</l> +<l>All cried, <q rend="pre">O lord, this barge ascend,</q></l> +<l>And with thy princely followers bend</l> +<l>To yonder side thy prosperous way</l> +<l><q rend="post">With naught to check thee or delay.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Nor did the saint their rede reject:</l> +<l>He bade farewell with due respect,</l> +<l>And crossed, attended by the twain,</l> +<l>That river rushing to the main.</l> +<l>When now the bark was half way o'er,</l> +<l>Ráma and Lakshmaṇ heard the roar,</l> +<l>That louder grew and louder yet,</l> +<l>Of waves by dashing waters met.</l> +<l>Then Ráma asked the mighty seer:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What is the tumult that I hear</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Of waters cleft in mid career?</q></l> +<l>Soon as the speech of Ráma, stirred</l> +<l>By deep desire to know, he heard,</l> +<l>The pious saint began to tell</l> +<l>What paused the waters' roar and swell:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">On high Kailása's distant hill</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">There lies a noble lake</l> +<l>Whose waters, born from Brahmá's will,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The name of Mánas<note place="foot"><q>A celebrated lake +regarded in India as sacred. It lies in the lofty region between +the northern highlands of the Himálayas and mount Kailása, the region of +the sacred lakes. The poem, following the popular Indian belief, makes the river +Sarayú (now Sarjú) flow from the Mánasa lake; the sources of the river are a little to +the south about a day's journey from the lake. See Lassen, +<hi rend='italic'>Indische Alterthumshunde</hi>, page 34.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>. <hi rend='italic'>Manas</hi> means +mind; <hi rend='italic'>mánasa</hi>, mental, mind-born.</note> take.</l> +<l>Thence, hallowing where'er they flow,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The streams of Sarjú fall,</l> +<l>And wandering through the plains below</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Embrace Ayodhyá's wall.</l> +<l>Still, still preserved in Sarjú's name</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sarovar's<note place="foot"><hi rend='italic'>Sarovar</hi> +means best of lakes. +This is another of the poet's fanciful etymologies.</note> fame we trace.</l> +<l>The flood of Brahma whence she came</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To run her holy race.</l> +<l>To meet great Gangá here she hies</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With tributary wave:</l> +<l>Hence the loud roar ye hear arise,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Of floods that swell and rave.</l> +<l>Here, pride of Raghu's line, do thou</l> +<l><q rend="post">In humble adoration bow.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke. The princes both obeyed,</l> +<l>And reverence to each river paid.<note place="foot">The confluence of two +or more rivers is often a venerated and holy place. The +most famous is Prayág or Allahabad, where the Sarasvatí by an underground +course is believed to join the Jumna and the Ganges.</note></l> +<l>They reached the southern shore at last,</l> +<l>And gaily on their journey passed.</l> +<l>A little space beyond there stood</l> +<l>A gloomy awe-inspiring wood.</l> +<l>The monarch's noble son began</l> +<l>To question thus the holy man:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Whose gloomy forest meets mine eye</q></l> +<l>Like some vast cloud that fills the sky?</l> +<l>Pathless and dark it seems to be,</l> +<l>Where birds in thousands wander free;</l> +<l>Where shrill cicadas' cries resound,</l> +<pb n="039"/><anchor id="Pg039"/> +<l>And fowl of dismal note abound.</l> +<l>Lion, rhinoceros, and bear,</l> +<l>Boar, tiger, elephant, are there,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">There shrubs and thorns run wild:</l> +<l>Dháo, Sál, Bignonia, Bel,<note place="foot">The botanical names of the trees +mentioned in the text are Grislea Tormentosa, Shorea Robusta, Echites Antidysenterica, +Bignonia Suaveolens, Œgle Marmelos, and Diospyrus Glutinosa. I have +omitted the <hi rend='italic'>Kutaja</hi> (Echites) and the +<hi rend='italic'>Tiṇḍuka</hi> (Diospyrus).</note> are found,</l> +<l>And every tree that grows on ground.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">How is the forest styled?</q></l> +<l>The glorious saint this answer made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Dear child of Raghu, hear</q></l> +<l>Who dwells within the horrid shade</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That looks so dark and drear.</l> +<l>Where now is wood, long ere this day</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Two broad and fertile lands,</l> +<l>Malaja and Karúsha lay,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Adorned by heavenly hands.</l> +<l>Here, mourning friendship's broken ties,</l> +<l>Lord Indra of the thousand eyes</l> +<l>Hungered and sorrowed many a day,</l> +<l>His brightness soiled with mud and clay,</l> +<l>When in a storm of passion he</l> +<l>Had slain his dear friend Namuchi.</l> +<l>Then came the Gods and saints who bore</l> +<l>Their golden pitchers brimming o'er</l> +<l>With holy streams that banish stain,</l> +<l>And bathed Lord Indra pure again.</l> +<l>When in this land the God was freed</l> +<l>From spot and stain of impious deed</l> +<l>For that his own dear friend he slew,</l> +<l>High transport thrilled his bosom through.</l> +<l>Then in his joy the lands he blessed,</l> +<l>And gave a boon they long possessed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Because these fertile lands retain</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">The washings of the blot and stain,</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">'Twas thus Lord Indra sware,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Malaja and Karúsha's name</q></l> +<l>Shall celebrate with deathless fame</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">My malady and care.</q><note place="foot">Here +we meet with a fresh myth to account for the name of these regions. +<hi rend='italic'>Malaja</hi> is probably a non-Aryan word signifying a hilly country: +taken as a Sanskrit compound it means <hi rend='italic'>sprung from +defilement</hi>. The word <hi rend='italic'>Karúsha</hi> appears to +have a somewhat similar meaning.</note></l> +<l><q>So be it,</q> all the Immortals cried,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Indra's speech they heard,</l> +<l>And with acclaim they ratified</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The names his lips conferred.</l> +<l>Long time, O victor of thy foes,</l> +<l>These happy lands had sweet repose,</l> +<l>And higher still in fortune rose.</l> +<l>At length a spirit, loving ill,</l> +<l>Táḍaká, wearing shapes at will,</l> +<l>Whose mighty strength, exceeding vast,</l> +<l>A thousand elephants, surpassed,</l> +<l>Was to fierce Sunda, lord and head</l> +<l>Of all the demon armies, wed.</l> +<l>From her, Lord Indra's peer in might</l> +<l>Giant Márícha sprang to light:</l> +<l>And she, a constant plague and pest,</l> +<l>These two fair realms has long distressed.</l> +<l>Now dwelling in her dark abode</l> +<l>A league away she bars the road:</l> +<l>And we, O Ráma, hence must go</l> +<l>Where lies the forest of the foe.</l> +<l>Now on thine own right arm rely,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And my command obey:</l> +<l>Smite the foul monster that she die,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And take the plague away.</l> +<l>To reach this country none may dare</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Fallen from its old estate,</l> +<l>Which she, whose fury naught can bear,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Has left so desolate.</l> +<l>And now my truthful tale is told</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">How with accursed sway</l> +<l>The spirit plagued this wood of old,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">And ceases not to-day.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XXVII"/> +<head>Canto XXVII. The Birth Of Tádaká.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When thus the sage without a peer</l> +<l>Had closed that story strange to hear,</l> +<l>Ráma again the saint addressed</l> +<l>To set one lingering doubt at rest:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O holy man, 'tis said by all</q></l> +<l>That spirits' strength is weak and small:</l> +<l>How can she match, of power so slight,</l> +<l><q rend="post">A thousand elephants in might?</q></l> +<l>And Viśvámitra thus replied</l> +<l>To Raghu's son the glorified:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Listen, and I will tell thee how</q></l> +<l>She gained the strength that arms her now.</l> +<l>A mighty spirit lived of yore;</l> +<l>Suketu was the name he bore.</l> +<l>Childless was he, and free from crime</l> +<l>In rites austere he passed his time.</l> +<l>The mighty Sire was pleased to show</l> +<l>His favour, and a child bestow.</l> +<l>Táḍaká named, most fair to see,</l> +<l>A pearl among the maids was she,</l> +<l>And matched, for such was Brahmá's dower,</l> +<l>A thousand elephants in power.</l> +<l>Nor would the Eternal Sire, although</l> +<l>The spirit longed, a son bestow</l> +<l>That maid in beauty's youthful pride</l> +<l>Was given to Sunda for a bride.</l> +<l>Her son, Márícha was his name,</l> +<l>A giant, through a curse, became.</l> +<l>She, widowed, dared with him molest</l> +<pb n="040"/><anchor id="Pg040"/> +<l>Agastya,<note place="foot"><p><q>This is one of those indefinable +mythic personages who are found in the ancient traditions of many nations, and +in whom cosmogonical or astronomical notions are generally figured. Thus it is +related of Agastya that the Vindhyan mountains prostrated themselves before +him; and yet the same Agastya is believed to be regent of the star Canopus.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</p> +<p>He will appear as the friend and helper +of Ráma farther on in the poem.</p></note> of all saints the best.</l> +<l>Inflamed with hunger's wildest rage,</l> +<l>Roaring she rushed upon the sage.</l> +<l>When the great hermit saw her near,</l> +<l>On speeding in her fierce career,</l> +<l>He thus pronounced Márícha's doom:</l> +<l><q>A giant's form and shape assume.</q></l> +<l>And then, by mighty anger swayed,</l> +<l>On Táḍaká this curse he laid:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy present form and semblance quit,</q></l> +<l>And wear a shape thy mood to fit;</l> +<l>Changed form and feature by my ban,</l> +<l><q rend="post">A fearful thing that feeds on man.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She, by his awful curse possessed,</l> +<l>And mad with rage that fills her breast,</l> +<l>Has on this land her fury dealt</l> +<l>Where once the saint Agastya dwelt.</l> +<l>Go, Ráma, smite this monster dead,</l> +<l>The wicked plague, of power so dread,</l> +<l>And further by this deed of thine</l> +<l>The good of Bráhmans and of kine.</l> +<l>Thy hand alone can overthrow,</l> +<l>In all the worlds, this impious foe.</l> +<l>Nor let compassion lead thy mind</l> +<l>To shrink from blood of womankind;</l> +<l>A monarch's son must ever count</l> +<l>The people's welfare paramount,</l> +<l>And whether pain or joy he deal</l> +<l>Dare all things for his subjects' weal;</l> +<l>Yea, if the deed bring praise or guilt,</l> +<l>If life be saved or blood be spilt:</l> +<l>Such, through all time, should be the care</l> +<l>Of those a kingdom's weight who bear.</l> +<l>Slay, Ráma, slay this impious fiend,</l> +<l>For by no law her life is screened.</l> +<l>So Manthará, as bards have told,</l> +<l>Virochan's child, was slain of old</l> +<l>By Indra, when in furious hate</l> +<l>She longed the earth to devastate.</l> +<l>So Kávya's mother, Bhrigu's wife,</l> +<l>Who loved her husband as her life,</l> +<l>When Indra's throne she sought to gain,</l> +<l>By Vishṇu's hand of yore was slain.</l> +<l>By these and high-souled kings beside,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Struck down, have lawless women died.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XXVIII"/> +<head>Canto XXVIII. The Death Of Tádaká.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus spoke the saint. Each vigorous word</l> +<l>The noble monarch's offspring heard,</l> +<l>And, reverent hands together laid,</l> +<l>His answer to the hermit made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My sire and mother bade me aye</q></l> +<l>Thy word, O mighty Saint, obey</l> +<l>So will I, O most glorious, kill</l> +<l>This Táḍaká who joys in ill,</l> +<l>For such my sire's, and such thy will.</l> +<l>To aid with mine avenging hand</l> +<l>The Bráhmans, kine, and all the land,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Obedient, heart and soul, I stand.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke the tamer of the foe,</l> +<l>And by the middle grasped his bow.</l> +<l>Strongly he drew the sounding string</l> +<l>That made the distant welkin ring.</l> +<l>Scared by the mighty clang the deer</l> +<l>That roamed the forest shook with fear,</l> +<l>And Táḍaká the echo heard,</l> +<l>And rose in haste from slumber stirred.</l> +<l>In wild amaze, her soul aflame</l> +<l>With fury toward the spot she came.</l> +<l>When that foul shape of evil mien</l> +<l>And stature vast as e'er was seen</l> +<l>The wrathful son of Raghu eyed,</l> +<l>He thus unto his brother cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Her dreadful shape, O Lakshmaṇ, see,</q></l> +<l>A form to shudder at and flee.</l> +<l>The hideous monster's very view</l> +<l>Would cleave a timid heart in two.</l> +<l>Behold the demon hard to smite,</l> +<l>Defended by her magic might.</l> +<l>My hand shall stay her course to-day,</l> +<l>And shear her nose and ears away.</l> +<l>No heart have I her life to take:</l> +<l>I spare it for her sex's sake.</l> +<l>My will is but, with minished force,</l> +<l><q rend="post">To check her in her evil course.</q></l> +<l>While thus he spoke, by rage impelled</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Roaring as she came nigh,</l> +<l>The fiend her course at Ráma held</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With huge arms tossed on high.</l> +<l>Her, rushing on, the seer assailed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With a loud cry of hate;</l> +<l>And thus the sons of Raghu hailed:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Fight, and be fortunate.</q></l> +<l>Then from the earth a horrid cloud</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Of dust the demon raised,</l> +<l>And for awhile in darkling shroud</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Wrapt Raghu's sons amazed.</l> +<l>Then calling on her magic power</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The fearful fight to wage,</l> +<l>She smote him with a stony shower,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Till Ráma burned with rage.</l> +<l>Then pouring forth his arrowy rain</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That stony flood to stay,</l> +<pb n="041"/><anchor id="Pg041"/> +<l>With winged darts, as she charged amain,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He shore her hands away.</l> +<l>As Táḍaká still thundered near</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus maimed by Ráma's blows,</l> +<l>Lakshmaṇ in fury severed sheer</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The monster's ears and nose.</l> +<l>Assuming by her magic skill</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A fresh and fresh disguise,</l> +<l>She tried a thousand shapes at will,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then vanished from their eyes.</l> +<l>When Gádhi's son of high renown</l> +<l>Still saw the stony rain pour down</l> +<l>Upon each princely warrior's head,</l> +<l>With words of wisdom thus he said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Enough of mercy, Ráma, lest</q></l> +<l>This sinful evil-working pest,</l> +<l>Disturber of each holy rite,</l> +<l>Repair by magic arts her might.</l> +<l>Without delay the fiend should die,</l> +<l>For, see, the twilight hour is nigh.</l> +<l>And at the joints of night and day</l> +<l><q rend="post">Such giant foes are hard to slay.</q></l> +<l>Then Ráma, skilful to direct</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His arrow to the sound,</l> +<l>With shafts the mighty demon checked</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Who rained her stones around.</l> +<l>She sore impeded and beset</l> +<l>By Ráma and his arrowy net,</l> +<l>Though skilled in guile and magic lore,</l> +<l>Rushed on the brothers with a roar.</l> +<l>Deformed, terrific, murderous, dread,</l> +<l>Swift as the levin on she sped,</l> +<l>Like cloudy pile in autumn's sky,</l> +<l>Lifting her two vast arms on high,</l> +<l>When Ráma smote her with a dart,</l> +<l>Shaped like a crescent, to the heart.</l> +<l>Sore wounded by the shaft that came</l> +<l>With lightning speed and surest aim,</l> +<l>Blood spouting from her mouth and side,</l> +<l>She fell upon the earth and died.</l> +<l>Soon as the Lord who rules the sky</l> +<l>Saw the dread monster lifeless lie,</l> +<l>He called aloud, Well done! well done!</l> +<l>And the Gods honoured Raghu's son.</l> +<l>Standing in heaven the Thousand-eyed,</l> +<l>With all the Immortals, joying cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Lift up thine eyes, O Saint, and see</q></l> +<l>The Gods and Indra nigh to thee.</l> +<l>This deed of Ráma's boundless might</l> +<l>Has filled our bosoms with delight,</l> +<l>Now, for our will would have it so,</l> +<l>To Raghu's son some favour show.</l> +<l>Invest him with the power which naught</l> +<l>But penance gains and holy thought,</l> +<l>Those heavenly arms on him bestow</l> +<l>To thee entrusted long ago</l> +<l>By great Kriśáśva best of kings,</l> +<l>Son of the Lord of living things.</l> +<l>More fit recipient none can be</l> +<l>Than he who joys it following thee;</l> +<l>And for our sakes the monarch's seed</l> +<l><q rend="post">Has yet to do a mighty deed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke; and all the heavenly train</l> +<l>Rejoicing sought their homes again,</l> +<l>While honour to the saint they paid.</l> +<l>Then came the evening's twilight shade,</l> +<l>The best of hermits overjoyed</l> +<l>To know the monstrous fiend destroyed,</l> +<l>His lips on Ráma's forehead pressed,</l> +<l>And thus the conquering chief addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Ráma gracious to the sight.</q></l> +<l>Here will we pass the present night,</l> +<l>And with the morrow's earliest ray</l> +<l><q rend="post">Bend to my hermitage our way.</q></l> +<l>The son of Daśaratha heard,</l> +<l>Delighted, Viśvámitra's word,</l> +<l>And as he bade, that night he spent</l> +<l>In Táḍaká's wild wood, content.</l> +<l>And the grove shone that happy day,</l> +<l>Freed from the curse that on it lay,</l> +<l>Like Chaitraratha<note place="foot">The famous pleasure-garden of Kuvera +the God of Wealth.</note> fair and gay.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XXIX"/> +<head>Canto XXIX. The Celestial Arms.</head> + +<lg> +<l>That night they slept and took their rest;</l> +<l>And then the mighty saint addressed,</l> +<l>With pleasant smile and accents mild</l> +<l>These words to Raghu's princely child:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Well pleased am I. High fate be thine,</q></l> +<l>Thou scion of a royal line.</l> +<l>Now will I, for I love thee so,</l> +<l>All heavenly arms on thee bestow.</l> +<l>Victor with these, whoe'er oppose,</l> +<l>Thy hand shall conquer all thy foes,</l> +<l>Though Gods and spirits of the air,</l> +<l>Serpents and fiends, the conflict dare.</l> +<l>I'll give thee as a pledge of love</l> +<l>The mystic arms they use above,</l> +<l>For worthy thou to have revealed</l> +<l>The weapons I have learnt to wield.<note place="foot"><q>The whole of +this Canto together with the following one, regards the belief, +formerly prevalent in India, that by virtue of certain spells, to be learnt and muttered, +secret knowledge and superhuman powers might be acquired. To this the +poet has already alluded in Canto xxiii. These incorporeal weapons are partly represented +according to the fashion of those ascribed to the Gods and the different +orders of demi-gods, partly are the mere creations of fancy; and it would not +be easy to say what idea the poet had of them in his own mind, or what powers he +meant to assign to each.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel</hi>.</note></l> +<pb n="042"/><anchor id="Pg042"/> +<l>First, son of Raghu, shall be thine</l> +<l>The arm of Vengeance, strong, divine:</l> +<l>The arm of Fate, the arm of Right,</l> +<l>And Vishṇu's arm of awful might:</l> +<l>That, before which no foe can stand,</l> +<l>The thunderbolt of Indra's hand;</l> +<l>And Śiva's trident, sharp and dread,</l> +<l>And that dire weapon Brahmá's Head.</l> +<l>And two fair clubs, O royal child,</l> +<l>One Charmer and one Pointed styled</l> +<l>With flame of lambent fire aglow,</l> +<l>On thee, O Chieftain, I bestow.</l> +<l>And Fate's dread net and Justice' noose</l> +<l>That none may conquer, for thy use:</l> +<l>And the great cord, renowned of old,</l> +<l>Which Varuṇ ever loves to hold.</l> +<l>Take these two thunderbolts, which I</l> +<l>Have got for thee, the Moist and Dry.</l> +<l>Here Śiva's dart to thee I yield,</l> +<l>And that which Vishṇu wont to wield.</l> +<l>I give to thee the arm of Fire,</l> +<l>Desired by all and named the Spire.</l> +<l>To thee I grant the Wind-God's dart,</l> +<l>Named Crusher, O thou pure of heart,</l> +<l>This arm, the Horse's Head, accept,</l> +<l>And this, the Curlew's Bill yclept,</l> +<l>And these two spears, the best e'er flew,</l> +<l>Named the Invincible and True.</l> +<l>And arms of fiends I make thine own,</l> +<l>Skull-wreath and mace that smashes bone.</l> +<l>And Joyous, which the spirits bear,</l> +<l>Great weapon of the sons of air.</l> +<l>Brave offspring of the best of lords,</l> +<l>I give thee now the Gem of swords,</l> +<l>And offer next, thine hand to arm,</l> +<l>The heavenly bards' beloved charm.</l> +<l>Now with two arms I thee invest</l> +<l>Of never-ending Sleep and Rest,</l> +<l>With weapons of the Sun and Rain,</l> +<l>And those that dry and burn amain;</l> +<l>And strong Desire with conquering touch,</l> +<l>The dart that Káma prizes much.</l> +<l>I give the arm of shadowy powers</l> +<l>That bleeding flesh of men devours.</l> +<l>I give the arms the God of Gold</l> +<l>And giant fiends exult to hold.</l> +<l>This smites the foe in battle-strife,</l> +<l>And takes his fortune, strength, and life.</l> +<l>I give the arms called False and True,</l> +<l>And great Illusion give I too;</l> +<l>The hero's arm called Strong and Bright</l> +<l>That spoils the foeman's strength in fight.</l> +<l>I give thee as a priceless boon</l> +<l>The Dew, the weapon of the Moon,</l> +<l>And add the weapon, deftly planned,</l> +<l>That strengthens Viśvakarmá's hand.</l> +<l>The Mortal dart whose point is chill,</l> +<l>And Slaughter, ever sure to kill;</l> +<l>All these and other arms, for thou</l> +<l>Art very dear, I give thee now.</l> +<l>Receive these weapons from my hand,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Son of the noblest in the land.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Facing the east, the glorious saint</l> +<l>Pure from all spot of earthly taint,</l> +<l>To Ráma, with delighted mind,</l> +<l>That noble host of spells consigned.</l> +<l>He taught the arms, whose lore is won</l> +<l>Hardly by Gods, to Raghu's son.</l> +<l>He muttered low the spell whose call</l> +<l>Summons those arms and rules them all</l> +<l>And, each in visible form and frame,</l> +<l>Before the monarch's son they came.</l> +<l>They stood and spoke in reverent guise</l> +<l>To Ráma with exulting cries:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O noblest child of Raghu, see,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy ministers and thralls are we.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With joyful heart and eager hand</l> +<l>Ráma received the wondrous band,</l> +<l>And thus with words of welcome cried:</l> +<l><q>Aye present to my will abide.</q></l> +<l>Then hasted to the saint to pay</l> +<l>Due reverence, and pursued his way.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XXX"/> +<head>Canto XXX. The Mysterious Powers.<note place="foot"><q>In Sanskrit +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Sankára</foreign>, a word which +has various significations but the primary +meaning of which is <hi rend='italic'>the act of seizing</hi>. A +magical power seems to be implied of employing the weapons when and where +required. The remarks I have made on the preceding Canto apply with still +greater force to this. The MSS. greatly vary in the enumeration of these +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Sankáras</foreign>, +and it is not surprising that copyists have incorrectly written the names which they +did not well understand. The commentators throw no light upon the subject.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel</hi>. I have taken the liberty of +omitting four of these which Schlegel translates <q>Scleromphalum, Euomphalum, +Centiventrem, and Chrysomphalum.</q></note></head> + +<lg> +<l>Pure, with glad cheer and joyful breast,</l> +<l>Of those mysterious arms possessed,</l> +<l>Ráma, now passing on his way,</l> +<l>Thus to the saint began to say:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Lord of these mighty weapons, I</q></l> +<l>Can scarce be harmed by Gods on high;</l> +<l>Now, best of saints, I long to gain</l> +<l><q rend="post">The powers that can these arms restrain.</q></l> +<l>Thus spoke the prince. The sage austere,</l> +<l>True to his vows, from evil clear,</l> +<l>Called forth the names of those great charms</l> +<l>Whose powers restrain the deadly arms.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Receive thou True and Truly famed,</q></l> +<l>And Bold and Fleet: the weapons named</l> +<pb n="043"/><anchor id="Pg043"/> +<l>Warder and Progress, swift of pace,</l> +<l>Averted-head and Drooping-face;</l> +<l>The Seen, and that which Secret flies;</l> +<l>The weapon of the thousand eyes;</l> +<l>Ten-headed, and the Hundred-faced,</l> +<l>Star-gazer and the Layer-waste:</l> +<l>The Omen-bird, the Pure-from-spot,</l> +<l>The pair that wake and slumber not:</l> +<l>The Fiendish, that which shakes amain,</l> +<l>The Strong-of-Hand, the Rich-in-Gain:</l> +<l>The Guardian, and the Close-allied,</l> +<l>The Gaper, Love, and Golden-side:</l> +<l>O Raghu's son receive all these,</l> +<l>Bright ones that wear what forms they please;</l> +<l>Kriśáśva's mystic sons are they,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And worthy thou their might to sway.</q></l> +<l>With joy the pride of Raghu's race</l> +<l>Received the hermit's proffered grace,</l> +<l>Mysterious arms, to check and stay,</l> +<l>Or smite the foeman in the fray.</l> +<l>Then, all with heavenly forms endued,</l> +<l>Nigh came the wondrous multitude.</l> +<l>Celestial in their bright attire</l> +<l>Some shone like coals of burning fire;</l> +<l>Some were like clouds of dusky smoke;</l> +<l>And suppliant thus they sweetly spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy thralls, O Ráma, here we stand:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Command, we pray, thy faithful band</q></l> +<l><q>Depart,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">where each may list,</q></l> +<l>But when I call you to assist,</l> +<l>Be present to my mind with speed,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And aid me in the hour of need.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To Ráma then they lowly bent,</l> +<l>And round him in due reverence went,</l> +<l>To his command, they answered, Yea,</l> +<l>And as they came so went away.</l> +<l>When thus the arms had homeward flown,</l> +<l>With pleasant words and modest tone,</l> +<l>E'en as he walked, the prince began</l> +<l>To question thus the holy man:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What cloudlike wood is that which near</q></l> +<l>The mountain's side I see appear?</l> +<l>O tell me, for I long to know;</l> +<l>Its pleasant aspect charms me so.</l> +<l>Its glades are full of deer at play,</l> +<l>And sweet birds sing on every spray,</l> +<l>Past is the hideous wild; I feel</l> +<l>So sweet a tremor o'er me steal,</l> +<l>And hail with transport fresh and new</l> +<l>A land that is so fair to view.</l> +<l>Then tell me all, thou holy Sage,</l> +<l>And whose this pleasant hermitage</l> +<l>In which those wicked ones delight</l> +<l>To mar and kill each holy rite.</l> +<l>And with foul heart and evil deed</l> +<l>Thy sacrifice, great Saint, impede.</l> +<l>To whom, O Sage, belongs this land</l> +<l>In which thine altars ready stand!</l> +<l>'Tis mine to guard them, and to slay</l> +<l>The giants who the rites would stay.</l> +<l>All this, O best of saints, I burn</l> +<l><q rend="post">From thine own lips, my lord, to learn.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XXXI"/> +<head>Canto XXXI. The Perfect Hermitage.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus spoke the prince of boundless might,</l> +<l>And thus replied the anchorite:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Chief of the mighty arm, of yore</q></l> +<l>Lord Vishṇu whom the Gods adore,</l> +<l>For holy thought and rites austere</l> +<l>Of penance made his dwelling here.</l> +<l>This ancient wood was called of old</l> +<l>Grove of the Dwarf, the mighty-souled,</l> +<l>And when perfection he attained</l> +<l>The grove the name of Perfect gained.</l> +<l>Bali of yore, Virochan's son,</l> +<l>Dominion over Indra won,</l> +<l>And when with power his proud heart swelled,</l> +<l>O'er the three worlds his empire held.</l> +<l>When Bali then began a rite,</l> +<l>The Gods and Indra in affright</l> +<l>Sought Vishṇu in this place of rest,</l> +<l>And thus with prayers the God addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Bali. Virochan's mighty son,</q></l> +<l>His sacrifice has now begun:</l> +<l>Of boundless wealth, that demon king</l> +<l>Is bounteous to each living thing.</l> +<l>Though suppliants flock from every side</l> +<l>The suit of none is e'er denied.</l> +<l>Whate'er, where'er howe'er the call,</l> +<l>He hears the suit and gives to all.</l> +<l>Now with thine own illusive art</l> +<l>Perform, O Lord, the helper's part:</l> +<l>Assume a dwarfish form, and thus</l> +<l><q rend="post">From fear and danger rescue us.</q><note place="foot">I omit, +after this line, eight <hi rend='italic'>ślokes</hi> +which, as Schlegel allows, are quite out of place.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus in their dread the Immortals sued:</l> +<l>The God a dwarflike shape indued:<note place="foot">This is the +fifth of the <hi rend='italic'>avatárs</hi>, descents +or incarnations of Vishṇu.</note></l> +<l>Before Virochan's son he came,</l> +<l>Three steps of land his only claim.</l> +<l>The boon obtained, in wondrous wise</l> +<l>Lord Vishṇu's form increased in size;</l> +<l>Through all the worlds, tremendous, vast,</l> +<l>God of the Triple Step, he passed.<note place="foot">This is a solar allegory. +Vishṇu is the sun, the three steps being his rising, +culmination, and setting.</note></l> +<l>The whole broad earth from side to side</l> +<l>He measured with one mighty stride,</l> +<l>Spanned with the next the firmament,</l> +<l>And with the third through heaven he went.</l> +<pb n="044"/><anchor id="Pg044"/> +<l>Thus was the king of demons hurled</l> +<l>By Vishṇu to the nether world,</l> +<l>And thus the universe restored</l> +<l>To Indra's rule, its ancient lord.</l> +<l>And now because the immortal God</l> +<l>This spot in dwarflike semblance trod,</l> +<l>The grove has aye been loved by me</l> +<l>For reverence of the devotee.</l> +<l>But demons haunt it, prompt to stay</l> +<l>Each holy offering I would pay.</l> +<l>Be thine, O lion-lord, to kill</l> +<l>These giants that delight in ill.</l> +<l>This day, beloved child, our feet</l> +<l>Shall rest within the calm retreat:</l> +<l>And know, thou chief of Raghu's line,</l> +<l><q rend="post">My hermitage is also thine.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke; and soon the anchorite,</l> +<l>With joyous looks that beamed delight,</l> +<l>With Ráma and his brother stood</l> +<l>Within the consecrated wood.</l> +<l>Soon as they saw the holy man,</l> +<l>With one accord together ran</l> +<l>The dwellers in the sacred shade,</l> +<l>And to the saint their reverence paid,</l> +<l>And offered water for his feet,</l> +<l>The gift of honour and a seat;</l> +<l>And next with hospitable care</l> +<l>They entertained the princely pair.</l> +<l>The royal tamers of their foes</l> +<l>Rested awhile in sweet repose:</l> +<l>Then to the chief of hermits sued</l> +<l>Standing in suppliant attitude:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Begin, O best of saints, we pray,</q></l> +<l>Initiatory rites to-day.</l> +<l>This Perfect Grove shall be anew</l> +<l><q rend="post">Made perfect, and thy words be true.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then, thus addressed, the holy man,</l> +<l>The very glorious sage, began</l> +<l>The high preliminary rite.</l> +<l>Restraining sense and appetite.</l> +<l>Calmly the youths that night reposed,</l> +<l>And rose when morn her light disclosed,</l> +<l>Their morning worship paid, and took</l> +<l>Of lustral water from the brook.</l> +<l>Thus purified they breathed the prayer,</l> +<l>Then greeted Viśvámitra where</l> +<l>As celebrant he sate beside</l> +<l>The flame with sacred oil supplied.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XXXII"/> +<head>Canto XXXII. Visvámitra's Sacrifice.</head> + +<lg> +<l>That conquering pair, of royal race,</l> +<l>Skilled to observe due time and place,</l> +<l>To Kuśik's hermit son addressed,</l> +<l>In timely words, their meet request:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">When must we, lord, we pray thee tell,</q></l> +<l>Those Rovers of the Night repel?</l> +<l>Speak, lest we let the moment fly,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And pass the due occasion by.</q></l> +<l>Thus longing for the strife, they prayed,</l> +<l>And thus the hermits answer made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Till the fifth day be come and past,</q></l> +<l>O Raghu's sons, your watch must last.</l> +<l>The saint his Dikshá<note place="foot">Certain ceremonies preliminary to a +sacrifice.</note> has begun,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And all that time will speak to none.</q></l> +<l>Soon as the steadfast devotees</l> +<l>Had made reply in words like these,</l> +<l>The youths began, disdaining sleep,</l> +<l>Six days and nights their watch to keep.</l> +<l>The warrior pair who tamed the foe,</l> +<l>Unrivalled benders of the bow,</l> +<l>Kept watch and ward unwearied still</l> +<l>To guard the saint from scathe and ill.</l> +<l>'Twas now the sixth returning day,</l> +<l>The hour foretold had past away.</l> +<l>Then Ráma cried: <q rend="pre">O Lakshmaṇ, now</q></l> +<l>Firm, watchful, resolute be thou.</l> +<l>The fiends as yet have kept afar</l> +<l>From the pure grove in which we are:</l> +<l>Yet waits us, ere the day shall close,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Dire battle with the demon foes.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">While thus spoke Ráma borne away</l> +<l>By longing for the deadly fray,</l> +<l>See! bursting from the altar came</l> +<l>The sudden glory of the flame.</l> +<l>Round priest and deacon, and upon</l> +<l>Grass, ladles, flowers, the splendour shone,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And the high rite, in order due,</l> +<l>With sacred texts began anew.</l> +<l>But then a loud and fearful roar</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Re-echoed through the sky;</l> +<l>And like vast clouds that shadow o'er</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The heavens in dark July,</l> +<l>Involved in gloom of magic might</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Two fiends rushed on amain,</l> +<l>Márícha, Rover of the Night,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Suváhu, and their train.</l> +<l>As on they came in wild career</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thick blood in rain they shed;</l> +<l>And Ráma saw those things of fear</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Impending overhead.</l> +<l>Then soon as those accursed two</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Who showered down blood be spied,</l> +<l>Thus to his brother brave and true</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Spoke Ráma lotus-eyed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now, Lakshmaṇ, thou these fiends shalt see,</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Man-eaters, foul of mind,</l> +<l>Before my mortal weapon flee</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Like clouds before the wind.</q></l> +<l>He spoke. An arrow, swift as thought,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Upon his bow he pressed,</l> +<l>And smote, to utmost fury wrought,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Márícha on the breast.</l> +<l>Deep in his flesh the weapon lay</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Winged by the mystic spell,</l> +<pb n="045"/><anchor id="Pg045"/> +<l>And, hurled a hundred leagues away,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In ocean's flood he fell.</l> +<l>Then Ráma, when he saw the foe</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Convulsed and mad with pain</l> +<l>Neath the chill-pointed weapon's blow,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To Lakshmaṇ spoke again:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">See, Lakshmaṇ, see! this mortal dart</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That strikes a numbing chill,</l> +<l>Hath struck him senseless with the smart,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But left him breathing still.</l> +<l>But these who love the evil way,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And drink the blood they spill,</l> +<l>Rejoicing holy rites to stay,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Fierce plagues, my hand shall kill.</q></l> +<l>He seized another shaft, the best,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Aglow with living flame;</l> +<l>It struck Suváhu on the chest,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And dead to earth he came.</l> +<l>Again a dart, the Wind-God's own,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Upon his string he laid,</l> +<l>And all the demons were o'erthrown,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The saints no more afraid.</l> +<l>When thus the fiends were slain in fight,</l> +<l>Disturbers of each holy rite,</l> +<l>Due honour by the saints was paid</l> +<l>To Ráma for his wondrous aid:</l> +<l>So Indra is adored when he</l> +<l>Has won some glorious victory.</l> +<l>Success at last the rite had crowned,</l> +<l>And Viśvámitra gazed around,</l> +<l>And seeing every side at rest,</l> +<l>The son of Raghu thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My joy, O Prince, is now complete:</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thou hast obeyed my will:</l> +<l>Perfect before, this calm retreat</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Is now more perfect still.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XXXIII"/> +<head>Canto XXXIII. The Sone.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Their task achieved, the princes spent</l> +<l>That night with joy and full content.</l> +<l>Ere yet the dawn was well displayed</l> +<l>Their morning rites they duly paid,</l> +<l>And sought, while yet the light was faint,</l> +<l>The hermits and the mighty saint.</l> +<l>They greeted first that holy sire</l> +<l>Resplendent like the burning fire,</l> +<l>And then with noble words began</l> +<l>Their sweet speech to the sainted man:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Here stand, O Lord, thy servants true:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Command what thou wouldst have us do.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The saints, by Viśvámitra led,</l> +<l>To Ráma thus in answer said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Janak the king who rules the land</q></l> +<l>Of fertile Míthilá has planned</l> +<l>A noble sacrifice, and we</l> +<l>Will thither go the rite to see.</l> +<l>Thou, Prince of men, with us shalt go,</l> +<l>And there behold the wondrous bow,</l> +<l>Terrific, vast, of matchless might,</l> +<l>Which, splendid at the famous rite,</l> +<l>The Gods assembled gave the king.</l> +<l>No giant, fiend, or God can string</l> +<l>That gem of bows, no heavenly bard:</l> +<l>Then, sure, for man the task were hard.</l> +<l>When lords of earth have longed to know</l> +<l>The virtue of that wondrous bow,</l> +<l>The strongest sons of kings in vain</l> +<l>Have tried the mighty cord to strain.</l> +<l>This famous bow thou there shalt view,</l> +<l>And wondrous rites shalt witness too.</l> +<l>The high-souled king who lords it o'er</l> +<l>The realm of Míthilá of yore</l> +<l>Gained from the Gods this bow, the price</l> +<l>Of his imperial sacrifice.</l> +<l>Won by the rite the glorious prize</l> +<l>Still in the royal palace lies,</l> +<l>Laid up in oil of precious scent</l> +<l><q rend="post">With aloe-wood and incense blent.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma answering, Be it so,</l> +<l>Made ready with the rest to go.</l> +<l>The saint himself was now prepared,</l> +<l>But ere beyond the grove he fared,</l> +<l>He turned him and in words like these</l> +<l>Addressed the sylvan deities:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Farewell! each holy rite complete,</q></l> +<l>I leave the hermits' perfect seat:</l> +<l>To Gangá's northern shore I go</l> +<l><q rend="post">Beneath Himálaya's peaks of snow.</q></l> +<l>With reverent steps he paced around</l> +<l>The limits of the holy ground,</l> +<l>And then the mighty saint set forth</l> +<l>And took his journey to the north.</l> +<l>His pupils, deep in Scripture's page,</l> +<l>Followed behind the holy sage,</l> +<l>And servants from the sacred grove</l> +<l>A hundred wains for convoy drove.</l> +<l>The very birds that winged that air,</l> +<l>The very deer that harboured there,</l> +<l>Forsook the glade and leafy brake</l> +<l>And followed for the hermit's sake.</l> +<l>They travelled far, till in the west</l> +<l>The sun was speeding to his rest,</l> +<l>And made, their portioned journey o'er,</l> +<l>Their halt on Śona's<note place="foot">A river which rises in Budelcund and +falls into the Ganges near Patna. It is called also +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Hiraṇyaráhu</foreign>, Golden-armed, +and <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Hiraṇyaráha</foreign>, +Auriferous.</note> distant shore.</l> +<l>The hermits bathed when sank the sun,</l> +<l>And every rite was duly done,</l> +<l>Oblations paid to Fire, and then</l> +<l>Sate round their chief the holy men.</l> +<l>Ráma and Lakshmaṇ lowly bowed</l> +<l>In reverence to the hermit crowd,</l> +<l>And Ráma, having sate him down</l> +<l>Before the saint of pure renown,</l> +<pb n="046"/><anchor id="Pg046"/> +<l>With humble palms together laid</l> +<l>His eager supplication made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What country, O my lord, is this,</q></l> +<l>Fair-smiling in her wealth and bliss?</l> +<l>Deign fully, O thou mighty Seer,</l> +<l><q rend="post">To tell me, for I long to hear.</q></l> +<l>Moved by the prayer of Ráma, he</l> +<l>Told forth the country's history.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XXXIV"/> +<head>Canto XXXIV. Brahmadatta.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">A king of Brahmá's seed who bore</q></l> +<l>The name of Kuśa reigned of yore.</l> +<l>Just, faithful to his vows, and true,</l> +<l>He held the good in honour due.</l> +<l>His bride, a queen of noble name,</l> +<l>Of old Vidarbha's<note place="foot">The modern Berar.</note> monarchs came.</l> +<l>Like their own father, children four,</l> +<l>All valiant boys, the lady bore.</l> +<l>In glorious deeds each nerve they strained,</l> +<l>And well their Warrior part sustained.</l> +<l>To them most just, and true, and brave,</l> +<l>Their father thus his counsel gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Beloved children, ne'er forget</q></l> +<l>Protection is a prince's debt:</l> +<l>The noble work at once begin,</l> +<l><q rend="post">High virtue and her fruits to win.</q></l> +<l>The youths, to all the people dear,</l> +<l>Received his speech with willing ear;</l> +<l>And each went forth his several way,</l> +<l>Foundations of a town to lay.</l> +<l>Kuśámba, prince of high renown,</l> +<l>Was builder of Kauśámbí's town,</l> +<l>And Kuśanábha, just and wise,</l> +<l>Bade high Mahodaya's towers arise.</l> +<l>Amúrtarajas chose to dwell</l> +<l>In Dharmáraṇya's citadel,</l> +<l>And Vasu bade his city fair</l> +<l>The name of Girivraja bear.<note place="foot">According to the Bengal recension the +first (Kuśámba) is called Kuśáśva, and his city Kauśáśví. This name does not occur +elsewhere. The reading of the northern recension is confirmed by Foê Kouê Ki; +p. 385, where the city <hi rend='italic'>Kiaoshangmi</hi> is mentioned. +It lay 500 <hi rend='italic'>lis</hi> to the south-west of +<hi rend='italic'>Prayága</hi>, on the south bank of the Jumna. +<hi rend='italic'>Mahodaya</hi> is another name of Kanyakubja: +<hi rend='italic'>Dharmáraṇya</hi>, the wood to which the +God of Justice is said to have fled through fear of Soma the Moon-God was in Magadh. +Girivraja was in the same neighbourhood. See Lasson's I, A. Vol. I. p. 604.</note></l> +<l>This fertile spot whereon we stand</l> +<l>Was once the high-souled Vasu's land.</l> +<l>Behold! as round we turn our eyes,</l> +<l>Five lofty mountain peaks arise.</l> +<l>See! bursting from her parent hill,</l> +<l>Sumágadhí, a lovely rill,</l> +<l>Bright gleaming as she flows between</l> +<l>The mountains, like a wreath is seen,</l> +<l>And then through Magadh's plains and groves</l> +<l>With many a fair mæander roves.</l> +<l>And this was Vasu's old domain,</l> +<l>The fertile Magadh's broad champaign,</l> +<l>Which smiling fields of tilth adorn</l> +<l>And diadem with golden corn.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The queen Ghritáchí, nymph most fair,</l> +<l>Married to Kuśanábha, bare</l> +<l>A hundred daughters, lovely-faced,</l> +<l>With every charm and beauty graced.</l> +<l>It chanced the maidens, bright and gay</l> +<l>As lightning-flashes on a day</l> +<l>Of rain time, to the garden went</l> +<l>With song and play and merriment,</l> +<l>And there in gay attire they strayed,</l> +<l>And danced, and laughed, and sang, and played.</l> +<l>The God of Wind who roves at will</l> +<l>All places, as he lists, to fill,</l> +<l>Saw the young maidens dancing there,</l> +<l>Of faultless shape and mien most fair.</l> +<l><q>I love you all, sweet girls,</q> he cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">And each shall be my darling bride.</q></l> +<l>Forsake, forsake your mortal lot,</l> +<l>And gain a life that withers not.</l> +<l>A fickle thing is youth's brief span,</l> +<l>And more than all in mortal man.</l> +<l>Receive unending youth, and be</l> +<l><q rend="post">Immortal, O my loves, with me.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hundred girls, to wonder stirred,</l> +<l>The wooing of the Wind-God heard,</l> +<l>Laughed, as a jest, his suit aside,</l> +<l>And with one voice they thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O mighty Wind, free spirit who</q></l> +<l>All life pervadest, through and through,</l> +<l>Thy wondrous power we maidens know;</l> +<l>Then wherefore wilt thou mock us so?</l> +<l>Our sire is Kuśanábha, King;</l> +<l>And we, forsooth, have charms to bring</l> +<l>A God to woo us from the skies;</l> +<l>But honour first we maidens prize.</l> +<l>Far may the hour, we pray, be hence,</l> +<l>When we, O thou of little sense,</l> +<l>Our truthful father's choice refuse,</l> +<l>And for ourselves our husbands choose.</l> +<l>Our honoured sire our lord we deem,</l> +<l>He is to us a God supreme,</l> +<l>And they to whom his high decree</l> +<l><q rend="post">May give us shall our husbands be.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He heard the answer they returned,</l> +<l>And mighty rage within him burned.</l> +<l>On each fair maid a blast he sent:</l> +<l>Each stately form he bowed and bent.</l> +<l>Bent double by the Wind-God's ire</l> +<l>They sought the palace of their sire,</l> +<pb n="047"/><anchor id="Pg047"/> +<l>There fell upon the ground with sighs,</l> +<l>While tears and shame were in their eyes.</l> +<l>The king himself, with troubled brow,</l> +<l>Saw his dear girls so fair but now,</l> +<l>A mournful sight all bent and bowed,</l> +<l>And grieving thus he cried aloud:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What fate is this, and what the cause?</q></l> +<l>What wretch has scorned all heavenly laws?</l> +<l>Who thus your forms could curve and break?</l> +<l><q rend="post">You struggle, but no answer make.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They heard the speech of that wise king</l> +<l>Of their misfortune questioning.</l> +<l>Again the hundred maidens sighed,</l> +<l>Touched with their heads his feet, and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The God of Wind, pervading space,</q></l> +<l>Would bring on us a foul disgrace,</l> +<l>And choosing folly's evil way</l> +<l>From virtue's path in scorn would stray.</l> +<l>But we in words like these reproved</l> +<l>The God of Wind whom passion moved:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Farewell, O Lord! A sire have we,</q></l> +<l>No women uncontrolled and free.</l> +<l>Go, and our sire's consent obtain</l> +<l>If thou our maiden hands wouldst gain.</l> +<l>No self-dependent life we live:</l> +<l><q rend="post">If we offend, our fault forgive.</q></l> +<l>But led by folly as a slave,</l> +<l>He would not hear the rede we gave,</l> +<l>And even as we gently spoke</l> +<l><q rend="post">We felt the Wind-God's crushing stroke.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The pious king, with grief distressed,</l> +<l>The noble hundred thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">With patience, daughters, bear your fate,</q></l> +<l>Yours was a deed supremely great</l> +<l>When with one mind you kept from shame</l> +<l>The honour of your father's name.</l> +<l>Patience, when men their anger vent,</l> +<l>Is woman's praise and ornament;</l> +<l>Yet when the Gods inflict the blow</l> +<l>Hard is it to support the woe.</l> +<l>Patience, my girls, exceeds all price:</l> +<l>'Tis alms, and truth, and sacrifice.</l> +<l>Patience is virtue, patience fame:</l> +<l>Patience upholds this earthly frame.</l> +<l>And now, I think, is come the time</l> +<l>To wed you in your maiden prime.</l> +<l>Now, daughters, go where'er you will:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thoughts for your good my mind shall fill.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The maidens went, consoled, away:</l> +<l>The best of kings, that very day,</l> +<l>Summoned his ministers of state</l> +<l>About their marriage to debate.</l> +<l>Since then, because the Wind-God bent</l> +<l>The damsels' forms for punishment,</l> +<l>That royal town is known to fame</l> +<l>By Kanyákubja's<note place="foot">That is, the City of the Bent Virgins, +the modern Kanauj or Canouge.</note> borrowed name.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">There lived a sage called Chúli then,</l> +<l>Devoutest of the sons of men;</l> +<l>His days in penance rites he spent,</l> +<l>A glorious saint, most continent.</l> +<l>To him absorbed in tasks austere</l> +<l>The child of Urmilá drew near,</l> +<l>Sweet Somadá, the heavenly maid</l> +<l>And lent the saint her pious aid.</l> +<l>Long time near him the maiden spent,</l> +<l>And served him meek and reverent,</l> +<l>Till the great hermit, pleased with her,</l> +<l>Thus spoke unto his minister:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Grateful am I for all thy care:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Blest maiden, speak, thy wish declare.</q></l> +<l>The sweet-voiced nymph rejoiced to see</l> +<l>The favour of the devotee,</l> +<l>And to that eloquent old man,</l> +<l>Most eloquent she thus began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thou hast, by heavenly grace sustained,</q></l> +<l>Close union with the Godhead gained.</l> +<l>I long, O Saint, to see a son</l> +<l>By force of holy penance won.</l> +<l>Unwed, a maiden life I live:</l> +<l><q rend="post">A son to me, thy suppliant, give.</q></l> +<l>The saint with favour heard her prayer,</l> +<l>And gave a son exceeding fair.</l> +<l>Him, Chúli's spiritual child,</l> +<l>His mother Brahmadatta<note place="foot">Literally, Given by +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Brahma</foreign> or devout +contemplation.</note> styled.</l> +<l>King Brahmadatta, rich and great,</l> +<l>In Kámpilí maintained his state,</l> +<l>Ruling, like Indra in his bliss,</l> +<l>His fortunate metropolis.</l> +<l>King Kuśanábha planned that he</l> +<l>His hundred daughters' lord should be.</l> +<l>To him, obedient to his call,</l> +<l>The happy monarch gave them all.</l> +<l>Like Indra then he took the hand</l> +<l>Of every maiden of the band.</l> +<l>Soon as the hand of each young maid</l> +<l>In Brahmadatta's palm was laid,</l> +<l>Deformity and cares away,</l> +<l>She shone in beauty bright and gay.</l> +<l>Their freedom from the Wind-God's might</l> +<l>Saw Kuśanábha with delight.</l> +<l>Each glance that on their forms he threw</l> +<l>Filled him with raptures ever new.</l> +<l>Then when the rites were all complete,</l> +<l>With highest marks of honour meet</l> +<l>The bridegroom with his brides he sent</l> +<l>To his great seat of government.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The nymph received with pleasant speech</l> +<l>Her daughters; and, embracing each,</l> +<l>Upon their forms she fondly gazed,</l> +<l>And royal Kuśanábha praised.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="048"/><anchor id="Pg048"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XXXV"/> +<head>Canto XXXV. Visvámitra's Lineage.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">The rites were o'er, the maids were wed,</q></l> +<l>The bridegroom to his home was sped.</l> +<l>The sonless monarch bade prepare</l> +<l>A sacrifice to gain an heir.</l> +<l>Then Kuśa, Brahmá's son, appeared,</l> +<l>And thus King Kuśanábha cheered:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thou shalt, my child, obtain a son</q></l> +<l>Like thine own self, O holy one.</l> +<l>Through him for ever, Gádhi named,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Shalt thou in all the worlds be famed.</q></l> +<l>He spoke, and vanished from the sight</l> +<l>To Brahmá's world of endless light.</l> +<l>Time fled, and, as the saint foretold,</l> +<l>Gádhi was born, the holy-souled.</l> +<l>My sire was he; through him I trace</l> +<l>My line from royal Kuśa's race.</l> +<l>My sister—elder-born was she—</l> +<l>The pure and good Satyavatí,<note place="foot"><p>Now called Kośí +(Cosy) corrupted from Kauśikí, daughter of Kuś]a.</p> +<p><q>This is one of those personifications of +rivers so frequent in the Grecian mythology, but in the similar myths is seen the +impress of the genius of each people, austere and profoundly religious in India, +graceful and devoted to the worship of external beauty in Greece.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</p></note></l> +<l>Was to the great Richíka wed.</l> +<l>Still faithful to her husband dead,</l> +<l>She followed him, most noble dame,</l> +<l>And, raised to heaven in human frame,</l> +<l>A pure celestial stream became.</l> +<l>Down from Himálaya's snowy height,</l> +<l>In floods for ever fair and bright,</l> +<l>My sister's holy waves are hurled</l> +<l>To purify and glad the world.</l> +<l>Now on Himálaya's side I dwell</l> +<l>Because I love my sister well.</l> +<l>She, for her faith and truth renowned,</l> +<l>Most loving to her husband found,</l> +<l>High-fated, firm in each pure vow,</l> +<l>Is queen of all the rivers now.</l> +<l>Bound by a vow I left her side</l> +<l>And to the Perfect convent hied.</l> +<l>There, by the aid 'twas thine to lend,</l> +<l>Made perfect, all my labours end.</l> +<l>Thus, mighty Prince, I now have told</l> +<l>My race and lineage, high and old,</l> +<l>And local tales of long ago</l> +<l>Which thou, O Ráma, fain wouldst know.</l> +<l>As I have sate rehearsing thus</l> +<l>The midnight hour is come on us.</l> +<l>Now, Ráma, sleep, that nothing may</l> +<l>Our journey of to-morrow stay.</l> +<l>No leaf on any tree is stirred:</l> +<l>Hushed in repose are beast and bird:</l> +<l>Where'er you turn, on every side,</l> +<l>Dense shades of night the landscape hide,</l> +<l>The light of eve is fled: the skies,</l> +<l>Thick-studded with their host of eyes,</l> +<l>Seem a star-forest overhead,</l> +<l>Where signs and constellations spread.</l> +<l>Now rises, with his pure cold ray,</l> +<l>The moon that drives the shades away,</l> +<l>And with his gentle influence brings</l> +<l>Joy to the hearts of living things.</l> +<l>Now, stealing from their lairs, appear</l> +<l>The beasts to whom the night is dear.</l> +<l>Now spirits walk, and every power</l> +<l><q rend="post">That revels in the midnight hour.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The mighty hermit's tale was o'er,</l> +<l>He closed his lips and spoke no more.</l> +<l>The holy men on every side,</l> +<l><q>Well done! well done,</q> with reverence cried;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The mighty men of Kuśa's seed</q></l> +<l>Were ever famed for righteous deed.</l> +<l>Like Brahmá's self in glory shine</l> +<l>The high-souled lords of Kuśa's line,</l> +<l>And thy great name is sounded most,</l> +<l>O Saint, amid the noble host.</l> +<l>And thy dear sister—fairest she</l> +<l>Of streams, the high-born Kauśikí—</l> +<l>Diffusing virtue where she flows,</l> +<l><q rend="post">New splendour on thy lineage throws.</q></l> +<l>Thus by the chief of saints addressed</l> +<l>The son of Gádhi turned to rest;</l> +<l>So, when his daily course is done,</l> +<l>Sinks to his rest the beaming sun.</l> +<l>Ráma with Lakshmaṇ, somewhat stirred</l> +<l>To marvel by the tales they heard,</l> +<l>Turned also to his couch, to close</l> +<l>His eyelids in desired repose.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XXXVI"/> +<head>Canto XXXVI. The Birth Of Gangá.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The hours of night now waning fast</l> +<l>On Śona's pleasant shore they passed.</l> +<l>Then, when the dawn began to break,</l> +<l>To Ráma thus the hermit spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The light of dawn is breaking clear,</q></l> +<l>The hour of morning rites is near.</l> +<l>Rise, Ráma, rise, dear son, I pray,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And make thee ready for the way.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma rose, and finished all</l> +<l>His duties at the hermit's call,</l> +<l>Prepared with joy the road to take,</l> +<l>And thus again in question spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Here fair and deep the Śona flows,</q></l> +<l>And many an isle its bosom shows:</l> +<l>What way, O Saint, will lead us o'er</l> +<l><q rend="post">And land us on the farther shore?</q></l> +<l>The saint replied: <q rend="pre">The way I choose</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Is that which pious hermits use.</q></l> +<pb n="049"/><anchor id="Pg049"/> +<l>For many a league they journeyed on</l> +<l>Till, when the sun of mid-day shone,</l> +<l>The hermit-haunted flood was seen</l> +<l>Of Jáhnaví,<note place="foot">One of the names of the Ganges +considered as the daughter of Jahnu. See +Canto XLIV.</note> the Rivers' Queen.</l> +<l>Soon as the holy stream they viewed,</l> +<l>Thronged with a white-winged multitude</l> +<l>Of sárases<note place="foot">The Indian Crane.</note> and +swans,<note place="foot">Or, rather, geese.</note> delight</l> +<l>Possessed them at the lovely sight;</l> +<l>And then prepared the hermit band</l> +<l>To halt upon that holy strand.</l> +<l>They bathed as Scripture bids, and paid</l> +<l>Oblations due to God and shade.</l> +<l>To Fire they burnt the offerings meet,</l> +<l>And sipped the oil, like Amrit sweet.</l> +<l>Then pure and pleased they sate around</l> +<l>Saint Viśvámitra on the ground.</l> +<l>The holy men of lesser note,</l> +<l>In due degree, sate more remote,</l> +<l>While Raghu's sons took nearer place</l> +<l>By virtue of their rank and race.</l> +<l>Then Ráma said: <q rend="pre">O Saint, I yearn</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">The three-pathed Gangá's tale to learn.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus urged, the sage recounted both</l> +<l>The birth of Gangá and her growth:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The mighty hill with metals stored,</q></l> +<l>Himálaya, is the mountains' lord,</l> +<l>The father of a lovely pair</l> +<l>Of daughters fairest of the fair:</l> +<l>Their mother, offspring of the will</l> +<l>Of Meru, everlasting hill,</l> +<l>Mená, Himálaya's darling, graced</l> +<l>With beauty of her dainty waist.</l> +<l>Gangá was elder-born: then came</l> +<l>The fair one known by Umá's name.</l> +<l>Then all the Gods of heaven, in need</l> +<l>Of Gangá's help their vows to speed,</l> +<l>To great Himálaya came and prayed</l> +<l>The mountain King to yield the maid.</l> +<l>He, not regardless of the weal</l> +<l>Of the three worlds, with holy zeal</l> +<l>His daughter to the Immortals gave,</l> +<l>Gangá whose waters cleanse and save,</l> +<l>Who roams at pleasure, fair and free,</l> +<l>Purging all sinners, to the sea.</l> +<l>The three-pathed Gangá thus obtained,</l> +<l>The Gods their heavenly homes regained.</l> +<l>Long time the sister Umá passed</l> +<l>In vows austere and rigid fast,</l> +<l>And the king gave the devotee</l> +<l>Immortal Rudra's<note place="foot">A name of the God Śiva.</note> bride to be,</l> +<l>Matching with that unequalled Lord</l> +<l>His Umá through the worlds adored.</l> +<l>So now a glorious station fills</l> +<l>Each daughter of the King of Hills:</l> +<l>One honoured as the noblest stream,</l> +<l>One mid the Goddesses supreme.</l> +<l>Thus Gangá, King Himálaya's child,</l> +<l>The heavenly river, undefiled,</l> +<l>Rose bearing with her to the sky</l> +<l><q rend="post">Her waves that bless and purify.</q></l> +</lg> + +<p> +[I am compelled to omit Cantos XXXVII +and XXXVIII, <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">The Glory of Umá</hi>, and +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">the Birth of Kártikeya</hi>, as both in +subject and language offensive to modern +taste. They will be found in Schlegel's +Latin translation.] +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XXXIX"/> +<head>Canto XXXIX. The Sons Of Sagar.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The saint in accents sweet and clear</l> +<l>Thus told his tale for Ráma's ear,</l> +<l>And thus anew the holy man</l> +<l>A legend to the prince began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">There reigned a pious monarch o'er</q></l> +<l>Ayodhyá in the days of yore:</l> +<l>Sagar his name: no child had he,</l> +<l>And children much he longed to see.</l> +<l>His honoured consort, fair of face,</l> +<l>Sprang from Vidarbha's royal race,</l> +<l>Keśini, famed from early youth</l> +<l>For piety and love of truth.</l> +<l>Aríshṭanemi's daughter fair,</l> +<l>With whom no maiden might compare</l> +<l>In beauty, though the earth is wide,</l> +<l>Sumati, was his second bride.</l> +<l>With his two queens afar he went,</l> +<l>And weary days in penance spent,</l> +<l>Fervent, upon Himálaya's hill</l> +<l>Where springs the stream called Bhrigu' rill.</l> +<l>Nor did he fail that saint to please</l> +<l>With his devout austerities.</l> +<l>And, when a hundred years had fled,</l> +<l>Thus the most truthful Bhrigu said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">From thee, O Sagar, blameless King,</q></l> +<l>A mighty host of sons shall spring,</l> +<l>And thou shalt win a glorious name</l> +<l>Which none, O Chief, but thou shall claim.</l> +<l>One of thy queens a son shall bear,</l> +<l>Maintainer of thy race and heir;</l> +<l>And of the other there shall be</l> +<l><q rend="post">Sons sixty thousand born to thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus as he spake, with one accord,</l> +<l>To win the grace of that high lord,</l> +<l>The queens, with palms together laid,</l> +<l>In humble supplication prayed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Which queen, O Bráhman, of the pair,</q></l> +<l>The many, or the one shall bear?</l> +<l>Most eager, Lord, are we to know,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And as thou sayest be it so.</q></l> +<pb n="050"/><anchor id="Pg050"/> +<l>With his sweet speech the saint replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Yourselves, O Queens, the choice decide.</q></l> +<l>Your own discretion freely use</l> +<l>Which shall the one or many choose:</l> +<l>One shall the race and name uphold,</l> +<l>The host be famous, strong, and bold.</l> +<l><q rend="post">Which will have which?</q> Then Keśini</l> +<l>The mother of one heir would be.</l> +<l>Sumati, sister of the king<note place="foot">Garuḍa.</note></l> +<l>Of all the birds that ply the wing,</l> +<l>To that illustrious Bráhman sued</l> +<l>That she might bear the multitude</l> +<l>Whose fame throughout the world should sound</l> +<l>For mighty enterprise renowned.</l> +<l>Around the saint the monarch went,</l> +<l>Bowing his head, most reverent.</l> +<l>Then with his wives, with willing feet,</l> +<l>Resought his own imperial seat.</l> +<l>Time passed. The elder consort bare</l> +<l>A son called Asamanj, the heir.</l> +<l>Then Sumati, the younger, gave</l> +<l>Birth to a gourd,<note place="foot">Ikshváku, the name of a king of Ayodhyá +who is regarded as the founder of the +Solar race, means also a <hi rend='italic'>gourd</hi>. Hence, +perhaps, the myth.</note> O hero brave,</l> +<l>Whose rind, when burst and cleft in two,</l> +<l>Gave sixty thousand babes to view.</l> +<l>All these with care the nurses laid</l> +<l>In jars of oil; and there they stayed,</l> +<l>Till, youthful age and strength complete,</l> +<l>Forth speeding from each dark retreat,</l> +<l>All peers in valour, years, and might,</l> +<l>The sixty thousand came to light.</l> +<l>Prince Asamanj, brought up with care,</l> +<l>Scourge of his foes, was made the heir.</l> +<l>But liegemen's boys he used to cast</l> +<l>To Sarjú's waves that hurried past,</l> +<l>Laughing the while in cruel glee</l> +<l>Their dying agonies to see.</l> +<l>This wicked prince who aye withstood</l> +<l>The counsel of the wise and good,</l> +<l>Who plagued the people in his hate,</l> +<l>His father banished from the state.</l> +<l>His son, kind-spoken, brave, and tall,</l> +<l>Was Anśumán, beloved of all.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Long years flew by. The king decreed</l> +<l>To slay a sacrificial steed.</l> +<l>Consulting with his priestly band</l> +<l>He vowed the rite his soul had planned,</l> +<l>And, Veda skilled, by their advice</l> +<l>Made ready for the sacrifice.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XL"/> +<head>Canto XL. The Cleaving Of The Earth.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The hermit ceased: the tale was done:</l> +<l>Then in a transport Raghu's son</l> +<l>Again addressed the ancient sire</l> +<l>Resplendent as a burning fire:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O holy man, I fain would hear</q></l> +<l>The tale repeated full and clear</l> +<l>How he from whom my sires descend</l> +<l><q rend="post">Brought the great rite to happy end.</q></l> +<l>The hermit answered with a smile:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Then listen, son of Raghu, while</q></l> +<l>My legendary tale proceeds</l> +<l>To tell of high-souled Sagar's deeds.</l> +<l>Within the spacious plain that lies</l> +<l>From where Himálaya's heights arise</l> +<l>To where proud Vindhya's rival chain</l> +<l>Looks down upon the subject plain—</l> +<l>A land the best for rites declared<note place="foot"><q>The region here +spoken of is called +in the Laws of Manu <hi rend='italic'>Madhyadeśa</hi> or the +middle region. <q>The region situated between the Himálaya and the Vindhya +Mountains … is called <hi rend='italic'>Madhyadeśa</hi>, +or the middle region; the space comprised between these two mountains +from the eastern to the western sea is called by sages Áryávartta, +<hi rend='italic'>the seat of honourable men</hi>.</q> +(<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Manu</hi>, II, 21, 22.) The Sanskrit +Indians called themselves Áryans, which means <hi rend='italic'>honourable</hi>, +<hi rend='italic'>noble</hi>, to distinguish themselves from the surrounding +nations of different origin.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</note>—</l> +<l>His sacrifice the king prepared.</l> +<l>And Anśumán the prince—for so</l> +<l>Sagar advised—with ready bow</l> +<l>Was borne upon a mighty car</l> +<l>To watch the steed who roamed afar.</l> +<l>But Indra, monarch of the skies,</l> +<l>Veiling his form in demon guise,</l> +<l>Came down upon the appointed day</l> +<l>And drove the victim horse away.</l> +<l>Reft of the steed the priests, distressed,</l> +<l>The master of the rite addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Upon the sacred day by force</q></l> +<l>A robber takes the victim horse.</l> +<l>Haste, King! now let the thief be slain;</l> +<l>Bring thou the charger back again:</l> +<l>The sacred rite prevented thus</l> +<l>Brings scathe and woe to all of us.</l> +<l>Rise, monarch, and provide with speed</l> +<l><q rend="post">That naught its happy course impede.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">King Sagar in his crowded court</l> +<l>Gave ear unto the priests' report.</l> +<l>He summoned straightway to his side</l> +<l>His sixty thousand sons, and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Brave sons of mine, I knew not how</q></l> +<l>These demons are so mighty now:</l> +<l>The priests began the rite so well</l> +<l>All sanctified with prayer and spell.</l> +<l>If in the depths of earth he hide,</l> +<l>Or lurk beneath the ocean's tide,</l> +<pb n="051"/><anchor id="Pg051"/> +<l>Pursue, dear sons, the robber's track;</l> +<l>Slay him and bring the charger back.</l> +<l>The whole of this broad earth explore,</l> +<l>Sea-garlanded, from shore to shore:</l> +<l>Yea, dig her up with might and main</l> +<l>Until you see the horse again.</l> +<l>Deep let your searching labour reach,</l> +<l>A league in depth dug out by each.</l> +<l>The robber of our horse pursue,</l> +<l>And please your sire who orders you.</l> +<l>My grandson, I, this priestly train,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Till the steed comes, will here remain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Their eager hearts with transport burned</l> +<l>As to their task the heroes turned.</l> +<l>Obedient to their father, they</l> +<l>Through earth's recesses forced their way.</l> +<l>With iron arms' unflinching toil</l> +<l>Each dug a league beneath the soil.</l> +<l>Earth, cleft asunder, groaned in pain,</l> +<l>As emulous they plied amain</l> +<l>Sharp-pointed coulter, pick, and bar,</l> +<l>Hard as the bolts of Indra are.</l> +<l>Then loud the horrid clamour rose</l> +<l>Of monsters dying neath their blows,</l> +<l>Giant and demon, fiend and snake,</l> +<l>That in earth's core their dwelling make.</l> +<l>They dug, in ire that naught could stay,</l> +<l>Through sixty thousand leagues their way,</l> +<l>Cleaving the earth with matchless strength</l> +<l>Till hell itself they reached at length.</l> +<l>Thus digging searched they Jambudvip<note place="foot">Said to be +so called from the Jambu, +or Rose Apple, abounding in it, and signifying +according to the Puránas the central +division of the world, the known world.</note></l> +<l>With all its hills and mountains steep.</l> +<l>Then a great fear began to shake</l> +<l>The heart of God, bard, fiend, and snake,</l> +<l>And all distressed in spirit went</l> +<l>Before the Sire Omnipotent.</l> +<l>With signs of woe in every face</l> +<l>They sought the mighty Father's grace,</l> +<l>And trembling still and ill at ease</l> +<l>Addressed their Lord in words like these:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The sons of Sagar, Sire benign,</q></l> +<l>Pierce the whole earth with mine on mine,</l> +<l>And as their ruthless work they ply</l> +<l>Innumerable creatures die.</l> +<l><q>This is the thief,</q> the princes say,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Who stole our victim steed away.</q></l> +<l>This marred the rite, and caused us ill,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And so their guiltless blood they spill.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XLI"/> +<head>Canto XLI. Kapil.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The father lent a gracious ear</l> +<l>And listened to their tale of fear,</l> +<l>And kindly to the Gods replied</l> +<l>Whom woe and death had terrified:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The wisest Vásudeva,<note place="foot">Here used as +a name of Vishṇu.</note> who</q></l> +<l>The Immortals' foe, fierce Madhu, slew,</l> +<l>Regards broad Earth with love and pride</l> +<l>And guards, in Kapil's form, his bride.<note place="foot"><p>Kings are called the +husbands of their kingdoms or of the earth; <q>She and his +kingdom were his only brides.</q> <hi rend='italic'>Raghuvaṅśa.</hi></p> +<lg> +<l rend='margin-left: 2'><q rend="pre">Doubly divorced! Bad men, you violate</q></l> +<l>A double marriage, 'twixt my crown and me,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And then between me and my married wife.</q></l> +</lg> +<p>King Richard II. Act V. Sc. I.</p></note></l> +<l>His kindled wrath will quickly fall</l> +<l>On the king's sons and burn them all.</l> +<l>This cleaving of the earth his eye</l> +<l>Foresaw in ages long gone by:</l> +<l>He knew with prescient soul the fate</l> +<l><q rend="post">That Sagar's children should await.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Three-and-thirty,<note place="foot">The thirty-three Gods +are said in the +<hi rend='italic'>Aitareya Bráhmaṇa</hi>, Book I. ch. II. 10. to +be the eight Vasus, the eleven Rudras, the +twelve Ádityas, Prajápati, either Brahmá +or Daksha, and Vashatkára or deified +oblation. This must have been the actual +number at the beginning of the Vedic +religion gradually increased by successive +mythical and religious creations till the +Indian Pantheon was crowded with abstractions +of every kind. Through the reverence +with which the words of the Veda +were regarded, the immense host of multiplied +divinities, in later times, still bore +the name of the Thirty-three Gods.</note> freed from fear,</l> +<l>Sought their bright homes with hopeful cheer.</l> +<l>Still rose the great tempestuous sound</l> +<l>As Sagar's children pierced the ground.</l> +<l>When thus the whole broad earth was cleft,</l> +<l>And not a spot unsearched was left,</l> +<l>Back to their home the princes sped,</l> +<l>And thus unto their father said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">We searched the earth from side to side,</q></l> +<l>While countless hosts of creatures died.</l> +<l>Our conquering feet in triumph trod</l> +<l>On snake and demon, fiend and God;</l> +<l>But yet we failed, with all our toil,</l> +<l>To find the robber and the spoil.</l> +<l>What can we more? If more we can,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Devise, O King, and tell thy plan.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His children's speech King Sagar heard,</l> +<l>And answered thus, to anger stirred:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Dig on, and ne'er your labour stay</q></l> +<l>Till through earth's depths you force your way.</l> +<l>Then smite the robber dead, and bring</l> +<l><q rend="post">The charger back with triumphing.</q></l> +<pb n="052"/><anchor id="Pg052"/> +<l>The sixty thousand chiefs obeyed:</l> +<l>Deep through the earth their way they made.</l> +<l>Deep as they dug and deeper yet</l> +<l>The immortal elephant they met,</l> +<l>Famed Vírúpáksha<note place="foot"><p><q>One of the elephants +which, according to an ancient belief popular in India, +supported the earth with their enormous +backs; when one of these elephants shook +his wearied head the earth trembled with +its woods and hills. An idea, or rather a +mythical fancy, similar to this, but reduced +to proportions less grand, is found +in Virgil when he speaks of Enceladus +buried under Ætna:</q></p> +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">adi semiustum fulmine corpus</q></l> +<l>Urgeri mole hac, ingentemque insuper Ætnam</l> +<l>Impositam, ruptis flammam expirare caminis;</l> +<l>Et fessum quoties mutat latus, intre mere omnem</l> +<l><q rend="post">iam, et cœlum subtexere fumo.</q></l> +</lg> +<p>Æneid. Lib. III. +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</p></note> vast of size,</l> +<l>Upon whose head the broad earth lies:</l> +<l>The mighty beast who earth sustains</l> +<l>With shaggy hills and wooded plains.</l> +<l>When, with the changing moon, distressed,</l> +<l>And longing for a moment's rest,</l> +<l>His mighty head the monster shakes,</l> +<l>Earth to the bottom reels and quakes.</l> +<l>Around that warder strong and vast</l> +<l>With reverential steps they passed.</l> +<l>Nor, when the honour due was paid,</l> +<l>Their downward search through earth delayed.</l> +<l>But turning from the east aside</l> +<l>Southward again their task they plied.</l> +<l>There Mahápadma held his place,</l> +<l>The best of all his mighty race,</l> +<l>Like some huge hill, of monstrous girth,</l> +<l>Upholding on his head the earth.</l> +<l>When the vast beast the princes saw,</l> +<l>They marvelled and were filled with awe.</l> +<l>The sons of high-souled Sagar round</l> +<l>That elephant in reverence wound.</l> +<l>Then in the western region they</l> +<l>With might unwearied cleft their way.</l> +<l>There saw they with astonisht eyes</l> +<l>Saumanas, beast of mountain size.</l> +<l>Round him with circling steps they went</l> +<l>With greetings kind and reverent.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">On, on—no thought of rest or stay—</l> +<l>They reached the seat of Soma's sway.</l> +<l>There saw they Bhadra, white as snow,</l> +<l>With lucky marks that fortune show,</l> +<l>Bearing the earth upon his head.</l> +<l>Round him they paced with solemn tread,</l> +<l>And honoured him with greetings kind,</l> +<l>Then downward yet their way they mined.</l> +<l>They gained the tract 'twixt east and north</l> +<l>Whose fame is ever blazoned forth,<note place="foot"><p><q>The Devas and Asuras +(Gods and Titans) fought in the east, the south, the +west, and the north, and the Devas were +defeated by the Asuras in all these directions. +They then fought in the north-eastern +direction; there the Devas did not +sustain defeat. This direction is <hi rend='italic'>aparájitá</hi>, +<hi rend='italic'>i.e.</hi> unconquerable. Thence one should do +work in this direction, and have it done +there; for such a one (alone) is able to +clear off his debts.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Haug's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Aitareya Bráhmanam</hi>, Vol. II, p. 33.</p> +<p>The debts here spoken of are a man's religious +obligations to the Gods, the Pitaras +or Manes, and men.</p></note></l> +<l>And by a storm of rage impelled,</l> +<l>Digging through earth their course they held.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then all the princes, lofty-souled,</l> +<l>Of wondrous vigour, strong and bold,</l> +<l>Saw Vásudeva<note place="foot">Vishṇu.</note> standing there</l> +<l>In Kapil's form he loved to wear,</l> +<l>And near the everlasting God</l> +<l>The victim charger cropped the sod.</l> +<l>They saw with joy and eager eyes</l> +<l>The fancied robber and the prize,</l> +<l>And on him rushed the furious band</l> +<l>Crying aloud, Stand, villain! stand!</l> +<l><q>Avaunt! avaunt!</q> great Kapil cried,</l> +<l>His bosom flusht with passion's tide;</l> +<l>Then by his might that proud array</l> +<l>All scorcht to heaps of ashes lay.<note place="foot"><q>It appears to me that this +mythical story has reference to the volcanic phenomena +of nature. Kapil may very possibly +be that hidden fiery force which suddenly +unprisons itself and bursts forth +in volcanic effects. Kapil is, moreover, +one of the names of Agni the God of +Fire.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XLII"/> +<head>Canto XLII. Sagar's Sacrifice.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then to the prince his grandson, bright</l> +<l>With his own fame's unborrowed light,</l> +<l>King Sagar thus began to say,</l> +<l>Marvelling at his sons' delay:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thou art a warrior skilled and bold,</q></l> +<l>Match for the mighty men of old.</l> +<l>Now follow on thine uncles' course</l> +<l>And track the robber of the horse.</l> +<pb n="053"/><anchor id="Pg053"/> +<l>To guard thee take thy sword and bow,</l> +<l>for huge and strong are beasts below.</l> +<l>There to the reverend reverence pay,</l> +<l>And kill the foes who check thy way;</l> +<l>Then turn successful home and see</l> +<l><q rend="post">My sacrifice complete through thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Obedient to the high-souled lord</l> +<l>Grasped Anśumán his bow and sword,</l> +<l>And hurried forth the way to trace</l> +<l>With youth and valour's eager pace.</l> +<l>On sped he by the path he found</l> +<l>Dug by his uncles underground.</l> +<l>The warder elephant he saw</l> +<l>Whose size and strength pass Nature's law,</l> +<l>Who bears the world's tremendous weight,</l> +<l>Whom God, fiend, giant venerate,</l> +<l>Bird, serpent, and each flitting shade,</l> +<l>To him the honour meet he paid</l> +<l>With circling steps and greeting due,</l> +<l>And further prayed him, if he knew,</l> +<l>To tell him of his uncles' weal,</l> +<l>And who had dared the horse to steal.</l> +<l>To him in war and council tried</l> +<l>The warder elephant replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thou, son of Asamanj, shalt lead</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">In triumph back the rescued steed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As to each warder beast he came</l> +<l>And questioned all, his words the same,</l> +<l>The honoured youth with gentle speech</l> +<l>Drew eloquent reply from each,</l> +<l>That fortune should his steps attend,</l> +<l>And with the horse he home should wend.</l> +<l>Cheered with the grateful answer, he</l> +<l>Passed on with step more light and free,</l> +<l>And reached with careless heart the place</l> +<l>Where lay in ashes Sagar's race.</l> +<l>Then sank the spirit of the chief</l> +<l>Beneath that shock of sudden grief,</l> +<l>And with a bitter cry of woe</l> +<l>He mourned his kinsmen fallen so.</l> +<l>He saw, weighed down by woe and care,</l> +<l>The victim charger roaming there.</l> +<l>Yet would the pious chieftain fain</l> +<l>Oblations offer to the slain:</l> +<l>But, needing water for the rite,</l> +<l>He looked and there was none in sight</l> +<l>His quick eye searching all around</l> +<l>The uncle of his kinsmen found,</l> +<l>King Garuḍ, best beyond compare</l> +<l>Of birds who wing the fields of air.</l> +<l>Then thus unto the weeping man</l> +<l>The son of Vinatá<note place="foot">Garuḍ was the son of Kaśyap and +Vinatá.</note> began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Grieve not, O hero, for their fall</q></l> +<l>Who died a death approved of all.</l> +<l>Of mighty strength, they met their fate</l> +<l>By Kapil's hand whom none can mate.</l> +<l>Pour forth for them no earthly wave,</l> +<l>A holier flood their spirits crave.</l> +<l>If, daughter of the Lord of Snow,</l> +<l>Gangá would turn her stream below,</l> +<l>Her waves that cleanse all mortal stain</l> +<l>Would wash their ashes pure again.</l> +<l>Yea, when her flood whom all revere</l> +<l>Rolls o'er the dust that moulders here,</l> +<l>The sixty thousand, freed from sin,</l> +<l>A home in Indra's heaven shall win.</l> +<l>Go, and with ceaseless labour try</l> +<l>To draw the Goddess from the sky.</l> +<l>Return, and with thee take the steed;</l> +<l><q rend="post">So shall thy grandsire's rite succeed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Prince Anśumán the strong and brave</l> +<l>Followed the rede Suparṇa<note place="foot">Garuḍ.</note> gave.</l> +<l>The glorious hero took the horse,</l> +<l>And homeward quickly bent his course.</l> +<l>Straight to the anxious king he hied,</l> +<l>Whom lustral rites had purified,</l> +<l>The mournful story to unfold</l> +<l>And all the king of birds had told.</l> +<l>The tale of woe the monarch heard,</l> +<l>Nor longer was the rite deferred:</l> +<l>With care and just observance he</l> +<l>Accomplished all, as texts decree.</l> +<l>The rites performed, with brighter fame,</l> +<l>Mighty in counsel, home he came.</l> +<l>He longed to bring the river down,</l> +<l>But found no plan his wish to crown.</l> +<l>He pondered long with anxious thought</l> +<l>But saw no way to what he sought.</l> +<l>Thus thirty thousand years he spent,</l> +<l>And then to heaven the monarch went.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XLIII"/> +<head>Canto XLIII. Bhagírath.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Sagar thus had bowed to fate,</l> +<l>The lords and commons of the state</l> +<l>Approved with ready heart and will</l> +<l>Prince Anśumán his throne to fill.</l> +<l>He ruled, a mighty king, unblamed,</l> +<l>Sire of Dilípa justly famed.</l> +<l>To him, his child and worthy heir,</l> +<l>The king resigned his kingdom's care,</l> +<l>And on Himálaya's pleasant side</l> +<l>His task austere of penance plied.</l> +<l>Bright as a God in clear renown</l> +<l>He planned to bring pure Gangá down.</l> +<l>There on his fruitless hope intent</l> +<l>Twice sixteen thousand years he spent,</l> +<l>And in the grove of hermits stayed</l> +<l>Till bliss in heaven his rites repaid.</l> +<l>Dilípa then, the good and great,</l> +<l>Soon as he learnt his kinsmen's fate,</l> +<l>Bowed down by woe, with troubled mind,</l> +<pb n="054"/><anchor id="Pg054"/> +<l>Pondering long no cure could find.</l> +<l><q>How can I bring,</q> the mourner sighed,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">To cleanse their dust, the heavenly tide?</q></l> +<l>How can I give them rest, and save</l> +<l><q rend="post">Their spirits with the offered wave?</q></l> +<l>Long with this thought his bosom skilled</l> +<l>In holy discipline was filled.</l> +<l>A son was born, Bhagírath named,</l> +<l>Above all men for virtue famed.</l> +<l>Dilípa many a rite ordained,</l> +<l>And thirty thousand seasons reigned.</l> +<l>But when no hope the king could see</l> +<l>His kinsmen from their woe to free,</l> +<l>The lord of men, by sickness tried,</l> +<l>Obeyed the law of fate, and died;</l> +<l>He left the kingdom to his son,</l> +<l>And gained the heaven his deeds had won.</l> +<l>The good Bhagírath, royal sage,</l> +<l>Had no fair son to cheer his age.</l> +<l>He, great in glory, pure in will,</l> +<l>Longing for sons was childless still.</l> +<l>Then on one wish, one thought intent,</l> +<l>Planning the heavenly stream's descent,</l> +<l>Leaving his ministers the care</l> +<l>And burden of his state to bear,</l> +<l>Dwelling in far Gokarna<note place="foot">A famous and venerated region near +the Malabar coast.</note> he</l> +<l>Engaged in long austerity.</l> +<l>With senses checked, with arms upraised,</l> +<l>Five fires<note place="foot">That is four fires and the sun.</note> +around and o'er him blazed.</l> +<l>Each weary month the hermit passed</l> +<l>Breaking but once his awful fast.</l> +<l>In winter's chill the brook his bed,</l> +<l>In rain, the clouds to screen his head.</l> +<l>Thousands of years he thus endured</l> +<l>Till Brahmá's favour was assured,</l> +<l>And the high Lord of living things</l> +<l>Looked kindly on his sufferings.</l> +<l>With trooping Gods the Sire came near</l> +<l>The king who plied his task austere:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Blest Monarch, of a glorious race,</q></l> +<l>Thy fervent rites have won my grace.</l> +<l>Well hast thou wrought thine awful task:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Some boon in turn, O Hermit, ask.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Bhagírath, rich in glory's light,</l> +<l>The hero with the arm of might,</l> +<l>Thus to the Lord of earth and sky</l> +<l>Raised suppliant hands and made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If the great God his favour deigns,</q></l> +<l>And my long toil its fruit obtains,</l> +<l>Let Sagar's sons receive from me</l> +<l>Libations that they long to see.</l> +<l>Let Gangá with her holy wave</l> +<l>The ashes of the heroes lave,</l> +<l>That so my kinsmen may ascend</l> +<l>To heavenly bliss that ne'er shall end.</l> +<l>And give, I pray, O God, a son,</l> +<l>Nor let my house be all undone.</l> +<l>Sire of the worlds! be this the grace</l> +<l><q rend="post">Bestowed upon Ikshváku's race.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Sire, when thus the king had prayed,</l> +<l>In sweet kind words his answer made.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">High, high thy thought and wishes are,</q></l> +<l>Bhagírath of the mighty car!</l> +<l>Ikshváku's line is blest in thee,</l> +<l>And as thou prayest it shall be.</l> +<l>Gangá, whose waves in Swarga<note place="foot">Heaven.</note> flow,</l> +<l>Is daughter of the Lord of Snow.</l> +<l>Win Śiva that his aid be lent</l> +<l>To hold her in her mid descent,</l> +<l>For earth alone will never bear</l> +<l>Those torrents hurled from upper air;</l> +<l>And none may hold her weight but He,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The Trident wielding deity.</q></l> +<l>Thus having said, the Lord supreme</l> +<l>Addressed him to the heavenly stream;</l> +<l>And then with Gods and Maruts<note place="foot">Wind-Gods.</note> went</l> +<l>To heaven above the firmament.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XLIV"/> +<head>Canto XLIV. The Descent Of Gangá.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The Lord of life the skies regained:</l> +<l>The fervent king a year remained</l> +<l>With arms upraised, refusing rest</l> +<l>While with one toe the earth he pressed,</l> +<l>Still as a post, with sleepless eye,</l> +<l>The air his food, his roof the sky.</l> +<l>The year had past. Then Umá's lord,<note place="foot">Śiva.</note></l> +<l>King of creation, world adored,</l> +<l>Thus spoke to great Bhagírath: <q rend="pre">I,</q></l> +<l>Well pleased thy wish will gratify,</l> +<l>And on my head her waves shall fling</l> +<l><q rend="post">The daughter of the Mountains' King!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l>He stood upon the lofty crest</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That crowns the Lord of Snow,</l> +<l>And bade the river of the Blest</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Descend on earth below.</l> +<l>Himálaya's child, adored of all,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The haughty mandate heard,</l> +<l>And her proud bosom, at the call,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With furious wrath was stirred.</l> +<l>Down from her channel in the skies</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With awful might she sped</l> +<l>With a giant's rush, in a giant's size,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">On Śiva's holy head.</l> +<l><q>He calls me,</q> in her wrath she cried,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">And all my flood shall sweep</q></l> +<l>And whirl him in its whelming tide</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">To hell's profoundest deep.</q></l> +<l>He held the river on his head,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And kept her wandering, where,</l> +<l>Dense as Himálaya's woods, were spread</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The tangles of his hair.</l> +<pb n="055"/><anchor id="Pg055"/> +<l>No way to earth she found, ashamed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Though long and sore she strove,</l> +<l>Condemned, until her pride were tamed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Amid his locks to rove.</l> +<l>There, many lengthening seasons through,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The wildered river ran:</l> +<l>Bhagírath saw it, and anew</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His penance dire began.</l> +<l>Then Śiva, for the hermit's sake,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Bade her long wanderings end,</l> +<l>And sinking into Vindu's lake</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Her weary waves descend.</l> +<l>From Gangá, by the God set free,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Seven noble rivers came;</l> +<l>Hládiní, Pávaní, and she</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Called Naliní by name:</l> +<l>These rolled their lucid waves along</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And sought the eastern side.</l> +<l>Suchakshu, Sítá fair and strong,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And Sindhu's mighty tide—<note place="foot">The lake +Vindu does not exist. Of the +seven rivers here mentioned two only, the +Ganges and the Sindhu or Indus, are +known to geographers. Hládiní means the +Gladdener, Pávaní the Purifier, Naliní the +Lotus-Clad, and Suchakshu the Fair-eyed.</note></l> +<l>These to the region of the west</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With joyful waters sped:</l> +<l>The seventh, the brightest and the best,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Flowed where Bhagírath led.</l> +<l>On Śiva's head descending first</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A rest the torrents found:</l> +<l>Then down in all their might they burst</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And roared along the ground.</l> +<l>On countless glittering scales the beam</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Of rosy morning flashed,</l> +<l>Where fish and dolphins through the stream</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Fallen and falling dashed.</l> +<l>Then bards who chant celestial lays</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And nymphs of heavenly birth</l> +<l>Flocked round upon that flood to gaze</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That streamed from sky to earth.</l> +<l>The Gods themselves from every sphere,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Incomparably bright,</l> +<l>Borne in their golden cars drew near</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To see the wondrous sight.</l> +<l>The cloudless sky was all aflame</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With the light of a hundred suns</l> +<l>Where'er the shining chariots came</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That bore those holy ones.</l> +<l>So flashed the air with crested snakes</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And fish of every hue</l> +<l>As when the lightning's glory breaks</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Through fields of summer blue.</l> +<l>And white foam-clouds and silver spray</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Were wildly tossed on high,</l> +<l>Like swans that urge their homeward way</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Across the autumn sky.</l> +<l>Now ran the river calm and clear</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With current strong and deep:</l> +<l>Now slowly broadened to a mere,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Or scarcely seemed to creep.</l> +<l>Now o'er a length of sandy plain</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Her tranquil course she held;</l> +<l>Now rose her waves and sank again,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By refluent waves repelled.</l> +<l>So falling first on Śiva's head,</l> +<l>Thence rushing to their earthly bed,</l> +<l>In ceaseless fall the waters streamed,</l> +<l>And pure with holy lustre gleamed.</l> +<l>Then every spirit, sage, and bard,</l> +<l>Condemned to earth by sentence hard,</l> +<l>Pressed eagerly around the tide</l> +<l>That Śiva's touch had sanctified.</l> +<l>Then they whom heavenly doom had hurled,</l> +<l>Accursed, to this lower world,</l> +<l>Touched the pure wave, and freed from sin</l> +<l>Resought the skies and entered in.</l> +<l>And all the world was glad, whereon</l> +<l>The glorious water flowed and shone,</l> +<l>For sin and stain were banished thence</l> +<l>By the sweet river's influence.</l> +<l>First, in a car of heavenly frame,</l> +<l>The royal saint of deathless name,</l> +<l>Bhagírath, very glorious rode,</l> +<l>And after him fair Gangá flowed.</l> +<l>God, sage, and bard, the chief in place</l> +<l>Of spirits and the Nága race,</l> +<l>Nymph, giant, fiend, in long array</l> +<l>Sped where Bhagírath led the way;</l> +<l>And all the hosts the flood that swim</l> +<l>Followed the stream that followed him.</l> +<l>Where'er the great Bhagírath led,</l> +<l>There ever glorious Gangá fled,</l> +<l>The best of floods, the rivers' queen,</l> +<l>Whose waters wash the wicked clean.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">It chanced that Jahnu, great and good,</l> +<l>Engaged with holy offerings stood;</l> +<l>The river spread her waves around</l> +<l>Flooding his sacrificial ground.</l> +<l>The saint in anger marked her pride,</l> +<l>And at one draught her stream he dried.</l> +<l>Then God, and sage, and bard, afraid,</l> +<l>To noble high-souled Jahnu prayed,</l> +<l>And begged that he would kindly deem</l> +<l>His own dear child that holy stream.</l> +<l>Moved by their suit, he soothed their fears</l> +<l>And loosed her waters from his ears.</l> +<l>Hence Gangá through the world is styled</l> +<l>Both Jáhnavi and Jahnu's child.</l> +<l>Then onward still she followed fast,</l> +<l>And reached the great sea bank at last.</l> +<l>Thence deep below her way she made</l> +<l>To end those rites so long delayed.</l> +<l>The monarch reached the Ocean's side,</l> +<l>And still behind him Gangá hied.</l> +<l>He sought the depths which open lay</l> +<l>Where Sagar's sons had dug their way.</l> +<l>So leading through earth's nether caves</l> +<l>The river's purifying waves,</l> +<pb n="056"/><anchor id="Pg056"/> +<l>Over his kinsmen's dust the lord</l> +<l>His funeral libation poured.</l> +<l>Soon as the flood their dust bedewed,</l> +<l>Their spirits gained beatitude,</l> +<l>And all in heavenly bodies dressed</l> +<l>Rose to the skies' eternal rest.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then thus to King Bhagírath said</l> +<l>Brahmá, when, coming at the head</l> +<l>Of all his bright celestial train,</l> +<l>He saw those spirits freed from stain:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Well done! great Prince of men, well done!</q></l> +<l>Thy kinsmen bliss and heaven have won.</l> +<l>The sons of Sagar mighty-souled,</l> +<l>Are with the Blest, as Gods, enrolled,</l> +<l>Long as the Ocean's flood shall stand</l> +<l>Upon the border of the land,</l> +<l>So long shall Sagar's sons remain,</l> +<l>And, godlike, rank in heaven retain.</l> +<l>Gangá thine eldest child shall be,</l> +<l>Called from thy name Bhágirathí;</l> +<l>Named also—for her waters fell</l> +<l>From heaven and flow through earth and hell—</l> +<l>Tripathagá, stream of the skies,</l> +<l>Because three paths she glorifies.</l> +<l>And, mighty King, 'tis given thee now</l> +<l>To free thee and perform thy vow.</l> +<l>No longer, happy Prince, delay</l> +<l>Drink-offerings to thy kin to pay.</l> +<l>For this the holiest Sagar sighed,</l> +<l>But mourned the boon he sought denied.</l> +<l>Then Anśumán, dear Prince! although</l> +<l>No brighter name the world could show,</l> +<l>Strove long the heavenly flood to gain</l> +<l>To visit earth, but strove in vain.</l> +<l>Nor was she by the sages' peer,</l> +<l>Blest with all virtues, most austere,</l> +<l>Thy sire Dilípa, hither brought,</l> +<l>Though with fierce prayers the boon he sought.</l> +<l>But thou, O King, earned success,</l> +<l>And won high fame which God will bless.</l> +<l>Through thee, O victor of thy foes,</l> +<l>On earth this heavenly Gangá flows,</l> +<l>And thou hast gained the meed divine</l> +<l>That waits on virtue such as thine.</l> +<l>Now in her ever holy wave</l> +<l>Thyself, O best of heroes, lave:</l> +<l>So shalt thou, pure from every sin,</l> +<l>The blessed fruit of merit win.</l> +<l>Now for thy kin who died of yore</l> +<l>The meet libations duly pour.</l> +<l>Above the heavens I now ascend:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Depart, and bliss thy steps attend.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus to the mighty king who broke</l> +<l>His foemens' might, Lord Brahmá spoke,</l> +<l>And with his Gods around him rose</l> +<l>To his own heaven of blest repose.</l> +<l>The royal sage no more delayed,</l> +<l>But, the libation duly paid,</l> +<l>Home to his regal city hied</l> +<l>With water cleansed and purified.</l> +<l>There ruled he his ancestral state,</l> +<l>Best of all men, most fortunate.</l> +<l>And all the people joyed again</l> +<l>In good Bhagírath's gentle reign.</l> +<l>Rich, prosperous, and blest were they,</l> +<l>And grief and sickness fled away.</l> +<l>Thus, Ráma, I at length have told</l> +<l>How Gangá came from heaven of old.</l> +<l>Now, for the evening passes swift,</l> +<l>I wish thee each auspicious gift.</l> +<l>This story of the flood's descent</l> +<l>Will give—for 'tis most excellent—</l> +<l>Wealth, purity, fame, length of days,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And to the skies its hearers raise</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XLV"/> +<head>Canto XLV. The Quest Of The Amrit.</head> + +<lg> +<l>High and more high their wonder rose</l> +<l>As the strange story reached its close,</l> +<l>And thus, with Lakshmaṇ, Ráma, best</l> +<l>Of Raghu's sons, the saint addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Most wondrous is the tale which thou</q></l> +<l>Hast told of heavenly Gangá, how</l> +<l>From realms above descending she</l> +<l>Flowed through the land and filled the sea.</l> +<l>In thinking o'er what thou hast said</l> +<l>The night has like a moment fled,</l> +<l>Whose hours in musing have been spent</l> +<l>Upon thy words most excellent:</l> +<l>So much, O holy Sage, thy lore</l> +<l><q rend="post">Has charmed us with this tale of yore.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Day dawned. The morning rites were done</l> +<l>And the victorious Raghu's son</l> +<l>Addressed the sage in words like these,</l> +<l>Rich in his long austerities:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The night is past: the morn is clear;</q></l> +<l>Told is the tale so good to hear:</l> +<l>Now o'er that river let us go,</l> +<l>Three-pathed, the best of all that flow.</l> +<l>This boat stands ready on the shore</l> +<l>To bear the holy hermits o'er,</l> +<l>Who of thy coming warned, in haste,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The barge upon the bank have placed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And Kuśik's son approved his speech,</l> +<l>And moving to the sandy beach,</l> +<l>Placed in the boat the hermit band,</l> +<l>And reached the river's further strand.</l> +<l>On the north bank their feet they set,</l> +<l>And greeted all the saints they met.</l> +<l>On Gangá's shore they lighted down,</l> +<l>And saw Viśálá's lovely town.</l> +<l>Thither, the princes by his side,</l> +<l>The best of holy hermits hied.</l> +<l>It was a town exceeding fair</l> +<pb n="057"/><anchor id="Pg057"/> +<l>That might with heaven itself compare.</l> +<l>Then, suppliant palm to palm applied,</l> +<l>Famed Ráma asked his holy guide:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O best of hermits, say what race</q></l> +<l>Of monarchs rules this lovely place.</l> +<l>Dear master, let my prayer prevail,</l> +<l><q rend="post">For much I long to hear the tale.</q></l> +<l>Moved by his words, the saintly man</l> +<l>Viśálá's ancient tale began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">List, Ráma, list, with closest heed</q></l> +<l>The tale of Indra's wondrous deed,</l> +<l>And mark me as I truly tell</l> +<l>What here in ancient days befell.</l> +<l>Ere Krita's famous Age<note place="foot">The First or Golden Age.</note> had fled,</l> +<l>Strong were the sons of Diti<note place="foot">Diti and Aditi were wives of Kaśyap, +and mothers respectively of Titans and Gods.</note> bred;</l> +<l>And Aditi's brave children too</l> +<l>Were very mighty, good, and true.</l> +<l>The rival brothers fierce and bold</l> +<l>Were sons of Kaśyap lofty-souled.</l> +<l>Of sister mothers born, they vied,</l> +<l>Brood against brood, in jealous pride.</l> +<l>Once, as they say, band met with band,</l> +<l>And, joined in awful council, planned</l> +<l>To live, unharmed by age and time,</l> +<l>Immortal in their youthful prime.</l> +<l>Then this was, after due debate,</l> +<l>The counsel of the wise and great,</l> +<l>To churn with might the milky sea<note place="foot">One of the seven seas surrounding +as many worlds in concentric rings.</note></l> +<l>The life-bestowing drink to free.</l> +<l>This planned, they seized the Serpent King,</l> +<l>Vásuki, for their churning-string,</l> +<l>And Mandar's mountain for their pole,</l> +<l>And churned with all their heart and soul.</l> +<l>As thus, a thousand seasons through,</l> +<l>This way and that the snake they drew,</l> +<l>Biting the rocks, each tortured head,</l> +<l>A very deadly venom shed.</l> +<l>Thence, bursting like a mighty flame,</l> +<l>A pestilential poison came,</l> +<l>Consuming, as it onward ran,</l> +<l>The home of God, and fiend, and man.</l> +<l>Then all the suppliant Gods in fear</l> +<l>To Śankar,<note place="foot">Śankar and Rudra are names of Śiva.</note> +mighty lord, drew near.</l> +<l>To Rudra, King of Herds, dismayed,</l> +<l><q>Save us, O save us, Lord!</q> they prayed.</l> +<l>Then Vishṇu, bearing shell, and mace,</l> +<l>And discus, showed his radiant face,</l> +<l>And thus addressed in smiling glee</l> +<l>The Trident wielding deity:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What treasure first the Gods upturn</q></l> +<l>From troubled Ocean, as they churn,</l> +<l>Should—for thou art the eldest—be</l> +<l>Conferred, O best of Gods, on thee.</l> +<l>Then come, and for thy birthright's sake,</l> +<l><q rend="post">This venom as thy first fruits take.</q></l> +<l>He spoke, and vanished from their sight,</l> +<l>When Śiva saw their wild affright,</l> +<l>And heard his speech by whom is borne</l> +<l>The mighty bow of bending horn,<note place="foot"><q>Śárṅgin, literally +<hi rend='italic'>carrying a bow of +horn</hi>, is a constantly recurring name of +Vishṇu. The Indians also, therefore, +knew the art of making bows out of the +hons of antelopes or wild goats, which +Homer ascribes to the Trojans of the +heroic age.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel</hi>.</note></l> +<l>The poisoned flood at once he quaffed</l> +<l>As 'twere the Amrit's heavenly draught.</l> +<l>Then from the Gods departing went</l> +<l>Śiva, the Lord pre-eminent.</l> +<l>The host of Gods and Asurs still</l> +<l>Kept churning with one heart and will.</l> +<l>But Mandar's mountain, whirling round,</l> +<l>Pierced to the depths below the ground.</l> +<l>Then Gods and bards in terror flew</l> +<l>To him who mighty Madhu slew.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Help of all beings! more than all,</q></l> +<l>The Gods on thee for aid may call.</l> +<l>Ward off, O mighty-armed! our fate,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And bear up Mandar's threatening weight.</q></l> +<l>Then Vishṇu, as their need was sore,</l> +<l>The semblance of a tortoise wore,</l> +<l>And in the bed of Ocean lay</l> +<l>The mountain on his back to stay.</l> +<l>Then he, the soul pervading all,</l> +<l>Whose locks in radiant tresses fall,</l> +<l>One mighty arm extended still,</l> +<l>And grasped the summit of the hill.</l> +<l>So ranged among the Immortals, he</l> +<l>Joined in the churning of the sea.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A thousand years had reached their close,</l> +<l>When calmly from the ocean rose</l> +<l>The gentle sage<note place="foot">Dhanvantari, the physician of the +Gods.</note> with staff and can,</l> +<l>Lord of the art of healing man.</l> +<l>Then as the waters foamed and boiled,</l> +<l>As churning still the Immortals toiled,</l> +<l>Of winning face and lovely frame,</l> +<l>Forth sixty million fair ones came.</l> +<l>Born of the foam and water, these</l> +<l>Were aptly named Apsarases.<note place="foot">The poet plays upon the word and +fancifully derives it from +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">apsu</foreign>, the locative +case plural of <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">ap</foreign>, +water, and <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">rasa</foreign>, +taste.… The word is probably derived +from <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">ap</foreign>, water, and +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">sri</foreign>, to go, and seems +to signify <hi rend='italic'>inhabitants of the water</hi>, nymphs +of the stream; or, as Goldstücker thinks +(Dict. s.v.) these divinities were originally +personifications of the vapours which are +attracted by the sun and form into mist +or clouds.</note></l> +<pb n="058"/><anchor id="Pg058"/> +<l>Each had her maids. The tongue would fail—</l> +<l>So vast the throng—to count the tale.</l> +<l>But when no God or Titan wooed</l> +<l>A wife from all that multitude,</l> +<l>Refused by all, they gave their love</l> +<l>In common to the Gods above.</l> +<l>Then from the sea still vext and wild</l> +<l>Rose Surá,<note place="foot"><q><foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Surá</foreign>, +in the feminine comprehends all +sorts of intoxicating liquors, many kinds +of which the Indians from the earliest +times distilled and prepared from rice, +sugar-cane, the palm tree, and various +flowers and plants. Nothing is considered +more disgraceful among orthodox Hindus +than drunkenness, and the use of wine is +forbidden not only to Bráhmans but the +two other orders as well.… So it clearly +appears derogatory to the dignity of the +Gods to have received a nymph so pernicious, +who ought rather to have been +made over to the Titans. However the +etymological fancy has prevailed. The +word <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Sura</foreign>, +a God, is derived from the indeclinable +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Swar</foreign> heaven.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel</hi>.</note> Varuṇ's maiden child.</l> +<l>A fitting match she sought to find:</l> +<l>But Diti's sons her love declined,</l> +<l>Their kinsmen of the rival brood</l> +<l>To the pure maid in honour sued.</l> +<l>Hence those who loved that nymph so fair</l> +<l>The hallowed name of Suras bear.</l> +<l>And Asurs are the Titan crowd</l> +<l>Her gentle claims who disallowed.</l> +<l>Then from the foamy sea was freed</l> +<l>Uchchaihśravas,<note place="foot">Literally, high-eared, the horse of +Indra. Compare the production of the +horse from the sea by Neptune.</note> the generous steed,</l> +<l>And Kaustubha, of gems the gem,<note place="foot"><lg> +<l><q rend="pre">And Kaustubha the best</q></l> +<l>Of gems that burns with living light</l> +<l><q rend="post">Upon Lord Vishṇu's breast.</q></l> +</lg> +<p><hi rend='italic'>Churning of the Ocean.</hi></p></note></l> +<l>And Soma, Moon God, after them.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">At length when many a year had fled,</l> +<l>Up floated, on her lotus bed,</l> +<l>A maiden fair and tender-eyed,</l> +<l>In the young flush of beauty's pride.</l> +<l>She shone with pearl and golden sheen,</l> +<l>And seals of glory stamped her queen,</l> +<l>On each round arm glowed many a gem,</l> +<l>On her smooth brows, a diadem.</l> +<l>Rolling in waves beneath her crown</l> +<l>The glory of her hair flowed down,</l> +<l>Pearls on her neck of price untold,</l> +<l>The lady shone like burnisht gold.</l> +<l>Queen of the Gods, she leapt to land,</l> +<l>A lotus in her perfect hand,</l> +<l>And fondly, of the lotus-sprung,</l> +<l>To lotus-bearing Vishṇu clung.</l> +<l>Her Gods above and men below</l> +<l>As Beauty's Queen and Fortune know.<note place="foot"><p><q>That this story of the +birth of Lakshmí is of considerable antiquity is evident +from one of her names +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Kshírábdhi-tanayá</foreign>, +daughter of the Milky Sea, which is found +in <hi rend='italic'>Amarasinha</hi> the most ancient of Indian +lexicographers. The similarity to the Greek +myth of Venus being born from the foam +of the sea is remarkable.</q></p> +<p><q>In this description of Lakshmí one +thing only offends me, that she is said to +have four arms. Each of Vishṇu's arms, +single, as far as the elbow, there branches +into two; but Lakshmí in all the brass +seals that I possess or remember to have +seen has two arms only. Nor does this +deformity of redundant limbs suit the pattern +of perfect beauty.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel</hi>. I +have omitted the offensive epithet.</p></note></l> +<l>Gods, Titans, and the minstrel train</l> +<l>Still churned and wrought the troubled main.</l> +<l>At length the prize so madly sought,</l> +<l>The Amrit, to their sight was brought.</l> +<l>For the rich spoil, 'twixt these and those</l> +<l>A fratricidal war arose,</l> +<l>And, host 'gainst host in battle, set,</l> +<l>Aditi's sons and Diti's met.</l> +<l>United, with the giants' aid,</l> +<l>Their fierce attack the Titans made,</l> +<l>And wildly raged for many a day</l> +<l>That universe-astounding fray.</l> +<l>When wearied arms were faint to strike,</l> +<l>And ruin threatened all alike,</l> +<l>Vishṇu, with art's illusive aid,</l> +<l>The Amrit from their sight conveyed.</l> +<l>That Best of Beings smote his foes</l> +<l>Who dared his deathless arm oppose:</l> +<l>Yea, Vishṇu, all-pervading God,</l> +<l>Beneath his feet the Titans trod</l> +<l>Aditi's race, the sons of light,</l> +<l>slew Diti's brood in cruel fight.</l> +<l>Then town-destroying<note place="foot">Purandhar, a common title of Indra.</note> +Indra gained</l> +<l>His empire, and in glory reigned</l> +<l>O'er the three worlds with bard and sage</l> +<l>Rejoicing in his heritage.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XLVI"/> +<head>Canto XLVI. Diti's Hope.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Diti, when her sons were slain,</l> +<l>Wild with a childless mother's pain,</l> +<l>To Kaśyap spake, Marícha's son,</l> +<l>Her husband: <q rend="pre">O thou glorious one!</q></l> +<pb n="059"/><anchor id="Pg059"/> +<l>Dead are the children, mine no more,</l> +<l>The mighty sons to thee I bore.</l> +<l>Long fervour's meed, I crave a boy</l> +<l>Whose arm may Indra's life destroy.</l> +<l>The toil and pain my care shall be:</l> +<l>To bless my hope depends on thee.</l> +<l>Give me a mighty son to slay</l> +<l><q rend="post">Fierce Indra, gracious lord! I pray.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then glorious Kaśyap thus replied</l> +<l>To Diti, as she wept and sighed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy prayer is heard, dear saint! Remain</q></l> +<l>Pure from all spot, and thou shalt gain</l> +<l>A son whose arm shall take the life</l> +<l>Of Indra in the battle strife.</l> +<l>For full a thousand years endure</l> +<l>Free from all stain, supremely pure;</l> +<l>Then shall thy son and mine appear,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Whom the three worlds shall serve with fear.</q></l> +<l>These words the glorious Kaśyap said,</l> +<l>Then gently stroked his consort's head,</l> +<l>Blessed her, and bade a kind adieu,</l> +<l>And turned him to his rites anew.</l> +<l>Soon as her lord had left her side,</l> +<l>Her bosom swelled with joy and pride.</l> +<l>She sought the shade of holy boughs,</l> +<l>And there began her awful vows.</l> +<l>While yet she wrought her rites austere,</l> +<l>Indra, unbidden, hastened near,</l> +<l>With sweet observance tending her,</l> +<l>A reverential minister.</l> +<l>Wood, water, fire, and grass he brought,</l> +<l>Sweet roots and woodland fruit he sought,</l> +<l>And all her wants, the Thousand-eyed,</l> +<l>With never-failing care, supplied,</l> +<l>With tender love and soft caress</l> +<l>Removing pain and weariness.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When, of the thousand years ordained,</l> +<l>Ten only unfulfilled remained,</l> +<l>Thus to her son, the Thousand-eyed,</l> +<l>The Goddess in her triumph cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Best of the mighty! there remain</q></l> +<l>But ten short years of toil and pain;</l> +<l>These years of penance soon will flee,</l> +<l>And a new brother thou shalt see.</l> +<l>Him for thy sake I'll nobly breed,</l> +<l>And lust of war his soul shall feed;</l> +<l>Then free from care and sorrow thou</l> +<l><q rend="post">Shalt see the worlds before him bow.</q><note place="foot">A few +verses are here left untranslated +on account of the subject and language +being offensive to modern taste.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XLVII"/> +<head>Canto XLVII. Sumati.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus to Lord Indra, Thousand-eyed,</l> +<l>Softly beseeching Diti sighed.</l> +<l>When but a blighted bud was left,</l> +<l>Which Indra's hand in seven had cleft:<note place="foot"><q>In this myth +of Indra destroying the +unborn fruit of Diti with his thunderbolt, +from which afterwards came the +Maruts or Gods of Wind and Storm, geological +phenomena are, it seems, represented +under mythical images. In the great +Mother of the Gods is, perhaps, figured +the dry earth: Indra the God of thunder +rends it open, and there issue from its +rent bosom the Maruts or exhalations of +the earth. But such ancient myths are difficult +to interpret with absolute certainty.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</note></l> +<l><q rend="pre">No fault, O Lord of Gods, is thine;</q></l> +<l>The blame herein is only mine.</l> +<l>But for one grace I fain would pray,</l> +<l>As thou hast reft this hope away.</l> +<l>This bud, O Indra, which a blight</l> +<l>Has withered ere it saw the light—</l> +<l>From this may seven fair spirits rise</l> +<l>To rule the regions of the skies.</l> +<l>Be theirs through heaven's unbounded space</l> +<l>On shoulders of the winds to race,</l> +<l>My children, drest in heavenly forms,</l> +<l>Far-famed as Maruts, Gods of storms.</l> +<l>One God to Brahmá's sphere assign,</l> +<l>Let one, O Indra, watch o'er thine;</l> +<l>And ranging through the lower air,</l> +<l>The third the name of Váyu<note place="foot">Wind.</note> bear.</l> +<l>Gods let the four remaining be,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And roam through space, obeying thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Town-destroyer, Thousand-eyed,</l> +<l>Who smote fierce Bali till he died,</l> +<l>Joined suppliant hands, and thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy children heavenly forms shall wear;</q></l> +<l>The names devised by thee shall bear,</l> +<l>And, Maruts called by my decree,</l> +<l>Shall Amrit drink and wait on me.</l> +<l>From fear and age and sickness freed,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Through the three worlds their wings shall speed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus in the hermits' holy shade</l> +<l>Mother and son their compact made,</l> +<l>And then, as fame relates, content,</l> +<l>Home to the happy skies they went.</l> +<l>This is the spot—so men have told—</l> +<l>Where Lord Mahendra<note place="foot">Indra, with <hi rend='italic'>mahá</hi>, +great, prefixed.</note> dwelt of old,</l> +<l>This is the blessed region where</l> +<l>His votaress mother claimed his care.</l> +<l>Here gentle Alambúshá bare</l> +<l>To old Ikshváku, king and sage,</l> +<l>Viśála, glory of his age,</l> +<l>By whom, a monarch void of guilt,</l> +<l>Was this fair town Viśálá built.</l> +<pb n="060"/><anchor id="Pg060"/> +<l>His son was Hemachandra, still</l> +<l>Renowned for might and warlike skill.</l> +<l>From him the great Suchandra came;</l> +<l>His son, Dhúmráśva, dear to fame.</l> +<l>Next followed royal Srinjay; then</l> +<l>Famed Sahadeva, lord of men.</l> +<l>Next came Kuśáśva, good and mild,</l> +<l>Whose son was Somadatta styled,</l> +<l>And Sumati, his heir, the peer</l> +<l>Of Gods above, now governs here.</l> +<l>And ever through Ikshváku's grace,</l> +<l>Viśálá's kings, his noble race,</l> +<l>Are lofty-souled, and blest with length</l> +<l>Of days, with virtue, and with strength.</l> +<l>This night, O prince, we here will sleep;</l> +<l>And when the day begins to peep,</l> +<l>Our onward way will take with thee,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The king of Míthilá to see.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Sumati, the king, aware</l> +<l>Of Viśvámitra's advent there,</l> +<l>Came quickly forth with honour meet</l> +<l>The lofty-minded sage to greet.</l> +<l>Girt with his priest and lords the king</l> +<l>Did low obeisance, worshipping,</l> +<l>With suppliant hands, with head inclined,</l> +<l>Thus spoke he after question kind;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Since thou hast deigned to bless my sight,</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And grace awhile thy servant's seat,</l> +<l>High fate is mine, great Anchorite,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">And none may with my bliss compete.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XLVIII"/> +<head>Canto XLVIII. Indra And Ahalyá</head> + +<lg> +<l>When mutual courtesies had past,</l> +<l>Viśálá's ruler spoke at last:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">These princely youths, O Sage, who vie</q></l> +<l>In might with children of the sky,</l> +<l>Heroic, born for happy fate,</l> +<l>With elephants' or lions' gait,</l> +<l>Bold as the tiger or the bull,</l> +<l>With lotus eyes so large and full,</l> +<l>Armed with the quiver, sword, and bow,</l> +<l>Whose figures like the Aśvins<note place="foot">The Heavenly Twins.</note> show,</l> +<l>Like children of the deathless Powers,</l> +<l>Come freely to these shades of ours,<note place="foot">Not banished from heaven as the +inferior Gods and demigods sometimes were.</note>—</l> +<l>How have they reached on foot this place?</l> +<l>What do they seek, and what their race?</l> +<l>As sun and moon adorn the sky,</l> +<l>This spot the heroes glorify.</l> +<l>Alike in stature, port, and mien,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The same fair form in each is seen,</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke; and at the monarch's call</l> +<l>The best of hermits told him all,</l> +<l>How in the grove with him they dwelt,</l> +<l>And slaughter to the demons dealt.</l> +<l>Then wonder filled the monarch's breast,</l> +<l>Who tended well each royal guest.</l> +<l>Thus entertained, the princely pair</l> +<l>Remained that night and rested there,</l> +<l>And with the morn's returning ray</l> +<l>To Mithilá pursued their way.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Janak's lovely city first</l> +<l>Upon their sight, yet distant, burst,</l> +<l>The hermits all with joyful cries</l> +<l>Hailed the fair town that met their eyes.</l> +<l>Then Ráma saw a holy wood,</l> +<l>Close, in the city's neighbourhood,</l> +<l>O'ergrown, deserted, marked by age,</l> +<l>And thus addressed the mighty sage:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O reverend lord. I long to know</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">What hermit dwelt here long ago.</q></l> +<l>Then to the prince his holy guide,</l> +<l>Most eloquent of men, replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Ráma, listen while I tell</q></l> +<l>Whose was this grove, and what befell</l> +<l>When in the fury of his rage</l> +<l>The high saint cursed the hermitage.</l> +<l>This was the grove—most lovely then—</l> +<l>Of Gautam, O thou best of men,</l> +<l>Like heaven itself, most honoured by</l> +<l>The Gods who dwell above the sky.</l> +<l>Here with Ahalyá at his side</l> +<l>His fervid task the ascetic plied.</l> +<l>Years fled in thousands. On a day</l> +<l>It chanced the saint had gone away,</l> +<l>When Town-destroying Indra came,</l> +<l>And saw the beauty of the dame.</l> +<l>The sage's form the God endued,</l> +<l>And thus the fair Ahalyá wooed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Love, sweet! should brook no dull delay</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">But snatch the moments when he may.</q></l> +<l>She knew him in the saint's disguise,</l> +<l>Lord Indra of the Thousand Eyes,</l> +<l>But touched by love's unholy fire,</l> +<l>She yielded to the God's desire.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Now, Lord of Gods!</q> she whispered, +<q rend="pre">flee,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">From Gautam save thyself and me.</q></l> +<l>Trembling with doubt and wild with dread</l> +<l>Lord Indra from the cottage fled;</l> +<l>But fleeing in the grove he met</l> +<l>The home-returning anchoret,</l> +<l>Whose wrath the Gods and fiends would shun,</l> +<l>Such power his fervent rites had won.</l> +<l>Fresh from the lustral flood he came,</l> +<l>In splendour like the burning flame,</l> +<l>With fuel for his sacred rites,</l> +<l>And grass, the best of eremites.</l> +<l>The Lord of Gods was sad of cheer</l> +<l>To see the mighty saint so near,</l> +<l>And when the holy hermit spied</l> +<l>In hermit's garb the Thousand-eyed,</l> +<pb n="061"/><anchor id="Pg061"/> +<l>He knew the whole, his fury broke</l> +<l>Forth on the sinner as he spoke:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Because my form thou hast assumed,</q></l> +<l>And wrought this folly, thou art doomed,</l> +<l>For this my curse to thee shall cling,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Henceforth a sad and sexless thing.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">No empty threat that sentence came,</l> +<l>It chilled his soul and marred his frame,</l> +<l>His might and godlike vigour fled,</l> +<l>And every nerve was cold and dead.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then on his wife his fury burst,</l> +<l>And thus the guilty dame he cursed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">For countless years, disloyal spouse,</q></l> +<l>Devoted to severest vows,</l> +<l>Thy bed the ashes, air thy food,</l> +<l>Here shalt thou live in solitude.</l> +<l>This lonely grove thy home shall be,</l> +<l>And not an eye thy form shall see.</l> +<l>When Ráma, Daśaratha's child,</l> +<l>Shall seek these shades then drear and wild,</l> +<l>His coming shall remove thy stain,</l> +<l>And make the sinner pure again.</l> +<l>Due honour paid to him, thy guest,</l> +<l>Shall cleanse thy fond and erring breast,</l> +<l>Thee to my side in bliss restore,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And give thy proper shape once more.</q><note place="foot">Kumárila +says: <q>In the same manner, if it is said that Indra was the seducer of +Ahalyá this does not imply that the God Indra committed such a crime, but Indra +means the sun, and Ahalyá (from ahan and lí) the night; and as the night is +seduced and ruined by the sun of the morning, therefore is Indra called the +paramour of Ahalyá.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Max Muller</hi>, +<hi rend='italic'>History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature, p. 530</hi>.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus to his guilty wife he said,</l> +<l>Then far the holy Gautam fled,</l> +<l>And on Himálaya's lovely heights</l> +<l><q rend="post">Spent the long years in sternest rites.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-XLIX"/> +<head>Canto XLIX. Ahalyá Freed.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Ráma, following still his guide,</l> +<l>Within the grove, with Lakshmaṇ, hied,</l> +<l>Her vows a wondrous light had lent</l> +<l>To that illustrious penitent.</l> +<l>He saw the glorious lady, screened</l> +<l>From eye of man, and God, and fiend,</l> +<l>Like some bright portent which the care</l> +<l>Of Brahmá launches through the air,</l> +<l>Designed by his illusive art</l> +<l>To flash a moment and depart:</l> +<l>Or like the flame that leaps on high</l> +<l>To sink involved in smoke and die:</l> +<l>Or like the full moon shining through</l> +<l>The wintry mist, then lost to view:</l> +<l>Or like the sun's reflection, cast</l> +<l>Upon the flood, too bright to last:</l> +<l>So was the glorious dame till then</l> +<l>Removed from Gods' and mortals' ken,</l> +<l>Till—such was Gautam's high decree—</l> +<l>Prince Ráma came to set her free.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then, with great joy that dame to meet,</l> +<l>The sons of Raghu clapped her feet;</l> +<l>And she, remembering Gautam's oath,</l> +<l>With gentle grace received them both;</l> +<l>Then water for their feet she gave,</l> +<l>Guest-gift, and all that strangers crave.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The prince, of courteous rule aware,</l> +<l>Received, as meet, the lady's care.</l> +<l>Then flowers came down in copious rain,</l> +<l>And moving to the heavenly strain</l> +<l>Of music in the skies that rang,</l> +<l>The nymphs and minstrels danced and sang:</l> +<l>And all the Gods with one glad voice</l> +<l>Praised the great dame, and cried, <q rend="pre">Rejoice!</q></l> +<l>Through fervid rites no more defiled,</l> +<l><q rend="post">But with thy husband reconciled.</q></l> +<l>Gautam, the holy hermit knew—</l> +<l>For naught escaped his godlike view—</l> +<l>That Ráma lodged beneath that shade,</l> +<l>And hasting there his homage paid.</l> +<l>He took Ahalyá to his side,</l> +<l>From sin and folly purified,</l> +<l>And let his new-found consort bear</l> +<l>In his austerities a share.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma, pride of Raghu's race,</l> +<l>Welcomed by Gautam, face to face,</l> +<l>Who every highest honour showed,</l> +<l>To Mithilá pursued his road.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-L"/> +<head>Canto L. Janak.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The sons of Raghu journeyed forth,</l> +<l>Bending their steps 'twixt east and north.</l> +<l>Soon, guided by the sage, they found,</l> +<l>Enclosed, a sacrificial ground.</l> +<l>Then to the best of saints, his guide,</l> +<l>In admiration Ráma cried:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">The high-souled king no toil has spared,</q></l> +<l>But nobly for his rite prepared,</l> +<l>How many thousand Bráhmans here,</l> +<l>From every region, far and near,</l> +<l>Well read in holy lore, appear!</l> +<l>How many tents, that sages screen,</l> +<l>With wains in hundreds, here are seen!</l> +<l>Great Bráhman, let us find a place</l> +<l><q rend="post">Where we may stay and rest a space.</q></l> +<l>The hermit did as Ráma prayed,</l> +<l>And in a spot his lodging made,</l> +<pb n="062"/><anchor id="Pg062"/> +<l>Far from the crowd, sequestered, clear,</l> +<l>With copious water flowing near.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Janak, best of kings, aware</l> +<l>Of Viśvámitra lodging there,</l> +<l>With Śatánanda for his guide—</l> +<l>The priest on whom he most relied,</l> +<l>His chaplain void of guile and stain—</l> +<l>And others of his priestly train,</l> +<l>Bearing the gift that greets the guest,</l> +<l>To meet him with all honour pressed.</l> +<l>The saint received with gladsome mind</l> +<l>Each honour and observance kind:</l> +<l>Then of his health he asked the king,</l> +<l>And how his rites were prospering,</l> +<l>Janak, with chaplain and with priest,</l> +<l>Addressed the hermits, chief and least,</l> +<l>Accosting all, in due degree,</l> +<l>With proper words of courtesy.</l> +<l>Then, with his palms together laid,</l> +<l>The king his supplication made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Deign, reverend lord, to sit thee down</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">With these good saints of high renown.</q></l> +<l>Then sate the chief of hermits there,</l> +<l>Obedient to the monarch's prayer.</l> +<l>Chaplain and priest, and king and peer,</l> +<l>Sate in their order, far or near.</l> +<l>Then thus the king began to say:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The Gods have blest my rite to-day,</q></l> +<l>And with the sight of thee repaid</l> +<l>The preparations I have made.</l> +<l>Grateful am I, so highly blest,</l> +<l>That thou, of saints the holiest,</l> +<l>Hast come, O Bráhman, here with all</l> +<l>These hermits to the festival.</l> +<l>Twelve days, O Bráhman Sage, remain—</l> +<l>For so the learned priests ordain—</l> +<l>And then, O heir of Kuśik's name,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The Gods will come their dues to claim.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With looks that testified delight</l> +<l>Thus spake he to the anchorite,</l> +<l>Then with his suppliant hands upraised,</l> +<l>He asked, as earnestly he gazed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">These princely youths, O Sage, who vie</q></l> +<l>In might with children of the sky,</l> +<l>Heroic, born for happy fate,</l> +<l>With elephants' or lions' gait,</l> +<l>Bold as the tiger and the bull,</l> +<l>With lotus eyes so large and full,</l> +<l>Armed with the quiver, sword and bow,</l> +<l>Whose figures like the Aśvins show,</l> +<l>Like children of the heavenly Powers,</l> +<l>Come freely to these shades of ours,—</l> +<l>How have they reached on foot this place?</l> +<l>What do they seek, and what their race?</l> +<l>As sun and moon adorn the sky,</l> +<l>This spot the heroes glorify:</l> +<l>Alike in stature, port, and mien,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The same fair form in each is seen.</q><note place="foot"><q>The +preceding sixteen lines have occurred before in Canto XLVIII. This +Homeric custom of repeating a passage of several lines is strange to our poet. This +is the only instance I remember. The repetition of single lines is common +enough.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel</hi>.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke the monarch, lofty-souled,</l> +<l>The saint, of heart unfathomed, told</l> +<l>How, sons of Daśaratha, they</l> +<l>Accompanied his homeward way,</l> +<l>How in the hermitage they dwelt,</l> +<l>And slaughter to the demons dealt:</l> +<l>Their journey till the spot they neared</l> +<l>Whence fair Viśálá's towers appeared:</l> +<l>Ahalyá seen and freed from taint;</l> +<l>Their meeting with her lord the saint;</l> +<l>And how they thither came, to know</l> +<l>The virtue of the famous bow.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Viśvámitra spoke the whole</l> +<l>To royal Janak, great of soul,</l> +<l>And when this wondrous tale was o'er,</l> +<l>The glorious hermit said no more.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LI"/> +<head>Canto LI. Visvámitra.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Wise Viśvámitra's tale was done:</l> +<l>Then sainted Gautam's eldest son,</l> +<l>Great Śatánanda, far-renowned,</l> +<l>Whom long austerities had crowned</l> +<l>With glory—as the news he heard</l> +<l>The down upon his body stirred,—</l> +<l>Filled full of wonder at the sight</l> +<l>Of Ráma, felt supreme delight.</l> +<l>When Śatánanda saw the pair</l> +<l>Of youthful princes seated there,</l> +<l>He turned him to the holy man</l> +<l>Who sate at ease, and thus began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">And didst thou, mighty Sage, in truth</q></l> +<l>Show clearly to this royal youth</l> +<l>My mother, glorious far and wide,</l> +<l>Whom penance-rites have sanctified?</l> +<l>And did my glorious mother—she,</l> +<l>Heiress of noble destiny—</l> +<l>Serve her great guest with woodland store,</l> +<l>Whom all should honour evermore?</l> +<l>Didst thou the tale to Ráma tell</l> +<l>Of what in ancient days befell,</l> +<l>The sin, the misery, and the shame</l> +<l>Of guilty God and faithless dame?</l> +<l>And, O thou best of hermits, say,</l> +<l>Did Ráma's healing presence stay</l> +<l>Her trial? was the wife restored</l> +<l>Again to him, my sire and lord?</l> +<l>Say, Hermit, did that sire of mine</l> +<l>Receive her with a soul benign,</l> +<l>When long austerities in time</l> +<l>Had cleansed her from the taint of crime?</l> +<pb n="063"/><anchor id="Pg063"/> +<l>And, son of Kuśik, let me know,</l> +<l>Did my great-minded father show</l> +<l>Honour to Ráma, and regard,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Before he journeyed hitherward?</q></l> +<l>The hermit with attentive ear</l> +<l>Marked all the questions of the seer:</l> +<l>To him for eloquence far-famed,</l> +<l>His eloquent reply he framed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Yea, 'twas my care no task to shun,</q></l> +<l>And all I had to do was done;</l> +<l>As Reṇuká and Bhrigu's child,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The saint and dame were reconciled.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When the great sage had thus replied,</l> +<l>To Ráma Śatánanda cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">A welcome visit, Prince, is thine,</q></l> +<l>Thou scion of King Raghu's line.</l> +<l>With him to guide thy way aright,</l> +<l>This sage invincible in might,</l> +<l>This Bráhman sage, most glorious-bright,</l> +<l>By long austerities has wrought</l> +<l>A wondrous deed, exceeding thought:</l> +<l>Thou knowest well, O strong of arm,</l> +<l>This sure defence from scathe and harm.</l> +<l>None, Ráma, none is living now</l> +<l>In all the earth more blest than thou,</l> +<l>That thou hast won a saint so tried</l> +<l>In fervid rites thy life to guide.</l> +<l>Now listen, Prince, while I relate</l> +<l>His lofty deeds and wondrous fate.</l> +<l>He was a monarch pious-souled.</l> +<l>His foemen in the dust he rolled;</l> +<l>Most learned, prompt at duty's claim,</l> +<l>His people's good his joy and aim.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Of old the Lord of Life gave birth</l> +<l>To mighty Kuśa, king of earth.</l> +<l>His son was Kuśanábha, strong,</l> +<l>Friend of the right, the foe of wrong.</l> +<l>Gádhi, whose fame no time shall dim,</l> +<l>Heir of his throne was born to him,</l> +<l>And Viśvámitra, Gádhi's heir,</l> +<l>Governed the land with kingly care.</l> +<l>While years unnumbered rolled away</l> +<l>The monarch reigned with equal sway.</l> +<l>At length, assembling many a band,</l> +<l>He led his warriors round the land—</l> +<l>Complete in tale, a mighty force,</l> +<l>Cars, elephants, and foot, and horse.</l> +<l>Through cities, groves, and floods he passed,</l> +<l>O'er lofty hills, through regions vast.</l> +<l>He reached Vaśishṭha's pure abode,</l> +<l>Where trees, and flowers, and creepers glowed,</l> +<l>Where troops of sylvan creatures fed;</l> +<l>Which saints and angels visited.</l> +<l>Gods, fauns, and bards of heavenly race,</l> +<l>And spirits, glorified the place;</l> +<l>The deer their timid ways forgot,</l> +<l>And holy Bráhmans thronged the spot.</l> +<l>Bright in their souls, like fire, were these,</l> +<l>Made pure by long austerities,</l> +<l>Bound by the rule of vows severe,</l> +<l>And each in glory Brahmá's peer.</l> +<l>Some fed on water, some on air,</l> +<l>Some on the leaves that withered there.</l> +<l>Roots and wild fruit were others' food;</l> +<l>All rage was checked, each sense subdued,</l> +<l>There Bálakhilyas<note place="foot"><p>Divine personages of minute size produced +from the hair of Brahmá, and probably the origin of</p> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 6"><q rend="pre">That small infantry</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Warred on by cranes.</q></l> +</lg></note> went and came,</l> +<l>Now breathed the prayer, now fed the flame:</l> +<l>These, and ascetic bands beside,</l> +<l>The sweet retirement beautified.</l> +<l>Such was Vaśishṭha's blest retreat,</l> +<l>Like Brahmá's own celestial seat,</l> +<l>Which gladdened Viśvámitra's eyes,</l> +<l>Peerless for warlike enterprise.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LII"/> +<head>Canto LII. Vasishtha's Feast.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Right glad was Viśvámitra when</l> +<l>He saw the prince of saintly men.</l> +<l>Low at his feet the hero bent,</l> +<l>And did obeisance, reverent.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The king was welcomed in, and shown</l> +<l>A seat beside the hermit's own,</l> +<l>Who offered him, when resting there,</l> +<l>Fruit in due course, and woodland fare.</l> +<l>And Viśvámitra, noblest king,</l> +<l>Received Vaśishṭha's welcoming,</l> +<l>Turned to his host, and prayed him tell</l> +<l>That he and all with him were well.</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha to the king replied</l> +<l>That all was well on every side,</l> +<l>That fire, and vows, and pupils throve,</l> +<l>And all the trees within the grove.</l> +<l>And then the son of Brahmá, best</l> +<l>Of all who pray with voice suppressed,</l> +<l>Questioned with pleasant words like these</l> +<l>The mighty king who sate at ease:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">And is it well with thee? I pray;</q></l> +<l>And dost thou win by virtuous sway</l> +<l>Thy people's love, discharging all</l> +<l>The duties on a king that fall?</l> +<l>Are all thy servants fostered well?</l> +<l>Do all obey, and none rebel?</l> +<l>Hast thou, destroyer of the foe,</l> +<l>No enemies to overthrow?</l> +<l>Does fortune, conqueror! still attend</l> +<l>Thy treasure, host, and every friend?</l> +<l>Is it all well? Does happy fate</l> +<l><q rend="post">On sons and children's children wait?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke. The modest king replied</l> +<l>That all was prosperous far and wide.</l> +</lg> + +<pb n="064"/><anchor id="Pg064"/> + +<lg> +<l>Thus for awhile the two conversed,</l> +<l>As each to each his tale rehearsed,</l> +<l>And as the happy moments flew,</l> +<l>Their joy and friendship stronger grew.</l> +<l>When such discourse had reached an end,</l> +<l>Thus spoke the saint most reverend</l> +<l>To royal Viśvámitra, while</l> +<l>His features brightened with a smile:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O mighty lord of men. I fain</q></l> +<l>Would banquet thee and all thy train</l> +<l>In mode that suits thy station high:</l> +<l>And do not thou my prayer deny.</l> +<l>Let my good lord with favour take</l> +<l>The offering that I fain would make,</l> +<l>And let me honour, ere we part,</l> +<l><q rend="post">My royal guest with loving heart.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Him Viśvámitra thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why make, O Saint, this new request?</q></l> +<l>Thy welcome and each gracious word</l> +<l>Sufficient honour have conferred.</l> +<l>Thou gavest roots and fruit to eat,</l> +<l>The treasures of this pure retreat,</l> +<l>And water for my mouth and feet;</l> +<l>And—boon I prize above the rest—</l> +<l>Thy presence has mine eyesight blest.</l> +<l>Honoured by thee in every way,</l> +<l>To whom all honour all should pay,</l> +<l>I now will go. My lord, Good-bye!</l> +<l><q rend="post">Regard me with a friendly eye.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Him speaking thus Vaśishṭha stayed,</l> +<l>And still to share his banquet prayed.</l> +<l>The will of Gádhi's son he bent,</l> +<l>And won the monarch to consent,</l> +<l>Who spoke in answer. <q rend="pre">Let it be,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Great Hermit, as it pleases thee.</q></l> +<l>When, best of those who breathe the prayer,</l> +<l>He heard the king his will declare,</l> +<l>He called the cow of spotted skin,</l> +<l>All spot without, all pure within.</l> +<l><q>Come, Dapple-skin,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">with speed;</q></l> +<l>Hear thou my words and help at need.</l> +<l>My heart is set to entertain</l> +<l>This monarch and his mighty train</l> +<l>With sumptuous meal and worthy fare;</l> +<l>Be thine the banquet to prepare.</l> +<l>Each dainty cate, each goodly dish,</l> +<l>Of six-fold taste<note place="foot">Sweet, salt, pungent, bitter, acid, and +astringent.</note> as each may wish—</l> +<l>All these, O cow of heavenly power,</l> +<l>Rain down for me in copious shower:</l> +<l>Viands and drink for tooth and lip,</l> +<l>To eat, to suck, to quaff, to sip—</l> +<l>Of these sufficient, and to spare,</l> +<l><q rend="post">O plenty-giving cow, prepare.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LIII"/> +<head>Canto LIII. Visvámitra's Request.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus charged, O slayer of thy foes,</l> +<l>The cow from whom all plenty flows,</l> +<l>Obedient to her saintly lord,</l> +<l>Viands to suit each taste, outpoured.</l> +<l>Honey she gave, and roasted grain,</l> +<l>Mead sweet with flowers, and sugar-cane.</l> +<l>Each beverage of flavour rare,</l> +<l>An food of every sort, were there:</l> +<l>Hills of hot rice, and sweetened cakes,</l> +<l>And curdled milk and soup in lakes.</l> +<l>Vast beakers foaming to the brim</l> +<l>With sugared drink prepared for him,</l> +<l>And dainty sweetmeats, deftly made,</l> +<l>Before the hermit's guests were laid.</l> +<l>So well regaled, so nobly fed,</l> +<l>The mighty army banqueted,</l> +<l>And all the train, from chief to least,</l> +<l>Delighted in Vaśishṭha's feast.</l> +<l>Then Viśvámitra, royal sage,</l> +<l>Surrounded by his vassalage,</l> +<l>Prince, peer, and counsellor, and all</l> +<l>From highest lord to lowest thrall,</l> +<l>Thus feasted, to Vaśishṭha cried</l> +<l>With joy, supremely gratified:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Rich honour I, thus entertained,</q></l> +<l>Most honourable lord, have gained:</l> +<l>Now hear, before I journey hence,</l> +<l>My words, O skilled in eloquence.</l> +<l>Bought for a hundred thousand kine,</l> +<l>Let Dapple-skin, O Saint, be mine.</l> +<l>A wondrous jewel is thy cow,</l> +<l>And gems are for the monarch's brow.<note place="foot"><q>Of old hoards and +minerals in the earth, the king is entitled to half by reason +of his general protection, and because he +is the lord paramount of the soil.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Manu</hi>, Book VIII. 39.</note></l> +<l>To me her rightful lord resign</l> +<l><q rend="post">This Dapple-skin thou callest thine.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The great Vaśishṭha, thus addressed,</l> +<l>Arch-hermit of the holy breast,</l> +<l>To Viśvámitra answer made,</l> +<l>The king whom all the land obeyed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Not for a hundred thousand,—nay,</q></l> +<l>Not if ten million thou wouldst pay,</l> +<l>With silver heaps the price to swell,—</l> +<l>Will I my cow, O Monarch, sell.</l> +<l>Unmeet for her is such a fate.</l> +<l>That I my friend should alienate.</l> +<l>As glory with the virtuous, she</l> +<l>For ever makes her home with me.</l> +<l>On her mine offerings which ascend</l> +<l>To Gods and spirits all depend:</l> +<l>My very life is due to her,</l> +<l>My guardian, friend, and minister.</l> +<pb n="065"/><anchor id="Pg065"/> +<l>The feeding of the sacred flame,<note place="foot">Ghí or clarified butter, +<q>holy oil,</q> being one of the essentials of sacrifice.</note></l> +<l>The dole which living creatures claim.<note place="foot"><q>A Bráhman had five +principal duties to discharge every day: study and teaching +the Veda, oblations to the manes or spirits +of the departed, sacrifice to the Gods, hospitable +offerings to men, and <hi rend='italic'>a gift of +food to all creatures</hi>. The last consisted +of rice or other grain which the Bráhman +was to offer every day outside his house +in the open air. <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Manu</hi>, Book III. 70.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</note></l> +<l>The mighty sacrifice by fire,</l> +<l>Each formula the rites require,<note place="foot">These were certain sacred words of +invocation such a <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">sváhá</foreign>, +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">vashaṭ</foreign>, etc., pronounced +at the time of sacrifice.</note></l> +<l>And various saving lore beside,</l> +<l>Are by her aid, in sooth, supplied.</l> +<l>The banquet which thy host has shared,</l> +<l>Believe it, was by her prepared,</l> +<l>In her mine only treasures lie,</l> +<l>She cheers mine heart and charms mine eye.</l> +<l>And reasons more could I assign</l> +<l><q rend="post">Why Dapple-skin can ne'er be thine.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The royal sage, his suit denied,</l> +<l>With eloquence more earnest cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Tusked elephants, a goodly train,</q></l> +<l>Each with a golden girth and chain,</l> +<l>Whose goads with gold well fashioned shine—</l> +<l>Of these be twice seven thousand thine.</l> +<l>And four-horse cars with gold made bright,</l> +<l>With steeds most beautifully white,</l> +<l>Whose bells make music as they go,</l> +<l>Eight hundred, Saint, will I bestow.</l> +<l>Eleven thousand mettled steeds</l> +<l>From famous lands, of noble breeds—</l> +<l>These will I gladly give, O thou</l> +<l>Devoted to each holy vow.</l> +<l>Ten million heifers, fair to view,</l> +<l>Whose sides are marked with every hue—</l> +<l>These in exchange will I assign;</l> +<l>But let thy Dapple-skin be mine.</l> +<l>Ask what thou wilt, and piles untold</l> +<l>Of priceless gems and gleaming gold,</l> +<l>O best of Bráhmans, shall be thine;</l> +<l><q rend="post">But let thy Dapple-skin be mine.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The great Vaśishṭha, thus addressed,</l> +<l>Made answer to the king's request:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ne'er will I give my cow away,</q></l> +<l>My gem, my wealth, my life and stay.</l> +<l>My worship at the moon's first show,</l> +<l>And at the full, to her I owe;</l> +<l>And sacrifices small and great,</l> +<l>Which largess due and gifts await.</l> +<l>From her alone, their root, O King,</l> +<l>My rites and holy service spring.</l> +<l>What boots it further words to say?</l> +<l>I will not give my cow away</l> +<l><q rend="post">Who yields me what I ask each day.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LIV"/> +<head>Canto LIV. The Battle.</head> + +<lg> +<l>As Saint Vaśishṭha answered so,</l> +<l>Nor let the cow of plenty go,</l> +<l>The monarch, as a last resource,</l> +<l>Began to drag her off by force.</l> +<l>While the king's servants tore away</l> +<l>Their moaning, miserable prey,</l> +<l>Sad, sick at heart, and sore distressed,</l> +<l>She pondered thus within her breast:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why am I thus forsaken? why</q></l> +<l>Betrayed by him of soul most high.</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha, ravished by the hands</l> +<l>Of soldiers of the monarch's bands?</l> +<l>Ah me! what evil have I done</l> +<l>Against the lofty-minded one,</l> +<l>That he, so pious, can expose</l> +<l><q rend="post">The innocent whose love he knows?</q></l> +<l>In her sad breast as thus she thought,</l> +<l>And heaved deep sighs with anguish fraught,</l> +<l>With wondrous speed away she fled,</l> +<l>And back to Saint Vaśishṭha sped.</l> +<l>She hurled by hundreds to the ground</l> +<l>The menial crew that hemmed her round,</l> +<l>And flying swifter than the blast</l> +<l>Before the saint herself she cast.</l> +<l>There Dapple-skin before the saint</l> +<l>Stood moaning forth her sad complaint,</l> +<l>And wept and lowed: such tones as come</l> +<l>From wandering cloud or distant drum.</l> +<l><q>O son of Brahmá,</q> thus cried she,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why hast thou thus forsaken me,</q></l> +<l>That the king's men, before thy face,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Bear off thy servant from her place?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then thus the Bráhman saint replied</l> +<l>To her whose heart with woe was tried,</l> +<l>And grieving for his favourite's sake,</l> +<l>As to a suffering sister spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I leave thee not: dismiss the thought;</q></l> +<l>Nor, duteous, hast thou failed in aught.</l> +<l>This king, o'erweening in the pride</l> +<l>Of power, has reft thee from my side.</l> +<l>Little, I ween, my strength could do</l> +<l>'Gainst him, a mighty warrior too.</l> +<l>Strong, as a soldier born and bred,—</l> +<l>Great, as a king whom regions dread.</l> +<l>See! what a host the conqueror leads,</l> +<l>With elephants, and cars, and steeds.</l> +<l>O'er countless bands his pennons fly;</l> +<l><q rend="post">So is he mightier far than I.</q></l> +<pb n="066"/><anchor id="Pg066"/> +<l>He spoke. Then she, in lowly mood,</l> +<l>To that high saint her speech renewed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">So judge not they who wisest are:</q></l> +<l>The Bráhman's might is mightier far.</l> +<l>For Bráhmans strength from Heaven derive,</l> +<l>And warriors bow when Bráhmans strive.</l> +<l>A boundless power 'tis thine to wield:</l> +<l>To such a king thou shouldst not yield,</l> +<l>Who, very mighty though he be,—</l> +<l>So fierce thy strength,—must bow to thee.</l> +<l>Command me, Saint. Thy power divine</l> +<l>Has brought me here and made me thine;</l> +<l>And I, howe'er the tyrant boast,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Will tame his pride and slay his host.</q></l> +<l>Then cried the glorious sage: <q rend="pre">Create</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">A mighty force the foe to mate.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She lowed, and quickened into life,</l> +<l>Pahlavas,<note place="foot"><p><q>It is well known that the Persians +were called Pahlavas by the Indians. The +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Śakas</foreign> +are nomad tribes inhabiting Central Asia, the Scythes of the Greeks, whom the +Persians also, as Herodotus tells us, called Sakæ just as the Indians did. Lib. VII 64 +ὁι γὰρ Πέρσαι πάντας τοὺς Σύθας. καλέουσι Σάκας. The name Yavans +seems to be used rather indefinitely for nations situated beyond Persia to the west.… +After the time of Alexander the Great the Indians as well as the Persians +called the Greeks also Yavans.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel</hi>.</p> +<p>Lassen thinks that the Pahlavas were +the same people as the Πάκτυες of Herodotus, and that this non-Indian people +dwelt on the north-west confines of India.</p></note> burning for the strife,</l> +<l>King Viśvámitra's army slew</l> +<l>Before the very leader's view.</l> +<l>The monarch in excessive ire,</l> +<l>His eyes with fury darting fire,</l> +<l>Rained every missile on the foe</l> +<l>Till all the Pahlavas were low.</l> +<l>She, seeing all her champions slain,</l> +<l>Lying by thousands on the plain.</l> +<l>Created, by her mere desire,</l> +<l>Yavans and Śakas, fierce and dire.</l> +<l>And all the ground was overspread</l> +<l>With Yavans and with Śakas dread:</l> +<l>A host of warriors bright and strong,</l> +<l>And numberless in closest throng:</l> +<l>The threads within the lotus stem,</l> +<l>So densely packed, might equal them.</l> +<l>In gold-hued mail 'against war's attacks,</l> +<l>Each bore a sword and battle-axe,</l> +<l>The royal host, where'er these came,</l> +<l>Fell as if burnt with ravening flame.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The monarch, famous through the world</l> +<l>Again his fearful weapons hurled,</l> +<l>That made Kámbojas,<note place="foot">See <ref target="Pg013">page 13</ref>, +note 6.</note> +Barbars,<note place="foot">Barbarians, non-Sanskrit-speaking +tribes.</note> all,</l> +<l>With Yavans, troubled, flee and fall.</l> +</lg> +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LV"/> +<head>Canto LV. The Hermitage Burnt.</head> + +<lg> +<l>So o'er the field that host lay strown,</l> +<l>By Viśvámitra's darts o'erthrown.</l> +<l>Then thus Vaśishṭha charged the cow:</l> +<l><q>Create with all thy vigour now.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Forth sprang Kámbojas, as she lowed;</l> +<l>Bright as the sun their faces glowed,</l> +<l>Forth from her udder Barbars poured,—</l> +<l>Soldiers who brandished spear and sword,—</l> +<l>And Yavans with their shafts and darts,</l> +<l>And Śakas from her hinder parts.</l> +<l>And every pore upon her fell,</l> +<l>And every hair-producing cell,</l> +<l>With Mlechchhas<note place="foot">A comprehensive term for foreign +or outcast races of different faith and +language from the Hindus.</note> and Kirátas<note place="foot">The Kirátas +and Hárítas are savage aborigines of India who occupy hills and +jungles and are altogether different in race and character from the Hindus. Dr. +Muir remarks in his Sanskrit Texts, Vol. I. p. 488 (second edition) that it does not +appear that it is the object of this legend to represent this miraculous creation as +the origin of these tribes, and that nothing more may have been intended than that +the cow called into existence large armies, of the same stock with particular tribes +previously existing.</note> teemed,</l> +<l>And forth with them Hárítas streamed.</l> +<l>And Viśvámitra's mighty force,</l> +<l>Car, elephant, and foot, and horse,</l> +<l>Fell in a moment's time, subdued</l> +<l>By that tremendous multitude.</l> +<l>The monarch's hundred sons, whose eyes</l> +<l>Beheld the rout in wild surprise,</l> +<l>Armed with all weapons, mad with rage,</l> +<l>Rushed fiercely on the holy sage.</l> +<l>One cry he raised, one glance he shot,</l> +<l>And all fell scorched upon the spot:</l> +<l>Burnt by the sage to ashes, they</l> +<l>With horse, and foot, and chariot, lay.</l> +<l>The monarch mourned, with shame and pain,</l> +<l>His army lost, his children slain,</l> +<l>Like Ocean when his roar is hushed,</l> +<l>Or some great snake whose fangs are crushed:</l> +<pb n="067"/><anchor id="Pg067"/> +<l>Or as in swift eclipse the Sun</l> +<l>Dark with the doom he cannot shun:</l> +<l>Or a poor bird with mangled wing—</l> +<l>So, reft of sons and host, the king</l> +<l>No longer, by ambition fired,</l> +<l>The pride of war his breast inspired.</l> +<l>He gave his empire to his son—</l> +<l>Of all he had, the only one:</l> +<l>And bade him rule as kings are taught</l> +<l>Then straight a hermit-grove he sought.</l> +<l>Far to Himálaya's side he fled,</l> +<l>Which bards and Nágas visited,</l> +<l>And, Mahádeva's<note place="foot">The Great God, Śiva.</note> grace to earn,</l> +<l>He gave his life to penance stern.</l> +<l>A lengthened season thus passed by,</l> +<l>When Śiva's self, the Lord most High,</l> +<l>Whose banner shows the pictured bull,<note place="foot">Nandi, the snow-white bull, +the attendant and favourite vehicle of Śiva.</note></l> +<l>Appeared, the God most bountiful:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Why fervent thus in toil and pain?</q></l> +<l>What brings thee here? what boon to gain?</l> +<l>Thy heart's desire, O Monarch, speak:</l> +<l><q rend="post">I grant the boons which mortals seek.</q></l> +<l>The king, his adoration paid,</l> +<l>To Mahádeva answer made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If thou hast deemed me fit to win</q></l> +<l>Thy favour, O thou void of sin,</l> +<l>On me, O mighty God, bestow</l> +<l>The wondrous science of the bow,</l> +<l>All mine, complete in every part,</l> +<l>With secret spell and mystic art.</l> +<l>To me be all the arms revealed</l> +<l>That Gods, and saints, and Titans wield,</l> +<l>And every dart that arms the hands</l> +<l>Of spirits, fiends and minstrel bands,</l> +<l>Be mine, O Lord supreme in place,</l> +<l><q rend="post">This token of thy boundless grace.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Lord of Gods then gave consent,</l> +<l>And to his heavenly mansion went.</l> +<l>Triumphant in the arms he held,</l> +<l>The monarch's breast with glory swelled.</l> +<l>So swells the ocean, when upon</l> +<l>His breast the full moon's beams have shone.</l> +<l>Already in his mind he viewed</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha at his feet subdued.</l> +<l>He sought that hermit's grove, and there</l> +<l>Launched his dire weapons through the air,</l> +<l>Till scorched by might that none could stay</l> +<l>The hermitage in ashes lay.</l> +<l>Where'er the inmates saw, aghast,</l> +<l>The dart that Viśvámitra cast,</l> +<l>To every side they turned and fled</l> +<l>In hundreds forth disquieted.</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha's pupils caught the fear,</l> +<l>And every bird and every deer,</l> +<l>And fled in wild confusion forth</l> +<l>Eastward and westward, south and north,</l> +<l>And so Vaśishṭha's holy shade</l> +<l>A solitary wild was made,</l> +<l>Silent awhile, for not a sound</l> +<l>Disturbed the hush that was around.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Vaśishṭha then, with eager cry,</l> +<l>Called, <q rend="pre">Fear not, friends, nor seek to fly.</q></l> +<l>This son of Gádhi dies to-day,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Like hoar-frost in the morning's ray.</q></l> +<l>Thus having said, the glorious sage</l> +<l>Spoke to the king in words of rage:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Because thou hast destroyed this grove</q></l> +<l>Which long in holy quiet throve,</l> +<l>By folly urged to senseless crime,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Now shalt thou die before thy time.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LVI"/> +<head>Canto LVI. Visvámitra's Vow.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Viśvámitra, at the threat</l> +<l>Of that illustrious anchoret,</l> +<l>Cried, as he launched with ready hand</l> +<l>A fiery weapon, <q>Stand, O Stand!</q></l> +<l>Vaśishṭha, wild with rage and hate,</l> +<l>Raising, as 'twere the Rod of Fate,</l> +<l>His mighty Bráhman wand on high,</l> +<l>To Viśvámitra made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Nay, stand, O Warrior thou, and show</q></l> +<l>What soldier can, 'gainst Bráhman foe.</l> +<l>O Gádhi's son, thy days are told;</l> +<l>Thy pride is tamed, thy dart is cold.</l> +<l>How shall a warrior's puissance dare</l> +<l>With Bráhman's awful strength compare?</l> +<l>To-day, base Warrior, shall thou feel</l> +<l><q rend="post">That God-sent might is more than steel.</q></l> +<l>He raised his Bráhman staff, nor missed</l> +<l>The fiery dart that near him hissed:</l> +<l>And quenched the fearful weapon fell,</l> +<l>As flame beneath the billow's swell.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Gádhi's son in fury threw</l> +<l>Lord Varuṇ's arm and Rudra's too:</l> +<l>Indra's fierce bolt that all destroys;</l> +<l>That which the Lord of Herds employs:</l> +<l>The Human, that which minstrels keep,</l> +<l>The deadly Lure, the endless Sleep:</l> +<l>The Yawner, and the dart which charms;</l> +<l>Lament and Torture, fearful arms:</l> +<l>The Terrible, the dart which dries,</l> +<l>The Thunderbolt which quenchless flies,</l> +<l>And Fate's dread net, and Brahmá's noose,</l> +<l>And that which waits for Varuṇ's use:</l> +<l>The dart he loves who wields the bow</l> +<l>Pináka, and twin bolts that glow</l> +<l>With fury as they flash and fly,</l> +<l>The quenchless Liquid and the Dry:</l> +<l>The dart of Vengeance, swift to kill:</l> +<l>The Goblins' dart, the Curlew's Bill:</l> +<pb n="068"/><anchor id="Pg068"/> +<l>The discus both of Fate and Right,</l> +<l>And Vishṇu's, of unerring flight:</l> +<l>The Wind-God's dart, the Troubler dread,</l> +<l>The weapon named the Horse's Head.</l> +<l>From his fierce hand two spears were thrown,</l> +<l>And the great mace that smashes bone;</l> +<l>The dart of spirits of the air,</l> +<l>And that which Fate exults to bear:</l> +<l>The Trident dart which slaughters foes,</l> +<l>And that which hanging skulls compose:<note place="foot"><p><q>The names of +many of these weapons which are mythical and partly allegorical +have occurred in Canto XXIX. The general signification of the story is clear enough. +It is a contest for supremacy between the regal or military order and Bráhmanical +or priestly authority, like one of those struggles which our own Europe saw in +the middle ages when without employing warlike weapons the priesthood frequently +gained the victory.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel</hi>.</p> +<p>For a full account of the early contests between the Bráhmans and the Kshattriyas, +see Muir's Original Sanskrit Texts (Second edition) Vol. I. Ch. IV. </p></note></l> +<l>These fearful darts in fiery rain</l> +<l>He hurled upon the saint amain,</l> +<l>An awful miracle to view.</l> +<l>But as the ceaseless tempest flew,</l> +<l>The sage with wand of God-sent power</l> +<l>Still swallowed up that fiery shower.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Gádhi's son, when these had failed,</l> +<l>With Brahmá's dart his foe assailed.</l> +<l>The Gods, with Indra at their head,</l> +<l>And Nágas, quailed disquieted,</l> +<l>And saints and minstrels, when they saw</l> +<l>The king that awful weapon draw;</l> +<l>And the three worlds were filled with dread,</l> +<l>And trembled as the missile sped.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The saint, with Bráhman wand, empowered</l> +<l>By lore divine that dart devoured.</l> +<l>Nor could the triple world withdraw</l> +<l>Rapt gazes from that sight of awe;</l> +<l>For as he swallowed down the dart</l> +<l>Of Brahmá, sparks from every part,</l> +<l>From finest pore and hair-cell, broke</l> +<l>Enveloped in a veil of smoke.</l> +<l>The staff he waved was all aglow</l> +<l>Like Yáma's sceptre, King below,</l> +<l>Or like the lurid fire of Fate</l> +<l>Whose rage the worlds will desolate.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hermits, whom that sight had awed,</l> +<l>Extolled the saint, with hymn and laud:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy power, O Sage, is ne'er in vain:</q></l> +<l>Now with thy might thy might restrain.</l> +<l>Be gracious, Master, and allow</l> +<l>The worlds to rest from trouble now;</l> +<l>For Viśvámitra, strong and dread,</l> +<l><q rend="post">By thee has been discomfited.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then, thus addressed, the saint, well pleased,</l> +<l>The fury of his wrath appeased.</l> +<l>The king, o'erpowered and ashamed,</l> +<l>With many a deep-drawn sigh exclaimed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah! Warriors' strength is poor and slight;</q></l> +<l>A Bráhman's power is truly might.</l> +<l>This Bráhman staff the hermit held</l> +<l>The fury of my darts has quelled.</l> +<l>This truth within my heart impressed,</l> +<l>With senses ruled and tranquil breast</l> +<l>My task austere will I begin,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And Bráhmanhood will strive to win.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LVII"/> +<head>Canto LVII. Trisanku.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then with his heart consumed with woe,</l> +<l>Still brooding on his overthrow</l> +<l>By the great saint he had defied,</l> +<l>At every breath the monarch sighed.</l> +<l>Forth from his home his queen he led,</l> +<l>And to a land far southward fled.</l> +<l>There, fruit and roots his only food,</l> +<l>He practised penance, sense-subdued,</l> +<l>And in that solitary spot</l> +<l>Four virtuous sons the king begot:</l> +<l>Havishyand, from the offering named,</l> +<l>And Madhushyand, for sweetness famed,</l> +<l>Mahárath, chariot-borne in fight,</l> +<l>And Driḍhanetra strong of sight.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A thousand years had passed away,</l> +<l>When Brahmá, Sire whom all obey,</l> +<l>Addressed in pleasant words like these</l> +<l>Him rich in long austerities:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thou by the penance, Kuśik's son,</q></l> +<l>A place 'mid royal saints hast won.</l> +<l>Pleased with thy constant penance, we</l> +<l><q rend="post">This lofty rank assign to thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke the glorious Lord most High</l> +<l>Father of earth and air and sky,</l> +<l>And with the Gods around him spread</l> +<l>Home to his changeless sphere he sped.</l> +<l>But Viśvámitra scorned the grace,</l> +<l>And bent in shame his angry face.</l> +<l>Burning with rage, o'erwhelmed with grief,</l> +<l>Thus in his heart exclaimed the chief:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No fruit, I ween, have I secured</q></l> +<l>By strictest penance long endured,</l> +<l>If Gods and all the saints decree</l> +<l><q rend="post">To make but royal saint of me.</q></l> +<l>Thus pondering, he with sense subdued,</l> +<l>With sternest zeal his vows renewed.</l> +<pb n="069"/><anchor id="Pg069"/> +<l>Then reigned a monarch, true of soul,</l> +<l>Who kept each sense in firm control;</l> +<l>Of old Ikshváku's line he came,</l> +<l>That glories in Triśanku's<note place="foot"><q>Triśanku, king of Ayodhyá, was +seventh in descent from Ikshváku, and Daśaratha holds the thirty-fourth place +in the same genealogy. See <ref target="CantoI-LXX">Canto LXX</ref>. We are thrown back, +therefore, to very ancient times, and it occasions some surprise to find Vaśishṭha and +Viśvámitra, actors in these occurences, still alive in Rama's time.</q></note> name.</l> +<l>Within his breast, O Raghu's child,</l> +<l>Arose a longing, strong and wild,</l> +<l>Great offerings to the Gods to pay,</l> +<l>And win, alive, to heaven his way.</l> +<l>His priest Vaśishṭha's aid he sought,</l> +<l>And told him of his secret thought.</l> +<l>But wise Vaśishṭha showed the hope</l> +<l>Was far beyond the monarch's scope.</l> +<l>Triśanku then, his suit denied,</l> +<l>Far to the southern region hied,</l> +<l>To beg Vaśishṭha's sons to aid</l> +<l>The mighty plan his soul had made.</l> +<l>There King Triśanku, far renowned,</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha's hundred children found,</l> +<l>Each on his fervent vows intent,</l> +<l>For mind and fame preëminent.</l> +<l>To these the famous king applied,</l> +<l>Wise children of his holy guide.</l> +<l>Saluting each in order due.</l> +<l>His eyes, for shame, he downward threw,</l> +<l>And reverent hands together pressed,</l> +<l>The glorious company addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I as a humble suppliant seek</q></l> +<l>Succour of you who aid the weak.</l> +<l>A mighty offering I would pay,</l> +<l>But sage Vaśishṭha answered, Nay.</l> +<l>Be yours permission to accord,</l> +<l>And to my rites your help afford.</l> +<l>Sons of my guide, to each of you</l> +<l>With lowly reverence here I sue;</l> +<l>To each, intent on penance-vow,</l> +<l>O Bráhmans, low my head I bow,</l> +<l>And pray you each with ready heart</l> +<l>In my great rite to bear a part,</l> +<l>That in the body I may rise</l> +<l>And dwell with Gods within the skies.</l> +<l>Sons of my guide, none else I see</l> +<l>Can give what he refuses me.</l> +<l>Ikshváku's children still depend</l> +<l>Upon their guide most reverend;</l> +<l>And you, as nearest in degree</l> +<l><q rend="post">To him, my deities shall be!</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LVIII"/> +<head>Canto LVIII. Trisanku Cursed.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Triśanku's speech the hundred heard,</l> +<l>And thus replied, to anger stirred:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why foolish King, by him denied,</q></l> +<l>Whose truthful lips have never lied,</l> +<l>Dost thou transgress his prudent rule,</l> +<l>And seek, for aid, another school?<note place="foot"><q>It does not appear +how Triśanku, in asking the aid of Vaśishṭha's sons after +applying in vain to their father, could be charged with resorting to another +<hi rend='italic'>śákhá</hi> (School) in the ordinary sense of that +word; as it is not conceivable that the sons should have been of another Śákhá +from the father, whose cause they espouse with so much warmth. The commentator +in the Bombay edition explains the word <hi rend='italic'>Śákhantaram</hi> as +Yájanádiná rakshántaram, <q>one who by sacrificing for thee, etc., will be another +protector.</q> Gorresio's Gauḍa text, which may often be used as a +commentary on the older one, has the following paraphrase of the words in +question, ch. 60, 3. Múlam utsṛijya kasmát tvam sákhásv ichhasi lambitum. <q>Why, +forsaking the root, dost thou desire to hang upon the branches?</q></q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Muir</hi>, Sanskrit +Texts, Vol. I., p. 401.</note></l> +<l>Ikshváku's sons have aye relied</l> +<l>Most surely on their holy guide:</l> +<l>Then how dost thou, fond Monarch, dare</l> +<l>Transgress the rule his lips declare?</l> +<l><q>Thy wish is vain,</q> the saint replied,</l> +<l>And bade thee cast the plan aside.</l> +<l>Then how can we, his sons, pretend</l> +<l>In such a rite our aid to lend?</l> +<l>O Monarch, of the childish heart,</l> +<l>Home to thy royal town depart.</l> +<l>That mighty saint, thy priest and guide,</l> +<l>At noblest rites may well preside:</l> +<l>The worlds for sacrifice combined</l> +<l><q rend="post">A worthier priest could never find.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Such speech of theirs the monarch heard,</l> +<l>Though rage distorted every word,</l> +<l>And to the hermits made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">You, like your sire, my suit deny.</q></l> +<l>For other aid I turn from you:</l> +<l><q rend="post">So, rich in penance, Saints, adieu!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Vaśishṭha's children heard, and guessed</l> +<l>His evil purpose scarce expressed,</l> +<l>And cried, while rage their bosoms burned,</l> +<l><q>Be to a vile Chaṇḍála<note place="foot">A Chaṇḍála was a man born of the +illegal and impure union of a Śúdra with +a woman of one of the three higher castes.</note> turned!</q></l> +<pb n="070"/><anchor id="Pg070"/> +<l>This said, with lofty thoughts inspired,</l> +<l>Each to his own retreat retired.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That night Triśanku underwent</l> +<l>Sad change in shape and lineament.</l> +<l>Next morn, an outcast swart of hue,</l> +<l>His dusky cloth he round him drew.</l> +<l>His hair had fallen from his head,</l> +<l>And roughness o'er his skin was spread.</l> +<l>Such wreaths adorned him as are found</l> +<l>To flourish on the funeral ground.</l> +<l>Each armlet was an iron ring:</l> +<l>Such was the figure of the king,</l> +<l>That every counsellor and peer,</l> +<l>And following townsman, fled in fear.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Alone, unyielding to dismay,</l> +<l>Though burnt by anguish night and day,</l> +<l>Great Viśvámitra's side he sought,</l> +<l>Whose treasures were by penance bought.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hermit with his tender eyes</l> +<l>Looked on Triśanku's altered guise,</l> +<l>And grieving at his ruined state</l> +<l>Addressed him thus, compassionate:</l> +<l><q>Great King,</q> the pious hermit said,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What cause thy steps has hither led,</q></l> +<l>Ayodhyá's mighty Sovereign, whom</l> +<l><q rend="post">A curse has plagued with outcast's doom?</q></l> +<l>In vile Chaṇḍála<note place="foot"><q>The Chaṇḍála was regarded as the vilest +and most abject of the men sprung from wedlock forbidden by the law (Mánavadharmaśástra, +Lib. X. 12.); a kind of social malediction weighed upon his head +and rejected him from human society.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</note> shape, the king</l> +<l>Heard Viśvámitra's questioning,</l> +<l>And, suppliant palm to palm applied,</l> +<l>With answering eloquence he cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My priest and all his sons refused</q></l> +<l>To aid the plan on which I mused.</l> +<l>Failing to win the boon I sought,</l> +<l>To this condition I was brought.</l> +<l>I, in the body, Saint, would fain</l> +<l>A mansion in the skies obtain.</l> +<l>I planned a hundred rites for this,</l> +<l>But still was doomed the fruit to miss.</l> +<l>Pure are my lips from falsehood's stain,</l> +<l>And pure they ever shall remain,—</l> +<l>Yea, by a Warrior's faith I swear,—</l> +<l>Though I be tried with grief and care.</l> +<l>Unnumbered rites to Heaven I paid,</l> +<l>With righteous care the sceptre swayed;</l> +<l>And holy priest and high-souled guide</l> +<l>My modest conduct gratified.</l> +<l>But, O thou best of hermits, they</l> +<l>Oppose my wish these rites to pay;</l> +<l>They one and all refuse consent,</l> +<l>Nor aid me in my high intent.</l> +<l>Fate is, I ween, the power supreme,</l> +<l>Man's effort but an idle dream,</l> +<l>Fate whirls our plans, our all away;</l> +<l>Fate is our only hope and stay;</l> +<l>Now deign, O blessed Saint, to aid</l> +<l>Me, even me by Fate betrayed,</l> +<l>Who come, a suppliant, sore distressed,</l> +<l>One grace, O Hermit, to request.</l> +<l>No other hope or way I see:</l> +<l>No other refuge waits for me.</l> +<l>Oh, aid me in my fallen state,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And human will shall conquer Fate.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LIX"/> +<head>Canto LIX. The Sons Of Vasishtha.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Kuśik's son, by pity warmed,</l> +<l>Spoke sweetly to the king transformed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hail! glory of Ikshváku's line:</q></l> +<l>I know how bright thy virtues shine.</l> +<l>Dismiss thy fear, O noblest Chief,</l> +<l>For I myself will bring relief.</l> +<l>The holiest saints will I invite</l> +<l>To celebrate thy purposed rite:</l> +<l>So shall thy vow, O King, succeed,</l> +<l>And from thy cares shalt thou be freed.</l> +<l>Thou in the form which now thou hast,</l> +<l>Transfigured by the curse they cast,—</l> +<l>Yea, in the body, King, shalt flee,</l> +<l>Transported, where thou fain wouldst be.</l> +<l>O Lord of men, I ween that thou</l> +<l>Hast heaven within thy hand e'en now,</l> +<l>For very wisely hast thou done,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And refuge sought with Kuśik's son.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus having said, the sage addressed</l> +<l>His sons, of men the holiest,</l> +<l>And bade the prudent saints whate'er</l> +<l>Was needed for the rite prepare.</l> +<l>The pupils he was wont to teach</l> +<l>He summoned next, and spoke this speech:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Go bid Vaśishṭha'a sons appear,</q></l> +<l>And all the saints be gathered here.</l> +<l>And what they one and all reply</l> +<l>When summoned by this mandate high,</l> +<l>To me with faithful care report,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Omit no word and none distort.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The pupils heard, and prompt obeyed,</l> +<l>To every side their way they made.</l> +<l>Then swift from every quarter sped</l> +<l>The sages in the Vedas read.</l> +<l>Back to that saint the envoys came,</l> +<l>Whose glory shone like burning flame,</l> +<l>And told him in their faithful speech</l> +<l>The answer that they bore from each:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Submissive to thy word, O Seer,</q></l> +<l>The holy men are gathering here.</l> +<l>By all was meet obedience shown:</l> +<l>Mahodaya<note place="foot">This appellation, occuring nowhere +else in the poem except as the name of a city, appears twice in this Canto as a +name of Vaśishṭha.</note> refused alone.</l> +<pb n="071"/><anchor id="Pg071"/> +<l>And now, O Chief of hermits, hear</l> +<l>What answer, chilling us with fear,</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha's hundred sons returned,</l> +<l>Thick-speaking as with rage they burned:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">How will the Gods and saints partake</q></l> +<l>The offerings that the prince would make,</l> +<l>And he a vile and outcast thing,</l> +<l>His ministrant one born a king?</l> +<l>Can we, great Bráhmans, eat his food,</l> +<l>And think to win beatitude,</l> +<l><q rend="post">By Viśvámitra purified?</q></l> +<l>Thus sire and sons in scorn replied,</l> +<l>And as these bitter words they said,</l> +<l>Wild fury made their eyeballs red.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Their answer when the arch-hermit heard,</l> +<l>His tranquil eyes with rage were blurred;</l> +<l>Great fury in his bosom woke,</l> +<l>And thus unto the youths he spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Me, blameless me they dare to blame,</q></l> +<l>And disallow the righteous claim</l> +<l>My fierce austerities have earned:</l> +<l>To ashes be the sinners turned.</l> +<l>Caught in the noose of Fate shall they</l> +<l>To Yáma's kingdom sink to-day.</l> +<l>Seven hundred times shall they be born</l> +<l>To wear the clothes the dead have worn.</l> +<l>Dregs of the dregs, too vile to hate,</l> +<l>The flesh of dogs their maws shall sate.</l> +<l>In hideous form, in loathsome weed,</l> +<l>A sad existence each shall lead.</l> +<l>Mahodaya too, the fool who fain</l> +<l>My stainless life would try to stain,</l> +<l>Stained in the world with long disgrace</l> +<l>Shall sink into a fowler's place.</l> +<l>Rejoicing guiltless blood to spill,</l> +<l>No pity through his breast shall thrill.</l> +<l>Cursed by my wrath for many a day,</l> +<l><q rend="post">His wretched life for sin shall pay.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus, girt with hermit, saint, and priest,</l> +<l>Great Viśvámitra spoke—and ceased.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LX"/> +<head>Canto LX. Trisanku's Ascension.</head> + +<lg> +<l>So with ascetic might, in ire,</l> +<l>He smote the children and the sire.</l> +<l>Then Viśvámitra, far-renowned,</l> +<l>Addressed the saints who gathered round:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">See by my side Triśanku stand,</q></l> +<l>Ikshváku's son, of liberal hand.</l> +<l>Most virtuous and gentle, he</l> +<l>Seeks refuge in his woe with me.</l> +<l>Now, holy men, with me unite,</l> +<l>And order so his purposed rite</l> +<l>That in the body he may rise</l> +<l><q rend="post">And win a mansion in the skies.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They heard his speech with ready ear</l> +<l>And, every bosom filled with fear</l> +<l>Of Viśvámitra, wise and great,</l> +<l>Spoke each to each in brief debate:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The breast of Kuśik's son, we know,</q></l> +<l>With furious wrath is quick to glow.</l> +<l>Whate'er the words he wills to say,</l> +<l>We must, be very sure, obey.</l> +<l>Fierce is our lord as fire, and straight</l> +<l>May curse us all infuriate.</l> +<l>So let us in these rites engage,</l> +<l>As ordered by the holy sage.</l> +<l>And with our best endeavour strive</l> +<l>That King Ikshváku's son, alive,</l> +<l>In body to the skies may go</l> +<l><q rend="post">By his great might who wills it so.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then was the rite begun with care:</l> +<l>All requisites and means were there:</l> +<l>And glorious Viśvámitra lent</l> +<l>His willing aid as president.</l> +<l>And all the sacred rites were done</l> +<l>By rule and use, omitting none.</l> +<l>By chaplain-priest, the hymns who knew,</l> +<l>In decent form and order due.</l> +<l>Some time in sacrifice had past,</l> +<l>And Viśvámitra made, at last,</l> +<l>The solemn offering with the prayer</l> +<l>That all the Gods might come and share.</l> +<l>But the Immortals, one and all,</l> +<l>Refused to hear the hermit's call.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then red with rage his eyeballs blazed:</l> +<l>The sacred ladle high he raised,</l> +<l>And cried to King Ikshváku's son:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Behold my power, by penance won:</q></l> +<l>Now by the might my merits lend,</l> +<l>Ikshváku's child, to heaven ascend.</l> +<l>In living frame the skies attain,</l> +<l>Which mortals thus can scarcely gain.</l> +<l>My vows austere, so long endured,</l> +<l>Have, as I ween, some fruit assured.</l> +<l>Upon its virtue, King, rely,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And in thy body reach the sky.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His speech had scarcely reached its close,</l> +<l>When, as he stood, the sovereign rose,</l> +<l>And mounted swiftly to the skies</l> +<l>Before the wondering hermits' eyes.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But Indra, when he saw the king</l> +<l>His blissful regions entering,</l> +<l>With all the army of the Blest</l> +<l>Thus cried unto the unbidden guest:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">With thy best speed, Triśanku, flee:</q></l> +<l>Here is no home prepared for thee.</l> +<l>By thy great master's curse brought low,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Go, falling headlong, earthward go.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus by the Lord of Gods addressed,</l> +<l>Triśanku fell from fancied rest,</l> +<l>And screaming in his swift descent,</l> +<l><q>O, save me, Hermit!</q> down he went.</l> +<l>And Viśvámitra heard his cry,</l> +<l>And marked him falling from the sky,</l> +<l>And giving all his passion sway,</l> +<l>Cried out in fury, <q>Stay, O stay!</q></l> +<pb n="072"/><anchor id="Pg072"/> +<l>By penance-power and holy lore,</l> +<l>Like Him who framed the worlds of yore,</l> +<l>Seven other saints he fixed on high</l> +<l>To star with light the southern sky.</l> +<l>Girt with his sages forth he went,</l> +<l>And southward in the firmament</l> +<l>New wreathed stars prepared to set</l> +<l>In many a sparkling coronet.</l> +<l>He threatened, blind with rage and hate,</l> +<l>Another Indra to create,</l> +<l>Or, from his throne the ruler hurled,</l> +<l>All Indraless to leave the world.</l> +<l>Yea, borne away by passion's storm,</l> +<l>The sage began new Gods to form.</l> +<l>But then each Titan, God, and saint,</l> +<l>Confused with terror, sick and faint,</l> +<l>To high souled Viśvámitra hied,</l> +<l>And with soft words to soothe him tried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Lord of high destiny, this king,</q></l> +<l>To whom his master's curses cling,</l> +<l>No heavenly home deserves to gain,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Unpurified from curse and stain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The son of Kuśik, undeterred,</l> +<l>The pleading of the Immortals heard,</l> +<l>And thus in haughty words expressed</l> +<l>The changeless purpose of his breast:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Content ye, Gods: I soothly sware</q></l> +<l>Triśanku to the skies to bear</l> +<l>Clothed in his body, nor can I</l> +<l>My promise cancel or deny.</l> +<l>Embodied let the king ascend</l> +<l>To life in heaven that ne'er shall end.</l> +<l>And let these new-made stars of mine</l> +<l>Firm and secure for ever shine.</l> +<l>Let these, my work, remain secure</l> +<l>Long as the earth and heaven endure.</l> +<l>This, all ye Gods, I crave: do you</l> +<l><q rend="post">Allow the boon for which I sue.</q></l> +<l>Then all the Gods their answer made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">So be it, Saint, as thou hast prayed.</q></l> +<l>Beyond the sun's diurnal way</l> +<l>Thy countless stars in heaven shall stay:</l> +<l>And 'mid them hung, as one divine,</l> +<l>Head downward shall Triśanku shine;</l> +<l>And all thy stars shall ever fling</l> +<l><q rend="post">Their rays attendant on the king.</q><note place="foot"><q>The +seven ancient rishis or saints, as has been said before, were the seven stars +of Ursa Major. The seven other new saints which are here said to have been created +by Viśvámitra should be seven new southern stars, a sort of new Ursa. Von Schlegel +thinks that this mythical fiction of new stars created by Viśvámitra may signify +that these southern stars, unknown to the Indians as long as they remained in the +neighbourhood of the Ganges, became known to them at a later date when they +colonized the southern regions of India.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The mighty saint, with glory crowned,</l> +<l>With all the sages compassed round,</l> +<l>Praised by the Gods, gave full assent,</l> +<l>And Gods and sages homeward went.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LXI"/> +<head>Canto LXI. Sunahsepha.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Viśvámitra, when the Blest</l> +<l>Had sought their homes of heavenly rest,</l> +<l>Thus, mighty Prince, his counsel laid</l> +<l>Before the dwellers of the shade:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The southern land where now we are</q></l> +<l>Offers this check our rites to bar:<note place="foot"><q>This cannot refer +to the events just related: for Viśvámitra was successful in +the sacrifice performed for Triśanku. And yet no other impediment is mentioned. +Still his restless mind would not allow him to remain longer in the same spot. +So the character of Viśvámitra is ingeniously and skilfully shadowed forth: as he +had been formerly a most warlike king, loving battle and glory, bold, active, +sometimes unjust, and more frequently magnanimous, such also he always shows +himself in his character of anchorite and ascetic.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel</hi>.</note></l> +<l>To other regions let us speed,</l> +<l>And ply our tasks from trouble freed.</l> +<l>Now turn we to the distant west.</l> +<l>To Pushkar's<note place="foot">Near the modern city of Ajmere. The +place is sacred still, and the name is preserved in the Hindí. Lassen, however, says +that this Pushkala or Pushkara, called by the Grecian writers Πευκελίτις, the +earliest place of pilgrimage mentioned by name, is not to be confounded with the +modern Pushkara in Ajmere.</note> wood where hermits rest,</l> +<l>And there to rites austere apply,</l> +<l><q rend="post">For not a grove with that can vie.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The saint, in glory's light arrayed,</l> +<l>In Pushkar's wood his dwelling made,</l> +<l>And living there on roots and fruit</l> +<l>Did penance stern and resolute.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The king who filled Ayodhyá's throne,</l> +<l>By Ambarísha's name far known,</l> +<l>At that same time, it chanced, began</l> +<l>A sacrificial rite to plan.</l> +<l>But Indra took by force away</l> +<l>The charger that the king would slay.</l> +<l>The victim lost, the Bráhman sped</l> +<l>To Ambarísha's side, and said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Gone is the steed, O King, and this</q></l> +<l>Is due to thee, in care remiss.</l> +<pb n="073"/><anchor id="Pg073"/> +<l>Such heedless faults will kings destroy</l> +<l>Who fail to guard what they enjoy.</l> +<l>The flaw is desperate: we need</l> +<l>The charger, or a man to bleed.</l> +<l>Quick! bring a man if not the horse,</l> +<l><q rend="post">That so the rite may have its course.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The glory of Ikshváku's line</l> +<l>Made offer of a thousand kine,</l> +<l>And sought to buy at lordly price</l> +<l>A victim for the sacrifice.</l> +<l>To many a distant land he drove,</l> +<l>To many a people, town, and grove,</l> +<l>And holy shades where hermits rest,</l> +<l>Pursuing still his eager quest.</l> +<l>At length on Bhrigu's sacred height</l> +<l>The saint Richíka met his sight</l> +<l>Sitting beneath the holy boughs.</l> +<l>His children near him, and his spouse.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The mighty lord drew near, assayed</l> +<l>To win his grace, and reverence paid;</l> +<l>And then the sainted king addressed</l> +<l>The Bráhman saint with this request:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Bought with a hundred thousand kine,</q></l> +<l>Give me, O Sage, a son of thine</l> +<l>To be a victim in the rite,</l> +<l>And thanks the favour shall requite.</l> +<l>For I have roamed all countries round,</l> +<l>Nor sacrificial victim found.</l> +<l>Then, gentle Hermit, deign to spare</l> +<l><q rend="post">One child amid the number there.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then to the monarch's speech replied</l> +<l>The hermit, penance-glorified:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">For countless kine, for hills of gold,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Mine eldest son shall ne'er be sold.</q></l> +<l>But, when she heard the saint's reply,</l> +<l>The children's mother, standing nigh,</l> +<l>Words such as these in answer said</l> +<l>To Ambarísha, monarch dread:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My lord, the saint, has spoken well:</q></l> +<l>His eldest child he will not sell.</l> +<l>And know, great Monarch, that above</l> +<l>The rest my youngest born I love.</l> +<l>'Tis ever thus: the father's joy</l> +<l>Is centred in his eldest boy.</l> +<l>The mother loves her darling best</l> +<l>Whom last she rocked upon her breast:</l> +<l><q rend="post">My youngest I will ne'er forsake.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As thus the sire and mother spake,</l> +<l>Young Śunahśepha, of the three</l> +<l>The midmost, cried unurged and free:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My sire withholds his eldest son,</q></l> +<l>My mother keeps her youngest one:</l> +<l>Then take me with thee, King: I ween</l> +<l><q rend="post">The son is sold who comes between.</q></l> +<l>The king with joy his home resought,</l> +<l>And took the prize his kine had bought.</l> +<l>He bade the youth his car ascend,</l> +<l>And hastened back the rites to end.<note place="foot"><p><q>Ambarísha is the +twenty-ninth in descent from Ikshváku, and is therefore +separated by an immense space of time from Triśanku in whose story Viśvámitra +had played so important a part. Yet Richíka, who is represented as having +young sons while Ambarísha was yet reigning being himself the son of Bhrigu and +to be numbered with the most ancient sages, is said to have married the younger +sister of Viśvámitra. But I need not again remark that there is a perpetual anachronism +in Indian mythology.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel.</hi>.</p> +<p><q>In the mythical story related in this and the following Canto we may discover, +I think, some indication of the epoch at which the immolation of lower animals +was substituted for human sacrifice.… So when Iphigenia was about to be sacrificed +at Aulis, one legend tells us that a hind was substituted for the virgin.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</p> +<p>So the ram caught in the thicket took the place of Isaac, or, as the Musalmáns +say, of Ishmael.</p></note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LXII"/> +<head>Canto LXII. Ambarísha's Sacrifice.</head> + +<lg> +<l>As thus the king that youth conveyed,</l> +<l>His weary steeds at length he stayed</l> +<l>At height of noon their rest to take</l> +<l>Upon the bank of Pushkar's lake.</l> +<l>There while the king enjoyed repose</l> +<l>The captive Śunahśepha rose,</l> +<l>And hasting to the water's side</l> +<l>His uncle Viśvámitra spied,</l> +<l>With many a hermit 'neath the trees</l> +<l>Engaged in stern austerities.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Distracted with the toil and thirst,</l> +<l>With woeful mien, away he burst,</l> +<l>Swift to the hermit's breast he flew,</l> +<l>And weeping thus began to sue:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No sire have I, no mother dear,</q></l> +<l>No kith or kin my heart to cheer:</l> +<l>As justice bids, O Hermit, deign</l> +<l>To save me from the threatened pain.</l> +<l>O thou to whom the wretched flee,</l> +<l>And find a saviour, Saint, in thee,</l> +<l>Now let the king obtain his will,</l> +<l>And me my length of days fulfil,</l> +<l>That rites austere I too may share,</l> +<l>May rise to heaven and rest me there.</l> +<l>With tender soul and gentle brow</l> +<l>Be guardian of the orphan thou,</l> +<l>And as a father pities, so</l> +<l><q rend="post">Preserve me from my fear and woe.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Viśvámitra, glorious saint,</l> +<l>Had heard the boy's heart-rending plaint.</l> +<l>He soothed his grief, his tears he dried,</l> +<pb n="074"/><anchor id="Pg074"/> +<l>Then called his sons to him, and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The time is come for you to show</q></l> +<l>The duty and the aid bestow</l> +<l>For which, regarding future life,</l> +<l>A man gives children to his wife.</l> +<l>This hermit's son, whom here you see</l> +<l>A suppliant, refuge seeks with me.</l> +<l>O sons, the friendless youth befriend,</l> +<l>And, pleasing me, his life defend.</l> +<l>For holy works you all have wrought,</l> +<l>True to the virtuous life I taught.</l> +<l>Go, and as victims doomed to bleed,</l> +<l>Die, and Lord Agni's hunger feed.</l> +<l>So shall the rite completed end,</l> +<l>This orphan gain a saving friend,</l> +<l>Due offerings to the Gods be paid,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And your own father's voice obeyed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Madhushyand and all the rest</l> +<l>Answered their sire with scorn and jest:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What! aid to others' sons afford,</q></l> +<l>And leave thine own to die, my lord!</l> +<l>To us it seems a horrid deed,</l> +<l><q rend="post">As 'twere on one's own flesh to feed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hermit heard his sons' reply,</l> +<l>And burning rage inflamed his eye.</l> +<l>Then forth his words of fury burst:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Audacious speech, by virtue cursed!</q></l> +<l>It lifts on end each shuddering hair—</l> +<l>My charge to scorn! my wrath to dare!</l> +<l>You, like Vaśishṭha's evil brood,</l> +<l>Shall make the flesh of dogs your food</l> +<l>A thousand years in many a birth,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And punished thus shall dwell on earth.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus on his sons his curse he laid.</l> +<l>Then calmed again that youth dismayed,</l> +<l>And blessed him with his saving aid:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">When in the sacred fetters bound,</q></l> +<l>And with a purple garland crowned,</l> +<l>At Vishṇu's post thou standest tied,</l> +<l>With lauds be Agni glorified.</l> +<l>And these two hymns of holy praise</l> +<l>Forget not, Hermit's son, to raise</l> +<l>In the king's rite, and thou shalt be</l> +<l><q rend="post">Lord of thy wish, preserved, and free.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He learnt the hymns with mind intent,</l> +<l>And from the hermit's presence went.</l> +<l>To Ambarísha thus he spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Let us our onward journey take.</q></l> +<l>Haste to thy home, O King, nor stay</l> +<l><q rend="post">The lustral rites with slow delay.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The boy's address the monarch cheered,</l> +<l>And soon the sacred ground he neared.</l> +<l>The convocation's high decree</l> +<l>Declared the youth from blemish free;</l> +<l>Clothed in red raiment he was tied</l> +<l>A victim at the pillar's side.</l> +<l>There bound, the Fire-God's hymn he raised,</l> +<l>And Indra and Upendra praised.</l> +<l>Thousand-eyed Vishṇu, pleased to hear</l> +<l>The mystic laud, inclined his ear,</l> +<l>And won by worship, swift to save,</l> +<l>Long life to Śunahśepha gave.</l> +<l>The king in bounteous measure gained</l> +<l>The fruit of sacrifice ordained,</l> +<l>By grace of Him who rules the skies,</l> +<l>Lord Indra of the thousand eyes.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And Viśvámitra evermore.</l> +<l>Pursued his task on Pushkar's shore</l> +<l>Until a thousand years had past</l> +<l>In fierce austerity and fast.</l> +</lg> +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LXIII"/> +<head>Canto LXIII. Menaká.</head> + +<lg> +<l>A thousand years had thus flown by</l> +<l>When all the Gods within the sky,</l> +<l>Eager that he the fruit might gain</l> +<l>Of fervent rite and holy pain,</l> +<l>Approached the great ascetic, now</l> +<l>Bathed after toil and ended vow.</l> +<l>Then Brahmá speaking for the rest</l> +<l>With sweetest words the sage addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hail, Saint! This high and holy name</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy rites have won, thy merits claim.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke the Lord whom Gods revere,</l> +<l>And sought again his heavenly sphere.</l> +<l>But Viśvámitra, more intent,</l> +<l>His mind to sterner penance bent.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">So many a season rolled away,</l> +<l>When Menaká, fair nymph, one day</l> +<l>Came down from Paradise to lave</l> +<l>Her perfect limbs in Pushkar's wave,</l> +<l>The glorious son of Kuśik saw</l> +<l>That peerless shape without a flaw</l> +<l>Flash through the flood's translucent shroud</l> +<l>Like lightning gleaming through a cloud.</l> +<l>He saw her in that lone retreat,</l> +<l>Most beautiful from head to feet,</l> +<l>And by Kandarpa's<note place="foot">The Indian Cupid.</note> might subdued</l> +<l>He thus addressed her as he viewed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Welcome, sweet nymph! O deign, I pray,</q></l> +<l>In these calm shades awhile to stay.</l> +<l>To me some gracious favour show,</l> +<l><q rend="post">For love has set my breast aglow.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke. The fairest of the fair</l> +<l>Made for awhile her dwelling there,</l> +<l>While day by day the wild delight</l> +<l>Stayed vow austere and fervent rite</l> +<l>There as the winsome charmer wove</l> +<l>Her spells around him in the grove,</l> +<l>And bound him in a golden chain,</l> +<l>Five sweet years fled, and five again.</l> +<l>Then Viśvámitra woke to shame,</l> +<l>And, fraught with anguish, memory came</l> +<l>For quick he knew, with anger fired,</l> +<l>That all the Immortals had conspired</l> +<pb n="075"/><anchor id="Pg075"/> +<l>To lap his careless soul in ease,</l> +<l>And mar his long austerities.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ten years have past, each day and night</q></l> +<l>Unheeded in delusive flight.</l> +<l>So long my fervent rites were stayed,</l> +<l><q rend="post">While thus I lay by love betrayed.</q></l> +<l>As thus long sighs the hermit heaved,</l> +<l>And, touched with deep repentance, grieved,</l> +<l>He saw the fair one standing nigh</l> +<l>With suppliant hands and trembling eye.</l> +<l>With gentle words he bade her go,</l> +<l>Then sought the northern hills of snow.</l> +<l>With firm resolve he vowed to beat</l> +<l>The might of love beneath his feet.</l> +<l>Still northward to the distant side</l> +<l>Of Kauśikí<note place="foot"><q>The same as she whose praises Viśvámitra +has already sung in Canto XXXV, and whom the poet brings yet alive upon +the scene in Canto LXI. Her proper name was <hi rend='italic'>Satyavatí</hi> +(Truthful); the patronymic, Kauśikí was preserved by the river into +which she is said to have been changed, and is still recognized in the corrupted +forms Kuśa and Kuśí. The river flows from the heights of the Himálaya towards the +Ganges, bounding on the east the country of Videha (Behar). The name is no doubt +half hidden in the <hi rend='italic'>Cosoagus</hi> of Pliny and +the <hi rend='italic'>Kossounos</hi> of Arrian. But each author +has fallen into the same error in his enumeration of these rivers (Condochatem, +Erannoboam, Cosoagum, Sonum). The Erannoboas, (Hiraṇyaváha) and the Sone +are not different streams, but well-known names of the same river. Moreover the +order is disturbed, in which on the right and left they fall into the Ganges. To be +consistent with geography it should be written: Erannoboam sive Sonum, Condochatem +(Gandakí), Cosoagum.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel</hi>.</note>, +the hermit hide,</l> +<l>And gave his life to penance there</l> +<l>With rites austere most hard to bear.</l> +<l>A thousand years went by, and still</l> +<l>He laboured on the northern hill</l> +<l>With pains so terrible and drear</l> +<l>That all the Gods were chilled with fear,</l> +<l>And Gods and saints, for swift advice,</l> +<l>Met in the halls of Paradise.</l> +<l><q>Let Kuśik's son,</q> they counselled, <q rend="pre">be</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">A Mighty saint by just decree.</q></l> +<l>His ear to hear their counsel lent</l> +<l>The Sire of worlds, omnipotent.</l> +<l>To him enriched by rites severe</l> +<l>He spoke in accents sweet to hear:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hail, Mighty Saint! dear son, all hail!</q></l> +<l>Thy fervour wins, thy toils prevail.</l> +<l>Won by thy vows and zeal intense</l> +<l><q rend="post">I give this high preëminence.</q></l> +<l>He to the General Sire replied,</l> +<l>Not sad, nor wholly satisfied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">When thou, O Brahmá, shalt declare</q></l> +<l>The title, great beyond compare,</l> +<l>Of Bráhman saint my worthy meed,</l> +<l>Hard earned by many a holy deed,</l> +<l>Then may I deem in sooth I hold</l> +<l><q rend="post">Each sense of body well controlled.</q></l> +<l>Then Brahmá cried, <q rend="pre">Not yet, not yet:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Toil on awhile O Anchoret!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus having said to heaven he went,</l> +<l>The saint, upon his task intent,</l> +<l>Began his labours to renew,</l> +<l>Which sterner yet and fiercer grew.</l> +<l>His arms upraised, without a rest,</l> +<l>With but one foot the earth he pressed;</l> +<l>The air his food, the hermit stood</l> +<l>Still as a pillar hewn from wood.</l> +<l>Around him in the summer days</l> +<l>Five mighty fires combined to blaze.</l> +<l>In floods of rain no veil was spread</l> +<l>Save clouds, to canopy his head.</l> +<l>In the dank dews both night and day</l> +<l>Couched in the stream the hermit lay.</l> +<l>Thus, till a thousand years had fled,</l> +<l>He plied his task of penance dread.</l> +<l>Then Vishṇu and the Gods with awe</l> +<l>The labours of the hermit saw,</l> +<l>And Śakra, in his troubled breast,</l> +<l>Lord of the skies, his fear confessed.</l> +<l>And brooded on a plan to spoil</l> +<l>The merits of the hermit's toil.</l> +<l>Encompassed by his Gods of Storm</l> +<l>He summoned Rambhá, fair of form,</l> +<l>And spoke a speech for woe and weal,</l> +<l>The saint to mar, the God to heal.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LXIV"/> +<head>Canto LXIV. Rambhá.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">A great emprise, O lovely maid,</q></l> +<l>To save the Gods, awaits thine aid:</l> +<l>To bind the son of Kuśik sure,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And take his soul with love's sweet lure.</q></l> +<l>Thus order'd by the Thousand-eyed</l> +<l>The suppliant nymph in fear replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Lord of Gods, this mighty sage</q></l> +<l>Is very fierce and swift to rage.</l> +<l>I doubt not, he so dread and stern</l> +<l>On me his scorching wrath will turn.</l> +<l>Of this, my lord, am I afraid:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Have mercy on a timid maid.</q></l> +<l>Her suppliant hands began to shake,</l> +<l>When thus again Lord Indra spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Rambhá, drive thy fears away,</q></l> +<l>And as I bid do thou obey.</l> +<l>In Koïl's form, who takes the heart</l> +<l>When trees in spring to blossom start,</l> +<l>I, with Kandarpa for my friend,</l> +<l>Close to thy side mine aid will lend.</l> +<pb n="076"/><anchor id="Pg076"/> +<l>Do thou thy beauteous splendour arm</l> +<l>With every grace and winsome charm,</l> +<l>And from his awful rites seduce</l> +<l><q rend="post">This Kuśik's son, the stern recluse.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Lord Indra ceased. The nymph obeyed:</l> +<l>In all her loveliest charms arrayed,</l> +<l>With winning ways and witching smile</l> +<l>She sought the hermit to beguile.</l> +<l>The sweet note of that tuneful bird</l> +<l>The saint with ravished bosom heard,</l> +<l>And on his heart a rapture passed</l> +<l>As on the nymph a look he cast.</l> +<l>But when he heard the bird prolong</l> +<l>His sweet incomparable song,</l> +<l>And saw the nymph with winning smile,</l> +<l>The hermit's heart perceived the wile.</l> +<l>And straight he knew the Thousand-eyed</l> +<l>A plot against his peace had tried.</l> +<l>Then Kuśik's son indignant laid</l> +<l>His curse upon the heavenly maid:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Because thou wouldst my soul engage</q></l> +<l>Who fight to conquer love and rage,</l> +<l>Stand, till ten thousand years have flown,</l> +<l>Ill-fated maid, transformed to stone.</l> +<l>A Bráhman then, in glory strong,</l> +<l>Mighty through penance stern and long,</l> +<l>Shall free thee from thine altered shape;</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thou from my curse shalt then escape.</q></l> +<l>But when the saint had cursed her so,</l> +<l>His breast was burnt with fires of woe,</l> +<l>Grieved that long effort to restrain</l> +<l>His mighty wrath was all in vain.</l> +<l>Cursed by the angry sage's power,</l> +<l>She stood in stone that selfsame hour.</l> +<l>Kandarpa heard the words he said,</l> +<l>And quickly from his presence fled.</l> +<l>His fall beneath his passion's sway</l> +<l>Had reft the hermit's meed away.</l> +<l>Unconquered yet his secret foes,</l> +<l>The humbled saint refused repose:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No more shall rage my bosom till,</q></l> +<l>Sealed be my lips, my tongue be still.</l> +<l>My very breath henceforth I hold</l> +<l>Until a thousand years are told:</l> +<l>Victorious o'er each erring sense,</l> +<l>I'll dry my frame with abstinence,</l> +<l>Until by penance duly done</l> +<l>A Bráhman's rank be bought and won.</l> +<l>For countless years, as still as death,</l> +<l>I taste no food, I draw no breath,</l> +<l>And as I toil my frame shall stand</l> +<l><q rend="post">Unharmed by time's destroying hand.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LXV"/> +<head>Canto LXV. Visvámitra's Triumph</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then from Himálaya's heights of snow,</l> +<l>The glorious saint prepared to go,</l> +<l>And dwelling in the distant east</l> +<l>His penance and his toil increased.</l> +<l>A thousand years his lips he held</l> +<l>Closed by a vow unparalleled,</l> +<l>And other marvels passing thought,</l> +<l>Unrivalled in the world, he wrought.</l> +<l>In all the thousand years his frame</l> +<l>Dry as a log of wood became.</l> +<l>By many a cross and check beset,</l> +<l>Rage had not stormed his bosom yet.</l> +<l>With iron will that naught could bend</l> +<l>He plied his labour till the end.</l> +<l>So when the weary years were o'er,</l> +<l>Freed from his vow so stern and sore,</l> +<l>The hermit, all his penance sped,</l> +<l>Sate down to eat his meal of bread.</l> +<l>Then Indra, clad in Bráhman guise,</l> +<l>Asked him for food with hungry eyes.</l> +<l>The mighty saint, with steadfast soul,</l> +<l>To the false Bráhman gave the whole,</l> +<l>And when no scrap for him remained,</l> +<l>Fasting and faint, from speech refrained.</l> +<l>His silent vow he would not break:</l> +<l>No breath he heaved, no word he spake,</l> +<l>Then as he checked his breath, behold!</l> +<l>Around his brow thick smoke-clouds rolled</l> +<l>And the three worlds, as if o'erspread</l> +<l>With ravening flames, were filled with dread.</l> +<l>Then God and saint and bard, convened,</l> +<l>And Nága lord, and snake, and fiend,</l> +<l>Thus to the General Father cried,</l> +<l>Distracted, sad, and terrified:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Against the hermit, sore assailed,</q></l> +<l>Lure, scathe, and scorn have naught availed,</l> +<l>Proof against rage and treacherous art</l> +<l>He keeps his vow with constant heart.</l> +<l>Now if his toils assist him naught</l> +<l>To gain the boon his soul has sought,</l> +<l>He through the worlds will ruin send</l> +<l>That fixt and moving things shall end,</l> +<l>The regions now are dark with doom,</l> +<l>No friendly ray relieves the gloom.</l> +<l>Each ocean foams with maddened tide,</l> +<l>The shrinking hills in fear subside.</l> +<l>Trembles the earth with feverous throe</l> +<l>The wind in fitful tempest blows.</l> +<l>No cure we see with troubled eyes:</l> +<l>And atheist brood on earth may rise.</l> +<l>The triple world is wild with care,</l> +<l>Or spiritless in dull despair.</l> +<l>Before that saint the sun is dim,</l> +<l>His blessed light eclipsed by him.</l> +<l>Now ere the saint resolve to bring</l> +<l>Destruction on each living thing,</l> +<l>Let us appease, while yet we may,</l> +<l>Him bright as fire, like fire to slay.</l> +<l>Yea, as the fiery flood of Fate</l> +<l>Lays all creation desolate,</l> +<l>He o'er the conquered Gods may reign:</l> +<l><q rend="post">O, grant him what he longs to gain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<pb n="077"/><anchor id="Pg077"/> + +<lg> +<l>Then all the Blest, by Brahmá led,</l> +<l>Approached the saint and sweetly said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hail, Bráhman Saint! for such thy place:</q></l> +<l>Thy vows austere have won our grace.</l> +<l>A Bráhman's rank thy penance stern</l> +<l>And ceaseless labour richly earn.</l> +<l>I with the Gods of Storm decree</l> +<l>Long life, O Bráhman Saint, to thee.</l> +<l>May peace and joy thy soul possess:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Go where thou wilt in happiness.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus by the General Sire addressed,</l> +<l>Joy and high triumph filled his breast.</l> +<l>His head in adoration bowed,</l> +<l>Thus spoke he to the Immortal crowd:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If I, ye Gods, have gained at last</q></l> +<l>Both length of days and Bráhman caste,</l> +<l>Grant that the high mysterious name,</l> +<l>And holy Vedas, own my claim,</l> +<l>And that the formula to bless</l> +<l>The sacrifice, its lord confess.</l> +<l>And let Vaśishṭha, who excels</l> +<l>In Warriors' art and mystic spells,</l> +<l>In love of God without a peer,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Confirm the boon you promise here.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With Brahmá's son Vaśishṭha, best</l> +<l>Of those who pray with voice repressed,</l> +<l>The Gods by earnest prayer prevailed,</l> +<l>And thus his new-made friend he hailed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy title now is sure and good</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">To rights of saintly Bráhmanhood.</q></l> +<l>Thus spake the sage. The Gods, content,</l> +<l>Back to their heavenly mansions went.</l> +<l>And Viśvámitra, pious-souled,</l> +<l>Among the Bráhman saints enrolled,</l> +<l>On reverend Vaśishṭha pressed</l> +<l>The honours due to holy guest.</l> +<l>Successful in his high pursuit,</l> +<l>The sage, in penance resolute,</l> +<l>Walked in his pilgrim wanderings o'er</l> +<l>The whole broad land from shore to shore.</l> +<l>'Twas thus the saint, O Raghu's son,</l> +<l>His rank among the Bráhmans won.</l> +<l>Best of all hermits, Prince, is he;</l> +<l>In him incarnate Penance see.</l> +<l>Friend of the right, who shrinks from ill,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Heroic powers attend him still.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Bráhman, versed in ancient lore,</l> +<l>Thus closed his tale, and said no more,</l> +<l>To Śatánanda Kuśik's son</l> +<l>Cried in delight, Well done! well done!</l> +<l>Then Janak, at the tale amazed,</l> +<l>Spoke thus with suppliant hands upraised:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">High fate is mine, O Sage, I deem,</q></l> +<l>And thanks I owe for bliss supreme,</l> +<l>That thou and Raghu's children too</l> +<l>Have come my sacrifice to view.</l> +<l>To look on thee with blessed eyes</l> +<l>Exalts my soul and purifies.</l> +<l>Yea, thus to see thee face to face</l> +<l>Enriches me with store of grace.</l> +<l>Thy holy labours wrought of old,</l> +<l>And mighty penance, fully told,</l> +<l>Ráma and I with great delight</l> +<l>Have heard, O glorious Anchorite.</l> +<l>Unrivalled thine ascetic deeds:</l> +<l>Thy might, O Saint, all might exceeds.</l> +<l>No thought may scan, no limit bound</l> +<l>The virtues that in thee are found.</l> +<l>The story of thy wondrous fate</l> +<l>My thirsty ears can never sate.</l> +<l>The hour of evening rites is near:</l> +<l>The sun declines in swift career.</l> +<l>At early dawn, O Hermit, deign</l> +<l>To let me see thy face again.</l> +<l>Best of ascetics, part in bliss:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Do thou thy servant now dismiss.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The saint approved, and glad and kind</l> +<l>Dismissed the king with joyful mind</l> +<l>Around the sage King Janak went</l> +<l>With priests and kinsmen reverent.</l> +<l>Then Viśvámitra, honoured so,</l> +<l>By those high-minded, rose to go,</l> +<l>And with the princes took his way</l> +<l>To seek the lodging where they lay.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LXVI"/> +<head>Canto LXVI. Janak's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>With cloudless lustre rose the sun;</l> +<l>The king, his morning worship done,</l> +<l>Ordered his heralds to invite</l> +<l>The princes and the anchorite.</l> +<l>With honour, as the laws decree,</l> +<l>The monarch entertained the three.</l> +<l>Then to the youths and saintly man</l> +<l>Videha's lord this speech began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O blameless Saint, most welcome thou!</q></l> +<l>If I may please thee tell me how.</l> +<l>Speak, mighty lord, whom all revere,</l> +<l><q rend="post">'Tis thine to order, mine to hear.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus he on mighty thoughts intent;</l> +<l>Then thus the sage most eloquent:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">King Daśaratha's sons, this pair</q></l> +<l>Of warriors famous everywhere,</l> +<l>Are come that best of bows to see</l> +<l>That lies a treasure stored by thee.</l> +<l>This, mighty Janak, deign to show,</l> +<l>That they may look upon the bow,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And then, contented, homeward go.</q></l> +<l>Then royal Janak spoke in turn:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O best of Saints, the story learn</q></l> +<l>Why this famed bow, a noble prize,</l> +<l>A treasure in my palace lies.</l> +<l>A monarch, Devarát by name,</l> +<l>Who sixth from ancient Nimi came,</l> +<l>Held it as ruler of the land,</l> +<l>A pledge in his successive hand.</l> +<l>This bow the mighty Rudra bore</l> +<pb n="078"/><anchor id="Pg078"/> +<l>At Daksha's<note place="foot"><q>Daksha was one of the ancient Progenitors +or Prajápatis created by Brahmá. The sacrifice which is here spoken of and +in which Śankar or Śiva (called also here Rudra and Bhava) smote the Gods because +he had not been invited to share the sacred oblations with them, seems to refer to the +origin of the worship of Śiva, to its increase and to the struggle it maintained +with other older forms of worship.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</note> sacrifice of yore,</l> +<l>When carnage of the Immortals stained</l> +<l>The rite that Daksha had ordained.</l> +<l>Then as the Gods sore wounded fled,</l> +<l>Victorious Rudra, mocking, said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Because, O Gods, ye gave me naught</q></l> +<l>When I my rightful portion sought,</l> +<l>Your dearest parts I will not spare,</l> +<l><q rend="post">But with my bow your frames will tear.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Sons of Heaven, in wild alarm,</l> +<l>Soft flatteries tried his rage to charm.</l> +<l>Then Bhava, Lord whom Gods adore,</l> +<l>Grew kind and friendly as before,</l> +<l>And every torn and mangled limb</l> +<l>Was safe and sound restored by him.</l> +<l>Thenceforth this bow, the gem of bows,</l> +<l>That freed the God of Gods from foes,</l> +<l>Stored by our great forefathers lay</l> +<l>A treasure and a pride for aye.</l> +<l>Once, as it chanced, I ploughed the ground,</l> +<l>When sudden, 'neath the share was found</l> +<l>An infant springing from the earth,</l> +<l>Named Sítá from her secret birth.<note place="foot"><p>Sítá means a furrow.</p> +<lg><l rend="margin-left: 6"><q rend="pre">Great Erectheus swayed,</q></l> +<l>That owed his nurture to the blue-eyed maid,</l> +<l>But from the teeming furrow took his birth,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The mighty offspring of the foodful earth.</q></l></lg> +<p>Iliad, Book II.</p></note></l> +<l>In strength and grace the maiden grew,</l> +<l>My cherished daughter, fair to view.</l> +<l>I vowed her, of no mortal birth,</l> +<l>Meet prize for noblest hero's worth.</l> +<l>In strength and grace the maiden grew,</l> +<l>And many a monarch came to woo.</l> +<l>To all the princely suitors I</l> +<l>Gave, mighty Saint, the same reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I give not thus my daughter, she</q></l> +<l>Prize of heroic worth shall be.<note place="foot"><q>The whole story of Sítá, as will +be seen in the course of the poem has a great analogy with the ancient myth of +Proserpine.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</note></l> +<l>To Míthilá the suitors pressed</l> +<l>Their power and might to manifest.</l> +<l>To all who came with hearts aglow</l> +<l>I offered Śiva's wondrous bow.</l> +<l>Not one of all the royal band</l> +<l>Could raise or take the bow in hand.</l> +<l>The suitors' puny might I spurned,</l> +<l>And back the feeble princes turned.</l> +<l>Enraged thereat, the warriors met,</l> +<l>With force combined my town beset.</l> +<l>Stung to the heart with scorn and shame,</l> +<l>With war and threats they madly came,</l> +<l>Besieged my peaceful walls, and long</l> +<l>To Míthilá did grievous wrong.</l> +<l>There, wasting all, a year they lay,</l> +<l>And brought my treasures to decay,</l> +<l>Filling my soul, O Hermit chief,</l> +<l>With bitter woe and hopeless grief.</l> +<l>At last by long-wrought penance I</l> +<l>Won favour with the Gods on high,</l> +<l>Who with my labours well content</l> +<l>A four-fold host to aid me sent.</l> +<l>Then swift the baffled heroes fled</l> +<l>To all the winds discomfited—</l> +<l>Wrong-doers, with their lords and host,</l> +<l>And all their valour's idle boast.</l> +<l>This heavenly bow, exceeding bright,</l> +<l>These youths shall see, O Anchorite.</l> +<l>Then if young Ráma's hand can string</l> +<l>The bow that baffled lord and king,</l> +<l>To him I give, as I have sworn,</l> +<l><q rend="post">My Sítá, not of woman born.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LXVII"/> +<head>Canto LXVII. The Breaking Of The Bow.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then spoke again the great recluse:</l> +<l><q>This mighty bow, O King, produce.</q></l> +<l>King Janak, at the saint's request,</l> +<l>This order to his train addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Let the great bow be hither borne,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Which flowery wreaths and scents adorn.</q></l> +<l>Soon as the monarch's words were said,</l> +<l>His servants to the city sped,</l> +<l>Five thousand youths in number, all</l> +<l>Of manly strength and stature tall,</l> +<l>The ponderous eight-wheeled chest that held</l> +<l>The heavenly bow, with toil propelled.</l> +<l>At length they brought that iron chest,</l> +<l>And thus the godlike king addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">This best of bows, O lord, we bring,</q></l> +<l>Respected by each chief and king,</l> +<l>And place it for these youths to see,</l> +<l><q rend="post">If, Sovereign, such thy pleasure be.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With suppliant palm to palm applied</l> +<l>King Janak to the strangers cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">This gem of bows, O Bráhman Sage,</q></l> +<l>Our race has prized from age to age,</l> +<l>Too strong for those who yet have reigned,</l> +<l>Though great in might each nerve they strained.</l> +<pb n="079"/><anchor id="Pg079"/> +<l>Titan and fiend its strength defies,</l> +<l>God, spirit, minstrel of the skies.</l> +<l>And bard above and snake below</l> +<l>Are baffled by this glorious bow.</l> +<l>Then how may human prowess hope</l> +<l>With such a bow as this to cope?</l> +<l>What man with valour's choicest gift</l> +<l>This bow can draw, or string, or lift?</l> +<l>Yet let the princes, holy Seer,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Behold it: it is present here.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then spoke the hermit pious-souled:</l> +<l><q>Ráma, dear son, the bow behold.</q></l> +<l>Then Ráma at his word unclosed</l> +<l>The chest wherein its might reposed,</l> +<l>Thus crying, as he viewed it: <q rend="pre">Lo!</q></l> +<l>I lay mine hand upon the bow:</l> +<l>May happy luck my hope attend</l> +<l><q rend="post">Its heavenly strength to lift or bend.</q></l> +<l><q>Good luck be thine,</q> the hermit cried:</l> +<l><q>Assay the task!</q> the king replied.</l> +<l>Then Raghu's son, as if in sport,</l> +<l>Before the thousands of the court,</l> +<l>The weapon by the middle raised</l> +<l>That all the crowd in wonder gazed.</l> +<l>With steady arm the string he drew</l> +<l>Till burst the mighty bow in two.</l> +<l>As snapped the bow, an awful clang,</l> +<l>Loud as the shriek of tempests, rang.</l> +<l>The earth, affrighted, shook amain</l> +<l>As when a hill is rent in twain.</l> +<l>Then, senseless at the fearful sound,</l> +<l>The people fell upon the ground:</l> +<l>None save the king, the princely pair,</l> +<l>And the great saint, the shock could bear.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When woke to sense the stricken train,</l> +<l>And Janak's soul was calm again,</l> +<l>With suppliant hands and reverent head,</l> +<l>These words, most eloquent, he said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Saint, Prince Ráma stands alone:</q></l> +<l>His peerless might he well has shown.</l> +<l>A marvel has the hero wrought</l> +<l>Beyond belief, surpassing thought.</l> +<l>My child, to royal Ráma wed,</l> +<l>New glory on our line will shed:</l> +<l>And true my promise will remain</l> +<l>That hero's worth the bride should gain.</l> +<l>Dearer to me than light and life,</l> +<l>My Sítá shall be Ráma's wife.</l> +<l>If thou, O Bráhman, leave concede,</l> +<l>My counsellors, with eager speed,</l> +<l>Borne in their flying cars, to fair</l> +<l>Ayodhyá's town the news shall bear,</l> +<l>With courteous message to entreat</l> +<l>The king to grace my royal seat.</l> +<l>This to the monarch shall they tell,</l> +<l>The bride is his who won her well:</l> +<l>And his two sons are resting here</l> +<l>Protected by the holy seer.</l> +<l>So, at his pleasure, let them lead</l> +<l><q rend="post">The sovereign to my town with speed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hermit to his prayer inclined</l> +<l>And Janak, lord of virtuous mind,</l> +<l>With charges, to Ayodhyá sent</l> +<l>His ministers: and forth they went.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LXVIII"/> +<head>Canto LXVIII. The Envoys' Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Three nights upon the road they passed</l> +<l>To rest the steeds that bore them fast,</l> +<l>And reached Ayodhyá's town at last.</l> +<l>Then straight at Daśaratha's call</l> +<l>They stood within the royal hall,</l> +<l>Where, like a God, inspiring awe,</l> +<l>The venerable king they saw.</l> +<l>With suppliant palm to palm applied,</l> +<l>And all their terror laid aside,</l> +<l>They spoke to him upon the throne</l> +<l>With modest words, in gentle tone:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Janak, Videha's king, O Sire,</q></l> +<l>Has sent us hither to inquire</l> +<l>The health of thee his friend most dear,</l> +<l>Of all thy priests and every peer.</l> +<l>Next Kuśik's son consenting, thus</l> +<l>King Janak speaks, dread liege, by us:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I made a promise and decree</q></l> +<l>That valour's prize my child should be.</l> +<l>Kings, worthless found in worth's assay,</l> +<l>With mien dejected turned away.</l> +<l>Thy sons, by Viśvámitra led,</l> +<l>Unurged, my city visited,</l> +<l>And peerless in their might have gained</l> +<l>My daughter, as my vow ordained.</l> +<l>Full in a vast assembly's view</l> +<l>Thy hero Ráma broke in two</l> +<l>The gem of bows, of monstrous size,</l> +<l>That came a treasure from the skies.</l> +<l>Ordained the prize of hero's might,</l> +<l>Sítá my child is his by right.</l> +<l>Fain would I keep my promise made,</l> +<l>If thou, O King, approve and aid.</l> +<l>Come to my town thy son to see:</l> +<l>Bring holy guide and priest with thee.</l> +<l>O lord of kings, my suit allow,</l> +<l>And let me keep my promised vow.</l> +<l>So joying for thy children's sake</l> +<l>Their triumph too shalt thou partake,</l> +<l><q rend="post">With Viśvámitra's high consent.</q></l> +<l>Such words with friendship eloquent</l> +<l>Spoke Janak, fair Videha's king,</l> +<l><q rend="post">By Śatánanda's counselling.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The envoys thus the king addressed,</l> +<l>And mighty joy his heart possessed.</l> +<l>To Vámadeva quick he cried,</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha, and his lords beside:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Lakshmaṇ, and he, my princely boy</q></l> +<l>Who fills Kauśalyá's soul with joy,</l> +<l>By Viśvámitra guarded well</l> +<l>Among the good Videhans dwell.</l> +<pb n="080"/><anchor id="Pg080"/> +<l>Their ruler Janak, prompt to own</l> +<l>The peerless might my child has shown,</l> +<l>To him would knit in holy ties</l> +<l>His daughter, valour's lovely prize.</l> +<l>If Janak's plan seem good to you,</l> +<l>Come, speed we to his city too,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Nor let occasion idly by.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased. There came a glad reply</l> +<l>From priest and mighty saint and all</l> +<l>The councillors who thronged the hall.</l> +<l>Then cried the king with joyous heart:</l> +<l><q>To-morrow let us all depart.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That night the envoys entertained</l> +<l>With honour and all care remained.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LXIX"/> +<head>Canto LXIX. Dasaratha's Visit.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Soon as the shades of night had fled,</l> +<l>Thus to the wise Sumantra said</l> +<l>The happy king, while priest and peer,</l> +<l>Each in his place, were standing near:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Let all my treasurers to-day,</q></l> +<l>Set foremost in the long array,</l> +<l>With gold and precious gems supplied</l> +<l>In bounteous store, together ride.</l> +<l>And send you out a mighty force,</l> +<l>Foot, chariot, elephant, and horse.</l> +<l>Besides, let many a car of state,</l> +<l>And noblest steeds, my will await.</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha, Vámadeva sage,</l> +<l>And Márkaṇdeya's reverend age,</l> +<l>Jáváli, Kaśyap's godlike seed,</l> +<l>And wise Kátyáyana, shall lead.</l> +<l>Thy care, Sumantra, let it be</l> +<l>To yoke a chariot now for me,</l> +<l>That so we part without delay:</l> +<l><q rend="post">These envoys hasten me away.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">So fared he forth. That host, with speed,</l> +<l>Quadruple, as the king decreed,</l> +<l>With priests to head the bright array,</l> +<l>Followed the monarch on his way.</l> +<l>Four days they travelled on the road,</l> +<l>And eve Videha's kingdom showed.</l> +<l>Janak had left his royal seat</l> +<l>The venerable king to greet,</l> +<l>And, noblest, with these words addressed</l> +<l>That noblest lord, his happy guest:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hail, best of kings: a blessed fate</q></l> +<l>Has led thee, Monarch, to my state.</l> +<l>Thy sons, supreme in high emprise,</l> +<l>Will gladden now their father's eyes.</l> +<l>And high my fate, that hither leads</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha, bright with holy deeds,</l> +<l>Girt with these sages far-renowned,</l> +<l>Like Indra with the Gods around.</l> +<l>Joy! joy! for vanquished are my foes:</l> +<l>Joy! for my house in glory grows,</l> +<l>With Raghu's noblest sons allied,</l> +<l>Supreme in strength and valour's pride.</l> +<l>To-morrow with its early light</l> +<l>Will shine on my completed rite.</l> +<l>Then, sanctioned by the saints and thee,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The marriage of thy Ráma see.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Daśaratha, best of those</l> +<l>Whose speech in graceful order flows,</l> +<l>With gathered saints on every side,</l> +<l>Thus to the lord of earth replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">A truth is this I long have known,</q></l> +<l>A favour is the giver's own.</l> +<l>What thou shalt bid, O good and true,</l> +<l><q rend="post">We, as our power permits, will do.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That answer of the truthful lord,</l> +<l>With virtuous worth and honour stored,</l> +<l>Janak, Videha's noble king,</l> +<l>Heard gladly, greatly marvelling.</l> +<l>With bosoms filled with pleasure met</l> +<l>Long-parted saint and anchoret,</l> +<l>And linked in friendship's tie they spent</l> +<l>The peaceful night in great content.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Ráma and Lakshmaṇ thither sped,</l> +<l>By sainted Viśvámitra led,</l> +<l>And bent in filial love to greet</l> +<l>Their father, and embraced his feet.</l> +<l>The aged king, rejoiced to hear</l> +<l>And see again his children dear,</l> +<l>Honoured by Janak's thoughtful care,</l> +<l>With great enjoyment rested there.</l> +<l>King Janak, with attentive heed,</l> +<l>Consulted first his daughters' need,</l> +<l>And ordered all to speed the rite;</l> +<l>Then rested also for the night.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LXX"/> +<head>Canto LXX. The Maidens Sought.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then with the morn's returning sun.</l> +<l>King Janak, when his rites were done,</l> +<l>Skilled all the charms of speech to know,</l> +<l>Spoke to wise Śatánanda so:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My brother, lord of glorious fame,</q></l> +<l>My younger, Kuśadhwaj by name,</l> +<l>Whose virtuous life has won renown,</l> +<l>Has settled in a lovely town,</l> +<l>Sánkáśyá, decked with grace divine,</l> +<l>Whose glories bright as Pushpak's shine,</l> +<l>While Ikshumatí rolls her wave</l> +<l>Her lofty rampart's foot to lave.</l> +<l>Him, holy priest, I long to see:</l> +<l>The guardian of my rite is he:</l> +<l>That my dear brother may not miss</l> +<l><q rend="post">A share of mine expected bliss.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus in the presence of the priest</l> +<l>The royal Janak spoke, and ceased.</l> +<l>Then came his henchmen, prompt and brave,</l> +<pb n="081"/><anchor id="Pg081"/> +<l>To whom his charge the monarch gave.</l> +<l>Soon as they heard his will, in haste</l> +<l>With fleetest steeds away they raced,</l> +<l>To lead with them that lord of kings,</l> +<l>As Indra's call Lord Vishṇu brings.</l> +<l>Sánkáśyá's walls they duly gained,</l> +<l>And audience of the king obtained.</l> +<l>To him they told the news they brought</l> +<l>Of marvels past and Janak's thought.</l> +<l>Soon as the king the story knew</l> +<l>From those good envoys swift and true,</l> +<l>To Janak's wish he gave assent,</l> +<l>And swift to Míthilá he went.</l> +<l>He paid to Janak reverence due,</l> +<l>And holy Śatánanda too,</l> +<l>Then sate him on a glorious seat</l> +<l>For kings or Gods celestial meet.</l> +<l>Soon as the brothers, noble pair</l> +<l>Peerless in might, were seated there,</l> +<l>They gave the wise Sudáman, best</l> +<l>Of councillors, their high behest:</l> +<l><q>Go, noble councillor,</q> they cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">And hither to our presence guide</q></l> +<l>Ikshváku's son, Ayodhyá's lord,</l> +<l>Invincible by foeman's sword,</l> +<l>With both his sons, each holy seer,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And every minister and peer.</q></l> +<l>Sudáman to the palace flew,</l> +<l>And saw the mighty king who threw</l> +<l>Splendour on Raghu's splendid race,</l> +<l>Then bowed his head with seemly grace:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O King, whose hand Ayodhyá sways,</q></l> +<l>My lord, whom Míthilá obeys,</l> +<l>Yearns with desire, if thou agree,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thee with thy guide and priest to see.</q></l> +<l>Soon as the councillor had ceased,</l> +<l>The king, with saint and peer and priest,</l> +<l>Sought, speeding through the palace gate,</l> +<l>The hall where Janak held his state.</l> +<l>There, with his nobles round him spread,</l> +<l>Thus to Videha's lord be said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thou knowest, King, whose aid divine</q></l> +<l>Protects Ikshváku's royal line.</l> +<l>In every need, whate'er befall,</l> +<l>The saint Vaśishṭha speaks for all.</l> +<l>If Viśvámitra so allow,</l> +<l>And all the saints around me now,</l> +<l>The sage will speak, at my desire,</l> +<l><q rend="post">As order and the truth require.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Soon as the king his lips had stilled,</l> +<l>Up rose Vaśishṭha, speaker skilled.</l> +<l>And to Videha's lord began</l> +<l>In flowing words that holy man:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">From viewless Nature Brahmá rose,</q></l> +<l>No change, no end, no waste he knows.</l> +<l>A son had he Maríchi styled,</l> +<l>And Kaśyap was Maríchi's child.</l> +<l>From him Vivasvat sprang: from him</l> +<l>Manu whose fame shall ne'er be dim.</l> +<l>Manu, who life to mortals gave,</l> +<l>Begot Ikshváku good and brave.</l> +<l>First of Ayodhyá's kings was he,</l> +<l>Pride of her famous dynasty.</l> +<l>From him the glorious Kukshi sprang,</l> +<l>Whose fame through all the regions rang.</l> +<l>Rival of Kukshi's ancient fame,</l> +<l>His heir, the great Vikukshi, came,</l> +<l>His son was Váṇa, lord of might;</l> +<l>His Anaraṇya, strong to fight.</l> +<l>His son was Prithu, glorious name;</l> +<l>From him the good Triśanku came.</l> +<l>He left a son renowned afar,</l> +<l>Known by the name of Dhundhumár.</l> +<l>His son, who drove the mighty car,</l> +<l>Was Yuvanáśva, feared in war.</l> +<l>He passed away. Him followed then</l> +<l>His son Mándhátá, king of men.</l> +<l>His son was blest in high emprise,</l> +<l>Susandhi, fortunate and wise.</l> +<l>Two noble sons had he, to wit</l> +<l>Dhruvasandhi and Prasenajit.</l> +<l>Bharat was Dhruvasandhi's son,</l> +<l>And glorious fame that monarch won.</l> +<l>The warrior Asit he begot.</l> +<l>Asit had warfare, fierce and hot,</l> +<l>With rival kings in many a spot,</l> +<l>Haihayas, Tálajanghas styled,</l> +<l>And Śaśivindus, strong and wild.</l> +<l>Long time he strove, but forced to yield</l> +<l>Fled from his kingdom and the field.</l> +<l>With his two wives away he fled</l> +<l>Where high Himálaya lifts his head,</l> +<l>And, all his wealth and glory past,</l> +<l>He paid the dues of Fate at last.</l> +<l>The wives he left had both conceived—</l> +<l>So is the ancient tale believed—</l> +<l>One, of her rival's hopes afraid</l> +<l>Fell poison in her viands laid.</l> +<l>It chanced that Chyavan, Bhrigu's child,</l> +<l>Had wandered to that pathless wild,</l> +<l>And there Himálaya's lovely height</l> +<l>Detained him with a strange delight.</l> +<l>There came the other widowed queen,</l> +<l>With lotus eyes and beauteous mien,</l> +<l>Longing a noble son to bear,</l> +<l>And wooed the saint with earnest prayer.</l> +<l>When thus Kálindi,<note place="foot">A different lady from the Goddess of +the Jumna who bears the same name.</note> fairest dame,</l> +<l>With reverent supplication came,</l> +<l>To her the holy sage replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Born with the poison from thy side,</q></l> +<l>O happy Queen, shall spring ere long</l> +<l>An infant fortunate and strong.</l> +<l>Then weep no more, and check thy sighs,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Sweet lady of the lotus eyes.</q></l> +<l>The queen, who loved her perished lord,</l> +<l>For meet reply, the saint adored,</l> +<l>And, of her husband long bereaved,</l> +<l>She bore a son by him conceived.</l> +<l>Because her rival mixed the bane</l> +<pb n="082"/><anchor id="Pg082"/> +<l>To render her conception vain,</l> +<l>And fruit unripened to destroy,</l> +<l>Sagar<note place="foot">This is another fanciful derivation, +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Sa</foreign>—with, and +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">gara</foreign>—poison.</note> +she called her darling boy.</l> +<l>To Sagar Asamanj was heir:</l> +<l>Bright Anśumán his consort bare.</l> +<l>Anśumán's son, Dilípa famed,</l> +<l>Begot a son Bhagírath named.</l> +<l>From him the great Kakutstha rose:</l> +<l>From him came Raghu, feared by foes,</l> +<l>Of him sprang Purushádak bold,</l> +<l>Fierce hero of gigantic mould:</l> +<l>Kalmáshapáda's name he bore,</l> +<l>Because his feet were spotted o'er.<note place="foot"><foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Purushádak</foreign> means a cannibal. First +called <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Kalmáshapáda</foreign> +on account of his spotted feet he is said to have been turned +into a cannibal for killing the son of +Vaśishṭha.</note></l> +<l>From him came Śankaṇ, and from him</l> +<l>Sudarśan, fair in face and limb.</l> +<l>From beautiful Sudarśan came</l> +<l>Prince Agnivarṇa, bright as flame.</l> +<l>His son was Śíghraga, for speed</l> +<l>Unmatched; and Maru was his seed.</l> +<l>Praśuśruka was Maru's child;</l> +<l>His son was Ambarísha styled.</l> +<l>Nahush was Ambarísha's heir,</l> +<l>The mighty lord of regions fair:</l> +<l>Nahush begot Yayáti: he,</l> +<l>Nábhág of happy destiny.</l> +<l>Son of Nábhág was Aja: his,</l> +<l>The glorious Daśaratha is,</l> +<l>Whose noble children boast to be</l> +<l>Ráma and Lakshmaṇ, whom we see.</l> +<l>Thus do those kings of purest race</l> +<l>Their lineage from Ikshváku trace:</l> +<l>Their hero lives the right maintained,</l> +<l>Their lips with falsehood ne'er were stained.</l> +<l>In Ráma's and in Lakshmaṇ's name</l> +<l>Thy daughters as their wives I claim,</l> +<l>So shall in equal bands be tied</l> +<l><q rend="post">Each peerless youth with peerless bride.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LXXI"/> +<head>Canto LXXI. Janak's Pedigree.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then to the saint supremely wise</l> +<l>King Janak spoke in suppliant guise:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Deign, Hermit, with attentive ear,</q></l> +<l>Mv race's origin to hear.</l> +<l>When kings a daughter's hand bestow,</l> +<l>'Tis right their line and fame to show.</l> +<l>There was a king whose deeds and worth</l> +<l>Spread wide his name through heaven and earth,</l> +<l>Nimi, most virtuous e'en from youth,</l> +<l>The best of all who love the truth.</l> +<l>His son and heir was Mithi, and</l> +<l>His Janak, first who ruled this land.</l> +<l>He left a son Udávasu,</l> +<l>Blest with all virtues, good and true.</l> +<l>His son was Nandivardhan, dear</l> +<l>For pious heart and worth sincere.</l> +<l>His son Suketu, hero brave,</l> +<l>To Devarát, existence gave.</l> +<l>King Devarát, a royal sage,</l> +<l>For virtue, glory of the age,</l> +<l>Begot Vrihadratha; and he</l> +<l>Begot, his worthy heir to be,</l> +<l>The splendid hero Mahábír</l> +<l>Who long in glory governed here.</l> +<l>His son was Sudhriti, a youth</l> +<l>Firm in his purpose, brave in sooth,</l> +<l>His son was Dhrisṭaketu, blest</l> +<l>With pious will and holy breast.</l> +<l>The fame of royal saint he won:</l> +<l>Haryaśva was his princely son.</l> +<l>Haryaśva's son was Maru, who</l> +<l>Begot Pratíndhak, wise and true.</l> +<l>Next Kírtiratha held the throne,</l> +<l>His son, for gentle virtues known.</l> +<l>Then followed Devamidha, then</l> +<l>Vibudh, Mahándhrak, kings of men.</l> +<l>Mahándhrak's son, of boundless might,</l> +<l>Was Kírtirát, who loved the right.</l> +<l>He passed away, a sainted king,</l> +<l>And Maháromá following</l> +<l>To Swarṇaromá left the state.</l> +<l>Then Hraśvaromá, good and great,</l> +<l>Succeeded, and to him a pair</l> +<l>Of sons his royal consort bare,</l> +<l>Elder of these I boast to be:</l> +<l>Brave Kuśadhwaj is next to me.<note place="foot"><q>In the setting forth of these +royal genealogies the Bengal recension varies but slightly from the Northern. The first +six names of the genealogy of the Kings of Ayodhyá are partly theogonical and +partly cosmogonical; the other names are no doubt in accordance with tradition and +deserve the same amount of credence as the ancient traditional genealogies of +other nations.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</note></l> +<l>Me then, the elder of the twain,</l> +<l>My sire anointed here to reign.</l> +<l>He bade me tend my brother well,</l> +<l>Then to the forest went to dwell.</l> +<l>He sought the heavens, and I sustained</l> +<l>The burden as by law ordained,</l> +<l>And noble Kuśadhwaj, the peer</l> +<l>Of Gods, I ever held most dear.</l> +<l>Then came Sánkáśyá's mighty lord,</l> +<l>Sudhanvá, threatening siege and sword,</l> +<l>And bade me swift on him bestow</l> +<l>Śiva's incomparable bow,</l> +<pb n="083"/><anchor id="Pg083"/> +<l>And Sítá of the lotus eyes:</l> +<l>But I refused each peerless prize.</l> +<l>Then, host to host, we met the foes,</l> +<l>And fierce the din of battle rose,</l> +<l>Sudhanvá, foremost of his band,</l> +<l>Fell smitten by my single hand.</l> +<l>When thus Sánkáśyá's lord was slain,</l> +<l>I sanctified, as laws ordain,</l> +<l>My brother in his stead to reign,</l> +<l>Thus are we brothers, Saint most high</l> +<l>The younger he, the elder I.</l> +<l>Now, mighty Sage, my spirit joys</l> +<l>To give these maidens to the boys.</l> +<l>Let Sítá be to Ráma tied.</l> +<l>And Urmilá be Lakshmaṇ's bride.</l> +<l>First give, O King, the gift of cows,</l> +<l>As dowry of each royal spouse,</l> +<l>Due offerings to the spirits pay,</l> +<l>And solemnize the wedding-day.</l> +<l>The moon tonight, O royal Sage,</l> +<l>In Maghá's<note place="foot">The tenth of the lunar asterisms, composed +of five stars.</note> House takes harbourage;</l> +<l>On the third night his rays benign</l> +<l>In second Phálguni<note place="foot">There are two lunar asterisms of this +name, one following the other immediately, forming the eleventh and twelfth of the +lunar mansions.</note> will shine:</l> +<l>Be that the day, with prosperous fate,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The nuptial rites to celebrate.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LXXII"/> +<head>Canto LXXII. The Gift Of Kine.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When royal Janak's words were done,</l> +<l>Joined with Vaśishṭha Kuśik's son,</l> +<l>The mighty sage began his speech:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No mind may soar, no thought can reach</q></l> +<l>The glories of Ikshváku's line,</l> +<l>Or, great Videha's King, of thine:</l> +<l>None in the whole wide world may vie</l> +<l>With them in fame and honours high.</l> +<l>Well matched, I ween, in holy bands,</l> +<l>These peerless pairs will join their hands.</l> +<l>But hear me as I speak once more;</l> +<l>Thy brother, skilled in duty's lore,</l> +<l>Has at his home a royal pair</l> +<l>Of daughters most divinely fair.</l> +<l>I for the hands of these sweet two</l> +<l>For Bharat and Śatrughna sue,</l> +<l>Both princes of heroic mould,</l> +<l>Wise, fair of form, and lofty-souled.</l> +<l>All Daśaratha's sons, I ween,</l> +<l>Own each young grace of form and mien:</l> +<l>Brave as the Gods are they, nor yield</l> +<l>To the great Lords the worlds who shield.</l> +<l>By these, good Prince of merits high,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Ikshváku's house with thine ally.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The suit the holy sage preferred,</l> +<l>With willing ear the monarch heard:</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha's lips the counsel praised:</l> +<l>Then spake the king with hands upraised:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now blest indeed my race I deem,</q></l> +<l>Which your high will, O Saints supreme,</l> +<l>With Daśaratha's house unites</l> +<l>In bonds of love and marriage rites.</l> +<l>So be it done. My nieces twain</l> +<l>Let Bharat and Śatrughna gain,</l> +<l>And the four youths the selfsame day</l> +<l>Four maiden hands in theirs shall lay.</l> +<l>No day so lucky may compare,</l> +<l>For marriage—so the wise declare—</l> +<l>With the last day of Phálguni</l> +<l><q rend="post">Ruled by the genial deity.</q></l> +<l>Then with raised hands in reverence due</l> +<l>To those arch-saints he spoke anew:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I am your pupil, ever true:</q></l> +<l>To me high favour have ye shown;</l> +<l>Come, sit ye on my royal throne,</l> +<l>For Daśaratha rules these towers</l> +<l>E'en as Ayodhyá now is ours.</l> +<l>Do with your own whate'er ye choose:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Your lordship here will none refuse.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke, and to Videha's king</l> +<l>Thus Daśaratha, answering:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Boundless your virtues, lords, whose sway</q></l> +<l>The realms of Mithilá obey.</l> +<l>With honouring care you entertain.</l> +<l>Both holy sage and royal train.</l> +<l>Now to my house my steps I bend—</l> +<l>May blessings still on you at end—</l> +<l><q rend="post">Due offerings to the shades to pay.</q></l> +<l>Thus spoke the king, and turned away:</l> +<l>To Janak first he bade adieu,</l> +<l>Then followed fast those holy two.</l> +<l>The monarch reached his palace where</l> +<l>The rites were paid with solemn care.</l> +<l>When the next sun began to shine</l> +<l>He rose and made his gift of kine.</l> +<l>A hundred thousand cows prepared</l> +<l>For each young prince the Bráhmans shared.</l> +<l>Each had her horns adorned with gold;</l> +<l>And duly was the number told,</l> +<l>Four hundred thousand perfect tale:</l> +<l>Each brought a calf, each filled a pail.</l> +<l>And when that glorious task was o'er,</l> +<l>The monarch with his children four,</l> +<l>Showed like the Lord of Life divine</l> +<l>When the worlds' guardians round him shine.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="084"/><anchor id="Pg084"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LXXIII"/> +<head>Canto LXXIII. The Nuptials.</head> + +<lg> +<l>On that same day that saw the king</l> +<l>His gift of kine distributing,</l> +<l>The lord of Kekaya's son, by name</l> +<l>Yudhájit, Bharat's uncle, came,</l> +<l>Asked of the monarch's health, and then</l> +<l>Addressed the reverend king of men:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The lord of Kekaya's realm by me</q></l> +<l>Sends greeting, noble King, to thee:</l> +<l>Asks if the friends thy prayers would bless</l> +<l>Uninterrupted health possess.</l> +<l>Right anxious, mighty King, is he</l> +<l>My sister's princely boy to see.</l> +<l>For this I sought Ayodhyá fair</l> +<l>The message of my sire to bear.</l> +<l>There learning, O my liege, that thou</l> +<l>With sons and noble kinsmen now</l> +<l>Wast resting here, I sought the place</l> +<l><q rend="post">Longing to see my nephew's face.</q></l> +<l>The king with kind observance cheered</l> +<l>His friend by tender ties endeared,</l> +<l>And every choicest honour pressed</l> +<l>Upon his honourable guest.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That night with all his children spent,</l> +<l>At morn King Daśaratha went,</l> +<l>Behind Vaśishṭha and the rest,</l> +<l>To the fair ground for rites addressed.</l> +<l>Then when the lucky hour was nigh</l> +<l>Called Victory, of omen high,</l> +<l>Came Ráma, after vow and prayer</l> +<l>For nuptial bliss and fortune fair,</l> +<l>With the three youths in bright attire,</l> +<l>And stood beside his royal sire.</l> +<l>To Janak then Vaśishṭha sped,</l> +<l>And to Videha's monarch said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O King, Ayodhyá's ruler now</q></l> +<l>Has breathed the prayer and vowed the vow,</l> +<l>And with his sons expecting stands</l> +<l>The giver of the maidens' hands.</l> +<l>The giver and the taker both</l> +<l>Must ratify a mutual oath.</l> +<l>Perform the part for which we wait,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And rites of marriage celebrate.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Skilled in the laws which Scriptures teach,</l> +<l>He answered thus Vaśishṭha's speech:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Saint, what warder bars the gate?</q></l> +<l>Whose bidding can the king await?</l> +<l>In one's own house what doubt is shown?</l> +<l>This kingdom, Sage, is all thine own.</l> +<l>E'en now the maidens may be found</l> +<l>Within the sacrificial ground:</l> +<l>Each vow is vowed and prayed each prayer,</l> +<l>And they, like fire, are shining there.</l> +<l>Here by the shrine my place I took</l> +<l>Expecting thee with eager look,</l> +<l>No bar the nuptial rites should stay:</l> +<l><q rend="post">What cause have we for more delay?</q></l> +<l>When Janak's speech the monarch heard,</l> +<l>To sons and saints he gave the word,</l> +<l>And set them in the holy ring,</l> +<l>Then to Vaśishṭha spoke the king</l> +<l>Of Mithilá: <q rend="pre">O mighty Sage,</q></l> +<l>Now let this task thy care engage,</l> +<l>And lend thine aid and counsel wise</l> +<l><q rend="post">The nuptial rites to solemnize.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The saint Vaśishṭha gave assent,</l> +<l>And quickly to the task he went,</l> +<l>With Viśvámitra, nothing loth,</l> +<l>And Śatánanda aiding both.</l> +<l>Then, as the rules prescribe, they made</l> +<l>An altar in the midst, and laid</l> +<l>Fresh wreaths of fragrant flowers thereon.</l> +<l>The golden ladles round it shone;</l> +<l>And many a vase, which branches hid</l> +<l>Fixed in the perforated lid,</l> +<l>And sprays, and cups, and censers there</l> +<l>Stood filled with incense rich and rare;</l> +<l>Shell-bowls, and spoons, and salvers dressed</l> +<l>With gifts that greet the honoured guest;</l> +<l>Piles of parched rice some dishes bore,</l> +<l>Others with corn prepared ran o'er;</l> +<l>And holy grass was duly spread</l> +<l>In equal lengths, while prayers were said.</l> +<l>Next chief of saints, Vaśishṭha came</l> +<l>And laid the offering in the flame.</l> +<l>Then by the hand King Janak drew</l> +<l>His Sítá, beautiful to view,</l> +<l>And placed her, bright in rich attire,</l> +<l>Ráma to face, before the fire,</l> +<l>Thus speaking to the royal boy</l> +<l>Who filled Kauśalyá's heart with joy:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Here Sítá stands, my daughter fair,</q></l> +<l>The duties of thy life to share.</l> +<l>Take from her father, take thy bride;</l> +<l>Join hand to hand, and bliss betide!</l> +<l>A faithful wife, most blest is she,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And as thy shade will follow thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus as he spoke the monarch threw</l> +<l>O'er her young limbs the holy dew,</l> +<l>While Gods and saints were heard to swell</l> +<l>The joyous cry, 'Tis well! 'Tis well!</l> +<l>His daughter Sítá thus bestowed,</l> +<l>O'er whom the sacred drops had flowed.</l> +<l>King Janak's heart with rapture glowed.</l> +<l>Then to Prince Lakshmaṇ thus he cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Take Urmilá thine offered bride,</q></l> +<l>And clasp her hand within thine own</l> +<l><q rend="post">Ere yet the lucky hour be flown.</q></l> +<l>Then to Prince Bharat thus cried he;</l> +<l><q>Come, take the hand of Mándavi.</q></l> +<l>Then to Śatrughna: <q rend="pre">In thy grasp</q></l> +<l>The hand of Srutakírti clasp.</l> +<l>Now, Raghu's sons, may all of you</l> +<l>Be gentle to your wives and true;</l> +<pb n="085"/><anchor id="Pg085"/> +<l>Keep well the vows you make to-day,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Nor let occasion slip away.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">King Janak's word the youths obeyed;</l> +<l>The maidens' hands in theirs they laid.</l> +<l>Then with their brides the princes went</l> +<l>With ordered steps and reverent</l> +<l>Round both the fire and Janak, round</l> +<l>The sages and the sacred ground.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A flowery flood of lucid dyes</l> +<l>In rain descended from the skies,</l> +<l>While with celestial voices blent</l> +<l>Sweet strains from many an instrument,</l> +<l>And the nymphs danced in joyous throng</l> +<l>Responsive to the minstrel's song.</l> +<l>Such signs of exultation they</l> +<l>Saw on the princes' wedding day.</l> +<l>Still rang the heavenly music's sound</l> +<l>When Raghu's sons thrice circled round</l> +<l>The fire, each one with reverent head,</l> +<l>And homeward then their brides they led.</l> +<l>They to the sumptuous palace hied</l> +<l>That Janak's care had seen supplied.</l> +<l>The monarch girt with saint and peer</l> +<l>Still fondly gazing followed near.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LXXIV"/> +<head>Canto LXXIV. Ráma With The Axe.<note place="foot">This is another Ráma, son of Jamadagni, +called Paraśuráma, or Ráma with the axe, from the weapon which he +carried. He was while he lived the terror of the Warrior caste, and his name recalls +long and fierce struggles between the sacerdotal and military order in which +the latter suffered severely at the hands of their implacable enemy.</note></head> + +<lg> +<l>Soon as the night had reached its close</l> +<l>The hermit Viśvámitra rose;</l> +<l>To both the kings he bade adieu</l> +<l>And to the northern hill withdrew.</l> +<l>Ayodhyá's lord of high renown</l> +<l>Received farewell, and sought his town.</l> +<l>Then as each daughter left her bower</l> +<l>King Janak gave a splendid dower,</l> +<l>Rugs, precious silks, a warrior force,</l> +<l>Cars, elephants, and foot, and horse,</l> +<l>Divine to see and well arrayed;</l> +<l>And many a skilful tiring-maid,</l> +<l>And many a young and trusty slave</l> +<l>The father of the ladies gave.</l> +<l>Silver and coral, gold and pearls</l> +<l>He gave to his beloved girls.</l> +<l>These precious gifts the king bestowed</l> +<l>And sped his guest upon his road.</l> +<l>The lord of Mithilá's sweet town</l> +<l>Rode to his court and lighted down.</l> +<l>Ayodhyá's monarch, glad and gay,</l> +<l>Led by the seers pursued his way</l> +<l>With his dear sons of lofty mind:</l> +<l>The royal army marched behind.</l> +<l>As on he fared the voice he heard</l> +<l>Around of many a dismal bird,</l> +<l>And every beast in wild affright</l> +<l>Began to hurry to the right.</l> +<l>The monarch to Vaśishṭha cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What strange misfortune will betide?</q></l> +<l>Why do the beasts in terror fly,</l> +<l>And birds of evil omen cry?</l> +<l>What is it shakes my heart with dread?</l> +<l><q rend="post">Why is my soul disquieted?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Soon as he heard, the mighty saint</l> +<l>Thus answered Daśaratha's plaint</l> +<l>In sweetest tone: <q rend="pre">Now, Monarch, mark,</q></l> +<l>And learn from me the meaning dark.</l> +<l>The voices of the birds of air</l> +<l>Great peril to the host declare:</l> +<l>The moving beasts the dread allay,</l> +<l><q rend="post">So drive thy whelming fear away,</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As he and Daśaratha spoke</l> +<l>A tempest from the welkin broke,</l> +<l>That shook the spacious earth amain</l> +<l>And hurled high trees upon the plain.</l> +<l>The sun grew dark with murky cloud,</l> +<l>And o'er the skies was cast a shroud,</l> +<l>While o'er the army, faint with dread,</l> +<l>A veil of dust and ashes spread.</l> +<l>King, princes, saints their sense retained,</l> +<l>Fear-stupefied the rest remained.</l> +<l>At length, their wits returning, all</l> +<l>Beneath the gloom and ashy pall</l> +<l>Saw Jamadagni's son with dread,</l> +<l>His long hair twisted round his head,</l> +<l>Who, sprung from Bhrigu, loved to beat</l> +<l>The proudest kings beneath his feet.</l> +<l>Firm as Kailása's hill he showed,</l> +<l>Fierce as the fire of doom he glowed.</l> +<l>His axe upon his shoulder lay,</l> +<l>His bow was ready for the fray,</l> +<l>With thirsty arrows wont to fly</l> +<l>Like Lightnings from the angry sky.</l> +<l>A long keen arrow forth he drew,</l> +<l>Invincible like those which flew</l> +<l>From Śiva's ever-conquering bow</l> +<l>And Tripura in death laid low.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When his wild form, that struck with awe,</l> +<l>Fearful as ravening flame, they saw,</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha and the saints whose care</l> +<l>Was sacrifice and muttered prayer,</l> +<l>Drew close together, each to each,</l> +<l>And questioned thus with bated speech:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Indignant at his father's fate</q></l> +<l>Will he on warriors vent his hate,</l> +<l>The slayers of his father slay,</l> +<l>And sweep the loathed race away?</l> +<l>But when of old his fury raged</l> +<l>Seas of their blood his wrath assuaged:</l> +<pb n="086"/><anchor id="Pg086"/> +<l>So doubtless now he has not planned</l> +<l><q rend="post">To slay all warriors in the land.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then with a gift the saints drew near</l> +<l>To Bhrigu's son whose look was fear,</l> +<l>And Ráma! Ráma! soft they cried.</l> +<l>The gift he took, no word replied.</l> +<l>Then Bhrigu's son his silence broke</l> +<l>And thus to Ráma Ráma spoke:</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LXXV"/> +<head>Canto LXXV. The Parle.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">Heroic Ráma, men proclaim</q></l> +<l>The marvels of thy matchless fame,</l> +<l>And I from loud-voiced rumour know</l> +<l>The exploit of the broken bow,</l> +<l>Yea, bent and broken, mighty Chief,</l> +<l>A feat most wondrous, past belief.</l> +<l>Stirred by thy fame thy face I sought:</l> +<l>A peerless bow I too have brought.</l> +<l>This mighty weapon, strong and dire,</l> +<l>Great Jamadagni owned, my sire.</l> +<l>Draw with its shaft my father's bow,</l> +<l>And thus thy might, O Ráma, show.</l> +<l>This proof of prowess let me see—</l> +<l>The weapon bent and drawn by thee;</l> +<l>Then single fight our strength shall try,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And this shall raise thy glory high.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">King Daśaratha heard with dread</l> +<l>The boastful speech, and thus he said;</l> +<l>Raising his hands in suppliant guise,</l> +<l>With pallid cheek and timid eyes:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Forgetful of the bloody feud</q></l> +<l>Ascetic toils hast thou pursued;</l> +<l>Then, Bráhman, let thy children be</l> +<l>Untroubled and from danger free.</l> +<l>Sprung of the race of Bhrigu, who</l> +<l>Read holy lore, to vows most true,</l> +<l>Thou swarest to the Thousand-eyed</l> +<l>And thy fierce axe was cast aside.</l> +<l>Thou turnedst to thy rites away</l> +<l>Leaving the earth to Kaśyap's sway,</l> +<l>And wentest far a grove to seek</l> +<l>Beneath Mahendra's<note place="foot"><q>The author of the +<hi rend='italic'>Raghuvaṅśa</hi> places +the mountain Mahendra in the territory of the king of the Kalingans, whose palace +commanded a view of the ocean. It is well known that the country along the +coast to the south of the mouths of the Ganges was the seat of this people. Hence +it may be suspected that this Mahendra is what Pliny calls <q>promontorium Calingon.</q> +The modern name, <hi rend='italic'>Cape Palmyras</hi>, from the palmyras Borassus +flabelliformis, which abound there agrees remarkably with the description of the +poet who speaks of the groves of these trees. +<hi rend='italic'>Raghuvaṅśa</hi>, VI. 51.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel</hi>.</note> mountain peak.</l> +<l>Now, mighty Hermit, art thou here</l> +<l>To slay us all with doom severe?</l> +<l>For if alone my Ráma fall,</l> +<l><q rend="post">We share his fate and perish all.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As thus the aged sire complained</l> +<l>The mighty chief no answer deigned.</l> +<l>To Ráma only thus he cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Two bows, the Heavenly Artist's pride,</q></l> +<l>Celestial, peerless, vast, and strong,</l> +<l>By all the worlds were honoured long.</l> +<l>One to the Three-eyed God<note place="foot">Śiva.</note> was given,</l> +<l>By glory to the conflict driven,</l> +<l>Thus armed fierce Tripura he slew:</l> +<l>And then by thee 'twas burst in two.</l> +<l>The second bow, which few may brave,</l> +<l>The highest Gods to Vishṇu gave.</l> +<l>This bow I hold; before it fall</l> +<l>The foeman's fenced tower and wall.</l> +<l>Then prayed the Gods the Sire Most High</l> +<l>By some unerring proof to try</l> +<l>Were praise for might Lord Vishṇu's due,</l> +<l>Or his whose Neck is stained with Blue.<note place="foot">Siva. God of the Azure +Neck.</note></l> +<l>The mighty Sire their wishes knew,</l> +<l>And he whose lips are ever true</l> +<l>Caused the two Gods to meet as foes.</l> +<l>Then fierce the rage of battle rose:</l> +<l>Bristled in dread each starting hair</l> +<l>As Śiva strove with Vishṇu there.</l> +<l>But Vishṇu raised his voice amain.</l> +<l>And Śiva's bowstring twanged in vain;</l> +<l>Its master of the Three bright Eyes</l> +<l>Stood fixt in fury and surprise.</l> +<l>Then all the dwellers in the sky,</l> +<l>Minstrel, and saint, and God drew nigh,</l> +<l>And prayed them that the strife might cease,</l> +<l>And the great rivals met in peace.</l> +<l>'Twas seen how Śiva's bow has failed</l> +<l>Unnerved, when Vishṇu's might assailed,</l> +<l>And Gods and heavenly sages thence</l> +<l>To Vishnu gave preëminence.</l> +<l>Then glorious Śiva in his rage</l> +<l>Gave it to Devarát the sage</l> +<l>Who ruled Videha's fertile land,</l> +<l>To pass it down from hand to hand.</l> +<l>But this my bow, whose shafts smite down</l> +<l>The foeman's fenced tower and town,</l> +<l>To great Richíka Vishṇu lent</l> +<l>To be a pledge and ornament,</l> +<l>Then Jamadagni, Bráhman dread,</l> +<l>My sire, the bow inherited.</l> +<l>But Arjun stooped to treachery vile</l> +<l>And slew my noble sire by guile,</l> +<l>Whose penance awful strength had gained,</l> +<l>Whose hand the God-given bow retained.</l> +<pb n="087"/><anchor id="Pg087"/> +<l>I heard indignant how he fell</l> +<l>By mournful fate, too sad to tell.</l> +<l>My vengeful fury since that time</l> +<l>Scourges all Warriors for the crime.</l> +<l>As generations spring to life</l> +<l>I war them down in endless strife.</l> +<l>All earth I brought beneath my sway,</l> +<l>And gave it for his meed and pay</l> +<l>To holy Kaśyap, when of yore</l> +<l>The rites performed by him were o'er.</l> +<l>Then to Mahendra's hill I turned</l> +<l>Strong in the strength that penance earned,</l> +<l>And toiled upon his lofty head</l> +<l>By Gods immortal visited.</l> +<l>The breaking of the bow I knew</l> +<l>From startled Gods conversing, through</l> +<l>The airy regions, of thy deed,</l> +<l>And hither came with swiftest speed.</l> +<l>Now, for thy Warrior's honour sake,</l> +<l>This best of bows, O Ráma, take:</l> +<l>This, owned by Vishṇu's self of old,</l> +<l>My sire and grandsire loved to hold.</l> +<l>Drawn to its head upon the string,</l> +<l>One town-destroying arrow bring;</l> +<l>If this thou can, O hero, I</l> +<l><q rend="post">In single fight thy strength will try.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LXXVI"/> +<head>Canto LXXVI. Debarred From Heaven.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The haughty challenge, undeterred</l> +<l>The son of Daśaratha heard,</l> +<l>And cried, while reverence for his sire</l> +<l>Checked the full torrent of his ire:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Before this day have I been told</q></l> +<l>The deed that stained thy hands of old.</l> +<l>But pity bids my soul forget:</l> +<l>Thy father, murdered, claimed the debt.</l> +<l>My strength, O Chief, thou deemest slight,</l> +<l>Too feeble for a Warrior's might.</l> +<l>Now will I show thy wondering eyes</l> +<l><q rend="post">The prowess which they dare despise.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He hastened then with graceful ease</l> +<l>That mighty bow and shaft to seize.</l> +<l>His hand the weapon strung and swayed:</l> +<l>The arrow on the string was laid.</l> +<l>Then Jamadagni's son he eyed,</l> +<l>And thus in words of fury cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thou art a Bráhman, still to be</q></l> +<l>Most highly honoured, Chief, by me.</l> +<l>For Viśvámitra's sake beside</l> +<l>Shall reverence due be ne'er denied.</l> +<l>Though mine the power, I would not send</l> +<l>A dart at thee thy life to end.</l> +<l>But thy great power to wander free,</l> +<l>Which penance-rites have won for thee,</l> +<l>Or glorious worlds from thee to wrest,</l> +<l>Is the firm purpose of my breast,</l> +<l>And Vishṇu's dart which now I strain</l> +<l>Can ne'er be shot to fall in vain:</l> +<l>It strikes the mighty, and it stuns</l> +<l><q rend="post">The madness of the haughty ones.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Gods, and saints and heavenly choir</l> +<l>Preceded by the General Sire,</l> +<l>Met in the air and gazed below</l> +<l>On Ráma with that wondrous bow.</l> +<l>Nymph, minstrel, angel, all were there,</l> +<l>Snake-God, and spirit of the air,</l> +<l>Giant, and bard, and gryphon, met,</l> +<l>Their eyes upon the marvel set.</l> +<l>In senseless hush the world was chained</l> +<l>While Ráma's hand the bow retained,</l> +<l>And Jamadagni's son amazed</l> +<l>And powerless on the hero gazed.</l> +<l>Then when his swelling heart had shrunk,</l> +<l>And his proud strength in torpor sunk,</l> +<l>Scarce his voice ventured, low and weak,</l> +<l>To Ráma lotus-eyed, to speak:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">When long ago I gave away</q></l> +<l>The whole broad land to Kaśyap's sway</l> +<l>He charged me never to remain</l> +<l>Within the limits of his reign.</l> +<l>Obedient to my guide's behest</l> +<l>On earth by night I never rest.</l> +<l>My choice is made, I will not dim</l> +<l>Mine honour and be false to him.</l> +<l>So, son of Raghu, leave me still</l> +<l>The power to wander where I will,</l> +<l>And swifter than the thought my flight</l> +<l>Shall place me on Mahendra's height.</l> +<l>My mansions of eternal joy,</l> +<l>By penance won, thou mayst destroy,</l> +<l>My path to these thy shaft may stay.</l> +<l>Now to the work! No more delay!</l> +<l>I know thee Lord of Gods; I know</l> +<l>Thy changeless might laid Madhu low.</l> +<l>All other hands would surely fail</l> +<l>To bend this bow. All hail! all hail!</l> +<l>See! all the Gods have left the skies</l> +<l>To bend on thee their eager eyes,</l> +<l>With whose achievements none compete,</l> +<l>Whose arm in war no God can meet.</l> +<l>No shame is mine, I ween, for thou,</l> +<l>Lord of the Worlds, hast dimmed my brow.</l> +<l>Now, pious Ráma, 'tis thy part</l> +<l>To shoot afar that glorious dart:</l> +<l>I, when the fatal shaft is shot,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Will seek that hill and tarry not.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased. The wondrous arrow flew,</l> +<l>And Jamadagni's offspring knew</l> +<l>Those glorious worlds to him were barred,</l> +<l>Once gained by penance long and hard.</l> +<l>Then straight the airy quarters cleared,</l> +<l>And the mid regions bright appeared,</l> +<l>While Gods and saints unnumbered praised</l> +<l>Ráma, the mighty bow who raised.</l> +<l>And Jamadagni's son, o'erawed.</l> +<l>Extolled his name with highest laud,</l> +<pb n="088"/><anchor id="Pg088"/> +<l>With reverent steps around him strode,</l> +<l>Then hastened on his airy road.</l> +<l>Far from the sight of all he fled,</l> +<l>And rested on Mahendra's head.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoI-LXXVII"/> +<head>Canto LXXVII. Bharat's Departure.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Ráma with a cheerful mind</l> +<l>The bow to Varuṇ's hand resigned.</l> +<l>Due reverence to the saints he paid,</l> +<l>And thus addressed his sire dismayed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">As Bhrigu's son is far from view,</q></l> +<l>Now let the host its march pursue,</l> +<l>And to Ayodhyá's town proceed</l> +<l><q rend="post">In four-fold bands, with thee to lead.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">King Daśaratha thus addressed</l> +<l>His lips to Ráma's forehead pressed,</l> +<l>And held him to his aged breast.</l> +<l>Rejoiced in sooth was he to know</l> +<l>That Bhrigu's son had parted so,</l> +<l>And hailed a second life begun</l> +<l>For him and his victorious son.</l> +<l>He urged the host to speed renewed,</l> +<l>And soon Ayodhyá's gates he viewed.</l> +<l>High o'er the roofs gay pennons played;</l> +<l>Tabour and drum loud music made;</l> +<l>Fresh water cooled the royal road,</l> +<l>And flowers in bright profusion glowed.</l> +<l>Glad crowds with garlands thronged the ways</l> +<l>Rejoicing on their king to gaze</l> +<l>And all the town was bright and gay</l> +<l>Exalting in the festive day.</l> +<l>People and Bráhmans flocked to meet</l> +<l>Their monarch ere he gained the street.</l> +<l>The glorious king amid the throng</l> +<l>Rode with his glorious sons along,</l> +<l>And passed within his dear abode</l> +<l>That like Himálaya's mountain showed.</l> +<l>And there Kauśalyá, noble queen,</l> +<l>Sumitrá with her lovely mien,</l> +<l>Kaikeyí of the dainty waist,</l> +<l>And other dames his bowers who graced,</l> +<l>Stood in the palace side by side</l> +<l>And welcomed home each youthful bride:</l> +<l>Fair Sítá, lofty-fated dame,</l> +<l>Urmilá of the glorious fame,</l> +<l>And Kuśadhwaj's children fair,</l> +<l>With joyous greeting and with prayer,</l> +<l>As all in linen robes arrayed</l> +<l>With offerings at the altars prayed.</l> +<l>Due reverence paid to God above,</l> +<l>Each princess gave her soul to love,</l> +<l>And hidden in her inmost bower</l> +<l>Passed with her lord each blissful hour.</l> +<l>The royal youths, of spirit high,</l> +<l>With whom in valor none could vie,</l> +<l>Lived each within his palace bounds</l> +<l>Bright as Kuvera's pleasure-grounds,</l> +<l>With riches, troops of faithful friends,</l> +<l>And bliss that wedded life attends:</l> +<l>Brave princes trained in warlike skill,</l> +<l>And duteous to their father's will.</l> +<l>At length the monarch called one morn</l> +<l>Prince Bharat, of Kaikeyí born,</l> +<l>And cried: <q rend="pre">My son, within our gates</q></l> +<l>Lord Yudhájit thine uncle waits.</l> +<l>The son of Kekaya's king is he,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And came, my child, to summon thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Bharat for the road prepared,</l> +<l>And with Śatrughna forth he fared.</l> +<l>First to his sire he bade adieu,</l> +<l>Brave Ráma, and his mothers too.</l> +<l>Lord Yudhájit with joyful pride</l> +<l>Went forth, the brothers by his side,</l> +<l>And reached the city where he dwelt:</l> +<l>And mighty joy his father felt.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Ráma and Lakshmaṇ honoured still</l> +<l>Their godlike sire with duteous will.</l> +<l>Two constant guides for Ráma stood,</l> +<l>His father's wish, the people's good.</l> +<l>Attentive to the general weal</l> +<l>He thought and wrought to please and heal.</l> +<l>His mothers too he strove to please</l> +<l>With love and sonly courtesies.</l> +<l>At every time, in every spot,</l> +<l>His holy guides he ne'er forgot.</l> +<l>So for his virtues kind and true</l> +<l>Dearer and dearer Ráma grew</l> +<l>To Daśaratha, Bráhmans, all</l> +<l>In town and country, great and small.</l> +<l>And Ráma by his darling's side</l> +<l>Saw many a blissful season glide,</l> +<l>Lodged in her soul, each thought on her,</l> +<l>Lover, and friend, and worshipper.</l> +<l>He loved her for his father's voice</l> +<l>Had given her and approved the choice:</l> +<l>He loved her for each charm she wore</l> +<l>And her sweet virtues more and more.</l> +<l>So he her lord and second life</l> +<l>Dwelt in the bosom of his wife,</l> +<l>In double form, that, e'en apart,</l> +<l>Each heart could commune free with heart.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Still grew that child of Janak's race,</l> +<l>More goddess-fair in form and face,</l> +<l>The loveliest wife that e'er was seen,</l> +<l>In mortal mould sweet Beauty's Queen.</l> +<l>Then shone the son Kauśalyá bore,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With this bright dame allied,</l> +<l>Like Vishṇu whom the Gods adore,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With Lakshmi by his side.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +</div> + +<!-- End of Book I --> + +<pb n="089"/><anchor id="Pg089"/> + +<div rend="page-break-before: always"> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>BOOK II.</head> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-I"/> +<head>Canto I. The Heir Apparent.</head> + +<lg> +<l>So Bharat to his grandsire went</l> +<l>Obedient to the message sent,</l> +<l>And for his fond companion chose</l> +<l>Śatrughna slayer of his foes.<note place="foot">Śatrughna means slayer of foes, and +the word is repeated as an intensive epithet.</note></l> +<l>There Bharat for a time remained</l> +<l>With love and honour entertained,</l> +<l>King Aśvapati's constant care,</l> +<l>Beloved as a son and heir.</l> +<l>Yet ever, as they lived at ease,</l> +<l>While all around combined to please,</l> +<l>The aged sire they left behind</l> +<l>Was present to each hero's mind.</l> +<l>Nor could the king's fond memory stray</l> +<l>From his brave children far away,</l> +<l>Dear Bharat and Śatrughna dear,</l> +<l>Each Varuṇ's match or Indra's peer.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To all the princes, young and brave,</l> +<l>His soul with fond affection clave;</l> +<l>Around his loving heart they clung</l> +<l>Like arms from his own body sprung.<note place="foot">Alluding to the images of +Vishṇu, which have four arms, the four princes +being portions of the substance of that God.</note></l> +<l>But best and noblest of the four,</l> +<l>Good as the God whom all adore,</l> +<l>Lord of all virtues, undefiled,</l> +<l>His darling was his eldest child.</l> +<l>For he was beautiful and strong,</l> +<l>From envy free, the foe of wrong,</l> +<l>With all his father's virtues blest,</l> +<l>And peerless in the world confessed.</l> +<l>With placid soul he softly spoke:</l> +<l>No harsh reply could taunts provoke.</l> +<l>He ever loved the good and sage</l> +<l>Revered for virtue and for age,</l> +<l>And when his martial tasks were o'er</l> +<l>Sate listening to their peaceful lore.</l> +<l>Wise, modest, pure, he honoured eld,</l> +<l>His lips from lying tales withheld;</l> +<l>Due reverence to the Bráhmans gave,</l> +<l>And ruled each passion like a slave.</l> +<l>Most tender, prompt at duty's call,</l> +<l>Loved by all men he loved them all.</l> +<l>Proud of the duties of his race,</l> +<l>With spirit meet for Warrior's place.</l> +<l>He strove to win by glorious deed,</l> +<l>Throned with the Gods, a priceless meed.</l> +<l>With him in speech and quick reply</l> +<l>Vrihaspati might hardly vie,</l> +<l>But never would his accents flow</l> +<l>For evil or for empty show.</l> +<l>In art and science duly trained,</l> +<l>His student vow he well maintained;</l> +<l>He learnt the lore for princes fit,</l> +<l>The Vedas and their Holy Writ,</l> +<l>And with his well-drawn bow at last</l> +<l>His mighty father's fame surpassed.</l> +<l>Of birth exalted, truthful, just,</l> +<l>With vigorous hand, with noble trust,</l> +<l>Well taught by aged twice-born men</l> +<l>Who gain and right could clearly ken,</l> +<l>Full well the claims and bounds he knew</l> +<l>Of duty, gain, and pleasure too:</l> +<l>Of memory keen, of ready tact,</l> +<l>In civil business prompt to act.</l> +<l>Reserved, his features ne'er disclosed</l> +<l>What counsel in his heart reposed.</l> +<l>All idle rage and mirth controlled,</l> +<l>He knew the times to give and hold,</l> +<l>Firm in his faith, of steadfast will,</l> +<l>He sought no wrong, he spoke no ill:</l> +<l>Not rashly swift, not idly slow,</l> +<l>His faults and others' keen to know.</l> +<l>Each merit, by his subtle sense;</l> +<l>He matched with proper recompense.</l> +<l>He knew the means that wealth provide,</l> +<l>And with keen eye expense could guide.</l> +<l>Wild elephants could he reclaim,</l> +<l>And mettled steeds could mount and tame.</l> +<l>No arm like his the bow could wield,</l> +<l>Or drive the chariot to the field.</l> +<l>Skilled to attack, to deal the blow,</l> +<l>Or lead a host against the foe:</l> +<l>Yea, e'en infuriate Gods would fear</l> +<l>To meet his arm in full career.</l> +<l>As the great sun in noontide blaze</l> +<l>Is glorious with his world of rays,</l> +<l>So Ráma with these virtues shone</l> +<l>Which all men loved to gaze upon.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The aged monarch fain would rest,</l> +<l>And said within his weary breast,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Oh that I might, while living yet,</q></l> +<l>My Ráma o'er the kingdom set.</l> +<l>And see, before my course be run,</l> +<l>The hallowed drops anoint my son;</l> +<l>See all this spacious land obey,</l> +<l>From side to side, my first-born's sway,</l> +<l>And then, my life and joy complete,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Obtain in heaven a blissful seat!</q></l> +<l>In him the monarch saw combined</l> +<l>The fairest form, the noblest mind,</l> +<l>And counselled how his son might share,</l> +<l>The throne with him as Regent Heir.</l> +<l>For fearful signs in earth and sky,</l> +<l>And weakness warned him death was nigh:</l> +<l>But Ráma to the world endeared</l> +<l>By every grace his bosom cheered,</l> +<pb n="090"/><anchor id="Pg090"/> +<l>The moon of every eye, whose ray</l> +<l>Drove all his grief and fear away.</l> +<l>So duty urged that hour to seize,</l> +<l>Himself, his realm, to bless and please.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">From town and country, far and near,</l> +<l>He summoned people, prince, and peer.</l> +<l>To each he gave a meet abode,</l> +<l>And honoured all and gifts bestowed.</l> +<l>Then, splendid in his king's attire,</l> +<l>He viewed them, as the general Sire,</l> +<l>In glory of a God arrayed,</l> +<l>Looks on the creatures he has made.</l> +<l>But Kekaya's king he called not then</l> +<l>For haste, nor Janak, lord of men;</l> +<l>For after to each royal friend</l> +<l>The joyful tidings he would send.</l> +<l>Mid crowds from distant countries met</l> +<l>The king upon his throne was set;</l> +<l>Then honoured by the people, all</l> +<l>The rulers thronged into the hall.</l> +<l>On thrones assigned, each king in place</l> +<l>Looked silent on the monarch's face.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then girt by lords of high renown</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And throngs from hamlet and from town</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He showed in regal pride,</l> +<l>As, honoured by the radiant band</l> +<l>Of blessed Gods that round him stand,</l> +<l>Lord Indra, Thousand-eyed.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-II"/> +<head>Canto II. The People's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then to the full assembly bowed</l> +<l>The monarch, and addressed the crowd</l> +<l>With gracious speech, in accents loud</l> +<l>As heavenly drum or thunder-cloud:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Needs not to you who know declare</q></l> +<l>How ever with paternal care</l> +<l>My fathers of Ikshváku's line</l> +<l>Have ruled the realm which now is mine.</l> +<l>I too have taught my feet to tread</l> +<l>The pathway of the mighty dead,</l> +<l>And with fond care that never slept</l> +<l>Have, as I could, my people kept.</l> +<l>So toiling still, and ne'er remiss</l> +<l>For all my people's weal and bliss,</l> +<l>Beneath the white umbrella's<note place="foot">Chief of the insignia of imperial +dignity.</note> shade.</l> +<l>Old age is come and strength decayed.</l> +<l>Thousands of years have o'er me flown,</l> +<l>And generations round me grown</l> +<l>And passed away. I crave at length</l> +<l>Repose and ease for broken strength.</l> +<l>Feeble and worn I scarce can bear</l> +<l>The ruler's toil, the judge's care,</l> +<l>With royal dignity, a weight</l> +<l>That tries the young and temperate.</l> +<l>I long to rest, my labour done,</l> +<l>And in my place to set my son,</l> +<l>If to the twice-born gathered here</l> +<l>My counsel wise and good appear.</l> +<l>For greater gifts than mine adorn</l> +<l>Ráma my son, my eldest-born.</l> +<l>Like Indra brave, before him fall</l> +<l>The foeman's cities, tower and wall.</l> +<l>Him prince of men for power and might,</l> +<l>The best maintainer of the right,</l> +<l>Fair as the moon when nothing bars</l> +<l>His glory close to Pushya's stars,</l> +<l>Him with to-morrow's light I fain</l> +<l>Would throne the consort of my reign.</l> +<l>A worthy lord for you, I ween,</l> +<l>Marked as her own by Fortune's Queen.</l> +<l>The triple world itself would be</l> +<l>Well ruled by such a king as he.</l> +<l>To such high bliss and happy fate</l> +<l>Will I the country dedicate,</l> +<l>And my sad heart will cease to grieve</l> +<l>If he the precious charge receive.</l> +<l>Thus is my careful plan matured,</l> +<l>Thus for myself is rest secured;</l> +<l>Lieges, approve the words I say,</l> +<l>Or point ye out some wiser way.</l> +<l>Devise your prudent plan. My mind</l> +<l>Is fondly to this thought inclined,</l> +<l>But men by keen debating move</l> +<l><q rend="post">Some middle course which all approve.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The monarch ceased. In answer came</l> +<l>The joyous princes' glad acclaim.</l> +<l>So peacocks in the rain rejoice</l> +<l>And hail the cloud with lifted voice.</l> +<l>Murmurs of joy from thousands round</l> +<l>Shook the high palace with the sound.</l> +<l>Then when the gathered throng had learned</l> +<l>His will who right and gain discerned,</l> +<l>Peasant and townsman, priest and chief,</l> +<l>All met in consultation brief,</l> +<l>And soon agreed with one accord</l> +<l>Gave answer to their sovereign lord:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">King of the land, we know thee old:</q></l> +<l>Thousands of years have o'er thee rolled,</l> +<l>Ráma thy son, we pray, anoint,</l> +<l>And at thy side his place appoint</l> +<l>Our gallant prince, so brave and strong,</l> +<l>Riding in royal state along,</l> +<l>Our eyes with joyful pride will see</l> +<l><q rend="post">Screened by the shade that shelters thee.</q></l> +<l>Then spake the king again, as though</l> +<l>Their hearts' true wish he sought to know:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">These prayers for Ráma's rule suggest</q></l> +<l>One question to my doubting breast.</l> +<l>This thing, I pray, with truth explain:</l> +<l>Why would ye, while I justly reign,</l> +<l>That he, mine eldest son, should bear</l> +<l><q rend="post">His part with me as ruling heir?</q></l> +<l>Then all the people made reply,</l> +<l>Peasant and townsman, low and high:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Each noblest gift of form and mind,</q></l> +<pb n="091"/><anchor id="Pg091"/> +<l>O Monarch, in thy son we find.</l> +<l>Do thou the godlike virtues hear</l> +<l>Which Ráma to our hearts endear.</l> +<l>So richly blest with graces, none</l> +<l>In all the earth excels thy son:</l> +<l>Nay, who to match with him may claim</l> +<l>In truth, in justice, and in fame?</l> +<l>True to his promise, gentle, kind,</l> +<l>Unenvious, of grateful mind,</l> +<l>Versed in the law and firm of soul,</l> +<l>He keeps each sense with strict control.</l> +<l>With duteous care he loves to sit</l> +<l>By Bráhmans skilled in Holy Writ.</l> +<l>Hence brightest glory, ne'er to end,</l> +<l>And matchless fame his youth attend.</l> +<l>Skilled in the use of spear and shield,</l> +<l>And arms which heavenly warriors wield,</l> +<l>Supreme in war, unconquered yet</l> +<l>By man, fiend, God in battle met,</l> +<l>Whene'er in pomp of war he goes</l> +<l>'Gainst town or city of the foes,</l> +<l>He ever comes with Lakshmaṇ back</l> +<l>Victorious from the fierce attack.</l> +<l>Returning homeward from afar</l> +<l>Borne on his elephant or car,</l> +<l>He ever to the townsmen bends</l> +<l>And greets them as beloved friends,</l> +<l>Asks how each son, each servant thrives,</l> +<l>How fare our pupils, offerings, wives;</l> +<l>And like a father bids us tell,</l> +<l>Each for himself, that all is well.</l> +<l>If pain or grief the city tries</l> +<l>His heart is swift to sympathize.</l> +<l>When festive scenes our thoughts employ</l> +<l>He like a father shares the joy.</l> +<l>High is the fate, O King, that gave</l> +<l>Thy Ráma born to bless and save,</l> +<l>With filial virtues fair and mild</l> +<l>Like Kaśyap old Maríchi's child.</l> +<l>Hence to the kingdom's distant ends</l> +<l>One general prayer for him ascends.</l> +<l>Each man in town and country prays</l> +<l>For Ráma's strength, health, length of days.</l> +<l>With hearts sincere, their wish the same,</l> +<l>The tender girl, the aged dame,</l> +<l>Subject and stranger, peasant, hind,</l> +<l>One thought impressed on every mind,</l> +<l>At evening and at dawning day</l> +<l>To all the Gods for Ráma pray.</l> +<l>Do thou, O King, of grace comply,</l> +<l>And hear the people's longing cry,</l> +<l>And let us on the throne by thee</l> +<l>The lotus-tinted Ráma see.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">O thou who givest boons, attend;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A gracious ear, O Monarch, lend</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And for our weal install,</l> +<l>Consenting to our earnest prayer,</l> +<l>Thy godlike Ráma Regent Heir,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">Who seeks the good of all.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-III"/> +<head>Canto III. Dasaratha's Precepts.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The monarch with the prayer complied</l> +<l>Of suppliant hands, on every side</l> +<l>Uplifted like a lotus-bed:</l> +<l>And then these gracious words he said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Great joy and mighty fame are mine</q></l> +<l>Because your loving hearts incline,</l> +<l>In full assembly clearly shown</l> +<l><q rend="post">To place my Ráma on the throne.</q></l> +<l>Then to Vaśishṭha, standing near,</l> +<l>And Vámadeva loud and clear</l> +<l>The monarch spoke that all might hear:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">'Tis pure and lovely Chaitra now</q></l> +<l>When flowers are sweet on every bough;</l> +<l>All needful things with haste prepare</l> +<l><q rend="post">That Ráma be appointed heir.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then burst the people's rapture out</l> +<l>In loud acclaim and joyful shout;</l> +<l>And when the tumult slowly ceased</l> +<l>The king addressed the holy priest:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Give order, Saint, with watchful heed</q></l> +<l>For what the coming rite will need.</l> +<l>This day let all things ready wait</l> +<l><q rend="post">Mine eldest son to consecrate.</q></l> +<l>Best of all men of second birth</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha heard the lord of earth,</l> +<l>And gave commandment to the bands</l> +<l>Of servitors with lifted hands</l> +<l>Who waited on their master's eye:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now by to-morrow's dawn supply</q></l> +<l>Rich gold and herbs and gems of price</l> +<l>And offerings for the sacrifice,</l> +<l>Wreaths of white flowers and roasted rice,</l> +<l>And oil and honey, separate;</l> +<l>New garments and a car of state,</l> +<l>An elephant with lucky signs,</l> +<l>A fourfold host in ordered lines,</l> +<l>The white umbrella, and a pair</l> +<l>Of chowries,<note place="foot">Whisks, usually made of the long tails +of the Yak.</note> and a banner fair;</l> +<l>A hundred vases, row on row,</l> +<l>To shine like fire in splendid glow,</l> +<l>A tiger's mighty skin, a bull</l> +<l>With gilded horns most beautiful.</l> +<l>All these, at dawn of coming day,</l> +<l>Around the royal shrine array,</l> +<l>Where burns the fire's undying ray.</l> +<l>Each palace door, each city gate</l> +<l>With wreaths of sandal decorate.</l> +<l>And with the garlands' fragrant scent</l> +<l>Let clouds of incense-smoke be blent.</l> +<l>Let food of noble kind and taste</l> +<l>Be for a hundred thousand placed;</l> +<l>Fresh curds with streams of milk bedewed</l> +<l>To feed the Bráhman multitude.</l> +<pb n="092"/><anchor id="Pg092"/> +<l>With care be all their wants supplied.</l> +<l>And mid the twice-born chiefs divide</l> +<l>Rich largess, with the early morn,</l> +<l>And oil and curds and roasted corn.</l> +<l>Soon as the sun has shown his light</l> +<l>Pronounce the prayer to bless the rite,</l> +<l>And then be all the Bráhmans called</l> +<l>And in their ordered seats installed.</l> +<l>Let all musicians skilled to play,</l> +<l>And dancing-girls in bright array</l> +<l>Stand ready in the second ring</l> +<l>Within the palace of the king.</l> +<l>Each honoured tree, each holy shrine</l> +<l>With leaves and flowery wreaths entwine,</l> +<l>And here and there beneath the shade</l> +<l>Be food prepared and presents laid.</l> +<l>Then brightly clad, in warlike guise,</l> +<l>With long swords girt upon their thighs,</l> +<l>Let soldiers of the nobler sort</l> +<l><q rend="post">March to the monarch's splendid court.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus gave command the twice-born pair</l> +<l>To active servants stationed there.</l> +<l>Then hastened to the king and said</l> +<l>That all their task was duly sped,</l> +<l>The king to wise Sumantra spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now quick, my lord, thy chariot take,</q></l> +<l>And hither with thy swiftest speed</l> +<l><q rend="post">My son, my noble Ráma lead.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sumantra, ere the word was given,</l> +<l>His chariot from the court had driven,</l> +<l>And Ráma, best of all who ride</l> +<l>In cars, came sitting by his side.</l> +<l>The lords of men had hastened forth</l> +<l>From east and west and south and north,</l> +<l>Áryan and stranger, those who dwell</l> +<l>In the wild wood and on the fell,</l> +<l>And as the Gods to Indra, they</l> +<l>Showed honour to the king that day.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Like Vásav, when his glorious form</l> +<l>Is circled by the Gods of storm,</l> +<l>Girt in his hall by kings he saw</l> +<l>His car-borne Ráma near him draw,</l> +<l>Like him who rules the minstrel band</l> +<l>Of heaven;<note place="foot">Chitraratha, King of the Gandharvas.</note> +whose valour filled the land,</l> +<l>Of mighty arm and stately pride</l> +<l>Like a wild elephant in stride,</l> +<l>As fair in face as that fair stone</l> +<l>Dear to the moon, of moonbeams grown,<note place="foot">The Chandrakánta or +Moonstone, a sort of crystal supposed to be composed of congealed moonbeams.</note></l> +<l>With noble gifts and grace that took</l> +<l>The hearts of all, and chained each look,</l> +<l>World-cheering as the Lord of Rain</l> +<l>When floods relieve the parching plain.</l> +<l>The father, as the son came nigh,</l> +<l>Gazed with an ever-thirstier eye.</l> +<l>Sumantra helped the prince alight</l> +<l>From the good chariot passing bright,</l> +<l>And as to meet his sire he went</l> +<l>Followed behind him reverent.</l> +<l>Then Ráma clomb, the king to seek</l> +<l>That terrace like Kailása's peak,</l> +<l>And reached the presence of the king,</l> +<l>Sumantra closely following.</l> +<l>Before his father's face he came,</l> +<l>Raised suppliant hands and named his name,<note place="foot">A customary mark of +respect to a superior.</note></l> +<l>And bowing lowly as is meet</l> +<l>Paid reverence to the monarch's feet.</l> +<l>But soon as Daśaratha viewed</l> +<l>The prince in humble attitude,</l> +<l>He raised him by the hand in haste</l> +<l>And his beloved son embraced,</l> +<l>Then signed him to a glorious throne,</l> +<l>Gem-decked and golden, near his own.</l> +<l>Then Ráma, best of Raghu's line,</l> +<l>Made the fair seat with lustre shine</l> +<l>As when the orient sun upsprings</l> +<l>And his pure beam on Meru flings.</l> +<l>The glory flashed on roof and wall,</l> +<l>And with strange sheen suffused the hall,</l> +<l>As when the moon's pure rays are sent</l> +<l>Through autumn's star-lit firmament.</l> +<l>Then swelled his breast with joy and pride</l> +<l>As his dear son the father eyed,</l> +<l>E'en as himself more fair arrayed</l> +<l>In some clear mirror's face displayed.</l> +<l>The aged monarch gazed awhile,</l> +<l>Then thus addressed him with a smile,</l> +<l>As Kaśyap, whom the worlds revere,</l> +<l>Speaks for the Lord of Gods to hear:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O thou of all my sons most dear,</q></l> +<l>In virtue best, thy father's peer,</l> +<l>Child of my consort first in place,</l> +<l>Mine equal in her pride of race,</l> +<l>Because the people's hearts are bound</l> +<l>To thee by graces in thee found,</l> +<l>Be thou in Pushya's favouring hour</l> +<l>Made partner of my royal power.</l> +<l>I know that thou by nature's bent</l> +<l>Both modest art and excellent,</l> +<l>But though thy gifts no counsel need</l> +<l>My love suggests the friendly rede.</l> +<l>Mine own dear son, be modest still,</l> +<l>And rule each sense with earnest will.</l> +<l>Keep thou the evils far away</l> +<l>That spring from love and anger's sway.</l> +<l>Thy noble course alike pursue</l> +<l>In secret as in open view,</l> +<l>And every nerve, the love to gain</l> +<l>Of ministers and subjects, strain.</l> +<l>The happy prince who sees with pride</l> +<l>His thriving people satisfied;</l> +<l>Whose arsenals with arms are stored,</l> +<l>And treasury with golden hoard,—</l> +<pb n="093"/><anchor id="Pg093"/> +<l>His friends rejoice as joyed the Blest</l> +<l>When Amrit crowned their eager quest.</l> +<l>So well, my child, thy course maintain,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And from all ill thy soul refrain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The friends of Ráma, gathered nigh,</l> +<l>Longing their lord to gratify,</l> +<l>Ran to Kauśalyá's bower to tell</l> +<l>The tidings that would please her well.</l> +<l>She, host of dames, with many a gem,</l> +<l>And gold, and kine rewarded them.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma paid the reverence due,</l> +<l>Mounted the chariot, and withdrew,</l> +<l>And to his splendid dwelling drove</l> +<l>While crowds to show him honour strove.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The people, when the monarch's speech</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Their willing ears had heard,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Were wild with joy as though on each</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Great gifts had been conferred.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With meek and low salute each man</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Turned to his home away,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And there with happy heart began</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">To all the Gods to pray.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-IV"/> +<head>Canto IV. Ráma Summoned.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The crowd dismissed, to high debate</l> +<l>The monarch called his peers of state,</l> +<l>And, counsel from their lips obtained,</l> +<l>Firm in his will his will explained:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">To-morrow with auspicious ray</q></l> +<l>The moon in Pushya's sign will stay;</l> +<l>Be that the time with happy fate</l> +<l>Mine eldest son to consecrate,</l> +<l>And let my Ráma, lotus-eyed,</l> +<l><q rend="post">As Regent o'er the state preside.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He sought, within, his charioteer,</l> +<l>And cried <q>Again bring Ráma here.</q></l> +<l>To Ráma's home Sumantra hied</l> +<l>Again to be the prince's guide.</l> +<l>His coming, told to Ráma's ear,</l> +<l>Suggested anxious doubt and fear.</l> +<l>He bade the messenger be led</l> +<l>That instant in, and thus he said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Tell me the cause, omitting naught,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Why thou again my house hast sought.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The envoy answered: <q rend="pre">Prince, thy sire</q></l> +<l>Has sent thy presence to require.</l> +<l>My sender known, 'tis thine to say</l> +<l><q rend="post">If thou wilt go or answer nay.</q></l> +<l>Then Ráma, when he heard his speech,</l> +<l>Made haste the royal court to reach.</l> +<l>Soon as the monarch was aware</l> +<l>His dearest son was waiting there,</l> +<l>Eager the parley to begin</l> +<l>He bade them lead the prince within,</l> +<l>Soon as he passed the chamber door</l> +<l>The hero bent him to the floor,</l> +<l>And at a distance from his seat</l> +<l>Raised his joined hands his sire to greet.</l> +<l>The monarch raised him from the ground,</l> +<l>And loving arms about him wound,</l> +<l>Then pointed to a seat that shone</l> +<l>With gold for him to rest upon.</l> +<l><q>Aged am I,</q> he said, <q rend="pre">and worn;</q></l> +<l>In life's best joys my share have borne;</l> +<l>Rites to the Gods, in hundreds, paid,</l> +<l>With gifts of corn and largess made.</l> +<l>I yearned for sons: my life is blest</l> +<l>With them and thee of sons the best.</l> +<l>No debt to saints or Bráhmans, no,</l> +<l>Nor spirits, Gods, or self I owe.</l> +<l>One duty now remains alone,</l> +<l>To set thee on thy father's throne.</l> +<l>Now therefore, Ráma, hear my rede,</l> +<l>And mark my words with duteous heed:</l> +<l>This day the peoples' general voice,</l> +<l>Elects thee king of love and choice,</l> +<l>And I, consenting to the prayer,</l> +<l>Will make thee, darling, Regent Heir.</l> +<l>Dread visions, each returning night,</l> +<l>With evil omens scare my sight.</l> +<l>Red meteors with a fearful sound</l> +<l>Shoot wildly downward to the ground,</l> +<l>While tempests lash the troubled air;</l> +<l>And they who read the stars declare</l> +<l>That, leagued against my natal sign,</l> +<l>Ráhu,<note place="foot">Ráhu, the ascending node, is in mythology +a demon with the tail of a dragon whose head was severed from his body +by Vishṇu, but being immortal, the head and tail retained their separate existence +and being transferred to the stellar sphere became the authors of eclipses; the first +especially by endeavouring to swallow the sun and moon.</note> +the Sun,<note place="foot">In eclipse.</note> and Mars combine.</l> +<l>When portents dire as these appear,</l> +<l>A monarch's death or woe is near.</l> +<l>Then while my senses yet are spared,</l> +<l>And thought and will are unimpaired,</l> +<l>Be thou, my son, anointed king:</l> +<l>Men's fancy is a fickle thing.</l> +<l>To-day the moon, in order due,</l> +<l>Entered the sign Punarvasu,<note place="foot">The seventh of the lunar +asterisms.</note></l> +<l>To-morrow, as the wise foretell,</l> +<l>In Pushya's favouring stars will dwell:</l> +<l>Then on the throne shalt thou be placed.</l> +<l>My soul, prophetic, counsels haste:</l> +<l>Thee, O my son, to-morrow I</l> +<l>As Regent Heir will sanctify.</l> +<l>So till the coming night be passed</l> +<l>Do thou and Sítá strictly fast:</l> +<l>From worldly thoughts thy soul refrain,</l> +<l>And couched on holy grass remain.</l> +<pb n="094"/><anchor id="Pg094"/> +<l>And let thy trusted lords attend</l> +<l>In careful watch upon their friend,</l> +<l>For, unexpected, check and bar</l> +<l>Our weightiest counsels often mar.</l> +<l>While Bharat too is far away</l> +<l>Making with royal kin his stay,</l> +<l>I deem the fittest time of all</l> +<l>Thee, chosen Regent, to install.</l> +<l>It may be Bharat still has stood</l> +<l>True to the counsels of the good,</l> +<l>Faithful to thee with tender trust,</l> +<l>With governed senses, pure and just.</l> +<l>But human minds, too well I know,</l> +<l>Will sudden changes undergo,</l> +<l>And by their constant deeds alone</l> +<l>The virtue of the good is shown.</l> +<l>Now, Ráma, go. My son, good night!</l> +<l><q rend="post">Fixt is to-morrow for the rite.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma paid the reverence due,</l> +<l>And quickly to his home withdrew.</l> +<l>He passed within, nor lingered there,</l> +<l>But sought his mother's mansion, where</l> +<l>The dame in linen robes arrayed</l> +<l>Devoutly in the chapel prayed</l> +<l>To Fortune's Queen, with utterance checked,</l> +<l>That she her Ráma would protect.</l> +<l>There was Sumitrá too, and there</l> +<l>Was Lakshmaṇ led by loving care:</l> +<l>And when the royal choice they knew</l> +<l>Sítá in haste was summoned too.</l> +<l>Absorbed, with half-shut eyes, the queen</l> +<l>Attended by the three was seen.</l> +<l>She knew that Pushya's lucky hour</l> +<l>Would raise her son to royal power,</l> +<l>So fixed with bated breath each thought</l> +<l>On God supreme, by all men sought.</l> +<l>To her, as thus she knelt and prayed,</l> +<l>Ráma drew near, due reverence paid,</l> +<l>And then to swell his mother's joy,</l> +<l>Thus spoke her own beloved boy;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O mother dear, my sire's decree</q></l> +<l>Entrusts the people's weal to me.</l> +<l>To-morrow I, for so his will,</l> +<l>Anointed king, the throne shall fill.</l> +<l>The few last hours till night shall end</l> +<l>Sítá with me must fasting spend,</l> +<l>For so my father has decreed,</l> +<l>And holy priests with him agreed.</l> +<l>What vows soever thou mayst deem</l> +<l>My consecration's eve beseem,</l> +<l>Do thou, sweet mother, for my sake</l> +<l><q rend="post">And for beloved Sítá's make.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When the glad news Kauśalyá heard,</l> +<l>So long desired, so long deferred,</l> +<l>While tears of joy her utterance broke,</l> +<l>In answer to her son she spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Long be thy life, my darling: now</q></l> +<l>Thy prostrate foes before thee bow.</l> +<l>Live long and with thy bright success</l> +<l>My friends and dear Sumitrá's bless.</l> +<l>Surely the stars were wondrous fair</l> +<l>When thee, sweet son, thy mother bare,</l> +<l>That thy good gifts such love inspire</l> +<l>And win the favour of thy sire.</l> +<l>With thee I travailed not in vain;</l> +<l>Those lotus eyes reward my pain,</l> +<l>And all the glory of the line</l> +<l><q rend="post">Of old Ikshváku will be thine.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He smiled, and on his brother gazed</l> +<l>Who sate with reverent hands upraised,</l> +<l>And said: <q rend="pre">My brother, thou must be</q></l> +<l>Joint-ruler of this land with me.</l> +<l>My second self thou, Lakshmaṇ, art,</l> +<l>And in my fortune bearest part.</l> +<l>Be thine, Sumitrá's son, to know</l> +<l>The joys from regal power that flow.</l> +<l>My life itself, the monarch's seat,</l> +<l><q rend="post">For thy dear sake to me are sweet.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma to his brother said,</l> +<l>To both his mothers<note place="foot">Kauśalyá and Sumitrá.</note> bowed his head,</l> +<l>And then with Sítá by his side</l> +<l>To his own house the hero hied.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-V"/> +<head>Canto V. Ráma's Fast.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Saint Vaśishṭha to the king</l> +<l>Came ready at his summoning.</l> +<l><q>Now go,</q> exclaimed the monarch, <q rend="pre">thou</q></l> +<l>Enriched by fervent rite and vow,</l> +<l>For Ráma and his wife ordain</l> +<l><q rend="post">The fast, that joy may bless his reign.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The best of those who Scripture know</l> +<l>Said to the king, <q>My lord, I go.</q></l> +<l>To Ráma's house Vaśishṭha hied,</l> +<l>The hero's fast by rule to guide,</l> +<l>And skilled in sacred texts to tell</l> +<l>Each step to him instructed well.</l> +<l>Straight to Prince Ráma's high abode,</l> +<l>That like a cloud pale-tinted showed,</l> +<l>Borne in his priestly car he rode.</l> +<l>Two courts he passed, and in the third</l> +<l>He stayed his car. Then Ráma heard</l> +<l>The holy sage was come, and flew</l> +<l>To honour him with honour due.</l> +<l>He hastened to the car and lent</l> +<l>His hand to aid the priest's descent.</l> +<l>Then spoke Vaśishṭha words like these,</l> +<l>Pleased with his reverent courtesies,</l> +<l>With pleasant things his heart to cheer</l> +<l>Who best deserved glad news to hear:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Prince, thou hast won thy father's grace,</q></l> +<l>And thine will be the Regent's place:</l> +<l>Now with thy Sítá, as is right,</l> +<l>In strictest fasting spend the night,</l> +<pb n="095"/><anchor id="Pg095"/> +<l>For when the morrow's dawn is fair</l> +<l>The king will consecrate his heir:</l> +<l>So Nahush,<note place="foot">A king of the Lunar race, and father +of Yayáti.</note> as the wise relate,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Yayáti joyed to consecrate.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus having said, Vaśishṭha next</l> +<l>Ordained the fast by rule and text,</l> +<l>For Ráma faithful to his vows</l> +<l>And the Videhan dame his spouse.</l> +<l>Then from the prince's house he hied</l> +<l>With courteous honours gratified.</l> +<l>Round Ráma gathered every friend</l> +<l>In pleasant talk a while to spend.</l> +<l>He bade good night to all at last,</l> +<l>And to his inner chamber passed.</l> +<l>Then Ráma's house shone bright and gay</l> +<l>With men and maids in glad array,</l> +<l>As in the morning some fair lake</l> +<l>When all her lotuses awake,</l> +<l>And every bird that loves the flood</l> +<l>Flits joyous round each opening bud.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Forth from the house Vaśishṭha drove,</l> +<l>That with the king's in splendour strove,</l> +<l>And all the royal street he viewed</l> +<l>Filled with a mighty multitude</l> +<l>The eager concourse blocked each square,</l> +<l>Each road and lane and thoroughfare,</l> +<l>And joyous shouts on every side</l> +<l>Rose like the roar of Ocean's tide,</l> +<l>As streams of men together came</l> +<l>With loud huzza and glad acclaim.</l> +<l>The ways were watered, swept and clean,</l> +<l>And decked with flowers and garlands green</l> +<l>And all Ayodhyá shone arrayed</l> +<l>With banners on the roofs that played.</l> +<l>Men, women, boys with eager eyes,</l> +<l>Expecting when the sun should rise,</l> +<l>Stood longing for the herald ray</l> +<l>Of Ráma's consecration day,</l> +<l>To see, a source of joy to all,</l> +<l>The people-honoured festival.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The priest advancing slowly through</l> +<l>The mighty crowd he cleft in two,</l> +<l>Near to the monarch's palace drew.</l> +<l>He sought the terrace, by the stair,</l> +<l>Like a white cloud-peak high in air,</l> +<l>The reverend king of men to meet</l> +<l>Who sate upon his splendid seat:</l> +<l>Thus will Vṛihaspati arise</l> +<l>To meet the monarch of the skies.</l> +<l>But when the king his coming knew,</l> +<l>He left his throne and near him drew</l> +<l>Questioned by him Vaśishṭha said</l> +<l>That all his task was duly sped.</l> +<l>Then all who sate there, honouring</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha, rose as rose the king.</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha bade his lord adieu,</l> +<l>And all the peers, dismissed, withdrew.</l> +<l>Then as a royal lion seeks</l> +<l>His cave beneath the rocky peaks,</l> +<l>So to the chambers where abode</l> +<l>His consorts Daśaratha strode.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Full-thronged were those delightful bowers</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">With women richly dressed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And splendid as the radiant towers</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Where Indra loves to rest.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then brighter flashed a thousand eyes</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">With the light his presence lent,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As, when the moon begins to rise</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The star thronged firmament.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-VI"/> +<head>Canto VI. The City Decorated.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Ráma bathed in order due,</l> +<l>His mind from worldly thoughts withdrew,</l> +<l>And with his large-eyed wife besought</l> +<l>Náráyaṇ, as a votary ought.</l> +<l>Upon his head the brimming cup</l> +<l>Of holy oil he lifted up,</l> +<l>Then placed within the kindled fire</l> +<l>The offering to that heavenly Sire,</l> +<l>And as he sipped the remnant prayed</l> +<l>To Him for blessing and for aid.</l> +<l>Then with still lips and tranquil mind</l> +<l>With his Videhan he reclined,</l> +<l>In Vishṇu's chapel, on a bed</l> +<l>Where holy grass was duly spread,</l> +<l>While still the prince's every thought</l> +<l>The God supreme, Náráyaṇ, sought.</l> +<l>One watch remained the night to close</l> +<l>When Ráma from his couch arose,</l> +<l>And bade the men and maids adorn</l> +<l>His palace for the solemn morn.</l> +<l>He heard the bards and heralds raise</l> +<l>Auspicious strains of joy and praise;</l> +<l>And breathed devout, with voice restrained,</l> +<l>The hymn for morning rites ordained;</l> +<l>Then, with his head in reverence bowed,</l> +<l>Praised Madhu's conquering foe aloud,</l> +<l>And, in pure linen robes arrayed,</l> +<l>The priests to raise their voices prayed.</l> +<l>Obedient to the summons they</l> +<l>Proclaimed to all the festal day.</l> +<l>The Bráhmans' voices, deep and sweet,</l> +<l>Resounded through the crowded street,</l> +<l>And echoed through Ayodhyá went</l> +<l>By many a loud-toned instrument.</l> +<l>Then all the people joyed to hear</l> +<l>That Ráma with his consort dear</l> +<l>Had fasted till the morning light</l> +<l>In preparation for the rite.</l> +<l>Swiftly the joyful tidings through</l> +<l>Ayodhyá's crowded city flew,</l> +<l>And soon as dawn appeared, each man</l> +<l>To decorate the town began.</l> +<pb n="096"/><anchor id="Pg096"/> +<l>In all the temples bright and fair</l> +<l>As white clouds towering in the air,</l> +<l>In streets, and where the cross-ways met,</l> +<l>Where holy fig-trees had been set,</l> +<l>In open square, in sacred shade,</l> +<l>Where merchants' shops their wealth displayed,</l> +<l>On all the mansions of the great,</l> +<l>And householders of wealth and state,</l> +<l>Where'er the people loved to meet,</l> +<l>Where'er a tree adorned the street,</l> +<l>Gay banners floated to the wind,</l> +<l>And ribands round the staves were twined.</l> +<l>Then clear the singers' voices rang,</l> +<l>As, charming mind and ear, they sang.</l> +<l>Here players shone in bright attire,</l> +<l>There dancing women swelled the quire.</l> +<l>Each with his friend had much to say</l> +<l>Of Ráma's consecration-day:</l> +<l>Yea, even children, as they played</l> +<l>At cottage doors beneath the shade.</l> +<l>The royal street with flowers was strown</l> +<l>Which loving hands in heaps had thrown,</l> +<l>And here and there rich incense lent</l> +<l>Its fragrance to the garland's scent;</l> +<l>And all was fresh and fair and bright</l> +<l>In honour of the coming rite.</l> +<l>With careful foresight to illume</l> +<l>With borrowed blaze the midnight gloom,</l> +<l>The crowds erected here and there</l> +<l>Trees in each street gay lamps to bear.</l> +<l>The city thus from side to side</l> +<l>In festal guise was beautified.</l> +<l>The people of the town who longed</l> +<l>To view the rite together thronged,</l> +<l>And filling every court and square</l> +<l>Praised the good king in converse there:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Our high-souled king! He throws a grace</q></l> +<l>On old Ikshváku's royal race.</l> +<l>He feels his years' increasing weight,</l> +<l>And makes his son associate.</l> +<l>Great joy to us the choice will bring</l> +<l>Of Ráma for our lord and king.</l> +<l>The good and bad to him are known,</l> +<l>And long will he protect his own.</l> +<l>No pride his prudent breast may swell,</l> +<l>Most just, he loves his brothers well,</l> +<l>And to us all that love extends,</l> +<l>Cherished as brothers and as friends.</l> +<l>Long may our lord in life remain,</l> +<l>Good Daśaratha, free from stain,</l> +<l>By whose most gracious favour we</l> +<l><q rend="post">Ráma anointed king shall see.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Such were the words the townsmen spoke</l> +<l>Heard by the gathering countryfolk,</l> +<l>Who from the south, north, east, and west,</l> +<l>Stirred by the joyful tidings, pressed.</l> +<l>For by their eager longing led</l> +<l>To Ráma's consecration sped</l> +<l>The villagers from every side,</l> +<l>And filled Ayodhyá's city wide.</l> +<l>This way and that way strayed the crowd,</l> +<l>While rose a murmur long and loud,</l> +<l>As when the full moon floods the skies</l> +<l>And Ocean's waves with thunder rise.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That town, like Indra's city fair,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">While peasants thronged her ways,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Tumultuous roared like Ocean, where</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Each flood-born monster plays.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-VII"/> +<head>Canto VII. Manthará's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>It chanced a slave-born handmaid, bred</l> +<l>With Queen Kaikeyí, fancy-led,</l> +<l>Mounted the stair and stood upon</l> +<l>The terrace like the moon that shone.</l> +<l>Thence Manthará at ease surveyed</l> +<l>Ayodhyá to her eyes displayed,</l> +<l>Where water cooled the royal street,</l> +<l>Where heaps of flowers were fresh and sweet,</l> +<l>And costly flags and pennons hung</l> +<l>On roof and tower their shadow flung;</l> +<l>With covered ways prepared in haste,</l> +<l>And many an awning newly placed;</l> +<l>With sandal-scented streams bedewed,</l> +<l>Thronged by a new bathed multitude:</l> +<l>Whose streets were full of Bráhman bands</l> +<l>With wreaths and sweetmeats in their hands.</l> +<l>Loud instruments their music raised,</l> +<l>And through the town, where'er she gazed,</l> +<l>The doors of temples glittered white,</l> +<l>And the maid marvelled at the sight.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Of Ráma's nurse who, standing by,</l> +<l>Gazed with a joy-expanded eye,</l> +<l>In robes of purest white attired,</l> +<l>The wondering damsel thus inquired:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Does Ráma's mother give away</q></l> +<l>Rich largess to the crowds to-day,</l> +<l>On some dear object fondly bent,</l> +<l>Or blest with measureless content?</l> +<l>What mean these signs of rare delight</l> +<l>On every side that meet my sight?</l> +<l>Say, will the king with joy elate</l> +<l><q rend="post">Some happy triumph celebrate?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The nurse, with transport uncontrolled,</l> +<l>Her glad tale to the hump-back told:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Our lord the king to-morrow morn</q></l> +<l>Will consecrate his eldest-born,</l> +<l>And raise, in Pushya's favouring hour,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Prince Ráma to the royal power.</q></l> +<l>As thus the nurse her tidings spoke,</l> +<l>Rage in the hump-back's breast awoke.</l> +<l>Down from the terrace, like the head</l> +<l>Of high Kailása's hill, she sped.</l> +<l>Sin in her thoughts, her soul aflame,</l> +<l>Where Queen Kaikeyí slept, she came:</l> +<pb n="097"/><anchor id="Pg097"/> +<l><q>Why sleepest thou?</q> she cried, <q rend="pre">arise,</q></l> +<l>Peril is near, unclose thine eyes.</l> +<l>Ah, heedless Queen, too blind to know</l> +<l>What floods of sin above thee flow!</l> +<l>Thy boasts of love and grace are o'er:</l> +<l>Thine is the show and nothing more.</l> +<l>His favour is an empty cheat,</l> +<l><q rend="post">A torrent dried by summer's heat.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus by the artful maid addressed</l> +<l>In cruel words from raging breast,</l> +<l>The queen, sore troubled, spoke in turn;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What evil news have I to learn?</q></l> +<l>That mournful eye, that altered cheek</l> +<l><q rend="post">Of sudden woe or danger speak.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Such were the words Kaikeyí said:</l> +<l>Then Manthará, her eyeballs red</l> +<l>With fury, skilled with treacherous art</l> +<l>To grieve yet more her lady's heart,</l> +<l>From Ráma, in her wicked hate,</l> +<l>Kaikeyí's love to alienate,</l> +<l>Upon her evil purpose bent</l> +<l>Began again most eloquent:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Peril awaits thee swift and sure,</q></l> +<l>And utter woe defying cure;</l> +<l>King Daśaratha will create</l> +<l>Prince Ráma Heir Associate.</l> +<l>Plunged in the depths of wild despair,</l> +<l>My soul a prey to pain and care,</l> +<l>As though the flames consumed me, zeal</l> +<l>Has brought me for my lady's weal,</l> +<l>Thy grief, my Queen, is grief to me:</l> +<l>Thy gain my greatest gain would be.</l> +<l>Proud daughter of a princely line,</l> +<l>The rights of consort queen are thine.</l> +<l>How art thou, born of royal race,</l> +<l>Blind to the crimes that kings debase?</l> +<l>Thy lord is gracious, to deceive,</l> +<l>And flatters, but thy soul to grieve,</l> +<l>While thy pure heart that thinks no sin</l> +<l>Knows not the snares that hem thee in.</l> +<l>Thy husband's lips on thee bestow</l> +<l>Soft soothing word, an empty show:</l> +<l>The wealth, the substance, and the power</l> +<l>This day will be Kauśalyá's dower.</l> +<l>With crafty soul thy child he sends</l> +<l>To dwell among thy distant friends,</l> +<l>And, every rival far from sight,</l> +<l>To Ráma gives the power and might.</l> +<l>Ah me! for thou, unhappy dame,</l> +<l>Deluded by a husband's name,</l> +<l>With more than mother's love hast pressed</l> +<l>A serpent to thy heedless breast,</l> +<l>And cherished him who works thee woe,</l> +<l>No husband but a deadly foe.</l> +<l>For like a snake, unconscious Queen,</l> +<l>Or enemy who stabs unseen,</l> +<l>King Daśaratha all untrue</l> +<l>Has dealt with thee and Bharat too.</l> +<l>Ah, simple lady, long beguiled</l> +<l>By his soft words who falsely smiled!</l> +<l>Poor victim of the guileless breast,</l> +<l>A happier fate thou meritest.</l> +<l>For thee and thine destruction waits</l> +<l>When he Prince Ráma consecrates.</l> +<l>Up, lady, while there yet is time;</l> +<l>Preserve thyself, prevent the crime.</l> +<l>Up, from thy careless ease, and free</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thyself, O Queen, thy son, and me!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Delighted at the words she said,</l> +<l>Kaikeyí lifted from the bed,</l> +<l>Like autumn's moon, her radiant head,</l> +<l>And joyous at the tidings gave</l> +<l>A jewel to the hump-back slave;</l> +<l>And as she gave the precious toy</l> +<l>She cried in her exceeding joy:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Take this, dear maiden, for thy news</q></l> +<l>Most grateful to mine ear, and choose</l> +<l>What grace beside most fitly may</l> +<l>The welcome messenger repay.</l> +<l>I joy that Ráma gains the throne:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Kauśalyá's son is as mine own.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-VIII"/> +<head>Canto VIII. Manthará's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The damsel's breast with fury burned:</l> +<l>She answered, as the gift she spurned:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What time, O simple Queen, is this</q></l> +<l>For idle dreams of fancied bliss?</l> +<l>Hast thou not sense thy state to know,</l> +<l>Engulfed in seas of whelming woe;</l> +<l>Sick as I am with grief and pain</l> +<l>My lips can scarce a laugh restrain</l> +<l>To see thee hail with ill-timed joy</l> +<l>A peril mighty to destroy.</l> +<l>I mourn for one so fondly blind:</l> +<l>What woman of a prudent mind</l> +<l>Would welcome, e'en as thou hast done,</l> +<l>The lordship of a rival's son,</l> +<l>Rejoiced to find her secret foe</l> +<l>Empowered, like death, to launch the blow;</l> +<l>I see that Ráma still must fear</l> +<l>Thy Bharat, to his throne too near.</l> +<l>Hence is my heart disquieted,</l> +<l>For those who fear are those we dread.</l> +<l>Lakshmaṇ, the mighty bow who draws,</l> +<l>With all his soul serves Ráma's cause;</l> +<l>And chains as strong to Bharat bind</l> +<l>Śatrughna, with his heart and mind,</l> +<l>Now next to Ráma, lady fair,</l> +<l>Thy Bharat is the lawful heir:</l> +<l>And far remote, I ween, the chance</l> +<l>That might the younger two advance.</l> +<l>Yes, Queen, 'tis Ráma that I dread,</l> +<l>Wise, prompt, in warlike science bred;</l> +<l>And oh, I tremble when I think</l> +<l>Of thy dear child on ruin's brink.</l> +<pb n="098"/><anchor id="Pg098"/> +<l>Blest with a lofty fate is she,</l> +<l>Kauśalyá; for her son will be</l> +<l>Placed, when the moon and Pushya meet,</l> +<l>By Bráhmans on the royal seat,</l> +<l>Thou as a slave in suppliant guise</l> +<l>Must wait upon Kauśalyá's eyes,</l> +<l>With all her wealth and bliss secured</l> +<l>And glorious from her foes assured.</l> +<l>Her slave with us who serve thee, thou</l> +<l>Wilt see thy son to Ráma bow,</l> +<l>And Sítá's friends exult o'er all,</l> +<l><q rend="post">While Bharat's wife shares Bharat's fall.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As thus the maid in wrath complained,</l> +<l>Kaikeyí saw her heart was pained,</l> +<l>And answered eager in defence</l> +<l>Of Ráma's worth and excellence:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Nay, Ráma, born the monarch's heir,</q></l> +<l>By holy fathers trained with care,</l> +<l>Virtuous, grateful, pure, and true,</l> +<l>Claims royal sway as rightly due.</l> +<l>He, like a sire, will long defend</l> +<l>Each brother, minister, and friend.</l> +<l>Then why, O hump-back, art thou pained</l> +<l>To hear that he the throne has gained?</l> +<l>Be sure when Ráma's empire ends,</l> +<l>The kingdom to my son descends,</l> +<l>Who, when a hundred years are flown,</l> +<l>Shall sit upon his fathers' throne.</l> +<l>Why is thine heart thus sad to see</l> +<l>The joy that is and long shall be,</l> +<l>This fortune by possession sure</l> +<l>And hopes which we may count secure?</l> +<l>Dear as the darling son I bore</l> +<l>Is Ráma, yea, or even more.</l> +<l>Most duteous to Kauśalyá, he</l> +<l>Is yet more dutiful to me.</l> +<l>What though he rule, we need not fear:</l> +<l>His brethren to his soul are dear.</l> +<l>And if the throne Prince Ráma fill</l> +<l><q rend="post">Bharat will share the empire still.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She ceased. The troubled damsel sighed</l> +<l>Sighs long and hot, and thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What madness has possessed thy mind,</q></l> +<l>To warnings deaf, to dangers blind?</l> +<l>Canst thou not see the floods of woe</l> +<l>That threaten o'er thine head to flow:</l> +<l>First Ráma will the throne acquire,</l> +<l>Then Ráma's son succeed his sire,</l> +<l>While Bharat will neglected pine</l> +<l>Excluded from the royal line.</l> +<l>Not all his sons, O lady fair,</l> +<l>The kingdom of a monarch share:</l> +<l>All ruling when a sovereign dies</l> +<l>Wild tumult in the state would rise.</l> +<l>The eldest, be he good or ill,</l> +<l>Is ruler by the father's will.</l> +<l>Know, tender mother, that thy son</l> +<l>Without a friend and all undone,</l> +<l>Far from the joyous ease of home</l> +<l>An alien from his race will roam.</l> +<l>I sped to thee for whom I feel,</l> +<l>But thy fond heart mistakes my zeal,</l> +<l>Thy hand a present would bestow</l> +<l>Because thy rival triumphs so.</l> +<l>When Ráma once begins his sway</l> +<l>Without a foe his will to stay,</l> +<l>Thy darling Bharat he will drive</l> +<l>To distant lands if left alive.</l> +<l>By thee the child was sent away</l> +<l>Beneath his grandsire's roof to stay.</l> +<l>Even in stocks and stones perforce</l> +<l>Will friendship spring from intercourse.</l> +<l>The young Śatrughna too would go</l> +<l>With Bharat, for he loved him so.</l> +<l>As Lakshmaṇ still to Ráma cleaves,</l> +<l>He his dear Bharat never leaves.</l> +<l>There is an ancient tale they tell:</l> +<l>A tree the foresters would fell</l> +<l>Was saved by reeds that round it stood,</l> +<l>For love that sprang of neighbourhood.</l> +<l>So Lakshmaṇ Ráma will defend,</l> +<l>And each on each for aid depend.</l> +<l>Such fame on earth their friendship wins</l> +<l>As that which binds the Heavenly Twins.</l> +<l>And Ráma ne'er will purpose wrong</l> +<l>To Lakshmaṇ, for their love is strong.</l> +<l>But Bharat, Oh, of this be sure,</l> +<l>Must evil at his hands endure.</l> +<l>Come, Ráma from his home expel</l> +<l>An exile in the woods to dwell.</l> +<l>The plan, O Queen, which I advise</l> +<l>Secures thy weal if thou be wise.</l> +<l>So we and all thy kith and kin</l> +<l>Advantage from thy gain shall win.</l> +<l>Shall Bharat, meet for happier fate,</l> +<l>Born to endure his rival's hate,</l> +<l>With all his fortune ruined cower</l> +<l>And dread his brother's mightier power!</l> +<l>Up, Queen, to save thy son, arise;</l> +<l>Prostrate at Ráma's feet he lies.</l> +<l>So the proud elephant who leads</l> +<l>His trooping consorts through the reeds</l> +<l>Falls in the forest shade beneath</l> +<l>The lion's spring and murderous teeth.</l> +<l>Scorned by thee in thy bliss and pride</l> +<l>Kauśalyá was of old defied,</l> +<l>And will she now forbear to show</l> +<l>The vengeful rancour of a foe?</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">O Queen, thy darling is undone</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Ráma's hand has once begun</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Ayodhyá's realm to sway,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Come, win the kingdom for thy child</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And drive the alien to the wild</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">In banishment to-day.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-IX"/> +<head>Canto IX. The Plot.</head> + +<lg> +<l>As fury lit Kaikeyí's eyes</l> +<l>She spoke with long and burning sighs:</l> +<pb n="099"/><anchor id="Pg099"/> +<l><q rend="pre">This day my son enthroned shall see,</q></l> +<l>And Ráma to the woods shall flee.</l> +<l>But tell me, damsel, if thou can,</l> +<l>A certain way, a skilful plan</l> +<l>That Bharat may the empire gain,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And Ráma's hopes be nursed in vain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The lady ceased. The wicked maid</l> +<l>The mandate of her queen obeyed,</l> +<l>And darkly plotting Ráma's fall</l> +<l>Responded to Kaikeyí's call.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">I will declare, do thou attend,</q></l> +<l>How Bharat may his throne ascend.</l> +<l>Dost thou forget what things befell?</l> +<l>Or dost thou feign, remembering well?</l> +<l>Or wouldst thou hear my tongue repeat</l> +<l>A story for thy need so meet?</l> +<l>Gay lady, if thy will be so,</l> +<l>Now hear the tale of long ago,</l> +<l>And when my tongue has done its part</l> +<l>Ponder the story in thine heart.</l> +<l>When Gods and demons fought of old,</l> +<l>Thy lord, with royal saints enrolled,</l> +<l>Sped to the war with thee to bring</l> +<l>His might to aid the Immortals' King.</l> +<l>Far to the southern land he sped</l> +<l>Where Daṇḍak's mighty wilds are spread,</l> +<l>To Vaijayanta's city swayed</l> +<l>By Śambara, whose flag displayd</l> +<l>The hugest monster of the sea.</l> +<l>Lord of a hundred wiles was be;</l> +<l>With might which Gods could never blame</l> +<l>Against the King of Heaven he came.</l> +<l>Then raged the battle wild and dread,</l> +<l>And mortal warriors fought and bled;</l> +<l>The fiends by night with strength renewed</l> +<l>Charged, slew the sleeping multitude.</l> +<l>Thy lord, King Daśaratha, long</l> +<l>Stood fighting with the demon throng,</l> +<l>But long of arm, unmatched in strength,</l> +<l>Fell wounded by their darts at length.</l> +<l>Thy husband, senseless, by thine aid</l> +<l>Was from the battle field conveyed,</l> +<l>And wounded nigh to death thy lord</l> +<l>Was by thy care to health restored.</l> +<l>Well pleased the grateful monarch sware</l> +<l>To grant thy first and second prayer.</l> +<l>Thou for no favour then wouldst sue,</l> +<l>The gifts reserved for season due;</l> +<l>And he, thy high-souled lord, agreed</l> +<l>To give the boons when thou shouldst need.</l> +<l>Myself I knew not what befell,</l> +<l>But oft the tale have heard thee tell,</l> +<l>And close to thee in friendship knit</l> +<l>Deep in my heart have treasured it.</l> +<l>Remind thy husband of his oath,</l> +<l>Recall the boons and claim them both,</l> +<l>That Bharat on the throne be placed</l> +<l>With rites of consecration graced,</l> +<l>And Ráma to the woods be sent</l> +<l>For twice seven years of banishment.</l> +<l>Go, Queen, the mourner's chamber<note place="foot">Literally <hi rend='italic'>the +chamber of wrath,</hi> a <q><hi rend='italic'>growlery</hi>,</q> a small, dark, +unfurnished room to which it seems, the wives and ladies of the king betook themselves +when offended and sulky.</note> seek,</l> +<l>With angry eye and burning cheek;</l> +<l>And with disordered robes and hair</l> +<l>On the cold earth lie prostrate there.</l> +<l>When the king comes still mournful lie,</l> +<l>Speak not a word nor meet his eye,</l> +<l>But let thy tears in torrent flow,</l> +<l>And lie enamoured of thy woe.</l> +<l>Well do I know thou long hast been,</l> +<l>And ever art, his darling queen.</l> +<l>For thy dear sake, O well-loved dame,</l> +<l>The mighty king would brave the flame,</l> +<l>But ne'er would anger thee, or brook</l> +<l>To meet his favourite's wrathful look.</l> +<l>Thy loving lord would even die</l> +<l>Thy fancy, Queen, to gratify,</l> +<l>And never could he arm his breast</l> +<l>To answer nay to thy request.</l> +<l>Listen and learn, O dull of sense,</l> +<l>Thine all-resistless influence.</l> +<l>Gems he will offer, pearls and gold:</l> +<l>Refuse his gifts, be stern and cold.</l> +<l>Those proffered boons at length recall,</l> +<l>And claim them till he grants thee all.</l> +<l>And O my lady, high in bliss,</l> +<l>With heedful thought forget not this.</l> +<l>When from the ground his queen he lifts</l> +<l>And grants again the promised gifts,</l> +<l>Bind him with oaths he cannot break</l> +<l>And thy demands unflnching, make.</l> +<l>That Ráma travel to the wild</l> +<l>Five years and nine from home exiled,</l> +<l>And Bharat, best of all who reign,</l> +<l>The empire of the land obtain.</l> +<l>For when this term of years has fled</l> +<l>Over the banished Ráma's head,</l> +<l>Thy royal son to vigour grown</l> +<l>And rooted firm will stand alone.</l> +<l>The king, I know, is well inclined,</l> +<l>And this the hour to move his mind.</l> +<l>Be bold: the threatened rite prevent,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And force the king from his intent.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She ceased. So counselled to her bane</l> +<l>Disguised beneath a show of gain,</l> +<l>Kaikeyí in her joy and pride</l> +<l>To Manthará again replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy sense I envy, prudent maid;</q></l> +<l>With sagest lore thy lids persuade.</l> +<l>No hump-back maid in all the earth,</l> +<l>For wise resolve, can match thy worth.</l> +<l>Thou art alone with constant zeal</l> +<l>Devoted to thy lady's weal.</l> +<l>Dear girl, without thy faithful aid</l> +<l>I had not marked the plot he laid.</l> +<pb n="100"/><anchor id="Pg100"/> +<l>Full of all guile and sin and spite</l> +<l>Misshapen hump-backs shock the sight:</l> +<l>But thou art fair and formed to please,</l> +<l>Bent like a lily by the breeze.</l> +<l>I look thee o'er with watchful eye,</l> +<l>And in thy frame no fault can spy;</l> +<l>The chest so deep, the waist so trim,</l> +<l>So round the lines of breast and limb.<note place="foot">In these four lines I do not +translate faithfully, and I do not venture to follow Kaikeyí farther in her eulogy of +the hump-back's charms.</note></l> +<l>Thy cheeks with moonlike beauty shine,</l> +<l>And the warm wealth of youth is thine.</l> +<l>Thy legs, my girl, are long and neat,</l> +<l>And somewhat long thy dainty feet,</l> +<l>While stepping out before my face</l> +<l>Thou seemest like a crane to pace.</l> +<l>The thousand wiles are in thy breast</l> +<l>Which Śambara the fiend possessed,</l> +<l>And countless others all thine own,</l> +<l>O damsel sage, to thee are known.</l> +<l>Thy very hump becomes thee too,</l> +<l>O thou whose face is fair to view,</l> +<l>For there reside in endless store</l> +<l>Plots, wizard wiles, and warrior lore.</l> +<l>A golden chain I'll round it fling</l> +<l>When Ráma's flight makes Bharat king:</l> +<l>Yea, polished links of finest gold,</l> +<l>When once the wished for prize I hold</l> +<l>With naught to fear and none to hate,</l> +<l>Thy hump, dear maid, shall decorate.</l> +<l>A golden frontlet wrought with care,</l> +<l>And precious jewels shalt thou wear:</l> +<l>Two lovely robes around thee fold,</l> +<l>And walk a Goddess to behold,</l> +<l>Bidding the moon himself compare</l> +<l>His beauty with a face so fair.</l> +<l>With scent of precious sandal sweet</l> +<l>Down to the nails upon thy feet,</l> +<l>First of the household thou shalt go</l> +<l><q rend="post">And pay with scorn each battled foe.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Kaikeyí's praise the damsel heard,</l> +<l>And thus again her lady stirred,</l> +<l>Who lay upon her beauteous bed</l> +<l>Like fire upon the altar fed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Dear Queen, they build the bridge in vain</q></l> +<l>When swollen streams are dry again.</l> +<l>Arise, thy glorious task complete,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And draw the king to thy retreat.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The large-eyed lady left her bower</l> +<l>Exulting in her pride of power,</l> +<l>And with the hump-back sought the gloom</l> +<l>And silence of the mourner's room.</l> +<l>The string of priceless pearls that hung</l> +<l>Around her neck to earth she flung,</l> +<l>With all the wealth and lustre lent</l> +<l>By precious gem and ornament.</l> +<l>Then, listening to her slave's advice,</l> +<l>Lay, like a nymph from Paradise.</l> +<l>As on the ground her limbs she laid</l> +<l>Once more she cried unto the maid:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Soon must thou to the monarch say</q></l> +<l>Kaikeyí's soul has past away,</l> +<l>Or, Ráma banished as we planned,</l> +<l>My son made king shall rule the land.</l> +<l>No more for gold and gems I care,</l> +<l>For brave attire or dainty fare.</l> +<l>If Ráma should the throne ascend,</l> +<l><q rend="post">That very hour my life will end.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The royal lady wounded through</l> +<l>The bosom with the darts that flew</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Launched from the hump-back's tongue</l> +<l>Pressed both her hands upon her side,</l> +<l>And o'er and o'er again she cried</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With wildering fury stung:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Yes, it shall be thy task to tell</q></l> +<l>That I have hurried hence to dwell</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In Yáma's realms of woe,</l> +<l>Or happy Bharat shall be king,</l> +<l>And doomed to years of wandering</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Kauśalyá's son shall go.</l> +<l>I heed not dainty viands now</l> +<l>Fair wreaths of flowers to twine my brow,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Soft balm or precious scent:</l> +<l>My very life I count as naught,</l> +<l>Nothing on earth can claim my thought</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">But Ráma's banishment.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She spoke these words of cruel ire;</l> +<l>Then stripping off her gay attire,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The cold bare floor she pressed.</l> +<l>So, falling from her home on high,</l> +<l>Some lovely daughter of the sky</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Upon the ground might rest.</l> +<l>With darkened brow and furious mien,</l> +<l>Stripped of her gems and wreath, the queen</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In spotless beauty lay,</l> +<l>Like heaven obscured with gathering cloud,</l> +<l>When shades of midnight darkness shroud</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Each star's expiring ray.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-X"/> +<head>Canto X. Dasaratha's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>As Queen Kaikeyí thus obeyed</l> +<l>The sinful counsel of her maid</l> +<l>She sank upon the chamber floor,</l> +<l>As sinks in anguish, wounded sore,</l> +<l>An elephant beneath the smart</l> +<l>Of the wild hunter's venomed dart.</l> +<l>The lovely lady in her mind</l> +<l>Revolved the plot her maid designed,</l> +<l>And prompt the gain and risk to scan</l> +<l>She step by step approved the plan.</l> +<l>Misguided by the hump-back's guile</l> +<l>She pondered her resolve awhile,</l> +<l>As the fair path that bliss secured</l> +<l>The miserable lady lured,</l> +<pb n="101"/><anchor id="Pg101"/> +<l>Devoted to her queen, and swayed</l> +<l>By hopes of gain and bliss, the maid</l> +<l>Rejoiced, her lady's purpose known,</l> +<l>And deemed the prize she sought her own.</l> +<l>Then bent upon her purpose dire,</l> +<l>Kaikeyí with her soul on fire,</l> +<l>Upon the floor lay, languid, down,</l> +<l>Her brows contracted in a frown.</l> +<l>The bright-hued wreath that bound her hair,</l> +<l>Chains, necklets, jewels rich and rare,</l> +<l>Stripped off by her own fingers lay</l> +<l>Spread on the ground in disarray,</l> +<l>And to the floor a lustre lent</l> +<l>As stars light up the firmament.</l> +<l>Thus prostrate in the mourner's cell,</l> +<l>In garb of woe the lady fell,</l> +<l>Her long hair in a single braid,</l> +<l>Like some fair nymph of heaven dismayed.<note place="foot">These verses are evidently +an interpolation. They contain nothing that has +not been already related: the words only are altered. As the whole poem could not +be recited at once, the rhapsodists at the beginning of a fresh recitation would +naturally remind their hearers of the events immediately preceding.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The monarch, Ráma to install,</l> +<l>With thoughtful care had ordered all,</l> +<l>And now within his home withdrew,</l> +<l>Dismissing first his retinue.</l> +<l>Now all the town has heard, thought he,</l> +<l>What joyful rite the morn will see.</l> +<l>So turned he to her bower to cheer</l> +<l>With the glad news his darling's ear.</l> +<l>Majestic, as the Lord of Night,</l> +<l>When threatened by the Dragon's might,</l> +<l>Bursts radiant on the evening sky</l> +<l>Pale with the clouds that wander by,</l> +<l>So Daśaratha, great in fame,</l> +<l>To Queen Kaikeyí's palace came.</l> +<l>There parrots flew from tree to tree,</l> +<l>And gorgeous peacocks wandered free,</l> +<l>While ever and anon was heard</l> +<l>The note of some glad water-bird.</l> +<l>Here loitered dwarf and hump-backed maid,</l> +<l>There lute and lyre sweet music played.</l> +<l>Here, rich in blossom, creepers twined</l> +<l>O'er grots with wondrous art designed,</l> +<l>There Champac and Aśoka flowers</l> +<l>Hung glorious o'er the summer bowers,</l> +<l>And mid the waving verdure rose</l> +<l>Gold, silver, ivory porticoes.</l> +<l>Through all the months in ceaseless store</l> +<l>The trees both fruit and blossom bore.</l> +<l>With many a lake the grounds were graced;</l> +<l>Seats gold and silver, here were placed;</l> +<l>Here every viand wooed the taste,</l> +<l>It was a garden meet to vie</l> +<l>E'en with the home of Gods on high.</l> +<l>Within the mansion rich and vast</l> +<l>The mighty Daśaratha passed:</l> +<l>Not there was his beloved queen</l> +<l>On her fair couch reclining seen.</l> +<l>With love his eager pulses beat</l> +<l>For the dear wife he came to meet,</l> +<l>And in his blissful hopes deceived,</l> +<l>He sought his absent love and grieved.</l> +<l>For never had she missed the hour</l> +<l>Of meeting in her sumptuous bower,</l> +<l>And never had the king of men</l> +<l>Entered the empty room till then.</l> +<l>Still urged by love and anxious thought</l> +<l>News of his favourite queen he sought,</l> +<l>For never had his loving eyes</l> +<l>Found her or selfish or unwise.</l> +<l>Then spoke at length the warder maid,</l> +<l>With hands upraised and sore afraid:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My Lord and King, the queen has sought</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">The mourner's cell with rage distraught.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The words the warder maiden said</l> +<l>He heard with soul disquieted,</l> +<l>And thus as fiercer grief assailed,</l> +<l>His troubled senses wellnigh failed.</l> +<l>Consumed by torturing fires of grief</l> +<l>The king, the world's imperial chief,</l> +<l>His lady lying on the ground</l> +<l>In most unqueenly posture, found.</l> +<l>The aged king, all pure within,</l> +<l>Saw the young queen resolved on sin,</l> +<l>Low on the ground, his own sweet wife,</l> +<l>To him far dearer than his life,</l> +<l>Like some fair creeping plant uptorn,</l> +<l>Or like a maid of heaven forlorn,</l> +<l>A nymph of air or Goddess sent</l> +<l>From Swarga down in banishment.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As some wild elephant who tries</l> +<l>To soothe his consort as she lies</l> +<l>Struck by the hunter's venomed dart,</l> +<l>So the great king disturbed in heart,</l> +<l>Strove with soft hand and fond caress</l> +<l>To soothe his darling queen's distress,</l> +<l>And in his love addressed with sighs</l> +<l>The lady of the lotus eyes:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I know not, Queen, why thou shouldst be</q></l> +<l>Thus angered to the heart with me.</l> +<l>Say, who has slighted thee, or whence</l> +<l>Has come the cause of such offence</l> +<l>That in the dust thou liest low,</l> +<l>And rendest my fond heart with woe,</l> +<l>As if some goblin of the night</l> +<l>Had struck thee with a deadly blight,</l> +<l>And cast foul influence on her</l> +<l>Whose spells my loving bosom stir?</l> +<l>I have Physicians famed for skill,</l> +<l>Each trained to cure some special ill:</l> +<l>My sweetest lady, tell thy pain,</l> +<l>And they shall make thee well again.</l> +<l>Whom, darling, wouldst thou punished see?</l> +<l>Or whom enriched with lordly fee?</l> +<pb n="102"/><anchor id="Pg102"/> +<l>Weep not, my lovely Queen, and stay</l> +<l>This grief that wears thy frame away;</l> +<l>Speak, and the guilty shall be freed.</l> +<l>The guiltless be condemned to bleed,</l> +<l>The poor enriched, the rich abased,</l> +<l>The low set high, the proud disgraced.</l> +<l>My lords and I thy will obey,</l> +<l>All slaves who own thy sovereign sway;</l> +<l>And I can ne'er my heart incline</l> +<l>To check in aught one wish of thine.</l> +<l>Now by my life I pray thee tell</l> +<l>The thoughts that in thy bosom dwell.</l> +<l>The power and might thou knowest well,</l> +<l>Should from thy breast all doubt expel.</l> +<l>I swear by all my merit won,</l> +<l>Speak, and thy pleasure shall be done.</l> +<l>Far as the world's wide bounds extend</l> +<l>My glorious empire knows no end.</l> +<l>Mine are the tribes in eastern lands,</l> +<l>And those who dwell on Sindhu's sands:</l> +<l>Mine is Suráshṭra, far away,</l> +<l>Suvíra's realm admits my sway.</l> +<l>My best the southern nations fear,</l> +<l>The Angas and the Vangas hear.</l> +<l>And as lord paramount I reign</l> +<l>O'er Magadh and the Matsyas' plain,</l> +<l>Kośal, and Káśi's wide domain:<note place="foot">The <hi rend='italic'>śloka</hi> +or distich which I have been forced to expand into these nine +lines is evidently spurious, but is found in all the commented MSS. which Schlegel +consulted.</note></l> +<l>All rich in treasures of the mine,</l> +<l>In golden corn, sheep, goats, and kine.</l> +<l>Choose what thou wilt. Kaikeyí, thence:</l> +<l>But tell me, O my darling, whence</l> +<l>Arose thy grief, and it shall fly</l> +<l><q rend="post">Like hoar-frost when the sun is high.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She, by his loving words consoled,</l> +<l>Longed her dire purpose to unfold,</l> +<l>And sought with sharper pangs to wring</l> +<l>The bosom of her lord the king.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XI"/> +<head>Canto XI. The Queen's Demand.</head> + +<lg> +<l>To him enthralled by love, and blind,</l> +<l>Pierced by his darts who shakes the mind,<note place="foot">Manmatha, +Mind-disturber, a name of Káma or Love.</note></l> +<l>Kaikeyí with remorseless breast</l> +<l>Her grand purpose thus expressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O King, no insult or neglect</q></l> +<l>Have I endured, or disrespect.</l> +<l>One wish I have, and faith would see</l> +<l>That longing granted, lord, by thee.</l> +<l>Now pledge thy word if thou incline</l> +<l>To listen to this prayer of mine,</l> +<l>Then I with confidence will speak,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And thou shalt hear the boon I seek.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Ere she had ceased, the monarch fell,</l> +<l>A victim to the lady's spell,</l> +<l>And to the deadly snare she set</l> +<l>Sprang, like a roebuck to the net.</l> +<l>Her lover raised her drooping head,</l> +<l>Smiled, playing with her hair, and said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hast thou not learnt, wild dame, till now</q></l> +<l>That there is none so dear as thou</l> +<l>To me thy loving husband, save</l> +<l>My Ráma bravest of the brave?</l> +<l>By him my race's high-souled heir,</l> +<l>By him whom none can match, I swear,</l> +<l>Now speak the wish that on thee weighs:</l> +<l>By him whose right is length of days,</l> +<l>Whom if my fond paternal eye</l> +<l>Saw not one hour I needs must die,—</l> +<l>I swear by Ráma my dear son,</l> +<l>Speak, and thy bidding shall be done.</l> +<l>Speak, darling; if thou choose, request</l> +<l>To have the heart from out my breast;</l> +<l>Regard my words, sweet love, and name</l> +<l>The wish thy mind thinks fit to frame.</l> +<l>Nor let thy soul give way to doubt:</l> +<l>My power should drive suspicion out.</l> +<l>Yea, by my merits won I swear,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Speak, darling, I will grant thy prayer.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The queen, ambitious, overjoyed</l> +<l>To see him by her plot decoyed,</l> +<l>More eager still her aims to reach,</l> +<l>Spoke her abominable speech:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">A boon thou grantest, nothing loth,</q></l> +<l>And swearest with repeated oath.</l> +<l>Now let the thirty Gods and three</l> +<l>My witnesses, with Indra, be.</l> +<l>Let sun and moon and planets hear,</l> +<l>Heaven, quarters, day and night, give ear.</l> +<l>The mighty world, the earth outspread,</l> +<l>With bards of heaven and demons dread;</l> +<l>The ghosts that walk in midnight shade,</l> +<l>And household Gods, our present aid,</l> +<l>A every being great and small</l> +<l><q rend="post">To hear and mark the oath I call.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When thus the archer king was bound,</l> +<l>With treacherous arts and oaths enwound,</l> +<l>She to her bounteous lord subdued</l> +<l>By blinding love, her speech renewed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Remember, King, that long-past day</q></l> +<l>Of Gods' and demons' battle fray.</l> +<l>And how thy foe in doubtful strife</l> +<l>Had nigh bereft thee of thy life.</l> +<l>Remember, it was only I</l> +<l>Preserved thee when about to die,</l> +<l>And thou for watchful love and care</l> +<l>Wouldst grant my first and second prayer.</l> +<l>Those offered boons, pledged with thee then,</l> +<l>I now demand, O King of men,</l> +<pb n="103"/><anchor id="Pg103"/> +<l>Of thee, O Monarch, good and just,</l> +<l>Whose righteous soul observes each trust.</l> +<l>If thou refuse thy promise sworn,</l> +<l>I die, despised, before the morn.</l> +<l>These rites in Ráma's name begun—</l> +<l>Transfer them, and enthrone my son.</l> +<l>The time is come to claim at last</l> +<l>The double boon of days long-past,</l> +<l>When Gods and demons met in fight,</l> +<l>And thou wouldst fain my care requite.</l> +<l>Now forth to Daṇḍak's forest drive</l> +<l>Thy Ráma for nine years and five,</l> +<l>And let him dwell a hermit there</l> +<l>With deerskin coat and matted hair.</l> +<l>Without a rival let my boy</l> +<l>The empire of the land enjoy,</l> +<l>And let mine eyes ere morning see</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy Ráma to the forest flee.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XII"/> +<head>Canto XII. Dasaratha's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The monarch, as Kaikeyí pressed</l> +<l>With cruel words her dire request,</l> +<l>Stood for a time absorbed in thought</l> +<l>While anguish in his bosom wrought.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Does some wild dream my heart assail?</q></l> +<l>Or do my troubled senses fail?</l> +<l>Does some dire portent scare my view?</l> +<l><q rend="post">Or frenzy's stroke my soul subdue?</q></l> +<l>Thus as he thought, his troubled mind</l> +<l>In doubt and dread no rest could find,</l> +<l>Distressed and trembling like a deer</l> +<l>Who sees the dreaded tigress near.</l> +<l>On the bare ground his limbs he threw,</l> +<l>And many a long deep sigh he drew,</l> +<l>Like a wild snake, with fury blind,</l> +<l>By charms within a ring confined.</l> +<l>Once as the monarch's fury woke,</l> +<l><q>Shame on thee!</q> from his bosom broke,</l> +<l>And then in sense-bewildering pain</l> +<l>He fainted on the ground again.</l> +<l>At length, when slowly strength returned,</l> +<l>He answered as his eyeballs burned</l> +<l>With the wild fury of his ire</l> +<l>Consuming her, as 'twere, with fire:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Fell traitress, thou whose thoughts design</q></l> +<l>The utter ruin of my line,</l> +<l>What wrong have I or Ráma done?</l> +<l>Speak murderess, speak thou wicked one,</l> +<l>Seeks he not evermore to please</l> +<l>Thee with all sonlike courtesies?</l> +<l>By what persuasion art thou led</l> +<l>To bring this ruin on his head?</l> +<l>Ah me, that fondly unaware</l> +<l>I brought thee home my life to share,</l> +<l>Called daughter of a king, in truth</l> +<l>A serpent with a venomed tooth!</l> +<l>What fault can I pretend to find</l> +<l>In Ráma praised by all mankind,</l> +<l>That I my darling should forsake?</l> +<l>No, take my life, my glory take:</l> +<l>Let either queen be from me torn,</l> +<l>But not my well-loved eldest-born.</l> +<l>Him but to see is highest bliss,</l> +<l>And death itself his face to miss.</l> +<l>The world may sunless stand, the grain</l> +<l>May thrive without the genial rain,</l> +<l>But if my Ráma be not nigh</l> +<l>My spirit from its frame will fly.</l> +<l>Enough, thine impious plan forgo,</l> +<l>O thou who plottest sin and woe.</l> +<l>My head before thy feet, I kneel,</l> +<l>And pray thee some compassion feel.</l> +<l>O wicked dame, what can have led</l> +<l>Thy heart to dare a plot so dread?</l> +<l>Perchance thy purpose is to sound</l> +<l>The grace thy son with me has found;</l> +<l>Perchance the words that, all these days,</l> +<l>Thou still hast said in Ráma's praise,</l> +<l>Were only feigned, designed to cheer</l> +<l>With flatteries a father's ear.</l> +<l>Soon as thy grief, my Queen, I knew,</l> +<l>My bosom felt the anguish too.</l> +<l>In empty halls art thou possessed,</l> +<l>And subject to anothers' hest?</l> +<l>Now on Ikshváku's ancient race</l> +<l>Falls foul disorder and disgrace,</l> +<l>If thou, O Queen, whose heart so long</l> +<l>Has loved the good should choose the wrong.</l> +<l>Not once, O large-eyed dame, hast thou</l> +<l>Been guilty of offence till now,</l> +<l>Nor said a word to make me grieve,</l> +<l>Now will I now thy sin believe.</l> +<l>With thee my Ráma used to hold</l> +<l>Like place with Bharat lofty-souled.</l> +<l>As thou so often, when the pair</l> +<l>Were children yet, wouldst fain declare.</l> +<l>And can thy righteous soul endure</l> +<l>That Ráma glorious, pious, pure,</l> +<l>Should to the distant wilds be sent</l> +<l>For fourteen years of banishment?</l> +<l>Yea, Ráma Bharat's self exceeds</l> +<l>In love to thee and sonlike deeds,</l> +<l>And, for deserving love of thee,</l> +<l>As Bharat, even so is he.</l> +<l>Who better than that chieftain may</l> +<l>Obedience, love, and honour pay,</l> +<l>Thy dignity with care protect,</l> +<l>Thy slightest word and wish respect?</l> +<l>Of all his countless followers none</l> +<l>Can breathe a word against my son;</l> +<l>Of many thousands not a dame</l> +<l>Can hint reproach or whisper blame.</l> +<l>All creatures feel the sweet control</l> +<l>Of Ráma's pure and gentle soul.</l> +<l>The pride of Manu's race he binds</l> +<l>To him the people's grateful minds.</l> +<l>He wins the subjects with his truth,</l> +<pb n="104"/><anchor id="Pg104"/> +<l>The poor with gifts and gentle ruth,</l> +<l>His teachers with his docile will,</l> +<l>The foemen with his archer skill.</l> +<l>Truth, purity, religious zeal,</l> +<l>The hand to give, the heart to feel,</l> +<l>The love that ne'er betrays a friend,</l> +<l>The rectitude that naught can bend,</l> +<l>Knowledge, and meek obedience grace</l> +<l>My Ráma pride of Raghu's race.</l> +<l>Canst thou thine impious plot design</l> +<l>'Gainst him in whom these virtues shine,</l> +<l>Whose glory with the sages vies,</l> +<l>Peer of the Gods who rule the skies!</l> +<l>From him no harsh or bitter word</l> +<l>To pain one creature have I heard,</l> +<l>And how can I my son address,</l> +<l>For thee, with words of bitterness?</l> +<l>Have mercy, Queen: some pity show</l> +<l>To see my tears of anguish flow,</l> +<l>And listen to my mournful cry,</l> +<l>A poor old man who soon must die.</l> +<l>Whate'er this sea-girt land can boast</l> +<l>Of rich and rare from coast to coast,</l> +<l>To thee, my Queen, I give it all:</l> +<l>But O, thy deadly words recall:</l> +<l>O see, my suppliant hands entreat,</l> +<l>Again my lips are on thy feet:</l> +<l>Save Ráma, save my darling child,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Nor kill me with this sin defiled.</q></l> +<l>He grovelled on the ground, and lay</l> +<l>To burning grief a senseless prey,</l> +<l>And ever and anon, assailed</l> +<l>By floods of woe he wept and wailed,</l> +<l>Striving with eager speed to gain</l> +<l>The margent of his sea of pain.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With fiercer words she fiercer yet</l> +<l>The hapless father's pleading met:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Monarch, if thy soul repent</q></l> +<l>The promise and thy free consent,</l> +<l>How wilt thou in the world maintain</l> +<l>Thy fame for truth unsmirched with stain?</l> +<l>When gathered kings with thee converse,</l> +<l>And bid thee all the tale rehearse,</l> +<l>What wilt thou say, O truthful King,</l> +<l>In answer to their questioning?</l> +<l><q rend="pre">She to whose love my life I owe,</q></l> +<l>Who saved me smitten by the foe,</l> +<l>Kaikeyí, for her tender care,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Was cheated of the oath I sware.</q></l> +<l>Thus wilt thou answer, and forsworn</l> +<l>Wilt draw on thee the princes' scorn.</l> +<l>Learn from that tale, the Hawk and Dove,<note place="foot">This story is told in the +Mahábhárat. A free version of it may be found in <hi rend='italic'>Scenes +from the Rámáyan, etc.</hi></note></l> +<l>How strong for truth was Saivya's love.</l> +<l>Pledged by his word the monarch gave</l> +<l>His flesh the suppliant bird to save.</l> +<l>So King Alarka gave his eyes,</l> +<l>And gained a mansion in the skies.</l> +<l>The Sea himself his promise keeps,</l> +<l>And ne'er beyond his limit sweeps.</l> +<l>My deeds of old again recall,</l> +<l>Nor let thy bond dishonoured fall.</l> +<l>The rights of truth thou wouldst forget,</l> +<l>Thy Ráma on the throne to set,</l> +<l>And let thy days in pleasure glide,</l> +<l>Fond King, Kauśalyá by thy side.</l> +<l>Now call it by what name thou wilt,</l> +<l>Justice, injustice, virtue, guilt,</l> +<l>Thy word and oath remain the same,</l> +<l>And thou must yield what thus I claim.</l> +<l>If Ráma be anointed, I</l> +<l>This very day will surely die,</l> +<l>Before thy face will poison drink,</l> +<l>And lifeless at thy feet will sink.</l> +<l>Yea, better far to die than stay</l> +<l>Alive to see one single day</l> +<l>The crowds before Kauśalyá stand</l> +<l>And hail her queen with reverent hand.</l> +<l>Now by my son, myself, I swear,</l> +<l>No gift, no promise whatsoe'er</l> +<l>My steadfast soul shall now content,</l> +<l><q rend="post">But only Ráma's banishment.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">So far she spake by rage impelled,</l> +<l>And then the queen deep silence held.</l> +<l>He heard her speech full fraught with ill,</l> +<l>But spoke no word bewildered still,</l> +<l>Gazed on his love once held so dear</l> +<l>Who spoke unlovely rede to hear;</l> +<l>Then as he slowly pondered o'er</l> +<l>The queen's resolve and oath she swore.</l> +<l>Once sighing forth, Ah Ráma! he</l> +<l>Fell prone as falls a smitten tree.</l> +<l>His senses lost like one insane,</l> +<l>Faint as a sick man weak with pain,</l> +<l>Or like a wounded snake dismayed,</l> +<l>So lay the king whom earth obeyed.</l> +<l>Long burning sighs he slowly heaved,</l> +<l>As, conquered by his woe, he grieved,</l> +<l>And thus with tears and sobs between</l> +<l>His sad faint words addressed the queen:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">By whom, Kaikeyí, wast thou taught</q></l> +<l>This flattering hope with ruin fraught?</l> +<l>Have goblins seized thy soul, O dame,</l> +<l>Who thus canst speak and feel no shame?</l> +<l>Thy mind with sin is sicklied o'er,</l> +<l>From thy first youth ne'er seen before.</l> +<l>A good and loving wife wast thou,</l> +<l>But all, alas! is altered now.</l> +<l>What terror can have seized thy breast</l> +<l>To make thee frame this dire request,</l> +<l>That Bharat o'er the land may reign,</l> +<l>And Ráma in the woods remain?</l> +<l>Turn from thine evil ways, O turn,</l> +<l>And thy perfidious counsel spurn,</l> +<l>If thou would fain a favour do</l> +<l>To people, lord, and Bharat too.</l> +<l>O wicked traitress, fierce and vile,</l> +<l>Who lovest deeds of sin and guile,</l> +<pb n="105"/><anchor id="Pg105"/> +<l>What crime or grievance dost thou see,</l> +<l>What fault in Ráma or in me?</l> +<l>Thy son will ne'er the throne accept</l> +<l>If Ráma from his rights be kept,</l> +<l>For Bharat's heart more firmly yet</l> +<l>Than Ráma's is on justice set.</l> +<l>How shall I say, Go forth, and brook</l> +<l>Upon my Ráma's face to look,</l> +<l>See his pale cheek and ashy lips</l> +<l>Dimmed like the moon in sad eclipse?</l> +<l>How see the plan so well prepared</l> +<l>When prudent friends my counsels shared,</l> +<l>All ruined, like a host laid low</l> +<l>Beneath some foeman's murderous blow.</l> +<l>What will these gathered princes say,</l> +<l>From regions near and far away?</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O'erlong endures the monarch's reign,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">or now he is a child again.</q></l> +<l>When many a good and holy sage</l> +<l>In Scripture versed, revered for age,</l> +<l>Shall ask for Ráma, what shall I</l> +<l>Unhappy, what shall I reply?</l> +<l><q rend="pre">By Queen Kaikeyí long distressed</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">I drove him forth and dispossessed.</q></l> +<l>Although herein the truth I speak,</l> +<l>They all will hold me false and weak.</l> +<l>What will Kauśalyá say when she</l> +<l>Demands her son exiled by me?</l> +<l>Alas! what answer shall I frame,</l> +<l>Or how console the injured dame?</l> +<l>She like a slave on me attends,</l> +<l>And with a sister's care she blends</l> +<l>A mother's love, a wife's, a friend's.</l> +<l>In spite of all her tender care,</l> +<l>Her noble son, her face most fair,</l> +<l>Another queen I could prefer</l> +<l>And for thy sake neglected her,</l> +<l>But now, O Queen, my heart is grieved</l> +<l>For love and care by thee received,</l> +<l>E'en as the sickening wretch repents</l> +<l>His dainty meal and condiments.</l> +<l>And how will Queen Sumitrá trust</l> +<l>The husband whom she finds unjust,</l> +<l>Seeing my Ráma driven hence</l> +<l>Dishonoured, and for no offence?</l> +<l>Ah! the Videhan bride will hear</l> +<l>A double woe, a double fear,</l> +<l>Two whelming sorrows at one breath,</l> +<l>Her lord's disgrace, his father's death.</l> +<l>Mine aged bosom she will wring</l> +<l>And kill me with her sorrowing,</l> +<l>Sad as a fair nymph left to weep</l> +<l>Deserted on Himálaya's steep.</l> +<l>For short will be my days, I ween,</l> +<l>When I with mournful eyes have seen</l> +<l>My Ráma wandering forth alone</l> +<l>And heard dear Sítá sob and moan.</l> +<l>Ah me! my fond belief I rue.</l> +<l>Vile traitress, loved as good and true,</l> +<l>As one who in his thirst has quaffed,</l> +<l>Deceived by looks, a deadly draught.</l> +<l>Ah! thou hast slain me, murderess, while</l> +<l>Soothing my soul with words of guile,</l> +<l>As the wild hunter kills the deer</l> +<l>Lured from the brake his song to hear.</l> +<l>Soon every honest tongue will fling</l> +<l>Reproach on the dishonest king;</l> +<l>The people's scorn in every street</l> +<l>The seller of his child will meet,</l> +<l>And such dishonour will be mine</l> +<l>As whelms a Bráhman drunk with wine.</l> +<l>Ah me, for my unhappy fate,</l> +<l>Compelled thy words to tolerate!</l> +<l>Such woe is sent to scourge a crime</l> +<l>Committed in some distant time.</l> +<l>For many a day with sinful care</l> +<l>I cherished thee, thou sin and snare,</l> +<l>Kept thee, unwitting, like a cord</l> +<l>Destined to bind its hapless lord.</l> +<l>Mine hours of ease I spent with thee,</l> +<l>Nor deemed my love my death would be,</l> +<l>While like a heedless child I played,</l> +<l>On a black snake my hand I laid.</l> +<l>A cry from every mouth will burst</l> +<l>And all the world will hold me curst,</l> +<l>Because I saw my high-souled son</l> +<l>Unkinged, unfathered, and undone;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The king by power of love beguiled</q></l> +<l>Is weaker than a foolish child,</l> +<l>His own beloved son to make</l> +<l>An exile for a woman's sake.</l> +<l>By chaste and holy vows restrained,</l> +<l>By reverend teachers duly trained.</l> +<l>When he his virtue's fruit should taste</l> +<l><q rend="post">He falls by sin and woe disgraced.</q></l> +<l>Two words will all his answer be</l> +<l>When I pronounce the stern decree,</l> +<l><q>Hence, Ráma, to the woods away,</q></l> +<l>All he will say is, I obey.</l> +<l>O, if he would my will withstand</l> +<l>When banished from his home and land,</l> +<l>This were a comfort in my woe;</l> +<l>But he will ne'er do this, I know.</l> +<l>My Ráma to the forest fled,</l> +<l>And curses thick upon my head,</l> +<l>Grim Death will bear me hence away,</l> +<l>His world-abominated prey.</l> +<l>When I am gone and Ráma too.</l> +<l>How wilt thou those I love pursue?</l> +<l>What vengeful sin will be designed</l> +<l>Against the queens I leave behind?</l> +<l>When thou hast slain her son and me</l> +<l>Kauśalyá soon will follow: she</l> +<l>Will sink beneath her sorrows' weight,</l> +<l>And die like me disconsolate.</l> +<l>Exist, Kaikeyí, in thy pride,</l> +<l>And let thy heart be gratified,</l> +<l>When thou my queens and me hast hurled,</l> +<l>And children, to the under world.</l> +<l>Soon wilt thou rule as empress o'er</l> +<l>My noble house unvext before.</l> +<l>But then to wild confusion left,</l> +<pb n="106"/><anchor id="Pg106"/> +<l>Of Ráma and of me bereft.</l> +<l>If Bharat to thy plan consent</l> +<l>And long for Ráma's banishment,</l> +<l>Ne'er let his hands presume to pay</l> +<l>The funeral honours to my clay.</l> +<l>Vile foe, thou cause of all mine ill,</l> +<l>Obtain at last thy cursed will.</l> +<l>A widow soon shalt thou enjoy</l> +<l>The sweets of empire with thy boy.</l> +<l>O Princess, sure some evil fate</l> +<l>First brought thee here to devastate,</l> +<l>In whom the night of ruin lies</l> +<l>Veiled in a consort's fair disguise.</l> +<l>The scorn of all and deepest shame</l> +<l>Will long pursue my hated name,</l> +<l>And dire disgrace on me will press,</l> +<l>Misled by thee to wickedness.</l> +<l>How shall my Ráma, whom, before,</l> +<l>His elephant or chariot bore,</l> +<l>Now with his feet, a wanderer, tread</l> +<l>The forest wilds around him spread?</l> +<l>How shall my son, to please whose taste,</l> +<l>The deftest cooks, with earrings graced,</l> +<l>With rivalry and jealous care</l> +<l>The dainty meal and cates prepare—</l> +<l>How shall he now his life sustain</l> +<l>With acid fruit and woodland grain?</l> +<l>He spends his time unvext by cares,</l> +<l>And robes of precious texture wears:</l> +<l>How shall he, with one garment round</l> +<l>His limbs recline upon the ground?</l> +<l>Whose was this plan, this cruel thought</l> +<l>Unheard till now, with ruin fraught,</l> +<l>To make thy son Ayodhyá's king,</l> +<l>And send my Ráma wandering?</l> +<l>Shame, shame on women! Vile, untrue,</l> +<l>Their selfish ends they still pursue.</l> +<l>Not all of womankind I mean.</l> +<l>But more than all this wicked queen.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">O worthless, cruel, selfish dame,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">I brought thee home, my plague and woe.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">What fault in me hast thou to blame,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Or in my son who loves thee so?</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Fond wives may from their husbands flee,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And fathers may their sons desert,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But all the world would rave to see</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">My Ráma touched with deadly hurt.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">I joy his very step to hear,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">As though his godlike form I viewed;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And when I see my Ráma near</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">I feel my youth again renewed.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">There might be life without the sun,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Yea, e'en if Indra sent no rain,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But, were my Ráma banished, none</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Would, so I think, alive remain.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A foe that longs my life to take,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">I brought thee here my death to be,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Caressed thee long, a venomed snake,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And through my folly die. Ah me!</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Ráma and me and Lakshmaṇ slay,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And then with Bharat rule the state;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">So bring the kingdom to decay,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And fawn on those thy lord who hate,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Plotter of woe, for evil bred,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">For such a speech why do not all</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thy teeth from out thy wicked head</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Split in a thousand pieces fall?</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">My Ráma's words are ever kind,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">He knows not how to speak in ire:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then how canst thou presume to find</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">A fault in him whom all admire?</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Yield to despair, go mad, or die,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Or sink within the rifted earth;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thy fell request will I deny,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Thou shamer of thy royal birth.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thy longer life I scarce can bear,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Thou ruin of my home and race,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Who wouldst my heart and heartstrings tear,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Keen as a razor, false and base.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">My life is gone, why speak of joy?</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">For what, without my son, were sweet?</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Spare, lady, him thou canst destroy;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">I pray thee as I touch thy feet.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He fell and wept with wild complaint,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Heart-struck by her presumptuous speech,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But could not touch, so weak and faint,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The cruel feet he strove to reach.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XIII"/> +<head>Canto XIII. Dasaratha's Distress.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Unworthy of his mournful fate,</l> +<l>The mighty king, unfortunate,</l> +<l>Lay prostrate in unseemly guise,</l> +<l>As, banished from the blissful skies,</l> +<l>Yayáti, in his evil day.</l> +<l>His merit all exhausted, lay.<note place="foot">Only the highest merit obtains a home +in heaven for ever. Minor degrees of merit procure only leases of heavenly +mansions terminable after periods proportioned to the fund which buys them. King +Yayáti went to heaven and when his term expired was unceremoniously ejected, and +thrown down to earth.</note></l> +<l>The queen, triumphant in the power</l> +<l>Won by her beauty's fatal dower,</l> +<l>Still terrible and unsubdued,</l> +<l>Her dire demand again renewed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Great Monarch, 'twas thy boast till now</q></l> +<l>To love the truth and keep the vow;</l> +<l>Then wherefore would thy lips refuse</l> +<l><q rend="post">The promised boon 'tis mine to choose?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">King Daśaratha, thus addressed,</l> +<l>With anger raging in his breast,</l> +<l>Sank for a while beneath the pain,</l> +<l>Then to Kaikeyí spoke again:</l> +<pb n="107"/><anchor id="Pg107"/> +<l><q rend="pre">Childless so long, at length I won,</q></l> +<l>With mighty toil, from Heaven a son,</l> +<l>Ráma, the mighty-armed; and how</l> +<l>Shall I desert my darling now?</l> +<l>A scholar wise, a hero bold,</l> +<l>Of patient mood, with wrath controlled,</l> +<l>How can I bid my Ráma fly,</l> +<l>My darling of the lotus eye?</l> +<l>In heaven itself I scarce could bear,</l> +<l>When asking of my Ráma there,</l> +<l>To hear the Gods his griefs declare,</l> +<l>And O, that death would take me hence</l> +<l><q rend="post">Before I wrong his innocence!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As thus the monarch wept and wailed,</l> +<l>And maddening grief his heart assailed,</l> +<l>The sun had sought his resting-place,</l> +<l>And night was closing round apace.</l> +<l>But yet the moon-crowned night could bring</l> +<l>No comfort to the wretched king.</l> +<l>As still he mourned with burning sighs</l> +<l>And fixed his gaze upon the skies:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Night whom starry fires adorn,</q></l> +<l>I long not for the coming morn.</l> +<l>Be kind and show some mercy: see,</l> +<l>My suppliant hands are raised to thee.</l> +<l>Nay, rather fly with swifter pace;</l> +<l>No longer would I see the face</l> +<l>Of Queen Kaikeyí, cruel, dread,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Who brings this woe upon mine head.</q></l> +<l>Again with suppliant hands he tried</l> +<l>To move the queen, and wept and sighed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">To me, unhappy me, inclined</q></l> +<l>To good, sweet dame, thou shouldst be kind;</l> +<l>Whose life is well-nigh fled, who cling</l> +<l>To thee for succour, me thy king.</l> +<l>This, only this, is all my claim:</l> +<l>Have mercy, O my lovely dame.</l> +<l>None else have I to take my part,</l> +<l>Have mercy: thou art good at heart.</l> +<l>Hear, lady of the soft black eye,</l> +<l>And win a name that ne'er shall die:</l> +<l>Let Ráma rule this glorious land,</l> +<l>The gift of thine imperial hand.</l> +<l>O lady of the dainty waist,</l> +<l>With eyes and lips of beauty graced,</l> +<l>Please Ráma, me, each saintly priest,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Bharat, and all from chief to least.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She heard his wild and mournful cry,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">She saw the tears his speech that broke,</l> +<l>Saw her good husband's reddened eye,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But, cruel still, no word she spoke.</l> +<l>His eyes upon her face he bent,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And sought for mercy, but in vain:</l> +<l>She claimed his darling's banishment,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He swooned upon the ground again.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XIV"/> +<head>Canto XIV. Ráma Summoned.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The wicked queen her speech renewed,</l> +<l>When rolling on the earth she viewed</l> +<l>Ikshváku's son, Ayodhyá's king,</l> +<l>For his dear Ráma sorrowing:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why, by a simple promise bound,</q></l> +<l>Liest thou prostrate on the ground,</l> +<l>As though a grievous sin dismayed</l> +<l>Thy spirit! Why so sore afraid?</l> +<l>Keep still thy word. The righteous deem</l> +<l>That truth, mid duties, is supreme:</l> +<l>And now in truth and honour's name</l> +<l>I bid thee own the binding claim.</l> +<l>Śaivya, a king whom earth obeyed,</l> +<l>Once to a hawk a promise made,</l> +<l>Gave to the bird his flesh and bone,</l> +<l>And by his truth made heaven his own.<note place="foot">See +<hi rend='italic'><ref target="Notes_Dove">Additional Notes</ref></hi>, +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">The +Suppliant Dove</hi>.</note></l> +<l>Alarka, when a Bráhman famed</l> +<l>For Scripture lore his promise claimed,</l> +<l>Tore from his head his bleeding eyes</l> +<l>And unreluctant gave the prize.</l> +<l>His narrow bounds prescribed restrain</l> +<l>The Rivers' Lord, the mighty main,</l> +<l>Who, though his waters boil and rave,</l> +<l>Keeps faithful to the word he gave.</l> +<l>Truth all religion comprehends,</l> +<l>Through all the world its might extends:</l> +<l>In truth alone is justice placed,</l> +<l>On truth the words of God are based:</l> +<l>A life in truth unchanging past</l> +<l>Will bring the highest bliss at last.</l> +<l>If thou the right would still pursue,</l> +<l>Be constant to thy word and true:</l> +<l>Let me thy promise fruitful see,</l> +<l>For boons, O King, proceed from thee.</l> +<l>Now to preserve thy righteous fame,</l> +<l>And yielding to my earnest claim—</l> +<l>Thrice I repeat it—send thy child,</l> +<l>Thy Ráma, to the forest wild.</l> +<l>But if the boon thou still deny,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Before thy face, forlorn, I die.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus was the helpless monarch stung</l> +<l>By Queen Kaikeyí's fearless tongue,</l> +<l>As Bali strove in vain to loose</l> +<l>His limbs from Indra's fatal noose.</l> +<l>Dismayed in soul and pale with fear,</l> +<l>The monarch, like a trembling steer</l> +<l>Between the chariot's wheel and yoke,</l> +<l>Again to Queen Kaikeyí spoke,</l> +<l>With sad eyes fixt in vacant stare,</l> +<l>Gathering courage from despair:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">That hand I took, thou sinful dame,</q></l> +<l>With texts, before the sacred flame,</l> +<l>Thee and thy son, I scorn and hate,</l> +<l>And all at once repudiate.</l> +<pb n="108"/><anchor id="Pg108"/> +<l>The night is fled: the dawn is near:</l> +<l>Soon will the holy priests be here</l> +<l>To bid me for the rite prepare</l> +<l>That with my son the throne will share,</l> +<l>The preparation made to grace</l> +<l>My Ráma in his royal place—</l> +<l>With this, e'en this, my darling for</l> +<l>My death the funeral flood shall pour.</l> +<l>Thou and thy son at least forbear</l> +<l>In offerings to my shade to share,</l> +<l>For by the plot thy guile has laid</l> +<l>His consecration will be stayed.</l> +<l>This very day how shall I brook</l> +<l>To meet each subject's altered look?</l> +<l>To mark each gloomy joyless brow</l> +<l><q rend="post">That was so bright and glad but now?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">While thus the high-souled monarch spoke</l> +<l>To the stern queen, the Morning broke,</l> +<l>And holy night had slowly fled,</l> +<l>With moon and stars engarlanded.</l> +<l>Yet once again the cruel queen</l> +<l>Spoke words in answer fierce and keen,</l> +<l>Still on her evil purpose bent,</l> +<l>Wild with her rage and eloquent:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What speech is this? Such words as these</q></l> +<l>Seem sprung from poison-sown disease.</l> +<l>Quick to thy noble Ráma send</l> +<l>And bid him on his sire attend.</l> +<l>When to my son the rule is given;</l> +<l>When Ráma to the woods is driven;</l> +<l>When not a rival copes with me,</l> +<l><q rend="post">From chains of duty thou art free.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus goaded, like a generous steed</l> +<l>Urged by sharp spurs to double speed,</l> +<l><q>My senses are astray,</q> he cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">And duty's bonds my hands have tied.</q></l> +<l>I long to see mine eldest son,</l> +<l><q rend="post">My virtuous, my beloved one.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And now the night had past away;</l> +<l>Out shone the Maker of the Day,</l> +<l>Bringing the planetary hour</l> +<l>And moment of auspicious power.</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha, virtuous, far renowned,</l> +<l>Whose young disciples girt him round,</l> +<l>With sacred things without delay</l> +<l>Through the fair city took his way.</l> +<l>He traversed, where the people thronged,</l> +<l>And all for Ráma's coming longed,</l> +<l>The town as fair in festive show</l> +<l>As his who lays proud cities low.<note place="foot">Indra, called also +Purandara, Town-destroyer.</note></l> +<l>He reached the palace where he heard</l> +<l>The mingled notes of many a bird,</l> +<l>Where crowded thick high-honoured bands</l> +<l>Of guards with truncheons in their hands.</l> +<l>Begirt by many a sage, elate,</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha reached the royal gate,</l> +<l>And standing by the door he found</l> +<l>Sumantra, for his form renowned,</l> +<l>The king's illustrious charioteer</l> +<l>And noble counsellor and peer.</l> +<l>To him well skilled in every part</l> +<l>Of his hereditary art</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha said: <q rend="pre">O charioteer,</q></l> +<l>Inform the king that I am here,</l> +<l>Here ready by my side behold</l> +<l>These sacred vessels made of gold,</l> +<l>Which water for the rite contain</l> +<l>From Gangá and each distant main.</l> +<l>Here for installing I have brought</l> +<l>The seat prescribed of fig-wood wrought,</l> +<l>All kinds of seed and precious scent</l> +<l>And many a gem and ornament;</l> +<l>Grain, sacred grass, the garden's spoil,</l> +<l>Honey and curds and milk and oil;</l> +<l>Eight radiant maids, the best of all</l> +<l>War elephants that feed in stall;</l> +<l>A four-horse car, a bow and sword.</l> +<l>A litter, men to bear their lord;</l> +<l>A white umbrella bright and fair</l> +<l>That with the moon may well compare;</l> +<l>Two chouries of the whitest hair;</l> +<l>A golden beaker rich and rare;</l> +<l>A bull high-humped and fair to view,</l> +<l>Girt with gold bands and white of hue;</l> +<l>A four-toothed steed with flowing mane,</l> +<l>A throne which lions carved sustain;</l> +<l>A tiger's skin, the sacred fire,</l> +<l>Fresh kindled, which the rites require;</l> +<l>The best musicians skilled to play,</l> +<l>And dancing-girls in raiment gay;</l> +<l>Kine, Bráhmans, teachers fill the court,</l> +<l>And bird and beast of purest sort.</l> +<l>From town and village, far and near,</l> +<l>The noblest men are gathered here;</l> +<l>Here merchants with their followers crowd,</l> +<l>And men in joyful converse loud,</l> +<l>And kings from many a distant land</l> +<l>To view the consecration stand.</l> +<l>The dawn is come, the lucky day;</l> +<l>Go bid the monarch haste away,</l> +<l>That now Prince Ráma may obtain</l> +<l><q rend="post">The empire, and begin his reign.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Soon as he heard the high behest</l> +<l>The driver of the chariot pressed</l> +<l>Within the chambers of the king,</l> +<l>His lord with praises honouring.</l> +<l>And none of all the warders checked</l> +<l>His entrance for their great respect</l> +<l>Of him well known, in place so high,</l> +<l>Still fain their king to gratify.</l> +<l>He stood beside the royal chief,</l> +<l>Unwitting of his deadly grief,</l> +<l>And with sweet words began to sing</l> +<l>The praises of his lord and king:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">As, when the sun begins to rise,</q></l> +<l>The sparkling sea delights our eyes,</l> +<l>Wake, calm with gentle soul, and thus</l> +<pb n="109"/><anchor id="Pg109"/> +<l>Give rapture, mighty King, to us.</l> +<l>As Mátali<note place="foot">Indra's charioteer.</note> this selfsame hour</l> +<l>Sang lauds of old to Indra's power,</l> +<l>When he the Titan hosts o'erthrew,</l> +<l>So hymn I thee with praises due.</l> +<l>The Vedas, with their kindred lore,</l> +<l>Brahmá their soul-born Lord adore,</l> +<l>With all the doctrines of the wise,</l> +<l>And bid him, as I bid thee, rise.</l> +<l>As, with the moon, the Lord of Day</l> +<l>Wakes with the splendour of his ray</l> +<l>Prolific Earth, who neath him lies,</l> +<l>So, mighty King, I bid thee rise.</l> +<l>With blissful words, O Lord of men,</l> +<l>Rise, radiant in thy form, as when</l> +<l>The sun ascending darts his light</l> +<l>From Meru's everlasting height.</l> +<l>May Śiva, Agni, Sun, and Moon</l> +<l>Bestow on thee each choicest boon,</l> +<l>Kuvera, Varuṇa, Indra bless</l> +<l>Kakutstha's son with all success.</l> +<l>Awake, the holy night is fled,</l> +<l>The happy light abroad is spread;</l> +<l>Awake, O best of kings, and share</l> +<l>The glorious task that claims thy care.</l> +<l>The holy sage Vaśishṭha waits,</l> +<l>With all his Bráhmans, at the gate.</l> +<l>Give thy decree, without delay,</l> +<l>To consecrate thy son today.</l> +<l>As armies, by no captain led,</l> +<l>As flocks that feed unshepherded,</l> +<l>Such is the fortune of a state</l> +<l><q rend="post">Without a king and desolate.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Such were the words the bard addressed,</l> +<l>With weight of sage advice impressed;</l> +<l>And, as he heard, the hapless king</l> +<l>Felt deeper yet his sorrow's sting.</l> +<l>At length, all joy and comfort fled,</l> +<l>He raised his eyes with weeping red,</l> +<l>And, mournful for his Ráma's sake,</l> +<l>The good and glorious monarch spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why seek with idle praise to greet</q></l> +<l>The wretch for whom no praise is meet?</l> +<l>Thy words mine aching bosom tear,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And plunge me deeper in despair.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sumantra heard the sad reply,</l> +<l>And saw his master's tearful eye.</l> +<l>With reverent palm to palm applied</l> +<l>He drew a little space aside.</l> +<l>Then, as the king, with misery weak,</l> +<l>With vain endeavour strove to speak,</l> +<l>Kaikeyí, skilled in plot and plan,</l> +<l>To sage Sumantra thus began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The king, absorbed in joyful thought</q></l> +<l>For his dear son, no rest has sought:</l> +<l>Sleepless to him the night has past,</l> +<l>And now o'erwatched he sinks at last.</l> +<l>Then go, Sumantra, and with speed</l> +<l>The glorious Ráma hither lead:</l> +<l>Go, as I pray, nor longer wait;</l> +<l><q rend="post">No time is this to hesitate.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">How can I go, O Lady fair,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Unless my lord his will declare?</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Fain would I see him,</q> cried the king,</l> +<l><q>Quick, quick, my beauteous Ráma bring.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then rose the happy thought to cheer</l> +<l>The bosom of the charioteer,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The king, I ween, of pious mind,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">The consecration has designed.</q></l> +<l>Sumantra for his wisdom famed,</l> +<l>Delighted with the thought he framed,</l> +<l>From the calm chamber, like a bay</l> +<l>Of crowded ocean, took his way.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He turned his face to neither side,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"> But forth he hurried straight;</l> +<l>Only a little while he eyed</l> +<l>The guards who kept the gate.</l> +<l>He saw in front a gathered crowd</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Of men of every class,</l> +<l>Who, parting as he came, allowed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The charioteer to pass.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XV"/> +<head>Canto XV. The Preparations.</head> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">There slept the Bráhmans, deeply read</l> +<l>In Scripture, till the night had fled;</l> +<l>Then, with the royal chaplains, they</l> +<l>Took each his place in long array.</l> +<l>There gathered fast the chiefs of trade,</l> +<l>Nor peer nor captain long delayed,</l> +<l>Assembling all in order due</l> +<l>The consecrating rite to view.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The morning dawned with cloudless ray</l> +<l>On Pushya's high auspicious day,</l> +<l>And Cancer with benignant power</l> +<l>Looked down on Ráma's natal hour.</l> +<l>The twice-born chiefs, with zealous heed,</l> +<l>Made ready what the rite would need.</l> +<l>The well-wrought throne of holy wood</l> +<l>And golden urns in order stood.</l> +<l>There was the royal car whereon</l> +<l>A tiger's skin resplendent shone;</l> +<l>There water, brought for sprinkling thence</l> +<l>Where, in their sacred confluence,</l> +<l>Blend Jumná's waves with Gangá's tide,</l> +<l>From many a holy flood beside,</l> +<l>From brook and fountain far and near,</l> +<l>From pool and river, sea and mere.</l> +<l>And there were honey, curd, and oil,</l> +<l>Parched rice and grass, the garden's spoil,</l> +<l>Fresh milk, eight girls in bright attire,</l> +<l>An elephant with eyes of fire;</l> +<l>And urns of gold and silver made,</l> +<l>With milky branches overlaid,</l> +<l>All brimming from each sacred flood,</l> +<l>And decked with many a lotus bud.</l> +<pb n="110"/><anchor id="Pg110"/> +<l>And dancing-women fair and free,</l> +<l>Gay with their gems, were there to see,</l> +<l>Who stood in bright apparel by</l> +<l>With lovely brow and witching eye.</l> +<l>White flashed the jewelled chouri there,</l> +<l>And shone like moonbeams through the air;</l> +<l>The white umbrella overhead</l> +<l>A pale and moonlike lustre shed,</l> +<l>Wont in pure splendour to precede,</l> +<l>And in such rites the pomp to lead.</l> +<l>There stood the charger by the side</l> +<l>Of the great bull of snow-white hide;</l> +<l>There was all music soft and loud,</l> +<l>And bards and minstrels swelled the crowd.</l> +<l>For now the monarch bade combine</l> +<l>Each custom of his ancient line</l> +<l>With every rite Ayodhyá's state</l> +<l>Observed, her kings to consecrate.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then, summoned by the king's behest,</l> +<l>The multitudes together pressed,</l> +<l>And, missing still the royal sire,</l> +<l>Began, impatient, to inquire:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Who to our lord will tidings bear</q></l> +<l>That all his people throng the square?</l> +<l>Where is the king? the sun is bright,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And all is ready for the rite.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As thus they spoke, Sumantra, tried</l> +<l>In counsel, to the chiefs replied,</l> +<l>Gathered from lands on every side:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">To Ráma's house I swiftly drave,</q></l> +<l>For so the king his mandate gave.</l> +<l>Our aged lord and Ráma too</l> +<l>In honour high hold all of you:</l> +<l>I in your words (be long your days!)</l> +<l><q rend="post">Will ask him why he thus delays.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke the peer in Scripture read,</l> +<l>And to the ladies' bower he sped.</l> +<l>Quick through the gates Sumantra hied,</l> +<l>Which access ne'er to him denied.</l> +<l>Behind the curtained screen he drew,</l> +<l>Which veiled the chamber from the view.</l> +<l>In benediction loud he raised</l> +<l>His voice, and thus the monarch praised:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Sun, Moon, Kuvera, Śiva bless</q></l> +<l>Kakutstha's son with high success!</l> +<l>The Lords of air, flood, fire decree</l> +<l>The victory, my King, to thee!</l> +<l>The holy night has past away,</l> +<l>Auspicious shines the morning's ray.</l> +<l>Rise, Lord of men, thy part to take</l> +<l>In the great rite. Awake! awake!</l> +<l>Bráhmans and captains, chiefs of trade,</l> +<l>All wait in festive garb arrayed;</l> +<l>For thee they look with eager eyes:</l> +<l><q rend="post">O Raghu's son, awake! arise.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To him in holy Scripture read,</l> +<l>Who hailed him thus, the monarch said,</l> +<l>Upraising from his sleep his head:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Go, Ráma, hither lead as thou</q></l> +<l>Wast ordered by the queen but now.</l> +<l>Come, tell me why my mandate laid</l> +<l>Upon thee thus is disobeyed.</l> +<l>Away! and Ráma hither bring;</l> +<l><q rend="post">I sleep not: make no tarrying.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus gave the king command anew:</l> +<l>Sumantra from his lord withdrew;</l> +<l>With head in lowly reverence bent,</l> +<l>And filled with thoughts of joy, he went.</l> +<l>The royal street he traversed, where</l> +<l>Waved flag and pennon to the air,</l> +<l>And, as with joy the car he drove,</l> +<l>He let his eyes delighted rove.</l> +<l>On every side, where'er he came,</l> +<l>He heard glad words, their theme the same,</l> +<l>As in their joy the gathered folk</l> +<l>Of Ráma and the throning spoke.</l> +<l>Then saw he Ráma's palace bright</l> +<l>And vast as Mount Kailása's height,</l> +<l>That glorious in its beauty showed</l> +<l>As Indra's own supreme abode:</l> +<l>With folding doors both high and wide;</l> +<l>With hundred porches beautified:</l> +<l>Where golden statues towering rose</l> +<l>O'er gemmed and coralled porticoes.</l> +<l>Bright like a cave in Meru's side,</l> +<l>Or clouds through Autumn's sky that ride:</l> +<l>Festooned with length of bloomy twine,</l> +<l>Flashing with pearls and jewels' shine,</l> +<l>While sandal-wood and aloe lent</l> +<l>The mingled riches of their scent;</l> +<l>With all the odorous sweets that fill</l> +<l>The breezy heights of Dardar's hill.</l> +<l>There by the gate the Sáras screamed,</l> +<l>And shrill-toned peacocks' plumage gleamed.</l> +<l>Its floors with deftest art inlaid,</l> +<l>Its sculptured wolves in gold arrayed,</l> +<l>With its bright sheen the palace took</l> +<l>The mind of man and chained the look,</l> +<l>For like the sun and moon it glowed,</l> +<l>And mocked Kuvera's loved abode.</l> +<l>Circling the walls a crowd he viewed</l> +<l>Who stood in reverent attitude,</l> +<l>With throngs of countrymen who sought</l> +<l>Acceptance of the gifts they brought.</l> +<l>The elephant was stationed there,</l> +<l>Appointed Ráma's self to bear;</l> +<l>Adorned with pearls, his brow and cheek</l> +<l>Were sandal-dyed in many a streak,</l> +<l>While he, in stature, bulk, and pride,</l> +<l>With Indra's own Airávat<note place="foot">The elephant of Indra.</note> vied.</l> +<l>Sumantra, borne by coursers fleet,</l> +<l>Flashing a radiance o'er the street,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To Ráma's palace flew,</l> +<l>And all who lined the royal road,</l> +<l>Or thronged the prince's rich abode,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Rejoiced as near he drew.</l> +<l>And with delight his bosom swelled</l> +<l>As onward still his course he held</l> +<pb n="111"/><anchor id="Pg111"/> +<l>Through many a sumptuous court</l> +<l>Like Indra's palace nobly made,</l> +<l>Where peacocks revelled in the shade,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And beasts of silvan sort.</l> +<l>Through many a hall and chamber wide,</l> +<l>That with Kailása's splendour vied.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Or mansions of the Blest,</l> +<l>While Ráma's friends, beloved and tried,</l> +<l>Before his coming stepped aside,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Still on Sumantra pressed.</l> +<l>He reached the chamber door, where stood</l> +<l>Around his followers young and good,</l> +<l>Bard, minstrel, charioteer,</l> +<l>Well skilled the tuneful chords to sweep,</l> +<l>With soothing strain to lull to sleep,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Or laud their master dear.</l> +<l>Then, like a dolphin darting through</l> +<l>Unfathomed depths of ocean's blue</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With store of jewels decked,</l> +<l>Through crowded halls that rock-like rose,</l> +<l>Or as proud hills where clouds repose,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sumantra sped unchecked—</l> +<l>Halls like the glittering domes on high</l> +<l>Reared for the dwellers of the sky</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By heavenly architect.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XVI"/> +<head>Canto XVI. Ráma Summoned.</head> + +<lg> +<l>So through the crowded inner door</l> +<l>Sumantra, skilled in ancient lore,</l> +<l>On to the private chambers pressed</l> +<l>Which stood apart from all the rest.</l> +<l>There youthful warriors, true and bold,</l> +<l>Whose ears were ringed with polished gold,</l> +<l>All armed with trusty bows and darts,</l> +<l>Watched with devoted eyes and hearts.</l> +<l>And hoary men, a faithful train,</l> +<l>Whose aged hands held staves of cane,</l> +<l>The ladies' guard, apparelled fair</l> +<l>In red attire, were stationed there.</l> +<l>Soon as they saw Sumantra nigh,</l> +<l>Each longed his lord to gratify,</l> +<l>And from his seat beside the door</l> +<l>Up sprang each ancient servitor.</l> +<l>Then to the warders quickly cried</l> +<l>The skilled Sumantra, void of pride:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Tell Ráma that the charioteer</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Sumantra waits for audience here.</q></l> +<l>The ancient men with one accord</l> +<l>Seeking the pleasure of their lord,</l> +<l>Passing with speed the chamber door</l> +<l>To Ráma's ear the message bore.</l> +<l>Forthwith the prince with duteous heed</l> +<l>Called in the messenger with speed,</l> +<l>For 'twas his sire's command, he knew,</l> +<l>That sent him for the interview.</l> +<l>Like Lord Kuvera, well arrayed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He pressed a couch of gold,</l> +<l>Wherefrom a covering of brocade</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Hung down in many a fold.</l> +<l>Oil and the sandal's fragrant dust</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Had tinged his body o'er</l> +<l>Dark as the stream the spearman's thrust</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Drains from the wounded boar.</l> +<l>Him Sítá watched with tender care,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A chouri in her hand,</l> +<l>As Chitrá,<note place="foot">A star in the spike of Virgo: hence +the name of the mouth Chaitra or Chait.</note> ever fond in fair,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Beside the Moon will stand.</l> +<l>Him glorious with unborrowed light,</l> +<l>A liberal lord, of sunlike might,</l> +<l>Sumantra hailed in words like these,</l> +<l>Well skilled in gentle courtesies,</l> +<l>As, with joined hands in reverence raised,</l> +<l>Upon the beauteous prince he gazed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Happy Kauśalyá! Blest is she,</q></l> +<l>The Mother of a son like thee.</l> +<l>Now rise, O Ráma, speed away.</l> +<l>Go to thy sire without delay:</l> +<l>For he and Queen Kaikeyí seek</l> +<l><q rend="post">An interview with thee to speak.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The lion-lord of men, the best</l> +<l>Of splendid heroes, thus addressed,</l> +<l>To Sítá spake with joyful cheer:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The king and queen, my lady dear,</q></l> +<l>Touching the throning, for my sake</l> +<l>Some salutary counsel take.</l> +<l>The lady of the full black eye</l> +<l>Would fain her husband gratify,</l> +<l>And, all his purpose understood,</l> +<l>Counsels the monarch to my good.</l> +<l>A happy fate is mine, I ween,</l> +<l>When he, consulting with his queen,</l> +<l>Sumantra on this charge, intent</l> +<l>Upon my gain and good, has sent.</l> +<l>An envoy of so noble sort</l> +<l>Well suits the splendour of the court.</l> +<l>The consecration rite this day</l> +<l>Will join me in imperial sway.</l> +<l>To meet the lord of earth, for so</l> +<l>His order bids me, I will go.</l> +<l>Thou, lady, here in comfort stay,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And with thy maidens rest or play.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma spake. For meet reply</l> +<l>The lady of the large black eye</l> +<l>Attended to the door her lord,</l> +<l>And blessings on his head implored:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The majesty and royal state</q></l> +<l>Which holy Bráhmans venerate,</l> +<l>The consecration and the rite</l> +<l>Which sanctifies the ruler's might,</l> +<l>And all imperial powers should be</l> +<l>Thine by thy father's high decree,</l> +<l>As He, the worlds who formed and planned,</l> +<l>The kingship gave to Indra's hand.</l> +<pb n="112"/><anchor id="Pg112"/> +<l>Then shall mine eyes my king adore</l> +<l>When lustral rites and fast are o'er,</l> +<l>And black deer's skin and roebuck's horn</l> +<l>Thy lordly limbs and hand adorn.</l> +<l>May He whose hands the thunder wield</l> +<l>Be in the east thy guard and shield;</l> +<l>May Yáma's care the south befriend,</l> +<l>And Varuṇ's arm the west defend;</l> +<l>And let Kuvera, Lord of Gold,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The north with firm protection hold.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma spoke a kind farewell,</l> +<l>And hailed the blessings as they fell</l> +<l>From Sítá's gentle lips; and then,</l> +<l>As a young lion from his den</l> +<l>Descends the mountain's stony side,</l> +<l>So from the hall the hero hied.</l> +<l>First Lakshmaṇ at the door he viewed</l> +<l>Who stood in reverent attitude,</l> +<l>Then to the central court he pressed</l> +<l>Where watched the friends who loved him best.</l> +<l>To all his dear companions there</l> +<l>He gave kind looks and greeting fair.</l> +<l>On to the lofty car that glowed</l> +<l>Like fire the royal tiger strode.</l> +<l>Bright as himself its silver shone:</l> +<l>A tiger's skin was laid thereon.</l> +<l>With cloudlike thunder, as it rolled,</l> +<l>It flashed with gems and burnished gold,</l> +<l>And, like the sun's meridian blaze,</l> +<l>Blinded the eye that none could gaze.</l> +<l>Like youthful elephants, tall and strong,</l> +<l>Fleet coursers whirled the car along:</l> +<l>In such a car the Thousand-eyed</l> +<l>Borne by swift horses loves to ride.</l> +<l>So like Parjanya,<note place="foot">The Rain-God.</note> when he flies</l> +<l>Thundering through the autumn skies,</l> +<l>The hero from the palace sped,</l> +<l>As leaves the moon some cloud o'erhead.</l> +<l>Still close to Ráma Lakshmaṇ kept,</l> +<l>Behind him to the car he leapt,</l> +<l>And, watching with fraternal care,</l> +<l>Waved the long chouri's silver hair,</l> +<l>As from the palace gate he came</l> +<l>Up rose the tumult of acclaim.</l> +<l>While loud huzza and jubilant shout</l> +<l>Pealed from the gathered myriads out.</l> +<l>Then elephants, like mountains vast,</l> +<l>And steeds who all their kind surpassed,</l> +<l>Followed their lord by hundreds, nay</l> +<l>By thousands, led in long array.</l> +<l>First marched a band of warriors trained,</l> +<l>With sandal dust and aloe stained;</l> +<l>Well armed was each with sword and bow,</l> +<l>And every breast with hope aglow,</l> +<l>And ever, as they onward went,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Shouts from the warrior train,</l> +<l>And every sweet-toned instrument</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Prolonged the minstrel strain.</l> +<l>On passed the tamer of his foes,</l> +<l>While well clad dames, in crowded rows,</l> +<l>Each chamber lattice thronged to view,</l> +<l>And chaplets on the hero threw.</l> +<l>Then all, of peerless face and limb,</l> +<l>Sang Ráma's praise for love of him,</l> +<l>And blent their voices, soft and sweet,</l> +<l>From palace high and crowded street:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now, sure, Kauśalyá's heart must swell</q></l> +<l>To see the son she loves so well,</l> +<l>Thee Ráma, thee, her joy and pride,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Triumphant o'er the realm preside.</q></l> +<l>Then—for they knew his bride most fair</l> +<l>Of all who part the soft dark hair,</l> +<l>His love, his life, possessed the whole</l> +<l>Of her young hero's heart and soul:—</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Be sure the lady's fate repays</q></l> +<l>Some mighty vow of ancient days,<note place="foot">In a former life.</note></l> +<l>For blest with Ráma's love is she</l> +<l><q rend="post">As, with the Moon's, sweet Rohiní.</q><note place="foot">One +of the lunar asterisms, represented as the favourite wife of the Moon. See +p. 4, note.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Such were the witching words that came</l> +<l>From lips of many a peerless dame</l> +<l>Crowding the palace roofs to greet</l> +<l>The hero as he gained the street.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XVII"/> +<head>Canto XVII. Ráma's Approach.</head> + +<lg> +<l>As Ráma, rendering blithe and gay</l> +<l>His loving friends, pursued his way,</l> +<l>He saw on either hand a press</l> +<l>Of mingled people numberless.</l> +<l>The royal street he traversed, where</l> +<l>Incense of aloe filled the air,</l> +<l>Where rose high palaces, that vied</l> +<l>With paly clouds, on either side;</l> +<l>With flowers of myriad colours graced.</l> +<l>And food for every varied taste,</l> +<l>Bright as the glowing path o'erhead</l> +<l>Which feet of Gods celestial tread,</l> +<l>Loud benedictions, sweet to hear,</l> +<l>From countless voices soothed his ear.</l> +<l>While he to each gave due salute</l> +<l>His place and dignity to suit:</l> +<l><q>Be thou,</q> the joyful people cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Be thou our guardian, lord and guide.</q></l> +<l>Throned and anointed king to-day,</l> +<l>Thy feet set forth upon the way</l> +<l>Wherein, each honoured as a God,</l> +<l>Thy fathers and forefathers trod.</l> +<l>Thy sire and his have graced the throne,</l> +<l>And loving care to us have shown:</l> +<l>Thus blest shall we and ours remain,</l> +<l>Yea still more blest in Ráma's reign.</l> +<pb n="113"/><anchor id="Pg113"/> +<l>No more of dainty fare we need,</l> +<l>And but one cherished object heed,</l> +<l>That we may see our prince today</l> +<l><q rend="post">Invested with imperial sway.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Such were the words and pleasant speech</l> +<l>That Ráma heard, unmoved, from each</l> +<l>Of the dear friends around him spread,</l> +<l>As onward through the street he sped,</l> +<l>For none could turn his eye or thought</l> +<l>From the dear form his glances sought,</l> +<l>With fruitless ardour forward cast</l> +<l>Even when Raghu's son had past.</l> +<l>And he who saw not Ráma nigh,</l> +<l>Nor caught a look from Ráma's eye,</l> +<l>A mark for scorn and general blame,</l> +<l>Reproached himself in bitter shame.</l> +<l>For to each class his equal mind</l> +<l>With sympathy and love inclined</l> +<l>Most fully of the princely four,</l> +<l>So greatest love to him they bore.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His circling course the hero bent</l> +<l>Round shrine and altar, reverent,</l> +<l>Round homes of Gods, where cross-roads met,</l> +<l>Where many a sacred tree was set.</l> +<l>Near to his father's house he drew</l> +<l>Like Indra's beautiful to view,</l> +<l>And with the light his glory gave</l> +<l>Within the royal palace drave.</l> +<l>Through three broad courts, where bowmen kept</l> +<l>Their watch and ward, his coursers swept,</l> +<l>Then through the two remaining went</l> +<l>On foot the prince preëminent.</l> +<l>Through all the courts the hero passed,</l> +<l>And gained the ladies' bower at last;</l> +<l>Then through the door alone withdrew,</l> +<l>And left without his retinue.</l> +<l>When thus the monarch's noble boy</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Had gone his sire to meet,</l> +<l>The multitude, elate with joy,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Stood watching in the street,</l> +<l>And his return with eager eyes</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Expected at the gates,</l> +<l>As for his darling moon to rise</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The King of Rivers<note place="foot">The Sea.</note> waits.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XVIII"/> +<head>Canto XVIII. The Sentence.</head> + +<lg> +<l>With hopeless eye and pallid mien</l> +<l>There sat the monarch with the queen.</l> +<l>His father's feet with reverence due</l> +<l>He clasped, and touched Kaikeyí's too.</l> +<l>The king, with eyes still brimming o'er,</l> +<l>Cried Ráma! and could do no more.</l> +<l>His voice was choked, his eye was dim,</l> +<l>He could not speak or look on him.</l> +<l>Then sudden fear made Ráma shake</l> +<l>As though his foot had roused a snake,</l> +<l>Soon as his eyes had seen the change</l> +<l>So mournful, terrible, and strange.</l> +<l>For there his reason well-nigh fled,</l> +<l>Sighing, with soul disquieted,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To torturing pangs a prey,</l> +<l>Dismayed, despairing, and distraught,</l> +<l>In a fierce whirl of wildering thought</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hapless monarch lay,</l> +<l>Like Ocean wave-engarlanded</l> +<l>Storm-driven from his tranquil bed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Sun-God in eclipse,</l> +<l>Or like a holy seer, heart-stirred</l> +<l>With anguish, when a lying word</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Has passed his heedless lips.</l> +<l>The sight of his dear father, pained</l> +<l>With woe and misery unexplained</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Filled Ráma with unrest,</l> +<l>As Ocean's pulses rise and swell</l> +<l>When the great moon he loves so well</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Shines full upon his breast.</l> +<l>So grieving for his father's sake,</l> +<l>To his own heart the hero spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why will the king my sire to-day</q></l> +<l>No kindly word of greeting say?</l> +<l>At other times, though wroth he be,</l> +<l>His eyes grow calm that look on me.</l> +<l>Then why does anguish wring his brow</l> +<l><q rend="post">To see his well-beloved now?</q></l> +<l>Sick and perplexed, distraught with woe,</l> +<l>To Queen Kaikeyí bowing low,</l> +<l>While pallor o'er his bright cheek spread,</l> +<l>With humble reverence he said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What have I done, unknown, amiss</q></l> +<l>To make my father wroth like this?</l> +<l>Declare it, O dear Queen, and win</l> +<l>His pardon for my heedless sin.</l> +<l>Why is the sire I ever find</l> +<l>Filled with all love to-day unkind?</l> +<l>With eyes cast down and pallid cheek</l> +<l>This day alone he will not speak.</l> +<l>Or lies he prostrate neath the blow</l> +<l>Of fierce disease or sudden woe?</l> +<l>For all our bliss is dashed with pain,</l> +<l>And joy unmixt is hard to gain.</l> +<l>Does stroke of evil fortune smite</l> +<l>Dear Bharat, charming to the sight,</l> +<l>Or on the brave Śatrughna fall,</l> +<l>Or consorts, for he loves them all?</l> +<l>Against his words when I rebel,</l> +<l>Or fail to please the monarch well,</l> +<l>When deeds of mine his soul offend,</l> +<l>That hour I pray my life may end.</l> +<l>How should a man to him who gave</l> +<l>His being and his life behave?</l> +<l>The sire to whom he owes his birth</l> +<l>Should be his deity on earth.</l> +<l>Hast thou, by pride and folly moved,</l> +<pb n="114"/><anchor id="Pg114"/> +<l>With bitter taunt the king reproved?</l> +<l>Has scorn of thine or cruel jest</l> +<l>To passion stirred his gentle breast?</l> +<l>Speak truly, Queen, that I may know</l> +<l><q rend="post">What cause has changed the monarch so.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus by the high-souled prince addressed,</l> +<l>Of Raghu's sons the chief and best,</l> +<l>She cast all ruth and shame aside,</l> +<l>And bold with greedy words replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Not wrath, O Ráma, stirs the king,</q></l> +<l>Nor misery stabs with sudden sting;</l> +<l>One thought that fills his soul has he,</l> +<l>But dares not speak for fear of thee.</l> +<l>Thou art so dear, his lips refrain</l> +<l>From words that might his darling pain.</l> +<l>But thou, as duty bids, must still</l> +<l>The promise of thy sire fulfil.</l> +<l>He who to me in days gone by</l> +<l>Vouchsafed a boon with honours high,</l> +<l>Dares now, a king, his word regret,</l> +<l>And caitiff-like disowns the debt.</l> +<l>The lord of men his promise gave</l> +<l>To grant the boon that I might crave,</l> +<l>And now a bridge would idly throw</l> +<l>When the dried stream has ceased to flow.</l> +<l>His faith the monarch must not break</l> +<l>In wrath, or e'en for thy dear sake.</l> +<l>From faith, as well the righteous know,</l> +<l>Our virtue and our merits flow.</l> +<l>Now, be they good or be they ill,</l> +<l>Do thou thy father's words fulfil:</l> +<l>Swear that his promise shall not fail,</l> +<l>And I will tell thee all the tale.</l> +<l>Yes, Ráma, when I hear that thou</l> +<l>Hast bound thee by thy father's vow,</l> +<l>Then, not till then, my lips shall speak,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Nor will he tell what boon I seek.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He heard, and with a troubled breast</l> +<l>This answer to the queen addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah me, dear lady, canst thou deem</q></l> +<l>That words like these thy lips beseem?</l> +<l>I, at the bidding of my sire,</l> +<l>Would cast my body to the fire,</l> +<l>A deadly draught of poison drink,</l> +<l>Or in the waves of ocean sink:</l> +<l>If he command, it shall be done,—</l> +<l>My father and my king in one.</l> +<l>Then speak and let me know the thing</l> +<l>So longed for by my lord the king.</l> +<l>It shall be done: let this suffice;</l> +<l><q rend="post">Ráma ne'er makes a promise twice.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ended. To the princely youth</l> +<l>Who loved the right and spoke the truth,</l> +<l>Cruel, abominable came</l> +<l>The answer of the ruthless dame:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">When Gods and Titans fought of yore,</q></l> +<l>Transfixed with darts and bathed in gore</l> +<l>Two boons to me thy father gave</l> +<l>For the dear life 'twas mine to save.</l> +<l>Of him I claim the ancient debt,</l> +<l>That Bharat on the throne be set,</l> +<l>And thou, O Ráma, go this day</l> +<l>To Daṇḍak forest far away.</l> +<l>Now, Ráma, if thou wilt maintain</l> +<l>Thy father's faith without a stain,</l> +<l>And thine own truth and honour clear,</l> +<l>Then, best of men, my bidding hear.</l> +<l>Do thou thy father's word obey,</l> +<l>Nor from the pledge he gave me stray.</l> +<l>Thy life in Daṇḍak forest spend</l> +<l>Till nine long years and five shall end.</l> +<l>Upon my Bharat's princely head</l> +<l>Let consecrating drops be shed,</l> +<l>With all the royal pomp for thee</l> +<l>Made ready by the king's decree.</l> +<l>Seek Daṇḍak forest and resign</l> +<l>Rites that would make the empire thine,</l> +<l>For twice seven years of exile wear</l> +<l>The coat of bark and matted hair.</l> +<l>Then in thy stead let Bharat reign</l> +<l>Lord of his royal sire's domain,</l> +<l>Rich in the fairest gems that shine,</l> +<l>Cars, elephants, and steeds, and kine.</l> +<l>The monarch mourns thy altered fate</l> +<l>And vails his brow compassionate:</l> +<l>Bowed down by bitter grief he lies</l> +<l>And dares not lift to thine his eyes.</l> +<l>Obey his word: be firm and brave,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And with great truth the monarch save.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">While thus with cruel words she spoke,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">No grief the noble youth betrayed;</l> +<l>But forth the father's anguish broke,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">At his dear Ráma's lot dismayed.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XIX"/> +<head>Canto XIX. Ráma's Promise.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Calm and unmoved by threatened woe</l> +<l>The noble conqueror of the foe</l> +<l>Answered the cruel words she spoke,</l> +<l>Nor quailed beneath the murderous stroke:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Yea, for my father's promise sake</q></l> +<l>I to the wood my way will take,</l> +<l>And dwell a lonely exile there</l> +<l>In hermit dress with matted hair.</l> +<l>One thing alone I fain would learn,</l> +<l>Why is the king this day so stern?</l> +<l>Why is the scourge of foes so cold,</l> +<l>Nor gives me greeting as of old?</l> +<l>Now let not anger flush thy cheek:</l> +<l>Before thy face the truth I speak,</l> +<l>In hermit's coat with matted hair</l> +<l>To the wild wood will I repair.</l> +<l>How can I fail his will to do,</l> +<l>Friend, master, grateful sovereign too?</l> +<l>One only pang consumes my breast:</l> +<l>That his own lips have not expressed</l> +<l>His will, nor made his longing known</l> +<l>That Bharat should ascend the throne.</l> +<pb n="115"/><anchor id="Pg115"/> +<l>To Bharat I would yield my wife,</l> +<l>My realm and wealth, mine own dear life,</l> +<l>Unasked I fain would yield them all:</l> +<l>More gladly at my father's call,</l> +<l>More gladly when the gift may free</l> +<l>His honour and bring joy to thee.</l> +<l>Thus, lady, his sad heart release</l> +<l>From the sore shame, and give him peace.</l> +<l>But tell me, O, I pray thee, why</l> +<l>The lord of men, with downcast eye,</l> +<l>Lies prostrate thus, and one by one</l> +<l>Down his pale cheek the tear-drops run.</l> +<l>Let couriers to thy father speed</l> +<l>On horses of the swiftest breed,</l> +<l>And, by the mandate of the king,</l> +<l>Thy Bharat to his presence bring.</l> +<l>My father's words I will not stay</l> +<l>To question, but this very day</l> +<l>To Daṇḍak's pathless wild will fare,</l> +<l><q rend="post">For twice seven years an exile there.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Ráma thus had made reply</l> +<l>Kaikeyí's heart with joy beat high.</l> +<l>She, trusting to the pledge she held,</l> +<l>The youth's departure thus impelled:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">'Tis well. Be messengers despatched</q></l> +<l>On coursers ne'er for fleetness matched,</l> +<l>To seek my father's home and lead</l> +<l>My Bharat back with all their speed.</l> +<l>And, Ráma, as I ween that thou</l> +<l>Wilt scarce endure to linger now,</l> +<l>So surely it were wise and good</l> +<l>This hour to journey to the wood.</l> +<l>And if, with shame cast down and weak,</l> +<l>No word to thee the king can speak,</l> +<l>Forgive, and from thy mind dismiss</l> +<l>A trifle in an hour like this.</l> +<l>But till thy feet in rapid haste</l> +<l>Have left the city for the waste,</l> +<l>And to the distant forest fled,</l> +<l><q rend="post">He will not bathe nor call for bread.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Woe! woe!</q> from the sad monarch burst,</l> +<l>In surging floods of grief immersed;</l> +<l>Then swooning, with his wits astray,</l> +<l>Upon the gold-wrought couch he lay,</l> +<l>And Ráma raised the aged king:</l> +<l>But the stern queen, unpitying,</l> +<l>Checked not her needless words, nor spared</l> +<l>The hero for all speed prepared,</l> +<l>But urged him with her bitter tongue,</l> +<l>Like a good horse with lashes stung,</l> +<l>She spoke her shameful speech. Serene</l> +<l>He heard the fury of the queen,</l> +<l>And to her words so vile and dread</l> +<l>Gently, unmoved in mind, he said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I would not in this world remain</q></l> +<l>A grovelling thrall to paltry gain,</l> +<l>But duty's path would fain pursue,</l> +<l>True as the saints themselves are true.</l> +<l>From death itself I would not fly</l> +<l>My father's wish to gratify,</l> +<l>What deed soe'er his loving son</l> +<l>May do to please him, think it done.</l> +<l>Amid all duties, Queen, I count</l> +<l>This duty first and paramount,</l> +<l>That sons, obedient, aye fulfil</l> +<l>Their honoured fathers' word and will.</l> +<l>Without his word, if thou decree,</l> +<l>Forth to the forest will I flee,</l> +<l>And there shall fourteen years be spent</l> +<l>Mid lonely wilds in banishment.</l> +<l>Methinks thou couldst not hope to find</l> +<l>One spark of virtue in my mind,</l> +<l>If thou, whose wish is still my lord,</l> +<l>Hast for this grace the king implored.</l> +<l>This day I go, but, ere we part,</l> +<l>Must cheer my Sítá's tender heart,</l> +<l>To my dear mother bid farewell;</l> +<l>Then to the woods, a while to dwell.</l> +<l>With thee, O Queen, the care must rest</l> +<l>That Bharat hear his sire's behest,</l> +<l>And guard the land with righteous sway,</l> +<l><q rend="post">For such the law that lives for aye.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In speechless woe the father heard,</l> +<l>Wept with loud cries, but spoke no word.</l> +<l>Then Ráma touched his senseless feet,</l> +<l>And hers, for honour most unmeet;</l> +<l>Round both his circling steps he bent,</l> +<l>Then from the bower the hero went.</l> +<l>Soon as he reached the gate he found</l> +<l>His dear companions gathered round.</l> +<l>Behind him came Sumitrá's child</l> +<l>With weeping eyes so sad and wild.</l> +<l>Then saw he all that rich array</l> +<l>Of vases for the glorious day.</l> +<l>Round them with reverent stops he paced,</l> +<l>Nor vailed his eye, nor moved in haste.</l> +<l>The loss of empire could not dim</l> +<l>The glory that encompassed him.</l> +<l>So will the Lord of Cooling Rays<note place="foot">The Moon.</note></l> +<l>On whom the world delights to gaze,</l> +<l>Through the great love of all retain</l> +<l>Sweet splendour in the time of wane.</l> +<l>Now to the exile's lot resigned</l> +<l>He left the rule of earth behind:</l> +<l>As though all worldly cares he spurned</l> +<l>No trouble was in him discerned.</l> +<l>The chouries that for kings are used,</l> +<l>And white umbrella, he refused,</l> +<l>Dismissed his chariot and his men,</l> +<l>And every friend and citizen.</l> +<l>He ruled his senses, nor betrayed</l> +<l>The grief that on his bosom weighed,</l> +<l>And thus his mother's mansion sought</l> +<l>To tell the mournful news he brought.</l> +<l>Nor could the gay-clad people there</l> +<l>Who flocked round Ráma true and fair,</l> +<l>One sign of altered fortune trace</l> +<l>Upon the splendid hero's face.</l> +<l>Nor had the chieftain, mighty-armed,</l> +<l>Lost the bright look all hearts that charmed,</l> +<pb n="116"/><anchor id="Pg116"/> +<l>As e'en from autumn moons is thrown</l> +<l>A splendour which is all their own.</l> +<l>With his sweet voice the hero spoke</l> +<l>Saluting all the gathered folk,</l> +<l>Then righteous-souled and great in fame</l> +<l>Close to his mother's house he came.</l> +<l>Lakshmaṇ the brave, his brother's peer</l> +<l>In princely virtues, followed near,</l> +<l>Sore troubled, but resolved to show</l> +<l>No token of his secret woe.</l> +<l>Thus to the palace Ráma went</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Where all were gay with hope and joy;</l> +<l>But well he knew the dire event</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That hope would mar, that bliss destroy.</l> +<l>So to his grief he would not yield</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Lest the sad change their hearts might rend,</l> +<l>And, the dread tiding unrevealed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Spared from the blow each faithful friend.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XX"/> +<head>Canto XX. Kausalyá's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But in the monarch's palace, when</l> +<l>Sped from the bower that lord of men,</l> +<l>Up from the weeping women went</l> +<l>A mighty wail and wild lament:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah, he who ever freely did</q></l> +<l>His duty ere his sire could bid,</l> +<l>Our refuge and our sure defence,</l> +<l>This day will go an exile hence,</l> +<l>He on Kauśalyá loves to wait</l> +<l>Most tender and affectionate,</l> +<l>And as he treats his mother, thus</l> +<l>From childhood has he treated us.</l> +<l>On themes that sting he will not speak,</l> +<l>And when reviled is calm and meek.</l> +<l>He soothes the angry, heals offence:</l> +<l>He goes to-day an exile hence.</l> +<l>Our lord the king is most unwise,</l> +<l>And looks on life with doting eyes,</l> +<l>Who in his folly casts away</l> +<l><q rend="post">The world's protection, hope, and stay.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus in their woe, like kine bereaved</l> +<l>Of their young calves,<note place="foot">The comparison may to a European +reader seem a homely one. But Spenser likens an infuriate woman to a cow +<q>That is berobbed of her youngling dere.</q> +Shakspeare also makes King Henry VI compare himself to the calf's mother that +<q>Runs lowing up and down, Looking the way her harmless young one went.</q> +<q>Cows,</q> says De Quincey, <q>are amongst the gentlest of breathing creatures; none +show more passionate tenderness to their young, when deprived of them, and, in +short, I am not ashamed to profess a deep love for these gentle creatures.</q></note> +the ladies grieved,</l> +<l>And ever as they wept and wailed</l> +<l>With keen reproach the king assailed.</l> +<l>Their lamentation, mixed with tears,</l> +<l>Smote with new grief the monarch's ears,</l> +<l>Who, burnt with woe too great to bear,</l> +<l>Fell on his couch and fainted there.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma, smitten with the pain</l> +<l>His heaving heart could scarce restrain,</l> +<l>Groaned like an elephant and strode</l> +<l>With Lakshmaṇ to the queen's abode.</l> +<l>A warder there, whose hoary eld</l> +<l>In honour high by all was held,</l> +<l>Guarding the mansion, sat before</l> +<l>The portal, girt with many more.</l> +<l>Swift to their feet the warders sprang,</l> +<l>And loud the acclamation rang,</l> +<l>Hail, Ráma! as to him they bent,</l> +<l>Of victor chiefs preëminent.</l> +<l>One court he passed, and in the next</l> +<l>Saw, masters of each Veda text,</l> +<l>A crowd of Bráhmans, good and sage,</l> +<l>Dear to the king for lore and age.</l> +<l>To these he bowed his reverent head,</l> +<l>Thence to the court beyond he sped.</l> +<l>Old dames and tender girls, their care</l> +<l>To keep the doors, were stationed there.</l> +<l>And all, when Ráma came in view,</l> +<l>Delighted to the chamber flew,</l> +<l>To bear to Queen Kauśalyá's ear</l> +<l>The tidings that she loved to hear.</l> +<l>The queen, on rites and prayer intent,</l> +<l>In careful watch the night had spent,</l> +<l>And at the dawn, her son to aid,</l> +<l>To Vishṇu holy offerings made.</l> +<l>Firm in her vows, serenely glad,</l> +<l>In robes of spotless linen clad,</l> +<l>As texts prescribe, with grace implored,</l> +<l>Her offerings in the fire she poured.</l> +<l>Within her splendid bower he came,</l> +<l>And saw her feed the sacred flame.</l> +<l>There oil, and grain, and vases stood,</l> +<l>With wreaths, and curds, and cates, and wood,</l> +<l>And milk, and sesamum, and rice,</l> +<l>The elements of sacrifice.</l> +<l>She, worn and pale with many a fast</l> +<l>And midnight hours in vigil past,</l> +<l>In robes of purest white arrayed,</l> +<l>To Lakshmí Queen drink-offerings paid.</l> +<l>So long away, she flew to meet</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The darling of her soul:</l> +<l>So runs a mare with eager feet</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To welcome back her foal.</l> +<l>He with his firm support upheld</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The queen, as near she drew,</l> +<l>And, by maternal love impelled,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Her arms around him threw.</l> +<l>Her hero son, her matchless boy</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She kissed upon the head:</l> +<l>She blessed him in her pride and joy</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With tender words, and said:</l> +<pb n="117"/><anchor id="Pg117"/> +<l><q rend="pre">Be like thy royal sires of old,</q></l> +<l>The nobly good, the lofty-souled!</l> +<l>Their lengthened days and fame be thine,</l> +<l>And virtue, as beseems thy line!</l> +<l>The pious king, thy father, see</l> +<l>True to his promise made to thee:</l> +<l>That truth thy sire this day will show,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And regent's power on thee bestow.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She spoke. He took the proffered seat,</l> +<l>And as she pressed her son to eat,</l> +<l>Raised reverent bands, and, touched with shame,</l> +<l>Made answer to the royal dame:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Dear lady, thou hast yet to know</q></l> +<l>That danger threats, and heavy woe:</l> +<l>A grief that will with sore distress</l> +<l>On Sítá, thee, and Lakshmaṇ press.</l> +<l>What need of seats have such as I?</l> +<l>This day to Daṇḍak wood I fly.</l> +<l>The hour is come, a time, unmeet</l> +<l>For silken couch and gilded seat.</l> +<l>I must to lonely wilds repair,</l> +<l>Abstain from flesh, and living there</l> +<l>On roots, fruit, honey, hermit's food,</l> +<l>Pass twice seven years in solitude.</l> +<l>To Bharat's hand the king will yield</l> +<l>The regent power I thought to wield,</l> +<l>And me, a hermit, will he send</l> +<l><q rend="post">My days in Daṇḍak wood to spend.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As when the woodman's axe has lopped</l> +<l>A Śal branch in the grove, she dropped:</l> +<l>So from the skies a Goddess falls</l> +<l>Ejected from her radiant halls.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Ráma saw her lying low,</l> +<l>Prostrate by too severe a blow,</l> +<l>Around her form his arms he wound</l> +<l>And raised her fainting from the ground.</l> +<l>His hand upheld her like a mare</l> +<l>Who feels her load too sore to bear,</l> +<l>And sinks upon the way o'ertoiled,</l> +<l>And all her limbs with dust are soiled.</l> +<l>He soothed her in her wild distress</l> +<l>With loving touch and soft caress.</l> +<l>She, meet for highest fortune, eyed</l> +<l>The hero watching by her side,</l> +<l>And thus, while Lakshmaṇ bent to hear,</l> +<l>Addressed her son with many a tear!</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If, Ráma, thou had ne'er been born</q></l> +<l>My child to make thy mother mourn,</l> +<l>Though reft of joy, a childless queen,</l> +<l>Such woe as this I ne'er had seen.</l> +<l>Though to the childless wife there clings</l> +<l>One sorrow armed with keenest stings,</l> +<l><q>No child have I: no child have I,</q></l> +<l>No second misery prompts the sigh.</l> +<l>When long I sought, alas, in vain,</l> +<l>My husband's love and bliss to gain,</l> +<l>In Ráma all my hopes I set</l> +<l>And dreamed I might be happy yet.</l> +<l>I, of the consorts first and best,</l> +<l>Must bear my rivals' taunt and jest,</l> +<l>And brook, though better far than they,</l> +<l>The soul distressing words they say.</l> +<l>What woman can be doomed to pine</l> +<l>In misery more sore than mine,</l> +<l>Whose hopeless days must still be spent</l> +<l>In grief that ends not and lament?</l> +<l>They scorned me when my son was nigh;</l> +<l>When he is banished I must die.</l> +<l>Me, whom my husband never prized,</l> +<l>Kaikeyí's retinue despised</l> +<l>With boundless insolence, though she</l> +<l>Tops not in rank nor equals me.</l> +<l>And they who do me service yet,</l> +<l>Nor old allegiance quite forget,</l> +<l>Whene'er they see Kaikeyí's son,</l> +<l>With silent lips my glances shun.</l> +<l>How, O my darling, shall I brook</l> +<l>Each menace of Kaikeyí's look,</l> +<l>And listen, in my low estate,</l> +<l>To taunts of one so passionate?</l> +<l>For seventeen years since thou wast born</l> +<l>I sat and watched, ah me, forlorn!</l> +<l>Hoping some blessed day to see</l> +<l>Deliverance from my woes by thee.</l> +<l>Now comes this endless grief and wrong,</l> +<l>So dire I cannot bear it long,</l> +<l>Sinking, with age and sorrow worn,</l> +<l>Beneath my rivals' taunts and scorn.</l> +<l>How shall I pass in dark distress</l> +<l>My long lone days of wretchedness</l> +<l>Without my Ráma's face, as bright</l> +<l>As the full moon to cheer my sight?</l> +<l>Alas, my cares thy steps to train,</l> +<l>And fasts, and vows, and prayers are vain.</l> +<l>Hard, hard, I ween, must be this heart</l> +<l>To hear this blow nor burst apart,</l> +<l>As some great river bank, when first</l> +<l>The floods of Rain-time on it burst.</l> +<l>No, Fate that speeds not will not slay,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Nor Yama's halls vouchsafe me room,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Or, like a lion's weeping prey,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Death now had borne me to my doom.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Hard is my heart and wrought of steel</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">That breaks not with the crushing blow,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Or in the pangs this day I feel</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">My lifeless frame had sunk below.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Death waits his hour, nor takes me now:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">But this sad thought augments my pain,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That prayer and largess, fast and vow,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And Heavenward service are in vain.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Ah me, ah me! with fruitless toil</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Of rites austere a child I sought:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus seed cast forth on barren soil</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Still lifeless lies and comes to naught.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">If ever wretch by anguish grieved</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Before his hour to death had fled,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">I mourning, like a cow bereaved,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">Had been this day among the dead.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="118"/><anchor id="Pg118"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXI"/> +<head>Canto XXI. Kausalyá Calmed.</head> + +<lg> +<l>While thus Kauśalyá wept and sighed,</l> +<l>With timely words sad Lakshmaṇ cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O honoured Queen I like it ill</q></l> +<l>That, subject to a woman's will,</l> +<l>Ráma his royal state should quit</l> +<l>And to an exile's doom submit.</l> +<l>The aged king, fond, changed, and weak,</l> +<l>Will as the queen compels him speak.</l> +<l>But why should Ráma thus be sent</l> +<l>To the wild woods in banishment?</l> +<l>No least offence I find in him,</l> +<l>I see no fault his fame to dim.</l> +<l>Not one in all the world I know,</l> +<l>Not outcast wretch, not secret foe,</l> +<l>Whose whispering lips would dare assail</l> +<l>His spotless life with slanderous tale.</l> +<l>Godlike and bounteous, just, sincere,</l> +<l>E'en to his very foemen dear:</l> +<l>Who would without a cause neglect</l> +<l>The right, and such a son reject?</l> +<l>And if a king such order gave,</l> +<l>In second childhood, passion's slave,</l> +<l>What son within his heart would lay</l> +<l>The senseless order, and obey?</l> +<l>Come, Ráma, ere this plot be known</l> +<l>Stand by me and secure the throne.</l> +<l>Stand like the King who rules below,</l> +<l>Stand aided by thy brother's bow:</l> +<l>How can the might of meaner men</l> +<l>Resist thy royal purpose then?</l> +<l>My shafts, if rebels court their fate,</l> +<l>Shall lay Ayodhyá desolate.</l> +<l>Then shall her streets with blood be dyed</l> +<l>Of those who stand on Bharat's side:</l> +<l>None shall my slaughtering hand exempt,</l> +<l>For gentle patience earns contempt.</l> +<l>If, by Kaikeyí's counsel changed,</l> +<l>Our father's heart be thus estranged,</l> +<l>No mercy must our arm restrain,</l> +<l>But let the foe be slain, be slain.</l> +<l>For should the guide, respected long,</l> +<l>No more discerning right and wrong,</l> +<l>Turn in forbidden paths to stray,</l> +<l>'Tis meet that force his steps should stay.</l> +<l>What power sufficient can he see,</l> +<l>What motive for the wish has he,</l> +<l>That to Kaikeyí would resign</l> +<l>The empire which is justly thine?</l> +<l>Can he, O conqueror of thy foes,</l> +<l>Thy strength and mine in war oppose?</l> +<l>Can he entrust, in our despite,</l> +<l>To Bharat's hand thy royal right?</l> +<l>I love this brother with the whole</l> +<l>Affection of my faithful soul.</l> +<l>Yea Queen, by bow and truth I swear,</l> +<l>By sacrifice, and gift, and prayer,</l> +<l>If Ráma to the forest goes,</l> +<l>Or where the burning furnace glows,</l> +<l>First shall my feet the forest tread,</l> +<l>The flames shall first surround my head.</l> +<l>My might shall chase thy grief and tears,</l> +<l>As darkness flies when morn appears.</l> +<l>Do thou, dear Queen, and Ráma too</l> +<l>Behold what power like mine can do.</l> +<l>My aged father I will kill,</l> +<l>The vassal of Kaikeyí's will,</l> +<l>Old, yet a child, the woman's thrall,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Infirm, and base, the scorn of all.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Lakshmaṇ cried, the mighty-souled:</l> +<l>Down her sad cheeks the torrents rolled,</l> +<l>As to her son Kauśalyá spake:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Now thou hast heard thy brother, take</q></l> +<l>His counsel if thou hold it wise,</l> +<l>And do the thing his words advise,</l> +<l>Do not, my son, with tears I pray,</l> +<l>My rival's wicked word obey,</l> +<l>Leave me not here consumed with woe,</l> +<l>Nor to the wood, an exile, go.</l> +<l>If thou, to virtue ever true,</l> +<l>Thy duty's path would still pursue,</l> +<l>The highest duty bids thee stay</l> +<l>And thus thy mother's voice obey.</l> +<l>Thus Kaśyap's great ascetic son</l> +<l>A seat among the Immortals won:</l> +<l>In his own home, subdued, he stayed,</l> +<l>And honour to his mother paid.</l> +<l>If reverence to thy sire be due,</l> +<l>Thy mother claims like honour too,</l> +<l>And thus I charge thee, O my child,</l> +<l>Thou must not seek the forest wild.</l> +<l>Ah, what to me were life and bliss,</l> +<l>Condemned my darling son to miss?</l> +<l>But with my Ráma near, to eat</l> +<l>The very grass itself were sweet.</l> +<l>But if thou still wilt go and leave</l> +<l>Thy hapless mother here to grieve,</l> +<l>I from that hour will food abjure,</l> +<l>Nor life without my son endure.</l> +<l>Then it will be thy fate to dwell</l> +<l>In depth of world-detested hell.</l> +<l>As Ocean in the olden time</l> +<l>Was guilty of an impious crime</l> +<l>That marked the lord of each fair flood</l> +<l><q rend="post">As one who spills a Bráhman's blood.</q><note place="foot">The +commentators say that, in a former creation, Ocean grieved his mother and +suffered in consequence the pains of hell.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spake the queen, and wept, and sighed:</l> +<l>Then righteous Ráma thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I have no power to slight or break</q></l> +<l>Commandments which my father spake.</l> +<l>I bend my head, dear lady, low,</l> +<l>Forgive me, for I needs must go.</l> +<l>Once Kaṇdu, mighty saint, who made</l> +<l>His dwelling in the forest shade,</l> +<pb n="119"/><anchor id="Pg119"/> +<l>A cow—and duty's claims he knew—</l> +<l>Obedient to his father, slew.</l> +<l>And in the line from which we spring,</l> +<l>When ordered by their sire the king,</l> +<l>Through earth the sons of Sagar cleft,</l> +<l>And countless things of life bereft.<note place="foot">As described +in <ref target="CantoI-XL">Book I Canto XL</ref>.</note></l> +<l>So Jamadagní's son<note place="foot">Parasúráma.</note> obeyed</l> +<l>His sire, when in the wood he laid</l> +<l>His hand upon his axe, and smote</l> +<l>Through Renuká his mother's throat.</l> +<l>The deeds of these and more beside.</l> +<l>Peers of the Gods, my steps shall guide,</l> +<l>And resolute will I fulfil</l> +<l>My father's word, my father's will.</l> +<l>Nor I, O Queen, unsanctioned tread</l> +<l>This righteous path, by duty led:</l> +<l>The road my footsteps journey o'er</l> +<l>Was traversed by the great of yore.</l> +<l>This high command which all accept</l> +<l>Shall faithfully by me be kept,</l> +<l>For duty ne'er will him forsake</l> +<l><q rend="post">Who fears his sire's command to break.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus to his mother wild with grief:</l> +<l>Then thus to Lakshmaṇ spake the chief</l> +<l>Of those by whom the bow is bent,</l> +<l>Mid all who speak, most eloquent:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I know what love for me thou hast,</q></l> +<l>What firm devotion unsurpassed:</l> +<l>Thy valour and thy worth I know,</l> +<l>And glory that appals the foe.</l> +<l>Blest youth, my mother's woe is great,</l> +<l>It bends her 'neath its matchless weight:</l> +<l>No claims will she, with blinded eyes,</l> +<l>Of truth and patience recognize.</l> +<l>For duty is supreme in place,</l> +<l>And truth is duty's noblest base.</l> +<l>Obedient to my sire's behest</l> +<l>I serve the cause of duty best.</l> +<l>For man should truly do whate'er</l> +<l>To mother, Bráhman, sire, he sware:</l> +<l>He must in duty's path remain,</l> +<l>Nor let his word be pledged in vain.</l> +<l>And, O my brother, how can I</l> +<l>Obedience to this charge deny?</l> +<l>Kaikeyí's tongue my purpose spurred,</l> +<l>But 'twas my sire who gave the word.</l> +<l>Cast these unholy thoughts aside</l> +<l>Which smack of war and Warriors' pride;</l> +<l>To duty's call, not wrath attend,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And tread the path which I commend.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Ráma by fond affection moved</l> +<l>His brother Lakshmaṇ thus reproved;</l> +<l>Then with joined hands and reverent head</l> +<l>Again to Queen Kauśalyá said:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">I needs must go—do thou consent—</q></l> +<l>To the wild wood in banishment.</l> +<l>O give me, by my life I pray,</l> +<l>Thy blessing ere I go away.</l> +<l>I, when the promised years are o'er,</l> +<l>Shall see Ayodhyá's town once more.</l> +<l>Then, mother dear, thy tears restrain,</l> +<l>Nor let thy heart be wrung by pain:</l> +<l>In time, my father's will obeyed,</l> +<l>Shall I return from greenwood shade.</l> +<l>My dear Videhan, thou, and I,</l> +<l>Lakshmaṇ, Sumitrá, feel this tie,</l> +<l>And must my father's word obey,</l> +<l>As duty bids that rules for aye.</l> +<l>Thy preparations now forgo,</l> +<l>And lock within thy breast thy woe,</l> +<l>Nor be my pious wish withstood</l> +<l><q rend="post">To go an exile to the wood.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l>Calm and unmoved the prince explained</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His duty's claim and purpose high,</l> +<l>The mother life and sense regained,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Looked on her son and made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If reverence be thy father's due,</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The same by right and love is mine:</l> +<l>Go not, my charge I thus renew,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Nor leave me here in woe to pine,</l> +<l>What were such lonely life to me,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Rites to the shades, or deathless lot?</l> +<l>More dear, my son, one hour with thee</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Than all the world where thou art not.</q></l> +<l>As bursts to view, when brands blaze high,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Some elephant concealed by night,</l> +<l>So, when he heard his mother's cry,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Burnt Ráma's grief with fiercer might.</l> +<l>Thus to the queen, half senseless still,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And Lakshmaṇ, burnt with heart-felt pain,</l> +<l>True to the right, with steadfast will,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His duteous speech he spoke again:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Brother, I know thy loving mind,</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thy valour and thy truth I know,</l> +<l>But now to claims of duty blind</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thou and my mother swell my woe.</l> +<l>The fruits of deeds in human life</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Make love, gain, duty, manifest,</l> +<l>Dear when they meet as some fond wife</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With her sweet babes upon her breast.</l> +<l>But man to duty first should turn</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Whene'er the three are not combined:</l> +<l>For those who heed but gain we spurn,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And those to pleasure all resigned.</l> +<l>Shall then the virtuous disobey</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Hosts of an aged king and sire,</l> +<l>Though feverous joy that father sway,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Or senseless love or causeless ire?</l> +<l>I have no power, commanded thus,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To slight his promise and decree:</l> +<l>The honoured sire of both of us,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">My mother's lord and life is he.</l> +<l>Shall she, while yet the holy king</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Is living, on the right intent,—</l> +<l>Shall she, like some poor widowed thing,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Go forth with me to banishment?</l> +<l>Now, mother, speed thy parting son,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And let thy blessing soothe my pain,</l> +<pb n="120"/><anchor id="Pg120"/> +<l>That I may turn, mine exile done,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Like King Yayáti, home again.</l> +<l>Fair glory and the fruit she gives,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">For lust of sway I ne'er will slight:</l> +<l>What, for the span a mortal lives.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Were rule of faith without the right?</q></l> +<l>He soothed her thus, firm to the last</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His counsel to his brother told:</l> +<l>Then round the queen in reverence passed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And held her in his loving hold.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXII"/> +<head>Canto XXII. Lakshman Calmed.</head> + +<lg> +<l>So Ráma kept unshaken still</l> +<l>His noble heart with iron will.</l> +<l>To his dear brother next he turned,</l> +<l>Whose glaring eyes with fury burned,</l> +<l>Indignant, panting like a snake,</l> +<l>And thus again his counsel spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thine anger and thy grief restrain,</q></l> +<l>And firm in duty's path remain.</l> +<l>Dear brother, lay thy scorn aside,</l> +<l>And be the right thy joy and pride.</l> +<l>Thy ready zeal and thoughtful care</l> +<l>To aid what rites should grace the heir,—</l> +<l>These 'tis another's now to ask;</l> +<l>Come, gird thee for thy noble task,</l> +<l>That Bharat's throning rites may he</l> +<l>Graced with the things prepared for me.</l> +<l>And with thy gentle care provide</l> +<l>That her fond heart, now sorely tried</l> +<l>With fear and longing for my sake,</l> +<l>With doubt and dread may never ache.</l> +<l>To know that thoughts of coming ill</l> +<l>One hour that tender bosom fill</l> +<l>With agony and dark despair</l> +<l>Is grief too great for me to bear.</l> +<l>I cannot, brother, call to mind</l> +<l>One wilful fault or undesigned,</l> +<l>When I have pained in anything</l> +<l>My mothers or my sire the king.</l> +<l>The right my father keeps in view,</l> +<l>In promise, word, and action true;</l> +<l>Let him then all his fear dismiss,</l> +<l>Nor dread the loss of future bliss.</l> +<l>He fears his truth herein will fail:</l> +<l>Hence bitter thoughts his heart assail.</l> +<l>He trembles lest the rites proceed,</l> +<l>And at his pangs my heart should bleed.</l> +<l>So now this earnest wish is mine,</l> +<l>The consecration to resign,</l> +<l>And from this city turn away</l> +<l>To the wild wood with no delay.</l> +<l>My banishment to-day will free</l> +<l>Kaikeyí from her cares, that she,</l> +<l>At last contented and elate,</l> +<l>May Bharat's throning celebrate.</l> +<l>Then will the lady's trouble cease,</l> +<l>Then will her heart have joy and peace,</l> +<l>When wandering in the wood I wear</l> +<l>Deerskin, and bark, and matted hair.</l> +<l>Nor shall by me his heart be grieved</l> +<l>Whose choice approved, whose mind conceived</l> +<l>This counsel which I follow. No,</l> +<l>Forth to the forest will I go.</l> +<l>'Tis Fate, Sumitrás son, confess,</l> +<l>That sends me to the wilderness.</l> +<l>'Tis Fate alone that gives away</l> +<l>To other hands the royal sway.</l> +<l>How could Kaikeyí's purpose bring</l> +<l>On me this pain and suffering,</l> +<l>Were not her change of heart decreed</l> +<l>By Fate whose will commands the deed?</l> +<l>I know my filial love has been</l> +<l>The same throughout for every queen,</l> +<l>And with the same affection she</l> +<l>Has treated both her son and me.</l> +<l>Her shameful words of cruel spite</l> +<l>To stay the consecrating rite,</l> +<l>And drive me banished from the throne,—</l> +<l>These I ascribe to Fate alone,</l> +<l>How could she, born of royal race,</l> +<l>Whom nature decks with fairest grace,</l> +<l>Speak like a dame of low degree</l> +<l>Before the king to torture me?</l> +<l>But Fate, which none may comprehend,</l> +<l>To which all life must bow and bend,</l> +<l>In her and me its power has shown,</l> +<l>And all my hopes are overthrown.</l> +<l>What man, Sumitrá's darling, may</l> +<l>Contend with Fate's resistless sway,</l> +<l>Whose all-commanding power we find</l> +<l>Our former deeds alone can bind?</l> +<l>Our life and death, our joy and pain,</l> +<l>Anger and fear, and loss and gain,</l> +<l>Each thing that is, in every state,</l> +<l>All is the work of none but Fate.</l> +<l>E'en saints, inspired with rigid zeal,</l> +<l>When once the stroke of Fate they feel,</l> +<l>In sternest vows no more engage,</l> +<l>And fall enslaved by love and rage.</l> +<l>So now the sudden stroke whose weight</l> +<l>Descends unlooked for, comes of Fate,</l> +<l>And with unpitying might destroys</l> +<l>The promise of commencing joys.</l> +<l>Weigh this true counsel in thy soul:</l> +<l>With thy firm heart thy heart control;</l> +<l>Then, brother, thou wilt cease to grieve</l> +<l>For hindered rites which now I leave.</l> +<l>So cast thy needless grief away,</l> +<l>And strictly my commands obey.</l> +<l>Those preparations check with speed,</l> +<l>Nor let my throning rites proceed.</l> +<l>Those urns that stand prepared to shed</l> +<l>King-making drops upon my head,</l> +<l>Shall, with their pure lustrations now</l> +<l>Inaugurate my hermit's vow.</l> +<pb n="121"/><anchor id="Pg121"/> +<l>Yet what have I to do with things</l> +<l>That touch the state and pomp of kings?</l> +<l>These hands of mine shall water take</l> +<l>To sanctify the vow I make.</l> +<l>Now Lakshmaṇ, let thy heart no more</l> +<l>My fortune changed and lost deplore.</l> +<l>A forest life more joys may bring</l> +<l>Than those that wait upon a king,</l> +<l>Now though her arts successful mar</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">My consecrating rite,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Let not the youngest queen too far</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Thy jealous fear excite.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Nor let one thought suggesting ill</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Upon our father fall,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But let thy heart remember still</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">That Fate is lord of all.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXIII"/> +<head>Canto XXIII. Lakshman's Anger.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus Ráma to his brother said;</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ bent his drooping head.</l> +<l>In turns by grief and pride impelled,</l> +<l>A middle course of thought he held,</l> +<l>Then in a frown of anger, bent</l> +<l>His brows that chief most excellent,</l> +<l>And like a serpent in his hole,</l> +<l>Breathed fierce and fast in wrath of soul.</l> +<l>His threatening brows so darkly frowned,</l> +<l>His eyes so fiercely glanced around,</l> +<l>They made his glare, which none might brook,</l> +<l>Like some infuriate lion's look.</l> +<l>Like some wild elephant, full oft</l> +<l>He raised and shook his hand<note place="foot">The Sanskrit word +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">hasta</foreign> signifies both +<hi rend='italic'>hand</hi>, and the trunk of <q>The beast that +bears between his eyes a serpent for a head.</q></note> aloft.</l> +<l>Now turned his neck to left and right</l> +<l>Now bent, now raised its stately height.</l> +<l>Now in his rage that sword he felt</l> +<l>Which mangling wounds to foemen dealt,</l> +<l>With sidelong glance his brother eyed,</l> +<l>And thus in burning words replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy rash resolve, thy eager haste,</q></l> +<l>Thy mighty fear, are all misplaced:</l> +<l>No room is here for duty's claim,</l> +<l>No cause to dread the people's blame.</l> +<l>Can one as brave as thou consent</l> +<l>To use a coward's argument?</l> +<l>The glory of the Warrior race</l> +<l>With craven speech his lips debase?</l> +<l>Can one like thee so falsely speak,</l> +<l>Exalting Fate, confessed so weak?</l> +<l>Canst thou, undoubting still restrain?</l> +<l>Suspicions of those sinful twain?</l> +<l>Canst thou, most duteous, fail to know</l> +<l>Their hearts are set on duty's show?</l> +<l>They with deceit have set their trains,</l> +<l>And now the fruit rewards their pains.</l> +<l>Had they not long ago agreed,</l> +<l>O Ráma, on this treacherous deed,</l> +<l>That promised boon, so long retained,</l> +<l>He erst had given and she had gained.</l> +<l>I cannot, O my brother, bear</l> +<l>To see another throned as heir</l> +<l>With rites which all our people hate:</l> +<l>Then, O, this passion tolerate.</l> +<l>This vaunted duty which can guide</l> +<l>Thy steps from wisdom's path aside,</l> +<l>And change the counsel of thy breast,</l> +<l>O lofty-hearted, I detest.</l> +<l>Wilt thou, when power and might are thine,</l> +<l>Submit to this abhorred design?</l> +<l>Thy father's impious hest fulfil,</l> +<l>That vassal of Kaikeyí's will?</l> +<l>But if thou still wilt shut thine eyes,</l> +<l>Nor see the guile herein that lies,</l> +<l>My soul is sad, I deeply mourn,</l> +<l>And duty seems a thing to scorn.</l> +<l>Canst thou one moment think to please</l> +<l>This pair who live for love and ease,</l> +<l>And 'gainst thy peace, as foes, allied,</l> +<l>With tenderest names their hatred hide?</l> +<l>Now if thy judgment still refers</l> +<l>To Fate this plot of his and hers,</l> +<l>My mind herein can ne'er agree:</l> +<l>And O, in this be ruled by me.</l> +<l>Weak, void of manly pride are they</l> +<l>Who bend to Fate's imputed sway:</l> +<l>The choicest souls, the nobly great</l> +<l>Disdain to bow their heads to Fate.</l> +<l>And he who dares his Fate control</l> +<l>With vigorous act and manly soul,</l> +<l>Though threatening Fate his hopes assail,</l> +<l>Unmoved through all need never quail.</l> +<l>This day mankind shall learn aright</l> +<l>The power of Fate and human might,</l> +<l>So shall the gulf that lies between</l> +<l>A man and Fate be clearly seen.</l> +<l>The might of Fate subdued by me</l> +<l>This hour the citizens shall see,</l> +<l>Who saw its intervention stay</l> +<l>Thy consecrating rites to-day.</l> +<l>My power shall turn this Fate aside,</l> +<l>That threatens, as, with furious stride,</l> +<l>An elephant who scorns to feel,</l> +<l>In rage unchecked, the driver's steel.</l> +<l>Not the great Lords whose sleepless might</l> +<l>Protects the worlds, shall stay the rite</l> +<l>Though earth, hell, heaven combine their powers:</l> +<l>And shall we fear this sire of ours?</l> +<l>Then if their minds are idly bent</l> +<l>To doom thee, King, to banishment,</l> +<l>Through twice seven years of exile they</l> +<pb n="122"/><anchor id="Pg122"/> +<l>Shall in the lonely forest stay.</l> +<l>I will consume the hopes that fire</l> +<l>The queen Kaikeyí and our sire,</l> +<l>That to her son this check will bring</l> +<l>Advantage, making Bharat king.</l> +<l>The power of Fate will ne'er withstand</l> +<l>The might that arms my vigorous hand;</l> +<l>If danger and distress assail,</l> +<l>My fearless strength will still prevail.</l> +<l>A thousand circling years shall flee:</l> +<l>The forest then thy home shall be,</l> +<l>And thy good sons, succeeding, hold</l> +<l>The empire which their sire controlled.</l> +<l>The royal saints, of old who reigned,</l> +<l>For aged kings this rest ordained:</l> +<l>These to their sons their realm commit</l> +<l>That they, like sires, may cherish it.</l> +<l>O pious soul, if thou decline</l> +<l>The empire which is justly thine,</l> +<l>Lest, while the king distracted lies,</l> +<l>Disorder in the state should rise,</l> +<l>I,—or no mansion may I find</l> +<l>In worlds to hero souls assigned,—</l> +<l>The guardian of thy realm will be,</l> +<l>As the sea-bank protects the sea.</l> +<l>Then cast thine idle fears aside:</l> +<l>With prosperous rites be sanctified.</l> +<l>The lords of earth may strive in vain:</l> +<l>My power shall all their force restrain.</l> +<l>My pair of arms, my warrior's bow</l> +<l>Are not for pride or empty show:</l> +<l>For no support these shafts were made;</l> +<l>And binding up ill suits my blade:</l> +<l>To pierce the foe with deadly breach—</l> +<l>This is the work of all and each.</l> +<l>But small, methinks the love I show</l> +<l>For him I count my mortal foe.</l> +<l>Soon as my trenchant steel is bare,</l> +<l>Flashing its lightning through the air,</l> +<l>I heed no foe, nor stand aghast</l> +<l>Though Indra's self the levin cast.</l> +<l>Then shall the ways be hard to pass,</l> +<l>Where chariots lie in ruinous mass;</l> +<l>When elephant and man and steed</l> +<l>Crushed in the murderous onslaught bleed,</l> +<l>And legs and heads fall, heap on heap,</l> +<l>Beneath my sword's tremendous sweep.</l> +<l>Struck by my keen brand's trenchant blade,</l> +<l>Thine enemies shall fall dismayed,</l> +<l>Like towering mountains rent in twain,</l> +<l>Or lightning clouds that burst in rain.</l> +<l>When armed with brace and glove I stand,</l> +<l>And take my trusty bow in hand,</l> +<l>Who then shall vaunt his might? who dare</l> +<l>Count him a man to meet me there?</l> +<l>Then will I loose my shafts, and strike</l> +<l>Man, elephant, and steed alike:</l> +<l>At one shall many an arrow fly,</l> +<l>And many a foe with one shall die.</l> +<l>This day the world my power shall see,</l> +<l>That none in arms can rival me:</l> +<l>My strength the monarch shall abase,</l> +<l>And set thee, lord, in lordliest place.</l> +<l>These arms which breathe the sandal's scent,</l> +<l>Which golden bracelets ornament,</l> +<l>These hands which precious gifts bestow,</l> +<l>Which guard the friend and smite the foe,</l> +<l>A nobler service shall assay,</l> +<l>And fight in Ráma's cause to-day,</l> +<l>The robbers of thy rights to stay.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Speak, brother, tell thy foeman's name</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Whom I, in conquering strife,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">May strip of followers and fame,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Of fortune, or of life.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Say, how may all this sea-girt land</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Be brought to own thy sway:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thy faithful servant here I stand</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">To listen and obey.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then strove the bride of Raghu's race</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Sad Lakshmaṇ's heart to cheer,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">While slowly down the hero's face,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Unchecked, there rolled a tear.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>The orders of my sire,</q> he cried,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="pre">My will shall ne'er oppose:</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">I follow still, whate'er betide,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">The path which duty shows.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXIV"/> +<head>Canto XXIV. Kausalyá Calmed.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But when Kauśalyásaw that he</l> +<l>Resolved to keep his sire's decree,</l> +<l>While tears and sobs her utterance broke,</l> +<l>Her very righteous speech she spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Can he, a stranger yet to pain,</q></l> +<l>Whose pleasant words all hearts enchain,</l> +<l>Son of the king and me the queen,</l> +<l>Live on the grain his hands may glean;</l> +<l>Can he, whose slaves and menials eat</l> +<l>The finest cakes of sifted wheat—</l> +<l>Can Ráma in the forest live</l> +<l>On roots and fruit which woodlands give;</l> +<l>Who will believe, who will not fear</l> +<l>When the sad story smites his ear,</l> +<l>That one so dear, so noble held,</l> +<l>Is by the king his sire expelled?</l> +<l>Now surely none may Fate resist,</l> +<l>Which orders all as it may list,</l> +<l>If, Ráma, in thy strength and grace,</l> +<l>The woods become thy dwelling-place.</l> +<l>A childless mother long I grieved,</l> +<l>And many a sigh for offspring heaved,</l> +<l>With wistful longing weak and worn</l> +<l>Till thou at last, my son, wast born.</l> +<l>Fanned by the storm of that desire</l> +<l>Deep in my soul I felt the fire,</l> +<l>Whose offerings flowed from weeping eyes,</l> +<l>With fuel fed of groans and sighs,</l> +<pb n="123"/><anchor id="Pg123"/> +<l>While round the flame the smoke grew hot</l> +<l>Of tears because thou camest not.</l> +<l>Now reft of thee, too fiery fierce</l> +<l>The flame of woe my heart will pierce,</l> +<l>As, when the days of spring return,</l> +<l>The sun's hot beams the forest burn.</l> +<l>The mother cow still follows near</l> +<l>The wanderings of her youngling dear.</l> +<l>So close to thine my feet shall be,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Where'er thou goest following thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Ráma, the noblest lord of men,</l> +<l>Heard his fond mother's speech, and then</l> +<l>In soothing words like these replied</l> +<l>To the sad queen who wept and sighed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Nay, by Kaikeyí's art beguiled,</q></l> +<l>When I am banished to the wild,</l> +<l>If thou, my mother, also fly,</l> +<l>The aged king will surely die.</l> +<l>When wedded dames their lords forsake,</l> +<l>Long for the crime their souls shall ache.</l> +<l>Thou must not e'en in thought within</l> +<l>Thy bosom frame so dire a sin.</l> +<l>Long as Kakutstha's son, who reigns</l> +<l>Lord of the earth, in life remains,</l> +<l>Thou must with love his will obey:</l> +<l>This duty claims, supreme for aye.</l> +<l>Yes, mother, thou and I must be</l> +<l>Submissive to my sire's decree,</l> +<l>King, husband, sire is he confessed,</l> +<l>The lord of all, the worthiest.</l> +<l>I in the wilds my days will spend</l> +<l>Till twice seven years have reached an end,</l> +<l>Then with great joy will come again,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And faithful to thy hests remain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Kauśalyá by her son addressed,</l> +<l>With love and passion sore distressed,</l> +<l>Afflicted, with her eyes bedewed,</l> +<l>To Ráma thus her speech renewed:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Nay, Ráma, but my heart will break</q></l> +<l>If with these queens my home I make.</l> +<l>Lead me too with thee; let me go</l> +<l><q rend="post">And wander like a woodland roe.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then, while no tear the hero shed,</l> +<l>Thus to the weeping queen he said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Mother, while lives the husband, he</q></l> +<l>Is woman's lord and deity.</l> +<l>O dearest lady, thou and I</l> +<l>Our lord and king must ne'er deny;</l> +<l>The lord of earth himself have we</l> +<l>Our guardian wise and friend to be.</l> +<l>And Bharat, true to duty's call,</l> +<l>Whose sweet words take the hearts of all,</l> +<l>Will serve thee well, and ne'er forget</l> +<l>The virtuous path before him set.</l> +<l>Be this, I pray, thine earnest care,</l> +<l>That the old king my father ne'er,</l> +<l>When I have parted hence, may know,</l> +<l>Grieved for his son, a pang of woe.</l> +<l>Let not this grief his soul distress,</l> +<l>To kill him with the bitterness.</l> +<l>With duteous care, in every thing,</l> +<l>Love, comfort, cheer the aged king.</l> +<l>Though, best of womankind, a spouse</l> +<l>Keeps firmly all her fasts and vows,</l> +<l>Nor yet her husband's will obeys,</l> +<l>She treads in sin's forbidden ways.</l> +<l>She to her husband's will who bends,</l> +<l>Goes to high bliss that never ends,</l> +<l>Yea, though the Gods have found in her</l> +<l>No reverential worshipper.</l> +<l>Bent on his weal, a woman still</l> +<l>Must seek to do her husband's will:</l> +<l>For Scripture, custom, law uphold</l> +<l>This duty Heaven revealed of old.</l> +<l>Honour true Bráhmans for my sake,</l> +<l>And constant offerings duly make,</l> +<l>With fire-oblations and with flowers,</l> +<l>To all the host of heavenly powers.</l> +<l>Look to the coming time, and yearn</l> +<l>For the glad hour of my return.</l> +<l>And still thy duteous course pursue,</l> +<l>Abstemious, humble, kind, and true.</l> +<l>The highest bliss shalt thou obtain</l> +<l>When I from exile come again,</l> +<l>If, best of those who keep the right,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The king my sire still see the light.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The queen, by Ráma thus addressed,</l> +<l>Still with a mother's grief oppressed,</l> +<l>While her long eyes with tears were dim,</l> +<l>Began once more and answered him:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Not by my pleading may be stayed</q></l> +<l>The firm resolve thy soul has made.</l> +<l>My hero, thou wilt go; and none</l> +<l>The stern commands of Fate may shun.</l> +<l>Go forth, dear child whom naught can bend,</l> +<l>And may all bliss thy steps attend.</l> +<l>Thou wilt return, and that dear day</l> +<l>Will chase mine every grief away.</l> +<l>Thou wilt return, thy duty done,</l> +<l>Thy vows discharged, high glory won;</l> +<l>From filial debt wilt thou be free,</l> +<l>And sweetest joy will come on me.</l> +<l>My son, the will of mighty Fate</l> +<l>At every time must dominate,</l> +<l>If now it drives thee hence to stray</l> +<l>Heedless of me who bid thee stay.</l> +<l>Go, strong of arm, go forth, my boy,</l> +<l>Go forth, again to come with joy,</l> +<l>And thine expectant mother cheer</l> +<l>With those sweet tones she loves to hear.</l> +<l>O that the blessed hour were nigh</l> +<l>When thou shalt glad this anxious eye,</l> +<l>With matted hair and hermit dress</l> +<l><q rend="post">returning from the wilderness.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Kauśalyá's conscious soul approved,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">As her proud glance she bent</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">On Ráma constant and unmoved,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Resolved on banishment.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Such words, with happy omens fraught</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">To her dear son she said,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Invoking with each eager thought</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">A blessing on his head.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="124"/><anchor id="Pg124"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXV"/> +<head>Canto XXV. Kausalyá's Blessing.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Her grief and woe she cast aside,</l> +<l>Her lips with water purified,</l> +<l>And thus her benison began</l> +<l>That mother of the noblest man:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If thou wilt hear no words of mine,</q></l> +<l>Go forth, thou pride of Raghu's line.</l> +<l>Go, darling, and return with speed,</l> +<l>Walking where noble spirits lead.</l> +<l>May virtue on thy steps attend,</l> +<l>And be her faithful lover's friend.</l> +<l>May Those to whom thy vows are paid</l> +<l>In temple and in holy shade,</l> +<l>With all the mighty saints combine</l> +<l>To keep that precious life of thine.</l> +<l>The arms wise Viśvámitra<note place="foot">See P. +<ref target="Pg041">41</ref>.</note> gave</l> +<l>Thy virtuous soul from danger save.</l> +<l>Long be thy life: thy sure defence</l> +<l>Shall be thy truthful innocence,</l> +<l>And that obedience, naught can tire,</l> +<l>To me thy mother and thy sire.</l> +<l>May fanes where holy fires are fed,</l> +<l>Altars with grass and fuel spread,</l> +<l>Each sacrificial ground, each tree,</l> +<l>Rock, lake, and mountain, prosper thee.</l> +<l>Let old Viráj,<note place="foot">The first progeny of Brahmá or Brahmá +himself.</note> and Him who made</l> +<l>The universe, combine to aid;</l> +<l>Let Indra and each guardian Lord</l> +<l>Who keeps the worlds, their help afford,</l> +<l>And be thy constant friend the Sun,</l> +<l>Lord Púshá, Bhaga, Aryuman.<note place="foot">These are three names of the +Sun.</note></l> +<l>Fortnights and seasons, nights and days,</l> +<l>Years, months, and hours, protect thy ways,</l> +<l>Vrihaspati shall still be nigh,</l> +<l>The War-God, and the Moon on high,</l> +<l>And Nárad<note place="foot">See P. <ref target="Pg001">1</ref>.</note> and the sainted +seven<note place="foot">The saints who form the constellation +of Ursa Major.</note></l> +<l>Shall watch thee from their starry heaven.</l> +<l>The mountains, and the seas which ring</l> +<l>The world, and Varuṇa the King,</l> +<l>Sky, ether, and the wind, whate'er</l> +<l>Moves not or moves, for thee shall care.</l> +<l>Each lunar mansion be benign,</l> +<l>With happier light the planets shine;</l> +<l>All gods, each light in heaven that glows,</l> +<l>Protect my child where'er he goes.</l> +<l>The twilight hours, the day and night,</l> +<l>Keep in the wood thy steps aright.</l> +<l>Watch, minute, instant, as they flee,</l> +<l>Shall all bring happiness to thee.</l> +<l>Celestials and the Titan brood</l> +<l>Protect thee in thy solitude,</l> +<l>And haunt the mighty wood to bless</l> +<l>The wanderer in his hermit dress.</l> +<l>Fear not, by mightier guardians screened,</l> +<l>The giant or night-roving fiend;</l> +<l>Nor let the cruel race who tear</l> +<l>Man's flesh for food thy bosom scare.</l> +<l>Far be the ape, the scorpion's sting,</l> +<l>Fly, gnat, and worm, and creeping thing.</l> +<l>Thee shall the hungry lion spare,</l> +<l>The tiger, elephant, and bear:</l> +<l>Safe, from their furious might repose,</l> +<l>Safe from the horned buffaloes.</l> +<l>Each savage thing the forests breed,</l> +<l>That love on human flesh to feed,</l> +<l>Shall for my child its rage abate,</l> +<l>When thus its wrath I deprecate.</l> +<l>Blest be thy ways: may sweet success</l> +<l>The valour of my darling bless.</l> +<l>To all that Fortune can bestow,</l> +<l>Go forth, my child, my Ráma, go.</l> +<l>Go forth, O happy in the love</l> +<l>Of all the Gods below, above;</l> +<l>And in those guardian powers confide</l> +<l>Thy paths who keep, thy steps who guide.</l> +<l>May Śukra,<note place="foot">The regent of the planet Venus.</note> Yáma, Sun, and +Moon,</l> +<l>And He who gives each golden boon,<note place="foot">Kuvera.</note></l> +<l>Won by mine earnest prayers, be good</l> +<l>To thee, my son, in Daṇḍak wood.</l> +<l>Fire, wind, and smoke, each text and spell</l> +<l>From mouths of holy seers that fell,</l> +<l>Guard Ráma when his limbs he dips,</l> +<l>Or with the stream makes pure his lips!</l> +<l>May the great saints and He, the Lord</l> +<l>Who made the worlds, by worlds adored,</l> +<l>And every God in heaven beside</l> +<l><q rend="post">My banished Ráma keep and guide.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus with due praise the long-eyed dame,</l> +<l>Ennobled by her spotless fame,</l> +<l>With wreaths of flowers and precious scent</l> +<l>Worshipped the Gods, most reverent.</l> +<l>A high-souled Bráhman lit the fire,</l> +<l>And offered, at the queen's desire,</l> +<l>The holy oil ordained to burn</l> +<l>For Ráma's weal and safe return.</l> +<l>Kauśalyá best of dames, with care</l> +<l>Set oil, wreaths, fuel, mustard, there.</l> +<l>Then when the rites of fire had ceased,</l> +<l>For Ráma's bliss and health, the priest,</l> +<l>Standing without gave what remained</l> +<l>In general offering,<note place="foot"><hi rend='italic'>Bali</hi>, +or the presentation of food to all created beings, is one of the five great sacraments +of the Hindu religion: it consists in throwing a small parcel of the offering, +<hi rend='italic'>Ghee</hi>, or rice, or the like, into the open air +at the back of the house.</note> as ordained.</l> +<pb n="125"/><anchor id="Pg125"/> +<l>Dealing among the twice-horn train</l> +<l>Honey, and curds, and oil, and grain,</l> +<l>He bade each heart and voice unite</l> +<l>To bless the youthful anchorite.</l> +<l>Then Ráma's mother, glorious dame</l> +<l>Bestowed, to meet the Bráhman's claim,</l> +<l>A lordly fee for duty done:</l> +<l>And thus again addressed her son:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Such blessings as the Gods o'erjoyed</q></l> +<l>Poured forth, when Vritra<note place="foot">In mythology, a demon slain by +Indra.</note> was destroyed,</l> +<l>On Indra of the thousand eyes,</l> +<l>Attend, my child, thine enterprise!</l> +<l>Yea, such as Vinatá once gave</l> +<l>To King Suparṇa<note place="foot">Called also Garuḍ, the King of the +birds, offspring of Vinatá. See p. <ref target="Pg053">53</ref>.</note> +swift and brave,</l> +<l>Who sought the drink that cheers the skies,</l> +<l>Attend, my child, thine enterprise!</l> +<l>Yea, such as, when the Amrit rose,<note place="foot">See P. +<ref target="Pg056">56</ref>.</note></l> +<l>And Indra slew his Daitya foes,</l> +<l>The royal Aditi bestowed</l> +<l>On Him whose hand with slaughter glowed</l> +<l>Of that dire brood of monstrous size,</l> +<l>Attend, my child, thine enterprise!</l> +<l>E'en such as peerless Vishṇu graced,</l> +<l>When with his triple step he paced,</l> +<l>Outbursting from the dwarf's disguise,<note place="foot">See P. +<ref target="Pg043">43</ref>.</note></l> +<l>Attend, my child, thine enterprise!</l> +<l>Floods, isles, and seasons as they fly,</l> +<l>Worlds, Vedas, quarters of the sky,</l> +<l>Combine, O mighty-armed, to bless</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thee destined heir of happiness!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The long-eyed lady ceased: she shed</l> +<l>Pure scent and grain upon his head.</l> +<l>And that prized herb whose sovereign power</l> +<l>Preserves from dark misfortune's hour,</l> +<l>Upon the hero's arm she set,</l> +<l>To be his faithful amulet.</l> +<l>While holy texts she murmured low,</l> +<l>And spoke glad words though crushed by woe,</l> +<l>Concealing with obedient tongue</l> +<l>The pangs with which her heart was wrung.</l> +<l>She bent, she kissed his brow, she pressed</l> +<l>Her darling to her troubled breast:</l> +<l><q>Firm in thy purpose, go,</q> she cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Go Ráma, and may bliss betide.</q></l> +<l>Attain returning safe and well,</l> +<l>Triumphant in Ayodhyá, dwell.</l> +<l>Then shall my happy eyes behold</l> +<l>The empire by thy will controlled.</l> +<l>Then grief and care shall leave no trace,</l> +<l>Joy shall light up thy mother's face,</l> +<l>And I shall see my darling reign,</l> +<l>In moonlike glory come again.</l> +<l>These eyes shall fondly gaze on thee</l> +<l>So faithful to thy sire's decree,</l> +<l>When thou the forest wild shalt quit</l> +<l>On thine ancestral throne to sit.</l> +<l>Yea, thou shalt turn from exile back,</l> +<l>Nor choicest blessings ever lack,</l> +<l>Then fill with rapture ever new</l> +<l>My bosom and thy consort's too.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To Śiva and the heavenly host</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">My worship has been paid,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To mighty saint, to godlike ghost,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">To every wandering shade.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Forth to the forest thou wilt hie,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Therein to dwell so long:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Let all the quarters of the sky</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">Protect my child from wrong.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Her blessings thus the queen bestowed;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Then round him fondly paced,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And often, while her eyes o'erflowed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Her dearest son embraced.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Kauśalyá's honoured feet he pressed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">As round her steps she bent,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And radiant with her prayers that blessed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">To Sítá's home he went.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXVI"/> +<head>Canto XXVI. Alone With Sítá.</head> + +<lg> +<l>So Ráma, to his purpose true,</l> +<l>To Queen Kauśalyá bade adieu,</l> +<l>Received the benison she gave,</l> +<l>And to the path of duty clave.</l> +<l>As through the crowded street he passed,</l> +<l>A radiance on the way he cast,</l> +<l>And each fair grace, by all approved,</l> +<l>The bosoms of the people moved.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Now of the woeful change no word</l> +<l>The fair Videhan bride had heard;</l> +<l>The thought of that imperial rite</l> +<l>Still filled her bosom with delight.</l> +<l>With grateful heart and joyful thought</l> +<l>The Gods in worship she had sought,</l> +<l>And, well in royal duties learned,</l> +<l>Sat longing till her lord returned,</l> +<l>Not all unmarked by grief and shame</l> +<l>Within his sumptuous home he came,</l> +<l>And hurried through the happy crowd</l> +<l>With eye dejected, gloomy-browed.</l> +<l>Up Sítá sprang, and every limb</l> +<l>Trembled with fear at sight of him.</l> +<l>She marked that cheek where anguish fed,</l> +<l>Those senses care-disquieted.</l> +<l>For, when he looked on her, no more</l> +<l>Could his heart hide the load it bore,</l> +<l>Nor could the pious chief control</l> +<l>The paleness o'er his cheek that stole.</l> +<l>His altered cheer, his brow bedewed</l> +<l>With clammy drops, his grief she viewed,</l> +<l>And cried, consumed with fires of woe,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What, O my lord, has changed thee so?</q></l> +<pb n="126"/><anchor id="Pg126"/> +<l>Vrihaspati looks down benign,</l> +<l>And the moon rests in Pushya's sign,</l> +<l>As Bráhmans sage this day declare:</l> +<l>Then whence, my lord, this grief and care?</l> +<l>Why does no canopy, like foam</l> +<l>For its white beauty, shade thee home,</l> +<l>Its hundred ribs spread wide to throw</l> +<l>Splendour on thy fair head below?</l> +<l>Where are the royal fans, to grace</l> +<l>The lotus beauty of thy face,</l> +<l>Fair as the moon or wild-swan's wing,</l> +<l>And waving round the new-made king?</l> +<l>Why do no sweet-toned bards rejoice</l> +<l>To hail thee with triumphant voice?</l> +<l>No tuneful heralds love to raise</l> +<l>Loud music in their monarch's praise?</l> +<l>Why do no Bráhmans, Scripture-read,</l> +<l>Pour curds and honey on thy head,</l> +<l>Anointed, as the laws ordain,</l> +<l>With holy rites, supreme to reign?</l> +<l>Where are the chiefs of every guild?</l> +<l>Where are the myriads should have filled</l> +<l>The streets, and followed home their king</l> +<l>With merry noise and triumphing?</l> +<l>Why does no gold-wrought chariot lead</l> +<l>With four brave horses, best for speed?</l> +<l>No elephant precede the crowd</l> +<l>Like a huge hill or thunder cloud,</l> +<l>Marked from his birth for happy fate,</l> +<l>Whom signs auspicious decorate?</l> +<l>Why does no henchman, young and fair,</l> +<l>Precede thee, and delight to bear</l> +<l>Entrusted to his reverent hold</l> +<l>The burthen of thy throne of gold?</l> +<l>Why, if the consecrating rite</l> +<l>Be ready, why this mournful plight?</l> +<l>Why do I see this sudden change,</l> +<l><q rend="post">This altered mien so sad and strange?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To her, as thus she weeping cried,</l> +<l>Raghu's illustrious son replied:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Sítá, my honoured sire's decree</q></l> +<l>Commands me to the woods to flee.</l> +<l>O high-born lady, nobly bred</l> +<l>In the good paths thy footsteps tread,</l> +<l>Hear, Janak's daughter, while I tell</l> +<l>The story as it all befell.</l> +<l>Of old my father true and brave</l> +<l>Two boons to Queen Kaikeyí gave.</l> +<l>Through these the preparations made</l> +<l>For me to-day by her are stayed,</l> +<l>For he is bound to disallow</l> +<l>This promise by that earlier vow.</l> +<l>In Daṇḍak forest wild and vast</l> +<l>Must fourteen years by me be passed.</l> +<l>My father's will makes Bharat heir,</l> +<l>The kingdom and the throne to share.</l> +<l>Now, ere the lonely wild I seek,</l> +<l>I come once more with thee to speak.</l> +<l>In Bharat's presence, O my dame,</l> +<l>Ne'er speak with pride of Ráma's name:</l> +<l>Another's eulogy to hear</l> +<l>Is hateful to a monarch's ear.</l> +<l>Thou must with love his rule obey</l> +<l>To whom my father yields the sway.</l> +<l>With love and sweet observance learn</l> +<l>His grace, and more the king's, to earn.</l> +<l>Now, that my father may not break</l> +<l>The words of promise that he spake,</l> +<l>To the drear wood my steps are bent:</l> +<l>Be firm, good Sítá, and content.</l> +<l>Through all that time, my blameless spouse,</l> +<l>Keep well thy fasts and holy vows.</l> +<l>Rise from thy bed at break of day,</l> +<l>And to the Gods due worship pay.</l> +<l>With meek and lowly love revere</l> +<l>The lord of men, my father dear,</l> +<l>And reverence to Kauśalyá show,</l> +<l>My mother, worn with eld and woe:</l> +<l>By duty's law, O best of dames,</l> +<l>High worship from thy love she claims,</l> +<l>Nor to the other queens refuse</l> +<l>Observance, rendering each her dues:</l> +<l>By love and fond attention shown</l> +<l>They are my mothers like mine own.</l> +<l>Let Bharat and Śatrughna bear</l> +<l>In thy sweet love a special share:</l> +<l>Dear as my life, O let them be</l> +<l>Like brother and like son to thee.</l> +<l>In every word and deed refrain</l> +<l>From aught that Bharat's soul may pain:</l> +<l>He is Ayodhyá's king and mine,</l> +<l>The head and lord of all our line.</l> +<l>For those who serve and love them much</l> +<l>With weariless endeavour, touch</l> +<l>And win the gracious hearts of kings.</l> +<l>While wrath from disobedience springs.</l> +<l>Great monarchs from their presence send</l> +<l>Their lawful sons who still offend,</l> +<l>And welcome to the vacant place</l> +<l>Good children of an alien race.</l> +<l>Then, best of women, rest thou here,</l> +<l>And Bharat's will with love revere.</l> +<l>Obedient to thy king remain,</l> +<l>And still thy vows of truth maintain.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To the wide wood my steps I bend:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Make thou thy dwelling here;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">See that thy conduct ne'er offend,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">And keep my words, my dear.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXVII"/> +<head>Canto XXVII. Sítá's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>His sweetly-speaking bride, who best</l> +<l>Deserved her lord, he thus addressed.</l> +<l>Then tender love bade passion wake,</l> +<l>And thus the fair Videhan spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What words are these that thou hast said?</q></l> +<l>Contempt of me the thought has bred.</l> +<l>O best of heroes, I dismiss</l> +<l>With bitter scorn a speech like this:</l> +<pb n="127"/><anchor id="Pg127"/> +<l>Unworthy of a warrior's fame</l> +<l>It taints a monarch's son with shame,</l> +<l>Ne'er to be heard from those who know</l> +<l>The science of the sword and bow.</l> +<l>My lord, the mother, sire, and son</l> +<l>Receive their lots by merit won;</l> +<l>The brother and the daughter find</l> +<l>The portions to their deeds assigned.</l> +<l>The wife alone, whate'er await,</l> +<l>Must share on earth her husband's fate.</l> +<l>So now the king's command which sends</l> +<l>Thee to the wild, to me extends.</l> +<l>The wife can find no refuge, none,</l> +<l>In father, mother, self, or son:</l> +<l>Both here, and when they vanish hence,</l> +<l>Her husband is her sole defence.</l> +<l>If, Raghu's son, thy steps are led</l> +<l>Where Daṇḍak's pathless wilds are spread,</l> +<l>My foot before thine own shall pass</l> +<l>Through tangled thorn and matted grass.</l> +<l>Dismiss thine anger and thy doubt:</l> +<l>Like refuse water cast them out,</l> +<l>And lead me, O my hero, hence—</l> +<l>I know not sin—with confidence.</l> +<l>Whate'er his lot, 'tis far more sweet</l> +<l>To follow still a husband's feet</l> +<l>Than in rich palaces to lie,</l> +<l>Or roam at pleasure through the sky.</l> +<l>My mother and my sire have taught</l> +<l>What duty bids, and trained each thought,</l> +<l>Nor have I now mine ear to turn</l> +<l>The duties of a wife to learn.</l> +<l>I'll seek with thee the woodland dell</l> +<l>And pathless wild where no men dwell,</l> +<l>Where tribes of silvan creatures roam,</l> +<l>And many a tiger makes his home.</l> +<l>My life shall pass as pleasant there</l> +<l>As in my father's palace fair.</l> +<l>The worlds shall wake no care in me;</l> +<l>My only care be truth to thee.</l> +<l>There while thy wish I still obey,</l> +<l>True to my vows with thee I'll stray,</l> +<l>And there shall blissful hours be spent</l> +<l>In woods with honey redolent.</l> +<l>In forest shades thy mighty arm</l> +<l>Would keep a stranger's life from harm,</l> +<l>And how shall Sítá think of fear</l> +<l>When thou, O glorious lord, art near?</l> +<l>Heir of high bliss, my choice is made,</l> +<l>Nor can I from my will be stayed.</l> +<l>Doubt not; the earth will yield me roots,</l> +<l>These will I eat, and woodland fruits;</l> +<l>And as with thee I wander there</l> +<l>I will not bring thee grief or care.</l> +<l>I long, when thou, wise lord, art nigh,</l> +<l>All fearless, with delighted eye</l> +<l>To gaze upon the rocky hill,</l> +<l>The lake, the fountain, and the rill;</l> +<l>To sport with thee, my limbs to cool,</l> +<l>In some pure lily-covered pool,</l> +<l>While the white swan's and mallard's wings</l> +<l>Are plashing in the water-springs.</l> +<l>So would a thousand seasons flee</l> +<l>Like one sweet day, if spent with thee.</l> +<l>Without my lord I would not prize</l> +<l>A home with Gods above the skies:</l> +<l>Without my lord, my life to bless,</l> +<l>Where could be heaven or happiness?</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Forbid me not: with thee I go</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The tangled wood to tread.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">There will I live with thee, as though</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">This roof were o'er my head.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">My will for thine shall be resigned;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Thy feet my steps shall guide.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thou, only thou, art in my mind:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">I heed not all beside.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thy heart shall ne'er by me be grieved;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Do not my prayer deny:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Take me, dear lord; of thee bereaved</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">Thy Sítá swears to die.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">These words the duteous lady spake,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Nor would he yet consent</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His faithful wife with him to take</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">To share his banishment.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He soothed her with his gentle speech;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">To change her will he strove;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And much he said the woes to teach</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Of those in wilds who rove.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXVIII"/> +<head>Canto XXVIII. The Dangers Of The Wood.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus Sítá spake, and he who knew</l> +<l>His duty, to its orders true,</l> +<l>Was still reluctant as the woes</l> +<l>Of forest life before him rose.</l> +<l>He sought to soothe her grief, to dry</l> +<l>The torrent from each brimming eye,</l> +<l>And then, her firm resolve to shake,</l> +<l>These words the pious hero spake:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">O daughter of a noble line,</q></l> +<l>Whose steps from virtue ne'er decline,</l> +<l>Remain, thy duties here pursue,</l> +<l>As my fond heart would have thee do.</l> +<l>Now hear me, Sítá, fair and weak,</l> +<l>And do the words that I shall speak.</l> +<l>Attend and hear while I explain</l> +<l>Each danger in the wood, each pain.</l> +<l>Thy lips have spoken: I condemn</l> +<l>The foolish words that fell from them.</l> +<l>This senseless plan, this wish of thine</l> +<l>To live a forest life, resign.</l> +<l>The names of trouble and distress</l> +<l>Suit well the tangled wilderness.</l> +<l>In the wild wood no joy I know,</l> +<l>A forest life is nought but woe.</l> +<l>The lion in his mountain cave</l> +<l>Answers the torrents as they rave,</l> +<l>And forth his voice of terror throws:</l> +<l>The wood, my love, is full of woes.</l> +<pb n="128"/><anchor id="Pg128"/> +<l>There mighty monsters fearless play,</l> +<l>And in their maddened onset slay</l> +<l>The hapless wretch who near them goes:</l> +<l>The wood, my love, is full of woes.</l> +<l>'Tis hard to ford each treacherous flood,</l> +<l>So thick with crocodiles and mud,</l> +<l>Where the wild elephants repose:</l> +<l>The wood, my love, is full of woes.</l> +<l>Or far from streams the wanderer strays</l> +<l>Through thorns and creeper-tangled ways,</l> +<l>While round him many a wild-cock crows:</l> +<l>The wood, my love, is full of woes.</l> +<l>On the cold ground upon a heap</l> +<l>Of gathered leaves condemned to sleep,</l> +<l>Toil-wearied, will his eyelids close:</l> +<l>The wood, my love, is full of woes.</l> +<l>Long days and nights must he content</l> +<l>His soul with scanty aliment,</l> +<l>What fruit the wind from branches blows:</l> +<l>The wood, my love, is full of woes.</l> +<l>O Sítá, while his strength may last,</l> +<l>The ascetic in the wood must fast,</l> +<l>Coil on his head his matted hair,</l> +<l>And bark must be his only wear.</l> +<l>To Gods and spirits day by day</l> +<l>The ordered worship he must pay,</l> +<l>And honour with respectful care</l> +<l>Each wandering guest who meets him there.</l> +<l>The bathing rites he ne'er must shun</l> +<l>At dawn, at noon, at set of sun,</l> +<l>Obedient to the law he knows:</l> +<l>The wood, my love, is full of woes.</l> +<l>To grace the altar must be brought</l> +<l>The gift of flowers his hands have sought—</l> +<l>The debt each pious hermit owes:</l> +<l>The wood, my love, is full of woes.</l> +<l>The devotee must be content</l> +<l>To live, severely abstinent,</l> +<l>On what the chance of fortune shows:</l> +<l>The wood, my love, is full of woes.</l> +<l>Hunger afflicts him evermore:</l> +<l>The nights are black, the wild winds roar;</l> +<l>And there are dangers worse than those:</l> +<l>The wood, my love, is full of woes.</l> +<l>There creeping things in every form</l> +<l>Infest the earth, the serpents swarm,</l> +<l>And each proud eye with fury glows:</l> +<l>The wood, my love, is full of woes.</l> +<l>The snakes that by the rives hide</l> +<l>In sinuous course like rivers glide,</l> +<l>And line the path with deadly foes:</l> +<l>The wood, my love, is full of woes.</l> +<l>Scorpions, and grasshoppers, and flies</l> +<l>Disturb the wanderer as he lies,</l> +<l>And wake him from his troubled doze:</l> +<l>The wood, my love, is full of woes.</l> +<l>Trees, thorny bushes, intertwined,</l> +<l>Their branched ends together bind,</l> +<l>And dense with grass the thicket grows:</l> +<l>The wood, my dear, is full of woes,</l> +<l>With many ills the flesh is tried,</l> +<l>When these and countless fears beside</l> +<l>Vex those who in the wood remain:</l> +<l>The wilds are naught but grief and pain.</l> +<l>Hope, anger must be cast aside,</l> +<l>To penance every thought applied:</l> +<l>No fear must be of things to fear:</l> +<l>Hence is the wood for ever drear.</l> +<l>Enough, my love: thy purpose quit:</l> +<l>For forest life thou art not fit.</l> +<l>As thus I think on all, I see</l> +<l><q rend="post">The wild wood is no place for thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXIX"/> +<head>Canto XXIX. Sítá's Appeal.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus Ráma spake. Her lord's address</l> +<l>The lady heard with deep distress,</l> +<l>And, as the tear bedimmed her eye,</l> +<l>In soft low accents made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The perils of the wood, and all</q></l> +<l>The woes thou countest to appal,</l> +<l>Led by my love I deem not pain;</l> +<l>Each woe a charm, each loss a gain.</l> +<l>Tiger, and elephant, and deer,</l> +<l>Bull, lion, buffalo, in fear,</l> +<l>Soon as thy matchless form they see,</l> +<l>With every silvan beast will flee.</l> +<l>With thee, O Ráma, I must go:</l> +<l>My sire's command ordains it so.</l> +<l>Bereft of thee, my lonely heart</l> +<l>Must break, and life and I must part.</l> +<l>While thou, O mighty lord, art nigh,</l> +<l>Not even He who rules the sky,</l> +<l>Though He is strongest of the strong,</l> +<l>With all his might can do me wrong.</l> +<l>Nor can a lonely woman left</l> +<l>By her dear husband live bereft.</l> +<l>In my great love, my lord, I ween,</l> +<l>The truth of this thou mayst have seen.</l> +<l>In my sire's palace long ago</l> +<l>I heard the chief of those who know,</l> +<l>The truth-declaring Bráhmans, tell</l> +<l>My fortune, in the wood to dwell.</l> +<l>I heard their promise who divine</l> +<l>The future by each mark and sign,</l> +<l>And from that hour have longed to lead</l> +<l>The forest life their lips decreed.</l> +<l>Now, mighty Ráma, I must share</l> +<l>Thy father's doom which sends thee there;</l> +<l>In this I will not be denied,</l> +<l>But follow, love, where thou shalt guide.</l> +<l>O husband, I will go with thee,</l> +<l>Obedient to that high decree.</l> +<l>Now let the Bráhmans' words be true,</l> +<l>For this the time they had in view.</l> +<l>I know full well the wood has woes;</l> +<l>But they disturb the lives of those</l> +<l>Who in the forest dwell, nor hold</l> +<l>Their rebel senses well controlled.</l> +<pb n="129"/><anchor id="Pg129"/> +<l>In my sire's halls, ere I was wed,</l> +<l>I heard a dame who begged her bread</l> +<l>Before my mother's face relate</l> +<l>What griefs a forest life await.</l> +<l>And many a time in sport I prayed</l> +<l>To seek with thee the greenwood shade,</l> +<l>For O, my heart on this is set,</l> +<l>To follow thee, dear anchoret.</l> +<l>May blessings on thy life attend:</l> +<l>I long with thee my steps to bend,</l> +<l>For with such hero as thou art</l> +<l>This pilgrimage enchants my heart.</l> +<l>Still close, my lord, to thy dear side</l> +<l>My spirit will be purified:</l> +<l>Love from all sin my soul will free:</l> +<l>My husband is a God to me.</l> +<l>So, love, with thee shall I have bliss</l> +<l>And share the life that follows this.</l> +<l>I heard a Bráhman, dear to fame,</l> +<l>This ancient Scripture text proclaim:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The woman whom on earth below</q></l> +<l>Her parents on a man bestow,</l> +<l>And lawfully their hands unite</l> +<l>With water and each holy rite,</l> +<l>She in this world shall be his wife,</l> +<l><q rend="post">His also in the after life.</q></l> +<l>Then tell me, O beloved, why</l> +<l>Thou wilt this earnest prayer deny,</l> +<l>Nor take me with thee to the wood,</l> +<l>Thine own dear wife so true and good.</l> +<l>But if thou wilt not take me there</l> +<l>Thus grieving in my wild despair,</l> +<l>To fire or water I will fly,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Or to the poisoned draught, and die.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">So thus to share his exile, she</l> +<l>Besought him with each earnest plea,</l> +<l>Nor could she yet her lord persuade</l> +<l>To take her to the lonely shade.</l> +<l>The answer of the strong-armed chief</l> +<l>Smote the Videhan's soul with grief,</l> +<l>And from her eyes the torrents came</l> +<l>bathing the bosom of the dame.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXX"/> +<head>Canto XXX. The Triumph Of Love.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The daughter of Videha's king,</l> +<l>While Ráma strove to soothe the sting</l> +<l>Of her deep anguish, thus began</l> +<l>Once more in furtherance of her plan:</l> +<l>And with her spirit sorely tried</l> +<l>By fear and anger, love and pride,</l> +<l>With keenly taunting words addressed</l> +<l>Her hero of the stately breast:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why did the king my sire, who reigns</q></l> +<l>O'er fair Videha's wide domains,</l> +<l>Hail Ráma son with joy unwise,</l> +<l>A woman in a man's disguise?</l> +<l>Now falsely would the people say,</l> +<l>By idle fancies led astray,</l> +<l>That Ráma's own are power and might,</l> +<l>As glorious as the Lord of Light.</l> +<l>Why sinkest thou in such dismay?</l> +<l>What fears upon thy spirit weigh,</l> +<l>That thou, O Ráma, fain wouldst flee</l> +<l>From her who thinks of naught but thee?</l> +<l>To thy dear will am I resigned</l> +<l>In heart and body, soul and mind,</l> +<l>As Sávitrí gave all to one,</l> +<l>Satyaván, Dyumatsena's son.<note place="foot">The story of Sávitrí, +told in the Mahábhárat, has been admirably translated by +Rückert, and elegantly epitomized by Mrs. Manning in +<hi rend='italic'>India, Ancient and Mediæval</hi>. +There is a free rendering of the story in +<hi rend='italic'>Idylls from the Sanskrit</hi>.</note></l> +<l>Not e'en in fancy can I brook</l> +<l>To any guard save thee to look:</l> +<l>Let meaner wives their houses shame,</l> +<l>To go with thee is all my claim.</l> +<l>Like some low actor, deemst thou fit</l> +<l>Thy wife to others to commit—</l> +<l>Thine own, espoused in maiden youth,</l> +<l>Thy wife so long, unblamed for truth?</l> +<l>Do thou, my lord, his will obey</l> +<l>For whom thou losest royal sway,</l> +<l>To whom thou wouldst thy wife confide—</l> +<l>Not me, but thee, his wish may guide.</l> +<l>Thou must not here thy wife forsake,</l> +<l>And to the wood thy journey make,</l> +<l>Whether stern penance, grief, and care,</l> +<l>Or rule or heaven await thee there.</l> +<l>Nor shall fatigue my limbs distress</l> +<l>When wandering in the wilderness:</l> +<l>Each path which near to thee I tread</l> +<l>Shall seem a soft luxurious bed.</l> +<l>The reeds, the bushes where I pass,</l> +<l>The thorny trees, the tangled grass</l> +<l>Shall feel, if only thou be near,</l> +<l>Soft to my touch as skins of deer.</l> +<l>When the rude wind in fury blows,</l> +<l>And scattered dust upon me throws,</l> +<l>That dust, beloved lord, to me</l> +<l>Shall as the precious sandal be.</l> +<l>And what shall be more blest than I,</l> +<l>When gazing on the wood I lie</l> +<l>In some green glade upon a bed</l> +<l>With sacred grass beneath us spread?</l> +<l>The root, the leaf, the fruit which thou</l> +<l>Shalt give me from the earth or bough,</l> +<l>Scanty or plentiful, to eat,</l> +<l>Shall taste to me as Amrit sweet.</l> +<l>As there I live on flowers and roots</l> +<l>And every season's kindly fruits,</l> +<l>I will not for my mother grieve,</l> +<l>My sire, my home, or all I leave.</l> +<l>My presence, love, shall never add</l> +<l>One pain to make the heart more sad;</l> +<pb n="130"/><anchor id="Pg130"/> +<l>I will not cause thee grief or care,</l> +<l>Nor be a burden hard to bear.</l> +<l>With thee is heaven, where'er the spot;</l> +<l>Each place is hell where thou art not.</l> +<l>Then go with me, O Ráma; this</l> +<l>Is all my hope and all my bliss.</l> +<l>If thou wilt leave thy wife who still</l> +<l>Entreats thee with undaunted will,</l> +<l>This very day shall poison close</l> +<l>The life that spurns the rule of foes.</l> +<l>How, after, can my soul sustain</l> +<l>The bitter life of endless pain,</l> +<l>When thy dear face, my lord, I miss?</l> +<l>No, death is better far than this.</l> +<l>Not for an hour could I endure</l> +<l>The deadly grief that knows not cure,</l> +<l>Far less a woe I could not shun</l> +<l><q rend="post">For ten long years, and three, and one.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">While fires of woe consumed her, such</l> +<l>Her sad appeal, lamenting much;</l> +<l>Then with a wild cry, anguish-wrung,</l> +<l>About her husband's neck she clung.</l> +<l>Like some she-elephant who bleeds</l> +<l>Struck by the hunter's venomed reeds,</l> +<l>So in her quivering heart she felt</l> +<l>The many wounds his speeches dealt.</l> +<l>Then, as the spark from wood is gained,<note place="foot">Fire for sacrificial +purposes is produced by the attrition of two pieces of wood.</note></l> +<l>Down rolled the tear so long restrained:</l> +<l>The crystal moisture, sprung from woe,</l> +<l>From her sweet eyes began to flow,</l> +<l>As runs the water from a pair</l> +<l>Of lotuses divinely fair.</l> +<l>And Sítá's face with long dark eyes,</l> +<l>Pure as the moon of autumn skies,</l> +<l>Faded with weeping, as the buds</l> +<l>Of lotuses when sink the floods.</l> +<l>Around his wife his arms he strained,</l> +<l>Who senseless from her woe remained,</l> +<l>And with sweet words, that bade her wake</l> +<l>To life again, the hero spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I would not with thy woe, my Queen,</q></l> +<l>Buy heaven and all its blissful sheen.</l> +<l>Void of all fear am I as He,</l> +<l>The self-existent God, can be.</l> +<l>I knew not all thy heart till now,</l> +<l>Dear lady of the lovely brow,</l> +<l>So wished not thee in woods to dwell;</l> +<l>Yet there mine arm can guard thee well.</l> +<l>Now surely thou, dear love, wast made</l> +<l>To dwell with me in green wood shade.</l> +<l>And, as a high saint's tender mind</l> +<l>Clings to its love for all mankind,</l> +<l>So I to thee will ever cling,</l> +<l>Sweet daughter of Videha's king.</l> +<l>The good, of old, O soft of frame,</l> +<l>Honoured this duty's sovereign claim,</l> +<l>And I its guidance will not shun,</l> +<l>True as light's Queen is to the Sun.</l> +<l>I cannot, pride of Janak's line,</l> +<l>This journey to the wood decline:</l> +<l>My sire's behest, the oath he sware,</l> +<l>The claims of truth, all lead me there.</l> +<l>One duty, dear the same for aye,</l> +<l>Is sire and mother to obey:</l> +<l>Should I their orders once transgress</l> +<l>My very life were weariness.</l> +<l>If glad obedience be denied</l> +<l>To father, mother, holy guide,</l> +<l>What rites, what service can be done</l> +<l>That stern Fate's favour may be won?</l> +<l>These three the triple world comprise,</l> +<l>O darling of the lovely eyes.</l> +<l>Earth has no holy thing like these</l> +<l>Whom with all love men seek to please.</l> +<l>Not truth, or gift, or bended knee,</l> +<l>Not honour, worship, lordly fee,</l> +<l>Storms heaven and wins a blessing thence</l> +<l>Like sonly love and reverence.</l> +<l>Heaven, riches, grain, and varied lore,</l> +<l>With sons and many a blessing more,</l> +<l>All these are made their own with ease</l> +<l>By those their elders' souls who please.</l> +<l>The mighty-souled, who ne'er forget,</l> +<l>Devoted sons, their filial debt,</l> +<l>Win worlds where Gods and minstrels are,</l> +<l>And Brahmá's sphere more glorious far.</l> +<l>Now as the orders of my sire,</l> +<l>Who keeps the way of truth, require,</l> +<l>So will I do, for such the way</l> +<l>Of duty that endures for aye:</l> +<l>To take thee, love, to Daṇḍak's wild</l> +<l>My heart at length is reconciled,</l> +<l>For thee such earnest thoughts impel</l> +<l>To follow, and with me to dwell.</l> +<l>O faultless form from feet to brows,</l> +<l>Come with me, as my will allows,</l> +<l>And duty there with me pursue,</l> +<l>Trembler, whose bright eyes thrill me through.</l> +<l>In all thy days, come good come ill,</l> +<l>Preserve unchanged such noble will,</l> +<l>And thou, dear love, wilt ever be</l> +<l>The glory of thy house and me.</l> +<l>Now, beauteous-armed, begin the tasks</l> +<l>The woodland life of hermits asks.</l> +<l>For me the joys of heaven above</l> +<l>Have charms no more without thee, love.</l> +<l>And now, dear Sítá, be not slow:</l> +<l>Food on good mendicants bestow,</l> +<l>And for the holy Bráhmans bring</l> +<l>Thy treasures and each precious thing.</l> +<l>Thy best attire and gems collect,</l> +<l>The jewels which thy beauty decked,</l> +<l>And every ornament and toy</l> +<l>Prepared for hours of sport and joy:</l> +<l>The beds, the cars wherein I ride,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Among our followers, next, divide.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She conscious that her lord approved</l> +<l>Her going, with great rapture moved,</l> +<pb n="131"/><anchor id="Pg131"/> +<l>Hastened within, without delay,</l> +<l>Prepared to give their wealth away.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXXI"/> +<head>Canto XXXI. Lakshman's Prayer.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Lakshmaṇ, who had joined them there,</l> +<l>Had heard the converse of the pair,</l> +<l>His mien was changed, his eyes o'erflowed,</l> +<l>His breast no more could bear its load.</l> +<l>The son of Raghu, sore distressed,</l> +<l>His brother's feet with fervour pressed,</l> +<l>While thus to Sítá he complained,</l> +<l>And him by lofty vows enchained:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If thou wilt make the woods thy home,</q></l> +<l>Where elephant and roebuck roam,</l> +<l>I too this day will take my bow</l> +<l>And in the path before thee go.</l> +<l>Our way will lie through forest ground</l> +<l>Where countless birds and beasts are found,</l> +<l>I heed not homes of Gods on high,</l> +<l>I heed not life that cannot die,</l> +<l>Nor would I wish, with thee away,</l> +<l><q rend="post">O'er the three worlds to stretch my sway.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Lakshmaṇ spake, with earnest prayer</l> +<l>His brother's woodland life to share.</l> +<l>As Ráma still his prayer denied</l> +<l>With soothing words, again he cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">When leave at first thou didst accord,</q></l> +<l>Why dost thou stay me now, my lord?</l> +<l>Thou art my refuge: O, be kind,</l> +<l>Leave me not, dear my lord, behind.</l> +<l>Thou canst not, brother, if thou choose</l> +<l><q rend="post">That I still live, my wish refuse.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The glorious chief his speech renewed</l> +<l>To faithful Lakshmaṇ as he sued,</l> +<l>And on the eyes of Ráma gazed</l> +<l>Longing to lead, with hands upraised:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thou art a hero just and dear,</q></l> +<l>Whose steps to virtue's path adhere,</l> +<l>Loved as my life till life shall end,</l> +<l>My faithful brother and my friend.</l> +<l>If to the woods thou take thy way</l> +<l>With Sítá and with me to-day,</l> +<l>Who for Kauśalyá will provide,</l> +<l>And guard the good Sumitrá's side?</l> +<l>The lord of earth, of mighty power,</l> +<l>Who sends good things in plenteous shower,</l> +<l>As Indra pours the grateful rain,</l> +<l>A captive lies in passion's chain.</l> +<l>The power imperial for her son</l> +<l>Has Aśvapati's daughter<note place="foot">Kaikeyí.</note> won,</l> +<l>And she, proud queen, will little heed</l> +<l>Her miserable rivals' need.</l> +<l>So Bharat, ruler of the land,</l> +<l>By Queen Kaikeyí's side will stand,</l> +<l>Nor of those two will ever think,</l> +<l>While grieving in despair they sink.</l> +<l>Now, Lakshmaṇ, as thy love decrees,</l> +<l>Or else the monarch's heart to please,</l> +<l>Follow this counsel and protect</l> +<l>My honoured mother from neglect.</l> +<l>So thou, while not to me alone</l> +<l>Thy great affection will be shown,</l> +<l>To highest duty wilt adhere</l> +<l>By serving those thou shouldst revere.</l> +<l>Now, son of Raghu, for my sake</l> +<l>Obey this one request I make,</l> +<l>Or, of her darling son bereft,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Kauśalyá has no comfort left.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The faithful Lakshmaṇ, thus addressed</l> +<l>In gentle words which love expressed,</l> +<l>To him in lore of language learned,</l> +<l>His answer, eloquent, returned:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Nay, through thy might each queen will +share</q></l> +<l>Attentive Bharat's love and care,</l> +<l>Should Bharat, raised as king to sway</l> +<l>This noblest realm, his trust betray,</l> +<l>Nor for their safety well provide,</l> +<l>Seduced by ill-suggesting pride,</l> +<l>Doubt not my vengeful hand shall kill</l> +<l>The cruel wretch who counsels ill—</l> +<l>Kill him and all who lend him aid,</l> +<l>And the three worlds in league arrayed.</l> +<l>And good Kauśalyá well can fee</l> +<l>A thousand champions like to me.</l> +<l>A thousand hamlets rich in grain</l> +<l>The station of that queen maintain.</l> +<l>She may, and my dear mother too,</l> +<l>Live on the ample revenue.</l> +<l>Then let me follow thee: herein:</l> +<l>Is naught that may resemble sin.</l> +<l>So shall I in my wish succeed,</l> +<l>And aid, perhaps, my brother's need.</l> +<l>My bow and quiver well supplied</l> +<l>With arrows hanging at my side,</l> +<l>My hands shall spade and basket bear,</l> +<l>And for thy feet the way prepare.</l> +<l>I'll bring thee roots and berries sweet.</l> +<l>And woodland fare which hermits eat.</l> +<l>Thou shall with thy Videhan spouse</l> +<l>Recline upon the mountain's brows;</l> +<l>Be mine the toil, be mine to keep</l> +<l><q rend="post">Watch o'er thee waking or asleep.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Filled by his speech with joy and pride,</l> +<l>Ráma to Lakshmaṇ thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Go then, my brother, bid adieu</q></l> +<l>To all thy friends and retinue.</l> +<l>And those two bows of fearful might,</l> +<l>Celestial, which, at that famed rite,</l> +<l>Lord Varuṇ gave to Janak, king</l> +<l>Of fair Vedeha with thee bring,</l> +<l>With heavenly coats of sword-proof mail,</l> +<l>Quivers, whose arrows never fail,</l> +<pb n="132"/><anchor id="Pg132"/> +<l>And golden-hilted swords so keen,</l> +<l>The rivals of the sun in sheen.</l> +<l>Tended with care these arms are all</l> +<l>Preserved in my preceptor's hall.</l> +<l>With speed, O Lakshmaṇ, go, produce,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And bring them hither for our use.</q></l> +<l>So on a woodland life intent,</l> +<l>To see his faithful friends he went,</l> +<l>And brought the heavenly arms which lay</l> +<l>By Ráma's teacher stored away.</l> +<l>And Raghu's son to Ráma showed</l> +<l>Those wondrous arms which gleamed and glowed,</l> +<l>Well kept, adorned with many a wreath</l> +<l>Of flowers on case, and hilt, and sheath.</l> +<l>The prudent Ráma at the sight</l> +<l>Addressed his brother with delight:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Well art thou come, my brother dear,</q></l> +<l>For much I longed to see thee here.</l> +<l>For with thine aid, before I go,</l> +<l>I would my gold and wealth bestow</l> +<l>Upon the Bráhmans sage, who school</l> +<l>Their lives by stern devotion's rule.</l> +<l>And for all those who ever dwell</l> +<l>Within my house and serve me well,</l> +<l>Devoted servants, true and good,</l> +<l>Will I provide a livelihood.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Quick, go and summon to this place</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The good Vaśishṭha's son,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Suyajǹa, of the Bráhman race</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The first and holiest one.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To all the Bráhmans wise and good</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Will I due reverence pay,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then to the solitary wood</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">With thee will take my way.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXXII"/> +<head>Canto XXXII. The Gift Of The Treasures.</head> + +<lg> +<l>That speech so noble which conveyed</l> +<l>His friendly wish, the chief obeyed,</l> +<l>With steps made swift by anxious thought</l> +<l>The wise Suyajǹa's home he sought.</l> +<l>Him in the hall of Fire<note place="foot">The chapel where the sacred fire used +in worship is kept.</note> he found,</l> +<l>And bent before him to the ground:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O friend, to Ráma's house return,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Who now performs a task most stern.</q></l> +<l>He, when his noonday rites were done,</l> +<l>Went forth with fair Sumitrá's son,</l> +<l>And came to Ráma's bright abode</l> +<l>Rich in the love which Lakshmí showed.</l> +<l>The son of Raghu, with his dame,</l> +<l>With joined hands met him as he came,</l> +<l>Showing to him who Scripture knew</l> +<l>The worship that is Agni's due.</l> +<l>With armlets, bracelets, collars, rings,</l> +<l>With costly pearls on golden strings,</l> +<l>With many a gem for neck and limb</l> +<l>The son of Raghu honoured him.</l> +<l>Then Ráma, at his wife's request,</l> +<l>The wise Suyajǹa thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Accept a necklace too to deck</q></l> +<l>With golden strings thy spouse's neck.</l> +<l>And Sítá here, my friend, were glad</l> +<l>A girdle to her gift to add.</l> +<l>And many a bracelet wrought with care,</l> +<l>And many an armlet rich and rare,</l> +<l>My wife to thine is fain to give,</l> +<l>Departing in the wood to live.</l> +<l>A bed by skilful workmen made,</l> +<l>With gold and various gems inlaid—</l> +<l>This too, before she goes, would she</l> +<l>Present, O saintly friend, to thee.</l> +<l>Thine be my elephant, so famed,</l> +<l>My uncle's present, Victor named;</l> +<l>And let a thousand coins of gold,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Great Bráhman, with the gift be told.</q></l> +<l>Thus Ráma spoke: nor he declined</l> +<l>The noble gifts for him designed.</l> +<l>On Ráma, Lakshmaṇ, Sítá he</l> +<l>Invoked all high felicity.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In pleasant words then Ráma gave</l> +<l>His best to Lakshmaṇ prompt and brave,</l> +<l>As Brahmá speaks for Him to hear</l> +<l>Who rules the Gods' celestial sphere:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">To the two best of Bráhmans run;</q></l> +<l>Agastya bring, and Kuśik's son,</l> +<l>And precious gifts upon them rain,</l> +<l>Like fostering floods upon the grain.</l> +<l>O long-armed Prince of Raghu's line,</l> +<l>Delight them with a thousand kine,</l> +<l>And many a fair and costly gem,</l> +<l>With gold and silver, give to them.</l> +<l>To him, so deep in Scripture, who,</l> +<l>To Queen Kauśalyá, ever true,</l> +<l>Serves her with blessing and respect,</l> +<l>Chief of the Taittiríya sect<note place="foot">The students and teachers +of the Taittiríya portion of the Yajur Veda.</note>—</l> +<l>To him, with women-slaves, present</l> +<l>A chariot rich with ornament,</l> +<l>And costly robes of silk beside,</l> +<l>Until the sage be satisfied.</l> +<l>On Chitraratha, true and dear,</l> +<l>My tuneful bard and charioteer,</l> +<l>Gems, robes, and plenteous wealth confer—</l> +<l>Mine ancient friend and minister.</l> +<l>And these who go with staff in hand,</l> +<l>Grammarians trained, a numerous band,</l> +<l>Who their deep study only prize,</l> +<l>Nor think of other exercise,</l> +<l>Who toil not, loving dainty fare,</l> +<l>Whose praises e'en the good declare—</l> +<l>On these be eighty cars bestowed,</l> +<l>And each with precious treasures load.</l> +<pb n="133"/><anchor id="Pg133"/> +<l>A thousand bulls for them suffice,</l> +<l>Two hundred elephants of price,</l> +<l>And let a thousand kine beside</l> +<l>The dainties of each meal provide.</l> +<l>The throng who sacred girdles wear,</l> +<l>And on Kauśalyá wait with care—</l> +<l>A thousand golden coins shall please,</l> +<l>Son of Sumitrá, each of these.</l> +<l>Let all, dear Lakshmaṇ of the train</l> +<l>These special gifts of honour gain:</l> +<l>My mother will rejoice to know</l> +<l><q rend="post">Her Bráhmans have been cherished so.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Raghu's son addressed the crowd</l> +<l>Who round him stood and wept aloud,</l> +<l>When he to all who thronged the court</l> +<l>Had dealt his wealth for their support:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">In Lakshmaṇ's house and mine remain,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">And guard them till I come again.</q></l> +<l>To all his people sad with grief,</l> +<l>In loving words thus spoke their chief,</l> +<l>Then bade his treasure-keeper bring</l> +<l>Gold, silver, and each precious thing.</l> +<l>Then straight the servants went and bore</l> +<l>Back to their chief the wealth in store.</l> +<l>Before the people's eyes it shone,</l> +<l>A glorious pile to look upon.</l> +<l>The prince of men with Lakshmaṇ's aid</l> +<l>Parted the treasures there displayed,</l> +<l>Gave to the poor, the young, the old,</l> +<l>And twice-born men, the gems and gold.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A Bráhman, long in evil case,</l> +<l>Named Trijaṭ, born of Garga's race,</l> +<l>Earned ever toiling in a wood</l> +<l>With spade and plough his livelihood.</l> +<l>The youthful wife, his babes who bore,</l> +<l>Their indigence felt more and more.</l> +<l>Thus to the aged man she spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hear this my word: my counsel take.</q></l> +<l>Come, throw thy spade and plough away;</l> +<l>To virtuous Ráma go to-day,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And somewhat of his kindness pray.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He heard the words she spoke: around</l> +<l>His limbs his ragged cloth he wound,</l> +<l>And took his journey by the road</l> +<l>That led to Ráma's fair abode.</l> +<l>To the fifth court he made his way;</l> +<l>Nor met the Bráhman check or stay.</l> +<l>Brighu, Angiras<note place="foot">Two of the divine personages called +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Prajápatis</foreign> and +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Brahmádikas</foreign> who were +first created by Brahmá.</note> could not be</l> +<l>Brighter with saintly light than he.</l> +<l>To Ráma's presence on he pressed,</l> +<l>And thus the noble chief addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Ráma, poor and weak am I,</q></l> +<l>And many children round me cry.</l> +<l>Scant living in the woods I earn:</l> +<l><q rend="post">On me thine eye of pity turn.</q></l> +<l>And Ráma, bent on sport and jest,</l> +<l>The suppliant Bráhman thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O aged man, one thousand kine,</q></l> +<l>Yet undistributed, are mine.</l> +<l>The cows on thee will I bestow</l> +<l><q rend="post">As far as thou thy staff canst throw.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Bráhman heard. In eager haste</l> +<l>He bound his cloth around his waist.</l> +<l>Then round his head his staff he whirled,</l> +<l>And forth with mightiest effort hurled.</l> +<l>Cast from his hand it flew, and sank</l> +<l>To earth on Sarjú's farther bank,</l> +<l>Where herds of kine in thousands fed</l> +<l>Near to the well-stocked bullock shed.</l> +<l>And all the cows that wandered o'er</l> +<l>The meadow, far as Sarjú's shore,</l> +<l>At Ráma's word the herdsmen drove</l> +<l>To Trijaṭ's cottage in the grove.</l> +<l>He drew the Bráhman to his breast,</l> +<l>And thus with calming words addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now be not angry, Sire. I pray:</q></l> +<l>This jest of mine was meant in play.</l> +<l>These thousand kine, but not alone.</l> +<l>Their herdsmen too, are all thine own.</l> +<l>And wealth beside I give thee: speak,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thine shall be all thy heart can seek.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma spake. And Trijaṭ prayed</l> +<l>For means his sacrifice to aid.</l> +<l>And Ráma gave much wealth, required</l> +<l>To speed his offering as desired.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXXIII"/> +<head>Canto XXXIII. The People's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus Sítá and the princes brave</l> +<l>Much wealth to all the Bráhmans gave.</l> +<l>Then to the monarch's house the three</l> +<l>Went forth the aged king to see.</l> +<l>The princes from two servants took</l> +<l>Those heavenly arms of glorious look,</l> +<l>Adorned with garland and with band</l> +<l>By Sítá's beautifying hand.</l> +<l>On each high house a mournful throng</l> +<l>Had gathered ere they passed along,</l> +<l>Who gazed in pure unselfish woe</l> +<l>From turret, roof, and portico.</l> +<l>So dense the crowd that blocked the ways,</l> +<l>The rest, unable there to gaze,</l> +<l>Were fain each terrace to ascend,</l> +<l>And thence their eyes on Ráma bend.</l> +<l>Then as the gathered multitude</l> +<l>On foot their well-loved Ráma viewed,</l> +<l>No royal shade to screen his head,</l> +<l>Such words, disturbed in grief, they said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O look, our hero, wont to ride</q></l> +<l>Leading a host in perfect pride—</l> +<l>Now Lakshmaṇ, sole of all his friends,</l> +<l>With Sítá on his steps attends.</l> +<l>Though he has known the sweets of power,</l> +<l>And poured his gifts in liberal shower,</l> +<l>From duty's path he will not swerve,</l> +<pb n="134"/><anchor id="Pg134"/> +<l>But, still his father's truth preserve.</l> +<l>And she whose form so soft and fair</l> +<l>Was veiled from spirits of the air,</l> +<l>Now walks unsheltered from the day,</l> +<l>Seen by the crowds who throng the way.</l> +<l>Ah, for that gently-nurtured form!</l> +<l>How will it fade with sun and storm!</l> +<l>How will the rain, the cold, the heat</l> +<l>Mar fragrant breast and tinted feet!</l> +<l>Surely some demon has possessed</l> +<l>His sire, and speaks within his breast,</l> +<l>Or how could one that is a king</l> +<l>Thus send his dear son wandering?</l> +<l>It were a deed unkindly done</l> +<l>To banish e'en a worthless son:</l> +<l>But what, when his pure life has gained</l> +<l>The hearts of all, by love enchained?</l> +<l>Six sovereign virtues join to grace</l> +<l>Ráma the foremost of his race:</l> +<l>Tender and kind and pure is he,</l> +<l>Docile, religious, passion-free.</l> +<l>Hence misery strikes not him alone:</l> +<l>In bitterest grief the people moan,</l> +<l>Like creatures of the stream, when dry</l> +<l>In the great heat the channels lie.</l> +<l>The world is mournful with the grief</l> +<l>That falls on its beloved chief,</l> +<l>As, when the root is hewn away,</l> +<l>Tree, fruit, and flower, and bud decay.</l> +<l>The soul of duty, bright to see,</l> +<l>He is the root of you and me;</l> +<l>And all of us, who share his grief,</l> +<l>His branches, blossom, fruit, and leaf.</l> +<l>Now like the faithful Lakshmaṇ, we</l> +<l>Will follow and be true as he;</l> +<l>Our wives and kinsmen call with speed,</l> +<l>And hasten where our lord shall lead.</l> +<l>Yes, we will leave each well-loved spot,</l> +<l>The field, the garden, and the cot,</l> +<l>And, sharers of his weal and woe,</l> +<l>Behind the pious Ráma go.</l> +<l>Our houses, empty of their stores,</l> +<l>With ruined courts and broken doors,</l> +<l>With all their treasures borne away.</l> +<l>And gear that made them bright and gay:</l> +<l>O'errun by rats, with dust o'erspread,</l> +<l>Shrines, whence the deities have fled,</l> +<l>Where not a hand the water pours,</l> +<l>Or sweeps the long-neglected floors,</l> +<l>No incense loads the evening air,</l> +<l>No Bráhmans chant the text and prayer,</l> +<l>No fire of sacrifice is bright,</l> +<l>No gift is known, no sacred rite;</l> +<l>With floors which broken vessels strew,</l> +<l>As if our woes had crushed them too—</l> +<l>Of these be stern Kaikeyí queen,</l> +<l>And rule o'er homes where we have been.</l> +<l>The wood where Ráma's feet may roam</l> +<l>Shall be our city and our home,</l> +<l>And this fair city we forsake,</l> +<l>Our flight a wilderness shall make.</l> +<l>Each serpent from his hole shall hie,</l> +<l>The birds and beasts from mountain fly,</l> +<l>Lions and elephants in fear</l> +<l>Shall quit the woods when we come near,</l> +<l>Yield the broad wilds for us to range,</l> +<l>And take our city in exchange.</l> +<l>With Ráma will we hence, content</l> +<l><q rend="post">If, where he is, our days be spent.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Such were the varied words the crowd</l> +<l>Of all conditions spoke aloud.</l> +<l>And Ráma heard their speeches, yet</l> +<l>Changed not his purpose firmly set.</l> +<l>His father's palace soon he neared,</l> +<l>That like Kailása's hill appeared.</l> +<l>Like a wild elephant he strode</l> +<l>Right onward to the bright abode.</l> +<l>Within the palace court he stepped,</l> +<l>Where ordered bands their station kept,</l> +<l>And saw Sumantra standing near</l> +<l>With down-cast eye and gloomy cheer.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXXIV"/> +<head>Canto XXXIV. Ráma In The Palace.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The dark incomparable chief</l> +<l>Whose eye was like a lotus leaf,</l> +<l>Cried to the mournful charioteer,</l> +<l><q>Go tell my sire that I am here.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sumantra, sad and all dismayed,</l> +<l>The chieftain's order swift obeyed.</l> +<l>Within the palace doors he hied</l> +<l>And saw the king, who wept and sighed.</l> +<l>Like the great sun when wrapped in shade</l> +<l>Like fire by ashes overlaid,</l> +<l>Or like a pool with waters dried,</l> +<l>So lay the world's great lord and pride,</l> +<l>A while the wise Sumantra gazed</l> +<l>On him whose senses woe has dazed,</l> +<l>Grieving for Ráma. Near he drew</l> +<l>With hands upraised in reverence due.</l> +<l>With blessing first his king he hailed;</l> +<l>Then with a voice that well-nigh failed,</l> +<l>In trembling accents soft and low</l> +<l>Addressed the monarch in his woe:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The prince of men, thy Ráma, waits</q></l> +<l>Before thee at the palace gates.</l> +<l>His wealth to Bráhmans he has dealt,</l> +<l>And all who in his home have dwelt.</l> +<l>Admit thy son. His friends have heard</l> +<l>His kind farewell and parting word,</l> +<l>He longs to see thee first, and then</l> +<l>Will seek the wilds, O King of men.</l> +<l>He, with each princely virtue's blaze,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Shines as the sun engirt by rays.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The truthful King who loved to keep</l> +<l>The law profound as Ocean's deep,</l> +<l>And stainless as the dark blue sky,</l> +<l>Thus to Sumantra made reply:</l> +<pb n="135"/><anchor id="Pg135"/> +<l><q rend="pre">Go then, Sumantra, go and call</q></l> +<l>My wives and ladies one and all.</l> +<l>Drawn round me shall they fill the place</l> +<l><q rend="post">When I behold my Ráma's face.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Quick to the inner rooms he sped,</l> +<l>And thus to all the women said,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Come, at the summons of the king:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Come all, and make no tarrying.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Their husband's word, by him conveyed,</l> +<l>Soon as they heard, the dames obeyed,</l> +<l>And following his guidance all</l> +<l>Came thronging to the regal hall.</l> +<l>In number half seven hundred, they,</l> +<l>All lovely dames, in long array,</l> +<l>With their bright eyes for weeping red,</l> +<l>To stand round Queen Kauśalyá, sped.</l> +<l>They gathered, and the monarch viewed</l> +<l>One moment all the multitude,</l> +<l>Then to Sumantra spoke and said:</l> +<l><q>Now let my son be hither led.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sumantra went. Then Ráma came,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ, and the Maithil dame,</l> +<l>And, as he led them on, their guide</l> +<l>Straight to the monarch's presence hied.</l> +<l>When yet far off the father saw</l> +<l>His son with raised palms toward him draw,</l> +<l>Girt by his ladies, sick with woes,</l> +<l>Swift from his royal seat he rose.</l> +<l>With all his strength the aged man</l> +<l>To meet his darling Ráma ran,</l> +<l>But trembling, wild with dark despair,</l> +<l>Fell on the ground and fainted there.</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ, wont in cars to ride,</l> +<l>And Ráma, threw them by the side</l> +<l>Of the poor miserable king,</l> +<l>Half lifeless with his sorrow's sting.</l> +<l>Throughout the spacious hall up went</l> +<l>A thousand women's wild lament:</l> +<l><q>Ah Ráma!</q> thus they wailed and wept,</l> +<l>And anklets tinkled as they stepped</l> +<l>Around his body, weeping, threw</l> +<l>Their loving arms the brothers two,</l> +<l>And then, with Sítá's gentle aid,</l> +<l>The king upon a couch was laid.</l> +<l>At length to earth's imperial lord,</l> +<l>When life and knowledge were restored,</l> +<l>Though seas of woe went o'er his head,</l> +<l>With suppliant hand, thus Ráma said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Lord of us all, great King, thou art:</q></l> +<l>Bid me farewell before we part,</l> +<l>To Daṇḍak wood this day I go:</l> +<l>One blessing and one look bestow.</l> +<l>Let Lakshmaṇ my companion be,</l> +<l>And Sítá also follow me.</l> +<l>With truthful pleas I sought to bend</l> +<l>Their purpose; but no ear they lend.</l> +<l>Now cast this sorrow from thy heart,</l> +<l>And let us all, great King, depart.</l> +<l>As Brahmá sends his children, so</l> +<l><q rend="post">Let Lakshmaṇ, me, and Sítá go.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He stood unmoved, and watched intent</l> +<l>Until the king should grant consent.</l> +<l>Upon his son his eyes he cast,</l> +<l>And thus the monarch spake at last:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Ráma, by her arts enslaved,</q></l> +<l>I gave the boons Kaikeyí craved,</l> +<l>Unfit to reign, by her misled:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Be ruler in thy father's stead.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus by the lord of men addressed,</l> +<l>Ráma, of virtue's friends the best,</l> +<l>In lore of language duly learned,</l> +<l>His answer, reverent, thus returned:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">A thousand years, O King, remain</q></l> +<l>O'er this our city still to reign.</l> +<l>I in the woods my life will lead:</l> +<l>The lust of rule no more I heed.</l> +<l>Nine years and five I there will spend,</l> +<l>And when the portioned days shall end,</l> +<l>Will come, my vows and exile o'er,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And clasp thy feet, my King, once more.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A captive in the snare of truth,</l> +<l>Weeping, distressed with woe and ruth,</l> +<l>Thus spake the monarch, while the queen</l> +<l>Kaikeyí urged him on unseen:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Go then, O Ráma, and begin</q></l> +<l>Thy course unvext by fear and sin:</l> +<l>Go, my beloved son, and earn</l> +<l>Success, and joy, and safe return.</l> +<l>So fast the bonds of duty bind.</l> +<l>O Raghu's son, thy truthful mind,</l> +<l>That naught can turn thee back, or guide</l> +<l>Thy will so strongly fortified.</l> +<l>But O, a little longer stay,</l> +<l>Nor turn thy steps this night away,</l> +<l>That I one little day-—alas!</l> +<l>One only—-with my son may pass.</l> +<l>Me and thy mother do not slight,</l> +<l>But stay, my son, with me to-night;</l> +<l>With every dainty please thy taste,</l> +<l>And seek to-morrow morn the waste.</l> +<l>Hard is thy task, O Raghu's son,</l> +<l>Dire is the toil thou wilt not shun,</l> +<l>Far to the lonely wood to flee,</l> +<l>And leave thy friends for love of me.</l> +<l>I swear it by my truth, believe,</l> +<l>For thee, my son, I deeply grieve,</l> +<l>Misguided by the traitress dame</l> +<l>With hidden guile like smouldering flame.</l> +<l>Now, by her wicked counsel stirred,</l> +<l>Thou fain wouldst keep my plighted word.</l> +<l>No marvel that my eldest born</l> +<l><q rend="post">Would hold me true when I have sworn.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma having calmly heard</l> +<l>His wretched father speak each word,</l> +<l>With Lakshmaṇ standing by his side</l> +<l>Thus, humbly, to the King replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If dainties now my taste regale,</q></l> +<l>To-morrow must those dainties fail.</l> +<l>This day departure I prefer</l> +<l>To all that wealth can minister.</l> +<l>O'er this fair land, no longer mine,</l> +<l>Which I, with all her realms, resign,</l> +<pb n="136"/><anchor id="Pg136"/> +<l>Her multitudes of men, her grain,</l> +<l>Her stores of wealth, let Bharat reign.</l> +<l>And let the promised boon which thou</l> +<l>Wast pleased to grant the queen ere now,</l> +<l>Be hers in full. Be true, O King,</l> +<l>Kind giver of each precious thing.</l> +<l>Thy spoken word I still will heed,</l> +<l>Obeying all thy lips decreed:</l> +<l>And fourteen years in woods will dwell</l> +<l>With those who live in glade and dell.</l> +<l>No hopes of power my heart can touch,</l> +<l>No selfish joys attract so much</l> +<l>As son of Raghu, to fulfil</l> +<l>With heart and soul my father's will.</l> +<l>Dismiss, dismiss thy needless woe,</l> +<l>Nor let those drowning torrents flow:</l> +<l>The Lord of Rivers in his pride</l> +<l>Keeps to the banks that bar his tide.</l> +<l>Here in thy presence I declare;</l> +<l>By thy good deeds, thy truth, I swear;</l> +<l>Nor lordship, joy, nor lands I prize;</l> +<l>Life, heaven, all blessings I despise.</l> +<l>I wish to see thee still remain</l> +<l>Most true, O King, and free from stain.</l> +<l>It must not, Sire, it must not be:</l> +<l>I cannot rest one hour with thee.</l> +<l>Then bring this sorrow to an end,</l> +<l>For naught my settled will can bend.</l> +<l>I gave a pledge that binds me too,</l> +<l>And to that pledge I still am true.</l> +<l>Kaikeyí bade me speed away:</l> +<l>She prayed me, and I answered yea.</l> +<l>Pine not for me, and weep no more;</l> +<l>The wood for us has joy in store,</l> +<l>Filled with the wild deer's peaceful herds</l> +<l>And voices of a thousand birds.</l> +<l>A father is the God of each,</l> +<l>Yea, e'en of Gods, so Scriptures teach:</l> +<l>And I will keep my sire's decree,</l> +<l>For as a God I honour thee.</l> +<l>O best of men, the time is nigh,</l> +<l>The fourteen years will soon pass by</l> +<l>And to thine eyes thy son restore:</l> +<l>Be comforted, and weep no more.</l> +<l>Thou with thy firmness shouldst support</l> +<l>These weeping crowds who throng the court;</l> +<l>Then why, O chief of high renown,</l> +<l><q rend="post">So troubled, and thy soul cast down?</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXXV"/> +<head>Canto XXXV. Kaikeyí Reproached.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Wild with the rage he could not calm,</l> +<l>Sumantra, grinding palm on palm,</l> +<l>His head in quick impatience shook,</l> +<l>And sighed with woe he could not brook.</l> +<l>He gnashed his teeth, his eyes were red,</l> +<l>From his changed face the colour fled.</l> +<l>In rage and grief that knew no law,</l> +<l>The temper of the king he saw.</l> +<l>With his word-arrows swift and keen</l> +<l>He shook the bosom of the queen.</l> +<l>With scorn, as though its lightning stroke</l> +<l>Would blast her body, thus he spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thou, who, of no dread sin afraid,</q></l> +<l>Hast Daśaratha's self betrayed,</l> +<l>Lord of the world, whose might sustains</l> +<l>Each thing that moves or fixed remains,</l> +<l>What direr crime is left thee now?</l> +<l>Death to thy lord and house art thou,</l> +<l>Whose cruel deeds the king distress,</l> +<l>Mahendra's peer in mightiness,</l> +<l>Firm as the mountain's rooted steep,</l> +<l>Enduring as the Ocean's deep.</l> +<l>Despise not Daśaratha, he</l> +<l>Is a kind lord and friend to thee.</l> +<l>A loving wife in worth outruns</l> +<l>The mother of ten million sons.</l> +<l>Kings, when their sires have passed away,</l> +<l>Succeed by birthright to the sway.</l> +<l>Ikshváku's son still rules the state,</l> +<l>Yet thou this rule wouldst violate.</l> +<l>Yea, let thy son, Kaikeyí, reign,</l> +<l>Let Bharat rule his sire's domain.</l> +<l>Thy will, O Queen, shall none oppose:</l> +<l>We all will go where Ráma goes.</l> +<l>No Bráhman, scorning thee, will rest</l> +<l>Within the realm thou governest,</l> +<l>But all will fly indignant hence:</l> +<l>So great thy trespass and offence.</l> +<l>I marvel, when thy crime I see,</l> +<l>Earth yawns not quick to swallow thee;</l> +<l>And that the Bráhman saints prepare</l> +<l>No burning scourge thy soul to scare,</l> +<l>With cries of shame to smite thee, bent</l> +<l>Upon our Ráma's banishment.</l> +<l>The Mango tree with axes fell,</l> +<l>And tend instead the Neem tree well,</l> +<l>Still watered with all care the tree</l> +<l>Will never sweet and pleasant be.</l> +<l>Thy mother's faults to thee descend,</l> +<l>And with thy borrowed nature blend.</l> +<l>True is the ancient saw: the Neem</l> +<l>Can ne'er distil a honeyed stream.</l> +<l>Taught by the tale of long ago</l> +<l>Thy mother's hateful sin we know.</l> +<l>A bounteous saint, as all have heard,</l> +<l>A boon upon thy sire conferred,</l> +<l>And all the eloquence revealed</l> +<l>That fills the wood, the flood, the field.</l> +<l>No creature walked, or swam, or flew,</l> +<l>But he its varied language knew.</l> +<l>One morn upon his couch he heard</l> +<l>The chattering of a gorgeous bird.</l> +<l>And as he marked its close intent</l> +<l>He laughed aloud in merriment.</l> +<l>Thy mother furious with her lord,</l> +<l>And fain to perish by the cord,</l> +<l>Said to her husband: <q rend="pre">I would know,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">O Monarch, why thou laughest so.</q></l> +<pb n="137"/><anchor id="Pg137"/> +<l>The king in answer spake again:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If I this laughter should explain,</q></l> +<l>This very hour would be my last,</l> +<l><q rend="post">For death, be sure would follow fast.</q></l> +<l>Again thy mother, flushed with ire,</l> +<l>To Kekaya spake, thy royal sire:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Tell me the cause; then live or die:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">I will not brook thy laugh, not I.</q></l> +<l>Thus by his darling wife addressed,</l> +<l>The king whose might all earth confessed,</l> +<l>To that kind saint his story told</l> +<l>Who gave the wondrous gift of old.</l> +<l>He listened to the king's complaint,</l> +<l>And thus in answer spoke the saint:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">King, let her quit thy home or die,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">But never with her prayer comply.</q></l> +<l>The saint's reply his trouble stilled,</l> +<l>And all his heart with pleasure filled.</l> +<l>Thy mother from his home he sent,</l> +<l>And days like Lord Kuvera's spent.</l> +<l>So thou wouldst force the king, misled</l> +<l>By thee, in evil paths to tread,</l> +<l>And bent on evil wouldst begin,</l> +<l>Through folly, this career of sin.</l> +<l>Most true, methinks, in thee is shown</l> +<l>The ancient saw so widely known:</l> +<l>The sons their fathers' worth declare</l> +<l>And girls their mothers' nature share.</l> +<l>So be not thou. For pity's sake</l> +<l>Accept the word the monarch spake.</l> +<l>Thy husband's will, O Queen, obey,</l> +<l>And be the people's hope and stay,</l> +<l>O, do not, urged by folly, draw</l> +<l>The king to tread on duty's law.</l> +<l>The lord who all the world sustains,</l> +<l>Bright as the God o'er Gods who reigns.</l> +<l>Our glorious king, by sin unstained,</l> +<l>Will never grant what fraud obtained;</l> +<l>No shade of fault in him is seen:</l> +<l>Let Ráma be anointed, Queen.</l> +<l>Remember, Queen, undying shame</l> +<l>Will through the world pursue thy name,</l> +<l>If Ráma leave the king his sire,</l> +<l>And, banished, to the wood retire.</l> +<l>Come, from thy breast this fever fling:</l> +<l>Of his own realm be Ráma king.</l> +<l>None in this city e'er can dwell</l> +<l>To tend and love thee half so well.</l> +<l>When Ráma sits in royal place,</l> +<l>True to the custom of his race</l> +<l>Our monarch of the mighty bow</l> +<l><q rend="post">A hermit to the woods will go.</q><note place="foot"><p>It was the +custom of the kings of the solar dynasty to resign in their extreme +old age the kingdom to the heir, and spend the remainder of their days in holy +meditation in the forest:</p> +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">For such through ages in their life's decline</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Is the good custom of Ikshváku's line.</q></l> +</lg> +<p><hi rend='italic'>Raghuraṅśa.</hi></p></note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sumantra thus, palm joined to palm,</l> +<l>Poured forth his words of bane and balm,</l> +<l>With keen reproach, with pleading kind,</l> +<l>Striving to move Kaikeyí's mind.</l> +<l>In vain he prayed, in vain reproved,</l> +<l>She heard unsoftened and unmoved.</l> +<l>Nor could the eyes that watched her view</l> +<l>One yielding look, one change of hue.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXXVI"/> +<head>Canto XXXVI. Siddhárth's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Ikshváku's son with anguish torn</l> +<l>For the great oath his lips had sworn,</l> +<l>With tears and sighs of sharpest pain</l> +<l>Thus to Sumantra spake again:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Prepare thou quick a perfect force,</q></l> +<l>Cars, elephants, and foot, and horse,</l> +<l>To follow Raghu's scion hence</l> +<l>Equipped with all magnificence.</l> +<l>Let traders with the wealth they sell,</l> +<l>And those who charming stories tell,</l> +<l>And dancing-women fair of face,</l> +<l>The prince's ample chariots grace.</l> +<l>On all the train who throng his courts,</l> +<l>And those who share his manly sports,</l> +<l>Great gifts of precious wealth bestow,</l> +<l>And bid them with their master go.</l> +<l>Let noble arms, and many a wain,</l> +<l>And townsmen swell the prince's train;</l> +<l>And hunters best for woodland skill</l> +<l>Their places in the concourse fill.</l> +<l>While elephants and deer he slays,</l> +<l>Drinking wood honey as he strays,</l> +<l>And looks on streams each fairer yet,</l> +<l>His kingdom he may chance forget.</l> +<l>Let all my gold and wealth of corn</l> +<l>With Ráma to the wilds be borne;</l> +<l>For it will soothe the exile's lot</l> +<l>To sacrifice in each pure spot,</l> +<l>Deal ample largess forth, and meet</l> +<l>Each hermit in his calm retreat.</l> +<l>The wealth shall Ráma with him bear,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Ayodhyá shall be Bharat's share.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As thus Kakutstha's offspring spoke,</l> +<l>Fear in Kaikeyí's breast awoke.</l> +<l>The freshness of her face was dried,</l> +<l>Her trembling tongue was terror-tied.</l> +<l>Alarmed and sad, with bloodless cheek,</l> +<l>She turned to him and scarce could speak:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Nay, Sire, but Bharat shall not gain</q></l> +<l>An empty realm where none remain.</l> +<l>My Bharat shall not rule a waste</l> +<l>Reft of all sweets to charm the taste—</l> +<l>The wine-cup's dregs, all dull and dead,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Whence the light foam and life are fled.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus in her rage the long-eyed dame</l> +<l>Spoke her dire speech untouched by shame.</l> +<pb n="138"/><anchor id="Pg138"/> +<l>Then, answering, Daśaratha spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why, having bowed me to the yoke,</q></l> +<l>Dost thou, must cruel, spur and goad</l> +<l>Me who am struggling with the load?</l> +<l>Why didst thou not oppose at first</l> +<l><q rend="post">This hope, vile Queen, so fondly nursed?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Scarce could the monarch's angry speech</l> +<l>The ears of the fair lady reach,</l> +<l>When thus, with double wrath inflamed,</l> +<l>Kaikeyí to the king exclaimed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Sagar, from whom thy line is traced,</q></l> +<l>Drove forth his eldest son disgraced,</l> +<l>Called Asamanj, whose fate we know:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thus should thy son to exile go.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Fie on thee, dame!</q> the monarch said;</l> +<l>Each of her people bent his head,</l> +<l>And stood in shame and sorrow mute:</l> +<l>She marked not, bold and resolute.</l> +<l>Then great Siddhárth, inflamed with rage,</l> +<l>The good old councillor and sage</l> +<l>On whose wise rede the king relied,</l> +<l>To Queen Kaikeyí thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">But Asamanj the cruel laid</q></l> +<l>His hands on infants as they played,</l> +<l>Cast them to Sarjú's flood, and smiled</l> +<l><q rend="post">For pleasure when he drowned a child.</q><note place="foot"><p>See +<ref target="CantoI-XXIX">Book I, Canto XXXIX</ref>. An Indian +prince in more modern times appears to have diverted himself in a similar way.</p> +<p>It is still reported in Belgaum that Appay Deasy was wont to amuse himself <q>by +making several young and beautiful women stand side by side on a narrow +balcony, without a parapet, overhanging the deep reservoir at the new palace in +Nipani. He used then to pass along the line of trembling creatures, and suddenly +thrusting one of them headlong into the water below, he used to watch her drowning, +and derive pleasure from her dying agonies.</q>—History of the Belgaum District. +By H. J. Stokes, M. S. C.</p></note></l> +<l>The people saw, and, furious, sped</l> +<l>Straight the the king his sire and said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Choose us, O glory of the throne,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Choose us, or Asamanj alone.</q></l> +<l><q>Whence comes this dread?</q> the monarch cried;</l> +<l>And all the people thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">In folly, King, he loves to lay</q></l> +<l>Fierce hands upon our babes at play,</l> +<l>Casts them to Sarjú's flood and joys</l> +<l><q rend="post">To murder our bewildered boys.</q></l> +<l>With heedful ear the king of men</l> +<l>Heard each complaining citizen.</l> +<l>To please their troubled minds he strove,</l> +<l>And from the state his son he drove.</l> +<l>With wife and gear upon a car</l> +<l>He placed him quick, and sent him far.</l> +<l>And thus he gave commandment, <q rend="pre">He</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Shall all his days an exile be.</q></l> +<l>With basket and with plough he strayed</l> +<l>O'er mountain heights, through pathless shade,</l> +<l>Roaming all lands a weary time,</l> +<l>An outcast wretch defiled with crime.</l> +<l>Sagar, the righteous path who held,</l> +<l>His wicked offspring thus expelled.</l> +<l>But what has Ráma done to blame?</l> +<l>Why should his sentence be the same?</l> +<l>No sin his stainless name can dim;</l> +<l>We see no fault at all in him.</l> +<l>Pure as the moon, no darkening blot</l> +<l>On his sweet life has left a spot.</l> +<l>If thou canst see one fault, e'en one,</l> +<l>To dim the fame of Raghu's son,</l> +<l>That fault this hour, O lady, show,</l> +<l>And Ráma to the wood shall go.</l> +<l>To drive the guiltless to the wild,</l> +<l>Truth's constant lover, undefiled,</l> +<l>Would, by defiance of the right,</l> +<l>The glory e'en of Indra blight.</l> +<l>Then cease, O lady, and dismiss</l> +<l>Thy hope to ruin Ráma's bliss,</l> +<l>Or all thy gain, O fair of face,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Will be men's hatred, and disgrace.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXXVII"/> +<head>Canto XXXVII. The Coats Of Bark.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus spake the virtuous sage: and then</l> +<l>Ráma addressed the king of men.</l> +<l>In laws of meek behaviour bred,</l> +<l>Thus to his sire he meekly said:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">King, I renounce all earthly care,</q></l> +<l>And live in woods on woodland fare.</l> +<l>What, dead to joys, have I to do</l> +<l>With lordly train and retinue!</l> +<l>Who gives his elephant and yet</l> +<l>Upon the girths his heart will set?</l> +<l>How can a cord attract his eyes</l> +<l>Who gives away the nobler prize?</l> +<l>Best of the good, with me be led</l> +<l>No host, my King with banners spread.</l> +<l>All wealth, all lordship I resign:</l> +<l>The hermit's dress alone be mine.</l> +<l>Before I go, have here conveyed</l> +<l>A little basket and a spade.</l> +<l>With these alone I go, content,</l> +<l><q rend="post">For fourteen years of banishment.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With her own hands Kaikeyí took</l> +<l>The hermit coats of bark, and, <q>Look,</q></l> +<l>She cried with bold unblushing brow</l> +<l>Before the concourse, <q>Dress thee now.</q></l> +<l>That lion leader of the brave</l> +<l>Took from her hand the dress she gave,</l> +<l>Cast his fine raiment on the ground,</l> +<pb n="139"/><anchor id="Pg139"/> +<l>And round his waist the vesture bound.</l> +<l>Then quick the hero Lakshmaṇ too</l> +<l>His garment from his shoulders threw,</l> +<l>And, in the presence of his sire,</l> +<l>Indued the ascetic's rough attire.</l> +<l>But Sítá, in her silks arrayed,</l> +<l>Threw glances, trembling and afraid,</l> +<l>On the bark coat she had to wear,</l> +<l>Like a shy doe that eyes the snare.</l> +<l>Ashamed and weeping for distress</l> +<l>From the queen's hand she took the dress.</l> +<l>The fair one, by her husband's side</l> +<l>Who matched heaven's minstrel monarch,<note place="foot">Chitraratha, +King of the celestial choristers.</note> cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">How bind they on their woodland dress,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Those hermits of the wilderness?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">There stood the pride of Janak's race</l> +<l>Perplexed, with sad appealing face.</l> +<l>One coat the lady's fingers grasped,</l> +<l>One round her neck she feebly clasped,</l> +<l>But failed again, again, confused</l> +<l>By the wild garb she ne'er had used.</l> +<l>Then quickly hastening Ráma, pride</l> +<l>Of all who cherish virtue, tied</l> +<l>The rough bark mantle on her, o'er</l> +<l>The silken raiment that she wore.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then the sad women when they saw</l> +<l>Ráma the choice bark round her draw,</l> +<l>Rained water from each tender eye,</l> +<l>And cried aloud with bitter cry:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O, not on her, beloved, not</q></l> +<l>On Sítá falls thy mournful lot.</l> +<l>If, faithful to thy father's will,</l> +<l>Thou must go forth, leave Sítá still.</l> +<l>Let Sítá still remaining here</l> +<l>Our hearts with her loved presence cheer.</l> +<l>With Lakshmaṇ by thy side to aid</l> +<l>Seek thou, dear son, the lonely shade.</l> +<l>Unmeet, one good and fair as she</l> +<l>Should dwell in woods a devotee.</l> +<l>Let not our prayers be prayed in vain:</l> +<l>Let beauteous Sítá yet remain;</l> +<l>For by thy love of duty tied</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thou wilt not here thyself abide.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then the king's venerable guide</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha, when he saw each coat</l> +<l>Enclose the lady's waist and throat,</l> +<l>Her zeal with gentle words repressed,</l> +<l>And Queen Kaikeyí thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O evil-hearted sinner, shame</q></l> +<l>Of royal Kekaya's race and name;</l> +<l>Who matchless in thy sin couldst cheat</l> +<l>Thy lord the king with vile deceit;</l> +<l>Lost to all sense of duty, know</l> +<l>Sítá to exile shall not go.</l> +<l>Sítá shall guard, as 'twere her own,</l> +<l>The precious trust of Ráma's throne.</l> +<l>Those joined by wedlock's sweet control</l> +<l>Have but one self and common soul.</l> +<l>Thus Sítá shall our empress be,</l> +<l>For Ráma's self and soul is she.</l> +<l>Or if she still to Ráma cleave</l> +<l>And for the woods the kingdom leave:</l> +<l>If naught her loving heart deter,</l> +<l>We and this town will follow her.</l> +<l>The warders of the queen shall take</l> +<l>Their wives and go for Ráma's sake,</l> +<l>The nation with its stores of grain,</l> +<l>The city's wealth shall swell his train.</l> +<l>Bharat, Śatrughna both will wear</l> +<l>Bark mantles, and his lodging share,</l> +<l>Still with their elder brother dwell</l> +<l>In the wild wood, and serve him well.</l> +<l>Rest here alone, and rule thy state</l> +<l>Unpeopled, barren, desolate;</l> +<l>Be empress of the land and trees,</l> +<l>Thou sinner whom our sorrows please.</l> +<l>The land which Ráma reigns not o'er</l> +<l>Shall bear the kingdom's name no more:</l> +<l>The woods which Ráma wanders through</l> +<l>Shall be our home and kingdom too.</l> +<l>Bharat, be sure, will never deign</l> +<l>O'er realms his father yields, to reign.</l> +<l>Nay, if the king's true son he be,</l> +<l>He will not, sonlike, dwell with thee.</l> +<l>Nay, shouldst thou from the earth arise,</l> +<l>And send thy message from the skies,</l> +<l>To his forefathers' custom true</l> +<l>No erring course would he pursue.</l> +<l>So hast thou, by thy grievous fault,</l> +<l>Offended him thou wouldst exalt.</l> +<l>In all the world none draws his breath</l> +<l>Who loves not Ráma, true to death.</l> +<l>This day, O Queen, shalt thou behold</l> +<l>Birds, deer, and beasts from lea and fold</l> +<l>Turn to the woods in Ráma's train.</l> +<l><q rend="post">And naught save longing trees remain.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXXVIII"/> +<head>Canto XXXVIII. Care For Kausalyá</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then when the people wroth and sad</l> +<l>Saw Sítá in bark vesture clad,</l> +<l>Though wedded, like some widowed thing,</l> +<l>They cried out, <q>Shame upon thee, King!</q></l> +<l>Grieved by their cry and angry look</l> +<l>The lord of earth at once forsook</l> +<l>All hope in life that still remained,</l> +<l>In duty, self, and fame unstained.</l> +<l>Ikshváku's son with burning sighs</l> +<l>On Queen Kaikeyí bent his eyes,</l> +<l>And said: <q rend="pre">But Sítá must not flee</q></l> +<l>In garments of a devotee.</l> +<l>My holy guide has spoken truth:</l> +<l>Unfit is she in tender youth,</l> +<pb n="140"/><anchor id="Pg140"/> +<l>So gently nurtured, soft and fair,</l> +<l>The hardships of the wood to share.</l> +<l>How has she sinned, devout and true,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The noblest monarch's child,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That she should garb of bark indue</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And journey to the wild?</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That she should spend her youthful days</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Amid a hermit band,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Like some poor mendicant who strays</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Sore troubled, through the land?</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Ah, let the child of Janak throw</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Her dress of bark aside,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And let the royal lady go</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">With royal wealth supplied.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Not such the pledge I gave before,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Unfit to linger here:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The oath, which I the sinner swore</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Is kept, and leaves her clear.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Won from her childlike love this too</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">My instant death would be,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As blossoms on the old bamboo</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Destroy the parent tree.<note place="foot">It is said +that the bamboo dies after flowering.</note></l> +<l>If aught amiss by Ráma done</l> +<l>Offend thee, O thou wicked one,</l> +<l>What least transgression canst thou find</l> +<l>In her, thou worst of womankind?</l> +<l>What shade of fault in her appears,</l> +<l>Whose full soft eye is like the deer's?</l> +<l>What canst thou blame in Janak's child,</l> +<l>So gentle, modest, true, and mild?</l> +<l>Is not one crime complete, that sent</l> +<l>My Ráma forth to banishment?</l> +<l>And wilt thou other sins commit,</l> +<l>Thou wicked one, to double it?</l> +<l>This is the pledge and oath I swore,</l> +<l>What thou besoughtest, and no more,</l> +<l>Of Ráma—for I heard thee, dame—</l> +<l>When he for consecration came.</l> +<l>Now with this limit not content,</l> +<l>In hell should be thy punishment,</l> +<l>Who fain the Maithil bride wouldst press</l> +<l><q rend="post">To clothe her limbs with hermit dress.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spake the father in his woe;</l> +<l>And Ráma, still prepared to go,</l> +<l>To him who sat with drooping head</l> +<l>Spake in return these words and said:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Just King, here stands my mother dear,</q></l> +<l>Kauśalyá, one whom all revere.</l> +<l>Submissive, gentle, old is she,</l> +<l>And keeps her lips from blame of thee,</l> +<l>For her, kind lord, of me bereft</l> +<l>A sea of whelming woe is left.</l> +<l>O, show her in her new distress</l> +<l>Still fonder love and tenderness.</l> +<l>Well honoured by thine honoured hand</l> +<l>Her grief for me let her withstand,</l> +<l>Who wrapt in constant thought of me</l> +<l>In me would live a devotee.</l> +<l>Peer of Mahendra, O, to her be kind,</l> +<l>And treat I pray, my gentle mother so,</l> +<l>That, when I dwell afar, her life resigned,</l> +<l><q rend="post">She may not pass to Yáma's realm for woe.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XXXIX"/> +<head>Canto XXXIX. Counsel To Sítá.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Scarce had the sire, with each dear queen,</l> +<l>Heard Ráma's pleading voice, and seen</l> +<l>His darling in his hermit dress</l> +<l>Ere failed his senses for distress.</l> +<l>Convulsed with woe, his soul that shook,</l> +<l>On Raghu's son he could not look;</l> +<l>Or if he looked with failing eye</l> +<l>He could not to the chief reply.</l> +<l>By pangs of bitter grief assailed,</l> +<l>The long-armed monarch wept and wailed,</l> +<l>Half dead a while and sore distraught,</l> +<l>While Ráma filled his every thought.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">This hand of mine in days ere now</q></l> +<l>Has reft her young from many a cow,</l> +<l>Or living things has idly slain:</l> +<l>Hence comes, I ween, this hour of pain.</l> +<l>Not till the hour is come to die</l> +<l>Can from its shell the spirit fly.</l> +<l>Death comes not, and Kaikeyí still</l> +<l>Torments the wretch she cannot kill,</l> +<l>Who sees his son before him quit</l> +<l>The fine soft robes his rank that fit,</l> +<l>And, glorious as the burning fire,</l> +<l>In hermit garb his limbs attire.</l> +<l>Now all the people grieve and groan</l> +<l>Through Queen Kaikeyí's deed alone,</l> +<l>Who, having dared this deed of sin,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Strives for herself the gain to win.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke. With tears his eyes grew dim,</l> +<l>His senses all deserted him.</l> +<l>He cried, O Ráma, once, then weak</l> +<l>And fainting could no further speak.</l> +<l>Unconscious there he lay: at length</l> +<l>Regathering his sense and strength,</l> +<l>While his full eyes their torrents shed,</l> +<l>To wise Sumantra thus he said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Yoke the light car, and hither lead</q></l> +<l>Fleet coursers of the noblest breed,</l> +<l>And drive this heir of lofty fate</l> +<l>Beyond the limit of the state.</l> +<l>This seems the fruit that virtues bear,</l> +<l>The meed of worth which texts declare—</l> +<l>The sending of the brave and good</l> +<l><q rend="post">By sire and mother to the wood.'</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He heard the monarch, and obeyed,</l> +<l>With ready feet that ne'er delayed,</l> +<l>And brought before the palace gate</l> +<l>The horses and the car of state.</l> +<l>Then to the monarch's son he sped,</l> +<l>And raising hands of reverence said</l> +<pb n="141"/><anchor id="Pg141"/> +<l>That the light car which gold made fair,</l> +<l>With best of steeds, was standing there.</l> +<l>King Daśaratha called in haste</l> +<l>The lord o'er all his treasures placed.</l> +<l>And spoke, well skilled in place and time,</l> +<l>His will to him devoid of crime:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Count all the years she has to live</q></l> +<l>Afar in forest wilds, and give</l> +<l>To Sítá robes and gems of price</l> +<l><q rend="post">As for the time may well suffice.</q></l> +<l>Quick to the treasure-room he went,</l> +<l>Charged by that king most excellent,</l> +<l>Brought the rich stores, and gave them all</l> +<l>To Sítá in the monarch's hall.</l> +<l>The Maithil dame of high descent</l> +<l>Received each robe and ornament,</l> +<l>And tricked those limbs, whose lines foretold</l> +<l>High destiny, with gems and gold.</l> +<l>So well adorned, so fair to view,</l> +<l>A glory through the hall she threw:</l> +<l>So, when the Lord of Light upsprings,</l> +<l>His radiance o'er the sky he flings.</l> +<l>Then Queen Kauśalyá spake at last,</l> +<l>With loving arms about her cast,</l> +<l>Pressed lingering kisses on her head,</l> +<l>And to the high-souled lady said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah, in this faithless world below</q></l> +<l>When dark misfortune comes and woe,</l> +<l>Wives, loved and cherished every day,</l> +<l>Neglect their lords and disobey.</l> +<l>Yes, woman's nature still is this:—</l> +<l>After long days of calm and bliss</l> +<l>When some light grief her spirit tries,</l> +<l>She changes all her love, or flies.</l> +<l>Young wives are thankless, false in soul,</l> +<l>With roving hearts that spurn control.</l> +<l>Brooding on sin and quickly changed,</l> +<l>In one short hour their love estranged.</l> +<l>Not glorious deed or lineage fair,</l> +<l>Not knowledge, gift, or tender care</l> +<l>In chains of lasting love can bind</l> +<l>A woman's light inconstant mind.</l> +<l>But those good dames who still maintain</l> +<l>What right, truth, Scripture, rule ordain—</l> +<l>No holy thing in their pure eyes</l> +<l>With one beloved husband vies.</l> +<l>Nor let thy lord my son, condemned</l> +<l>To exile, be by thee contemned,</l> +<l>For be he poor or wealthy, he</l> +<l><q rend="post">Is as a God, dear child, to thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Sítá heard Kauśalyá's speech</l> +<l>Her duty and her gain to teach,</l> +<l>She joined her palms with reverent grace</l> +<l>And gave her answer face to face:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">All will I do, forgetting naught,</q></l> +<l>Which thou, O honoured Queen, hast taught.</l> +<l>I know, have heard, and deep have stored</l> +<l>The rules of duty to my lord.</l> +<l>Not me, good Queen, shouldst thou include</l> +<l>Among the faithless multitude.</l> +<l>Its own sweet light the moon shall leave</l> +<l>Ere I to duty cease to cleave.</l> +<l>The stringless lute gives forth no strain,</l> +<l>The wheelless car is urged in vain;</l> +<l>No joy a lordless dame, although</l> +<l>Blest with a hundred sons, can know.</l> +<l>From father, brother, and from son</l> +<l>A measured share of joy is won:</l> +<l>Who would not honour, love, and bless</l> +<l>Her lord, whose gifts are measureless?</l> +<l>Thus trained to think, I hold in awe</l> +<l>Scripture's command and duty's law.</l> +<l>Him can I hold in slight esteem?</l> +<l><q rend="post">Her lord is woman's God, I deem.</q></l> +<l>Kauśalyá heard the lady's speech,</l> +<l>Nor failed those words her heart to reach.</l> +<l>Then, pure in mind, she gave to flow</l> +<l>The tear that sprang of joy and woe.</l> +<l>Then duteous Ráma forward came</l> +<l>And stood before the honoured dame,</l> +<l>And joining reverent hands addressed</l> +<l>The queen in rank above the rest:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O mother, from these tears refrain;</q></l> +<l>Look on my sire and still thy pain.</l> +<l>To thee my days afar shall fly</l> +<l>As if sweet slumber closed thine eye,</l> +<l>And fourteen years of exile seem</l> +<l>To thee, dear mother, like a dream.</l> +<l>On me returning safe and well,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Girt by my friends, thine eyes shall dwell.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus for their deep affection's sake</l> +<l>The hero to his mother spake,</l> +<l>Then to the half seven hundred too,</l> +<l>Wives of his sire, paid reverence due.</l> +<l>Thus Daśaratha's son addressed</l> +<l>That crowd of matrons sore distressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If from these lips, while here I dwelt,</q></l> +<l>One heedless taunt you e'er have felt,</l> +<l>Forgive me, pray. And now adieu,</l> +<l><q rend="post">I bid good-bye to all of you.</q></l> +<l>Then straight, like curlews' cries, upwent</l> +<l>The voices of their wild lament,</l> +<l>While, as he bade farewell, the crowd</l> +<l>Of royal women wept aloud,</l> +<l>And through the ample hall's extent.</l> +<l>Where erst the sound of tabour, blent</l> +<l>With drum and shrill-toned instrument,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In joyous concert rose,</l> +<l>Now rang the sound of wailing high,</l> +<l>The lamentation and the cry,</l> +<l>The shriek, the choking sob, the sigh</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That told the ladies' woes.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XL"/> +<head>Canto XL. Ráma's Departure.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Ráma, Sítá, Lakshmaṇ bent</l> +<l>At the king's feet, and sadly went</l> +<pb n="142"/><anchor id="Pg142"/> +<l>Round him with slow steps reverent.</l> +<l>When Ráma of the duteous heart</l> +<l>Had gained his sire's consent to part,</l> +<l>With Sítá by his side he paid</l> +<l>Due reverence to the queen dismayed.</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ, with affection meet,</l> +<l>Bowed down and clasped his mother's feet.</l> +<l>Sumitrá viewed him as he pressed</l> +<l>Her feet, and thus her son addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Neglect not Ráma wandering there,</q></l> +<l>But tend him with thy faithful care.</l> +<l>In hours of wealth, in time of woe,</l> +<l>Him, sinless son, thy refuge know.</l> +<l>From this good law the just ne'er swerve,</l> +<l>That younger sons the eldest serve,</l> +<l>And to this righteous rule incline</l> +<l>All children of thine ancient line—</l> +<l>Freely to give, reward each rite,</l> +<l>Nor spare their bodies in the fight.</l> +<l>Let Ráma Daśaratha be,</l> +<l>Look upon Sítá as on me,</l> +<l>And let the cot wherein you dwell</l> +<l><q rend="post">Be thine Ayodhyá. Fare thee well.</q></l> +<l>Her blessing thus Sumitrá gave</l> +<l>To him whose soul to Ráma clave,</l> +<l>Exclaiming, when her speech was done,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Go forth, O Lakshmaṇ, go, my son.</q></l> +<l>Go forth, my son to win success,</l> +<l>High victory and happiness.</l> +<l>Go forth thy foemen to destroy,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And turn again at last with joy.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As Mátali his charioteer</l> +<l>Speaks for the Lord of Gods to hear,</l> +<l>Sumantra, palm to palm applied,</l> +<l>In reverence trained, to Ráma cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O famous Prince, my car ascend,—</q></l> +<l>May blessings on thy course attend,—</l> +<l>And swiftly shall my horses flee</l> +<l>And place thee where thou biddest me.</l> +<l>The fourteen years thou hast to stay</l> +<l>Far in the wilds, begin to-day;</l> +<l><q rend="post">For Oueen Kaikeyí cries, Away.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Sítá, best of womankind,</l> +<l>Ascended, with a tranquil mind,</l> +<l>Soon as her toilet task was done,</l> +<l>That chariot brilliant as the sun.</l> +<l>Ráma and Lakshmaṇ true and bold</l> +<l>Sprang on the car adorned with gold.</l> +<l>The king those years had counted o'er,</l> +<l>And given Sítá robes and store</l> +<l>Of precious ornaments to wear</l> +<l>When following her husband there.</l> +<l>The brothers in the car found place</l> +<l>For nets and weapons of the chase,</l> +<l>There warlike arms and mail they laid,</l> +<l>A leathern basket and a spade.</l> +<l>Soon as Sumantra saw the three</l> +<l>Were seated in the chariot, he</l> +<l>Urged on each horse of noble breed,</l> +<l>Who matched the rushing wind in speed.</l> +<l>As thus the son of Raghu went</l> +<l>Forth for his dreary banishment,</l> +<l>Chill numbing grief the town assailed,</l> +<l>All strength grew weak, all spirit failed,</l> +<l>Ayodhyá through her wide extent</l> +<l>Was filled with tumult and lament:</l> +<l>Steeds neighed and shook the bells they bore,</l> +<l>Each elephant returned a roar.</l> +<l>Then all the city, young and old,</l> +<l>Wild with their sorrow uncontrolled,</l> +<l>Rushed to the car, as, from the sun</l> +<l>The panting herds to water run.</l> +<l>Before the car, behind, they clung,</l> +<l>And there as eagerly they hung,</l> +<l>With torrents streaming from their eyes,</l> +<l>Called loudly with repeated cries:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Listen, Sumantra: draw thy rein;</q></l> +<l>Drive gently, and thy steeds restrain.</l> +<l>Once more on Ráma will we gaze,</l> +<l>Now to be lost for many days.</l> +<l>The queen his mother has, be sure,</l> +<l>A heart of iron, to endure</l> +<l>To see her godlike Ráma go,</l> +<l>Nor feel it shattered by the blow.</l> +<l>Sítá, well done! Videha's pride,</l> +<l>Still like his shadow by his side;</l> +<l>Rejoicing in thy duty still</l> +<l>As sunlight cleaves to Meru's hill.</l> +<l>Thou, Lakshmaṇ, too, hast well deserved,</l> +<l>Who from thy duty hast not swerved,</l> +<l>Tending the peer of Gods above,</l> +<l>Whose lips speak naught but words of love.</l> +<l>Thy firm resolve is nobly great,</l> +<l>And high success on thee shall wait.</l> +<l>Yea, thou shalt win a priceless meed—</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy path with him to heaven shall lead.</q></l> +<l>As thus they spake, they could not hold</l> +<l>The tears that down their faces rolled,</l> +<l>While still they followed for a space</l> +<l>Their darling of Ikshváku's race.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">There stood surrounded by a ring</l> +<l>Of mournful wives the mournful king;</l> +<l>For, <q>I will see once more,</q> he cried,</l> +<l><q>Mine own dear son,</q> and forth he hied.</l> +<l>As he came near, there rose the sound</l> +<l>Of weeping, as the dames stood round.</l> +<l>So the she-elephants complain</l> +<l>When their great lord and guide is slain.</l> +<l>Kakutstha's son, the king of men,</l> +<l>The glorious sire, looked troubled then,</l> +<l>As the full moon is when dismayed</l> +<l>By dark eclipse's threatening shade.</l> +<l>Then Daśaratha's son, designed</l> +<l>For highest fate of lofty mind,</l> +<l>Urged to more speed the charioteer,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Away, away! why linger here?</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Urge on thy horses,</q> Rama cried,</l> +<l>And <q>Stay, O stay,</q> the people sighed.</l> +<l>Sumantra, urged to speed away,</l> +<l>The townsmen's call must disobey,</l> +<l>Forth as the long-armed hero went,</l> +<pb n="143"/><anchor id="Pg143"/> +<l>The dust his chariot wheels up sent</l> +<l>Was laid by streams that ever flowed</l> +<l>From their sad eyes who filled the road.</l> +<l>Then, sprung of woe, from eyes of all</l> +<l>The women drops began to fall,</l> +<l>As from each lotus on the lake</l> +<l>The darting fish the water shake.</l> +<l>When he, the king of high renown,</l> +<l>Saw that one thought held all the town,</l> +<l>Like some tall tree he fell and lay,</l> +<l>Whose root the axe has hewn away.</l> +<l>Then straight a mighty cry from those</l> +<l>Who followed Ráma's car arose,</l> +<l>Who saw their monarch fainting there</l> +<l>Beneath that grief too great to bear.</l> +<l>Then <q>Ráma, Ráma!</q> with the cry</l> +<l>Of <q>Ah, his mother!</q> sounded high,</l> +<l>As all the people wept aloud</l> +<l>Around the ladies' sorrowing crowd.</l> +<l>When Ráma backward turned his eye,</l> +<l>And saw the king his father lie</l> +<l>With troubled sense and failing limb,</l> +<l>And the sad queen, who followed him,</l> +<l>Like some young creature in the net,</l> +<l>That will not, in its misery, let</l> +<l>Its wild eyes on its mother rest,</l> +<l>So, by the bonds of duty pressed,</l> +<l>His mother's look he could not meet.</l> +<l>He saw them with their weary feet,</l> +<l>Who, used to bliss, in cars should ride,</l> +<l>Who ne'er by sorrow should be tried,</l> +<l>And, as one mournful look he cast,</l> +<l><q>Drive on,</q> he cried, <q>Sumantra, fast.</q></l> +<l>As when the driver's torturing hook</l> +<l>Goads on an elephant, the look</l> +<l>Of sire and mother in despair</l> +<l>Was more than Ráma's heart could bear.</l> +<l>As mother kine to stalls return</l> +<l>Which hold the calves for whom they yearn,</l> +<l>So to the car she tried to run</l> +<l>As a cow seeks her little one.</l> +<l>Once and again the hero's eyes</l> +<l>Looked on his mother, as with cries</l> +<l>Of woe she called and gestures wild,</l> +<l><q>O Sítá, Lakshmaṇ, O my child!</q></l> +<l><q>Stay,</q> cried the king, <q>thy chariot stay:</q></l> +<l><q>On, on,</q> cried Ráma, <q>speed away.</q></l> +<l>As one between two hosts, inclined</l> +<l>To neither was Sumantra's mind.</l> +<l>But Ráma spake these words again:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">A lengthened woe is bitterest pain.</q></l> +<l>On, on; and if his wrath grow hot,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thine answer be, <q>I heard thee not.</q></q></l> +<l>Sumantra, at the chief's behest,</l> +<l>Dismissed the crowd that toward him pressed,</l> +<l>And, as he bade, to swiftest speed</l> +<l>Urged on his way each willing steed.</l> +<l>The king's attendants parted thence,</l> +<l>And paid him heart-felt reverence:</l> +<l>In mind, and with the tears he wept,</l> +<l>Each still his place near Ráma kept.</l> +<l>As swift away the horses sped,</l> +<l>His lords to Daśaratha said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">To follow him whom thou again</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Wouldst see returning home is vain.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With failing limb and drooping mien</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">He heard their counsel wise:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Still on their son the king and queen</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Kept fast their lingering eyes.<note place="foot"><q>Thirty +centuries have passed since he began this memorable journey. Every step +of it is known and is annually traversed by thousands: hero worship is not extinct. +What can Faith do! How strong are the ties of religion when entwined with the +legends of a country! How many a cart creeps creaking and weary along the road +from Ayodhyá to Chitrakúṭ. It is this that gives the Rámáyan a strange interest, +the story still lives.</q> <hi rend='italic'>Calcutta Review: +Vol. XXIII.</hi></note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XLI"/> +<head>Canto XLI. The Citizens' Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The lion chief with hands upraised</l> +<l>Was born from eyes that fondly gazed.</l> +<l>But then the ladies' bower was rent</l> +<l>With cries of weeping and lament:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Where goes he now, our lord, the sure</q></l> +<l>Protector of the friendless poor,</l> +<l>In whom the wretched and the weak</l> +<l>Defence and aid were wont to seek?</l> +<l>All words of wrath he turned aside,</l> +<l>And ne'er, when cursed, in ire replied.</l> +<l>He shared his people's woe, and stilled</l> +<l>The troubled breast which rage had filled.</l> +<l>Our chief, on lofty thoughts intent,</l> +<l>In glorious fame preëminent:</l> +<l>As on his own dear mother, thus</l> +<l>He ever looked on each of us.</l> +<l>Where goes he now? His sire's behest,</l> +<l>By Queen Kaikeyí's guile distressed,</l> +<l>Has banished to the forest hence</l> +<l>Him who was all the world's defence.</l> +<l>Ah, senseless King, to drive away</l> +<l>The hope of men, their guard and stay,</l> +<l>To banish to the distant wood</l> +<l><q rend="post">Ráma the duteous, true, and good!</q></l> +<l>The royal dames, like cows bereaved</l> +<l>Of their young calves, thus sadly grieved.</l> +<l>The monarch heard them as they wailed,</l> +<l>And by the fire of grief assailed</l> +<l>For his dear son, he bowed his head,</l> +<l>And all his sense and memory fled.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then were no fires of worship fed,</l> +<l>Thick darkness o'er the sun was spread.</l> +<l>The cows their thirsty calves denied,</l> +<l>And elephants flung their food aside.</l> +<pb n="144"/><anchor id="Pg144"/> +<l>Triśanku,<note place="foot">See <ref target="Pg072">p. 72</ref>.</note> +Jupiter looked dread,</l> +<l>And Mercury and Mars the red,</l> +<l>In direful opposition met,</l> +<l>The glory of the moon beset.</l> +<l>The lunar stars withheld their light,</l> +<l>The planets were no longer bright,</l> +<l>But meteors with their horrid glare,</l> +<l>And dire Viśákhás<note place="foot">Four stars of the sixteenth lunar asterism.</note> +lit the air.</l> +<l>As troubled Ocean heaves and raves</l> +<l>When Doom's wild tempest sweeps the waves,</l> +<l>Thus all Ayodhyá reeled and bent</l> +<l>When Ráma to the forest went.</l> +<l>And chilling grief and dark despair</l> +<l>Fell suddenly on all men there.</l> +<l>Their wonted pastime all forgot,</l> +<l>Nor thought of food, or touched it not.</l> +<l>Crowds in the royal street were seen</l> +<l>With weeping eye and troubled mien:</l> +<l>No more a people gay and glad,</l> +<l>Each head and heart was sick and sad.</l> +<l>No more the cool wind softly blew,</l> +<l>The moon no more was fair to view,</l> +<l>No more the sun with genial glow</l> +<l>Cherished the world now plunged in woe.</l> +<l>Sons, brothers, husbands, wedded wives</l> +<l>Forgot the ties that joined their lives;</l> +<l>No thought for kith and kin was spared,</l> +<l>But all for only Ráma cared.</l> +<l>And Ráma's friends who loved him best,</l> +<l>Their minds disordered and distressed.</l> +<l>By the great burthen of their woes</l> +<l>Turned not to slumber or repose.</l> +<l>Like Earth with all her hills bereft</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Of Indra's guiding care.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Ayodhyá in her sorrow left</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">By him, the high souled heir,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Was bowed by fear and sorrow's force,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And shook with many a throe,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">While warrior, elephant, and horse</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Sent up the cry of woe.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XLII"/> +<head>Canto XLII. Dasaratha's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>While yet the dust was seen afar</l> +<l>That marked the course of Ráma's car,</l> +<l>The glory of Ikshváku's race</l> +<l>Turned not away his eager face.</l> +<l>While yet his duteous son he saw</l> +<l>He could not once his gaze withdraw,</l> +<l>But rooted to the spot remained</l> +<l>With eyes that after Ráma strained.</l> +<l>But when that dust no more he viewed,</l> +<l>Fainting he fell by grief subdued.</l> +<l>To his right hand Kauśalyá went,</l> +<l>And ready aid the lady lent,</l> +<l>While Bharat's loving mother tried</l> +<l>To raise him on the other side.</l> +<l>The king, within whose ordered soul</l> +<l>Justice and virtue held control,</l> +<l>To Queen Kaikeyí turned and said,</l> +<l>With every sense disquieted:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Touch me not, thou whose soul can plot</q></l> +<l>All sin. Kaikeyí, touch me not.</l> +<l>No loving wife, no friend to me,</l> +<l>I ne'er again would look on thee;</l> +<l>Ne'er from this day have aught to do</l> +<l>With thee and all thy retinue;</l> +<l>Thee whom no virtuous thoughts restrain,</l> +<l>Whose selfish heart seeks only gain.</l> +<l>The hand I laid in mine, O dame,</l> +<l>The steps we took around the flame,<note place="foot">In the marriage +service.</note></l> +<l>And all that links thy life to mine</l> +<l>Here and hereafter I resign.</l> +<l>If Bharat too, thy darling son,</l> +<l>Joy in the rule thy art has won,</l> +<l>Ne'er may the funeral offerings paid</l> +<l><q rend="post">By his false hand approach my shade.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then while the dust upon him hung,</l> +<l>The monarch to Kauśalyá clung,</l> +<l>And she with mournful steps and slow</l> +<l>Turned to the palace, worn with woe.</l> +<l>As one whose hand has touched the fire,</l> +<l>Or slain a Bráhman in his ire,</l> +<l>He felt his heart with sorrow torn</l> +<l>Still thinking of his son forlorn.</l> +<l>Each step was torture, as the road</l> +<l>The traces of the chariot showed,</l> +<l>And as the shadowed sun grows dim</l> +<l>So care and anguish darkened him.</l> +<l>He raised a cry, by woe distraught,</l> +<l>As of his son again he thought.</l> +<l>And judging that the car had sped</l> +<l>Beyond the city, thus he said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I still behold the foot-prints made</q></l> +<l>By the good horses that conveyed</l> +<l>My son afar: these marks I see,</l> +<l>But high-souled Ráma, where is he?</l> +<l>Ah me, my son! my first and best,</l> +<l>On pleasant couches wont to rest,</l> +<l>With limbs perfumed with sandal, fanned</l> +<l>By many a beauty's tender hand:</l> +<l>Where will he lie with log or stone</l> +<l>Beneath him for a pillow thrown,</l> +<l>To leave at morn his earthy bed,</l> +<l>Neglected, and with dust o'erspread,</l> +<l>As from the flood with sigh and pant</l> +<l>Comes forth the husband elephant?</l> +<l>The men who make the woods their home</l> +<l>Shall see the long-armed hero roam</l> +<l>Roused from his bed, though lord of all,</l> +<l>In semblance of a friendless thrall.</l> +<l>Janak's dear child who ne'er has met</l> +<pb n="145"/><anchor id="Pg145"/> +<l>With aught save joy and comfort yet,</l> +<l>Will reach to-day the forest, worn</l> +<l>And wearied with the brakes of thorn.</l> +<l>Ah, gentle girl, of woods unskilled,</l> +<l>How will her heart with dread be filled</l> +<l>At the wild beasts' deep roaring there,</l> +<l>Whose voices lift the shuddering hair!</l> +<l>Kaikeyí, glory in thy gain,</l> +<l>And, widow queen, begin to reign:</l> +<l>No will, no power to live have I</l> +<l><q rend="post">When my brave son no more is nigh.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus pouring forth laments, the king</l> +<l>Girt by the people's crowded ring,</l> +<l>Entered the noble bower like one</l> +<l>New-bathed when funeral rites are done.</l> +<l>Where'er he looked naught met his gaze</l> +<l>But empty houses, courts, and ways.</l> +<l>Closed were the temples: countless feet</l> +<l>No longer trod the royal street,</l> +<l>And thinking of his son he viewed</l> +<l>Men weak and worn and woe-subdued.</l> +<l>As sinks the sun into a cloud,</l> +<l>So passed he on, and wept aloud,</l> +<l>Within that house no more to be</l> +<l>The dwelling of the banished three,</l> +<l>Brave Ráma, his Vedehan bride,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ by his brother's side:</l> +<l>Like broad still waters, when the king</l> +<l>Of all the birds that ply the wing</l> +<l>Has swooped from heaven and borne away</l> +<l>The glittering snakes that made them gay.</l> +<l>With choking sobs and voice half spent</l> +<l>The king renewed his sad lament:</l> +<l>With broken utterance faint and low</l> +<l>Scarce could he speak these words of woe:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My steps to Ráma's mother guide,</q></l> +<l>And place me by Kauśalyá's side:</l> +<l>There, only there my heart may know</l> +<l><q rend="post">Some little respite from my woe.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The warders of the palace led</l> +<l>The monarch, when his words were said,</l> +<l>To Queen Kauśalyá's bower, and there</l> +<l>Laid him with reverential care.</l> +<l>But while he rested on the bed</l> +<l>Still was his soul disquieted.</l> +<l>In grief he tossed his arms on high</l> +<l>Lamenting with a piteous cry:</l> +<l><q>O Ráma, Ráma,</q> thus said he,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My son, thou hast forsaken me.</q></l> +<l>High bliss awaits those favoured men</l> +<l>Left living in Ayodhyá then,</l> +<l>Whose eyes shall see my son once more</l> +<l><q rend="post">Returning when the time is o'er.</q></l> +<l>Then came the night, whose hated gloom</l> +<l>Fell on him like the night of doom.</l> +<l>At midnight Daśaratha cried</l> +<l>To Queen Kauśalyá by his side:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I see thee not, Kauśalyá; lay</q></l> +<l>Thy gentle hand in mine, I pray.</l> +<l>When Ráma left his home my sight</l> +<l><q rend="post">Went with him, nor returns to-night.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XLIII"/> +<head>Canto XLIII. Kausalyá's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Kauśalyá saw the monarch lie</l> +<l>With drooping frame and failing eye,</l> +<l>And for her banished son distressed</l> +<l>With these sad words her lord addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Kaikeyí, cruel, false, and vile</q></l> +<l>Has cast the venom of her guile</l> +<l>On Ráma lord of men, and she</l> +<l>Will ravage like a snake set free;</l> +<l>And more and more my soul alarm,</l> +<l>Like a dire serpent bent on harm,</l> +<l>For triumph crowns each dark intent,</l> +<l>And Ráma to the wild is sent.</l> +<l>Ah, were he doomed but here to stray</l> +<l>Begging his food from day to day,</l> +<l>Or do, enslaved, Kaikeyí's will,</l> +<l>This were a boon, a comfort still.</l> +<l>But she, as chose her cruel hate,</l> +<l>Has hurled him from his high estate,</l> +<l>As Bráhmans when the moon is new</l> +<l>Cast to the ground the demons' due.<note place="foot">The husks and chaff +of the rice offered to the Gods.</note></l> +<l>The long-armed hero, like the lord</l> +<l>Of Nágas, with his bow and sword</l> +<l>Begins, I ween, his forest life</l> +<l>With Lakshmaṇ and his faithful wife.</l> +<l>Ah, how will fare the exiles now,</l> +<l>Whom, moved by Queen Kaikeyí, thou</l> +<l>Hast sent in forests to abide,</l> +<l>Bred in delights, by woe untried?</l> +<l>Far banished when their lives are young,</l> +<l>With the fair fruit before them hung,</l> +<l>Deprived of all their rank that suits,</l> +<l>How will they live on grain and roots?</l> +<l>O, that my years of woe were passed,</l> +<l>And the glad hour were come at last</l> +<l>When I shall see my children dear,</l> +<l>Ráma, his wife, and Lakshmaṇ here!</l> +<l>When shall Ayodhyá, wild with glee,</l> +<l>Again those mighty heroes see,</l> +<l>And decked with wreaths her banners wave</l> +<l>To welcome home the true and brave?</l> +<l>When will the beautiful city view</l> +<l>With happy eyes the lordly two</l> +<l>Returning, joyful as the main</l> +<l>When the dear moon is full again?</l> +<l>When, like some mighty bull who leads</l> +<l>The cow exulting through the meads,</l> +<l>Will Ráma through the city ride,</l> +<l>Strong-armed, with Sítá at his side?</l> +<l>When will ten thousand thousand meet</l> +<l>And crowd Ayodhyá's royal street,</l> +<l>And grain in joyous welcome throw</l> +<l>Upon my sons who tame the foe?</l> +<l>When with delight shall youthful bands</l> +<l>Of Bráhman maidens in their hands</l> +<pb n="146"/><anchor id="Pg146"/> +<l>Bear fruit and flowers in goodly show,</l> +<l>And circling round Ayodhyá go?</l> +<l>With ripened judgment of a sage,</l> +<l>And godlike in his blooming age,</l> +<l>When shall my virtuous son appear,</l> +<l>Like kindly rain, our hearts to cheer?</l> +<l>Ah, in a former life, I ween,</l> +<l>This hand of mine, most base and mean,</l> +<l>Has dried the udders of the kine</l> +<l>And left the thirsty calves to pine.</l> +<l>Hence, as the lion robs the cow,</l> +<l>Kaikeyí makes me childless now,</l> +<l>Exulting from her feebler foe</l> +<l>To rend the son she cherished so.</l> +<l>I had but him, in Scripture skilled,</l> +<l>With every grace his soul was filled.</l> +<l>Now not a joy has life to give,</l> +<l>And robbed of him I would not live:</l> +<l>Yea, all my days are dark and drear</l> +<l>If he, my darling, be not near,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ brave, my heart to cheer.</l> +<l>As for my son I mourn and yearn,</l> +<l>The quenchless flames of anguish burn</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And kill me with the pain,</l> +<l>As in the summer's noontide blaze</l> +<l>The glorious Day-God with his rays</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Consumes the parching plain.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XLIV"/> +<head>Canto XLIV. Sumitrá's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Kauśalyá ceased her sad lament,</l> +<l>Of beauteous dames most excellent.</l> +<l>Sumitrá who to duty clave,</l> +<l>In righteous words this answer gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Dear Queen, all noble virtues grace</q></l> +<l>Thy son, of men the first in place.</l> +<l>Why dost thou shed these tears of woe</l> +<l>With bitter grief lamenting so?</l> +<l>If Ráma, leaving royal sway</l> +<l>Has hastened to the woods away,</l> +<l>'Tis for his high-souled father's sake</l> +<l>That he his premise may not break.</l> +<l>He to the path of duty clings</l> +<l>Which lordly fruit hereafter brings—</l> +<l>The path to which the righteous cleave—</l> +<l>For him, dear Queen, thou shouldst not grieve.</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ too, the blameless-souled,</l> +<l>The same high course with him will hold,</l> +<l>And mighty bliss on him shall wait,</l> +<l>So tenderly compassionate.</l> +<l>And Sítá, bred with tender care,</l> +<l>Well knows what toils await her there,</l> +<l>But in her love she will not part</l> +<l>From Ráma of the virtuous heart.</l> +<l>Now has thy son through all the world</l> +<l>The banner of his fame unfurled;</l> +<l>True, modest, careful of his vow,</l> +<l>What has he left to aim at now?</l> +<l>The sun will mark his mighty soul,</l> +<l>His wisdom, sweetness, self-control,</l> +<l>Will spare from pain his face and limb,</l> +<l>And with soft radiance shine for him.</l> +<l>For him through forest glades shall spring</l> +<l>A soft auspicious breeze, and bring</l> +<l>Its tempered heat and cold to play</l> +<l>Around him ever night and day.</l> +<l>The pure cold moonbeams shall delight</l> +<l>The hero as he sleeps at night,</l> +<l>And soothe him with the soft caress</l> +<l>Of a fond parent's tenderness.</l> +<l>To him, the bravest of the brave,</l> +<l>His heavenly arms the Bráhman gave,</l> +<l>When fierce Suváhu dyed the plain</l> +<l>With his life-blood by Ráma slain.</l> +<l>Still trusting to his own right arm</l> +<l>Thy hero son will fear no harm:</l> +<l>As in his father's palace, he</l> +<l>In the wild woods will dauntless be.</l> +<l>Whene'er he lets his arrows fly</l> +<l>His stricken foemen fall and die:</l> +<l>And is that prince of peerless worth</l> +<l>Too weak to keep and sway the earth?</l> +<l>His sweet pure soul, his beauty's charm,</l> +<l>His hero heart, his warlike arm,</l> +<l>Will soon redeem his rightful reign</l> +<l>When from the woods he comes again.</l> +<l>The Bráhmans on the prince's head</l> +<l>King-making drops shall quickly shed,</l> +<l>And Sítá, Earth, and Fortune share</l> +<l>The glories which await the heir.</l> +<l>For him, when forth his chariot swept,</l> +<l>The crowd that thronged Ayodhyá wept,</l> +<l>With agonizing woe distressed.</l> +<l>With him in hermít's mantle dressed</l> +<l>In guise of Sítá Lakshmí went,</l> +<l>And none his glory may prevent.</l> +<l>Yea, naught to him is high or hard,</l> +<l>Before whose steps, to be his guard,</l> +<l>Lakshmaṇ, the best who draws the bow,</l> +<l>With spear, shaft, sword rejoiced to go.</l> +<l>His wanderings in the forest o'er,</l> +<l>Thine eyes shall see thy son once more,</l> +<l>Quit thy faint heart, thy grief dispel,</l> +<l>For this, O Queen, is truth I tell.</l> +<l>Thy son returning, moonlike, thence,</l> +<l>Shall at thy feet do reverence,</l> +<l>And, blest and blameless lady, thou</l> +<l>Shalt see his head to touch them bow,</l> +<l>Yea, thou shalt see thy son made king</l> +<l>When he returns with triumphing,</l> +<l>And how thy happy eyes will brim</l> +<l>With tears of joy to look on him!</l> +<l>Thou, blameless lady, shouldst the whole</l> +<l>Of the sad people here console:</l> +<l>Why in thy tender heart allow</l> +<l>This bitter grief to harbour now?</l> +<l>As the long banks of cloud distil</l> +<l>Their water when they see the hill,</l> +<pb n="147"/><anchor id="Pg147"/> +<l>So shall the drops of rapture run</l> +<l>From thy glad eyes to see thy son</l> +<l>Returning, as he lowly bends</l> +<l><q rend="post">To greet thee, girt by all his friends.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus soothing, kindly eloquent,</l> +<l>With every hopeful argument</l> +<l>Kauśalyá's heart by sorrow rent,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Fair Queen Sumitrá ceased.</l> +<l>Kauśalyá heard each pleasant plea,</l> +<l>And grief began to leave her free,</l> +<l>As the light clouds of autumn flee,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Their watery stores decreased.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XLV"/> +<head>Canto XLV. The Tamasá.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Their tender love the people drew</l> +<l>To follow Ráma brave and true,</l> +<l>The high-souled hero, as he went</l> +<l>Forth from his home to banishment.</l> +<l>The king himself his friends obeyed,</l> +<l>And turned him homeward as they prayed.</l> +<l>But yet the people turned not back,</l> +<l>Still close on Ráma's chariot track.</l> +<l>For they who in Ayodhyá dwelt</l> +<l>For him such fond affection felt,</l> +<l>Decked with all grace and glories high,</l> +<l>The dear full moon of every eye.</l> +<l>Though much his people prayed and wept,</l> +<l>Kakutstha's son his purpose kept,</l> +<l>And still his journey would pursue</l> +<l>To keep the king his father true.</l> +<l>Deep in the hero's bosom sank</l> +<l>Their love, whose signs his glad eye drank.</l> +<l>He spoke to cheer them, as his own</l> +<l>Dear children, in a loving tone:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If ye would grant my fond desire,</q></l> +<l>Give Bharat now that love entire</l> +<l>And reverence shown to me by all</l> +<l>Who dwell within Ayodhyá's wall.</l> +<l>For he, Kaikeyí's darling son,</l> +<l>His virtuous career will run,</l> +<l>And ever bound by duty's chain</l> +<l>Consult your weal and bliss and gain.</l> +<l>In judgment old, in years a child,</l> +<l>With hero virtues meek and mild,</l> +<l>A fitting lord is he to cheer</l> +<l>His people and remove their fear.</l> +<l>In him all kingly gifts abound,</l> +<l>More noble than in me are found:</l> +<l>Imperial prince, well proved and tried—</l> +<l>Obey him as your lord and guide.</l> +<l>And grant, I pray, the boon I ask:</l> +<l>To please the king be still your task,</l> +<l>That his fond heart, while I remain</l> +<l><q rend="post">Far in the wood, may feel no pain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The more he showed his will to tread</l> +<l>The path where filial duty led,</l> +<l>The more the people, round him thronged,</l> +<l>For their dear Ráma's empire longed.</l> +<l>Still more attached his followers grew,</l> +<l>As Ráma, with his brother, drew</l> +<l>The people with his virtues' ties,</l> +<l>Lamenting all with tear-dimmed eyes.</l> +<l>The saintly twice-born, triply old</l> +<l>In glory, knowledge, seasons told,</l> +<l>With hoary heads that shook and bowed,</l> +<l>Their voices raised and spake aloud:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O steeds, who best and noblest are,</q></l> +<l>Who whirl so swiftly Ráma's car,</l> +<l>Go not, return: we call on you:</l> +<l>Be to your master kind and true.</l> +<l>For speechless things are swift to hear,</l> +<l>And naught can match a horse's ear,</l> +<l>O generous steeds, return, when thus</l> +<l>You hear the cry of all of us.</l> +<l>Each vow he keeps most firm and sure,</l> +<l>And duty makes his spirit pure.</l> +<l>Back with our chief! not wood-ward hence;</l> +<l><q rend="post">Back to his royal residence!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Soon as he saw the aged band.</l> +<l>Exclaiming in their misery, stand,</l> +<l>And their sad cries around him rang,</l> +<l>Swift from his chariot Ráma sprang.</l> +<l>Then, still upon his journey bent,</l> +<l>With Sítá and with Lakshmaṇ went</l> +<l>The hero by the old men's side</l> +<l>Suiting to theirs his shortened stride.</l> +<l>He could not pass the twice-born throng</l> +<l>As weariedly they walked along:</l> +<l>With pitying heart, with tender eye,</l> +<l>He could not in his chariot fly.</l> +<l>When the steps of Ráma viewed</l> +<l>That still his onward course pursued,</l> +<l>Woe shook the troubled heart of each,</l> +<l>And burnt with grief they spoke this speech—</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">With thee, O Ráma, to the wood</q></l> +<l>All Bráhmans go and Bráhmanhood:</l> +<l>Borne on our aged shoulders, see,</l> +<l>Our fires of worship go with thee.</l> +<l>Bright canopies that lend their shade</l> +<l>In Vájapeya<note place="foot">An important sacrifice at which seventeen +victims were immolated.</note> rites displayed,</l> +<l>In plenteous store are borne behind</l> +<l>Like cloudlets in the autumn wind.</l> +<l>No shelter from the sun hast thou,</l> +<l>And, lest his fury burn thy brow,</l> +<l>These sacrificial shades we bear</l> +<l>Shall aid thee in the noontide glare.</l> +<l>Our hearts, who ever loved to pore</l> +<l>On sacred text and Vedic lore,</l> +<l>Now all to thee, beloved, turn,</l> +<l>And for a life in forests yearn.</l> +<l>Deep in our aged bosoms lies</l> +<l>The Vedas' lore, the wealth we prize,</l> +<l>There still, like wives at home, shall dwell,</l> +<l>Whose love and truth protect them well.</l> +<pb n="148"/><anchor id="Pg148"/> +<l>To follow thee our hearts are bent;</l> +<l>We need not plan or argument.</l> +<l>All else in duty's law we slight,</l> +<l>For following thee is following right.</l> +<l>O noble Prince, retrace thy way:</l> +<l>O, hear us, Ráma, as we lay,</l> +<l>With many tears and many prayers,</l> +<l>Our aged heads and swan-white hairs</l> +<l>Low in the dust before thy feet;</l> +<l>O, hear us, Ráma, we entreat.</l> +<l>Full many of these who with thee run,</l> +<l>Their sacred rites had just begun.</l> +<l>Unfinished yet those rites remain;</l> +<l>But finished if thou turn again.</l> +<l>All rooted life and things that move</l> +<l>To thee their deep affection prove.</l> +<l>To them, when warmed by love, they glow</l> +<l>And sue to thee, some favour show,</l> +<l>Each lowly bush, each towering tree</l> +<l>Would follow too for love of thee.</l> +<l>Bound by its root it must remain;</l> +<l>But—all it can—its boughs complain,</l> +<l>As when the wild wind rushes by</l> +<l>It tells its woe in groan and sigh.</l> +<l>No more through air the gay birds flit,</l> +<l>But, foodless, melancholy sit</l> +<l>Together on the branch and call</l> +<l><q rend="post">To thee whose kind heart feels for all.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As wailed the aged Bráhmans, bent</l> +<l>To turn him back, with wild lament,</l> +<l>Seemed Tamasá herself to aid,</l> +<l>Checking his progress, as they prayed.</l> +<l>Sumantra from the chariot freed</l> +<l>With ready hand each weary steed;</l> +<l>He groomed them with the utmost heed,</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Their limbs he bathed and dried,</l> +<l>Then led them forth to drink and feed</l> +<l>At pleasure in the grassy mead</l> +<l>That fringed the river side.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XLVI"/> +<head>Canto XLVI. The Halt.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Ráma, chief of Raghu's race,</l> +<l>Arrived at that delightful place,</l> +<l>He looked on Sítá first, and then</l> +<l>To Lakshmaṇ spake the lord of men:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now first the shades of night descend</q></l> +<l>Since to the wilds our steps we bend.</l> +<l>Joy to thee, brother! do not grieve</l> +<l>For our dear home and all we leave.</l> +<l>The woods unpeopled seem to weep</l> +<l>Around us, as their tenants creep</l> +<l>Or fly to lair and den and nest,</l> +<l>Both bird and beast, to seek their rest.</l> +<l>Methinks Ayodhyá's royal town</l> +<l>Where dwells my sire of high renown,</l> +<l>With all her men and dames to-night</l> +<l>Will mourn us vanished from their sight.</l> +<l>For, by his virtues won, they cling</l> +<l>In fond affection to their king,</l> +<l>And thee and me, O brave and true,</l> +<l>And Bharat and Śatrughna too.</l> +<l>I for my sire and mother feel</l> +<l>Deep sorrow o'er my bosom steal,</l> +<l>Lest mourning us, oppressed with fears,</l> +<l>They blind their eyes with endless tears.</l> +<l>Yet Bharat's duteous love will show</l> +<l>Sweet comfort in their hours of woe,</l> +<l>And with kind words their hearts sustain,</l> +<l>Suggesting duty, bliss, and gain.</l> +<l>I mourn my parents now no more:</l> +<l>I count dear Bharat's virtues o'er,</l> +<l>And his kind love and care dispel</l> +<l>The doubts I had, and all is well.</l> +<l>And thou thy duty wouldst not shun,</l> +<l>And, following me, hast nobly done;</l> +<l>Else, bravest, I should need a band</l> +<l>Around my wife as guard to stand.</l> +<l>On this first night, my thirst to slake,</l> +<l>Some water only will I take:</l> +<l>Thus, brother, thus my will decides,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Though varied store the wood provides.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus having said to Lakshmaṇ, he</l> +<l>Addressed in turn Sumantra: <q rend="pre">Be</q></l> +<l>Most diligent to-night, my friend,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And with due care thy horses tend.</q></l> +<l>The sun had set: Sumantra tied</l> +<l>His noble horses side by side,</l> +<l>Gave store of grass with liberal hand,</l> +<l>And rested near them on the strand.</l> +<l>Each paid the holy evening rite,</l> +<l>And when around them fell the night,</l> +<l>The charioteer, with Lakshmaṇ's aid,</l> +<l>A lowly bed for Ráma laid.</l> +<l>To Lakshmaṇ Ráma bade adieu,</l> +<l>And then by Sítá's side he threw</l> +<l>His limbs upon the leafy bed</l> +<l>Their care upon the bank had spread.</l> +<l>When Lakshmaṇ saw the couple slept,</l> +<l>Still on the strand his watch he kept,</l> +<l>Still with Sumantra there conversed,</l> +<l>And Ráma's varied gifts rehearsed.</l> +<l>All night he watched, nor sought repose,</l> +<l>Till on the earth the sun arose:</l> +<l>With him Sumantra stayed awake,</l> +<l>And still of Ráma's virtues spake.</l> +<l>Thus, near the river's grassy shore</l> +<l>Which herds unnumbered wandered o'er,</l> +<l>Repose, untroubled, Ráma found,</l> +<l>And all the people lay around.</l> +<l>The glorious hero left his bed,</l> +<l>Looked on the sleeping crowd, and said</l> +<l>To Lakshmaṇ, whom each lucky line</l> +<l>Marked out for bliss with surest sign:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">O brother Lakshmaṇ, look on these</q></l> +<l>Reclining at the roots of trees;</l> +<l>All care of house and home resigned,</l> +<l>Caring for us with heart and mind,</l> +<l>These people of the city yearn</l> +<pb n="149"/><anchor id="Pg149"/> +<l>To see us to our home return:</l> +<l>To quit their lives will they consent,</l> +<l>But never leave their firm intent.</l> +<l>Come, while they all unconscious sleep,</l> +<l>Let us upon the chariot leap,</l> +<l>And swiftly on our journey speed</l> +<l>Where naught our progress may impede,</l> +<l>That these fond citizens who roam</l> +<l>Far from Ikshváku's ancient home,</l> +<l>No more may sleep 'neath bush and tree,</l> +<l>Following still for love of me.</l> +<l>A prince with tender care should heal</l> +<l>The self-brought woes his people feel,</l> +<l>And never let his subjects share</l> +<l><q rend="post">The burthen he is forced to bear.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Lakshmaṇ to the chief replied,</l> +<l>Who stood like Justice by his side:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy rede, O sage, I well commend:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Without delay the car ascend.</q></l> +<l>Then Ráma to Sumantra spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy rapid steeds, I pray thee, yoke.</q></l> +<l>Hence to the forest will I go:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Away, my lord, and be not slow.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sumantra, urged to utmost speed,</l> +<l>Yoked to the car each generous steed,</l> +<l>And then, with hand to hand applied,</l> +<l>He came before the chief and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hail, Prince, whom mighty arms adorn,</q></l> +<l>Hail, bravest of the chariot-borne!</l> +<l>With Sítá and thy brother thou</l> +<l><q rend="post">Mayst mount: the car is ready now.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hero clomb the car with haste:</l> +<l>His bow and gear within were placed,</l> +<l>And quick the eddying flood he passed</l> +<l>Of Tamasá whose waves run fast.</l> +<l>Soon as he touched the farther side,</l> +<l>That strong-armed hero, glorified,</l> +<l>He found a road both wide and clear,</l> +<l>Where e'en the timid naught could fear.</l> +<l>Then, that the crowd might be misled,</l> +<l>Thus Ráma to Sumantra said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Speed north a while, then hasten back,</q></l> +<l>Returning in thy former track,</l> +<l>That so the people may not learn</l> +<l><q rend="post">The course I follow: drive and turn.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sumantra, at the chief's behest,</l> +<l>Quick to the task himself addressed;</l> +<l>Then near to Ráma came, and showed</l> +<l>The chariot ready for the road.</l> +<l>With Sítá, then, the princely two,</l> +<l>Who o'er the line of Raghu threw</l> +<l>A glory ever bright and new,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Upon the chariot stood.</l> +<l>Sumantra fast and faster drove</l> +<l>His horses, who in fleetness strove</l> +<l>Still onward to the distant grove,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hermit-haunted wood.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XLVII"/> +<head>Canto XLVII. The Citizens' Return.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The people, when the morn shone fair,</l> +<l>Arose to find no Ráma there.</l> +<l>Then fear and numbing grief subdued</l> +<l>The senses of the multitude.</l> +<l>The woe-born tears were running fast</l> +<l>As all around their eyes they cast,</l> +<l>And sadly looked, but found no trace</l> +<l>Of Ráma, searching every place.</l> +<l>Bereft of Ráma good and wise,</l> +<l>With drooping cheer and weeping eyes,</l> +<l>Each woe-distracted sage gave vent</l> +<l>To sorrow in his wild lament:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Woe worth the sleep that stole our sense</q></l> +<l>With its beguiling influence,</l> +<l>That now we look in vain for him</l> +<l>Of the broad chest and stalwart limb!</l> +<l>How could the strong-armed hero, thus</l> +<l>Deceiving all, abandon us?</l> +<l>His people so devoted see,</l> +<l>Yet to the woods, a hermit, flee?</l> +<l>How can he, wont our hearts to cheer,</l> +<l>As a fond sire his children dear,—</l> +<l>How can the pride of Raghu's race</l> +<l>Fly from us to some desert place!</l> +<l>Here let us all for death prepare,</l> +<l>Or on the last great journey fare;<note place="foot">The great pilgrimage +to the Himálayas, in order to die there.</note></l> +<l>Of Ráma our dear lord bereft,</l> +<l>What profit in our lives is left?</l> +<l>Huge trunks of trees around us lie,</l> +<l>With roots and branches sere and dry,</l> +<l>Come let us set these logs on fire</l> +<l>And throw our bodies on the pyre.</l> +<l>What shall we speak? How can we say</l> +<l>We followed Ráma on his way,</l> +<l>The mighty chief whose arm is strong,</l> +<l>Who sweetly speaks, who thinks no wrong?</l> +<l>Ayodhyá's town with sorrow dumb,</l> +<l>Without our lord will see us come,</l> +<l>And hopeless misery will strike</l> +<l>Elder, and child, and dame alike.</l> +<l>Forth with that peerless chief we came,</l> +<l>Whose mighty heart is aye the same:</l> +<l>How, reft of him we love, shall we</l> +<l><q rend="post">Returning dare that town to see?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Complaining thus with varied cry</l> +<l>They tossed their aged arms on high,</l> +<l>And their sad hearts with grief were wrung,</l> +<l>Like cows who sorrow for their young.</l> +<l>A while they followed on the road</l> +<l>Which traces of his chariot showed,</l> +<l>But when at length those traces failed,</l> +<l>A deep despair their hearts assailed.</l> +<pb n="150"/><anchor id="Pg150"/> +<l>The chariot marks no more discerned,</l> +<l>The hopeless sages backward turned:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah, what is this? What can we more?</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Fate stops the way, and all is o'er.</q></l> +<l>With wearied hearts, in grief and shame</l> +<l>They took the road by which they came,</l> +<l>And reached Ayodhyá's city, where</l> +<l>From side to side was naught but care.</l> +<l>With troubled spirits quite cast down</l> +<l>They looked upon the royal town,</l> +<l>And from their eyes, oppressed with woe,</l> +<l>Their tears again began to flow.</l> +<l>Of Ráma reft, the city wore</l> +<l>No look of beauty as before,</l> +<l>Like a dull river or a lake</l> +<l>By Garuḍ robbed of every snake.</l> +<l>Dark, dismal as the moonless sky,</l> +<l>Or as a sea whose bed is dry,</l> +<l>So sad, to every pleasure dead,</l> +<l>They saw the town, disquieted.</l> +<l>On to their houses, high and vast,</l> +<l>Where stores of precious wealth were massed,</l> +<l>The melancholy Bráhmans passed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Their hearts with anguish cleft:</l> +<l>Aloof from all, they came not near</l> +<l>To stranger or to kinsman dear,</l> +<l>Showing in faces blank and drear</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That not one joy was left.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XLVIII"/> +<head>Canto XLVIII. The Women's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When those who forth with Ráma went</l> +<l>Back to the town their steps had bent,</l> +<l>It seemed that death had touched and chilled</l> +<l>Those hearts which piercing sorrow filled.</l> +<l>Each to his several mansion came,</l> +<l>And girt by children and his dame,</l> +<l>From his sad eyes the water shed</l> +<l>That o'er his cheek in torrents spread.</l> +<l>All joy was fled: oppressed with cares</l> +<l>No bustling trader showed his wares.</l> +<l>Each shop had lost its brilliant look,</l> +<l>Each householder forbore to cook.</l> +<l>No hand with joy its earnings told,</l> +<l>None cared to win a wealth of gold,</l> +<l>And scarce the youthful mother smiled</l> +<l>To see her first, her new-born child.</l> +<l>In every house a woman wailed,</l> +<l>And her returning lord assailed</l> +<l>With keen taunt piercing like the steel</l> +<l>That bids the tusked monster kneel:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What now to them is wedded dame,</q></l> +<l>What house and home and dearest aim,</l> +<l>Or son, or bliss, or gathered store,</l> +<l>Whose eyes on Ráma look no more!</l> +<l>There is but one in all the earth,</l> +<l>One man alone of real worth,</l> +<l>Lakshmaṇ, who follows, true and good,</l> +<l>Ráma, with Sítá, through the wood.</l> +<l>Made holy for all time we deem</l> +<l>Each pool and fountain, lake and stream,</l> +<l>If great Kakutstha's son shall choose</l> +<l>Their water for his bath to use.</l> +<l>Each forest, dark with lovely trees,</l> +<l>Shall yearn Kakutstha's son to please;</l> +<l>Each mountain peak and woody hill,</l> +<l>Each mighty flood and mazy rill,</l> +<l>Each rocky height, each shady grove</l> +<l>Where the blest feet of Ráma rove,</l> +<l>Shall gladly welcome with the best</l> +<l>Of all they have their honoured guest.</l> +<l>The trees that clustering blossoms bear,</l> +<l>And bright-hued buds to gem their hair,</l> +<l>The heart of Ráma shall delight,</l> +<l>And cheer him on the breezy height.</l> +<l>For him the upland slopes will show</l> +<l>The fairest roots and fruit that grow,</l> +<l>And all their wealth before him fling</l> +<l>Ere the due hour of ripening.</l> +<l>For him each earth-upholding hill</l> +<l>Its crystal water shall distil,</l> +<l>And all its floods shall be displayed</l> +<l>In many a thousand-hued cascade.</l> +<l>Where Ráma stands is naught to fear,</l> +<l>No danger comes if he be near;</l> +<l>For all who live on him depend,</l> +<l>The world's support, and lord, and friend.</l> +<l>Ere in too distant wilds he stray,</l> +<l>Let us to Ráma speed away,</l> +<l>For rich reward on those will wait</l> +<l>Who serve a prince of soul so great.</l> +<l>We will attend on Sítá there;</l> +<l><q rend="post">Be Raghu's son your special care.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l>The city dames, with grief distressed,</l> +<l>Thus once again their lords addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ráma shall be your guard and guide,</q></l> +<l>And Sítá will for us provide.</l> +<l>For who would care to linger here,</l> +<l>Where all is sad and dark and drear?</l> +<l>Who, mid the mourners, hope for bliss</l> +<l>In a poor soulless town like this?</l> +<l>If Queen Kaikeyí's treacherous sin,</l> +<l>Our lord expelled, the kingdom win,</l> +<l>We heed not sons or golden store,</l> +<l>Our life itself we prize no more.</l> +<l>If she, seduced by lust of sway,</l> +<l>Her lord and son could cast away,</l> +<l>Whom would she leave unharmed, the base</l> +<l>Defiler of her royal race?</l> +<l>We swear it by our children dear,</l> +<l>We will not dwell as servants here;</l> +<l>If Queen Kaikeyí live to reign,</l> +<l>We will not in her realm remain.</l> +<l>Bowed down by her oppressive hand,</l> +<l>The helpless, lordless, godless land,</l> +<l>Cursed for Kaikeyí's guilt will fall,</l> +<l>And swift destruction seize it all.</l> +<pb n="151"/><anchor id="Pg151"/> +<l>For, Ráma forced from home to fly,</l> +<l>The king his sire will surely die,</l> +<l>And when the king has breathed his last</l> +<l>Ruin will doubtless follow fast.</l> +<l>Sad, robbed of merits, drug the cup</l> +<l>And drink the poisoned mixture up,</l> +<l>Or share the exiled Ráma's lot,</l> +<l>Or seek some land that knows her not.</l> +<l>No reason, but a false pretence</l> +<l>Drove Ráma, Sítá, Lakshmaṇ hence,</l> +<l>And we to Bharat have been given</l> +<l><q rend="post">Like cattle to the shambles driven.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">While in each house the women, pained</l> +<l>At loss of Ráma, still complained,</l> +<l>Sank to his rest the Lord of Day,</l> +<l>And night through all the sky held sway.</l> +<l>The fires of worship all were cold,</l> +<l>No text was hummed, no tale was told,</l> +<l>And shades of midnight gloom came down</l> +<l>Enveloping the mournful town.</l> +<l>Still, sick at heart, the women shed,</l> +<l>As for a son or husband fled,</l> +<l>For Ráma tears, disquieted:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">No child was loved as he.</l> +<l>And all Ayodhyá, where the feast,</l> +<l>Music, and song, and dance had ceased,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And merriment and glee,</l> +<l>Where every merchant's store was closed</l> +<l>That erst its glittering wares exposed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Was like a dried up sea.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XLIX"/> +<head>Canto XLIX. The Crossing Of The Rivers.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Now Ráma, ere the night was fled,</l> +<l>O'er many a league of road had sped,</l> +<l>Till, as his course he onward held,</l> +<l>The morn the shades of night dispelled.</l> +<l>The rites of holy dawn he paid,</l> +<l>And all the country round surveyed.</l> +<l>He saw, as still he hurried through</l> +<l>With steeds which swift as arrows flew,</l> +<l>Hamlets and groves with blossoms fair,</l> +<l>And fields which showed the tillers' care,</l> +<l>While from the clustered dwellings near</l> +<l>The words of peasants reached his ear:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Fie on our lord the king, whose soul</q></l> +<l>Is yielded up to love's control!</l> +<l>Fie on the vile Kaikeyí! Shame</l> +<l>On that malicious sinful dame,</l> +<l>Who, keenly bent on cruel deeds,</l> +<l>No bounds of right and virtue heeds,</l> +<l>But with her wicked art has sent</l> +<l>So good a prince to banishment,</l> +<l>Wise, tender-hearted, ruling well</l> +<l>His senses, in the woods to dwell.</l> +<l>Ah cruel king! his heart of steel</l> +<l>For his own son no love could feel,</l> +<l>Who with the sinless Ráma parts,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The darling of the people's hearts.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">These words he heard the peasants say,</l> +<l>Who dwelt in hamlets by the way,</l> +<l>And, lord of all the realm by right,</l> +<l>Through Kośala pursued his flight.</l> +<l>Through the auspicious flood, at last,</l> +<l>Of Vedaśrutí's stream he passed,</l> +<l>And onward to the place he sped</l> +<l>By Saint Agastya tenanted.</l> +<l>Still on for many an hour he hied,</l> +<l>And crossed the stream whose cooling tide</l> +<l>Rolls onward till she meets the sea,</l> +<l>The herd-frequented Gomatí.<note place="foot">Known to Europeans as the +Goomtee.</note></l> +<l>Borne by his rapid horses o'er,</l> +<l>He reached that river's further shore.</l> +<l>And Syandiká's, whose swan-loved stream</l> +<l>Resounded with the peacock's scream.</l> +<l>Then as he journeyed on his road</l> +<l>To his Videhan bride he showed</l> +<l>The populous land which Manu old</l> +<l>To King Ikshváku gave to hold.</l> +<l>The glorious prince, the lord of men</l> +<l>Looked on the charioteer, and then</l> +<l>Voiced like a wild swan, loud and clear,</l> +<l>He spake these words and bade him hear:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">When shall I, with returning feet</q></l> +<l>My father and my mother meet?</l> +<l>When shall I lead the hunt once more</l> +<l>In bloomy woods on Sarjú's shore?</l> +<l>Most eagerly I long to ride</l> +<l>Urging the chase on Sarjú's side.</l> +<l>For royal saints have seen no blame</l> +<l><q rend="post">In this, the monarch's matchless game.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus speeding on,—no rest or stay,—</l> +<l>Ikshváku's son pursued his way.</l> +<l>Oft his sweet voice the silence broke,</l> +<l>And thus on varied themes he spoke.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-L"/> +<head>Canto L. The Halt Under The Ingudí.<note place="foot">A tree, +commonly called <hi rend='italic'>Ingua</hi>.</note></head> + +<lg> +<l>So through the wide and fair extent</l> +<l>Of Kośala the hero went.</l> +<l>Then toward Ayodhyá back he gazed,</l> +<l>And cried, with suppliant hands upraised:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Farewell, dear city, first in place,</q></l> +<l>Protected by Kakutstha's race!</l> +<l>And Gods, who in thy temples dwell,</l> +<l>And keep thine ancient citadel!</l> +<l>I from his debt my sire will free,</l> +<l>Thy well-loved towers again will see,</l> +<l>And, coming from my wild retreat,</l> +<l><q rend="post">My mother and my father meet.</q></l> +</lg> + +<pb n="152"/><anchor id="Pg152"/> + +<lg> +<l>Then burning grief inflamed his eye,</l> +<l>As his right arm he raised on high,</l> +<l>And, while hot tears his cheek bedewed,</l> +<l>Addressed the mournful multitude:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">By love and tender pity moved,</q></l> +<l>Your love for me you well have proved;</l> +<l>Now turn again with joy, and win</l> +<l><q rend="post">Success in all your hands begin.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Before the high souled chief they bent,</l> +<l>With circling steps around him went,</l> +<l>And then with bitter wailing, they</l> +<l>Departed each his several way.</l> +<l>Like the great sun engulfed by night,</l> +<l>The hero sped beyond their sight,</l> +<l>While still the people mourned his fate</l> +<l>And wept aloud disconsolate.</l> +<l>The car-borne chieftain passed the bound</l> +<l>Of Kośala's delightful ground,</l> +<l>Where grain and riches bless the land,</l> +<l>And people give with liberal hand:</l> +<l>A lovely realm unvexed by fear,</l> +<l>Where countless shrines and stakes<note place="foot">Sacrificial posts to which the +victims were tied.</note> appear:</l> +<l>Where mango-groves and gardens grow,</l> +<l>And streams of pleasant water flow:</l> +<l>Where dwells content a well-fed race,</l> +<l>And countless kine the meadows grace:</l> +<l>Filled with the voice of praise and prayer:</l> +<l>Each hamlet worth a monarch's care.</l> +<l>Before him three-pathed Gangá rolled</l> +<l>Her heavenly waters bright and cold;</l> +<l>O'er her pure breast no weeds were spread,</l> +<l>Her banks were hermit-visited.</l> +<l>The car-borne hero saw the tide</l> +<l>That ran with eddies multiplied,</l> +<l>And thus the charioteer addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Here on the bank to-day we rest.</q></l> +<l>Not distant from the river, see!</l> +<l>There grows a lofty Ingudí</l> +<l>With blossoms thick on every spray:</l> +<l>There rest we, charioteer, to-day.</l> +<l>I on the queen of floods will gaze,</l> +<l>Whose holy stream has highest praise,</l> +<l>Where deer, and bird, and glittering snake,</l> +<l><q rend="post">God, Daitya, bard their pastime take.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sumantra, Lakshmaṇ gave assent,</l> +<l>And with the steeds they thither went.</l> +<l>When Ráma reached the lovely tree,</l> +<l>With Sítá and with Lakshmaṇ, he</l> +<l>Alighted from the car: with speed</l> +<l>Sumantra loosed each weary steed.</l> +<l>And, hand to hand in reverence laid,</l> +<l>Stood near to Ráma in the shade.</l> +<l>Ráma's dear friend, renowned by fame,</l> +<l>Who of Nisháda lineage came,</l> +<l>Guha, the mighty chief, adored</l> +<l>Through all the land as sovereign lord,</l> +<l>Soon as he heard that prince renowned</l> +<l>Was resting on Nisháda ground,</l> +<l>Begirt by counsellor and peer</l> +<l>And many an honoured friend drew near.</l> +<l>Soon as the monarch came in view,</l> +<l>Ráma and Lakshmaṇ toward him flew.</l> +<l>Then Guha, at the sight distressed,</l> +<l>His arms around the hero pressed,</l> +<l>Laid both his hands upon his head</l> +<l>Bowed to those lotus feet, and said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Ráma, make thy wishes known,</q></l> +<l>And be this kingdom as thine own.</l> +<l>Who, mighty-armed, will ever see</l> +<l><q rend="post">A guest so dear as thou to me?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He placed before him dainty fare</l> +<l>Of every flavour, rich and rare,</l> +<l>Brought forth the gift for honoured guest,</l> +<l>And thus again the chief addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Welcome, dear Prince, whose arms are strong;</q></l> +<l>These lands and all to thee belong.</l> +<l>Thy servants we, our lord art thou;</l> +<l>Begin, good king, thine empire now.</l> +<l>See, various food before thee placed,</l> +<l>And cups to drink and sweets to taste</l> +<l>For thee soft beds are hither borne,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And for thy horses grass and corn.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To Guha as he pressed and prayed,</l> +<l>Thus Raghu's son his answer made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">'Twas aye thy care my heart to please</q></l> +<l>With honour, love, and courtesies,</l> +<l>And friendship brings thee now to greet</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy guest thus humbly on thy feet.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Again the hero spake, as round</l> +<l>The king his shapely arms he wound:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Guha, I see that all is well</q></l> +<l>With thee and those who with thee dwell;</l> +<l>That health and bliss and wealth attend</l> +<l>Thy realm, thyself, and every friend.</l> +<l>But all these friendly gifts of thine,</l> +<l>Bound to refuse, I must decline.</l> +<l>Grass, bark, and hide my only wear,</l> +<l>And woodland roots and fruit my fare,</l> +<l>On duty all my heart is set;</l> +<l>I seek the woods, an anchoret.</l> +<l>A little grass and corn to feed</l> +<l>The horses—this is all I need.</l> +<l>So by this favour, King, alone</l> +<l>Shall honour due to me be shown.</l> +<l>For these good steeds who brought me here</l> +<l>Are to my sire supremely dear;</l> +<l>And kind attention paid to these</l> +<l><q rend="post">Will honour me and highly please.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Guha quickly bade his train</l> +<l>Give water to the steeds, and grain.</l> +<l>And Ráma, ere the night grew dark,</l> +<l>Paid evening rites in dress of bark,</l> +<l>And tasted water, on the strand,</l> +<l>Drawn from the stream by Lakshmaṇ's hand.</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ with observance meet</l> +<l>Bathed his beloved brother's feet,</l> +<pb n="153"/><anchor id="Pg153"/> +<l>Who rested with his Maithil spouse:</l> +<l>Then sat him down 'neath distant boughs.</l> +<l>And Guha with his bow sat near</l> +<l>To Lakshmaṇ and the charioteer,</l> +<l>And with the prince conversing kept</l> +<l>His faithful watch while Ráma slept.</l> +<l>As Daśaratha's glorious heir,</l> +<l>Of lofty soul and wisdom rare,</l> +<l>Reclining with his Sítá there</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Beside the river lay—</l> +<l>He who no troubles e'er had seen,</l> +<l>Whose life a life of bliss had been—</l> +<l>That night beneath the branches green</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Passed pleasantly away.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LI"/> +<head>Canto LI. Lakshman's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>As Lakshmaṇ still his vigil held</l> +<l>By unaffected love impelled,</l> +<l>Guha, whose heart the sight distressed,</l> +<l>With words like these the prince addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Beloved youth, this pleasant bed</q></l> +<l>Was brought for thee, for thee is spread;</l> +<l>On this, my Prince, thine eyelids close,</l> +<l>And heal fatigue with sweet repose.</l> +<l>My men are all to labour trained,</l> +<l>But hardship thou hast ne'er sustained.</l> +<l>All we this night our watch will keep</l> +<l>And guard Kakutstha's son asleep.</l> +<l>In all the world there breathes not one</l> +<l>More dear to me than Raghu's son.</l> +<l>The words I speak, heroic youth,</l> +<l>Are true: I swear it by my truth.</l> +<l>Through his dear grace supreme renown</l> +<l>Will, so I trust, my wishes crown.</l> +<l>So shall my life rich store obtain</l> +<l>Of merit, blest with joy and gain.</l> +<l>While Raghu's son and Sítá lie</l> +<l>Entranced in happy slumber, I</l> +<l>Will, with my trusty bow in hand,</l> +<l>Guard my dear friend with all my band.</l> +<l>To me, who oft these forests range,</l> +<l>Is naught therein or new or strange.</l> +<l>We could with equal might oppose</l> +<l><q rend="post">A four-fold army led by foes.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then royal Lakshmaṇ made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">With thee to stand as guardian nigh,</q></l> +<l>Whose faithful soul regards the right,</l> +<l>Fearless we well might rest to-night.</l> +<l>But how, when Ráma lays his head</l> +<l>With Sítá on his lowly bed,—</l> +<l>How can I sleep? how can I care</l> +<l>For life, or aught that's bright and fair?</l> +<l>Behold the conquering chief, whose might</l> +<l>Is match for Gods and fiends in fight;</l> +<l>With Sítá now he rests his head</l> +<l>Asleep on grass beneath him spread.</l> +<l>Won by devotion, text, and prayer,</l> +<l>And many a rite performed with care,</l> +<l>Chief of our father's sons he shines</l> +<l>Well marked, like him, with favouring signs.</l> +<l>Brief, brief the monarch's life will be</l> +<l>Now his dear son is forced to flee;</l> +<l>And quickly will the widowed state</l> +<l>Mourn for her lord disconsolate.</l> +<l>Each mourner there has wept her fill;</l> +<l>The cries of anguish now are still:</l> +<l>In the king's hall each dame, o'ercome</l> +<l>With weariness of woe is dumb.</l> +<l>This first sad night of grief, I ween,</l> +<l>Will do to death each sorrowing queen:</l> +<l>Scarce is Kauśalyá left alive;</l> +<l>My mother, too, can scarce survive.</l> +<l>If when her heart is fain to break,</l> +<l>She lingers for Śatrughna's sake,</l> +<l>Kauśalyá, mother of the chief,</l> +<l>Must sink beneath the chilling grief.</l> +<l>That town which countless thousands fill,</l> +<l>Whose hearts with love of Ráma thrill,—</l> +<l>The world's delight, so rich and fair,—</l> +<l>Grieved for the king, his death will share.</l> +<l>The hopes he fondly cherished, crossed</l> +<l>Ayodhyá's throne to Ráma lost,—</l> +<l>With mournful cries, Too late, too late!</l> +<l>The king my sire will meet his fate.</l> +<l>And when my sire has passed away,</l> +<l>Most happy in their lot are they,</l> +<l>Allowed, with every pious care,</l> +<l>Part in his funeral rites to bear.</l> +<l>And O, may we with joy at last,—</l> +<l>These years of forest exile past,—</l> +<l>Turn to Ayodhyá's town to dwell</l> +<l><q rend="post">With him who keeps his promise well!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">While thus the hero mighty-souled,</l> +<l>In wild lament his sorrow told,</l> +<l>Faint with the load that on him lay,</l> +<l>The hours of darkness passed away.</l> +<l>As thus the prince, impelled by zeal</l> +<l>For his loved brother, prompt to feel</l> +<l>Strong yearnings for the people's weal,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His words of truth outspake,</l> +<l>King Guha grieved to see his woe,</l> +<l>Heart-stricken, gave his tears to flow,</l> +<l>Tormented by the common blow,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sad, as a wounded snake.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LII"/> +<head>Canto LII. The Crossing Of Gangá.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Soon as the shades of night had fled,</l> +<l>Uprising from his lowly bed,</l> +<l>Ráma the famous, broad of chest,</l> +<l>His brother Lakshmaṇ thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now swift upsprings the Lord of Light,</q></l> +<l>And fled is venerable night.</l> +<pb n="154"/><anchor id="Pg154"/> +<l>That dark-winged bird the Koïl now</l> +<l>Is calling from the topmost bough,</l> +<l>And sounding from the thicket nigh</l> +<l>Is heard the peacock's early cry.</l> +<l>Come, cross the flood that seeks the sea,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The swiftly flowing Jáhnaví.</q><note place="foot">Daughter of Jahnu, +a name of the Ganges. See <ref target="Pg055">p. 55</ref>.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">King Guha heard his speech, agreed,</l> +<l>And called his minister with speed:</l> +<l><q>A boat,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">swift, strong, and fair,</q></l> +<l>With rudder, oars, and men, prepare,</l> +<l>And place it ready by the shore</l> +<l><q rend="post">To bear the pilgrims quickly o'er.</q></l> +<l>Thus Guha spake: his followers all</l> +<l>Bestirred them at their master's call;</l> +<l>Then told the king that ready manned</l> +<l>A gay boat waited near the strand.</l> +<l>Then Guha, hand to hand applied,</l> +<l>With reverence thus to Ráma cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The boat is ready by the shore:</q></l> +<l>How, tell me, can I aid thee more?</l> +<l>O lord of men, it waits for thee</l> +<l>To cross the flood that seeks the sea.</l> +<l>O godlike keeper of thy vow,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Embark: the boat is ready now.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma, lord of glory high,</l> +<l>Thus to King Guha made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thanks for thy gracious care, my lord:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Now let the gear be placed on board.</q></l> +<l>Each bow-armed chief, in mail encased,</l> +<l>Bound sword and quiver to his waist,</l> +<l>And then with Sítá near them hied</l> +<l>Down the broad river's shelving side.</l> +<l>Then with raised palms the charioteer,</l> +<l>In lowly reverence drawing near,</l> +<l>Cried thus to Ráma good and true:</l> +<l><q>Now what remains for me to do?</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With his right hand, while answering</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The hero touched his friend:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Go back,</q> he said, <q rend="pre">and on the king</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">With watchful care attend.</l> +<l>Thus far, Sumantra, thou wast guide;</l> +<l><q rend="post">Now to Ayodhyá turn,</q> he cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hence seek we leaving steeds and car,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">On foot the wood that stretches far.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sumantra, when, with grieving heart,</l> +<l>He heard the hero bid him part,</l> +<l>Thus to the bravest of the brave,</l> +<l>Ikshváku's son, his answer gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">In all the world men tell of naught,</q></l> +<l>To match thy deed, by heroes wrought—</l> +<l>Thus with thy brother and thy wife</l> +<l>Thrall-like to lead a forest life.</l> +<l>No meet reward of fruit repays</l> +<l>Thy holy lore, thy saintlike days,</l> +<l>Thy tender soul, thy love of truth,</l> +<l>If woe like this afflicts thy youth.</l> +<l>Thou, roaming under forest boughs</l> +<l>With thy dear brother and thy spouse</l> +<l>Shalt richer meed of glory gain</l> +<l>Than if three worlds confessed thy reign.</l> +<l>Sad is our fate, O Ráma: we,</l> +<l>Abandoned and repelled by thee,</l> +<l>Must serve as thralls Kaikeyí's will,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Imperious, wicked, born to ill.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus cried the faithful charioteer,</l> +<l>As Raghu's son, in rede his peer,</l> +<l>Was fast departing on his road,—</l> +<l>And long his tears of anguish flowed.</l> +<l>But Ráma, when those tears were dried</l> +<l>His lips with water purified,</l> +<l>And in soft accents, sweet and clear,</l> +<l>Again addressed the charioteer:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I find no heart, my friend, like thine,</q></l> +<l>So faithful to Ikshváku's line.</l> +<l>Still first in view this object keep,</l> +<l>That ne'er for me my sire may weep.</l> +<l>For he, the world's far-ruling king,</l> +<l>Is old, and wild with sorrow's sting;</l> +<l>With love's great burthen worn and weak:</l> +<l>Deem this the cause that thus I speak</l> +<l>Whate'er the high-souled king decrees</l> +<l>His loved Kaikeyí's heart to please,</l> +<l>Yea, be his order what it may,</l> +<l>Without demur thou must obey,</l> +<l>For this alone great monarchs reign,</l> +<l>That ne'er a wish be formed in vain.</l> +<l>Then, O Sumantra, well provide</l> +<l>That by no check the king be tried:</l> +<l>Nor let his heart in sorrow pine:</l> +<l>This care, my faithful friend, be thine.</l> +<l>The honoured king my father greet,</l> +<l>And thus for me my words repeat</l> +<l>To him whose senses are controlled,</l> +<l>Untired till now by grief, and old;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I, Sítá, Lakshmaṇ sorrow not,</q></l> +<l>O Monarch, for our altered lot:</l> +<l>The same to us, if here we roam,</l> +<l>Or if Ayodhyá be our home,</l> +<l>The fourteen years will quickly fly,</l> +<l>The happy hour will soon be nigh</l> +<l>When thou, my lord, again shalt see</l> +<l><q rend="post">Lakshmaṇ, the Maithil dame, and me.</q></l> +<l>Thus having soothed, O charioteer,</l> +<l>My father and my mother dear,</l> +<l>Let all the queens my message learn,</l> +<l>But to Kaikeyí chiefly turn.</l> +<l>With loving blessings from the three,</l> +<l>From Lakshmaṇ, Sítá, and from me,</l> +<l>My mother, Queen Kauśalyá, greet</l> +<l>With reverence to her sacred feet.</l> +<l>And add this prayer of mine: <q rend="pre">O King;</q></l> +<l>Send quickly forth and Bharat bring,</l> +<l>And set him on the royal throne</l> +<l>Which thy decree has made his own.</l> +<l>When he upon the throne is placed,</l> +<l>When thy fond arms are round him laced,</l> +<l>Thine aged heart will cease to ache</l> +<l><q rend="post">With bitter pangs for Ráma's sake.</q></l> +<pb n="155"/><anchor id="Pg155"/> +<l>And say to Bharat: <q rend="pre">See thou treat</q></l> +<l>The queens with all observance meet:</l> +<l>What care the king receives, the same</l> +<l>Show thou alike to every dame.</l> +<l>Obedience to thy father's will</l> +<l>Who chooses thee the throne to fill,</l> +<l>Will earn for thee a store of bliss</l> +<l><q rend="post"><q rend="post">Both in the world to come and this.</q></q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma bade Sumantra go</l> +<l>With thoughtful care instructed so.</l> +<l>Sumantra all his message heard,</l> +<l>And spake again, by passion stirred:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O, should deep feeling mar in aught</q></l> +<l>The speech by fond devotion taught,</l> +<l>Forgive whate'er I wildly speak:</l> +<l>My love is strong, my tongue is weak.</l> +<l>How shall I, if deprived of thee,</l> +<l>Return that mournful town to see:</l> +<l>Where sick at heart the people are</l> +<l>Because their Ráma roams afar.</l> +<l>Woe will be theirs too deep to brook</l> +<l>When on the empty car they look,</l> +<l>As when from hosts, whose chiefs are slain,</l> +<l>One charioteer comes home again.</l> +<l>This very day, I ween, is food</l> +<l>Forsworn by all the multitude,</l> +<l>Thinking that thou, with hosts to aid,</l> +<l>Art dwelling in the wild wood's shade.</l> +<l>The great despair, the shriek of woe</l> +<l>They uttered when they saw thee go,</l> +<l>Will, when I come with none beside,</l> +<l>A hundred-fold be multiplied.</l> +<l>How to Kauśalyá can I say:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Queen, I took thy son away,</q></l> +<l>And with thy brother left him well:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Weep not for him; thy woe dispel?</q></l> +<l>So false a tale I cannot frame,</l> +<l>Yet how speak truth and grieve the dame?</l> +<l>How shall these horses, fleet and bold,</l> +<l>Whom not a hand but mine can hold,</l> +<l>Bear others, wont to whirl the car</l> +<l>Wherein Ikshváku's children are!</l> +<l>Without thee, Prince, I cannot, no,</l> +<l>I cannot to Ayodhyá go.</l> +<l>Then deign, O Ráma, to relent,</l> +<l>And let me share thy banishment.</l> +<l>But if no prayers can move thy heart,</l> +<l>If thou wilt quit me and depart,</l> +<l>The flames shall end my car and me,</l> +<l>Deserted thus and reft of thee.</l> +<l>In the wild wood when foes are near,</l> +<l>When dangers check thy vows austere,</l> +<l>Borne in my car will I attend,</l> +<l>All danger and all care to end.</l> +<l>For thy dear sake I love the skill</l> +<l>That guides the steed and curbs his will:</l> +<l>And soon a forest life will be</l> +<l>As pleasant, for my love of thee.</l> +<l>And if these horses near thee dwell,</l> +<l>And serve thee in the forest well,</l> +<l>They, for their service, will not miss</l> +<l>The due reward of highest bliss.</l> +<l>Thine orders, as with thee I stray,</l> +<l>Will I with heart and head obey,</l> +<l>Prepared, for thee, without a sigh,</l> +<l>To lose Ayodhyá or the sky.</l> +<l>As one defiled with hideous sin,</l> +<l>I never more can pass within</l> +<l>Ayodhyá, city of our king,</l> +<l>Unless beside me thee I bring.</l> +<l>One wish is mine, I ask no more,</l> +<l>That, when thy banishment is o'er</l> +<l>I in my car may bear my lord,</l> +<l>Triumphant, to his home restored.</l> +<l>The fourteen years, if spent with thee,</l> +<l>Will swift as light-winged moments flee;</l> +<l>But the same years, without thee told,</l> +<l>Were magnified a hundred-fold.</l> +<l>Do not, kind lord, thy servant leave,</l> +<l>Who to his master's son would cleave,</l> +<l>And the same path with him pursue,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Devoted, tender, just and true.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Again, again Sumantra made</l> +<l>His varied plaint, and wept and prayed.</l> +<l>Him Raghu's son, whose tender breast</l> +<l>Felt for his servants, thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O faithful servant, well my heart</q></l> +<l>Knows how attached and true thou art.</l> +<l>Hear thou the words I speak, and know</l> +<l>Why to the town I bid thee go.</l> +<l>Soon as Kaikeyí, youngest queen,</l> +<l>Thy coming to the town has seen,</l> +<l>No doubt will then her mind oppress</l> +<l>That Ráma roams the wilderness.</l> +<l>And so the dame, her heart content</l> +<l>With proof of Ráma's banishment,</l> +<l>Will doubt the virtuous king no more</l> +<l>As faithless to the oath he swore.</l> +<l>Chief of my cares is this, that she,</l> +<l>Youngest amid the queens, may see</l> +<l>Bharat her son securely reign</l> +<l>O'er rich Ayodhyá's wide domain.</l> +<l>For mine and for the monarch's sake</l> +<l>Do thou thy journey homeward take,</l> +<l>And, as I bade, repeat each word</l> +<l><q rend="post">That from my lips thou here hast heard.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spake the prince, and strove to cheer</l> +<l>The sad heart of the charioteer,</l> +<l>And then to royal Guha said</l> +<l>These words most wise and spirited:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Guha, dear friend, it is not meet</q></l> +<l>That people throng my calm retreat:</l> +<l>For I must live a strict recluse,</l> +<l>And mould my life by hermits' use.</l> +<l>I now the ancient rule accept</l> +<l>By good ascetics gladly kept.</l> +<l>I go: bring fig-tree juice that I</l> +<l><q rend="post">In matted coils my hair may tie.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Quick Guha hastened to produce,</l> +<l>For the king's son, that sacred juice.</l> +<l>Then Ráma of his long locks made,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ's too, the hermit braid.</l> +<pb n="156"/><anchor id="Pg156"/> +<l>And the two royal brothers there</l> +<l>With coats of bark and matted hair,</l> +<l>Transformed in lovely likeness stood</l> +<l>To hermit saints who love the wood.</l> +<l>So Ráma, with his brother bold,</l> +<l>A pious anchorite enrolled,</l> +<l>Obeyed the vow which hermits take,</l> +<l>And to his friend, King Guha, spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">May people, treasure, army share,</q></l> +<l>And fenced forts, thy constant care:</l> +<l>Attend to all: supremely hard</l> +<l><q rend="post">The sovereign's task, to watch and guard.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Ikshváku's son, the good and brave,</l> +<l>This last farewell to Guha gave,</l> +<l>And then, with Lakshmaṇ and his bride,</l> +<l>Determined, on his way he hied.</l> +<l>Soon as he viewed, upon the shore,</l> +<l>The bark prepared to waft them o'er</l> +<l>Impetuous Gangá's rolling tide,</l> +<l>To Lakshmaṇ thus the chieftain cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Brother, embark; thy hand extend,</q></l> +<l>Thy gentle aid to Sítá lend:</l> +<l>With care her trembling footsteps guide,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And place the lady by thy side.</q></l> +<l>When Lakshmaṇ heard, prepared to aid,</l> +<l>His brother's words he swift obeyed.</l> +<l>Within the bark he placed the dame,</l> +<l>Then to her side the hero came.</l> +<l>Next Lakshmaṇ's elder brother, lord</l> +<l>Of brightest glory, when on board,</l> +<l>Breathing a prayer for blessings, meet</l> +<l>For priest or warrior to repeat,</l> +<l>Then he and car-borne Lakshmaṇ bent,</l> +<l>Well-pleased, their heads, most reverent,</l> +<l>Their hands, with Sítá, having dipped,</l> +<l>As Scripture bids, and water sipped,</l> +<l>Farewell to wise Sumantra said,</l> +<l>And Guha, with the train he led.</l> +<l>So Ráma took, on board, his stand,</l> +<l>And urged the vessel from the land.</l> +<l>Then swift by vigorous arms impelled</l> +<l>Her onward course the vessel held,</l> +<l>And guided by the helmsman through</l> +<l>The dashing waves of Gangá flew.</l> +<l>Half way across the flood they came,</l> +<l>When Sítá, free from spot and blame,</l> +<l>Her reverent hands together pressed,</l> +<l>The Goddess of the stream addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">May the great chieftain here who springs</q></l> +<l>From Daśaratha, best of kings,</l> +<l>Protected by thy care, fulfil</l> +<l>His prudent father's royal will.</l> +<l>When in the forest he has spent</l> +<l>His fourteen years of banishment,</l> +<l>With his dear brother and with me</l> +<l>His home again my lord shall see.</l> +<l>Returning on that blissful day,</l> +<l>I will to thee mine offerings pay,</l> +<l>Dear Queen, whose waters gently flow,</l> +<l>Who canst all blessed gifts bestow.</l> +<l>For, three-pathed Queen, though wandering here,</l> +<l>Thy waves descend from Brahmá's sphere,</l> +<l>Spouse of the God o'er floods supreme,</l> +<l>Though rolling here thy glorious stream.</l> +<l>To thee, fair Queen, my head shall bend,</l> +<l>To thee shall hymns of praise ascend,</l> +<l>When my brave lord shall turn again,</l> +<l>And, joyful, o'er his kingdom reign.</l> +<l>To win thy grace, O Queen divine,</l> +<l>A hundred thousand fairest kine,</l> +<l>And precious robes and finest meal</l> +<l>Among the Bráhmans will I deal.</l> +<l>A hundred jars of wine shall flow,</l> +<l>When to my home, O Queen, I go;</l> +<l>With these, and flesh, and corn, and rice,</l> +<l>Will I, delighted, sacrifice.</l> +<l>Each hallowed spot, each holy shrine</l> +<l>That stands on these fair shores of thine,</l> +<l>Each fane and altar on thy banks</l> +<l>Shall share my offerings and thanks.</l> +<l>With me and Lakshmaṇ, free from harm,</l> +<l>May he the blameless, strong of arm,</l> +<l>Reseek Ayodhyá from the wild,</l> +<l><q rend="post">O blameless Lady undefiled!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As, praying for her husband's sake,</l> +<l>The faultless dame to Gangá spake,</l> +<l>To the right bank the vessel flew</l> +<l>With her whose heart was right and true.</l> +<l>Soon as the bark had crossed the wave,</l> +<l>The lion leader of the brave,</l> +<l>Leaving the vessel on the strand,</l> +<l>With wife and brother leapt to land.</l> +<l>Then Ráma thus the prince addressed</l> +<l>Who filled with joy Sumitrá's breast:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Be thine alike to guard and aid</q></l> +<l>In peopled spot, in lonely shade.</l> +<l>Do thou, Sumitrá's son, precede:</l> +<l>Let Sítá walk where thou shalt lead.</l> +<l>Behind you both my place shall be,</l> +<l>To guard the Maithil dame and thee.</l> +<l>For she, to woe a stranger yet,</l> +<l>No toil or grief till now has met;</l> +<l>The fair Videhan will assay</l> +<l>The pains of forest life to-day.</l> +<l>To-day her tender feet must tread</l> +<l>Rough rocky wilds around her spread:</l> +<l>No tilth is there, no gardens grow,</l> +<l><q rend="post">No crowding people come and go.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hero ceased: and Lakshmaṇ led</l> +<l>Obedient to the words he said:</l> +<l>And Sítá followed him, and then</l> +<l>Came Raghu's pride, the lord of men.</l> +<l>With Sítá walking o'er the sand</l> +<l>They sought the forest, bow in hand,</l> +<l>But still their lingering glances threw</l> +<l>Where yet Sumantra stood in view.</l> +<l>Sumantra, when his watchful eye</l> +<l>The royal youths no more could spy,</l> +<l>Turned from the spot whereon he stood</l> +<l>Homeward with Guha from the wood.</l> +<pb n="157"/><anchor id="Pg157"/> +<l>Still on the brothers forced their way</l> +<l>Where sweet birds sang on every spray,</l> +<l>Though scarce the eye a path could find</l> +<l>Mid flowering trees where creepers twined.</l> +<l>Far on the princely brothers pressed,</l> +<l>And stayed their feet at length to rest</l> +<l>Beneath a fig tree's mighty shade</l> +<l>With countless pendent shoots displayed.</l> +<l>Reclining there a while at ease,</l> +<l>They saw, not far, beneath fair trees</l> +<l>A lake with many a lotus bright</l> +<l>That bore the name of Lovely Sight.</l> +<l>Ráma his wife's attention drew,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ's, to the charming view:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Look, brother, look how fair the flood</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Glows with the lotus, flower and bud!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They drank the water fresh and clear,</l> +<l>And with their shafts they slew a deer.</l> +<l>A fire of boughs they made in haste,</l> +<l>And in the flame the meat they placed.</l> +<l>So Raghu's sons with Sítá shared</l> +<l>The hunter's meal their hands prepared,</l> +<l>Then counselled that the spreading tree</l> +<l>Their shelter and their home should be.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LIII"/> +<head>Canto LIII. Ráma's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When evening rites were duly paid,</l> +<l>Reclined beneath the leafy shade,</l> +<l>To Lakshmaṇ thus spake Ráma, best</l> +<l>Of those who glad a people's breast:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now the first night has closed the day</q></l> +<l>That saw us from our country stray,</l> +<l>And parted from the charioteer;</l> +<l>Yet grieve not thou, my brother dear.</l> +<l>Henceforth by night, when others sleep,</l> +<l>Must we our careful vigil keep,</l> +<l>Watching for Sítá's welfare thus,</l> +<l>For her dear life depends on us.</l> +<l>Bring me the leaves that lie around,</l> +<l>And spread them here upon the ground,</l> +<l>That we on lowly beds may lie,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And let in talk the night go by.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">So on the ground with leaves o'erspread,</l> +<l>He who should press a royal bed,</l> +<l>Ráma with Lakshmaṇ thus conversed,</l> +<l>And many a pleasant tale rehearsed:</l> +<l><q>This night the king,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">alas!</q></l> +<l>In broken sleep will sadly pass.</l> +<l>Kaikeyí now content should be,</l> +<l>For mistress of her wish is she.</l> +<l>So fiercely she for empire yearns,</l> +<l>That when her Bharat home returns,</l> +<l>She in her greed, may even bring</l> +<l>Destruction on our lord the king.</l> +<l>What can he do, in feeble eld,</l> +<l>Reft of all aid and me expelled,</l> +<l>His soul enslaved by love, a thrall</l> +<l>Obedient to Kaikeyí's call?</l> +<l>As thus I muse upon his woe</l> +<l>And all his wisdoms overthrow,</l> +<l>Love is, methinks, of greater might</l> +<l>To stir the heart than gain and right.</l> +<l>For who, in wisdom's lore untaught,</l> +<l>Could by a beauty's prayer be bought</l> +<l>To quit his own obedient son,</l> +<l>Who loves him, as my sire has done!</l> +<l>Bharat, Kaikeyí's child, alone</l> +<l>Will, with his wife, enjoy the throne,</l> +<l>And blissfully his rule maintain</l> +<l>O'er happy Kośala's domain.</l> +<l>To Bharat's single lot will fall</l> +<l>The kingdom and the power and all,</l> +<l>When fails the king from length of days,</l> +<l>And Ráma in the forest strays.</l> +<l>Whoe'er, neglecting right and gain,</l> +<l>Lets conquering love his soul enchain,</l> +<l>To him, like Daśaratha's lot,</l> +<l>Comes woe with feet that tarry not.</l> +<l>Methinks at last the royal dame,</l> +<l>Dear Lakshmaṇ, has secured her aim,</l> +<l>To see at once her husband dead,</l> +<l>Her son enthroned, and Ráma fled.</l> +<l>Ah me! I fear, lest borne away</l> +<l>By frenzy of success, she slay</l> +<l>Kauśalyá, through her wicked hate</l> +<l>Of me, bereft, disconsolate;</l> +<l>Or her who aye for me has striven</l> +<l>Sumitrá, to devotion given.</l> +<l>Hence, Lakshmaṇ, to Ayodhyá speed,</l> +<l>Returning in the hour of need.</l> +<l>With Sítá I my steps will bend</l> +<l>Where Daṇḍak's mighty woods extend.</l> +<l>No guardian has Kauśalyá now:</l> +<l>O, be her friend and guardian thou.</l> +<l>Strong hate may vile Kaikeyí lead</l> +<l>To many a base unrighteous deed,</l> +<l>Treading my mother 'neath her feet</l> +<l>When Bharat holds the royal seat.</l> +<l>Sure in some antenatal time</l> +<l>Were children, by Kauśalyá's crime,</l> +<l>Torn from their mothers' arms away,</l> +<l>And hence she mourns this evil day.</l> +<l>She for her child no toil would spare</l> +<l>Tending me long with pain and care;</l> +<l>Now in the hour of fruitage she</l> +<l>Has lost that son, ah, woe is me.</l> +<l>O Lakshmaṇ, may no matron e'er</l> +<l>A son so doomed to sorrow bear</l> +<l>As I, my mother's heart who rend</l> +<l>With anguish that can never end.</l> +<l>The Sáriká,<note place="foot">The <hi rend='italic'>Mainá</hi> or Gracula religiosa, +a favourite cage-bird, easily taught to talk.</note> methinks, possessed</l> +<l>More love than glows in Ráma's breast.</l> +<l>Who, as the tale is told to us,</l> +<l>Addressed the stricken parrot thus:</l> +<pb n="158"/><anchor id="Pg158"/> +<l><q rend="pre">Parrot, the capturer's talons tear,</q></l> +<l>While yet alone thou flutterest there,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Before his mouth has closed on me:</q></l> +<l>So cried the bird, herself to free.</l> +<l>Reft of her son, in childless woe,</l> +<l>My mother's tears for ever flow:</l> +<l>Ill-fated, doomed with grief to strive,</l> +<l>What aid can she from me derive?</l> +<l>Pressed down by care, she cannot rise</l> +<l>From sorrow's flood wherein she lies.</l> +<l>In righteous wrath my single arm</l> +<l>Could, with my bow, protect from harm</l> +<l>Ayodhyá's town and all the earth:</l> +<l>But what is hero prowess worth?</l> +<l>Lest breaking duty's law I sin,</l> +<l>And lose the heaven I strive to win,</l> +<l>The forest life today I choose,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And kingly state and power refuse.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus mourning in that lonely spot</l> +<l>The troubled chief bewailed his lot,</l> +<l>And filled with tears, his eyes ran o'er;</l> +<l>Then silent sat, and spake no more.</l> +<l>To him, when ceased his loud lament,</l> +<l>Like fire whose brilliant might is spent,</l> +<l>Or the great sea when sleeps the wave,</l> +<l>Thus Lakshmaṇ consolation gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Chief of the brave who bear the bow,</q></l> +<l>E'en now Ayodhyá, sunk in woe,</l> +<l>By thy departure reft of light</l> +<l>Is gloomy as the moonless night.</l> +<l>Unfit it seems that thou, O chief,</l> +<l>Shouldst so afflict thy soul with grief,</l> +<l>So with thou Sítá's heart consign</l> +<l>To deep despair as well as mine.</l> +<l>Not I, O Raghu's son, nor she</l> +<l>Could live one hour deprived of thee:</l> +<l>We were, without thine arm to save,</l> +<l>Like fish deserted by the wave.</l> +<l>Although my mother dear to meet,</l> +<l>Śatrughna, and the king, were sweet,</l> +<l>On them, or heaven, to feed mine eye</l> +<l><q rend="post">Were nothing, if thou wert not by.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sitting at ease, their glances fell</l> +<l>Upon the beds, constructed well,</l> +<l>And there the sons of virtue laid</l> +<l>Their limbs beneath the fig tree's shade.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LIV"/> +<head>Canto LIV. Bharadvája's Hermitage.</head> + +<lg> +<l>So there that night the heroes spent</l> +<l>Under the boughs that o'er them bent,</l> +<l>And when the sun his glory spread,</l> +<l>Upstarting, from the place they sped.</l> +<l>On to that spot they made their way,</l> +<l>Through the dense wood that round them lay,</l> +<l>Where Yamuná's<note place="foot">The Jumna.</note> swift waters glide</l> +<l>To blend with Gangá's holy tide.</l> +<l>Charmed with the prospect ever new</l> +<l>The glorious heroes wandered through</l> +<l>Full many a spot of pleasant ground,</l> +<l>Rejoicing as they gazed around,</l> +<l>With eager eye and heart at ease,</l> +<l>On countless sorts of flowery trees.</l> +<l>And now the day was half-way sped</l> +<l>When thus to Lakshmaṇ Ráma said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">There, there, dear brother, turn thine eyes;</q></l> +<l>See near Prayág<note place="foot">The Hindu name of Allahabad.</note> +that smoke arise:</l> +<l>The banner of our Lord of Flames</l> +<l>The dwelling of some saint proclaims.</l> +<l>Near to the place our steps we bend</l> +<l>Where Yamuná and Gangá blend.</l> +<l>I hear and mark the deafening roar</l> +<l>When chafing floods together pour.</l> +<l>See, near us on the ground are left</l> +<l>Dry logs, by labouring woodmen cleft,</l> +<l>And the tall trees, that blossom near</l> +<l><q rend="post">Saint Bharadvája's home, appear.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The bow-armed princes onward passed,</l> +<l>And as the sun was sinking fast</l> +<l>They reached the hermit's dwelling, set</l> +<l>Near where the rushing waters met.</l> +<l>The presence of the warrior scared</l> +<l>The deer and birds as on he fared,</l> +<l>And struck them with unwonted awe:</l> +<l>Then Bharadvája's cot they saw.</l> +<l>The high-souled hermit soon they found</l> +<l>Girt by his dear disciples round:</l> +<l>Calm saint, whose vows had well been wrought,</l> +<l>Whose fervent rites keen sight had bought.</l> +<l>Duly had flames of worship blazed</l> +<l>When Ráma on the hermit gazed:</l> +<l>His suppliant hands the hero raised,</l> +<l>Drew nearer to the holy man</l> +<l>With his companions, and began,</l> +<l>Declaring both his name and race</l> +<l>And why they sought that distant place:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Saint, Daśaratha's children we,</q></l> +<l>Ráma and Lakshmaṇ, come to thee.</l> +<l>This my good wife from Janak springs,</l> +<l>The best of fair Videha's kings;</l> +<l>Through lonely wilds, a faultless dame,</l> +<l>To this pure grove with me she came.</l> +<l>My younger brother follows still</l> +<l>Me banished by my father's will:</l> +<l>Sumitrá's son, bound by a vow,—</l> +<l>He roams the wood beside me now.</l> +<l>Sent by my father forth to rove,</l> +<l>We seek, O Saint, some holy grove,</l> +<l>Where lives of hermits we may lead,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And upon fruits and berries feed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Bharadvája, prudent-souled,</l> +<l>Had heard the prince his tale unfold,</l> +<l>Water he bade them bring, a bull,</l> +<l>And honour-gifts in dishes full,</l> +<pb n="159"/><anchor id="Pg159"/> +<l>And drink and food of varied taste,</l> +<l>Berries and roots, before him placed,</l> +<l>And then the great ascetic showed</l> +<l>A cottage for the guests' abode.</l> +<l>The saint these honours gladly paid</l> +<l>To Ráma who had thither strayed,</l> +<l>Then compassed sat by birds and deer</l> +<l>And many a hermit resting near.</l> +<l>The prince received the service kind,</l> +<l>And sat him down rejoiced in mind.</l> +<l>Then Bharadvája silence broke,</l> +<l>And thus the words of duty spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Kakutstha's royal son, that thou</q></l> +<l>Hadst sought this grove I knew ere now.</l> +<l>Mine ears have heard thy story, sent</l> +<l>Without a sin to banishment.</l> +<l>Behold, O Prince, this ample space</l> +<l>Near where the mingling floods embrace,</l> +<l>Holy, and beautiful, and clear:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Dwell with us, and be happy here.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By Bharadvája thus addressed,</l> +<l>Ráma whose kind and tender breast</l> +<l>All living things would bless and save,</l> +<l>In gracious words his answer gave:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">My honoured lord, this tranquil spot,</q></l> +<l>Fair home of hermits, suits me not:</l> +<l>For all the neighbouring people here</l> +<l>Will seek us when they know me near:</l> +<l>With eager wish to look on me,</l> +<l>And the Videhan dame to see,</l> +<l>A crowd of rustics will intrude</l> +<l>Upon the holy solitude.</l> +<l>Provide, O gracious lord, I pray,</l> +<l>Some quiet home that lies away,</l> +<l>Where my Videhan spouse may dwell</l> +<l><q rend="post">Tasting the bliss deserved so well.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hermit heard the prayer he made:</l> +<l>A while in earnest thought he stayed,</l> +<l>And then in words like these expressed</l> +<l>His answer to the chief's request:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ten leagues away there stands a hill</q></l> +<l>Where thou mayst live, if such thy will:</l> +<l>A holy mount, exceeding fair;</l> +<l>Great saints have made their dwelling there:</l> +<l>There great Langúrs<note place="foot">The Langúr is a large monkey.</note> +in thousands play,</l> +<l>And bears amid the thickets stray;</l> +<l>Wide-known by Chitrakúṭa's name,</l> +<l>It rivals Gandhamádan's<note place="foot">A mountain said to lie to the east of +Meru.</note> fame.</l> +<l>Long as the man that hill who seeks</l> +<l>Gazes upon its sacred peaks,</l> +<l>To holy things his soul he gives</l> +<l>And pure from thought of evil lives.</l> +<l>There, while a hundred autumns fled,</l> +<l>Has many a saint with hoary head</l> +<l>Spent his pure life, and won the prize,</l> +<l>By deep devotion, in the skies:</l> +<l>Best home, I ween, if such retreat,</l> +<l>Far from the ways of men, be sweet:</l> +<l>Or let thy years of exile flee</l> +<l><q rend="post">Here in this hermitage with me.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Bharadvája spake, and trained</l> +<l>In lore of duty, entertained</l> +<l>The princes and the dame, and pressed</l> +<l>His friendly gifts on every guest.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus to Prayág the hero went,</l> +<l>Thus saw the saint preëminent,</l> +<l>And varied speeches heard and said:</l> +<l>Then holy night o'er heaven was spread.</l> +<l>And Ráma took, by toil oppressed,</l> +<l>With Sítá and his brother, rest;</l> +<l>And so the night, with sweet content,</l> +<l>In Bharadvája's grove was spent.</l> +<l>But when the dawn dispelled the night,</l> +<l>Ráma approached the anchorite,</l> +<l>And thus addressed the holy sire</l> +<l>Whose glory shone like kindled fire:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Well have we spent, O truthful Sage,</q></l> +<l>The night within thy hermitage:</l> +<l>Now let my lord his guests permit</l> +<l><q rend="post">For their new home his grove to quit.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then, as he saw the morning break,</l> +<l>In answer Bharadvája spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Go forth to Chitrakúṭa's hill,</q></l> +<l>Where berries grow, and sweets distil:</l> +<l>Full well, I deem, that home will suit</l> +<l>Thee, Ráma, strong and resolute.</l> +<l>Go forth, and Chitrakúṭa seek,</l> +<l>Famed mountain of the Varied Peak.</l> +<l>In the wild woods that gird him round</l> +<l>All creatures of the chase are found:</l> +<l>Thou in the glades shalt see appear</l> +<l>Vast herds of elephants and deer.</l> +<l>With Sítá there shalt thou delight</l> +<l>To gaze upon the woody height;</l> +<l>There with expanding heart to look</l> +<l>On river, table-land, and brook,</l> +<l>And see the foaming torrent rave</l> +<l>Impetuous from the mountain cave.</l> +<l>Auspicious hill! where all day long</l> +<l>The lapwing's cry, the Koïl's song</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Make all who listen gay:</l> +<l>Where all is fresh and fair to see,</l> +<l>Where elephants and deer roam free,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">There, as a hermit, stay.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LV"/> +<head>Canto LV. The Passage Of Yamuná.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The princely tamers of their foes</l> +<l>Thus passed the night in calm repose,</l> +<l>Then to the hermit having bent</l> +<l>With reverence, on their way they went.</l> +<l>High favour Bharadvája showed,</l> +<l>And blessed them ready for the road.</l> +<pb n="160"/><anchor id="Pg160"/> +<l>With such fond looks as fathers throw</l> +<l>On their own sons, before they go.</l> +<l>Then spake the saint with glory bright</l> +<l>To Ráma peerless in his might:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">First, lords of men, direct your feet</q></l> +<l>Where Yamuná and Gangá meet;</l> +<l>Then to the swift Kálindí<note place="foot">Another name of the Jumna, daughter +of the Sun.</note> go,</l> +<l>Whose westward waves to Gangá flow.</l> +<l>When thou shalt see her lovely shore</l> +<l>Worn by their feet who hasten o'er,</l> +<l>Then, Raghu's son, a raft prepare,</l> +<l>And cross the Sun born river there.</l> +<l>Upon her farther bank a tree,</l> +<l>Near to the landing wilt thou see.</l> +<l>The blessed source of varied gifts,</l> +<l>There her green boughs that Fig-tree lifts:</l> +<l>A tree where countless birds abide,</l> +<l>By Śyáma's name known far and wide.</l> +<l>Sítá, revere that holy shade:</l> +<l>There be thy prayers for blessing prayed.</l> +<l>Thence for a league your way pursue,</l> +<l>And a dark wood shall meet your view,</l> +<l>Where tall bamboos their foliage show,</l> +<l>The Gum-tree and the Jujube grow.</l> +<l>To Chitrakúṭa have I oft</l> +<l>Trodden that path so smooth and soft,</l> +<l>Where burning woods no traveller scare,</l> +<l><q rend="post">But all is pleasant, green, and fair.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When thus the guests their road had learned,</l> +<l>Back to his cot the hermit turned,</l> +<l>And Ráma, Lakshmaṇ, Sítá paid</l> +<l>Their reverent thanks for courteous aid.</l> +<l>Thus Ráma spake to Lakshmaṇ, when</l> +<l>The saint had left the lords of men:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Great store of bliss in sooth is ours</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">On whom his love the hermit showers.</q></l> +<l>As each to other wisely talked,</l> +<l>The lion lords together walked</l> +<l>On to Kálindí's woody shore;</l> +<l>And gentle Sítá went before.</l> +<l>They reached that flood, whose waters flee</l> +<l>With rapid current to the sea;</l> +<l>Their minds a while to thought they gave</l> +<l>And counselled how to cross the wave.</l> +<l>At length, with logs together laid,</l> +<l>A mighty raft the brothers made.</l> +<l>Then dry bamboos across were tied,</l> +<l>And grass was spread from side to side.</l> +<l>And the great hero Lakshmaṇ brought</l> +<l>Cane and Rose-Apple boughs and wrought,</l> +<l>Trimming the branches smooth and neat,</l> +<l>For Sítá's use a pleasant seat.</l> +<l>And Ráma placed thereon his dame</l> +<l>Touched with a momentary shame,</l> +<l>Resembling in her glorious mien</l> +<l>All-thought-surpassing Fortune's Queen.</l> +<l>Then Ráma hastened to dispose,</l> +<l>Each in its place, the skins and bows,</l> +<l>And by the fair Videhan laid</l> +<l>The coats, the ornaments, and spade.</l> +<l>When Sítá thus was set on board,</l> +<l>And all their gear was duly stored,</l> +<l>The heroes each with vigorous hand,</l> +<l>Pushed off the raft and left the land.</l> +<l>When half its way the raft had made,</l> +<l>Thus Sítá to Kálindí prayed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Goddess, whose flood I traverse now,</q></l> +<l>Grant that my lord may keep his vow.</l> +<l>For thee shall bleed a thousand kine,</l> +<l>A hundred jars shall pour their wine,</l> +<l>When Ráma sees that town again</l> +<l><q rend="post">Where old Ikshváku's children reign.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus to Kálindí's stream she sued</l> +<l>And prayed in suppliant attitude.</l> +<l>Then to the river's bank the dame,</l> +<l>Fervent in supplication, came.</l> +<l>They left the raft that brought them o'er,</l> +<l>And the thick wood that clothed the shore,</l> +<l>And to the Fig-tree Śyáma made</l> +<l>Their way, so cool with verdant shade.</l> +<l>Then Sítá viewed that best of trees,</l> +<l>And reverent spake in words like these:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hail, hail, O mighty tree! Allow</q></l> +<l>My husband to complete his vow;</l> +<l>Let us returning, I entreat,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Kauśalyá and Sumitrá meet.</q></l> +<l>Then with her hands together placed</l> +<l>Around the tree she duly paced.</l> +<l>When Ráma saw his blameless spouse</l> +<l>A suppliant under holy boughs,</l> +<l>The gentle darling of his heart,</l> +<l>He thus to Lakshmaṇ spake apart:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Brother, by thee our way be led;</q></l> +<l>Let Sítá close behind thee tread:</l> +<l>I, best of men, will grasp my bow,</l> +<l>And hindmost of the three will go.</l> +<l>What fruits soe'er her fancy take,</l> +<l>Or flowers half hidden in the brake,</l> +<l>For Janak's child forget not thou</l> +<l><q rend="post">To gather from the brake or bough.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus on they fared. The tender dame</l> +<l>Asked Ráma, as they walked, the name</l> +<l>Of every shrub that blossoms bore,</l> +<l>Creeper, and tree unseen before:</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ fetched, at Sítá's prayer,</l> +<l>Boughs of each tree with clusters fair.</l> +<l>Then Janak's daughter joyed to see</l> +<l>The sand-discoloured river flee,</l> +<l>Where the glad cry of many a bird,</l> +<l>The sáras and the swan, was heard.</l> +<l>A league the brothers travelled through</l> +<l>The forest noble game they slew:</l> +<l>Beneath the trees their meal they dressed</l> +<l>And sat them down to eat and rest.</l> +<l>A while in that delightful shade</l> +<l>Where elephants unnumbered strayed,</l> +<l>Where peacocks screamed and monkeys played,</l> +<pb n="161"/><anchor id="Pg161"/> +<l>They wandered with delight.</l> +<l>Then by the river's side they found</l> +<l>A pleasant spot of level ground,</l> +<l>Where all was smooth and fair around,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Their lodging for the night.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LVI"/> +<head>Canto LVI. Chitrakúta</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Ráma, when the morning rose,</l> +<l>Called Lakshmaṇ gently from repose:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Awake, the pleasant voices hear</q></l> +<l>Of forest birds that warble near.</l> +<l>Scourge of thy foes, no longer stay;</l> +<l><q rend="post">The hour is come to speed away.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The slumbering prince unclosed his eyes</l> +<l>When thus his brother bade him rise,</l> +<l>Compelling, at the timely cry,</l> +<l>Fatigue, and sleep, and rest to fly.</l> +<l>The brothers rose and Sítá too;</l> +<l>Pure water from the stream they drew,</l> +<l>Paid morning rites, then followed still</l> +<l>The road to Chitrakúṭa's hill.</l> +<l>Then Ráma as he took the road</l> +<l>With Lakshmaṇ, while the morning, glowed,</l> +<l>To the Videhan lady cried,</l> +<l>Sítá the fair, the lotus-eyed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Look round thee, dear; each flowery tree</q></l> +<l>Touched with the fire of morning see:</l> +<l>The Kinśuk, now the Frosts are fled,—</l> +<l>How glorious with his wreaths of red!</l> +<l>The Bel-trees see, so loved of men,</l> +<l>Hanging their boughs in every glen.</l> +<l>O'erburthened with their fruit and flowers:</l> +<l>A plenteous store of food is ours.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">See, Lakshmaṇ, in the leafy trees,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Where'er they make their home.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Down hangs, the work of labouring bees</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The ponderous honeycomb.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In the fair wood before us spread</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The startled wild-cock cries:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Hark, where the flowers are soft to tread,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The peacock's voice replies.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Where elephants are roaming free,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And sweet birds' songs are loud,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The glorious Chitrakúṭa see:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">His peaks are in the cloud.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">On fair smooth ground he stands displayed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Begirt by many a tree:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">O brother, in that holy shade</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">How happy shall we be!</q><note +place="foot"><q>We have often looked on that green hill: it is the holiest spot of that +sect of the Hindu faith who devote themselves to this incarnation of Vishṇu. The whole +neighbourhood is Ráma's country. Every headland has some legend, every cavern +is connected with his name; some of the wild fruits are still called +<hi rend='italic'>Sítáphal</hi>, being the reputed food of the exile. Thousands +and thousands annually visit the spot, and round the hill is a raised foot-path, on +which the devotee, with naked feet, treads full of pious awe.</q> +<hi rend='italic'>Calcutta Review</hi>, Vol. XXIII.</note></l> +<l>Then Ráma, Lakshmaṇ, Sítá, each</l> +<l>Spoke raising suppliant hands this speech</l> +<l>To him, in woodland dwelling met,</l> +<l>Válmíki, ancient anchoret:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Saint, this mountain takes the mind,</q></l> +<l>With creepers, trees of every kind,</l> +<l>With fruit and roots abounding thus,</l> +<l>A pleasant life it offers us:</l> +<l>Here for a while we fain would stay,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And pass a season blithe and gay.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then the great saint, in duty trained,</l> +<l>With honour gladly entertained:</l> +<l>He gave his guests a welcome fair,</l> +<l>And bade them sit and rest them there,</l> +<l>Ráma of mighty arm and chest</l> +<l>His faithful Lakshmaṇ then addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Brother, bring hither from the wood</q></l> +<l>Selected timber strong and good,</l> +<l>And build therewith a little cot;</l> +<l>My heart rejoices in the spot</l> +<l>That lies beneath the mountain's side,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Remote, with water well supplied.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sumitrá's son his words obeyed,</l> +<l>Brought many a tree, and deftly made,</l> +<l>With branches in the forest cut,</l> +<l>As Ráma bade, a leafy hut.</l> +<l>Then Ráma, when the cottage stood</l> +<l>Fair, firmly built, and walled with wood,</l> +<l>To Lakshmaṇ spake, whose eager mind</l> +<l>To do his brother's will inclined:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now, Lakshmaṇ as our cot is made,</q></l> +<l>Must sacrifice be duly paid</l> +<l>By us, for lengthened life who hope,</l> +<l>With venison of the antelope.</l> +<l>Away, O bright-eyed Lakshmaṇ, speed:</l> +<l>Struck by thy bow a deer must bleed:</l> +<l>As Scripture bids, we must not slight</l> +<l><q rend="post">The duty that commands the rite.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Lakshmaṇ, the chief whose arrows laid</l> +<l>His foemen low, his word obeyed;</l> +<l>And Ráma thus again addressed</l> +<l>The swift performer of his hest:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Prepare the venison thou hast shot,</q></l> +<l>To sacrifice for this our cot.</l> +<l>Haste, brother dear, for this the hour,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And this the day of certain power.</q></l> +<l>Then glorious Lakshmaṇ took the buck</l> +<l>His arrow in the wood had struck;</l> +<l>Bearing his mighty load he came,</l> +<l>And laid it in the kindled flame.</l> +<pb n="162"/><anchor id="Pg162"/> +<l>Soon as he saw the meat was done,</l> +<l>And that the juices ceased to run</l> +<l>From the broiled carcass, Lakshmaṇ then</l> +<l>Spoke thus to Ráma best of men:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The carcass of the buck, entire,</q></l> +<l>Is ready dressed upon the fire.</l> +<l>Now be the sacred rites begun</l> +<l><q rend="post">To please the God, thou godlike one.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Ráma the good, in ritual trained,</l> +<l>Pure from the bath, with thoughts restrained,</l> +<l>Hasted those verses to repeat</l> +<l>Which make the sacrifice complete.</l> +<l>The hosts celestial came in view,</l> +<l>And Ráma to the cot withdrew,</l> +<l>While a sweet sense of rapture stole</l> +<l>Through the unequalled hero's soul.</l> +<l>He paid the Viśvedevas<note place="foot">Deities of a particular class in which +five or ten are enumerated. They are worshipped particularly at the funeral +obsequies in honour of deceased progenitors.</note> due.</l> +<l>And Rudra's right, and Vishṇu's too,</l> +<l>Nor wonted blessings, to protect</l> +<l>Their new-built home, did he neglect.</l> +<l>With voice repressed he breathed the prayer,</l> +<l>Bathed duly in the river fair,</l> +<l>And gave good offerings that remove</l> +<l>The stain of sin, as texts approve.</l> +<l>And many an altar there he made,</l> +<l>And shrines, to suit the holy shade,</l> +<l>All decked with woodland chaplets sweet,</l> +<l>And fruit and roots and roasted meat,</l> +<l>With muttered prayer, as texts require,</l> +<l>Water, and grass and wood and fire.</l> +<l>So Ráma, Lakshmaṇ, Sítá paid</l> +<l>Their offerings to each God and shade,</l> +<l>And entered then their pleasant cot</l> +<l>That bore fair signs of happy lot.</l> +<l>They entered, the illustrious three,</l> +<l>The well-set cottage, fair to see,</l> +<l>Roofed with the leaves of many a tree,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And fenced from wind and rain:</l> +<l>So, at their Father Brahmá's call,</l> +<l>The Gods of heaven, assembling all,</l> +<l>To their own glorious council hall</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Advance in shining train.</l> +<l>So, resting on that lovely hill,</l> +<l>Near the fair lily-covered rill,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The happy prince forgot,</l> +<l>Surrounded by the birds and deer,</l> +<l>The woe, the longing, and the fear</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That gloom the exile's lot.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LVII"/> +<head>Canto LVII. Sumantra's Return.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Ráma reached the southern bank,</l> +<l>King Guha's heart with sorrow sank:</l> +<l>He with Sumantra talked, and spent</l> +<l>With his deep sorrow, homeward went.</l> +<l>Sumantra, as the king decreed,</l> +<l>Yoked to the car each noble steed,</l> +<l>And to Ayodhyá's city sped</l> +<l>With his sad heart disquieted.</l> +<l>On lake and brook and scented grove</l> +<l>His glances fell, as on he drove:</l> +<l>City and village came in view</l> +<l>As o'er the road his coursers flew.</l> +<l>On the third day the charioteer,</l> +<l>When now the hour of night was near,</l> +<l>Came to Ayodhyá's gate, and found</l> +<l>The city all in sorrow drowned.</l> +<l>To him, in spirit quite cast down,</l> +<l>Forsaken seemed the silent town,</l> +<l>And by the rush of grief oppressed</l> +<l>He pondered in his mournful breast:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Is all Ayodhyá burnt with grief,</q></l> +<l>Steed, elephant, and man, and chief?</l> +<l>Does her loved Ráma's exile so</l> +<l><q rend="post">Afflict her with the fires of woe?</q></l> +<l>Thus as he mused, his steeds flew fast,</l> +<l>And swiftly through the gate he passed.</l> +<l>On drove the charioteer, and then</l> +<l>In hundreds, yea in thousands, men</l> +<l>Ran to the car from every side,</l> +<l>And, <q>Ráma, where is Ráma?</q> cried.</l> +<l>Sumantra said: <q rend="pre">My chariot bore</q></l> +<l>The duteous prince to Gangá's shore;</l> +<l>I left him there at his behest,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And homeward to Ayodhyá pressed.</q></l> +<l>Soon as the anxious people knew</l> +<l>That he was o'er the flood they drew</l> +<l>Deep sighs, and crying, Ráma! all</l> +<l>Wailed, and big tears began to fall.</l> +<l>He heard the mournful words prolonged,</l> +<l>As here and there the people thronged:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Woe, woe for us, forlorn, undone,</q></l> +<l>No more to look on Raghu's son!</l> +<l>His like again we ne'er shall see,</l> +<l>Of heart so true, of hand so free,</l> +<l>In gifts, in gatherings for debate,</l> +<l>When marriage pomps we celebrate,</l> +<l>What should we do? What earthly thing</l> +<l><q rend="post">Can rest, or hope, or pleasure bring?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus the sad town, which Ráma kept</l> +<l>As a kind father, wailed and wept.</l> +<l>Each mansion, as the car went by,</l> +<l>Sent forth a loud and bitter cry,</l> +<l>As to the window every dame,</l> +<l>Mourning for banished Ráma, came.</l> +<l>As his sad eyes with tears o'erflowed,</l> +<l>He sped along the royal road</l> +<l>To Daśaratha's high abode.</l> +<l>There leaping down his car he stayed;</l> +<l>Within the gates his way he made;</l> +<l>Through seven broad courts he onward hied</l> +<l>Where people thronged on every side.</l> +<l>From each high terrace, wild with woe,</l> +<l>The royal ladies flocked below:</l> +<pb n="163"/><anchor id="Pg163"/> +<l>He heard them talk in gentle tone,</l> +<l>As each for Ráma made her moan:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What will the charioteer reply</q></l> +<l>To Queen Kauśalyá's eager cry?</l> +<l>With Ráma from the gates he went;</l> +<l>Homeward alone, his steps are bent.</l> +<l>Hard is a life with woe distressed,</l> +<l>But difficult to win is rest,</l> +<l>If, when her son is banished, still</l> +<l><q rend="post">She lives beneath her load of ill.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Such was the speech Sumantra heard</l> +<l>From them whom grief unfeigned had stirred.</l> +<l>As fires of anguish burnt him through,</l> +<l>Swift to the monarch's hall he drew,</l> +<l>Past the eighth court; there met his sight,</l> +<l>The sovereign in his palace bright,</l> +<l>Still weeping for his son, forlorn,</l> +<l>Pale, faint, and all with sorrow worn.</l> +<l>As there he sat, Sumantra bent</l> +<l>And did obeisance reverent,</l> +<l>And to the king repeated o'er</l> +<l>The message he from Ráma bore.</l> +<l>The monarch heard, and well-nigh brake</l> +<l>His heart, but yet no word he spake:</l> +<l>Fainting to earth he fell, and dumb,</l> +<l>By grief for Ráma overcome.</l> +<l>Rang through the hall a startling cry,</l> +<l>And women's arms were tossed on high,</l> +<l>When, with his senses all astray,</l> +<l>Upon the ground the monarch lay.</l> +<l>Kauśalyá, with Sumitrá's aid,</l> +<l>Raised from the ground her lord dismayed:</l> +<l><q>Sire, of high fate,</q> she cried, <q rend="pre">O, why</q></l> +<l>Dost thou no single word reply</l> +<l>To Ráma's messenger who brings</l> +<l>News of his painful wanderings?</l> +<l>The great injustice done, art thou</l> +<l>Shame-stricken for thy conduct now?</l> +<l>Rise up, and do thy part: bestow</l> +<l>Comfort and help in this our woe.</l> +<l>Speak freely, King; dismiss thy fear,</l> +<l>For Queen Kaikeyí stands not near,</l> +<l>Afraid of whom thou wouldst not seek</l> +<l><q rend="post">Tidings of Ráma: freely speak.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When the sad queen had ended so,</l> +<l>She sank, insatiate in her woe,</l> +<l>And prostrate lay upon the ground,</l> +<l>While her faint voice by sobs was drowned.</l> +<l>When all the ladies in despair</l> +<l>Saw Queen Kauśalyá wailing there,</l> +<l>And the poor king oppressed with pain,</l> +<l>They flocked around and wept again.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LVIII"/> +<head>Canto LVIII. Ráma's Message.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The king a while had senseless lain,</l> +<l>When care brought memory back again.</l> +<l>Then straight he called, the news to hear</l> +<l>Of Ráma, for the charioteer,</l> +<l>With reverent hand to hand applied</l> +<l>He waited by the old man's side,</l> +<l>Whose mind with anguish was distraught</l> +<l>Like a great elephant newly caught.</l> +<l>The king with bitter pain distressed</l> +<l>The faithful charioteer addressed,</l> +<l>Who, sad of mien, with flooded eye,</l> +<l>And dust upon his limbs, stood by:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Where will be Ráma's dwelling now</q></l> +<l>At some tree's foot, beneath the bough;</l> +<l>Ah, what will be the exile's food,</l> +<l>Bred up with kind solicitude?</l> +<l>Can he, long lapped in pleasant rest,</l> +<l>Unmeet for pain, by pain oppressed,</l> +<l>Son of earth's king, his sad night spend</l> +<l>Earth-couched, as one that has no friend?</l> +<l>Behind him, when abroad he sped,</l> +<l>Cars, elephant, and foot were led:</l> +<l>Then how shall Ráma dwell afar</l> +<l>In the wild woods where no men are?</l> +<l>How, tell me, did the princes there,</l> +<l>With Sítá good and soft and fair,</l> +<l>Alighting from the chariot, tread</l> +<l>The forest wilds around them spread?</l> +<l>A happy lot is thine, I ween,</l> +<l>Whose eyes my two dear sons have seen</l> +<l>Seeking on foot the forest shade,</l> +<l>Like the bright Twins to view displayed,</l> +<l>The heavenly Aśvins, when they seek</l> +<l>The woods that hang 'neath Mandar's peak.</l> +<l>What words, Sumantra, quickly tell,</l> +<l>From Ráma, Lakshmaṇ, Sítá fell?</l> +<l>How in the wood did Ráma eat?</l> +<l>What was his bed, and what his seat?</l> +<l>Full answer to my questions give,</l> +<l>For I on thy replies shall live,</l> +<l>As with the saints Yayáti held</l> +<l><q rend="post">Sweet converse, from the skies expelled.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Urged by the lord of men to speak,</l> +<l>Whose sobbing voice came faint and weak,</l> +<l>Thus he, while tears his utterance broke,</l> +<l>In answer to the monarch spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hear then the words that Ráma said,</q></l> +<l>Resolved in duty's path to tread.</l> +<l>Joining his hands, his head he bent,</l> +<l>And gave this message, reverent:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Sumantra, to my father go,</q></l> +<l>Whose lofty mind all people know:</l> +<l>Bow down before him, as is meet,</l> +<l>And in my stead salute his feet.</l> +<l>Then to the queen my mother bend,</l> +<l>And give the greeting that I send:</l> +<l>Ne'er may her steps from duty err,</l> +<l>And may it still be well with her.</l> +<l>And add this word: <q rend="pre">O Queen, pursue</q></l> +<l>Thy vows with faithful heart and true;</l> +<l>And ever at due season turn</l> +<l>Where holy fires of worship burn.</l> +<l>And, lady, on our lord bestow</l> +<pb n="164"/><anchor id="Pg164"/> +<l>Such honour as to Gods we owe.</l> +<l>Be kind to every queen: let pride</l> +<l>And thought of self be cast aside.</l> +<l>In the king's fond opinion raise</l> +<l>Kaikeyí, by respect and praise.</l> +<l>Let the young Bharat ever be</l> +<l>Loved, honoured as the king by thee:</l> +<l>Thy king-ward duty ne'er forget:</l> +<l><q rend="post">High over all are monarchs set.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And Bharat, too, for me address:</l> +<l>Pray that all health his life may bless.</l> +<l>Let every royal lady share,</l> +<l>As justice bids, his love and care.</l> +<l>Say to the strong-armed chief who brings</l> +<l>Joy to Iksváku's line of kings:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">As ruling prince thy care be shown</q></l> +<l>Of him, our sire, who holds the throne.</l> +<l>Stricken in years he feels their weight;</l> +<l>But leave him in his royal state.</l> +<l>As regent heir content thee still,</l> +<l><q rend="post"><q rend="post">Submissive to thy father's will.</q></q></l> +<l>Ráma again his charge renewed,</l> +<l>As the hot flood his cheek bedewed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hold as thine own my mother dear</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Who drops for me the longing tear.</q></l> +<l>Then Lakshmaṇ, with his soul on fire,</l> +<l>Spake breathing fast these words of ire:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Say, for what sin, for what offence</q></l> +<l>Was royal Ráma banished thence?</l> +<l>He is the cause, the king: poor slave</l> +<l>To the light charge Kaikeyí gave.</l> +<l>Let right or wrong the motive be,</l> +<l>The author of our woe is he.</l> +<l>Whether the exile were decreed</l> +<l>Through foolish faith or guilty greed,</l> +<l>For promises or empire, still</l> +<l>The king has wrought a grievous ill.</l> +<l>Grant that the Lord of all saw fit</l> +<l>To prompt the deed and sanction it,</l> +<l>In Ráma's life no cause I see</l> +<l>For which the king should bid him flee.</l> +<l>His blinded eyes refused to scan</l> +<l>The guilt and folly of the plan,</l> +<l>And from the weakness of the king</l> +<l>Here and hereafter woe shall spring.</l> +<l>No more my sire: the ties that used</l> +<l>To bind me to the king are loosed.</l> +<l>My brother Ráma, Raghu's son,</l> +<l>To me is lord, friend, sire in one.</l> +<l>The love of men how can he win,</l> +<l>Deserting, by the cruel sin,</l> +<l>Their joy, whose heart is swift to feel</l> +<l>A pleasure in the people's weal?</l> +<l>Shall he whose mandate could expel</l> +<l>The virtuous Ráma, loved so well,</l> +<l>To whom his subjects' fond hearts cling—</l> +<l><q rend="post">Shall he in spite of them be king?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But Janak's child, my lord, stood by,</l> +<l>And oft the votaress heaved a sigh.</l> +<l>She seemed with dull and wandering sense,</l> +<l>Beneath a spirit's influence.</l> +<l>The noble princess, pained with woe</l> +<l>Which till that hour she ne'er could know,</l> +<l>Tears in her heavy trouble shed,</l> +<l>But not a word to me she said.</l> +<l>She raised her face which grief had dried</l> +<l>And tenderly her husband eyed,</l> +<l>Gazed on him as he turned to go</l> +<l><q rend="post">While tear chased tear in rapid flow.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LIX"/> +<head>Canto LIX. Dasaratha's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>As thus Sumantra, best of peers,</l> +<l>Told his sad tale with many tears,</l> +<l>The monarch cried, <q rend="pre">I pray thee, tell</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">At length again what there befell.</q></l> +<l>Sumantra, at the king's behest,</l> +<l>Striving with sobs he scarce repressed,</l> +<l>His trembling voice at last controlled,</l> +<l>And thus his further tidings told:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Their locks in votive coils they wound,</q></l> +<l>Their coats of bark upon them bound,</l> +<l>To Gangá's farther shore they went,</l> +<l>Thence to Prayág their steps were bent.</l> +<l>I saw that Lakshmaṇ walked ahead</l> +<l>To guard the path the two should tread.</l> +<l>So far I saw, no more could learn,</l> +<l>Forced by the hero to return.</l> +<l>Retracing slow my homeward course,</l> +<l>Scarce could I move each stubborn horse:</l> +<l>Shedding hot tears of grief he stood</l> +<l>When Ráma turned him to the wood.<note place="foot"><p><q>So in Homer the horses of +Achilles lamented with many bitter tears the death of Patroclus slain by Hector:</q></p> +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">Ἵπποι δ' Αἰακίδαο, μάχης ἀπάνευθεν ἐότες,</q></l> +<l>Κλᾶιον, ἐπειδὴ πρῶτα πυθέσθην ἡνιόχοιο</l> +<l><q rend="post">Ἐν κονίνσι πεσόντος ὑφ' Ἕκτορος ἀνδροφόνοιο</q></l> +</lg> +<p><hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Iliad.</hi> XVII. 426.</p> +<p><q>Ancient poesy frequently associated nature with the joys and sorrows of man.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio.</hi></p></note></l> +<l>As the two princes parted thence</l> +<l>I raised my hands in reverence,</l> +<l>Mounted my ready car, and bore</l> +<l>The grief that stung me to the core.</l> +<l>With Guha all that day I stayed,</l> +<l>Still by the earnest hope delayed</l> +<l>That Ráma, ere the time should end,</l> +<l>Some message from the wood might send.</l> +<l>Thy realms, great Monarch, mourn the blow,</l> +<l>And sympathize with Ráma's woe.</l> +<pb n="165"/><anchor id="Pg165"/> +<l>Each withering tree hangs low his head,</l> +<l>And shoot, and bud, and flower are dead.</l> +<l>Dried are the floods that wont to fill</l> +<l>The lake, the river, and the rill.</l> +<l>Drear is each grove and garden now,</l> +<l>Dry every blossom on the bough.</l> +<l>Each beast is still, no serpents crawl:</l> +<l>A lethargy of woe on all.</l> +<l>The very wood is silent: crushed</l> +<l>With grief for Ráma, all is hushed.</l> +<l>Fair blossoms from the water born,</l> +<l>Gay garlands that the earth adorn,</l> +<l>And every fruit that gleams like gold,</l> +<l>Have lost the scent that charmed of old.</l> +<l>Empty is every grove I see,</l> +<l>Or birds sit pensive on the tree.</l> +<l>Where'er I look, its beauty o'er,</l> +<l>The pleasance charms not as before.</l> +<l>I drove through fair Ayodhyá's street:</l> +<l>None flew with joy the car to meet.</l> +<l>They saw that Ráma was not there,</l> +<l>And turned them sighing in despair.</l> +<l>The people in the royal way</l> +<l>Wept tears of bitter grief, when they</l> +<l>Beheld me coming, from afar,</l> +<l>No Ráma with me in the car.</l> +<l>From palace roof and turret high</l> +<l>Each woman bent her eager eye;</l> +<l>She looked for Ráma, but in vain;</l> +<l>Gazed on the car and shrieked for pain.</l> +<l>Their long clear eyes with sorrow drowned</l> +<l>They, when this common grief was found,</l> +<l>Looked each on other, friend and foe,</l> +<l>In sympathy of levelling woe:</l> +<l>No shade of difference between</l> +<l>Foe, friend, or neutral, there was seen.</l> +<l>Without a joy, her bosom rent</l> +<l>With grief for Ráma's banishment,</l> +<l>Ayodhyá like the queen appears</l> +<l><q rend="post">Who mourns her son with many tears.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ended: and the king, distressed.</l> +<l>With sobbing voice that lord addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah me, by false Kaikeyí led,</q></l> +<l>Of evil race, to evil bred,</l> +<l>I took no counsel of the sage,</l> +<l>Nor sought advice from skill and age,</l> +<l>I asked no lord his aid to lend,</l> +<l>I called no citizen or friend.</l> +<l>Rash was my deed, bereft of sense</l> +<l>Slave to a woman's influence.</l> +<l>Surely, my lord, a woe so great</l> +<l>Falls on us by the will of Fate;</l> +<l>It lays the house of Raghu low,</l> +<l>For Destiny will have it so.</l> +<l>I pray thee, if I e'er have done</l> +<l>An act to please thee, yea, but one,</l> +<l>Fly, fly, and Ráma homeward lead:</l> +<l>My life, departing, counsels speed.</l> +<l>Fly, ere the power to bid I lack,</l> +<l>Fly to the wood: bring Ráma back.</l> +<l>I cannot live for even one</l> +<l>Short hour bereaved of my son.</l> +<l>But ah, the prince, whose arms are strong,</l> +<l>Has journeyed far: the way is long:</l> +<l>Me, me upon the chariot place,</l> +<l>And let me look on Ráma's face.</l> +<l>Ah me, my son, mine eldest-born,</l> +<l>Where roams he in the wood forlorn,</l> +<l>The wielder of the mighty bow,</l> +<l>Whose shoulders like the lion's show?</l> +<l>O, ere the light of life be dim,</l> +<l>Take me to Sítá and to him.</l> +<l>O Ráma, Lakshmaṇ, and O thou</l> +<l>Dear Sítá, constant to thy vow,</l> +<l>Beloved ones, you cannot know</l> +<l><q rend="post">That I am dying of my woe.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The king to bitter grief a prey,</l> +<l>That drove each wandering sense away,</l> +<l>Sunk in affliction's sea, too wide</l> +<l>To traverse, in his anguish cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hard, hard to pass, my Queen, this sea</q></l> +<l>Of sorrow raging over me:</l> +<l>No Ráma near to soothe mine eye,</l> +<l>Plunged in its lowest deeps I lie.</l> +<l>Sorrow for Ráma swells the tide,</l> +<l>And Sítá's absence makes it wide:</l> +<l>My tears its foamy flood distain,</l> +<l>Made billowy by my sighs of pain:</l> +<l>My cries its roar, the arms I throw</l> +<l>About me are the fish below,</l> +<l>Kaikeyí is the fire that feeds</l> +<l>Beneath: my hair the tangled weeds:</l> +<l>Its source the tears for Ráma shed:</l> +<l>The hump-back's words its monsters dread:</l> +<l>The boon I gave the wretch its shore,</l> +<l>Till Ráma's banishment be o'er.<note place="foot">The lines containing +this heap of forced metaphors are marked as spurious by +Schlegel.</note></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Ah me, that I should long to set</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">My eager eyes to-day</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">On Raghu's son, and he be yet</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">With Lakshmaṇ far away!</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus he of lofty glory wailed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And sank upon the bed.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Beneath the woe his spirit failed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And all his senses fled.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LX"/> +<head>Canto LX. Kausalyá Consoled.</head> + +<lg> +<l>As Queen Kauśalyá, trembling much,</l> +<l>As blighted by a goblin's touch,</l> +<l>Still lying prostrate, half awoke</l> +<l>To consciousness, 'twas thus she spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Bear me away, Sumantra, far,</q></l> +<l>Where Ráma, Sítá, Lakshmaṇ are.</l> +<l>Bereft of them I have no power</l> +<l>To linger on a single hour.</l> +<pb n="166"/><anchor id="Pg166"/> +<l>Again, I pray, thy steps retrace,</l> +<l>And me in Daṇḍak forest place,</l> +<l>For after them I needs must go,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Or sink to Yama's realms below.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His utterance choked by tears that rolled</l> +<l>Down from their fountains uncontrolled,</l> +<l>With suppliant hands the charioteer</l> +<l>Thus spake, the lady's heart to cheer:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Dismiss thy grief, despair, and dread</q></l> +<l>That fills thy soul, of sorrow bred,</l> +<l>For pain and anguish thrown aside,</l> +<l>Will Ráma in the wood abide.</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ, with unfailing care</l> +<l>Will guard the feet of Ráma there,</l> +<l>Earning, with governed sense, the prize</l> +<l>That waits on duty in the skies.</l> +<l>And Sítá in the wild as well</l> +<l>As in her own dear home will dwell;</l> +<l>To Ráma all her heart she gives,</l> +<l>And free from doubt and terror lives.</l> +<l>No faintest sign of care or woe</l> +<l>The features of the lady show:</l> +<l>Methinks Videha's pride was made</l> +<l>For exile in the forest shade.</l> +<l>E'en as of old she used to rove</l> +<l>Delighted in the city's grove,</l> +<l>Thus, even thus she joys to tread</l> +<l>The woodlands uninhabited.</l> +<l>Like a young child, her face as fair</l> +<l>As the young moon, she wanders there.</l> +<l>What though in lonely woods she stray</l> +<l>Still Ráma is her joy and stay:</l> +<l>All his the heart no sorrow bends,</l> +<l>Her very life on him depends.</l> +<l>For, if her lord she might not see,</l> +<l>Ayodhyá like the wood would be.</l> +<l>She bids him, as she roams, declare</l> +<l>The names of towns and hamlets there,</l> +<l>Marks various trees that meet her eye,</l> +<l>And many a brook that hurries by,</l> +<l>And Janak's daughter seems to roam</l> +<l>One little league away from home</l> +<l>When Ráma or his brother speaks</l> +<l>And gives the answer that she seeks.</l> +<l>This, Lady, I remember well,</l> +<l>Nor angry words have I to tell:</l> +<l>Reproaches at Kaikeyí shot,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Such, Queen, my mind remembers not.</q></l> +<l>The speech when Sítá's wrath was high,</l> +<l>Sumantra passed in silence by,</l> +<l>That so his pleasant words might cheer</l> +<l>With sweet report Kauśalyá's ear.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Her moonlike beauty suffers not</q></l> +<l>Though winds be rude and suns be hot:</l> +<l>The way, the danger, and the toil</l> +<l>Her gentle lustre may not soil.</l> +<l>Like the red lily's leafy crown</l> +<l>Or as the fair full moon looks down,</l> +<l>So the Videhan lady's face</l> +<l>Still shines with undiminished grace.</l> +<l>What if the borrowed colours throw</l> +<l>O'er her fine feet no rosy glow,</l> +<l>Still with their natural tints they spread</l> +<l>A lotus glory where they tread.</l> +<l>In sportive grace she walks the ground</l> +<l>And sweet her chiming anklets sound.</l> +<l>No jewels clasp the faultless limb:</l> +<l>She leaves them all for love of him.</l> +<l>If in the woods her gentle eye</l> +<l>A lion sees, or tiger nigh,</l> +<l>Or elephant, she fears no ill</l> +<l>For Ráma's arm supports her still.</l> +<l>No longer be their fate deplored,</l> +<l>Nor thine, nor that of Kośal's lord,</l> +<l>For conduct such as theirs shall buy</l> +<l>Wide glory that can never die.</l> +<l>For casting grief and care away,</l> +<l>Delighting in the forest, they</l> +<l>With joyful spirits, blithe and gay,</l> +<l>Set forward on the ancient way</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Where mighty saints have led:</l> +<l>Their highest aim, their dearest care</l> +<l>To keep their father's honour fair,</l> +<l>Observing still the oath he sware,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">They roam, on wild fruit fed.</q></l> +<l>Thus with persuasive art he tried</l> +<l>To turn her from her grief aside,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By soothing fancies won.</l> +<l>But still she gave her sorrow vent:</l> +<l><q>Ah Ráma,</q> was her shrill lament,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>My love, my son, my son!</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXI"/> +<head>Canto LXI. Kausalyá's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When, best of all who give delight,</l> +<l>Her Ráma wandered far from sight,</l> +<l>Kauśalyá weeping, sore distressed,</l> +<l>The king her husband thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy name, O Monarch, far and wide</q></l> +<l>Through the three worlds is glorified:</l> +<l>Yet Ráma's is the pitying mind,</l> +<l>His speed is true, his heart is kind.</l> +<l>How will thy sons, good lord, sustain</l> +<l>With Sítá, all their care and pain?</l> +<l>How in the wild endure distress,</l> +<l>Nursed in the lap of tenderness?</l> +<l>How will the dear Videhan bear</l> +<l>The heat and cold when wandering there</l> +<l>Bred in the bliss of princely state,</l> +<l>So young and fair and delicate?</l> +<l>The large-eyed lady, wont to eat</l> +<l>The best of finely seasoned meat—</l> +<l>How will she now her life sustain</l> +<l>With woodland fare of self-sown grain?</l> +<l>Will she, with joys encompassed long,</l> +<l>Who loved the music and the song,</l> +<l>In the wild wood endure to hear</l> +<l>The ravening lion's voice of fear?</l> +<l>Where sleeps my strong-armed hero, where,</l> +<pb n="167"/><anchor id="Pg167"/> +<l>Like Lord Mahendra's standard, fair?</l> +<l>Where is, by Lakshmaṇ's side, his bed,</l> +<l>His club-like arm beneath his head?</l> +<l>When shall I see his flower-like eyes,</l> +<l>And face that with the lotus vies,</l> +<l>Feel his sweet lily breath, and view</l> +<l>His glorious hair and lotus hue?</l> +<l>The heart within my breast, I feel,</l> +<l>Is adamant or hardest steel,</l> +<l>Or, in a thousand fragments split,</l> +<l>The loss of him had shattered it,</l> +<l>When those I love, who should be blest,</l> +<l>Are wandering in the wood distressed,</l> +<l>Condemned their wretched lives to lead</l> +<l>In exile, by thy ruthless deed.</l> +<l>If, when the fourteen years are past,</l> +<l>Ráma reseeks his home at last,</l> +<l>I think not Bharat will consent</l> +<l>To yield the wealth and government.</l> +<l>At funeral feasts some mourners deal</l> +<l>To kith and kin the solemn meal,</l> +<l>And having duly fed them all</l> +<l>Some Bráhmans to the banquet call.</l> +<l>The best of Bráhmans, good and wise,</l> +<l>The tardy summoning despise,</l> +<l>And, equal to the Gods, disdain</l> +<l>Cups, e'en of Amrit, thus to drain.</l> +<l>Nay e'en when Bráhmans first have fed,</l> +<l>They loathe the meal for others spread,</l> +<l>And from the leavings turn with scorn,</l> +<l>As bulls avoid a fractured horn.</l> +<l>So Ráma, sovereign lord of men,</l> +<l>Will spurn the sullied kingship then:</l> +<l>He born the eldest and the best,</l> +<l>His younger's leavings will detest,</l> +<l>Turning from tasted food away,</l> +<l>As tigers scorn another's prey.</l> +<l>The sacred post is used not twice,</l> +<l>Nor elements, in sacrifice.</l> +<l>But once the sacred grass is spread,</l> +<l>But once with oil the flame is fed:</l> +<l>So Ráma's pride will ne'er receive</l> +<l>The royal power which others leave,</l> +<l>Like wine when tasteless dregs are left,</l> +<l>Or rites of Soma juice bereft.</l> +<l>Be sure the pride of Raghu's race</l> +<l>Will never stoop to such disgrace:</l> +<l>The lordly lion will not bear</l> +<l>That man should beard him in his lair.</l> +<l>Were all the worlds against him ranged</l> +<l>His dauntless soul were still unchanged:</l> +<l>He, dutiful, in duty strong,</l> +<l>Would purge the impious world from wrong.</l> +<l>Could not the hero, brave and bold,</l> +<l>The archer, with his shafts of gold,</l> +<l>Burn up the very seas, as doom</l> +<l>Will in the end all life consume?</l> +<l>Of lion's might, eyed like a bull,</l> +<l>A prince so brave and beautiful,</l> +<l>Thou hast with wicked hate pursued,</l> +<l>Like sea-born tribes who eat their brood.</l> +<l>If thou, O Monarch, hadst but known</l> +<l>The duty all the Twice-born own,</l> +<l>If the good laws had touched thy mind,</l> +<l>Which sages in the Scriptures find,</l> +<l>Thou ne'er hadst driven forth to pine</l> +<l>This brave, this duteous son of thine.</l> +<l>First on her lord the wife depends,</l> +<l>Next on her son and last on friends:</l> +<l>These three supports in life has she,</l> +<l>And not a fourth for her may be.</l> +<l>Thy heart, O King, I have not won;</l> +<l>In wild woods roams my banished son;</l> +<l>Far are my friends: ah, hapless me,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Quite ruined and destroyed by thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXII"/> +<head>Canto LXII. Dasaratha Consoled.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The queen's stern speech the monarch heard,</l> +<l>As rage and grief her bosom stirred,</l> +<l>And by his anguish sore oppressed</l> +<l>Reflected in his secret breast.</l> +<l>Fainting and sad, with woe distraught,</l> +<l>He wandered in a maze of thought;</l> +<l>At length the queller of the foe</l> +<l>Grew conscious, rallying from his woe.</l> +<l>When consciousness returned anew</l> +<l>Long burning sighs the monarch drew,</l> +<l>Again immersed in thought he eyed</l> +<l>Kauśalyá standing by his side.</l> +<l>Back to his pondering soul was brought</l> +<l>The direful deed his hand had wrought,</l> +<l>When, guiltless of the wrong intent,</l> +<l>His arrow at a sound was sent.</l> +<l>Distracted by his memory's sting,</l> +<l>And mourning for his son, the king</l> +<l>To two consuming griefs a prey,</l> +<l>A miserable victim lay.</l> +<l>The double woe devoured him fast,</l> +<l>As on the ground his eyes he cast,</l> +<l>Joined suppliant hands, her heart to touch,</l> +<l>And spake in the answer, trembling much:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Kauśalyá, for thy grace I sue,</q></l> +<l>Joining these hands as suppliants do.</l> +<l>Thou e'en to foes hast ever been</l> +<l>A gentle, good, and loving queen.</l> +<l>Her lord, with noble virtues graced,</l> +<l>Her lord, by lack of all debased,</l> +<l>Is still a God in woman's eyes,</l> +<l>If duty's law she hold and prize.</l> +<l>Thou, who the right hast aye pursued,</l> +<l>Life's changes and its chances viewed,</l> +<l>Shouldst never launch, though sorrow-stirred,</l> +<l><q rend="post">At me distressed, one bitter word.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She listened, as with sorrow faint</l> +<l>He murmured forth his sad complaint:</l> +<l>Her brimming eyes with tears ran o'er,</l> +<l>As spouts the new fallen water pour;</l> +<pb n="168"/><anchor id="Pg168"/> +<l>His suppliant hands, with fear dismayed</l> +<l>She gently clasped in hers, and laid,</l> +<l>Like a fair lotus, on her head,</l> +<l>And faltering in her trouble said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Forgive me; at thy feet I lie,</q></l> +<l>With low bent head to thee I cry.</l> +<l>By thee besought, thy guilty dame</l> +<l>Pardon from thee can scarcely claim.</l> +<l>She merits not the name of wife</l> +<l>Who cherishes perpetual strife</l> +<l>With her own husband good and wise,</l> +<l>Her lord both here and in the skies.</l> +<l>I know the claims of duty well,</l> +<l>I know thy lips the truth must tell.</l> +<l>All the wild words I rashly spoke,</l> +<l>Forth from my heart, through anguish, broke;</l> +<l>For sorrow bends the stoutest soul,</l> +<l>And cancels Scripture's high control.</l> +<l>Yea, sorrow's might all else o'erthrows</l> +<l>The strongest and the worst of foes.</l> +<l>'Tis thus with all: we keenly feel,</l> +<l>Yet bear the blows our foemen deal,</l> +<l>But when a slender woe assails</l> +<l>The manliest spirit bends and quails.</l> +<l>The fifth long night has now begun</l> +<l>Since the wild woods have lodged my son:</l> +<l>To me whose joy is drowned in tears,</l> +<l>Each day a dreary year appears.</l> +<l>While all my thoughts on him are set</l> +<l>Grief at my heart swells wilder yet:</l> +<l>With doubled might thus Ocean raves</l> +<l><q rend="post">When rushing floods increase his waves.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As from Kauśalyá reasoning well</l> +<l>The gentle words of wisdom fell,</l> +<l>The sun went down with dying flame,</l> +<l>And darkness o'er the landscape came.</l> +<l>His lady's soothing words in part</l> +<l>Relieved the monarch's aching heart,</l> +<l>Who, wearied out by all his woes,</l> +<l>Yielded to sleep and took repose.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXIII"/> +<head>Canto LXIII. The Hermit's Son.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But soon by rankling grief oppressed</l> +<l>The king awoke from troubled rest,</l> +<l>And his sad heart was tried again</l> +<l>With anxious thought where all was pain.</l> +<l>Ráma and Lakshmaṇ's mournful fate</l> +<l>On Daśaratha, good and great</l> +<l>As Indra, pressed with crushing weight,</l> +<l>As when the demon's might assails</l> +<l>The Sun-God, and his glory pales.</l> +<l>Ere yet the sixth long night was spent,</l> +<l>Since Ráma to the woods was sent,</l> +<l>The king at midnight sadly thought</l> +<l>Of the old crime his hand had wrought,</l> +<l>And thus to Queen Kauśalyá cried</l> +<l>Who still for Ráma moaned and sighed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If thou art waking, give, I pray,</q></l> +<l>Attention to the words I say.</l> +<l>Whate'er the conduct men pursue,</l> +<l>Be good or ill the acts they do,</l> +<l>Be sure, dear Queen, they find the meed</l> +<l>Of wicked or of virtuous deed.</l> +<l>A heedless child we call the man</l> +<l>Whose feeble judgment fails to scan</l> +<l>The weight of what his hands may do,</l> +<l>Its lightness, fault, and merit too.</l> +<l>One lays the Mango garden low,</l> +<l>And bids the gay Paláśas grow:</l> +<l>Longing for fruit their bloom he sees,</l> +<l>But grieves when fruit should bend the trees.</l> +<l>Cut by my hand, my fruit-trees fell,</l> +<l>Paláśa trees I watered well.</l> +<l>My hopes this foolish heart deceive,</l> +<l>And for my banished son I grieve.</l> +<l>Kauśalyá, in my youthful prime</l> +<l>Armed with my bow I wrought the crime,</l> +<l>Proud of my skill, my name renowned,</l> +<l>An archer prince who shoots by sound.</l> +<l>The deed this hand unwitting wrought</l> +<l>This misery on my soul has brought,</l> +<l>As children seize the deadly cup</l> +<l>And blindly drink the poison up.</l> +<l>As the unreasoning man may be</l> +<l>Charmed with the gay Paláśa tree,</l> +<l>I unaware have reaped the fruit</l> +<l>Of joying at a sound to shoot.</l> +<l>As regent prince I shared the throne,</l> +<l>Thou wast a maid to me unknown,</l> +<l>The early Rain-time duly came,</l> +<l>And strengthened love's delicious flame.</l> +<l>The sun had drained the earth that lay</l> +<l>All glowing 'neath the summer day,</l> +<l>And to the gloomy clime had fled</l> +<l>Where dwell the spirits of the dead.<note place="foot">The southern region +is the abode of Yama the Indian Pluto, and of departed +spirits.</note></l> +<l>The fervent heat that moment ceased,</l> +<l>The darkening clouds each hour increased</l> +<l>And frogs and deer and peacocks all</l> +<l>Rejoiced to see the torrents fall.</l> +<l>Their bright wings heavy from the shower,</l> +<l>The birds, new-bathed, had scarce the power</l> +<l>To reach the branches of the trees</l> +<l>Whose high tops swayed beneath the breeze.</l> +<l>The fallen rain, and falling still,</l> +<l>Hung like a sheet on every hill,</l> +<l>Till, with glad deer, each flooded steep</l> +<l>Showed glorious as the mighty deep.</l> +<l>The torrents down its wooded side</l> +<l>Poured, some unstained, while others dyed</l> +<pb n="169"/><anchor id="Pg169"/> +<l>Gold, ashy, silver, ochre, bore</l> +<l>The tints of every mountain ore.</l> +<l>In that sweet time, when all are pleased,</l> +<l>My arrows and my bow I seized;</l> +<l>Keen for the chase, in field or grove,</l> +<l>Down Sarjú's bank my car I drove.</l> +<l>I longed with all my lawless will</l> +<l>Some elephant by night to kill,</l> +<l>Some buffalo that came to drink,</l> +<l>Or tiger, at the river's brink.</l> +<l>When all around was dark and still,</l> +<l>I heard a pitcher slowly fill,</l> +<l>And thought, obscured in deepest shade,</l> +<l>An elephant the sound had made.</l> +<l>I drew a shaft that glittered bright,</l> +<l>Fell as a serpent's venomed bite;</l> +<l>I longed to lay the monster dead,</l> +<l>And to the mark my arrow sped.</l> +<l>Then in the calm of morning, clear</l> +<l>A hermit's wailing smote my ear:</l> +<l><q>Ah me, ah me,</q> he cried, and sank,</l> +<l>Pierced by my arrow, on the bank.</l> +<l>E'en as the weapon smote his side,</l> +<l>I heard a human voice that cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why lights this shaft on one like me,</q></l> +<l>A poor and harmless devotee?</l> +<l>I came by night to fill my jar</l> +<l>From this lone stream where no men are.</l> +<l>Ah, who this deadly shaft has shot?</l> +<l>Whom have I wronged, and knew it not?</l> +<l>Why should a boy so harmless feel</l> +<l>The vengeance of the winged steel?</l> +<l>Or who should slay the guiltless son</l> +<l>Of hermit sire who injures none,</l> +<l>Who dwells retired in woods, and there</l> +<l>Supports his life on woodland fare?</l> +<l>Ah me, ah me, why am I slain,</l> +<l>What booty will the murderer gain?</l> +<l>In hermit coils I bind my hair,</l> +<l>Coats made of skin and bark I wear.</l> +<l>Ah, who the cruel deed can praise</l> +<l>Whose idle toil no fruit repays,</l> +<l>As impious as the wretch's crime</l> +<l>Who dares his master's bed to climb?</l> +<l>Nor does my parting spirit grieve</l> +<l>But for the life which thus I leave:</l> +<l>Alas, my mother and my sire,—</l> +<l>I mourn for them when I expire.</l> +<l>Ah me, that aged, helpless pair,</l> +<l>Long cherished by my watchful care,</l> +<l>How will it be with them this day</l> +<l>When to the Five<note place="foot">The five elements of which the body +consists, and to which it returns.</note> I pass away?</l> +<l>Pierced by the self-same dart we die,</l> +<l>Mine aged mother, sire, and I.</l> +<l>Whose mighty hand, whose lawless mind</l> +<l><q rend="post">Has all the three to death consigned?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When I, by love of duty stirred,</l> +<l>That touching lamentation heard,</l> +<l>Pierced to the heart by sudden woe,</l> +<l>I threw to earth my shafts and bow.</l> +<l>My heart was full of grief and dread</l> +<l>As swiftly to the place I sped,</l> +<l>Where, by my arrow wounded sore,</l> +<l>A hermit lay on Sarjú's shore.</l> +<l>His matted hair was all unbound,</l> +<l>His pitcher empty on the ground,</l> +<l>And by the fatal arrow pained,</l> +<l>He lay with dust and gore distained.</l> +<l>I stood confounded and amazed:</l> +<l>His dying eyes to mine he raised,</l> +<l>And spoke this speech in accents stern,</l> +<l>As though his light my soul would burn:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">How have I wronged thee, King, that I</q></l> +<l>Struck by thy mortal arrow die?</l> +<l>The wood my home, this jar I brought,</l> +<l>And water for my parents sought.</l> +<l>This one keen shaft that strikes me through</l> +<l>Slays sire and aged mother too.</l> +<l>Feeble and blind, in helpless pain,</l> +<l>They wait for me and thirst in vain.</l> +<l>They with parched lips their pangs must bear,</l> +<l>And hope will end in blank despair.</l> +<l>Ah me, there seems no fruit in store</l> +<l>For holy zeal or Scripture lore,</l> +<l>Or else ere now my sire would know</l> +<l>That his dear son is lying low.</l> +<l>Yet, if my mournful fate he knew,</l> +<l>What could his arm so feeble do?</l> +<l>The tree, firm-rooted, ne'er may be</l> +<l>The guardian of a stricken tree.</l> +<l>Haste to my father, and relate</l> +<l>While time allows, my sudden fate,</l> +<l>Lest he consume thee as the fire</l> +<l>Burns up the forest, in his ire.</l> +<l>This little path, O King, pursue:</l> +<l>My father's cot thou soon wilt view.</l> +<l>There sue for pardon to the sage,</l> +<l>Lest he should curse thee in his rage.</l> +<l>First from the wound extract the dart</l> +<l>That kills me with its deadly smart,</l> +<l>E'en as the flushed impetuous tide</l> +<l><q rend="post">Eats through the river's yielding side.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">I feared to draw the arrow out,</l> +<l>And pondered thus in painful doubt:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now tortured by the shaft he lies,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">But if I draw it forth he dies.</q></l> +<l>Helpless I stood, faint, sorely grieved:</l> +<l>The hermit's son my thought perceived;</l> +<l>As one o'ercome by direst pain</l> +<l>He scarce had strength to speak again.</l> +<l>With writhing limb and struggling breath,</l> +<l>Nearer and ever nearer death</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My senses undisturbed remain,</q></l> +<l>And fortitude has conquered pain:</l> +<l>Now from one tear thy soul be freed.</l> +<l>Thy hand has made a Bráhman bleed.</l> +<l>Let not this pang thy bosom wring:</l> +<l>No twice-born youth am I, O King,</l> +<pb n="170"/><anchor id="Pg170"/> +<l>For of a Vaiśya sire I came,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Who wedded with a Śúdra dame.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">These words the boy could scarcely say,</l> +<l>As tortured by the shaft he lay,</l> +<l>Twisting his helpless body round,</l> +<l>Then trembling senseless on the ground.</l> +<l>Then from his bleeding side I drew</l> +<l>The rankling shaft that pierced him through.</l> +<l>With death's last fear my face he eyed,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And, rich in store of penance, died.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXIV"/> +<head>Canto LXIV. Dasaratha's Death.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The son of Raghu to his queen</l> +<l>Thus far described the unequalled scene,</l> +<l>And, as the hermit's death he rued,</l> +<l>The mournful story thus renewed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The deed my heedless hand had wrought</q></l> +<l>Perplexed me with remorseful thought,</l> +<l>And all alone I pondered still</l> +<l>How kindly deed might salve the ill.</l> +<l>The pitcher from the ground I took,</l> +<l>And filled it from that fairest brook,</l> +<l>Then, by the path the hermit showed,</l> +<l>I reached his sainted sire's abode.</l> +<l>I came, I saw: the aged pair,</l> +<l>Feeble and blind, were sitting there,</l> +<l>Like birds with clipped wings, side by side,</l> +<l>With none their helpless steps to guide.</l> +<l>Their idle hours the twain beguiled</l> +<l>With talk of their returning child,</l> +<l>And still the cheering hope enjoyed,</l> +<l>The hope, alas, by me destroyed.</l> +<l>Then spoke the sage, as drawing near</l> +<l>The sound of footsteps reached his ear:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Dear son, the water quickly bring;</q></l> +<l>Why hast thou made this tarrying?</l> +<l>Thy mother thirsts, and thou hast played,</l> +<l>And bathing in the brook delayed.</l> +<l>She weeps because thou camest not;</l> +<l>Haste, O my son, within the cot.</l> +<l>If she or I have ever done</l> +<l>A thing to pain thee, dearest son,</l> +<l>Dismiss the memory from thy mind:</l> +<l>A hermit thou, be good and kind.</l> +<l>On thee our lives, our all, depend:</l> +<l>Thou art thy friendless parents' friend.</l> +<l>The eyeless couple's eye art thou:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Then why so cold and silent now?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With sobbing voice and bosom wrung</l> +<l>I scarce could move my faltering tongue,</l> +<l>And with my spirit filled with dread</l> +<l>I looked upon the sage, and said,</l> +<l>While mind, and sense, and nerve I strung</l> +<l>To fortify my trembling tongue,</l> +<l>And let the aged hermit know</l> +<l>His son's sad fate, my fear and woe:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">High-minded Saint, not I thy child,</q></l> +<l>A warrior, Daśaratha styled.</l> +<l>I bear a grievous sorrow's weight</l> +<l>Born of a deed which good men hate.</l> +<l>My lord, I came to Sarjú's shore,</l> +<l>And in my hand my bow I bore</l> +<l>For elephant or beast of chase</l> +<l>That seeks by night his drinking place.</l> +<l>There from the stream a sound I heard</l> +<l>As if a jar the water stirred.</l> +<l>An elephant, I thought, was nigh:</l> +<l>I aimed, and let an arrow fly.</l> +<l>Swift to the place I made my way,</l> +<l>And there a wounded hermit lay</l> +<l>Gasping for breath: the deadly dart</l> +<l>Stood quivering in his youthful heart.</l> +<l>I hastened near with pain oppressed;</l> +<l>He faltered out his last behest.</l> +<l>And quickly, as he bade me do,</l> +<l>From his pierced side the shaft I drew.</l> +<l>I drew the arrow from the rent,</l> +<l>And up to heaven the hermit went,</l> +<l>Lamenting, as from earth he passed,</l> +<l>His aged parents to the last.</l> +<l>Thus, unaware, the deed was done:</l> +<l>My hand, unwitting, killed thy son.</l> +<l>For what remains, O, let me win</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy pardon for my heedless sin.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As the sad tale of sin I told</l> +<l>The hermit's grief was uncontrolled.</l> +<l>With flooded eyes, and sorrow-faint,</l> +<l>Thus spake the venerable saint:</l> +<l>I stood with hand to hand applied,</l> +<l>And listened as he spoke and sighed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If thou, O King, hadst left unsaid</q></l> +<l>By thine own tongue this tale of dread,</l> +<l>Thy head for hideous guilt accursed</l> +<l>Had in a thousand pieces burst.</l> +<l>A hermit's blood by warrior spilt,</l> +<l>In such a case, with purposed guilt,</l> +<l>Down from his high estate would bring</l> +<l>Even the thunder's mighty King.</l> +<l>And he a dart who conscious sends</l> +<l>Against the devotee who spends</l> +<l>His pure life by the law of Heaven—</l> +<l>That sinner's head will split in seven.</l> +<l>Thou livest, for thy heedless hand</l> +<l>Has wrought a deed thou hast not planned,</l> +<l>Else thou and all of Raghu's line</l> +<l>Had perished by this act of thine.</l> +<l><q rend="post">Now guide us,</q> thus the hermit said,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Forth to the spot where he lies dead.</q></l> +<l>Guide us, this day, O Monarch, we</l> +<l>For the last time our son would see:</l> +<l>The hermit dress of skin he wore</l> +<l>Rent from his limbs distained with gore;</l> +<l>His senseless body lying slain,</l> +<l><q rend="post">His soul in Yama's dark domain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Alone the mourning pair I led,</l> +<l>Their souls with woe disquieted,</l> +<l>And let the dame and hermit lay</l> +<pb n="171"/><anchor id="Pg171"/> +<l>Their hands upon the breathless clay.</l> +<l>The father touched his son, and pressed</l> +<l>The body to his aged breast;</l> +<l>Then falling by the dead boy's side,</l> +<l>He lifted up his voice, and cried:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Hast thou no word, my child, to say?</q></l> +<l>No greeting for thy sire to-day?</l> +<l>Why art thou angry, darling? why</l> +<l>Wilt thou upon the cold earth lie?</l> +<l>If thou, my son, art wroth with me,</l> +<l>Here, duteous child, thy mother see.</l> +<l>What! no embrace for me, my son?</l> +<l>No word of tender love—not one?</l> +<l>Whose gentle voice, so soft and clear,</l> +<l>Soothing my spirit, shall I hear</l> +<l>When evening comes, with accents sweet</l> +<l>Scripture or ancient lore repeat?</l> +<l>Who, having fed the sacred fire,</l> +<l>And duly bathed, as texts require,</l> +<l>Will cheer, when evening rites are done,</l> +<l>The father mourning for his son?</l> +<l>Who will the daily meal provide</l> +<l>For the poor wretch who lacks a guide,</l> +<l>Feeding the helpless with the best</l> +<l>Berries and roots, like some dear guest?</l> +<l>How can these hands subsistence find</l> +<l>For thy poor mother, old and blind?</l> +<l>The wretched votaress how sustain,</l> +<l>Who mourns her child in ceaseless pain?</l> +<l>Stay yet a while, my darling, stay,</l> +<l>Nor fly to Yama's realm to-day.</l> +<l>To-morrow I thy sire and she</l> +<l>Who bare thee, child, will go with, thee.<note place="foot"><p>So dying +York cries over the body of Suffolk:</p> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="pre">Tarry, dear cousin Suffolk!</q></l> +<l>My soul shall thine keep company to heaven:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Tarry, sweet soul, for mine, then fly abreast.</q></l> +</lg> +<p><hi rend='italic'>King Henry V, Act IV, 6.</hi></p></note></l> +<l>Then when I look on Yama, I</l> +<l>To great Vivasvat's son will cry:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hear, King of justice, and restore</q></l> +<l>Our child to feed us, I implore.</l> +<l>Lord of the world, of mighty fame,</l> +<l>Faithful and just, admit my claim,</l> +<l>And grant this single boon to free</l> +<l><q rend="post">My soul from fear, to one like me.</q></l> +<l>Because, my son, untouched by stain,</l> +<l>By sinful hands thou fallest slain,</l> +<l>Win, through thy truth, the sphere where those</l> +<l>Who die by hostile darts repose.</l> +<l>Seek the blest home prepared for all</l> +<l>The valiant who in battle fall,</l> +<l>Who face the foe and scorn to yield,</l> +<l>In glory dying on the field.</l> +<l>Rise to the heaven where Dhundhumár</l> +<l>And Nahush, mighty heroes, are,</l> +<l>Where Janamejay and the blest</l> +<l>Dilípa, Sagar, Saivya, rest:</l> +<l>Home of all virtuous spirits, earned</l> +<l>By fervent rites and Scripture learned:</l> +<l>By those whose sacred fires have glowed,</l> +<l>Whose liberal hands have fields bestowed:</l> +<l>By givers of a thousand cows,</l> +<l>By lovers of one faithful spouse:</l> +<l>By those who serve their masters well,</l> +<l>And cast away this earthly shell.</l> +<l>None of my race can ever know</l> +<l>The bitter pain of lasting woe.</l> +<l>But doomed to that dire fate is he</l> +<l><q rend="post">Whose guilty hand has slaughtered thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus with wild tears the aged saint</l> +<l>Made many a time his piteous plaint,</l> +<l>Then with his wife began to shed</l> +<l>The funeral water for the dead.</l> +<l>But in a shape celestial clad,</l> +<l>Won by the merits of the lad,</l> +<l>The spirit from the body brake</l> +<l>And to the mourning parents spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">A glorious home in realms above</q></l> +<l>Rewards my care and filial love.</l> +<l>You, honoured parents, soon shall be</l> +<l><q rend="post">Partakers of that home with me.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spake, and swiftly mounting high,</l> +<l>With Indra near him, to the sky</l> +<l>On a bright car, with flame that glowed,</l> +<l>Sublime the duteous hermit rode.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The father, with his consort's aid,</l> +<l>The funeral rites with water paid,</l> +<l>And thus his speech to me renewed</l> +<l>Who stood in suppliant attitude:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Slay me this day, O, slay me, King,</q></l> +<l>For death no longer has a sting.</l> +<l>Childless am I: thy dart has done</l> +<l>To death my dear, my only son.</l> +<l>Because the boy I loved so well</l> +<l>Slain by thy heedless arrow fell,</l> +<l>My curse upon thy soul shall press</l> +<l>With bitter woe and heaviness.</l> +<l>I mourn a slaughtered child, and thou</l> +<l>Shalt feel the pangs that kill me now.</l> +<l>Bereft and suffering e'en as I,</l> +<l>So shalt thou mourn thy son, and die.</l> +<l>Thy hand unwitting dealt the blow</l> +<l>That laid a holy hermit low,</l> +<l>And distant, therefore, is the time</l> +<l>When thou shalt suffer for the crime.</l> +<l>The hour shall come when, crushed by woes</l> +<l>Like these I feel, thy life shall close:</l> +<l>A debt to pay in after days</l> +<l><q rend="post">Like his the priestly fee who pays.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">This curse on me the hermit laid,</l> +<l>Nor yet his tears and groans were stayed.</l> +<l>Then on the pyre their bodies cast</l> +<l>The pair; and straight to heaven they passed.</l> +<l>As in sad thought I pondered long</l> +<l>Back to my memory came the wrong</l> +<l>Done in wild youth, O lady dear,</l> +<l>When 'twas my boast to shoot by ear.</l> +<pb n="172"/><anchor id="Pg172"/> +<l>The deed has borne the fruit, which now</l> +<l>Hangs ripe upon the bending bough:</l> +<l>Thus dainty meats the palate please,</l> +<l>And lure the weak to swift disease.</l> +<l>Now on my soul return with dread</l> +<l>The words that noble hermit said,</l> +<l>That I for a dear son should grieve,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And of the woe my life should leave.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spake the king with many a tear;</l> +<l>Then to his wife he cried in fear:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I cannot see thee, love; but lay</q></l> +<l>Thy gentle hand in mine, I pray.</l> +<l>Ah me, if Ráma touched me thus,</l> +<l>If once, returning home to us,</l> +<l>He bade me wealth and lordship give,</l> +<l>Then, so I think, my soul would live.</l> +<l>Unlike myself, unjust and mean</l> +<l>Have been my ways with him, my Queen,</l> +<l>But like himself is all that he,</l> +<l>My noble son, has done to me.</l> +<l>His son, though far from right he stray,</l> +<l>What prudent sire would cast away?</l> +<l>What banished son would check his ire,</l> +<l>Nor speak reproaches of his sire?</l> +<l>I see thee not: these eyes grow blind,</l> +<l>And memory quits my troubled mind.</l> +<l>Angels of Death are round me: they</l> +<l>Summon my soul with speed away.</l> +<l>What woe more grievous can there be,</l> +<l>That, when from light and life I flee,</l> +<l>I may not, ere I part, behold</l> +<l>My virtuous Ráma, true and bold?</l> +<l>Grief for my son, the brave and true,</l> +<l>Whose joy it was my will to do,</l> +<l>Dries up my breath, as summer dries</l> +<l>The last drop in the pool that lies.</l> +<l>Not men, but blessed Gods, are they</l> +<l>Whose eyes shall see his face that day;</l> +<l>See him, when fourteen years are past,</l> +<l>With earrings decked return at last.</l> +<l>My fainting mind forgets to think:</l> +<l>Low and more low my spirits sink.</l> +<l>Each from its seat, my senses steal:</l> +<l>I cannot hear, or taste, or feel.</l> +<l>This lethargy of soul o'ercomes</l> +<l>Each organ, and its function numbs:</l> +<l>So when the oil begins to fail,</l> +<l>The torch's rays grow faint and pale.</l> +<l>This flood of woe caused by this hand</l> +<l>Destroys me helpless and unmanned,</l> +<l>Resistless as the floods that bore</l> +<l>A passage through the river shore.</l> +<l>Ah Raghu's son, ah mighty-armed,</l> +<l>By whom my cares were soothed and charmed,</l> +<l>My son in whom I took delight,</l> +<l>Now vanished from thy father's sight!</l> +<l>Kauśalyá, ah, I cannot see;</l> +<l>Sumitrá, gentle devotee!</l> +<l>Alas, Kaikeyí, cruel dame,</l> +<l><q rend="post">My bitter foe, thy father's shame!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Kauśalyá and Sumitrá kept</l> +<l>Their watch beside him as he wept.</l> +<l>And Daśaratha moaned and sighed,</l> +<l>And grieving for his darling died.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXV"/> +<head>Canto LXV. The Women's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>And now the night had past away,</l> +<l>And brightly dawned another day;</l> +<l>The minstrels, trained to play and sing,</l> +<l>Flocked to the chamber of the king:</l> +<l>Bards, who their gayest raiment wore,</l> +<l>And heralds famed for ancient lore:</l> +<l>And singers, with their songs of praise,</l> +<l>Made music in their several ways.</l> +<l>There as they poured their blessings choice</l> +<l>And hailed their king with hand and voice,</l> +<l>Their praises with a swelling roar</l> +<l>Echoed through court and corridor.</l> +<l>Then as the bards his glory sang,</l> +<l>From beaten palms loud answer rang,</l> +<l>As glad applauders clapped their hands,</l> +<l>And told his deeds in distant lands.</l> +<l>The swelling concert woke a throng</l> +<l>Of sleeping birds to life and song:</l> +<l>Some in the branches of the trees,</l> +<l>Some caged in halls and galleries.</l> +<l>Nor was the soft string music mute;</l> +<l>The gentle whisper of the lute,</l> +<l>And blessings sung by singers skilled</l> +<l>The palace of the monarch filled.</l> +<l>Eunuchs and dames of life unstained,</l> +<l>Each in the arts of waiting trained,</l> +<l>Drew near attentive as before,</l> +<l>And crowded to the chamber door:</l> +<l>These skilful when and how to shed</l> +<l>The lustral stream o'er limb and head,</l> +<l>Others with golden ewers stood</l> +<l>Of water stained with sandal wood.</l> +<l>And many a maid, pure, young, and fair,</l> +<l>Her load of early offerings bare,</l> +<l>Cups of the flood which all revere,</l> +<l>And sacred things, and toilet gear.</l> +<l>Each several thing was duly brought</l> +<l>As rule of old observance taught,</l> +<l>And lucky signs on each impressed</l> +<l>Stamped it the fairest and the best.</l> +<l>There anxious, in their long array,</l> +<l>All waited till the shine of day:</l> +<l>But when the king nor rose nor spoke,</l> +<l>Doubt and alarm within them woke.</l> +<l>Forthwith the dames, by duty led,</l> +<l>Attendants on the monarch's bed,</l> +<l>Within the royal chamber pressed</l> +<l>To wake their master from his rest.</l> +<l>Skilled in the lore of dreaming, they</l> +<l>First touched the bed on which he lay.</l> +<l>But none replied; no sound was heard,</l> +<pb n="173"/><anchor id="Pg173"/> +<l>Nor hand, nor head, nor body stirred.</l> +<l>They trembled, and their dread increased,</l> +<l>Fearing his breath of life had ceased,</l> +<l>And bending low their heads, they shook</l> +<l>Like the tall reeds that fringe the brook.</l> +<l>In doubt and terror down they knelt,</l> +<l>Looked on his face, his cold hand felt,</l> +<l>And then the gloomy truth appeared</l> +<l>Of all their hearts had darkly feared.</l> +<l>Kauśalyá and Sumitrá, worn</l> +<l>With weeping for their sons, forlorn,</l> +<l>Woke not, but lay in slumber deep</l> +<l>And still as death's unending sleep.</l> +<l>Bowed down by grief, her colour fled,</l> +<l>Her wonted lustre dull and dead,</l> +<l>Kauśalyá shone not, like a star</l> +<l>Obscured behind a cloudy bar.</l> +<l>Beside the king's her couch was spread,</l> +<l>And next was Queen Sumitrá's bed,</l> +<l>Who shone no more with beauty's glow,</l> +<l>Her face bedewed with tears of woe.</l> +<l>There lapped in sleep each wearied queen,</l> +<l>There as in sleep, the king was seen;</l> +<l>And swift the troubling thought came o'er</l> +<l>Their spirits that he breathed no more.</l> +<l>At once with wailing loud and high</l> +<l>The matrons shrieked a bitter cry,</l> +<l>As widowed elephants bewail</l> +<l>Their dead lord in the woody vale.</l> +<l>At the loud shriek that round them rang,</l> +<l>Kauśalyá and Sumitrá sprang</l> +<l>Awakened from their beds, with eyes</l> +<l>Wide open in their first surprise.</l> +<l>Quick to the monarch's side they came,</l> +<l>And saw and touched his lifeless frame;</l> +<l>One cry, O husband! forth they sent,</l> +<l>And prostrate to the ground they went.</l> +<l>The king of Kośal's daughter<note place="foot">Kauśalyá, daughter of the king of +another Kośal.</note> there</l> +<l>Writhed, with the dust on limb and hair</l> +<l>Lustreless, as a star might lie</l> +<l>Hurled downward from the glorious sky.</l> +<l>When the king's voice in death was stilled,</l> +<l>The women who the chamber filled</l> +<l>Saw, like a widow elephant slain,</l> +<l>Kauśalyá prostrate in her pain.</l> +<l>Then all the monarch's ladies led</l> +<l>By Queen Kaikeyí at their head,</l> +<l>Poured forth their tears, and weeping so,</l> +<l>Sank on the ground, consumed by woe.</l> +<l>The cry of grief so long and loud</l> +<l>Went up from all the royal crowd,</l> +<l>That, doubled by the matron train,</l> +<l>It made the palace ring again.</l> +<l>Filled with dark fear and eager eyes,</l> +<l>Anxiety and wild surmise;</l> +<l>Echoing with the cries of grief</l> +<l>Of sorrowing friends who mourned their chief,</l> +<l>Dejected, pale with deep distress,</l> +<l>Hurled from their height of happiness:</l> +<l>Such was the look the palace wore</l> +<l>Where lay the king who breathed no more.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXVI"/> +<head>Canto LXVI. The Embalming.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Kauśalyá's eyes with tears o'erflowed,</l> +<l>Weighed down by varied sorrows' load;</l> +<l>On her dead lord her gaze she bent,</l> +<l>Who lay like fire whose might is spent,</l> +<l>Like the great deep with waters dry,</l> +<l>Or like the clouded sun on high.</l> +<l>Then on her lap she laid his head.</l> +<l>And on Kaikeyí looked and said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Triumphant now enjoy thy reign</q></l> +<l>Without a thorn thy side to pain.</l> +<l>Thou hast pursued thy single aim,</l> +<l>And killed the king, O wicked dame.</l> +<l>Far from my sight my Ráma flies,</l> +<l>My perished lord has sought the skies.</l> +<l>No friend, no hope my life to cheer,</l> +<l>I cannot tread the dark path here.</l> +<l>Who would forsake her husband, who</l> +<l>That God to whom her love is due,</l> +<l>And wish to live one hour, but she</l> +<l>Whose heart no duty owns, like thee?</l> +<l>The ravenous sees no fault: his greed</l> +<l>Will e'en on poison blindly feed.</l> +<l>Kaikeyí, through a hump-back maid,</l> +<l>This royal house in death has laid.</l> +<l>King Janak, with his queen, will hear</l> +<l>Heart rent like me the tidings drear</l> +<l>Of Ráma banished by the king,</l> +<l>Urged by her impious counselling.</l> +<l>No son has he, his age is great,</l> +<l>And sinking with the double weight,</l> +<l>He for his darling child will pine,</l> +<l>And pierced with woe his life resign.</l> +<l>Sprung from Videha's monarch, she</l> +<l>A sad and lovely devotee,</l> +<l>Roaming the wood, unmeet for woe,</l> +<l>Will toil and trouble undergo.</l> +<l>She in the gloomy night with fear</l> +<l>The cries of beast and bird will hear,</l> +<l>And trembling in her wild alarm</l> +<l>Will cling to Ráma's sheltering arm.</l> +<l>Ah, little knows my duteous son</l> +<l>That I am widowed and undone—</l> +<l>My Ráma of the lotus eye,</l> +<l>Gone hence, gone hence, alas, to die.</l> +<l>Now, as a living wife and true,</l> +<l>I, e'en this day, will perish too:</l> +<l>Around his form these arms will throw</l> +<l><q rend="post">And to the fire with him will go.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Clasping her husband's lifeless clay</l> +<l>A while the weeping votaress lay,</l> +<l>Till chamberlains removed her thence</l> +<pb n="174"/><anchor id="Pg174"/> +<l>O'ercome by sorrow's violence.</l> +<l>Then in a cask of oil they laid</l> +<l>Him who in life the world had swayed,</l> +<l>And finished, as the lords desired,</l> +<l>All rites for parted souls required.</l> +<l>The lords, all-wise, refused to burn</l> +<l>The monarch ere his son's return;</l> +<l>So for a while the corpse they set</l> +<l>Embalmed in oil, and waited yet.</l> +<l>The women heard: no doubt remained,</l> +<l>And wildly for the king they plained.</l> +<l>With gushing tears that drowned each eye</l> +<l>Wildly they waved their arms on high,</l> +<l>And each her mangling nails impressed</l> +<l>Deep in her head and knee and breast:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Of Ráma reft,—who ever spake</q></l> +<l>The sweetest words the heart to take,</l> +<l>Who firmly to the truth would cling,—</l> +<l>Why dost thou leave us, mighty King?</l> +<l>How can the consorts thou hast left</l> +<l>Widowed, of Raghu's son bereft,</l> +<l>Live with our foe Kaikeyí near,</l> +<l>The wicked queen we hate and fear?</l> +<l>She threw away the king, her spite</l> +<l>Drove Ráma forth and Lakshmaṇ's might,</l> +<l>And gentle Sítá: how will she</l> +<l><q rend="post">Spare any, whosoe'er it be?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Oppressed with sorrow, tear-distained,</l> +<l>The royal women thus complained.</l> +<l>Like night when not a star appears,</l> +<l>Like a sad widow drowned in tears,</l> +<l>Ayodhyá's city, dark and dim,</l> +<l>Reft of her lord was sad for him.</l> +<l>When thus for woe the king to heaven had fled,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And still on earth his lovely wives remained.</l> +<l>With dying light the sun to rest had sped,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And night triumphant o'er the landscape reigned.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXVII"/> +<head>Canto LXVII. The Praise Of Kings.</head> + +<lg> +<l>That night of sorrow passed away,</l> +<l>And rose again the God of Day.</l> +<l>Then all the twice-born peers of state</l> +<l>Together met for high debate.</l> +<l>Jáválí, lord of mighty fame.</l> +<l>And Gautam, and Kátyáyan came,</l> +<l>And Márkandeya's reverend age,</l> +<l>And Vámadeva, glorious sage:</l> +<l>Sprung from Mudgalya's seed the one,</l> +<l>The other ancient Kaśyap's son.</l> +<l>With lesser lords these Bráhmans each</l> +<l>Spoke in his turn his several speech,</l> +<l>And turning to Vaśishṭha, best</l> +<l>Of household priests him thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The night of bitter woe has past,</q></l> +<l>Which seemed a hundred years to last,</l> +<l>Our king, in sorrow for his son,</l> +<l>Reunion with the Five has won.</l> +<l>His soul is where the blessed are,</l> +<l>While Ráma roams in woods afar,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ, bright in glorious deeds,</l> +<l>Goes where his well-loved brother leads.</l> +<l>And Bharat and Śatrughna, they</l> +<l>Who smite their foes in battle fray,</l> +<l>Far in the realm of Kekaya stay,</l> +<l>Where their maternal grandsire's care</l> +<l>Keeps Rájagriha's city fair.</l> +<l>Let one of old Ikshváku's race</l> +<l>Obtain this day the sovereign's place,</l> +<l>Or havoc and destruction straight</l> +<l>Our kingless land will devastate.</l> +<l>In kingless lands no thunder's voice,</l> +<l>No lightning wreaths the heart rejoice,</l> +<l>Nor does Parjanya's heavenly rain</l> +<l>Descend upon the burning plain.</l> +<l>Where none is king, the sower's hand</l> +<l>Casts not the seed upon the land;</l> +<l>The son against the father strives.</l> +<l>And husbands fail to rule their wives.</l> +<l>In kingless realms no princes call</l> +<l>Their friends to meet in crowded hall;</l> +<l>No joyful citizens resort</l> +<l>To garden trim or sacred court.</l> +<l>In kingless realms no Twice-born care</l> +<l>To sacrifice with text and prayer,</l> +<l>Nor Bráhmans, who their vows maintain,</l> +<l>The great solemnities ordain.</l> +<l>The joys of happier days have ceased:</l> +<l>No gathering, festival, or feast</l> +<l>Together calls the merry throng</l> +<l>Delighted with the play and song.</l> +<l>In kingless lands it ne'er is well</l> +<l>With sons of trade who buy and sell:</l> +<l>No men who pleasant tales repeat</l> +<l>Delight the crowd with stories sweet.</l> +<l>In kingless realms we ne'er behold</l> +<l>Young maidens decked with gems and gold,</l> +<l>Flock to the gardens blithe and gay</l> +<l>To spend their evening hours in play.</l> +<l>No lover in the flying car</l> +<l>Rides with his love to woods afar.</l> +<l>In kingless lands no wealthy swain</l> +<l>Who keeps the herd and reaps the grain,</l> +<l>Lies sleeping, blest with ample store,</l> +<l>Securely near his open door.</l> +<l>Upon the royal roads we see</l> +<l>No tusked elephant roaming free,</l> +<l>Of three-score years, whose head and neck</l> +<l>Sweet tinkling bells of silver deck.</l> +<l>We hear no more the glad applause</l> +<l>When his strong bow each rival draws,</l> +<l>No clap of hands, no eager cries</l> +<l>That cheer each martial exercise.</l> +<l>In kingless realms no merchant bands</l> +<l>Who travel forth to distant lands,</l> +<l>With precious wares their wagons load,</l> +<pb n="175"/><anchor id="Pg175"/> +<l>And fear no danger on the road.</l> +<l>No sage secure in self-control,</l> +<l>Brooding on God with mind and soul,</l> +<l>In lonely wanderings finds his home</l> +<l>Where'er at eve his feet may roam.</l> +<l>In kingless realms no man is sure</l> +<l>He holds his life and wealth secure.</l> +<l>In kingless lands no warriors smite</l> +<l>The foeman's host in glorious fight.</l> +<l>In kingless lands the wise no more,</l> +<l>Well trained in Scripture's holy lore,</l> +<l>In shady groves and gardens meet</l> +<l>To argue in their calm retreat.</l> +<l>No longer, in religious fear,</l> +<l>Do they who pious vows revere,</l> +<l>Bring dainty cates and wreaths of flowers</l> +<l>As offerings to the heavenly powers.</l> +<l>No longer, bright as trees in spring,</l> +<l>Shine forth the children of the king</l> +<l>Resplendent in the people's eyes</l> +<l>With aloe wood and sandal dyes.</l> +<l>A brook where water once has been,</l> +<l>A grove where grass no more is green,</l> +<l>Kine with no herdsman's guiding hand—</l> +<l>So wretched is a kingless land.</l> +<l>The car its waving banner rears,</l> +<l>Banner of fire the smoke appears:</l> +<l>Our king, the banner of our pride,</l> +<l>A God with Gods is glorified.</l> +<l>In kingless lands no law is known,</l> +<l>And none may call his wealth his own,</l> +<l>Each preys on each from hour to hour,</l> +<l>As fish the weaker fish devour.</l> +<l>Then fearless, atheists overleap</l> +<l>The bounds of right the godly keep,</l> +<l>And when no royal powers restrain,</l> +<l>Preëminence and lordship gain.</l> +<l>As in the frame of man the eye</l> +<l>Keeps watch and ward, a careful spy,</l> +<l>The monarch in his wide domains</l> +<l>Protects the truth, the right maintains.</l> +<l>He is the right, the truth is he,</l> +<l>Their hopes in him the well-born see.</l> +<l>On him his people's lives depend,</l> +<l>Mother is he, and sire, and friend.</l> +<l>The world were veiled in blinding night,</l> +<l>And none could see or know aright,</l> +<l>Ruled there no king in any state</l> +<l>The good and ill to separate.</l> +<l>We will obey thy word and will</l> +<l>As if our king were living still:</l> +<l>As keeps his bounds the faithful sea,</l> +<l>So we observe thy high decree.</l> +<l>O best of Bráhmans, first in place,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Our kingless land lies desolate:</l> +<l>Some scion of Ikshváku's race</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Do thou as monarch consecrate.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXVIII"/> +<head>Canto LXVIII. The Envoys.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Vaśishṭha heard their speech and prayer,</l> +<l>And thus addressed the concourse there,</l> +<l>Friends, Bráhmans, counsellors, and all</l> +<l>Assembled in the palace hall:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ye know that Bharat, free from care,</q></l> +<l>Still lives in Rájagriha<note place="foot">Rájagriha, or Girivraja was the capital +of Aśvapati, Bharat's maternal grandfather.</note> where</l> +<l>The father of his mother reigns:</l> +<l>Śatrughna by his side remains.</l> +<l>Let active envoys, good at need,</l> +<l>Thither on fleetest horses speed,</l> +<l>To bring the hero youths away:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Why waste the time in dull delay?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Quick came from all the glad reply:</l> +<l><q>Vaśishṭha, let the envoys fly!</q></l> +<l>He heard their speech, and thus renewed</l> +<l>His charge before the multitude:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Nandan, Aśok, Siddhárth, attend,</q></l> +<l>Your ears, Jayanta, Vijay, lend:</l> +<l>Be yours, what need requires, to do:</l> +<l>I speak these words to all of you.</l> +<l>With coursers of the fleetest breed</l> +<l>To Rájagriha's city speed.</l> +<l>Then rid your bosoms of distress,</l> +<l>And Bharat thus from me address:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The household priest and peers by us</q></l> +<l>Send health to thee and greet thee thus:</l> +<l>Come to thy father's home with haste:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thine absent time no longer waste.</q></l> +<l>But speak no word of Ráma fled,</l> +<l>Tell not the prince his sire is dead,</l> +<l>Nor to the royal youth the fate</l> +<l>That ruins Raghu's race relate.</l> +<l>Go quickly hence, and with you bear</l> +<l>Fine silken vestures rich and rare,</l> +<l>And gems and many a precious thing</l> +<l><q rend="post">As gifts to Bharat and the king.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With ample stores of food supplied,</l> +<l>Each to his home the envoys hied,</l> +<l>Prepared, with steeds of swiftest race,</l> +<l>To Kekaya's land<note place="foot">The Kekayas or Kaikayas in the +Punjab appear amongst the chief nations in the war of the Mahábhárata; their king +being a kinsman of Krishṇa.</note> their way to trace.</l> +<l>They made all due provision there,</l> +<l>And every need arranged with care,</l> +<l>Then ordered by Vaśishṭha, they</l> +<l>Went forth with speed upon their way.</l> +<l>Then northward of Pralamba, west</l> +<l>Of Apartála, on they pressed,</l> +<l>Crossing the Máliní that flowed</l> +<l>With gentle stream athwart the road.</l> +<l>They traversed Gangá's holy waves</l> +<pb n="176"/><anchor id="Pg176"/> +<l>Where she Hástinapura<note place="foot">Hástinapura was the capital of the +kingdom of Kuru, near the modern Delhi.</note> laves,</l> +<l>Thence to Panchála<note place="foot">The Panchálas occupied the upper part +of the Doab.</note> westward fast</l> +<l>Through Kurujángal's land<note place="foot"><q>Kurujángala and its inhabitants are +frequently mentioned in the +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Mahábhárata</foreign>, +as in the <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Ádi-parv.</foreign> +3789, 4337, <hi rend='italic'>et al.</hi></q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson's</hi> <hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu Puráṇa,</hi> +Vol. II. p. 176. <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Dr. Hall's</hi> Note.</note> +they passed.</l> +<l>On, on their course the envoys held</l> +<l>By urgency of task impelled.</l> +<l>Quick glancing at each lucid flood</l> +<l>And sweet lake gay with flower and bud.</l> +<l>Beyond, they passed unwearied o'er,</l> +<l>Where glad birds fill the flood and shore</l> +<l>Of Śaradaṇḍá racing fleet</l> +<l>With heavenly water clear and sweet,</l> +<l>Thereby a tree celestial grows</l> +<l>Which every boon on prayer bestows:</l> +<l>To its blest shade they humbly bent,</l> +<l>Then to Kulingá's town they went.</l> +<l>Then, having passed the Warrior's Wood,</l> +<l>In Abhikála next they stood,</l> +<l>O'er sacred Ikshumatí<note place="foot"><q>The Ὁξύματις of Arrian. +See <hi rend='italic'>As. Res.</hi> Vol. XV. p. 420, 421, also +<hi rend='italic'>Indische Alterthumskunde</hi>, Vol. I. p. 602, first footnote.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson's</hi> <hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu Puráṇa</hi>, +Vol. I. p. 421. <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Dr. Hall's</hi> Edition. The +Ikshumatí was a river in Kurukshetra.</note> came,</l> +<l>Their ancient kings' ancestral claim.</l> +<l>They saw the learned Bráhmans stand,</l> +<l>Each drinking from his hollowed hand,</l> +<l>And through Báhíka<note place="foot"><q>The Báhíkas are described in the +Mahábhárata, Karṇa Parvan, with some detail, and comprehend the different nations +of the Punjab from the Sutlej to the +Indus.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu Puráṇa</hi>, Vol. I. p. 167.</note> journeying still</l> +<l>They reached at length Sudáman's hill:</l> +<l>There Vishṇu's footstep turned to see,</l> +<l>Vipáśá<note place="foot">The Beas, Hyphasis, or Bibasis.</note> +viewed, and Śálmalí,</l> +<l>And many a lake and river met,</l> +<l>Tank, pool, and pond, and rivulet.</l> +<l>And lions saw, and tigers near,</l> +<l>And elephants and herds of deer,</l> +<l>And still, by prompt obedience led,</l> +<l>Along the ample road they sped.</l> +<l>Then when their course so swift and long,</l> +<l>Had worn their steeds though fleet and strong,</l> +<l>To Girivraja's splendid town</l> +<l>They came by night, and lighted down.</l> +<l>To please their master, and to guard</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The royal race, the lineal right,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The envoys, spent with riding hard,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">To that fair city came by night.<note place="foot"><p>It +would be lost labour to attempt to verify all the towns and streams mentioned +in Cantos <ref target="CantoII-LXVIII">LXVIII</ref> and +<ref target="CantoII-LXXII">LXXII</ref>. +Professor Wilson observes (<hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu Puráṇa</hi>, +p. 139. Dr. Hall's Edition) <q>States, and tribes, and cities have disappeared, even +from recollection; and some of the natural features of the country, especially the +rivers, have undergone a total alteration.… Notwithstanding these impediments, however, +we should be able to identify at least mountains and rivers, to a much greater +extent than is now practicable, if our maps were not so miserably defective in +their nomenclature. None of our surveyors or geographers have been oriental +scholars. It may be doubted if any of them have been conversant with the spoken +language of the country. They have, consequently, put down names at random, according +to their own inaccurate appreciation of sounds carelessly, vulgarly, and +corruptly uttered; and their maps of India are crowded with appellations which +bear no similitude whatever either to past or present denominations. We need not +wonder that we cannot discover Sanskrit names in English maps, when, in the immediate +vicinity of Calcutta, Barnagore represents Baráhanagar, Dakshineśwar is +metamorphosed into Duckinsore, Ulubaría into Willoughbury.… There +is scarcely a name in our Indian maps that does not afford proof of extreme indifference +to accuracy in nomenclature, and of an incorrectness in estimating +sounds, which is, in some degree, perhaps, a national defect.</q></p> +<p>For further information regarding the road from Ayodhyá to Rájagriha, see +<hi rend='italic'><ref target="Notes_Bharats_Return">Additional +Notes</ref></hi>.</p></note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXIX"/> +<head>Canto LXIX. Bharat's Dream.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The night those messengers of state</l> +<l>Had past within the city's gate,</l> +<l>In dreams the slumbering Bharat saw</l> +<l>A sight that chilled his soul with awe.</l> +<l>The dream that dire events foretold</l> +<l>Left Bharat's heart with horror cold,</l> +<pb n="177"/><anchor id="Pg177"/> +<l>And with consuming woes distraught,</l> +<l>Upon his aged sire he thought.</l> +<l>His dear companions, swift to trace</l> +<l>The signs of anguish on his face,</l> +<l>Drew near, his sorrow to expel,</l> +<l>And pleasant tales began to tell.</l> +<l>Some woke sweet music's cheering sound,</l> +<l>And others danced in lively round.</l> +<l>With joke and jest they strove to raise</l> +<l>His spirits, quoting ancient plays;</l> +<l>But Bharat still, the lofty-souled,</l> +<l>Deaf to sweet tales his fellows told,</l> +<l>Unmoved by music, dance, and jest,</l> +<l>Sat silent, by his woe oppressed.</l> +<l>To him, begirt by comrades near,</l> +<l>Thus spoke the friend he held most dear:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why ringed around by friends, art thou</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">So silent and so mournful now?</q></l> +<l><q>Hear thou,</q> thus Bharat made reply,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What chills my heart and dims mine eye.</q></l> +<l>I dreamt I saw the king my sire</l> +<l>Sink headlong in a lake of mire</l> +<l>Down from a mountain high in air,</l> +<l>His body soiled, and loose his hair.</l> +<l>Upon the miry lake he seemed</l> +<l>To lie and welter, as I dreamed;</l> +<l>With hollowed hands full many a draught</l> +<l>Of oil he took, and loudly laughed.</l> +<l>With head cast down I saw him make</l> +<l>A meal on sesamum and cake;</l> +<l>The oil from every member dripped,</l> +<l>And in its clammy flood he dipped.</l> +<l>The ocean's bed was bare and dry,</l> +<l>The moon had fallen from the sky,</l> +<l>And all the world lay still and dead,</l> +<l>With whelming darkness overspread.</l> +<l>The earth was rent and opened wide,</l> +<l>The leafy trees were scorched, and died;</l> +<l>I saw the seated mountains split,</l> +<l>And wreaths of rising smoke emit.</l> +<l>The stately beast the monarch rode</l> +<l>His long tusks rent and splintered showed;</l> +<l>And flames that quenched and cold had lain</l> +<l>Blazed forth with kindled light again.</l> +<l>I looked, and many a handsome dame,</l> +<l>Arrayed in brown and sable came</l> +<l>And bore about the monarch, dressed,</l> +<l>On iron stool, in sable vest.</l> +<l>And then the king, of virtuous mind,</l> +<l>A blood-red wreath around him twined,</l> +<l>Forth on an ass-drawn chariot sped,</l> +<l>As southward still he bent his head.</l> +<l>Then, crimson-clad, a dame appeared</l> +<l>Who at the monarch laughed and jeered;</l> +<l>And a she-monster, dire to view,</l> +<l>Her hand upon his body threw.</l> +<l>Such is the dream I dreamt by night,</l> +<l>Which chills me yet with wild affright:</l> +<l>Either the king or Ráma, I</l> +<l>Or Lakshmaṇ now must surely die.</l> +<l>For when an ass-drawn chariot seems</l> +<l>To bear away a man in dreams,</l> +<l>Be sure above his funeral pyre</l> +<l>The smoke soon rears its cloudy spire.</l> +<l>This makes my spirit low and weak,</l> +<l>My tongue is slow and loth to speak:</l> +<l>My lips and throat are dry for dread,</l> +<l>And all my soul disquieted.</l> +<l>My lips, relaxed, can hardly speak,</l> +<l>And chilling dread has changed my cheek</l> +<l>I blame myself in aimless fears,</l> +<l>And still no cause of blame appears.</l> +<l>I dwell upon this dream of ill</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Whose changing scenes I viewed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And on the startling horror still</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">My troubled thoughts will brood.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Still to my soul these terrors cling,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Reluctant to depart,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And the strange vision of the king</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">Still weighs upon my heart.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXX"/> +<head>Canto LXX. Bharat's Departure.</head> + +<lg> +<l>While thus he spoke, the envoys borne</l> +<l>On horses faint and travel-worn</l> +<l>Had gained the city fenced around</l> +<l>With a deep moat's protecting bound.</l> +<l>An audience of the king they gained,</l> +<l>And honours from the prince obtained;</l> +<l>The monarch's feet they humbly pressed,</l> +<l>To Bharat next these words addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The household priest and peers by us</q></l> +<l>Send health to thee and greet thee thus:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Come to thy father's house with haste:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Thine absent time no longer waste.</q></l> +<l>Receive these vestures rich and rare,</l> +<l>These costly gems and jewels fair,</l> +<l>And to thy uncle here present</l> +<l>Each precious robe and ornament.</l> +<l>These for the king and him suffice—</l> +<l>Two hundred millions is their price—</l> +<l>These, worth a hundred millions, be</l> +<l><q rend="post">Reserved, O large-eyed Prince, for thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Loving his friends with heart and soul,</l> +<l>The joyful prince received the whole,</l> +<l>Due honour to the envoys paid,</l> +<l>And thus in turn his answer made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Of Daśaratha tidings tell:</q></l> +<l>Is the old king my father well?</l> +<l>Is Ráma, and is Lakshmaṇ, he</l> +<l>Of the high-soul, from sickness free?</l> +<l>And she who walks where duty leads,</l> +<l>Kauśalyá, known for gracious deeds,</l> +<l>Mother of Ráma, loving spouse,</l> +<l>Bound to her lord by well kept vows?</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ's mother too, the dame</l> +<l>Sumitrá skilled in duty's claim,</l> +<l>Who brave Śatrughna also bare,</l> +<l>Second in age,—her health declare.</l> +<pb n="178"/><anchor id="Pg178"/> +<l>And she, in self-conceit most sage,</l> +<l>With selfish heart most prone to rage,</l> +<l>My mother, fares she well? has she</l> +<l><q rend="post">Sent message or command to me?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Bharat spake, the mighty-souled,</l> +<l>And they in brief their tidings told:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">All they of whom thou askest dwell,</q></l> +<l>O lion lord, secure and well:</l> +<l>Thine all the smiles of fortune are:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Make ready; let them yoke the car.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus by the royal envoys pressed,</l> +<l>Bharat again the band addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I go with you: no long delay,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">A single hour I bid you stay.</q></l> +<l>Thus Bharat, son of him who swayed</l> +<l>Ayodhyás realm, his answer made,</l> +<l>And then bespoke, his heart to please,</l> +<l>His mother's sire in words like these:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I go to see my father, King,</q></l> +<l>Urged by the envoys' summoning;</l> +<l>And when thy soul desires to see</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy grandson, will return to thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The king his grandsire kissed his head,</l> +<l>And in reply to Bharat said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Go forth, dear child: how blest is she,</q></l> +<l>The mother of a son like thee!</l> +<l>Greet well thy sire, thy mother greet,</l> +<l>O thou whose arms the foe defeat;</l> +<l>The household priest, and all the rest</l> +<l>Amid the Twice-born chief and best;</l> +<l>And Ráma and brave Lakshmaṇ, who</l> +<l><q rend="post">Shoot the long shaft with aim so true.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To him the king high honour showed,</l> +<l>And store of wealth and gifts bestowed,</l> +<l>The choicest elephants to ride,</l> +<l>And skins and blankets deftly dyed,</l> +<l>A thousand strings of golden beads,</l> +<l>And sixteen hundred mettled steeds:</l> +<l>And boundless wealth before him piled</l> +<l>Gave Kekaya to Kaikeyí's child.</l> +<l>And men of counsel, good and tried,</l> +<l>On whose firm truth he aye relied,</l> +<l>King Aśvapati gave with speed</l> +<l>Prince Bharat on his way to lead.</l> +<l>And noble elephants, strong and young,</l> +<l>From sires of Indraśira sprung,</l> +<l>And others tall and fair to view</l> +<l>Of great Airávat's lineage true:</l> +<l>And well yoked asses fleet of limb</l> +<l>The prince his uncle gave to him.</l> +<l>And dogs within the palace bred,</l> +<l>Of body vast and massive head,</l> +<l>With mighty fangs for battle, brave,</l> +<l>The tiger's match in strength, he gave.</l> +<l>Yet Bharat's bosom hardly glowed</l> +<l>To see the wealth the king bestowed;</l> +<l>For he would speed that hour away,</l> +<l>Such care upon his bosom lay:</l> +<l>Those eager envoys urged him thence,</l> +<l>And that sad vision's influence.</l> +<l>He left his court-yard, crowded then</l> +<l>With elephants and steeds and men,</l> +<l>And, peerless in immortal fame,</l> +<l>To the great royal street he came.</l> +<l>He saw, as farther still he went,</l> +<l>The inner rooms most excellent,</l> +<l>And passed the doors, to him unclosed,</l> +<l>Where check nor bar his way oppossd.</l> +<l>There Bharat stayed to bid adieu</l> +<l>To grandsire and to uncle too,</l> +<l>Then, with Śatrughna by his side,</l> +<l>Mounting his car, away he hied.</l> +<l>The strong-wheeled cars were yoked, and they</l> +<l>More than a hundred, rolled away:</l> +<l>Servants, with horses, asses, kine,</l> +<l>Followed their lord in endless line.</l> +<l>So, guarded by his own right hand,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Forth high-souled Bharat hied,</l> +<l>Surrounded by a lordly band</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">On whom the king relied.</l> +<l>Beside him sat Śatrughna dear,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The scourge of trembling foes:</l> +<l>Thus from the light of Indra's sphere</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A saint made perfect goes.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXI"/> +<head>Canto LXXI. Bharat's Return.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Bharat's face was eastward bent</l> +<l>As from the royal town he went.</l> +<l>He reached Sudámá's farther side,</l> +<l>And glorious, gazed upon the tide;</l> +<l>Passed Hládiní, and saw her toss</l> +<l>Her westering billows hard to cross.</l> +<l>Then old Ikshváku's famous son</l> +<l>O'er Śatadrú<note place="foot"><q>The Śatadrú, <q>the hundred-channeled</q>—the +Zaradrus of Ptolemy, Hesydrus of Pliny—is the Sutlej.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson's</hi> <hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu +Puráṇa</hi>, Vol. II. p. 130.</note> his passage won,</l> +<l>Near Ailadhána on the strand,</l> +<l>And came to Aparparyat's land.</l> +<l>O'er Śilá's flood he hurried fast,</l> +<l>Akurvatí's fair stream he passed,</l> +<l>Crossed o'er Ágneya's rapid rill,</l> +<l>And Śalyakartan onward still.</l> +<l>Śilávahá's swift stream he eyed,</l> +<l>True to his vows and purified,</l> +<l>Then crossed the lofty hills, and stood</l> +<l>In Chaitraratha's mighty wood.</l> +<l>He reached the confluence where meet</l> +<l>Sarasvatí<note place="foot">The Sarasvatí or Sursooty is a tributary +of the Caggar or Guggur in Sirhind.</note> and Gangá fleet,</l> +<l>And through Bháruṇḍa forest, spread</l> +<l>Northward of Viramatsya, sped.</l> +<l>He sought Kálinda's child, who fills</l> +<pb n="179"/><anchor id="Pg179"/> +<l>The soul with joy, begirt by hills,</l> +<l>Reached Yamuná, and passing o'er,</l> +<l>Rested his army on the shore:</l> +<l>He gave his horses food and rest,</l> +<l>Bathed reeking limb and drooping crest.</l> +<l>They drank their fill and bathed them there,</l> +<l>And water for their journey bare.</l> +<l>Thence through a mighty wood he sped</l> +<l>All wild and uninhabited,</l> +<l>As in fair chariot through the skies,</l> +<l>Most fair in shape a Storm-God flies.</l> +<l>At Anśudhána Gangá, hard</l> +<l>To cross, his onward journey barred,</l> +<l>So turning quickly thence he came</l> +<l>To Prágvaṭ's city dear to fame.</l> +<l>There having gained the farther side</l> +<l>To Kuṭikoshṭiká he hied:</l> +<l>The stream he crossed, and onward then</l> +<l>To Dharmavardhan brought his men.</l> +<l>Thence, leaving Toraṇ on the north,</l> +<l>To Jambuprastha journeyed forth.</l> +<l>Then onward to a pleasant grove</l> +<l>By fair Varútha's town he drove,</l> +<l>And when a while he there had stayed,</l> +<l>Went eastward from the friendly shade.</l> +<l>Eastward of Ujjiháná where</l> +<l>The Priyak trees are tall and fair,</l> +<l>He passed, and rested there each steed</l> +<l>Exhausted with the journey's speed.</l> +<l>There orders to his men addressed,</l> +<l>With quickened pace he onward pressed,</l> +<l>A while at Sarvatírtha spent,</l> +<l>Then o'er Uttániká he went.</l> +<l>O'er many a stream beside he sped</l> +<l>With coursers on the mountains bred,</l> +<l>And passing Hastiprishṭhak, took</l> +<l>The road o'er Kuṭiká's fair brook.</l> +<l>Then, at Lohitya's village, he</l> +<l>Crossed o'er the swift Kapívatí,</l> +<l>Then passed, where Ekaśála stands,</l> +<l>The Stháṇumatí's flood and sands,</l> +<l>And Gomatí of fair renown</l> +<l>By Vinata's delightful town.</l> +<l>When to Kalinga near he drew,</l> +<l>A wood of Sal trees charmed the view;</l> +<l>That passed, the sun began to rise,</l> +<l>And Bharat saw with happy eyes,</l> +<l>Ayodhyá's city, built and planned</l> +<l>By ancient Manu's royal hand.</l> +<l>Seven nights upon the road had passed,</l> +<l>And when he saw the town at last</l> +<l>Before him in her beauty spread,</l> +<l>Thus Bharat to the driver said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">This glorious city from afar,</q></l> +<l>Wherein pure groves and gardens are,</l> +<l>Seems to my eager eyes to-day</l> +<l>A lifeless pile of yellow clay.</l> +<l>Through all her streets where erst a throng</l> +<l>Of men and women streamed along,</l> +<l>Uprose the multitudinous roar:</l> +<l>To-day I hear that sound no more.</l> +<l>No longer do mine eyes behold</l> +<l>The leading people, as of old,</l> +<l>On elephants, cars, horses, go</l> +<l>Abroad and homeward, to and fro.</l> +<l>The brilliant gardens, where we heard</l> +<l>The wild note of each rapturous bird,</l> +<l>Where men and women loved to meet,</l> +<l>In pleasant shades, for pastime sweet,—</l> +<l>These to my eyes this day appear</l> +<l>Joyless, and desolate, and drear:</l> +<l>Each tree that graced the garden grieves,</l> +<l>And every path is spread with leaves.</l> +<l>The merry cry of bird and beast,</l> +<l>That spake aloud their joy, has ceased:</l> +<l>Still is the long melodious note</l> +<l>That charmed us from each warbling throat.</l> +<l>Why blows the blessed air no more,</l> +<l>The incense-breathing air that bore</l> +<l>Its sweet incomparable scent</l> +<l>Of sandal and of aloe blent?</l> +<l>Why are the drum and tabour mute?</l> +<l>Why is the music of the lute</l> +<l>That woke responsive to the quill,</l> +<l>Loved by the happy, hushed and still?</l> +<l>My boding spirit gathers hence</l> +<l>Dire sins of awful consequence,</l> +<l>And omens, crowding on my sight,</l> +<l>Weigh down my soul with wild affright.</l> +<l>Scarce shall I find my friends who dwell</l> +<l>Here in Ayodhyá safe and well:</l> +<l>For surely not without a cause</l> +<l><q rend="post">This crushing dread my soul o'erawes.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Heart sick, dejected, every sense</l> +<l>Confused by terror's influence,</l> +<l>On to the town he quickly swept</l> +<l>Which King Ikshváku's children kept.</l> +<l>He passed through Vaijayanta's gate,</l> +<l>With weary steeds, disconsolate,</l> +<l>And all who near their station held,</l> +<l>His escort, crying Victory, swelled,</l> +<l>With heart distracted still he bowed</l> +<l>Farewell to all the following crowd,</l> +<l>Turned to the driver and began</l> +<l>To question thus the weary man:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why was I brought, O free from blame,</q></l> +<l>So fast, unknown for what I came?</l> +<l>Yet fear of ill my heart appals,</l> +<l>And all my wonted courage falls.</l> +<l>For I have heard in days gone by</l> +<l>The changes seen when monarchs die;</l> +<l>And all those signs, O charioteer,</l> +<l>I see to-day surround me here:</l> +<l>Each kinsman's house looks dark and grim,</l> +<l>No hand delights to keep it trim:</l> +<l>The beauty vanished, and the pride,</l> +<l>The doors, unkept, stand open wide.</l> +<l>No morning rites are offered there,</l> +<l>No grateful incense loads the air,</l> +<l>And all therein, with brows o'ercast,</l> +<l>Sit joyless on the ground and fast.</l> +<l>Their lovely chaplets dry and dead,</l> +<pb n="180"/><anchor id="Pg180"/> +<l>Their courts unswept, with dust o'erspread,</l> +<l>The temples of the Gods to-day</l> +<l>No more look beautiful and gay.</l> +<l>Neglected stands each holy shrine,</l> +<l>Each image of a Lord divine.</l> +<l>No shop where flowery wreaths are sold</l> +<l>Is bright and busy as of old.</l> +<l>The women and the men I mark</l> +<l>Absorbed in fancies dull and dark,</l> +<l>Their gloomy eyes with tears bedewed,</l> +<l><q rend="post">A poor afflicted multitude.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His mind oppressed with woe and dread,</l> +<l>Thus Bharat to his driver said,</l> +<l>Viewed the dire signs Ayodhyá showed,</l> +<l>And onward to the palace rode.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXII"/> +<head>Canto LXXII. Bharat's Inquiry.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He entered in, he looked around,</l> +<l>Nor in the house his father found;</l> +<l>Then to his mother's dwelling, bent</l> +<l>To see her face, he quickly went.</l> +<l>She saw her son, so long away,</l> +<l>Returning after many a day,</l> +<l>And from her golden seat in joy</l> +<l>Sprung forward to her darling boy.</l> +<l>Within the bower, no longer bright,</l> +<l>Came Bharat lover of the right,</l> +<l>And bending with observance sweet</l> +<l>Clasped his dear mother's lovely feet.</l> +<l>Long kisses on his brow she pressed,</l> +<l>And held her hero to her breast,</l> +<l>Then fondly drew him to her knees,</l> +<l>And questioned him in words like these:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">How many nights have fled, since thou</q></l> +<l>Leftest thy grandsire's home, till now?</l> +<l>By flying steeds so swiftly borne,</l> +<l>Art thou not weak and travel-worn?</l> +<l>How fares the king my father, tell:</l> +<l>Is Yudhájit thine uncle well?</l> +<l>And now, my son, at length declare</l> +<l><q rend="post">The pleasure of the visit there.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus to the offspring of the king</l> +<l>She spake with tender questioning,</l> +<l>And to his mother made reply</l> +<l>Young Bharat of the lotus eye:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The seventh night has come and fled</q></l> +<l>Since from my grandsire's home I sped:</l> +<l>My mother's sire is well, and he,</l> +<l>Yudhájit, from all trouble free.</l> +<l>The gold and every precious thing</l> +<l>Presented by the conqueror king,</l> +<l>The slower guards behind convey:</l> +<l>I left them weary on the way.</l> +<l>Urged by the men my father sent,</l> +<l>My hasty course I hither bent:</l> +<l>Now, I implore, an answer deign,</l> +<l>And all I wish to know, explain.</l> +<l>Unoccupied I now behold</l> +<l>This couch of thine adorned with gold,</l> +<l>And each of King Ikshváku's race</l> +<l>Appears with dark and gloomy face.</l> +<l>The king is aye, my mother dear,</l> +<l>Most constant in his visits here.</l> +<l>To meet my sire I sought this spot:</l> +<l>How is it that I find him not?</l> +<l>I long to clasp my father's feet:</l> +<l>Say where he lingers, I entreat.</l> +<l>Perchance the monarch may be seen</l> +<l><q rend="post">Where dwells Kauśalyá, eldest queen.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His father's fate, from him concealed,</l> +<l>Kaikeyí to her son revealed:</l> +<l>Told as glad news the story sad,</l> +<l>For lust of sway had made her mad:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy father, O my darling, know,</q></l> +<l>Has gone the way all life must go:</l> +<l>Devout and famed, of lofty thought,</l> +<l><q rend="post">In whom the good their refuge sought.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Bharat pious, pure, and true,</l> +<l>Heard the sad words which pierced him through,</l> +<l>Grieved for the sire he loved so well</l> +<l>Prostrate upon the ground he fell:</l> +<l>Down fell the strong-armed hero, high</l> +<l>Tossing his arms, and a sad cry,</l> +<l><q>Ah, woe is me, unhappy, slain!</q></l> +<l>Burst from his lips again, again,</l> +<l>Afflicted for his father's fate</l> +<l>By grief's intolerable weight,</l> +<l>With every sense amazed and cowed</l> +<l>The splendid hero wailed aloud:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah me, my royal father's bed</q></l> +<l>Of old a gentle radiance shed,</l> +<l>Like the pure sky when clouds are past,</l> +<l>And the moon's light is o'er it cast:</l> +<l>Ah, of its wisest lord bereft,</l> +<l>It shows to-day faint radiance left,</l> +<l>As when the moon has left the sky.</l> +<l><q rend="post">Or mighty Ocean's depths are dry.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With choking sobs, with many a tear,</l> +<l>Pierced to the heart with grief sincere,</l> +<l>The best of conquerors poured his sighs,</l> +<l>And with his robe veiled face and eyes.</l> +<l>Kaikeyí saw him fallen there,</l> +<l>Godlike, afflicted, in despair,</l> +<l>Used every art to move him thence,</l> +<l>And tried him thus with eloquence:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Arise, arise, my dearest; why</q></l> +<l>Wilt thou, famed Prince, so lowly lie?</l> +<l>Not by such grief as this are moved</l> +<l>Good men like thee, by all approved.</l> +<l>The earth thy father nobly swayed,</l> +<l>And rites to Heaven he duly paid.</l> +<l>At length his race of life was run:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thou shouldst not mourn for him, my son.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Long on the ground he wept, and rolled</l> +<l>From side to side, still unconsoled,</l> +<l>And then, with bitter grief oppressed,</l> +<l>His mother with these words addressed:</l> +<pb n="181"/><anchor id="Pg181"/> +<l><q rend="pre">This joyful hope my bosom fed</q></l> +<l>When from my grandsire's halls I sped—</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The king will throne his eldest son,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">And sacrifice, as should be done.</q></l> +<l>But all is changed, my hope was vain,</l> +<l>And this sad heart is rent in twain,</l> +<l>For my dear father's face I miss,</l> +<l>Who ever sought his loved ones' bliss.</l> +<l>But in my absence, mother, say,</l> +<l>What sickness took my sire away?</l> +<l>Ah, happy Ráma, happy they</l> +<l>Allowed his funeral rites to pay!</l> +<l>The glorious monarch has not learned</l> +<l>That I his darling have returned,</l> +<l>Or quickly had he hither sped,</l> +<l>And pressed his kisses on my head.</l> +<l>Where is that hand whose gentle touch,</l> +<l>Most soft and kind I loved so much,</l> +<l>The hand that loved to brush away</l> +<l>The dust that on his darling lay?</l> +<l>Quick, bear the news to Ráma's ear;</l> +<l>Tell the great chief that I am here:</l> +<l>Brother, and sire, and friend, and all</l> +<l>Is he, and I his trusty thrall.</l> +<l>For noble hearts, to virtue true,</l> +<l>Their sires in elder brothers view.</l> +<l>To clasp his feet I fain would bow:</l> +<l>He is my hope and refuge now.</l> +<l>What said my glorious sire, who knew</l> +<l>Virtue and vice, so brave and true?</l> +<l>Firm in his vows, dear lady, say,</l> +<l>What said he ere he passed away?</l> +<l>What was his rede to me? I crave</l> +<l><q rend="post">To hear the last advice he gave.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus closely questioned by the youth,</l> +<l>Kaikeyí spoke the mournful truth:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The high-souled monarch wept and sighed,</q></l> +<l>For Ráma, Sítá, Lakshmaṇ, cried,</l> +<l>Then, best of all who go to bliss,</l> +<l>Passed to the world which follows this.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah, blessed are the people who</q></l> +<l>Shall Ráma and his Sítá view,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ of the mighty arm,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Returning free from scathe and harm.</q></l> +<l>Such were the words, the last of all,</l> +<l>Thy father, ere he died, let fall,</l> +<l>By Fate and Death's dread coils enwound,</l> +<l><q rend="post">As some great elephant is bound.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He heard, yet deeper in despair,</l> +<l>Her lips this double woe declare,</l> +<l>And with sad brow that showed his pain</l> +<l>Questioned his mother thus again:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">But where is he, of virtue tried,</q></l> +<l>Who fills Kauśalyá's heart with pride,</l> +<l>Where is the noble Ráma? where</l> +<l><q rend="post">Is Lakshmaṇ brave, and Sítá fair?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus pressed, the queen began to tell</l> +<l>The story as each thing befell,</l> +<l>And gave her son in words like these,</l> +<l>The mournful news she meant to please:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The prince is gone in hermit dress</q></l> +<l>To Daṇḍak's mighty wilderness,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ brave and Sítá share</l> +<l><q rend="post">The wanderings of the exile there.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Bharat's soul with fear was stirred</l> +<l>Lest Ráma from the right had erred,</l> +<l>And jealous for ancestral fame,</l> +<l>He put this question to the dame:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Has Ráma grasped with lawless hold</q></l> +<l>A Bráhman's house, or land, or gold?</l> +<l>Has Ráma harmed with ill intent</l> +<l>Some poor or wealthy innocent?</l> +<l>Was Ráma, faithless to his vows,</l> +<l>Enamoured of anothers spouse?</l> +<l>Why was he sent to Daṇḍak's wild,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Like one who kills an unborn child?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He questioned thus: and she began</l> +<l>To tell her deeds and crafty plan.</l> +<l>Deceitful-hearted, fond, and blind</l> +<l>As is the way of womankind:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No Bráhman's wealth has Ráma seized,</q></l> +<l>No dame his wandering fancy pleased;</l> +<l>His very eyes he ne'er allows</l> +<l>To gaze upon a neighbour's spouse.</l> +<l>But when I heard the monarch planned</l> +<l>To give the realm to Ráma's hand,</l> +<l>I prayed that Ráma hence might flee,</l> +<l>And claimed the throne, my son, for thee.</l> +<l>The king maintained the name he bare,</l> +<l>And did according to my prayer,</l> +<l>And Ráma, with his brother, sent,</l> +<l>And Sítá, forth to banishment.</l> +<l>When his dear son was seen no more,</l> +<l>The lord of earth was troubled sore:</l> +<l>Too feeble with his grief to strive,</l> +<l>He joined the elemental Five.</l> +<l>Up then, most dutiful! maintain</l> +<l>The royal state, arise, and reign.</l> +<l>For thee, my darling son, for thee</l> +<l>All this was planned and wrought by me.</l> +<l>Come, cast thy grief and pain aside,</l> +<l>With manly courage fortified.</l> +<l>This town and realm are all thine own,</l> +<l>And fear and grief are here unknown.</l> +<l>Come, with Vaśishṭha's guiding aid,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And priests in ritual skilled</l> +<l>Let the king's funeral dues be paid,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And every claim fulfilled.</l> +<l>Perform his obsequies with all</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That suits his rank and worth,</l> +<l>Then give the mandate to install</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Thyself as lord of earth.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXIII"/> +<head>Canto LXXIII. Kaikeyí Reproached.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But when he heard the queen relate</l> +<l>His brothers' doom, his father's fate,</l> +<l>Thus Bharat to his mother said</l> +<l>With burning grief disquieted:</l> +<pb n="182"/><anchor id="Pg182"/> +<l><q rend="pre">Alas, what boots it now to reign,</q></l> +<l>Struck down by grief and well-nigh slain?</l> +<l>Ah, both are gone, my sire, and he</l> +<l>Who was a second sire to me.</l> +<l>Grief upon grief thy hand has made,</l> +<l>And salt upon gashes laid:</l> +<l>For my dear sire has died through thee,</l> +<l>And Ráma roams a devotee.</l> +<l>Thou camest like the night of Fate</l> +<l>This royal house to devastate.</l> +<l>Unwitting ill, my hapless sire</l> +<l>Placed in his bosom coals of fire,</l> +<l>And through thy crimes his death he met,</l> +<l>O thou whose heart on sin is set.</l> +<l>Shame of thy house! thy senseless deed</l> +<l>Has reft all joy from Raghu's seed.</l> +<l>The truthful monarch, dear to fame,</l> +<l>Received thee as his wedded dame,</l> +<l>And by thy act to misery doomed</l> +<l>Has died by flames of grief consumed.</l> +<l>Kauśalyá and Sumitrá too</l> +<l>The coming of my mother rue,</l> +<l>And if they live oppressed by woe,</l> +<l>For their dear sons their sad tears flow.</l> +<l>Was he not ever good and kind,—</l> +<l>That hero of the duteous mind?</l> +<l>Skilled in all filial duties, he</l> +<l>As a dear mother treated thee.</l> +<l>Kauśalyá too, the eldest queen,</l> +<l>Who far foresees with insight keen,</l> +<l>Did she not ever show thee all</l> +<l>A sister's love at duty's call?</l> +<l>And hast thou from the kingdom chased</l> +<l>Her son, with bark around his waist,</l> +<l>To the wild wood, to dwell therein,</l> +<l>And dost not sorrow for thy sin?</l> +<l>The love I bare to Raghu's son</l> +<l>Thou knewest not, ambitious one,</l> +<l>If thou hast wrought this impious deed</l> +<l>For royal sway, in lawless greed.</l> +<l>With him and Lakshmaṇ far away,</l> +<l>What power have I the realm to sway?</l> +<l>What hope will fire my bosom when</l> +<l>I see no more these lords of men?</l> +<l>The holy king, who loved the right</l> +<l>Relied on Ráma's power and might,</l> +<l>His guardian and his glory, so</l> +<l>Joys Meru in his woods below.</l> +<l>How can I bear, a steer untrained,</l> +<l>The load his mightier strength sustained?</l> +<l>What power have I to brook alone</l> +<l>This weight on feeble shoulders thrown?</l> +<l>But if the needful power were bought</l> +<l>By strength of mind and brooding thought,</l> +<l>No triumph shall attend the dame</l> +<l>Who dooms her son to lasting shame.</l> +<l>Now should no doubt that son prevent</l> +<l>From quitting thee on evil bent.</l> +<l>But Ráma's love o'erpowers my will,</l> +<l>Who holds thee as his mother still.</l> +<l>Whence did the thought, O thou whose eyes</l> +<l>Are turned to sinful deeds, arise—</l> +<l>A plan our ancient sires would hate,</l> +<l>O fallen from thy virtuous state?</l> +<l>For in the line from which we spring</l> +<l>The eldest is anointed king:</l> +<l>No monarchs from the rule decline,</l> +<l>And, least of all, Ikshváku's line.</l> +<l>Our holy sires, to virtue true,</l> +<l>Upon our race a lustre threw,</l> +<l>But with subversive frenzy thou</l> +<l>Hast marred our lineal honour now,</l> +<l>Of lofty birth, a noble line</l> +<l>Of previous kings is also thine:</l> +<l>Then whence this hated folly? whence</l> +<l>This sudden change that steals thy sense?</l> +<l>Thou shalt not gain thine impious will,</l> +<l>O thou whose thoughts are bent on ill,</l> +<l>Thou from whose guilty hand descend</l> +<l>These sinful blows my life to end.</l> +<l>Now to the forest will I go,</l> +<l>Thy cherished plans to overthrow,</l> +<l>And bring my brother, free from stain,</l> +<l>His people's darling, home again.</l> +<l>And Ráma, when again he turns,</l> +<l>Whose glory like a beacon burns,</l> +<l>In me a faithful slave shall find</l> +<l><q rend="post">To serve him with contented mind.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXIV"/> +<head>Canto LXXIV. Bharat's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Bharat's anger-sharpened tongue</l> +<l>Reproaches on the queen had flung,</l> +<l>Again, with mighty rage possessed,</l> +<l>The guilty dame he thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Flee, cruel, wicked sinner, flee,</q></l> +<l>Let not this kingdom harbour thee.</l> +<l>Thou who hast thrown all right aside,</l> +<l>Weep thou for me when I have died.</l> +<l>Canst thou one charge against the king,</l> +<l>Or the most duteous Ráma bring?</l> +<l>The one thy sin to death has sent,</l> +<l>The other chased to banishment.</l> +<l>Our line's destroyer, sin defiled</l> +<l>Like one who kills an unborn child,</l> +<l>Ne'er with thy lord in heaven to dwell,</l> +<l>Thy portion shall be down in hell</l> +<l>Because thy hand, that stayed for naught,</l> +<l>This awful wickedness has wrought,</l> +<l>And ruined him whom all held dear,</l> +<l>My bosom too is stirred with fear.</l> +<l>My father by thy sin is dead,</l> +<l>And Ráma to the wood is fled;</l> +<l>And of thy deed I bear the stain,</l> +<l>And fameless in the world remain.</l> +<l>Ambitious, evil-souled, in show</l> +<l>My mother, yet my direst foe.</l> +<l>My throning ne'er thine eyes shall bless,</l> +<l>Thy husband's wicked murderess.</l> +<pb n="183"/><anchor id="Pg183"/> +<l>Thou art not Aśvapati's child,</l> +<l>That righteous king most sage and mild,</l> +<l>But thou wast born a fiend, a foe</l> +<l>My father's house to overthrow.</l> +<l>Thou who hast made Kauśalyá, pure,</l> +<l>Gentle, affectionate, endure</l> +<l>The loss of him who was her bliss,—</l> +<l>What worlds await thee, Queen, for this?</l> +<l>Was it not patent to thy sense</l> +<l>That Ráma was his friends' defence,</l> +<l>Kauśalyá's own true child most dear,</l> +<l>The eldest and his father's peer?</l> +<l>Men in the son not only trace</l> +<l>The father's figure, form, and face,</l> +<l>But in his heart they also find</l> +<l>The offspring of the father's mind;</l> +<l>And hence, though dear their kinsmen are,</l> +<l>To mothers sons are dearer far.</l> +<l>There goes an ancient legend how</l> +<l>Good Surabhí, the God-loved cow,</l> +<l>Saw two of her dear children strain,</l> +<l>Drawing a plough and faint with pain.</l> +<l>She saw them on the earth outworn,</l> +<l>Toiling till noon from early morn,</l> +<l>And as she viewed her children's woe,</l> +<l>A flood of tears began to flow.</l> +<l>As through the air beneath her swept</l> +<l>The Lord of Gods, the drops she wept,</l> +<l>Fine, laden with delicious smell,</l> +<l>Upon his heavenly body fell.</l> +<l>And Indra lifted up his eyes</l> +<l>And saw her standing in the skies,</l> +<l>Afflicted with her sorrow's weight,</l> +<l>Sad, weeping, all disconsolate.</l> +<l>The Lord of Gods in anxious mood</l> +<l>Thus spoke in suppliant attitude:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No fear disturbs our rest, and how</q></l> +<l>Come this great dread upon thee now?</l> +<l>Whence can this woe upon thee fall,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Say, gentle one who lovest all?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spake the God who rules the skies,</l> +<l>Indra, the Lord supremely wise;</l> +<l>And gentle Surabhí, well learned</l> +<l>In eloquence, this speech returned:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Not thine the fault, great God, not thine</q></l> +<l>And guiltless are the Lords divine:</l> +<l>I mourn two children faint with toil,</l> +<l>Labouring hard in stubborn soil.</l> +<l>Wasted and sad I see them now,</l> +<l>While the sun beats on neck and brow,</l> +<l>Still goaded by the cruel hind,—</l> +<l>No pity in his savage mind.</l> +<l>O Indra, from this body sprang</l> +<l>These children, worn with many a pang.</l> +<l>For this sad sight I mourn, for none</l> +<l><q rend="post">Is to the mother like her son.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He saw her weep whose offspring feed</l> +<l>In thousands over hill and mead,</l> +<l>And knew that in a mother's eye</l> +<l>Naught with a son, for love, can vie.</l> +<l>He deemed her, when the tears that came</l> +<l>From her sad eyes bedewed his frame,</l> +<l>Laden with their celestial scent,</l> +<l>Of living things most excellent.</l> +<l>If she these tears of sorrow shed</l> +<l>Who many a thousand children bred,</l> +<l>Think what a life of woe is left</l> +<l>Kauśalyá, of her Ráma reft.</l> +<l>An only son was hers and she</l> +<l>Is rendered childless now by thee.</l> +<l>Here and hereafter, for thy crime,</l> +<l>Woe is thy lot through endless time.</l> +<l>And now, O Queen, without delay,</l> +<l>With all due honour will I pay</l> +<l>Both to my brother and my sire</l> +<l>The rites their several fates require.</l> +<l>Back to Ayodhyá will I bring</l> +<l>The long-armed chief, her lord and king,</l> +<l>And to the wood myself betake</l> +<l>Where hermit saints their dwelling make.</l> +<l>For, sinner both in deed and thought!</l> +<l>This hideous crime which thou hast wrought</l> +<l>I cannot bear, or live to see</l> +<l>The people's sad eyes bent on me.</l> +<l>Begone, to Daṇḍak wood retire,</l> +<l>Or cast thy body to the fire,</l> +<l>Or bind around thy neck the rope:</l> +<l>No other refuge mayst thou hope.</l> +<l>When Ráma, lord of valour true,</l> +<l>Has gained the earth, his right and due,</l> +<l>Then, free from duty's binding debt,</l> +<l><q rend="post">My vanished sin shall I forget.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus like an elephant forced to brook</l> +<l>The goading of the driver's hook,</l> +<l>Quick panting like a serpent maimed,</l> +<l>He fell to earth with rage inflamed.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXV"/> +<head>Canto LXXV. The Abjuration.</head> + +<lg> +<l>A while he lay: he rose at length,</l> +<l>And slowly gathering sense and strength,</l> +<l>With angry eyes which tears bedewed,</l> +<l>The miserable queen he viewed,</l> +<l>And spake with keen reproach to her</l> +<l>Before each lord and minister:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No lust have I for kingly sway,</q></l> +<l>My mother I no more obey:</l> +<l>Naught of this consecration knew</l> +<l>Which Daśaratha kept in view.</l> +<l>I with Śatrughna all the time</l> +<l>Was dwelling in a distant clime:</l> +<l>I knew of Ráma's exile naught,</l> +<l>That hero of the noble thought:</l> +<l>I knew not how fair Sítá went,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And Lakshmaṇ, forth to banishment.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus high-souled Bharat, mid the crowd,</l> +<l>Lifted his voice and cried aloud.</l> +<pb n="184"/><anchor id="Pg184"/> +<l>Kauśalyá heard, she raised her head,</l> +<l>And quickly to Sumitrá said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Bharat, Kaikeyí's son is here,—</q></l> +<l>Hers whose fell deeds I loathe and fear:</l> +<l>That youth of foresight keen I fain</l> +<l><q rend="post">Would meet and see his face again.</q></l> +<l>Thus to Sumitrá spake the dame,</l> +<l>And straight to Bharat's presence came</l> +<l>With altered mien, neglected dress,</l> +<l>Trembling and faint with sore distress.</l> +<l>Bharat, Śatrughna by his side,</l> +<l>To meet her, toward her palace hied.</l> +<l>And when the royal dame they viewed</l> +<l>Distressed with dire solicitude,</l> +<l>Sad, fallen senseless on the ground,</l> +<l>About her neck their arms they wound.</l> +<l>The noble matron prostrate there,</l> +<l>Embraced, with tears, the weeping pair,</l> +<l>And with her load of grief oppressed,</l> +<l>To Bharat then these words addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now all is thine, without a foe,</q></l> +<l>This realm for which thou longest so.</l> +<l>Ah, soon Kaikeyí's ruthless hand</l> +<l>Has won the empire of the land,</l> +<l>And made my guiltless Ráma flee</l> +<l>Dressed like some lonely devotee.</l> +<l>Herein what profit has the queen,</l> +<l>Whose eye delights in havoc, seen?</l> +<l>Me also, me 'twere surely good</l> +<l>To banish to the distant wood,</l> +<l>To dwell amid the shades that hold</l> +<l>My famous son with limbs like gold.</l> +<l>Nay, with the sacred fire to guide,</l> +<l>Will I, Sumitrá by my side,</l> +<l>Myself to the drear wood repair</l> +<l>And seek the son of Raghu there.</l> +<l>This land which rice and golden corn</l> +<l>And wealth of every kind adorn,</l> +<l>Car, elephant, and steed, and gem,—</l> +<l><q rend="post">She makes thee lord of it and them.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With taunts like these her bitter tongue</l> +<l>The heart of blameless Bharat wrung</l> +<l>And direr pangs his bosom tore</l> +<l>Than when the lancet probes a sore.</l> +<l>With troubled senses all astray</l> +<l>Prone at her feet he fell and lay.</l> +<l>With loud lament a while he plained,</l> +<l>And slowly strength and sense regained.</l> +<l>With suppliant hand to hand applied</l> +<l>He turned to her who wept and sighed,</l> +<l>And thus bespake the queen, whose breast</l> +<l>With sundry woes was sore distressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why these reproaches, noble dame?</q></l> +<l>I, knowing naught, am free from blame.</l> +<l>Thou knowest well what love was mine</l> +<l>For Ráma, chief of Raghu's line.</l> +<l>O, never be his darkened mind</l> +<l>To Scripture's guiding lore inclined,</l> +<l>By whose consent the prince who led</l> +<l>The good, the truthful hero, fled.</l> +<l>May he obey the vilest lord,</l> +<l>Offend the sun with act abhorred,<note place="foot"><foreign +lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Súryamcha pratimehatu</foreign>, adversus solem +mingat. An offence expressly forbidden by the Laws of Manu.</note></l> +<l>And strike a sleeping cow, who lent</l> +<l>His voice to Ráma's banishment.</l> +<l>May the good king who all befriends,</l> +<l>And, like his sons, the people tends,</l> +<l>Be wronged by him who gave consent</l> +<l>To noble Ráma's banishment.</l> +<l>On him that king's injustice fall,</l> +<l>Who takes, as lord, a sixth of all,</l> +<l>Nor guards, neglectful of his trust,</l> +<l>His people, as a ruler must.</l> +<l>The crime of those who swear to fee,</l> +<l>At holy rites, some devotee,</l> +<l>And then the promised gift deny,</l> +<l>Be his who willed the prince should fly.</l> +<l>When weapons clash and heroes bleed,</l> +<l>With elephant and harnessed steed,</l> +<l>Ne'er, like the good, be his to fight</l> +<l>Whose heart allowed the prince's flight.</l> +<l>Though taught with care by one expert</l> +<l>May he the Veda's text pervert,</l> +<l>With impious mind on evil bent,</l> +<l>Whose voice approved the banishment.</l> +<l>May he with traitor lips reveal</l> +<l>Whate'er he promised to conceal,</l> +<l>And bruit abroad his friend's offence,</l> +<l>Betrayed by generous confidence.</l> +<l>No wife of equal lineage born</l> +<l>The wretch's joyless home adorn:</l> +<l>Ne'er may he do one virtuous deed,</l> +<l>And dying see no child succeed.</l> +<l>When in the battle's awful day</l> +<l>Fierce warriors stand in dread array,</l> +<l>Let the base coward turn and fly,</l> +<l>And smitten by the foeman, die.</l> +<l>Long may he wander, rags his wear,</l> +<l>Doomed in his hand a skull to bear,</l> +<l>And like an idiot beg his bread,</l> +<l>Who gave consent when Ráma fled.</l> +<l>His sin who holy rites forgets,</l> +<l>Asleep when shows the sun and sets,</l> +<l>A load upon his soul shall lie</l> +<l>Whose will allowed the prince to fly.</l> +<l>His sin who loves his Master's dame,</l> +<l>His, kindler of destructive flame,</l> +<l>His who betrays his trusting friend</l> +<l>Shall, mingled all, on him descend.</l> +<l>By him no reverence due be paid</l> +<l>To blessed God or parted shade:</l> +<l>May sire and mother's sacred name</l> +<l>In vain from him obedience claim.</l> +<l>Ne'er may he go where dwell the good,</l> +<l>Nor win their fame and neighbourhood,</l> +<l>But lose all hopes of bliss to-day,</l> +<l>Who willed the prince should flee away.</l> +<l>May he deceive the poor and weak</l> +<l>Who look to him and comfort seek,</l> +<pb n="185"/><anchor id="Pg185"/> +<l>Betray the suppliants who complain,</l> +<l>And make the hopeful hope in vain.</l> +<l>Long may his wife his kiss expect,</l> +<l>And pine away in cold neglect.</l> +<l>May he his lawful love despise,</l> +<l>And turn on other dames his eyes,</l> +<l>Fool, on forbidden joys intent,</l> +<l>Whose will allowed the banishment.</l> +<l>His sin who deadly poison throws</l> +<l>To spoil the water as it flows,</l> +<l>Lay on the wretch its burden dread</l> +<l><q rend="post">Who gave consent when Ráma fled.</q><note place="foot">Bharat +does not intend these curses for any particular person: he merely +wishes to prove his own innocence by invoking them on his own head if he had +any share in banishing Ráma.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus with his words he undeceived</l> +<l>Kauśalyá's troubled heart, who grieved</l> +<l>For son and husband reft away;</l> +<l>Then prostrate on the ground he lay.</l> +<l>Him as he lay half-senseless there,</l> +<l>Freed by the mighty oaths he sware,</l> +<l>Kauśalyá, by her woe distressed,</l> +<l>With melancholy words addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Anew, my son, this sorrow springs</q></l> +<l>To rend my heart with keener stings:</l> +<l>These awful oaths which thou hast sworn</l> +<l>My breast with double grief have torn.</l> +<l>Thy soul, and faithful Lakshmaṇ's too,</l> +<l>Are still, thank Heaven! to virtue true.</l> +<l>True to thy promise, thou shalt gain</l> +<l><q rend="post">The mansions which the good obtain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then to her breast that youth she drew,</l> +<l>Whose sweet fraternal love she knew,</l> +<l>And there in strict embraces held</l> +<l>The hero, as her tears outwelled.</l> +<l>And Bharat's heart grew sick and faint</l> +<l>With grief and oft-renewed complaint,</l> +<l>And all his senses were distraught</l> +<l>By the great woe that in him wrought.</l> +<l>Thus he lay and still bewailed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With sighs and loud lament</l> +<l>Till all his strength and reason failed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hours of night were spent.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXVI"/> +<head>Canto LXXVI. The Funeral.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The saint Vaśishṭha, best of all</l> +<l>Whose words with moving wisdom fall,</l> +<l>Bharat, Kaikeyí's son, addressed,</l> +<l>Whom burning fires of grief distressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Prince, whose fame is widely spread,</q></l> +<l>Enough of grief: be comforted.</l> +<l>The time is come: arise, and lay</l> +<l><q rend="post">Upon the pyre the monarch's clay.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He heard the words Vaśishṭha spoke,</l> +<l>And slumbering resolution woke.</l> +<l>Then skilled in all the laws declare,</l> +<l>He bade his friends the rites prepare.</l> +<l>They raised the body from the oil,</l> +<l>And placed it, dripping, on the soil;</l> +<l>Then laid it on a bed, whereon</l> +<l>Wrought gold and precious jewels shone.</l> +<l>There, pallor o'er his features spread,</l> +<l>The monarch, as in sleep, lay dead.</l> +<l>Then Bharat sought his father's side,</l> +<l>And lifted up his voice and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O King, and has thy heart designed</q></l> +<l>To part and leave thy son behind?</l> +<l>Make Ráma flee, who loves the right,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ of the arm of might?</l> +<l>Whither, great Monarch, wilt thou go</l> +<l>And leave this people in their woe,</l> +<l>Mourning their hero, wild with grief,</l> +<l>Of Ráma reft, their lion chief?</l> +<l>Ah, who will guard the people well</l> +<l>Who in Ayodhyá's city dwell,</l> +<l>When thou, my sire, hast sought the sky,</l> +<l>And Ráma has been forced to fly?</l> +<l>In widowed woe, bereft of thee,</l> +<l>The land no more is fair to see:</l> +<l>The city, to my aching sight,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Is gloomy as a moonless night.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus, with o'erwhelming sorrow pained,</l> +<l>Sad Bharat by the bed complained:</l> +<l>And thus Vaśishṭha, holy sage,</l> +<l>Spoke his deep anguish to assuage:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Lord of men, no longer stay;</q></l> +<l>The last remaining duties pay:</l> +<l>Haste, mighty-armed, as I advise,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The funeral rites to solemnize.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And Bharat heard Vaśishṭha's rede</l> +<l>With due attention and agreed.</l> +<l>He summoned straight from every side</l> +<l>Chaplain, and priest, and holy guide.</l> +<l>The sacred fires he bade them bring</l> +<l>Forth from the chapel of the king,</l> +<l>Wherein the priests in order due,</l> +<l>And ministers, the offerings threw.</l> +<l>Distraught in mind, with sob and tear,</l> +<l>They laid the body on a bier,</l> +<l>And servants, while their eyes brimmed o'er</l> +<l>The monarch from the palace bore.</l> +<l>Another band of mourners led</l> +<l>The long procession of the dead:</l> +<l>Rich garments in the way they cast,</l> +<l>And gold and silver, as they passed.</l> +<l>Then other hands the corse bedewed</l> +<l>With fragrant juices that exude</l> +<l>From sandal, cedar, aloe, pine,</l> +<l>And every perfume rare and fine.</l> +<l>Then priestly hands the mighty dead</l> +<l>Upon the pyre deposited.</l> +<l>The sacred fires they tended next,</l> +<l>And muttered low each funeral text;</l> +<l>And priestly singers who rehearse</l> +<pb n="186"/><anchor id="Pg186"/> +<l>The Śaman<note place="foot">The Sáma-veda, the hymns of which +are chanted aloud.</note> sang their holy verse.</l> +<l>Forth from the town in litters came,</l> +<l>Or chariots, many a royal dame,</l> +<l>And honoured so the funeral ground,</l> +<l>With aged followers ringed around.</l> +<l>With steps in inverse order bent,<note place="foot">Walking from right to +left.</note></l> +<l>The priests in sad procession went</l> +<l>Around the monarch's burning pyre</l> +<l>Who well had nursed each sacred fire:</l> +<l>With Queen Kauśalyá and the rest,</l> +<l>Their tender hearts with woe distressed.</l> +<l>The voice of women, shrill and clear</l> +<l>As screaming curlews, smote the ear,</l> +<l>As from a thousand voices rose</l> +<l>The shriek that tells of woman's woes.</l> +<l>Then weeping, faint, with loud lament,</l> +<l>Down Sarjú's shelving bank they went.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">There standing on the river side</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">With Bharat, priest, and peer,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Their lips the women purified</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">With water fresh and clear.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Returning to the royal town,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Their eyes with tear-drops filled,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Ten days on earth they laid them down,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And wept till grief was stilled.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXVII"/> +<head>Canto LXXVII. The Gathering Of The Ashes.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The tenth day passed: the prince again</l> +<l>Was free from every legal stain.</l> +<l>He bade them on the twelfth the great</l> +<l>Remaining honour celebrate.</l> +<l>Much gold he gave, and gems, and food,</l> +<l>To all the Bráhman multitude,</l> +<l>And goats whose hair was white and fine,</l> +<l>And many a thousand head of kine:</l> +<l>Slaves, men and damsels, he bestowed,</l> +<l>And many a car and fair abode:</l> +<l>Such gifts he gave the Bráhman race</l> +<l>His father's obsequies to grace.</l> +<l>Then when the morning's earliest ray</l> +<l>Appeared upon the thirteenth day,</l> +<l>Again the hero wept and sighed</l> +<l>Distraught and sorrow-stupefied;</l> +<l>Drew, sobbing in his anguish, near,</l> +<l>The last remaining debt to clear,</l> +<l>And at the bottom of the pyre,</l> +<l>He thus bespake his royal sire:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O father, hast thou left me so,</q></l> +<l>Deserted in my friendless woe,</l> +<l>When he to whom the charge was given</l> +<l>To keep me, to the wood is driven?</l> +<l>Her only son is forced away</l> +<l>Who was his helpless mother's stay:</l> +<l>Ah, whither, father, art thou fled;</l> +<l><q rend="post">Leaving the queen uncomforted?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He looked upon the pile where lay</l> +<l>The bones half-burnt and ashes grey,</l> +<l>And uttering a piteous moan,</l> +<l>Gave way, by anguish overthrown.</l> +<l>Then as his tears began to well,</l> +<l>Prostrate to earth the hero fell;</l> +<l>So from its seat the staff they drag,</l> +<l>And cast to earth some glorious flag.</l> +<l>The ministers approached again</l> +<l>The prince whom rites had freed from stain;</l> +<l>So when Yayáti fell, each seer,</l> +<l>In pity for his fate, drew near.</l> +<l>Śatrughna saw him lying low</l> +<l>O'erwhelmed beneath the crush of woe,</l> +<l>And as upon the king he thought,</l> +<l>He fell upon the earth distraught.</l> +<l>When to his loving memory came</l> +<l>Those noble gifts, that kingly frame,</l> +<l>He sorrowed, by his woe distressed,</l> +<l>As one by frenzied rage possessed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah me, this surging sea of woe</q></l> +<l>Has drowned us with its overflow:</l> +<l>The source is Manthará, dire and dark,</l> +<l>Kaikeyí is the ravening shark:</l> +<l>And the great boons the monarch gave</l> +<l>Lend conquering might to every wave.</l> +<l>Ah, whither wilt thou go, and leave</l> +<l>Thy Bharat in his woe to grieve,</l> +<l>Whom ever 'twas thy greatest joy</l> +<l>To fondle as a tender boy?</l> +<l>Didst thou not give with thoughtful care</l> +<l>Our food, our drink, our robes to wear?</l> +<l>Whose love will now for us provide,</l> +<l>When thou, our king and sire, hast died?</l> +<l>At such a time bereft, forlorn,</l> +<l>Why is not earth in sunder torn,</l> +<l>Missing her monarch's firm control,</l> +<l>His love of right, his lofty soul?</l> +<l>Ah me, for Ráma roams afar,</l> +<l>My sire is where the Blessed are;</l> +<l>How can I live deserted? I</l> +<l>Will pass into the fire and die.</l> +<l>Abandoned thus, I will not brook</l> +<l>Upon Ayodhyá's town to look,</l> +<l>Once guarded by Ikshváku's race:</l> +<l><q rend="post">The wood shall be my dwelling place.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then when the princes' mournful train</l> +<l>Heard the sad brothers thus complain,</l> +<l>And saw their misery, at the view</l> +<l>Their grief burst wilder out anew.</l> +<l>Faint with lamenting, sad and worn,</l> +<l>Each like a bull with broken horn,</l> +<l>The brothers in their wild despair</l> +<l>Lay rolling, mad with misery, there.</l> +<l>Then old Vaśishṭha good and true,</l> +<l>Their father's priest, all lore who knew,</l> +<l>Raised weeping Bharat on his feet,</l> +<l>And thus bespake with counsel meet:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Twelve days, my lord, have past away</q></l> +<pb n="187"/><anchor id="Pg187"/> +<l>Since flames consumed thy father's clay:</l> +<l>Delay no more: as rules ordain,</l> +<l>Gather what bones may yet remain.</l> +<l>Three constant pairs are ever found</l> +<l>To hem all mortal creatures round:<note place="foot">Birth and death, pleasure and +pain, loss and gain.</note></l> +<l>Then mourn not thus, O Prince, for none</l> +<l><q rend="post">Their close companionship may shun.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sumantra bade Śatrughna rise,</l> +<l>And soothed his soul with counsel wise,</l> +<l>And skilled in truth, his hearer taught</l> +<l>How all things are and come to naught.</l> +<l>When rose each hero from the ground,</l> +<l>A lion lord of men, renowned,</l> +<l>He showed like Indra's flag,<note place="foot">Erected upon a tree or high staff in +honour of Indra.</note> whereon</l> +<l>Fierce rains have dashed and suns have shone.</l> +<l>They wiped their red and weeping eyes,</l> +<l>And gently made their sad replies:</l> +<l>Then, urged to haste, the royal pair</l> +<l>Performed the rites that claimed their care.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXVIII"/> +<head>Canto LXXVIII. Manthará Punished.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Śatrughna thus to Bharat spake</l> +<l>Who longed the forest road to take:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">He who in woe was wont to give</q></l> +<l>Strength to himself and all that live—</l> +<l>Dear Ráma, true and pure in heart,</l> +<l>Is banished by a woman's art.</l> +<l>Yet here was Lakshmaṇ, brave and strong,</l> +<l>Could not his might prevent the wrong?</l> +<l>Could not his arm the king restrain,</l> +<l>Or make the banished free again?</l> +<l>One loving right and fearing crime</l> +<l>Had checked the monarch's sin in time,</l> +<l>When, vassal of a woman's will,</l> +<l><q rend="post">His feet approached the path of ill.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">While Lakshmaṇ's younger brother, dread</l> +<l>Śatrughna, thus to Bharat said,</l> +<l>Came to the fronting door, arrayed</l> +<l>In glittering robes, the hump-back maid.</l> +<l>There she, with sandal-oil besmeared,</l> +<l>In garments meet for queens appeared:</l> +<l>And lustre to her form was lent</l> +<l>By many a gem and ornament.</l> +<l>She girdled with her broidered zone,</l> +<l>And many a chain about her thrown,</l> +<l>Showed like a female monkey round</l> +<l>Whose body many a string is bound.</l> +<l>When on that cause of evil fell</l> +<l>The quick eye of the sentinel,</l> +<l>He grasped her in his ruthless hold,</l> +<l>And hastening in, Śatrughna told:</l> +<l><q>Here is the wicked pest,</q> he cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Through whom the king thy father died,</q></l> +<l>And Ráma wanders in the wood:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Do with her as thou deemest good.</q></l> +<l>The warder spoke: and every word</l> +<l>Śatrughna's breast to fury stirred:</l> +<l>He called the servants, all and each.</l> +<l>And spake in wrath his hasty speech:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">This is the wretch my sire who slew,</q></l> +<l>And misery on my brothers drew:</l> +<l>Let her this day obtain the meed,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Vile sinner, of her cruel deed.</q></l> +<l>He spake; and moved by fury laid</l> +<l>His mighty hand upon the maid,</l> +<l>Who as her fellows ringed her round,</l> +<l>Made with her cries the hall resound.</l> +<l>Soon as the gathered women viewed</l> +<l>Śatrughna in his angry mood,</l> +<l>Their hearts disturbed by sudden dread,</l> +<l>They turned and from his presence fled.</l> +<l><q>His rage,</q> they cried, <q rend="pre">on us will fall,</q></l> +<l>And ruthless, he will slay us all.</l> +<l>Come, to Kauśalyá let us flee:</l> +<l>Our hope, our sure defence is she,</l> +<l>Approved by all, of virtuous mind,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Compassionate, and good, and kind.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His eyes with burning wrath aglow,</l> +<l>Śatrughna, shatterer of the foe,</l> +<l>Dragged on the ground the hump-back maid</l> +<l>Who shrieked aloud and screamed for aid.</l> +<l>This way and that with no remorse</l> +<l>He dragged her with resistless force,</l> +<l>And chains and glittering trinkets burst</l> +<l>Lay here and there with gems dispersed,</l> +<l>Till like the sky of Autumn shone</l> +<l>The palace floor they sparkled on.</l> +<l>The lord of men, supremely strong,</l> +<l>Haled in his rage the wretch along:</l> +<l>Where Queen Kaikeyí dwelt he came,</l> +<l>And sternly then addressed the dame.</l> +<l>Deep in her heart Kaikeyí felt</l> +<l>The stabs his keen reproaches dealt,</l> +<l>And of Śatrughna's ire afraid,</l> +<l>To Bharat flew and cried for aid.</l> +<l>He looked and saw the prince inflamed</l> +<l>With burning rage, and thus exclaimed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Forgive! thine angry arm restrain:</q></l> +<l>A woman never may be slain.</l> +<l>My hand Kaikeyí's blood would spill,</l> +<l>The sinner ever bent on ill,</l> +<l>But Ráma, long in duty tried,</l> +<l>Would hate the impious matricide:</l> +<l>And if he knew thy vengeful blade</l> +<l>Had slaughtered e'en this hump-back maid,</l> +<l>Never again, be sure, would he</l> +<l><q rend="post">Speak friendly word to thee or me.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Bharat's speech Śatrughna heard</l> +<l>He calmed the rage his breast that stirred,</l> +<pb n="188"/><anchor id="Pg188"/> +<l>Releasing from her dire constraint</l> +<l>The trembling wretch with terror faint.</l> +<l>Then to Kaikeyí's feet she crept,</l> +<l>And prostrate in her misery wept.</l> +<l>Kaikeyí on the hump-back gazed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And saw her weep and gasp.</l> +<l>Still quivering, with her senses dazed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">From fierce Śatrughna's grasp.</l> +<l>With gentle words of pity she</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Assuaged her wild despair,</l> +<l>E'en as a tender hand might free</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A curlew from the snare.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXIX"/> +<head>Canto LXXIX. Bharat's Commands.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Now when the sun's returning ray</l> +<l>Had ushered in the fourteenth day,</l> +<l>The gathered peers of state addressed</l> +<l>To Bharat's ear their new request:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Our lord to heaven has parted hence,</q></l> +<l>Long served with deepest reverence;</l> +<l>Ráma, the eldest, far from home,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ, in the forest roam.</l> +<l>O Prince, of mighty fame, be thou</l> +<l>Our guardian and our monarch now,</l> +<l>Lest secret plot or foeman's hate</l> +<l>Assail our unprotected state.</l> +<l>With longing eyes, O Lord of men,</l> +<l>To thee look friend and citizen,</l> +<l>And ready is each sacred thing</l> +<l>To consecrate our chosen king.</l> +<l>Come, Bharat, and accept thine own</l> +<l>Ancient hereditary throne.</l> +<l>Thee let the priests this day install</l> +<l><q rend="post">As monarch to preserve us all.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Around the sacred gear he bent</l> +<l>His circling footsteps reverent,</l> +<l>And, firm to vows he would not break,</l> +<l>Thus to the gathered people spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The eldest son is ever king:</q></l> +<l>So rules the house from which we spring:</l> +<l>Nor should ye, Lords, like men unwise,</l> +<l>With words like these to wrong advise.</l> +<l>Ráma is eldest born, and he</l> +<l>The ruler of the land shall be.</l> +<l>Now to the woods will I repair,</l> +<l>Five years and nine to lodge me there.</l> +<l>Assemble straight a mighty force,</l> +<l>Cars, elephants, and foot and horse,</l> +<l>For I will follow on his track</l> +<l>And bring my eldest brother back.</l> +<l>Whate'er the rites of throning need</l> +<l>Placed on a car the way shall lead:</l> +<l>The sacred vessels I will take</l> +<l>To the wild wood for Ráma's sake.</l> +<l>I o'er the lion prince's head</l> +<l>The sanctifying balm will shed,</l> +<l>And bring him, as the fire they bring</l> +<l>Forth from the shrine, with triumphing.</l> +<l>Nor will I let my mother's greed</l> +<l>In this her cherished aim succeed:</l> +<l>In pathless wilds will I remain,</l> +<l>And Ráma here as king shall reign.</l> +<l>To make the rough ways smooth and clear</l> +<l>Send workman out and pioneer:</l> +<l>Let skilful men attend beside</l> +<l><q rend="post">Our way through pathless spots to guide.</q></l> +<l>As thus the royal Bharat spake,</l> +<l>Ordaining all for Ráma's sake,</l> +<l>The audience gave with one accord</l> +<l>Auspicious answer to their lord:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Be royal Fortune aye benign</q></l> +<l>To thee for this good speech of thine,</l> +<l>Who wishest still thine elder's hand</l> +<l><q rend="post">To rule with kingly sway the land.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Their glorious speech, their favouring cries</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Made his proud bosom swell:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And from the prince's noble eyes</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The tears of rapture fell.<note place="foot">I follow in +this stanza the Bombay edition in preference to Schlegel's which +gives the tears of joy to the courtiers.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXX"/> +<head>Canto LXXX. The Way Prepared.</head> + +<lg> +<l>All they who knew the joiner's art,</l> +<l>Or distant ground in every part;</l> +<l>Each busied in his several trade,</l> +<l>To work machines or ply the spade;</l> +<l>Deft workmen skilled to frame the wheel,</l> +<l>Or with the ponderous engine deal;</l> +<l>Guides of the way, and craftsmen skilled,</l> +<l>To sink the well, make bricks, and build;</l> +<l>And those whose hands the tree could hew,</l> +<l>And work with slips of cut bamboo,</l> +<l>Went forward, and to guide them, they</l> +<l>Whose eyes before had seen the way.</l> +<l>Then onward in triumphant mood</l> +<l>Went all the mighty multitude.</l> +<l>Like the great sea whose waves leap high</l> +<l>When the full moon is in the sky.</l> +<l>Then, in his proper duty skilled,</l> +<l>Each joined him to his several guild,</l> +<l>And onward in advance they went</l> +<l>With every tool and implement.</l> +<l>Where bush and tangled creeper lay</l> +<l>With trenchant steel they made the way;</l> +<l>They felled each stump, removed each stone,</l> +<l>And many a tree was overthrown.</l> +<l>In other spots, on desert lands,</l> +<l>Tall trees were reared by busy hands.</l> +<l>Where'er the line of road they took,</l> +<l>They plied the hatchet, axe, and hook.</l> +<pb n="189"/><anchor id="Pg189"/> +<l>Others, with all their strength applied,</l> +<l>Cast vigorous plants and shrubs aside,</l> +<l>In shelving valleys rooted deep,</l> +<l>And levelled every dale and steep.</l> +<l>Each pit and hole that stopped the way</l> +<l>They filled with stones, and mud, and clay,</l> +<l>And all the ground that rose and fell</l> +<l>With busy care was levelled well.</l> +<l>They bridged ravines with ceaseless toil,</l> +<l>And pounded fine the flinty soil.</l> +<l>Now here, now there, to right and left,</l> +<l>A passage through the ground they cleft,</l> +<l>And soon the rushing flood was led</l> +<l>Abundant through the new-cut bed,</l> +<l>Which by the running stream supplied</l> +<l>With ocean's boundless waters vied.</l> +<l>In dry and thirsty spots they sank</l> +<l>Full many a well and ample tank,</l> +<l>And altars round about them placed</l> +<l>To deck the station in the waste.</l> +<l>With well-wrought plaster smoothly spread,</l> +<l>With bloomy trees that rose o'erhead,</l> +<l>With banners waving in the air,</l> +<l>And wild birds singing here and there,</l> +<l>With fragrant sandal-water wet,</l> +<l>With many a flower beside it set,</l> +<l>Like the Gods' heavenly pathway showed</l> +<l>That mighty host's imperial road.</l> +<l>Deft workmen, chosen for their skill</l> +<l>To do the high-souled Bharat's will,</l> +<l>In every pleasant spot where grew</l> +<l>Trees of sweet fruit and fair to view,</l> +<l>As he commanded, toiled to grace</l> +<l>With all delights his camping-place.</l> +<l>And they who read the stars, and well</l> +<l>Each lucky sign and hour could tell,</l> +<l>Raised carefully the tented shade</l> +<l>Wherein high-minded Bharat stayed.</l> +<l>With ample space of level ground,</l> +<l>With broad deep moat encompassed round;</l> +<l>Like Mandar in his towering pride,</l> +<l>With streets that ran from side to side;</l> +<l>Enwreathed with many a palace tall</l> +<l>Surrounded by its noble wall;</l> +<l>With roads by skilful workmen made,</l> +<l>Where many a glorious banner played;</l> +<l>With stately mansions, where the dove</l> +<l>Sat nestling in her cote above.</l> +<l>Rising aloft supremely fair</l> +<l>Like heavenly cars that float in air,</l> +<l>Each camp in beauty and in bliss</l> +<l>Matched Indra's own metropolis.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As shines the heaven on some fair night,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">With moon and constellations filled,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The prince's royal road was bright,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Adorned by art of workmen skilled.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXXI"/> +<head>Canto LXXXI. The Assembly.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Ere yet the dawn had ushered in</l> +<l>The day should see the march begin,</l> +<l>Herald and bard who rightly knew</l> +<l>Each nice degree of honour due,</l> +<l>Their loud auspicious voices raised,</l> +<l>And royal Bharat blessed and praised.</l> +<l>With sticks of gold the drum they smote,</l> +<l>Which thundered out its deafening note,</l> +<l>Blew loud the sounding shell, and blent</l> +<l>Each high and low-toned instrument.</l> +<l>The mingled sound of drum and horn</l> +<l>Through all the air was quickly borne,</l> +<l>And as in Bharat's ear it rang,</l> +<l>Gave the sad prince another pang.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Bharat, starting from repose,</l> +<l>Stilled the glad sounds that round him rose,</l> +<l><q>I am not king; no more mistake:</q></l> +<l>Then to Śatrughna thus he spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O see what general wrongs succeed</q></l> +<l>Sprung from Kaikeyí's evil deed!</l> +<l>The king my sire has died and thrown</l> +<l>Fresh miseries on me alone.</l> +<l>The royal bliss, on duty based,</l> +<l>Which our just high-souled father graced,</l> +<l>Wanders in doubt and sore distress</l> +<l>Like a tossed vessel rudderless.</l> +<l>And he who was our lordly stay</l> +<l>Roams in the forest far away,</l> +<l>Expelled by this my mother, who</l> +<l><q rend="post">To duty's law is most untrue.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As royal Bharat thus gave vent</l> +<l>To bitter grief in wild lament,</l> +<l>Gazing upon his face the crowd</l> +<l>Of pitying women wept aloud.</l> +<l>His lamentation scarce was o'er,</l> +<l>When Saint Vaśishṭha, skilled in lore</l> +<l>Of royal duty, dear to fame,</l> +<l>To join the great assembly came.</l> +<l>Girt by disciples ever true</l> +<l>Still nearer to that hall he drew,</l> +<l>Resplendent, heavenly to behold,</l> +<l>Adorned with wealth of gems and gold:</l> +<l>E'en so a man in duty tried</l> +<l>Draws near to meet his virtuous bride.</l> +<l>He reached his golden seat o'erlaid</l> +<l>With coverlet of rich brocade,</l> +<l>There sat, in all the Vedas read,</l> +<l>And called the messengers, and said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Go forth, let Bráhman, Warrior, peer,</q></l> +<l>And every captain gather here:</l> +<l>Let all attentive hither throng:</l> +<l>Go, hasten: we delay too long.</l> +<l>Śatrughna, glorious Bharat bring,</l> +<l>The noble children of the king,<note place="foot">The commentator says +<q>Śatrughna accompanied by the other sons of the king.</q></note></l> +<pb n="190"/><anchor id="Pg190"/> +<l>Yudhájit<note place="foot">Not Bharat's uncle, but some councillor.</note> +and Sumantra, all</l> +<l><q rend="post">The truthful and the virtuous call.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ended: soon a mighty sound</l> +<l>Of thickening tumult rose around,</l> +<l>As to the hall they bent their course</l> +<l>With car, and elephant, and horse,</l> +<l>The people all with glad acclaim</l> +<l>Welcomed Prince Bharat as he came:</l> +<l>E'en as they loved their king to greet,</l> +<l>Or as the Gods Lord Indra<note place="foot"><hi rend='italic'>Śatakratu</hi>, +Lord of a hundred sacrifices, the performance of a hundred +<hi rend='italic'>Aśvamedhas</hi> or sacrifices of a horse entitling the sacrificer +to this exalted dignity.</note> meet.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The vast assembly shone as fair</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">With Bharat's kingly face</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As Daśaratha's self were there</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">To glorify the place.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">It gleamed like some unruffled lake</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Where monsters huge of mould</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With many a snake their pastime take</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">O'er shells, sand, gems, and gold.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXXII"/> +<head>Canto LXXXII. The Departure.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The prudent prince the assembly viewed</l> +<l>Thronged with its noble multitude,</l> +<l>Resplendent as a cloudless night</l> +<l>When the full moon is in his height;</l> +<l>While robes of every varied hue</l> +<l>A glory o'er the synod threw.</l> +<l>The priest in lore of duty skilled</l> +<l>Looked on the crowd the hall that filled,</l> +<l>And then in accents soft and grave</l> +<l>To Bharat thus his counsel gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The king, dear son, so good and wise,</q></l> +<l>Has gone from earth and gained the skies,</l> +<l>Leaving to thee, her rightful lord,</l> +<l>This rich wide land with foison stored.</l> +<l>And still has faithful Ráma stood</l> +<l>Firm to the duty of the good,</l> +<l>And kept his father's hest aright,</l> +<l>As the moon keeps its own dear light.</l> +<l>Thus sire and brother yield to thee</l> +<l>This realm from all annoyance free:</l> +<l>Rejoice thy lords: enjoy thine own:</l> +<l>Anointed king, ascend the throne.</l> +<l>Let vassal Princes hasten forth</l> +<l>From distant lands, west, south, and north,</l> +<l>From Kerala,<note place="foot">The modern Malabar.</note> from every sea,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And bring ten million gems to thee.</q></l> +<l>As thus the sage Vaśishṭha spoke,</l> +<l>A storm of grief o'er Bharat broke.</l> +<l>And longing to be just and true,</l> +<l>His thoughts to duteous Ráma flew.</l> +<l>With sobs and sighs and broken tones,</l> +<l>E'en as a wounded mallard moans,</l> +<l>He mourned with deepest sorrow moved,</l> +<l>And thus the holy priest reproved:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O, how can such as Bharat dare</q></l> +<l>The power and sway from him to tear,</l> +<l>Wise, and devout, and true, and chaste,</l> +<l>With Scripture lore and virtue graced?</l> +<l>Can one of Daśaratha's seed</l> +<l>Be guilty of so vile a deed?</l> +<l>The realm and I are Ráma's: thou,</l> +<l>Shouldst speak the words of justice now.</l> +<l>For he, to claims of virtue true,</l> +<l>Is eldest born and noblest too:</l> +<l>Nahush, Dilípa could not be</l> +<l>More famous in their lives than he.</l> +<l>As Daśaratha ruled of right,</l> +<l>So Ráma's is the power and right.</l> +<l>If I should do this sinful deed</l> +<l>And forfeit hope of heavenly meed,</l> +<l>My guilty act would dim the shine</l> +<l>Of old Ikshváku's glorious line.</l> +<l>Nay, as the sin my mother wrought</l> +<l>Is grievous to my inmost thought,</l> +<l>I here, my hands together laid,</l> +<l>Will greet him in the pathless shade.</l> +<l>To Ráma shall my steps be bent,</l> +<l>My King, of men most excellent,</l> +<l>Raghu's illustrious son, whose sway</l> +<l><q rend="post">Might hell, and earth, and heaven obey.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That righteous speech, whose every word</l> +<l>Bore virtue's stamp, the audience heard;</l> +<l>On Ráma every thought was set,</l> +<l>And with glad tears each eye was wet.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Then, if the power I still should lack</q></l> +<l>To bring my noble brother back,</l> +<l>I in the wood will dwell, and share</l> +<l>His banishment with Lakshmaṇ there.</l> +<l>By every art persuasive I</l> +<l>To bring him from the wood will try,</l> +<l>And show him to your loving eyes,</l> +<l>O Bráhmans noble, good, and wise.</l> +<l>E'en now, the road to make and clear,</l> +<l>Each labourer pressed, and pioneer</l> +<l>Have I sent forward to precede</l> +<l><q rend="post">The army I resolve to lead.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus, by fraternal love possessed,</l> +<l>His firm resolve the prince expressed,</l> +<l>Then to Sumantra, deeply read</l> +<l>In holy texts, he turned and said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Sumantra, rise without delay,</q></l> +<l>And as I bid my words obey.</l> +<l>Give orders for the march with speed,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And all the army hither lead.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The wise Sumantra, thus addressed,</l> +<l>Obeyed the high-souled chief's behest.</l> +<l>He hurried forth with joy inspired</l> +<l>And gave the orders he desired.</l> +<l>Delight each soldier's bosom filled,</l> +<l>And through each chief and captain thrilled,</l> +<pb n="191"/><anchor id="Pg191"/> +<l>To hear that march proclaimed, to bring</l> +<l>Dear Ráma back from wandering.</l> +<l>From house to house the tidings flew:</l> +<l>Each soldier's wife the order knew,</l> +<l>And as she listened blithe and gay</l> +<l>Her husband urged to speed away.</l> +<l>Captain and soldier soon declared</l> +<l>The host equipped and all prepared</l> +<l>With chariots matching thought for speed,</l> +<l>And wagons drawn by ox and steed.</l> +<l>When Bharat by Vaśishṭha's side,</l> +<l>His ready host of warriors eyed,</l> +<l>Thus in Sumantra's ear he spoke:</l> +<l><q>My car and horses quickly yoke.</q></l> +<l>Sumantra hastened to fulfil</l> +<l>With ready joy his master's will,</l> +<l>And quickly with the chariot sped</l> +<l>Drawn by fleet horses nobly bred.</l> +<l>Then glorious Bharat, true, devout,</l> +<l>Whose genuine valour none could doubt,</l> +<l>Gave in fit words his order out;</l> +<l>For he would seek the shade</l> +<l>Of the great distant wood, and there</l> +<l>Win his dear brother with his prayer:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Sumantra, haste! my will declare</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The host be all arrayed.</l> +<l>I to the wood my way will take,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To Ráma supplication make,</l> +<l>And for the world's advantage sake,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Will lead him home again.</q></l> +<l>Then, ordered thus, the charioteer</l> +<l>Who listened with delighted ear,</l> +<l>Went forth and gave his orders clear</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To captains of the train.</l> +<l>He gave the popular chiefs the word,</l> +<l>And with the news his friends he stirred,</l> +<l>And not a single man deferred</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Preparing for the road.</l> +<l>Then Bráhman, Warrior, Merchant, thrall,</l> +<l>Obedient to Sumantra's call,</l> +<l>Each in his house arose, and all</l> +<l>Yoked elephant or camel tall,</l> +<l>Or ass or noble steed in stall,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And full appointed showed.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXXIII"/> +<head>Canto LXXXIII. The Journey Begun.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Bharat rose at early morn,</l> +<l>And in his noble chariot borne</l> +<l>Drove forward at a rapid pace</l> +<l>Eager to look on Ráma's face.</l> +<l>The priests and lords, a fair array,</l> +<l>In sun-bright chariots led the way.</l> +<l>Behind, a well appointed throng,</l> +<l>Nine thousand elephants streamed along.</l> +<l>Then sixty thousand cars, and then,</l> +<l>With various arms, came fighting men.</l> +<l>A hundred thousand archers showed</l> +<l>In lengthened line the steeds they rode—</l> +<l>A mighty host, the march to grace</l> +<l>Of Bharat, pride of Raghu's race.</l> +<l>Kaikeyí and Sumitrá came,</l> +<l>And good Kauśalyá, dear to fame:</l> +<l>By hopes of Ráma's coming cheered</l> +<l>They in a radiant car appeared.</l> +<l>On fared the noble host to see</l> +<l>Ráma and Lakshmaṇ, wild with glee,</l> +<l>And still each other's ear to please,</l> +<l>Of Ráma spoke in words like these:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">When shall our happy eyes behold</q></l> +<l>Our hero true, and pure, and bold,</l> +<l>So lustrous dark, so strong of arm,</l> +<l>Who keeps the world from woe and harm?</l> +<l>The tears that now our eyeballs dim</l> +<l>Will vanish at the sight of him,</l> +<l>As the whole world's black shadows fly</l> +<l><q rend="post">When the bright sun ascends the sky.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Conversing thus their way pursued</l> +<l>The city's joyous multitude,</l> +<l>And each in mutual rapture pressed</l> +<l>A friend or neighbour to his breast.</l> +<l>Thus every man of high renown,</l> +<l>And every merchant of the town,</l> +<l>And leading subjects, joyous went</l> +<l>Toward Ráma in his banishment.</l> +<l>And those who worked the potter's wheel,</l> +<l>And artists skilled in gems to deal;</l> +<l>And masters of the weaver's art,</l> +<l>And those who shaped the sword and dart;</l> +<l>And they who golden trinkets made,</l> +<l>And those who plied the fuller's trade;</l> +<l>And servants trained the bath to heat,</l> +<l>And they who dealt in incense sweet;</l> +<l>Physicians in their business skilled,</l> +<l>And those who wine and mead distilled;</l> +<l>And workmen deft in glass who wrought,</l> +<l>And those whose snares the peacock caught;</l> +<l>With them who bored the ear for rings,</l> +<l>Or sawed, or fashioned ivory things;</l> +<l>And those who knew to mix cement,</l> +<l>Or lived by sale of precious scent;</l> +<l>And men who washed, and men who sewed,</l> +<l>And thralls who mid the herds abode;</l> +<l>And fishers of the flood, and they</l> +<l>Who played and sang, and women gay;</l> +<l>And virtuous Bráhmans, Scripture-wise,</l> +<l>Of life approved in all men's eyes;</l> +<l>These swelled the prince's lengthened train,</l> +<l>Borne each in car or bullock wain.</l> +<l>Fair were the robes they wore upon</l> +<l>Their limbs where red-hued unguents shone.</l> +<l>These all in various modes conveyed</l> +<l>Their journey after Bharat made;</l> +<l>The soldiers' hearts with rapture glowed,</l> +<l>Following Bharat on his road,</l> +<l>Their chief whose tender love would fain</l> +<l>Bring his dear brother home again.</l> +<l>With elephant, and horse, and car,</l> +<l>The vast procession travelled far,</l> +<pb n="192"/><anchor id="Pg192"/> +<l>And came where Gangá's waves below</l> +<l>The town of Śringavera<note place="foot">Now Sungroor, in the Allahabad +district.</note> flow.</l> +<l>There, with his friends and kinsmen nigh,</l> +<l>Dwelt Guha, Ráma's dear ally,</l> +<l>Heroic guardian of the land</l> +<l>With dauntless heart and ready hand.</l> +<l>There for a while the mighty force</l> +<l>That followed Bharat stayed its course,</l> +<l>Gazing on Gangá's bosom stirred</l> +<l>By many a graceful water-bird.</l> +<l>When Bharat viewed his followers there,</l> +<l>And Gangá's water, blest and fair,</l> +<l>The prince, who lore of words possessed,</l> +<l>His councillors and lords addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The captains of the army call:</q></l> +<l>Proclaim this day a halt for all,</l> +<l>That so to-morrow, rested, we</l> +<l>May cross this flood that seeks the sea.</l> +<l>Meanwhile, descending to the shore,</l> +<l>The funeral stream I fain would pour</l> +<l>From Gangá's fair auspicious tide</l> +<l><q rend="post">To him, my father glorified.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Bharat spoke: each peer and lord</l> +<l>Approved his words with one accord,</l> +<l>And bade the weary troops repose</l> +<l>In separate spots where'er they chose.</l> +<l>There by the mighty stream that day,</l> +<l>Most glorious in its vast array</l> +<l>The prince's wearied army lay</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In various groups reclined.</l> +<l>There Bharat's hours of night were spent,</l> +<l>While every eager thought he bent</l> +<l>On bringing home from banishment</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His brother, great of mind.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXXIV"/> +<head>Canto LXXXIV. Guha's Anger.</head> + +<lg> +<l>King Guha saw the host spread o'er</l> +<l>The wide expanse of Gangá's shore,</l> +<l>With waving flag and pennon graced,</l> +<l>And to his followers spoke in haste:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">A mighty army meets my eyes,</q></l> +<l>That rivals Ocean's self in size:</l> +<l>Where'er I look my very mind</l> +<l>No limit to the host can find.</l> +<l>Sure Bharat with some evil thought</l> +<l>His army to our land has brought.</l> +<l>See, huge of form, his flag he rears,</l> +<l>That like an Ebony-tree appears.</l> +<l>He comes with bonds to take and chain,</l> +<l>Or triumph o'er our people slain:</l> +<l>And after, Ráma will he slay,—</l> +<l>Him whom his father drove away:</l> +<l>The power complete he longs to gain,</l> +<l>And—task too hard—usurp the reign.</l> +<l>So Bharat comes with wicked will</l> +<l>His brother Ráma's blood to spill.</l> +<l>But Ráma's slave and friend am I;</l> +<l>He is my lord and dear ally.</l> +<l>Keep here your watch in arms arrayed</l> +<l>Near Gangá's flood to lend him aid,</l> +<l>And let my gathered servants stand</l> +<l>And line with troops the river strand.</l> +<l>Here let the river keepers meet,</l> +<l>Who flesh and roots and berries eat;</l> +<l>A hundred fishers man each boat</l> +<l>Of the five hundred here afloat,</l> +<l>And let the youthful and the strong</l> +<l>Assemble in defensive throng.</l> +<l>But yet, if, free from guilty thought</l> +<l>'Gainst Ráma, he this land have sought,</l> +<l>The prince's happy host to-day</l> +<l><q rend="post">Across the flood shall make its way.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke: then bearing in a dish</l> +<l>A gift of honey, meat, and fish,</l> +<l>The king of the Nishádas drew</l> +<l>Toward Bharat for an interview.</l> +<l>When Bharat's noble charioteer</l> +<l>Observed the monarch hastening near,</l> +<l>He duly, skilled in courteous lore,</l> +<l>The tidings to his master bore:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">This aged prince who hither bends</q></l> +<l>His footsteps with a thousand friends,</l> +<l>Knows, firm ally of Ráma, all</l> +<l>That may in Daṇḍak wood befall:</l> +<l>Therefore, Kakutstha's son, admit</l> +<l>The monarch, as is right and fit:</l> +<l>For doubtless he can clearly tell</l> +<l><q rend="post">Where Ráma now and Lakshmaṇ dwell.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Bharat heard Sumantra's rede,</l> +<l>To his fair words the prince agreed:</l> +<l><q>Go quickly forth,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">and bring</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Before my face the aged king.</q></l> +<l>King Guha, with his kinsmen near,</l> +<l>Rejoiced the summoning to hear:</l> +<l>He nearer drew, bowed low his head,</l> +<l>And thus to royal Bharat said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No mansions can our country boast,</q></l> +<l>And unexpected comes thy host:</l> +<l>But what we have I give thee all:</l> +<l>Rest in the lodging of thy thrall.</l> +<l>See, the Nishádas here have brought</l> +<l>The fruit and roots their hands have sought:</l> +<l>And we have woodland fare beside,</l> +<l>And store of meat both fresh and dried.</l> +<l>To rest their weary limbs, I pray</l> +<l>This night at least thy host may stay:</l> +<l>Then cheered with all we can bestow</l> +<l><q rend="post">To-morrow thou with it mayst go.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXXV"/> +<head>Canto LXXXV. Guha And Bharat.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus the Nishádas' king besought:</l> +<l>The prince with spirit wisdom-fraught</l> +<pb n="193"/><anchor id="Pg193"/> +<l>Replied in seemly words that blent</l> +<l>Deep matter with the argument:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thou, friend of him whom I revere,</q></l> +<l>With honours high hast met me here,</l> +<l>For thou alone wouldst entertain</l> +<l><q rend="post">And feed to-day so vast a train.</q></l> +<l>In such fair words the prince replied,</l> +<l>Then, pointing to the path he cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Which way aright will lead my feet</q></l> +<l>To Bharadvája's calm retreat;</l> +<l>For all this land near Gangá's streams</l> +<l><q rend="post">Pathless and hard to traverse seems?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke the prince: King Guha heard</l> +<l>Delighted every prudent word,</l> +<l>And gazing on that forest wide,</l> +<l>Raised suppliant hands, and thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My servants, all the ground who know,</q></l> +<l>O glorious Prince, with thee shall go</l> +<l>With constant care thy way to guide,</l> +<l>And I will journey by thy side.</l> +<l>But this thy host so wide dispread</l> +<l>Wakes in my heart one doubt and dread,</l> +<l>Lest, threatening Ráma good and great,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Ill thoughts thy journey stimulate.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But when King Guha, ill at ease,</l> +<l>Declared his fear in words like these,</l> +<l>As pure as is the cloudless sky</l> +<l>With soft voice Bharat made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Suspect me not: ne'er come the time</q></l> +<l>For me to plot so foul a crime!</l> +<l>He is my eldest brother, he</l> +<l>Is like a father dear to me.</l> +<l>I go to lead my brother thence</l> +<l>Who makes the wood his residence.</l> +<l>No thought but this thy heart should frame:</l> +<l><q rend="post">This simple truth my lips proclaim.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then with glad cheer King Guha cried,</l> +<l>With Bharat's answer gratified:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Blessed art thou: on earth I see</q></l> +<l>None who may vie, O Prince, with thee,</l> +<l>Who canst of thy free will resign</l> +<l>The kingdom which unsought is thine.</l> +<l>For this, a name that ne'er shall die,</l> +<l>Thy glory through the worlds shall fly,</l> +<l>Who fain wouldst balm thy brother's pain</l> +<l><q rend="post">And lead the exile home again.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As Guha thus, and Bharat, each</l> +<l>To other spoke in friendly speech,</l> +<l>The Day-God sank with glory dead,</l> +<l>And night o'er all the sky was spread.</l> +<l>Soon as King Guha's thoughtful care</l> +<l>Had quartered all the army there,</l> +<l>Well honoured, Bharat laid his head</l> +<l>Beside Śatrughna on a bed.</l> +<l>But grief for Ráma yet oppressed</l> +<l>High-minded Bharat's faithful breast—</l> +<l>Such torment little was deserved</l> +<l>By him who ne'er from duty swerved.</l> +<l>The fever raged through every vein</l> +<l>And burnt him with its inward pain:</l> +<l>So when in woods the flames leap free</l> +<l>The fire within consumes the tree.</l> +<l>From heat of burning anguish sprung</l> +<l>The sweat upon his body hung,</l> +<l>As when the sun with fervid glow</l> +<l>On high Himálaya melts the snow.</l> +<l>As, banished from the herd, a bull</l> +<l>Wanders alone and sorrowful.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus sighing and distressed,</l> +<l>In misery and bitter grief,</l> +<l>With fevered heart that mocked relief,</l> +<l>Distracted in his mind, the chief</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Still mourned and found no rest.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXXVI"/> +<head>Canto LXXXVI. Guha's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Guha the king, acquainted well</l> +<l>With all that in the wood befell,</l> +<l>To Bharat the unequalled told</l> +<l>The tale of Lakshmaṇ mighty-souled:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">With many an earnest word I spake</q></l> +<l>To Lakshmaṇ as he stayed awake,</l> +<l>And with his bow and shaft in hand</l> +<l>To guard his brother kept his stand:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now sleep a little, Lakshmaṇ, see</q></l> +<l>This pleasant bed is strewn for thee:</l> +<l>Hereon thy weary body lay,</l> +<l>And strengthen thee with rest, I pray,</l> +<l>Inured to toil are men like these,</l> +<l>But thou hast aye been nursed in ease.</l> +<l>Rest, duteous-minded! I will keep</l> +<l>My watch while Ráma lies asleep:</l> +<l>For in the whole wide world is none</l> +<l>Dearer to me than Raghu's son.</l> +<l>Harbour no doubt or jealous fear:</l> +<l>I speak the truth with heart sincere:</l> +<l>For from the grace which he has shown</l> +<l>Will glory on my name be thrown:</l> +<l>Great store of merit shall I gain,</l> +<l>And duteous, form no wish in vain.</l> +<l>Let me enforced by many a row</l> +<l>Of followers, armed with shaft and bow</l> +<l>For well-loved Ráma's weal provide</l> +<l>Who lies asleep by Sítá's side.</l> +<l>For through this wood I often go,</l> +<l>And all its shades conceal I know:</l> +<l>And we with conquering arms can meet</l> +<l><q rend="post">A four-fold host arrayed complete.</q></l> +<l><q rend="pre">With words like these I spoke, designed</q></l> +<l>To move the high-souled Bharat's mind,</l> +<l>But he upon his duty bent,</l> +<l>Plied his persuasive argument:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O, how can slumber close mine eyes</q></l> +<l>When lowly couched with Sítá lies</l> +<l>The royal Ráma? can I give</l> +<l>My heart to joy, or even live?</l> +<l>He whom no mighty demon, no,</l> +<l>Nor heavenly God can overthrow,</l> +<l>See, Guha, how he lies, alas,</l> +<pb n="194"/><anchor id="Pg194"/> +<l>With Sítá couched on gathered grass.</l> +<l>By varied labours, long, severe,</l> +<l>By many a prayer and rite austere,</l> +<l>He, Daśaratha's cherished son,</l> +<l>By Fortune stamped, from Heaven was won.</l> +<l>Now as his son is forced to fly,</l> +<l>The king ere long will surely die:</l> +<l>Reft of his guardian hand, forlorn</l> +<l>In widowed grief this land will mourn.</l> +<l>E'en now perhaps, with toil o'erspent,</l> +<l>The women cease their loud lament,</l> +<l>And cries of woe no longer ring</l> +<l>Throughout the palace of the king.</l> +<l>But ah for sad Kauśalyá! how</l> +<l>Fare she and mine own mother now?</l> +<l>How fares the king? this night, I think,</l> +<l>Some of the three in death will sink.</l> +<l>With hopes upon Śatrughna set</l> +<l>My mother may survive as yet,</l> +<l>But the sad queen will die who bore</l> +<l>The hero, for her grief is sore.</l> +<l>His cherished wish that would have made</l> +<l>Dear Ráma king, so long delayed,</l> +<l><q>Too late! too late!</q> the king will cry,</l> +<l>And conquered by his misery die.</l> +<l>When Fate has brought the mournful day</l> +<l>Which sees my father pass away,</l> +<l>How happy in their lives are they</l> +<l>Allowed his funeral rites to pay.</l> +<l>Our exile o'er, with him who ne'er</l> +<l>Turns from the oath his lips may swear,</l> +<l>May we returning safe and well</l> +<l><q rend="post">gain in fair Ayodhyá dwell.</q></l> +<l>Thus Bharat stood with many a sigh</l> +<l>Lamenting, and the night went by.</l> +<l>Soon as the morning light shone fair</l> +<l>In votive coils both bound their hair.</l> +<l>And then I sent them safely o'er</l> +<l>And left them on the farther shore.</l> +<l>With Sítá then they onward passed,</l> +<l>Their coats of bark about them cast,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Their locks like hermits' bound,</l> +<l>The mighty tamers of the foe,</l> +<l>Each with his arrows and his bow,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Went over the rugged ground,</l> +<l>Proud in their strength and undeterred</l> +<l>Like elephants that lead the herd,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">And gazing oft around.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXXVII"/> +<head>Canto LXXXVII. Guha's Story.</head> + +<lg> +<l>That speech of Guha Bharat heard</l> +<l>With grief and tender pity stirred,</l> +<l>And as his ears the story drank,</l> +<l>Deep in his thoughtful heart it sank.</l> +<l>His large full eyes in anguish rolled,</l> +<l>His trembling limbs grew stiff and cold;</l> +<l>Then fell he, like a tree uptorn,</l> +<l>In woe too grievous to be borne.</l> +<l>When Guha saw the long-armed chief</l> +<l>Whose eye was like a lotus leaf,</l> +<l>With lion shoulders strong and fair,</l> +<l>High-mettled, prostrate in despair,—</l> +<l>Pale, bitterly afflicted, he</l> +<l>Reeled as in earthquake reels a tree.</l> +<l>But when Śatrughna standing nigh</l> +<l>Saw his dear brother helpless lie,</l> +<l>Distraught with woe his head he bowed,</l> +<l>Embraced him oft and wept aloud.</l> +<l>Then Bharat's mothers came, forlorn</l> +<l>Of their dear king, with fasting worn,</l> +<l>And stood with weeping eyes around</l> +<l>The hero prostrate on the ground.</l> +<l>Kauśalyá, by her woe oppressed,</l> +<l>The senseless Bharat's limbs caressed,</l> +<l>As a fond cow in love and fear</l> +<l>Caresses oft her youngling dear:</l> +<l>Then yielding to her woe she said,</l> +<l>Weeping and sore disquieted:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What torments, O my son, are these</q></l> +<l>Of sudden pain or swift disease?</l> +<l>The lives of us and all the line</l> +<l>Depend, dear child, on only thine.</l> +<l>Ráma and Lakshmaṇ forced to flee,</l> +<l>I live by naught but seeing thee:</l> +<l>For as the king has past away</l> +<l>Thou art my only help to-day.</l> +<l>Hast thou, perchance, heard evil news</l> +<l>Of Lakshmaṇ, which thy soul subdues,</l> +<l>Or Ráma dwelling with his spouse—</l> +<l><q rend="post">My all is he—neath forest boughs?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then slowly gathering sense and strength</l> +<l>The weeping hero rose at length,</l> +<l>And words like these to Guha spake,</l> +<l>That bade Kauśalyá comfort take:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Where lodged the prince that night? and where</q></l> +<l>Lakshmaṇ the brave, and Sítá fair?</l> +<l>Show me the couch whereon he lay,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Tell me the food he ate, I pray.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Guha the Nishádas' king</l> +<l>Replied to Bharat's questioning:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Of all I had I brought the best</q></l> +<l>To serve my good and honoured guest</l> +<l>Food of each varied kind I chose,</l> +<l>And every fairest fruit that grows.</l> +<l>Ráma the hero truly brave</l> +<l>Declined the gift I humbly gave:</l> +<l>His Warrior part he ne'er forgot,</l> +<l>And what I brought accepted not:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No gifts, my friend, may we accept:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Our law is, Give, and must be kept.</q></l> +<l>The high-souled chief, O Monarch, thus</l> +<l>With gracious words persuaded us.</l> +<l>Then calm and still, absorbed in thought,</l> +<l>He drank the water Lakshmaṇ brought,</l> +<l>And then, obedient to his vows,</l> +<l>He fasted with his gentle spouse.</l> +<l>So Lakshmaṇ too from food abstained,</l> +<pb n="195"/><anchor id="Pg195"/> +<l>And sipped the water that remained:</l> +<l>Then with ruled lips, devoutly staid,</l> +<l>The three<note place="foot">Ráma, Lakshmaṇ, and Sumantra.</note> +their evening worship paid.</l> +<l>Then Lakshmaṇ with unwearied care</l> +<l>Brought heaps of sacred grass, and there</l> +<l>With his own hands he quickly spread,</l> +<l>For Ráma's rest, a pleasant bed,</l> +<l>And faithful Sítá's too, where they</l> +<l>Reclining each by other lay.</l> +<l>Then Lakshmaṇ bathed their feet, and drew</l> +<l>A little distance from the two.</l> +<l>Here stands the tree which lent them shade,</l> +<l>Here is the grass beneath it laid,</l> +<l>Where Ráma and his consort spent</l> +<l>The night together ere they went.</l> +<l>Lakshmaṇ, whose arms the foeman quell,</l> +<l>Watched all the night as sentinel,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And kept his great bow strung:</l> +<l>His hand was gloved, his arm was braced,</l> +<l>Two well-filled quivers at his waist,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With deadly arrows, hung.</l> +<l>I took my shafts and trusty bow,</l> +<l>And with that tamer of the foe</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Stood ever wakeful near,</l> +<l>And with my followers, bow in hand,</l> +<l>Behind me ranged, a ready band,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Kept watch o'er Indra's peer.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXXVIII"/> +<head>Canto LXXXVIII. The Ingudí Tree.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Bharat with each friend and peer</l> +<l>Had heard that tale so full and clear,</l> +<l>They went together to the tree</l> +<l>The bed which Ráma pressed to see.</l> +<l>Then Bharat to his mothers said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Behold the high-souled hero's bed:</q></l> +<l>These tumbled heaps of grass betray</l> +<l>Where he that night with Sítá lay:</l> +<l>Unmeet, the heir of fortune high</l> +<l>Thus on the cold bare earth should lie,</l> +<l>The monarch's son, in counsel sage,</l> +<l>Of old imperial lineage.</l> +<l>That lion-lord whose noble bed</l> +<l>With finest skins of deer was spread,—</l> +<l>How can he now endure to press</l> +<l>The bare earth, cold and comfortless!</l> +<l>This sudden fall from bliss to grief</l> +<l>Appears untrue, beyond belief:</l> +<l>My senses are distraught: I seem</l> +<l>To view the fancies of a dream.</l> +<l>There is no deity so great,</l> +<l>No power in heaven can master Fate,</l> +<l>If Ráma, Daśaratha's heir,</l> +<l>Lay on the ground and slumbered there;</l> +<l>And lovely Sítá, she who springs</l> +<l>From fair Videha's ancient kings,</l> +<l>Ráma's dear wife, by all adored,</l> +<l>Lay on the earth beside her lord.</l> +<l>Here was his couch, upon this heap</l> +<l>He tossed and turned in restless sleep:</l> +<l>On the hard soil each manly limb</l> +<l>Has stamped the grass with signs of him.</l> +<l>That night, it seems, fair Sítá spent</l> +<l>Arrayed in every ornament,</l> +<l>For here and there my eyes behold</l> +<l>Small particles of glistering gold.</l> +<l>She laid her outer garment here,</l> +<l>For still some silken threads appear,</l> +<l>How dear in her devoted eyes</l> +<l>Must be the bed where Ráma lies,</l> +<l>Where she so tender could repose</l> +<l>And by his side forget her woes.</l> +<l>Alas, unhappy, guilty me!</l> +<l>For whom the prince was forced to flee,</l> +<l>And chief of Raghu's sons and best,</l> +<l>A bed like this with Sítá pressed.</l> +<l>Son of a royal sire whose hand</l> +<l>Ruled paramount o'er every land,</l> +<l>Could he who every joy bestows,</l> +<l>Whose body like the lotus shows,</l> +<l>The friend of all, who charms the sight,</l> +<l>Whose flashing eyes are darkly bright,</l> +<l>Leave the dear kingdom, his by right,</l> +<l>Unmeet for woe, the heir of bliss,</l> +<l>And lie upon a bed like this?</l> +<l>Great joy and happy fate are thine,</l> +<l>O Lakshmaṇ, marked with each fair sign,</l> +<l>Whose faithful footsteps follow still</l> +<l>Thy brother in his hour of ill.</l> +<l>And blest is Sítá, nobly good,</l> +<l>Who dwells with Ráma in the wood.</l> +<l>Ours is, alas, a doubtful fate</l> +<l>Of Ráma reft and desolate.</l> +<l>My royal sire has gained the skies,</l> +<l>In woods the high-souled hero lies;</l> +<l>The state is wrecked and tempest-tossed,</l> +<l>A vessel with her rudder lost.</l> +<l>Yet none in secret thought has planned</l> +<l>With hostile might to seize the land:</l> +<l>Though forced in distant wilds to dwell,</l> +<l>The hero's arm protects it well.</l> +<l>Unguarded, with deserted wall,</l> +<l>No elephant or steed in stall,</l> +<l>My father's royal city shows</l> +<l>Her portals open to her foes,</l> +<l>Of bold protectors reft and bare,</l> +<l>Defenceless in her dark despair:</l> +<l>But still her foes the wish restrain,</l> +<l>As men from poisoned cates refrain.</l> +<l>I from this hour my nights will pass</l> +<l>Couched on the earth or gathered grass,</l> +<l>Eat only fruit and roots, and wear</l> +<l>A coat of bark, and matted hair.</l> +<l>I in the woods will pass, content,</l> +<l>For him the term of banishment;</l> +<l>So shall I still unbroken save</l> +<l>The promise which the hero gave.</l> +<pb n="196"/><anchor id="Pg196"/> +<l>While I remain for Ráma there,</l> +<l>Śatrughna will my exile share,</l> +<l>And Ráma in his home again,</l> +<l>With Lakshmaṇ, o'er Ayodhyá reign,</l> +<l>for him, to rule and guard the state,</l> +<l>The twice-born men shall consecrate.</l> +<l>O, may the Gods I serve incline</l> +<l>To grant this earnest wish of mine!</l> +<l>If when I bow before his feet</l> +<l>And with all moving arts entreat,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He still deny my prayer,</l> +<l>Then with my brother will I live:</l> +<l>He must, he must permission give,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Roaming in forests there.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-LXXXIX"/> +<head>Canto LXXXIX. The Passage Of Gangá.</head> + +<lg> +<l>That night the son of Raghu lay</l> +<l>On Gangá's bank till break of day:</l> +<l>Then with the earliest light he woke</l> +<l>And thus to brave Śatrughna spoke.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Rise up, Śatrughna, from thy bed:</q></l> +<l>Why sleepest thou the night is fled.</l> +<l>See how the sun who chases night</l> +<l>Wakes every lotus with his light.</l> +<l>Arise, arise, and first of all</l> +<l>The lord of Śringavera call,</l> +<l>For he his friendly aid will lend</l> +<l><q rend="post">Our army o'er the flood to send.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus urged, Śatrughna answered: <q rend="pre">I,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Remembering Ráma, sleepless lie.</q></l> +<l>As thus the brothers, each to each,</l> +<l>The lion-mettled, ended speech,</l> +<l>Came Guha, the Nishádas' king,</l> +<l>And spoke with kindly questioning:</l> +<l><q>Hast thou in comfort passed,</q> he cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The night upon the river side?</q></l> +<l>With thee how fares it? and are these,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy soldiers, healthy and at ease?</q></l> +<l>Thus the Nishádas' lord inquired</l> +<l>In gentle words which love inspired,</l> +<l>And Bharat, Ráma's faithful slave,</l> +<l>Thus to the king his answer gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The night has sweetly passed, and we</q></l> +<l>Are highly honoured, King, by thee.</l> +<l>Now let thy servants boats prepare,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Our army o'er the stream to bear.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The speech of Bharat Guha heard,</l> +<l>And swift to do his bidding stirred.</l> +<l>Within the town the monarch sped</l> +<l>And to his ready kinsmen said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Awake, each kinsman, rise, each friend!</q></l> +<l>May every joy your lives attend.</l> +<l>Gather each boat upon the shore</l> +<l><q rend="post">And ferry all the army o'er.</q></l> +<l>Thus Guha spoke: nor they delayed,</l> +<l>But, rising quick, their lord obeyed,</l> +<l>And soon, from every side secured,</l> +<l>Five hundred boats were ready moored.</l> +<l>Some reared aloft the mystic sign,<note place="foot">The +<hi rend='italic'>svastika</hi>, a little cross with a +transverse line at each extremity.</note></l> +<l>And mighty bells were hung in line:</l> +<l>Of firmest build, gay flags they bore,</l> +<l>And sailors for the helm and oar.</l> +<l>One such King Guha chose, whereon,</l> +<l>Of fair white cloth, an awning shone,</l> +<l>And sweet musicians charmed the ear,—</l> +<l>And bade his servants urge it near.</l> +<l>Then Bharat swiftly sprang on board,</l> +<l>And then Śatrughna, famous lord,</l> +<l>To whom, with many a royal dame,</l> +<l>Kauśalyá and Sumitrá came.</l> +<l>The household priest went first in place,</l> +<l>The elders, and the Bráhman race,</l> +<l>And after them the monarch's train</l> +<l>Of women borne in many a wain.</l> +<l>Then high to heaven the shouts of those</l> +<l>Who fired the army's huts,<note place="foot">When an army marched it was customary +to burn the huts in which it had spent the night.</note> arose,</l> +<l>With theirs who bathed along the shore,</l> +<l>Or to the boats the baggage bore.</l> +<l>Full freighted with that mighty force</l> +<l>The boats sped swiftly on their course,</l> +<l>By royal Guha's servants manned,</l> +<l>And gentle gales the banners fanned.</l> +<l>Some boats a crowd of dames conveyed,</l> +<l>In others noble coursers neighed;</l> +<l>Some chariots and their cattle bore,</l> +<l>Some precious wealth and golden store.</l> +<l>Across the stream each boat was rowed,</l> +<l>There duly disembarked its load,</l> +<l>And then returning on its way,</l> +<l>Sped here and there in merry play.</l> +<l>Then swimming elephants appeared</l> +<l>With flying pennons high upreared.</l> +<l>And as the drivers urged them o'er,</l> +<l>The look of winged mountains wore.</l> +<l>Some men in barges reached the strand,</l> +<l>Others on rafts came safe to land:</l> +<l>Some buoyed with pitchers crossed the tide,</l> +<l>And others on their arms relied.</l> +<l>Thus with the help the monarch gave</l> +<l>The army crossed pure Gangá's wave:</l> +<l>Then in auspicious hour it stood</l> +<l>Within Prayága's famous wood.</l> +<l>The prince with cheering words addressed</l> +<l>His weary men, and bade them rest</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Where'er they chose and he,</l> +<l>With priest and deacon by his side,</l> +<l>To Bharadvája's dwelling hied</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That best of saints to see.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="197"/><anchor id="Pg197"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XC"/> +<head>Canto XC. The Hermitage.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The prince of men a league away</l> +<l>Saw where the hermit's dwelling lay,</l> +<l>Then with his lords his path pursued,</l> +<l>And left his warrior multitude.</l> +<l>On foot, as duty taught his mind,</l> +<l>He left his warlike gear behind;</l> +<l>Two robes of linen cloth he wore,</l> +<l>And bade Vaśishṭha walk before.</l> +<l>Then Bharat from his lords withdrew</l> +<l>When Bharadvája came in view,</l> +<l>And toward the holy hermit went</l> +<l>Behind Vaśishṭha, reverent.</l> +<l>When Bharadvája, saint austere,</l> +<l>Saw good Vaśishṭha drawing near,</l> +<l>He cried, upspringing from his seat,</l> +<l><q>The grace-gift bring, my friend to greet.</q></l> +<l>When Saint Vaśishṭha near him drew,</l> +<l>And Bharat paid the reverence due,</l> +<l>The glorious hermit was aware</l> +<l>That Daśaratha's son was there.</l> +<l>The grace-gift, water for their feet</l> +<l>He gave, and offered fruit to eat;</l> +<l>Then, duty-skilled, with friendly speech</l> +<l>In seemly order questioned each:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">How fares it in Ayodhyá now</q></l> +<l>With treasury and army? how</l> +<l>With kith and kin and friends most dear,</l> +<l><q rend="post">With councillor, and prince, and peer?</q></l> +<l>But, for he knew the king was dead,</l> +<l>Of Daśaratha naught he said.</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha and the prince in turn</l> +<l>Would of the hermit's welfare learn:</l> +<l>Of holy fires they fain would hear,</l> +<l>Of pupils, trees, and birds, and deer.</l> +<l>The glorious saint his answer made</l> +<l>That all was well in holy shade:</l> +<l>Then love of Ráma moved his breast,</l> +<l>And thus he questioned of his guest:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why art thou here, O Prince, whose band</q></l> +<l>With kingly sway protects the land?</l> +<l>Declare the cause, explain the whole,</l> +<l>For yet some doubt disturbs my soul.</l> +<l>He whom Kauśalyá bare, whose might</l> +<l>The foemen slays, his line's delight,</l> +<l>He who with wife and brother sent</l> +<l>Afar now roam in banishment,</l> +<l>Famed prince, to whom his father spake</l> +<l>This order for a woman's sake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Away! and in the forest spend</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy life till fourteen years shall end</q>—</l> +<l>Has thou the wish to harm him, bent</l> +<l>On sin against the innocent?</l> +<l>Wouldst thou thine elder's realm enjoy</l> +<l><q rend="post">Without a thorn that can annoy?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With sobbing voice and tearful eye</l> +<l>Thus Bharat sadly made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah lost am I, if thou, O Saint,</q></l> +<l>Canst thus in thought my heart attaint:</l> +<l>No warning charge from thee I need;</l> +<l>Ne'er could such crime from me proceed.</l> +<l>The words my guilty mother spake</l> +<l>When fondly jealous for my sake—</l> +<l>Think not that I, to triumph moved,</l> +<l>Those words approve or e'er approved.</l> +<l>O Hermit, I have sought this place</l> +<l>To win the lordly hero's grace,</l> +<l>To throw me at my brother's feet</l> +<l>And lead him to his royal seat.</l> +<l>To this, my journey's aim and end,</l> +<l>Thou shouldst, O Saint, thy favour lend:</l> +<l>Where is the lord of earth? do thou,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Most holy, say, where roams he now?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then, by the saint Vaśishṭha pressed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And all the gathered priests beside,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To Bharat's dutiful request</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The hermit graciously replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Worthy of thee, O Prince, this deed,</q></l> +<l>True son of Raghu's ancient seed.</l> +<l>I know thee reverent, well-controlled,</l> +<l>The glory of the good of old.</l> +<l>I grant thy prayer: in this pursuit</l> +<l>I know thy heart is resolute.</l> +<l>'Tis for thy sake those words I said</l> +<l>That wider still thy fame may spread.</l> +<l>I know where Ráma, duty-tried,</l> +<l>His brother, and his wife abide.</l> +<l>Where Chitrakúṭa's heights arise</l> +<l>Thy brother Ráma's dwelling lies.</l> +<l>Go thither with the morning's light,</l> +<l>And stay with all thy lords tonight:</l> +<l>For I would show thee honour high,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And do not thou my wish deny.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XCI"/> +<head>Canto XCI. Bharadvája's Feast.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Soon as he saw the prince's mind</l> +<l>To rest that day was well inclined,</l> +<l>He sought Kaikeyí's son to please</l> +<l>With hospitable courtesies.</l> +<l>Then Bharat to the saint replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Our wants are more than satisfied.</q></l> +<l>The gifts which honoured strangers greet,</l> +<l>And water for our weary feet</l> +<l>Hast thou bestowed with friendly care,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And every choice of woodland fare.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Bharadvája spoke, a smile</l> +<l>Playing upon his lips the while:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I know, dear Prince, thy friendly mind</q></l> +<l>Will any fare sufficient find,</l> +<l>But gladly would I entertain</l> +<l>And banquet all thine armed train:</l> +<l>Such is my earnest wish: do thou</l> +<l>This longing of my heart allow,</l> +<l>Why hast thou hither bent thy way,</l> +<l>And made thy troops behind thee stay?</l> +<pb n="198"/><anchor id="Pg198"/> +<l>Why unattended? couldst thou not</l> +<l><q rend="post">With friends and army seek this spot?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Bharat, with reverent hands raised high,</l> +<l>To that great hermit made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My troops, for awe of thee, O Sage,</q></l> +<l>I brought not to thy hermitage:</l> +<l>Troops of a king or monarch's son</l> +<l>A hermit's home should ever shun.</l> +<l>Behind me comes a mighty train</l> +<l>Wide spreading o'er the ample plain,</l> +<l>Where every chief and captain leads</l> +<l>Men, elephants, and mettled steeds.</l> +<l>I feared, O reverend Sage, lest these</l> +<l>Might harm the holy ground and trees,</l> +<l>Springs might be marred and cots o'erthrown,</l> +<l><q rend="post">So with the priests I came alone.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Bring all thy host,</q> the hermit cried,</l> +<l>And Bharat, to his joy, complied.</l> +<l>Then to the chapel went the sire,</l> +<l>Where ever burnt the sacred fire,</l> +<l>And first, in order due, with sips</l> +<l>Of water purified his lips:</l> +<l>To Viśvakarmá, then he prayed,</l> +<l>His hospitable feast to aid:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Let Viśvakarmá hear my call,</q></l> +<l>The God who forms and fashions all:</l> +<l>A mighty banquet I provide,</l> +<l>Be all my wants this day supplied.</l> +<l>Lord Indra at their head, the three<note place="foot">Yáma, Varuṇa, and +Kuvera.</note></l> +<l>Who guard the worlds I call to me:</l> +<l>A mighty host this day I feed,</l> +<l>Be now supplied my every need.</l> +<l>Let all the streams that eastward go,</l> +<l>And those whose waters westering flow,</l> +<l>Both on the earth and in the sky,</l> +<l>Flow hither and my wants supply.</l> +<l>Be some with ardent liquor filled,</l> +<l>And some with wine from flowers distilled,</l> +<l>While some their fresh cool streams retain</l> +<l>Sweet as the juice of sugar-cane.</l> +<l>I call the Gods, I call the band</l> +<l>Of minstrels that around them stand:</l> +<l>I call the Háhá and Huhú,</l> +<l>I call the sweet Viśvávasu,</l> +<l>I call the heavenly wives of these</l> +<l>With all the bright Apsarases,</l> +<l>Alambúshá of beauty rare,</l> +<l>The charmer of the tangled hair,</l> +<l>Ghritáchí and Viśváchi fair,</l> +<l>Hemá and Bhímá sweet to view,</l> +<l>And lovely Nágadantá too,</l> +<l>And all the sweetest nymphs who stand</l> +<l>By Indra or by Brahmá's hand—</l> +<l>I summon these with all their train</l> +<l>And Tumburu to lead the strain.</l> +<l>Here let Kuvera's garden rise</l> +<l>Which far in Northern Kuru<note place="foot"><q>A happy land in the remote north +where the inhabitants enjoy a natural pefection attended with complete happiness +obtained without exertion. There is there no vicissitude, nor decrepitude, nor death, +nor fear: no distinction of virtue and vice, none of the inequalities denoted by +the words best, worst, and intermediate, nor any change resulting from the succession +of the four Yugas.</q> See <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Muir's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Sanskrit Texts</hi>, Vol. I. p. 492.</note> lies:</l> +<l>For leaves let cloth and gems entwine,</l> +<l>And let its fruit be nymphs divine.</l> +<l>Let Soma<note place="foot">The Moon.</note> give the noblest food</l> +<l>To feed the mighty multitude,</l> +<l>Of every kind, for tooth and lip,</l> +<l>To chew, to lick, to suck, and sip.</l> +<l>Let wreaths, where fairest flowers abound,</l> +<l>Spring from the trees that bloom around.</l> +<l>Each sort of wine to woo the taste,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And meats of every kind be placed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spake the hermit self-restrained,</l> +<l>With proper tone by rules ordained,</l> +<l>On deepest meditation bent,</l> +<l>In holy might preëminent.</l> +<l>Then as with hands in reverence raised</l> +<l>Absorbed in thought he eastward gazed,</l> +<l>The deities he thus addressed</l> +<l>Came each in semblance manifest.</l> +<l>Delicious gales that cooled the frame</l> +<l>From Malaya and Dardar came,</l> +<l>That kissed those scented hills and threw</l> +<l>Auspicious fragrance where they blew.</l> +<l>Then falling fast in sweetest showers</l> +<l>Came from the sky immortal flowers,</l> +<l>And all the airy region round</l> +<l>With heavenly drums was made to sound.</l> +<l>Then breathed a soft celestial breeze,</l> +<l>Then danced the bright Apsarases,</l> +<l>The minstrels and the Gods advanced,</l> +<l>And warbling lutes the soul entranced.</l> +<l>The earth and sky that music filled,</l> +<l>And through each ear it softly thrilled,</l> +<l>As from the heavenly quills it fell</l> +<l>With time and tune attempered well.</l> +<l>Soon as the minstrels ceased to play</l> +<l>And airs celestial died away,</l> +<l>The troops of Bharat saw amazed</l> +<l>What Viśvakarmá's art had raised.</l> +<l>On every side, five leagues around,</l> +<l>All smooth and level lay the ground,</l> +<l>With fresh green grass that charmed the sight</l> +<l>Like sapphires blent with lazulite.</l> +<l>There the Wood-apple hung its load,</l> +<l>The Mango and the Citron glowed,</l> +<l>The Bel and scented Jak were there,</l> +<l>And Apelá with fruitage fair.</l> +<l>There, brought from Northern Kuru, stood</l> +<l>Rich in delights, the glorious wood,</l> +<l>And many a stream was seen to glide</l> +<pb n="199"/><anchor id="Pg199"/> +<l>With flowering trees along its side.</l> +<l>There mansions rose with four wide halls,</l> +<l>And elephants and chargers' stalls,</l> +<l>And many a house of royal state,</l> +<l>Triumphal arc and bannered gate.</l> +<l>With noble doorways, sought the sky,</l> +<l>Like a pale cloud, a palace high,</l> +<l>Which far and wide rare fragrance shed,</l> +<l>With wreaths of white engarlanded.</l> +<l>Square was its shape, its halls were wide,</l> +<l>With many a seat and couch supplied,</l> +<l>Drink of all kinds, and every meat</l> +<l>Such as celestial Gods might eat.</l> +<l>Then at the bidding of the seer</l> +<l>Kaikeyí's strong-armed son drew near,</l> +<l>And passed within that fair abode</l> +<l>Which with the noblest jewels glowed.</l> +<l>Then, as Vaśishṭha led the way,</l> +<l>The councillors, in due array,</l> +<l>Followed delighted and amazed</l> +<l>And on the glorious structure gazed.</l> +<l>Then Bharat, Raghu's son, drew near</l> +<l>The kingly throne, with prince and peer,</l> +<l>Whereby the chouri in the shade</l> +<l>Of the white canopy was laid.</l> +<l>Before the throne he humbly bent</l> +<l>And honoured Ráma, reverent,</l> +<l>Then in his hand the chouri bore,</l> +<l>And sat where sits a councillor.</l> +<l>His ministers and household priest</l> +<l>Sat by degrees from chief to least,</l> +<l>Then sat the captain of the host</l> +<l>And all the men he honoured most.</l> +<l>Then when the saint his order gave,</l> +<l>Each river with enchanted wave</l> +<l>Rolled milk and curds divinely sweet</l> +<l>Before the princely Bharat's feet;</l> +<l>And dwellings fair on either side,</l> +<l>With gay white plaster beautified,</l> +<l>Their heavenly roofs were seen to lift,</l> +<l>The Bráhman Bharadvája's gift.</l> +<l>Then straight by Lord Kuvera sent,</l> +<l>Gay with celestial ornament</l> +<l>Of bright attire and jewels' shine,</l> +<l>Came twenty thousand nymphs divine:</l> +<l>The man on whom those beauties glanced</l> +<l>That moment felt his soul entranced.</l> +<l>With them from Nandan's blissful shades</l> +<l>Came twenty thousand heavenly maids.</l> +<l>Tumburu, Nárad, Gopa came,</l> +<l>And Sutanu, like radiant flame,</l> +<l>The kings of the Gandharva throng,</l> +<l>And ravished Bharat with their song.</l> +<l>Then spoke the saint, and swift obeyed</l> +<l>Alambúshá, the fairest maid,</l> +<l>And Miśrakeśí bright to view,</l> +<l>Ramaṇá, Puṇḍríká too,</l> +<l>And danced to him with graceful ease</l> +<l>The dances of Apsarases.</l> +<l>All chaplets that by Gods are worn,</l> +<l>Or Chaitraratha's graves adorn,</l> +<l>Bloomed by the saint's command arrayed</l> +<l>On branches in Prayága's shade.</l> +<l>When at the saint's command the breeze</l> +<l>Made music with the Vilva trees,</l> +<l>To wave in rhythmic beat began</l> +<l>The boughs of each Myrobolan,</l> +<l>And holy fig-trees wore the look</l> +<l>Of dancers, as their leaflets shook.</l> +<l>The fair Tamála, palm, and pine,</l> +<l>With trees that tower and plants that twine,</l> +<l>The sweetly varying forms displayed</l> +<l>Of stately dame or bending maid.</l> +<l>Here men the foaming winecup quaffed,</l> +<l>Here drank of milk full many a draught,</l> +<l>And tasted meats of every kind,</l> +<l>Well dressed, whatever pleased their mind.</l> +<l>Then beauteous women, seven or eight,</l> +<l>Stood ready by each man to wait:</l> +<l>Beside the stream his limbs they stripped</l> +<l>And in the cooling water dipped.</l> +<l>And then the fair ones, sparkling eyed,</l> +<l>With soft hands rubbed his limbs and dried,</l> +<l>And sitting on the lovely bank</l> +<l>Held up the winecup as he drank.</l> +<l>Nor did the grooms forget to feed</l> +<l>Camel and mule and ox and steed,</l> +<l>For there were stores of roasted grain,</l> +<l>Of honey and of sugar-cane.</l> +<l>So fast the wild excitement spread</l> +<l>Among the warriors Bharat led,</l> +<l>That all the mighty army through</l> +<l>The groom no more his charger knew,</l> +<l>And he who drove might seek in vain</l> +<l>To tell his elephant again.</l> +<l>With every joy and rapture fired,</l> +<l>Entranced with all the heart desired,</l> +<l>The myriads of the host that night</l> +<l>Revelled delirious with delight.</l> +<l>Urged by the damsels at their side</l> +<l>In wild delight the warriors cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ne'er will we seek Ayodhyá, no,</q></l> +<l>Nor yet to Daṇḍak forest go:</l> +<l>Here will we stay: may happy fate</l> +<l><q rend="post">On Bharat and on Ráma wait.</q></l> +<l>Thus cried the army gay and free</l> +<l>Exulting in their lawless glee,</l> +<l>Both infantry and those who rode</l> +<l>On elephants, or steeds bestrode,</l> +<l>Ten thousand voices shouting, <q rend="pre">This</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Is heaven indeed for perfect bliss.</q></l> +<l>With garlands decked they idly strayed,</l> +<l>And danced and laughed and sang and played.</l> +<l>At length as every soldier eyed,</l> +<l>With food like Amrit satisfied,</l> +<l>Each dainty cate and tempting meat,</l> +<l>No longer had he care to eat.</l> +<l>Thus soldier, servant, dame, and slave</l> +<l>Received whate'er the wish might crave.</l> +<l>As each in new-wrought clothes arrayed</l> +<l>Enjoyed the feast before him laid.</l> +<pb n="200"/><anchor id="Pg200"/> +<l>Each man was seen in white attire</l> +<l>Unstained by spot or speck of mire:</l> +<l>None was athirst or hungry there,</l> +<l>And none had dust upon his hair.</l> +<l>On every side in woody dells</l> +<l>Was milky food in bubbling wells,</l> +<l>And there were all-supplying cows</l> +<l>And honey dropping from the boughs.</l> +<l>Nor wanted lakes of flower-made drink</l> +<l>With piles of meat upon the brink,</l> +<l>Boiled, stewed, and roasted, varied cheer,</l> +<l>Peachick and jungle-fowl and deer,</l> +<l>There was the flesh of kid and boar,</l> +<l>And dainty sauce in endless store,</l> +<l>With juice of flowers concocted well,</l> +<l>And soup that charmed the taste and smell,</l> +<l>And pounded fruits of bitter taste,</l> +<l>And many a bath was ready placed</l> +<l>Down by each river's shelving side</l> +<l>There stood great basins well supplied,</l> +<l>And laid therein, of dazzling sheen,</l> +<l>White brushes for the teeth were seen,</l> +<l>And many a covered box wherein</l> +<l>Was sandal powdered for the skin.</l> +<l>And mirrors bright with constant care,</l> +<l>And piles of new attire were there,</l> +<l>And store of sandals and of shoes,</l> +<l>Thousands of pairs, for all to choose:</l> +<l>Eye-unguents, combs for hair and beard,</l> +<l>Umbrellas fair and bows appeared.</l> +<l>Lakes gleamed, that lent digestive aid,<note place="foot">The poet does not tell +us what these lakes contained.</note></l> +<l>And some for pleasant bathing made,</l> +<l>With waters fair, and smooth incline</l> +<l>For camels, horses, mules, and kine.</l> +<l>There saw they barley heaped on high</l> +<l>The countless cattle to supply:</l> +<l>The golden grain shone fair and bright</l> +<l>As sapphires or the lazulite.</l> +<l>To all the gathered host it seemed</l> +<l>As if that magic scene they dreamed,</l> +<l>And wonder, as they gazed, increased</l> +<l>At Bharadvája's glorious feast.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus in the hermit's grove they spent</l> +<l>That night in joy and merriment,</l> +<l>Blest as the Gods who take their ease</l> +<l>Under the shade of Nandan's trees.</l> +<l>Each minstrel bade the saint adieu,</l> +<l>And to his blissful mansion flew,</l> +<l>And every stream and heavenly dame</l> +<l>Returned as swiftly as she came.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XCII"/> +<head>Canto XCII. Bharat's Farewell.</head> + +<lg> +<l>So Bharat with his army spent</l> +<l>The watches of the night content,</l> +<l>And gladly, with the morning's light</l> +<l>Drew near his host the anchorite.</l> +<l>When Bharadvája saw him stand</l> +<l>With hand in reverence joined to hand,</l> +<l>When fires of worship had been fed,</l> +<l>He looked upon the prince and said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O blameless son, I pray thee tell,</q></l> +<l>Did the past night content thee well?</l> +<l>Say if the feast my care supplied</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy host of followers gratified.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His hands he joined, his head he bent</l> +<l>And spoke in answer reverent</l> +<l>To the most high and radiant sage</l> +<l>Who issued from his hermitage:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Well have I passed the night: thy feast</q></l> +<l>Gave joy to every man and beast;</l> +<l>And I, great lord, and every peer</l> +<l>Were satisfied with sumptuous cheer,</l> +<l>Thy banquet has delighted all</l> +<l>From highest chief to meanest thrall,</l> +<l>And rich attire and drink and meat</l> +<l>Banished the thought of toil and heat.</l> +<l>And now, O Hermit good and great,</l> +<l>A boon of thee I supplicate.</l> +<l>To Ráma's side my steps I bend:</l> +<l>Do thou with friendly eye commend.</l> +<l>O tell me how to guide my feet</l> +<l>To virtuous Ráma's lone retreat:</l> +<l>Great Hermit, I entreat thee, say</l> +<l><q rend="post">How far from here and which the way.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus by fraternal love inspired</l> +<l>The chieftain of the saint inquired:</l> +<l>Then thus replied the glorious seer</l> +<l>Of matchless might, of vows austere:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ere the fourth league from here be passed,</q></l> +<l>Amid a forest wild and vast,</l> +<l>Stands Chitrakúṭa's mountain tall,</l> +<l>Lovely with wood and waterfall.</l> +<l>North of the mountain thou wilt see</l> +<l>The beauteous stream Mandákiní,</l> +<l>Where swarm the waterfowl below,</l> +<l>And gay trees on the margin grow.</l> +<l>Then will a leafy cot between</l> +<l>The river and the hill be seen:</l> +<l>'Tis Ráma's, and the princely pair</l> +<l>Of brothers live for certain there.</l> +<l>Hence to the south thine army lead,</l> +<l>And then more southward still proceed,</l> +<l>So shalt thou find his lone retreat,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And there the son of Raghu meet.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Soon as the ordered march they knew,</l> +<l>The widows of the monarch flew,</l> +<l>Leaving their cars, most meet to ride,</l> +<l>And flocked to Bharadvája's side.</l> +<l>There with the good Sumitrá Queen</l> +<l>Kauśalyá, sad and worn, was seen,</l> +<l>Caressing, still with sorrow faint,</l> +<l>The feet of that illustrious saint,</l> +<l>Kaikeyí too, her longings crossed,</l> +<l>Reproached of all, her object lost,</l> +<l>Before the famous hermit came,</l> +<pb n="201"/><anchor id="Pg201"/> +<l>And clasped his feet, o'erwhelmed with shame.</l> +<l>With circling steps she humbly went</l> +<l>Around the saint preëminent,</l> +<l>And stood not far from Bharat's side</l> +<l>With heart oppressed, and heavy-eyed.</l> +<l>Then the great seer, who never broke</l> +<l>One holy vow, to Bharat spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Speak, Raghu's son: I fain would learn</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">The story of each queen in turn.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Obedient to the high request</l> +<l>By Bharadvája thus addressed,</l> +<l>His reverent hands together laid,</l> +<l>He, skilled in speech, his answer made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">She whom, O Saint, thou seest here</q></l> +<l>A Goddess in her form appear,</l> +<l>Was the chief consort of the king,</l> +<l>Now worn with fast and sorrowing.</l> +<l>As Aditi in days of yore</l> +<l>The all-preserving Vishṇu bore,</l> +<l>Kauśalyá bore with happy fate</l> +<l>Lord Ráma of the lion's gait.</l> +<l>She who, transfixed with torturing pangs,</l> +<l>On her left arm so fondly hangs,</l> +<l>As when her withering leaves decay</l> +<l>Droops by the wood the Cassia spray,</l> +<l>Sumitrá, pained with woe, is she,</l> +<l>The consort second of the three:</l> +<l>Two princely sons the lady bare,</l> +<l>Fair as the Gods in heaven are fair.</l> +<l>And she, the wicked dame through whom</l> +<l>My brothers' lives are wrapped in gloom,</l> +<l>And mourning for his offspring dear,</l> +<l>The king has sought his heavenly sphere,—</l> +<l>Proud, foolish-hearted, swift to ire,</l> +<l>Self-fancied darling of my sire,</l> +<l>Kaikeyí, most ambitious queen,</l> +<l>Unlovely with her lovely mien,</l> +<l>My mother she, whose impious will</l> +<l>Is ever bent on deeds of ill,</l> +<l>In whom the root and spring I see</l> +<l><q rend="post">Of all this woe which crushes me.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Quick breathing like a furious snake,</l> +<l>With tears and sobs the hero spake,</l> +<l>With reddened eyes aglow with rage.</l> +<l>And Bharadvája, mighty sage,</l> +<l>Supreme in wisdom, calm and grave,</l> +<l>In words like these good counsel gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Bharat, hear the words I say;</q></l> +<l>On her the fault thou must not lay:</l> +<l>For many a blessing yet will spring</l> +<l><q rend="post">From banished Ráma's wandering.</q></l> +<l>And Bharat, with that promise cheered,</l> +<l>Went circling round that saint revered,</l> +<l>He humbly bade farewell, and then</l> +<l>Gave orders to collect his men.</l> +<l>Prompt at the summons thousands flew</l> +<l>To cars which noble coursers drew,</l> +<l>Bright-gleaming, glorious to behold,</l> +<l>Adorned with wealth of burnished gold.</l> +<l>Then female elephants and male,</l> +<l>Gold-girthed, with flags that wooed the gale,</l> +<l>Marched with their bright bells' tinkling chime</l> +<l>Like clouds when ends the summer time:</l> +<l>Some cars were huge and some were light,</l> +<l>For heavy draught or rapid flight,</l> +<l>Of costly price, of every kind,</l> +<l>With clouds of infantry behind.</l> +<l>The dames, Kauśalyá at their head,</l> +<l>Were in the noblest chariots led,</l> +<l>And every gentle bosom beat</l> +<l>With hope the banished prince to meet.</l> +<l>The royal Bharat, glory-crowned,</l> +<l>With all his retinue around,</l> +<l>Borne in a beauteous litter rode,</l> +<l>Like the young moon and sun that glowed.</l> +<l>The army as it streamed along,</l> +<l>Cars, elephants, in endless throng,</l> +<l>Showed, marching on its southward way,</l> +<l>Like autumn clouds in long array.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XCIII"/> +<head>Canto XCIII. Chitrakúta In Sight.</head> + +<lg> +<l>As through the woods its way pursued</l> +<l>That mighty bannered multitude,</l> +<l>Wild elephants in terror fled</l> +<l>With all the startled herds they led,</l> +<l>And bears and deer were seen on hill,</l> +<l>In forest glade, by every rill.</l> +<l>Wide as the sea from coast to coast,</l> +<l>The high-souled Bharat's mighty host</l> +<l>Covered the earth as cloudy trains</l> +<l>Obscure the sky when fall the rains.</l> +<l>The stately elephants he led,</l> +<l>And countless steeds the land o'erspread,</l> +<l>So closely crowded that between</l> +<l>Their serried ranks no ground was seen.</l> +<l>Then when the host had travelled far,</l> +<l>And steeds were worn who drew the car,</l> +<l>The glorious Bharat thus addressed</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha, of his lords the best:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The spot, methinks, we now behold</q></l> +<l>Of which the holy hermit told,</l> +<l>For, as his words described, I trace</l> +<l>Each several feature of the place:</l> +<l>Before us Chitrakúṭa shows,</l> +<l>Mandákiní beside us flows:</l> +<l>Afar umbrageous woods arise</l> +<l>Like darksome clouds that veil the skies.</l> +<l>Now tread these mountain-beasts of mine</l> +<l>On Chitrakúṭa's fair incline.</l> +<l>The trees their rain of blossoms shed</l> +<l>On table-lands beneath them spread,</l> +<l>As from black clouds the floods descend</l> +<l>When the hot days of summer end.</l> +<l>Śatrughna, look, the mountain see</l> +<l>Where heavenly minstrels wander free,</l> +<pb n="202"/><anchor id="Pg202"/> +<l>And horses browse beneath the steep,</l> +<l>Countless as monsters in the deep.</l> +<l>Scared by my host the mountain deer</l> +<l>Starting with tempest speed appear</l> +<l>Like the long lines of cloud that fly</l> +<l>In autumn through the windy sky.</l> +<l>See, every warrior shows his head</l> +<l>With fragrant blooms engarlanded;</l> +<l>All look like southern soldiers who</l> +<l>Lift up their shields of azure hue.</l> +<l>This lonely wood beneath the hill,</l> +<l>That was so dark and drear and still,</l> +<l>Covered with men in endless streams</l> +<l>Now like Ayodhyá's city seems.</l> +<l>The dust which countless hoofs excite</l> +<l>Obscures the sky and veils the light;</l> +<l>But see, swift winds those clouds dispel</l> +<l>As if they strove to please me well.</l> +<l>See, guided in their swift career</l> +<l>By many a skilful charioteer,</l> +<l>Those cars by fleetest coursers drawn</l> +<l>Race onward over glade and lawn.</l> +<l>Look, startled as the host comes near</l> +<l>The lovely peacocks fly in fear,</l> +<l>Gorgeous as if the fairest blooms</l> +<l>Of earth had glorified their plumes.</l> +<l>Look where the sheltering covert shows</l> +<l>The trooping deer, both bucks and does,</l> +<l>That occupy in countless herds</l> +<l>This mountain populous with birds.</l> +<l>Most lovely to my mind appears</l> +<l>This place which every charm endears:</l> +<l>Fair as the road where tread the Blest;</l> +<l>Here holy hermits take their rest.</l> +<l>Then let the army onward press</l> +<l>And duly search each green recess</l> +<l>For the two lion-lords, till we</l> +<l><q rend="post">Ráma once more and Lakshmaṇ see.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Bharat spoke: and hero bands</l> +<l>Of men with weapons in their hands</l> +<l>Entered the tangled forest: then</l> +<l>A spire of smoke appeared in ken.</l> +<l>Soon as they saw the rising smoke</l> +<l>To Bharat they returned and spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No fire where men are not: 'tis clear</q></l> +<l>That Raghu's sons are dwelling here.</l> +<l>Or if not here those heroes dwell</l> +<l>Whose mighty arms their foeman quell,</l> +<l>Still other hermits here must be</l> +<l><q rend="post">Like Ráma, true and good as he.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His ears attentive Bharat lent</l> +<l>To their resistless argument,</l> +<l>Then to his troops the chief who broke</l> +<l>His foe's embattled armies spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Here let the troops in silence stay;</q></l> +<l>One step beyond they must not stray.</l> +<l>Come Dhrishṭi and Sumantra, you</l> +<l><q rend="post">With me alone the path pursue.</q></l> +<l>Their leader's speech the warriors heard,</l> +<l>And from his place no soldier stirred,</l> +<l>And Bharat bent his eager eyes</l> +<l>Where curling smoke was seen to rise.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The host his order well obeyed,</l> +<l>And halting there in silence stayed</l> +<l>Watching where from the thicket's shade</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They saw the smoke appear.</l> +<l>And joy through all the army ran,</l> +<l><q>Soon shall we meet,</q> thought every man,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>The prince we hold so dear.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XCIV"/> +<head>Canto XCIV. Chitrakúta.</head> + +<lg> +<l>There long the son of Raghu dwelt</l> +<l>And love for hill and wood he felt.</l> +<l>Then his Videhan spouse to please</l> +<l>And his own heart of woe to ease,</l> +<l>Like some Immortal—Indra so</l> +<l>Might Swarga's charms to Śachí show—</l> +<l>Drew her sweet eyes to each delight</l> +<l>Of Chitrakúṭa's lovely height:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Though reft of power and kingly sway,</q></l> +<l>Though friends and home are far away,</l> +<l>I cannot mourn my altered lot,</l> +<l>Enamoured of this charming spot.</l> +<l>Look, darling, on this noble hill</l> +<l>Which sweet birds with their music fill,</l> +<l>Bright with a thousand metal dyes</l> +<l>His lofty summits cleave the skies.</l> +<l>See, there a silvery sheen is spread,</l> +<l>And there like blood the rocks are red.</l> +<l>There shows a streak of emerald green,</l> +<l>And pink and yellow glow between.</l> +<l>There where the higher peaks ascend,</l> +<l>Crystal and flowers and topaz blend,</l> +<l>And others flash their light afar</l> +<l>Like mercury or some fair star:</l> +<l>With such a store of metals dyed</l> +<l>The king of hills is glorified.</l> +<l>There through the wild birds' populous home</l> +<l>The harmless bear and tiger roam:</l> +<l>Hyænas range the woody slopes</l> +<l>With herds of deer and antelopes.</l> +<l>See, love, the trees that clothe his side</l> +<l>All lovely in their summer pride,</l> +<l>In richest wealth of leaves arrayed,</l> +<l>With flower and fruit and light and shade,</l> +<l>Look where the young Rose-apple glows;</l> +<l>What loaded boughs the Mango shows;</l> +<l>See, waving in the western wind</l> +<l>The light leaves of the Tamarind,</l> +<l>And mark that giant Peepul through</l> +<l>The feathery clump of tall bamboo.<note place="foot">These ten lines are a +substitution for, and not a translation of the text which Carey and Marshman thus +render: <q>This mountain adorned with mango, jumboo, usuna, lodhra, piala, punusa, +dhava, unkotha, bhuvya, tinisha, vilwa, tindooka, bamboo, +kashmaree, urista, uruna, madhooka, tilaka, vuduree, amluka, +nipa, vetra, dhunwuna, veejaka, and other trees affording flowers, +and fruits, and the most delightful shade, how charming does it appear!</q></note></l> +<pb n="203"/><anchor id="Pg203"/> +<l>Look, on the level lands above,</l> +<l>Delighting in successful love</l> +<l>In sweet enjoyment many a pair</l> +<l>Of heavenly minstrels revels there,</l> +<l>While overhanging boughs support</l> +<l>Their swords and mantles as they sport:</l> +<l>Then see that pleasant shelter where</l> +<l>Play the bright Daughters of the +Air.<note place="foot"><hi rend='italic'>Vidyadharis</hi>, +Spirits of Air, sylphs.</note></l> +<l>The mountain seems with bright cascade</l> +<l>And sweet rill bursting from the shade,</l> +<l>Like some majestic elephant o'er</l> +<l>Whose burning head the torrents pour.</l> +<l>Where breathes the man who would not feel</l> +<l>Delicious languor o'er him steal,</l> +<l>As the young morning breeze that springs</l> +<l>From the cool cave with balmy wings,</l> +<l>Breathes round him laden with the scent</l> +<l>Of bud and blossom dew-besprent?</l> +<l>If many autumns here I spent</l> +<l>With thee, my darling innocent,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ, I should never know</l> +<l>The torture of the fires of woe,</l> +<l>This varied scene so charms my sight,</l> +<l>This mount so fills me with delight,</l> +<l>Where flowers in wild profusion spring,</l> +<l>And ripe fruits glow and sweet birds sing.</l> +<l>My beauteous one, a double good</l> +<l>Springs from my dwelling in the wood:</l> +<l>Loosed is the bond my sire that tied,</l> +<l>And Bharat too is gratified.</l> +<l>My darling, dost thou feel with me</l> +<l>Delight from every charm we see,</l> +<l>Of which the mind and every sense</l> +<l>Feel the enchanting influence?</l> +<l>My fathers who have passed away,</l> +<l>The royal saints, were wont to say,</l> +<l>That life in woodland shades like this</l> +<l>Secures a king immortal bliss.</l> +<l>See, round the hill at random thrown,</l> +<l>Huge masses lie of rugged stone</l> +<l>Of every shape and many a hue,</l> +<l>Yellow and white and red and blue.</l> +<l>But all is fairer still by night:</l> +<l>Each rock reflects a softer light,</l> +<l>When the whole mount from foot to crest</l> +<l>In robes of lambent flame is dressed;</l> +<l>When from a million herbs a blaze</l> +<l>Of their own luminous glory plays,</l> +<l>And clothed in fire each deep ravine,</l> +<l>Each pinnacle and crag is seen.</l> +<l>Some parts the look of mansions wear,</l> +<l>And others are as gardens fair,</l> +<l>While others seem a massive block</l> +<l>Of solid undivided rock.</l> +<l>Behold those pleasant beds o'erlaid</l> +<l>With lotus leaves, for lovers made,</l> +<l>Where mountain birch and costus throw</l> +<l>Cool shadows on the pair below.</l> +<l>See where the lovers in their play</l> +<l>Have cast their flowery wreaths away,</l> +<l>And fruit and lotus buds that crowned</l> +<l>Their brows lie trodden on the ground.</l> +<l>North Kuru's realm is fair to see,</l> +<l>Vasvaukasárá,<note place="foot">A lake attached either to Amarávatí +the residence of Indra, or Alaká that of Kuvera.</note> Naliní,<note place="foot">The +Ganges of heaven.</note></l> +<l>But rich in fruit and blossom still</l> +<l>More fair is Chitrakúṭa's hill.</l> +<l>Here shall the years appointed glide</l> +<l>With thee, my beauty, by my side,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And Lakshmaṇ ever near;</l> +<l>Here shall I live in all delight,</l> +<l>Make my ancestral fame more bright,</l> +<l>Tread in their path who walk aright,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">And to my oath adhere.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XCV"/> +<head>Canto XCV. Mandákiní.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Ráma, like the lotus eyed,</l> +<l>Descended from the mountain side,</l> +<l>And to the Maithil lady showed</l> +<l>The lovely stream that softly flowed.</l> +<l>And thus Ayodhyá's lord addressed</l> +<l>His bride, of dames the loveliest,</l> +<l>Child of Videha's king, her face</l> +<l>Bright with the fair moon's tender grace:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">How sweetly glides, O darling, look,</q></l> +<l>Mandákiní's delightful brook,</l> +<l>Adorned with islets, blossoms gay,</l> +<l>And sárases and swans at play!</l> +<pb n="204"/><anchor id="Pg204"/> +<l>The trees with which her banks are lined</l> +<l>Show flowers and fruit of every kind:</l> +<l>The match in radiant sheen is she</l> +<l>Of King Kuvera's Naliní.<note place="foot">Naliní, as here, may be the name of +any lake covered with lotuses.</note></l> +<l>My heart exults with pleasure new</l> +<l>The shelving band and ford to view,</l> +<l>Where gathering herds of thirsty deer</l> +<l>Disturb the wave that ran so clear.</l> +<l>Now look, those holy hermits mark</l> +<l>In skins of deer and coats of bark;</l> +<l>With twisted coils of matted hair,</l> +<l>The reverend men are bathing there,</l> +<l>And as they lift their arms on high</l> +<l>The Lord of Day they glorify:</l> +<l>These best of saints, my large-eyed spouse,</l> +<l>Are constant to their sacred vows.</l> +<l>The mountain dances while the trees</l> +<l>Bend their proud summits to the breeze,</l> +<l>And scatter many a flower and bud</l> +<l>From branches that o'erhang the flood.</l> +<l>There flows the stream like lucid pearl,</l> +<l>Round islets here the currents whirl,</l> +<l>And perfect saints from middle air</l> +<l>Are flocking to the waters there.</l> +<l>See, there lie flowers in many a heap</l> +<l>From boughs the whistling breezes sweep,</l> +<l>And others wafted by the gale</l> +<l>Down the swift current dance and sail.</l> +<l>Now see that pair of wild-fowl rise,</l> +<l>Exulting with their joyful cries:</l> +<l>Hark, darling, wafted from afar</l> +<l>How soft their pleasant voices are.</l> +<l>To gaze on Chitrakúṭa's hill,</l> +<l>To look upon this lovely rill,</l> +<l>To bend mine eyes on thee, dear wife,</l> +<l>Is sweeter than my city life.</l> +<l>Come, bathe we in the pleasant rill</l> +<l>Whose dancing waves are never still,</l> +<l>Stirred by those beings pure from sin,</l> +<l>The sanctities who bathe therein:</l> +<l>Come, dearest, to the stream descend,</l> +<l>Approach her as a darling friend,</l> +<l>And dip thee in the silver flood</l> +<l>Which lotuses and lilies stud.</l> +<l>Let this fair hill Ayodhyá seem,</l> +<l>Its silvan things her people deem,</l> +<l>And let these waters as they flow</l> +<l>Our own beloved Sarjú show.</l> +<l>How blest, mine own dear love, am I;</l> +<l>Thou, fond and true, art ever nigh,</l> +<l>And duteous, faithful Lakshmaṇ stays</l> +<l>Beside me, and my word obeys.</l> +<l>Here every day I bathe me thrice,</l> +<l>Fruit, honey, roots for food suffice,</l> +<l>And ne'er my thoughts with longing stray</l> +<l>To distant home or royal sway.</l> +<l>For who this charming brook can see</l> +<l>Where herds of roedeer wander free,</l> +<l>And on the flowery-wooded brink</l> +<l>Apes, elephants, and lions drink,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Nor feel all sorrow fly?</q></l> +<l>Thus eloquently spoke the pride</l> +<l>Of Raghu's children to his bride,</l> +<l>And wandered happy by her side</l> +<l>Where Chitrakúṭa azure-dyed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Uprears his peaks on high.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XCVI"/> +<head>Canto XCVI. The Magic Shaft.<note place="foot">This canto is allowed, by Indian +commentators, to be an interpolation. It cannot be the work of Válmíki.</note></head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus Ráma showed to Janak's child</l> +<l>The varied beauties of the wild,</l> +<l>The hill, the brook and each fair spot,</l> +<l>Then turned to seek their leafy cot.</l> +<l>North of the mountain Ráma found</l> +<l>A cavern in the sloping ground,</l> +<l>Charming to view, its floor was strown</l> +<l>With many a mass of ore and stone,</l> +<l>In secret shadow far retired</l> +<l>Where gay birds sang with joy inspired,</l> +<l>And trees their graceful branches swayed</l> +<l>With loads of blossom downward weighed.</l> +<l>Soon as he saw the cave which took</l> +<l>Each living heart and chained the look,</l> +<l>Thus Ráma spoke to Sítá who</l> +<l>Gazed wondering on the silvan view:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Does this fair cave beneath the height,</q></l> +<l>Videhan lady, charm thy sight?</l> +<l>Then let us resting here a while</l> +<l>The languor of the way beguile.</l> +<l>That block of stone so smooth and square</l> +<l>Was set for thee to rest on there,</l> +<l>And like a thriving Keśar tree</l> +<l><q rend="post">This flowery shrub o'ershadows thee.</q></l> +<l>Thus Ráma spoke, and Janak's child,</l> +<l>By nature ever soft and mild,</l> +<l>In tender words which love betrayed</l> +<l>Her answer to the hero made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O pride of Raghu's children, still</q></l> +<l>My pleasure is to do thy will.</l> +<l>Enough for me thy wish to know:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Far hast thou wandered to and fro.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Sítá spake in gentle tone,</l> +<l>And went obedient to the stone,</l> +<l>Of perfect face and faultless limb</l> +<l>Prepared to rest a while with him.</l> +<l>And Ráma, as she thus replied,</l> +<l>Turned to his spouse again and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thou seest, love, this flowery shade</q></l> +<l>For silvan creatures' pleasure made,</l> +<l>How the gum streams from trees and plants</l> +<l>Torn by the tusks of elephants!</l> +<pb n="205"/><anchor id="Pg205"/> +<l>Through all the forest clear and high</l> +<l>Resounds the shrill cicala's cry.</l> +<l>Hark how the kite above us moans,</l> +<l>And calls her young in piteous tones;</l> +<l>So may my hapless mother be</l> +<l>Still mourning in her home for me.</l> +<l>There mounted on that lofty Sál</l> +<l>The loud Bhringráj<note place="foot">A fine bird with a strong, sweet note, +and great imitative powers.</note> repeats his call:</l> +<l>How sweetly now he tunes his throat</l> +<l>Responsive to the Koïl's note.</l> +<l>Or else the bird that now has sung</l> +<l>May be himself the Koïl's young,</l> +<l>Linked with such winning sweetness are</l> +<l>The notes he pours irregular.</l> +<l>See, round the blooming Mango clings</l> +<l>That creeper with her tender rings,</l> +<l>So in thy love, when none is near,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thine arms are thrown round me, my dear.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus in his joy he cried; and she,</l> +<l>Sweet speaker, on her lover's knee,</l> +<l>Of faultless limb and perfect face,</l> +<l>Grew closer to her lord's embrace.</l> +<l>Reclining in her husband's arms,</l> +<l>A goddess in her wealth of charms,</l> +<l>She filled his loving breast anew</l> +<l>With mighty joy that thrilled him through.</l> +<l>His finger on the rock he laid,</l> +<l>Which veins of sanguine ore displayed,</l> +<l>And painted o'er his darling's eyes</l> +<l>The holy sign in mineral dyes.</l> +<l>Bright on her brow the metal lay</l> +<l>Like the young sun's first gleaming ray,</l> +<l>And showed her in her beauty fair</l> +<l>As the soft light of morning's air.</l> +<l>Then from the Keśar's laden tree</l> +<l>He picked fair blossoms in his glee,</l> +<l>And as he decked each lovely tress,</l> +<l>His heart o'erflowed with happiness.</l> +<l>So resting on that rocky seat</l> +<l>A while they spent in pastime sweet,</l> +<l>Then onward neath the shady boughs</l> +<l>Went Ráma with his Maithil spouse.</l> +<l>She roaming in the forest shade</l> +<l>Where every kind of creature strayed</l> +<l>Observed a monkey wandering near,</l> +<l>And clung to Ráma's arm in fear.</l> +<l>The hero Ráma fondly laced</l> +<l>His mighty arms around her waist,</l> +<l>Consoled his beauty in her dread,</l> +<l>And scared the Monkey till he fled.</l> +<l>That holy mark of sanguine ore</l> +<l>That gleamed on Sítá's brow before,</l> +<l>Shone by that close embrace impressed</l> +<l>Upon the hero's ample chest.</l> +<l>Then Sítá, when the beast who led</l> +<l>The monkey troop, afar had fled,</l> +<l>Laughed loudly in light-hearted glee</l> +<l>That mark on Ráma's chest to see.</l> +<l>A clump of bright Aśokas fired</l> +<l>The forest in their bloom attired:</l> +<l>The restless blossoms as they gleamed</l> +<l>A host of threatening monkeys seemed.</l> +<l>Then Sítá thus to Ráma cried,</l> +<l>As longingly the flowers she eyed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Pride of thy race, now let us go</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Where those Aśoka blossoms grow.</q></l> +<l>He on his darling's pleasure bent</l> +<l>With his fair goddess thither went</l> +<l>And roamed delighted through the wood</l> +<l>Where blossoming Aśokas stood,</l> +<l>As Śiva with Queen Umá roves</l> +<l>Through Himaván's majestic groves.</l> +<l>Bright with purpureal glow the pair</l> +<l>Of happy lovers sported there,</l> +<l>And each upon the other set</l> +<l>A flower-inwoven coronet.</l> +<l>There many a crown and chain they wove</l> +<l>Of blooms from that Aśoka grove,</l> +<l>And in their graceful sport the two</l> +<l>Fresh beauty o'er the mountain threw.</l> +<l>The lover let his love survey</l> +<l>Each pleasant spot that round them lay,</l> +<l>Then turned they to their green retreat</l> +<l>Where all was garnished, gay, and neat.</l> +<l>By brotherly affection led,</l> +<l>Sumitrá's son to meet them sped,</l> +<l>And showed the labours of the day</l> +<l>Done while his brother was away.</l> +<l>There lay ten black-deer duly slain</l> +<l>With arrows pure of poison stain,</l> +<l>Piled in a mighty heap to dry,</l> +<l>With many another carcass nigh.</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ's brother saw, o'erjoyed,</l> +<l>The work that had his hands employed,</l> +<l>Then to his consort thus he cried:</l> +<l><q>Now be the general gifts supplied.</q></l> +<l>Then Sítá, fairest beauty, placed</l> +<l>The food for living things to taste,</l> +<l>And set before the brothers meat</l> +<l>And honey that the pair might eat.</l> +<l>They ate the meal her hands supplied,</l> +<l>Their lips with water purified:</l> +<l>Then Janak's daughter sat at last</l> +<l>And duly made her own repast.</l> +<l>The other venison, to be dried,</l> +<l>Piled up in heaps was set aside,</l> +<l>And Ráma told his wife to stay</l> +<l>And drive the flocking crows away.</l> +<l>Her husband saw her much distressed</l> +<l>By one more bold than all the rest,</l> +<l>Whose wings where'er he chose could fly,</l> +<l>Now pierce the earth, now roam the sky.</l> +<l>Then Ráma laughed to see her stirred</l> +<l>To anger by the plaguing bird:</l> +<l>Proud of his love the beauteous dame</l> +<l>With burning rage was all aflame.</l> +<l>Now here, now there, again, again</l> +<l>She chased the crow, but all in vain,</l> +<l>Enraging her, so quick to strike</l> +<pb n="206"/><anchor id="Pg206"/> +<l>With beak and wing and claw alike:</l> +<l>Then how the proud lip quivered, how</l> +<l>The dark frown marked her angry brow!</l> +<l>When Ráma saw her cheek aglow</l> +<l>With passion, he rebuked the crow.</l> +<l>But bold in impudence the bird,</l> +<l>With no respect for Ráma's word,</l> +<l>Fearless again at Sítá flew:</l> +<l>Then Ráma's wrath to fury grew.</l> +<l>The hero of the mighty arm</l> +<l>Spoke o'er a shaft the mystic charm,</l> +<l>Laid the dire weapon on his bow</l> +<l>And launched it at the shameless crow.</l> +<l>The bird, empowered by Gods to spring</l> +<l>Through earth itself on rapid wing,</l> +<l>Through the three worlds in terror fled</l> +<l>Still followed by that arrow dread.</l> +<l>Where'er he flew, now here now there,</l> +<l>A cloud of weapons filled the air.</l> +<l>Back to the high-souled prince he fled</l> +<l>And bent at Ráma's feet his head,</l> +<l>And then, as Sítá looked, began</l> +<l>His speech in accents of a man:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O pardon, and for pity's sake</q></l> +<l>Spare, Ráma, spare my life to take!</l> +<l>Where'er I turn, where'er I flee,</l> +<l><q rend="post">No shelter from this shaft I see.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The chieftain heard the crow entreat</l> +<l>Helpless and prostrate at his feet,</l> +<l>And while soft pity moved his breast,</l> +<l>With wisest speech the bird addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I took the troubled Sítá's part,</q></l> +<l>And furious anger filled my heart.</l> +<l>Then on the string my arrow lay</l> +<l>Charmed with a spell thy life to slay.</l> +<l>Thou seekest now my feet, to crave</l> +<l>Forgiveness and thy life to save.</l> +<l>So shall thy prayer have due respect:</l> +<l>The suppliant I must still protect.</l> +<l>But ne'er in vain this dart may flee;</l> +<l>Yield for thy life a part of thee,</l> +<l>What portion of thy body, say,</l> +<l>Shall this mine arrow rend away?</l> +<l>Thus far, O bird, thus far alone</l> +<l>On thee my pity may be shown.</l> +<l>Forfeit a part thy life to buy:</l> +<l><q rend="post">'Tis better so to live than die.</q></l> +<l>Thus Ráma spoke: the bird of air</l> +<l>Pondered his speech with anxious care,</l> +<l>And wisely deemed it good to give</l> +<l>One of his eyes that he might live.</l> +<l>To Raghu's son he made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Ráma, I will yield an eye.</q></l> +<l>So let me in thy grace confide</l> +<l><q rend="post">And live hereafter single-eyed.</q></l> +<l>Then Ráma charged the shaft, and lo,</l> +<l>Full in the eye it smote the crow.</l> +<l>And the Videhan lady gazed</l> +<l>Upon the ruined eye amazed.</l> +<l>The crow to Ráma humbly bent,</l> +<l>Then where his fancy led he went.</l> +<l>Ráma with Lakshmaṇ by his side</l> +<l>With needful work was occupied.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XCVII"/> +<head>Canto XCVII. Lakshman's Anger.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus Ráma showed his love the rill</l> +<l>Whose waters ran beneath the hill,</l> +<l>Then resting on his mountain seat</l> +<l>Refreshed her with the choicest meat.</l> +<l>So there reposed the happy two:</l> +<l>Then Bharat's army nearer drew:</l> +<l>Rose to the skies a dusty cloud,</l> +<l>The sound of trampling feet was loud.</l> +<l>The swelling roar of marching men</l> +<l>Drove the roused tiger from his den,</l> +<l>And scared amain the serpent race</l> +<l>Flying to hole and hiding-place.</l> +<l>The herds of deer in terror fled,</l> +<l>The air was filled with birds o'erhead,</l> +<l>The bear began to leave his tree,</l> +<l>The monkey to the cave to flee.</l> +<l>Wild elephants were all amazed</l> +<l>As though the wood around them blazed.</l> +<l>The lion oped his ponderous jaw,</l> +<l>The buffalo looked round in awe.</l> +<l>The prince, who heard the deafening sound,</l> +<l>And saw the silvan creatures round</l> +<l>Fly wildly startled from their rest,</l> +<l>The glorious Lakshmaṇ thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Sumitrá's noble son most dear,</q></l> +<l>Hark, Lakshmaṇ, what a roar I hear,</l> +<l>The tumult of a coming crowd,</l> +<l>Appalling, deafening, deep, and loud!</l> +<l>The din that yet more fearful grows</l> +<l>Scares elephants and buffaloes,</l> +<l>Or frightened by the lions, deer</l> +<l>Are flying through the wood in fear.</l> +<l>I fain would know who seeks this place</l> +<l>Comes prince or monarch for the chase?</l> +<l>Or does some mighty beast of prey</l> +<l>Frighten the silvan herds away?</l> +<l>'Tis hard to reach this mountain height,</l> +<l>Yea, e'en for birds in airy flight.</l> +<l>Then fain, O Lakshmaṇ, would I know</l> +<l><q rend="post">What cause disturbs the forest so.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Lakshmaṇ in haste, the wood to view,</l> +<l>Climbed a high Sál that near him grew,</l> +<l>The forest all around he eyed,</l> +<l>First gazing on the eastern side.</l> +<l>Then northward when his eyes he bent</l> +<l>He saw a mighty armament</l> +<l>Of elephants, and cars, and horse,</l> +<l>And men on foot, a mingled force,</l> +<l>And banners waving in the breeze,</l> +<l>And spoke to Ráma words like these:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Quick, quick, my lord, put out the fire,</q></l> +<l>Let Sítá to the cave retire.</l> +<pb n="207"/><anchor id="Pg207"/> +<l>Thy coat of mail around thee throw,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Prepare thine arrows and thy bow.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In eager haste thus Lakshmaṇ cried,</l> +<l>And Ráma, lion lord, replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Still closer be the army scanned,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">And say who leads the warlike band.</q></l> +<l>Lakshmaṇ his answer thus returned,</l> +<l>As furious rage within him burned,</l> +<l>Exciting him like kindled fire</l> +<l>To scorch the army in his ire:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">'Tis Bharat: he has made the throne</q></l> +<l>By consecrating rites his own:</l> +<l>To gain the whole dominion thus</l> +<l>He comes in arms to slaughter us.</l> +<l>I mark tree-high upon his car</l> +<l>His flagstaff of the Kovidár,<note place="foot">Bauhinea variegata, +a species of ebony.</note></l> +<l>I see his glittering banner glance,</l> +<l>I see his chivalry advance:</l> +<l>I see his eager warriors shine</l> +<l>On elephants in lengthened line.</l> +<l>Now grasp we each the shafts and bow,</l> +<l>And higher up the mountain go.</l> +<l>Or in this place, O hero, stand</l> +<l>With weapons in each ready hand.</l> +<l>Perhaps beneath our might may fall</l> +<l>This leader of the standard tall,</l> +<l>And Bharat I this day may see</l> +<l>Who brought this mighty woe on thee,</l> +<l>Sítá, and me, who drove away</l> +<l>My brother from the royal sway.</l> +<l>Bharat our foe at length is nigh,</l> +<l>And by this hand shall surely die:</l> +<l>Brother, I see no sin at all</l> +<l>If Bharat by my weapon fall.</l> +<l>No fault is his who slays the foe</l> +<l>Whose hand was first to strike the blow:</l> +<l>With Bharat now the crime begins</l> +<l>Who against thee and duty sins.</l> +<l>The queen athirst for royal sway</l> +<l>Will see her darling son to-day</l> +<l>Fall by this hand, like some fair tree</l> +<l>Struck by an elephant, slain by me.</l> +<l>Kaikeyí's self shall perish too</l> +<l>With kith and kin and retinue,</l> +<l>And earth by my avenging deed</l> +<l>Shall from this mass of sin be freed.</l> +<l>This day my wrath, too long restrained,</l> +<l>Shall fall upon the foe, unchained,</l> +<l>Mad as the kindled flame that speeds</l> +<l>Destroying through the grass and reeds.</l> +<l>This day mine arrows keen and fierce</l> +<l>The bodies of the foe shall pierce:</l> +<l>The woods on Chitrakúṭa's side</l> +<l>Shall run with torrents crimson-dyed.</l> +<l>The wandering beasts of prey shall feed</l> +<l>On heart-cleft elephant and steed,</l> +<l>And drag to mountain caves away</l> +<l>The bodies that my arrows slay.</l> +<l>Doubt not that Bharat and his train</l> +<l>Shall in this mighty wood be slain:</l> +<l>So shall I pay the debt my bow</l> +<l><q rend="post">And these my deadly arrows owe.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XCVIII"/> +<head>Canto XCVIII. Lakshman Calmed.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Ráma nobly calm allayed</l> +<l>The wrath that Lakshmaṇ's bosom swayed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What need have we the sword to wield,</q></l> +<l>To bend the bow or lift the shield,</l> +<l>If Bharat brave, and wise, and good,</l> +<l>Himself has sought this sheltering wood?</l> +<l>I sware my father's will to do,</l> +<l>And if I now my brother slew</l> +<l>What gain in kingship should I find,</l> +<l>Despised and scorned by all mankind?</l> +<l>Believe me, e'en as I would shrink</l> +<l>From poisoned meat or deadly drink,</l> +<l>No power or treasure would I win</l> +<l>By fall of friend or kith or kin.</l> +<l>Brother, believe the words I speak:</l> +<l>For your dear sakes alone I seek</l> +<l>Duty and pleasure, wealth and gain:</l> +<l>A holy life, a happy reign.</l> +<l>If royal sway my heart desires,</l> +<l>My brothers' weal the wish inspires:</l> +<l>Their bliss and safety is my care,</l> +<l>By this uplifted bow I swear.</l> +<l>'Twere not so hard for me to gain</l> +<l>This broad land girdled by the main,</l> +<l>But even Indra's royal might</l> +<l>Should ne'er be mine in duty's spite.</l> +<l>If any bliss my soul can see</l> +<l>Deprived of dear Śatrughna, thee,</l> +<l>And Bharat, may the flame destroy</l> +<l>With ashy gloom the selfish joy.</l> +<l>Far dearer than this life of mine,</l> +<l>Knowing the custom of our line,</l> +<l>His heart with fond affection fraught,</l> +<l>Bharat Ayodhyá's town resought</l> +<l>And hearing when he came that I,</l> +<l>With thee and Sítá, forced to fly</l> +<l>With matted hair and hermit dress</l> +<l>Am wandering in the wilderness.</l> +<l>While grief his troubled senses storms,</l> +<l>And tender love his bosom warms,</l> +<l>From every thought of evil clear,</l> +<l>Is come to meet his brother here.</l> +<l>Some grievous words perchance he spoke</l> +<l>Kaikeyí's anger to provoke,</l> +<l>Then won the king, and comes to lay</l> +<l>Before my feet the royal sway.</l> +<l>Hither, methinks, in season due</l> +<l>Comes Bharat for an interview,</l> +<l>Nor in his secret heart has he</l> +<l>One evil thought 'gainst thee or me.</l> +<l>What has he done ere now, reflect!</l> +<l>How failed in love or due respect</l> +<pb n="208"/><anchor id="Pg208"/> +<l>To make thee doubt his faith and lay</l> +<l>This evil to his charge to-day?</l> +<l>Thou shouldst not join with Bharat's name</l> +<l>So harsh a speech and idle blame.</l> +<l>The blows thy tongue at Bharat deals,</l> +<l>My sympathizing bosom feels.</l> +<l>How, urged by stress of any ill,</l> +<l>Should sons their father's life-blood spill,</l> +<l>Or brother slay in impious strife</l> +<l>A brother dearer than his life?</l> +<l>If thou these cruel words hast said</l> +<l>By strong desire of empire led,</l> +<l>My brother Bharat will I pray</l> +<l>To give to thee the kingly sway.</l> +<l><q>Give him the realm,</q> my speech shall be,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And Bharat will, methinks, agree.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke the prince whose chief delight</l> +<l>Was duty, and to aid the right:</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ keenly felt the blame,</l> +<l>And shrank within himself for shame:</l> +<l>And then his answer thus returned,</l> +<l>With downcast eye and cheek that burned:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Brother, I ween, to see thy face</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Our sire himself has sought this place.</q></l> +<l>Thus Lakshmaṇ spoke and stood ashamed,</l> +<l>And Ráma saw and thus exclaimed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">It is the strong-armed monarch: he</q></l> +<l>Is come, methinks, his sons to see,</l> +<l>To bid us both the forest quit</l> +<l>For joys for which he deems us fit:</l> +<l>He thinks on all our care and pain,</l> +<l>And now would lead us home again.</l> +<l>My glorious father hence will bear</l> +<l>Sítá who claims all tender care.</l> +<l>I see two coursers fleet as storms,</l> +<l>Of noble breed and lovely forms.</l> +<l>I see the beast of mountain size</l> +<l>Who bears the king our father wise,</l> +<l>The aged Victor, march this way</l> +<l>In front of all the armed array.</l> +<l>But doubt and fear within me rise,</l> +<l>For when I look with eager eyes</l> +<l>I see no white umbrella spread,</l> +<l>World-famous, o'er the royal head.</l> +<l>Now, Lakshmaṇ, from the tree descend,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And to my words attention lend.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke the pious prince: and he</l> +<l>Descended from the lofty tree,</l> +<l>And reverent hand to hand applied,</l> +<l>Stood humbly by his brother's side.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The host, compelled by Bharat's care,</l> +<l>The wood from trampling feet to spare,</l> +<l>Dense crowding half a league each way</l> +<l>Encamped around the mountain lay.</l> +<l>Below the tall hill's shelving side</l> +<l>Gleamed the bright army far and wide</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Spread o'er the ample space,</l> +<l>By Bharat led who firmly true</l> +<l>In duty from his bosom threw</l> +<l>All pride, and near his brother drew</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To win the hero's grace.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-XCIX"/> +<head>Canto XCIX. Bharat's Approach.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Soon as the warriors took their rest</l> +<l>Obeying Bharat's high behest,</l> +<l>Thus Bharat to Śatrughna spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">A band of soldiers with thee take,</q></l> +<l>And with these hunters o'er and o'er</l> +<l>The thickets of the wood explore.</l> +<l>With bow, sword, arrows in their hands</l> +<l>Let Guha with his kindred bands</l> +<l>Within this grove remaining trace</l> +<l>The children of Kakutstha's race.</l> +<l>And I meanwhile on foot will through</l> +<l>This neighbouring wood my way pursue,</l> +<l>With elders and the twice-born men,</l> +<l>And every lord and citizen.</l> +<l>There is, I feel, no rest for me</l> +<l>Till Ráma's face again I see,</l> +<l>Lakshmaṇ, in arms and glory great,</l> +<l>And Sítá born to happy fate:</l> +<l>No rest, until his cheek as bright</l> +<l>As the fair moon rejoice my sight,</l> +<l>No rest until I see the eye</l> +<l>With which the lotus petals vie;</l> +<l>Till on my head those dear feet rest</l> +<l>With signs of royal rank impressed;</l> +<l>None, till my kingly brother gain</l> +<l>His old hereditary reign,</l> +<l>Till o'er his limbs and noble head</l> +<l>The consecrating drops be shed.</l> +<l>How blest is Janak's daughter, true</l> +<l>To every wifely duty, who</l> +<l>Cleaves faithful to her husband's side</l> +<l>Whose realm is girt by Ocean's tide!</l> +<l>This mountain too above the rest</l> +<l>E'en as the King of Hills is blest,—</l> +<l>Whose shades Kakutstha's scion hold</l> +<l>As Nandan charms the Lord of Gold.</l> +<l>Yea, happy is this tangled grove</l> +<l>Where savage beasts unnumbered rove,</l> +<l>Where, glory of the Warrior race,</l> +<l><q rend="post">King Ráma finds a dwelling-place.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Bharat, strong-armed hero spake,</l> +<l>And walked within the pathless brake.</l> +<l>O'er plains where gay trees bloomed he went,</l> +<l>Through boughs in tangled net-work bent,</l> +<l>And then from Ráma's cot appeared</l> +<l>The banner which the flame upreared.</l> +<l>And Bharat joyed with every friend</l> +<l>To mark those smoky wreaths ascend:</l> +<l><q>Here Ráma dwells,</q> he thought; <q rend="pre">at last</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">The ocean of our toil is passed.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then sure that Ráma's hermit cot</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Was on the mountain's side</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He stayed his army on the spot,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And on with Guha hied.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="209"/><anchor id="Pg209"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-C"/> +<head>Canto C. The Meeting.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Bharat to Śatrughna showed</l> +<l>The spot, and eager onward strode,</l> +<l>First bidding Saint Vaśishṭha bring</l> +<l>The widowed consorts of the king.</l> +<l>As by fraternal love impelled</l> +<l>His onward course the hero held,</l> +<l>Sumantra followed close behind</l> +<l>Śatrughna with an anxious mind:</l> +<l>Not Bharat's self more fain could be</l> +<l>To look on Ráma's face than he.</l> +<l>As, speeding on, the spot he neared,</l> +<l>Amid the hermits' homes appeared</l> +<l>His brother's cot with leaves o'erspread,</l> +<l>And by its side a lowly shed.</l> +<l>Before the shed great heaps were left</l> +<l>Of gathered flowers and billets cleft,</l> +<l>And on the trees hung grass and bark</l> +<l>Ráma and Lakshmaṇ's path to mark:</l> +<l>And heaps of fuel to provide</l> +<l>Against the cold stood ready dried.</l> +<l>The long-armed chief, as on he went</l> +<l>In glory's light preëminent,</l> +<l>With joyous words like these addressed</l> +<l>The brave Śatrughna and the rest:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">This is the place, I little doubt,</q></l> +<l>Which Bharadvája pointed out,</l> +<l>Not far from where we stand must be</l> +<l>The woodland stream, Mandákiní.</l> +<l>Here on the mountain's woody side</l> +<l>Roam elephants in tusked pride,</l> +<l>And ever with a roar and cry</l> +<l>Each other, as they meet, defy.</l> +<l>And see those smoke-wreaths thick and dark:</l> +<l>The presence of the flame they mark,</l> +<l>Which hermits in the forest strive</l> +<l>By every art to keep alive.</l> +<l>O happy me! my task is done,</l> +<l>And I shall look on Raghu's son,</l> +<l>Like some great saint, who loves to treat</l> +<l><q rend="post">His elders with all reverence meet.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Bharat reached that forest rill,</l> +<l>Thus roamed on Chitrakúṭa's hill;</l> +<l>Then pity in his breast awoke,</l> +<l>And to his friends the hero spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Woe, woe upon my life and birth!</q></l> +<l>The prince of men, the lord of earth</l> +<l>Has sought the lonely wood to dwell</l> +<l>Sequestered in a hermit's cell.</l> +<l>Through me, through me these sorrows fall</l> +<l>On him the splendid lord of all:</l> +<l>Through me resigning earthly bliss</l> +<l>He hides him in a home like this.</l> +<l>Now will I, by the world abhorred,</l> +<l>Fall at the dear feet of my lord,</l> +<l>And at fair Sítá's too, to win</l> +<l><q rend="post">His pardon for my heinous sin.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As thus he sadly mourned and sighed,</l> +<l>The son of Daśaratha spied</l> +<l>A bower of leafy branches made,</l> +<l>Sacred and lovely in the shade,</l> +<l>Of fair proportions large and tall,</l> +<l>Well roofed with boughs of palm, and Sál,</l> +<l>Arranged in order due o'erhead</l> +<l>Like grass upon an altar spread.</l> +<l>Two glorious bows were gleaming there,</l> +<l>Like Indra's<note place="foot">The rainbow is called the bow of Indra.</note> +in the rainy air,</l> +<l>Terror of foemen, backed with gold,</l> +<l>Meet for the mightiest hand to hold:</l> +<l>And quivered arrows cast a blaze</l> +<l>Bright gleaming like the Day-God's rays:</l> +<l>Thus serpents with their eyes aglow</l> +<l>Adorn their capital below.<note place="foot">Bhogavatí, the abode of the Nágas or +Serpent race.</note></l> +<l>Great swords adorned the cottage, laid</l> +<l>Each in a case of gold brocade;</l> +<l>There hung the trusty shields, whereon</l> +<l>With purest gold the bosses shone.</l> +<l>The brace to bind the bowman's arm,</l> +<l>The glove to shield his hand from harm,</l> +<l>A lustre to the cottage lent</l> +<l>From many a golden ornament:</l> +<l>Safe was the cot from fear of men</l> +<l>As from wild beasts the lion's den.</l> +<l>The fire upon the altar burned,</l> +<l>That to the north and east was turned.</l> +<l>Bharat his eager glances bent</l> +<l>And gazed within the cot intent;</l> +<l>In deerskin dress, with matted hair,</l> +<l>Ráma his chief was sitting there:</l> +<l>With lion-shoulders broad and strong,</l> +<l>With lotus eyes, arms thick and long.</l> +<l>The righteous sovereign, who should be</l> +<l>Lord paramount from sea to sea,</l> +<l>High-minded, born to lofty fate,</l> +<l>Like Brahmá's self supremely great;</l> +<l>With Lakshmaṇ by his side, and her,</l> +<l>Fair Sítá, for his minister.</l> +<l>And Bharat gazing, overcome</l> +<l>By sorrow for a while was dumb,</l> +<l>Then, yielding to his woe, he ran</l> +<l>To Ráma and with sobs began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">He who a royal seat should fill</q></l> +<l>With subjects round to do his will,</l> +<l>My elder brother,—see him here,</l> +<l>With silvan creatures waiting near.</l> +<l>The high-souled hero, wont to wear</l> +<l>The costliest robes exceeding fair,</l> +<l>Now banished, in a deerskin dress,</l> +<l>Here keeps the path of righteousness.</l> +<l>How brooks the son of Raghu now</l> +<l>The matted locks which load his brow,</l> +<l>Around whose princely head were twined</l> +<l>Sweet blossoms of the rarest kind?</l> +<l>The prince whose merits grew, acquired</l> +<pb n="210"/><anchor id="Pg210"/> +<l>By rites performed as he desired,</l> +<l>Would now a store of merit gain</l> +<l>Bought by his body's toil and pain.</l> +<l>Those limbs to which pure sandal lent</l> +<l>The freshness of its fragrant scent,</l> +<l>Exposed to sun, and dust, and rain,</l> +<l>Are now defiled with many a stain.</l> +<l>And I the wretched cause why this</l> +<l>Falls on the prince whose right is bliss!</l> +<l>Ah me, that ever I was born</l> +<l><q rend="post">To be the people's hate and scorn!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Bharat cried: of anguish sprung,</l> +<l>Great drops upon his forehead hung.</l> +<l>He fell o'erpowered—his grief was such—</l> +<l>Ere he his brother's feet could touch.</l> +<l>As on the glorious prince he gazed</l> +<l>In vain his broken voice he raised:</l> +<l><q>Dear lord</q>—through tears and sobbing came,</l> +<l>The only words his lips could frame.</l> +<l>And brave Śatrughna wept aloud,</l> +<l>As low at Ráma's feet he bowed.</l> +<l>Then Ráma, while his tears ran fast,</l> +<l>His arms around his brothers cast.</l> +<l>Guha, Sumantra came to meet</l> +<l>The princes in their wild retreat.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Vrihaspati and Śukra bright</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Their greeting thus rejoice to pay</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To the dear Lord who brings the night,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And the great God who rules the day.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then wept the dwellers of the shade,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Whose eyes the princes, meet to ride</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">On mighty elephants, surveyed;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And cast all thought of joy aside.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CI"/> +<head>Canto CI. Bharata Questioned.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Ráma gazed, and scarcely knew</l> +<l>Bharat so worn and changed in hue.</l> +<l>He raised him, kissed him on the head,</l> +<l>Embraced him, and thus kindly said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Where was thy father, brother dear,</q></l> +<l>That thou art come to seek me here?</l> +<l>Unmeet, if he be living yet,</l> +<l>Thy feet within the wood to set.</l> +<l>I pray thee now the cause declare</l> +<l>Why thou hast left the kingdom there,</l> +<l>With matted locks and deerskin dress</l> +<l><q rend="post">To roam the distant wilderness.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus questioned by the prince, at length</l> +<l>Kaikeyí's son regained his strength,</l> +<l>And hand to hand in reverence laid,</l> +<l>To Ráma thus his answer made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The great-armed monarch, O my lord,</q></l> +<l>Has dared to do a thing abhorred,</l> +<l>Left us, and grieving for his son,</l> +<l>A home among the Gods has won.</l> +<l>My mother Queen Kaikeyí gave</l> +<l>The order to the king her slave,</l> +<l>And at the bidding of the dame</l> +<l>He wrought the sin which mars his fame.</l> +<l>Athirst for sway, her hopes are crossed,</l> +<l>She mourns her son, her husband lost,</l> +<l>And through her impious crime will go</l> +<l>For punishment to hell below.</l> +<l>Now O my lord, forgive me all;</l> +<l>Be gracious to thy lowly thrall:</l> +<l>Anointed king, accept to-day</l> +<l>Like Indra's self, the royal sway.</l> +<l>Be gracious, Prince, to lord and peer,</l> +<l>And widowed queens who seek thee here</l> +<l>Accept the kingdom thine by right,</l> +<l>And so thy faithful friends delight.</l> +<l>Let the broad land no longer be</l> +<l>All widowed and forlorn of thee:</l> +<l>Let the full moon of autumn reign</l> +<l>Triumphant o'er the night again.</l> +<l>These lords and I before thee bend:</l> +<l>O Ráma, to our prayer attend.</l> +<l>O do not thou this grace deny:</l> +<l>Thy brother, pupil, slave am I.</l> +<l>Look on this venerable ring,</l> +<l>Advisers of our sire the king,</l> +<l>From age to age so honoured: thou</l> +<l><q rend="post">Shouldst grant their supplication now.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As weeping thus the hero prayed,</l> +<l>His head at Ráma's feet he laid.</l> +<l>Like a mad elephant he sighed:</l> +<l>And Ráma gazed and thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">How, brother, can a man of worth,</q></l> +<l>True to his vows, of noble birth—</l> +<l>A man like me, commit a sin</l> +<l>The lordship of the land to win?</l> +<l>No slightest shade of fault I see,</l> +<l>O tamer of thy foes, in thee.</l> +<l>But ne'er shouldst thou in childish thought</l> +<l>The queen thy mother blame in aught.</l> +<l>O brother wise and sinless, know</l> +<l>The sacred laws would have it so,</l> +<l>That from good wife and son require</l> +<l>Obedience to their lord and sire.</l> +<l>And we are all the king's, for thus</l> +<l>The virtuous ever reckon us:</l> +<l>Yea brother, be it known to thee,</l> +<l>His wives, and sons, and pupils we.</l> +<l>His is the right, if he deem fit,</l> +<l>To bid me, throned as monarch, sit,</l> +<l>Or in a coat of bark expel,</l> +<l>And deerskin, in the wood to dwell.</l> +<l>And O remember, best of all</l> +<l>Who act as claims of duty call,</l> +<l>As to a virtuous sire is due,</l> +<l>Such honour claims a mother too.</l> +<l>So they whose lives have ever been</l> +<l>By duty led, the king and queen,</l> +<l>Said, <q>Ráma, seek the forest shade:</q></l> +<l>And I (what could I else?) obeyed.</l> +<l>Thou must the royal power retain,</l> +<pb n="211"/><anchor id="Pg211"/> +<l>And o'er the famed Ayodhyá reign:</l> +<l>I dressed in bark my days will spend</l> +<l>Where Daṇḍak's forest wilds extend.</l> +<l>So Daśaratha spoke, our king,</l> +<l>His share to each apportioning</l> +<l>Before his honoured servants' eyes:</l> +<l>Then, heir of bliss, he sought the skies.</l> +<l>The righteous monarch's honoured will,</l> +<l>Whom all revered, must guide thee still,</l> +<l>And thou must still enjoy the share</l> +<l>Assigned thee by our father's care.</l> +<l>So I till twice seven years are spent</l> +<l>Will roam this wood in banishment,</l> +<l>Contented with the lot which he,</l> +<l>My high-souled sire, has given me.</l> +<l>The charge the monarch gave, endeared</l> +<l>To all mankind, by all revered,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Peer of the Lord Supreme,</l> +<l>Far better, richer far in gain</l> +<l>Of every blessing than to reign</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">O'er all the worlds I deem.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CII"/> +<head>Canto CII. Bharat's Tidings.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He spoke: and Bharat thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If, false to every claim beside,</q></l> +<l>I ne'er in kingly duties fail,</l> +<l>What will my royal life avail?</l> +<l>Still should the custom be observed,</l> +<l>From which our line has never swerved,</l> +<l>Which to the younger son ne'er gives</l> +<l>The kingdom while the elder lives.</l> +<l>Now to Ayodhyá rich and fair</l> +<l>With me, O Raghu's son, repair,</l> +<l>And to protect and gladden all</l> +<l>Our house, thyself as king install.</l> +<l>A king the world's opinion deems</l> +<l>A man: to me a God he seems,</l> +<l>Whose life in virtuous thoughts and deeds</l> +<l>The lives of other men exceeds.</l> +<l>When I in distant Kekaya stayed,</l> +<l>And thou hadst sought the forest shade,</l> +<l>Our father died, the saints' delight,</l> +<l>So constant in each holy rite.</l> +<l>Scarce with thy wife and Lakshmaṇ thou</l> +<l>Hadst journeyed forth to keep the vow,</l> +<l>When mourning for his son, forspent,</l> +<l>To heavenly rest the monarch went.</l> +<l>Then up, O lord of men, away!</l> +<l>His funeral rites of water pay:</l> +<l>I and Śatrughna, ere we came,</l> +<l>Neglected not the sacred claim.</l> +<l>But in the spirit-world, they say,</l> +<l>That gift alone is fresh for aye</l> +<l>Which best beloved hands have poured;</l> +<l>And thou his dearest art, my lord.</l> +<l>For thee he longed, for thee he grieved,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His every thought on thee was bent,</l> +<l>And crushed by woe, of thee bereaved,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">He thought of thee as hence he went.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CIII"/> +<head>Canto CIII. The Funeral Libation.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Ráma heard from Bharat each</l> +<l>Dark sorrow of his mournful speech,</l> +<l>And tidings of his father dead,</l> +<l>His spirits fell, his senses fled.</l> +<l>For the sad words his brother spoke</l> +<l>Struck on him like a thunder stroke,</l> +<l>Fierce as the bolt which Indra throws,</l> +<l>The victor of his Daitya foes.</l> +<l>Raising his arms in anguish, he,</l> +<l>As when the woodman hews a tree</l> +<l>With its fair flowery branches crowned,</l> +<l>Fainted and fell upon the ground.</l> +<l>Lord of the earth to earth he sank,</l> +<l>Helpless, as when a towering bank</l> +<l>With sudden ruin buries deep</l> +<l>An elephant who lay asleep.</l> +<l>Then swift his wife and brothers flew,</l> +<l>And water, weeping, o'er him threw.</l> +<l>As slowly sense and strength he gained,</l> +<l>Fast from his eyes the tears he rained,</l> +<l>And then in accents sad and weak</l> +<l>Kakutstha's son began to speak,</l> +<l>And mourning for the monarch dead,</l> +<l>With righteous words to Bharat said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What calls me home, when he, alas,</q></l> +<l>Has gone the way which all must pass?</l> +<l>Of him, the best of kings bereft</l> +<l>What guardian has Ayodhyá left?</l> +<l>How may I please his spirit? how</l> +<l>Delight the high-souled monarch now,</l> +<l>Who wept for me and went above</l> +<l>By me ungraced with mourning love?</l> +<l>Ah, happy brothers! you have paid</l> +<l>Due offerings to his parting shade.</l> +<l>E'en when my banishment is o'er,</l> +<l>Back to my home I go no more,</l> +<l>To look upon the widowed state</l> +<l>Reft of her king, disconsolate.</l> +<l>E'en then, O tamer of the foe,</l> +<l>If to Ayodhyá's town I go,</l> +<l>Who will direct me as of old,</l> +<l>Now other worlds our father hold?</l> +<l>From whom, my brother, shall I hear</l> +<l>Those words which ever charmed mine ear</l> +<l>And filled my bosom with delight</l> +<l><q rend="post">Whene'er he saw me act aright?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma spoke: then nearer came</l> +<l>And looking on his moonbright dame,</l> +<l><q>Sítá, the king is gone,</q> he said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">And Lakshmaṇ, know thy sire is dead,</q></l> +<pb n="212"/><anchor id="Pg212"/> +<l>And with the Gods on high enrolled:</l> +<l><q rend="post">This mournful news has Bharat told.</q></l> +<l>He spoke: the noble youths with sighs</l> +<l>Rained down the torrents from their eyes.</l> +<l>And then the brothers of the chief</l> +<l>With words of comfort soothed his grief:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now to the king our sire who swayed</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">The earth be due libations paid.</q></l> +<l>Soon as the monarch's fate she knew,</l> +<l>Sharp pangs of grief smote Sítá through:</l> +<l>Nor could she look upon her lord</l> +<l>With eyes from which the torrents poured.</l> +<l>And Ráma strove with tender care</l> +<l>To soothe the weeping dame's despair,</l> +<l>And then, with piercing woe distressed,</l> +<l>The mournful Lakshmaṇ thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Brother, I pray thee bring for me</q></l> +<l>The pressed fruit of the Ingudí,</l> +<l>And a bark mantle fresh and new,</l> +<l>That I may pay this offering due.</l> +<l>First of the three shall Sítá go,</l> +<l>Next thou, and I the last: for so</l> +<l><q rend="post">Moves the funereal pomp of woe.</q><note place="foot"><q>The order +of the procession on these occasions is that the children precede +according to age, then the women and after that the men according to age, the youngest +first and the eldest last: when they descend into the water this is reversed and resumed +when they come out of it.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Carey and Marshman.</hi></note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sumantra of the noble mind,</l> +<l>Gentle and modest, meek and kind,</l> +<l>Who, follower of each princely youth,</l> +<l>To Ráma clung with constant truth,</l> +<l>Now with the royal brothers' aid</l> +<l>The grief of Ráma soothed and stayed,</l> +<l>And lent his arm his lord to guide</l> +<l>Down to the river's holy side.</l> +<l>That lovely stream the heroes found,</l> +<l>With woods that ever blossomed crowned,</l> +<l>And there in bitter sorrow bent</l> +<l>Their footsteps down the fair descent.</l> +<l>Then where the stream that swiftly flowed</l> +<l>A pure pellucid shallow showed,</l> +<l>The funeral drops they duly shed,</l> +<l>And <q>Father, this be thine,</q> they said.</l> +<l>But he, the lord who ruled the land,</l> +<l>Filled from the stream his hollowed hand,</l> +<l>And turning to the southern side</l> +<l>Stretched out his arm and weeping cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">This sacred water clear and pure,</q></l> +<l>An offering which shall aye endure</l> +<l>To thee, O lord of kings, I give:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Accept it where the spirits live!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then, when the solemn rite was o'er,</l> +<l>Came Ráma to the river shore,</l> +<l>And offered, with his brothers' aid,</l> +<l>Fresh tribute to his father's shade.</l> +<l>With jujube fruit he mixed the seed</l> +<l>Of Ingudís from moisture freed,</l> +<l>And placed it on a spot o'erspread</l> +<l>With sacred grass, and weeping said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Enjoy, great King, the cake which we</q></l> +<l>Thy children eat and offer thee!</l> +<l>For ne'er do blessed Gods refuse</l> +<l><q rend="post">To share the food which mortals use.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma turned him to retrace</l> +<l>The path that brought him to the place,</l> +<l>And up the mountain's pleasant side</l> +<l>Where lovely lawns lay fair, he hied.</l> +<l>Soon as his cottage door he gained</l> +<l>His brothers to his breast he strained.</l> +<l>From them and Sítá in their woes</l> +<l>So loud the cry of weeping rose,</l> +<l>That like the roar of lions round</l> +<l>The mountain rolled the echoing sound.</l> +<l>And Bharat's army shook with fear</l> +<l>The weeping of the chiefs to hear.</l> +<l><q>Bharat,</q> the soldiers cried, <q rend="pre">'tis plain,</q></l> +<l>His brother Ráma meets again,</l> +<l>And with these cries that round us ring</l> +<l><q rend="post">They sorrow for their sire the king.</q></l> +<l>Then leaving car and wain behind,</l> +<l>One eager thought in every mind,</l> +<l>Swift toward the weeping, every man,</l> +<l>As each could find a passage, ran.</l> +<l>Some thither bent their eager course</l> +<l>With car, and elephant, and horse,</l> +<l>And youthful captains on their feet</l> +<l>With longing sped their lord to meet,</l> +<l>As though the new-come prince had been</l> +<l>An exile for long years unseen.</l> +<l>Earth beaten in their frantic zeal</l> +<l>By clattering hoof and rumbling wheel,</l> +<l>Sent forth a deafening noise as loud</l> +<l>As heaven when black with many a cloud.</l> +<l>Then, with their consorts gathered near,</l> +<l>Wild elephants in sudden fear</l> +<l>Rushed to a distant wood, and shed</l> +<l>An odour round them as they fled.</l> +<l>And every silvan thing that dwelt</l> +<l>Within those shades the terror felt,</l> +<l>Deer, lion, tiger, boar and roe,</l> +<l>Bison, wild-cow, and buffalo.</l> +<l>And when the tumult wild they heard,</l> +<l>With trembling pinions flew each bird,</l> +<l>From tree, from thicket, and from lake,</l> +<l>Swan, koïl, curlew, crane, and drake.</l> +<l>With men the ground was overspread,</l> +<l>With startled birds the sky o'erhead.</l> +<l>Then on his sacrificial ground</l> +<l>The sinless, glorious chief was found.</l> +<l>Loading with curses deep and loud</l> +<l>The hump-back and the queen, the crowd</l> +<l>Whose cheeks were wet, whose eyes were dim,</l> +<l>In fond affection ran to him.</l> +<l>While the big tears their eyes bedewed,</l> +<l>He looked upon the multitude,</l> +<pb n="213"/><anchor id="Pg213"/> +<l>And then as sire and mother do,</l> +<l>His arms about his loved ones threw.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Some to his feet with reverence pressed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Some in his arms he strained:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Each friend, with kindly words addressed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Due share of honour gained.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then, by their mighty woe o'ercome,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The weeping heroes' cry</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Filled, like the roar of many a drum,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Hill, cavern, earth, and sky.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CIV"/> +<head>Canto CIV. The Meeting With The Queens.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Vaśishṭha with his soul athirst</l> +<l>To look again on Ráma, first</l> +<l>In line the royal widows placed,</l> +<l>And then the way behind them traced.</l> +<l>The ladies moving, faint and slow,</l> +<l>Saw the fair stream before them flow,</l> +<l>And by the bank their steps were led</l> +<l>Which the two brothers visited.</l> +<l>Kauśalyá with her faded cheek</l> +<l>And weeping eyes began to speak,</l> +<l>And thus in mournful tones addressed</l> +<l>The queen Sumitrá and the rest:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">See in the wood the bank's descent,</q></l> +<l>Which the two orphan youths frequent,</l> +<l>Whose noble spirits never fall,</l> +<l>Though woes surround them, reft of all.</l> +<l>Thy son with love that never tires</l> +<l>Draws water hence which mine requires.</l> +<l>This day, for lowly toil unfit,</l> +<l><q rend="post">His pious task thy son should quit.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As on the long-eyed lady strayed,</l> +<l>On holy grass, whose points were laid</l> +<l>Directed to the southern sky,</l> +<l>The funeral offering met her eye.</l> +<l>When Ráma's humble gift she spied</l> +<l>Thus to the queens Kauśalyá cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The gift of Ráma's hand behold,</q></l> +<l>His tribute to the king high-souled,</l> +<l>Offered to him, as texts require,</l> +<l>Lord of Ikshváku's line, his sire!</l> +<l>Not such I deem the funeral food</l> +<l>Of kings with godlike might endued.</l> +<l>Can he who knew all pleasures, he</l> +<l>Who ruled the earth from sea to sea,</l> +<l>The mighty lord of monarchs, feed</l> +<l>On Ingudí's extracted seed?</l> +<l>In all the world there cannot be</l> +<l>A woe, I ween, more sad to see,</l> +<l>Than that my glorious son should make</l> +<l>His funeral gift of such a cake.</l> +<l>The ancient text I oft have heard</l> +<l>This day is true in every word:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ne'er do the blessed Gods refuse</q></l> +<l><q rend="post"><q rend="post">To eat the food their children use.</q></q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The ladies soothed the weeping dame:</l> +<l>To Ráma's hermitage they came,</l> +<l>And there the hero met their eyes</l> +<l>Like a God fallen from the skies.</l> +<l>Him joyless, reft of all, they viewed,</l> +<l>And tears their mournful eyes bedewed.</l> +<l>The truthful hero left his seat,</l> +<l>And clasped the ladies' lotus feet,</l> +<l>And they with soft hands brushed away</l> +<l>The dust that on his shoulders lay.</l> +<l>Then Lakshmaṇ, when he saw each queen</l> +<l>With weeping eyes and troubled mien,</l> +<l>Near to the royal ladies drew</l> +<l>And paid them gentle reverence too.</l> +<l>He, Daśaratha's offspring, signed</l> +<l>The heir of bliss by Fortune kind,</l> +<l>Received from every dame no less</l> +<l>Each mark of love and tenderness.</l> +<l>And Sítá came and bent before</l> +<l>The widows, while her eyes ran o'er,</l> +<l>And pressed their feet with many a tear.</l> +<l>They when they saw the lady dear</l> +<l>Pale, worn with dwelling in the wild,</l> +<l>Embraced her as a darling child:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Daughter of royal Janak, bride</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Of Daśaratha's son,</q> they cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">How couldst thou, offspring of a king,</q></l> +<l>Endure this woe and suffering</l> +<l>In the wild forest? When I trace</l> +<l>Each sign of trouble on thy face—</l> +<l>That lotus which the sun has dried,</l> +<l>That lily by the tempest tried,</l> +<l>That gold whereon the dust is spread,</l> +<l>That moon whence all the light is fled—</l> +<l>Sorrow assails my heart, alas!</l> +<l><q rend="post">As fire consumes the wood and grass.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma, as she spoke distressed,</l> +<l>The feet of Saint Vaśishṭha pressed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Touched them with reverential love,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Then near him took his seat:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Indra clasps in realms above</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The Heavenly Teacher's<note place="foot">Vṛihaspati, +the preceptor of the Gods.</note> feet.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then with each counsellor and peer,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Bharat of duteous mind,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With citizens and captains near,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Sat humbly down behind.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When with his hands to him upraised,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">In devotee's attire,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Bharat upon his brother gazed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Whose glory shone like fire,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As when the pure Mahendra bends</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">To the great Lord of Life,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Among his noble crowd of friends</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">This anxious thought was rife:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">What words to Raghu's son to-day</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Will royal Bharat speak,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Whose heart has been so prompt to pay</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">Obeisance fond and meek?</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then steadfast Ráma, Lakshmaṇ wise,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Bharat for truth renowned,</l> +<pb n="214"/><anchor id="Pg214"/> +<l>Shone like three fires that heavenward rise</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With holy priests around.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CV"/> +<head>Canto CV. Ráma's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>A while they sat, each lip compressed,</l> +<l>Then Bharat thus his chief addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My mother here was made content;</q></l> +<l>To me was given the government.</l> +<l>This now, my lord, I yield to thee:</l> +<l>Enjoy it, from all trouble free.</l> +<l>Like a great bridge the floods have rent,</l> +<l>Impetuous in their wild descent,</l> +<l>All other hands but thine in vain</l> +<l>Would strive the burthen to maintain.</l> +<l>In vain the ass with steeds would vie,</l> +<l>With Tárkshya,<note place="foot">Garuḍ, the king of birds.</note> +birds that wing the sky;</l> +<l>So, lord of men, my power is slight</l> +<l>To rival thine imperial might.</l> +<l>Great joys his happy days attend</l> +<l>On whom the hopes of men depend,</l> +<l>But wretched is the life he leads</l> +<l>Who still the aid of others needs.</l> +<l>And if the seed a man has sown,</l> +<l>With care and kindly nurture grown,</l> +<l>Rear its huge trunk and spring in time</l> +<l>Too bulky for a dwarf to climb,</l> +<l>Yet, with perpetual blossom gay,</l> +<l>No fruit upon its boughs display,</l> +<l>Ne'er can that tree, thus nursed in vain,</l> +<l>Approval of the virtuous gain.</l> +<l>The simile is meant to be</l> +<l>Applied, O mighty-armed, to thee,</l> +<l>Because, our lord and leader, thou</l> +<l>Protectest not thy people now.</l> +<l>O, be the longing wish fulfilled</l> +<l>Of every chief of house and guild,</l> +<l>To see again their sun-bright lord</l> +<l>Victorious to his realm restored!</l> +<l>As thou returnest through the crowd</l> +<l>Let roars of elephants be loud.</l> +<l>And each fair woman lift her voice</l> +<l><q rend="post">And in her new-found king rejoice.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The people all with longing moved,</l> +<l>The words that Bharat spoke approved,</l> +<l>And crowding near to Ráma pressed</l> +<l>The hero with the same request.</l> +<l>The steadfast Ráma, when he viewed</l> +<l>His glorious brother's mournful mood,</l> +<l>With each ambitious thought controlled,</l> +<l>Thus the lamenting prince consoled:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I cannot do the things I will,</q></l> +<l>For Ráma is but mortal still.</l> +<l>Fate with supreme, resistless law</l> +<l>This way and that its slave will draw,</l> +<l>All gathered heaps must waste away,</l> +<l>All lofty lore and powers decay.</l> +<l>Death is the end of life, and all,</l> +<l>Now firmly joined, apart must fall.</l> +<l>One fear the ripened fruit must know,</l> +<l>To fall upon the earth below;</l> +<l>So every man who draws his breath</l> +<l>Must fear inevitable death.</l> +<l>The pillared mansion, high, compact,</l> +<l>Must fall by Time's strong hand attacked;</l> +<l>So mortal men, the gradual prey</l> +<l>Of old and ruthless death, decay.</l> +<l>The night that flies no more returns:</l> +<l>Yamuná for the Ocean yearns:</l> +<l>Swift her impetuous waters flee,</l> +<l>But roll not backward from the sea.</l> +<l>The days and nights pass swiftly by</l> +<l>And steal our moments as they fly,</l> +<l>E'en as the sun's unpitying rays</l> +<l>Drink up the floods in summer blaze.</l> +<l>Then for thyself lament and leave</l> +<l>For death of other men to grieve,</l> +<l>For if thou go or if thou stay,</l> +<l>Thy life is shorter day by day.</l> +<l>Death travels with us; death attends</l> +<l>Our steps until our journey ends,</l> +<l>Death, when the traveller wins the goal,</l> +<l>Returns with the returning soul.</l> +<l>The flowing hair grows white and thin,</l> +<l>And wrinkles mark the altered skin.</l> +<l>The ills of age man's strength assail:</l> +<l>Ah, what can mortal power avail?</l> +<l>Men joy to see the sun arise,</l> +<l>They watch him set with joyful eyes:</l> +<l>But ne'er reflect, too blind to see,</l> +<l>How fast their own brief moments flee.</l> +<l>With lovely change for ever new</l> +<l>The seasons' sweet return they view,</l> +<l>Nor think with heedless hearts the while</l> +<l>That lives decay as seasons smile.</l> +<l>As haply on the boundless main</l> +<l>Meet drifting logs and part again,</l> +<l>So wives and children, friends and gold,</l> +<l>Ours for a little time we hold:</l> +<l>Soon by resistless laws of fate</l> +<l>To meet no more we separate.</l> +<l>In all this changing world not one</l> +<l>The common lot of all can shun:</l> +<l>Then why with useless tears deplore</l> +<l>The dead whom tears can bring no more?</l> +<l>As one might stand upon the way</l> +<l>And to a troop of travellers say:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If ye allow it, sirs, I too</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Will travel on the road with you:</q></l> +<l>So why should mortal man lament</l> +<l>When on that path his feet are bent</l> +<l>Which all men living needs must tread,</l> +<l>Where sire and ancestors have led?</l> +<l>Life flies as torrents downward fall</l> +<l>Speeding away without recall,</l> +<l>So virtue should our thoughts engage,</l> +<l>For bliss<note place="foot">To be won by virtue.</note> is mortals' heritage.</l> +<pb n="215"/><anchor id="Pg215"/> +<l>By ceaseless care and earnest zeal</l> +<l>For servants and for people's weal,</l> +<l>By gifts, by duty nobly done,</l> +<l>Our glorious sire the skies has won.</l> +<l>Our lord the king, o'er earth who reigned,</l> +<l>A blissful home in heaven has gained</l> +<l>By wealth in ample largess spent,</l> +<l>And many a rite magnificent:</l> +<l>With constant joy from first to last</l> +<l>A long and noble life he passed,</l> +<l>Praised by the good, no tears should dim</l> +<l>Our eyes, O brother dear, for him.</l> +<l>His human body, worn and tried</l> +<l>By length of days, he cast aside,</l> +<l>And gained the godlike bliss to stray</l> +<l>In Brahmá's heavenly home for aye.</l> +<l>For such the wise as we are, deep</l> +<l>In Veda lore, should never weep.</l> +<l>Those who are firm and ever wise</l> +<l>Spurn vain lament and idle sighs.</l> +<l>Be self-possessed: thy grief restrain:</l> +<l>Go, in that city dwell again.</l> +<l>Return, O best of men, and be</l> +<l>Obedient to our sire's decree,</l> +<l>While I with every care fulfil</l> +<l>Our holy father's righteous will,</l> +<l>Observing in the lonely wood</l> +<l><q rend="post">His charge approved by all the good.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma of the lofty mind</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">To Bharat spoke his righteous speech,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By every argument designed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Obedience to his sire to teach.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CVI"/> +<head>Canto CVI. Bharat's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Good Bharat, by the river side,</l> +<l>To virtuous Ráma's speech replied,</l> +<l>And thus with varied lore addressed</l> +<l>The prince, while nobles round him pressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">In all this world whom e'er can we</q></l> +<l>Find equal, scourge of foes, to thee?</l> +<l>No ill upon thy bosom weighs,</l> +<l>No thoughts of joy thy spirit raise.</l> +<l>Approved art thou of sages old,</l> +<l>To whom thy doubts are ever told.</l> +<l>Alike in death and life, to thee</l> +<l>The same to be and not to be.</l> +<l>The man who such a soul can gain</l> +<l>Can ne'er be crushed by woe or pain.</l> +<l>Pure as the Gods, high-minded, wise,</l> +<l>Concealed from thee no secret lies.</l> +<l>Such glorious gifts are all thine own,</l> +<l>And birth and death to thee are known,</l> +<l>That ill can ne'er thy soul depress</l> +<l>With all-subduing bitterness.</l> +<l>O let my prayer, dear brother, win</l> +<l>Thy pardon for my mother's sin.</l> +<l>Wrought for my sake who willed it not</l> +<l>When absent in a distant spot.</l> +<l>Duty alone with binding chains</l> +<l>The vengeance due to crime restrains,</l> +<l>Or on the sinner I should lift</l> +<l>My hand in retribution swift.</l> +<l>Can I who know the right, and spring</l> +<l>From Daśaratha, purest king—</l> +<l>Can I commit a heinous crime,</l> +<l>Abhorred by all through endless time?</l> +<l>The aged king I dare not blame,</l> +<l>Who died so rich in holy fame,</l> +<l>My honoured sire, my parted lord,</l> +<l>E'en as a present God adored.</l> +<l>Yet who in lore of duty skilled</l> +<l>So foul a crime has ever willed,</l> +<l>And dared defy both gain and right</l> +<l>To gratify a woman's spite?</l> +<l>When death draws near, so people say,</l> +<l>The sense of creatures dies away;</l> +<l>And he has proved the ancient saw</l> +<l>By acting thus in spite of law.</l> +<l>But O my honoured lord, be kind,</l> +<l>Dismiss the trespass from thy mind,</l> +<l>The sin the king committed, led</l> +<l>By haste, his consort's wrath, and dread.</l> +<l>For he who veils his sire's offence</l> +<l>With tender care and reverence—</l> +<l>His sons approved by all shall live:</l> +<l>Not so their fate who ne'er forgive.</l> +<l>Be thou, my lord, the noble son,</l> +<l>And the vile deed my sire has done,</l> +<l>Abhorred by all the virtuous, ne'er</l> +<l>Resent, lest thou the guilt too share.</l> +<l>Preserve us, for on thee we call,</l> +<l>Our sire, Kaikeyí, me and all</l> +<l>Thy citizens, thy kith and kin;</l> +<l>Preserve us and reverse the sin.</l> +<l>To live in woods a devotee</l> +<l>Can scarce with royal tasks agree,</l> +<l>Nor can the hermit's matted hair</l> +<l>Suit fitly with a ruler's care.</l> +<l>Do not, my brother, do not still</l> +<l>Pursue this life that suits thee ill.</l> +<l>Mid duties of a king we count</l> +<l>His consecration paramount,</l> +<l>That he with ready heart and hand</l> +<l>May keep his people and his land.</l> +<l>What Warrior born to royal sway</l> +<l>From certain good would turn away,</l> +<l>A doubtful duty to pursue,</l> +<l>That mocks him with the distant view?</l> +<l>Thou wouldst to duty cleave, and gain</l> +<l>The meed that follows toil and pain.</l> +<l>In thy great task no labour spare:</l> +<l>Rule the four castes with justest care.</l> +<l>Mid all the four, the wise prefer</l> +<l>The order of the householder:<note place="foot">The four religious orders, referable +to different times of life are, that of the student, that of the householder, that of +the anchorite, and that of the mendicant.</note></l> +<pb n="216"/><anchor id="Pg216"/> +<l>Canst thou, whose thoughts to duty cleave,</l> +<l>The best of all the orders leave?</l> +<l>My better thou in lore divine,</l> +<l>My birth, my sense must yield to thine:</l> +<l>While thou, my lord, art here to reign,</l> +<l>How shall my hands the rule maintain?</l> +<l>O faithful lover of the right,</l> +<l>Take with thy friends the royal might,</l> +<l>Let thy sires' realm, from trouble free,</l> +<l>Obey her rightful king in thee.</l> +<l>Here let the priests and lords of state</l> +<l>Our monarch duly consecrate,</l> +<l>With prayer and holy verses blessed</l> +<l>By saint Vaśishṭha and the rest.</l> +<l>Anointed king by us, again</l> +<l>Seek fair Ayodhyá, there to reign,</l> +<l>And like imperial Indra girt</l> +<l>By Gods of Storm, thy might assert.</l> +<l>From the three debts<note place="foot">To Gods, men, and Manes.</note> +acquittance earn,</l> +<l>And with thy wrath the wicked burn,</l> +<l>O'er all of us thy rule extend,</l> +<l>And cheer with boons each faithful friend.</l> +<l>Let thine enthronement, lord, this day</l> +<l>Make all thy lovers glad and gay,</l> +<l>And let all those who hate thee flee</l> +<l>To the ten winds for fear of thee.</l> +<l>Dear lord, my mother's words of hate</l> +<l>With thy sweet virtues expiate,</l> +<l>And from the stain of folly clear</l> +<l>The father whom we both revere.</l> +<l>Brother, to me compassion show,</l> +<l>I pray thee with my head bent low,</l> +<l>And to these friends who on thee call,—</l> +<l>As the Great Father pities all.</l> +<l>But if my tears and prayers be vain,</l> +<l>And thou in woods wilt still remain,</l> +<l>I will with thee my path pursue</l> +<l><q rend="post">And make my home in forests too.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Bharat strove to bend his will</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With suppliant head, but he,</l> +<l>Earth's lord, inexorable still</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Would keep his sire's decree.</l> +<l>The firmness of the noble chief</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The wondering people moved,</l> +<l>And rapture mingling with their grief,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">All wept and all approved.</l> +<l><q>How firm his steadfast will,</q> they cried,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Who Keeps his promise thus!</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Ah, to Ayodhyá's town,</q> they sighed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>He comes not back with us.</q></l> +<l>The holy priest, the swains who tilled</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The earth, the sons of trade,</l> +<l>And e'en the mournful queens were filled</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With joy as Bharat prayed,</l> +<l>And bent their heads, then weeping stilled</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A while, his prayer to aid.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CVII"/> +<head>Canto CVII. Ráma's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus, by his friends encompassed round,</l> +<l>He spoke, and Ráma, far renowned,</l> +<l>To his dear brother thus replied,</l> +<l>Whom holy rites had purified:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O thou whom Queen Kaikeyí bare</q></l> +<l>The best of kings, thy words are fair,</l> +<l>Our royal father, when of yore</l> +<l>He wed her, to her father swore</l> +<l>The best of kingdoms to confer,</l> +<l>A noble dowry meet for her;</l> +<l>Then, grateful, on the deadly day</l> +<l>Of heavenly Gods' and demons' fray,</l> +<l>A future boon on her bestowed</l> +<l>To whose sweet care his life he owed.</l> +<l>She to his mind that promise brought,</l> +<l>And then the best of kings besought</l> +<l>To bid me to the forest flee,</l> +<l>And give the rule, O Prince, to thee.</l> +<l>Thus bound by oath, the king our lord</l> +<l>Gave her those boons of free accord,</l> +<l>And bade me, O thou chief of men,</l> +<l>Live in the woods four years and ten.</l> +<l>I to this lonely wood have hied</l> +<l>With faithful Lakshmaṇ by my side,</l> +<l>And Sítá by no tears deterred,</l> +<l>Resolved to keep my father's word.</l> +<l>And thou, my noble brother, too</l> +<l>Shouldst keep our father's promise true:</l> +<l>Anointed ruler of the state</l> +<l>Maintain his word inviolate.</l> +<l>From his great debt, dear brother, free</l> +<l>Our lord the king for love of me,</l> +<l>Thy mother's breast with joy inspire,</l> +<l>And from all woe preserve thy sire.</l> +<l>'Tis said, near Gayá's holy town<note place="foot">Gayá is a very holy city in Behar. +Every good Hindu ought once in his life to make funeral offerings in Gayá in +honour of his ancestors.</note></l> +<l>Gayá, great saint of high renown,</l> +<l>This text recited when he paid</l> +<l>Due rites to each ancestral shade:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">A son is born his sire to free</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">From Put's infernal pains:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Hence, saviour of his father, he</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">The name of Puttra gains.</q><note +place="foot"><hi rend='italic'>Put</hi> is the name of that region of hell +to which men are doomed who leave no son to perform the funeral rites which are +necessary to assure the happiness of the departed. <hi rend='italic'>Putra</hi>, the +common word for a son is said by the highest authority to be +derived from <hi rend='italic'>Put</hi> and <hi rend='italic'>tra</hi> +deliverer.</note></l> +<l>Thus numerous sons are sought by prayer,</l> +<l>In Scripture trained with graces fair,</l> +<pb n="217"/><anchor id="Pg217"/> +<l>That of the number one some day</l> +<l>May funeral rites at Gayá pay.</l> +<l>The mighty saints who lived of old</l> +<l>This holy doctrine ever hold.</l> +<l>Then, best of men, our sire release</l> +<l>From pains of hell, and give him peace.</l> +<l>Now Bharat, to Ayodhyá speed,</l> +<l>The brave Śatrughna with thee lead,</l> +<l>Take with thee all the twice-born men,</l> +<l>And please each lord and citizen.</l> +<l>I now, O King, without delay</l> +<l>To Daṇḍak wood will bend my way,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ and the Maithil dame</l> +<l>Will follow still, our path the same.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Now, Bharat, lord of men be thou,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And o'er Ayodhyá reign:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The silvan world to me shall bow,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">King of the wild domain.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Yea, let thy joyful steps be bent</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">To that fair town to-day,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And I as happy and content,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">To Daṇḍak wood will stray.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The white umbrella o'er thy brow</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Its cooling shade shall throw:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">I to the shadow of the bough</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And leafy trees will go.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Śatrughna, for wise plans renowned,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Shall still on thee attend;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And Lakshmaṇ, ever faithful found,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Be my familiar friend.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Let us his sons, O brother dear,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The path of right pursue,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And keep the king we all revere</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">Still to his promise true.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CVIII"/> +<head>Canto CVIII. Jáváli's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus Ráma soothed his brother's grief:</l> +<l>Then virtuous Jáváli, chief</l> +<l>Of twice-born sages, thus replied</l> +<l>In words that virtue's law defied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hail, Raghu's princely son, dismiss</q></l> +<l>A thought so weak and vain as this.</l> +<l>Canst thou, with lofty heart endowed,</l> +<l>Think with the dull ignoble crowd?</l> +<l>For what are ties of kindred? can</l> +<l>One profit by a brother man?</l> +<l>Alone the babe first opes his eyes,</l> +<l>And all alone at last he dies.</l> +<l>The man, I ween, has little sense</l> +<l>Who looks with foolish reverence</l> +<l>On father's or on mother's name:</l> +<l>In others, none a right may claim.</l> +<l>E'en as a man may leave his home</l> +<l>And to a distant village roam,</l> +<l>Then from his lodging turn away</l> +<l>And journey on the following day,</l> +<l>Such brief possession mortals hold</l> +<l>In sire and mother, house and gold,</l> +<l>And never will the good and wise</l> +<l>The brief uncertain lodging prize.</l> +<l>Nor, best of men, shouldst thou disown</l> +<l>Thy sire's hereditary throne,</l> +<l>And tread the rough and stony ground</l> +<l>Where hardship, danger, woes abound.</l> +<l>Come, let Ayodhyá rich and bright</l> +<l>See thee enthroned with every rite:</l> +<l>Her tresses bound in single braid<note place="foot"><p>It was the custom of Indian +women when mourning for their absent husbands to bind their hair in a long single +braid.</p> +<p>Carey and Marshman translate, <q>the one-tailed city.</q></p></note></l> +<l>She waits thy coming long delayed.</l> +<l>O come, thou royal Prince, and share</l> +<l>The kingly joys that wait thee there,</l> +<l>And live in bliss transcending price</l> +<l>As Indra lives in Paradise.</l> +<l>The parted king is naught to thee,</l> +<l>Nor right in living man has he:</l> +<l>The king is one, thou, Prince of men,</l> +<l>Another art: be counselled then.</l> +<l>Thy royal sire, O chief, has sped</l> +<l>On the long path we all must tread.</l> +<l>The common lot of all is this,</l> +<l>And thou in vain art robbed of bliss.</l> +<l>For those—and only those—I weep</l> +<l>Who to the path of duty keep;</l> +<l>For here they suffer ceaseless woe,</l> +<l>And dying to destruction go.</l> +<l>With pious care, each solemn day,</l> +<l>Will men their funeral offerings pay:</l> +<l>See, how the useful food they waste:</l> +<l>He who is dead no more can taste.</l> +<l>If one is fed, his strength renewed</l> +<l>Whene'er his brother takes his food,</l> +<l>Then offerings to the parted pay:</l> +<l>Scarce will they serve him on his way.</l> +<l>By crafty knaves these rules were framed,</l> +<l>And to enforce men's gifts proclaimed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Give, worship, lead a life austere,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Keep lustral rites, quit pleasures here.</q></l> +<l>There is no future life: be wise,</l> +<l>And do, O Prince, as I advise.</l> +<l>Enjoy, my lord, the present bliss,</l> +<l>And things unseen from thought dismiss.</l> +<l>Let this advice thy bosom move,</l> +<l>The counsel sage which all approve;</l> +<l>To Bharat's earnest prayer incline,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And take the rule so justly thine.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CIX"/> +<head>Canto CIX. The Praises Of Truth.</head> + +<lg> +<l>By sage Jáváli thus addressed,</l> +<l>Ráma of truthful hearts the best,</l> +<pb n="218"/><anchor id="Pg218"/> +<l>With perfect skill and wisdom high</l> +<l>Thus to his speech made fit reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy words that tempt to bliss are fair,</q></l> +<l>But virtue's garb they falsely wear.</l> +<l>For he from duty's path who strays</l> +<l>To wander in forbidden ways,</l> +<l>Allured by doctrine false and vain,</l> +<l>Praise from the good can never gain.</l> +<l>Their lives the true and boaster show,</l> +<l>Pure and impure, and high and low,</l> +<l>Else were no mark to judge between</l> +<l>Stainless and stained and high and mean;</l> +<l>They to whose lot fair signs may fall</l> +<l>Were but as they who lack them all,</l> +<l>And those to virtuous thoughts inclined</l> +<l>Were but as men of evil mind.</l> +<l>If in the sacred name of right</l> +<l>I do this wrong in duty's spite;</l> +<l>The path of virtue meanly quit,</l> +<l>And this polluting sin commit,</l> +<l>What man who marks the bounds between</l> +<l>Virtue and vice with insight keen,</l> +<l>Would rank me high in after time</l> +<l>Stained with this soul destroying crime?</l> +<l>Whither could I, the sinner, turn,</l> +<l>How hope a seat in heaven to earn,</l> +<l>If I my plighted promise break,</l> +<l>And thus the righteous path forsake?</l> +<l>This world of ours is ever led</l> +<l>To walk the ways which others tread,</l> +<l>And as their princes they behold,</l> +<l>The subjects too their lives will mould.</l> +<l>That truth and mercy still must be</l> +<l>Beloved of kings, is Heaven's decree.</l> +<l>Upheld by truth the monarch reigns,</l> +<l>And truth the very world sustains.</l> +<l>Truth evermore has been the love</l> +<l>Of holy saints and Gods above,</l> +<l>And he whose lips are truthful here</l> +<l>Wins after death the highest sphere.</l> +<l>As from a serpent's deadly tooth,</l> +<l>We shrink from him who scorns the truth.</l> +<l>For holy truth is root and spring</l> +<l>Of justice and each holy thing,</l> +<l>A might that every power transcends,</l> +<l>Linked to high bliss that never ends.</l> +<l>Truth is all virtue's surest base,</l> +<l>Supreme in worth and first in place.</l> +<l>Oblations, gifts men offer here,</l> +<l>Vows, sacrifice, and rites austere,</l> +<l>And Holy Writ, on truth depend:</l> +<l>So men must still that truth defend.</l> +<l>Truth, only truth protects the land,</l> +<l>By truth unharmed our houses stand;</l> +<l>Neglect of truth makes men distressed,</l> +<l>And truth in highest heaven is blessed.</l> +<l>Then how can I, rebellious, break</l> +<l>Commandments which my father spake—</l> +<l>I ever true and faithful found,</l> +<l>And by my word of honour bound?</l> +<l>My father's bridge of truth shall stand</l> +<l>Unharmed by my destructive hand:</l> +<l>Not folly, ignorance, or greed</l> +<l>My darkened soul shall thus mislead.</l> +<l>Have we not heard that God and shade</l> +<l>Turn from the hated offerings paid</l> +<l>By him whose false and fickle mind</l> +<l>No pledge can hold, no promise bind?</l> +<l>Truth is all duty: as the soul,</l> +<l>It quickens and supports the whole.</l> +<l>The good respect this duty: hence</l> +<l>Its sacred claims I reverence.</l> +<l>The Warrior's duty I despise</l> +<l>That seeks the wrong in virtue's guise:</l> +<l>Those claims I shrink from, which the base,</l> +<l>Cruel, and covetous embrace.</l> +<l>The heart conceives the guilty thought,</l> +<l>Then by the hand the sin is wrought,</l> +<l>And with the pair is leagued a third,</l> +<l>The tongue that speaks the lying word.</l> +<l>Fortune and land and name and fame</l> +<l>To man's best care have right and claim;</l> +<l>The good will aye to truth adhere,</l> +<l>And its high laws must men revere.</l> +<l>Base were the deed thy lips would teach,</l> +<l>Approved as best by subtle speech.</l> +<l>Shall I my plighted promise break,</l> +<l>That I these woods my home would make?</l> +<l>Shall I, as Bharat's words advise,</l> +<l>My father's solemn charge despise?</l> +<l>Firm stands the oath which then before</l> +<l>My father's face I soothly swore,</l> +<l>Which Queen Kaikeyí's anxious ear</l> +<l>Rejoiced with highest joy to hear.</l> +<l>Still in the wood will I remain,</l> +<l>With food prescribed my life sustain,</l> +<l>And please with fruit and roots and flowers</l> +<l>Ancestral shades and heavenly powers.</l> +<l>Here every sense contented, still</l> +<l>Heeding the bounds of good and ill,</l> +<l>My settled course will I pursue,</l> +<l>Firm in my faith and ever true.</l> +<l>Here in this wild and far retreat</l> +<l>Will I my noble task complete;</l> +<l>And Fire and Wind and Moon shall be</l> +<l>Partakers of its fruit with me.</l> +<l>A hundred offerings duly wrought</l> +<l>His rank o'er Gods for Indra bought,</l> +<l>And mighty saints their heaven secured</l> +<l><q rend="post">By torturing years on earth endured.</q></l> +<l>That scoffing plea the hero spurned,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And thus he spake once more,</l> +<l>Chiding, the while his bosom burned,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Jáváli's impious lore:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Justice, and courage ne'er dismayed,</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Pity for all distressed,</l> +<l>Truth, loving honour duly paid</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To Bráhman, God, and guest—</l> +<l>In these, the true and virtuous say,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Should lives of men be passed:</l> +<l>They form the right and happy way</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That leads to heaven at last.</l> +<pb n="219"/><anchor id="Pg219"/> +<l>My father's thoughtless act I chide</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That gave thee honoured place,</l> +<l>Whose soul, from virtue turned aside,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Is faithless, dark, and base.</l> +<l>We rank the Buddhist with the thief,<note place="foot">The verses in a different +metre with which some cantos end are all to be regarded with suspicion. Schlegel regrets +that he did not exclude them all from his edition. These lines are manifestly spurious. +See <hi rend='italic'><ref target="Notes_Buddhist">Additional +Notes</ref></hi>.</note></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And all the impious crew</l> +<l>Who share his sinful disbelief,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And hate the right and true.</l> +<l>Hence never should wise kings who seek</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To rule their people well,</l> +<l>Admit, before their face to speak,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The cursed infidel.</l> +<l>But twice-born men in days gone by,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Of other sort than thou,</l> +<l>Have wrought good deeds, whose glories high</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Are fresh among us now:</l> +<l>This world they conquered, nor in vain</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They strove to win the skies:</l> +<l>The twice-born hence pure lives maintain,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And fires of worship rise.</l> +<l>Those who in virtue's path delight,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And with the virtuous live,—</l> +<l>Whose flames of holy zeal are bright,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Whose hands are swift to give,</l> +<l>Who injure none, and good and mild</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In every grace excel,</l> +<l>Whose lives by sin are undefiled,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">We love and honour well.</q></l> +<l>Thus Ráma spoke in righteous rage</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Jáváli's speech to chide,</l> +<l>When thus again the virtuous sage</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In truthful words replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The atheist's lore I use no more,</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Not mine his impious creed:</l> +<l>His words and doctrine I abhor,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Assumed at time of need.</l> +<l>E'en as I rose to speak with thee,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The fit occasion came</l> +<l>That bade me use the atheist's plea</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To turn thee from thine aim.</l> +<l>The atheist creed I disavow,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Unsay the words of sin,</l> +<l>And use the faithful's language now</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Thy favour, Prince, to win.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CX"/> +<head>Canto CX. The Sons Of Ikshváku.<note place="foot">This genealogy is a repetition +with slight variation of that given in <ref target="CantoI-LXX">Book I, +Canto LXX</ref>.</note></head> + +<lg> +<l>Then spake Vaśishṭha who perceived</l> +<l>That Ráma's soul was wroth and grieved:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Well knows the sage Jáváli all</q></l> +<l>The changes that the world befall;</l> +<l>And but to lead thee to revoke</l> +<l>Thy purpose were the words he spoke.</l> +<l>Lord of the world, now hear from me</l> +<l>How first this world began to be.</l> +<l>First water was, and naught beside;</l> +<l>There earth was formed that stretches wide.</l> +<l>Then with the Gods from out the same</l> +<l>The Self-existent Brahmá came.</l> +<l>Then Brahmá<note place="foot">In Gorresio's recension identified with +Vishṇu. See Muir's <hi rend='italic'>Sanskrit Texts, Vol. +IV. pp 29, 30</hi>.</note> in a boar's disguise</l> +<l>Bade from the deep this earth arise;</l> +<l>Then, with his sons of tranquil soul,</l> +<l>He made the world and framed the whole.</l> +<l>From subtlest ether Brahmá rose:</l> +<l>No end, no loss, no change he knows.</l> +<l>A son had he, Maríchi styled,</l> +<l>And Kaśyap was Maríchi's child.</l> +<l>From him Vivasvat sprang: from him</l> +<l>Manu, whose fame shall ne'er be dim.</l> +<l>Manu, who life to mortals gave,</l> +<l>Begot Ikshváku good and brave:</l> +<l>First of Ayodhyá's kings was he,</l> +<l>Pride of her famous dynasty.</l> +<l>From him the glorious Kukshi sprang,</l> +<l>Whose fame through all the regions rang.</l> +<l>Rival of Kukshi's ancient fame,</l> +<l>His heir the great Vikukshi came.</l> +<l>His son was Váṇa, lord of might,</l> +<l>His Anaraṇya, strong in fight.</l> +<l>No famine marred his blissful reign,</l> +<l>No drought destroyed the kindly grain;</l> +<l>Amid the sons of virtue chief,</l> +<l>His happy realm ne'er held a thief,</l> +<l>His son was Prithu, glorious name,</l> +<l>From him the wise Triśanku came:</l> +<l>Embodied to the skies he went</l> +<l>For love of truth preëminent.</l> +<l>He left a son renowned afar,</l> +<l>Known by the name of Dhundhumár.</l> +<l>His son succeeding bore the name</l> +<l>Of Yuvanáśva dear to fame.</l> +<l>He passed away. Him followed then</l> +<l>His son Mándhátá, king of men.</l> +<l>His son was blest in high emprise,</l> +<l>Susandhi, fortunate and wise.</l> +<l>Two noble sons had he, to wit</l> +<l>Dhruvasandhi and Prasenajit.</l> +<l>Bharat was Dhruvasandhi's son:</l> +<l>His glorious arm the conquest won,</l> +<l>Against his son King Asit, rose</l> +<l>In fierce array his royal foes,</l> +<l>Haihayas, Tálajanghas styled,</l> +<l>And Śaśivindhus fierce and wild.</l> +<pb n="220"/><anchor id="Pg220"/> +<l>Long time he strove, but forced to yield</l> +<l>Fled from his kingdom and the field.</l> +<l>The wives he left had both conceived—</l> +<l>So is the ancient tale believed:—</l> +<l>One, of her rival's hopes afraid,</l> +<l>Fell poison in the viands laid.</l> +<l>It chanced that Chyavan, Bhrigu's child,</l> +<l>Had wandered to the pathless wild</l> +<l>Where proud Himálaya's lovely height</l> +<l>Detained him with a strange delight.</l> +<l>Then came the other widowed queen</l> +<l>With lotus eyes and beauteous mien,</l> +<l>Longing a noble son to bear,</l> +<l>And wooed the saint with earnest prayer.</l> +<l>When thus Kálindí, fairest dame</l> +<l>With reverent supplication came,</l> +<l>To her the holy sage replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O royal lady, from thy side</q></l> +<l>A glorious son shall spring ere long,</l> +<l>Righteous and true and brave and strong;</l> +<l>He, scourge of foes and lofty-souled,</l> +<l><q rend="post">His ancient race shall still uphold.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then round the sage the lady went,</l> +<l>And bade farewell, most reverent.</l> +<l>Back to her home she turned once more,</l> +<l>And there her promised son she bore.</l> +<l>Because her rival mixed the bane</l> +<l>To render her conception vain,</l> +<l>And her unripened fruit destroy,</l> +<l>Sagar she called her rescued boy.<note place="foot">From <hi rend='italic'>sa</hi> +with, and <hi rend='italic'>gara</hi> poison.</note></l> +<l>He, when he paid that solemn rite,<note place="foot">See <ref target="CantoI-XL">Book +I. Canto XL</ref>.</note></l> +<l>Filled living creatures with affright:</l> +<l>Obedient to his high decree</l> +<l>His countless sons dug out the sea.</l> +<l>Prince Asamanj was Sagar's child:</l> +<l>But him with cruel sin defiled</l> +<l>And loaded with the people's hate</l> +<l>His father banished from the state.</l> +<l>To Asamanj his consort bare</l> +<l>Bright Anśumán his valiant heir.</l> +<l>Anśumán's son, Dilípa famed,</l> +<l>Begot a son Bhagírath named.</l> +<l>From him renowned Kakutstha came:</l> +<l>Thou bearest still the lineal name.</l> +<l>Kakutstha's son was Raghu: thou</l> +<l>Art styled the son of Raghu now.</l> +<l>From him came Purushádak bold,</l> +<l>Fierce hero of gigantic mould:</l> +<l>Kalmáshapáda's name he bore,</l> +<l>Because his feet were spotted o'er.</l> +<l>Śankhan his son, to manhood grown,</l> +<l>Died sadly with his host o'erthrown,</l> +<l>But ere he perished sprang from him</l> +<l>Sudarśan fair in face and limb.</l> +<l>From beautiful Sudarśan came</l> +<l>Prince Agnivarṇa, bright as flame.</l> +<l>His son was Śíghraga, for speed</l> +<l>Unmatched; and Maru was his seed.</l> +<l>Prasusruka was Maru's child:</l> +<l>His son was Ambarísha styled.</l> +<l>Nahush was Ambarísha's heir</l> +<l>With hand to strike and heart to dare.</l> +<l>His son was good Nábhág, from youth</l> +<l>Renowned for piety and truth.</l> +<l>From great Nábhág sprang children two</l> +<l>Aja and Suvrat pure and true.</l> +<l>From Aja Daśaratha came,</l> +<l>Whose virtuous life was free from blame.</l> +<l>His eldest son art thou: his throne,</l> +<l>O famous Ráma, is thine own.</l> +<l>Accept the sway so justly thine,</l> +<l>And view the world with eyes benign.</l> +<l>For ever in Ikshváku's race</l> +<l>The eldest takes his father's place,</l> +<l>And while he lives no son beside</l> +<l>As lord and king is sanctified.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The rule by Raghu's children kept</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Thou must not spurn to-day.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">This realm of peerless wealth accept,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">And like thy father sway.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CXI"/> +<head>Canto CXI. Counsel To Bharat.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus said Vaśishṭha, and again</l> +<l>To Ráma spake in duteous strain:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">All men the light of life who see</q></l> +<l>With high respect should look on three:</l> +<l>High honour ne'er must be denied</l> +<l>To father, mother, holy guide.</l> +<l>First to their sires their birth they owe,</l> +<l>Nursed with maternal love they grow:</l> +<l>Their holy guides fair knowledge teach:</l> +<l>So men should love and honour each.</l> +<l>Thy sire and thou have learned of me,</l> +<l>The sacred guide of him and thee,</l> +<l>And if my word thou wilt obey</l> +<l>Thou still wilt keep the virtuous way.</l> +<l>See, with the chiefs of every guild</l> +<l>And all thy friends, this place is filled:</l> +<l>All these, as duty bids, protect;</l> +<l>So still the righteous path respect.</l> +<l>O, for thine aged mother feel,</l> +<l>Nor spurn the virtuous dame's appeal:</l> +<l>Obey, O Prince, thy mother dear,</l> +<l>And still to virtue's path adhere.</l> +<l>Yield thou to Bharat's fond request,</l> +<l>With earnest supplication pressed,</l> +<l>So wilt thou to thyself be true,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And faith and duty still pursue.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus by his saintly guide addressed</l> +<l>With pleas in sweetest tones expressed,</l> +<l>The lord of men in turn replied</l> +<l>To wise Vaśishṭha by his side:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The fondest son's observance ne'er</q></l> +<l>Repays the sire and mother's care:</l> +<pb n="221"/><anchor id="Pg221"/> +<l>The constant love that food provides,</l> +<l>And dress, and every need besides:</l> +<l>Their pleasant words still soft and mild,</l> +<l>Their nurture of the helpless child:</l> +<l>The words which Daśaratha spake,</l> +<l><q rend="post">My king and sire, I ne'er will break.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Bharat of the ample chest</l> +<l>The wise Sumantra thus addressed;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Bring sacred grass, O charioteer,</q></l> +<l>And strew it on the level here.</l> +<l>For I will sit and watch his face</l> +<l>Until I win my brother's grace.</l> +<l>Like a robbed Bráhman will I lie,<note place="foot">A practice which has frequently +been described, under the name of <hi rend='italic'>dherna</hi>, by +European travellers in India.</note></l> +<l>Nor taste of food nor turn my eye,</l> +<l>In front of Ráma's leafy cot,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And till he yield will leave him not.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Bharat saw Sumantra's eye</l> +<l>Looked up to Ráma for reply,</l> +<l>The Prince himself in eager haste</l> +<l>The sacred grass in order placed.</l> +<l>Him great and mighty Ráma, best</l> +<l>Of royal saints, in turn addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What, Bharat, have I done, that thou</q></l> +<l>Besiegest me,<note place="foot">Compare Milton's <q><hi rend='italic'>beseeching +or beseiging</hi>.</q></note> a suppliant now?</l> +<l>Thus streched, to force redress for wrongs</l> +<l>To men of Bráhman birth belongs,</l> +<l>Not those upon whose kingly head</l> +<l>The consecrating drops are shed.</l> +<l>Up, lord of men! arise, and quit</l> +<l>This fearful vow for thee unfit.</l> +<l>Go, brother, seek Ayodhyá's town,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Fair city of supreme renown.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But Bharat, as his seat he took,</l> +<l>Cast all around an eager look:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O people, join your prayers with mine,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">And so his stubborn heart incline.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And all the people answered thus:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Full well is Ráma known to us.</q></l> +<l>Right is the word he speaks and he</l> +<l>Is faithful to his sire's decree:</l> +<l>Nor can we rashly venture now</l> +<l><q rend="post">To turn him from his purposed vow.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma spoke: <q rend="pre">O Bharat, heed</q></l> +<l>Thy virtuous friends, and mark their rede.</l> +<l>Mark well what I and these advise,</l> +<l>And duty view with clearer eyes.</l> +<l>Thy hand on mine, O hero, place,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Touch water, and thy sin efface.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Bharat rose: his hand he dipped,</l> +<l>And purifying water sipped:</l> +<l><q>Each citizen,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">give ear,</q></l> +<l>Attend, each counsellor and peer.</l> +<l>My mother planned, by me untaught,</l> +<l>To win the sway I never sought:</l> +<l>Ne'er Raghu's son could I despise,</l> +<l>In duty's lore supremely wise.</l> +<l>Now if obedience to our sire</l> +<l>This dwelling in the woods require,</l> +<l>I, till the destined years be spent,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Will dwell alone in banishment.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The virtuous Ráma, wonder-stirred,</l> +<l>The faithful speech of Bharat heard,</l> +<l>And thus the hero's feelings found</l> +<l>Due utterance, as he gazed around:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Still to my father's word I hold,</q></l> +<l>Whate'er he bought, or pledged, or sold:</l> +<l>Ne'er shall his living promise be</l> +<l>Annulled by Bharat or by me.</l> +<l>Not thus my task will I evade,</l> +<l>My exile on another laid:</l> +<l>Most wise was Queen Kaikeyí's rede,</l> +<l>And just and good my father's deed.</l> +<l>Dear Bharat's patient soul I know,</l> +<l>How reverence due he loves to show;</l> +<l>In him, high-souled and faithful found,</l> +<l>Must each auspicious grace abound.</l> +<l>When from the woods I turn again</l> +<l>I with his aid shall nobly reign,</l> +<l>With one so good, of peerless worth,</l> +<l>A glorious lord of happy earth.</l> +<l>Her boon Kaikeyí sought and won.</l> +<l>I, as my father swore, have done:</l> +<l>And O, do thou, my brother dear,</l> +<l>The monarch's name from falsehood clear.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CXII"/> +<head>Canto CXII. The Sandals.</head> + +<lg> +<l>High wonder mingled with delight</l> +<l>Took the great sages at the sight,</l> +<l>Thrilling their breasts who came to view</l> +<l>The meeting of the peerless two.</l> +<l>The saints and sages' holy train</l> +<l>Departed to their home again.</l> +<l>And high each holy voice was raised,</l> +<l>And thus the glorious brothers praised.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">High fate is his, the sire of two</q></l> +<l>Most virtuous souls, so brave and true:</l> +<l>With wonder and with joy intense</l> +<l><q rend="post">Our ears have heard their conference.</q></l> +<l>Then the great sages, longing all</l> +<l>To see the ten-necked tyrant<note place="foot">Ten-headed, ten-necked, ten faced, are +common epithets of Rávaṇ the giant king of Lanká.</note> fall,</l> +<l>To Bharat, bravest of the brave,</l> +<l>Their salutary counsel gave:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">O thou of lofty lineage born,</q></l> +<l>Whom wisdom, conduct, fame adorn,</l> +<l>Thou for thy honoured father's sake</l> +<l>Shouldst Ráma's righteous counsel take.</l> +<pb n="222"/><anchor id="Pg222"/> +<l>All debts to Queen Kaikeyí paid,</l> +<l>Thy sire his home in heaven has made,</l> +<l>So virtuous Ráma we would see</l> +<l><q rend="post">From filial obligation free.</q></l> +<l>Thus gave each royal sage advice,</l> +<l>High saint, and bard of Paradise;</l> +<l>Then quickly vanishing from view</l> +<l>Each to his proper home withdrew.</l> +<l>Then Ráma's face his rapture showed,</l> +<l>And his full heart with joy o'erflowed,</l> +<l>While, as the sages parted thence,</l> +<l>He paid his humble reverence.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Bharat shook in every limb</l> +<l>As suppliant thus he spake to him:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The duty of a king respect,</q></l> +<l>Held by our race in high respect:</l> +<l>And O, thy gracious ear incline</l> +<l>To heed my mother's prayer and mine.</l> +<l>The mighty realm to rule and guard</l> +<l>For me alone is task too hard.</l> +<l>No power have I the love to gain</l> +<l>Of noble, citizen, and swain.</l> +<l>All those who know thee, warrior, friend,</l> +<l>On thee their eager glances bend,</l> +<l>As labouring hinds who till the plain</l> +<l>Look fondly for the Lord of Rain.</l> +<l>O wisest Prince, thy realm secure,</l> +<l>And make its firm foundations sure.</l> +<l>Kakutstha's son, thy mighty arm</l> +<l><q rend="post">Can keep the nation free from harm.</q></l> +<l>He spoke, and fell in sorrow drowned</l> +<l>At Ráma's feet upon the ground,</l> +<l>And there the hero sued and sighed,</l> +<l>And <q>Hear me, Raghu's son,</q> he cried.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma raised him up, and pressed</l> +<l>His brother to his loving breast,</l> +<l>And sweetly as a wild swan cried</l> +<l>To Bharat dark and lotus-eyed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">So just and true thy generous soul,</q></l> +<l>Thy hand may well this earth control:</l> +<l>But many a sage his aid will lend,</l> +<l>With counsellor, and peer, and friend:</l> +<l>With these advise: their counsel ask,</l> +<l>And so perform thy arduous task.</l> +<l>The moon his beauty may forgo,</l> +<l>The cold forsake the Hills of Snow,</l> +<l>And Ocean o'er his banks may sweep,</l> +<l>But I my father's word will keep.</l> +<l>Now whether love of thee or greed</l> +<l>Thy mother led to plan the deed,</l> +<l>Forth from thy breast the memory throw,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And filial love and reverence show.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spake Kauśalyá's son: again</l> +<l>Bharat replied in humble strain</l> +<l>To him who matched the sun in might</l> +<l>And lovely as the young moon's light:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Put, noble brother, I entreat,</q></l> +<l>These sandals on thy blessed feet:</l> +<l>These, lord of men, with gold bedecked,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The realm and people will protect.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma, as his brother prayed</l> +<l>Beneath his feet the sandals laid,</l> +<l>And these with fond affection gave</l> +<l>To Bharat's hand, the good and brave.</l> +<l>Then Bharat bowed his reverent head</l> +<l>And thus again to Ráma said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Through fourteen seasons will I wear</q></l> +<l>The hermit's dress and matted hair:</l> +<l>With fruit and roots my life sustain,</l> +<l>And still beyond the realm remain,</l> +<l>Longing for thee to come again.</l> +<l>The rule and all affairs of state</l> +<l>I to these shoes will delegate.</l> +<l>And if, O tamer of thy foes,</l> +<l>When fourteen years have reached their close,</l> +<l>I see thee not that day return,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The kindled fire my frame shall burn.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma to his bosom drew</l> +<l>Dear Bharat and Śatrughna too:</l> +<l><q>Be never wroth,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">with her,</q></l> +<l>Kaikeyí's guardian minister:</l> +<l>This, glory of Ikshváku's line,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Is Sítá's earnest prayer and mine.</q></l> +<l>He spoke, and as the big tears fell,</l> +<l>To his dear brother bade farewell.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Round Ráma, Bharat strong and bold</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">In humble reverence paced,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When the bright sandals wrought with gold</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Above his brows were placed.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The royal elephant who led</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The glorious pomp he found,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And on the monster's mighty head</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Those sandals duly bound.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then noble Ráma, born to swell</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The glories of his race,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To all in order bade farewell</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">With love and tender grace—</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To brothers, counsellers, and peers,—</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Still firm, in duty proved,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Firm, as the Lord of Snow uprears</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">His mountains unremoved.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">No queen, for choking sobs and sighs,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Could say her last adieu:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma bowed, with flooded eyes,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And to his cot withdrew.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CXIII"/> +<head>Canto CXIII. Bharat's Return.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Bearing the sandals on his head</l> +<l>Away triumphant Bharat sped,</l> +<l>And clomb, Śatrughna by his side,</l> +<l>The car wherein he wont to ride.</l> +<l>Before the mighty army went</l> +<l>The lords for counsel eminent,</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha, Vámadeva next,</l> +<l>Jáváli, pure with prayer and text.</l> +<pb n="223"/><anchor id="Pg223"/> +<l>Then from that lovely river they</l> +<l>Turned eastward on their homeward way:</l> +<l>With reverent steps from left to right</l> +<l>They circled Chitrakúṭa's height,</l> +<l>And viewed his peaks on every side</l> +<l>With stains of thousand metals dyed.</l> +<l>Then Bharat saw, not far away,</l> +<l>Where Bharadvája's dwelling lay,</l> +<l>And when the chieftain bold and sage</l> +<l>Had reached that holy hermitage,</l> +<l>Down from the car he sprang to greet</l> +<l>The saint, and bowed before his feet.</l> +<l>High rapture filled the hermit's breast,</l> +<l>Who thus the royal prince addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Say, Bharat, is thy duty done?</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Hast thou with Ráma met, my son?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The chief whose soul to virtue clave</l> +<l>This answer to the hermit gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I prayed him with our holy guide:</q></l> +<l>But Raghu's son our prayer denied,</l> +<l>And long besought by both of us</l> +<l>He answered Saint Vaśishṭha thus:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">True to my vow, I still will be</q></l> +<l>Observant of my sire's decree:</l> +<l>Till fourteen years complete their course</l> +<l><q rend="post">That promise shall remain in force.</q></l> +<l>The saint in highest wisdom taught,</l> +<l>These solemn words with wisdom fraught,</l> +<l>To him in lore of language learned</l> +<l>Most eloquent himself returned:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Obey my rede: let Bharat hold</q></l> +<l>This pair of sandals decked with gold:</l> +<l>They in Ayodhyá shall ensure</l> +<l><q rend="post">Our welfare, and our bliss secure.</q></l> +<l>When Ráma heard the royal priest</l> +<l>He rose, and looking to the east</l> +<l>Consigned the sandals to my hand</l> +<l>That they for him might guard the land.</l> +<l>Then from the high-souled chief's abode</l> +<l>I turned upon my homeward road,</l> +<l>Dismissed by him, and now this pair</l> +<l><q rend="post">Of sandals to Ayodhyá bear.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To him the hermit thus replied,</l> +<l>By Bharat's tidings gratified:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No marvel thoughts so just and true,</q></l> +<l>Thou best of all who right pursue,</l> +<l>Should dwell in thee, O Prince of men,</l> +<l>As waters gather in the glen.</l> +<l>He is not dead, we mourn in vain:</l> +<l>Thy blessed father lives again,</l> +<l>Whose noble son we thus behold</l> +<l><q rend="post">Like Virtue's self in human mould.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: before him Bharat fell</l> +<l>To clasp his feet, and said farewell:</l> +<l>His reverent steps around him bent,</l> +<l>And onward to Ayodhyá went.</l> +<l>His host of followers stretching far</l> +<l>With many an elephant and car,</l> +<l>Waggon and steed, and mighty train,</l> +<l>Traversed their homeward way again.</l> +<l>O'er holy Yamuná they sped,</l> +<l>Fair stream, with waves engarlanded,</l> +<l>And then once more the rivers' queen,</l> +<l>The blessed Gangá's self was seen.</l> +<l>Then making o'er that flood his way,</l> +<l>Where crocodiles and monsters lay,</l> +<l>The king to Śringavera drew</l> +<l>His host and royal retinue.</l> +<l>His onward way he thence pursued,</l> +<l>And soon renowned Ayodhyá viewed.</l> +<l>Then burnt by woe and sad of cheer</l> +<l>Bharat addressed the charioteer:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah, see, Ayodhyá dark and sad,</q></l> +<l>Her glory gone, once bright and glad:</l> +<l>Of joy and beauty reft, forlorn,</l> +<l><q rend="post">In silent grief she seems to mourn.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CXIV"/> +<head>Canto CXIV. Bharat's Departure.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Deep, pleasant was the chariot's sound</l> +<l>As royal Bharat, far renowned,</l> +<l>Whirled by his mettled coursers fast</l> +<l>Within Ayodhyá's city passed.</l> +<l>There dark and drear was every home</l> +<l>Where cats and owls had space to roam,</l> +<l>As when the shades of midnight fall</l> +<l>With blackest gloom, and cover all:</l> +<l>As Rohiṇí, dear spouse of him</l> +<l>Whom Ráhu hates,<note place="foot">The spouse of Rohiṇí is the Moon: +Ráhu is the demon who causes eclipses.</note> grows faint and dim,</l> +<l>When, as she shines on high alone</l> +<l>The demon's shade is o'er her thrown:</l> +<l>As burnt by summer's heat a rill</l> +<l>Scarce trickling from her parent hill,</l> +<l>With dying fish in pools half dried,</l> +<l>And fainting birds upon her side:</l> +<l>As sacrificial flames arise</l> +<l>When holy oil their food supplies,</l> +<l>But when no more the fire is fed</l> +<l>Sink lustreless and cold and dead:</l> +<l>Like some brave host that filled the plain,</l> +<l>With harness rent and captains slain,</l> +<l>When warrior, elephant, and steed</l> +<l>Mingled in wild confusion bleed:</l> +<l>As when, all spent her store of worth,</l> +<l>Rocks from her base the loosened earth:</l> +<l>Like a sad fallen star no more</l> +<l>Wearing the lovely light it wore:</l> +<l>So mournful in her lost estate</l> +<l>Was that sad town disconsolate.</l> +<l>Then car-borne Bharat, good and brave,</l> +<l>Thus spake to him the steeds who drave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why are Ayodhyá's streets so mute?</q></l> +<l>Where is the voice of lyre and lute?</l> +<l>Why sounds not, as of old, to-day</l> +<l>The music of the minstrel's lay?</l> +<pb n="224"/><anchor id="Pg224"/> +<l>Where are the wreaths they used to twine?</l> +<l>Where are the blossoms and the wine?</l> +<l>Where is the cool refreshing scent</l> +<l>Of sandal dust with aloe blent?</l> +<l>The elephant's impatient roar,</l> +<l>The din of cars, I hear no more:</l> +<l>No more the horse's pleasant neigh</l> +<l>Rings out to meet me on my way.</l> +<l>Ayodhyá's youths, since Ráma's flight,</l> +<l>Have lost their relish for delight:</l> +<l>Her men roam forth no more, nor care</l> +<l>Bright garlands round their necks to wear.</l> +<l>All grieve for banished Ráma: feast,</l> +<l>And revelry and song have ceased:</l> +<l>Like a black night when floods pour down,</l> +<l>So dark and gloomy is the town.</l> +<l>When will he come to make them gay</l> +<l>Like some auspicious holiday?</l> +<l>When will my brother, like a cloud</l> +<l><q rend="post">At summer's close, make glad the crowd?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then through the streets the hero rode,</l> +<l>And passed within his sire's abode,</l> +<l>Like some deserted lion's den,</l> +<l>Forsaken by the lord of men.</l> +<l>Then to the inner bowers he came,</l> +<l>Once happy home of many a dame,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Now gloomy, sad, and drear,</l> +<l>Dark as of old that sunless day</l> +<l>When wept the Gods in wild dismay;<note place="foot"><q>Once,</q> says the +Commentator Tírtha, <q>in the battle between the Gods and demons the Gods were +vanquished, and the sun was overthrown by Ráhu. At the request of the Gods Atri +undertook the management of the sun for a week.</q></note></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">There poured he many a tear.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CXV"/> +<head>Canto CXV. Nandigrám.<note place="foot">Now Nundgaon, in Oudh.</note></head> + +<lg> +<l>Then when the pious chief had seen</l> +<l>Lodged in her home each widowed queen,</l> +<l>Still with his burning grief oppressed</l> +<l>His holy guides he thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I go to Nandigrám: adieu,</q></l> +<l>This day, my lords to all of you:</l> +<l>I go, my load of grief to bear,</l> +<l>Reft of the son of Raghu, there.</l> +<l>The king my sire, alas, is dead,</l> +<l>And Ráma to the forest fled;</l> +<l>There will I wait till he, restored,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Shall rule the realm, its rightful lord.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They heard the high-souled prince's speech,</l> +<l>And thus with ready answer each</l> +<l>Of those great lords their chief addressed,</l> +<l>With saint Vaśishṭha and the rest:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Good are the words which thou hast said,</q></l> +<l>By brotherly affection led,</l> +<l>Like thine own self, a faithful friend,</l> +<l>True to thy brother to the end:</l> +<l>A heart like thine must all approve,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Which naught from virtue's path can move.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Soon as the words he loved to hear</l> +<l>Fell upon Bharat's joyful ear,</l> +<l>Thus to the charioteer he spoke:</l> +<l><q>My car with speed, Sumantra, yoke.</q></l> +<l>Then Bharat with delighted mien</l> +<l>Obeisance paid to every queen,</l> +<l>And with Śatrughna by his side</l> +<l>Mounting the car away he hied.</l> +<l>With lords, and priests in long array</l> +<l>The brothers hastened on their way.</l> +<l>And the great pomp the Bráhmans led</l> +<l>With Saint Vaśishṭha at their head.</l> +<l>Then every face was eastward bent</l> +<l>As on to Nandigrám they went.</l> +<l>Behind the army followed, all</l> +<l>Unsummoned by their leader's call,</l> +<l>And steeds and elephants and men</l> +<l>Streamed forth with every citizen.</l> +<l>As Bharat in his chariot rode</l> +<l>His heart with love fraternal glowed,</l> +<l>And with the sandals on his head</l> +<l>To Nandigrám he quickly sped.</l> +<l>Within the town he swiftly pressed,</l> +<l>Alighted, and his guides addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">To me in trust my brother's hand</q></l> +<l>Consigned the lordship of the land,</l> +<l>When he these gold-wrought sandals gave</l> +<l><q rend="post">As emblems to protect and save.</q></l> +<l>Then Bharat bowed, and from his head</l> +<l>The sacred pledge deposited,</l> +<l>And thus to all the people cried</l> +<l>Who ringed him round on every side:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Haste, for these sandals quickly bring</q></l> +<l>The canopy that shades the king.</l> +<l>Pay ye to them all reverence meet</l> +<l>As to my elder brother's feet,</l> +<l>For they will right and law maintain</l> +<l>Until King Ráma come again.</l> +<l>My brother with a loving mind</l> +<l>These sandals to my charge consigned:</l> +<l>I till he come will guard with care</l> +<l>The sacred trust for Raghu's heir.</l> +<l>My watchful task will soon be done,</l> +<l>The pledge restored to Raghu's son;</l> +<l>Then shall I see, his wanderings o'er,</l> +<l>These sandals on his feet once more.</l> +<l>My brother I shall meet at last,</l> +<l>The burthen from my shoulders cast,</l> +<l>To Ráma's hand the realm restore</l> +<l>And serve my elder as before.</l> +<l>When Ráma takes again this pair</l> +<l>Of sandals kept with pious care,</l> +<l>And here his glorious reign begins,</l> +<l>I shall be cleansed from all my sins,</l> +<pb n="225"/><anchor id="Pg225"/> +<l>When the glad people's voices ring</l> +<l>With welcome to the new-made king,</l> +<l>Joy will be mine four-fold as great</l> +<l><q rend="post">As if supreme I ruled the state.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus humbly spoke in sad lament</l> +<l>The chief in fame preëminent:</l> +<l>Thus, by his reverent lords obeyed,</l> +<l>At Nandigrám the kingdom swayed.</l> +<l>With hermit's dress and matted hair</l> +<l>He dwelt with all his army there.</l> +<l>The sandals of his brother's feet</l> +<l>Installed upon the royal seat,</l> +<l>He, all his powers to them referred,</l> +<l>Affairs of state administered.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In every care, in every task,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">When golden store was brought,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He first, as though their rede to ask,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Those royal sandals sought.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CXVI"/> +<head>Canto CXVI. The Hermit's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Bharat took his homeward road</l> +<l>Still Ráma in the wood abode:</l> +<l>But soon he marked the fear and care</l> +<l>That darkened all the hermits there.</l> +<l>For all who dwelt before the hill</l> +<l>Were sad with dread of coming ill:</l> +<l>Each holy brow was lined by thought,</l> +<l>And Ráma's side they often sought.</l> +<l>With gathering frowns the prince they eyed,</l> +<l>And then withdrew and talked aside.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Raghu's son with anxious breast</l> +<l>The leader of the saints addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Can aught that I have done displease,</q></l> +<l>O reverend Sage, the devotees?</l> +<l>Why are their loving looks, O say,</l> +<l>Thus sadly changed or turned away?</l> +<l>Has Lakshmaṇ through his want of heed</l> +<l>Offended with unseemly deed?</l> +<l>Or is the gentle Sítá, she</l> +<l>Who loved to honour you and me—</l> +<l>Is she the cause of this offence,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Failing in lowly reverence?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">One sage, o'er whom, exceeding old,</l> +<l>Had many a year of penance rolled,</l> +<l>Trembling in every aged limb</l> +<l>Thus for the rest replied to him:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">How could we, O beloved, blame</q></l> +<l>Thy lofty-souled Videhan dame,</l> +<l>Who in the good of all delights,</l> +<l>And more than all of anchorites?</l> +<l>But yet through thee a numbing dread</l> +<l>Of fiends among our band has spread;</l> +<l>Obstructed by the demons' art</l> +<l>The trembling hermits talk apart.</l> +<l>For Rávaṇ's brother, overbold,</l> +<l>Named Khara, of gigantic mould,</l> +<l>Vexes with fury fierce and fell</l> +<l>All those in Janasthán<note place="foot">A part of the great Daṇḍak forest.</note> +who dwell.</l> +<l>Resistless in his cruel deeds,</l> +<l>On flesh of men the monster feeds:</l> +<l>Sinful and arrogant is he,</l> +<l>And looks with special hate on thee.</l> +<l>Since thou, beloved son, hast made</l> +<l>Thy home within this holy shade,</l> +<l>The fiends have vexed with wilder rage</l> +<l>The dwellers of the hermitage.</l> +<l>In many a wild and dreadful form</l> +<l>Around the trembling saints they swarm,</l> +<l>With hideous shape and foul disguise</l> +<l>They terrify our holy eyes.</l> +<l>They make our loathing souls endure</l> +<l>Insult and scorn and sights impure,</l> +<l>And flocking round the altars stay</l> +<l>The holy rites we love to pay.</l> +<l>In every spot throughout the grove</l> +<l>With evil thoughts the monsters rove,</l> +<l>Assailing with their secret might</l> +<l>Each unsuspecting anchorite.</l> +<l>Ladle and dish away they fling,</l> +<l>Our fires with floods extinguishing,</l> +<l>And when the sacred flame should burn</l> +<l>They trample on each water-urn.</l> +<l>Now when they see their sacred wood</l> +<l>Plagued by this impious brotherhood,</l> +<l>The troubled saints away would roam</l> +<l>And seek in other shades a home:</l> +<l>Hence will we fly, O Ráma, ere</l> +<l>The cruel fiends our bodies tear.</l> +<l>Not far away a forest lies</l> +<l>Rich in the roots and fruit we prize,</l> +<l>To this will I and all repair</l> +<l>And join the holy hermits there;</l> +<l>Be wise, and with us thither flee</l> +<l>Before this Khara injure thee.</l> +<l>Mighty art thou, O Ráma, yet</l> +<l>Each day with peril is beset.</l> +<l>If with thy consort by thy side</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thou in this wood wilt still abide.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: the words the hero spake</l> +<l>The hermit's purpose failed to break:</l> +<l>To Raghu's son farewell he said,</l> +<l>And blessed the chief and comforted;</l> +<l>Then with the rest the holy sage</l> +<l>Departed from the hermitage.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">So from the wood the saints withdrew,</l> +<l>And Ráma bidding all adieu</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In lowly reverence bent:</l> +<l>Instructed by their friendly speech,</l> +<l>Blest with the gracious love of each,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To his pure home he went.</l> +<l>Nor would the son of Raghu stray</l> +<l>A moment from that grove away</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">From which the saints had fled.</l> +<l>And many a hermit thither came</l> +<l>Attracted by his saintly fame</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And the pure life he led.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="226"/><anchor id="Pg226"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CXVII"/> +<head>Canto CXVII. Anasúyá.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But dwelling in that lonely spot</l> +<l>Left by the hermits pleased him not.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I met the faithful Bharat here,</q></l> +<l>The townsmen, and my mother dear:</l> +<l>The painful memory lingers yet,</l> +<l>And stings me with a vain regret.</l> +<l>And here the host of Bharat camped,</l> +<l>And many a courser here has stamped,</l> +<l>And elephants with ponderous feet</l> +<l><q rend="post">Have trampled through the calm retreat.</q></l> +<l>So forth to seek a home he hied,</l> +<l>His spouse and Lakshmaṇ by his side.</l> +<l>He came to Atri's pure retreat,</l> +<l>Paid reverence to his holy feet,</l> +<l>And from the saint such welcome won</l> +<l>As a fond father gives his son.</l> +<l>The noble prince with joy unfeigned</l> +<l>As a dear guest he entertained,</l> +<l>And cheered the glorious Lakshmaṇ too</l> +<l>And Sítá with observance due.</l> +<l>Then Anasúyá at the call</l> +<l>Of him who sought the good of all,</l> +<l>His blameless venerable spouse,</l> +<l>Delighting in her holy vows,</l> +<l>Came from her chamber to his side:</l> +<l>To her the virtuous hermit cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Receive, I pray, with friendly grace</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">This dame of Maithil monarchs' race:</q></l> +<l>To Ráma next made known his wife,</l> +<l>The devotee of saintliest life:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ten thousand years this votaress bent</q></l> +<l>On sternest rites of penance spent;</l> +<l>She when the clouds withheld their rain,</l> +<l>And drought ten years consumed the plain,</l> +<l>Caused grateful roots and fruit to grow</l> +<l>And ordered Gangá here to flow:</l> +<l>So from their cares the saints she freed,</l> +<l>Nor let these checks their rites impede,</l> +<l>She wrought in Heaven's behalf, and made</l> +<l>Ten nights of one, the Gods to aid:<note place="foot">When the saint Máṇḍavya had +doomed some saint's wife, who was Anasúyá's friend, to become a widow on the +morrow.</note></l> +<l>Let holy Anasúyá be</l> +<l>An honoured mother, Prince, to thee.</l> +<l>Let thy Videhan spouse draw near</l> +<l>To her whom all that live revere,</l> +<l>Stricken in years, whose loving mind</l> +<l><q rend="post">Is slow to wrath and ever kind.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: and Ráma gave assent,</l> +<l>And said, with eyes on Sítá bent:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Princess, thou hast heard with me</q></l> +<l>This counsel of the devotee:</l> +<l>Now that her touch thy soul may bless,</l> +<l>Approach the saintly votaress:</l> +<l>Come to the venerable dame,</l> +<l>Far known by Anasúyá's name:</l> +<l>The mighty things that she has done</l> +<l><q rend="post">High glory in the world have won.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke the son of Raghu: she</l> +<l>Approached the saintly devotee,</l> +<l>Who with her white locks, old and frail,</l> +<l>Shook like a plantain in the gale.</l> +<l>To that true spouse she bowed her head,</l> +<l>And <q>Lady, I am Sítá,</q> said:</l> +<l>Raised suppliant hands and prayed her tell</l> +<l>That all was prosperous and well.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The aged matron, when she saw</l> +<l>Fair Sítá true to duty's law,</l> +<l>Addressed her thus: <q rend="pre">High fate is thine</q></l> +<l>Whose thoughts to virtue still incline.</l> +<l>Thou, lady of the noble mind,</l> +<l>Hast kin and state and wealth resigned</l> +<l>To follow Ráma forced to tread</l> +<l>Where solitary woods are spread.</l> +<l>Those women gain high spheres above</l> +<l>Who still unchanged their husbands love,</l> +<l>Whether they dwell in town or wood,</l> +<l>Whether their hearts be ill or good.</l> +<l>Though wicked, poor, or led away</l> +<l>In love's forbidden paths to stray,</l> +<l>The noble matron still will deem</l> +<l>Her lord a deity supreme.</l> +<l>Regarding kin and friendship, I</l> +<l>Can see no better, holier tie,</l> +<l>And every penance-rite is dim</l> +<l>Beside the joy of serving him.</l> +<l>But dark is this to her whose mind</l> +<l>Promptings of idle fancy blind,</l> +<l>Who led by evil thoughts away</l> +<l>Makes him who should command obey.</l> +<l>Such women, O dear Maithil dame,</l> +<l>Their virtue lose and honest fame,</l> +<l>Enslaved by sin and folly, led</l> +<l>In these unholy paths to tread.</l> +<l>But they who good and true like thee</l> +<l>The present and the future see,</l> +<l>Like men by holy deeds will rise</l> +<l>To mansions in the blissful skies.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">So keep thee pure from taint of sin,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Still to thy lord be true,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And fame and merit shalt thou win,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">To thy devotion due.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CXVIII"/> +<head>Canto CXVIII. Anasúyá's Gifts.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus by the holy dame addressed</l> +<l>Who banished envy from her breast,</l> +<l>Her lowly reverence Sítá paid,</l> +<l>And softly thus her answer made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No marvel, best of dames, thy speech</q></l> +<l>The duties of a wife should teach;</l> +<pb n="227"/><anchor id="Pg227"/> +<l>Yet I, O lady, also know</l> +<l>Due reverence to my lord to show.</l> +<l>Were he the meanest of the base,</l> +<l>Unhonoured with a single grace,</l> +<l>My husband still I ne'er would leave,</l> +<l>But firm through all to him would cleave:</l> +<l>Still rather to a lord like mine</l> +<l>Whose virtues high-exalted shine,</l> +<l>Compassionate, of lofty soul,</l> +<l>With every sense in due control,</l> +<l>True in his love, of righteous mind,</l> +<l>Like a dear sire and mother kind.</l> +<l>E'en as he ever loves to treat</l> +<l>Kauśalyá with observance meet,</l> +<l>Has his behaviour ever been</l> +<l>To every other honoured queen.</l> +<l>Nay, more, a sonlike reverence shows</l> +<l>The noble Ráma e'en to those</l> +<l>On whom the king his father set</l> +<l>His eyes one moment, to forget.</l> +<l>Deep in my heart the words are stored,</l> +<l>Said by the mother of my lord,</l> +<l>When from my home I turned away</l> +<l>In the lone fearful woods to stray.</l> +<l>The counsel of my mother deep</l> +<l>Impressed upon my soul I keep,</l> +<l>When by the fire I took my stand,</l> +<l>And Ráma clasped in his my hand.</l> +<l>And in my bosom cherished yet,</l> +<l>My friends' advice I ne'er forget:</l> +<l>Woman her holiest offering pays</l> +<l>When she her husband's will obeys.</l> +<l>Good Sávitrí her lord obeyed,</l> +<l>And a high saint in heaven was made,</l> +<l>And for the self-same virtue thou</l> +<l>Hast heaven in thy possession now.</l> +<l>And she with whom no dame could vie,</l> +<l>Now a bright Goddess in the sky,</l> +<l>Sweet Rohiṇí the Moon's dear Queen,</l> +<l>Without her lord is never seen:</l> +<l>And many a faithful wife beside</l> +<l><q rend="post">For her pure love is glorified.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Sítá spake: soft rapture stole</l> +<l>Through Anasúyá's saintly soul:</l> +<l>Kisses on Sítá's head she pressed,</l> +<l>And thus the Maithil dame addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I by long rites and toils endured</q></l> +<l>Rich store of merit have secured:</l> +<l>From this my wealth will I bestow</l> +<l>A blessing ere I let thee go.</l> +<l>So right and wise and true each word</l> +<l>That from thy lips mine ears have heard,</l> +<l>I love thee: be my pleasing task</l> +<l><q rend="post">To grant the boon that thou shalt ask.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Sítá marvelled much, and while</l> +<l>Played o'er her lips a gentle smile,</l> +<l><q>All has been done, O Saint,</q> she cried,</l> +<l><q>And naught remains to wish beside.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She spake; the lady's meek reply</l> +<l>Swelled Anasúyá's rapture high.</l> +<l><q>Sítá,</q> she said, <q rend="pre">my gift to-day</q></l> +<l>Thy sweet contentment shall repay.</l> +<l>Accept this precious robe to wear,</l> +<l>Of heavenly fabric, rich and rare,</l> +<l>These gems thy limbs to ornament,</l> +<l>This precious balsam sweet of scent.</l> +<l>O Maithil dame, this gift of mine</l> +<l>Shall make thy limbs with beauty shine,</l> +<l>And breathing o'er thy frame dispense</l> +<l>Its pure and lasting influence.</l> +<l>This balsam on thy fair limbs spread</l> +<l>New radiance on thy lord shall shed,</l> +<l>As Lakshmí's beauty lends a grace</l> +<l><q rend="post">To Vishṇu's own celestial face.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Sítá took the gift the dame</l> +<l>Bestowed on her in friendship's name,</l> +<l>The balsam, gems, and robe divine,</l> +<l>And garlands wreathed of bloomy twine;</l> +<l>Then sat her down, with reverence meet,</l> +<l>At saintly Anasúyá's feet.</l> +<l>The matron rich in rites and vows</l> +<l>Turned her to Ráma's Maithil spouse,</l> +<l>And questioned thus in turn to hear</l> +<l>A pleasant tale to charm her ear:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Sítá, 'tis said that Raghu's son</q></l> +<l>Thy hand, mid gathered suitors, won.</l> +<l>I fain would hear thee, lady, tell</l> +<l>The story as it all befell:</l> +<l>Do thou repeat each thing that passed,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Reviewing all from first to last.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spake the dame to Sítá: she</l> +<l>Replying to the devotee,</l> +<l><q>Then, lady, thy attention lend,</q></l> +<l>Rehearsed the story to the end:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">King Janak, just and brave and strong,</q></l> +<l>Who loves the right and hates the wrong,</l> +<l>Well skilled in what the law ordains</l> +<l>For Warriors, o'er Videha reigns.</l> +<l>Guiding one morn the plough, his hand</l> +<l>Marked out, for rites the sacred land,</l> +<l>When, as the ploughshare cleft the earth,</l> +<l>Child of the king I leapt to birth.</l> +<l>Then as the ground he smoothed and cleared,</l> +<l>He saw me all with dust besmeared,</l> +<l>And on the new-found babe, amazed</l> +<l>The ruler of Videha gazed.</l> +<l>In childless love the monarch pressed</l> +<l>The welcome infant to his breast:</l> +<l><q>My daughter,</q> thus he cried, <q>is she:</q></l> +<l>And as his child he cared for me.</l> +<l>Forth from the sky was heard o'erhead</l> +<l>As 'twere a human voice that said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Yea, even so: great King, this child</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Henceforth thine own be justly styled.</q></l> +<l>Videha's monarch, virtuous souled,</l> +<l>Rejoiced o'er me with joy untold,</l> +<l>Delighting in his new-won prize,</l> +<l>The darling of his heart and eyes.</l> +<l>To his chief queen of saintly mind</l> +<l>The precious treasure he consigned,</l> +<l>And by her side she saw me grow,</l> +<l>Nursed with the love which mothers know.</l> +<pb n="228"/><anchor id="Pg228"/> +<l>Then as he saw the seasons fly,</l> +<l>And knew my marriage-time was nigh,</l> +<l>My sire was vexed with care, as sad</l> +<l>As one who mourns the wealth he had:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Scorn on the maiden's sire must wait</q></l> +<l>From men of high and low estate:</l> +<l>The virgin's father all despise,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Though Indra's peer, who rules the skies.</q></l> +<l>More near he saw, and still more near,</l> +<l>The scorn that filled his soul with fear,</l> +<l>On trouble's billowy ocean tossed,</l> +<l>Like one whose shattered bark is lost.</l> +<l>My father knowing how I came,</l> +<l>No daughter of a mortal dame,</l> +<l>In all the regions failed to see</l> +<l>A bridegroom meet to match with me.</l> +<l>Each way with anxious thought he scanned,</l> +<l>And thus at length the monarch planned:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The Bride's Election will I hold,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">With every rite prescribed of old.</q></l> +<l>It pleased King Varuṇ to bestow</l> +<l>Quiver and shafts and heavenly bow</l> +<l>Upon my father's sire who reigned,</l> +<l>When Daksha his great rite ordained.</l> +<l>Where was the man might bend or lift</l> +<l>With utmost toil that wondrous gift?</l> +<l>Not e'en in dreams could mortal king</l> +<l>Strain the great bow or draw the string.</l> +<l>Of this tremendous bow possessed,</l> +<l>My truthful father thus addressed</l> +<l>The lords of many a region, all</l> +<l>Assembled at the monarch's call:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Whoe'er this bow can manage, he</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">The husband of my child shall be.</q></l> +<l>The suitors viewed with hopeless eyes</l> +<l>That wondrous bow of mountain size,</l> +<l>Then to my sire they bade adieu,</l> +<l>And all with humbled hearts withdrew.</l> +<l>At length with Viśvámitra came</l> +<l>This son of Raghu, dear to fame,</l> +<l>The royal sacrifice to view.</l> +<l>Near to my father's home he drew,</l> +<l>His brother Lakshmaṇ by his side,</l> +<l>Ráma, in deeds heroic tried.</l> +<l>My sire with honour entertained</l> +<l>The saint in lore of duty trained,</l> +<l>Who thus in turn addressed the king:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ráma and Lakshmaṇ here who spring</q></l> +<l>From royal Daśaratha, long</l> +<l><q rend="post">To see thy bow so passing strong.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Before the prince's eyes was laid</l> +<l>That marvel, as the Bráhman prayed.</l> +<l>One moment on the bow he gazed,</l> +<l>Quick to the notch the string he raised,</l> +<l>Then, in the wandering people's view,</l> +<l>The cord with mighty force he drew.</l> +<l>Then with an awful crash as loud</l> +<l>As thunderbolts that cleave the cloud,</l> +<l>The bow beneath the matchless strain</l> +<l>Of arms heroic snapped in twain.</l> +<l>Thus, giving purest water, he,</l> +<l>My sire, to Ráma offered me.</l> +<l>The prince the offered gift declined</l> +<l>Till he should learn his father's mind;</l> +<l>So horsemen swift Ayodhyá sought</l> +<l>And back her aged monarch brought.</l> +<l>Me then my sire to Ráma gave,</l> +<l>Self-ruled, the bravest of the brave.</l> +<l>And Urmilá, the next to me,</l> +<l>Graced with all gifts, most fair to see,</l> +<l>My sire with Raghu's house allied,</l> +<l>And gave her to be Lakshmaṇ's bride.</l> +<l>Thus from the princes of the land</l> +<l>Lord Ráma won my maiden hand,</l> +<l>And him exalted high above</l> +<l><q rend="post">Heroic chiefs I truly love.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoII-CXIX"/> +<head>Canto CXIX. The Forest.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Anasúyá, virtuous-souled,</l> +<l>Had heard the tale by Sítá told,</l> +<l>She kissed the lady's brow and laced</l> +<l>Her loving arms around her waist.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">With sweet-toned words distinct and clear</q></l> +<l>Thy pleasant tale has charmed mine ear,</l> +<l>How the great king thy father held</l> +<l>That Maiden's Choice unparalleled.</l> +<l>But now the sun has sunk from sight,</l> +<l>And left the world to holy Night.</l> +<l>Hark! how the leafy thickets sound</l> +<l>With gathering birds that twitter round:</l> +<l>They sought their food by day, and all</l> +<l>Flock homeward when the shadows fall.</l> +<l>See, hither comes the hermit band,</l> +<l>Each with his pitcher in his hand:</l> +<l>Fresh from the bath, their locks are wet,</l> +<l>Their coats of bark are dripping yet.</l> +<l>Here saints their fires of worship tend,</l> +<l>And curling wreaths of smoke ascend:</l> +<l>Borne on the flames they mount above,</l> +<l>Dark as the brown wings of the dove.</l> +<l>The distant trees, though well-nigh bare,</l> +<l>Gloom thickened by the evening air,</l> +<l>And in the faint uncertain light</l> +<l>Shut the horizon from our sight.</l> +<l>The beasts that prowl in darkness rove</l> +<l>On every side about the grove,</l> +<l>And the tame deer, at ease reclined</l> +<l>Their shelter near the altars find.</l> +<l>The night o'er all the sky is spread,</l> +<l>With lunar stars engarlanded,</l> +<l>And risen in his robes of light</l> +<l>The moon is beautifully bright.</l> +<l>Now to thy lord I bid thee go:</l> +<l>Thy pleasant tale has charmed me so:</l> +<l>One thing alone I needs must pray,</l> +<l>Before me first thyself array:</l> +<l>Here in thy heavenly raiment shine,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And glad, dear love, these eyes of mine.</q></l> +<pb n="229"/><anchor id="Pg229"/> +<l>Then like a heavenly Goddess shone</l> +<l>Fair Sítá with that raiment on.</l> +<l>She bowed her to the matron's feet,</l> +<l>Then turned away her lord to meet.</l> +<l>The hero prince with joy surveyed</l> +<l>His Sítá in her robes arrayed,</l> +<l>As glorious to his arms she came</l> +<l>With love-gifts of the saintly dame.</l> +<l>She told him how the saint to show</l> +<l>Her fond affection would bestow</l> +<l>That garland of celestial twine,</l> +<l>Those ornaments and robes divine.</l> +<l>Then Ráma's heart, nor Lakshmaṇ's less,</l> +<l>Was filled with pride and happiness,</l> +<l>For honours high had Sítá gained,</l> +<l>Which mortal dames have scarce obtained.</l> +<l>There honoured by each pious sage</l> +<l>Who dwelt within the hermitage,</l> +<l>Beside his darling well content</l> +<l>That sacred night the hero spent.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The princes, when the night had fled,</l> +<l>Farewell to all the hermits said,</l> +<l>Who gazed upon the distant shade,</l> +<l>Their lustral rites and offerings paid.</l> +<l>The saints who made their dwelling there</l> +<l>In words like these addressed the pair:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Princes, monsters fierce and fell</q></l> +<l>Around that distant forest dwell:</l> +<l>On blood from human veins they feed,</l> +<l>And various forms assume at need,</l> +<l>With savage beasts of fearful power</l> +<l>That human flesh and blood devour.</l> +<l>Our holy saints they rend and tear</l> +<l>When met alone or unaware,</l> +<l>And eat them in their cruel joy:</l> +<l>These chase, O Ráma, or destroy.</l> +<l>By this one path our hermits go</l> +<l>To fetch the fruits that yonder grow:</l> +<l>By this, O Prince, thy feet should stray</l> +<l><q rend="post">Through pathless forests far away.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus by the reverent saints addressed,</l> +<l>And by their prayers auspicious blessed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He left the holy crowd:</l> +<l>His wife and brother by his side,</l> +<l>Within the mighty wood he hied.</l> +<l>So sinks the Day-God in his pride</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Beneath a bank of cloud.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +</div> + +<!-- End of Book II --> + +<div rend="page-break-before: always"> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>BOOK III.</head> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-I"/> +<head>Canto I. The Hermitage.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Ráma, valiant hero, stood</l> +<l>In the vast shade of Daṇḍak wood,</l> +<l>His eyes on every side he bent</l> +<l>And saw a hermit settlement,</l> +<l>Where coats of bark were hung around,</l> +<l>And holy grass bestrewed the ground.</l> +<l>Bright with Bráhmanic lustre glowed</l> +<l>That circle where the saints abode:</l> +<l>Like the hot sun in heaven it shone,</l> +<l>Too dazzling to be looked upon.</l> +<l>Wild creatures found a refuge where</l> +<l>The court, well-swept, was bright and fair,</l> +<l>And countless birds and roedeer made</l> +<l>Their dwelling in the friendly shade.</l> +<l>Beneath the boughs of well-loved trees</l> +<l>Oft danced the gay Apsarases.<note place="foot">Heavenly nymphs.</note></l> +<l>Around was many an ample shed</l> +<l>Wherein the holy fire was fed;</l> +<l>With sacred grass and skins of deer,</l> +<l>Ladles and sacrificial gear,</l> +<l>And roots and fruit, and wood to burn,</l> +<l>And many a brimming water-urn.</l> +<l>Tall trees their hallowed branches spread,</l> +<l>Laden with pleasant fruit, o'erhead;</l> +<l>And gifts which holy laws require,<note place="foot">The <hi rend='italic'>ball</hi> +or present of food to all created beings.</note></l> +<l>And solemn offerings burnt with fire,<note place="foot">The clarified butter &c. +cast into the sacred fire.</note></l> +<l>And Veda chants on every side</l> +<l>That home of hermits sanctified.</l> +<l>There many a flower its odour shed,</l> +<l>And lotus blooms the lake o'erspred.</l> +<l>There, clad in coats of bark and hide,—</l> +<l>Their food by roots and fruit supplied,—</l> +<l>Dwelt many an old and reverend sire</l> +<l>Bright as the sun or Lord of Fire,</l> +<l>All with each worldly sense subdued,</l> +<l>A pure and saintly multitude.</l> +<l>The Veda chants, the saints who trod</l> +<l>The sacred ground and mused on God,</l> +<l>Made that delightful grove appear</l> +<l>Like Brahmá's own most glorious sphere.</l> +<l>As Raghu's splendid son surveyed</l> +<l>That hermit home and tranquil shade,</l> +<l>He loosed his mighty bow-string, then</l> +<l>Drew nearer to the holy men.</l> +<pb n="230"/><anchor id="Pg230"/> +<l>With keen celestial sight endued</l> +<l>Those mighty saints the chieftain viewed,</l> +<l>With joy to meet the prince they came,</l> +<l>And gentle Sítá dear to fame.</l> +<l>They looked on virtuous Ráma, fair</l> +<l>As Soma<note place="foot">The Moon-God: <q>he is,</q> says the commentator, +<q>the special deity of Bráhmans.</q></note> in the evening air,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ by his brother's side,</l> +<l>And Sítá long in duty tried,</l> +<l>And with glad blessings every sage</l> +<l>Received them in the hermitage.</l> +<l>Then Ráma's form and stature tall</l> +<l>Entranced the wondering eyes of all,—</l> +<l>His youthful grace, his strength of limb,</l> +<l>And garb that nobly sat on him.</l> +<l>To Lakshmaṇ too their looks they raised,</l> +<l>And upon Sítá's beauty gazed</l> +<l>With eyes that closed not lest their sight</l> +<l>Should miss the vision of delight.</l> +<l>Then the pure hermits of the wood,</l> +<l>Rejoicing in all creatures' good,</l> +<l>Their guest, the glorious Ráma, led</l> +<l>Within a cot with leaves o'erhead.</l> +<l>With highest honour all the best</l> +<l>Of radiant saints received their guest,</l> +<l>With kind observance, as is meet,</l> +<l>And gave him water for his feet.</l> +<l>To highest pitch of rapture wrought</l> +<l>Their stores of roots and fruit they brought.</l> +<l>They poured their blessings on his head,</l> +<l>And <q>All we have is thine,</q> they said.</l> +<l>Then, reverent hand to hand applied,<note place="foot"><q>Because he was an +incarnation of the deity,</q> says the commentator, <q>otherwise such honour paid by +men of the sacerdotal caste to one of the military would be improper.</q></note></l> +<l>Each duty-loving hermit cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The king is our protector, bright</q></l> +<l>In fame, maintainer of the right.</l> +<l>He bears the awful sword, and hence</l> +<l>Deserves an elder's reverence.</l> +<l>One fourth of Indra's essence, he</l> +<l>Preserves his realm from danger free,</l> +<l>Hence honoured by the world of right</l> +<l>The king enjoys each choice delight.</l> +<l>Thou shouldst to us protection give,</l> +<l>For in thy realm, dear lord, we live:</l> +<l>Whether in town or wood thou be,</l> +<l>Thou art our king, thy people we.</l> +<l>Our wordly aims are laid aside,</l> +<l>Our hearts are tamed and purified.</l> +<l>To thee our guardian, we who earn</l> +<l><q rend="post">Our only wealth by penance turn.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then the pure dwellers in the shade</l> +<l>To Raghu's son due honour paid,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ, bringing store of roots,</l> +<l>And many a flower, and woodland fruits.</l> +<l>And others strove the prince to please</l> +<l>With all attentive courtesies.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-II"/> +<head>Canto II. Virádha.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus entertained he passed the night,</l> +<l>Then, with the morning's early light,</l> +<l>To all the hermits bade adieu</l> +<l>And sought his onward way anew.</l> +<l>He pierced the mighty forest where</l> +<l>Roamed many a deer and pard and bear:</l> +<l>Its ruined pools he scarce could see.</l> +<l>For creeper rent and prostrate tree,</l> +<l>Where shrill cicada's cries were heard,</l> +<l>And plaintive notes of many a bird.</l> +<l>Deep in the thickets of the wood</l> +<l>With Lakshmaṇ and his spouse he stood,</l> +<l>There in the horrid shade he saw</l> +<l>A giant passing nature's law:</l> +<l>Vast as some mountain-peak in size,</l> +<l>With mighty voice and sunken eyes,</l> +<l>Huge, hideous, tall, with monstrous face,</l> +<l>Most ghastly of his giant race.</l> +<l>A tiger's hide the Rákshas wore</l> +<l>Still reeking with the fat and gore:</l> +<l>Huge-faced, like Him who rules the dead,</l> +<l>All living things he struck with dread.</l> +<l>Three lions, tigers four, ten deer</l> +<l>He carried on his iron spear,</l> +<l>Two wolves, an elephant's head beside</l> +<l>With mighty tusks which blood-drops dyed.</l> +<l>When on the three his fierce eye fell,</l> +<l>He charged them with a roar and yell</l> +<l>As furious as the grisly King</l> +<l>When stricken worlds are perishing.</l> +<l>Then with a mighty roar that shook</l> +<l>The earth beneath their feet, he took</l> +<l>The trembling Sítá to his side.</l> +<l>Withdrew a little space, and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ha, short lived wretches, ye who dare,</q></l> +<l>In hermit dress with matted hair,</l> +<l>Armed each with arrows, sword, and bow,</l> +<l>Through Daṇḍak's pathless wood to go:</l> +<l>How with one dame, I bid you tell,</l> +<l>Can you among ascetics dwell?</l> +<l>Who are ye, sinners, who despise</l> +<l>The right, in holy men's disguise?</l> +<l>The great Virádha, day by day</l> +<l>Through this deep-tangled wood I stray,</l> +<l>And ever, armed with trusty steel,</l> +<l>I seize a saint to make my meal.</l> +<l>This woman young and fair of frame</l> +<l>Shall be the conquering giant's dame:</l> +<l>Your blood, ye things of evil life,</l> +<l><q rend="post">My lips shall quaff in battle strife.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke: and Janak's hapless child,</l> +<l>Scared by his speech so fierce and wild,</l> +<pb n="231"/><anchor id="Pg231"/> +<l>Trembled for terror, as a frail</l> +<l>Young plantain shivers in the gale.</l> +<l>When Ráma saw Virádha clasp</l> +<l>Fair Sítá in his mighty grasp,</l> +<l>Thus with pale lips that terror dried</l> +<l>The hero to his brother cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O see Virádha's arm enfold</q></l> +<l>My darling in its cursed hold,—</l> +<l>The child of Janak best of kings,</l> +<l>My spouse whose soul to virtue clings,</l> +<l>Sweet princess, with pure glory bright,</l> +<l>Nursed in the lap of soft delight.</l> +<l>Now falls the blow Kaikeyí meant,</l> +<l>Successful in her dark intent:</l> +<l>This day her cruel soul will be</l> +<l>Triumphant over thee and me.</l> +<l>Though Bharat on the throne is set,</l> +<l>Her greedy eyes look farther yet:</l> +<l>Me from my home she dared expel,</l> +<l>Me whom all creatures loved so well.</l> +<l>This fatal day at length, I ween,</l> +<l>Brings triumph to the younger queen.</l> +<l>I see with bitterest grief and shame</l> +<l>Another touch the Maithil dame.</l> +<l>Not loss of sire and royal power</l> +<l><q rend="post">So grieves me as this mournful hour.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus in his anguish cried the chief:</l> +<l>Then drowned in tears, o'erwhelmed by grief,</l> +<l>Thus Lakshmaṇ in his anger spake,</l> +<l>Quick panting like a spell-bound snake:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Canst thou, my brother, Indra's peer,</q></l> +<l>When I thy minister am near,</l> +<l>Thus grieve like some forsaken thing,</l> +<l>Thou, every creature's lord and king?</l> +<l>My vengeful shaft the fiend shall slay,</l> +<l>And earth shall drink his blood to-day.</l> +<l>The fury which my soul at first</l> +<l>Upon usurping Bharat nursed,</l> +<l>On this Virádha will I wreak</l> +<l>As Indra splits the mountain peak.</l> +<l>Winged by this arm's impetuous might</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">My shaft with deadly force</l> +<l>The monster in the chest shall smite,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">And fell his shattered corse.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-III"/> +<head>Canto III. Virádha Attacked.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Virádha with a fearful shout</l> +<l>That echoed through the wood, cried out:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">What men are ye, I bid you say,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">And whither would ye bend your way?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To him whose mouth shot fiery flame</l> +<l>The hero told his race and name:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Two Warriors, nobly bred, are we,</q></l> +<l>And through this wood we wander free.</l> +<l>But who art thou, how born and styled,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Who roamest here in Daṇḍak's wild?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To Ráma, bravest of the brave,</l> +<l>His answer thus Virádha gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hear, Raghu's son, and mark me well,</q></l> +<l>And I my name and race will tell.</l> +<l>Of Śatahradá born, I spring</l> +<l>From Java as my sire, O King:</l> +<l>Me, of this lofty lineage, all</l> +<l>Giants on earth Virádha call.</l> +<l>The rites austere I long maintained</l> +<l>From Brahmá's grace the boon have gained</l> +<l>To bear a charmed frame which ne'er</l> +<l>Weapon or shaft may pierce or tear.</l> +<l>Go as ye came, untouched by fear,</l> +<l>And leave with me this woman here:</l> +<l>Go, swiftly from my presence fly,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Or by this hand ye both shall die.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma with his fierce eyes red</l> +<l>With fury to the giant said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Woe to thee, sinner, fond and weak,</q></l> +<l>Who madly thus thy death wilt seek!</l> +<l>Stand, for it waits thee in the fray:</l> +<l><q rend="post">With life thou ne'er shalt flee away.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke, and raised the cord whereon</l> +<l>A pointed arrow flashed and shone,</l> +<l>Then, wild with anger, from his bow,</l> +<l>He launched the weapon on the foe.</l> +<l>Seven times the fatal cord he drew,</l> +<l>And forth seven rapid arrows flew,</l> +<l>Shafts winged with gold that left the wind</l> +<l>And e'en Suparṇa's<note place="foot">The king of birds.</note> self behind.</l> +<l>Full on the giant's breast they smote,</l> +<l>And purpled like the peacock's throat,</l> +<l>Passed through his mighty bulk and came</l> +<l>To earth again like flakes of flame.</l> +<l>The fiend the Maithil dame unclasped;</l> +<l>In his fierce hand his spear he grasped,</l> +<l>And wild with rage, pierced through and through,</l> +<l>At Ráma and his brother flew.</l> +<l>So loud the roar which chilled with fear,</l> +<l>So massy was the monster's spear,</l> +<l>He seemed, like Indra's flagstaff, dread</l> +<l>As the dark God who rules the dead.</l> +<l>On huge Virádha fierce as He<note place="foot"><foreign +lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Kálántakayamopamam</foreign>, +resembling Yáma the destroyer.</note></l> +<l>Who smites, and worlds have ceased to be,</l> +<l>The princely brothers poured amain</l> +<l>Their fiery flood of arrowy rain.</l> +<l>Unmoved he stood, and opening wide</l> +<l>His dire mouth laughed unterrified,</l> +<l>And ever as the monster gaped</l> +<l>Those arrows from his jaws escaped.</l> +<l>Preserving still his life unharmed,</l> +<l>By Brahmá's saving promise charmed,</l> +<l>His mighty spear aloft in air</l> +<l>He raised, and rushed upon the pair.</l> +<l>From Ráma's bow two arrows flew</l> +<l>And cleft that massive spear in two,</l> +<pb n="232"/><anchor id="Pg232"/> +<l>Dire as the flaming levin sent</l> +<l>From out the cloudy firmament.</l> +<l>Cut by the shafts he guided well</l> +<l>To earth the giant's weapon fell:</l> +<l>As when from Meru's summit, riven</l> +<l>By fiery bolts, a rock is driven.</l> +<l>Then swift his sword each warrior drew,</l> +<l>Like a dread serpent black of hue,</l> +<l>And gathering fury for the blow</l> +<l>Rushed fiercely on the giant foe.</l> +<l>Around each prince an arm he cast,</l> +<l>And held the dauntless heroes fast:</l> +<l>Then, though his gashes gaped and bled,</l> +<l>Bearing the twain he turned and fled.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma saw the giant's plan,</l> +<l>And to his brother thus began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Lakshmaṇ, let Virádha still</q></l> +<l>Hurry us onward as he will,</l> +<l>For look, Sumitrá's son, he goes</l> +<l><q rend="post">Along the path we freely chose.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke: the rover of the night</l> +<l>Upraised them with terrific might,</l> +<l>Till, to his lofty shoulders swung,</l> +<l>Like children to his neck they clung.</l> +<l>Then sending far his fearful roar,</l> +<l>The princes through the wood he bore,—</l> +<l>A wood like some vast cloud to view,</l> +<l>Where birds of every plumage flew,</l> +<l>And mighty trees o'erarching threw</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Dark shadows on the ground;</l> +<l>Where snakes and silvan creatures made</l> +<l>Their dwelling, and the jackal strayed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Through tangled brakes around.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-IV"/> +<head>Canto IV. Virádha's Death.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Sítá viewed with wild affright</l> +<l>The heroes hurried from her sight.</l> +<l>She tossed her shapely arms on high,</l> +<l>And shrieked aloud her bitter cry:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah, the dread giant bears away</q></l> +<l>The princely Ráma as his prey,</l> +<l>Truthful and pure, and good and great,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ shares his brother's fate.</l> +<l>The brindled tiger and the bear</l> +<l>My mangled limbs for food will tear.</l> +<l>Take me, O best of giants, me,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And leave the sons of Raghu free.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then, by avenging fury spurred,</l> +<l>Her mournful cry the heroes heard,</l> +<l>And hastened, for the lady's sake,</l> +<l>The wicked monster's life to take.</l> +<l>Then Lakshmaṇ with resistless stroke</l> +<l>The foe's left arm that held him broke,</l> +<l>And Ráma too, as swift to smite,</l> +<l>Smashed with his heavy hand the right.</l> +<l>With broken arms and tortured frame</l> +<l>To earth the fainting giant came,</l> +<l>Like a huge cloud, or mighty rock</l> +<l>Rent, sundered by the levin's shock.</l> +<l>Then rushed they on, and crushed and beat</l> +<l>Their foe with arms and fists and feet,</l> +<l>And nerved each mighty limb to pound</l> +<l>And bray him on the level ground.</l> +<l>Keen arrows and each biting blade</l> +<l>Wide rents in breast and side had made;</l> +<l>But crushed and torn and mangled, still</l> +<l>The monster lived they could not kill.</l> +<l>When Ráma saw no arms might slay</l> +<l>The fiend who like a mountain lay,</l> +<l>The glorious hero, swift to save</l> +<l>In danger, thus his counsel gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Prince of men, his charmed life</q></l> +<l>No arms may take in battle strife:</l> +<l>Now dig we in this grove a pit</l> +<l>His elephantine bulk to fit,</l> +<l>And let the hollowed earth enfold</l> +<l><q rend="post">The monster of gigantic mould.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">This said, the son of Raghu pressed</l> +<l>His foot upon the giant's breast.</l> +<l>With joy the prostrate monster heard</l> +<l>Victorious Ráma's welcome word,</l> +<l>And straight Kakutstha's son, the best</l> +<l>Of men, in words like these addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I yield, O chieftain, overthrown</q></l> +<l>By might that vies with Indra's own.</l> +<l>Till now my folly-blinded eyes</l> +<l>Thee, hero, failed to recognize.</l> +<l>Happy Kauśalyá! blest to be</l> +<l>The mother of a son like thee!</l> +<l>I know thee well, O chieftain, now:</l> +<l>Ráma, the prince of men, art thou.</l> +<l>There stands the high-born Maithil dame,</l> +<l>There Lakshmaṇ, lord of mighty fame.</l> +<l>My name was Tumburu,<note place="foot">Somewhat inconsistently with this part +of the story Tumburu is mentioned in Book II, Canto XII as one of the Gandharvas +or heavenly minstrels summoned to perform at Bharadvája's feast.</note> for song</l> +<l>Renowned among the minstrel throng:</l> +<l>Cursed by Kuvera's stern decree</l> +<l>I wear the hideous shape you see.</l> +<l>But when I sued, his grace to crave,</l> +<l>The glorious God this answer gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">When Ráma, Daśaratha's son,</q></l> +<l>Destroys thee and the fight is won,</l> +<l>Thy proper shape once more assume,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And heaven again shall give thee room.</q></l> +<l>When thus the angry God replied,</l> +<l>No prayers could turn his wrath aside,</l> +<l>And thus on me his fury fell</l> +<l>For loving Rambhá's<note place="foot">Rambhá appears in <ref target="CantoI-LXIV">Book +I Canto LXIV</ref> as the temptress of Viśvámitra.</note> charms too well.</l> +<l>Now through thy favour am I freed</l> +<l>From the stern fate the God decreed,</l> +<l>And saved, O tamer of the foe,</l> +<pb n="233"/><anchor id="Pg233"/> +<l>By thee, to heaven again shall go.</l> +<l>A league, O Prince, beyond this spot</l> +<l>Stands holy Śarabhanga's cot:</l> +<l>The very sun is not more bright</l> +<l>Than that most glorious anchorite:</l> +<l>To him, O Ráma, quickly turn,</l> +<l>And blessings from the hermit earn.</l> +<l>First under earth my body throw,</l> +<l>Then on thy way rejoicing go.</l> +<l>Such is the law ordained of old</l> +<l>For giants when their days are told:</l> +<l>Their bodies laid in earth, they rise</l> +<l><q rend="post">To homes eternal in the skies.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus, by the rankling dart oppressed,</l> +<l>Kakutstha's offspring he addressed:</l> +<l>In earth his mighty body lay,</l> +<l>His spirit fled to heaven away.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spake Virádha ere he died;</l> +<l>And Ráma to his brother cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now dig we in this grove a pit</q></l> +<l>His elephantine bulk to fit.</l> +<l>And let the hollowed earth enfold</l> +<l><q rend="post">This mighty giant fierce and bold.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">This said, the valiant hero put</l> +<l>Upon the giant's neck his foot.</l> +<l>His spade obedient Lakshmaṇ plied,</l> +<l>And dug a pit both deep and wide</l> +<l>By lofty souled Virádha's side.</l> +<l>Then Raghu's son his foot withdrew,</l> +<l>And down the mighty form they threw;</l> +<l>One awful shout of joy he gave</l> +<l>And sank into the open grave.</l> +<l>The heroes, to their purpose true,</l> +<l>In fight the cruel demon slew,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And radiant with delight</l> +<l>Deep in the hollowed earth they cast</l> +<l>The monster roaring to the last,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In their resistless might.</l> +<l>Thus when they saw the warrior's steel</l> +<l>No life-destroying blow might deal,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The pair, for lore renowned,</l> +<l>Deep in the pit their hands had made</l> +<l>The unresisting giant laid,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And killed him neath the ground.</l> +<l>Upon himself the monster brought</l> +<l>From Ráma's hand the death he sought</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With strong desire to gain:</l> +<l>And thus the rover of the night</l> +<l>Told Ráma, as they strove in fight,</l> +<l>That swords might rend and arrows smite</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Upon his breast in vain.</l> +<l>Thus Ráma, when his speech he heard,</l> +<l>The giant's mighty form interred,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Which mortal arms defied.</l> +<l>With thundering crash the giant fell,</l> +<l>And rock and cave and forest dell</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With echoing roar replied.</l> +<l>The princes, when their task was done</l> +<l>And freedom from the peril won,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Rejoiced to see him die.</l> +<l>Then in the boundless wood they strayed,</l> +<l>Like the great sun and moon displayed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Triumphant in the sky.<note place="foot">The conclusion +of this Canto is all a vain repetition: it is manifestly spurious +and a very feeble imitation of Válmíki's style. See <hi rend='italic'>Additional +Notes</hi>.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-V"/> +<head>Canto V. Sarabhanga.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Ráma, having slain in fight</l> +<l>Virádha of terrific might,</l> +<l>With gentle words his spouse consoled,</l> +<l>And clasped her in his loving hold.</l> +<l>Then to his brother nobly brave</l> +<l>The valiant prince his counsel gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Wild are these woods around us spread;</q></l> +<l>And hard and rough the ground to tread:</l> +<l>We, O my brother, ne'er have viewed</l> +<l>So dark and drear a solitude:</l> +<l>To Śarabhanga let us haste,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Whom wealth of holy works has graced.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma spoke, and took the road</l> +<l>To Śarabhanga's pure abode.</l> +<l>But near that saint whose lustre vied</l> +<l>With Gods, by penance purified,</l> +<l>With startled eyes the prince beheld</l> +<l>A wondrous sight unparalleled.</l> +<l>In splendour like the fire and sun</l> +<l>He saw a great and glorious one.</l> +<l>Upon a noble car he rode,</l> +<l>And many a God behind him glowed:</l> +<l>And earth beneath his feet unpressed<note place="foot"><q>Even when he had +alighted,</q> says the commentator: The feet of Gods do not touch the ground.</note></l> +<l>The monarch of the skies confessed.</l> +<l>Ablaze with gems, no dust might dim</l> +<l>The bright attire that covered him.</l> +<l>Arrayed like him, on every side</l> +<l>High saints their master glorified.</l> +<l>Near, borne in air, appeared in view</l> +<l>His car which tawny coursers drew,</l> +<l>Like silver cloud, the moon, or sun</l> +<l>Ere yet the day is well begun.</l> +<l>Wreathed with gay garlands, o'er his head</l> +<l>A pure white canopy was spread,</l> +<l>And lovely nymphs stood nigh to hold</l> +<l>Fair chouris with their sticks of gold,</l> +<l>Which, waving in each gentle hand,</l> +<l>The forehead of their monarch fanned.</l> +<l>God, saint, and bard, a radiant ring,</l> +<l>Sang glory to their heavenly King:</l> +<l>Forth into joyful lauds they burst</l> +<l>As Indra with the sage conversed.</l> +<l>Then Ráma, when his wondering eyes</l> +<l>Beheld the monarch of the skies,</l> +<pb n="234"/><anchor id="Pg234"/> +<l>To Lakshmaṇ quickly called, and showed</l> +<l>The car wherein Lord Indra rode:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">See, brother, see that air-borne car,</q></l> +<l>Whose wondrous glory shines afar:</l> +<l>Wherefrom so bright a lustre streams</l> +<l>That like a falling sun it seems:</l> +<l>These are the steeds whose fame we know,</l> +<l>Of heavenly race through heaven they go:</l> +<l>These are the steeds who bear the yoke</l> +<l>Of Śakra,<note place="foot">A name of Indra.</note> Him whom all invoke.</l> +<l>Behold these youths, a glorious band,</l> +<l>Toward every wind a hundred stand:</l> +<l>A sword in each right hand is borne,</l> +<l>And rings of gold their arms adorn.</l> +<l>What might in every broad deep chest</l> +<l>And club-like arm is manifest!</l> +<l>Clothed in attire of crimson hue</l> +<l>They show like tigers fierce to view.</l> +<l>Great chains of gold each warder deck,</l> +<l>Gleaming like fire beneath his neck.</l> +<l>The age of each fair youth appears</l> +<l>Some score and five of human years:</l> +<l>The ever-blooming prime which they</l> +<l>Who live in heaven retain for aye:</l> +<l>Such mien these lordly beings wear,</l> +<l>Heroic youths, most bright and fair.</l> +<l>Now, brother, in this spot, I pray,</l> +<l>With the Videhan lady stay,</l> +<l>Till I have certain knowledge who</l> +<l><q rend="post">This being is, so bright to view.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke, and turning from the spot</l> +<l>Sought Śarabhanga's hermit cot.</l> +<l>But when the lord of Śachí<note place="foot">Śachí is the consort of Indra.</note> +saw</l> +<l>The son of Raghu near him draw,</l> +<l>He hastened of the sage to take</l> +<l>His leave, and to his followers spake:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">See, Ráma bends his steps this way,</q></l> +<l>But ere he yet a word can say,</l> +<l>Come, fly to our celestial sphere;</l> +<l>It is not meet he see me here.</l> +<l>Soon victor and triumphant he</l> +<l>In fitter time shall look on me.</l> +<l>Before him still a great emprise,</l> +<l><q rend="post">A task too hard for others, lies.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then with all marks of honour high</l> +<l>The Thunderer bade the saint good-bye,</l> +<l>And in his car which coursers drew</l> +<l>Away to heaven the conqueror flew.</l> +<l>Then Ráma, Lakshmaṇ, and the dame,</l> +<l>To Śarabhanga nearer came,</l> +<l>Who sat beside the holy flame.</l> +<l>Before the ancient sage they bent,</l> +<l>And clasped his feet most reverent;</l> +<l>Then at his invitation found</l> +<l>A seat beside him on the ground.</l> +<l>Then Ráma prayed the sage would deign</l> +<l>Lord Indra's visit to explain;</l> +<l>And thus at length the holy man</l> +<l>In answer to his prayer began:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">This Lord of boons has sought me here</q></l> +<l>To waft me hence to Brahmá's sphere,</l> +<l>Won by my penance long and stern,—</l> +<l>A home the lawless ne'er can earn.</l> +<l>But when I knew that thou wast nigh,</l> +<l>To Brahmá's world I could not fly</l> +<l>Until these longing eyes were blest</l> +<l>With seeing thee, mine honoured guest.</l> +<l>Since thou, O Prince, hast cheered my sight,</l> +<l>Great-hearted lover of the right,</l> +<l>To heavenly spheres will I repair</l> +<l>And bliss supreme that waits me there.</l> +<l>For I have won, dear Prince, my way</l> +<l>To those fair worlds which ne'er decay,</l> +<l>Celestial seat of Brahmá's reign:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Be thine, with me, those worlds to gain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then master of all sacred lore,</l> +<l>Spake Ráma to the saint once more:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">I, even I, illustrious sage,</q></l> +<l>Will make those worlds mine heritage:</l> +<l>But now, I pray, some home assign</l> +<l><q rend="post">Within this holy grove of thine.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma, Indra's peer in might,</l> +<l>Addressed the aged anchorite:</l> +<l>And he, with wisdom well endued,</l> +<l>To Raghu's son his speech renewed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Sutíkshṇa's woodland home is near,</q></l> +<l>A glorious saint of life austere,</l> +<l>True to the path of duty; he</l> +<l>With highest bliss will prosper thee.</l> +<l>Against the stream thy course must be</l> +<l>Of this fair brook Mandákiní,</l> +<l>Whereon light rafts like blossoms glide;</l> +<l>Then to his cottage turn aside.</l> +<l>There lies thy path: but ere thou go,</l> +<l>Look on me, dear one, till I throw</l> +<l>Aside this mould that girds me in,</l> +<l><q rend="post">As casts the snake his withered skin.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke, the fire in order laid</l> +<l>With holy oil due offerings made,</l> +<l>And Śarabhanga, glorious sire,</l> +<l>Laid down his body in the fire.</l> +<l>Then rose the flame above his head,</l> +<l>On skin, blood, flesh, and bones it fed,</l> +<l>Till forth, transformed, with radiant hue</l> +<l>Of tender youth, he rose anew,</l> +<l>Far-shining in his bright attire</l> +<l>Came Śarabhanga from the pyre:</l> +<l>Above the home of saints, and those</l> +<l>Who feed the quenchless flame,<note place="foot">The spheres or mansions gained by +those who have duly performed the sacrifices required of them. Different situations +are assigned to these spheres, some placing them near the sun, others near the +moon.</note> he rose:</l> +<l>Beyond the seat of Gods he passed,</l> +<l>And Brahmá's sphere was gained at last.</l> +<pb n="235"/><anchor id="Pg235"/> +<l>The noblest of the twice-born race,</l> +<l>For holy works supreme in place,</l> +<l>The Mighty Father there beheld</l> +<l>Girt round by hosts unparalleled;</l> +<l>And Brahmá joying at the sight</l> +<l>Welcomed the glorious anchorite.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-VI"/> +<head>Canto VI. Ráma's Promise.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When he his heavenly home had found,</l> +<l>The holy men who dwelt around</l> +<l>To Ráma flocked, whose martial fame</l> +<l>Shone glorious as the kindled flame:</l> +<l>Vaikhánasas<note place="foot">Hermits who live upon roots which +they dig out of the earth: literally <hi rend='italic'>diggers</hi>, +derived from the prefix <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">vi</foreign> +and <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">khan</foreign> to dig.</note> +who love the wild,</l> +<l>Pure hermits Bálakhilyas<note place="foot">Generally, divine personages of the +height of a man's thumb, produced from Brahmá's hair: here, according to the +commentator followed by Gorresio, hermits who when they have obtained fresh food +throw away what they had laid up before.</note> styled,</l> +<l>Good Samprakshálas,<note place="foot">Sprung from the washings of Vishṇuu's +feet.</note> saints who live</l> +<l>On rays which moon and daystar give:</l> +<l>Those who with leaves their lives sustain</l> +<l>And those who pound with stones their grain:</l> +<l>And they who lie in pools, and those</l> +<l>Whose corn, save teeth, no winnow knows:</l> +<l>Those who for beds the cold earth use,</l> +<l>And those who every couch refuse:</l> +<l>And those condemned to ceaseless pains,</l> +<l>Whose single foot their weight sustains:</l> +<l>And those who sleep neath open skies,</l> +<l>Whose food the wave or air supplies,</l> +<l>And hermits pure who spend their nights</l> +<l>On ground prepared for sacred rites;</l> +<l>Those who on hills their vigil hold,</l> +<l>Or dripping clothes around them fold:</l> +<l>The devotees who live for prayer,</l> +<l>Or the five fires<note place="foot">Four fires burning round them, and +the sun above.</note> unflinching bear.</l> +<l>On contemplation all intent,</l> +<l>With light that heavenly knowledge lent,</l> +<l>They came to Ráma, saint and sage,</l> +<l>In Śarabhanga's hermitage.</l> +<l>The hermit crowd around him pressed,</l> +<l>And thus the virtuous chief addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The lordship of the earth is thine,</q></l> +<l>O Prince of old Ikshváku's line.</l> +<l>Lord of the Gods is Indra, so</l> +<l>Thou art our lord and guide below.</l> +<l>Thy name, the glory of thy might,</l> +<l>Throughout the triple world are bright:</l> +<l>Thy filial love so nobly shown,</l> +<l>Thy truth and virtue well are known.</l> +<l>To thee, O lord, for help we fly,</l> +<l>And on thy love of right rely:</l> +<l>With kindly patience hear us speak,</l> +<l>And grant the boon we humbly seek.</l> +<l>That lord of earth were most unjust,</l> +<l>Foul traitor to his solemn trust,</l> +<l>Who should a sixth of all<note place="foot">The tax allowed to the king by the +Laws of Manu.</note> require,</l> +<l>Nor guard his people like a sire.</l> +<l>But he who ever watchful strives</l> +<l>To guard his subjects' wealth and lives,</l> +<l>Dear as himself or, dearer still,</l> +<l>His sons, with earnest heart and will,—</l> +<l>That king, O Raghu's son, secures</l> +<l>High fame that endless years endures,</l> +<l>And he to Brahmá's world shall rise,</l> +<l>Made glorious in the eternal skies.</l> +<l>Whate'er, by duty won, the meed</l> +<l>Of saints whom roots and berries feed,</l> +<l>One fourth thereof, for tender care</l> +<l>Of subjects, is the monarch's share.</l> +<l>These, mostly of the Bráhman race,</l> +<l>Who make the wood their dwelling-place,</l> +<l>Although a friend in thee they view,</l> +<l>Fall friendless neath the giant crew.</l> +<l>Come, Ráma, come, and see hard by</l> +<l>The holy hermits' corpses lie,</l> +<l>Where many a tangled pathway shows</l> +<l>The murderous work of cruel foes.</l> +<l>These wicked fiends the hermits kill—</l> +<l>Who live on Chitrakúṭa's hill,</l> +<l>And blood of slaughtered saints has dyed</l> +<l>Mandákiní and Pampá's side.</l> +<l>No longer can we bear to see</l> +<l>The death of saint and devotee</l> +<l>Whom through the forest day by day</l> +<l>These Rákshasas unpitying slay.</l> +<l>To thee, O Prince, we flee, and crave</l> +<l>Thy guardian help our lives to save.</l> +<l>From these fierce rovers of the night</l> +<l>Defend each stricken anchorite.</l> +<l>Throughout the world 'twere vain to seek</l> +<l>An arm like thine to aid the weak.</l> +<l>O Prince, we pray thee hear our call,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And from these fiends preserve us all.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The son of Raghu heard the plaint</l> +<l>Of penance-loving sage and saint,</l> +<l>And the good prince his speech renewed</l> +<l>To all the hermit multitude:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">To me, O saints, ye need not sue:</q></l> +<l>I wait the hests of all of you.</l> +<l>I by mine own occasion led</l> +<l>This mighty forest needs must tread,</l> +<pb n="236"/><anchor id="Pg236"/> +<l>And while I keep my sire's decree</l> +<l>Your lives from threatening foes will free.</l> +<l>I hither came of free accord</l> +<l>To lend the aid by you implored,</l> +<l>And richest meed my toil shall pay,</l> +<l>While here in forest shades I stay.</l> +<l>I long in battle strife to close.</l> +<l>And slay these fiends, the hermits' foes,</l> +<l>That saint and sage may learn aright</l> +<l><q rend="post">My prowess and my brother's might.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus to the saints his promise gave</l> +<l>That prince who still to virtue clave</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With never-wandering thought:</l> +<l>And then with Lakshmaṇ by his side,</l> +<l>With penance-wealthy men to guide,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sutíkshṇa's home he sought.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-VII"/> +<head>Canto VII. Sutíkshna.</head> + +<lg> +<l>So Raghu's son, his foemen's dread,</l> +<l>With Sítá and his brother sped,</l> +<l>Girt round by many a twice-born sage,</l> +<l>To good Sutíkshṇa's hermitage.<note place="foot">Near the celebrated Rámagiri or +Ráma's Hill, now Rám-ṭek, near Nagpore—the scene of the Yaksha's exile in the +<hi rend='italic'>Messenger Cloud</hi>.</note></l> +<l>Through woods for many a league he passed,</l> +<l>O'er rushing rivers full and fast,</l> +<l>Until a mountain fair and bright</l> +<l>As lofty Meru rose in sight.</l> +<l>Within its belt of varied wood</l> +<l>Ikshváku's sons and Sítá stood,</l> +<l>Where trees of every foliage bore</l> +<l>Blossom and fruit in endless store.</l> +<l>There coats of bark, like garlands strung,</l> +<l>Before a lonely cottage hung,</l> +<l>And there a hermit, dust-besmeared,</l> +<l>A lotus on his breast, appeared.</l> +<l>Then Ráma with obeisance due</l> +<l>Addressed the sage, as near he drew:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My name is Ráma, lord; I seek</q></l> +<l>Thy presence, saint, with thee to speak.</l> +<l>O sage, whose merits ne'er decay,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Some word unto thy servant say.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The sage his eyes on Ráma bent,</l> +<l>Of virtue's friends preëminent;</l> +<l>Then words like these he spoke, and pressed</l> +<l>The son of Raghu to his breast:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Welcome to thee, illustrious youth,</q></l> +<l>Best champion of the rights of truth!</l> +<l>By thine approach this holy ground</l> +<l>A worthy lord this day has found.</l> +<l>I could not quit this mortal frame</l> +<l>Till thou shouldst come, O dear to fame:</l> +<l>To heavenly spheres I would not rise,</l> +<l>Expecting thee with eager eyes.</l> +<l>I knew that thou, unkinged, hadst made</l> +<l>Thy home in Chitrakúṭa's shade.</l> +<l>E'en now, O Ráma, Indra, lord</l> +<l>Supreme by all the Gods adored,</l> +<l>King of the Hundred Offerings,<note place="foot">A hundred <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Aśvamedhas</foreign> or sacrifices of a horse raise the +sacrificer to the dignity of Indra.</note> said,</l> +<l>When he my dwelling visited,</l> +<l>That the good works that I have done</l> +<l>My choice of all the worlds have won.</l> +<l>Accept this meed of holy vows,</l> +<l>And with thy brother and thy spouse,</l> +<l>Roam, through my favour, in the sky</l> +<l><q rend="post">Which saints celestial glorify.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To that bright sage, of penance stern,</l> +<l>The high-souled Ráma spake in turn,</l> +<l>As Vásava<note place="foot">Indra.</note> who rules the skies</l> +<l>To Brahmá's gracious speech replies:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I of myself those worlds will win,</q></l> +<l>O mighty hermit pure from sin:</l> +<l>But now, O saint, I pray thee tell</l> +<l>Where I within this wood may dwell:</l> +<l>For I by Śarabhanga old,</l> +<l>The son of Gautama, was told</l> +<l>That thou in every lore art wise,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And seest all with loving eyes.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus to the saint, whose glories high</l> +<l>Filled all the world, he made reply:</l> +<l>And thus again the holy man</l> +<l>His pleasant speech with joy began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">This calm retreat, O Prince, is blest</q></l> +<l>With many a charm: here take thy rest.</l> +<l>Here roots and kindly fruits abound,</l> +<l>And hermits love the holy ground.</l> +<l>Fair silvan beasts and gentle deer</l> +<l>In herds unnumbered wander here:</l> +<l>And as they roam, secure from harm,</l> +<l>Our eyes with grace and beauty charm:</l> +<l>Except the beasts in thickets bred,</l> +<l><q rend="post">This grove of ours has naught to dread.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hermit's speech when Ráma heard,—</l> +<l>The hero ne'er by terror stirred,—</l> +<l>On his great bow his hand he laid,</l> +<l>And thus in turn his answer made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O saint, my darts of keenest steel,</q></l> +<l>Armed with their murderous barbs, would deal</l> +<l>Destruction mid the silvan race</l> +<l>That flocks around thy dwelling-place.</l> +<l>Most wretched then my fate would be</l> +<l>For such dishonour shown to thee:</l> +<l>And only for the briefest stay</l> +<l><q rend="post">Would I within this grove delay.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke and ceased. With pious care</l> +<l>He turned him to his evening prayer,</l> +<l>Performed each customary rite,</l> +<l>And sought his lodging for the night,</l> +<l>With Sítá and his brother laid</l> +<pb n="237"/><anchor id="Pg237"/> +<l>Beneath the grove's delightful shade,</l> +<l>First good Sutíkshṇa, as elsewhere, when he saw</l> +<l>The shades of night around them draw,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With hospitable care</l> +<l>The princely chieftains entertained</l> +<l>With store of choicest food ordained</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">For holy hermit's fare.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-VIII"/> +<head>Canto VIII. The Hermitage.</head> + +<lg> +<l>So Ráma and Sumitrá's son,</l> +<l>When every honour due was done,</l> +<l>Slept through the night. When morning broke,</l> +<l>The heroes from their rest awoke.</l> +<l>Betimes the son of Raghu rose,</l> +<l>With gentle Sítá, from repose,</l> +<l>And sipped the cool delicious wave</l> +<l>Sweet with the scent the lotus gave,</l> +<l>Then to the Gods and sacred flame</l> +<l>The heroes and the lady came,</l> +<l>And bent their heads in honour meet</l> +<l>Within the hermit's pure retreat.</l> +<l>When every stain was purged away,</l> +<l>They saw the rising Lord of Day:</l> +<l>Then to Sutíkshṇa's side they went,</l> +<l>And softly spoke, most reverent:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Well have we slept, O holy lord,</q></l> +<l>Honoured of thee by all adored:</l> +<l>Now leave to journey forth we pray:</l> +<l>These hermits urge us on our way.</l> +<l>We haste to visit, wandering by,</l> +<l>The ascetics' homes that round you lie,</l> +<l>And roaming Daṇḍak's mighty wood</l> +<l>To view each saintly brotherhood,</l> +<l>For thy permission now we sue,</l> +<l>With these high saints to duty true,</l> +<l>By penance taught each sense to tame,—</l> +<l>In lustre like the smokeless flame.</l> +<l>Ere on our brows the sun can beat</l> +<l>With fierce intolerable heat.</l> +<l>Like some unworthy lord who wins</l> +<l>His power by tyranny and sins,</l> +<l><q rend="post">O saint, we fain would part.</q> The three</l> +<l>Bent humbly to the devotee.</l> +<l>He raised the princes as they pressed</l> +<l>His feet, and strained them to his breast;</l> +<l>And then the chief of devotees</l> +<l>Bespake them both in words like these:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Go with thy brother, Ráma, go,</q></l> +<l>Pursue thy path untouched by woe:</l> +<l>Go with thy faithful Sítá, she</l> +<l>Still like a shadow follows thee.</l> +<l>Roam Daṇḍak wood observing well</l> +<l>The pleasant homes where hermits dwell,—</l> +<l>Pure saints whose ordered souls adhere</l> +<l>To penance rites and vows austere.</l> +<l>There plenteous roots and berries grow,</l> +<l>And noble trees their blossoms show,</l> +<l>And gentle deer and birds of air</l> +<l>In peaceful troops are gathered there.</l> +<l>There see the full-blown lotus stud</l> +<l>The bosom of the lucid flood,</l> +<l>And watch the joyous mallard shake</l> +<l>The reeds that fringe the pool and lake.</l> +<l>See with delighted eye the rill</l> +<l>Leap sparkling from her parent hill,</l> +<l>And hear the woods that round thee lie</l> +<l>Reëcho to the peacock's cry.</l> +<l>And as I bid thy brother, so,</l> +<l>Sumitrá's child, I bid thee go.</l> +<l>Go forth, these varied beauties see,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And then once more return to me.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spake the sage Sutíkshṇa: both</l> +<l>The chiefs assented, nothing loth,</l> +<l>Round him with circling steps they paced,</l> +<l>Then for the road prepared with haste.</l> +<l>There Sítá stood, the dame long-eyed,</l> +<l>Fair quivers round their waists she tied,</l> +<l>And gave each prince his trusty bow,</l> +<l>And sword which ne'er a spot might know.</l> +<l>Each took his quiver from her hand.</l> +<l>And clanging bow and gleaming brand:</l> +<l>Then from the hermits' home the two</l> +<l>Went forth each woodland scene to view.</l> +<l>Each beauteous in the bloom of age,</l> +<l>Dismissed by that illustrious sage,</l> +<l>With bow and sword accoutred, hied</l> +<l>Away, and Sítá by their side.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-IX"/> +<head>Canto IX. Sítá's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Blest by the sage, when Raghu's son</l> +<l>His onward journey had begun,</l> +<l>Thus in her soft tone Sítá, meek</l> +<l>With modest fear, began to speak:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">One little slip the great may lead</q></l> +<l>To shame that follows lawless deed:</l> +<l>Such shame, my lord, as still must cling</l> +<l>To faults from low desire that spring.</l> +<l>Three several sins defile the soul,</l> +<l>Born of desire that spurns control:</l> +<l>First, utterance of a lying word,</l> +<l>Then, viler both, the next, and third:</l> +<l>The lawless love of other's wife,</l> +<l>The thirst of blood uncaused by strife.</l> +<l>The first, O Raghu's son, in thee</l> +<l>None yet has found, none e'er shall see.</l> +<l>Love of another's dame destroys</l> +<l>All merit, lost for guilty joys:</l> +<l>Ráma, such crime in thee, I ween,</l> +<l>Has ne'er been found, shall ne'er be seen:</l> +<l>The very thought, my princely lord,</l> +<l>Is in thy secret soul abhorred.</l> +<pb n="238"/><anchor id="Pg238"/> +<l>For thou hast ever been the same</l> +<l>Fond lover of thine own dear dame,</l> +<l>Content with faithful heart to do</l> +<l>Thy father's will, most just and true:</l> +<l>Justice, and faith, and many a grace</l> +<l>In thee have found a resting-place.</l> +<l>Such virtues, Prince, the good may gain</l> +<l>Who empire o'er each sense retain;</l> +<l>And well canst thou, with loving view</l> +<l>Regarding all, each sense subdue.</l> +<l>But for the third, the lust that strives,</l> +<l>Insatiate still, for others' lives,—</l> +<l>Fond thirst of blood where hate is none,—</l> +<l>This, O my lord, thou wilt not shun.</l> +<l>Thou hast but now a promise made,</l> +<l>The saints of Daṇḍak wood to aid:</l> +<l>And to protect their lives from ill</l> +<l>The giants' blood in tight wilt spill:</l> +<l>And from thy promise lasting fame</l> +<l>Will glorify the forest's name.</l> +<l>Armed with thy bow and arrows thou</l> +<l>Forth with thy brother journeyest now,</l> +<l>While as I think how true thou art</l> +<l>Fears for thy bliss assail my heart,</l> +<l>And all my spirit at the sight</l> +<l>Is troubled with a strange affright.</l> +<l>I like it not—it seems not good—</l> +<l>Thy going thus to Daṇḍak wood:</l> +<l>And I, if thou wilt mark me well,</l> +<l>The reason of my fear will tell.</l> +<l>Thou with thy brother, bow in hand,</l> +<l>Beneath those ancient trees wilt stand,</l> +<l>And thy keen arrows will not spare</l> +<l>Wood-rovers who will meet thee there.</l> +<l>For as the fuel food supplies</l> +<l>That bids the dormant flame arise,</l> +<l>Thus when the warrior grasps his bow</l> +<l>He feels his breast with ardour glow.</l> +<l>Deep in a holy grove, of yore,</l> +<l>Where bird and beast from strife forbore,</l> +<l>Śuchi beneath the sheltering boughs,</l> +<l>A truthful hermit kept his vows.</l> +<l>Then Indra, Śachí's heavenly lord,</l> +<l>Armed like a warrior with a sword,</l> +<l>Came to his tranquil home to spoil</l> +<l>The hermit of his holy toil,</l> +<l>And left the glorious weapon there</l> +<l>Entrusted to the hermit's care,</l> +<l>A pledge for him to keep, whose mind</l> +<l>To fervent zeal was all resigned.</l> +<l>He took the brand: with utmost heed</l> +<l>He kept it for the warrior's need:</l> +<l>To keep his trust he fondly strove</l> +<l>When roaming in the neighbouring grove:</l> +<l>Whene'er for roots and fruit he strayed</l> +<l>Still by his side he bore the blade:</l> +<l>Still on his sacred charge intent,</l> +<l>He took his treasure when he went.</l> +<l>As day by day that brand he wore,</l> +<l>The hermit, rich in merit's store</l> +<l>From penance rites each thought withdrew,</l> +<l>And fierce and wild his spirit grew.</l> +<l>With heedless soul he spurned the right,</l> +<l>And found in cruel deeds delight.</l> +<l>So, living with the sword, he fell,</l> +<l>A ruined hermit, down to hell.</l> +<l>This tale applies to those who deal</l> +<l>Too closely with the warrior's steel:</l> +<l>The steel to warriors is the same</l> +<l>As fuel to the smouldering flame.</l> +<l>Sincere affection prompts my speech:</l> +<l>I honour where I fain would teach.</l> +<l>Mayst thou, thus armed with shaft and bow,</l> +<l>So dire a longing never know</l> +<l>As, when no hatred prompts the fray,</l> +<l>These giants of the wood to slay:</l> +<l>For he who kills without offence</l> +<l>Shall win but little glory thence.</l> +<l>The bow the warrior joys to bend</l> +<l>Is lent him for a nobler end,</l> +<l>That he may save and succour those</l> +<l>Who watch in woods when pressed by foes.</l> +<l>What, matched with woods, is bow or steel?</l> +<l>What, warrior's arm with hermit's zeal?</l> +<l>We with such might have naught to do:</l> +<l>The forest rule should guide us too.</l> +<l>But when Ayodhyá hails thee lord,</l> +<l>Be then thy warrior life restored:</l> +<l>So shall thy sire<note place="foot">Gorresio observes that Daśaratha was +dead and that Sítá had been informed of his death. In his translation he +substitutes for the words of the text <q>thy relations and mine.</q> This is quite +superfluous. Daśaratha though in heaven still took a loving interest in the fortunes +of his son.</note> and mother joy</l> +<l>In bliss that naught may e'er destroy.</l> +<l>And if, resigning empire, thou</l> +<l>Submit thee to the hermit's vow,</l> +<l>The noblest gain from virtue springs,</l> +<l>And virtue joy unending brings.</l> +<l>All earthly blessings virtue sends:</l> +<l>On virtue all the world depends.</l> +<l>Those who with vow and fasting tame</l> +<l>To due restraint the mind and frame,</l> +<l>Win by their labour, nobly wise,</l> +<l>The highest virtue for their prize.</l> +<l>Pure in the hermit's grove remain,</l> +<l>True to thy duty, free from stain.</l> +<l>But the three worlds are open thrown</l> +<l>To thee, by whom all things are known.</l> +<l>Who gave me power that I should dare</l> +<l>His duty to my lord declare?</l> +<l>'Tis woman's fancy, light as air,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That moves my foolish breast.</l> +<l>Now with thy brother counsel take,</l> +<l>Reflect, thy choice with judgment make,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">And do what seems the best.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="239"/><anchor id="Pg239"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-X"/> +<head>Canto X. Ráma's Reply.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The words that Sítá uttered, spurred</l> +<l>By truest love, the hero heard:</l> +<l>Then he who ne'er from virtue strayed</l> +<l>To Janak's child his answer made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">In thy wise speech, sweet love, I find</q></l> +<l>True impress of thy gentle mind,</l> +<l>Well skilled the warrior's path to trace,</l> +<l>Thou pride of Janak's ancient race.</l> +<l>What fitting answer shall I frame</l> +<l>To thy good words, my honoured dame?</l> +<l>Thou sayst the warrior bears the bow</l> +<l>That misery's tears may cease to flow;</l> +<l>And those pure saints who love the shade</l> +<l>Of Daṇḍak wood are sore dismayed.</l> +<l>They sought me of their own accord,</l> +<l>With suppliant prayers my aid implored:</l> +<l>They, fed on roots and fruit, who spend</l> +<l>Their lives where bosky wilds extend,</l> +<l>My timid love, enjoy no rest</l> +<l>By these malignant fiends distressed.</l> +<l>These make the flesh of man their meat:</l> +<l>The helpless saints they kill and eat.</l> +<l>The hermits sought my side, the chief</l> +<l>Of Bráhman race declared their grief.</l> +<l>I heard, and from my lips there fell</l> +<l>The words which thou rememberest well:</l> +<l>I listened as the hermits cried,</l> +<l>And to their prayers I thus replied:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Your favour, gracious lords, I claim,</q></l> +<l>O'erwhelmed with this enormous shame</l> +<l>That Bráhmans, great and pure as you,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Who should be sought, to me should sue.</q></l> +<l>And then before the saintly crowd,</l> +<l><q>What can I do?</q> I cried aloud.</l> +<l>Then from the trembling hermits broke</l> +<l>One long sad cry, and thus they spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Fiends of the wood, who wear at will</q></l> +<l>Each varied shape, afflict us still.</l> +<l>To thee in our distress we fly:</l> +<l>O help us, Ráma, or we die.</l> +<l>When sacred rites of fire are due,</l> +<l>When changing moons are full or new,</l> +<l>These fiends who bleeding flesh devour</l> +<l>Assail us with resistless power.</l> +<l>They with their cruel might torment</l> +<l>The hermits on their vows intent:</l> +<l>We look around for help and see</l> +<l>Our surest refuge, Prince, in thee.</l> +<l>We, armed with powers of penance, might</l> +<l>Destroy the rovers of the night:</l> +<l>But loth were we to bring to naught</l> +<l>The merit years of toil have bought.</l> +<l>Our penance rites are grown too hard,</l> +<l>By many a check and trouble barred,</l> +<l>But though our saints for food are slain</l> +<l>The withering curse we yet restrain.</l> +<l>Thus many a weary day distressed</l> +<l>By giants who this wood infest,</l> +<l>We see at length deliverance, thou</l> +<l><q rend="post">With Lakshmaṇ art our guardian now.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As thus the troubled hermits prayed,</l> +<l>I promised, dame, my ready aid,</l> +<l>And now—for truth I hold most dear—</l> +<l>Still to my word must I adhere.</l> +<l>My love, I might endure to be</l> +<l>Deprived of Lakshmaṇ, life, and thee,</l> +<l>But ne'er deny my promise, ne'er</l> +<l>To Bráhmans break the oath I sware.</l> +<l>I must, enforced by high constraint,</l> +<l>Protect them all. Each suffering saint</l> +<l>In me, unasked, his help had found;</l> +<l>Still more in one by promise bound.</l> +<l>I know thy words, mine own dear dame,</l> +<l>From thy sweet heart's affection came:</l> +<l>I thank thee for thy gentle speech,</l> +<l>For those we love are those we teach.</l> +<l>'Tis like thyself, O fair of face,</l> +<l>'Tis worthy of thy noble race:</l> +<l>Dearer than life, thy feet are set</l> +<l><q rend="post">In righteous paths they ne'er forget.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus to the Maithil monarch's child,</l> +<l>His own dear wife, in accents mild</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The high-souled hero said:</l> +<l>Then to the holy groves which lay</l> +<l>Beyond them fair to see, their way</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The bow-armed chieftain led.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XI"/> +<head>Canto XI. Agastya.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Ráma went foremost of the three,</l> +<l>Next Sítá, followed, fair to see,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ with his bow in hand</l> +<l>Walked hindmost of the little band.</l> +<l>As onward through the wood they went,</l> +<l>With great delight their eyes were bent</l> +<l>On rocky heights beside the way</l> +<l>And lofty trees with blossoms gay;</l> +<l>And streamlets running fair and fast</l> +<l>The royal youths with Sítá passed.</l> +<l>They watched the sáras and the drake</l> +<l>On islets of the stream and lake,</l> +<l>And gazed delighted on the floods</l> +<l>Bright with gay birds and lotus buds.</l> +<l>They saw in startled herds the roes,</l> +<l>The passion-frenzied buffaloes,</l> +<l>Wild elephants who fiercely tore</l> +<l>The tender trees, and many a boar.</l> +<l>A length of woodland way they passed,</l> +<l>And when the sun was low at last</l> +<l>A lovely stream-fed lake they spied,</l> +<l>Two leagues across from side to side.</l> +<l>Tall elephants fresh beauty gave</l> +<l>To grassy bank and lilied wave,</l> +<pb n="240"/><anchor id="Pg240"/> +<l>By many a swan and sáras stirred,</l> +<l>Mallard, and gay-winged water-bird.</l> +<l>From those sweet waters, loud and long,</l> +<l>Though none was seen to wake the song,</l> +<l>Swelled high the singer's music blent</l> +<l>With each melodious instrument.</l> +<l>Ráma and car-borne Lakshmaṇ heard</l> +<l>The charming strain, with wonder stirred,</l> +<l>Turned on the margent of the lake</l> +<l>To Dharmabhrit<note place="foot">One of the hermits who had followed +Ráma.</note> the sage, and spake:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Our longing souls, O hermit, burn</q></l> +<l>This music of the lake to learn:</l> +<l>We pray thee, noblest sage, explain</l> +<l><q rend="post">The cause of the mysterious strain.</q></l> +<l>He, as the son of Raghu prayed,</l> +<l>With swift accord his answer made,</l> +<l>And thus the hermit, virtuous-souled,</l> +<l>The story of the fair lake told:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Through every age 'tis known to fame,</q></l> +<l>Panchápsaras<note place="foot">The lake of the five nymphs.</note> +its glorious name,</l> +<l>By holy Máṇḍakarṇi wrought</l> +<l>With power his rites austere had bought.</l> +<l>For he, great votarist, intent</l> +<l>On strictest rule his stern life spent.</l> +<l>Ten thousand years the stream his bed,</l> +<l>Ten thousand years on air he fed.</l> +<l>Then on the blessed Gods who dwell</l> +<l>In heavenly homes great terror fell:</l> +<l>They gathered all, by Agni led,</l> +<l>And counselled thus disquieted:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The hermit by ascetic pain</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">The seat of one of us would gain.</q></l> +<l>Thus with their hearts by fear oppressed</l> +<l>In full assembly spoke the Blest,</l> +<l>And bade five loveliest nymphs, as fair</l> +<l>As lightning in the evening air,</l> +<l>Armed with their winning wiles, seduce</l> +<l>From his stern vows the great recluse.</l> +<l>Though lore of earth and heaven he knew,</l> +<l>The hermit from his task they drew,</l> +<l>And made the great ascetic slave</l> +<l>To conquering love, the Gods to save.</l> +<l>Each of the heavenly five became,</l> +<l>Bound to the sage, his wedded dame;</l> +<l>And he, for his beloved's sake,</l> +<l>Formed a fair palace neath the lake.</l> +<l>Under the flood the ladies live,</l> +<l>To joy and ease their days they give,</l> +<l>And lap in bliss the hermit wooed</l> +<l>From penance rites to youth renewed.</l> +<l>So when the sportive nymphs within</l> +<l>Those secret bowers their play begin,</l> +<l>You hear the singers' dulcet tones</l> +<l><q rend="post">Blend sweetly with their tinkling zones.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>How wondrous are these words of thine!</q></l> +<l>Cried the famed chiefs of Raghu's line,</l> +<l>As thus they heard the sage unfold</l> +<l>The marvels of the tale he told.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As Ráma spake, his eyes were bent</l> +<l>Upon a hermit settlement</l> +<l>With light of heavenly lore endued,</l> +<l>With sacred grass and vesture strewed.</l> +<l>His wife and brother by his side,</l> +<l>Within the holy bounds he hied,</l> +<l>And there, with honour entertained</l> +<l>By all the saints, a while remained.</l> +<l>In time, by due succession led,</l> +<l>Each votary's cot he visited,</l> +<l>And then the lord of martial lore,</l> +<l>Returned where he had lodged before.</l> +<l>Here for the months, content, he stayed,</l> +<l>There for a year his visit paid:</l> +<l>Here for four months his home would fix,</l> +<l>There, as it chanced, for five or six.</l> +<l>Here for eight months and there for three</l> +<l>The son of Raghu's stay would be:</l> +<l>Here weeks, there fortnights, more or less,</l> +<l>He spent in tranquil happiness.</l> +<l>As there the hero dwelt at ease</l> +<l>Among those holy devotees,</l> +<l>In days untroubled o'er his head</l> +<l>Ten circling years of pleasure fled.</l> +<l>So Raghu's son in duty trained</l> +<l>A while in every cot remained,</l> +<l>Then with his dame retraced the road</l> +<l>To good Sutíkshṇa's calm abode.</l> +<l>Hailed by the saints with honours due</l> +<l>Near to the hermit's home he drew,</l> +<l>And there the tamer of his foes</l> +<l>Dwelt for a time in sweet repose.</l> +<l>One day within that holy wood</l> +<l>By saint Sutíkshṇa Ráma stood,</l> +<l>And thus the prince with reverence meek</l> +<l>To that high sage began to speak:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">In the wide woodlands that extend</q></l> +<l>Around us, lord most reverend,</l> +<l>As frequent voice of rumour tells,</l> +<l>Agastya, saintliest hermit, dwells.</l> +<l>So vast the wood, I cannot trace</l> +<l>The path to reach his dwelling place,</l> +<l>Nor, searching unassisted, find</l> +<l>That hermit of the thoughtful mind.</l> +<l>I with my wife and brother fain</l> +<l>Would go, his favour to obtain,</l> +<l>Would seek him in his lone retreat</l> +<l>And the great saint with reverence greet.</l> +<l>This one desire, O Master, long</l> +<l>Cherished within my heart, is strong,</l> +<l>That I may pay of free accord</l> +<l><q rend="post">My duty to that hermit lord.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As thus the prince whose heart was bent</l> +<l>On virtue told his firm intent,</l> +<l>The good Sutíkshṇa's joy rose high,</l> +<l>And thus in turn he made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The very thing, O Prince, which thou</q></l> +<l>Hast sought, I wished to urge but now,</l> +<l>Bid thee with wife and brother see</l> +<pb n="241"/><anchor id="Pg241"/> +<l>Agastya, glorious devotee.</l> +<l>I count this thing an omen fair</l> +<l>That thou shouldst thus thy wish declare,</l> +<l>And I, my Prince, will gladly teach</l> +<l>The way Agastya's home to reach.</l> +<l>Southward, dear son, direct thy feet</l> +<l>Eight leagues beyond this still retreat:</l> +<l>Agastya's hermit brother there</l> +<l>Dwells in a home most bright and fair.</l> +<l>'Tis on a knoll of woody ground,</l> +<l>With many a branching Pippal<note place="foot">The holy fig-tree.</note> crowned:</l> +<l>There sweet birds' voices ne'er are mute,</l> +<l>And trees are gay with flower and fruit.</l> +<l>There many a lake gleams bright and cool,</l> +<l>And lilies deck each pleasant pool,</l> +<l>While swan, and crane, and mallard's wings</l> +<l>Are lovely in the water-springs.</l> +<l>There for one night, O Ráma, stay,</l> +<l>And with the dawn pursue thy way.</l> +<l>Still farther, bending southward, by</l> +<l>The thicket's edge the course must lie,</l> +<l>And thou wilt see, two leagues from thence</l> +<l>Agastya's lovely residence,</l> +<l>Set in the woodland's fairest spot,</l> +<l>All varied foliage decks the cot:</l> +<l>There Sítá, Lakshmaṇ thou, at ease</l> +<l>May spend sweet hours neath shady trees,</l> +<l>For all of noblest growth are found</l> +<l>Luxuriant on that bosky ground.</l> +<l>If it be still thy firm intent</l> +<l>To see that saint preëminent,</l> +<l>O mighty counsellor, this day</l> +<l><q rend="post">Depart upon thine onward way.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hermit spake, and Ráma bent</l> +<l>His head, with Lakshmaṇ, reverent,</l> +<l>And then with him and Janak's child</l> +<l>Set out to trace the forest wild.</l> +<l>He saw dark woods that fringed the road,</l> +<l>And distant hills like clouds that showed,</l> +<l>And, as the way he followed, met</l> +<l>With many a lake and rivulet.</l> +<l>So passing on with ease where led</l> +<l>The path Sutíkshṇa bade him tread,</l> +<l>The hero with exulting breast</l> +<l>His brother in these words addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Here, surely, is the home, in sight,</q></l> +<l>Of that illustrious anchorite:</l> +<l>Here great Agastya's brother leads</l> +<l>A life intent on holy deeds.</l> +<l>Warned of each guiding mark and sign,</l> +<l>I see them all herein combine:</l> +<l>I see the branches bending low</l> +<l>Beneath the flowers and fruit they show.</l> +<l>A soft air from the forest springs,</l> +<l>Fresh from the odorous grass, and brings</l> +<l>A spicy fragrance as it flees</l> +<l>O'er the ripe fruit of Pippal trees.</l> +<l>See, here and there around us high</l> +<l>Piled up in heaps cleft billets lie,</l> +<l>And holy grass is gathered, bright</l> +<l>As strips of shining lazulite.</l> +<l>Full in the centre of the shade</l> +<l>The hermits' holy fire is laid:</l> +<l>I see its smoke the pure heaven streak</l> +<l>Dense as a big cloud's dusky peak.</l> +<l>The twice-born men their steps retrace</l> +<l>From each sequestered bathing-place,</l> +<l>And each his sacred gift has brought</l> +<l>Of blossoms which his hands have sought.</l> +<l>Of all these signs, dear brother, each</l> +<l>Agrees with good Sutíkshṇa's speech,</l> +<l>And doubtless in this holy bound</l> +<l>Agastya's brother will be found.</l> +<l>Agastya once, the worlds who viewed</l> +<l>With love, a Deathlike fiend subdued,</l> +<l>And armed with mighty power, obtained</l> +<l>By holy works, this grove ordained</l> +<l>To be a refuge and defence</l> +<l>From all oppressors' violence.</l> +<l>In days of yore within this place</l> +<l>Two brothers fierce of demon race,</l> +<l>Vátápi dire and Ilval, dwelt,</l> +<l>And slaughter mid the Bráhmans dealt.</l> +<l>A Bráhman's form, the fiend to cloak,</l> +<l>Fierce Ilval wore, and Sanskrit spoke,</l> +<l>And twice-born sages would invite</l> +<l>To solemnize some funeral rite.</l> +<l>His brother's flesh, concealed within</l> +<l>A ram's false shape and borrowed skin,—</l> +<l>As men are wont at funeral feasts,—</l> +<l>He dressed and fed those gathered priests.</l> +<l>The holy men, unweeting ill,</l> +<l>Took of the food and ate their fill.</l> +<l>Then Ilval with a mighty shout</l> +<l>Exclaimed <q>Vátápi, issue out.</q></l> +<l>Soon as his brother's voice he heard,</l> +<l>The fiend with ram-like bleating stirred:</l> +<l>Rending in pieces every frame,</l> +<l>Forth from the dying priests he came.</l> +<l>So they who changed their forms at will</l> +<l>Thousands of Bráhmans dared to kill,—</l> +<l>Fierce fiends who loved each cruel deed,</l> +<l>And joyed on bleeding flesh to feed.</l> +<l>Agastya, mighty hermit, pressed</l> +<l>To funeral banquet like the rest,</l> +<l>Obedient to the Gods' appeal</l> +<l>Ate up the monster at a meal.</l> +<l><q>'Tis done, 'tis done,</q> fierce Ilval cried,</l> +<l>And water for his hands supplied:</l> +<l>Then lifting up his voice he spake:</l> +<l><q>Forth, brother, from thy prison break.</q></l> +<l>Then him who called the fiend, who long</l> +<l>Had wrought the suffering Bráhmans wrong,</l> +<l>Thus thoughtful-souled Agastya, best</l> +<l>Of hermits, with a smile addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">How, Rákshas, is the fiend empowered</q></l> +<l>To issue forth whom I devoured?</l> +<l>Thy brother in a ram's disguise</l> +<l><q rend="post">Is gone where Yáma's kingdom lies.</q></l> +<pb n="242"/><anchor id="Pg242"/> +<l>When from the words Agastya said</l> +<l>He knew his brother fiend was dead,</l> +<l>His soul on fire with vengeful rage,</l> +<l>Rushed the night-rover at the sage.</l> +<l>One lightning glance of fury, hot</l> +<l>As fire, the glorious hermit shot,</l> +<l>As the fiend neared him in his stride,</l> +<l>And straight, consumed to dust, he died.</l> +<l>In pity for the Bráhmans' plight</l> +<l>Agastya wrought this deed of might:</l> +<l>This grove which lakes and fair trees grace</l> +<l><q rend="post">In his great brother's dwelling place.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As Ráma thus the tale rehearsed,</l> +<l>And with Sumitrá's son conversed,</l> +<l>The setting sun his last rays shed,</l> +<l>And evening o'er the land was spread.</l> +<l>A while the princely brothers stayed</l> +<l>And even rites in order paid,</l> +<l>Then to the holy grove they drew</l> +<l>And hailed the saint with honour due.</l> +<l>With courtesy was Ráma met</l> +<l>By that illustrious anchoret,</l> +<l>And for one night he rested there</l> +<l>Regaled with fruit and hermit fare.</l> +<l>But when the night had reached its close,</l> +<l>And the sun's glorious circle rose,</l> +<l>The son of Raghu left his bed</l> +<l>And to the hermit's brother said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Well rested in thy hermit cell,</q></l> +<l>I stand, O saint, to bid farewell;</l> +<l>For with thy leave I journey hence</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy brother saint to reverence.</q></l> +<l><q>Go, Ráma go,</q> the sage replied:</l> +<l>Then from the cot the chieftain hied.</l> +<l>And while the pleasant grove he viewed,</l> +<l>The path the hermit showed, pursued.</l> +<l>Of every leaf, of changing hue.</l> +<l>Plants, trees by hundreds round him grew,</l> +<l>With joyous eyes he looked on all,</l> +<l>Then Jak,<note place="foot">The bread-fruit tree, Artocarpus integrifolia.</note> +the wild rice, and Sál;<note place="foot">A fine timber tree, Shorea robusta.</note></l> +<l>He saw the red Hibiscus glow,</l> +<l>He saw the flower-tipped creeper throw</l> +<l>The glory of her clusters o'er</l> +<l>Tall trees that loads of blossom bore.</l> +<l>Some, elephants had prostrate laid,</l> +<l>In some the monkeys leapt and played,</l> +<l>And through the whole wide forest rang</l> +<l>The charm of gay birds as they sang.</l> +<l>Then Ráma of the lotus eye</l> +<l>To Lakshmaṇ turned who followed nigh,</l> +<l>And thus the hero youth impressed</l> +<l>With Fortune's favouring signs, addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">How soft the leaves of every tree,</q></l> +<l>How tame each bird and beast we see!</l> +<l>Soon the fair home shall we behold</l> +<l>Of that great hermit tranquil-souled.</l> +<l>The deed the good Agastya wrought</l> +<l>High fame throughout the world has bought:</l> +<l>I see, I see his calm retreat</l> +<l>That balms the pain of weary feet.</l> +<l>Where white clouds rise from flames beneath,</l> +<l>Where bark-coats lie with many a wreath,</l> +<l>Where silvan things, made gentle, throng,</l> +<l>And every bird is loud in song.</l> +<l>With ruth for suffering creatures filled,</l> +<l>A deathlike fiend with might he killed,</l> +<l>And gave this southern realm to be</l> +<l>A refuge, from oppression free.</l> +<l>There stands his home, whose dreaded might</l> +<l>Has put the giant crew to flight,</l> +<l>Who view with envious eyes afar</l> +<l>The peaceful shades they cannot mar.</l> +<l>Since that most holy saint has made</l> +<l>His dwelling in this lovely shade,</l> +<l>Checked by his might the giant brood</l> +<l>Have dwelt in peace with souls subdued.</l> +<l>And all this southern realm, within</l> +<l>Whose bounds no fiend may entrance win,</l> +<l>Now bears a name which naught may dim,</l> +<l>Made glorious through the worlds by him.</l> +<l>When Vindhya, best of hills, would stay</l> +<l>The journey of the Lord of Day,</l> +<l>Obedient to the saint's behest</l> +<l>He bowed for aye his humbled crest.</l> +<l>That hoary hermit, world-renowned</l> +<l>For holy deeds, within this ground</l> +<l>Has set his pure and blessed home,</l> +<l>Where gentle silvan creatures roam.</l> +<l>Agastya, whom the worlds revere,</l> +<l>Pure saint to whom the good are dear,</l> +<l>To us his guests all grace will show,</l> +<l>Enriched with blessings ere we go.</l> +<l>I to this aim each thought will turn,</l> +<l>The favour of the saint to earn,</l> +<l>That here in comfort may be spent</l> +<l>The last years of our banishment.</l> +<l>Here sanctities and high saints stand,</l> +<l>Gods, minstrels of the heavenly band;</l> +<l>Upon Agastya's will they wait,</l> +<l>And serve him, pure and temperate.</l> +<l>The liar's tongue, the tyrant's mind</l> +<l>Within these bounds no home may find:</l> +<l>No cheat, no sinner here can be:</l> +<l>So holy and so good is he.</l> +<l>Here birds and lords of serpent race,</l> +<l>Spirits and Gods who haunt the place,</l> +<l>Content with scanty fare remain,</l> +<l>As merit's meed they strive to gain.</l> +<l>Made perfect here, the saints supreme,</l> +<l>On cars that mock the Day-God's gleam,—</l> +<l>Their mortal bodies cast aside,—</l> +<l>Sought heaven transformed and glorified,</l> +<l>Here Gods to living things, who win</l> +<l>Their favour, pure from cruel sin,</l> +<l>Give royal rule and many a good,</l> +<pb n="243"/><anchor id="Pg243"/> +<l>Immortal life and spirithood.</l> +<l>Now, Lakshmaṇ, we are near the place:</l> +<l>Do thou precede a little space,</l> +<l>And tell the mighty saint that I</l> +<l><q rend="post">With Sítá at my side am nigh.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XII"/> +<head>Canto XII. The Heavenly Bow.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He spoke: the younger prince obeyed:</l> +<l>Within the bounds his way he made,</l> +<l>And thus addressed, whom first he met,</l> +<l>A pupil of the anchoret:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Brave Ráma, eldest born, who springs,</q></l> +<l>From Daśaratha, hither brings</l> +<l>His wife the lady Sítá: he</l> +<l>Would fain the holy hermit see.</l> +<l>Lakshmaṇ am I—if happy fame</l> +<l>E'er to thine ears has brought the name—</l> +<l>His younger brother, prompt to do</l> +<l>His will, devoted, fond, and true.</l> +<l>We, through our royal sire's decree,</l> +<l>To the dread woods were forced to flee.</l> +<l>Tell the great Master, I entreat,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Our earnest wish our lord to greet.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke: the hermit rich in store</l> +<l>Of fervid zeal and sacred lore,</l> +<l>Sought the pure shrine which held the fire,</l> +<l>To bear his message to the sire.</l> +<l>Soon as he reached the saint most bright</l> +<l>In sanctity's surpassing might,</l> +<l>He cried, uplifting reverent hands:</l> +<l><q>Lord Ráma near thy cottage stands.</q></l> +<l>Then spoke Agastya's pupil dear</l> +<l>The message for his lord to hear:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ráma and Lakshmaṇ, chiefs who spring</q></l> +<l>From Daśaratha, glorious king,</l> +<l>Thy hermitage e'en now have sought,</l> +<l>And lady Sítá with them brought.</l> +<l>The tamers of the foe are here</l> +<l>To see thee, Master, and revere.</l> +<l>'Tis thine thy further will to say:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Deign to command, and we obey.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When from his pupil's lips he knew</l> +<l>The presence of the princely two,</l> +<l>And Sítá born to fortune high.</l> +<l>The glorious hermit made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Great joy at last is mine this day</q></l> +<l>That Ráma hither finds his way,</l> +<l>For long my soul has yearned to see</l> +<l>The prince who comes to visit me.</l> +<l>Go forth, go forth, and hither bring</l> +<l>The royal three with welcoming:</l> +<l>Lead Ráma in and place him near:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Why stands he not already here?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus ordered by the hermit, who,</l> +<l>Lord of his thought, all duty knew,</l> +<l>His reverent hands together laid,</l> +<l>The pupil answered and obeyed.</l> +<l>Forth from the place with speed he ran,</l> +<l>To Lakshmaṇ came and thus began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Where is he? let not Ráma wait,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">But speed, the sage to venerate.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then with the pupil Lakshmaṇ went</l> +<l>Across the hermit settlement,</l> +<l>And showed him Ráma where he stood</l> +<l>With Janak's daughter in the wood.</l> +<l>The pupil then his message spake</l> +<l>Which the kind hermit bade him take;</l> +<l>Then led the honoured Ráma thence</l> +<l>And brought him in with reverence.</l> +<l>As nigh the royal Ráma came</l> +<l>With Lakshmaṇ and the Maithil dame,</l> +<l>He viewed the herds of gentle deer</l> +<l>Roaming the garden free from fear.</l> +<l>As through the sacred grove he trod</l> +<l>He viewed the seat of many a God,</l> +<l>Brahmá and Agni,<note place="foot">The God of fire.</note> Sun and Moon,</l> +<l>And His who sends each golden boon;<note place="foot">Kuvera, the God of +riches.</note></l> +<l>Here Vishṇu's stood, there Bhaga's<note place="foot">The Sun.</note> shrine,</l> +<l>And there Mahendra's, Lord divine;</l> +<l>Here His who formed this earthly frame,<note place="foot">Brahmá, the +creator.</note></l> +<l>His there from whom all beings came.<note place="foot">Śiva.</note></l> +<l>Váyu's,<note place="foot">The Wind-God.</note> and His who loves to hold</l> +<l>The great noose, Varuṇ<note place="foot">The God of the sea.</note> mighty-souled:</l> +<l>Here was the Vasus'<note place="foot">A class of demi-gods, eight in number.</note> +shrine to see,</l> +<l>Here that of sacred Gáyatrí,<note place="foot">The holiest text of the Vedas, +deified.</note></l> +<l>The king of serpents<note place="foot">Vásuki.</note> here had place,</l> +<l>And he who rules the feathered race.<note place="foot">Garuḍ.</note></l> +<l>Here Kártikeya,<note place="foot">The War-God.</note> warrior lord,</l> +<l>And there was Justice King adored.</l> +<l>Then with disciples girt about</l> +<l>The mighty saint himself came out:</l> +<l>Through fierce devotion bright as flame</l> +<l>Before the rest the Master came:</l> +<l>And then to Lakshmaṇ, fortune blest,</l> +<l>Ráma these hasty words addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Behold, Agastya's self draws near,</q></l> +<l>The mighty saint, whom all revere:</l> +<l>With spirit raised I meet my lord</l> +<l><q rend="post">With richest wealth of penance stored.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The strong-armed hero spake, and ran</l> +<l>Forward to meet the sunbright man.</l> +<l>Before him, as he came, he bent</l> +<l>And clasped his feet most reverent,</l> +<l>Then rearing up his stately height</l> +<l>Stood suppliant by the anchorite,</l> +<l>While Lakshmaṇ's strength and Sítá's grace</l> +<l>Stood by the pride of Raghu's race.</l> +<pb n="244"/><anchor id="Pg244"/> +<l>The sage his arms round Ráma threw</l> +<l>And welcomed him with honours due,</l> +<l>Asked, was all well, with question sweet,</l> +<l>And bade the hero to a seat.</l> +<l>With holy oil he fed the flame,</l> +<l>He brought the gifts which strangers claim,</l> +<l>And kindly waiting on the three</l> +<l>With honours due to high degree,</l> +<l>He gave with hospitable care</l> +<l>A simple hermit's woodland fare.</l> +<l>Then sat the reverend father, first</l> +<l>Of hermits, deep in duty versed.</l> +<l>And thus to suppliant Ráma, bred</l> +<l>In all the lore of virtue, said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Did the false hermit, Prince, neglect</q></l> +<l>To hail his guest with due respect,</l> +<l>He must,—the doom the perjured meet,—</l> +<l>His proper flesh hereafter eat.</l> +<l>A car-borne king, a lord who sways</l> +<l>The earth, and virtue's law obeys,</l> +<l>Worthy of highest honour, thou</l> +<l><q rend="post">Hast sought, dear guest, my cottage now.</q></l> +<l>He spoke: with fruit and hermit fare,</l> +<l>With every bloom the branches bare,</l> +<l>Agastya graced his honoured guest,</l> +<l>And thus with gentle words addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Accept this mighty bow, divine,</q></l> +<l>Whereon red gold and diamonds shine;</l> +<l>'Twas by the Heavenly Artist planned</l> +<l>For Vishṇu's own almighty hand;</l> +<l>This God-sent shaft of sunbright hue,</l> +<l>Whose deadly flight is ever true,</l> +<l>By Lord Mahendra given of yore:</l> +<l>This quiver with its endless store.</l> +<l>Keen arrows hurtling to their aim</l> +<l>Like kindled fires that flash and flame:</l> +<l>Accept, in golden sheath encased,</l> +<l>This sword with hilt of rich gold graced.</l> +<l>Armed with this best of bows</l> +<l>Lord Vishṇu slew his demon foes,</l> +<l>And mid the dwellers in the skies</l> +<l>Won brilliant glory for his prize.</l> +<l>The bow, the quivers, shaft, and sword</l> +<l>Received from me, O glorious lord:</l> +<l>These conquest to thine arm shall bring,</l> +<l><q rend="post">As thunder to the thunder's King.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The splendid hermit bade him take</l> +<l>The noble weapons as he spake,</l> +<l>And as the prince accepted each</l> +<l>In words like these renewed his speech:</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XIII"/> +<head>Canto XIII. Agastya's Counsel.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">O Ráma, great delight I feel,</q></l> +<l>Pleased, Lakshmaṇ, with thy faithful zeal,</l> +<l>That you within these shades I see</l> +<l>With Sítá come to honour me.</l> +<l>But wandering through the rough rude wild</l> +<l>Has wearied Janak's gentle child:</l> +<l>With labours of the way oppressed</l> +<l>The Maithil lady longs for rest.</l> +<l>Young, delicate, and soft, and fair,</l> +<l>Such toils as these untrained to bear,</l> +<l>Her wifely love the dame has led</l> +<l>The forest's troubled ways to tread.</l> +<l>Here, Ráma, see that naught annoy</l> +<l>Her easy hours of tranquil joy:</l> +<l>A glorious task has she assayed,</l> +<l>To follow thee through woodland shade.</l> +<l>Since first from Nature's hand she came,</l> +<l>A woman's mood is still the same,</l> +<l>When Fortune smiles, her love to show,</l> +<l>And leave her lord in want and woe.</l> +<l>No pity then her heart can feel,</l> +<l>She arms her soul with warrior's steel,</l> +<l>Swift as the storm or Feathered King,</l> +<l>Uncertain as the lightning's wing.</l> +<l>Not so thy spouse: her purer mind</l> +<l>Shrinks from the faults of womankind;</l> +<l>Like chaste Arundhatí<note place="foot">One of the Pleiades generally regarded +as the model of wifely excellence.</note> above,</l> +<l>A paragon of faithful love.</l> +<l>Let these blest shades, dear Ráma, be</l> +<l><q rend="post">A home for Lakshmaṇ, her, and thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With raised hands reverently meek</l> +<l>He heard the holy hermit speak,</l> +<l>And humbly thus addressed the sire</l> +<l>Whose glory shone like kindled fire:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">How blest am I, what thanks I owe</q></l> +<l>That our great Master deigns to show</l> +<l>His favour, that his heart can be</l> +<l>Content with Lakshmaṇ, Sítá, me.</l> +<l>Show me, I pray, some spot of ground</l> +<l>Where thick trees wave and springs abound,</l> +<l>That I may raise my hermit cell</l> +<l><q rend="post">And there in tranquil pleasure dwell.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then thus replied Agastya, best</l> +<l>Of hermits, to the chief's request:</l> +<l>When for a little he had bent</l> +<l>His thoughts, upon that prayer intent:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Beloved son, four leagues away</q></l> +<l>Is Panchavaṭí bright and gay:</l> +<l>Thronged with its deer, most fair it looks</l> +<l>With berries, fruit, and water-brooks.</l> +<l>There build thee with thy brother's aid</l> +<l>A cottage in the quiet shade,</l> +<l>And faithful to thy sire's behest,</l> +<l>Obedient to the sentence, rest.</l> +<l>For well, O sinless chieftain, well</l> +<l>I know thy tale, how all befell:</l> +<l>Stern penance and the love I bore</l> +<l>Thy royal sire supply the lore.</l> +<l>To me long rites and fervid zeal</l> +<l>The wish that stirs thy heart reveal,</l> +<l>And hence my guest I bade thee be,</l> +<l>That this pure grove might shelter thee.</l> +<pb n="245"/><anchor id="Pg245"/> +<l>So now, thereafter, thus I speak:</l> +<l>The shades of Panchavaṭí seek;</l> +<l>That tranquil spot is bright and fair,</l> +<l>And Sítá will be happy there.</l> +<l>Not far remote from here it lies,</l> +<l>A grove to charm thy loving eyes,</l> +<l>Godávarí's pure stream is nigh:</l> +<l>There Sítá's days will sweetly fly.</l> +<l>Pure, lovely, rich in many a charm,</l> +<l>O hero of the mighty arm,</l> +<l>'Tis gay with every plant and fruit,</l> +<l>And throngs of gay buds never mute.</l> +<l>Thou, true to virtue's path, hast might</l> +<l>To screen each trusting anchorite,</l> +<l>And wilt from thy new home defend</l> +<l>The hermits who on thee depend.</l> +<l>Now yonder, Prince, direct thine eyes</l> +<l>Where dense Madhúka<note place="foot">The Madhúka, or, as it is now called, +Mahuwá, is the Bassia latifolia, a tree from whose blossoms a spirit is extracted.</note> +woods arise:</l> +<l>Pierce their dark shade, and issuing forth</l> +<l>Turn to a fig-tree on the north:</l> +<l>Then onward up a sloping mead</l> +<l>Flanked by a hill the way will lead:</l> +<l>There Panchavaṭí, ever gay</l> +<l><q rend="post">With ceaseless bloom, thy steps will stay.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hermit ceased: the princely two</l> +<l>With seemly honours bade adieu:</l> +<l>With reverential awe each youth</l> +<l>Bowed to the saint whose word was truth,</l> +<l>And then, dismissed with Sítá, they</l> +<l>To Panchavaṭí took their way.</l> +<l>Thus when each royal prince had grasped</l> +<l>His warrior's mighty bow, and clasped</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">His quiver to his side,</l> +<l>With watchful eyes along the road</l> +<l>The glorious saint Agastya showed,</l> +<l>Dauntless in fight the brothers strode,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And Sítá with them hied.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XIV"/> +<head>Canto XIV. Jatáyus.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then as the son of Raghu made</l> +<l>His way to Panchavaṭí's shade,</l> +<l>A mighty vulture he beheld</l> +<l>Of size and strength unparalleled.</l> +<l>The princes, when the bird they saw,</l> +<l>Approached with reverence and awe,</l> +<l>And as his giant form they eyed,</l> +<l><q>Tell who thou art,</q> in wonder cried.</l> +<l>The bird, as though their hearts to gain,</l> +<l>Addressed them thus in gentlest strain;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">In me, dear sons, the friend behold</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Your royal father loved of old.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke: nor long did Ráma wait</l> +<l>His sire's dear friend to venerate:</l> +<l>He bade the bird declare his name</l> +<l>And the high race of which he came.</l> +<l>When Raghu's son had spoken, he</l> +<l>Declared his name and pedigree,</l> +<l>His words prolonging to disclose</l> +<l>How all the things that be arose:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">List while I tell, O Raghu's son,</q></l> +<l>The first-born Fathers, one by one,</l> +<l>Great Lords of Life, whence all in earth</l> +<l>And all in heaven derive their birth.</l> +<l>First Kardam heads the glorious race</l> +<l>Where Vikrit holds the second place,</l> +<l>With Śesha, Sanśray next in line,</l> +<l>And Bahuputra's might divine.</l> +<l>Then Stháṇu and Maríchi came,</l> +<l>Atri, and Kratu's forceful frame.</l> +<l>Pulastya followed, next to him</l> +<l>Angiras' name shall ne'er be dim.</l> +<l>Prachetas, Pulah next, and then</l> +<l>Daksha, Vivasvat praised of men:</l> +<l>Aríshṭanemi next, and last</l> +<l>Kaśyap in glory unsurpassed.</l> +<l>From Daksha,—fame the tale has told—:</l> +<l>Three-score bright daughters sprang of old.</l> +<l>Of these fair-waisted nymphs the great</l> +<l>Lord Kaśyap sought and wedded eight,</l> +<l>Aditi, Diti, Kálaká,</l> +<l>Támrá, Danú, and Analá,</l> +<l>And Krodhavasá swift to ire,</l> +<l>And Manu<note place="foot"><q>I should have doubted whether Manu could have been +the right reading here, but that it occurs again in verse 29, where it is in like +manner followed in verse 31 by Analá, so that it would certainly seem that the name +Manu is intended to stand for a female, the daughter of Daksha. The Gauḍa recension, +followed by Signor Gorresio (III 20, 12), adopts an entirely different reading at the +end of the line, viz. <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Balám Atibalám +api</foreign>, <q>Balá and Atibilá,</q> instead of Manu and Analá. I see that +Professor Roth s.v. adduces the authority of the Amara Kosha and of the Commentator +on Páṇini for stating that the word sometimes means <q>the wife of Manu.</q> In the +following text of the Mahábhárata I. 2553. also, Manu appears to be the name of a +female: <q><hi rend='italic'>Anaradyam</hi>, <hi rend='italic'>Manum</hi>, +<hi rend='italic'>Vañsám</hi>, <hi rend='italic'>Asurám</hi>, +<hi rend='italic'>Márgaṇapriyám</hi>, <hi rend='italic'>Anúpám</hi>, +<hi rend='italic'>Subhagám</hi>, <hi rend='italic'>Bhásím iti</hi>, +<hi rend='italic'>Prádhá vyajayata</hi>. Prádhá (daughter of Daksha) bore Anavadyá, +Manu, Vanśá, Márgaṇapriyá, Anúpá, Subhagá. and Bhásí.</q></q> <hi rend='italic'>Muir's +Sanskrit Text</hi>, Vol. I. p. 116.</note> glorious as her sire.</l> +<l>Then when the mighty Kaśyap cried</l> +<l>Delighted to each tender bride:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Sons shalt thou bear, to rule the three</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Great worlds, in might resembling me.</q></l> +<pb n="246"/><anchor id="Pg246"/> +<l>Aditi, Diti, and Danú</l> +<l>Obeyed his will as consorts true,</l> +<l>And Kálaká; but all the rest</l> +<l>Refused to hear their lord's behest.</l> +<l>First Aditi conceived, and she,</l> +<l>Mother of thirty Gods and three,</l> +<l>The Vasus and Ádityas bare,</l> +<l>Rudras, and Aśvins, heavenly pair.</l> +<l>Of Diti sprang the Daityas: fame</l> +<l>Delights to laud their ancient name.</l> +<l>In days of yore their empire dread</l> +<l>O'er earth and woods and ocean spread.</l> +<l>Danú was mother of a child,</l> +<l>O hero, Aśvagríva styled,</l> +<l>And Narak next and Kálak came</l> +<l>Of Kálaká, celestial dame.</l> +<l>Of Támrá, too, five daughters bright</l> +<l>In deathless glory sprang to light.</l> +<l>Ennobling fame still keeps alive</l> +<l>The titles of the lovely five:</l> +<l>Immortal honour still she claims</l> +<l>For Kraunchí, Bhasí, Śyení's names.</l> +<l>And wills not that the world forget</l> +<l>Śukí or Dhritaráshtrí yet.</l> +<l>Then Kraunchí bare the crane and owl,</l> +<l>And Bhásí tribes of water fowl:</l> +<l>Vultures and hawks that race through air</l> +<l>With storm-fleet pinions Śyení bare.</l> +<l>All swans and geese on mere and brook</l> +<l>Their birth from Dhritaráshtrí took,</l> +<l>And all the river-haunting brood</l> +<l>Of ducks, a countless multitude.</l> +<l>From Śukí Nalá sprang, who bare</l> +<l>Dame Vinatá surpassing fair.</l> +<l>From fiery Krodhavaśá, ten</l> +<l>Bright daughters sprang, O King of men:</l> +<l>Mrigí and Mrigamandá named,</l> +<l>Hari and Bhadramadá famed,</l> +<l>Śárdúlí, Śvetá fair to see,</l> +<l>Mátangí bright, and Surabhí,</l> +<l>Surasá marked with each fair sign,</l> +<l>And Kadrumá, all maids divine.</l> +<l>Mrigí, O Prince without a peer,</l> +<l>Was mother of the herds of deer,</l> +<l>The bear, the yak, the mountain roe</l> +<l>Their birth to Mrigamandá owe;</l> +<l>And Bhadramadá joyed to be</l> +<l>Mother of fair Irávatí,</l> +<l>Who bare Airávat,<note place="foot">The elephant of Indra.</note> huge of mould,</l> +<l>Mid warders of the earth enrolled,</l> +<l>From Harí lordly lions trace,</l> +<l>With monkeys of the wild, their race.</l> +<l>From the great dame Śárdúlí styled</l> +<l>Sprung pards, Lángúrs,<note place="foot"><foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Golángúlas</foreign>, described as a kind of +monkey, of a black colour, and having a tail like a cow.</note> and tigers wild.</l> +<l>Mátangí, Prince, gave birth to all</l> +<l>Mátangas, elephants strong and tall,</l> +<l>And Śvetá bore the beasts who stand</l> +<l>One at each wind, earth's warder band.<note place="foot">Eight elephants attached +to the four quarters and intermediate points of the compass, to support +and guard the earth.</note></l> +<l>Next Surabhí the Goddess bore</l> +<l>Two heavenly maids, O Prince, of yore,</l> +<l>Gandharví—dear to fame is she—</l> +<l>And her sweet sister Rohiṇí.</l> +<l>With kine this daughter filled each mead,</l> +<l>And bright Gandharví bore the steed.<note place="foot">Some scholars identify +the centaurs with the Gandharvas.</note></l> +<l>Surasá bore the serpents:<note place="foot">The hooded serpents, says the commentator +Tírtha, were the offspring of Surasá: all others of Kadrú.</note> all</l> +<l>The snakes Kadrú their mother call.</l> +<l>Then Manu, high-souled Kaśyap's<note place="foot">The text reads Kaśyapa, <q>a +descendant of Kaśyapa,</q> who according to Rám. II. l0, 6, ought to be Vivasvat. But +as it is stated in the preceding part of this passage III. 14, 11 f. that Manu was one +of Kaśyapa's eight wives, we must here read Kaśyap. The Ganda recension reads +(III, 20, 30) <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Manur manushyáms cha +tatha janayámása Rághana</foreign>, instead of the corresponding line in the +Bombay edition. +<hi rend='italic'>Muir's Sanskrit Text, Vol I, p. 117.</hi></note> wife,</l> +<l>To all the race of men gave life,</l> +<l>The Bráhmans first, the Kshatriya caste,</l> +<l>Then Vaiśyas, and the Śúdras last.</l> +<l>Sprang from her mouth the Bráhman race;</l> +<l>Her chest the Kshatriyas' natal place:</l> +<l>The Vaiśyas from her thighs, 'tis said,</l> +<l>The Śúdras from her feet were bred.</l> +<l>From Analá all trees that hang</l> +<l>Their fair fruit-laden branches sprang.</l> +<l>The child of beauteous Śukí bore</l> +<l>Vinatá, as I taught before:</l> +<l>And Surasá and Kadrú were</l> +<l>Born of one dame, a noble pair.</l> +<l>Kadrú gave birth to countless snakes</l> +<l>That roam the earth in woods and brakes.</l> +<l>Aruṇ and Garuḍ swift of flight</l> +<l>By Vinatá were given to light,</l> +<l>And sons of Aruṇ red as morn</l> +<l>Sampati first, then I was born,</l> +<l>Me then, O tamer of the foe,</l> +<l>Jaṭáyus, son of Śyení, know.</l> +<l>Thy ready helper will I be,</l> +<l>And guard thy house, if thou agree:</l> +<l>When thou and Lakshmaṇ urge the chase</l> +<l><q rend="post">By Sítá's side shall be my place.</q></l> +<l>With courteous thanks for promised aid,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The prince, to rapture stirred,</l> +<l>Bent low, and due obeisance paid,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Embraced the royal bird.</l> +<pb n="247"/><anchor id="Pg247"/> +<l>He often in the days gone by</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Had heard his father tell</l> +<l>How, linked with him in friendship's tie,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He loved Jaṭáyus well.</l> +<l>He hastened to his trusted friend</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His darling to confide,</l> +<l>And through the wood his steps to bend</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By strong Jaṭáyus' side.</l> +<l>On to the grove, with Lakshmaṇ near,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The prince his way pursued</l> +<l>To free those pleasant shades from fear</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And slay the giant brood.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XV"/> +<head>Canto XV. Panchavatí.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Arrived at Panchavaṭí's shade</l> +<l>Where silvan life and serpents strayed,</l> +<l>Ráma in words like these addressed</l> +<l>Lakshmaṇ of vigour unrepressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Brother, our home is here: behold</q></l> +<l>The grove of which the hermit told:</l> +<l>The bowers of Panchavaṭí see</l> +<l>Made fair by every blooming tree.</l> +<l>Now, brother, bend thine eyes around;</l> +<l>With skilful glance survey the ground:</l> +<l>Here be some spot selected, best</l> +<l>Approved for gentle hermits' rest,</l> +<l>Where thou, the Maithil dame, and I</l> +<l>May dwell while seasons sweetly fly.</l> +<l>Some pleasant spot be chosen where</l> +<l>Pure waters gleam and trees are fair,</l> +<l>Some nook where flowers and wood are found</l> +<l><q rend="post">And sacred grass and springs abound.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Lakshmaṇ, Sítá standing by,</l> +<l>Raised reverent hands, and made reply:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">A hundred years shall flee, and still</q></l> +<l>Will I obey my brother's will:</l> +<l>Select thyself a pleasant spot;</l> +<l><q rend="post">Be mine the care to rear the cot.</q></l> +<l>The glorious chieftain, pleased to hear</l> +<l>That loving speech that soothed his ear,</l> +<l>Selected with observant care</l> +<l>A spot with every charm most fair.</l> +<l>He stood within that calm retreat,</l> +<l>A shade for hermits' home most meet,</l> +<l>And thus Sumitrá's son addressed,</l> +<l>While his dear hand in his he pressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">See, see this smooth and lovely glade</q></l> +<l>Which flowery trees encircling shade:</l> +<l>Do thou, beloved Lakshmaṇ rear</l> +<l>A pleasant cot to lodge us here.</l> +<l>I see beyond that feathery brake</l> +<l>The gleaming of a lilied lake,</l> +<l>Where flowers in sunlike glory throw</l> +<l>Fresh odours from the wave below.</l> +<l>Agastya's words now find we true,</l> +<l>He told the charms which here we view:</l> +<l>Here are the trees that blossom o'er</l> +<l>Godávarí's most lovely shore.</l> +<l>Whose pleasant flood from side to side</l> +<l>With swans and geese is beautified,</l> +<l>And fair banks crowded with the deer</l> +<l>That steal from every covert near.</l> +<l>The peacock's cry is loud and shrill</l> +<l>From many a tall and lovely hill,</l> +<l>Green-belted by the trees that wave</l> +<l>Full blossoms o'er the rock and cave.</l> +<l>Like elephants whose huge fronts glow</l> +<l>With painted streaks, the mountains show</l> +<l>Long lines of gold and silver sheen</l> +<l>With copper's darker hues between.</l> +<l>With every tree each hill is graced,</l> +<l>Where creepers blossom interlaced.</l> +<l>Look where the Sál's long branches sway,</l> +<l>And palms their fanlike leaves display;</l> +<l>The date-tree and the Jak are near,</l> +<l>And their long stems Tamálas rear.</l> +<l>See the tall Mango lift his head,</l> +<l>Aśokas all their glory spread,</l> +<l>The Ketak her sweet buds unfold,</l> +<l>And Champacs hang their cups of gold.<note place="foot">The original verses merely +name the trees. I have been obliged to amplify slightly and to omit some quas versu +dicere non est; <hi rend='italic'>e.g.</hi> the <hi rend='italic'>tiniśa</hi> (Dalbergia +ougeiniensis), <hi rend='italic'>punnága</hi> (Rottleria tinctoria), +<hi rend='italic'>tilaka</hi> (not named), <hi rend='italic'>syandana</hi> (Dalbergia +ougeiniensis again), <hi rend='italic'>vandana</hi> (unknown), +<hi rend='italic'>nípa</hi> (Nauclea Kadamba), <hi rend='italic'>lakucha</hi> +(Artœarpus lacucha), <hi rend='italic'>dhava</hi> (Grislea tomentosa), Aśvakarna +(another name for the Sál), <hi rend='italic'>Śamí</hi> (Acacia Suma), +<hi rend='italic'>khadira</hi> (Mimosa catechu), <hi rend='italic'>kinśuka</hi> +(Butea frondosa), <hi rend='italic'>pátala</hi> (Bignonia suaveolens).</note></l> +<l>The spot is pure and pleasant: here</l> +<l>Are multitudes of birds and deer.</l> +<l>O Lakshmaṇ, with our father's friend</l> +<l><q rend="post">What happy hours we here shall spend!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke: the conquering Lakshmaṇ heard,</l> +<l>Obedient to his brother's word.</l> +<l>Raised by his toil a cottage stood</l> +<l>To shelter Ráma in the wood,</l> +<l>Of ample size, with leaves o'erlaid,</l> +<l>Of hardened earth the walls were made.</l> +<l>The strong bamboos his hands had felled</l> +<l>For pillars fair the roof upheld,</l> +<l>And rafter, beam, and lath supplied</l> +<l>Well interwrought from side to side.</l> +<l>Then Śamí<note place="foot">Acacia Suma.</note> boughs he deftly spread</l> +<l>Enlaced with knotted cord o'erhead,</l> +<l>Well thatched above from ridge to eaves</l> +<l>With holy grass, and reed, and leaves.</l> +<l>The mighty chief with careful toil</l> +<l>Had cleared the ground and smoothed the soil</l> +<pb n="248"/><anchor id="Pg248"/> +<l>Where now, his loving labour done,</l> +<l>Rose a fair home for Raghu's son.</l> +<l>Then when his work was duly wrought,</l> +<l>Godávarís sweet stream he sought,</l> +<l>Bathed, plucked the lilies, and a store</l> +<l>Of fruit and berries homeward bore.</l> +<l>Then sacrifice he duly paid,</l> +<l>And wooed the Gods their hopes to aid,</l> +<l>And then to Ráma proudly showed</l> +<l>The cot prepared for his abode.</l> +<l>Then Raghu's son with Sítá gazed</l> +<l>Upon the home his hands had raised,</l> +<l>And transport thrilled his bosom through</l> +<l>His leafy hermitage to view.</l> +<l>The glorious son of Raghu round</l> +<l>His brother's neck his arms enwound,</l> +<l>And thus began his sweet address</l> +<l>Of deep-felt joy and gentleness:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Well pleased am I, dear lord, to see</q></l> +<l>This noble work performed by thee.</l> +<l>For this,—sole grace I can bestow,—</l> +<l>About thy neck mine arms I throw.</l> +<l>So wise art thou, thy breast is filled</l> +<l>With grateful thoughts, in duty skilled,</l> +<l>Our mighty father, free from stain,</l> +<l><q rend="post">In thee, his offspring, lives again.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke the prince, who lent a grace</l> +<l>To fortune, pride of Raghu's race;</l> +<l>Then in that spot whose pleasant shade</l> +<l>Gave store of fruit, content he stayed.</l> +<l>With Lakshmaṇ and his Maithil spouse</l> +<l>He spent his day's neath sheltering boughs,</l> +<l>As happy as a God on high</l> +<l>Lives in his mansion in the sky.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XVI"/> +<head>Canto XVI. Winter.</head> + +<lg> +<l>While there the high-souled hero spent</l> +<l>His tranquil hours in sweet content,</l> +<l>The glowing autumn passed, and then</l> +<l>Came winter so beloved of men.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">One morn, to bathe, at break of day</l> +<l>To the fair stream he took his way.</l> +<l>Behind him, with the Maithil dame</l> +<l>Bearing a pitcher Lakshmaṇ came,</l> +<l>And as he went the mighty man</l> +<l>Thus to his brother chief began:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">The time is come, to thee more dear</q></l> +<l>Than all the months that mark the year:</l> +<l>The gracious seasons' joy and pride,</l> +<l>By which the rest are glorified.</l> +<l>A robe of hoary rime is spread</l> +<l>O'er earth, with corn engarlanded.</l> +<l>The streams we loved no longer please,</l> +<l>But near the fire we take our ease.</l> +<l>Now pious men to God and shade</l> +<l>Offer young corn's fresh sprouted blade,</l> +<l>And purge away their sins with rice</l> +<l>Bestowed in humble sacrifice.</l> +<l>Rich stores of milk delight the swain,</l> +<l>And hearts are cheered that longed for gain,</l> +<l>Proud kings whose breasts for conquests glow</l> +<l>Lead bannered troops to smite the foe.</l> +<l>Dark is the north: the Lord of Day</l> +<l>To Yáma's south<note place="foot">The south is supposed to be the residence +of the departed.</note> has turned away:</l> +<l>And she—sad widow—shines no more,</l> +<l>Reft of the bridal mark<note place="foot">The sun.</note> she wore.</l> +<l>Himálaya's hill, ordained of old</l> +<l>The treasure-house of frost and cold,</l> +<l>Scarce conscious of the feebler glow,</l> +<l>Is truly now the Lord of Snow.</l> +<l>Warmed by the noontide's genial rays</l> +<l>Delightful are the glorious days:</l> +<l>But how we shudder at the chill</l> +<l>Of evening shadows and the rill!</l> +<l>How weak the sun, how cold the breeze!</l> +<l>How white the rime on grass and trees!</l> +<l>The leaves are sere, the woods have lost</l> +<l>Their blossoms killed by nipping frost.</l> +<l>Neath open skies we sleep no more:</l> +<l>December's nights with rime are hoar:</l> +<l>Their triple watch<note place="foot">The night is divided into three watches +of four hours each.</note> in length extends</l> +<l>With hours the shortened daylight lends.</l> +<l>No more the moon's sun-borrowed rays</l> +<l>Are bright, involved in misty haze,</l> +<l>As when upon the mirror's sheen</l> +<l>The breath's obscuring cloud is seen.</l> +<l>E'en at the full the faint beams fail</l> +<l>To struggle through the darksome veil:</l> +<l>Changed like her hue, they want the grace</l> +<l>That parts not yet from Sítá's face.</l> +<l>Cold is the western wind, but how</l> +<l>Its piercing chill is heightened now,</l> +<l>Blowing at early morning twice</l> +<l>As furious with its breath of ice!</l> +<l>See how the dewy tears they weep</l> +<l>The barley, wheat, and woodland steep,</l> +<l>Where, as the sun goes up the sky,</l> +<l>The curlew and the sáras cry.</l> +<l>See where the rice plants scarce uphold</l> +<l>Their full ears tinged with paly gold,</l> +<l>Bending their ripe heads slowly down</l> +<l>Fair as the date tree's flowery crown.</l> +<l>Though now the sun has mounted high</l> +<l>Seeking the forehead of the sky,</l> +<l>Such mist obscures his struggling beams,</l> +<l>No bigger than the moon he seems.</l> +<l>Though weak at first, his rays at length</l> +<l>Grow pleasant in their noonday strength,</l> +<l>And where a while they chance to fall</l> +<l>Fling a faint splendour over all.</l> +<pb n="249"/><anchor id="Pg249"/> +<l>See, o'er the woods where grass is wet</l> +<l>With hoary drops that cling there yet,</l> +<l>With soft light clothing earth and bough</l> +<l>There steals a tender glory now.</l> +<l>Yon elephant who longs to drink,</l> +<l>Still standing on the river's brink,</l> +<l>Plucks back his trunk in shivering haste</l> +<l>From the cold wave he fain would taste.</l> +<l>The very fowl that haunt the mere</l> +<l>Stand doubtful on the bank, and fear</l> +<l>To dip them in the wintry wave</l> +<l>As cowards dread to meet the brave.</l> +<l>The frost of night, the rime of dawn</l> +<l>Bind flowerless trees and glades of lawn:</l> +<l>Benumbed in apathetic chill</l> +<l>Of icy chains they slumber still.</l> +<l>You hear the hidden sáras cry</l> +<l>From floods that wrapped in vapour lie,</l> +<l>And frosty-shining sands reveal</l> +<l>Where the unnoticed rivers steal.</l> +<l>The hoary rime of dewy night,</l> +<l>And suns that glow with tempered light</l> +<l>Lend fresh cool flavours to the rill</l> +<l>That sparkles from the topmost hill.</l> +<l>The cold has killed the lily's pride:</l> +<l>Leaf, filament, and flower have died:</l> +<l>With chilling breath rude winds have blown,</l> +<l>The withered stalk is left alone.</l> +<l>At this gay time, O noblest chief,</l> +<l>The faithful Bharat, worn by grief,</l> +<l>Lives in the royal town where he</l> +<l>Spends weary hours for love of thee.</l> +<l>From titles, honour, kingly sway,</l> +<l>From every joy he turns away:</l> +<l>Couched on cold earth, his days are passed</l> +<l>With scanty fare and hermit's fast.</l> +<l>This moment from his humble bed</l> +<l>He lifts, perhaps, his weary head,</l> +<l>And girt by many a follower goes</l> +<l>To bathe where silver Sarjú flows.</l> +<l>How, when the frosty morn is dim,</l> +<l>Shall Sarjú be a bath for him</l> +<l>Nursed with all love and tender care,</l> +<l>So delicate and young and fair.</l> +<l>How bright his hue! his brilliant eye</l> +<l>With the broad lotus leaf may vie.</l> +<l>By fortune stamped for happy fate,</l> +<l>His graceful form is tall and straight.</l> +<l>In duty skilled, his words are truth:</l> +<l>He proudly rules each lust of youth.</l> +<l>Though his strong arm smites down the foe,</l> +<l>In gentle speech his accents flow.</l> +<l>Yet every joy has he resigned</l> +<l>And cleaves to thee with heart and mind.</l> +<l>Thus by the deeds that he has done</l> +<l>A name in heaven has Bharat won,</l> +<l>For in his life he follows yet</l> +<l>Thy steps, O banished anchoret.</l> +<l>Thus faithful Bharat, nobly wise,</l> +<l>The proverb of the world belies:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No men, by mothers' guidance led,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">The footsteps of their fathers tread.</q></l> +<l>How could Kaikeyí, blest to be</l> +<l>Spouse of the king our sire, and see</l> +<l>A son like virtuous Bharat, blot</l> +<l><q rend="post">Her glory with so foul a plot!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus in fraternal love he spoke,</l> +<l>And from his lips reproaches broke:</l> +<l>But Ráma grieved to hear him chide</l> +<l>The absent mother, and replied:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Cease, O beloved, cease to blame</q></l> +<l>Our royal father's second dame.</l> +<l>Still speak of Bharat first in place</l> +<l>Of old Ikshváku's princely race.</l> +<l>My heart, so firmly bent but now</l> +<l>To dwell in woods and keep my vow,</l> +<l>Half melting as I hear thee speak</l> +<l>Of Bharat's love, grows soft and weak,</l> +<l>With tender joy I bring to mind</l> +<l>His speeches ever sweet and kind.</l> +<l>That dear as Amrit took the sense</l> +<l>With most enchanting influence.</l> +<l>Ah, when shall I, no more to part,</l> +<l>Meet Bharat of the mighty heart?</l> +<l>When, O my brother, when shall we</l> +<l><q rend="post">The good and brave Śatrughna see?</q></l> +<l>Thus as he poured his fond lament</l> +<l>The son of Raghu onward went:</l> +<l>They reached the river, and the three</l> +<l>Bathed them in fair Godávarí.</l> +<l>Libations of the stream they paid</l> +<l>To every deity and shade,</l> +<l>With hymns of praise, the Sun on high</l> +<l>And sinless Gods to glorify.</l> +<l>Fresh from the purifying tide</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Resplendent Ráma came,</l> +<l>With Lakshmaṇ ever by his side,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And the sweet Maithil dame.</l> +<l>So Rudra shines by worlds adored,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In glory undefiled,</l> +<l>When Nandi<note place="foot">The chief chamberlain and attendant +of Śiva or Rudra.</note> stands beside his lord,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And King Himálaya's child.<note place="foot">Umá or Párvati, +the consort of Śiva.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XVII"/> +<head>Canto XVII. Súrpanakhá.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The bathing and the prayer were o'er;</l> +<l>He turned him from the grassy shore,</l> +<l>And with his brother and his spouse</l> +<l>Sought his fair home beneath the boughs.</l> +<l>Sítá and Lakshmaṇ by his side,</l> +<l>On to his cot the hero hied,</l> +<l>And after rites at morning due</l> +<l>Within the leafy shade withdrew.</l> +<pb n="250"/><anchor id="Pg250"/> +<l>Then, honoured by the devotees,</l> +<l>As royal Ráma sat at ease,</l> +<l>With Sítá near him, o'er his head</l> +<l>A canopy of green boughs spread,</l> +<l>He shone as shines the Lord of Night</l> +<l>By Chitrá's<note place="foot">A star, one of the favourites of the Moon.</note> +side, his dear delight.</l> +<l>With Lakshmaṇ there he sat and told</l> +<l>Sweet stories of the days of old,</l> +<l>And as the pleasant time he spent</l> +<l>With heart upon each tale intent,</l> +<l>A giantess, by fancy led,</l> +<l>Came wandering to his leafy shed.</l> +<l>Fierce Śúrpaṇakhá,—her of yore</l> +<l>The Ten-necked tyrant's mother bore,—</l> +<l>Saw Ráma with his noble mien</l> +<l>Bright as the Gods in heaven are seen;</l> +<l>Him from whose brow a glory gleamed,</l> +<l>Like lotus leaves his full eyes beamed:</l> +<l>Long-armed, of elephantine gait,</l> +<l>With hair close coiled in hermit plait:</l> +<l>In youthful vigour, nobly framed,</l> +<l>By glorious marks a king proclaimed:</l> +<l>Like some bright lotus lustrous-hued,</l> +<l>With young Kandarpa's<note place="foot">The God of love.</note> grace endued:</l> +<l>As there like Indra's self he shone,</l> +<l>She loved the youth she gazed upon.</l> +<l>She grim of eye and foul of face</l> +<l>Loved his sweet glance and forehead's grace:</l> +<l>She of unlovely figure, him</l> +<l>Of stately form and shapely limb:</l> +<l>She whose dim locks disordered hung,</l> +<l>Him whose bright hair on high brows clung:</l> +<l>She whose fierce accents counselled fear,</l> +<l>Him whose soft tones were sweet to hear:</l> +<l>She whose dire form with age was dried,</l> +<l>Him radiant in his youthful pride:</l> +<l>She whose false lips maintained the wrong,</l> +<l>Him in the words of virtue strong:</l> +<l>She cruel-hearted, stained with sin,</l> +<l>Him just in deed and pure within.</l> +<l>She, hideous fiend, a thing to hate,</l> +<l>Him formed each eye to captivate:</l> +<l>Fierce passion in her bosom woke,</l> +<l>And thus to Raghu's son she spoke:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">With matted hair above thy brows,</q></l> +<l>With bow and shaft and this thy spouse,</l> +<l>How hast thou sought in hermit dress</l> +<l>The giant-haunted wilderness?</l> +<l>What dost thou here? The cause explain:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Why art thou come, and what to gain?</q></l> +<l>As Śúrpaṇakhá questioned so,</l> +<l>Ráma, the terror of the foe,</l> +<l>In answer to the monster's call,</l> +<l>With fearless candour told her all.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">King Daśaratha reigned of old,</q></l> +<l>Like Gods celestial brave and bold.</l> +<l>I am his eldest son and heir,</l> +<l>And Ráma is the name I bear.</l> +<l>This brother, Lakshmaṇ, younger born,</l> +<l>Most faithful love to me has sworn.</l> +<l>My wife, this princess, dear to fame,</l> +<l>Is Sitá the Videhan dame.</l> +<l>Obedient to my sire's behest</l> +<l>And by the queen my mother pressed,</l> +<l>To keep the law and merit win,</l> +<l>I sought this wood to harbour in.</l> +<l>But speak, for I of thee in turn</l> +<l>Thy name, and race, and sire would learn.</l> +<l>Thou art of giant race, I ween.</l> +<l>Changing at will thy form and mien.</l> +<l>Speak truly, and the cause declare</l> +<l><q rend="post">That bids thee to these shades repair.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma spoke: the demon heard,</l> +<l>And thus replied by passion spurred:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Of giant race, what form soe'er</q></l> +<l>My fancy wills, 'tis mine to wear.</l> +<l>Named Śúrpaṇakhá here I stray,</l> +<l>And where I walk spread wild dismay.</l> +<l>King Rávaṇ is my brother: fame</l> +<l>Has taught perchance his dreaded name,</l> +<l>Strong Kumbhakarṇa slumbering deep</l> +<l>In chains of never-ending sleep:</l> +<l>Vibhíshaṇ of the duteous mind,</l> +<l>In needs unlike his giant kind:</l> +<l>Dúshaṇ and Khara, brave and bold</l> +<l>Whose fame by every tongue is told:</l> +<l>Their might by mine is far surpassed;</l> +<l>But when, O best of men, I cast</l> +<l>These fond eyes on thy form, I see</l> +<l>My chosen love and lord in thee.</l> +<l>Endowed with wondrous might am I:</l> +<l>Where'er my fancy leads I fly.</l> +<l>The poor misshapen Sítá leave,</l> +<l>And me, thy worthier bride receive.</l> +<l>Look on my beauty, and prefer</l> +<l>A spouse more meet than one like her:</l> +<l>I'll eat that ill-formed woman there:</l> +<l>Thy brother too her fate shall share.</l> +<l>But come, beloved, thou shalt roam</l> +<l>With me through all our woodland home;</l> +<l>Each varied grove with me shalt seek,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And gaze upon each mountain peak.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As thus she spoke, the monster gazed</l> +<l>With sparkling eyes where passion blazed:</l> +<l>Then he, in lore of language learned,</l> +<l>This answer eloquent returned:</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XVIII"/> +<head>Canto XVIII. The Mutilation.</head> + +<lg> +<l>On her ensnared in Káma's net</l> +<l>His eyes the royal Ráma set,</l> +<pb n="251"/><anchor id="Pg251"/> +<l>And thus, her passion to beguile,</l> +<l>Addressed her with a gentle smile:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">I have a wife: behold her here,</q></l> +<l>My Sítá ever true and dear:</l> +<l>And one like thee will never brook</l> +<l>Upon a rival spouse to look.</l> +<l>But there my brother Lakshmaṇ stands:</l> +<l>Unchained is he by nuptial bands:</l> +<l>A youth heroic, loved of all,</l> +<l>Gracious and gallant, fair and tall.</l> +<l>With winning looks, most nobly bred,</l> +<l>Unmatched till now, he longs to wed.</l> +<l>Meet to enjoy thy youthful charms,</l> +<l>O take him to thy loving arms.</l> +<l>Enamoured on his bosom lie,</l> +<l>Fair damsel of the radiant eye,</l> +<l>As the warm sunlight loves to rest</l> +<l><q rend="post">Upon her darling Meru's breast.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hero spoke, the monster heard,</l> +<l>While passion still her bosom stirred.</l> +<l>Away from Ráma's side she broke,</l> +<l>And thus in turn to Lakshmaṇ spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Come, for thy bride take me who shine</q></l> +<l>In fairest grace that suits with thine.</l> +<l>Thou by my side from grove to grove</l> +<l><q rend="post">Of Daṇḍak's wild in bliss shalt rove.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Lakshmaṇ, skilled in soft address,</l> +<l>Wooed by the amorous giantess,</l> +<l>With art to turn her love aside,</l> +<l>To Śúrpaṇakhá thus replied:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">And can so high a dame agree</q></l> +<l>The slave-wife of a slave to be?</l> +<l>I, lotus-hued! in good and ill</l> +<l>Am bondsman to my brother's will.</l> +<l>Be thou, fair creature radiant-eyed,</l> +<l>My honoured brother's younger bride:</l> +<l>With faultless tint and dainty limb,</l> +<l>A happy wife, bring joy to him.</l> +<l>He from his spouse grown old and grey,</l> +<l>Deformed, untrue, will turn away,</l> +<l>Her withered charms will gladly leave,</l> +<l>And to his fair young darling cleave.</l> +<l>For who could be so fond and blind,</l> +<l>O loveliest of all female kind,</l> +<l>To love another dame and slight</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy beauties rich in all delight?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Lakshmaṇ praised in scornful jest</l> +<l>The long-toothed fiend with loathly breast,</l> +<l>Who fondly heard his speech, nor knew</l> +<l>His mocking words were aught but true.</l> +<l>Again inflamed with love she fled</l> +<l>To Ráma, in his leafy shed</l> +<l>Where Sítá rested by his side,</l> +<l>And to the mighty victor cried:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">What, Ráma, canst thou blindly cling</q></l> +<l>To this old false misshapen thing?</l> +<l>Wilt thou refuse the charms of youth</l> +<l>For withered breast and grinning tooth!</l> +<l>Canst thou this wretched creature prize</l> +<l>And look on me with scornful eyes?</l> +<l>This aged crone this very hour</l> +<l>Before thy face will I devour:</l> +<l>Then joyous, from all rivals free.</l> +<l><q rend="post">Through Daṇḍak will I stray with thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She spoke, and with a glance of flame</l> +<l>Rushed on the fawn-eyed Maithil dame:</l> +<l>So would a horrid meteor mar</l> +<l>Fair Rohiṇí's soft beaming star.</l> +<l>But as the furious fiend drew near,</l> +<l>Like Death's dire noose which chills with fear,</l> +<l>The mighty chief her purpose stayed,</l> +<l>And spoke, his brother to upbraid:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ne'er should we jest with creatures rude,</q></l> +<l>Of savage race and wrathful mood.</l> +<l>Think, Lakshmaṇ, think how nearly slain</l> +<l>My dear Videhan breathes again.</l> +<l>Let not the hideous wretch escape</l> +<l>Without a mark to mar her shape.</l> +<l>Strike, lord of men, the monstrous fiend,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Deformed, and foul, and evil-miened.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke: then Lakshmaṇ's wrath rose high,</l> +<l>And there before his brother's eye,</l> +<l>He drew that sword which none could stay,</l> +<l>And cleft her nose and ears away.</l> +<l>Noseless and earless, torn and maimed,</l> +<l>With fearful shrieks the fiend exclaimed,</l> +<l>And frantic in her wild distress</l> +<l>Resought the distant wilderness.</l> +<l>Deformed, terrific, huge, and dread,</l> +<l>As on she moved, her gashes bled,</l> +<l>And groan succeeded groan as loud</l> +<l>As roars, ere rain, the thunder cloud.</l> +<l>Still on the fearful monster passed,</l> +<l>While streams of blood kept falling fast,</l> +<l>And with a roar, and arms outspread</l> +<l>Within the boundless wood she fled.</l> +<l>To Janasthán the monster flew;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Fierce Khara there she found,</l> +<l>With chieftains of the giant crew</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In thousands ranged around.</l> +<l>Before his awful feet she bent</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And fell with piercing cries,</l> +<l>As when a bolt in swift descent</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Comes flashing from the skies.</l> +<l>There for a while with senses dazed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Silent she lay and scared:</l> +<l>At length her drooping head she raised,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And all the tale declared,</l> +<l>How Ráma, Lakshmaṇ, and the dame</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Had reached that lonely place:</l> +<l>Then told her injuries and shame,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And showed her bleeding face.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XIX"/> +<head>Canto XIX. The Rousing Of Khara.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Khara saw his sister lie</l> +<l>With blood-stained limbs and troubled eye,</l> +<pb n="252"/><anchor id="Pg252"/> +<l>Wild fury in his bosom woke,</l> +<l>And thus the monstrous giant spoke;</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Arise, my sister; cast away</q></l> +<l>This numbing terror and dismay,</l> +<l>And straight the impious hand declare</l> +<l>That marred those features once so fair.</l> +<l>For who his finger tip will lay</l> +<l>On the black snake in childish play,</l> +<l>And unattacked, with idle stroke</l> +<l>His poison-laden fang provoke?</l> +<l>Ill-fated fool, he little knows</l> +<l>Death's noose around his neck he throws,</l> +<l>Who rashly met thee, and a draught</l> +<l>Of life-destroying poison quaffed.</l> +<l>Strong, fierce as death, 'twas thine to choose</l> +<l>Thy way at will, each shape to use;</l> +<l>In power and might like one of us:</l> +<l>What hand has maimed and marred thee thus?</l> +<l>What God or fiend this deed has wrought,</l> +<l>What bard or sage of lofty thought</l> +<l>Was armed with power supremely great</l> +<l>Thy form to mar and mutilate?</l> +<l>In all the worlds not one I see</l> +<l>Would dare a deed to anger me:</l> +<l>Not Indra's self, the Thousand-eyed,</l> +<l>Beneath whose hand fierce Páka<note place="foot">A demon slain by Indra.</note> +died.</l> +<l>My life-destroying darts this day</l> +<l>His guilty breath shall rend away,</l> +<l>E'en as the thirsty wild swan drains</l> +<l>Each milk-drop that the wave retains.</l> +<l>Whose blood in foaming streams shall burst</l> +<l>O'er the dry ground which lies athirst,</l> +<l>When by my shafts transfixed and slain</l> +<l>He falls upon the battle plain?</l> +<l>From whose dead corpse shall birds of air</l> +<l>The mangled flesh and sinews tear,</l> +<l>And in their gory feast delight,</l> +<l>When I have slain him in the fight?</l> +<l>Not God or bard or wandering ghost,</l> +<l>No giant of our mighty host</l> +<l>Shall step between us, or avail</l> +<l>To save the wretch when I assail.</l> +<l>Collect each scattered sense, recall</l> +<l>Thy troubled thoughts, and tell me all.</l> +<l>What wretch attacked thee in the way,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And quelled thee in victorious fray?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His breast with burning fury fired,</l> +<l>Thus Khara of the fiend inquired:</l> +<l>And then with many a tear and sigh</l> +<l>Thus Śúrpaṇakhá made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">'Tis Daśaratha's sons, a pair</q></l> +<l>Strong, resolute, and young, and fair:</l> +<l>In coats of dark and blackdeer's hide,</l> +<l>And like the radiant lotus eyed:</l> +<l>On berries roots and fruit they feed,</l> +<l>And lives of saintly virtue lead:</l> +<l>With ordered senses undefiled,</l> +<l>Ráma and Lakshmaṇ are they styled.</l> +<l>Fair as the Minstrels' King<note place="foot">Chitraratha, King of +the Gandharvas.</note> are they,</l> +<l>And stamped with signs of regal sway.</l> +<l>I know not if the heroes trace</l> +<l>Their line from Gods or Dánav<note place="foot">Titanic.</note> race.</l> +<l>There by these wondering eyes between</l> +<l>The noble youths a dame was seen,</l> +<l>Fair, blooming, young, with dainty waist,</l> +<l>And all her bright apparel graced.</l> +<l>For her with ready heart and mind</l> +<l>The royal pair their strength combined,</l> +<l>And brought me to this last distress,</l> +<l>Like some lost woman, comfortless.</l> +<l>Perfidious wretch! my soul is fain</l> +<l>Her foaming blood and theirs to drain.</l> +<l>O let me head the vengeful fight,</l> +<l>And with this hand my murderers smite.</l> +<l>Come, brother, hasten to fulfil</l> +<l>This longing of my eager will.</l> +<l>On to the battle! Let me drink</l> +<l><q rend="post">Their lifeblood as to earth they sink.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Khara, by his sister pressed,</l> +<l>Inflamed with fury, gave his hest</l> +<l>To twice seven giants of his crew,</l> +<l>Fierce as the God of death to view:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">'Two men equipped with arms, who wear</l> +<l>Deerskin and bark and matted hair,</l> +<l>Leading a beauteous dame, have strayed</l> +<l>To the wild gloom of Daṇḍak's shade.</l> +<l>These men, this cursed woman slay,</l> +<l>And hasten back without delay,</l> +<l>That this my sister's lips may be</l> +<l>Red with the lifeblood of the three.</l> +<l>Giants, my wounded sister longs</l> +<l>To take this vengeance for her wrongs.</l> +<l>With speed her dearest wish fulfil,</l> +<l>And with your might these creatures kill.</l> +<l>Soon as your matchless strength shall lay</l> +<l>These brothers dead in battle fray,</l> +<l>She in triumphant joy will laugh,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And their hearts' blood delighted quaff.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The giants heard the words he said,</l> +<l>And forth with Śúrpaṇakhá sped,</l> +<l>As mighty clouds in autumn fly</l> +<l>Urged by the wind along the sky.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XX"/> +<head>Canto XX. The Giants' Death.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Fierce Śúrpaṇakhá with her train</l> +<l>To Ráma's dwelling came again,</l> +<l>And to the eager giants showed</l> +<l>Where Sítá and the youths abode.</l> +<l>Within the leafy cot they spied</l> +<l>The hero by his consort's side,</l> +<l>And faithful Lakshmaṇ ready still</l> +<l>To wait upon his brother's will.</l> +<pb n="253"/><anchor id="Pg253"/> +<l>Then noble Ráma raised his eye</l> +<l>And saw the giants standing nigh,</l> +<l>And then, as nearer still they pressed.</l> +<l>His glorious brother thus addressed,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Be thine a while, my brother dear,</q></l> +<l>To watch o'er Sítá's safety here,</l> +<l>And I will slay these creatures who</l> +<l><q rend="post">The footsteps of my spouse pursue.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke, and reverent Lakshmaṇ heard</l> +<l>Submissive to his brother's word.</l> +<l>The son of Raghu, virtuous-souled,</l> +<l>Strung his great bow adorned with gold,</l> +<l>And, with the weapon in his hand,</l> +<l>Addressed him to the giant band:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ráma and Lakshmaṇ we, who spring</q></l> +<l>From Daśaratha, mighty king;</l> +<l>We dwell a while with Sítá here</l> +<l>In Daṇḍak forest wild and drear.</l> +<l>On woodland roots and fruit we feed,</l> +<l>And lives of strictest rule we lead.</l> +<l>Say why would ye our lives oppress</l> +<l>Who sojourn in the wilderness.</l> +<l>Sent hither by the hermits' prayer</l> +<l>With bow and darts unused to spare,</l> +<l>For vengeance am I come to slay</l> +<l>Your sinful band in battle fray.</l> +<l>Rest as ye are: remain content,</l> +<l>Nor try the battle's dire event.</l> +<l>Unless your offered lives ye spurn,</l> +<l><q rend="post">O rovers of the night, return.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They listened while the hero spoke,</l> +<l>And fury in each breast awoke.</l> +<l>The Bráhman-slayers raised on high</l> +<l>Their mighty spears and made reply:</l> +<l>They spoke with eyes aglow with ire,</l> +<l>While Ráma's burnt with vengeful tire,</l> +<l>And answered thus, in fury wild,</l> +<l>That peerless chief whose tones were mild:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Nay thou hast angered, overbold,</q></l> +<l>Khara our lord, the mighty-souled,</l> +<l>And for thy sin, in battle strife</l> +<l>Shalt yield to us thy forfeit life.</l> +<l>No power hast thou alone to stand</l> +<l>Against the numbers of our band.</l> +<l>'Twere vain to match thy single might</l> +<l>Against us in the front of fight.</l> +<l>When we equipped for fight advance</l> +<l>With brandished pike and mace and lance,</l> +<l>Thou, vanquished in the desperate field,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy bow, thy strength, thy life shalt yield.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With bitter words and threatening mien</l> +<l>Thus furious spoke the fierce fourteen,</l> +<l>And raising scimitar and spear</l> +<l>On Ráma rushed in wild career.</l> +<l>Their levelled spears the giant crew</l> +<l>Against the matchless hero threw.</l> +<l>His bow the son of Raghu bent,</l> +<l>And twice seven shafts to meet them sent,</l> +<l>And every javelin sundered fell</l> +<l>By the bright darts he aimed so well.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hero saw: his anger grew</l> +<l>To fury: from his side he drew</l> +<l>Fresh sunbright arrows pointed keen,</l> +<l>In number, like his foes, fourteen.</l> +<l>His bow he grasped, the string he drew,</l> +<l>And gazing on the giant crew,</l> +<l>As Indra casts the levin, so</l> +<l>Shot forth his arrows at the foe.</l> +<l>The hurtling arrows, stained with gore,</l> +<l>Through the fiends' breasts a passage tore,</l> +<l>And in the earth lay buried deep</l> +<l>As serpents through an ant-hill creep</l> +<l>Like trees uptorn by stormy blast</l> +<l>The shattered fiends to earth were cast,</l> +<l>And there with mangled bodies they,</l> +<l>Bathed in their blood and breathless, lay.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With fainting heart and furious eye</l> +<l>The demon saw her champions die.</l> +<l>With drying wounds that scarcely bled</l> +<l>Back to her brother's home she fled.</l> +<l>Oppressed with pain, with loud lament</l> +<l>At Khara's feet the monster bent.</l> +<l>There like a plant whence slowly come</l> +<l>The trickling drops of oozy gum,</l> +<l>With her grim features pale with pain</l> +<l>She poured her tears in ceaseless rain,</l> +<l>There routed Śúrpaṇakhá lay,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And told her brother all,</l> +<l>The issue of the bloody fray,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Her giant champions' fall.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXI"/> +<head>Canto XXI. The Rousing Of Khara.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Low in the dust he saw her lie,</l> +<l>And Khara's wrath grew fierce and high.</l> +<l>Aloud he cried to her who came</l> +<l>Disgracefully with baffled aim:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I sent with thee at thy request</q></l> +<l>The bravest of my giants, best</l> +<l>Of all who feed upon the slain:</l> +<l>Why art thou weeping here again?</l> +<l>Still to their master's interest true,</l> +<l>My faithful, noble, loyal crew,</l> +<l>Though slaughtered in the bloody fray,</l> +<l>Would yet their monarch's word obey.</l> +<l>Now I, my sister, fain would know</l> +<l>The cause of this thy fear and woe,</l> +<l>Why like a snake thou writhest there,</l> +<l>Calling for aid in wild despair.</l> +<l>Nay, lie not thus in lowly guise:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Cast off thy weakness and arise!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With soothing words the giant chief</l> +<l>Assuaged the fury of her grief.</l> +<l>Her weeping eyes she slowly dried</l> +<l>And to her brother thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I sought thee in my shame and fear</q></l> +<l>With severed nose and mangled ear:</l> +<l>My gashes like a river bled,</l> +<l>I sought thee and was comforted.</l> +<pb n="254"/><anchor id="Pg254"/> +<l>Those twice seven giants, brave and strong,</l> +<l>Thou sentest to avenge the wrong,</l> +<l>To lay the savage Ráma low,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ who misused me so.</l> +<l>But ah, the shafts of Ráma through</l> +<l>The bodies of my champions flew:</l> +<l>Though madly fierce their spears they plied,</l> +<l>Beneath his conquering might they died.</l> +<l>I saw them, famed for strength and speed,</l> +<l>I saw my heroes fall and bleed:</l> +<l>Great trembling seized my every limb</l> +<l>At the great deed achieved by him.</l> +<l>In trouble, horror, doubt, and dread,</l> +<l>Again to thee for help I fled.</l> +<l>While terror haunts my troubled sight,</l> +<l>I seek thee, rover of the night.</l> +<l>And canst thou not thy sister free</l> +<l>From this wide waste of troublous sea</l> +<l>Whose sharks are doubt and terror, where</l> +<l>Each wreathing wave is dark despair?</l> +<l>Low lie on earth thy giant train</l> +<l>By ruthless Ráma's arrows slain,</l> +<l>And all the mighty demons, fed</l> +<l>On blood, who followed me are dead.</l> +<l>Now if within thy breast may be</l> +<l>Pity for them and love for me,</l> +<l>If thou, O rover of the night,</l> +<l>Have valour and with him can fight,</l> +<l>Subdue the giants' cruel foe</l> +<l>Who dwells where Daṇḍak's thickets grow.</l> +<l>But if thine arm in vain assay</l> +<l>This queller of his foes to slay,</l> +<l>Now surely here before thine eyes,</l> +<l>Wronged and ashamed thy sister dies.</l> +<l>Too well, alas, too well I see</l> +<l>That, strong in war as thou mayst be,</l> +<l>Thou canst not in the battle stand</l> +<l>When Ráma meets thee hand to hand.</l> +<l>Go forth, thou hero but in name,</l> +<l>Assuming might thou canst not claim;</l> +<l>Call friend and kin, no longer stay:</l> +<l>Away from Janasthán, away!</l> +<l>Shame of thy race! the weak alone</l> +<l>Beneath thine arm may sink o'erthrown:</l> +<l>Fly Ráma and his brother: they</l> +<l>Are men too strong for thee to slay.</l> +<l>How canst thou hope, O weak and base,</l> +<l>To make this grove thy dwelling-place?</l> +<l>With Ráma's might unmeet to vie,</l> +<l>O'ermastered thou wilt quickly die.</l> +<l>A hero strong in valorous deed</l> +<l>Is Ráma, Daśaratha's seed:</l> +<l>And scarce of weaker might than he</l> +<l><q rend="post">His brother chief who mangled me.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus wept and wailed in deep distress</l> +<l>The grim misshapen giantess:</l> +<l>Before her brother's feet she lay</l> +<l>O'erwhelmed with grief, and swooned away.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXII"/> +<head>Canto XXII. Khara's Wrath.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Roused by the taunting words she spoke,</l> +<l>The mighty Khara's wrath awoke,</l> +<l>And there, while giants girt him round,</l> +<l>In these fierce words an utterance found:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">I cannot, peerless one, contain</q></l> +<l>Mine anger at this high disdain,</l> +<l>Galling as salt when sprinkled o'er</l> +<l>The rawness of a bleeding sore.</l> +<l>Ráma in little count I hold,</l> +<l>Weak man whose days are quickly told.</l> +<l>The caitiff with his life to-day</l> +<l>For all his evil deeds shall pay.</l> +<l>Dry, sister, dry each needless tear,</l> +<l>Stint thy lament and banish fear,</l> +<l>For Ráma and his brother go</l> +<l>This day to Yáma's realm below.</l> +<l>My warrior's axe shall stretch him slain,</l> +<l>Ere set of sun, upon the plain,</l> +<l>Then shall thy sated lips be red</l> +<l><q rend="post">With his warm blood in torrents shed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As Khara's speech the demon heard,</l> +<l>With sudden joy her heart was stirred:</l> +<l>She fondly praised him as the boast</l> +<l>And glory of the giant host.</l> +<l>First moved to ire by taunts and stings,</l> +<l>Now soothed by gentle flatterings,</l> +<l>To Dúshaṇ, who his armies led,</l> +<l>The demon Khara spoke, and said:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Friend, from the host of giants call</q></l> +<l>Full fourteen thousand, best of all,</l> +<l>Slaves of my will, of fearful might,</l> +<l>Who never turn their backs in fight:</l> +<l>Fiends who rejoice to slay and mar,</l> +<l>Dark as the clouds of autumn are:</l> +<l>Make ready quickly, O my friend,</l> +<l>My chariot and the bows I bend.</l> +<l>My swords, my shafts of brilliant sheen,</l> +<l>My divers lances long and keen.</l> +<l>On to the battle will I lead</l> +<l>These heroes of Pulastya's seed,</l> +<l>And thus, O famed for warlike skill,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Ráma my wicked foeman kill.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke, and ere his speech was done,</l> +<l>His chariot glittering like the sun,</l> +<l>Yoked and announced, by Dúshan's care,</l> +<l>With dappled steeds was ready there.</l> +<l>High as a peak from Meru rent</l> +<l>It burned with golden ornament:</l> +<l>The pole of lazulite, of gold</l> +<l>Were the bright wheels whereon it rolled.</l> +<l>With gold and moonstone blazoned o'er,</l> +<l>Fish, flowers, trees, rocks, the panels bore;</l> +<l>Auspicious birds embossed thereon,</l> +<l>And stars in costly emblem shone.</l> +<l>O'er flashing swords his banner hung,</l> +<l>And sweet bells, ever tinkling, swung.</l> +<pb n="255"/><anchor id="Pg255"/> +<l>That mighty host with sword and shield</l> +<l>And oar was ready for the field:</l> +<l>And Khara saw, and Dúshan cried,</l> +<l><q>Forth to the fight, ye giants, ride.</q></l> +<l>Then banners waved, and shield and sword</l> +<l>Flashed as the host obeyed its lord.</l> +<l>From Janasthán they sallied out</l> +<l>With eager speed, and din, and shout,</l> +<l>Armed with the mace for close attacks,</l> +<l>The bill, the spear, the battle-axe,</l> +<l>Steel quoit and club that flashed afar,</l> +<l>Huge bow and sword and scimitar,</l> +<l>The dart to pierce, the bolt to strike,</l> +<l>The murderous bludgeon, lance, and pike.</l> +<l>So forth from Janasthán, intent</l> +<l>On Khara's will, the monsters went.</l> +<l>He saw their awful march: not far</l> +<l>Behind the host he drove his car.</l> +<l>Ware of his master's will, to speed</l> +<l>The driver urged each gold-decked steed.</l> +<l>Then forth the warrior's coursers sprang,</l> +<l>And with tumultuous murmur rang</l> +<l>Each distant quarter of the sky</l> +<l>And realms that intermediate lie.</l> +<l>High and more high within his breast</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His pride triumphant rose,</l> +<l>While terrible as Death he pressed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Onward to slay his foes,</l> +<l><q>More swiftly yet,</q> as on they fled,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He cried in thundering tones</l> +<l>Loud as a cloud that overhead</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Hails down a flood of stones.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXIII"/> +<head>Canto XXIII. The Omens.</head> + +<lg> +<l>As forth upon its errand went</l> +<l>That huge ferocious armament,</l> +<l>An awful cloud, in dust and gloom,</l> +<l>With threatening thunders from its womb</l> +<l>Poured in sad augury a flood</l> +<l>Of rushing water mixt with blood.</l> +<l>The monarch's steeds, though strong and fleet,</l> +<l>Stumbled and fell: and yet their feet</l> +<l>Passed o'er the bed of flowers that lay</l> +<l>Fresh gathered on the royal way.</l> +<l>No gleam of sunlight struggled through</l> +<l>The sombre pall of midnight hue,</l> +<l>Edged with a line of bloody red,</l> +<l>Like whirling torches overhead.</l> +<l>A vulture, fierce, of mighty size.</l> +<l>Terrific with his cruel eyes,</l> +<l>Perched on the staff enriched with gold,</l> +<l>Whence hung the flag in many a fold.</l> +<l>Each ravening bird, each beast of prey</l> +<l>Where Janasthán's wild thickets lay,</l> +<l>Rose with a long discordant cry</l> +<l>And gathered as the host went by.</l> +<l>And from the south long, wild, and shrill,</l> +<l>Came spirit voices boding ill.</l> +<l>Like elephants in frantic mood,</l> +<l>Vast clouds terrific, sable-hued,</l> +<l>Hid all the sky where'er they bore</l> +<l>Their load of water mixt with gore.</l> +<l>Above, below, around were spread</l> +<l>Thick shades of darkness strange and dread,</l> +<l>Nor could the wildered glance descry</l> +<l>A point or quarter of the sky.</l> +<l>Then came o'er heaven a sanguine hue,</l> +<l>Though evening's flush not yet was due,</l> +<l>While each ill-omened bird that flies</l> +<l>Assailed the king with harshest cries.</l> +<l>There screamed the vulture and the crane,</l> +<l>And the loud jackal shrieked again.</l> +<l>Each hideous thing that bodes aright</l> +<l>Disaster in the coming fight,</l> +<l>With gaping mouth that hissed and flamed,</l> +<l>The ruin of the host proclaimed.</l> +<l>Eclipse untimely reft away</l> +<l>The brightness of the Lord of Day,</l> +<l>And near his side was seen to glow</l> +<l>A mace-like comet boding woe.</l> +<l>Then while the sun was lost to view</l> +<l>A mighty wind arose and blew,</l> +<l>And stars like fireflies shed their light,</l> +<l>Nor waited for the distant night.</l> +<l>The lilies drooped, the brooks were dried,</l> +<l>The fish and birds that swam them died,</l> +<l>And every tree that was so fair</l> +<l>With flower and fruit was stripped and bare.</l> +<l>The wild wind ceased, yet, raised on high,</l> +<l>Dark clouds of dust involved the sky.</l> +<l>In doleful twitter long sustained</l> +<l>The restless Sárikás<note place="foot">The Sáriká is the Maina, a bird like a +starling.</note> complained,</l> +<l>And from the heavens with flash and flame</l> +<l>Terrific meteors roaring came.</l> +<l>Earth to her deep foundation shook</l> +<l>With rock and tree and plain and brook,</l> +<l>As Khara with triumphant shout,</l> +<l>Borne in his chariot, sallied out.</l> +<l>His left arm throbbed: he knew full well</l> +<l>That omen, and his visage fell.</l> +<l>Each awful sign the giant viewed,</l> +<l>And sudden tears his eye bedewed.</l> +<l>Care on his brow sat chill and black,</l> +<l>Yet mad with wrath he turned not back.</l> +<l>Upon each fearful sight that raised</l> +<l>The shuddering hair the chieftain gazed,</l> +<l>And laughing in his senseless pride</l> +<l>Thus to his giant legions cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">By sense of mightiest strength upborne,</q></l> +<l>These feeble signs I laugh to scorn.</l> +<l>I could bring down the stars that shine</l> +<l>In heaven with these keen shafts of mine.</l> +<l>Impelled by warlike fury I</l> +<l>Could cause e'en Death himself to die.</l> +<pb n="256"/><anchor id="Pg256"/> +<l>I will not seek my home again</l> +<l>Until my pointed shafts have slain</l> +<l>This Raghu's son so fierce in pride,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ by his brother's side.</l> +<l>And she, my sister, she for whom</l> +<l>These sons of Raghu meet their doom,</l> +<l>She with delighted lips shall drain</l> +<l>The lifeblood of her foemen slain.</l> +<l>Fear not for me: I ne'er have known</l> +<l>Defeat, in battle overthrown.</l> +<l>Fear not for me, O giants; true</l> +<l>Are the proud words I speak to you.</l> +<l>The king of Gods who rules on high,</l> +<l>If wild Airávat bore him nigh,</l> +<l>Should fall before me bolt in hand:</l> +<l><q rend="post">And shall these two my wrath withstand!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ended and the giant host</l> +<l>Who heard their chief's triumphant boast,</l> +<l>Rejoiced with equal pride elate,</l> +<l>Entangled in the noose of Fate.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then met on high in bright array,</l> +<l>With eyes that longed to see the fray,</l> +<l>God and Gandharva, sage and saint,</l> +<l>With beings pure from earthly taint.</l> +<l>Blest for good works aforetime wrought,</l> +<l>Thus each to other spake his thought:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now joy to Bráhmans, joy to kine,</q></l> +<l>And all whom world count half divine!</l> +<l>May Raghu's offspring slay in fight</l> +<l><q rend="post">Pulastya's sons who roam by night!</q></l> +<l>In words like these and more, the best</l> +<l>Of high-souled saints their hopes expressed,</l> +<l>Bending their eager eyes from where</l> +<l>Car-borne with Gods they rode in air.</l> +<l>Beneath them stretching far, they viewed</l> +<l>The giants' death-doomed multitude.</l> +<l>They saw where, urged with fury, far</l> +<l>Before the host rolled Khara's car,</l> +<l>And close beside their leader came</l> +<l>Twelve giant peers of might and fame.</l> +<l>Four other chiefs<note place="foot">Mahákapála, Sthúláksha, Pramátha, +Triśiras.</note> before the rest</l> +<l>Behind their leader Dúshaṇ pressed.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Impetuous, cruel, dark, and dread,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">All thirsting for the fray,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hosts of giant warriors sped</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Onward upon their way.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With eager speed they reached the spot</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Where dwelt the princely two,—</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Like planets in a league to blot</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The sun and moon from view.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXIV"/> +<head>Canto XXIV. The Host In Sight.</head> + +<lg> +<l>While Khara, urged by valiant rage,</l> +<l>Drew near that little hermitage,</l> +<l>Those wondrous signs in earth and sky</l> +<l>Smote on each prince's watchful eye.</l> +<l>When Ráma saw those signs of woe</l> +<l>Fraught with destruction to the foe,</l> +<l>With bold impatience scarce repressed</l> +<l>His brother chief he thus addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">These fearful signs, my brother bold,</q></l> +<l>Which threaten all our foes, behold:</l> +<l>All laden, as they strike the view,</l> +<l>With ruin to the fiendish crew.</l> +<l>The angry clouds are gathering fast,</l> +<l>Their skirts with dusty gloom o'ercast,</l> +<l>And harsh with loud-voiced thunder, rain</l> +<l>Thick drops of blood upon the plain.</l> +<l>See, burning for the coming fight,</l> +<l>My shafts with wreaths of smoke are white,</l> +<l>And my great bow embossed with gold</l> +<l>Throbs eager for the master's hold.</l> +<l>Each bird that through the forest flies</l> +<l>Sends out its melancholy cries.</l> +<l>All signs foretell the dangerous strife,</l> +<l>The jeopardy of limb and life.</l> +<l>Each sight, each sound gives warning clear</l> +<l>That foemen meet and death is near.</l> +<l>But courage, valiant brother! well</l> +<l>The throbbings of mine arm foretell</l> +<l>That ruin waits the hostile powers,</l> +<l>And triumph in the fight is ours.</l> +<l>I hail the welcome omen: thou</l> +<l>Art bright of face and clear of brow.</l> +<l>For Lakshmaṇ, when the eye can trace</l> +<l>A cloud upon the warrior's face</l> +<l>Stealing the cheerful light away,</l> +<l>His life is doomed in battle fray.</l> +<l>List, brother, to that awful cry:</l> +<l>With shout and roar the fiends draw nigh.</l> +<l>With thundering beat of many a drum</l> +<l>The savage-hearted giants come.</l> +<l>The wise who value safety know</l> +<l>To meet, prepared, the coming blow:</l> +<l>In paths of prudence trained aright</l> +<l>They watch the stroke before it smite.</l> +<l>Take thou thine arrows and thy bow,</l> +<l>And with the Maithil lady go</l> +<l>For shelter to the mountain cave</l> +<l>Where thickest trees their branches wave.</l> +<l>I will not have thee, Lakshmaṇ, say</l> +<l>One word in answer, but obey.</l> +<l>By all thy honour for these feet</l> +<l>Of mine, dear brother, I entreat.</l> +<l>Thy warlike arm, I know could, smite</l> +<l>To death these rovers of the night;</l> +<l>But I this day would fight alone</l> +<l><q rend="post">Till all the fiends be overthrown.</q></l> +<pb n="257"/><anchor id="Pg257"/> +<l>He spake: and Lakshmaṇ answered naught:</l> +<l>His arrows and his bow he brought,</l> +<l>And then with Sítá following hied</l> +<l>For shelter to the mountain side.</l> +<l>As Lakshmaṇ and the lady through</l> +<l>The forest to the cave withdrew,</l> +<l><q>'Tis well,</q> cried Ráma. Then he braced</l> +<l>His coat of mail around his waist.</l> +<l>When, bright as blazing fire, upon</l> +<l>His mighty limbs that armour shone,</l> +<l>The hero stood like some great light</l> +<l>Uprising in the dark of night.</l> +<l>His dreadful shafts were by his side;</l> +<l>His trusty bow he bent and plied,</l> +<l>Prepared he stood: the bowstring rang,</l> +<l>Filling the welkin with the clang.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The high-souled Gods together drew</l> +<l>The wonder of the fight to view,</l> +<l>The saints made free from spot and stain,</l> +<l>And bright Gandharvas' heavenly train.</l> +<l>Each glorious sage the assembly sought,</l> +<l>Each saint divine of loftiest thought,</l> +<l>And filled with zeal for Ráma's sake.</l> +<l>Thus they whose deeds were holy spake:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Now be it well with Bráhmans, now</q></l> +<l>Well with the worlds and every cow!</l> +<l>Let Ráma in the deadly fray</l> +<l>The fiends who walk in darkness slay,</l> +<l>As He who bears the discus<note place="foot">Vishṇu, who bears a +<hi rend='italic'>chakra</hi> or discus.</note> slew</l> +<l><q rend="post">The chieftains of the Asur crew.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then each with anxious glances viewed</l> +<l>His fellow and his speech renewed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">There twice seven thousand giants stand</q></l> +<l>With impious heart and cruel hand:</l> +<l>Here Ráma stands, by virtue known:</l> +<l><q rend="post">How can the hero fight alone?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus royal sage and Bráhman saint,</l> +<l>Spirit, and Virtue free from taint,</l> +<l>And all the Gods of heaven who rode</l> +<l>On golden cars, their longing showed.</l> +<l>Their hearts with doubt and terror rent,</l> +<l>They saw the giants' armament,</l> +<l>And Ráma clothed in warrior might,</l> +<l>Forth standing in the front of fight.</l> +<l>Lord of the arm no toil might tire,</l> +<l>He stood majestic in his ire,</l> +<l>Matchless in form as Rudra<note place="foot">Śiva.</note> when</l> +<l>His wrath is fierce on Gods or men.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">While Gods and saints in close array</l> +<l>Held converse of the coming fray,</l> +<l>The army of the fiends drew near</l> +<l>With sight and sound that counselled fear.</l> +<l>Long, loud and deep their war-cry pealed,</l> +<l>As on they rushed with flag and shield,</l> +<l>Each, of his proper valour proud,</l> +<l>Urging to fight the demon crowd.</l> +<l>His ponderous bow each warrior tried,</l> +<l>And swelled his bulk with martial pride.</l> +<l>'Mid shout and roar and trampling feet,</l> +<l>And thunder of the drums they beat,</l> +<l>Loud and more loud the tumult went</l> +<l>Throughout the forest's vast extent,</l> +<l>And all the life that moved within</l> +<l>The woodland trembled at the din.</l> +<l>In eager haste all fled to find</l> +<l>Some tranquil spot, nor looked behind.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With every arm of war supplied,</l> +<l>On-rushing wildly like the tide</l> +<l>Of some deep sea, the giant host</l> +<l>Approached where Ráma kept his post.</l> +<l>Then he, in battle skilled and tried,</l> +<l>Bent his keen eye on every side,</l> +<l>And viewed the host of Khara face</l> +<l>To face before his dwelling-place.</l> +<l>He drew his arrows forth, and reared</l> +<l>And strained that bow which foemen feared,</l> +<l>And yielded to the vengeful sway</l> +<l>Of fierce desire that host to slay.</l> +<l>Terrific as the ruinous fire</l> +<l>That ends the worlds, he glowed in ire,</l> +<l>And his tremendous form dismayed</l> +<l>The Gods who roam the forest shade.</l> +<l>For in the furious wrath that glowed</l> +<l>Within his soul the hero showed</l> +<l>Like Śiva when his angry might</l> +<l>Stayed Daksha's sacrificial rite.<note place="foot">See +<hi rend='italic'>Additional Notes</hi>—<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Daksha's +Sacrifice</hi>.</note></l> +<l>Like some great cloud at dawn of day</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When first the sun upsprings,</l> +<l>And o'er the gloomy mass each ray</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A golden radiance flings:</l> +<l>Thus showed the children of the night,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Whose mail and chariots threw,</l> +<l>With gleam of bows and armlets bright,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Flashes of flamy hue.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXV"/> +<head>Canto XXV. The Battle.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Khara with the hosts he led</l> +<l>Drew near to Ráma's leafy shed,</l> +<l>He saw that queller of the foe</l> +<l>Stand ready with his ordered bow.</l> +<l>He saw, and burning at the view</l> +<l>His clanging bow he raised and drew,</l> +<l>And bade his driver urge apace</l> +<l>His car to meet him face to face.</l> +<l>Obedient to his master's hest</l> +<l>His eager steeds the driver pressed</l> +<l>On to the spot where, none to aid,</l> +<l>The strong-armed chief his weapon swayed.</l> +<l>Soon as the children of the night</l> +<l>Saw Khara rushing to the fight,</l> +<pb n="258"/><anchor id="Pg258"/> +<l>His lords with loud unearthly cry</l> +<l>Followed their chief and gathered nigh.</l> +<l>As in his car the leader rode</l> +<l>With all his lords around, he showed</l> +<l>Like the red planet fiery Mars</l> +<l>Surrounded by the lesser stars.</l> +<l>Then with a horrid yell that rent</l> +<l>The air, the giant chieftain sent</l> +<l>A thousand darts in rapid shower</l> +<l>On Ráma matchless in his power.</l> +<l>The rovers of the night, impelled</l> +<l>By fiery rage which naught withheld,</l> +<l>Upon the unconquered prince, who strained</l> +<l>His fearful bow, their arrows rained.</l> +<l>With sword and club, with mace and pike,</l> +<l>With spear and axe to pierce and strike,</l> +<l>Those furious fiends on every side</l> +<l>The unconquerable hero plied.</l> +<l>The giant legions huge and strong,</l> +<l>Like clouds the tempest drives along,</l> +<l>Rushed upon Ráma with the speed</l> +<l>Of whirling car, and mounted steed,</l> +<l>And hill-like elephant, to slay</l> +<l>The matchless prince in battle fray.</l> +<l>Then upon Ráma thick and fast</l> +<l>The rain of mortal steel they cast,</l> +<l>As labouring clouds their torrents shed</l> +<l>Upon the mountain-monarch's<note place="foot">Himálaya.</note> head.</l> +<l>As near and nearer round him drew</l> +<l>The warriors of the giant crew,</l> +<l>He showed like Śiva girt by all</l> +<l>His spirits when night's shadows fall.</l> +<l>As the great deep receives each rill</l> +<l>And river rushing from the hill,</l> +<l>He bore that flood of darts, and broke</l> +<l>With well-aimed shaft each murderous stroke.</l> +<l>By stress of arrowy storm assailed,</l> +<l>And wounded sore, he never failed,</l> +<l>Like some high mountain which defies</l> +<l>The red bolts flashing from the skies.</l> +<l>With ruddy streams each limb was dyed</l> +<l>From gaping wounds in breast and side,</l> +<l>Showing the hero like the sun</l> +<l>'Mid crimson clouds ere day is done.</l> +<l>Then, at that sight of terror, faint</l> +<l>Grew God, Gandharva, sage, and saint,</l> +<l>Trembling to see the prince oppose</l> +<l>His single might to myriad foes.</l> +<l>But waxing wroth, with force unspent,</l> +<l>He strained his bow to utmost bent,</l> +<l>And forth his arrows keen and true</l> +<l>In hundreds, yea in thousands flew,—</l> +<l>Shafts none could ward, and none endure:</l> +<l>Death's fatal noose was scarce so sure.</l> +<l>As 'twere in playful ease he shot</l> +<l>His gilded shafts, and rested not.</l> +<l>With swiftest flight and truest aim</l> +<l>Upon the giant hosts they came.</l> +<l>Each smote, each stayed a foeman's breath</l> +<l>As fatal as the coil of Death.</l> +<l>Each arrow through a giant tore</l> +<l>A passage, and besmeared with gore,</l> +<l>Pursued its onward way and through</l> +<l>The air with flamy brilliance flew.</l> +<l>Unnumbered were the arrows sent</l> +<l>From the great bow which Ráma bent,</l> +<l>And every shaft with iron head</l> +<l>The lifeblood of a giant shed.</l> +<l>Their pennoned bows were cleft, nor mail</l> +<l>Nor shield of hide could aught avail.</l> +<l>For Ráma's myriad arrows tore</l> +<l>Through arms, and bracelets which they wore,</l> +<l>And severed mighty warriors' thighs</l> +<l>Like trunks of elephants in size,</l> +<l>And cut resistless passage sheer</l> +<l>Through gold-decked horse and charioteer,</l> +<l>Slew elephant and rider, slew</l> +<l>The horseman and the charger too,</l> +<l>And infantry unnumbered sent</l> +<l>To dwell 'neath Yáma's government.</l> +<l>Then rose on high a fearful yell</l> +<l>Of rovers of the night, who fell</l> +<l>Beneath that iron torrent, sore</l> +<l>Wounded by shafts that rent and tore.</l> +<l>So mangled by the ceaseless storm</l> +<l>Of shafts of every kind and form,</l> +<l>Such joy they found, as forests feel</l> +<l>When scorched by flame, from Ráma's steel.</l> +<l>The mightiest still the fight maintained,</l> +<l>And furious upon Ráma rained</l> +<l>Dart, arrow, spear, with wild attacks</l> +<l>Of mace, and club, and battle-axe.</l> +<l>But the great chief, unconquered yet,</l> +<l>Their weapons with his arrows met,</l> +<l>Which severed many a giant's head,</l> +<l>And all the plain with corpses spread.</l> +<l>With sundered bow and shattered shield</l> +<l>Headless they sank upon the field,</l> +<l>As the tall trees, that felt the blast</l> +<l>Of Garuḍ's wing, to earth were cast.</l> +<l>The giants left unslaughtered there</l> +<l>Where filled with terror and despair,</l> +<l>And to their leader Khara fled</l> +<l>Faint, wounded, and discomfited.</l> +<l>These fiery Dúshaṇ strove to cheer,</l> +<l>And poised his bow to calm their fear;</l> +<l>Then fierce as He who rules the dead,</l> +<l>When wroth, on angered Ráma sped.</l> +<l>By Dúshaṇ cheered, the demons cast</l> +<l>Their dread aside and rallied fast</l> +<l>With Sáls, rocks, palm-trees in their hands</l> +<l>With nooses, maces, pikes, and brands,</l> +<l>Again upon the godlike man</l> +<l>The mighty fiends infuriate ran,</l> +<l>These casting rocks like hail, and these</l> +<l>A whelming shower of leafy trees.</l> +<l>Wild, wondrous fight, the eye to scare,</l> +<l>And raise on end each shuddering hair,</l> +<pb n="259"/><anchor id="Pg259"/> +<l>As with the fiends who loved to rove</l> +<l>By night heroic Ráma strove!</l> +<l>The giants in their fury plied</l> +<l>Ráma with darts on every side.</l> +<l>Then, by the gathering demons pressed</l> +<l>From north and south and east and west,</l> +<l>By showers of deadly darts assailed</l> +<l>From every quarter fiercely hailed,</l> +<l>Girt by the foes who swarmed around,</l> +<l>He raised a mighty shout whose sound</l> +<l>Struck terror. On the giant crew</l> +<l>His great Gandharva<note place="foot">One of the mysterious weapons given +to Ráma.</note> arrow flew.</l> +<l>A thousand mortal shafts were rained</l> +<l>From the orbed bow the hero strained,</l> +<l>Till east and west and south and north</l> +<l>Were filled with arrows volleyed forth.</l> +<l>They heard the fearful shout: they saw</l> +<l>His mighty hand the bowstring draw,</l> +<l>Yet could no wounded giant's eye</l> +<l>See the swift storm of arrows fly.</l> +<l>Still firm the warrior stood and cast</l> +<l>His deadly missiles thick and fast.</l> +<l>Dark grew the air with arrowy hail</l> +<l>Which hid the sun as with a veil.</l> +<l>Fiends wounded, falling, fallen, slain,</l> +<l>All in a moment, spread the plain,</l> +<l>And thousands scarce alive were left</l> +<l>Mangled, and gashed, and torn, and cleft.</l> +<l>Dire was the sight, the plain o'erspread</l> +<l>With trophies of the mangled dead.</l> +<l>There lay, by Ráma's missiles rent,</l> +<l>Full many a priceless ornament,</l> +<l>With severed limb and broken gem,</l> +<l>Hauberk and helm and diadem.</l> +<l>There lay the shattered car, the steed,</l> +<l>The elephant of noblest breed,</l> +<l>The splintered spear, the shivered mace,</l> +<l>Chouris and screens to shade the face.</l> +<l>The giants saw with bitterest pain</l> +<l>Their warriors weltering on the plain,</l> +<l>Nor dared again his might oppose</l> +<l>Who scourged the cities of his foes.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXVI"/> +<head>Canto XXVI. Dúshan's Death.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Dúshaṇ saw his giant band</l> +<l>Slaughtered by Ráma's conquering hand,</l> +<l>He called five thousand fiends, and gave</l> +<l>His orders. Bravest of the brave,</l> +<l>Invincible, of furious might,</l> +<l>Ne'er had they turned their backs in flight.</l> +<l>They, as their leader bade them seize</l> +<l>Spears, swords, and clubs, and rocks, and trees,</l> +<l>Poured on the dauntless prince again</l> +<l>A ceaseless shower of deadly rain.</l> +<l>The virtuous Ráma, undismayed,</l> +<l>Their missiles with his arrows stayed,</l> +<l>And weakened, ere it fell, the shock</l> +<l>Of that dire hail of tree and rock,</l> +<l>And like a bull with eyelids closed,</l> +<l>The pelting of the storm opposed.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then blazed his ire: he longed to smite</l> +<l>To earth the rovers of the night.</l> +<l>The wrath that o'er his spirit came</l> +<l>Clothed him with splendour as of flame,</l> +<l>While showers of mortal darts he poured</l> +<l>Fierce on the giants and their lord.</l> +<l>Dúshaṇ, the foeman's dusky dread,</l> +<l>By frenzied rage inspirited,</l> +<l>On Raghu's son his missiles cast</l> +<l>Like Indra's bolts which rend and blast.</l> +<l>But Ráma with a trenchant dart</l> +<l>Cleft Dúshaṇ's ponderous bow apart.</l> +<l>And then the gold-decked steeds who drew</l> +<l>The chariot, with four shafts he slew.</l> +<l>One crescent dart he aimed which shred</l> +<l>Clean from his neck the driver's head;</l> +<l>Three more with deadly skill addressed</l> +<l>Stood quivering in the giant's breast.</l> +<l>Hurled from his car, steeds, driver slain,</l> +<l>The bow he trusted cleft in twain,</l> +<l>He seized his mace, strong, heavy, dread,</l> +<l>High as a mountain's towering head.</l> +<l>With plates of gold adorned and bound,</l> +<l>Embattled Gods it crushed and ground.</l> +<l>Its iron spikes yet bore the stains</l> +<l>Of mangled foemen's blood and brains.</l> +<l>Its heavy mass of jagged steel</l> +<l>Was like a thunderbolt to feel.</l> +<l>It shattered, as on foes it fell,</l> +<l>The city where the senses dwell.<note place="foot">A periphrasis for the +body.</note></l> +<l>Fierce Dúshaṇ seized that ponderous mace</l> +<l>Like monstrous form of serpent race,</l> +<l>And all his savage soul aglow</l> +<l>With fury, rushed upon the foe.</l> +<l>But Raghu's son took steady aim,</l> +<l>And as the rushing giant came,</l> +<l>Shore with two shafts the arms whereon</l> +<l>The demon's glittering bracelets shone.</l> +<l>His arm at each huge shoulder lopped,</l> +<l>The mighty body reeled and dropped,</l> +<l>And the great mace to earth was thrown</l> +<l>Like Indra's staff when storms have blown.</l> +<l>As some vast elephant who lies</l> +<l>Shorn of his tusks, and bleeding dies,</l> +<l>So, when his arms were rent away,</l> +<l>Low on the ground the giant lay.</l> +<l>The spirits saw the monster die,</l> +<l>And loudly rang their joyful cry,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Honour to Ráma! nobly done!</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Well hast thou fought, Kakutstha's son!</q></l> +<pb n="260"/><anchor id="Pg260"/> +<l>But the great three, the host who led,</l> +<l>Enraged to see their chieftain dead,</l> +<l>As though Death's toils were round them cast,</l> +<l>Rushed upon Ráma fierce and fast,</l> +<l>Mahákapála seized, to strike</l> +<l>His foeman down, a ponderous pike:</l> +<l>Sthúláksha charged with spear to fling,</l> +<l>Pramáthi with his axe to swing.</l> +<l>When Ráma saw, with keen darts he</l> +<l>Received the onset of the three,</l> +<l>As calm as though he hailed a guest</l> +<l>In each, who came for shade and rest.</l> +<l>Mahákapála's monstrous head</l> +<l>Fell with the trenchant dart he sped.</l> +<l>His good right hand in battle skilled</l> +<l>Sthúláksha's eyes with arrows filled,</l> +<l>And trusting still his ready bow</l> +<l>He laid the fierce Pramáthi low,</l> +<l>Who sank as some tall tree falls down</l> +<l>With bough and branch and leafy crown.</l> +<l>Then with five thousand shafts he slew</l> +<l>The rest of Dúshaṇ's giant crew:</l> +<l>Five thousand demons, torn and rent,</l> +<l>To Yáma's gloomy realm he sent.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Khara knew the fate of all</l> +<l>The giant band and Dúshaṇ's fall,</l> +<l>He called the mighty chiefs who led</l> +<l>His army, and in fury said:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Now Dúshaṇ and his armèd train</q></l> +<l>Lie prostrate on the battle plain.</l> +<l>Lead forth an army mightier still,</l> +<l>Ráma this wretched man, to kill.</l> +<l>Fight ye with darts of every shape,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Nor let him from your wrath escape.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke the fiend, by rage impelled,</l> +<l>And straight his course toward Ráma held.</l> +<l>With Śyenagámí and the rest</l> +<l>Of his twelve chiefs he onward pressed,</l> +<l>And every giant as he went</l> +<l>A storm of well-wrought arrows sent.</l> +<l>Then with his pointed shafts that came</l> +<l>With gold and diamond bright as flame,</l> +<l>Dead to the earth the hero threw</l> +<l>The remnant of the demon crew.</l> +<l>Those shafts with feathers bright as gold,</l> +<l>Like flames which wreaths of smoke enfold,</l> +<l>Smote down the fiends like tall trees rent</l> +<l>By red bolts from the firmament.</l> +<l>A hundred shafts he pointed well:</l> +<l>By their keen barbs a hundred fell:</l> +<l>A thousand,—and a thousand more</l> +<l>In battle's front lay drenched in gore.</l> +<l>Of all defence and guard bereft,</l> +<l>With sundered bows and harness cleft.</l> +<l>Their bodies red with bloody stain</l> +<l>Fell the night-rovers on the plain,</l> +<l>Which, covered with the loosened hair</l> +<l>Of bleeding giants prostrate there,</l> +<l>Like some great altar showed, arrayed</l> +<l>For holy rites with grass o'erlaid.</l> +<l>The darksome wood, each glade and dell</l> +<l>Where the wild demons fought and fell</l> +<l>Was like an awful hell whose floor</l> +<l>Is thick with mire and flesh and gore.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus twice seven thousand fiends, a band</l> +<l>With impious heart and bloody hand,</l> +<l>By Raghu's son were overthrown,</l> +<l>A man, on foot, and all alone.</l> +<l>Of all who met on that fierce day,</l> +<l>Khara, great chief, survived the fray,</l> +<l>The monster of the triple head,<note place="foot">Triśirás.</note></l> +<l>And Raghu's son, the foeman's dread.</l> +<l>The other demon warriors, all</l> +<l>Skilful and brave and strong and tall,</l> +<l>In front of battle, side by side,</l> +<l>Struck down by Lakshmaṇ's brother died.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Khara saw the host he led</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Triumphant forth to fight</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Stretched on the earth, all smitten dead,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">By Ráma's nobler might,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Upon his foe he fiercely glared,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And drove against him fast,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Like Indra when his arm is bared</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">His thundering bolt to cast.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXVII"/> +<head>Canto XXVII. The Death Of Trisirás.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Triśirás,<note place="foot">The Three-headed.</note> a chieftain dread,</l> +<l>Marked Khara as he onward sped.</l> +<l>And met his car and cried, to stay</l> +<l>The giant from the purposed fray:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Mine be the charge: let me attack,</q></l> +<l>And turn thee from the contest back.</l> +<l>Let me go forth, and thou shalt see</l> +<l>The strong-armed Ráma slain by me.</l> +<l>True are the words I speak, my lord:</l> +<l>I swear it as I touch my sword:</l> +<l>That I this Ráma's blood will spill,</l> +<l>Whom every giant's hand should kill.</l> +<l>This Ráma will I slay, or he</l> +<l>In battle fray shall conquer me.</l> +<l>Restrain thy spirit: check thy car,</l> +<l>And view the combat from afar.</l> +<l>Thou, joying o'er the prostrate foe,</l> +<l>To Janasthán again shalt go,</l> +<l>Or, if I fall in battle's chance,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Against my conqueror advance.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Triśirás for death who yearned:</l> +<l>And Khara from the conflict turned,</l> +<l><q>Go forth to battle,</q> Khara cried;</l> +<l>And toward his foe the giant hied.</l> +<l>Borne on a car of glittering hue</l> +<l>Which harnessed coursers fleetly drew,</l> +<l>Like some huge hill with triple peak</l> +<l>He onward rushed the prince to seek.</l> +<pb n="261"/><anchor id="Pg261"/> +<l>Still, like a big cloud, sending out</l> +<l>His arrowy rain with many a shout</l> +<l>Like the deep sullen roars that come</l> +<l>Discordant from a moistened drum.</l> +<l>But Raghu's son, whose watchful eye</l> +<l>Beheld the demon rushing nigh,</l> +<l>From the great bow he raised and bent</l> +<l>A shower of shafts to meet him sent.</l> +<l>Wild grew the fight and wilder yet</l> +<l>As fiend and man in combat met,</l> +<l>As when in some dark wood's retreat</l> +<l>An elephant and a lion meet.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The giant bent his bow, and true</l> +<l>To Ráma's brow three arrows flew.</l> +<l>Then, raging as he felt the stroke,</l> +<l>These words in anger Ráma spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Heroic chief! is such the power</q></l> +<l>Of fiends who rove at midnight hour?</l> +<l>Soft as the touch of flowers I feel</l> +<l>The gentle blows thine arrows deal.</l> +<l>Receive in turn my shafts, and know</l> +<l><q rend="post">What arrows fly from Ráma's bow.</q></l> +<l>Thus as he spoke his wrath grew hot,</l> +<l>And twice seven deadly shafts he shot,</l> +<l>Which, dire as serpent's deadly fang,</l> +<l>Straight to the giant's bosom sprang.</l> +<l>Four arrows more,—each shaped to deal</l> +<l>A mortal wound with barbèd steel,—</l> +<l>The glorious hero shot, and slew</l> +<l>The four good steeds the car that drew.</l> +<l>Eight other shafts flew straight and fleet,</l> +<l>And hurled the driver from his seat,</l> +<l>And in the dust the banner laid</l> +<l>That proudly o'er the chariot played.</l> +<l>Then as the fiend prepared to bound</l> +<l>Forth from his useless car to ground,</l> +<l>The hero smote him to the heart,</l> +<l>And numbed his arm with deadly smart.</l> +<l>Again the chieftain, peerless-souled,</l> +<l>Sent forth three rapid darts, and rolled</l> +<l>With each keen arrow, deftly sped,</l> +<l>Low in the dust a monstrous head.</l> +<l>Then yielding to each deadly stroke,</l> +<l>Forth spouting streams of blood and smoke,</l> +<l>The headless trunk bedrenched with gore</l> +<l>Fell to the ground and moved no more.</l> +<l>The fiends who yet were left with life,</l> +<l>Routed and crushed in battle strife,</l> +<l>To Khara's side, like trembling deer</l> +<l>Scared by the hunter, fled in fear.</l> +<l>King Khara saw with furious eye</l> +<l>His scattered giants turn and fly;</l> +<l>Then rallying his broken train</l> +<l>At Raghu's son he drove amain,</l> +<l>Like Ráhu<note place="foot">The demon who causes eclipses.</note> +when his deadly might</l> +<l>Comes rushing on the Lord of Night.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXVIII"/> +<head>Canto XXVIII. Khara Dismounted.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But when he turned his eye where bled</l> +<l>Both Triśirás and Dúshaṇ dead,</l> +<l>Fear o'er the giant's spirit came</l> +<l>Of Ráma's might which naught could tame.</l> +<l>He saw his savage legions, those</l> +<l>Whose force no creature dared oppose,—</l> +<l>He saw the leader of his train</l> +<l>By Ráma's single prowess slain.</l> +<l>With burning grief he marked the few</l> +<l>Still left him of his giant crew.</l> +<l>As Namuchi<note place="foot"><q>This Asura was a friend of Indra, and taking +advantage of his friend's confidence, he drank up Indra's strength along with a draught +of wine and Soma. Indra then told the Aśvins and Sarasvatí that Namuchi had drunk up his +strength. The Aśvins in consequence gave Indra a thunderbolt in the form of a foam, with +which he smote off the head of Namuchi.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Garrett's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Classical Dictionary of India</hi>. +See also Book I. <ref target="Pg039">p. 39</ref>.</note> on Indra, so</l> +<l>Rushed the dread demon on his foe.</l> +<l>His mighty bow the monster strained,</l> +<l>And angrily on Ráma rained</l> +<l>His mortal arrows in a flood,</l> +<l>Like serpent fangs athirst for blood.</l> +<l>Skilled in the bowman's warlike art,</l> +<l>He plied the string and poised the dart.</l> +<l>Here, on his car, and there, he rode,</l> +<l>And passages of battle showed,</l> +<l>While all the skyey regions grew</l> +<l>Dark with his arrows as they flew.</l> +<l>Then Ráma seized his ponderous bow,</l> +<l>And straight the heaven was all aglow</l> +<l>With shafts whose stroke no life might bear</l> +<l>That filled with flash and flame the air,</l> +<l>Thick as the blinding torrents sent</l> +<l>Down from Parjanya's<note place="foot">Indra.</note> firmament.</l> +<l>In space itself no space remained,</l> +<l>But all was filled with arrows rained</l> +<l>Incessantly from each great bow</l> +<l>Wielded by Ráma and his foe.</l> +<l>As thus in furious combat, wrought</l> +<l>To mortal hate, the warriors fought,</l> +<l>The sun himself grew faint and pale,</l> +<l>Obscured behind that arrowy veil.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As when beneath the driver's steel</l> +<l>An elephant is forced to kneel,</l> +<l>So from the hard and pointed head</l> +<l>Of many an arrow Ráma bled.</l> +<l>High on his car the giant rose</l> +<l>Prepared in deadly strife to close,</l> +<pb n="262"/><anchor id="Pg262"/> +<l>And all the spirits saw him stand</l> +<l>Like Yáma with his noose in hand.</l> +<l>For Khara deemed in senseless pride</l> +<l>That he, beneath whose hand had died</l> +<l>The giant legions, failed at length</l> +<l>Slow sinking with exhausted strength.</l> +<l>But Ráma, like a lion, when</l> +<l>A trembling deer comes nigh his den,</l> +<l>Feared not the demon mad with hate,—</l> +<l>Of lion might and lion gait.</l> +<l>Then in his lofty car that glowed</l> +<l>With sunlike brilliance Khara rode</l> +<l>At Ráma: madly on he came</l> +<l>Like a poor moth that seeks the flame.</l> +<l>His archer skill the fiend displayed,</l> +<l>And at the place where Ráma laid</l> +<l>His hand, an arrow cleft in two</l> +<l>The mighty bow the hero drew.</l> +<l>Seven arrows by the giant sent,</l> +<l>Bright as the bolts of Indra, rent</l> +<l>Their way through mail and harness joints,</l> +<l>And pierced him with their iron points.</l> +<l>On Ráma, hero unsurpassed,</l> +<l>A thousand shafts smote thick and fast,</l> +<l>While as each missile struck, rang out</l> +<l>The giant's awful battle-shout.</l> +<l>His knotted arrows pierced and tore</l> +<l>The sunbright mail the hero wore,</l> +<l>Till, band and buckle rent away,</l> +<l>Glittering on the ground it lay.</l> +<l>Then pierced in shoulder, breast, and side,</l> +<l>Till every limb with blood was dyed,</l> +<l>The chieftain in majestic ire</l> +<l>Shone glorious as the smokeless fire.</l> +<l>Then loud and long the war-cry rose</l> +<l>Of Ráma, terror of his foes,</l> +<l>As, on the giant's death intent,</l> +<l>A ponderous bow he strung and bent,—</l> +<l>Lord Vishṇu's own, of wondrous size,—</l> +<l>Agastya gave the heavenly prize.</l> +<l>Then rushing on the demon foe,</l> +<l>He raised on high that mighty bow,</l> +<l>And with his well-wrought shafts, whereon</l> +<l>Bright gold between the feathers shone,</l> +<l>He struck the pennon fluttering o'er</l> +<l>The chariot, and it waved no more.</l> +<l>That glorious flag whose every fold</l> +<l>Was rich with blazonry and gold,</l> +<l>Fell as the sun himself by all</l> +<l>The Gods' decree might earthward fall.</l> +<l>From wrathful Khara's hand, whose art</l> +<l>Well knew each vulnerable part,</l> +<l>Four keenly-piercing arrows flew,</l> +<l>And blood in Ráma's bosom drew,</l> +<l>With every limb distained with gore</l> +<l>From deadly shafts which rent and tore,</l> +<l>From Khara's clanging bowstring shots,</l> +<l>The prince's wrath waxed wondrous hot.</l> +<l>His hand upon his bow that best</l> +<l>Of mighty archers firmly pressed,</l> +<l>And from the well-drawn bowstring, true</l> +<l>Each to its mark, six arrows flew.</l> +<l>One quivered in the giant's head,</l> +<l>With two his brawny shoulders bled;</l> +<l>Three, with the crescent heads they bore,</l> +<l>Deep in his breast a passage tore.</l> +<l>Thirteen, to which the stone had lent</l> +<l>The keenest point, were swiftly sent</l> +<l>On the fierce giant, every one</l> +<l>Destructive, gleaming like the sun.</l> +<l>With four the dappled steeds he slew;</l> +<l>One cleft the chariot yoke in two,</l> +<l>One, in the heat of battle sped,</l> +<l>Smote from the neck the driver's head.</l> +<l>The poles were rent apart by three;</l> +<l>Two broke the splintered axle-tree.</l> +<l>Then from the hand of Ráma, while</l> +<l>Across his lips there came a smile,</l> +<l>The twelfth, like thunderbolt impelled,</l> +<l>Cut the great hand and bow it held.</l> +<l>Then, scarce by Indra's self surpassed,</l> +<l>He pierced the giant with the last.</l> +<l>The bow he trusted cleft in twain,</l> +<l>His driver and his horses slain,</l> +<l>Down sprang the giant, mace in hand,</l> +<l>On foot against the foe to stand.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Gods and saints in bright array</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Close gathered in the skies,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The prince's might in battle-fray</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Beheld with joyful eyes.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Uprising from their golden seats,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Their hands in honour raised,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They looked on Ráma's noble feats,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And blessed him as they praised.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXIX"/> +<head>Canto XXIX. Khara's Defeat.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Ráma saw the giant nigh,</l> +<l>On foot, alone, with mace reared high,</l> +<l>In mild reproof at first he spoke,</l> +<l>Then forth his threatening anger broke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thou with the host 'twas thine to lead,</q></l> +<l>With elephant and car and steed,</l> +<l>Hast wrought an act of sin and shame,</l> +<l>An act which all who live must blame.</l> +<l>Know that the wretch whose evil mind</l> +<l>Joys in the grief of human kind,</l> +<l>Though the three worlds confess him lord,</l> +<l>Must perish dreaded and abhorred.</l> +<l>Night-rover, when a villain's deeds</l> +<l>Distress the world he little heeds,</l> +<l>Each hand is armed his life to take,</l> +<l>And crush him like a deadly snake.</l> +<l>The end is near when men begin</l> +<l>Through greed or lust a life of sin,</l> +<l>E'en as a Bráhman's dame, unwise,</l> +<l>Eats of the fallen hail<note place="foot">Popularly supposed to cause death.</note> +and dies.</l> +<pb n="263"/><anchor id="Pg263"/> +<l>Thy hand has slain the pure and good,</l> +<l>The hermit saints of Daṇḍak wood,</l> +<l>Of holy life, the heirs of bliss;</l> +<l>And thou shalt reap the fruit of this.</l> +<l>Not long shall they whose cruel breasts</l> +<l>Joy in the sin the world detests</l> +<l>Retain their guilty power and pride,</l> +<l>But fade like trees whose roots are dried.</l> +<l>Yes, as the seasons come and go,</l> +<l>Each tree its kindly fruit must show,</l> +<l>And sinners reap in fitting time</l> +<l>The harvest of each earlier crime.</l> +<l>As those must surely die who eat</l> +<l>Unwittingly of poisoned meat,</l> +<l>They too whose lives in sin are spent</l> +<l>Receive ere long the punishment.</l> +<l>And know, thou rover of the night,</l> +<l>That I, a king, am sent to smite</l> +<l>The wicked down, who court the hate</l> +<l>Of men whose laws they violate.</l> +<l>This day my vengeful hand shall send</l> +<l>Shafts bright with gold to tear and rend,</l> +<l>And pass with fury through thy breast</l> +<l>As serpents pierce an emmet's nest.</l> +<l>Thou with thy host this day shalt be</l> +<l>Among the dead below, and see</l> +<l>The saints beneath thy hand who bled,</l> +<l>Whose flesh thy cruel maw has fed.</l> +<l>They, glorious on their seats of gold,</l> +<l>Their slayer shall in hell behold.</l> +<l>Fight with all strength thou callest thine,</l> +<l>Mean scion of ignoble line,</l> +<l>Still, like the palm-tree's fruit, this day</l> +<l><q rend="post">My shafts thy head in dust shall lay.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Such were the words that Ráma said:</l> +<l>Then Khara's eyes with wrath glowed red,</l> +<l>Who, maddened by the rage that burned</l> +<l>Within him, with a smile returned:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Thou Daśaratha's son, hast slain</q></l> +<l>The meaner giants of my train:</l> +<l>And canst thou idly vaunt thy might</l> +<l>And claim the praise not thine by right?</l> +<l>Not thus in self-laudation rave</l> +<l>The truly great, the nobly brave:</l> +<l>No empty boasts like thine disgrace</l> +<l>The foremost of the human race.</l> +<l>The mean of soul, unknown to fame,</l> +<l>Who taint their warrior race with shame,</l> +<l>Thus speak in senseless pride as thou,</l> +<l>O Raghu's son, hast boasted now.</l> +<l>What hero, when the war-cry rings,</l> +<l>Vaunts the high race from which he springs,</l> +<l>Or seeks, when warriors meet and die,</l> +<l>His own descent to glorify?</l> +<l>Weakness and folly show confessed</l> +<l>In every vaunt thou utterest,</l> +<l>As when the flames fed high with grass</l> +<l>Detect the simulating brass.</l> +<l>Dost thou not see me standing here</l> +<l>Armed with the mighty mace I rear,</l> +<l>Firm as an earth upholding hill</l> +<l>Whose summit veins of metal fill?</l> +<l>Lo, here I stand before thy face</l> +<l>To slay thee with my murderous mace,</l> +<l>As Death, the universal lord,</l> +<l>Stands threatening with his fatal cord.</l> +<l>Enough of this. Much more remains</l> +<l>That should be said: but time constrains.</l> +<l>Ere to his rest the sun descend,</l> +<l>And shades of night the combat end,</l> +<l>The twice seven thousand of my band</l> +<l>Who fell beneath thy bloody hand</l> +<l>Shall have their tears all wiped away</l> +<l><q rend="post">And triumph in thy fall to-day.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke, and loosing from his hold</l> +<l>His mighty mace ringed round with gold,</l> +<l>Like some red bolt alive with fire</l> +<l>Hurled it at Ráma, mad with ire.</l> +<l>The ponderous mace which Khara threw</l> +<l>Sent fiery flashes as it flew.</l> +<l>Trees, shrubs were scorched beneath the blast,</l> +<l>As onward to its aim it passed.</l> +<l>But Ráma, watching as it sped</l> +<l>Dire as His noose who rules the dead,</l> +<l>Cleft it with arrows as it came</l> +<l>On rushing with a hiss and flame.</l> +<l>Its fury spent and burnt away,</l> +<l>Harmless upon the ground it lay</l> +<l>Like a great snake in furious mood</l> +<l>By herbs of numbing power subdued.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXX"/> +<head>Canto XXX. Khara's Death.</head> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Ráma, pride of Raghu's race,</l> +<l>Virtue's dear son, had cleft the mace,</l> +<l>Thus with superior smile the best</l> +<l>Of chiefs the furious fiend addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Thou, worst of giant blood, at length</q></l> +<l>Hast shown the utmost of thy strength,</l> +<l>And forced by greater might to bow,</l> +<l>Thy vaunting threats are idle now.</l> +<l>My shafts have cut thy club in twain:</l> +<l>Useless it lies upon the plain,</l> +<l>And all thy pride and haughty trust</l> +<l>Lie with it levelled in the dust.</l> +<l>The words that thou hast said to-day,</l> +<l>That thou wouldst wipe the tears away</l> +<l>Of all the giants I have slain,</l> +<l>My deeds shall render void and vain.</l> +<l>Thou meanest of the giants' breed,</l> +<l>Evil in thought and word and deed,</l> +<l>My hand shall take that life of thine</l> +<l>As Garuḍ<note place="foot">Garuḍ, the King of Birds, carried off +the Amrit or drink of Paradise from Indra's custody.</note> seized the juice divine.</l> +<pb n="264"/><anchor id="Pg264"/> +<l>Thou, rent by shafts, this day shalt die:</l> +<l>Low on the ground thy corse shall lie,</l> +<l>And bubbles from the cloven neck</l> +<l>With froth and blood thy skin shall deck.</l> +<l>With dust and mire all rudely dyed,</l> +<l>Thy torn arms lying by thy side,</l> +<l>While streams of blood each limb shall steep,</l> +<l>Thou on earth's breast shalt take thy sleep</l> +<l>Like a fond lover when he strains</l> +<l>The beauty whom at length he gains.</l> +<l>Now when thy heavy eyelids close</l> +<l>For ever in thy deep repose,</l> +<l>Again shall Daṇḍak forest be</l> +<l>Safe refuge for the devotee.</l> +<l>Thou slain, and all thy race who held</l> +<l>The realm of Janasthán expelled,</l> +<l>Again shall happy hermits rove,</l> +<l>Fearing no danger, through the grove.</l> +<l>Within those bounds, their brethren slain,</l> +<l>No giant shall this day remain,</l> +<l>But all shall fly with many a tear</l> +<l>And fearing, rid the saints of fear.</l> +<l>This bitter day shall misery bring</l> +<l>On all the race that calls thee king.</l> +<l>Fierce as their lord, thy dames shall know,</l> +<l>Bereft of joys, the taste of woe.</l> +<l>Base, cruel wretch, of evil mind,</l> +<l>Plaguer of Bráhmans and mankind,</l> +<l>With trembling hands each devotee</l> +<l><q rend="post">Feeds holy fires in dread of thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus with wild fury unrepressed</l> +<l>Raghu's brave son the fiend addressed;</l> +<l>And Khara, as his wrath grew high,</l> +<l>Thus thundered forth his fierce reply:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">By senseless pride to madness wrought,</q></l> +<l>By danger girt thou fearest naught,</l> +<l>Nor heedest, numbered with the dead,</l> +<l>What thou shouldst say and leave unsaid.</l> +<l>When Fate's tremendous coils enfold</l> +<l>The captive in resistless hold,</l> +<l>He knows not right from wrong, each sense</l> +<l><q rend="post">Numbed by that deadly influence.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke, and when his speech was done</l> +<l>Bent his fierce brows on Raghu's son.</l> +<l>With eager eyes he looked around</l> +<l>If lethal arms might yet be found.</l> +<l>Not far away and full in view</l> +<l>A Sál-tree towering upward grew.</l> +<l>His lips in mighty strain compressed,</l> +<l>He tore it up with root and crest,</l> +<l>With huge arms waved it o'er his head</l> +<l>And hurled it shouting, Thou art dead.</l> +<l>But Ráma, unsurpassed in might,</l> +<l>Stayed with his shafts its onward flight,</l> +<l>And furious longing seized his soul</l> +<l>The giant in the dust to roll.</l> +<l>Great drops of sweat each limb bedewed,</l> +<l>His red eyes showed his wrathful mood.</l> +<l>A thousand arrows, swiftly sent,</l> +<l>The giant's bosom tore and rent.</l> +<l>From every gash his body showed</l> +<l>The blood in foamy torrents flowed,</l> +<l>As springing from their caverns leap</l> +<l>Swift rivers down the mountain steep.</l> +<l>When Khara felt each deadened power</l> +<l>Yielding beneath that murderous shower,</l> +<l>He charged, infuriate with the scent</l> +<l>Of blood, in dire bewilderment.</l> +<l>But Ráma watched, with ready bow,</l> +<l>The onset of his bleeding foe,</l> +<l>And ere the monster reached him, drew</l> +<l>Backward in haste a yard or two.</l> +<l>Then from his side a shaft he took</l> +<l>Whose mortal stroke no life might brook:</l> +<l>Of peerless might, it bore the name</l> +<l>Of Brahmá's staff, and glowed with flame:</l> +<l>Lord Indra, ruler of the skies,</l> +<l>Himself had given the glorious prize.</l> +<l>His bow the virtuous hero drew,</l> +<l>And at the fiend the arrow flew.</l> +<l>Hissing and roaring like the blast</l> +<l>Of tempest through the air it passed,</l> +<l>And fixed, by Ráma's vigour sped,</l> +<l>In the foe's breast its pointed head.</l> +<l>Then fell the fiend: the quenchless flame</l> +<l>Burnt furious in his wounded frame.</l> +<l>So burnt by Rudra Andhak<note place="foot">A demon, son of Kaśyap and Diti, slain +by Rudra or Śiva when he attempted to +carry off the tree of Paradise.</note> fell</l> +<l>In Śvetáraṇya's silvery dell:</l> +<l>So Namuchi and Vritra<note place="foot">Namuchi and Vritra were two demons +slain by Indra. Vritra personifies drought, the enemy of Indra, who imprisons the +rain in the cloud.</note> died</l> +<l>By steaming bolts that tamed their pride:</l> +<l>So Bala<note place="foot">Another demon slain by Indra.</note> +fell by lightning sent</l> +<l>By Him who rules the firmament.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then all the Gods in close array</l> +<l>With the bright hosts who sing and play,</l> +<l>Filled full of rapture and amaze,</l> +<l>Sang hymns of joy in Ráma's praise,</l> +<l>Beat their celestial drums and shed</l> +<l>Rain of sweet flowers upon his head.</l> +<l>For three short hours had scarcely flown,</l> +<l>And by his pointed shafts o'erthrown</l> +<l>The twice seven thousand fiends, whose will</l> +<l>Could change their shapes, in death were still,</l> +<l>With Triśirás and Dúshaṇ slain,</l> +<l>And Khara, leader of the train.</l> +<l><q>O wondrous deed,</q> the bards began,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The noblest deed of virtuous man!</q></l> +<l>Heroic strength that stood alone,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And firmness e'en as Vishṇu's own!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus having sung, the shining train</l> +<l>Turned to their heavenly homes again.</l> +<pb n="265"/><anchor id="Pg265"/> +<l>Then the high saints of royal race</l> +<l>And loftiest station sought the place,</l> +<l>And by the great Agastya led,</l> +<l>With reverence to Ráma said:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">For this, Lord Indra, glorious sire,</q></l> +<l>Majestic as the burning fire,</l> +<l>Who crushes cities in his rage,</l> +<l>Sought Śarabhanga's hermitage.</l> +<l>Thou wast, this great design to aid,</l> +<l>Led by the saints to seek this shade,</l> +<l>And with thy mighty arm to kill</l> +<l>The giants who delight in ill.</l> +<l>Thou Daśaratha's noble son,</l> +<l>The battle for our sake hast won,</l> +<l>And saints in Daṇḍak's wild who live</l> +<l><q rend="post">Their days to holy tasks can give.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Forth from the mountain cavern came</l> +<l>The hero Lakshmaṇ with the dame.</l> +<l>And rapture beaming from his face,</l> +<l>Resought the hermit dwelling-place.</l> +<l>Then when the mighty saints had paid</l> +<l>Due honour for the victor's aid,</l> +<l>The glorious Ráma honoured too</l> +<l>By Lakshmaṇ to his cot withdrew.</l> +<l>When Sítá looked upon her lord,</l> +<l>His foemen slain, the saints restored,</l> +<l>In pride and rapture uncontrolled</l> +<l>She clasped him in her loving hold.</l> +<l>On the dead fiends her glances fell:</l> +<l>She saw her lord alive and well,</l> +<l>Victorious after toil and pain,</l> +<l>And Janak's child was blest again.</l> +<l>Once more, once more with new delight</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Her tender arms she threw</l> +<l>Round Ráma whose victorious might</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Had crushed the demon crew.</l> +<l>Then as his grateful reverence paid</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Each saint of lofty soul,</l> +<l>O'er her sweet face, all fears allayed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The flush of transport stole.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXXI"/> +<head>Canto XXXI. Rávan.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But of the host of giants one,</l> +<l>Akampan, from the field had run</l> +<l>And sped to Lanká<note place="foot">The capital of the giant king Rávaṇ.</note> +to relate</l> +<l>In Rávaṇ's ear the demons' fate:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">King, many a giant from the shade</q></l> +<l>Of Janasthán in death is laid:</l> +<l>Khara the chief is slain, and I</l> +<l><q rend="post">Could scarcely from the battle fly.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Fierce anger, as the monarch heard,</l> +<l>Inflamed his look, his bosom stirred,</l> +<l>And while with scorching glance he eyed</l> +<l>The messenger, he thus replied:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">What fool has dared, already dead,</q></l> +<l>Strike Janasthán, the general dread?</l> +<l>Who is the wretch shall vainly try</l> +<l>In earth, heaven, hell, from me to fly?</l> +<l>Vaiśravaṇ,<note place="foot">Kuvera, the God of gold.</note> Indra, Vishṇu, He</l> +<l>Who rules the dead, must reverence me;</l> +<l>For not the mightiest lord of these</l> +<l>Can brave my will and live at ease.</l> +<l>Fate finds in me a mightier fate</l> +<l>To burn the fires that devastate.</l> +<l>With unresisted influence I</l> +<l>Can force e'en Death himself to die,</l> +<l>With all-surpassing might restrain</l> +<l>The fury of the hurricane,</l> +<l>And burn in my tremendous ire</l> +<l><q rend="post">The glory of the sun and fire.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As thus the fiend's hot fury blazed,</l> +<l>His trembling hands Akampan raised,</l> +<l>And with a voice which fear made weak,</l> +<l>Permission craved his tale to speak.</l> +<l>King Rávaṇ gave the leave he sought,</l> +<l>And bade him tell the news he brought.</l> +<l>His courage rose, his voice grew bold,</l> +<l>And thus his mournful tale he told:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">A prince with mighty shoulders, sprung</q></l> +<l>From Daśaratha, brave and young,</l> +<l>With arms well moulded, bears the name</l> +<l>Of Ráma with a lion's frame.</l> +<l>Renowned, successful, dark of limb,</l> +<l>Earth has no warrior equals him.</l> +<l>He fought in Janasthán and slew</l> +<l><q rend="post">Dúshaṇ the fierce and Khara too.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Rávaṇ the giants' royal chief.</l> +<l>Received Akampan's tale of grief.</l> +<l>Then, panting like an angry snake,</l> +<l>These words in turn the monarch spake:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Say quick, did Ráma seek the shade</q></l> +<l>Of Janasthán with Indra's aid,</l> +<l>And all the dwellers in the skies</l> +<l><q rend="post">To back his hardy enterprise?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Akampan heard, and straight obeyed</l> +<l>His master, and his answer made.</l> +<l>Then thus the power and might he told</l> +<l>Of Raghu's son the lofty-souled:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Best is that chief of all who know</q></l> +<l>With deftest art to draw the bow.</l> +<l>His are strange arms of heavenly might,</l> +<l>And none can match him in the fight.</l> +<l>His brother Lakshmaṇ brave as he,</l> +<l>Fair as the rounded moon to see,</l> +<l>With eyes like night and voice that comes</l> +<l>Deep as the roll of beaten drums,</l> +<l>By Ráma's side stands ever near,</l> +<l>Like wind that aids the flame's career.</l> +<l>That glorious chief, that prince of kings,</l> +<l>On Janasthán this ruin brings.</l> +<l>No Gods were there,—dismiss the thought</l> +<l>No heavenly legions came and fought.</l> +<l>His swift-winged arrows Ráma sent,</l> +<l>Each bright with gold and ornament.</l> +<l>To serpents many-faced they turned:</l> +<pb n="266"/><anchor id="Pg266"/> +<l>The giant hosts they ate and burned.</l> +<l>Where'er these fled in wild dismay</l> +<l>Ráma was there to strike and slay.</l> +<l>By him O King of high estate,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Is Janasthán left desolate.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Akampan ceased: in angry pride</l> +<l>The giant monarch thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">To Janasthán myself will go</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">And lay these daring brothers low.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke the king in furious mood:</l> +<l>Akampan then his speech renewed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O listen while I tell at length</q></l> +<l>The terror of the hero's strength.</l> +<l>No power can check, no might can tame</l> +<l>Ráma, a chief of noblest fame.</l> +<l>He with resistless shafts can stay</l> +<l>The torrent foaming on its way.</l> +<l>Sky, stars, and constellations, all</l> +<l>To his fierce might would yield and fall.</l> +<l>His power could earth itself uphold</l> +<l>Down sinking as it sank of old.<note place="foot">In the great deluge.</note></l> +<l>Or all its plains and cities drown,</l> +<l>Breaking the wild sea's barrier down;</l> +<l>Crush the great deep's impetuous will,</l> +<l>Or bid the furious wind be still.</l> +<l>He glorious in his high estate</l> +<l>The triple world could devastate,</l> +<l>And there, supreme of men, could place</l> +<l>His creatures of a new-born race.</l> +<l>Never can mighty Ráma be</l> +<l>O'ercome in fight, my King, by thee.</l> +<l>Thy giant host the day might win</l> +<l>From him, if heaven were gained by sin.</l> +<l>If Gods were joined with demons, they</l> +<l>Could ne'er, I ween, that hero slay,</l> +<l>But guile may kill the wondrous man;</l> +<l>Attend while I disclose the plan.</l> +<l>His wife, above all women graced,</l> +<l>Is Sítá of the dainty waist,</l> +<l>With limbs to fair proportion true,</l> +<l>And a soft skin of lustrous hue,</l> +<l>Round neck and arm rich gems are twined:</l> +<l>She is the gem of womankind.</l> +<l>With her no bright Gandharví vies,</l> +<l>No nymph or Goddess in the skies;</l> +<l>And none to rival her would dare</l> +<l>'Mid dames who part the long black hair.</l> +<l>That hero in the wood beguile,</l> +<l>And steal his lovely spouse the while.</l> +<l>Reft of his darling wife, be sure,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Brief days the mourner will endure.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With flattering hope of triumph moved</l> +<l>The giant king that plan approved,</l> +<l>Pondered the counsel in his breast,</l> +<l>And then Akampan thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Forth in my car I go at morn,</q></l> +<l>None but the driver with me borne,</l> +<l>And this fair Sítá will I bring</l> +<l><q rend="post">Back to my city triumphing.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Forth in his car by asses drawn</l> +<l>The giant monarch sped at dawn,</l> +<l>Bright as the sun, the chariot cast</l> +<l>Light through the sky as on it passed.</l> +<l>Then high in air that best of cars</l> +<l>Traversed the path of lunar stars,</l> +<l>Sending a fitful radiance pale</l> +<l>As moonbeams shot through cloudy veil.</l> +<l>Far on his airy way he flew:</l> +<l>Near Táḍakeya's<note place="foot">The giant Márícha, son of Táḍaká. +Táḍaká was slain by Ráma. See <ref target="Pg039">p. 39</ref>.</note> grove he drew.</l> +<l>Márícha welcomed him, and placed</l> +<l>Before him food which giants taste,</l> +<l>With honour led him to a seat,</l> +<l>And brought him water for his feet;</l> +<l>And then with timely words addressed</l> +<l>Such question to his royal guest:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Speak, is it well with thee whose sway</q></l> +<l>The giant multitudes obey?</l> +<l>I know not all, and ask in fear</l> +<l><q rend="post">The cause, O King, why thou art here.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Ráva, the giants' mighty king,</l> +<l>Heard wise Márícha's questioning,</l> +<l>And told with ready answer, taught</l> +<l>In eloquence, the cause he sought:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My guards, the bravest of my band,</q></l> +<l>Are slain by Ráma's vigorous hand,</l> +<l>And Janasthán, that feared no hate</l> +<l>Of foes, is rendered desolate.</l> +<l>Come, aid me in the plan I lay</l> +<l><q rend="post">To steal the conqueror's wife away.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Márícha heard the king's request,</l> +<l>And thus the giant chief addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">What foe in friendly guise is he</q></l> +<l>Who spoke of Sítá's name to thee?</l> +<l>Who is the wretch whose thought would bring</l> +<l>Destruction on the giants' king?</l> +<l>Whose is the evil counsel, say,</l> +<l>That bids thee bear his wife away,</l> +<l>And careless of thy life provoke</l> +<l>Earth's loftiest with threatening stroke?</l> +<l>A foe is he who dared suggest</l> +<l>This hopeless folly to thy breast,</l> +<l>Whose ill advice would bid thee draw</l> +<l>The venomed fang from serpent's jaw.</l> +<l>By whose unwise suggestion led</l> +<l>Wilt thou the path of ruin tread?</l> +<l>Whence falls the blow that would destroy</l> +<l>Thy gentle sleep of ease and joy?</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Like some wild elephant is he</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">That rears his trunk on high,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Lord of an ancient pedigree,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Huge tusks, and furious eye.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Rávaṇ, no rover of the night</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">With bravest heart can brook,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Met in the front of deadly fight,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">On Raghu's son to look.</l> +<pb n="267"/><anchor id="Pg267"/> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The giant hosts were brave and strong,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Good at the bow and spear:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But Ráma slew the routed throng,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">A lion 'mid the deer.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">No lion's tooth can match his sword,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Or arrows fiercely shot:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He sleeps, he sleeps—the lion lord;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Be wise and rouse him not.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">O Monarch of the giants, well</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Upon my counsel think,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Lest thou for ever in the hell</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Of Ráma's vengeance sink:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A hell, where deadly shafts are sent</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">From his tremendous-bow,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">While his great arms all flight prevent,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Like deepest mire below:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Where the wild floods of battle rave</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Above the foeman's head,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And each with many a feathery wave</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Of shafts is garlanded.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">O, quench the flames that in thy breast</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">With raging fury burn;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And pacified and self-possessed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">To Lanká's town return.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Rest thou in her imperial bowers</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">With thine own wives content,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And in the wood let Ráma's hours</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">With Sítá still be spent.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The lord of Lanká's isle obeyed</l> +<l>The counsel, and his purpose stayed.</l> +<l>Borne on his car he parted thence</l> +<l>And gained his royal residence.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXXII"/> +<head>Canto XXXII. Rávan Roused.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Śúrpaṇakhá saw the plain</l> +<l>Spread with the fourteen thousand slain,</l> +<l>Doers of cruel deeds o'erthrown</l> +<l>By Ráma's mighty arm alone,</l> +<l>Add Triśirás and Dúshaṇ dead,</l> +<l>And Khara, with the hosts they led.</l> +<l>Their death she saw, and mad with pain,</l> +<l>Roared like a cloud that brings the rain,</l> +<l>And fled in anger and dismay</l> +<l>To Lanká, seat of Rávaṇ's sway.</l> +<l>There on a throne of royal state</l> +<l>Exalted sat the potentate,</l> +<l>Begirt with counsellor and peer,</l> +<l>Like Indra with the Storm Gods near.</l> +<l>Bright as the sun's full splendour shone</l> +<l>The glorious throne he sat upon,</l> +<l>As when the blazing fire is red</l> +<l>Upon a golden altar fed.</l> +<l>Wide gaped his mouth at every breath,</l> +<l>Tremendous as the jaws of Death.</l> +<l>With him high saints of lofty thought,</l> +<l>Gandharvas, Gods, had vainly fought.</l> +<l>The wounds were on his body yet</l> +<l>From wars where Gods and demons met.</l> +<l>And scars still marked his ample chest</l> +<l>By fierce Airávat's<note place="foot">Indra's elephant.</note> tusk impressed.</l> +<l>A score of arms, ten necks, had he,</l> +<l>His royal gear was brave to see.</l> +<l>His massive form displayed each sign</l> +<l>That marks the heir of kingly line.</l> +<l>In stature like a mountain height,</l> +<l>His arms were strong, his teeth were white,</l> +<l>And all his frame of massive mould</l> +<l>Seemed lazulite adorned with gold.</l> +<l>A hundred seams impressed each limp</l> +<l>Where Vishṇu's arm had wounded him,</l> +<l>And chest and shoulder bore the print</l> +<l>Of sword and spear and arrow dint,</l> +<l>Where every God had struck a blow</l> +<l>In battle with the giant foe.</l> +<l>His might to wildest rage could wake</l> +<l>The sea whose faith naught else can shake,</l> +<l>Hurl towering mountains to the earth,</l> +<l>And crush e'en foes of heavenly birth.</l> +<l>The bonds of law and right he spurned:</l> +<l>To others' wives his fancy turned.</l> +<l>Celestial arms he used in fight,</l> +<l>And loved to mar each holy rite.</l> +<l>He went to Bhogavatí's town,<note place="foot">Bhogavatí, in Pátála in the regions +under the earth, is the capital of the serpent +race whose king is Vásuki.</note></l> +<l>Where Vásuki was beaten down,</l> +<l>And stole, victorious in the strife,</l> +<l>Lord Takshaka's beloved wife.</l> +<l>Kailása's lofty crest he sought,</l> +<l>And when in vain Kuvera fought,</l> +<l>Stole Pushpak thence, the car that through</l> +<l>The air, as willed the master, flew.</l> +<l>Impelled by furious anger, he</l> +<l>Spoiled Nandan's<note place="foot">the grove of Indra.</note> shade and Naliní,</l> +<l>And Chaitraratha's heavenly grove,</l> +<l>The haunts where Gods delight to rove.</l> +<l>Tall as a hill that cleaves the sky,</l> +<l>He raised his mighty arms on high</l> +<l>To check the blessed moon, and stay</l> +<l>The rising of the Lord of Day.</l> +<l>Ten thousand years the giant spent</l> +<l>On dire austerities intent,</l> +<l>And of his heads an offering, laid</l> +<l>Before the Self-existent, made.</l> +<l>No God or fiend his life could take,</l> +<l>Gandharva, goblin, bird, or snake:</l> +<l>Safe from all fears of death, except</l> +<l>From human arm, that life was kept.</l> +<l>Oft when the priests began to raise</l> +<l>Their consecrating hymns of praise,</l> +<l>He spoiled the Soma's sacred juice</l> +<l>Poured forth by them in solemn use.</l> +<pb n="268"/><anchor id="Pg268"/> +<l>The sacrifice his hands o'erthrew,</l> +<l>And cruelly the Bráhmans slew.</l> +<l>His was a heart that naught could melt,</l> +<l>Joying in woes which others felt.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She saw the ruthless monster there,</l> +<l>Dread of the worlds, unused to spare.</l> +<l>In robes of heavenly texture dressed,</l> +<l>Celestial wreaths adorned his breast.</l> +<l>He sat a shape of terror, like</l> +<l>Destruction ere the worlds it strike.</l> +<l>She saw him in his pride of place,</l> +<l>The joy of old Pulastya's<note place="foot">Pulastya is considered as the ancestor +of the Rakshases or giants, as he is the father of Viśravas, the father of Rávaṇ +and his brethren.</note> race,</l> +<l>Begirt by counsellor and peer,</l> +<l>Rávaṇ, the foeman's mortal fear,</l> +<l>And terror in her features shown,</l> +<l>The giantess approached the throne.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Śúrpaṇakhá bearing yet</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Each deeply printed trace</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Where the great-hearted chief had set</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">A mark upon her face,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Impelled by terror and desire,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Still fierce, no longer bold,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To Rávaṇ of the eyes of fire</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Her tale, infuriate, told.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXXIII"/> +<head>Canto XXXIII. Súrpanakhá's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Burning with anger, in the ring</l> +<l>Of counsellors who girt their king,</l> +<l>To Rávaṇ, ravener of man,</l> +<l>With bitter words she thus began:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Wilt thou absorbed in pleasure, still</q></l> +<l>Pursue unchecked thy selfish will:</l> +<l>Nor turn thy heedless eyes to see</l> +<l>The coming fate which threatens thee?</l> +<l>The king who days and hours employs</l> +<l>In base pursuit of vulgar joys</l> +<l>Must in his people's sight be vile</l> +<l>As fire that smokes on funeral pile.</l> +<l>He who when duty calls him spares</l> +<l>No time for thought of royal cares,</l> +<l>Must with his realm and people all</l> +<l>Involved in fatal ruin fall.</l> +<l>As elephants in terror shrink</l> +<l>From the false river's miry brink,</l> +<l>Thus subjects from a monarch flee</l> +<l>Whose face their eyes may seldom see,</l> +<l>Who spends the hours for toil ordained</l> +<l>In evil courses unrestrained.</l> +<l>He who neglects to guard and hold</l> +<l>His kingdom by himself controlled,</l> +<l>Sinks nameless like a hill whose head</l> +<l>Is buried in the ocean's bed.</l> +<l>Thy foes are calm and strong and wise,</l> +<l>Fiends, Gods, and warriors of the skies,—</l> +<l>How, heedless, wicked, weak, and vain,</l> +<l>Wilt thou thy kingly state maintain?</l> +<l>Thou, lord of giants, void of sense,</l> +<l>Slave of each changing influence,</l> +<l>Heedless of all that makes a king,</l> +<l>Destruction on thy head wilt bring.</l> +<l>O conquering chief, the prince, who boasts,</l> +<l>Of treasury and rule and hosts,</l> +<l>By others led, though lord of all,</l> +<l>Is meaner than the lowest thrall.</l> +<l>For this are monarchs said to be</l> +<l>Long-sighted, having power to see</l> +<l>Things far away by faithful eyes</l> +<l>Of messengers and loyal spies.</l> +<l>But aid from such thou wilt not seek:</l> +<l>Thy counsellors are blind and weak,</l> +<l>Or thou from these hadst surely known</l> +<l>Thy legions and thy realm o'erthrown.</l> +<l>Know, twice seven thousand, fierce in might,</l> +<l>Are slain by Ráma in the fight,</l> +<l>And they, the giant host who led,</l> +<l>Khara and Dúshaṇ, both are dead.</l> +<l>Know, Ráma with his conquering arm</l> +<l>Has freed the saints from dread of harm,</l> +<l>Has smitten Janasthán and made</l> +<l>Asylum safe in Daṇḍak's shade.</l> +<l>Enslaved and dull, of blinded sight,</l> +<l>Intoxicate with vain delight,</l> +<l>Thou closest still thy heedless eyes</l> +<l>To dangers in thy realm that rise.</l> +<l>A king besotted, mean, unkind,</l> +<l>Of niggard hand and slavish mind.</l> +<l>Will find no faithful followers heed</l> +<l>Their master in his hour of need.</l> +<l>The friend on whom he most relies,</l> +<l>In danger, from a monarch flies,</l> +<l>Imperious in his high estate,</l> +<l>Conceited, proud, and passionate;</l> +<l>Who ne'er to state affairs attends</l> +<l>With wholesome fear when woe impends</l> +<l>Most weak and worthless as the grass,</l> +<l>Soon from his sway the realm will pass.</l> +<l>For rotting wood a use is found,</l> +<l>For clods and dust that strew the ground,</l> +<l>But when a king has lost his sway,</l> +<l>Useless he falls, and sinks for aye.</l> +<l>As raiment by another worn,</l> +<l>As faded garland crushed and torn,</l> +<l>So is, unthroned, the proudest king,</l> +<l>Though mighty once, a useless thing.</l> +<l>But he who every sense subdues</l> +<l>And each event observant views,</l> +<l>Rewards the good and keeps from wrong,</l> +<l>Shall reign secure and flourish long.</l> +<l>Though lulled in sleep his senses lie</l> +<l>He watches with a ruler's eye,</l> +<l>Untouched by favour, ire, and hate,</l> +<l>And him the people celebrate.</l> +<l>O weak of mind, without a trace</l> +<pb n="269"/><anchor id="Pg269"/> +<l>Of virtues that a king should grace,</l> +<l>Who hast not learnt from watchful spy</l> +<l>That low in death the giants lie.</l> +<l>Scorner of others, but enchained</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">By every base desire,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By thee each duty is disdained</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Which time and place require.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Soon wilt thou, if thou canst not learn,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Ere yet it be too late,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The good from evil to discern,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">Fall from thy high estate.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As thus she ceased not to upbraid</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The king with cutting speech,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And every fault to view displayed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Naming and marking each,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The monarch of the sons of night,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Of wealth and power possessed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And proud of his imperial might,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Long pondered in his breast.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXXIV"/> +<head>Canto XXXIV. Súrpanakhá's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then forth the giant's fury broke</l> +<l>As Śúrpaṇakhá harshly spoke.</l> +<l>Girt by his lords the demon king</l> +<l>Looked on her, fiercely questioning:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Who is this Ráma, whence, and where?</q></l> +<l>His form, his might, his deeds declare.</l> +<l>His wandering steps what purpose led</l> +<l>To Daṇḍak forest, hard to tread?</l> +<l>What arms are his that he could smite</l> +<l>In fray the rovers of the night,</l> +<l>And Triśirás and Dúshaṇ lay</l> +<l>Low on the earth, and Khara slay?</l> +<l>Tell all, my sister, and declare</l> +<l><q rend="post">Who maimed thee thus, of form most fair.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus by the giant king addressed,</l> +<l>While burnt her fury unrepressed,</l> +<l>The giantess declared at length</l> +<l>The hero's form and deeds and strength:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Long are his arms and large his eyes:</q></l> +<l>A black deer's skin his dress supplies.</l> +<l>King Daśaratha's son is he,</l> +<l>Fair as Kandarpa's self to see.</l> +<l>Adorned with many a golden band,</l> +<l>A bow, like Indra's, arms his hand,</l> +<l>And shoots a flood of arrows fierce</l> +<l>As venomed snakes to burn and pierce.</l> +<l>I looked, I looked, but never saw</l> +<l>His mighty hand the bowstring draw</l> +<l>That sent the deadly arrows out,</l> +<l>While rang through air his battle-shout.</l> +<l>I looked, I looked, and saw too well</l> +<l>How with that hail the giants fell,</l> +<l>As falls to earth the golden grain,</l> +<l>Struck by the blows of Indra's rain.</l> +<l>He fought, and twice seven thousand, all</l> +<l>Terrific giants, strong and tall,</l> +<l>Fell by the pointed shafts o'erthrown</l> +<l>Which Ráma shot on foot, alone.</l> +<l>Three little hours had scarcely fled,—</l> +<l>Khara and Dúshaṇ both were dead,</l> +<l>And he had freed the saints and made</l> +<l>Asylum sure in Daṇḍak's shade.</l> +<l>Me of his grace the victor spared,</l> +<l>Or I the giants' fate had shared.</l> +<l>The high-souled Ráma would not deign</l> +<l>His hand with woman's blood to stain.</l> +<l>The glorious Lakshmaṇ, justly dear,</l> +<l>In gifts and warrior might his peer,</l> +<l>Serves his great brother with the whole</l> +<l>Devotion of his faithful soul:</l> +<l>Impetuous victor, bold and wise,</l> +<l>First in each hardy enterprise,</l> +<l>Still ready by his side to stand,</l> +<l>A second self or better hand.</l> +<l>And Ráma has a large-eyed spouse,</l> +<l>Pure as the moon her cheek and brows,</l> +<l>Dearer than life in Ráma's sight,</l> +<l>Whose happiness is her delight.</l> +<l>With beauteous hair and nose the dame</l> +<l>From head to foot has naught to blame.</l> +<l>She shines the wood's bright Goddess, Queen</l> +<l>Of beauty with her noble mien.</l> +<l>First in the ranks of women placed</l> +<l>Is Sítá of the dainty waist.</l> +<l>In all the earth mine eyes have ne'er</l> +<l>Seen female form so sweetly fair.</l> +<l>Goddess nor nymph can vie with her,</l> +<l>Nor bride of heavenly chorister.</l> +<l>He who might call this dame his own,</l> +<l>Her eager arms about him thrown,</l> +<l>Would live more blest in Sítá's love</l> +<l>Than Indra in the world above.</l> +<l>She, peerless in her form and face</l> +<l>And rich in every gentle grace,</l> +<l>Is worthy bride, O King, for thee,</l> +<l>As thou art meet her lord to be.</l> +<l>I even I, will bring the bride</l> +<l>In triumph to her lover's side—</l> +<l>This beauty fairer than the rest,</l> +<l>With rounded limb and heaving breast.</l> +<l>Each wound upon my face I owe</l> +<l>To cruel Lakshmaṇ's savage blow.</l> +<l>But thou, O brother, shalt survey</l> +<l>Her moonlike loveliness to-day,</l> +<l>And Káma's piercing shafts shall smite</l> +<l>Thine amorous bosom at the sight.</l> +<l>If in thy breast the longing rise</l> +<l>To make thine own the beauteous prize,</l> +<l>Up, let thy better foot begin</l> +<l>The journey and the treasure win.</l> +<l>If, giant Lord, thy favouring eyes</l> +<l>Regard the plan which I advise,</l> +<l>Up, cast all fear and doubt away</l> +<l>And execute the words I say</l> +<l>Come, giant King, this treasure seek,</l> +<l>For thou art strong and they are weak.</l> +<pb n="270"/><anchor id="Pg270"/> +<l>Let Sítá of the faultless frame</l> +<l>Be borne away and be thy dame.</l> +<l>Thy host in Janasthán who dwelt</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Forth to the battle hied.</l> +<l>And by the shafts which Ráma dealt</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They perished in their pride.</l> +<l>Dúshaṇ and Khara breathe no more,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Laid low upon the plain.</l> +<l>Arise, and ere the day be o'er</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Take vengeance for the slain.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXXV"/> +<head>Canto XXXV. Rávan's Journey.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Rávaṇ, by her fury spurred,</l> +<l>That terrible advice had heard,</l> +<l>He bade his nobles quit his side,</l> +<l>And to the work his thought applied.</l> +<l>He turned his anxious mind to scan</l> +<l>On every side the hardy plan:</l> +<l>The gain against the risk he laid,</l> +<l>Each hope and fear with care surveyed,</l> +<l>And in his heart at length decreed</l> +<l>To try performance of the deed.</l> +<l>Then steady in his dire intent</l> +<l>The giant to the courtyard went.</l> +<l>There to his charioteer he cried,</l> +<l><q>Bring forth the car whereon I ride.</q></l> +<l>Aye ready at his master's word</l> +<l>The charioteer the order heard,</l> +<l>And yoked with active zeal the best</l> +<l>Of chariots at his lord's behest.</l> +<l>Asses with heads of goblins drew</l> +<l>That wondrous car where'er it flew.</l> +<l>Obedient to the will it rolled</l> +<l>Adorned with gems and glistering gold.</l> +<l>Then mounting, with a roar as loud</l> +<l>As thunder from a labouring cloud,</l> +<l>The mighty monarch to the tide</l> +<l>Of Ocean, lord of rivers, hied.</l> +<l>White was the shade above him spread,</l> +<l>White chouris waved around his head,</l> +<l>And he with gold and jewels bright</l> +<l>Shone like the glossy lazulite.</l> +<l>Ten necks and twenty arms had he:</l> +<l>His royal gear was good to see.</l> +<l>The heavenly Gods' insatiate foe,</l> +<l>Who made the blood of hermits flow,</l> +<l>He like the Lord of Hills appeared</l> +<l>With ten huge heads to heaven upreared.</l> +<l>In the great car whereon he rode,</l> +<l>Like some dark cloud the giant showed,</l> +<l>When round it in their close array</l> +<l>The cranes 'mid wreaths of lightning play.</l> +<l>He looked, and saw, from realms of air,</l> +<l>The rocky shore of ocean, where</l> +<l>Unnumbered trees delightful grew</l> +<l>With flower and fruit of every hue.</l> +<l>He looked on many a lilied pool</l> +<l>With silvery waters fresh and cool,</l> +<l>And shores like spacious altars meet</l> +<l>For holy hermits' lone retreat.</l> +<l>The graceful palm adorned the scene,</l> +<l>The plantain waved her glossy green.</l> +<l>There grew the sál and betel, there</l> +<l>On bending boughs the flowers were fair.</l> +<l>There hermits dwelt who tamed each sense</l> +<l>By strictest rule of abstinence:</l> +<l>Gandharvas, Kinnars,<note place="foot">Beings with the body of a man and the +head of a horse.</note> thronged the place,</l> +<l>Nágas and birds of heavenly race.</l> +<l>Bright minstrels of the ethereal quire,</l> +<l>And saints exempt from low desire,</l> +<l>With Ájas, sons of Brahmá's line,</l> +<l>Maríchipas of seed divine,</l> +<l>Vaikhánasas and Máshas strayed,</l> +<l>And Bálakhilyas<note place="foot">Ájas, Maríchipas, Vaikhánasas, Máshas, +and Bálakhilyas are classes of supernatural +beings who lead the lives of hermits.</note> in the shade.</l> +<l>The lovely nymphs of heaven were there,</l> +<l>Celestial wreaths confined their hair,</l> +<l>And to each form new grace was lent</l> +<l>By wealth of heavenly ornament.</l> +<l>Well skilled was each in play and dance</l> +<l>And gentle arts of dalliance.</l> +<l>The glorious wife of many a God</l> +<l>Those beautiful recesses trod,</l> +<l>There Gods and Dánavs, all who eat</l> +<l>The food of heaven, rejoiced to meet.</l> +<l>The swan and Sáras thronged each bay</l> +<l>With curlews, ducks, and divers gay,</l> +<l>Where the sea spray rose soft and white</l> +<l>O'er rocks of glossy lazulite.</l> +<l>As his swift way the fiend pursued</l> +<l>Pale chariots of the Gods he viewed,</l> +<l>Bearing each lord whose rites austere</l> +<l>Had raised him to the heavenly sphere.</l> +<l>Thereon celestial garlands hung,</l> +<l>There music played and songs were sung.</l> +<l>Then bright Gandharvas met his view,</l> +<l>And heavenly nymphs, as on he flew.</l> +<l>He saw the sandal woods below,</l> +<l>And precious trees of odorous flow,</l> +<l>That to the air around them lent</l> +<l>Their riches of delightful scent;</l> +<l>Nor failed his roving eye to mark</l> +<l>Tall aloe trees in grove and park.</l> +<l>He looked on wood with cassias filled,</l> +<l>And plants which balmy sweets distilled,</l> +<l>Where her fair flowers the betel showed</l> +<l>And the bright pods of pepper glowed.</l> +<l>The pearls in many a silvery heap</l> +<l>Lay on the margin of the deep.</l> +<l>And grey rocks rose amid the red</l> +<l>Of coral washed from ocean's bed.</l> +<pb n="271"/><anchor id="Pg271"/> +<l>High soared the mountain peaks that bore</l> +<l>Treasures of gold and silver ore,</l> +<l>And leaping down the rocky walls</l> +<l>Came wild and glorious waterfalls.</l> +<l>Fair towns which grain and treasure held,</l> +<l>And dames who every gem excelled,</l> +<l>He saw outspread beneath him far,</l> +<l>With steed, and elephant, and car.</l> +<l>That ocean shore he viewed that showed</l> +<l>Fair as the blessed Gods' abode</l> +<l>Where cool delightful breezes played</l> +<l>O'er levels in the freshest shade.</l> +<l>He saw a fig-tree like a cloud</l> +<l>With mighty branches earthward bowed.</l> +<l>It stretched a hundred leagues and made</l> +<l>For hermit bands a welcome shade.</l> +<l>Thither the feathered king of yore</l> +<l>An elephant and tortoise bore,</l> +<l>And lighted on a bough to eat</l> +<l>The captives of his taloned feet.</l> +<l>The bough unable to sustain</l> +<l>The crushing weight and sudden strain,</l> +<l>Loaded with sprays and leaves of spring</l> +<l>Gave way beneath the feathered king.</l> +<l>Under the shadow of the tree</l> +<l>Dwelt many a saint and devotee,</l> +<l>Ájas, the sons of Brahmá's line,</l> +<l>Máshas, Maríchipas divine.</l> +<l>Vaikhánasas, and all the race</l> +<l>Of Bálakhilyas, loved the place.</l> +<l>But pitying their sad estate</l> +<l>The feathered monarch raised the weight</l> +<l>Of the huge bough, and bore away</l> +<l>The loosened load and captured prey.</l> +<l>A hundred leagues away he sped,</l> +<l>Then on his monstrous booty fed,</l> +<l>And with the bough he smote the lands</l> +<l>Where dwell the wild Nisháda bands.</l> +<l>High joy was his because his deed</l> +<l>From jeopardy the hermits freed.</l> +<l>That pride for great deliverance wrought</l> +<l>A double share of valour brought.</l> +<l>His soul conceived the high emprise</l> +<l>To snatch the Amrit from the skies.</l> +<l>He rent the nets of iron first,</l> +<l>Then through the jewel chamber burst,</l> +<l>And bore the drink of heaven away</l> +<l>That watched in Indra's palace lay.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Such was the hermit-sheltering tree</l> +<l>Which Rávaṇ turned his eye to see.</l> +<l>Still marked where Garuḍ sought to rest,</l> +<l>The fig-tree bore the name of Blest.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Rávaṇ stayed his chariot o'er</l> +<l>The ocean's heart-enchanting shore,</l> +<l>He saw a hermitage that stood</l> +<l>Sequestered in the holy wood.</l> +<l>He saw the fiend Márícha there</l> +<l>With deerskin garb, and matted hair</l> +<l>Coiled up in hermit guise, who spent</l> +<l>His days by rule most abstinent.</l> +<l>As guest and host are wont to meet,</l> +<l>They met within that lone retreat.</l> +<l>Before the king Márícha placed</l> +<l>Food never known to human taste.</l> +<l>He entertained his guest with meat</l> +<l>And gave him water for his feet,</l> +<l>And then addressed the giant king</l> +<l>With timely words of questioning:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Lord, is it well with thee, and well</q></l> +<l>With those in Lanká's town who dwell?</l> +<l>What sudden thought, what urgent need</l> +<l><q rend="post">Has brought thee with impetuous speed?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The fiend Márícha thus addressed</l> +<l>Rávaṇ the king, his mighty guest,</l> +<l>And he, well skilled in arts that guide</l> +<l>The eloquent, in turn replied:</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXXVI"/> +<head>Canto XXXVI. Rávan's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">Hear me, Márícha, while I speak,</q></l> +<l>And tell thee why thy home I seek.</l> +<l>Sick and distressed am I, and see</l> +<l>My surest hope and help in thee.</l> +<l>Of Janasthán I need not tell,</l> +<l>Where Śúrpaṇakhá, Khara, dwell,</l> +<l>And Dúshaṇ with the arm of might,</l> +<l>And Triśirás, the fierce in fight,</l> +<l>Who feeds on human flesh and gore,</l> +<l>And many noble giants more,</l> +<l>Who roam in dark of midnight through</l> +<l>The forest, brave and strong and true.</l> +<l>By my command they live at ease</l> +<l>And slaughter saints and devotees.</l> +<l>Those twice seven thousand giants, all</l> +<l>Obedient to their captain's call,</l> +<l>Joying in war and ruthless deeds</l> +<l>Follow where mighty Khara leads.</l> +<l>Those fearless warrior bands who roam</l> +<l>Through Janasthán their forest home,</l> +<l>In all their terrible array</l> +<l>Met Ráma in the battle fray.</l> +<l>Girt with all weapons forth they sped</l> +<l>With Khara at the army's head.</l> +<l>The front of battle Ráma held:</l> +<l>With furious wrath his bosom swelled.</l> +<l>Without a word his hate to show</l> +<l>He launched the arrows from his bow.</l> +<l>On the fierce hosts the missiles came,</l> +<l>Each burning with destructive flame,</l> +<l>The twice seven thousand fell o'erthrown</l> +<l>By him, a man, on foot, alone.</l> +<l>Khara the army's chief and pride,</l> +<l>And Dúshaṇ, fearless warrior, died,</l> +<l>And Triśirás the fierce was slain,</l> +<l>And Daṇḍak wood was free again.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He, banished by his angry sire,</l> +<l>Roams with his wife in mean attire.</l> +<l>This wretch, his Warrior tribe's disgrace</l> +<l>Has slain the best of giant race.</l> +<pb n="272"/><anchor id="Pg272"/> +<l>Harsh, wicked, fierce and greedy-souled,</l> +<l>A fool, with senses uncontrolled,</l> +<l>No thought of duty stirs his breast:</l> +<l>He joys to see the world distressed.</l> +<l>He sought the wood with fair pretence</l> +<l>Of truthful life and innocence,</l> +<l>But his false hand my sister left</l> +<l>Mangled, of nose and ears bereft.</l> +<l>This Ráma's wife who bears the name</l> +<l>Of Sítá, in her face and frame</l> +<l>Fair as a daughter of the skies,—</l> +<l>Her will I seize and bring the prize</l> +<l>Triumphant from the forest shade:</l> +<l>For this I seek thy willing aid.</l> +<l>If thou, O mighty one, wilt lend</l> +<l>Thy help and stand beside thy friend,</l> +<l>I with my brothers may defy</l> +<l>All Gods embattled in the sky.</l> +<l>Come, aid me now, for thine the power</l> +<l>To succour in the doubtful hour.</l> +<l>Thou art in war and time of fear,</l> +<l>For heart and hand, without a peer.</l> +<l>For thou art skilled in art and wile,</l> +<l>A warrior brave and trained in guile.</l> +<l>With this one hope, this only aim,</l> +<l>O Rover of the Night, I came.</l> +<l>Now let me tell what aid I ask</l> +<l>To back me in my purposed task.</l> +<l>In semblance of a golden deer</l> +<l>Adorned with silver spots appear.</l> +<l>Go, seek his dwelling: in the way</l> +<l>Of Ráma and his consort stray.</l> +<l>Doubt not the lady, when she sees</l> +<l>The wondrous deer amid the trees,</l> +<l>Will bid her lord and Lakshmaṇ take</l> +<l>The creature for its beauty's sake.</l> +<l>Then when the chiefs have parted thence,</l> +<l>And left her lone, without defence,</l> +<l>As Ráhu storms the moonlight, I</l> +<l>Will seize the lovely dame and fly.</l> +<l>Her lord will waste away and weep</l> +<l>For her his valour could not keep.</l> +<l>Then boldly will I strike the blow</l> +<l><q rend="post">And wreak my vengeance on the foe.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When wise Márícha heard the tale</l> +<l>His heart grew faint, his cheek was pale,</l> +<l>He stared with open orbs, and tried</l> +<l>To moisten lips which terror dried,</l> +<l>And grief, like death, his bosom rent</l> +<l>As on the king his look he bent.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The monarch's will he strove to stay,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Distracted with alarm,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">For well he knew the might that lay</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">In Ráma's matchless arm.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With suppliant hands Márícha stood</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And thus began to tell</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His counsel for the tyrant's good,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And for his own as well:</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXXVII"/> +<head>Canto XXXVII. Márícha's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Márícha gave attentive ear</l> +<l>The ruler of the fiends to hear:</l> +<l>Then, trained in all the rules that teach</l> +<l>The eloquent, began his speech:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">'Tis easy task, O King, to find</q></l> +<l>Smooth speakers who delight the mind.</l> +<l>But they who urge and they who do</l> +<l>Distasteful things and wise, are few.</l> +<l>Thou hast not learnt, by proof untaught,</l> +<l>And borne away by eager thought,</l> +<l>That Ráma, formed for high emprise,</l> +<l>With Varuṇ or with Indra vies.</l> +<l>Still let thy people live in peace,</l> +<l>Nor let their name and lineage cease,</l> +<l>For Ráma with his vengeful hand</l> +<l>Can sweep the giants from the land.</l> +<l>O, let not Janak's daughter bring</l> +<l>Destruction on the giant king.</l> +<l>Let not the lady Sítá wake</l> +<l>A tempest, on thy head to break.</l> +<l>Still let the dame, by care untried,</l> +<l>Be happy by her husband's side,</l> +<l>Lest swift avenging ruin fall</l> +<l>On glorious Lanká, thee, and all.</l> +<l>Men such as thou with wills unchained,</l> +<l>Advised by sin and unrestrained,</l> +<l>Destroy themselves, the king, the state,</l> +<l>And leave the people desolate.</l> +<l>Ráma, in bonds of duty held,</l> +<l>Was never by his sire expelled.</l> +<l>He is no wretch of greedy mind,</l> +<l>Dishonour of his Warrior kind.</l> +<l>Free from all touch of rancorous spite,</l> +<l>All creatures' good is his delight.</l> +<l>He saw his sire of truthful heart</l> +<l>Deceived by Queen Kaikeyí's art,</l> +<l>And said, a true and duteous son,</l> +<l><q>What thou hast promised shall be done.</q></l> +<l>To gratify the lady's will,</l> +<l>His father's promise to fulfil,</l> +<l>He left his realm and all delight</l> +<l>For Daṇḍak wood, an anchorite.</l> +<l>No cruel wretch, no senseless fool</l> +<l>Is Ráma, unrestrained by rule.</l> +<l>This groundless charge has ne'er been heard,</l> +<l>Nor shouldst thou speak the slanderous word.</l> +<l>Ráma in truth and goodness bold</l> +<l>Is Virtue's self in human mould,</l> +<l>The sovereign of the world confessed</l> +<l>As Indra rules among the Blest.</l> +<l>And dost thou plot from him to rend</l> +<l>The darling whom his arms defend?</l> +<l>Less vain the hope to steal away</l> +<l>The glory of the Lord of Day.</l> +<pb n="273"/><anchor id="Pg273"/> +<l>O Rávaṇ, guard thee from the fire</l> +<l>Of vengeful Ráma's kindled ire,—</l> +<l>Each spark a shaft with deadly aim,</l> +<l>While bow and falchion feed the flame.</l> +<l>Cast not away in hopeless strife</l> +<l>Thy realm, thy bliss, thine own dear life.</l> +<l>O Rávaṇ of his might beware,</l> +<l>A God of Death who will not spare.</l> +<l>That bow he knows so well to draw</l> +<l>Is the destroyer's flaming jaw,</l> +<l>And with his shafts which flash and glow</l> +<l>He slays the armies of the foe.</l> +<l>Thou ne'er canst win—the thought forego—</l> +<l>From the safe guard of shaft and bow</l> +<l>King Janak's child, the dear delight</l> +<l>Of Ráma unapproached in might.</l> +<l>The spouse of Raghu's son, confessed</l> +<l>Lion of men with lion chest,—</l> +<l>Dearer than life, through good and ill</l> +<l>Devoted to her husband's will,</l> +<l>The slender-waisted, still must be</l> +<l>From thy polluting touches free.</l> +<l>Far better grasp with venturous hand</l> +<l>The flame to wildest fury fanned.</l> +<l>What, King of giants, canst thou gain</l> +<l>From this attempt so wild and vain?</l> +<l>If in the fight his eye he bend</l> +<l>Upon thee, Lord, thy days must end,</l> +<l>So life and bliss and royal sway,</l> +<l>Lost beyond hope, will pass away.</l> +<l>Summon each lord of high estate,</l> +<l>And chief, Vibhishaṇ<note place="foot"><q>The younger brother of the giant +Rávaṇ; when he and his brother had practiced austerities for a long series of +years, Brahmá appeared to offer them boons: Vibhishaṇa asked that he might +never meditate any unrighteousness.… On the death of Rávaṇ Vibhishaṇa was +installed as Rája of Lanká.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Garrett's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Classical Dictionary of India</hi>.</note> to debate.</l> +<l>With peers in lore of counsel tried</l> +<l>Consider, reason, and decide</l> +<l>Scan strength and weakness, count the cost,</l> +<l>What may be gained and what be lost.</l> +<l>Examine and compare aright</l> +<l>Thy proper power and Ráma's might,</l> +<l>Then if thy weal be still thy care,</l> +<l>Thou wilt be prudent and forbear.</l> +<l>O giant King, the contest shun,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thy force is all too weak</l> +<l>The lord of Kosál's mighty son</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In deadly fray to seek.</l> +<l>King of the hosts that rove at night,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">O hear what I advise:</l> +<l>My prudent counsel do not slight;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Be patient and be wise.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXXVIII"/> +<head>Canto XXXVIII. Márícha's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">Once in my strength and vigour's pride</q></l> +<l>I roamed this earth from side to side,</l> +<l>And towering like a mountain's crest,</l> +<l>A thousand Nágas'<note place="foot">Serpent-gods.</note> might possessed.</l> +<l>Like some vast sable cloud I showed:</l> +<l>My golden armlets flashed and glowed.</l> +<l>A crown I wore, an axe I swayed,</l> +<l>And all I met were sore afraid.</l> +<l>I roved where Daṇḍak wood is spread;</l> +<l>On flesh of slaughtered saints I fed.</l> +<l>Then Viśvámitra, sage revered,</l> +<l>Holy of heart, my fury feared.</l> +<l>To Daśaratha's court he sped</l> +<l>And went before the king and said:<note place="foot">See <ref target="Pg033">p. +33</ref>.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">With me, my lord, thy Ráma send</q></l> +<l>On holy days his aid to lend.</l> +<l>Márícha fills my soul with dread</l> +<l><q rend="post">And keeps me sore disquieted.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The monarch heard the saint's request</l> +<l>And thus the glorious sage addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">My boy as yet in arms untrained</q></l> +<l>The age of twelve has scarce attained.</l> +<l>But I myself a host will lead</l> +<l>To guard thee in the hour of need.</l> +<l>My host with fourfold troops complete,</l> +<l>The rover of the night shall meet,</l> +<l>And I, O best of saints, will kill</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy foeman and thy prayer fulfil.</q></l> +<l>The king vouchsafed his willing aid:</l> +<l>The saint again this answer made:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">By Ráma's might, and his alone,</q></l> +<l>Can this great fiend be overthrown.</l> +<l>I know in days of yore the Blest</l> +<l>Thy saving help in fight confessed.</l> +<l>Still of thy famous deeds they tell</l> +<l>In heaven above, in earth, and hell,</l> +<l>A mighty host obeys thy hest:</l> +<l>Here let it still, I pray thee, rest.</l> +<l>Thy glorious son, though yet a boy,</l> +<l>Will in the fight that fiend destroy.</l> +<l>Ráma alone with me shall go:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Be happy, victor of the foe.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke: the monarch gave assent,</l> +<l>And Ráma to the hermit lent.</l> +<l>So to his woodland home in joy</l> +<l>Went Viśvámitra with the boy.</l> +<l>With ready bow the champion stood</l> +<l>To guard the rites in Daṇḍak wood.</l> +<l>With glorious eyes, most bright to view,</l> +<l>Beardless as yet and dark of hue;</l> +<l>A single robe his only wear,</l> +<l>His temples veiled with waving hair,</l> +<pb n="274"/><anchor id="Pg274"/> +<l>Around his neck a chain of gold,</l> +<l>He grasped the bow he loved to hold;</l> +<l>And the young hero's presence made</l> +<l>A glory in the forest shade.</l> +<l>Thus Ráma with his beauteous mien,</l> +<l>Like the young rising moon was seen,</l> +<l>I, like a cloud which tempest brings,</l> +<l>My arms adorned with golden rings,</l> +<l>Proud of the boon which lent me might,</l> +<l>Approached where dwelt the anchorite.</l> +<l>But Ráma saw me venturing nigh,</l> +<l>Raising my murderous axe on high;</l> +<l>He saw, and fearless of the foe,</l> +<l>Strung with calm hand his trusty bow.</l> +<l>By pride of conscious strength beguiled,</l> +<l>I scorned him as a feeble child,</l> +<l>And rushed with an impetuous bound</l> +<l>On Viśvámitra's holy ground.</l> +<l>A keen swift shaft he pointed well,</l> +<l>The foeman's rage to check and quell,</l> +<l>And hurled a hundred leagues away</l> +<l>Deep in the ocean waves I lay.</l> +<l>He would not kill, but, nobly brave,</l> +<l>My forfeit life he chose to save.</l> +<l>So there I lay with wandering sense</l> +<l>Dazed by that arrow's violence.</l> +<l>Long in the sea I lay: at length</l> +<l>Slowly returned my sense and strength,</l> +<l>And rising from my watery bed</l> +<l>To Lanká's town again I sped.</l> +<l>Thus was I spared, but all my band</l> +<l>Fell slain by Ráma's conquering hand,—</l> +<l>A boy, untrained in warrior's skill,</l> +<l>Of iron arm and dauntless will.</l> +<l>If thou with Ráma still, in spite</l> +<l>Of warning and of prayer, wilt fight,</l> +<l>I see terrific woes impend,</l> +<l>And dire defeat thy days will end.</l> +<l>Thy giants all will feel the blow</l> +<l>And share the fatal overthrow,</l> +<l>Who love the taste of joy and play,</l> +<l>The banquet and the festal day.</l> +<l>Thine eyes will see destruction take</l> +<l>Thy Lanká, lost for Sítá's sake,</l> +<l>And stately pile and palace fall</l> +<l>With terrace, dome, and jewelled wall.</l> +<l>The good will die: the crime of kings</l> +<l>Destruction on the people brings:</l> +<l>The sinless die, as in the lake</l> +<l>The fish must perish with the snake.</l> +<l>The prostrate giants thou wilt see</l> +<l>Slain for this folly wrought by thee,</l> +<l>Their bodies bright with precious scent</l> +<l>And sheen of heavenly ornament;</l> +<l>Or see the remnant of thy train</l> +<l>Seek refuge far, when help is vain</l> +<l>And with their wives, or widowed, fly</l> +<l>To every quarter of the sky;</l> +<l>Thy mournful eyes, where'er they turn,</l> +<l>Will see thy stately city burn,</l> +<l>When royal homes with fire are red,</l> +<l>And arrowy nets around are spread.</l> +<l>A sin that tops all sins in shame</l> +<l>Is outrage to another's dame,</l> +<l>A thousand wives thy palace fill,</l> +<l>And countless beauties wait thy will.</l> +<l>O rest contented with thine own,</l> +<l>Nor let thy race be overthrown.</l> +<l>If thou, O King, hast still delight</l> +<l>In rank and wealth and power and might,</l> +<l>In noble wives, in troops of friends,</l> +<l>In all that royal state attends,</l> +<l>I warn thee, cast not all away,</l> +<l>Nor challenge Ráma to the fray.</l> +<l>If deaf to every friendly prayer,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thou still wilt seek the strife,</l> +<l>And from the side of Ráma tear</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His lovely Maithil wife,</l> +<l>Soon will thy life and empire end</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Destroyed by Ráma's bow,</l> +<l>And thou, with kith and kin and friend,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">To Yáma's realm must go.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XXXIX"/> +<head>Canto XXXIX. Márícha's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">I told thee of that dreadful day</q></l> +<l>When Ráma smote and spared to slay.</l> +<l>Now hear me, Rávaṇ, while I tell</l> +<l>What in the after time befell.</l> +<l>At length, restored to strength and pride,</l> +<l>I and two mighty fiends beside</l> +<l>Assumed the forms of deer and strayed</l> +<l>Through Daṇḍak wood in lawn and glade,</l> +<l>I reared terrific horns: beneath</l> +<l>Were flaming tongue and pointed teeth.</l> +<l>I roamed where'er my fancy led,</l> +<l>And on the flesh of hermits fed,</l> +<l>In sacred haunt, by hallowed tree,</l> +<l>Where'er the ritual fires might be.</l> +<l>A fearful shape, I wandered through</l> +<l>The wood, and many a hermit slew.</l> +<l>With ruthless rage the saints I killed</l> +<l>Who in the grove their tasks fulfilled.</l> +<l>When smitten to the earth they sank,</l> +<l>Their flesh I ate, their blood I drank,</l> +<l>And with my cruel deeds dismayed</l> +<l>All dwellers in the forest shade,</l> +<l>Spoiling their rites in bitter hate,</l> +<l>With human blood inebriate.</l> +<l>Once in the wood I chanced to see</l> +<l>Ráma again, a devotee,</l> +<l>A hermit, fed on scanty fare,</l> +<l>Who made the good of all his care.</l> +<l>His noble wife was by his side,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ in the battle tried.</l> +<l>In senseless pride I scorned the might</l> +<l>Of that illustrious anchorite,</l> +<l>And heedless of a hermit foe,</l> +<l>Recalled my earlier overthrow.</l> +<pb n="275"/><anchor id="Pg275"/> +<l>I charged him in my rage and scorn</l> +<l>To slay him with my pointed horn,</l> +<l>In heedless haste, to fury wrought</l> +<l>As on my former wounds I thought.</l> +<l>Then from the mighty bow he drew</l> +<l>Three foe-destroying arrows flew,</l> +<l>Keen-pointed, leaping from the string,</l> +<l>Swift as the wind or feathered king.</l> +<l>Dire shafts, on flesh of foemen fed,</l> +<l>Like rushing thunderbolts they sped,</l> +<l>With knots well smoothed and barbs well bent,</l> +<l>Shot e'en as one, the arrows went.</l> +<l>But I who Ráma's might had felt,</l> +<l>And knew the blows the hero dealt,</l> +<l>Escaped by rapid flight. The two</l> +<l>Who lingered on the spot, he slew.</l> +<l>I fled from mortal danger, freed</l> +<l>From the dire shaft by timely speed.</l> +<l>Now to deep thought my days I give,</l> +<l>And as a humble hermit live.</l> +<l>In every shrub, in every tree</l> +<l>I view that noblest devotee.</l> +<l>In every knotted trunk I mark</l> +<l>His deerskin and his coat of bark,</l> +<l>And see the bow-armed Ráma stand</l> +<l>Like Yáma with his noose in hand.</l> +<l>I tell thee Rávaṇ, in my fright</l> +<l>A thousand Rámas mock my sight,</l> +<l>This wood with every bush and bough</l> +<l>Seems all one fearful Ráma now.</l> +<l>Throughout the grove there is no spot</l> +<l>So lonely where I see him not.</l> +<l>He haunts me in my dreams by night,</l> +<l>And wakes me with the wild affright.</l> +<l>The letter that begins his name</l> +<l>Sends terror through my startled frame.</l> +<l>The rapid cars whereon we ride,</l> +<l>The rich rare jewels, once my pride,</l> +<l>Have names<note place="foot">The Sanskrit words for car and jewels +begin with <hi rend='italic'>ra</hi>.</note> that strike upon mine ear</l> +<l>With hated sound that counsels fear.</l> +<l>His mighty strength too well I know,</l> +<l>Nor art thou match for such a foe.</l> +<l>Too strong were Raghus's son in fight</l> +<l>For Namuchi or Bali's might.</l> +<l>Then Ráma to the battle dare,</l> +<l>Or else be patient and forbear;</l> +<l>But, wouldst thou see me live in peace,</l> +<l>Let mention of the hero cease.</l> +<l>The good whose holy lives were spent</l> +<l>In deepest thought, most innocent,</l> +<l>With all their people many a time</l> +<l>Have perished through another's crime.</l> +<l>So in the common ruin, I</l> +<l>Must for another's folly die,</l> +<l>Do all thy strength and courage can,</l> +<l>But ne'er will I approve the plan.</l> +<l>For he, in might supremely great,</l> +<l>The giant world could extirpate,</l> +<l>Since, when impetuous Khara sought</l> +<l>The grove of Janasthán and fought</l> +<l>For Śúrpaṇakhá's sake, he died</l> +<l>By Ráma's hand in battle tried.</l> +<l>How has he wronged thee? Soothly swear,</l> +<l>And Ráma's fault and sin declare.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">I warn thee, and my words are wise,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">I seek thy people's weal:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But if this rede thou wilt despise,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Nor hear my last appeal,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thou with thy kin and all thy friends</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">In fight this day wilt die,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When his great bow the hero bends,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">And shafts unerring fly.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XL"/> +<head>Canto XL. Rávan's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Rávaṇ scorned the rede he gave</l> +<l>In timely words to warn and save,</l> +<l>E'en as the wretch who hates to live</l> +<l>Rejects the herb the leeches give.</l> +<l>By fate to sin and ruin spurred,</l> +<l>That sage advice the giant heard,</l> +<l>Then in reproaches hard and stern</l> +<l>Thus to Márícha spoke in turn:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Is this thy counsel, weak and base,</q></l> +<l>Unworthy of thy giant race?</l> +<l>Thy speech is fruitless, vain, thy toil</l> +<l>Like casting seed on barren soil.</l> +<l>No words of thine shall drive me back</l> +<l>From Ráma and the swift attack.</l> +<l>A fool is he, inured to sin,</l> +<l>And more, of human origin.</l> +<l>The craven, at a woman's call</l> +<l>To leave his sire, his mother, all</l> +<l>The friends he loved, the power and sway,</l> +<l>And hasten to the woods away!</l> +<l>But now his anger will I rouse,</l> +<l>Stealing away his darling spouse.</l> +<l>I in thy sight will ravish her</l> +<l>From Khara's cruel murderer.</l> +<l>Upon this plan my soul is bent,</l> +<l>And naught shall move my firm intent,</l> +<l>Not if the way through demons led</l> +<l>And Gods with Indra at their head.</l> +<l>'Tis thine, when questioned, to explain</l> +<l>The hope and fear, the loss and gain,</l> +<l>And, when thy king thy thoughts would know,</l> +<l>The triumph or the danger show.</l> +<l>A prudent counsellor should wait,</l> +<l>And speak when ordered in debate,</l> +<l>With hands uplifted, calm and meek,</l> +<l>If honour and reward he seek.</l> +<l>Or, when some prudent course he sees</l> +<l>Which, spoken, may his king displease</l> +<pb n="276"/><anchor id="Pg276"/> +<l>He should by hints of dexterous art</l> +<l>His counsel to his lord impart.</l> +<l>But prudent words are said in vain</l> +<l>When the blunt speech brings grief and pain.</l> +<l>A high-souled king will scarcely thank</l> +<l>The man who shames his royal rank.</l> +<l>Five are the shapes that kings assume,</l> +<l>Of majesty, of grace, and gloom:</l> +<l>Like Indra now, or Agni, now</l> +<l>Like the dear Moon, with placid brow:</l> +<l>Like mighty Varuṇ now they show,</l> +<l>Now fierce as He who rules below.</l> +<l>O giant, monarchs lofty-souled</l> +<l>Are kind and gentle, stern and bold,</l> +<l>With gracious love their gifts dispense</l> +<l>And swiftly punish each offence.</l> +<l>Thus subjects should their rulers view</l> +<l>With all respect and honour due.</l> +<l>But folly leads thy heart to slight</l> +<l>Thy monarch and neglect his right.</l> +<l>Thou hast in lawless pride addressed</l> +<l>With bitter words thy royal guest.</l> +<l>I asked thee not my strength to scan,</l> +<l>Or loss and profit in the plan.</l> +<l>I only spoke to tell the deed</l> +<l>O mighty one, by me decreed,</l> +<l>And bid thee in the peril lend</l> +<l>Thy succour to support thy friend.</l> +<l>Hear me again, and I will tell</l> +<l>How thou canst aid my venture well.</l> +<l>In semblance of a golden deer</l> +<l>Adorned with silver drops, appear:</l> +<l>And near the cottage in the way</l> +<l>Of Ráma and his consort stray.</l> +<l>Draw nigh, and wandering through the brake</l> +<l>With thy strange form her fancy take.</l> +<l>The Maithil dame with wondering eyes</l> +<l>Will took upon thy fair disguise,</l> +<l>And quickly bid her husband go</l> +<l>And bring the deer that charms her so,</l> +<l>When Raghu's son has left the place,</l> +<l>Still pressing onward in the chase,</l> +<l>Cry out, <q>O Lakshmaṇ! Ah, mine own!</q></l> +<l>With voice resembling Ráma's tone.</l> +<l>When Lakshmaṇ hears his brother's cry,</l> +<l>Impelled by Sítá he will fly,</l> +<l>Restless with eager love, to aid</l> +<l>The hunter in the distant shade.</l> +<l>When both her guards have left her side,</l> +<l>Even as Indra, thousand-eyed,</l> +<l>Clasps Śachí, will I bear away</l> +<l>The Maithil dame an easy prey.</l> +<l>When thou, my friend, this aid hast lent,</l> +<l>Go where thou wilt and live content.</l> +<l>True servant, faithful to thy vow,</l> +<l>With half my realm I thee endow.</l> +<l>Go forth, may luck thy way attend</l> +<l>That leads thee to the happy end.</l> +<l>I in my car will quickly be</l> +<l>In Daṇḍak wood, and follow thee.</l> +<l>So will I cheat this Ráma's eyes</l> +<l>And win without a blow the prize;</l> +<l>And safe return to Lanká's town</l> +<l>With thee, my friend, this day shall crown.</l> +<l>But if thou wilt not aid my will,</l> +<l>My hand this day thy blood shall spill.</l> +<l>Yea, thou must share the destined task,</l> +<l>For force will take the help I ask.</l> +<l>No bliss that rebel's life attends</l> +<l>Whose stubborn will his lord offends.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thy life, if thou the task assay,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">In jeopardy may stand;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Oppose me, and this very day</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Thou diest by this hand.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Now ponder all that thou hast heard</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Within thy prudent breast:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Reflect with care on every word,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">And do what seems the best.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XLI"/> +<head>Canto XLI. Márícha's Reply.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Against his judgment sorely pressed</l> +<l>By his imperious lord's behest,</l> +<l>Márícha threats of death defied</l> +<l>And thus with bitter words replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah, who, my King, with sinful thought</q></l> +<l>This wild and wicked counsel taught,</l> +<l>By which destruction soon will fall</l> +<l>On thee, thy sons, thy realm and all?</l> +<l>Who is the guilty wretch who sees</l> +<l>With envious eye thy blissful ease,</l> +<l>And by this plan, so falsely shown,</l> +<l>Death's gate for thee has open thrown?</l> +<l>With souls impelled by mean desire</l> +<l>Thy foes against thy life conspire.</l> +<l>They urge thee to destruction's brink,</l> +<l>And gladly would they see thee sink.</l> +<l>Who with base thought to work thee woe</l> +<l>This fatal road has dared to show,</l> +<l>And, triumph in his wicked eye,</l> +<l>Would see thee enter in and die?</l> +<l>To all thy counsellors, untrue,</l> +<l>The punishment of death is due,</l> +<l>Who see thee tempt the dangerous way,</l> +<l>Nor strain each nerve thy foot to stay.</l> +<l>Wise lords, whose king, by passion led,</l> +<l>The path of sin begins to tread,</l> +<l>Restrain him while there yet is time:</l> +<l>But thine,—they see nor heed the crime.</l> +<l>These by their master's will obtain</l> +<l>Merit and fame and joy and gain.</l> +<l>'Tis only by their master's grace</l> +<l>That servants hold their lofty place.</l> +<l>But when the monarch stoops to sin</l> +<l>They lose each joy they strive to win,</l> +<l>And all the people people high and low</l> +<l>Fall in the common overthrow.</l> +<pb n="277"/><anchor id="Pg277"/> +<l>Merit and fame and honour spring,</l> +<l>Best of the mighty, from the king.</l> +<l>So all should strive with heart and will</l> +<l>To keep the king from every ill.</l> +<l>Pride, violence, and sullen hate</l> +<l>Will ne'er maintain a monarch's state,</l> +<l>And those who cruel deeds advise</l> +<l>Must perish when their master dies,</l> +<l>Like drivers with their cars o'erthrown</l> +<l>In places rough with root and stone.</l> +<l>The good whose holy lives were spent</l> +<l>On duty's highest laws intent,</l> +<l>With wives and children many a time</l> +<l>Have perished for another's crime.</l> +<l>Hapless are they whose sovereign lord,</l> +<l>Opposed to all, by all abhorred,</l> +<l>Is cruel-hearted, harsh, severe:</l> +<l>Thus might a jackal tend the deer.</l> +<l>Now all the giant race await,</l> +<l>Destroyed by thee, a speedy fate,</l> +<l>Ruled by a king so cruel-souled,</l> +<l>Foolish in heart and uncontrolled.</l> +<l>Think not I fear the sudden blow</l> +<l>That threatens now to lay me low:</l> +<l>I mourn the ruin that I see</l> +<l>Impending o'er thy host and thee.</l> +<l>Me first perchance will Ráma kill,</l> +<l>But soon his hand thy blood will spill.</l> +<l>I die, and if by Ráma slain</l> +<l>And not by thee, I count it gain.</l> +<l>Soon as the hero's face I see</l> +<l>His angry eyes will murder me,</l> +<l>And if on her thy hands thou lay</l> +<l>Thy friends and thou are dead this day.</l> +<l>If with my help thou still must dare</l> +<l>The lady from her lord to tear,</l> +<l>Farewell to all our days are o'er,</l> +<l>Lanká and giants are no more.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In vain, in vain, an earnest friend,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">I warn thee, King, and pray.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thou wilt not to my prayers attend,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Or heed the words I say</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">So men, when life is fleeting fast</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And death's sad hour is nigh,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Heedless and blinded to the last</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">Reject advice and die.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XLII"/> +<head>Canto XLII. Márícha Transformed.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Márícha thus in wild unrest</l> +<l>With bitter words the king addressed.</l> +<l>Then to his giant lord in dread,</l> +<l><q>Arise, and let us go,</q> he said.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah, I have met that mighty lord</q></l> +<l>Armed with his shafts and bow and sword,</l> +<l>And if again that bow he bend</l> +<l>Our lives that very hour will end.</l> +<l>For none that warrior can provoke</l> +<l>And think to fly his deadly stroke.</l> +<l>Like Yáma with his staff is he,</l> +<l>And his dread hand will slaughter thee.</l> +<l>What can I more? My words can find</l> +<l>No passage to thy stubborn mind.</l> +<l>I go, great King, thy task to share,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And may success attend thee there.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With that reply and bold consent</l> +<l>The giant king was well content.</l> +<l>He strained Márícha to his breast</l> +<l>And thus with joyful words addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">There spoke a hero dauntless still,</q></l> +<l>Obedient to his master's will,</l> +<l>Márícha's proper self once more:</l> +<l>Some other took thy shape before.</l> +<l>Come, mount my jewelled car that flies.</l> +<l>Will-governed, through the yielding skies.</l> +<l>These asses, goblin-faced, shall bear</l> +<l>Us quickly through the fields of air.</l> +<l>Attract the lady with thy shape,</l> +<l>Then through the wood, at will, escape.</l> +<l>And I, when she has no defence,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Will seize the dame and bear her thence.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Again Márícha made reply,</l> +<l>Consent and will to signify.</l> +<l>With rapid speed the giants two</l> +<l>From the calm hermit dwelling flew,</l> +<l>Borne in that wondrous chariot, meet</l> +<l>For some great God's celestial seat.</l> +<l>They from their airy path looked down</l> +<l>On many a wood and many a town,</l> +<l>On lake and river, brook and rill,</l> +<l>City and realm and towering hill.</l> +<l>Soon he whom giant hosts obeyed,</l> +<l>Márícha by his side, surveyed</l> +<l>The dark expanse of Daṇḍak wood</l> +<l>Where Ráma's hermit cottage stood.</l> +<l>They left the flying car, whereon</l> +<l>The wealth of gold and jewels shone,</l> +<l>And thus the giant king addressed</l> +<l>Márícha as his hand he pressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Márícha, look! before our eyes</q></l> +<l>Round Ráma's home the plantains rise.</l> +<l>His hermitage is now in view:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Quick to the work we came to do!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Rávaṇ spoke, Márícha heard</l> +<l>Obedient to his master's word,</l> +<l>Threw off his giant shape and near</l> +<l>The cottage strayed a beauteous deer.</l> +<l>With magic power, by rapid change,</l> +<l>His borrowed form was fair and strange.</l> +<l>A sapphire tipped each horn with light;</l> +<l>His face was black relieved with white.</l> +<l>The turkis and the ruby shed</l> +<l>A glory from his ears and head.</l> +<l>His arching neck was proudly raised,</l> +<l>And lazulites beneath it blazed.</l> +<l>With roseate bloom his flanks were dyed,</l> +<l>And lotus tints adorned his hide.</l> +<l>His shape was fair, compact, and slight;</l> +<pb n="278"/><anchor id="Pg278"/> +<l>His hoofs were carven lazulite.</l> +<l>His tail with every changing glow</l> +<l>Displayed the hues of Indra's bow.</l> +<l>With glossy skin so strangely flecked,</l> +<l>With tints of every gem bedecked.</l> +<l>A light o'er Ráma's home he sent,</l> +<l>And through the wood, where'er he went.</l> +<l>The giant clad in that strange dress</l> +<l>That took the soul with loveliness,</l> +<l>To charm the fair Videhan's eyes</l> +<l>With mingled wealth of mineral dyes,</l> +<l>Moved onward, cropping in his way,</l> +<l>The grass and grain and tender spray.</l> +<l>His coat with drops of silver bright,</l> +<l>A form to gaze on with delight,</l> +<l>He raised his fair neck as he went</l> +<l>To browse on bud and filament.</l> +<l>Now in the Cassia grove he strayed,</l> +<l>Now by the cot in plantains' shade.</l> +<l>Slowly and slowly on he came</l> +<l>To catch the glances of the dame,</l> +<l>And the tall deer of splendid hue</l> +<l>Shone full at length in Sítá's view.</l> +<l>He roamed where'er his fancy chose</l> +<l>Where Ráma's leafy cottage rose.</l> +<l>Now near, now far, in careless ease,</l> +<l>He came and went among the trees.</l> +<l>Now with light feet he turned to fly,</l> +<l>Now, reassured, again drew nigh:</l> +<l>Now gambolled close with leap and bound,</l> +<l>Now lay upon the grassy ground:</l> +<l>Now sought the door, devoid of fear,</l> +<l>And mingled with the troop of deer;</l> +<l>Led them a little way, and thence</l> +<l>Again returned with confidence.</l> +<l>Now flying far, now turning back</l> +<l>Emboldened on his former track,</l> +<l>Seeking to win the lady's glance</l> +<l>He wandered through the green expanse.</l> +<l>Then thronging round, the woodland deer</l> +<l>Gazed on his form with wondering fear;</l> +<l>A while they followed where he led,</l> +<l>Then snuffed the tainted gale and fled.</l> +<l>The giant, though he longed to slay</l> +<l>The startled quarry, spared the prey,</l> +<l>And mindful of the shape he wore</l> +<l>To veil his nature, still forbore.</l> +<l>Then Sítá of the glorious eye,</l> +<l>Returning from her task drew nigh;</l> +<l>For she had sought the wood to bring</l> +<l>Each loveliest flower of early spring.</l> +<l>Now would the bright-eyed lady choose</l> +<l>Some gorgeous bud with blending hues,</l> +<l>Now plucked the mango's spray, and now</l> +<l>The bloom from an Aśoka bough.</l> +<l>She with her beauteous form, unmeet</l> +<l>For woodland life and lone retreat,</l> +<l>That wondrous dappled deer beheld</l> +<l>Gemmed with rich pearls, unparalleled,</l> +<l>His silver hair the lady saw,</l> +<l>His radiant teeth and lips and jaw,</l> +<l>And gazed with rapture as her eyes</l> +<l>Expanded in their glad surprise.</l> +<l>And when the false deer's glances fell</l> +<l>On her whom Ráma loved so well,</l> +<l>He wandered here and there, and cast</l> +<l>A luminous beauty as he passed;</l> +<l>And Janak's child with strange delight</l> +<l>Kept gazing on the unwonted sight.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XLIII"/> +<head>Canto XLIII. The Wondrous Deer.</head> + +<lg> +<l>She stooped, her hands with flowers to fill,</l> +<l>But gazed upon the marvel still:</l> +<l>Gazed on its back and sparkling side</l> +<l>Where silver hues with golden vied.</l> +<l>Joyous was she of faultless mould,</l> +<l>With glossy skin like polished gold.</l> +<l>And loudly to her husband cried</l> +<l>And bow-armed Lakshmaṇ by his side:</l> +<l>Again, again she called in glee:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O come this glorious creature see;</q></l> +<l>Quick, quick, my lord, this deer to view.</l> +<l><q rend="post">And bring thy brother Lakshmaṇ too.</q></l> +<l>As through the wood her clear tones rang,</l> +<l>Swift to her side the brothers sprang.</l> +<l>With eager eyes the grove they scanned,</l> +<l>And saw the deer before them stand.</l> +<l>But doubt was strong in Lakshmaṇ's breast,</l> +<l>Who thus his thought and fear expressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Stay, for the wondrous deer we see</q></l> +<l>The fiend Márícha's self may be.</l> +<l>Ere now have kings who sought this place</l> +<l>To take their pastime in the chase,</l> +<l>Met from his wicked art defeat,</l> +<l>And fallen slain by like deceit.</l> +<l>He wears, well trained in magic guile,</l> +<l>The figure of a deer a while,</l> +<l>Bright as the very sun, or place</l> +<l>Where dwell the gay Gandharva race.</l> +<l>No deer, O Ráma, e'er was seen</l> +<l>Thus decked with gold and jewels' sheen.</l> +<l>'Tis magic, for the world has ne'er,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Lord of the world, shown aught so fair.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But Sítá of the lovely smile,</l> +<l>A captive to the giant's wile,</l> +<l>Turned Lakshmaṇ's prudent speech aside</l> +<l>And thus with eager words replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My honoured lord, this deer I see</q></l> +<l>With beauty rare enraptures me.</l> +<l>Go, chief of mighty arm, and bring</l> +<l>For my delight this precious thing.</l> +<l>Fair creatures of the woodland roam</l> +<l>Untroubled near our hermit home.</l> +<l>The forest cow and stag are there,</l> +<l>The fawn, the monkey, and the bear,</l> +<l>Where spotted deer delight to play,</l> +<pb n="279"/><anchor id="Pg279"/> +<l>And strong and beauteous Kinnars<note place="foot">A race of beings of human shape but +with the heads of horses, like centaurs reversed.</note> stray.</l> +<l>But never, as they wandered by,</l> +<l>Has such a beauty charmed mine eye</l> +<l>As this with limbs so fair and slight,</l> +<l>So gentle, beautiful and bright.</l> +<l>O see, how fair it is to view</l> +<l>With jewels of each varied hue:</l> +<l>Bright as the rising moon it glows,</l> +<l>Lighting the wood where'er it goes.</l> +<l>Ah me, what form and grace are there!</l> +<l>Its limbs how fine, its hues how fair!</l> +<l>Transcending all that words express,</l> +<l>It takes my soul with loveliness.</l> +<l>O, if thou would, to please me, strive</l> +<l>To take the beauteous thing alive,</l> +<l>How thou wouldst gaze with wondering eyes</l> +<l>Delighted on the lovely prize!</l> +<l>And when our woodland life is o'er,</l> +<l>And we enjoy our realm once more,</l> +<l>The wondrous animal will grace</l> +<l>The chambers of my dwelling-place,</l> +<l>And a dear treasure will it be</l> +<l>To Bharat and the queens and me,</l> +<l>And all with rapture and amaze</l> +<l>Upon its heavenly form will gaze.</l> +<l>But if the beauteous deer, pursued,</l> +<l>Thine arts to take it still elude,</l> +<l>Strike it, O chieftain, and the skin</l> +<l>Will be a treasure, laid within.</l> +<l>O, how I long my time to pass</l> +<l>Sitting upon the tender grass,</l> +<l>With that soft fell beneath me spread</l> +<l>Bright with its hair of golden thread!</l> +<l>This strong desire, this eager will,</l> +<l>Befits a gentle lady ill:</l> +<l>But when I first beheld, its look</l> +<l>My breast with fascination took.</l> +<l>See, golden hair its flank adorns,</l> +<l>And sapphires tip its branching horns.</l> +<l>Resplendent as the lunar way,</l> +<l>Or the first blush of opening day,</l> +<l>With graceful form and radiant hue</l> +<l><q rend="post">It charmed thy heart, O chieftain, too.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He heard her speech with willing ear,</l> +<l>He looked again upon the deer.</l> +<l>Its lovely shape his breast beguiled</l> +<l>Moved by the prayer of Janak's child,</l> +<l>And yielding for her pleasure's sake,</l> +<l>To Lakshmaṇ Ráma turned and spake:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Mark, Lakshmaṇ, mark how Sítá's breast</q></l> +<l>With eager longing is possessed.</l> +<l>To-day this deer of wondrous breed</l> +<l>Must for his passing beauty bleed,</l> +<l>Brighter than e'er in Nandan strayed,</l> +<l>Or Chaitraratha's heavenly shade.</l> +<l>How should the groves of earth possess</l> +<l>Such all-surpassing loveliness!</l> +<l>The hair lies smooth and bright and fine,</l> +<l>Or waves upon each curving line,</l> +<l>And drops of living gold bedeck</l> +<l>The beauty of his side and neck.</l> +<l>O look, his crimson tongue between</l> +<l>His teeth like flaming fire is seen,</l> +<l>Flashing, whene'er his lips he parts,</l> +<l>As from a cloud the lightning darts.</l> +<l>O see his sunlike forehead shine</l> +<l>With emerald tints and almandine,</l> +<l>While pearly light and roseate glow</l> +<l>Of shells adorn his neck below.</l> +<l>No eye on such a deer can rest</l> +<l>But soft enchantment takes the breast:</l> +<l>No man so fair a thing behold</l> +<l>Ablaze with light of radiant gold,</l> +<l>Celestial, bright with jewels' sheen,</l> +<l>Nor marvel when his eyes have seen.</l> +<l>A king equipped with bow and shaft</l> +<l>Delights in gentle forest craft,</l> +<l>And as in boundless woods he strays</l> +<l>The quarry for the venison slays.</l> +<l>There as he wanders with his train</l> +<l>A store of wealth he oft may gain.</l> +<l>He claims by right the precious ore,</l> +<l>He claims the jewels' sparkling store.</l> +<l>Such gains are dearer in his eyes</l> +<l>Than wealth that in his chamber lies,</l> +<l>The dearest things his spirit knows,</l> +<l>Dear as the bliss which Śukra chose.</l> +<l>But oft the rich expected gain</l> +<l>Which heedless men pursue in vain,</l> +<l>The sage, who prudent counsels know,</l> +<l>Explain and in a moment show.</l> +<l>This best of deer, this gem of all,</l> +<l>To yield his precious spoils must fall,</l> +<l>And tender Sítá by my side</l> +<l>Shall sit upon the golden hide.</l> +<l>Ne'er could I find so rich a coat</l> +<l>On spotted deer or sheep or goat.</l> +<l>No buck or antelope has such,</l> +<l>So bright to view, so soft to touch.</l> +<l>This radiant deer and one on high</l> +<l>That moves in glory through the sky,</l> +<l>Alike in heavenly beauty are,</l> +<l>One on the earth and one a star.</l> +<l>But, brother, if thy fears be true,</l> +<l>And this bright creature that we view</l> +<l>Be fierce Márícha in disguise,</l> +<l>Then by this hand he surely dies.</l> +<l>For that dire fiend who spurns control</l> +<l>With bloody hand and cruel soul,</l> +<l>Has roamed this forest and dismayed</l> +<l>The holiest saints who haunt the shade.</l> +<l>Great archers, sprung of royal race,</l> +<l>Pursuing in the wood the chase,</l> +<l>Have fallen by his wicked art,</l> +<l>And now my shaft shall strike his heart.</l> +<l>Vatápi, by his magic power</l> +<pb n="280"/><anchor id="Pg280"/> +<l>Made heedless saints his flesh devour,</l> +<l>Then, from within their frames he rent</l> +<l>Forth bursting from imprisonment.</l> +<l>But once his art in senseless pride</l> +<l>Upon the mightiest saint he tried,</l> +<l>Agastya's self, and caused him taste</l> +<l>The baited meal before him placed.</l> +<l>Vátápi, when the rite was o'er,</l> +<l>Would take the giant form he wore,</l> +<l>But Saint Agastya knew his wile</l> +<l>And checked the giant with smile.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Vátápi, thou with cruel spite</q></l> +<l>Hast conquered many an anchorite</l> +<l>The noblest of the Bráhman caste,—</l> +<l><q rend="post">And now thy ruin comes at last.</q></l> +<l>Now if my power he thus defies,</l> +<l>This giant, like Vátápi dies,</l> +<l>Daring to scorn a man like me,</l> +<l>A self subduing devotee.</l> +<l>Yea, as Agastya slew the foe,</l> +<l>My hand shall lay Márícha low</l> +<l>Clad in thine arms thy bow in hand,</l> +<l>To guard the Maithil lady stand,</l> +<l>With watchful eye and thoughtful breast</l> +<l>Keeping each word of my behest</l> +<l>I go, and hunting through the brake</l> +<l>This wondrous deer will bring or take.</l> +<l>Yea surely I will bring the spoil</l> +<l>Returning from my hunter's toil</l> +<l>See, Lakshmaṇ how my consort's eyes</l> +<l>Are longing for the lovely prize.</l> +<l>This day it falls, that I may win</l> +<l>The treasure of so fair a skin.</l> +<l>Do thou and Sítá watch with care</l> +<l>Lest danger seize you unaware.</l> +<l>Swift from my bow one shaft will fly;</l> +<l>The stricken deer will fall and die</l> +<l>Then quickly will I strip the game</l> +<l>And bring the trophy to my dame.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Jaṭáyus, guardian good and wise,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Our old and faithful friend,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The best and strongest bird that flies,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">His willing aid will lend</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Maithil lady well protect,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">For every chance provide,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And in thy tender care suspect</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">A foe on every side.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XLIV"/> +<head>Canto XLIV. Márícha's Death.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus having warned his brother bold</l> +<l>He grasped his sword with haft of gold,</l> +<l>And bow with triple flexure bent,</l> +<l>His own delight and ornament;</l> +<l>Then bound two quivers to his side,</l> +<l>And hurried forth with eager stride.</l> +<l>Soon as the antlered monarch saw</l> +<l>The lord of monarchs near him draw,</l> +<l>A while with trembling heart he fled,</l> +<l>Then turned and showed his stately head.</l> +<l>With sword and bow the chief pursued</l> +<l>Where'er the fleeing deer he viewed</l> +<l>Sending from dell and lone recess</l> +<l>The splendour of his loveliness.</l> +<l>Now full in view the creature stood</l> +<l>Now vanished in the depth of wood;</l> +<l>Now running with a languid flight,</l> +<l>Now like a meteor lost to sight.</l> +<l>With trembling limbs away he sped;</l> +<l>Then like the moon with clouds o'erspread</l> +<l>Gleamed for a moment bright between</l> +<l>The trees, and was again unseen.</l> +<l>Thus in the magic deer's disguise</l> +<l>Márícha lured him to the prize,</l> +<l>And seen a while, then lost to view,</l> +<l>Far from his cot the hero drew.</l> +<l>Still by the flying game deceived</l> +<l>The hunter's heart was wroth and grieved,</l> +<l>And wearied with the fruitless chase</l> +<l>He stayed him in a shady place.</l> +<l>Again the rover of the night</l> +<l>Enraged the chieftain, full in sight,</l> +<l>Slow moving in the coppice near,</l> +<l>Surrounded by the woodland deer.</l> +<l>Again the hunter sought the game</l> +<l>That seemed a while to court his aim:</l> +<l>But seized again with sudden dread,</l> +<l>Beyond his sight the creature fled.</l> +<l>Again the hero left the shade,</l> +<l>Again the deer before him strayed.</l> +<l>With surer hope and stronger will</l> +<l>The hunter longed his prey to kill.</l> +<l>Then as his soul impatient grew,</l> +<l>An arrow from his side he drew,</l> +<l>Resplendent at the sunbeam's glow,</l> +<l>The crusher of the smitten foe.</l> +<l>With skillful heed the mighty lord</l> +<l>Fixed well shaft and strained the cord.</l> +<l>Upon the deer his eyes he bent,</l> +<l>And like a fiery serpent went</l> +<l>The arrow Brahma's self had framed,</l> +<l>Alive with sparks that hissed and flamed,</l> +<l>Like Indra's flashing levin, true</l> +<l>To the false deer the missile flew</l> +<l>Cleaving his flesh that wonderous dart</l> +<l>Stood quivering in Márícha's heart.</l> +<l>Scarce from the ground one foot he sprang,</l> +<l>Then stricken fell with deadly pang.</l> +<l>Half lifeless, as he pressed the ground,</l> +<l>He gave a roar of awful sound</l> +<l>And ere the wounded giant died</l> +<l>He threw his borrowed form aside</l> +<l>Remembering still his lord's behest</l> +<l>He pondered in his heart how best</l> +<l>Sítá might send her guard away,</l> +<l>And Rávaṇ seize the helpless prey.</l> +<l>The monster knew the time was nigh,</l> +<l>And called aloud with eager cry,</l> +<l><q>Ho, Sítá, Lakshmaṇ</q> and the tone</l> +<pb n="281"/><anchor id="Pg281"/> +<l>He borrowed was like Ráma's own.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">So by that matchless arrow cleft,</l> +<l>The deer's bright form Márícha left,</l> +<l>Resumed his giant shape and size</l> +<l>And closed in death his languid eyes.</l> +<l>When Ráma saw his awful foe</l> +<l>Gasp, smeared with blood, in deadly throe,</l> +<l>His anxious thoughts to Sítá sped,</l> +<l>And the wise words that Lakshmaṇ said,</l> +<l>That this was false Márícha's art,</l> +<l>Returned again upon his heart.</l> +<l>He knew the foe he triumphed o'er</l> +<l>The name of great Márícha bore.</l> +<l><q>The fiend,</q> he pondered, 'ere he died,</l> +<l><q>Ho, Lakshmaṇ! ho, my Sítá!</q> cried</l> +<l>Ah, if that cry has reached her ear,</l> +<l>How dire must be my darling's fear!</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ of the mighty arm,</l> +<l>What thinks he in his wild alarm?</l> +<l>As thus he thought in sad surmise,</l> +<l>Each startled hair began to rise,</l> +<l>And when he saw the giant slain</l> +<l>And thought upon that cry again,</l> +<l>His spirit sank and terror pressed</l> +<l>Full sorely on the hero's breast.</l> +<l>Another deer he chased and struck,</l> +<l>He bore away the the fallen buck,</l> +<l>To Janasthán then turned his face</l> +<l>And hastened to his dwelling place.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XLV"/> +<head>Canto XLV. Lakshman's Departure.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Sítá hearing as she thought,</l> +<l>Her husband's cry with anguish fraught,</l> +<l>Called to her guardian, <q rend="pre">Lakshmaṇ, run</q></l> +<l>And in the wood seek Raghu's son.</l> +<l>Scarce can my heart retain its throne,</l> +<l>Scarce can my life be called mine own,</l> +<l>As all my powers and senses fail</l> +<l>At that long, loud and bitter wail.</l> +<l>Haste to the wood with all thy speed</l> +<l>And save thy brother in his need.</l> +<l>Go, save him in the distant glade</l> +<l>Where loud he calls, for timely aid.</l> +<l>He falls beneath some giant foe—</l> +<l><q rend="post">A bull whom lions overthrow.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Deaf to her prayer, no step he stirred</l> +<l>Obedient to his mother's word,</l> +<l>Then Janak's child, with ire inflamed,</l> +<l>In words of bitter scorn exclaimed exclaimed</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Sumitrá's son, a friend in show,</q></l> +<l>Thou art in truth thy brother's foe,</l> +<l>Who canst at such any hour deny</l> +<l>Thy succour and neglect his cry.</l> +<l>Yes, Lakshmaṇ, smit with love of me</l> +<l>Thy brother's death thou fain wouldst see.</l> +<l>This guilty love thy heart has swayed</l> +<l>And makes thy feet so loth to aid.</l> +<l>Thou hast no love for Ráma, no:</l> +<l>Thy joy is vice, thy thoughts are low</l> +<l>Hence thus unmoved thou yet canst stay</l> +<l>While my dear lord is far away.</l> +<l>If aught of ill my lord betide</l> +<l>Who led thee here, thy chief and guide,</l> +<l>Ah, what will be my hapless fate</l> +<l><q rend="post">Left in the wild wood desolate!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke the lady sad with fear,</l> +<l>With many a sigh and many a tear,</l> +<l>Still trembling like a captured doe:</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ spoke to calm her woe:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Videhan Queen, be sure of this,—</q></l> +<l>And at the thought thy fear dismiss,—</l> +<l>Thy husband's mightier power defies</l> +<l>All Gods and angels of the skies,</l> +<l>Gandharvas, and the sons of light,</l> +<l>Serpents, and rovers of the night.</l> +<l>I tell thee, of the sons of earth,</l> +<l>Of Gods who boast celestial birth,</l> +<l>Of beasts and birds and giant hosts,</l> +<l>Of demigods, Gandharvas, ghosts,</l> +<l>Of awful fiends, O thou most fair,</l> +<l>There lives not one whose heart would dare</l> +<l>To meet thy Ráma in the fight,</l> +<l>Like Indra's self unmatched in might.</l> +<l>Such idle words thou must not say</l> +<l>Thy Ráma lives whom none may slay.</l> +<l>I will not, cannot leave thee here</l> +<l>In the wild wood till he be near.</l> +<l>The mightiest strength can ne'er withstand</l> +<l>His eager force, his vigorous hand.</l> +<l>No, not the triple world allied</l> +<l>With all the immortal Gods beside.</l> +<l>Dismiss thy fear, again take heart,</l> +<l>Let all thy doubt and woe depart.</l> +<l>Thy lord, be sure, will soon be here</l> +<l>And bring thee back that best of deer.</l> +<l>Not his, not his that mournful cry,</l> +<l>Nor haply came it from the sky.</l> +<l>Some giant's art was busy there</l> +<l>And framed a castle based on air.</l> +<l>A precious pledge art thou, consigned</l> +<l>To me by him of noblest mind,</l> +<l>Nor can I fairest dame, forsake</l> +<l>The pledge which Ráma bade me take.</l> +<l>Upon our heads, O Queen, we drew</l> +<l>The giants' hate when Ráma slew</l> +<l>Their chieftain Khara, and the shade</l> +<l>Of Janasthán in ruin laid.</l> +<l>Through all this mighty wood they rove</l> +<l>With varied cries from grove to grove</l> +<l>On rapine bent they wander here:</l> +<l><q rend="post">But O, dismiss thy causeless fear.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Bright flashed her eye as Lakshmaṇ spoke</l> +<l>And forth her words of fury broke</l> +<l>Upon her truthful guardian, flung</l> +<l>With bitter taunts that pierced and stung:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Shame on such false compassion, base</q></l> +<l>Defiler of thy glorious race!</l> +<l>'Twere joyous sight I ween to thee</l> +<pb n="282"/><anchor id="Pg282"/> +<l>My lord in direst strait to see.</l> +<l>Thou knowest Ráma sore bested,</l> +<l>Or word like this thou ne'er hadst said.</l> +<l>No marvel if we find such sin</l> +<l>In rivals false to kith and kin.</l> +<l>Wretches like thee of evil kind,</l> +<l>Concealing crime with crafty mind.</l> +<l>Thou, wretch, thine aid wilt still deny,</l> +<l>And leave my lord alone to die.</l> +<l>Has love of me unnerved thy hand,</l> +<l>Or Bharat's art this ruin planned?</l> +<l>But be the treachery his or thine,</l> +<l>In vain, in vain the base design.</l> +<l>For how shall I, the chosen bride</l> +<l>Of dark-hued Ráma, lotus-eyed,</l> +<l>The queen who once called Ráma mine,</l> +<l>To love of other men decline?</l> +<l>Believe me, Lakshmaṇ, Ráma's wife</l> +<l>Before thine eyes will quit this life,</l> +<l>And not a moment will she stay</l> +<l><q rend="post">If her dear lord have passed away.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The lady's bitter speech, that stirred</l> +<l>Each hair upon his frame, he heard.</l> +<l>With lifted hands together laid,</l> +<l>His calm reply he gently made:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">No words have I to answer now:</q></l> +<l>My deity, O Queen, art thou.</l> +<l>But 'tis no marvel, dame, to find</l> +<l>Such lack of sense in womankind.</l> +<l>Throughout this world, O Maithil dame,</l> +<l>Weak women's hearts are still the same.</l> +<l>Inconstant, urged by envious spite,</l> +<l>They sever friends and hate the right.</l> +<l>I cannot brook, Videhan Queen,</l> +<l>Thy words intolerably keen.</l> +<l>Mine ears thy fierce reproaches pain</l> +<l>As boiling water seethes the brain.</l> +<l>And now to bear me witness all</l> +<l>The dwellers in the wood I call,</l> +<l>That, when with words of truth I plead,</l> +<l>This harsh reply is all my meed.</l> +<l>Ah, woe is thee! Ah, grief, that still</l> +<l>Eager to do my brother's will,</l> +<l>Mourning thy woman's nature, I</l> +<l>Must see thee doubt my truth and die.</l> +<l>I fly to Ráma's side, and Oh,</l> +<l>May bliss attend thee while I go!</l> +<l>May all attendant wood-gods screen</l> +<l>Thy head from harm, O large-eyed Queen!</l> +<l>And though dire omens meet my sight</l> +<l>And fill my soul with wild affright,</l> +<l>May I return in peace and see</l> +<l><q rend="post">The son of Raghu safe with thee!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The child of Janak heard him speak,</l> +<l>And the hot tear-drops down her cheek,</l> +<l>Increasing to a torrent, ran,</l> +<l>As thus once more the dame began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Lakshmaṇ, if I widowed be</q></l> +<l>Godávarí's flood shall cover me,</l> +<l>Or I will die by cord, or leap,</l> +<l>Life weary, from yon rocky steep;</l> +<l>Or deadly poison will I drink,</l> +<l>Or 'neath the kindled flames will sink,</l> +<l>But never, reft of Ráma, can</l> +<l><q rend="post">Consent to touch a meaner man.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Maithil dame with many sighs,</l> +<l>And torrents pouring from her eyes,</l> +<l>The faithful Lakshmaṇ thus addressed,</l> +<l>And smote her hands upon her breast.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">>Sumitrá's son, o'erwhelmed by fears,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Looked on the large-eyed queen:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He saw that flood of burning tears,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">He saw that piteous mien.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He yearned sweet comfort to afford,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">He strove to soothe her pain;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But to the brother of her lord</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">She spoke no word again.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His reverent hands once more he raised,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">His head he slightly bent,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Upon her face he sadly gazed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And then toward Ráma went.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XLVI"/> +<head>Canto XLVI. The Guest.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The angry Lakshmaṇ scarce could brook</l> +<l>Her bitter words, her furious look.</l> +<l>With dark forebodings in his breast</l> +<l>To Ráma's side he quickly pressed.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then ten necked Rávaṇ saw the time</l> +<l>Propitious for his purposed crime.</l> +<l>A mendicant in guise he came</l> +<l>And stood before the Maithil dame.</l> +<l>His garb was red, with tufted hair</l> +<l>And sandalled feet a shade he bare,</l> +<l>And from the fiend's left shoulder slung</l> +<l>A staff and water-vessel hung.</l> +<l>Near to the lovely dame he drew,</l> +<l>While both the chiefs were far from view,</l> +<l>As darkness takes the evening air</l> +<l>When neither sun nor moon is there.</l> +<l>He bent his eye upon the dame,</l> +<l>A princess fair, of spotless fame:</l> +<l>So might some baleful planet be</l> +<l>Near Moon-forsaken Rohiṇí.<note place="foot">The favourite wife of the +Moon.</note></l> +<l>As the fierce tyrant nearer drew,</l> +<l>The trees in Janasthán that grew</l> +<l>Waved not a leaf for fear and woe,</l> +<l>And the hushed wind forbore to blow.</l> +<l>Godávarí's waters as they fled,</l> +<l>Saw his fierce eye-balls flashing red,</l> +<l>And from each swiftly-gliding wave</l> +<l>A melancholy murmur gave.</l> +<l>Then Rávaṇ, when his eager eye</l> +<l>Beheld the longed-for moment nigh,</l> +<l>In mendicant's apparel dressed</l> +<l>Near to the Maithil lady pressed.</l> +<pb n="283"/><anchor id="Pg283"/> +<l>In holy guise, a fiend abhorred,</l> +<l>He found her mourning for her lord.</l> +<l>Thus threatening draws Śaniśchar<note place="foot">The planet Saturn.</note> nigh</l> +<l>To Chitrá<note place="foot">Another favourite of the Moon; one +of the lunar mansions.</note> in the evening sky;</l> +<l>Thus the deep well by grass concealed</l> +<l>Yawns treacherous in the verdant field.</l> +<l>He stood and looked upon the dame</l> +<l>Of Ráma, queen of spotless fame</l> +<l>With her bright teeth and each fair limb</l> +<l>Like the full moon she seemed to him,</l> +<l>Sitting within her leafy cot,</l> +<l>Weeping for woe that left her not.</l> +<l>Thus, while with joy his pulses beat,</l> +<l>He saw her in her lone retreat,</l> +<l>Eyed like the lotus, fair to view</l> +<l>In silken robes of amber hue.</l> +<l>Pierced to the core by Káma's dart</l> +<l>He murmured texts with lying art,</l> +<l>And questioned with a soft address</l> +<l>The lady in her loneliness.</l> +<l>The fiend essayed with gentle speech</l> +<l>The heart of that fair dame to reach,</l> +<l>Pride of the worlds, like Beauty's Queen</l> +<l>Without her darling lotus seen:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">O thou whose silken robes enfold</q></l> +<l>A form more fair than finest gold,</l> +<l>With lotus garland on thy head,</l> +<l>Like a sweet spring with bloom o'erspread,</l> +<l>Who art thou, fair one, what thy name,</l> +<l>Beauty, or Honour, Fortune, Fame,</l> +<l>Spirit, or nymph, or Queen of love</l> +<l>Descended from thy home above?</l> +<l>Bright as the dazzling jasmine shine</l> +<l>Thy small square teeth in level line.</l> +<l>Like two black stars aglow with light</l> +<l>Thine eyes are large and pure and bright.</l> +<l>Thy charms of smile and teeth and hair</l> +<l>And winning eyes, O thou most fair,</l> +<l>Steal all my spirit, as the flow</l> +<l>Of rivers mines the bank below.</l> +<l>How bright, how fine each flowing tress!</l> +<l>How firm those orbs beneath thy dress!</l> +<l>That dainty waist with ease were spanned,</l> +<l>Sweet lady, by a lover's hand.</l> +<l>Mine eyes, O beauty, ne'er have seen</l> +<l>Goddess or nymph so fair of mien,</l> +<l>Or bright Gandharva's heavenly dame,</l> +<l>Or woman of so perfect frame.</l> +<l>In youth's soft prime thy years are few,</l> +<l>And earth has naught so fair to view.</l> +<l>I marvel one like thee in face</l> +<l>Should make the woods her dwelling-place.</l> +<l>Leave, lady, leave this lone retreat</l> +<l>In forest wilds for thee unmeet,</l> +<l>Where giants fierce and strong assume</l> +<l>All shapes and wander in the gloom.</l> +<l>These dainty feet were formed to tread</l> +<l>Some palace floor with carpets spread,</l> +<l>Or wander in trim gardens where</l> +<l>Each opening bud perfumes the air.</l> +<l>The richest robe thy form should deck,</l> +<l>The rarest gems adorn thy neck,</l> +<l>The sweetest wreath should bind thy hair,</l> +<l>The noblest lord thy bed should share.</l> +<l>Art thou akin, O fair of form,</l> +<l>To Rudras,<note place="foot">The Rudras, agents in creation, are +eight in number; they sprang from the forehead of Brahmá.</note> +or the Gods of storm,<note place="foot">Maruts, the attendants of Indra.</note></l> +<l>Or to the glorious Vasus<note place="foot">Radiant demi-gods.</note>? How</l> +<l>Can less than these be bright as thou?</l> +<l>But never nymph or heavenly maid</l> +<l>Or Goddess haunts this gloomy shade.</l> +<l>Here giants roam, a savage race;</l> +<l>What led thee to so dire a place?</l> +<l>Here monkeys leap from tree to tree,</l> +<l>And bears and tigers wander free;</l> +<l>Here ravening lions prowl, and fell</l> +<l>Hyenas in the thickets yell,</l> +<l>And elephants infuriate roam,</l> +<l>Mighty and fierce, their woodland home.</l> +<l>Dost thou not dread, so soft and fair,</l> +<l>Tiger and lion, wolf and bear?</l> +<l>Hast thou, O beauteous dame, no fear</l> +<l>In the wild wood so lone and drear?</l> +<l>Whose and who art thou? whence and why</l> +<l>Sweet lady, with no guardian nigh,</l> +<l>Dost thou this awful forest tread</l> +<l><q rend="post">By giant bands inhabited?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The praise the high-souled Rávaṇ spoke</l> +<l>No doubt within her bosom woke.</l> +<l>His saintly look and Bráhman guise</l> +<l>Deceived the lady's trusting eyes.</l> +<l>With due attention on the guest</l> +<l>Her hospitable rites she pressed.</l> +<l>She bade the stranger to a seat,</l> +<l>And gave him water for his feet.</l> +<l>The bowl and water-pot he bare,</l> +<l>And garb which wandering Bráhmans wear</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Forbade a doubt to rise.</l> +<l>Won by his holy look she deemed</l> +<l>The stranger even as he seemed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To her deluded eyes.</l> +<l>Intent on hospitable care,</l> +<l>She brought her best of woodland fare,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And showed her guest a seat.</l> +<l>She bade the saintly stranger lave</l> +<l>His feet in water which she gave,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And sit and rest and eat.</l> +<l>He kept his eager glances bent</l> +<l>On her so kindly eloquent,</l> +<l>Wife of the noblest king;</l> +<l>And longed in heart to steal her thence,</l> +<l>Preparing by the dire offence,</l> +<l>Death on his head to bring.</l> +<pb n="284"/><anchor id="Pg284"/> +<l>The lady watched with anxious face</l> +<l>For Ráma coming from the chase</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With Lakshmaṇ by his side:</l> +<l>But nothing met her wandering glance</l> +<l>Save the wild forest's green expanse</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Extending far and wide.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XLVII"/> +<head>Canto XLVII. Rávan's Wooing.</head> + +<lg> +<l>As, clad in mendicant's disguise,</l> +<l>He questioned thus his destined prize,</l> +<l>She to the seeming saintly man</l> +<l>The story of her life began.</l> +<l><q>My guest is he,</q> she thought, <q rend="pre">and I,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">To 'scape his curse, must needs reply:</q></l> +<l><q rend="pre">Child of a noble sire I spring</q></l> +<l>From Janak, fair Videha's king.</l> +<l>May every good be thine! my name</l> +<l>Is Sítá, Ráma's cherished dame.</l> +<l>Twelve winters with my lord I spent</l> +<l>Most happily with sweet content</l> +<l>In the rich home of Raghu's line,</l> +<l>And every earthly joy was mine.</l> +<l>Twelve pleasant years flew by, and then</l> +<l>His peers advised the king of men,</l> +<l>Ráma, my lord, to consecrate</l> +<l>Joint ruler of his ancient state.</l> +<l>But when the rites were scarce begun,</l> +<l>To consecrate Ikshváku's son,</l> +<l>The queen Kaikeyí, honoured dame,</l> +<l>Sought of her lord an ancient claim.</l> +<l>Her plea of former service pressed,</l> +<l>And made him grant her new request,</l> +<l>To banish Ráma to the wild</l> +<l>And consecrate instead her child.</l> +<l>This double prayer on him, the best</l> +<l>And truest king, she strongly pressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Mine eyes in sleep I will not close,</q></l> +<l>Nor eat, nor drink, nor take repose.</l> +<l>This very day my death shall bring</l> +<l><q rend="post">If Ráma be anointed king.</q></l> +<l>As thus she spake in envious ire,</l> +<l>The aged king, my husband's sire,</l> +<l>Besought with fitting words; but she</l> +<l>Was cold and deaf to every plea.</l> +<l>As yet my days are few; eighteen</l> +<l>The years of life that I have seen;</l> +<l>And Ráma, best of all alive,</l> +<l>Has passed of years a score and five—</l> +<l>Ráma the great and gentle, through</l> +<l>All region famed as pure and true,</l> +<l>Large-eyed and mighty-armed and tall,</l> +<l>With tender heart that cares for all.</l> +<l>But Daśaratha, led astray</l> +<l>By woman's wile and passion's sway,</l> +<l>By his strong love of her impelled,</l> +<l>The consecrating rites withheld.</l> +<l>When, hopeful of the promised grace,</l> +<l>My Ráma sought his father's face,</l> +<l>The queen Kaikeyí, ill at ease,</l> +<l>Spoke to my lord brief words like these:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hear, son of Raghu, hear from me</q></l> +<l>The words thy father says to thee:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I yield this day to Bharat's hand,</q></l> +<l>Free from all foes, this ancient land.</l> +<l>Fly from this home no longer thine,</l> +<l>And dwell in woods five years and nine.</l> +<l>Live in the forest and maintain</l> +<l><q rend="post"><q rend="post">Mine honour pure from falsehood's stain.</q></q></l> +<l>Then Ráma spoke, untouched by dread:</l> +<l><q>Yea, it shall be as thou hast said.</q></l> +<l>And answered, faithful to his vows,</l> +<l>Obeying Daśaratha's spouse:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The offered realm I would not take,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">But still keep true the words he spake.</q></l> +<l>Thus, gentle Bráhman, Ráma still</l> +<l>Clung to his vow with firmest will.</l> +<l>And valiant Lakshmaṇ, dear to fame,</l> +<l>His brother by a younger dame,</l> +<l>Bold victor in the deadly fray,</l> +<l>Would follow Ráma on his way.</l> +<l>On sternest vows his heart was set,</l> +<l>And he, a youthful anchoret,</l> +<l>Bound up in twisted coil his hair</l> +<l>And took the garb which hermits wear;</l> +<l>Then with his bow to guard us, he</l> +<l>Went forth with Ráma and with me.</l> +<l>By Queen Kaikeyí's art bereft</l> +<l>The kingdom and our home we left,</l> +<l>And bound by stern religious vows</l> +<l>We sought this shade of forest boughs.</l> +<l>Now, best of Bráhmans, here we tread</l> +<l>These pathless regions dark and dread.</l> +<l>But come, refresh thy soul, and rest</l> +<l>Here for a while an honoured guest,</l> +<l>For he, my lord, will soon be here</l> +<l>With fresh supply of woodland cheer,</l> +<l>Large store of venison of the buck,</l> +<l>Or some great boar his hand has struck.</l> +<l>Meanwhile, O stranger, grant my prayer:</l> +<l>Thy name, thy race, thy birth declare,</l> +<l>And why with no companion thou</l> +<l><q rend="post">Roamest in Daṇḍak forest now.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus questioned Sítá, Ráma's dame.</l> +<l>Then fierce the stranger's answer came:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Lord of the giant legions, he</q></l> +<l>From whom celestial armies flee,—</l> +<l>The dread of hell and earth and sky,</l> +<l>Rávaṇ the Rákshas king am I.</l> +<l>Now when thy gold-like form I view</l> +<l>Arrayed in silks of amber hue,</l> +<l>My love, O thou of perfect mould,</l> +<l>For all my dames is dead and cold.</l> +<l>A thousand fairest women, torn</l> +<l>From many a land my home adorn.</l> +<l>But come, loveliest lady, be</l> +<l>The queen of every dame and me.</l> +<l>My city Lanká, glorious town,</l> +<l>Looks from a mountain's forehead down</l> +<pb n="285"/><anchor id="Pg285"/> +<l>Where ocean with his flash and foam</l> +<l>Beats madly on mine island home.</l> +<l>With me, O Sítá, shalt thou rove</l> +<l>Delighted through each shady grove,</l> +<l>Nor shall thy happy breast retain</l> +<l>Fond memory of this life of pain.</l> +<l>In gay attire, a glittering band,</l> +<l>Five thousand maids shall round thee stand,</l> +<l>And serve thee at thy beck and sign,</l> +<l><q rend="post">If thou, fair Sítá, wilt be mine.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then forth her noble passion broke</l> +<l>As thus in turn the lady spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Me, me the wife of Ráma, him</q></l> +<l>The lion lord with lion's limb,</l> +<l>Strong as the sea, firm as the rock,</l> +<l>Like Indra in the battle shock.</l> +<l>The lord of each auspicious sign,</l> +<l>The glory of his princely line,</l> +<l>Like some fair Bodh tree strong and tall,</l> +<l>The noblest and the best of all,</l> +<l>Ráma, the heir of happy fate</l> +<l>Who keeps his word inviolate,</l> +<l>Lord of the lion gait, possessed</l> +<l>Of mighty arm and ample chest,</l> +<l>Ráma the lion-warrior, him</l> +<l>Whose moon bright face no fear can dim,</l> +<l>Ráma, his bridled passions' lord,</l> +<l>The darling whom his sire adored,—</l> +<l>Me, me the true and loving dame</l> +<l>Of Ráma, prince of deathless fame—</l> +<l>Me wouldst thou vainly woo and press?</l> +<l>A jackal woo a lioness!</l> +<l>Steal from the sun his glory! such</l> +<l>Thy hope Lord Ráma's wife to touch.</l> +<l>Ha! Thou hast seen the trees of gold,</l> +<l>The sign which dying eyes behold,</l> +<l>Thus seeking, weary of thy life,</l> +<l>To win the love of Ráma's wife.</l> +<l>Fool! wilt thou dare to rend away</l> +<l>The famished lion's bleeding prey,</l> +<l>Or from the threatening jaws to take</l> +<l>The fang of some envenomed snake?</l> +<l>What, wouldst thou shake with puny hand</l> +<l>Mount Mandar,<note place="foot">The mountain which was used by the +Gods as a churning stick at the Churning of the Ocean.</note> towering o'er the land,</l> +<l>Put poison to thy lips and think</l> +<l>The deadly cup a harmless drink?</l> +<l>With pointed needle touch thine eye,</l> +<l>A razor to thy tongue apply,</l> +<l>Who wouldst pollute with impious touch</l> +<l>The wife whom Ráma loves so much?</l> +<l>Be round thy neck a millstone tied,</l> +<l>And swim the sea from side to side;</l> +<l>Or raising both thy hands on high</l> +<l>Pluck sun and moon from yonder sky;</l> +<l>Or let the kindled flame be pressed,</l> +<l>Wrapt in thy garment, to thy breast;</l> +<l>More wild the thought that seeks to win</l> +<l>Ráma's dear wife who knows not sin.</l> +<l>The fool who thinks with idle aim</l> +<l>To gain the love of Ráma's dame,</l> +<l>With dark and desperate footing makes</l> +<l>His way o'er points of iron stakes.</l> +<l>As Ocean to a bubbling spring,</l> +<l>The lion to a fox, the king</l> +<l>Of all the birds that ply the wing</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To an ignoble crow</l> +<l>As gold to lead of little price,</l> +<l>As to the drainings of the rice</l> +<l>The drink they quaff in Paradise,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Amrit's heavenly flow,</l> +<l>As sandal dust with perfume sweet</l> +<l>Is to the mire that soils our feet,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A tiger to a cat,</l> +<l>As the white swan is to the owl,</l> +<l>The peacock to the waterfowl,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">An eagle to a bat,</l> +<l>Such is my lord compared with thee;</l> +<l>And when with bow and arrows he,</l> +<l>Mighty as Indra's self shall see</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His foeman, armed to slay,</l> +<l>Thou, death-doomed like the fly that sips</l> +<l>The oil that on the altar drips,</l> +<l>Shalt cast the morsel from thy lips</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">And lose thy half-won prey.</q></l> +<l>Thus in high scorn the lady flung</l> +<l>The biting arrows of her tongue</l> +<l>In bitter words that pierced and stung</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The rover of the night.</l> +<l>She ceased. Her gentle cheek grew pale,</l> +<l>Her loosened limbs began to fail,</l> +<l>And like a plantain in the gale</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She trembled with affright.</l> +<l>He terrible as Death stood nigh,</l> +<l>And watched with fierce exulting eye</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The fear that shook her frame.</l> +<l>To terrify the lady more,</l> +<l>He counted all his triumphs o'er,</l> +<l>Proclaimed the titles that he bore,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His pedigree and name.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XLVIII"/> +<head>Canto XLVIII. Rávan's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>With knitted brow and furious eye</l> +<l>The stranger made his fierce reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">In me O fairest dame, behold</q></l> +<l>The brother of the King of Gold.</l> +<l>The Lord of Ten Necks my title, named</l> +<l>Rávaṇ, for might and valour famed.</l> +<l>Gods and Gandharva hosts I scare;</l> +<l>Snakes, spirits, birds that roam the air</l> +<l>Fly from my coming, wild with fear,</l> +<l>Trembling like men when Death is near.</l> +<l>Vaiśravaṇ once, my brother, wrought</l> +<l>To ire, encountered me and fought,</l> +<pb n="286"/><anchor id="Pg286"/> +<l>But yielding to superior might</l> +<l>Fled from his home in sore affright.</l> +<l>Lord of the man-drawn chariot, still</l> +<l>He dwells on famed Kailása's hill.</l> +<l>I made the vanquished king resign</l> +<l>The glorious car which now is mine,—</l> +<l>Pushpak, the far-renowned, that flies</l> +<l>Will-guided through the buxom skies.</l> +<l>Celestial hosts by Indra led</l> +<l>Flee from my face disquieted,</l> +<l>And where my dreaded feet appear</l> +<l>The wind is hushed or breathless is fear.</l> +<l>Where'er I stand, where'er I go</l> +<l>The troubled waters cease to flow,</l> +<l>Each spell-bound wave is mute and still</l> +<l>And the fierce sun himself is chill.</l> +<l>Beyond the sea my Lanká stands</l> +<l>Filled with fierce forms and giant bands,</l> +<l>A glorious city fair to see</l> +<l>As Indra's Amarávatí.</l> +<l>A towering height of solid wall,</l> +<l>Flashing afar, surrounds it all,</l> +<l>Its golden courts enchant the sight,</l> +<l>And gates aglow with lazulite.</l> +<l>Steeds, elephants, and cars are there,</l> +<l>And drums' loud music fills the air,</l> +<l>Fair trees in lovely gardens grow</l> +<l>Whose boughs with varied fruitage glow.</l> +<l>Thou, beauteous Queen, with me shalt dwell</l> +<l>In halls that suit a princess well,</l> +<l>Thy former fellows shall forget</l> +<l>Nor think of women with regret,</l> +<l>No earthly joy thy soul shall miss,</l> +<l>And take its fill of heavenly bliss.</l> +<l>Of mortal Ráma think no more,</l> +<l>Whose terms of days will soon be o'er.</l> +<l>King Daśaratha looked in scorn</l> +<l>On Ráma though the eldest born,</l> +<l>Sent to the woods the weakling fool,</l> +<l>And set his darling son to rule.</l> +<l>What, O thou large-eyed dame, hast thou</l> +<l>To do with fallen Ráma now,</l> +<l>From home and kingdom forced to fly,</l> +<l>A wretched hermit soon to die?</l> +<l>Accept thy lover, nor refuse</l> +<l>The giant king who fondly woos.</l> +<l>O listen, nor reject in scorn</l> +<l>A heart by Káma's arrows torn.</l> +<l>If thou refuse to hear my prayer,</l> +<l>Of grief and coming woe beware;</l> +<l>For the sad fate will fall on thee</l> +<l>Which came on hapless Urvaśí,</l> +<l>When with her foot she chanced to touch</l> +<l>Purúravas, and sorrowed much.<note place="foot">The story will be found in +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Garrett's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Classical Dictionary</hi>. See +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Additional Notes</hi>.</note></l> +<l>My little finger raised in fight</l> +<l>Were more than match for Ráma's might.</l> +<l>O fairest, blithe and happy be</l> +<l><q rend="post">With him whom fortune sends to thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Such were the words the giant said,</l> +<l>And Sítá's angry eyes were red.</l> +<l>She answered in that lonely place</l> +<l>The monarch of the giant race:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Art thou the brother of the Lord</q></l> +<l>Of Gold by all the world adored,</l> +<l>And sprung of that illustrious seed</l> +<l>Wouldst now attempt this evil deed?</l> +<l>I tell thee, impious Monarch, all</l> +<l>The giants by thy sin will fall,</l> +<l>Whose reckless lord and king thou art,</l> +<l>With foolish mind and lawless heart.</l> +<l>Yea, one may hope to steal the wife</l> +<l>Of Indra and escape with life.</l> +<l>But he who Ráma's dame would tear</l> +<l>From his loved side must needs despair.</l> +<l>Yea, one may steal fair Śachí, dame</l> +<l>Of Him who shoots the thunder flame,</l> +<l>May live successful in his aim</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And length of day may see;</l> +<l>But hope, O giant King, in vain,</l> +<l>Though cups of Amrit thou may drain,</l> +<l>To shun the penalty and pain</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Of wronging one like me.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-XLIX"/> +<head>Canto XLIX. The Rape Of Sítá.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The Rákshas monarch, thus addressed,</l> +<l>His hands a while together pressed,</l> +<l>And straight before her startled eyes</l> +<l>Stood monstrous in his giant size.</l> +<l>Then to the lady, with the lore</l> +<l>Of eloquence, he spoke once more:</l> +<l><q>Thou scarce,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">hast heard aright</q></l> +<l>The glories of my power and might.</l> +<l>I borne sublime in air can stand</l> +<l>And with these arms upheave the land,</l> +<l>Drink the deep flood of Ocean dry</l> +<l>And Death with conquering force defy,</l> +<l>Pierce the great sun with furious dart</l> +<l>And to her depths cleave earth apart.</l> +<l>See, thou whom love and beauty blind,</l> +<l><q rend="post">I wear each form as wills my mind.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As thus he spake in burning ire</l> +<l>His glowing eyes were red with fire.</l> +<l>His gentle garb aside was thrown</l> +<l>And all his native shape was shown.</l> +<l>Terrific, monstrous, wild, and dread</l> +<l>As the dark God who rules the dead,</l> +<l>His fiery eyes in fury rolled,</l> +<l>His limbs were decked with glittering gold.</l> +<l>Like some dark cloud the monster showed,</l> +<l>And his fierce breast with fury glowed.</l> +<l>The ten-faced rover of the night,</l> +<l>With twenty arms exposed to sight,</l> +<l>His saintly guise aside had laid</l> +<l>And all his giant height displayed.</l> +<pb n="287"/><anchor id="Pg287"/> +<l>Attired in robes of crimson dye</l> +<l>He stood and watched with angry eye</l> +<l>The lady in her bright array</l> +<l>Resplendent as the dawn of day</l> +<l>When from the east the sunbeams break,</l> +<l>And to the dark-haired lady spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If thou would call that lord thine own</q></l> +<l>Whose fame in every world is known,</l> +<l>Look kindly on my love, and be</l> +<l>Bride of a consort meet for thee.</l> +<l>With me let blissful years be spent,</l> +<l>For ne'er thy choice shalt thou repent.</l> +<l>No deed of mine shall e'er displease</l> +<l>My darling as she lives at ease.</l> +<l>Thy love for mortal man resign,</l> +<l>And to a worthier lord incline.</l> +<l>Ah foolish lady, seeming wise</l> +<l>In thine own weak and partial eyes,</l> +<l>By what fair graces art thou held</l> +<l>To Ráma from his realm expelled?</l> +<l>Misfortunes all his life attend,</l> +<l>And his brief days are near their end.</l> +<l>Unworthy prince, infirm of mind!</l> +<l>A woman spoke and he resigned</l> +<l>His home and kingdom and withdrew</l> +<l>From troops of friends and retinue.</l> +<l>And sought this forest dark and dread</l> +<l><q rend="post">By savage beasts inhabited.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Rávaṇ urged the lady meet</l> +<l>For love, whose words were soft and sweet.</l> +<l>Near and more near the giant pressed</l> +<l>As love's hot fire inflamed his breast.</l> +<l>The leader of the giant crew</l> +<l>His arm around the lady threw:</l> +<l>Thus Budha<note place="foot">Mercury: to be carefully distinguished +from Buddha.</note> with ill-omened might</l> +<l>Steals Rohiṇí's delicious light.</l> +<l>One hand her glorious tresses grasped,</l> +<l>One with its ruthless pressure clasped</l> +<l>The body of his lovely prize,</l> +<l>The Maithil dame with lotus eyes.</l> +<l>The silvan Gods in wild alarm</l> +<l>Marked his huge teeth and ponderous arm,</l> +<l>And from that Death-like presence fled,</l> +<l>Of mountain size and towering head.</l> +<l>Then seen was Rávaṇ's magic car</l> +<l>Aglow with gold which blazed afar,—</l> +<l>The mighty car which asses drew</l> +<l>Thundering as it onward flew.</l> +<l>He spared not harsh rebuke to chide</l> +<l>The lady as she moaned and cried,</l> +<l>Then with his arm about her waist</l> +<l>His captive in the car he placed.</l> +<l>In vain he threatened: long and shrill</l> +<l>Rang out her lamentation still,</l> +<l>O Ráma! which no fear could stay:</l> +<l>But her dear lord was far away.</l> +<l>Then rose the fiend, and toward the skies</l> +<l>Bore his poor helpless struggling prize:</l> +<l>Hurrying through the air above</l> +<l>The dame who loathed his proffered love.</l> +<l>So might a soaring eagle bear</l> +<l>A serpent's consort through the air.</l> +<l>As on he bore her through the sky</l> +<l>She shrieked aloud her bitter cry.</l> +<l>As when some wretch's lips complain</l> +<l>In agony of maddening pain;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Lakshmaṇ, thou whose joy is still</q></l> +<l>To do thine elder brother's will,</l> +<l>This fiend, who all disguises wears,</l> +<l>From Ráma's side his darling tears.</l> +<l>Thou who couldst leave bliss, fortune, all,</l> +<l>Yea life itself at duty's call,</l> +<l>Dost thou not see this outrage done</l> +<l>To hapless me, O Raghu's son?</l> +<l>'Tis thine, O victor of the foe,</l> +<l>To bring the haughtiest spirit low,</l> +<l>How canst thou such an outrage see</l> +<l>And let the guilty fiend go free?</l> +<l>Ah, seldom in a moment's time</l> +<l>Comes bitter fruit of sin and crime,</l> +<l>But in the day of harvest pain</l> +<l>Comes like the ripening of the grain.</l> +<l>So thou whom fate and folly lead</l> +<l>To ruin for this guilty deed,</l> +<l>Shalt die by Ráma's arm ere long</l> +<l>A dreadful death for hideous wrong.</l> +<l>Ah, too successful in their ends</l> +<l>Are Queen Kaikeyí and her friends,</l> +<l>When virtuous Ráma, dear to fame,</l> +<l>Is mourning for his ravished dame.</l> +<l>Ah me, ah me! a long farewell</l> +<l>To lawn and glade and forest dell</l> +<l>In Janasthán's wild region, where</l> +<l>The Cassia trees are bright and fair</l> +<l>With all your tongues to Ráma say</l> +<l>That Rávaṇ bears his wife away.</l> +<l>Farewell, a long farewell to thee,</l> +<l>O pleasant stream Godávarí,</l> +<l>Whose rippling waves are ever stirred</l> +<l>By many a glad wild water-bird!</l> +<l>All ye to Ráma's ear relate</l> +<l>The giant's deed and Sítá's fate.</l> +<l>O all ye Gods who love this ground</l> +<l>Where trees of every leaf abound,</l> +<l>Tell Ráma I am stolen hence,</l> +<l>I pray you all with reverence.</l> +<l>On all the living things beside</l> +<l>That these dark boughs and coverts hide,</l> +<l>Ye flocks of birds, ye troops of deer,</l> +<l>I call on you my prayer to hear.</l> +<l>All ye to Ráma's ear proclaim</l> +<l>That Rávaṇ tears away his dame</l> +<l>With forceful arms,—his darling wife,</l> +<l>Dearer to Ráma than his life.</l> +<l>O, if he knew I dwelt in hell,</l> +<l>My mighty lord, I know full well,</l> +<l>Would bring me, conqueror, back to-day,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Though Yáma's self reclaimed his prey.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus from the air the lady sent</l> +<pb n="288"/><anchor id="Pg288"/> +<l>With piteous voice her last lament,</l> +<l>And as she wept she chanced to see</l> +<l>The vulture on a lofty tree.</l> +<l>As Rávaṇ bore her swiftly by,</l> +<l>On the dear bird she bent her eye,</l> +<l>And with a voice which woe made faint</l> +<l>Renewed to him her wild complaint:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">O see, the king who rules the race</q></l> +<l>Of giants, cruel, fierce and base,</l> +<l>Rávaṇ the spoiler bears me hence</l> +<l>The helpless prey of violence.</l> +<l>This fiend who roves in midnight shade</l> +<l>By thee, dear bird, can ne'er be stayed,</l> +<l>For he is armed and fierce and strong</l> +<l>Triumphant in the power to wrong.</l> +<l>For thee remains one only task,</l> +<l>To do, kind friend, the thing I ask.</l> +<l>To Ráma's ear by thee be borne</l> +<l>How Sítá from her home is torn,</l> +<l>And to the valiant Lakshmaṇ tell</l> +<l><q rend="post">The giant's deed and what befell.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-L"/> +<head>Canto L. Jatáyus.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The vulture from his slumber woke</l> +<l>And heard the words which Sítá spoke</l> +<l>He raised his eye and looked on her,</l> +<l>Looked on her giant ravisher.</l> +<l>That noblest bird with pointed beak,</l> +<l>Majestic as a mountain peak,</l> +<l>High on the tree addressed the king</l> +<l>Of giants, wisely counselling:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Ten-necked lord, I firmly hold</q></l> +<l>To faith and laws ordained of old,</l> +<l>And thou, my brother, shouldst refrain</l> +<l>From guilty deeds that shame and stain.</l> +<l>The vulture king supreme in air,</l> +<l>Jaṭáyus is the name I bear.</l> +<l>Thy captive, known by Sítá's name,</l> +<l>Is the dear consort and the dame</l> +<l>Of Ráma, Daśaratha's heir</l> +<l>Who makes the good of all his care.</l> +<l>Lord of the world in might he vies</l> +<l>With the great Gods of seas and skies.</l> +<l>The law he boasts to keep allows</l> +<l>No king to touch another's spouse,</l> +<l>And, more than all, a prince's dame</l> +<l>High honour and respect may claim.</l> +<l>Back to the earth thy way incline,</l> +<l>Nor think of one who is not thine.</l> +<l>Heroic souls should hold it shame</l> +<l>To stoop to deeds which others blame,</l> +<l>And all respect by them is shown</l> +<l>To dames of others as their own.</l> +<l>Not every case of bliss and gain</l> +<l>The Scripture's holy texts explain,</l> +<l>And subjects, when that light is dim,</l> +<l>Look to their prince and follow him.</l> +<l>The king is bliss and profit, he</l> +<l>Is store of treasures fair to see,</l> +<l>And all the people's fortunes spring,</l> +<l>Their joy and misery, from the king.</l> +<l>If, lord of giant race, thy mind</l> +<l>Be fickle, false, to sin inclined,</l> +<l>How wilt thou kingly place retain?</l> +<l>High thrones in heaven no sinners gain.</l> +<l>The soul which gentle passions sway</l> +<l>Ne'er throws its nobler part away,</l> +<l>Nor will the mansion of the base</l> +<l>Long be the good man's dwelling-place.</l> +<l>Prince Ráma, chief of high renown,</l> +<l>Has wronged thee not in field or town.</l> +<l>Ne'er has he sinned against thee: how</l> +<l>Canst thou resolve to harm him now?</l> +<l>If moved by Śúrpaṇakhá's prayer</l> +<l>The giant Khara sought him there,</l> +<l>And fighting fell with baffled aim,</l> +<l>His and not Ráma's is the blame.</l> +<l>Say, mighty lord of giants, say</l> +<l>What fault on Ráma canst thou lay?</l> +<l>What has the world's great master done</l> +<l>That thou should steal his precious one?</l> +<l>Quick, quick the Maithil dame release;</l> +<l>Let Ráma's consort go in peace,</l> +<l>Lest scorched by his terrific eye</l> +<l>Beneath his wrath thou fall and die</l> +<l>Like Vritra when Lord Indra threw</l> +<l>The lightning flame that smote and slew.</l> +<l>Ah fool, with blinded eyes to take</l> +<l>Home to thy heart a venomed snake!</l> +<l>Ah foolish eyes, too blind to see</l> +<l>That Death's dire coils entangle thee!</l> +<l>The prudent man his strength will spare,</l> +<l>Nor lift a load too great to bear.</l> +<l>Content is he with wholesome food</l> +<l>Which gives him life and strength renewed,</l> +<l>But who would dare the guilty deed</l> +<l>That brings no fame or glorious meed,</l> +<l>Where merit there is none to win</l> +<l>And vengeance soon o'ertakes the sin?</l> +<l>My course of life, Pulastya's son,</l> +<l>For sixty thousand years has run.</l> +<l>Lord of my kind I still maintain</l> +<l>Mine old hereditary reign.</l> +<l>I, worn by years, am older far</l> +<l>Than thou, young lord of bow and car,</l> +<l>In coat of glittering mail encased</l> +<l>And armed with arrows at thy waist,</l> +<l>But not unchallenged shalt thou go,</l> +<l>Or steal the dame without a blow.</l> +<l>Thou canst not, King, before mine eyes</l> +<l>Bear off unchecked thy lovely prize,</l> +<l>Safe as the truth of Scripture bent</l> +<l>By no close logic's argument.</l> +<l>Stay if thy courage let thee, stay</l> +<l>And meet me in the battle fray,</l> +<l>And thou shalt stain the earth with gore</l> +<l>Falling as Khara fell before.</l> +<l>Soon Ráma, clothed in bark, shall smite</l> +<pb n="289"/><anchor id="Pg289"/> +<l>Thee, his proud foe, in deadly fight,—</l> +<l>Ráma, from whom have oft times fled</l> +<l>The Daitya hosts discomfited.</l> +<l>No power have I to kill or slay:</l> +<l>The princely youths are far away,</l> +<l>But soon shalt thou with fearful eye</l> +<l>Struck down beneath their arrows lie.</l> +<l>But while I yet have life and sense,</l> +<l>Thou shalt not, tyrant, carry hence</l> +<l>Fair Sítá, Ramá's honoured queen,</l> +<l>With lotus eyes and lovely mien.</l> +<l>Whate'er the pain, whate'er the cost,</l> +<l>Though in the struggle life be lost,</l> +<l>The will of Raghu's noblest son</l> +<l>And Daśaratha must be done.</l> +<l>Stay for a while, O Rávaṇ, stay,</l> +<l>One hour thy flying car delay,</l> +<l>And from that glorious chariot thou</l> +<l>Shalt fall like fruit from shaken bough,</l> +<l>For I to thee, while yet I live,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The welcome of a foe will give.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LI"/> +<head>Canto LI. The Combat.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Rávaṇ's red eyes in fury rolled:</l> +<l>Bright with his armlets' flashing gold,</l> +<l>In high disdain, by passion stirred</l> +<l>He rushed against the sovereign bird.</l> +<l>With clash and din and furious blows</l> +<l>Of murderous battle met the foes:</l> +<l>Thus urged by winds two clouds on high</l> +<l>Meet warring in the stormy sky.</l> +<l>Then fierce the dreadful combat raged</l> +<l>As fiend and bird in war engaged,</l> +<l>As if two winged mountains sped</l> +<l>To dire encounter overhead.</l> +<l>Keen pointed arrows thick and fast,</l> +<l>In never ceasing fury cast,</l> +<l>Rained hurtling on the vulture king</l> +<l>And smote him on the breast and wing.</l> +<l>But still that noblest bird sustained</l> +<l>The cloud of shafts which Rávaṇ rained,</l> +<l>And with strong beak and talons bent</l> +<l>The body of his foeman rent.</l> +<l>Then wild with rage the ten-necked king</l> +<l>Laid ten swift arrows on his string,—</l> +<l>Dread as the staff of Death were they,</l> +<l>So terrible and keen to slay.</l> +<l>Straight to his ear the string he drew,</l> +<l>Straight to the mark the arrows flew,</l> +<l>And pierced by every iron head</l> +<l>The vulture's mangled body bled.</l> +<l>One glance upon the car he bent</l> +<l>Where Sítá wept with shrill lament,</l> +<l>Then heedless of his wounds and pain</l> +<l>Rushed at the giant king again.</l> +<l>Then the brave vulture with the stroke</l> +<l>Of his resistless talons broke</l> +<l>The giant's shafts and bow whereon</l> +<l>The fairest pearls and jewels shone.</l> +<l>The monster paused, by rage unmanned:</l> +<l>A second bow soon armed his hand,</l> +<l>Whence pointed arrows swift and true</l> +<l>In hundreds, yea in thousands, flew.</l> +<l>The monarch of the vultures, plied</l> +<l>With ceaseless darts on every side,</l> +<l>Showed like a bird that turns to rest</l> +<l>Close covered by the branch-built nest.</l> +<l>He shook his pinions to repel</l> +<l>The storm of arrows as it fell;</l> +<l>Then with his talons snapped in two</l> +<l>The mighty bow which Rávaṇ drew.</l> +<l>Next with terrific wing he smote</l> +<l>So fiercely on the giant's coat,</l> +<l>The harness, glittering with the glow</l> +<l>Of fire, gave way beneath the blow.</l> +<l>With storm of murderous strokes he beat</l> +<l>The harnessed asses strong and fleet,—</l> +<l>Each with a goblin's monstrous face</l> +<l>And plates of gold his neck to grace.</l> +<l>Then on the car he turned his ire,—</l> +<l>The will-moved car that shone like fire,</l> +<l>And broke the glorious chariot, broke</l> +<l>The golden steps and pole and yoke.</l> +<l>The chouris and the silken shade</l> +<l>Like the full moon to view displayed,</l> +<l>Together with the guards who held</l> +<l>Those emblems, to the ground he felled.</l> +<l>The royal vulture hovered o'er</l> +<l>The driver's head, and pierced and tore</l> +<l>With his strong beak and dreaded claws</l> +<l>His mangled brow and cheek and jaws.</l> +<l>With broken car and sundered bow,</l> +<l>His charioteer and team laid low,</l> +<l>One arm about the lady wound,</l> +<l>Sprang the fierce giant to the ground.</l> +<l>Spectators of the combat, all</l> +<l>The spirits viewed the monster's fall:</l> +<l>Lauding the vulture every one</l> +<l>Cried with glad voice, Well done! well done!</l> +<l>But weak with length of days, at last</l> +<l>The vulture's strength was failing fast.</l> +<l>The fiend again assayed to bear</l> +<l>The lady through the fields of air.</l> +<l>But when the vulture saw him rise</l> +<l>Triumphant with his trembling prize,</l> +<l>Bearing the sword that still was left</l> +<l>When other arms were lost or cleft,</l> +<l>Once more, impatient of repose,</l> +<l>Swift from the earth her champion rose,</l> +<l>Hung in the way the fiend would take,</l> +<l>And thus addressing Rávaṇ spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thou, King of giants, rash and blind,</q></l> +<l>Wilt be the ruin of thy kind,</l> +<l>Stealing the wife of Ráma, him</l> +<l>With lightning scars on chest and limb.</l> +<l>A mighty host obeys his will</l> +<l>And troops of slaves his palace fill;</l> +<pb n="290"/><anchor id="Pg290"/> +<l>His lords of state are wise and true,</l> +<l>Kinsmen has he and retinue.</l> +<l>As thirsty travellers drain the cup,</l> +<l>Thou drinkest deadly poison up.</l> +<l>The rash and careless fool who heeds</l> +<l>No coming fruit of guilty deeds,</l> +<l>A few short years of life shall see,</l> +<l>And perish doomed to death like thee.</l> +<l>Say whither wilt thou fly to loose</l> +<l>Thy neck from Death's entangling noose,</l> +<l>Caught like the fish that finds too late</l> +<l>The hook beneath the treacherous bait?</l> +<l>Never, O King—of this be sure—</l> +<l>Will Raghu's fiery sons endure,</l> +<l>Terrific in their vengeful rage,</l> +<l>This insult to their hermitage.</l> +<l>Thy guilty hands this day have done</l> +<l>A deed which all reprove and shun,</l> +<l>Unworthly of a noble chief,</l> +<l>The pillage loved by coward thief.</l> +<l>Stay, if thy heart allow thee, stay</l> +<l>And meet me in the deadly fray.</l> +<l>Soon shall thou stain the earth with gore,</l> +<l>And fall as Khara fell before.</l> +<l>The fruits of former deeds o'erpower</l> +<l>The sinner in his dying hour:</l> +<l>And such a fate on thee, O King,</l> +<l>Thy tyranny and madness bring.</l> +<l>Not e'en the Self-existent Lord,</l> +<l>Who reigns by all the worlds adored,</l> +<l>Would dare attempt a guilty deed</l> +<l><q rend="post">Which the dire fruits of crime succeed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus brave Jaṭáyus, best of birds,</l> +<l>Addressed the fiend with moving words,</l> +<l>Then ready for the swift attack</l> +<l>Swooped down upon the giant's back.</l> +<l>Down to the bone the talons went;</l> +<l>With many a wound the flesh was rent:</l> +<l>Such blows infuriate drivers deal</l> +<l>Their elephants with pointed steel.</l> +<l>Fixed in his back the strong beak lay,</l> +<l>The talons stripped the flesh away.</l> +<l>He fought with claws and beak and wing,</l> +<l>And tore the long hair of the king.</l> +<l>Still as the royal vulture beat</l> +<l>The giant with his wings and feet,</l> +<l>Swelled the fiend's lips, his body shook</l> +<l>With furious rage too great to brook.</l> +<l>About the Maithil dame he cast</l> +<l>One huge left arm and held her fast.</l> +<l>In furious rage to frenzy fanned</l> +<l>He struck the vulture with his hand.</l> +<l>Jatáyus mocked the vain assay,</l> +<l>And rent his ten left arms away.</l> +<l>Down dropped the severed limbs: anew</l> +<l>Ten others from his body grew:</l> +<l>Thus bright with pearly radiance glide</l> +<l>Dread serpents from the hillock side,</l> +<l>Again in wrath the giant pressed</l> +<l>The lady closer to his breast,</l> +<l>And foot and fist sent blow on blow</l> +<l>In ceaseless fury at the foe.</l> +<l>So fierce and dire the battle, waged</l> +<l>Between those mighty champions, raged:</l> +<l>Here was the lord of giants, there</l> +<l>The noblest of the birds of air.</l> +<l>Thus, as his love of Ráma taught,</l> +<l>The faithful vulture strove and fought.</l> +<l>But Rávaṇ seized his sword and smote</l> +<l>His wings and side and feet and throat.</l> +<l>At mangled side and wing he bled;</l> +<l>He fell, and life was almost fled.</l> +<l>The lady saw her champion lie,</l> +<l>His plumes distained with gory dye,</l> +<l>And hastened to the vulture's side</l> +<l>Grieving as though a kinsman died.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The lord of Lanká's island viewed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The vulture as he lay:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Whose back like some dark cloud was hued,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">His breast a paly grey,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Like ashes, when by none renewed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The flame has died away.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The lady saw with mournful eye,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Her champion press the plain,—</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The royal bird, her true ally</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Whom Rávaṇ's might had slain.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Her soft arms locked in strict embrace</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Around his neck she kept,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And lovely with her moon-bright face</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Bent o'er her friend and wept.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LII"/> +<head>Canto LII. Rávan's Flight.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Fair as the lord of silvery rays</l> +<l>Whom every star in heaven obeys,</l> +<l>The Maithil dame her plaint renewed</l> +<l>O'er him by Rávaṇ's might subdued:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Dreams, omens, auguries foreshow</q></l> +<l>Our coming lot of weal and woe:</l> +<l>But thou, my Ráma, couldst not see</l> +<l>The grievous blow which falls on thee.</l> +<l>The birds and deer desert the brakes</l> +<l>And show the path my captor takes,</l> +<l>And thus e'en now this royal bird</l> +<l>Flew to mine aid by pity stirred.</l> +<l>Slain for my sake in death he lies,</l> +<l>The broad-winged rover of the skies.</l> +<l>O Ráma, haste, thine aid I crave:</l> +<l>O Lakshmaṇ, why delay to save?</l> +<l>Brave sons of old Ikshváku, hear</l> +<l><q rend="post">And rescue in this hour of fear.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Her flowery wreath was torn and rent,</l> +<l>Crushed was each sparkling ornament.</l> +<l>She with weak arms and trembling knees</l> +<l>Clung like a creeper to the trees,</l> +<l>And like some poor deserted thing</l> +<l>With wild shrieks made the forest ring.</l> +<l>But swift the giant reached her side,</l> +<pb n="291"/><anchor id="Pg291"/> +<l>As loud on Ráma's name she cried.</l> +<l>Fierce as grim Death one hand he laid</l> +<l>Upon her tresses' lovely braid.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">That touch, thou impious King, shall be</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">The ruin of thy race and thee.</q></l> +<l>The universal world in awe</l> +<l>That outrage on the lady saw,</l> +<l>All nature shook convulsed with dread,</l> +<l>And darkness o'er the land was spread.</l> +<l>The Lord of Day grew dark and chill,</l> +<l>And every breath of air was still.</l> +<l>The Eternal Father of the sky</l> +<l>Beheld the crime with heavenly eye,</l> +<l>And spake with solemn voice, <q rend="pre">The deed,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">The deed is done, of old decreed.</q></l> +<l>Sad were the saints within the grove,</l> +<l>But triumph with their sorrow strove.</l> +<l>They wept to see the Maithil dame</l> +<l>Endure the outrage, scorn, and shame:</l> +<l>They joyed because his life should pay</l> +<l>The penalty incurred that day.</l> +<l>Then Rávaṇ raised her up, and bare</l> +<l>His captive through the fields of air,</l> +<l>Calling with accents loud and shrill</l> +<l>On Ráma and on Lakshmaṇ still.</l> +<l>With sparkling gems on arm and breast,</l> +<l>In silk of paly amber dressed,</l> +<l>High in the air the Maithil dame</l> +<l>Gleamed like the lightning's flashing flame.</l> +<l>The giant, as the breezes blew</l> +<l>Upon her robes of amber hue,</l> +<l>And round him twined that gay attire,</l> +<l>Showed like a mountain girt with fire.</l> +<l>The lady, fairest of the fair,</l> +<l>Had wreathed a garland round her hair;</l> +<l>Its lotus petals bright and sweet</l> +<l>Rained down about the giant's feet.</l> +<l>Her vesture, bright as burning gold,</l> +<l>Gave to the wind each glittering fold,</l> +<l>Fair as a gilded cloud that gleams</l> +<l>Touched by the Day-God's tempered beams.</l> +<l>Yet struggling in the fiend's embrace,</l> +<l>The lady with her sweet pure face,</l> +<l>Far from her lord, no longer wore</l> +<l>The light of joy that shone before.</l> +<l>Like some sad lily by the side</l> +<l>Of waters which the sun has dried;</l> +<l>Like the pale moon uprising through</l> +<l>An autumn cloud of darkest hue,</l> +<l>So was her perfect face between</l> +<l>The arms of giant Rávaṇ seen:</l> +<l>Fair with the charm of braided tress</l> +<l>And forehead's finished loveliness;</l> +<l>Fair with the ivory teeth that shed</l> +<l>White lustre through the lips' fine red,</l> +<l>Fair as the lotus when the bud</l> +<l>Is rising from the parent flood.</l> +<l>With faultless lip and nose and eye,</l> +<l>Dear as the moon that floods the sky</l> +<l>With gentle light, of perfect mould,</l> +<l>She seemed a thing of burnished gold,</l> +<l>Though on her cheek the traces lay</l> +<l>Of tears her hand had brushed away.</l> +<l>But as the moon-beams swiftly fade</l> +<l>Ere the great Day-God shines displayed,</l> +<l>So in that form of perfect grace</l> +<l>Still trembling in the fiend's embrace,</l> +<l>From her beloved Ráma reft,</l> +<l>No light of pride or joy was left.</l> +<l>The lady with her golden hue</l> +<l>O'er the swart fiend a lustre threw,</l> +<l>As when embroidered girths enfold</l> +<l>An elephant with gleams of gold.</l> +<l>Fair as the lily's bending stem,—</l> +<l>Her arms adorned with many a gem,</l> +<l>A lustre to the fiend she lent</l> +<l>Gleaming from every ornament,</l> +<l>As when the cloud-shot flashes light</l> +<l>The shadows of a mountain height.</l> +<l>Whene'er the breezes earthward bore</l> +<l>The tinkling of the zone she wore,</l> +<l>He seemed a cloud of darkness hue</l> +<l>Sending forth murmurs as it flew.</l> +<l>As on her way the dame was sped</l> +<l>From her sweet neck fair flowers were shed,</l> +<l>The swift wind caught the flowery rain</l> +<l>And poured it o'er the fiend again.</l> +<l>The wind-stirred blossoms, sweet to smell,</l> +<l>On the dark brows of Rávaṇ fell,</l> +<l>Like lunar constellations set</l> +<l>On Meru for a coronet.</l> +<l>From her small foot an anklet fair</l> +<l>With jewels slipped, and through the air,</l> +<l>Like a bright circlet of the flame</l> +<l>Of thunder, to the valley came.</l> +<l>The Maithil lady, fair to see</l> +<l>As the young leaflet of a tree</l> +<l>Clad in the tender hues of spring,</l> +<l>Flashed glory on the giant king,</l> +<l>As when a gold-embroidered zone</l> +<l>Around an elephant is thrown.</l> +<l>While, bearing far the lady, through</l> +<l>The realms of sky the giant flew,</l> +<l>She like a gleaming meteor cast</l> +<l>A glory round her as she passed.</l> +<l>Then from each limb in swift descent</l> +<l>Dropped many a sparkling ornament:</l> +<l>On earth they rested dim and pale</l> +<l>Like fallen stars when virtues fail.<note place="foot">The spirits of the good dwell +in heaven until their store of accumulated merit is exhausted. Then they redescend to +earth in the form of falling stars.</note></l> +<l>Around her neck a garland lay</l> +<l>Bright as the Star-God's silvery ray:</l> +<l>It fell and flashed like Gangá sent</l> +<l>From heaven above the firmament.<note place="foot">See The Descent of Gangá, +<ref target="CantoI-XLIV">Book I Canto XLIV</ref>.</note></l> +<l>The birds of every wing had flocked</l> +<l>To stately trees by breezes rocked:</l> +<pb n="292"/><anchor id="Pg292"/> +<l>These bowed their wind-swept heads and said:</l> +<l><q>My lady sweet, be comforted.</q></l> +<l>With faded blooms each brook within</l> +<l>Whose waters moved no gleamy fin,</l> +<l>Stole sadly through the forest dell</l> +<l>Mourning the dame it loved so well.</l> +<l>From every woodland region near</l> +<l>Came lions, tigers, birds, and deer,</l> +<l>And followed, each with furious look,</l> +<l>The way her flying shadow took.</l> +<l>For Sítá's loss each lofty hill</l> +<l>Whose tears were waterfall, and rill,</l> +<l>Lifting on high each arm-like steep,</l> +<l>Seemed in the general woe to weep.</l> +<l>When the great sun, the lord of day,</l> +<l>Saw Rávaṇ tear the dame away,</l> +<l>His glorious light began to fail</l> +<l>And all his disk grew cold and pale.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If Rávaṇ from the forest flies</q></l> +<l>With Ráma's Sítá as his prize,</l> +<l>Justice and truth have vanished hence,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Honour and right and innocence.</q></l> +<l>Thus rose the cry of wild despair</l> +<l>From spirits as they gathered there.</l> +<l>In trembling troops in open lawns</l> +<l>Wept, wild with woe, the startled fawns,</l> +<l>And a strange terror changed the eyes</l> +<l>They lifted to the distant skies.</l> +<l>On silvan Gods who love the dell</l> +<l>A sudden fear and trembling fell,</l> +<l>As in the deepest woe they viewed</l> +<l>The lady by the fiend subdued.</l> +<l>Still in loud shrieks was heard afar</l> +<l>That voice whose sweetness naught could mar,</l> +<l>While eager looks of fear and woe</l> +<l>She bent upon the earth below.</l> +<l>The lady of each winning wile</l> +<l>With pearly teeth and lovely smile,</l> +<l>Seized by the lord of Lanká's isle,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Looked down for friends in vain.</l> +<l>She saw no friend to aid her, none,</l> +<l>Not Ráma nor the younger son</l> +<l>Of Daśaratha, and undone</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She swooned with fear and pain.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LIII"/> +<head>Canto LIII. Sítá's Threats.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Soon as the Maithil lady knew</l> +<l>That high through air the giant flew,</l> +<l>Distressed with grief and sore afraid</l> +<l>Her troubled spirit sank dismayed.</l> +<l>Then, as anew the waters welled</l> +<l>From those red eyes which sorrow swelled,</l> +<l>Forth in keen words her passion broke,</l> +<l>And to the fierce-eyed fiend she spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Canst thou attempt a deed so base,</q></l> +<l>Untroubled by the deep disgrace,—</l> +<l>To steal me from my home and fly,</l> +<l>When friend or guardian none was nigh?</l> +<l>Thy craven soul that longed to steal,</l> +<l>Fearing the blows that warriors deal,</l> +<l>Upon a magic deer relied</l> +<l>To lure my husband from my side,</l> +<l>Friend of his sire, the vulture king</l> +<l>Lies low on earth with mangled wing,</l> +<l>Who gave his aged life for me</l> +<l>And died for her he sought to free.</l> +<l>Ah, glorious strength indeed is thine,</l> +<l>Thou meanest of thy giant line,</l> +<l>Whose courage dared to tell thy name</l> +<l>And conquer in the fight a dame.</l> +<l>Does the vile deed that thou hast done</l> +<l>Cause thee no shame, thou wicked one—</l> +<l>A woman from her home to rend</l> +<l>When none was near his aid to lend?</l> +<l>Through all the worlds, O giant King,</l> +<l>The tidings of this deed will ring,</l> +<l>This deed in law and honour's spite</l> +<l>By one who claims a hero's might.</l> +<l>Shame on thy boasted valour, shame!</l> +<l>Thy prowess is an empty name.</l> +<l>Shame, giant, on this cursed deed</l> +<l>For which thy race is doomed to bleed!</l> +<l>Thou fliest swifter than the gale,</l> +<l>For what can strength like thine avail?</l> +<l>Stay for one hour, O Rávaṇ, stay;</l> +<l>Thou shalt not flee with life away.</l> +<l>Soon as the royal chieftains' sight</l> +<l>Falls on the thief who roams by night,</l> +<l>Thou wilt not, tyrant, live one hour</l> +<l>Though backed by all thy legions' power.</l> +<l>Ne'er can thy puny strength sustain</l> +<l>The tempest of their arrowy rain:</l> +<l>Have e'er the trembling birds withstood</l> +<l>The wild flames raging in the wood?</l> +<l>Hear me, O Rávaṇ, let me go,</l> +<l>And save thy soul from coming woe.</l> +<l>Or if thou wilt not set me free,</l> +<l>Wroth for this insult done to me.</l> +<l>With his brave brother's aid my lord</l> +<l>Against thy life will raise his sword.</l> +<l>A guilty hope inflames thy breast</l> +<l>His wife from Ráma's home to wrest.</l> +<l>Ah fool, the hope thou hast is vain;</l> +<l>Thy dreams of bliss shall end in pain.</l> +<l>If torn from all I love by thee</l> +<l>My godlike lord no more I see,</l> +<l>Soon will I die and end my woes,</l> +<l>Nor live the captive of my foes.</l> +<l>Ah fool, with blinded eyes to choose</l> +<l>The evil and the good refuse!</l> +<l>So the sick wretch with stubborn will</l> +<l>Turns fondly to the cates that kill,</l> +<l>And madly draws his lips away</l> +<l>From medicine that would check decay.</l> +<l>About thy neck securely wound</l> +<pb n="293"/><anchor id="Pg293"/> +<l>The deadly coil of Fate is bound,</l> +<l>And thou, O Rávaṇ, dost not fear</l> +<l>Although the hour of death is near.</l> +<l>With death-doomed sight thine eyes behold</l> +<l>The gleaming of the trees of gold,—</l> +<l>See dread Vaitaraṇi, the flood</l> +<l>That rolls a stream of foamy blood,—</l> +<l>See the dark wood by all abhorred—</l> +<l>Its every leaf a threatening sword.</l> +<l>The tangled thickets thou shall tread</l> +<l>Where thorns with iron points are spread.</l> +<l>For never can thy days be long,</l> +<l>Base plotter of this shame and wrong</l> +<l>To Ráma of the lofty soul:</l> +<l>He dies who drinks the poisoned bowl.</l> +<l>The coils of death around thee lie:</l> +<l>They hold thee and thou canst not fly.</l> +<l>Ah whither, tyrant, wouldst thou run</l> +<l>The vengeance of my lord to shun?</l> +<l>By his unaided arm alone</l> +<l>Were twice seven thousand fiends o'erthrown:</l> +<l>Yes, in the twinkling of an eye</l> +<l>He forced thy mightiest fiends to die.</l> +<l>And shall that lord of lion heart,</l> +<l>Skilled in the bow and spear and dart,</l> +<l>Spare thee, O fiend, in battle strife,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The robber of his darling wife?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">These were her words, and more beside,</l> +<l>By wrath and bitter hate supplied.</l> +<l>Then by her woe and fear o'erthrown</l> +<l>She wept again and made her moan.</l> +<l>As long she wept in grief and dread,</l> +<l>Scarce conscious of the words she said,</l> +<l>The wicked giant onward fled</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And bore her through the air.</l> +<l>As firm he held the Maithil dame,</l> +<l>Still wildly struggling, o'er her frame</l> +<l>With grief and bitter misery came</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The trembling of despair.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LIV"/> +<head>Canto LIV. Lanká.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He bore her on in rapid flight,</l> +<l>And not a friend appeared in sight.</l> +<l>But on a hill that o'er the wood</l> +<l>Raised its high top five monkeys stood.</l> +<l>From her fair neck her scarf she drew,</l> +<l>And down the glittering vesture flew.</l> +<l>With earring, necklet, chain, and gem,</l> +<l>Descending in the midst of them:</l> +<l><q>For these,</q> she thought, <q rend="pre">my path may show,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">And tell my lord the way I go.</q></l> +<l>Nor did the fiend, in wild alarm,</l> +<l>Mark when she drew from neck and arm</l> +<l>And foot the gems and gold, and sent</l> +<l>To earth each gleaming ornament.</l> +<l>The monkeys raised their tawny eyes</l> +<l>That closed not in their first surprise,</l> +<l>And saw the dark-eyed lady, where</l> +<l>She shrieked above them in the air.</l> +<l>High o'er their heads the giant passed</l> +<l>Holding the weeping lady fast.</l> +<l>O'er Pampa's flashing flood he sped</l> +<l>And on to Lanká's city fled.</l> +<l>He bore away in senseless joy</l> +<l>The prize that should his life destroy,</l> +<l>Like the rash fool who hugs beneath</l> +<l>His robe a snake with venomed teeth.</l> +<l>Swift as an arrow from a bow,</l> +<l>Speeding o'er lands that lay below,</l> +<l>Sublime in air his course he took</l> +<l>O'er wood and rock and lake and brook.</l> +<l>He passed at length the sounding sea</l> +<l>Where monstrous creatures wander free,—</l> +<l>Seat of Lord Varuṇ's ancient reign,</l> +<l>Controller of the eternal main.</l> +<l>The angry waves were raised and tossed</l> +<l>As Rávaṇ with the lady crossed,</l> +<l>And fish and snake in wild unrest</l> +<l>Showed flashing fin and gleaming crest.</l> +<l>Then from the blessed troops who dwell</l> +<l>In air celestial voices fell:</l> +<l><q>O ten-necked King,</q> they cried, <q rend="pre">attend:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">This guilty deed will bring thine end.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Rávaṇ speeding like the storm,</l> +<l>Bearing his death in human form,</l> +<l>The struggling Sítá, lighted down</l> +<l>In royal Lanká's glorious town;</l> +<l>A city bright and rich, that showed</l> +<l>Well-ordered street and noble road;</l> +<l>Arranged with just division, fair</l> +<l>With multitudes in court and square.</l> +<l>Thus, all his journey done, he passed</l> +<l>Within his royal home at last.</l> +<l>There in a queenly bower he placed</l> +<l>The black-eyed dame with dainty waist:</l> +<l>Thus in her chamber Máyá laid</l> +<l>The lovely Máyá, demon maid.</l> +<l>Then Rávaṇ gave command to all</l> +<l>The dread she-fiends who filled the hall:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">This captive lady watch and guard</q></l> +<l>From sight of man and woman barred.</l> +<l>But all the fair one asks beside</l> +<l>Be with unsparing hand supplied:</l> +<l>As though 'twere I that asked, withhold</l> +<l>No pearls or dress or gems or gold.</l> +<l>And she among you that shall dare</l> +<l>Of purpose or through want of care</l> +<l>One word to vex her soul to say,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Throws her unvalued life away.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spake the monarch of their race</l> +<l>To those she-fiends who thronged the place,</l> +<l>And pondering on the course to take</l> +<l>Went from the chamber as he spake.</l> +<l>He saw eight giants, strong and dread,</l> +<l>On flesh of bleeding victims fed,</l> +<l>Proud in the boon which Brahmá gave,</l> +<pb n="294"/><anchor id="Pg294"/> +<l>And trusting in its power to save.</l> +<l>He thus the mighty chiefs addressed</l> +<l>Of glorious power and strength possessed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Arm, warriors, with the spear and bow;</q></l> +<l>With all your speed from Lanká go,</l> +<l>For Janasthán, our own no more,</l> +<l>Is now defiled with giants' gore;</l> +<l>The seat of Khara's royal state</l> +<l>Is left unto us desolate.</l> +<l>In your brave hearts and might confide,</l> +<l>And cast ignoble fear aside.</l> +<l>Go, in that desert region dwell</l> +<l>Where the fierce giants fought and fell.</l> +<l>A glorious host that region held,</l> +<l>For power and might unparalleled,</l> +<l>By Dúshaṇ and brave Khara led,—</l> +<l>All, slain by Ráma's arrows, bled.</l> +<l>Hence boundless wrath that spurns control</l> +<l>Reigns paramount within my soul,</l> +<l>And naught but Ráma's death can sate</l> +<l>The fury of my vengeful hate.</l> +<l>I will not close my slumbering eyes</l> +<l>Till by this hand my foeman dies.</l> +<l>And when mine arm has slain the foe</l> +<l>Who laid those giant princes low,</l> +<l>Long will I triumph in the deed,</l> +<l>Like one enriched in utmost need.</l> +<l>Now go; that I this end may gain,</l> +<l>In Janasthán, O chiefs, remain.</l> +<l>Watch Ráma there with keenest eye,</l> +<l>And all his deeds and movements spy.</l> +<l>Go forth, no helping art neglect,</l> +<l>Be brave and prompt and circumspect,</l> +<l>And be your one endeavour still</l> +<l>To aid mine arm this foe to kill.</l> +<l>Oft have I seen your warrior might</l> +<l>Proved in the forehead of the fight,</l> +<l>And sure of strength I know so well</l> +<l><q rend="post">Send you in Janasthán to dwell.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The giants heard with prompt assent</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The pleasant words he said,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And each before his master bent</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">For meet salute, his head.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then as he bade, without delay,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">From Lanká's gate they passed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And hurried forward on their way</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Invisible and fast.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LV"/> +<head>Canto LV. Sítá In Prison.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus Rávaṇ his commandment gave</l> +<l>To those eight giants strong and brave,</l> +<l>So thinking in his foolish pride</l> +<l>Against all dangers to provide.</l> +<l>Then with his wounded heart aflame</l> +<l>With love he thought upon the dame,</l> +<l>And took with hasty steps the way</l> +<l>To the fair chamber where she lay.</l> +<l>He saw the gentle lady there</l> +<l>Weighed down by woe too great to bear,</l> +<l>Amid the throng of fiends who kept</l> +<l>Their watch around her as she wept:</l> +<l>A pinnace sinking neath the wave</l> +<l>When mighty winds around her rave:</l> +<l>A lonely herd-forsaken deer,</l> +<l>When hungry dogs are pressing near.</l> +<l>Within the bower the giant passed:</l> +<l>Her mournful looks were downward cast.</l> +<l>As there she lay with streaming eyes</l> +<l>The giant bade the lady rise,</l> +<l>And to the shrinking captive showed</l> +<l>The glories of his rich abode,</l> +<l>Where thousand women spent their days</l> +<l>In palaces with gold ablaze;</l> +<l>Where wandered birds of every sort,</l> +<l>And jewels flashed in hall and court.</l> +<l>Where noble pillars charmed the sight</l> +<l>With diamond and lazulite,</l> +<l>And others glorious to behold</l> +<l>With ivory, crystal, silver, gold.</l> +<l>There swelled on high the tambour's sound,</l> +<l>And burnished ore was bright around</l> +<l>He led the mournful lady where</l> +<l>Resplendent gold adorned the stair,</l> +<l>And showed each lattice fair to see</l> +<l>With silver work and ivory:</l> +<l>Showed his bright chambers, line on line,</l> +<l>Adorned with nets of golden twine.</l> +<l>Beyond he showed the Maithil dame</l> +<l>His gardens bright as lightning's flame,</l> +<l>And many a pool and lake he showed</l> +<l>Where blooms of gayest colour glowed.</l> +<l>Through all his home from view to view</l> +<l>The lady sunk in grief he drew.</l> +<l>Then trusting in her heart to wake</l> +<l>Desire of all she saw, he spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Three hundred million giants, all</q></l> +<l>Obedient to their master's call,</l> +<l>Not counting young and weak and old,</l> +<l>Serve me with spirits fierce and bold.</l> +<l>A thousand culled from all of these</l> +<l>Wait on the lord they long to please.</l> +<l>This glorious power, this pomp and sway,</l> +<l>Dear lady, at thy feet I lay:</l> +<l>Yea, with my life I give the whole,</l> +<l>O dearer than my life and soul.</l> +<l>A thousand beauties fill my hall:</l> +<l>Be thou my wife and rule them all.</l> +<l>O hear my supplication! why</l> +<l>This reasonable prayer deny?</l> +<l>Some pity to thy suitor show,</l> +<l>For love's hot flames within me glow.</l> +<l>This isle a hundred leagues in length,</l> +<l>Encompassed by the ocean's strength,</l> +<l>Would all the Gods and fiends defy</l> +<l>Though led by Him who rules the sky.</l> +<l>No God in heaven, no sage on earth,</l> +<l>No minstrel of celestial birth,</l> +<pb n="295"/><anchor id="Pg295"/> +<l>No spirit in the worlds I see</l> +<l>A match in power and might for me.</l> +<l>What wilt thou do with Ráma, him</l> +<l>Whose days are short, whose light is dim,</l> +<l>Expelled from home and royal sway,</l> +<l>Who treads on foot his weary way?</l> +<l>Leave the poor mortal to his fate,</l> +<l>And wed thee with a worthier mate.</l> +<l>My timid love, enjoy with me</l> +<l>The prime of youth before it flee.</l> +<l>Do not one hour the hope retain</l> +<l>To look on Ráma's face again.</l> +<l>For whom would wildest thought beguile</l> +<l>To seek thee in the giants' isle?</l> +<l>Say who is he has power to bind</l> +<l>In toils of net the rushing wind.</l> +<l>Whose is the mighty hand will tame</l> +<l>And hold the glory of the flame?</l> +<l>In all the worlds above, below,</l> +<l>Not one, O fair of form, I know</l> +<l>Who from this isle in fight could rend</l> +<l>The lady whom these arms defend.</l> +<l>Fair Queen, o'er Lanká's island reign,</l> +<l>Sole mistress of the wide domain.</l> +<l>Gods, rovers of the night like me,</l> +<l>And all the world thy slaves will be.</l> +<l>O'er thy fair brows and queenly head</l> +<l>Let consecrating balm be shed,</l> +<l>And sorrow banished from thy breast,</l> +<l>Enjoy my love and take thy rest.</l> +<l>Here never more thy soul shall know</l> +<l>The memory of thy former woe,</l> +<l>And here shall thou enjoy the meed</l> +<l>Deserved by every virtuous deed.</l> +<l>Here garlands glow of flowery twine,</l> +<l>With gorgeous hues and scent divine.</l> +<l>Take gold and gems and rich attire:</l> +<l>Enjoy with me thy heart's desire.</l> +<l>There stand, of chariots far the best,</l> +<l>The car my brother once possessed.</l> +<l>Which, victor in the stricken field,</l> +<l>I forced the Lord of Gold to yield.</l> +<l>'Tis wide and high and nobly wrought,</l> +<l>Bright as the sun and swift as thought.</l> +<l>Therein O Sítá, shalt thou ride</l> +<l>Delighted by thy lover's side.</l> +<l>But sorrow mars with lingering trace</l> +<l>The splendour of thy lotus face.</l> +<l>A cloud of woe is o'er it spread,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And all the light of joy is fled.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The lady, by her woe distressed,</l> +<l>One corner of her raiment pressed</l> +<l>To her sad cheek like moonlight clear,</l> +<l>And wiped away a falling tear.</l> +<l>The rover of the night renewed</l> +<l>His eager pleading as he viewed</l> +<l>The lady stand like one distraught,</l> +<l>Striving to fix her wandering thought:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Think not, sweet lady, of the shame</q></l> +<l>Of broken vows, nor fear the blame.</l> +<l>The saints approve with favouring eyes</l> +<l>This union knit with marriage ties.</l> +<l>O beauty, at thy radiant feet</l> +<l>I lay my heads, and thus entreat.</l> +<l>One word of grace, one look I crave:</l> +<l>Have pity on thy prostrate slave.</l> +<l>These idle words I speak are vain,</l> +<l>Wrung forth by love's consuming pain,</l> +<l>And ne'er of Rávaṇ be it said</l> +<l><q rend="post">He wooed a dame with prostrate head.</q></l> +<l>Thus to the Maithil lady sued</l> +<l>The monarch of the giant brood,</l> +<l>And <q>She is now mine own,</q> he thought,</l> +<l>In Death's dire coils already caught.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LVI"/> +<head>Canto LVI. Sítá's Disdain.</head> + +<lg> +<l>His words the Maithil lady heard</l> +<l>Oppressed by woe but undeterred.</l> +<l>Fear of the fiend she cast aside,</l> +<l>And thus in noble scorn replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">His word of honour never stained</q></l> +<l>King Daśaratha nobly reigned,</l> +<l>The bridge of right, the friend of truth.</l> +<l>His eldest son, a noble youth,</l> +<l>Is Ráma, virtue's faithful friend,</l> +<l>Whose glories through the worlds extend.</l> +<l>Long arms and large full eyes has he,</l> +<l>My husband, yea a God to me.</l> +<l>With shoulders like the forest king's,</l> +<l>From old Ikshváku's line he springs.</l> +<l>He with his brother Lakshmaṇ's aid</l> +<l>Will smite thee with the vengeful blade.</l> +<l>Hadst thou but dared before his eyes</l> +<l>To lay thine hand upon the prize,</l> +<l>Thou stretched before his feet hadst lain</l> +<l>In Janasthán like Khara slain.</l> +<l>Thy boasted rovers of the night</l> +<l>With hideous shapes and giant might,—</l> +<l>Like serpents when the feathered king</l> +<l>Swoops down with his tremendous wing,—</l> +<l>Will find their useless venom fail</l> +<l>When Ráma's mighty arms assail.</l> +<l>The rapid arrows bright with gold,</l> +<l>Shot from the bow he loves to hold,</l> +<l>Will rend thy frame from flank to flank</l> +<l>As Gangá's waves erode the bank.</l> +<l>Though neither God nor fiend have power</l> +<l>To slay thee in the battle hour,</l> +<l>Yet from his hand shall come thy fate,</l> +<l>Struck down before his vengeful hate.</l> +<l>That mighty lord will strike and end</l> +<l>The days of life thou hast to spend.</l> +<l>Thy days are doomed, thy life is sped</l> +<l>Like victims to the pillar led.</l> +<l>Yea, if the glance of Ráma bright</l> +<l>With fury on thy form should light,</l> +<l>Thou scorched this day wouldst fall and die</l> +<pb n="296"/><anchor id="Pg296"/> +<l>Like Káma slain by Rudra's eye.<note place="foot">See +<ref target="CantoI-XXV">Book I Canto XXV</ref>.</note></l> +<l>He who from heaven the moon could throw,</l> +<l>Or bid its bright rays cease to glow,—</l> +<l>He who could drain the mighty sea</l> +<l>Will set his darling Sítá free.</l> +<l>Fled is thy life, thy glory, fled</l> +<l>Thy strength and power: each sense is dead.</l> +<l>Soon Lanká widowed by thy guilt</l> +<l>Will see the blood of giants spilt.</l> +<l>This wicked deed, O cruel King,</l> +<l>No triumph, no delight will bring.</l> +<l>Thou with outrageous might and scorn</l> +<l>A woman from her lord hast torn.</l> +<l>My glorious husband far away,</l> +<l>Making heroic strength his stay,</l> +<l>Dwells with his brother, void of fear,</l> +<l>In Daṇḍak forest lone and drear.</l> +<l>No more in force of arms confide:</l> +<l>That haughty strength, that power and pride</l> +<l>My hero with his arrowy rain</l> +<l>From all thy bleeding limbs will drain.</l> +<l>When urged by fate's dire mandate, nigh</l> +<l>Comes the fixt hour for men to die.</l> +<l>Caught in Death's toils their eyes are blind,</l> +<l>And folly takes each wandering mind.</l> +<l>So for the outrage thou hast done</l> +<l>The fate is near thou canst not shun,—</l> +<l>The fate that on thyself and all</l> +<l>Thy giants and thy town shall fall.</l> +<l>I spurn thee: can the altar dight</l> +<l>With vessels for the sacred rite,</l> +<l>O'er which the priest his prayer has said,</l> +<l>Be sullied by an outcaste's tread?</l> +<l>So me, the consort dear and true</l> +<l>Of him who clings to virtue too,</l> +<l>Thy hated touch shall ne'er defile,</l> +<l>Base tyrant lord of Lanká's isle.</l> +<l>Can the white swan who floats in pride</l> +<l>Through lilies by her consort's side,</l> +<l>Look for one moment, as they pass,</l> +<l>On the poor diver in the grass?</l> +<l>This senseless body waits thy will,</l> +<l>To torture, chain, to wound or kill.</l> +<l>I will not, King of giants, strive</l> +<l>To keep this fleeting soul alive</l> +<l>But never shall they join the name</l> +<l><q rend="post">Of Sítá with reproach and shame.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus as her breast with fury burned</l> +<l>Her bitter speech the dame returned.</l> +<l>Such words of rage and scorn, the last</l> +<l>She uttered, at the fiend she cast.</l> +<l>Her taunting speech the giant heard,</l> +<l>And every hair with anger stirred.</l> +<l>Then thus with fury in his eye</l> +<l>He made in threats his fierce reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hear Maithil lady, hear my speech:</q></l> +<l>List to my words and ponder each.</l> +<l>If o'er thy head twelve months shall fly</l> +<l>And thou thy love wilt still deny,</l> +<l>My cooks shall mince thy flesh with steel</l> +<l><q rend="post">And serve it for my morning meal.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus with terrific threats to her</l> +<l>Spake Rávaṇ, cruel ravener.</l> +<l>Mad with the rage her answer woke</l> +<l>He called the fiendish train and spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Take her, ye Rákshas dames, who fright</q></l> +<l>With hideous form and mien the sight,</l> +<l>Who make the flesh of men your food,—</l> +<l><q rend="post">And let her pride be soon subdued.</q></l> +<l>He spoke, and at his word the band</l> +<l>Of fiendish monsters raised each hand</l> +<l>In reverence to the giant king,</l> +<l>And pressed round Sítá in a ring.</l> +<l>Rávaṇ once more with stern behest</l> +<l>To those she-fiends his speech addressed:</l> +<l>Shaking the earth beneath his tread,</l> +<l>He stamped his furious foot and said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">To the Aśoka garden bear</q></l> +<l>The dame, and guard her safely there</l> +<l>Until her stubborn pride be bent</l> +<l>By mingled threat and blandishment.</l> +<l>See that ye watch her well, and tame,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Like some she-elephant, the dame.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They led her to that garden where</l> +<l>The sweetest flowers perfumed the air,</l> +<l>Where bright trees bore each rarest fruit,</l> +<l>And birds, enamoured, ne'er were mute.</l> +<l>Bowed down with terror and distress,</l> +<l>Watched by each cruel giantess,—</l> +<l>Like a poor solitary deer</l> +<l>When ravening tigresses are near,—</l> +<l>The hapless lady lay distraught</l> +<l>Like some wild thing but newly caught,</l> +<l>And found no solace, no relief</l> +<l>From agonizing fear and grief;</l> +<l>Not for one moment could forget</l> +<l>Each terrifying word and threat,</l> +<l>Or the fierce eyes upon her set</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By those who watched around.</l> +<l>She thought of Ráma far away,</l> +<l>She mourned for Lakshmaṇ as she lay</l> +<l>In grief and terror and dismay</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Half fainting on the ground.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LVII"/> +<head>Canto LVII. Sítá Comforted.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Soon as the fiend had set her down</l> +<l>Within his home in Lanká's town</l> +<l>Triumph and joy filled Indra's breast,</l> +<l>Whom thus the Eternal Sire addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">This deed will free the worlds from woe</q></l> +<l>And cause the giants' overthrow.</l> +<l>The fiend has borne to Lanká's isle</l> +<l>The lady of the lovely smile,</l> +<l>True consort born to happy fate</l> +<l>With features fair and delicate.</l> +<pb n="297"/><anchor id="Pg297"/> +<l>She looks and longs for Ráma's face,</l> +<l>But sees a crowd of demon race,</l> +<l>And guarded by the giant's train</l> +<l>Pines for her lord and weeps in vain.</l> +<l>But Lanká founded on a steep</l> +<l>Is girdled by the mighty deep,</l> +<l>And how will Ráma know his fair</l> +<l>And blameless wife is prisoned there?</l> +<l>She on her woe will sadly brood</l> +<l>And pine away in solitude,</l> +<l>And heedless of herself, will cease</l> +<l>To live, despairing of release.</l> +<l>Yes, pondering on her fate, I see</l> +<l>Her gentle life in jeopardy.</l> +<l>Go, Indra, swiftly seek the place,</l> +<l>And look upon her lovely face.</l> +<l>Within the city make thy way:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Let heavenly food her spirit stay.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Brahma spake: and He who slew</l> +<l>The cruel demon Páka, flew</l> +<l>Where Lanká's royal city lay,</l> +<l>And Sleep went with him on his way.</l> +<l><q>Sleep,</q> cried the heavenly Monarch, <q rend="pre">close</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Each giant's eye in deep repose.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Indra spoke, and Sleep fulfilled</l> +<l>With joy his mandate, as he willed,</l> +<l>To aid the plan the Gods proposed,</l> +<l>The demons' eyes in sleep she closed.</l> +<l>Then Śachí's lord, the Thousand-eyed,</l> +<l>To the Aśoka garden hied.</l> +<l>He came and stood where Sítá lay,</l> +<l>And gently thus began to say:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Lord of the Gods who hold the sky,</q></l> +<l>Dame of the lovely smile, am I.</l> +<l>Weep no more, lady, weep no more;</l> +<l>Thy days of woe will soon be o'er.</l> +<l>I come, O Janak's child, to be</l> +<l>The helper of thy lord and thee.</l> +<l>He through my grace, with hosts to aid,</l> +<l>This sea-girt land will soon invade.</l> +<l>'Tis by my art that slumbers close</l> +<l>The eyelids of thy giant foes.</l> +<l>Now I, with Sleep, this place have sought,</l> +<l>Videhan lady, and have brought</l> +<l>A gift of heaven's ambrosial food</l> +<l>To stay thee in thy solitude.</l> +<l>Receive it from my hand, and taste,</l> +<l>O lady of the dainty waist:</l> +<l>For countless ages thou shall be</l> +<l><q rend="post">From pangs of thirst and hunger free.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But doubt within her bosom woke</l> +<l>As to the Lord of Gods she spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">How may I know for truth that thou</q></l> +<l>Whose form I see before me now</l> +<l>Art verily the King adored</l> +<l>By heavenly Gods, and Śachí's lord?</l> +<l>With Raghu's sons I learnt to know</l> +<l>The certain signs which Godhead show.</l> +<l>These marks before mine eyes display</l> +<l><q rend="post">If o'er the Gods thou bear the sway.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The heavenly lord of Śachí heard,</l> +<l>And did according to her word.</l> +<l>Above the ground his feet were raised;</l> +<l>With eyelids motionless he gazed.</l> +<l>No dust upon his raiment lay,</l> +<l>And his bright wreath was fresh and gay.</l> +<l>Nor was the lady's glad heart slow</l> +<l>The Monarch of the Gods to know,</l> +<l>And while the tears unceasing ran</l> +<l>From her sweet eyes she thus began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My lord has gained a friend in thee,</q></l> +<l>And I this day thy presence see</l> +<l>Shown clearly to mine eyes, as when</l> +<l>Ráma and Lakshmaṇ, lords of men,</l> +<l>Beheld it, and their sire the king,</l> +<l>And Janak too from whom I spring.</l> +<l>Now I, O Monarch of the Blest,</l> +<l>Will eat this food at thy behest,</l> +<l>Which thou hast brought me, of thy grace,</l> +<l><q rend="post">To aid and strengthen Raghu's race.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She spoke, and by his words relieved,</l> +<l>The food from Indra's hand received,</l> +<l>Yet ere she ate the balm he brought,</l> +<l>On Lakshmaṇ and her lord she thought.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If my brave lord be still alive,</q></l> +<l>If valiant Lakshmaṇ yet survive,</l> +<l>May this my taste of heavenly food</l> +<l><q rend="post">Bring health to them and bliss renewed!</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">She ate, and that celestial food</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Stayed hunger, thirst, and lassitude,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And all her strength restored.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Great joy her hopeful spirit stirred</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">At the glad tidings newly heard</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Of Lakshmaṇ and her lord.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And Indra's heart was joyful too:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He bade the Maithil dame adieu,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">His saving errand done.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With Sleep beside him parting thence</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He sought his heavenly residence</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">To prosper Raghu's son.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LVIII"/> +<head>Canto LVIII. The Brothers' Meeting.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Ráma's deadly shaft had struck</l> +<l>The giant in the seeming buck,</l> +<l>The chieftain turned him from the place</l> +<l>His homeward way again to trace.</l> +<l>Then as he hastened onward, fain</l> +<l>To look upon his spouse again,</l> +<l>Behind him from a thicket nigh</l> +<l>Rang out a jackal's piercing cry.</l> +<l>Alarmed he heard the startling shriek</l> +<l>That raised his hair and dimmed his cheek,</l> +<l>And all his heart was filled with doubt</l> +<l>As the shrill jackal's cry rang out:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Alas, some dire disaster seems</q></l> +<l>Portended by the jackal's screams.</l> +<l>O may the Maithil dame be screened</l> +<l>From outrage of each hungry fiend!</l> +<pb n="298"/><anchor id="Pg298"/> +<l>Alas, if Lakshmaṇ chanced to hear</l> +<l>That bitter cry of woe and fear</l> +<l>What time Márícha, as he died,</l> +<l>With voice that mocked my accents cried,</l> +<l>Swift to my side the prince would flee</l> +<l>And quit the dame to succour me.</l> +<l>Too well I see the demon band</l> +<l>The slaughter of my love have planned.</l> +<l>Me far from home and Sítá's view</l> +<l>The seeming deer Márícha drew.</l> +<l>He led me far through brake and dell</l> +<l>Till wounded by my shaft he fell,</l> +<l>And as he sank rang out his cry,</l> +<l><q>O save me, Lakshmaṇ, or I die.</q></l> +<l>May it be well with both who stayed</l> +<l>In the great wood with none to aid,</l> +<l>For every fiend is now my foe</l> +<l>For Janasthán's great overthrow,</l> +<l>And many an omen seen to-day</l> +<l><q rend="post">Has filled my heart with sore dismay.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Such were the thoughts and sad surmise</l> +<l>Of Ráma at the jackal's cries,</l> +<l>And all his heart within him burned</l> +<l>As to his cot his steps he turned.</l> +<l>He pondered on the deer that led</l> +<l>His feet to follow where it fled,</l> +<l>And sad with many a bitter thought</l> +<l>His home in Janasthán he sought.</l> +<l>His soul was dark with woe and fear</l> +<l>When flocks of birds and troops of deer</l> +<l>Move round him from the left, and raised</l> +<l>Discordant voices as they gazed.</l> +<l>The omens which the chieftain viewed</l> +<l>The terror of his soul renewed,</l> +<l>When lo, to meet him Lakshmaṇ sped</l> +<l>With brows whence all the light had fled.</l> +<l>Near and more near the princes came,</l> +<l>Each brother's heart and look the same;</l> +<l>Alike on each sad visage lay</l> +<l>The signs of misery and dismay,</l> +<l>Then Ráma by his terror moved</l> +<l>His brother for his fault reproved</l> +<l>In leaving Sítá far from aid</l> +<l>In the wild wood where giants strayed.</l> +<l>Lakshmaṇ's left hand he took, and then</l> +<l>In gentle tones the prince of men,</l> +<l>Though sharp and fierce their tenour ran,</l> +<l>Thus to his brother chief began:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">O Lakshmaṇ, thou art much to blame</q></l> +<l>Leaving alone the Maithil dame,</l> +<l>And flying hither to my side:</l> +<l>O, may no ill my spouse betide!</l> +<l>But ah, I know my wife is dead,</l> +<l>And giants on her limbs have fed,</l> +<l>So strange, so terrible are all</l> +<l>The omens which my heart appal.</l> +<l>O Lakshmaṇ, may we yet return</l> +<l>The safety of my love to learn.</l> +<l>To find the child of Janak still</l> +<l>Alive and free from scathe and ill!</l> +<l>Each bird with notes of warning screams,</l> +<l>Though the hot sun still darts his beams.</l> +<l>The moan of deer, the jackal's yell</l> +<l>Of some o'erwhelming misery tell.</l> +<l>O mighty brother, still may she,</l> +<l>My princess, live from danger free!</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That semblance of a golden deer</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Allured me far away,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">I followed nearer and more near,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And longed to take the prey.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">I followed where the quarry fled:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">My deadly arrow flew,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And as the dying creature bled,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The giant met my view.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Great fear and pain oppress my heart</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">That dreads the coming blow,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And through my left eye keenly dart</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The throbs that herald woe.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Ah Lakshmaṇ, all these signs dismay,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">My soul that sinks with dread,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">I know my love is torn away,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">Or, haply, she is dead.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LIX"/> +<head>Canto LIX. Ráma's Return.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Ráma saw his brother stand</l> +<l>With none beside him, all unmanned,</l> +<l>Eager he questioned why he came</l> +<l>So far without the Maithil dame:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Where is my wife, my darling, she</q></l> +<l>Who to the wild wood followed me?</l> +<l>Where hast thou left my lady, where</l> +<l>The dame who chose my lot to share?</l> +<l>Where is my love who balms my woe</l> +<l>As through the forest wilds I go,</l> +<l>Unkinged and banished and disgraced,—</l> +<l>My darling of the dainty waist?</l> +<l>She nerves my spirit for the strife,</l> +<l>She, only she gives zest to life,</l> +<l>Dear as my breath is she who vies</l> +<l>In charms with daughters of the skies.</l> +<l>If Janak's child be mine no more,</l> +<l>In splendour fair as virgin ore,</l> +<l>The lordship of the skies and earth</l> +<l>To me were prize of little worth.</l> +<l>Ah, lives she yet, the Maithil dame,</l> +<l>Dear as the soul within this frame?</l> +<l>O, let not all my toil be vain,</l> +<l>The banishment, the woe and pain!</l> +<l>O, let not dark Kaikeyí win</l> +<l>The guerdon of her treacherous sin,</l> +<l>If, Sítá lost, my days I end,</l> +<l>And thou without me homeward wend!</l> +<l>O, let not good Kauśalyá shed</l> +<l>Her bitter tears to mourn me dead,</l> +<l>Nor her proud rival's hest obey,</l> +<l>Strong in her son and queenly sway!</l> +<l>Back to my cot will I repair</l> +<l>If Sítá live to greet me there,</l> +<pb n="299"/><anchor id="Pg299"/> +<l>But if my wife have perished, I</l> +<l>Reft of my love will surely die.</l> +<l>O Lakshmaṇ, if I seek my cot,</l> +<l>Look for my love and find her not</l> +<l>Sweet welcome with her smile to give,</l> +<l>I tell thee, I will cease to live.</l> +<l>O answer,—let thy words be plain,—</l> +<l>Lives Sítá yet, or is she slain?</l> +<l>Didst thou thy sacred trust betray</l> +<l>Till ravening giants seized the prey?</l> +<l>Ah me, so young, so soft and fair,</l> +<l>Lapped in all bliss, untried by care,</l> +<l>Rent from her own dear husband, how</l> +<l>Will she support her misery now?</l> +<l>That voice, O Lakshmaṇ smote thine ear,</l> +<l>And filled, I ween, thy heart with fear,</l> +<l>When on thy name for succour cried</l> +<l>The treacherous giant ere he died.</l> +<l>That voice too like mine own, I ween,</l> +<l>Was heard by the Videhan queen.</l> +<l>She bade thee seek my side to aid,</l> +<l>And quickly was the hest obeyed,</l> +<l>But ah, thy fault I needs must blame,</l> +<l>To leave alone the helpless dame,</l> +<l>And let the cruel giants sate</l> +<l>The fury of their murderous hate.</l> +<l>Those blood-devouring demons all</l> +<l>Grieve in their souls for Khara's fall,</l> +<l>And Sítá, none to guard her side,</l> +<l>Torn by their cruel hands has died.</l> +<l>I sink, O tamer of thy foes,</l> +<l>Deep in the sea of whelming woes.</l> +<l>What can I now? I must endure</l> +<l><q rend="post">The mighty grief that mocks at cure.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus, all his thoughts on Sítá bent,</l> +<l>To Janasthán the chieftain went,</l> +<l>Hastening on with eager stride,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ hurried by his side.</l> +<l>With toil and thirst and hunger worn,</l> +<l>His breast with doubt and anguish torn,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He sought the well-known spot.</l> +<l>Again, again he turned to chide</l> +<l>With quivering lips which terror dried:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He looked, and found her not.</l> +<l>Within his leafy home he sped,</l> +<l>Each pleasant spot he visited</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Where oft his darling strayed.</l> +<l><q>'Tis as I feared,</q> he cried, and there,</l> +<l>Yielding to pangs too great to bear,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He sank by grief dismayed.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LX"/> +<head>Canto LX. Lakshman Reproved.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Ráma ceased not to upbraid,</l> +<l>His brother for untimely aid,</l> +<l>And thus, while anguish wrung his breast,</l> +<l>The chief with eager question pressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why, Lakshmaṇ, didst thou hurry hence</q></l> +<l>And leave my wife without defence?</l> +<l>I left her in the wood with thee,</l> +<l>And deemed her safe from jeopardy.</l> +<l>When first thy form appeared in view,</l> +<l>I marked that Sítá came not too.</l> +<l>With woe my troubled soul was rent,</l> +<l>Prophetic of the dire event.</l> +<l>Thy coming steps afar I spied,</l> +<l>I saw no Sítá by thy side,</l> +<l>And felt a sudden throbbing dart</l> +<l><q rend="post">Through my left eye, and arm, and heart.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Lakshmaṇ, with Fortune's marks impressed,</l> +<l>His brother mournfully addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Not by my heart's free impulse led,</q></l> +<l>Leaving thy wife to thee I sped;</l> +<l>But by her keen reproaches sent,</l> +<l>O Ráma, to thine aid I went.</l> +<l>She heard afar a mournful cry,</l> +<l><q>O save me, Lakshmaṇ, or I die.</q></l> +<l>The voice that spoke in moving tone</l> +<l>Smote on her ear and seemed thine own.</l> +<l>Soon as those accents reached her ear</l> +<l>She yielded to her woe and fear,</l> +<l>She wept o'ercome by grief, and cried,</l> +<l><q>Fly, Lakshmaṇ, fly to Ráma's side.</q></l> +<l>Though many a time she bade me speed,</l> +<l>Her urgent prayer I would not heed.</l> +<l>I bade her in thy strength confide,</l> +<l>And thus with tender words replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No giant roams the forest shade</q></l> +<l>From whom thy lord need shrink dismayed.</l> +<l>No human voice, believe me, spoke</l> +<l>Those words thy causeless fear that woke.</l> +<l>Can he whose might can save in woe</l> +<l>The heavenly Gods e'er stoop so low,</l> +<l>And with those piteous accents call</l> +<l>For succour like a caitiff thrall?</l> +<l>And why should wandering giants choose</l> +<l>The accents of thy lord to use,</l> +<l>In alien tones my help to crave,</l> +<l>And cry aloud, O Lakshmaṇ, save?</l> +<l>Now let my words thy spirit cheer,</l> +<l>Compose thy thoughts and banish fear.</l> +<l>In hell, in earth, or in the skies</l> +<l>There is not, and there cannot rise</l> +<l>A champion whose strong arm can slay</l> +<l>Thy Ráma in the battle fray.</l> +<l>To heavenly hosts he ne'er would yield</l> +<l><q rend="post">Though Indra led them to the field.</q></l> +<l>To soothe her thus I vainly sought:</l> +<l>Her heart with woe was still distraught.</l> +<l>While from her eyes the waters ran</l> +<l>Her bitter speech she thus began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Too well I see thy dark intent:</q></l> +<l>Thy lawless thoughts on me are bent.</l> +<l>Thou hopest, but thy hope is vain,</l> +<l>To win my love, thy brother slain.</l> +<l>Not love, but Bharat's dark decree</l> +<l>To share his exile counselled thee,</l> +<pb n="300"/><anchor id="Pg300"/> +<l>Or hearing now his bitter cry</l> +<l>Thou surely to his aid wouldst fly.</l> +<l>For love of me, a stealthy foe</l> +<l>Thou choosest by his side to go,</l> +<l>And now thou longest that my lord</l> +<l><q rend="post">Should die, and wilt no help afford.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Such were the words the lady said:</l> +<l>With angry fire my eyes were red.</l> +<l>With pale lips quivering in my rage</l> +<l><q rend="post">I hastened from the hermitage.</q></l> +<l>He ceased; and frenzied by his pain</l> +<l>The son of Raghu spoke again:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O brother, for thy fault I grieve,</q></l> +<l>The Maithil dame alone to leave.</l> +<l>Thou knowest that my arm is strong</l> +<l>To save me from the giant throng,</l> +<l>And yet couldst leave the cottage, spurred</l> +<l>To folly by her angry word.</l> +<l>For this thy deed I praise thee not,—</l> +<l>To leave her helpless in the cot,</l> +<l>And thus thy sacred charge forsake</l> +<l>For the wild words a woman spake.</l> +<l>Yea thou art all to blame herein,</l> +<l>And very grievous is thy sin.</l> +<l>That anger swayed thy faithless breast</l> +<l>And made thee false to my behest.</l> +<l>An arrow speeding from my bow</l> +<l>Has laid the treacherous giant low,</l> +<l>Who lured me eager for the chase</l> +<l>Far from my hermit dwelling-place.</l> +<l>The string with easy hand I drew,</l> +<l>The arrow as in pastime flew,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The wounded quarry bled.</l> +<l>The borrowed form was cast away,</l> +<l>Before mine eye a giant lay</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With bright gold braceleted.</l> +<l>My arrow smote him in the chest:</l> +<l>The giant by the pain distressed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Raised his loud voice on high.</l> +<l>Far rang the mournful sound: mine own,</l> +<l>It seemed, were accent, voice, and tone,</l> +<l>They made thee leave my spouse alone</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">And to my rescue fly.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LXI"/> +<head>Canto LXI. Ráma's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>As Ráma sought his leafy cot</l> +<l>Through his left eye keen throbbings shot,</l> +<l>His wonted strength his frame forsook,</l> +<l>And all his body reeled and shook.</l> +<l>Still on those dreadful signs he thought,—</l> +<l>Sad omens with disaster fraught,</l> +<l>And from his troubled heart he cried,</l> +<l><q>O, may no ill my spouse betide!</q></l> +<l>Longing to gaze on Sítá's face</l> +<l>He hastened to his dwelling-place,</l> +<l>Then sinking neath his misery's weight,</l> +<l>He looked and found it desolate.</l> +<l>Tossing his mighty arms on high</l> +<l>He sought her with an eager cry,</l> +<l>From spot to spot he wildly ran</l> +<l>Each corner of his home to scan.</l> +<l>He looked, but Sítá was not there;</l> +<l>His cot was disolate and bare,</l> +<l>Like streamlet in the winter frost,</l> +<l>The glory of her lilies lost.</l> +<l>With leafy tears the sad trees wept</l> +<l>As a wild wind their branches swept.</l> +<l>Mourned bird and deer, and every flower</l> +<l>Drooped fainting round the lonely bower.</l> +<l>The silvan deities had fled</l> +<l>The spot where all the light was dead,</l> +<l>Where hermit coats of skin displayed,</l> +<l>And piles of sacred grass were laid.</l> +<l>He saw, and maddened by his pain</l> +<l>Cried in lament again, again:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Where is she, dead or torn away,</q></l> +<l>Lost, or some hungry giant's prey?</l> +<l>Or did my darling chance to rove</l> +<l>For fruit and blossoms though the grove?</l> +<l>Or has she sought the pool or rill,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Her pitcher from the wave to fill?</q></l> +<l>His eager eyes on fire with pain</l> +<l>He roamed about with maddened brain.</l> +<l>Each grove and glade he searched with care,</l> +<l>He sought, but found no Sítá there.</l> +<l>He wildly rushed from hill to hill;</l> +<l>From tree to tree, from rill to rill,</l> +<l>As bitter woe his bosom rent</l> +<l>Still Ráma roamed with fond lament:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O sweet Kadamba say has she</q></l> +<l>Who loved thy bloom been seen by thee?</l> +<l>If thou have seen her face most fair,</l> +<l>Say, gentle tree, I pray thee, where.</l> +<l>O Bel tree with thy golden fruit</l> +<l>Round as her breast, no more be mute,</l> +<l>Where is my radiant darling, gay</l> +<l>In silk that mocks thy glossy spray?</l> +<l>O Arjun, say, where is she now</l> +<l>Who loved to touch thy scented bough?</l> +<l>Do not thy graceful friend forget,</l> +<l>But tell me, is she living yet?</l> +<l>Speak, Basil, thou must surely know,</l> +<l>For like her limbs thy branches show,—</l> +<l>Most lovely in thy fair array</l> +<l>Of twining plant and tender spray.</l> +<l>Sweet Tila, fairest of the trees,</l> +<l>Melodious with the hum of bees,</l> +<l>Where is my darling Sítá, tell,—</l> +<l>The dame who loved thy flowers so well?</l> +<l>Aśoka, act thy gentle part,—</l> +<l>Named Heartsease,<note place="foot"><foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Aśoka</foreign> is compounded of <hi rend='italic'>a</hi> +not and <hi rend='italic'>śoka</hi> grief.</note> give me what thou art,</l> +<l>To these sad eyes my darling show</l> +<l>And free me from this load of woe.</l> +<l>O Palm, in rich ripe fruitage dressed</l> +<l>Round as the beauties of her breast,</l> +<pb n="301"/><anchor id="Pg301"/> +<l>If thou have heart to know and feel,</l> +<l>My peerless consort's fate reveal.</l> +<l>Hast thou, Rose-apple, chanced to view</l> +<l>My darling bright with golden hue?</l> +<l>If thou have seen her quickly speak,</l> +<l>Where is the dame I wildly seek?</l> +<l>O glorious Cassia, thou art gay</l> +<l>With all thy loveliest bloom to-day,</l> +<l>Where is my dear who loved to hold</l> +<l><q rend="post">In her full lap thy flowery gold?</q></l> +<l>To many a tree and plant beside,</l> +<l>To Jasmin, Mango, Sál, he cried.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Say, hast thou seen, O gentle deer,</q></l> +<l>The fawn-eyed Sítá wandering here?</l> +<l>It may be that my love has strayed</l> +<l>To sport with fawns beneath the shade,</l> +<l>If thou, great elephant, have seen</l> +<l>My darling of the lovely mien,</l> +<l>Whose rounded limbs are soft and fine</l> +<l>As is that lissome trunk of thine,</l> +<l>O noblest of wild creatures, show</l> +<l>Where is the dame thou needs must know.</l> +<l>O tiger, hast thou chanced to see</l> +<l>My darling? very fair is she,</l> +<l>Cast all thy fear away, declare,</l> +<l>Where is my moon-faced darling, where?</l> +<l>There, darling of the lotus eye,</l> +<l>I see thee, and 'tis vain to fly,</l> +<l>Wilt thou not speak, dear love? I see</l> +<l>Thy form half hidden by the tree.</l> +<l>Stay if thou love me, Sítá, stay</l> +<l>In pity cease thy heartless play.</l> +<l>Why mock me now? thy gentle breast</l> +<l>Was never prone to cruel jest.</l> +<l>'Tis vain behind yon bush to steal:</l> +<l>Thy shimmering silks thy path reveal.</l> +<l>Fly not, mine eyes pursue thy way;</l> +<l>For pity's sake, dear Sítá, stay.</l> +<l>Ah me, ah me, my words are vain;</l> +<l>My gentle love is lost or slain.</l> +<l>How could her tender bosom spurn</l> +<l>Her husband on his home-return?</l> +<l>Ah no, my love is surely dead,</l> +<l>Fierce giants on her flesh have fed,</l> +<l>Rending the soft limbs of their prey</l> +<l>When I her lord was far away.</l> +<l>That moon-bright face, that polished brow,</l> +<l>Red lips, bright teeth—what are they now?</l> +<l>Alas, my darling's shapely neck</l> +<l>She loved with chains of gold to deck,—</l> +<l>That neck that mocked the sandal scent,</l> +<l>The ruthless fiends have grasped and rent.</l> +<l>Alas, 'twas vain those arms to raise</l> +<l>Soft as the young tree's tender sprays.</l> +<l>Ah, dainty meal for giants' lips</l> +<l>Were arms and quivering finger tips.</l> +<l>Ah, she who counted many a friend</l> +<l>Was left for fiends to seize and rend,</l> +<l>Was left by me without defence</l> +<l>From ravening giants' violence.</l> +<l>O Lakshmaṇ of the arm of might,</l> +<l>Say, is my darling love in sight?</l> +<l>O dearest Sítá. where art thou?</l> +<l><q rend="post">Where is my darling consort now?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus as he cried in wild lament</l> +<l>From grove to grove the mourner went,</l> +<l>Here for a moment sank to rest,</l> +<l>Then started up and onward pressed.</l> +<l>Thus roaming on like one distraught</l> +<l>Still for his vanished love he sought,</l> +<l>He searched in wood and hill and glade,</l> +<l>By rock and brook and wild cascade.</l> +<l>Through groves with restless step he sped</l> +<l>And left no spot unvisited.</l> +<l>Through lawns and woods of vast extent</l> +<l>Still searching for his love he went</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With eager steps and fast.</l> +<l>For many a weary hour he toiled,</l> +<l>Still in his fond endeavour foiled,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Yet hoping to the last.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LXII"/> +<head>Canto LXII. Ráma's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When all the toil and search was vain</l> +<l>He sought his leafy home again.</l> +<l>'Twas empty still: all scattered lay</l> +<l>The seats of grass in disarray.</l> +<l>He raised his shapely arms on high</l> +<l>And spoke aloud with bitter cry:</l> +<l><q>Where is the Maithil dame?</q> he said,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O, whither has my darling fled?</q></l> +<l>Who can have borne away my dame,</l> +<l>Or feasted on her tender frame?</l> +<l>If, Sítá hidden by some tree,</l> +<l>Thou joyest still to mock at me,</l> +<l>Cease, cease thy cruel sport, and take</l> +<l>Compassion, or my heart will break.</l> +<l>Bethink thee, love, the gentle fawns</l> +<l>With whom thou playest on the lawns,</l> +<l>Impatient for thy coming wait</l> +<l>With streaming eyes disconsolate.</l> +<l>Reft of my love, I needs must go</l> +<l>Hence to the shades weighed down by woe.</l> +<l>The king our sire will see me there,</l> +<l>And cry, <q rend="pre">O perjured Ráma, where,</q></l> +<l>Where is thy faith, that thou canst speed</l> +<l><q rend="post">From exile ere the time decreed?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Ah Sítá, whither hast thou fled</l> +<l>And left me here disquieted,</l> +<l>A hapless mourner, reft of hope,</l> +<l>Too feeble with my woe to cope?</l> +<l>E'en thus indignant Glory flies</l> +<l>The wretch who stains his soul with lies.</l> +<l>If thou, my love, art lost to view,</l> +<l><q rend="post">I in my woe must perish too.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma by his grief distraught</l> +<l>Wept for the wife he vainly sought,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ whose fraternal breast</l> +<l>Longed for his weal, the chief addressed</l> +<pb n="302"/><anchor id="Pg302"/> +<l>Whose soul gave way beneath the pain</l> +<l>When all his eager search was vain,</l> +<l>Like some great elephant who stands</l> +<l>Sinking upon the treacherous sands:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Not yet, O wisest chief, despair;</q></l> +<l>Renew thy toil with utmost care.</l> +<l>This noble hill where trees are green</l> +<l>Has many a cave and dark ravine.</l> +<l>The Maithil lady day by day</l> +<l>Delighted in the woods to stray,</l> +<l>Deep in the grove she wanders still,</l> +<l>Or walks by blossom-covered rill,</l> +<l>Or fish-loved river stealing through</l> +<l>Tall clusters of the dark bamboo.</l> +<l>Or else the dame with arch design</l> +<l>To prove thy mood, O Prince, and mine,</l> +<l>Far in some sheltering thicket lies</l> +<l>To frighten ere she meet our eyes.</l> +<l>Then come, renew thy labour, trace</l> +<l>The lady to her lurking-place,</l> +<l>And search the wood from side to side</l> +<l>To know where Sítá loves to bide.</l> +<l>Collect thy thoughts, O royal chief,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Nor yield to unavailing grief.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Lakshmaṇ, by attention stirred,</l> +<l>To fresh attempts his brother spurred,</l> +<l>And Ráma, as he ceased, began</l> +<l>With Lakshmaṇ's aid each spot to scan.</l> +<l>In eager search their way they took</l> +<l>Through wood, o'er hill, by pool and brook,</l> +<l>They roamed each mount, nor spared to seek</l> +<l>On ridge and crag and towering peak.</l> +<l>They sought the dame in every spot;</l> +<l>But all in vain; they found her not.</l> +<l>Above, below, on every side</l> +<l>They ranged the hill, and Ráma cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Lakshmaṇ, O my brother still</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">No trace of Sítá on the hill!</q></l> +<l>Then Lakshmaṇ as he roamed the wood</l> +<l>Beside his glorious brother stood,</l> +<l>And while fierce grief his bosom burned</l> +<l>This answer to the chief returned:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thou, Ráma, after toil and pain</q></l> +<l>Wilt meet the Maithil dame again,</l> +<l>As Vishṇu, Bali's might subdued,</l> +<l><q rend="post">His empire of the earth renewed.</q><note place="foot">See +<ref target="CantoI-XXXI">Book I Canto XXXI</ref>.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma cried in mournful tone,</l> +<l>His spirit by his woe o'erthrown;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The wood is searched from side to side,</q></l> +<l>No distant spot remains untried,</l> +<l>No lilied pool, no streamlet where</l> +<l>The lotus buds are fresh and fair.</l> +<l>Our eyes have searched the hill with all</l> +<l>His caves and every waterfall,—</l> +<l>But ah, not yet I find my wife,</l> +<l><q rend="post">More precious than the breath of life.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As thus he mourned his vanished dame</l> +<l>A mighty trembling seized his frame,</l> +<l>And by o'erpowering grief assailed,</l> +<l>His troubled senses reeled and failed.</l> +<l>Too great to bear his misery grew,</l> +<l>And many a long hot sigh he drew,</l> +<l>Then as he wept and sobbed and sighed,</l> +<l><q>O Sítá, O my love!</q> he cried.</l> +<l>Then Lakshmaṇ, joining palm to palm,</l> +<l>Tried every art his woe to calm.</l> +<l>But Ráma in his anguish heard</l> +<l>Or heeded not one soothing word,</l> +<l>Still for his spouse he mourned, and shrill</l> +<l>Rang out his lamentation still.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LXIII"/> +<head>Canto LXIII. Ráma's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus for his wife in vain he sought:</l> +<l>Then, his sad soul with pain distraught,</l> +<l>The hero of the lotus eyes</l> +<l>Filled all the air with frantic cries.</l> +<l>O'erpowered by love's strong influence, he</l> +<l>His absent wife still seemed to see,</l> +<l>And thus with accents weak and faint</l> +<l>Renewed with tears his wild complaint:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Thou, fairer than their bloom, my spouse,</q></l> +<l>Art hidden by Aśoka boughs.</l> +<l>Those blooms have power to banish care,</l> +<l>But now they drive me to despair.</l> +<l>Thine arms are like the plantain's stem:</l> +<l>Why let the plantain cover them?</l> +<l>Thou art not hidden, love; thy feet</l> +<l>Betray thee in thy dark retreat.</l> +<l>Thou runnest in thy girlish sport</l> +<l>To flowery trees, thy dear resort.</l> +<l>But cease, O cease, my love, I pray,</l> +<l>To vex me with thy cruel play.</l> +<l>Such mockery in a holy spot</l> +<l>Where hermits dwell beseems thee not.</l> +<l>Ah, now I see thy fickle mind</l> +<l>To scornful mood too much inclined,</l> +<l>Come, large-eyed beauty, I implore;</l> +<l>Lone is the cot so dear before.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">No, she is slain by giants; they</l> +<l>Have stolen or devoured their prey,</l> +<l>Or surely at my mournful cry</l> +<l>My darling to her lord would fly.</l> +<l>O Lakshmaṇ, see those troops of deer:</l> +<l>In each sad eye there gleams a tear.</l> +<l>Those looks of woe too clearly say</l> +<l>My consort is the giants' prey.</l> +<l>O noblest, fairest of the fair,</l> +<l>Where art thou, best of women, where?</l> +<l>This day will dark Kaikeyí find</l> +<l>Fresh triumph for her evil mind,</l> +<l>When I, who with my Sítá came</l> +<l>Return alone, without my dame.</l> +<l>But ne'er can I return to see</l> +<l>Those chambers where my queen should be</l> +<l>And hear the scornful people speak</l> +<pb n="303"/><anchor id="Pg303"/> +<l>Of Ráma as a coward weak.</l> +<l>For mine will be the coward's shame</l> +<l>Who let the foeman steal his dame.</l> +<l>How can I seek my home, or brook</l> +<l>Upon Videha's king to look?</l> +<l>How listen, when he bids me tell,</l> +<l>My wanderings o'er, that all is well?</l> +<l>He, when I meet his eager view,</l> +<l>Will mark that Sítá comes not too,</l> +<l>And when he hears the mournful tale</l> +<l>His wildered sense will reel and fail.</l> +<l><q>O Daśaratha</q> will he cry,</l> +<l><q>Blest in thy mansion in the sky!</q></l> +<l>Ne'er to that town my steps shall bend,</l> +<l>That town which Bharat's arms defend,</l> +<l>For e'en the blessed homes above</l> +<l>Would seem a waste without my love.</l> +<l>Leave me, my brother, here, I pray;</l> +<l>To fair Ayodhyá bend thy way.</l> +<l>Without my love I cannot bear</l> +<l>To live one hour in blank despair.</l> +<l>Round Bharat's neck thy fond arms twine,</l> +<l>And greet him with these words of mine:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Dear brother, still the power retain,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">And o'er the land as monarch reign.</q></l> +<l>With salutation next incline</l> +<l>Before thy mother, his, and mine.</l> +<l>Still, brother, to my words attend,</l> +<l>And with all care each dame befriend.</l> +<l>To my dear mother's ear relate</l> +<l><q rend="post">My mournful tale and Sítá's fate.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma gave his sorrow vent,</l> +<l>And from a heart which anguish rent,</l> +<l>Mourned for his wife in loud lament,—</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Her of the glorious hair,</l> +<l>From Lakshmaṇ's cheek the colour fled,</l> +<l>And o'er his heart came sudden dread,</l> +<l>Sick, faint, and sore disquieted</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By woe too great to bear.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LXIV"/> +<head>Canto LXIV. Ráma's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Reft of his love, the royal chief,</l> +<l>Weighed down beneath his whelming grief,</l> +<l>Desponding made his brother share</l> +<l>His grievous burden of despair.</l> +<l>Over his sinking bosom rolled</l> +<l>The flood of sorrow uncontrolled.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And as he wept and sighed,</l> +<l>In mournful accents faint and slow</l> +<l>With words congenial to his woe,</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To Lakshmaṇ thus he cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Brother, I ween, beneath the sun,</q></l> +<l>Of all mankind there lives not one</l> +<l>So full of sin, whose hand has done</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Such cursed deeds as mine.</l> +<l>For my sad heart with misery bleeds,</l> +<l>As, guerdon of those evil deeds,</l> +<l>Still greater woe to woe succeeds</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In never-ending line.</l> +<l>A life of sin I freely chose,</l> +<l>And from my past transgression flows</l> +<l>A ceaseless flood of bitter woes</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">My folly to repay.</l> +<l>The fruit of sin has ripened fast,</l> +<l>Through many a sorrow have I passed,</l> +<l>And now the crowning grief at last</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Falls on my head to-day.</l> +<l>From all my faithful friends I fled,</l> +<l>My sire is numbered with the dead,</l> +<l>My royal rank is forfeited,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">My mother far away.</l> +<l>These woes on which I sadly think</l> +<l>Fill, till it raves above the brink,</l> +<l>The stream of grief in which I sink,—</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The flood which naught can stay.</l> +<l>Ne'er, brother, ne'er have I complained;</l> +<l>Though long by toil and trouble pained,</l> +<l>Without a murmur I sustained</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The woes of woodland life.</l> +<l>But fiercer than the flames that rise</l> +<l>When crackling wood the food supplies,—</l> +<l>Flashing a glow through evening skies,—</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">This sorrow for my wife.</l> +<l>Some cruel fiend has seized the prey</l> +<l>And torn my trembling love away,</l> +<l>While, as he bore her through the skies,</l> +<l>She shrieked aloud with frantic cries,</l> +<l>In tones of fear which, wild and shrill,</l> +<l>Retained their native sweetness still.</l> +<l>Ah me, that breast so soft and sweet,</l> +<l>For sandal's precious perfume meet,</l> +<l>Now all detained with dust and gore,</l> +<l>Shall meet my fond caress no more.</l> +<l>That face, whose lips with tones so clear</l> +<l>Made pleasant music, sweet to hear,—</l> +<l>With soft locks plaited o'er the brow,—</l> +<l>Some giant's hand is on it now.</l> +<l>It smiles not, as the dear light fails</l> +<l>When Ráhu's jaw the moon assails.</l> +<l>Ah, my true love! that shapely neck</l> +<l>She loved with fairest chains to deck,</l> +<l>The cruel demons rend, and drain</l> +<l>The lifeblood from each mangled vein.</l> +<l>Ah, when the savage monsters came</l> +<l>And dragged away the helpless dame,</l> +<l>The lady of the long soft eye</l> +<l>Called like a lamb with piteous cry.</l> +<l>Beneath this rock, O Lakshmaṇ, see,</l> +<l>My peerless consort sat with me,</l> +<l>And gently talked to thee the while,</l> +<l>Her sweet lips opening with a smile.</l> +<l>Here is that fairest stream which she</l> +<l>Loved ever, bright Godávarí.</l> +<l>Ne'er can the dame have passed this way:</l> +<l>So far alone she would not stray,</l> +<l>Nor has my darling, lotus-eyed,</l> +<l>Sought lilies by the river's side,</l> +<l>For without me she ne'er would go</l> +<pb n="304"/><anchor id="Pg304"/> +<l>To streamlets where the wild flowers grow,</l> +<l>Tell me not, brother, she has strayed</l> +<l>To the dark forest's distant shade</l> +<l>Where blooming boughs are gay and sweet,</l> +<l>And bright birds love the cool retreat.</l> +<l>Alone my love would never dare,—</l> +<l>My timid love,—to wander there.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">O Lord of Day whose eye sees all</l> +<l>We act and plan, on thee I call:</l> +<l>For naught is hidden from thy sight,—</l> +<l>Great witness thou of wrong and right.</l> +<l>Where is she, lost or torn away?</l> +<l>Dispel my torturing doubt and say.</l> +<l>And O thou Wind who blowest free,</l> +<l>The worlds have naught concealed from thee.</l> +<l>List to my prayer, reveal one trace</l> +<l>Of her, the glory of her race.</l> +<l>Say, is she stolen hence, or dead,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Or do her feet the forest tread?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus with disordered senses, faint</l> +<l>With woe he poured his sad complaint,</l> +<l>And then, a better way to teach,</l> +<l>Wise Lakshmaṇ spoke in seemly speech:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Up, brother dear, thy grief subdue,</q></l> +<l>With heart and soul thy search renew.</l> +<l>When woes oppress and dangers threat</l> +<l><q rend="post">Brave effort ne'er was fruitless yet.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke, but Ráma gave no heed</l> +<l>To valiant Lakshmaṇ's prudent rede.</l> +<l>With double force the flood of pain</l> +<l>Rushed o'er his yielding soul again.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LXV"/> +<head>Canto LXV. Ráma's Wrath.</head> + +<lg> +<l>With piteous voice, by woe subdued,</l> +<l>Thus Raghu's son his speech renewed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Thy steps, my brother, quickly turn</q></l> +<l>To bright Godávarí and learn</l> +<l>If Sítá to the stream have hied</l> +<l><q rend="post">To cull the lilies on its side.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Obedient to the words he said,</l> +<l>His brother to the river sped.</l> +<l>The shelving banks he searched in vain,</l> +<l>And then to Ráma turned again.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>I searched, but found her not,</q> he cried;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I called aloud, but none replied.</q></l> +<l>Where can the Maithil lady stray,</l> +<l>Whose sight would chase our cares away?</l> +<l>I know not where, her steps untraced,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Roams Sítá of the dainty waist.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Ráma heard the words he spoke</l> +<l>Again he sank beneath the stroke,</l> +<l>And with a bosom anguish-fraught</l> +<l>Himself the lovely river sought.</l> +<l>There standing on the shelving side,</l> +<l><q>O Sítá, where art thou?</q> he cried.</l> +<l>No spirit voice an answer gave,</l> +<l>No murmur from the trembling wave</l> +<l>Of sweet Godávarí declared</l> +<l>The outrage which the fiend had dared.</l> +<l><q>O speak!</q> the pitying spirits cried,</l> +<l>But yet the stream their prayer denied,</l> +<l>Nor dared she, coldly mute, relate</l> +<l>To the sad chief his darling's fate</l> +<l>Of Rávaṇ's awful form she thought,</l> +<l>And the dire deed his arm had wrought,</l> +<l>And still withheld by fear dismayed,</l> +<l>The tale for which the mourner prayed.</l> +<l>When hope was none, his heart to cheer,</l> +<l>That the bright stream his cry would hear</l> +<l>While sorrow for his darling tore</l> +<l>His longing soul he spake once more:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Though I have sought with tears and sighs</q></l> +<l>Godárvarí no word replies,</l> +<l>O say, what answer can I frame</l> +<l>To Janak, father of my dame?</l> +<l>Or how before her mother stand</l> +<l>Leading no Sítá by the hand?</l> +<l>Where is my loyal love who went</l> +<l>Forth with her lord to banishment?</l> +<l>Her faith to me she nobly held</l> +<l>Though from my realm and home expelled,—</l> +<l>A hermit, nursed on woodland fare,—</l> +<l>She followed still and soothed my care.</l> +<l>Of all my friends am I bereft,</l> +<l>Nor is my faithful consort left.</l> +<l>How slowly will the long nights creep</l> +<l>While comfortless I wake and weep!</l> +<l>O, if my wife may yet be found,</l> +<l>With humble love I'll wander round</l> +<l>This Janasthán, Praśravaṇ's hill,</l> +<l>Mandákiní's delightful rill.</l> +<l>See how the deer with gentle eyes</l> +<l>Look on my face and sympathize.</l> +<l>I mark their soft expression: each</l> +<l><q rend="post">Would soothe me, if it could, with speech.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A while the anxious throng he eyed.</l> +<l>And <q>Where is Sítá, where?</q> he cried.</l> +<l>Thus while hot tears his utterance broke</l> +<l>The mourning son of Raghu spoke.</l> +<l>The deer in pity for his woes</l> +<l>Obeyed the summons and arose.</l> +<l>Upon his right thy stood, and raised</l> +<l>Their sad eyes up to heaven and gazed</l> +<l>Each to that quarter bent her look</l> +<l>Which Rávaṇ with his captive took.</l> +<l>Then Raghu's son again they viewed,</l> +<l>And toward that point their way pursued.</l> +<l>Then Lakshmaṇ watched their looks intent</l> +<l>As moaning on their way they went,</l> +<l>And marked each sign which struck his sense</l> +<l>With mute expressive influence,</l> +<l>Then as again his sorrow woke</l> +<l>Thus to his brother chief he spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Those deer thy eager question heard</q></l> +<pb n="305"/><anchor id="Pg305"/> +<l>And rose at once by pity stirred:</l> +<l>See, in thy search their aid they lend,</l> +<l>See, to the south their looks they bend.</l> +<l>Arise, dear brother, let us go</l> +<l>The way their eager glances show,</l> +<l>If haply sign or trace descried</l> +<l><q rend="post">Our footsteps in the search may guide.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The son of Raghu gave assent,</l> +<l>And quickly to the south they went;</l> +<l>With eager eyes the earth he scanned,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ followed close at hand.</l> +<l>As each to other spake his thought,</l> +<l>And round with anxious glances sought,</l> +<l>Scattered before them in the way,</l> +<l>Blooms of a fallen garland lay.</l> +<l>When Ráma saw that flowery rain</l> +<l>He spoke once more with bitterest pain:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Lakshmaṇ every flower that lies</q></l> +<l>Here on the ground I recognize.</l> +<l>I culled them in the grove, and there</l> +<l>My darling twined them in her hair.</l> +<l>The sun, the earth, the genial breeze</l> +<l><q rend="post">Have spared these flowers my soul to please.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then to that woody hill he prayed,</l> +<l>Whence flashed afar each wild cascade:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O best of mountains, hast thou seen</q></l> +<l>A dame of perfect form and mien</l> +<l>In some sweet spot with trees o'ergrown,—</l> +<l><q rend="post">My darling whom I left alone?</q></l> +<l>Then as a lion threats a deer</l> +<l>He thundered with a voice of fear:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Reveal her, mountain, to my view</q></l> +<l>With golden limbs and golden hue.</l> +<l>Where is my darling Sítá? speak</l> +<l><q rend="post">Before I rend thee peak from peak.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The mountain seemed her track to show,</l> +<l>But told not all he sought to know.</l> +<l>Then Daśaratha's son renewed</l> +<l>His summons as the mount he viewed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Soon as my flaming arrows fly,</q></l> +<l>Consumed to ashes shall thou lie</l> +<l>Without a herb or bud or tree,</l> +<l>And birds no more shall dwell in thee.</l> +<l>And if this stream my prayer deny,</l> +<l>My wrath this day her flood shall dry,</l> +<l>Because she lends no aid to trace</l> +<l><q rend="post">My darling of the lotus face.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma spake as though his ire</l> +<l>Would scorch them with his glance of fire;</l> +<l>Then searching farther on the ground</l> +<l>The footprint of a fiend he found,</l> +<l>And small light traces here and there,</l> +<l>Where Sítá in her great despair,</l> +<l>Shrieking for Ráma's help, had fled</l> +<l>Before the giant's mighty tread.</l> +<l>His careful eye each trace surveyed</l> +<l>Which Sítá and the fiend had made,—</l> +<l>The quivers and the broken bow</l> +<l>And ruined chariot of the foe,—</l> +<l>And told, distraught by fear and grief,</l> +<l>His tidings to his brother chief:</l> +<l><q>O Lakshmaṇ, here,</q> he cried <q rend="pre">behold</q></l> +<l>My Sítá's earrings dropped with gold.</l> +<l>Here lie her garlands torn and rent,</l> +<l>Here lies each glittering ornament.</l> +<l>O look, the ground on every side</l> +<l>With blood-like drops of gold is dyed.</l> +<l>The fiends who wear each strange disguise</l> +<l>Have seized, I ween, the helpless prize.</l> +<l>My lady, by their hands o'erpowered,</l> +<l>Is slaughtered, mangled, and devoured.</l> +<l>Methinks two fearful giants came</l> +<l>And waged fierce battle for the dame.</l> +<l>Whose, Lakshmaṇ, was this mighty bow</l> +<l>With pearls and gems in glittering row?</l> +<l>Cast to the ground the fragments lie,</l> +<l>And still their glory charms the eye.</l> +<l>A bow so mighty sure was planned</l> +<l>For heavenly God or giant's hand.</l> +<l>Whose was this coat of golden mail</l> +<l>Which, though its lustre now is pale,</l> +<l>Shone like the sun of morning, bright</l> +<l>With studs of glittering lazulite?</l> +<l>Whose, Lakshmaṇ, was this bloom-wreathed shade</l> +<l>With all its hundred ribs displayed?</l> +<l>This screen, most meet for royal brow,</l> +<l>With broken staff lies useless now.</l> +<l>And these tall asses, goblin-faced,</l> +<l>With plates of golden harness graced,</l> +<l>Whose hideous forms are stained with gore</l> +<l>Who is the lord whose yoke they bore?</l> +<l>Whose was this pierced and broken car</l> +<l>That shoots a flame-like blaze afar?</l> +<l>Whose these spent shafts at random spread,</l> +<l>Each fearful with its iron head,—</l> +<l>With golden mountings fair to see,</l> +<l>Long as a chariot's axle-tree?</l> +<l>These quivers see, which, rent in twain,</l> +<l>Their sheaves of arrows still contain.</l> +<l>Whose was this driver? Dead and cold,</l> +<l>His hands the whip and reins still hold.</l> +<l>See, Lakshmaṇ, here the foot I trace</l> +<l>Of man, nay, one of giant race.</l> +<l>The hatred that I nursed of old</l> +<l>Grows mightier now a hundred fold</l> +<l>Against these giants, fierce of heart,</l> +<l>Who change their forms by magic art.</l> +<l>Slain, eaten by the giant press,</l> +<l>Or stolen is the votaress,</l> +<l>Nor could her virtue bring defence</l> +<l>To Sítá seized and hurried hence.</l> +<l>O, if my love be slain or lost</l> +<l>All hope of bliss for me is crossed.</l> +<l>The power of all the worlds were vain</l> +<l>To bring one joy to soothe my pain.</l> +<l>The spirits with their blinded eyes</l> +<l>Would look in wonder, and despise</l> +<l>The Lord who made the worlds, the great</l> +<l>Creator when compassionate.</l> +<l>And so, I ween, the Immortals turn</l> +<l>Cold eyes upon me now, and spurn</l> +<pb n="306"/><anchor id="Pg306"/> +<l>The weakling prompt at pity's call,</l> +<l>Devoted to the good of all.</l> +<l>But from this day behold me changed,</l> +<l>From every gentle grace estranged.</l> +<l>Now be it mine all life to slay,</l> +<l>And sweep these cursed fiends away.</l> +<l>As the great sun leaps up the sky,</l> +<l>And the cold moonbeams fade and die,</l> +<l>So vengeance rises in my breast,</l> +<l>One passion conquering all the rest.</l> +<l>Gandharvas in their radiant place,</l> +<l>The Yakshas, and the giant race,</l> +<l>Kinnars and men shall look in vain</l> +<l>For joy they ne'er shall see again.</l> +<l>The anguish of my great despair,</l> +<l>O Lakshmaṇ, fills the heaven and air;</l> +<l>And I in wrath all life will slay</l> +<l>Within the triple world to-day.</l> +<l>Unless the Gods in heaven who dwell</l> +<l>Restore my Sítá safe and well,</l> +<l>I armed with all the fires of Fate,</l> +<l>The triple world will devastate.</l> +<l>The troubled stars from heaven shall fall,</l> +<l>The moon be wrapped in gloomy pall,</l> +<l>The fire be quenched, the wind be stilled,</l> +<l>The radiant sun grow dark and chilled;</l> +<l>Crushed every mountain's towering pride,</l> +<l>And every lake and river dried,</l> +<l>Dead every creeper, plant, and tree,</l> +<l>And lost for aye the mighty sea.</l> +<l>Thou shalt the world this day behold</l> +<l>In wild disorder uncontrolled,</l> +<l>With dying life which naught defends</l> +<l>From the fierce storm my bowstring sends.</l> +<l>My shafts this day, for Sítá's sake,</l> +<l>The life of every fiend shall take.</l> +<l>The Gods this day shall see the force</l> +<l>That wings my arrows on their course,</l> +<l>And mark how far that course is held,</l> +<l>By my unsparing wrath impelled.</l> +<l>No God, not one of Daitya strain,</l> +<l>Goblin or Rákshas shall remain.</l> +<l>My wrath shall end the worlds, and all</l> +<l>Demons and Gods therewith shall fall.</l> +<l>Each world which Gods, the Dánav race,</l> +<l>And giants make their dwelling place,</l> +<l>Shall fall beneath my arrows sent</l> +<l>In fury when my bow is bent.</l> +<l>The arrows loosened from my string</l> +<l>Confusion on the worlds shall bring.</l> +<l>For she is lost or breathes no more,</l> +<l>Nor will the Gods my love restore.</l> +<l>Hence all on earth with life and breath</l> +<l>This day I dedicate to death.</l> +<l>All, till my darling they reveal,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The fury of my shafts shall feel.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus as he spake by rage impelled,</l> +<l>Red grew his eyes, his fierce lips swelled.</l> +<l>His bark coat round his form he drew</l> +<l>And coiled his hermit braids anew,</l> +<l>Like Rudra when he yearned to slay</l> +<l>The demon Tripur<note place="foot">An Asur or demon, king of Tripura, +the modern Tipperah.</note> in the fray.</l> +<l>So looked the hero brave and wise,</l> +<l>The fury flashing from his eyes.</l> +<l>Then Ráma, conqueror of the foe,</l> +<l>From Lakshmaṇ's hand received his bow,</l> +<l>Strained the great string, and laid thereon</l> +<l>A deadly dart that flashed and shone,</l> +<l>And spake these words as fierce in ire</l> +<l>As He who ends the worlds with fire:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">As age and time and death and fate</q></l> +<l>All life with checkless power await,</l> +<l>So Lakshmaṇ in my wrath to-day</l> +<l>My vengeful might shall brook no stay,</l> +<l>Unless this day I see my dame</l> +<l>In whose sweet form is naught to blame,—</l> +<l>Yea, as before, my love behold</l> +<l>Fair with bright teeth and perfect mould,</l> +<l>This world shall feel a deadly blow</l> +<l>Destroyed with ruthless overthrow,</l> +<l>And serpent lords and Gods of air,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Gandharvas, men, the doom shall share.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LXVI"/> +<head>Canto LXVI. Lakshman's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He stood incensed with eyes of flame,</l> +<l>Still mourning for his ravished dame,</l> +<l>Determined, like the fire of Fate,</l> +<l>To leave the wide world desolate.</l> +<l>His ready bow the hero eyed,</l> +<l>And as again, again he sighed,</l> +<l>The triple world would fain consume</l> +<l>Like Hara<note place="foot">Śiva.</note> in the day of doom.</l> +<l>Then Lakshmaṇ moved with sorrow viewed</l> +<l>His brother in unwonted mood,</l> +<l>And reverent palm to palm applied,</l> +<l>Thus spoke with lips which terror dried</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy heart was ever soft and kind,</q></l> +<l>To every creature's good inclined.</l> +<l>Cast not thy tender mood away,</l> +<l>Nor yield to anger's mastering sway.</l> +<l>The moon for gentle grace is known,</l> +<l>The sun has splendour all his own,</l> +<l>The restless wind is free and fast,</l> +<l>And earth in patience unsurpassed.</l> +<l>So glory with her noble fruit</l> +<l>Is thine eternal attribute.</l> +<l>O, let not, for the sin of one,</l> +<l>The triple world be all undone.</l> +<l>I know not whose this car that lies</l> +<l>In fragments here before our eyes,</l> +<l>Nor who the chiefs who met and fought,</l> +<l>Nor what the prize the foemen sought;</l> +<l>Who marked the ground with hoof and wheel,</l> +<pb n="307"/><anchor id="Pg307"/> +<l>Or whose the hand that plied the steel</l> +<l>Which left this spot, the battle o'er,</l> +<l>Thus sadly dyed with drops of gore.</l> +<l>Searching with utmost care I view</l> +<l>The signs of one and not of two.</l> +<l>Where'er I turn mine eyes I trace</l> +<l>No mighty host about the place.</l> +<l>Then mete not out for one offence</l> +<l>This all-involving recompense.</l> +<l>For kings should use the sword they bear,</l> +<l>But mild in time should learn to spare,</l> +<l>Thou, ever moved by misery's call,</l> +<l>Wast the great hope and stay of all.</l> +<l>Throughout this world who would not blame</l> +<l>This outrage on thy ravished dame?</l> +<l>Gandharvas, Dánavs, Gods, the trees,</l> +<l>The rocks, the rivers, and the seas,</l> +<l>Can ne'er in aught thy soul offend,</l> +<l>As one whom holiest rites befriend.</l> +<l>But him who dared to steal the dame</l> +<l>Pursue, O King, with ceaseless aim,</l> +<l>With me, the hermits' holy band,</l> +<l>And thy great bow to arm thy hand</l> +<l>By every mighty flood we'll seek,</l> +<l>Each wood, each hill from base to peak.</l> +<l>To the fair homes of Gods we'll fly,</l> +<l>And bright Gandharvas in the sky,</l> +<l>Until we reach, where'er he be,</l> +<l>The wretch who stole thy spouse from thee.</l> +<l>Then if the Gods will not restore</l> +<l>Thy Sítá when the search is o'er,</l> +<l>Then, royal lord of Kośal's land,</l> +<l>No longer hold thy vengeful hand.</l> +<l>If meekness, prayer, and right be weak</l> +<l>To bring thee back the dame we seek,</l> +<l>Up, brother, with a deadly shower</l> +<l>Of gold-bright shafts thy foes o'erpower,</l> +<l>Fierce as the flashing levin sent</l> +<l>From King Mahendra's firmament.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LXVII"/> +<head>Canto LXVII. Ráma Appeased.</head> + +<lg> +<l>As Ráma, pierced by sorrow's sting,</l> +<l>Lamented like a helpless thing,</l> +<l>And by his mighty woe distraught</l> +<l>Was lost in maze of troubled thought,</l> +<l>Sumitrá's son with loving care</l> +<l>Consoled him in his wild despair,</l> +<l>And while his feet he gently pressed</l> +<l>With words like these the chief addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">For sternest vow and noblest deed</q></l> +<l>Was Daśaratha blessed with seed.</l> +<l>Thee for his son the king obtained,</l> +<l>Like Amrit by the Gods regained.</l> +<l>Thy gentle graces won his heart,</l> +<l>And all too weak to live apart</l> +<l>The monarch died, as Bharat told,</l> +<l>And lives on high mid Gods enrolled.</l> +<l>If thou, O Ráma, wilt not bear</l> +<l>This grief which fills thee with despair,</l> +<l>How shall a weaker man e'er hope,</l> +<l>Infirm and mean, with woe to cope?</l> +<l>Take heart, I pray thee, noblest chief:</l> +<l>What man who breathes is free from grief?</l> +<l>Misfortunes come and burn like flame,</l> +<l>Then fly as quickly as they came.</l> +<l>Yayáti son of Nahush reigned</l> +<l>With Indra on the throne he gained.</l> +<l>But falling for a light offence</l> +<l>He mourned a while the consequence.</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha, reverend saint and sage,</l> +<l>Priest of our sire from youth to age,</l> +<l>Begot a hundred sons, but they</l> +<l>Were smitten in a single day.<note place="foot">See <ref target="CantoI-LIX">Book I, +Canto LIX</ref>.</note></l> +<l>And she, the queen whom all revere,</l> +<l>The mother whom we hold so dear,</l> +<l>The earth herself not seldom feels</l> +<l>Fierce fever when she shakes and reels.</l> +<l>And those twin lights, the world's great eyes,</l> +<l>On which the universe relies,—</l> +<l>Does not eclipse at times assail</l> +<l>Their brilliance till their fires grow pale?</l> +<l>The mighty Powers, the Immortal Blest</l> +<l>Bend to a law which none contest.</l> +<l>No God, no bodied life is free</l> +<l>From conquering Fate's supreme decree.</l> +<l>E'en Śakra's self must reap the meed</l> +<l>Of virtue and of sinful deed.</l> +<l>And O great lord of men, wilt thou</l> +<l>Helpless beneath thy misery bow?</l> +<l>No, if thy dame be lost or dead,</l> +<l>O hero, still be comforted,</l> +<l>Nor yield for ever to thy woe</l> +<l>O'ermastered like the mean and low.</l> +<l>Thy peers, with keen far-reaching eyes,</l> +<l>Spend not their hours in ceaseless sighs;</l> +<l>In dire distress, in whelming ill</l> +<l>Their manly looks are hopeful still.</l> +<l>To this, great chief, thy reason bend,</l> +<l>And earnestly the truth perpend.</l> +<l>By reason's aid the wisest learn</l> +<l>The good and evil to discern.</l> +<l>With sin and goodness scarcely known</l> +<l>Faint light by chequered lives is shown;</l> +<l>Without some clear undoubted deed</l> +<l>We mark not how the fruits succeed.</l> +<l>In time of old, O thou most brave,</l> +<l>To me thy lips such counsel gave.</l> +<l>Vṛihaspati<note place="foot">The preceptor of the Gods.</note> can scarcely find</l> +<l>New wisdom to instruct thy mind.</l> +<l>For thine is wit and genius high</l> +<l>Meet for the children of the sky.</l> +<l>I rouse that heart benumbed by pain</l> +<l>And call to vigorous life again.</l> +<l>Be manly godlike vigour shown;</l> +<l>Put forth that noblest strength, thine own.</l> +<pb n="308"/><anchor id="Pg308"/> +<l>Strive, best of old Ikshváku's strain,</l> +<l>Strive till the conquered foe be slain.</l> +<l>Where is the profit or the joy</l> +<l>If thy fierce rage the worlds destroy?</l> +<l>Search till thou find the guilty foe,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Then let thy hand no mercy show.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LXVIII"/> +<head>Canto LXVIII. Jatáyus.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus faithful Lakshmaṇ strove to cheer</l> +<l>The prince with counsel wise and clear.</l> +<l>Who, prompt to seize the pith of all,</l> +<l>Let not that wisdom idly fall.</l> +<l>With vigorous effort he restrained</l> +<l>The passion in his breast that reigned,</l> +<l>And leaning on his bow for rest</l> +<l>His brother Lakshmaṇ thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">How shall we labour now, reflect;</q></l> +<l>Whither again our search direct?</l> +<l>Brother, what plan canst thou devise</l> +<l><q rend="post">To bring her to these longing eyes?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To him by toil and sorrow tried</l> +<l>The prudent Lakshmaṇ thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Come, though our labour yet be vain,</q></l> +<l>And search through Janasthán again,—</l> +<l>A realm where giant foes abound,</l> +<l>And trees and creepers hide the ground.</l> +<l>For there are caverns deep and dread,</l> +<l>By deer and wild birds tenanted,</l> +<l>And hills with many a dark abyss,</l> +<l>Grotto and rock and precipice.</l> +<l>There bright Gandharvas love to dwell,</l> +<l>And Kinnars in each bosky dell.</l> +<l>With me thy eager search to aid</l> +<l>Be every hill and cave surveyed.</l> +<l>Great chiefs like thee, the best of men,</l> +<l>Endowed with sense and piercing ken,</l> +<l>Though tried by trouble never fail,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Like rooted hills that mock the gale.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma, pierced by anger's sting,</l> +<l>Laid a keen arrow on his string,</l> +<l>And by the faithful Lakshmaṇ's side</l> +<l>Roamed through the forest far and wide.</l> +<l>Jaṭáyus there with blood-drops dyed,</l> +<l>Lying upon the ground he spied,</l> +<l>Huge as a mountain's shattered crest,</l> +<l>Mid all the birds of air the best.</l> +<l>In wrath the mighty bird he eyed,</l> +<l>And thus the chief to Lakshmaṇ cried:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Ah me, these signs the truth betray;</q></l> +<l>My darling was the vulture's prey.</l> +<l>Some demon in the bird's disguise</l> +<l>Roams through the wood that round us lies.</l> +<l>On large-eyed Sítá he has fed,</l> +<l>And rests him now with wings outspread.</l> +<l>But my keen shafts whose flight is true,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Shall pierce the ravenous monster through.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">An arrow on the string he laid,</l> +<l>And rushing near the bird surveyed,</l> +<l>While earth to ocean's distant side</l> +<l>Trembled beneath his furious stride.</l> +<l>With blood and froth on neck and beak</l> +<l>The dying bird essayed to speak,</l> +<l>And with a piteous voice, distressed,</l> +<l>Thus Daśaratha's son addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">She whom like some sweet herb of grace</q></l> +<l>Thou seekest in this lonely place,</l> +<l>Fair lady, is fierce Rávaṇ's prey,</l> +<l>Who took, beside, my life away.</l> +<l>Lakshmaṇ and thou had parted hence</l> +<l>And left the dame without defence.</l> +<l>I saw her swiftly borne away</l> +<l>By Rávaṇ's might which none could stay.</l> +<l>I hurried to the lady's aid,</l> +<l>I crushed his car and royal shade,</l> +<l>And putting forth my warlike might</l> +<l>Hurled Rávaṇ to the earth in fight.</l> +<l>Here, Ráma, lies his broken bow,</l> +<l>Here lie the arrows of the foe.</l> +<l>There on the ground before thee are</l> +<l>The fragments of his battle car.</l> +<l>There bleeds the driver whom my wings</l> +<l>Beat down with ceaseless buffetings.</l> +<l>When toil my aged strength subdued,</l> +<l>His sword my weary pinions hewed.</l> +<l>Then lifting up the dame he bare</l> +<l>His captive through the fields of air.</l> +<l>Thy vengeful blows from me restrain,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Already by the giant slain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Ráma heard the vulture tell</l> +<l>The tale that proved his love so well,</l> +<l>His bow upon the ground he placed,</l> +<l>And tenderly the bird embraced:</l> +<l>Then to the earth he fell o'erpowered,</l> +<l>And burning tears both brothers showered,</l> +<l>For double pain and anguish pressed</l> +<l>Upon the patient hero's breast.</l> +<l>The solitary bird he eyed</l> +<l>Who in the lone wood gasped and sighed,</l> +<l>And as again his anguish woke</l> +<l>Thus Ráma to his brother spoke:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Expelled from power the woods I tread,</q></l> +<l>My spouse is lost, the bird is dead.</l> +<l>A fate so sad, I ween, would tame</l> +<l>The vigour of the glorious flame.</l> +<l>If I to cool my fever tried</l> +<l>To cross the deep from side to side,</l> +<l>The sea,—so hard my fate,—would dry</l> +<l>His waters as my feet came nigh.</l> +<l>In all this world there lives not one</l> +<l>So cursed as I beneath the sun;</l> +<l>So strong a net of misery cast</l> +<l>Around me holds the captive fast,</l> +<l>Best of all birds that play the wing,</l> +<l>Loved, honoured by our sire the king,</l> +<l>The vulture, in my fate enwound,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Lies bleeding, dying on the ground.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma and his brother stirred</l> +<pb n="309"/><anchor id="Pg309"/> +<l>By pity mourned the royal bird,</l> +<l>And, as their hands his limbs caressed,</l> +<l>Affection for a sire expressed.</l> +<l>And Ráma to his bosom strained</l> +<l>The bird with mangled wings distained,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With crimson blood-drops dyed.</l> +<l>He fell, and shedding many a tear,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Where is my spouse than life more dear?</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Where is my love?</q> he cried.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LXIX"/> +<head>Canto LXIX. The Death Of Jatáyus.</head> + +<lg> +<l>As Ráma viewed with heart-felt pain</l> +<l>The vulture whom the fiend had slain,</l> +<l>In words with tender love impressed</l> +<l>His brother chief he thus addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">This royal bird with faithful thought</q></l> +<l>For my advantage strove and fought.</l> +<l>Slain by the fiend in mortal strife</l> +<l>For me he yields his noble life.</l> +<l>See, Lakshmaṇ, how his wounds have bled;</l> +<l>His struggling breath will soon have fled.</l> +<l>Faint is his voice, and near to die,</l> +<l>He scarce can lift his trembling eye.</l> +<l>Jaṭáyus, if thou still can speak,</l> +<l>Give, give the answer that I seek.</l> +<l>The fate of ravished Sítá tell,</l> +<l>And how thy mournful chance befell.</l> +<l>Say why the giant stole my dame:</l> +<l>What have I done that he could blame?</l> +<l>What fault in me has Rávaṇ seen</l> +<l>That he should rob me of my queen?</l> +<l>How looked the lady's moon-bright cheek?</l> +<l>What were the words she found to speak?</l> +<l>His strength, his might, his deeds declare:</l> +<l>And tell the form he loves to wear.</l> +<l>To all my questions make reply:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Where does the giant's dwelling lie?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The noble bird his glances bent</l> +<l>On Ráma as he made lament,</l> +<l>And in low accents faint and weak</l> +<l>With anguish thus began to speak:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Fierce Rávaṇ, king of giant race,</q></l> +<l>Stole Sítá from thy dwelling-place.</l> +<l>He calls his magic art to aid</l> +<l>With wind and cloud and gloomy shade.</l> +<l>When in the fight my power was spent</l> +<l>My wearied wings he cleft and rent.</l> +<l>Then round the dame his arms he threw,</l> +<l>And to the southern region flew.</l> +<l>O Raghu's son, I gasp for breath,</l> +<l>My swimming sight is dim in death.</l> +<l>E'en now before my vision pass</l> +<l>Bright trees of gold with hair of grass,</l> +<l>The hour the impious robber chose</l> +<l>Brings on the thief a flood of woes.</l> +<l>The giant in his haste forgot</l> +<l>'Twas Vinda's hour,<note place="foot">From the root <hi rend='italic'>vid</hi>, +to find.</note> or heeded not.</l> +<l>Those robbed at such a time obtain</l> +<l>Their plundered store and wealth again.</l> +<l>He, like a fish that takes the bait,</l> +<l>In briefest time shall meet his fate.</l> +<l>Now be thy troubled heart controlled</l> +<l>And for thy lady's loss consoled,</l> +<l>For thou wilt slay the fiend in fight</l> +<l><q rend="post">And with thy dame have new delight.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With senses clear, though sorely tried,</l> +<l>The royal vulture thus replied,</l> +<l>While as he sank beneath his pain</l> +<l>Forth rushed the tide of blood again.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Him,<note place="foot">Rávaṇ.</note> brother of the Lord of Gold,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Viśravas' self begot of old.</q></l> +<l>Thus spoke the bird, and stained with gore</l> +<l>Resigned the breath that came no more.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Speak, speak again!</q> thus Ráma cried,</l> +<l>With reverent palm to palm applied,</l> +<l>But from the frame the spirit fled</l> +<l>And to the skiey regions sped.</l> +<l>The breath of life had passed away.</l> +<l>Stretched on the ground the body lay.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Ráma saw the vulture lie,</l> +<l>Huge as a hill, with darksome eye,</l> +<l>With many a poignant woe distressed</l> +<l>His brother chief he thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Amid these haunted shades content</q></l> +<l>Full many a year this bird has spent.</l> +<l>His life in home of giants passed,</l> +<l>In Daṇḍak wood he dies at last.</l> +<l>The years in lengthened course have fled</l> +<l>Untroubled o'er the vulture's head,</l> +<l>And now he lies in death, for none</l> +<l>The stern decrees of Fate may shun.</l> +<l>See, Lakshmaṇ, how the vulture fell</l> +<l>While for my sake he battled well.</l> +<l>And strove to free with onset bold</l> +<l>My Sítá from the giant's hold.</l> +<l>Supreme amid the vulture kind</l> +<l>His ancient rule the bird resigned,</l> +<l>And conquered in the fruitless strife</l> +<l>Gave for my sake his noble life.</l> +<l>O Lakshmaṇ, many a time we see</l> +<l>Great souls who keep the law's decree,</l> +<l>With whom the weak sure refuge find,</l> +<l>In creatures of inferior kind.</l> +<l>The loss of her, my darling queen,</l> +<l>Strikes with a pang less fiercely keen</l> +<l>Than now this slaughtered bird to see</l> +<l>Who nobly fought and died for me.</l> +<l>As Daśaratha, good and great,</l> +<l>Was glorious in his high estate,</l> +<l>Honoured by all, to all endeared,</l> +<l>So was this royal bird revered.</l> +<l>Bring fuel for the funeral rite:</l> +<l>These hands the solemn fire shall light</l> +<pb n="310"/><anchor id="Pg310"/> +<l>And on the burning pyre shall lay</l> +<l>The bird who died for me to-day.</l> +<l>Now on the gathered wood shall lie</l> +<l>The lord of all the birds that fly,</l> +<l>And I will burn with honours due</l> +<l>My champion whom the giant slew.</l> +<l>O royal bird of noblest heart,</l> +<l>Graced with all funeral rites depart</l> +<l>To bright celestial seats above,</l> +<l>Rewarded for thy faithful love.</l> +<l>Dwell in thy happy home with those</l> +<l>Whose constant fires of worship rose.</l> +<l>Live blest amid the unyielding brave,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And those who land in largess gave.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sore grief upon his bosom weighed</l> +<l>As on the pyre the bird he laid,</l> +<l>And bade the kindled flame ascend</l> +<l>To burn the body of his friend.</l> +<l>Then with his brother by his side</l> +<l>The hero to the forest hied.</l> +<l>There many a stately deer he slew,</l> +<l>The flesh around the bird to strew.</l> +<l>The venison into balls he made,</l> +<l>And on fair grass before him laid.</l> +<l>Then that the parted soul might rise</l> +<l>And find free passage to the skies,</l> +<l>Each solemn word and text he said</l> +<l>Which Bráhmans utter o'er the dead.</l> +<l>Then hastening went the princely pair</l> +<l>To bright Godávarí, and there</l> +<l>Libations of the stream they poured</l> +<l>In honour of the vulture lord,</l> +<l>With solemn ritual to the slain,</l> +<l>As scripture's holy texts ordain.</l> +<l>Thus offerings to the bird they gave</l> +<l>And bathed their bodies in the wave.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l>The vulture monarch having wrought</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A hard and glorious feat,</l> +<l>Honoured by Ráma sage in thought,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Soared to his blissful seat.</l> +<l>The brothers, when each rite was paid</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To him of birds supreme,</l> +<l>Their hearts with new-found comfort stayed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And turned them from the stream.</l> +<l>Like sovereigns of celestial race</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Within the wood they came,</l> +<l>Each pondering the means to trace,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The captor of the dame.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LXX"/> +<head>Canto LXX. Kabandha.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When every rite was duly paid</l> +<l>The princely brothers onward strayed,</l> +<l>And eager in the lady's quest</l> +<l>They turned their footsteps to the west.</l> +<l>Through lonely woods that round them lay</l> +<l>Ikshváku's children made their way,</l> +<l>And armed with bow and shaft and brand</l> +<l>Pressed onward to the southern land.</l> +<l>Thick trees and shrubs and creepers grew</l> +<l>In the wild grove they hurried through.</l> +<l>'Twas dark and drear and hard to pass</l> +<l>For tangled thorns and matted grass.</l> +<l>Still onward with a southern course</l> +<l>They made their way with vigorous force,</l> +<l>And passing through the mazes stood</l> +<l>Beyond that vast and fearful wood.</l> +<l>With toil and hardship yet unspent</l> +<l>Three leagues from Janasthán they went,</l> +<l>And speeding on their way at last</l> +<l>Within the wood of Krauncha<note place="foot">Or Curlews' Wood.</note> passed:</l> +<l>A fearful forest wild and black</l> +<l>As some huge pile of cloudy rack,</l> +<l>Filled with all birds and beasts, where grew</l> +<l>Bright blooms of every varied hue.</l> +<l>On Sítá bending every thought</l> +<l>Through all the mighty wood they sought,</l> +<l>And at the lady's loss dismayed</l> +<l>Here for a while and there they stayed.</l> +<l>Then turning farther eastward they</l> +<l>Pursued three leagues their weary way,</l> +<l>Passed Krauncha's wood and reached the grove</l> +<l>Where elephants rejoiced to rove.</l> +<l>The chiefs that awful wood surveyed</l> +<l>Where deer and wild birds filled each glade,</l> +<l>Where scarce a step the foot could take</l> +<l>For tangled shrub and tree and brake.</l> +<l>There in a mountain's woody side</l> +<l>A cave the royal brothers spied,</l> +<l>With dread abysses deep as hell,</l> +<l>Where darkness never ceased to dwell.</l> +<l>When, pressing on, the lords of men</l> +<l>Stood near the entrance of the den,</l> +<l>They saw within the dark recess</l> +<l>A huge misshapen giantess;</l> +<l>A thing the timid heart that shook</l> +<l>With fearful shape and savage look.</l> +<l>Terrific fiend, her voice was fierce,</l> +<l>Long were her teeth to rend and pierce.</l> +<l>The monster gorged her horrid feast</l> +<l>Of flesh of many a savage beast,</l> +<l>While her long locks, at random flung,</l> +<l>Dishevelled o'er her shoulders hung.</l> +<l>Their eyes the royal brothers raised,</l> +<l>And on the fearful monster gazed.</l> +<l>Forth from her den she came and glanced</l> +<l>At Lakshmaṇ as he first advanced,</l> +<l>Her eager arms to hold him spread,</l> +<l>And <q>Come and be my love</q> she said,</l> +<l>Then as she held him to her breast,</l> +<l>The prince in words like these addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Behold thy treasure fond and fair:</q></l> +<l>Ayomukhi<note place="foot">Iron-faced.</note> the name I bear.</l> +<pb n="311"/><anchor id="Pg311"/> +<l>In thickets of each lofty hill,</l> +<l>On islets of each brook and rill,</l> +<l>With me delighted shalt thou play,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And live for many a lengthened day.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Enraged he heard the monster woo;</l> +<l>His ready sword he swiftly drew,</l> +<l>And the sharp steel that quelled his foes</l> +<l>Cut through her breast and ear and nose.</l> +<l>Thus mangled by his vengeful sword</l> +<l>In rage and pain the demon roared,</l> +<l>And hideous with her awful face</l> +<l>Sped to her secret dwelling place.</l> +<l>Soon as the fiend had fled from sight,</l> +<l>The brothers, dauntless in their might,</l> +<l>Reached a wild forest dark and dread</l> +<l>Whose tangled ways were hard to tread.</l> +<l>Then bravest Lakshmaṇ, virtuous youth,</l> +<l>The friend of purity and truth,</l> +<l>With reverent palm to palm applied</l> +<l>Thus to his glorious brother cried:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">My arm presaging throbs amain,</q></l> +<l>My troubled heart is sick with pain,</l> +<l>And cheerless omens ill portend</l> +<l>Where'er my anxious eyes I bend.</l> +<l>Dear brother, hear my words: advance</l> +<l>Resolved and armed for every chance,</l> +<l>For every sign I mark to-day</l> +<l>Foretells a peril in the way.</l> +<l>This bird of most ill-omened note,</l> +<l>Loud screaming with discordant throat,</l> +<l>Announces with a warning cry</l> +<l><q rend="post">That strife and victory are nigh.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then as the chiefs their search pursued</l> +<l>Throughout the dreary solitude,</l> +<l>They heard amazed a mighty sound</l> +<l>That broke the very trees around,</l> +<l>As though a furious tempest passed</l> +<l>Crushing the wood beneath its blast.</l> +<l>Then Ráma raised his trusty sword,</l> +<l>And both the hidden cause explored.</l> +<l>There stood before their wondering eyes</l> +<l>A fiend broad-chested, huge of size.</l> +<l>A vast misshapen trunk they saw</l> +<l>In height surpassing nature's law.</l> +<l>It stood before them dire and dread</l> +<l>Without a neck, without a head.</l> +<l>Tall as some hill aloft in air,</l> +<l>Its limbs were clothed with bristling hair,</l> +<l>And deep below the monster's waist</l> +<l>His vast misshapen mouth was placed.</l> +<l>His form was huge, his voice was loud</l> +<l>As some dark-tinted thunder cloud.</l> +<l>Forth from his ample chest there came</l> +<l>A brilliance as of gushing flame.</l> +<l>Beneath long lashes, dark and keen</l> +<l>The monster's single eye was seen.</l> +<l>Deep in his chest, long, fiercely bright,</l> +<l>It glittered with terrific light.</l> +<l>He swallowed down his savage fare</l> +<l>Of lion, bird, and slaughtered bear,</l> +<l>And with huge teeth exposed to view</l> +<l>O'er his great lips his tongue he drew.</l> +<l>His arms unshapely, vast and dread,</l> +<l>A league in length, he raised and spread.</l> +<l>He seized with monstrous hands a herd</l> +<l>Of deer and many a bear and bird.</l> +<l>Among them all he picked and chose,</l> +<l>Drew forward these, rejected those.</l> +<l>Before the princely pair he stood</l> +<l>Barring their passage through the wood.</l> +<l>A league of shade the chiefs had passed</l> +<l>When on the fiend their eyes they cast.</l> +<l>A monstrous shape without a head</l> +<l>With mighty arms before him spread,</l> +<l>They saw that hideous trunk appear</l> +<l>That struck the trembling eye with fear.</l> +<l>Then, stretching to their full extent</l> +<l>His awful arms with fingers bent,</l> +<l>Round Raghu's princely sons he cast</l> +<l>Each grasping limb and held them fast.</l> +<l>Though strong of arm and fierce in fight,</l> +<l>Each armed with bow and sword to smite,</l> +<l>The royal brothers, brave and bold,</l> +<l>Were helpless in the giant's hold.</l> +<l>Then Raghu's son, heroic still,</l> +<l>Felt not a pang his bosom thrill;</l> +<l>But young, with no protection near,</l> +<l>His brother's heart was sad with fear,</l> +<l>And thus with trembling tongue he said</l> +<l>To Ráma, sore disquieted:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Ah me, ah me, my days are told:</q></l> +<l>O see me in the giant's hold.</l> +<l>Fly, son of Raghu, swiftly flee,</l> +<l>And thy dear self from danger free.</l> +<l>Me to the fiend an offering give;</l> +<l>Fly at thine ease thyself and live.</l> +<l>Thou, great Kakutstha's son, I ween,</l> +<l>Wilt find ere long thy Maithil queen,</l> +<l>And when thou holdest, throned again,</l> +<l>Thine old hereditary reign,</l> +<l>With servants prompt to do thy will,</l> +<l><q rend="post">O think upon thy brother still.</q></l> +<l>As thus the trembling Lakshmaṇ cried,</l> +<l>The dauntless Ráma thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Brother, from causeless dread forbear.</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">A chief like thee should scorn despair.</q></l> +<l>He spoke to soothe his wild alarm:</l> +<l>Then fierce Kabandha<note place="foot">Kabandha means a trunk.</note> long of arm,</l> +<l>Among the Dánavs<note place="foot">A class of mythological giants. In the +Epic period they were probably personifications of the aborigines of India.</note> +first and best,</l> +<l>The sons of Raghu thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What men are you, whose shoulders show</q></l> +<l>Broad as a bull's, with sword and bow,</l> +<l>Who roam this dark and horrid place,</l> +<l>Brought by your fate before my face?</l> +<l>Declare by what occasion led</l> +<l>These solitary wilds you tread,</l> +<l>With swords and bows and shafts to pierce,</l> +<pb n="312"/><anchor id="Pg312"/> +<l>Like bulls whose horns are strong and fierce.</l> +<l>Why have you sought this forest land</l> +<l>Where wild with hunger's pangs I stand?</l> +<l>Now as your steps my path have crossed</l> +<l><q rend="post">Esteem your lives already lost.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The royal brothers heard with dread</l> +<l>The words which fierce Kabandha said.</l> +<l>And Ráma to his brother cried,</l> +<l>Whose cheek by blanching fear was dried:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Alas, we fall, O valiant chief,</q></l> +<l>From sorrow into direr grief,</l> +<l>Still mourning her I hold so dear</l> +<l>We see our own destruction near.</l> +<l>Mark, brother, mark what power has time</l> +<l>O'er all that live, in every clime.</l> +<l>Now, lord of men, thyself and me</l> +<l>Involved in fatal danger see.</l> +<l>'Tis not, be sure, the might of Fate</l> +<l>That crushes all with deadly weight.</l> +<l>Ne'er can the brave and strong, who know</l> +<l>The use of spear and sword and bow,</l> +<l>The force of conquering time withstand,</l> +<l><q rend="post">But fall like barriers built of sand.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l>Thus in calm strength which naught could shake</l> +<l>The son of Daśaratha spake,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With glory yet unstained</l> +<l>Upon Sumitrá's son he bent</l> +<l>His eyes, and firm in his intent</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His dauntless heart maintained.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LXXI"/> +<head>Canto LXXI. Kabandha's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Kabandha saw each chieftain stand</l> +<l>Imprisoned by his mighty hand,</l> +<l>Which like a snare around him pressed</l> +<l>And thus the royal pair addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why, warriors, are your glances bent</q></l> +<l>On me whom hungry pangs torment?</l> +<l>Why stand with wildered senses? Fate</l> +<l><q rend="post">Has brought you now my maw to sate.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Lakshmaṇ heard, a while appalled,</l> +<l>His ancient courage he recalled,</l> +<l>And to his brother by his side</l> +<l>With seasonable counsel cried:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">This vilest of the giant race</q></l> +<l>Will draw us to his side apace.</l> +<l>Come, rouse thee; let the vengeful sword</l> +<l>Smite off his arms, my honoured lord.</l> +<l>This awful giant, vast of size,</l> +<l>On his huge strength of arm relies,</l> +<l>And o'er the world victorious, thus</l> +<l>With mighty force would slaughter us.</l> +<l>But in cold blood to slay, O King,</l> +<l>Discredit on the brave would bring,</l> +<l>As when some victim in the rite</l> +<l><q rend="post">Shuns not the hand upraised to smite.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The monstrous fiend, to anger stirred,</l> +<l>The converse of the brothers heard.</l> +<l>His horrid mouth he opened wide</l> +<l>And drew the princes to his side.</l> +<l>They, skilled due time and place to note</l> +<l>Unsheathed their glittering swords and smote,</l> +<l>Till from the giant's shoulders they</l> +<l>Had hewn the mighty arms away.</l> +<l>His trenchant falchion Ráma plied</l> +<l>And smote him on the better side,</l> +<l>While valiant Lakshmaṇ on the left</l> +<l>The arm that held him prisoned cleft.</l> +<l>Then to the earth dismembered fell</l> +<l>The monster with a hideous yell,</l> +<l>And like a cloud's his deep roar went</l> +<l>Through earth and air and firmament.</l> +<l>Then as the giant's blood flowed fast,</l> +<l>On his cleft limbs his eye he cast,</l> +<l>And called upon the princely pair</l> +<l>Their names and lineage to declare.</l> +<l>Him then the noble Lakshmaṇ, blest</l> +<l>With fortune's favouring marks, addressed,</l> +<l>And told the fiend his brother's name</l> +<l>And the high blood of which he came:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ikshváku's heir here Ráma stands,</q></l> +<l>Illustrious through a hundred lands.</l> +<l>I, younger brother of the heir,</l> +<l>O fiend, the name of Lakshmaṇ bear.</l> +<l>His mother stole his realm away</l> +<l>And drove him forth in woods to stray.</l> +<l>Thus through the mighty forest he</l> +<l>Roamed with his royal wife and me.</l> +<l>While glorious as a God he made</l> +<l>His dwelling in the greenwood shade,</l> +<l>Some giant stole away his dame,</l> +<l>And seeking her we hither came.</l> +<l>But tell me who thou art, and why</l> +<l>With headless trunk that towered so high,</l> +<l>With flaming face beneath thy chest,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thou liest crushed in wild unrest.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He heard the words that Lakshmaṇ spoke,</l> +<l>And memory in his breast awoke,</l> +<l>Recalling Indra's words to mind</l> +<l>He spoke in gentle tones and kind:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O welcome best of men, are ye</q></l> +<l>Whom, blest by fate, this day I see.</l> +<l>A blessing on each trenchant blade</l> +<l>That low on earth these arms has laid!</l> +<l>Thou, lord of men, incline thine ear</l> +<l>The story of my woe to hear,</l> +<l>While I the rebel pride declare</l> +<l><q rend="post">Which doomed me to the form I wear.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LXXII"/> +<head>Canto LXXII. Kabandha's Tale.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">Lord of the mighty arm, of yore</q></l> +<l>A shape transcending thought I wore,</l> +<l>And through the triple world's extent</l> +<l>My fame for might and valour went.</l> +<pb n="313"/><anchor id="Pg313"/> +<l>Scarce might the sun and moon on high,</l> +<l>Scarce Śakra, with my beauty vie.</l> +<l>Then for a time this form I took,</l> +<l>And the great world with trembling shook.</l> +<l>The saints in forest shades who dwelt</l> +<l>The terror of my presence felt.</l> +<l>But once I stirred to furious rage</l> +<l>Great Sthúlaśiras, glorious sage.</l> +<l>Culling in woods his hermit food</l> +<l>My hideous shape with fear he viewed.</l> +<l>Then forth his words of anger burst</l> +<l>That bade me live a thing accursed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thou, whose delight is others' pain,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">This grisly form shalt still retain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then when I prayed him to relent</l> +<l>And fix some term of punishment,—</l> +<l>Prayed that the curse at length might cease,</l> +<l>He bade me thus expect release:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Let Ráma cleave thine arms away</q></l> +<l>And on the pyre thy body lay,</l> +<l>And then shalt thou, set free from doom,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thine own fair shape once more assume.</q></l> +<l>O Lakshmaṇ, hear my words: in me</l> +<l>The world-illustrious Danu see.</l> +<l>By Indra's curse, subdued in fight,</l> +<l>I wear this form which scares the sight.</l> +<l>By sternest penance long maintained</l> +<l>The mighty Father's grace I gained.</l> +<l>When length of days the God bestowed,</l> +<l>With foolish pride my bosom glowed.</l> +<l>My life, of lengthened years assured,</l> +<l>I deemed from Śakra's might secured.</l> +<l>Let by my senseless pride astray</l> +<l>I challenged Indra to the fray.</l> +<l>A flaming bolt with many a knot</l> +<l>With his terrific arm he shot,</l> +<l>And straight my head and thighs compressed</l> +<l>Were buried in my bulky chest.</l> +<l>Deaf to each prayer and piteous call</l> +<l>He sent me not to Yáma's hall.</l> +<l><q>Thy prayers and cries,</q> he said <q rend="pre">are vain:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">The Father's word must true remain.</q></l> +<l><q rend="pre">But how may lengthened life be spent</q></l> +<l>By one the bolt has torn and rent?</l> +<l><q rend="post">How can I live,</q> I cried, <q rend="pre">unfed,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">With shattered face and thighs and head?</q></l> +<l>As thus I spoke his grace to crave,</l> +<l>Arms each a league in length he gave,</l> +<l>And opened in my chest beneath</l> +<l>This mouth supplied with fearful teeth.</l> +<l>So my huge arms I used to cast</l> +<l>Round woodland creatures as they passed,</l> +<l>And fed within the forest here</l> +<l>On lion, tiger, pard, and deer.</l> +<l>Then Indra spake to soothe my grief:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">When Ráma and his brother chief</q></l> +<l>From thy huge bulk those arms shall cleave,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Then shall the skies thy soul receive.</q></l> +<l>Disguised in this terrific shape</l> +<l>I let no woodland thing escape,</l> +<l>And still my longing soul was pleased</l> +<l>Whene'er my arms a victim seized,</l> +<l>For in these arms I fondly thought</l> +<l>Would Ráma's self at last be caught.</l> +<l>Thus hoping, toiling many a day</l> +<l>I yearned to cast my life away,</l> +<l>And here, my lord, thou standest now:</l> +<l>Blessings be thine! for none but thou</l> +<l>Could cleave my arms with trenchant stroke:</l> +<l>True are the words the hermit spoke.</l> +<l>Now let me, best of warriors, lend</l> +<l>My counsel, and thy plans befriend,</l> +<l>And aid thee with advice in turn</l> +<l><q rend="post">If thou with fire my corse wilt burn.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As thus the mighty Danu prayed</l> +<l>With offer of his friendly aid,</l> +<l>While Lakshmaṇ gazed with anxious eye,</l> +<l>The virtuous Ráma made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Lakshmaṇ and I through forest shade</q></l> +<l>From Janasthán a while had strayed.</l> +<l>When none was near her, Rávaṇ came</l> +<l>And bore away my glorious dame,</l> +<l>The giant's form and size unknown,</l> +<l>I learn as yet his name alone.</l> +<l>Not yet the power and might we know</l> +<l>Or dwelling of the monstrous foe.</l> +<l>With none our helpless feet to guide</l> +<l>We wander here by sorrow tried.</l> +<l>Let pity move thee to requite</l> +<l>Our service in the funeral rite.</l> +<l>Our hands shall bring the boughs that, dry</l> +<l>Where elephants have rent them, lie,</l> +<l>Then dig a pit, and light the fire</l> +<l>To burn thee as the laws require.</l> +<l>Do thou as meed of this declare</l> +<l>Who stole my spouse, his dwelling where.</l> +<l>O, if thou can, I pray thee say,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And let this grace our deeds repay.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Danu had lent attentive ear</l> +<l>The words which Ráma spoke to hear,</l> +<l>And thus, a speaker skilled and tried,</l> +<l>To that great orator replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No heavenly lore my soul endows,</q></l> +<l>Naught know I of thy Maithil spouse.</l> +<l>Yet will I, when my shape I wear,</l> +<l>Him who will tell thee all declare.</l> +<l>Then, Ráma, will my lips disclose</l> +<l>His name who well that giant knows.</l> +<l>But till the flames my corse devour</l> +<l>This hidden knowledge mocks my power.</l> +<l>For through that curse's withering taint</l> +<l>My knowledge now is small and faint.</l> +<l>Unknown the giant's very name</l> +<l>Who bore away the Maithil dame.</l> +<l>Cursed for my evil deeds I wore</l> +<l>A shape which all the worlds abhor.</l> +<l>Now ere with wearied steeds the sun</l> +<l>Through western skies his course have run,</l> +<l>Deep in a pit my body lay</l> +<pb n="314"/><anchor id="Pg314"/> +<l>And burn it in the wonted way.</l> +<l>When in the grave my corse is placed,</l> +<l>With fire and funeral honours graced,</l> +<l>Then I, great chief, his name will tell</l> +<l>Who knows the giant robber well.</l> +<l>With him, who guides his life aright,</l> +<l>In league of trusting love unite,</l> +<l>And he, O valiant prince, will be</l> +<l>A faithful friend and aid to thee.</l> +<l>For, Ráma, to his searching eyes</l> +<l>The triple world uncovered lies.</l> +<l>For some dark cause of old, I ween,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Through all the spheres his ways have been.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LXXIII"/> +<head>Canto LXXIII. Kabandha's Counsel.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The monster ceased: the princely pair</l> +<l>Heard great Kabandha's eager prayer.</l> +<l>Within a mountain cave they sped,</l> +<l>Where kindled fire with care they fed.</l> +<l>Then Lakshmaṇ in his mighty hands</l> +<l>Brought ample store of lighted brands,</l> +<l>And to a pile of logs applied</l> +<l>The flame that ran from side to side.</l> +<l>The spreading glow with gentle force</l> +<l>Consumed Kabandha's mighty corse,</l> +<l>Till the unresting flames had drunk</l> +<l>The marrow of the monstrous trunk,</l> +<l>As balls of butter melt away</l> +<l>Amid the fires that o'er them play.</l> +<l>Then from the pyre, like flame that glows</l> +<l>Undimmed by cloudy smoke, he rose,</l> +<l>In garments pure of spot or speck,</l> +<l>A heavenly wreath about his neck.</l> +<l>Resplendent in his bright attire</l> +<l>He sprang exultant from the pyre.</l> +<l>While from neck, arm, and foot was sent</l> +<l>The flash of gold and ornament.</l> +<l>High on a chariot, bright of hue,</l> +<l>Which swans of fairest pinion drew,</l> +<l>He filled each region of the air</l> +<l>With splendid glow reflected there.</l> +<l>Then in the sky he stayed his car</l> +<l>And called to Ráma from afar:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hear, chieftain, while my lips explain</q></l> +<l>The means to win thy spouse again.</l> +<l>Six plans, O prince, the wise pursue</l> +<l>To reach the aims we hold in view.<note place="foot">Peace, war, marching, halting, +sowing dissensions, and seeking protection.</note></l> +<l>When evils ripening sorely press</l> +<l>They load the wretch with new distress,</l> +<l>So thou and Lakshmaṇ, tried by woe,</l> +<l>Have felt at last a fiercer blow,</l> +<l>And plunged in bitterest grief to-day</l> +<l>Lament thy consort torn away.</l> +<l>There is no course but this: attend;</l> +<l>Make, best of friends, that chief thy friend.</l> +<l>Unless his prospering help thou gain</l> +<l>Thy plans and hopes must all be vain.</l> +<l>O Ráma, hear my words, and seek,</l> +<l>Sugríva, for of him I speak.</l> +<l>His brother Báli, Indra's son,</l> +<l>Expelled him when the fight was won.</l> +<l>With four great chieftains, faithful still,</l> +<l>He dwells on Rishyamúka's hill.—</l> +<l>Fair mountain, lovely with the flow</l> +<l>Of Pampá's waves that glide below,—</l> +<l>Lord of the Vánars<note place="foot">See <ref target="CantoI-XVI">Book I, +Canto XVI</ref>.</note> +just and true,</l> +<l>Strong, very glorious, bright to view,</l> +<l>Unmatched in counsel, firm and meek,</l> +<l>Bound by each word his lips may speak,</l> +<l>Good, splendid, mighty, bold and brave,</l> +<l>Wise in each plan to guide and save.</l> +<l>His brother, fired by lust of sway,</l> +<l>Drove forth the prince in woods to stray.</l> +<l>In all thy search for Sítá he</l> +<l>Thy ready friend and help will be.</l> +<l>With him to aid thee in thy quest</l> +<l>Dismiss all sorrow from thy breast.</l> +<l>Time is a mighty power, and none</l> +<l>His fixed decree can change or shun.</l> +<l>So rich reward thy toil shall bless,</l> +<l>And naught can stay thy sure success.</l> +<l>Speed hence, O chief, without delay,</l> +<l>To strong Sugríva take thy way.</l> +<l>This hour thy footsteps onward bend,</l> +<l>And make that mighty prince thy friend.</l> +<l>With him before the attesting flame</l> +<l>In solemn truth alliance frame.</l> +<l>Nor wilt thou, if thy heart be wise,</l> +<l>Sugríva, Vánar king, despise.</l> +<l>Of boundless strength, all shapes he wears,</l> +<l>He hearkens to a suppliant's prayers,</l> +<l>And, grateful for each kindly deed,</l> +<l>Will help and save in hour of need.</l> +<l>And you, I ween, the power possess</l> +<l>To aid his hopes and give redress.</l> +<l>He, let his cause succeed or fail,</l> +<l>Will help you, and you must prevail.</l> +<l>A banished prince, in fear and woe</l> +<l>He roams where Pampá's waters flow,</l> +<l>True offspring of the Lord of Light</l> +<l>Expelled by Báli's conquering might.</l> +<l>Go, Raghu's son, that chieftain seek</l> +<l>Who dwells on Rishyamúka's peak.</l> +<l>Before the flame thy weapons cast</l> +<l>And bind the bonds of friendship fast.</l> +<l>For, prince of all the Vánar race,</l> +<l>He in his wisdom knows each place</l> +<l>Where dwell the fierce gigantic brood</l> +<l>Who make the flesh of man their food.</l> +<l>To him, O Raghu's son, to him</l> +<l>Naught in the world is dark or dim,</l> +<l>Where'er the mighty Day-God gleams</l> +<l>Resplendent with a thousand beams.</l> +<pb n="315"/><anchor id="Pg315"/> +<l>He over rocky height and hill,</l> +<l>Through gloomy cave, by lake and rill,</l> +<l>Will with his Vánars seek the prize,</l> +<l>And tell thee where thy lady lies.</l> +<l>And he will send great chieftains forth</l> +<l>To east and west and south and north,</l> +<l>To seek the distant spot where she</l> +<l>All desolate laments for thee.</l> +<l>He even in Rávaṇ's halls would find</l> +<l>Thy Sítá, gem of womankind.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Yea, if the blameless lady lay</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">On Meru's loftiest steep,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Or, far removed from light of day,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Where hell is dark and deep,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That chief of all the Vánar race</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">His way would still explore,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Meet the cowed giants face to face</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">And thy dear spouse restore.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LXXIV"/> +<head>Canto LXXIV. Kabandha's Death.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When wise Kabandha thus had taught</l> +<l>The means to find the dame they sought,</l> +<l>And urged them onward in the quest,</l> +<l>He thus again the prince addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">This path, O Raghu's son, pursue</q></l> +<l>Where those fair trees which charm the view,</l> +<l>Extending westward far away,</l> +<l>The glory of their bloom display,</l> +<l>Where their bright leaves Rose-apples show,</l> +<l>And the tall Jak and Mango grow.</l> +<l>Whene'er you will, those trees ascend,</l> +<l>Or the long branches shake and bend,</l> +<l>Their savoury fruit like Amrit eat,</l> +<l>Then onward speed with willing feet.</l> +<l>Beyond this shady forest, decked</l> +<l>With flowering trees, your course direct.</l> +<l>Another grove you then will find</l> +<l>With every joy to take the mind,</l> +<l>Like Nandan with its charms displayed,</l> +<l>Or Northern Kuru's blissful shade;</l> +<l>Where trees distil their balmy juice,</l> +<l>And fruit through all the year produce;</l> +<l>Where shades with seasons ever fair</l> +<l>With Chaitraratha may compare:</l> +<l>Where trees whose sprays with fruit are bowed</l> +<l>Rise like a mountain or a cloud.</l> +<l>There, when you list, from time to time,</l> +<l>The loaded trees may Lakshmaṇ climb,</l> +<l>Or from the shaken boughs supply</l> +<l>Sweet fruit that may with Amrit vie.</l> +<l>The onward path pursuing still</l> +<l>From wood to wood, from hill to hill,</l> +<l>Your happy eyes at length will rest</l> +<l>On Pampá's lotus-covered breast.</l> +<l>Her banks with gentle slope descend,</l> +<l>Nor stones nor weed the eyes offend,</l> +<l>And o'er smooth beds of silver sand</l> +<l>Lotus and lily blooms expand.</l> +<l>There swans and ducks and curlews play,</l> +<l>And keen-eyed ospreys watch their prey,</l> +<l>And from the limpid waves are heard</l> +<l>Glad notes of many a water-bird.</l> +<l>Untaught a deadly foe to fear</l> +<l>They fly not when a man is near,</l> +<l>And fat as balls of butter they</l> +<l>Will, when you list, your hunger stay.</l> +<l>Then Lakshmaṇ with his shafts will take</l> +<l>The fish that swim the brook and lake,</l> +<l>Remove each bone and scale and fin,</l> +<l>Or strip away the speckled skin,</l> +<l>And then on iron skewers broil</l> +<l>For thy repast the savoury spoil.</l> +<l>Thou on a heap of flowers shalt rest</l> +<l>And eat the meal his hands have dressed,</l> +<l>There shalt thou lie on Pampá's brink,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ's hand shall give thee drink,</l> +<l>Filling a lotus leaf with cool</l> +<l>Pure water from the crystal pool,</l> +<l>To which the opening blooms have lent</l> +<l>The riches of divinest scent.</l> +<l>Beside thee at the close of day</l> +<l>Will Lakshmaṇ through the woodland stray,</l> +<l>And show thee where the monkeys sleep</l> +<l>In caves beneath the mountain steep.</l> +<l>Loud-voiced as bulls they forth will burst</l> +<l>And seek the flood, oppressed by thirst;</l> +<l>Then rest a while, their wants supplied,</l> +<l>Their well-fed bands on Pampá's side.</l> +<l>Thou roving there at eve shalt see</l> +<l>Rich clusters hang on shrub and tree,</l> +<l>And Pampá flushed with roseate glow,</l> +<l>And at the view forget thy woe.</l> +<l>There shalt thou mark with strange delight</l> +<l>Each loveliest flower that blooms by night,</l> +<l>While lily buds that shrink from day</l> +<l>Their tender loveliness display.</l> +<l>In that far wild no hand but thine</l> +<l>Those peerless flowers in wreaths shall twine:</l> +<l>Immortal in their changeless pride,</l> +<l>Ne'er fade those blooms and ne'er are dried.</l> +<l>There erst on holy thoughts intent</l> +<l>Their days Matanga's pupils spent.</l> +<l>Once for their master food they sought,</l> +<l>And store of fruit and berries brought.</l> +<l>Then as they laboured through the dell</l> +<l>From limb and brow the heat-drops fell:</l> +<l>Thence sprang and bloomed those wondrous trees:</l> +<l>Such holy power have devotees.</l> +<l>Thus, from the hermits' heat-drops sprung,</l> +<l>Their growth is ever fresh and young.</l> +<l>There Śavarí is dwelling yet,</l> +<l>Who served each vanished anchoret.</l> +<pb n="316"/><anchor id="Pg316"/> +<l>Beneath the shade of holy boughs</l> +<l>That ancient votaress keeps her vows.</l> +<l>Her happy eyes on thee will fall,</l> +<l>O godlike prince, adored by all,</l> +<l>And she, whose life is pure from sin,</l> +<l>A blissful seat in heaven will win.</l> +<l>But cross, O son of Raghu, o'er,</l> +<l>And stand on Pampá's western shore.</l> +<l>A tranquil hermitage that lies</l> +<l>Deep in the woods will meet thine eyes.</l> +<l>No wandering elephants invade</l> +<l>The stillness of that holy shade,</l> +<l>But checked by saint Matanga's power</l> +<l>They spare each consecrated bower.</l> +<l>Through many an age those trees have stood</l> +<l>World-famous as Matanga's wood</l> +<l>Still, Raghu's son, pursue thy way:</l> +<l>Through shades where birds are vocal stray,</l> +<l>Fair as the blessed wood where rove</l> +<l>Immortal Gods, or Nandan's grove.</l> +<l>Near Pampá eastward, full in sight,</l> +<l>Stands Rishyamúka's wood-crowned height.</l> +<l>'Tis hard to climb that towering steep</l> +<l>Where serpents unmolested sleep.</l> +<l>The free and bounteous, formed of old</l> +<l>By Brahmá of superior mould,</l> +<l>Who sink when day is done to rest</l> +<l>Reclining on that mountain crest,—</l> +<l>What wealth or joy in dreams they view,</l> +<l>Awaking find the vision true.</l> +<l>But if a villain stained with crime</l> +<l>That holy hill presume to climb,</l> +<l>The giants in their fury sweep</l> +<l>From the hill top the wretch asleep.</l> +<l>There loud and long is heard the roar</l> +<l>Of elephants on Pampá's shore,</l> +<l>Who near Matanga's dwelling stray</l> +<l>And in those waters bathe and play.</l> +<l>A while they revel by the flood,</l> +<l>Their temples stained with streams like blood,</l> +<l>Then wander far away dispersed,</l> +<l>Dark as huge clouds before they burst.</l> +<l>But ere they part they drink their fill</l> +<l>Of bright pure water from the rill,</l> +<l>Delightful to the touch, where meet</l> +<l>Scents of all flowers divinely sweet,</l> +<l>Then speeding from the river side</l> +<l>Deep in the sheltering thicket hide.</l> +<l>Then bears and tigers shalt thou view</l> +<l>Whose soft skins show the sapphire's hue,</l> +<l>And silvan deer that wander nigh</l> +<l>Shall harmless from thy presence fly.</l> +<l>High in that mountain's wooded side</l> +<l>Is a fair cavern deep and wide,</l> +<l>Yet hard to enter: piles of rock</l> +<l>The portals of the cavern block.<note place="foot">Or as the commentator Tírtha says, +Śilápidháná, rock-covered, may be the name of the cavern.</note></l> +<l>Fast by the eastern door a pool</l> +<l>Gleams with broad waters fresh and cool,</l> +<l>Where stores of roots and fruit abound,</l> +<l>And thick trees shade the grassy ground.</l> +<l>This mountain cave the virtuous-souled</l> +<l>Sugríva, and his Vánars hold,</l> +<l>And oft the mighty chieftain seeks</l> +<l><q rend="post">The summits of those towering peaks.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spake Kabandha high in air</l> +<l>His counsel to the royal pair.</l> +<l>Still on his neck that wreath he bore,</l> +<l>And radiance like the sun's he wore.</l> +<l>Their eyes the princely brothers raised</l> +<l>And on that blissful being gazed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Behold, we go: no more delay;</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Begin,</q> they cried, <q>thy heavenward way.</q></l> +<l><q>Depart,</q> Kabandha's voice replied,</l> +<l><q>Pursue your search, and bliss betide.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus to the happy chiefs he said,</l> +<l>Then on his heavenward journey sped.</l> +<l>Thus once again Kabandha won</l> +<l>A shape that glittered like the sun</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Without a spot or stain.</l> +<l>Thus bade he Ráma from the air</l> +<l>To great Sugríva's side repair</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His friendly love to gain.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LXXV"/> +<head>Canto LXXV. Savarí.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus counselled by their friendly guide</l> +<l>On through the wood the princes hied,</l> +<l>Pursuing still the eastern road</l> +<l>To Pampá which Kabandha showed,</l> +<l>Where trees that on the mountains grew</l> +<l>With fruit like honey charmed the view.</l> +<l>They rested weary for the night</l> +<l>Upon a mountain's wooded height,</l> +<l>Then onward with the dawn they hied</l> +<l>And stood on Pampá's western side,</l> +<l>Where Śavarí's fair home they viewed</l> +<l>Deep in that shady solitude.</l> +<l>The princes reached the holy ground</l> +<l>Where noble trees stood thick around,</l> +<l>And joying in the lovely view</l> +<l>Near to the aged votaress drew.</l> +<l>To meet the sons of Raghu came,</l> +<l>With hands upraised, the pious dame,</l> +<l>And bending low with reverence meet</l> +<l>Welcomed them both and pressed their feet.</l> +<l>Then water, as beseems, she gave,</l> +<l>Their lips to cool, their feet to lave.</l> +<l>To that pure saint who never broke</l> +<l>One law of duty Ráma spoke:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">I trust no cares invade thy peace,</q></l> +<l>While holy works and zeal increase;</l> +<l>That thou content with scanty food</l> +<l>All touch of ire hast long subdued;</l> +<l>That all thy vows are well maintained</l> +<pb n="317"/><anchor id="Pg317"/> +<l>While peace of mind is surely gained,</l> +<l>That reverence of the saints who taught</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy faithful heart due fruit has brought.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The aged votaress pure of taint,</l> +<l>Revered by every perfect saint,</l> +<l>Rose to her feet by Ráma's side</l> +<l>And thus in gentle tones replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My penance meed this day I see</q></l> +<l>Complete, my lord, in meeting thee.</l> +<l>This day the fruit of birth I gain,</l> +<l>Nor have I served the saints in vain.</l> +<l>I reap rich fruits of toil and vow,</l> +<l>And heaven itself awaits me now,</l> +<l>When I, O chief of men, have done</l> +<l>Honour to thee the godlike one.</l> +<l>I feel, great lord, thy gentle eye</l> +<l>My earthly spirit purify,</l> +<l>And I, brave tamer of thy foes,</l> +<l>Shall through thy grace in bliss repose.</l> +<l>Thy feet by Chitrakúṭa strayed</l> +<l>When those great saints whom I obeyed,</l> +<l>In dazzling chariots bright of hue,</l> +<l>Hence to their heavenly mansions flew.</l> +<l>As the high saints were borne away</l> +<l>I heard their holy voices say:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">In this pure grove, O devotee,</q></l> +<l>Prince Ráma soon will visit thee.</l> +<l>When he and Lakshmaṇ seek this shade,</l> +<l>Be to thy guests all honour paid.</l> +<l>Him shalt thou see, and pass away</l> +<l><q rend="post">To those blest worlds which ne'er decay.</q></l> +<l>To me, O mighty chief, the best</l> +<l>Of lofty saints these words addressed.</l> +<l>Laid up within my dwelling lie</l> +<l>Fruits of each sort which woods supply,—</l> +<l>Food culled for thee in endless store</l> +<l><q rend="post">From every tree on Pampá's shore.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus to her virtuous guest she sued</l> +<l>And he, with heavenly lore endued,</l> +<l>Words such as these in turn addressed</l> +<l>To her with equal knowledge blest:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Danu himself the power has told</q></l> +<l>Of thy great masters lofty-souled.</l> +<l>Now if thou will, mine eyes would fain</l> +<l><q rend="post">Assurance of their glories gain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She heard the prince his wish declare:</l> +<l>Then rose she, and the royal pair</l> +<l>Of brothers through the wood she led</l> +<l>That round her holy dwelling spread.</l> +<l><q>Behold Matanga's wood</q> she cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">A grove made famous far and wide.</q></l> +<l>Dark as thick clouds and filled with herds</l> +<l>Of wandering deer, and joyous birds.</l> +<l>In this pure spot each reverend sire</l> +<l>With offerings fed the holy fire.</l> +<l>See here the western altar stands</l> +<l>Where daily with their trembling hands</l> +<l>The aged saints, so long obeyed</l> +<l>By me, their gifts of blossoms laid.</l> +<l>The holy power, O Raghu's son,</l> +<l>By their ascetic virtue won,</l> +<l>Still keeps their well-loved altar bright,</l> +<l>Filling the air with beams of light.</l> +<l>And those seven neighbouring lakes behold</l> +<l>Which, when the saints infirm and old,</l> +<l>Worn out by fasts, no longer sought,</l> +<l>Moved hither drawn by power of thought.</l> +<l>Look, Ráma, where the devotees</l> +<l>Hung their bark mantles on the trees,</l> +<l>Fresh from the bath: those garments wet</l> +<l>Through many a day are dripping yet.</l> +<l>See, through those aged hermits' power</l> +<l>The tender spray, this bright-hued flower</l> +<l>With which the saints their worship paid,</l> +<l>Fresh to this hour nor change nor fade.</l> +<l>Here thou hast seen each lawn and dell,</l> +<l>And heard the tale I had to tell:</l> +<l>Permit thy servant, lord, I pray,</l> +<l>To cast this mortal shell away,</l> +<l>For I would dwell, this life resigned,</l> +<l>With those great saints of lofty mind,</l> +<l>Whom I within this holy shade</l> +<l><q rend="post">With reverential care obeyed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Ráma and his brother heard</l> +<l>The pious prayer the dame preferred,</l> +<l>Filled full of transport and amazed</l> +<l>They marvelled as her words they praised.</l> +<l>Then Ráma to the votaress said</l> +<l>Whose holy vows were perfected:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Go, lady, where thou fain wouldst be,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">O thou who well hast honoured me.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Her locks in hermit fashion tied,</l> +<l>Clad in bark coat and black deer-hide,</l> +<l>When Ráma gave consent, the dame</l> +<l>Resigned her body to the flame.</l> +<l>Then like the fire that burns and glows,</l> +<l>To heaven the sainted lady rose,</l> +<l>In all her heavenly garments dressed,</l> +<l>Immortal wreaths on neck and breast,</l> +<l>Bright with celestial gems she shone</l> +<l>Most beautiful to look upon,</l> +<l>And like the flame of lightning sent</l> +<l>A glory through the firmament.</l> +<l>That holy sphere the dame attained,</l> +<l>By depth of contemplation gained,</l> +<l>Where roam high saints with spirits pure</l> +<l>In bliss that shall for aye endure.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIII-LXXVI"/> +<head>Canto LXXVI. Pampá.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Śavarí had sought the skies</l> +<l>And gained her splendid virtue's prize,</l> +<l>Ráma with Lakshmaṇ stayed to brood</l> +<l>O'er the strange scenes their eyes had viewed.</l> +<l>His mind upon those saints was bent,</l> +<l>For power and might preëminent</l> +<l>And he to musing Lakshmaṇ spoke</l> +<l>The thoughts that in his bosom woke:</l> +<pb n="318"/><anchor id="Pg318"/> +<l><q rend="pre">Mine eyes this wondrous home have viewed</q></l> +<l>Of those great saints with souls subdued,</l> +<l>Where peaceful tigers dwell and birds,</l> +<l>And deer abound in heedless herds.</l> +<l>Our feet upon the banks have stood</l> +<l>Of those seven lakes within the wood,</l> +<l>Where we have duly dipped, and paid</l> +<l>Libations to each royal shade.</l> +<l>Forgotten now are thoughts of ill</l> +<l>And joyful hopes my bosom fill.</l> +<l>Again my heart is light and gay</l> +<l>And grief and care have passed away.</l> +<l>Come, brother, let us hasten where</l> +<l>Bright Pampá's flood is fresh and fair,</l> +<l>And towering in their beauty near</l> +<l>Mount Rishyamúka's heights appear,</l> +<l>Which, offspring of the Lord of Light,</l> +<l>Still fearing Báli's conquering might,</l> +<l>With four brave chiefs of Vánar race</l> +<l>Sugríva makes his dwelling-place.</l> +<l>I long with eager heart to find</l> +<l>That leader of the Vánar kind,</l> +<l>For on that chief my hopes depend</l> +<l><q rend="post">That this our quest have prosperous end.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma spoke, in battle tried,</l> +<l>And thus Sumitrá's son replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Come, brother, come, and speed away:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">My spirit brooks no more delay.</q></l> +<l>Thus spake Sumitrá's son, and then</l> +<l>Forth from the grove the king of men</l> +<l>With his dear brother by his side</l> +<l>To Pampá's lucid waters hied.</l> +<l>He gazed upon the woods where grew</l> +<l>Trees rich in flowers of every hue.</l> +<l>From brake and dell on every side</l> +<l>The curlew and the peacock cried,</l> +<l>And flocks of screaming parrots made</l> +<l>Shrill music in the bloomy shade.</l> +<l>His eager eyes, as on he went,</l> +<l>On many a pool and tree were bent.</l> +<l>Inflamed with love he journeyed on</l> +<l>Till a fair flood before him shone.</l> +<l>He stood upon the water's side</l> +<l>Which streams from distant hills supplied:</l> +<l>Matanga's name that water bore:</l> +<l>There bathed he from the shelving shore.</l> +<l>Then, each on earnest thoughts intent,</l> +<l>Still farther on their way they went.</l> +<l>But Ráma's heart once more gave way</l> +<l>Beneath his grief and wild dismay.</l> +<l>Before him lay the noble flood</l> +<l>Adorned with many a lotus bud.</l> +<l>On its fair banks Aśoka glowed,</l> +<l>And all bright trees their blossoms showed.</l> +<l>Green banks that silver waves confined</l> +<l>With lovely groves were fringed and lined.</l> +<l>The crystal waters in their flow</l> +<l>Showed level sands that gleamed below.</l> +<l>There glittering fish and tortoise played,</l> +<l>And bending trees gave pleasant shade.</l> +<l>There creepers on the branches hung</l> +<l>With lover-like embraces clung.</l> +<l>There gay Gandharvas loved to meet,</l> +<l>And Kinnars sought the calm retreat.</l> +<l>There wandering Yakshas found delight,</l> +<l>Snake-gods and rovers of the night.</l> +<l>Cool were the pleasant waters, gay</l> +<l>Each tree with creeper, flower, and spray.</l> +<l>There flushed the lotus darkly red,</l> +<l>Here their white glory lilies spread,</l> +<l>Here sweet buds showed their tints of blue:</l> +<l>So carpets gleam with many a hue.</l> +<l>A grove of Mangoes blossomed nigh,</l> +<l>Echoing with the peacock's cry.</l> +<l>When Ráma by his brother's side</l> +<l>The lovely flood of Pampá eyed,</l> +<l>Decked like a beauty, fair to see</l> +<l>With every charm of flower and tree,</l> +<l>His mighty heart with woe was rent</l> +<l>And thus he spoke in wild lament</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Here, Lakshmaṇ, on this beauteous shore,</q></l> +<l>Stands, dyed with tints of many an ore,</l> +<l>The mountain Rishyamúka bright</l> +<l>With flowery trees that crown each height.</l> +<l>Sprung from the chief who, famed of yore,</l> +<l>The name of Riksharajas bore,</l> +<l>Sugríva, chieftain strong and dread,</l> +<l>Dwells on that mountain's towering head.</l> +<l>Go to him, best of men, and seek</l> +<l>That prince of Vánars on the peak,</l> +<l>I cannot longer brook my pain,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Or, Sítá lost, my life retain.</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus by the pangs of love distressed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">His thoughts on Sítá bent,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His faithful brother he addressed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">And cried in wild lament.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He reached the lovely ground that lay</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">On Pampá's wooded side,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And told in anguish and dismay,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The grief he could not hide.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With listless footsteps faint and slow</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">His way the chief pursued,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Till Pampá with her glorious show</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Of flowering woods he viewed.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Through shades where every bird was found</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The prince with Lakshmaṇ passed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And Pampá with her groves around</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Burst on his eyes at last.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +</div> + +<!-- End of Book III --> + +<pb n="319"/><anchor id="Pg319"/> + +<div rend="page-break-before: always"> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>BOOK IV.</head> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-I"/> +<head>Canto I. Ráma's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The princes stood by Pampá's side<note place="foot">Pampá is said by +the commentator to be the name both of a lake and a brook +which flows into it. The brook is said to rise in the hill Rishyamúka.</note></l> +<l>Which blooming lilies glorified.</l> +<l>With troubled heart and sense o'erthrown</l> +<l>There Ráma made his piteous moan.</l> +<l>As the fair flood before him lay</l> +<l>The reason of the chief gave way;</l> +<l>And tender thoughts within him woke,</l> +<l>As to Sumitrá's son he spoke:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">How lovely Pampá's waters show,</q></l> +<l>Where streams of lucid crystal flow!</l> +<l>What glorious trees o'erhang the flood</l> +<l>Which blooms of opening lotus stud!</l> +<l>Look on the banks of Pampá where</l> +<l>Thick groves extend divinely fair;</l> +<l>And piles of trees, like hills in size,</l> +<l>Lift their proud summits to the skies.</l> +<l>But thought of Bharat's<note place="foot">Who was acting as Regent for Ráma +and leading an ascetic life while he mourned for his absent brother.</note> +pain and toil,</l> +<l>And my dear spouse the giant's spoil,</l> +<l>Afflict my tortured heart and press</l> +<l>My spirit down with heaviness.</l> +<l>Still fair to me though sunk in woe</l> +<l>Bright Pampá and her forest show.</l> +<l>Where cool fresh waters charm the sight,</l> +<l>And flowers of every hue are bright.</l> +<l>The lotuses in close array</l> +<l>Their passing loveliness display,</l> +<l>And pard and tiger, deer and snake</l> +<l>Haunt every glade and dell and brake.</l> +<l>Those grassy spots display the hue</l> +<l>Of topazes and sapphires' blue,</l> +<l>And, gay with flowers of every dye,</l> +<l>With richly broidered housings vie.</l> +<l>What loads of bloom the high trees crown,</l> +<l>Or weigh the bending branches down!</l> +<l>And creepers tipped with bud and flower</l> +<l>Each spray and loaded limb o'erpower.</l> +<l>Now cool delicious breezes blow,</l> +<l>And kindle love's voluptuous glow,</l> +<l>When balmy sweetness fills the air,</l> +<l>And fruit and flowers and trees are fair.</l> +<l>Those waving woods, that shine with bloom,</l> +<l>Each varied tint in turn assume.</l> +<l>Like labouring clouds they pour their showers</l> +<l>In rain or ever-changing flowers.</l> +<l>Behold, those forest trees, that stand</l> +<l>High upon rock and table-land,</l> +<l>As the cool gales their branches bend,</l> +<l>Their floating blossoms downward send.</l> +<l>See, Lakshmaṇ, how the breezes play</l> +<l>With every floweret on the spray.</l> +<l>And sport in merry guise with all</l> +<l>The fallen blooms and those that fall.</l> +<l>See, brother, where the merry breeze</l> +<l>Shakes the gay boughs of flowery trees,</l> +<l>Disturbed amid their toil a throng</l> +<l>Of bees pursue him, loud in song.</l> +<l>The Koïls,<note place="foot">The Indian Cuckoo.</note> mad with sweet delight,</l> +<l>The bending trees to dance invite;</l> +<l>And in its joy the wild wind sings</l> +<l>As from the mountain cave he springs.</l> +<l>On speed the gales in rapid course,</l> +<l>And bend the woods beneath their force,</l> +<l>Till every branch and spray they bind</l> +<l>In many a tangled knot entwined.</l> +<l>What balmy sweets those gales dispense</l> +<l>With cool and sacred influence!</l> +<l>Fatigue and trouble vanish: such</l> +<l>The magic of their gentle touch.</l> +<l>Hark, when the gale the boughs has bent</l> +<l>In woods of honey redolent,</l> +<l>Through all their quivering sprays the trees</l> +<l>Are vocal with the murmuring bees.</l> +<l>The hills with towering summits rise,</l> +<l>And with their beauty charm the eyes,</l> +<l>Gay with the giant trees which bright</l> +<l>With blossom spring from every height:</l> +<l>And as the soft wind gently sways</l> +<l>The clustering blooms that load the sprays,</l> +<l>The very trees break forth and sing</l> +<l>With startled wild bees' murmuring.</l> +<l>Thine eyes to yonder Cassias<note place="foot">The Cassia Fistula or Amaltás is a +splendid tree like a giant laburnum covered with a profusion of chains and tassels of +gold. Dr. Roxburgh well describes it as <q>uncommonly beautiful when in flower, +few trees surpassing it in the elegance of its numerous long pendulous racemes of +large bright-yellow flowers intermixed with the young lively green foliage.</q> It +is remarkable also for its curious cylindrical black seed-pods about two feet long, +which are called monkeys' walking-sticks.</note> turn</l> +<l>Whose glorious clusters glow and burn.</l> +<pb n="320"/><anchor id="Pg320"/> +<l>Those trees in yellow robes behold,</l> +<l>Like giants decked with burnished gold.</l> +<l>Ah me, Sumitrá's son, the spring</l> +<l>Dear to sweet birds who love and sing,</l> +<l>Wakes in my lonely breast the flame</l> +<l>Of sorrow as I mourn my dame.</l> +<l>Love strikes me through with darts of fire,</l> +<l>And wakes in vain the sweet desire.</l> +<l>Hark, the loud Koïl swells his throat,</l> +<l>And mocks me with his joyful note.</l> +<l>I hear the happy wild-cock call</l> +<l>Beside the shady waterfall.</l> +<l>His cry of joy afflicts my breast</l> +<l>By love's absorbing might possessed.</l> +<l>My darling from our cottage heard</l> +<l>One morn in spring this shrill-toned bird,</l> +<l>And called me in her joy to hear</l> +<l>The happy cry that charmed her ear.</l> +<l>See, birds of every varied voice</l> +<l>Around us in the woods rejoice,</l> +<l>On creeper, shrub, and plant alight,</l> +<l>Or wing from tree to tree their flight.</l> +<l>Each bird his kindly mate has found,</l> +<l>And loud their notes of triumph sound,</l> +<l>Blending in sweetest music like</l> +<l>The distant warblings of the shrike.</l> +<l>See how the river banks are lined</l> +<l>With birds of every hue and kind.</l> +<l>Here in his joy the Koïl sings,</l> +<l>There the glad wild-cock flaps his wings.</l> +<l>The blooms of bright Aśokas<note place="foot"><p><q rend="pre">The Jonesia Asoca is a +tree of considerable size, native of southern India. +It blossoms in February and March with large erect compact clusters of flowers, +varying in colour from pale-orange to scarlet, almost to be mistaken, on a hasty +glance, for immense trusses of bloom of an Ixora. Mr. Fortune considered this +tree, when in full bloom, superior in beauty even to the Amherstia.</q></p> +<p><q rend="post">The first time I saw the Asoc in flower was on the hill where the +famous rock-cut temple of Kárlí is situated, and a large concourse of natives had +assembled for the celebration of some Hindoo festival. Before proceeding to the temple +the Mahratta women gathered from two trees, which were flowering somewhat below, +each a fine truss of blossom, and inserted it in the hair at the back of her head.… +As they moved about in groups it is impossible to imagine a more delightful +effect than the rich scarlet bunches of flowers presented on their fine glossy jet-black +hair.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Firminger</hi>, +<hi rend='italic'>Gardening for India</hi>.</p></note> where</l> +<l>The song of wild bees fills the air,</l> +<l>And the soft whisper of the boughs</l> +<l>Increase my longing for my spouse.</l> +<l>The vernal flush of flower and spray</l> +<l>Will burn my very soul away.</l> +<l>What use, what care have I for life</l> +<l>If I no more may see my wife</l> +<l>Soft speaker with the glorious hair,</l> +<l>And eyes with silken lashes fair?</l> +<l>Now is the time when all day long</l> +<l>The Koïls fill the woods with song.</l> +<l>And gardens bloom at spring's sweet touch</l> +<l>Which my beloved loved so much.</l> +<l>Ah me, Sumitrá's son, the fire</l> +<l>Of sorrow, sprung from soft desire,</l> +<l>Fanned by the charms the spring time shows,</l> +<l>Will burn my heart and end my woes,</l> +<l>Whose sad eyes look on each fair tree,</l> +<l>But my sweet love no more may see.</l> +<l>Ah me, Ah me, from hour to hour</l> +<l>Love in my soul will wax in power,</l> +<l>And spring, upon whose charms I gaze,</l> +<l>Whose breath the heat of toil allays,</l> +<l>With thoughts of her for whom I strain</l> +<l>My hopeless eyes, increase my pain.</l> +<l>As fire in summer rages through</l> +<l>The forests thick with dry bamboo,</l> +<l>So will my fawn eyed love consume</l> +<l>My soul o'erwhelmed with thoughts of gloom.</l> +<l>Behold, beneath each spreading tree</l> +<l>The peacocks dance<note place="foot">No other word can express the movements +of peafowl under the influence of pleasing excitement, especially when after +the long drought they hear the welcome roar of the thunder and feel that the rain +is near.</note> in frantic glee,</l> +<l>And, stirred by all the gales that blow,</l> +<l>Their tails with jewelled windows glow,</l> +<l>Each bird, in happy love elate,</l> +<l>Rejoices with his darling mate.</l> +<l>But sights like these of joy and peace</l> +<l>My pangs of hopeless love increase.</l> +<l>See on the mountain slope above</l> +<l>The peahen languishing with love.</l> +<l>Behold her now in amorous dance</l> +<l>Close to her consort's side advance.</l> +<l>He with a laugh of joy and pride</l> +<l>Displays his glittering pinions wide;</l> +<l>And follows through the tangled dell</l> +<l>The partner whom he loves so well.</l> +<l>Ah happy bird! no giant's hate</l> +<l>Has robbed him of his tender mate;</l> +<l>And still beside his loved one he</l> +<l>Dances beneath the shade in glee.</l> +<l>Ah, in this month when flowers are fair</l> +<l>My widowed woe is hard to bear.</l> +<l>See, gentle love a home may find</l> +<l>In creatures of inferior kind.</l> +<l>See how the peahen turns to meet</l> +<l>Her consort now with love-drawn feet.</l> +<pb n="321"/><anchor id="Pg321"/> +<l>So, Lakshmaṇ, if my large-eyed dear,</l> +<l>The child of Janak still were here,</l> +<l>She, by love's thrilling influence led,</l> +<l>Upon my breast would lay her head.</l> +<l>These blooms I gathered from the bough</l> +<l>Without my love are useless now.</l> +<l>A thousand blossoms fair to see</l> +<l>With passing glory clothe each tree</l> +<l>That hangs its cluster-burthened head</l> +<l>Now that the dewy months<note place="foot">The Dewy Season is one of the six +ancient seasons of the Indian year, lasting from the middle of January to the middle +of March.</note> are fled,</l> +<l>But, followed by the bees that ply</l> +<l>Their fragrant task, they fall and die.</l> +<l>A thousand birds in wild delight</l> +<l>Their rapture-breathing notes unite;</l> +<l>Bird calls to bird in joyous strain,</l> +<l>And turns my love to frenzied pain.</l> +<l>O, if beneath those alien skies,</l> +<l>There be a spring where Sítá lies,</l> +<l>I know my prisoned love must be</l> +<l>Touched with like grief, and mourn with me.</l> +<l>But ah, methinks that dreary clime</l> +<l>Knows not the touch of spring's sweet time.</l> +<l>How could my black eyed love sustain,</l> +<l>Without her lord, so dire a pain?</l> +<l>Or if the sweet spring come to her</l> +<l>In distant lands a prisoner,</l> +<l>How may his advent and her met</l> +<l>On every side with taunt and threat?</l> +<l>Ah, if the springtide's languor came</l> +<l>With soft enchantment o'er my dame,</l> +<l>My darling of the lotus eye,</l> +<l>My gently speaking love, would die;</l> +<l>For well my spirit knows that she</l> +<l>Can never live bereft of me</l> +<l>With love that never wavered yet</l> +<l>My Sítá's heart, on me is set,</l> +<l>Who, with a soul that ne'er can stray,</l> +<l>With equal love her love repay.</l> +<l>In vain, in vain the soft wind brings</l> +<l>Sweet blossoms on his balmy wings;</l> +<l>Delicious from his native snow,</l> +<l>To me like fire he seems to glow.</l> +<l>O, how I loved a breeze like this</l> +<l>When darling Sítá shared the bliss!</l> +<l>But now in vain for me it blows</l> +<l>To fan the fury of my woes.</l> +<l>That dark-winged bird that sought the skies</l> +<l>Foretelling grief with warning cries,</l> +<l>Sits on the tree where buds are gay,</l> +<l>And pours glad music from the spray.</l> +<l>That rover of the fields of air</l> +<l>Will aid my love with friendly care,</l> +<l>And me with gracious pity guide</l> +<l>To my large-eyed Videhan's side.<note place="foot">Ráma appears to mean that on a +former occasion a crow flying high overhead was an omen that indicated his +approaching separation from Sítá; and that now the same bird's perching on a +tree near him may be regarded as a happy augury that she will soon be restored +to her husband.</note></l> +<l>Hark, Lakshmaṇ, how the woods around</l> +<l>With love-inspiring chants resound,</l> +<l>Where birds in every bloom-crowned tree</l> +<l>Pour forth their amorous minstrelsy.</l> +<l>As though an eager gallant wooed</l> +<l>A gentle maid by love subdued,</l> +<l>Enamoured of her flowers the bee</l> +<l>Darts at the wind-rocked Tila tree.<note place="foot">A tree with +beautiful and fragrant blossoms.</note></l> +<l>Aśoka, brightest tree that grows,</l> +<l>That lends a pang to lovers' woes,</l> +<l>Hangs out his gorgeous bloom in scorn</l> +<l>And mocks me as I weep forlorn.</l> +<l>O Lakshmaṇ, turn thine eye and see</l> +<l>Each blossom-laden Mango tree,</l> +<l>Like a young lover gaily dressed</l> +<l>Whom fond desire forbids to rest.</l> +<l>Look, son of Queen Sumitrá through</l> +<l>The forest glades of varied hue,</l> +<l>Where blooms are bright and grass is green</l> +<l>The Kinnars<note place="foot">A race of semi-divine musicians +attached to the service of Kuvera, represented as centaurs reversed with human +figures and horses' heads.</note> with their loves are seen.</l> +<l>See, brother, see where sweet and bright</l> +<l>Those crimson lilies charm the sight,</l> +<l>And o'er the flood a radiance throw</l> +<l>Fair as the morning's roseate glow.</l> +<l>See, Pampá, most divinely sweet,</l> +<l>The swan's and mallard's loved retreat,</l> +<l>Shows her glad waters bright and clear,</l> +<l>Where lotuses their heads uprear</l> +<l>From the pure wave, and charm the view</l> +<l>With mingled tints of red and blue.</l> +<l>Each like the morning's early beams</l> +<l>Reflected in the crystal gleams;</l> +<l>And bees on their sweet toil intent</l> +<l>Weigh down each tender filament.</l> +<l>There with gay lawns the wood recedes;</l> +<l>There wildfowl sport amid the reeds,</l> +<l>There roedeer stand upon the brink,</l> +<l>And elephants descend to drink.</l> +<l>The rippling waves which winds make fleet</l> +<l>Against the bending lilies beat,</l> +<l>And opening bud and flower and stem</l> +<l>Gleam with the drops that hang on them.</l> +<l>Life has no pleasure left for me</l> +<l>While my dear queen I may not see,</l> +<pb n="322"/><anchor id="Pg322"/> +<l>Who loved so well those blooms that vie</l> +<l>With the full splendour of her eye.</l> +<l>O tyrant Love, who will not let</l> +<l>My bosom for one hour forget</l> +<l>The lost one whom I yearn to meet,</l> +<l>Whose words were ever kind and sweet.</l> +<l>Ah, haply might my heart endure</l> +<l>This hopeless love that knows not cure,</l> +<l>If spring with all his trees in flower</l> +<l>Assailed me not with ruthless power.</l> +<l>Each lovely scene, each sound and sight</l> +<l>Wherein, with her, I found delight,</l> +<l>Has lost the charm so sweet of yore,</l> +<l>And glads my widowed heart no more.</l> +<l>On lotus buds I seem to gaze,</l> +<l>Or blooms that deck Paláśa<note place="foot">Butea Frondosa. A tree that bears a +profusion of brilliant red flowers which appear before the leaves.</note> +sprays;<note place="foot"><p>I omit five <hi rend='italic'>ślokas</hi> which contain +nothing but a list of trees for which, with one or two exceptions, there are no +equivalent names in English. The following is Gorresio's translation of the corresponding +passage in the Bengal recension:—</p> +<p><q>Oh come risplendono in questa stagione di primavera i vitici, le galedupe, le +bassie, le dalbergie, i diospyri … le tile, le michelie, le rottlerie, le pentaptere +ed i pterospermi, i bombaci, le grislee, gli abri, gli amaranti e le dalbergie; i sirii, +le galedupe, le barringtonie ed i palmizi, i xanthocymi, il pepebetel, le verbosine e le +ticaie, le nauclee le erythrine, gli asochi, e le tapie fanno d'ogni intorno pompa de' +lor fiori.</q></p></note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l>But to my tortured memory rise</l> +<l>The glories of my darling's eyes.</l> +<l>Cool breezes through the forest stray</l> +<l>Gathering odours on their way,</l> +<l>Enriched with all the rifled scent</l> +<l>Of lotus flower and filament.</l> +<l>Their touch upon my temples falls</l> +<l>And Sítá's fragrant breath recalls.</l> +<l>Now look, dear brother, on the right</l> +<l>Of Pampá towers a mountain height</l> +<l>Where fairest Cassia trees unfold</l> +<l>The treasures of their burnished gold.</l> +<l>Proud mountain king! his woody side</l> +<l>With myriad ores is decked and dyed,</l> +<l>And as the wind-swept blossoms fall</l> +<l>Their fragrant dust is stained with all.</l> +<l>To yon high lands thy glances turn:</l> +<l>With pendent fire they flash and burn,</l> +<l>Where in their vernal glory blaze</l> +<l>Paláśa flowers on leafless sprays.</l> +<l>O Lakshmaṇ, look! on Pampá's side</l> +<l>What fair trees rise in blooming pride!</l> +<l>What climbing plants above them show</l> +<l>Or hang their flowery garlands low!</l> +<l>See how the amorous creeper rings</l> +<l>The wind-rocked trees to which she clings,</l> +<l>As though a dame by love impelled</l> +<l>With clasping arms her lover held.</l> +<l>Drunk with the varied scents that fill</l> +<l>The balmy air, from hill to hill,</l> +<l>From grove to grove, from tree to tree,</l> +<l>The joyous wind is wandering free.</l> +<l>These gay trees wave their branches bent</l> +<l>By blooms, of honey redolent.</l> +<l>There, slowly opening to the day,</l> +<l>Buds with dark lustre deck the spray.</l> +<l>The wild bee rests a moment where</l> +<l>Each tempting flower is sweet and fair,</l> +<l>Then, coloured by the pollen dyes,</l> +<l>Deep in some odorous blossom lies.</l> +<l>Soon from his couch away he springs:</l> +<l>To other trees his course he wings,</l> +<l>And tastes the honeyed blooms that grow</l> +<l>Where Pampá's lucid waters flow.</l> +<l>See, Lakshmaṇ, see, how thickly spread</l> +<l>With blossoms from the trees o'erhead,</l> +<l>That grass the weary traveller woos</l> +<l>With couches of a thousand hues,</l> +<l>And beds on every height arrayed</l> +<l>With red and yellow tints are laid,</l> +<l>No longer winter chills the earth:</l> +<l>A thousand flowerets spring to birth,</l> +<l>And trees in rivalry assume</l> +<l>Their vernal garb of bud and bloom.</l> +<l>How fair they look, how bright and gay</l> +<l>With tasselled flowers on every spray!</l> +<l>While each to each proud challenge flings</l> +<l>Borne in the song the wild bee sings.</l> +<l>That mallard by the river edge</l> +<l>Has bathed amid the reeds and sedge:</l> +<l>Now with his mate he fondly plays</l> +<l>And fires my bosom as I gaze.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Mandákiní<note place="foot">A sacred stream often mentioned in +the course of the poem. See <ref target="CantoII-XCV">Book II, +Canto XCV</ref>.</note> is far renowned:</l> +<l>No lovelier flood on earth is found;</l> +<l>But all her fairest charms combined</l> +<l>In this sweet stream enchant the mind.</l> +<l>O, if my love were here to look</l> +<l>With me upon this lovely brook,</l> +<l>Never for Ayodhyá would I pine,</l> +<l>Or wish that Indra's lot were mine.</l> +<l>If by my darling's side I strayed</l> +<l>O'er the soft turf which decks the glade,</l> +<l>Each craving thought were sweetly stilled,</l> +<l>Each longing of my soul fulfilled.</l> +<l>But, now my love is far away,</l> +<l>Those trees which make the woods so gay,</l> +<l>In all their varied beauty dressed,</l> +<l>Wake thoughts of anguish in my breast.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That lotus-covered stream behold</l> +<l>Whose waters run so fresh and cold,</l> +<pb n="323"/><anchor id="Pg323"/> +<l>Sweet rill, the wildfowl's loved resort,</l> +<l>Where curlew, swan, and diver sport;</l> +<l>Where with his consort plays the drake,</l> +<l>And tall deer love their thirst to slake,</l> +<l>While from each woody bank is heard</l> +<l>The wild note of each happy bird.</l> +<l>The music of that joyous quire</l> +<l>Fills all my soul with soft desire;</l> +<l>And, as I hear, my sad thoughts fly</l> +<l>To Sítá of the lotus eye,</l> +<l>Whom, lovely with her moonbright cheek,</l> +<l>In vain mine eager glances seek.</l> +<l>Now turn, those chequered lawns survey</l> +<l>Where hart and hind together stray.</l> +<l>Ah, as they wander at their will</l> +<l>My troubled breast with grief they fill,</l> +<l>While torn by hopeless love I sigh</l> +<l>For Sítá of the fawn-like eye.</l> +<l>If in those glades where, touched by spring,</l> +<l>Gay birds their amorous ditties sing,</l> +<l>Mine own beloved I might see,</l> +<l>Then, brother, it were well with me:</l> +<l>If by my side she wandered still,</l> +<l>And this cool breeze that stirs the rill</l> +<l>Touched with its gentle breath the brows</l> +<l>Of mine own dear Videhan spouse.</l> +<l>For, Lakshmaṇ, O how blest are those</l> +<l>On whom the breath of Pampá blows,</l> +<l>Dispelling all their care and gloom</l> +<l>With sweets from where the lilies bloom!</l> +<l>How can my gentle love remain</l> +<l>Alive amid the woe and pain,</l> +<l>Where prisoned far away she lies,—</l> +<l>My darling of the lotus eyes?</l> +<l>How shall I dare her sire to greet</l> +<l>Whose lips have never known deceit?</l> +<l>How stand before the childless king</l> +<l>And meet his eager questioning?</l> +<l>When banished by my sire's decree,</l> +<l>In low estate, she followed me.</l> +<l>So pure, so true to every vow,</l> +<l>Where is my gentle darling now?</l> +<l>How can I bear my widowed lot,</l> +<l>And linger on where she is not,</l> +<l>Who followed when from home I fled</l> +<l>Distracted, disinherited?</l> +<l>My spirit sinks in hopeless pain</l> +<l>When my fond glances yearn in vain</l> +<l>For that dear face with whose bright eye</l> +<l>The worshipped lotus scarce can vie.</l> +<l>Ah when, my brother, shall I hear</l> +<l>That voice that rang so soft and clear,</l> +<l>When, sweetly smiling as she spoke,</l> +<l>From her dear lips gay laughter broke?</l> +<l>When worn with toil and love I strayed</l> +<l>With Sítá through the forest shade,</l> +<l>No trace of grief was seen in her,</l> +<l>My kind and thoughtful comforter.</l> +<l>How shall my faltering tongue relate</l> +<l>To Queen Kauśalyá Sítá's fate?</l> +<l>How answer when in wild despair</l> +<l>She questions, Where is Sítá, where?</l> +<l>Haste, brother, haste: to Bharat hie,</l> +<l>On whose fond love I still rely.</l> +<l>My life can be no longer borne,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Since Sítá from my side is torn.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus like a helpless mourner, bent</l> +<l>By sorrow, Ráma made lament;</l> +<l>And with wise counsel Lakshmaṇ tried</l> +<l>To soothe his care, and thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O best of men, thy grief oppose,</q></l> +<l>Nor sink beneath thy weight of woes.</l> +<l>Not thus despond the great and pure</l> +<l>And brave like thee, but still endure.</l> +<l>Reflect what anguish wrings the heart</l> +<l>When loving souls are forced to part;</l> +<l>And, mindful of the coming pain,</l> +<l>Thy love within thy breast restrain.</l> +<l>For earth, though cooled by wandering streams,</l> +<l>Lies scorched beneath the midday beams.</l> +<l>Rávaṇ his steps to hell may bend,</l> +<l>Or lower yet in flight descend;</l> +<l>But be thou sure, O Raghu's son,</l> +<l>Avenging death he shall not shun.</l> +<l>Rise, Ráma, rise: the search begin,</l> +<l>And track the giant foul with sin.</l> +<l>Then shall the fiend, though far he fly,</l> +<l>Resign his prey or surely die.</l> +<l>Yea, though the trembling monster hide</l> +<l>With Sítá close to Diti's<note place="foot">A daughter of Daksha who became one +of the wives of Kaśyapa and mother of the Daityas. She is termed the general +mother of Titans and malignant beings. See Book I Cantos +<ref target="CantoI-XLV">XLV</ref>, <ref target="CantoI-XLVI">XLVI</ref>.</note> side,</l> +<l>E'en there, unless he yield the prize,</l> +<l>Slain by this wrathful hand he dies.</l> +<l>Thy heart with strength and courage stay,</l> +<l>And cast this weakling mood away.</l> +<l>Our fainting hopes in vain revive</l> +<l>Unless with firm resolve we strive.</l> +<l>The zeal that fires the toiler's breast</l> +<l>Mid earthly powers is first and best.</l> +<l>Zeal every check and bar defies,</l> +<l>And wins at length the loftiest prize,</l> +<l>In woe and danger, toil and care,</l> +<l>Zeal never yields to weak despair.</l> +<l>With zealous heart thy task begin,</l> +<l>And thou once more thy spouse shalt win.</l> +<l>Cast fruitless sorrow from thy soul,</l> +<l>Nor let this love thy heart control.</l> +<l>Forget not all thy sacred lore,</l> +<l><q rend="post">But be thy noble self once more.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He heard, his bosom rent by grief,</l> +<l>The counsel of his brother chief;</l> +<l>Crushed in his heart the maddening pain,</l> +<l>And rose resolved and strong again.</l> +<l>Then forth upon his journey went</l> +<l>The hero on his task intent,</l> +<l>Nor thought of Pampá's lovely brook,</l> +<pb n="324"/><anchor id="Pg324"/> +<l>Or trees which murmuring breezes shook,</l> +<l>Though on dark woods his glances fell,</l> +<l>On waterfall and cave and dell;</l> +<l>And still by many a care distressed</l> +<l>The son of Raghu onward pressed.</l> +<l>As some wild elephant elate</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Moves through the woods in pride,</l> +<l>So Lakshmaṇ with majestic gait</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Strode by his brother's side.</l> +<l>He, for his lofty spirit famed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Admonished and consoled;</l> +<l>Showed Raghu's son what duty claimed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And bade his heart be bold.</l> +<l>Then as the brothers strode apace</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To Rishyamúka's height,</l> +<l>The sovereign of the Vánar race<note place="foot">Sugríva, the ex-king of the Vánars, +foresters, or monkeys, an exile from his home, wandering about the mountain +Rishyamúka with his four faithful ex-ministers.</note></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Was troubled at the sight.</l> +<l>As on the lofty hill he strayed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He saw the chiefs draw near:</l> +<l>A while their glorious forms surveyed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And mused in restless fear.</l> +<l>His slow majestic step he stayed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And gazed upon the pair.</l> +<l>And all his spirit sank dismayed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By fear too great to bear.</l> +<l>When in their glorious might the best</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Of royal chiefs came nigh,</l> +<l>The Vánars in their wild unrest</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Prepared to turn and fly.</l> +<l>They sought the hermit's sacred home<note place="foot">The hermitage of the +Saint Matanga which his curse prevented Báli, the present king of the Vánars, +from entering. The story is told at length in <ref target="CantoIV-XI">Canto XI +of this Book</ref>.</note></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">For peace and bliss ordained,</l> +<l>And there, where Vánars loved to roam,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A sure asylum gained.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-II"/> +<head>Canto II. Sugríva's Alarm.</head> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sugríva moved by wondering awe</l> +<l>The high-souled sons of Raghu saw,</l> +<l>In all their glorious arms arrayed;</l> +<l>And grief upon his spirit weighed.</l> +<l>To every quarter of the sky</l> +<l>He turned in fear his anxious eye,</l> +<l>And roving still from spot to spot</l> +<l>With troubled steps he rested not.</l> +<l>He durst not, as he viewed the pair,</l> +<l>Resolve to stand and meet them there;</l> +<l>And drooping cheer and quailing breast</l> +<l>The terror of the chief confessed.</l> +<l>While the great fear his bosom shook,</l> +<l>Brief counsel with his lords he took;</l> +<l>Each gain and danger closely scanned,</l> +<l>What hope in flight, what power to stand,</l> +<l>While doubt and fear his bosom rent,</l> +<l>On Raghu's sons his eyes he bent,</l> +<l>And with a spirit ill at ease</l> +<l>Addressed his lords in words like these:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Those chiefs with wandering steps invade</q></l> +<l>The shelter of our pathless shade,</l> +<l>And hither come in fair disguise</l> +<l><q rend="post">Of hermit garb as Báli's spies.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Each lord beheld with troubled heart</l> +<l>Those masters of the bowman's art,</l> +<l>And left the mountain side to seek</l> +<l>Sure refuge on a loftier peak.</l> +<l>The Vánar chief in rapid flight</l> +<l>Found shelter on a towering height,</l> +<l>And all the band with one accord</l> +<l>Were closely gathered round their lord.</l> +<l>Their course the same, with desperate leap</l> +<l>Each made his way from steep to steep,</l> +<l>And speeding on in wild career</l> +<l>Filled every height with sudden fear.</l> +<l>Each heart was struck with mortal dread,</l> +<l>As on their course the Vánars sped,</l> +<l>While trees that crowned the steep were bent</l> +<l>And crushed beneath them as they went.</l> +<l>As in their eager flight they pressed</l> +<l>For safety to each mountain crest,</l> +<l>The wild confusion struck with fear</l> +<l>Tiger and cat and wandering deer.</l> +<l>The lords who watched Sugríva's will</l> +<l>Were gathered on the royal hill,</l> +<l>And all with reverent hands upraised</l> +<l>Upon their king and leader gazed.</l> +<l>Sugríva feared some evil planned,</l> +<l>Some train prepared by Báli's hand.</l> +<l>But, skilled in words that charm and teach,</l> +<l>Thus Hanumán<note place="foot">Hanumán, Sugríva's chief general, +was the son of the God of Wind. See +<ref target="CantoI-XVI">Book I, Canto XVI</ref>.</note> began his speech:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Dismiss, dismiss thine idle fear,</q></l> +<l>Nor dread the power of Báli here.</l> +<l>For this is Malaya's glorious hill<note place="foot">A range of hills in Malabar; the +Western Ghats in the Deccan.</note></l> +<l>Where Báli's might can work no ill.</l> +<l>I look around but nowhere see</l> +<l>The hated foe who made thee flee,</l> +<l>Fell Báli, fierce in form and face:</l> +<l>Then fear not, lord of Vánar race.</l> +<l>Alas, in thee I clearly find</l> +<l>The weakness of the Vánar kind,</l> +<pb n="325"/><anchor id="Pg325"/> +<l>That loves from thought to thought to range,</l> +<l>Fix no belief and welcome change.</l> +<l>Mark well each hint and sign and scan,</l> +<l>Discreet and wise, thine every plan.</l> +<l>How may a king, with sense denied,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The subjects of his sceptre guide?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Hanúmán,<note place="foot">Válmíki makes the second vowel in +this name long or short to suit the exigencies of the verse. Other Indian poets +have followed his example, and the same licence will be used in this translation.</note> +wise in hour of need,</l> +<l>Urged on the chief his prudent rede.</l> +<l>His listening ear Sugríva bent,</l> +<l>And spake in words more excellent:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Where is the dauntless heart that free</q></l> +<l>From terror's chilling touch can see</l> +<l>Two stranger warriors, strong as those,</l> +<l>Equipped with swords and shafts and bows,</l> +<l>With mighty arms and large full eyes,</l> +<l>Like glorious children of the skies?</l> +<l>Báli my foe, I ween, has sent</l> +<l>These chiefs to aid his dark intent.</l> +<l>Hence doubt and fear disturb me still,</l> +<l>For thousands serve a monarch's will,</l> +<l>In borrowed garb they come, and those</l> +<l>Who walk disguised are counted foes.</l> +<l>With secret thoughts they watch their time,</l> +<l>And wound fond hearts that fear no crime.</l> +<l>My foe in state affairs is wise,</l> +<l>And prudent kings have searching eyes.</l> +<l>By other hands they strike the foe:</l> +<l>By meaner tools the truth they know.</l> +<l>Now to those stranger warriors turn,</l> +<l>And, less than king, their purpose learn.</l> +<l>Mark well the trick and look of each;</l> +<l>Observe his form and note his speech.</l> +<l>With care their mood and temper sound,</l> +<l>And, if their minds be friendly found,</l> +<l>With courteous looks and words begin</l> +<l>Their confidence and love to win.</l> +<l>Then as my friend and envoy speak,</l> +<l>And question what the strangers seek.</l> +<l>Ask why equipped with shaft and bow</l> +<l>Through this wild maze of wood they go.</l> +<l>If they, O chief, at first appear</l> +<l>Pure of all guile, in heart sincere,</l> +<l>Detect in speech and look the sin</l> +<l><q rend="post">And treachery that lurk within.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke: the Wind-God's son obeyed.</l> +<l>With ready zeal he sought the shade,</l> +<l>And reached with hasty steps the wood</l> +<l>Where Raghu's son and Lakshmaṇ stood.<note place="foot">I omit a +recapitulatory and interpolated verse in a different metre, which is as +follows:—Reverencing with the words, So be it, the speech of the greatly terrified +and unequalled monkey king, the magnanimous Hanumán then went where (stood) +the very mighty Ráma with Lakshmaṇ.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-III"/> +<head>Canto III. Hanumán's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The envoy in his faithful breast</l> +<l>Pondered Sugríva's high behest.</l> +<l>From Rishyamúka's peak he hied</l> +<l>And placed him by the princes' side.</l> +<l>The Wind-God's son with cautious art</l> +<l>Had laid his Vánar form apart,</l> +<l>And wore, to cheat the strangers eyes,</l> +<l>A wandering mendicant's disguise.<note place="foot"><p>The semi divine +Hanumán possesses, like the Gods and demons, the power of +wearing all shapes at will. He is one of the <hi rend='italic'>Kámarúpís</hi>.</p> +<lg> +<l>Like Milton's good and bad angels <q rend="pre">as they please</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They limb themselves, and colour, shape, or size</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Assume as likes them best, condense or +rare.</q></l> +</lg></note></l> +<l>Before the heroes' feet he bent</l> +<l>And did obeisance reverent,</l> +<l>And spoke, the glorious pair to praise,</l> +<l>His words of truth in courteous phrase,</l> +<l>High honour duly paid, the best</l> +<l>Of all the Vánar kind addressed,</l> +<l>With free accord and gentle grace,</l> +<l>Those glories of their warrior race:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">O hermits, blest in vows, who shine</q></l> +<l>Like royal saints or Gods divine,</l> +<l>O best of young ascetics, say</l> +<l>How to this spot you found your way,</l> +<l>Scaring the troops of wandering deer</l> +<l>And silvan things that harbour here</l> +<l>Searching amid the trees that grow</l> +<l>Where Pampá's gentle waters flow.</l> +<l>And lending from your brows a gleam</l> +<l>Of glory to the lovely stream.</l> +<l>Who are you, say, so brave and fair,</l> +<l>Clad in the bark which hermits wear?</l> +<l>I see you heave the frequent sigh,</l> +<l>I see the deer before you fly.</l> +<l>While you, for strength and valour dread,</l> +<l>The earth, like lordly lions, tread,</l> +<l>Each bearing in his hand a bow,</l> +<l>Like Indra's own, to slay the foe.</l> +<l>With the grand paces of a bull,</l> +<l>So bright and young and beautiful.</l> +<l>The mighty arms you raise appear</l> +<l>Like trunks which elephants uprear,</l> +<l>And as you move this mountain-king<note place="foot">Himálaya is of course +<hi rend='italic'>par excellence</hi> the Monarch of mountains, but the complimentary +title is frequently given to other hills as here to Malaya.</note></l> +<l>Is glorious with the light you bring.</l> +<l>How have you reached, like Gods in face,</l> +<l>Best lords of earth, this lonely place,</l> +<pb n="326"/><anchor id="Pg326"/> +<l>With tresses coiled in hermit guise,<note place="foot">Twisted up in +a matted coil as was the custom of ascetics.</note></l> +<l>And splendours of those lotus eyes?</l> +<l>As Gods who leave their heavenly sphere,</l> +<l>Alike your beauteous forms appear.</l> +<l>The Lords of Day and Night<note place="foot">The sun and moon.</note> might thus</l> +<l>Stray from the skies to visit us.</l> +<l>Heroic youth, so broad of chest,</l> +<l>Fair with the beauty of the Blest,</l> +<l>With lion shoulders, tall and strong,</l> +<l>Like bulls who lead the lowing throng,</l> +<l>Your arms, unmatched for grace and length,</l> +<l>With massive clubs may vie in strength.</l> +<l>Why do no gauds those limbs adorn</l> +<l>Where priceless gems were meetly worn?</l> +<l>Each noble youth is fit, I deem,</l> +<l>To guard this earth, as lord supreme,</l> +<l>With all her woods and seas, to reign</l> +<l>From Meru's peak to Vindhya's chain.</l> +<l>Your smooth bows decked with dyes and gold</l> +<l>Are glorious in their masters' hold,</l> +<l>And with the arms of Indra<note place="foot">The rainbow.</note> vie</l> +<l>Which diamond splendours beautify.</l> +<l>Your quivers glow with golden sheen,</l> +<l>Well stored with arrows fleet and keen,</l> +<l>Each gleaming like a fiery snake</l> +<l>That joys the foeman's life to take.</l> +<l>As serpents cast their sloughs away</l> +<l>And all their new born sheen display,</l> +<l>So flash your mighty swords inlaid</l> +<l>With burning gold on hilt and blade.</l> +<l>Why are you silent, heroes? Why</l> +<l>My questions hear nor deign reply?</l> +<l>Sugríva, lord of virtuous mind,</l> +<l>The foremost of the Vánar kind,</l> +<l>An exile from his royal state,</l> +<l>Roams through the land disconsolate.</l> +<l>I, Hanumán, of Vánar race,</l> +<l>Sent by the king have sought this place,</l> +<l>For he, the pious, just, and true,</l> +<l>In friendly league would join with you.</l> +<l>Know, godlike youths, that I am one</l> +<l>Of his chief lords, the Wind-God's son.</l> +<l>With course unchecked I roam at will,</l> +<l>And now from Rishyamúka's hill,</l> +<l>To please his heart, his hope to speed,</l> +<l><q rend="post">I came disguised in beggar's weed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Hanúmán, well trained in lore</l> +<l>Of language, spoke, and said no more.</l> +<l>The son of Raghu joyed to hear</l> +<l>The envoy's speech, and bright of cheer</l> +<l>He turned to Lakshmaṇ by his side,</l> +<l>And thus in words of transport cried:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">The counselor we now behold</q></l> +<l>Of King Sugríva righteous-souled.</l> +<l>His face I long have yearned to see,</l> +<l>And now his envoy comes to me</l> +<l>With sweetest words in courteous phrase</l> +<l>Answer this mighty lord who slays</l> +<l>His foemen, by Sugríva sent,</l> +<l>This Vánar chief most eloquent.</l> +<l>For one whose words so sweetly flow</l> +<l>The whole Rig-veda<note place="foot">The Vedas are four in number, the +Rich or Rig-veda, the Yajush or Yajur-veda; the Sáman or Sáma-veda, and the +Atharvan or Atharva-veda. See <ref target="Pg003">p. 3.</ref> +Note.</note> needs must know,</l> +<l>And in his well-trained memory store</l> +<l>The Yajush and the Sáman's lore.</l> +<l>He must have bent his faithful ear</l> +<l>All grammar's varied rules to hear.</l> +<l>For his long speech how well he spoke!</l> +<l>In all its length no rule he broke.</l> +<l>In eye, on brow, in all his face</l> +<l>The keenest look no guile could trace.</l> +<l>No change of hue, no pose of limb</l> +<l>Gave sign that aught was false in him.</l> +<l>Concise, unfaltering, sweet and clear,</l> +<l>Without a word to pain the ear.</l> +<l>From chest to throat, nor high nor low,</l> +<l>His accents came in measured flow.</l> +<l>How well he spoke with perfect art</l> +<l>That wondrous speech that charmed the heart,</l> +<l>With finest skill and order graced</l> +<l>In words that knew nor pause nor haste!</l> +<l>That speech, with consonants that spring</l> +<l>From the three seats of uttering,<note place="foot">The chest, the throat, +and the head.</note></l> +<l>Would charm the spirit of a foe</l> +<l>Whose sword is raised for mortal blow.</l> +<l>How may a ruler's plan succeed</l> +<l>Who lacks such envoy good at need?</l> +<l>How fail, if one whose mind is stored</l> +<l>With gifts so rare assist his lord?</l> +<l>What plans can fail, with wisest speech</l> +<l><q rend="post">Of envoy's lips to further each?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma spoke; and Lakshmaṇ taught</l> +<l>In all the art that utters thought,</l> +<l>To King Sugríva's learned spy</l> +<l>Thus made his eloquent reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Full well we know the gifts that grace</q></l> +<l>Sugríva, lord of Vánar race,</l> +<l>And hither turn our wandering feet</l> +<l>That we that high-souled king may meet.</l> +<l>So now our pleasant task shall be</l> +<l><q rend="post">To do the words he speaks by thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His prudent speech the Vánar heard,</l> +<l>And all his heart with joy was stirred.</l> +<l>And hope that league with them would bring</l> +<l>Redress and triumph to his king.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="327"/><anchor id="Pg327"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-IV"/> +<head>Canto IV. Lakshman's Reply.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Cheered by the words that Ráma spoke,</l> +<l>Joy in the Vánar's breast awoke,</l> +<l>And, as his friendly mood he knew,</l> +<l>His thoughts to King Sugríva flew:</l> +<l><q>Again,</q> he mused, <q rend="pre">my high-souled lord</q></l> +<l>Shall rule, to kingly state restored;</l> +<l>Since one so mighty comes to save,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And freely gives the help we crave.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then joyous Hanumán, the best</l> +<l>Of all the Vánar kind, addressed</l> +<l>These words to Ráma, trained of yore</l> +<l>In all the arts of speakers' lore:<note place="foot"><p><q rend="pre">In our own +metrical romances, or wherever a poem is meant not for readers but for chanters and oral +reciters, these <hi rend='italic'>formulæ</hi>, to meet the same recurring case, exist +by scores. Thus every woman in these metrical romances who happens to be young, is +described as <q>so bright of ble,</q> or complexion; always a man goes <q>the +mountenance of a mile</q> before he overtakes or is overtaken. And so on through a +vast bead-roll of cases. In the same spirit Homer has his eternal +τον δ'αρ' ὑποδρα ιδων, or τον δ'απαμειβομενος προσφη, &c.</q></p> +<p><q rend="post">To a reader of sensibility, such recurrences wear an air of child-like +simplicity, beautifully recalling the features of Homer's primitive age. But they would +have appeared faults to all commonplace critics in literary ages.</q></p> +<p><hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">De Quincey</hi>. +<hi rend='italic'>Homer and the Homeridæ</hi>.</p></note></l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why do your feet this forest tread</q></l> +<l>By silvan life inhabited,</l> +<l>This awful maze of tree and thorn</l> +<l><q rend="post">Which Pampá's flowering groves adorn?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke: obedient to the eye</l> +<l>Of Ráma, Lakshmaṇ made reply,</l> +<l>The name and fortune to unfold</l> +<l>Of Raghu's son the lofty-souled:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">True to the law, of fame unstained,</q></l> +<l>The glorious Daśaratha reigned,</l> +<l>And, steadfast in his duty, long</l> +<l>Kept the four castes<note place="foot">Bráhmans the sacerdotal caste. Kshatriyas +the royal and military, Vaiśyas the mercantile, and Śúdras the servile.</note> +from scathe and wrong.</l> +<l>Through his wide realm his will was done,</l> +<l>And, loved by all, he hated none.</l> +<l>Just to each creature great and small,</l> +<l>Like the Good Sire he cared for all.</l> +<l>The Ágnishṭom,<note place="foot">A protracted sacrifice extending over +several days. See <ref target="Pg024">Book I, p. 24</ref> Note.</note> +as priests advised,</l> +<l>And various rites he solemnized,</l> +<l>Where ample largess ever paid</l> +<l>The Bráhmans for their holy aid.</l> +<l>Here Ráma stands, his heir by birth,</l> +<l>Whose name is glorious in the earth:</l> +<l>Sure refuge he of all oppressed,</l> +<l>Most faithful to his sire's behest.</l> +<l>He, Daśaratha's eldest born</l> +<l>Whom gifts above the rest adorn,</l> +<l>Lord of each high imperial sign,<note place="foot">Possessed of all the +auspicious personal marks that indicate capacity of universal +sovereignty. See <ref target="Pg002">Book I. p. 2</ref>, and Note 3.</note></l> +<l>The glory of his kingly line,</l> +<l>Reft of his right, expelled from home,</l> +<l>Came forth with me the woods to roam.</l> +<l>And Sítá too, his faithful dame,</l> +<l>Forth with her virtuous husband came,</l> +<l>Like the sweet light when day is done</l> +<l>Still cleaving to her lord the sun.</l> +<l>And me his sweet perfections drew</l> +<l>To follow as his servant true.</l> +<l>Named Lakshmaṇ, brother of my lord</l> +<l>Of grateful heart with knowledge stored</l> +<l>Most meet is he all bliss to share,</l> +<l>Who makes the good of all his care.</l> +<l>While, power and lordship cast away,</l> +<l>In the wild wood he chose to stay,</l> +<l>A giant came,—his name unknown,—</l> +<l>And stole the princess left alone.</l> +<l>Then Diti's son<note place="foot">Kabandha. See +<ref target="CantoIII-LXXIII">Book III. Canto LXXIII</ref>.</note> +who, cursed of yore,</l> +<l>The semblance of a Rákshas wore,</l> +<l>To King Sugríva bade us turn</l> +<l>The robber's name and home to learn.</l> +<l>For he, the Vánar chief, would know</l> +<l>The dwelling of our secret foe.</l> +<l>Such words of hope spake Diti's son,</l> +<l>And sought the heaven his deeds had won.</l> +<l>Thou hast my tale. From first to last</l> +<l>Thine ears have heard whate'er has past.</l> +<l>Ráma the mighty lord and I</l> +<l>For refuge to Sugríva fly.</l> +<l>The prince whose arm bright glory gained,</l> +<l>O'er the whole earth as monarch reigned,</l> +<l>And richest gifts to others gave,</l> +<l>Is come Sugríva's help to crave;</l> +<l>Son of a king the surest friend</l> +<l>Of virtue, him who loved to lend</l> +<l>His succour to the suffering weak,</l> +<l>Is come Sugríva's aid to seek.</l> +<l>Yes, Raghu's son whose matchless hand</l> +<l>Protected all this sea-girt land,</l> +<l>The virtuous prince, my holy guide,</l> +<l>For refuge seeks Sugríva's side.</l> +<l>His favour sent on great and small</l> +<l>Should ever save and prosper all.</l> +<l>He now to win Sugríva's grace</l> +<l>Has sought his woodland dwelling-place.</l> +<pb n="328"/><anchor id="Pg328"/> +<l>Son of a king of glorious fame;—</l> +<l>Who knows not Daśaratha's name?—</l> +<l>From whom all princes of the earth</l> +<l>Received each honour due to worth;—</l> +<l>Heir of that best of earthly kings,</l> +<l>Ráma the prince whose glory rings</l> +<l>Through realms below and earth and skies,</l> +<l>For refuge to Sugríva flies.</l> +<l>Nor should the Vánar king refuse</l> +<l>The boon for which the suppliant sues,</l> +<l>But with his forest legions speed</l> +<l><q rend="post">To save him in his utmost need.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sumitrá's son, his eyes bedewed</l> +<l>With piteous tears, thus sighed and sued.</l> +<l>Then, trained in all the arts that guide</l> +<l>The speaker, Hanumán replied:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Yea, lords like you of wisest thought,</q></l> +<l>Whom happy fate has hither brought,</l> +<l>Who vanquish ire and rule each sense,</l> +<l>Must of our lord have audience.</l> +<l>Reft of his kingdom, sad, forlorn,</l> +<l>Once Báli's hate now Báli's scorn,</l> +<l>Defeated, severed from his spouse,</l> +<l>Wandering under forest boughs,</l> +<l>Child of the Sun, our lord and king</l> +<l>Sugríva will his succours bring,</l> +<l>And all our Vánar hosts combined</l> +<l><q rend="post">Will trace the dame you long to find.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With gentle tone and winning grace</l> +<l>Thus spake the chief of Vánar race,</l> +<l>And then to Raghu's son he cried:</l> +<l><q>Come, haste we to Sugríva's side.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke, and for his words so sweet</l> +<l>Good Lakshmaṇ paid all honour meet;</l> +<l>Then turned and cried to Raghu's son:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now deem thy task already done,</q></l> +<l>Because this chief of Vánar kind,</l> +<l>Son of the God who rules the wind,</l> +<l>Declares Sugríva's self would be</l> +<l>Assisted in his need by thee.</l> +<l>Bright gleams of joy his cheek o'erspread</l> +<l>As each glad word of hope he said;</l> +<l>And ne'er will one so valiant deign</l> +<l><q rend="post">To cheer our hearts with hope in vain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke, and Hanumán the wise</l> +<l>Cast off his mendicant disguise,</l> +<l>And took again his Vánar form,</l> +<l>Son of the God of wind and storm.</l> +<l>High on his ample back in haste</l> +<l>Raghu's heroic sons he placed,</l> +<l>And turned with rapid steps to find</l> +<l>The sovereign of the Vánar kind.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-V"/> +<head>Canto V. The League.</head> + +<lg> +<l>From Rishyamúka's rugged side</l> +<l>To Malaya's hill the Vánar hied,</l> +<l>And to his royal chieftain there</l> +<l>Announced the coming of the pair:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">See, here with Lakshmaṇ Ráma stands</q></l> +<l>Illustrious in a hundred lands.</l> +<l>Whose valiant heart will never quail</l> +<l>Although a thousand foes assail;</l> +<l>King Daśaratha's son, the grace</l> +<l>And glory of Ikshváku's race.</l> +<l>Obedient to his father's will</l> +<l>He cleaves to sacred duty still.</l> +<l>With rites of royal pomp and pride</l> +<l>His sire the Fire-God gratified;</l> +<l>Ten hundred thousand kine he freed,</l> +<l>And priests enriched with ample meed;</l> +<l>And the broad land protected, famed</l> +<l>For truthful lips and passions tamed.</l> +<l>Through woman's guile his son has made</l> +<l>His dwelling in the forest shade,</l> +<l>Where, as he lived with every sense</l> +<l>Subdued in hermit abstinence,</l> +<l>Fierce Rávaṇ stole his wife, and he</l> +<l>Is come a suppliant, lord, to thee.</l> +<l>Now let all honour due be paid</l> +<l><q rend="post">To these great chiefs who seek thine aid.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spake the Vánar prince, and, stirred</l> +<l>With friendly thoughts, Sugríva heard.</l> +<l>The light of joy his face o'erspread,</l> +<l>And thus to Raghu's son he said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Prince, in rules of duty trained,</q></l> +<l>Caring for all with love unfeigned,</l> +<l>Hanúmán's tongue has truly shown</l> +<l>The virtues that are thine alone.</l> +<l>My chiefest glory, gain, and bliss,</l> +<l>O stranger Prince, I reckon this,</l> +<l>That Raghu's son will condescend</l> +<l>To seek the Vánar for his friend.</l> +<l>If thou my true ally wouldst be</l> +<l>Accept the pledge I offer thee,</l> +<l>This hand in sign of friendship take,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And bind the bond we ne'er will break.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke, and joy thrilled Ráma's breast;</l> +<l>Sugríva's hand he seized and pressed</l> +<l>And, transport beaming from his eye,</l> +<l>Held to his heart his new ally.</l> +<l>In wanderer's weed disguised no more,</l> +<l>His proper form Hanúmán wore.</l> +<l>Then, wood with wood engendering,<note place="foot"><p>Fire for sacred purposes is +produced by the attrition of two pieces of wood. In marriage and other solemn covenants +fire is regarded as the holy witness in whose presence the agreement is made. +Spenser in a description of a marriage, has borrowed from the Roman rite what +he calls the housling, or <q>matrimonial rite.</q></p> +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">His owne two hands the holy knots did knit</q></l> +<l>That none but death forever can divide.</l> +<l>His owne two hands, for such a turn most fit,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The housling fire did kindle and provide.</q></l> +</lg> +<p>Faery Queen, Book I. <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">XII.</hi> 37.</p></note> +came</l> +<l>Neath his deft hands the kindled flame.</l> +<l>Between the chiefs that fire he placed</l> +<pb n="329"/><anchor id="Pg329"/> +<l>With wreaths of flowers and worship graced.</l> +<l>And round its blazing glory went</l> +<l>The friends with slow steps reverent.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus each to other pledged and bound</l> +<l>In solemn league new transport found,</l> +<l>And bent upon his dear ally</l> +<l>The gaze he ne'er could satisfy.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Friend of my soul art thou: we share</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Each other's joy, each other's care;</q></l> +<l>Thus in the bliss that thrilled his breast</l> +<l>Sugríva Raghu's son addressed.</l> +<l>From a high Sál a branch he tore</l> +<l>Which many a leaf and blossom bore,</l> +<l>And the fine twigs beneath them laid</l> +<l>A seat for him and Ráma made.</l> +<l>Then Hanumán with joyous mind,</l> +<l>Son of the God who rules the wind,</l> +<l>To Lakshmaṇ gave, his seat to be,</l> +<l>The gay branch of a Sandal tree.</l> +<l>Then King Sugríva with his eyes</l> +<l>Still trembling with the sweet surprise</l> +<l>Of the great joy he could not hide,</l> +<l>To Raghu's noblest scion cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Ráma, racked with woe and fear,</q></l> +<l>Spurned by my foes, I wander here.</l> +<l>Reft of my spouse, forlorn I dwell</l> +<l>Here in my forest citadel.</l> +<l>Or wild with terror and distress</l> +<l>Roam through the distant wilderness.</l> +<l>Vext by my brother Báli long</l> +<l>My soul has borne the scathe and wrong.</l> +<l>Do thou, whose virtues all revere,</l> +<l>Release me from my woe and fear.</l> +<l>From dire distress thy friend to free</l> +<l><q rend="post">Is a high task and worthy thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke, and Raghu's son who knew</l> +<l>All sacred duties men should do.</l> +<l>The friend of justice, void of guile,</l> +<l>Thus answered with a gentle smile:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Great Vánar, friends who seek my aid</q></l> +<l>Still find their trust with fruit repaid.</l> +<l>Báli, thy foe, who stole away</l> +<l>Thy wife this vengeful hand shall slay.</l> +<l>These shafts which sunlike flash and burn,</l> +<l>Winged with the feathers of the hern,</l> +<l>Each swift of flight and sure and dread,</l> +<l>With even knot and pointed head,</l> +<l>Fierce as the crashing fire-bolt sent</l> +<l>By him who rules the firmament,<note place="foot">Indra.</note></l> +<l>Shall reach thy wicked foe and like</l> +<l>Infuriate serpents hiss and strike.</l> +<l>Thou, Vánar King, this day shalt see</l> +<l>The foe who long has injured thee</l> +<l>Lie, like a shattered mountain, low,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Slain by the tempest of my bow.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma spake: Sugríva heard,</l> +<l>And mighty joy his bosom stirred:</l> +<l>As thus his champion he addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now by thy favour, first and best</q></l> +<l>Of heroes, shall thy friend obtain</l> +<l>His realm and darling wife again</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Recovered from the foe.</l> +<l>Check thou mine elder brother's might;</l> +<l>That ne'er again his deadly spite</l> +<l>May rob me of mine ancient right,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">Or vex my soul with woe.</q></l> +<l>The league was struck, a league to bring</l> +<l>To Sítá fiends, and Vánar king<note place="foot">Báli the king +<hi rend='italic'>de facto</hi>.</note></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Apportioned bliss and bale.</l> +<l>Through her left eye quick throbbings shot,<note place="foot">With the Indians, as +with the ancient Greeks, the throbbing of the right eye in a man is an auspicious sign, +the throbbing of the left eye is the opposite. In a woman the significations of signs +are reversed.</note></l> +<l>Glad signs the lady doubted not,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">That told their hopeful tale.</l> +<l>The bright left eye of Báli felt</l> +<l>An inauspicious throb that dealt</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">A deadly blow that day.</l> +<l>The fiery left eyes of the crew</l> +<l>Of demons felt the throb, and knew</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">The herald of dismay.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-VI"/> +<head>Canto VI. The Tokens.</head> + +<lg> +<l>With joy that sprang from hope restored</l> +<l>To Ráma spake the Vánar lord:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I know, by wise Hanúmán taught,</q></l> +<l>Why thou the lonely wood hast sought.</l> +<l>Where with thy brother Lakshmaṇ thou</l> +<l>Hast sojourned, bound by hermit vow;</l> +<l>Have heard how Sítá, Janak's child,</l> +<l>Was stolen in the pathless wild,</l> +<l>How by a roving Rákshas she</l> +<l>Weeping was reft from him and thee;</l> +<l>How, bent on death, the giant slew</l> +<l>The vulture king, her guardian true,</l> +<l>And gave thy widowed breast to know</l> +<l>A solitary mourner's woe.</l> +<l>But soon, dear Prince, thy heart shall be</l> +<l>From every trace of sorrow free;</l> +<pb n="330"/><anchor id="Pg330"/> +<l>For I thy darling will restore,</l> +<l>Lost like the prize of holy lore.<note place="foot"><p>The Vedas stolen +by the demons Madhu and Kaiṭabha.</p> +<p><q>The text has [Sanskrit text] which signifies literally <q>the lost vedic +tradition.</q> It seems that allusion is here made to the Vedas submerged in the depth +of the sea, but promptly recovered by Vishṇu in one of his incarnations, as the +brahmanic legend relates, with which the orthodoxy of the Bráhmans intended perhaps to +allude to the prompt restoration and uninterrupted continuity of the ancient vedic +tradition.</q></p> +<p><hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio.</hi></p></note></l> +<l>Yea, though in heaven the lady dwell,</l> +<l>Or prisoned in the depths of hell,</l> +<l>My friendly care her way shall track</l> +<l>And bring thy ransomed darling back.</l> +<l>Let this my promise soothe thy care,</l> +<l>Nor doubt the words I truly swear.</l> +<l>Saints, fiends, and dwellers of the skies</l> +<l>Shall find thy wife a bitter prize,</l> +<l>Like the rash child who rues too late</l> +<l>The treacherous lure of poisoned cate.</l> +<l>No longer, Prince, thy loss deplore:</l> +<l>Thy darling wife will I restore.</l> +<l>'Twas she I saw: my heart infers</l> +<l>That shrinking form was doubtless hers,</l> +<l>Which gaint Rávaṇ, fierce and dread,</l> +<l>Bore swiftly through the clouds o'erhead</l> +<l>Still writhing in his strict embrace</l> +<l>Like helpless queen of serpent race,<note place="foot">Like the wife of a Nága or +Serpent-God carried off by an eagle. The enmity between the King of birds and the serpent +is of very frequent occurrence. It seems to be a modification of the strife between +the Vedic Indra and the Ahi, the serpent or drought-fiend; between Apollôn and +the Python, Adam and the Serpent.</note></l> +<l>And from her lips that sad voice came</l> +<l>Shrieking thine own and Lakshmaṇ's name.</l> +<l>High on a hill she saw me stand</l> +<l>With comrades twain on either hand.</l> +<l>Her outer robe to earth she threw,</l> +<l>And with it sent her anklets too.</l> +<l>We saw the glittering tokens fall,</l> +<l>We found them there and kept them all.</l> +<l>These will I bring: perchance thine eyes</l> +<l><q rend="post">The treasured spoils will recognize.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: then Raghu's son replied</l> +<l>To the glad tale, and eager cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Bring them with all thy speed: delay</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">No more, dear friend, but haste away.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma spoke. Sugríva hied</l> +<l>Within the mountain's caverned side,</l> +<l>Impelled by love that stirred each thought</l> +<l>The precious tokens quickly brought,</l> +<l>And said to Raghu's son: Behold</l> +<l>This garment and these rings of gold.</l> +<l>In Ráma's hand with friendly haste</l> +<l>The jewels and the robe he placed.</l> +<l>Then, like the moon by mist assailed,</l> +<l>The tear-dimmed eyes of Ráma failed;</l> +<l>That burst of woe unmanned his frame,</l> +<l>Woe sprung from passion for his dame,</l> +<l>And with his manly strength o'erthrown,</l> +<l>He fell and cried, Ah me! mine own!</l> +<l>Again, again close to his breast</l> +<l>The ornaments and robe he pressed,</l> +<l>While the quick pants that shook his frame</l> +<l>As from a furious serpent came.</l> +<l>On his dear brother standing nigh</l> +<l>He turned at length his piteous eye;</l> +<l>And, while his tears increasing ran,</l> +<l>In bitter wail he thus began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Look, brother, and behold once more</q></l> +<l>The ornaments and robe she wore,</l> +<l>Dropped while the giant bore away</l> +<l>In cruel arras his struggling prey,</l> +<l>Dropped in some quiet spot, I ween,</l> +<l>Where the young grass was soft and green;</l> +<l>For still untouched by spot or stain</l> +<l><q rend="post">Their former beauty all retain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke with many a tear and sigh,</l> +<l>And thus his brother made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The bracelets thou hast fondly shown,</q></l> +<l>And earrings, are to me unknown,</l> +<l>But by long service taught I greet</l> +<l><q rend="post">The anklets of her honoured feet.</q><note place="foot">He means that +he has never ventured to raise his eyes to her arms and face, +though he has ever been her devoted servant.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then to Sugríva Ráma, best</l> +<l>Of Raghu's sons, these words addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Say to what quarter of the sky</q></l> +<l>The cruel fiend was seen to fly,</l> +<l>Bearing afar my captured wife,</l> +<l>My darling dearer than my life.</l> +<l>Speak, Vánar King, that I may know</l> +<l>Where dwells the cause of all my woe;</l> +<l>The fiend for whose transgression all</l> +<l>The giants by this hand shall fall.</l> +<l>He who the Maithil lady stole</l> +<l>And kindled fury in my soul,</l> +<l>Has sought his fate in senseless pride</l> +<l>And opened Death's dark portal wide.</l> +<l>Then tell me, Vánar lord, I pray,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The dwelling of my foe,</l> +<l>And he, beneath this hand, to-day</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">To Yáma's halls shall go.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="331"/><anchor id="Pg331"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-VII"/> +<head>Canto VII. Ráma Consoled.</head> + +<lg> +<l>With longing love and woe oppressed</l> +<l>The Vánar chief he thus addressed:</l> +<l>And he, while sobs his utterance broke,</l> +<l>Raised up his reverent hands and spoke:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">O Raghu's son, I cannot tell</q></l> +<l>Where now that cruel fiend may dwell,</l> +<l>Declare his power and might, or trace</l> +<l>The author of his cursed race.</l> +<l>Still trust the promise that I make</l> +<l>And let thy breast no longer ache.</l> +<l>So will I toil, nor toil in vain,</l> +<l>That thou thy consort mayst regain.</l> +<l>So will I work with might and skill</l> +<l>That joy anew thy heart shall fill:</l> +<l>The valour of my soul display,</l> +<l>And Rávaṇ and his legions slay.</l> +<l>Awake, awake! unmanned no more</l> +<l>Recall the strength was thine of yore.</l> +<l>Beseems not men like thee to wear</l> +<l>A weak heart yielding to despair.</l> +<l>Like troubles, too, mine eyes have seen,</l> +<l>Lamenting for a long-lost queen;</l> +<l>But, by despair unconquered yet,</l> +<l>My strength of mind I ne'er forget.</l> +<l>Far more shouldst thou of lofty soul</l> +<l>Thy passion and thy tears control,</l> +<l>When I, of Vánar's humbler strain,</l> +<l>Weep not for her in ceaseless pain.</l> +<l>Be firm, be patient, nor forget</l> +<l>The bounds the brave of heart have set</l> +<l>In loss, in woe, in strife, in fear,</l> +<l>When the dark hour of death is near.</l> +<l>Up! with thine own brave heart advise:</l> +<l>Not thus despond the firm and wise.</l> +<l>But he who gives his childish heart</l> +<l>To choose the coward's weakling part,</l> +<l>Sinks, like a foundered vessel, deep</l> +<l>In waves of woe that o'er him sweep.</l> +<l>See, suppliant hand to hand I lay,</l> +<l>And, moved by faithful love, I pray.</l> +<l>Give way no more to grief and gloom,</l> +<l>But all thy native strength resume.</l> +<l>No joy on earth, I ween, have they</l> +<l>Who yield their souls to sorrow's sway.</l> +<l>Their glory fades in slow decline:</l> +<l>'Tis not for thee to grieve and pine.</l> +<l>I do but hint with friendly speech</l> +<l>The wiser part I dare not teach.</l> +<l>This better path, dear friend, pursue,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And let not grief thy soul subdue.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sugríva thus with gentle art</l> +<l>And sweet words soothed the mourner's heart,</l> +<l>Who brushed off with his mantle's hem</l> +<l>Tears from the eyes bedewed with them.</l> +<l>Sugríva's words were not in vain,</l> +<l>And Ráma was himself again,</l> +<l>Around the king his arms he threw</l> +<l>And thus began his speech anew:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Whate'er a friend most wise and true,</q></l> +<l>Who counsels for the best, should do,</l> +<l>Whate'er his gentle part should be,</l> +<l>Has been performed, dear friend, by thee.</l> +<l>Taught by thy counsel, O my lord,</l> +<l>I feel my native strength restored.</l> +<l>A friend like thee is hard to gain,</l> +<l>Most rare in time of grief and pain.</l> +<l>Now strain thine utmost power to trace</l> +<l>The Maithil lady's dwelling place,</l> +<l>And aid me in my search to find</l> +<l>Fierce Rávaṇ of the impious mind.</l> +<l>Trust thou, in turn, thy loyal friend,</l> +<l>And say what aid this arm can lend</l> +<l>To speed thy hopes, as fostering rain</l> +<l>Quickens in earth the scattered grain.</l> +<l>Deem not those words, that seemed to spring</l> +<l>From pride, are false, O Vánar King.</l> +<l>None from these lips has ever heard,</l> +<l>None e'er shall hear, one lying word.</l> +<l>Again I promise and declare,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Yea, by my truth, dear friend, I swear.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then glad was King Sugríva's breast,</l> +<l>And all his lords their joy confessed,</l> +<l>Stirred by sure hope of Ráma's aid,</l> +<l>And promise which the prince had made.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-VIII"/> +<head>Canto VIII. Ráma's Promise.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Doubt from Sugríva's heart had fled,</l> +<l>And thus to Raghu's son he said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No bliss the Gods of heaven deny.</q></l> +<l>Each views me with a favouring eye,</l> +<l>When thou, whom all good gifts attend,</l> +<l>Hast sought me and become my friend.</l> +<l>Leagued, friend, with thee in bold emprise</l> +<l>My arm might win the conquered skies;</l> +<l>And shall our banded strength be weak</l> +<l>To gain the realm which now I seek?</l> +<l>A happy fate was mine above</l> +<l>My kith and kin and all I love,</l> +<l>When, near the witness fire, I won</l> +<l>Thy friendship, Raghu's glorious son.</l> +<l>Thou too in ripening time shall see</l> +<l>Thy friend not all unworthy thee.</l> +<l>What gifts I have shall thus be shown:</l> +<l>Not mine the tongue to make them known.</l> +<l>Strong is the changeless bond that binds</l> +<l>The friendly faith of noble minds,</l> +<l>In woe, in danger, firm and sure</l> +<l>Their constancy and love endure.</l> +<l>Gold, silver, jewels rich and rare</l> +<l>They count as wealth for friends to share.</l> +<pb n="332"/><anchor id="Pg332"/> +<l>Yea, be they rich or poor and low,</l> +<l>Blest with all joys or sunk in woe,</l> +<l>Stained with each fault or pure of blame,</l> +<l>Their friends the nearest place may claim;</l> +<l>For whom they leave, at friendship's call,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Their gold, their bliss, their homes and all.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke by generous impulse moved,</l> +<l>And Raghu's son his speech approved</l> +<l>Glancing at Lakshmaṇ by his side,</l> +<l>Like Indra in his beauty's pride.</l> +<l>The Vánar monarch saw the pair</l> +<l>Of mighty brothers standing there,</l> +<l>And turned his rapid eye to view</l> +<l>The forest trees that near him grew.</l> +<l>He saw, not far from where he stood,</l> +<l>A Sál tree towering o'er the wood.</l> +<l>Amid the thick leaves many a bee</l> +<l>Graced the scant blossoms of the tree,</l> +<l>From whose dark shade a bough, that bore</l> +<l>A load of leafy twigs, he tore,</l> +<l>Which on the grassy ground he laid</l> +<l>And seats for him and Ráma made.</l> +<l>Hanúmán saw them sit, he sought</l> +<l>A Sál tree's leafy bough and brought</l> +<l>The burthen, and with meek request</l> +<l>Entreated Lakshmaṇ, too, to rest.</l> +<l>There on the noble mountain's brow,</l> +<l>Strewn with the young leaves of the bough,</l> +<l>Sat Raghu's son in placid ease</l> +<l>Calm as the sea when sleeps the breeze.</l> +<l>Sugríva's heart with rapture swelled,</l> +<l>And thus, by eager love impelled,</l> +<l>He spoke in gracious tone, that, oft</l> +<l>Checked by his joy, was low and soft:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I, by my brother's might oppressed,</q></l> +<l>By ceaseless woe and fear distressed,</l> +<l>Mourning my consort far away,</l> +<l>On Rishyamúka's mountain stray.</l> +<l>Expelled by Báli's cruel hate</l> +<l>I wander here disconsolate.</l> +<l>Do thou to whom all sufferers flee,</l> +<l><q rend="post">From his dread hand deliver me.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke, and Ráma, just and brave,</l> +<l>Whose pious soul to virtue clave,</l> +<l>Smiled as in conscious might he eyed</l> +<l>The king of Vánars, and replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Best fruit of friendship is the deed</q></l> +<l>That helps the friend in hour of need;</l> +<l>And this mine arm in death shall lay</l> +<l>Thy robber ere the close of day.</l> +<l>For see, these feathered darts of mine</l> +<l>Whose points so fiercely flash and shine,</l> +<l>And shafts with golden emblem, came</l> +<l>From dark woods known by Skanda's name,<note place="foot"><p>The wood in which Skanda +or Kártikeva was brought up:</p> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 16"><q rend="pre">The Warrior-God</q></l> +<l>Whose infant steps amid the thickets strayed</l> +<l><q rend="post">Where the reeds wave over the holy sod.</q></l> +</lg> +<p>See also <ref target="CantoI-XXIX">Book I, Canto XXIX</ref>.</p></note></l> +<l>Winged from the pinion of the hern</l> +<l>Like Indra's bolts they strike and burn.</l> +<l>With even knots and piercing head</l> +<l>Each like a furious snake is sped;</l> +<l>With these, to-day, before thine eye</l> +<l>Shall, like a shattered mountain, lie</l> +<l>Báli, thy dread and wicked foe,</l> +<l><q rend="post">O'erwhelmed in hideous overthrow.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke: Sugríva's bosom swelled</l> +<l>With hope and joy unparalleled.</l> +<l>Then his glad voice the Vánar raised,</l> +<l>And thus the son of Raghu praised:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Long have I pined in depth of grief;</q></l> +<l>Thou art the hope of all, O chief.</l> +<l>Now, Raghu's son, I hail thee friend,</l> +<l>And bid thee to my woes attend;</l> +<l>For, by my truth I swear it, now</l> +<l>Not life itself is dear as thou,</l> +<l>Since by the witness fire we met</l> +<l>And friendly hand in hand was set.</l> +<l>Friend communes now with friend, and hence</l> +<l>I tell with surest confidence,</l> +<l>How woes that on my spirit weigh</l> +<l><q rend="post">Consume me through the night and day.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">For sobs and sighs he scarce could speak,</l> +<l>And his sad voice came low and weak,</l> +<l>As, while his eyes with tears o'erflowed,</l> +<l>The burden of his soul he showed.</l> +<l>Then by strong effort, bravely made,</l> +<l>The torrent of his tears he stayed,</l> +<l>Wiped his bright eyes, his grief subdued,</l> +<l>And thus, more calm, his speech renewed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">By Báli's conquering might oppressed,</q></l> +<l>Of power and kingship dispossessed,</l> +<l>Loaded with taunts of scorn and hate</l> +<l>I left my realm and royal state.</l> +<l>He tore away my consort: she</l> +<l>Was dearer than my life to me,</l> +<l>And many a friend to me and mine</l> +<l>In hopeless chains was doomed to pine.</l> +<l>With wicked thoughts, unsated still,</l> +<l>Me whom he wrongs he yearns to kill;</l> +<l>And spies of Vánar race, who tried</l> +<l>To slay me, by this hand have died.</l> +<l>Moved by this constant doubt and fear</l> +<l>I saw thee, Prince, and came not near.</l> +<l>When woe and peril gather round</l> +<l>A foe in every form is found.</l> +<l>Save Hanumán, O Raghu's son,</l> +<l>And these, no friend is left me, none.</l> +<l>Through their kind aid, a faithful band</l> +<l>Who guard their lord from hostile hand,</l> +<l>Rest when their chieftain rests and bend</l> +<l>Their steps where'er he lists to wend,—</l> +<l>Through them alone, in toil and pain,</l> +<l>My wretched life I still sustain.</l> +<pb n="333"/><anchor id="Pg333"/> +<l>Enough, for thou hast heard in brief</l> +<l>The story of my pain and grief.</l> +<l>His mighty strength all regions know,</l> +<l>My brother, but my deadly foe.</l> +<l>Ah, if the proud oppressor fell,</l> +<l>His death would all my woe dispel.</l> +<l>Yea, on my cruel conqueror's fall</l> +<l>My joy depends, my life, my all.</l> +<l>This were the end and sure relief,</l> +<l>O Ráma, of my tale of grief.</l> +<l>Fair be his lot or dark with woe,</l> +<l><q rend="post">No comfort like a friend I know.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma spoke: <q rend="pre">O friend, relate</q></l> +<l>Whence sprang fraternal strife and hate,</l> +<l>That duly taught by thee, I may</l> +<l>Each foeman's strength and weakness weigh:</l> +<l>And skilled in every chance restore</l> +<l>The blissful state thou hadst before.</l> +<l>For, when I think of all the scorn</l> +<l>And bitter woe thou long hast borne,</l> +<l>My soul indignant swells with pain</l> +<l>Like waters flushed with furious rain.</l> +<l>Then, ere I string this bended bow,</l> +<l>Tell me the tale I long to know,</l> +<l>Ere from the cord my arrow fly,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And low in death thy foeman lie.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke: Sugríva joyed to hear,</l> +<l>Nor less his lords were glad of cheer:</l> +<l>And thus to Ráma mighty-souled</l> +<l>The cause that moved their strife he told:</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-IX"/> +<head>Canto IX. Sugríva's Story.<note place="foot"><q>Sugríva's story paints in vivid +colours the manners, customs and ideas of the wild mountain tribes which inhabited +Kishkindhya or the southern hills of the Deccan, of the people whom the poem +calls monkeys, tribes altogether different in origin and civilization from the +Indo-Sanskrit race.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</note></head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">My brother, known by Báli's name,</q></l> +<l>Had won by might a conqueror's fame.</l> +<l>My father's eldest-born was he,</l> +<l>Well honoured by his sire and me.</l> +<l>My father died, and each sage lord</l> +<l>Named Báli king with one accord;</l> +<l>And he, by right of birth ordained,</l> +<l>The sovereign of the Vánars reigned.</l> +<l>He in his royal place controlled</l> +<l>The kingdom of our sires of old,</l> +<l>And I all faithful service lent</l> +<l>To aid my brother's government.</l> +<l>The fiend Máyáví,—him of yore</l> +<l>To Dundubhi<note place="foot">A fiend slain by Báli.</note> his mother bore,—</l> +<l>For woman's love in strife engaged,</l> +<l>A deadly war with Báli waged.</l> +<l>When sleep had chained each weary frame</l> +<l>To vast Kishkindhá<note place="foot">Báli's mountain city.</note> gates he came,</l> +<l>And, shouting through the shades of night,</l> +<l>Challenged his foeman to the fight.</l> +<l>My brother heard the furious shout,</l> +<l>And wild with rage rushed madly out,</l> +<l>Though fain would I and each sad wife</l> +<l>Detain him from the deadly strife.</l> +<l>He burned his demon foe to slay,</l> +<l>And rushed impetuous to the fray.</l> +<l>His weeping wives he thrust aside,</l> +<l>And forth, impelled by fury, hied;</l> +<l>While, by my love and duty led,</l> +<l>I followed where my brother sped.</l> +<l>Máyáví looked, and at the sight</l> +<l>Fled from his foes in wild affright.</l> +<l>The flying fiend we quickly viewed,</l> +<l>And with swift feet his steps pursued.</l> +<l>Then rose the moon, whose friendly ray</l> +<l>Cast light upon our headlong way.</l> +<l>By the soft beams was dimly shown</l> +<l>A mighty cave with grass o'ergrown.</l> +<l>Within its depths he sprang, and we</l> +<l>The demon's form no more might see.</l> +<l>My brother's breast was all aglow</l> +<l>With fury when he missed the foe,</l> +<l>And, turning, thus to me he said</l> +<l>With senses all disquieted:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Here by the cavern's mouth remain;</q></l> +<l>Keep ear and eye upon the strain,</l> +<l>While I the dark recess explore</l> +<l><q rend="post">And dip my brand in foeman's gore.</q></l> +<l>I heard his angry speech, and tried</l> +<l>To turn him from his plan aside.</l> +<l>He made me swear by both his feet,</l> +<l>And sped within the dark retreat.</l> +<l>While in the cave he stayed, and I</l> +<l>Watched at the mouth, a year went by.</l> +<l>For his return I looked in vain,</l> +<l>And, moved by love, believed him slain.</l> +<l>I mourned, by doubt and fear distressed,</l> +<l>And greater horror seized my breast</l> +<l>When from the cavern rolled a flood,</l> +<l>A carnage stream of froth and blood;</l> +<l>And from the depths a sound of fear,</l> +<l>The roar of demons, smote mine ear;</l> +<l>But never rang my brother's shout</l> +<l>Triumphant in the battle rout.</l> +<l>I closed the cavern with a block,</l> +<l>Huge as a hill, of shattered rock.</l> +<l>Gave offerings due to Báli's shade,</l> +<l>And sought Kishkindhá, sore dismayed.</l> +<l>Long time with anxious care I tried</l> +<l>From Báli's lords his fate to hide,</l> +<l>But they, when once the tale was known,</l> +<l>Placed me as king on Báli's throne.</l> +<l>There for a while I justly reigned</l> +<pb n="334"/><anchor id="Pg334"/> +<l>And all with equal care ordained,</l> +<l>When joyous from the demon slain</l> +<l>My brother Báli came again.</l> +<l>He found me ruling in his stead,</l> +<l>And, fired with rage, his eyes grew red.</l> +<l>He slew the lords who made me king,</l> +<l>And spoke keen words to taunt and sting.</l> +<l>The kingly rank and power I held</l> +<l>My brother's rage with ease had quelled,</l> +<l>But still, restrained by old respect</l> +<l>For claims of birth, the thought I checked.</l> +<l>Thus having struck the demon down</l> +<l>Came Báli to his royal town.</l> +<l>With meek respect, with humble speech,</l> +<l>His haughty heart I strove to reach.</l> +<l>But all my arts were tried in vain,</l> +<l>No gentle word his lips would deign,</l> +<l>Though to the ground I bent and set</l> +<l>His feet upon my coronet:</l> +<l>Still Báli in his rage and pride</l> +<l><q rend="post">All signs of grace and love denied.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-X"/> +<head>Canto X. Sugríva's Story.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">I strove to soothe and lull to rest</q></l> +<l>The fury of his troubled breast:</l> +<l><q>Well art thou come, dear lord,</q> I cried.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">By whose strong arm thy foe has died.</q></l> +<l>Forlorn I languished here, but now</l> +<l>My saviour and defence art thou.</l> +<l>Once more receive this regal shade<note place="foot">The canopy or royal umbrella, +one of the usual Indian regalia.</note></l> +<l>Like the full moon in heaven displayed;</l> +<l>And let the chouries,<note place="foot">Whisks made of the hair of the Yak +or Bos grunniers, also regal insignia.</note> thus restored,</l> +<l>Wave glorious o'er the rightful lord.</l> +<l>I kept my watch, thy word obeyed,</l> +<l>And by the cave a year I stayed.</l> +<l>But when I saw that stream of blood</l> +<l>Rush from the cavern in a flood,</l> +<l>My sad heart broken with dismay,</l> +<l>And every wandering sense astray,</l> +<l>I barred the entrance with a stone,—</l> +<l>A crag from some high mountain thrown—</l> +<l>Turned from the spot I watched in vain,</l> +<l>And to Kishkindhá came again.</l> +<l>My deep distress and downcast mien</l> +<l>By citizen and lord were seen.</l> +<l>They made me king against my will:</l> +<l>Forgive me if the deed was ill.</l> +<l>True as I ever was I see</l> +<l>My honoured king once more in thee;</l> +<l>I only ruled a while the state</l> +<l>When thou hadst left us desolate.</l> +<l>This town with people, lords, and lands,</l> +<l>Lay as a trust in guardian hands:</l> +<l>And now, my gracious lord, accept</l> +<l>The kingdom which thy servant kept.</l> +<l>Forgive me, victor of the foe,</l> +<l>Nor let thy wrath against me glow.</l> +<l>See joining suppliant hands I pray,</l> +<l>And at thy feet my head I lay.</l> +<l>Believe my words: against my will</l> +<l>The royal seat they made me fill.</l> +<l>Unkinged they saw the city, hence</l> +<l><q rend="post">They made me lord for her defence.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But Báli, though I humbly sued,</l> +<l>Reviled me in his furious mood:</l> +<l><q>Out on thee, wretch!</q> in wrath he cried</l> +<l>With many a bitter taunt beside.</l> +<l>He summoned every lord, and all</l> +<l>His subjects gathered at his call.</l> +<l>Then forth his burning anger broke,</l> +<l>And thus amid his friends he spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I need not tell, for well ye know,</q></l> +<l>How fierce Máyáví, fiend and foe,</l> +<l>Came to Kishkindhá's gate by night,</l> +<l>And dared me in his wrath to fight.</l> +<l>I heard each word the demon said:</l> +<l>Forth from my royal hall I sped;</l> +<l>And, foe in brother's guise concealed,</l> +<l>Sugríva followed to the field.</l> +<l>The mighty demon through the shade</l> +<l>Beheld me come with one to aid:</l> +<l>Then shrinking from unequal fight,</l> +<l>He turned his back in swiftest flight.</l> +<l>From vengeful foes his life to save</l> +<l>He sought the refuge of a cave.</l> +<l>Then when I saw the fiend had fled</l> +<l>Within that cavern dark and dread,</l> +<l>Thus to my brother cruel-eyed,</l> +<l>Impatient in my wrath, I cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I seek no more my royal town</q></l> +<l>Till I have struck the demon down.</l> +<l>Here by the cavern's mouth remain</l> +<l><q rend="post">Until my hand the foe have slain.</q></l> +<l>Upon his faith my heart relied,</l> +<l>And swift within the depths I hied.</l> +<l>A year went by: in every spot</l> +<l>I sought the fiend, but found him not.</l> +<l>At length my foe I saw and slew,</l> +<l>Whom long I feared when lost to view;</l> +<l>And all his kinsmen by his side</l> +<l>Beneath my vengeful fury died.</l> +<l>The monster, as he reeled and fell,</l> +<l>Poured forth his blood with roar and yell;</l> +<l>And, filling all the cavern, dyed</l> +<l>The portal with the crimson tide.</l> +<l>Upon my foeman slain at last</l> +<l>One look, one pitying look, I cast.</l> +<l>I sought again the light of day:</l> +<l>The cave was closed and left no way.</l> +<l>To the barred mouth I sadly came,</l> +<l>And called aloud Sugríva's name.</l> +<l>But all was still: no voice replied,</l> +<pb n="335"/><anchor id="Pg335"/> +<l>And hope within my bosom died.</l> +<l>With furious efforts, vain at first,</l> +<l>Through bars of rock my way I burst.</l> +<l>Then, free once more, the path that brought</l> +<l>My feet in safety home I sought.</l> +<l>'Twas thus Sugríva dared despise</l> +<l>The claim of brothers' friendly ties.</l> +<l>With crags of rock he barred me in,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And for himself the realm would win.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Báli spoke in words severe;</l> +<l>And then, unmoved by ruth or fear,</l> +<l>Left me a single robe and sent</l> +<l>His brother forth in banishment.</l> +<l>He cast me out with scathe and scorn,</l> +<l>And from my side my wife was torn.</l> +<l>Now in great fear and ill at ease</l> +<l>I roam this land with woods and seas,</l> +<l>Or dwell on Rishyamúka's hill,</l> +<l>And sorrow for my consort still.</l> +<l>Thou hast the tale how first arose</l> +<l>This bitter hate of brother foes.</l> +<l>Such are the griefs neath which I pine,</l> +<l>And all without a fault of mine.</l> +<l>O swift to save in hour of fear,</l> +<l>My prayer who dread this Báli, hear</l> +<l>With gracious love assistance deign,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And mine oppressor's arm restrain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Raghu's son, the good and brave,</l> +<l>With a gay laugh his answer gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">These shafts of mine which ne'er can fail,</q></l> +<l>Before whose sheen the sun grows pale,</l> +<l>Winged by my fury, fleet and fierce,</l> +<l>The wicked Báli's heart shall pierce.</l> +<l>Yea, mark the words I speak, so long</l> +<l>Shall live that wretch who joys in wrong,</l> +<l>Until these angered eyes have seen</l> +<l>The robber of thy darling queen.</l> +<l>I, taught by equal suffering, know</l> +<l>What waves of grief above thee flow.</l> +<l>This hand thy captive wife shall free,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And give thy kingdom back to thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sugríva joyed as Ráma spoke,</l> +<l>And valour in his breast awoke.</l> +<l>His eye grew bright, his heart grew bold,</l> +<l>And thus his wondrous tale he told:</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XI"/> +<head>Canto XI. Dundubhi.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">I doubt not, Prince, thy peerless might,</q></l> +<l>Armed with these shafts so keen and bright,</l> +<l>Like all-destroying fires of fate,</l> +<l>The worlds could burn and devastate.</l> +<l>But lend thou first thy mind and ear</l> +<l>Of Báli's power and might to hear.</l> +<l>How bold, how firm, in battle tried,</l> +<l>Is Báli's heart; and then decide.</l> +<l>From east to west, from south to north</l> +<l>On restless errand hurrying forth,</l> +<l>From farthest sea to sea he flies</l> +<l>Before the sun has lit the skies.</l> +<l>A mountain top he oft will seek,</l> +<l>Tear from its root a towering peak,</l> +<l>Hurl it aloft, as 'twere a ball,</l> +<l>And catch it ere to earth it fall.</l> +<l>And many a tree that long has stood</l> +<l>In health and vigour in the wood,</l> +<l>His single arm to earth will throw,</l> +<l>The marvels of his might to show.</l> +<l>Shaped like a bull, a monster bore</l> +<l>The name of Dundubhi of yore:</l> +<l>He matched in size a mountain height,</l> +<l>A thousand elephants in might.</l> +<l>By pride of wondrous gifts impelled,</l> +<l>And strength he deemed unparalleled,</l> +<l>To Ocean, lord of stream and brook,</l> +<l>Athirst for war, his way he took.</l> +<l>He reached the king of rolling waves</l> +<l>Whose gems are piled in sunless caves,</l> +<l>And threw his challenge to the sea;</l> +<l><q>Come forth, O King, and fight with me.</q></l> +<l>He spoke, and from his ocean bed</l> +<l>The righteous<note place="foot"><p>Righteous because he never transgresses +his bounds, and</p> +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">over his great tides</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Fidelity presides.</q></l> +</lg></note> monarch heaved his head,</l> +<l>And gave, sedate, his calm reply</l> +<l>To him whom fate impelled to die:</l> +<l><q>Not mine, not mine the power,</q> he cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">To cope with thee in battle tried;</q></l> +<l>But listen to my voice, and seek</l> +<l>The worthier foe of whom I speak.</l> +<l>The Lord of Hills, where hermits live</l> +<l>And love the home his forests give,</l> +<l>Whose child is Śankar's darling queen,<note place="foot">Himálaya, the Lord of Snow, +is the father of Umá the wife of Śiva or Śankar.</note></l> +<l>The King of Snows is he I mean.</l> +<l>Deep caves has he, and dark boughs shade</l> +<l>The torrent and the wild cascade.</l> +<l>From him expect the fierce delight</l> +<l><q rend="post">Which heroes feel in equal fight.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He deemed that fear checked ocean's king,</l> +<l>And, like an arrow from the string,</l> +<l>To the wild woods that clothe the side</l> +<l>Of Lord Himálaya's hills he hied.</l> +<l>Then Dundubhi, with hideous roar,</l> +<l>Huge fragments from the summit tore</l> +<l>Vast as Airávat,<note place="foot">Indra's celestial elephant.</note> +white with snow,</l> +<l>And hurled them to the plains below.</l> +<l>Then like a white cloud soft, serene,</l> +<l>The Lord of Mountains' form was seen.</l> +<l>It sat upon a lofty crest,</l> +<l>And thus the furious fiend addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Beseems thee not, O virtue's friend,</q></l> +<l>My mountain tops to rive and rend;</l> +<pb n="336"/><anchor id="Pg336"/> +<l>For I, the hermit's calm retreat,</l> +<l><q rend="post">For deeds of war am all unmeet.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The demon's eye with rage grew red,</l> +<l>And thus in furious tone he said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If thou from fear or sloth decline</q></l> +<l>To match thy strength in war with mine,</l> +<l>Where shall I find a champion, say,</l> +<l><q rend="post">To meet me burning for the fray?</q></l> +<l>He spoke: Himálaya, skilled in lore</l> +<l>Of eloquence, replied once more,</l> +<l>And, angered in his righteous mind,</l> +<l>Addressed the chief of demon kind:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The Vánar Báli, brave and wise,</q></l> +<l>Son of the God who rules the skies,<note place="foot">Báli was the son of Indra. See +<ref target="Pg028">p. 28</ref>.</note></l> +<l>Sways, glorious in his high renown,</l> +<l>Kishkindhá his imperial town.</l> +<l>Well may that valiant lord who knows</l> +<l>Each art of war his might oppose</l> +<l>To thine, in equal battle set,</l> +<l>As Namuehi<note place="foot">An Asur slain by Indra. See <ref target="Pg261">p. +261</ref> Note. He is, like Vritra, a form of the demon of drought destroyed by the +beneficent God of the firmament.</note> and Indra met.</l> +<l>Go, if thy soul desire the fray;</l> +<l>To Báli's city speed away,</l> +<l>And that unconquered hero meet</l> +<l><q rend="post">Whose fame is high for warlike feat.</q></l> +<l>He listened to the Lord of Snow,</l> +<l>And, his proud heart with rage aglow,</l> +<l>Sped swift away and lighted down</l> +<l>By vast Kishkindhá, Báli's town.</l> +<l>With pointed horns to strike and gore</l> +<l>The semblance of a bull he bore,</l> +<l>Huge as a cloud that downward bends</l> +<l>Ere the full flood of rain descends.</l> +<l>Impelled by pride and rage and hate,</l> +<l>He thundered at Kishkindhá's gate;</l> +<l>And with his bellowing, like the sound</l> +<l>Of pealing drums, he shook the ground,</l> +<l>He rent the earth and prostrate threw</l> +<l>The trees that near the portal grew.</l> +<l>King Báli from the bowers within</l> +<l>Indignant heard the roar and din.</l> +<l>Then, moonlike mid the stars, with all</l> +<l>His dames he hurried to the wall;</l> +<l>And to the fiend this speech, expressed</l> +<l>In clear and measured words, addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Know me for monarch. Báli styled,</q></l> +<l>Of Vánar tribes that roam the wild.</l> +<l>Say why dost thou this gate molest,</l> +<l>And bellowing thus disturb our rest?</l> +<l>I know thee, mighty fiend: beware</l> +<l><q rend="post">And guard thy life with wiser care.</q></l> +<l>He spoke: and thus the fiend returned,</l> +<l>While red with rage his eyeballs burned:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What! speak when all thy dames are nigh</q></l> +<l>And hero-like thy foe defy?</l> +<l>Come, meet me in the fight this day,</l> +<l>And learn my strength by bold assay.</l> +<l>Or shall I spare thee, and relent</l> +<l>Until the coming night be spent?</l> +<l>Take then the respite of a night</l> +<l>And yield thee to each soft delight.</l> +<l>Then, monarch of the Vánar race</l> +<l>With loving arms thy friends embrace.</l> +<l>Gifts on thy faithful lords bestow,</l> +<l>Bid each and all farewell, and go.</l> +<l>Show in the streets once more thy face,</l> +<l>Install thy son to fill thy place.</l> +<l>Dally a while with each dear dame;</l> +<l>And then my strength thy pride shall tame</l> +<l>For, should I smite thee drunk with wine</l> +<l>Enamoured of those dames of thine,</l> +<l>Beneath diseases bowed and bent,</l> +<l>Or weak, unarmed, or negligent,</l> +<l>My deed would merit hate and scorn</l> +<l><q rend="post">As his who slays the child unborn.</q></l> +<l>Then Báli's soul with rage was fired,</l> +<l>Queen Tára and the dames retired;</l> +<l>And slowly, with a laugh of pride,</l> +<l>The king of Vánars thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Me, fiend, thou deemest drunk with wine:</q></l> +<l>Unless thy fear the fight decline,</l> +<l>Come, meet me in the fray, and test</l> +<l><q rend="post">The spirit of my valiant breast.</q></l> +<l>He spoke in wrath and high disdain;</l> +<l>And, laying down his golden chain,</l> +<l>Gift of his sire Mahendra, dared</l> +<l>The demon, for the fray prepared;</l> +<l>Seized by the horns the monster, vast</l> +<l>As a huge hill, and held him fast,</l> +<l>Then fiercely dragged him round and round,</l> +<l>And, shouting, hurled him to the ground.</l> +<l>Blood streaming from his ears, he rose,</l> +<l>And wild with fury strove the foes.</l> +<l>Then Báli, match for Indra's might,</l> +<l>With every arm renewed the fight.</l> +<l>He fought with fists, and feet, and knees,</l> +<l>With fragments of the rock, and trees.</l> +<l>At last the monster's strength, assailed</l> +<l>By Śakra's<note place="foot">Another name of Indra or Mahendra.</note> +conquering offspring, failed.</l> +<l>Him Báli raised with mighty strain</l> +<l>And dashed upon the ground again;</l> +<l>Where, bruised and shattered, in a tide</l> +<l>Of rushing blood, the demon died.</l> +<l>King Báli saw the lifeless corse,</l> +<l>And bending, with tremendous force</l> +<l>Raised the huge bulk from where it lay,</l> +<l>And hurled it full a league away.</l> +<l>As through the air the body flew,</l> +<l>Some blood-drops, caught by gales that blew,</l> +<l>Welled from his shattered jaw and fell</l> +<l>By Saint Matanga's hermit cell:</l> +<l>Matanga saw, illustrious sage,</l> +<l>Those drops defile his hermitage,</l> +<pb n="337"/><anchor id="Pg337"/> +<l>And, as he marvelled whence they came,</l> +<l>Fierce anger filled his soul with flame:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Who is the villain, evil-souled,</q></l> +<l>With childish thoughts unwise and bold,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Who is the impious wretch,</q> he cried,</l> +<l><q>By whom my grove with blood is dyed?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke Matanga in his rage,</l> +<l>And hastened from the hermitage,</l> +<l>When lo, before his wondering eyes</l> +<l>Lay the dead bull of mountain size.</l> +<l>His hermit soul was nothing slow</l> +<l>The doer of the deed to know,</l> +<l>And thus the Vánar in a burst</l> +<l>Of wild tempestuous wrath he cursed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ne'er let that Vánar wander here,</q></l> +<l>For, if he come, his death is near,</l> +<l>Whose impious hand with blood has dyed</l> +<l>The holy place where I abide,</l> +<l>Who threw this demon corse and made</l> +<l>A ruin of the pleasant shade.</l> +<l>If e'er he plant his wicked feet</l> +<l>Within one league of my retreat;</l> +<l>Yea, if the villain come so nigh</l> +<l>That very hour he needs must die.</l> +<l>And let the Vánar lords who dwell</l> +<l>In the dark woods that skirt my cell</l> +<l>Obey my words, and speeding hence</l> +<l>Find them some meeter residence.</l> +<l>Here if they dare to stay, on all</l> +<l>The terrors of my curse shall fall.</l> +<l>They spoil the tender saplings, dear</l> +<l>As children which I cherish here,</l> +<l>Mar root and branch and leaf and spray,</l> +<l>And steal the ripening fruit away.</l> +<l>One day I grant, no further hour,</l> +<l>To-morrow shall my curse have power,</l> +<l>And then each Vánar I may see</l> +<l><q rend="post">A stone through countless years shall be.</q></l> +<l>The Vánars heard the curse and hied</l> +<l>From sheltering wood and mountain side.</l> +<l>King Báli marked their haste and dread,</l> +<l>And to the flying leaders said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Speak, Vánar chiefs, and tell me why</q></l> +<l>From Saint Matanga's grove ye fly</l> +<l>To gather round me: is it well</l> +<l><q rend="post">With all who in those woodlands dwell?</q></l> +<l>He spoke: the Vánar leaders told</l> +<l>King Báli with his chain of gold</l> +<l>What curse the saint had on them laid,</l> +<l>Which drove them from their ancient shade.</l> +<l>Then royal Báli sought the sage,</l> +<l>With reverent hands to soothe his rage.</l> +<l>The holy man his suppliant spurned,</l> +<l>And to his cell in anger turned.</l> +<l>That curse on Báli sorely pressed,</l> +<l>And long his conscious soul distressed.</l> +<l>Him still the curse and terror keep</l> +<l>Afar from Rishyamúka's steep.</l> +<l>He dares not to the grove draw nigh,</l> +<l>Nay scarce will hither turn his eye.</l> +<l>We know what terrors warm him hence,</l> +<l>And roam these woods in confidence.</l> +<l>Look, Prince, before thee white and dry</l> +<l>The demon's bones uncovered lie,</l> +<l>Who, like a hill in bulk and length,</l> +<l>Fell ruind for his pride of strength.</l> +<l>See those high Sál trees seven in row</l> +<l>That droop their mighty branches low,</l> +<l>These at one grasp would Báli seize,</l> +<l>And leafless shake the trembling trees.</l> +<l>These tales I tell, O Prince, to show</l> +<l>The matchless power that arms the foe.</l> +<l>How canst thou hope to slay him? how</l> +<l><q rend="post">Meet Báli in the battle now?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sugríva spoke and sadly sighed:</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ with a laugh replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What show of power, what proof and test</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">May still the doubts that fill thy breast?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke. Sugríva thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">See yonder Sál trees side by side.</q></l> +<l>King Báli here would take his stand</l> +<l>Grasping his bow with vigorous hand,</l> +<l>And every arrow, keen and true,</l> +<l>Would strike its tree and pierce it through.</l> +<l>If Ráma now his bow will bend,</l> +<l>And through one trunk an arrow send;</l> +<l>Or if his arm can raise and throw</l> +<l>Two hundred measures of his bow,</l> +<l>Grasped by a foot and hurled through air,</l> +<l>The demon bull that moulders there,</l> +<l>My heart will own his might and fain</l> +<l><q rend="post">Believe my foe already slain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sugríva spoke inflamed with ire,</l> +<l>Scanned Ráma with a glance of fire,</l> +<l>Pondered a while in silent mood.</l> +<l>And thus again his speech renewed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">All lands with Báli's glories ring,</q></l> +<l>A valiant, strong, and mighty king;</l> +<l>In conscious power unused to yield,</l> +<l>A hero first in every field.</l> +<l>His wondrous deeds his might declare,</l> +<l>Deeds Gods might scarcely do or dare;</l> +<l>And on this power reflecting still</l> +<l>I roam on Rishyamúka's hill.</l> +<l>Awed by my brother's might I rove,</l> +<l>In doubt and fear, from grove to grove,</l> +<l>While Hanumán, my chosen friend,</l> +<l>And faithful lords my steps attend;</l> +<l>And now, O true to friendship's tie,</l> +<l>I hail in thee my best ally.</l> +<l>My surest refuge from my foes,</l> +<l>And steadfast as the Lord of Snows.</l> +<l>Still, when I muse how strong and bold</l> +<l>Is cruel Báli, evil-souled,</l> +<l>But ne'er, O chief of Raghu's line,</l> +<l>Have seen what strength in war is thine,</l> +<l>Though in my heart I may not dare</l> +<l>Doubt thy great might, despise, compare,</l> +<l>Thoughts of his fearful deeds will rise</l> +<l>And fill my soul with sad surmise.</l> +<l>Speech, form, and trust which naught may move</l> +<pb n="338"/><anchor id="Pg338"/> +<l>Thy secret strength and glory prove,</l> +<l>As smouldering ashes dimly show</l> +<l><q rend="post">The dormant fires that live below.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: and Ráma answered, while</l> +<l>Played o'er his lips a gracious smile:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Not yet convinced? This clear assay</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Shall drive each lingering doubt away.</q></l> +<l>Thus Ráma spoke his heart to cheer,</l> +<l>To Dundubhi's vast frame drew near:</l> +<l>He touched it with his foot in play</l> +<l>And sent it twenty leagues away.</l> +<l>Sugríva marked what easy force</l> +<l>Hurled through the air that demon's corse</l> +<l>Whose mighty bones were white and dried,</l> +<l>And to the son of Raghu cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My brother Báli, when his might</q></l> +<l>Was drunk and weary from the fight,</l> +<l>Hurled forth the monster body, fresh</l> +<l>With skin and sinews, blood and flesh.</l> +<l>Now flesh and blood are dried away,</l> +<l>The crumbling bones are light as hay,</l> +<l>Which thou, O Raghu's son, hast sent</l> +<l>Flying through air in merriment.</l> +<l>This test alone is weak to show</l> +<l>If thou be stronger or the foe.</l> +<l>By thee a heap of mouldering bone,</l> +<l>By him the recent corse was thrown.</l> +<l>Thy strength, O Prince, is yet untried:</l> +<l>Come, pierce one tree: let this decide.</l> +<l>Prepare thy ponderous bow and bring</l> +<l>Close to thine ear the straining string.</l> +<l>On yonder Sál tree fix thine eye,</l> +<l>And let the mighty arrow fly,</l> +<l>I doubt not, chief, that I shall see</l> +<l>Thy pointed shaft transfix the tree.</l> +<l>Then come, assay the easy task,</l> +<l>And do for love the thing I ask.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Best of all lights, the Day-God fills</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">With glory earth and sky:</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Himálaya is the lord of hills</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">That heave their heads on high.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The royal lion is the best</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4">Of beasts that tread the earth;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And thou, O hero, art confessed</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 4"><q rend="post">First in heroic worth.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XII"/> +<head>Canto XII. The Palm Trees.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Ráma, that his friend might know</l> +<l>His strength unrivalled, grasped his bow,</l> +<l>That mighty bow the foe's dismay,—</l> +<l>And on the string an arrow lay.</l> +<l>Next on the tree his eye he bent,</l> +<l>And forth the hurtling weapon went.</l> +<l>Loosed from the matchless hero's hold,</l> +<l>That arrow, decked with burning gold,</l> +<l>Cleft the seven palms in line, and through</l> +<l>The hill that rose behind them flew:</l> +<l>Six subterranean realms it passed,</l> +<l>And reached the lowest depth at last,</l> +<l>Whence speeding back through earth and air</l> +<l>It sought the quiver, and rested there.<note place="foot">The Bengal recension makes +it return in the form of a swan.</note></l> +<l>Upon the cloven trees amazed,</l> +<l>The sovereign of the Vánars gazed.</l> +<l>With all his chains and gold outspread</l> +<l>Prostrate on earth he laid his head.</l> +<l>Then, rising, palm to palm he laid</l> +<l>In reverent act, obeisance made,</l> +<l>And joyously to Ráma, best</l> +<l>Of war-trained chiefs, these words addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">What champion, Raghu's son, may hope</q></l> +<l>With thee in deadly fight to cope,</l> +<l>Whose arrow, leaping from the bow,</l> +<l>Cleaves tree and hill and earth below?</l> +<l>Scarce might the Gods, arrayed for strife</l> +<l>By Indra's self, escape, with life</l> +<l>Assailed by thy victorious hand:</l> +<l>And how may Báli hope to stand?</l> +<l>All grief and care are past away,</l> +<l>And joyous thoughts my bosom sway,</l> +<l>Who have in thee a friend, renowned,</l> +<l>As Varuṇ<note place="foot">Varuṇa is one of the oldest of the +Vedic Gods, corresponding in name and partly in character to the Οὐρανός of +the Greeks and is often regarded as the supreme deity. He upholds heaven and +earth, possesses extraordinary power and wisdom, sends his messengers through +both worlds, numbers the very winkings of men's eyes, punishes transgressors whom +he seizes with his deadly noose, and pardons the sins of those who are penitent. In +later mythology he has become the God of the sea.</note> or as Indra, found.</l> +<l>Then on! subdue,—'tis friendship's claim,—</l> +<l>My foe who bears a brother's name.</l> +<l>Strike Báli down beneath thy feet:</l> +<l><q rend="post">With suppliant hands I thus entreat.</q></l> +<l>Sugríva ceased, and Ráma pressed</l> +<l>The grateful Vánar to his breast;</l> +<l>And thoughts of kindred feeling woke</l> +<l>In Lakshmaṇ's bosom, as he spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">On to Kishkindhá, on with speed!</q></l> +<l>Thou, Vánar King, our way shalt lead,</l> +<l>Then challenge Báli forth to fight.</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy foe who scorns a brother's right.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They sought Kishkindhá's gate and stood</l> +<l>Concealed by trees in densest wood,</l> +<l>Sugríva, to the fight addressed,</l> +<l>More closely drew his cinctured vest,</l> +<l>And raised a wild sky-piercing shout</l> +<pb n="339"/><anchor id="Pg339"/> +<l>To call the foeman Báli out.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Forth came impetuous Báli, stirred</l> +<l>To fury by the shout he heard.</l> +<l>So the great sun, ere night has ceased,</l> +<l>Springs up impatient to the east.</l> +<l>Then fierce and wild the conflict raged</l> +<l>As hand to hand the foes engaged,</l> +<l>As though in battle mid the stars</l> +<l>Fought Mercury and fiery Mars.<note place="foot"><p>Budha, not to be confounded with +the great reformer Buddha, is the son of Soma or the Moon, and regent of the planet +Mercury. Angára is the regent of Mars who is called the red or the fiery planet. +The encounter between Michael and Satan is similarly said to have been as if</p> +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">Two planets rushing from aspect malign</q></l> +<l>Of fiercest opposition in midsky</l> +<l><q rend="post">Should combat, and their jarring spheres compound.</q></l> +</lg> +<p><hi rend='italic'>Paradise Lost.</hi> Book VI.</p></note></l> +<l>To highest pitch of frenzy wrought</l> +<l>With fists like thunderbolts they fought,</l> +<l>While near them Ráma took his stand,</l> +<l>And viewed the battle, bow in hand.</l> +<l>Alike they stood in form and might,</l> +<l>Like heavenly Aśvins<note place="foot">The Aśvins or Heavenly Twins, the +Dioskuri or Castor and Pollux of the Hindus, have frequently been mentioned. +See <ref target="Pg036">p. 36</ref>, Note.</note> paired in fight,</l> +<l>Nor might the son of Raghu know</l> +<l>Where fought the friend and where the foe;</l> +<l>So, while his bow was ready bent,</l> +<l>No life-destroying shaft he sent.</l> +<l>Crushed down by Báli's mightier stroke</l> +<l>Sugríva's force now sank and broke,</l> +<l>Who, hoping naught from Ráma's aid,</l> +<l>To Rishyamúka fled dismayed,</l> +<l>Weary, and faint, and wounded sore,</l> +<l>His body bruised and dyed with gore,</l> +<l>From Báli's blows, in rage and dread,</l> +<l>Afar to sheltering woods he fled.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Nor Báli farther dared pursue,</l> +<l>The curbing curse too well he knew.</l> +<l><q>Fled from thy death!</q> the victor cried,</l> +<l>And home the mighty warrior hied.</l> +<l>Hanúmán, Lakshmaṇ, Raghu's son</l> +<l>Beheld the conquered Vánar run,</l> +<l>And followed to the sheltering shade</l> +<l>Where yet Sugríva stood dismayed.</l> +<l>Near and more near the chieftains came,</l> +<l>Then, for intolerable shame,</l> +<l>Not daring yet to lift his eyes,</l> +<l>Sugríva spoke with burning sighs:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy matchless strength I first beheld,</q></l> +<l>And dared my foe, by thee impelled.</l> +<l>Why hast thou tried me with deceit</l> +<l>And urged me to a sure defeat?</l> +<l>Thou shouldst have said, <q rend="pre">I will not slay</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy foeman in the coming fray.</q></l> +<l>For had I then thy purpose known</l> +<l><q rend="post">I had not waged the fight alone.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Vánar sovereign, lofty-souled,</l> +<l>In plaintive voice his sorrows told.</l> +<l>Then Ráma spake: <q rend="pre">Sugríva, list</q>,</l> +<l>All anger from thy heart dismissed,</l> +<l>And I will tell the cause that stayed</l> +<l>Mine arrow, and withheld the aid.</l> +<l>In dress, adornment, port, and height,</l> +<l>In splendour, battle-shout, and might,</l> +<l>No shade of difference could I see</l> +<l>Between thy foe, O King, and thee.</l> +<l>So like was each, I stood at gaze,</l> +<l>My senses lost in wildering maze,</l> +<l>Nor loosened from my straining bow</l> +<l>A deadly arrow at the foe,</l> +<l>Lest in my doubt the shaft should send</l> +<l>To sudden death our surest friend.</l> +<l>O, if this hand in heedless guilt</l> +<l>And rash resolve thy blood had spilt,</l> +<l>Through every land, O Vánar King,</l> +<l>My wild and foolish act would ring.</l> +<l>Sore weight of sin on him must lie</l> +<l>By whom a friend is made to die;</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ, I, and Sítá, best</l> +<l>Of dames, on thy protection rest.</l> +<l>On, warrior! for the fight prepare;</l> +<l>Nor fear again thy foe to dare.</l> +<l>Within one hour thine eye shall view</l> +<l>My arrow strike thy foeman through;</l> +<l>Shall see the stricken Báli lie</l> +<l>Low on the earth, and gasp and die.</l> +<l>But come, a badge about thee bind,</l> +<l>O monarch of the Vánar kind,</l> +<l>That in the battle shock mine eyes</l> +<l>The friend and foe may recognize.</l> +<l>Come, Lakshmaṇ, let that creeper deck</l> +<l>With brightest bloom Sugríva's neck,</l> +<l>And be a happy token, twined</l> +<l><q rend="post">Around the chief of lofty mind.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Upon the mountain slope there grew</l> +<l>A threading creeper fair to view,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ plucked the bloom and round</l> +<l>Sugríva's neck a garland wound.</l> +<l>Graced with the flowery wreath he wore,</l> +<l>The Vánar chief the semblance bore</l> +<l>Of a dark cloud at close of day</l> +<l>Engarlanded with cranes at play,</l> +<l>In glorious light the Vánar glowed</l> +<l>As by his comrade's side he strode,</l> +<l>And, still on Ráma's word intent,</l> +<l>His steps to great Kishkindhá bent.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="340"/><anchor id="Pg340"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XIII"/> +<head>Canto XIII. The Return To Kishkindhá.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus with Sugríva, from the side</l> +<l>Of Rishyamúka, Ráma hied,</l> +<l>And stood before Kishkindhá's gate</l> +<l>Where Báli kept his regal state.</l> +<l>The hero in his warrior hold</l> +<l>Raised his great bow adorned with gold,</l> +<l>And drew his pointed arrow bright</l> +<l>As sunbeams, finisher of fight.</l> +<l>Strong-necked Sugríva led the way</l> +<l>With Lakshmaṇ mighty in the fray.</l> +<l>Nala and Níla came behind</l> +<l>With Hanumán of lofty mind,</l> +<l>And valiant Tára, last in place,</l> +<l>A leader of the Vánar race.</l> +<l>They gazed on many a tree that showed</l> +<l>The glory of its pendent load,</l> +<l>And brook and limpid rill that made</l> +<l>Sweet murmurs as they seaward strayed.</l> +<l>They looked on caverns dark and deep,</l> +<l>On bower and glen and mountain steep,</l> +<l>And saw the opening lotus stud</l> +<l>With roseate cup the crystal flood,</l> +<l>While crane and swan and coot and drake</l> +<l>Made pleasant music on the lake,</l> +<l>And from the reedy bank was heard</l> +<l>The note of many a happy bird.</l> +<l>In open lawns, in tangled ways,</l> +<l>They saw the tall deer stand at gaze,</l> +<l>Or marked them free and fearless roam,</l> +<l>Fed with sweet grass, their woodland home.</l> +<l>At times two flashing tusks between</l> +<l>The wavings of the wood were seen,</l> +<l>And some mad elephant, alone,</l> +<l>Like a huge moving hill, was shown.</l> +<l>And scarcely less in size appeared</l> +<l>Great monkeys all with dust besmeared.</l> +<l>And various birds that roam the skies,</l> +<l>And silvan creatures, met their eyes,</l> +<l>As through the wood the chieftains sped,</l> +<l>And followed where Sugríva led.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma, as their way they made,</l> +<l>Saw near at hand a lovely shade,</l> +<l>And, as he gazed upon the trees,</l> +<l>Spake to Sugríva words like these;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Those stately trees in beauty rise,</q></l> +<l>Fair as a cloud in autumn skies.</l> +<l>I fain, my friend, would learn from thee</l> +<l><q rend="post">What pleasant grove is that I see.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma spake, the mighty souled;</l> +<l>And thus his tale Sugríva told:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">That, Ráma, is a wide retreat</q></l> +<l>That brings repose to weary feet.</l> +<l>Bright streams and fruit and roots are there,</l> +<l>And shady gardens passing fair.</l> +<l>There, neath the roof of hanging boughs,</l> +<l>The sacred Seven maintained their vows.</l> +<l>Their heads in dust were lowly laid,</l> +<l>In streams their nightly beds were made.</l> +<l>Each seventh night they broke their fast,</l> +<l>But air was still their sole repast,</l> +<l>And when seven hundred years were spent</l> +<l>To homes in heaven the hermits went.</l> +<l>Their glory keeps the garden yet,</l> +<l>With walls of stately trees beset.</l> +<l>Scarce would the Gods and demons dare,</l> +<l>By Indra led, to enter there.</l> +<l>No beast that roams the wood is found,</l> +<l>No bird of air, within the bound;</l> +<l>Or, thither if they idly stray,</l> +<l>They find no more their homeward way.</l> +<l>You hear at times mid dulcet tones</l> +<l>The chime of anklets, rings, and zones.</l> +<l>You hear the song and music sound,</l> +<l>And heavenly fragrance breathes around,</l> +<l>There duly burn the triple fires<note place="foot">Called respectively Gárhapatya, +Áhavaniya, and Dakshiṇa, household, sacrificial, and southern.</note></l> +<l>Where mounts the smoke in curling spires,</l> +<l>And, in a dun wreath, hangs above</l> +<l>The tall trees, like a brooding dove.</l> +<l>Round branch and crest the vapours close</l> +<l>Till every tree enveloped shows</l> +<l>A hill of lazulite when clouds</l> +<l>Hang round it with their misty shrouds.</l> +<l>With Lakshmaṇ, lord of Raghu's line,</l> +<l>In reverent guise thine head incline,</l> +<l>And with fixt heart and suppliant hand</l> +<l>Give honour to the sainted band.</l> +<l>They who with faithful hearts revere</l> +<l>The holy Seven who harboured here,</l> +<l>Shall never, son of Raghu, know</l> +<l><q rend="post">In all their lives an hour of woe.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma and his brother bent,</l> +<l>And did obeisance reverent</l> +<l>With suppliant hand and lowly head,</l> +<l>Then with Sugríva onward sped.</l> +<l>Beyond the sainted Seven's abode</l> +<l>Far on their way the chieftains strode,</l> +<l>And great Kishkindhá's portal gained,</l> +<l>The royal town where Báli reigned.</l> +<l>Then by the gate they took their stand</l> +<l>All ready armed a noble band,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And burning every one</l> +<l>To slay in battle, hand to hand,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Their foeman, Indra's son.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XIV"/> +<head>Canto XIV. The Challenge.</head> + +<lg> +<l>They stood where trees of densest green</l> +<l>Wove round their forms a veiling screen.</l> +<l>O'er all the garden's pleasant shade</l> +<l>The eyes of King Sugríva strayed,</l> +<pb n="341"/><anchor id="Pg341"/> +<l>And, as on grass and tree he gazed,</l> +<l>The fires of wrath within him blazed.</l> +<l>Then like a mighty cloud on high,</l> +<l>When roars the tempest through the sky,</l> +<l>Girt by his friends he thundered out</l> +<l>His dread sky-rending battle-shout</l> +<l>Like some proud lion in his gait,</l> +<l>Or as the sun begins his state,</l> +<l>Sugríva let his quick glance rest</l> +<l>On Ráma whom he thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">There is the seat of Báli's sway,</q></l> +<l>Where flags on wall and turret play,</l> +<l>Which mighty bands of Vánars hold,</l> +<l>Rich in all arms and store of gold.</l> +<l>Thy promise to thy mind recall</l> +<l>That Báli by thy hand shall fall.</l> +<l>As kindly fruits adorn the bough.</l> +<l><q rend="post">So give my hopes their harvest now.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In suppliant tone the Vánar prayed,</l> +<l>And Raghu's son his answer made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">By Lakshmaṇ's hand this flowery twine</q></l> +<l>Was wound about thee for a sign.</l> +<l>The wreath of giant creeper throws</l> +<l>About thy form its brillant glows,</l> +<l>As though about the sun were set</l> +<l>The bright stars for a coronet.</l> +<l>One shaft of mine this day, dear friend,</l> +<l>Thy sorrow and thy fear shall end.</l> +<l>And, from the bowstring freed, shall be</l> +<l>Giver of freedom, King, to thee.</l> +<l>Then come, Sugríva, quickly show,</l> +<l>Where'er he lie, thy bitter foe;</l> +<l>And let my glance the wretch descry</l> +<l>Whose deeds, a brother's name belie.</l> +<l>Yea, soon in dust and blood o'erthrown</l> +<l>Shall Báli fall and gasp and groan.</l> +<l>Once let this eye the foeman see,</l> +<l>Then, if he live to turn and flee,</l> +<l>Despise my puny strength, and shame</l> +<l>With foul opprobrium Ráma's name.</l> +<l>Hast thou not seen his hand, O King,</l> +<l>Through seven tall trees one arrow wing?</l> +<l>Still in that strength securely trust,</l> +<l>And deem thy foeman in the dust.</l> +<l>In all my days, though surely tried</l> +<l>By grief and woe, I ne'er have lied;</l> +<l>And still by duty's law restrained</l> +<l>Will ne'er with falsehood's charge be stained.</l> +<l>Cast doubt away: the oath I sware</l> +<l>Its kindly fruit shall quickly bear,</l> +<l>As smiles the land with golden grain</l> +<l>By mercy of the Lord of rain.</l> +<l>Oh, warrior to the gate I defy</l> +<l>Thy foe with shout and battle-cry,</l> +<l>Till Báli with his chain of gold</l> +<l>Come speeding from his royal hold.</l> +<l>Proud hearts, with warlike fire aglow,</l> +<l>Brook not the challenge of a foe:</l> +<l>Each on his power and might relies,</l> +<l>And most before his ladies eyes.</l> +<l>King Báli loves the fray too well</l> +<l>To linger in his citadel,</l> +<l>And, when he hears thy battle-shout,</l> +<l><q rend="post">All wild for war will hasten out.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke. Sugríva raised a cry</l> +<l>That shook and rent the echoing sky,</l> +<l>A shout so fierce and loud and dread</l> +<l>That stately bulls in terror fled,</l> +<l>Like dames who fly from threatened stain</l> +<l>In some ignoble monarch's reign.</l> +<l>The deer in wild confusion ran</l> +<l>Like horses turned in battle's van.</l> +<l>Down fell the birds, like Gods who fall</l> +<l>When merits fail,<note place="foot">The store of merit accumulated by a +holy or austere life secures only a temporary seat in the mansion of bliss. When +by the lapse of time this store is exhausted, return to earth is unavoidable.</note> +at that dread call.</l> +<l>So fiercely, boldened for the fray,</l> +<l>The offspring of the Lord of Day</l> +<l>Sent forth his furious shout as loud</l> +<l>As thunder from a labouring cloud,</l> +<l>Or, where the gale blows fresh and free,</l> +<l>The roaring of the troubled sea.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XV"/> +<head>Canto XV. Tárá.</head> + +<lg> +<l>That shout, which shook the land with fear,</l> +<l>In thunder smote on Báli's ear,</l> +<l>Where in the chamber barred and closed</l> +<l>The sovereign with his dame reposed.</l> +<l>Each amorous thought was rudely stilled,</l> +<l>And pride and rage his bosom filled.</l> +<l>His angry eyes flashed darkly red,</l> +<l>And all his native brightness fled,</l> +<l>As when, by swift eclipse assailed,</l> +<l>The glory of the sun has failed.</l> +<l>While in his fury uncontrolled</l> +<l>He ground his teeth, his eyeballs rolled,</l> +<l>He seemed a lake wherein no gem</l> +<l>Of blossom decks the lotus stem.</l> +<l>He heard, and with indignant pride</l> +<l>Forth from the bower the Vánar hied.</l> +<l>And the earth trembled at the beat</l> +<l>And fury of his hastening feet.</l> +<l>But Tárá to her consort flew,</l> +<l>Her loving arms around him threw,</l> +<l>And trembling and bewildered, gave</l> +<l>Wise counsel that might heal and save:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O dear my lord, this rage control</q></l> +<l>That like a torrent floods thy soul,</l> +<l>And cast these idle thoughts away</l> +<l>Like faded wreath of yesterday,</l> +<l>O tarry till the morning light,</l> +<l>Then, if thou wilt, go forth and fight.</l> +<pb n="342"/><anchor id="Pg342"/> +<l>Think not I doubt thy valour, no;</l> +<l>Or deem thee weaker than thy foe,</l> +<l>Yet for a while would have thee stay</l> +<l>Nor see thee tempt the fight to-day.</l> +<l>Now list, my loving lord, and learn</l> +<l>The reason why I bid thee turn.</l> +<l>Thy foeman came in wrath and pride,</l> +<l>And thee to deadly fight defied.</l> +<l>Thou wentest out: he fought, and fled</l> +<l>Sore wounded and discomfited.</l> +<l>But yet, untaught by late defeat,</l> +<l>He comes his conquering foe to meet,</l> +<l>And calls thee forth with cry and shout:</l> +<l>Hence spring, my lord, this fear and doubt.</l> +<l>A heart so bold that will not yield,</l> +<l>But yearns to tempt the desperate field,</l> +<l>Such loud defiance, fiercely pressed,</l> +<l>On no uncertain hope can rest.</l> +<l>So lately by thine arm o'erthrown,</l> +<l>He comes not back, I ween, alone.</l> +<l>Some mightier comrade guards his side,</l> +<l>And spurs him to this burst of pride.</l> +<l>For nature made the Vánar wise:</l> +<l>On arms of might his hope relies;</l> +<l>And never will Sugríva seek</l> +<l>A friend whose power to save is weak.</l> +<l>Now listen while my lips unfold</l> +<l>The wondrous tale my Angad told.</l> +<l>Our child the distant forest sought,</l> +<l>And, learnt from spies, the tidings brought.</l> +<l>Two sons of Daśaratha, sprung</l> +<l>From old Ikshváku, brave and young,</l> +<l>Renowned in arms, in war untamed—</l> +<l>Ráma and Lakshmaṇ are they named—</l> +<l>Have with thy foe Sugríva made</l> +<l>A league of love and friendly aid.</l> +<l>Now Ráma, famed for exploit high,</l> +<l>Is bound thy brother's firm ally,</l> +<l>Like fires of doom<note place="foot">The conflagration which destroys the +world at the end of a Yuga or age.</note> that ruin all</l> +<l>He makes each foe before him fall.</l> +<l>He is the suppliant's sure defence,</l> +<l>The tree that shelters innocence.</l> +<l>The poor and wretched seek his feet:</l> +<l>In him the noblest glories meet.</l> +<l>With skill and knowledge vast and deep</l> +<l>His sire's commands he loved to keep;</l> +<l>With princely gifts and graces stored</l> +<l>As metals deck the Mountains' Lord.<note place="foot">Himálaya.</note></l> +<l>Thou canst not, O my hero, stand</l> +<l>Before the might of Ráma's hand;</l> +<l>For none may match his powers or dare</l> +<l>With him in deeds of war compare.</l> +<l>Hear, I entreat, the words I say,</l> +<l>Nor lightly turn my rede away.</l> +<l>O let fraternal discord cease,</l> +<l>And link you in the bonds of peace.</l> +<l>Let consecrating rites ordain</l> +<l>Sugríva partner of thy reign.</l> +<l>Let war and thoughts of conflict end,</l> +<l>And be thou his and Ráma's friend,</l> +<l>Each soft approach of love begin,</l> +<l>And to thy soul thy brother win;</l> +<l>For whether here or there he be,</l> +<l>Thy brother still, dear lord, is he.</l> +<l>Though far and wide these eyes I strain</l> +<l>A friend like him I seek in vain.</l> +<l>Let gentle words his heart incline,</l> +<l>And gifts and honours make him thine,</l> +<l>Till, foes no more, in love allied,</l> +<l>You stand as brothers side by side.</l> +<l>Thou in high rank wast wont to hold</l> +<l>Sugríva, formed in massive mould;</l> +<l>Then come, thy brother's love regain,</l> +<l>For other aids are weak and vain.</l> +<l>If thou would please my soul, and still</l> +<l>Preserve me from all fear and ill,</l> +<l>I pray thee by thy love be wise</l> +<l>And do the thing which I advise.</l> +<l>Assuage thy fruitless wrath, and shun</l> +<l>The mightier arms of Raghu's son;</l> +<l>For Indra's peer in might is he,</l> +<l><q rend="post">A foe too strong, my lord, for thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XVI"/> +<head>Canto XVI. The Fall Of Báli.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus Tárá with the starry eyes<note place="foot">Tárá means <q>star.</q> The poet +plays upon the name by comparing her beauty +to that of the Lord of stars, the Moon.</note></l> +<l>Her counsel gave with burning sighs.</l> +<l>But Báli, by her prayers unmoved,</l> +<l>Spurned her advice, and thus reproved:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">How may this insult, scathe, and scorn</q></l> +<l>By me, dear love, be tamely born?</l> +<l>My brother, yea my foe, comes nigh</l> +<l>And dares me forth with shout and cry.</l> +<l>Learn, trembler! that the valiant, they</l> +<l>Who yield no step in battle fray,</l> +<l>Will die a thousand deaths but ne'er</l> +<l>An unavenged dishonour bear.</l> +<l>Nor, O my love, be thou dismayed</l> +<l>Though Ráma lend Sugríva aid,</l> +<l>For one so pure and duteous, one</l> +<l>Who loves the right, all sin will shun,</l> +<l>Release me from thy soft embrace,</l> +<l>And with thy dames thy steps retrace:</l> +<l>Enough already, O mine own,</l> +<l>Of love and sweet devotion shown.</l> +<l>Drive all thy fear and doubt away;</l> +<l>I seek Sugríva in the fray</l> +<l>His boisterous rage and pride to still,</l> +<l>And tame the foe I would not kill.</l> +<l>My fury, armed with brandished trees,</l> +<l>Shall strike Sugríva to his knees:</l> +<pb n="343"/><anchor id="Pg343"/> +<l>Nor shall the humbled foe withstand</l> +<l>The blows of my avenging hand,</l> +<l>When, nerved by rage and pride, I beat</l> +<l>The traitor down beneath my feet.</l> +<l>Thou, love, hast lent thine own sweet aid,</l> +<l>And all thy tender care displayed;</l> +<l>Now by my life, by these who yearn</l> +<l>To serve thee well, I pray thee turn.</l> +<l>But for a while, dear dame, I go</l> +<l><q rend="post">To come triumphant o'er the foe.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Báli spake in gentlest tone:</l> +<l>Soft arms about his neck were thrown;</l> +<l>Then round her lord the lady went</l> +<l>With sad steps slow and reverent.</l> +<l>She stood in solemn guise to bless</l> +<l>With prayers for safety and success,</l> +<l>Then with her train her chamber sought</l> +<l>By grief and racking fear distraught.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With serpent's pantings fierce and fast</l> +<l>King Báli from the city passed.</l> +<l>His glance, as each quick breath he drew,</l> +<l>Around to find the foe he threw,</l> +<l>And saw where fierce Sugríva showed</l> +<l>His form with golden hues that glowed,</l> +<l>And, as a fire resplendent, stayed</l> +<l>To meet his foe in arms arrayed.</l> +<l>When Báli, long-armed chieftain, found</l> +<l>Sugríva stationed on the ground,</l> +<l>Impelled by warlike rage he braced</l> +<l>His warrior garb about his waist,</l> +<l>And with his mighty arm raised high</l> +<l>Rushed at Sugríva with a cry.</l> +<l>But when Sugríva, fierce and bold,</l> +<l>Saw Báli with his chain of gold,</l> +<l>His arm he heaved, his hand he closed,</l> +<l>And face to face his foe opposed.</l> +<l>To him whose eyes with fury shone,</l> +<l>In charge impetuous rushing on,</l> +<l>Skilled in each warlike art and plan,</l> +<l>Báli with hasty words began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My ponderous hand, to fight addressed</q></l> +<l>With fingers clenched and arm compressed</l> +<l>Shall on thy death doomed brow descend</l> +<l><q rend="post">And, crashing down, thy life shall end.</q></l> +<l>He spoke; and wild with rage and pride,</l> +<l>The fierce Sugríva thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thus let my arm begin the strife</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">And from thy body crush the life.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Báli, wounded and enraged,</l> +<l>With furious blows the battle waged.</l> +<l>Sugríva seemed, with blood-streams dyed,</l> +<l>A hill with fountains in his side.</l> +<l>But with his native force unspent</l> +<l>A Sál tree from the earth he rent,</l> +<l>And like the bolt of Indra smote</l> +<l>On Báli's head and chest and throat.</l> +<l>Bruised by the blows he could not shield,</l> +<l>Half vanquished Báli sank and reeled,</l> +<l>As sinks a vessel with her freight</l> +<l>Borne down by overwhelming weight.</l> +<l>Swift as Suparṇa's<note place="foot">Suparṇa, the Well-winged, is another +name of Garuḍa the King of Birds. See <ref target="Pg028">p. 28</ref>, Note.</note> +swiftest flight</l> +<l>In awful strength they rushed to fight:</l> +<l>So might the sun and moon on high</l> +<l>Encountering battle in the sky.</l> +<l>Fierce and more fierce, as fought the foes,</l> +<l>The furious rage of combat rose.</l> +<l>They warred with feet and arms and knees,</l> +<l>With nails and stones and boughs and trees,</l> +<l>And blows descending fast as rain</l> +<l>Dyed each dark form with crimson stain,</l> +<l>While like two thunder-clouds they met</l> +<l>With battle-cry and shout and threat.</l> +<l>Then Ráma saw Sugríva quail,</l> +<l>Marked his worn strength grow weak and fail.</l> +<l>Saw how he turned his wistful eye</l> +<l>To every quarter of the sky.</l> +<l>His friend's defeat he could not brook,</l> +<l>Bent on his shaft an eager look,</l> +<l>Then burned to slay the conquering foe,</l> +<l>And laid his arrow on the bow.</l> +<l>As to an orb the bow he drew</l> +<l>Forth from the string the arrow flew</l> +<l>Like Fate's tremendous discus hurled</l> +<l>By Yáma<note place="foot">The God of Death.</note> forth to end the world.</l> +<l>So loud the din that every bird</l> +<l>The bow-string's clans with terror heard,</l> +<l>And wildly fled the affrighted deer</l> +<l>As though the day of doom were near.</l> +<l>So, deadly as the serpent's fang,</l> +<l>Forth from the string the arrow sprang.</l> +<l>Like the red lightning's flash and flame</l> +<l>It flew unerring to its aim,</l> +<l>And, hissing murder through the air,</l> +<l>Pierced Báli's breast, and quivered there.</l> +<l>Struck by the shaft that flew so well</l> +<l>The mighty Vánar reeled and fell,</l> +<l>As earthward Indra's flag they pull</l> +<l>When Aśvíní's fair moon is full.<note place="foot">The flag-staff erected +in honour of the God Indra is lowered when the festival is +over. Aśvíní in astronomy is the head of Aries or the first of the twenty-eight lunar +mansions or asterisms.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XVII"/> +<head>Canto XVII. Báli's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Like some proud tree before the blast</l> +<l>Brave Báli to the ground was cast,</l> +<l>Where prostrate in the dust he rolled</l> +<l>Clad in the sheen of glistening gold,</l> +<pb n="344"/><anchor id="Pg344"/> +<l>As when uptorn the standard lies</l> +<l>Of the great God who rules the skies.</l> +<l>When low upon the earth was laid</l> +<l>The lord whom Vánar tribes obeyed,</l> +<l>Dark as a moonless sky no more</l> +<l>His land her joyous aspect wore.</l> +<l>Though low in dust and mire was rolled</l> +<l>The form of Báli lofty-souled,</l> +<l>Still life and valour, might and grace</l> +<l>Clung to their well-loved dwelling-place.</l> +<l>That golden chain with rich gems set,</l> +<l>The choicest gift of Sákra,<note place="foot">Indra the father of Báli.</note> yet</l> +<l>Preserved his life nor let decay</l> +<l>Steal strength and beauty's light away.</l> +<l>Still from that chain divinely wrought</l> +<l>His dusky form a glory caught,</l> +<l>As a dark cloud, when day is done,</l> +<l>Made splendid by the dying sun.</l> +<l>As fell the hero, crushed in fight,</l> +<l>There beamed afar a triple light</l> +<l>From limbs, from chain, from shaft that drank</l> +<l>His life-blood as the warrior sank.</l> +<l>The never-failing shaft, impelled</l> +<l>By the great bow which Ráma held,</l> +<l>Brought bliss supreme, and lit the way</l> +<l>To Brahmá's worlds which ne'er decay.<note place="foot"><p>It is believed that +every creature killed by Ráma obtained in consequence immediate beatitude.</p> +<p><q>And blessed the hand that gave so dear a death.</q></p></note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Ráma and Lakshmaṇ nearer drew</l> +<l>The mighty fallen foe to view,</l> +<l>Mahendra's son, the brave and bold,</l> +<l>The monarch with his chain of gold,</l> +<l>With lustrous face and tawny eyes,</l> +<l>Broad chest, and arms of wondrous size,</l> +<l>Like Lord Mahendra fierce in fight,</l> +<l>Or Vishṇu's never-conquered might,</l> +<l>Now fallen like Yayáti<note place="foot"><q>Yayáti was invited to heaven by +Indra, and conveyed on the way thither by Mátali, Indra's charioteer. He afterwards +returned to earth where, by his virtuous administration he rendered all his +subjects exempt from passion and decay.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Garrett's C. D. of India</hi>.</note> sent</l> +<l>From heaven, his store of merit spent,</l> +<l>Like the bright flame that pales and dies,</l> +<l>Like the great sun who fires the skies,</l> +<l>Doomed in the general doom to fall</l> +<l>When time shall end and ruin all.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The wounded Báli, when he saw</l> +<l>Ráma and Lakshmaṇ nearer draw,</l> +<l>Keen words to Raghu's son, impressed</l> +<l>With justice' holy stamp, addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">What fame, from one thou hast not slain</q></l> +<l>In front of battle, canst thou gain,</l> +<l>Whose secret hand has laid me low</l> +<l>When madly fighting with my foe?</l> +<l>From every tongue thy glory rings,</l> +<l>A scion of a line of kings,</l> +<l>True to thy vows, of noblest race,</l> +<l>With every gentle gift and grace:</l> +<l>Whose tender heart for woe can feel,</l> +<l>And joy in every creature's weal:</l> +<l>Whose breast with high ambition swells,</l> +<l>Knows duty's claim and ne'er rebels.</l> +<l>They praise thy valour, patience, ruth,</l> +<l>Thy firmness, self-restraint, and truth:</l> +<l>Thy hand prepared for sin's control,</l> +<l>All virtues of a princely soul.</l> +<l>I thought of all these gifts of thine,</l> +<l>And glories of an ancient line,</l> +<l>I set my Tárá's tears at naught,</l> +<l>I met Sugríva and we fought.</l> +<l>O Ráma, till this fatal morn</l> +<l>I held that thou wouldst surely scorn</l> +<l>To strike me as I fought my foe</l> +<l>And thought not of a stranger's blow,</l> +<l>But now thine evil heart is shown,</l> +<l>A yawning well with grass o'ergrown.</l> +<l>Thou wearest virtue's badge,<note place="foot">The ascetic's dress which he wore +during his exile.</note> but guile</l> +<l>And meanest sin thy soul defile.</l> +<l>I took thee not for treacherous fire,</l> +<l>A sinner clad in saint's attire;</l> +<l>Nor deemed thou idly wouldst profess</l> +<l>The show and garb of righteousness.</l> +<l>In fenced town, in open land,</l> +<l>Ne'er hast thou suffered at this hand,</l> +<l>Nor canst of proud contempt complain:</l> +<l>Then wherefore is the guiltless slain?</l> +<l>My harmless life in woods I lead,</l> +<l>On forest fruits and roots I feed.</l> +<l>My foeman in the field I sought,</l> +<l>And ne'er with thee, O Ráma, fought.</l> +<l>Upon thy limbs, O King, I see</l> +<l>The raiment of a devotee;</l> +<l>And how can one like thee, who springs</l> +<l>From a proud line of ancient kings,</l> +<l>Beneath fair virtue's mask, disgrace</l> +<l>His lineage by a deed so base?</l> +<l>From Raghu is thy long descent,</l> +<l>For duteous deeds prëeminent:</l> +<l>Why, sinner clad in saintly dress,</l> +<l>Roamest thou through the wilderness?</l> +<l>Truth, valour, justice free from spot,</l> +<l>The hand that gives and grudges not,</l> +<l>The might that strikes the sinner down,</l> +<l>These bring a prince his best renown.</l> +<l>Here in the woods, O King, we live</l> +<l>On roots and fruit which branches give.<note place="foot">There is much +inconsistency in the passages of the poem in which the Vánars +are spoken of, which seems to point to two widely different legends. The Vánars are +generally represented as semi-divine beings with preternatural powers, living in houses +and eating and drinking like men sometimes as here, as monkeys pure and simple, +living is woods and eating fruit and roots.</note></l> +<pb n="345"/><anchor id="Pg345"/> +<l>Thus nature framed our harmless race:</l> +<l>Thou art a man supreme in place.</l> +<l>Silver and gold and land provoke</l> +<l>The fierce attack, the robber's stroke,</l> +<l>Canst thou desire this wild retreat,</l> +<l>The berries and the fruit we eat?</l> +<l>'Tis not for mighty kings to tread</l> +<l>The flowery path, by pleasure led.</l> +<l>Theirs be the arm that crushes sin,</l> +<l>Theirs the soft grace to woo and win:</l> +<l>The steadfast will that guides the state,</l> +<l>Wise favour to the good and great;</l> +<l>And for all time are kings renowned</l> +<l>Who blend these arts and ne'er confound.</l> +<l>But thou art weak and swift to ire,</l> +<l>Unstable, slave of each desire.</l> +<l>Thou tramplest duty in the dust,</l> +<l>And in thy bow is all thy trust.</l> +<l>Thou carest naught for noble gain,</l> +<l>And treatest virtue with disdain,</l> +<l>While every sense its captive draws</l> +<l>To follow pleasure's changing laws.</l> +<l>I wronged thee not in word or deed,</l> +<l>But by thy deadly dart I bleed.</l> +<l>What wilt thou, mid the virtuous, say</l> +<l>To purge thy lasting stain away?</l> +<l>All these, O King, must sink to hell,</l> +<l>The regicide, the infidel,</l> +<l>He who in blood and slaughter joys,</l> +<l>A Bráhman or a cow destroys,</l> +<l>Untimely weds in law's despite</l> +<l>Scorning an elder brother's right,<note place="foot">For a younger +brother to marry before the elder is a gross violation of Indian +law and duty. The same law applied to daughters with the Hebrews: <q>It must +not be so done in our country to give the younger before the first-born.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Genesis</hi> xix. 26.</note></l> +<l>Who dares his Teacher's bed ascend,</l> +<l>The miser, spy, and treacherous friend.</l> +<l>These impious wretches, one and all,</l> +<l>Must to the hell of sinners fall.</l> +<l>My skin the holy may not wear,</l> +<l>Useless to thee my bones and hair;</l> +<l>Nor may my slaughtered body be</l> +<l>The food of devotees like thee.</l> +<l>These five-toed things a man may slay</l> +<l>And feed upon the fallen prey;</l> +<l>The mailed rhinoceros may die,</l> +<l>And, with the hare his food supply.</l> +<l>Iguanas he may kill and eat,</l> +<l>With porcupine and tortoise meat.<note place="foot"><q>The hedgehog and porcupine, the +lizard, the rhinoceros, the tortoise, and the rabbit or hare, wise legislators declare +lawful food among five-toed animals.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Manu</hi>, v. 18.</note></l> +<l>But all the wise account it sin</l> +<l>To touch my bones and hair and skin.</l> +<l>My flesh they may not eat; and I</l> +<l>A useless prey, O Ráma, die.</l> +<l>In vain my Tárá reasoned well,</l> +<l>On dull deaf ears her counsel fell.</l> +<l>I scorned her words though sooth and sweet,</l> +<l>And hither rushed my fate to meet.</l> +<l>Ah for the land thou rulest! she</l> +<l>Finds no protection, lord, from thee,</l> +<l>Neglected like some noble dame</l> +<l>By a vile husband dead to shame.</l> +<l>Mean-hearted coward, false and vile,</l> +<l>Whose cruel soul delights in guile,</l> +<l>Could Daśaratha, noblest king,</l> +<l>Beget so mean and base a thing?</l> +<l>Alas! an elephant, in form</l> +<l>Of Ráma, in a maddening storm</l> +<l>Of passion casting to the ground</l> +<l>The girth of law<note place="foot"><lg> +<l><q rend="pre">He can not buckle his distempered cause</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Within the belt of rule.</q></l> +</lg> +<p><hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Macbeth</hi>.</p></note> +that clipped him round,</l> +<l>Too wildly passionate to feel</l> +<l>The prick of duty's guiding steel,<note place="foot">The +<hi rend='italic'>Ankuś</hi> or iron hook with which +an elephant is driven and guided.</note></l> +<l>Has charged me unawares, and dead</l> +<l>I fall beneath his murderous tread.</l> +<l>How, stained with this my base defeat,</l> +<l>How wilt thou dare, where good men meet,</l> +<l>To speak, when every tongue will blame</l> +<l>With keen reproach this deed of shame?</l> +<l>Such hero strength and valour, shown</l> +<l>Upon the innocent alone,</l> +<l>Thou hast not proved in manly strife</l> +<l>On him who robbed thee of thy wife.</l> +<l>Hadst thou but fought in open field</l> +<l>And met me boldly unconcealed,</l> +<l>This day had been thy fate to fall,</l> +<l>Slain by this hand, to Yáma's hall.</l> +<l>In vain I strove, and struck by thee</l> +<l>Fell by a hand I could not see.</l> +<l>Thus bites a snake, for sins of yore,</l> +<l>A sleeping man who wakes no more.</l> +<l>Sugríva's foeman thou hast killed,</l> +<l>And thus his heart's desire fulfilled;</l> +<l>But, Ráma, hadst thou sought me first,</l> +<l>And told the hope thy soul has nursed,</l> +<l>That very day had I restored</l> +<l>The Maithil lady to her lord;</l> +<l>And, binding Rávaṇ with a chain,</l> +<l>Had laid him at thy feet unslain.</l> +<pb n="346"/><anchor id="Pg346"/> +<l>Yea, were she sunk in deepest hell,</l> +<l>Or whelmed beneath the ocean's swell,</l> +<l>I would have followed on her track</l> +<l>And brought the rescued lady back,</l> +<l>As Hayagríva<note place="foot">Hayagríva, Horse-necked, is a form +of Vishṇu.</note> once set free</l> +<l>From hell the white Aśvatarí.<note place="foot"><q>Aśvatara is the name of a chief of +the Nágas or serpents which inhabit the regions under the earth; it is also the +name of a Gandharva. Aśvatarí ought to be the wife of one of the two, but I am +not sure that this conjecture is right. The commentator does not say who this Aśvatarí +is, or what tradition or myth is alluded to. Vimalabodha reads Aśvatarí +in the nominative case, and explains, Aśvatarí is the sun, and as the sun with his +rays brings back the moon which has been sunk in the ocean and the infernal regions, +so will I bring back Sítá.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</note></l> +<l>That when my spirit wings its flight</l> +<l>Sugríva reign, is just and right.</l> +<l>But most unjust, O King, that I,</l> +<l>Slain by thy treacherous hand, should lie.</l> +<l>Be still, my heart: this earthly state</l> +<l>Is darkly ruled by sovereign Fate.</l> +<l>The realm is lost and won: defy</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy questioners with apt reply.</q><note place="foot">That is, +<q>Consider what answer you can give to your accusers when they +charge you with injustice in killing me.</q></note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XVIII"/> +<head>Canto XVIII. Ráma's Reply.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He ceased: and Ráma's heart was stirred</l> +<l>At every keen reproach he heard.</l> +<l>There Báli lay, a dim dark sun,</l> +<l>His course of light and glory run:</l> +<l>Or like the bed of Ocean dried</l> +<l>Of his broad floods from side to side,</l> +<l>Or helpless, as the dying fire,</l> +<l>Hushed his last words of righteous ire.</l> +<l>Then Ráma, with his spirit moved,</l> +<l>The Vánar king in turn reproved:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why dost thou, Báli, thus revile,</q></l> +<l>And castest not a glance the while</l> +<l>On claims of duty, love, and gain,</l> +<l>And customs o'er the world that reign?</l> +<l>Why dost thou blame me, rash and blind,</l> +<l>Fickle as all thy Vánar kind,</l> +<l>Slighting each rule of ancient days</l> +<l>Which all the good and prudent praise?</l> +<l>This land, each hill and woody chase,</l> +<l>Belongs to old Ikshváku's race:</l> +<l>With bird and beast and man, the whole</l> +<l>Is ours to cherish and control.</l> +<l>Now Bharat, prompt at duty's call,</l> +<l>Wise, just, and true, is lord of all.</l> +<l>Each claim of law, love, gain he knows,</l> +<l>And wrath and favour duly shows.</l> +<l>A king from truth who never bends,</l> +<l>And grace with vigour wisely blends;</l> +<l>With valour worthy of his race,</l> +<l>He knows the claims of time and place.</l> +<l>Now we and other kings of might,</l> +<l>By his ensample taught aright,</l> +<l>The lands of every region tread</l> +<l>That justice may increase and spread.</l> +<l>While royal Bharat, wise and just,</l> +<l>Rules the broad earth, his glorious trust,</l> +<l>Who shall attempt, while he is lord,</l> +<l>A deed by Justice held abhorred?</l> +<l>We now, as Bharat has decreed,</l> +<l>Let justice guide our every deed,</l> +<l>And toil each sinner to repress</l> +<l>Who scorns the way of righteousness.</l> +<l>Thou from that path hast turned aside,</l> +<l>And virtue's holy law defied,</l> +<l>Left the fair path which kings should tread,</l> +<l>And followed pleasure's voice instead.</l> +<l>The man who cleaves to duty's law</l> +<l>Regards these three with filial awe—</l> +<l>The sire, the elder brother, third</l> +<l>Him from whose lips his lore he heard.</l> +<l>Thus too, for duty's sake, the wise</l> +<l>Regard with fond paternal eyes</l> +<l>The well-loved younger brother, one</l> +<l>Their lore has ripened, and a son.</l> +<l>Fine are the laws which guide the good,</l> +<l>Abstruse, and hardly understood;</l> +<l>Only the soul, enthroned within</l> +<l>The breast of each, knows right from sin.</l> +<l>But thou art wild and weak of soul,</l> +<l>And spurnest, like thy race, control;</l> +<l>The true and right thou canst not find,</l> +<l>The blind consulting with the blind.</l> +<l>Incline thine ear and I will teach</l> +<l>The cause that prompts my present speech.</l> +<l>This tempest of thy soul assuage,</l> +<l>Nor blame me in thine idle rage.</l> +<l>On this great sin thy thoughts bestow,</l> +<l>The sin for which I lay thee low.</l> +<l>Thou, Báli, in thy brother's life</l> +<l>Hast robbed him of his wedded wife,</l> +<l>And keepest, scorning ancient right,</l> +<l>His Rumá for thine own delight.</l> +<l>Thy son's own wife should scarcely be</l> +<l>More sacred in thine eyes than she.</l> +<l>All duty thou hast scorned, and hence</l> +<l>Comes punishment for dire offence.</l> +<l>For those who blindly do amiss</l> +<l>There is, I ween, no way but this:</l> +<l>To check the rash who dare to stray</l> +<l>From customs which the good obey,</l> +<l>I may not, sprung of Kshatriya line,</l> +<pb n="347"/><anchor id="Pg347"/> +<l>Forgive this heinous sin of thine:</l> +<l>The laws for those who sin like thee</l> +<l>The penalty of death decree.</l> +<l>Now Bharat rules with sovereign sway,</l> +<l>And we his royal word obey.</l> +<l>There was no hope of pardon, none,</l> +<l>For the vile deed that thou hast done,</l> +<l>That wisest monarch dooms to die</l> +<l>The wretch whose crimes the law defy;</l> +<l>And we, chastising those who err,</l> +<l>His righteous doom administer.</l> +<l>My soul accounts Sugríva dear</l> +<l>E'en as my brother Lakshmaṇ here.</l> +<l>He brings me blessing, and I swore</l> +<l>His wife and kingdom to restore:</l> +<l>A bond in solemn honour bound</l> +<l>When Vánar chieftains stood around.</l> +<l>And can a king like me forsake</l> +<l>His friend, and plighted promise break?</l> +<l>Reflect, O Vánar, on the cause,</l> +<l>The sanction of eternal laws,</l> +<l>And, justly smitten down, confess</l> +<l>Thou diest for thy wickedness.</l> +<l>By honour was I bound to lend</l> +<l>Assistance to a faithful friend;</l> +<l>And thou hast met a righteous fate</l> +<l>Thy former sins to expiate.</l> +<l>And thus wilt thou some merit win</l> +<l>And make atonement for thy sin.</l> +<l>For hear me, Vánar King, rehearse</l> +<l>What Manu<note place="foot">Manu, Book VIII. 318. <q>But men who +have committed offences and have received from kings the punishment due to them, +go pure to heaven and become as clear as those who have done well.</q></note> +spake in ancient verse,—</l> +<l>This holy law, which all accept</l> +<l>Who honour duty, have I kept:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Pure grow the sinners kings chastise,</q></l> +<l>And, like the virtuous, gain the skies;</l> +<l>By pain or full atonement freed,</l> +<l>They reap the fruit of righteous deed,</l> +<l>While kings who punish not incur</l> +<l><q rend="post">The penalties of those who err.</q></l> +<l>Mándhátá<note place="foot">Mándhátá was one of the earlier descendants +of Ikshváku. His name is mentioned +in Ráma's genealogy, <ref target="Pg081">p. 81</ref>.</note> once, a noble king,</l> +<l>Light of the line from which I spring,</l> +<l>Punished with death a devotee</l> +<l>When he had stooped to sin like thee;</l> +<l>And many a king in ancient time</l> +<l>Has punished frantic sinners' crime,</l> +<l>And, when their impious blood was spilt,</l> +<l>Has washed away the stain of guilt.</l> +<l>Cease, Báli, cease: no more complain:</l> +<l>Reproaches and laments are vain,</l> +<l>For thou art justly punished: we</l> +<l>Obey our king and are not free.</l> +<l>Once more, O Báli, lend thine ear</l> +<l>Another weightiest plea to hear.</l> +<l>For this, when heard and pondered well,</l> +<l>Will all complaint and rage dispel.</l> +<l>My soul will ne'er this deed repent,</l> +<l>Nor was my shaft in anger sent.</l> +<l>We take the silvan tribes beset</l> +<l>With snare and trap and gin and net,</l> +<l>And many a heedless deer we smite</l> +<l>From thickest shade, concealed from sight.</l> +<l>Wild for the slaughter of the game,</l> +<l>At stately stags our shafts we aim.</l> +<l>We strike them bounding scared away,</l> +<l>We strike them as they stand at bay,</l> +<l>When careless in the shade they lie,</l> +<l>Or scan the plain with watchful eye.</l> +<l>They turn away their heads; we aim,</l> +<l>And none the eager hunter blame.</l> +<l>Each royal saint, well trained in law</l> +<l>Of duty, loves his bow to draw</l> +<l>And strike the quarry, e'en as thou</l> +<l>Hast fallen by mine arrow now,</l> +<l>Fighting with him or unaware,—</l> +<l>A Vánar thou.—I little care.<note place="foot">I cannot understand how Válmíki +could put such an excuse as this into Ráma's mouth. Ráma with all solemn ceremony, +has made a league of alliance with Báli's younger brother whom he regards as a dear +friend and almost as an equal, and now he winds up his reasons for killing Báli by +coolly saying: <q>Besides you are only a monkey, you know, after all, and as such +I have every right to kill you how, when, and where I like.</q></note></l> +<l>But yet, O best of Vánars, know</l> +<l>That kings who rule the earth bestow</l> +<l>Fruit of pure life and virtuous deed,</l> +<l>And lofty duty's hard-won meed.</l> +<l>Harm not thy lord the king: abstain</l> +<l>From act and word that cause him pain;</l> +<l>For kings are children of the skies</l> +<l>Who walk this earth in men's disguise.</l> +<l>But thou, in duty's claims untaught,</l> +<l>Thy breast with blinding passion fraught,</l> +<l>Assailest me who still have clung</l> +<l><q rend="post">To duty, with thy bitter tongue.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: and Báli sore distressed</l> +<l>The sovereign claims of law confessed,</l> +<l>And freed, o'erwhelmed with woe and shame,</l> +<l>The lord of Raghu's race from blame.</l> +<l>Then, reverent palm to palm applied,</l> +<l>To Ráma thus the Vánar cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">True, best of men, is every word</q></l> +<l>That from thy lips these ears have heard,</l> +<l>It ill beseems a wretch like me</l> +<l>To bandy empty words with thee.</l> +<l>Forgive the angry taunts that broke</l> +<l>From my wild bosom as I spoke.</l> +<l>And lay not to my charge, O King,</l> +<pb n="348"/><anchor id="Pg348"/> +<l>My mad reproaches' idle sting.</l> +<l>Thou, in the truth by trial trained,</l> +<l>Best knowledge of the right hast gained:</l> +<l>And layest, just and pure within,</l> +<l>The meetest penalty on sin.</l> +<l>Through every bond of law I burst,</l> +<l>The boldest sinner and the worst.</l> +<l>O let thy right-instructing speech</l> +<l><q rend="post">Console my heart and wisely teach.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Like some sad elephant who stands</l> +<l>Fast sinking in the treacherous sands,</l> +<l>Thus Báli raised despairing eyes;</l> +<l>Then spake again with sobs and sighs:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Not for myself, O King, I grieve,</q></l> +<l>For Tárá or the friends I leave,</l> +<l>As for sweet Angad, my dear son,</l> +<l>My noble, only little one.</l> +<l>For, nursed in luxury and bliss,</l> +<l>His father he will mourn and miss,</l> +<l>And like a stream whose fount is dry</l> +<l>Will waste away and sink and die,—</l> +<l>My own dear child, my only boy,</l> +<l>His mother Tárá's hope and joy.</l> +<l>Spare him, O son of Raghu, spare</l> +<l>The child entrusted to thy care.</l> +<l>My Angad and Sugríva treat</l> +<l>E'en as thy heart considers meet,</l> +<l>For thou, O chief of men, art strong</l> +<l>To guard the right and punish wrong.</l> +<l>O, if thou wilt thine ear incline</l> +<l>To hear these dying words of mine,</l> +<l>He and Sugríva will to thee</l> +<l>As Bharat and as Lakshmaṇ be.</l> +<l>Let not my Tárá, left forlorn,</l> +<l>Weep for Sugríva's wrathful scorn;</l> +<l>Nor let him, for her lord's offence,</l> +<l>Condemn her faithful innocence.</l> +<l>And well and wisely may he reign</l> +<l>If thy dear grace his power sustain:</l> +<l>If, following thee his friend and guide,</l> +<l>He turn not from thy hest aside:</l> +<l>Thus may he reign with glory, nay</l> +<l>Thus to the skies will win his way.</l> +<l>Though stayed by Tárá's fond recall,</l> +<l>By thy dear hand I longed to fall.</l> +<l>Against my brother rushed and fought,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And gained the death I long have sought.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma thus the prince consoled</l> +<l>From whose clear eyes the mists were rolled:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Grieve not for those thou leavest thus,</q></l> +<l>Nor tremble for thyself or us,</l> +<l>For we will deal with thine and thee</l> +<l>As duty and the laws decree.</l> +<l>He who exacts and he who pays,</l> +<l>Is justly slain or justly slays,</l> +<l>Shall in the life to come have bliss;</l> +<l>For each has done his task in this.</l> +<l>Thou, wandering from the right, art made</l> +<l>Pure by the forfeit thou hast paid.</l> +<l>Thy weight of sins is cast aside,</l> +<l>And duty's claim is satisfied.</l> +<l>Then grieve no more, O Prince, but clear</l> +<l>Thy bosom from all doubt and fear,</l> +<l>For fate, inexorably stern,</l> +<l>Thou hast no power to move or turn.</l> +<l>Thy princely Angad still will share</l> +<l>My tender love, Sugríva's care;</l> +<l>And to thy offspring shall be shown</l> +<l><q rend="post">Affection that shall match thine own.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XIX"/> +<head>Canto XIX. Tárá's Grief.</head> + +<lg> +<l>No answer gave the Vánar king</l> +<l>To Ráma's prudent counselling.</l> +<l>Battered and bruised by tree and stone,</l> +<l>By Ráma's arrow overthrown,</l> +<l>Fainting upon the ground he lay,</l> +<l>Gasping his troubled life away.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But Tárá in the Vánar's hall</l> +<l>Heard tidings of her husband's fall;</l> +<l>Heard that a shaft from Ráma's bow</l> +<l>Had laid the royal Báli low.</l> +<l>Her darling Angad by her side,</l> +<l>Distracted from her home she hied.</l> +<l>Then nigh the place of battle drew</l> +<l>The Vánars, Angad's retinue.</l> +<l>They saw the bow-armed Ráma: dread</l> +<l>Fell on them, and they turned and fled.</l> +<l>Like helpless deer, their leaders slain,</l> +<l>So wildly fled the startled train.</l> +<l>But Tárá saw, and nearer pressed,</l> +<l>And thus the flying band addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Vánars, ye who ever stand</q></l> +<l>About our king, a trusty band,</l> +<l>Where is the lion master? why</l> +<l>Forsake ye thus your lord and fly?</l> +<l>Say, lies he dead upon the plain,</l> +<l>A brother by a brother slain,</l> +<l>Or pierced by shafts from Ráma's bow</l> +<l><q rend="post">That rain from far upon the foe?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Tárá questioned, and was still:</l> +<l>Then, wearers of each shape at will,</l> +<l>The Vánars thus with one accord</l> +<l>Answered the Lady of their lord:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Turn, Tárá turn, and half undone</q></l> +<l>Save Angad thy beloved son.</l> +<l>There Ráma stands in death's disguise,</l> +<l>And conquered Báli faints and dies.</l> +<l>He by whose strong arm, thick and fast,</l> +<l>Uprooted trees and rocks were cast,</l> +<l>Lies smitten by a shaft that came</l> +<l>Resistless as the lightning flame.</l> +<l>When he, whose splendour once could vie</l> +<l>With Indra's, regent of the sky,</l> +<l>Fell by that deadly arrow, all</l> +<l>The Vánars fled who marked his fall.</l> +<l>Let all our chiefs their succours bring,</l> +<l>And Angad be anointed king;</l> +<pb n="349"/><anchor id="Pg349"/> +<l>For all who come of Vánar race</l> +<l>Will serve him set in Báli's place.</l> +<l>Or else our conquering foes to-day</l> +<l>Within our wall will force their way,</l> +<l>Polluting with their hostile feet</l> +<l>The chambers of thy loved retreat.</l> +<l>Great fear is on us, all and one.</l> +<l>Those who have wives and who have none,</l> +<l>They lust for power, are fierce and bold,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Or hate us for the strife of old.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She heard their speech as, sore afraid,</l> +<l>Arrested in their flight, they stayed,</l> +<l>And gave her answer as became</l> +<l>The spirit of so true a dame:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Nay, what have I to do with pelf,</q></l> +<l>With son, with kingdom, or with self,</l> +<l>When he, my noble lord, who leads</l> +<l>The Vánars like a lion, bleeds?</l> +<l>His high-souled victor will I meet,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And throw me prostrate at his feet.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She hastened forth, her bosom rent</l> +<l>With anguish, weeping as she went,</l> +<l>And striking, mastered by her woes,</l> +<l>Her head and breast with frantic blows.</l> +<l>She hurried to the field and found</l> +<l>Her husband prostrate on the ground,</l> +<l>Who quelled the hostile Vánars' might,</l> +<l>Whose bank was never turned in flight:</l> +<l>Whose arm a massy rock could throw</l> +<l>As Indra hurls his bolts below:</l> +<l>Fierce as the rushing tempest, loud</l> +<l>As thunder from a labouring cloud:</l> +<l>Whene'er he roared his voice of fear</l> +<l>Struck terror on the boldest ear:</l> +<l>Now slain, as, hungry for the prey,</l> +<l>A tiger might a lion slay:</l> +<l>Or when, his serpent foe to seek,</l> +<l>Suparṇa<note place="foot">A name of Garuḍa the king of birds, +the great enemy of the Serpents.</note> with his furious beak</l> +<l>Tears up a sacred hillock, long</l> +<l>The reverence of a village throng,</l> +<l>Its altar with their offerings spread,</l> +<l>And the gay flag that waved o'erhead.</l> +<l>She looked and saw the victor stand</l> +<l>Resting upon his bow his hand:</l> +<l>And fierce Sugríva she descried,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ by his brother's side.</l> +<l>She passed them by, nor stayed to view,</l> +<l>Swift to her husband's side she flew;</l> +<l>Then as she looked, her strength gave way,</l> +<l>And in the dust she fell and lay.</l> +<l>Then, as if startled ere the close</l> +<l>Of slumber, from the earth she rose.</l> +<l>Upon her dying husband, round</l> +<l>Whose soul the coils of Death were wound,</l> +<l>Her eyes in agony she bent</l> +<l>And called him with a shrill lament.</l> +<l>Sugríva, when he heard her cries,</l> +<l>And saw the queen with weeping eyes,</l> +<l>And youthful Angad standing there,</l> +<l>His load of grief could hardly bear.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XX"/> +<head>Canto XX. Tárá's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Again she bent her to the ground,</l> +<l>Her arms about her husband wound.</l> +<l>Sobbed on his breast, and sick and faint</l> +<l>With anguish poured her wild complaint:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Brave in the charge of battle, boast</q></l> +<l>And glory of the Vánar host,</l> +<l>Why on the cold earth wilt thou lie</l> +<l>And give no answer when I cry?</l> +<l>Up, warrior, from thy lowly bed!</l> +<l>A meeter couch for thee is spread.</l> +<l>It ill beseems a glorious king</l> +<l>On the bare ground his limbs to fling.</l> +<l>Ah, surely must thy love be strong</l> +<l>For her whom thou hast governed long,</l> +<l>If thou, my hero, canst recline</l> +<l>On her cold breast forsaking mine.</l> +<l>Or, famed for justice through the land,</l> +<l>Thou on the road to heaven hast planned</l> +<l>Some city fairer far than this</l> +<l>To be thy new metropolis.</l> +<l>Are all our pleasures ended now,</l> +<l>With those delicious hours which thou</l> +<l>And I, dear lord, together spent</l> +<l>In woods that breathed the honey's scent?</l> +<l>Whelmed in my sorrow's boundless sea,</l> +<l>There is no joy, no hope, for me,</l> +<l>When my beloved lord, who led</l> +<l>The Vánars to the fight, is dead,</l> +<l>My widowed heart is stern and cold.</l> +<l>Or, at the sight mine eyes behold,</l> +<l>O'ermastered would it end this ache</l> +<l>And in a thousand fragments break.</l> +<l>Ah noble Vánar, doomed to pay</l> +<l>The penalty of all today—</l> +<l>Sugríva from his home expelled,</l> +<l>And Rumá<note place="foot">Sugríva's wife.</note> from his arms withheld.</l> +<l>Our Vánar race and thee to save,</l> +<l>Wise counsel for thy weal I gave;</l> +<l>But thou, by wildest folly stirred,</l> +<l>Wouldst give no credence to my word,</l> +<l>And now wilt woo the nymphs above,</l> +<l>And shake their souls with pangs of love.</l> +<l>Ah, never could it be that thou</l> +<l>Beneath Sugríva's power shouldst bow,</l> +<l>Thy conqueror is none but Fate</l> +<l>Whose mandates all who breathe await.</l> +<l>And does no thrill of anguish run</l> +<l>Through the stern breast of Raghu's son,</l> +<l>Whose base hand dealt a coward's blow,</l> +<l>And smote thee fighting with thy foe?</l> +<l>Reft of my lord my days, alas!</l> +<pb n="350"/><anchor id="Pg350"/> +<l>In bitter bitter woe will pass:</l> +<l>And I, long blest with every good,</l> +<l>Must bear my dreary widowhood.</l> +<l>And when his uncle's brow is stern,</l> +<l>When his fierce eyes with fury burn,</l> +<l>Ah, what will be my Angad's fate,</l> +<l>So fair and young and delicate?</l> +<l>Come, darling, for the last sad sight,</l> +<l>Of thy dear sire who loved the right;</l> +<l>For soon thine eyes will long in vain</l> +<l>A look at that loved face to gain.</l> +<l>And, hero, as thy child draws near,</l> +<l>With tender words his spirit cheer;</l> +<l>Thy dying wishes gently speak,</l> +<l>And kiss him on the brows and cheek.</l> +<l>High fame, I ween, has Ráma won</l> +<l>By this great deed his hand has done,</l> +<l>His debt to brave Sugríva paid</l> +<l>And kept the promise that he made.</l> +<l>Be happy, King Sugríva, lord</l> +<l>Of Ramá to thine arms restored:</l> +<l>Enjoy uninterrupted reign,</l> +<l>For he, thy foe, at length is slain.</l> +<l>Dost thou not hear me speak, and why</l> +<l>Hast thou no word of soft reply?</l> +<l>Will thou not lift thine eyes and see</l> +<l><q rend="post">These dames who look to none but thee?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">From their sad eyes, as Tárá spoke,</l> +<l>The floods of bitter sorrow broke:</l> +<l>Then, pressing close to Angad's side,</l> +<l>Each lifted up her voice and cried:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">How couldst thou leave thine Angad thus,</q></l> +<l>And go, for ever go, from us—</l> +<l>Thy child so dear in brave attire,</l> +<l>Graced with the virtues of his sire?</l> +<l>If e'er in want of thought, O chief,</l> +<l>One deed of mine have caused thee grief,</l> +<l>Forgive my folly, I entreat,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And with my head I touch thy feet.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Again the hapless Tárá wept</l> +<l>As to her husband's side she crept,</l> +<l>And wild with sorrow and dismay</l> +<l>Sat on the ground where Báli lay.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXI"/> +<head>Canto XXI. Hanumán's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>There, like a fallen star, the dame</l> +<l>Fell by her lord's half lifeless frame;</l> +<l>And Hanumán drew softly near,</l> +<l>And strove her grieving heart to cheer:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">By changeless law our bliss and woe</q></l> +<l>From ancient worth and folly flow.</l> +<l>What fruits soe'er we cull, the seeds</l> +<l>Were scattered by our former deeds.<note place="foot"><q>Our deeds still follow with +us from afar. And what we have been makes us what we are.</q></note></l> +<l>Why mourn another's mournful fate,</l> +<l>And weep, thyself unfortunate?</l> +<l>Be calm, O thou whose heart is wise,</l> +<l>For none deserves another's sighs.</l> +<l>Look up, with idle sorrow strive:</l> +<l>Thy child, his heir, is yet alive.</l> +<l>Let needful rites be duly done,</l> +<l>Nor in thy woe forget thy son.</l> +<l>Regard the law which all obey:</l> +<l>They spring to life, they pass away.</l> +<l>Begin the task that bids thee rise,</l> +<l>And stay these tears, for thou art wise.</l> +<l>Our lord the king is doomed to die,</l> +<l>On whom ten million hearts rely.</l> +<l>Kind, liberal, patient, true, and just</l> +<l>Was he in whom they place their trust,</l> +<l>And now he seeks the land of those</l> +<l>Who for the right subdue their foes.</l> +<l>Each Vánar lord with all his train,</l> +<l>Each ranger of this wild domain,</l> +<l>And Angad here, thy darling, see</l> +<l>A governor and friend in thee.</l> +<l>These twain<note place="foot">Sugríva and Angad.</note> +whose hearts with sorrow ache</l> +<l>The funeral rites shall undertake,</l> +<l>And Angad by his mother's care</l> +<l>Be king, his father's rightful heir.</l> +<l>Now let him pay, as laws require,</l> +<l>His sacred duty to his sire,</l> +<l>Nor one solemnity omit</l> +<l>Of all that mighty kings befit.</l> +<l>And when thy fond eye sees thine own</l> +<l>Dear Angad on his father's throne,</l> +<l>Then, lightened of its load of pain,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy spirit will have rest again.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She heard his speech, she heaved her head,</l> +<l>Looked upon Hanumán and said:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Sweeter my slain lord's limbs to touch,</q></l> +<l>Than Angad or a hundred such.</l> +<l>No rule or right, a widowed dame,</l> +<l>O'er Angad or the realm I claim.</l> +<l>Sugríva is the uncle, he</l> +<l>In every act supreme must be.</l> +<l>I pray thee, chief, this plan resign,</l> +<l>Nor claim from me what ne'er is mine.</l> +<l>The father with his tender care</l> +<l>Guards the dear child the mother bare,</l> +<l>Where'er I be, no sweeter task,</l> +<l>No happier joy I hope or ask</l> +<l>Than thus to sit with loving eyes</l> +<l>And watch the bed where Báli lies.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXII"/> +<head>Canto XXII. Báli Dead.</head> + +<lg> +<l>There breathing still with slow faint sighs</l> +<l>Lay Báli on the ground: his eyes,</l> +<pb n="351"/><anchor id="Pg351"/> +<l>Damp with the tears of death, he raised,</l> +<l>On conquering Sugríva gazed,</l> +<l>And then in clearest speech expressed</l> +<l>The tender feelings of his breast:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Not to my charge, Sugríva, lay</q></l> +<l>Thine injuries avenged to-day;</l> +<l>But rather blame resistless Fate</l> +<l>That urged me on infuriate.</l> +<l>Fate ne'er agreed our lives to bless</l> +<l>With simultaneous happiness:</l> +<l>To dwell like brothers side by side</l> +<l>In tender love was still denied.</l> +<l>The Vánars' realm is thine to-day:</l> +<l>Begin, O King, thy rightful sway;<note place="foot">Angad himself, being too young to +govern, would be Yuvarája or heir-apparent.</note></l> +<l>For I must go at Yáma's call</l> +<l>To sojourn in his gloomy hall;</l> +<l>Must part and leave this very hour</l> +<l>My life, my realm, my kingly power,</l> +<l>And go instead of these to gain</l> +<l>Bright glory free from spot and stain.</l> +<l>Now at thy hands one boon I seek</l> +<l>With the last words my lips shall speak,</l> +<l>And, though it be no easy thing,</l> +<l>Perform the task I give thee, King.</l> +<l>This son of mine, no foolish boy,</l> +<l>Worthy of bliss and nursed in joy,—</l> +<l>See, prostrate on the ground he lies,</l> +<l>The hot tears welling from his eyes—</l> +<l>The child I love so well, more sweet</l> +<l>Than life itself, for woe unmeet,—</l> +<l>To him be kindly favour shown:</l> +<l>O guard and keep him as thine own.</l> +<l>Retain him ever by thy side,</l> +<l>His father, helper, friend, and guide.</l> +<l>From fear and woe his young life save,</l> +<l>And give him all his father gave.</l> +<l>Then Tárá's son in time shall be</l> +<l>Brave, resolute, and famed like thee,</l> +<l>And march before thee to the fight</l> +<l>Where stricken fiends shall own his might.</l> +<l>While yet a tender stripling, fame</l> +<l>Shall bruit abroad his warrior name,</l> +<l>And brightly shall his glory shine</l> +<l>For exploits worthy of his line.</l> +<l>Child of Susheṇ,<note place="foot">Susheṇa was the son of Varuṇa the +God of the sea.</note> my Tárá well</l> +<l>Obscurest lore can read and tell;</l> +<l>And, trained in wondrous art, divines</l> +<l>Each mystery of boding signs.</l> +<l>Her solemn warning ne'er despise,</l> +<l>Do boldly what her lips advise;</l> +<l>For things to come her eye can see,</l> +<l>And with her words events agree.</l> +<l>And for the son of Raghu's sake</l> +<l>The toil and danger undertake:</l> +<l>For breach of faith were grievous wrong,</l> +<l>Nor wouldst thou be unpunished long.</l> +<l>Now, brother, take this chain of gold,</l> +<l>Gift of celestial hands of old,</l> +<l>Or when I die its charm will flee,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And all its might be lost with me.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The loving speech Sugríva heard,</l> +<l>And all his heart with woe was stirred.</l> +<l>Remorse and gentle pity stole</l> +<l>Each thought of triumph from his soul:</l> +<l>Thus fades the light when Ráhu<note place="foot">A demon with the tail of a dragon, +that causes eclipses by endeavouring to swallow the sun and moon.</note> mars</l> +<l>The glory of the Lord of Stars.<note place="foot">The Lord of Stars is the +Moon.</note></l> +<l>All angry thoughts were stayed and stilled</l> +<l>And kindly love his bosom filled.</l> +<l>His brother's word the chief obeyed</l> +<l>And took the chain as Báli prayed.</l> +<l>On little Angad standing nigh</l> +<l>The dying hero fixed his eye,</l> +<l>And, ready from this world to part,</l> +<l>Spoke the fond utterance of his heart:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Let time and place thy thoughts employ:</q></l> +<l>In woe be strong, be meek in joy.</l> +<l>Accept both pain and pleasure, still</l> +<l>Obedient to Sugríva's will.</l> +<l>Thou hast, my darling, from the first</l> +<l>With tender care been softly nursed;</l> +<l>But harder days, if thou wouldst win</l> +<l>Sugríva's love, must now begin.</l> +<l>To those who hate him ne'er incline,</l> +<l>Nor count his foe a friend of thine.</l> +<l>In all thy thoughts his welfare seek,</l> +<l>Obedient, lowly, faithful, meek.</l> +<l>Let no rash suit his bosom pain,</l> +<l>Nor yet from due requests abstain.<note place="foot">Or the passage may be interpreted: +<q>Be neither too obsequious or affectionate, +nor wanting in due respect or love.</q></note></l> +<l>Each is a grievous fault, between</l> +<l><q rend="post">The two is found the happy mean.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Báli ceased: his eyeballs rolled</l> +<l>In stress of anguish uncontrolled</l> +<l>His massive teeth were bared to view,</l> +<l>And from the frame the spirit flew.</l> +<l>Their lord and leader dead, the crowd</l> +<l>Of noblest Vánars shrieked aloud:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Since thou, O King, hast sought the skies</q></l> +<l>All desolate Kishkindhá lies.</l> +<l>Her woods, where Vánars loved to rove,</l> +<l>Are empty now, and hill and grove.</l> +<l>From every eye the light is fled,</l> +<l>Since thou, our mighty lord, art dead.</l> +<l>Thine was the unwearied arm that bore</l> +<l>The brunt of deadly fight of yore</l> +<l>With Golabh the Gandharva, when,</l> +<l>Lasting through five long years and ten,</l> +<pb n="352"/><anchor id="Pg352"/> +<l>The dreadful conflict knew no stay</l> +<l>In gloom of night, in glare of day;</l> +<l>And when the fifteenth year had past</l> +<l>Thy dire opponent fell at last.</l> +<l>If such a foeman fell beneath</l> +<l>Our hero's arm and awful teeth</l> +<l>Who freed us from our terror, how</l> +<l><q rend="post">Is conquering Báli fallen now?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then when they saw their leader slain</l> +<l>Great anguish seized the Vánar train,</l> +<l>Weeping their mighty chief, as when</l> +<l>In pastures near a lion's den</l> +<l>The cows by sudden fear are stirred,</l> +<l>Slain the bold bull who led the herd.</l> +<l>And hapless Tárá sank below</l> +<l>The whelming waters of her woe,</l> +<l>Looked upon Báli's face and fell</l> +<l>Beside him whom she loved go well,</l> +<l>Like a young creeper clinging round</l> +<l>A tall tree prostrate on the ground.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXIII"/> +<head>Canto XXIII. Tárá's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>She kissed her lifeless husband's face,</l> +<l>She clasped him in a close embrace,</l> +<l>Laid her soft lips upon his head;</l> +<l>Then words like these the mourner said:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">No words of mine wouldst thou regard,</q></l> +<l>And now thy bed is cold and hard.</l> +<l>Upon the rude rough ground o'erthrown,</l> +<l>Beneath thee naught but sand and stone.</l> +<l>To thee the earth is dearer far</l> +<l>Than I and my caresses are,</l> +<l>If thou upon her breast wilt lie,</l> +<l>And to my words make no reply.</l> +<l>Ah my beloved, good and brave,</l> +<l>Bold to attack and strong to save,</l> +<l>Fate is Sugríva's thrall, and we</l> +<l>In him our lord and master see.</l> +<l>Lo, by thy bed, a mournful band,</l> +<l>Thy Vánar chiefs lamenting stand.</l> +<l>O hear thy nobles' groans and cries,</l> +<l>O mark thy Angad's weeping eyes,</l> +<l>O list to my entreaties, break</l> +<l>The chains of slumber and awake.</l> +<l>Ah me, my lord, this lowly bed</l> +<l>Where rest thy limbs and fallen head,</l> +<l>Is the cold couch where smitten lay</l> +<l>Thy foemen in the bloody fray.</l> +<l>O noble heart from blemish free,</l> +<l>Lover of war, beloved by me.</l> +<l>Why hast thou fled away and left</l> +<l>Thy Tárá of all hope bereft?</l> +<l>Unwise the father who allows</l> +<l>His child to be a warrior's spouse,</l> +<l>For, hero, see thy consort's fate,</l> +<l>A widow now most desolate,</l> +<l>For ever broken is my pride,</l> +<l>My hope of lasting bliss has died,</l> +<l>And sinking in the lowest deep</l> +<l>Of sorrow's sea I pine and weep.</l> +<l>Ah, surely not of earthly mould,</l> +<l>This stony heart is stern and cold,</l> +<l>Or, in a hundred pieces rent,</l> +<l>It had not lingered to lament.</l> +<l>Dead, dead! my husband, friend, and lord</l> +<l>In whom my loving hopes were stored,</l> +<l>First in the field, his foemen's dread,</l> +<l>My own victorious Báli, dead!</l> +<l>A woman when her lord has died,</l> +<l>Though children flourish by her side,</l> +<l>Though stores of gold her coffers fill,</l> +<l>Is called a lonely widow still.</l> +<l>Alas, thy bleeding gashes make</l> +<l>Around thy limbs a purple lake:</l> +<l>Thus slumbering was thy wont to lie</l> +<l>On cushions bright with crimson dye.</l> +<l>Dark streams of welling blood besmear</l> +<l>Thy limbs where dust and mire adhere,</l> +<l>Nor have I strength, weighed down by woe,</l> +<l>Mine arms about thy form to throw.</l> +<l>The issue of this day has brought</l> +<l>Sugríva all his wishes sought,</l> +<l>For Ráma shot one shaft and he</l> +<l>Is freed from fear and jeopardy.</l> +<l>Alas, alas, I may not rest</l> +<l>My head upon thy wounded breast,</l> +<l>Obstructed by the massive dart</l> +<l><q rend="post">Deep buried in thy bleeding heart.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Níla from his bosom drew</l> +<l>The fatal shaft that pierced him through,</l> +<l>Like some tremendous serpent deep</l> +<l>In caverns of a hill asleep.</l> +<l>As from the hero's wound it came,</l> +<l>Shot from the shaft a gleam of flame,</l> +<l>Like the last flashes of the sun</l> +<l>Descending when his course is run.</l> +<l>From the wide rent in crimson flood</l> +<l>Rushed the full stream of Báli's blood,</l> +<l>Like torrents down a mountain's side</l> +<l>With golden ore and copper dyed.</l> +<l>Then Tárá brushed with tender care</l> +<l>The dust of battle from his hair,</l> +<l>While her sad eyes poured down their rain</l> +<l>Upon her lord untimely slain.</l> +<l>Once more she looked upon the dead;</l> +<l>Then to her bright-eyed child she said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Turn hither, turn thy weeping eyes</q></l> +<l>Where low in death thy father lies.</l> +<l>By sinful deed and bitter hate</l> +<l>Our lord has met his mournful fate.</l> +<l>Bright as the sun at early morn</l> +<l>To Yáma's halls is Báli borne.</l> +<l>Then go, my child, salute the king,</l> +<l><q rend="post">From whom our bliss and honour spring.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Obedient to his mother's hest</l> +<l>His father's feet he gently pressed</l> +<pb n="353"/><anchor id="Pg353"/> +<l>With twining arms and lingering hands:</l> +<l><q>Father,</q> he cried, <q>here Angad stands.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Tárá: <q rend="pre">Art thou stern and mute,</q></l> +<l>Regardless of thy child's salute?</l> +<l>Hast thou no blessing for thy son,</l> +<l>No word for little Angad, none?</l> +<l>O, hero, at thy lifeless feet</l> +<l>Here with my boy I take my seat,</l> +<l>As some sad mother of the herd,</l> +<l>By the fierce lion undeterred,</l> +<l>Lies moaning by the grassy dell</l> +<l>Wherein her lord and leader fell.</l> +<l>How, having wrought that awful rite,</l> +<l>The sacrifice of deadly fight,</l> +<l>Wherein the shaft by Ráma sped</l> +<l>Supplied the place of water shed,</l> +<l>How hast thou bathed thee at the end</l> +<l>Without thy wife her aid to lend?<note place="foot">Sacrifices and all +religious rites begin and end with ablution, and the wife of +the officiating Bráhman takes an important part in the performance of the +holy ceremonies.</note></l> +<l>Why do mine eyes no more behold</l> +<l>Thy bright beloved chain of gold,</l> +<l>Which, pleased with thee, the Immortals' King</l> +<l>About thy neck vouchsafed to fling?</l> +<l>Still lingering on thy lifeless face</l> +<l>I see the pride of royal race:</l> +<l>Thus when the sun has set, his glow</l> +<l>Still rests upon the Lord of Snow.</l> +<l>Alas my hero! undeterred</l> +<l>Thou wouldst not listen to my word.</l> +<l>With tears and prayers I sued in vain:</l> +<l>Thou wouldst not listen, and art slain.</l> +<l>Gone is my bliss, my glory: I</l> +<l><q rend="post">And Angad now with thee will die.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXIV"/> +<head>Canto XXIV. Sugríva's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But when Sugríva saw her weep</l> +<l>O'erwhelmed in sorrow's rushing deep,</l> +<l>Swift through his bosom pierced the sting</l> +<l>Of anguish for the fallen king.</l> +<l>At the sad sight his eyes beheld</l> +<l>A flood of bitter tears outwelled,</l> +<l>And, with his bosom racked and rent,</l> +<l>To Ráma with his train he went.</l> +<l>He came with faltering steps and slow</l> +<l>Where Ráma held his mighty bow</l> +<l>And arrow like a venomed snake,</l> +<l>And to the son of Raghu spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Well hast thou kept, O King, thy vow:</q></l> +<l>The promised fruit is gathered now.</l> +<l>But life is marred, my soul to-day</l> +<l>Turns sickening from all joy away.</l> +<l>For, while this queen laments and sighs</l> +<l>Amid a mourning people's cries,</l> +<l>And Angad weeps his father slain,</l> +<l>How can my heart delight to reign?</l> +<l>For outrage, fury, senseless pride,</l> +<l>My brother, doomed of yore, has died.</l> +<l>Yet, Raghu's son, in bitter woe</l> +<l>I mourn his fated overthrow.</l> +<l>Ah, better far in pain and ill</l> +<l>To dwell on Rishyamúka still</l> +<l>Than gain the heaven of Gods and all</l> +<l>Its pleasures by my brother's fall.</l> +<l>Did not he cry,—great-hearted foe,—</l> +<l><q>Go, for I will not slay thee, Go</q>?</l> +<l>With his brave soul those words agree:</l> +<l>My speech, my deeds, are worthy me.</l> +<l>How can a brother counterweigh</l> +<l>His grievous loss with joys of sway,</l> +<l>And see with dull unpitying eye</l> +<l>So brave and good a brother die?</l> +<l>His lofty soul was nobly blind:</l> +<l>My death alas, he ne'er designed;</l> +<l>But I, urged blindly on by hate,</l> +<l>Sought with his life my rage to sate.</l> +<l>He smote me with a splintered tree:</l> +<l>I groaned aloud and turned to flee,</l> +<l>From stern reproaches he forbore,</l> +<l>And gently bade me sin no more.</l> +<l>Serene and dutiful and good</l> +<l>He kept the laws of brotherhood:</l> +<l>I, fierce and greedy, vengeful, base,</l> +<l>Showed all the vices of our race.</l> +<l>Ah me, dear friend, my brother's fate</l> +<l>Lays on my soul a crushing weight:</l> +<l>A sin no heart should e'er conceive,</l> +<l>But at the thought each soul should grieve:</l> +<l>Sin such as Indra's when his blow</l> +<l>Laid heavenly Viśvarúpa<note place="foot">Viśvarúpa, a son of Twashṭri or Viśvakarmá +the heavenly architect, was a three-headed monster slain by Indra.</note> low.</l> +<l>Yet earth, the waters of the seas,</l> +<l>The race of women and the trees</l> +<l>Were fain upon themselves to take</l> +<l>The weight of sin for Indra's sake.</l> +<l>But who a Vánar's soul will free,</l> +<l>Or ease the load that crushes me?</l> +<l>Wretch that I am, I may not claim</l> +<l>The reverence due to royal name.</l> +<l>How shall I reign supreme, or dare</l> +<l>Affect the power I should not share?</l> +<l>Ah me, I sorrow for my sin,</l> +<l>The ruin of my race and kin,</l> +<l>Polluted by a hideous crime</l> +<l>World-hated till the end of time.</l> +<l>Alas, the floods of sorrow roll</l> +<l>With whelming force upon my soul:</l> +<l>So gathers the descending rain</l> +<l><q rend="post">In the deep hollow of the plain.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="354"/><anchor id="Pg354"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXV"/> +<head>Canto XXV. Ráma's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Raghu's son, whose feeling breast</l> +<l>Shared the great woe that moved the rest,</l> +<l>Strove with wise charm their grief to ease</l> +<l>And gently spoke in words like these:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">You ne'er can raise the dead to bliss</q></l> +<l>By agony of grief like this.</l> +<l>Cease your lament, nor leave undone</l> +<l>The funeral task you may not shun.</l> +<l>As nature orders o'er the dead.</l> +<l>Your tributary tears are shed,</l> +<l>But Fate, directing each event,</l> +<l>Is still the lord preëminent.</l> +<l>Yes, all obey the changeless laws</l> +<l>Of Fate the universal cause.</l> +<l>By Fate, the lives of all proceed,</l> +<l>That governs every word and deed,</l> +<l>None acts, none sees his hest obeyed,</l> +<l>But each and all by Fate are swayed.</l> +<l>The world its ordered course maintains,</l> +<l>And o'er that course Fate ever reigns.</l> +<l>Fate ne'er exceeds the rule of Fate:</l> +<l>Is ne'er too swift, is ne'er too late,</l> +<l>And making nature its ally</l> +<l>Forgets no life, nor passes by.</l> +<l>No kith and kin, no power and force</l> +<l>Can check or stay its settled course,</l> +<l>No friend or client, grace or charm,</l> +<l>That victor of the world disarm.</l> +<l>So all who see with prudent eyes</l> +<l>The hand of Fate must recognize,</l> +<l>For virtue rules, or love, or gain,</l> +<l>As Fate's unchanged decrees ordain.</l> +<l>Báli has died and won the meed</l> +<l>That waits in heaven on noble deed,</l> +<l>Throned in the seats the brave may reach</l> +<l>By liberal hand and gentle speech,</l> +<l>True to a warrior's duty, bold</l> +<l>In fight, the hero lofty-souled</l> +<l>Deigned not to guard his life: he died,</l> +<l>And now in heaven is glorified.</l> +<l>Then cease these tears and wild despair:</l> +<l>Turn to the task that claims your care,</l> +<l>For Báli's is the glorious fate</l> +<l><q rend="post">Which warriors count most fortunate.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Ráma's speech had found a close,</l> +<l>Brave Lakshmaṇ, terror of his foes,</l> +<l>With wise and soothing words addressed</l> +<l>Sugríva still with woe oppressed:</l> +<l><q>Arise Sugríva,</q> thus he said,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Perform the service of the dead.</q></l> +<l>Prepare with Tárá and her son</l> +<l>That Báli's rites be duly done.</l> +<l>A store of funeral wood provide</l> +<l>Which wind and sun and time have dried</l> +<l>And richest sandal fit to grace</l> +<l>The pyre of one of royal race.</l> +<l>With words of comfort soft and kind</l> +<l>Console poor Angad's troubled mind,</l> +<l>Nor let thy heart be thus cast down,</l> +<l>For thine is now the Vánars' town.</l> +<l>Let Angad's care a wreath supply,</l> +<l>And raiment rich with varied dye,</l> +<l>And oil and perfumes for the fire,</l> +<l>And all the solemn rites require.</l> +<l>Go, hasten to the town, O King,</l> +<l>And Tárá's little quickly bring.</l> +<l>A virtue is despatch: and speed</l> +<l>Is best of all in hour of need.</l> +<l>Go, let a chosen band prepare</l> +<l>The litter of the dead to bear.</l> +<l>For stout and tall and strong of limb</l> +<l><q rend="post">Must be the chiefs who carry him.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke,—his friends' delight and pride,—</l> +<l>Then stood again by Ráma's side.</l> +<l>When Tára<note place="foot">The Vánar chief, not to be confounded +with Tárá.</note> heard the words he said</l> +<l>Within the town he quickly sped,</l> +<l>And brought, on stalwart shoulders laid,</l> +<l>The litter for the rites arrayed,</l> +<l>Framed like a car for Gods, complete</l> +<l>With painted sides and royal seat,</l> +<l>With latticed windows deftly made,</l> +<l>And golden birds and trees inlaid:</l> +<l>Well joined and wrought in every part,</l> +<l>A marvel of ingenious art.</l> +<l>Where pleasure mounds in carven wood</l> +<l>And many a graven figure stood.</l> +<l>The best of jewels o'er it hung,</l> +<l>And wreaths of flowers around it clung,</l> +<l>And over all was raised on high</l> +<l>A canopy of saffron dye,</l> +<l>While like the sun of morning shone</l> +<l>The brilliant blooms that lay thereon.</l> +<l>That glorious litter Ráma eyed.</l> +<l>And spake to Lakshmaṇ by his side:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Let Báli on the bier be placed</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">And with all funeral service graced.</q></l> +<l>Sugríva then with many a tear</l> +<l>Drew Báli's body to the bier</l> +<l>Whereon, with weeping Angad's aid,</l> +<l>The relics of the chief were laid</l> +<l>Neath many a vesture's varied fold,</l> +<l>And wreaths and ornaments and gold.</l> +<l>Then King Sugríva bade them speed</l> +<l>The obsequies by law decreed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Let Vánars lead the way and throw</q></l> +<l>Rich gems around them as they go,</l> +<l>And be the chosen bearers near</l> +<l>Behind them laden with the bier.</l> +<l>No costly rite may you deny,</l> +<l>Used when the proudest monarchs die:</l> +<l>As for a king of widest sway.</l> +<l><q rend="post">Perform his obsequies to-day.</q></l> +<pb n="355"/><anchor id="Pg355"/> +<l>Sugríva gave his high behest;</l> +<l>Then Princely Tára and the rest,</l> +<l>With little Angad weeping, led</l> +<l>The long procession of the dead.</l> +<l>Behind the funeral litter came,</l> +<l>With Tárá first, each widowed dame,</l> +<l>In tears and shrieks her loss deplored,</l> +<l>Add cried aloud, My lord! My lord!</l> +<l>While wood and hill and valley sent</l> +<l>In echoes back the shrill lament.</l> +<l>Then on a low and sandy isle</l> +<l>Was reared the hero's funeral pile</l> +<l>By crowds of toiling Vánars, where</l> +<l>The mountain stream ran fresh and fair,</l> +<l>The Vánar chiefs, a noble band,</l> +<l>Had laid the litter on the sand,</l> +<l>And stood a little space apart,</l> +<l>Each mourning in his inmost heart.</l> +<l>But Tárá, when her weeping eye</l> +<l>Saw Báli, on the litter lie,</l> +<l>Laid his dear head upon her lap,</l> +<l>And wailed aloud her dire mishap;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O mighty Vánar, lord and king,</q></l> +<l>To whose fond breast I loved to cling,</l> +<l>Of goodly arms, wise, brave, and bold,</l> +<l>Rise, look upon me as of old.</l> +<l>Rise up, my sovereign, dost thou see</l> +<l>A crowd of subjects weep for thee?</l> +<l>Still o'er thy face, though breath has fled,</l> +<l>The joyous light of life is spread:</l> +<l>Thus around the sun, although he set,</l> +<l>A crimson glory lingers yet.</l> +<l>Death clad in Ráma's form to-day</l> +<l>Hast dragged thee from the world away.</l> +<l>One shaft from his tremendous bow</l> +<l>Dooms us to widowhood and woe.</l> +<l>Hast thou, O Vánar King, no eyes</l> +<l>Thy weeping wives to recognize,</l> +<l>Who for the length of way unmeet</l> +<l>Have followed thee with weary feet?</l> +<l>Yet every moon-faced beauty here</l> +<l>By thee, O King was counted dear.</l> +<l>Lord of the Vánar race, hast thou</l> +<l>No eyes to see Sugríva now?</l> +<l>About thee stands in mournful mood</l> +<l>A sore-afflicted multitude,</l> +<l>And Tára and thy lords of state</l> +<l>Around their monarch weep and wait.</l> +<l>Arise my lord, with gentle speech,</l> +<l>As was thy wont, dismissing each,</l> +<l>Then in the forest will we play</l> +<l><q rend="post">And love shall make our spirits gay.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Vánar dames raised Tárá, drowned</l> +<l>In floods of sorrow, from the ground;</l> +<l>And Angad with Sugríva's aid,</l> +<l>O'erwhelmed with anguish and dismayed,</l> +<l>Weeping for his departed sire,</l> +<l>Placed Báli's body on the pyre:</l> +<l>Then lit the flame, and round the dead</l> +<l>Passed slowly with a mourner's tread.</l> +<l>Thus with full rites the funeral train</l> +<l>Performed the service for the slain,</l> +<l>Then sought the flowing stream and made</l> +<l>Libations to the parted shade.</l> +<l>There, setting Angad first in place,</l> +<l>The chieftains of the Vánar race,</l> +<l>With Tárá and Sugríva, shed</l> +<l>The water that delights the dead.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXVI"/> +<head>Canto XXVI. The Coronation.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Each Vánar councillor and peer</l> +<l>In crowded numbers gathered near</l> +<l>Sugríva, mournful king, while yet</l> +<l>His vesture from the wave was wet,</l> +<l>Before the chief of Raghu's seed</l> +<l>Unwearied in each arduous deed,</l> +<l>They stood and raised the reverent hand</l> +<l>As saints before Lord Brahmá stand.</l> +<l>Then Hanumán of massive mould,</l> +<l>Like some tall hill of glistering gold,</l> +<l>Son of the God whose wild blasts shake</l> +<l>The forest, thus to Ráma spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">By thy kind favour, O my lord,</q></l> +<l>Sugríva, to his home restored</l> +<l>Triumphant, has regained to-day</l> +<l>His rank and power and royal sway.</l> +<l>He now will call each faithful friend,</l> +<l>Enter the city, and attend</l> +<l>With sage advice and prudent care</l> +<l>To every task that waits him there.</l> +<l>Then balm and unguent shall anoint</l> +<l>Our monarch, as the laws appoint,</l> +<l>And gems and precious wreaths shall be</l> +<l>His grateful offering, King, to thee.</l> +<l>Do thou, O Ráma, with thy friend</l> +<l>Thy steps within the city bend;</l> +<l>Our ruler on his throne install,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And with thy presence cheer us all.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then, skilled in lore and arts that guide</l> +<l>The speaker, Raghu's son replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">For fourteen years I might not break</q></l> +<l>The mandate that my father spake;</l> +<l>Nor can I, till that time be fled,</l> +<l>The street of town or village tread.</l> +<l>Let King Sugríva seek the town</l> +<l>Most worthy of her high renown,</l> +<l>There let him be without delay</l> +<l><q rend="post">Anointed, and begin his sway.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">This answered, to Sugríva then</l> +<l>Thus spake anew the king of men:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Do thou who knowest right ordain</q></l> +<l>Prince Angad consort of thy reign;</l> +<l>For he is noble, true, and bold,</l> +<l>And trained a righteous course to hold</l> +<l>Gifts like his sire's that youth adorn</l> +<l>Born eldest to the eldest born.</l> +<pb n="356"/><anchor id="Pg356"/> +<l>This is the month of Śrávaṇ,<note place="foot">Śrávaṇ: July-August. But the rains +begin a month earlier, and what follows must not be taken literally. The text has +<hi rend='italic'>púrvo' yam várshiko másah Śrávaṇah salilágamdh</hi>. The Bengal +recension has the same, and Gorresio translates: <q>Equesto ilmese Srâvana +(luglio-agosto) primo della stagione piovosa, in cui dilagano le acque.</q></note> +first</l> +<l>Of those that see the rain-clouds burst.</l> +<l>Four months, thou knowest well, extends</l> +<l>The season when the rain descends.</l> +<l>No time for deeds of war is this:</l> +<l>Seek thou thy fair metropolis,</l> +<l>And I with Lakshmaṇ, O my friend,</l> +<l>The time upon this hill will spend.</l> +<l>An ample cavern opens there</l> +<l>Made lovely by the mountain air,</l> +<l>And lotuses and lilies fill</l> +<l>The pleasant lake and murmuring rill.</l> +<l>When Kártik's<note place="foot">Kártik: October-November.</note> +month shall clear the skies,</l> +<l>Then tempt the mighty enterprise.</l> +<l>Now, chieftain to thy home repair,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And be anointed sovereign there.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sugríva heard: he bowed his head:</l> +<l>Within the lovely town he sped</l> +<l>Which Báli's royal will had swayed,</l> +<l>Where thousand Vánar chiefs arrayed</l> +<l>Gathered in order round their king,</l> +<l>And led him on with welcoming.</l> +<l>Low on the earth the lesser crowd</l> +<l>Fell in prostration as they bowed.</l> +<l>Sugríva looked with grateful eyes,</l> +<l>Spake to them all and bade them rise.</l> +<l>Then through the royal bowers he strode</l> +<l>Wherein the monarch's wives abode.</l> +<l>Soon from the inner chambers came</l> +<l>The Vánar of exalted fame;</l> +<l>And joyful friends drew near and shed</l> +<l>King-making balm upon his head,</l> +<l>Like Gods anointing in the skies</l> +<l>Their sovereign of the thousand eyes.<note place="foot"><q>Indras, as the nocturnal +sun, hides himself, transformed, in the starry heavens: the stars are his eyes. The +hundred-eyed or all-seeing (panoptês) Argos placed as a spy over the actions of the cow +beloved by Zeus, in the Hellenic equivalent of this form of Indras.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">De Gubernatis</hi>, +<hi rend='italic'>Zoological Mythology</hi>, Vol. I, p. 418.</note></l> +<l>Then brought they, o'er their king to hold</l> +<l>The white umbrella decked with gold,</l> +<l>And chouries with their waving hair</l> +<l>In golden handles wondrous fair;</l> +<l>And fragrant herbs and seed and spice,</l> +<l>And sparkling gems exceeding price,</l> +<l>And every bloom from woods and leas,</l> +<l>And gum distilled from milky trees;</l> +<l>And precious ointment white as milk,</l> +<l>And spotless robes of cloth and silk,</l> +<l>Wreaths of sweet flowers whose glories gleam</l> +<l>In grassy grove, on lake or stream.</l> +<l>And fragrant sandal and each scent</l> +<l>That makes the soft breeze redolent;</l> +<l>Grain, honey, odorous seed, and store</l> +<l>Of oil and curd and golden ore;</l> +<l>A noble tiger's skin, a pair</l> +<l>Of sandals wrought with costliest care,</l> +<l>Eight pairs of damsels drawing nigh</l> +<l>Brought unguents stained with varied dye.</l> +<l>Then gems and cates and robes displayed</l> +<l>Before the twice-born priests were laid,</l> +<l>That they would deign in order due</l> +<l>To consecrate the king anew.</l> +<l>The sacred grass was duly spread</l> +<l>And sacrificial flame was fed,</l> +<l>Which Scripture-learned priests supplied</l> +<l>With oil which texts had sanctified.</l> +<l>Then, with all rites ordained of old,</l> +<l>High on the terrace bright with gold,</l> +<l>Whereon a glorious carpet lay,</l> +<l>And fresh-culled garlands sweet and gay,</l> +<l>Placed on his throne, Sugríva bent</l> +<l>His looks toward the Orient.</l> +<l>In horns from forehead of the bull,</l> +<l>In pitchers bright and beautiful,</l> +<l>In urns of gold the Vánara took</l> +<l>Pure water brought from stream and brook,</l> +<l>From every consecrated strand</l> +<l>And every sea that beats the land.</l> +<l>Then, as prescribed by sacred lore</l> +<l>And many a mighty sage of yore,<note place="foot">Baudháyana and others.</note></l> +<l>The leaders of the Vánars poured</l> +<l>The sacred water on their lord.<note place="foot">Sugríva appears to have been +consecrated with all the ceremonies that attended the <hi rend='italic'>Abhisheka</hi> +or coronation of an Indian prince of the Aryan race. Compare the preparations made for +Ráma's consecration, <ref target="CantoII-III">Book II, Canto III</ref>. Thus Homer +frequently introduces into Troy the rites of Hellenic worship.</note></l> +<l>From every Vánar at the close</l> +<l>Of that imperial rite arose</l> +<l>Shouts of glad triumph, loud and long</l> +<l>Repeated by the high-souled throng.</l> +<l>Sugríva, when the rite was done,</l> +<l>Obeyed the hest of Raghu's son,</l> +<l>Prince Angad to his breast he strained,</l> +<l>And partner of his sway ordained.</l> +<l>Once more from all the host rang out</l> +<l>The loud huzza and jovful shout.</l> +<l><q>Well done! well done!</q> each Vánar cried,</l> +<l>And good Sugríva glorified.</l> +<pb n="357"/><anchor id="Pg357"/> +<l>Then with glad voices loudly raised</l> +<l>Were Ráma and his brother praised;</l> +<l>And bright Kishkindhá shone that day</l> +<l>With happy throngs and banners gay.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXVII"/> +<head>Canto XXVII. Ráma On The Hill.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But when the solemn rite was o'er,</l> +<l>And bold Sugríva reigned once more,</l> +<l>The sons of Raghu sought the hill,</l> +<l>Praśravaṇ of the rushing rill,</l> +<l>Where roamed the tiger and the deer,</l> +<l>And lions raised their voice of fear;</l> +<l>Thick set with trees of every kind,</l> +<l>With trailing shrubs and plants entwined;</l> +<l>Home of the ape and monkey, lair</l> +<l>Of mountain cat and pard and bear.</l> +<l>In cloudy gloom against the sky</l> +<l>The sanctifying hills rose high.</l> +<l>Pierced in their crest, a spacious cave</l> +<l>To Raghu's sons a shelter gave.</l> +<l>Then Ráma, pure from every crime,</l> +<l>In words well suited to the time</l> +<l>To Lakshmaṇ spake, whose faithful zeal</l> +<l>Watched humbly for his brother's weal:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I love this spacious cavern where</q></l> +<l>There breathes a fresh and pleasant air.</l> +<l>Brave brother, let us here remain</l> +<l>Throughout the season of the rain.</l> +<l>For in mine eyes this mountain crest</l> +<l>Is above all, the loveliest.</l> +<l>Where copper-hued and black and white</l> +<l>Show the huge blocks that face the height;</l> +<l>Where gleams the shine of varied ore,</l> +<l>Where dark clouds hang and torrents roar;</l> +<l>Where waving woods are fair to see,</l> +<l>And creepers climb from tree to tree;</l> +<l>Where the gay peacock's voice is shrill,</l> +<l>And sweet birds carol on the hill;</l> +<l>Where odorous breath is wafted far</l> +<l>From Jessamine and Sinduvár;<note place="foot">Vitex Negundo.</note></l> +<l>And opening flowers of every hue</l> +<l>Give wondrous beauty to the view.</l> +<l>See, too, this pleasant water near</l> +<l>Our cavern home is fresh and clear;</l> +<l>And lilies gay with flower and bud</l> +<l>Are glorious on the lovely flood.</l> +<l>This cave that fares north and east</l> +<l>Will shelter us till rain has ceased;</l> +<l>And towering hills that rise behind</l> +<l>Will screen us from the furious wind.</l> +<l>Close by the cavern's portal lies</l> +<l>And level stone of ample size</l> +<l>And sable hue, a mighty block</l> +<l>Long severed from the parent rock.</l> +<l>Now let thine eye bent northward rest</l> +<l>A while upon that mountain crest,</l> +<l>High as a cloud that brings the rain,</l> +<l>And dark as iron rent in twain.</l> +<l>Look southward, brother, now and view</l> +<l>A cloudy pile of paler hue</l> +<l>Like Mount Kailása's topmost height</l> +<l>Where ores of every tint are bright.</l> +<l>See, Lakshman, see before our cave</l> +<l>That clear brook eastward roll its wave</l> +<l>As though 'twere Gangá's infant rill</l> +<l>Down streaming from the three-peaked hill.</l> +<l>See, by the water's gentle flow</l> +<l>Aśoka, sál, and sandal grow.</l> +<l>And every lovely tree most fair</l> +<l>With leaf and bud and flower is there.</l> +<l>See there, beneath the bending trees</l> +<l>That fringe her bank, the river flees,</l> +<l>Clothed with their beauty like a maid</l> +<l>In all her robes and gems arrayed,</l> +<l>While from the sedgy banks are heard</l> +<l>The soft notes of each amorous bird.</l> +<l>O see what lovely islets stud</l> +<l>Like gems the bosom of the flood,</l> +<l>And sárases and wild swans crowd</l> +<l>About her till she laughs aloud.</l> +<l>See, lotus blooms the brook o'erspread,</l> +<l>Some tender blue, some dazzling red,</l> +<l>And opening lilies white as snow</l> +<l>Their buds in rich profusion show.</l> +<l>There rings the joyous peacock's scream,</l> +<l>There stands the curlew by the stream,</l> +<l>And holy hermits love to throng</l> +<l>Where the sweet waters speed along.</l> +<l>Ranged on the grassy margin shine</l> +<l>Gay sandal trees in glittering line,</l> +<l>And all the wondrous verdure seems</l> +<l>The offspring of creative dreams.</l> +<l>O conquering Prince, there cannot be</l> +<l>A lovelier place than this we see.</l> +<l>Here sheltered on the beauteous height</l> +<l>Our days will pass in calm delight.</l> +<l>Nor is Kishkindhá's city, gay</l> +<l>With grove and garden, far away.</l> +<l>Thence will the breeze of evening bring</l> +<l>Sweet music as the minstrels sing;</l> +<l>And, when the Vánars dance, will come</l> +<l>The sound of tabour and of drum.</l> +<l>Again to spouse and realm restored,</l> +<l>Girt by his friends, the Vánar lord</l> +<l>Great glory has acquired; and how</l> +<l><q rend="post">Can he be less than happy now?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">This said, the son of Raghu made</l> +<l>His dwelling in that pleasant shade</l> +<l>Upon the mountain's shelving side</l> +<l>That sweetly all his wants supplied.</l> +<l>But still the hero's troubled mind</l> +<l>No comfort in his woe could find,</l> +<l>Yet mourning for his stolen wife</l> +<l>Dearer to Ráma than his life,</l> +<l>Chief when he saw the Lord of Night</l> +<l>Rise slowly o'er the eastern height,</l> +<pb n="358"/><anchor id="Pg358"/> +<l>He tossed upon his leafy bed</l> +<l>With eyes by sleep unvisited.</l> +<l>Outwelled the tears in ceaseless flow,</l> +<l>And every sense was numbed by woe.</l> +<l>Each pang that pierced the mourner through</l> +<l>Smote Lakshmaṇ's faithful bosom too,</l> +<l>Who, troubled for his brother's sake,</l> +<l>With wisest words the prince bespake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Arise, my brother, and be strong:</q></l> +<l>Thy hero heart has mourned too long.</l> +<l>Thou knowest well that tears and sighs</l> +<l>Will mar the mightiest enterprise.</l> +<l>Thine was the soul that loved to dare:</l> +<l>To serve the Gods was still thy care;</l> +<l>And ne'er may sorrow's sting subdue</l> +<l>A heart so resolute and true.</l> +<l>How canst thou hope to slay in fight</l> +<l>The giant cruel in his might?</l> +<l>Unwearied must the champion be</l> +<l>Who strives with such a foe as he.</l> +<l>Tear out this sorrow by the root;</l> +<l>Again be bold and resolute.</l> +<l>Arise, my brother, and subdue</l> +<l>The demon and his wicked crew.</l> +<l>Thou canst destroy the earth, her seas,</l> +<l>Her rooted hills and giant trees</l> +<l>Unseated by thy furious hand:</l> +<l>And shall one fiend thy power withstand?</l> +<l>Wait through this season of the rain</l> +<l>Till suns of autumn dry the plain,</l> +<l>Then shall thy giant foe, and all</l> +<l>His host and realm, before thee fall.</l> +<l>I wake thy valour that has slept</l> +<l>Amid the tears thine eyes have wept;</l> +<l>As drops of oil in worship raise</l> +<l><q rend="post">The dormant flame to sudden blaze.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The son of Raghu heard: he knew</l> +<l>His brother's rede was wise and true;</l> +<l>And, honouring his friendly guide,</l> +<l>In gentle words he thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Whate'er a hero firm and bold,</q></l> +<l>Devoted, true, and lofty-souled</l> +<l>Should speak by deep affection led,</l> +<l>Such are the words which thou hast said.</l> +<l>I cast away each pensive thought</l> +<l>That brings the noblest plans to naught,</l> +<l>And each uninjured power will strain</l> +<l>Until the purposed end we gain.</l> +<l>Thy prudent words will I obey,</l> +<l>And till the close of rain-time stay,</l> +<l>When King Sugríva will invite</l> +<l>To action, and the streams be bright.</l> +<l>The hero saved in hour of need</l> +<l>Repays the debt with friendly deed:</l> +<l>But hated by the good are they</l> +<l><q rend="post">Who take the boon and ne'er repay.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXVIII"/> +<head>Canto XXVIII. The Rains.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q>See, brother, see</q> thus Ráma cried</l> +<l>On Mályavat's<note place="foot">Mályavat: <q>The name of this mountain appears to me +to be erroneous, and I think that instead of Mályavat should be read Malayavat, Malaya +is a group of mountains situated exactly in that southern part of India where Ráma now +was, while Mályavat is placed to the north east.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>.</note> dark-wooded side,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">A chain of clouds, like lofty hills,</q></l> +<l>The sky with gathering shadow fills.</l> +<l>Nine months those clouds have borne the load</l> +<l>Conceived from sunbeams as they glowed,</l> +<l>And, having drunk the seas, give birth,</l> +<l>And drop their offspring on the earth.</l> +<l>Easy it seems at such a time</l> +<l>That flight of cloudy stairs to climb,</l> +<l>And, from their summit, safely won,</l> +<l>Hang flowery wreaths about the sun.</l> +<l>See how the flash of evening's red</l> +<l>Fringes the fleecy clouds o'erhead</l> +<l>Till all the sky is streaked and lined</l> +<l>With bleeding wounds incarnadined,</l> +<l>Or the wide firmament above</l> +<l>Shows like a lover sick with love</l> +<l>And, pale with cloudlets, heaves a sigh</l> +<l>In the soft breeze that wanders by.</l> +<l>See, by the fervent heat embrowned,</l> +<l>How drenched with recent showers, the ground</l> +<l>Pours out in floods her gushing tears,</l> +<l>Like Sítá wild with torturing fears.</l> +<l>So softly blows this cloud-born breeze</l> +<l>Cool through the boughs of camphor trees</l> +<l>That one might hold it in the cup</l> +<l>Of hollowed hands and drink it up.</l> +<l>See, brother, where that rocky steep,</l> +<l>Where odorous shrubs in rain-drops weep,</l> +<l>Shows like Sugríva when they shed</l> +<l>Tne royal balm upon his head.</l> +<l>Like students at their task appear</l> +<l>These hills whose misty peaks are near:</l> +<l>Black deerskin<note place="foot">Mantles of the skin of the black antelope +were the prescribed dress of ascetics and religious students.</note> +garments wrought of cloud</l> +<l>Their forms with fitting mantles shroud,</l> +<l>Each torrent from the summit poured</l> +<l>Supplies the place of sacred cord.<note place="foot">The sacred cord worn as the +badge of religious initiation by men of the three twice-born castes.</note></l> +<l>And winds that in their caverns moan</l> +<pb n="359"/><anchor id="Pg359"/> +<l>Sound like the voice's undertone.<note place="foot">The hum with which students conduct +their tasks.</note></l> +<l>From east to west red lightnings flash,</l> +<l>And, quivering neath the golden lash,</l> +<l>The great sky like a generous steed</l> +<l>Groans inly at each call to speed.</l> +<l>Yon lightning, as it flashes through</l> +<l>The giant cloud of sable hue,</l> +<l>Recalls my votaress Sítá pressed</l> +<l>Mid struggles to the demon's breast.</l> +<l>See, on those mountain ridges stand</l> +<l>Sweet shrubs that bud and bloom expand.</l> +<l>The soft rain ends their pangs of grief,</l> +<l>And drops its pearls on flower and leaf.</l> +<l>But all their raptures stab me through</l> +<l>And wake my pining love anew.<note place="foot">I omit here a long general description +of the rainy season which is not found in the Bengal recension and appears to have +been interpolated by a far inferior and much later hand than Valmiki's. It is +composed in a metre different from that of the rest of the Canto, and contains +figures of poetical rhetoric and common-places which are the delight of more recent +poets.</note></l> +<l>Now through the air no wild bird flies,</l> +<l>Each lily shuts her weary eyes;</l> +<l>And blooms of opening jasmin show</l> +<l>The parting sun has ceased to glow.</l> +<l>No captain now for conquest burns,</l> +<l>But homeward with his host returns;</l> +<l>For roads and kings' ambitious dreams</l> +<l>Have vanished neath descending streams.</l> +<l>This is the watery month<note place="foot">Praushthapada or Bhadra, the modern +Bhadon, corresponds to half of August and half of September.</note> wherein</l> +<l>The Sámar's<note place="foot">The Sáman or Sáma-veda, the third of the four Vedas, +is really merely a reproduction of parts of the Rig-veda, transposed and scattered about +piece-meal, only 78 verses in the whole being, it is said, untraceable to the present +recension of the Rig-veda.</note> sacred chants begin.</l> +<l>Áshádha<note place="foot">Áshádha is the month corresponding +to parts of June and July.</note> past, now Kośal's lord<note place="foot">Bharat, +who was regent during Ráma's absence.</note></l> +<l>The harvest of the spring has stored,<note place="foot">Or with Gorresio, following +the gloss of another commentary: <q>Has completed every holy rite and accumulated +stores of merit.</q></note></l> +<l>And dwells within his palace freed</l> +<l>From every care of pressing need.</l> +<l>Full is the moon, and fierce and strong</l> +<l>Impetuous Sarjú<note place="foot">The river on which Ayodhyá was built.</note> +roars along</l> +<l>As though Ayodhyá's crowds ran out</l> +<l>To greet their king with echoing shout.</l> +<l>In this sweet time of ease and rest</l> +<l>No care disturbs Sugríva's breast,</l> +<l>The foe that marred his peace o'erthrown,</l> +<l>And queen and realm once more his own.</l> +<l>Alas, a harder fate is mine,</l> +<l>Reft both of realm and queen to pine,</l> +<l>And, like the bank which floods erode,</l> +<l>I sink beneath my sorrow's load.</l> +<l>Sore on my soul my miseries weigh,</l> +<l>And these long rains our action stay,</l> +<l>While Rávan seems a mightier foe</l> +<l>Than I dare hope to overthrow.</l> +<l>I saw the roads were barred by rain,</l> +<l>I knew the hopes of war were vain;</l> +<l>Nor could I bid Sugríva rise,</l> +<l>Though prompt to aid my enterprise.</l> +<l>E'en now I scarce can urge my friend</l> +<l>On whom his house and realm depend,</l> +<l>Who, after toil and peril past,</l> +<l>Is happy with his queen at last.</l> +<l>Sugríva after rest will know</l> +<l>The hour is come to strike the blow,</l> +<l>Nor will his grateful soul forget</l> +<l>My succour, or deny the debt</l> +<l>I know his generous heart, and hence</l> +<l>Await the time with confidence</l> +<l>When he his friendly zeal will show,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And brooks again untroubled flow.</q><note place="foot">I omit a +<hi rend='italic'>śloka</hi> or four lines on gratitude and ingratitude repeated word for +word from the last Canto.</note></l> +</lg> + + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXIX"/> +<head>Canto XXIX. Hanumán's Counsel.</head> + +<lg> +<l>No flash of lightning lit the sky,</l> +<l>No cloudlet marred the blue on high.</l> +<l>The Saras<note place="foot">The Indian crane; a magnificent bird +easily domesticated.</note> missed the welcome rain,</l> +<l>The moon's full beams were bright again.</l> +<l>Sugríva, lapped in bliss, forgot</l> +<l>The claims of faith, or heeded not;</l> +<l>And by alluring joys misled</l> +<l>The path of falsehood learned to tread.</l> +<l>In careless ease he passed each hour,</l> +<l>And dallied in his lady's bower.</l> +<l>Each longing of his heart was stilled,</l> +<l>And every lofty hope fulfilled.</l> +<l>With royal Rumá by his side,</l> +<l>Or Tárá yet a dearer bride,</l> +<pb n="360"/><anchor id="Pg360"/> +<l>He spent each joyous day and night</l> +<l>In revelry and wild delight,</l> +<l>Like Indra whom the nymphs entice</l> +<l>To taste the joys of Paradise.</l> +<l>The power to courtiers' hands resigned,</l> +<l>To all their acts his eyes were blind.</l> +<l>All doubt, all fear he cast aside</l> +<l>And lived with pleasure for his guide.</l> +<l>But sage Hanúmán, firm and true,</l> +<l>Whose heart the lore of Scripture knew,</l> +<l>Well trained to meet occasion, trained</l> +<l>In all by duty's law ordained,</l> +<l>Strove with his prudent speech to find</l> +<l>Soft access to the monarch's mind.</l> +<l>He, skilled in every gentle art</l> +<l>Of eloquence that wins the heart,</l> +<l>Sugríva from his trance to wake,</l> +<l>His salutary counsel spake:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">The realm is won, thy name advanced,</q></l> +<l>The glory of thy house enhanced,</l> +<l>And now thy foremost care should be</l> +<l>To aid the friends who succoured thee.</l> +<l>He who is firm and faithful found</l> +<l>To friendly ties in honour bound,</l> +<l>Will see his name and fame increase</l> +<l>And his blest kingdom thrive in peace.</l> +<l>Wide sway is his who truly boasts</l> +<l>That friends and treasure, self and hosts,</l> +<l>All blent in one harmonious whole,</l> +<l>Are subject to his firm control.</l> +<l>Do thou, whose footsteps never stray</l> +<l>From the clear bounds of duty's way,</l> +<l>Assist, as honour bids thee, now</l> +<l>Thy friends, observant of thy vow.</l> +<l>For if all cares we lay not by,</l> +<l>And to our friend's assistance fly,</l> +<l>We, after, toil in idle haste,</l> +<l>And all the late endeavour waste.</l> +<l>Up! nor the promised help delay</l> +<l>Until the hour have slipped away.</l> +<l>Up! and with Raghu's son renew</l> +<l>The search for Sítá lost to view.</l> +<l>The hour is come: he hears the call,</l> +<l>But not on thee reproaches fall</l> +<l>From him who labours to repress</l> +<l>His eager spirit's restlessness.</l> +<l>Long joined to thee in friendly ties</l> +<l>He made thy fame and fortune rise,</l> +<l>In gentle gifts by none excelled.</l> +<l>In splendid might unparalleled.</l> +<l>Up, to his succour, King! repay</l> +<l>The favour of that prosperous day,</l> +<l>And to thy bravest captains send</l> +<l>Prompt mandates to assist thy friend.</l> +<l>The cry for help thou wilt not spurn</l> +<l>Although no grace demands return:</l> +<l>And wilt thou not thine aid afford</l> +<l>To him who realm and life restored?</l> +<l>Exert thy power, and thou hast won</l> +<l>The love of Daśaratha's son:</l> +<l>And wilt thou for his summons wait,</l> +<l>And, till he call thee, hesitate?</l> +<l>Think not the hero needs thy power</l> +<l>To save him in the desperate hour:</l> +<l>He with his arrows could subdue</l> +<l>The Gods and all the demon crew,</l> +<l>And only waits that he may see</l> +<l>Redeemed the promise made by thee.</l> +<l>For thee he risked his life and fought,</l> +<l>For thee that great deliverance wrought.</l> +<l>Then let us trace through earth and skies</l> +<l>His lady wheresoe'er she lies.</l> +<l>Through realms above, beneath, we flee,</l> +<l>And plant our footsteps on the sea.</l> +<l>Then why, O Lord of Vánars, still</l> +<l>Delay us waiting for thy will?</l> +<l>Give thy commands, O King, and say</l> +<l>What task has each and where the way.</l> +<l>Before thee myriad Vánars stand</l> +<l><q rend="post">To sweep through heaven, o'er seas and land.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sugríva heard the timely rede</l> +<l>That roused him in the day of need,</l> +<l>And thus to Níla prompt and brave</l> +<l>His hest the imperial Vánar gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Go, Níla, to the distant hosts</q></l> +<l>That keep in arms their several posts,</l> +<l>And all the armies that protect</l> +<l>The quarters,<note place="foot">The troops who guard the frontiers on +the north, south, east and west.</note> with their chiefs, collect.</l> +<l>To all the luminaries placed</l> +<l>In intermediate regions haste,</l> +<l>And bid each captain rise and lead</l> +<l>His squadrons to their king with speed.</l> +<l>Do thou meanwhile with strictest care</l> +<l>All that the time requires prepare.</l> +<l>The loitering Vánar who delays</l> +<l>To gather here ere thrice five days,</l> +<l>Shall surely die for his offence,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Condemned for sinful negligence.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXX"/> +<head>Canto XXX. Ráma's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Ráma in the autumn night</l> +<l>Stood musing on the mountain height,</l> +<l>While grief and love that scorned control</l> +<l>Shook with wild storms the hero's soul.</l> +<l>Clear was the sky, without a cloud</l> +<l>The glory of the moon to shroud.</l> +<l>And bright with purest silver shone</l> +<l>Each hill the soft beams looked upon.</l> +<l>He knew Sugríva's heart was bent</l> +<l>On pleasure, gay and negligent.</l> +<l>He thought on Janak's child forlorn</l> +<l>From his fond arms for ever torn.</l> +<l>He mourned occasion slipping by,</l> +<l>And faint with anguish heaved each sigh.</l> +<pb n="361"/><anchor id="Pg361"/> +<l>He sat where many a varied streak</l> +<l>Of rich ore marked the mountain peak.</l> +<l>He raised his eyes the sky to view,</l> +<l>And to his love his sad thoughts flew.</l> +<l>He heard the Sáras cry, and faint</l> +<l>With sorrow poured his love-born plaint:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">She, she who mocked the softest tone</q></l> +<l>Of wild birds' voices with her own,—</l> +<l>Where strays she now, my love who played</l> +<l>So happy in our hermit shade?</l> +<l>How can my absent love behold</l> +<l>The bright trees with their flowers of gold,</l> +<l>And all their gleaming glory see</l> +<l>With eyes that vainly look for me?</l> +<l>How is it with my darling when</l> +<l>From the deep tangles of the glen</l> +<l>Float carols of each bird elate</l> +<l>With rapture singing to his mate?</l> +<l>In vain my weary glances rove</l> +<l>From lake to hill, from stream to grove:</l> +<l>I find no rapture in the scene,</l> +<l>And languish for my fawn-eyed queen.</l> +<l>Ah, does strong love with wild unrest,</l> +<l>Born of the autumn, stir her breast?</l> +<l>And does the gentle lady pine</l> +<l><q rend="post">Till her bright eyes shall look in mine?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Raghu's son in piteous tone,</l> +<l>O'erwhelmed with sorrow, made his moan.</l> +<l>E'en as the bird that drinks the rains<note place="foot">The Chátaka, Cuculus, +Melanoleucus, is supposed to drink nothing but the water +for the clouds.</note></l> +<l>To Indra thousand-eyed complains.</l> +<l>Then Lakshmaṇ who had wandered through</l> +<l>The copses where the berries grew,</l> +<l>Returning to the cavern found</l> +<l>His brother chief in sorrow drowned,</l> +<l>And pitying the woes that broke</l> +<l>The spirit of the hero spoke:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Why cast thy strength of soul away,</q></l> +<l>And weakly yield to passion's sway?</l> +<l>Arise, my brother, do and dare</l> +<l>Ere action perish in despair.</l> +<l>Recall the firmness of thy heart,</l> +<l>And nerve thee for a hero's part.</l> +<l>Whose is the hand unscathed to sieze</l> +<l>The red flame quickened by the breeze?</l> +<l>Where is the foe will dare to wrong</l> +<l><q rend="post">Or keep the Maithil lady long?</q></l> +<l>Then with pale lips that sorrow dried</l> +<l>The son of Raghu thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Lord Indra thousand-eyed, has sent</q></l> +<l>The sweet rain from the firmament,</l> +<l>Sees the rich promise of the grain,</l> +<l>And turns him to his rest again.</l> +<l>The clouds with voices loud and deep,</l> +<l>Veiling each tree upon the steep,</l> +<l>Up on the thirsty earth have shed</l> +<l>Their precious burden and are fled.</l> +<l>Now in kings' hearts ambition glows:</l> +<l>They rush to battle with their foes;<note place="foot">The time for warlike +expeditions began when the rains had ceased.</note></l> +<l>But in Sugríva's sloth I see</l> +<l>No care for deeds of chivalry.</l> +<l>See, Lakshmaṇ, on each breezy height</l> +<l>A thousand autumn blooms are bright.</l> +<l>See how the wings of wild swans gleam</l> +<l>On every islet of the stream.</l> +<l>Four months of flood and rain are past:</l> +<l>A hundred years they seemed to last</l> +<l>To me whom toil and trouble tried,</l> +<l>My Sítá severed from my side.</l> +<l>She, gentlest woman, weak and young,</l> +<l>Still to her lord unwearied clung.</l> +<l>Still by the exile's side she stood</l> +<l>In the wild ways of Daṇḍak wood,</l> +<l>Like a fond bird disconsolate</l> +<l>If parted from her darling mate.</l> +<l>Sugríva, lapped in soft repose,</l> +<l>Untouched by pity for my woes,</l> +<l>Scorns the poor exile, dispossessed,</l> +<l>By Rávaṇ's mightier arm oppressed,</l> +<l>The wretch who comes to sue and pray</l> +<l>From his lost kingdom far away.</l> +<l>Hence falls on me the Vánar's scorn,</l> +<l>A suitor friendless and forlorn.</l> +<l>The time is come: with heedless eye</l> +<l>He sees the hour of action fly,—</l> +<l>Unmindful, now his hopes succeed,</l> +<l>Of promise made in stress of need.</l> +<l>Go seek him sunk in bliss and sloth,</l> +<l>Forgetful of his royal oath,</l> +<l>And as mine envoy thus upbraid</l> +<l>The monarch for his help delayed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Vile is the wretch who will not pay</q></l> +<l>The favour of an earlier day,</l> +<l>Hope in the supplicant's breast awakes,</l> +<l>And then his plighted promise breaks.</l> +<l>Noblest, mid all of women born,</l> +<l>Who keeps the words his lips have sworn,</l> +<l>Yea, if those words be good or ill,</l> +<l>Maintains his faith unbroken still.</l> +<l>The thankless who forget to aid</l> +<l>The friend who helped them when they prayed,</l> +<l>Dishonoured in their death shall lie,</l> +<l>And dogs shall pass their corpses by.</l> +<l>Sure thou wouldst see my strained arm hold</l> +<l>My bow of battle backed with gold,</l> +<l>Wouldst gaze upon its awful form</l> +<l>Like lightning flashing through the storm,</l> +<l>And hear the clanging bowstring loud</l> +<l><q rend="post">As thunder from a labouring cloud.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His valour and his strength I know:</l> +<l>But pleasure's sway now sinks them low,</l> +<l>With thee, my brother, for ally</l> +<l>That strength and valour I defy.</l> +<pb n="362"/><anchor id="Pg362"/> +<l>He promised, when the rains should end,</l> +<l>The succour of his arm to lend.</l> +<l>Those months are past: he dares forget,</l> +<l>And, lapped in pleasure, slumbers yet.</l> +<l>No thought disturbs his careless breast</l> +<l>For us impatient and distressed,</l> +<l>And, while we sadly wait and pine,</l> +<l>Girt by his lords he quaffs the wine.</l> +<l>Go, brother, go, his palace seek,</l> +<l>And boldly to Sugríva speak,</l> +<l>Thus give the listless king to know</l> +<l>What waits him if my anger glow:</l> +<l>Still open, to the gloomy God,</l> +<l>Lies the sad path that Báli trod.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Still to thy plighted word be true,</q></l> +<l>Lest thou, O King, that path pursue.</l> +<l>I launched the shaft I pointed well.</l> +<l>And Báli, only Báli, fell.</l> +<l>But, if from truth thou dare to stray,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Both thee and thine this hand shall slay.</q></l> +<l>Thus be the Vánar king addressed,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Then add thyself what seems the best.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXXI"/> +<head>Canto XXXI. The Envoy.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus Ráma spoke, and Lakshmaṇ then</l> +<l>Made answer to the prince of men:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Yea, if the Vánar, undeterred</q></l> +<l>By fear of vengeance, break his word,</l> +<l>Loss of his royal power ere long</l> +<l>Shall pay the traitor for the wrong.</l> +<l>Nor deem I him so void of sense</l> +<l>To brave the bitter consequence.</l> +<l>But if enslaved to joy he lie,</l> +<l>And scorn thy grace with blinded eye,</l> +<l>Then let him join his brother slain:</l> +<l>Unmeet were such a wretch to reign.</l> +<l>Quick rises, kindling in my breast,</l> +<l>The wrath that will not be repressed,</l> +<l>And bids me in my fury slay</l> +<l>The breaker of his faith to-day.</l> +<l>Let Báli's son thy consort trace</l> +<l><q rend="post">With bravest chiefs of Vánar race.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke the hero, and aglow</l> +<l>With rage of battle seized his bow.</l> +<l>But Ráma thus in gentler mood</l> +<l>With fitting words his speech renewed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No hero with a soul like thine</q></l> +<l>To paths of sin will e'er incline,</l> +<l>He who his angry heart can tame</l> +<l>Is worthiest of a hero's name.</l> +<l>Not thine, my brother, be the part</l> +<l>So alien from the tender heart,</l> +<l>Nor let thy feet by wrath misled</l> +<l>Forsake the path they loved to tread.</l> +<l>From harsh and angry words abstain:</l> +<l>With gentle speech a hearing gain,</l> +<l>And tax Sugríva with the crime</l> +<l><q rend="post">Of failing faith and wasted time.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Lakshmaṇ, bravest of the brave,</l> +<l>Obeyed the hest that Ráma gave,</l> +<l>To whom devoting every thought</l> +<l>The Vánar's royal town he sought.</l> +<l>As Mandar's mountain heaves on high</l> +<l>His curved peak soaring to the sky,</l> +<l>So Lakshmaṇ showed, his dread bow bent</l> +<l>Like Indra's<note place="foot">The rainbow.</note> in the firmament.</l> +<l>His brother's wrath, his brother's woe</l> +<l>Inflamed his soul to fiercest glow.</l> +<l>The tallest trees to earth were cast</l> +<l>As furious on his way he passed,</l> +<l>And where he stepped, so fiercely fleet,</l> +<l>The stones were shivered by his feet.</l> +<l>He reached Kishkindhá's city deep</l> +<l>Embosomed where the hills were steep,</l> +<l>Where street and open square were lined</l> +<l>With legions of the Vánar kind.</l> +<l>Then, as his lips with fury swelled,</l> +<l>The lord of Raghu's line beheld</l> +<l>A stream of Vánar chiefs outpoured</l> +<l>To do obeisance to their lord.</l> +<l>But when the mighty prince in view</l> +<l>Of the thick coming Vánars drew,</l> +<l>They turned them in amaze to seize</l> +<l>Crags of the rock and giant trees.</l> +<l>He saw, and fiercer waxed his ire,</l> +<l>As oil lends fury to the fire.</l> +<l>Scarce had the Vánar chieftains seen</l> +<l>That wrathful eye, that troubled mien</l> +<l>Fierce as the God's who rules the dead,</l> +<l>When, turned in wild affright, they fled.</l> +<l>Speeding in breathless terror all</l> +<l>Sought King Sugríva's council hall,</l> +<l>And there made known their tale of fear,</l> +<l>That Lakshmaṇ wild with rage, was near.</l> +<l>The king, untroubled by alarms,</l> +<l>Held Tárá in his amorous arms,</l> +<l>And in the distant bower with her</l> +<l>Heard not each clamorous messenger.</l> +<l>Then, summoned at the lords' behest</l> +<l>Forth from the city portals pressed,</l> +<l>Each like some elephant or cloud,</l> +<l>The Vánars in a trembling crowd:</l> +<l>Fierce warriors all with massive jaws</l> +<l>And terrors of their tiger claws,</l> +<l>Some matched ten elephants, and some</l> +<l>A hundred's strength could overcome.</l> +<l>Some chieftains, mightier than the rest,</l> +<l>Ten times a hundred's force possessed.</l> +<l>With eyes of fury Lakshmaṇ viewed</l> +<l>The Vánars' tree-armed multitude.</l> +<l>Thus garrisoned from side to side</l> +<l>The city walls assault defied.</l> +<l>Beyond the moat that girt the wall</l> +<l>Advanced the Vánar chiefs; and all</l> +<l>Upon the plain in firm brigade,</l> +<l>Impetuous warriors, stood arrayed.</l> +<pb n="363"/><anchor id="Pg363"/> +<l>Red at the sight flashed Lakshmaṇ's eyes,</l> +<l>His bosom heaved tumultuous sighs,</l> +<l>And forth the fire of fury broke</l> +<l>Like flame that flashes through the smoke.</l> +<l>Like some fierce snake the hero stood:</l> +<l>His bow recalled the expanded hood,</l> +<l>And in his shaft-head bright and keen</l> +<l>The flickering of its tongue was seen:</l> +<l>And in his own all-conquering might</l> +<l>The venom of its deadly bite.</l> +<l>Prince Angad marked his angry look,</l> +<l>And every hope his heart forsook.</l> +<l>Then, his large eyes with fury red,</l> +<l>To Angad Lakshmaṇ turned and said:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Go tell the king that Lakshmaṇ waits</q></l> +<l>For audience at the city gates,</l> +<l>Whose heart, O tamer of thy foes,</l> +<l>Is heavy with his brother's woes.</l> +<l>Bid him to Ráma's word attend,</l> +<l>And ask if he will aid his friend.</l> +<l>Go, let the king my message learn:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Then hither with all speed return.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Prince Angad heard and wild with grief</l> +<l>Cried as he looked upon the chief:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">'Tis Lakshmaṇ's self: impelled by ire</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">He seeks the city of my sire.</q></l> +<l>At the fierce words and furious look</l> +<l>Of Raghu's son he quailed and shook.</l> +<l>Back through the city gates he sped,</l> +<l>And, laden with the tale of dread,</l> +<l>Sought King Sugríva, filled his ears</l> +<l>And Rumá's with his doubts and fears.</l> +<l>To Rumá and the king he bent,</l> +<l>And clasped their feet most reverent,</l> +<l>Clasped the dear feet of Tárá, too,</l> +<l>And told the startling tale anew.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But King Sugríva's ear was dulled,</l> +<l>By love and wine and languor lulled,</l> +<l>Nor did the words that Angad spake</l> +<l>The slumberer from his trance awake.</l> +<l>But soon as Raghu's son came nigh</l> +<l>The startled Vánars raised a cry,</l> +<l>And strove to win his grace, while dread</l> +<l>Each anxious heart disquieted.</l> +<l>They saw, and, as they gathered round,</l> +<l>Rose from the mighty throng a sound</l> +<l>Like torrents when they downward dash,</l> +<l>Or thunder with the lightning's flash.</l> +<l>The shouting of the Vánars broke</l> +<l>Sugríva's slumber, and he woke:</l> +<l>Still with the wine his eyes were red,</l> +<l>His neck with flowers was garlanded.</l> +<l>Roused at the voice of Angad came</l> +<l>Two Vánar lords of rank and fame;</l> +<l>One Yaksha, one Prabháva hight,—</l> +<l>Wise counsellors of gain and right.</l> +<l>They came and raised their voices high,</l> +<l>And told that Raghu's son was nigh:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Two brothers steadfast in their truth,</q></l> +<l>Each glorious in the bloom of youth,</l> +<l>Worthy of rule, have left the skies,</l> +<l>And clothed their forms in men's disguise.</l> +<l>One at thy gates, in warlike hands</l> +<l>Holding his mighty weapon, stands.</l> +<l>His message is the charioteer</l> +<l>That brings the eager envoy near,</l> +<l>Urged onward by his bold intent,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And by the hest of Ráma sent.</q></l> +<l>The gathered Vánars saw and fled,</l> +<l>And raised aloud their cry of dread.</l> +<l>Son of Queen Tárá, Angad ran</l> +<l>To parley with the godlike man.</l> +<l>Still fiery-eyed with rage and hate</l> +<l>Stands Lakshmaṇ at the city gate,</l> +<l>And trembling Vánars scarce can fly</l> +<l>Scathed by the lightning of his eye.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Go with thy son, thy kith and kin,</q></l> +<l>The favour of the prince to win,</l> +<l>And bow thy reverent head that so</l> +<l>His fiery wrath may cease to glow.</l> +<l>What righteous Ráma bids thee, do,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And to thy plighted word be true.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXXII"/> +<head>Canto XXXII. Hanumán's Counsel.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Sugríva heard, and, trained and tried</l> +<l>In counsel, to his lords replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No deed of mine, no hasty word</q></l> +<l>The anger of the prince has stirred.</l> +<l>But haply some who hate me still</l> +<l>And watch their time to work me ill,</l> +<l>Have slandered me to Raghu's son,</l> +<l>Accused of deeds I ne'er have done.</l> +<l>Now, O my lords—for you are wise—</l> +<l>Speak truly what your hearts advise,</l> +<l>And, pondering each event, inquire</l> +<l>The reason of the prince's ire.</l> +<l>No fear have I of Lakshmaṇ: none:</l> +<l>No dread of Raghu's mightier son.</l> +<l>But wrath, that fires a friendly breast</l> +<l>Without due cause, disturbs my rest.</l> +<l>With labour light is friendship gained,</l> +<l>But with severest toil maintained.</l> +<l>And doubt is strong, and faith is weak,</l> +<pb n="364"/><anchor id="Pg364"/> +<l>And friendship dies when traitors speak.</l> +<l>Hence is my troubled bosom cold</l> +<l>With fear of Ráma lofty-souled;</l> +<l>For heavy on my spirit weigh</l> +<l><q rend="post">His favours I can ne'er repay.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: and Hanumán of all</l> +<l>The Vánars in the council hall</l> +<l>In wisdom first, and rank, expressed</l> +<l>The thoughts that filled his prudent breast:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No marvel thou rememberest yet</q></l> +<l>The service thou shouldst ne'er forget,</l> +<l>How the brave prince of Raghu's seed</l> +<l>Thy days from fear and peril freed;</l> +<l>And Báli for thy sake o'erthrew,</l> +<l>Whom Indra's self might scarce subdue.</l> +<l>I doubt not Ráma's anger burns</l> +<l>For the scant love thy heart returns.</l> +<l>For this he sends his brother, him</l> +<l>Whose glory never waxes dim.</l> +<l>Sunk in repose thy careless eye</l> +<l>Marks not the seasons as they fly,</l> +<l>Nor sees that autumn has begun</l> +<l>With dark blooms opening to the sun.</l> +<l>Clear is the sky: no cloudlet mars</l> +<l>The splendour of the shining stars.</l> +<l>The balmy air is soft and still,</l> +<l>And clear and bright are lake and rill.</l> +<l>Thou heedest not with blinded eyes</l> +<l>The hour for warlike enterprise.</l> +<l>Hence Lakshmaṇ hither comes to break</l> +<l>Thy slothful trance and bid thee wake.</l> +<l>Then, Monarch, with a patient ear</l> +<l>The high-souled Ráma's message hear,</l> +<l>Which, reft of wife and realm and friends,</l> +<l>Thus by another's mouth he sends.</l> +<l>Thou, Vánar King, hast done amiss:</l> +<l>And now I see no way but this:</l> +<l>Before his envoy humbly stand</l> +<l>And sue for peace with suppliant hand.</l> +<l>High duty bids a courtier seek</l> +<l>His master's weal, and freely speak.</l> +<l>So by no thought of fear controlled</l> +<l>My speech, O King, is free and bold,</l> +<l>For Ráma, if his anger glow,</l> +<l>Can, with the terrors of his bow</l> +<l>This earth with all the Gods subdue,</l> +<l>Gandharvas,<note place="foot">Indra's associates in arms, and musicians +of his heaven.</note> and the demon crew.</l> +<l>Unwise to stir his wrathful mood</l> +<l>Whose favour must again be wooed.</l> +<l>And, most of all, unwise for one</l> +<l>Grateful like thee for service done.</l> +<l>Go with thy son and kinsmen: bend</l> +<l>Thy humble head and greet thy friend.</l> +<l>And, like a fond obedient spouse,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Be faithful to thy plighted vows.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXXIII"/> +<head>Canto XXXIII. Lakshman's Entry.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Through the fair city Lakshmaṇ came,</l> +<l>Invited in Sugríva's name.</l> +<l>Within the gates the guardian bands,</l> +<l>Of Vánars raised their suppliant hands,</l> +<l>And in their ordered ranks, amazed,</l> +<l>Upon the princely hero gazed,</l> +<l>They marked each burning breath he drew,</l> +<l>The fury of his soul they knew.</l> +<l>Their hearts were chilled with sudden fear:</l> +<l>They gazed, but dared not venture near,</l> +<l>Before his eyes the city, gay</l> +<l>With gems and flowery gardens, lay,</l> +<l>Where fane and palace rose on high,</l> +<l>And things of beauty charmed the eye.</l> +<l>Where trees of every blossom grew</l> +<l>Yielding their fruit in season due</l> +<l>To Vánars of celestial seed</l> +<l>Who wore each varied form at need,</l> +<l>Fair-faced and glorious with the shine</l> +<l>Of heavenly robes and wreaths divine.</l> +<l>There sandal, aloe, lotus bloomed,</l> +<l>And there delicious breath perfumed</l> +<l>The city's broad street, redolent</l> +<l>Of sugary mead<note place="foot">Maireya, a spirituous liquor from the +blossoms of the Lythrum fruticosum, with +sugar, &c.</note> and honey scent.</l> +<l>There many a lofty palace rose</l> +<l>Like Vindhya or the Lord of Snows,</l> +<l>And with sweet murmur sparkling rills</l> +<l>Leapt lightly down the sheltering hills.</l> +<l>On many a glorious palace, raised</l> +<l>For prince and noble,<note place="foot">Their names are as follows: +Angad, Maínda, Dwida, Gavaya, Gaváksha, Gaja, Śarabha, Vidyunmáli, +Sampáti, Súryáksa, Hanumán, Vírabáhu, Subáhu, Nala, Kúmuda, Susheṇa, Tára, +Jámbuvatu, Dadhivakra, Níla, Supátala, and Sunetra.</note> Lakshmaṇ gazed:</l> +<l>Like clouds of paly hue they shone</l> +<l>With fragrant wreaths that hung thereon:</l> +<l>There wealth of jewels was enshrined,</l> +<l>And fairer gems of womankind.</l> +<l>There gleamed, of noble height and size,</l> +<l>Like Indra's mansion in the skies,</l> +<l>Protected by a crystal fence</l> +<l>Of rock, the royal residence,</l> +<l>With roof and turret high and bright</l> +<l>Like Mount Kailása's loftiest height.</l> +<l>There blooming trees, Mahendra's gift,</l> +<l>High o'er the walls were seen to lift</l> +<l>Their golden fruited boughs, that made</l> +<l>With leaf and flower delicious shade.</l> +<l>He saw a band of Vánars wait,</l> +<pb n="365"/><anchor id="Pg365"/> +<l>Wielding their weapons, at the gate</l> +<l>Where golden portals flashed between</l> +<l>Celestial garlands red and green.</l> +<l>Within Sugríva's fair abode</l> +<l>Unchecked the mighty hero strode,</l> +<l>As when the sun of autumn shrouds</l> +<l>His glory in a pile of clouds.</l> +<l>Through seven wide courts he quickly passed,</l> +<l>And reached the royal tower at last,</l> +<l>Where seats were set with couch and bed</l> +<l>Of gold and silver richly spread.</l> +<l>While the young chieftain's feet drew near</l> +<l>The sound of music reached his ear,</l> +<l>As the soft breathings of the flute</l> +<l>Came blending with the voice and lute.</l> +<l>Then beauty showed her youth and grace</l> +<l>And varied charm of form and face:</l> +<l>Soft bright-eyed creatures, fair and young,—</l> +<l>Gay garlands round their necks were hung,</l> +<l>And greater charms to each were lent</l> +<l>By richest dress and ornament.</l> +<l>He saw the calm attendants wait</l> +<l>About their lord in careless state,</l> +<l>Heard women's girdles chime in sweet</l> +<l>Accordance with their tinkling feet.</l> +<l>He heard the anklet's silvery sound,</l> +<l>He saw the calm that reigned around,</l> +<l>And o'er him, as he listened, came</l> +<l>A rush of rage, a flood of shame.</l> +<l>He drew his bowstring: with the clang</l> +<l>From ease to west the welkin rang:</l> +<l>Then in his modest mood withdrew</l> +<l>A little from the ladies' view.</l> +<l>And sternly silent stood apart,</l> +<l>While wrath for Ráma filled his heart.</l> +<l>Sugríva knew the sounding string,</l> +<l>And at the call the Vánar king</l> +<l>Sprang swiftly from his golden seat,</l> +<l>And feared the coming prince to meet.</l> +<l>Then with cold lips that terror dried</l> +<l>To beauteous Tárá thus he cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What cause of anger, O my spouse</q></l> +<l>Fair with the charm of lovely brows,</l> +<l>Sets Lakshmaṇ's gentle breast on fire,</l> +<l>And brings him in unwonted ire?</l> +<l>Say, canst thou see, O faultless dame,</l> +<l>A cause to fill his soul with flame?</l> +<l>For there must be a reason when</l> +<l>Such fury stirs the king of men.</l> +<l>Reveal the sin, if sin of mine</l> +<l>Anger the lord of Raghu's line.</l> +<l>Or go thyself, his rage subdue,</l> +<l>And with soft words his favour woo.</l> +<l>Soon as on thee his eyes are set</l> +<l>His heart this anger will forget,</l> +<l>For men like him of lofty mind</l> +<l>Are never stern with womankind.</l> +<l>First let thy gentle speech disarm</l> +<l>His fury, and his spirit charm,</l> +<l>And I, from fear of peril free,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The conqueror of his foes will see.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She heard: with faltering steps and slow,</l> +<l>With eyes that shone with trembling glow,</l> +<l>With gold-girt body gently bent</l> +<l>To meet the stranger prince she went.</l> +<l>When Lakshmaṇ saw the Vánar queen</l> +<l>With tranquil eyes and modest mien,</l> +<l>Before the dame he bent his head,</l> +<l>And anger, at her presence, fled.</l> +<l>Made bold by draughts of wine, and cheered</l> +<l>By Lakshmaṇ's look no more she feared,</l> +<l>And in the trust his favour lent</l> +<l>She thus addressed him eloquent:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Whence springs thy burning fury? say:</q></l> +<l>Who dares thy will to disobey?</l> +<l>Who checks the maddened flames that seize</l> +<l><q rend="post">On forests full of withered trees?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Lakshmaṇ spoke, her mind to ease,</l> +<l>His kind reply in words like these:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Thy lord his days in pleasure spends,</q></l> +<l>Heedless of duty and of friends,</l> +<l>Nor dost thou mark, though fondly true,</l> +<l>The evil path his steps pursue.</l> +<l>He cares not for affairs of state,</l> +<l>Nor us forlorn and desolate,</l> +<l>But sits a mere spectator still,</l> +<l>A sensual slave to pleasure's will.</l> +<l>Four months were fixed, the time agreed</l> +<l>When he should help us in our need:</l> +<l>But, bound in toils of pleasure fast,</l> +<l>He sees not that the months are past.</l> +<l>Where beats the heart which draughts of wine</l> +<l>To virtue or to gain incline?</l> +<l>Hast thou not heard those draughts destroy</l> +<l>Virtue and gain and love and joy?</l> +<l>For those who, helped at need, refuse</l> +<l>Their aid in turn, their virtue lose:</l> +<l>And they who scorn a friend disdain</l> +<l>A treasure naught may buy again.</l> +<l>Thy lord has cast his friend away,</l> +<l>Nor feared from virtue's path to stray,</l> +<l>If this be true, declare, O dame</l> +<l>Who knowest duty's every claim,</l> +<l>What further work remains for us</l> +<l><q rend="post">Deceived and disappointed thus.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She listened, for his words were kind,</l> +<l>Where virtue showed with gain combined,</l> +<l>And thus in turn the prince addressed,</l> +<l>As hope was rising in his breast:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No time, no cause of wrath I see</q></l> +<l>With those who live and honour thee:</l> +<l>And thou shouldst bear without offence</l> +<l>Thy servant's fitful negligence.</l> +<l>I know the seasons glide away,</l> +<l>While Ráma maddens at delay</l> +<l>I know what deed our thanks has earned,</l> +<l>I know that grace should be returned.</l> +<l>But still I know, whate'er befall,</l> +<l>That conquering love is lord of all;</l> +<pb n="366"/><anchor id="Pg366"/> +<l>Know where Sugríva's thoughts, possessed</l> +<l>By one absorbing passion, rest.</l> +<l>But he whom sensual joys debase</l> +<l>Heeds not the claim of time and place,</l> +<l>And sees not with his blinded sight</l> +<l>His duty or his gain aright.</l> +<l>O pardon him who loves me! spare</l> +<l>The Vánar caught in pleasure's snare,</l> +<l>And once again let Ráma grace</l> +<l>With favour him who rules our race.</l> +<l>E'en royal saints, whose chief delight</l> +<l>Was penance and austerest rite,</l> +<l>At love's commandment have unbent,</l> +<l>Beguiled by sweetest blandishment.</l> +<l>And know, Sugríva, roused at last,</l> +<l>The order to his lords has passed,</l> +<l>And, long by love and bliss delayed,</l> +<l>Wakes all on fire your hopes to aid.</l> +<l>A countless host his city fills,</l> +<l>New-gathered from a thousand hills:</l> +<l>Impetuous chiefs, who wear at need</l> +<l>Each varied form, his legions lead.</l> +<l>Come then, O hero, kept aloof</l> +<l>By modest awe, nor fear reproof:</l> +<l>A faithful friend untouched by blame</l> +<l><q rend="post">May look upon another's dame.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He passed within, by Tárá pressed,</l> +<l>And by his own impatient breast,</l> +<l>Refulgent there in sunlike sheen</l> +<l>Sugríva on his throne was seen.</l> +<l>Gay garlands round his neck were twined,</l> +<l>And Rumá by her lord recline.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXXIV"/> +<head>Canto XXXIV. Lakshman's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Sugríva started from his rest</l> +<l>With doubt and terror in his breast.</l> +<l>He heard the prince's furious tread</l> +<l>He saw his eyes glow fiercely red.</l> +<l>Swift sprang the monarch to his feet</l> +<l>Upstarting from his golden seat.</l> +<l>Rose Rumá and her fellows, too,</l> +<l>And closely round Sugríva drew,</l> +<l>As round the moon's full glory stand</l> +<l>Attendant stars in glittering band.</l> +<l>Sugríva glanced with reddened eyes,</l> +<l>Raised his joined hands in suppliant guise</l> +<l>Flew to the door, and rooted there</l> +<l>Stood like the tree that grants each prayer.<note place="foot">The Kalpadruma or +Wishing-tree is one of the trees of Svarga or Indra's Paradise: it has the power of +granting all desires.</note></l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ saw, and, fiercely moved,</l> +<l>With angry speech the king reproved:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Famed is the prince who loves the truth,</q></l> +<l>Whose soul is touched with tender ruth,</l> +<l>Who, liberal, keeps each sense subdued,</l> +<l>And pays the debt of gratitude.</l> +<l>But all unmeet a king to be,</l> +<l>The meanest of the mean is he</l> +<l>Who basely breaks the promise made</l> +<l>To trusting friends who lent him aid.</l> +<l>He sins who for a steed has lied,</l> +<l>As if a hundred steeds had died:</l> +<l>Or if he lie, a cow to win,</l> +<l>Tenfold as heavy is the sin.</l> +<l>But if the lie a man betray,</l> +<l>Both he and his shall all decay.<note place="foot">The meaning is that if a man +promises to give a horse and then breaks his word he commits a sin as great as if he had +killed a hundred horses.</note></l> +<l>O Vánar King, the thankless man</l> +<l>Is worthy of the general ban,</l> +<l>Who takes assistance of his friends,</l> +<l>And in his turn no service lends.</l> +<l>This verse of old by Brahmá sung</l> +<l>Is echoed now by every tongue.</l> +<l>Hear what He cried in angry mood</l> +<l>Bewailing man's ingratitude:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">For draughts of wine, for slaughtered cows,</q></l> +<l>For treacherous theft, for broken vows</l> +<l>A pardon is ordained: but none</l> +<l><q rend="post">For thankless scorn of service done.</q></l> +<l>Ungrateful, Vánar King, art thou,</l> +<l>And faithless to thy plighted vow.</l> +<l>For Ráma brought thee help, and yet</l> +<l>Thou shunnest to repay the debt:</l> +<l>Or, grateful, thou hadst surely pressed</l> +<l>To aid the hero in his quest.</l> +<l>Thou art, in vulgar pleasures drowned,</l> +<l>False to thy bond in honour bound.</l> +<l>Nor yet has Ráma's guileless heart</l> +<l>Discerned thee for the thing thou art—</l> +<l>A snake who holds the frogs that cries</l> +<l>And lures fresh victims as it dies.</l> +<l>Brave Ráma, born for glorious fate,</l> +<l>Has set thee in thy high estate,</l> +<l>And to the Vánars' throne restored,</l> +<l>Great-souled himself, their mean-souled lord.</l> +<l>Now if thy pride disown what he,</l> +<l>High thoughted prince, has done for thee,</l> +<l>Struck by his arrows shalt thou fall,</l> +<l>And Báli meet in Yáma's hall.</l> +<l>Still open, to the gloomy God,</l> +<l>Lies the sad path thy brother trod.</l> +<l>Then to thy plighted word be true,</l> +<l>Nor let thy steps that path pursue.</l> +<l>Methinks the shafts of Ráma, shot</l> +<l>Like thunderbolts, thou heedest not,</l> +<l>Who canst, absorbed in sensual bliss,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy promise from thy mind dismiss.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="367"/><anchor id="Pg367"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXXV"/> +<head>Canto XXXV. Tárá's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He ceased: and Tárá starry-eyed</l> +<l>Thus to the angry prince replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Not to my lord shouldst thou address</q></l> +<l>A speech so fraught with bitterness:</l> +<l>Not thus reproached my lord should be,</l> +<l>And least of all, O Prince, by thee.</l> +<l>He is no thankless coward—no—</l> +<l>With spirit dead to valour's glow.</l> +<l>From paths of truth he never strays,</l> +<l>Nor wanders in forbidden ways.</l> +<l>Ne'er will Sugríva's heart forget,</l> +<l>By Ráma saved, the lasting debt.</l> +<l>Still in his grateful breast will live</l> +<l>The succour none but he could give.</l> +<l>Restored to fame by Ráma's grace,</l> +<l>To empire o'er the Vánar race,</l> +<l>From ceaseless dread and toil set free,</l> +<l>Restored to Rumá and to me:</l> +<l>By grief and care and exile tried,</l> +<l>New to the bliss so long denied,</l> +<l>Like Viśvámitra once, alas,</l> +<l>He marks not how the seasons pass.</l> +<l>That saint ten thousand years remained,</l> +<l>By sweet Ghritáchí's<note place="foot">The story is told in +<ref target="CantoI-LXIII">Book I, Canto +LXIII</ref>, but the charmer there is called +Menaká.</note> love enchained,</l> +<l>And deemed those years, that flew away</l> +<l>So lightly, but a single day.</l> +<l>O, if those years unheeded flew</l> +<l>By him who times and seasons knew,</l> +<l>Unequalled for his lofty mind,</l> +<l>What marvel meaner eyes are blind?</l> +<l>Then be not angry, Raghu's son,</l> +<l>And let thy brother feel for one</l> +<l>Who many a weary year has spent</l> +<l>Stranger to love and blandishment.</l> +<l>Let not this wrath thy soul inflame,</l> +<l>Like some mean wretch unknown to fame:</l> +<l>For high and noble hearts like thine</l> +<l>Love mercy and to ruth incline,</l> +<l>Calm and deliberate, and slow</l> +<l>With anger's raging fire to glow.</l> +<l>At length, O righteous prince, relent,</l> +<l>Nor let my words in vain be spent,</l> +<l>This sudden blaze of fury slake,</l> +<l>I pray thee for Sugríva's sake.</l> +<l>He would renounce at Ráma's call</l> +<l>Rumá and Angad, me and all</l> +<l>Who call him lord: his gold and grain,</l> +<l>The favour of his friend to gain.</l> +<l>His arm shall slay the fiend more base</l> +<l>In soul than all his impious race,</l> +<l>And happy Ráma reunite</l> +<l>To Sítá, rival in delight</l> +<l>Of the triumphant Moon when he</l> +<l>Rejoins his darling Rohiṇí.<note place="foot">Rohiṇí is the name of the ninth Nakshatra +or lunar asterism personified as a daughter of Daksha, and the favourite +wife of the Moon. Aldebaran is the principal star in the +constellation.</note></l> +<l>Ten million million demons guard</l> +<l>The gates of Lanká firmly barred.</l> +<l>All hope until that host be slain,</l> +<l>To smite the robber king is vain.</l> +<l>Nor with Sugríva's aid alone</l> +<l>May king and host be overthrown.</l> +<l>Thus ere he died—for well he knew—</l> +<l>Spake Báli, and his words are true.</l> +<l>I know not what his proofs might be,</l> +<l>But speak the words he spake to me.</l> +<l>Hence far and wide our lords are sent</l> +<l>To raise the mightiest armament,</l> +<l>For their return Sugríva waits</l> +<l>Ere he can sally from his gates.</l> +<l>Still is the oath Sugríva swore</l> +<l>Kept firmly even as before:</l> +<l>And the great host this day will be</l> +<l>Assembled by the king's decree,</l> +<l>Ten thousand thousand troops, who wear</l> +<l>The form of monkey and of bear,</l> +<l>Prepared for thee the war to wage:</l> +<l>Then let thy wrath no longer rage.</l> +<l>The matrons of the Vánar race</l> +<l>See marks of fury in thy face;</l> +<l>They see thine eyes like blood are red,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And will not yet be comforted.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXXVI"/> +<head>Canto XXXVI. Sugríva's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>She ceased: and Lakshmaṇ gave assent,</l> +<l>Won by her gentle argument.</l> +<l>So Tárá's pleading, just and mild,</l> +<l>His softening heart had reconciled.</l> +<l>His altered mood Sugríva saw,</l> +<l>And cast aside the fear and awe</l> +<l>Like raiment heavy with the rain</l> +<l>Which on his troubled soul had lain.</l> +<l>Then quickly to the ground he threw</l> +<l>His flowery garland, bright of hue,</l> +<l>Which round his royal neck he wore,</l> +<l>And, sobered, was himself once more.</l> +<l>Then turning to the princely man</l> +<l>In soothing words the king began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My glory, wealth, and royal sway</q></l> +<l>To other hands had passed away:</l> +<l>But Ráma to my rescue came,</l> +<l>And gave me back my power and fame.</l> +<l>O Lakshmaṇ, say, whose grateful heart</l> +<pb n="368"/><anchor id="Pg368"/> +<l>Could nurse the hope to pay in part,</l> +<l>By service of a life, the deed</l> +<l>Of Ráma sprung of heavenly seed?</l> +<l>His foeman Rávaṇ shall be slain,</l> +<l>And Sítá shall be his again.</l> +<l>The hero's side I will not leave,</l> +<l>But he the conquest shall achieve.</l> +<l>What need of help has he who drew</l> +<l>His bow, and one great arrow flew</l> +<l>Through seven tall trees, a mountain rent,</l> +<l>And cleft the earth with force unspent?</l> +<l>What aid needs he who shook his bow,</l> +<l>And at the sound the earth below</l> +<l>With hill and wood and rooted rock</l> +<l>Quaked feverous with the thunder shock?</l> +<l>Yet all my legions will I bring,</l> +<l>And follow close the warrior king</l> +<l>Marching on his impetuous way</l> +<l>Fierce Rávaṇ and his hosts to slay.</l> +<l>If I be guilty of offence,</l> +<l>Careless through love or negligence,</l> +<l>Let him his loyal slave forgive;</l> +<l><q rend="post">For error cleaves to all who live.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus king Sugríva, good and brave,</l> +<l>In humble words his answer gave,</l> +<l>Softened was Lakshmaṇ's angry mood</l> +<l>Who thus his friendly speech renewed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My brother, Vánar King, will see</q></l> +<l>A champion and a friend in thee.</l> +<l>So strong art thou, so brave and bold,</l> +<l>So pure in thought, so humble-souled,</l> +<l>That thou deservest well to reign</l> +<l>And all a monarch's bliss to gain.</l> +<l>Lend thou my brother aid, and all</l> +<l>His foes beneath his arm will fall.</l> +<l>Full well the words thou speakest suit</l> +<l>A chieftain wise and resolute.</l> +<l>With grateful heart that loves the right,</l> +<l>And foot that never yields in fight.</l> +<l>O come, and my sad brother cheer</l> +<l>Who mourns the wife he holds so dear.</l> +<l>O pardon, friend, my harsh address,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And Ráma's frantic bitterness.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXXVII"/> +<head>Canto XXXVII. The Gathering.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He ceased: and King Sugríva cried</l> +<l>To sage Hanúmán<note place="foot">Válmíki and succeeding poets make the +second vowel in this name long or short at their pleasure.</note> by his side:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Summon the Vánar legions, those</q></l> +<l>Who dwell about the Lord of Snows:</l> +<l>Those who in Vindhyan groves delight,</l> +<l>Kailása's, or Mahendra's height,</l> +<l>Dwell on the Five bright Peaks, or where</l> +<l>Mandar's white summit cleaves the air:</l> +<l>Wherever they are wandring free</l> +<l>In highlands by the western sea,</l> +<l>On that east hill whence springs the sun,</l> +<l>Or where he sinks when day is done.</l> +<l>Call the great chiefs whose legions fill</l> +<l>The forests of the Lotus Hill,<note place="foot">Some of the mountains here mentioned +are fabulous and others it is impossible to identify. Sugríva means to include +all the mountains of India from Kailás the residence of the God Kuvera, regarded +as one of the loftiest peaks of the Himálayas, to Mahendra in the extreme south, +from the mountain in the east where the sun is said to rise to Astáchal or the western +mountain where he sets. The commentators give little assistance: that +Maháśaila, &c. are certain mountains is about all the information they +give.</note></l> +<l>Where every one in strength and size</l> +<l>With the stupendous Anjan<note place="foot">One of the celestial elephants of the +Gods who protect the four quarters and intermediate points of the compass.</note> +vies.</l> +<l>Call those, with tints of burnished gold</l> +<l>Whom Maháśaila's caverns hold:</l> +<l>Those who on Dhúmra roam, or hide</l> +<l>In the wild woods on Meru's side.</l> +<l>Call those who, brilliant as the sun,</l> +<l>On high Maháruṇ leap and run,</l> +<l>Quaffing sweet juices that distil</l> +<l>From odorous trees upon the hill,</l> +<l>Call those whom tranquil haunts delight,</l> +<l>Where dwell the sage and anchorite</l> +<l>In groves that through their wide extent</l> +<l>Exhale a thousand blossoms' scent.</l> +<l>Send out, send out: from coast to coast</l> +<l>Assemble all the Vánar host:</l> +<l>With force, with words, with gifts of price</l> +<l>Compel, admonish and entice.</l> +<l>Already envoys have been sent</l> +<l>To warn them of their lord's intent.</l> +<l>Let others urged by thee repeat</l> +<l>My mandate that their steps be fleet.</l> +<l>Those lords who yielding to the sway</l> +<l>Of love's delight would fain delay,</l> +<l>Urge hither with the utmost speed,</l> +<l>Or with thee to my presence lead:</l> +<l>And those who linger to the last</l> +<l>Until ten days be come and passed,</l> +<l>And dare their sovereign to defy,</l> +<l>For their offence shall surely die.</l> +<l>Thousands, yea millions, shall there be,</l> +<l>Obedient to their king's decree,</l> +<l>The lions of the Vánar race,</l> +<l>Assembled from each distant place,</l> +<l>Forth shall they haste like hills in size,</l> +<l>Or mighty clouds that veil the skies,</l> +<l>And swiftly speeding on their way</l> +<l><q rend="post">Bring all our legions in array.</q></l> +<pb n="369"/><anchor id="Pg369"/> +<l>He ceased: the son of Váyu<note place="foot">Váyu or the Wind was the father of +Hanumán.</note> heard,</l> +<l>Submissive to his sovereign's word;</l> +<l>And sent his rapid envoys forth</l> +<l>To east and west and south and north.</l> +<l>They bent their airy course afar</l> +<l>Along the paths of bird and star,</l> +<l>And sped through ether farther yet</l> +<l>Where Vishṇu's splendid sphere is set.<note place="foot">The path or station of +Vishṇu is the space between the seven Rishis or Ursa Major, and Dhruva or the polar +star.</note></l> +<l>By sea, on hill, by wood and lake</l> +<l>They called to arms for Ráma's sake,</l> +<l>As each with terror in his breast</l> +<l>Obeyed his awful king's behest.</l> +<l>Three million Vánars, fierce and strong</l> +<l>As Anjan's self, a wondrous throng</l> +<l>Sped from the spot where Ráma still</l> +<l>Gazed restless from the woody hill.</l> +<l>Ten million others, brave and bold,</l> +<l>With coats that shone like burning gold,</l> +<l>Came flying from the mountain crest</l> +<l>Where sinks the weary sun to rest.</l> +<l>Impetuous from the northern skies,</l> +<l>Where Mount Kailása's summits rise,</l> +<l>Ten hundred millions hasted, hued</l> +<l>Like manes of lions, ne'er subdued:</l> +<l>The dwellers on Himálaya's side,</l> +<l>Whose food his roots and fruit supplied,</l> +<l>With rangers of the Vindhyan chain</l> +<l>And neighbours of the Milky Main.<note place="foot">One of the seven seas which +surround the earth in concentric circles.</note></l> +<l>Some from the palm groves where they fed,</l> +<l>Some from the woods of betel sped:</l> +<l>In countless numbers, fierce and brave,</l> +<l>They came from mountain, lake, and cave.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As on their way the Vánars went</l> +<l>To rouse each distant armament,</l> +<l>They chanced that wondrous tree to view</l> +<l>That on Himálaya's summit grew.</l> +<l>Of old upon that sacred height</l> +<l>Was wrought Maheśvar's<note place="foot">The title of Maheśvar or Mighty Lord +is sometimes given to Indra, but more generally to Śiva whom it here denotes.</note> +glorious rite,</l> +<l>Which every God in heaven beheld,</l> +<l>And his glad heart with triumph swelled.</l> +<l>There from pure seed at random sown</l> +<l>Bright plants with luscious fruit had grown,</l> +<l>And, sweet as Amrit to the taste,</l> +<l>The summit of the mountain graced.</l> +<l>Who once should eat the virtuous fruit</l> +<l>That sprang from so divine a root,</l> +<l>One whole revolving moon should be</l> +<l>From every pang of hunger free.</l> +<l>The Vánars culled the fruit they found</l> +<l>Ripe on the sacrificial ground</l> +<l>With rare celestial odours sweet,</l> +<l>To lay them at Sugríva's feet.</l> +<l>Those noble envoys scoured the land</l> +<l>To summon every Vánar band</l> +<l>Then swiftly homeward at the head</l> +<l>Of countless armaments they sped.</l> +<l>They gathered by Kishkindhá's wall.</l> +<l>They thronged Sugríva's palace hall,</l> +<l>And, richly laden, bare within</l> +<l>That fruit of heavenly origin.</l> +<l>Their gifts before their king they spread,</l> +<l>And thus in tones of triumph said:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Through every land our way we took</q></l> +<l>To visit hill and wood and brook,</l> +<l>And all thy hosts from east to west</l> +<l><q rend="post">Flock hither at their lord's behest.</q></l> +<l>Sugríva with delighted look</l> +<l>The present of his envoys took,</l> +<l>Then bade them go, with gracious speech</l> +<l>Rewarding and dismissing each.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXXVIII"/> +<head>Canto XXXVIII. Sugríva's Departure.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus all the princely Vánars, true</l> +<l>To their appointed tasks, withdrew.</l> +<l>Sugríva deemed already done</l> +<l>The work he planned for Raghu's son.</l> +<l>Then Lakshmaṇ gently spoke and cheered</l> +<l>Sugríva for his valour feared:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now, chieftain, if thy will be so,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Forth from Kishkindhá let us go.</q></l> +<l>Sugríva's heart swelled high with pride</l> +<l>As to the prince he thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Come, speed we forth without delay:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">'Tis mine thy mandate to obey.</q></l> +<l>Sugríva bade the dames adieu,</l> +<l>And Tárá and the rest withdrew.</l> +<l>Then at their chieftain's summons came</l> +<l>The Vánars first in rank and fame,</l> +<l>A trusty brave and reverent band,</l> +<l>Meet e'en before a queen to stand.</l> +<l>They at his call made haste to bring</l> +<l>The litter of the glorious king.</l> +<l><q>Mount, O my friend.</q> Sugríva cried,</l> +<l>And straight Sumitrá's son complied.</l> +<l>Then took by Lakshmaṇ's side his place</l> +<l>The sovereign of the woodland race,</l> +<l>Upraised by Vánars, fleet and strong,</l> +<l>Who bore the glittering load along.</l> +<l>On high above his royal head</l> +<l>A paly canopy was spread,</l> +<l>And chouries white in many a hand</l> +<l>The forehead of the monarch fanned,</l> +<l>And shell and drum and song and shout</l> +<l>Pealed round him as the king passed out.</l> +<pb n="370"/><anchor id="Pg370"/> +<l>About the monarch went a throng</l> +<l>Of Vánar warriors brave and strong,</l> +<l>As onward to the mountain shade</l> +<l>Where Ráma dwelt his way he made.</l> +<l>Soon as the lovely spot he viewed</l> +<l>Where Ráma lived in solitude,</l> +<l>The Vánar monarch, far-renowed,</l> +<l>With Lakshmaṇ, lightly stepped to ground,</l> +<l>And to the son of Raghu went</l> +<l>Joining his raised hands reverent.</l> +<l>As their great leader raised his hands,</l> +<l>So suppliant stood the Vánar bands.</l> +<l>Well pleased the son of Raghu saw</l> +<l>Those legions, hushed in reverent awe,</l> +<l>Stand silent like the tranquil floods</l> +<l>That raise their hands of lotus buds.</l> +<l>But Ráma, when the king, to greet</l> +<l>His friend, had bowed him at his feet,</l> +<l>Raised him who ruled the Vánar race,</l> +<l>And held him in a close embrace:</l> +<l>Then, when his arms he had unknit,</l> +<l>Besought him by his side to sit,</l> +<l>And thus with gentle words the best</l> +<l>Of men the Vánar king addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">The prince who well his days divides,</q></l> +<l>And knows aright the times and tides</l> +<l>To follow duty, joy, or gain,</l> +<l>He, only he, deserves to reign.</l> +<l>But he who wealth and virtue leaves,</l> +<l>And every hour to pleasure cleaves,</l> +<l>Falls from his bliss like him who wakes</l> +<l>From slumber on a branch that breaks.</l> +<l>True king is he who smites his foes,</l> +<l>And favour to his servants shows,</l> +<l>And of that fruit makes timely use</l> +<l>Which virtue, wealth, and joy produce.</l> +<l>The hour is come that bids thee rise</l> +<l>To aid me in my enterprise.</l> +<l>Then call thy nobles to debate,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And with their help deliberate.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Lost was my power,</q> the king replied,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">All strength had fled, all hope had died.</q></l> +<l>The Vánars owned another lord,</l> +<l>But by thy grace was all restored.</l> +<l>All this, O conqueror of the foe,</l> +<l>To thee and Lakshmaṇ's aid I owe.</l> +<l>And his should be the villain's shame</l> +<l>Who durst deny the sacred claim.</l> +<l>These Vánar chiefs of noblest birth</l> +<l>Have at my bidding roamed the earth,</l> +<l>And brought from distant regions all</l> +<l>Our legions at their monarch's call:</l> +<l>Fierce bears with monkey troops combined,</l> +<l>And apes of every varied kind,</l> +<l>Terrific in their forms, who dwell</l> +<l>In grove and wood and bosky dell:</l> +<l>The bright Gandharvas' brood, the seed</l> +<l>Of Gods,<note place="foot">See <ref target="CantoI-XVI">Book I, Canto XVI</ref>.</note> +they change their shapes at need.</l> +<l>Each with his legions in array,</l> +<l>Hither, O Prince, they make their way.</l> +<l>They come: and tens of millions swell</l> +<l>To numbers that no tongue may tell.<note place="foot">The numbers are unmanageable in +English verse. The poet speaks of hundreds of <hi rend='italic'>arbudas</hi>; +and an <hi rend='italic'>arbuda</hi> is a hundred millions.</note></l> +<l>For thee their armies will unite</l> +<l>With chiefs, Mahendra's peers in might.</l> +<l>From Meru and from Vindhya's chain</l> +<l>They come like clouds that bring the rain.</l> +<l>These round thee to the war will go,</l> +<l>To smite to earth thy demon foe;</l> +<l>Will slay the Rákshas and restore</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy consort when the fight is o'er.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XXXIX"/> +<head>Canto XXXIX. The Vánar Host.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Ráma, best of all who guide</l> +<l>Their steps by duty, thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What marvel if Lord Indra send</q></l> +<l>The kindly rain, O faithful friend?</l> +<l>If, thousand-rayed, the God of Day</l> +<l>Drive every darksome cloud away?</l> +<l>Or, rising high, the Lord of Night</l> +<l>Flood the broad heaven with silver light?</l> +<l>What marvel, King, that one like thee</l> +<l>The glory of his friends should be?</l> +<l>No marvel, O my lord, that thou</l> +<l>Hast shown thy noble nature now.</l> +<l>Thy heart, Sugríva, well I know:</l> +<l>Naught from thy lips but truth may flow,</l> +<l>With thee for friend and champion all</l> +<l>My foes beneath my arm will fall.</l> +<l>The Rákshas, when my queen he stole,</l> +<l>Brought sure destruction on his soul,</l> +<l>Like Anuhláda<note place="foot">Anuhláda or Anuhráda is one of +the four sons of the mighty Hiraṇyakaśipu, an Asur or a Daitya son of Kaśyapa +and Diti and killed by Vishṇu in his incarnation of the Man-Lion +<hi rend='italic'>Narasinha</hi>. According to the Bhágavata Puráṇa the Daitya +or Asur Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyáksha his brother, both killed by Vishṇu, +were born again as Rávaṇ and Kumbhakarṇa his brother.</note> who beguiled</l> +<l>Queen Śachí called Puloma's child.</l> +<l>Yes, near, Sugríva, is the day</l> +<l>When I my demon foe shall slay,</l> +<l>As conquering Indra in his ire</l> +<l><q rend="post">Slew Queen Paulomí's haughty sire.</q><note place="foot">Puloma, +a demon, was the father-in-law of Indra who destroyed him in order to avert an +imprecation. Paulomí is a patronymic denoting Śachí the daughter of Puloma.</note></l> +<pb n="371"/><anchor id="Pg371"/> +<l>He ceased: thick clouds of dust rose high</l> +<l>To every quarter of the sky:</l> +<l>The very sun grew faint and pale</l> +<l>Behind the darkly-gathering veil.</l> +<l>The mighty clouds that hung o'erhead</l> +<l>From east to west thick darkness spread,</l> +<l>And earth to her foundations shook</l> +<l>With hill and forest, lake and brook.</l> +<l>Then hidden was the ground beneath</l> +<l>Fierce warriors armed with fearful teeth,</l> +<l>Hosts numberless, each lord in size</l> +<l>A match for him who rules the skies:</l> +<l>From many a sea and distant hill,</l> +<l>From rock and river, lake and rill.</l> +<l>Some like the morning sun were bright,</l> +<l>Some, like the moon, were silver white:</l> +<l>These green as lotus fibres, those</l> +<l>White-coated from their native snows.<note place="foot"><q>Observe the variety of +colours which the poem attributes to all these inhabitants of the different mountainous +regions, some white, others yellow, &c. Such different colours were perhaps peculiar +and distinctive characteristics of those various races.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorressio</hi>.</note></l> +<l>Then Śatabali came in view</l> +<l>Girt by a countless retinue.</l> +<l>Like some gold mountain high in air</l> +<l>Tárá's illustrious sire<note place="foot">Susheṇ.</note> was there.</l> +<l>There Rumá`s father,<note place="foot">Tára.</note> far-renowned,</l> +<l>With tens of thousands ranged around.</l> +<l>There, tinted like the tender green</l> +<l>Of lotus filaments, was seen,</l> +<l>Compassed by countless legions, one</l> +<l>Whose face was as the morning sun,</l> +<l>Hanúmán's father good and great,</l> +<l>Kesarí,<note place="foot">Kesarí was the husband of Hanúmán's +mother, and is here called his father.</note> wisest in debate.</l> +<l>There the proud king Gaváksha, feared</l> +<l>For his strong warrior arm, appeared.</l> +<l>There Dhúmra, mighty lord, the dread</l> +<l>Of foes, his ursine legions led.</l> +<l>There Panas, first for warlike fame,</l> +<l>With twenty million warriors came.</l> +<l>There glorious Níla, dark of hue,</l> +<l>Arrayed his countless troops in view.</l> +<l>There moved lord Gavaya brave and bold,</l> +<l>Resplendent like a hill of gold,</l> +<l>And near him Darímukha stood</l> +<l>With millions from the hill and wood</l> +<l>And Dwivid famed for strength and speed,</l> +<l>And Mamda, both of Aśvin seed.</l> +<l>There Gaja, strong and glorious, led</l> +<l>The countless troops around him spread,</l> +<l>And Jámbaván<note place="foot"><q>I here unite under one heading two animals of very +diverse nature and race, but which from some gross resemblances, probably helped by an +equivoque in the language, are closely affiliated in the Hindoo myth … a reddish +colour of the skin, want of symmetry and ungainliness of form, strength in hugging with +the fore paws or arms, the faculty of climbing, shortness of tail(?), sensuality, +capacity of instruction in dancing and in music, are all characteristics which more or +less distinguish and meet in bears as well as in monkeys. In the +<hi rend='italic'>Rámáyaṇam</hi>, the wise Jámnavant, the Odysseus of the expedition +of Lanká, is called now king of the bears (rikshaparthivah), now great monkey +(<hi rend='italic'>Mahákapih</hi>).</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">De Gubernatis</hi>: +<hi rend='italic'>Zoological Mythology</hi>, Vol. II. p. 97.</note> +the king whose sway</l> +<l>The bears delighted to obey,</l> +<l>With swarming myriads onward pressed</l> +<l>True to his lord Sugríva's hest;</l> +<l>And princely Ruman, dear to fame,</l> +<l>Led millions whom no hosts could tame,</l> +<l>All these and many a chief beside<note place="foot">Gandhamádana, Angad, Tára, +Indrajánu, Rambha, Durmukha, Hanumán, Nala, Da mukha, Śarabha, Kumuda, Vahni.</note></l> +<l>Came onward fierce in warlike pride.</l> +<l>They covered all the plain, and still</l> +<l>Pressed forward over wood and hill.</l> +<l>In rows for many a league around</l> +<l>They rested on the grassy ground;</l> +<l>Or to Sugríva made their way,</l> +<l>Like clouds about the Lord of Day,</l> +<l>And to the king their proud heads bent</l> +<l>In power and might preeminent.</l> +<l>Sugríva then to Ráma sped,</l> +<l>And raised his reverent hands, and said</l> +<l>That every chief from coast to coast</l> +<l>Was present with his warrior host.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XL"/> +<head>Canto XL. The Army Of The East.</head> + +<lg> +<l>With practised eye the king reviewed</l> +<l>The Vánars' countless multitude,</l> +<l>And, joying that his hest was done,</l> +<l>Thus spake to Raghu's mighty son:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">See, all the Vánar hosts who fear</q></l> +<l>My sovereign might are gathered here.</l> +<l>Chiefs strong as Indra's self, who speed</l> +<l>Wher'er they list, these armies lead.</l> +<l>Fierce and terrific to the view</l> +<l>As Daityas or the Dánav<note place="foot">Daityas and Dánavas are fiends and +enemies of the Gods, like the Titans of Greek mythology.</note> crew,</l> +<pb n="372"/><anchor id="Pg372"/> +<l>Famed in all lands for souls afire</l> +<l>With lofty thoughts, they never tire,</l> +<l>O'er hill and vale they wander free,</l> +<l>And islets of the distant sea.</l> +<l>And these gathered myriads, all</l> +<l>Will serve thee, Ráma, at thy call.</l> +<l>Whate'er thy heart advises, say:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy mandates will the host obey.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then answered Ráma, as he pressed</l> +<l>The Vánar monarch to his breast:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O search for my lost Sítá, strive</q></l> +<l>To find her if she still survive:</l> +<l>And in thy wondrous wisdom trace</l> +<l>Fierce Rávaṇ to his dwelling-place.</l> +<l>And when by toil and search we know</l> +<l>Where Sítá lies and where the foe,</l> +<l>With thee, dear friend, will I devise</l> +<l>Fit means to end the enterprise.</l> +<l>Not mine, not Lakshmaṇ's is the power</l> +<l>To guide us in the doubtful hour.</l> +<l>Thou, sovereign of the Vánars, thou</l> +<l><q rend="post">Must be our hope and leader now.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: at King Sugríva's call</l> +<l>Near came a Vánar strong and tall.</l> +<l>Huge as a towering mountain, loud</l> +<l>As some tremendous thunder cloud,</l> +<l>A prince who warlike legions led:</l> +<l>To him his sovereign turned and said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Go, take ten thousand<note place="foot">I reduce the unwieldy numbers +of the original to more modest figures.</note> of our race</q></l> +<l>Well trained in lore of time and place,</l> +<l>And search the eastern region; through</l> +<l>Groves, woods, and hills thy way pursue.</l> +<l>There seek for Sítá, trace the spot</l> +<l>Where Rávaṇ hides, and weary not.</l> +<l>Search for the captive in the caves</l> +<l>Of mountains, and by woods and waves.</l> +<l>To Sarjú,<note place="foot">Sarayú now Sarjú is the river on which +Ayodhyá was built.</note> Kauśikí,<note place="foot">Kauśikí is a river which flows +through Behar, commonly called Kosi.</note> repair,</l> +<l>Bhagírath's daughter<note place="foot">Bhagírath's daughter is Gangá or the +Ganges. The legend is told at length in <ref target="CantoI-XLIV">Book +I Canto XLIV</ref>. <hi rend='italic'>The Descent of Gangá</hi>.</note> +fresh and fair.</l> +<l>Search mighty Yamun's<note place="foot">A mountain not identified.</note> +peak, explore</l> +<l>Swift Yamuná's<note place="foot">The Jumna. The river is personified as +the twin sister of Yáma, and hence regarded as the daughter of the Sun.</note> +delightful shore,</l> +<l>Sarasvati<note place="foot">The Sarasvatí (corruptly called Sursooty, +is supposed to join the Ganges and Jumna at Prayág or Allahabad. It rises +in the mountains bounding the north-east part of the province of Delhi, and running +in a south-westerly direction becomes lost in the sands of the great desert.</note> +and Sindhu's<note place="foot">The Sindhu is the Indus, the Sanskrit +<hi rend='italic'>s</hi> becoming <hi rend='italic'>h</hi> in Persian and being in this +instance dropped by the Greeks.</note> tide,</l> +<l>And rapid Śona's<note place="foot">The Sone which rises in the district of +Nagpore and falls into the Ganges above Patna.</note> pebbly side.</l> +<l>Then roam afar by Mahí's<note place="foot">Mahí is a river rising in Malwa and +falling into the gulf of Cambay after a westerly course of 280 miles.</note> bed</l> +<l>Where Kálamahí's groves are spread.</l> +<l>Go where the silken tissue shines,</l> +<l>Go to the land of silver mines.<note place="foot">There is nothing to show what parts +of the country the poet intended to denote as silk-producing and +silver-producing.</note></l> +<l>Visit each isle and mountain steep</l> +<l>And city circled by the deep,</l> +<l>And distant villages that high</l> +<l>About the peaks of Mandar lie.</l> +<l>Speed over Yavadwipa's land,<note place="foot">Yavadwipa means the island of Yava, +wherever that may be.</note></l> +<l>And see Mount Śiśir<note place="foot">Śiśir is said to be a mountain ridge +projecting from the base of Meru on the south. Wilson's <hi rend='italic'>Vishnu +Puráṇa</hi>, ed. Hall, Vol. II. p. 117.</note> proudly stand</l> +<l>Uplifting to the skies his head</l> +<l>By Gods and Dánavs visited.</l> +<l>Search each ravine and mountain pass,</l> +<l>Each tangled thicket deep in grass.</l> +<l>Search every cave with utmost care</l> +<l>If haply Ráma's queen be there.</l> +<l>Then pass beyond the sounding sea</l> +<l>Where heavenly beings wander free,</l> +<l>And Śona's<note place="foot">This appears to be some mythical +stream and not the well-known Śone. The name means red-coloured.</note> waters swift and +strong</l> +<l>With ruddy billows foam along.</l> +<l>Search where his shelving banks descend,</l> +<l>Search where the hanging woods extend.</l> +<l>Try if the pathless thickets screen</l> +<l>The robber and the captive queen.</l> +<l>Search where the torrent floods that rend</l> +<l>The mountain to the plains descend:</l> +<l>Search dark abysses where they rave,</l> +<l>Search mountain slope and wood and cave</l> +<l>Then on with rapid feet and gain</l> +<l>The inlands of the fearful main</l> +<l>Where, tortured by the tempest's lash,</l> +<l>Against rude rocks the billows dash:</l> +<l>An ocean like a sable cloud,</l> +<l>Whose margent monstrous serpents crowd:</l> +<pb n="373"/><anchor id="Pg373"/> +<l>An ocean rising with a roar</l> +<l>To beat upon an iron shore.</l> +<l>On, onward still! your feet shall tread</l> +<l>Shores of the sea whose waves are red,</l> +<l>Where spreading wide your eyes shall see</l> +<l>The guilt-tormenting cotton tree<note place="foot">A fabulous thorny rod of the cotton +tree used for torturing the wicked in hell. The tree gives its name, Śálmalí, to +one of the seven Dwípas, or great divisions of the known continent: and also to a +hell where the wicked are tormented with the pickles of the tree.</note></l> +<l>And the wild spot where Garuḍ<note place="foot">The king of the feathered +creation.</note> +dwells</l> +<l>Which gems adorn and ocean shells,</l> +<l>High as Kailása, nobly decked,</l> +<l>Wrought by the heavenly architect.<note place="foot">Viśvakarmá, the Mulciber of the +Indian heaven.</note></l> +<l>Huge giants named Mandehas<note place="foot"><q>The terrific fiends named Mandehas +attempt to devour the sun: for Brahmá denounced this curse upon them, that +without the power to perish they should die every day (and revive by night) and +therefore a fierce contest occurs (daily) between them and the sun.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson's</hi> Vishṇu Puráṇa. Vol. II. p. 250.</note> +there</l> +<l>In each foul shape they love to wear,</l> +<l>Numbing the soul with terror's chill,</l> +<l>Hang from the summit of the hill.</l> +<l>When darts the sun his earliest beam</l> +<l>They plunge them in the ocean stream,</l> +<l>New vigour from his rays obtain,</l> +<l>And hang upon the rocks again.</l> +<l>Speed onward still: your steps shall be</l> +<l>At length beside the Milky Sea</l> +<l>Whose every ripple as it curls</l> +<l>Gleams glorious with its wealth of pearls.</l> +<l>Amid that sea like pale clouds spread</l> +<l>The white Mount Rishabh<note place="foot">Said in the <hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu +Puráṇa</hi> to be a ridge projecting from the base of Meru to the north.</note> +rears his head.</l> +<l>About the mountain's glorious waist</l> +<l>Woods redolent of bloom are braced.</l> +<l>A lake where lotuses unfold</l> +<l>Their silver buds with threads of gold,</l> +<l>Sudarśan ever bright and fair</l> +<l>Where white swans sport, lies gleaming there,</l> +<l>The wandering Kinnar's<note place="foot">Kinnars are centaurs reversed, beings +with equine head and human bodies.</note> dear resort,</l> +<l>Where heavenly nymphs and Yakshas<note place="foot">Yakshas are demi-gods attendant on +Kuvera the God of wealth.</note> sport.</l> +<l>On! leave the Milky Sea behind:</l> +<l>Another flood your search shall find,</l> +<l>A waste of waters, wild and drear,</l> +<l>That chills each living heart with fear.</l> +<l>There see the horse's awful head,</l> +<l>Wrath-born, that flames in Ocean's bed.<note place="foot">Aurva was one of the +descendants of Bhrigu. From his wrath proceeded a flame that threatened to destroy the +world, had not Aurva cast it into the ocean where it remained concealed, and having the +face of a horse. The legend is told in the <hi rend='italic'>Mahábhárat</hi>. +I. 6802.</note></l> +<l>There rises up a fearful cry</l> +<l>From the sea things that move thereby,</l> +<l>When, helpless, powerless for flight,</l> +<l>They gaze upon the horrid sight.</l> +<l>Past to the northern shore, and then</l> +<l>Beyond the flood three leagues and ten</l> +<l>Your wondering glances will behold</l> +<l>Mount Játarúpa<note place="foot">The word Játarúpa means gold.</note> +bright with gold.</l> +<l>There like the young moon pale of hue</l> +<l>The monstrous serpent<note place="foot">The celebrated mythological serpent +king Sesha, called also Ananta or the infinite, represented as bearing the earth +on one of his thousand heads.</note> will ye view,</l> +<l>The earth's supporter, whose bright eyes</l> +<l>Resemble lotus leaves in size.</l> +<l>He rests upon the mountain's brow,</l> +<l>And all the Gods before him bow.</l> +<l>Ananta with a thousand heads</l> +<l>His length in robes of azure spreads.</l> +<l>A triple-headed palm of gold—</l> +<l>Meet standard for the lofty-souled—</l> +<l>Springs towering from the mountain's crest</l> +<l>Beneath whose shade he loves to rest,</l> +<l>So that in eastern realms each God</l> +<l>May use it as a measuring-rod.</l> +<l>Beyond, with burning gold aglow,</l> +<l>The eastern steep his peaks will show,</l> +<l>Which in unrivalled glory rise</l> +<l>A hundred leagues to pierce the skies,</l> +<l>And all the neighbouring air is bright</l> +<l>With golden trees that clothe the height.</l> +<l>A lofty peak uprises there</l> +<l>Ten leagues in height and one league square</l> +<l>Saumanas, wrought of glistering gold,</l> +<l>Ne'er to be loosened from its hold.</l> +<l>There his first step Lord Vishṇu placed</l> +<l>When through the universe he paced,</l> +<l>And with his second lightly pressed</l> +<l>The loftiest peak of Meru's crest.</l> +<l>When north of Jambudwíp<note place="foot">Jambudwípa is in the centre of the +seven great <hi rend='italic'>dwípas</hi> or continents into which the world is divided, +and in the centre of Jambudwípa is the golden mountain Meru 84,000 yojans high, and +crowned by the great city of Brahmá. See <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu Puráṇa</hi>, Vol. II. p. 110.</note> the sun</l> +<pb n="374"/><anchor id="Pg374"/> +<l>A portion of his course has run,</l> +<l>And hangs above this mountain height,</l> +<l>Then creatures see the genial light.</l> +<l>Vaikhánases,<note place="foot">Vaikhánases are a race of hermit +saints said to have sprung from the nails of Prajápati.</note> saints far renowned,</l> +<l>And Bálakhilyas<note place="foot"><q>The wife of Kratu, Samnati, brought +forth the sixty thousand Válakhilyas, pigmy sages, no bigger than a joint of the +thumb, chaste, pious, resplendent as the rays of the Sun.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson's</hi> <hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu +Puráṇa</hi>.</note> love the ground</l> +<l>Where in their glory half divine,</l> +<l>Touched by the morning glow, they shine</l> +<l>The light that flashes from that steep</l> +<l>Illumines all Sudarśandwíp,<note place="foot">The continent in which Sudarśan or +Meru stands, <hi rend='italic'>i.e.</hi> Jambudwíp.</note></l> +<l>And on each creature, as it glows,</l> +<l>The sight and strength of life bestows.</l> +<l>Search well that mountain's woody side</l> +<l>If Rávaṇ there his captive hide.</l> +<l>The rising sun, the golden hill</l> +<l>The air with growing splendours fill,</l> +<l>Till flashes from the east the red</l> +<l>Of morning with the light they shed.</l> +<l>This, where the sun begins his state,</l> +<l>Is earth and heaven's most eastern gate.</l> +<l>Through all the mountain forest seek</l> +<l>By waterfall and cave and peak.</l> +<l>Search every nook and bosky dell,</l> +<l>If Rávaṇ there with Sítá dwell.</l> +<l>There, Vánars, there your steps must stay:</l> +<l>No farther eastward can ye stray.</l> +<l>Beyond no sun, no moon gives light,</l> +<l>But all is sunk in endless night.</l> +<l>Thus far, O Vánar lords, may you</l> +<l>O'er sea and land your search pursue.</l> +<l>But wild and dark and known to none</l> +<l>Is the drear space beyond the sun.</l> +<l>That mountain whence the sun ascends</l> +<l>Your long and weary journey ends.<note place="foot">The names of some historical +peoples which occur in this Canto and in the Cantos describing the south and north +will be found in the <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Additional Notes</hi>. +They are bare lists, not susceptible of a metrical version.</note></l> +<l>Now go, and in a month return,</l> +<l>And let success my praises earn.</l> +<l>He who beyond tho month shall stay</l> +<l><q rend="post">Will with his life the forfeit pay.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XLI"/> +<head>Canto XLI. The Army Of The South.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He gathered next a chosen band</l> +<l>For service in the southern land.</l> +<l>He summoned Níla son of Fire,</l> +<l>And, offspring of the eternal Sire,</l> +<l>Jámbaván bold and strong and tall,</l> +<l>And Hanumán, the best of all,</l> +<l>And many a valiant lord beside,<note place="foot">Suhotra, Śarári, Śaragulma, Gayá, +Gaváksha, Gavaya, Susheṇa, Gandhamádana, Ulkámukha, and Ananga.</note></l> +<l>With Angad for their chief and guide.</l> +<l><q>Go forth,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">with all this host</q></l> +<l>Exploring to the southern coast:</l> +<l>The thousand peaks that Vindhya shows</l> +<l>Where every tree and creeper grows:</l> +<l>Where Narmadá's<note place="foot">The modern Nerbudda.</note> sweet waters run,</l> +<l>And serpents bask them in the sun:</l> +<l>Where Krishṇaveṇí's<note place="foot">Krishṇaveṇí is mentioned in the +<hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu Puráṇa</hi> as <q>the deep Krishṇaveṇí</q> +but there appears to be no clue to its identification.</note> currents flee,</l> +<l>And sparkles fair Godávarí.<note place="foot">The modern Godavery.</note></l> +<l>Through Mekhal<note place="foot">The Mekhalas or Mekalas according +to the Paráṇas live in the Vindhya hills, but here they appear among the peoples +of the south.</note> pass and Utkal's<note place="foot">Utkal is still the native name +of Orissa.</note> land:</l> +<l>Go where Daśárṇa's<note place="foot">The land of the people of the <q>ten +forts.</q> Professor Hall in a note on <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu Puráṇa</hi>, Vol. II. p. 160 says: +<q>The oral traditions of the vicinity to this day assign the name of Daśárna to a region +lying to the east of the District of Chundeyree.</q></note> cities stand.</l> +<l>Avantí<note place="foot">Avantí is one of the ancient names of +the celebrated Ujjayin or Oujein in Central India.</note> seek, of high renown,</l> +<l>And Abravanti's<note place="foot">Not identified.</note> glorious town.</l> +<l>Search every hill and brook and cave</l> +<l>Where Daṇḍak's woods their branches wave</l> +<l>Ayomukh's<note place="foot">Ayomukh means iron faced. The +mountain is not identified.</note> woody hill explore</l> +<l>Whose sides are bright with richest ore,</l> +<l>Lifting his glorious head on high</l> +<l>From bloomy groves that round him lie.</l> +<pb n="375"/><anchor id="Pg375"/> +<l>Search well his forests where the breeze</l> +<l>Blows fragrant from the sandal trees.</l> +<l>Then will you see Káverí's<note place="foot">The Káverí or modern Cauvery is +well known and has always borne the same appellation, being the Chaberis of +Ptolemy.</note> stream</l> +<l>Whose pleasant waters glance and gleam,</l> +<l>And to the lovely banks entice</l> +<l>The sportive maids of Paradise.</l> +<l>High on the top of Malaya's<note place="foot">One of the seven principal mountain +chains: the southern portion of the Western Gháts.</note> hill,</l> +<l>In holy musing, calm and still,</l> +<l>Sits, radiant as the Lord of Light,</l> +<l>Agastya,<note place="foot">Agastya is the great sage who has +already frequently appeared as Ráma's friend and benefactor.</note> noblest anchorite.</l> +<l>Soon as that lofty-thoughted lord</l> +<l>His high permission shall accord,</l> +<l>Pass Támraparṇí's<note place="foot">Támraparṇí is a river rising in Malaya.</note> +flood whose isles</l> +<l>Are loved by basking crocodiles.</l> +<l>The sandal woods that fringe her side</l> +<l>Those islets and her waters hide;</l> +<l>While, like an amorous matron, she</l> +<l>Speeds to her own dear lord the sea.</l> +<l>Thence hasting on your way behold</l> +<l>The Páṇḍyas'<note place="foot">The Páṇḍyas are a people of the Deccan.</note> +gates of pearl and gold.</l> +<l>Then, with your task maturely planned,</l> +<l>On ocean's shore your feet will stand.</l> +<l>Where, by Agastya's high decree,</l> +<l>Mahendra,<note place="foot">Mahendra is the chain of hills that +extends from Orissa and the northern Sircars to Gondwána, part of which near +Ganjam is still called Mahendra Malay or hills of Mahendra.</note> planted in the sea,</l> +<l>With tinted peaks against the tide</l> +<l>Rises in solitary pride,</l> +<l>And glorious in his golden glow</l> +<l>Spurns back the waves that beat below.</l> +<l>Fair mountain, bright with creepers' bloom</l> +<l>And every tint that trees assume,</l> +<l>Where Yaksha, God, and heavenly maid</l> +<l>Meet wandering in the lovely shade,</l> +<l>At changing moon and solemn tide</l> +<l>By Indra's presence glorified.</l> +<l>One hundred leagues in fair extent</l> +<l>An island<note place="foot">Lanká, Sinhaladvípa, Sarandib, or +Ceylon.</note> fronts the continent:</l> +<l>No man may tread its glittering shore,</l> +<l>With utmost heed that isle explore,</l> +<l>For the fair country owns the sway</l> +<l>Of Rávaṇ whom we burn to slay.</l> +<l>A mighty monster stands to keep</l> +<l>The passage of the southern deep.</l> +<l>Lifting her awful arms on high</l> +<l>She grasps e'en shadows as they fly.</l> +<l>Speed through that isle, and onward still</l> +<l>Where in mid sea the Flowery Hill<note place="foot">The Flowery Hill of course is +mythical.</note></l> +<l>Raises on high his bloomy head</l> +<l>By saints and angels visited.</l> +<l>There, with a hundred gleaming peaks</l> +<l>Bright as the sun, the sky he seeks,</l> +<l>One glorious peak the Lord of Day</l> +<l>Gilds ever with his loving ray;</l> +<l>Thereon ne'er yet the glances fell</l> +<l>Of thankless wretch or infidel.</l> +<l>Bow to that hill in reverence due,</l> +<l>And then once more your search pursue.</l> +<l>Beyond that glorious mountain hie,</l> +<l>And Súryaván,<note place="foot">The whole of the geography south of +Lanká is of course mythical. Súryaván means Sunny.</note> proud hill is nigh.</l> +<l>Your rapid course yet farther bend</l> +<l>Where Vaidyut's<note place="foot">Vaidyut means connected with lightning.</note> +airy peaks ascend.</l> +<l>There trees of noblest sort, profuse</l> +<l>Of wealth, their kindly gifts produce.</l> +<l>Their precious fruits, O Vánars, taste,</l> +<l>The honey sip, and onward haste.</l> +<l>Next will ye see Mount Kunjar rise,</l> +<l>Who cheers with beauty hearts and eyes.</l> +<l>There is Agastya's<note place="foot">Agastya is here placed far to the south +of Lanká. Earlier in this Canto he was said to dwell on Malaya.</note> mansion, decked</l> +<l>By heaven's all moulding architect.</l> +<l>Near Bhogavatí<note place="foot">Bhogavatí has been frequently mentioned: +it is the capital of the serpent Gods or demons, and usually represented +as being in the regions under the earth.</note> stands, the place</l> +<l>Where dwell the hosts of serpent race:</l> +<l>A broad-wayed city, walled and barred,</l> +<l>Which watchful legions keep and guard,</l> +<l>The fiercest of the serpent youth,</l> +<l>Each awful for his venomed tooth:</l> +<l>And throned in his imperial hall</l> +<l>Is Vásuki<note place="foot">Vásuki is according to some accounts +the king of the Nágas or serpent Gods.</note> who rules them all.</l> +<l>Explore the serpent city well,</l> +<l>Search town and tower and citadel,</l> +<l>And scan each field and wood that lies</l> +<l>Around it, with your watchful eyes.</l> +<l>Beyond that spot your way pursue:</l> +<l>A noble mountain shall ye view,</l> +<l>Named Rishabh, like a mighty bull,</l> +<l>With gems made bright and beautiful.</l> +<pb n="376"/><anchor id="Pg376"/> +<l>All trees of sandal flourish there</l> +<l>Of heavenly fragrance, rich and rare.</l> +<l>But, though they tempt your longing eyes,</l> +<l>Avoid to touch them, and be wise.</l> +<l>For Rohitas, a guardian band</l> +<l>Of fierce Gandharvas, round them stand,</l> +<l>Who five bright sovereign lords<note place="foot">Śailúsha, Gramiṇi, Siksha, Suka, +Babhru.</note> obey,</l> +<l>In glory like the God of Day.</l> +<l>Here by good deeds a home is won</l> +<l>With shapes like fire, the moon, the sun.</l> +<l>Here they who merit heaven by worth</l> +<l>Dwell on the confines of the earth.</l> +<l>There stay: beyond it, dark and drear,</l> +<l>Lies the departed spirits' sphere,</l> +<l>And, girt with darkness, far from bliss,</l> +<l>Is Yáma's sad metropolis.<note place="foot">The distant south beyond the confines +of the earth is the home of departed spirits +and the city of Yáma the God of Death.</note></l> +<l>So far, my lords, o'er land and sea</l> +<l>Your destined course is plain and free.</l> +<l>Beyond your steps you may not set,</l> +<l>Where living thing ne'er journeyed yet.</l> +<l>With utmost care these realms survey,</l> +<l>And all you meet upon the way.</l> +<l>And, when the lady's course is traced,</l> +<l>Back to your king, O Vánars, haste.</l> +<l>And he who tells me he has seen.</l> +<l>After long search, the Maithil queen,</l> +<l>Shall gain a noble guerdon: he</l> +<l>In power and bliss shall equal me.</l> +<l>Dear as my very life, above</l> +<l>His fellows in his master's love;</l> +<l>I call him, yea though stained with crime.</l> +<l><q rend="post">My kinsman from that happy time.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XLII"/> +<head>Canto XLII. The Army Of The West.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then to Susheṇ Sugríva bent,</l> +<l>And thus addressed him reverent:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Two hundred thousand of our best</q></l> +<l>With thee, my lord, shall seek the west.</l> +<l>Explore Suráshṭra's<note place="foot">Suráshṭra, the <q>good country,</q> is the +modern Sura</note>] distant plain,</l> +<l>Explore Váhlíka's<note place="foot">A country north-west of Afghanistan, +Baíkh.</note> wild domain,</l> +<l>And all the pleasant brooks that flee</l> +<l>Through mountains to the western sea.</l> +<l>Search clustering groves on mountain heights,</l> +<l>And woods the home of anchorites.</l> +<l>Search where the breezy hills are high,</l> +<l>Search where the desert regions lie.</l> +<l>Search all the western land beset</l> +<l>With woody mountains like a net.</l> +<l>The country`s farthest limit reach,</l> +<l>And stand upon the ocean beach.</l> +<l>There wander through the groves of palm</l> +<l>Where the soft air is full of balm.</l> +<l>Through grassy dell and dark ravine</l> +<l>Seek Rávaṇ and the Maithil queen.</l> +<l>Go visit Somagiri's<note place="foot">The Moon-mountain here is mythical.</note> +steep</l> +<l>Where Sindhu<note place="foot">Sindhu is the Indus.</note> mingles with the deep.</l> +<l>There lions, borne on swift wings, roam</l> +<l>The levels of their mountain home,</l> +<l>And elephants and monsters bear,</l> +<l>Caught from the ocean, to their lair.</l> +<l>You Vánars, changing forms at will,</l> +<l>With rapid search must scour the hill,</l> +<l>And his sky-kissing peak of gold</l> +<l>Where loveliest trees their blooms unfold.</l> +<l>There golden-peaked, ablaze with light,</l> +<l>Uprises Páriyátra's<note place="foot">Páriyátra, or as more usually written +Páripátra, is the central or western portion of the Vindhya chain which skirts +the province of Malwa.</note> height</l> +<l>Where wild Gandharvas, fierce and fell,</l> +<l>In bands of countless myriads dwell.</l> +<l>Pluck ye no fruit within the wood;</l> +<l>Beware the impious neighbourhood,</l> +<l>Where, very mighty, strong, and hard</l> +<l>To overcome, the fruit they guard.</l> +<l>Yet search for Janak's daughter still,</l> +<l>For Vánars there need fear no ill.</l> +<l>Near, bright as turkis, Vajra<note place="foot">Vajra means both diamond and +thunderbolt, the two substances being supposed to be identical.</note> named,</l> +<l>There stands a hill of diamond framed.</l> +<l>Soaring a hundred leagues in pride,</l> +<l>With trees and creepers glorified.</l> +<l>Search there each cave and dark abyss</l> +<l>By waterfall and precipice.</l> +<l>Far in that sea the wild waves beat</l> +<l>On Chakraván's<note place="foot">Chakraván means the discus-bearer.</note> +firm-rooted feet.</l> +<l>Where the great discus,<note place="foot">The discus is the favourite weapon of +Vishṇu.</note> thousand rayed,</l> +<l>By Vísvakarmá's<note place="foot">The Indian Hephaistos or Vulcan.</note> +art was made.</l> +<l>When Panchajan<note place="foot">Panchajan was a demon who lived in the sea in +the form of a conch shell. <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu Puráṇa</hi>, V. 21.</note> the fiend was slain.</l> +<l>And Hayagríva,<note place="foot">Hayagríva, Horse-necked, is the name +of a Daitya who at the dissolution of the universe caused by Brahmá's sleep, seized +and carried off the Vedas. Vishṇu slew him and recovered the sacred treasures.</note> +fierce in vain,</l> +<pb n="377"/><anchor id="Pg377"/> +<l>Thence taking shell and discus went</l> +<l>Lord Vishṇu, God preëminent.</l> +<l>On! sixty thousand hills of gold</l> +<l>With wondering eyes shall ye behold,</l> +<l>Where in his glory every one</l> +<l>Is brilliant as the morning sun.</l> +<l>Full in the midst King Meru,<note place="foot">Meru stands in the centre of Jambudwípa +and consequently of the earth. <q>The sun travels round the world, keeping Meru always +on his right. To the spectator who fronts him, therefore, as he rises Meru must be +always on the north; and as the sun's rays do not penetrate beyond the centre of the +mountain, the regions beyond, or to the north of it must be in darkness, whilst those on +the south of it must be in light: north and south being relative, not absolute, terms, +depending on the position of the spectator with regard to the Sun and Meru.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu Puráṇa</hi>, Vol. II. p. 243. Note.</note> best</l> +<l>Of mountains, lifts his lofty crest,</l> +<l>On whom of yore, as all have heard,</l> +<l>The sun well-pleased this boon conferred:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">On thee, O King, on thee and thine</q></l> +<l>Light, day and night, shall ever shine.</l> +<l>Gandharvas, Gods who love thee well</l> +<l>And on thy sacred summits dwell,</l> +<l>Undimmed in lustre, bright and fair,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The golden sheen shall ever share.</q></l> +<l>The Viśvas,<note place="foot">The Viśvadevas are a class of deities to whom sacrifices +should be daily offered, as part of the ordinary worship of the householder. According +to the <hi rend='italic'>Váyu Puráṇa</hi>, this is a privilege conferred on them by +Brahmá and the Pitris as a reward for religious austerities practised by +them upon Himálaya.</note> Vasus,<note place="foot">The eight Vasus were originally +personifications like other Vedic deities, of natural phenomena, such as Fire, Wind, +&c. Their appellations are variously given by different authorities.</note> +they who ride</l> +<l>The tempest,<note place="foot">The Maruts or Storm-Gods, frequently +addressed and worshipped as the attendants and allies of Indra.</note> +every God beside,</l> +<l>Draw nigh to Meru's lofty crest</l> +<l>When evening darkens in the west,</l> +<l>And to the parting Lord of Day</l> +<l>The homage of their worship pay,</l> +<l>Ere yet a while, unseen of all,</l> +<l>Behind Mount Asta's<note place="foot">The mountain behind which the sun sets.</note> +peaks he fall.</l> +<l>Wrought by the heavenly artist's care</l> +<l>A glorious palace glitters there,</l> +<l>And round about it sweet birds sing</l> +<l>Where the gay trees are blossoming:</l> +<l>The home of Varuṇ<note place="foot">One of the oldest and mightiest of the +Vedic deities; in later mythology regarded as the God of the sea.</note> +high-souled lord,</l> +<l>Wrist-girded with his deadly cord.<note place="foot">The knotted noose with which he +seizes and punishes transgressors.</note></l> +<l>With ten tall stems, a palm between</l> +<l>Meru and Asta's hill is seen:</l> +<l>Pure silver from the base it springs,</l> +<l>And far and wide its lustre flings.</l> +<l>Seek Rávaṇ and the dame by brook,</l> +<l>In pathless glen, in leafy nook</l> +<l>On Meru's crest a hermit lives</l> +<l>Bright with the light that penance gives:</l> +<l>Sávarṇi<note place="foot">Sávarṇi is a Manu, offspring of the +Sun by Chháyá.</note> is he named, renowned</l> +<l>As Brahmá's peer, with glory crowned.</l> +<l>There bowing down in reverence speak</l> +<l>And ask him of the dame you seek.</l> +<l>Thus far the splendid Lord of Day</l> +<l>Pursues through heaven his ceaseless way,</l> +<l>Shedding on every spot his light;</l> +<l>Then sinks behind Mount Asta's height,</l> +<l>Thus far advance: the sunless sea</l> +<l>Beyond is all unknown to me.</l> +<l>Susheṇ of mighty arm, long tried</l> +<l>In peril, shall your legions guide.</l> +<l>Receive his words with high respect,</l> +<l>And ne'er his lightest wish neglect.</l> +<l>He is my consort's sire, and hence</l> +<l><q rend="post">Deserves the utmost reverence.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XLIII"/> +<head>Canto XLIII. The Army Of The North.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Forth went the legions of the west:</l> +<l>And wise Sugríva addressed</l> +<l>Śatabal, summoned from the crowd.</l> +<l>To whom the sovereign cried aloud:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Go forth, O Vánar chief, go forth,</q></l> +<l>Explore the regions of the north.</l> +<l>Thy host a hundred thousand be,</l> +<l>And Yáma's sons<note place="foot">The poet has not said who the sons of +Yáma are.</note> attend on thee.</l> +<l>With dauntless courage, strength, and skill</l> +<l>Search every river, wood, and hill.</l> +<l>Through every land in order go</l> +<l>Right onward to the Hills of Snow.</l> +<l>Search mid the peaks that shine afar,</l> +<l>In woods of Lodh and Deodár.<note place="foot">The Lodhra or Lodh (Symplocos +Racemosa) and the Devadáru or Deodar are well known trees.</note></l> +<l>Search if with Janak's daughter, screened</l> +<l>By sheltering rocks, there lie the fiend.</l> +<pb n="378"/><anchor id="Pg378"/> +<l>The holy grounds of Soma tread</l> +<l>By Gods and minstrels visited.</l> +<l>Reach Kála's mount, and flats that lie</l> +<l>Among the peaks that tower on high.</l> +<l>Then leave that hill that gleams with ore,</l> +<l>And fair Sudarśan's heights explore.</l> +<l>Then on to Devasakhá<note place="foot">The hills mentioned are not identifiable. +Soma means the Moon. Kála, black; Sudaraśan, fair to see; and Devasakhá +friend of the Gods.</note> hie,</l> +<l>Loved by the children of the sky.</l> +<l>A dreary land you then will see</l> +<l>Without a hill or brook or tree,</l> +<l>A hundred leagues, bare, wild, and dread</l> +<l>In lifeless desolation, spread.</l> +<l>Pursue your onward way, and haste</l> +<l>Through the dire horrors of the waste</l> +<l>Until triumphant with delight</l> +<l>You reach Kailása's glittering height.</l> +<l>There stands a palace decked with gold,</l> +<l>For King Kuvera<note place="foot">The God of Wealth.</note> wrought of old,</l> +<l>A home the heavenly artist planned</l> +<l>And fashioned with his cunning hand.</l> +<l>There lotuses adorn the flood</l> +<l>With full-blown flower and opening bud</l> +<l>Where swans and mallards float, and gay</l> +<l>Apsarases<note place="foot">The nymphs of Paradise.</note> come down to play.</l> +<l>There King Vaiśravaṇ's<note place="foot">Kuvera the son of Viśravas.</note> +self, the lord</l> +<l>By all the universe adored,</l> +<l>Who golden gifts to mortals sends,</l> +<l>Lives with the Guhyakas<note place="foot">A class of demigods who, like the +Yakshas, are the attendants of Kuvera, and the guardians of his treasures.</note> +his friends.</l> +<l>Search every cavern in the steep,</l> +<l>And green glens where the moonbeams sleep,</l> +<l>If haply in that distant ground</l> +<l>The robber and the dame be found.</l> +<l>Then on to Krauncha's hill,<note place="foot">Situated in the eastern part of the +Himálaya chain, on the north of Assam. The mountain was torn asunder and the +pass formed by the War-God Kártikeya and Paraśuráma.</note> and through</l> +<l>His fearful pass your way pursue:</l> +<l>Though dark and terrible the vale</l> +<l>Your wonted courage must not fail.</l> +<l>There through abyss and cavern seek,</l> +<l>On lofty ridge, and mountain peak,</l> +<l>On, on! pursue your journey still</l> +<l>By valley, lake, and towering hill.</l> +<l>Reach the North Kurus' land, where rest</l> +<l>The holy spirits of the blest:</l> +<l>Where golden buds of lilies gleam</l> +<l>Resplendent on the silver stream,</l> +<l>And leaves of azure turkis throw</l> +<l>Soft splendour on the waves below.</l> +<l>Bright as the sun at early morn</l> +<l>Fair pools that happy clime adorn,</l> +<l>Where shine the loveliest flowers on stems</l> +<l>Of crystal and all valued gems.</l> +<l>Blue lotuses through all the land</l> +<l>The glories of their blooms expand,</l> +<l>And the resplendent earth is strown</l> +<l>With peerless pearl and precious stone.</l> +<l>There stately trees can scarce uphold</l> +<l>The burthen of their fruits of gold,</l> +<l>And ever flaunt their gay attire</l> +<l>Of flower and leaf like flames of fire.</l> +<l>All there sweet lives untroubled spend</l> +<l>In bliss and joy that know not end,</l> +<l>While pearl-decked maidens laugh, or sing</l> +<l>To music of the silvery string.<note place="foot"><q>The Uttara Kurus, it should be +remarked, may have been a real people, as they are mentioned in the Aitareya +Bráhmaṇa, VIII. 14.… Wherefore the several nations who dwell in this northern quarter, +beyond the Himavat, the Uttara Kurus and the Uttara Madras are consecrated to glorious +dominion, and people term them the glorious. In another passage of the same work, +however, the Uttara Kurus are treated as belonging to the domain of mythology.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Muir's</hi> <hi rend='italic'>Sanskrit +Texts</hi>. Vol. I. p. 494. See <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Additional +Notes</hi>.</note></l> +<l>Still on your forward journey keep,</l> +<l>And rest you by the northern deep,</l> +<l>Where springing from the billows high</l> +<l>Mount Somagiri<note place="foot">The Moon-mountain.</note> seeks the sky,</l> +<l>And lightens with perpetual glow</l> +<l>The sunless realm that lies below.</l> +<l>There, present through all life's extent,</l> +<l>Dwells Brahmá Lord preëminent,</l> +<l>And round the great God, manifest</l> +<l>In Rudra<note place="foot">The Rudras are the same as the storm winds, more usually +called Maruts, and are often associated with Indra. In the later mythology the Rudras +are regarded as inferior manifestations of Śiva, and most of their names are also +names of Śiva.</note> forms high sages rest.</l> +<l>Then turn, O Vánars: search no more,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Nor tempt the sunless, boundless shore.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XLIV"/> +<head>Canto XLIV. The Ring.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But special counselling he gave</l> +<l>To Hanumán the wise and brave:</l> +<pb n="379"/><anchor id="Pg379"/> +<l>To him on whom his soul relied,</l> +<l>With friendly words the monarch cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O best of Vánars, naught can stay</q></l> +<l>By land or sea thy rapid way,</l> +<l>Who through the air thy flight canst bend,</l> +<l>And to the Immortals' home ascend.</l> +<l>All realms, I ween, are known to thee</l> +<l>With every mountain, lake, and sea.</l> +<l>In strength and speed which naught can tire</l> +<l>Thou, worthy rival of thy sire</l> +<l>The mighty monarch of the wind,</l> +<l>Where'er thou wilt a way canst find.</l> +<l>Exert thy power, O swift and strong,</l> +<l>Bring back the lady lost so long,</l> +<l>For time and place, O thou most wise,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Lie open to thy searching eyes.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Ráma heard that special hest</l> +<l>To Hanumán above the rest,</l> +<l>He from the monarch's favour drew</l> +<l>Hope of success and trust anew</l> +<l>That he on whom his lord relied,</l> +<l>In toil and peril trained and tried,</l> +<l>Would to a happy issue bring</l> +<l>The task commanded by the king.</l> +<l>He gave the ring that bore his name,</l> +<l>A token for the captive dame,</l> +<l>That the sad lady in her woe</l> +<l>The missive of her lord might know.</l> +<l><q>This ring,</q> he said, <q rend="pre">my wife will see,</q></l> +<l>Nor fear an envoy sent by me.</l> +<l>Thy valour and thy skill combined,</l> +<l>Thy resolute and vigorous mind,</l> +<l>And King Sugríva's high behest,</l> +<l><q rend="post">With joyful hopes inspire my breast.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XLV"/> +<head>Canto XLV. The Departure.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Away, away the Vánars sped</l> +<l>Like locusts o'er the land outspread.</l> +<l>To northern realms where rising high</l> +<l>The King of Mountains cleaves the sky,</l> +<l>Fierce Śatabal with vast array</l> +<l>Of Vánar warriors led the way.</l> +<l>Far southward, as his lord decreed,</l> +<l>Wise Hanumán, the Wind-God's seed,</l> +<l>With Angad his swift way pursued,</l> +<l>And Tára's warlike multitude,</l> +<l>Strong Vinata with all his band</l> +<l>Betook him to the eastern land,</l> +<l>And brave Susheṇ in eager quest</l> +<l>Sped swiftly to the gloomy west.</l> +<l>Each Vánar chieftain sought with speed</l> +<l>The quarter by his king decreed,</l> +<l>While from his legions rose on high</l> +<l>The shout and boast and battle cry:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">We will restore the dame and beat</q></l> +<l>The robber down beneath our feet.</l> +<l>My arm alone shall win the day</l> +<l>From Rávaṇ met in single fray,</l> +<l>Shall rob the robber of his life,</l> +<l>And rescue Ráma's captive wife</l> +<l>All trembling in her fear and woe.</l> +<l>Here, comrades, rest: no farther go:</l> +<l>For I will vanquish hell, and she</l> +<l>Shall by this arm again be free.</l> +<l>The rooted mountains will I rend,</l> +<l>The mightiest trees will break and bend,</l> +<l>Earth to her deep foundations cleave,</l> +<l>And make the calm sea throb and heave.</l> +<l>A hundred leagues from steep to steep</l> +<l>In desperate bound my feet shall leap.</l> +<l>My steps shall tread unchecked and free,</l> +<l>Through woods, o'er land and hill and sea,</l> +<l>Range as they list from flood to fell,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And wander through the depths of hell.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XLVI"/> +<head>Canto XLVI. Sugríva's Tale.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q>How, King,</q> cried Ráma, <q rend="pre">didst thou gain</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy lore of sea and hill and plain?</q></l> +<l><q>I told thee how,</q> Sugríva said,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">From Báli's arm Máyáví fled<note place="foot"><ref +target="CantoIV-IX">Canto IX</ref>.</note></q></l> +<l>To Malaya's hill, and strove to save</l> +<l>His life by hiding in the cave.</l> +<l>I told how Báli sought, to kill</l> +<l>His foe, the hollow of the hill;</l> +<l>Nor need I, King, again unfold</l> +<l>The wondrous tale already told.</l> +<l>Then, wandering forth, my way I took</l> +<l>By many a town and wood and brook.</l> +<l>I roamed the earth from place to place,</l> +<l>Till, like a mirror's polished face,</l> +<l>The whole broad disk, that lies between</l> +<l>Its farthest bounds, mine eyes had seen.</l> +<l>I wandered first to eastern skies</l> +<l>Where fairest trees rejoiced mine eyes,</l> +<l>And many a cave and wooded hill</l> +<l>Where lilies robed the lake and rill.</l> +<l>There metal dyes that hill<note place="foot">Udayagiri or the hill from which the +sun rises.</note> adorn</l> +<l>Whence springs the sun to light the morn.</l> +<l>There, too, I viewed the Milky sea,</l> +<l>Where nymphs of heaven delight to be.</l> +<l>Then to the south I made my way</l> +<l>From regions of the rising day,</l> +<l>And roamed o'er Vindhya, where the breeze</l> +<l>Is odorous of sandal trees.</l> +<l>Still in my fear I found no rest:</l> +<l>I sought the regions of the west,</l> +<l>And gazed on Asta,<note place="foot">Asta is the mountain behind which +the sun sets.</note> where the sun</l> +<pb n="380"/><anchor id="Pg380"/> +<l>Sinks when his daily course is run.</l> +<l>Then from that noblest hill I fled</l> +<l>And to the northern country sped,</l> +<l>Saw Himaván,<note place="foot">Himálaya, the Hills of Snow.</note> +and Meru's steep,</l> +<l>And stood beside the northern deep.</l> +<l>But when, by Báli's might oppressed,</l> +<l>E'en in those wilds I could not rest,</l> +<l>Came Hanumán the wise and brave,</l> +<l>And thus his prudent counsel gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">'I told thee how Matanga<note place="foot"><ref +target="CantoIV-XI">Canto XI</ref>.</note> cursed</q></l> +<l>Thy tyrant, that his head should burst</l> +<l>In pieces, should he dare invade</l> +<l>The precincts of that tranquil shade.</l> +<l>There may we dwell in peace and be</l> +<l><q rend="post">From thy oppressor's malice free.</q></l> +<l>We went to Rishyamúka's hill,</l> +<l>And spent our days secure from ill</l> +<l>Where, with that curse upon his head,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The cruel Báli durst not tread.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XLVII"/> +<head>Canto XLVII. The Return.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus forth in quest of Sítá went</l> +<l>The legions King Sugríva sent.</l> +<l>To many a distant town they hied</l> +<l>By many a lake and river's side.</l> +<l>As their great sovereign's order taught,</l> +<l>Through valleys, plains, and groves they sought.</l> +<l>They toiled unresting through the day:</l> +<l>At night upon the ground they lay</l> +<l>Where the tall trees, whose branches swayed</l> +<l>Beneath their fruit, gave pleasant shade.</l> +<l>Then, when a weary month was spent,</l> +<l>Back to Praśravaṇ's hill they went,</l> +<l>And stood with faces of despair</l> +<l>Before their king Sugríva there.</l> +<l>Thus, having wandered through the east,</l> +<l>Great Vinata his labours ceased,</l> +<l>And weary of the fruitless pain</l> +<l>Returned to meet the king again,</l> +<l>Brave Śatabali to the north</l> +<l>Had led his Vánar legions forth.</l> +<l>Now to Sugríva he sped</l> +<l>With all his host dispirited.</l> +<l>Susheṇ the western realms had sought,</l> +<l>And homeward now his legions brought.</l> +<l>All to Sugríva came, where still</l> +<l>He sat with Ráma on the hill.</l> +<l>Before their sovereign humbly bent</l> +<l>And thus addressed him reverent:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">On every hill our steps have been,</q></l> +<l>By wood and cave and deep ravine;</l> +<l>And all the wandering brooks we know</l> +<l>Throughout the land that seaward flow,</l> +<l>Our feet by thy command have traced</l> +<l>The tangled thicket and the waste,</l> +<l>And dens and dingles hard to pass</l> +<l>for creeping plants and matted grass.</l> +<l>Well have we searched with toil and pain,</l> +<l>And monstrous creatures have we slain</l> +<l>But Hanumán of noblest mind</l> +<l>The Maithil lady yet will find;</l> +<l>For to his quarter of the sky<note place="foot">Hanumán was the leader of the army +of the south which was under the nominal +command of Angad the heir apparent.</note></l> +<l><q rend="post">The robber fiend was seen to fly.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XLVIII"/> +<head>Canto XLVIII. The Asur's Death.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Hanumán still onward pressed</l> +<l>With Tára, Angad, and the rest,</l> +<l>Through Vindhya's pathless glens he sped</l> +<l>And left no spot unvisited.</l> +<l>He gazed from every mountain height,</l> +<l>He sought each cavern dark as night,</l> +<l>And wandered through the bloomy shade</l> +<l>By pool and river and cascade,</l> +<l>But, though they sought in every place,</l> +<l>Of Sítá yet they found no trace.</l> +<l>On fruit and woodland berries fed</l> +<l>Through many a lonely wild they sped,</l> +<l>And reached at last, untouched by fear,</l> +<l>A desert terrible and drear:</l> +<l>A fruitless waste, a land of gloom</l> +<l>Where trees were bare of leaf and bloom,</l> +<l>Where every scanty stream was dried,</l> +<l>And niggard earth her roots denied.</l> +<l>No elephants through all the ground,</l> +<l>No buffaloes or deer are found.</l> +<l>There roams no tiger, pard, or bear,</l> +<l>No creature of the wood is there.</l> +<l>No bird displays his glittering wings,</l> +<l>No tree, no shrub, no creeper springs.</l> +<l>There rise no lilies from the flood,</l> +<l>Resplendent with their flower and bud,</l> +<l>Where the delighted bees may throng</l> +<l>About the fragrance with their song.</l> +<l>There lived a hermit Kaṇdu named,</l> +<l>For truth and wealth of penance famed.</l> +<l>Whom fervent zeal and holy rite</l> +<l>Had dowered with all-surpassing might.</l> +<l>His little son, a ten year child—</l> +<l>So chanced it—perished in the wild.</l> +<l>His death with fury stirred the sage,</l> +<l>Who cursed the forest in his rage,</l> +<l>Doomed from that hour to shelter none,</l> +<l>A waste for bird and beast to shun.</l> +<pb n="381"/><anchor id="Pg381"/> +<l>They searched by every forest edge,</l> +<l>They searched each cave and mountain ledge,</l> +<l>And thickets whence the water fell</l> +<l>Wandering through the tangled dell.</l> +<l>Striving to do Sugríva's will</l> +<l>They roamed along each leafy rill.</l> +<l>But vain were all endeavours, vain</l> +<l>The careful search, the toil and pain.</l> +<l>Through one dark grove they scarce could wind,</l> +<l>So thick were creepers intertwined.</l> +<l>There as they struggled through the wood</l> +<l>Before their eyes an Asur<note place="foot">The Bengal recension—Gorresio's +edition—calls this Asur or demon the son of Márícha.</note> stood.</l> +<l>High as a towering hill, his pride</l> +<l>The very Gods in heaven defied.</l> +<l>When on the fiend their glances fell</l> +<l>Each braced him for the combat well.</l> +<l>The demon raised his arm on high,</l> +<l>And rushed upon them with a cry.</l> +<l>Him Angad smote,—for, sure, he thought</l> +<l>This was the fiend they long had sought.</l> +<l>From his huge mouth by Angad felled,</l> +<l>The blood in rushing torrents welled,</l> +<l>As, like a mountain from his base</l> +<l>Uptorn, he dropped upon his face.</l> +<l>Thus fell the mighty fiend: and they</l> +<l>Through the thick wood pursued their way;</l> +<l>Then, weary with the toil, reclined</l> +<l>Where leafy boughs to shade them twined.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-XLIX"/> +<head>Canto XLIX. Angad's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Angad spake: <q rend="pre">We Vánars well</q></l> +<l>Have searched each valley, cave, and dell,</l> +<l>And hill, and brook, and dark recess,</l> +<l>And tangled wood, and wilderness.</l> +<l>But all in vain: no eye has seen</l> +<l>The robber or the Maithil queen.</l> +<l>A dreary time has passed away,</l> +<l>And stern is he we all obey.</l> +<l>Come, cast your grief and sloth aside:</l> +<l>Again be every effort tried;</l> +<l>So haply may our toil attain</l> +<l>The sweet success that follows pain.</l> +<l>Laborious effort, toil, and skill,</l> +<l>The firm resolve, the constant will</l> +<l>Secure at last the ends we seek:</l> +<l>Hence, O my friends, I boldly speak.</l> +<l>Once more then, noble hearts, once more</l> +<l>Let us to-day this wood explore,</l> +<l>And, languor and despair subdued,</l> +<l>Purchase success with toil renewed.</l> +<l>Sugríva is a king austere,</l> +<l>And Ráma's wrath we needs must fear.</l> +<l>Come, Vánars, ye think it wise,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And do the thing that I advise.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Gandhamádan thus replied</l> +<l>With lips that toil and thirst had dried;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Obey his words, for wise and true</q></l> +<l>Is all that he has counselled you.</l> +<l>Come, let your hosts their toil renew</l> +<l>And search each grove and desert through,</l> +<l>Each towering hill and forest glade.</l> +<l>By lake and brook and white cascade,</l> +<l>Till every spot, as our great lord</l> +<l><q rend="post">Commanded, be again explored.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Uprose the Vánars one and all,</l> +<l>Obedient to the chieftain's call,</l> +<l>And over the southern region sped</l> +<l>Where Vindhya's tangled forests spread.</l> +<l>They clomb that hill that towers on high</l> +<l>Like a huge cloud in autumn's sky,</l> +<l>Where many a cavern yawns, and streaks</l> +<l>Of radiant silver deck the peaks.</l> +<l>In eager search they wandered through</l> +<l>The forests where the Lodh trees grew,</l> +<l>Where the dark leaves were thick and green,</l> +<l>But found not Ráma's darling queen.</l> +<l>Then faint with toil, their hearts depressed,</l> +<l>Descending from the mountain's crest,</l> +<l>Their weary limbs a while to ease</l> +<l>They lay beneath the spreading trees.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-L"/> +<head>Canto L. The Enchanted Cave.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Angad and Tára by his side,</l> +<l>Again rose Hanumán and tried</l> +<l>Each mountain cavern, dark and deep,</l> +<l>And stony pass and wooded steep,</l> +<l>The lion's and the tiger's home,</l> +<l>By rushing torrents white with foam.</l> +<l>Then with new ardour, south and west,</l> +<l>O'er Vindhya's height the search they pressed.</l> +<l>The day prescribed was near and they</l> +<l>Still wandered on their weary way.</l> +<l>They reached the southern land beset</l> +<l>With woody mountains like a net.</l> +<l>At length a mighty cave they spied</l> +<l>That opened in a mountain's side.</l> +<l>Where many a verdant creeper grew</l> +<l>And o'er the mouth its tendrils threw.</l> +<l>Thence issued crane, and swan, and drake,</l> +<l>And trooping birds that love the lake.</l> +<l>The Vánars rushed within to cool</l> +<l>Their fevered lips in spring or pool.</l> +<l>Vast was the cavern dark and dread,</l> +<l>Where not a ray of light was shed;</l> +<l>Yet not the more their eyesight failed,</l> +<pb n="382"/><anchor id="Pg382"/> +<l>Their courage sank or valour quailed.</l> +<l>On through the gloom the Vánars pressed</l> +<l>With hunger, thirst, and toil distressed,</l> +<l>Poor helpless wanderers, sad, forlorn,</l> +<l>With wasted faces wan and worn.</l> +<l>At length, when life seemed lost for aye,</l> +<l>They saw a splendour as of day,</l> +<l>A wondrous forest, fair and bright,</l> +<l>Where golden trees shot flamy light.</l> +<l>And lotus-covered pools were there</l> +<l>With pleasant waters fresh and fair,</l> +<l>And streams their rippling currents rolled</l> +<l>By seats of silver and of gold.</l> +<l>Fair houses reared their stately height</l> +<l>Of burnished gold and lazulite,</l> +<l>And glorious was the lustre thrown</l> +<l>Through lattices of precious stone.</l> +<l>And there were flowers and fruit on stems</l> +<l>Of coral decked with rarest gems,</l> +<l>And emerald leaves on silver trees,</l> +<l>And honeycomb and golden bees.</l> +<l>Then as the Vánars nearer drew,</l> +<l>A holy woman met their view,</l> +<l>Around her form was duly tied</l> +<l>A garment of the blackdeer's hide.<note place="foot">The skin of the black antelope was +the ascetic's proper garb.</note></l> +<l>Pure votaress she shone with light</l> +<l>Of fervent zeal and holy rite.</l> +<l>Then Hanumán before the rest</l> +<l>With reverent words the dame addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Who art thou? say: and who is lord</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Of this vast cave with treasures stored?</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-LI"/> +<head>Canto LI. Svayamprabhá.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">Assailed by thirst and hunger, dame,</q></l> +<l>Within a gloomy vault we came.</l> +<l>We saw the cavern opening wide,</l> +<l>And straight within its depths we hied.</l> +<l>But utterly amazed are we</l> +<l>At all the marvels that we see.</l> +<l>Whose are the golden trees that gleam</l> +<l>With splendour like the morning's beam?</l> +<l>These cates of noblest sort? these roots?</l> +<l>This wondrous store of rarest fruits?</l> +<l>Whose are these calm and cool retreats,</l> +<l>These silver homes and golden seats,</l> +<l>And lattices of precious stones?</l> +<l>Who is the happy lord that owns</l> +<l>The golden trees, of rarest scent,</l> +<l>Neath loads of fruit and blossom bent?</l> +<l>Who, strong in holy zeal, had power</l> +<l>To deck the streams with richest dower,</l> +<l>And bade the lilies bright with gold</l> +<l>The glory of their blooms unfold,</l> +<l>Where fish in living gold below</l> +<l>The sheen of changing colours show?</l> +<l>Thine is the holy power, I ween,</l> +<l>That beautified the wondrous scene;</l> +<l>But if another's, lady, deign</l> +<l><q rend="post">To tell us, and the whole explain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To him the lady of the cave</l> +<l>In words like these her answer gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Skilled Maya framed in days of old</q></l> +<l>This magic wood of growing gold.</l> +<l>The chief artificer in place</l> +<l>Was he of all the Dánav race.</l> +<l>He, for his wise enchantments famed,</l> +<l>This glorious dwelling planned and framed</l> +<l>He for a thousand years endured</l> +<l>The sternest penance, and secured</l> +<l>From Brahmá of all boons the best,</l> +<l>The knowledge Uśanas<note place="foot">Uśanas is the name of a sage mentioned +in the Vedas. In the epic poems he is identified with Śukra, the regent of +the planet Venus, and described as the preceptor of the Asuras or Daityas, and +possessor of vast knowledge.</note> possessed.</l> +<l>Lord, by that boon, of all his will,</l> +<l>He fashioned all with perfect skill;</l> +<l>And, with his blissful state content,</l> +<l>In this vast grove a season spent.</l> +<l>By Indra's jealous bolt he fell</l> +<l>For loving Hemá's<note place="foot">Hemá is one of the nymphs of Paradise.</note> +charms too well.</l> +<l>And Brahmá on that nymph bestowed</l> +<l>The treasures of this fair abode,</l> +<l>Wherein her tranquil days to spend</l> +<l>In happiness that ne'er may end.</l> +<l>Sprung of a lineage old and high,</l> +<l>Merusávarṇi's<note place="foot">Merusávarṇi is a general name for the +last four of the fourteen Manus.</note> daughter, I</l> +<l>Guard ever for that heavenly dame</l> +<l>This home, Svayamprabhá<note place="foot">Svayamprabhá, the <q>self-luminous,</q> +is according to <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">De Gubernatis</hi> the moon: +<q>In the <hi rend='italic'>Svayamprabhá</hi> too, we meet with +the moon as a good fairy who, from the golden palace which she reserves for her +friend Hemá (the golden one:) is during a month the guide, in the vast cavern of +Hanumant and his companions, who have lost their way in the search of the dawn +Sítá.</q> This is is not quite accurate: Hanumán and his companions wander for a +month in the cavern without a guide, and then Svayamprabhá leads them out.</note> +my name,—</l> +<l>For I have loved the lady long,</l> +<l>So skilled in arts of dance and song.</l> +<l>But say what cause your steps has led</l> +<l>The mazes of this grove to tread.</l> +<pb n="383"/><anchor id="Pg383"/> +<l>How, strangers did ye chance to spy</l> +<l>The wood concealed from wanderer's eye?</l> +<l>Tell clearly why ye come: but first</l> +<l><q rend="post">Eat of this fruit and quench your thirst.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-LII"/> +<head>Canto LII. The Exit.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q>Ráma,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">a prince whose sway</q></l> +<l>All peoples of the earth obey,</l> +<l>To Daṇḍak's tangled forest came</l> +<l>With his brave brother and his dame.</l> +<l>From that dark shade of forest boughs</l> +<l>The giant Rávaṇ stole his spouse.</l> +<l>Our king Sugríva's orders send</l> +<l>These Vánars forth to aid his friend,</l> +<l>That so the lady be restored</l> +<l>Uninjured to her sorrowing lord.</l> +<l>With Angad and the rest, this band</l> +<l>Has wandered through the southern land,</l> +<l>With careful search in every place</l> +<l>The lady and the fiend to trace.</l> +<l>We roamed the southern region o'er,</l> +<l>And stood upon the ocean's shore.</l> +<l>By hunger pressed our strength gave way;</l> +<l>Beneath the spreading trees we lay,</l> +<l>And cried, worn out with toil and woe,</l> +<l><q>No farther, comrades, can we go.</q></l> +<l>Then as our sad eyes looked around</l> +<l>We spied an opening in the ground,</l> +<l>Where all was gloomy dark behind</l> +<l>The creeping plants that o'er it twined.</l> +<l>Forth trooping from the dark-recess</l> +<l>Came swans and mallards numberless,</l> +<l>With drops upon their shining wings</l> +<l>As newly bathed where water springs.</l> +<l><q>On, comrades, to the cave,</q> I cried</l> +<l>And all within the portal hied.</l> +<l>Each clasping fast another's hand</l> +<l>Far onward pressed the Vánar band;</l> +<l>And still, as thirst and hunger drove,</l> +<l>We traced the mazes of the grove.</l> +<l>Here thou with hospitable care</l> +<l>Hast fed us with the noblest fare,</l> +<l>Preserving us, about to die,</l> +<l>With this thy plentiful supply.</l> +<l>But how, O pious lady, say,</l> +<l><q rend="post">May we thy gracious boon repay?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: the ascetic dame replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Well, Vánars, am I satisfied.</q></l> +<l>A life of holy works I lead,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And from your hands no service need.</q></l> +<l>Then spake again the Vánar chief:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">We came to thee and found relief.</q></l> +<l>Now listen to a new distress,</l> +<l>And aid us, holy votaress.</l> +<l>Our wanderings in this vasty cave</l> +<l>Exhaust the time Sugríva gave.</l> +<l>Once more then, lady, grant release,</l> +<l>And let thy suppliants go in peace</l> +<l>Again upon their errand sped,</l> +<l>For King Sugríva's ire we dread.</l> +<l>And the great task our sovereign set,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Alas, is unaccomplished yet.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Hanumán their leader prayed,</l> +<l>And thus the dame her answer made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Scarce may the living find their way</q></l> +<l>Returning hence to light of day;</l> +<l>But I will free you through the might</l> +<l>Of penance, fast, and holy rite.</l> +<l>Close for a while your eyes, or ne'er</l> +<l><q rend="post">May you return to upper air.</q></l> +<l>She ceased: the Vánars all obeyed;</l> +<l>Their fingers on their eyes they laid,</l> +<l>And, ere a moment's time had fled,</l> +<l>Were through the mazy cavern led.</l> +<l>Again the gracious lady spoke,</l> +<l>And joy in every bosom woke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Lo, here again is Vindhya's hill,</q></l> +<l>Whose valleys trees and creepers fill;</l> +<l>And, by the margin of the sea,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Praśravaṇ where you fain would be.</q></l> +<l>With blessings then she bade adieu,</l> +<l>And swift within the cave withdrew.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-LIII"/> +<head>Canto LIII. Angad's Counsel.</head> + +<lg> +<l>They looked upon the boundless main</l> +<l>The awful seat of Varuṇ's reign.</l> +<l>And heard his waters roar and rave</l> +<l>Terrific with each crested wave.</l> +<l>Then, in the depths of sorrow drowned,</l> +<l>They sat upon the bosky ground,</l> +<l>And sadly, as they pondered, grieved</l> +<l>For days gone by and naught achieved.</l> +<l>Pain pierced them through with sharper sting</l> +<l>When, gazing on the trees of spring,</l> +<l>They saw each waving bough that showed</l> +<l>The treasures of its glorious load,</l> +<l>And helpless, fainting with the weight</l> +<l>Of woe they sank disconsolate.</l> +<l>Then, lion-shouldered, stout and strong,</l> +<l>The noblest of the Vánar throng,</l> +<l>Angad the prince imperial rose,</l> +<l>And, deeply stricken by the woes</l> +<l>That his impetuous spirit broke,</l> +<l>Thus gently to the chieftains spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Mark ye not, Vánars, that the day</q></l> +<l>Our monarch fixed has passed away?</l> +<l>The month is lost in toil and pain,</l> +<l>And now, my friends, what hopes remain?</l> +<l>On you, in lore of counsel tried,</l> +<l>Our king Sugríva most relied.</l> +<l>Your hearts, with strong affection fraught,</l> +<pb n="384"/><anchor id="Pg384"/> +<l>His weal in every labour sought,</l> +<l>And the true valour of your band</l> +<l>Was blazoned wide in every land.</l> +<l>Forth on the toilsome search you sped,</l> +<l>By me—for so he willed it—led,</l> +<l>To us, of every hope bereft,</l> +<l>Death is the only refuge left.</l> +<l>For none a happy life may see</l> +<l>Who fails to do our king's decree.</l> +<l>Come, let us all from food abstain,</l> +<l>And perish thus, since hope is vain.</l> +<l>Stern is our king and swift to ire,</l> +<l>Imperious, proud, and fierce like fire,</l> +<l>And ne'er will pardon us the crime</l> +<l>Of fruitless search and wasted time.</l> +<l>Far better thus to end our lives,</l> +<l>And leave our wealth, our homes and wives,</l> +<l>Leave our dear little ones and all,</l> +<l>Than by his vengeful hand to fall.</l> +<l>Think not Sugríva's wrath will spare</l> +<l>Me Báli's son, imperial heir:</l> +<l>For Raghu's royal son, not he,</l> +<l>To this high place anointed me.</l> +<l>Sugríva, long my bitter foe,</l> +<l>With eager hand will strike the blow,</l> +<l>And, mindful of the old offence,</l> +<l>Will slay me now for negligence,</l> +<l>Nor will my pitying friends have power</l> +<l>To save me in the deadly hour.</l> +<l>No—here, O chieftains, will I lie</l> +<l><q rend="post">By ocean's marge, and fast and die.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They heard the royal prince declare</l> +<l>The purpose of his fixt despair;</l> +<l>And all, by common terror moved,</l> +<l>His speech in these sad words approved:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Sugríva's heart is hard and stern,</q></l> +<l>And Ráma's thoughts for Sítá yearn.</l> +<l>Our forfeit lives will surely pay</l> +<l>For idle search and long delay,</l> +<l>And our fierce king will bid us die</l> +<l><q rend="post">The favour of his friend to buy.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Tára softly spake to cheer</l> +<l>The Vánars' hearts oppressed by fear:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Despair no more, your doubts dispel:</q></l> +<l>Come in this ample cavern dwell.</l> +<l>There may we live in blissful ease</l> +<l>Mid springs and fruit and bloomy trees,</l> +<l>Secure from every foe's assault,</l> +<l>For magic framed the wondrous vault.</l> +<l>Protected there we need not fear</l> +<l>Though Ráma and our king come near;</l> +<l>Nor dread e'en him who batters down</l> +<l><q rend="post">The portals of the foeman's town.</q><note place="foot">Purandara, +the destroyer of cities; the cities being the clouds which the God of the firmament +bursts open with his thunderbolts, to release the waters imprisoned in these fortresses +of the demons of drought.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-LIV"/> +<head>Canto LIV. Hanumán's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Hanumán, while Tára, best</l> +<l>Of splendid chiefs his thought expressed,</l> +<l>Perceived that Báli's princely son</l> +<l>A kingdom for himself had won.<note place="foot">Perceived that Angad had secured, +through the love of the Vánars, the reversion of Sugríva's kingdom; or, as +another commentator explains it, perceived that Angad had obtained a new kingdom +in the enchanted cave which the Vánars, through love of him, would consent +to occupy.</note></l> +<l>His keen eye marked in him combined</l> +<l>The warrior's arm, the ruler's mind,</l> +<l>And every noble gift should grace</l> +<l>The happy sovereign of his race:</l> +<l>Marked how he grew with ripening age</l> +<l>More glorious and bold and sage,—</l> +<l>Like the young moon that night by night</l> +<l>Shines on with ever waxing light,—</l> +<l>Brave as his royal father, wise</l> +<l>As he who counsels in the skies:<note place="foot">Vṛihaspati, Lord of Speech, the +Preceptor of the Gods.</note></l> +<l>Marked how, forwearied with the quest,</l> +<l>He heeded not his liege's hest,</l> +<l>But Tára's every word obeyed</l> +<l>Like Indra still by Śukra<note place="foot">Śukra is the regent of the planet Venus, +and the preceptor of the Daityas.</note> swayed.</l> +<l>Then with his prudent speech he tried</l> +<l>To better thoughts the prince to guide,</l> +<l>And by division's skilful art</l> +<l>The Vánars and the youth to part:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Illustrious Angad, thou in fight</q></l> +<l>Hast far surpassed thy father's might,</l> +<l>Most worthy, like thy sire of old,</l> +<l>The empire of our race to hold.</l> +<l>The Vánars' fickle people range</l> +<l>From wish to wish and welcome change.</l> +<l>Their wives and babes they will not leave</l> +<l>And to their new-made sovereign cleave.</l> +<l>No art, no gifts will draw away</l> +<l>The Vánars from Sugríva's sway,</l> +<l>Through hope of wealth, through fear of pain</l> +<l>Still faithful will they all remain.</l> +<l>Thou fondly hopest in this cave</l> +<l>The vengeance of the foe to brave.</l> +<l>But Lakshmaṇ's arm a shower will send</l> +<l>Of deadly shafts those walls to rend.</l> +<l>Like Indra's bolts his shafts have power</l> +<l>To cleave the mountain like a flower.</l> +<l>O Angad, mark my counsel well:</l> +<l>If in this cave thou choose to dwell,</l> +<pb n="385"/><anchor id="Pg385"/> +<l>These Vánar hosts with one accord</l> +<l>Will quit thee for their lawful lord,</l> +<l>And turn again with thirsty eyes</l> +<l>To wife and babe and all they prize.</l> +<l>Thou in the lonely cavern left</l> +<l>Of followers and friends bereft,</l> +<l>Wilt be in all thy woe, alas,</l> +<l>Weak as a blade of trembling grass:</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ's arrows, keen and fierce</l> +<l>From his strong bow, thy heart will pierce.</l> +<l>But if in lowly reverence meek</l> +<l>Sugríva's court with us thou seek,</l> +<l>He, as thy birth demands, will share</l> +<l>The kingdom with the royal heir.</l> +<l>Thy loving kinsman, true and wise,</l> +<l>Looks on thee still with favouring eyes.</l> +<l>Firm in his promise, pure is he,</l> +<l>And ne'er will vex or injure thee.</l> +<l>He loves thy mother, lives for her</l> +<l>A faithful friend and worshipper.</l> +<l>That mother's love thou mayst not spurn:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Her only child, return, return.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-LV"/> +<head>Canto LV. Angad's Reply.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q>What truth or justice canst thou find,</q></l> +<l>Cried Angad, <q rend="pre">in Sugríva's mind?</q></l> +<l>Where is his high and generous soul,</l> +<l>His purity and self-control?</l> +<l>How is he worthy of our trust,</l> +<l>Righteous, and true, and wise, and just,</l> +<l>Who, shrinking not from sin and shame,</l> +<l>Durst take his living brother's dame?</l> +<l>Who, when, in stress of mortal strife</l> +<l>His noble brother fought for life,</l> +<l>Against the valiant warrior barred</l> +<l>The portal which he stood to guard?</l> +<l>Can he be grateful—he who took</l> +<l>The hand of Ráma, and forsook</l> +<l>That friend who saved him in his woes,</l> +<l>To whom his life and fame he owes?</l> +<l>Ah no! his heart is cold and mean,</l> +<l>What bids him search for Ráma's queen?</l> +<l>Not honour's law, not friendship's debt,</l> +<l>But angry Lakshmaṇ's timely threat.</l> +<l>No prudent heart will ever place</l> +<l>Its trust in one so false and base,</l> +<l>Who heeds not friendship, kith or kin,</l> +<l>Who scorns the law and cleaves to sin.</l> +<l>But true or false, whate'er he be,</l> +<l>One consequence I clearly see;</l> +<l>Me, in my youth anointed heir</l> +<l>Against his wish, he will not spare,</l> +<l>But strike with eager hand the blow</l> +<l>That rids him of a household foe.</l> +<l>Shall I of power and friends despoiled,</l> +<l>In all my purpose crossed and foiled,—</l> +<l>Shall I Kishkindhá seek, and wait,</l> +<l>Like some poor helpless thing, my fate?</l> +<l>The cruel wretch through lust of sway</l> +<l>Will seize upon his hapless prey,</l> +<l>And to a prison's secret gloom</l> +<l>The remnant of my years will doom.</l> +<l>'Tis better far to fast and die</l> +<l>Than hopeless bound in chains to lie,</l> +<l>Your steps, O Vánars, homeward bend</l> +<l>And leave me here my life to end.</l> +<l>Better to die of hunger here</l> +<l>Than meet at home the fate I fear.</l> +<l>Go, bow you at Sugríva's feet,</l> +<l>And in my name the monarch greet.</l> +<l>Before the sons of Raghu bend,</l> +<l>And give the greeting that I send.</l> +<l>Greet kindly Rumá too, for she</l> +<l>A son's affection claims from me,</l> +<l>And gently calm with friendly care</l> +<l>My mother Tárá's wild despair;</l> +<l>Or when she hears her darling's fate</l> +<l><q rend="post">The queen will die disconsolate.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Angad bade the chiefs adieu:</l> +<l>Then on the ground his limbs he threw</l> +<l>Where sacred Darbha<note place="foot">The name of various kinds of grass +used at sacrificial ceremonies, especially, of the Kuśa grass, Poa cynosuroides, +which was used to strew the ground in preparing for a sacrifice, the officiating +Brahmans being purified by sitting on it.</note> grass was spread,</l> +<l>And wept as every hope had fled.</l> +<l>The moving words of Angad drew</l> +<l>Down aged cheeks the piteous dew.</l> +<l>And, as the chieftains' eyes grew dim,</l> +<l>They swore to stay and die with him.</l> +<l>On holy grass whose every blade</l> +<l>Was duly, pointing southward, laid,</l> +<l>The Vánars sat them down and bent</l> +<l>Their faces to the orient,</l> +<l>While <q rend="pre">Here, O comrades, let us die</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">With Angad,</q> was the general cry.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-LVI"/> +<head>Canto LVI. Sampáti.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then came the vultures' mighty king</l> +<l>Where sat the Vánars sorrowing,—</l> +<l>Sampáti,<note place="foot">Sampáti is the eldest son of the celebrated +Garuḍa the king of birds.</note> best of birds that fly</l> +<l>On sounding pinions through the sky,</l> +<l>Jaṭáyus' brother, famed of old,</l> +<l>Most glorious and strong and bold.</l> +<l>Upon the slope of Vindhya's hill</l> +<l>He saw the Vánars calm and still.</l> +<pb n="386"/><anchor id="Pg386"/> +<l>These words he uttered while the sight</l> +<l>Filled his fierce spirit with delight:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Behold how Fate with changeless laws</q></l> +<l>Within his toils the sinner draws,</l> +<l>And brings me, after long delay,</l> +<l>A rich and noble feast to-day,</l> +<l>These Vánars who are doomed to die</l> +<l><q rend="post">My hungry maw to satisfy.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke no more: and Angad heard</l> +<l>The menace of the mighty bird;</l> +<l>And thus, while anguish filled his breast,</l> +<l>The noble Hanumán addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Vivasvat's<note place="foot">Vivasvat or the Sun is the father of +Yáma the God of Death.</note> son has sought this place</q></l> +<l>For vengeance on the Vánar race.</l> +<l>See, Yáma, wroth for Sítá's sake,</l> +<l>Is come our guilty lives to take.</l> +<l>Our king's decree is left undone,</l> +<l>And naught achieved for Raghu's son.</l> +<l>In duty have we failed, and hence</l> +<l>Comes punishment for dire offence.</l> +<l>Have we not heard the marvels wrought</l> +<l>By King Jaṭáyus,<note place="foot"><ref target="CantoIII-LI">Book III, Canto +LI</ref>.</note> how he fought</l> +<l>With Rávaṇ's might, and, nobly brave,</l> +<l>Perished, the Maithil queen to save?</l> +<l>There is no living creature, none,</l> +<l>But loves to die for Raghu's son,</l> +<l>And in long toils and dangers we</l> +<l>Have placed our lives in jeopardy.</l> +<l>Blest is Jaṭáyus, he who gave</l> +<l>His life the Maithil queen to save,</l> +<l>And proved his love for Ráma well</l> +<l>When by the giant's hand he fell.</l> +<l>Now raised to bliss and high renown</l> +<l>He fears not fierce Sugríva's frown.</l> +<l>Alas, alas! what miseries spring</l> +<l>From that rash promise of the king!<note place="foot">Daśaratha's rash oath and fatal +promise to his wife Kaikeyí.</note></l> +<l>His own sad death, and Ráma sent</l> +<l>With Lakshmaṇ forth to banishment:</l> +<l>The Maithil lady borne away:</l> +<l>Jaṭáyus slain in mortal fray:</l> +<l>The fall of Báli when the dart</l> +<l>Of Ráma quivered in his heart:</l> +<l>And, after toil and pain and care,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Our misery and deep despair.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: the feathered monarch heard,</l> +<l>His heart with ruth and wonder stirred:</l> +<l><q>Whose is that voice,</q> the vulture cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">That tells me how Jaṭáyus died,</q></l> +<l>And shakes my inmost soul with woe</l> +<l>For a loved brother's overthrow?</l> +<l>After long days at length I hear</l> +<l>The glorious name of one so dear.</l> +<l>Once more, O Vánar chieftains, tell</l> +<l>How King Jaṭáyus fought and fell.</l> +<l>But first your aid, I pray you, lend,</l> +<l>And from this peak will I descend.</l> +<l>The sun has burnt my wings, and I</l> +<l><q rend="post">No longer have the power to fly.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-LVII"/> +<head>Canto LVII. Angad's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Though grief and woe his utterance broke</l> +<l>They trusted not the words he spoke;</l> +<l>But, looking still for secret guile,</l> +<l>Reflected in their hearts a while:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If on our mangled limbs he feed,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">We gain the death ourselves decreed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then rose the Vánar chiefs, and lent</l> +<l>Their arms to aid the bird's descent;</l> +<l>And Angad spake: <q rend="pre">There lived of yore</q></l> +<l>A noble Vánar king who bore</l> +<l>The name of Riksharajas, great</l> +<l>And brave and strong and fortunate.</l> +<l>His sons were like their father: fame</l> +<l>Knows Báli and Sugríva's name.</l> +<l>Praised in all lands, a glorious king</l> +<l>Was Báli, and from him I spring.</l> +<l>Brave Ráma, Daśaratha's heir,</l> +<l>A glorious prince beyond compare,</l> +<l>His sire and duty's law obeyed,</l> +<l>And sought the depths of Daṇḍak' shade</l> +<l>Sítá his well-beloved dame,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ, with the wanderer came.</l> +<l>A giant watched his hour, and stole</l> +<l>The sweet delight of Ráma's soul.</l> +<l>Jaṭáyus, Daśaratha's friend,</l> +<l>Swift succour to the dame would lend.</l> +<l>Fierce Rávaṇ from his car he felled,</l> +<l>And for a time the prize withheld.</l> +<l>But bleeding, weak with years, and tired,</l> +<l>Beneath the demon's blows expired,</l> +<l>Due rites at Ráma's hands obtained,</l> +<l>And bliss that ne'er shall minish, gained.</l> +<l>Then Ráma with Sugríva made</l> +<l>A covenant for mutual aid,</l> +<l>And Báli, to the field defied,</l> +<l>By conquering Ráma's arrow died.</l> +<l>Sugríva then, by Ráma's grace,</l> +<l>Was monarch of the Vánar race.</l> +<l>By his command a mighty host</l> +<l>Seeks Ráma's queen from coast to coast.</l> +<l>Sent forth by him, in every spot</l> +<l>We looked for her, but find her not.</l> +<l>Vain is the toil, as though by night</l> +<l>We sought to find the Day-God's light.</l> +<l>In lands unknown at length we found</l> +<l>A spacious cavern under ground,</l> +<l>Whose vaults that stretch beneath the hill</l> +<l>Were formed by Maya's magic skill.</l> +<l>Through the dark maze our steps were bent,</l> +<l>And wandering there a month we spent,</l> +<pb n="387"/><anchor id="Pg387"/> +<l>And lost, in fruitless error, thus</l> +<l>The days our king allotted us.</l> +<l>Thus we though faithful have transgressed,</l> +<l>And failed to keep our lord's behest.</l> +<l>No chance of safety can we see,</l> +<l>No lingering hope of life have we.</l> +<l>Sugríva's wrath and Ráma's hate</l> +<l>Press on our souls with grievous weight:</l> +<l>And we, because 'tis vain to fly,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Resolve at length to fast and die.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-LVIII"/> +<head>Canto LVIII. Tidings Of Sítá.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The piteous tears his eye bedewed</l> +<l>As thus his speech the bird renewed;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Alas my brother, slain in fight</q></l> +<l>By Rávaṇ's unresisted might!</l> +<l>I, old and wingless, weak and worn,</l> +<l>O'er his sad fate can only mourn.</l> +<l>Fled is my youth: in life's decline</l> +<l>My former strength no more is mine.</l> +<l>Once on the day when Vritra<note place="foot">Vritra, <q>the coverer, hider, obstructer +(of rain)</q> is the name of the Vedic personification of an imaginary malignant +influence or demon of darkness and drought supposed to take possession of +the clouds, causing them to obstruct the clearness of the sky and keep back the +waters. Indra is represented as battling with this evil influence, and the pent-up +clouds being practically represented as mountains or castles are shattered by his +thunderbolt and made to open their receptacles.</note> died,</l> +<l>We brothers, in ambitious pride,</l> +<l>Sought, mounting with adventurous flight,</l> +<l>The Day-God garlanded with light.</l> +<l>On, ever on we urged our way</l> +<l>Where fields of ether round us lay,</l> +<l>Till, by the fervent heat assailed,</l> +<l>My brother's pinions flagged and failed.</l> +<l>I marked his sinking strength, and spread</l> +<l>My stronger wings to screen his head,</l> +<l>Till, all my feathers burnt away,</l> +<l>On Vindhya's hill I fell and lay.</l> +<l>There in my lone and helpless state</l> +<l><q rend="post">I heard not of my brother's fate.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus King Sampáti spoke and sighed:</l> +<l>And royal Angad thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If, brother of Jatáyus, thou</q></l> +<l>Hast heard the tale I told but now,</l> +<l>Obedient to mine earnest prayer</l> +<l>The dwelling of that fiend declare.</l> +<l>O, say where cursed Rávaṇ dwells,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Whom folly to his death impels.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased. Again Sampáti spoke,</l> +<l>And hope in every breast awoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Though lost my wings, and strength decayed,</q></l> +<l>Yet shall my words lend Ráma aid.</l> +<l>I know the worlds where Vishṇu trod,<note place="foot">Frequent mention has been made +of the three steps of Vishṇu typifying the rising, culmination, and setting of the +sun.</note></l> +<l>I know the realm of Ocean's God;</l> +<l>How Asurs fought with heavenly foes,</l> +<l>And Amrit from the churning rose.<note place="foot">For the +<hi rend='italic'>Churning of the Sea</hi>, see +<ref target="CantoI-XLV">Book I, Canto XLV</ref>.</note></l> +<l>A mighty task before me lies,</l> +<l>To prosper Ráma's enterprise,</l> +<l>A task too hard for one whom length</l> +<l>Of days has rifled of his strength.</l> +<l>I saw the cruel Rávaṇ bear</l> +<l>A gentle lady through the air.</l> +<l>Bright was her form, and fresh and young,</l> +<l>And sparkling gems about her hung.</l> +<l><q>O Ráma, Ráma!</q> cried the dame,</l> +<l>And shrieked in terror Lakshmaṇ's name,</l> +<l>As, struggling in the giant's hold,</l> +<l>She dropped her gauds of gems and gold.</l> +<l>Like sun-light on a mountain shone</l> +<l>The silken garments she had on,</l> +<l>And glistened o'er his swarthy form</l> +<l>As lightning flashes through the storm.</l> +<l>That giant Rávaṇ, famed of old,</l> +<l>Is brother of the Lord of Gold.<note place="foot">Kuvera, the God of Wealth.</note></l> +<l>The southern ocean roars and swells</l> +<l>Round Lanká, where the robber dwells</l> +<l>In his fair city nobly planned</l> +<l>And built by Viśvakarmá's<note place="foot">The architect of the gods.</note> hand.</l> +<l>Within his bower securely barred,</l> +<l>With monsters round her for a guard,</l> +<l>Still in her silken vesture clad</l> +<l>Lies Sítá, and her heart is sad.</l> +<l>A hundred leagues your course must be</l> +<l>Beyond this margin of the sea.</l> +<l>Still to the south your way pursue,</l> +<l>And there the giant Rávaṇ view.</l> +<l>Then up, O Vánars, and away!</l> +<l>For by my heavenly lore I say,</l> +<l>There will you see the lady's face,</l> +<l>And hither soon your steps retrace.</l> +<l>In the first field of air are borne</l> +<l>The doves and birds that feed on corn.</l> +<l>The second field supports the crows</l> +<l>And birds whose food on branches grows.</l> +<l>Along the third in balanced flight</l> +<l>Sail the keen osprey and the kite.</l> +<l>Swift through the fourth the falcon springs</l> +<l>The fifth the slower vulture wings.</l> +<l>Up to the sixth the gay swans rise,</l> +<pb n="388"/><anchor id="Pg388"/> +<l>Where royal Vainateya<note place="foot">Garuḍa, son of Vinatá, the sovereign +of the birds.</note> flies.</l> +<l>We too, O chiefs, of vulture race,</l> +<l>Our line from Vinatá may trace,</l> +<l>Condemned, because we wrought a deed</l> +<l>Of shame, on flesh and blood to feed.</l> +<l>But all Suparṇa's<note place="foot"><q>The well winged one,</q> Garuḍa.</note> +wondrous powers</l> +<l>And length of keenest sight are ours,</l> +<l>That we a hundred leagues away</l> +<l>Through fields of air descry our prey.</l> +<l>Now from this spot my gazing eye</l> +<l>Can Rávaṇ and the dame descry.</l> +<l>Devise some plan to overleap</l> +<l>This barrier of the briny deep.</l> +<l>Find the Videhan lady there,</l> +<l>And joyous to your home repair.</l> +<l>Me too, O Vánars, to the side</l> +<l>Of Varuṇ's<note place="foot">The god of the sea.</note> home the ocean, guide,</l> +<l>Where due libations shall be paid</l> +<l><q rend="post">To my great-hearted brother's shade.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-LIX"/> +<head>Canto LIX. Sampáti's Story.</head> + +<lg> +<l>They heard his counsel to the close,</l> +<l>Then swiftly to their feet they rose;</l> +<l>And Jámbaván with joyous breast</l> +<l>The vulture king again addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Where, where is Sítá? who has seen,</q></l> +<l>Who borne away the Maithil queen?</l> +<l>Who would the lightning flight withstand</l> +<l><q rend="post">by Lakshmaṇ's hand?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Again Sampáti spoke to cheer</l> +<l>The Vánars as they bent to hear:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now listen, and my words shall show</q></l> +<l>What of the Maithil dame I know,</l> +<l>And in what distant prison lies</l> +<l>The lady of the long dark eyes.</l> +<l>Scorched by the fiery God of Day,</l> +<l>High on this mighty hill I lay.</l> +<l>A long and weary time had passed,</l> +<l>And strength and life were failing fast.</l> +<l>Yet, ere the breath had left my frame,</l> +<l>My son, my dear Supárśva, came.</l> +<l>Each morn and eve he brought me food,</l> +<l>And filial care my life renewed.</l> +<l>But serpents still are swift to ire,</l> +<l>Gandharvas slaves to soft desire,</l> +<l>And we, imperial vultures, need</l> +<l>A full supply our maws to feed.</l> +<l>Once he turned at close of day,</l> +<l>Stood by my side, but brought no prey.</l> +<l>He looked upon my ravenous eye,</l> +<l>Heard my complaint and made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Borne on swift wings ere day was light</q></l> +<l>I stood upon Mahendra's<note place="foot">Mahendra is chain of mountains +generally identified with part of the Gháts of the Peninsula.</note> height,</l> +<l>And, far below, the sea I viewed</l> +<l>And birds in countless multitude.</l> +<l>Before mine eyes a giant flew</l> +<l>Whose monstrous form was dark of hue</l> +<l>And struggling in his grasp was borne</l> +<l>A lady radiant as the morn.</l> +<l>Swift to the south his course he bent,</l> +<l>And cleft the yielding element.</l> +<l>The holy spirits of the air</l> +<l>Came round me as I marvelled there,</l> +<l>And cried as their bright legions met:</l> +<l><q>O say, is Sítá living yet?</q></l> +<l>Thus cried the saints and told the name</l> +<l>Of him who held the struggling dame.</l> +<l>Then while mine eye with eager look</l> +<l>Pursued the path the robber took,</l> +<l>I marked the lady's streaming hair,</l> +<l>And heard her cry of wild despair.</l> +<l>I saw her silken vesture rent</l> +<l>And stripped of every ornament,</l> +<l>Thus, O my father, fled the time:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Forgive, I pray, the heedless crime.</q></l> +<l>In vain the mournful tale I heard</l> +<l>My pitying heart to fury stirred,</l> +<l>What could a helpless bird of air,</l> +<l>Reft of his boasted pinions, dare?</l> +<l>Yet can I aid with all that will</l> +<l><q rend="post">And words can do, and friendly skill.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-LX"/> +<head>Canto LX. Sampáti's Story.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then from the flood Sampáti paid</l> +<l>Due offerings to his brother's shade.</l> +<l>He bathed him when the rites were done,</l> +<l>And spake again to Báli's son:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now listen, Prince, while I relate</q></l> +<l>How first I learned the lady's fate.</l> +<l>Burnt by the sun's resistless might</l> +<l>I fell and lay on Vindhya's height.</l> +<l>Seven nights in deadly swoon I passed,</l> +<l>But struggling life returned at last.</l> +<l>Around I bent my wondering view,</l> +<l>But every spot was strange and new.</l> +<l>I scanned the sea with eager ken,</l> +<l>And rock and brook and lake and glen,</l> +<l>I saw gay trees their branches wave,</l> +<l>And creepers mantling o'er the cave.</l> +<l>I heard the wild birds' joyous song,</l> +<l>And waters as they foamed along,</l> +<l>And knew the lovely hill must be</l> +<l>Mount Vindhya by the southern sea.</l> +<pb n="389"/><anchor id="Pg389"/> +<l>Revered by heavenly beings, stood</l> +<l>Near where I lay, a sacred wood,</l> +<l>Where great Niśakar dwelt of yore</l> +<l>And pains of awful penance bore.</l> +<l>Eight thousand seasons winged their flight</l> +<l>Over the toiling anchorite—</l> +<l>Upon that hill my days were spent,—</l> +<l>And then to heaven the hermit went.</l> +<l>At last, with long and hard assay,</l> +<l>Down from that height I made my way,</l> +<l>And wandered through the mountain pass</l> +<l>Rough with the spikes of Darbha grass.</l> +<l>I with my misery worn, and faint</l> +<l>Was eager to behold the saint:</l> +<l>For often with Jaṭáyus I</l> +<l>Had sought his home in days gone by.</l> +<l>As nearer to the grove I drew</l> +<l>The breeze with cooling fragrance blew,</l> +<l>And not a tree that was not fair,</l> +<l>With richest flower and fruit was there.</l> +<l>With anxious heart a while I stayed</l> +<l>Beneath the trees' delightful shade,</l> +<l>And soon the holy hermit, bright</l> +<l>With fervent penance, came in sight.</l> +<l>Behind him bears and lions, tame</l> +<l>As those who know their feeder, came,</l> +<l>And tigers, deer, and snakes pursued</l> +<l>His steps, a wondrous multitude,</l> +<l>And turned obeisant when the sage</l> +<l>Had reached his shady hermitage.</l> +<l>Then came Niśakar to my side</l> +<l>And looked with wondering eyes, and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I knew thee not, so dire a change</q></l> +<l>Has made thy form and feature strange.</l> +<l>Where are thy glossy feathers? where</l> +<l>The rapid wings that cleft the air?</l> +<l>Two vulture brothers once I knew:</l> +<l>Each form at will could they endue.</l> +<l>They of the vulture race were kings,</l> +<l>And flew with Mátariśva's<note place="foot">Mátariśva is identified with Váyu, the +wind.</note> wings.</l> +<l>In human shape they loved to greet</l> +<l>Their hermit friend, and clasp his feet.</l> +<l>The younger was Jaṭáyus, thou</l> +<l>The elder whom I gaze on now.</l> +<l>Say, has disease or foeman's hate</l> +<l><q rend="post">Reduced thee from thy high estate?</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-LXI"/> +<head>Canto LXI. Sampáti's Story.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah me! o'erwhelmed with shame and weak</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">With wounds,</q> I cried, <q rend="pre">I scarce can speak.</q></l> +<l>My hapless brother once and I</l> +<l>Our strength of flight resolved to try.</l> +<l>And by our foolish pride impelled</l> +<l>Our way through realms of ether held.</l> +<l>We vowed before the saints who tread</l> +<l>The wilds about Kailása's head,</l> +<l>That we with following wings would chase</l> +<l>The swift sun to his resting place.</l> +<l>Up on our soaring pinions through</l> +<l>The fields of cloudless air we flew.</l> +<l>Beneath us far, and far away,</l> +<l>Like chariot wheels bright cities lay,</l> +<l>Whence in wild snatches rose the song</l> +<l>Of women mid the gay-clad throng,</l> +<l>With sounds of sweetest music blent</l> +<l>And many a tinkling ornament.</l> +<l>Then as our rapid wings we strained</l> +<l>The pathway of the sun we gained.</l> +<l>Beneath us all the earth was seen</l> +<l>Clad in her garb of tender green,</l> +<l>And every river in her bed</l> +<l>Meandered like a silver thread.</l> +<l>We looked on Meru far below</l> +<l>And Vindhya and the Lord of Snow,</l> +<l>Like elephants that bend to cool</l> +<l>Their fever in a lilied pool.</l> +<l>But fervent heat and toil o'ercame</l> +<l>The vigour of each yielding frame,</l> +<l>Our weary hearts began to quail,</l> +<l>And wildered sense to reel and fail.</l> +<l>We knew not, fainting and distressed,</l> +<l>The north or south or east or west.</l> +<l>With a great strain mine eyes I turned</l> +<l>Where the fierce sun before me burned,</l> +<l>And seemed to my astonished eyes</l> +<l>The equal of the earth in size.<note place="foot">Of course not equal to the whole +earth, says the Commentator, but equal to Janasthán.</note></l> +<l>At length, o'erpowered, Jaṭáyus fell</l> +<l>Without a word to say farewell,</l> +<l>And when to earth I saw him hie</l> +<l>I followed headlong from the sky.<note place="foot">This appears to be the Indian +form of the stories of Phaethon and Dædalus and Icarus.</note></l> +<l>With sheltering wings I intervened</l> +<l>And from the sun his body screened,</l> +<l>But lost, for heedless folly doomed,</l> +<l>My pinions which the heat consumed.</l> +<l>In Janasthán, I hear them say,</l> +<l>My hapless brother fell and lay.</l> +<l>I, pinionless and faint and weak,</l> +<l>Dropped upon Vindhya's woody peak.</l> +<l>Now with my swift wings burnt away,</l> +<l>Reft of my brother and my sway,</l> +<l>From this tall mountain's summit I</l> +<l><q rend="post">Will cast me headlong down and die.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="390"/><anchor id="Pg390"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-LXII"/> +<head>Canto LXII. Sampáti's Story.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">As to the saint I thus complained</q></l> +<l>My bitter tears fell unrestrained.</l> +<l>He pondered for a while, then broke</l> +<l>The silence, and thus calmly spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Forth from thy sides again shall spring,</q></l> +<l>O royal bird, each withered wing,</l> +<l>And all thine ancient power and might</l> +<l>Return to thee with strength of sight.</l> +<l>A noble deed has been foretold</l> +<l>In prophecy pronounced of old:</l> +<l>Nor dark to me are future things,</l> +<l>Seen by the light which penance brings.</l> +<l>A glorious king shall rise and reign,</l> +<l>The pride of old Ikshváku's strain.</l> +<l>A good and valiant prince, his heir,</l> +<l>Shall the dear name of Ráma bear.</l> +<l>With his brave brother Lakshmaṇ he</l> +<l>An exile in the woods shall be,</l> +<l>Where Rávaṇ, whom no God may slay,<note place="foot">According to the promise, given +him by Brahmá. See <ref target="CantoI-XIV">Book I, Canto XIV</ref>.</note></l> +<l>Shall steal his darling wife away.</l> +<l>In vain the captive will be wooed</l> +<l>With proffered love and dainty food,</l> +<l>She will not hear, she will not taste:</l> +<l>But, lest her beauty wane and waste,</l> +<l>Lord Indra's self will come to her</l> +<l>With heavenly food, and minister.</l> +<l>Then envoys of the Vánar race</l> +<l>By Ráma sent will seek this place.</l> +<l>To them, O roamer of the air,</l> +<l>The lady's fate shalt thou declare.</l> +<l>Thou must not move—so maimed thou art</l> +<l>Thou canst not from this spot depart.</l> +<l>Await the day and moment due,</l> +<l>And thy burnt wings will sprout anew.</l> +<l>I might this day the boon bestow</l> +<l>And bid again thy pinions grow,</l> +<l>But wait until thy saving deed</l> +<l>The nations from their fear have freed.</l> +<l>Then for this glorious aid of thine</l> +<l>The princes of Ikshváku's line,</l> +<l>And Gods above and saints below</l> +<l>Eternal gratitude shall owe.</l> +<l>Fain would mine aged eyes behold</l> +<l>That pair of whom my lips have told,</l> +<l>Yet wearied here I must not stay,</l> +<l><q rend="post">But leave my frame and pass away.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-LXIII"/> +<head>Canto LXIII. Sampáti's Story.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">With this and many a speech beside</q></l> +<l>My failing heart he fortified,</l> +<l>With glorious hope my breast inspired,</l> +<l>And to his holy home retired.</l> +<l>I scaled the mountain height, to view</l> +<l>The region round, and looked for you.</l> +<l>In ceaseless watchings night and day</l> +<l>A hundred seasons passed away,</l> +<l>And by the sage's words consoled</l> +<l>I wait the hour and chance foretold.</l> +<l>But since Niśakar sought the skies.</l> +<l>And cast away all earthly ties,</l> +<l>Full many a care and doubt has pressed</l> +<l>With grievous weight upon my breast.</l> +<l>But for the saint who turned aside</l> +<l>My purpose I had surely died.</l> +<l>Those hopeful words the hermit spake,</l> +<l>That bid me live for Ráma's sake,</l> +<l>Dispel my anguish as the light</l> +<l><q rend="post">Of lamp and torch disperse the night.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: and in the Vánars' view</l> +<l>Forth from his side young pinions grew,</l> +<l>And boundless rapture filled his breast</l> +<l>As thus the chieftains he addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Joy, joy! the pinions, which the Lord</q></l> +<l>Of Day consumed, are now restored</l> +<l>Through the dear grace & boundless might</l> +<l>Of that illustrious anchorite.</l> +<l>The fire of youth within me burns,</l> +<l>And all my wonted strength returns.</l> +<l>Onward, ye Vánars, toil strive,</l> +<l>And you shall find the dame alive.</l> +<l>Look on these new-found wings, and hence</l> +<l><q rend="post">Be strong in surest confidence.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Swift from the crag he sprang to try</l> +<l>His pinions in his native sky.</l> +<l>His words the chieftains' doubts had stilled,</l> +<l>And every heart with courage filled.<note place="foot">In the Bengal recension the +fourth Book ends here, the remaining Cantos being placed in the fifth.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-LXIV"/> +<head>Canto LXIV. The Sea.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Shouts of triumphant joy outrang</l> +<l>As to their feet the Vánars sprang:</l> +<l>And, on the mighty task intent,</l> +<l>Swift to the sea their steps they bent.</l> +<l>They stood and gazed upon the deep,</l> +<l>Whose billows with a roar and leap</l> +<l>On the sea banks ware wildly hurled,—</l> +<l>The mirror of the mighty world.</l> +<l>There on the strand the Vánars stayed</l> +<l>And with sad eyes the deep surveyed,</l> +<l>Here, as in play, his billows rose,</l> +<l>And there he slumbered in repose.</l> +<l>Here leapt the boisterous waters, high</l> +<l>As mountains, menacing the sky,</l> +<l>And wild infernal forms between</l> +<l>The ridges of the waves were seen.</l> +<pb n="391"/><anchor id="Pg391"/> +<l>They saw the billows rave and swell,</l> +<l>And their sad spirits sank and fell;</l> +<l>For ocean in their deep despair</l> +<l>Seemed boundless as the fields of air.</l> +<l>Then noble Angad spake to cheer</l> +<l>The Vánars and dispel their fear:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Faint not: despair should never find</q></l> +<l>Admittance to a noble mind.</l> +<l>Despair, a serpent's mortal bite,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Benumbs the hero's power and might.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then passed the weary night, and all</l> +<l>Assembled at their prince's call,</l> +<l>And every lord of high estate</l> +<l>Was gathered round him for debate.</l> +<l>Bright was the chieftains' glorious band</l> +<l>Round Angad on the ocean strand,</l> +<l>As when the mighty Storm-Gods meet</l> +<l>Round Indra on his golden seat.</l> +<l>Then princely Angad looked on each,</l> +<l>And thus began his prudent speech:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What chief of all our host will leap</q></l> +<l>A hundred leagues across the deep?</l> +<l>Who, O illustrious Vánars, who</l> +<l>Will make Sugríva's promise true,</l> +<l>And from our weight of fear set free</l> +<l>The leaders of our band and me?</l> +<l>To whom, O warriors, shall we owe</l> +<l>A sweet release from pain and woe,</l> +<l>And proud success, and happy lives</l> +<l>With our dear children and our wives,</l> +<l>Again permitted by his grace</l> +<l>To look with joy on Ráma's face,</l> +<l>And noble Lakshmaṇ, and our lord</l> +<l><q rend="post">The king, to our sweet homes restored?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus to the gathered lords he spoke;</l> +<l>But no reply the silence broke.</l> +<l>Then with a sterner voice he cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O chiefs, the nation's boast and pride,</q></l> +<l>Whom valour strength and power adorn,</l> +<l>Of most illustrious lineage born,</l> +<l>Where'er you will you force a way,</l> +<l>And none your rapid course can stay.</l> +<l>Now come, your several powers declare.</l> +<l><q rend="post">And who this desperate leap will dare?</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-LXV"/> +<head>Canto LXV. The Council.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But none of all the host was found</l> +<l>To clear the sea with desperate bound,</l> +<l>Though each, as Angad bade, declared</l> +<l>His proper power and what he dared.<note place="foot">Each chief comes forward +and says how far he can leap. Gaja says he can leap ten yojans. Gavaksha can leap twenty. +Gavaya thirty, and so on up to ninety.</note></l> +<l>Then spake good Jámbaván the sage,</l> +<l>Chief of them all for reverend age;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I, Vánar chieftains, long ago</q></l> +<l>Limbs light to leap could likewise show,</l> +<l>But now on frame and spirit weighs</l> +<l>The burthen of my length of days.</l> +<l>Still task like this I may not slight,</l> +<l>When Ráma and our king unite.</l> +<l>So listen while I tell, O friends,</l> +<l>What lingering strength mine age attends.</l> +<l>If my poor leap may aught avail,</l> +<l>Of ninety leagues, I will not fail.</l> +<l>Far other strength in youth's fresh prime</l> +<l>I boasted, in the olden time,</l> +<l>When, at Prahláda's<note place="foot">Prahláda, the son of Hiraṇyakaśipu, +was a pious Datya remarkable for his devotion to Vishṇu, and was on this account +persecuted by his father.</note> solemn rite,</l> +<l>I circled in my rapid flight</l> +<l>Lord Vishṇu, everlasting God,</l> +<l>When through the universe he trod.</l> +<l>But now my limbs are weak and old,</l> +<l>My youth is fled, its fire is cold,</l> +<l>And these exhausted nerves to strain</l> +<l><q rend="post">In such a task were idle pain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Angad due obeisance paid,</l> +<l>And to the chief his answer made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Then I, ye noble Vánars, I</q></l> +<l>Myself the mighty leap will try:</l> +<l>Although perchance the power I lack</l> +<l><q rend="post">To leap from Lanká's island back.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus the impetuous chieftain cried,</l> +<l>And Jámbaván the sage replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Whate'er thy power and might may be,</q></l> +<l>This task, O Prince, is not for thee.</l> +<l>Kings go not forth themselves, but send</l> +<l>The servants who their best attend.</l> +<l>Thou art the darling and the boast,</l> +<l>The honoured lord of all the host.</l> +<l>In thee the root, O Angad, lies</l> +<l>Of our appointed enterprise;</l> +<l>And thee, on whom our hopes depend,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Our care must cherish and defend.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Báli's noble son replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Needs must I go, whate'er betide,</q></l> +<l>For, if no chief this exploit dare,</l> +<l>What waits us all save blank despair,—</l> +<l>Upon the ground again to lie</l> +<l>In hopeless misery, fast, and die?</l> +<l>For not a hope of life I see</l> +<l><q rend="post">If we neglect our king's decree.</q></l> +<l>Then spoke the aged chief again:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Nay our attempt shall not be vain,</q></l> +<l>For to the task will I incite</l> +<l><q rend="post">A chieftain of sufficient might.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="392"/><anchor id="Pg392"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-LXVI"/> +<head>Canto LXVI. Hanumán.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The chieftain turned his glances where</l> +<l>The legions sat in mute despair;</l> +<l>And then to Hanumán, the best</l> +<l>Of Vánar lords, these words addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why still, and silent, and apart,</q></l> +<l>O hero of the dauntless heart?</l> +<l>Thou keepest treasured in thy mind</l> +<l>The laws that rule the Vánar kind,</l> +<l>Strong as our king Sugríva, brave</l> +<l>As Ráma's self to slay or save.</l> +<l>Through every land thy praise is heard,</l> +<l>Famous as that illustrious bird,</l> +<l>Aríshṭanemi's son,<note place="foot">The Bengal recension calls him Aríshṭanemi's +brother. <q>The commentator says <q>Aríshṭanemi is Aruṇa.</q> Aruṇa the charioteer of +the sun is the son of Kaśyapa and Vinatá and by consequence brother +of Garuḍa, called Vainateya from Vinatá, his mother.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorressio</hi>.</note> the king</l> +<l>Of every fowl that plies the wing.</l> +<l>Oft have I seen the monarch sweep</l> +<l>With sounding pinions o'er the deep,</l> +<l>And in his mighty talons bear</l> +<l>Huge serpents struggling through the air.</l> +<l>Thy arms, O hero, match in might</l> +<l>The ample wings he spreads for flight;</l> +<l>And thou with him mayest well compare</l> +<l>In power to do, in heart to dare.</l> +<l>Why, rich in wisdom, power, and skill,</l> +<l>O hero, art thou lingering still?</l> +<l>An Apsaras<note place="foot">A nymph of Paradise.</note> the fairest found</l> +<l>Of nymphs for heavenly charms renowned,</l> +<l>Sweet Punjikasthalá, became</l> +<l>A noble Vánar's wedded dame.</l> +<l>Her heavenly title heard no more,</l> +<l>Anjaná was the name she bore,</l> +<l>When, cursed by Gods, from heaven she fell</l> +<l>In Vánar form on earth to dwell,</l> +<l>New-born in mortal shape the child</l> +<l>Of Kunjar monarch of the wild.</l> +<l>In youthful beauty wondrous fair,</l> +<l>A crown of flowers about her hair,</l> +<l>In silken robes of richest dye</l> +<l>She roamed the hills that kiss the sky.</l> +<l>Once in her tinted garments dressed</l> +<l>She stood upon the mountain crest,</l> +<l>The God of Wind beside her came,</l> +<l>And breathed upon the lovely dame.</l> +<l>And as he fanned her robe aside</l> +<l>The wondrous beauty that he eyed</l> +<l>In rounded lines of breast and limb</l> +<l>And neck and shoulder ravished him;</l> +<l>And captured by her peerless charms</l> +<l>He strained her in his amorous arms.</l> +<l>Then to the eager God she cried</l> +<l>In trembling accents, terrified:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Whose impious love has wronged a spouse</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">So constant in her nuptial vows?</q></l> +<l>He heard, and thus his answer made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O, be not troubled, nor afraid,</q></l> +<l>But trust, and thou shalt know ere long</l> +<l>My love has done thee, sweet, no wrong,</l> +<l>So strong and brave and wise shall be</l> +<l>The glorious child I give to thee.</l> +<l>Might shall be his that naught can tire,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And limbs to spring as springs his sire.</q></l> +<l>Thus spoke the God; the conquered dame</l> +<l>Rejoiced in heart nor feared the shame.</l> +<l>Down in a cave beneath the earth</l> +<l>The happy mother gave thee birth.</l> +<l>Once o'er the summit of the wood</l> +<l>Before thine eyes the new sun stood.</l> +<l>Thou sprangest up in haste to seize</l> +<l>What seemed the fruitage of the trees.</l> +<l>Up leapt the child, a wondrous bound,</l> +<l>Three hundred leagues above the ground,</l> +<l>And, though the angered Day-God shot</l> +<l>His fierce beams on him, feared him not.</l> +<l>Then from the hand of Indra came</l> +<l>A red bolt winged with wrath and flame.</l> +<l>The child fell smitten on a rock,</l> +<l>His cheek was shattered by the shock,</l> +<l>Named Hanumán<note place="foot">Hanu or Hanú means jaw. Hanumán +or Hanúmán means properly one with a large jaw.</note> thenceforth by all</l> +<l>In memory of the fearful fall.</l> +<l>The wandering Wind-God saw thee lie</l> +<l>With bleeding cheek and drooping eye,</l> +<l>And stirred to anger by thy woe</l> +<l>Forbade each scented breeze to blow.</l> +<l>The breath of all the worlds was stilled,</l> +<l>And the sad Gods with terror filled</l> +<l>Prayed to the Wind, to calm the ire</l> +<l>And soothe the sorrow of the sire.</l> +<l>His fiery wrath no longer glowed,</l> +<l>And Brahmá's self the boon bestowed</l> +<l>That in the brunt of battle none</l> +<l>Should slay with steel the Wind-God's son.</l> +<l>Lord Indra, sovereign of the skies,</l> +<l>Bent on thee all his thousand eyes,</l> +<l>And swore that ne'er the bolt which he</l> +<l>Hurls from the heaven should injure thee.</l> +<l>'Tis thine, O mighty chief, to share</l> +<l>The Wind-God's power, his son and heir.</l> +<l>Sprung from that glorious father thou,</l> +<l>And thou alone, canst aid us now.</l> +<l>This earth of yore, through all her climes,</l> +<l>I circled one-and-twenty times,</l> +<l>And gathered, as the Gods decreed,</l> +<l>Great store of herbs from hill and mead,</l> +<l>Which, scattered o'er the troubled wave,</l> +<l>The Amrit to the toilers gave.</l> +<pb n="393"/><anchor id="Pg393"/> +<l>But now my days are wellnigh told,</l> +<l>My strength is gone, my limbs are old,</l> +<l>And thou, the bravest and the best,</l> +<l>Art the sure hope of all the rest.</l> +<l>Now, mighty chief, the task assay:</l> +<l>Thy matchless power and strength display.</l> +<l>Rise up, O prince, our second king,</l> +<l>And o'er the flood of ocean spring.</l> +<l>So shall the glorious exploit vie</l> +<l><q rend="post">With his who stepped through earth and +sky.</q><note place="foot">Vishṇu, the God of the Three Steps.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke: the younger chieftain heard,</l> +<l>His soul to vigorous effort stirred,</l> +<l>And stood before their joyous eyes</l> +<l>Dilated in gigantic size.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoIV-LXVII"/> +<head>Canto LXVII. Hanumán's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Soon as his stature they beheld,</l> +<l>Their fear and sorrow were dispelled;</l> +<l>And joyous praises loud and long</l> +<l>Rang out from all the Vánar throng.</l> +<l>On the great chief their eyes they bent</l> +<l>In rapture and astonishment,</l> +<l>As, when his conquering foot he raised,</l> +<l>The Gods upon Náráyaṇ<note place="foot">Náráyaṇ, <q>He who moved upon the +waters,</q> is Vishnu. The allusion is to the famous three steps of that God.</note> +gazed.</l> +<l>He stood amid the joyous crowd,</l> +<l>Bent to the chiefs, and cried aloud:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The Wind-God, Fire's eternal friend,</q></l> +<l>Whose blasts the mountain summits rend,</l> +<l>With boundless force that none may stay,</l> +<l>Takes where he lists his viewless way.</l> +<l>Sprung from that glorious father, I</l> +<l>In power and speed with him may vie,</l> +<l>A thousand times with airy leap</l> +<l>Can circle loftiest Meru's steep:</l> +<l>With my fierce arms can stir the sea</l> +<l>Till from their bed the waters flee</l> +<l>And rush at my command to drown</l> +<l>This land with grove and tower and town.</l> +<l>I through the fields of air can spring</l> +<l>Far swifter than the feathered King,</l> +<l>And leap before him as he flies,</l> +<l>On sounding pinions through the skies.</l> +<l>I can pursue the Lord of Light</l> +<l>Uprising from the eastern height,</l> +<l>And reach him ere his course be sped</l> +<l>With burning beams engarlanded.</l> +<l>I will dry up the mighty main,</l> +<l>Shatter the rocks and rend the plain.</l> +<l>O'er earth and ocean will I bound,</l> +<l>And every flower that grows on ground,</l> +<l>And bloom of climbing plants shall show</l> +<l>Strewn on the ground, the way I go,</l> +<l>Bright as the lustrous path that lies</l> +<l>Athwart the region of the skies.<note place="foot">The Milky Way.</note></l> +<l>The Maithil lady will I find,—</l> +<l>Thus speaks mine own prophetic mind,—</l> +<l>And cast in hideous ruin down</l> +<l><q rend="post">The shattered walls of Lanká's town.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Still on the chief in rapt surprise</l> +<l>The Vánar legions bent their eyes,</l> +<l>And thus again sage Jámbaván</l> +<l>Addressed the glorious Hanumán:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Son of the Wind, thy promise cheers</q></l> +<l>The Vánars' hearts, and calms their fears,</l> +<l>Who, rescued from their dire distress,</l> +<l>With prospering vows thy way will bless.</l> +<l>The holy saints their favour lend,</l> +<l>And all our chiefs the deed commend</l> +<l>Urging thee forward on thy way:</l> +<l>Arise then, and the task assay.</l> +<l>Thou art our only refuge; we,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Our lives and all, depend on thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then sprang the Wind-God's son the best</l> +<l>Of Vánars, on Mahendra's crest,</l> +<l>And the great mountain rocked and swayed</l> +<l>By that unusual weight dismayed,</l> +<l>As reels an elephant beneath</l> +<l>The lion's spring and rending teeth.</l> +<l>The shady wood that crowned him shook,</l> +<l>The trembling birds the boughs forsook,</l> +<l>And ape and pard and lion fled</l> +<l>From brake and lair disquieted.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +</div> + +<!-- End of Book IV --> + +<pb n="394"/><anchor id="Pg394"/> + +<div rend="page-break-before: always"> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>BOOK V.<note place="foot">This Book is called Sundar or the +Beatiful. To a European taste it is the most intolerably tedious of the whole +poem, abounding in repetition, overloaded description, and long and useless speeches +which impede the action of the poem. Manifest interpolations of whole Cantos +also occur. I have omitted none of the action of the Book, but have occasionally +omitted long passages of common-place description, lamentation, and long stories +which have been again and again repeated.</note></head> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-I"/> +<head>Canto I. Hanumán's Leap.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus Rávaṇ's foe resolved to trace</l> +<l>The captive to her hiding-place</l> +<l>Through airy pathways overhead</l> +<l>Which heavenly minstrels visited.</l> +<l>With straining nerve and eager brows,</l> +<l>Like some strong husband of the cows,</l> +<l>In ready might he stood prepared</l> +<l>For the bold task his soul has dared.</l> +<l>O'er gem-like grass that flashed and glowed</l> +<l>The Vánar like a lion strode.</l> +<l>Roused by the thunder of his tread,</l> +<l>The beasts to shady coverts fled.</l> +<l>Tall trees he crushed or hurled aside,</l> +<l>And every bird was terrified.</l> +<l>Around him loveliest lilies grew,</l> +<l>Pale pink, and red, and white, and blue,</l> +<l>And tints of many a metal lent</l> +<l>The light of varied ornament.</l> +<l>Gandharvas, changing forms at will,</l> +<l>And Yakshas roamed the lovely hill,</l> +<l>And countless Serpent-Gods were seen</l> +<l>Where flowers and grass were fresh and green.</l> +<l>As some resplendent serpent takes</l> +<l>His pastime in the best of lakes,</l> +<l>So on the mountain's woody height</l> +<l>The Vánar wandered with delight.</l> +<l>Then, standing on the flowery sod,</l> +<l>He paid his vows to saint and God.</l> +<l>Svayambhu<note place="foot">Brahmá the Self-Existent.</note> and the Sun he prayed,</l> +<l>And the swift Wind to lend him aid,</l> +<l>And Indra, sovereign of the skies,</l> +<l>To bless his hardy enterprise.</l> +<l>Then once again the chief addressed</l> +<l>The Vánars from the mountain crest:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Swift as a shaft from Ráma's bow</q></l> +<l>To Rávaṇ's city will I go,</l> +<l>And if she be not there will fly</l> +<l>And seek the lady in the sky;</l> +<l>Or, if in heaven she be not found,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Will hither bring the giant bound.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased; and mustering his might</l> +<l>Sprang downward from the mountain height,</l> +<l>While, shattered by each mighty limb,</l> +<l>The trees unrooted followed him.</l> +<l>The shadow on the ocean cast</l> +<l>By his vast form, as on he passed,</l> +<l>Flew like a ship before the gale</l> +<l>When the strong breeze has filled the sail,</l> +<l>And where his course the Vánar held</l> +<l>The sea beneath him raged and swelled.</l> +<l>Then Gods and all the heavenly train</l> +<l>Poured flowerets down in gentle rain;</l> +<l>Their voices glad Gandharvas raised,</l> +<l>And saints in heaven the Vánar praised.</l> +<l>Fain would the Sea his succour lend</l> +<l>And Raghu's noble son befriend.</l> +<l>He, moved by zeal for Ráma's sake,</l> +<l>The hill Maináka<note place="foot">Maináka was the son of Himálaya +and Mená or Menaká.</note> thus bespake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O strong Maináka, heaven's decree</q></l> +<l>In days of old appointed thee</l> +<l>To be the Asurs bar, and keep</l> +<l>The rebels in the lowest deep.</l> +<l>Thou guardest those whom heaven has cursed</l> +<l>Lest from their prison-house they burst,</l> +<l>And standest by the gates of hell</l> +<l>Their limitary sentinel.</l> +<l>To thee is given the power to spread</l> +<l>Or spring above thy watery bed.</l> +<l>Now, best of noble mountains, rise</l> +<l>And do the thing that I advise.</l> +<l>E'en now above thy buried crest</l> +<l>Flies mighty Hanumán, the best</l> +<l>Of Vánars, moved for Ráma's sake</l> +<l>A wonderous deed to undertake.</l> +<l>Lift up thy head that he may stay</l> +<l><q rend="post">And rest him on his weary way.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He heard, and from his watery shroud,</l> +<l>As bursts the sun from autumn cloud,</l> +<l>Rose swifty, crowned with plant and tree,</l> +<l>And stood above the foamy sea.<note place="foot"><p>Thus Milton makes the hills of +heaven self-moving at command:</p> +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">At his command the uprooted hills retired</q></l> +<l>Each to his place, they heard his voice and went</l> +<l><q rend="post">Obsequious</q></l> +</lg></note></l> +<l>There with his lofty peaks upraised</l> +<l>Bright as a hundred suns he blazed,</l> +<l>And crest and crag of burnished gold</l> +<l>Flashed on the flood that round him rolled.</l> +<pb n="395"/><anchor id="Pg395"/> +<l>The Vánar thought the mountain rose</l> +<l>A hostile bar to interpose,</l> +<l>And, like a wind-swept cloud, o'erthrew</l> +<l>The glittering mountain as he flew.</l> +<l>Then from the falling hill rang out</l> +<l>A warning voice and joyful shout.</l> +<l>Again he raised him high in air</l> +<l>To meet the flying Vánar there,</l> +<l>And standing on his topmost peak</l> +<l>In human form began to speak:<note place="foot">The spirit of the mountain is +separable from the mountain. Himalaya has also been represented as standing in human form +on one of his own peaks.</note></l> +<l><q rend="pre">Best of the Vánars' noblest line,</q></l> +<l>A mighty task, O chief, is thine.</l> +<l>Here for a while, I pray thee, light</l> +<l>And rest upon the breezy height.</l> +<l>A prince of Raghu's line was he</l> +<l>Who gave his glory to the Sea,<note place="foot">Ságar or the Sea is said to have +derived its name from Sagar. The story is fully told in Book I, Cantos +<ref target="CantoI-XLII">XLII</ref>, <ref target="CantoI-XLIII">XLIII</ref>, +and <ref target="CantoI-XLIV">XLIV</ref>.</note></l> +<l>Who now to Ráma's envoy shows</l> +<l>High honour for the debt he owes.</l> +<l>He bade me lift my buried head</l> +<l>Uprising from my watery bed,</l> +<l>And woo the Vánar chief to rest</l> +<l>A moment on my glittering crest.</l> +<l>Refresh thy weary limbs, and eat</l> +<l>My mountain fruits for they are sweet.</l> +<l>I too, O chieftain, know thee well;</l> +<l>Three worlds thy famous virtues tell;</l> +<l>And none, I ween, with thee may vie</l> +<l>Who spring impetuous through the sky.</l> +<l>To every guest, though mean and low.</l> +<l>The wise respect and honour show;</l> +<l>And how shall I neglect thee, how</l> +<l>Slight the great guest so near me now?</l> +<l>Son of the Wind, 'tis thine to share</l> +<l>The might of him who shakes the air;</l> +<l>And,—for he loves his offspring,—he</l> +<l>Is honoured when I honour thee.</l> +<l>Of yore, when Krita's age<note place="foot">Kritu is the first of the four ages of +the world, the golden age, also called Satya.</note> was new,</l> +<l>The little hills and mountains flew</l> +<l>Where'er they listed, borne on wings</l> +<l>More rapid than the feathered king's.<note place="foot"><foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Parvata</foreign> means a mountain and in the +Vedas a cloud. Hence in later mythology the mountains have taken the place of +the clouds as the objects of the attacks of Indra the Sun-God. The feathered king +is Garuḍa.</note></l> +<l>But mighty terror came on all</l> +<l>The Gods and saints who feared their fall.</l> +<l>And Indra in his anger rent</l> +<l>Their pinions with the bolts he sent.</l> +<l>When in his ruthless fury he</l> +<l>Levelled his flashing bolt at me,</l> +<l>The great-souled Wind inclined to save,</l> +<l>And laid me neath the ocean's wave.</l> +<l>Thus by the favour of the sire</l> +<l>I kept my cherished wings entire;</l> +<l>And for this deed of kindness done</l> +<l>I honour thee his noble son.</l> +<l>O come, thy weary limbs relieve,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And honour due from me receive.</q></l> +<l><q>I may not rest,</q> the Vánar cried;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I must not stay or turn aside.</q></l> +<l>Yet pleased am I, thou noblest hill,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And as the deed accept thy will.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus as he spoke he lightly pressed</l> +<l>With his broad hand the mountain's crest,</l> +<l>Then bounded upward to the height</l> +<l>Of heaven, rejoicing in his might,</l> +<l>And through the fields of boundless blue,</l> +<l>The pathway of his father, flew.</l> +<l>Gods, saints, and heavenly bards beheld</l> +<l>That flight that none had paralleled,</l> +<l>Then to the Nágas' mother<note place="foot"><q>The children of Surasá were a +thousand mighty many-headed serpents, traversing the sky.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu Puráṇa</hi>, Vol. II. p. 73.</note> came</l> +<l>And thus addressed the sun-bright dame:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">See, Hanumán with venturous leap</q></l> +<l>Would spring across the mighty deep,—</l> +<l>A Vánar prince, the Wind-God's seed:</l> +<l>Come, Surasá, his course impede.</l> +<l>In Rákshas form thy shape disguise,</l> +<l>Terrific, like a hill in size:</l> +<l>Let thy red eyes with fury glow,</l> +<l>And high as heaven thy body grow.</l> +<l>With fearful tusks the chief defy,</l> +<l>That we his power and strength may try.</l> +<l>He will with guile thy hold elude,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Or own thy might, by thee subdued.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Pleased with the grateful honours paid,</l> +<l>The godlike dame their words obeyed,</l> +<l>Clad in a shape of terror she</l> +<l>Sprang from the middle of the sea,</l> +<l>And, with fierce accents that appalled</l> +<l>All creatures, to the Vánar called:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Come, prince of Vánars, doomed to be</q></l> +<l>My food this day by heaven's decree.</l> +<l>Such boon from ages long ago</l> +<l><q rend="post">To Brahmá's favouring will I owe.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She ceased, and Hanumán replied,</l> +<l>By shape and threat unterrified:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Brave Ráma with his Maithil spouse</q></l> +<l>Lodged in the shade of Daṇḍak's boughs,</l> +<l>Thence Rávan king of giants stole</l> +<l>Sítá the joy of Ráma's soul.</l> +<pb n="396"/><anchor id="Pg396"/> +<l>By Ráma's high behest to her</l> +<l>I go a willing messenger;</l> +<l>And never shouldst them hinder one</l> +<l>Who toils for Daśaratha's son.</l> +<l>First captive Sítá will I see,</l> +<l>And him who sent and waits for me,</l> +<l>Then come and to thy will submit,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Yea, by my truth I promise it.</q></l> +<l><q rend="pre">Nay, hope not thus thy life to save;</q></l> +<l>Not such the boon that Brahmá gave.</l> +<l><q rend="post">Enter my mouth,</q> was her reply,</l> +<l><q>Then forward on thy journey hie!</q><note place="foot">She means, says the +Commentator, pursue thy journey if thou can.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Stretch, wider stretch thy jaws,</q> exclaimed</l> +<l>The Vánar chief, to ire inflamed;</l> +<l>And, as the Rákshas near him drew,</l> +<l>Ten leagues in height his stature grew.</l> +<l>Then straight, her threatening jaws between,</l> +<l>A gulf of twenty leagues was seen.</l> +<l>To fifty leagues he waxed, and still</l> +<l>Her mouth grew wider at her will.</l> +<l>Then smaller than a thumb became,</l> +<l>Shrunk by his power, the Vánar's frame.<note place="foot">If Milton's spirits are +allowed the power of infinite self-extension and compression the same must be conceded to +Válmíki's supernatural beings. Given the power as in Milton the result in Válmíki +is perfectly consistent.</note></l> +<l>He leaped within, and turning round</l> +<l>Sprang through the portal at a bound.</l> +<l>Then hung in air a moment, while</l> +<l>He thus addressed her with a smile:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Daksha's child,<note place="foot"><q>Daksha is the son of Brahmá and +one of the Prajápatis or divine progenitors. He had sixty daughters, twenty-seven of +whom married to Kaśyapa produced, according to one of the Indian cosmogonies, +all mundane beings. Does the epithet, Descendant of Daksha, given to +Surasá, mean that she is one of those daughters? I think not. This epithet is +perhaps an appellation common to all created beings as having sprung from +Daksha.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorressio</hi>.</note> +farewell at last!</q></l> +<l>For I within thy mouth have passed.</l> +<l>Thou hast the gift of Brahmá's grace:</l> +<l><q rend="post">I go, the Maithil queen to trace.</q></l> +<l>Then, to her former shape restored,</l> +<l>She thus addressed the Vánar lord:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Then forward to the task, and may</q></l> +<l>Success and joy attend thy way!</l> +<l>Go, and the rescued lady bring</l> +<l><q rend="post">In triumph to her lord and king.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then hosts of spirits as they gazed</l> +<l>The daring of the Vánar praised.</l> +<l>Through the broad fields of ether, fast</l> +<l>Garuḍ's royal self, he passed,</l> +<l>The region of the cloud and rain,</l> +<l>Loved by the gay Gandharva train,</l> +<l>Where mid the birds that came and went</l> +<l>Shone Indra's glorious bow unbent,</l> +<l>And like a host of wandering stars</l> +<l>Flashed the high Gods' celestial cars.</l> +<l>Fierce Sinhiká<note place="foot">Sinhiká is the mother of Ráhu the +dragon's head or ascending node, the chief agent in eclipses.</note> who joyed in ill</l> +<l>And changed her form to work her will,</l> +<l>Descried him on his airy way</l> +<l>And marked the Vánar for her prey.</l> +<l><q>This day at length,</q> the demon cried,</l> +<l><q>My hunger shall be satisfied,</q></l> +<l>And at his passing shadow caught</l> +<l>Delighted with the cheering thought.</l> +<l>The Vánar felt the power that stayed</l> +<l>And held him as she grasped his shade,</l> +<l>Like some tall ship upon the main</l> +<l>That struggles with the wind in vain.</l> +<l>Below, above, his eye he bent</l> +<l>And scanned the sea and firmament.</l> +<l>High from the briny deep upreared</l> +<l>The monster's hideous form appeared,</l> +<l><q>Sugríva's tale,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">is true:</q></l> +<l>This is the demon dire to view</l> +<l>Of whom the Vánar monarch told,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Whose grasp a passing shade can hold.</q></l> +<l>Then, as a cloud in rain-time grows</l> +<l>His form, dilating, swelled and rose.</l> +<l>Wide as the space from heaven to hell</l> +<l>Her jaws she opened with a yell,</l> +<l>And rushed upon her fancied prey</l> +<l>With cloud-like roar to seize and slay.</l> +<l>The Vánar swift as thought compressed</l> +<l>His borrowed bulk of limb and chest,</l> +<l>And stood with one quick bound inside</l> +<l>The monstrous mouth she opened wide.</l> +<l>Hid like the moon when Ráhu draws</l> +<l>The orb within his ravening jaws.</l> +<l>Within that ample cavern pent</l> +<l>The demon's form he tore and rent,</l> +<l>And, from the mangled carcass freed,</l> +<l>Came forth again with thought-like speed.<note place="foot">According to De +Gubernatis, the author of the very learned, ingenious, and interesting though too +fanciful <hi rend='italic'>Zoological Mythology</hi>. Hanumán here represents the sun +entering into and escaping from a cloud. The biblical Jonah, according to him, typifies +the same phenomenon. Sá'dí, speaking of sunset, says +<hi rend='italic'>Yùnas andar-i-dihán-imáhi shud</hi>: Jonas was within the +fish's mouth. See <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Additional Notes</hi>.</note></l> +<pb n="397"/><anchor id="Pg397"/> +<l>Thus with his skill the fiend he slew,</l> +<l>Then to his wonted stature grew.</l> +<l>The spirits saw the demon die</l> +<l>And hailed the Vánar from the sky:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Well hast thou fought a wondrous fight</q></l> +<l>Nor spared the fiend's terrific might,</l> +<l>On, on! perform the blameless deed,</l> +<l>And in thine every wish succeed.</l> +<l>Ne'er can they fail in whom combine</l> +<l><q rend="post">Such valour, thought, and skill as thine.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Pleased with their praises as they sang,</l> +<l>Again through fields of air he sprang,</l> +<l>And now, his travail wellnigh done,</l> +<l>The distant shore was almost won.</l> +<l>Before him on the margent stood</l> +<l>In long dark line a waving wood,</l> +<l>And the fair island, bright and green</l> +<l>With flowers and trees, was clearly seen,</l> +<l>And every babbling brook that gave</l> +<l>Her lord the sea a tribute wave.</l> +<l>He lighted down on Lamba's peak</l> +<l>Which tinted metals stain and streak,</l> +<l>And looked where Lanká's splendid town</l> +<l>Shone on the mountain like a crown.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-II"/> +<head>Canto II. Lanká.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The glorious sight a while he viewed,</l> +<l>Then to the town his way pursued.</l> +<l>Around the Vánar as he went</l> +<l>Breathed from the wood delicious scent,</l> +<l>And the soft grass beneath his feet</l> +<l>With gem-like flowers was bright and sweet.</l> +<l>Still as the Vánar nearer drew</l> +<l>More clearly rose the town to view.</l> +<l>The palm her fan-like leaves displayed,</l> +<l>Priyálas<note place="foot">The Buchanania Latifolia.</note> +lent their pleasant shade,</l> +<l>And mid the lower greenery far</l> +<l>Conspicuous rose the Kovidár.<note place="foot">The Bauhinia Variegata.</note></l> +<l>A thousand trees mid flowers that glowed</l> +<l>Hung down their fruit's delicious load,<note place="foot">Through the power that +Rávaṇ's stern mortifications had won for him his trees bore flowers and fruit +simultaneously.</note></l> +<l>And in their crests that rocked and swayed</l> +<l>Sweet birds delightful music made.</l> +<l>And there were pleasant pools whereon</l> +<l>The glories of the lotus shone;</l> +<l>And gleams of sparkling fountains, stirred</l> +<l>By many a joyous water-bird.</l> +<l>Around, in lovely gardens grew</l> +<l>Blooms sweet of scent and bright of hue,</l> +<l>And Lanká, seat of Rávaṇ's sway,</l> +<l>Before the wondering Vánar lay:</l> +<l>With stately domes and turrets tall,</l> +<l>Encircled by a golden wall,</l> +<l>And moats whose waters were aglow</l> +<l>With lily blossoms bright below:</l> +<l>For Sítá's sake defended well</l> +<l>With bolt and bar and sentinel,</l> +<l>And Rákshases who roamed in bands</l> +<l>With ready bows in eager hands.</l> +<l>He saw the stately mansions rise</l> +<l>Like pale-hued clouds in autumn skies;</l> +<l>Where noble streets were broad and bright,</l> +<l>And banners waved on every height.</l> +<l>Her gates were glorious to behold</l> +<l>Rich with the shine of burnished gold:</l> +<l>A lovely city planned and decked</l> +<l>By heaven's creative architect,<note place="foot">Viśvakarmá is the architect of the +Gods.</note></l> +<l>Fairest of earthly cities meet</l> +<l>To be the Gods' celestial seat.</l> +<l>The Vánar by the northern gate</l> +<l>Thus in his heart began debate</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Our mightiest host would strive in vain</q></l> +<l>To take this city on the main:</l> +<l>A city that may well defy</l> +<l>The chosen warriors of the sky;</l> +<l>A city never to be won</l> +<l>E'en by the arm of Raghu's son.</l> +<l>Here is no hope by guile to win</l> +<l>The hostile hearts of those within.</l> +<l>'Twere vain to war, or bribe, or sow</l> +<l>Dissension mid the Vánar foe.</l> +<l>But now my search must I pursue</l> +<l>Until the Maithil queen I view:</l> +<l>And, when I find the captive dame,</l> +<l>Make victory mine only aim.</l> +<l>But, if I wear my present shape,</l> +<l>How shall I enter and escape</l> +<l>The Rákshas troops, their guards and spies,</l> +<l>And sleepless watch of cruel eyes?</l> +<l>The fiends of giant race who hold</l> +<l>This mighty town are strong and bold;</l> +<l>And I must labour to elude</l> +<l>The fiercely watchful multitude.</l> +<l>I in a shape to mock their sight</l> +<l>Must steal within the town by night,</l> +<l>Blind with my art the demons' eyes,</l> +<l>And thus achieve my enterprise.</l> +<l>How may I see, myself unseen</l> +<l>Of the fierce king, the captive queen,</l> +<l>And meet her in some lonely place,</l> +<l><q rend="post">With none beside her, face to face?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When the bright sun had left the skies</l> +<l>The Vánar dwarfed his mighty size,</l> +<pb n="398"/><anchor id="Pg398"/> +<l>And, in the straitest bounds restrained,</l> +<l>The bigness of a cat retained.<note place="foot">So in Paradise Lost Satan when he +has stealthily entered the garden of Eden assumes the form of a cormorant.</note></l> +<l>Then, when the moon's soft light was spread,</l> +<l>Within the city's walls he sped.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-III"/> +<head>Canto III. The Guardian Goddess.</head> + +<lg> +<l>There from the circling rampart's height</l> +<l>He gazed upon the wondrous sight;</l> +<l>Broad gates with burnished gold displayed,</l> +<l>And courts with turkises inlaid;</l> +<l>With gleaming silver, gems, and rows</l> +<l>Of crystal stairs and porticoes.</l> +<l>In semblance of a Rákshas dame</l> +<l>The city's guardian Goddess came,—</l> +<l>For she with glances sure and keen</l> +<l>The entrance of a foe had seen,—</l> +<l>And thus with fury in her eye</l> +<l>Addressed him with an angry cry:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Who art thou? what has led thee, say,</q></l> +<l>Within these walls to find thy way?</l> +<l>Thou mayst not enter here in spite</l> +<l><q rend="post">Of Rávaṇ and his warriors' might.</q></l> +<l><q>And who art thou?</q> the Vánar cried,</l> +<l>By form and frown unterrified,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why hast thou met me by the gate,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">And chid me thus infuriate?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: and Lanká made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The guardian of the town am I,</q></l> +<l>Who watch for ever to fulfil</l> +<l>My lord the Rákshas monarch's will.</l> +<l>But thou shalt fall this hour, and deep</l> +<l><q rend="post">Shall be thy never-ending sleep.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Again he spake: <q rend="pre">In spite of thee</q></l> +<l>This golden city will I see.</l> +<l>Her gates and towers, and all the pride</l> +<l>Of street and square from side to side,</l> +<l>And freely wander where I please</l> +<l>Amid her groves of flowering trees;</l> +<l>On all her beauties sate mine eye.</l> +<l><q rend="post">Then, as I came, will homeward hie.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Swift with an angry roar she smote</l> +<l>With her huge hand the Vánar's throat.</l> +<l>The smitten Vánar, rage-impelled,</l> +<l>With fist upraised the monster felled:</l> +<l>But quick repented, stirred with shame</l> +<l>And pity for a vanquished dame,</l> +<l>When with her senses troubled, weak</l> +<l>With terror, thus she strove to speak:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O spare me thou whose arm is strong:</q></l> +<l>O spare me, and forgive the wrong.</l> +<l>The brave that law will ne'er transgress</l> +<l>That spares a woman's helplessness.</l> +<l>Hear, best of Vánars, brave and bold,</l> +<l>What Brahmá's self of yore foretold;</l> +<l><q>Beware,</q> he said, <q rend="pre">the fatal hour</q></l> +<l>When thou shalt own a Vánar's power.</l> +<l>Then is the giants' day of fear,</l> +<l><q rend="post">For terror and defeat are near.</q></l> +<l>Now, Vánar chief, o'ercome by thee,</l> +<l>I own the truth of heaven's decree.</l> +<l>For Sítá's sake will ruin fall</l> +<l><q rend="post">On Rávaṇ, and his town, and all.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-IV"/> +<head>Canto IV. Within The City.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The guardian goddess thus subdued,</l> +<l>The Vánar chief his way pursued,</l> +<l>And reached the broad imperial street</l> +<l>Where fresh-blown flowers were bright and sweet.</l> +<l>The city seemed a fairer sky</l> +<l>Where cloud-like houses rose on high,</l> +<l>Whence the soft sound of tabors came</l> +<l>Through many a latticed window frame,</l> +<l>And ever and anon rang out</l> +<l>The merry laugh and joyous shout.</l> +<l>From house to house the Vánar went</l> +<l>And marked each varied ornament,</l> +<l>Where leaves and blossoms deftly strung</l> +<l>About the crystal columns hung.</l> +<l>Then soft and full and sweet and clear</l> +<l>The song of women charmed his ear,</l> +<l>And, blending with their dulcet tones,</l> +<l>Their anklets' chime and tinkling zones.</l> +<l>He heard the Rákshas minstrel sing</l> +<l>The praises of their matchless king;</l> +<l>And softly through the evening air</l> +<l>Came murmurings of text and prayer.</l> +<l>Here moved a priest with tonsured head,</l> +<l>And there an eager envoy sped,</l> +<l>Mid crowds with hair in matted twine</l> +<l>Clothed in the skins of deer and kine,—</l> +<l>Whose only arms, which none might blame,</l> +<l>Were blades of grass and holy flame<note place="foot">Priests who fought only with +the weapons of religion, the sacred grass used like the verbena of the Romans at sacred +rites and the consecrated fire to consume the offering of ghee.</note></l> +<l>There savage warriors roamed in bands</l> +<l>With clubs and maces in their hands,</l> +<l>Some dwarfish forms, some huge of size,</l> +<l>With single ears and single eyes.</l> +<l>Some shone in glittering mail arrayed</l> +<l>With bow and mace and flashing blade;</l> +<l>Fiends of all shapes and every hue,</l> +<l>Some fierce and foul, some fair to view.</l> +<pb n="399"/><anchor id="Pg399"/> +<l>He saw the grisly legions wait</l> +<l>In strictest watch at Rávaṇ's gate,</l> +<l>Whose palace on the mountain crest</l> +<l>Rose proudly towering o'er the rest,</l> +<l>Fenced with high ramparts from the foe,</l> +<l>And lotus-covered moats below.</l> +<l>But Hanumán, unhindered, found</l> +<l>Quick passage through the guarded bound,</l> +<l>Mid elephants of noblest breed,</l> +<l>And gilded car and neighing steed.</l> +</lg> + +<p> +[I omit Canto V. which corresponds to chapter XI. in Gorresio's edition. That +scholar justly observes: <q>The eleventh chapter, Description of Evening, is certainly +the work of the Rhapsodists and an interpolation of later date. The chapter +might be omitted without any injury to the action of the poem, and besides the +metre, style, conceits and images differ from the general tenour of the poem; +and that continual repetition of the same sounds at the end of each hemistich which +is not exactly rime, but assonance, reveals the artificial labour of a more recent +age.</q> The following sample will probably be enough. +</p> + +<lg> +<l>Fair shone the moon, as if to lend</l> +<l>His cheering light to guide a friend,</l> +<l>And, circled by the starry host,</l> +<l>Looked down upon the wild sea-coast.</l> +<l>The Vánar cheiftain raised his eyes,</l> +<l>And saw him sailing through the skies</l> +<l>Like a bright swan who joys to take</l> +<l>His pastime on a silver lake;</l> +<l>Fair moon that calms the mourner's pain.</l> +<l>Heaves up the waters of the main,</l> +<l>And o'er the life beneath him throws</l> +<l>A tender light of soft repose,</l> +<l>The charm that clings to Mandar's hill,</l> +<l>Gleams in the sea when winds are still,</l> +<l>And decks the lilly's opening flower,</l> +<l>Showed in that moon her sweetest power.</l> +</lg> + +<p> +I am unable to show the difference of style in a translation.] +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-VI"/> +<head>Canto VI. The Court.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The palace gates were guarded well</l> +<l>By many a Rákshas sentinel,</l> +<l>And far within, concealed from view,</l> +<l>Were dames and female retinue</l> +<l>For charm of form and face renowned;</l> +<l>Whose tinkling armlets made a sound,</l> +<l>Clashed by the wearers in their glee,</l> +<l>Like music of a distant sea.</l> +<l>The hall beyond the palace gate,</l> +<l>Rich with each badge of royal state,</l> +<l>Where lines of noble courtiers stood,</l> +<l>Showed like a lion-guarded wood.</l> +<l>There the wild music rose and fell</l> +<l>Of drum and tabor and of shell,</l> +<l>Through chambers at each holy tide</l> +<l>By solemn worship sanctified.</l> +<l>Through grove and garden, undismayed,</l> +<l>From house to house the Vánar strayed,</l> +<l>And still his wondering glances bent</l> +<l>On terrace, dome, and battlement:</l> +<l>Then with a light and rapid tread</l> +<l>Prahasta's<note place="foot">One of the Rákshas lords.</note> home he visited,</l> +<l>And Kumbhakarṇa's<note place="foot">The brother Rávaṇ.</note> courtyard where</l> +<l>A cloudy pile rose high in air;</l> +<l>And, wandering o'er the hill, explored</l> +<l>The garden of each Rákshas lord.</l> +<l>Each court and grove he wandered through,</l> +<l>Then nigh to Rávaṇ's palace drew.</l> +<l>She-demons watched it foul of face,</l> +<l>Each armed with sword and spear and mace,</l> +<l>And warrior fiends of every hue,</l> +<l>A strange and fearful retinue.</l> +<l>There elephants in many a row,</l> +<l>The terror of the stricken foe.</l> +<l>Huge Airávat,<note place="foot">Indra's elephant.</note> deftly trained</l> +<l>In battle-fields, stood ready chained.</l> +<l>Fair litters on the ground were set</l> +<l>Adorned with gems and golden net.</l> +<l>Gay bloomy creepers clothed the walls;</l> +<l>Green bowers were there and picture halls,</l> +<l>And chambers made for soft delight.</l> +<l>Broad banners waved on every height.</l> +<l>And from the roof like Mandar's hill</l> +<l>The peacock's cry came loud and shrill.<note place="foot">Rávaṇ's palace appears to +have occupied the whole extent of ground, and to have contained within its outer walls the +mansions of all the great Rákshas chiefs. Rávaṇ's own dwelling seems to have been +situated within the enchanted chariot Pushpak: but the description is involved +and confused, and it is difficult to say whether the chariot was inside the palace +or the palace inside the chariot.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-VII"/> +<head>Canto VII. Rávan's Palace.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He passed within the walls and gazed</l> +<l>On gems and gold that round him blazed,</l> +<l>And many a latticed window bright</l> +<l>With turkis and with lazulite.</l> +<pb n="400"/><anchor id="Pg400"/> +<l>Through porch and ante-rooms he passed</l> +<l>Each richer, fairer than the last;</l> +<l>And spacious halls where lances lay,</l> +<l>And bows and shells, in fair array:</l> +<l>A glorious house that matched in show</l> +<l>All Paradise displayed below.</l> +<l>Upon the polished floor were spread</l> +<l>Fresh buds and blossoms white and red,</l> +<l>And women shone, a lovely crowd,</l> +<l>As lightning flashes through a cloud:</l> +<l>A palace splendid as the sky</l> +<l>Which moon and planets glorify:</l> +<l>Like earth whose towering hills unfold</l> +<l>Their zones and streaks of glittering gold;</l> +<l>Where waving on the mountain brows</l> +<l>The tall trees bend their laden boughs,</l> +<l>And every bough and tender spray</l> +<l>With a bright load of bloom is gay,</l> +<l>And every flower the breeze has bent</l> +<l>Fills all the region with its scent.</l> +<l>Near the tall palace pale of hue</l> +<l>Shone lovely lakes where lilies blew,</l> +<l>And lotuses with flower and bud</l> +<l>Gleamed on the bosom of the flood.</l> +<l>There shone with gems that flashed afar</l> +<l>The marvel of the Flower-named<note place="foot">Pushpak from +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">pushpa</foreign> a flower. The +car has been mentioned before in Rávaṇ's +expedition to carry off Sítá, <ref target="CantoIII-XXXV">Book III, +Canto XXXV</ref>.</note> car,</l> +<l>Mid wondrous dwellings still confessed</l> +<l>Supreme and nobler than the rest.</l> +<l>Thereon with wondrous art designed</l> +<l>Were turkis birds of varied kind.</l> +<l>And many a sculptured serpent rolled</l> +<l>His twisted coil in burnished gold.</l> +<l>And steeds were there of noblest form</l> +<l>With flying feet as fleet as storm:</l> +<l>And elephants with deftest skill</l> +<l>Stood sculptured by a silver rill,</l> +<l>Each bearing on his trunk a wreath</l> +<l>Of lilies from the flood beneath.</l> +<l>There Lakshmí,<note place="foot">Lakshmí is the wife of Vishṇu and the +Goddess of Beauty and Felicity. She rose, like Aphrodite, from the foam of the sea. +For an account of her birth and beauty, +see <ref target="CantoI-XLV">Book I, Canto XLV</ref>.</note> beauty's heavenly queen,</l> +<l>Wrought by the artist's skill, was seen</l> +<l>Beside a flower-clad pool to stand</l> +<l>Holding a lotus in her hand.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-VIII"/> +<head>Canto VIII. The Enchanted Car.</head> + +<lg> +<l>There gleamed the car with wealth untold</l> +<l>Of precious gems and burnished gold;</l> +<l>Nor could the Wind-God's son withdraw</l> +<l>His rapt gaze from the sight he saw,</l> +<l>By Viśvakarmá's<note place="foot">Viśvakarmá is the architect of the +Gods, the Hephaestos or Mulciber of the Indian heaven.</note> self proclaimed</l> +<l>The noblest work his hand had framed.</l> +<l>Uplifted in the air it glowed</l> +<l>Bright as the sun's diurnal road.</l> +<l>The eye might scan the wondrous frame</l> +<l>And vainly seek one spot to blame,</l> +<l>So fine was every part and fair</l> +<l>With gems inlaid with lavish care.</l> +<l>No precious stones so rich adorn</l> +<l>The cars wherein the Gods are borne,</l> +<l>Prize of the all-resistless might</l> +<l>That sprang from pain and penance rite,<note place="foot">Rávaṇ in the resistless +power which his long austerities had endowed him with, had conquered his brother Kuvera +the God of Gold and taken from him his greatest treasure this enchanted car.</note></l> +<l>Obedient to the master's will</l> +<l>It moved o'er wood and towering hill,</l> +<l>A glorious marvel well designed</l> +<l>By Viśvakarmá's artist mind,</l> +<l>Adorned with every fair device</l> +<l>That decks the cars of Paradise.</l> +<l>Swift moving as the master chose</l> +<l>It flew through air or sank or rose,<note place="foot">Like Milton's heavenly car, +<q>Itself instinct with spirit.</q></note></l> +<l>And in its fleetness left behind</l> +<l>The fury of the rushing wind:</l> +<l>Meet mansion for the good and great,</l> +<l>The holy, wise, and fortunate.</l> +<l>Throughout the chariot's vast extent</l> +<l>Were chambers wide and excellent,</l> +<l>All pure and lovely to the eyes</l> +<l>As moonlight shed from cloudless skies.</l> +<l>Fierce goblins, rovers of the night</l> +<l>Who cleft the clouds with swiftest flight</l> +<l>In countless hosts that chariot drew,</l> +<l>With earrings clashing as they flew.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-IX"/> +<head>Canto IX. The Ladies' Bower.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Where stately mansions rose around,</l> +<l>A palace fairer still he found,</l> +<l>Whose royal height and splendour showed</l> +<l>Where Rávaṇ's self, the king, abode.</l> +<l>A chosen band with bow and sword</l> +<l>Guarded the palace of their lord,</l> +<l>Where Ráksha's dames of noble race</l> +<l>And many a princess fair of face</l> +<l>Whom Rávaṇ's arm had torn away</l> +<l>From vanquished kings in slumber lay.</l> +<pb n="401"/><anchor id="Pg401"/> +<l>There jewelled arches high o'erhead</l> +<l>An ever-changing lustre shed</l> +<l>From ruby, pearl, and every gem</l> +<l>On golden pillars under them.</l> +<l>Delicious came the tempered air</l> +<l>That breathed a heavenly summer there,</l> +<l>Stealing through bloomy trees that bore</l> +<l>Each pleasant fruit in endless store.</l> +<l>No check was there from jealous guard,</l> +<l>No door was fast, no portal barred;</l> +<l>Only a sweet air breathed to meet</l> +<l>The stranger, as a host should greet</l> +<l>A wanderer of his kith and kin</l> +<l>And woo his weary steps within.</l> +<l>He stood within a spacious hall</l> +<l>With fretted roof and painted wall,</l> +<l>The giant Rávaṇ's boast and pride,</l> +<l>Loved even as a lovely bride.</l> +<l>'Twere long to tell each marvel there,</l> +<l>The crystal floor, the jewelled stair,</l> +<l>The gold, the silver, and the shine</l> +<l>Of chrysolite and almandine.</l> +<l>There breathed the fairest blooms of spring;</l> +<l>There flashed the proud swan's silver wing,</l> +<l>The splendour of whose feathers broke</l> +<l>Through fragrant wreaths of aloe smoke.</l> +<l><q>'Tis Indra's heaven,</q> the Vánar cried,</l> +<l>Gazing in joy from side to side;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The home of all the Gods is this,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">The mansion of eternal bliss.</q></l> +<l>There were the softest carpets spread,</l> +<l>Delightful to the sight and tread,</l> +<l>Where many a lovely woman lay</l> +<l>O'ercome by sleep, fatigued with play.</l> +<l>The wine no longer cheered the feast,</l> +<l>The sound of revelry had ceased.</l> +<l>The tinkling feet no longer stirred,</l> +<l>No chiming of a zone was heard.</l> +<l>So when each bird has sought her nest,</l> +<l>And swans are mute and wild bees rest,</l> +<l>Sleep the fair lilies on the lake</l> +<l>Till the sun's kiss shall bid them wake.</l> +<l>Like the calm field of winter's sky</l> +<l>Which stars unnumbered glorify,</l> +<l>So shone and glowed the sumptuous room</l> +<l>With living stars that chased the gloom.</l> +<l><q>These are the stars,</q> the chieftain cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">In autumn nights that earth-ward glide,</q></l> +<l>In brighter forms to reappear</l> +<l><q rend="post">And shine in matchless lustre here.</q></l> +<l>With wondering eyes a while he viewed</l> +<l>Each graceful form and attitude.</l> +<l>One lady's head was backward thrown,</l> +<l>Bare was her arm and loose her zone.</l> +<l>The garland that her brow had graced</l> +<l>Hung closely round another's waist.</l> +<l>Here gleamed two little feet all bare</l> +<l>Of anklets that had sparkled there,</l> +<l>Here lay a queenly dame at rest</l> +<l>In all her glorious garments dressed.</l> +<l>There slept another whose small hand</l> +<l>Had loosened every tie and band,</l> +<l>In careless grace another lay</l> +<l>With gems and jewels cast away,</l> +<l>Like a young creeper when the tread</l> +<l>Of the wild elephant has spread</l> +<l>Confusion and destruction round,</l> +<l>And cast it flowerless to the ground.</l> +<l>Here lay a slumberer still as death,</l> +<l>Save only that her balmy breath</l> +<l>Raised ever and anon the lace</l> +<l>That floated o'er her sleeping face.</l> +<l>There, sunk in sleep, an amorous maid</l> +<l>Her sweet head on a mirror laid,</l> +<l>Like a fair lily bending till</l> +<l>Her petals rest upon the rill.</l> +<l>Another black-eyed damsel pressed</l> +<l>Her lute upon her heaving breast,</l> +<l>As though her loving arms were twined</l> +<l>Round him for whom her bosom pined.</l> +<l>Another pretty sleeper round</l> +<l>A silver vase her arms had wound,</l> +<l>That seemed, so fresh and fair and young</l> +<l>A wreath of flowers that o'er it hung.</l> +<l>In sweet disorder lay a throng</l> +<l>Weary of dance and play and song,</l> +<l>Where heedless girls had sunk to rest</l> +<l>One pillowed on another's breast,</l> +<l>Her tender cheek half seen beneath</l> +<l>Bed roses of the falling wreath,</l> +<l>The while her long soft hair concealed</l> +<l>The beauties that her friend revealed.</l> +<l>With limbs at random interlaced</l> +<l>Round arm and leg and throat and waist,</l> +<l>That wreath of women lay asleep</l> +<l>Like blossoms in a careless heap.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-X"/> +<head>Canto X. Rávan Asleep.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Apart a dais of crystal rose</l> +<l>With couches spread for soft repose,</l> +<l>Adorned with gold and gems of price</l> +<l>Meet for the halls of Paradise.</l> +<l>A canopy was o'er them spread</l> +<l>Pale as the light the moon beams shed,</l> +<l>And female figures,<note place="foot">Women, says Válmíki. But the Commentator +says that automatic figures only are meant. Women would have seen +Hanumán and given the alarm.</note> deftly planned,</l> +<l>The faces of the sleepers fanned,</l> +<l>There on a splendid couch, asleep</l> +<l>On softest skins of deer and sheep.</l> +<l>Dark as a cloud that dims the day</l> +<l>The monarch of the giants lay,</l> +<l>Perfumed with sandal's precious scent</l> +<l>And gay with golden ornament.</l> +<pb n="402"/><anchor id="Pg402"/> +<l>His fiery eyes in slumber closed,</l> +<l>In glittering robes the king reposed</l> +<l>Like Mandar's mighty hill asleep</l> +<l>With flowery trees that clothe his steep.</l> +<l>Near and more near the Vánar</l> +<l>The monarch of the fiends to view,</l> +<l>And saw the giant stretched supine</l> +<l>Fatigued with play and drunk with wine.</l> +<l>While, shaking all the monstrous frame,</l> +<l>His breath like hissing serpents' came.</l> +<l>With gold and glittering bracelets gay</l> +<l>His mighty arms extended lay</l> +<l>Huge as the towering shafts that bear</l> +<l>The flag of Indra high in air.</l> +<l>Scars by Airávat's tusk impressed</l> +<l>Showed red upon his shaggy breast.</l> +<l>And on his shoulders were displayed</l> +<l>The dints the thunder-bolt had made.<note place="foot">Rávaṇ had fought against Indra +and the Gods, and his body was still scarred by the wounds inflicted by the tusks of +Indra's elephant and by the fiery bolts of the Thunderer.</note></l> +<l>The spouses of the giant king</l> +<l>Around their lord were slumbering,</l> +<l>And, gay with sparkling earrings, shone</l> +<l>Fair as the moon to look upon.</l> +<l>There by her husband's side was seen</l> +<l>Mandodarí the favourite queen,</l> +<l>The beauty of whose youthful face</l> +<l>Beamed a soft glory through the place.</l> +<l>The Vánar marked the dame more fair</l> +<l>Than all the royal ladies there,</l> +<l>And thought, <q rend="pre">These rarest beauties speak</q></l> +<l>The matchless dame I come to seek.</l> +<l>Peerless in grace and splendour, she</l> +<l><q rend="post">The Maithil queen must surely be.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XI"/> +<head>Canto XI. The Banquet Hall.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But soon the baseless thought was spurned</l> +<l>And longing hope again returned:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No: Ráma's wife is none of these,</q></l> +<l>No careless dame that lives at ease.</l> +<l>Her widowed heart has ceased to care</l> +<l>For dress and sleep and dainty fare.</l> +<l>She near a lover ne'er would lie</l> +<l>Though Indra wooed her from the sky.</l> +<l>Her own, her only lord, whom none</l> +<l><q rend="post">Can match in heaven, is Raghu's son.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then to the banquet hall intent</l> +<l>On strictest search his steps he bent.</l> +<l>He passed within the door, and found</l> +<l>Fair women sleeping on the ground,</l> +<l>Where wearied with the song, perchance,</l> +<l>The merry game, the wanton dance,</l> +<l>Each girl with wine and sleep oppressed</l> +<l>Had sunk her drooping head to rest.</l> +<l>That spacious hall from side to side</l> +<l>With noblest fare was well supplied,</l> +<l>There quarters of the boar, and here</l> +<l>Roast of the buffalo and deer,</l> +<l>There on gold plate, untouched as yet</l> +<l>The peacock and the hen were set.</l> +<l>There deftly mixed with salt and curd</l> +<l>Was meat of many a beast and bird,</l> +<l>Of kid and porcupine and hare,</l> +<l>And dainties of the sea and air.</l> +<l>There wrought of gold, ablaze with shine</l> +<l>Of precious stones, were cups of wine.</l> +<l>Through court and bower and banquet hall</l> +<l>The Vánar passed and viewed them all;</l> +<l>From end to end, in every spot,</l> +<l>For Sítá searched, but found her not.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XII"/> +<head>Canto XII. The Search Renewed.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Again the Vánar chief began</l> +<l>Each chamber, bower, and hall to scan.</l> +<l>In vain: he found not her he sought,</l> +<l>And pondered thus in bitter thought:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah me the Maithil queen is slain:</q></l> +<l>She, ever true and free from stain,</l> +<l>The fiend's entreaty has denied,</l> +<l>And by his cruel hand has died.</l> +<l>Or has she sunk, by terror killed,</l> +<l>When first she saw the palace filled</l> +<l>With female monsters evil miened</l> +<l>Who wait upon the robber fiend?</l> +<l>No battle fought, no might displayed,</l> +<l>In vain this anxious search is made;</l> +<l>Nor shall my steps, made slow by shame,</l> +<l>Because I failed to find the dame,</l> +<l>Back to our lord the king be bent,</l> +<l>For he is swift to punishment.</l> +<l>In every bower my feet have been,</l> +<l>The dames of Rávaṇ have I seen;</l> +<l>But Ráma's spouse I seek in vain,</l> +<l>And all my toil is fruitless pain.</l> +<l>How shall I meet the Vánar band</l> +<l>I left upon the ocean strand?</l> +<l>How, when they bid me speak, proclaim</l> +<l>These tidings of defeat and shame?</l> +<l>How shall I look on Angad's eye?</l> +<l>What words will Jámbaván reply?</l> +<l>Yet dauntless hearts will never fail</l> +<l>To win success though foes assail,</l> +<l>And I this sorrow will subdue</l> +<l>And search the palace through and through,</l> +<l>Exploring with my cautious tread</l> +<l><q rend="post">Each spot as yet unvisited.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Again he turned him to explore</l> +<l>Each chamber, hall, and corridor,</l> +<l>And arbour bright with scented bloom,</l> +<l>And lodge and cell and picture-room.</l> +<pb n="403"/><anchor id="Pg403"/> +<l>With eager eye and noiseless feet</l> +<l>He passed through many a cool retreat</l> +<l>Where women lay in slumber drowned;</l> +<l>But Sítá still was nowhere found.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XIII"/> +<head>Canto XIII. Despair And Hope.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then rapid as the lightning's flame</l> +<l>From Rávaṇ's halls the Vánar came.</l> +<l>Each lingering hope was cold and dead,</l> +<l>And thus within his heart he said:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Alas, my fruitless search is done:</q></l> +<l>Long have I toiled for Raghu's son;</l> +<l>And yet with all my care have seen</l> +<l>No traces of the ravished queen.</l> +<l>It may be, while the giant through</l> +<l>The lone air with his captive flew,</l> +<l>The Maithil lady, tender-souled,</l> +<l>Slipped struggling from the robber's hold,</l> +<l>And the wild sea is rolling now</l> +<l>O'er Sítá of the beauteous brow.</l> +<l>Or did she perish of alarm</l> +<l>When circled by the monster's arm?</l> +<l>Or crushed, unable to withstand</l> +<l>The pressure of that monstrous hand?</l> +<l>Or when she spurned his suit with scorn,</l> +<l>Her tender limbs were rent and torn.</l> +<l>And she, her virtue unsubdued,</l> +<l>Was slaughtered for the giant's food.</l> +<l>Shall I to Raghu's son relate</l> +<l>His well-beloved consort's fate,</l> +<l>My crime the same if I reveal</l> +<l>The mournful story or conceal?</l> +<l>If with no happier tale to tell</l> +<l>I seek our mountain citadel,</l> +<l>How shall I face our lord the king,</l> +<l>And meet his angry questioning?</l> +<l>How shall I greet my friends, and brook</l> +<l>The muttered taunt, the scornful look?</l> +<l>How to the son of Raghu go</l> +<l>And kill him with my tale of woe?</l> +<l>For sure the mournful tale I bear</l> +<l>Will strike him dead with wild despair.</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ ever fond and true,</l> +<l>Will, undivided, perish too.</l> +<l>Bharat will learn his brother's fate,</l> +<l>And die of grief disconsolate,</l> +<l>And sad Śatrughna with a cry</l> +<l>Of anguish on his corpse will die.</l> +<l>Our king Sugríva, ever found</l> +<l>True to each bond in honour bound,</l> +<l>Will mourn the pledge he vainly gave,</l> +<l>And die with him he could not save.</l> +<l>Then Rumá his devoted wife</l> +<l>For her dead lord will leave her life,</l> +<l>And Tárá, widowed and forlorn,</l> +<l>Will die in anguish, sorrow-worn.</l> +<l>On Angad too the blow will fall</l> +<l>Killing the hope and joy of all.</l> +<l>The ruin of their prince and king</l> +<l>The Vánars' souls with woe will wring.</l> +<l>And each, overwhelmed with dark despair,</l> +<l>Will beat his head and rend his hair.</l> +<l>Each, graced and honoured long, will miss</l> +<l>His careless life of easy bliss,</l> +<l>In happy troops will play no more</l> +<l>On breezy rock and shady shore,</l> +<l>But with his darling wife and child</l> +<l>Will seek the mountain top, and wild</l> +<l>With hopeless desolation, throw</l> +<l>Himself, his wife, and babe, below.</l> +<l>Ah no: unless the dame I find</l> +<l>I ne'er will meet my Vánar kind.</l> +<l>Here rather in some distant dell</l> +<l>A lonely hermit will I dwell,</l> +<l>Where roots and berries will supply</l> +<l>My humble wants until I die;</l> +<l>Or on the shore will raise a pyre</l> +<l>And perish in the kindled fire.</l> +<l>Or I will strictly fast until</l> +<l>With slow decay my life I kill,</l> +<l>And ravening dogs and birds of air</l> +<l>The limbs of Hanumán shall tear.</l> +<l>Here will I die, but never bring</l> +<l>Destruction on my race and king.</l> +<l>But still unsearched one grove I see</l> +<l>With many a bright Aśoka tree.</l> +<l>There will I enter in, and through</l> +<l>The tangled shade my search renew.</l> +<l>Be glory to the host on high,</l> +<l>The Sun and Moon who light the sky,</l> +<l>The Vasus<note place="foot">The Vasus are a class of eight deities, +originally personifications of natural phenomena.</note> and the +Maruts'<note place="foot">The Maruts are the winds or Storm-Gods.</note> train,</l> +<l>Ádityas<note place="foot">The Ádityas originally seven +deities of the heavenly sphere of whom Varuṇa is the chief. The name Áditya +was afterwards given to any God, specially to Súrya the Sun.</note> +and the Aśvins<note place="foot">The Aśvins are the Heavenly Twins, +the Castor and Pollux of the Hindus.</note> twain.</l> +<l>So may I win success, and bring</l> +<l><q rend="post">The lady back with triumphing.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XIV"/> +<head>Canto XIV. The Asoka Grove.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He cleared the barrier at a bound;</l> +<l>He stood within the pleasant ground,</l> +<pb n="404"/><anchor id="Pg404"/> +<l>And with delighted eyes surveyed</l> +<l>The climbing plants and varied shade,</l> +<l>He saw unnumbered trees unfold</l> +<l>The treasures of their pendent gold,</l> +<l>As, searching for the Maithil queen,</l> +<l>He strayed through alleys soft and green;</l> +<l>And when a spray he bent or broke</l> +<l>Some little bird that slept awoke.</l> +<l>Whene'er the breeze of morning blew,</l> +<l>Where'er a startled peacock flew,</l> +<l>The gaily coloured branches shed</l> +<l>Their flowery rain upon his head</l> +<l>That clung around the Vánar till</l> +<l>He seemed a blossom-covered hill,<note place="foot">The poet forgets that Hanumán has +reduced himself to the size of a cat.</note></l> +<l>The earth, on whose fair bosom lay</l> +<l>The flowers that fell from every spray,</l> +<l>Was glorious as a lovely maid</l> +<l>In all her brightest robes arrayed,</l> +<l>He saw the breath of morning shake</l> +<l>The lilies on the rippling lake</l> +<l>Whose waves a pleasant lapping made</l> +<l>On crystal steps with gems inlaid.</l> +<l>Then roaming through the enchanted ground,</l> +<l>A pleasant hill the Vánar found,</l> +<l>And grottoes in the living stone</l> +<l>With grass and flowery trees o'ergrown.</l> +<l>Through rocks and boughs a brawling rill</l> +<l>Leapt from the bosom of the hill,</l> +<l>Like a proud beauty when she flies</l> +<l>From her love's arms with angry eyes.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He clomb a tree that near him grew</l> +<l>And leafy shade around him threw.</l> +<l><q>Hence,</q> thought the Vánar, <q rend="pre">shall I see</q></l> +<l>The Maithil dame, if here she be,</l> +<l>These lovely trees, this cool retreat</l> +<l>Will surely tempt her wandering feet.</l> +<l>Here the sad queen will roam apart.</l> +<l><q rend="post">And dream of Ráma in her heart.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XV"/> +<head>Canto XV. Sítá.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Fair as Kailása white with snow</l> +<l>He saw a palace flash and glow,</l> +<l>A crystal pavement gem-inlaid,</l> +<l>And coral steps and colonnade,</l> +<l>And glittering towers that kissed the skies,</l> +<l>Whose dazzling splendour charmed his eyes.</l> +<l>There pallid, with neglected dress,</l> +<l>Watched close by fiend and giantess,</l> +<l>Her sweet face thin with constant flow</l> +<l>Of tears, with fasting and with woe;</l> +<l>Pale as the young moon's crescent when</l> +<l>The first faint light returns to men:</l> +<l>Dim as the flame when clouds of smoke</l> +<l>The latent glory hide and choke;</l> +<l>Like Rohiṇí the queen of stars</l> +<l>Oppressed by the red planet Mars;</l> +<l>From her dear friends and husband torn,</l> +<l>Amid the cruel fiends, forlorn,</l> +<l>Who fierce-eyed watch around her kept,</l> +<l>A tender woman sat and wept.</l> +<l>Her sobs, her sighs, her mournful mien,</l> +<l>Her glorious eyes, proclaimed the queen.</l> +<l><q>This, this is she,</q> the Vánar cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Fair as the moon and lotus-eyed,</q></l> +<l>I saw the giant Rávan bear</l> +<l>A captive through the fields of air.</l> +<l>Such was the beauty of the dame;</l> +<l>Her form, her lips, her eyes the same.</l> +<l>This peerless queen whom I behold</l> +<l>Is Ráma's wife with limbs of gold.</l> +<l>Best of the sons of men is he,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And worthy of her lord is she.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XVI"/> +<head>Canto XVI. Hanumán's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then, all his thoughts on Sítá bent,</l> +<l>The Vánar chieftain made lament:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The queen to Ráma's soul endeared,</q></l> +<l>By Lakshmaṇ's pious heart revered,</l> +<l>Lies here,—for none may strive with Fate,</l> +<l>A captive, sad and desolate.</l> +<l>The brothers' might full well she knows,</l> +<l>And bravely bears the storm of woes,</l> +<l>As swelling Gangá in the rains</l> +<l>The rush of every flood sustains.</l> +<l>Her lord, for her, fierce Báli slew,</l> +<l>Virádha's monstrous might o'erthrew,</l> +<l>For her the fourteen thousand slain</l> +<l>In Janasthán bedewed the plain.</l> +<l>And if for her Ikshváku's son</l> +<l>Destroyed the world 'twere nobly done.</l> +<l>This, this is she, so far renowned,</l> +<l>Who sprang from out the furrowed ground,<note place="foot">Sítá <q>not of woman +born,</q> was found by King Janak as he was turning up the ground in preparation for a +sacrifice. See <ref target="CantoII-CXVIII">Book II, Canto CXVIII</ref>.</note></l> +<l>Child of the high-souled king whose sway</l> +<l>The men of Míthilá obey:</l> +<l>The glorious lady wooed and won</l> +<l>By Daśaratha's noblest son;</l> +<l>And now these sad eyes look on her</l> +<l>Mid hostile fiends a prisoner.</l> +<l>From home and every bliss she fled</l> +<l>By wifely love and duty led,</l> +<l>And heedless of a wanderer's woes,</l> +<l>A life in lonely forests chose.</l> +<l>This, this is she so fair of mould.</l> +<l>Whose limbs are bright as burnished gold.</l> +<pb n="405"/><anchor id="Pg405"/> +<l>Whose voice was ever soft and mild,</l> +<l>Who sweetly spoke and sweetly smiled.</l> +<l>O, what is Ráma's misery! how</l> +<l>He longs to see his darling now!</l> +<l>Pining for one of her fond looks</l> +<l>As one athirst for water brooks.</l> +<l>Absorbed in woe the lady sees</l> +<l>No Rákshas guard, no blooming trees.</l> +<l>Her eyes are with her thoughts, and they</l> +<l><q rend="post">Are fixed on Ráma far away.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XVII"/> +<head>Canto XVII. Sítá's Guard.</head> + +<lg> +<l>His pitying eyes with tears bedewed,</l> +<l>The weeping queen again he viewed,</l> +<l>And saw around the prisoner stand</l> +<l>Her demon guard, a fearful band.</l> +<l>Some earless, some with ears that hung</l> +<l>Low as their feet and loosely swung:</l> +<l>Some fierce with single ears and eyes,</l> +<l>Some dwarfish, some of monstrous size:</l> +<l>Some with their dark necks long and thin</l> +<l>With hair upon the knotty skin:</l> +<l>Some with wild locks, some bald and bare,</l> +<l>Some covered o'er with bristly hair:</l> +<l>Some tall and straight, some bowed and bent</l> +<l>With every foul disfigurement:</l> +<l>All black and fierce with eyes of fire,</l> +<l>Ruthless and stern and swift to ire:</l> +<l>Some with the jackal's jaw and nose,</l> +<l>Some faced like boars and buffaloes:</l> +<l>Some with the heads of goats and kine,</l> +<l>Of elephants, and dogs, and swine:</l> +<l>With lions' lips and horses' brows,</l> +<l>They walked with feet of mules and cows:</l> +<l>Swords, maces, clubs, and spears they bore</l> +<l>In hideous hands that reeked with gore,</l> +<l>And, never sated, turned afresh</l> +<l>To bowls of wine and piles of flesh.</l> +<l>Such were the awful guards who stood</l> +<l>Round Sítá in that lovely wood,</l> +<l>While in her lonely sorrow she</l> +<l>Wept sadly neath a spreading tree.</l> +<l>He watched the spouse of Ráma there</l> +<l>Regardless of her tangled hair,</l> +<l>Her jewels stripped from neck and limb,</l> +<l>Decked only with her love of him.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XVIII"/> +<head>Canto XVIII. Rávan.</head> + +<lg> +<l>While from his shelter in the boughs</l> +<l>The Vánar looked on Ráma's spouse</l> +<l>He heard the gathered giants raise</l> +<l>The solemn hymn of prayer and praise.—</l> +<l>Priests skilled in rite and ritual, who</l> +<l>The Vedas and their branches<note place="foot">The six +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Angas</foreign> or subordinate branches +of the Vedas are 1. <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Sikshá</foreign>, the +science of proper articulation and pronunciation: +2. <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Chhandas</foreign>, metre: 3. +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Vyákarana</foreign>, linguistic +analysis or grammar: 4. <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Nirukta</foreign>, +explanation of difficult Vedic words: 5. +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Jyotishṭom</foreign>, Astronomy, or rather +the Vedic Calendar: 6. <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Kalpa</foreign>, +ceremonial.</note> knew.</l> +<l>Then, as loud strains of music broke</l> +<l>His sleep, the giant monarch woke.</l> +<l>Swift to his heart the thought returned</l> +<l>Of the fair queen for whom he burned;</l> +<l>Nor could the amorous fiend control</l> +<l>The passion that absorbed his soul.</l> +<l>In all his brightest garb arrayed</l> +<l>He hastened to that lovely shade,</l> +<l>Where glowed each choicest flower and fruit,</l> +<l>And the sweet birds were never mute,</l> +<l>And tall deer bent their heads to drink</l> +<l>On the fair streamlet's grassy brink.</l> +<l>Near that Aśoka grove he drew,—</l> +<l>A hundred dames his retinue.</l> +<l>Like Indra with the thousand eyes</l> +<l>Girt with the beauties of the skies.</l> +<l>Some walked beside their lord to hold</l> +<l>The chouries, fans, and lamps of gold.</l> +<l>And others purest water bore</l> +<l>In golden urns, and paced before.</l> +<l>Some carried, piled on golden plates,</l> +<l>Delicious food of dainty cates;</l> +<l>Some wine in massive bowls whereon</l> +<l>The fairest gems resplendent shone.</l> +<l>Some by the monarch's side displayed,</l> +<l>Wrought like a swan, a silken shade:</l> +<l>Another beauty walked behind,</l> +<l>The sceptre to her care assigned.</l> +<l>Around the monarch gleamed the crowd</l> +<l>As lightnings flash about a cloud,</l> +<l>And each made music as she went</l> +<l>With zone and tinkling ornament.</l> +<l>Attended thus in royal state</l> +<l>The monarch reached the garden gate,</l> +<l>While gold and silver torches, fed</l> +<l>With scented oil a soft light shed.<note place="foot">There appears to be some +confusion of time here. It was already morning when Hanumán entered the grove, and +the torches would be needless.</note></l> +<pb n="406"/><anchor id="Pg406"/> +<l>He, while the flame of fierce desire</l> +<l>Burnt in his eyes like kindled fire,</l> +<l>Seemed Love incarnate in his pride,</l> +<l>His bow and arrows laid aside.<note place="foot">Rávaṇ is one of those beings who can +<q>climb them as they will,</q> and can of course assume the loveliest form to please +human eyes as well as the terrific shape that suits the king of the Rákshases.</note></l> +<l>His robe, from spot and blemish free</l> +<l>Like Amrit foamy from the sea,<note place="foot">White and lovely as the Arant or +nectar recovered from the depths of the Milky Sea when churned by the assembled +Gods. See <ref target="CantoI-XLV">Book I, Canto XLV</ref>.</note></l> +<l>Hung down in many a loosened fold</l> +<l>Inwrought with flowers and bright with gold.</l> +<l>The Vánar from his station viewed,</l> +<l>Amazed, the wondrous multitude,</l> +<l>Where, in the centre of that ring</l> +<l>Of noblest women, stood the king,</l> +<l>As stands the full moon fair to view,</l> +<l>Girt by his starry retinue.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XIX"/> +<head>Canto XIX. Sítá's Fear.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then o'er the lady's soul and frame</l> +<l>A sudden fear and trembling came,</l> +<l>When, glowing in his youthful pride,</l> +<l>She saw the monarch by her side.</l> +<l>Silent she sat, her eyes depressed,</l> +<l>Her soft arms folded o'er her breast,</l> +<l>And,—all she could,—her beauties screened</l> +<l>From the bold gazes of the fiend.</l> +<l>There where the wild she-demons kept</l> +<l>Their watch around, she sighed and wept.</l> +<l>Then, like a severed bough, she lay</l> +<l>Prone on the bare earth in dismay.</l> +<l>The while her thoughts on love's fleet wings</l> +<l>Flew to her lord the best of kings.</l> +<l>She fell upon the ground, and there</l> +<l>Lay struggling with her wild despair,</l> +<l>Sad as a lady born again</l> +<l>To misery and woe and pain,</l> +<l>Now doomed to grief and low estate,</l> +<l>Once noble fair and delicate:</l> +<l>Like faded light of holy lore,</l> +<l>Like Hope when all her dreams are o'er;</l> +<l>Like ruined power and rank debased,</l> +<l>Like majesty of kings disgraced:</l> +<l>Like worship foiled by erring slips,</l> +<l>The moon that labours in eclipse;</l> +<l>A pool with all her lilies dead,</l> +<l>An army when its king has fled:</l> +<l>So sad and helpless wan and worn,</l> +<l>She lay among the fiends forlorn.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XX"/> +<head>Canto XX. Rávan's Wooing.</head> + +<lg> +<l>With amorous look and soft address</l> +<l>The fiend began his suit to press:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why wouldst thou, lady lotus-eyed,</q></l> +<l>From my fond glance those beauties hide?</l> +<l>Mine eager suit no more repel:</l> +<l>But love me, for I love thee well.</l> +<l>Dismiss, sweet dame, dismiss thy fear;</l> +<l>No giant and no man is near.</l> +<l>Ours is the right by force to seize</l> +<l>What dames soe'er our fancy please.<note place="foot"><p>Rávaṇ in his magic car +carrying off the most beautiful women reminds us of the magician in +<hi rend='italic'>Orlando Furioso</hi>, possesor of the flying horse.</p> +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">Volando talor s'alza ne le stelle,</q></l> +<l>E poi quasi talor la terra rade;</l> +<l>E ne porta con lui tutte le belle</l> +<l><q rend="post">Donne che trova per quelle contrade.</q></l> +</lg></note></l> +<l>But I with rude hands will not touch</l> +<l>A lady whom I love so much.</l> +<l>Fear not, dear queen: no fear is nigh:</l> +<l>Come, on thy lover's love rely,</l> +<l>Some little sign of favor show,</l> +<l>Nor lie enamoured of thy woe.</l> +<l>Those limbs upon that cold earth laid,</l> +<l>Those tresses twined in single braid,<note place="foot">Indian women twisted their +long hair in a single braid as a sign of mourning for their absent husbands.</note></l> +<l>The fast and woe that wear thy frame,</l> +<l>Beseem not thee, O beauteous dame.</l> +<l>For thee the fairest wreaths were meant,</l> +<l>The sandal and the aloe's scent,</l> +<l>Rich ornaments and pearls of price,</l> +<l>And vesture meet for Paradise.</l> +<l>With dainty cates shouldst thou be fed,</l> +<l>And rest upon a sumptuous bed.</l> +<l>And festive joys to thee belong,</l> +<l>The music, and the dance and song.</l> +<l>Rise, pearl of women, rise and deck</l> +<l>With gems and chains thine arms and neck.</l> +<l>Shall not the dame I love be seen</l> +<l>In vesture worthy of a queen?</l> +<l>Methinks when thy sweet form was made</l> +<l>His hand the wise Creator stayed;</l> +<l>For never more did he design</l> +<l>A beauty meet to rival thine.</l> +<l>Come, let us love while yet we may,</l> +<l>For youth will fly and charms decay,</l> +<l>Come cast thy grief and fear aside,</l> +<l>And be my love, my chosen bride.</l> +<l>The gems and jewels that my hand</l> +<l>Has reft from every plundered land,—</l> +<l>To thee I give them all this day,</l> +<l>And at thy feet my kingdom lay.</l> +<pb n="407"/><anchor id="Pg407"/> +<l>The broad rich earth will I o'errun,</l> +<l>And leave no town unconquered, none;</l> +<l>Then of the whole an offering make</l> +<l>To Janak,<note place="foot">Janak, king of Míthilá, was Sítá's +father.</note> dear, for thy sweet sake.</l> +<l>In all the world no power I see</l> +<l>Of God or man can strive with me.</l> +<l>Of old the Gods and Asurs set</l> +<l>In terrible array I met:</l> +<l>Their scattered hosts to earth I beat,</l> +<l>And trod their flags beneath my feet.</l> +<l>Come, taste of bliss and drink thy fill,</l> +<l>And rule the slave who serves thy will.</l> +<l>Think not of wretched Ráma: he</l> +<l>Is less than nothing now to thee.</l> +<l>Stript of his glory, poor, dethroned,</l> +<l>A wanderer by his friends disowned,</l> +<l>On the cold earth he lays his head,</l> +<l>Or is with toil and misery dead.</l> +<l>And if perchance he lingers yet,</l> +<l>His eyes on thee shall ne'er be set.</l> +<l>Could he, that mighty monarch, who</l> +<l>Was named Hiraṇyakaśipu,</l> +<l>Could he who wore the garb of gold</l> +<l>Win Glory back from Indra's hold?<note place="foot">Hiraṇyakaśipu was a king of the +Daityas celebrated for his blasphemous impieties. When his pious son Prahlada +praised Vishṇu the Daitya tried to kill him, when the God appeared in the incarnation +of the man-lion and tore the tyrant to pieces.</note></l> +<l>O lady of the lovely smile,</l> +<l>Whose eyes the sternest heart beguile,</l> +<l>In all thy radiant beauty dressed</l> +<l>My heart and soul thou ravishest.</l> +<l>What though thy robe is soiled and worn,</l> +<l>And no bright gems thy limbs adorn,</l> +<l>Thou unadorned art dearer far</l> +<l>Than all my loveliest consorts are.</l> +<l>My royal home is bright and fair;</l> +<l>A thousand beauties meet me there,</l> +<l>But come, my glorious love, and be</l> +<l><q rend="post">The queen of all those dames and me.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XXI"/> +<head>Canto XXI. Sítá's Scorn.</head> + +<lg> +<l>She thought upon her lord and sighed,</l> +<l>And thus in gentle tones replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Beseems thee not, O King, to woo</q></l> +<l>A matron, to her husband true.</l> +<l>Thus vainly one might hope by sin</l> +<l>And evil deeds success to win.</l> +<l>Shall I, so highly born, disgrace</l> +<l>My husband's house, my royal race?</l> +<l>Shall I, a true and loyal dame,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Defile my soul with deed of shame?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then on the king her back she turned,</l> +<l>And answered thus the prayer she spurned:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Turn, Rávaṇ, turn thee from thy sin;</q></l> +<l>Seek virtue's paths and walk therein.</l> +<l>To others dames be honour shown;</l> +<l>Protect them as thou wouldst thine own.</l> +<l>Taught by thyself, from wrong abstain</l> +<l>Which, wrought on thee, thy heart would pain.<note place="foot">Do unto others as +thou wouldst they should do unto thee, is a precept frequently occurring in the old +Indian poems. This charity is to embrace not human beings only, but bird and beast as +well: <q>He prayeth best who loveth best all things both great and small.</q></note></l> +<l>Beware: this lawless love of thine</l> +<l>Will ruin thee and all thy line;</l> +<l>And for thy sin, thy sin alone,</l> +<l>Will Lanká perish overthrown.</l> +<l>Dream not that wealth and power can sway</l> +<l>My heart from duty's path to stray.</l> +<l>Linked like the Day-God and his shine,</l> +<l>I am my lord's and he is mine.</l> +<l>Repent thee of thine impious deed;</l> +<l>To Ráma's side his consort lead.</l> +<l>Be wise; the hero's friendship gain,</l> +<l>Nor perish in his fury slain.</l> +<l>Go, ask the God of Death to spare,</l> +<l>Or red bolt flashing through the air,</l> +<l>But look in vain for spell or charm</l> +<l>To stay my Ráma's vengeful arm.</l> +<l>Thou, when the hero bends his bow,</l> +<l>Shalt hear the clang that heralds woe,</l> +<l>Loud as the clash when clouds are rent</l> +<l>And Indra's bolt to earth is sent.</l> +<l>Then shall his furious shafts be sped,</l> +<l>Each like a snake with fiery head,</l> +<l>And in their flight shall hiss and flame</l> +<l>Marked with the mighty archer's name.<note place="foot">It was the custom of Indian +warriors to mark their arrows with their ciphers or names, and it seems to have been +regarded as a point of honour to give an enemy the satisfaction of knowing who had shot +at him. This passage however contains, if my memory serves me well, the first mention +in the poem of this practice, and as arrows have been so frequently mentioned +and described with almost every conceivable epithet, its occurrence here seems +suspicious. No mention of, or allusion to writing has hitherto occurred in the +poem.</note></l> +<l>Then in the fiery deluge all</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy giants round their king shall fall.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="408"/><anchor id="Pg408"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XXII"/> +<head>Canto XXII. Rávan's Threat.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then anger swelled in Rávaṇ's breast,</l> +<l>Who fiercely thus the dame addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">'Tis ever thus: in vain we sue</q></l> +<l>To woman, and her favour woo.</l> +<l>A lover's humble words impel</l> +<l>Her wayward spirit to rebel.</l> +<l>The love of thee that fills my soul</l> +<l>Still keeps my anger in control,</l> +<l>As charioteers with bit and rein</l> +<l>The swerving of the steed restrain.</l> +<l>The love that rules me bids me spare</l> +<l>Thy forfeit life, O thou most fair.</l> +<l>For this, O Sítá, have I borne</l> +<l>The keen reproach, the bitter scorn,</l> +<l>And the fond love thou boastest yet</l> +<l>For that poor wandering anchoret;</l> +<l>Else had the words which thou hast said</l> +<l>Brought death upon thy guilty head.</l> +<l>Two months, fair dame, I grant thee still</l> +<l>To bend thee to thy lover's will.</l> +<l>If when that respite time is fled</l> +<l>Thou still refuse to share my bed,</l> +<l>My cooks shall mince thy limbs with steel</l> +<l><q rend="post">And serve thee for my morning meal.</q><note place="foot">This threat +in the same words occurs in <ref target="CantoIII-LVI">Book III, Canto +LVI</ref>.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The minstrel daughters of the skies</l> +<l>Looked on her woe with pitying eyes,</l> +<l>And sun-bright children of the Gods<note place="foot">Rávaṇ carried off and kept in his +palace not only earthly princesses but the daughters of Gods and Gandharvas.</note></l> +<l>Consoled the queen with smiles and nods.</l> +<l>She saw, and with her heart at ease,</l> +<l>Addressed the fiend in words like these;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hast thou no friend to love thee, none</q></l> +<l>In all this isle to bid thee shun</l> +<l>The ruin which thy crime will bring</l> +<l>On thee and thine, O impious King?</l> +<l>Who in all worlds save thee could woo</l> +<l>Me, Ráma's consort pure and true,</l> +<l>As though he tempted with his love</l> +<l>Queen Śachí<note place="foot">The wife of Indra.</note> on her throne above?</l> +<l>How canst thou hope, vile wretch, to fly</l> +<l>The vengeance that e'en now is nigh,</l> +<l>When thou hast dared, untouched by shame,</l> +<l>To press thy suit on Ráma's dame?</l> +<l>Where woods are thick and grass is high</l> +<l>A lion and a hare may lie;</l> +<l>My Ráma is the lion, thou</l> +<l>Art the poor hare beneath the bough.</l> +<l>Thou railest at the lord of men,</l> +<l>But wilt not stand within his ken.</l> +<l>What! is that eye unstricken yet</l> +<l>Whose impious glance on me was set?</l> +<l>Still moves that tongue that would not spare</l> +<l><q rend="post">The wife of Daśaratha's heir?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then, hissing like a furious snake,</l> +<l>The fiend again to Sítá spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Deaf to all prayers and threats art thou,</q></l> +<l>Devoted to thy senseless vow.</l> +<l>No longer respite will I give,</l> +<l>And thou this day shalt cease to live;</l> +<l>For I, as sunlight kills the morn,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Will slay thee for thy scathe and scorn.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Rákshas guard was summoned: all</l> +<l>The monstrous crew obeyed the call,</l> +<l>And hastened to the king to take</l> +<l>The orders which he fiercely spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">See that ye guard her well, and tame,</q></l> +<l>Like some wild thing, the stubborn dame,</l> +<l>Until her haughty soul be bent</l> +<l><q rend="post">By mingled threat and blandishment.</q><note place="foot">These four +lines have occurred before. +<ref target="CantoIII-LVI">Book III, Canto LVI</ref>.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The monsters heard: away he strode,</l> +<l>And passed within his queens' abode.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XXIII"/> +<head>Canto XXIII. The Demons' Threats.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then round the helpless Sítá drew</l> +<l>With fiery eyes the hideous crew,</l> +<l>And thus assailed her, all and each,</l> +<l>With insult, taunt, and threatening speech:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What! can it be thou prizest not</q></l> +<l>This happy chance, this glorious lot,</l> +<l>To be the chosen wife of one</l> +<l>So strong and great, Pulastya's son?</l> +<l>Pulastya—thus have sages told—</l> +<l>Is mid the Lords of Life<note place="foot">Prajápatis are the ten lords of created +beings first created by Brahmá; somewhat like the Demiurgi of the Gnostics.</note> +enrolled.</l> +<l>Lord Brahmá's mind-born son was he,</l> +<l>Fourth of that glorious company.</l> +<l>Viśravas from Pulastya sprang,—</l> +<l>Through all the worlds his glory rang.</l> +<l>And of Viśravas, large-eyed dame!</l> +<l>Our king the mighty Rávaṇ came.</l> +<l>His happy consort thou mayst be:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Scorn not the words we say to thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">One awful demon, fiery-eyed,</l> +<l>Stood by the Maithil queen and cried:</l> +<l>'Come and be his, if thou art wise,</l> +<l>Who smote the sovereign of the skies,</l> +<l>And made the thirty Gods and three,<note place="foot"><q>This is the number of the +Vedic divinities mentioned in the Rig-veda. In Ashṭaka I. Súkta XXXIV, the Rishi +Hiraṇyastúpa invoking the Aśvins says: Á Násatyá tribhirekádaśairiha devebniryátam: <q>O +Násatyas (Aśvins) come hither with the thrice eleven Gods.</q> And in Súkta XLV, the +Rishi Praskanva addressing his hymn to Agni (ignis, fire), thus invokes him: <q>Lord of +the red steeds, propitiated by our prayers lead hither the thirty-three Gods.</q> This +number must certainly have been the actual number in the early days of the Vedic +religion: although it appears probable enough that the thirty-three Vedic divinities +could not then be found co-ordinated in so systematic a way as they were arranged more +recently by the authors of the Upanishads. In the later ages of Bramanism the number went +on increasing without measure by successive mythical and religious creations which +peopled the Indian Olympus with abstract beings of every kind. But through lasting +veneration of the word of the Veda the custom regained of giving the name of <q>the +thirty-three Gods</q> to the immense phalanx of the multiplied deities.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio.</hi></note></l> +<l>O'ercome in furious battle, flee.</l> +<pb n="409"/><anchor id="Pg409"/> +<l>Thy lover turns away with scorn</l> +<l>From wives whom grace and youth adorn.</l> +<l>Thou art his chosen consort, thou</l> +<l><q rend="post">Shall be his pride and darling now.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Another, Vikatá by name,</l> +<l>In words like these addressed the dame:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The king whose blows, in fury dealt,</q></l> +<l>The Nágas<note place="foot">Serpent-Gods who dwell in the regions +under the earth.</note> and Gandharvas<note place="foot">In the mythology of the epics the +Gandharvas are the heavenly singers or musicians who form the orchestra at the +banquets of the Gods, and they belong to the heaven of India in whose battles they +share.</note> felt,</l> +<l>In battle's fiercest brunt subdued,</l> +<l>Has stood by thee and humbly wooed.</l> +<l>And wilt thou in thy folly miss</l> +<l>The glory of a love like this?</l> +<l>Scared by his eye the sun grows chill,</l> +<l>The wanderer wind is hushed and still.</l> +<l>The rains at his command descend,</l> +<l>And trees with new-blown blossoms bend.</l> +<l>His word the hosts of demons fear,</l> +<l>And wilt thou, dame, refuse to hear?</l> +<l>Be counselled; with his will comply,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Or, lady, thou shalt surely die.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XXIV"/> +<head>Canto XXIV. Sítá's Reply.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Still with reproaches rough and rude</l> +<l>Those fiends the gentle queen pursued:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What! can so fair a life displease,</q></l> +<l>To dwell with him in joyous ease?</l> +<l>Dwell in his bowers a happy queen</l> +<l>In silk and gold and jewels' sheen?</l> +<l>Still must thy woman fancy cling</l> +<l>To Ráma and reject our king?</l> +<l>Die in thy folly, or forget</l> +<l>That wretched wandering anchoret.</l> +<l>Come, Sítá, in luxurious bowers</l> +<l>Spend with our lord thy happy hours;</l> +<l>The mighty lord who makes his own</l> +<l><q rend="post">The treasures of the worlds o'erthrown.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then, as a tear bedewed her eye,</l> +<l>The hapless lady made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I loathe, with heart and soul detest</q></l> +<l>The shameful life your words suggest.</l> +<l>Eat, if you will, this mortal frame:</l> +<l>My soul rejects the sin and shame.</l> +<l>A homeless wanderer though he be,</l> +<l>In him my lord, my life I see,</l> +<l>And, till my earthly days be done,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Will cling to great Ikshváku's son.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then with fierce eyes on Sítá set</l> +<l>They cried again with taunt and threat:</l> +<l>Each licking with her fiery tongue</l> +<l>The lip that to her bosom hung,</l> +<l>And menacing the lady's life</l> +<l>With axe, or spear or murderous knife:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hear, Sítá, and our words obey,</q></l> +<l>Or perish by our hands to-day.</l> +<l>Thy love for Raghu's son forsake,</l> +<l>And Rávaṇ for thy husband take,</l> +<l>Or we will rend thy limbs apart</l> +<l>And banquet on thy quivering heart.</l> +<l>Now from her body strike the head,</l> +<l>And tell the king the dame is dead.</l> +<l>Then by our lord's commandment she</l> +<l>A banquet for our band shall be.</l> +<l>Come, let the wine be quickly brought</l> +<l>That frees each heart from saddening thought.</l> +<l>Then to the western gate repair,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And we will dance and revel there.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XXV"/> +<head>Canto XXV. Sítá's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>On the bare earth the lady sank,</l> +<l>And trembling from their presence shrank</l> +<l>Like a strayed fawn, when night is dark,</l> +<l>And hungry wolves around her bark.</l> +<pb n="410"/><anchor id="Pg410"/> +<l>Then to a shady tree she crept,</l> +<l>And thought upon her lord and wept.</l> +<l>By fear and bitter woe oppressed</l> +<l>She bathed the beauties of her breast</l> +<l>With her hot tears' incessant flow,</l> +<l>And found no respite from her woe.</l> +<l>As shakes a plantain in the breeze</l> +<l>She shook, and fell on trembling knees;</l> +<l>While at each demon's furious look</l> +<l>Her cheek its native hue forsook.</l> +<l>She lay and wept and made her moan</l> +<l>In sorrow's saddest undertone,</l> +<l>And, wild with grief, with fear appalled,</l> +<l>On Ráma and his brother called:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O dear Kauśalyá,<note place="foot">The mother of Ráma.</note> +hear me cry!</q></l> +<l>Sweet Queen Sumitrá,<note place="foot">The mother of Lakshmaṇ.</note> list my sigh!</l> +<l>True is the saw the wise declare:</l> +<l>Death comes not to relieve despair.</l> +<l>'Tis vain for dame or man to pray;</l> +<l>Death will not hear before his day;</l> +<l>Since I, from Ráma's sight debarred,</l> +<l>And tortured by my cruel guard,</l> +<l>Still live in hopeless woe to grieve</l> +<l>And loathe the life I may not leave,</l> +<l>Here, like a poor deserted thing,</l> +<l>My limbs upon the ground I fling,</l> +<l>And, like a bark beneath the blast,</l> +<l>Shall sink oppressed with woes at last.</l> +<l>Ah, blest are they, supremely blest,</l> +<l>Whose eyes upon my lord may rest;</l> +<l>Who mark his lion port, and hear</l> +<l>His gentle speech that charms the ear.</l> +<l>Alas, what antenatal crime,</l> +<l>What trespass of forgotten time</l> +<l>Weighs on my soul, and bids me bow</l> +<l><q rend="post">Beneath this load of misery now?</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XXVI"/> +<head>Canto XXVI. Sítá's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">I Ráma's wife, on that sad day,</q></l> +<l>By Rávaṇ's arm was borne away,</l> +<l>Seized, while I sat and feared no ill,</l> +<l>By him who wears each form at will.</l> +<l>A helpless captive, left forlorn</l> +<l>To demons' threats and taunts and scorn,</l> +<l>Here for my lord I weep and sigh,</l> +<l>And worn with woe would gladly die.</l> +<l>For what is life to me afar</l> +<l>From Ráma of the mighty car?</l> +<l>The robber in his fruitless sin</l> +<l>Would hope his captive's love to win.</l> +<l>My meaner foot shall never touch</l> +<l>The demon whom I loathe so much.</l> +<l>The senseless fool! he knows me not,</l> +<l>Nor the proud soul his love would blot.</l> +<l>Yea, limb from limb will I be rent,</l> +<l>But never to his prayer consent;</l> +<l>Be burnt and perish in the fire,</l> +<l>But never meet his base desire.</l> +<l>My lord was grateful, true and wise,</l> +<l>And looked on woe with pitying eyes;</l> +<l>But now, recoiling from the strife</l> +<l>He pities not his captive wife.</l> +<l>Alone in Janasthán he slew</l> +<l>The thousands of the Rákshas crew.</l> +<l>His arm was strong, his heart was brave,</l> +<l>Why comes he not to free and save?</l> +<l>Why blame my lord in vain surmise?</l> +<l>He knows not where his lady lies.</l> +<l>O, if he knew, o'er land and sea</l> +<l>His feet were swift to set me free;</l> +<l>This Lanká, girdled by the deep,</l> +<l>Would fall consumed, a shapeless heap,</l> +<l>And from each ruined home would rise</l> +<l><q rend="post">A Rákshas widow's groans and cries.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XXVII"/> +<head>Canto XXVII. Trijatá's Dream.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Their threats unfeared, their counsel spurned,</l> +<l>The demons' breasts with fury burned.</l> +<l>Some sought the giant king to bear</l> +<l>The tale of Sítá's fixt despair.</l> +<l>With threats and taunts renewed the rest</l> +<l>Around the weeping lady pressed.</l> +<l>But Trijaṭá, of softer mould,</l> +<l>A Rákshas matron wise and old,</l> +<l>With pity for the captive moved,</l> +<l>In words like these the fiends reproved:</l> +<l><q>Me, me,</q> she cried, <q rend="pre">eat me, but spare</q></l> +<l>The spouse of Daśaratha's heir.</l> +<l>Last night I dreamt a dream; and still</l> +<l>The fear and awe my bosom chill;</l> +<l>For in that dream I saw foreshown</l> +<l>Our race by Ráma's hand o'erthrown.</l> +<l>I saw a chariot high in air,</l> +<l>Of ivory exceeding fair.</l> +<l>A hundred steeds that chariot drew</l> +<l>As swiftly through the clouds it flew,</l> +<l>And, clothed in white, with wreaths that shone,</l> +<l>The sons of Raghu rode thereon.</l> +<l>I looked and saw this lady here,</l> +<l>Clad in the purest white, appear</l> +<l>High on the snow white hill whose feet</l> +<l>The angry waves of ocean beat.</l> +<l>And she and Ráma met at last</l> +<l>Like light and sun when night is past.</l> +<l>Again I saw them side by side.</l> +<l>On Rávaṇ's car they seemed to ride,</l> +<l>And with the princely Lakshmaṇ flee</l> +<l>To northern realms beyond the sea.</l> +<pb n="411"/><anchor id="Pg411"/> +<l>Then Rávaṇ, shaved and shorn, besmeared</l> +<l>With oil from head to foot, appeared.</l> +<l>He quaffed, he raved: his robes were red:</l> +<l>Fierce was his eye, and bare his head.</l> +<l>I saw him from his chariot thrust;</l> +<l>I saw him rolling in the dust.</l> +<l>A woman came and dragged away</l> +<l>The stricken giant where he lay,</l> +<l>And on a car which asses drew</l> +<l>The monarch of our race she threw.</l> +<l>He rose erect, he danced and laughed,</l> +<l>With thirsty lips the oil he quaffed,</l> +<l>Then with wild eyes and streaming mouth</l> +<l>Sped on the chariot to the south.<note place="foot">In the south is the region of +Yáma the God of Death, the place of departed spirits.</note></l> +<l>Then, dropping oil from every limb,</l> +<l>His sons the princes followed him,</l> +<l>And Kumbhakarṇa,<note place="foot">Kumbhakarṇa was one of Rávaṇ's +brothers.</note> shaved and shorn,</l> +<l>Was southward on a camel borne.</l> +<l>Then royal Lanká reeled and fell</l> +<l>With gate and tower and citadel.</l> +<l>This ancient city, far-renowned:</l> +<l>All life within her walls was drowned;</l> +<l>And the wild waves of ocean rolled</l> +<l>O'er Lanká and her streets of gold.</l> +<l>Warned by these signs I bid you fly;</l> +<l>Or by the hand of Ráma die,</l> +<l>Whose vengeance will not spare the life</l> +<l>Of one who vexed his faithful wife.</l> +<l>Your bitter taunts and threats forgo:</l> +<l>Comfort the lady in her woe,</l> +<l>And humbly pray her to forgive;</l> +<l><q rend="post">For so you may be spared and live.</q></l> +</lg> + +<p> +[I omit the 28th and 29th Cantos as an +unmistakeable interpolation. Instead of +advancing the story it goes back to Canto +XVII, containing a lamentation of Sítá +after Rávaṇ has left her, and describes the +the auspicious signs sent to cheer her, the +throbbing of her left eye, arm, and side. +The Canto is found in the Bengal recension. +Gorresio translates it. and observes: +<q>I think that Chapter XXVIII.—The +Auspicious Signs—is an addition, a later +interpolation by the Rhapsodists. It has +no bond of connexion either with what +precedes or follows it, and may be struck +out not only without injury to, but positively +to the advantage of the poem. The +metre in which this chapter is written +differs from that which is generally adopted +in the course of the poem.</q>] +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XXX"/> +<head>Canto XXX. Hanumán's Deliberation.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The Vánar watched concealed: each word</l> +<l>Of Sítá and the fiends he heard,</l> +<l>And in a maze of anxious thought</l> +<l>His quick-conceiving bosom wrought.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">At length my watchful eyes have seen,</q></l> +<l>Pursued so long, the Maithil queen,</l> +<l>Sought by our Vánar hosts in vain</l> +<l>From east to west, from main to main.</l> +<l>A cautious spy have I explored</l> +<l>The palace of the Rákhshas lord,</l> +<l>And thoroughly learned, concealed from sight,</l> +<l>The giant monarch's power and might.</l> +<l>And now my task must be to cheer</l> +<l>The royal dame who sorrows here.</l> +<l>For if I go, and soothe her not,</l> +<l>A captive in this distant spot,</l> +<l>She, when she finds no comfort nigh,</l> +<l>Will sink beneath her woes and die.</l> +<l>How shall my tale, if unconsoled</l> +<l>I leave her, be to Ráma told?</l> +<l>How shall I answer Raghu's son,</l> +<l><q>No message from my darling, none?</q></l> +<l>The husband's wrath, to fury fanned,</l> +<l>Will scorch me lifeless where I stand,</l> +<l>Or if I urge my lord the king</l> +<l>To Lanká's isle his hosts to bring,</l> +<l>In vain will be his zeal, in vain</l> +<l>The toil, the danger, and the pain.</l> +<l>Yea, this occasion must I seize</l> +<l>That from her guard the lady frees,<note place="foot">The guards are still in +the grove, but they are asleep; and Sítá has crept to a +tree at some distance from them.</note></l> +<l>To win her ear with soft address</l> +<l>And whisper hope in dire distress.</l> +<l>Shall I, a puny Vánar, choose</l> +<l>The Sanskrit men delight to use?</l> +<l>If, as a man of Bráhman kind,</l> +<l>I speak the tongue by rules refined,</l> +<l>The lady, yielding to her fears,</l> +<l>Will think 'tis Rávaṇ's voice she hears.</l> +<l>I must assume my only plan—</l> +<l>The language of a common<note place="foot"><q>As the reason assigned in these passages +for not addressing Sítá in Sanskrit such as a Bráhman would use is not that +she would not understand it, but that it would alarm her and be unsuitable to the +speaker, we must take them as indicating that Sanskrit, if not spoken by women of +the upper classes at the time when the Rámáyaṇa was written (whenever that +may have been), was at least understood by them, and was commonly spoken by +men of the priestly class, and other educated persons. By the Sanskrit proper to +an [ordinary] man, alluded to in the second passage, may perhaps be understood +not a language in which words different from Sanskrit were used, but the employment +of formal and elaborate diction.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Muir's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Sanskrit Texts</hi>, Part II. p. 166.</note> man.</l> +<l>Yet, if the lady sees me nigh,</l> +<pb n="412"/><anchor id="Pg412"/> +<l>In terror she will start and cry;</l> +<l>And all the demon band, alarmed,</l> +<l>Will come with various weapons armed,</l> +<l>With their wild shouts the grove will fill,</l> +<l>And strive to take me, or to kill.</l> +<l>And, at my death or capture, dies</l> +<l>The hope of Ráma`s enterprise.</l> +<l>For none can leap, save only me,</l> +<l>A hundred leagues across the sea.</l> +<l>It is a sin in me, I own,</l> +<l>To talk with Janak's child alone.</l> +<l>Yet greater is the sin if I</l> +<l>Be silent, and the lady die.</l> +<l>First I will utter Ráma's name,</l> +<l>And laud the hero's gifts and fame.</l> +<l>Perchance the name she holds so dear</l> +<l><q rend="post">Will soothe the faithful lady's fear.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XXXI"/> +<head>Canto XXXI. Hanumán's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then in sweet accents low and mild</l> +<l>The Vánar spoke to Janak's child:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">A noble king, by sin unstained,</q></l> +<l>The mighty Daśaratha reigned.</l> +<l>Lord of the warrior's car and steed,</l> +<l>The pride of old Ikshváku's seed.</l> +<l>A faithful friend, a blameless king,</l> +<l>Protector of each living thing.</l> +<l>A glorious monarch, strong to save,</l> +<l>Blest with the bliss he freely gave.</l> +<l>His son, the best of all who know</l> +<l>The science of the bended bow,</l> +<l>Was moon-bright Ráma, brave and strong,</l> +<l>Who loved the right and loathed the wrong,</l> +<l>Who ne'er from kingly duty swerved,</l> +<l>Loved by the lands his might preserved.</l> +<l>His feet the path of law pursued;</l> +<l>His arm rebellious foes subdued.</l> +<l>His sire's command the prince obeyed</l> +<l>And, banished, sought the forest shade,</l> +<l>Where with his wife and brother he</l> +<l>Wandered a saintly devotee.</l> +<l>There as he roamed the wilds he slew</l> +<l>The bravest of the Rákshas crew.</l> +<l>The giant king the prince beguiled,</l> +<l>And stole his consort, Janak's child.</l> +<l>Then Ráma roamed the country round,</l> +<l>And a firm friend, Sugríva, found,</l> +<l>Lord of the Vánar race, expelled</l> +<l>From his own realm which Báli held,</l> +<l>He conquered Báli and restored</l> +<l>The kingdom to the rightful lord.</l> +<l>Then by Sugríva's high decree</l> +<l>The Vánar legions searched for thee,</l> +<l>Sampáti's counsel bade me leap</l> +<l>A hundred leagues across the deep.</l> +<l>And now my happy eyes have seen</l> +<l>At last the long-sought Maithil queen.</l> +<l>Such was the form, the eye, the grace</l> +<l><q rend="post">Of her whom Ráma bade me trace.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: her flowing locks she drew</l> +<l>To shield her from a stranger's view;</l> +<l>Then, trembling in her wild surprise,</l> +<l>Raised to the tree her anxious eyes.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XXXII"/> +<head>Canto XXXII. Sítá's Doubt.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Her eyes the Maithil lady raised</l> +<l>And on the monkey speaker gazed.</l> +<l>She looked, and trembling at the sight</l> +<l>Wept bitter tears in wild affright.</l> +<l>She shrank a while with fear distraught,</l> +<l>Then, nerved again, the lady thought:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Is this a dream mine eyes have seen,</q></l> +<l>This creature, by our laws unclean?</l> +<l>O, may the Gods keep Ráma, still,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ, and my sire, from ill!</l> +<l>It is no dream: I have not slept,</l> +<l>But, trouble-worn, have watched and wept</l> +<l>Afar from that dear lord of mine</l> +<l>For whom in ceaseless woe I pine,</l> +<l>No art may soothe my wild distress</l> +<l>Or lull me to forgetfulness.</l> +<l>I see but him: my lips can frame</l> +<l>No syllable but Ráma's name.</l> +<l>Each sight I see, each sound I hear,</l> +<l>Brings Ráma to mine eye or ear,</l> +<l>The wish was in my heart, and hence</l> +<l>The sweet illusion mocked my sense.</l> +<l>'Twas but a phantom of the mind,</l> +<l>And yet the voice was soft and kind.</l> +<l>Be glory to the Eternal Sire,<note place="foot">Svayambhu, the Self-existent, +Brahmá.</note></l> +<l>Be glory to the Lord of Fire,</l> +<l>The mighty Teacher in the skies,<note place="foot">Vṛihaspati or Váchaspati, the Lord +of Speech and preceptor of the Gods.</note></l> +<l>And Indra with his thousand eyes,</l> +<l>And may they grant the truth to be</l> +<l><q rend="post">E'en as the words that startled me.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="413"/><anchor id="Pg413"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XXXIII"/> +<head>Canto XXXIII. The Colloquy.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Down from the tree Hanumán came</l> +<l>And humbly stood before the dame.</l> +<l>Then joining reverent palm to palm</l> +<l>Addressed her thus with words of balm:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why should the tears of sorrow rise,</q></l> +<l>Sweet lady, to those lovely eyes,</l> +<l>As when the wind-swept river floods</l> +<l>Two half expanded lotus buds?</l> +<l>Who art thou, O most fair of face?</l> +<l>Of Asur,<note place="foot">The Asurs were the fierce enemies of +the Gods.</note> or celestial race?</l> +<l>Did Nága mother give thee birth?</l> +<l>For sure thou art no child of earth.</l> +<l>Do Rudras<note place="foot">The Rudras are manifestations of Śiva.</note> +claim that heavenly form?</l> +<l>Or the swift Gods<note place="foot">The Maruts or Storm Gods.</note> +who ride the storm?</l> +<l>Or art thou Rohiṇí<note place="foot">Rohiṇí is an asterism personified as +the daughter of Daksha and the favourite wife of the Moon. The chief star in the +constellation is Aldebaran.</note> the blest,</l> +<l>That star more lovely than the rest,—</l> +<l>Reft from the Moon thou lovest well</l> +<l>And doomed a while on earth to dwell?</l> +<l>Or canst thou, fairest wonder, be</l> +<l>The starry queen Arundhatí,<note place="foot">Arundhatí was the wife of the great +sage Vaśishṭha, and regarded as the pattern of conjugal excellence. She was raised +to the heavens as one of the Pleiades.</note></l> +<l>Fled in thy wrath or jealous pride</l> +<l>From her dear lord Vaśishṭha's side?</l> +<l>Who is the husband, father, son</l> +<l>Or brother, O thou loveliest one,</l> +<l>Gone from this world in heaven to dwell,</l> +<l>For whom those eyes with weeping swell?</l> +<l>Yet, by the tears those sweet eyes shed,</l> +<l>Yet, by the earth that bears thy tread,<note place="foot">The Gods do not shed tears; +nor do they touch the ground when they walk or stand. Similarly Milton's angels marched +above the ground and <q>the passive air upbore their nimble tread.</q> Virgil's +<q>vera incessu patuit dea</q> may refer to the same belief.</note></l> +<l>By calling on a monarch's name,</l> +<l>No Goddess but a royal dame.</l> +<l>Art thou the queen, fair lady, say,</l> +<l>Whom Rávaṇ stole and bore away?</l> +<l>Yea, by that agony of woe,</l> +<l>That form unrivalled here below,</l> +<l>That votive garb, thou art, I ween,</l> +<l><q rend="post">King Janak's child and Ráma's queen.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Hope at the name of Ráma woke,</l> +<l>And thus the gentle lady spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I am that Sítá wooed and won</q></l> +<l>By Daśaratha's royal son,</l> +<l>The noblest of Ikshváku's line;</l> +<l>And every earthly joy was mine.</l> +<l>But Ráma left his royal home</l> +<l>In Daṇḍak's tangled wilds to roam.</l> +<l>Where with Sumitrá's son and me,</l> +<l>He lived a saintly devotee.</l> +<l>The giant Rávaṇ came with guile</l> +<l>And bore me thence to Lanká's isle.</l> +<l>Some respite yet the fiend allows,</l> +<l>Two months of life, to Ráma's spouse.</l> +<l>Two moons of hopeless woe remain,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And then the captive will be slain.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XXXIV"/> +<head>Canto XXXIV. Hanumán's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus spoke the dame in mournful mood,</l> +<l>And Hanumán his speech renewed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O lady, by thy lord's decree</q></l> +<l>I come a messenger to thee.</l> +<l>Thy lord is safe with steadfast friends,</l> +<l>And greeting to his queen he sends,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ, ever faithful bows</l> +<l><q rend="post">His reverent head to Ráma's spouse.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Through all her frame the rapture ran,</l> +<l>As thus again the dame began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now verily the truth I know</q></l> +<l>Of the wise saw of long ago:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Once only in a hundred years</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">True joy to living man appears.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He marked her rapture-beaming hue,</l> +<l>And nearer to the lady drew,</l> +<l>But at each onward step he took</l> +<l>Suspicious fear her spirit shook.</l> +<l><q>Alas, Alas,</q> she cried in fear.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">False is the tale I joyed to hear.</q></l> +<l>'Tis Rávaṇ, 'tis the fiend, who tries</l> +<l>To mock me with a new disguise.</l> +<l>If thou, to wring my woman's heart,</l> +<l>Hast changed thy shape by magic art,</l> +<l>And wouldst a helpless dame beguile,</l> +<l>The wicked deed is doubly vile.</l> +<l>But no: that fiend thou canst not be:</l> +<l>Such joy I had from seeing thee.</l> +<l>But if my fancy does not err,</l> +<l>And thou art Ráma's messenger,</l> +<l>The glories of my lord repeat:</l> +<l><q rend="post">For to these ears such words are sweet.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Vánar knew the lady's thought,<note place="foot">That a +friend of Ráma would praise him as he should be praised, and that if the stranger were +Rávaṇ in disguise he would avoid the subject.</note></l> +<l>And gave the answer fondly sought:</l> +<pb n="414"/><anchor id="Pg414"/> +<l><q rend="pre">Bright as the sun that lights the sky</q></l> +<l>Dear as the Moon to every eye.</l> +<l>He scatters blessings o'er the land</l> +<l>Like bounties from Vaiśravaṇ's<note place="foot">Kuvera the God of Gold.</note> +hand.</l> +<l>Like Vishṇu strong and unsubdued,</l> +<l>Unmatched in might and fortitude.</l> +<l>Wise, truthful as the Lord of Speech,</l> +<l>With gentle words he welcomes each.</l> +<l>Of noblest mould and form is he,</l> +<l>Like love's incarnate deity.</l> +<l>He quells the fury of the foe,</l> +<l>And strikes when justice prompts the blow.</l> +<l>Safe in the shadow of his arm</l> +<l>The world is kept from scathe and harm.</l> +<l>Now soon shall Rávaṇ rue his theft,</l> +<l>And fall, of realm and life bereft.</l> +<l>For Ráma's wrathful hand shall wing</l> +<l>His shafts against the giant king.</l> +<l>The day, O Maithil Queen, is near</l> +<l>When he and Lakshmaṇ will be here,</l> +<l>And by their side Sugríva lead</l> +<l>His countless hosts of Vánar breed.</l> +<l>Sugríva's servant, I, by name</l> +<l>Hanumán, by his order came.</l> +<l>With desperate leap I crossed the sea</l> +<l>To Lanká's isle in search of thee,</l> +<l>No traitor, gentle dame, am I:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Upon my word and faith rely.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XXXV"/> +<head>Canto XXXV. Hanumán's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>With joyous heart she heard him tell</l> +<l>Of the great lord she loved so well,</l> +<l>And in sweet accents, soft and low,</l> +<l>Spoke, half forgetful of her woe:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">How didst thou stand by Ráma's side?</q></l> +<l>How came my lord and thou allied?</l> +<l>How met the people of the wood</l> +<l>With men on terms of brotherhood?</l> +<l>Declare each grace and regal sign</l> +<l>That decks the lords of Raghu's line.</l> +<l>Each circumstance and look relate:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Tell Ráma's form and speech, and gait.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Thy fear and doubt,</q> he cried, +<q rend="pre">dispelled,</q></l> +<l>Hear, lady, what mine eyes beheld.</l> +<l>Hear the imperial signs that grace</l> +<l>The glory of Ikshváku's race.</l> +<l>With moon-bright face and lotus eyes,</l> +<l>Most beautiful and good and wise,</l> +<l>With sun-like glory round his head,</l> +<l>Long-suffering as the earth we tread,</l> +<l>He from all foes his realm defends.</l> +<l>Yea, o'er the world his care extends.</l> +<l>He follows right in all his ways,</l> +<l>And ne'er from royal duty strays.</l> +<l>He knows the lore that strengthens kings;</l> +<l>His heart to truth and honour clings.</l> +<l>Each grace and gift of form and mind</l> +<l>Adorns that prince of human kind;</l> +<l>And virtues like his own endue</l> +<l>His brother ever firm and true.</l> +<l>O'er all the land they roamed distraught,</l> +<l>And thee with vain endeavour sought,</l> +<l>Until at length their wandering feet</l> +<l>Trod wearily our wild retreat.</l> +<l>Our banished king Sugríva spied</l> +<l>The princes from the mountain side.</l> +<l>By his command I sought the pair</l> +<l>And led them to our monarch there.</l> +<l>Thus Ráma and Sugríva met,</l> +<l>And joined the bonds that knit them yet,</l> +<l>When each besought the other's aid,</l> +<l>And friendship and alliance made.</l> +<l>An arrow launched from Ráma's bow</l> +<l>Laid Báli dead, Sugríva's foe.</l> +<l>Then by commandment of our lord</l> +<l>The Vánar hosts each land explored.</l> +<l>We reached the coast: I crossed the sea</l> +<l><q rend="post">And found my way at length to thee.</q><note place="foot">Sítá of +course knows nothing of what has happened to Ráma since the time when she was carried +away by Rávaṇ. The poet therefore thinks it necessary to repeat the whole story of the +meeting between Ráma and Sugríva, the defeat of Bálí, and subsequent events. I give the +briefest possible outline of the story.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XXXVI"/> +<head>Canto XXXVI. Ráma's Ring.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q>Receive,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">this precious ring,</q><note place="foot"><hi +rend="font-variant: small-caps">De Gubernatis</hi> thinks that this ring +which the Sun Ráma sends to the Dawn Sítá is a symbol of the sun's disc.</note></l> +<l>Sure token from thy lord the king:</l> +<l>The golden ring he wont to wear:</l> +<l><q rend="post">See, Ráma's name engraven there.</q></l> +<l>Then, as she took the ring he showed,</l> +<l>The tears that spring of rapture flowed.</l> +<l>She seemed to touch the hand that sent</l> +<l>The dearly valued ornament,</l> +<l>And with her heart again at ease,</l> +<l>Replied in gentle words like these:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O thou, whose soul no fears deter,</q></l> +<l>Wise, brave, and faithful messenger!</l> +<l>And hast thou dared, o'er wave and foam,</l> +<l>To seek me in the giants' home?</l> +<l>In thee, true messenger, I find</l> +<l>The noblest of thy woodland kind.</l> +<l>Who couldst, unmoved by terror, brook</l> +<l>On Rávaṇ, king of fiends, to look.</l> +<pb n="415"/><anchor id="Pg415"/> +<l>Now may we commune here as friends,</l> +<l>For he whom royal Ráma sends</l> +<l>Must needs be one in danger tried,</l> +<l>A valiant, wise, and faithful guide.</l> +<l>Say, is it well with Ráma still?</l> +<l>Lives Lakshmaṇ yet untouched by ill?</l> +<l>Then why should Ráma's hand be slow</l> +<l>To free his consort from her woe?</l> +<l>Why spare to burn, in search of me,</l> +<l>The land encircled by the sea?</l> +<l>Can Bharat send no army out</l> +<l>With banners, cars and battle shout?</l> +<l>Cannot thy king Sugríva lend</l> +<l><q rend="post">His legions to assist his friend?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His hands upon his head he laid</l> +<l>And thus again his answer made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Not yet has Ráma learnt where lies</q></l> +<l>His lady of the lotus eyes,</l> +<l>Or he like Indra from the sky</l> +<l>To Śachí's<note place="foot">Śachí is the loved and lovely wife of +Indra, and she is taken as the type of a woman protected by a jealous and all-powerful +husband.</note> aid, to thee would fly.</l> +<l>Soon will he hear the tale, and then,</l> +<l>Roused to revenge, the lord of men</l> +<l>Will to the giants' island lead</l> +<l>Fierce myriads of the woodland breed,</l> +<l>Bridging his conquering way, and make</l> +<l>The town a ruin for thy sake.</l> +<l>Believe my words, sweet dame; I swear</l> +<l>By roots and fruit, my woodland fare,</l> +<l>By Meru's peak and Vindhva's chain,</l> +<l>And Mandar of the Milky Main,</l> +<l>Soon shalt thou see thy lord, though now</l> +<l>He waits upon Praśravaṇ's<note place="foot">The mountain near Kishkindhá.</note> +brow,</l> +<l>Come glorious as the breaking morn,</l> +<l>Like Indra on Airávat<note place="foot">Airávat is the mighty elephant on +which Indra delights to ride.</note> borne.</l> +<l>For thee he looks with longing eyes;</l> +<l>The wood his scanty food supplies.</l> +<l>For thee his brow is pale and worn,</l> +<l>For thee are meat and wine forsworn.</l> +<l>Thine image in his heart he keeps,</l> +<l>For thee by night he wakes and weeps.</l> +<l>Or if perchance his eyes he close</l> +<l>And win brief respite from his woes,</l> +<l>E'en then the name of Sítá slips</l> +<l>In anguish from his murmuring lips.</l> +<l>If lovely flowers or fruit he sees,</l> +<l>Which women love, upon the trees,</l> +<l>To thee, to thee his fancy flies.</l> +<l><q rend="post">And <q>Sítá! O my love!</q> he cries.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XXXVII"/> +<head>Canto XXXVII. Sítá's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q>Thou bringest me,</q> she cried again,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">A mingled draught of bliss and pain:</q></l> +<l>Bliss, that he wears me in his heart,</l> +<l>Pain, that he wakes and weeps apart,</l> +<l>O, see how Fate is king of all,</l> +<l>Now lifts us high, now bids us fall,</l> +<l>And leads a captive bound with cord</l> +<l>The meanest slave, the proudest lord,</l> +<l>Thus even now Fate's stern decree</l> +<l>Has struck with grief my lord and me.</l> +<l>Say, how shall Ráma reach the shore</l> +<l>Of sorrow's waves that rise and roar,</l> +<l>A shipwrecked sailor, well nigh drowned</l> +<l>In the wild sea that foams around?</l> +<l>When will he smite the demon down,</l> +<l>Lay low in dust the giants' town,</l> +<l>And, glorious from his foes' defeat,</l> +<l>His wife, his long-lost Sítá, meet?</l> +<l>Go, bid him speed to smite his foes</l> +<l>Before the year shall reach its close.</l> +<l>Ten months are fled but two remain,</l> +<l>Then Rávaṇ's captive must be slain.</l> +<l>Oft has Vibhishaṇ,<note place="foot">Vibhishaṇ is the wicked Rávaṇ's good +brother.</note> just and wise,</l> +<l>Besought him to restore his prize.</l> +<l>But deaf is Rávaṇ's senseless ear:</l> +<l>His brother's rede he will not hear.</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ's daughter<note place="foot">Her name is Kalá, or in the Bengal +recension Nandá.</note> loves me well:</l> +<l>From her I learnt the tale I tell.</l> +<l>Avindhva<note place="foot">One of Rávaṇ's chief councillors.</note> prudent, just, +and old,</l> +<l>The giant's fall has oft foretold;</l> +<l>But Fate impels him to despise</l> +<l>His word on whom he most relies.</l> +<l>In Ráma's love I rest secure,</l> +<l>For my fond heart is true and pure,</l> +<l>And him, my noblest lord, I deem</l> +<l><q rend="post">In valour, power, and might supreme.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As from her eyes the waters ran,</l> +<l>The Vánar chief again began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Yea, Ráma, when he hears my tale,</q></l> +<l>Will with our hosts these walls assail.</l> +<l>Or I myself, O Queen, this day</l> +<l>Will bear thee from the fiend away,</l> +<l>Will lift thee up, and take thee hence</l> +<l>To him thy refuge and defence;</l> +<l>Will take thee in my arms, and flee</l> +<l>To Ráma far beyond the sea;</l> +<l>Will place thee on Praśravaṇ hill</l> +<l><q rend="post">Where Raghu's son is waiting still.</q></l> +<pb n="416"/><anchor id="Pg416"/> +<l><q>How canst thou bear me hence?</q> she cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The way is long, the sea is wide.</q></l> +<l>To bear my very weight would be</l> +<l><q rend="post">A task too hard for one like thee.</q><note place="foot">Hanumán when +he entered the city had in order to escape observation condensed +himself to the size of a cat.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Swift rose before her startled eyes</l> +<l>The Vánar in his native size,</l> +<l>Like Mandar's hill or Meru's height,</l> +<l>Encircled with a blaze of light.</l> +<l><q>O come,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">thy fears dispel,</q></l> +<l>Nor doubt that I will bear thee well.</l> +<l>Come, in my strength and care confide,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And sit in joy by Ráma's side.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Again she spake: <q rend="pre">I know thee now,</q></l> +<l>Brave, resolute, and strong art thou;</l> +<l>In glory like the Lord of Fire</l> +<l>With storm-swift feet which naught may tire</l> +<l>But yet with thee I may not fly:</l> +<l>For, borne so swiftly through the sky,</l> +<l>Mine eyes would soon grow faint and dim,</l> +<l>My dizzy brain would reel and swim,</l> +<l>My yielding arms relax their hold,</l> +<l>And I in terror uncontrolled</l> +<l>Should fall into the raging sea</l> +<l>Where hungry sharks would feed on me.</l> +<l>Nor can I touch, of free accord,</l> +<l>The limbs of any save my lord.</l> +<l>If, by the giant forced away,</l> +<l>In his enfolding arms I lay,</l> +<l>Not mine, O Vánar, was the blame;</l> +<l>What could I do, a helpless dame?</l> +<l>Go, to my lord my message bear,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And bid him end my long despair.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XXXVIII"/> +<head>Canto XXXVIII. Sítá's Gem.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Again the Vánar chief replied,</l> +<l>With her wise answer satisfied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Well hast thou said: thou canst not brave</q></l> +<l>The rushing wind, the roaring wave.</l> +<l>Thy woman's heart would sink with fear</l> +<l>Before the ocean shore were near.</l> +<l>And for thy dread lest limb of thine</l> +<l>Should for a while be touched by mine,</l> +<l>The modest fear is worthy one</l> +<l>Whose cherished lord is Raghu's son.</l> +<l>Yet when I sought to bear thee hence</l> +<l>I spoke the words of innocence,</l> +<l>Impelled to set the captive free</l> +<l>By friendship for thy lord and thee.</l> +<l>But if with me thou wilt not try</l> +<l>The passage of the windy sky,</l> +<l>Give me a gem that I may show,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Some token which thy lord may know.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Again the Maithil lady spoke,</l> +<l>While tears and sobs her utterance broke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The surest of all signs is this,</q></l> +<l>To tell the tale of vanished bliss.</l> +<l>Thus in my name to Ráma speak:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Remember Chitrakúṭa's peak</q></l> +<l>And the green margin of the rill<note place="foot">The brook Mandákiní, not far from +Chitrakúṭa where Ráma sojourned for a time.</note></l> +<l>That flows beside that pleasant hill,</l> +<l>Where thou and I together strayed</l> +<l>Delighting in the tangled shade.</l> +<l>There on the grass I sat with thee</l> +<l>And laid my head upon thy knee.</l> +<l>There came a greedy crow and pecked</l> +<l>The meat I waited to protect</l> +<l>And, heedless of the clods I threw,</l> +<l>About my head in circles flew,</l> +<l>Until by darling hunger pressed</l> +<l>He boldly pecked me on the breast.</l> +<l>I ran to thee in rage and grief</l> +<l>And prayed for vengeance on the thief.</l> +<l>Then Ráma<note place="foot">The poet here changes from the second +person to the third.</note> from his slumber rose</l> +<l>And smiled with pity at my woes.</l> +<l>Upon my bleeding breast he saw</l> +<l>The scratches made by beak and claw.</l> +<l>He laid an arrow on his bow,</l> +<l>And launched it at the shameless crow.</l> +<l>That shaft, with magic power endued,</l> +<l>The bird, where'er he flew, pursued,</l> +<l>Till back to Raghu's son he fled</l> +<l>And bent at Ráma's feet his head.<note place="foot">The whole long story is repeated +with some slight variations and additions from +<ref target="CantoII-XCVI">Book II, Canto XCVI</ref>. I give here only +the outline.</note></l> +<l>Couldst thou for me with anger stirred</l> +<l>Launch that dire shaft upon a bird,</l> +<l>And yet canst pardon him who stole</l> +<l>The darling of thy heart and soul?</l> +<l>Rise up, O bravest of the brave,</l> +<l>And come in all thy might to save.</l> +<l>Come with the thunders of thy bow,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And smite to earth the Rákshas foe.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She ceased; and from her glorious hair</l> +<l>She took a gem that sparkled there</l> +<l>A token which her husband's eyes</l> +<l>With eager love would recognize.</l> +<l>His head the Vánar envoy bent</l> +<l>In low obeisance reverent.</l> +<l>And on his finger bound the gem</l> +<l>She loosened from her diadem.</l> +</lg> + +<p> +[I omit two Cantos of dialogue. Sítá +tells Hanumán again to convey her message +to Ráma and bid him hasten to rescue +her. Hanumán replies as before that +there is no one on earth equal to Ráma, +who will soon come and destroy Rávaṇ. +There is not a new idea in the two Cantos: +all is reiteration.] +</p> + +</div> + +<pb n="417"/><anchor id="Pg417"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XLI"/> +<head>Canto XLI. The Ruin Of The Grove.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Dismissed with every honour due</l> +<l>The Vánar from the spot withdrew.</l> +<l>Then joyous thought the Wind-God's son:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The mighty task is wellnigh done.</q></l> +<l>The three expedients I must leave;</l> +<l>The fourth alone can I achieve.<note place="foot">The expedients to vanquish an enemy +or to make him come to terms are said to be four: conciliation, gifts, disunion, and +force or punishment. Hanumán considers it useless to employ the first three and +resolves to punish Rávaṇ by destroying his pleasure-grounds.</note></l> +<l>These dwellers in the giants' isle</l> +<l>No arts of mine can reconcile.</l> +<l>I cannot bribe: I cannot sow</l> +<l>Dissension mid the Rákshas foe.</l> +<l>Arts, gifts, address, these fiends despise;</l> +<l>But force shall yet their king chastise.</l> +<l>Perchance he may relent when all</l> +<l>The bravest of his chieftains fall.</l> +<l>This lovely grove will I destroy,</l> +<l>The cruel Rávaṇ's pride and joy.</l> +<l>The garden where he takes his ease</l> +<l>Mid climbing plants and flowery trees</l> +<l>That lift their proud tops to the skies,</l> +<l>Dear to the tyrant as his eyes.</l> +<l>Then will he rouse in wrath, and lead</l> +<l>His legions with the car and steed</l> +<l>And elephants in long array,</l> +<l>And seek me thirsty for the fray.</l> +<l>The Rákshas legions will I meet,</l> +<l>And all his bravest host defeat;</l> +<l>Then, glorious from the bloody plain,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Turn to my lord the king again.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then every lovely tree that bore</l> +<l>Fair blossoms, from the soil he tore,</l> +<l>Till each green bough that lent its shade</l> +<l>To singing birds on earth was laid.</l> +<l>The wilderness he left a waste,</l> +<l>The fountains shattered and defaced:</l> +<l>O'erthrew and levelled with the ground</l> +<l>Each shady seat and pleasure-mound.</l> +<l>Each arbour clad with climbing bloom,</l> +<l>Each grotto, cell, and picture room,</l> +<l>Each lawn by beast and bird enjoyed,</l> +<l>Each walk and terrace was destroyed.</l> +<l>And all the place that was so fair</l> +<l>Was left a ruin wild and bare,</l> +<l>As if the fury of the blast</l> +<l>Or raging fire had o'er it passed.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XLII"/> +<head>Canto XLII. The Giants Roused.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The cries of startled birds, the sound</l> +<l>Of tall trees crashing to the ground,</l> +<l>Struck with amaze each giant's ear,</l> +<l>And filled the isle with sudden fear.</l> +<l>Then, wakened by the crash and cries,</l> +<l>The fierce shefiends unclosed their eyes,</l> +<l>And saw the Vánar where he stood</l> +<l>Amid the devastated wood.</l> +<l>The more to scare them with the view</l> +<l>To size immense the Vánar grew;</l> +<l>And straight the Rákshas warders cried</l> +<l>Janak's daughter terrified</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Whose envoy, whence, and who is he,</q></l> +<l>Why has he come to talk with thee?</l> +<l>Speak, lady of the lovely eyes,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And let not fear thy joy disguise.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then thus replied the Maithil dame</l> +<l>Of noble soul and perfect frame.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Can I discern, with scanty skill,</q></l> +<l>These fiends who change their forms at will?</l> +<l>'Tis yours to say: your kin you meet;</l> +<l>A serpent knows a serpent's feet.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">I weet not who he is: the sight</l> +<l><q rend="post">Has filled my spirit with affright.</q></l> +<l>Some pressed round Sítá in a ring;</l> +<l>Some bore the story to their king:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">A mighty creature of our race,</q></l> +<l>In monkey form, has reached the place.</l> +<l><q rend="post">He came within the grove,</q> they cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">He stood and talked by Sítá's side,</q></l> +<l>He comes from Indra's court to her,</l> +<l>Or is Kuvera's messenger;</l> +<l>Or Ráma sent the spy to seek</l> +<l>His consort, and her wrongs to wreak.</l> +<l>His crushing arm, his trampling feet</l> +<l>Have marred and spoiled that dear retreat,</l> +<l>And all the pleasant place which thou</l> +<l>So lovest is a ruin now.</l> +<l>The tree where Sítá sat alone</l> +<l>Is spared where all are overthrown.</l> +<l>Perchance he saved the dame from harm:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Perchance the toil had numbed his arm.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then flashed the giant's eye with fire</l> +<l>Like that which lights the funeral pyre.</l> +<l>He bade his bravest Kinkars<note place="foot">Kinkar means the special servant of +a sovereign, who receives his orders immediately from his master. The Bengal +recension gives these Rákshases an epithet which the Commentator explains <q>as +generated in the mind of Brahmá.</q></note> speed</l> +<pb n="418"/><anchor id="Pg418"/> +<l>And to his feet the spoiler lead.</l> +<l>Forth from the palace, at his hest,</l> +<l>Twice forty thousand warriors pressed.</l> +<l>Burning for battle, strong and fierce,</l> +<l>With clubs to crush and swords to pierce,</l> +<l>They saw Hanúmán near a porch,</l> +<l>And, thick as moths around a torch,</l> +<l>Rushed on the foe with wild attacks</l> +<l>Of mace and club and battle-axe.</l> +<l>As round him pressed the Rákshas crowd,</l> +<l>The wondrous monkey roared aloud,</l> +<l>That birds fell headlong from the sky:</l> +<l>Then spake he with a mighty cry:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Long life to Daśaratha's heir,</q></l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ, ever-glorious pair!</l> +<l>Long life to him who rules our race,</l> +<l>Preserved by noblest Ráma's grace!</l> +<l>I am the slave of Kośal's king,<note place="foot">Ráma <hi rend='italic'>de jure</hi> +King of Kośal of which Ayodhyá was the capital.</note></l> +<l>Whose wondrous deeds the minstrels sing.</l> +<l>Hanúmán I, the Wind-God's seed:</l> +<l>Beneath this arm the foemen bleed.</l> +<l>I fear not, unapproached in might,</l> +<l>A thousand Rávaṇ's ranged for fight,</l> +<l>Although in furious hands they rear</l> +<l>The hill and tree for sword and spear,</l> +<l>I will, before the giants' eyes,</l> +<l>Their city and their king chastise;</l> +<l>And, having communed with the dame,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Depart in triumph as I came.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">At that terrific roar and yell</l> +<l>The heart of every giant fell.</l> +<l>But still their king's command they feared</l> +<l>And pressed around with arms upreared.</l> +<l>Beside the porch a club was laid:</l> +<l>The Vánar caught it up, and swayed</l> +<l>The weapon round his head, and slew</l> +<l>The foremost of the Rákshas crew.</l> +<l>Thus Indra vanquished, thousand-eyed,</l> +<l>The Daityas who the Gods defied.</l> +<l>Then on the porch Hanúmán sprang,</l> +<l>And loud his shout of triumph rang.</l> +<l>The giants looked upon the dead,</l> +<l>And turning to their monarch fled.</l> +<l>And Rávaṇ with his spirit wrought</l> +<l>To frenzy by the tale they brought,</l> +<l>Urged to the fight Prahasta's son,</l> +<l>Of all his chiefs the mightiest one.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XLIII"/> +<head>Canto XLIII. The Ruin Of The Temple.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The Wind-God's son a temple<note place="foot"><foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Chaityaprásáda</foreign> is explained by the +Commentator as the place where the Gods of the Rákshases were kept. Gorresio +translates it by <q>un grande edificio.</q></note> scaled</l> +<l>Which, by his fury unassailed,</l> +<l>High as the hill of Meru, stood</l> +<l>Amid the ruins of the wood;</l> +<l>And in his fury thundered out</l> +<l>Again his haughty battle-shout:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I am the slave of Kośal's King</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Whose wondrous deeds the minstrels sing.</q></l> +<l>Forth hurried, by that shout alarmed,</l> +<l>The warders of the temple armed</l> +<l>With every weapon haste supplied,</l> +<l>And closed him in on every side,</l> +<l>With bands that strove to pierce and strike</l> +<l>With shaft and axe and club and pike.</l> +<l>Then from its base the Vánar tore</l> +<l>A pillar with the weight it bore.</l> +<l>Against the wall the mass he dashed,</l> +<l>And forth the flames in answer flashed,</l> +<l>That wildly ran o'er roofs and wall</l> +<l>In hungry rage consuming all.</l> +<l>He whirled the pillar round his head</l> +<l>And struck a hundred giants dead.</l> +<l>Then high upheld on air he rose</l> +<l>And called in thunder to his foes:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">A thousand Vánar chiefs like me</q></l> +<l>Roam at their will o'er land and sea,</l> +<l>Terrific might we all possess:</l> +<l>Our stormy speed is limitless.</l> +<l>And all, unconquered in the fray,</l> +<l>Our king Sugríva's word obey.</l> +<l>Backed by his bravest myriads, he</l> +<l>Our warrior lord will cross the sea.</l> +<l>Then Lanká's lofty towers, and all</l> +<l>Your hosts and Rávaṇ's self shall fall.</l> +<l>None shall be left unslaughtered; none</l> +<l><q rend="post">Who braves the wrath of Raghu's son.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XLIV"/> +<head>Canto XLIV. Jambumáli's Death.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Jambumáli, pride and boast</l> +<l>For valour of the Rákshas host,</l> +<l>Prahasta's son supremely brave,</l> +<l>Obeyed the hest that Rávaṇ gave:</l> +<l>Fierce warrior with terrific teeth,</l> +<l>With saguine robes and brilliant wreath.</l> +<l>A bow like Indra's own<note place="foot">The bow of Indra is the rainbow.</note>, +and store</l> +<pb n="419"/><anchor id="Pg419"/> +<l>Of glittering shafts the chieftain bore.</l> +<l>And ever as the string he tried</l> +<l>The weapon with a roar replied,</l> +<l>Loud as the crashing thunder sent</l> +<l>By him who rules the firmament.</l> +<l>Soon as the foeman came in view</l> +<l>Borne on a car which asses drew,</l> +<l>The Vánar chieftain mighty-voiced</l> +<l>Shouted in triumph and rejoiced.</l> +<l>Prahasta's son his bow-string drew,</l> +<l>And swift the winged arrows flew,</l> +<l>One in the face the Vánar smote,</l> +<l>Another quivered in his throat.</l> +<l>Ten from the deadly weapon sent</l> +<l>His brawny arms and shoulders rent.</l> +<l>Then as he felt each galling shot</l> +<l>The Vánar's rage waxed fiercely hot.</l> +<l>He looked, and saw a mass of stone</l> +<l>That lay before his feet o'erthrown.</l> +<l>The mighty block he raised and threw,</l> +<l>And crashing through the air it flew.</l> +<l>But Jambumáli shunned the blow,</l> +<l>And rained fresh arrows from his bow.</l> +<l>The Vánar's limbs were red with gore:</l> +<l>A Sál tree from the earth he tore,</l> +<l>And, ere he hurled it undismayed,</l> +<l>Above his head the missile swayed.</l> +<l>But shafts from Jambumáli's bow</l> +<l>Cut through it ere his hand could throw.</l> +<l>And thigh and arm and chest and side</l> +<l>With streams of rushing blood were dyed.</l> +<l>Still unsubdued though wounded oft</l> +<l>The shattered trunk he raised aloft,</l> +<l>And down with well-directed aim</l> +<l>On Jambumáli's chest it came.</l> +<l>There crushed upon the trampled grass</l> +<l>He lay an undistinguished mass,</l> +<l>The foeman's eye no more could see</l> +<l>His head or chest or arm or knee.</l> +<l>And bow and car and steeds<note place="foot">We were told a few lines before that +the chariot of Jambumáli was drawn by asses. Here horses are spoken of. The +Commentator notices the discrepancy and says that by horses asses are meant.</note> +and store</l> +<l>Of glittering shafts were seen no more.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Jambumáli's death he heard,</l> +<l>King Rávaṇ's heart with rage was stirred</l> +<l>And forth his general's sons he sent,</l> +<l>For power and might preeminent.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XLV"/> +<head>Canto XLV. The Seven Defeated.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Forth went the seven in brave attire,</l> +<l>In glory brilliant as the fire,</l> +<l>Impetuous chiefs with massive bows,</l> +<l>The quellers of a host of foes:</l> +<l>Trained from their youth in martial lore,</l> +<l>And masters of the arms they bore:</l> +<l>Each emulous and fiercely bold,</l> +<l>And banners wrought with glittering gold</l> +<l>Waved o'er their chariots, drawn at speed</l> +<l>By coursers of the noblest breed.</l> +<l>On through the ruins of the grove</l> +<l>At Hanumán they fiercely drove,</l> +<l>And from the ponderous bows they strained</l> +<l>A shower of deadly arrows rained.</l> +<l>Then scarce was seen the Vánar's form</l> +<l>Enveloped in the arrowy storm.</l> +<l>So stands half veiled the Mountains' King</l> +<l>When rainy clouds about him cling.</l> +<l>By nimble turn, by rapid bound</l> +<l>He shunned the shafts that rained around,</l> +<l>Eluding, as in air he rose,</l> +<l>The rushing chariots of his foes.</l> +<l>The mighty Vánar undismayed</l> +<l>Amid his archer foemen played,</l> +<l>As plays the frolic wind on high</l> +<l>Mid bow-armed<note place="foot">Armed with the bow of Indra, the +rainbow.</note> clouds that fill the sky.</l> +<l>He raised a mighty roar and yell</l> +<l>That fear on all the army fell,</l> +<l>And then, his warrior soul aglow</l> +<l>With fury, rushed upon the foe,</l> +<l>Some with his open hand he beat</l> +<l>To death and trampled with his feet;</l> +<l>Some with fierce nails he rent and slew,</l> +<l>And others with his fists o'erthrew;</l> +<l>Some with his legs, as on he rushed,</l> +<l>Some with his bulky chest he crushed;</l> +<l>While some struck senseless by his roar</l> +<l>Dropped on the ground and breathed no more,</l> +<l>The remnant, seized with sudden dread,</l> +<l>Turned from the grove and wildly fled.</l> +<l>The trampled earth was thickly strown</l> +<l>With steed and car and flag o'erthrown,</l> +<l>And the red blood in rivers flowed</l> +<l>From slaughtered fiends o'er path and road.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XLVI"/> +<head>Canto XLVI. The Captains.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Mad with the rage of injured pride</l> +<l>King Rávaṇ summoned to his side</l> +<l>The valiant five who led his host,</l> +<l>Supreme in war and honoured most.</l> +<l><q>Go forth,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">with car and steed,</q></l> +<l>And to my feet this monkey lead,</l> +<l>But watch each chance of time and place</l> +<l>To seize this thing of silvan race.</l> +<l>For from his wondrous exploits he</l> +<l>No monkey of the woods can be,</l> +<pb n="420"/><anchor id="Pg420"/> +<l>But some new kind of creature meant</l> +<l>To work us woe, by Indra sent.</l> +<l>Gandharvas, Nágas, and the best</l> +<l>Of Yakshas have our might confessed.</l> +<l>Have we not challenged and subdued</l> +<l>The whole celestial multitude?</l> +<l>Yet will you not, if you are wise,</l> +<l>A chief of monkey race despise.</l> +<l>For I myself have Báli known,</l> +<l>And King Sugríva's power I own.</l> +<l>But none of all their woodland throng</l> +<l><q rend="post">Was half so terrible and strong.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Obedient to the words he spake</l> +<l>They hastened forth the foe to take.</l> +<l>Swift were the cars whereon they rode,</l> +<l>And bright their weapons flashed and glowed.</l> +<l>They saw: they charged in wild career</l> +<l>With sword and mace and axe and spear.</l> +<l>From Durdhar's bow five arrows sped</l> +<l>And quivered in the Vánar's head.</l> +<l>He rose and roared: the fearful sound</l> +<l>Made all the region echo round.</l> +<l>Then from above his weight he threw</l> +<l>On Durdhar's car that near him drew.</l> +<l>The weight that came with lightning speed</l> +<l>Crushed pole and axle, car and steed.</l> +<l>It shattered Durdhar's head and neck,</l> +<l>And left him lifeless mid the wreck.</l> +<l>Yúpáksha saw the warrior die,</l> +<l>And Virúpáksha heard his cry,</l> +<l>And, mad for vengeance for the slain,</l> +<l>They charged their Vánar foe again.</l> +<l>He rose in air: they onward pressed</l> +<l>And fiercely smote him on the breast.</l> +<l>In vain they struck his iron frame:</l> +<l>With eagle swoop to earth he came,</l> +<l>Tore from the ground a tree that grew</l> +<l>Beside him, and the demons slew.</l> +<l>Then Bhásakama raised his spear,</l> +<l>And Praghas with a laugh drew near,</l> +<l>And, maddened at the sight, the two</l> +<l>Against the undaunted Vánar flew.</l> +<l>As from his wounds the torrents flowed,</l> +<l>Like a red sun the Vánar showed.</l> +<l>He turned, a mountain peak to seize</l> +<l>With all its beasts and snakes and trees.</l> +<l>He hurled it on the pair: and they</l> +<l>Crushed, overwhelmed, beneath it lay.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XLVII"/> +<head>Canto XLVII. The Death Of Aksha.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Rávaṇ, as his fury burned,</l> +<l>His eyes on youthful Aksha<note place="foot">Rávaṇ's son.</note> turned,</l> +<l>Who rose impetuous at his glance</l> +<l>And shouted for his bow and lance.</l> +<l>He rode upon a glorious car</l> +<l>That shot the light of gems afar.</l> +<l>His pennon waved mid glittering gold</l> +<l>And bright the wheels with jewels rolled,</l> +<l>By long and fierce devotion won</l> +<l>That car was splendid as the sun.</l> +<l>With rows of various weapons stored;</l> +<l>And thought-swift horses whirled their lord</l> +<l>Racing along the earth, or rose</l> +<l>High through the clouds whene'er he chose.</l> +<l>Then fierce and fearful war between</l> +<l>The Vánar and the fiend was seen.</l> +<l>The Gods and Asurs stood amazed,</l> +<l>And on the wondrous combat gazed.</l> +<l>A cry from earth rose long and shrill,</l> +<l>The wind was hushed, the sun grew chill.</l> +<l>The thunder bellowed from the sky,</l> +<l>And troubled ocean roared reply.</l> +<l>Thrice Aksha strained his dreadful bow,</l> +<l>Thrice smote his arrow on the foe,</l> +<l>And with full streams of crimson bled</l> +<l>Three gashes in the Vánar's head.</l> +<l>Then rose Hanúmán in the air</l> +<l>To shun the shafts no life could bear.</l> +<l>But Aksha in his car pursued,</l> +<l>And from on high the fight renewed</l> +<l>With storm of arrows, thick as hail</l> +<l>When angry clouds some hill assail.</l> +<l>Impatient of that arrowy shower</l> +<l>The Vánar chief put forth his power,</l> +<l>Again above his chariot rose</l> +<l>And smote him with repeated blows.</l> +<l>Terrific came each deadly stroke:</l> +<l>Breast neck and arm and back he broke;</l> +<l>And Aksha fell to earth, and lay</l> +<l>With all his life-blood drained away.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XLVIII"/> +<head>Canto XLVIII. Hanumán Captured.</head> + +<lg> +<l>To Indrajít<note place="foot">Conqueror of Indra, another of +Rávaṇ's sons.</note> the bold and brave</l> +<l>The giant king his mandate gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O trained in warlike science, best</q></l> +<l>In arms of all our mightiest,</l> +<l>Whose valour in the conflict shown</l> +<l>To Asurs and to Gods is known,</l> +<l>The Kinkars whom I sent are slain,</l> +<l>And Jambumálí and his train;</l> +<l>The lords who led our giant bands</l> +<l>Have fallen by the monkey's hands;</l> +<l>With shattered cars the ground is spread,</l> +<l>And Aksha lies amid the dead.</l> +<l>Thou art my best and bravest: go,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Unmatched in power, and slay the foe.</q></l> +<pb n="421"/><anchor id="Pg421"/> +<l>He heard the hest: he bent his head;</l> +<l>Athirst for battle forth he sped.</l> +<l>Four tigers fierce, of tawny hue,</l> +<l>With fearful teeth, his chariot drew.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Hanúmán heard his strong bow clang,</l> +<l>And swiftly from the earth he sprang,</l> +<l>While weak and ineffective fell</l> +<l>The archer's shafts though pointed well.</l> +<l>The Rákshas saw that naught might kill</l> +<l>The wondrous foe who mocked his skill,</l> +<l>And launched a magic shaft to throw</l> +<l>A binding spell about his foe.</l> +<l>Forth flew the shaft: the mystic charm</l> +<l>Stayed his swift feet and numbed his arm,</l> +<l>Through all his frame he felt the spell,</l> +<l>And motionless to earth he fell.</l> +<l>Nor would the reverent Vánar loose</l> +<l>The bonds that bound him as a noose.</l> +<l>He knew that Brahmá's self had charmed</l> +<l>The weapon that his might disarmed.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They saw him helpless on the ground,</l> +<l>And all the giants pressed around,</l> +<l>And bonds of hemp and bark were cast</l> +<l>About his limbs to hold him fast.</l> +<l>They drew the ropes round feet and wrists;</l> +<l>They beat him with their hands and fists,</l> +<l>And dragged him as they strained the cord</l> +<l>With shouts of triumph to their lord.<note place="foot"><p>The <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">śloka</foreign> which follows is probably +an interpolation, as it is inconsistent with +the questioning in Canto L.:</p> +<lg> +<l>He looked on Rávaṇ in his pride,</l> +<l>And boldly to the monarch cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I came an envoy to this place</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">From him who rules the Vánar race.</q></l> +</lg></note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-XLIX"/> +<head>Canto XLIX. Rávan.</head> + +<lg> +<l>On the fierce king Hanúmán turned</l> +<l>His angry eyes that glowed and burned.</l> +<l>He saw him decked with wealth untold</l> +<l>Of diamond and pearl and gold,</l> +<l>And priceless was each wondrous gem</l> +<l>That sparkled in his diadem.</l> +<l>About his neck rich chains were twined,</l> +<l>The best that fancy e'er designed,</l> +<l>And a fair robe with pearls bestrung</l> +<l>Down from his mighty shoulders hung.</l> +<l>Ten heads he reared,<note place="foot">The ten heads of Rávaṇ have provoked +much ridicule from European critics. It should be remembered that +Spenser tells us of <q>two brethren giants, the one of which had two heads, the +other three;</q> and Milton speaks of the <q>four-fold visaged Four,</q> the four Cherubic +shapes each of whom had four faces.</note> as Mandar's hill</l> +<l>Lifts woody peaks which tigers fill,</l> +<l>Bright were his eyes, and bright, beneath,</l> +<l>The flashes of his awful teeth.</l> +<l>His brawny arms of wondrous size</l> +<l>Were decked with rings and scented dyes.</l> +<l>His hands like snakes with five long heads</l> +<l>Descending from their mountain beds.</l> +<l>He sat upon a crystal throne</l> +<l>Inlaid with wealth of precious stone,</l> +<l>Whereon, of noblest work, was set</l> +<l>A gold-embroidered coverlet.</l> +<l>Behind the monarch stood the best</l> +<l>Of beauteous women gaily dressed,</l> +<l>And each her giant master fanned,</l> +<l>Or waved a chourie in her hand.</l> +<l>Four noble courtiers<note place="foot">Durdhar, or as the Bengal recension +reads Mahodara, Prahasta, Mahápárśva, and Nikumbha.</note> wise and good</l> +<l>In counsel, near the monarch stood,</l> +<l>As the four oceans ever stand</l> +<l>About the sea-encompassed land.</l> +<l>Still, though his heart with rage was fired,</l> +<l>The Vánar marvelled and admired:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O what a rare and wondrous sight!</q></l> +<l>What beauty, majesty, and might!</l> +<l>All regal pomp combines to grace</l> +<l>This ruler of the Rákshas race.</l> +<l>He, if he scorned not right and law,</l> +<l>Might guide the world with tempered awe:</l> +<l>Yea, Indra and the Gods on high</l> +<l><q rend="post">Might on his saving power rely.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-L"/> +<head>Canto L. Prahasta's Questions.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then fierce the giant's fury blazed</l> +<l>As on Hanúmán's form he gazed,</l> +<l>And shaken by each wild surmise</l> +<l>He spake aloud with flashing eyes:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Can this be Nandi<note place="foot">The chief attendant of Śiva.</note> +standing here,</q></l> +<l>The mighty one whom all revere?</l> +<l>Who once on high Kailása's hill</l> +<l>Pronounced the curse that haunts me still?</l> +<l>Or is the woodland creature one</l> +<l>Of Asur race, or Bali's<note place="foot">Bali, not to be confounded with Báli +the Vánar, was a celebrated Daitya or demon who had usurped the empire of +the three worlds, and who was deprived of two thirds of his dominions by Vishṇu +in the Dwarf-incarnation.</note> son?</l> +<l>The wretch with searching question try:</l> +<l>Learn who he is, and whence; and why</l> +<l>He marred the glory of the grove,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And with my captains fiercely strove.</q></l> +<pb n="422"/><anchor id="Pg422"/> +<l>Prahasta heard his lord's behest,</l> +<l>And thus the Vánar chief addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O monkey stranger be consoled:</q></l> +<l>Fear not, and let thy heart be bold.</l> +<l>If thou by Indra's mandate sent</l> +<l>Thy steps to Lanká's isle hast bent,</l> +<l>With fearless words the cause explain,</l> +<l>And freedom thou shalt soon regain.</l> +<l>Or if thou comest as a spy</l> +<l>Despatched by Vishṇu in the sky,</l> +<l>Or sent by Yáma, or the Lord</l> +<l>Of Riches, hast our town explored;</l> +<l>Proved by the prowess thou hast shown</l> +<l>No monkey save in form alone;</l> +<l>Speak boldly all the truth, and be</l> +<l>Released from bonds, unharmed and free.</l> +<l>But falsehood spoken to our king</l> +<l><q rend="post">Swift punishment of death will bring.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: the Vánar made reply;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Not Indra's messenger am I,</q></l> +<l>Nor came I hither to fulfil</l> +<l>Kuvera's hest or Vishṇu's will.</l> +<l>I stand before the giants here</l> +<l>A Vánar e'en as I appear.</l> +<l>I longed to see the king: 'twas hard</l> +<l>To win my way through gate and guard.</l> +<l>And so to gain my wish I laid</l> +<l>In ruin that delightful shade.</l> +<l>No fiend, no God of heavenly kind</l> +<l>With bond or chain these limbs may bind.</l> +<l>The Eternal Sire himself of old</l> +<l>Vouchsafed the boon that makes me bold,</l> +<l>From Brahmá's magic shaft released<note place="foot">When Hanumán was bound with cords, +Indrajít released his captive from the spell laid upon him by the magic weapon.</note></l> +<l>I knew the captor's power had ceased,</l> +<l>The fancied bonds I freely brooked,</l> +<l>And thus upon the king have looked.</l> +<l>My way to Lanká have I won,</l> +<l><q rend="post">A messenger from Raghu's son.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-LI"/> +<head>Canto LI. Hanumán's Reply.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">My king Sugríva greets thee fair,</q></l> +<l>And bids me thus his rede declare.</l> +<l>Son of the God of Wind, by name</l> +<l>Hanumán, to this isle I came.</l> +<l>To set the Maithil lady free</l> +<l>I crossed the barrier of the sea.</l> +<l>I roamed in search of her and found</l> +<l>Her weeping in that lovely ground.</l> +<l>Thou in the lore of duty trained,</l> +<l>Who hast by stern devotion gained</l> +<l>This wondrous wealth and power and fame</l> +<l>Shouldst fear to wrong another's dame.</l> +<l>Hear thou my counsel, and be wise:</l> +<l>No fiend, no dweller in the skies</l> +<l>Can bear the shafts by Lakshmaṇ shot,</l> +<l>Or Ráma when his wrath is hot.</l> +<l>O Giant King, repent the crime</l> +<l>And soothe him while there yet is time.</l> +<l>Now be the Maithil queen restored</l> +<l>Uninjured to her sorrowing lord.</l> +<l>Soon wilt thou rue thy dire mistake:</l> +<l>She is no woman but a snake,</l> +<l>Whose very deadly bite will be</l> +<l>The ruin of thy house and thee.</l> +<l>Thy pride has led thy thoughts astray,</l> +<l>That fancy not a hand may slay</l> +<l>The monarch of the giants, screened</l> +<l>From mortal blow of God and fiend.</l> +<l>Sugríva still thy death may be:</l> +<l>No Yaksha, fiend, or God is he,</l> +<l>And Ráma from a woman springs,</l> +<l>The mortal seed of mortal kings.</l> +<l>O think how Báli fell subdued;</l> +<l>Think on thy slaughtered multitude.</l> +<l>Respect those brave and strong allies;</l> +<l>Consult thy safety, and be wise.</l> +<l>I, even I, no helper need</l> +<l>To overthrow, with car and steed,</l> +<l>Thy city Lanká half divine:</l> +<l>The power but not the will is mine.</l> +<l>For Raghu's son, before his friend</l> +<l>The Vánar monarch, swore to end</l> +<l>With his own conquering arm the life</l> +<l>Of him who stole his darling wife.</l> +<l>Turn, and be wise, O Rávaṇ turn;</l> +<l>Or thou wilt see thy Lanká burn,</l> +<l>And with thy wives, friends, kith and kin</l> +<l><q rend="post">Be ruined for thy senseless sin.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-LII"/> +<head>Canto LII. Vibhishan's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Rávaṇ spake with flashing eye:</l> +<l><q>Hence with the Vánar: let him die.</q></l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ heard the stern behest,</l> +<l>And pondered in his troubled breast;</l> +<l>Then, trained in arts that soothe and please</l> +<l>Addressed the king in words like these:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Revoke, my lord, thy fierce decree,</q></l> +<l>And hear the words I speak to thee.</l> +<l>Kings wise and noble ne'er condemn</l> +<l>To death the envoys sent to them.</l> +<l>Such deed the world's contempt would draw</l> +<l>On him who breaks the ancient law.<note place="foot"><q>One who murders an ambassador +(<hi rend='italic'>rája bhata</hi>) goes to Taptakumbha, the hell of heated caldrons.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson's</hi> <hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu +Puraṇa</hi>, Vol. II. p. 217.</note></l> +<l>Observe the mean where justice lies,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And spare his life but still chastise.</q></l> +<pb n="423"/><anchor id="Pg423"/> +<l>Then forth the tyrant's fury broke,</l> +<l>And thus in angry words he spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O hero, when the wicked bleed</q></l> +<l>No sin or shame attends the deed.</l> +<l>The Vánar's blood must needs be spilt,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The penalty of heinous guilt.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Again Vibhishaṇ made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Nay, hear me, for he must not die.</q></l> +<l>Hear the great law the wise declare:</l> +<l><q>Thy foeman's envoy thou shalt spare.</q></l> +<l>'Tis true he comes an open foe:</l> +<l>'Tis true his hands have wrought us woe,</l> +<l>But law allows thee, if thou wilt,</l> +<l>A punishment to suit the guilt.</l> +<l>The mark of shame, the scourge, the brand,</l> +<l>The shaven head, the wounded hand.</l> +<l>Yea, were the Vánar envoy slain,</l> +<l>Where, King of giants, were the gain?</l> +<l>On them alone, on them who sent</l> +<l>The message, be the punishment.</l> +<l>For spake he well or spake he ill,</l> +<l>He spake obedient to their will,</l> +<l>And, if he perish, who can bear</l> +<l>Thy challenge to the royal pair?</l> +<l>Who, cross the ocean and incite</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy death-doomed enemies to fight?</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-LIII"/> +<head>Canto LIII. The Punishment.</head> + +<lg> +<l>King Rávaṇ, by his pleading moved,</l> +<l>The counsel of the chief approved:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy words are wise and true: to kill</q></l> +<l>An envoy would beseem us ill.</l> +<l>Yet must we for his crime invent</l> +<l>Some fitting mode of punishment.</l> +<l>The tail, I fancy, is the part</l> +<l>Most cherished by a monkey's heart.</l> +<l>Make ready: set his tail aflame,</l> +<l>And let him leave us as he came,</l> +<l>And thus disfigured and disgraced</l> +<l><q rend="post">Back to his king and people haste.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The giants heard their monarch's speech;</l> +<l>And, filled with burning fury, each</l> +<l>Brought strips of cotton cloth, and round</l> +<l>The monkey's tail the bandage wound.</l> +<l>As round his tail the bands they drew</l> +<l>His mighty form dilating grew</l> +<l>Vast as the flame that bursts on high</l> +<l>Where trees are old and grass is dry.</l> +<l>Each band and strip they soaked in oil,</l> +<l>And set on fire the twisted coil.</l> +<l>Delighted as they viewed the blaze,</l> +<l>The cruel demons stood at gaze:</l> +<l>And mid loud drums and shells rang out</l> +<l>The triumph of their joyful shout.</l> +<l>They pressed about him thick and fast</l> +<l>As through the crowded streets he passed,</l> +<l>Observing with attentive care</l> +<l>Each rich and wondrous structure there,</l> +<l>Still heedless of the eager cry</l> +<l>That rent the air, The spy! the spy!</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Some to the captive lady ran,</l> +<l>And thus in joyous words began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">That copper-visaged monkey, he</q></l> +<l>Who in the garden talked with thee,</l> +<l>Through Lanká's town is led a show,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And round his tail the red flames glow.</q></l> +<l>The mournful news the lady heard</l> +<l>That with fresh grief her bosom stirred.</l> +<l>Swift to the kindled fire she went</l> +<l>And prayed before it reverent:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If I my husband have obeyed,</q></l> +<l>And kept the ascetic vows I made,</l> +<l>Free, ever free, from stain and blot,</l> +<l><q rend="post">O spare the Vánar; harm him not.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then leapt on high the flickering flame</l> +<l>And shone in answer to the dame.</l> +<l>The pitying fire its rage forbore:</l> +<l>The Vánar felt the heat no more.</l> +<l>Then, to minutest size reduced,</l> +<l>The bonds that bound his limbs he loosed,</l> +<l>And, freed from every band and chain,</l> +<l>Rose to his native size again.</l> +<l>He seized a club of ponderous weight</l> +<l>That lay before him by the gate,</l> +<l>Rushed at the fiends that hemmed him round,</l> +<l>And laid them lifeless on the ground.</l> +<l>Through Lanká's town again he strode,</l> +<l>And viewed each street and square and road,—</l> +<l>Still wreathed about with harmless blaze,</l> +<l>A sun engarlanded with rays.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="424"/><anchor id="Pg424"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-LIV"/> +<head>Canto LIV. The Burning Of Lanká.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">What further deed remains to do</q></l> +<l>To vex the Rákshas king anew?</l> +<l>The beauty of his grove is marred,</l> +<l>Killed are the bravest of his guard.</l> +<l>The captains of his host are slain;</l> +<l>But forts and palaces remain,</l> +<l>Swift is the work and light the toil</l> +<l><q rend="post">Each fortress of the foe to spoil.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Reflecting thus, his tail ablaze</l> +<l>As through the cloud red lightning plays,</l> +<l>He scaled the palaces and spread</l> +<l>The conflagration where he sped.</l> +<l>From house to house he hurried on,</l> +<l>And the wild flames behind him shone.</l> +<l>Each mansion of the foe he scaled,</l> +<l>And furious fire its roof assailed</l> +<l>Till all the common ruin shared:</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ's house alone was spared.</l> +<l>From blazing pile to pile he sprang,</l> +<l>And loud his shout of triumph rang,</l> +<l>As roars the doomsday cloud when all</l> +<l>The worlds in dissolution fall.</l> +<l>The friendly wind conspired to fan</l> +<l>The hungry flames that leapt and ran,</l> +<l>And spreading in their fury caught</l> +<l>The gilded walls with pearls inwrought,</l> +<l>Till each proud palace reeled and fell</l> +<l>As falls a heavenly citadel.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Loud was the roar the demons raised</l> +<l>Mid walls that split and beams that blazed,</l> +<l>As each with vain endeavour strove</l> +<l>To stay the flames in house or grove.</l> +<l>The women, with dishevelled hair,</l> +<l>Flocked to the roofs in wild despair,</l> +<l>Shrieked out for succour, wept aloud,</l> +<l>And fell, like lightning from a cloud.</l> +<l>He saw the flames ascend and curl</l> +<l>Round turkis, diamond, and pearl,</l> +<l>While silver floods and molten gold</l> +<l>From ruined wall and latice rolled.</l> +<l>As fire grows fiercer as he feeds</l> +<l>On wood and grass and crackling reeds,</l> +<l>So Hanúmán the ruin eyed</l> +<l>With fury still unsatisfied.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-LV"/> +<head>Canto LV. Fear For Sítá.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But other thoughts resumed their sway</l> +<l>When Lanká's town in ruin lay;</l> +<l>And, as his bosom felt their weight</l> +<l>He stood a while to meditate.</l> +<l><q>What have I done?</q>, he thought with shame,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Destroyed the town with hostile flame.</q></l> +<l>O happy they whose firm control</l> +<l>Checks the wild passion of the soul;</l> +<l>Who on the fires of anger throw</l> +<l>The cooling drops that check their glow.</l> +<l>But woe is me, whom wrath could lead</l> +<l>To do this senseless shameless deed.</l> +<l>The town to fire and death I gave,</l> +<l>Nor thought of her I came to save,—</l> +<l>Doomed by my own rash folly, doomed</l> +<l>To perish in the flames consumed.</l> +<l>If I, when anger drove me wild,</l> +<l>Have caused the death of Janak's child,</l> +<l>The kindled flame shall end my woe,</l> +<l>Or the deep fires that burn below,<note place="foot">The fire which is supposed to burn +beneath the sea.</note></l> +<l>Or my forsaken corse shall be</l> +<l>Food for the monsters of the sea.</l> +<l>How can I meet Sugríva? how</l> +<l>Before the royal brothers bow,—</l> +<l>I whose rash deed has madly foiled,</l> +<l>The noble work in which we toiled?</l> +<l>Or has her own bright virtue shed</l> +<l>Its guardian influence round her head?</l> +<l>She lives untouched,—the peerless dame;</l> +<l>Flame has no fury for the flame.<note place="foot">Sítá is likened to the fire which +is an emblem of purity.</note></l> +<l>The very fire would ne'er consent</l> +<l>To harm a queen so excellent,—</l> +<l>The high-souled Ráma's faithful wife,</l> +<l>Protected by her holy life.</l> +<l>She lives, she lives. Why should I fear</l> +<l>For one whom Raghu's sons hold dear?</l> +<l>Has not the pitying fire that spared</l> +<l><q rend="post">The Vánar for the lady cared?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Such were his thoughts: he pondered long,</l> +<l>And fear grew faint and hope grew strong.</l> +<l>Then round him heavenly voices rang,</l> +<l>And, sweetly tuned, his praises sang:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O glorious is the exploit done</q></l> +<l>By Hanumán the Wind-God's son.</l> +<l>The flames o'er Lanká's city rise:</l> +<l>The giants' home in ruin lies.</l> +<l>O'er roof and wall the fires have spread,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Nor harmed a hair of Sítá's head.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-LVI"/> +<head>Canto LVI. Mount Arishta.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He looked upon the burning waste,</l> +<l>Then sought the queen in joyous haste,</l> +<l>With words of hope consoled her heart,</l> +<l>And made him ready to depart.</l> +<pb n="425"/><anchor id="Pg425"/> +<l>He scaled Arishṭa's glorious steep</l> +<l>Whose summits beetled o'er the deep.</l> +<l>The woods in varied beauty dressed</l> +<l>Hung like a garland round his crest,</l> +<l>And clouds of ever changing hue</l> +<l>A robe about his shoulders threw.</l> +<l>On him the rays of morning fell</l> +<l>To wake the hill they loved so well,</l> +<l>And bid unclose those splendid eyes</l> +<l>That glittered in his mineral dyes.</l> +<l>He woke to hear the music made</l> +<l>By thunders of the white cascade,</l> +<l>While every laughing rill that sprang</l> +<l>From crag to crag its carol sang.</l> +<l>For arms, he lifted to the stars</l> +<l>His towering stems of Deodárs,</l> +<l>And morning heard his pealing call</l> +<l>In tumbling brook and waterfall.</l> +<l>He trembled when his woods were pale</l> +<l>And bowed beneath the autumn gale,</l> +<l>And when his vocal reeds were stirred</l> +<l>His melancholy moan was heard.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Far down against the mountain's feet</l> +<l>The Vánar heard the wild waves beat;</l> +<l>Then turned his glances to the north.</l> +<l>Sprang from the peak and bounded forth,</l> +<l>The mountain felt the fearful shock</l> +<l>And trembled through his mass of rock.</l> +<l>The tallest trees were crushed and rent</l> +<l>And headlong to the valley sent,</l> +<l>And as the rocking shook each cave</l> +<l>Loud was the roar the lions gave.</l> +<l>Forth from the shaken cavern came</l> +<l>Fierce serpents with their tongues aflame;</l> +<l>And every Yaksha, wild with dread,</l> +<l>And Kinnar and Gandharva, fled.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-LVII"/> +<head>Canto LVII. Hanumán's Return.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Still, like a winged mountain, he</l> +<l>Sprang forward through the airy sea,<note place="foot">I omit two stanzas which +continue the metaphor of the sea or lake of air. The moon is its lotus, the sun its +wild-duck, the clouds are its water-weeds, Mars is its shark and so on. Gorresio remarks: +<q>This comparison of a great lake to the sky and of celestial to aquatic objects is one +of those ideas which the view and qualities of natural scenery awake in lively fancies. +Imagine one of those grand and splendid lakes of India covered with lotus blossoms, +furrowed by wild-ducks of the most vivid colours, mantled over here and there with +flowers and water weeds &c. and it will be understood how the fancy of the poet could +readily compare to the sky radiant with celestial azure the blue expanse of the water, to +the soft light of the moon the inner hue of the lotus, to the splendour of the sun the +brilliant colours of the wild-fowl, to the stars the flowers, to the cloud the weeds that +float upon the water &c.</q></note></l> +<l>And rushing through the ether drew</l> +<l>The clouds to follow as he flew,</l> +<l>Through the great host around him spread,</l> +<l>Grey, golden, dark, and white, and red.</l> +<l>Now in a sable cloud immersed,</l> +<l>Now from its gloomy pall he burst,</l> +<l>Like the bright Lord of Stars concealed</l> +<l>A moment, and again revealed.</l> +<l>Sunábha<note place="foot">Sunábha is the mountain that rose +from the sea when Hanumán passed over to Lanká.</note> passed, he neared the coast</l> +<l>Where waited still the Vánar host.</l> +<l>They heard a rushing in the skies,</l> +<l>And lifted up their wondering eyes.</l> +<l>His wild triumphant shout they knew</l> +<l>That louder still and louder grew,</l> +<l>And Jámbaván with eager voice</l> +<l>Called on the Vánars to rejoice:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Look he returns, the Wind-God's son,</q></l> +<l>And full success his toils have won;</l> +<l>Triumphant is the shout that comes</l> +<l><q rend="post">Like music of a thousand drums.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Up sprang the Vánars from the ground</l> +<l>And listened to the wondrous sound</l> +<l>Of hurtling arm and thigh as through</l> +<l>The region of the air he flew,</l> +<l>Loud as the wind, when tempests rave,</l> +<l>Roars in the prison of the cave.</l> +<l>From crag to crag, from height to height;</l> +<l>They bounded in their mad delight,</l> +<l>And when he touched the mountain's crest,</l> +<l>With reverent welcome round him pressed.</l> +<l>They brought him of their woodland fruits,</l> +<l>They brought him of the choicest roots,</l> +<l>And laughed and shouted in their glee</l> +<l>The noblest of their chiefs to see.</l> +<l>Nor Hanumán delayed to greet</l> +<l>Sage Jámbaván with reverence meet;</l> +<l>To Angad and the chiefs he bent</l> +<l>For age and rank preëminent,</l> +<l>And briefly spoke: <q rend="pre">These eyes have seen,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">These lips addressed, the Maithil queen.</q></l> +<l>They sat beneath the waving trees,</l> +<l>And Angad spoke in words like these:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O noblest of the Vánar kind</q></l> +<l>For valour power and might combined,</l> +<l>To thee triumphant o'er the foe</l> +<l>Our hopes, our lives and all we owe.</l> +<l>O faithful heart in perils tried,</l> +<pb n="426"/><anchor id="Pg426"/> +<l>Which toil nor fear could turn aside,</l> +<l>Thy deed the lady will restore,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And Ráma's heart will ache no more.</q><note place="foot">Three Cantos +of repetition are omitted.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-LVIII"/> +<head>Canto LVIII. The Feast Of Honey.</head> + +<lg> +<l>They rose in air: the region grew</l> +<l>Dark with their shadow as they flew.</l> +<l>Swift to a lovely grove<note place="foot"><hi rend='italic'>Madhuvan</hi> +the <q>honey-wood.</q></note> they came</l> +<l>That rivalled heavenly Nandan's<note place="foot">Indra's pleasure-ground or +elysium.</note> fame;</l> +<l>Where countless bees their honey stored,—</l> +<l>The pleasance of the Vánars' lord,</l> +<l>To every creature fenced and barred,</l> +<l>Which Dadhimukh was set to guard,</l> +<l>A noble Vánar, brave and bold,</l> +<l>Sugríva's uncle lofty-souled.</l> +<l>To Angad came with one accord</l> +<l>The Vánars, and besought their lord</l> +<l>That they those honeyed stores might eat</l> +<l>That made the grove so passing sweet.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He gave consent: they sought the trees</l> +<l>Thronged with innumerable bees.</l> +<l>They rifled all the treasured store,</l> +<l>And ate the fruit the branches bore,</l> +<l>And still as they prolonged the feast</l> +<l>Their merriment and joy increased.</l> +<l>Drunk with the sweets, they danced and bowed,</l> +<l>They wildly sang, they laughed aloud,</l> +<l>Some climbed and sprang from tree to tree,</l> +<l>Some sat and chattered in their glee.</l> +<l>Some scaled the trees which creepers crowned,</l> +<l>And rained the branches to the ground.</l> +<l>There with loud laugh a Vánar sprang</l> +<l>Close to his friend who madly sang,</l> +<l>In doleful mood another crept</l> +<l>To mix his tears with one who wept.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Dadhimukh with fury viewed</l> +<l>The intoxicated multitude.</l> +<l>He looked upon the rifled shade,</l> +<l>And all the ruin they had made;</l> +<l>Then called with angry voice, and strove</l> +<l>To save the remnant of the grove.</l> +<l>But warning cries and words were spurned,</l> +<l>And angry taunt and threat returned.</l> +<l>Then fierce and wild contention rose:</l> +<l>With furious words he mingled blows.</l> +<l>They by no shame or fear withheld,</l> +<l>By drunken mood and ire impelled,</l> +<l>Used claws, and teeth, and hands, and beat</l> +<l>The keeper under trampling feet.</l> +</lg> + +<p> +[Three Cantos consisting of little but +repetitions are omitted. Dadhimukh escapes +from the infuriated monkeys and +hastens to Sugríva to report their misconduct. +Sugríva infers that Hanumán and +his band have been successful in their +search, and that the exuberance of spirits +and the mischief complained of, are but +the natural expression of their joy. Dadhimukh +obtains little sympathy from +Sugríva, and is told to return and send +the monkeys on with all possible speed.] +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-LXV"/> +<head>Canto LXV. The Tidings.</head> + +<lg> +<l>On to Praśravaṇ's hill they sped</l> +<l>Where blooming trees their branches spread.</l> +<l>To Raghu's sons their heads they bent</l> +<l>And did obeisance reverent.</l> +<l>Then to their king, by Angad led,</l> +<l>Each Vánar chieftain bowed his head;</l> +<l>And Hanumán the brave and bold</l> +<l>His tidings to the monarch told;</l> +<l>But first in Ráma's hand he placed</l> +<l>The gem that Sítá's brow had graced:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I crossed the sea: I searched a while</q></l> +<l>For Sítá in the giants' isle.</l> +<l>I found her vext with taunt and threat</l> +<l>By demon guards about her set.</l> +<l>Her tresses twined in single braid,</l> +<l>On the bare earth her limbs were laid.</l> +<l>Sad were her eyes: her cheeks were pale</l> +<l>As shuddering flowers in winter's gale.</l> +<l>I stood beside the weeping dame,</l> +<l>And gently whispered Ráma's name:</l> +<l>With cheering words her grief consoled,</l> +<l>And then the whole adventure told.</l> +<l>She weeps afar beyond the sea,</l> +<l>And her true heart is still with thee.</l> +<l>She gave a sign that thou wouldst know,</l> +<l>She bids thee think upon the crow,</l> +<l>And bright mark pressed upon her brow</l> +<l>When none was nigh but she and thou.</l> +<l>She bids thee take this precious stone,</l> +<l>The sea-born gem thou long hast known.</l> +<l><q>And I,</q> she said, <q rend="pre">will dull the sting</q></l> +<l>Of woe by gazing on the ring.</l> +<l>One little month shall I sustain</l> +<l>This life oppressed with woe and pain:</l> +<l>And when the month is ended, I</l> +<l><q rend="post"><q rend="post">The giants' prey must surely die.</q></q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="427"/><anchor id="Pg427"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoV-LXVI"/> +<head>Canto LXVI. Ráma's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>There ceased the Vánar: Ráma pressed</l> +<l>The treasured jewel to his breast,</l> +<l>And from his eyes the waters broke</l> +<l>As to the Vánar king he spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">As o'er her babe the mother weeps,</q></l> +<l>This flood of tears the jewel steeps.</l> +<l>This gem that shone on Sítá's head</l> +<l>Was Janak's gift when we were wed,</l> +<l>And the pure brow that wore it lent</l> +<l>New splendour to the ornament.</l> +<l>This gem, bright offspring of the wave,</l> +<l>The King of Heaven to Janak gave,</l> +<l>Whose noble sacrificial rite</l> +<l>Had filled the God with new delight.</l> +<l>Now, as I gaze upon the prize,</l> +<l>Methinks I see my father's eyes.</l> +<l>Methinks I see before me stand</l> +<l>The ruler of Videha's land.<note place="foot">Janak was king of Videha or Mithilá +in Behar.</note></l> +<l>Methinks mine arms are folded now</l> +<l>Round her who wore it on her brow.</l> +<l>Speak, Hanumán, O say, dear friend,</l> +<l>What message did my darling send?</l> +<l>O speak, and let thy words impart</l> +<l>Their gentle dew to cool my heart.</l> +<l>Ah, 'tis the crown of woe to see</l> +<l>This gem and ask <q>Where, where is she?</q></l> +<l>If for one month her heart be strong,</l> +<l>Her days of life will yet be long.</l> +<l>But I, with naught to lend relief,</l> +<l>This very day must die of grief.</l> +<l>Come, Hanumán, and quickly guide</l> +<l>The mourner to his darling's side.</l> +<l>O lead me—thou hast learnt the way—</l> +<l>I cannot and I will not stay.</l> +<l>How can my gentle love endure,</l> +<l>So timid, delicate, and pure,</l> +<l>The dreadful demons fierce and vile</l> +<l>Who watch her in the guarded isle?</l> +<l>No more the light of beauty shines</l> +<l>From Sítá as she weeps and pines.</l> +<l>But pain and sorrow, cloud on cloud</l> +<l>Her moonlight glory dim and shroud.</l> +<l>O speak, dear Hanumán, and tell</l> +<l>Each word that from her sweet lips fell,</l> +<l>Her words, her words alone can give</l> +<l><q rend="post">The healing balm to make me live.</q><note place="foot">The original +contains two more Cantos which end the Book. Canto LXVII begins +thus: <q>Hanumán thus addressed by the great-souled son of Raghu related to the +son of Raghu all that Sítá had said.</q> And the two Cantos contain nothing but +Hanumán's account of his interview with Sítá, and the report of his own speeches +as well as of hers.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +</div> + +<!-- End of Book V --> + +<div rend="page-break-before: always"> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>BOOK VI.<note place="foot">The Sixth Book is called in Sanskrit +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Yuddha-Káṇḍa</foreign> or +<hi rend='italic'>The War</hi>, and <hi rend='italic'>Lanká-Káṇda</hi>. +It is generally known at the present day by the latter title.</note></head> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-I"/> +<head>Canto I. Ráma's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The son of Raghu heard, consoled,</l> +<l>The wondrous tale Hanumán told;</l> +<l>And, as his joyous hope grew high,</l> +<l>In friendly words he made reply:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Behold a mighty task achieved,</q></l> +<l>Which never heart but his conceived.</l> +<l>Who else across the sea can spring,</l> +<l>Save Váyu<note place="foot">Váyu is the God of Wind.</note> +and the Feathered King?<note place="foot">Garuḍa the King of Birds.</note></l> +<l>Who, pass the portals strong and high</l> +<l>Which Nágas,<note place="foot">Serpent-Gods.</note> Gods, and fiends defy,</l> +<l>Where Rávaṇ's hosts their station keep,—</l> +<l>And come uninjured o'er the deep?</l> +<l>By such a deed the Wind-God's son</l> +<l>Good service to the king has done,</l> +<l>And saved from ruin and disgrace</l> +<l>Lakshmaṇ and me and Raghu's race.</l> +<l>Well has he planned and bravely fought,</l> +<l>And with due care my lady sought.</l> +<l>But of the sea I sadly think,</l> +<l>And the sweet hopes that cheered me sink.</l> +<l>How can we cross the leagues of foam</l> +<l>That keep us from the giant's home?</l> +<l>What can the Vánar legions more</l> +<l><q rend="post">Than muster on the ocean shore?</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-II"/> +<head>Canto II. Sugríva's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He ceased: and King Sugríva tried</l> +<l>To calm his grief, and thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">'Be to thy nobler nature true,</q></l> +<l>Nor let despair thy soul subdue.</l> +<l>This cloud of causeless woe dispel,</l> +<l>For all as yet has prospered well,</l> +<l>And we have traced thy queen, and know</l> +<l>The dwelling of our Rákshas foe.</l> +<l>Arise, consult: thy task must be</l> +<l>To cast a bridge athwart the sea,</l> +<l>The city of our foe to reach</l> +<l>That crowns the mountain by the beach;</l> +<pb n="428"/><anchor id="Pg428"/> +<l>And when our feet that isle shall tread,</l> +<l>Rejoice and deem thy foeman dead.</l> +<l>The sea unbridged, his walls defy</l> +<l>Both fiends and children of the sky,</l> +<l>Though at the fierce battalions' head</l> +<l>Lord Indra's self the onset led.</l> +<l>Yea, victory is thine before</l> +<l>The long bridge touch the farther shore,</l> +<l>So fleet and fierce and strong are these</l> +<l>Who limb them as their fancies please.</l> +<l>Away with grief and sad surmise</l> +<l>That mar the noblest enterprise,</l> +<l>And with their weak suspicion blight</l> +<l>The sage's plan, the hero's might.</l> +<l>Come, this degenerate weakness spurn,</l> +<l>And bid thy dauntless heart return,</l> +<l>For each fair hope by grief is crossed</l> +<l>When those we love are dead or lost.</l> +<l>Arise, O best of those who know,</l> +<l>Arm for the giant's overthrow.</l> +<l>None in the triple world I see</l> +<l>Who in the fight may equal thee;</l> +<l>None who before thy face may stand</l> +<l>And brave the bow that arms thy hand,</l> +<l>Trust to these mighty Vánars: they</l> +<l>With full success thy trust will pay,</l> +<l>When thou shalt reach the robber's hold,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And loving arms round Sítá fold.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-III"/> +<head>Canto III. Lanká.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He ceased: and Raghu's son gave heed,</l> +<l>Attentive to his prudent rede:</l> +<l>Then turned again, with hope inspired,</l> +<l>To Hanumán, and thus inquired:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Light were the task for thee, I ween,</q></l> +<l>To bridge the sea that gleams between</l> +<l>The mainland and the island shore.</l> +<l>Or dry the deep and guide as o'er.</l> +<l>Fain would I learn from thee whose feet</l> +<l>Have trod the stones of every street,</l> +<l>Of fenced Lanká's towers and forts,</l> +<l>And walls and moats and guarded ports,</l> +<l>And castles where the giants dwell,</l> +<l>And battlemented citadel.</l> +<l>O Váyu's son, describe it all,</l> +<l><q rend="post">With palace, fort, and gate, and wall.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: and, skilled in arts that guide</l> +<l>The eloquent, the chief replied:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Vast is the city, gay and strong,</q></l> +<l>Where elephants unnumbered throng,</l> +<l>And countless hosts of Rákshas breed</l> +<l>Stand ready by the car and steed.</l> +<l>Four massive gates, securely barred,</l> +<l>All entrance to the city guard,</l> +<l>With murderous engines fixt to throw</l> +<l>Bolt, arrow, rock to check the foe,</l> +<l>And many a mace with iron head</l> +<l>That strikes at once a hundred dead.</l> +<l>Her golden ramparts wide and high</l> +<l>With massy strength the foe defy,</l> +<l>Where inner walls their rich inlay</l> +<l>Of coral, turkis, pearl display.</l> +<l>Her circling moats are broad and deep,</l> +<l>Where ravening monsters dart and leap.</l> +<l>By four great piers each moat is spanned</l> +<l>Where lines of deadly engines stand.</l> +<l>In sleepless watch at every gate</l> +<l>Unnumbered hosts of giants wait,</l> +<l>And, masters of each weapon, rear</l> +<l>The threatening pike and sword and spear.</l> +<l>My fury hurled those ramparts down,</l> +<l>Filled up the moats that gird the town,</l> +<l>The piers and portals overturned,</l> +<l>And stately Lanká spoiled and burned.</l> +<l>Howe'er we Vánars force our way</l> +<l>O'er the wide seat of Varuṇ's<note place="foot">The God of the sea.</note> sway,</l> +<l>Be sure that city of the foe</l> +<l>Is doomed to sudden overthrow,</l> +<l>Nay, why so vast an army lead?</l> +<l>Brave Angad, Dwivid good at need,</l> +<l>Fierce Mainda, Panas famed in fight,</l> +<l>And Níla's skill and Nala's might,</l> +<l>And Jámbaván the strong and wise,</l> +<l>Will dare the easy enterprise.</l> +<l>Assailed by these shall Lanká fall</l> +<l>With gate and rampart, tower and wall.</l> +<l>Command the gathering, chief: and they</l> +<l><q rend="post">In happy hour will haste away.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-IV"/> +<head>Canto IV. The March.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He ceased; and spurred by warlike pride</l> +<l>The impetuous son of Raghu cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Soon shall mine arm with wrathful joy</q></l> +<l>That city of the foe destroy.</l> +<l>Now, chieftain, now collect the host,</l> +<l>And onward to the southern coast!</l> +<l>The sun in his meridian tower</l> +<l>Gives glory to the Vánar power.</l> +<l>The demon lord who stole my queen</l> +<l>By timely flight his life may screen.</l> +<l>She, when she knows her lord is near,</l> +<l>Will cling to hope and banish fear,</l> +<l>Saved like a dying wretch who sips</l> +<l>The drink of Gods with fevered lips.</l> +<l>Arise, thy troops to battle lead:</l> +<l>All happy omens counsel speed.</l> +<l>The Lord of Stars in favouring skies</l> +<l>Bodes glory to our enterprise.</l> +<l>This arm shall slay the fiend; and she,</l> +<l>My consort, shall again be free.</l> +<pb n="429"/><anchor id="Pg429"/> +<l>Mine upward-throbbing eye foreshows</l> +<l>The longed-for triumph o'er my foes.</l> +<l>Far in the van be Níla's post,</l> +<l>To scan the pathway for the host,</l> +<l>And let thy bravest and thy best,</l> +<l>A hundred thousand, wait his hest.</l> +<l>Go forth, O warrior Níla, lead</l> +<l>The legions on through wood and mead</l> +<l>Where pleasant waters cool the ground,</l> +<l>And honey, flowers, and fruit abound.</l> +<l>Go, and with timely care prevent</l> +<l>The Rákshas foeman's dark intent.</l> +<l>With watchful troops each valley guard</l> +<l>Ere brooks and fruits and roots be marred</l> +<l>And search each glen and leafy shade</l> +<l>For hostile troops in ambuscade.</l> +<l>But let the weaklings stay behind:</l> +<l>For heroes is our task designed.</l> +<l>Let thousands of the Vánar breed</l> +<l>The vanguard of the armies lead:</l> +<l>Fierce and terrific must it be</l> +<l>As billows of the stormy sea.</l> +<l>There be the hill-huge Gaja's place,</l> +<l>And Gavaya's, strongest of his race,</l> +<l>And, like the bull that leads the herd,</l> +<l>Gaváksha's, by no fears deterred</l> +<l>Let Rishabh, matchless in the might</l> +<l>Of warlike arms, protect our right,</l> +<l>And Gandhamádan next in rank</l> +<l>Defend and guide the other flank.</l> +<l>I, like the God who rules the sky</l> +<l>Borne on Airávat<note place="foot">Indra's elephant.</note> mounted high</l> +<l>On stout Hanúmán's back will ride,</l> +<l>The central host to cheer and guide.</l> +<l>Fierce as the God who rules below,</l> +<l>On Angad's back let Lakshmaṇ show</l> +<l>Like him who wealth to mortals shares,<note place="foot">Kuvera, God of +wealth.</note></l> +<l>The lord whom Sárvabhauma<note place="foot">Kuvera's elephant.</note> bears.</l> +<l>The bold Susheṇ's impetuous might,</l> +<l>And Vegadarśí's piercing sight,</l> +<l>And Jámbaván whom bears revere,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Illustrious three, shall guard the rear.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased, the royal Vánar heard,</l> +<l>And swift, obedient to his word,</l> +<l>Sprang forth in numbers none might tell</l> +<l>From mountain, cave, and bosky dell,</l> +<l>From rocky ledge and breezy height,</l> +<l>Fierce Vánars burning for the fight.</l> +<l>And Ráma's course was southward bent</l> +<l>Amid the mighty armament.</l> +<l>On, joyous, pressed in close array</l> +<l>The hosts who owned Sugríva's sway,</l> +<l>With nimble feet, with rapid bound</l> +<l>Exploring, ere they passed, the ground,</l> +<l>While from ten myriad throats rang out</l> +<l>The challenge and the battle shout.</l> +<l>On roots and honeycomb they fed,</l> +<l>And clusters from the boughs o'erhead,</l> +<l>Or from the ground the tall trees tore</l> +<l>Rich with the flowery load they bore.</l> +<l>Some carried comrades, wild with mirth,</l> +<l>Then cast their riders to the earth,</l> +<l>Who swiftly to their feet arose</l> +<l>And overthrew their laughing foes.</l> +<l>While still rang out the general cry,</l> +<l><q>King Rávaṇ and his fiends shall die,</q></l> +<l>Still on, exulting in the pride</l> +<l>Of conscious strength, the Vánars hied,</l> +<l>And gazed where noble Sahya, best</l> +<l>Of mountains, raised each towering crest.</l> +<l>They looked on lake and streamlet, where</l> +<l>The lotus bloom was bright and fair,</l> +<l>Nor marched—for Ráma's hest they feared</l> +<l>Where town or haunt of men appeared.</l> +<l>Still onward, fearful as the waves</l> +<l>Of Ocean when he roars and raves,</l> +<l>Led by their eager chieftains, went</l> +<l>The Vánars' countless armament.</l> +<l>Each captain, like a noble steed</l> +<l>Urged by the lash to double speed.</l> +<l>Pressed onward, filled with zeal and pride,</l> +<l>By Ráma's and his brother's side,</l> +<l>Who high above the Vánar throng</l> +<l>On mighty backs were borne along,</l> +<l>Like the great Lords of Day and Night</l> +<l>Seized by eclipsing planets might.</l> +<l>Then Lakshmaṇ radiant as the morn,</l> +<l>On Angad's shoulders high upborne.</l> +<l>With sweet consoling words that woke</l> +<l>New ardour, to his brother spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Soon shalt thou turn, thy queen regained</q></l> +<l>And impious Rávaṇ's life-blood drained,</l> +<l>In happiness and high renown</l> +<l>To dear Ayodhyá's happy town.</l> +<l>I see around exceeding fair</l> +<l>All omens of the earth and air.</l> +<l>Auspicious breezes sweet and low</l> +<l>To greet the Vánar army blow,</l> +<l>And softly to my listening ear</l> +<l>Come the glad cries of bird and deer.</l> +<l>Bright is the sky around us, bright</l> +<l>Without a cloud the Lord of Light,</l> +<l>And Śukra<note place="foot">The planet Venus, or its regent who +is regarded as the son of Bhrigu and preceptor of the Daityas.</note> +with propitious love</l> +<l>Looks on thee from his throne above.</l> +<l>The pole-star and the Sainted Seven<note place="foot">The seven +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">rishis</foreign> or saints who form +the constellation of the Great Bear.</note></l> +<l>Shine brightly in the northern heaven,</l> +<l>And great Triśanku,<note place="foot">Triśanku was raised to the skies to +form a constellation in the southern hemisphere. The story in told in +<ref target="CantoI-LX">Book I, Canto LX</ref>.</note> glorious king,</l> +<pb n="430"/><anchor id="Pg430"/> +<l>Ikshváku's son from whom we spring,</l> +<l>Beams in unclouded glory near</l> +<l>His holy priest<note place="foot">The sage Viśvámitra, who performed +for Triśanku the great sacrifice which raised him to the heavens.</note> +whom all revere.</l> +<l>Undimmed the two Viśákhás<note place="foot">One of the lunar asterisms containing +four or originally two stars under the regency of a dual divinity Indrágni, Indra +and Agni.</note> shine,</l> +<l>The strength and glory of our line,</l> +<l>And Nairrit's<note place="foot">The lunar asterism Múla, belonging +to the Rákshases.</note> influence that aids</l> +<l>Our Rákshas foemen faints and fades.</l> +<l>The running brooks are fresh and fair,</l> +<l>The boughs their ripening clusters bear,</l> +<l>And scented breezes gently sway</l> +<l>The leaflet of the tender spray.</l> +<l>See, with a glory half divine</l> +<l>The Vánars' ordered legions shine,</l> +<l>Bright as the Gods' exultant train</l> +<l>Who saw the demon Tárak slain.</l> +<l>O let thine eyes these signs behold,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And bid thy heart be glad and bold.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Vánar squadrons densely spread</l> +<l>O'er all the country onward sped,</l> +<l>While rising from the rapid beat</l> +<l>Of bears' and monkeys' hastening feet.</l> +<l>Dust hid the earth with thickest veil,</l> +<l>And made the struggling sunbeams pale.</l> +<l>Now where Mahendra's peaks arise</l> +<l>Came Ráma of the lotus eyes</l> +<l>And the long arm's resistless might,</l> +<l>And clomb the mountain's wood-crowned height.</l> +<l>Thence Daśaratha's son beheld</l> +<l>Where billowy Ocean rose and swelled,</l> +<l>Past Malaya's peaks and Sahya's chain</l> +<l>The Vánar legions reached the main,</l> +<l>And stood in many a marshalled band</l> +<l>On loud-resounding Ocean's strand.</l> +<l>To the fair wood that fringed the tide</l> +<l>Came Daśaratha's son, and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">At length, my lord Sugríva, we</q></l> +<l>Have reached King Varuṇ's realm the sea,</l> +<l>And one great thought, still-vexing, how</l> +<l>To cross the flood, awaits us now.</l> +<l>The broad deep ocean, that denies</l> +<l>A passage, stretched before us lies.</l> +<l>Then let us halt and plan the while</l> +<l><q rend="post">How best to storm the giant's isle.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: Sugríva on the coast</l> +<l>By trees o'ershadowed stayed the host,</l> +<l>That seemed in glittering lines to be</l> +<l>The bright waves of a second sea.</l> +<l>Then from the shore the captains gazed</l> +<l>On billows which the breezes raised</l> +<l>To fury, as they dashed in foam</l> +<l>O'er Varuṇ's realm, the Asurs' home:<note place="foot">The Asurs or demons dwell +imprisoned in the depths beneath the sea.</note></l> +<l>The sea that laughed with foam, and danced</l> +<l>With waves whereon the sunbeams glanced:</l> +<l>Where, when the light began to fade,</l> +<l>Huge crocodiles and monsters played;</l> +<l>And, when the moon went up the sky,</l> +<l>The troubled billows rose on high</l> +<l>From the wild watery world whereon</l> +<l>A thousand moons reflected shone:</l> +<l>Where awful serpents swam and showed</l> +<l>Their fiery crests which flashed and glowed,</l> +<l>Illumining the depths of hell,</l> +<l>The prison where the demons dwell.</l> +<l>The eye, bewildered, sought in vain</l> +<l>The bounding line of sky and main:</l> +<l>Alike in shade, alike in glow</l> +<l>Were sky above and sea below.</l> +<l>There wave-like clouds by clouds were chased,</l> +<l>Here cloud-like billows roared and raced:</l> +<l>Then shone the stars, and many a gem</l> +<l>That lit the waters answered them.</l> +<l>They saw the great-souled Ocean stirred</l> +<l>To frenzy by the winds, and heard,</l> +<l>Loud as ten thousand drums, the roar</l> +<l>Of wild waves dashing on the shore.</l> +<l>They saw him mounting to defy</l> +<l>With deafening voice the troubled sky.</l> +<l>And the deep bed beneath him swell</l> +<l>In fury as the billows fell.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-V"/> +<head>Canto V. Ráma's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>There on the coast in long array</l> +<l>The Vánars' marshalled legions lay,</l> +<l>Where Níla's care had ordered well</l> +<l>The watch of guard and sentinel,</l> +<l>And Mainda moved from post to post</l> +<l>With Dwivid to protect the host.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma stood by Lakshmaṇ's side,</l> +<l>And mastered by his sorrow cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My brother dear, the heart's distress,</q></l> +<l>As days wear on, grows less and less.</l> +<l>But my deep-seated grief, alas,</l> +<l>Grows fiercer as the seasons pass.</l> +<l>Though for my queen my spirit longs,</l> +<l>And broods indignant o'er my wrongs,</l> +<l>Still wilder is my grief to know</l> +<l>That her young life is passed in woe.</l> +<l>Breathe, gentle gale, O breathe where she</l> +<l>Lies prisoned, and then breathe on me,</l> +<pb n="431"/><anchor id="Pg431"/> +<l>And, though my love I may not meet,</l> +<l>Thy kiss shall be divinely sweet.</l> +<l>Ah, by the giant's shape appalled,</l> +<l>On her dear lord for help she called,</l> +<l>Still in mine ears the sad cry rings</l> +<l>And tears my heart with poison stings.</l> +<l>Through the long daylight and the gloom</l> +<l>Of night wild thoughts of her consume</l> +<l>My spirit, and my love supplies</l> +<l>The torturing flame which never dies.</l> +<l>Leave me, my brother; I will sleep</l> +<l>Couched on the bosom of the deep,</l> +<l>For the cold wave may bring me peace</l> +<l>And bid the fire of passion cease.</l> +<l>One only thought my stay must be,</l> +<l>That earth, one earth, holds her and me,</l> +<l>To hear, to know my darling lives</l> +<l>Some life-supporting comfort gives,</l> +<l>As streams from distant fountains run</l> +<l>O'er meadows parching in the sun.</l> +<l>Ah when, my foeman at my feet,</l> +<l>Shall I my queen, my glory, meet,</l> +<l>The blossom of her dear face raise</l> +<l>And on her eyes enraptured gaze,</l> +<l>Press her soft lips to mine again,</l> +<l>And drink a balm to banish pain!</l> +<l>Alas, alas! where lies she now,</l> +<l>My darling of the lovely brow?</l> +<l>On the cold earth, no help at hand,</l> +<l>Forlorn amid the Rákshas band,</l> +<l>King Janak's child still calls on me,</l> +<l>Her lord and love, to set her free.</l> +<l>But soon in glory will she rise</l> +<l>A crescent moon in autumn skies,</l> +<l>And those dark rovers of the night,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Like scattered clouds shall turn in flight.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-VI"/> +<head>Canto VI. Rávan's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But when the giant king surveyed</l> +<l>His glorious town in ruin laid,</l> +<l>And each dire sign of victory won</l> +<l>By Hanumán the Wind-God's son,</l> +<l>He vailed his angry eyes oppressed</l> +<l>By shame, and thus his lords addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The Vánar spy has passed the gate</q></l> +<l>Of Lanká long inviolate,</l> +<l>Eluded watch and ward, and seen</l> +<l>With his bold eyes the captive queen.</l> +<l>My royal roof with flames is red,</l> +<l>The bravest of my lords are dead,</l> +<l>And the fierce Vánar in his hate</l> +<l>Has left our city desolate.</l> +<l>Now ponder well the work that lies</l> +<l>Before us, ponder and advise.</l> +<l>With deep-observing judgment scan</l> +<l>The peril, and mature a plan.</l> +<l>From counsel, sages say, the root,</l> +<l>Springs victory, most glorious fruit.</l> +<l>First ranks the king, when woe impends</l> +<l>Who seeks the counsel of his friends,</l> +<l>Of kinsmen ever faithful found,</l> +<l>Or those whose hopes with his are bound,</l> +<l>Then with their aid his strength applies,</l> +<l>And triumphs in his enterprise.</l> +<l>Next ranks the prince who plans alone,</l> +<l>No counsel seeks to aid his own,</l> +<l>Weighs loss and gain and wrong and right,</l> +<l>And seeks success with earnest might.</l> +<l>Unwisest he who spurns delays,</l> +<l>Who counts no cost, no peril weighs,</l> +<l>Speeds to his aim, defying fate,</l> +<l>And risks his all, precipitate.</l> +<l>Thus too in counsel sages find</l> +<l>A best, a worst, a middle kind.</l> +<l>When gathered counsellors explore</l> +<l>The way by light of holy lore,</l> +<l>And all from first to last agree,</l> +<l>Is the best counsel of the three.</l> +<l>Next, if debate first waxes high,</l> +<l>And each his chosen plan would try</l> +<l>Till all agree at last, we deem</l> +<l>This counsel second in esteem.</l> +<l>Worst of the three is this, when each</l> +<l>Assails with taunt his fellow's speech;</l> +<l>When all debate, and no consent</l> +<l>Concludes the angry argument.</l> +<l>Consult then, lords; my task shall be</l> +<l>To crown with act your wise decree.</l> +<l>With thousands of his wild allies</l> +<l>The vengeful Ráma hither hies;</l> +<l>With unresisted might and speed</l> +<l>Across the flood his troops will lead,</l> +<l>Or for the Vánar host will drain</l> +<l><q rend="post">The channels of the conquered main.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-VII"/> +<head>Canto VII. Rávan Encouraged.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He ceased: they scorned, with blinded eyes,</l> +<l>The foeman and his bold allies,</l> +<l>Raised reverent hands with one accord,</l> +<l>And thus made answer to their lord:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why yield thee, King, to causeless fear?</q></l> +<l>A mighty host with sword and spear</l> +<l>And mace and axe and pike and lance</l> +<l>Waits but thy signal to advance.</l> +<l>Art thou not he who slew of old</l> +<l>The Serpent-Gods, and stormed their hold;</l> +<l>Scaled Mount Kailása and o'erthrew</l> +<l>Kuvera<note place="foot">The God of Riches, brother and enemy +of Rávaṇ and first possessor of Pushpak the flying car.</note> and his Yaksha crew,</l> +<pb n="432"/><anchor id="Pg432"/> +<l>Compelling Śiva's haughty friend</l> +<l>Beneath a mightier arm to bend?</l> +<l>Didst thou not bring from realms afar</l> +<l>The marvel of the magic car,</l> +<l>When they who served Kuvera fell</l> +<l>Crushed in their mountain citadel?</l> +<l>Attracted by thy matchless fame</l> +<l>To thee, a suppliant, Maya came,</l> +<l>The lord of every Dánav band,</l> +<l>And won thee with his daughter's hand.</l> +<l>Thy arm in hell itself was felt,</l> +<l>Where Vásuki<note place="foot">King of the Serpents. Śankha and +Takshak are two of the eight Serpent Chiefs.</note> and Śankha dwelt,</l> +<l>And they and Takshak, overthrown,</l> +<l>Were forced thy conquering might to own.</l> +<l>The Gods in vain their blessing gave</l> +<l>To heroes bravest of the brave,</l> +<l>Who strove a year and, sorely pressed,</l> +<l>Their victor's peerless might confessed.</l> +<l>In vain their magic arts they tried,</l> +<l>In vain thy matchless arm defied</l> +<l>King Varuṇ's sons with fourfold force,</l> +<l>Cars, elephants, and foot, and horse,</l> +<l>But for a while thy power withstood,</l> +<l>And, conquered, mourned their hardihood.</l> +<l>Thou hast encountered, face to face,</l> +<l>King Yáma<note place="foot">The God of Death, the Pluto of the +Hindus.</note> with his murdering mace.</l> +<l>Fierce as the wild tempestuous sea,</l> +<l>What terror had his wrath for thee,</l> +<l>Though death in every threatening form,</l> +<l>And woe and torment, urged the storm?</l> +<l>Thine arm a glorious victory won</l> +<l>O'er the dread king who pities none;</l> +<l>And the three worlds, from terror freed,</l> +<l>In joyful wonder praised thy deed.</l> +<l>The tribe of Warriors, strong and dread</l> +<l>As Indra's self, o'er earth had spread;</l> +<l>As giant trees that towering stand</l> +<l>In mountain glens, they filled the land.</l> +<l>Can Raghu's son encounter foes</l> +<l>Fierce, numerous, and strong as those?</l> +<l>Yet, trained in war and practised well,</l> +<l>O'ermatched by thee, they fought and fell,</l> +<l>Stay in thy royal home, nor care</l> +<l>The battle and the toil to share;</l> +<l>But let the easy fight be won</l> +<l>By Indrajít<note place="foot">Literally Indra's conqueror, so called +from his victory over that God.</note> thy matchless son.</l> +<l>All, all shall die, if thou permit,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Slain by the hand of Indrajít.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-VIII"/> +<head>Canto VIII. Prahasta's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Dark as a cloud of autumn, dread</l> +<l>Prahasta joined his palms and said:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Gandharvas, Gods, the hosts who dwell</q></l> +<l>In heaven, in air, in earth, in hell,</l> +<l>Have yielded to thy might, and how</l> +<l>Shall two weak men oppose thee now?</l> +<l>Hanúmán came, a foe disguised,</l> +<l>And mocked us heedless and surprised,</l> +<l>Or never had he lived to flee</l> +<l>And boast that he has fought with me.</l> +<l>Command, O King, and this right hand</l> +<l>Shall sweep the Vánars from the land,</l> +<l>And hill and dale, to Ocean's shore,</l> +<l>Shall know the death-doomed race no more.</l> +<l>But let my care the means devise</l> +<l><q rend="post">To guard thy city from surprise.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Durmukh cried, of Rákshas race:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Too long we brook the dire disgrace.</q></l> +<l>He gave our city to the flames,</l> +<l>He trod the chambers of thy dames.</l> +<l>Ne'er shall so weak and vile a thing</l> +<l>Unpunished brave the giants' king.</l> +<l>Now shall this single arm attack</l> +<l>And drive the daring Vánars back,</l> +<l>Till to the winds of heaven they flee,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Or seek the depths of earth and sea.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then, brandishing the mace he bore,</l> +<l>Whose horrid spikes were stained with gore,</l> +<l>While fury made his eyeballs red,</l> +<l>Impetuous Vajradanshṭra said:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Why waste a thought on one so vile</q></l> +<l>As Hanúmán the Vánar, while</l> +<l>Sugríva, Lakshmaṇ, yet remain,</l> +<l>And Ráma mightier still, unslain?</l> +<l>This mace to-day shall crush the three,</l> +<l>And all the host will turn and flee.</l> +<l>Listen, and I will speak: incline,</l> +<l>O King, to hear these words of mine,</l> +<l>For the deep plan that I propose</l> +<l>Will swiftly rid thee of thy foes.</l> +<l>Let thousands of thy host assume</l> +<l>The forms of men in youthful bloom,</l> +<l>In war's magnificent array</l> +<l>Draw near to Raghu's son, and say:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy younger brother Bharat sends</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">This army, and thy cause befriends.</q></l> +<l>Then let our legions hasten near</l> +<l>With bow and mace and sword and spear,</l> +<l>And on the Vánar army rain</l> +<l>Our steel and stone till all be slain.</l> +<l>If Raghu's sons will fain believe,</l> +<l>Entangled in the net we weave,</l> +<l>The penalty they both must pay,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And lose their forfeit lives to-day.</q></l> +<pb n="433"/><anchor id="Pg433"/> +<l>Then with his warrior soul on fire,</l> +<l>Nikumbha spoke in burning ire:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">I, only I, will take the field,</q></l> +<l>And Raghu's son his life shall yield.</l> +<l>Within these walls, O Chiefs, abide,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Nor part ye from our monarch's side.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-IX"/> +<head>Canto IX. Vibhishan's Counsel.</head> + +<lg> +<l>A score of warriors<note place="foot">Their names are Nikumbha, Rabhasa, +Súryaśatru, Suptaghna, Yajnakopa, Mahápárśva, Mahodara, Agniketu, Raśmiketu, +Durdharsha, Indraśatru, Prahasta, Virúpáksha, Vajradanshṭra, Dhúmráksha, Durmukha, +Mahábala.</note> forward sprang,</l> +<l>And loud the clashing iron rang</l> +<l>Of mace and axe and spear and sword,</l> +<l>As thus they spake unto their lord:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Their king Sugríva will we slay,</q></l> +<l>And Raghu's sons, ere close of day,</l> +<l>And strike the wretch Hanúmán down,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The spoiler of our golden town.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But sage Vibhishaṇ strove to calm</l> +<l>The chieftains' fury; palm to palm</l> +<l>He joined in lowly reverence, pressed<note place="foot"><p>Similarly Antenor urges the +restoration of Helen:</p> +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">Let Sparta's treasures be this hour restored,</q></l> +<l>And Argive Helen own her ancient lord.</l> +<l>As this advice ye practise or reject,</l> +<l><q rend="post">So hope success, or dread the dire effect,</q></l> +</lg> +<p><hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Pope's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Homer's Iliad</hi>, Book VII.</p></note></l> +<l>Before them, and the throng addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Dismiss the hope of conquering one</q></l> +<l>So stern and strong as Raghu's son.</l> +<l>In due control each sense he keeps</l> +<l>With constant care that never sleeps.</l> +<l>Whose daring heart has e'er conceived</l> +<l>The exploit Hanumán achieved,</l> +<l>Across the fearful sea to spring,</l> +<l>The tributary rivers' king?</l> +<l>O Rákshas lords, in time be wise,</l> +<l>Nor Ráma's matchless power despise.</l> +<l>And say, what evil had the son</l> +<l>Of Raghu to our monarch done,</l> +<l>Who stole the dame he loved so well</l> +<l>And keeps her in his citadel;</l> +<l>If Khara in his foolish pride</l> +<l>Encountered Ráma, fought, and died,</l> +<l>May not the meanest love his life</l> +<l>And guard it in the deadly strife?</l> +<l>The Maithil dame, O Rákshas King,</l> +<l>Sore peril to thy realm will bring.</l> +<l>Restore her while there yet is time,</l> +<l>Nor let us perish for thy crime.</l> +<l>O, let the Maithil lady go</l> +<l>Ere the avenger bend his bow</l> +<l>To ruin with his arrowy showers</l> +<l>Our Lanká with her gates and towers.</l> +<l>Let Janak's child again be free</l> +<l>Ere the wild Vánars cross the sea,</l> +<l>In their resistless might assail</l> +<l>Our city and her ramparts scale.</l> +<l>Ah, I conjure thee by the ties</l> +<l>Of brotherhood, be just and wise.</l> +<l>In all my thoughts thy good I seek,</l> +<l>And thus my prudent counsel speak.</l> +<l>Let captive Sítá be restored</l> +<l>Ere, fierce as autumn's sun, her lord</l> +<l>Send his keen arrows from the string</l> +<l>To drink the life-blood of our king.</l> +<l>This fury from thy soul dismiss,</l> +<l>The bane of duty, peace, and bliss.</l> +<l>Seek duty's path and walk therein,</l> +<l>And joy and endless glory win.</l> +<l>Restore the captive, ere we feel</l> +<l>The piercing point of Ráma's steel.</l> +<l>O spare thy city, spare the lives</l> +<l><q rend="post">Of us, our friends, our sons and wives.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spake Vibhishaṇ wise and brave:</l> +<l>The Rákshas king no answer gave,</l> +<l>But bade his lords the council close,</l> +<l>And sought his chamber for repose.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-X"/> +<head>Canto X. Vibhishan's Counsel.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Soon as the light of morning broke,</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ from his slumber woke,</l> +<l>And, duty guiding every thought,</l> +<l>The palace of his brother sought.</l> +<l>Vast as a towering hill that shows</l> +<l>His peaks afar, that palace rose.</l> +<l>Here stood within the monarch's gate</l> +<l>Sage nobles skilful in debate.</l> +<l>There strayed in glittering raiment through</l> +<l>The courts his royal retinue,</l> +<l>Where in wild measure rose and fell</l> +<l>The music of the drum and shell,</l> +<l>And talk grew loud, and many a dame</l> +<l>Of fairest feature went and came</l> +<l>Through doors a marvel to behold,</l> +<l>With pearl inlaid on burning gold:</l> +<l>Therein Gandharvas or the fleet</l> +<l>Lords of the storm might joy to meet.</l> +<l>He passed within the wondrous pile,</l> +<l>Chief glory of the giants' isle:</l> +<l>Thus, ere his fiery course be done,</l> +<l>An autumn cloud admits the sun.</l> +<pb n="434"/><anchor id="Pg434"/> +<l>He heard auspicious voices raise</l> +<l>With loud accord the note of praise,</l> +<l>And sages, deep in Scripture, sing</l> +<l>Each glorious triumph of the king.</l> +<l>He saw the priests in order stand,</l> +<l>Curd, oil, in every sacred hand;</l> +<l>And by them flowers were laid and grain,</l> +<l>Due offerings to the holy train.</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ to the monarch bowed,</l> +<l>Raised on a throne above the crowd:</l> +<l>Then, skilled in arts of soft address,</l> +<l>He raised his voice the king to bless,</l> +<l>And sate him on a seat where he</l> +<l>Full in his brother's sight should be.</l> +<l>The chieftain there, while none could hear,</l> +<l>Spoke his true speech for Rávaṇ's ear,</l> +<l>And to his words of wisdom lent</l> +<l>The force of weightiest argument:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">O brother, hear! since Ráma's queen</q></l> +<l>A captive in thy house has been,</l> +<l>Disastrous omens day by day</l> +<l>Have struck our souls with wild dismay.</l> +<l>No longer still and strong and clear</l> +<l>The flames of sacrifice appear,</l> +<l>But, restless with the frequent spark,</l> +<l>Neath clouds of smoke grow faint and dark.</l> +<l>Our ministering priests turn pale</l> +<l>To see their wonted offerings fail,</l> +<l>And ants and serpents creep and crawl</l> +<l>Within the consecrated hall.<note place="foot">The <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Agnisálá</foreign> or room where the +sacrificial fire was kept.</note></l> +<l>Dried are the udders of our cows,</l> +<l>Our elephants have juiceless brows,<note place="foot">The exudation of a fragrant +fluid from the male elephant's temples, especially at +certain seasons, is frequently spoken of in Sanskrit poetry. It is said to deceive +and attract the bees, and is regarded as a sign of health and masculine +vigour.</note></l> +<l>Nor can the sweetest pasture stay</l> +<l>The charger's long unquiet neigh.</l> +<l>Big tears from mules and camels flow</l> +<l>Whose staring coats their trouble show,</l> +<l>Nor can the leech's art restore</l> +<l>Their health and vigour as before.</l> +<l>Rapacious birds are fierce and bold:</l> +<l>Not single hunters as of old,</l> +<l>In banded troops they chase the prey,</l> +<l>Or gathering on our temples stay.</l> +<l>Through twilight hours with shriek and howl</l> +<l>Around the city jackals prowl,</l> +<l>And wolves and foul hyænas wait</l> +<l>Athirst for blood at every gate.</l> +<l>One sole atonement still may cure</l> +<l>These evils, and our weal assure.</l> +<l>Restore the Maithil dame, and win</l> +<l><q rend="post">An easy pardon for thy sin.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Rákshas monarch heard, and moved</l> +<l>To sudden wrath his speech reproved:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">No danger, brother, can I see:</q></l> +<l>The Maithil dame I will not free.</l> +<l>Though all the Gods for Ráma fight,</l> +<l><q rend="post">He yields to my superior might.</q></l> +<l>Thus the tremendous king who broke</l> +<l>The ranks of heavenly warriors spoke,</l> +<l>And, sternly purposed to resist,</l> +<l>His brother from the hall dismissed.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XI"/> +<head>Canto XI. The Summons.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Still Rávaṇ's haughty heart rebelled,</l> +<l>The counsel of the wise repelled,</l> +<l>And, as his breast with passion burned,</l> +<l>His thoughts again to Sítá turned.</l> +<l>Thus, to each sign of danger blind,</l> +<l>To love and war he still inclined.</l> +<l>Then mounted he his car that glowed</l> +<l>With gems and golden net, and rode</l> +<l>Where, gathered at the monarch's call,</l> +<l>The nobles filled the council hall.</l> +<l>A host of warriors bright and gay</l> +<l>With coloured robes and rich array,</l> +<l>With shield and mace and spear and sword,</l> +<l>Followed the chariot of their lord.</l> +<l>Mid the loud voice of shells and beat</l> +<l>Of drums he raced along the street,</l> +<l>And, ere he came, was heard afar</l> +<l>The rolling thunder of his car.</l> +<l>He reached the doors: the nobles bent</l> +<l>Their heads before him reverent:</l> +<l>And, welcomed with their loud acclaim,</l> +<l>Within the glorious hall he came.</l> +<l>He sat upon a royal seat</l> +<l>With golden steps beneath his feet,</l> +<l>And bade the heralds summon all</l> +<l>His captains to the council hall.</l> +<l>The heralds heard the words he spake,</l> +<l>And sped from house to house to wake</l> +<l>The giants where they slept or spent</l> +<l>The careless hours in merriment.</l> +<l>These heard the summons and obeyed:</l> +<l>From chamber, grove, and colonnade,</l> +<l>On elephants or cars they rode,</l> +<l>Or through the streets impatient strode.</l> +<l>As birds on rustling pinions fly</l> +<l>Through regions of the darkened sky,</l> +<l>Thus cars and mettled coursers through</l> +<l>The crowded streets of Lanká flew.</l> +<l>The council hall was reached, and then,</l> +<l>As lions seek their mountain den,</l> +<l>Through massy doors that opened wide,</l> +<l>With martial stalk the captains hied.</l> +<l>Welcomed with honour as was meet</l> +<l>They stooped to press their monarch's feet,</l> +<pb n="435"/><anchor id="Pg435"/> +<l>And each a place in order found</l> +<l>On stool, on cushion, or the ground.</l> +<l>Nor did the sage Vibhishaṇ long</l> +<l>Delay to join the noble throng.</l> +<l>High on a car that shone like flame</l> +<l>With gold and flashing gems he came,</l> +<l>Drew near and spoke his name aloud,</l> +<l>And reverent to his brother bowed.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XII"/> +<head>Canto XII. Rávan's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The king in counsel unsurpassed</l> +<l>His eye around the synod cast,</l> +<l>And fierce Prahasta, first and best</l> +<l>Of all his captains, thus addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Brave master of each warlike art,</q></l> +<l>Arouse thee and perform thy part.</l> +<l>Array thy fourfold forces<note place="foot">Consisting of warriors on elephants, +warriors in chariots, charioteers, and infantry.</note> well</l> +<l><q rend="post">To guard our isle and citadel.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The captain of the hosts obeyed,</l> +<l>The troops with prudent skill arrayed;</l> +<l>Then to the hall again he hied,</l> +<l>And stood before the king and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Each inlet to the town is closed</q></l> +<l>Without, within, are troops disposed.</l> +<l>With fearless heart thine aim pursue</l> +<l><q rend="post">And do the deed thou hast in view.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke Prahasta in the zeal</l> +<l>That moved him for the kingdom's weal.</l> +<l>And thus the monarch, who pursued</l> +<l>His own delight, his speech renewed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">In ease and bliss, in toil and pain,</q></l> +<l>In doubts of duty, pleasure, gain,</l> +<l>Your proper path I need not tell,</l> +<l>For of yourselves ye know it well.</l> +<l>The Storm-Gods, Moon, and planets bring</l> +<l>New glory to their heavenly king,<note place="foot">Indra, generally represented as +surrounded by the Maruts or Storm-Gods.</note></l> +<l>And, ranged about your monarch, ye</l> +<l>Give joy and endless fame to me.</l> +<l>My secret counsel have I kept,</l> +<l>While senseless Kumbhakarṇa slept.</l> +<l>Six months the warrior's slumbers last</l> +<l>And bind his torpid senses fast;</l> +<l>But now his deep repose he breaks,</l> +<l>The best of all our champions wakes.</l> +<l>I captured, Ráma's heart to wring,</l> +<l>This daughter of Videha's king.</l> +<l>And brought her from that distant land<note place="foot">Janasthán, where Ráma lived +as an ascetic.</note></l> +<l>Where wandered many a Rákshas band.</l> +<l>Disdainful still my love she spurns,</l> +<l>Still from each prayer and offering turns,</l> +<l>Yet in all lands beneath the sun</l> +<l>No dame may rival Sítá, none,</l> +<l>Her dainty waist is round and slight,</l> +<l>Her cheek like autumn's moon is bright,</l> +<l>And she like fruit in graven gold</l> +<l>Mocks her<note place="foot">Máyá, regarded as the paragon of +female beauty, was the creation of Maya the chief artificer of the Daityas or +Dánavs.</note> whom Maya framed of old.</l> +<l>Faultless in form, how firmly tread</l> +<l>Her feet whose soles are rosy red!</l> +<l>Ah, as I gaze her beauty takes</l> +<l>My spirit, and my passion wakes.</l> +<l>Looking for Ráma far away</l> +<l>She sought with tears a year's delay</l> +<l>Nor gazing on her love-lit eye</l> +<l>Could I that earnest prayer deny.</l> +<l>But baffled hopes and vain desire</l> +<l>At length my patient spirit tire.</l> +<l>How shall the sons of Raghu sweep</l> +<l>To vengeance o'er the pathless deep?</l> +<l>How shall they lead the Vánar train</l> +<l>Across the monster-teeming main?</l> +<l>One Vánar yet could find a way</l> +<l>To Lanká's town, and burn and slay.</l> +<l>Take counsel then, remembering still</l> +<l>That we from men need fear no ill;</l> +<l>And give your sentence in debate,</l> +<l>For matchless is the power of fate.</l> +<l>Assailed by you the Gods who dwell</l> +<l>In heaven beneath our fury fell.</l> +<l>And shall we fear these creatures bred</l> +<l>In forests, by Sugríva led?</l> +<l>E'en now on ocean's farther strand,</l> +<l>The sons of Daśaratha stand,</l> +<l>And follow, burning to attack</l> +<l>Their giant foes, on Sítá's track.</l> +<l>Consult then, lords for ye are wise:</l> +<l>A seasonable plan devise.</l> +<l>The captive lady to retain,</l> +<l>And triumph when the foes are slain.</l> +<l>No power can bring across the foam</l> +<l>Those Vánars to our island home;</l> +<l>Or if they madly will defy</l> +<l><q rend="post">Our conquering might, they needs must die.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Kumbhakarṇa's anger woke,</l> +<l>And wroth at Rávaṇ's words he spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Monarch, when thy ravished eyes</q></l> +<l>First looked upon thy lovely prize,</l> +<l>Then was the time to bid us scan</l> +<l>Each peril and mature a plan.</l> +<l>Blest is the king who acts with heed,</l> +<l>And ne'er repents one hasty deed;</l> +<l>And hapless he whose troubled soul</l> +<l>Mourns over days beyond control.</l> +<pb n="436"/><anchor id="Pg436"/> +<l>Thou hast, in beauty's toils ensnared,</l> +<l>A desperate deed of boldness dared;</l> +<l>By fortune saved ere Ráma's steel</l> +<l>One wound, thy mortal bane, could deal.</l> +<l>But, Rávaṇ, as the deed is done,</l> +<l>The toil of war I will not shun.</l> +<l>This arm, O rover of the night,</l> +<l>Thy foemen to the earth shall smite,</l> +<l>Though Indra with the Lord of Flame,</l> +<l>The Sun and Storms, against me came.</l> +<l>E'en Indra, monarch of the skies,</l> +<l>Would dread my club and mountain size,</l> +<l>Shrink from these teeth and quake to hear</l> +<l>The thunders of my voice of fear.</l> +<l>No second dart shall Ráma cast:</l> +<l>The first he aims shall be the last.</l> +<l>He falls, and these dry lips shall drain</l> +<l>The blood of him my hand has slain;</l> +<l>And Sítá, when her champion dies,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Shall be thine undisputed prize.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XIII"/> +<head>Canto XIII. Rávan's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Mahápárśva saw the sting</l> +<l>Of keen reproach had galled the king;</l> +<l>And humbly, eager to appease</l> +<l>His anger, spoke in words like these:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">And breathes there one so cold and weak</q></l> +<l>The forest and the gloom to seek</l> +<l>Where savage beasts abound, and spare</l> +<l>To taste the luscious honey there?</l> +<l>Art thou not lord? and who is he</l> +<l>Shall venture to give laws to thee?</l> +<l>Love thy Videhan still, and tread</l> +<l>Upon thy prostrate foeman's head.</l> +<l>O'er Sítá's will let thine prevail,</l> +<l>And strength achieve if flattery fail.</l> +<l>What though the lady yet be coy</l> +<l>And turn her from the proffered joy?</l> +<l>Soon shall her conquered heart relent</l> +<l>And yield to love and blandishment.</l> +<l>With us let Kumbhakarṇa fight,</l> +<l>And Indrajít of matchless might:</l> +<l>We need not other champions, they</l> +<l>Shall lead us forth to rout and slay.</l> +<l>Not ours to bribe or soothe or part</l> +<l>The foeman's force with gentle art,</l> +<l>Doomed, conquered by our might, to feel</l> +<l><q rend="post">The vengeance of the warrior's steel.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Rákshas monarch heard, and moved</l> +<l>By flattering hopes the speech approved:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Hear me,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">great chieftain, +tell</q></l> +<l>What in the olden time befell,—</l> +<l>A secret tale which, long suppressed,</l> +<l>Lies prisoned only in my breast.</l> +<l>One day—a day I never forget—</l> +<l>Fair Punjikasthalá<note place="foot">One of the Nymphs of Indra's heaven.</note> +I met,</l> +<l>When, radiant as a flame of fire,</l> +<l>She sought the palace of the Sire.</l> +<l>In passion's eager grasp I tore</l> +<l>From her sweet limbs the robes she wore,</l> +<l>And heedless of her prayers and cries</l> +<l>Strained to my breast the vanquised prize.</l> +<l>Like Naliní<note place="foot">The Lotus River, a branch of the +heavenly Gangá.</note> with soil distained,</l> +<l>The mansion of the Sire she gained,</l> +<l>And weeping made the outrage known</l> +<l>To Brahmá on his heavenly throne.</l> +<l>He in his wrath pronounced a curse,—</l> +<l>That lord who made the universe:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If, Rávaṇ, thou a second time</q></l> +<l>Be guilty of so foul a crime,</l> +<l>Thy head in shivers shall be rent:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Be warned, and dread the punishment.</q></l> +<l>Awed by the threat of vengeance still</l> +<l>I force not Sítá's stubborn will.</l> +<l>Terrific as the sea in might:</l> +<l>My steps are like the Storm-Gods' flight;</l> +<l>But Ráma knows not this, or he</l> +<l>Had never sought to war with me.</l> +<l>Where is the man would idly brave</l> +<l>The lion in his mountain cave,</l> +<l>And wake him when with slumbering eyes</l> +<l>Grim, terrible as Death, he lies?</l> +<l>No, blinded Ráma knows me not:</l> +<l>Ne'er has he seen mine arrows shot;</l> +<l>Ne'er marked them speeding to their aim</l> +<l>Like snakes with cloven tongues of flame.</l> +<l>On him those arrows will I turn,</l> +<l>Whose fiery points shall rend and burn.</l> +<l>Quenched by my power when I assail</l> +<l>The glory of his might shall fail,</l> +<l>As stars before the sun grow dim</l> +<l><q rend="post">And yield their feeble light to him.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XIV"/> +<head>Canto XIV. Vibhishan's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: Vibhishaṇ ill at ease</l> +<l>Addressed the king in words like these:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">O Rávaṇ, O my lord, beware</q></l> +<l>Of Sítá dangerous as fair,</l> +<l>Nor on thy heedless bosom hang</l> +<l>This serpent with a deadly fang.</l> +<l>O King, the Maithil dame restore</l> +<l>To Raghu's matchless son before</l> +<l>Those warriors of the woodlands, vast</l> +<l>As mountain peaks, approaching fast,</l> +<l>Armed with fierce teeth and claws, enclose</l> +<l>Thy city with unsparing foes.</l> +<l>O, be the Maithil dame restored</l> +<l>Ere loosened from the clanging cord</l> +<pb n="437"/><anchor id="Pg437"/> +<l>The vengeful shafts of Ráma fly,</l> +<l>And low in death thy princes lie.</l> +<l>In all thy legions hast thou one</l> +<l>A match in war for Raghu's son?</l> +<l>Can Kumbhakarṇa's self withstand,</l> +<l>Or Indrajít, that mighty hand?</l> +<l>In vain with Ráma wilt thou strive:</l> +<l>Thou wilt not save thy soul alive</l> +<l>Though guarded by the Lord of Day</l> +<l>And Storm-Gods' terrible array,</l> +<l>In vain to Indra wilt thou fly,</l> +<l>Or seek protection in the sky,</l> +<l>In Yáma's gloomy mansion dwell,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Or hide thee in the depths of hell.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased; and when his lips were closed</l> +<l>Prahasta thus his rede opposed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">O timid heart, to counsel thus!</q></l> +<l>What terrors have the Gods for us?</l> +<l>Can snake, Gandharva, fiend appal</l> +<l>The giants' sons who scorn them all?</l> +<l>And shall we now our birth disgrace,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And dread a king of human race?</q></l> +<l>Thus fierce Prahasta counselled ill:</l> +<l>But sage Vibhishaṇ's constant will</l> +<l>The safety of the realm ensued;</l> +<l>Who thus in turn his speech renewed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Yes, when a soul defiled with sin</q></l> +<l>Shall mount to heaven and enter in,</l> +<l>Then, chieftain, will experience teach</l> +<l>The truth of thy disdainful speech.</l> +<l>Can I, or thou, or these or all</l> +<l>Our bravest compass Ráma's fall,</l> +<l>The chief in whom all virtues shine,</l> +<l>The pride of old Ikshváku'a line,</l> +<l>With whom the Gods may scarce compare</l> +<l>In skill to act, in heart to dare?</l> +<l>Yea, idly mayst thou vaunt thee, till</l> +<l>Sharp arrows winged with matchless skill</l> +<l>From Ráma's bowstring, fleet and fierce</l> +<l>As lightning's flame, thy body pierce.</l> +<l>Nikumbha shall not save thee then,</l> +<l>Nor Rávaṇ, from the lord of men.</l> +<l>O Monarch, hear my last appeal,</l> +<l>My counsel for thy kingdom's weal.</l> +<l>This sentence I again declare:</l> +<l>O giant King, beware, beware!</l> +<l>Save from the ruin that impends</l> +<l>Thy town, thy people, and thy friends;</l> +<l>O hear the warning urged once more:</l> +<l><q rend="post">To Raghu's son the dame restore.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XV"/> +<head>Canto XV. Indrajít's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He ceased: and Indrajít the pride</l> +<l>Of Rákshas warriors thus replied:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Is this a speech our king should hear,</q></l> +<l>This counsel of ignoble fear?</l> +<l>A scion of our glorious race</l> +<l>Should ne'er conceive a thought so base,</l> +<l>But one mid all our kin we find,</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ, whose degenerate mind</l> +<l>No spark of gallant pride retains,</l> +<l>Whose coward soul his lineage stains.</l> +<l>Against one giant what can two</l> +<l>Unhappy sons of Raghu do?</l> +<l>Away with idle fears, away!</l> +<l>Matched with our meanest, what are they?</l> +<l>Beneath my conquering prowess fell</l> +<l>The Lord of earth and heaven and hell.<note place="foot"><foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Trilokanátha</foreign>, Lord of the Three +Worlds, is a title of Indra.</note></l> +<l>Through every startled region dread</l> +<l>Of my resistless fury spread;</l> +<l>And Gods in each remotest sphere</l> +<l>Confessed the universal fear.</l> +<l>Rending the air with roar and groan,</l> +<l>Airávat<note place="foot">The celestial elephant that carries Indra.</note> +to the earth was thrown.</l> +<l>From his huge head the tusks I drew,</l> +<l>And smote the Gods with fear anew.</l> +<l>Shall I who tame celestials' pride,</l> +<l>By whom the fiends are terrified,</l> +<l>Now prove a weakling little worth,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And fail to slay those sons of earth?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: Vibhishaṇ trained and tried</l> +<l>In war and counsel thus replied</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Thy speech is marked with scorn of truth,</q></l> +<l>With rashness and the pride of youth.</l> +<l>Yea, to thy ruin like a child</l> +<l>Thou pratest, and thy words are wild.</l> +<l>Most dear, O Indrajít, to thee</l> +<l>Should Rávaṇ's weal and safety be,</l> +<l>For thou art called his son, but thou</l> +<l>Art proved his direst foeman now,</l> +<l>When warned by me thou hast not tried</l> +<l>To turn the coming woe aside.</l> +<l>Both thee and him 'twere meet to slay,</l> +<l>Who brought thee to this hall to-day,</l> +<l>And dared so rash a youth admit</l> +<l>To council where the wisest sit.</l> +<l>Presumptuous, wild, devoid of sense,</l> +<l>Filled full of pride and insolence,</l> +<l>Thy reckless tongue thou wilt not rule</l> +<l>That speaks the counsel of a fool.</l> +<l>Who in the fight may brook or shun</l> +<l>The arrows shot by Raghu's son</l> +<l>With flame and fiery vengeance sped,</l> +<l>Dire as his staff who rules the dead?</l> +<l>O Rávaṇ, let thy people live,</l> +<l>And to the son of Raghu give</l> +<l>Fair robes and gems and precious ore,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And Sítá to his arms restore.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="438"/><anchor id="Pg438"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XVI"/> +<head>Canto XVI. Rávan's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then, while his breast with fury swelled,</l> +<l>Thus Rávaṇ spoke, as fate impelled:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Better with foes thy dwelling make,</q></l> +<l>Or house thee with the venomed snake,</l> +<l>Than live with false familiar friends</l> +<l>Who further still thy foeman's ends.</l> +<l>I know their treacherous mood, I know</l> +<l>Their secret triumph at thy woe.</l> +<l>They in their inward hearts despise</l> +<l>The brave, the noble, and the wise,</l> +<l>Grieve at their bliss with rancorous hate,</l> +<l>And for their sorrows watch and wait:</l> +<l>Scan every fault with curious eye,</l> +<l>And each slight error magnify.</l> +<l>Ask elephants who roam the wild</l> +<l>How were their captive friends beguiled.</l> +<l><q>For fire,</q> they cry, <q rend="pre">we little care,</q></l> +<l>For javelin and shaft and snare:</l> +<l>Our foes are traitors, taught to bind</l> +<l><q rend="post">The trusting creatures of their kind.</q></l> +<l>Still, still, shall blessings flow from cows,<note place="foot">As producers of the +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">ghi</foreign>, clarified butter +or sacrificial oil, used in fire-offerings.</note></l> +<l>And Bráhmans love their rigorous vows;</l> +<l>Still woman change her restless will,</l> +<l>And friends perfidious work us ill.</l> +<l>What though with conquering feet I tread</l> +<l>On every prostrate foeman's head;</l> +<l>What though the worlds in abject fear</l> +<l>Their mighty lord in me revere?</l> +<l>This thought my peace of mind destroys</l> +<l>And robs me of expected joys.</l> +<l>The lotus of the lake receives</l> +<l>The glittering rain that gems its leaves,</l> +<l>But each bright drop remains apart:</l> +<l>So is it still with heart and heart.</l> +<l>Deceitful as an autumn cloud</l> +<l>Which, though its thunderous voice be loud,</l> +<l>On the dry earth no torrent sends,</l> +<l>Such is the race of faithless friends.</l> +<l>No riches of the bloomy spray</l> +<l>Will tempt the wandering bee to stay</l> +<l>That loves from flower to flower to range;</l> +<l>And friends like thee are swift to change.</l> +<l>Thou blot upon thy glorious line,</l> +<l>If any giant's tongue but thine</l> +<l>Had dared to give this base advice,</l> +<l><q rend="post">He should not live to shame me twice.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then just Vibhishaṇ in the heat</l> +<l>Of anger started from his seat,</l> +<l>And with four captains of the band</l> +<l>Sprang forward with his mace in hand;</l> +<l>Then, fury flashing from his eye,</l> +<l>Looked on the king and made reply:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Thy rights, O Rávaṇ, I allow:</q></l> +<l>My brother and mine elder thou.</l> +<l>Such, though from duty's path they stray,</l> +<l>We love like fathers and obey,</l> +<l>But still too bitter to be borne</l> +<l>Is thy harsh speech of cruel scorn.</l> +<l>The rash like thee, who spurn control,</l> +<l>Nor check one longing of the soul,</l> +<l>Urged by malignant fate repel</l> +<l>The faithful friend who counsels well.</l> +<l>A thousand courtiers wilt thou meet,</l> +<l>With flattering lips of smooth deceit:</l> +<l>But rare are they whose tongue or ear</l> +<l>Will speak the bitter truth, or hear.</l> +<l>Unclose thy blinded eyes and see</l> +<l>That snares of death encompass thee.</l> +<l>I dread, my brother, to behold</l> +<l>The shafts of Ráma, bright with gold,</l> +<l>Flash fury through the air, and red</l> +<l>With fires of vengeance strike thee dead.</l> +<l>Lord, brother, King, again reflect,</l> +<l>Nor this mine earnest prayer reject,</l> +<l>O, save thyself, thy royal town,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy people and thine old renown.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XVII"/> +<head>Canto XVII. Vibhishan's Flight.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Soon as his bitter words were said,</l> +<l>To Raghu's sons Vibhishaṇ fled.<note place="foot">This desertion to the enemy is +somewhat abrupt, and is narrated with brevity not usual with Válmíki. In the Bengal +recension the preceding speakers and speeches differ considerably from those +given in the text which I follow. Vibhishaṇ is kicked from his seat by Rávaṇ, and +then, after telling his mother what has happened, he flies to Mount Kailása +where he has an interview with Śiva, and by his advice seeks Ráma and the Vánar +army.</note></l> +<l>Their eyes the Vánar leaders raised</l> +<l>And on the air-borne Rákhshas gazed,</l> +<l>Bright as a thunderbolt, in size</l> +<l>Like Meru's peak that cleaves the skies.</l> +<l>In gorgeous panoply arrayed</l> +<l>Like Indra's self he stood displayed,</l> +<l>And four attendants brave and bold</l> +<l>Shone by their chief in mail and gold.</l> +<l>Sugríva then with dark surmise</l> +<l>Bent on their forms his wondering eyes,</l> +<l>And thus in hasty words confessed</l> +<l>The anxious doubt that moved his breast:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Look, look ye Vánars, and beware:</q></l> +<l>That giant chief sublime in air</l> +<l>With other four in bright array</l> +<l><q rend="post">Comes armed to conquer and to slay.</q></l> +<pb n="439"/><anchor id="Pg439"/> +<l>Soon as his warning speech they heard,</l> +<l>The Vánar chieftains undeterred</l> +<l>Seized fragments of the rock and trees,</l> +<l>And made reply in words like these:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">We wait thy word: the order give,</q></l> +<l>And these thy foes shall cease to live.</l> +<l>Command us, mighty King, and all</l> +<l><q rend="post">Lifeless upon the earth shall fall.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Meanwhile Vibhishaṇ with the four</l> +<l>Stood high above the ocean shore.</l> +<l>Sugríva and the chiefs he spied,</l> +<l>And raised his mighty voice and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">From Rávaṇ, lord of giants, I</q></l> +<l>His brother, named Vibhishaṇ, fly.</l> +<l>From Janasthán he stole the child</l> +<l>Of Janak by his art beguiled,</l> +<l>And in his palace locked and barred</l> +<l>Surrounds her with a Rákshas guard.</l> +<l>I bade him, plied with varied lore,</l> +<l>His hapless prisoner restore.</l> +<l>But he, by Fate to ruin sent,</l> +<l>No credence to my counsel lent,</l> +<l>Mad as the fevered wretch who sees</l> +<l>And scorns the balm to bring him ease.</l> +<l>He scorned the sage advice I gave,</l> +<l>He spurned me like a base-born slave.</l> +<l>I left my children and my wife,</l> +<l>And fly to Raghu's son for life.</l> +<l>I pray thee, Vánar chieftain, speed</l> +<l>To him who saves in hour of need,</l> +<l>And tell him famed in distant lands</l> +<l><q rend="post">That suppliant here Vibhishaṇ stands.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Rákshas ceased: Sugríva hied</l> +<l>To Raghu's noble son and cried:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">A stranger from the giant host,</q></l> +<l>Borne o'er the sea, has reached the coast;</l> +<l>A secret foe, he comes to slay,</l> +<l>As owls attack their heedless prey.</l> +<l>'Tis thine, O King, in time of need</l> +<l>To watch, to counsel, and to lead,</l> +<l>Our Vánar legions to dispose,</l> +<l>And guard us from our crafty foes.</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ from the giants' isle,</l> +<l>King Rávaṇ's brother, comes with guile</l> +<l>And, feigning from his king to flee,</l> +<l>Seeks refuge, Raghu's son, with thee.</l> +<l>Arise, O Ráma, and prevent</l> +<l>By bold attack his dark intent.</l> +<l>Who comes in friendly guise prepared</l> +<l><q rend="post">To slay thee by his arts ensnared.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus urged Sugríva famed for lore</l> +<l>Of moving words, and spoke no more.</l> +<l>Then Ráma thus in turn addressed</l> +<l>The bold Hanúmán and the rest:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Chiefs of the Vánar legions each</q></l> +<l>Of you heard Sugríva's speech.</l> +<l>What think ye now in time of fear,</l> +<l>When peril and distress are near,</l> +<l>In every doubt the wise depend</l> +<l><q rend="post">For counsel on a faithful friend.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They heard his gracious words, and then</l> +<l>Spake reverent to the lord of men:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Raghu's son, thou knowest well</q></l> +<l>All things of heaven and earth and hell.</l> +<l>'Tis but thy friendship bids us speak</l> +<l>The counsel Ráma need not seek.</l> +<l>So duteous, brave, and true art thou,</l> +<l>Heroic, faithful to thy vow.</l> +<l>Deep in the scriptures, trained and tried,</l> +<l>Still in thy friends wilt thou confide.</l> +<l>Let each of us in turn impart</l> +<l>The secret counsel of his heart,</l> +<l>And strive to win his chief's assent,</l> +<l><q rend="post">By force of wisest argument.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They ceased and Angad thus began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">With jealous eye the stranger scan:</q></l> +<l>Not yet with trusting heart receive</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ, nor his tale believe.</l> +<l>These giants wandering far and wide</l> +<l>Their evil nature falsely hide,</l> +<l>And watching with malignant skill</l> +<l>Assail us when we fear no ill.</l> +<l>Well ponder every hope and fear</l> +<l>Until thy doubtful course be clear;</l> +<l>Then own his merit or detect</l> +<l><q rend="post">His guile, and welcome or reject.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Śarabha the bold and brave</l> +<l>In turn his prudent sentence gave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Yea, Ráma, send a skilful spy</q></l> +<l>With keenest tact to test and try.</l> +<l>Then let the stranger, as is just,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Obtain or be refused thy trust.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then he whose heart was rich in store</l> +<l>Of scripture's life-directing lore,</l> +<l>King Jámbaván, stood forth and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Suspect, suspect a foe allied</q></l> +<l>With Rávaṇ lord of Lanká's isle,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And Rákshas sin and Rákshas guile.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Mainda, wisest chief, who knew</l> +<l>The wrong, the right, the false, the true,</l> +<l>Pondered a while, then silence broke,</l> +<l>And thus his sober counsel spoke:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Let one with gracious speech draw near</q></l> +<l>And gently charm Vibhishaṇ's ear,</l> +<l>Till he the soothing witchery feel</l> +<l>And all his secret heart reveal.</l> +<l>So thou his aims and hopes shalt know,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And hail the friend or shun the foe.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Not he,</q> Hanúmán cried, <q rend="pre">not he</q></l> +<l>Who taught the Gods<note place="foot">Vṛihaspati the preceptor of the Gods.</note> +may rival thee,</l> +<l>Supreme in power of quickest sense,</l> +<l>First in the art of eloquence.</l> +<l>But hear me soothly speak, O King,</l> +<l>And learn the hope to which I cling.</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ comes no crafty spy:</l> +<l>Urged by his brother's fault to fly.</l> +<l>With righteous soul that loathes the sin,</l> +<l>He fled from Lanká and his kin.</l> +<pb n="440"/><anchor id="Pg440"/> +<l>If strangers question, doubt will rise</l> +<l>And chill the heart of one so wise.</l> +<l>Marred by distrust the parle will end,</l> +<l>And thou wilt lose a faithful friend.</l> +<l>Nor let it seem so light a thing</l> +<l>To sound a stranger's heart, O King.</l> +<l>And he, I ween, whate'er he say,</l> +<l>Will ne'er an evil thought betray.</l> +<l>He comes a friend in happy time,</l> +<l>Loathing his brother for his crime.</l> +<l>His ear has heard thine old renown,</l> +<l>The might that struck King Báli down,</l> +<l>And set Sugríva on the throne.</l> +<l>And looking now to thee alone</l> +<l>He comes thy matchless aid to win</l> +<l>And punish Rávaṇ for his sin.</l> +<l>Thus have I tried thy heart to move,</l> +<l>And thus Vibhishaṇ's truth to prove.</l> +<l>Still in his friendship I confide;</l> +<l><q rend="post">But ponder, wisest, and decide.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XVIII"/> +<head>Canto XVIII. Ráma's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Ráma's rising doubt was stilled,</l> +<l>And friendly thoughts his bosom filled.</l> +<l>Thus, deep in Scripture's lore, he spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The suppliant will I ne'er forsake,</q></l> +<l>Nor my protecting aid refuse</l> +<l>When one in name of friendship sues.</l> +<l>Though faults and folly blot his fame,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Pity and help he still may claim.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: Sugríva bowed his head</l> +<l>And pondered for a while, and said:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Past number be his faults or few,</q></l> +<l>What think ye of the Rákshas who,</l> +<l>When threatening clouds of danger rise,</l> +<l>Deserts his brother's side and flies?</l> +<l>Say, Vánars, who may hope to find</l> +<l><q rend="post">True friendship in his faithless kind?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The son of Raghu heard his speech:</l> +<l>He cast a hasty look on each</l> +<l>Of those brave Vánar chiefs, and while</l> +<l>Upon his lips there played a smile,</l> +<l>To Lakshmaṇ turned and thus expressed</l> +<l>The thoughts that moved his gallant breast:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Well versed in Scripture's lore, and sage</q></l> +<l>And duly reverent to age,</l> +<l>Is he, with long experience stored,</l> +<l>Who counsels like this Vánar lord.</l> +<l>Yet here, methinks, for searching eyes</l> +<l>Some deeper, subtler matter lies.</l> +<l>To you and all the world are known</l> +<l>The perils of a monarch's throne,</l> +<l>While foe and stranger, kith and kin</l> +<l>By his misfortune trust to win.</l> +<l>By hope of such advantage led,</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ o'er the sea has fled.</l> +<l>He in his brother's stead would reign,</l> +<l>And our alliance seeks to gain;</l> +<l>And we his offer may embrace,</l> +<l>A stranger and of alien race.</l> +<l>But if he comes a spy and foe,</l> +<l>What power has he to strike a blow</l> +<l>In furtherance of his close design?</l> +<l>What is his strength compared with mine?</l> +<l>And can I, Vánar King, forget</l> +<l>The great, the universal debt,</l> +<l>Ever to aid and welcome those</l> +<l>Who pray for shelter, friends or foes?</l> +<l>Hast thou not heard the deathless praise</l> +<l>Won by the dove in olden days,</l> +<l>Who conquering his fear and hate</l> +<l>Welcomed the slayer of his mate,</l> +<l>And gave a banquet, to refresh</l> +<l>The weary fowler, of his flesh?</l> +<l>Now hear me, Vánar King, rehearse</l> +<l>What Kaṇdu<note place="foot">In <ref target="CantoII-XXI">Book II, Canto XXI</ref>, +Kaṇdu is mentioned by Ráma as an example of filial obedience. At the command of his +father he is said to have killed a cow.</note> spoke in ancient verse,</l> +<l>Saint Kaṇva's son who loved the truth</l> +<l>And clave to virtue from his youth:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Strike not the suppliant when he stands</q></l> +<l>And asks thee with beseeching hands</l> +<l>For shelter: strike him not although</l> +<l>He were thy father's mortal foe.</l> +<l>No, yield him, be he proud or meek,</l> +<l>The shelter which he comes to seek,</l> +<l>And save thy foeman, if the deed</l> +<l><q rend="post">Should cost thy life, in desperate need.</q></l> +<l>And shall I hear the wretched cry,</l> +<l>And my protecting aid deny?</l> +<l>Shall I a suppliant's prayer refuse,</l> +<l>And heaven and glory basely lose?</l> +<l>No, I will do for honour sake</l> +<l>E'en as the holy Kaṇdu spake,</l> +<l>Preserve a hero's name from stain,</l> +<l>And bliss in heaven and glory gain.</l> +<l>Bound by a solemn vow I sware</l> +<l>That all my saving help should share</l> +<l>Who sought me in distress and cried,</l> +<l><q>Thou art my hope, and none beside.</q></l> +<l>Then go, I pray thee, Vánar King,</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ to my presence bring,</l> +<l>Yea, were he Rávaṇ's self, my vow</l> +<l><q rend="post">Forbids me to reject him now.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: the Vánar king approved;</l> +<l>And Ráma toward Vibhishaṇ moved.</l> +<l>So moves, a brother God to greet,</l> +<l>Lord Indra from his heavenly seat.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="441"/><anchor id="Pg441"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XIX"/> +<head>Canto XIX. Vibhishan's Counsel.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Raghu's son had owned his claim</l> +<l>Down from the air Vibhishaṇ came,</l> +<l>And with his four attendants bent</l> +<l>At Ráma's feet most reverent.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>O Ráma,</q> thus he cried, <q rend="pre">in me</q></l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ, Rávaṇ's brother see.</l> +<l>By him disgraced thine aid I seek,</l> +<l>Sure refuge of the poor and weak.</l> +<l>From Lanká, friends, and wealth I fly,</l> +<l>And reft of all on thee rely.</l> +<l>On thee, the wretch's firmest friend,</l> +<l><q rend="post">My kingdom, joys, and life depend.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With glance of favour Ráma eyed</l> +<l>The Rákshas chief and thus replied:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">First from thy lips I fain would hear</q></l> +<l>Each brighter hope, each darker fear.</l> +<l>Speak, stranger, that I well may know</l> +<l><q rend="post">The strength and weakness of the foe.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: the Rákshas chief obeyed,</l> +<l>And thus in turn his answer made:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">O Prince, the Self-existent gave</q></l> +<l>This boon to Rávaṇ; he may brave</l> +<l>All foes in fight; no fiend or snake,</l> +<l>Gandharva, God, his life may take.</l> +<l>His brother Kumbhakarṇa vies</l> +<l>In might with him who rules the skies.</l> +<l>The captain of his armies—fame</l> +<l>Perhaps has taught the warrior's name—</l> +<l>Is terrible Prahasta, who</l> +<l>King Maṇibhadra's<note place="foot">A King of the Yakshas, or Kuvera +himself, the God of Gold.</note> self o'erthrew.</l> +<l>Where is the warrior found to face</l> +<l>Young Indrajít, when armed with brace</l> +<l>And guard<note place="foot">The brace protects the left arm from +injury from the bow-string, and the guard protects the fingers of the right hand.</note> +and bow he stands in mail</l> +<l>And laughs at spear and arrowy hail?</l> +<l>Within his city Lanká dwell</l> +<l>Ten million giants fierce and fell,</l> +<l>Who wear each varied shape at will</l> +<l>And eat the flesh of those they kill.</l> +<l>These hosts against the Gods he led,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And heavenly might discomfited.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma cried: <q rend="pre">I little heed</q></l> +<l>Gigantic strength or doughty deed.</l> +<l>In spite of all their might has done</l> +<l>The king, the captain, and the son</l> +<l>Shall fall beneath my fury dead,</l> +<l>And thou shalt reign in Rávaṇ's stead.</l> +<l>He, though in depths of earth he dwell,</l> +<l>Or seek protection down in hell,</l> +<l>Or kneel before the Sire supreme,</l> +<l>His forfeit life shall ne'er redeem.</l> +<l>Yea, by my brothers' lives I swear,</l> +<l>I will not to my home repair</l> +<l>Till Rávaṇ and his kith and kin</l> +<l><q rend="post">Have paid in death the price of sin.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Vibhishaṇ bowed his head and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy conquering army will I guide</q></l> +<l>To storm the city of the foe,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And aid the tyrant's overthrow.</q></l> +<l>Thus spake Vibhishaṇ: Ráma pressed</l> +<l>The Rákshas chieftain to his breast,</l> +<l>And cried to Lakshmaṇ: <q rend="pre">Haste and bring</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Sea-water for the new-made king.</q></l> +<l>He spoke, and o'er Vibhishaṇ's head</l> +<l>The consecrating drops were shed</l> +<l>Mid shouts that hailed with one accord</l> +<l>The giants' king and Lanká's lord.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Is there no way,</q> Hanúmán cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No passage o'er the boisterous tide?</q></l> +<l>How may we lead the Vánar host</l> +<l><q rend="post">In triumph to the farther coast?</q></l> +<l><q>Thus,</q> said Vibhishaṇ, <q rend="pre">I advise:</q></l> +<l>Let Raghu's son in suppliant guise</l> +<l>Entreat the mighty Sea to lend</l> +<l>His succour and this cause befriend.</l> +<l>His channels, as the wise have told,</l> +<l>By Sagar's sons were dug of old,<note place="foot">The story is told in Book I, +Cantos <ref target="CantoI-XL">XL</ref>, <ref target="CantoI-XLI">XLI</ref>, +<ref target="CantoI-XLII">XLII</ref>.</note></l> +<l>Nor will high-thoughted Ocean scorn</l> +<l><q rend="post">A prince of Sagar's lineage born.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased; the prudent counsel won</l> +<l>The glad assent of Raghu's son.</l> +<l>Then on the ocean shore a bed</l> +<l>Of tender sacred grass was spread,</l> +<l>Where Ráma at the close of day</l> +<l>Like fire upon an altar lay.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XX"/> +<head>Canto XX. The Spies.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Śárdúla, Rávaṇ's spy, surveyed</l> +<l>The legions on the strand arrayed.</l> +<l>And bore, his bosom racked with fear,</l> +<l>These tidings to the monarch's ear:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">They come, they come. A rushing tide,</q></l> +<l>Ten leagues they spread from side to side,</l> +<l>And on to storm thy city press,</l> +<l>Fierce rovers of the wilderness.</l> +<l>Rich in each princely power and grace,</l> +<l>The pride of Daśaratha's race,</l> +<l>Ráma and Lakshmaṇ lead their bands,</l> +<l>And halt them on the ocean sands.</l> +<l>O Monarch, rise, this peril meet;</l> +<l>Risk not the danger of defeat.</l> +<pb n="442"/><anchor id="Pg442"/> +<l>First let each wiser art be tried;</l> +<l><q rend="post">Bribe them, or win them, or divide.</q></l> +<l>Such was the counsel of the spy:</l> +<l>And Rávaṇ called to Śuka: <q rend="pre">Fly,</q></l> +<l>Sugríva lord of Vánars seek,</l> +<l>And thus my kingly message speak:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Great power and might and fame are thine,</q></l> +<l>Brave scion of a royal line,</l> +<l>King Riksharajas' son, in thee</l> +<l>A brother and a friend I see.</l> +<l>How wronged by me canst thou complain?</l> +<l>What profit here pretend to gain?</l> +<l>If from the wood the wife I stole</l> +<l>Of Ráma of the prudent soul,</l> +<l>What cause hast thou to mourn the theft?</l> +<l>Thou art not injured or bereft.</l> +<l>Return, O King, thy steps retrace</l> +<l>And seek thy mountain dwelling-place.</l> +<l>No, never may thy hosts within</l> +<l>My Lanká's walls a footing win.</l> +<l>A mighty town whose strength defies</l> +<l><q rend="post">The gathered armies of the skies.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: obedient Śuka heard;</l> +<l>With wings and plumage of a bird</l> +<l>He rose in eager speed and through</l> +<l>The air upon his errand flew.</l> +<l>Borne o'er the sea with rapid wing</l> +<l>He stood above the Vánar king,</l> +<l>And spoke aloud, sublime in air,</l> +<l>The message he was charged to bear.</l> +<l>The Vánar heard the words he spoke,</l> +<l>And quick redoubling stroke on stroke</l> +<l>On head and pinions hemmed him round</l> +<l>And bore him struggling to the ground.</l> +<l>The Rákshas wounded and distressed</l> +<l>These words to Raghu's son addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Quick, quick! This Vánar host restrain,</q></l> +<l>For heralds never must be slain.</l> +<l>To him alone, a wretch untrue,</l> +<l>The punishment of death is due</l> +<l>Who leaves his master's speech unsaid</l> +<l><q rend="post">And speaks another in its stead.</q></l> +<l>Moved by the suppliant speech and prayer</l> +<l>Up sprang the prince and cried, forbear.</l> +<l>Saved from his wild assailant's blows</l> +<l>Again the Rákshas herald rose</l> +<l>And borne on light wings to the sky</l> +<l>Addressed Sugríva from on high:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Vánar Monarch, chief endued</q></l> +<l>With power and wonderous fortitude,</l> +<l>What answer is my king, the fear</l> +<l><q rend="post">And scourge of weeping worlds, to hear?</q></l> +<l><q>Go tell thy lord,</q> Sugríva cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thou, Ráma's foe, art thus defied.</q></l> +<l>His arm the guilty Báli slew;</l> +<l>Thus, tyrant, shalt thou perish too.</l> +<l>Thy sons, thy friends, proud King, and all</l> +<l>Thy kith and kin with thee shall fall;</l> +<l>And, emptied of the giant's brood,</l> +<l>Burnt Lanká be a solitude.</l> +<l>Fly to the Sun-God's pathway, go</l> +<l>And hide thee deep in hell below:</l> +<l>In vain from Ráma shalt thou flee</l> +<l>Though heavenly warriors fight for thee.</l> +<l>Thine arm subdued, securely bold,</l> +<l>The Vulture-king infirm and old:</l> +<l>But will thy puny strength avail</l> +<l>When Raghu's wrathful sons assail?</l> +<l>A captive in thy palace lies</l> +<l>The lady of the lotus eyes:</l> +<l>Thou knowest not how fierce and strong</l> +<l>Is he whom thou hast dared to wrong.</l> +<l>The best of Raghu's lineage, he</l> +<l><q rend="post">Whose conquering hand shall punish thee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: and Angad raised a cry;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">This is no herald but a spy.</q></l> +<l>Above thee from his airy post</l> +<l>His rapid eye surveyed our host,</l> +<l>Where with advantage he might scan</l> +<l>Our gathered strength from rear to van.</l> +<l>Bind him, Vánars, bind the spy,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Nor let him back to Lanká fly.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They hurled the Rákshas to the ground,</l> +<l>They grasped his neck, his pinions bound,</l> +<l>And firmly held him while in vain</l> +<l>His voice was lifted to complain.</l> +<l>But Ráma's heart inclined to spare,</l> +<l>He listened to his plaint and prayer,</l> +<l>And cried aloud: <q rend="pre">O Vánars, cease;</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">The captive from his bonds release.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXI"/> +<head>Canto XXI. Ocean Threatened.</head> + +<lg> +<l>His hands in reverence Ráma raised</l> +<l>And southward o'er the ocean gazed;</l> +<l>Then on the sacred grass that made</l> +<l>His lowly couch his limbs he laid.</l> +<l>His head on that strong arm reclined</l> +<l>Which Sítá, best of womankind,</l> +<l>Had loved in happier days to hold</l> +<l>With soft arms decked with pearls and gold.</l> +<l>Then rising from his bed of grass,</l> +<l><q>This day,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">the host shall pass</q></l> +<l>Triumphant to the southern shore,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Or Ocean's self shall be no more.</q></l> +<l>Thus vowing in his constant breast</l> +<l>Again he turned him to his rest,</l> +<l>And there, his eyes in slumber closed,</l> +<l>Silent beside the sea reposed.</l> +<l>Thrice rose the Day-God thrice he set,</l> +<l>The lord of Ocean came not yet,</l> +<l>Thrice came the night, but Raghu's son</l> +<l>No answer by his service won.</l> +<l>To Lakshmaṇ thus the hero cried,</l> +<l>His eyes aflame with wrath and pride:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">In vain the softer gifts that grace</q></l> +<l>The good are offered to the base.</l> +<l>Long-suffering, patience, gentle speech</l> +<pb n="443"/><anchor id="Pg443"/> +<l>Their thankless hearts can never reach.</l> +<l>The world to him its honour pays</l> +<l>Whose ready tongue himself can praise,</l> +<l>Who scorns the true, and hates the right,</l> +<l>Whose hand is ever raised to smite.</l> +<l>Each milder art is tried in vain:</l> +<l>It wins no glory, but disdain.</l> +<l>And victory owns no softer charm</l> +<l>Than might which nerves a warrior's arm.</l> +<l>My humble suit is still denied</l> +<l>By Ocean's overweening pride.</l> +<l>This day the monsters of the deep</l> +<l>In throes of death shall wildly leap.</l> +<l>My shafts shall rend the serpents curled</l> +<l>In caverns of the watery world,</l> +<l>Disclose each sunless depth and bare</l> +<l>The tangled pearl and coral there.</l> +<l>Away with mercy! at a time</l> +<l>Like this compassion is a crime.</l> +<l>Welcome, the battle and the foe!</l> +<l>My bow! my arrows and my bow!</l> +<l>This day the Vánars' feet shall tread</l> +<l>The conquered Sea's exhausted bed,</l> +<l>And he who never feared before</l> +<l><q rend="post">Shall tremble to his farthest shore.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Red flashed his eyes with angry glow:</l> +<l>He stood and grasped his mighty bow,</l> +<l>Terrific as the fire of doom</l> +<l>Whose quenchless flames the world consume.</l> +<l>His clanging cord the archer drew,</l> +<l>And swift the fiery arrows flew</l> +<l>Fierce as the flashing levin sent</l> +<l>By him who rules the firmament.</l> +<l>Down through the startled waters sped</l> +<l>Each missile with its flaming head.</l> +<l>The foamy billows rose and sank,</l> +<l>And dashed upon the trembling bank.</l> +<l>Sea monsters of tremendous form</l> +<l>With crash and roar of thunder storm.</l> +<l>Still the wild waters rose and fell</l> +<l>Crowned with white foam and pearl and shell.</l> +<l>Each serpent, startled from his rest,</l> +<l>Raised his fierce eyes and glowing crest.</l> +<l>And prisoned Dánavs<note place="foot">Fiends and enemies of the Gods.</note> +where they dwelt</l> +<l>In depths below the terror felt.</l> +<l>Again upon his string he laid</l> +<l>A flaming shaft, but Lakshmaṇ stayed</l> +<l>His arm, with gentle reasoning tried</l> +<l>To soothe his angry mood, and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Brother, reflect: the wise control</q></l> +<l>The rising passions of the soul.</l> +<l>Let Ocean grant, without thy threat,</l> +<l>The boon on which thy heart is set.</l> +<l>That gracious lord will ne'er refuse</l> +<l><q rend="post">When Ráma son of Raghu sues.</q></l> +<l>He ceased: and voices from the air</l> +<l>Fell clear and loud, Spare, Ráma, spare.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXII"/> +<head>Canto XXII. Ocean Threatened.</head> + +<lg> +<l>With angry menace Ráma, best</l> +<l>Of Raghu's sons, the Sea addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">With fiery flood of arrowy rain</q></l> +<l>Thy channels will I dry and drain.</l> +<l>And I and all the Vánar host</l> +<l>Will reach on foot the farther coast.</l> +<l>Thou shalt not from destruction save</l> +<l>The creatures of the teeming wave,</l> +<l>And lapse of time shall ne'er efface</l> +<l><q rend="post">The memory of the dire disgrace.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke the warrior, and prepared</l> +<l>The mortal shaft which never spared,</l> +<l>Known mystic weapon, by the name</l> +<l>Of Brahmá, red with quenchless flame.</l> +<l>Great terror, as he strained the bow,</l> +<l>Struck heaven above and earth below.</l> +<l>Through echoing skies the thunder pealed,</l> +<l>And startled mountains rocked and reeled,</l> +<l>The earth was black with sudden night</l> +<l>And heaven was blotted from the sight.</l> +<l>Then ever and anon the glare</l> +<l>Of meteors shot through murky air,</l> +<l>And with a wild terrific sound</l> +<l>Red lightnings struck the trembling ground.</l> +<l>In furious gusts the fierce wind blew:</l> +<l>Tall trees it shattered and o'erthrew,</l> +<l>And, smiting with a giant's stroke,</l> +<l>Huge masses from the mountain broke.</l> +<l>A cry of terror long and shrill</l> +<l>Came from each valley, plain, and hill.</l> +<l>Each ruined dale, each riven peak</l> +<l>Re-echoed with a wail or shriek.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">While Raghu's son undaunted gazed,</l> +<l>The waters of the deep were raised,</l> +<l>And, still uplifted more and more,</l> +<l>Leapt in wild flood upon the shore.</l> +<l>Still Ráma looked upon the tide</l> +<l>And kept his post unterrified.</l> +<l>Then from the seething flood upreared</l> +<l>Majestic Ocean's form appeared,</l> +<l>As rising from his eastern height</l> +<l>Springs through the sky the Lord of Light.</l> +<l>Attendant on their monarch came</l> +<l>Sea serpents with their eyes aflame.</l> +<l>Like lazulite mid burning gold</l> +<l>His form was wondrous to behold.</l> +<l>Bright with each fairest precious stone</l> +<l>A chain about his neck was thrown.</l> +<l>Calm shone his lotus eyes beneath</l> +<l>The blossoms of his heavenly wreath,</l> +<l>And many a pearl and sea-born gem</l> +<l>Flashed in the monarch's diadem.</l> +<l>There Gangá, tributary queen,</l> +<l>And Sindhu<note place="foot">The Indus.</note> by his lord, were seen,</l> +<pb n="444"/><anchor id="Pg444"/> +<l>And every stream and brook renowned</l> +<l>In ancient story girt him round.</l> +<l>Then, as the waters rose and swelled,</l> +<l>The king with suppliant hands upheld,</l> +<l>His glorious head to Ráma bent</l> +<l>And thus addressed him reverent:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Air, ether, fire, earth, water, true</q></l> +<l>To nature's will, their course pursue;</l> +<l>And I, as ancient laws ordain,</l> +<l>Unfordable must still remain.</l> +<l>Yet, Raghu's son, my counsel hear:</l> +<l>I ne'er for love or hope or fear</l> +<l>Will pile my waters in a heap</l> +<l>And leave a pathway through the deep.</l> +<l>Still shall my care for thee provide</l> +<l>An easy passage o'er the tide,</l> +<l>And like a city's paven street</l> +<l><q rend="post">Shall be the road beneath thy feet.</q></l> +<l>He ceased: and Ráma spoke again:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">This spell is ne'er invoked in vain.</q></l> +<l>Where shall the magic shaft, to spend</l> +<l><q rend="post">The fury of its might, descend?</q></l> +<l><q>Shoot,</q> Ocean cried, <q rend="pre">thine arrow forth</q></l> +<l>With all its fury to the north,</l> +<l>Where sacred Drumakulya lies,</l> +<l>Whose glory with thy glory vies.</l> +<l>There dwells a wild Abhíra<note place="foot">Cowherds, sprung from a Bráhman +and a woman of the medical tribe, the modern Ahírs.</note> race,</l> +<l>As vile in act as foul of face,</l> +<l>Fierce Dasyus<note place="foot">Barbarians or outcasts.</note> who delight in ill,</l> +<l>And drink my tributary rill.</l> +<l>My soul no longer may endure</l> +<l>Their neighbourhood and touch impure.</l> +<l>At these, O son of Raghu, aim</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thine arrow with the quenchless flame.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Swift from the bow, as Ráma drew</l> +<l>His cord, the fiery arrow flew.</l> +<l>Earth groaned to feel the wound, and sent</l> +<l>A rush of water through the rent;</l> +<l>And famed for ever is the well</l> +<l>Of Vraṇa<note place="foot"><foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">Vraṇa</foreign> means wound or rent.</note> +where the arrow fell.</l> +<l>Then every brook and lake beside</l> +<l>Throughout the region Ráma dried.</l> +<l>But yet he gave a boon to bless</l> +<l>And fertilize the wilderness:</l> +<l>No fell disease should taint the air,</l> +<l>And sheep and kine should prosper there:</l> +<l>Earth should produce each pleasant root,</l> +<l>The stately trees should bend with fruit;</l> +<l>Oil, milk, and honey should abound,</l> +<l>And fragrant herbs should clothe the ground.</l> +<l>Then spake the king of brooks and seas</l> +<l>To Raghu's son in words like these:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now let a wondrous task be done</q></l> +<l>By Nala, Viśvakarmá's son,</l> +<l>Who, born of one of Vánar race,</l> +<l>Inherits by his father's grace</l> +<l>A share of his celestial art.</l> +<l>Call Nala to perform his part,</l> +<l>And he, divinely taught and skilled,</l> +<l><q rend="post">A bridge athwart the sea shall build.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke and vanished. Nala, best</l> +<l>Of Vánar chiefs, the king addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O'er the deep sea where monsters play</q></l> +<l>A bridge, O Ráma, will I lay;</l> +<l>For, sharer of my father's skill,</l> +<l>Mine is the power and mine the will.</l> +<l>'Tis vain to try each gentler art</l> +<l>To bribe and soothe the thankless heart;</l> +<l>In vain on such is mercy spent;</l> +<l>It yields to naught but punishment.</l> +<l>Through fear alone will Ocean now</l> +<l>A passage o'er his waves allow.</l> +<l>My mother, ere she bore her son,</l> +<l>This boon from Viśvakarmá won:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Mandarí, thy child shall be</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">In skill and glory next to me.</q></l> +<l>But why unbidden should I fill</l> +<l>Thine ear with praises of my skill?</l> +<l>Command the Vánar hosts to lay</l> +<l><q rend="post">Foundations for the bridge to-day.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke: and swift at Ráma's hest</l> +<l>Up sprang the Vánars from their rest,</l> +<l>The mandate of the king obeyed</l> +<l>And sought the forest's mighty shade.</l> +<l>Unrooted trees to earth they threw,</l> +<l>And to the sea the timber drew.</l> +<l>The stately palm was bowed and bent,</l> +<l>Aśokas from the ground were rent,</l> +<l>And towering Sáls and light bamboos,</l> +<l>And trees with flowers of varied hues,</l> +<l>With loveliest creepers wreathed and crowned,</l> +<l>Shook, reeled, and fell upon the ground.</l> +<l>With mighty engines piles of stone</l> +<l>And seated hills were overthrown:</l> +<l>Unprisoned waters sprang on high,</l> +<l>In rain descending from the sky:</l> +<l>And ocean with a roar and swell</l> +<l>Heaved wildly when the mountains fell.</l> +<l>Then the great bridge of wondrous strength</l> +<l>Was built, a hundred leagues in length.</l> +<l>Rocks huge as autumn clouds bound fast</l> +<l>With cordage from the shore were cast,</l> +<l>And fragments of each riven hill,</l> +<l>And trees whose flowers adorned them still.</l> +<l>Wild was the tumult, loud the din</l> +<l>As ponderous rocks went thundering in.</l> +<l>Ere set of sun, so toiled each crew,</l> +<l>Ten leagues and four the structure grew;</l> +<l>The labours of the second day</l> +<l>Gave twenty more of ready way,</l> +<l>And on the fifth, when sank the sun,</l> +<l>The whole stupendous work was done.</l> +<l>O'er the broad way the Vánars sped,</l> +<l>Nor swayed it with their countless tread.</l> +<pb n="445"/><anchor id="Pg445"/> +<l>Exultant on the ocean strand</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ stood, and, mace in hand,</l> +<l>Longed eager for the onward way,</l> +<l>And chafed impatient at delay.</l> +<l>Then thus to Ráma trained and tried</l> +<l>In battle King Sugríva cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Come, Hanumán's broad back ascend;</q></l> +<l>Let Angad help to Lakshmaṇ lend.</l> +<l>These high above the sea shall bear</l> +<l><q rend="post">Their burthen through the ways of air.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">So, with Sugríva, borne o'erhead</l> +<l>Ikshváku's sons the legions led.</l> +<l>Behind, the Vánar hosts pursued</l> +<l>Their march in endless multitude.</l> +<l>Some skimmed the surface of the wave,</l> +<l>To some the air a passage gave.</l> +<l>Amid their ceaseless roar the sound</l> +<l>Of Ocean's fearful voice was drowned,</l> +<l>As o'er the bridge by Nala planned</l> +<l>They hastened on to Lanká's strand,</l> +<l>Where, by the pleasant brooks, mid trees</l> +<l>Loaded with fruit, they took their ease.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXIII"/> +<head>Canto XXIII. The Omens.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Ráma, peerless in the skill</l> +<l>That marks each sign of good and ill,</l> +<l>Strained his dear brother to his breast,</l> +<l>And thus with prudent words addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now, Lakshmaṇ, by the water's side</q></l> +<l>In fruitful groves the host divide,</l> +<l>That warriors of each woodland race</l> +<l>May keep their own appointed place.</l> +<l>Dire is the danger: loss of friends,</l> +<l>Of Vánars and of bears, impends.</l> +<l>Distained with dust the breezes blow,</l> +<l>And earth is shaken from below.</l> +<l>The tall hills rock from foot to crown,</l> +<l>And stately trees come toppling down.</l> +<l>In threatening shape, with voice of fear,</l> +<l>The clouds like cannibals appear,</l> +<l>And rain in fitful torrents, red</l> +<l>With sanguinary drops, is shed.</l> +<l>Long streaks of lurid light invest</l> +<l>The evening skies from east to west.</l> +<l>And from the sun at times a ball</l> +<l>Of angry fire is seen to fall.</l> +<l>From every glen and brake is heard</l> +<l>The boding voice of beast and bird:</l> +<l>From den and lair night-prowlers run</l> +<l>And shriek against the falling sun.</l> +<l>Up springs the moon, but hot and red</l> +<l>Kills the sad night with woe and dread;</l> +<l>No gentle lustre, but the gloom</l> +<l>That heralds universal doom.</l> +<l>A cloud of dust and vapour mars</l> +<l>The beauty of the evening stars,</l> +<l>And wild and fearful is the sky</l> +<l>As though the wreck of worlds were nigh.</l> +<l>Around our heads in boding flight</l> +<l>Wheel hawk and vulture, crow and kite;</l> +<l>And every bird of happy note</l> +<l>Shrieks terror from his altered throat.</l> +<l>Sword, spear and shaft shall strew the plain</l> +<l>Dyed red with torrents of the slain.</l> +<l>To-day the Vánar troops shall close</l> +<l><q rend="post">Around the city of our foes.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXIV"/> +<head>Canto XXIV. The Spy's Return.</head> + +<lg> +<l>As shine the heavens with autumn's moon</l> +<l>Refulgent in the height of noon,</l> +<l>So shone with light which Ráma gave</l> +<l>That army of the bold and brave,</l> +<l>As from the sea it marched away</l> +<l>In war's magnificent array,</l> +<l>And earth was shaken by the beat</l> +<l>And trampling of unnumbered feet.</l> +<l>Then to the giants' ears were borne,</l> +<l>The mingled notes of drum and horn,</l> +<l>And clash of tambours smote the sky,</l> +<l>And shouting and the battle cry.</l> +<l>The sound of martial strains inspired</l> +<l>Each chieftain, and his bosom fired:</l> +<l>While giants from their walls replied,</l> +<l>And answering shouts the foe defied,</l> +<l>Then Ráma looked on Lanká where</l> +<l>Bright banners floated in the air,</l> +<l>And, pierced with anguish at the view,</l> +<l>His loving thoughts to Sítá flew.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">There, prisoned by the giant, lies</q></l> +<l>My lady of the tender eyes,</l> +<l>Like Rohiṇí the queen of stars</l> +<l><q rend="post">O'erpowered by the fiery Mars.</q></l> +<l>Then turned he to his brother chief</l> +<l>And cried in agony of grief:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">See on the hill, divinely planned</q></l> +<l>And built by Viśvakarmá's hand,</l> +<l>The towers and domes of Lanká rise</l> +<l>In peerless beauty to the skies.</l> +<l>Bright from afar the city shines</l> +<l>With gleam of palaces and shrines,</l> +<l>Like pale clouds through the region spread</l> +<l>By Vishṇu's self inhabited.</l> +<l>Fair gardens grow, and woods between</l> +<l>The stately domes are fresh and green,</l> +<l>Where trees their bloom and fruit display,</l> +<l>And sweet birds sing on every spray.</l> +<l>Each bird is mad with joy, and bees</l> +<l>Sing labouring in the bloomy trees</l> +<l>On branches by the breezes bowed,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Where the gay Koïl's voice is loud.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">This said, he ranged with warlike art</l> +<l>Each body of the host apart.</l> +<pb n="446"/><anchor id="Pg446"/> +<l><q>There in the centre,</q> Ráma cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Be Angad's place by Níla's side.</q></l> +<l>Let Rishabh of impetuous might</l> +<l>Be lord and leader on the right,</l> +<l>And Gandhamádan, next in rank,</l> +<l>Be captain of the farther flank.</l> +<l>Lakshmaṇ and I the hosts will lead,</l> +<l>And Jámbaván of ursine breed,</l> +<l>With bold Susheṇ unused to fear,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And Vegadarśí, guide the rear.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma spoke: the chiefs obeyed;</l> +<l>And all the Vánar hosts arrayed</l> +<l>Showed awful as the autumn sky</l> +<l>When clouds embattled form on high.</l> +<l>Their arms were mighty trees o'erthrown,</l> +<l>And massy blocks of mountain stone.</l> +<l>One hope in every warlike breast,</l> +<l>One firm resolve, they onward pressed,</l> +<l>To die in fight or batter down</l> +<l>The walls and towers of Lanká's town.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Those marshalled legions Ráma eyed,</l> +<l>And thus to King Sugríva cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now, Monarch, ere the hosts proceed,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Let Śuka, Rávaṇ's spy, be freed.</q></l> +<l>He spoke: the Vánar gave consent</l> +<l>And loosed him from imprisonment:</l> +<l>And Śuka, trembling and afraid,</l> +<l>His homeward way to Rávaṇ made.</l> +<l>Loud laughed the lord of Lanká's isle:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Where hast thou stayed this weary while?</q></l> +<l>Why is thy plumage marred, and why</l> +<l>Do twisted cords thy pinions tie?</l> +<l>Say, comest thou in evil plight</l> +<l><q rend="post">The victim of the Vánars' spite?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: the spy his fear controlled,</l> +<l>And to the king his story told:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I reached the ocean's distant shore,</q></l> +<l>Thy message to the king I bore.</l> +<l>In sudden wrath the Vánars rose,</l> +<l>They struck me down with furious blows;</l> +<l>They seized me helpless on the ground,</l> +<l>My plumage rent, my pinions bound.</l> +<l>They would not, headlong in their ire,</l> +<l>Consider, listen, or inquire;</l> +<l>So fickle, wrathful, rough and rude</l> +<l>Is the wild forest multitude.</l> +<l>There, marshalling the Vánar bands,</l> +<l>King Ráma with Sugríva stands,</l> +<l>Ráma the matchless warrior, who</l> +<l>Virádha and Kabandha slew,</l> +<l>Khara, and countless giants more,</l> +<l>And tracks his queen to Lanká's shore.</l> +<l>A bridge athwart the sea was cast,</l> +<l>And o'er it have his legions passed.</l> +<l>Hark! heralded by horns and drums</l> +<l>The terrible avenger comes.</l> +<l>E'en now the giants' isle he fills</l> +<l>With warriors huge as clouds and hills,</l> +<l>And burning with vindictive hate</l> +<l>Will thunder soon at Lanká's gate.</l> +<l>Yield or oppose him: choose between</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy safety and the Maithil queen.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: the tyrant's eyeballs blazed</l> +<l>With fury as his voice he raised:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No, if the dwellers of the sky,</q></l> +<l>Gandharvas, fiends assail me, I</l> +<l>Will keep the Maithil lady still,</l> +<l>Nor yield her back for fear of ill.</l> +<l>When shall my shafts with iron hail</l> +<l>My foeman, Raghu's son, assail,</l> +<l>Thick as the bees with eager wing</l> +<l>Beat on the flowery trees of spring?</l> +<l>O, let me meet my foe at length,</l> +<l>And strip him of his vaunted strength,</l> +<l>Fierce as the sun who shines afar</l> +<l>Stealing the light of every star.</l> +<l>Strong as the sea's impetuous might</l> +<l>My ways are like the tempest's flight;</l> +<l>But Ráma knows not this, or he</l> +<l><q rend="post">In terror from my face would flee.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXV"/> +<head>Canto XXV. Rávan's Spies.<note place="foot">Here in the Bengal recension +(Gorresio's edition), begins Book VI.</note></head> + +<lg> +<l>When Ráma and the host he led</l> +<l>Across the sea had safely sped,</l> +<l>Thus Rávaṇ, moved by wrath and pride,</l> +<l>To Śuka and to Sáraṇ cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O counsellors, the Vánar host</q></l> +<l>Has passed the sea from coast to coast,</l> +<l>And Daśaratha's son has wrought</l> +<l>A wondrous deed surpassing thought.</l> +<l>And now in truth I needs must know</l> +<l>The strength and number of the foe.</l> +<l>Go ye, to Ráma's host repair</l> +<l>And count me all the legions there.</l> +<l>Learn well what power each captain leads</l> +<l>His name and fame for warlike deeds.</l> +<l>Learn by what artist's wondrous aid</l> +<l>That bridge athwart the sea was made;</l> +<l>Learn how the Vánar host came o'er</l> +<l>And halted on the island shore.</l> +<l>Mark Ráma son of Raghu well;</l> +<l>His valour, strength, and weapons tell.</l> +<l>Watch his advisers one by one,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ, Raghu's younger son.</l> +<l>Learn with observant eyes, and bring</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Unerring tidings to your king.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: then swift in Vánar guise</l> +<l>Forth on their errand sped the spies.</l> +<l>They reached the Vánars, and, dismayed,</l> +<l>Their never-ending lines surveyd:</l> +<l>Nor would they try, in mere despair,</l> +<l>To count the countless legions there,</l> +<pb n="447"/><anchor id="Pg447"/> +<l>That crowded valley, plain and hill,</l> +<l>That pressed about each cave and rill.</l> +<l>Though sea-like o'er the land were spread</l> +<l>The endless hosts which Ráma led,</l> +<l>The bridge by thousands yet was lined,</l> +<l>And eager myriads pressed behind.</l> +<l>But sage Vibhishaṇ's watchful eyes</l> +<l>Had marked the giants in disguise.</l> +<l>He gave command the pair to seize,</l> +<l>And told the tale in words like these:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">O Ráma these, well known erewhile,</q></l> +<l>Are giant sons of Lanká's isle,</l> +<l>Two counsellors of Rávaṇ sent</l> +<l><q rend="post">To watch the invading armament.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Vibhishaṇ ceased: at Ráma's look</l> +<l>The Rákshas envoys quailed and shook;</l> +<l>Then suppliant hand to hand they pressed</l> +<l>And thus Ikshváku's son addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Ráma, bear the truth we speak:</q></l> +<l>Our monarch Rávaṇ bade us seek</l> +<l>The Vánar legions and survey</l> +<l><q rend="post">Their numbers, strength, and vast array.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma, friend and hope and guide</l> +<l>Of suffering creatures, thus replied:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Now giants, if your eyes have scanned</q></l> +<l>Our armies, numbering every band,</l> +<l>Marked lord and chief, and gazed their fill,</l> +<l>Return to Rávaṇ when ye will.</l> +<l>If aught remain, if aught anew</l> +<l>Ye fain would scan with closer view,</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ, ready at your call,</l> +<l>Will lead you forth and show you all.</l> +<l>Think not of bonds and capture; fear</l> +<l>No loss of life, no peril here:</l> +<l>For, captive, helpless and unarmed,</l> +<l>An envoy never should be harmed.</l> +<l>Again to Lanká's town repair,</l> +<l>Speed to the giant monarch there,</l> +<l>And be these words to Rávaṇ told,</l> +<l>Fierce brother of the Lord of Gold:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now, tyrant, tremble for thy sin:</q></l> +<l>Call up thy friends, thy kith and kin,</l> +<l>And let the power and might be seen</l> +<l>Which made thee bold to steal my queen.</l> +<l>To-morrow shall thy mournful eye</l> +<l>Behold thy bravest warriors die,</l> +<l>And Lanká's city, tower and wall,</l> +<l>Struck by my fiery shafts, will fall.</l> +<l>Then shall my vengeful blow descend</l> +<l>Its rage on thee and thine to spend,</l> +<l>Fierce as the fiery bolt that flew</l> +<l>From heaven against the Dánav crew,</l> +<l>Mid those rebellious demons sent</l> +<l><q rend="post">By him who rules the firmament.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spake Ikshváku's son, and ceased:</l> +<l>The giants from their bonds released</l> +<l>Lauded the King with glad accord,</l> +<l>And hasted homeward to their lord.</l> +<l>Before the tyrant side by side</l> +<l>Śuka and Sáraṇ stood and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Vibhishaṇ seized us, King, and fain</q></l> +<l>His helpless captives would have slain.</l> +<l>But glorious Ráma saw us; he,</l> +<l>Great-hearted hero, made us free.</l> +<l>There in one spot our eyes beheld</l> +<l>Four chiefs on earth unparalleled,</l> +<l>Who with the guardian Gods may vie</l> +<l>Who rule the regions of the sky.</l> +<l>There Ráma stood, the boast and pride</l> +<l>Of Raghu's race, by Lakshmaṇ's side.</l> +<l>There stood the sage Vibhishaṇ, there</l> +<l>Sugríva strong beyond compare.</l> +<l>These four alone can batter down</l> +<l>Gate, rampart, wall, and Lanká's town.</l> +<l>Nay, Ráma matchless in his form,</l> +<l>A single foe, thy town would storm:</l> +<l>So wondrous are his weapons, he</l> +<l>Needs not the succour of the three.</l> +<l>Why speak we of the countless train</l> +<l>That fills the valley, hill and plain,</l> +<l>The millions of the Vánar breed</l> +<l>Whom Ráma and Sugríva lead?</l> +<l>O King, be wise, contend no more,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And Sítá to her lord restore.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXVI"/> +<head>Canto XXVI. The Vánar Chiefs.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">Not if the Gods in heaven who dwell,</q></l> +<l>Gandharvas, and the fiends of hell</l> +<l>In banded opposition rise</l> +<l>Against me, will I yield my prize.</l> +<l>Still trembling from the ungentle touch</l> +<l>Of Vánar hands ye fear too much,</l> +<l>And bid me, heedless of the shame,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Give to her lord the Maithil dame.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke the king in stern reproof;</l> +<l>Then mounted to his palace roof</l> +<l>Aloft o'er many a story raised,</l> +<l>And on the lands beneath him gazed.</l> +<l>There by his faithful spies he stood</l> +<l>And looked on sea and hill and wood.</l> +<l>There stretched before him far away</l> +<l>The Vánars' numberless array:</l> +<l>Scarce could the meadows' tender green</l> +<l>Beneath their trampling feet be seen.</l> +<l>He looked a while with furious eye,</l> +<l>Then questioned thus the nearer spy:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Bend, Sáraṇ, bend thy gaze, and show</q></l> +<l>The leaders of the Vánar foe.</l> +<l>Tell me their heroes' names, and teach</l> +<l><q rend="post">The valour, power and might of each.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Obedient Sáraṇ eyed the van,</l> +<l>The leaders marked, and thus began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">That chief conspicuous at the head</q></l> +<l>Of warriors in the forest bred,</l> +<l>Who hither bends his ruthless eye</l> +<l>And shouts his fearful battle cry:</l> +<pb n="448"/><anchor id="Pg448"/> +<l>Whose voice with pealing thunder shakes</l> +<l>All Lanká, with the groves and lakes</l> +<l>And hills that tremble at the sound,</l> +<l>Is Níla, for his might renowned:</l> +<l>First of the Vánar lords controlled</l> +<l>By King Sugríva lofty-souled.</l> +<l>He who his mighty arm extends,</l> +<l>And his fierce eye on Lanká bends,</l> +<l>In stature like a stately tower,</l> +<l>In colour like a lotus flower,</l> +<l>Who with his wild earth-shaking cries</l> +<l>Thee, Rávaṇ, to the field defies,</l> +<l>Is Angad, by Sugríva's care</l> +<l>Anointed his imperial heir:</l> +<l>In wondrous strength, in martial fire</l> +<l>Peer of King Báli's self, his sire;</l> +<l>For Ráma's sake in arms arrayed</l> +<l>Like Varuṇ called to Śakra's aid.</l> +<l>Behind him, girt by warlike bands,</l> +<l>Nala the mighty Vánar stands,</l> +<l>The son of Viśvakarmá, he</l> +<l>Who built the bridge athwart the sea.</l> +<l>Look farther yet, O King, and mark</l> +<l>That chieftain clothed in Sandal bark.</l> +<l>'Tis Śweta, famed among his peers,</l> +<l>A sage whom all his race reveres.</l> +<l>See, in Sugríva's ear he speaks,</l> +<l>Then, hasting back, his post reseeks,</l> +<l>And turns his practised eye to view</l> +<l>The squadrons he has formed anew.</l> +<l>Next Kumud stands who roamed of yore</l> +<l>On Gomatí's<note place="foot">The Goomtee.</note> delightful shore,</l> +<l>Feared where the waving woods invest</l> +<l>His seat on Mount Sanrochan's crest.</l> +<l>Next him a chieftain strong and dread,</l> +<l>Comes Chaṇḍa at his legions' head;</l> +<l>Exulting in his warrior might</l> +<l>He hastens, burning for the fight,</l> +<l>And boasts that his unaided powers</l> +<l>Shall cast to earth thy walls and towers.</l> +<l>Mark, mark that chief of lion gait,</l> +<l>Who views thee with a glance of hate</l> +<l>As though his very eyes would burn</l> +<l>The city walls to which they turn:</l> +<l>'Tis Rambha, Vánar king; he dwells</l> +<l>In Krishṇagiri's tangled dells,</l> +<l>Where Vindhya's pleasant slopes are spread</l> +<l>And fair Sudarśan lifts his head.</l> +<l>There, listening with erected ears,</l> +<l>Śarabha, mighty chief, appears.</l> +<l>His soul is burning for the strife,</l> +<l>Nor dreads the jeopardy of life.</l> +<l>He trembles as he moves, for ire,</l> +<l>And bends around his glance of fire.</l> +<l>Next, like a cloud that veils the skies,</l> +<l>A chieftain of terrific size,</l> +<l>Conspicuous mid the Vánars, comes</l> +<l>With battle shout like rolling drums,</l> +<l>'Tis Panas, trained in war and tried,</l> +<l>Who dwells on Páriyátra's side.</l> +<l>He, far away, the chief who throws</l> +<l>A glory o'er the marshalled rows</l> +<l>That ranged behind their captain stand</l> +<l>Exulting on the ocean strand,</l> +<l>Is Vinata the fierce in fight,</l> +<l>Preëminent like Dardur's height.</l> +<l>That chieftain bending down to drink</l> +<l>On lovely Veṇá's verdant brink,</l> +<l>Is Krathan; now he lifts his eyes</l> +<l>And thee to mortal fray defies.</l> +<l>Next Gavaya comes, whose haughty mind</l> +<l>Scorns all the warriors of his kind.</l> +<l>He comes to trample—such his boast—</l> +<l><q rend="post">On Lanká with his single host.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXVII"/> +<head>Canto XXVII. The Vánar Chiefs.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">Yet more remain, brave chiefs who stake</q></l> +<l>Their noble lives for Ráma's sake.</l> +<l>See, glorious, golden-coated, one</l> +<l>Who glisters like the morning sun,</l> +<l>Whom thousands of his race surround,</l> +<l>'Tis Hara for his strength renowned.</l> +<l>Next comes a mighty chieftain, he</l> +<l>Whose legions, armed with rock and tree,</l> +<l>Press on, in numbers passing tale,</l> +<l>The ramparts of our town to scale.</l> +<l>O Rávaṇ, see the king advance</l> +<l>Terrific with his fiery glance,</l> +<l>Girt by the bravest of his train,</l> +<l>Majestic as the God of Rain,</l> +<l>Parjanya, when his host of clouds</l> +<l>About the king, embattled, crowds:</l> +<l>On Rikshaván's high mountain nursed,</l> +<l>In Narmadá<note place="foot">The Anglicized Nerbudda.</note> he slakes his thirst,</l> +<l>Dhúmra, proud ursine chief, who leads</l> +<l>Wild warriors whom the forest breeds.</l> +<l>His brother, next in strength and age,</l> +<l>In Jámbaván the famous sage.</l> +<l>Of yore his might and skill he lent</l> +<l>To him who rules the firmament,</l> +<l>And Indra's liberal boons repaid</l> +<l>The chieftain for the timely aid.</l> +<l>There like a gloomy cloud that flies</l> +<l>Borne by the tempest through the skies,</l> +<l>Pramáthí stands: he roamed of yore</l> +<l>The forest wilds on Gangá's shore,</l> +<l>Where elephants were struck with dread</l> +<l>And trembling at his coming fled.</l> +<l>There on his foes he loved to sate</l> +<l>The old hereditary hate.<note place="foot">According to a Pauranik legend Keśarí +Hanumán's putative father had killed an Asur or demon who appeared in the form of an +elephant, and hence arose the hostility between Vánars and elephants.</note></l> +<pb n="449"/><anchor id="Pg449"/> +<l>Look, Gaja and Gaváksha show</l> +<l>Their lust of battle with the foe.</l> +<l>See Nala burning for the fray,</l> +<l>And Níla chafing at delay.</l> +<l>Behind the eager captains press</l> +<l>Wild hosts in numbers numberless,</l> +<l>And each for Ráma's sake would fall</l> +<l><q rend="post">Or force his way through Lanká's wall.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXVIII"/> +<head>Canto XXVIII. The Chieftains.</head> + +<lg> +<l>There Sáraṇ ceased: then Śuka broke</l> +<l>The silence and to Rávaṇ spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Monarch, yonder chiefs survey:</q></l> +<l>Like elephants in size are they,</l> +<l>And tower like stately trees that grow</l> +<l>Where Gangá's nursing waters flow;</l> +<l>Yea, tall as mountain pines that fling</l> +<l>Long shadows o'er the snow-crowned king.</l> +<l>They all in wild Kishkindhá dwell</l> +<l>And serve their lord Sugríva well.</l> +<l>The Gods' and bright Gandharvas' seed,</l> +<l>They take each form that suits their need.</l> +<l>Now farther look, O Monarch, where</l> +<l>Those chieftains stand, a glorious pair,</l> +<l>Conspicuous for their godlike frames;</l> +<l>Dwivid and Mainda are their names.</l> +<l>Their lips the drink of heaven have known,</l> +<l>And Brahmá claims them for his own.</l> +<l>That chieftain whom thine eyes behold</l> +<l>Refulgent like a hill of gold,</l> +<l>Before whose wrathful might the sea</l> +<l>Roused from his rest would turn and flee,</l> +<l>The peerless Vánar, he who came</l> +<l>To Lanká for the Maithil dame,</l> +<l>The Wind-God's son Hanumán; thou</l> +<l>Hast seen him once, behold him now.</l> +<l>Still nearer let thy glance be bent,</l> +<l>And mark that prince preëminent</l> +<l>Mid chieftains for his strength and size</l> +<l>And splendour of his lotus eyes.</l> +<l>Far through the worlds his virtues shine,</l> +<l>The glory of Ikshváku's line.</l> +<l>The path of truth he never leaves,</l> +<l>And still through all to duty cleaves.</l> +<l>Deep in the Vedas, skilled to wield</l> +<l>The mystic shafts to him revealed:</l> +<l>Whose flaming darts to heaven ascend,</l> +<l>And through the earth a passage rend:</l> +<l>In might like him who rules the sky;</l> +<l>Like Yáma, when his wrath grows high:</l> +<l>Whose queen, the darling of his soul,</l> +<l>Thy magic art deceived and stole:</l> +<l>There royal Ráma stands and longs</l> +<l>For battle to avenge his wrongs.</l> +<l>Near on his right a prince, in hue</l> +<l>Like pure gold freshly burnished, view:</l> +<l>Broad is his chest, his eye is red,</l> +<l>His black hair curls about his head:</l> +<l>'Tis Lakshmaṇ, faithful friend, who shares</l> +<l>His brother's joys, his brother's cares.</l> +<l>By Ráma's side he loves to stand</l> +<l>And serve him as his better hand,</l> +<l>For whose dear sake without a sigh</l> +<l>The warrior youth would gladly die.</l> +<l>On Ráma's left Vibhishaṇ view,</l> +<l>With giants for his retinue:</l> +<l>King-making drops have dewed his head,</l> +<l>Appointed monarch in thy stead.</l> +<l>Behold that chieftain sternly still,</l> +<l>High towering like a rooted hill,</l> +<l>Supreme in power and pride of place,</l> +<l>The monarch of the Vánar race.</l> +<l>Raised high above his woodland kind,</l> +<l>In might and glory, frame and mind,</l> +<l>His head above his host he shows</l> +<l>Conspicuous as the Lord of Snows.</l> +<l>His home is far from hostile eyes</l> +<l>Where deep in woods Kishkindhá lies.</l> +<l>A glistering chain which flowers bedeck</l> +<l>With burnished gold adorns his neck.</l> +<l>Queen Fortune, loved by Gods and kings,</l> +<l>To him her chosen favourite clings.</l> +<l>That chain he owes to Ráma's grace,</l> +<l>And Tárá and his kingly place.</l> +<l>In him the great Sugríva know,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Whom Ráma rescued from his foe.</q><note place="foot">Here follows the +enumeration of Sugríva's forces which I do not attempt to follow. It soon reaches a +hundred thousand billions.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXIX"/> +<head>Canto XXIX. Sárdúla Captured.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The giant viewed with earnest ken</l> +<l>The Vánars and the lords of men;</l> +<l>Then thus, with grief and anger moved,</l> +<l>In bitter tone the spies reproved:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Can faithful servants hope to please</q></l> +<l>Their master with such fates as these?</l> +<l>Or hope ye with wild words to wring</l> +<l>The bosom of your lord and king?</l> +<l>Such words were better said by those</l> +<l>Who come arrayed our mortal foes.</l> +<l>In vain your ears have heard the sage,</l> +<l>And listened to the lore of age,</l> +<l>Untaught, though lectured many a day,</l> +<l>The first great lesson, to obey,</l> +<l>'Tis marvel Rávaṇ reigns and rules</l> +<l>Whose counsellors are blind and fools.</l> +<l>Has death no terrors that ye dare</l> +<l>To tempt your monarch to despair,</l> +<pb n="450"/><anchor id="Pg450"/> +<l>From whose imperial mandate flow</l> +<l>Disgrace and honour, weal and woe?</l> +<l>Yea, forest trees, when flames are fanned</l> +<l>About their scorching trunks, may stand;</l> +<l>But naught can set the sinner free</l> +<l>When kings the punishment decree.</l> +<l>I would not in mine anger spare</l> +<l>The traitorous foe-praising pair,</l> +<l>But years of faithful service plead</l> +<l>For pardon, and they shall not bleed.</l> +<l>Henceforth to me be dead: depart,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Far from my presence and my heart.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spoke the angry king: the two</l> +<l>Cried, Long live Rávaṇ, and withdrew,</l> +<l>The giant monarch turned and cried</l> +<l>To strong Mahodar at his side:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Go thou, and spies more faithful bring.</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">More duteous to their lord the king.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Swift at his word Mahodar shed,</l> +<l>And came returning at the head</l> +<l>Of long tried messengers, who bent</l> +<l>Before their monarch reverent.</l> +<l><q>Go quickly hence,</q> said Rávaṇ <q rend="pre">scan</q></l> +<l>With keenest eyes the foeman's plan.</l> +<l>Learn who, as nearest friends, advise</l> +<l>And mould each secret enterprise.</l> +<l>Learn when he wakes and goes to rest,</l> +<l>Sound every purpose of his breast.</l> +<l>Learn what the prince intends to-day:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Watch keenly all, and come away.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With joy they heard the words he said:</l> +<l>Then with Śárdúla at their head</l> +<l>About the giant king they went</l> +<l>With circling paces reverent.</l> +<l>By fair Suvela's grassy side</l> +<l>The chiefs of Raghu's race they spied,</l> +<l>Where, shaded by the waving wood,</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ and Sugríva stood.</l> +<l>A while they rested there and viewed</l> +<l>The Vánars' countless multitude.</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ with observant eyes</l> +<l>Knew at a glance the giant spies,</l> +<l>And bade the warriors of his train</l> +<l>Bind the rash foes with cord and chain:</l> +<l><q>Śárdúla's is the sin,</q> he cried.</l> +<l>He neath the Vánars' hands had died,</l> +<l>But Ráma from their fury freed</l> +<l>The captive in his utmost need,</l> +<l>And, merciful at sight of woe,</l> +<l>Loosed all the spies and bade them go.</l> +<l>Then home to Lanká's monarch fled</l> +<l>The giant chiefs discomfited.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXX"/> +<head>Canto XXX. Sárdúla's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>They told their lord that Ráma still</l> +<l>Lay waiting by Suvela's hill.</l> +<l>The tyrant, flushed with angry glow,</l> +<l>Heard of the coming of the foe,</l> +<l>And thus with close inquiry pressed</l> +<l>Śárdúla spokesman for the rest:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why art thou sad, night-rover? speak:</q></l> +<l>Has grief or terror changed thy cheek?</l> +<l>Have the wild Vánars' hostile bands</l> +<l><q rend="post">Assailed thee with their mighty hands?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Śárdúla heard, but scarce might speak;</l> +<l>His trembling tones were faint and weak:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Giant King, in vain we try</q></l> +<l>The purpose of the foe to spy.</l> +<l>Their strength and number none may tell,</l> +<l>And Ráma guards his legions well.</l> +<l>He leaves no hope to prying eyes,</l> +<l>And parley with the chiefs denies:</l> +<l>Each road and path a Vánar guard,</l> +<l>Of mountain size, has closed and barred.</l> +<l>Soon as my feet an entrance found</l> +<l>By giants was I seized and bound,</l> +<l>And wounded sore I fell beneath</l> +<l>Their fists and knees and hands and teeth.</l> +<l>Then trembling, bleeding, wellnigh dead</l> +<l>To Ráma's presence was I led.</l> +<l>He in his mercy stooped to save,</l> +<l>And freedom to the captive gave.</l> +<l>With rocks and shattered mountains he</l> +<l>Has bridged his way athwart the sea,</l> +<l>And he and all his legions wait</l> +<l>Embattled close to Lanká's gate.</l> +<l>Soon will the host thy wall assail,</l> +<l>And, swarming on, the rampart scale.</l> +<l>Now, O my King, his consort yield,</l> +<l>Or arm thee with the sword and shield.</l> +<l>This choice is left thee: choose between</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy safety and the Maithil queen.</q><note place="foot">I omit the +rest of this canto, which is mere repetition. Rávaṇ gives in the same words his former +answer that the Gods, Gandharvas and fiends combined shall not force him to give up Sítá. +He then orders Śárdúla to tell him the names of the Vánar chieftains whom he has seen in +Ráma's army. These have already been mentioned by Śuka and Sáraṇ.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXXI"/> +<head>Canto XXXI. The Magic Head.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The tyrant's troubled eye confessed</l> +<l>The secret fear that filled his breast.</l> +<l>With dread of coming woe dismayed</l> +<l>He called his counsellors to aid;</l> +<l>Then sternly silent, deep in thought,</l> +<l>His chamber in the palace sought.</l> +<l>Then, as the surest hope of all,</l> +<l>The monarch bade his servants call</l> +<pb n="451"/><anchor id="Pg451"/> +<l>Vidyujjihva, whom magic skill</l> +<l>Made master of the means of ill.</l> +<l>Then spake the lord of Lanká's isle:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Come, Sítá with thine arts beguile.</q></l> +<l>With magic skill and deftest care</l> +<l>A head like Ráma's own prepare.</l> +<l>This head, long shafts and mighty bow,</l> +<l><q rend="post">To Janak's daughter will we show.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: Vidyujjihva obeyed,</l> +<l>And wondrous magic skill displayed;</l> +<l>And Rávaṇ for the art he showed</l> +<l>An ornament of price bestowed.</l> +<l>Then to the grove where Sítá lay</l> +<l>The lord of Lanká took his way.</l> +<l>Pale, wasted, weeping, on the ground</l> +<l>The melancholy queen he found,</l> +<l>Whose thoughts in utmost stress of ill</l> +<l>Were fixed upon her husband still.</l> +<l>The giant king approached the dame,</l> +<l>Declared in tones of joy his name;</l> +<l>Then heeding naught her wild distress</l> +<l>Bespake her, stern and pitiless:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The prince to whom thy fancies cling</q></l> +<l>Though loved and wooed by Lanká's king,</l> +<l>Who slew the noble Khara,—he</l> +<l>Is slain by warriors sent by me.</l> +<l>Thy living root is hewn away,</l> +<l>Thy scornful pride is tamed to-day.</l> +<l>Thy lord in battle's front has died,</l> +<l>And Sítá shall be Rávaṇ's bride.</l> +<l>Hence, idle thoughts: thy hope is fled;</l> +<l>What wilt thou, Sítá, with the dead?</l> +<l>Rise, child of Janak, rise and be</l> +<l>The queen of all my queens and me.</l> +<l>Incline thine ear, and I will tell,</l> +<l>Dear lady, how thy husband fell.</l> +<l>He bridged his way across the sea</l> +<l>With countless troops to fight with me.</l> +<l>The setting sun had flushed the west</l> +<l>When on the shore they took their rest.</l> +<l>Weary with toil no watch they kept,</l> +<l>Securely on the sands they slept.</l> +<l>Prahasta's troops assailed our foes,</l> +<l>And smote them in their deep repose.</l> +<l>Scarce could their bravest prove their might:</l> +<l>They perished in the dark of night.</l> +<l>Axe, spear, and sword, directed well,</l> +<l>Upon the sleeping myriads fell.</l> +<l>First in the fight Prahasta's sword</l> +<l>Reft of his head thy slumbering lord.</l> +<l>Roused at the din Vibhishaṇ rose,</l> +<l>The captive of surrounding foes,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ through the woods that spread</l> +<l>Around him with his Vánars fled.</l> +<l>Hanúmán fell: one deadly stroke</l> +<l>The neck of King Sugríva broke,</l> +<l>And Mainda sank, and Dwivid lay</l> +<l>Gasping in blood his life away.</l> +<l>The Vánars died, or fled dispersed</l> +<l>Like cloudlets when the storm has burst.</l> +<l>Some rose aloft in air, and more</l> +<l>Ran to the sea and filled the shore.</l> +<l>On shore, in woods, on hill and plain</l> +<l>Our conquering giants left the slain.</l> +<l>Thus my victorious host o'erthrew</l> +<l>The Vánars, and thy husband slew:</l> +<l>See, rudely stained with dust, and red</l> +<l><q rend="post">With dropping blood, the severed head.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then, turning to a Rákshas slave,</l> +<l>The ruthless king his mandate gave,</l> +<l>And straight Vidyujjihva who bore</l> +<l>The head still wet with dripping gore,</l> +<l>The arrows and the mighty bow,</l> +<l>Bent down before his master low.</l> +<l><q>Vidyujjihva,</q> cried Rávaṇ, <q rend="pre">place</q></l> +<l>The head before the lady's face,</l> +<l>And let her see with weeping eyes</l> +<l><q rend="post">That low in death her husband lies.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Before the queen the giant laid</l> +<l>The beauteous head his art had made.</l> +<l>And Rávaṇ cried: <q rend="pre">Thine eyes will know</q></l> +<l>These arrows and the mighty bow.</l> +<l>With fame of this by Ráma strung</l> +<l>The earth and heaven and hell have rung.</l> +<l>Prahasta brought it hither when</l> +<l>His hand had slain thy prince of men.</l> +<l>Now, widowed Queen, thy hopes resign:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Forget thy husband and be mine.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXXII"/> +<head>Canto XXXII. Sítá's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Again her eyes with tears o'erflowed:</l> +<l>She gazed upon the head he showed,</l> +<l>Gazed on the bow so famed of yore,</l> +<l>The glorious bow which Ráma bore.</l> +<l>She gazed upon his cheek and brows,</l> +<l>The eyes of her beloved spouse;</l> +<l>His lips, the lustre of his hair,</l> +<l>The priceless gem that glittered there.</l> +<l>The features of her lord she knew,</l> +<l>And, pierced with anguish at the view,</l> +<l>She lifted up her voice and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Kaikeyí, art thou satisfied?</q></l> +<l>Now all thy longings are fulfilled;</l> +<l>The joy of Raghu's race is killed,</l> +<l>And ruined is the ancient line,</l> +<l>Destroyer, by that fraud of thine.</l> +<l>Ah, what offence, O cruel dame,</l> +<l>What fault in Ráma couldst thou blame,</l> +<l>To drive him clad in hermit dress</l> +<l><q rend="post">With Sítá to the wilderness?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Great trembling seized her frame, and she</l> +<l>Fell like a stricken plantain tree.</l> +<l>As lie the dead she lay; at length</l> +<l>Slowly regaining sense and strength,</l> +<l>On the dear head she fixed her eye</l> +<pb n="452"/><anchor id="Pg452"/> +<l>And cried with very bitter cry:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah, when thy cold dead cheek I view,</q></l> +<l>My hero, I am murdered too.</l> +<l>Then first a faithful woman's eyes</l> +<l>See sorrow, when her husband dies.</l> +<l>When thou, my lord, wast nigh to save,</l> +<l>Some stealthy hand thy death wound gave.</l> +<l>Thou art not dead: rise, hero, rise;</l> +<l>Long life was thine, as spake the wise</l> +<l>Whose words, I ween, are ever true,</l> +<l>For faith lies open to their view.</l> +<l>Ah lord, and shall thy head recline</l> +<l>On earth's cold breast, forsaking mine,</l> +<l>Counting her chill lap dearer far</l> +<l>Than I and my caresses are?</l> +<l>Ah, is it thus these eyes behold</l> +<l>Thy famous bow adorned with gold,</l> +<l>Whereon of yore I loved to bind</l> +<l>Sweet garlands that my hands had twined?</l> +<l>And hast thou sought in heaven a place</l> +<l>Amid the founders of thy race,</l> +<l>Where in the home deserved so well</l> +<l>Thy sires and Daśaratha dwell?</l> +<l>Or dost thou shine a brighter star</l> +<l>In skies where blest immortals are,</l> +<l>Forsaking in thy lofty scorn</l> +<l>The race wherein thy sires were born?</l> +<l>Turn to my gaze, O turn thine eye:</l> +<l>Why are thy cold lips silent, why?</l> +<l>When first we met as youth and maid,</l> +<l>When in thy hand my hand was laid,</l> +<l>Thy promise was thy steps should be</l> +<l>Through life in duty's path with me.</l> +<l>Remember, faithful still, thy vow,</l> +<l>And take me with thee even now.</l> +<l>Is that broad bosom where I hung,</l> +<l>That neck to which I fondly clung,</l> +<l>Where flowery garlands breathed their scent</l> +<l>By hungry dogs and vultures rent?</l> +<l>Shall no funereal honours grace</l> +<l>The parted lord of Raghu's race,</l> +<l>Whose bounty liberal fees bestowed,</l> +<l>For whom the fires of worship glowed?</l> +<l>Kauśalyá wild with grief will see</l> +<l>One sole survivor of the three</l> +<l>Who in their hermit garments went</l> +<l>To the dark woods in banishment.</l> +<l>Then at her cry shall Lakshmaṇ tell</l> +<l>How, slain by night, the Vánars fell;</l> +<l>How to thy side the giants crept,</l> +<l>And slew the hero as he slept.</l> +<l>Thy fate and mine the queen will know,</l> +<l>And broken-hearted die of woe.</l> +<l>For my unworthy sake, for mine,</l> +<l>Ráma, the glory of his line,</l> +<l>Who bridged his way across the main,</l> +<l>Is basely in a puddle slain;</l> +<l>And I, the graceless wife he wed,</l> +<l>Have brought this ruin on his head.</l> +<l>Me, too, on him, O Rávaṇ, slay:</l> +<l>The wife beside her husband lay.</l> +<l>By his dear body let me rest,</l> +<l>Cheek close to cheek and breast to breast,</l> +<l>My happy eyes I then will close,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And follow whither Ráma goes.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus cried the miserable dame;</l> +<l>When to the king a warder came,</l> +<l>Before the giant monarch bowed</l> +<l>And said that, followed by a crowd</l> +<l>Of counsellors and lords of state,</l> +<l>Prahasta stood before the gate,</l> +<l>And, sent by some engrossing care,</l> +<l>Craved audience of his master there.</l> +<l>The anxious tyrant left his seat</l> +<l>And hastened forth the chief to meet:</l> +<l>Then summoning his nobles all,</l> +<l>Took counsel in his regal hall.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Lanká's lord had left the queen,</l> +<l>The head and bow no more were seen.</l> +<l>The giant king his nobles eyed,</l> +<l>And, terrible as Yáma, cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O faithful lords, the time is come:</q></l> +<l>Gather our hosts with beat of drum.</l> +<l>Nigh to the town our foeman draws:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Be prudent, nor reveal the cause.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The nobles listened and obeyed:</l> +<l>Swift were the gathered troops arrayed,</l> +<l>And countless rovers of the night</l> +<l>Stood burning for the hour of fight.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXXIII"/> +<head>Canto XXXIII. Saramá.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Saramá, of gentler mood,</l> +<l>With pitying eyes the mourner viewed,</l> +<l>Stole to her side and softly told</l> +<l>Glad tidings that her heart consoled,</l> +<l>Revealing with sweet voice and smile</l> +<l>The secret of the giant's guile.</l> +<l>She, one of those who night and day</l> +<l>Watching in turns by Sítá lay,</l> +<l>Though Rákshas born felt pity's touch,</l> +<l>And loved the hapless lady much.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>I heard,</q> she said, <q rend="pre">thy bitter cry,</q></l> +<l>Heard Rávaṇ's speech and thy reply,</l> +<l>For, hiding in the thicket near,</l> +<l>No word or tone escaped mine ear.</l> +<l>When Rávaṇ hastened forth I bent</l> +<l>My steps to follow as he went,</l> +<l>And learnt the secret cause that drove</l> +<l>The monarch from the Aśoka grove.</l> +<l>Believe me, Queen, thou needst not weep</l> +<l>For Ráma slaughtered in his sleep.</l> +<l>Thy lion lord of men defies</l> +<l>By day attack, by night surprise.</l> +<l>Can even giants slay with ease</l> +<l>Vast hosts who fight with brandished trees,</l> +<l>For whom, with eye that never sleeps,</l> +<l>His constant watch thy Ráma keeps?</l> +<pb n="453"/><anchor id="Pg453"/> +<l>Lord of the mighty arm and chest,</l> +<l>Of earthly warriors first and best,</l> +<l>Whose fame through all the regions rings,</l> +<l>Proud scion of a hundred kings;</l> +<l>Who guards his life and loves to lend</l> +<l>His saving succour to a friend:</l> +<l>Whose bow no hand but his can strain,—</l> +<l>Thy lord, thy Ráma is not slain.</l> +<l>Obedient to his master's will,</l> +<l>A great magician, trained in ill,</l> +<l>With deftest art surpassing thought</l> +<l>That marvellous illusion wrought.</l> +<l>Let rising hope thy grief dispel:</l> +<l>Look up and smile, for all is well,</l> +<l>And gentle Lakshmí, Fortune's Queen,</l> +<l>Regards thee with a favouring mien.</l> +<l>Thy Ráma with his Vánar train</l> +<l>Has thrown a bridge athwart the main,</l> +<l>Has led his countless legions o'er,</l> +<l>And ranged them on this southern shore.</l> +<l>These eyes have seen the hero stand</l> +<l>Girt by his hosts on Lanká's strand,</l> +<l>And breathless spies each moment bring</l> +<l>Fresh tidings to the giant king;</l> +<l>And every peer and lord of state</l> +<l><q rend="post">Is called to counsel and debate.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She ceased: the sound, long loud and clear,</l> +<l>Of gathering armies smote her ear,</l> +<l>Where call of drum and shell rang out,</l> +<l>The tambour and the battle shout;</l> +<l>And, while the din the echoes woke,</l> +<l>Again to Janak's child she spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hear, lady, hear the loud alarms</q></l> +<l>That call the Rákshas troops to arms,</l> +<l>From stable and from stall they lead</l> +<l>The elephant and neighing steed,</l> +<l>Brace harness on with deftest care,</l> +<l>And chariots for the fight prepare.</l> +<l>Swift o'er the trembling ground career</l> +<l>Mailed horsemen armed with axe and spear,</l> +<l>And here and there in road and street</l> +<l>The terrible battalions meet.</l> +<l>I hear the gathering near and far,</l> +<l>The snorting steed, the rattling car.</l> +<l>Bold chieftains, leaders of the brave,</l> +<l>Press densely on, like wave on wave,</l> +<l>And bright the evening sunbeams glance</l> +<l>On helm and shield, on sword and lance.</l> +<l>Hark, lady, to the ringing steel,</l> +<l>Hark to the rolling chariot wheel:</l> +<l>Hark to the mettled courser's neigh</l> +<l>And drums' loud thunder far away.</l> +<l>The Queen of Fortune holds thee dear,</l> +<l>For Lanká's troops are struck with fear,</l> +<l>And Ráma with the lotus eyes,</l> +<l>Like Indra monarch of the skies,</l> +<l>With conquering arm will slay his foe</l> +<l>And free his lady from her woe.</l> +<l>Soon will his breast support thy head,</l> +<l>And tears of joy thine eyes will shed.</l> +<l>Soon by his mighty arm embraced</l> +<l>The long-lost rapture wilt thou taste,</l> +<l>And Ráma, meet for highest bliss,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Will gain his guerdon in thy kiss.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXXIV"/> +<head>Canto XXXIV. Saramá's Tidings.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus Saramá her story told:</l> +<l>And Sítá's spirit was consoled,</l> +<l>As when the first fresh rain is shed</l> +<l>The parching earth is comforted.</l> +<l>Then, filled with zeal for Sítá's sake,</l> +<l>Again in gentle tones she spake,</l> +<l>And, skilled in arts that soothe and please,</l> +<l>Addressed the queen in words like these:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy husband, lady, will I seek,</q></l> +<l>Say the fond words thy lips would speak,</l> +<l>And then, unseen of any eye,</l> +<l>Back to thy side will swiftly fly.</l> +<l>My airy flights are speedier far</l> +<l><q rend="post">Than Garuḍa's and the tempest are.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Sítá spake: her former woe</l> +<l>Still left her accents faint and low:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I know thy steps, which naught can stay,</q></l> +<l>Can urge through heaven and hell their way.</l> +<l>Then if thy love and changeless will</l> +<l>Would serve the helpless captive still,</l> +<l>Go forth and learn each plot and guile</l> +<l>Planned by the lord of Lanká's isle.</l> +<l>With magic art like maddening wine</l> +<l>He cheats these weeping eyes of mine,</l> +<l>Torments me with his suit, nor spares</l> +<l>Reproof or flattery, threats or prayers.</l> +<l>These guards surround me night and day;</l> +<l>My heart is sad, my senses stray;</l> +<l>And helpless in my woe I fear</l> +<l><q rend="post">The tyrant Rávaṇ even here.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Saramá replied: <q rend="pre">I go</q></l> +<l>To learn the purpose of thy foe,</l> +<l>Soon by thy side again to stand</l> +<l><q rend="post">And tell thee what the king has planned.</q></l> +<l>She sped, she heard with eager ears</l> +<l>The tyrant speak his hopes and fears,</l> +<l>Where, gathered at their master's call,</l> +<l>The nobles filled the council hall;</l> +<l>Then swiftly, to her promise true,</l> +<l>Back to the Aśoka grove she flew.</l> +<l>The lady on the grassy ground,</l> +<l>Longing for her return, she found;</l> +<l>Who with a gentle smile, to greet</l> +<l>The envoy, led her to a seat.</l> +<l>Through her worn frame a shiver ran</l> +<l>As Saramá her tale began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">There stood the royal mother: she</q></l> +<l>Besought her son to set thee free,</l> +<pb n="454"/><anchor id="Pg454"/> +<l>And to her counsel, tears and prayers,</l> +<l>The elder nobles added theirs:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O be the Maithil queen restored</q></l> +<l>With honour to her angry lord,</l> +<l>Let Janasthán's unhappy fight</l> +<l>Be witness of the hero's might.</l> +<l>Hanúmán o'er the waters came</l> +<l>And looked upon the guarded dame.</l> +<l>Let Lanká's chiefs who fought and fell</l> +<l><q rend="post">The prowess of the leader tell.</q></l> +<l>In vain they sued, in vain she wept,</l> +<l>His purpose still unchanged he kept,</l> +<l>As clings the miser to his gold,</l> +<l>He would not loose thee from his hold.</l> +<l>No, never till in death he lies,</l> +<l>Will Lanká's lord release his prize.</l> +<l>Soon slain by Ráma's arrows all</l> +<l>The giants with their king will fall,</l> +<l>And Ráma to his home will lead</l> +<l><q rend="post">His black-eyed queen from bondage freed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">An awful sound that moment rose</l> +<l>From Lanká's fast-approaching foes,</l> +<l>Where drum and shell in mingled peal</l> +<l>Made earth in terror rock and reel.</l> +<l>The hosts within the walls arrayed</l> +<l>Stood trembling, in their hearts dismayed;</l> +<l>Thought of the tempest soon to burst,</l> +<l>And Lanká's lord, their ruin, cursed.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXXV"/> +<head>Canto XXXV. Malyaván's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The fearful notes of drum and shell</l> +<l>Upon the ear of Rávaṇ fell.</l> +<l>One moment quailed his haughty look,</l> +<l>One moment in his fear he shook,</l> +<l>But soon recalling wonted pride,</l> +<l>His counsellors he sternly eyed,</l> +<l>And with a voice that thundered through</l> +<l>The council hall began anew:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Lords, I have heard—your tongues have told—</q></l> +<l>How Raghu's son is fierce and bold.</l> +<l>To Lanká's shore has bridged his way</l> +<l>And hither leads his wild array.</l> +<l>I know your might, in battle tried,</l> +<l>Fighting and conquering by my side.</l> +<l>Why now, when such a foe is near,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Looks eye to eye in silent fear?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased, his mother's sire well known</l> +<l>For wisdom in the council shown,</l> +<l>Malyaván, sage and faithful guide.</l> +<l>Thus to the monarch's speech replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Long reigns the king in safe repose,</q></l> +<l>Unmoved by fear of vanquished foes,</l> +<l>Whose feet by saving knowledge led</l> +<l>In justice path delight to tread:</l> +<l>Who knows to sheath the sword or wield,</l> +<l>To order peace, to strike or yield:</l> +<l>Prefers, when foes are stronger, peace,</l> +<l>And bids a doubtful conflict cease.</l> +<l>Now, King, the choice before thee lies,</l> +<l>Make peace with Ráma, and be wise.</l> +<l>This day the captive queen restore</l> +<l>Who brings the foe to Lanká's shore.</l> +<l>The Sire by whom the worlds are swayed</l> +<l>Of yore the Gods and demons made.</l> +<l>With these Injustice sided; those</l> +<l>Fair Justice for her champions chose.</l> +<l>Still Justice dwells with Gods above;</l> +<l>Injustice, fiends and giants love.</l> +<l>Thou, through the worlds that fear thee, long</l> +<l>Hast scorned the right and loved the wrong,</l> +<l>And Justice, with thy foes allied,</l> +<l>Gives might resistless to their side.</l> +<l>Thou, guided by thy wicked will,</l> +<l>Hast found delight in deeds of ill,</l> +<l>And sages in their holy rest</l> +<l>Have trembled, by thy power oppressed.</l> +<l>But they, who check each vain desire,</l> +<l>Are clothed with might which burns like fire.</l> +<l>In them the power and glory live</l> +<l>Which zeal and saintly fervour give.</l> +<l>Their constant task, their sole delight</l> +<l>Is worship and each holy rite,</l> +<l>To chant aloud the Veda hymn,</l> +<l>Nor let the sacred fires grow dim.</l> +<l>Now through the air like thunder ring</l> +<l>The echoes of the chants they sing.</l> +<l>The vapours of their incense rise</l> +<l>And veil with cloudy pall the skies,</l> +<l>And Rákshas might grows weak and faint</l> +<l>Killed by the power of sage and saint.</l> +<l>By Brahmá's boon thy life was screened</l> +<l>From God, Gandharva, Yaksha, fiend;</l> +<l>But Vánars, men, and bears, arrayed</l> +<l>Against thee now, thy shores invade.</l> +<l>Red meteors, heralds of despair</l> +<l>Flash frequent through the lurid air,</l> +<l>Foretelling to my troubled mind</l> +<l>The ruin of the Rákshas kind.</l> +<l>With awful thundering overhead</l> +<l>Clouds black as night are densely spread,</l> +<l>And oozing from the gloomy pall</l> +<l>Great drops of blood on Lanká fall.</l> +<l>Dogs roam through house and shrine to steal</l> +<l>The sacred oil and curd and meal,</l> +<l>Cats pair with tigers, hounds with swine,</l> +<l>And asses' foals are born of kine.</l> +<l>In these and countless signs I trace</l> +<l>The ruin of the giant race.</l> +<l>'Tis Vishṇu's self who comes to storm</l> +<l>Thy city, clothed in Ráma's form;</l> +<l>For, well I ween, no mortal hand</l> +<l>The ocean with a bridge has spanned.</l> +<l>O giant King, the dame release,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And sue to Raghu's son for peace</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="455"/><anchor id="Pg455"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXXVI"/> +<head>Canto XXXVI. Rávan's Reply.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Rávaṇ's breast with fury swelled,</l> +<l>And thus he spake by Death impelled,</l> +<l>While, under brows in anger bent,</l> +<l>Fierce glances from his eyes were sent:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The bitter words which thou, misled</q></l> +<l>By friendly thought, hast fondly said,</l> +<l>Which praise the foe and counsel fear,</l> +<l>Unheeded fall upon mine ear.</l> +<l>How canst thou deem a mighty foe</l> +<l>This Ráma who, in stress of woe,</l> +<l>Seeks, banished as his sire decreed,</l> +<l>Assistance from the Vánar breed?</l> +<l>Am I so feeble in thine eyes,</l> +<l>Though feared by dwellers of the skies,—</l> +<l>Whose might in many a battle shown</l> +<l>The glorious race of giants own?</l> +<l>Shall I for fear of him restore</l> +<l>The lady whom I hither bore,</l> +<l>Exceeding fair like Beauty's Queen<note place="foot">Lakshmí is the Goddess both of +beauty and fortune, and is represented with a lotus in her hand.</note></l> +<l>Without her well-loved lotus seen?</l> +<l>Around the chief let Lakshmaṇ stand,</l> +<l>Sugríva, and each Vánar band,</l> +<l>Soon, Malyaván, thine eyes will see</l> +<l>This boasted Ráma slain by me.</l> +<l>I in the brunt of war defy</l> +<l>The mightiest warriors of the sky;</l> +<l>And if I stoop to combat men,</l> +<l>Shall I be weak and tremble then?</l> +<l>This mangled trunk the foe may rend,</l> +<l>But Rávaṇ ne'er can yield or bend,</l> +<l>And be it vice or virtue, I</l> +<l>This nature never will belie.</l> +<l>What marvel if he bridged the sea?</l> +<l>Why should this deed disquiet thee?</l> +<l>This, only this, I surely know,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Back with his life he shall not go.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus in loud tones the king exclaimed,</l> +<l>And mute stood Malyaván ashamed,</l> +<l>His reverend head he humbly bent,</l> +<l>And slowly to his mansion went.</l> +<l>But Rávaṇ stayed, and deep in care</l> +<l>Held counsel with his nobles there,</l> +<l>All entrance to secure and close,</l> +<l>And guard the city from their foes.</l> +<l>He bade the chief Prahasta wait,</l> +<l>Commander at the eastern gate,</l> +<l>To fierce Mahodar, strong and brave,</l> +<l>To keep the southern gate, he gave,</l> +<l>Where Mahápárśva's might should aid</l> +<l>The chieftain with his hosts arrayed.</l> +<l>To guard the west—no chief more fit—</l> +<l>He placed the warrior Indrajít,</l> +<l>His son, the giant's joy and boast,</l> +<l>Surrounded by a Rákshas host:</l> +<l>And mighty Sáraṇ hastened forth</l> +<l>With Śuka to protect the north.<note place="foot">The poet appears to have forgotten +that Śuka and Sáraṇ were dismissed with ignominy in Canto XXIX, and have not +been reinstated.</note></l> +<l><q>I will myself,</q> the monarch cried,</l> +<l><q>Be present on the northern side.</q></l> +<l>These orders for the walls' defence</l> +<l>The tyrant gave, then parted thence,</l> +<l>And, by the hope of victory fired,</l> +<l>To chambers far within, retired.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXXVII"/> +<head>Canto XXXVII. Preparations.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Lords of the legions of the wood,</l> +<l>The chieftains with Vibhishaṇ stood,</l> +<l>And, strangers in the foeman's land,</l> +<l>Their hopes and fears in council scanned:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">See, see where Lanká's towers ascend,</q></l> +<l>Which Rávaṇ's power and might defend,</l> +<l>Which Gods, Gandharvas, fiends would fail</l> +<l>To conquer, if they durst assail.</l> +<l>How shall our legions pass within,</l> +<l>The city of the foe to win,</l> +<l>With massive walls and portals barred</l> +<l><q rend="post">Which Rávaṇ keeps with surest guard?</q></l> +<l>With anxious looks the walls they eyed:</l> +<l>And sage Vibhishaṇ thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">These lords of mine<note place="foot">The four who fled with him. Their +names are Anala, Panasa, Sampáti, and Pramati.</note> can answer: they</q></l> +<l>Within the walls have found their way,</l> +<l>The foeman's plan and order learned,</l> +<l>And hither to my side returned.</l> +<l>Now, Ráma, let my tongue declare</l> +<l>How Rávaṇ's hosts are stationed there.</l> +<l>Prahasta heads, in warlike state,</l> +<l>His legions at the eastern gate.</l> +<l>To guard the southern portal stands</l> +<l>Mahodar, girt by Rákshas bands,</l> +<l>Where mighty Mahápárśva, sent</l> +<l>By Rávaṇ's hest, his aid has lent.</l> +<l>Guard of the gate that fronts the west</l> +<l>Is valiant Indrajít, the best</l> +<l>Of warriors, Rávaṇ's joy and pride;</l> +<l>And by the youthful chieftain's side</l> +<l>Are giants, armed for fierce attacks</l> +<l>With sword and mace and battle-axe.</l> +<l>North, where approach is dreaded most,</l> +<l>The king, encompassed with a host</l> +<l>Of giants trained in war, whose hands</l> +<l>Wield maces, swords and lances, stands.</l> +<pb n="456"/><anchor id="Pg456"/> +<l>All these are chiefs whom Rávaṇ chose</l> +<l>As mightiest to resist his foes;</l> +<l>And each a countless army<note place="foot">The numbers here are comparatively +moderate: ten thousand elephants, ten thousand chariots, twenty thousand horses +and ten million giants.</note> leads</l> +<l><q rend="post">With elephants and cars and steeds.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma, while his spirit burned</l> +<l>For battle, words like these returned:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The eastern gate be Níla's care,</q></l> +<l>Opponent of Prahasta there.</l> +<l>The southern gate, with troops arrayed</l> +<l>Let Angad, Báli's son, invade.</l> +<l>The gate that fronts the falling sun</l> +<l>Shall be by brave Hanúmán won;</l> +<l>Soon through its portals shall he lead</l> +<l>His myriads of Vánar breed.</l> +<l>The gate that fronts the north shall be</l> +<l>Assailed by Lakshmaṇ and by me,</l> +<l>For I myself have sworn to kill</l> +<l>The tyrant who delights in ill.</l> +<l>Armed with the boon which Brahmá gave,</l> +<l>The Gods of heaven he loves to brave,</l> +<l>And through the trembling worlds he flies,</l> +<l>Oppressor of the just and wise.</l> +<l>Thou, Jámbaván, and thou, O King</l> +<l>Of Vánars, all your bravest bring,</l> +<l>And with your hosts in dense array</l> +<l>Straight to the centre force your way.</l> +<l>But let no Vánar in the storm</l> +<l>Disguise him in a human form,</l> +<l>Ye chiefs who change your shapes at will,</l> +<l>Retain your Vánar semblance still.</l> +<l>Thus, when we battle with the foe,</l> +<l>Both men and Vánars will ye know,</l> +<l>In human form will seven appear;</l> +<l>Myself, my brother Lakshmaṇ here;</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ, and the four he led</l> +<l><q rend="post">From Lanká's city when he fled.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Raghu's son the chiefs addressed:</l> +<l>Then, gazing on Suvela's crest,</l> +<l>Transported by the lovely sight,</l> +<l>He longed to climb the mountain height.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXXVIII"/> +<head>Canto XXXVIII. The Ascent Of Suvela.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q>Come let us scale,</q> the hero cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">This hill with various metals dyed.</q></l> +<l>This night upon the breezy crest</l> +<l>Sugríva, Lakshmaṇ, I, will rest,</l> +<l>With sage Vibhishaṇ, faithful friend,</l> +<l>His counsel and his lore to lend.</l> +<l>From those tall peaks each eager eye</l> +<l>The foeman's city shall espy,</l> +<l>Who from the wood my darling stole</l> +<l><q rend="post">And brought long anguish on my soul.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spake the lord of men, and bent</l> +<l>His footsteps to the steep ascent,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ, true in weal and woe,</l> +<l>Next followed with his shafts and bow.</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ followed, next in place,</l> +<l>The sovereign of the Vánar race,</l> +<l>And hundreds of the forest kind</l> +<l>Thronged with impetuous feet, behind.</l> +<l>The chiefs in woods and mountains bred</l> +<l>Fast followed to Suvela's head,</l> +<l>And gazed on Lanká bright and fair</l> +<l>As some gay city in the air.</l> +<l>On glittering gates, on ramparts raised</l> +<l>By giant hands, the chieftains gazed.</l> +<l>They saw the mighty hosts that, skilled</l> +<l>In arts of war, the city filled,</l> +<l>And ramparts with new ramparts lined,</l> +<l>The swarthy hosts that stood behind.</l> +<l>With spirits burning for the fight</l> +<l>They saw the giants from the height,</l> +<l>And from a hundred throats rang out</l> +<l>Defiance and the battle shout.</l> +<l>Then sank the sun with dying flame,</l> +<l>And soft the shades of twilight came,</l> +<l>And the full moon's delicious light</l> +<l>Was shed upon the tranquil night.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XXXIX"/> +<head>Canto XXXIX. Lanká.</head> + +<lg> +<l>They slept secure: the sun arose</l> +<l>And called the chieftains from repose.</l> +<l>Before the wondering Vánars, gay</l> +<l>With grove and garden, Lanká lay,</l> +<l>Where golden buds the Champak showed,</l> +<l>And bright with bloom Aśoka glowed,</l> +<l>And palm and Sál and many a tree</l> +<l>With leaf and flower were fair to see.</l> +<l>They looked on wood and lawn and glade,</l> +<l>On emerald grass and dusky shade,</l> +<l>Where creepers filled the air with scent,</l> +<l>And luscious fruit the branches bent,</l> +<l>Where bees inebriate loved to throng,</l> +<l>And each sweet bird was loud in song.</l> +<l>The wondering Vánars passed the bound</l> +<l>That circled that enchanting ground,</l> +<l>And as they came a sweet breeze through</l> +<l>The odorous alleys softly blew.</l> +<l>Some Vánars, at their king's behest,</l> +<l>Onward to bannered Lanká pressed,</l> +<l>While, startled by the strangers' tread,</l> +<l>The birds and deer before them fled.</l> +<l>Earth trembled at each step they took,</l> +<l>And Lanká at their shouting shook.</l> +<l>Bright rose before their wondering eyes</l> +<l>Trikúṭa's peak that kissed the skies,</l> +<l>And, clothed with flowers of every hue,</l> +<l>Afar its golden radiance threw.</l> +<l>Most fair to see the mountain's head</l> +<pb n="457"/><anchor id="Pg457"/> +<l>A hundred leagues in length was spread.</l> +<l>There Rávaṇ's town, securely placed,</l> +<l>The summit of Trikúṭa graced.</l> +<l>O'er leagues of land she stretched in pride,</l> +<l>A hundred long and twenty wide.</l> +<l>They saw a lofty wall enfold</l> +<l>The city, built of blocks of gold,</l> +<l>They saw the beams of morning fall</l> +<l>On dome and fane within the wall,</l> +<l>Bright with the shine that mansion gives</l> +<l>Where Vishṇu in his glory lives.</l> +<l>White-crested like the Lord of Snows</l> +<l>Before them Rávaṇ's palace rose.</l> +<l>High on a thousand pillars raised</l> +<l>With gold and precious stone it blazed,</l> +<l>Guarded by giant warders, crown</l> +<l>And ornament of Lanká's town.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XL"/> +<head>Canto XL. Rávan Attacked.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Still stood the son of Raghu where</l> +<l>Suvela's peak rose high in air,</l> +<l>And with Sugríva turned his eye</l> +<l>To scan each quarter of the sky.</l> +<l>There on Trikúṭa, nobly planned</l> +<l>And built by Viśvakarmá's hand,</l> +<l>He saw the lovely Lanká, dressed</l> +<l>In all her varied beauty, rest.</l> +<l>High on a tower above the gate</l> +<l>The tyrant stood in kingly state.</l> +<l>The royal canopy displayed</l> +<l>Above him lent its grateful shade,</l> +<l>And servants, from the giant band,</l> +<l>His cheek with jewelled chowries fanned.</l> +<l>Red sandal o'er his breast was spread,</l> +<l>His ornaments and robe were red:</l> +<l>Thus shows a cloud of darksome hue</l> +<l>With golden sunbeams flashing through.</l> +<l>While Ráma and the chiefs intent</l> +<l>Upon the king their glances bent,</l> +<l>Up sprang Sugríva from the ground</l> +<l>And reached the turret at a bound.</l> +<l>Unterrified the Vánar stood,</l> +<l>And wroth, with wondrous hardihood,</l> +<l>The king in bitter words addressed,</l> +<l>And thus his scorn and hate expressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">King of the giant race, in me</q></l> +<l>The friend and slave of Ráma see.</l> +<l>Lord of the world, he gives me power</l> +<l><q rend="post">To smite thee in thy fenced tower.</q></l> +<l>While through the air his challenge rang,</l> +<l>At Rávaṇ's face the Vánar sprang.</l> +<l>Snatched from his head the kingly crown</l> +<l>And dashed it in his fury down.</l> +<l>Straight at his foe the giant flew,</l> +<l>His mighty arms about him threw.</l> +<l>With strength resistless swung him round</l> +<l>And dashed him panting to the ground.</l> +<l>Unharmed amid the storm of blows</l> +<l>Swift to his feet Sugríva rose.</l> +<l>Again in furious fight they met:</l> +<l>With streams of blood their limbs were wet,</l> +<l>Each grasping his opponent's waist.</l> +<l>Thus with their branches interlaced,</l> +<l>Which, crimson with the flowers of spring,</l> +<l>From side to side the breezes swing,</l> +<l>In furious wrestle you may see</l> +<l>The Kinśuk and the Seemal tree.<note place="foot">The Kinśuk, also called Paláśa, is +Butea Frondosa, a tree that bears beautiful red crescent shaped blossoms +and is deservedly a favorite with poets. The Seemal or Śálmalí is the silk cotton +tree which also bears red blossoms.</note></l> +<l>They fought with fists and hands, alike</l> +<l>Prepared to parry and to strike.</l> +<l>Long time the doubtful combat, waged</l> +<l>With matchless strength and fury, raged.</l> +<l>Each fiercely struck, each guarded well,</l> +<l>Till, closing, from the tower they fell,</l> +<l>And, grasping each the other's throat,</l> +<l>Lay for an instant in the moat.</l> +<l>They rose, and each in fiercer mood</l> +<l>The sanguinary strife renewed.</l> +<l>Well matched in size and strength and skill</l> +<l>They fought the dubious battle still.</l> +<l>While sweat and blood their limbs bedewed</l> +<l>They met, retreated, and pursued:</l> +<l>Each stratagem and art they tried,</l> +<l>Stood front to front and swerved aside.</l> +<l>His hand a while the giant stayed</l> +<l>And called his magic to his aid.</l> +<l>But brave Sugríva, swift to know</l> +<l>The guileful purpose of the foe,</l> +<l>Gained with light leap the upper air,</l> +<l>And breath and strength and spirit there;</l> +<l>Then, joyous as for victory won,</l> +<l>Returned to Raghu's royal son.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XLI"/> +<head>Canto XLI. Ráma's Envoy.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Ráma saw each bloody trace</l> +<l>On King Sugríva's limbs and face,</l> +<l>He cried, while, sorrowing at the view,</l> +<l>His arms about his friend he threw:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Too venturous chieftain, kings like us</q></l> +<l>Bring not their lives in peril thus;</l> +<l>Nor, save when counsel shows the need,</l> +<l>Attempt so bold, so rash a deed.</l> +<l>Remember, I, Vibhishaṇ all</l> +<l>Have sorrowed fearing for thy fall.</l> +<l>O do not—for us all I speak—</l> +<l><q rend="post">These desperate adventures seek.</q></l> +<l><q>I could not,</q> cried Sugríva, <q rend="pre">brook</q></l> +<l>Upon the giant king to look,</l> +<pb n="458"/><anchor id="Pg458"/> +<l>Nor challenge to the deadly strife</l> +<l><q rend="post">The fiend who robbed thee of thy wife.</q></l> +<l><q>Now Lakshmaṇ, marshal,</q> Ráma cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Our legions where the woods are wide,</q></l> +<l>And stand we ready to oppose</l> +<l>The fury of our giant foes.</l> +<l>This day our armies shall ascend</l> +<l>The walls which Rávaṇ's powers defend,</l> +<l>And floods of Rákshas blood shall stain</l> +<l><q rend="post">The streets encumbered with the slain.</q></l> +<l>Down from the peak he came, and viewed</l> +<l>The Vánars' ordered multitude.</l> +<l>Each captain there for battle burned,</l> +<l>Each fiery eye to Lanká turned.</l> +<l>On, where the royal brothers led</l> +<l>To Lanká's walls the legions sped.</l> +<l>The northern gate, where giant foes</l> +<l>Swarmed round their monarch, Ráma chose</l> +<l>Where he in person might direct</l> +<l>The battle, and his troops protect.</l> +<l>What arm but his the post might keep</l> +<l>Where, strong as he who sways the deep,<note place="foot">Varuṇa.</note></l> +<l>Mid thousands armed with bow and mace,</l> +<l>Stood Rávaṇ mightiest of his race?</l> +<l>The eastern gate was Níla's post,</l> +<l>Where marshalled stood his Vánar host,</l> +<l>And Mainda with his troops arrayed,</l> +<l>And Dwivid stood to lend him aid.</l> +<l>The southern gate was Angad's care,</l> +<l>Who ranged his bold battalions there.</l> +<l>Hanúmán by the port that faced</l> +<l>The setting sun his legions placed,</l> +<l>And King Sugríva held the wood</l> +<l>East of the gate where Rávaṇ stood.</l> +<l>On every side the myriads met,</l> +<l>And Lanká's walls of close beset</l> +<l>That scarce the roving gale could win</l> +<l>A passage to the hosts within.</l> +<l>Loud as the angry ocean's roar</l> +<l>When wild waves lash the rocky shore,</l> +<l>Ten thousand thousand throats upsent</l> +<l>A shout that tore the firmament,</l> +<l>And Lanká with each grove and brook</l> +<l>And tower and wall and rampart shook.</l> +<l>The giants heard, and were appalled:</l> +<l>Then Raghu's son to Angad called,</l> +<l>And, led by kingly duty,<note place="foot">The duty of a king to save the lives +of his people and avoid bloodshed until milder methods have been tried in vain.</note> +gave</l> +<l>This order merciful as brave:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Go, Angad, Rávaṇ's presence seek,</q></l> +<l>And thus my words of warning speak:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">How art thou changed and fallen now,</q></l> +<l>O Monarch of the giants, thou</l> +<l>Whose impious fury would not spare</l> +<l>Saint, nymph, or spirit of the air;</l> +<l>Whose foot in haughty triumph trod</l> +<l>On Yaksha, king, and Serpent God:</l> +<l>How art thou fallen from thy pride</l> +<l>Which Brahmá's favour fortified!</l> +<l>With myriads at thy Lanká's gate</l> +<l>I stand my righteous ire to sate,</l> +<l>And punish thee with sword and flame,</l> +<l>The tyrant fiend who stole my dame.</l> +<l>Now show the might, employ the guile,</l> +<l>O Monarch of the giants' isle,</l> +<l>Which stole a helpless dame away:</l> +<l>Call up thy power and strength to-day.</l> +<l>Once more I warn thee, Rákshas King,</l> +<l>This hour the Maithil lady bring,</l> +<l>And, yielding while there yet is time,</l> +<l>Seek, suppliant, pardon for the crime,</l> +<l>Or I will leave beneath the sun</l> +<l>No living Rákshas, no, not one.</l> +<l>In vain from battle wilt thou fly,</l> +<l>Or borne on pinions seek the sky;</l> +<l>The hand of Ráma shall not spare;</l> +<l><q rend="post"><q rend="post">His fiery shaft shall smite thee there.</q></q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: and Angad bowed his head;</l> +<l>Thence like embodied flame he sped,</l> +<l>And lighted from his airy road</l> +<l>Within the Rákshas king's abode.</l> +<l>There sate, the centre of a ring</l> +<l>Of counsellors, the giant king.</l> +<l>Swift through the circle Angad pressed,</l> +<l>And spoke with fury in his breast:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Sent by the lord of Kośal's land,</q></l> +<l>His envoy here, O King, I stand,</l> +<l>Angad the son of Báli: fame</l> +<l>Has haply taught thine ears my name.</l> +<l>Thus in the words of Ráma I</l> +<l>Am come to warn thee or defy:</l> +<l>Come forth, and fighting in the van</l> +<l>Display the spirit of a man.</l> +<l>This arm shall slay thee, tyrant: all</l> +<l>Thy nobles, kith and kin shall fall:</l> +<l>And earth and heaven, from terror freed,</l> +<l>Shall joy to see the oppressor bleed.</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ, when his foe is slain,</l> +<l>Anointed king in peace shall reign.</l> +<l>Once more I counsel thee: repent,</l> +<l>Avoid the mortal punishment,</l> +<l>With honour due the dame restore,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And pardon for thy sin implore.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Loud rose the king's infuriate cry:</l> +<l><q>Seize, seize the Vánar, let him die.</q></l> +<l>Four of his band their lord obeyed,</l> +<l>And eager hands on Angad laid.</l> +<l>He purposing his strength to show</l> +<l>Gave no resistance to the foe,</l> +<l>But swiftly round his captors cast</l> +<l>His mighty arms and held them fast.</l> +<l>Fierce shout and cry around him rang:</l> +<l>Light to the palace roof he sprang,</l> +<l>There his detaining arms unwound,</l> +<l>And hurled the giants to the ground.</l> +<l>Then, smiting with a fearful stroke,</l> +<l>A turret from the roof he broke,—</l> +<l>As when the fiery levin sent</l> +<pb n="459"/><anchor id="Pg459"/> +<l>By Indra from the clouds has rent</l> +<l>The proud peak of the Lord of Snow,—</l> +<l>And flung the stony mass below.</l> +<l>Again with loud terrific cry</l> +<l>He sprang exulting to the sky,</l> +<l>And, joyous for his errand done,</l> +<l>Stood by the side of Raghu's son.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XLII"/> +<head>Canto XLII. The Sally.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Still was the cry, <q rend="pre">The Vánar foes</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Around the leaguered city close.</q></l> +<l>King Rávaṇ from the terrace gazed</l> +<l>And saw, with eyes where fury blazed,</l> +<l>The Vánar host in serried ranks</l> +<l>Press to the moat and line the banks,</l> +<l>And, first in splendour and in place,</l> +<l>The lion lord of Raghu's race.</l> +<l>And Ráma looked on Lanká where</l> +<l>Gay flags were streaming to the air,</l> +<l>And, while keen sorrow pierced him through,</l> +<l>His loving thoughts to Sítá flew:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">There, there in deep affliction lies</q></l> +<l>My darling with the fawn-like eyes.</l> +<l>There on the cold bare ground she keeps</l> +<l><q rend="post">Sad vigil and for Ráma weeps.</q></l> +<l>Mad with the thought, <q>Charge, charge,</q> he cried.</l> +<l><q>Let earth with Rákshas blood be dyed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Responsive to his call rang out</l> +<l>A loud, a universal shout,</l> +<l>As myriads filled the moat with stone,</l> +<l>Trees, rocks, and mountains overthrown,</l> +<l>And charging at their leader's call</l> +<l>Pressed forward furious to the wall.</l> +<l>Some in their headlong ardour scaled</l> +<l>The rampart's height, the guard assailed,</l> +<l>And many a ponderous fragment rent</l> +<l>From portal, tower, and battlement.</l> +<l>Huge gates adorned with burnished gold</l> +<l>Were loosed and lifted from their hold;</l> +<l>And post and pillar, with a sound</l> +<l>Like thunder, fell upon the ground.</l> +<l>At every portal, east and west</l> +<l>And north and south, the chieftains pressed</l> +<l>Each in his post appointed led</l> +<l>His myriads in the forest bred.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Charge, let the gates be opened wide:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Charge, charge, my giants,</q> Rávaṇ cried.</l> +<l>They heard his voice, and loud and long</l> +<l>Rang the wild clamour of the throng,</l> +<l>And shell and drum their notes upsent,</l> +<l>And every martial instrument.</l> +<l>Forth, at the bidding of their lord</l> +<l>From every gate the giants poured,</l> +<l>As, when the waters rise and swell,</l> +<l>Huge waves preceding waves impel.</l> +<l>Again from every Vánar throat</l> +<l>A scream of fierce defiance smote</l> +<l>The welkin: earth and sea and sky</l> +<l>Reëchoed with the awful cry.</l> +<l>The roar of elephants, the neigh</l> +<l>Of horses eager for the fray.</l> +<l>The frequent clash of warriors' steel,</l> +<l>The rattling of the chariot wheel.</l> +<l>Fierce was the deadly fight: opposed</l> +<l>In terrible array they closed,</l> +<l>As when the Gods of heaven enraged</l> +<l>With rebel fiends wild battle waged.</l> +<l>Axe, spear, and mace were wielded well:</l> +<l>At every blow a Vánar fell.</l> +<l>But shivered rock and brandished tree</l> +<l>Brought many a giant on his knee,</l> +<l>To perish in his turn beneath</l> +<l>The deadly wounds of nails and teeth.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XLIII"/> +<head>Canto XLIII. The Single Combats.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Brave chiefs of each opposing side</l> +<l>Their strength in single combat tried.</l> +<l>Fierce Indrajít the fight began</l> +<l>With Angad in the battle's van.</l> +<l>Sampáti, strongest of his race,</l> +<l>Stood with Prajangha face to face.</l> +<l>Hanúmán, Jambumáli met</l> +<l>In mortal opposition set.</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ, brother of the lord</l> +<l>Of Lanká, raised his threatening sword</l> +<l>And singled out, with eyes aglow</l> +<l>With wrath, Śatrughna for his foe.</l> +<l>The mighty Gaja Tapan sought,</l> +<l>And Níla with Nikumbha fought.</l> +<l>Sugríva, Vánar king, defied</l> +<l>Fierce Praghas long in battle tried,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ fearless in the fight</l> +<l>Encountered Vírúpáksha's might.</l> +<l>To meet the royal Ráma came</l> +<l>Wild Agniketu fierce as flame;</l> +<l>Mitraghana, he who loved to strike</l> +<l>His foeman and his friend alike:</l> +<l>With Raśmiketu, known and feared</l> +<l>Where'er his ponderous flag was reared;</l> +<l>And Yajnakopa whose delight</l> +<l>Was ruin of the sacred rite.</l> +<l>These met and fought, with thousands more,</l> +<l>And trampled earth was red with gore.</l> +<l>Swift as the bolt which Indra sends</l> +<l>When fire from heaven the mountain rends</l> +<l>Smote Indrajít with furious blows</l> +<l>On Angad queller of his foes.</l> +<l>But Angad from his foeman tore</l> +<l>The murderous mace the warrior bore,</l> +<pb n="460"/><anchor id="Pg460"/> +<l>And low in dust his coursers rolled,</l> +<l>His driver, and his car of gold.</l> +<l>Struck by the shafts Prajangha sped,</l> +<l>The Vánar chief Sampáti bled,</l> +<l>But, heedless of his gashes he</l> +<l>Crushed down the giant with a tree.</l> +<l>Then car-borne Jambumáli smote</l> +<l>Hanumán on the chest and throat;</l> +<l>But at the car the Vánar rushed,</l> +<l>And chariot, steeds, and rider crushed.</l> +<l>Sugríva whirled a huge tree round,</l> +<l>And struck fierce Praghas to the ground.</l> +<l>One arrow shot from Lakshmaṇ's bow</l> +<l>Laid mighty Vírúpáksha low.</l> +<l>His giant foes round Ráma pressed</l> +<l>And shot their shafts at head and breast;</l> +<l>But, when the iron shower was spent,</l> +<l>Four arrows from his bow he sent,</l> +<l>And every missile, deftly sped;</l> +<l>Cleft from the trunk a giant head.<note place="foot">I have omitted several of these +single combats, as there is little variety in the details and each duel results in the +victory of the Vánar or his ally.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XLIV"/> +<head>Canto XLIV. The Night.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The lord of Light had sunk and set:</l> +<l>Night came; the foeman struggled yet;</l> +<l>And fiercer for the gloom of night</l> +<l>Grew the wild fury of the fight.</l> +<l>Scarce could each warrior's eager eye</l> +<l>The foeman from the friend descry.</l> +<l><q>Rákshas or Vánar? say;</q> cried each,</l> +<l>And foe knew foeman by his speech.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why wilt thou fly? O warrior, stay:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Turn on the foe, and rend and slay:</q></l> +<l>Such were the cries, such words of fear</l> +<l>Smote through the gloom each listening ear.</l> +<l>Each swarthy rover of the night</l> +<l>Whose golden armour flashed with light,</l> +<l>Showed like a towering hill embraced</l> +<l>By burning woods about his waist.</l> +<l>The giants at the Vánars flew,</l> +<l>And ravening ate the foes they slew:</l> +<l>With mortal bite like serpent's fang,</l> +<l>The Vánars at the giants sprang,</l> +<l>And car and steeds and they who bore</l> +<l>The pennons fell bedewed with gore.</l> +<l>No serried band, no firm array</l> +<l>The fury of their charge could stay.</l> +<l>Down went the horse and rider, down</l> +<l>Went giant lords of high renown.</l> +<l>Though midnight's shade was dense and dark,</l> +<l>With skill that swerved not from the mark</l> +<l>Their bows the sons of Raghu drew,</l> +<l>And each keen shaft a chieftain slew.</l> +<l>Uprose the blinding dust from meads</l> +<l>Ploughed by the cars and trampling steeds,</l> +<l>And where the warriors fell the flood</l> +<l>Was dark and terrible with blood.</l> +<l>Six giants<note place="foot">Yajnaśatru, Mahápárśva, Mahodar, +Vajradanshṭra, Śuka, and Sáraṇ.</note> singled Ráma out,</l> +<l>And charged him with a furious shout</l> +<l>Loud as the roaring of the sea</l> +<l>When every wind is raging free.</l> +<l>Six times he shot: six heads were cleft;</l> +<l>Six giants dead on earth were left.</l> +<l>Nor ceased he yet: his bow he strained,</l> +<l>And from the sounding weapon rained</l> +<l>A storm of shafts whose fiery glare</l> +<l>Filled all the region of the air;</l> +<l>And chieftains dropped before his aim</l> +<l>Like moths that perish in the flame.</l> +<l>Earth glistened where the arrows fell,</l> +<l>As shines in autumn nights a dell</l> +<l>Which fireflies, flashing through the gloom,</l> +<l>With momentary light illume.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But Indrajít, when Báli's +son<note place="foot">Angad.</note></l> +<l>The victory o'er the foe had won,</l> +<l>Saw with a fury-kindled eye</l> +<l>His mangled steeds and driver die;</l> +<l>Then, lost in air, he fled the fight,</l> +<l>And vanished from the victor's sight.</l> +<l>The Gods and saints glad voices raised,</l> +<l>And Angad for his virtue praised;</l> +<l>And Raghu's sons bestowed the meed</l> +<l>Of honour due to valorous deed.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Compelled his shattered car to quit,</l> +<l>Rage filled the soul of Indrajít,</l> +<l>Who brooked not, strong by Brahmá's grace</l> +<l>Defeat from one of Vánar race.</l> +<l>In magic mist concealed from view</l> +<l>His bow the treacherous warrior drew,</l> +<l>And Raghu's sons were first to feel</l> +<l>The tempest of his winged steel.</l> +<l>Then when his arrows failed to kill</l> +<l>The princes who defied him still,</l> +<l>He bound them with the serpent noose,<note place="foot">A mysterious weapon consisting +of serpents transformed to arrows which deprived the wounded object of all sense +and power of motion.</note></l> +<l>The magic bond which none might loose.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XLV"/> +<head>Canto XLV. Indrajít's Victory.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Brave Ráma, burning still to know</l> +<l>The station of his artful foe,</l> +<pb n="461"/><anchor id="Pg461"/> +<l>Gave to ten chieftains, mid the best</l> +<l>Of all the host, his high behest.</l> +<l>Swift rose in air the Vánar band:</l> +<l>Each region of the sky they scanned:</l> +<l>But Rávaṇ's son by magic skill</l> +<l>Checked them with arrows swifter still,</l> +<l>When streams of blood from chest and side</l> +<l>The dauntless Vánars' limbs had dyed,</l> +<l>The giant in his misty shroud</l> +<l>Showed like the sun obscured by cloud.</l> +<l>Like serpents hissing through the air,</l> +<l>His arrows smote the princely pair;</l> +<l>And from their limbs at every rent</l> +<l>A stream of rushing blood was sent.</l> +<l>Like Kinśuk trees they stood, that show</l> +<l>In spring their blossoms' crimson glow.</l> +<l>Then Indrajít with fury eyed</l> +<l>Ikshváku's royal sons, and cried:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Not mighty Indra can assail</q></l> +<l>Or see me when I choose to veil</l> +<l>My form in battle: and can ye,</l> +<l>Children of earth, contend with me?</l> +<l>The arrowy noose this hand has shot</l> +<l>Has bound you with a hopeless knot;</l> +<l>And, slaughtered by my shafts and bow,</l> +<l><q rend="post">To Yáma's hall this hour ye go.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke, and shouted. Then anew</l> +<l>The arrows from his bowstring flew,</l> +<l>And pierced, well aimed with perfect art,</l> +<l>Each limb and joint and vital part.</l> +<l>Transfixed with shafts in every limb,</l> +<l>Their strength relaxed, their eyes grew dim.</l> +<l>As two tall standards side by side,</l> +<l>With each sustaining rope untied,</l> +<l>Fall levelled by the howling blast,</l> +<l>So earth's majestic lords at last</l> +<l>Beneath the arrowy tempest reeled,</l> +<l>And prostrate pressed the battle field.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XLVI"/> +<head>Canto XLVI. Indrajít's Triumph.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The Vánar chiefs whose piercing eyes</l> +<l>Scanned eagerly the earth and skies,</l> +<l>Saw the brave brothers wounded sore</l> +<l>Transfixed with darts and stained with gore.</l> +<l>The monarch of the Vánar race,</l> +<l>With wise Vibhishaṇ, reached the place;</l> +<l>Angad and Níla came behind,</l> +<l>And others of the forest kind,</l> +<l>And standing with Hanúmán there</l> +<l>Lamented for the fallen pair.</l> +<l>Their melancholy eyes they raised;</l> +<l>In fruitless search a while they gazed.</l> +<l>But magic arts Vibhishaṇ knew;</l> +<l>Not hidden from his keener view,</l> +<l>Though veiled by magic from the rest,</l> +<l>The son of Rávaṇ stood confessed.</l> +<l>Fierce Indrajít with savage pride</l> +<l>The fallen sons of Raghu eyed,</l> +<l>And every giant heart was proud</l> +<l>As thus the warrior cried aloud:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Slain by mine arrows Ráma lies,</q></l> +<l>And closed in death are Lakshmaṇ's eyes.</l> +<l>Dead are the mighty princes who</l> +<l>Dúshaṇ and Khara smote and slew.</l> +<l>The Gods and fiends may toil in vain</l> +<l>To free them from the binding chain.</l> +<l>The haughty chief, my father's dread,</l> +<l>Who drove him sleepless from his bed,</l> +<l>While Lanká, troubled like a brook</l> +<l>In rain time, heard his name and shook:</l> +<l>He whose fierce hate our lives pursued</l> +<l>Lies helpless by my shafts subdued.</l> +<l>Now fruitless is each wondrous deed</l> +<l>Wrought by the race the forests breed,</l> +<l>And fruitless every toil at last</l> +<l><q rend="post">Like cloudlets when the rains are past.</q></l> +<l>Then rose the shout of giants loud</l> +<l>As thunder from a bursting cloud,</l> +<l>When, deeming Ráma, dead, they raised</l> +<l>Their voices and the conqueror praised.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Still motionless, as lie the slain,</l> +<l>The brothers pressed the bloody plain,</l> +<l>No sigh they drew, no breath they heaved,</l> +<l>And lay as though of life bereaved.</l> +<l>Proud of the deed his art had done,</l> +<l>To Lanká's town went Rávaṇ's son,</l> +<l>Where, as he passed, all fear was stilled,</l> +<l>And every heart with triumph filled.</l> +<l>Sugríva trembled as he viewed</l> +<l>Each fallen prince with blood bedewed,</l> +<l>And in his eyes which overflowed</l> +<l>With tears the flame of anger glowed.</l> +<l><q>Calm,</q> cried Vibhishaṇ, <q rend="pre">calm thy fears,</q></l> +<l>And stay the torrent of thy tears.</l> +<l>Still must the chance of battle change,</l> +<l>And victory still delight to range.</l> +<l>Our cause again will she befriend</l> +<l>And bring us triumph in the end.</l> +<l>This is not death: each prince will break</l> +<l>The spell that holds him, and awake;</l> +<l>Nor long shall numbing magic bind</l> +<l><q rend="post">The mighty arm, the lofty mind.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: his finger bathed in dew</l> +<l>Across Sugríva's eyes he drew;</l> +<l>From dulling mist his vision freed,</l> +<l>And spoke these words to suit the need:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No time is this for fear: away</q></l> +<l>With fainting heart and weak delay.</l> +<l>Now, e'en the tear which sorrow wrings</l> +<l>From loving eyes destruction brings.</l> +<l>Up, on to battle at the head</l> +<l>Of those brave troops which Ráma led.</l> +<l>Or guardian by his side remain</l> +<l>Till sense and strength the prince regain.</l> +<l>Soon shall the trance-bound pair revive,</l> +<l>And from our hearts all sorrow drive.</l> +<l>Though prostrate on the earth he lie,</l> +<pb n="462"/><anchor id="Pg462"/> +<l>Deem not that Ráma's death is nigh;</l> +<l>Deem not that Lakshmí will forget</l> +<l>Or leave her darling champion yet.</l> +<l>Rest here and be thy heart consoled;</l> +<l>Ponder my words, be firm and bold.</l> +<l>I, foremost in the battlefield,</l> +<l>Will rally all who faint or yield.</l> +<l>Their staring eyes betray their fear;</l> +<l>They whisper each in other's ear.</l> +<l>They, when they hear my cheering cry</l> +<l>And see the friend of Ráma nigh,</l> +<l>Will cast their gloom and fears away</l> +<l><q rend="post">Like faded wreaths of yesterday.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus calmed he King Sugríva's dread;</l> +<l>Then gave new heart to those who fled.</l> +<l>Fierce Indrajít, his soul on fire</l> +<l>With pride of conquest, sought his sire,</l> +<l>Raised reverent hands, and told him all,</l> +<l>The battle and the princes' fall.</l> +<l>Rejoicing at his foes' defeat</l> +<l>Upsprang the monarch from his seat,</l> +<l>Girt by his giant courtiers: round</l> +<l>His warrior son his arms he wound,</l> +<l>Close kisses on his head applied,</l> +<l>And heard again how Ráma died.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XLVII"/> +<head>Canto XLVII. Sítá.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Still on the ground where Ráma slept</l> +<l>Their faithful watch the Vánars kept.</l> +<l>There Angad stood o'erwhelmed with grief</l> +<l>And many a lord and warrior chief;</l> +<l>And, ranged in densest mass around,</l> +<l>Their tree-armed legions held the ground.</l> +<l>Far ranged each Vánar's eager eye,</l> +<l>Now swept the land, now sought the sky,</l> +<l>All fearing, if a leaf was stirred,</l> +<l>A Rákshas in the sound they heard.</l> +<l>The lord of Lanká in his hall,</l> +<l>Rejoicing at his foeman's fall,</l> +<l>Commanded and the warders came</l> +<l>Who ever watched the Maithil dame.</l> +<l><q>Go,</q> cried the Rákshas king, <q rend="pre">relate</q></l> +<l>To Janak's child her husband's fate.</l> +<l>Low on the earth her Ráma lies,</l> +<l>And dark in death are Lakshmaṇ's eyes.</l> +<l>Bring forth my car and let her ride</l> +<l>To view the chieftains side by side.</l> +<l>The lord to whom her fancy turned</l> +<l>For whose dear sake my love she spurned,</l> +<l>Lies smitten, as he fiercely led</l> +<l>The battle, with his brother dead.</l> +<l>Lead forth the royal lady: go</l> +<l>Her husband's lifeless body show.</l> +<l>Then from all doubt and terror free</l> +<l><q rend="post">Her softening heart will turn to me.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They heard his speech: the car was brought;</l> +<l>That shady grove the warders sought</l> +<l>Where, mourning Ráma night and day,</l> +<l>The melancholy lady lay.</l> +<l>They placed her in the car and through</l> +<l>The yielding air they swiftly flew.</l> +<l>The lady looked upon the plain,</l> +<l>Looked on the heaps of Vánar slain,</l> +<l>Saw where, triumphant in the fight,</l> +<l>Thronged the fierce rovers of the night,</l> +<l>And Vánar chieftains, mournful-eyed,</l> +<l>Watched by the fallen brothers' side.</l> +<l>There stretched upon his gory bed</l> +<l>Each brother lay as lie the dead,</l> +<l>With shattered mail and splintered bow</l> +<l>Pierced by the arrows of the foe.</l> +<l>When on the pair her eyes she bent,</l> +<l>Burst from her lips a wild lament</l> +<l>Her eyes o'erflowed, she groaned and sighed</l> +<l>And thus in trembling accents cried:</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XLVIII"/> +<head>Canto XLVIII. Sítá's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">False are they all, proved false to-day,</q></l> +<l>The prophets of my fortune, they</l> +<l>Who in the tranquil time of old</l> +<l>A blessed life for me foretold,</l> +<l>Predicting I should never know</l> +<l>A childless dame's, a widow's woe,</l> +<l>False are they all, their words are vain,</l> +<l>For thou, my lord and life, art slain.</l> +<l>False was the priest and vain his lore</l> +<l>Who blessed me in those days of yore</l> +<l>By Ráma's side in bliss to reign:</l> +<l>For thou, my lord and life, art slain.</l> +<l>They hailed me happy from my birth,</l> +<l>Proud empress of the lord of earth.</l> +<l>They blessed me—but the thought is pain—</l> +<l>For thou, my lord and life, art slain.</l> +<l>Ah, fruitless hope! each glorious sign</l> +<l>That stamps the future queen is mine,</l> +<l>With no ill-omened mark to show</l> +<l>A widow's crushing hour of woe.</l> +<l>They say my hair is black and fine,</l> +<l>They praise my brows' continuous line;</l> +<l>My even teeth divided well,</l> +<l>My bosom for its graceful swell.</l> +<l>They praise my feet and fingers oft;</l> +<l>They say my skin is smooth and soft,</l> +<l>And call me happy to possess</l> +<l>The twelve fair marks that bring success.<note place="foot">On each foot, and at +the root of each finger.</note></l> +<l>But ah, what profit shall I gain?</l> +<l>Thou, O my lord and life, art slain.</l> +<l>The flattering seer in former days</l> +<l>My gentle girlish smile would praise,</l> +<pb n="463"/><anchor id="Pg463"/> +<l>And swear that holy water shed</l> +<l>By Bráhman hands upon my head</l> +<l>Should make me queen, a monarch's bride:</l> +<l>How is the promise verified?</l> +<l>Matchless in might the brothers slew</l> +<l>In Janasthán the giant crew.</l> +<l>And forced the indomitable sea</l> +<l>To let them pass to rescue me.</l> +<l>Theirs was the fiery weapon hurled</l> +<l>By him who rules the watery world;<note place="foot">Varuṇ.</note></l> +<l>Theirs the dire shaft by Indra sped;</l> +<l>Theirs was the mystic Brahmá's Head.<note place="foot">The name of one of the mystical +weapons the command over which was given by Viśvámitra to Ráma, as related +in Book I.</note></l> +<l>In vain they fought, the bold and brave:</l> +<l>A coward's hand their death-wounds gave.</l> +<l>By secret shafts and magic spell</l> +<l>The brothers, peers of Indra, fell.</l> +<l>That foe, if seen by Ráma's eye</l> +<l>One moment, had not lived to fly.</l> +<l>Though swift as thought, his utmost speed</l> +<l>Had failed him in the hour of need.</l> +<l>No might, no tear, no prayer may stay</l> +<l>Fate's dark inevitable day.</l> +<l>Nor could their matchless valour shield</l> +<l>These heroes on the battle field.</l> +<l>I sorrow for the noble dead,</l> +<l>I mourn my hopes for ever fled;</l> +<l>But chief my weeping eyes o'erflow</l> +<l>For Queen Kauśalyá's hopeless woe.</l> +<l>The widowed queen is counting now</l> +<l>Each hour prescribed by Ráma's vow,</l> +<l>And lives because she longs to see</l> +<l><q rend="post">Once more her princely sons and me.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Trijaṭá,<note place="foot">One of Sítá's guard, and her +comforter on a former occasion also.</note> of gentler mould</l> +<l>Though Rákshas born, her grief consoled:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Dear Queen, thy causeless woe dispel:</q></l> +<l>Thy husband lives, and all is well.</l> +<l>Look round: in every Vánar face</l> +<l>The light of joyful hope I trace.</l> +<l>Not thus, believe me, shine the eyes</l> +<l>Of warriors when their leader dies.</l> +<l>An Army, when the chief is dead,</l> +<l>Flies from the field dispirited.</l> +<l>Here, undisturbed in firm array,</l> +<l>The Vánars by the brothers stay.</l> +<l>Love prompts my speech; no longer grieve;</l> +<l>Ponder my counsel, and believe.</l> +<l>These lips of mine from earliest youth</l> +<l>Have spoken, and shall speak, the truth.</l> +<l>Deep in my heart thy gentle grace</l> +<l>And patient virtues hold their place.</l> +<l>Turn, lady, turn once more thine eye:</l> +<l>Though pierced with shafts the heroes lie,</l> +<l>On brows and cheeks with blood-drops wet</l> +<l>The light of beauty lingers yet.</l> +<l>Such beauty ne'er is found in death,</l> +<l>But vanishes with parting breath.</l> +<l>O, trust the hope these tokens give:</l> +<l><q rend="post">The heroes are not dead, but live.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Sítá joined her hands, and sighed,</l> +<l><q>O, may thy words be verified!</q></l> +<l>The car was turned, which fleet as thought</l> +<l>The mourning queen to Lanká brought.</l> +<l>They led her to the garden, where</l> +<l>Again she yielded to despair,</l> +<l>Lamenting for the chiefs who bled</l> +<l>On earth's cold bosom with the dead.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XLIX"/> +<head>Canto XLIX. Ráma's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Ranged round the spot where Ráma fell</l> +<l>Each Vánar chief stood sentinel.</l> +<l>At length the mighty hero broke</l> +<l>The trance that held him, and awoke.</l> +<l>He saw his senseless brother, dyed</l> +<l>With blood from head to foot, and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What have I now to do with life</q></l> +<l>Or rescue of my prisoned wife,</l> +<l>When thus before my weeping eyes,</l> +<l>Slain in the fight, my brother lies?</l> +<l>A queen like Sítá I may find</l> +<l>Among the best of womankind,</l> +<l>But never such a brother, tried</l> +<l>In war, my guardian, friend, and guide.</l> +<l>If he be dead, the brave and true,</l> +<l>I will not live but perish too.</l> +<l>How, reft of Lakshmaṇ, shall I meet</l> +<l>My mother, and Kaikeyí greet?</l> +<l>My brother's eager question brook,</l> +<l>And fond Sumitrá's longing look?</l> +<l>What shall I say, o'erwhelmed with shame</l> +<l>To cheer the miserable dame?</l> +<l>How, when she hears her son is dead,</l> +<l>Will her sad heart be comforted?</l> +<l>Ah me, for longer life unfit</l> +<l>This mortal body will I quit;</l> +<l>For Lakshmaṇ slaughtered for my sake,</l> +<l>From sleep of death will never wake.</l> +<l>Ah when I sank oppressed with care,</l> +<l>Thy gentle voice could soothe despair.</l> +<l>And art thou, O my brother, killed?</l> +<l>Is that dear voice for ever stilled?</l> +<l>Cold are those lips, my brother, whence</l> +<l>Came never word to breed offence?</l> +<l>Ah stretched upon the gory plain</l> +<l>My brother lies untimely slain:</l> +<l>Numbed is the mighty arm that slew</l> +<l>The leaders of the giant crew.</l> +<l>Transfixed with shafts, with blood-streams red,</l> +<l>Thou liest on thy lowly bed:</l> +<pb n="464"/><anchor id="Pg464"/> +<l>So sinks to rest, his journey done,</l> +<l>Mid arrowy rays the crimson sun.</l> +<l>Thou, when from home and sire I fled,</l> +<l>The wood's wild ways with me wouldst tread:</l> +<l>Now close to thine my steps shall be,</l> +<l>For I in death will follow thee.</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ now will curse my name,</l> +<l>And Ráma as a braggart blame,</l> +<l>Who promised—but his word is vain—</l> +<l>That he in Lanká's isle should reign.</l> +<l>Return, Sugríva: reft of me</l> +<l>Lead back thy Vánars o'er the sea,</l> +<l>Nor hope to battle face to face</l> +<l>With him who rules the giant race.</l> +<l>Well have ye done and nobly fought,</l> +<l>And death in desperate combat sought.</l> +<l>All that heroic might can do,</l> +<l>Brave Vánars, has been done by you.</l> +<l>My faithful friends I now dismiss:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Return: my last farewell is this.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Bedewed with tears was every cheek</l> +<l>As thus the Vánars heard him speak.</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ on the field had stayed</l> +<l>The Vánar hosts who fled dismayed.</l> +<l>Now lifting up his mace on high</l> +<l>With martial step the chief drew nigh.</l> +<l>The hosts who watched by Ráma's side</l> +<l>Beheld his shape and giant stride.</l> +<l>'Tis he, 'tis Rávaṇ's son, they thought:</l> +<l>And all in flight their safety sought.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-L"/> +<head>Canto L. The Broken Spell.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Sugríva viewed the flying crowd,</l> +<l>And thus to Angad cried aloud:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why run the trembling hosts, as flee</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Storm-scattered barks across the sea?</q></l> +<l><q>Dost thou not mark,</q> the chief replied,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Transfixed with shafts, with bloodstreams dyed,</q></l> +<l>With arrowy toils about them wound,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The sons of Raghu on the ground?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That moment brought Vibhishaṇ near.</l> +<l>Sugríva knew the cause of fear,</l> +<l>And ordered Jámbaván, who led</l> +<l>The bears, to check the hosts that fled.</l> +<l>The king of bears his hest obeyed:</l> +<l>The Vánars' headlong flight was stayed.</l> +<l>A little while Vibhishaṇ eyed</l> +<l>The brothers fallen side by side.</l> +<l>His giant fingers wet with dew</l> +<l>Across the heroes' eyes he drew,</l> +<l>Still on the pair his sad look bent,</l> +<l>And spoke these word in wild lament:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah for the mighty chiefs brought low</q></l> +<l>By coward hand and stealthy blow!</l> +<l>Brave pair who loved the open fight,</l> +<l>Slain by that rover of the night.</l> +<l>Dishonest is the victory won</l> +<l>By Indrajít my brother's son.</l> +<l>I on their might for aid relied,</l> +<l>And in my cause they fought and died.</l> +<l>Lost is the hope that soothed each pain:</l> +<l>I live, but live no more to reign,</l> +<l>While Lanká's lord, untouched by ill,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Exults in safe defiance still.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Not thus,</q> Sugríva said, <q rend="pre">repine,</q></l> +<l>For Lanká's isle shall still be thine.</l> +<l>Nor let the tyrant and his son</l> +<l>Exult before the fight be done.</l> +<l>These royal chiefs, though now dismayed,</l> +<l>Freed from the spell by Garuḍ's aid,</l> +<l>Triumphant yet the foe shall meet</l> +<l><q rend="post">And lay the robber at their feet.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His hope the Vánar monarch told,</l> +<l>And thus Vibhishaṇ's grief consoled.</l> +<l>Then to Susheṇ who at his side</l> +<l>Expectant stood, Sugríva cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">When these regain their strength and sense,</q></l> +<l>Fly, bear them to Kishkindhá hence.</l> +<l>Here with my legions will I stay,</l> +<l>The tyrant and his kinsmen slay,</l> +<l>And, rescued from the giant king,</l> +<l>The Maithil lady will I bring,</l> +<l>Like Glory lost of old, restored</l> +<l><q rend="post">By Śakra, heaven's almighty lord.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Susheṇ made answer: <q rend="pre">Hear me yet:</q></l> +<l>When Gods and fiends in battle met,</l> +<l>So fiercely fought the demon crew,</l> +<l>So wild a storm of arrows flew,</l> +<l>That heavenly warriors faint with pain,</l> +<l>Sank smitten by the ceaseless rain.</l> +<l>Vṛihaspati,<note place="foot">The preceptor of the Gods.</note> +with herb and spell,</l> +<l>Cured the sore wounds of those who fell.</l> +<l>And, skilled in arts that heal and save,</l> +<l>New life and sense and vigour gave.</l> +<l>Far, on the Milky Ocean's shore,</l> +<l>Still grow those herbs in boundless store;</l> +<l>Let swiftest Vánars thither speed</l> +<l>And bring them for our utmost need.</l> +<l>Those herbs that on the mountain spring</l> +<l>Let Panas and Sampáti bring,</l> +<l>For well the wondrous leaves they know,</l> +<l>That heal each wound and life bestow.</l> +<l>Beside that sea which, churned of yore,</l> +<l>The amrit on its surface bore,</l> +<l>Where the white billows lash the land,</l> +<l>Chandra's fair height and Droṇa stand.</l> +<l>Planted by Gods each glittering steep</l> +<l>Looks down upon the milky deep.</l> +<l>Let fleet Hanúmán bring us thence</l> +<l><q rend="post">Those herbs of wondrous influence.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Meanwhile the rushing wind grew loud,</l> +<l>Red lightnings flashed from banks of cloud.</l> +<l>The mountains shook, the wild waves rose,</l> +<l>And smitten with resistless blows</l> +<pb n="465"/><anchor id="Pg465"/> +<l>Unrooted fell each stately tree</l> +<l>That fringed the margin of the sea.</l> +<l>All life within the waters feared</l> +<l>Then, as the Vánars gazed, appeared</l> +<l>King Garuḍ's self, a wondrous sight,</l> +<l>Disclosed in flames of fiery light.</l> +<l>From his fierce eye in sudden dread</l> +<l>All serpents in a moment fled.</l> +<l>And those transformed to shaft that bound</l> +<l>The princes vanished in the ground.</l> +<l>On Raghu's sons his eyes he bent,</l> +<l>And hailed the lords armipotent.</l> +<l>Then o'er them stooped the feathered king,</l> +<l>And touched their faces with his wing.</l> +<l>His healing touch their pangs allayed,</l> +<l>And closed each rent the shafts had made.</l> +<l>Again their eyes were bright and bold,</l> +<l>Again the smooth skin shone like gold.</l> +<l>Again within their shell enshrined</l> +<l>Came memory and each power of mind:</l> +<l>And, from those numbing bonds released,</l> +<l>Their spirit, zeal, and strength increased.</l> +<l>Firm on their feet they stood, and then</l> +<l>Thus Ráma spake, the lord of men:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">By thy dear grace in sorest need</q></l> +<l>From deadly bonds we both are freed.</l> +<l>To these glad eyes as welcome now</l> +<l>As Aja<note place="foot">Ráma's grandfather.</note> or my sire art thou.</l> +<l>Who art thou, mighty being? say,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thus glorious in thy bright array.</q></l> +<l>He ceased: the king of birds replied,</l> +<l>While flashed his eye with joy and pride:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">In me, O Raghu's son, behold</q></l> +<l>One who has loved thee from of old:</l> +<l>Garuḍ, the lord of all that fly,</l> +<l>Thy guardian and thy friend am I.</l> +<l>Not all the Gods in heaven could loose</l> +<l>These numbing bonds, this serpent noose,</l> +<l>Wherewith fierce Rávaṇ's son, renowned</l> +<l>For magic arts, your limbs had bound.</l> +<l>Those arrows fixed in every limb</l> +<l>Were mighty snakes, transformed by him.</l> +<l>Blood thirsty race, they live beneath</l> +<l>The earth, and slay with venomed teeth.</l> +<l>On, smite the lord of Lanká's isle,</l> +<l>But guard you from the giants' guile</l> +<l>Who each dishonest art employ</l> +<l>And by deceit brave foes destroy.</l> +<l>So shall the tyrant Rávaṇ bleed,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And Sítá from his power be freed.</q></l> +<l>Thus Garuḍ spake: then, swift as thought,</l> +<l>The region of the sky he sought,</l> +<l>Where in the distance like a blaze</l> +<l>Of fire he vanished from the gaze.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then the glad Vánars' joy rang out</l> +<l>In many a wild tumultuous shout,</l> +<l>And the loud roar of drum and shell</l> +<l>Startled each distant sentinel.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LI"/> +<head>Canto LI. Dhúmráksha's Sally.</head> + +<lg> +<l>King Rávaṇ, where he sat within,</l> +<l>Heard from his hall the deafening din,</l> +<l>And with a spirit ill at ease</l> +<l>Addressed his lords in words like these:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">That warlike shout, those joyous cries,</q></l> +<l>Loud as the thunder of the skies,</l> +<l>Upsent from every Vánar throat,</l> +<l>Some new-born confidence denote.</l> +<l>Hark, how the sea and trembling shore</l> +<l>Re-echo with the Vánars' roar.</l> +<l>Though arrowy chains, securely twined</l> +<l>Both Ráma and his brother bind,</l> +<l>Still must the fierce triumphant shout</l> +<l>Disturb my soul with rising doubt.</l> +<l>Swift envoys to the army send,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And learn what change these cries portend.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Obedient, at their master's call,</l> +<l>Fleet giants clomb the circling wall.</l> +<l>They saw the Vánars formed and led:</l> +<l>They saw Sugríva at their head,</l> +<l>The brothers from their bonds released:</l> +<l>And hope grew faint and fear increased.</l> +<l>Their faces pale with doubt and dread,</l> +<l>Back to the giant king they sped,</l> +<l>And to his startled ear revealed</l> +<l>The tidings of the battle field.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The flush of rage a while gave place</l> +<l>To chilling fear that changed his face:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>What?</q> cried the tyrant, <q rend="pre">are my foes</q></l> +<l>Freed from the binding snakes that close</l> +<l>With venomed clasp round head and limb,</l> +<l>Bright as the sun and fierce like him:</l> +<l>The spell a God bestowed of yore,</l> +<l>The spell that never failed before?</l> +<l>If arts like these be useless, how</l> +<l>Shall giant strength avail us now?</l> +<l>Go forth, Dhúmráksha, good at need,</l> +<l>The bravest of my warriors lead:</l> +<l>Force through the foe thy conquering way,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And Ráma and the Vánars slay.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Before his king with reverence due</l> +<l>Dhúmráksha bowed him, and withdrew.</l> +<l>Around him at his summons came</l> +<l>Fierce legions led by chiefs of fame.</l> +<l>Well armed with sword and spear and mace,</l> +<l>They hurried to the gathering place,</l> +<l>And rushed to battle, borne at speed</l> +<l>By elephant and car and steed.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LII"/> +<head>Canto LII. Dhúmráksha's Death.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The Vánars saw the giant foe</l> +<l>Pour from the gate in gallant show,</l> +<pb n="466"/><anchor id="Pg466"/> +<l>Rejoiced with warriors' fierce delight</l> +<l>And shouted, longing for the fight.</l> +<l>Near came the hosts and nearer yet:</l> +<l>Dire was the tumult as they met,</l> +<l>As, serried line to line opposed,</l> +<l>The Vánars and the giants closed.</l> +<l>Fierce on the foe the Vánars rushed,</l> +<l>And, wielding trees, the foremost crushed;</l> +<l>But, feathered from the heron's wing,</l> +<l>With eager flight from sounding string,</l> +<l>Against them shot with surest aim</l> +<l>A ceaseless storm of arrows came:</l> +<l>And, pierced in head and chest and side,</l> +<l>Full many a Vánar fell and died.</l> +<l>They perished slain in fierce attacks</l> +<l>With sword and pike and battle-axe;</l> +<l>But myriads following undismayed</l> +<l>Their valour in the fight displayed.</l> +<l>Unnumbered Vánars rent and torn</l> +<l>With shaft and spear to earth were borne.</l> +<l>But crushed by branchy trees and blocks</l> +<l>Of jagged stone and shivered rocks</l> +<l>Which the wild Vánars wielded well</l> +<l>The bravest of the giants fell.</l> +<l>Their trampled banners strewed the fields,</l> +<l>And broken swords and spears and shields;</l> +<l>And, crushed by blows which none might stay,</l> +<l>Cars, elephants, and riders lay.</l> +<l>Dhúmráksha turned his furious eye</l> +<l>And saw his routed legions fly.</l> +<l>Still dauntless, with terrific blows,</l> +<l>He struck and slew his foremost foes.</l> +<l>At every blow, at every thrust,</l> +<l>He laid a Vánar in the dust.</l> +<l>So fell they neath the sword and lance</l> +<l>In battle's wild Gandharva<note place="foot">The Gandharvas are warriors and +Minstrels of Indra's heaven.</note> dance,</l> +<l>Where clang of bow and clash of sword</l> +<l>Did duty for the silvery chord,</l> +<l>And hoofs that rang and steeds that neighed</l> +<l>Loud concert for the dancers made.</l> +<l>So fiercely from Dhúmráksha's bow</l> +<l>His arrows rained in ceaseless flow,</l> +<l>The Vánar legions turned and fled</l> +<l>To all the winds discomfited.</l> +<l>Hanúmán saw the Vánars fly;</l> +<l>He heaved a mighty rock on high.</l> +<l>His keen eyes flashed with wrathful fire,</l> +<l>And, rapid as the Wind his sire,</l> +<l>Strong as the rushing tempests are,</l> +<l>He hurled it at the advancing car.</l> +<l>Swift through the air the missile sang:</l> +<l>The giant from the chariot sprang,</l> +<l>Ere crushed by that terrific blow</l> +<l>Lay pole and wheel and flag and bow.</l> +<l>Hanúmán's eyes with fury blazed:</l> +<l>A mountain's rocky peak he raised,</l> +<l>Poised it on high in act to throw,</l> +<l>And rushed upon his giant foe.</l> +<l>Dhúmráksha saw: he raised his mace</l> +<l>And smote Hanúmán on the face,</l> +<l>Who maddened by the wound's keen pang</l> +<l>Again upon his foeman sprang;</l> +<l>And on the giant's head the rock</l> +<l>Descended with resistless shock.</l> +<l>Crushed was each limb: a shapeless mass</l> +<l>He lay upon the blood-stained grass.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LIII"/> +<head>Canto LIII. Vajradanshtra's Sally.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Rávaṇ in his palace heard</l> +<l>The mournful news, his wrath was stirred;</l> +<l>And, gasping like a furious snake,</l> +<l>To Vajradanshṭra thus he spake:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Go forth, my fiercest captain, lead</q></l> +<l>The bravest of the giants' breed.</l> +<l>Go forth, the sons of Raghu slay</l> +<l><q rend="post">And by their side Sugríva lay.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: the chieftain bowed his head</l> +<l>And forth with gathered troops he sped.</l> +<l>Cars, camels, steeds were well arrayed,</l> +<l>And coloured banners o'er them played.</l> +<l>Rings decked his arms: about his waist</l> +<l>The life-protecting mail was braced,</l> +<l>And on the chieftain's forehead set</l> +<l>Glittered his cap and coronet.</l> +<l>Borne on a bannered car that glowed</l> +<l>With golden sheen the warrior rode,</l> +<l>And footmen marched with spear and sword</l> +<l>And bow and mace behind their lord.</l> +<l>In pomp and pride of warlike state</l> +<l>They sallied from the southern gate,</l> +<l>But saw, as on their way they sped,</l> +<l>Dread signs around and overhead.</l> +<l>For there were meteors falling fast,</l> +<l>Though not a cloud its shadow cast;</l> +<l>And each ill-omened bird and beast,</l> +<l>Forboding death, the fear increased,</l> +<l>While many a giant slipped and reeled,</l> +<l>Falling before he reached the field.</l> +<l>They met in mortal strife engaged,</l> +<l>And long and fierce the battle raged.</l> +<l>Spears, swords uplifted, gleamed and flashed,</l> +<l>And many a chief to earth was dashed.</l> +<l>A ceaseless storm of arrows rained,</l> +<l>And limbs were pierced and blood-distained.</l> +<l>Terrific was the sound that filled</l> +<l>The air, and every heart was chilled,</l> +<l>As hurtling o'er the giants flew</l> +<l>The rocks and trees which Vánars threw.</l> +<l>Fierce as a hungry lion when</l> +<l>Unwary deer approach his den,</l> +<pb n="467"/><anchor id="Pg467"/> +<l>Angad, his eyes with fury red,</l> +<l>Waving a tree above his head,</l> +<l>Rushed with wild charge which none could stay</l> +<l>Where stood the giants' dense array.</l> +<l>Like tall trees levelled by the blast</l> +<l>Before him fell the giants fast,</l> +<l>And earth that streamed with blood was strown</l> +<l>With warriors, steeds, and cars o'erthrown.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LIV"/> +<head>Canto LIV. Vajradanshtra's Death.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The giant leader fiercely rained</l> +<l>His arrows and the fight maintained.</l> +<l>Each time the clanging cord he drew</l> +<l>His certain shaft a Vánar slew.</l> +<l>Then, as the creatures he has made</l> +<l>Fly to the Lord of Life for aid,</l> +<l>To Angad for protection fled</l> +<l>The Vánar hosts dispirited.</l> +<l>Then raged the battle fiercer yet</l> +<l>When Angad and the giant met.</l> +<l>A hundred thousand arrows, hot</l> +<l>With flames of fire, the giant shot;</l> +<l>And every shaft he deftly sent</l> +<l>His foeman's body pierced and rent.</l> +<l>From Angad's limbs ran floods of gore:</l> +<l>A stately tree from earth he tore,</l> +<l>Which, maddened as his gashes bled,</l> +<l>He hurled at his opponent's head.</l> +<l>His bow the dauntless giant drew;</l> +<l>To meet the tree swift arrows flew,</l> +<l>Checked the huge missile's onward way,</l> +<l>And harmless on the earth it lay.</l> +<l>A while the Vánar chieftain gazed,</l> +<l>Then from the earth a rock he raised</l> +<l>Rent from a thunder-splitten height,</l> +<l>And cast it with resistless might.</l> +<l>The giant marked, and, mace in hand,</l> +<l>Leapt from his chariot to the sand,</l> +<l>Ere the rough mass descending broke</l> +<l>The seat, the wheel, the pole and yoke.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Angad seized a shattered hill,</l> +<l>Whereon the trees were flowering still,</l> +<l>And with full force the jagged peak</l> +<l>Fell crashing on the giant's cheek.</l> +<l>He staggered, reeled, and fell: the blood</l> +<l>Gushed from the giant in a flood.</l> +<l>Reft of his might, each sense astray,</l> +<l>A while upon the sand he lay.</l> +<l>But strength and wandering sense returned</l> +<l>Again his eyes with fury burned,</l> +<l>And with his mace upraised on high</l> +<l>He wounded Angad on the thigh.</l> +<l>Then from his hand his mace he threw,</l> +<l>And closer to his foeman drew.</l> +<l>Then with their fists they fought, and smote</l> +<l>On brow and cheek and chest and throat.</l> +<l>Worn out with toil, their limbs bedewed,</l> +<l>With blood, the strife they still renewed,</l> +<l>Like Mercury and fiery Mars</l> +<l>Met in fierce battle mid the stars.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">A while the deadly fight was stayed:</l> +<l>Each armed him with his trusty blade</l> +<l>Whose sheath with tinkling bells supplied,</l> +<l>And golden net, adorned his side;</l> +<l>And grasped his ponderous leather shield</l> +<l>To fight till one should fall or yield.</l> +<l>Unnumbered wounds they gave and took:</l> +<l>Their wearied bodies reeled and shook.</l> +<l>At length upon the sand that drank</l> +<l>Streams of their blood the warriors sank,</l> +<l>But as a serpent rears his head</l> +<l>Sore wounded by a peasant's tread,</l> +<l>So Angad, fallen on his knees,</l> +<l>Yet gathered strength his sword to seize;</l> +<l>And, severed by the glittering blade,</l> +<l>The giant's head on earth was laid.</l> +</lg> + +<p> +[I omit Cantos LV, LVI, LVII, and LVIII, which relate how Akampan and +Prahasta sally out and fall. There is little novelty of incident in these Cantos and +the results are exactly the same as before. In Canto LV, Akampan, at the command +of Rávaṇ, leads forth his troops. Evil omens are seen and heard. The enemies +meet, and many fall on each side, the Vánars transfixed with arrows, the +Rákshases crushed with rocks and trees. +</p> + +<p> +In Canto LVI Akampan sees that the Rákshases are worsted, and fights with +redoubled rage and vigour. The Vánars fall fast under his <q>nets of arrows.</q> +Hanumán comes to the rescue. He throws mountain peaks at the giant which are +dexterously stopped with flights of arrows; and at last beats him down and kills him +with a tree. +</p> + +<p> +In Canto LVII, Rávaṇ is seriously alarmed. He declares that he himself, +Kumbhakarṇa or Prahasta, must go forth. Prahasta sallies out vaunting that the +fowls of the air shall eat their fill of Vánar flesh. +</p> + +<p> +In Canto LVIII, the two armies meet. Dire is the conflict; ceaseless is the rain +of stones and arrows. At last Níla meets Prahasta and breaks his bow. Prahasta +leaps from his car, and the giant and the Vánar fight on foot. Níla with a huge +tree crushes his opponent who falls like a tree when its roots are cut.] +</p> + +</div> + +<pb n="468"/><anchor id="Pg468"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LIX"/> +<head>Canto LIX. Rávan's Sally.</head> + +<lg> +<l>They told him that the chief was killed,</l> +<l>And Rávaṇ's breast with rage was filled.</l> +<l>Then, fiercely moved by wrath and pride,</l> +<l>Thus to his lords the tyrant cried:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">No longer, nobles, may we show</q></l> +<l>This lofty scorn for such a foe</l> +<l>By whom our bravest, with his train</l> +<l>Of steeds and elephants, is slain.</l> +<l>Myself this day will take the field,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And Raghu's sons their lives shall yield.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">High on the royal car, that glowed</l> +<l>With glory from his face, he rode;</l> +<l>And tambour shell and drum pealed out,</l> +<l>And joyful was each giant's shout.</l> +<l>A mighty host, with eyeballs red</l> +<l>Like flames of kindled fire, he led.</l> +<l>He passed the city gate, and viewed,</l> +<l>Arrayed, the Vánar multitude,</l> +<l>Those wielding massy rocks, and these</l> +<l>Armed with the stems of uptorn trees,</l> +<l>And Ráma with his eyes aglow</l> +<l>With warlike ardour viewed the foe,</l> +<l>And thus the brave Vibhishaṇ, best</l> +<l>Of weapon-wielding chiefs, addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">What captain leads this bright array</q></l> +<l>Where lances gleam and banners play,</l> +<l>And thousands armed with spear and sword</l> +<l><q rend="post">Await the bidding of their lord?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Seest, thou,</q> Vibhishaṇ answered, +<q rend="pre">one</q></l> +<l>Whose face is as the morning sun,</l> +<l>Preëminent for hugest frame?</l> +<l>Akampan<note place="foot"><q>It is to be understood,</q> says the +commentator, <q>that this is not the Akampan who has already been slain.</q></note> +is the giant's name.</l> +<l>Behold that chieftain, chariot-borne,</l> +<l>Whom Brahmá's chosen gifts adorn.</l> +<l>He wields a bow like Indra's own;</l> +<l>A lion on his flag is shown,</l> +<l>His eyes with baleful fire are lit:</l> +<l>'Tis Rávaṇ's son, 'tis Indrajít.</l> +<l>There, brandishing in mighty hands</l> +<l>His huge bow, Atikáya stands.</l> +<l>And that proud warrior o'er whose head</l> +<l>A moon-bright canopy is spread:</l> +<l>Whose might, in many a battle tried,</l> +<l>Has tamed imperial Indra's pride;</l> +<l>Who wears a crown of burnished gold,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Is Lanká's lord the lofty-souled.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: and Ráma knew his foe,</l> +<l>And laid an arrow on his bow:</l> +<l><q>Woe to the wretch,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">whom fate</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Abandons to my deadly hate.</q></l> +<l>He spoke, and, firm by Lakshmaṇ's side,</l> +<l>The giant to the fray defied.</l> +<l>The lord of Lanká bade his train</l> +<l>Of warriors by the gates remain,</l> +<l>To guard the city from surprise</l> +<l>By Ráma's forest born allies.</l> +<l>Then as some monster of the sea</l> +<l>Cleaves swift-advancing billows, he</l> +<l>Charged with impetuous onset through</l> +<l>The foe, and cleft the host in two.</l> +<l>Sugríva ran, the king to meet:</l> +<l>A hill uprooted from its seat</l> +<l>He hurled, with trees that graced the height</l> +<l>Against the rover of the night:</l> +<l>But cleft with shafts that checked its way</l> +<l>Harmless upon the earth it lay.</l> +<l>Then fiercer Rávaṇ's fury grew,</l> +<l>An arrow from his side he drew,</l> +<l>Swift as a thunderbolt, aglow</l> +<l>With fire, and launched it at the foe.</l> +<l>Through flesh and bone a way it found,</l> +<l>And stretched Sugríva on the ground.</l> +<l>Susheṇ and Nala saw him fall,</l> +<l>Gaváksha, Gavaya heard their call,</l> +<l>And, poising hills, in act to fling</l> +<l>They charged amain the giant king.</l> +<l>They charged, they hurled the hills in vain,</l> +<l>He checked them with his arrowy rain,</l> +<l>And every brave assailant felt</l> +<l>The piercing wounds his missiles dealt,</l> +<l>Then smitten by the shafts that came</l> +<l>Keen, fleet, and thick, with certain aim,</l> +<l>They fled to Ráma, sure defence</l> +<l>Against the oppressor's violence,</l> +<l>Then, reverent palm to palm applied,</l> +<l>Thus Lakshmaṇ to his brother cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">To me, my lord, the task entrust</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">To lay this giant in the dust.</q></l> +<l><q>Go, then,</q> said Ráma, <q rend="pre">bravely fight;</q></l> +<l>Beat down this rover of the night.</l> +<l>But he, unmatched in bold emprise,</l> +<l>Fears not the Lord of earth and skies,</l> +<l>Keep on thy guard: with keenest eye</l> +<l>Thy moments of attack espy.</l> +<l>Let hand and eye in due accord</l> +<l><q rend="post">Protect thee with the bow and sword.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Lakshmaṇ round his brother threw</l> +<l>His mighty arms in honour due,</l> +<l>Bent lowly down his reverent head,</l> +<l>And onward to the battle sped.</l> +<l>Hanúmán from afar beheld</l> +<l>How Rávaṇ's shafts the Vánars quelled:</l> +<l>To meet the giant's car he ran,</l> +<l>Raised his right arm and thus began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If Brahmá's boon thy life has screened</q></l> +<l>From Yaksha, God, Gandharva, fiend,</l> +<l>With these contending fear no ill,</l> +<l><q rend="post">But tremble at a Vánar still.</q></l> +<l>With fury flashing from his eye</l> +<l>The lord of Lanká made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Strike, Vánar, strike: the fray begin,</q></l> +<l>And hope eternal fame to win.</l> +<l>This arm shall prove thee in the strife</l> +<pb n="469"/><anchor id="Pg469"/> +<l><q rend="post">And end thy glory and thy life.</q></l> +<l><q>Remember,</q> cried the Wind-God's son,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Remember all that I have done,</q></l> +<l>My prowess, King, thou knowest well,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Shown in the fight when Aksha<note place="foot">Rávaṇ's son, whom +Hanumán killed when he first visited Lanká.</note> fell.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With heavy hand the giant smote</l> +<l>Hanúmán on the chest and throat,</l> +<l>Who reeled and staggered to and fro,</l> +<l>Stunned for a moment by the blow.</l> +<l>Till, mustering strength, his hand he reared</l> +<l>And struck the foe whom Indra feared.</l> +<l>His huge limbs bent beneath the shock,</l> +<l>As mountains, in an earthquake, rock,</l> +<l>And from the Gods and sages pealed</l> +<l>Shouts of loud triumph as he reeled.</l> +<l>But strength returning nerved his frame:</l> +<l>His eyeballs flashed with fiercer flame.</l> +<l>No living creature might resist</l> +<l>That blow of his tremendous fist</l> +<l>Which fell upon Hanúmán's flank:</l> +<l>And to the ground the Vánar sank,</l> +<l>No sign of life his body showed:</l> +<l>And Rávaṇ in his chariot rode</l> +<l>At Níla; and his arrowy rain</l> +<l>Fell on the captain and his train.</l> +<l>Fierce Níla stayed his Vánar band,</l> +<l>And, heaving with his single hand</l> +<l>A mountain peak, with vigorous swing</l> +<l>Hurled the huge missile at the king.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Hanúmán life and strength regained,</l> +<l>Burned for the fight and thus complained:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why, coward giant, didst thou flee</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">And leave the doubtful fight with me?</q></l> +<l>Seven mighty arrows keen and fleet</l> +<l>The giant launched, the hill to meet;</l> +<l>And, all its force and fury stayed,</l> +<l>The harmless mass on earth was laid.</l> +<l>Enraged the Vánar chief beheld</l> +<l>The mountain peak by force repelled,</l> +<l>And rained upon the foe a shower</l> +<l>Of trees uptorn with branch and flower.</l> +<l>Still his keen shafts which pierced and rent</l> +<l>Each flying tree the giant sent:</l> +<l>Still was the Vánar doomed to feel</l> +<l>The tempest of the winged steel.</l> +<l>Then, smarting from that arrowy storm,</l> +<l>The Vánar chief condensed his form,<note place="foot">Níla was the son of Agni the +God of Fire, and possessed, like Milton's demons, the power of dilating and condensing +his form at pleasure.</note></l> +<l>And lightly leaping from the ground</l> +<l>On Rávaṇ's standard footing found;</l> +<l>Then springing unimpeded down</l> +<l>Stood on his bow and golden crown.</l> +<l>The Vánar's nimble leaps amazed</l> +<l>Ikshváku's son who stood and gazed.</l> +<l>The giant, raging in his heart,</l> +<l>Laid on his bow a fiery dart;</l> +<l>The Vánar on his flagstaff eyed,</l> +<l>And thus in tones of fury cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Well skilled in magic lore art thou:</q></l> +<l>But will thine art avail thee now?</l> +<l>See if thy magic will defend</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy life against the dart I send.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Rávaṇ spake, the giant king,</l> +<l>And loosed the arrow from the string.</l> +<l>It pierced, with direst fury sped,</l> +<l>The Vánar with its flaming head.</l> +<l>His father's might, his power innate</l> +<l>Preserved him from the threatened fate.</l> +<l>Upon his knees he fell, distained</l> +<l>With streams of blood, but life remained.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Still Rávaṇ for the battle burned:</l> +<l>At Lakshmaṇ next his car he turned,</l> +<l>And charged amain with furious show,</l> +<l>Straining in mighty hands his bow.</l> +<l><q>Come,</q> Lakshmaṇ cried, <q rend="pre">assay the fight:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Leave foes unworthy of thy might.</q></l> +<l>Thus Lakshmaṇ spoke: and Lanká's lord</l> +<l>Heard the dread thunder of the cord.</l> +<l>And mad with burning rage and pride</l> +<l>In hasty words like these replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Joy, joy is mine, O Raghu's son:</q></l> +<l>Thy fate to-day thou canst not shun.</l> +<l>Slain by mine arrows thou shalt tread</l> +<l><q rend="post">The gloomy pathway of the dead.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus as he spoke his bow he drew,</l> +<l>And seven keen shafts at Lakshmaṇ flew,</l> +<l>But Raghu's son with surest aim</l> +<l>Cleft every arrow as it came.</l> +<l>Thus with fleet shafts each warrior shot</l> +<l>Against his foe, and rested not.</l> +<l>Then one choice weapon from his store,</l> +<l>By Brahmá's self bestowed of yore,</l> +<l>Fierce as the flames that end the world,</l> +<l>The giant king at Lakshmaṇ hurled.</l> +<l>The hero fell, and racked with pain,</l> +<l>Scarce could his hand his bow retain.</l> +<l>But sense and strength resumed their seat</l> +<l>And, lightly springing to his feet,</l> +<l>He struck with one tremendous stroke</l> +<l>And Rávaṇ's bow in splinters broke.</l> +<l>From Lakshmaṇ's cord three arrows flew</l> +<l>And pierced the giant monarch through.</l> +<l>Sore wounded Rávaṇ closed, and round</l> +<l>Ikshváku's son his strong arms wound.</l> +<l>With strength unrivalled, Brahmá's gift,</l> +<l>He strove from earth his foe to lift.</l> +<l><q>Shall I,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">who overthrow</q></l> +<l>Mount Meru and the Lord of Snow,</l> +<l>And heaven and all who dwell therein,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Be foiled by one of Ráma's kin?</q></l> +<l>But though he heaved, and toiled, and strained,</l> +<l>Unmoved Ikshváku's son remained.</l> +<l>His frame by those huge arms compressed</l> +<l>The giant's God-given force confessed,</l> +<l>But conscious that himself was part</l> +<pb n="470"/><anchor id="Pg470"/> +<l>Of Vishṇu, he was firm in heart.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Wind-God's son the fight beheld,</l> +<l>And rushed at Rávaṇ, rage-impelled.</l> +<l>Down crashed his mighty hand; the foe</l> +<l>Full in the chest received the blow.</l> +<l>His eyes grew dim, his knees gave way,</l> +<l>And senseless on the earth he lay.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Wind-God's son to Ráma bore</l> +<l>Deep-wounded Lakshmaṇ stained with gore.</l> +<l>He whom no foe might lift or bend</l> +<l>Was light as air to such a friend.</l> +<l>The dart that Lakshmaṇ's side had cleft,</l> +<l>Untouched, the hero's body left,</l> +<l>And flashing through the air afar</l> +<l>Resumed its place in Rávaṇ's car;</l> +<l>And, waxing well though wounded sore,</l> +<l>He felt the deadly pain no more.</l> +<l>And Rávaṇ, though with deep wounds pained,</l> +<l>Slowly his sense and strength regained,</l> +<l>And furious still and undismayed</l> +<l>On bow and shaft his hand he laid.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Hanumán to Ráma cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ascend my back, great chief, and ride</q></l> +<l>Like Vishṇu borne on Garuḍ's wing,</l> +<l><q rend="post">To battle with the giant king.</q></l> +<l>So, burning for the dire attack,</l> +<l>Rode Ráma on the Vánar's back,</l> +<l>And with fierce accents loud and slow</l> +<l>Thus gave defiance to the foe,</l> +<l>While his strained bowstring made a sound</l> +<l>Like thunder when it shakes the ground:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Stay, Monarch of the giants, stay,</q></l> +<l>The penalty of sin to pay.</l> +<l>Stay! whither wilt thou fly, and how</l> +<l><q rend="post">Escape the death that waits thee now?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">No word the giant king returned:</l> +<l>His eyes with flames of fury burned.</l> +<l>His arm was stretched, his bow was bent,</l> +<l>And swift his fiery shafts were sent.</l> +<l>Red torrents from the Vánar flowed:</l> +<l>Then Ráma near to Rávaṇ strode,</l> +<l>And with keen darts that never failed,</l> +<l>The chariot of the king assailed.</l> +<l>With surest aim his arrows flew:</l> +<l>The driver and the steeds he slew.</l> +<l>And shattered with the pointed steel</l> +<l>Car, flag, and pole and yoke and wheel.</l> +<l>As Indra hurls his bolt to smite</l> +<l>Mount Meru's heaven-ascending height,</l> +<l>So Ráma with a flaming dart</l> +<l>Struck Lanká's monarch near the heart,</l> +<l>Who reeled and fell beneath the blow</l> +<l>And from loose fingers dropped his bow.</l> +<l>Bright as the sun, with crescent head,</l> +<l>From Ráma's bow an arrow sped,</l> +<l>And from his forehead, proud no more,</l> +<l>Cleft the bright coronet he wore.</l> +<l>Then Ráma stood by Rávaṇ's side</l> +<l>And to the conquered giant cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Well hast thou fought: thine arm has slain</q></l> +<l>Strong heroes of the Vánar train.</l> +<l>I will not strike or slay thee now,</l> +<l>For weary, faint with fight art thou.</l> +<l>To Lanká's town thy footsteps bend,</l> +<l>And there the night securely spend.</l> +<l>To-morrow come with car and bow,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And then my prowess shalt thou know.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: the king in humbled pride</l> +<l>Rose from the earth and naught replied.</l> +<l>With wounded limbs and shattered crown</l> +<l>He sought again his royal town.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LX"/> +<head>Canto LX. Kumbhakarna Roused.</head> + +<lg> +<l>With humbled heart and broken pride</l> +<l>Through Lanká's gate the giant hied,</l> +<l>Crushed, like an elephant beneath</l> +<l>A lion's spring and murderous teeth,</l> +<l>Or like a serpent 'neath the wing</l> +<l>And talons of the Feathered King.</l> +<l>Such was the giant's wild alarm</l> +<l>At arrows shot by Ráma's arm;</l> +<l>Shafts with red lightning round them curled,</l> +<l>Like Brahmá's bolts that end the world.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Supported on his golden throne,</l> +<l>With failing eye and humbled tone,</l> +<l><q>Giants,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">the toil is vain,</q></l> +<l>Fruitless the penance and the pain,</l> +<l>If I whom Indra owned his peer,</l> +<l>Secure from Gods, a mortal fear.</l> +<l>My soul remembers, now too late,</l> +<l>Lord Brahmá's words who spoke my fate:</l> +<l><q>Tremble, proud Giant,</q> thus they ran,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">And dread thy death from slighted man.</q></l> +<l>Secure from Gods and demons live,</l> +<l>And serpents, by the boon I give.</l> +<l>Against their power thy life is charmed,</l> +<l><q rend="post">But against man is still unarmed.</q></l> +<l>This Ráma is the man foretold</l> +<l>By Anaraṇya's<note place="foot">An ancient king of Ayodhyá said by +some to have been Prithu's father.</note> lips of old:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Fear, Rávaṇ, basest of the base:</q></l> +<l>For of mine own imperial race</l> +<l>A prince in after time shall spring</l> +<l>And thee and thine to ruin bring.</l> +<l>And Vedavatí,<note place="foot">The daughter of King Kuśadhwaja. +She became an ascetic, and being insulted by Rávaṇ in the woods where she was +performing penance, destroyed herself by entering fire, but was born again as Sítá +to be in turn the destruction of him who had insulted her.</note> ere she died</l> +<l>Slain by my ruthless insult, cried:</l> +<pb n="471"/><anchor id="Pg471"/> +<l><q rend="pre">A scion of my royal line</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Shall slay, vile wretch, both thee and thine.</q></l> +<l>She in a later birth became</l> +<l>King Janak's child, now Ráma's dame.</l> +<l>Nandíśvara<note place="foot">Nandíśvara was Śiva's chief attendant. +Rávaṇ had despised and laughed at him for appearing in the form of a monkey +and the irritated Nandíśvara cursed him and foretold his destruction by monkeys.</note> +foretold this fate,</l> +<l>And Umá<note place="foot">Rávaṇ once upheaved and shook Mount Kailása the favourite +dwelling place of Śiva the consort of Umá, and +was cursed in consequence by the offended Goddess.</note> when I moved her hate,</l> +<l>And Rambhá,<note place="foot">Rambhá, who has several times been +mentioned in the course of the poem, was one of the nymphs of heaven, and had +been insulted by Rávaṇ.</note> and the lovely child</l> +<l>Of Varuṇ<note place="foot">Punjikasthalá was the daughter of +Varuṇ. Rávaṇ himself has mentioned in this book his insult to her, and the curse +pronounced in consequence by Brahmá.</note> by my touch defiled.</l> +<l>I know the fated hour is nigh:</l> +<l>Hence, captains, to your stations fly.</l> +<l>Let warders on the rampart stand:</l> +<l>Place at each gate a watchful band;</l> +<l>And, terror of immortal eyes,</l> +<l>Let mightiest Kumbhakarṇa rise.</l> +<l>He, slumbering, free from care and pain,</l> +<l>By Brahmá's curse, for months has lain.</l> +<l>But when Prahasta's death he hears,</l> +<l>Mine own defeat and doubts and fears,</l> +<l>The chief will rise to smite the foe</l> +<l>And his unrivalled valour show.</l> +<l>Then Raghu's royal sons and all</l> +<l><q rend="post">The Vánars neath his might will fall.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The giant lords his hest obeyed,</l> +<l>They left him, trembling and afraid,</l> +<l>And from the royal palace strode</l> +<l>To Kumbhakarṇa's vast abode.</l> +<l>They carried garlands sweet and fresh,</l> +<l>And reeking loads of blood and flesh.</l> +<l>They reached the dwelling where he lay,</l> +<l>A cave that reached a league each way,</l> +<l>Sweet with fair blooms of lovely scent</l> +<l>And bright with golden ornament.</l> +<l>His breathings came so fierce and fast,</l> +<l>Scarce could the giants brook the blast.</l> +<l>They found him on a golden bed</l> +<l>With his huge limbs at length outspread.</l> +<l>They piled their heaps of venison near,</l> +<l>Fat buffaloes and boars and deer.</l> +<l>With wreaths of flowers they fanned his face,</l> +<l>And incense sweetened all the place.</l> +<l>Each raised his mighty voice as loud</l> +<l>As thunders of an angry cloud,</l> +<l>And conchs their stirring summons gave</l> +<l>That echoed through the giant's cave.</l> +<l>Then on his breast they rained their blows,</l> +<l>And high the wild commotion rose</l> +<l>When cymbal vied with drum and horn.</l> +<l>And war cries on the gale upborne.</l> +<l>Through all the air loud discord spread,</l> +<l>And, struck with fear, the birds fell dead.</l> +<l>But still he slept and took his rest.</l> +<l>Then dashed they on his shaggy chest</l> +<l>Clubs, maces, fragments of the rock:</l> +<l>He moved not once, nor felt the shock.</l> +<l>The giants made one effort more</l> +<l>With shell and drum and shout and roar.</l> +<l>Club, mallet, mace, in fury plied,</l> +<l>Rained blows upon his breast and side.</l> +<l>And elephants were urged to aid,</l> +<l>And camels groaned and horses neighed.</l> +<l>They drenched him with a hundred pails,</l> +<l>They tore his ears with teeth and nails.</l> +<l>They bound together many a mace</l> +<l>And beat him on the head and face;</l> +<l>And elephants with ponderous tread</l> +<l>Stamped on his limbs and chest and head.</l> +<l>The unusual weight his slumber broke:</l> +<l>He started, shook his sides, and woke;</l> +<l>And, heedless of the wounds and blows,</l> +<l>Yawning with thirst and hunger rose,</l> +<l>His jaws like hell gaped fierce and wide,</l> +<l>Dire as the flame neath ocean's tide.</l> +<l>Red as the sun on Meru's crest</l> +<l>The giant's face his wrath expressed,</l> +<l>And every burning breath he drew</l> +<l>Was like the blast that rushes through</l> +<l>The mountain cedars. Up he raised</l> +<l>His awful head with eyes that blazed</l> +<l>Like comets, dire as Death in form</l> +<l>Who threats the worlds with fire and storm.</l> +<l>The giants pointed to their stores</l> +<l>Of buffaloes and deer and boars,</l> +<l>And straight he gorged him with a flood</l> +<l>Of wine, with marrow, flesh, and blood.</l> +<l>He ceased: the giants ventured near</l> +<l>And bent their lowly heads in fear.</l> +<l>Then Kumbhakar[n.]a glared with eyes</l> +<l>Still heavy in their first surprise,</l> +<l>Still drowsy from his troubled rest,</l> +<l>And thus the giant band addressed.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">How have ye dared my sleep to break?</q></l> +<l>No trifling cause should bid me wake.</l> +<l>Say, is all well? or tell the need</l> +<l>That drives you with unruly speed</l> +<l>To wake me. Mark the words I say,</l> +<l>The king shall tremble in dismay,</l> +<pb n="472"/><anchor id="Pg472"/> +<l>The fire be quenched and Indra slain</l> +<l><q rend="post">Ere ye shall break my rest in vain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Yúpáksha answered: <q rend="pre">Chieftain, hear;</q></l> +<l>No God or fiend excites our fear.</l> +<l>But men in arms our walls assail:</l> +<l>We tremble lest their might prevail.</l> +<l>For vengeful Ráma vows to slay</l> +<l>The foe who stole his queen away,</l> +<l>And, matchless for his warlike deeds,</l> +<l>A host of mighty Vánars leads.</l> +<l>Ere now a monstrous Vánar came,</l> +<l>Laid Lanká waste with ruthless flame,</l> +<l>And Aksha, Rávaṇ's offspring, slew</l> +<l>With all his warrior retinue.</l> +<l>Our king who never trembled yet</l> +<l>For heavenly hosts in battle met,</l> +<l>At length the general dread has shared,</l> +<l><q rend="post">O'erthrown by Ráma's arm and spared.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: and Kumbhakarṇa spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I will go forth and vengeance take;</q></l> +<l>Will tread their hosts beneath my feet,</l> +<l>Then triumph-flushed our king will meet.</l> +<l>Our giant bands shall eat their fill</l> +<l>Of Vánars whom this arm shall kill.</l> +<l>The princes' blood shall be my draught,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The chieftains' shall by you be quaffed.</q></l> +<l>He spake, and, with an eager stride</l> +<l>That shook the earth, to Rávaṇ hied.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LXI"/> +<head>Canto LXI. The Vánars' Alarm.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The son of Raghu near the wall</l> +<l>Saw, proudly towering over all,</l> +<l>The mighty giant stride along</l> +<l>Attended by the warrior throng;</l> +<l>Heard Kumbhakarṇa's heavy feet</l> +<l>Awake the echoes of the street;</l> +<l>And, with the lust of battle fired,</l> +<l>Turned to Vibhishaṇ and inquired:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Vibhishaṇ, tell that chieftain's name</q></l> +<l>Who rears so high his mountain frame;</l> +<l>With glittering helm and lion eyes,</l> +<l>Preëminent in might and size</l> +<l>Above the rest of giant birth,</l> +<l>He towers the standard of the earth;</l> +<l>And all the Vánars when they see</l> +<l><q rend="post">The mighty warrior turn and flee.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>In him,</q> Vibhishaṇ answered, <q rend="pre">know</q></l> +<l>Viśravas' son, the Immortals' foe,</l> +<l>Fierce Kumbhakarṇa, mightier far</l> +<l>Than Gods and fiends and giants are.</l> +<l>He conquered Yáma in the fight,</l> +<l>And Indra trembling owned his might.</l> +<l>His arm the Gods and fiends subdued,</l> +<l>Gandharvas and the serpent brood.</l> +<l>The rest of his gigantic race</l> +<l>Are wondrous strong by God-giving grace;</l> +<l>But nature at his birth to him</l> +<l>Gave matchless power and strength of limb.</l> +<l>Scarce was he born, fierce monster, when</l> +<l>He killed and ate a thousand men.</l> +<l>The trembling race of men, appalled,</l> +<l>On Indra for protection called;</l> +<l>And he, to save the suffering world,</l> +<l>His bolt at Kumbhakarṇa hurled.</l> +<l>So awful was the monster's yell</l> +<l>That fear on all the nations fell,</l> +<l>He, rushing on with furious roar,</l> +<l>A tusk from huge Airávat tore,</l> +<l>And dealt the God so dire a blow</l> +<l>That Indra reeling left his foe,</l> +<l>And with the Gods and mortals fled</l> +<l>To Brahmá's throne dispirited.</l> +<l><q>O Brahmá,</q> thus the suppliants cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Some refuge for this woe provide.</q></l> +<l>If thus his maw the giant sate</l> +<l><q rend="post">Soon will the world be desolate.</q></l> +<l>The Self-existent calmed their woe,</l> +<l>And spake in anger to their foe:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">As thou wast born, Pulastya's son,</q></l> +<l>That worlds might weep by thee undone,</l> +<l>Thou like the dead henceforth shalt be:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Such is the curse I lay on thee.</q></l> +<l>Senseless he lay, nor spoke nor stirred;</l> +<l>Such was the power of Brahmá's word.</l> +<l>But Rávaṇ, troubled for his sake,</l> +<l>Thus to the Self-existent spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Who lops the tree his care has reared</q></l> +<l>When golden fruit has first appeared?</l> +<l>Not thus, O Brahmá, deal with one</l> +<l>Descended from thine own dear son.<note place="foot">Pulastya was the son of Brahmá +and father of Viśravas or Paulastya the father of Rávaṇ and Kumbhakarṇa.</note></l> +<l>Still thou, O Lord, thy word must keep,</l> +<l>He may not die, but let him sleep.</l> +<l>Yet fix a time for him to break</l> +<l><q rend="post">The chains of slumber and awake.</q></l> +<l>He ceased: and Brahmá made reply;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Six months in slumber shall he lie</q></l> +<l>And then arising for a day</l> +<l><q rend="post">Shall cast the numbing bonds away.</q></l> +<l>Now Rávaṇ in his doubt and dread</l> +<l>Has roused the monster from his bed,</l> +<l>Who comes in this the hour of need</l> +<l>On slaughtered Vánars flesh to feed.</l> +<l>Each Vánar, when his awe-struck eyes</l> +<l>Behold the monstrous chieftain, flies.</l> +<l>With hopeful words their minds deceive,</l> +<l>And let our trembling hosts believe</l> +<l>They see no giant, but, displayed,</l> +<l><q rend="post">A lifeless engine deftly made.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma called to Níla: <q rend="pre">Haste,</q></l> +<l>Let troops near every gate be placed,</l> +<l>And, armed with fragments of the rock</l> +<l><q rend="post">And trees, each lane and alley block.</q></l> +<pb n="473"/><anchor id="Pg473"/> +<l>Thus Ráma spoke: the chief obeyed,</l> +<l>And swift the Vánars stood arrayed,</l> +<l>As when the black clouds their battle form,</l> +<l>The summit of a hill to storm.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LXII"/> +<head>Canto LXII. Rávan's Request.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Along bright Lanká's royal road</l> +<l>The giant, roused from slumber, strode,</l> +<l>While from the houses on his head</l> +<l>A rain of fragrant flowers was shed.</l> +<l>He reached the monarch's gate whereon</l> +<l>Rich gems and golden fretwork shone.</l> +<l>Through court and corridor that shook</l> +<l>Beneath his tread his way he took,</l> +<l>And stood within the chamber where</l> +<l>His brother sat in dark despair.</l> +<l>But sudden, at the grateful sight</l> +<l>The monarch's eye again grew bright.</l> +<l>He started up, forgot his fear,</l> +<l>And drew his giant brother near.</l> +<l>The younger pressed the elder's feet</l> +<l>And paid the King observance meet,</l> +<l>Then cried: <q rend="pre">O Monarch, speak thy will,</q></l> +<l>And let my care thy word fulfil.</l> +<l>What sudden terror and dismay</l> +<l><q rend="post">Have burst the bonds in which I lay?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Fierce flashed the flame from Rávaṇ's eye,</l> +<l>As thus in wrath he made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Fair time, I ween, for sleep is this,</q></l> +<l>To lull thy soul in tranquil bliss,</l> +<l>Unheeding, in oblivion drowned,</l> +<l>The dangers that our lives surround.</l> +<l>Brave Ráma, Daśaratha's son,</l> +<l>A passage o'er the sea has won,</l> +<l>And, with the Vánar monarch's aid,</l> +<l>Round Lanká's walls his hosts arrayed.</l> +<l>Though never in the deadly field</l> +<l>My Rákshas troops were known to yield,</l> +<l>The bravest of the giant train</l> +<l>Have fallen by the Vánars slain.</l> +<l>Hence comes my fear. O fierce and brave,</l> +<l>Go forth, our threatened Lanká save.</l> +<l>Go forth, a dreadful vengeance take:</l> +<l>For this, O chief, I bade thee wake.</l> +<l>The Gods and trembling fiends have felt</l> +<l>The furious blows thine arm has dealt.</l> +<l>Earth has no warrior, heaven has none</l> +<l><q rend="post">To match thy might, Paulastya's son.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LXIII"/> +<head>Canto LXIII. Kumbhakarna's Boast.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Kumbhakarṇa laughed aloud</l> +<l>And cried; <q rend="pre">O Monarch, once so proud,</q></l> +<l>We warned thee, but thou wouldst not hear;</l> +<l>And now the fruits of sin appear.</l> +<l>We warned thee, I, thy nobles, all</l> +<l>Who loved thee, in thy council hall.</l> +<l>Those sovereigns who with blinded eyes</l> +<l>Neglect the foe their hearts despise,</l> +<l>Soon, falling from their high estate</l> +<l>Bring on themselves the stroke of fate.</l> +<l>Accept at length, thy life to save,</l> +<l>The counsel sage Vibhishaṇ gave,</l> +<l>The prudent counsel spurned before,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And Sítá to her lord restore.</q><note place="foot">I omit a tedious +sermon on the danger of rashness and the advantages of prudence, +sufficient to irritate a less passionate hearer than Rávaṇ.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The monarch frowned, by passion moved</l> +<l>And thus in angry words reproved:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Wilt thou thine elder brother school,</q></l> +<l>Forgetful of the ancient rule</l> +<l>That bids thee treat him as the sage</l> +<l>Who guides thee with the lore of age?</l> +<l>Think on the dangers of the day,</l> +<l>Nor idly throw thy words away:</l> +<l>If, led astray, by passion stirred,</l> +<l>I in the pride of power have erred;</l> +<l>If deeds of old were done amiss,</l> +<l>No time for vain reproach is this.</l> +<l>Up, brother; let thy loving care</l> +<l><q rend="post">The errors of thy king repair.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To calm his wrath, his soul to ease,</l> +<l>The younger spake in words like these:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Yea, from our bosoms let us cast</q></l> +<l>All idle sorrow for the past.</l> +<l>Let grief and anger be repressed:</l> +<l>Again be firm and self-possessed.</l> +<l>This day, O Monarch, shalt thou see</l> +<l>The Vánar legions turn and flee,</l> +<l>And Ráma and his brother slain</l> +<l>With their hearts' blood shall dye the plain.</l> +<l>Yea, if the God who rules the dead,</l> +<l>And Varuṇ their battalions led;</l> +<l>If Indra with the Storm-Gods came</l> +<l>Against me, and the Lord of Flame,</l> +<l>Still would I fight with all and slay</l> +<l>Thy banded foes, my King, to-day.</l> +<l>If Raghu's son this day withstand</l> +<l>The blow of mine uplifted hand,</l> +<l>Deep in his breast my darts shall sink,</l> +<l>And torrents of his life-blood drink.</l> +<l>O fear not, in my promise trust:</l> +<l>This arm shall lay him in the dust,</l> +<l>Shall leave the fierce Sugríva dyed</l> +<l>With gore, and Lakshmaṇ by his side,</l> +<l>And strike the great Hanúmán down,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The spoiler of our glorious town.</q><note place="foot">The +Bengal recension assigns a very different speech to Kumbhakarṇa and +makes him say that Nárad the messenger of the Gods had formerly told him that +Vishṇu himself incarnate as Daśaratha's son should come to destroy Rávaṇ.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="474"/><anchor id="Pg474"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LXIV"/> +<head>Canto LXIV. Mahodar's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He ceased: and when his lips were closed</l> +<l>Mahodar thus his rede opposed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why wilt thou shame thy noble birth</q></l> +<l>And speak like one of little worth?</l> +<l>Why boast thee thus in youthful pride</l> +<l>Rejecting wisdom for thy guide?</l> +<l>How will thy single arm oppose</l> +<l>The victor of a thousand foes,</l> +<l>Who proved in Janasthán his might</l> +<l>And slew the rovers of the night?</l> +<l>The remnant of those legions, they</l> +<l>Who saw his power that fatal day,</l> +<l>Now in this leaguered city dread</l> +<l>The mighty chief from whom they fled.</l> +<l>And wouldst thou meet the lord of men,</l> +<l>Beard the great lion in his den,</l> +<l>And, when thine eyes are open, break</l> +<l>The slumber of a deadly snake?</l> +<l>Who may an equal battle wage</l> +<l>With him, so awful in his rage,</l> +<l>Fierce as the God of Death whom none</l> +<l>May vanquish, Daśaratha's son?</l> +<l>But, Rávaṇ, shall the lady still</l> +<l>Refuse compliance with thy will?</l> +<l>No, listen, King, to this design</l> +<l>Which soon shall make the captive thine.</l> +<l>This day through Lanká's streets proclaim</l> +<l>That four of us<note place="foot">Mahodar, Dwijihva, Sanhráda, and +Vitardan.</note> of highest fame</l> +<l>With Kumbhakarṇa at our head</l> +<l>Will strike the son of Raghu dead.</l> +<l>Forth to the battle will we go</l> +<l>And prove our prowess on the foe.</l> +<l>Then, if our bold attempt succeed,</l> +<l>No further plans thy hopes will need.</l> +<l>But if in vain our warriors strive,</l> +<l>And Raghu's son be left alive,</l> +<l>We will return, and, wounded sore,</l> +<l>Our armour stained with gouts of gore,</l> +<l>Will show the shafts that rent each frame,</l> +<l>Keen arrows marked with Ráma's name,</l> +<l>And say we giants have devoured</l> +<l>The princes whom our might o'erpowered.</l> +<l>Then let the joyful tidings spread</l> +<l>That Raghu's royal sons are dead.</l> +<l>To all around thy pleasure show,</l> +<l>Gold, pearls, and precious robes, bestow.</l> +<l>Gay garlands round the portals twine,</l> +<l>Enjoy the banquet and the wine.</l> +<l>Then go, the scornful lady seek,</l> +<l>And woo her when her heart is weak.</l> +<l>Rich robes and gold and gems display,</l> +<l>And gently wile her grief away.</l> +<l>Then will she feel her hopeless state,</l> +<l>Widowed, forlorn, and desolate;</l> +<l>Know that on thee her bliss depends,</l> +<l>Far from her country and her friends;</l> +<l>Then, her proud spirit overthrown,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The lady will be all thine own.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LXV"/> +<head>Canto LXV. Kumbhakarna's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But haughty Kumbhakarṇa spurned</l> +<l>His counsel, and to Rávaṇ turned:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy life from peril will I free</q></l> +<l>And slay the foe who threatens thee.</l> +<l>A hero never vaunts in vain,</l> +<l>Like bellowing clouds devoid of rain,</l> +<l>Nor, Monarch, be thine ear inclined</l> +<l>To counsellors of slavish kind,</l> +<l>Who with mean arts their king mislead</l> +<l>And mar each gallant plan and deed.</l> +<l>O, let not words like his beguile</l> +<l><q rend="post">The glorious king of Lanká's isle.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus scornful Kumbhakarṇa cried,</l> +<l>And Rávaṇ with a laugh replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Mahodar fears and fain would shun</q></l> +<l>The battle with Ikshváku's son.</l> +<l>Of all my giant warriors, who</l> +<l>Is strong as thou, and brave and true?</l> +<l>Ride, conqueror, to the battle ride,</l> +<l>And tame the foeman's senseless pride.</l> +<l>Go forth like Yáma to the field,</l> +<l>And let thine arm thy trident wield.</l> +<l>Scared by the lightning of thine eye</l> +<l>The Vánar hosts will turn and fly;</l> +<l>And Ráma, when he sees thee near,</l> +<l><q rend="post">With trembling heart will own his fear.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The champion heard, and, well content,</l> +<l>Forth from the hall his footsteps bent.</l> +<l>He grasped his spear, the foeman's dread,</l> +<l>Black iron all, both shaft and head,</l> +<l>Which, dyed in many a battle, bore</l> +<l>Great spots of slaughtered victims' gore.</l> +<l>The king upon his neck had thrown</l> +<l>The jewelled chain which graced his own.</l> +<l>And garlands of delicious scent</l> +<l>About his limbs for ornament.</l> +<l>Around his arms gay bracelets clung,</l> +<l>And pendants in his ears were hung.</l> +<l>Adorned with gold, about his waist</l> +<l>His coat of mail was firmly braced,</l> +<l>And like Náráyaṇ<note place="foot">A name of Vishṇu.</note> or the God</l> +<l>Who rules the sky he proudly trod.</l> +<l>Behind him went a mighty throng</l> +<l>Of giant warriors tall and strong,</l> +<pb n="475"/><anchor id="Pg475"/> +<l>On elephants of noblest breeds.</l> +<l>With cars, with camels, and with steeds:</l> +<l>And, armed with spear and axe and sword</l> +<l>Were fain to battle for their lord.<note place="foot">There is so much commonplace +repetition in these Sallies of the Rákshas chieftains that omissions are frequently +necessary. The usual ill omens attend the sally of Kumbhakarṇa, and the Canto +ends with a description of the terrified Vánars' flight which is briefly repeated in +different words at the beginning of the next Canto.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LXVI"/> +<head>Canto LXVI. Kumbhakarna's Sally.</head> + +<lg> +<l>In pomp and pride of warlike state</l> +<l>The giant passed the city gate.</l> +<l>He raised his voice: the hills, the shore</l> +<l>Of Lanká's sea returned the roar.</l> +<l>The Vánars saw the chief draw nigh</l> +<l>Whom not the ruler of the sky,</l> +<l>Nor Yáma, monarch of the dead,</l> +<l>Might vanquish, and affrighted fled.</l> +<l>When royal Angad, Báli's son,</l> +<l>Saw the scared Vánars turn and run,</l> +<l>Undaunted still he kept his ground,</l> +<l>And shouted as he gazed around:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Nala, Níla, stay nor let</q></l> +<l>Your souls your generous worth forget,</l> +<l>O Kumud and Gaváksha, why</l> +<l>Like base-born Vánars will ye fly?</l> +<l>Turn, turn, nor shame your order thus:</l> +<l><q rend="post">This giant is no match for us</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They heard his voice: the flight was stayed;</l> +<l>Again for war they stood arrayed,</l> +<l>And hurled upon the foe a shower</l> +<l>Of mountain peaks and trees in flower.</l> +<l>Still on his limbs their missiles rained:</l> +<l>Unmoved, their blows he still sustained,</l> +<l>And seemed unconscious of the stroke</l> +<l>When rocks against his body broke.</l> +<l>Fierce as the flame when woods are dry</l> +<l>He charged with fury in his eye.</l> +<l>Like trees consumed with fervent heat</l> +<l>They fell beneath the giant's feet.</l> +<l>Some o'er the ground, dyed red with gore,</l> +<l>Fled wild with terror to the shore,</l> +<l>And, deeming that all hope was lost,</l> +<l>Ran to the bridge they erst had crossed.</l> +<l>Some clomb the trees their lives to save,</l> +<l>Some sought the mountain and the cave;</l> +<l>Some hid them in the bosky dell,</l> +<l>And there in deathlike slumber fell.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Angad saw the chieftains fly</l> +<l>He called them with a mighty cry:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Once more, O Vánars, charge once more,</q></l> +<l>On to the battle as before.</l> +<l>In all her compass earth has not,</l> +<l>To hide you safe, one secret spot.</l> +<l>What! leave your arms? each nobler dame</l> +<l>Will scorn her consort for the shame.</l> +<l>This blot upon your names efface,</l> +<l>And keep your valour from disgrace.</l> +<l>Stay, chieftains; wherefore will ye run,</l> +<l><q rend="post">A band of warriors scared by one?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Scarce would they hear: they would not stay,</l> +<l>And basely spoke in wild dismay:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Have we not fought, and fought in vain</q></l> +<l>Have we not seen our mightiest slain?</l> +<l>The giant's matchless force we fear,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And fly because our lives are dear.</q></l> +<l>But Báli's son with gentle art</l> +<l>Dispelled their dread and cheered each heart.</l> +<l>They turned and formed and waited still</l> +<l>Obedient to the prince's will.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LXVII"/> +<head>Canto LXVII. Kumbhakarna's Death.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus from their flight the Vánars turned,</l> +<l>And every heart for battle burned,</l> +<l>Determined on the spot to die</l> +<l>Or gain a warrior's meed on high.</l> +<l>Again the Vánars stooped to seize</l> +<l>Their weapons, rocks and fallen trees;</l> +<l>Again the deadly fight began,</l> +<l>And fiercely at the giant ran.</l> +<l>Unmoved the monster kept his place:</l> +<l>He raised on high his awful mace,</l> +<l>Whirled the huge weapon round his head</l> +<l>And laid the foremost Vánars dead.</l> +<l>Eight thousand fell bedewed with gore,</l> +<l>Then sank and died seven hundred more.</l> +<l>Then thirty, twenty, ten, or eight</l> +<l>At each fierce onset met their fate,</l> +<l>And fast the fallen were devoured</l> +<l>Like snakes by Garuḍ's beak o'erpowered.</l> +<l>Then Dwivid from the Vánar van,</l> +<l>Armed with an uptorn mountain, ran,</l> +<l>Like a huge cloud when fierce winds blow,</l> +<l>And charged amain the mountain foe.</l> +<l>With wondrous force the hill he threw:</l> +<l>O'er Kumbhakarṇa's head it flew,</l> +<l>And falling on his host afar</l> +<l>Crushed many a giant, steed, and car.</l> +<l>Rocks, trees, by fierce Hanúmán sped,</l> +<l>Rained fast on Kumbhakarṇa's head.</l> +<l>Whose spear each deadlier missile stopped,</l> +<l>And harmless on the plain it dropped.</l> +<pb n="476"/><anchor id="Pg476"/> +<l>Then with his furious eyes aglow</l> +<l>The giant rushed upon the foe,</l> +<l>Where, with a woody hill upheaved,</l> +<l>Hanúmán's might his charge received.</l> +<l>Through his vast frame the giant felt</l> +<l>The angry blow Hanúmán dealt.</l> +<l>He reeled a moment, sore distressed,</l> +<l>Then smote the Vánar on the breast,</l> +<l>As when the War-God's furious stroke</l> +<l>Through Krauncha's hill a passage broke.<note place="foot">Kártikeya the God of War, +and the hero and incarnation Paraśuráma are said to have cut a passage through the +mountain Krauncha, a part of the Himálayan range, in the same way as the immense gorge +that splits the Pyrenees under the towers of Marboré was cloven at one blow of +Roland's sword Durandal.</note></l> +<l>Fierce was the blow, and deep and wide</l> +<l>The rent: with crimson torrents dyed,</l> +<l>Hanúmán, maddened by the pain,</l> +<l>Roared like a cloud that brings the rain,</l> +<l>And from each Rákshas throat rang out</l> +<l>Loud clamour and exultant shout.</l> +<l>Then Níla hurled with mustered might</l> +<l>The fragment of a mountain height;</l> +<l>Nor would the rock the foe have missed,</l> +<l>But Kumbhakarṇa raised his fist</l> +<l>And smote so fiercely that the mass</l> +<l>Fell crushed to powder on the grass.</l> +<l>Five chieftains of the Vánar race<note place="foot">Rishabh, Śarabh, Níla, Gaváksha, +and Gandhamádan.</note></l> +<l>Charged Kumbhakarṇa face to face,</l> +<l>And his huge frame they wildly beat</l> +<l>With rocks and trees and hands and feet.</l> +<l>Round Rishabh first the giant wound</l> +<l>His arms and hurled him to the ground,</l> +<l>Where speechless, senseless, wounded sore,</l> +<l>He lay his face besmeared with gore.</l> +<l>Then Níla with his fist he slew,</l> +<l>And Śarabh with his knee o'erthrew,</l> +<l>Nor could Gaváksha's strength withstand</l> +<l>The force of his terrific hand.</l> +<l>At Gandhamádan's eager call</l> +<l>Rushed thousands to avenge their fall,</l> +<l>Nor ceased those Vánars to assail</l> +<l>With knee and fist and tooth and nail.</l> +<l>Around his foes the giant threw</l> +<l>His mighty arms, and nearer drew</l> +<l>The captives subject to his will:</l> +<l>Then snatched them up and ate his fill.</l> +<l>There was no respite then, no pause:</l> +<l>Fast gaped and closed his hell-like jaws:</l> +<l>Yet, prisoned in that gloomy cave,</l> +<l>Some Vánars still their lives could save:</l> +<l>Some through his nostrils found a way,</l> +<l>Some through his ears resought the day.</l> +<l>Like Indra with his thunder, like</l> +<l>The God of Death in act to strike,</l> +<l>The giant seized his ponderous spear,</l> +<l>And charged the foe in swift career.</l> +<l>Before his might the Vánars fell,</l> +<l>Nor could their hosts his charge repel.</l> +<l>Then trembling, nor ashamed to run,</l> +<l>They turned and fled to Raghu's son.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Báli's warrior son<note place="foot">Angad. The text calls +him the son of the son of him who holds the thunderbolt, <hi rend='italic'>i.e.</hi> the +grandson of Indra.</note> beheld</l> +<l>Their flight, his heart with fury swelled.</l> +<l>He rushed, with his terrific shout,</l> +<l>To meet the foe and stay the rout.</l> +<l>He came, he hurled a mountain peak,</l> +<l>And smote the giant on the cheek.</l> +<l>His ponderous spear the giant threw:</l> +<l>Fierce was the cast, the aim was true;</l> +<l>But Angad, trained in war and tried,</l> +<l>Saw ere it came, and leapt aside.</l> +<l>Then with his open hand he smote</l> +<l>The giant on the chest and throat.</l> +<l>That blow the giant scarce sustained;</l> +<l>But sense and strength were soon regained.</l> +<l>With force which nothing might resist</l> +<l>He caught the Vánar by the wrist,</l> +<l>Whirled him, as if in pastime, round,</l> +<l>And dashed him senseless on the ground.</l> +<l>There low on earth his foe lay crushed:</l> +<l>At King Sugríva next he rushed,</l> +<l>Who, waiting for the charge, stood still,</l> +<l>And heaved on high a shattered hill,</l> +<l>He looked on Kumbhakarṇa dyed</l> +<l>With streams of blood, and fiercely cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Great glory has thine arm achieved,</q></l> +<l>And thousands of their lives bereaved.</l> +<l>Now leave a while thy meaner foes,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And brook the hill Sugríva throws.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He spoke, and hurled the mass he held:</l> +<l>The giant's chest the stroke repelled,</l> +<l>Then on the Vánars fell despair,</l> +<l>And Rákshas clamour filled the air.</l> +<l>The giant raised his arm, and fast</l> +<l>Came the tremendous<note place="foot">Literally, weighing a thousand +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">bháras</foreign>. +The <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">bhára</foreign> is a weight equal to +2000 <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">palas</foreign>, the +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">pala</foreign> is equal to four +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">karśas</foreign>, +and the <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">karśa</foreign> to 11375 French +grammes or about 176 grains troy. The spear seems very light for a warrior of +Kumbhakarṇa's strength and stature and the work performed with it.</note> +spear he cast.</l> +<l>Hanúmán caught it as it flew,</l> +<l>And knapped it on his knee in two.</l> +<l>The giant saw the broken spear:</l> +<l>His clouded eye confessed his fear;</l> +<l>Yet at Sugríva's head he sent</l> +<l>A peak from Lanká's mountain rent.</l> +<pb n="477"/><anchor id="Pg477"/> +<l>The rushing mass no might could stay:</l> +<l>Sugríva fell and senseless lay.</l> +<l>The giant stooped his foe to seize,</l> +<l>And bore him thence, as bears the breeze</l> +<l>A cloud in autumn through the sky.</l> +<l>He heard the sad Immortals sigh,</l> +<l>And shouts of triumph long and loud</l> +<l>Went up from all the Rákshas crowd.</l> +<l>Through Lanká's gate the giant passed</l> +<l>Holding his struggling captive fast,</l> +<l>While from each terrace, house, and tower</l> +<l>Fell on his haughty head a shower</l> +<l>Of fragrant scent and flowery rain,</l> +<l>Blossoms and leaves and scattered grain.<note place="foot">The custom of throwing +parched or roasted grain, with wreaths and flowers, on the heads of kings and conquerors +when they go forth to battle and return is frequently mentioned by Indian +poets.</note></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By slow degrees the Vánars' lord</l> +<l>Felt life and sense and strength restored.</l> +<l>He heard the giants' joyful boast:</l> +<l>He thought upon his Vánar host.</l> +<l>His teeth and feet he fiercely plied,</l> +<l>And bit and rent the giant's side,</l> +<l>Who, mad with pain and smeared with gore,</l> +<l>Hurled to the ground the load he bore.</l> +<l>Regardless of a storm of blows</l> +<l>Swift to the sky the Vánar rose,</l> +<l>Then lightly like a flying ball</l> +<l>High overleapt the city wall,</l> +<l>And joyous for deliverance won</l> +<l>Regained the side of Raghu's son.</l> +<l>And Kumbhakarṇa, mad with hate</l> +<l>And fury, sallied from the gate,</l> +<l>The carnage of the foe renewed</l> +<l>And filled his maw with gory food.</l> +<l>Slaying, with headlong frenzy blind,</l> +<l>Both Vánar foes and giant kind.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Nor would Sumitrá's valiant son<note +place="foot">Lakshmaṇ.</note></l> +<l>The might of Kumbhakarṇa shun,</l> +<l>Who through his harness felt the sting</l> +<l>Of keen shafts loosened from the string.</l> +<l>His heart confessed the warrior's power,</l> +<l>And, bleeding from the ceaseless shower</l> +<l>That smote him on the chest and side,</l> +<l>With words like these the giant cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Well fought, well fought, Sumitrá's son;</q></l> +<l>Eternal glory hast thou won,</l> +<l>For thou in desperate fight hast met</l> +<l>The victor never conquered yet,</l> +<l>Whom, borne on huge Airávat's back,</l> +<l>E'en Indra trembles to attack.</l> +<l>Go, son of Queen Sumitrá, go:</l> +<l>Thy valour and thy strength I know.</l> +<l>Now all my hope and earnest will</l> +<l>Is Ráma in the fight to kill.</l> +<l>Let him beneath my weapons fall,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And I will meet and conquer all.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The chieftain, of Sumitrá born,</l> +<l>Made answer as he laughed in scorn:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Yea, thou hast won a victor's fame</q></l> +<l>From trembling Gods and Indra's shame.</l> +<l>There waits thee now a mightier foe</l> +<l>Whose prowess thou hast yet to know.</l> +<l>There, famous in a hundred lands,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Ráma the son of Raghu stands.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Straight at the king the giant sped,</l> +<l>And earth was shaken at his tread.</l> +<l>His bow the hero grasped and strained,</l> +<l>And deadly shafts in torrents rained.</l> +<l>As Kumbhakarṇa felt each stroke</l> +<l>From his huge mouth burst fire and smoke;</l> +<l>His hands were loosed in mortal pain</l> +<l>And dropped his weapons on the plain.</l> +<l>Though reft of spear and sword and mace</l> +<l>No terror changed his haughty face.</l> +<l>With heavy hands he rained his blows</l> +<l>And smote to death a thousand foes.</l> +<l>Where'er the furious monster strode</l> +<l>While down his limbs the red blood flowed</l> +<l>Like torrents down a mountain's side,</l> +<l>Vánars and bears and giants died.</l> +<l>High o'er his head a rock he swung,</l> +<l>And the huge mass at Ráma flung.</l> +<l>But Ráma's arrows bright as flame</l> +<l>Shattered the mountain as it came.</l> +<l>Then Raghu's son, his eyes aglow</l> +<l>With burning anger, charged the foe,</l> +<l>And as his bow he strained and tried</l> +<l>With fearful clang the cord replied.</l> +<l>Wroth at the bowstring's threatening clang</l> +<l>To meet his foe the giant sprang.</l> +<l>High towering with enormous frame</l> +<l>Huge as a wood-crowned hill he came.</l> +<l>But Ráma firm and self-possessed</l> +<l>In words like these the foe addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Draw near, O Rákshas lord, draw near,</q></l> +<l>Nor turn thee from the fight in fear.</l> +<l>Thou meetest Ráma face to face,</l> +<l>Destroyer of the giant race.</l> +<l>Come, fight, and thou shalt feel this hour,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Laid low in death, thy conqueror's power.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: and mad with wrath and pride</l> +<l>The giant champion thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Come thou to me and thou shalt find</q></l> +<l>A foeman of a different kind.</l> +<l>No Khara, no Virádha,—thou</l> +<l>Hast met a mightier warrior now.</l> +<l>The strength of Kumbhakarṇa fear,</l> +<l>And dread the iron mace I rear</l> +<l>This mace in days of yore subdued</l> +<l>The Gods and Dánav multitude.</l> +<l>Prove, lion of Ikshváku's line,</l> +<l>Thy power upon these limbs of mine.</l> +<l>Then, after trial, shalt thou bleed,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And with thy flesh my hunger feed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: and Ráma, undismayed,</l> +<l>Upon his cord those arrows laid</l> +<pb n="478"/><anchor id="Pg478"/> +<l>Which pierced the stately Sál trees through,</l> +<l>And Báli king of Vánars slew.</l> +<l>They flew, they smote, but smote in vain</l> +<l>Those mighty limbs that felt no pain.</l> +<l>Then Ráma sent with surest aim</l> +<l>The dart that bore the Wind-God's name.</l> +<l>The missile from the giant tore</l> +<l>His huge arm and the mace it bore,</l> +<l>Which crushed the Vánars where it fell:</l> +<l>And dire was Kumbhakarṇa's yell.</l> +<l>The giant seized a tree, and then</l> +<l>Rushed madly at the lord of men.</l> +<l>Another dart, Lord Indra's own,</l> +<l>To meet his furious onset thrown,</l> +<l>His left arm from the shoulder lopped,</l> +<l>And like a mountain peak it dropped.</l> +<l>Then from the bow of Ráma sped</l> +<l>Two arrows, each with crescent head;</l> +<l>And, winged with might which naught could stay,</l> +<l>They cut the giant's legs away.</l> +<l>They fell, and awful was the sound</l> +<l>As those vast columns shook the ground;</l> +<l>And sky and sea and hill and cave</l> +<l>In echoing roars their answer gave.</l> +<l>Then from his side the hero drew</l> +<l>A dart that like the tempest flew—</l> +<l>No deadlier shaft has ever flown</l> +<l>Than that which Indra called his own—</l> +<l>Nor could the giant's mail-armed neck</l> +<l>The fury of the missile check.</l> +<l>Through skin and flesh and bone it smote</l> +<l>And rent asunder head and throat.</l> +<l>Down with the sound of thunder rolled</l> +<l>The head adorned with rings of gold,</l> +<l>And crushed to pieces in its fall</l> +<l>A gate, a tower, a massive wall.</l> +<l>Hurled to the sea the body fell:</l> +<l>Terrific was the ocean's swell,</l> +<l>Nor could swift fin and nimble leap</l> +<l>Save the crushed creatures of the deep.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus he who plagued in impious pride</l> +<l>The Gods and Bráhmans fought and died.</l> +<l>Glad were the hosts of heaven, and long</l> +<l>The air re-echoed with their song.<note place="foot">I have abridged this long Canto +by omitting some vain repetitions, commonplace epithets and similes and other unimportant +matter. There are many verses in this Canto which European scholars would +rigidly exclude as unmistakeably the work of later rhapsodists. Even the reverent +Commentator whom I follow ventures to remark once or twice: +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Ayam śloka prak shipta iti +bahavah</foreign>, <q>This <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">śloka</foreign> +or verse is in the opinion of many interpolated.</q></note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LXVIII"/> +<head>Canto LXVIII. Rávan's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>They ran to Rávaṇ in his hall</l> +<l>And told him of his brother's fall:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Fierce as the God who rules the dead,</q></l> +<l>Upon the routed foe he fed;</l> +<l>And, victor for a while, at length</l> +<l>Fell slain by Ráma's matchless strength.</l> +<l>Now like a mighty hill in size</l> +<l>His mangled trunk extended lies,</l> +<l>And where he fell, a bleeding mass,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Blocks Lanká's gate that none may pass.</q></l> +<l>The monarch heard: his strength gave way;</l> +<l>And fainting on the ground he lay.</l> +<l>Grieved at the giants' mournful tale,</l> +<l>Long, shrill was Atikáya's wail;</l> +<l>And Triśirás in sorrow bowed</l> +<l>His triple head, and wept aloud.</l> +<l>Mahodar, Mahápárśva shed</l> +<l>Hot tears and mourned their brother dead.</l> +<l>At length, his wandering sense restored,</l> +<l>In loud lament cried Lanká's lord:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah chief, for might and valour famed,</q></l> +<l>Whose arm the haughty foeman tamed,</l> +<l>Forsaking me, thy friends and all,</l> +<l>Why hast thou fled to Yáma's hall?</l> +<l>Why hast thou fled to taste no more</l> +<l>The slaughtered foeman's flesh and gore?</l> +<l>Ah me, my life is done to-day:</l> +<l>My better arm is lopped away.</l> +<l>Whereon in danger I relied,</l> +<l>And, fearless, Gods and fiends defied.</l> +<l>How could a shaft from Ráma's bow</l> +<l>The matchless giant overthrow,</l> +<l>Whose iron frame so strong of yore</l> +<l>The crushing bolt of Indra bore?</l> +<l>This day the Gods and sages meet</l> +<l>And triumph at their foe's defeat.</l> +<l>This day the Vánar chiefs will boast</l> +<l>And, with new ardour fired, their host</l> +<l>In fiercer onset will assail</l> +<l>Our city, and the ramparts scale.</l> +<l>What care I for a monarch's name,</l> +<l>For empire, or the Maithil dame?</l> +<l>What joy can power and riches give,</l> +<l>Or life that I should care to live,</l> +<l>Unless this arm in mortal fray</l> +<l>The slayer of my brother slay?</l> +<l>For me, of Kumbhakarṇa reft,</l> +<l>Death is the only solace left;</l> +<l>And I will seek, o'erwhelmed with woes,</l> +<l>The realm to which my brother goes.</l> +<l>Ah me ill-minded, not to take</l> +<l>His counsel when Vibhishaṇ spake</l> +<l>When he this evil day foretold</l> +<l>My foolish heart was overbold:</l> +<l>I drove my sage adviser hence,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And reap the fruits of mine offence.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="479"/><anchor id="Pg479"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LXIX"/> +<head>Canto LXIX. Narántak's Death.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Pierced to the soul by sorrow's sting</l> +<l>Thus wailed the evil-hearted king.</l> +<l>Then Triśirás stood forth and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Yea, father, he has fought and died,</q></l> +<l>Our bravest: and the loss is sore:</l> +<l>But rouse thee, and lament no more.</l> +<l>Hast thou not still thy coat of mail,</l> +<l>Thy bow and shafts which never fail?</l> +<l>A thousand asses draw thy car</l> +<l>Which roars like thunder heard afar.</l> +<l>Thy valour and thy warrior skill,</l> +<l>Thy God-given strength, are left thee still.</l> +<l>Unarmed, thy matchless might subdued</l> +<l>The Gods and Dánav multitude.</l> +<l>Armed with thy glorious weapons, how</l> +<l>Shall Raghu's son oppose thee now?</l> +<l>Or, sire, within thy palace stay;</l> +<l>And I myself will sweep away</l> +<l>Thy foes, like Garuḍ when he makes</l> +<l>A banquet of the writhing snakes.</l> +<l>Soon Raghu's son shall press the plain,</l> +<l>As Narak<note place="foot">Narak was a demon, son of Bhúmi or +Earth, who haunted the city Prágjyotisha.</note> fell by Vishṇu slain,</l> +<l>Or Śambar<note place="foot">Śambar was a demon of drought.</note> +in rebellious pride</l> +<l><q rend="post">Who met the King of Gods<note place="foot">Indra.</note> +and died.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The monarch heard: his courage grew,</l> +<l>And life and spirit came anew.</l> +<l>Devántak and Narántak heard,</l> +<l>And their fierce souls with joy were stirred;</l> +<l>And Atikáya<note place="foot">Devántak (Slayer of Gods) Narántak +(Slayer of Men) Atikáya (Huge of Frame) and Triśirás (Three Headed) were all sons +of Rávaṇ.</note> burned to fight,</l> +<l>And heard the summons with delight;</l> +<l>While from the rest loud rang the cry,</l> +<l><q>I too will fight,</q> <q>and I,</q> <q>and I.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The joyous king his sons embraced,</l> +<l>With gold and chains and jewels graced,</l> +<l>And sent them forth with stirring speech</l> +<l>Of benison and praise to each.</l> +<l>Forth from the gate the princes sped</l> +<l>And ranged for war the troops they led.</l> +<l>The Vánar legions charged anew,</l> +<l>And trees and rocks for missiles flew.</l> +<l>They saw Narántak's mighty form</l> +<l>Borne on a steed that mocked the storm.</l> +<l>To check his charge in vain they strove:</l> +<l>Straight through their host his way he clove,</l> +<l>As springs a dolphin through the tide:</l> +<l>And countless Vánars fell and died,</l> +<l>And mangled limbs and corpses lay</l> +<l>To mark the chief's ensanguined way,</l> +<l>Sugríva saw them fall or fly</l> +<l>When fierce Narántak's steed was nigh,</l> +<l>And marked the giant where he sped</l> +<l>O'er heaps of dying or of dead.</l> +<l>He bade the royal Angad face</l> +<l>That bravest chief of giant race.</l> +<l>As springs the sun from clouds dispersed,</l> +<l>So Angad from the Vánars burst.</l> +<l>No weapon for the fight he bore</l> +<l>Save nails and teeth, and sought no more.</l> +<l><q>Leave, giant chieftain,</q> thus he spoke,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Leave foes unworthy of thy stroke,</q></l> +<l>And bend against a nobler heart</l> +<l><q rend="post">The terrors of thy deadly dart.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Narántak heard the words he spake:</l> +<l>Fast breathing, like an angry snake,</l> +<l>With bloody teeth his lips he pressed</l> +<l>And hurled his dart at Angad's breast.</l> +<l>True was the aim and fierce the stroke,</l> +<l>Yet on his breast the missile broke.</l> +<l>Then Angad at the giant flew,</l> +<l>And with a blow his courser slew:</l> +<l>The fierce hand crushed through flesh and bone,</l> +<l>And steed and rider fell o'erthrown.</l> +<l>Narántak's eyes with fury blazed:</l> +<l>His heavy hand on high he raised</l> +<l>And struck in savage wrath the head</l> +<l>Of Báli's son, who reeled and bled,</l> +<l>Fainted a moment and no more:</l> +<l>Then stronger, fiercer than before</l> +<l>Smote with that fist which naught could stay,</l> +<l>And crushed to death the giant lay.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LXX"/> +<head>Canto LXX. The Death Of Trisirás.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then raged the Rákshas chiefs, and all</l> +<l>Burned to avenge Narántak's fall.</l> +<l>Devántak raised his club on high</l> +<l>And rushed at Angad with a cry.</l> +<l>Behind came Triśirás, and near</l> +<l>Mahodar charged with levelled spear.</l> +<l>There Angad stood to fight with three:</l> +<l>High o'er his head he waved a tree,</l> +<l>And at Devántak, swift and true</l> +<l>As Indra's flaming bolt, it flew.</l> +<l>But, cut by giant shafts in twain,</l> +<l>With minished force it flew in vain.</l> +<l>A shower of trees and blocks of stone</l> +<l>From Angad's hand was fiercely thrown;</l> +<l>But well his club Devántak plied</l> +<l>And turned each rock and tree aside.</l> +<l>Nor yet, by three such foes assailed,</l> +<pb n="480"/><anchor id="Pg480"/> +<l>The heart of Angad sank or quailed.</l> +<l>He slew the mighty beast that bore</l> +<l>Mahodar: from his head he tore</l> +<l>A bleeding tusk, and blow on blow</l> +<l>Fell fiercely on his Rákshas foe.</l> +<l>The giant reeled, but strength regained,</l> +<l>And furious strokes on Angad rained,</l> +<l>Who, wounded by the storm of blows,</l> +<l>Sank on his knees, but swiftly rose.</l> +<l>Then Triśirás, as up he sprang,</l> +<l>Drew his great bow with awful clang,</l> +<l>And fixed three arrows from his sheaf</l> +<l>Full in the forehead of the chief.</l> +<l>Hanúmán saw, nor long delayed</l> +<l>To speed with Níla to his aid,</l> +<l>Who at the three-faced giant sent</l> +<l>A peak from Lanká's mountain rent.</l> +<l>But Triśirás with certain aim</l> +<l>Shot rapid arrows as it came:</l> +<l>And shivered by their force it broke</l> +<l>And fell to earth with flash and smoke.</l> +<l>Then as the Wind-God's son came nigh,</l> +<l>Devántak reared his mace on high.</l> +<l>Hanúmán smote him on the head</l> +<l>And stretched the monstrous giant dead.</l> +<l>Fierce Triśirás with fury strained</l> +<l>His bow, and showers of arrows rained</l> +<l>That smote on Níla's side and chest:</l> +<l>He sank a moment, sore distressed;</l> +<l>But quickly gathered strength to seize</l> +<l>A mountain with its crown of trees.</l> +<l>Crushed by the hill, distained with gore,</l> +<l>Mahodar fell to rise no more.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Triśirás raised high his spear</l> +<l>Which chilled the trembling foe with fear</l> +<l>And, like a flashing meteor through</l> +<l>The air at Hanúmán it flew.</l> +<l>The Vánar shunned the threatened stroke,</l> +<l>And with strong hands the weapon broke.</l> +<l>The giant drew his glittering blade:</l> +<l>Dire was the wound the weapon made</l> +<l>Deep in the Vánar's ample chest,</l> +<l>Who, for a moment sore oppressed,</l> +<l>Raised his broad hand, regaining might,</l> +<l>And struck the rover of the night.</l> +<l>Fierce was the blow: with one wild yell</l> +<l>Low on the earth the monster fell.</l> +<l>Hanúmán seized his fallen sword</l> +<l>Which served no more its senseless lord,</l> +<l>And from the monster triple-necked</l> +<l>Smote his huge heads with crowns bedecked.</l> +<l>Then Mahápárśva burned with ire;</l> +<l>Fierce flashed his eyes with vengeful fire.</l> +<l>A moment on the dead he gazed,</l> +<l>Then his black mace aloft was raised,</l> +<l>And down the mass of iron came</l> +<l>That struck and shook the Vánar's frame.</l> +<l>Hanúmán's chest was wellnigh crushed,</l> +<l>And from his mouth red torrents gushed:</l> +<l>Yet served one instant to restore</l> +<l>His spirit: from the foe he tore</l> +<l>His awful mace, and smote, and laid</l> +<l>The giant in the dust dismayed.</l> +<l>Crushed were his jaws and teeth and eyes:</l> +<l>Breathless and still he lay as lies</l> +<l>A summit from a mountain rent</l> +<l>By him who rules the firmament.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LXXI"/> +<head>Canto LXXI. Atikáya's Death.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Atikáya's wrath grew high</l> +<l>To see his noblest kinsmen die.</l> +<l>He, fiercest of the giant race,</l> +<l>Presuming still on Brahmá's grace;</l> +<l>Proud tamer of the Immortals' pride,</l> +<l>Whose power and might with Indra's vied,</l> +<l>For blood and vengeful carnage burned,</l> +<l>And on the foe his fury turned.</l> +<l>High on a car that flashed and glowed</l> +<l>Bright as a thousand suns he rode.</l> +<l>Around his princely brows was set</l> +<l>A rich bejewelled coronet.</l> +<l>Gold pendants in his ears he wore;</l> +<l>He strained and tried the bow he bore,</l> +<l>And ever, as a shaft he aimed,</l> +<l>His name and royal race proclaimed.</l> +<l>Scarce might the Vánars brook to hear</l> +<l>His clanging bow and voice of fear:</l> +<l>To Raghu's elder son they fled,</l> +<l>Their sure defence in woe and dread.</l> +<l>Then Ráma bent his eyes afar</l> +<l>And saw the giant in his car</l> +<l>Fast following the flying crowd</l> +<l>And roaring like a rainy cloud.</l> +<l>He, with the lust of battle fired,</l> +<l>Turned to Vibhishaṇ and inquired:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Say, who is this, of mountain size,</q></l> +<l>This archer with the lion eyes?</l> +<l>His car, which strikes our host with awe,</l> +<l>A thousand eager coursers draw.</l> +<l>Surrounded by the flashing spears</l> +<l>Which line his car, the chief appears</l> +<l>Like some huge cloud when lightnings play</l> +<l>About it on a stormy day;</l> +<l>And the great bow he joys to hold</l> +<l>Whose bended back is bright with gold,</l> +<l>As Indra's bow makes glad the skies,</l> +<l>That best of chariots glorifies.</l> +<l>O see the sunlike splendour flung</l> +<l>From the great flag above him hung,</l> +<l>Where, blazoned with refulgent lines,</l> +<l>Ráhu<note place="foot">The demon of eclipse who seizes the +Sun and Moon.</note> the dreadful Dragon shines.</l> +<l>Full thirty quivers near his side,</l> +<l>His car with shafts is well supplied:</l> +<pb n="481"/><anchor id="Pg481"/> +<l>And flashing like the light of stars</l> +<l>Gleam his two mighty scimitars.</l> +<l>Say, best of giants, who is he</l> +<l><q rend="post">Before whose face the Vánars flee?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma spake. Vibhishaṇ eyed</l> +<l>The giants' chief, and thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">This Ráma, this is Rávaṇ's son:</q></l> +<l>High fame his youthful might has won.</l> +<l>He, best of warriors, bows his ear</l> +<l>The wisdom of the wise to hear.</l> +<l>Supreme is he mid those who know</l> +<l>The mastery of sword and bow.</l> +<l>Unrivalled in the bold attack</l> +<l>On elephant's or courser's back,</l> +<l>He knows, beside, each subtler art,</l> +<l>To win the foe, to bribe, or part.</l> +<l>On him the giant hosts rely,</l> +<l>And fear no ill when he is nigh.</l> +<l>This peerless chieftain bears the name</l> +<l>Of Atikáya huge of frame,</l> +<l>Whom Dhanyamáliní of yore</l> +<l><q rend="post">To Rávaṇ lord of Lanká bore.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Roused by his bow-string's awful clang,</l> +<l>To meet their foes the Vánars sprang.</l> +<l>Armed with tall trees from Lanká's wood,</l> +<l>And rocks and mountain peaks, they stood.</l> +<l>The giant's arrows, gold-bedecked,</l> +<l>The storm of hurtling missiles checked;</l> +<l>And ever on his foemen poured</l> +<l>Fierce tempest from his clanging cord;</l> +<l>Nor could the Vánar chiefs sustain</l> +<l>His shafts' intolerable rain.</l> +<l>They fled: the victor gained the place</l> +<l>Where stood the lord of Raghu's race,</l> +<l>And cried with voice of thunder: <q rend="pre">Lo,</q></l> +<l>Borne on my car, with shaft and bow,</l> +<l>I, champion of the giants, scorn</l> +<l>To fight with weaklings humbly born.</l> +<l>Come forth your bravest, if he dare,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And fight with one who will not spare.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Forth sprang Sumitrá's noble child,<note +place="foot">Lakshmaṇ.</note></l> +<l>And strained his ready bow, and smiled;</l> +<l>And giants trembled as the clang</l> +<l>Through heaven and earth reëchoing rang.</l> +<l>The giant to his string applied</l> +<l>A pointed shaft, and proudly cried;</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Turn, turn, Sumitrá's son and fly,</q></l> +<l>For terrible as Death am I.</l> +<l>Fly, nor that youthful form oppose,</l> +<l>Untrained in war, to warriors' blows.</l> +<l>What! wilt thou waste thy childish breath</l> +<l>And wake the dormant fire of death?</l> +<l>Cast down, rash boy, that useless bow:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Preserve thy life, uninjured go.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: and stirred by wrath & pride</l> +<l>Sumitrá's noble son replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">By warlike deed, not words alone,</q></l> +<l>The valour of the brave is shown.</l> +<l>Cease with vain boasts my scorn to move,</l> +<l>And with thine arm thy prowess prove.</l> +<l>Borne on thy car, with sword and bow,</l> +<l>With all thine arms, thy valour show.</l> +<l>Fight, and my deadly shafts this day</l> +<l>Low in the dust thy head shall lay,</l> +<l>And, rushing fast in ceaseless flood,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Shall rend thy flesh and drink thy blood.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His giant foe no answer made,</l> +<l>But on his string an arrow laid.</l> +<l>He raised his arm, the cord he drew,</l> +<l>At Lakshmaṇ's breast the arrow flew.</l> +<l>Sumitrá's son, his foemen's dread,</l> +<l>Shot a fleet shaft with crescent head,</l> +<l>Which cleft that arrow pointed well,</l> +<l>And harmless to the earth it fell.</l> +<l>A shower of shafts from Lakshmaṇ's bow</l> +<l>Fell fast and furious on the foe</l> +<l>Who quailed not as the missiles smote</l> +<l>With idle force his iron coat.</l> +<l>Then came the friendly Wind-God near,</l> +<l>And whispered thus in Lakshmaṇ's ear:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Such shafts as these in vain assail</q></l> +<l>Thy foe's impenetrable mail.</l> +<l>A more tremendous missile try,</l> +<l>Or never may the giant die.</l> +<l>Employ the mighty spell, and aim</l> +<l><q rend="post">The weapon known by Brahmá's name.</q></l> +<l>He ceased; Sumitrá's son obeyed:</l> +<l>On his great bow the shaft was laid,</l> +<l>And with a roar like thunder, true</l> +<l>As Indra's flashing bolt, it flew.</l> +<l>The giant poured his shafts like rain</l> +<l>To check its course, but all in vain.</l> +<l>With spear and mace and sword he tried</l> +<l>To turn the fiery dart aside.</l> +<l>Winged with a force which naught could check,</l> +<l>It smote the monster in the neck,</l> +<l>And, sundered from his shoulders, rolled</l> +<l>To earth his head and helm of gold.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LXXII"/> +<head>Canto LXXII. Rávan's Speech.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The giants bent, in rage and grief,</l> +<l>Their eyes upon the fallen chief:</l> +<l>Then flying wild with fear and pale</l> +<l>To Rávaṇ bore the mournful tale.</l> +<l>He heard how Atikáya died,</l> +<l>Then turned him to his lords, and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Where are they now—my bravest—where,</q></l> +<l>Wise to consult and prompt to dare?</l> +<l>Where is Dhúmráksha, skilled to wield</l> +<l>All weapons in the battle field?</l> +<l>Akampan, and Prahasta's might,</l> +<l>And Kumbhakarṇa bold in fight?</l> +<l>These, these and many a Rákshas more,</l> +<l>Each master of the arms he bore,</l> +<pb n="482"/><anchor id="Pg482"/> +<l>Who every foe in fight o'erthrew,</l> +<l>The victors none could e'er subdue,</l> +<l>Have perished by the might of one,</l> +<l>The vengeful arm of Raghu's son.</l> +<l>In vain I cast mine eyes around,</l> +<l>No match for Ráma here is found,</l> +<l>No chief to stand before that bow</l> +<l>Whose deadly shafts have caused our woe.</l> +<l>Now, warriors, to your stations hence;</l> +<l>Provide ye for the wall's defence,</l> +<l>And be the Aśoka garden, where</l> +<l>The lady lies, your special care.</l> +<l>Be every lane and passage barred,</l> +<l>Set at each gate a chosen guard.</l> +<l>And with your troops, where danger calls,</l> +<l>Be ready to defend the walls.</l> +<l>Each movement of the Vánars mark;</l> +<l>Observe them when the skies grow dark;</l> +<l>Be ready in the dead of night,</l> +<l>And ere the morning bring the light.</l> +<l>Taught by our loss we may not scorn</l> +<l><q rend="post">These legions of the forest-born.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: the Rákshas lords obeyed;</l> +<l>Each at his post his troops arrayed:</l> +<l>And, torn with pangs that pierced him through</l> +<l>The monarch from the hall withdrew.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LXXIII"/> +<head>Canto LXXIII. Indrajít's Victory.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Indrajít the fierce and bold</l> +<l>With words like these his sire consoled:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Dismiss, O King, thy grief and dread,</q></l> +<l>And be not thus disquieted.</l> +<l>Against this numbing sorrow strive,</l> +<l>For Indrajít is yet alive;</l> +<l>And none in battle may withstand</l> +<l>The fury of his strong right hand.</l> +<l>This day, O sire, thine eyes shall see</l> +<l><q rend="post">The sons of Raghu slain by me.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: he bade the king farewell:</l> +<l>Clear, mid the roar of drum and shell,</l> +<l>The clash of sword and harness rang</l> +<l>As to his car the warrior sprang.</l> +<l>Close followed by his Rákshas train</l> +<l>Through Lanká's gate he reached the plain.</l> +<l>Then down he leapt, and bade a band</l> +<l>Of giants by the chariot stand:</l> +<l>Then with due rites, as rules require,</l> +<l>Did worship to the Lord of Fire.</l> +<l>The sacred oil, as texts ordain,</l> +<l>With wreaths of scented flowers and grain,</l> +<l>Within the flame in order due,</l> +<l>That mightiest of the giants threw.</l> +<l>There on the ground were spear and blade,</l> +<l>And arrowy leaves and fuel laid;</l> +<l>An iron ladle deep and wide,</l> +<l>And robes with sanguine colours dyed.</l> +<l>Beside him stood a sable goat:</l> +<l>The giant seized it by the throat,</l> +<l>And straight from the consuming flame</l> +<l>Auspicious signs of victory came.</l> +<l>For swiftly, curling to the right,</l> +<l>The fire leapt up with willing light</l> +<l>Undimmed by smoky cloud, and, red</l> +<l>Like gold, upon the offering fed.</l> +<l>They brought him, while the flame yet glowed,</l> +<l>The dart by Brahmá's grace bestowed,</l> +<l>And all the arms he wielded well</l> +<l>Were charmed with text and holy spell.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then fiercer for the fight he burned,</l> +<l>And at the foe his chariot turned,</l> +<l>While all his followers lifting high</l> +<l>Their maces charged with furious cry.</l> +<l>Dire, yet more dire the battle grew,</l> +<l>As rocks and trees and arrows flew.</l> +<l>The giant shot his shafts like rain,</l> +<l>And Vánars fell in myriads slain,</l> +<l>Sugríva, Angad, Níla felt</l> +<l>The wounds his hurtling arrows dealt.</l> +<l>His shafts the blood of Gaya drank;</l> +<l>Hanúmán reeled and Mainda sank.</l> +<l>Bright as the glances of the sun</l> +<l>Came the swift darts they could not shun.</l> +<l>Caught in the arrowy nets he wove,</l> +<l>In vain the sons of Raghu strove;</l> +<l>And Ráma, by the darts oppressed,</l> +<l>His brother chieftain thus addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">See, first this giant warrior sends</q></l> +<l>Destruction, mid our Vánar friends,</l> +<l>And now his arrows thick and fast</l> +<l>Their binding net around us cast.</l> +<l>To Brahmá's grace the chieftain owes</l> +<l>The matchless power and might he shows;</l> +<l>And mortal strength in vain contends</l> +<l>With him whom Brahmá's self befriends.</l> +<l>Then let us still with dauntless hearts</l> +<l>Endure this storm of pelting darts.</l> +<l>Soon must we sink bereaved of sense;</l> +<l>And then the victor, hurrying hence,</l> +<l>Will seek his father in his hall</l> +<l><q rend="post">And tell him of his foemen's fall.</q></l> +<l>He ceased: o'erpowered by shaft and spell</l> +<l>The sons of Raghu reeled and fell.</l> +<l>The Rákshas on their bodies gazed;</l> +<l>And, mid the shouts his followers raised,</l> +<l>Sped back to Lanká to relate</l> +<l>In Rávaṇ's hall the princes' fate.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LXXIV"/> +<head>Canto LXXIV. The Medicinal Herbs.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The shades of falling night concealed</l> +<l>The carnage of the battle field,</l> +<pb n="483"/><anchor id="Pg483"/> +<l>Which, bearing each a blazing brand,</l> +<l>Hanúmán and Vibhishaṇ scanned,</l> +<l>Moving with slow and anxious tread</l> +<l>Among the dying and the dead.</l> +<l>Sad was the scene of slaughter shown</l> +<l>Where'er the torches' light was thrown.</l> +<l>Here mountain forms of Vánars lay</l> +<l>Whose heads and limbs were lopped away,</l> +<l>Arms, legs and fingers strewed the ground,</l> +<l>And severed heads lay thick around.</l> +<l>The earth was moist with sanguine streams,</l> +<l>And sighs were heard and groans and screams.</l> +<l>There lay Sugríva still and cold,</l> +<l>There Angad, once so brave and bold.</l> +<l>There Jámbaván his might reposed,</l> +<l>There Vegadarśí's eyes were closed;</l> +<l>There in the dust was Nala's pride,</l> +<l>And Dwivid lay by Mainda's side.</l> +<l>Where'er they looked the ensanguined plain</l> +<l>Was strewn with myriads of the slain;<note place="foot">In such cases as this I am +not careful to reproduce the numbers of the poet, which in the text which I follow are +670000000; the Bengal recension being content with thirty million less.</note></l> +<l>They sought with keenly searching eyes</l> +<l>King Jámbaván supremely wise.</l> +<l>His strength had failed by slow decay,</l> +<l>And pierced with countless shafts he lay.</l> +<l>They saw, and hastened to his side,</l> +<l>And thus the sage Vibhishaṇ cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thee, monarch of the bears, we seek:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Speak if thou yet art living, speak.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Slow came the aged chief's reply;</l> +<l>Scarce could he say with many a sigh:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Torn with keen shafts which pierce each limb,</q></l> +<l>My strength is gone, my sight is dim;</l> +<l>Yet though I scarce can raise mine eyes,</l> +<l>Thy voice, O chief, I recognize.</l> +<l>O, while these ears can hear thee, say,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Has Hanúmán survived this day?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Why ask,</q> Vibhishaṇ cried, <q rend="pre">for one</q></l> +<l>Of lower rank, the Wind-God's son?</l> +<l>Hast thou forgotten, first in place,</l> +<l>The princely chief of Raghu's race?</l> +<l>Can King Sugríva claim no care,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And Angad, his imperial heir?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Yea, dearer than my noblest friends</q></l> +<l>Is he on whom our hope depends.</l> +<l>For if the Wind-God's son survive,</l> +<l>All we though dead are yet alive.</l> +<l>But if his precious life be fled</l> +<l>Though living still we are but dead:</l> +<l><q rend="post">He is our hope and sure relief.</q></l> +<l>Thus slowly spoke the aged chief:</l> +<l>Then to his side Hanúmán came,</l> +<l>And with low reverence named his name.</l> +<l>Cheered by the face he longed to view</l> +<l>The wounded chieftain lived anew.</l> +<l><q>Go forth,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">O strong and brave,</q></l> +<l>And in their woe the Vánars save.</l> +<l>No might but thine, supremely great,</l> +<l>May help us in our lost estate.</l> +<l>The trembling bears and Vánars cheer,</l> +<l>Calm their sad hearts, dispel their fear.</l> +<l>Save Raghu's noble sons, and heal</l> +<l>The deep wounds of the winged steel.</l> +<l>High o'er the waters of the sea</l> +<l>To far Himálaya's summits flee.</l> +<l>Kailása there wilt thou behold,</l> +<l>And Rishabh, with his peaks of gold.</l> +<l>Between them see a mountain rise</l> +<l>Whose splendour will enchant thine eyes;</l> +<l>His sides are clothed above, below,</l> +<l>With all the rarest herbs that grow.</l> +<l>Upon that mountain's lofty crest</l> +<l>Four plants, of sovereign powers possessed,</l> +<l>Spring from the soil, and flashing there</l> +<l>Shed radiance through the neighbouring air.</l> +<l>One draws the shaft: one brings again</l> +<l>The breath of life to warm the slain;</l> +<l>One heals each wound; one gives anew</l> +<l>To faded cheeks their wonted hue.</l> +<l>Fly, chieftain, to that mountain's brow</l> +<l><q rend="post">And bring those herbs to save us now.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Hanúmán heard, and springing through</l> +<l>The air like Vishṇu's discus<note place="foot">The discus or quoit, a sharp-edged +circular missile is the favourite weapon of Vishṇu.</note> flew.</l> +<l>The sea was passed: beneath him, gay</l> +<l>With bright-winged birds, the mountains lay,</l> +<l>And brook and lake and lonely glen,</l> +<l>And fertile lands with toiling men.</l> +<l>On, on he sped: before him rose</l> +<l>The mansion of perennial snows.</l> +<l>There soared the glorious peaks as fair</l> +<l>As white clouds in the summer air.</l> +<l>Here, bursting from the leafy shade,</l> +<l>In thunder leapt the wild cascade.</l> +<l>He looked on many a pure retreat</l> +<l>Dear to the Gods' and sages' feet:</l> +<l>The spot where Brahmá dwells apart,</l> +<l>The place whence Rudra launched his dart;<note place="foot">To destroy Tripura the +triple city in the sky, air and earth, built by Maya for a celebrated Asur or demon, or +as another commentator explains, to destroy Kandarpa or Love.</note></l> +<l>Vishṇu's high seat and Indra's home,</l> +<l>And slopes where Yáma's servants roam.</l> +<l>There was Kuvera's bright abode;</l> +<l>There Brahmá's mystic weapon glowed.</l> +<l>There was the noble hill whereon</l> +<pb n="484"/><anchor id="Pg484"/> +<l>Those herbs with wondrous lustre shone,</l> +<l>And, ravished by the glorious sight,</l> +<l>Hanúmán rested on the height.</l> +<l>He, moving down the glittering peak,</l> +<l>The healing herbs began to seek:</l> +<l>But, when he thought to seize the prize,</l> +<l>They hid them from his eager eyes.</l> +<l>Then to the hill in wrath he spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Mine arm this day shall vengeance take,</q></l> +<l>If thou wilt feel no pity, none,</l> +<l><q rend="post">In this great need of Raghu's son.</q></l> +<l>He ceased: his mighty arms he bent</l> +<l>And from the trembling mountain rent</l> +<l>His huge head with the life it bore,</l> +<l>Snakes, elephants, and golden ore.</l> +<l>O'er hill and plain and watery waste</l> +<l>His rapid way again he traced.</l> +<l>And mid the wondering Vánars laid</l> +<l>His burthen through the air conveyed,</l> +<l>The wondrous herbs' delightful scent</l> +<l>To all the host new vigour lent.</l> +<l>Free from all darts and wounds and pain</l> +<l>The sons of Raghu lived again,</l> +<l>And dead and dying Vánars healed</l> +<l>Rose vigorous from the battle field.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-LXXV"/> +<head>Canto LXXV. The Night Attack.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Sugríva spake in words like these:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now, Vánar lords, the occasion seize.</q></l> +<l>For now, of sons and brothers reft,</l> +<l>To Rávaṇ little hope is left:</l> +<l>And if our host his gates assail</l> +<l><q rend="post">His weak defence will surely fail.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">At dead of night the Vánar bands</l> +<l>Rushed on with torches in their hands.</l> +<l>Scared by the coming of the host</l> +<l>Each giant warder left his post.</l> +<l>Where'er the Vánar legions came</l> +<l>Their way was marked with hostile flame</l> +<l>That spread in fury to devour</l> +<l>Palace and temple, gate and tower.</l> +<l>Down came the walls and porches, down</l> +<l>Came stately piles that graced the town.</l> +<l>In many a house the fire was red,</l> +<l>On sandal wood and aloe fed.</l> +<l>And scorching flames in billows rolled</l> +<l>O'er diamonds and pearls and gold.</l> +<l>On cloth of wool, on silk brocade,</l> +<l>On linen robes their fury preyed.</l> +<l>Wheels, poles and yokes were burned, and all</l> +<l>The coursers' harness in the stall;</l> +<l>And elephants' and chariots' gear,</l> +<l>The sword, the buckler, and the spear.</l> +<l>Scared by the crash of falling beams,</l> +<l>Mid lamentations, groans and screams,</l> +<l>Forth rushed the giants through the flames</l> +<l>And with them dragged bewildered dames,</l> +<l>Each, with o'erwhelming terror wild,</l> +<l>Still clasping to her breast a child.</l> +<l>The swift fire from a cloud of smoke</l> +<l>Through many a gilded lattice broke,</l> +<l>And, melting pearl and coral, rose</l> +<l>O'er balconies and porticoes.</l> +<l>The startled crane and peacock screamed</l> +<l>As with strange light the courtyard gleamed,</l> +<l>And fierce unusual glare was thrown</l> +<l>On shrinking wood and heated stone.</l> +<l>From burning stall and stable freed</l> +<l>Rushed frantic elephant and steed,</l> +<l>And goaded by the driving blaze</l> +<l>Fled wildly through the crowded ways.</l> +<l>As earth with fervent heat will glow</l> +<l>When comes her final overthrow;</l> +<l>From gate to gate, from court to spire</l> +<l>Proud Lanká was one blaze of fire,</l> +<l>And every headland, rock and bay</l> +<l>Shone bright a hundred leagues away.</l> +<l>Forth, blinded by the heat and flame</l> +<l>Ran countless giants huge of frame;</l> +<l>And, mustering for fierce attack,</l> +<l>The Vánars charged to drive them back,</l> +<l>While shout and scream and roar and cry</l> +<l>Reëchoed through the earth and sky.</l> +<l>There Ráma stood with strength renewed,</l> +<l>And ever, as the foe he viewed,</l> +<l>Shaking the distant regions rang</l> +<l>His mighty bow's tremendous clang.</l> +<l>Then through the gates Nikumbha hied,</l> +<l>And Kumbha by his brother's side,</l> +<l>Sent forth—the bravest and the best—</l> +<l>To battle by the king's behest.</l> +<l>There fought the chiefs in open field,</l> +<l>And Angad fell and Dwivid reeled.</l> +<l>Sugríva saw: by rage impelled</l> +<l>He crushed the bow which Kumbha held.</l> +<l>About his foe Sugríva wound</l> +<l>His arms, and, heaving from the ground</l> +<l>The giant hurled him o'er the bank;</l> +<l>And deep beneath the sea he sank.</l> +<l>Like mandar hill with furious swell</l> +<l>Up leapt the waters where he fell.</l> +<l>Again he rose: he sprang to land</l> +<l>And raised on high his threatening hand:</l> +<l>Full on Sugríva's chest it came</l> +<l>And shook the Vánar's massy frame,</l> +<l>But on the wounded bone he broke</l> +<l>His wrist—so furious was the stroke.</l> +<l>With force that naught could stay or check,</l> +<l>Sugríva smote him neath the neck.</l> +<l>The fierce blow crashed through flesh and bone</l> +<l>And Kumbha lay in death o'erthrown.</l> +<l>Nikumbha saw his brother die,</l> +<l>And red with fury flashed his eye.</l> +<l>He dashed with mighty sway and swing</l> +<pb n="485"/><anchor id="Pg485"/> +<l>His axe against the Vánar king;</l> +<l>But shattered on that living rock</l> +<l>It split in fragments at the shock.</l> +<l>Sugríva, rising to the blow,</l> +<l>Raised his huge hand and smote his foe.</l> +<l>And in the dust the giant lay</l> +<l>Gasping in blood his soul away.</l> +</lg> + +<p> +[I have briefly despatched Kumbha and Nikumbha, each of whom has in the text a +long Canto to himself. When they fall Rávaṇ sends forth Makaráksha or +Crocodile-Eye, the son of Khara who was slain by Ráma in the forest before the +abduction of Sítá. The account of his sallying forth, of his battle with Ráma +and of his death by the fiery dart of that hero occupies two Cantos which I entirely +pass over. Indrajít again comes forth and, rendered invisible by his magic art +slays countless Vánars with his unerring arrows. He retires to the city and returns +bearing in his chariot an effigy of Sítá, the work of magic, weeping and +wailing by his side. He grasps the lovely image by the hair and cuts it down with +his scimitar in the sight of the enraged Hanúmán and all the Vánar host. At +last after much fighting of the usual kind Indrajít's chariot is broken in pieces, his +charioteer is slain, and he himself falls by Lakshmaṇ's hand, to the inexpressible +delight of the high-souled saints, the nymphs of heaven and other celestial +beings.] +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XCIII"/> +<head>Canto XCIII. Rávan's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>They sought the king, a mournful train,</l> +<l>And cried, <q rend="pre">My lord, thy son is slain.</q></l> +<l>By Lakshmaṇ's hand, before these eyes,</l> +<l>The warrior fell no more to rise.</l> +<l>No time is this for vain regret:</l> +<l>Thy hero son a hero met;</l> +<l>And he whose might in battle pressed</l> +<l>Lord Indra and the Gods confessed,</l> +<l>Whose power was stranger to defeat,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Has gained in heaven a blissful seat.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The monarch heard the mournful tale:</l> +<l>His heart was faint, his cheek was pale;</l> +<l>His fleeting sense at length regained,</l> +<l>In trembling tones he thus complained:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah me, my son, my pride: the boast</q></l> +<l>And glory of the giant host.</l> +<l>Could Lakshmaṇ's puny might defeat</l> +<l>The foe whom Indra feared to meet?</l> +<l>Could not thy deadly arrows split</l> +<l>Proud Mandar's peaks, O Indrajít,</l> +<l>And the Destroyer's self destroy?</l> +<l>And wast thou conquered by a boy?</l> +<l>I will not weep: thy noble deed</l> +<l>Has blessed thee with immortal meed</l> +<l>Gained by each hero in the skies</l> +<l>Who fighting for his sovereign dies.</l> +<l>Now, fearless of all meaner foes,</l> +<l>The guardian Gods<note place="foot">The Lokapálas are sometimes regarded +as deities appointed by Brahmá at the creation of the word to act as guardians +of different orders of beings, but more commonly they are identified with the +deities presiding over the four cardinal and four intermediate points of the compass, +which, according to Manu V. 96, are 1, Indra, guardian of the East; 2, Agni, +of the South-east; 3, Yáma, of the South; 4, Súrya, of the South-west; 5, Varuṇa, +of the West; 6, Pavana or Váyu, of the North-west; 7, Kuvera, of the North; 8, +Soma or Chandra, of the North-east.</note> will taste repose:</l> +<l>But earth to me, with hill and plain,</l> +<l>Is desolate, for thou art slain.</l> +<l>Ah, whither hast thou fled, and left</l> +<l>Thy mother, Lanká, me bereft;</l> +<l>Left pride and state and wives behind,</l> +<l>And lordship over all thy kind?</l> +<l>I fondly hoped thy hand should pay</l> +<l>Due honours on my dying day:</l> +<l>And couldst thou, O beloved, flee</l> +<l>And leave thy funeral rites to me?</l> +<l>Life has no comfort left me, none,</l> +<l><q rend="post">O Indrajít my son, my son.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus wailed he broken by his woes:</l> +<l>But swift the thought of vengeance rose.</l> +<l>In awful wrath his teeth he gnashed,</l> +<l>And from his eyes red lightning flashed.</l> +<l>Hot from his mouth came fire and smoke,</l> +<l>As thus the king in fury spoke:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Through many a thousand years of yore</q></l> +<l>The penance and the pain I bore,</l> +<l>And by fierce torment well sustained</l> +<l>The highest grace of Brahmá gained,</l> +<l>His plighted word my life assured,</l> +<l>From Gods of heaven and fiends secured.</l> +<l>He armed my limbs with burnished mail</l> +<l>Whose lustre turns the sunbeams pale,</l> +<l>In battle proof gainst heavenly bands</l> +<l>With thunder in their threatening hands.</l> +<l>Armed in this mail myself will go</l> +<l>With Brahmá's gift my deadly bow,</l> +<l>And, cleaving through the foes my way,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The slayers of my son will slay.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then, by his grief to frenzy wrought,</l> +<l>The captive in the grove he sought.</l> +<l>Swift through the shady path he sped:</l> +<l>Earth trembled at his furious tread.</l> +<l>Fierce were his eyes: his monstrous hand</l> +<l>Held drawn for death his glittering brand.</l> +<pb n="486"/><anchor id="Pg486"/> +<l>There weeping stood the Maithil dame:</l> +<l>She shuddered as the giant came.</l> +<l>Near drew the rover of the night</l> +<l>And raised his sword in act to smite;</l> +<l>But, by his nobler heart impelled,</l> +<l>One Rákshas lord his arm withheld:</l> +<l><q>Wilt thou, great Monarch,</q> thus he cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Wilt thou, to heavenly Gods allied,</q></l> +<l>Blot for all time thy glorious fame,</l> +<l>The slayer of a gentle dame?</l> +<l>What! shall a woman's blood be spilt</l> +<l>To stain thee with eternal guilt,</l> +<l>Thee deep in all the Veda's lore?</l> +<l>Far be the thought for evermore.</l> +<l>Ah look, and let her lovely face</l> +<l><q rend="post">This fury from thy bosom chase.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: the prudent counsel pleased</l> +<l>The monarch, and his wrath appeased;</l> +<l>Then to his council hall in haste</l> +<l>The giant lord his steps retraced.</l> +</lg> + +<p> +[I omit two Cantos in the first of which Ráma with an enchanted Gandharva +weapon deals destruction among the Rákshases sent out by Rávaṇ, and in the +second the Rákshas dames lament the slain and mourn over the madness of Rávaṇ.] +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-XCVI"/> +<head>Canto XCVI. Rávan's Sally.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The groans and cries of dames who wailed</l> +<l>The ears of Lanká's lord assailed,</l> +<l>For from each house and home was sent</l> +<l>The voice of weeping and lament.</l> +<l>In troubled thought his head he bowed,</l> +<l>Then fiercely loosing on the crowd</l> +<l>Of nobles near his throne he broke</l> +<l>The silence, and in fury spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">This day my deadly shafts shall fly,</q></l> +<l>And Raghu's sons shall surely die.</l> +<l>This day shall countless Vánars bleed</l> +<l>And dogs and kites and vultures feed.</l> +<l>Go, bid them swift my car prepare,</l> +<l>Bring the great bow I long to bear:</l> +<l>And let my host with sword and shield</l> +<l><q rend="post">And spear be ready for the field.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">From street to street the captains passed</l> +<l>And Rákshas warriors gathered fast.</l> +<l>With spear and sword to pierce and strike,</l> +<l>And axe and club and mace and pike.</l> +</lg> + +<p> +[I omit several weapons for which I cannot find distinctive names, and among +them the <foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Sataghní</foreign> or +<foreign lang="sa" rend="font-style: italic">Centicide</foreign>, supposed +by some to be a kind of fire-arms or rocket, but described by a commentator on the +Mahábhárata as a stone or cylindrical piece of wood studded with iron spikes.] +</p> + +<lg> +<l>Then Rávaṇ's warrior chariot<note place="foot">The chariots of Rávaṇ's present army +are said to have been one hundred and fifty million in number with three hundred +million elephants, and twelve hundred million horses and asses. The footmen +are merely said to have been <q>unnumbered.</q></note> wrought</l> +<l>With gold and rich inlay was brought.</l> +<l>Mid tinkling bells and weapons' clang</l> +<l>The monarch on the chariot sprang,</l> +<l>Which, decked with gems of every hue,</l> +<l>Eight steeds of noble lineage drew.</l> +<l>Mid roars of drum and shell rang out</l> +<l>From countless throats a joyful shout.</l> +<l>As, girt with hosts in warlike pride,</l> +<l>Through Lanká's streets the tyrant hied.</l> +<l>Still, louder than the roar of drums,</l> +<l>Went up the cry <q rend="pre">He comes, he comes,</q></l> +<l>Our ever conquering lord who trod</l> +<l><q rend="post">Beneath his feet both fiend and God.</q></l> +<l>On to the gate the warriors swept</l> +<l>Where Raghu's sons their station kept.</l> +<l>When Rávaṇ's car the portal passed</l> +<l>The sun in heaven was overcast.</l> +<l>Earth rocked and reeled from side to side</l> +<l>And birds with boding voices cried.</l> +<l>Against the standard of the king</l> +<l>A vulture flapped his horrid wing.</l> +<l>Big gouts of blood before him dropped,</l> +<l>His trembling steeds in terror stopped.</l> +<l>The hue of death was on his cheek,</l> +<l>And scarce his flattering tongue could speak,</l> +<l>When, terrible with flash and flame,</l> +<l>Through murky air a meteor came.</l> +<l>Still by the hand of Death impelled</l> +<l>His onward way the giant held.</l> +<l>The Vánars in the field afar</l> +<l>Heard the loud thunder of his car.</l> +<l>And turned with warriors' fierce delight</l> +<l>To meet the giant in the fight.</l> +<l>He came: his clanging bow he drew</l> +<l>And myriads of the Vánars slew.</l> +<l>Some through the side and heart he cleft,</l> +<l>Some headless on the plain were left.</l> +<l>Some struggling groaned with mangled thighs,</l> +<l>Or broken arms or blinded eyes.</l> +</lg> + +<p> +[I omit Cantos XCVII, XCVIII, and XCIX, which describe in the usual way +three single combats between Sugríva and Angad on the Vánar side and Virúpáksha, +Mahodar, and Mahápárśva on the side of the giants. The weapons of the Vánars +are trees and rocks; the giants fight with swords, axes, and bows and arrows. The +details are generally the same as those of preceding duels. The giants fall, one in +each Canto.] +</p> + +</div> + +<pb n="487"/><anchor id="Pg487"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-C"/> +<head>Canto C. Rávan In The Field.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The plain with bleeding limbs was spread,</l> +<l>And heaps of dying and of dead.</l> +<l>His mighty bow still Ráma strained,</l> +<l>And shafts upon the giants rained.</l> +<l>Still Angad and Sugríva, wrought</l> +<l>To fury, for the Vánars fought.</l> +<l>Crushed with huge rocks through chest and side</l> +<l>Mahodar, Mahápárśva died,</l> +<l>And Virúpáksha stained with gore</l> +<l>Dropped on the plain to rise no more.</l> +<l>When Rávaṇ saw the three o'erthrown</l> +<l>He cried aloud in furious tone:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Urge, urge the car, my charioteer,</q></l> +<l>The haughty Vánars' death is near.</l> +<l>This very day shall end our griefs</l> +<l>For leaguered town and slaughtered chiefs.</l> +<l>Ráma the tree whose lovely fruit</l> +<l>Is Sítá, shall this arm uproot,—</l> +<l>Whose branches with protecting shade</l> +<l><q rend="post">Are Vánar lords who lend him aid.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus cried the king: the welkin rang</l> +<l>As forth the eager coursers sprang,</l> +<l>And earth beneath the chariot shook</l> +<l>With flowery grove and hill and brook.</l> +<l>Fast rained his shafts: where'er he sped</l> +<l>The conquered Vánars fell or fled,</l> +<l>On rolled the car in swift career</l> +<l>Till Raghu's noble sons were near.</l> +<l>Then Ráma looked upon the foe</l> +<l>And strained and tried his sounding bow,</l> +<l>Till earth and all the region rang</l> +<l>Re-echoing to the awful clang.</l> +<l>His bow the younger chieftain bent,</l> +<l>And shaft on shaft at Rávaṇ sent.</l> +<l>He shot: but Rávaṇ little recked;</l> +<l>Each arrow with his own he checked,</l> +<l>And headless, baffled of its aim,</l> +<l>To earth the harmless missile came;</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ stayed his arm o'erpowered</l> +<l>By the thick darts the giant showered.</l> +<l>Fierce waxed the fight and fiercer yet,</l> +<l>For Rávaṇ now and Ráma met,</l> +<l>And each on other poured amain</l> +<l>The tempest of his arrowy rain.</l> +<l>While all the sky above was dark</l> +<l>With missiles speeding to their mark</l> +<l>Like clouds, with flashing lightning twined</l> +<l>About them, hurried by the wind.</l> +<l>Not fiercer was the wondrous fight</l> +<l>When Vritra fell by Indra's might.</l> +<l>All arts of war each foeman knew,</l> +<l>And trained alike, his bowstring drew.</l> +<l>Red-eyed with fury Lanká's king</l> +<l>Pressed his huge fingers on the string,</l> +<l>And fixed in Ráma's brows a flight</l> +<l>Of arrows winged with matchless flight.</l> +<l>Still Raghu's son endured, and bore</l> +<l>That crown of shafts though wounded sore.</l> +<l>O'er a dire dart a spell he spoke</l> +<l>With mystic power to aid the stroke.</l> +<l>In vain upon the foe it smote</l> +<l>Rebounding from the steelproof coat.</l> +<l>The giant armed his bow anew,</l> +<l>And wondrous weapons hissed and flew,</l> +<l>Terrific, deadly, swift of flight,</l> +<l>Beaked like the vulture and the kite,</l> +<l>Or bearing heads of fearful make,</l> +<l>Of lion, tiger, wolf and snake.<note place="foot">It is not very easy to see the +advantage of having arrows headed in the way mentioned. Fanciful names for war-engines +and weapons derived from their resemblance to various animals are not confined +to India. The <q>War-wolf</q> was used by Edward I. at the siege of Brechin, +the <q>Cat-house</q> and the <q>Sow</q> were used by Edward III. at the siege of +Dunbar.</note></l> +<l>Then Ráma, troubled by the storm</l> +<l>Of flying darts in every form</l> +<l>Shot by an arm that naught could tire,</l> +<l>Launched at the foe his dart of fire,</l> +<l>Which, sacred to the Lord of Flame,</l> +<l>Burnt and consumed where'er it came.</l> +<l>And many a blazing shaft beside</l> +<l>The hero to his string applied.</l> +<l>With fiery course of dazzling hue</l> +<l>Swift to the mark each missile flew,</l> +<l>Some flashing like a shooting star,</l> +<l>Some as the tongues of lightning are;</l> +<l>One like a brilliant plant, one</l> +<l>In splendour like the morning sun.</l> +<l>Where'er the shafts of Ráma burned</l> +<l>The giant's darts were foiled and turned.</l> +<l>Far into space his weapons fled,</l> +<l>But as they flew struck thousands dead.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CI"/> +<head>Canto CI. Lakshman's Fall.</head> + +<lg> +<l>When Rávaṇ saw his darts repelled,</l> +<l>With double rage his bosom swelled.</l> +<l>He summoned, wroth but undismayed,</l> +<l>A mightier charm to lend its aid.</l> +<l>And, fierce as fire before the blast,</l> +<l>A storm of missiles thick and fast,</l> +<l>Spear, pike and javelin, mace and brand,</l> +<l>Came hurtling from the giant's hand.</l> +<l>But, mightier still, the arms employed</l> +<l>By Raghu's son their force destroyed,</l> +<l>And every dart fell dulled and spent</l> +<l>By powers the bards of heaven had lent.</l> +<l>With his huge mace Vibhishaṇ slew</l> +<l>The steeds that Rávaṇ's chariot drew.</l> +<pb n="488"/><anchor id="Pg488"/> +<l>Then Rávaṇ hurled in deadly ire</l> +<l>A ponderous spear that flashed like fire:</l> +<l>But Ráma's arrows checked its way,</l> +<l>And harmless on the earth it lay,</l> +<l>The giant seized a mightier spear,</l> +<l>Which Death himself would shun with fear.</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ with the stroke had died,</l> +<l>But Lakshmaṇ's hand his bowstring plied,</l> +<l>And flying arrows thick as hail</l> +<l>Smote fiercely on the giant's mail.</l> +<l>Then Rávaṇ turned his aim aside,</l> +<l>On Lakshmaṇ looked and fiercely cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thou, thou again my wrath hast braved,</q></l> +<l>And from his death Vibhishaṇ saved.</l> +<l>Now in his stead this spear receive</l> +<l><q rend="post">Whose deadly point thy heart shall cleave.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: he hurled the mortal dart</l> +<l>By Maya forged with magic art.</l> +<l>The spear, with all his fury flung,</l> +<l>Swift, flickering like a serpent's tongue,</l> +<l>Adorned with many a tinkling bell,</l> +<l>Smote Lakshmaṇ, and the hero fell.</l> +<l>When Ráma saw, he heaved a sigh,</l> +<l>A tear one moment dimmed his eye.</l> +<l>But tender grief was soon repressed</l> +<l>And thoughts of vengeance filled his breast.</l> +<l>The air around him flashed and gleamed</l> +<l>As from his bow the arrows streamed;</l> +<l>And Lanká's lord, the foeman's dread,</l> +<l>O'erwhelmed with terror turned and fled.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CII"/> +<head>Canto CII. Lakshman Healed.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Ráma, pride of Raghu's race,</l> +<l>Gazed tenderly on Lakshmaṇ's face,</l> +<l>And, as the sight his spirit broke,</l> +<l>Turned to Susheṇ and sadly spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Where is my power and valour? how</q></l> +<l>Shall I have heart for battle now,</l> +<l>When dead before my weeping eyes</l> +<l>My brother, noblest Lakshmaṇ, lies?</l> +<l>My tears in blinding torrents flow,</l> +<l>My hand unnerved has dropped my bow.</l> +<l>The pangs of woe have blanched my cheek,</l> +<l>My heart is sick, my strength is weak.</l> +<l>Ah me, my brother! Ah, that I</l> +<l>By Lakshmaṇ's side might sink and die:</l> +<l>Life, war and conquest, all are vain</l> +<l>If Lakshmaṇ lies in battle slain.</l> +<l>Why will those eyes my glances shun?</l> +<l>Hast thou no word of answer, none?</l> +<l>Ah, is thy noble spirit flown</l> +<l>And gone to other worlds alone?</l> +<l>Couldst thou not let thy brother seek</l> +<l>Those worlds with thee? O speak, O speak!</l> +<l>Rise up once more, my brother, rise,</l> +<l>Look on me with thy loving eyes.</l> +<l>Were not thy steps beside me still</l> +<l>In gloomy wood, on breezy hill?</l> +<l>Did not thy gentle care assuage</l> +<l>Thy brother's grief and fitful rage?</l> +<l>Didst thou not all his troubles share,</l> +<l><q rend="post">His guide and comfort in despair?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">As Ráma, vanquished, wept and sighed</l> +<l>The Vánar chieftain thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Great Prince, unmanly thoughts dismiss,</q></l> +<l>Nor yield thy soul to grief like this.</l> +<l>In vain those burning tears are shed:</l> +<l>Our glory Lakshmaṇ is not dead.</l> +<l>Death on his brow no mark has set,</l> +<l>Where beauty's lustre lingers yet.</l> +<l>Clear is the skin, and tender hues</l> +<l>Of lotus flowers his palms suffuse.</l> +<l>O Ráma, cheer thy trembling heart;</l> +<l>Not thus do life and body part.</l> +<l>Now, Hanumán, to thee I speak:</l> +<l>Hie hence to tall Mahodaya's<note place="foot">Apparently a peak of the Himalaya +chain.</note> peak</l> +<l>Where herbs of sovereign virtue grow</l> +<l>Which life and health and strength bestow</l> +<l>Bring thou the leaves to balm his pain,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And Lakshmaṇ shall be well again.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: the Wind-God's son obeyed</l> +<l>Swift through the clouds his way he made.</l> +<l>He reached the hill, nor stayed to find</l> +<l>The wondrous herbs of healing kind,</l> +<l>From its broad base the mount he tore</l> +<l>With all the shrubs and trees it bore,</l> +<l>Sped through the clouds again and showed</l> +<l>To wise Susheṇ his woody load.<note place="foot">This exploit of Hanumán is related +with inordinate prolixity in the Bengal recension (Gortesio's text). Among other +adventures he narrowly escapes being shot by Bharat as he passes over Nandigrama +near Ayodhyá. Hanumán stays Bharat in time, and gives him an account +of what has befallen Ráma and Sítá in the forest and in Lanká.</note></l> +<l>Susheṇ in wonder viewed the hill,</l> +<l>And culled the sovereign salve of ill.</l> +<l>Soon as the healing herb he found,</l> +<l>The fragrant leaves he crushed and ground.</l> +<l>Then over Lakshmaṇ's face he bent,</l> +<l>Who, healed and strengthened by the scent</l> +<l>Of that blest herb divinely sweet,</l> +<l>Rose fresh and lusty on his feet.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CIII"/> +<head>Canto CIII. Indra's Car.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Raghu's son forgot his woe:</l> +<l>Again he grasped his fallen bow</l> +<l>And hurled at Lanká's lord amain</l> +<l>The tempest of his arrowy rain.</l> +<pb n="489"/><anchor id="Pg489"/> +<l>Drawn by the steeds his lords had brought,</l> +<l>Again the giant turned and fought.</l> +<l>And drove his glittering chariot nigh</l> +<l>As springs the Day-God through the sky.</l> +<l>Then, as his sounding bow he bent,</l> +<l>Like thunderbolts his shafts were sent,</l> +<l>As when dark clouds in rain time shed</l> +<l>Fierce torrents on a mountain's head.</l> +<l>High on his car the giant rode,</l> +<l>On foot the son of Raghu strode.</l> +<l>The Gods from their celestial height</l> +<l>Indignant saw the unequal fight.</l> +<l>Then he whom heavenly hosts revere,</l> +<l>Lord Indra, called his charioteer:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Haste, Mátali,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">descend;</q></l> +<l>To Raghu's son my chariot lend.</l> +<l>With cheering words the chief address;</l> +<l><q rend="post">And all the Gods thy deed will bless.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He bowed; he brought the glorious car</l> +<l>Whose tinkling bells were heard afar;</l> +<l>Fair as the sun of morning, bright</l> +<l>With gold and pearl and lazulite.</l> +<l>He yoked the steeds of tawny hue</l> +<l>That swifter than the tempest flew.</l> +<l>Then down the slope of heaven he hied</l> +<l>And stayed the car by Ráma's side.</l> +<l><q>Ascend, O Chief,</q> he humbly cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The chariot which the Gods provide.</q></l> +<l>The mighty bow of Indra see,</l> +<l>Sent by the Gods who favour thee;</l> +<l>Behold this coat of glittering mail,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And spear and shafts which never fail.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Cheered by the grace the Immortals showed</l> +<l>The chieftain on the chariot rode.</l> +<l>Then as the car-borne warriors met</l> +<l>The awful fight raged fiercer yet.</l> +<l>Each shaft that Rávaṇ shot became</l> +<l>A serpent red with kindled flame,</l> +<l>And round the limbs of Ráma hung</l> +<l>With fiery jaws and quivering tongue.</l> +<l>But every serpent fled dismayed</l> +<l>When Raghu's valiant son displayed</l> +<l>The weapon of the Feathered King,<note place="foot">As Garuḍ the king of birds is the +mortal enemy of serpents the weapon sacred to him is of course best calculated +to destroy the serpent arrows of Rávaṇ.</note></l> +<l>And loosed his arrows from the string.</l> +<l>But Rávaṇ armed his bow anew,</l> +<l>And showers of shafts at Ráma flew,</l> +<l>While the fierce king in swift career</l> +<l>Smote with a dart the charioteer.</l> +<l>An arrow shot by Rávaṇ's hand</l> +<l>Laid the proud banner on the sand,</l> +<l>And Indra's steeds of heavenly strain</l> +<l>Fell by the iron tempest slain.</l> +<l>On Gods and spirits of the air</l> +<l>Fell terror, trembling, and despair.</l> +<l>The sea's white billows mounted high</l> +<l>With froth and foam to drench the sky.</l> +<l>The sun by lurid clouds was veiled,</l> +<l>The friendly lights of heaven were paled;</l> +<l>And, fiercely gleaming, fiery Mars</l> +<l>Opposed the beams of gentler stars.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma's eyes with fury blazed</l> +<l>As Indra's heavenly spear he raised.</l> +<l>Loud rang the bells: the glistering head</l> +<l>Bright flashes through the region shed.</l> +<l>Down came the spear in swift descent:</l> +<l>The giant's lance was crushed and bent.</l> +<l>Then Rávaṇ's horses brave and fleet</l> +<l>Fell dead beneath his arrowy sleet.</l> +<l>Fierce on his foeman Ráma pressed,</l> +<l>And gored with shafts his mighty breast.</l> +<l>And spouting streams of crimson dyed</l> +<l>The weary giant's limbs and side.</l> +</lg> + +<p> +[I omit Cantos CIV and CV in which the fight is renewed and Rávaṇ severely +reprimands his charioteer for timidity and want of confidence in his master's prowess, +and orders him to charge straight at Ráma on the next occasion.] +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CVI"/> +<head>Canto CVI. Glory To The Sun.</head> + +<lg> +<l>There faint and bleeding fast, apart</l> +<l>Stood Rávaṇ raging in his heart.</l> +<l>Then, moved with ruth for Ráma's sake,</l> +<l>Agastya<note place="foot">The celebrated saint who has on +former occasions assisted Ráma with his gifts and counsel.</note> +came and gently spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Bend, Ráma, bend thy heart and ear</q></l> +<l>The everlasting truth to hear</l> +<l>Which all thy hopes through life will bless</l> +<l>And crown thine arms with full success.</l> +<l>The rising sun with golden rays,</l> +<l>Light of the worlds, adore and praise:</l> +<l>The universal king, the lord</l> +<l>By hosts of heaven and fiends adored.</l> +<l>He tempers all with soft control,</l> +<l>He is the Gods' diviner soul;</l> +<l>And Gods above and fiends below</l> +<l>And men to him their safety owe.</l> +<l>He Brahmá, Vishṇu, Śiva, he</l> +<l>Each person of the glorious Three,</l> +<l>Is every God whose praise we tell,</l> +<l>The King of Heaven,<note place="foot">Indra.</note> the Lord of +Hell:<note place="foot">Yáma.</note></l> +<l>Each God revered from times of old,</l> +<l>The Lord of War,<note place="foot">Kártikeya.</note> the King of +Gold:<note place="foot">Kubera.</note></l> +<pb n="490"/><anchor id="Pg490"/> +<l>Mahendra, Time and Death is he,</l> +<l>The Moon, the Ruler of the Sea.<note place="foot">Varuṇ.</note></l> +<l>He hears our praise in every form,—</l> +<l>The manes,<note place="foot">The Pitris, forefathers or spirits of the +dead, are of two kinds, either the spirits of the father, grandfathers and +great-grandfathers of an individual or the progenitors of mankind generally, to both of +whom obsequial worship is paid and oblations of food are presented.</note> +Gods who ride the storm,<note place="foot">The Maruts or Storm-Gods.</note></l> +<l>The Aśvins,<note place="foot">The Heavenly Twins, the Castor and +Pollux of the Hindus.</note> Manu,<note place="foot">The Man +<hi rend='italic'>par excellence</hi>, the representative +man and father of the human race regarded also as God.</note> they who stand</l> +<l>Round Indra,<note place="foot">The Vasus, a class of deities originally +personifications of natural phenomena.</note> and the Sádhyas'<note place="foot">A class +of celestial beings who dwell between the earth and the sun.</note> band</l> +<l>He is the air, and life and fire,</l> +<l>The universal source and sire:</l> +<l>He brings the seasons at his call,</l> +<l>Creator, light, and nurse of all.</l> +<l>His heavenly course he joys to run,</l> +<l>Maker of Day, the golden sun.</l> +<l>The steeds that whirl his car are seven,<note place="foot">The seven horses are +supposed to symbolize the seven days of the week.</note></l> +<l>The flaming steeds that flash through heaven.</l> +<l>Lord of the sky, the conqueror parts</l> +<l>The clouds of night with glistering darts.</l> +<l>He, master of the Vedas' lore,</l> +<l>Commands the clouds' collected store:</l> +<l>He is the rivers' surest friend;</l> +<l>He bids the rains, and they descend.</l> +<l>Stars, planets, constellations own</l> +<l>Their monarch of the golden throne.</l> +<l>Lord of twelve forms,<note place="foot">One for each month in the year.</note> +to thee I bow,</l> +<l>Most glorious King of heaven art thou.</l> +<l>O Ráma, he who pays aright</l> +<l>Due worship to the Lord of Light</l> +<l>Shall never fall oppressed by ill,</l> +<l>But find a stay and comfort still.</l> +<l>Adore with all thy heart and mind</l> +<l>This God of Gods, to him resigned;</l> +<l>And thou his saving power shalt know</l> +<l><q rend="post">Victorious o'er thy giant foe.</q></l> +</lg> + +<p> +[This Canto does not appear in the Bengal recension. It comes in awkwardly +and may I think be considered as an interpolation, but I paraphrase a portion of +it as a relief after so much fighting and carnage, and as an interesting glimpse of +the monotheistic ideas which underlie the Hindu religion. The hymn does not +readily lend itself to metrical translation, and I have not attempted here to give a +faithful rendering of the whole. A literal version of the text and the commentary +given in the Calcutta edition will be found in the Additional Notes. +</p> + +<p> +A canto is here omitted. It contains fighting of the ordinary kind between +Ráma and Rávaṇ, and a description of sights and sounds of evil omen foreboding +the destruction of the giant.] +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CVIII"/> +<head>Canto CVIII. The Battle.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He spoke, and vanished: Ráma raised</l> +<l>His eyes with reverence meet, and praised</l> +<l>The glorious Day-God full in view:</l> +<l>Then armed him for the fight anew.</l> +<l>Urged onward by his charioteer</l> +<l>The giant's foaming steeds came near,</l> +<l>And furious was the battle's din</l> +<l>Where each resolved to die or win.</l> +<l>The Rákshas host and Vánar bands</l> +<l>Stood with their weapons in their hands,</l> +<l>And watched in terror and dismay</l> +<l>The fortune of the awful fray.</l> +<l>The giant chief with rage inflamed</l> +<l>His darts at Ráma's pennon aimed;</l> +<l>But when they touched the chariot made</l> +<l>By heavenly hands their force was stayed.</l> +<l>Then Ráma's breast with fury swelled;</l> +<l>He strained the mighty bow he held,</l> +<l>And straight at Rávaṇ's banner flew</l> +<l>An arrow as the string he drew—</l> +<l>A deadly arrow swift of flight,</l> +<l>Like some huge snake ablaze with light,</l> +<l>Whose fury none might e'er repel,—</l> +<l>And, split in twain, the standard fell.</l> +<l>At Ráma's steeds sharp arrows, hot</l> +<l>With flames of fire, the giant shot.</l> +<l>Unmoved the heavenly steeds sustained</l> +<l>The furious shower the warrior rained,</l> +<l>As though soft lotus tendrils smote</l> +<l>Each haughty crest and glossy coat.</l> +<l>Then volleyed swift by magic art,</l> +<l>Tree, mountain peak and spear and dart,</l> +<l>Trident and pike and club and mace</l> +<l>Flew hurtling straight at Ráma's face.</l> +<l>But Ráma with his steeds and car</l> +<l>Escaped the storm which fell afar</l> +<l>Where the strange missiles, as they rushed</l> +<l>To earth, a thousand Vánars crushed.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="491"/><anchor id="Pg491"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CIX"/> +<head>Canto CIX. The Battle.</head> + +<lg> +<l>With wondrous power and might and skill</l> +<l>The giant fought with Ráma still.</l> +<l>Each at his foe his chariot drove,</l> +<l>And still for death or victory strove.</l> +<l>The warriors' steeds together dashed,</l> +<l>And pole with pole reëchoing clashed.</l> +<l>Then Ráma launching dart on dart</l> +<l>Made Rávaṇ's coursers swerve and start.</l> +<l>Nor was the lord of Lanká slow</l> +<l>To rain his arrows on the foe,</l> +<l>Who showed, by fiery points assailed,</l> +<l>No trace of pain, nor shook nor quailed.</l> +<l>Dense clouds of arrows Ráma shot</l> +<l>With that strong arm which rested not,</l> +<l>And spear and mace and club and brand</l> +<l>Fell in dire rain from Rávaṇ's hand.</l> +<l>The storm of missiles fiercely cast</l> +<l>Stirred up the oceans with its blast,</l> +<l>And Serpent-Gods and fiends who dwell</l> +<l>Below were troubled by the swell.</l> +<l>The earth with hill and plain and brook</l> +<l>And grove and garden reeled and shook:</l> +<l>The very sun grew cold and pale,</l> +<l>And horror stilled the rising gale.</l> +<l>God and Gandharva, sage and saint</l> +<l>Cried out, with grief and terror faint:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O may the prince of Raghu's line</q></l> +<l>Give peace to Bráhmans and to kine,</l> +<l>And, rescuing the worlds, o'erthrow</l> +<l><q rend="post">The giant king our awful foe.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then to his deadly string the pride</l> +<l>Of Raghu's race a shaft applied.</l> +<l>Sharp as a serpent's venomed fang</l> +<l>Straight to its mark the arrow sprang,</l> +<l>And from the giant's body shred</l> +<l>With trenchant steel the monstrous head.</l> +<l>There might the triple world behold</l> +<l>That severed head adorned with gold.</l> +<l>But when all eyes were bent to view,</l> +<l>Swift in its stead another grew.</l> +<l>Again the shaft was pointed well:</l> +<l>Again the head divided fell;</l> +<l>But still as each to earth was cast</l> +<l>Another head succeeded fast.</l> +<l>A hundred, bright with fiery flame,</l> +<l>Fell low before the victor's aim,</l> +<l>Yet Rávaṇ by no sign betrayed</l> +<l>That death was near or strength decayed.</l> +<l>The doubtful fight he still maintained,</l> +<l>And on the foe his missiles rained.</l> +<l>In air, on earth, on plain, on hill,</l> +<l>With awful might he battled still;</l> +<l>And through the hours of night and day</l> +<l>The conflict knew no pause or stay.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CX"/> +<head>Canto CX. Rávan's Death.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Mátali to Ráma cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Let other arms the day decide.</q></l> +<l>Why wilt thou strive with useless toil</l> +<l>And see his might thy efforts foil?</l> +<l>Launch at the foe thy dart whose fire</l> +<l><q rend="post">Was kindled by the Almighty Sire.</q></l> +<l>He ceased: and Raghu's son obeyed:</l> +<l>Upon his string the hero laid</l> +<l>An arrow, like a snake that hissed.</l> +<l>Whose fiery flight had never missed:</l> +<l>The arrow Saint Agastya gave</l> +<l>And blessed the chieftain's life to save</l> +<l>That dart the Eternal Father made</l> +<l>The Monarch of the Gods to aid;</l> +<l>By Brahmá's self on him bestowed</l> +<l>When forth to fight Lord Indra rode.</l> +<l>'Twas feathered with the rushing wind;</l> +<l>The glowing sun and fire combined</l> +<l>To the keen point their splendour lent;</l> +<l>The shaft, ethereal element,</l> +<l>By Meru's hill and Mandar, pride</l> +<l>Of mountains, had its weight supplied.</l> +<l>He laid it on the twisted cord,</l> +<l>He turned the point at Lanká's lord,</l> +<l>And swift the limb-dividing dart</l> +<l>Pierced the huge chest and cleft the heart,</l> +<l>And dead he fell upon the plain</l> +<l>Like Vritra by the Thunderer slain.</l> +<l>The Rákahas host when Rávaṇ fell</l> +<l>Sent forth a wild terrific yell,</l> +<l>Then turned and fled, all hope resigned,</l> +<l>Through Lanká's gates, nor looked behind.</l> +<l>His voice each joyous Vánar raised,</l> +<l>And Ráma, conquering Ráma, praised.</l> +<l>Soft from celestial minstrels came</l> +<l>The sound of music and acclaim.</l> +<l>Soft, fresh, and cool, a rising breeze</l> +<l>Brought odours from the heavenly trees,</l> +<l>And ravishing the sight and smell</l> +<l>A wondrous rain of blossoms fell:</l> +<l>And voices breathed round Raghu's son:</l> +<l><q>Champion of Gods, well done, well done.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXI"/> +<head>Canto CXI. Vibhishan's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Vibhishaṇ saw his brother slain,</l> +<l>Nor could his heart its woe contain.</l> +<l>O'er the dead king he sadly bent</l> +<l>And mourned him with a loud lament:</l> +<l><q>O hero, bold and brave,</q> he cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Skilled in all arms, in battle tried.</q></l> +<l>Spoiled of thy crown, with limbs outspread,</l> +<pb n="492"/><anchor id="Pg492"/> +<l>Why wilt thou press thy gory bed?</l> +<l>Why slumber on the earth's cold breast,</l> +<l>When sumptuous couches woo to rest?</l> +<l>Ah me, my brother over bold,</l> +<l>Thine is the fate my heart foretold:</l> +<l>But love and pride forbade to hear</l> +<l>The friend who blamed thy wild career.</l> +<l>Fallen is the sun who gave us light,</l> +<l>Our lordly moon is veiled in night.</l> +<l>Our beacon fire is dead and cold</l> +<l>A hundred waves have o'er it rolled.</l> +<l>What could his light and fire avail</l> +<l>Against Lord Ráma's arrowy hail?</l> +<l>Woe for the giants' royal tree,</l> +<l>Whose stately height was fair to see.</l> +<l>His buds were deeds of kingly grace,</l> +<l>His bloom the sons who decked his race.</l> +<l>With rifled bloom and mangled bough</l> +<l><q rend="post">The royal tree lies prostrate now.</q></l> +<l><q>Nay, idly mourn not,</q> Ráma cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The warrior king has nobly died,</q></l> +<l>Intrepid hero, firm through all,</l> +<l>So fell he as the brave should fall;</l> +<l>And ill beseems it chiefs like us</l> +<l>To weep for those who perish thus.</l> +<l>Be firm: thy causeless grief restrain,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And pay the dues that yet remain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Again Vibhishaṇ sadly spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">His was the hero arm that broke</q></l> +<l>Embattled Gods' and Indra's might,</l> +<l>Unconquered ere to-day in fight.</l> +<l>He rushed against thee, fought and fell,</l> +<l>As Ocean, when his waters swell,</l> +<l>Hurling his might against a rock,</l> +<l>Falls spent and shattered by the shock.</l> +<l>Woe for our king's untimely end,</l> +<l>The generous lord the trusty friend:</l> +<l>Our sure defence when fear arose,</l> +<l>A dreaded scourge to stubborn foes.</l> +<l>O, let the king thy hand has slain</l> +<l><q rend="post">The honours of the dead obtain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma answered. <q rend="pre">Hatred dies</q></l> +<l>When low in dust the foeman lies.</l> +<l>Now triumph bids the conflict cease,</l> +<l>And knits us in the bonds of peace.</l> +<l>Let funeral rites be duly paid.</l> +<l><q rend="post">And be it mine thy toil to aid.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXII"/> +<head>Canto CXII. The Rákshas Dames.</head> + +<lg> +<l>High rose the universal wail</l> +<l>That mourned the monarch's death, and, pale</l> +<l>With crushing woe, her hair unbound,</l> +<l>Her eyes in floods of sorrow drowned,</l> +<l>Forth from the inner chambers came</l> +<l>With trembling feet each royal dame,</l> +<l>Heedless of those who bade them stay</l> +<l>They reached the field where Rávaṇ lay;</l> +<l>There falling by their husband's side,</l> +<l><q>Ah, King! ah dearest lord!</q> they cried.</l> +<l>Like creepers shattered by the storm</l> +<l>They threw them on his mangled form.</l> +<l>One to his bleeding bosom crept</l> +<l>And lifted up her voice and wept.</l> +<l>About his feet one mourner clung,</l> +<l>Around his neck another hung,</l> +<l>One on the giant's severed head,</l> +<l>Her pearly tears in torrents shed</l> +<l>Fast as the drops the summer shower</l> +<l>Pours down upon the lotus flower.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah, he whose arm in anger reared</q></l> +<l>The King of Gods and Yáma feared,</l> +<l>While panic struck their heavenly train,</l> +<l>Lies prostrate in the battle slain.</l> +<l>Thy haughty heart thou wouldst not bend,</l> +<l>Nor listen to each wiser friend.</l> +<l>Ah, had the dame, as they implored,</l> +<l>Been yielded to her injured lord,</l> +<l>We had not mourned this day thy fall,</l> +<l>And happy had it been for all.</l> +<l>Then Ráma and thy friends content</l> +<l>In blissful peace their days had spent.</l> +<l>Thine injured brother had not fled,</l> +<l>Nor giant chiefs and Vánars bled.</l> +<l>Yet for these woes we will not blame.</l> +<l>Thy fancy for the Maithil dame,</l> +<l>Fate, ruthless Fate, whom none may bend</l> +<l><q rend="post">Has urged thee to thy hapless end.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXIII"/> +<head>Canto CXIII. Mandodarí's Lament.</head> + +<lg> +<l>While thus they wept, supreme in place,</l> +<l>The loveliest for form and face,</l> +<l>Mandodarí drew near alone,</l> +<l>Looked on her lord and made her moan:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Ah Monarch, Indra feared to stand</q></l> +<l>In fight before thy conquering hand.</l> +<l>From thy dread spear the Immortals ran;</l> +<l>And art thou murdered by a man?</l> +<l>Ah, 'twas no child of earth, I know,</l> +<l>That smote thee with that mortal blow.</l> +<l>'Twas Death himself in Ráma's shape,</l> +<l>That slew thee: Death whom none escape.</l> +<l>Or was it he who rules the skies</l> +<l>Who met thee, clothed in man's disguise?</l> +<l>Ah no, my lord, not Indra: he</l> +<l>In battle ne'er could look on thee.</l> +<l>One only God thy match I deem:</l> +<l>'Twas Vishṇu's self, the Lord Supreme,</l> +<l>Whose days through ceaseless time extend</l> +<l>And ne'er began and ne'er shall end:</l> +<l>He with the discus, shell, and mace,</l> +<l>Brought ruin on the giant race.</l> +<l>Girt by the Gods of heaven arrayed</l> +<l>Like Vánar hosts his strength to aid,</l> +<l>He Ráma's shape and arms assumed</l> +<pb n="493"/><anchor id="Pg493"/> +<l>And slew the king whom Fate had doomed.</l> +<l>In Janasthán when Khara died</l> +<l>With giant legions by his side,</l> +<l>No mortal was the unconquered foe</l> +<l>In Ráma's form who struck the blow.</l> +<l>When Hanumán the Vanár came</l> +<l>And burnt thy town with hostile flame,</l> +<l>I counselled peace in anxious fear:</l> +<l>I counselled, but thou wouldst not hear.</l> +<l>Thy fancy for the foreign dame</l> +<l>Has brought thee death and endless shame.</l> +<l>Why should thy foolish fancy roam?</l> +<l>Hadst thou not wives as fair at home?</l> +<l>In beauty, form and grace could she,</l> +<l>Dear lord, surpass or rival me?</l> +<l>Now will the days of Sítá glide</l> +<l>In tranquil joy by Ráma's side:</l> +<l>And I—ah me, around me raves</l> +<l>A sea of woe with whelming waves.</l> +<l>With thee in days of old I trod</l> +<l>Each spot beloved by nymph and God;</l> +<l>I stood with thee in proud delight</l> +<l>On Mandar's side and Meru's height;</l> +<l>With thee, my lord, enchanted strayed</l> +<l>In Chaitraratha's<note place="foot">The garden of Kuvera, the God of +Riches.</note> lovely shade,</l> +<l>And viewed each fairest scene afar</l> +<l>Transported in thy radiant car.</l> +<l>But source of every joy wast thou,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And all my bliss is ended now.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Ráma to Vibhishaṇ cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Whate'er the ritual bids, provide.</q></l> +<l>Obsequial honours duly pay,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And these sad mourners' grief allay.</q></l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ answered, wise and true,</l> +<l>For duty's changeless law he knew:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Nay one who scorned all sacred vows</q></l> +<l>And dared to touch another's spouse,</l> +<l>Fell tyrant of the human race,</l> +<l><q rend="post">With funeral rites I may not grace.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Him Raghu's royal son, the best</l> +<l>Of those who love the law, addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">False was the rover of the night,</q></l> +<l>He loved the wrong and scorned the right.</l> +<l>Yet for the fallen warrior plead</l> +<l>The dauntless heart, the valorous deed.</l> +<l>Let him who ne'er had brooked defeat,</l> +<l>The chief whom Indra feared to meet,</l> +<l>The ever-conquering lord, obtain</l> +<l><q rend="post">The honours that should grace the slain.</q></l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ bade his friends prepare</l> +<l>The funeral rites with thoughtful care.</l> +<l>Himself the royal palace sought</l> +<l>Whence sacred fire was quickly brought,</l> +<l>With sandal wood and precious scents</l> +<l>And pearl and coral ornaments.</l> +<l>Wise Bráhmans, while the tears that flowed</l> +<l>Down their wan cheeks their sorrow sowed,</l> +<l>Upon a golden litter laid</l> +<l>The corpse in finest ropes arrayed.</l> +<l>Thereon were flowers and pennons hung,</l> +<l>And loud the monarch's praise was sung.</l> +<l>Then was the golden litter raised,</l> +<l>While holy fire in order blazed.</l> +<l>And first in place Vibhishaṇ led</l> +<l>The slow procession of the dead,</l> +<l>Behind, their cheeks with tears bedewed,</l> +<l>Came sad the widowed multitude.</l> +<l>Where, raised as Bráhmans ordered, stood</l> +<l>Piled sandal logs, and scented wood,</l> +<l>The body of the king was set</l> +<l>High on a deerskin coverlet.</l> +<l>Then duly to the monarch's shade</l> +<l>The offerings for the dead they paid,</l> +<l>And southward on the eastern side</l> +<l>An altar formed and fire supplied.</l> +<l>Then on the shoulder of the dead</l> +<l>The oil and clotted milk were shed.</l> +<l>All rites were done as rules ordain:</l> +<l>The sacrificial goat was slain.</l> +<l>Next on the corpse were perfumes thrown</l> +<l>And many a flowery wreath was strown;</l> +<l>And with Vibhishaṇ's ready aid</l> +<l>Rich vesture o'er the king was laid.</l> +<l>Then while the tears their cheeks bedewed</l> +<l>Parched grain upon the dead they strewed;</l> +<l>Last, to the wood, as rules require,</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ set the kindling fire.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then having bathed, as texts ordain,</l> +<l>To Lanká went the mourning train.</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ, when his task was done,</l> +<l>Stood by the side of Raghu's son.</l> +<l>And Ráma, freed from every foe,</l> +<l>Unstrung at last his deadly bow,</l> +<l>And laid the glittering shafts aside,</l> +<l>And mail by Indra's love supplied.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXIV"/> +<head>Canto CXIV. Vibhishan Consecrated.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Joy reigned in heaven where every eye</l> +<l>Had seen the Lord of Lanká die.</l> +<l>In cars whose sheen surpassed the sun's</l> +<l>Triumphant rode the radiant ones:</l> +<l>And Rávaṇ's death, by every tongue,</l> +<l>And Ráma's glorious deeds were sung.</l> +<l>They praised the Vánars true and brave,</l> +<l>The counsel wise Sugríva gave.</l> +<l>The deeds of Hanúmán they told,</l> +<l>The valiant chief supremely bold,</l> +<l>The strong ally, the faithful friend,</l> +<l>And Sítá's truth which naught could bend.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To Mátali, whom Indra sent,</l> +<l>His head the son of Raghu bent:</l> +<l>And he with fiery steeds who clove</l> +<l>The clouds again to Swarga drove.</l> +<pb n="494"/><anchor id="Pg494"/> +<l>Round King Sugríva brave and true</l> +<l>His arms in rapture Ráma threw,</l> +<l>Looked on the host with joy and pride,</l> +<l>And thus to noble Lakshmaṇ cried:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Now let king-making drops be shed,</q></l> +<l>Dear brother, on Vibhishaṇ's head</l> +<l>For truth and friendship nobly shown,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And make him lord of Rávaṇ's throne.</q></l> +<l>This longing of his heart he told:</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ took an urn of gold</l> +<l>And bade the wind-fleet Vánars bring</l> +<l>Sea water for the giants' king.</l> +<l>The brimming urn was swiftly brought:</l> +<l>Then on a throne superbly wrought</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ sat, the giants' lord,</l> +<l>And o'er his brows the drops were poured.</l> +<l>As Raghu's son the rite beheld</l> +<l>His loving heart with rapture swelled:</l> +<l>But tenderer thoughts within him woke,</l> +<l>And thus to Hanúmán he spoke:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Go to my queen: this message give:</q></l> +<l>Say Lakshmaṇ and Sugríva live.</l> +<l>The death of Lanká's monarch tell,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And bid her joy, for all is well.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXV"/> +<head>Canto CXV. Sítá's Joy.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The Vánar chieftain bowed his head,</l> +<l>Within the walls of Lanká sped,</l> +<l>Leave from the new-made king obtained,</l> +<l>And Sítá's lovely garden gained.</l> +<l>Beneath a tree the queen he found,</l> +<l>Where Rákshas warders watched around.</l> +<l>Her pallid cheek, her tangled hair,</l> +<l>Her raiment showed her deep despair,</l> +<l>Near and more near the envoy came</l> +<l>And gently hailed the weeping dame.</l> +<l>She started up in sweet surprise,</l> +<l>And sudden joy illumed her eyes.</l> +<l>For well the Vánar's voice she knew,</l> +<l>And hope reviving sprang and grew.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>Fair Queen,</q> he said, <q rend="pre">our task is +done:</q></l> +<l>The foe is slain and Lanká won.</l> +<l>Triumphant mid triumphant friends</l> +<l>Kind words of greeting Ráma sends.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Blest for thy sake, O spouse most true,</q></l> +<l>My deadly foe I met and slew.</l> +<l>Mine eyes are strangers yet to sleep:</l> +<l>I built a bridge athwart the deep</l> +<l>And crossed the sea to Lanká's shore</l> +<l>To keep the mighty oath I swore.</l> +<l>Now, gentle love, thy cares dispel,</l> +<l>And weep no more, for all is well.</l> +<l>Fear not in Rávaṇ's house to stay</l> +<l>For good Vibhishaṇ now bears sway,</l> +<l>For constant truth and friendship known</l> +<l><q rend="post">Regard his palace as thine own.</q></l> +<l>He greets thee thus thy heart to cheer,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And urged by love will soon be here.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then flushed with joy the lady's cheek.</l> +<l>Her eyes o'erflowed, her voice was weak;</l> +<l>But struggling with her sobs she broke</l> +<l>Her silence thus, and faintly spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">So fast the flood of rapture came,</q></l> +<l>My trembling tongue no words could frame.</l> +<l>Ne'er have I heard in days of bliss</l> +<l>A tale that gave such joy as this.</l> +<l>More precious far than gems and gold</l> +<l><q rend="post">The message which thy lips have told.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His reverent hands the Vánar raised</l> +<l>And thus the lady's answer praised:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Sweet are the words, O Queen, which thou</q></l> +<l>True to thy lord, hast spoken now,</l> +<l>Better than gems and pearls of price,</l> +<l>Yea, or the throne of Paradise.</l> +<l>But, lady, ere I leave this place,</l> +<l>Grant me, I pray, a single grace.</l> +<l>Permit me, and this vengeful hand</l> +<l>Shall slay thy guards, this Rákshas band,</l> +<l>Whose cruel insult threat and scorn</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy gentle soul too long has borne.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus, stern of mood, Hanúmán cried:</l> +<l>The Maithil lady thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Nay, be not wroth with servants: they,</q></l> +<l>When monarchs bid must needs obey.</l> +<l>And, vassals of their lords, fulfil</l> +<l>Each fancy of their sovereign will.</l> +<l>To mine own sins the blame impute,</l> +<l>For as we sow we reap the fruit.</l> +<l>The tyrant's will these dames obeyed</l> +<l><q rend="post">When their fierce threats my soul dismayed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She ceased: with admiration moved</l> +<l>The Vánar chief her words approved:</l> +<l><q>Thy speech,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">is worthy one</q></l> +<l>Whom love has linked to Raghu's son.</l> +<l>Now speak, O Queen, that I may know</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy pleasure, for to him I go.</q></l> +<l>The Vánar ceased: then Janak's child</l> +<l>Made answer as she sweetly smiled:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">'My first, my only wish can be,</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">O chief, my loving lord to see.</q></l> +<l>Again the Vánar envoy spoke,</l> +<l>And with his words new rapture woke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Queen, ere this sun shall cease to shine</q></l> +<l>Thy Ráma's eyes shall look in thine.</l> +<l>Again the lord of Raghu's race</l> +<l>Shall turn to thee his moon-bright face.</l> +<l>His faithful brother shall thou see</l> +<l>And every friend who fought for thee,</l> +<l>And greet once more thy king restored</l> +<l><q rend="post">Like Śachí<note place="foot">The consort of Indra.</note> +to her heavenly lord.</q></l> +<l>To Raghu's son his steps he bent</l> +<l>And told the message that she sent.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="495"/><anchor id="Pg495"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXVI"/> +<head>Canto CXVI. The Meeting.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He looked upon that archer chief</l> +<l>Whose full eye mocked the lotus leaf,</l> +<l>And thus the noble Vánar spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Now meet the queen for whose dear sake</q></l> +<l>Thy mighty task was first begun,</l> +<l>And now the glorious fruit is won.</l> +<l>O'erwhelmed with woe thy lady lies,</l> +<l>The hot tears streaming from her eyes.</l> +<l>And still the queen must long and pine</l> +<l><q rend="post">Until those eyes be turned to thine.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">But Ráma stood in pensive mood,</l> +<l>And gathering tears his eyes bedewed.</l> +<l>His sad looks sought the ground: he sighed</l> +<l>And thus to King Vibhishaṇ cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Let Sítá bathe and tire her head</q></l> +<l>And hither to my sight be led</l> +<l>In raiment sweet with precious scent,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And gay with golden ornament.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Rákshas king his palace sought,</l> +<l>And Sítá from her bower was brought.</l> +<l>Then Rákshas bearers tall and strong,</l> +<l>Selected from the menial throng,</l> +<l>Through Lanká's gate the queen, arrayed</l> +<l>In glorious robes and gems, conveyed.</l> +<l>Concealed behind the silken screen,</l> +<l>Swift to the plain they bore the queen,</l> +<l>While Vánars, close on every side,</l> +<l>With eager looks the litter eyed.</l> +<l>The warders at Vibhishaṇ's hest</l> +<l>The onward rushing throng repressed,</l> +<l>While like the roar of ocean loud</l> +<l>Rose the wild murmur of the crowd.</l> +<l>The son of Raghu saw and moved</l> +<l>With anger thus the king reproved:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why vex with hasty blow and threat</q></l> +<l>The Vánars, and my rights forget?</l> +<l>Repress this zeal, untimely shown:</l> +<l>I count this people as mine own.</l> +<l>A woman's guard is not her bower,</l> +<l>The lofty wall, the fenced tower:</l> +<l>Her conduct is her best defence,</l> +<l>And not a king's magnificence.</l> +<l>At holy rites, in war and woe,</l> +<l>Her face unveiled a dame may show;</l> +<l>When at the Maiden's Choice<note place="foot">The Swayamvara, Self-choice or +election of a husband by a princess or daughter of a Kshatriya at a public assembly of +suitors held for the purpose. For a description of the ceremony see +<hi rend='italic'>Nala and Damayantí</hi> an episode of the Mahábhárat translated +by the late Dean Milman, and <hi rend='italic'>Idylls from the Sanskrit</hi>.</note> +they meet,</l> +<l>When marriage troops parade the street.</l> +<l>And she, my queen, who long has lain</l> +<l>In prison racked with care and pain,</l> +<l>May cease a while her face to hide,</l> +<l>For is not Ráma by her side?</l> +<l>Lay down the litter: on her feet</l> +<l>Let Sítá come her lord to meet.</l> +<l>And let the hosts of woodland race</l> +<l><q rend="post">Look near upon the lady's face.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then Lakshmaṇ and each Vánar chief</l> +<l>Who heard his words were filled with grief.</l> +<l>The lady's gentle spirit sank,</l> +<l>And from each eye in fear she shrank,</l> +<l>As, her sweet eyelids veiled for shame,</l> +<l>Slowly before her lord she came.</l> +<l>While rapture battled with surprise</l> +<l>She raised to his her wistful eyes.</l> +<l>Then with her doubt and fear she strove,</l> +<l>And from her breast all sorrow drove.</l> +<l>Regardless of the gathering crowd,</l> +<l>Bright as the moon without a cloud,</l> +<l>She bent her eyes, no longer dim,</l> +<l>In joy and trusting love on him.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXVII"/> +<head>Canto CXVII. Sítá's Disgrace.</head> + +<lg> +<l>He saw her trembling by his side,</l> +<l>And looked upon her face and cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Lady, at length my task is done,</q></l> +<l>And thou, the prize of war, art won,</l> +<l>This arm my glory has retrieved,</l> +<l>And all that man might do achieved;</l> +<l>The insulting foe in battle slain</l> +<l>And cleared mine honour from its stain.</l> +<l>This day has made my name renowned</l> +<l>And with success my labour crowned.</l> +<l>Lord of myself, the oath I swore</l> +<l>Is binding on my soul no more.</l> +<l>If from my home my queen was reft,</l> +<l>This arm has well avenged the theft,</l> +<l>And in the field has wiped away</l> +<l>The blot that on mine honour lay.</l> +<l>The bridge that spans the foaming flood,</l> +<l>The city red with giants' blood;</l> +<l>The hosts by King Sugríva led</l> +<l>Who wisely counselled, fought and bled;</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ's love, our guide and stay—</l> +<l>All these are crowned with fruit to-day.</l> +<l>But, lady, 'twas not love for thee</l> +<l>That led mine army o'er the sea.</l> +<l>'Twas not for thee our blood was shed,</l> +<l>Or Lanká filled with giant dead.</l> +<l>No fond affection for my wife</l> +<l>Inspired me in the hour of strife.</l> +<l>I battled to avenge the cause</l> +<l>Of honour and insulted laws.</l> +<l>My love is fled, for on thy fame</l> +<l>Lies the dark blot of sin and shame;</l> +<l>And thou art hateful as the light</l> +<pb n="496"/><anchor id="Pg496"/> +<l>That flashes on the injured sight.</l> +<l>The world is all before thee: flee:</l> +<l>Go where thou wilt, but not with me.</l> +<l>How should my home receive again</l> +<l>A mistress soiled with deathless stain?</l> +<l>How should I brook the foul disgrace,</l> +<l>Scorned by my friends and all my race?</l> +<l>For Rávaṇ bore thee through the sky,</l> +<l>And fixed on thine his evil eye.</l> +<l>About thy waist his arms he threw,</l> +<l>Close to his breast his captive drew,</l> +<l>And kept thee, vassal of his power,</l> +<l><q rend="post">An inmate of his ladies' bower.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXVIII"/> +<head>Canto CXVIII. Sítá's Reply.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Struck down with overwhelming shame</l> +<l>She shrank within her trembling frame.</l> +<l>Each word of Ráma's like a dart</l> +<l>Had pierced the lady to the heart;</l> +<l>And from her sweet eyes unrestrained</l> +<l>The torrent of her sorrows, rained.</l> +<l>Her weeping eyes at length she dried,</l> +<l>And thus mid choking sobs replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Canst thou, a high-born prince, dismiss</q></l> +<l>A high-born dame with speech like this?</l> +<l>Such words befit the meanest hind,</l> +<l>Not princely birth and generous mind,</l> +<l>By all my virtuous life I swear</l> +<l>I am not what thy words declare.</l> +<l>If some are faithless, wilt thou find</l> +<l>No love and truth in womankind?</l> +<l>Doubt others if thou wilt, but own</l> +<l>The truth which all my life has shown.</l> +<l>If, when the giant seized his prey,</l> +<l>Within his hated arms I lay,</l> +<l>And felt the grasp I dreaded, blame</l> +<l>Fate and the robber, not thy dame.</l> +<l>What could a helpless woman do?</l> +<l>My heart was mine and still was true,</l> +<l>Why when Hanúmán sent by thee</l> +<l>Sought Lanká's town across the sea,</l> +<l>Couldst thou not give, O lord of men,</l> +<l>Thy sentence of rejection then?</l> +<l>Then in the presence of the chief</l> +<l>Death, ready death, had brought relief,</l> +<l>Nor had I nursed in woe and pain</l> +<l>This lingering life, alas in vain.</l> +<l>Then hadst thou shunned the fruitless strife</l> +<l>Nor jeopardied thy noble life,</l> +<l>But spared thy friends and bold allies</l> +<l>Their vain and weary enterprise.</l> +<l>Is all forgotten, all? my birth,</l> +<l>Named Janak's child, from fostering earth?</l> +<l>That day of triumph when a maid</l> +<l>My trembling hand in thine I laid?</l> +<l>My meek obedience to thy will,</l> +<l>My faithful love through joy and ill,</l> +<l>That never failed at duty's call—</l> +<l><q rend="post">O King, is all forgotten, all?</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To Lakshmaṇ then she turned and spoke</l> +<l>While sobs and sighs her utterance broke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Sumitrá's son, a pile prepare,</q></l> +<l>My refuge in my dark despair.</l> +<l>I will not live to bear this weight</l> +<l>Of shame, forlorn and desolate.</l> +<l>The kindled fire my woes shall end</l> +<l><q rend="post">And be my best and surest friend.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His mournful eyes the hero raised</l> +<l>And wistfully on Ráma gazed,</l> +<l>In whose stern look no ruth was seen,</l> +<l>No mercy for the weeping queen.</l> +<l>No chieftain dared to meet those eyes,</l> +<l>To pray, to question or advise.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The word was passed, the wood was piled</l> +<l>And fain to die stood Janak's child.</l> +<l>She slowly paced around her lord,</l> +<l>The Gods with reverent act adored,</l> +<l>Then raising suppliant hands the dame</l> +<l>Prayed humbly to the Lord of Flame:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">As this fond heart by virtue swayed</q></l> +<l>From Raghu's son has never strayed,</l> +<l>So, universal witness, Fire</l> +<l>Protect my body on the pyre,</l> +<l>As Raghu's son has idly laid</l> +<l><q rend="post">This charge on Sítá, hear and aid.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">She ceased: and fearless to the last</l> +<l>Within the flame's wild fury passed.</l> +<l>Then rose a piercing cry from all</l> +<l>Dames, children, men, who saw her fall</l> +<l>Adorned with gems and gay attire</l> +<l>Beneath the fury of the fire.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXIX"/> +<head>Canto CXIX. Glory To Vishnu.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The shrill cry pierced through Ráma's ears</l> +<l>And his sad eyes o'erflowed with tears,</l> +<l>When lo, transported through the sky</l> +<l>A glorious band of Gods was nigh.</l> +<l>Ancestral shades,<note place="foot">The Pitris or Manes, the spirits of the +dead.</note> by men revered,</l> +<l>In venerable state appeared,</l> +<l>And he from whom all riches flow,<note place="foot">Kuvera, the God of +Wealth.</note></l> +<l>And Yáma Lord who reigns below:</l> +<l>King Indra, thousand-eyed, and he</l> +<l>Who wields the sceptre of the sea.<note place="foot">Varuṇ, God of the sea.</note></l> +<l>The God who shows the blazoned bull,<note place="foot">Mahádeva or Śiva whose ensign +is a bull.</note></l> +<l>And Brahmá Lord most bountiful</l> +<l>By whose command the worlds were made</l> +<l>All these on radiant cars conveyed,</l> +<pb n="497"/><anchor id="Pg497"/> +<l>Brighter than sun-beams, sought the place</l> +<l>Where stood the prince of Raghu's race,</l> +<l>And from their glittering seats the best</l> +<l>Of blessed Gods the chief addressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">Couldst thou, the Lord of all, couldst +thou,</q></l> +<l>Creator of the worlds, allow</l> +<l>Thy queen, thy spouse to brave the fire</l> +<l>And give her body to the pyre?</l> +<l>Dost thou not yet, supremely wise,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy heavenly nature recognize?</q></l> +<l>They ceased: and Ráma thus began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">I deem myself a mortal man.</q></l> +<l>Of old Ikshváku's line, I spring</l> +<l><q rend="post">From Daśaratha Kośal's king.</q></l> +<l>He ceased: and Brahmá's self replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O cast the idle thought aside.</q></l> +<l>Thou art the Lord Náráyaṇ, thou</l> +<l>The God to whom all creatures bow.</l> +<l>Thou art the saviour God who wore</l> +<l>Of old the semblance of a boar;</l> +<l>Thou he whose discus overthrows</l> +<l>All present, past and future foes;</l> +<l>Thou Brahmá, That whose days extend</l> +<l>Without beginning, growth or end;</l> +<l>The God, who, bears the bow of horn,</l> +<l>Whom four majestic arms adorn;</l> +<l>Thou art the God who rules the sense</l> +<l>And sways with gentle influence;</l> +<l>Thou all-pervading Vishṇu Lord</l> +<l>Who wears the ever-conquering sword;</l> +<l>Thou art the Guide who leads aright,</l> +<l>Thou Krishṇa of unequalled might.</l> +<l>Thy hand, O Lord, the hills and plains,</l> +<l>And earth with all her life sustains;</l> +<l>Thou wilt appear in serpent form</l> +<l>When sinks the earth in fire and storm.</l> +<l>Queen Sítá of the lovely brows</l> +<l>Is Lakshmí thy celestial spouse.</l> +<l>To free the worlds from Rávaṇ thou</l> +<l>Wouldst take the form thou wearest now.</l> +<l>Rejoice: the mighty task is done:</l> +<l>Rejoice, thou great and glorious one.</l> +<l>The tyrant, slain, thy labours end:</l> +<l>Triumphant now to heaven ascend.</l> +<l>High bliss awaits the devotee</l> +<l>Who clings in loving faith to thee,</l> +<l>Who celebrates with solemn praise</l> +<l>The Lord of ne'er beginning days.</l> +<l>On earth below, in heaven above</l> +<l>Great joy shall crown his faith and love.</l> +<l>And he who loves the tale divine</l> +<l>Which tells each glorious deed of thine</l> +<l>Through life's fair course shall never know</l> +<l><q rend="post">The fierce assault of pain and woe.</q><note place="foot">The Address +to Ráma, both text and commentary, will be found literally translated +in the Additional Notes. A paraphrase of a portion is all that I have +attempted here.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXX"/> +<head>Canto CXX. Sítá Restored.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Thus spoke the Self-existent Sire:</l> +<l>Then swiftly from the blazing pyre</l> +<l>The circling flames were backward rolled,</l> +<l>And, raising in his gentle hold</l> +<l>Alive unharmed the Maithil dame,</l> +<l>The Lord of Fire embodied came.</l> +<l>Fair as the morning was her sheen,</l> +<l>And gold and gems adorned the queen.</l> +<l>Her form in crimson robes arrayed,</l> +<l>Her hair was bound in glossy braid.</l> +<l>Her wreath was fresh and sweet of scent,</l> +<l>Undimmed was every ornament.</l> +<l>Then, standing close to Ráma'a side,</l> +<l>The universal witness cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">From every blot and blemish free</q></l> +<l>Thy faithful queen returns to thee.</l> +<l>In word or deed, in look or mind</l> +<l>Her heart from thee has ne'er declined.</l> +<l>By force the giant bore away</l> +<l>From thy lone cot his helpless prey;</l> +<l>And in his bowers securely kept</l> +<l>She still has longed for thee and wept.</l> +<l>With soft temptation, bribe and threat,</l> +<l>He bade the dame her love forget:</l> +<l>But, nobly faithful to her lord,</l> +<l>Her soul the giant's suit abhorred.</l> +<l>Receive, O King, thy queen again,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Pure, ever pure from spot and stain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Still stood the king in thoughtful mood</l> +<l>And tears of joy his eyes bedewed.</l> +<l>Then to the best of Gods the best</l> +<l>Of warrior chiefs his mind expressed:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">'Twas meet that mid the thousands here</q></l> +<l>The searching fire my queen should clear;</l> +<l>For long within the giant's bower</l> +<l>She dwelt the vassal of his power.</l> +<l>For else had many a slanderous tongue</l> +<l>Reproaches on mine honour flung,</l> +<l>And scorned the king who, love-impelled,</l> +<l>His consort from the proof withheld.</l> +<l>No doubt had I, but surely knew</l> +<l>That Janak's child was pure and true,</l> +<l>That, come what might, in good and ill</l> +<l>Her faithful heart was with me still.</l> +<l>I knew that Rávaṇ could not wrong</l> +<l>My queen whom virtue made so strong.</l> +<l>I knew his heart would sink and fail,</l> +<l>Nor dare her honour to assail,</l> +<l>As Ocean, when he raves and roars,</l> +<l>Fears to o'erleap his bounding shores.</l> +<l>Now to the worlds her truth is shown,</l> +<l>And Sítá is again mine own.</l> +<l>Thus proved before unnumbered eyes,</l> +<l>On her pure fame no shadow lies.</l> +<l>As heroes to their glory cleave,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Mine own dear spouse I ne'er will leave.</q></l> +<pb n="498"/><anchor id="Pg498"/> +<l>He ceased: and clasped in fond embrace</l> +<l>On his dear breast she hid her face.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXXI"/> +<head>Canto CXXI. Dasaratha.</head> + +<lg> +<l>To him Maheśvar thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O strong-armed hero, lotus-eyed,</q></l> +<l>Thou, best of those who love the right,</l> +<l>Hast nobly fought the wondrous fight.</l> +<l>Dispelled by thee the doom that spread</l> +<l>Through trembling earth and heaven is fled.</l> +<l>The worlds exult in light and bliss,</l> +<l>And praise thy name, O chief, for this.</l> +<l>Now peace to Bharat's heart restore,</l> +<l>And bid Kausalyá weep no more.</l> +<l>Thy face let Queen Kaikeyí see,</l> +<l>Let fond Sumitrá gaze on thee.</l> +<l>The longing of thy friends relieve,</l> +<l>The kingdom of thy sires receive.</l> +<l>Let sons of gentle Sítá born</l> +<l>Ikshváku's ancient line adorn.</l> +<l>Then from all care and foemen freed</l> +<l>Perform the offering of the steed.</l> +<l>In pious gifts thy wealth expend,</l> +<l>Then to the home of Gods ascend,</l> +<l>Thy sire, this glorious king, behold,</l> +<l>Among the blest in heaven enrolled.</l> +<l>He comes from where the Immortals dwell:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Salute him, for he loves thee well.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">His mandate Raghu's sons obeyed,</l> +<l>And to their sire obeisance made,</l> +<l>Where high he stood above the car</l> +<l>In wondrous light that shone afar,</l> +<l>His limbs in radiant garments dressed</l> +<l>Whereon no spot of dust might rest.</l> +<l>When on the son he loved so well</l> +<l>The eyes of Daśaratha fell,</l> +<l>He strained the hero to his breast</l> +<l>And thus with gentle words addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">No joy to me is heavenly bliss,</q></l> +<l>For there these eyes my Ráma miss.</l> +<l>Enrolled on high with saint and sage,</l> +<l>Thy woes, dear son, my thoughts engage.</l> +<l>Kaikeyí's guile I ne'er forget:</l> +<l>Her cruel words will haunt me yet,</l> +<l>Which sent thee forth, my son, to roam</l> +<l>The forest far from me and home.</l> +<l>Now when I look on each dear face,</l> +<l>And hold you both in fond embrace,</l> +<l>My heart is full of joy to see</l> +<l>The sons I love from danger free.</l> +<l>Now know I what the Gods designed,</l> +<l>And how in Ráma's form enshrined</l> +<l>The might of Purushottam lay,</l> +<l>The tyrant of the worlds to slay.</l> +<l>Ah, how Kausalyá will rejoice</l> +<l>To hear again her darling's voice,</l> +<l>And, all thy weary wanderings o'er,</l> +<l>To gaze upon thy face once more.</l> +<l>Ah blest, for ever blest are they</l> +<l>Whose eyes shall see the glorious day</l> +<l>Of thy return in joy at last,</l> +<l>Thy term of toil and exile past.</l> +<l>Ayodhyá's lord, begin thy reign,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And day by day new glory gain.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: and Ráma thus replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Be not this grace, O sire, denied.</q></l> +<l>Those hasty words, that curse revoke</l> +<l>Which from thy lips in anger broke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Kaikeyí, be no longer mine:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">I cast thee off, both thee and thine.</q></l> +<l>O father, let no sorrow fall</l> +<l><q rend="post">On her or hers: thy curse recall.</q></l> +<l><q>Yea, she shall live, if so thou wilt,</q></l> +<l>The sire replied, <q>absolved from guilt.</q></l> +<l>Round Lakshmaṇ then his arms he threw,</l> +<l>And moved by love began anew:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Great store of merit shall be thine,</q></l> +<l>And brightly shall thy glory shine;</l> +<l>Secure on earth thy brother's grace.</l> +<l>And high in heaven shall be thy place.</l> +<l>Thy glorious king obey and fear:</l> +<l>To him the triple world is dear.</l> +<l>God, saint, and sage, by Indra led,</l> +<l>To Ráma bow the reverent head,</l> +<l>Nor from the Lord, the lofty-souled,</l> +<l>Their worship or their praise withhold.</l> +<l>Heart of the Gods, supreme is he,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The One who ne'er shall cease to be.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">On Sítá then he looked and smiled;</l> +<l><q>List to my words</q> he said, <q rend="pre">dear child,</q></l> +<l>Let not thy gentle breast retain</l> +<l>One lingering trace of wrath or pain.</l> +<l>When by the fire thy truth be proved,</l> +<l>By love for thee his will was moved.</l> +<l>The furious flame thy faith confessed</l> +<l>Which shrank not from the awful test:</l> +<l>And thou, in every heart enshrined,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Shalt live the best of womankind.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: he bade the three adieu,</l> +<l>And home to heaven exulting flew.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXXII"/> +<head>Canto CXXII. Indra's Boon.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Indra, he whose fiery stroke</l> +<l>Slew furious Páka, turned and spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">A glorious day, O chief, is this,</q></l> +<l>Rich with the fruit of lasting bliss.</l> +<l>Well pleased are we: we love thee well</l> +<l><q rend="post">Now speak, thy secret wishes tell.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus spake the sovereign of the sky,</l> +<l>And this was Ráma's glad reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">If I have won your grace, incline</q></l> +<l>To grant this one request of mine.</l> +<l>Restore, O King: the Vánar dead</l> +<l>Whose blood for me was nobly shed.</l> +<pb n="499"/><anchor id="Pg499"/> +<l>To life and strength my friends recall,</l> +<l>And bring them back from Yáma's hall.</l> +<l>When, fresh in might the warriors rise,</l> +<l>Prepare a feast to glad their eyes.</l> +<l>Let fruits of every season glow,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And streams of purest water flow.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Raghu's son, great-hearted, prayed,</l> +<l>And Indra thus his answer made:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">High is the boon thou seekest: none</q></l> +<l>Should win this grace but Raghu's son.</l> +<l>Yet, faithful to the word I spake,</l> +<l>I grant the prayer for thy dear sake.</l> +<l>The Vánars whom the giants slew</l> +<l>Their life and vigour shall renew.</l> +<l>Their strength repaired, their gashes healed</l> +<l>Whose torrents dyed the battle field,</l> +<l>The warrior hosts from death shall rise</l> +<l><q rend="post">Like sleepers when their slumber flies.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Restored from Yáma's dark domain</l> +<l>The Vánar legions filled the plain,</l> +<l>And, round the royal chief arrayed,</l> +<l>With wondering hearts obeisance paid.</l> +<l>Each God the son of Raghu praised,</l> +<l>And cried as loud his voice he raised:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Turn, King, to fair Ayodhyá speed,</q></l> +<l>And leave thy friends of Vánar breed.</l> +<l>Thy true devoted consort cheer</l> +<l>After long days of woe and fear.</l> +<l>Bharat, thy loyal brother, see,</l> +<l>A hermit now for love of thee.</l> +<l>The tears of Queen Kauśalyá dry,</l> +<l>And light with joy each stepdame's eye;</l> +<l>Then consecrated king of men</l> +<l><q rend="post">Make glad each faithful citizen.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">They ceased: and borne on radiant cars</l> +<l>Sought their bright home amid the stars.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXXIII"/> +<head>Canto CXXIII. The Magic Car.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then slept the tamer of his foes</l> +<l>And spent the night in calm repose.</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ came when morning broke,</l> +<l>And hailed the royal chief, and spoke:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Here wait thee precious oil and scents,</q></l> +<l>And rich attire and ornaments.</l> +<l>The brimming urns are newly filled,</l> +<l>And women in their duty skilled,</l> +<l>With lotus-eyes, thy call attend,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Assistance at thy bath to lend.</q></l> +<l><q>Let others,</q> Ráma cried, <q rend="pre">desire</q></l> +<l>These precious scents, this rich attire,</l> +<l>I heed not such delights as these,</l> +<l>For faithful Bharat, ill at ease,</l> +<l>Watching for me is keeping now</l> +<l>Far far away his rigorous vow.</l> +<l>By Bharat's side I long to stand,</l> +<l>I long to see my fatherland.</l> +<l>Far is Ayodhyá: long, alas,</l> +<l><q rend="post">The dreary road and hard to pass.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q>One day,</q> Vibhishaṇ cried, <q rend="pre">one day</q></l> +<l>Shall bear thee o'er that length of way.</l> +<l>Is not the wondrous chariot mine,</l> +<l>Named Pushpak, wrought by hands divine.</l> +<l>The prize which Rávaṇ seized of old</l> +<l>Victorious o'er the God of Gold?</l> +<l>This chariot, kept with utmost care,</l> +<l>Will waft thee through the fields of air,</l> +<l>And thou shalt light unwearied down</l> +<l>In fair Ayodhyá's royal town.</l> +<l>But yet if aught that I have done</l> +<l>Has pleased thee well, O Raghu's son;</l> +<l>If still thou carest for thy friend,</l> +<l>Some little time in Lanká spend;</l> +<l>There after toil of battle rest</l> +<l><q rend="post">Within my halls an honoured guest.</q></l> +<l>Again the son of Raghu spake:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy life was perilled for my sake.</q></l> +<l>Thy counsel gave me priceless aid:</l> +<l>All honours have been richly paid.</l> +<l>Scarce can my love refuse, O best</l> +<l>Of giant kind, thy last request.</l> +<l>But still I yearn once more to see</l> +<l>My home and all most dear to me;</l> +<l>Nor can I brook one hour's delay:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Forgive me, speed me on my way.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: the magic car was brought.</l> +<l>Of yore by Viśvakarmá wrought.</l> +<l>In sunlike sheen it flashed and blazed;</l> +<l>And Raghu's sons in wonder gazed.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXXIV"/> +<head>Canto CXXIV. The Departure.</head> + +<lg> +<l>The giant lord the chariot viewed,</l> +<l>And humbly thus his speech renewed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Behold, O King, the car prepared:</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Now be thy further will declared.</q></l> +<l>He ceased: and Ráma spake once more:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">These hosts who thronged to Lanká's shore</q></l> +<l>Their faith and might have nobly shown,</l> +<l>And set thee on the giants' throne.</l> +<l>Let pearls and gems and gold repay</l> +<l>The feats of many a desperate day,</l> +<l>That all may go triumphant hence</l> +<l><q rend="post">Proud of their noble recompense.</q></l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ, ready at his call,</l> +<l>With gold and gems enriched them all.</l> +<l>Then Ráma clomb the glorious car</l> +<l>That shone like day's resplendent star.</l> +<l>There in his lap he held his dame</l> +<l>Vailing her eyes in modest shame.</l> +<l>Beside him Lakshmaṇ took his stand,</l> +<l>Whose mighty bow still armed his hand,</l> +<l><q>O King Vibhishaṇ,</q> Ráma cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O Vánar chiefs, so long allied,</q></l> +<pb n="500"/><anchor id="Pg500"/> +<l>My comrades till the foemen fell,</l> +<l>List, for I speak a long farewell.</l> +<l>The task, in doubt and fear begun,</l> +<l>With your good aid is nobly done.</l> +<l>Leave Lanká's shore, your steps retrace,</l> +<l>Brave warriors of the Vánar race.</l> +<l>Thou, King Sugríva, true, through all,</l> +<l>To friendship's bond and duty's call,</l> +<l>Seek far Kishkindhá with thy train</l> +<l>And o'er thy realm in glory reign.</l> +<l>Farewell, Vibhishaṇ, Lanká's throne</l> +<l>Won by our arms is now thine own,</l> +<l>Thou, mighty lord, hast nought to dread</l> +<l>From heavenly Gods by Indra led.</l> +<l>My last farewell, 0 King, receive,</l> +<l><q rend="post">For Lanká's isle this hour I leave.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Loud rose their cry in answer: <q rend="pre">We,</q></l> +<l>O Raghu's son, would go with thee.</l> +<l>With thee delighted would we stray</l> +<l>Where sweet Ayodhyá's groves are gay,</l> +<l>Then in the joyous synod view</l> +<l>King-making balm thy brows bedew;</l> +<l>Our homage to Kauśalyá pay,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And hasten on our homeward way.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Their prayer the son of Raghu heard,</l> +<l>And spoke, his heart with rapture stirred:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Sugríva, O my faithful friend,</q></l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ and ye chiefs, ascend.</l> +<l>A joy beyond all joys the best</l> +<l>Will fill my overflowing breast,</l> +<l>If girt by you, O noble band,</l> +<l><q rend="post">I seek again my native land.</q></l> +<l>With Vánar lords in danger tried</l> +<l>Sugríva sprang to Ráma's side,</l> +<l>And girt by chiefs of giant kind</l> +<l>Vibhíshan's step was close behind.</l> +<l>Swift through the air, as Ráma chose,</l> +<l>The wondrous car from earth arose.</l> +<l>And decked with swans and silver wings</l> +<l>Bore through the clouds its freight of kings.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXXV"/> +<head>Canto CXXV. The Return.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then Ráma, speeding through the skies,</l> +<l>Bent on the earth his eager eyes:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Look, Sítá, see, divinely planned</q></l> +<l>And built by Viśvakarmá's hand,</l> +<l>Lanká the lovely city rest</l> +<l>Enthroned on Mount Trikúṭa's crest</l> +<l>Behold those fields, ensanguined yet,</l> +<l>Where Vánar hosts and giants met.</l> +<l>There, vainly screened by charm and spell,</l> +<l>The robber Rávan fought and fell.</l> +<l>There knelt Mandodarí<note place="foot">Rávaṇ's queen.</note> and shed</l> +<l>Her tears in floods for Rávan dead.</l> +<l>And every dame who loved him sent</l> +<l>From her sad heart her wild lament.</l> +<l>There gleams the margin of the deep,</l> +<l>Where, worn with toil, we sank to sleep.</l> +<l>Look, love, the unconquered sea behold,</l> +<l>King Varuṇ's home ordained of old,</l> +<l>Whose boundless waters roar and swell</l> +<l>Rich with their store of pearl and shell.</l> +<l>O see, the morning sun is bright</l> +<l>On fair Hiraṇyanábha's<note place="foot">Or Maináka.</note> height,</l> +<l>Who rose from Ocean's sheltering breast</l> +<l>That Hanumán might stay and rest.</l> +<l>There stretches, famed for evermore,</l> +<l>The wondrous bridge from shore to shore.</l> +<l>The worlds, to life's remotest day,</l> +<l>Due reverence to the work shall pay,</l> +<l>Which holier for the lapse of time</l> +<l>Shall give release from sin and crime.</l> +<l>Now thither bend, dear love, thine eyes</l> +<l>Where green with groves Kishkindhá lies,</l> +<l>The seat of King Sugríva's reign,</l> +<l>Where Báli by this hand was slain.<note place="foot">Here, in the North-west +recension, Sítá expresses a wish that Tárá and the wives of the Vánar chiefs should be +invited to accompany her to Ayodhyá. The car decends, and the Vánar matrons are added +to the party. The Bengal recension ignores this palpable interruption.</note></l> +<l>There Ríshyamúka's hill behold</l> +<l>Bright gleaming with embedded gold.</l> +<l>There too my wandering foot I set,</l> +<l>There King Sugríva first I met.</l> +<l>And, where yon trees their branches wave,</l> +<l>My promise of assistance gave.</l> +<l>There, flushed with lilies, Pampá shines</l> +<l>With banks which greenest foliage lines,</l> +<l>Where melancholy steps I bent</l> +<l>And mourned thee with a mad lament.</l> +<l>There fierce Kabandha, spreading wide</l> +<l>His giant arms, in battle died.</l> +<l>Turn, Sítá, turn thine eyes and see</l> +<l>In Janasthán that glorious tree:</l> +<l>There Rávaṇ, lord of giants slew</l> +<l>Our friend Jaṭáyus brave and true,</l> +<l>Thy champion in the hopeless strife,</l> +<l>Who gave for thee his noble life.</l> +<l>Now mark that glade amid the trees</l> +<l>Where once we lived as devotees.</l> +<l>See, see our leafy cot between</l> +<l>Those waving boughs of densest green,</l> +<l>Where Rávaṇ seized his prize and stole</l> +<l>My love the darling of my soul.</l> +<l>O, look again: beneath thee gleams</l> +<l>Godávarí the best of streams,</l> +<l>Whose lucid waters sweetly glide</l> +<l>By lilies that adorn her side.</l> +<l>There dwelt Agastya, holy sage,</l> +<l>In plantain-sheltered hermitage.</l> +<l>See Śarabhanga's humble shed</l> +<pb n="501"/><anchor id="Pg501"/> +<l>Which sovereign Indra visited.</l> +<l>See where the gentle hermits dwell</l> +<l>Neath Atri's rule who loved us well;</l> +<l>Where once thine eyes were blest to see</l> +<l>His sainted dame who talked with thee.</l> +<l>Now rest thine eyes with new delight</l> +<l>On Chitrakúṭa's woody height,</l> +<l>See Jumna flashing in the sun</l> +<l>Through groves of brilliant foliage run.</l> +<l>Screened by the shade of spreading boughs.</l> +<l>There Bharadvája keeps his vows,</l> +<l>There Gangá, river of the skies,</l> +<l>Rolls the sweet wave that purifies,</l> +<l>There Śringavera's towers ascend</l> +<l>Where Guha reigns, mine ancient friend.</l> +<l>I see, I see thy glittering spires,</l> +<l>Ayodhyá, city of my sires.</l> +<l>Bow down, bow down thy head, my sweet,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Our home, our long-lost home to greet.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXXVI"/> +<head>Canto CXXVI. Bharat Consoled.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Ráma bade the chariot stay,</l> +<l>And halting in his airy way,</l> +<l>In Bharadvája's holy shade</l> +<l>His homage to the hermit paid.</l> +<l><q>O saint,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">I yearn to know</q></l> +<l>My dear Ayodhyá's weal and woe.</l> +<l>O tell me that the people thrive,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And that the queens are yet alive.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Joy gleamed in Bhardvája's eye,</l> +<l>Who gently smiled and made reply:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy brother, studious of thy will,</q></l> +<l>Is faithful and obedient still.</l> +<l>In tangled twine he coils his hair:</l> +<l>Thy safe return is all his care.</l> +<l>Before thy shoes he humbly bends,</l> +<l>And to thy house and realm attends.</l> +<l>When first these dreary years began,</l> +<l>When first I saw the banished man,</l> +<l>With Sítá, in his hermit coat,</l> +<l>At this sad heart compassion smote.</l> +<l>My breast with tender pity swelled:</l> +<l>I saw thee from thy home expelled,</l> +<l>Reft of all princely state, forlorn,</l> +<l>A hapless wanderer travel-worn,</l> +<l>Firm in thy purpose to fulfil</l> +<l>Thy duty and thy father's will.</l> +<l>But boundless is my rapture now:</l> +<l>Triumphant, girt with friends, art thou.</l> +<l>Where'er thy wandering steps have been,</l> +<l>Thy joy and woe mine eyes have seen.</l> +<l>Thy glorious deeds to me art known,</l> +<l>The Bráhmans saved, the foes o'erthrown.</l> +<l>Such power have countless seasons spent</l> +<l>In penance and devotion lent.</l> +<l>Thy virtues, best of chiefs, I know,</l> +<l>And now a boon would fain bestow.</l> +<l>This hospitable gift<note place="foot">The <foreign lang="sa" +rend="font-style: italic">arghya</foreign>, a respectful offering to +Gods and venerable men consisting of rice, +dúivá grass, flowers etc., with water.</note> receive:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Then with the dawn my dwelling leave.</q></l> +<l>The bended head of Ráma showed</l> +<l>His reverence for the grace bestowed;</l> +<l>Then for each brave companion's sake</l> +<l>He sought a further boon and spake:</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">O let that mighty power of thine</q></l> +<l>The road to fair Ayodhyá line</l> +<l>With trees where fruit of every hue</l> +<l>The Vánars' eye and taste may woo,</l> +<l>And flowers of every season, sweet</l> +<l><q rend="post">With stores of honeyed juice, may meet.</q></l> +<l>The hero ceased: the hermit bent</l> +<l>His reverend head in glad assent;</l> +<l>And swift, as Bharadvája willed,</l> +<l>The prayer of Ráma was fulfilled.</l> +<l>For many a league the lengthening road</l> +<l>Trees thick with fruit and blossom showed</l> +<l>With luscious beauty to entice</l> +<l>The taste like trees of Paradise.</l> +<l>The Vánars passed beneath the shade</l> +<l>Of that delightful colonnade,</l> +<l>Still tasting with unbounded glee</l> +<l>The treasures of each wondrous tree.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXXVII"/> +<head>Canto CXXVII. Ráma's Message.</head> + +<lg> +<l>But Ráma, when he first looked down</l> +<l>And saw afar Ayodhyá's town,</l> +<l>Had called Hanumán to his side,</l> +<l>The chief on whom his heart relied,</l> +<l>And said: <q rend="pre">Brave Vánar, good at need,</q></l> +<l>Haste onward, to Ayodhyá speed,</l> +<l>And learn, I pray, if all be well</l> +<l>With those who in the palace dwell.</l> +<l>But as thou speedest on thy way</l> +<l>Awhile at Śringavera stay.</l> +<l>Tell Guha the Nishádas' lord,</l> +<l>That victor, with my queen restored,</l> +<l>In health and strength with many a friend</l> +<l>Homeward again my steps I bend.</l> +<l>Thence by the road that he will show</l> +<l>On to Ayodhyá swiftly go.</l> +<l>There with my love my brother greet,</l> +<l>And all our wondrous tale repeat.</l> +<l>Say that victorious in the strife</l> +<l>I come with Lakshmaṇ and my wife,</l> +<l>Then mark with keenest eye each trace</l> +<l>Of joy or grief on Bharat's face.</l> +<l>Be all his gestures closely viewed,</l> +<pb n="502"/><anchor id="Pg502"/> +<l>Each change of look and attitude.</l> +<l>Where breathes the man who will not cling</l> +<l>To all that glorifies a king?</l> +<l>Where beats the heart that can resign</l> +<l>An ancient kingdom, nor repine</l> +<l>To lose a land renowned for breeds</l> +<l>Of elephants and warrior steeds?</l> +<l>If, won by custom day by day,</l> +<l>My brother Bharat thirsts for sway,</l> +<l>Still let him rule the nations, still</l> +<l>The throne of old Ikshváku fill.</l> +<l>Go, mark him well: his feelings learn,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And, ere we yet be near return.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: and, garbed in human form,</l> +<l>Forth sped Hanúmán swift as storm.</l> +<l>Sublime in air he rose, and through</l> +<l>The region of his father flew.</l> +<l>He saw far far beneath his feet</l> +<l>Where Gangá's flood and Jumna meet.</l> +<l>Descending from the upper air</l> +<l>He entered Śringavera, where</l> +<l>King Guha's heart was well content</l> +<l>To hear the message Ráma sent.</l> +<l>Then, with his mighty strength renewed,</l> +<l>The Vánar chief his way pursued,</l> +<l>Válúkiní was far behind,</l> +<l>And Gomatí with forests lined,</l> +<l>And golden fields and pastures gay</l> +<l>With flocks and herds beneath him lay.</l> +<l>Then Nandigráma charmed his eye</l> +<l>Where flowers were bright with every dye,</l> +<l>And trees of lovely foliage made</l> +<l>With meeting boughs delightful shade,</l> +<l>Where women watched in trim array</l> +<l>Their little sons' and grandsons' play.</l> +<l>His eager eye on Bharat fell</l> +<l>Who sat before his lonely cell.</l> +<l>In hermit weed, with tangled hair,</l> +<l>Pale, weak, and worn with ceaseless care.</l> +<l>His royal pomp and state resigned</l> +<l>For Ráma still he watched and pined,</l> +<l>Still to his dreary vows adhered,</l> +<l>And royal Ráma's shoes revered.</l> +<l>Yet still the terror of his arm</l> +<l>Preserved the land from fear and harm.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The Wind-God's son, in form a man,</l> +<l>Raised reverent hands and thus began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Fond greeting, Prince, I bring to thee,</q></l> +<l>And Ráma's self has sent it: he</l> +<l>For whom thy spirit sorrows yet</l> +<l>As for a hapless anchoret</l> +<l>In Daṇḍak wood, in dire distress,</l> +<l>With matted hair and hermit dress.</l> +<l>This sorrow from thy bosom fling,</l> +<l>And hear the tale of joy I bring.</l> +<l>This day thy brother shalt thou meet</l> +<l>Exulting in his foe's defeat,</l> +<l>Freed from his toil and lengthened vow,</l> +<l>The light of victory on his brow,</l> +<l>With Sítá, Lakshmaṇ and his friends</l> +<l><q rend="post">Homeward at last his steps he bends.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then joy, too mighty for control,</l> +<l>Rushed in full flood o'er Bharat's soul;</l> +<l>His reeling sense and strength gave way,</l> +<l>And fainting on the earth he lay,</l> +<l>At length upspringing from the ground,</l> +<l>His arms about Hanúmán wound,</l> +<l>With tender tears of rapture sprung,</l> +<l>He dewed the neck to which he clung:</l> +<l><q>Art thou a God or man,</q> he cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Whom love and pity hither guide?</q></l> +<l>For this a hundred thousand kine,</l> +<l>A hundred villages be thine.</l> +<l>A score of maids of spotless lives</l> +<l>To thee I give to be thy wives,</l> +<l>Of golden hue and bright of face,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Each lovely for her tender grace.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased a while by joy subdued,</l> +<l>And then his eager speech renewed.</l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXXVIII"/> +<head>Canto CXXVIII. Hanumán's Story.</head> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">In doubt and fear long years have passed</q></l> +<l>And glorious tidings come at last.</l> +<l>True, true is now the ancient verse</l> +<l>Which men in time of bliss rehearse:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Once only in a hundred years</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Great joy to mortal men appears.</q></l> +<l>But now his woes and triumph tell,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And loss and gain as each befell.</q></l> +<l>He ceased: Hanúmán mighty-souled</l> +<l>The tale of Ráma's wanderings told</l> +<l>From that first day on which he stood</l> +<l>In the drear shade of Daṇḍak wood.</l> +<l>He told how fierce Virádha fell;</l> +<l>He told of Śarabhanga's cell</l> +<l>Where Ráma saw with wondering eyes</l> +<l>Indra descended from the skies.</l> +<l>He told how Śúrpaṇakhí came,</l> +<l>Her soul aglow with amorous flame,</l> +<l>And fled repulsed, with rage and tears,</l> +<l>Reft of her nose and severed ears.</l> +<l>He told how Ráma's might subdued</l> +<l>The giants' furious multitude;</l> +<l>How Khara with the troops he led</l> +<l>And Triśirás and Dúshaṇ bled:</l> +<l>How Ráma, tempted from his cot,</l> +<l>The golden deer pursued and shot,</l> +<l>And Rávaṇ came and stole away</l> +<l>The Maithil queen his hapless prey,</l> +<l>When, as he fought, the dame to save,</l> +<l>His noble life Jatáyus gave:</l> +<l>How Ráma still the the search renewed,</l> +<l>The robber to his hold pursued,</l> +<l>Bridging the sea from shore to shore,</l> +<l>And found his queen to part no more.<note place="foot">I have abridged Hanumán's +outline of Ráma's adventures, with the details of which we are already sufficiently +acquainted.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<pb n="503"/><anchor id="Pg503"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXXIX"/> +<head>Canto CXXIX. The Meeting With Bharat.</head> + +<lg> +<l>O'erwhelmed with rapture Bharat heard</l> +<l>The tale that all his being stirred,</l> +<l>And, heralding the glad event,</l> +<l>This order to Śatrughna sent:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Let every shrine with flowers be gay</q></l> +<l>Let incense burn and music play.</l> +<l>Go forth, go forth to meet your king,</l> +<l>Let tabours sound and minstrels sing,</l> +<l>Let bards swell high the note of praise</l> +<l>Skilled in the lore of ancient days,</l> +<l>Call forth the royal matrons: call</l> +<l>Each noble from the council hall.</l> +<l>Send all we love and honour most,</l> +<l>Send Bráhmans and the warrior host,</l> +<l>A glorious company to bring</l> +<l><q rend="post">In triumph home our lord the king.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Great rapture filled Śatrughna's breast,</l> +<l>Obedient to his brother's hest.</l> +<l><q>Send forth ten thousand men</q> he cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Let brawny arms be stoutly plied,</q></l> +<l>And, smoothing all with skilful care,</l> +<l>The road for Kośal's king prepare.</l> +<l>Then o'er the earth let thousands throw</l> +<l>Fresh showers of water cool as snow,</l> +<l>And others strew with garlands gay</l> +<l>With loveliest blooms our monarch's way.</l> +<l>On tower and temple porch and gate</l> +<l>Let banners wave in royal state,</l> +<l>And be each roof and terrace lined</l> +<l><q rend="post">With blossoms loose and chaplets twined.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The nobles hasting forth fulfilled</l> +<l>His order as Śatrughna willed.</l> +<l>Sublime on elephants they rode</l> +<l>Whose gilded girths with jewels glowed.</l> +<l>Attended close by thousands more</l> +<l>Gay with the gear and flags they bore.</l> +<l>A thousand chiefs their steeds bestrode,</l> +<l>Their glittering cars a thousand showed.</l> +<l>And countless hosts in rich array</l> +<l>Pursued on foot their eager way.</l> +<l>Veiled from the air with silken screens</l> +<l>In litters rode the widowed queens.</l> +<l>Kausalyá first, acknowledged head</l> +<l>And sovereign of the household, led:</l> +<l>Sumitrá next, and after, dames</l> +<l>Of lower rank and humbler names.</l> +<l>Then compassed by a white-robed throng</l> +<l>Of Bráhmans, heralded with song,</l> +<l>With shouts of joy from countless throats,</l> +<l>And shells' and tambours' mingled notes,</l> +<l>And drums resounding long and loud,</l> +<l>Exulting Bharat joined the crowd.</l> +<l>Still on his head, well-trained in lore</l> +<l>Of duty, Ráma's shoes he bore.</l> +<l>The moon-white canopy was spread</l> +<l>With flowery twine engarlanded,</l> +<l>And jewelled cheuries, meet to hold</l> +<l>O'er Ráma's brow, shone bright with gold,</l> +<l>Though Nandigráma's town they neared,</l> +<l>Of Ráma yet no sign appeared.</l> +<l>Then Bharat called the Vánar chief</l> +<l>And questioned thus in doubt and grief:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hast thou uncertain, like thy kind,</q></l> +<l>A sweet delusive guile designed?</l> +<l>Where, where is royal Ráma? show</l> +<l>The hero, victor of the foe.</l> +<l>I gaze, but see no Vánars still</l> +<l><q rend="post">Who wear each varied shape at will.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">In eager love thus Bharat cried,</l> +<l>And thus the Wind-God's son replied:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Look, Bharat, on those laden trees</q></l> +<l>That murmur with the song of bees;</l> +<l>For Ráma's sake the saint has made</l> +<l>Untimely fruits, unwonted shade.</l> +<l>Such power in ages long ago</l> +<l>Could Indra's gracious boon bestow.</l> +<l>O, hear the Vánars' voices, hear</l> +<l>The shouting which proclaims them near.</l> +<l>E'en now about to cross they seem</l> +<l>Sweet Gomatí's delightful stream.</l> +<l>I see, I see the car designed</l> +<l>By Brahmá's own creative mind,</l> +<l>The car which, radiant as the moon,</l> +<l>Moves at the will by Brahmá's boon;</l> +<l>The car which once was Rávan's pride,</l> +<l>The victor's spoil when Rávan died.</l> +<l>Look, there are Raghu's sons: between</l> +<l>The brothers stands the rescued queen.</l> +<l>There is Vibhishaṇ full in view,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Sugríva and his retinue.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: then rapture loosed each tongue:</l> +<l>From men and dames, from old and young,</l> +<l>One long, one universal cry,</l> +<l>'Tis he, 'tis Ráma, smote the sky.</l> +<l>All lighted down with eager speed</l> +<l>From elephant and car and steed,</l> +<l>And every joyful eye intent</l> +<l>On Ráma's moonbright face was bent.</l> +<l>Entranced a moment Bharat gazed:</l> +<l>Then reverential hands he raised,</l> +<l>And on his brother humbly pressed</l> +<l>The honours due to welcome guest.</l> +<l>Then Bharat clomb the car to greet</l> +<l>His king and bowed him at his feet,</l> +<l>Till Ráma raised him face to face</l> +<l>And held him in a close embrace.</l> +<l>Then Lakshmaṇ and the Maithil dame</l> +<l>He greeted as he spoke his name<note place="foot">In these respectful salutations the +person who salutes his superior mentions his own name even when it is well known +to the person whom he salutes.</note></l> +<l>He greeted next, supreme in place,</l> +<l>The sovereign of the Vánar race,</l> +<l>And Jámbaván and Báli's son,</l> +<pb n="504"/><anchor id="Pg504"/> +<l>And lords and chiefs, omitting none.<note place="foot">I have omitted the chieftains' +names as they could not be introduced without padding. They are Mainda, Dwivid, Níla, +Rishabh, Susheṇ, Nala, Gaváksha, Gandhamádan, Śarabh, and Panas.</note></l> +<l>Sugríva to his heart he pressed</l> +<l>And thus with grateful words addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Four brothers, Vánar king, were we,</q></l> +<l>And now we boast a fifth in thee.</l> +<l>By kindly acts a friend we know:</l> +<l><q rend="post">Offence and wrong proclaim the foe.</q></l> +<l>To King Vibhishaṇ then he spake:</l> +<l><q>Well hast thou fought for Ráma's sake.</q></l> +<l>Nor was the brave Śatrughna slow</l> +<l>His reverential love to show</l> +<l>To both his brothers, as was meet,</l> +<l>And venerate the lady's feet.</l> +<l>Then Ráma to his mother came,</l> +<l>Saw her pale cheek and wasted frame,</l> +<l>With gentle words her heart consoled,</l> +<l>And clasped her feet with loving hold.</l> +<l>Then at Sumitrá's feet he bent,</l> +<l>And fair Kaikeyí's, reverent,</l> +<l>Greeted each dame from chief to least,</l> +<l>And bowed him to the household priest.</l> +<l>Up rose a shout from all the throng:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O welcome, Ráma, mourned so long.</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Welcome, Kausalyá's joy and pride,</q></l> +<l>Ten hundred thousand voices cried.</l> +<l>Then Bharat placed, in duty taught,</l> +<l>On Ráma's feet the shoes he brought:</l> +<l><q>My King,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">receive again</q></l> +<l>The pledge preserved through years of pain,</l> +<l>The rule and lordship of the land</l> +<l>Entrusted to my weaker hand.</l> +<l>No more I sigh o'er sorrows past,</l> +<l>My birth and life are blest at last</l> +<l>In the glad sight this day has shown,</l> +<l><q rend="post">When Ráma comes to rule his own.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: the faithful love that moved</l> +<l>The prince's soul each heart approved;</l> +<l>Nor could the Vánar chiefs refrain</l> +<l>From tender tears that fell like rain.</l> +<l>Then Ráma, stirred with joy anew,</l> +<l>His arms about his brother threw,</l> +<l>And to the grove his course he bent</l> +<l>Where Bharat's hermit days were spent.</l> +<l>Alighting in that pure retreat</l> +<l>He pressed the earth with eager feet.</l> +<l>Then, at his hest, the car rose high</l> +<l>And sailing through the northern sky</l> +<l>Sped homeward to the Lord of Gold</l> +<l>Who owned the wondrous prize of old.<note place="foot">The following addition is found +in the Bengal recension: But Vaiśravaṇ (Kuvera) when he beheld his chariot said +unto it: <q>Go, and carry Ráma, and come unto me when my thought shall call thee, +And the chariot returned unto Ráma;</q> and he honoured it when he had heard +what had passed.</note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="CantoVI-CXXX"/> +<head>Canto CXXX. The Consecration.</head> + +<lg> +<l>Then, reverent hand to hand applied,</l> +<l>Thus Bharat to his brother cried:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Thy realm, O King, is now restored,</q></l> +<l>Uninjured to the rightful lord.</l> +<l>This feeble arm with toil and pain,</l> +<l>The weighty charge could scarce sustain.</l> +<l>And the great burthen wellnigh broke</l> +<l>The neck untrained to bear the yoke.</l> +<l>The royal swan outspeeds the crow:</l> +<l>The steed is swift, the mule is slow,</l> +<l>Nor can my feeble feet be led</l> +<l>O'er the rough ways where thine should tread.</l> +<l>Now grant what all thy subjects ask:</l> +<l>Begin, O King, thy royal task.</l> +<l>Now let our longing eyes behold</l> +<l>The glorious rite ordained of old,</l> +<l>And on the new-found monarch's head</l> +<l><q rend="post">Let consecrating drops be shed.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased; victorious Ráma bent</l> +<l>His head in token of assent.</l> +<l>He sat, and tonsors trimmed with care</l> +<l>His tangles of neglected hair</l> +<l>Then, duly bathed, the hero shone</l> +<l>With all his splendid raiment on.</l> +<l>And Sítá with the matrons' aid</l> +<l>Her limbs in shining robes arrayed,</l> +<l>Sumantra then, the charioteer,</l> +<l>Drew, ordered by Śatrughna near,</l> +<l>And stayed within the hermit grove</l> +<l>The chariot and the steeds he drove.</l> +<l>Therein Sugríva's consorts, graced</l> +<l>With gems, and Ráma's queen were placed,</l> +<l>All fain Ayodhyá to behold:</l> +<l>And swift away the chariot rolled.</l> +<l>Like Indra Lord of Thousand Eyes,</l> +<l>Drawn by fleet lions through the skies.</l> +<l>Thus radiant in his glory showed</l> +<l>King Ráma as he homeward rode,</l> +<l>In power and might unparalleled.</l> +<l>The reins the hand of Bharat held.</l> +<l>Above the peerless victor's head</l> +<l>The snow-white shade Śatrughna spread,</l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ's ever-ready hand</l> +<l>His forehead with a chourie fanned.</l> +<l>Vibhishaṇ close to Lakshmaṇ's side</l> +<l>Sharing his task a chourie plied.</l> +<l>Sugríva on Śatrunjay came,</l> +<l>An elephant of hugest frame:</l> +<l>Nine thousand others bore, behind,</l> +<l>The chieftains of the Vánar kind</l> +<l>All gay, in forms of human mould,</l> +<l>With rich attire and gems and gold.</l> +<pb n="505"/><anchor id="Pg505"/> +<l>Thus borne along in royal state</l> +<l>King Ráma reached Ayodbyá's gate</l> +<l>With merry noise of shells and drums</l> +<l>And joyful shouts, He comes, he comes,</l> +<l>A Bráhman host with solemn tread,</l> +<l>And kine the long procession led,</l> +<l>And happy maids in ordered bands</l> +<l>Threw grain and gold with liberal hands.</l> +<l>Neath gorgeous flags that waved in rows</l> +<l>On towers and roofs and porticoes.</l> +<l>Mid merry crowds who sang and cheered</l> +<l>The palace of the king they neared.</l> +<l>Then Raghu's son to Bharat, best</l> +<l>Of duty's slaves, these words addressed:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Pass onward to the monarch's hall.</q></l> +<l>The high-souled Vánars with thee call,</l> +<l>And let the chieftains, as is meet,</l> +<l>The widows of our father greet.</l> +<l>And to the Vánar king assign</l> +<l>Those chambers, best of all, which shine</l> +<l>With lazulite and pearl inlaid,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And pleasant grounds with flowers and shade.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He ceased: and Bharat bent his head;</l> +<l>Sugríva by the hand he led</l> +<l>And passed within the palace where</l> +<l>Stood couches which Śatrughna's care,</l> +<l>With robes and hangings richly dyed,</l> +<l>And burning lamps, had seen supplied.</l> +<l>Then Bharat spake: <q rend="pre">I pray thee, friend,</q></l> +<l>Thy speedy messengers to send,</l> +<l>Each sacred requisite to bring</l> +<l><q rend="post">That we may consecrate our king.</q></l> +<l>Sugríva raised four urns of gold,</l> +<l>The water for the rite to hold,</l> +<l>And bade four swiftest Vánars flee</l> +<l>And fill them from each distant sea.</l> +<l>Then east and west and south and north</l> +<l>The Vánar envoys hastened forth.</l> +<l>Each in swift flight an ocean sought</l> +<l>And back through air his treasure brought,</l> +<l>And full five hundred floods beside</l> +<l>Pure water for the king supplied.</l> +<l>Then girt by many a Bráhman sage,</l> +<l>Vaśishṭha, chief for reverend age,</l> +<l>High on a throne with jewels graced</l> +<l>King Ráma and his Sítá placed.</l> +<l>There by Jábáli, far revered,</l> +<l>Vijay and Kaśyap's son appeared;</l> +<l>By Gautam's side Kátváyan stood,</l> +<l>And Vámadeva wise and good,</l> +<l>Whose holy hands in order shed</l> +<l>The pure sweet drops on Ráma's head.</l> +<l>Then priests and maids and warriors, all</l> +<l>Approaching at Vaśishṭha's call,</l> +<l>With sacred drops bedewed their king,</l> +<l>The centre of a joyous ring,</l> +<l>The guardians of the worlds, on high,</l> +<l>And all the children of the sky</l> +<l>From herbs wherewith their hands were filled</l> +<l>Rare juices on his brow distilled.</l> +<l>His brows were bound with glistering gold</l> +<l>Which Manu's self had worn of old,</l> +<l>Bright with the flash of many a gem</l> +<l>His sire's ancestral diadem.</l> +<l>Śatrughna lent his willing aid</l> +<l>And o'er him held the regal shade:</l> +<l>The monarchs whom his arm had saved</l> +<l>The chouries round his forehead waved.</l> +<l>A golden chain, that flashed and glowed</l> +<l>With gems the God of Wind bestowed:</l> +<l>Mahendra gave a glorious string</l> +<l>Of fairest pearls to deck the king,</l> +<l>The skies with acclamation rang,</l> +<l>The gay nymphs danced, the minstrels sang.</l> +<l>On that blest day the joyful plain</l> +<l>Was clothed anew with golden grain.</l> +<l>The trees the witching influence knew,</l> +<l>And bent with fruits of loveliest hue,</l> +<l>And Ráma's consecration lent</l> +<l>New sweetness to each flowret's scent.</l> +<l>The monarch, joy of Raghu's line,</l> +<l>Gave largess to the Bráhmans, kine</l> +<l>And steeds unnumbered, wealth untold</l> +<l>Of robes and pearls and gems and gold.</l> +<l>A jewelled chain, whose lustre passed</l> +<l>The glory of the sun, he cast</l> +<l>About his friend Sugríva's neck;</l> +<l>And, Angad Báli's son to deck,</l> +<l>He gave a pair of armlets bright</l> +<l>With diamond and lazulite.</l> +<l>A string of pearls of matchless hue</l> +<l>Which gleams like tender moonlight threw</l> +<l>Adorned with gems of brightest sheen,</l> +<l>He gave to grace his darling queen.</l> +<l>The offering from his hand received</l> +<l>A moment on her bosom heaved;</l> +<l>Then from her neck the chain she drew,</l> +<l>A glance on all the Vánars threw,</l> +<l>And wistful eyes on Ráma bent</l> +<l>As still she held the ornament.</l> +<l>Her wish he knew, and made reply</l> +<l>To that mute question of her eye:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Yea, love; the chain on him bestow</q></l> +<l>Whose wisdom truth and might we know,</l> +<l>The firm ally, the faithful friend</l> +<l><q rend="post">Through toil and peril to the end.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Then on Hanúmán's bosom hung</l> +<l>The chain which Sítá's hand had flung:</l> +<l>So may a cloud, when winds are still</l> +<l>With moon-lit silver gird a hill.</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To every Vánar Ráma gave</l> +<l>Rich treasures from the mine and wave.</l> +<l>And with their honours well content</l> +<l>Homeward their steps the chieftains bent.</l> +<l>Ten thousand years Ayodhyá, blest</l> +<l>With Ráma's rule, had peace and rest,</l> +<l>No widow mourned her murdered mate,</l> +<l>No house was ever desolate.</l> +<l>The happy land no murrain knew,</l> +<l>The flocks and herds increased and grew.</l> +<pb n="506"/><anchor id="Pg506"/> +<l>The earth her kindly fruits supplied,</l> +<l>No harvest failed, no children died.</l> +<l>Unknown were want, disease, and crime:</l> +<l>So calm, so happy was the time.<note place="foot">Here follows in the original +an enumeration of the chief blessings which will +attend the man or woman who reads or hears read this tale of Ráma. These blessings +are briefly mentioned at the end of the first Canto of the first book, and it +appears unnecessary to repeat them here in their amplified form. The Bengal +recension (Gorresio's edition) gives them more concisely as follows: <q>This is the +great first poem blessed and glorious, which gives long life to men and victory to kings, +the poem which Válmíki made. He who listens to this wondrous tale of Ráma +unwearied in action shall be absolved from all his sins. By listening to the deeds of +Ráma he who wishes for sons shall obtain his heart's desire, and to him who longs for +riches shall riches be given. The virgin who asks for a husband shall obtain a +husband suited to her mind, and shall meet again her dear kinsfolk who are far +away. They who hear this poem which Válmíki made shall obtain all their desires +and all their prayers shall be fulfilled.</q></note></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +</div> + +<!-- End of Book VI --> + +<pb n="507"/><anchor id="Pg507"/> + +<div rend="page-break-before: always"> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>APPENDIX.</head> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Section XIII. Rávan Doomed.</head> + +<p> +Afterwards Rishyaśring said again to the King <q>I will perform another +sacrificial act to secure thee a son.</q> Then the son of Vibháṇdak, of subdued +passions, seeking the happiness of the king, proceeded to perform the sacrifice for +the accomplishment of his wishes. Hither were previously collected the gods, +with the Gandharvas, the Siddhas and the sages, for the sake of receiving their +respective shares, Brahmá too, the sovereign of the gods, with Stháṇu, and Náráyaṇa, +chief of beings and the four supporters of the universe, and the divine +mothers of all the celestials, met together there. To the Aśvamedha, the great +sacrifice of the magnanimous monarch, came also Indra the glorious one, surrounded +by the Maruts. Rishyaśring then supplicated the gods assembled for +their share of the sacrifice (saying), <q>This devout king Daśaratha, who, through +the desire of offspring, confiding in you, has performed sacred austerities, and +who has offered to you the sacrifice called Aśvamedha, is about to perform +another sacrifice for the sake of obtaining sons: To him thus desirous of offspring +be pleased to grant the blessing: I supplicate you all with joined hands. May +he have four sons, renowned through the universe.</q> The gods replied to the +sage's son supplicating with joined hands, <q>Be it so: thou, O Bráhman, art ever +to be regarded by us, as the king is in a peculiar manner. The lord of men by +this sacrifice shall obtain the great object of his desires.</q> Having thus said, the +gods preceded by Indra, disappeared. +</p> + +<p> +They all then having seen that (sacrifice) performed by the great sage +according to the ordinance went to Prajápati the lord of mankind, and with +joined hands addressed Brahmá the giver of blessings, <q>O Brahmá, the Ráksha +Rávaṇa by name, to whom a blessing was awarded by thee, through pride troubleth +all of us the gods, and even the great sages, who perpetually practise sacred +austerities. We, O glorious one, regarding the promise formerly granted by thy +kindness that he should be invulnerable to the gods, the Dánavas and the Yakshas +have born (<hi rend='italic'>sic</hi>) all, (his oppression); this lord of Rákshas +therefore distresses the universe; and, inflated by this promise unjustly vexes the +divine sages, the Yakshas, and Gandharvas, the Asuras, and men: where Rávaṇa remains +there the sun loses his force, the winds through fear of him do not blow; the fire ceases +to burn; the rolling ocean, seeing him, ceases to move its waves. Viśravas, +distressed by his power, has abandoned Lanká and fled. O divine one save us from +Rávaṇa, who fills the world with noise and tumult. O giver of desired things, be +pleased to contrive a way for his destruction.</q> +</p> + +<p> +Brahmá thus informed by the devas, reflecting, replied, <q>Oh! I have devised +the method for slaying this outrageous tyrant. Upon his requesting, <q>May I +be invulnerable to the divine sages, the Gaundharvas, the Yakshas, the Rákshasas +<pb n="508"/><anchor id="Pg508"/> +and the serpents,</q> I replied <q>Be it so.</q> This Ráksha, through contempt, +said nothing respecting man; therefore this wicked one shall be destroyed by +man.</q> The gods, preceded by Śakra, hearing these words spoken by Brahmá, +were filled with joy. +</p> + +<p> +At this time Vishṇu the glorious, the lord of the world, arrayed in yellow, +with hand ornaments of glowing gold, riding on Vinateya, as the sun on a cloud, +arrived with his conch, his discus, and his club in his hand. Being adored by +the excellent celestials, and welcomed by Brahmá, he drew near and stood before +him. All the gods then addressed Vishṇu, <q>O Madhusudana, thou art able +to abolish the distress of the distressed. We intreat thee, be our sanctuary, O +Vishṇu.</q> Vishṇu replied, <q>Say, what shall I do?</q> The celestials hearing these +his words added further. <q>The virtuous, the encourager of excellence, eminent +for truth, the firm observer of his vows, being childless, is performing an Aśvamedha +for the purpose of obtaining offspring. For the sake of the good of the +universe, we intreat thee, O Vishṇu, to become his son. Dividing thyself into +four parts, in the wombs of his three consorts equal to Hari, Śrí, and +Kirti, assume the sonship of king Daśaratha, the lord of Ayodhyá, eminent +in the knowledge of duty, generous and illustrious, as the great sages. Thus +becoming man, O Vishṇu, conquer in battle Rávaṇa, the terror of the universe, who +is invulnerable to the gods. This ignorant Rákshasa Rávaṇa, by the exertion of +his power, afflicts the gods, the Gandharvaa, the Siddhas, and the most excellent +sages; these sages, the Gandharvas, and the Apsaras, sporting in the forest +Nandana have been destroyed by that furious one. We, with the sages, are +come to thee seeking his destruction. The Siddhas, the Gandharvas, and the +Yakshas betake themselves to thee, thou art our only refuge; O Deva, afflicter of +enemies, regard the world of men, and destroy the enemy of the gods.</q> +</p> + +<p> +Vishṇu, the sovereign of the gods, the chief of the celestials, adored by all +beings, being thus supplicated, replied to all the assembled gods (standing) before +Brahmá, <q>Abandon fear; peace be with you; for your benefit having killed +Rávaṇa the cruel, destructively active, the cause of fear to the divine sages, +together with all his posterity, his courtiers and counsellors, and his relations, +and friends, protecting the earth, I will remain incarnate among men for the +space of eleven thousand years.</q> +</p> + +<p> +Having given this promise to the gods, the divine Vishṇu, ardent in the +work, sought a birth-place among men. Dividing himself into four parts, he +whose eyes resemble the lotus and the pulasa, the lotus petal-eyed, chose for his +father Daśaratha the sovereign of men. The divine sages then with the +Gandharvas, the Rudras, and the (different sorts of) Apsaras, in the most excellent +strains, praised the destroyer of Madhu, (saying) <q>Root up Rávaṇa, +of fervid energy, the devastator, the enemy of Indra swollen with pride. +Destroy him, who causes universal lamentation, the annoyer of the holy ascetics, +terrible, the terror of the devout Tapaswis. Having destroyed Rávaṇa, tremendously +powerful, who causes universal weeping, together with his army and +friends, dismissing all sorrow, return to heaven, the place free from stain and +sin, and protected by the sovereign of the celestial powers.</q> +</p> + +<p> +Thus far the Section, containing the plan for the death of Rávaṇ. +</p> + +<p> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Carey and Marshman.</hi> +</p> + +</div> + +<pb n="509"/><anchor id="Pg509"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Caput XIV. RATIO NECANDI RAVANAE EXCOGITATA.</head> + +<p> +Prudens ille, voluminum sacrorum gnarus, responsum quod dederat aliquamdiu +meditatus, mente ad se revocata regem deuno est effatus: Parabo tibi +aliud sacrum, genitale, prolis masculae adipiscendae gratia, cum carminibus in +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Atharvanis</hi> exordio expressis rite peragendum. +Tum coepit modestus Vibhândaci +filius, regis commodis intentus, parare sacrum, quo eius desiderium expleret. +Iam'antea eo convenerant, ut suam quisque portionem acciperent, Dî cum fidicinum +coelestium choris, Beatique cum Sapientibus; Brachman Superûm regnator, +Sthânus nec non augustus Nârâyanus, Indrasque almus, coram visendus Ventorum +cohorte circumdatus, in magno isto sacrificio equino regis magnanimi. +Ibidem vates ille deos, qui portiones suas accipiendi gratia advenerant, apprecatus, +En inquit, hicce ex Dasarathus filiorum desiderio castimoniis adstrictus, fidei +plenus, vestrum numen adoravit sacrificio equino. Nunc iterum accingit se ad +aliud sacrum peragendum: quamobrem aequum est, ut filios cupienti vos faveatis. +Ille ego, qui manus supplices tendo, vos universos pro eo apprecor: nascantur ei +filii quatuor, faina per triplicem mundum clari. Divi supplicem vatis filium invicem +affari: Fiat quod petis! Tu nobis, virsancte, imprimis es venerandus, nee +minus rex ille; compos fiet voti sui egregii hominum princeps. Ita locuti Dî +Indra duce, ex oculis evanuerunt. +</p> + +<p> +Superi vero, legitime in concilio congregati. +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Brachmanem</hi> mundi creatorem +his verbis compellarunt: Tuo munere auctus, O Brachman! gigas nomine Râvanas, +prae superbia nos omnes vexat, pariterque Sapientes castimoniis gaudentes. +A te propitio olim ex voto ei hoc munus concessum fuit, ut ne a diis, Danuidis, +Geniisve necari posset. Nos, oraculum tuum reveriti, facinora eius qualiacunque +toleramus. At ille gigantum tyrannus ternos mundos gravibus iniuriis vexat +Deos, Sapientes, Genios, Fidicines coelestes, Titanes, mortales denique, exsuperat +ille aegre cohibendus, tuoque munere demens. Non ibi calet sol, neque Ventus +prae timore spirat, nee flagrat ignis, ubi Râvanas versatur. Ipse oceanus, vagis +fluctibus redimitus, isto viso stat immotus; eiectus fuit e sede sua Cuvêrus, huius +robore vexatus. Ergo ingens nobis periculum imminet ab hoc gigante visu horribili; +tuum est, alme Parens! auxilium parare, quo hic deleatur. Ita admonitus +ille a diis universis, paulisper meditatus, Ehem! inquit, hancce inveni rationem +nefarium istum necandi. Petierat is a me, ut a Gandharvis, a Geniis, a Divis, +Danuibus Gigantibusque necari non posset et me annuente voto suo potitus est. +Prae contemptu vero monstrum illud homines non commemoravit: ideo ab homine +est necandus: nullum aliud exstat leti genus, quod ei sit fatale. Postquam +audiverant gratum hunc sermonem <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Brachmanis</hi> +ore prolatum, Dî cum duce +suo Indra summopere gaudio erecti sunt. Eodem temporis momento Vishnus, +istuc accessit, splendore insignis, concham, discum et clavum manibus gestans, +croceo vestitu, mundi dominus, vulturis Vinateii dorso, sicuti sol nimbo, vectus, +armillas ex auro candente gerens, salutatus a Superûm primoribus. Quem laudibus +celebratum reverenter Dî universi compellarunt. Tu animantium afflictorum +es vindex, Madhûs interfector! quamobrem nos afflicti te apprecamur. Sis praesidio +nobis numine tuo inconcusso. Dicite, inquit Vishnus, quid pro vobis facere +<pb n="510"/><anchor id="Pg510"/> +me oporteat. Audito eius sermone, Dî hunc in modum respondent: Rex quidam, +nomine Dasarathus, austeris castimoniis sese castigavit, litavit sacrificio equino, +prolis cupidus et prole carens. Nostro hortatu tu, Vishnus, conditionem natorum +eius subeas: ex tribus eius uxoribus, Pudicitiae, Venustatis et Famae similibus, +nasci, velis, temetipsum quadrifariam dividens. Ibi tu in humanam naturam +conversus Râvanam, gravissimam mundi pestem, diis insuperabilem, O Vishnus! +proelio caede. Gigas ille vecors Râvanas Deos cum Fidicinum choris, Beatos et +Sapientes praestantissimos vexat, audacia superbiens. Etenim ab hoc furioso +Sapientes Fidicines et nymphae, ludentes in Nandano viridario, sunt proculcati. +Tu es nostrum omnium summa salus, divine bellator! Ut deoram hostes extinguas, +ad sortem humanam animum converte. Augustus ille Nârâyanus, diis hunc +in modum coram hortantibus, eosdem apto hoc sermone compellavit: Quare, +quaeso, hac in re negotium vestrum a me potissimum, corporea specie palam facto, +est peragendum aut unde tantus vobis terror fuit iniectus? His verbis a Vishnû +interrogati Dî talia proferre: Terror nobis instat, O Vishnus! a Râvana mundi +direptore; a quo nos vindicare, corpore humano assumpto, tuum est. Nemo alius +coelicoiarum praeter te hunc scelestum enecare potis est. Nimirum ille, O hostium +domitor! per diuturnum tempus sese excruciaverat severissima abstinentia, +qua magnus hicce rerum Parens propitius ipsi redditus est. Itaque almus votorum +sponsor olim ei concessit securitatem ab ommibus animantibus, hominibus tamen +exceptis. Hinc ilium, voti compotem, non aliunde quam ab homine necis periculum +urget: tu ergo, humanitate assumpta eum intertice. Sic monitus Vishnus, +Superûm princeps, quem mundus universus adorat, magnum Parentem oeterosque +deos, in concilio congregatos, recti auctores, affatur: Mittite timorem; bene +bobis eveniat! Vestrae salutis gratia, postquam praelio necavero Râvanam cum +filiis nepotibusque, cum amicis, ministris, cognatis sociisque, crudelem istum aegre +cohibendum, qui divinis Sapientibus terrorem meutit, per decem millia annorum +decies centenis additis, commorabor in mortalium sedibus, orbem terrarum imperio +regens. Tum divini sapientes et Fidicines conjuncti cum Rudris nympharumque +choris celebravere Madhûs interfectorem hymnis, quales sedem aetheriam +decent. +</p> + +<p> +<q>Râvanam ilium insolentem, acri impetu actum, superbia elatum, Superûm +hostem, tumultus cientem, bonorum piorumque pestem, humanitate assumpta +pessamdare tuum est.</q> +</p> + +<p> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Schlegel</hi>. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Caput XIV. IL MEZZO STABILITO PER UCCIDERE RÁVANO.</head> + +<p> +Ma Riseyasringo soggiunse poscia al re: Tappresterò io un altro rito santissimo, +genitale, onde tu conseguisca la prole che tu bramí. E in quel punto +stesso il saggio figliulo di Vibhândaco, intento alla prosperità del re, pose mano +al sacro rito per condurre ad effetto il suo desiderio. Già erano prima, per ricevere +ciascuno la sua parte, qui convenuti al gran sacrifizio del re magnanimo +l'Asvamedha, i Devi coi Gandharvi, i Siddhi e i Muni, Brahma Signor dei Sari, +Sthânu e l' Augusto Nârâyana, i quattio custodi dell' universo e le Madri degli +Iddu, i Yacsi insieme cogli Dei, e il sovrano, venerando Indra, visibile, circondato +<pb n="511"/><anchor id="Pg511"/> +dalla schiera dei Maruti. Quivi così parlò Riscyasringo agli Dei venuti a partecipare +del sacrifizio: Questo è il re Dasaratha, che per desiderio di progenie già +s' astrinse ad osservanze austeré, e testè pieno di fede ha a voi, O eccelsi, sacrificato +con un Asvamedha. Ora egli, sollecito d' aver figli, si dispone ad adempiere +un nuovo rito; vogliate essere favorevole a lui che sospira progenie. Io alzo a +voi supplici le mani, e voi tutti per lui imploro: nascano a lui quattro figli +degni d'essere celebrati pei tre mondi. Risposero gli Dei al supplichevole figliuolo +del Risci: Sia fatto ciò che chiedi; a te ed al re parimente si debbe da noi, O +Brahmano, sommo pregio; canseguirà il re per questo sacro rito il suo suppremo +desiderio. Ciò detto disparvero i Numi preceduti da Indra. +</p> + +<p> +Poichè videro gli Dei compiersi debitamente dal gran Risci l'oblazione, +venuti al cospetto di Brahma facitor del mondo, signor delle creature, così parlarono +reverenti a lui dator di grazie: O Brahma, un Racsaso per nome Râvano, +eui tu fosti largo del tuo favore, è per superbia infesto a noi tutti e ai grandi Saggi +penitenti. Un di, O Nume, augusto, tu propizio a lui gli accordasti il favore, ch' +egli bramava, di non poter essere ucciso dagli Dei, dai Dânavi nè dai Yacsi: noi +venerando i tuoi oracoli, ogni cosa sopportiamo da costui. Quindi il signor dei +Racsasi infesta con perpetue offese i tre mondi, i Devi, i Risci, i Yacsi ed i Gandharvi, +gli Asuri e gli uomini: tutti egli opprime indegnamente inorgoglito pel +tuo dono. Colà dove si trova Râvano, più non isfavilla per timore il sole, più +non spira il vento, più non fiammeggia il fuoco: l' oceano stesso cui fan corona +i vasti flutti, veggendo costui, tutto si turba e si commuove. Stretto dalla forza +di costui e ridotto allo stremo dovette Vaisravano abbandonare Lancâ. Da questo +Râvano, terror del mondo, tu ne proteggi, O almo Nume: degna, O dator +d'ogni bene, trovar modo ad estirpar costui. Fatto di queste cose conscio dai +Devi, stette alquanto meditando, poi rispose Brahma: Orsù! è stabilito il modo +onde distruggere questo iniquo. Egli a me chiese, ed io gliel concessi, di non poter +essere ucciso dai Devi, dai Risci, dai Gandharvi, dai Yacsi, dai Racsasi nè dai +Serpenti; ma per disprezzo non fece menzione degli uomini quel Racso: or bene, +sarà quell' empio ucciso da un uomo. Udite le fauste parole profferte da Brahma, +furono per ogni parte liete gli Iddii col loro duce Indra. In questo mezzo quì +sopravvenne raggiante d'immensa luce il venerando Visnu, pensato da Brahma +nell' immortal sua mente, siccome atto ad estirpar colui; Allora Brahma colla +schiera de' Celesti così parlò a Visnu: Tu sei il conforto delle gente oppresse, O +distruttor di Madhu: noi quindi a te supplichiamo afflitti: sia tu nostro sostegno, +O Aciuto. Dite, loro rispose Visnu, quale cosa io debba far per voi; e gli +Dei, udite queste parole, cosi soggiunsero: Un re per nome Dasaratha, giusto, +virtuoso, veridico e pio, non ha progenie e la desidera: ei già s' impose durissime +penitenze, ed ora ha sacrificato con un Asvamedha: tu, per nostro consiglio, O +Visnu, consenti a divenir suo figlio: fatte di te quattro parti, ti manifesta, O +invocato dalle genti, nel seno delle quattro sue consorti, simili alla venusta +Dea. Così esortato dagli Dei quivi presenti, l'augusto Nârâyana loro rispose +queste opportune parole: Quale opra s'ha da me, fatto visible nel mondo, a +compiere per voi, O Devi? e d'onde in voi cotal terrore? Intese le parole di +Visnu, così risposero gli Dei: Il nostro terrore. O Visnu, nasce da un Racsaso per +nome Râvano, spavento dell' universo. Vestendo umano corpo, tu debbi esterminar +costui. Nessuno fra i Celesti, fuorchè tu solo, è valevole ad uccidere +quell' iniquo. Egli, O domator de' tuoi nemici, sostenne per lungo tempo acerbissime +<pb n="512"/><anchor id="Pg512"/> +macerazioni: per esse fu di lui contento l'augusto sommo Genitore: e +un di gli accordò propizio la sicurezza da tutti gli esseri, eccettutine gli uomini. +Per questo favore a lui concesso nou ha egli a temere offesa da alcuna parte, +fuorchè dall' uomo, perciò, assumendo la natura umana, costui tu uccidi. Egli, +il peggior di tutti i Racsasi, insano per la forza che gli infonde il dono avuto, da +travaglio ai Devi ed ai Gaudharvi, ai Risci, ai Muni ed ai mortali. Egli, sicuro +da morte pel favore ottenuto, è turbatore dei sacrifizj, nemico ed uccisor dei +Brahmi, divoratore degli uomini, peste del mondo. Da lui furono assaliti re coi +loro carri ed elefanti; altri percessi e fugati si dispersero per ogni dove. Da lui +furono divorati Risci ed Apsarase: egli insomma oltracotato continuamente e +quasi per ischerzo tutti travaglia i sette mondi. Perciò, O terribile ai nemici è +stabilita la morte di costui per opra d'un uomo; poich' un di per superbia del +dono tutti sprezzò gli uomini. Tu, O supremo fra i Numi, dei, umanandoti, +estirpare questo tremendo, superbo Ràvano, oltracotato, a noi nemico, terrore e +flagello dei penitenti. +</p> + +<p> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>XIV.</head> + +<p> +De nouveau Rishyaçringa tint ce langage au Monarque: <q>Je vais célébrer +un autre sacrifice, afin que le ciel accorde à tes vœux les enfants que tu souhaites.</q> +Cela dit, cherchant le bonheur du roi et pour l'accomplissement de son désir, le +fils puissant de Vibhándaka se mit à célébrer ce nouveau sacrifice. +</p> + +<p> +Là auparavant, étaient venus déjà recevoir une part de l' offrande les +Dieux, accompagnés des Gaudharvas, et les Siddhas avec les Mounis divins, +Brahma, le monarque des Souras, l' immuable Śiva, et l' auguste Náráyana, et les +quatre gardiens vigilants du monde, et les mères des Immortels, et tous les Dieux, +escortés des Yakshas, et le maître éminent du ciel, Indra, qui se manifestait aux +yeux, environné par l' essaim des Maroutes. Alors ce jeune anachorète avait +supplié tous les Dieux, que le désir d'une part dans l' offrande avait conduits á l' +açwamédha, cette grande cérémonie de ce roi magnanime; <hi rend='italic'>et, dans ce +moment, l' époux de Śántá les conjurait ainsi pour la seconde fois</hi>: +<q>Cet homme <hi rend='italic'>en prières</hi>, +c'est le roi Daçaratha, qui est privé de fils. Il est rempli d' une foi vive; il s'est +infligé de pénibles austérités; il vous a déjà servi, divinités augustes, le sacrifice +d'un açwa-médha, et maintenant il s'étudie encore à vous plaire avec ce nouveau +sacrifice dans l'espérance que vous lui donnerez les fils, où tendent ses désirs. +Versez donc sur lui votre bienveillance et daignez sourire à son vœu pour des fils. +C'est pour lui que moi ici, les mains jointes, je vous adresse à tous mes supplications: +envoyez-lui quatre fils, qui soient vantés dans les trois mondes!</q> +</p> + +<p> +<q>Ouí! répondirent les Dieux au fils suppliant du rishi; tu mérites que nous +t'écoutions avec faveur, toi, brahme saint, et même, en premier lieu, ce roi. +Comme récompense de ces différents sacrifices, le monarque obtendra cet objet +le plus cher de ses désirs.</q> +</p> + +<p> +Ayant aussi parlé et vu que le grand saint avait mis fin suivant les rites à +son <hi rend='italic'>pieux</hi> sacrifice, les Dieux, +Indra à leur tête, s'évanouissent dans le vide des +airs et se rendent vers l' architecte des mondes, le souverain des créatures, le +donateur des biens, vers Brahma enfin, auquel tous, les mains jointes, ils adressent +les paroles suivantes: <q>O Brahma, un rakshasa, nommé Râvana, tourne su +<pb n="513"/><anchor id="Pg513"/> +mal les grâces, qu'il a reçues de toi. Dans son orgueil, il nous opprime tous; il +opprime avec nous les grands anchorètes, qui se font un bonheur des macérations: +car jadis, ayant su te plaire, O Bhagavat, il a reçu de toi ce don incomparable. +<q>Oui, as-tu dit, exauçant le vœu du mauvais Génie; Dieu. Yaksha ou Démon +ne pourra jamais causer ta mort!</q> Et nous, par qui ta parole est respectée, nous +avons tout supporté de ce roi des rakshasas, qui écrase de sa tyrannie les trois +mondes, ou il promène l' injure impunément. Enorgueilli de ce don victorieux, +il opprime indignement les Dieux, les rishis, les Yakshas, les Gandharvas, les +Asouras et les enfants de Manou. Là ou se tient Râvana, la peur empêche le +soleil d'échauffer, le vent craint de souffler, et le feu n'ose flamboyer. A son +aspect, la guirlande même des grands flots tremble au sein de la mer. Accablé +par sa vigueur indomptable, Kouvéra défait lui a cédé Lanká. Suave-nous donc, +ô toi, qui reposes daus le bonheur absolu; sauve-nous de Râvana, le fléau des +mondes. Daigne, ô toi, qui souris aux vœux du suppliant, daigne imaginer un +expedient pour ôter la vie à ce cruel Démon.</q> Les Dieux ayant ainsi dénoncé +leurs maux à Brahma, il réfléchit un instant et leur tint ce langage: <q>Bien, voici +que j'ai découvert un moyen pour tuer ce Génie scélérat. Que ni les Dieux, +a-t-il dit, ni les rishis, ni les Gandharvas ni les Yakshas, ni les rakshasas, ni les +Nágas même ne puissent me donner la mort! Soit lui ai-je répondu. Mais, par +dédain pour la force humaine, les hommes n'ont pas été compris daus sa demande. +C'est donc par la main d' un homme, qu'il faut immoler ce méchant.</q> Ainsi +tombée de la bouche du créateur, cette parole salutaire satisfit pleinement le roi +des habitants du ciel et tous les Dieux avec lui. Lá, dans ce même instant, survint +le fortuné Visnou, revêtu d' une splendeur infinie; car c'était a lui, que +Brahma avait pensé dans son âme pour la mort du tyran. Celui-ci donc avec +l'essaim des Immortels adresse à Vishnou ces paroles: <q>Meurtrier de Madhou, +comme tu aimes á tirer de l'affliction les êtres malheureux, nous te supplions, +nous qui sommes plongés dans la tristesse, Divinité auguste, sois notre asyle!</q> +<q>Dites! reprit Vishnou; que dois-je faire?</q> <q>Ayant oui les paroles de l'ineffable, +tous les Dieux repondirent: Il est un roi nommé Daçaratha; il a embrassé une +très-duré pénitence; il a célébré même le sacrifice d'un açwa-medha, parce qu'il +n'a point de fils et qu'il veut en obtenir du ciel. Il est inébranlable dans sa piété, +il est vanté pour ses vertus; la justice est son caractère, la verite est sa parole. +Acquiesce donc à notre demande, ô toi, Vishnou, et consens à naître comme son +fils. Divisé en quatre portions de toi-même, daigne, ô toi, qui foules aux pieds +tes ennemis, daigne t' incarner dans le sein de ses trois épouses, belles comme la +déesse de la beauté.</q> Náráyana, le maître, <hi rend='italic'>non perceptible aux sens, +mais qui alors s' était rendu</hi> visible, Náráyana répondit cette parole salutaire aux +Dieux, qui i invitaient à cet <hi rend='italic'>heroique avatára</hi>. Quelle chose, une +fois revêtu de cette +incarnation, faudra-t-il encore que je fasse pour vous, et de quelle part vient la +terreur, qui vous trouble ainsi? A ces mots du grand Vishnou: <q>C'est le +démon Rávana, reprirent les Dieux; c'est lui, Vishnou, cette désolation des +mondes, qui nous inspire un tel effroi. Enveloppe-toi d'un corps, humain, et +qu'il te plaise arrâcher du monde cette blessante epine; car nul autre que toi +parmi les habitants du ciel n'est capable d'immoler ce pécheur. <hi rend='italic'>Sache +que</hi> longtemps il s'est imposé la plus austére pénitence, et +<hi rend='italic'>que</hi> par elle il s'est rendu +agreable au suprême ayeul de toutes les créatures. Aussi le distributeur ineffable +des gràces lui a-t-il accordé ce don insigne d'être invulnérable à tous les êtres, l' +<pb n="514"/><anchor id="Pg514"/> +homme seul excepté. Puisque, doué ainsi de cette faveur, la mort terrible et +sûre ne peut venir à lui de nulle autre part que de l'homme, va, +dompteur <hi rend='italic'>puissant</hi> +de tes ennemis, va dans la condition humaine, et tue-le. Car ce don, auquel on +ne peut résister, élevant au plus haut point l'ivresse de sa force, le vil rakshasa +tourmente les Dieux, les rishis, les Gandharvas, les hommes sanctifiés par la +pénitence; et, quoique, destructeur des sacrifices, lacérateur des Saintes Ecritures, +ennemi des brahmes, dévorateur des hommes, cette faveur incomparable sauve de +la mort Rávana le triste fléau des mondes. Il ose attaquer les rois, que défendant +les chars de guerre, que remparent les élephants: d'autres blessés et mis en fuite, +sont dissipés ça et là devant lui. Il a dévoré des saints, il a dévoré même une +foule d'apsaras. Sans cesse, dans son délire, il s'amuse à tourmenter les sept +mondes. Comme <hi rend='italic'>on vient de nous apprendre qu'</hi> il n'a +point daigné parler d'eux +ce jour, que lui fut donnée cette faveur, <hi rend='italic'>dont il abuse</hi>, +entre dans un corps humain, +ô toi, qui peux briser tes ennemis, et jette sans vie à tes pieds, roi puissant des +treize Dieux, ce Rávana superbe, d'une force épouvantable, d'un orgueil immense, +l'ennemi de tous les ascètes, ce ver, <hi rend='italic'>qui les ronge</hi>, +cette cause de leurs gémissements.</q> +</p> + +<p> +<hi rend='italic'>Ici, dans le premier tome du saint Râmâyana</hi>, Finit le quatorzième +chapitre, nommé: <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Un Expédient pour tuer Rávana</hi>. +</p> + +<p> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Hippolyte Fauche</hi>. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Uttarakánda.</head> + +<p> +The Rámáyan ends, epically complete, with the triumphant return of +Ráma and his rescued queen to Ayodhyá and his consecration and coronation in +the capital of his forefathers. Even if the story were not complete, the conclusion +of the last Canto of the sixth Book, evidently the work of a later hand than Válmíki's, +which speaks of Ráma's glorious and happy reign and promises blessings +to those who read and hear the Rámáyan, would be sufficient to show that, when +these verses were added, the poem was considered to be finished. The Uttarakáṇḍa +or Last Book is merely an appendix or a supplement and relates only events antecedent +and subsequent to those described in the original poem. Indian scholars +however, led by reverential love of tradition, unanimously ascribe this Last Book +to Válmíki, and regard it as part of the Rámáyan. +</p> + +<p> +Signor Gorresio has published an excellent translation of the Uttarakáṇḍa, +in Italian prose, from the recension current in Bengal;<note place="foot"><hi +rend='italic'>The Academy</hi>, Vol. III., No 43, contains an able and interesting notice +of this work from the pen of the Professor of Sanskrit in the University of Cambridge: +<q>The <hi rend='italic'>Uttarakáṇḍa</hi>,</q> Mr. Cowell remarks, <q>bears the same +relation to the <hi rend='italic'>Rámáyaṇa</hi> as the Cyclic poems to the <hi +rend='italic'>Iliad</hi>. +Just as the <hi rend='italic'>Cypria</hi> of Stasinus, the +<hi rend='italic'>Æthiopis</hi> of Arctinus, and the little <hi rend='italic'>Iliad</hi> +of Lesches completed the story of the +<hi rend='italic'>Iliad</hi>, and not only added the series of events which preceded and +followed it, but also founded episodes of their own on isolated allusions in Homer, so +the <hi rend='italic'>Uttarakáṇḍa</hi> is intended to complete the <hi +rend='italic'>Rámáyaṇa</hi>, and at the same time to +supplement it by intervening episodes to explain casual allusions or isolated incidents +which occur in it. Thus the early history of the giant Rávaṇa and his +family fills nearly forty Chapters, and we have a full account of his wars with +the gods and his conquest of Lanká, which all happened long before the action +of the poem commences, just as the <hi rend='italic'>Cypria</hi> narrated the birth and +early history of Helen, and the two expeditions of the Greeks against Troy; and the +latter chapters continue the history of the hero Ráma after his triumphant return to +his paternal kingdom, and the poem closes with his death and that of his brothers, +and the founding by their descendants of various kingdoms in different parts +of India.</q></note> and Mr. Muir has epitomized +a portion of the book in the Appendix to the Fourth Part of his Sanskrit +Texts (1862). From these scholars I borrow freely in the following pages, and +give them my hearty thanks for saving me much wearisome labour. +</p> + +<pb n="515"/><anchor id="Pg515"/> + +<p> +<q>After Ráma had returned to Ayodhyá and taken possession of the throne, +the rishis [saints] assembled to greet him, and Agastya, in answer to his questions +recounted many particulars regarding his old enemies. In the Krita Yuga (or +Golden Age) the austere and pious Brahman rishi Pulastya, a son of Brahmá, +being teased with the visits of different damsels, proclaimed that any one of them +whom he again saw near his hermitage should become pregnant. This had not +been heard by the daughter of the royal rishi Triṇavindu, who one day came into +Pulastya's neighbourhood, and her pregnancy was the result (Sect. 2, vv. 14 ff.). +After her return home, her father, seeing her condition, took her to Pulastya, who +accepted her as his wife, and she bore a son who received the name of Viśravas. +This son was, like his father, an austere and religious sage. He married the +daughter of the muni Bharadvája, who bore him a son to whom Brahmá gave the +name of Vaiśravaṇ-Kuvera (Sect. 3, vv. 1 ff.). He performed austerities for +thousands of years, when he obtained from Brahmá as a boon that he should be +one of the guardians of the world (along with Indra, Varuṇa, and Yáma) and +the god of riches. He afterwards consulted his father Viśravas about an abode, +and at his suggestion took possession of the city of Lanká, which had formerly +been built by Viśvakarmán for the Rákshasas, but had been abandoned by them +through fear of Vishṇu, and was at that time unoccupied. Ráma then (Sect. 4) +says he is surprised to hear that Lanká had formerly belonged to the Rákshasas, as +he had always understood that they were the descendants of Pulastya, and now +he learns that they had also another origin. He therefore asks who was their +ancestor, and what fault they had committed that they were chased away by +Vishṇu. Agastya replies that when Brahmá created the waters, he formed certain +beings,—some of whom received the name of Rákshasas,—to guard them. The +first Rákshasas kings were Heti and Praheti. Heti married a sister of Kála (Time). +She bore him a son Vidyutkeśa, who in his turn took for his wife Lankatanka[t.]á, +the daughter of Sandhyá (V. 21). She bore him a son Sukeśa, whom she abandoned, +but he was seen by Śiva as he was passing by with his wife Párvatí, who +made the child as old as his mother, and immortal, and gave him a celestial city. +Sukeśa married a Gandharví called Devavatí who bore three sons, Mályavat, +Sumáli and Máli. These sons practised intense austerities, when Brahmá appeared +and conferred on them invincibility and long life. They then harassed the gods. +Viśvakarmá gave them a city, Lanká, on the mountain Trikúṭa, on the shore of +<pb n="516"/><anchor id="Pg516"/> +the southern ocean, which he had built at the command of Indra.… The three +Rákshasa, Mályavat and his two brothers, then began to oppress the gods, rishis, +etc.; who (Sect. 6, v. 1 ff.) in consequence resort for aid to Mahádeva, who having +regard to his protégé Sukeśa the father of Mályavat, says that he cannot kill +the Rákshasas, but advises the suppliants to go to Vishṇu, which they do, and +receive from him a promise that he will destroy their enemies. The three Rákshasa +kings, hearing of this, consult together, and proceed to heaven to attack the gods. +Vishṇu prepares to meet them. The battle is described in the seventh section. +The Rákshasas are defeated by Vishṇu with great slaughter, and driven back to +Lanká, one of their leaders, Máli, being slain. Mályavat remonstrates with +Vishṇu, who was assaulting the rear of the fugitives, for his unwarrior-like conduct, +and wishes to renew the combat (Sect. 8, v. 3 ff.). Vishṇu replies that he +must fulfil his promise to the gods by slaying the Rákshasas, and that he would +destroy them even if they fled to Pátála. These Rákshasas, Agastya says, were +more powerful than Rávaṇa, and, could only be destroyed by Náráyaṇa, <hi +rend='italic'>i.e.</hi> by +Ráma himself, the eternal, indestructible god. Sumáli with his family lived for +along time in Pátála, while Kuvera dwelt in Lanká. In section 9 it is related +that Sumáli once happened to visit the earth, when he observed Kuvera going in +his chariot to see his father Viśravas. This leads him to consider how he might +restore his own fortunes. He consequently desires his daughter Kaikasí to go and +woo Viśravas, who receives her graciously. She becomes the mother of the dreadful +Rávaṇa, of the huge Kumbhakarṇa, of Śúrpaṇakhá, and of the righteous +Vibhishaṇa, who was the last son. These children grow up in the forest. Kumbhakarṇa +goes about eating rishis. Kuvera comes to visit his father, when Kaikasí +takes occasion to urge her son Rávaṇa to strive to become like his brother (Kuvera) +in splendour. This Rávaṇa promises to do. He then goes to the hermitage of +Gokarna with his brothers to perform austerity. In section 10 their austere observances +are described: after a thousand years' penance Rávaṇa throws his head +into the fire. He repeats this oblation nine times after equal intervals, and is +about to do it the tenth time, when Brahmá appears, and offers a boon. Rávaṇa +asks immortality, but is refused. He then asks that he may be indestructible by +all creatures more powerful than men; which boon is accorded by Brahmá +together with the recovery of all the heads he had sacrificed and the power of +assuming any shape he pleased. Vibhishaṇa asks as his boon that even amid +the greatest calamities he may think only of righteousness, and that the weapon +of Brahmá may appear to him unlearnt, etc. The god grants his request, and +adds the gift of immortality. When Brahmá is about to offer a boon to Kumbhakarṇa, +the gods interpose, as, they say, he had eaten seven Apsarases and ten +followers of Indra, besides rishis and men; and beg that under the guise of a +boon stupefaction may be inflicted on him. Brahmá thinks on Sarasvatí, who +arrives and, by Brahmá's command, enters into Kumbhakarṇa's mouth that she +may speak for him. Under this influence he asks that he may receive the boon +of sleeping for many years, which is granted. When however Sarasvatí has left +him, and he recovers his own consciousness, he perceives that he has been deluded. +Kuvera by his father's advice, gives up the city of Lanká to Rávaṇ.</q><note +place="foot"><hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Muir</hi>, +<hi rend='italic'>Sanskrit Texts,</hi> Part IV., pp. 414 ff.</note> Rávaṇa +marries (Sect. 12) Mandodarí the beautiful daughter of the Asur Maya whose +<pb n="517"/><anchor id="Pg517"/> +name has several times occurred in the Rámáyan as that of an artist of wonderful +skill. She bears a son Meghanáda or the Roaring Cloud who was afterwards +named Indrajít from his victory over the sovereign of the skies. The conquest +of Kuvera, and the acquisition of the magic self-moving chariot which has done +much service in the Rámáyan, form the subject of sections XIII., XIV. and XV. +<q>The rather pretty story of Vedavatí is related in the seventeenth section, as +follows: Rávaṇa in the course of his progress through the world, comes to the +forest on the Himálaya, where he sees a damsel of brilliant beauty, but in ascetic +garb, of whom he straightway becomes enamoured. He tells her that such an +austere life is unsuited to her youth and attractions, and asks who she is and why +she is leading an ascetic existence. She answers that she is called Vedavatí, and +is the vocal daughter of Vṛihaspati's son, the rishi Kuśadhwaja, sprung from him +during his constant study of the Veda. The gods, gandharvas, etc., she says, +wished that she should choose a husband, but her father would give her to no one +else than to Vishṇu, the lord of the world, whom he desired for his son-in-law. +Vedavatí then proceeds: <q>In order that I may fulfil this desire of my father in +respect of Náráyaṇa, I wed him with my heart. Having entered into this engagement +I practise great austerity. Náráyaṇa and no other than he, Purushottama, +is my husband. From the desire of obtaining him, I resort to this severe observance.</q> +Rávaṇa's passion is not in the least diminished by this explanation and +he urges that it is the old alone who should seek to become distinguished by +accumulating merit through austerity, prays that she who is so young and beautiful +shall become his bride; and boasts that he is superior to Vishṇu. She rejoins +that no one but he would thus contemn that deity. On receiving this reply he +touches the hair of her head with the tip of his finger. She is greatly incensed, +and forthwith cuts off her hair and tells him that as he has so insulted her, she +cannot continue to live, but will enter into the fire before his eyes. She goes on +<q>Since I have been insulted in the forest by thee who art wicked-hearted, I shall +be born again for thy destruction. For a man of evil desire cannot be slain by a +woman; and the merit of my austerity would be lost if I were to launch a curse +against thee. But if I have performed or bestowed or sacrificed aught may I be +born the virtuous daughter, not produced from the womb, of a righteous man.</q> +Having thus spoken she entered the blazing fire. Then a shower of celestial +flowers fell (from every part of the sky). It is she, lord, who, having been Vedavatí +in the Krita age, has been born (in the Treta age) as the daughter of the +king of the Janakas, and (has become) thy [Ráma's] bride; for thou art the +eternal Vishṇu. The mountain-like enemy who was [virtually] destroyed before +by her wrath, has now been slain by her having recourse to thy superhuman +energy.</q> On this the commentator remarks: <q>By this it is signified that Sítá +was the principal cause of Rávaṇa's death; but the function of destroying him +is ascribed to Ráma.</q> On the words, <q>thou art Vishṇu,</q> in the preceding verse +the same commentator remarks: <q>By this it is clearly affirmed that Sítá was +Lakshmí.</q> This is what Paráśara says: <q>In the god's life as Ráma, she became +Sítá, and in his birth as Krishṇa [she became] Rukminí.</q><note place="foot"><hi +rend="font-variant: small-caps">Muir</hi>, +<hi rend='italic'>Sanskrit Texts</hi>, Part IV., 391, 392.</note> +</p> + +<p> +In the following section (XVIII.) <q>Rávaṇa is described as violently interrupting +a sacrifice which is being performed by king Marutta, and the assembled +<pb n="518"/><anchor id="Pg518"/> +gods in terror assume different shapes to escape; Indra becomes a peacock, Yáma +a crow, Kuvera a lizard, and Varuṇa a swan; and each deity bestows a boon on +the animal he had chosen. The peacock's tail recalls Indra's thousand eyes; the +swan's colour becomes white, like the foam of the ocean (Varuṇa being its lord); +the lizard obtains a golden colour; and the crow is never to die except when +killed by a violent death, and the dead are to enjoy the funeral oblations when +they have been devoured by the crows.</q><note place="foot">See +<hi rend='italic'>Academy</hi>, III., 43.</note></p> + +<p> +Rávaṇ then attacks Arjuna or Kárttavírya the mighty king of Máhishmati +on the banks of the Narmadá, and is defeated, captured and imprisoned by +Arjuna. At the intercession of Pulastya (Sect. XXII.) he is released from his +bonds. He then visits Kishkindhá where he enters into alliance with Báli the +King of the Vánars: <q>We will have all things in common,</q> says Rávaṇ, <q>dames, +sons, cities and kingdoms, food, vesture, and all delights.</q> His next exploit is +the invasion of the kingdom of departed spirits and his terrific battle with the +sovereign Yáma. The poet in his description of these regions with the detested +river with waves of blood, the dire lamentations, the cries for a drop of water, +the devouring worm, all the tortures of the guilty and the somewhat insipid pleasures +of the just, reminds one of the scenes in the under world so vividly described +by Homer, Virgil, and Dante. Yáma is defeated (Sect. XXVI.) by the giant, not +so much by his superior power as because at the request of Brahmá Yáma refrains +from smiting with his deadly weapon the Rákshas enemy to whom that God had +once given the promise that preserved him. In the twenty-seventh section Rávaṇ +goes <q>under the earth into Pátála the treasure-house of the waters inhabited by +swarms of serpents and Daityas, and well defended by Varuṇ.</q> He subdues +Bhogavatí the city ruled by Vásuki and reduces the Nágas or serpents to subjection. +He penetrates even to the imperial seat of Varuṇ. The God himself is +absent, but his sons come forth and do battle with the invader. The giant is +victorious and departs triumphant. The twenty-eighth section gives the details +of a terrific battle between Rávaṇ and Mándhátá King of Ayodhyá, a distinguished +ancestor of Ráma. Supernatural weapons are employed on both sides and the +issue of the conflict is long doubtful. But at last Mándhátá prepares to use the +mighty weapon <q>acquired by severe austerities through the grace and favour of +Rudra.</q> The giant would inevitably have been slain. But two pre-eminent +Munis Pulastya and Gálava beheld the fight through the power given by contemplation, +and with words of exhortation they parted King Mándhátá and the +sovereign of the Rákshases. Rávaṇ at last (Sect. XXXII.) returns homeward +carrying with him in his car Pushpak the virgin daughters of kings, of Rishis, +of Daityas, and Gandharvas whom he has seized upon his way. The thirty-sixth +section describes a battle with Indra, in which the victorious Meghanáda son of +the giant, makes the King of the Gods his prisoner, binds him with his magic art, +and carries him away (Sect. XXVII.) in triumph to Lanká. Brahmá intercedes +(Sect. XXXVIII.) and Indrajít releases his prisoner on obtaining in return the +boon that sacrifice to the Lord of Fire shall always make him invincible in the +coming battle. In sections XXXIX., XL, <q>we have a legend related to Ráma +by the sage Agastya to account for the stupendous strength of the monkey Hanumán, +as it had been described in the <hi rend='italic'>Rámáyaṇa</hi>. Rama naturally wonders +(as +<pb n="519"/><anchor id="Pg519"/> +perhaps many readers of the <hi rend='italic'>Rámáyaṇa</hi> have done since) why a monkey +of such marvellous power and prowess had not easily overcome Báli and secured the throne +for his friend Sugríva. Agastya replies that Hanumán was at that time under +a curse from a Rishi, and consequently was not conscious of his own might.</q><note +place="foot"><hi rend='italic'>Academy</hi>, Vol. III., No. 43.</note> The whole story of +the marvellous Vánar is here given at length, but nothing else +of importance is added to the tale already given in the Rámáyaṇa. The Rishis +or saints then (Sect. XL.) return to their celestial seats, and the Vánars, Rákshases +and bears also (Sect. XLIII.) take their departure. The chariot Pushpak is restored +to its original owner Kuvera, as has already been related in the Rámáyaṇ. +</p> + +<p> +The story of Ráma and Sítá is then continued, and we meet with matter +of more human interest. The winter is past and the pleasant spring-time is come, +and Ráma and Sítá sit together in the shade of the Aśoka trees happy as Indra +and Śachí when they drink in Paradise the nectar of the Gods. <q>Tell me, my +beloved,</q> says Ráma, <q>for thou wilt soon be a mother, hast thou a wish in thy +heart for me to gratify?</q> And Sítá smiles and answers: <q>I long, O son of Raghu, +to visit the pure and holy hermitages on the banks of the Ganges and to venerate +the feet of the saints who there perform their rigid austerities and live on roots +and berries. This is my chief desire, to stand within the hermits' grove were it +but for a single day.</q> And Ráma said: <q>Let not the thought trouble thee: thou +shalt go to the grove of the ascetics.</q> But slanderous tongues have been busy in +Ayodhyá, and Sítá has not been spared. Ráma hears that the people are lamenting +his blind folly in taking back to his bosom the wife who was so long a captive +in the palace of Rávaṇ. Ráma well knows her spotless purity in thought, word, +and deed, and her perfect love of him; but he cannot endure the mockery and +the shame and resolves to abandon his unsuspecting wife. He orders the sad but +still obedient Lakshmaṇ to convey her to the hermitage which she wishes to visit +and to leave her there, for he will see her face again no more. They arrive at the +hermitage, and Lakshmaṇ tells her all. She falls fainting on the ground, and +when she recovers her consciousness sheds some natural tears and bewails her +cruel and undeserved lot. But she resolves to live for the sake of Ráma and her +unborn son, and she sends by Lakshmaṇ a dignified message to the husband who +has forsaken her: <q>I grieve not for myself,</q> she says <q>because I have been +abandoned on account of what the people say, and not for any evil that I have +done. The husband is the God of the wife, the husband is her lord and guide; +and what seems good unto him she should do even at the cost of her life.</q> +</p> + +<p> +Sítá is honourably received by the saint Válmíki himself, and the holy +women of the hermitage are charged to entertain and serve her. In this calm +retreat she gives birth to two boys who receive the names of Kuśa and Lava. +They are carefully brought up and are taught by Válmíki himself to recite the +Rámáyaṇ. The years pass by: and Ráma at length determines to celebrate the +Aśvamedha or Sacrifice of the Steed. Válmíki, with his two young pupils, +attends the ceremony, and the unknown princes recite before the delighted father +the poem which recounts his deeds. Ráma inquires into their history and recognizes +them as his sons. Sítá is invited to return and solemnly affirm her innocence +before the great assembly. +</p> + +<p> +<q>But Sítá's heart was too full; this second ordeal was beyond even her +power to submit to, and the poet rose above the ordinary Hindu level of women +<pb n="520"/><anchor id="Pg520"/> +when he ventured to paint her conscious purity as rebelling: <q>Beholding all the +spectators, and clothed in red garments, Sítá clasping her hands and bending low +her face, spoke thus in a voice choked with tears: <q>as I, even in mind, have never +thought of any other than Ráma, so may Mádhaví the goddess of Earth, grant +me a hiding-place.</q> As Sítá made this oath, lo! a marvel appeared. Suddenly +cleaving the earth, a divine throne of marvellous beauty rose up, borne by resplendent +dragons on their heads: and seated on it, the goddess of Earth, raising +Sítá with her arm, said to her, <q>Welcome to thee!</q> and placed her by her side. +And as the queen, seated on the throne, slowly descended to Hades, a continuous +shower of flowers fell down from heaven on her head.</q><note place="foot">E. B. Cowell. +<hi rend='italic'>Academy</hi>, No. 43. The story of Sítá's banishment will be found +roughly translated from the <hi rend='italic'>Raghuvaṇśa</hi>, in the Additional Notes. +</note></q></p> + +<p> +<q>Both the great Hindu epics thus end in disappointment and sorrow. In +the <hi rend='italic'>Mahábhárata</hi> the five victorious brothers abandon the hardly +won throne to die one by one in a forlorn pilgrimage to the Himálaya; and in the same way +Ráma only regains his wife, after all his toils, to lose her. It is the same in the +later Homeric cycle—the heroes of the <hi rend='italic'>Iliad</hi> +perish by ill-fated deaths. And even +Ulysses, after his return to Ithaca, sets sail again to Thesprotia, and finally falls +by the hand of his own son. But in India and Greece alike this is an afterthought +of a self-conscious time, which has been subsequently added to cast a +gloom on the strong cheerfulness of the heroic age.</q><note place="foot">E. B. Cowell. +<hi rend='italic'>Academy</hi>, Vol, III, No. 43.</note></p> + +<p> +<q>The termination of Ráma's terrestrial career is thus told in Sections 116 +ff. of the Uttarakáṇda. Time, in the form of an ascetic, comes to his palace gate, +and asks, as the messenger of the great rishi (Brahmá) to see Ráma. He is admitted +and received with honour, but says, when he is asked what he has to +communicate, that his message must be delivered in private, and that any one +who witnesses the interview is to lose his life. Ráma informs Lakshmaṇ of all +this, and desires him to stand outside. Time then tells Ráma that he has been +sent by Brahmá, to say that when he (Ráma, <hi rend='italic'>i.e.</hi> Vishṇu) after +destroying the worlds was sleeping on the ocean, he had formed him (Brahmá) from the +lotus springing from his navel, and committed to him the work of creation; that he +(Brahmá) had then entreated Ráma to assume the function of Preserver, and +that the latter had in consequence become Vishṇu, being born as the son of Aditi, +and had determined to deliver mankind by destroying Rávaṇa, and to live on +earth ten thousand and ten hundred years; that period, adds Time, was now on +the eve of expiration, and Ráma could either at his pleasure prolong his stay on +earth, or ascend to heaven and rule over the gods. Ráma replies, that he had +been born for the good of the three worlds, and would now return to the place +whence he had come, as it was his function to fulfil the purposes of the gods. +While they are speaking the irritable rishi Durvásas comes, and insists on seeing +Ráma immediately, under a threat, if refused, of cursing Ráma and all his +family.</q> +</p> + +<p> +Lakshmaṇ, preferring to save his kinsman, though knowing that his own +death must be the consequence of interrupting the interview of Ráma with Time, +enters the palace and reports the rishi's message to Ráma. Ráma comes out, and +<pb n="521"/><anchor id="Pg521"/> +when Durvásas has got the food he wished, and departed, Ráma reflects with +great distress on the words of Time, which require that Lakshmaṇ should die. +Lakshmaṇ however exhorts Ráma not to grieve, but to abandon him and not break +his own promise. The counsellors concurring in this advice, Ráma abandons +Lakshmaṇ, who goes to the river Sarayú, suppresses all his senses, and is conveyed +bodily by Indra to heaven. The gods are delighted by the arrival of the fourth +part of Vishṇu. Ráma then resolves to install Bharata as his successor and retire +to the forest and follow Lakshmaṇ. Bharata however refuses the succession, and +determines to accompany his brother. Ráma's subjects are filled with grief, and +say they also will follow him wherever he goes. Messengers are sent to Śatrughna, +the other brother, and he also resolves to accompany Ráma; who at length sets +out in procession from his capital with all the ceremonial appropriate to the +<q>great departure,</q> silent, indifferent to external objects, joyless, with Śrí on his +right, the goddess Earth on his left, Energy in front, attended by all his weapons +in human shapes, by the Vedas in the forms of Bráhmans, by the Gáyatrí, the +Omkára, the Vashaṭkára, by rishis, by his women, female slaves, eunuchs, and +servants. Bharata with his family, and Śatrughna, follow together with Bráhmans +bearing the sacred fire, and the whole of the people of the country, and +even with animals, etc., etc. Ráma, with all these attendants, comes to the banks +of the Sarayú. Brahmá, with all the gods and innumerable celestial cars, now +appears, and all the sky is refulgent with the divine splendour. Pure and fragrant +breezes blow, a shower of flowers falls. Ráma enters the waters of the +Sarayú; and Brahmá utters a voice from the sky, saying: <q>Approach, Vishṇu; +Rághava, thou hast happily arrived, with thy godlike brothers. Enter thine own +body as Vishṇu or the eternal ether. For thou art the abode of the worlds: no +one comprehends thee, the inconceivable and imperishable, except the large-eyed +Máyá thy primeval spouse.</q> Hearing these words, Ráma enters the glory of +Vishṇu with his body and his followers. He then asks Brahmá to find an abode +for the people who had accompanied him from devotion to his person, and Brahmá +appoints them a celestial residence accordingly.<note place="foot"><hi +rend="font-variant: small-caps">Muir</hi>, +<hi rend='italic'>Sanskrit Texts</hi>, Part IV., Appendix.</note></p> + +</div> + +</div> + +<pb n="522"/><anchor id="Pg522"/> + +<div rend="page-break-before: always"> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>ADDITIONAL NOTES.</head> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Queen Fortune.</head> + +<p> +<q>A curious festival is celebrated in honour of this divinity (Lakshmî) on the +fifth lunar day of the light half of the month Mâgha (February), when she is +identified with Saraswatí the consort of Brahmá, and the goddess of learning. In +his treatise on festivals, a great modern authority, Raghunandana, mentions, on +the faith of a work called <hi rend='italic'>Samvatsara-sandipa</hi>, +that Lakshmî is to be worshipped +in the forenoon of that day with flowers, perfumes, rice, and water; that due +honour is to be paid to inkstand and writing-reed, and no writing to be done. +Wilson, in his essay on the <hi rend='italic'>Religious Festivals of the Hindus</hi> +(works, vol. ii, p. +188. ff.) adds that on the morning of the 2nd February, the whole of the pens and +inkstands, and the books, if not too numerous and bulky, are collected, the pens +or reeds cleaned, the inkstands scoured, and the books wrapped up in new cloth, +are arranged upon a platform, or a sheet, and strewn over with flowers and blades +of young barley, and that no flowers except white are to be offered. After performing +the necessary rites, … all the members of the family assemble and +make their prostrations; the books, the pens, and ink having an entire holiday; +and should any emergency require a written communication on the day dedicated +to the divinity of scholarship, it is done with chalk or charcoal upon a black or +white board.</q> +</p> + +<p> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Chambers's Encyclopædia</hi>. +<hi rend='italic'>Lakshmî</hi>. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="Notes_Indra"/> +<head>Indra.</head> + +<p> +<q>The Hindu Jove or Jupiter Tonans, chief of the secondary deities. He +presides over swarga or paradise, and is more particularly the god of the atmosphere +and winds. He is also regent of the east quarter of the sky. As chief of +the deities he is called Devapati, Devadeva, Surapati, etc.; as lord of the atmosphere +Divaspati; as lord of the eight Vasus or demigods, Fire, etc., Vásava; as +breaking cities into fragments, Purandara, Puranda; as lord of a hundred sacrifices +(the performance of a hundred Aśvamedhas elevating the sacrificer to the rank of +Indra) Śatakratu, Śatamakha; as having a thousand eyes, Sahasráksha; as husband +of Śachí, Śachípati. His wife is called Śachí, Indráṇí, Sakráṇí, Maghoni, Indraśakti, +Pulomajá, and Paulomí. His son is Jayanta. His pleasure garden or +elysium is Nandana; his city, Amarávatí; his palace, Vaijayanta; his horse, +Uchchaihśravas, his elephant, Airávata; his charioteer, Mátali.</q> +</p> + +<p> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Professor M. Williams's</hi> +English-Sanskrit Dictionary. <hi rend='italic'>Indra</hi>. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="Notes_Vishnu"/> +<head>Vishnu.</head> + +<p> +<q rend="pre">The second person of the Hindu triad, and the most celebrated and popular +of all the Indian deities. He is the personification of the preserving power, +and became incarnate in nine different forms, for the preservation of mankind +in various emergencies. Before the creation of the universe, and after its temporary +annihilation, he is supposed to sleep on the waters, floating on the serpent +Śesha, and is then identified with Náráyaṇa. Brahmá, the creator, is fabled to +spring at that time from a lotus which grows from his navel, whilst thus asleep.… +His ten avatárs or incarnations are:</q> +</p> + +<pb n="523"/><anchor id="Pg523"/> + +<p> +<q>1. The Matsya, or fish. In this avatár Vishṇu descended in the form of a +fish to save the pious king Satyavrata, who with the seven Rishis and their wives +had taken refuge in the ark to escape the deluge which then destroyed the +earth. 2, The Kúrma, or Tortoise. In this he descended in the form of a tortoise, +for the purpose of restoring to man some of the comforts lost during the flood. +To this end he stationed himself at the bottom of the ocean, and allowed the +point of the great mountain Mandara to be placed upon his back, which served +as a hard axis, whereon the gods and demons, with the serpent Vásuki twisted +round the mountain for a rope, churned the waters for the recovery of the amrita +or nectar, and fourteen other sacred things. 3. The Varáha, or Boar. In this he +descended in the form of a boar to rescue the earth from the power of a demon +called <q>golden-eyed,</q> Hiraṇyáksha. This demon had seized on the earth and +carried it with him into the depths of the ocean. Vishṇu dived into the abyss, +and after a contest of a thousand years slew the monster. 4. The Narasinha, or +Man-lion. In this monstrous shape of a creature half-man, half-lion, Vishṇu +delivered the earth from the tyranny of an insolent demon called Hiraṇyakaśipu. +5. Vámana, or Dwarf. This avatár happened in the second age of the Hindús +or Tretáyug, the four preceding are said to have occurred in the first or Satyayug; +the object of this avatár was to trick Bali out of the dominion of the three worlds. +Assuming the form of a wretched dwarf he appeared before the king and asked, +as a boon, as much land as he could pace in three steps. This was granted; and +Vishṇu immediately expanding himself till he filled the world, deprived Bali at +two steps of heaven and earth, but in consideration of some merit, left Pátála +still in his dominion. 6. Paraśuráma. 7. Rámchandra. 8. Krishṇa, or according +to some Balaráma. 9. Buddha. In this avatár Vishṇu descended in the form +of a sage for the purpose of making some reform in the religion of the Brahmins, +and especially to reclaim them from their proneness to animal sacrifice. Many +of the Hindús will not allow this to have been an incarnation of their favourite +god. 10. Kalki, or White Horse. This is yet to come. Vishṇu mounted on a +white horse, with a drawn scimitar, blazing like a comet, will, according to +prophecy, end this present age, viz. the fourth or Kaliyug, by destroying the +world, and then renovating creation by an age of purity.</q> +</p> + +<p> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">William's Dictionary</hi>. +<hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu.</hi> +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="Notes_Siva"/> +<head>Siva.</head> + +<p> +<q>A celebrated Hindú God, the Destroyer of creation, and therefore the most +formidable of the Hindú Triad. He also personifies reproduction, since the +Hindú philosophy excludes the idea of total annihilation without subsequent regeneration. +Hence he is sometimes confounded with Brahmá, the creator or +first person of the Triad. He is the particular God of the Tántrikas, or followers +of the books called Tantras. His worshippers are termed Śaivas, and although +not so numerous as the Vaishṇavas, exalt their god to the highest place in the +heavens, and combine in him many of the attributes which properly belong to the +other deities. According to them Śiva is Time, Justice, Fire, Water, the Sun, the +Destroyer and Creator. As presiding over generation, his type is the Linga, or +Phallus, the origin probably of the Phallic emblem of Egypt and Greece. As +the God of generation and justice, which latter character he shares with the god +Yama, he is represented riding a white bull. His own colour, as well as that of +the bull, is generally white, referring probably to the unsullied purity of Justice. +<pb n="524"/><anchor id="Pg524"/> +His throat is dark-blue; his hair of a light reddish colour, and thickly matted +together, and gathered above his head like the hair of an ascetic. He is sometimes +seen with two hands, sometimes with four, eight, or ten, and with five faces. +He has three eyes, one being in the centre of his forehead, pointing up and down. +These are said to denote his view of the three divisions of time, past, present, and +future. He holds a trident in his hand to denote, as some say, his relationship to +water, or according to others, to show that the three great attributes of Creator, +Destroyer, and Regenerator are combined in him. His loins are enveloped in a +tiger's skin. In his character of Time, he not only presides over its extinction, +but also its astronomical regulation. A crescent or half-moon on his forehead +indicates the measure of time by the phases of the moon; a serpent forms one of +his necklaces to denote the measure of time by years, and a second necklace of +human skulls marks the lapse and revolution of ages, and the extinction and +succession of the generations of mankind. He is often represented as entirely +covered with serpents, which are the emblems of immortality. They are bound +in his hair, round his neck, wrists, waist, arms and legs; they serve as rings for +his fingers, and earrings for his ears, and are his constant companions. Śiva has +more than a thousand names which are detailed at length in the sixty-ninth +chapter of the Śiva Puráṇa.</q>—<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Williams's +Dictionary</hi>, <hi rend='italic'>Śiva</hi>. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Apsarases.</head> + +<p> +<q>Originally these deities seem to have been personifications of the vapours +which are attracted by the sun, and form into mist or clouds: their character +may be thus interpreted in the few hymns of the Rigveda where mention is made +of them. At a subsequent period when the Gandharva of the Rigveda who personifies +there especially the Fire of the Sun, expanded into the Fire of Lightning, +the rays of the moon and other attributes of the elementary life of heaven +as well as into pious acts referring to it, the Apsarasas become divinities +which represent phenomena or objects both of a physical and ethical kind closely +associated with that life; thus in the <hi rend='italic'>Yajurveda</hi> +Sunbeams are called the Apsarasas +associated with the Gandharva who is the Sun; Plants are termed the +Apsarasas connected with the Gandharva Fire: Constellations are the Apsarasas +of the Gandharva Moon: Waters the Apsarasas of the Gandharva Wind, etc. +etc.… In the last Mythological epoch when the Gandharvas have saved +from their elementary nature merely so much as to be musicians in the paradise +of Indra, the Apsarasas appear among other subordinate deities which share in +the merry life of Indra's heaven, as the wives of the Gandharvas, but more +especially as wives of a licentious sort, and they are promised therefore, too, as a +reward to heroes fallen in battle when they are received in the paradise of Indra; +and while, in the Rigveda, they assist Soma to pour down his floods, they descend +in the epic literature on earth merely to shake the virtue of penitent Sages and +to deprive them of the power they would otherwise have acquired through unbroken +austerities.</q>—<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Goldstücker's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Sanskrit Dictionary</hi>. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Vishnu's Incarnation As Ráma.</head> + +<p> +<q rend="pre">Here is described one of the <hi rend='italic'>avatárs</hi>, +descents or manifestations of Vishṇu +in a visible form. The word <hi rend='italic'>avatár</hi> signifies literally +<hi rend='italic'>descent</hi>. The <hi rend='italic'>avatár</hi> which +is here spoken of, that in which, according to Indian traditions, Vishṇu descended +<pb n="525"/><anchor id="Pg525"/> +and appeared upon earth in the corporeal form of Ráma, the hero of the Rámáyana, +is the seventh in the series of Indian <hi rend='italic'>avatárs</hi>. Much has been +said before now of these avatárs, and through deficient knowledge of the ideas and +doctrines of India, they have been compared to the sublime dogma of the Christian +Incarnation. This is one of the grossest errors that ignorance of the ideas and beliefs +of a people has produced. Between the <hi rend='italic'>avatárs</hi> of India and +the Christian Incarnation +there is such an immensity of difference that it is impossible to find any +reasonable analogy that can approximate them. The idea of the <hi +rend='italic'>avatárs</hi> is intimately +united with that of the Trimúrti; the bond of connection between these +two ideas is an essential notion common to both, the notion of Vishṇu. What +is the Trimúrti? I have already said that it is composed of three Gods, Brahmá +(masculine), Vishṇu the God of <hi rend='italic'>avatárs</hi>, and Śiva. +These three Gods, who when +reduced to their primitive and most simple expression are but three cosmogonical +personifications, three powers or forces of nature, these Gods, I say, are here +found, according to Indian doctrines, entirely external to the true God of India, +or Brahma in the neuter gender. Brahma is alone, unchangeable in the midst of +creation: all emanates from him, he comprehends all, but he remains extraneous +to all: he is Being and the negation of beings. Brahma is never worshipped; +the indeterminate Being is never invoked; he is inaccessible to the prayers as +the actions of man; humanity, as well as nature, is extraneous to him. External +to Brahma rises the Trimúrti, that is to say, Brahmá (masculine) the power +which creates, Vishṇu the power which preserves, and Śiva the power which destroys: +theogony here commences at the same time with cosmogony. The three +divinities of the Trimúrti govern the phenomena of the universe and influence +all nature. The real God of India is by himself without power; real efficacious +power is attributed only to three divinities who exist externally to him. Brahmá, +Vishṇu, and Śiva, possessed of qualities in part contradictory and attributes +that are mutually exclusive, have no other accord or harmony than that which +results from the power of things itself, and which is found external to their own +thoughts. Such is the Indian Trimúrti. What an immense difference between +this Triad and the wonderful Trinity of Christianity! Here there is only one +God, who created all, provides for all, governs all. He exists in three Persons +equal to one another, and intimately united in one only infinite and eternal +substance. The Father represents the eternal thought and the power which +created, the Son infinite love, the Holy Spirit universal sanctification. This one +and triune God completes by omnipotent power the great work of creation which, +when it has come forth from His hands, proceeds in obedience to the laws which +He has given it, governed with certain order by His infinite providence.</q> +</p> + +<p> +<q rend="pre">The immense difference between the Trimúrti of India and the Christian +Trinity is found again between the <hi rend='italic'>avatárs</hi> of Vishṇu and the +Incarnation of Christ. The <hi rend='italic'>avatár</hi> was effected altogether +externally to the Being who is in India regarded as the true God. The manifestation of +one essentially cosmogonical divinity wrought for the most part only material and +cosmogonical prodigies. At one time it takes the form of the gigantic tortoise which +sustains Mount Mandar from sinking in the ocean; at another of the fish which raises the +lost Veda from the bottom of the sea, and saves mankind from the waters. When +these <hi rend='italic'>avatárs</hi> are not cosmogonical they consist in some +protection accorded to +<pb n="526"/><anchor id="Pg526"/> +men or Gods, a protection which is neither universal nor permanent. The very +manner in which the <hi rend='italic'>avatár</hi> is effected corresponds to its material +nature, for instance the mysterious vase and the magic liquor by means of which the +<hi rend='italic'>avatár</hi> here spoken of takes place. What are the forms which Vishṇu +takes in his descents? They are the simple forms of life; he becomes a tortoise, a boar, +a fish, but he is not obliged to take the form of intelligence and liberty, that is to +say, the form of man. In the <hi rend='italic'>avatár</hi> of Vishṇu is discovered the +inpress of pantheistic ideas which have always more or less prevailed in India. Does the +<hi rend='italic'>avatár</hi> produce a permanent and definitive result in the world? By +no means. It is renewed at every catastrophe either of nature or man, and its effects are +only transitory.… To sum up then, the Indian <hi rend='italic'>avatár</hi> is +effected externally to the +true God of India, to Brahma; it has only a cosmogonical or historical mission +which is neither lasting nor decisive; it is accomplished by means of strange +prodigies and magic transformations; it may assume promiscuously all the forms +of life; it may be repeated indefinitely. Now let the whole of this Indian idea +taken from primitive tradition be compared with the Incarnation of Christ and +it will be seen that there is between the two an irreconcilable difference. According +to the doctrines of Christianity the Everlasting Word, Infinite Love, the Son of +God, and equal to Him, assumed a human body, and being born as a man accomplished +by his divine act the great miracle of the spiritual redemption of +man. His coming had for its sole object to bring erring and lost humanity back +to Him; this work being accomplished, and the divine union of men with God +being re-established, redemption is complete and remains eternal.</q> +</p> + +<p> +<q>The superficial study of India produced in the last century many erroneous +ideas, many imaginary and false parallels between Christianity and the Brahmanical +religion. A profounder knowledge of Indian civilization and religion, +and philological studies enlarged and guided by more certain principles have +dissipated one by one all those errors. The attributes of the Christian God, +which by one of those intellectual errors, which Vico attributes to the vanity +of the learned, had been transferred to Vishṇu, have by a better inspired philosophy +been reclaimed for Christianity, and the result of the two religions, one +immovable and powerless, the other diffusing itself with all its inherent force +and energy, has shown further that there is a difference, a real opposition, between +the two principles.</q>—<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Kusa and Lava.</head> + +<p> +As the story of the banishment of Sítá and the subsequent birth in Válmíki's +hermitage of Kuśa and Lava the rhapsodists of the Rámáyan, is intimately +connected with the account in the introductory cantos of Válmíki's composition +of the poem, I shall, I trust, be pardoned for extracting it from my rough translation +of Kálidása's Raghuvaṇśa, parts only of which have been offered to the +public. +</p> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">Then, day by day, the husband's hope grew high,</q></l> +<l>Gazing with love on Sítá's melting eye:</l> +<l>With anxious care he saw her pallid cheek,</l> +<l>And fondly bade her all her wishes speak.</l> +<l><q>Once more I fain would see,</q> the lady cried,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The sacred groves that rise on Gangá's side,</q></l> +<pb n="527"/><anchor id="Pg527"/> +<l>Where holy grass is ever fresh and green,</l> +<l>And cattle feeding on the rice are seen:</l> +<l>There would I rest awhile, where once I strayed</l> +<l><q rend="post">Linked in sweet friendship to each hermit maid.</q></l> +<l>And Ráma smiled upon his wife, and sware,</l> +<l>With many a tender oath, to grant her prayer.</l> +<l>It chanced, one evening, from a lofty seat</l> +<l>He viewed Ayodhyá stretched before his feet:</l> +<l>He looked with pride upon the royal road</l> +<l>Lined with gay shops their glittering stores that showed,</l> +<l>He looked on Sarjú's silver waves, that bore</l> +<l>The light barks flying with the sail and oar;</l> +<l>He saw the gardens near the town that lay,</l> +<l>Filled with glad citizens and boys at play.</l> +<l>Then swelled the monarch's bosom with delight,</l> +<l>And his heart triumphed at the happy sight.</l> +<l>He turned to Bhadra, standing by his side,—</l> +<l>Upon whose secret news the king relied.—</l> +<l>And bade him say what people said and thought</l> +<l>Of all the exploits that his arm had wrought.</l> +<l>The spy was silent, but, when questioned still,</l> +<l>Thus spake, obedient to his master's will:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">For all thy deeds in peace and battle done</q></l> +<l>The people praise thee, King, except for one:</l> +<l>This only act of all thy life they blame,—</l> +<l><q rend="post">Thy welcome home of her, thy ravished dame.</q></l> +<l>Like iron yielding to the iron's blow,</l> +<l>Sank Ráma, smitten by those words of woe.</l> +<l>His breast, where love and fear for empire vied,</l> +<l>Swayed, like a rapid swing, from side to side.</l> +<l>Shall he this rumour scorn, which blots his life,</l> +<l>Or banish her, his dear and spotless wife?</l> +<l>But rigid Duty left no choice between</l> +<l>His perilled honour and his darling queen.</l> +<l>Called to his side, his brothers wept to trace</l> +<l>The marks of anguish in his altered face.</l> +<l>No longer bright and glorious as of old,</l> +<l>He thus addressed them when the tale was told:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Alas! my brothers, that my life should blot</q></l> +<l>The fame of those the Sun himself begot:</l> +<l>As from the labouring cloud the driven rain</l> +<l>Leaves on the mirror's polished face a stain.</l> +<l>E'en as an elephant who loathes the stake</l> +<l>And the strong chain he has no power to break,</l> +<l>I cannot brook this cry on every side,</l> +<l>That spreads like oil upon the moving tide.</l> +<l>I leave the daughter of Videha's King,</l> +<l>And the fair blossom soon from her to spring,</l> +<pb n="528"/><anchor id="Pg528"/> +<l>As erst, obedient to my sire's command,</l> +<l>I left the empire of the sea-girt land.</l> +<l>Good is my queen, and spotless; but the blame</l> +<l>Is hard to bear, the mockery and the shame.</l> +<l>Men blame the pure Moon for the darkened ray,</l> +<l>When the black shadow takes the light away.</l> +<l>And, O my brothers, if ye wish to see</l> +<l>Ráma live long from this reproach set free,</l> +<l>Let not your pity labour to control</l> +<l><q rend="post">The firm sad purpose of his changeless soul.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thus Ráma spake. The sorrowing brothers heard</l> +<l>His stern resolve, without an answering word;</l> +<l>For none among them dared his voice to raise,</l> +<l>That will to question:—and they could not praise.</l> +<l><q>Beloved brother,</q> thus the monarch cried</l> +<l>To his dear Lakshmaṇ, whom he called aside.—</l> +<l>Lakshmaṇ, who knew no will save his alone</l> +<l>Whose hero deeds through all the world were known:—</l> +<l><q rend="pre">My queen has told me that she longs to rove</q></l> +<l>Beneath the shade of Saint Válmíki's grove:</l> +<l>Now mount thy car, away my lady bear;</l> +<l><q rend="post">Tell all, and leave her in the forest there.</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The car was brought, the gentle lady smiled,</l> +<l>As the glad news her trusting heart beguiled.</l> +<l>She mounted up: Sumantra held the reins;</l> +<l>And forth the coursers bounded o'er the plains.</l> +<l>She saw green fields in all their beauty dressed,</l> +<l>And thanked her husband in her loving breast.</l> +<l>Alas! deluded queen! she little knew</l> +<l>How changed was he whom she believed so true;</l> +<l>How one she worshipped like the Heavenly Tree</l> +<l>Could, in a moment's time, so deadly be.</l> +<l>Her right eye throbbed,—ill-omened sign, to tell</l> +<l>The endless loss of him she loved so well,</l> +<l>And to the lady's saddening heart revealed</l> +<l>The woe that Lakshmaṇ, in his love, concealed.</l> +<l>Pale grew the bloom of her sweet face,—as fade</l> +<l>The lotus blossoms,—by that sign dismayed.</l> +<l><q>Oh, may this omen,</q>—was her silent prayer,—</l> +<l><q>No grief to Ráma or his brothers bear!</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">When Lakshmaṇ, faithful to his brother, stood</l> +<l>Prepared to leave her in the distant wood,</l> +<l>The holy Gangá, flowing by the way,</l> +<l>Raised all her hands of waves to bid him stay.</l> +<l>At length with sobs and burning tears that rolled</l> +<l>Down his sad face, the king's command he told;</l> +<l>As when a monstrous cloud, in evil hour,</l> +<pb n="529"/><anchor id="Pg529"/> +<l>Rains from its labouring womb a stony shower.</l> +<l>She heard, she swooned, she fell upon the earth,</l> +<l>Fell on that bosom whence she sprang to birth.</l> +<l>As, when the tempest in its fury flies,</l> +<l>Low in the dust the prostrate creeper lies,</l> +<l>So, struck with terror sank she on the ground,</l> +<l>And all her gems, like flowers, lay scattered round.</l> +<l>But Earth, her mother, closed her stony breast,</l> +<l>And, filled with doubt, denied her daughter rest.</l> +<l>She would not think the Chief of Raghu's race</l> +<l>Would thus his own dear guiltless wife disgrace.</l> +<l>Stunned and unconscious, long the lady lay,</l> +<l>And felt no grief, her senses all astray.</l> +<l>But gentle Lakshmaṇ, with a brother's care,</l> +<l>Brought back her sense, and with her sense, despair.</l> +<l>But not her wrongs, her shame, her grief, could wring</l> +<l>One angry word against her lord the King:</l> +<l>Upon herself alone the blame she laid,</l> +<l>For tears and sighs that would not yet be stayed.</l> +<l>To soothe her anguish Lakshmaṇ gently strove;</l> +<l>He showed the path to Saint Válmíki's grove;</l> +<l>And craved her pardon for the share of ill</l> +<l>He wrought, obedient to his brother's will.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">O, long and happy, dearest brother, live!</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">I have to praise,</q> she cried, <q rend="pre">and not forgive:</q></l> +<l>To do his will should be thy noblest praise;</l> +<l>As Vishṇu ever Indra's will obeys.</l> +<l>Return, dear brother: on each royal dame</l> +<l>Bestow a blessing in poor Sítá's name,</l> +<l>And bid them, in their love, kind pity take</l> +<l>Upon her offspring, for the father's sake.</l> +<l>And speak my message in the monarch's ear,</l> +<l>The last last words of mine that he shall hear:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Say, was it worthy of thy noble race</q></l> +<l>Thy guiltless queen thus lightly to disgrace?</l> +<l>For idle tales to spurn thy faithful bride,</l> +<l>Whose constant truth the searching fire had tried?</l> +<l>Or may I hope thy soul refused consent,</l> +<l>And but thy voice decreed my banishment?</l> +<l>Hope that no care could turn, no love could stay</l> +<l>The lightning stroke that falls on me to-day?</l> +<l>That sins committed in the life that's fled</l> +<l>Have brought this evil on my guilty head?</l> +<l>Think not I value now my widowed life,</l> +<l>Worthless to her who once was Ráma's wife.</l> +<l>I only live because I hope to see</l> +<l>The dear dear babe that will resemble thee.</l> +<l>And then my task of penance shall be done,</l> +<pb n="530"/><anchor id="Pg530"/> +<l>With eyes uplifted to the scorching sun;</l> +<l>So shall the life that is to come restore</l> +<l><q rend="post">Mine own dear husband, to be lost no more.</q></l> +<l>And Lakshmaṇ swore her every word to tell,</l> +<l>Then turned to go, and bade the queen farewell.</l> +<l>Alone with all her woes, her piteous cries</l> +<l>Rose like a butchered lamb's that struggling dies.</l> +<l>The reverend sage who from his dwelling came</l> +<l>For sacred grass and wood to feed the flame,</l> +<l>Heard her loud shrieks that rent the echoing wood,</l> +<l>And, quickly following, by the mourner stood.</l> +<l>Before the sage the lady bent her low,</l> +<l>Dried her poor eyes, and strove to calm her woe.</l> +<l>With blessings on her hopes the blameless man</l> +<l>In silver tones his soothing speech began:</l> +<l><q rend="pre">First of all faithful wives, O Queen, art thou;</q></l> +<l>And can I fail to mourn thy sorrows now?</l> +<l>Rest in this holy grove, nor harbour fear</l> +<l>Where dwell in safety e'en the timid deer.</l> +<l>Here shall thine offspring safely see the light,</l> +<l>And be partaker of each holy rite.</l> +<l>Here, near the hermits' dwellings, shall thou lave</l> +<l>Thy limbs in Tonse's sin-destroying wave,</l> +<l>And on her isles, by prayer and worship, gain</l> +<l>Sweet peace of mind, and rest from care and pain.</l> +<l>Each hermit maiden with her sweet soft voice,</l> +<l>Shall soothe thy woe, and bid thy heart rejoice:</l> +<l>With fruit and early flowers thy lap shall fill,</l> +<l>And offer grain that springs for us at will.</l> +<l>And here, with labour light, thy task shall be</l> +<l>To water carefully each tender tree,</l> +<l>And learn how sweet a nursing mother's joy</l> +<l><q rend="post">Ere on thy bosom rest thy darling boy.…</q></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l>That very night the banished Sítá bare</l> +<l>Two royal children, most divinely fair.…</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l>The saint Válmíki, with a friend's delight,</l> +<l>Graced Sítá's offspring with each holy rite.</l> +<l>Kuśa and Lava—such the names they bore—</l> +<l>Learnt, e'en in childhood, all the Vedas' lore;</l> +<l>And then the bard, their minstrel souls to train,</l> +<l>Taught them to sing his own immortal strain.</l> +<l>And Ráma's deeds her boys so sweetly sang,</l> +<l>That Sítá's breast forgot her bitterest pang.…</l> +</lg> + +<pb n="531"/><anchor id="Pg531"/> + +<lg> +<l>Then Sítá's children, by the saint's command,</l> +<l>Sang the Rámáyan, wandering through the land.</l> +<l>How could the glorious poem fail to gain</l> +<l>Each heart, each ear that listened to the strain!</l> +<l>So sweet each minstrel's voice who sang the praise</l> +<l>Of Ráma deathless in Válmíki's lays.</l> +<l>Ráma himself amid the wondering throng</l> +<l>Marked their fair forms, and loved the noble song,</l> +<l>While, still and weeping, round the nobles stood,</l> +<l>As, on a windless morn, a dewy wood.</l> +<l>On the two minstrels all the people gazed,</l> +<l>Praised their fair looks and marvelled as they praised;</l> +<l>For every eye amid the throng could trace</l> +<l>Ráma's own image in each youthful face.</l> +<l>Then spoke the king himself and bade them say</l> +<l>Who was their teacher, whose the wondrous lay.</l> +<l>Soon as Válmíki, mighty saint, he saw,</l> +<l>He bowed his head in reverential awe.</l> +<l><q>These are thy children</q> cried the saint, <q rend="pre">recall</q></l> +<l><q rend="post">Thine own dear Sítá, pure and true through all.</q></l> +<l><q>O holy father,</q> thus the king replied,</l> +<l><q rend="pre">The faithful lady by the fire was tried;</q></l> +<l>But the foul demon's too successful arts</l> +<l>Raised light suspicions in my people's hearts.</l> +<l>Grant that their breasts may doubt her faith no more,</l> +<l><q rend="post">And thus my Sítá and her sons restore.</q></l> +</lg> + +<p> +<hi rend='italic'>Raghuvaṇśa Cantos XIV, XV.</hi> +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Parasuráma, Page 87.</head> + +<p> +<q>He cleared the earth thrice seven times of the Kshatriya caste, and filled +with their blood the five large lakes of Samanta, from which he offered libations +to the race of Bhrigu. Offering a solemn sacrifice to the King of the Gods +Paraśuráma presented the earth to the ministering priests. Having given the +earth to Kaśyapa, the hero of immeasurable prowess retired to the Mahendra +mountain, where he still resides; and in this manner was there enmity between +him and the race of the Kshatriyas, and thus was the whole earth conquered by +Paraśuráma.</q> The destruction of the Kshatriyas by Paraśuráma had been +provoked by the cruelty of the Kshatriyas. <hi rend='italic'>Chips from a German +Workshop</hi>, <hi rend='italic'>Vol.</hi> II. p. 334. +</p> + +<p> +The scene in which he appears is probably interpolated for the sake of +making him declare Ráma to be Vishṇu. <q>Herr von Schlegel has often remarked +to me,</q> says Lassen, <q>that without injuring the connexion of the story all +the chapters [of the Rámáyan] might be omitted in which Ráma is regarded as +an incarnation of Vishṇu. In fact, where the incarnation of Vishṇu as the four +sons of Daśaratha is described, the great sacrifice is already ended, and all the +priests remunerated at the termination, when the new sacrifice begins at which +the Gods appear, then withdraw, and then first propose the incarnation to Vishṇu. +<pb n="532"/><anchor id="Pg532"/> +If it had been an original circumstance of the story, the Gods would certainly +have deliberated on the matter earlier, and the celebration of the sacrifice would +have continued without interruption.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Lassen</hi>, +<hi rend='italic'>Indische Alterthumskunde, Vol. I.</hi> +p. 489. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Yáma, Page 68.</head> + +<p> +Son of Vivasvat=Jima son of Vivanghvat, the Jamshíd of the later +Persians. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Fate, Page 68.</head> + +<p> +<q>The idea of fate was different in India from that which prevailed in +Greece. In Greece fate was a mysterious, inexorable power which governed +men and human events, and from which it was impossible to escape. In India +Fate was rather an inevitable consequence of actions done in births antecedent +to one's present state of existence, and was therefore connected with the doctrine +of metempsychosis. A misfortune was for the most part a punishment, an expiation +of ancient faults not yet entirely cancelled.</q> <hi +rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Visvámitra, Page 76.</head> + +<p> +<q>Though of royal extraction, Viśvámitra conquered for himself and his +family the privileges of a Brahman. He became a Brahman, and thus broke +through all the rules of caste. The Brahmans cannot deny the fact, because it +forms one of the principal subjects of their legendary poems. But they have +spared no pains to represent the exertions of Viśvámitra, in his struggle for +Brahmanhood, as so superhuman that no one would easily be tempted to follow +his example. No mention is made of these monstrous penances in the Veda, +where the struggle between Viśvámitra, the leader of the Kuśikas or Bharatas, +and the Brahman Vaśishtha, the leader of the white-robed Tritsus, is represented +as the struggle of two rivals for the place of Purohita or chief priest and minister +at the court of King Sudás, the son of Pijavana.</q> +<hi rend='italic'>Chips from a German Workshop</hi>, <hi rend='italic'>Vol. II.</hi> +p. 336. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Household Gods, Page 102.</head> + +<p> +<q rend="pre">No house is supposed to be without its tutelary divinity, but the notion +attached to this character is now very far from precise. The deity who is the +object of hereditary and family worship, the <hi rend='italic'>Kuladevatá</hi>, is always +one of the leading personages of the Hindu mythology, as Śiva, Vishṇu or Durgá, but the +<hi rend='italic'>Grihadevatá</hi> rarely bears any distinct appellation. In Bengal, the +domestic god is sometimes the <hi rend='italic'>Sálagrám</hi> stone, +sometimes the <hi rend='italic'>tulasi</hi> plant, sometimes a +basket with a little rice in it, and sometimes a water-jar—to either of which a +brief adoration is daily addressed, most usually by the females of the family. +Occasionally small images of Lakshmi or Chaṇdi fulfil the office, or should a +snake appear, he is venerated as the guardian of the dwelling. In general, +however, in former times, the household deities were regarded as the unseen +spirits of ill, the ghosts and goblins who hovered about every spot, and claimed +some particular sites as their own. Offerings were made to them in the open air, +by scattering a little rice with a short formula at the close of all ceremonies to +keep them in good humour.</q> +</p> + +<p> +<q>The household gods correspond better with the genii locorum than with the +lares or penates of autiquity.</q> +</p> + +<p> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">H. H. Wilson.</hi> +</p> + +</div> + +<pb n="533"/><anchor id="Pg533"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="Notes_Dove"/> +<head>Page 107.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Śaivya, a king whom earth obeyed,</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Once to a hawk a promise made.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +The following is a free version of this very ancient story which occurs more +than once in the <hi rend='italic'>Mahábhárat</hi>: +</p> + +<p> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">The Suppliant Dove.</hi> +</p> + +<lg> +<l>Chased by a hawk there came a dove</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With worn and weary wing,</l> +<l>And took her stand upon the hand</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Of Káśí's mighty king.</l> +<l>The monarch smoothed her ruffled plumes</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And laid her on his breast,</l> +<l>And cried, <q rend="pre">No fear shall vex thee here,</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Rest, pretty egg-born, rest!</l> +<l>Fair Káśí's realm is rich and wide,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With golden harvests gay,</l> +<l>But all that's mine will I resign</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Ere I my guest betray.</q></l> +<l>But panting for his half won spoil</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The hawk was close behind.</l> +<l>And with wild cry and eager eye</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Came swooping down the wind:</l> +<l><q>This bird,</q> he cried, <q rend="pre">my destined prize,</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">'Tis not for thee to shield:</l> +<l>'Tis mine by right and toilsome flight</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">O'er hill and dale and field.</l> +<l>Hunger and thirst oppress me sore,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And I am faint with toil:</l> +<l>Thou shouldst not stay a bird of prey</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Who claims his rightful spoil.</l> +<l>They say thou art a glorious king,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And justice is thy care:</l> +<l>Then justly reign in thy domain,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Nor rob the birds of air.</q></l> +<l>Then cried the king: <q rend="pre">A cow or deer</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">For thee shall straightway bleed,</l> +<l>Or let a ram or tender lamb</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Be slain, for thee to feed.</l> +<l>Mine oath forbids me to betray</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">My little twice-born guest:</l> +<l>See how she clings with trembling wings</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">To her protector's breast.</q></l> +<l><q>No flesh of lambs,</q> the hawk replied,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="pre">No blood of deer for me;</q></l> +<l>The falcon loves to feed on doves</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And such is Heaven's decree.</l> +<l>But if affection for the dove</l> +<pb n="534"/><anchor id="Pg534"/> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thy pitying heart has stirred,</l> +<l>Let thine own flesh my maw refresh,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Weighed down against the bird.</q></l> +<l>He carved the flesh from off his side,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And threw it in the scale,</l> +<l>While women's cries smote on the skies</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With loud lament and wail.</l> +<l>He hacked the flesh from side and arm,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">From chest and back and thigh,</l> +<l>But still above the little dove</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The monarch's scale stood high.</l> +<l>He heaped the scale with piles of flesh,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With sinews, blood and skin,</l> +<l>And when alone was left him bone</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">He threw himself therein.</l> +<l>Then thundered voices through the air;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The sky grew black as night;</l> +<l>And fever took the earth that shook</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To see that wondrous sight.</l> +<l>The blessed Gods, from every sphere,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By Indra led, came nigh:</l> +<l>While drum and flute and shell and lute</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Made music in the sky.</l> +<l>They rained immortal chaplets down,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Which hands celestial twine,</l> +<l>And softly shed upon his head</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Pure Amrit, drink divine.</l> +<l>Then God and Seraph, Bard and Nymph</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Their heavenly voices raised,</l> +<l>And a glad throng with dance and song</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">The glorious monarch praised.</l> +<l>They set him on a golden car</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">That blazed with many a gem;</l> +<l>Then swiftly through the air they flew,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">And bore him home with them.</l> +<l>Thus Káśí's lord, by noble deed,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Won heaven and deathless fame:</l> +<l>And when the weak protection seek</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">From thee, do thou the same.</l> +</lg> + +<p> +<hi rend='italic'>Scenes from the Rámáyan, &c.</hi> +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 108.</head> + +<p> +The ceremonies that attended the consecration of a king (<hi rend='italic'>Abhikshepa +lit. Sprinkling over</hi>) are fully described in Goldstücker's Dictionary, from which +the following extract is made: <q>The type of the inauguration ceremony as practised +at the Epic period may probably be recognized in the history of the inauguration +of <hi rend='italic'>Ráma</hi>, as told in the <hi rend='italic'>Rámáyana</hi>, and in +that of the inauguration of <hi rend='italic'>Yudhishṭhira</hi>, as told in the +<hi rend='italic'>Mahábháratha</hi>. Neither ceremony is described in these poems +<pb n="535"/><anchor id="Pg535"/> +with the full detail which is given of the vaidik rite in the +<hi rend='italic'>Aitareya-Bráhmaṇam</hi>; but the allusion that Ráma was inaugurated by +<hi rend='italic'>Vaśishṭha</hi> and the other Bráhmanas in the same manner as Indra by +the Vasus … and the observation which is made in some passages that a certain rite of +the inauguration was performed <q>according to the sacred rule</q> … admit of the +conclusion that the ceremony was supposed to have taken place in conformity with the +vaidik injunction.… As the inauguration of <hi rend='italic'>Ráma</hi> was intended +and the necessary preparations for it were made when his father Daśaratha was still +alive, but as the ceremony itself, through the intrigues of his step-mother +<hi rend='italic'>Kaikeyí</hi>, did not take place then, but fourteen years later, after +the death of <hi rend='italic'>Daśaratha</hi>, an account of the preparatory ceremonies +is given in the <hi rend='italic'>Ayodhyákáṇḍa</hi> (Book II) as well as in the +<hi rend='italic'>Yuddha-Káṇḍa</hi> (Book VI.) of the Rámáyaṇa, but an account of the +complete ceremony in the latter book alone. According to the +<hi rend='italic'>Ayodhyákáṇḍa</hi>, on the day preceding the intended inauguration +<hi rend='italic'>Ráma</hi> and his wife <hi rend='italic'>Sítá</hi> held a fast, and in +the night they performed this preliminary rite: <hi rend='italic'>Ráma</hi> having made +his ablutions, approached the idol of <hi rend='italic'>Náráyaṇa</hi>, took a cup of +clarified butter, as the religious law prescribes, made a libation of it into the kindled +fire, and drank the remainder while wishing what was agreeable to his heart. Then, with +his mind fixed on the divinity he lay, silent and composed, together with <hi +rend='italic'>Sítá</hi>, on a bed of Kuśa-grass, which was spread before the altar of +Vishṇu, until the last watch of the night, when he awoke and ordered the palace to be +prepared for the solemnity. At day-break reminded of the time by the voices of the bards, +he performed the usual morning devotion and praised the divinity. In the meantime the +town Ayodhyá had assumed a festive appearance and the inauguration implements had been +arranged … golden water-jars, an ornamented throne-seat, a chariot covered with a +splendid tiger-skin, water taken from the confluence of the Ganges and Jumna, as well as +from other sacred rivers, tanks, wells, lakes, and from all oceans, honey, curd, +clarified butter, fried grain, Kuśa-grass, flowers, milk; besides, eight beautiful +damsels, and a splendid furious elephant, golden and silver jars, filled with water, +covered with <hi rend='italic'>Udumbara</hi> branches and various lotus flowers, besides +a white jewelled <hi rend='italic'>chourie</hi>, a white splendid parasol, a white bull, +a white horse, all manner of musical instruments and bards.… In the preceding +chapter … there are mentioned <hi rend='italic'>two</hi> white <hi +rend='italic'>chouries</hi> instead of one, and all kinds of seeds, perfumes and jewels, +a scimitar, a bow, a litter, a golden vase, and a blazing fire, and amongst the +living implements of the pageant, instead of the bards, gaudy courtesans, and +besides the eight damsels, professors of divinity, Bráhmaṇas, cows and pure +kinds of wild beasts and birds, the chiefs of town and country-people and the +citizens with their train.</q> +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 109.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Then with the royal chaplains they</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Took each his place in long array.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>The twice born chiefs, with zealous heed,</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Made ready what the rite would need.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +<q>Now about the office of a Purohita (house priest). The gods do not eat +the food offered by a king, who has no house-priest (Purohita). Thence the +king even when (not) intending to bring a sacrifice, should appoint a Bráhman +to the office of house-priest.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Haug's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Autareya Bráhmanam. Vol. II. p. 528</hi>. +</p> + +</div> + +<pb n="536"/><anchor id="Pg536"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 110.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>There by the gate the Sáras screamed.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +The Sáras or Indian Crane is a magnificent bird easily domesticated and +speedily constituting himself the watchman of his master's house and garden. +Unfortunately he soon becomes a troublesome and even dangerous dependent, +attacking strangers with his long bill and powerful wings, and warring especially +upon <q>small infantry</q> with unrelenting ferocity. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 120.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>My mothers or my sire the king.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +All the wives of the king his father are regarded and spoken of by Ráma +as his mothers. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 125.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Such blessings as the Gods o'erjoyed</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Poured forth when Vritra was destroyed.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +<q>Mythology regards Vritra as a demon or Asur, the implacable enemy of +Indra, but this is not the primitive idea contained in the name of Vritra. In +the hymns of the Veda Vritra appears to be the thick dark cloud which Indra +the God of the firmament attacks and disperses with his thunderbolt.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio.</hi> +</p> + +<p> +<q>In that class of Rig-veda hymns which there is reason to look upon as +the oldest portion of Vedic poetry, the character of Indra is that of a mighty +ruler of the firmament, and his principal feat is that of conquering the demon +<hi rend='italic'>Vritra</hi>, a symbolical personification of the cloud which +obstructs the clearness of the sky, and withholds the fructifying rain from the earth. +In his battles with Vritra he is therefore described as <q>opening the receptacles of +the waters,</q> as <q>cleaving the cloud</q> with his <q>far-whirling thunderbolt,</q> +as <q>casting the waters down to earth,</q> and <q>restoring the sun to the sky.</q> +He is in consequence <q>the upholder of heaven, earth, and firmament,</q> and the god +<q>who has engendered the sun and the dawn.</q></q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Chambers's Cyclopædia</hi>, +<hi rend='italic'>Indra</hi>. +</p> + +<p> +<q>Throughout these hymns two images stand out before us with overpowering +distinctness. On one side is the bright god of the heaven, as beneficent as +he is irresistible: on the other the demon of night and of darkness, as false and +treachorous as he is malignant.… The latter (as his name Vritra, from var, to +veil, indicates) is pre-eminently the thief who hides away the rain-clouds.… But +the myth is yet in too early a state to allow of the definite designations which are +brought before us in the conflicts of Zeus with Typhôn and his monstrous +progeny, of Apollôn with the Pythôn, of Bellerophôn with Chimaira of Oidipous +with the Sphinx, of Hercules with Cacus, of Sigurd with the dragon Fafnir; and +thus not only is Vritra known by many names, but he is opposed sometimes by +Indra, sometimes by Agni the fire-god, sometimes by Trita, Brihaspati, or other +deities; or rather these are all names of one and the same god.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Cox's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Mythology of the Aryan Nations. Vol. II. p. 326</hi>. +</p> + +</div> + +<pb n="537"/><anchor id="Pg537"/> + + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 125.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>And that prized herb whose sovereign power</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Preserves from dark misfortune's hour.</hi></l> +<l><q rend="pre">And yet more medicinal is it than that Moly,</q></l> +<l>That Hermes once to wise Ulysses gave;</l> +<l>He called it Hæmony, and gave it me,</l> +<l>And bade me keep it as of sovereign use</l> +<l>'Gainst all enchantment, mildew, blast, or damp,</l> +<l><q rend="post">Or ghastly furies' apparition.</q> <hi rend='italic'>Comus.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +The <hi rend='italic'>Moly</hi> of Homer, which Dierbach considers to have been the +<hi rend='italic'>Mandrake</hi>, is probably a corruption of the Sanskrit +<hi rend='italic'>Múla</hi> a root. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 136.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>True is the ancient saw: the Neem</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Can ne'er distil a honeyed stream.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +The Neem tree, especially in the Rains, emits a strong unpleasant smell +like that of onions. Its leaves however make an excellent cooling poultice, and +the Extract of Neem is an admirable remedy for cutaneous disorders. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 152.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Who of Nisháda lineage came.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +The following account of the origin of the Nishádas is taken from Wilson's +<hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu Puráṇa</hi>, Book I. Chap. 15. <q>Afterwards the Munis beheld a +great dust arise, and they said to the people who were nigh: <q>What is this?</q> And the +people answered and said: <q>Now that the kingdom is without a king, the dishonest +men have begun to seize the property of their neighbours. The great +dust that you behold, excellent Munis, is raised by troops of clustering robbers, +hastening to fall upon their prey.</q> The sages, hearing this, consulted, and +together rubbed the thigh of the king (Vena), who had left no offspring, to +produce a son. From the thigh, thus rubbed, came forth a being of the complexion +of a charred stake, with flattened features like a negro, and of dwarfish +stature. <q>What am I to do,</q> cried he eagerly to the Munis. <q>Sit down +(nishída),</q> said they. And thence his name was Nisháda. His descendants, the +inhabitants of the Vindhyá mountain, great Muni, are still called Nishádas and are +characterized by the exterior tokens of depravity.</q> Professor Wilson adds, in his +note on the passage: <q>The Matsya says that there were born outcast or barbarous races, +Mlechchhas, as black as collyrium. The Bhágavata describes an individual of +dwarfish stature, with short arms and legs, of a complexion as black as a crow, +with projecting chin, broad flat nose, red eyes, and tawny hair, whose descendants +were mountaineers and foresters. The Padma (Bhúmi Khaṇḍa) has a +similar deccription; adding to the dwarfish stature and black complexion, a +wide mouth, large ears, and a protuberant belly. It also particularizes his posterity +as Nishádas, Kirátas, Bhillas, and other barbarians and Mlechchhas, living +in woods and on mountains. These passages intend, and do not much exaggerate, +the uncouth appearance of the Gonds, Koles, Bhils, and other uncivilized tribes, +scattered along the forests and mountains of Central India from Behar to Khandesh, +and who are, not improbably, the predecessors of the present occupants of +the cultivated portions of the country. They are always very black, ill-shapen, +and dwarfish, and have countenances of a very African character.</q> +</p> + +<pb n="538"/><anchor id="Pg538"/> + +<p> +Manu gives a different origin of the Nishádas as the offspring of a Bráhman +father and a Súdra mother. See Muir's <hi rend='italic'>Sanskrit Texts</hi>, +Vol. I. p. 481. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 157.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Beneath a fig-tree's mighty shade,</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>With countless pendent shoots displayed.</hi></l> +<l><q rend="pre">So counselled he, and both together went</q></l> +<l>Into the thickest wood; there soon they chose</l> +<l>The fig-tree: not that kind for fruit renowned,</l> +<l>But such as at this day, to Indians known,</l> +<l>In Malabar or Deccan spreads her arms</l> +<l>Branching so broad and long, that in the ground</l> +<l>The bended twigs take root, and daughters grow</l> +<l>About the mother tree, a pillared shade</l> +<l><q rend="post">High overarched, and echoing walks between.</q></l> +</lg> + +<p> +<hi rend='italic'>Paradise Lost</hi>, Book IX. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 161.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Now, Lakshmaṇ, as our cot is made,</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Must sacrifice be duly paid.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +The rites performed in India on the completion of a house are represented +in modern Europe by the familiar <q>house-warming.</q> +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 169.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>I longed with all my lawless will</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Some elephant by night to kill.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +One of the regal or military caste was forbidden to kill an elephant except +in battle. +</p> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Thy hand has made no Bráhman bleed.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +<q>The punishment which the Code of Manu awards to the slayer of a +Brahman was to be branded in the forehead with the mark of a headless corpse, +and entirely banished from society; this being apparently commutable for a fine. +The poem is therefore in accordance with the Code regarding the peculiar guilt +of killing Brahmans; but in allowing a hermit who was not a +<hi rend='italic'>Divija</hi> (twice-born) to go to heaven, the poem is far in advance of +the Code. The youth in the poem is allowed to read the Veda, and to accumulate merit by +his own as well as his father's pious acts; whereas the exclusive Code reserves all such +privileges to <hi rend='italic'>Divijas</hi> invested with the sacred cord.</q> Mrs. +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Speir's</hi> <hi rend='italic'>Life in Ancient +India</hi>, p. 107. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 174. The Praise Of Kings</head> + +<p> +<q rend="pre">Compare this magnificent eulogium of kings and kingly government with +what Samuel says of the king and his authority: And Samuel told all the words +of the <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Lord</hi> unto the people that asked of +him a king.</q> +</p> + +<p> +And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: +He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to +be his horsemen: and some shall run before his chariots. +</p> + +<pb n="539"/><anchor id="Pg539"/> + +<p> +And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties, +and will set them to work his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instrument +of war, and instruments of his chariots. +</p> + +<p> +And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, +and to be bakers. +</p> + +<p> +And he will take your fields, and your vineyards and your oliveyards, even +the best of them, and give them to his servants. +</p> + +<p> +And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give +to his officers, and to his servants. +</p> + +<p> +And he will take your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your +goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. +</p> + +<p> +He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. +</p> + +<p> +And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have +chosen you. I. <hi rend='italic'>Samuel</hi>, VIII. +</p> + +<p> +<q rend="post">In India kingly government was ancient and consecrated by tradition: +whence to change it seemed disorderly and revolutionary: in Judæa theocracy +was ancient and consecrated by tradition, and therefore the innovation which +would substitute a king was represented as full of dangers.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 176. Sálmalí.</head> + +<p> +According to the Bengal recension Śálmalí appears to have been another +name of the Vipáśá. Śálmalí may be an epithet signifying rich in Bombax +heptaphyllon. The commentator makes another river out of the word. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="Notes_Bharats_Return"/> +<head>Page 178. Bharat's Return.</head> + +<p> +<q>Two routes from Ayodhyá to Rájagriha or Girivraja are described. That +taken by the envoys appears to have been the shorter one, and we are not told +why Bharat returned by a different road. The capital of the Kekayas lay to the +west of the Vipáśá. Between it and the Śatadru stretched the country of the +Báhíkas. Upon the remaining portion of the road the two recensions differ. +According to that of Bengal there follow towards the east the river Indamatí, +then the town Ajakála belonging to the Bodhi, then Bhulingá, then the river +Śaradaṇḍá. According to the other instead of the first river comes the Ikshumatí … +instead of the first town Abhikála, instead of the second Kulingá, then +the second river. According to the direction of the route both the above-mentioned +rivers must be tributaries of the Śatadrú.… The road then crossed the +Yamuná (Jumna), led beyond that river through the country of the Panchálas, and +reached the Ganges at Hástinapura, where the ferry was. Thence it led over the +Rámagangá and its eastern tributaries, then over the Gomati, and then in a +southern direction along the Málini, beyond which it reached Ayodhyá. In +Bharat's journey the following rivers are passed from west to east: <hi +rend='italic'>Kutikoshṭiká</hi>, <hi rend='italic'>Uttániká</hi>, <hi +rend='italic'>Kuṭiká</hi>, <hi rend='italic'>Kapívatí</hi>, <hi +rend='italic'>Gomatí</hi> according to Schlegel, and <hi rend='italic'>Hiraṇyavatí</hi>, +<hi rend='italic'>Uttáriká</hi>, <hi rend='italic'>Kuṭilá</hi>, <hi +rend='italic'>Kapívatí</hi>, <hi rend='italic'>Gomatí</hi> according to Gorresio. As +these rivers are to be looked for on the east of the Ganges, the first must be the +modern <hi rend='italic'>Koh</hi>, a small affluent of the Rámagangá, over which the +highway cannot have gone as it bends too far to the north. The Uttániká or Uttáriká must +be the Rámagangá, the Kuṭiká or Kuṭilá its eastern tributary, Kośilá, the Kapívatí the +next tributary which on the maps has different names, <hi rend='italic'>Gurra</hi> or +above Kailas, +<pb n="540"/><anchor id="Pg540"/> +lower down <hi rend='italic'>Bhaigu</hi>. The Gomatí (Goomtee) retains its old name. The +Máliní, mentioned only in the envoys' journey, must have been the western tributary +of the Sarayú now called Chuká.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Lassen's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Indische Alterthumskunde</hi>, Vol. II. P. 524. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 183.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>What worlds await thee, Queen, for this?</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +<q>Indian belief divided the universe into several worlds (<hi rend='italic'>lokáh</hi>). +The three principal worlds were heaven, earth, and hell. But according to another +division there were seven: Bhúrloka or the earth, Bhuvarloka or the space between +the earth and the sun, the seat of the Munis, Siddhas, &c., Svarloka or the +heaven of Indra between the sun and the polar star, and the seventh Brahmaloka +or the world of Brahma. Spirits which reached the last were exempt from being +born again.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 203.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>When from a million herbs a blaze</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Of their own luminous glory plays.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +This mention of lambent flames emitted by herbs at night may be compared +with Lucan's description of a similar phenomenon in the Druidical forest +near Marseilles, (<hi rend='italic'>Pharsalia</hi>, III. 420.). +</p> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Non ardentis</hi> fulgere incendia silvae.</l> +</lg> + +<p> +Seneca, speaking of Argolis, (Thyestes, Act IV), says:— +</p> + +<lg> +<l>Tota solet</l> +</lg> + +<lg> +<l>Micare flamma silva, et excelsae trabes</l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Ardent sine igni</hi>.</l> +</lg> + +<p> +Thus also the bush at Horeb (Exod. II.) flamed, but was not consumed. +</p> + +<p> +The Indian explanation of the phenomenon is, that the sun before he sets +deposits his rays for the night with the deciduous plants. See <hi rend='italic'>Journal +of R. As. S. Bengal</hi>, Vol. II. p. 339. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<anchor id="Notes_Buddhist"/> +<head>Page 219.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>We rank the Buddhist with the thief.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +Schlegel says in his Preface: <q rend="pre">Lubrico vestigio insistit V. Cl. <hi +rend='italic'>Heerenius, prof. Gottingensis</hi>, in libro suo de commerciis veterum +populorum (<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Opp.</hi> Vol. <hi +rend="font-variant: small-caps">Hist.</hi> XII, pag. 129,) dum putat, ex mentione +sectatorum Buddhae secundo libro Rameidos iniecta de tempore, quo totum carmen sit +conditum, quicquam legitime concludi posse.… Sunt versus spurii, reiecti a Bengalis in +sola commentatorum recensione leguntur. Buddhas quidem mille fere annis ante +Christum natun vixit: sed post multa demumsecula, odiointernecivo inter +Brachmanos et Buddhae sectatores orto, his denique ex India pulsis, fingi potuit +iniquissima criminatio, eos animi immortalitatem poenasque et praemia in vita +futura negare. Praeterea metrum, quo concinnati sunt hi versus, de quo metro +mox disseram, recentiorem aetatem arguit.… Poenitet me +nunc mei consilii, quod non statim ab initio, … eiecerim cuncta disticha +diversis a sloco vulgari metris composita. Metra sunt duo: pariter ambo constant +quatuor hemistichiis inter se aequalibus, alterum undenarum syllabarum, +alterum duodenarum, hunc in modum:</q> +</p> + +<pb n="541"/><anchor id="Pg541"/> + +<lg> +<l>[-)] [-] [)] [-] | [-] [)] [)] [-] | [)] [-] [-)]</l> +<l>[)] [-] [)] [-] | [-] [)] [)] [-] | [)] [-] [)] [-)]</l> +</lg> + +<p> +<q rend="post">Cuius generis versus in primo et secundo Rameidos libro nusquam nisi ad +finem capitum apposita inveniuntur, et huic loco unice sunt accommodata, quasi +peroratio, lyricis numeris assurgens, quo magis canorae cadant clausulae: sicut +musici in concentibus extremis omnium vocum instrumentorumque ictu fortiore +aures percellere amant. Igitur disticha illa non ante divisionem per capita illatam +addi potuerunt: hanc autem grammaticis deberi argumento est ipse recensionum +dissensus, manifesto inde ortus, quod singuli editores in ea constituenda suo +quisque iudicio usi sunt; praeterquam quod non credibile est, poetam artis suae +peritum narrationem continuam in membra tam minuta dissecuisse. Porro +discolor est dictio: magniloquentia affectatur, sed nimis turgida illa atque effusa, +nec sententiarum pondere satis suffulta. Denique nihil fere novi affertur: ampli +ficantur prius dicta, rarius aliquid ex capite sequente anticipatur. Si quis appendices +hosce legendo transiliat, sentiet slocum ultimum cum primo capitis +proximi apte coagmentatum, nec sine vi quadam inde avulsum. Eiusmodi versus +exhibet utraque recensio, sed modo haec modo illa plures paucioresve numero, et +lectio interdum magnopere variat.</q> +</p> + +<p> +<q rend="pre">The narrative of Ráma's exile in the jungle is one of the most obscure +portions of the Rámáyana, inasmuch as it is difficult to discover any trace of the +original tradition, or any illustration of actual life and manners, beyond the +artificial life of self-mortification and selfdenial said to have been led by the +Brahman sages of olden time. At the same time, however, the story throws some +light upon the significance of the poem, and upon the character in which the +Brahmanical author desired to represent Ráma; and consequently it deserves +more serious consideration than the nature of the subject-matter would otherwise +seem to imply.</q> +</p> + +<p> +<q>According to the Rámáyana, the hero Ráma spent more than thirteen +years of his exile in wandering amongst the different Brahmanical settlements, +which appear to have been scattered over the country between the Ganges and +the Godáveri; his wanderings extending from the hill of Chitra-kúṭa in Bundelkund, +to the modern town of Nasik on the western side of India, near the source +of the Godáveri river, and about seventy-five miles to the north-west of Bombay. +The appearance of these Brahmanical hermitages in the country far away to the +south of the Raj of Kasala, seems to call for critical inquiry. Each hermitage is +said to have belonged to some particular sage, who is famous in Brahmanical +tradition. But whether the sages named were really contemporaries of Ráma, or +whether they could possibly have flourished at one and the same period, is open +to serious question. It is of course impossible to fix with any degree of certainty +the relative chronology of the several sages, who are said to have been visited by +Ráma; but still it seems tolerably clear that some belonged to an age far anterior +to that in which the Rámáyana was composed, and probably to an age anterior +to that in which Ráma existed as a real and living personage; whilst, at +least, one sage is to be found who could only have existed in the age during +which the Rámáyana was produced in its present form. The main proofs of these +inferences are as follows. An interval of many centuries seems to have elapsed +between the composition of the Rig-Veda and that of the Rámáyana: a conclusion +<pb n="542"/><anchor id="Pg542"/> +which has long been proved by the evidence of language, and is generally accepted +by Sanskrit scholars. But three of the sages, said to have been contemporary +with Ráma, namely, Viśvámitra, Atri and Agastya, are frequently mentioned in +the hymns of the Rig-Veda; whilst Válmíki, the sage dwelling at Chitra-kúṭa, +is said to have been himself the composer of the Rámáyana. Again, the sage Atri, +whom Ráma visited immediately after his departure from Chitra-kúṭa, appears +in the genealogical list preserved in the Mahá Bhárata, as the progenitor of the +Moon, and consequently as the first ancestor of the Lunar race: whilst his grandson +Buddha [Budha] is said to have married Ilá, the daughter of Ikhsváku +who was himself the remote ancestor of the Solar race of Ayodhyá, from whom +Ráma was removed by many generations. These conclusions are not perhaps based +upon absolute proof, because they are drawn from untrustworthy authorities; +but still the chronological difficulties have been fully apprehended by the Pundits, +and an attempt has been made to reconcile all contradictions by representing +the sages to have lived thousands of years, and to have often re-appeared upon +earth in different ages widely removed from each other. Modern science refuses +to accept such explanations; and consequently it is impossible to escape the conclusion +that if Válmíki composed the Rámáyana in the form of Sanskrit in which +it has been preserved, he could not have flourished in the same age as the sages +who are named in the Rig-Veda.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wheeler's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>History of India, Vol.</hi> II, 229. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 249.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>And King Himálaya's Child.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +Umá or Párvatí, was the daughter of Himálaya and Mená. She is the +heroine of Kálidása's <hi rend='italic'>Kumára-Sambhava</hi> or <hi rend='italic'>Birth +of the War-God</hi>. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 250.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Strong Kumbhakarṇa slumbering deep</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>In chains of never-ending sleep.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +<q>Kumbhakarṇa, the gigantic brother of the titanic Rávaṇ,—named from +the size of his ears which could contain a <hi rend='italic'>Kumbha</hi> or large +water-jar—had such an appetite that he used to consume six months' provisions in a +single day. Brahmá, to relieve the alarm of the world, which had begun to entertain +serious apprehensions of being eaten up, decreed that the giant should sleep six months +at a time and wake for only one day during which he might consume his six months' +allowance without trespassing unduly on the reproductive capabilities of the </q> +<hi rend='italic'>Scenes front the Rámáyan</hi>, p. 153, 2nd Edit. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 257.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Like Śiva when his angry might</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Stayed Daksha's sacrificial rite.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +The following spirited version of this old story is from the pen of Mr. W. Waterfield: +</p> + +<p> +<q rend="pre">This is a favorite subject of Hindú sculpture, especially on the temples +of Shiva, such as the caves of Elephanta and Ellora. It, no doubt, is an allegory +of the contest between the followers of Shiva and the worshippers of the Elements, +who observed the old ritual of the Vedas; in which the name of Shiva is +never mentioned.</q> +</p> + +<pb n="543"/><anchor id="Pg543"/> + +<lg> +<l>Daksha for devotion</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Made a mighty feast:</l> +<l>Milk and curds and butter,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Flesh of bird and beast,</l> +<l>Rice and spice and honey,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sweetmeats ghí and gur,<note place="foot">Ghí: clarified butter. +Gur: molasses.</note></l> +<l>Gifts for all the Bráhmans,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Food for all the poor.</l> +<l>At the gates of Gangá<note place="foot">Haridwar (Anglicè Hurdwar) where the Ganges +enters the plain country.</note></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Daksha held his feast;</l> +<l>Called the gods unto it,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Greatest as the least.</l> +<l>All the gods were gathered</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Round with one accord;</l> +<l>All the gods but Umá,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">All but Umá's lord.</l> +<l>Umá sat with Shiva</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">On Kailása hill:</l> +<l>Round them stood the Rudras</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Watching for their will.</l> +<l>Who is this that cometh</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Lilting to his lute?</l> +<l>All the birds of heaven</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Heard his music, mute.</l> +<l>Round his head a garland</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Rich of hue was wreathed:</l> +<l>Every sweetest odour</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">From its blossoms breathed.</l> +<l>'Tis the Muni Nárad;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">'Mong the gods he fares,</l> +<l>Ever making mischief</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">By the tales he bears.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Hail to lovely Umá!</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Hail to Umá's lord!</l> +<l>Wherefore are they absent</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">For her father's board?</l> +<l>Multiplied his merits</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Would be truly thrice,</l> +<l>Could he gain your favour</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">For his sacrifice.</q></l> +<l>Worth of heart was Umá;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">To her lord she spake:—</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Why dost thou, the mighty,</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Of no rite partake?</l> +<l>Straight I speed to Daksha</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Such a sight to see:</l> +<l>If he be my father,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">He must welcome thee.</q></l> +<l>Wondrous was in glory</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Daksha's holy rite;</l> +<l>Never had creation</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Viewed so brave a sight.</l> +<l>Gods, and nymphs, find fathers,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sages, Bráhmans, sprites,—</l> +<l>Every diverge creature</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Wrought that rite of rites.</l> +<l>Quickly then a quaking</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Fell on all from far;</l> +<l>Umá stood among them</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">On her lion car.</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Greeting, gods and sages,</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Greeting, father mine!</l> +<l>Work hath wondrous virtue,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Where such aids combine.</l> +<l>Guest-hall never gathered</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Goodlier company:</l> +<l>Seemeth all are welcome.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">All the gods but me.</q></l> +<l>Spake the Muni Daksha,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Stern and cold his tone:—</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Welcome thou, too, daughter,</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Since thou com'st alone.</l> +<l>But thy frenzied husband</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Suits another shrine;</l> +<l>He is no partaker</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Of this feast of mine.</l> +<l>He who walks in darkness</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Loves no deeds of light:</l> +<l>He who herds with demons</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Shuns each kindly sprite.</l> +<l>Let him wander naked.—</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Wizard weapons wield,—</l> +<l>Dance his frantic measure</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Round the funeral field.</l> +<l>Art thou yet delighted</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With the reeking hide,</l> +<l>Body smeared with ashes.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Skulls in necklace tied?</l> +<l>Thou to love this monster?</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thou to plead his part!</l> +<l>Know the moon and Gangá</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Share that faithless heart</l> +<l>Vainly art thou vying</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">With thy rivals' charms.</l> +<l>Are not coils of serpents</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Softer than thine arms?</q></l> +<l>Words like these from Daksha</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Daksha's daughter heard:</l> +<l>Then a sudden passion</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">All her bosom stirred.</l> +<l>Eyes with fury flashing.</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Speechless in her ire,</l> +<l>Headlong did she hurl her</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">'Mid the holy fire.</l> +<l>Then a trembling terror</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Overcame each one,</l> +<l>And their minds were troubled</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Like a darkened sun;</l> +<pb n="544"/><anchor id="Pg544"/> +<l>And a cruel Vision,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Face of lurid flame,</l> +<l>Umá's Wrath incarnate,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">From the altar came.</l> +<l>Fiendlike forms by thousands</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Started from his side,</l> +<l>'Gainst the sacrificers</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">All their might they plied:</l> +<l>Till the saints availed not</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Strength like theirs to stay,</l> +<l>And the gods distracted</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Turned and fled away.</l> +<l>Hushed were hymns and chanting,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Priests were mocked and spurned;</l> +<l>Food defiled and scattered;</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Altars overturned.—</l> +<l>Then, to save the object</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sought at such a price,</l> +<l>Like a deer in semblance</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Sped the sacrifice.</l> +<l>Soaring toward the heavens,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Through the sky it fled?</l> +<l>But the Rudras chasing</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Smote away its head.</l> +<l>Prostrate on the pavement</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Daksha fell dismayed:—</l> +<l><q rend="pre">Mightiest, thou hast conquered</q></l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Thee we ask for aid.</l> +<l>Let not our oblations</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">All be rendered vain;</l> +<l>Let our toilsome labour</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Full fruition gain.</q></l> +<l>Bright the broken altars</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Shone with Shiva's form;</l> +<l><q>Be it so!</q> His blessing</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Soothed that frantic storm.</l> +<l>Soon his anger ceases,</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Though it soon arise;—</l> +<l>But the Deer's Head ever</l> +<l rend="margin-left: 2"><q rend="post">Blazes in the skies.</q></l> +</lg> + +<p> +<hi rend='italic'>Indian Ballads and other Poems.</hi> +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 286. Urvasí.</head> + +<p> +<q>The personification of Urvasî herself is as thin as that of Eôs or Selênê. +Her name is often found in the Veda as a mere name for the morning, and in the +plural number it is used to denote the dawns which passing over men bring them +to old age and death. Urvasî is the bright flush of light overspreading the heaven +before the sun rises, and is but another form of the many mythical beings of +Greek mythology whose names take us back to the same idea or the same root. +As the dawn in the Vedic hymns is called Urûkî, the far-going (Têlephassa, Têlephos), +so is she also Uruasî, the wide-existing or wide-spreading; as are Eurôpê, +Euryanassa, Euryphassa, and many more of the sisters of Athênê and Aphroditê. +As such she is the mother of Vasishtha, the bright being, as Oidipous is the son +of Iokastê; and although Vasishtha, like Oidipous, has become a mortal bard or +sage, he is still the son of Mitra and Varuṇa, of night and day. Her lover Purûravas +is the counterpart of the Hellenic Polydeukês; but the continuance of her +union with him depends on the condition that she never sees him unclothed. But +the Gandharvas, impatient of her long sojourn among mortal men resolved to +bring her back to their bright home; and Purûravas is thus led unwitingly to disregard +her warning. A ewe with two lambs was tied to her couch, and the Gandharvas +stole one of them; Urvasî said, <q>They take away my darling, as if I lived in a +land where there is no hero and no man.</q> They stole the second, and she upbraided +her husband again. Then Purûravas looked and said, <q>How can that be a land +without heroes or men where I am?</q> And naked he sprang up; he thought it +was too long to put on his dress. Then the Gandharvas sent a flash of lighting, +and Urvasî saw her husband naked as by daylight. Then she vanished. <q>I come +back,</q> she said, and went. <q>Then he bewailed his vanished love in bitter grief.</q> +Her promise to return was fulfilled, but for a moment only, at the Lotos-lake, +and Purûravas in vain beseeches her to tarry longer. <q>What shall I do with thy +<pb n="545"/><anchor id="Pg545"/> +speech?</q> is the answer of Urvasî. <q>I am gone like the first of the dawns. Purûravas, +go home again. I am hard to be caught like the winds.</q> Her lover is in utter +despair; but when he lies down to die, the heart of Urvasî was melted, and she +bids him come to her on the last night of the year. On that night only he might +be with her; but a son should be born to him. On that day he went up to the +golden seats, and there Urvasî told him that the Gandharvas would grant him +one wish, and that he must make his choice. <q>Choose thou for me,</q> he said: and +she answered, <q>Say to them, Let me be one of you.</q></q> +</p> + +<p> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Cox's</hi> <hi rend='italic'>Mythology of the Aryan +Nations.</hi> Vol. I. p. 397. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 324.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>The sovereign of the Vánar race.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +<q>Vánar is one of the most frequently occurring names by which the poem +calls the monkeys of Ráma's army. Among the two or three derivations of which +the word Vánar is susceptible, one is that which deduces it from vana which signifies +a wood, and thus Vánar would mean a forester, an inhabitant of the wood. I +have said elsewhere that the monkeys, the Vánars, whom Ráma led to the conquest +of Ceylon were fierce woodland tribes who occupied the mountainous +regions of the south of India, where their descendants may still be seen. I shall +hence forth promiscuously employ the word <hi rend='italic'>Vánar</hi> to denote those +monkeys, those fierce combatants of Ráma's army.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio</hi>. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 326.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>No change of hue, no pose of limb</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Gave sign that aught was false in him.</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Concise, unfaltering, sweet and clear,</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Without a word to pain the ear,</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>From chest to throat, nor high nor low,</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>His accents came in measured flow.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +Somewhat similarly in <hi rend='italic'>The Squire's Tale</hi>: +</p> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">He with a manly voice said his message,</q></l> +<l>After the form used in his language,</l> +<l>Withouten vice of syllable or of letter.</l> +<l>And for his talë shouldë seem the better</l> +<l>Accordant to his wordës was his chere,</l> +<l><q rend="post">As teacheth art of speech them that it lere.</q></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 329. Ráma's Alliance With Sugríva.</head> + +<p> +<q rend="pre">The literal interpretation of this portion of the Rámáyana is indeed deeply +rooted in the mind of the Hindu. He implicitly believes that Ráma is Vishnu, +who became incarnate for the purpose of destroying the demon Rávana: that he +permitted his wife to be captured by Rávana for the sake of delivering the gods +and Bráhmans from the oppressions of the Rákshasa; and that he ultimately +assembled an army of monkeys, who were the progeny of the gods, and led them +against the strong-hold of Rávana at Lanká, and delivered the world from the +tyrant Rákshasa, whilst obtaining ample revenge for his own personal wrongs.</q> +</p> + +<pb n="546"/><anchor id="Pg546"/> + +<p> +One other point seems to demand consideration, namely, the possibility of +such an alliance as that which Ráma is said to have concluded with the monkeys. +This possibility will of course be denied by modern critics, but still it is interesting +to trace out the circumstances which seem to have led to the acceptance of such a +wild belief by the dreamy and marvel loving Hindi. The south of India swarms +with monkeys of curious intelligence and rare physical powers. Their wonderful +instinct for organization, their attachment to particular localities, their occasional +journeys in large numbers over mountains and across rivers, their obstinate +assertion of supposed rights, and the ridiculous caricature which they exhibit of +all that is animal and emotional in man, would naturally create a deep impression.… +Indeed the habits of monkeys well deserve to be patiently studied; +not as they appear in confinement, when much that is revolting in their nature is +developed, but as they appear living in freedom amongst the trees of the forest, +or in the streets of crowded cities, or precincts of temples. Such a study would +not fail to awaken strange ideas; and although the European would not be prepared +to regard monkeys as sacred animals he might be led to speculate as to their +origin by the light of data, which are at present unknown to the naturalist whose +observations have been derived from the menagerie alone. +</p> + +<p> +<q rend="post">Whatever, however, may have been the train of ideas which led the Hindú +to regard the monkey as a being half human and half divine, there can be little +doubt that in the Rámáyana the monkeys of southern India have been confounded +with what may be called the aboriginal people of the country. The origin of +this confusion may be easily conjectured. Perchance the aborigines of the country +may have been regarded as a superior kind of monkeys; and to this day the features +of the Marawars, who are supposed to be the aborigines of the southern +part of the Carnatic, are not only different from those of their neighbours, but +are of a character calculated to confirm the conjecture. Again, it is probable +that the army of aborigines may have been accompanied by outlying bands of +monkeys impelled by that magpie-like curiosity and love of plunder which are +the peculiar characteristics of the monkey race; and this incident may have +given rise to the story that the army was composed of Monkeys.</q> +</p> + +<p> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wheeler's</hi> <hi rend='italic'>History of India. +Vol. II. pp. 316 ff.</hi> +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 342. The Fall Of Báli.</head> + +<p> +<q>As regards the narrative, it certainly seems to refer to some real event +amongst the aboriginal tribes: namely, the quarrel between an elder and younger +brother for the possession of a Ráj; and the subsequent alliance of Ráma with +the younger brother. It is somewhat remarkable that Ráma appears to have +formed an alliance with the wrong party, for the right of Báli was evidently +superior to that of Sugríva; and it is especially worthy of note that Ráma compassed +the death of Báli by an act contrary to all the laws of fair fighting. Again, +Ráma seems to have tacitly sanctioned the transfer of Tárá from Báli to Sugríva, +which was directly opposed to modern rule, although in conformity with the +rude customs of a barbarous age; and it is remarkable that to this day the +marriage of both widows and divorced women is practised by the Marawars, or +aborigines of the southern Carnatic, contrary to the deeply-rooted prejudice +which exists against such unions amongst the Hindús at large.</q> +</p> + +<p> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wheeler's</hi> <hi rend='italic'>History of India, +Vol. II. 324</hi>. +</p> + +</div> + +<pb n="547"/><anchor id="Pg547"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 370. The Vánar Host.</head> + +<p> +<q rend="pre">The splendid Marutas form the army of Indras, the red-haired monkeys +and bears that of Râmas; and the mythical and solar nature of the monkeys +and bears of the Râmâyaṇam manifests itself several times. The king of the +monkeys is a sun-god. The ancient king was named Bâlin, and was the son of +Indras. His younger brother Sugrívas, he who changes his shape at pleasure +(Kâmarúpas), who, helped by Râmas, usurped his throne, is said to be own child +of the sun. Here it is evident that the Vedic antagonism between Indras and +Vishṇus is reproduced in a zoological and entirely apish form. The old Zeus must +give way to the new, the moon to the sun, the evening to the morning sun, the +sun of winter to that of spring; the young son betrays and overthrows the old +one.… Râmas, who treacherously kills the old king of the monkeys, Bâlin, is +the equivalent of Vishṇus, who hurls his predecessor Indras from his throne; +and Sugrívas, the new king of the monkeys resembles Indras when he promises +to find the ravished Sítá, in the same way as Vishṇus in one of his incarnations +finds again the lost vedás. And there are other indications in the Râmâyaṇam +of opposition between Indras and the monkeys who assist Râmas. The great +monkey Hanumant, of the reddish colour of gold, has his jaw broken, Indras +having struck him with his thunderbolt and caused him to fall upon a mountain, +because, while yet a child, he threw himself off a mountain into the air in order to +arrest the course of the sun, whose rays had no effect upon him. (The cloud rises +from the mountain and hides the sun, which is unable of itself to disperse it; +the tempest comes, and brings flashes of lightning and thunder-bolts, which tear +the cloud in pieces.)</q> +</p> + +<p> +The whole legend of the monkey Hanumant represents the sun entering +into the cloud or darkness, and coming out of it. His father is said to be now +the wind, now the elephant of the monkeys (Kapikunjaras), now Keśarin, the +long-haired sun, the sun with a mane, the lion sun (whence his name of +<hi rend='italic'>Keśariṇah putrah</hi>). From this point of view, Hanumant would seem +to be the brother of Sugrívas, who is also the offspring of the sun.… +</p> + +<p> +All the epic monkeys of the <hi rend='italic'>Râmâyaṇam</hi> are described in the +twentieth canto of the first book by expressions which very closely resemble those +applied in the Vedic hymns to the Marutas, as swift as the tempestuous wind, changing +their shape at pleasure, making a noise like clouds, sounding like thunder, +battling, hurling mountain-peaks, shaking great uprooted trees, stirring up the +deep waters, crushing the earth with their arms, making the clouds fall. Thus +Bâlin comes out of the cavern as the sun out of the cloud.… +</p> + +<p> +But the legend of the monkey Hanumant presents another curious resemblance +to that of Samson. Hanumant is bound with cords by Indrajit, son of +Rávaṇas; he could easily free himself, but does not wish to do so. Rávaṇas to +put him to shame, orders his tail to be burned, because the tail is the part most +prized by monkeys.… +</p> + +<p> +<q rend="post">The tail of Hanumant, which sets fire to the city of the monsters, is +probably a personification of the rays of the morning or spring sun, which sets fire to +the eastern heavens, and destroys the abode of the nocturnal or winter monsters.</q> +</p> + +<p> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">De Gubernatis</hi>, <hi rend='italic'>Zoological +Mythology</hi>, Vol. II. pp. 100 ff. +</p> + +<pb n="548"/><anchor id="Pg548"/> + +<p> +<q>The Jaitwas of Rajputana, a tribe politically reckoned as Rajputs, nevertheless +trace their descent from the monkey-god Hanuman, and confirm it by +alleging that their princes still bear its evidence in a tail-like prolongation of the +spine; a tradition which has probably a real ethnological meaning, pointing out +the Jaitwas as of non-Aryan race.</q><note place="foot">Campbell in <q>Journ. As. Soc. +Bengal,</q> 1866, Part ii. p. 132; Latham, <q>Descr. Eth.</q> Vol. ii. p. 456; Tod, +<q>Annals of Rajasthan,</q> Vol. i. p. 114.</note> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Tylor's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Primitive Culture</hi>, Vol. I. p. 341. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 372.</head> + +<p> +The names of peoples occurring in the following <hi rend='italic'>ślokas</hi> are +omitted in the metrical translation: +</p> + +<p> +<q>Go to the Brahmamálas,<note place="foot">Said by the commentator to be an eastern +people between the Himálayan and Vindhyan chains.</note> the Videhas,<note +place="foot">Videha was a district in the province of Behar, the ancient Mithilá or the +modern Tirhoot.</note> the Málavas,<note place="foot">The people of Malwa.</note> the +Káśikośalas,<note place="foot"><q>The Káśikośalas are a central nation in the Váyu +Puráṇa. The Rámáyaṇa places them in the east. The combination indicates the country +between Benares and Oude.… Kośala is a name variously applied. Its earliest and most +celebrated application is to the country on the banks of the Sarayú, the kingdom +of Ráma, of which Ayodhyá was the capital.… In the Mahábhárata we have one Kośala in +the east and another in the south, besides the Prák-Kośalas and Uttara Kośalas in the +east and north. The Puráṇas place the Kośalas amongst the people on the back of Vindhya; +and it would appear from the Váyu that Kuśa the son of Ráma transferred his kingdom to a +more central position; he ruled over Kośala at his capital of Kúśasthali of Kuśavatí, +built upon the Vindhyan precipices.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Vishnṇu Púraṇa</hi>, Vol. II. pp. 157, 172.</note> the Mágadnas,<note +place="foot">The people of south Behar.</note> the Puṇḍras,<note place="foot">The +Puṇḍras are said to be the inhabitants of the western provinces of Bengal. <q>In the +<hi rend='italic'>Aitareyabráhmaṇa</hi>, VII. 18, it is said that the elder sons of +Viśvamitra were cursed to become progenitors of most abject races, such as Andhras, +Puṇḍras, Śabaras, Pulindas, and Mútibas.</q> <hi +rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson's</hi> <hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu Puráṇa</hi> Vol. +II. 170.</note> and the Angas,<note place="foot">Anga is the country about Bhagulpore, of +which Champá was the capital.</note> and the land of the weavers of silk, and the land +of the mines of silver, and the hills that stretch into the sea, and the towns and the +hamlets that are about the top of Mandar, and the Karṇaprávaraṇas,<note +place="foot">A fabulous people, <q>men who use their ears as a covering.</q> So Sir John +Maundevile says: <q>And in another Yle ben folk that han gret Eres and long, that +hangen down to here knees,</q> and Pliny, lib. iv. c. 13: <q>In quibus nuda alioquin +corpora prægrandes ipsorum aures tota contegunt.</q> Isidore calls them Panotii.</note> +and the Oshṭhakarṇakas,<note place="foot"><q>Those whose ears hang down to their +lips.</q></note> and the Ghoralohamukhas,<note place="foot"><q>The Iron-faces.</q></note> +and the +<pb n="549"/><anchor id="Pg549"/> +swift Ekapádakas,<note place="foot"><p><q>The One-footed.</q></p> +<p><q>In that Contree,</q> says Sir John Maundevile, <q>ben folk, that han but o foot +and thei gon so fast that it is marvaylle: and the foot is so large that it schadeweth +alle the Body azen the Sonne, when thei wole lye and rest hem.</q> So Pliny, +Natural History, lib. vii. c. 2: speaks of <q>Hominumn gens … singulis cruribus, +miræ pernicitatis ad saltum; eosdemque Sciopodas vocari, quod in majori æstu, +humi jacentes resupini, umbrâ se pedum protegant.</q></p> +<p>These epithets are, as Professor Wilson remarks, <q>exaggerations of national +ugliness, or allusions to peculiar customs, which were not literally intended, although +they may have furnished the Mandevilles of ancient and modern times.</q></p> +<p><hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu Puráṇa</hi>, Vol. II. p. 162.</p></note> +and the strong imperishable Eaters of Men, and the Kirátas<note place="foot">The +Kirrhadæ of Arrian: a general name for savage tribes living in woods +and mountains.</note> with stiff hair-tufts, men like gold and fair to look upon: And +the Eaters of Raw Fish, and the Kirátas who dwell in islands, and the fierce +Tiger-men<note place="foot">Said by the commentator to be half tigers half +men.</note> who live amid the waters.</q> +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 374.</head> + +<p> +<q>Go to the Vidarbhas<note place="foot">The kingdom seems to have corresponded with the +greater part of Berar and Khandesh.</note> and the Rishṭikas<note place="foot">The +Bengal recension has Kishikas, and places them both in the south and the north.</note> +and the Mahishikas,<note place="foot">The people of Mysore.</note> and the +Matsyas<note place="foot"><q>There are two Matsyas, one of which, according to the +Yantra Samráj, is identifiable with Jeypoor. In the Digvijaya of Nakula he subdues the +Matsyas further to the west, or Gujerat.</q> <hi +rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson's</hi> <hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu Puráṇa</hi>, Vol. +II. 158. Dr. Hall observes: <q>In the <hi rend='italic'>Mahábhárata Sabhá-parwan</hi>, +1105 and 1108, notice is taken of the king of Matsya and of the Aparamatsyas; and, at +1082, the Matsyas figure as an eastern people. They are placed among the nations of the +south in the <hi rend='italic'>Rámáyaṇa Kishkindhá-káṇda</hi>, XLI., II, while the +Bengal recension, <hi rend='italic'>Kishkindhá-káṇḍa</hi>, XLIV., 12, locates them in +the north.</q></note> and Kalingas<note place="foot">The Kalingas were the people of the +upper part of the Coromandel Coast, well known, in the traditions of the Eastern +Archipelago, as Kling. Ptolemy has a city in that part, called Caliga; and Pliny +Calingæ proximi mari. <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu Puráṇa</hi>, Vol. II. 156, Note.</note> and the Kauśikas<note +place="foot">The Kauśikas do not appear to be identifiable.</note> … and the +Andhras<note place="foot">The Andhras probably occupied the modern Telingana.</note> +and the Puṇḍras<note place="foot">The Puṇḍras have already been mentioned in Canto +XL.</note> and the Cholas<note place="foot">The inhabitants of the lower part of the +Coromandel Coast; so called, after them, Cholamaṇdala.</note> and the Paṇḍyas<note +place="foot">A people in the Deccan.</note> and the Keralas,<note place="foot">The +Keralas were the people of Malabar proper.</note> +<pb n="550"/><anchor id="Pg550"/> +Mlechchhas<note place="foot">A generic term for persons speaking any language but +Sanskrit and not conforming to the usual Hindu institutions.</note> and the Pulindas<note +place="foot"><p><q>Pulinda is applied to any wild or barbarous tribe. Those here named +are some of the people of the deserts along the Indus; but Pulindas are met with in +many other positions, especially in the mountains and forests across Central +India, the haunts of the Bheels and Gonds. So Ptolemy places the Pulindas along +the banks of the Narmadá, to the frontiers of Larice, the Látá or Lár of the +Hindus,—Khandesh and part of Gujerat.</q> <hi +rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson's</hi> <hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu Puráṇa</hi>, Vol. +II. 159, Note.</p> +<p>Dr. Hall observes that <q>in the Bengal recension of the +<hi rend='italic'>Rámáyaṇa</hi> the Pulindas appear both in the south and in the north. +The real <hi rend='italic'>Rámáyaṇa</hi> K.-k., XLIII., speaks of the northern +Pulindas.</q></p></note> and the Śúrasenas,<note place="foot">The Śúrasenas were the +inhabitants of Mathurá, the Suraseni of Arrian.</note> and the Prasthalas and the +Bharatas and Madrakas<note place="foot">These the Mardi of the Greeks and the two +preceding tribes appear to have dwelt in the north-west of Hindustan.</note> and the +Kámbojas<note place="foot">The Kámbojas are said to be the people of Arachosia. They are +always mentioned with the north-western tribes.</note> and the Yavanas<note +place="foot"><q>The term Yavanas, although, in later times, applied to the Mohammedans, +designated formerly the Greeks.… The Greeks were known throughout Western +Asia by the term Yavan, or Ion. That the Macedonian or Bactrian Greeks were most usually +intended is not only probable from their position and relations with India, but from +their being usually named in concurrence with the north-western tribes, Kámbojas, +Daradas, Páradas, Báhlíkas, Śakas &c., in the Rámáyaṇa. Mahábhárata, Puránas, Manu, +and in various poems and plays.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Wilson's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Vishṇu Puráṇa</hi> Vol. II. p. 181, Note.</note> and the towns +of the Śakas<note place="foot">These people, the Sakai and Sacæ of classical writers, the +Indo-Scythians of Ptolemy, extended, about the commencement of our era, along the west of +India, from the Hindu Kosh to the mouths of the Indus.</note> and the Varadas.</q><note +place="foot">The corresponding passage in the Bengal recension has instead of Varadas +Daradas the Dards or inhabitants of the modern Dardistan along the course +of the Indus, above the Himálayas, just before it descends to India.</note> +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 378. Northern Kurus.</head> + +<p> +Professor Lassen remarks in the Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes, +ii. 62: <q>At the furthest accessible extremity of the earth appears +Harivarsha with the northern Kurus. The region of Hari or Vishṇu belongs to +the system of mythical geography; but the case is different with the Uttara +Kurus. Here there is a real basis of geographical fact; of which fable has only +taken advantage, without creating it. The Uttara Kurus were formerly quite independent +of the mythical system of <hi rend='italic'>dvípas</hi>, though they were included in +it at an early date.</q> Again the same writer says at p. 65: <q rend="pre">That the +conception of the Uttara Kurus is based upon an actual country and not on mere invention, +is proved (1) by the way in which they are mentioned in the Vedas; (2) by the +<pb n="551"/><anchor id="Pg551"/> +existence of Uttara Kuru in historical times as a real country; and (3) by the +way in which the legend makes mention of that region as the home of primitive +customs. To begin with the last point the Mahábhárata speaks as follows of the +freer mode of life which women led in the early world, Book I. verses 4719-22: +<q>Women were formerly unconfined and roved about at their pleasure, independent. +Though in their youthful innocence they abandoned their husbands, they +were guilty of no offence; for such was the rule in early times. This ancient +custom is even now the law for creatures born as brutes, which are free from lust +and anger. This custom is supported by authority and is observed by great rishis, +and it is <hi rend='italic'>still practiced among the northern Kurus</hi>.</q></q> +</p> + +<p> +<q rend="pre">The idea which is here conveyed is that of the continuance in one part of +the world of that original blessedness which prevailed in the golden age. To +afford a conception of the happy condition of the southern Kurus it is said in +another place (M.-Bh, i. 4346.) <q>The southern Kurus vied in happiness with the +northern Kurus and with the divine rishis and bards.</q></q> +</p> + +<p> +<q rend="post">Professor Lassen goes on to say: <q>Ptolemy (vi. 16.) is also acquainted +with <hi rend='italic'>Uttara Kuru</hi>. He speaks of a mountain, a people, and a city +called <hi rend='italic'>Ottorakorra</hi>. Most of the other ancient authors who +elsewhere mention this name, have it from him. It is a part of the country which he +calls Serica; according to him the city lies twelve degrees west from the metropolis of +Sera, and the mountain extends from thence far to the eastward. As Ptolemy has misplaced +the whole of eastern Asia beyond the Ganges, the <hi rend='italic'>relative</hi> +position which he assigns will guide us better that the absolute one, which removes +<hi rend='italic'>Ottorakorra</hi> so far to the east that a correction is inevitable. +According to my opinion the <hi rend='italic'>Ottorakorra</hi> of Ptolemy must be sought +for to the east of Kashgar.</q> Lassen also thinks that Magasthenes had the Uttara Kurus +in view when he referred to the Hyperboreans who were fabled by Indian writers to live a +thousand years. In his Indian antiquities, (Ind. Alterthumskunde, i. 511, 512. and note,) +the same writer concludes that though the passages above cited relative to the Uttara +Kurus indicate a belief in the existence of a really existing country of that name in the +far north, yet that the descriptions there given are to be taken as pictures of an ideal +paradise, and not as founded on any recollections of the northern origin of the +Kurus. It is probable, he thinks, that some such reminiscences originally existed, +and still survived in the Vedic era, though there is no trace of their existence in +latter times.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Muir's</hi> <hi +rend='italic'>Sanskrit Texts</hi>, Vol. II. pp. 336, 337. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 428.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Trust to these mighty Vánars.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +The corresponding passage in the Bengal recension has <q>these silvans in +the forms of monkeys, vánaráh kapirupinah.</q> <q>Here it manifestly appears,</q> +says Gorresio, <q>that these hosts of combatants whom Ráma led to the conquest +of Lanká (Ceylon) the kingdom and seat of the Hamitic race, and whom the +poem calls monkeys, were in fact as I have elsewhere observed, inhabitants of the +mountainous and southern regions of India, who were wild-looking and not altogether +unlike monkeys. They were perhaps the remote ancestors of the Malay +races.</q> +</p> + +</div> + +<pb n="552"/><anchor id="Pg552"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 431.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>"Art thou not he who slew of old</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>The Serpent-Gods, and stormed their hold."</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +All these exploits of Rávaṇ are detailed in the <hi rend='italic'>Uttarakáṇḍa</hi>, and +epitomized in the Appendix. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 434.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Within the consecrated hall</hi>.</l> +</lg> + +<p> +The Bráhman householder ought to maintain three sacred fires, the <hi +rend='italic'>Gárhapatya</hi>, the <hi rend='italic'>Ahavaniya</hi> and the <hi +rend='italic'>Dakshiṇa</hi>. These three fires were made use of in many Brahmanical +solemnities, for example in funeral rites when the three fires +were arranged in prescribed order. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 436.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Fair Punjikasthalá I met.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +<q rend="pre">I have not noticed in the Úttara Káṇda any story about the daughter of +Varuṇa, but the commentator on the text (VI 60, 11) explains the allusion to her +thus:</q> +</p> + +<p> +<q>The daughter of Varuṇa was Punjikasthalí. On her account, a curse of +Brahmá, involving the penalty of death, [was pronounced] on the rape of women.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Muir</hi>, <hi rend='italic'>Sanskrit Texts</hi>, +Part IV. Appendix. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 452.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'><q rend="pre">Shall no funereal honours grace</q></hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'><q rend="post">The parted lord of Raghu's race?</q></hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +<q>Here are indicated those admirable rites and those funeral prayers which +Professor Müller has described in his excellent work, <hi rend='italic'>Die +Todtenbestattung bei den Brahmanen</hi>, Sítá laments that the body of Ráma will not be +honoured with those rites and prayers, nor will the Bráhman priest while laying the +ashes from the pile in the bosom of the earth, pronounce over them those solemn and +magnificent words: <q>Go unto the earth, thy mother, the ample, wide, and blessed +earth.… And do thou, O Earth, open and receive him as a friend with sweet +greeting: enfold him in thy bosom as a mother wraps her child in her robes.</q></q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio.</hi> +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 462.</head> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 16"><hi rend='italic'>Each glorious sign</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>That stamps the future queen is mine</hi>.</l> +</lg> + +<p> +We read in Josephus that Caesar was so well versed in chiromancy that when +one day a <hi rend='italic'>soi-disant</hi> son of Herod had audience of him, he +at once detected the impostor because his hand was destitute of all marks of royalty. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 466.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>In battle's wild Gandharva dance</hi>.</l> +</lg> + +<p> +<q>Here the commentator explains: <q>the battle resembled the dance of the +Gandharvas,</q> in accordance with the notion of the Gandharvas entertained in his +day. They were regarded as celestial musicians enlivening with their melodies +<pb n="553"/><anchor id="Pg553"/> +Indra's heaven and the banquets of the Gods. But the Gandharvas before becoming +celestial musicians in popular tradition, were in the primitive and true +signification of the name heroes, spirited and ardent warriors, followers of Indra, +and combined the heroical character with their atmospherical deity. Under this +aspect the dance of the Gandharvas may be a very different thing from what the +commentator means, and may signify the horrid dance of war.</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio.</hi> +</p> + +<p> +The Homeric expression is similar, <q>to dance a war-dance before Ares.</q> +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 470.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>By Anaraṇya's lips of old.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +<q rend="pre">The story of Anaraṇya is told in the Uttara Kaṇḍa of the Rámáyaṇa.… +Anaraṇya a descendant of Ixváku and King of Ayodhyá, when called upon to +fight with Rávaṇa or acknowledge himself conquered, prefers the former alternative; +but his army is overcome, and he himself is thrown from his chariot.</q> +</p> + +<p> +<q rend="post">When Rávaṇa triumphs over his prostrate foe, the latter says that he has +been vanquished not by him but by fate, and that Rávaṇa is only the instrument +of his overthrow; and he predicts that Rávaṇa shall one day be slain by his descendant +Ráma.</q> <hi rend='italic'>Sanskrit Texts</hi>, IV., Appendix. +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 497.</head> + +<p> +<q rend="pre">With regard to the magic image of Sítá made by Indrajit, we may observe +that this thoroughly oriental idea is also found in Greece in Homer's Iliad, where +Apollo forms an image of Æneas to save that hero beloved by the Gods: it occurs +too in the Æneid of Virgil where Juno forms a fictitious Æneas to save Turnus:</q> +</p> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">Tum dea nube cava tenuem sine viribus umbram</l> +<l>In faciem Æneæ (visu mirabile monstrum)</l> +<l>Dardaniis ornat telis; clipeumque jubasque</l> +<l>Divini assimulat capitis; dat inania verba;</l> +<l>Dat sine mente sonum, gressusque effingit euntis.</l> +</lg> + +<p> +<q rend="post">(<hi rend='italic'>Æneidos</hi>, lib. X.)</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio.</hi> +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 489.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>"To Raghu's son my chariot lend."</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +<q rend="pre">Analogous to this passage of the Rámáyana, where Indra sends to Ráma +his own chariot, his own charioteer, and his own arms, is the passage in the +Æneid where Venus descending from heaven brings celestial arms to her son +Æneas when he is about to enter the battle:</q> +</p> + +<lg> +<l rend="margin-left: 2">At Venus æthereos inter dea candida nimbos</l> +<l>Dona fereus aderat;…</l> +<l>…</l> +<l>Arma sub adversa posuit radiantia quercum.</l> +<l>Ille, deæ donis et tanto lætus honore,</l> +<l>Expleri nequit, atque oculus per singula volvit,</l> +<l>Miraturque, interque manus et brachia versat</l> +<l>Terribilem cristis galeam flammasque vomentem,</l> +<l>Fatiferumque ensem, loricam ex ære rigentem.</l> +</lg> + +<p> +<q rend="post">(<hi rend='italic'>Æneidos</hi>, lib. VIII)</q> +<hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio.</hi> +</p> + +</div> + +<pb n="554"/><anchor id="Pg554"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 489.</head> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Agastya came and gently spake.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +<q>The Muni or saint Agastya, author of several Vedic hymns, was celebrated +in Indo-Sanskrit tradition for having directed the first brahmanical settlements +in the southern regions of India; and the Mahábhárata gives him the +credit of having subjected those countries, expelled the Rákshases. and given +security to the solitary ascetics, who were settled there. Hence Agastya was +regarded in ancient legend as the conqueror and ruler of the southern country. +This tradition refers to the earliest migrations made by the Sanskrit Indians +towards the south of India. To Agastya are attributed many marvellous mythic +deeds which adumbrate and veil ancient events; some of which are alluded to +here and there in the Rámáyana.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio.</hi> +</p> + +<p> +The following is the literal translation of the Canto, text and commentary, +from the Calcutta edition: +</p> + +<p> +Having found Ráma weary with fighting and buried in deep thought, +and Rávaṇ standing before him ready to engage in battle, the holy Agastya, +who had come to see the battle, approached Ráma and spoke to him thus: +<q rend="pre">O mighty Ráma, listen to the old mystery by which thou wilt conquer all thy +foes in the battle. Having daily repeated the Ádityahridaya (the delighter +of the mind of the Sun) the holy prayer which destroys all enemies (of him who +repeats it) gives victory, removes all sins, sorrows and distress, increases life, +and which is the blessing of all blessings, worship the rising and splendid sun +who is respected by both the Gods and demons, who gives light to all bodies and +who is the rich lord of all the worlds, (To the question why this prayer claims so +great reverence; the sage answers) Since yonder<note place="foot">From the word yonder +it would appear that the prayer is to be repeated at the rising of the Sun.</note> +sun is full of glory and all gods reside in him (he being their material cause) and +bestows being and the active principle on all creatures by his rays; and since he +protects all deities, demons and men with his rays.</q> +</p> + +<p> +He is Brahmá,<note place="foot">The creator of the world and the first of the Hindu +triad.</note> Vishṇu,<note place="foot">He who pervades all beings; or the second of +the Hindu triad who preserves the world.</note> Śiva,<note place="foot">The bestower of +blessings; the third of the Hindu triad and the destroyer of the world.</note> +Skanda,<note place="foot">A name of the War-God; also one who urges the senses to +action.</note> Prajápati,<note place="foot">The lord of creatures; or the God of +sacrifices.</note> Mahendra,<note place="foot">A name of the King of Gods; also +all-powerful.</note> Dhanada,<note place="foot">The giver of wealth. A name of the God +of riches.</note> Kála,<note place="foot">One who directly urges the mental faculties to +action.</note> Yáma,<note place="foot">One who moderates the senses, also the God of the +regions of the dead.</note> Soma,<note place="foot">One who produces nectar (amrita) or +one who is always possessed of light; or one together with Umá (Ardhanáríśvara).</note> +Apàm Pati <hi rend='italic'>i.e.</hi> The lord of waters, Pitris,<note place="foot">The +names or spirits of departed ancestors.</note> Vasus,<note place="foot">Name of a class +of eight Gods, also wealthy.</note> +<pb n="555"/><anchor id="Pg555"/> +Sádhyas,<note place="foot">They who are to be served by Yogís; or a class of Gods named +Sádhyas.</note> Aśvins,<note place="foot">The two physicians of the Gods: or they who +pervade all beings.</note> Maruts,<note place="foot">They who are immortal; or a class +of Gods forty-nine in number.</note> Manu,<note place="foot">Omniscient; or the first +king of the world.</note> Váyu,<note place="foot">He that moves; life; or the God of +wind.</note> Vahni,<note place="foot">The God of fire.</note> Prajá,<note +place="foot">Lord of creatures.</note> Práṇa,<note place="foot">One who prolongs our +lives.</note> Ritukartá,<note place="foot">The material cause of knowledge and of the +seasons.</note> Prabhákara,<note place="foot">One who shines. The giver of light.</note> +(Thou,<note place="foot">The hymn entitled the Ádityahridaya begins from this verse and +the words, thou art, are understood in the beginning of this verse.</note> art) +Aditya,<note place="foot">One who enjoys all (pleasurable) objects; The son of Aditi, +the lord of the solar disk.</note> Savitá,<note place="foot">One who creates the world, +i.e., endows beings with life or soul, and by his rays causes rain and thereby produces +corn.</note> Súrya,<note place="foot">One who urges the world to action or puts the +world in motion, who is omnipresent.</note> Khaga,<note place="foot">One who walks +through the sky; or pervades the soul.</note> Púshan,<note place="foot">One who nourishes +the world, i.e., is the supporter.</note> Gabhastimán,<note place="foot">One having rays +(Gabhasti) or he who is possessed of the all-pervading goddess Lakshmí.</note> +Śuvarṇasadriśa,<note place="foot">One resembling gold.</note> Bhánu,<note +place="foot">One who is resplendent or who gives light to other objects.</note> +Hiraṇyaretas,<note place="foot">One whose seed (Retas) is gold; or quicksilver, the +material cause of gold.</note> Divákara,<note place="foot">One who is the cause of +day.</note> Haridaśva,<note place="foot">One whose horses are of tawny colour; or one who +pervades the whole space or quarters.</note> Sahasrárchish,<note place="foot">One whose +knowledge is boundless or who has a thousand rays.</note> Saptasapti,<note +place="foot">One who urges the seven (Práṇas) that is the two eyes, the two ears, the +nostrils and the organ of speech, or whose chariot, is drawn by seven horses.</note> +Marichimán,<note place="foot">Vide Gabhastimán.</note> Timironmathana,<note +place="foot">One who destroys darkness, or ignorance.</note> Sambhu,<note +place="foot">One from whom our blessings or the enjoyments of Paradise come.</note> +Twashtá,<note place="foot">The architect of the gods; or one who lessens the miseries of +our birth and death.</note> Mártanda,<note place="foot">One who gives life to the +lifeless world.</note> Anśumán,<note place="foot">One who pervades the internal and +external worlds; or one who is resplendent.</note> Hiranyagarbha,<note place="foot">He +who is identified with the Hindu triad, i.e. the creator (Brahmá) the supporter (Vishnu) +and the destroyer (Śiva).</note> Siśira,<note place="foot">Cold or good natured. He is so +called because he allays the three sorts of pain.</note> Tapana,<note place="foot">One +who is the lord of all.</note> Ahaskara,<note place="foot">Vide Divákara.</note> +Ravi,<note place="foot">One who teaches Brahmá and others the Vedas.</note> +Agnigarbha,<note place="foot">One from whom Rudra the destroyer or the third of the +Hindu triad springs.</note> Aditiputra,<note place="foot">One who is knowable through +Aditi, i.e., the eternal Brahmavidyá.</note> Sankha,<note place="foot">Great happiness +or the sky.</note> Siśiranáśana,<note place="foot">The destroyer of cold or +stupidity.</note> Vyomanátha,<note place="foot">The Lord of the sky.</note> +Tamobhedí,<note place="foot">Vide Timironmathana.</note> Rigyajussámapáraga,<note +place="foot">One who is known through the Upanishads.</note> Ghanavríshti,<note +place="foot">He who is the cause of heavy rain.</note> +<pb n="556"/><anchor id="Pg556"/> +Apám-Mitra,<note place="foot">He who is a friend to the good, or who is the cause of +water.</note> Vindhyavíthíplavangama,<note place="foot">One who moves in the solar +orbit.</note> Átapí,<note place="foot">One who determines the creation of the world; or +who is possessed of heat.</note> Mandalí,<note place="foot">One who has a mass of rays; +or who has Kaustubha and other precious stones as his ornaments.</note> Mrityu (death), +Pingala,<note place="foot">He who urges all to action; or who is yellow in colour.</note> +Sarvatápana,<note place="foot">One who is the destroyer of all.</note> Kavi,<note +place="foot">One who is omniscient; or a poet.</note> Viśva,<note place="foot">One who +is identified with the whole world.</note> Mahátejas,<note place="foot">One who is of +huge form.</note> Rakta,<note place="foot">One who pleases all by giving nourishment; or +who is red in colour.</note> Sarvabhavodbhava.<note place="foot">One who is the cause of +the whole world.</note> The Lord of stars, planets, and other luminous bodies, +Viśvabhávana,<note place="foot">One who protects the whole world.</note> +Tejasvinám-Tejasvi,<note place="foot">The most glorious of all that are glorious.</note> +Dwádaśátman:<note place="foot">One who is identical with the twelve months.</note> +I salute thee. I salute thee who art the eastern mountain. I salute thee who art the +western mountain. I salute thee who art the Lord of all the luminous bodies. I salute +thee who art the Lord of days. +</p> + +<p> +I respectfully salute thee who art Jaya,<note place="foot">One who gives victory over all +the worlds to those who are faithfully devoted to him; or the porter of Brahmá, named +Jaya.</note> Jayabhadra,<note place="foot">One who is identical with the blessing which +can be obtained by conquering all the worlds; or with the porter of Brahmá named +Jayabhadra.</note> Haryaśa,<note place="foot">One who has Hanúmán as his +conveyance.</note> O Thou who hast a thousand rays, I repeatedly salute thee. I +repeatedly and respectfully salute thee who art Áditya, I repeatedly salute thee who art +Ugra,<note place="foot">One who controls the senses; or is furious with those who are not +his devotees.</note> Víra,<note place="foot">He who is free in moving the senses; or +urges all beings to action.</note> and Sáranga.<note place="foot">He who can be known +through the Pranava (the mystical Om-kára.)</note> I salute thee who openest the lotuses +(or the lotus of the heart). I salute thee who art furious. I salute thee who art the +Lord of Brahmá, Śiva and Vishṇu. I salute thee who art the sun, Ádityavarchas,<note +place="foot">One who is the knowledge of Brahmá.</note> splendid, Sarvabhaksha,<note +place="foot">One who devours all things.</note>and Raudravapush.<note place="foot">He +who is the destroyer of all pains; and of love, and hate, the causes of pain; +and ignorance which is the cause of love and hate.</note> +</p> + +<p> +I salute thee who destroyest darkness, cold and enemies: whose form is +boundless, who art the destroyer of the ungrateful; who art Deva;<note place="foot">One +who is bliss; or the mover.</note> who art the Lord of the luminous bodies, and who +appearest like the heated gold. I salute thee who art Hari,<note place="foot">One who +destroys ignorance and its effects.</note> Viśvakarman,<note place="foot">The doer of +all actions.</note> the destroyer of darkness, and who art splendid and Lokasákshin.<note +place="foot">One who beholds the universe; who is a witness of good and bad +actions.</note> Yonder sun destroys the whole of the material world and also creates it. +Yonder sun dries (all earthly things), destroys them and causes rain with his rays. He +wakes when our senses are asleep; and resides within all beings. Yonder sun is +Agnihotra<note place="foot">Sacrifice of the five sensual fires.</note> +and also the fruit obtained by the +<pb n="557"/><anchor id="Pg557"/> +performer of Agnihotra. He is identified with the gods, sacrifices, and the fruit +of the sacrifices. He is the Lord of all the duties known to the world, if any +man, O Rághava, in calamities, miseries, forests and dangers, prays to yonder sun, +he is never overwhelmed by distress. +</p> + +<p> +<q rend="post">Worship, with close attention Him the God of gods and the Lord of the +world; and recite these verses thrice, whereby thou wilt be victorious in the battle. +O brave one, thou wilt kill Rávaṇa this very instant.</q> +</p> + +<p> +Thereupon Agastya having said this went away as he came. The glorious +Ráma having heard this became free from sorrow. Rághava whose senses were +under control, being pleased, committed the hymn to memory, recited it facing +the sun, and obtained great delight. The brave Ráma having sipped water thrice +and become pure took his bow, and seeing Rávaṇa, was delighted, and meditated +on the sun. +</p> + +</div> + +<pb n="558"/><anchor id="Pg558"/> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 492. Rávan's Funeral.</head> + +<p> +<q>In the funeral ceremonies of India the fire was placed on three sides of the +pyre; the <hi rend='italic'>Dakshiṇa</hi> on the south, the <hi +rend='italic'>Gárhapatya</hi> on the west, and the <hi rend='italic'>Áhavaníya</hi> +on the east. The funeral rites are not described in detail here, and it is therefore +difficult to elucidate and explain them. The poem assigns the funeral ceremonies +of Aryan Brahmans to the Rákshases, a race different from them in origin and +religion, in the same way as Homer sometimes introduces into Troy the rites of +the Grecian cult.</q> <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Gorresio.</hi> +</p> + +<p> +Mr. Muir translates the description of the funeral from the Calcutta edition, +as follows: <q>They formed, with Vedic rites, a funeral pile of faggots of sandal-wood, +with <hi rend='italic'>padmaka</hi> wood, <hi rend='italic'>uśira</hi> grass, and +sandal, and covered with a quilt of deer's hair. They then performed an unrivalled +obsequial ceremony for the Ráxasa prince, placing the sacrificial ground to +the S.E. and the fire in the proper situation. They cast the ladle filled +with curds and ghee on the shoulder<note place="foot">According to Ápastamba (says the +commentator) <q>it should have been placed on the nose: this must therefore have been +done in conformity with some other Sútras.</q></note> of the deceased; he +(?) placed the car on the feet, and the mortar between the thighs. Having +deposited all the wooden vessels, the [upper] and lower fire-wood, and the +other pestle, in their proper places, they departed. The Ráxasas having then slain +a victim to their prince in the manner prescribed in the Śástras, and enjoined by +great rishis, cast [into the fire] the coverlet of the king saturated with ghee. They +then, Vibhíshaṇa included, with afflicted hearts, adorned Rávaṇa with perfumes +and garlands, and with various vestments, and besprinkled him with fried grain. +Vibhíshaṇa having bathed, and having, with his clothes wet, scattered in proper +form <hi rend='italic'>tila</hi> seeds mixed with <hi rend='italic'>darbha</hi> +grass, and moistened with water, applied the fire [to the pile].</q> +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 496.</head> + +<p> +The following is a literal translation of Brahmá's address to Ráma according +to the Calcutta edition, text and commentary: +</p> + +<p> +<q>O Ráma, how dost thou, being the creator of all the world, best of all +those who have profound knowledge of the Upanishads and all-powerful as thou +art, suffer Sítá to fall in the fire? How dost thou not know thyself as the best +of the gods? Thou art one of the primeval Vasus,<note place="foot">A class of eight +gods.</note> and also their lord and creator. Thou art thyself the lord and +first creator of the three worlds. Thou art the eighth (that is Mahádeva) of +the Rudras,<note place="foot">A class of eleven gods called Rudras.</note> and also the +fifth<note place="foot">Named Víryaván.</note> of the Sádhyas.<note place="foot">A +class of divine devotees named Sádhyas.</note> +(The poet describes Ráma as made of the following gods) The Aśvinikumáras +(the twin divine physicians of the gods) are thy ears; the sun and the moon are thy +eyes; and thou hast been seen in the beginning and at the end of creation. How +dost thou neglect the daughter of Videha (Janaka} like a man whose actions are +directed by the dictates of nature?</q> Thus addressed by Indra, Brahmá and +<pb n="559"/><anchor id="Pg559"/> +the other gods, Ráma the descendant of Raghu, lord of the world and the best of +the virtuous, spoke to the chief of the gods. <q>As I take myself to be a man of +the name of Ráma and son of Daśaratha, therefore, sir, please tell me who I am +and whence have I come.</q> <q>O thou whose might is never failing,</q> said Brahmá +to Kákutstha the foremost of those who thoroughly know Brahmá, <q>Thou art +Náráyaṇa,<note place="foot">One who resides in the water.</note> almighty, possessed +of fortune, and armed with the discus. Thou art the boar<note place="foot">The third +incarnation of Vishṇu, that bore the earth on his tusk.</note> with one tusk; the +conqueror of thy past and future foes. Thou art Brahmá true and eternal or undecaying. +Thou art Viśvaksena,<note place="foot">One whose armies are everywhere.</note> having +four arms; Thou art Hrishíkeśa,<note place="foot">One who controls the senses.</note> +whose bow is made of horn; Thou art Purusha,<note place="foot">He who resides in the +heart, or who is full, or all-pervading.</note> the best of all beings; Thou art one who +is never defeated by any body; Thou art the holder of the sword (named Nandaka). Thou art +Vishṇu (the pervader of all); blue in colour: of great might; the commander of armies; +and lord of villages. Thou art truth. Thou art embodied intelligence, forgiveness, +control over the senses, creation, and destruction. Thou art Upendra<note +place="foot">Vámana, or the Dwarf incarnation of Vishṇu.</note> and Madhusúdana.<note +place="foot">The killer of Madhu, a demon.</note> Thou art the creator of Indra, the +ruler over all the world, Padmanábha,<note place="foot">He from whose navel, the lotus, +from which Brahmá was born, springs.</note> and destroyer of enemies in the battle. The +divine Rishis call thee shelter of refugees, as well as the giver of shelter. Thou hast a +thousand horns,<note place="foot">He who has a thousand horns. The horns are here the +Sákhás of the Sáma-veda.</note> a hundred heads.<note place="foot">One who has a hundred +heads. The heads are here meant to devote a hundred commandments of the Vedas.</note> +Thou art respected of the respected; and the lord and first creator of the three worlds. +Thou art the forefather and shelter of Siddhas,<note place="foot">Siddhas are those who +have already gained the summit of their desires.</note> and Sádhyas.<note +place="foot">Sádhyas are those that are still trying to gain the summit.</note> Thou art +sacrifices; Vashaṭkára,<note place="foot">A mystic syllable uttered in Mantras.</note> +Omkára.<note place="foot">A mystic syllable made of the letters which respectively denote +Brahmá, Vishṇu, and Śiva.</note> Thou art beyond those who are beyond our senses. +There is none who knows who thou art and who knows thy beginning and end. +Thou art seen in all material objects, in Bráhmans, in cows, and also in all the +quarters, sky and streams. Thou hast a thousand feet, a hundred heads, and a +thousand eyes. Thou hast borne the material objects and the earth with the +mountains; and at the bottom of the ocean thou art seen the great serpent. O +Ráma, Thou hast borne the three worlds, gods, Gandharvas,<note place="foot">A class of +divine gods.</note> and demons. I am, O Ráma, thy heart; the goddess of learning is thy +tongue; the gods are the hairs of thy body; the closing of thy eyelids is called the +night: and their opening is called the day. The Vedas are thy Sanskáras.<note +place="foot">Sanskáras are those sacred writings through which the divine commands and +prohibitions are known.</note> Nothing can exist without thee. The whole world is +thy body; the surface of the earth is thy stability.</q> +</p> + +<pb n="560"/><anchor id="Pg560"/> + +<p> +<q rend="post">O Śrívatsalakshaṇa, fire is thy anger, and the moon is thy favour. In the +time of thy incarnation named Vámana, thou didst pervade the three worlds with thy +three steps; and Mahendra was made the king of paradise by thee having confined +the fearful Bali.<note place="foot">Bali, a demon whom Vámana confined in Pátála.</note> +Sítá (thy wife) is Lakshmí; and thou art the God Vishṇu,<note place="foot">Vishṇu, the +second of the Hindu triad.</note> Krishṇa,<note place="foot">Krishṇa, (black coloured) +one of the ten incarnations of Vishṇu.</note> and Prajápati. To kill Rávaṇ thou hast +assumed the form of a man; therefore, O best of the virtuous, thou hast completed this +task imposed by us (gods). O Ráma, Rávaṇa has been killed by thee: now being joyful +(i.e. having for some time reigned in the kingdom of Ayodhyá,) go to paradise. O glorious +Ráma, thy power and thy valour are never failing. The visit to thee and the +prayers made to thee are never fruitless. Thy devotees will never be unsuccessful. +Thy devotees who obtain thee (thy favour) who art first and best of mankind, +shall obtain their desires in this world as well as in the next. They who recite +this prayer, founded on the Vedas (or first uttered by the sages), and the old and +divine account of (Ráma) shall never suffer defeat.</q> +</p> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Page 503. The Meeting.</head> + +<p> +The <hi rend='italic'>Bharat-Miláp</hi> or meeting with Bharat, is the closing scene of +the dramatic representation of Ráma's great victory and triumphant return which +takes place annually in October in many of the cities of Northern India. The +Rám-Lalá or Play of Ráma, as the great drama is called, is performed in the open +air and lasts with one day's break through fifteen successive days. At Benares +there are three nearly simultaneous performances, one provided by H. H. the +Maharajah of Benares near his palace at Ramnaggur, one by H. H. the Maharajah +of Vizianagram near the Missionary settlement at Sigra and at other places in +the city, and one by the leading gentry of the city at Chowká Ghát near the +College. The scene especially on the great day when the brothers meet is most +interesting: the procession of elephants with their gorgeous howdahs of silver and +gold and their magnificently dressed riders with priceless jewels sparkling in their +turbans, the enthusiasm of the thousands of spectators who fill the streets and +squares, the balconies and the housetops, the flowers that are rained down upon +the advancing car, the wild music, the shouting and the joy, make an impression +that is not easily forgotten. +</p> + +<lg> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Still on his head, well trained in lore</hi></l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Of duty, Ráma's shoes he bore.</hi></l> +</lg> + +<p> +Ráma's shoes are here regarded as the emblems of royalty or possession. +We may compare the Hebrew <q>Over Edom will I cast forth my shoe.</q> A curiously +similar passage occurs in <hi rend="font-variant: small-caps">Lyschander's</hi> +<hi rend='italic'>Chronicon Greenlandiæ Rhythmicon</hi>: +</p> + +<lg> +<l><q rend="pre">Han sendte til Irland sin skiden skoe,</q></l> +<l>Og böd den Konge. Som der monne boe,</l> +<l>Han skulde dem hæderlig bære</l> +<l>Pan Juuledag i sin kongelig Pragt,</l> +<l>Og kjende han havde sit Rige og Magt</l> +<l><q rend="post">Af Norges og Quernes Herre.</q></l> +</lg> + +<pb n="561"/><anchor id="Pg561"/> + +<lg> +<l>He sent to Ireland his dirty shoes,</l> +<l>And commanded the king who lived there</l> +<l>To wear them with honour</l> +<l>On Christmas Day in his royal state,</l> +<l>And to own that he had his kingdom and power</l> +<l>From the Lord of Norway and the Isles.</l> +<l><hi rend='italic'>Notes & Queries, March 30, 1872.</hi></l> +</lg> + +</div> + +<div> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>Final Notes.</head> + +<p> +I end these notes with an extract which I translate from Signor Gorresio's +Preface to the tenth volume of his Rámáyan, and I take this opportunity of again +thankfully acknowledging my great obligations to this eminent Śanskritist from +whom I have so frequently borrowed. As Mr. Muir has observed, the Bengal recension +which Signor Gorresio has most ably edited is throughout an admirable +commentary on the genuine Rámáyan of northern India, and I have made constant +reference to the faithful and elegant translation which accompanies the text +for assistance and confirmation in difficulties: +</p> + +<p> +<q rend="pre">Towards the southern extremity and in the island of Lanká (Ceylon) there +existed undoubtedly a black and ferocious race, averse to the Aryans and hostile +to their mode of worship: their ramifications extended through the islands of the +Archipelago, and some traces of them remain in Java to this day.</q> +</p> + +<p> +The Sanskrit-Indians, applying to this race a name expressive of hatred +which occurs in the Vedas as the name of hostile, savage and detested beings, +called it the Rákshas race: it is against these Rákshases that the expedition of +Ráma which the Rámáyan celebrates is directed. The Sanskrit-Indians certainly +altered in their traditions the real character of this race: they attributed to it +physical and moral qualities not found in human nature; they transformed it +into a race of giants; they represented it as monstrous, hideous, truculent, changing +forms at will, blood-thirsty and ravenous, just as the Semites represented the +races that opposed them as impious, horrible and of monstrous size. But notwithstanding +these mythical exaggerations, which are partly due to the genius of the +Aryans so prone to magnify everything without measure, the Rámáyan in the +course of its epic narration has still preserved and noted here and there some traits +and peculiarities of the race which reveal its true character. It represents the +Rákshases as black of hue, and compares them with black clouds and masses of +black collyrium; it attributes to them curly woolly hair and thick lips, it depicts +them as loaded with chains, collars and girdles of gold, and the other bright ornaments +which their race has always loved, and in which the kindred races of the +Soudan still delight. It describes them as worshippers of matter and force. +They are hostile to the religion of the Aryans whose rites and sacrifices they +disturb and ruin … Such is the Rákshas race as represented in the Rámáyan; and +the war of the Aryan Ráma forms the subject of the epic, a subject certainly real +and historical as far as regards its substance, but greatly exaggerated by the +ancient myth. In Sanskrit-Indian tradition are found traces of another struggle +of the Aryans with the Rákshas races, which preceded the war of Ráma. According +to some pauranic legends, Kárttavírya, a descendant of the royal tribe of the +Yádavas, contemporary with Parasurama and a little anterior to Ráma, attacked +Lanká and took Rávaṇ prisoner. This well shows how ancient and how deeply +rooted in the Aryan race is the thought of this war which the Rámáyan celebrates. +</p> + +<pb n="562"/><anchor id="Pg562"/> + +<p> +<q>But,</q> says an eminent Indianist<note place="foot">A. Weber, +<hi rend='italic'>Akademische Vorlesungen</hi>, p. 181.</note> +whose learning I highly appreciate, +<q>the Rámáyan is an allegorical epic, and no precise and historical value can be +assigned to it. Sítá signifies the furrow made by the plough, and under this +symbolical aspect has already appeared honoured with worship in the hymns of +the Rig-veda; Ráma is the bearer of the plough (this assertion is entirely gratuitous); +these two allegorical personages represented agriculture introduced to +the southern regions of India by the race of the Kosalas from whom Ráma was +descended; the Rákshases on whom he makes war are races of demons and giants +who have little or nothing human about them; allegory therefore predominates +in the poem, and the exact reality of an historical event must not be looked for +in it.</q> Such is Professor Weber's opinion. If he means to say that mythical +fictions are mingled with real events, +</p> + +<lg> +<l>Forsan in alcun vero suo arco percuote,</l> +</lg> + +<p> +as Dante says, and I fully concede the point. The interweaving of the myth with +the historical truth belongs to the essence, so to speak, of the primitive epopeia. +If Sítá is born, as the Rámáyan feigns, from the furrow which King Janak opened +when he ploughed the earth, not a whit more real is the origin of Helen and +Æneas as related in Homer and Virgil, and if the characters in the Rámáyan +exceed human nature, and in a greater degree perhaps than is the case in analogous +epics, this springs in part from the nature of the subject and still more from +the symbol-loving genius of the orient. Still the characters of the Rámáyan, +although they exceed more or less the limits of human nature, act notwithstanding +in the course of the poem, speak, feel, rejoice and grieve according to the natural +impulse of human passions. But if by saying that the Rámáyan is an allegorical +epic, it is meant that its fundamental subject is nothing but allegory, that the war +of the Aryan Ráma against the Rákshas race is an allegory, that the conquest of +the southern region and of the island of Lanká is an allegory, I do not hesitate +to answer that such a presumption cannot be admitted and that the thing is in my +opinion impossible. Father Paolíno da S. Bartolommeo,<note place="foot">Systema +brahmanicum, liturgicum, mythologicum, civile, exmonumentis +Indicis, etc.</note> had already, together +with other strange opinions of his own on Indian matters, brought forward a +similar idea, that is to say that the exploit of Ráma which is the subject of the +Rámáyan was a symbol and represented the course of the sun: thus he imagined +that Brahmá was the earth, Vishṇu the water, and that his avatárs were the +blessings brought by the fertilizing waters, etc. But such ideas, born at a time +when Indo-sanskrit antiquities were enveloped in darkness, have been dissipated +by the light of new studies. How could an epic so dear in India to the memory +of the people, so deeply rooted for many centuries in the minds of all, so propagated +and diffused through all the dialects and languages of those regions, +which had become the source of many dramas which are still represented in +India, which is itself represented every year with such magnificence and to such +crowds of people in the neighbourhood of Ayodhyá, a poem welcomed at its very +birth with such favour, as the legend relates, that the recitation of it by the first +wandering Rhapsodists has consecrated and made famous all the places celebrated +<pb n="563"/><anchor id="Pg563"/> +by them, and where Ráma made a shorter or longer stay, how, I ask, could such +an epic have been purely allegorical? How, upon a pure invention, upon a simple +allegory, could a poem have been composed of about fifty thousand verses, relating +with such force and power the events, and giving details with such exactness? +On a theme purely allegorical there may easily be composed a short mythical +poem, as for example a poem on Proserpine or Psyche: but never an epic so full +of traditions and historical memories, so intimately connected with the life of +the people, as the Rámáyan.<note place="foot">Not only have the races of India +translated or epitomized it, but foreign nations have appropriated it wholly or in +part, Persia, Java, and Japan itself.</note> Excessive readiness to find allegory +whenever some traces of symbolism occur, where the myth partly veils the historical +reality, may lead and often has led to error. What poetical work of mythical times could +stand this mode of trial? could there not be made, or rather has there not been +made a work altogether allegorical, out of the Homeric poems? We have all +heard of the ingenious idea of the anonymous writer, who in order to prove how +easily we may pass beyond the truth in our wish to seek and find allegory everywhere, +undertook with keen subtlety to prove that the great personality of +Napoleon I. was altogether allegorical and represented the sun. Napoleon was +born in an island, his course was from west to east, his twelve marshals were the +twelve signs of the zodiac, etc. +</p> + +<p> +I conclude then, that the fundamental theme of the Rámáyan, that is to +say the war of the Aryan Ráma against the Rákshases, an Hamitic race settled +in the south, ought to be regarded as real and historical as far as regards its +substance, although the mythic element intermingled with the true sometimes alters +its natural and genuine aspect. +</p> + +<p> +How then did the Indo-Sanskrit epopeia form and complete itself? What +elements did it interweave in its progress? How did it embody, how did it clothe +the naked and simple primitive datum? We must first of all remember that the +Indo-European races possessed the epic genius in the highest degree, and that +they alone in the different regions they occupied produced epic poetry … But other +causes and particular influences combined to nourish and develop the epic germ +of the Sanskrit-Indians. Already in the Rig-veda are found hymns in which the +Aryan genius preluded, so to speak, to the future epopeia, in songs that celebrated +the heroic deeds of Indra, the combats and the victories of the tutelary Gods +of the Aryan races over enemies secret or open, human or superhuman, the exploits +and the memories of ancient heroes. More recently, at certain solemn +occasions, as the very learned A. Weber remarks, at the solemnity, for example +of the Aśvamedha or sacrifice of the horse, the praises of the king who ordained +the great rite were sung by bards and minstrels in songs composed for the purpose, +the memories of past times were recalled and honourable mention was made +of the just and pious kings of old. In the <hi rend='italic'>Bráhmaṇas</hi>, a sort of +prose commentaries annexed to the Vedas, are found recorded stories and legends which +allude to historical events of the past ages, to ancient memories, and to mythical +events. Such popular legends which the <hi rend='italic'>Bráhmaṇas</hi> undoubtedly +gathered from tradition admirably suited the epic tissue with which they were interwoven +by successive hands.… Many and various mythico-historical traditions, suitable for +epic development, were diffused among the Aryan races, those for example which are +related +<pb n="564"/><anchor id="Pg564"/> +in the four chapters containing the description of the earth, the Descent of the +Ganges, etc. The epic genius however sometimes created beings of its own and +gave body and life to ideal conceptions. Some of the persons in the Rámáyan +must be, in my opinion, either personifications of the forces of nature like those +which are described with such vigour in the <hi rend='italic'>Sháhnámah</hi>, or if not +exactly created, exaggerated beyond human proportions; others, vedic personages much more +ancient than Ráma, were introduced into the epic and woven into its narrations, to +bring together men who lived in different and distant ages, as has been the case +in times nearer to our own, in the epics, I mean, of the middle ages. +</p> + +<p> +<q rend="post">In the introduction I have discussed the antiquity of the Rámáyan; +and by means of those critical and inductive proofs which are all that an +antiquity without precise historical dates can furnish I have endeavoured to +establish with all the certainty that the subject admitted, that the original +composition of the Rámáyan is to be assigned to about the twelfth century before +the Christian era. Not that I believe that the epic then sprang to life in the +form in which we now possess it; I think, and I have elsewhere expressed the +opinion, that the poem during the course of its rhapsodical and oral propagation +appropriated by way of episodes, traditions, legends and ancient myths.… But +as far as regards the epic poem properly so called which celebrates the expedition +of Ráma against the Rákshases I think that I have sufficiently shown that +its origin and first appearance should be placed about the twelfth century B.C.; +nor have I hitherto met with anything to oppose this chronological result, or to +oblige me to rectify or reject it.… But an eminent philologist already quoted, +deeply versed in these studies, A. Weber, has expressed in some of his writings a +totally different opinion; and the authority of his name, if not the number and +cogency of his arguments, compels me to say something on the subject. From +the fact or rather the assumption that Megasthenes<note place="foot">In the third +century B.C.</note> who lived some time in +India has made no mention either of the Mahábhárat or the Rámáyan Professor +Weber argues that neither of these poems could have existed at that time; as regards +the Rámáyan, the unity of its composition, the chain that binds together +its different parts, and its allegorical character, show it, says Professor Weber, to +be much more recent than the age to which I have assigned it, near to our own +era, and according to him, later than the Mahábhárat. As for Megasthenes it +should be observed, that he did not write a history of India, much less a literary +history or anything at all resembling one, but a simple description, in great part +physical, of India: whence, from his silence on literary matters to draw inferences +regarding the history of Sanskrit literature would be the same thing as +from the silence of a geologist with respect to the literature of a country whose +valleys, mountains, and internal structure he is exploring, to conjecture that such +and such a poem or history not mentioned by him did not exist at his time. We +have only to look at the fragments of Megasthenes collected and published by +Schwanbeck to see what was the nature and scope of his <hi rend='italic'>Indica</hi>.… +But only a few fragments of Megasthenes are extant; and to pretend that they +should be argument and proof enough to judge the antiquity of a poem is to press +the laws of criticism too far. To Professor Weber's argument as to the more or +<pb n="565"/><anchor id="Pg565"/> +less recent age of the Rámáyan from the unity of its composition, I will make +one sole reply, which is that if unity of composition were really a proof of a more +recent age, it would be necessary to reduce by a thousand years at least the age +of Homer and bring him down to the age of Augustus and Virgil; for certainly +there is much more unity of composition, a greater accord and harmony of parts +in the Iliad and the Odyssey than in the Rámáyan. But in the fine arts perfection +is no proof of a recent age: while the experience and the continuous labour +of successive ages are necessary to extend and perfect the physical or natural +sciences, art which is spontaneous in its nature can produce and has produced in +remote times works of such perfection as later ages have not been able to equal.</q> +</p> + +</div> + +</div> + +<pb n="566"/><anchor id="Pg566"/> + +<div rend="page-break-before: always"> +<index index="toc"/> +<index index="pdf"/> +<head>INDEX OF PRINCIPAL NAMES</head> + +<p>Abhijit, <ref target="Pg024">24</ref>.</p> + +<p>Abhikála, <ref target="Pg176">176</ref>.</p> + +<p>Abhíra, <ref target="Pg444">444</ref>.</p> + +<p>Abravanti, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>.</p> + +<p>Aditi, <ref target="Pg031">31</ref>, <ref target="Pg057">57</ref>, <ref target="Pg058">58</ref>, <ref target="Pg125">125</ref>, <ref target="Pg201">201</ref>, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ádityas, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>, <ref target="Pg403">403</ref>.</p> + +<p>Agastya, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg040">40</ref>, <ref target="Pg132">132</ref>, <ref target="Pg151">151</ref>, <ref target="Pg239">239</ref>, <ref target="Pg240">240</ref>, <ref target="Pg242">242</ref>, <ref target="Pg244">244</ref>, <ref target="Pg262">262</ref>, <ref target="Pg265">265</ref>, <ref target="Pg280">280</ref>, <ref target="Pg375">375</ref>, <ref target="Pg480">480</ref>, <ref target="Pg491">491</ref>, <ref target="Pg500">500</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ágneya, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>.</p> + +<p>Agni, <ref target="Pg028">28</ref>, <ref target="Pg074">74</ref>, <ref target="Pg109">109</ref>, <ref target="Pg132">132</ref>, <ref target="Pg240">240</ref>, <ref target="Pg243">243</ref>, <ref target="Pg276">276</ref>.</p> + +<p>Agnivarṇa, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>.</p> + +<p>Agniketu, <ref target="Pg433">433</ref> note, <ref target="Pg459">459</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ahalyá, <ref target="Pg060">60</ref>, <ref target="Pg061">61</ref>, <ref target="Pg062">62</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ailadhána, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>.</p> + +<p>Air, <ref target="Pg002">2</ref>, <ref target="Pg028">28</ref>, <ref target="Pg203">203</ref>.</p> + +<p>Airávat, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>, <ref target="Pg110">110</ref>, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref>, <ref target="Pg267">267</ref>, <ref target="Pg335">335</ref>, <ref target="Pg399">399</ref>, <ref target="Pg402">402</ref>, <ref target="Pg415">415</ref>, <ref target="Pg429">429</ref>, <ref target="Pg437">437</ref>, <ref target="Pg472">472</ref>.</p> + +<p>Aja, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>, <ref target="Pg465">465</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ájas, <ref target="Pg270">270</ref>, <ref target="Pg271">271</ref>.</p> + +<p>Akampan, <ref target="Pg265">265</ref>, <ref target="Pg266">266</ref>, <ref target="Pg468">468</ref>, <ref target="Pg481">481</ref>.</p> + +<p>Aksha, <ref target="Pg006">6</ref>, <ref target="Pg420">420</ref>, <ref target="Pg469">469</ref>, <ref target="Pg471">471</ref>.</p> + +<p>Akurvati, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>.</p> + +<p>Alaka, <ref target="Pg203">203</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Alambúshá, <ref target="Pg059">59</ref>, <ref target="Pg198">198</ref>, <ref target="Pg199">199</ref>.</p> + +<p>Alarka, <ref target="Pg104">104</ref>, <ref target="Pg107">107</ref>.</p> + +<p>Amarávatí, <ref target="Pg013">13</ref>, <ref target="Pg203">203</ref> note, <ref target="Pg286">286</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ambarísha, <ref target="Pg072">72</ref>, <ref target="Pg073">73</ref>, <ref target="Pg074">74</ref>, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>.</p> + +<p>Amúrtarajas, <ref target="Pg046">46</ref>.</p> + +<p>Anala, <ref target="Pg455">455</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Analá, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ananta, <ref target="Pg373">373</ref>.</p> + +<p>Anaraṇya, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>, <ref target="Pg470">470</ref>.</p> + +<p>Anasúyá, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg226">226</ref>, <ref target="Pg227">227</ref>, <ref target="Pg228">228</ref>.</p> + +<p>Andhak, <ref target="Pg264">264</ref>.</p> + +<p>Andhras, <ref target="Pg549">549</ref>.</p> + +<p>Anga, <ref target="Pg038">38</ref>.</p> + +<p>Angad, <ref target="Pg342">342</ref>, <ref target="Pg348">348</ref>, <ref target="Pg350">350</ref>, <ref target="Pg352">352</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg363">363</ref>, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note, <ref target="Pg367">367</ref>, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>, <ref target="Pg379">379</ref> ff, <ref target="Pg391">391</ref>, <ref target="Pg402">402</ref>, <ref target="Pg425">425</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg439">439</ref>, <ref target="Pg442">442</ref>, <ref target="Pg445">445</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>, <ref target="Pg456">456</ref>, <ref target="Pg458">458</ref>, <ref target="Pg459">459</ref>, <ref target="Pg475">475</ref>, <ref target="Pg479">479</ref> ff, <ref target="Pg505">505</ref>.</p> + +<p>Angas, <ref target="Pg015">15</ref>, <ref target="Pg018">18</ref>, <ref target="Pg019">19</ref>, <ref target="Pg021">21</ref>, <ref target="Pg102">102</ref>.</p> + +<p>Angiras, <ref target="Pg133">133</ref>, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>.</p> + +<p>Anjan, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>, <ref target="Pg368">368</ref>, <ref target="Pg369">369</ref>.</p> + +<p>Anjaná, <ref target="Pg392">392</ref>.</p> + +<p>Anśudhána, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>.</p> + +<p>Anśumán, <ref target="Pg050">50</ref>, <ref target="Pg053">53</ref>, <ref target="Pg056">56</ref>, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>.</p> + +<p>Anuhláda, <ref target="Pg370">370</ref>.</p> + +<p>Aparparyat, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>.</p> + +<p>Apartála, <ref target="Pg175">175</ref>.</p> + +<p>Apsarases, <ref target="Pg057">57</ref>, <ref target="Pg198">198</ref>, <ref target="Pg199">199</ref>, <ref target="Pg229">229</ref>, <ref target="Pg378">378</ref>.</p> + +<p>Aptoryám, <ref target="Pg024">24</ref>.</p> + +<p>Arishta, <ref target="Pg424">424</ref>, <ref target="Pg425">425</ref>.</p> + +<p>Aríshṭanemi, <ref target="Pg049">49</ref>, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>, <ref target="Pg392">392</ref>.</p> + +<p>Arjun, <ref target="Pg086">86</ref>.</p> + +<p>Arjuna, <ref target="Pg518">518</ref>.</p> + +<p>Arthasádhak, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>.</p> + +<p>Aruṇ, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>,</p> + +<p>Arundhatí, <ref target="Pg019">19</ref>, <ref target="Pg244">244</ref>, <ref target="Pg413">413</ref>.</p> + +<p>Aryaman, <ref target="Pg124">124</ref>.</p> + +<p>Áryan, <ref target="Pg092">92</ref>.</p> + +<p>Asamanj, <ref target="Pg050">50</ref>, <ref target="Pg053">53</ref>, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg138">138</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>.</p> + +<p>Asit, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>.</p> + +<p>Aśok, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>, <ref target="Pg175">175</ref>.</p> + +<p>Aśoka, <ref target="Pg006">6</ref>, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>, <ref target="Pg101">101</ref>, <ref target="Pg205">205</ref>, <ref target="Pg278">278</ref>, <ref target="Pg296">296</ref>, <ref target="Pg297">297</ref>, <ref target="Pg300">300</ref>, <ref target="Pg318">318</ref>, <ref target="Pg321">321</ref>, <ref target="Pg357">357</ref>, <ref target="Pg403">403</ref>, <ref target="Pg444">444</ref>, <ref target="Pg452">452</ref>, <ref target="Pg456">456</ref>.</p> + +<p>Asta, <ref target="Pg377">377</ref>, <ref target="Pg379">379</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Asurs, <ref target="Pg057">57</ref>, <ref target="Pg058">58</ref>, <ref target="Pg380">380</ref>, <ref target="Pg381">381</ref>, <ref target="Pg387">387</ref>, <ref target="Pg394">394</ref>, <ref target="Pg407">407</ref>, <ref target="Pg413">413</ref>, <ref target="Pg420">420</ref>.</p> + +<p>Aśvagríva, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Aśvamedh, <ref target="Pg029">29</ref>, <ref target="Pg236">236</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Aśvapati, <ref target="Pg089">89</ref>, <ref target="Pg131">131</ref>, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>, <ref target="Pg183">183</ref>.</p> + +<p>Aśvatarí, <ref target="Pg346">346</ref>.</p> + +<p>Aśvin, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>.</p> + +<p>Aśvíní, <ref target="Pg343">343</ref>.</p> + +<p>Aśvins, <ref target="Pg028">28</ref>, <ref target="Pg036">36</ref>, <ref target="Pg060">60</ref>, <ref target="Pg062">62</ref>, <ref target="Pg163">163</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>, <ref target="Pg339">339</ref>, <ref target="Pg343">343</ref>, <ref target="Pg403">403</ref>, <ref target="Pg490">490</ref>.</p> + +<p>Atikáya, <ref target="Pg468">468</ref>, <ref target="Pg478">478</ref> ff.</p> + +<p>Atirátra, <ref target="Pg024">24</ref>.</p> + +<p>Atri, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>, <ref target="Pg561">561</ref>.</p> + +<p>Aurva, <ref target="Pg373">373</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Avantí, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>.</p> + +<p>Avindhya, <ref target="Pg415">415</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ayodhyá, <ref target="Pg004">4</ref>, <ref target="Pg006">6</ref>, <ref target="Pg011">11</ref>, <ref target="Pg012">12</ref>, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>, <ref target="Pg019">19</ref>, <ref target="Pg032">32</ref>, <ref target="Pg033">33</ref>, <ref target="Pg038">38</ref>, <ref target="Pg049">49</ref>, <ref target="Pg070">70</ref>, <ref target="Pg072">72</ref>, <ref target="Pg079">79</ref>, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg083">83</ref>, <ref target="Pg084">84</ref>, <ref target="Pg085">85</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>, <ref target="Pg095">95</ref>, <ref target="Pg096">96</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Ayomukh, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ayomukhi, <ref target="Pg310">310</ref>.</p> + +<pb n="567"/><anchor id="Pg567"/> + +<p>Báhíka, <ref target="Pg176">176</ref>.</p> + +<p>Bahuputra, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>.</p> + +<p>Bala, <ref target="Pg264">264</ref>.</p> + +<p>Bálakhilyas, <ref target="Pg063">63</ref>, <ref target="Pg235">235</ref>, <ref target="Pg270">270</ref>, <ref target="Pg271">271</ref>, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>.</p> + +<p>Bali, <ref target="Pg043">43</ref>, <ref target="Pg059">59</ref>, <ref target="Pg107">107</ref>, <ref target="Pg275">275</ref>, <ref target="Pg302">302</ref>, <ref target="Pg421">421</ref>.</p> + +<p>Báli, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg029">29</ref>, <ref target="Pg318">318</ref>, <ref target="Pg324">324</ref>, <ref target="Pg328">328</ref>, <ref target="Pg329">329</ref>, <ref target="Pg333">333</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg344">344</ref>, <ref target="Pg356">356</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg362">362</ref>, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref>, <ref target="Pg366">366</ref>, <ref target="Pg367">367</ref>, <ref target="Pg379">379</ref>, <ref target="Pg380">380</ref>, <ref target="Pg391">391</ref>, <ref target="Pg404">404</ref>, <ref target="Pg412">412</ref>, <ref target="Pg420">420</ref>, <ref target="Pg440">440</ref>, <ref target="Pg442">442</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>, <ref target="Pg456">456</ref>, <ref target="Pg458">458</ref>, <ref target="Pg475">475</ref>, <ref target="Pg478">478</ref>, <ref target="Pg500">500</ref>, <ref target="Pg503">503</ref>, <ref target="Pg505">505</ref>.</p> + +<p>Barbars, <ref target="Pg066">66</ref>.</p> + +<p>Beauty, <ref target="Pg026">26</ref>, <ref target="Pg029">29</ref>, <ref target="Pg058">58</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>, <ref target="Pg283">283</ref>, <ref target="Pg455">455</ref>.</p> + +<p>Bhadamadrá, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Bhadra, <ref target="Pg052">52</ref>.</p> + +<p>Bhaga, <ref target="Pg124">124</ref>, <ref target="Pg243">243</ref>.</p> + +<p>Bhagírath, <ref target="Pg053">53</ref>, <ref target="Pg054">54</ref>, <ref target="Pg055">55</ref>, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>, <ref target="Pg372">372</ref>.</p> + +<p>Bhágírathí, <ref target="Pg056">56</ref>.</p> + +<p>Bharadvája, <ref target="Pg004">4</ref>, <ref target="Pg007">7</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>, <ref target="Pg158">158</ref>, <ref target="Pg159">159</ref>, <ref target="Pg193">193</ref>, <ref target="Pg196">196</ref>, <ref target="Pg197">197</ref>, <ref target="Pg199">199</ref>, <ref target="Pg200">200</ref>, <ref target="Pg201">201</ref>, <ref target="Pg501">501</ref>.</p> + +<p>Bharat, <ref target="Pg004">4</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>, <ref target="Pg032">32</ref>, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg083">83</ref>, <ref target="Pg084">84</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>, <ref target="Pg089">89</ref>, <ref target="Pg094">94</ref>, <ref target="Pg097">97</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Bharatas, <ref target="Pg550">550</ref>.</p> + +<p>Bháruṇḍa, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>.</p> + +<p>Bhásí, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Bhásakarṇa, <ref target="Pg420">420</ref>.</p> + +<p>Bhava, <ref target="Pg078">78</ref>.</p> + +<p>Bhímá, <ref target="Pg198">198</ref>.</p> + +<p>Bhogavatí, <ref target="Pg012">12</ref> note, <ref target="Pg267">267</ref>, <ref target="Pg375">375</ref>.</p> + +<p>Bhrigu, <ref target="Pg040">40</ref>, <ref target="Pg063">63</ref>, <ref target="Pg073">73</ref>, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg085">85</ref>, <ref target="Pg086">86</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>, <ref target="Pg133">133</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>.</p> + +<p>Brahmá, <ref target="Pg006">6</ref>, <ref target="Pg007">7</ref>, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>, <ref target="Pg019">19</ref>, <ref target="Pg025">25</ref>, <ref target="Pg026">26</ref>, <ref target="Pg033">33</ref>, <ref target="Pg038">38</ref>, <ref target="Pg039">39</ref>, <ref target="Pg042">42</ref>, <ref target="Pg046">46</ref>, <ref target="Pg048">48</ref>, <ref target="Pg054">54</ref>, <ref target="Pg056">56</ref>, <ref target="Pg059">59</ref>, <ref target="Pg061">61</ref>, <ref target="Pg063">63</ref>, <ref target="Pg065">65</ref>, <ref target="Pg067">67</ref>, <ref target="Pg068">68</ref>, <ref target="Pg074">74</ref>, <ref target="Pg075">75</ref>, <ref target="Pg077">77</ref>, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Brahmadatta, <ref target="Pg046">46</ref>, <ref target="Pg047">47</ref>.</p> + +<p>Brahmádikas, <ref target="Pg133">133</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Bhrahmamálas, <ref target="Pg548">548</ref>.</p> + +<p>Budha, <ref target="Pg287">287</ref>.</p> + +<p>Buddhist, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>.</p> + +<p>Cancer, <ref target="Pg109">109</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ceylon, <ref target="Pg375">375</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Chaitra, <ref target="Pg091">91</ref>.</p> + +<p>Chaitraratha, <ref target="Pg041">41</ref>, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>, <ref target="Pg199">199</ref>, <ref target="Pg267">267</ref>, <ref target="Pg279">279</ref>, <ref target="Pg315">315</ref>, <ref target="Pg493">493</ref>.</p> + +<p>Chakraván, <ref target="Pg376">376</ref>.</p> + +<p>Champá, <ref target="Pg030">30</ref>.</p> + +<p>Chaṇḍa, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>.</p> + +<p>Chaṇḍála, <ref target="Pg069">69</ref>, <ref target="Pg070">70</ref>.</p> + +<p>Chandra, <ref target="Pg464">464</ref>.</p> + +<p>Chatushṭom, <ref target="Pg024">24</ref>.</p> + +<p>Chitrá, <ref target="Pg111">111</ref>, <ref target="Pg250">250</ref>, <ref target="Pg283">283</ref>.</p> + +<p>Chitrakúṭa, <ref target="Pg004">4</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg160">160</ref>, <ref target="Pg161">161</ref>, <ref target="Pg197">197</ref>, <ref target="Pg200">200</ref>, <ref target="Pg201">201</ref>, <ref target="Pg202">202</ref>, <ref target="Pg209">209</ref>, <ref target="Pg235">235</ref>, <ref target="Pg236">236</ref>, <ref target="Pg317">317</ref>, <ref target="Pg416">416</ref>, <ref target="Pg501">501</ref>.</p> + +<p>Chitraratha, <ref target="Pg132">132</ref>.</p> + +<p>Cholas, <ref target="Pg549">549</ref>.</p> + +<p>Chúli, <ref target="Pg047">47</ref>.</p> + +<p>Chyavan, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dadhimukh, <ref target="Pg426">426</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dadhivakra, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Daitya, <ref target="Pg125">125</ref>, <ref target="Pg152">152</ref>, <ref target="Pg211">211</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>, <ref target="Pg289">289</ref>, <ref target="Pg306">306</ref>, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>, <ref target="Pg418">418</ref>.</p> + +<p>Daksha, <ref target="Pg036">36</ref>, <ref target="Pg078">78</ref>, <ref target="Pg228">228</ref>, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>, <ref target="Pg257">257</ref>, <ref target="Pg396">396</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dánav, <ref target="Pg255">255</ref>, <ref target="Pg270">270</ref>, <ref target="Pg306">306</ref>, <ref target="Pg307">307</ref>, <ref target="Pg311">311</ref>, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>, <ref target="Pg372">372</ref>, <ref target="Pg382">382</ref>, <ref target="Pg432">432</ref>, <ref target="Pg443">443</ref>, <ref target="Pg477">477</ref>.</p> + +<p>Daṇḍak, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg099">99</ref>, <ref target="Pg103">103</ref>, <ref target="Pg117">117</ref>, <ref target="Pg124">124</ref>, <ref target="Pg126">126</ref>, <ref target="Pg130">130</ref>, <ref target="Pg166">166</ref>, <ref target="Pg181">181</ref>, <ref target="Pg199">199</ref>, <ref target="Pg211">211</ref>, <ref target="Pg238">238</ref>, <ref target="Pg271">271</ref>, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>.</p> + +<p>Daṇḍaká, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref>.</p> + +<p>Danú, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>, <ref target="Pg313">313</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dapple skin, <ref target="Pg064">64</ref>, <ref target="Pg065">65</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dardar, <ref target="Pg110">110</ref>, <ref target="Pg198">198</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dardur, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>.</p> + +<p>Darímukha, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>.</p> + +<p>Daśárṇa, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dasáratha, <ref target="Pg003">3</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg012">12</ref>, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>, <ref target="Pg016">16</ref>, <ref target="Pg018">18</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg025">25</ref>, <ref target="Pg026">26</ref>, <ref target="Pg029">29</ref>, <ref target="Pg030">30</ref>, <ref target="Pg032">32</ref>, <ref target="Pg034">34</ref>, <ref target="Pg041">41</ref>, <ref target="Pg061">61</ref>, <ref target="Pg062">62</ref>, <ref target="Pg077">77</ref>, <ref target="Pg079">79</ref>, <ref target="Pg080">80</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg091">91</ref>, <ref target="Pg092">92</ref>, <ref target="Pg095">95</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Dasyus, <ref target="Pg444">444</ref>.</p> + +<p>Devamíḍha, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Devántak, <ref target="Pg479">479</ref>, <ref target="Pg480">480</ref>.</p> + +<p>Devarát, <ref target="Pg077">77</ref>, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg086">86</ref>.</p> + +<p>Devasakhá, <ref target="Pg378">378</ref>.</p> + +<p>Devavatí, <ref target="Pg515">515</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dhanvantari, <ref target="Pg057">57</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Dhanyamáliní, <ref target="Pg481">481</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dharmabhrit, <ref target="Pg240">240</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dharmapál, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dharmáraṇya, <ref target="Pg046">46</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dharmavardhan, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dhritaráshṭrí, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<pb n="568"/><anchor id="Pg568"/> + +<p>Dhrishṭaketu, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dhrishṭi, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>, <ref target="Pg202">202</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dhruvasandhi, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dhúmra, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dhúmráksha, <ref target="Pg433">433</ref> note, <ref target="Pg465">465</ref>, <ref target="Pg466">466</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dhúmráśva, <ref target="Pg060">60</ref>, <ref target="Pg481">481</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dhundhumár, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg171">171</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dikshá, <ref target="Pg044">44</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dilípa, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref> note, <ref target="Pg053">53</ref>, <ref target="Pg054">54</ref>, <ref target="Pg056">56</ref>, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg171">171</ref>, <ref target="Pg190">190</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>.</p> + +<p>Diti, <ref target="Pg058">58</ref>, <ref target="Pg059">59</ref>, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>, <ref target="Pg323">323</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dragon, <ref target="Pg101">101</ref>.</p> + +<p>Driḍhanetra, <ref target="Pg068">68</ref>.</p> + +<p>Drishṭi, <ref target="Pg202">202</ref>.</p> + +<p>Droṇa, <ref target="Pg464">464</ref>.</p> + +<p>Drumakulya, <ref target="Pg444">444</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dundubhi, <ref target="Pg333">333</ref>, <ref target="Pg335">335</ref>, <ref target="Pg338">338</ref>.</p> + +<p>Durdhar, <ref target="Pg420">420</ref>.</p> + +<p>Durdharsha, <ref target="Pg433">433</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Durjaya, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Durmukha, <ref target="Pg432">432</ref>, <ref target="Pg433">433</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Durvásas, <ref target="Pg521">521</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dúshaṇ, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref>, <ref target="Pg250">250</ref>, <ref target="Pg254">254</ref>, <ref target="Pg255">255</ref>, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref>, <ref target="Pg258">258</ref>, <ref target="Pg259">259</ref>, <ref target="Pg261">261</ref>, <ref target="Pg264">264</ref>, <ref target="Pg265">265</ref>, <ref target="Pg267">267-271</ref>, <ref target="Pg294">294</ref>, <ref target="Pg461">461</ref>, <ref target="Pg502">502</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dwida, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Dwijihva, <ref target="Pg474">474</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dwivid, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>, <ref target="Pg428">428</ref>, <ref target="Pg430">430</ref>, <ref target="Pg449">449</ref>, <ref target="Pg451">451</ref>, <ref target="Pg475">475</ref>, <ref target="Pg483">483</ref>, <ref target="Pg484">484</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dwivida, <ref target="Pg028">28</ref>.</p> + +<p>Dyumatsena, <ref target="Pg129">129</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ekapádakas, <ref target="Pg549">549</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ekaśála, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>.</p> + + +<p>Fame, <ref target="Pg026">26</ref>, <ref target="Pg283">283</ref>.</p> + +<p>Fate, <ref target="Pg042">42</ref>, <ref target="Pg068">68</ref>, <ref target="Pg070">70</ref>, <ref target="Pg071">71</ref>, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg119">119</ref>, <ref target="Pg122">122</ref>, <ref target="Pg123">123</ref>, <ref target="Pg130">130</ref>, <ref target="Pg181">181</ref>, <ref target="Pg182">182</ref>, <ref target="Pg195">195</ref>, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref>, <ref target="Pg293">293</ref>, <ref target="Pg296">296</ref>, <ref target="Pg309">309</ref>, <ref target="Pg343">343</ref>, <ref target="Pg349">349</ref>, <ref target="Pg351">351</ref>, <ref target="Pg354">354</ref>, <ref target="Pg386">386</ref>, <ref target="Pg404">404</ref>, <ref target="Pg415">415</ref>, <ref target="Pg439">439</ref>, <ref target="Pg492">492</ref>.</p> + +<p>Fire, <ref target="Pg002">2</ref>, <ref target="Pg030">30</ref>, <ref target="Pg045">45</ref>, <ref target="Pg049">49</ref>, <ref target="Pg218">218</ref>, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>.</p> + +<p>Fortune, <ref target="Pg002">2</ref>, <ref target="Pg058">58</ref>, <ref target="Pg090">90</ref>, <ref target="Pg094">94</ref>, <ref target="Pg124">124</ref>, <ref target="Pg146">146</ref>, <ref target="Pg160">160</ref>, <ref target="Pg188">188</ref>, <ref target="Pg242">242</ref>, <ref target="Pg244">244</ref>, <ref target="Pg283">283</ref>, <ref target="Pg449">449</ref>, <ref target="Pg453">453</ref>.</p> + +<p>Fire-god, <ref target="Pg074">74</ref>, <ref target="Pg124">124</ref>, <ref target="Pg328">328</ref>.</p> + + +<p>Gádhi, <ref target="Pg040">40</ref>, <ref target="Pg048">48</ref>, <ref target="Pg063">63</ref>, <ref target="Pg064">64</ref>, <ref target="Pg067">67</ref>, <ref target="Pg068">68</ref>.</p> + +<p>Gaja, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>, <ref target="Pg429">429</ref>, <ref target="Pg449">449</ref>, <ref target="Pg459">459</ref>.</p> + +<p>Gálava, <ref target="Pg518">518</ref>.</p> + +<p>Gandhamádan, <ref target="Pg028">28</ref>, <ref target="Pg159">159</ref>, <ref target="Pg381">381</ref>, <ref target="Pg429">429</ref>, <ref target="Pg446">446</ref>, <ref target="Pg476">476</ref>.</p> + +<p>Gandharva, <ref target="Pg199">199</ref>, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref>, <ref target="Pg258">258</ref>, <ref target="Pg259">259</ref>, <ref target="Pg278">278</ref>, <ref target="Pg285">285</ref>, <ref target="Pg351">351</ref>, <ref target="Pg396">396</ref>, <ref target="Pg425">425</ref>, <ref target="Pg437">437</ref>, <ref target="Pg441">441</ref>, <ref target="Pg454">454</ref>, <ref target="Pg466">466</ref>, <ref target="Pg468">468</ref>, <ref target="Pg491">491</ref>.</p> + +<p>Gandharvas, <ref target="Pg267">267</ref>, <ref target="Pg270">270</ref>, <ref target="Pg281">281</ref>, <ref target="Pg283">283</ref>, <ref target="Pg306">306</ref>, <ref target="Pg307">307</ref>, <ref target="Pg308">308</ref>, <ref target="Pg318">318</ref>, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref>, <ref target="Pg370">370</ref>, <ref target="Pg375">375</ref>, <ref target="Pg377">377</ref>, <ref target="Pg388">388</ref>, <ref target="Pg394">394</ref>, <ref target="Pg409">409</ref>, <ref target="Pg420">420</ref>, <ref target="Pg432">432</ref>, <ref target="Pg449">449</ref>, <ref target="Pg455">455</ref>, <ref target="Pg472">472</ref>.</p> + +<p>Gandharví, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>, <ref target="Pg265">265</ref>.</p> + +<p>Gangá, <ref target="Pg007">7</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg037">37</ref>, <ref target="Pg038">38</ref>, <ref target="Pg045">45</ref>, <ref target="Pg048">48</ref>, <ref target="Pg049">49</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Garga, <ref target="Pg133">133</ref>.</p> + +<p>Garuḍ, <ref target="Pg028">28</ref>, <ref target="Pg029">29</ref>, <ref target="Pg053">53</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>, <ref target="Pg271">271</ref>, <ref target="Pg373">373</ref>, <ref target="Pg453">453</ref>, <ref target="Pg465">465</ref>, <ref target="Pg470">470</ref>, <ref target="Pg475">475</ref>.</p> + +<p>Gautam, <ref target="Pg060">60</ref>, <ref target="Pg061">61</ref>, <ref target="Pg062">62</ref>, <ref target="Pg505">505</ref>.</p> + +<p>Gautama, <ref target="Pg236">236</ref>.</p> + +<p>Gaváksha, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note, <ref target="Pg429">429</ref>, <ref target="Pg449">449</ref>, <ref target="Pg468">468</ref>, <ref target="Pg475">475</ref>, <ref target="Pg476">476</ref>.</p> + +<p>Gavaya, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>, <ref target="Pg429">429</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>, <ref target="Pg468">468</ref>.</p> + +<p>Gaya, <ref target="Pg482">482</ref>.</p> + +<p>Gayá, <ref target="Pg216">216</ref>.</p> + +<p>Gáyatrí, <ref target="Pg243">243</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ghoralohamukhas, <ref target="Pg548">548</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ghritáchí, <ref target="Pg046">46</ref>, <ref target="Pg198">198</ref>, <ref target="Pg367">367</ref>.</p> + +<p>Girivraja, <ref target="Pg046">46</ref>, <ref target="Pg176">176</ref>.</p> + +<p>Glory, <ref target="Pg301">301</ref>.</p> + +<p>Godávarí, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>, <ref target="Pg247">247</ref>, <ref target="Pg248">248</ref>, <ref target="Pg249">249</ref>, <ref target="Pg282">282</ref>, <ref target="Pg303">303</ref>, <ref target="Pg310">310</ref>, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>, <ref target="Pg500">500</ref>.</p> + +<p>Gokarna, <ref target="Pg054">54</ref>.</p> + +<p>Golabh, <ref target="Pg351">351</ref>.</p> + +<p>Gomatí, <ref target="Pg151">151</ref>, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>, <ref target="Pg502">502</ref>, <ref target="Pg503">503</ref>.</p> + +<p>Gopa, <ref target="Pg199">199</ref>.</p> + +<p>Guha, <ref target="Pg004">4</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg152">152-156</ref>, <ref target="Pg162">162</ref>, <ref target="Pg192">192</ref>, <ref target="Pg193">193</ref>, <ref target="Pg194">194</ref>, <ref target="Pg208">208</ref>, <ref target="Pg501">501</ref>.</p> + +<p>Guhyakas, <ref target="Pg378">378</ref>.</p> + + +<p>Háhá, <ref target="Pg198">198</ref>.</p> + +<p>Haihayas, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>.</p> + +<p>Hanúmán, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>, <ref target="Pg028">28</ref>, <ref target="Pg324">324</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg328">328</ref>, <ref target="Pg332">332</ref>, <ref target="Pg337">337</ref>, <ref target="Pg340">340</ref>, <ref target="Pg350">350</ref>, <ref target="Pg355">355</ref>, <ref target="Pg359">359</ref>, <ref target="Pg360">360</ref>, <ref target="Pg363">363</ref>, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note, <ref target="Pg368">368</ref>, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>, <ref target="Pg378">378</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg392">392</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg411">411</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg424">424</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg449">449</ref>, <ref target="Pg456">456</ref>.</p> + +<p>Hara, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>.</p> + +<p>Harí, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Hárítas, <ref target="Pg066">66</ref>.</p> + +<p>Haryaśva, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Hástinapura, <ref target="Pg176">176</ref>.</p> + +<p>Hastiprishṭhak, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>.</p> + +<pb n="569"/><anchor id="Pg569"/> + +<p>Havishyand, <ref target="Pg068">68</ref>.</p> + +<p>Hayagriva, <ref target="Pg346">346</ref>, <ref target="Pg376">376</ref>.</p> + +<p>Hemá, <ref target="Pg198">198</ref>, <ref target="Pg382">382</ref>.</p> + +<p>Hemachandra, <ref target="Pg060">60</ref>.</p> + +<p>Heti, <ref target="Pg515">515</ref>.</p> + +<p>Himálaya, <ref target="Pg003">3</ref>, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>, <ref target="Pg045">45</ref>, <ref target="Pg048">48</ref>, <ref target="Pg049">49</ref>, <ref target="Pg050">50</ref>, <ref target="Pg053">53</ref>, <ref target="Pg054">54</ref>, <ref target="Pg061">61</ref>, <ref target="Pg067">67</ref>, <ref target="Pg076">76</ref>, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>.</p> + +<p>Himaváu, <ref target="Pg380">380</ref>.</p> + +<p>Hiraṇyakaśipu, <ref target="Pg391">391</ref> note, <ref target="Pg407">407</ref>.</p> + +<p>Hiraṇyanábha, <ref target="Pg500">500</ref>.</p> + +<p>Hládini, <ref target="Pg055">55</ref>, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>.</p> + +<p>Honour, <ref target="Pg283">283</ref>.</p> + +<p>Hotri, <ref target="Pg024">24</ref>.</p> + +<p>Hraśvaromá, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Huhú, <ref target="Pg198">198</ref>.</p> + + +<p>Ikshumatí, 80, 176.</p> + +<p>Ikshváku, <ref target="Pg002">2</ref>, <ref target="Pg011">11</ref>, <ref target="Pg013">13</ref>, <ref target="Pg018">18</ref>, <ref target="Pg024">24</ref>, <ref target="Pg025">25</ref>, <ref target="Pg035">35</ref>, <ref target="Pg059">59</ref>, <ref target="Pg060">60</ref>, <ref target="Pg069">69</ref>, <ref target="Pg070">70</ref>, <ref target="Pg071">71</ref>, <ref target="Pg073">73</ref>, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg083">83</ref>, <ref target="Pg090">90</ref>, <ref target="Pg094">94</ref>, <ref target="Pg096">96</ref>, <ref target="Pg103">103</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>, <ref target="Pg390">390</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ilval, <ref target="Pg241">241</ref>.</p> + +<p>Indra, <ref target="Pg002">2</ref>, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref>, <ref target="Pg013">13</ref>, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>, <ref target="Pg025">25</ref>, <ref target="Pg028">28</ref>, <ref target="Pg029">29</ref>, <ref target="Pg036">36</ref>, <ref target="Pg039">39</ref>, <ref target="Pg040">40</ref>, <ref target="Pg043">43</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg050">50</ref>, <ref target="Pg056">56</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Indrajánu, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Indrajít, <ref target="Pg420">420</ref>, <ref target="Pg432">432</ref>, <ref target="Pg436">436</ref>, <ref target="Pg437">437</ref>, <ref target="Pg441">441</ref>, <ref target="Pg455">455</ref>, <ref target="Pg459">459</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg482">482</ref>, <ref target="Pg485">485</ref>.</p> + +<p>Indraśatru, <ref target="Pg433">433</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Indraśira, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>.</p> + +<p>Irávatí, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + + +<p>Jábáli, <ref target="Pg505">505</ref>.</p> + +<p>Jahnu, <ref target="Pg055">55</ref>.</p> + +<p>Jáhnaví, <ref target="Pg049">49</ref>, <ref target="Pg055">55</ref>, <ref target="Pg154">154</ref>.</p> + +<p>Jamadagni, <ref target="Pg085">85</ref>, <ref target="Pg086">86</ref>, <ref target="Pg087">87</ref>, <ref target="Pg119">119</ref>.</p> + +<p>Jámbaván, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>, <ref target="Pg388">388</ref>, <ref target="Pg391">391</ref>, <ref target="Pg393">393</ref>, <ref target="Pg402">402</ref>, <ref target="Pg425">425</ref>, <ref target="Pg428">428</ref>, <ref target="Pg429">429</ref>, <ref target="Pg439">439</ref>, <ref target="Pg446">446</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>, <ref target="Pg456">456</ref>, <ref target="Pg464">464</ref>, <ref target="Pg483">483</ref>, <ref target="Pg503">503</ref>.</p> + +<p>Jambudvip, <ref target="Pg051">51</ref>, <ref target="Pg373">373</ref>.</p> + +<p>Jambumálí, <ref target="Pg418">418</ref>, <ref target="Pg419">419</ref>, <ref target="Pg420">420</ref>, <ref target="Pg459">459</ref>, <ref target="Pg460">460</ref>.</p> + +<p>Jambuprastha, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>.</p> + +<p>Jámbuvatu, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Janak, <ref target="Pg004">4</ref>, <ref target="Pg008">8</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg021">21</ref>, <ref target="Pg045">45</ref>, <ref target="Pg060">60</ref>, <ref target="Pg061">61</ref>, <ref target="Pg062">62</ref>, <ref target="Pg077">77-85</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>, <ref target="Pg090">090</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Janamejaya, <ref target="Pg171">171</ref>.</p> + +<p>Janasthán, <ref target="Pg225">225</ref>, <ref target="Pg251">251</ref>, <ref target="Pg254">254</ref>, <ref target="Pg255">255</ref>, <ref target="Pg264">264</ref>, <ref target="Pg265">265</ref>, <ref target="Pg271">271</ref>, <ref target="Pg281">281</ref>, <ref target="Pg282">282</ref>, <ref target="Pg294">294</ref>, <ref target="Pg295">295</ref>, <ref target="Pg298">298</ref>, <ref target="Pg308">308</ref>, <ref target="Pg404">404</ref>, <ref target="Pg439">439</ref>, <ref target="Pg454">454</ref>, <ref target="Pg463">463</ref>, <ref target="Pg474">474</ref>, <ref target="Pg493">493</ref>, <ref target="Pg500">500</ref>.</p> + +<p>Játarúpa, <ref target="Pg373">373</ref>.</p> + +<p>Jaṭáyu, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref>.</p> + +<p>Jaṭáyus, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>, <ref target="Pg247">247</ref>, <ref target="Pg280">280</ref>, <ref target="Pg288">288</ref>, <ref target="Pg290">290</ref>, <ref target="Pg308">308</ref>, <ref target="Pg385">385</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg500">500</ref>, <ref target="Pg502">502</ref>.</p> + +<p>Java, <ref target="Pg231">231</ref>.</p> + +<p>Jáváli, <ref target="Pg020">20</ref>, <ref target="Pg080">80</ref>, <ref target="Pg174">174</ref>, <ref target="Pg217">217</ref>, <ref target="Pg218">218</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>, <ref target="Pg222">222</ref>.</p> + +<p>Jayá, <ref target="Pg036">36</ref>.</p> + +<p>Jayanta, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>, <ref target="Pg175">175</ref>.</p> + +<p>Jumna, <ref target="Pg109">109</ref>, <ref target="Pg501">501</ref>, <ref target="Pg502">502</ref>.</p> + +<p>Jupiter, <ref target="Pg144">144</ref>.</p> + +<p>Justice, <ref target="Pg003">3</ref>, <ref target="Pg035">35</ref>, <ref target="Pg042">42</ref>, <ref target="Pg149">149</ref>, <ref target="Pg243">243</ref>, <ref target="Pg346">346</ref>, <ref target="Pg454">454</ref>.</p> + +<p>Jyotishṭom, <ref target="Pg024">24</ref>.</p> + + +<p>Kabandha, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg310">310-316</ref>, <ref target="Pg446">446</ref>, <ref target="Pg500">500</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kadrú, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kadrumá, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kaikasí, <ref target="Pg516">516</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kaikeyí, <ref target="Pg003">3</ref>, <ref target="Pg004">4</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg027">27</ref>, <ref target="Pg032">32</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>, <ref target="Pg096">96-103</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Kailása, <ref target="Pg038">38</ref>, <ref target="Pg085">85</ref>, <ref target="Pg092">92</ref>, <ref target="Pg096">96</ref>, <ref target="Pg110">110</ref>, <ref target="Pg111">111</ref>, <ref target="Pg267">267</ref>, <ref target="Pg286">286</ref>, <ref target="Pg357">357</ref>, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref>, <ref target="Pg368">368</ref>, <ref target="Pg369">369</ref>, <ref target="Pg373">373</ref>, <ref target="Pg378">378</ref>, <ref target="Pg421">421</ref>, <ref target="Pg431">431</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kakustha, <ref target="Pg035">35</ref>, <ref target="Pg037">37</ref>, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg109">109</ref>, <ref target="Pg110">110</ref>, <ref target="Pg123">123</ref>, <ref target="Pg137">137</ref>, <ref target="Pg142">142</ref>, <ref target="Pg147">147</ref>, <ref target="Pg149">149</ref>, <ref target="Pg151">151</ref>, <ref target="Pg153">153</ref>, <ref target="Pg192">192</ref>, <ref target="Pg208">208</ref>, <ref target="Pg211">211</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>, <ref target="Pg311">311</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kalá, <ref target="Pg378">378</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kálak, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kálaká, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kálakámuka, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Kálamahí, <ref target="Pg372">372</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kalinda, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kálindí, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg160">160</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kalinga, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kalingas, <ref target="Pg549">549</ref>,</p> + +<p>Kalmáshapáda, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>.</p> + +<p>Káma <ref target="Pg037">37</ref>, <ref target="Pg038">38</ref>, <ref target="Pg042">42</ref>, <ref target="Pg283">283</ref>, <ref target="Pg286">286</ref>, <ref target="Pg296">296</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kámboja, <ref target="Pg013">13</ref>, <ref target="Pg066">66</ref>.</p> + +<pb n="570"/><anchor id="Pg570"/> + +<p>Kámbojas, <ref target="Pg066">66</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kámpili, <ref target="Pg047">47</ref></p> + +<p>Kaṇdu, <ref target="Pg118">118</ref>, <ref target="Pg380">380</ref>, <ref target="Pg440">440</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kandarpa, <ref target="Pg037">37</ref>, <ref target="Pg074">74</ref>, <ref target="Pg075">75</ref>, <ref target="Pg076">76</ref>, <ref target="Pg250">250</ref>, <ref target="Pg269">269</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kaṇva, <ref target="Pg440">440</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kanyákubja, <ref target="Pg047">47</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kapil, <ref target="Pg051">51</ref>, <ref target="Pg052">52</ref>, <ref target="Pg053">53</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kapivati, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kardam, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>.</p> + +<p>Karṇaprávaraṇas, <ref target="Pg548">548</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kártikeya, <ref target="Pg243">243</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kárttavírya, <ref target="Pg518">518</ref>.</p> + +<p>Káśi, <ref target="Pg021">21</ref>, <ref target="Pg102">102</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kásíkosalas, <ref target="Pg548">548</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kaśyap, <ref target="Pg015">15</ref>, <ref target="Pg016">16</ref>, <ref target="Pg020">20</ref>, <ref target="Pg030">30</ref>, <ref target="Pg057">57-59</ref>, <ref target="Pg080">80</ref>, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg086">86</ref>, <ref target="Pg087">87</ref>, <ref target="Pg091">91</ref>, <ref target="Pg092">92</ref>, <ref target="Pg118">118</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>, <ref target="Pg215">215</ref>, passim.</p> + +<p>Kátyáyan, <ref target="Pg505">505</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kátyáyana, <ref target="Pg080">80</ref>, <ref target="Pg174">174</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kauśalyá, <ref target="Pg003">3</ref>, <ref target="Pg023">23</ref>, <ref target="Pg027">27</ref>, <ref target="Pg030">30</ref>, <ref target="Pg031">31</ref>, <ref target="Pg079">79</ref>, <ref target="Pg084">84</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>, <ref target="Pg093">93</ref>, <ref target="Pg094">94</ref>, <ref target="Pg097">97</ref>, <ref target="Pg098">98</ref>, <ref target="Pg100">100</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Kauśámbí, <ref target="Pg046">46</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kauśikas, <ref target="Pg549">549</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kauśikí, <ref target="Pg048">48</ref>, <ref target="Pg372">372</ref>.</p> + +<p>Káverí, <ref target="Pg375">375</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kaustubha, <ref target="Pg058">58</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kávya, <ref target="Pg040">40</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kekaya, <ref target="Pg021">21</ref>, <ref target="Pg084">84</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>, <ref target="Pg090">90</ref>, <ref target="Pg137">137</ref>, <ref target="Pg139">139</ref>, <ref target="Pg174">174</ref>, <ref target="Pg175">175</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kerala, <ref target="Pg190">190</ref>.</p> + +<p>Keralas, <ref target="Pg549">549</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kesarí, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>.</p> + +<p>Keśini, <ref target="Pg049">49</ref>, <ref target="Pg050">50</ref>.</p> + +<p>Khara, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg225">225</ref>, <ref target="Pg250">250</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg281">281</ref>, <ref target="Pg288">288</ref>, <ref target="Pg290">290</ref>, <ref target="Pg294">294</ref>, <ref target="Pg295">295</ref>, <ref target="Pg433">433</ref>, <ref target="Pg446">446</ref>, <ref target="Pg451">451</ref>, <ref target="Pg461">461</ref>, <ref target="Pg477">477</ref>, <ref target="Pg493">493</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kinnars, <ref target="Pg270">270</ref>, <ref target="Pg306">306</ref>, <ref target="Pg308">308</ref>, <ref target="Pg318">318</ref>, <ref target="Pg321">321</ref>, <ref target="Pg373">373</ref>, <ref target="Pg425">425</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kimpurushas, <ref target="Pg028">28</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Kirátas, <ref target="Pg066">66</ref>, <ref target="Pg549">549</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kírtirát, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kirtirátha, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kishkindhá, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref>, <ref target="Pg333">333</ref>, <ref target="Pg334">334</ref>, <ref target="Pg336">336</ref>, <ref target="Pg338">338</ref>, <ref target="Pg339">339</ref>, <ref target="Pg351">351</ref>, <ref target="Pg357">357</ref>, <ref target="Pg362">362</ref>, <ref target="Pg369">369</ref>, <ref target="Pg385">385</ref>, <ref target="Pg449">449</ref>, <ref target="Pg464">464</ref>, <ref target="Pg500">500</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kośal, <ref target="Pg011">11</ref>, <ref target="Pg102">102</ref>, <ref target="Pg273">273</ref>, <ref target="Pg307">307</ref>, <ref target="Pg359">359</ref>, <ref target="Pg418">418</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kośala, <ref target="Pg151">151</ref>, <ref target="Pg173">173</ref>.</p> + +<p>Krathan, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kratu, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>.</p> + +<p>Krauncha, <ref target="Pg310">310</ref>, <ref target="Pg378">378</ref>, <ref target="Pg476">476</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kraunchi, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kriśáśva, <ref target="Pg036">36</ref>, <ref target="Pg041">41</ref>, <ref target="Pg043">43</ref>.</p> + +<p>Krishṇa, <ref target="Pg497">497</ref>.</p> + +<p>Krishṇagiri, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>.</p> + +<p>Krishṇveni, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>.</p> + +<p>Krita, <ref target="Pg057">57</ref>, <ref target="Pg395">395</ref>.</p> + +<p>Krodhavaśá, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kshatriyas, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>, <ref target="Pg346">346</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kukshi, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kulingá, <ref target="Pg176">176</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kumbha, <ref target="Pg484">484</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kumbhakarṇa, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>, <ref target="Pg250">250</ref>, <ref target="Pg399">399</ref>, <ref target="Pg411">411</ref>, <ref target="Pg435">435</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg441">441</ref>, <ref target="Pg470">470</ref> ff.</p> + +<p>Kúmuda, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kunjar, <ref target="Pg375">375</ref>, <ref target="Pg392">392</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kuru(s), North, <ref target="Pg198">198</ref>, <ref target="Pg203">203</ref>, <ref target="Pg315">315</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kurujángal, <ref target="Pg176">176</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kuśa, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>, <ref target="Pg046">46</ref>, <ref target="Pg048">48</ref>, <ref target="Pg063">63</ref>, <ref target="Pg526">526</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kuśadhwaj, <ref target="Pg080">80</ref>, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kuśámba, <ref target="Pg046">46</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kuśanábha, <ref target="Pg046">46</ref>, <ref target="Pg047">47</ref>, <ref target="Pg048">48</ref>, <ref target="Pg063">63</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kuśáśva, <ref target="Pg060">60</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kuśik, <ref target="Pg033">33</ref>, <ref target="Pg035">35</ref>, <ref target="Pg036">36</ref>, <ref target="Pg038">38</ref>, <ref target="Pg044">44</ref>, <ref target="Pg056">56</ref>, <ref target="Pg062">62</ref>, <ref target="Pg063">63</ref>, <ref target="Pg068">68</ref>, <ref target="Pg070">70</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg083">83</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kuṭíká, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kuṭikoshṭiká, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>.</p> + +<p>Kuvera, <ref target="Pg023">23</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>, <ref target="Pg109">109</ref>, <ref target="Pg110">110</ref>, <ref target="Pg111">111</ref>, <ref target="Pg112">112</ref>, <ref target="Pg198">198</ref>, <ref target="Pg199">199</ref>, <ref target="Pg204">204</ref>, <ref target="Pg232">232</ref>, <ref target="Pg267">267</ref>, <ref target="Pg378">378</ref>, <ref target="Pg422">422</ref>, <ref target="Pg431">431</ref>, <ref target="Pg432">432</ref>, <ref target="Pg483">483</ref>.</p> + + +<p>Lakshmaṇ, <ref target="Pg004">4</ref>, <ref target="Pg008">8</ref>, <ref target="Pg011">11</ref>, <ref target="Pg032">32</ref>, <ref target="Pg036">36</ref>, <ref target="Pg038">38</ref>, <ref target="Pg040">40</ref>, <ref target="Pg041">41</ref>, <ref target="Pg044">44</ref>, <ref target="Pg045">45</ref>, <ref target="Pg056">56</ref>, <ref target="Pg061">61</ref>, <ref target="Pg079">79</ref>, <ref target="Pg080">80</ref>, <ref target="Pg082">82-84</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>, <ref target="Pg091">91</ref>, <ref target="Pg094">94</ref>, <ref target="Pg097">97</ref>, <ref target="Pg098">98</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Lakshmí, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>, <ref target="Pg116">116</ref>, <ref target="Pg146">146</ref>, <ref target="Pg227">227</ref>, <ref target="Pg400">400</ref>, <ref target="Pg453">453</ref>, <ref target="Pg462">462</ref>, <ref target="Pg497">497</ref>.</p> + +<p>Lamba, <ref target="Pg397">397</ref>.</p> + +<p>Lanká, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref>, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>, <ref target="Pg265">265</ref>, <ref target="Pg267">267</ref>, <ref target="Pg284">284</ref>, <ref target="Pg286">286</ref>, <ref target="Pg293">293</ref>, <ref target="Pg295">295-297</ref>, <ref target="Pg367">367</ref>, <ref target="Pg387">387</ref>, <ref target="Pg397">397</ref>, <ref target="Pg411">411</ref>, <ref target="Pg423">423</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg439">439</ref>, <ref target="Pg456">456</ref> ff.</p> + +<p>Lankaṭankaṭá, <ref target="Pg515">515</ref>.</p> + +<p>Lava, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>, <ref target="Pg526">526</ref>.</p> + +<p>Lohitya, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>.</p> + +<p>Lokapálas, <ref target="Pg485">485</ref>.</p> + +<p>Lomapád, <ref target="Pg015">15</ref>, <ref target="Pg016">16</ref>, <ref target="Pg018">18</ref>, <ref target="Pg019">19</ref>, <ref target="Pg021">21</ref>, <ref target="Pg030">30</ref>.</p> + +<pb n="571"/><anchor id="Pg571"/> + + +<p>Mádhaví, <ref target="Pg520">520</ref>.</p> + +<p>Madhu, <ref target="Pg026">26</ref>, <ref target="Pg051">51</ref>, <ref target="Pg057">57</ref>, <ref target="Pg087">87</ref>, <ref target="Pg095">95</ref>.</p> + +<p>Madhúka, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>.</p> + +<p>Madhushyand, <ref target="Pg068">68</ref>, <ref target="Pg074">74</ref>.</p> + +<p>Madrakas, <ref target="Pg550">550</ref>.</p> + +<p>Magadh, <ref target="Pg046">46</ref>, <ref target="Pg102">102</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mágadnas, <ref target="Pg548">548</ref>.</p> + +<p>Maghá, <ref target="Pg083">83</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mahábír, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mahábala, <ref target="Pg433">433</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Mahábhárat, <ref target="Pg520">520</ref>, <ref target="Pg524">524</ref>, <ref target="Pg551">551</ref>, <ref target="Pg554">554</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mahádeva, <ref target="Pg061">61</ref>, <ref target="Pg515">515</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mahákapála, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref> note, <ref target="Pg260">260</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mahámáli, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Mahándhrak, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mahápadma, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>, <ref target="Pg052">52</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mahápáráśva, <ref target="Pg433">433</ref>, <ref target="Pg436">436</ref>, <ref target="Pg455">455</ref>, <ref target="Pg478">478</ref>, <ref target="Pg480">480</ref>, <ref target="Pg487">487</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mahárath, <ref target="Pg068">68</ref>.</p> + +<p>Maháromá, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Maháruṇ, <ref target="Pg368">368</ref>.</p> + +<p>Maháśaila, <ref target="Pg368">368</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mahendra, <ref target="Pg028">28</ref>, <ref target="Pg059">59</ref>, <ref target="Pg086">86</ref>, <ref target="Pg087">87</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>, <ref target="Pg140">140</ref>, <ref target="Pg167">167</ref>, <ref target="Pg213">213</ref>, <ref target="Pg243">243</ref>, <ref target="Pg244">244</ref>, <ref target="Pg307">307</ref>, <ref target="Pg336">336</ref>, <ref target="Pg344">344</ref>, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref>, <ref target="Pg368">368</ref>, <ref target="Pg370">370</ref>, <ref target="Pg375">375</ref>, <ref target="Pg490">490</ref>, <ref target="Pg531">531</ref>, <ref target="Pg554">554</ref>.</p> + +<p>Maheśwar, <ref target="Pg369">369</ref>, <ref target="Pg498">498</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mahí, <ref target="Pg372">372</ref>.</p> + +<p>Máhishmatí, <ref target="Pg518">518</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mahishikas, <ref target="Pg549">549</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mahodar, <ref target="Pg433">433</ref> note, <ref target="Pg450">450</ref>, <ref target="Pg455">455</ref>, <ref target="Pg474">474</ref>, <ref target="Pg478">478</ref> ff.</p> + +<p>Mahodaya, <ref target="Pg046">46</ref>, <ref target="Pg070">70</ref>, <ref target="Pg071">71</ref>, <ref target="Pg488">488</ref>.</p> + +<p>Maináka, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>, <ref target="Pg394">394</ref>, <ref target="Pg500">500</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Mainda, <ref target="Pg028">28</ref>, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>, <ref target="Pg428">428</ref>, <ref target="Pg430">430</ref>, <ref target="Pg439">439</ref>, <ref target="Pg449">449</ref>, <ref target="Pg451">451</ref>, <ref target="Pg458">458</ref>, <ref target="Pg482">482</ref>, <ref target="Pg483">483</ref>.</p> + +<p>Makaráksha, <ref target="Pg485">485</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Malaja, <ref target="Pg039">39</ref>.</p> + +<p>Málavas, <ref target="Pg548">548</ref>.</p> + +<p>Malaya, <ref target="Pg198">198</ref>, <ref target="Pg324">324</ref>, <ref target="Pg328">328</ref>, <ref target="Pg375">375</ref>, <ref target="Pg379">379</ref>, <ref target="Pg430">430</ref>.</p> + +<p>Málí, <ref target="Pg515">515</ref>, <ref target="Pg516">516</ref>.</p> + +<p>Máliní, <ref target="Pg175">175</ref>, <ref target="Pg539">539</ref>.</p> + +<p>Malyaván, <ref target="Pg454">454</ref>, <ref target="Pg455">455</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mályavat, <ref target="Pg515">515</ref>, <ref target="Pg516">516</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mánas, <ref target="Pg038">38</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mandakarṇi, <ref target="Pg240">240</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mandákiní, <ref target="Pg200">200</ref>, <ref target="Pg201">201</ref>, <ref target="Pg203">203</ref>, <ref target="Pg209">209</ref>, <ref target="Pg234">234</ref>, <ref target="Pg235">235</ref>, <ref target="Pg304">304</ref>, <ref target="Pg322">322</ref>, <ref target="Pg416">416</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Mandalí, <ref target="Pg556">556</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mandar, <ref target="Pg057">57</ref>, <ref target="Pg163">163</ref>, <ref target="Pg285">285</ref>, <ref target="Pg362">362</ref>, <ref target="Pg368">368</ref>, <ref target="Pg372">372</ref>, <ref target="Pg399">399</ref>, <ref target="Pg402">402</ref>, <ref target="Pg421">421</ref>, <ref target="Pg485">485</ref>, <ref target="Pg491">491</ref>, <ref target="Pg493">493</ref>, <ref target="Pg525">525</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mandarí, <ref target="Pg444">444</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mándhátá, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>, <ref target="Pg347">347</ref>, <ref target="Pg518">518</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mándavi, <ref target="Pg084">84</ref>.</p> + +<p>Máṇḍavya, <ref target="Pg226">226</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Mandehas, <ref target="Pg373">373</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mandodarí, <ref target="Pg402">402</ref>, <ref target="Pg492">492</ref>, <ref target="Pg500">500</ref>, <ref target="Pg516">516</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mandra, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>.</p> + +<p>Maṇibhadra, <ref target="Pg441">441</ref>.</p> + +<p>Manthará, <ref target="Pg040">40</ref>, <ref target="Pg096">96</ref>, <ref target="Pg097">97</ref>, <ref target="Pg099">99</ref>, <ref target="Pg187">187</ref>.</p> + +<p>Manu, <ref target="Pg011">11</ref>, <ref target="Pg012">12</ref>, <ref target="Pg013">13</ref>, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg103">103</ref>, <ref target="Pg151">151</ref>, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>, <ref target="Pg347">347</ref>, <ref target="Pg490">490</ref>, <ref target="Pg505">505</ref>, <ref target="Pg537">537</ref>, <ref target="Pg555">555</ref>.</p> + +<p>Marícha, <ref target="Pg058">58</ref>.</p> + +<p>Márícha, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg035">35</ref>, <ref target="Pg039">39</ref>, <ref target="Pg040">40</ref>, <ref target="Pg044">44</ref>, <ref target="Pg266">266</ref>, <ref target="Pg271">271-280</ref>, <ref target="Pg298">298</ref>.</p> + +<p>Maríchi, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg091">91</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>.</p> + +<p>Maríchipas, <ref target="Pg270">270</ref>, <ref target="Pg271">271</ref>.</p> + +<p>Márkaṇḍeya, <ref target="Pg080">80</ref>, <ref target="Pg174">174</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mars, <ref target="Pg093">93</ref>, <ref target="Pg144">144</ref>, <ref target="Pg339">339</ref>, <ref target="Pg404">404</ref>, <ref target="Pg445">445</ref>, <ref target="Pg467">467</ref>, <ref target="Pg489">489</ref>.</p> + +<p>Maru, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>.</p> + +<p>Maruts, <ref target="Pg025">25</ref>, <ref target="Pg054">54</ref>, <ref target="Pg059">59</ref>, <ref target="Pg403">403</ref>, <ref target="Pg517">517</ref>, <ref target="Pg547">547</ref>, <ref target="Pg555">555</ref>.</p> + +<p>Máshas, <ref target="Pg270">270</ref>, <ref target="Pg271">271</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mátali, <ref target="Pg109">109</ref>, <ref target="Pg142">142</ref>, <ref target="Pg489">489</ref>, <ref target="Pg491">491</ref>, <ref target="Pg493">493</ref>.</p> + +<p>Matanga, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>, <ref target="Pg315">315</ref>, <ref target="Pg316">316</ref>, <ref target="Pg317">317</ref>, <ref target="Pg318">318</ref>, <ref target="Pg319">319</ref>, <ref target="Pg336">336</ref>, <ref target="Pg337">337</ref>, <ref target="Pg380">380</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mátangí, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mátariśva, <ref target="Pg389">389</ref>.</p> + +<p>Matsya, <ref target="Pg102">102</ref>, <ref target="Pg523">523</ref>, <ref target="Pg537">537</ref>, <ref target="Pg549">549</ref>.</p> + +<p>Maya, <ref target="Pg293">293</ref>, <ref target="Pg382">382</ref>, <ref target="Pg432">432</ref>, <ref target="Pg488">488</ref>.</p> + +<p>Máyá, <ref target="Pg293">293</ref>, <ref target="Pg521">521</ref>.</p> + +<p>Máyáví, <ref target="Pg333">333</ref>, <ref target="Pg334">334</ref>, <ref target="Pg379">379</ref>.</p> + +<p>Meghamáli, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Meghanáda, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mekhal, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mená, <ref target="Pg049">49</ref>, <ref target="Pg394">394</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Menaká, <ref target="Pg074">74</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mercury, <ref target="Pg144">144</ref>, <ref target="Pg339">339</ref>, <ref target="Pg467">467</ref>.</p> + +<p>Meru, <ref target="Pg004">4</ref>, <ref target="Pg049">49</ref>, <ref target="Pg092">92</ref>, <ref target="Pg109">109</ref>, <ref target="Pg110">110</ref>, <ref target="Pg142">142</ref>, <ref target="Pg182">182</ref>, <ref target="Pg232">232</ref>, <ref target="Pg236">236</ref>, <ref target="Pg254">254</ref>, <ref target="Pg291">291</ref>, <ref target="Pg315">315</ref>, <ref target="Pg368">368</ref>, <ref target="Pg370">370</ref>, <ref target="Pg377">377</ref>, <ref target="Pg380">380</ref>, <ref target="Pg418">418</ref>, <ref target="Pg493">493</ref>.</p> + +<p>Meruśavarṇi, <ref target="Pg382">382</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mina, <ref target="Pg032">32</ref>.</p> + +<p>Miśrakeśí, <ref target="Pg199">199</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mithi, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Míthilá, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref> note, <ref target="Pg021">21</ref>, <ref target="Pg045">45</ref>, <ref target="Pg060">60</ref>, <ref target="Pg061">61</ref>, <ref target="Pg078">78</ref>, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg083">83</ref>, <ref target="Pg084">84</ref>, <ref target="Pg085">85</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mitraghna, <ref target="Pg459">459</ref>.</p> + +<pb n="572"/><anchor id="Pg572"/> + +<p>Mlechchhas, <ref target="Pg066">66</ref>, <ref target="Pg537">537</ref>, <ref target="Pg550">550</ref>.</p> + +<p>Modesty, <ref target="Pg026">26</ref>.</p> + +<p>Moon, <ref target="Pg030">30</ref>, <ref target="Pg042">42</ref>, <ref target="Pg058">58</ref>, <ref target="Pg109">109</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg124">124</ref>, <ref target="Pg218">218</ref>, <ref target="Pg227">227</ref>, <ref target="Pg243">243</ref>, <ref target="Pg276">276</ref>, <ref target="Pg367">367</ref>, <ref target="Pg413">413</ref>, <ref target="Pg414">414</ref>, <ref target="Pg488">488</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mriga, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mrigamandá, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mrigí, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Mudgalya, <ref target="Pg174">174</ref>.</p> + + +<p>Nábhág, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>.</p> + +<p>Nágadantá, <ref target="Pg198">198</ref>.</p> + +<p>Nágas, <ref target="Pg012">12</ref>, <ref target="Pg055">55</ref>, <ref target="Pg066">66</ref>, <ref target="Pg068">68</ref>, <ref target="Pg145">145</ref>, <ref target="Pg270">270</ref>, <ref target="Pg273">273</ref>, <ref target="Pg395">395</ref>, <ref target="Pg409">409</ref>, <ref target="Pg413">413</ref>, <ref target="Pg420">420</ref>, <ref target="Pg427">427</ref>, <ref target="Pg518">518</ref>.</p> + +<p>Nahush, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg095">95</ref>, <ref target="Pg171">171</ref>, <ref target="Pg190">190</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>, <ref target="Pg307">307</ref>.</p> + +<p>Nairrit, <ref target="Pg430">430</ref>.</p> + +<p>Nala, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>, <ref target="Pg340">340</ref>, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note, <ref target="Pg428">428</ref>, <ref target="Pg444">444</ref>, <ref target="Pg445">445</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>, <ref target="Pg449">449</ref>, <ref target="Pg468">468</ref>, <ref target="Pg475">475</ref>, <ref target="Pg483">483</ref>.</p> + +<p>Nalá, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Naliní, <ref target="Pg055">55</ref>, <ref target="Pg203">203</ref>, <ref target="Pg204">204</ref>, <ref target="Pg267">267</ref>, <ref target="Pg436">436</ref>.</p> + +<p>Namuchi, <ref target="Pg039">39</ref>, <ref target="Pg261">261</ref>, <ref target="Pg264">264</ref>, <ref target="Pg275">275</ref>, <ref target="Pg336">336</ref>.</p> + +<p>Nandá, <ref target="Pg415">415</ref>.</p> + +<p>Nandan, <ref target="Pg026">26</ref>, <ref target="Pg175">175</ref>, <ref target="Pg200">200</ref>, <ref target="Pg267">267</ref>, <ref target="Pg279">279</ref>, <ref target="Pg315">315</ref>, <ref target="Pg316">316</ref>, <ref target="Pg426">426</ref>.</p> + +<p>Nandi, <ref target="Pg249">249</ref>, <ref target="Pg421">421</ref>.</p> + +<p>Nandigráma, <ref target="Pg004">4</ref>, <ref target="Pg006">6</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg224">224</ref>, <ref target="Pg502">502</ref>, <ref target="Pg503">503</ref>.</p> + +<p>Nandíśvara, <ref target="Pg471">471</ref>.</p> + +<p>Nandivardhan, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Nárad, <ref target="Pg001">1</ref>, <ref target="Pg002">2</ref>, <ref target="Pg008">8</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg124">124</ref>, <ref target="Pg199">199</ref>, <ref target="Pg543">543</ref>.</p> + +<p>Narak, <ref target="Pg479">479</ref>.</p> + +<p>Narántak, <ref target="Pg479">479</ref>.</p> + +<p>Náráyaṇ, <ref target="Pg025">25</ref>, <ref target="Pg026">26</ref>, <ref target="Pg095">95</ref>, <ref target="Pg393">393</ref>, <ref target="Pg474">474</ref>, <ref target="Pg497">497</ref>, <ref target="Pg516">516</ref>, <ref target="Pg517">517</ref>, <ref target="Pg522">522</ref>, <ref target="Pg535">535</ref>, <ref target="Pg559">559</ref>.</p> + +<p>Narmadá, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>, <ref target="Pg518">518</ref>.</p> + +<p>Nikumbha, <ref target="Pg432">432</ref>, <ref target="Pg433">433</ref> note, <ref target="Pg437">437</ref>, <ref target="Pg459">459</ref>, <ref target="Pg484">484</ref>.</p> + +<p>Níla, <ref target="Pg028">28</ref>, <ref target="Pg340">340</ref>, <ref target="Pg352">352</ref>, <ref target="Pg360">360</ref>, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>, <ref target="Pg428">428</ref>, <ref target="Pg429">429</ref>, <ref target="Pg430">430</ref>, <ref target="Pg446">446</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>, <ref target="Pg449">449</ref>, <ref target="Pg456">456</ref>, <ref target="Pg458">458</ref>, <ref target="Pg459">459</ref>, <ref target="Pg469">469</ref>, <ref target="Pg472">472</ref>, <ref target="Pg475">475</ref>, <ref target="Pg482">482</ref>.</p> + +<p>Nimi, <ref target="Pg077">77</ref>, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Niśakar, <ref target="Pg389">389</ref>, <ref target="Pg390">390</ref>.</p> + +<p>Nishádas, <ref target="Pg004">4</ref>, <ref target="Pg152">152</ref>, <ref target="Pg192">192</ref>, <ref target="Pg196">196</ref>, <ref target="Pg271">271</ref>, <ref target="Pg501">501</ref>, <ref target="Pg537">537</ref>.</p> + + +<p>Ocean, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>, <ref target="Pg095">95</ref>, <ref target="Pg144">144</ref>, <ref target="Pg285">285</ref>, <ref target="Pg286">286</ref>, <ref target="Pg336">336</ref>, <ref target="Pg346">346</ref>, <ref target="Pg387">387</ref>.</p> + +<p>Oshṭhakarṇakas, <ref target="Pg548">548</ref>.</p> + + +<p>Pahlavas, <ref target="Pg066">66</ref>.</p> + +<p>Páka, <ref target="Pg252">252</ref>, <ref target="Pg297">297</ref>, <ref target="Pg498">498</ref>.</p> + +<p>Pampá, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg235">235</ref>, <ref target="Pg293">293</ref>, <ref target="Pg314">314-321</ref>, <ref target="Pg327">327</ref>.</p> + +<p>Panas, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>, <ref target="Pg428">428</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>, <ref target="Pg464">464</ref>.</p> + +<p>Panasa, <ref target="Pg455">455</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Panchajan, <ref target="Pg376">376</ref>.</p> + +<p>Panchála, <ref target="Pg176">176</ref>, <ref target="Pg539">539</ref>.</p> + +<p>Panchápsaras, <ref target="Pg240">240</ref>.</p> + +<p>Panchavaṭa, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>.</p> + +<p>Panchavaṭí, <ref target="Pg244">244</ref>, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>, <ref target="Pg247">247</ref>.</p> + +<p>Páṇḍyas, <ref target="Pg375">375</ref>, <ref target="Pg549">549</ref>.</p> + +<p>Paráśara, <ref target="Pg517">517</ref>.</p> + +<p>Paraśuráma, <ref target="Pg119">119</ref> note, <ref target="Pg523">523</ref>, <ref target="Pg531">531</ref>.</p> + +<p>Paravíráksha, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Páriyátra, <ref target="Pg376">376</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>.</p> + +<p>Parjanya, <ref target="Pg112">112</ref>, <ref target="Pg174">174</ref>, <ref target="Pg261">261</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>.</p> + +<p>Párvati, <ref target="Pg249">249</ref> note, <ref target="Pg515">515</ref>, <ref target="Pg542">542</ref>.</p> + +<p>Paulastya, <ref target="Pg472">472</ref>.</p> + +<p>Paulomí, <ref target="Pg029">29</ref>, <ref target="Pg370">370</ref>.</p> + +<p>Pávaní, <ref target="Pg055">55</ref>.</p> + +<p>Phálguní, <ref target="Pg083">83</ref>.</p> + +<p>Pináka, <ref target="Pg067">67</ref>.</p> + +<p>Pitris, <ref target="Pg550">550</ref>.</p> + +<p>Prabháva, <ref target="Pg363">363</ref>.</p> + +<p>Prachetas, <ref target="Pg001">1</ref>, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>.</p> + +<p>Praghas, <ref target="Pg420">420</ref>, <ref target="Pg459">459</ref>, <ref target="Pg460">460</ref>.</p> + +<p>Prágvaṭ, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>.</p> + +<p>Prahasta, <ref target="Pg399">399</ref>, <ref target="Pg418">418</ref>, <ref target="Pg419">419</ref>, <ref target="Pg421">421</ref>, <ref target="Pg422">422</ref>, <ref target="Pg432">432</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg441">441</ref>, <ref target="Pg451">451</ref>, <ref target="Pg452">452</ref>, <ref target="Pg455">455</ref>, <ref target="Pg456">456</ref>, <ref target="Pg471">471</ref>, <ref target="Pg481">481</ref>.</p> + +<p>Praheti, <ref target="Pg515">515</ref>.</p> + +<p>Prahláda, <ref target="Pg391">391</ref>.</p> + +<p>Prajangha, <ref target="Pg459">459</ref>, <ref target="Pg460">460</ref>.</p> + +<p>Prajápati, <ref target="Pg133">133</ref> note, <ref target="Pg554">554</ref>, <ref target="Pg560">560</ref>.</p> + +<p>Pralamba, <ref target="Pg175">175</ref>.</p> + +<p>Pramátha, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Pramathí, <ref target="Pg260">260</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>.</p> + +<p>Pramati, <ref target="Pg455">455</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Prasenajit, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>.</p> + +<p>Praśravaṇ, <ref target="Pg304">304</ref>, <ref target="Pg357">357</ref>, <ref target="Pg380">380</ref>, <ref target="Pg383">383</ref>, <ref target="Pg415">415</ref>, <ref target="Pg426">426</ref>.</p> + +<p>Prasthalas, <ref target="Pg550">550</ref>.</p> + +<p>Praśuśśruka, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>.</p> + +<p>Pratindhak, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Pravargya, <ref target="Pg022">22</ref>.</p> + +<p>Prayág, <ref target="Pg158">158</ref>, <ref target="Pg159">159</ref>, <ref target="Pg196">196</ref>.</p> + +<pb n="573"/><anchor id="Pg573"/> + +<p>Prithu, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>.</p> + +<p>Prithuśyáma, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Proshṭhapadá, <ref target="Pg032">32</ref>.</p> + +<p>Pulah, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>.</p> + +<p>Pulastya, <ref target="Pg035">35</ref>, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>, <ref target="Pg254">254</ref>, <ref target="Pg268">268</ref>, <ref target="Pg288">288</ref>, <ref target="Pg408">408</ref>, <ref target="Pg515">515</ref>.</p> + +<p>Pulindas, <ref target="Pg550">550</ref>.</p> + +<p>Puloma, <ref target="Pg370">370</ref>.</p> + +<p>Punarvasu, <ref target="Pg093">93</ref>.</p> + +<p>Puṇḍaríká, <ref target="Pg199">199</ref>.</p> + +<p>Puṇḍras, <ref target="Pg548">548</ref>, <ref target="Pg549">549</ref>.</p> + +<p>Punjikasthalá, <ref target="Pg436">436</ref>, <ref target="Pg552">552</ref>.</p> + +<p>Puranda, <ref target="Pg522">522</ref>.</p> + +<p>Purandara, <ref target="Pg384">384</ref>, <ref target="Pg522">522</ref>.</p> + +<p>Purúravas, <ref target="Pg286">286</ref>, <ref target="Pg544">544</ref>, <ref target="Pg545">545</ref>.</p> + +<p>Purusha, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref> note, <ref target="Pg559">559</ref>.</p> + +<p>Purushádak, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>.</p> + +<p>Purushottam, <ref target="Pg498">498</ref>, <ref target="Pg517">517</ref>.</p> + +<p>Púshá, <ref target="Pg124">124</ref>.</p> + +<p>Pushpak, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>, <ref target="Pg080">80</ref>, <ref target="Pg286">286</ref>, <ref target="Pg499">499</ref>, <ref target="Pg519">519</ref>.</p> + +<p>Pushya, <ref target="Pg032">32</ref>, <ref target="Pg090">90</ref>, <ref target="Pg092">92</ref>, <ref target="Pg094">94</ref>, <ref target="Pg096">96</ref>, <ref target="Pg098">98</ref>, <ref target="Pg109">109</ref>, <ref target="Pg126">126</ref>.</p> + + +<p>Rabhasa, <ref target="Pg433">433</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Rághava, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Raghu, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg022">22</ref>, <ref target="Pg032">32</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg050">50</ref>, <ref target="Pg056">56</ref>, <ref target="Pg061">61</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Raghunandana, <ref target="Pg522">522</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ráhu, <ref target="Pg093">93</ref>, <ref target="Pg223">223</ref>, <ref target="Pg261">261</ref>, <ref target="Pg272">272</ref>, <ref target="Pg303">303</ref>, <ref target="Pg351">351</ref>, <ref target="Pg480">480</ref>.</p> + +<p>Rain, Lord of, <ref target="Pg092">92</ref>, <ref target="Pg222">222</ref>.</p> + +<p>Rájagriha, <ref target="Pg174">174</ref>, <ref target="Pg175">175</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ráma, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Rámáyana, <ref target="Pg008">8</ref> note, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>, <ref target="Pg011">11</ref>, <ref target="Pg541">541</ref>, <ref target="Pg542">542</ref>.</p> + +<p>Rambhá, <ref target="Pg075">75</ref>, <ref target="Pg232">232</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ramaṇá, <ref target="Pg199">199</ref>.</p> + +<p>Raśmiketu, <ref target="Pg433">433</ref> note, <ref target="Pg459">459</ref>.</p> + +<p>Rávaṇ, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>, <ref target="Pg025">25</ref>, <ref target="Pg026">26</ref>, <ref target="Pg032">32</ref>, <ref target="Pg035">35</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Reṇuká, <ref target="Pg063">63</ref>, <ref target="Pg119">119</ref>.</p> + +<p>Richíka, <ref target="Pg048">48</ref>, <ref target="Pg073">73</ref>, <ref target="Pg086">86</ref>.</p> + +<p>Right, <ref target="Pg042">42</ref>, <ref target="Pg068">68</ref>.</p> + +<p>Riksharajas, <ref target="Pg386">386</ref>, <ref target="Pg442">442</ref>.</p> + +<p>Rikshaván, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>.</p> + +<p>Rishabh, <ref target="Pg373">373</ref>, <ref target="Pg375">375</ref>, <ref target="Pg429">429</ref>, <ref target="Pg446">446</ref>, <ref target="Pg476">476</ref>, <ref target="Pg483">483</ref>.</p> + +<p>Rishṭikas, <ref target="Pg549">549</ref>.</p> + +<p>Rishyamúka, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg314">314</ref>, <ref target="Pg315">315</ref>, <ref target="Pg316">316</ref>, <ref target="Pg318">318</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg332">332</ref>, <ref target="Pg335">335</ref>, <ref target="Pg339">339</ref>, <ref target="Pg340">340</ref>, <ref target="Pg353">353</ref>, <ref target="Pg380">380</ref>, <ref target="Pg500">500</ref>.</p> + +<p>Rishyaśring, <ref target="Pg015">15-24</ref>, <ref target="Pg029">29</ref>, <ref target="Pg030">30</ref>.</p> + +<p>Rohiṇí, <ref target="Pg004">4</ref>, <ref target="Pg112">112</ref>, <ref target="Pg223">223</ref>, <ref target="Pg227">227</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>, <ref target="Pg251">251</ref>, <ref target="Pg282">282</ref>, <ref target="Pg287">287</ref>, <ref target="Pg367">367</ref>, <ref target="Pg404">404</ref>, <ref target="Pg413">413</ref>, <ref target="Pg445">445</ref>.</p> + +<p>Rohitas, <ref target="Pg376">376</ref>, <ref target="Pg558">558</ref>.</p> + +<p>Rudhiráśana, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Rudra, <ref target="Pg049">49</ref>, <ref target="Pg057">57</ref>, <ref target="Pg067">67</ref>, <ref target="Pg077">77</ref>, <ref target="Pg078">78</ref>, <ref target="Pg162">162</ref>, <ref target="Pg249">249</ref>, <ref target="Pg257">257</ref>, <ref target="Pg264">264</ref>, <ref target="Pg283">283</ref>, <ref target="Pg296">296</ref>, <ref target="Pg378">378</ref>, <ref target="Pg413">413</ref>, <ref target="Pg483">483</ref>.</p> + +<p>Rudras, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>, <ref target="Pg558">558</ref>.</p> + +<p>Rukmiṇí, <ref target="Pg517">517</ref>.</p> + +<p>Rumá, <ref target="Pg346">346</ref>, <ref target="Pg349">349</ref>, <ref target="Pg350">350</ref>, <ref target="Pg363">363</ref>, <ref target="Pg366">366</ref>, <ref target="Pg367">367</ref>, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>, <ref target="Pg385">385</ref>, <ref target="Pg403">403</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ruman, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>.</p> + + +<p>Sachí, <ref target="Pg029">29</ref>, <ref target="Pg202">202</ref>, <ref target="Pg234">234</ref>, <ref target="Pg238">238</ref>, <ref target="Pg276">276</ref>, <ref target="Pg286">286</ref>, <ref target="Pg297">297</ref>, <ref target="Pg370">370</ref>, <ref target="Pg408">408</ref>, <ref target="Pg415">415</ref>, <ref target="Pg494">494</ref>, <ref target="Pg519">519</ref>, <ref target="Pg522">522</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sádhyas, <ref target="Pg490">490</ref>, <ref target="Pg555">555</ref>, <ref target="Pg558">558</ref>, <ref target="Pg559">559</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sagar, <ref target="Pg011">11</ref>, <ref target="Pg050">50</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg119">119</ref>, <ref target="Pg137">137</ref>, <ref target="Pg171">171</ref>, <ref target="Pg441">441</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sahadeva, <ref target="Pg060">60</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sahya, <ref target="Pg429">429</ref>, <ref target="Pg430">430</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śaivya, <ref target="Pg104">104</ref>, <ref target="Pg107">107</ref>, <ref target="Pg171">171</ref>, <ref target="Pg533">533</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śakas, <ref target="Pg066">66</ref>, <ref target="Pg550">550</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śakra, <ref target="Pg075">75</ref>, <ref target="Pg234">234</ref>, <ref target="Pg307">307</ref>, <ref target="Pg313">313</ref>, <ref target="Pg336">336</ref>, <ref target="Pg344">344</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>, <ref target="Pg464">464</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śálmalí, <ref target="Pg176">176</ref>, <ref target="Pg539">539</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śályakartan, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śáman, <ref target="Pg186">186</ref>, <ref target="Pg326">326</ref>, <ref target="Pg359">359</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śambar, <ref target="Pg479">479</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śambara, <ref target="Pg099">99</ref>, <ref target="Pg100">100</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sampáti, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note, <ref target="Pg385">385</ref>, <ref target="Pg387">387</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg412">412</ref>, <ref target="Pg455">455</ref> note, <ref target="Pg459">459</ref>, <ref target="Pg460">460</ref>, <ref target="Pg464">464</ref>.</p> + +<p>Samprakshálas, <ref target="Pg235">235</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sanatkumár, <ref target="Pg015">15</ref>, <ref target="Pg016">16</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sandhyá, <ref target="Pg515">515</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sanháras, <ref target="Pg036">36</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sanhráda, <ref target="Pg474">474</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śaniśchar, <ref target="Pg283">283</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śankan, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śankar, <ref target="Pg057">57</ref>, <ref target="Pg335">335</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sánkáśyá, <ref target="Pg080">80</ref>, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg083">83</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śankha, <ref target="Pg555">555</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śankhan, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>, <ref target="Pg432">432</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sanrochan, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śanśray, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śántá, <ref target="Pg016">16</ref>, <ref target="Pg019">19</ref>, <ref target="Pg029">29</ref>, <ref target="Pg030">30</ref>, <ref target="Pg031">31</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śarabh, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note, <ref target="Pg439">439</ref>, <ref target="Pg476">476</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śarabhanga, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg233">233</ref>, <ref target="Pg234">234</ref>, <ref target="Pg235">235</ref>, <ref target="Pg236">236</ref>, <ref target="Pg265">265</ref>, <ref target="Pg502">502</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śaradaṇḍá, <ref target="Pg176">176</ref>, <ref target="Pg539">539</ref>.</p> + +<p>Saramá, <ref target="Pg452">452</ref>, <ref target="Pg453">453</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sáraṇ, <ref target="Pg446">446</ref>, <ref target="Pg447">447</ref>, <ref target="Pg455">455</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sarandib, <ref target="Pg375">375</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Sáranga, <ref target="Pg556">556</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sarasvatí, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>, <ref target="Pg372">372</ref>, <ref target="Pg516">516</ref>, <ref target="Pg522">522</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śárdúla, <ref target="Pg441">441</ref>, <ref target="Pg449">449</ref>, <ref target="Pg450">450</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śárdúlí, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<pb n="574"/><anchor id="Pg574"/> + +<p>Sarjú, <ref target="Pg011">11</ref>, <ref target="Pg020">20</ref>, <ref target="Pg022">22</ref>, <ref target="Pg036">36</ref>, <ref target="Pg037">37</ref>, <ref target="Pg038">38</ref>, <ref target="Pg050">50</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Sárvabhauma, <ref target="Pg429">429</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sarvartírtha, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śaśivindhus, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śatabali, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>, <ref target="Pg377">377</ref>, <ref target="Pg379">379</ref>, <ref target="Pg380">380</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śatadrú, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>, <ref target="Pg539">539</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śatahradá, <ref target="Pg231">231</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śatánanda, <ref target="Pg062">62</ref>, <ref target="Pg063">63</ref>, <ref target="Pg077">77</ref>, <ref target="Pg079">79</ref>, <ref target="Pg080">80</ref>, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg084">84</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śatrughna, <ref target="Pg032">32</ref>, <ref target="Pg083">83</ref>, <ref target="Pg084">84</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>, <ref target="Pg089">89</ref>, <ref target="Pg097">97</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Śatrunjay, <ref target="Pg504">504</ref>.</p> + +<p>Satyaván, <ref target="Pg129">129</ref>.</p> + +<p>Satyavatí, <ref target="Pg048">48</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sávitrí, <ref target="Pg129">129</ref>, <ref target="Pg227">227</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śavarí, <ref target="Pg315">315</ref>, <ref target="Pg316">316</ref>, <ref target="Pg317">317</ref>.</p> + +<p>Saumanas, <ref target="Pg373">373</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sávarṇí, <ref target="Pg377">377</ref>.</p> + +<p>Seven Rishis, <ref target="Pg023">23</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śesha, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>.</p> + +<p>Siddhárth, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>, <ref target="Pg137">137</ref>, <ref target="Pg138">138</ref>, <ref target="Pg175">175</ref>.</p> + +<p>Siddhas, <ref target="Pg028">28</ref> note, <ref target="Pg540">540</ref>, <ref target="Pg559">559</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śíghraga, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śilá, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śilávahá, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sindhu, <ref target="Pg013">13</ref>, <ref target="Pg021">21</ref>, <ref target="Pg055">55</ref>, <ref target="Pg102">102</ref>, <ref target="Pg372">372</ref>, <ref target="Pg376">376</ref>, <ref target="Pg443">443</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sinhiká, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>, <ref target="Pg396">396</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śiśir(a), <ref target="Pg372">372</ref>, <ref target="Pg555">555</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sítá, <ref target="Pg004">4</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg055">55</ref>, <ref target="Pg078">78</ref>, <ref target="Pg079">79</ref>, <ref target="Pg083">83</ref>, <ref target="Pg084">84</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>, <ref target="Pg093">93</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Śiva, <ref target="Pg004">4</ref>, <ref target="Pg036">36</ref>, <ref target="Pg042">42</ref>, <ref target="Pg054">54</ref>, <ref target="Pg055">55</ref>, <ref target="Pg057">57</ref>, <ref target="Pg067">67</ref>, <ref target="Pg078">78</ref>, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg085">85</ref>, <ref target="Pg086">86</ref>, <ref target="Pg109">109</ref>, <ref target="Pg110">110</ref>, <ref target="Pg205">205</ref>, <ref target="Pg523">523</ref>, <ref target="Pg524">524</ref>, <ref target="Pg543">543</ref>, <ref target="Pg554">554</ref>.</p> + +<p>Skanda, <ref target="Pg554">554</ref>.</p> + +<p>Soma, <ref target="Pg052">52</ref>, <ref target="Pg058">58</ref>, <ref target="Pg198">198</ref>, <ref target="Pg267">267</ref>, <ref target="Pg378">378</ref>, <ref target="Pg554">554</ref>.</p> + +<p>Somadatta, <ref target="Pg060">60</ref>.</p> + +<p>Somadá, <ref target="Pg047">47</ref>.</p> + +<p>Somagiri, <ref target="Pg376">376</ref>, <ref target="Pg378">378</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śoṇa, <ref target="Pg045">45</ref>, <ref target="Pg048">48</ref>, <ref target="Pg372">372</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śringavera, <ref target="Pg004">4</ref>, <ref target="Pg192">192</ref>, <ref target="Pg196">196</ref>, <ref target="Pg223">223</ref>, <ref target="Pg501">501</ref>, <ref target="Pg502">502</ref>.</p> + +<p>Srinjay, <ref target="Pg060">60</ref>.</p> + +<p>Srutakírti, <ref target="Pg084">84</ref>.</p> + +<p>Stháṇu, <ref target="Pg025">25</ref>, <ref target="Pg037">37</ref>, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>.</p> + +<p>Stháṇumatí, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sthúláksha, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref> note, <ref target="Pg260">260</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sthúlaśiras, <ref target="Pg313">313</ref>.</p> + +<p>Subáhu, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Suchakshu, <ref target="Pg055">55</ref>.</p> + +<p>Suchandra, <ref target="Pg060">60</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śuchi, <ref target="Pg238">238</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sudámá, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sudáman, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg176">176</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sudarśan, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg083">83</ref>, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>, <ref target="Pg373">373</ref>, <ref target="Pg378">378</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sudarśandwíp, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sudhanvá, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sudhriti, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śúdras, <ref target="Pg006">6</ref>, <ref target="Pg013">13</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sugríva, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref>, <ref target="Pg006">6</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg028">28</ref>, <ref target="Pg029">29</ref>, <ref target="Pg314">314</ref>, <ref target="Pg316">316</ref>, <ref target="Pg318">318</ref>, <ref target="Pg324">324</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg337">337</ref>, <ref target="Pg339">339</ref>, <ref target="Pg344">344</ref>, <ref target="Pg346">346</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>, <ref target="Pg375">375</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg412">412</ref>, <ref target="Pg414">414</ref>, <ref target="Pg422">422</ref>, <ref target="Pg424">424</ref>, <ref target="Pg430">430</ref>, <ref target="Pg439">439</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg446">446</ref>, <ref target="Pg450">450</ref>, <ref target="Pg519">519</ref>, <ref target="Pg545">545</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śuka, <ref target="Pg442">442</ref>, <ref target="Pg446">446</ref>, <ref target="Pg447">447</ref>, <ref target="Pg455">455</ref> ff.</p> + +<p>Sukeśa, <ref target="Pg515">515</ref>, <ref target="Pg516">516</ref>.</p> + +<p>Suketu, <ref target="Pg039">39</ref>, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sukí, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śukra, <ref target="Pg124">124</ref>, <ref target="Pg210">210</ref>, <ref target="Pg279">279</ref>, <ref target="Pg384">384</ref>, <ref target="Pg429">429</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sumáli, <ref target="Pg515">515</ref>, <ref target="Pg516">516</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sumágadhí, <ref target="Pg046">46</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sumantra, <ref target="Pg015">15</ref>, <ref target="Pg016">16</ref>, <ref target="Pg019">19</ref>, <ref target="Pg021">21</ref>, <ref target="Pg080">80</ref>, <ref target="Pg092">92</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Sumati, <ref target="Pg049">49</ref>, <ref target="Pg050">50</ref>, <ref target="Pg059">59</ref>, <ref target="Pg060">60</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sumitrá, <ref target="Pg027">27</ref>, <ref target="Pg030">30</ref>, <ref target="Pg032">32</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>, <ref target="Pg094">94</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Sun, <ref target="Pg093">93</ref>, <ref target="Pg109">109</ref>, <ref target="Pg110">110</ref>, <ref target="Pg124">124</ref>, <ref target="Pg243">243</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sunábha, <ref target="Pg425">425</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śunahśepha, <ref target="Pg072">72</ref>, <ref target="Pg073">73</ref>, <ref target="Pg074">74</ref></p> + +<p>Sunda, <ref target="Pg035">35</ref>, <ref target="Pg039">39</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sunetra, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Suparṇa, <ref target="Pg053">53</ref>, <ref target="Pg125">125</ref>, <ref target="Pg231">231</ref>, <ref target="Pg343">343</ref>, <ref target="Pg349">349</ref>, <ref target="Pg388">388</ref>.</p> + +<p>Supárśva, <ref target="Pg388">388</ref>.</p> + +<p>Supátala, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Suptaghna, <ref target="Pg433">433</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Surá, <ref target="Pg058">58</ref>.</p> + +<p>Surabhí, <ref target="Pg183">183</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Surapati, <ref target="Pg522">522</ref>.</p> + +<p>Suras, <ref target="Pg058">58</ref>.</p> + +<p>Surasá, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>, <ref target="Pg395">395</ref>.</p> + +<p>Suráshṭra, <ref target="Pg021">21</ref>, <ref target="Pg102">102</ref>, <ref target="Pg376">376</ref>.</p> + +<p>Súrasenas, <ref target="Pg550">550</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śúrpaṇakhá, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg249">249</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg267">267</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg288">288</ref>, <ref target="Pg502">502</ref>.</p> + +<p>Súrya, <ref target="Pg555">555</ref>.</p> + +<p>Súryáksha, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Súryaśatru, <ref target="Pg433">433</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Súryaván, <ref target="Pg375">375</ref>.</p> + +<p>Susandhi, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>.</p> + +<p>Susheṇ, <ref target="Pg028">28</ref>, <ref target="Pg351">351</ref>, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note, <ref target="Pg376">376</ref>, <ref target="Pg379">379</ref>, <ref target="Pg380">380</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sutanu, <ref target="Pg199">199</ref>.</p> + +<p>Sutíkshṇa, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg234">234</ref>, <ref target="Pg236">236</ref>, <ref target="Pg237">237</ref>, <ref target="Pg240">240</ref>, <ref target="Pg241">241</ref>.</p> + +<pb n="575"/><anchor id="Pg575"/> + +<p>Suváhu, <ref target="Pg035">35</ref>, <ref target="Pg044">44</ref>, <ref target="Pg045">45</ref>, <ref target="Pg146">146</ref>.</p> + +<p>Suvarat, <ref target="Pg220">220</ref>.</p> + +<p>Suvela, <ref target="Pg450">450</ref>, <ref target="Pg456">456</ref>, <ref target="Pg457">457</ref>.</p> + +<p>Suvíra, <ref target="Pg021">21</ref>, <ref target="Pg102">102</ref>.</p> + +<p>Suyajǹa, <ref target="Pg020">20</ref>, <ref target="Pg132">132</ref>.</p> + +<p>Svayambhu, <ref target="Pg394">394</ref>.</p> + +<p>Svayamprabhá, <ref target="Pg382">382</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śvetáraṇya, <ref target="Pg264">264</ref>.</p> + +<p>Swarga, <ref target="Pg054">54</ref>, <ref target="Pg101">101</ref>, <ref target="Pg202">202</ref>, <ref target="Pg493">493</ref>.</p> + +<p>Swarṇaromá, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śweta, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śyáma, <ref target="Pg160">160</ref>.</p> + +<p>Syandiká, <ref target="Pg151">151</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śyenagámí, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref> note, <ref target="Pg260">260</ref>.</p> + +<p>Śyení, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + + +<p>Táḍaká, <ref target="Pg038">38</ref>, <ref target="Pg039">39</ref>, <ref target="Pg040">40</ref>, <ref target="Pg041">41</ref>.</p> + +<p>Táḍakeya, <ref target="Pg266">266</ref>.</p> + +<p>Taittiríya, <ref target="Pg132">132</ref>.</p> + +<p>Takshak, <ref target="Pg432">432</ref>.</p> + +<p>Takshaka, <ref target="Pg267">267</ref>.</p> + +<p>Tálajanghas, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>.</p> + +<p>Tamasá, <ref target="Pg007">7</ref>, <ref target="Pg147">147</ref>, <ref target="Pg148">148</ref>, <ref target="Pg149">149</ref>.</p> + +<p>Támrá, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Támraparṇí, <ref target="Pg375">375</ref>.</p> + +<p>Tapan, <ref target="Pg459">459</ref>, <ref target="Pg555">555</ref>.</p> + +<p>Tára, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note, <ref target="Pg379">379</ref> ff.</p> + +<p>Tárá, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg336">336</ref>, <ref target="Pg349">349</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg355">355</ref>, <ref target="Pg359">359</ref>, <ref target="Pg362">362</ref>, <ref target="Pg363">363</ref>, <ref target="Pg366">366</ref>, <ref target="Pg367">367</ref>, <ref target="Pg369">369</ref>, <ref target="Pg371">371</ref>, <ref target="Pg385">385</ref>, <ref target="Pg403">403</ref>, <ref target="Pg449">449</ref>, <ref target="Pg546">546</ref>.</p> + +<p>Tárak, <ref target="Pg430">430</ref>.</p> + +<p>Tárkshya, <ref target="Pg214">214</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ten-necked, <ref target="Pg250">250</ref>.</p> + +<p>Thirty-three Gods, <ref target="Pg051">51</ref>.</p> + +<p>Thousand-eyed, <ref target="Pg041">41</ref>, <ref target="Pg059">59</ref>, <ref target="Pg060">60</ref>, <ref target="Pg074">74</ref>, <ref target="Pg075">75</ref>, <ref target="Pg076">76</ref>, <ref target="Pg086">86</ref>, <ref target="Pg090">90</ref>, <ref target="Pg112">112</ref>, <ref target="Pg252">252</ref>, <ref target="Pg297">297</ref>, <ref target="Pg504">504</ref>.</p> + +<p>Three-eyed God, <ref target="Pg086">86</ref>.</p> + +<p>Thunderer, <ref target="Pg234">234</ref>.</p> + +<p>Titan, <ref target="Pg058">58</ref>, <ref target="Pg067">67</ref>, <ref target="Pg072">72</ref>, <ref target="Pg079">79</ref>, <ref target="Pg109">109</ref>, <ref target="Pg114">114</ref>, <ref target="Pg124">124</ref>.</p> + +<p>Toraṇ, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>.</p> + +<p>Town-Destroyer, <ref target="Pg059">59</ref>, <ref target="Pg060">60</ref>.</p> + +<p>Trident, <ref target="Pg068">68</ref>.</p> + +<p>Trident-wielding, <ref target="Pg054">54</ref>, <ref target="Pg057">57</ref>.</p> + +<p>Trijaṭ, <ref target="Pg133">133</ref>.</p> + +<p>Trijaṭá, <ref target="Pg410">410</ref>, <ref target="Pg463">463</ref>.</p> + +<p>Trikúṭa, <ref target="Pg456">456</ref>, <ref target="Pg457">457</ref>, <ref target="Pg500">500</ref>, <ref target="Pg515">515</ref>.</p> + +<p>Triṇavindu, <ref target="Pg515">515</ref>.</p> + +<p>Trípathagá, <ref target="Pg056">56</ref>.</p> + +<p>Tripur, <ref target="Pg306">306</ref>.</p> + +<p>Tripura, <ref target="Pg085">85</ref>, <ref target="Pg086">86</ref>.</p> + +<p>Triśanku, <ref target="Pg068">68-72</ref>, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg144">144</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>, <ref target="Pg429">429</ref>.</p> + +<p>Triśirá, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>.</p> + +<p>Triśirás, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref> note, <ref target="Pg260">260</ref>, <ref target="Pg261">261</ref>, <ref target="Pg264">264</ref>, <ref target="Pg267">267</ref>, <ref target="Pg271">271</ref>, <ref target="Pg478">478</ref>, <ref target="Pg479">479</ref>, <ref target="Pg480">480</ref>, <ref target="Pg502">502</ref>.</p> + +<p>Tumburu, <ref target="Pg198">198</ref>, <ref target="Pg199">199</ref>, <ref target="Pg232">232</ref>.</p> + + +<p>Uchchaihśravas, <ref target="Pg058">58</ref>, <ref target="Pg522">522</ref>.</p> + +<p>Udayagiri, <ref target="Pg379">379</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Udávasu, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ujjiháná, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>.</p> + +<p>Ukthya, <ref target="Pg024">24</ref>.</p> + +<p>Umá, <ref target="Pg049">49</ref>, <ref target="Pg054">54</ref>, <ref target="Pg205">205</ref>, <ref target="Pg249">249</ref> note, <ref target="Pg471">471</ref>, <ref target="Pg542">542</ref>, <ref target="Pg543">543</ref>.</p> + +<p>Upasad, <ref target="Pg022">22</ref>.</p> + +<p>Upasunda, <ref target="Pg035">35</ref>.</p> + +<p>Upendra, <ref target="Pg074">74</ref>, <ref target="Pg559">559</ref>.</p> + +<p>Urmilá, <ref target="Pg047">47</ref>, <ref target="Pg083">83</ref>, <ref target="Pg084">84</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>, <ref target="Pg228">228</ref>.</p> + +<p>Urvaśí, <ref target="Pg286">286</ref>, <ref target="Pg544">544</ref>, <ref target="Pg545">545</ref>.</p> + +<p>Uśanas, <ref target="Pg382">382</ref>.</p> + +<p>Utkal, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>.</p> + +<p>Uttániká, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>, <ref target="Pg539">539</ref>.</p> + + +<p>Váhli, <ref target="Pg013">13</ref>.</p> + +<p>Váhlíka, <ref target="Pg376">376</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vahni, <ref target="Pg555">555</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vaidyut, <ref target="Pg375">375</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vaijayanta, <ref target="Pg099">99</ref>, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>, <ref target="Pg522">522</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vaikhánasas, <ref target="Pg270">270</ref>, <ref target="Pg271">271</ref>, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vainateya, <ref target="Pg388">388</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vaiśravaṇ, <ref target="Pg265">265</ref>, <ref target="Pg285">285</ref>, <ref target="Pg378">378</ref>, <ref target="Pg414">414</ref>, <ref target="Pg515">515</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vaiśyas, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vaitaraṇí, <ref target="Pg293">293</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vajra, <ref target="Pg376">376</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vajradanshṭra, <ref target="Pg432">432</ref>, <ref target="Pg433">433</ref> note, <ref target="Pg466">466</ref>, <ref target="Pg467">467</ref>.</p> + +<p>Válmíki, <ref target="Pg001">1</ref>, <ref target="Pg007">7-11</ref>, <ref target="Pg161">161</ref>, <ref target="Pg519">519</ref>, <ref target="Pg542">542</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vámadeva, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>, <ref target="Pg079">79</ref>, <ref target="Pg080">80</ref>, <ref target="Pg091">91</ref>, <ref target="Pg174">174</ref>, <ref target="Pg222">222</ref>, <ref target="Pg505">505</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vámana, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>, <ref target="Pg523">523</ref>.</p> + +<p>Váṇa, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vanáyu, <ref target="Pg013">13</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vangas, <ref target="Pg102">102</ref>.</p> + +<pb n="576"/><anchor id="Pg576"/> + +<p>Varadas, <ref target="Pg550">550</ref>.</p> + +<p>Varuṇ, <ref target="Pg001">1</ref> note, <ref target="Pg028">28</ref>, <ref target="Pg042">42</ref>, <ref target="Pg067">67</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>, <ref target="Pg109">109</ref>, <ref target="Pg124">124</ref>, <ref target="Pg228">228</ref>, <ref target="Pg243">243</ref>, <ref target="Pg272">272</ref>, <ref target="Pg293">293</ref>, <ref target="Pg338">338</ref>, <ref target="Pg377">377</ref>, <ref target="Pg383">383</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>, <ref target="Pg471">471</ref>, <ref target="Pg518">518</ref>.</p> + +<p>Varáśya, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Varútha, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vásav, <ref target="Pg092">92</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vásava, <ref target="Pg236">236</ref>, <ref target="Pg522">522</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vaśishṭha, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>, <ref target="Pg015">15</ref>, <ref target="Pg019">19-22</ref>, <ref target="Pg025">25</ref>, <ref target="Pg032">32</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Vásudeva, <ref target="Pg051">51</ref>, <ref target="Pg052">52</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vásuki, <ref target="Pg057">57</ref>, <ref target="Pg267">267</ref>, <ref target="Pg375">375</ref>, <ref target="Pg432">432</ref>, <ref target="Pg518">518</ref>, <ref target="Pg522">522</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vasus, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>, <ref target="Pg046">46</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>, <ref target="Pg283">283</ref>, <ref target="Pg377">377</ref>, <ref target="Pg403">403</ref>, <ref target="Pg522">522</ref>, <ref target="Pg554">554</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vasvaukasárá, <ref target="Pg203">203</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vátápi, <ref target="Pg241">241</ref>, <ref target="Pg280">280</ref>.</p> + +<p>Váyu, <ref target="Pg059">59</ref>, <ref target="Pg243">243</ref>, <ref target="Pg369">369</ref>, <ref target="Pg427">427</ref>, <ref target="Pg428">428</ref>, <ref target="Pg555">555</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vedas, <ref target="Pg001">1</ref> note, <ref target="Pg003">3</ref>, <ref target="Pg012">12</ref>, <ref target="Pg022">22</ref>, <ref target="Pg070">70</ref>, <ref target="Pg089">89</ref>, <ref target="Pg109">109</ref>, <ref target="Pg125">125</ref>, <ref target="Pg147">147</ref>, <ref target="Pg184">184</ref>, <ref target="Pg229">229</ref>, <ref target="Pg559">559</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vedaśrutí, <ref target="Pg151">151</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vedavatí, <ref target="Pg470">470</ref>, <ref target="Pg517">517</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vegadarśí, <ref target="Pg429">429</ref>, <ref target="Pg446">446</ref>, <ref target="Pg483">483</ref>.</p> + +<p>Veṇá, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>, <ref target="Pg537">537</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vibháṇḍak, <ref target="Pg015">15</ref>, <ref target="Pg016">16</ref>, <ref target="Pg017">17</ref>, <ref target="Pg018">18</ref>, <ref target="Pg025">25</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vibhíshaṇ, <ref target="Pg006">6</ref>, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>, <ref target="Pg250">250</ref>, <ref target="Pg273">273</ref>, <ref target="Pg415">415</ref>, <ref target="Pg422">422</ref>, <ref target="Pg423">423</ref>, <ref target="Pg433">433</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg449">449</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg472">472</ref>, <ref target="Pg483">483</ref>, <ref target="Pg487">487</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg516">516</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vibudh, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vidarbha, <ref target="Pg046">46</ref>, <ref target="Pg049">49</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vidarbhas, <ref target="Pg549">549</ref>.</p> + +<p>Videha, <ref target="Pg079">79</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg129">129</ref>, <ref target="Pg130">130</ref>, <ref target="Pg142">142</ref>, <ref target="Pg166">166</ref>, <ref target="Pg195">195</ref>, <ref target="Pg227">227</ref>.</p> + +<p>Videhan, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg079">79</ref>, <ref target="Pg095">95</ref>, <ref target="Pg104">104</ref>, <ref target="Pg119">119</ref>, <ref target="Pg125">125</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Videhas, <ref target="Pg548">548</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vidyádharí, <ref target="Pg203">203</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Vidyujjihva, <ref target="Pg450">450</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vidyunmáli, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Vidyutkeśa, <ref target="Pg515">515</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vihangama, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Vijay, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>, <ref target="Pg036">36</ref>, <ref target="Pg175">175</ref>, <ref target="Pg505">505</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vikaṭá, <ref target="Pg409">409</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vikrit, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vikukshi, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vinata, <ref target="Pg179">179</ref>, <ref target="Pg379">379</ref>, <ref target="Pg380">380</ref>, <ref target="Pg388">388</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vinatá, <ref target="Pg053">53</ref>, <ref target="Pg125">125</ref>, <ref target="Pg246">246</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vindhya, <ref target="Pg014">14</ref>, <ref target="Pg051">51</ref>, <ref target="Pg242">242</ref>, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref>, <ref target="Pg370">370</ref>, <ref target="Pg374">374</ref>, <ref target="Pg380">380</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vindu, <ref target="Pg055">55</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vipáśá, <ref target="Pg176">176</ref>, <ref target="Pg539">539</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vírabáhu, <ref target="Pg364">364</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Virádha, <ref target="Pg005">5</ref>, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg229">229</ref>, <ref target="Pg232">232</ref>, <ref target="Pg404">404</ref>, <ref target="Pg446">446</ref>, <ref target="Pg502">502</ref>.</p> + +<p>Viráj, <ref target="Pg124">124</ref>.</p> + +<p>Viramatsya, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>.</p> + +<p>Virochan, <ref target="Pg040">40</ref>, <ref target="Pg043">43</ref>.</p> + +<p>Virtue, <ref target="Pg223">223</ref>, <ref target="Pg272">272</ref>.</p> + +<p>Virúpáksha, <ref target="Pg052">52</ref>, <ref target="Pg420">420</ref>, <ref target="Pg433">433</ref>, <ref target="Pg459">459</ref>, <ref target="Pg460">460</ref>, <ref target="Pg487">487</ref>.</p> + +<p>Viśákhás, <ref target="Pg144">144</ref>, <ref target="Pg430">430</ref>.</p> + +<p>Viśálá, <ref target="Pg056">56</ref>, <ref target="Pg057">57</ref>, <ref target="Pg059">59</ref>, <ref target="Pg060">60</ref>, <ref target="Pg062">62</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vishṇu, <ref target="Pg001">1</ref> note, <ref target="Pg002">2</ref>, <ref target="Pg003">3</ref>, <ref target="Pg025">25</ref>, <ref target="Pg032">32</ref>, <ref target="Pg040">40</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Viśravas, <ref target="Pg035">35</ref>, <ref target="Pg309">309</ref>, <ref target="Pg408">408</ref>, <ref target="Pg515">515</ref>, <ref target="Pg516">516</ref>.</p> + +<p>Viśváchi, <ref target="Pg198">198</ref>.</p> + +<p>Viśvajit, <ref target="Pg024">24</ref>.</p> + +<p>Viśvakarmá, <ref target="Pg028">28</ref>, <ref target="Pg042">42</ref>, <ref target="Pg198">198</ref>, <ref target="Pg376">376</ref>, <ref target="Pg387">387</ref>, <ref target="Pg444">444</ref>, <ref target="Pg445">445</ref>, <ref target="Pg448">448</ref>, <ref target="Pg499">499</ref>, <ref target="Pg500">500</ref>, <ref target="Pg515">515</ref>, <ref target="Pg556">556</ref>.</p> + +<p>Viśvámitra, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>, <ref target="Pg032">32</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg039">39</ref>, <ref target="Pg041">41</ref>, <ref target="Pg044">44</ref>, <ref target="Pg045">45</ref>, <hi rend='italic'>passim</hi>.</p> + +<p>Viśvarúpa, <ref target="Pg353">353</ref>.</p> + +<p>Viśvas, <ref target="Pg377">377</ref>.</p> + +<p>Viśvávasu, <ref target="Pg198">198</ref>.</p> + +<p>Viśvedevas, <ref target="Pg162">162</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vitardan, <ref target="Pg474">474</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vivasvat, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg171">171</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>, <ref target="Pg245">245</ref>, <ref target="Pg386">386</ref>, <ref target="Pg532">532</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vraṇa, <ref target="Pg444">444</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vrihadratha, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vrihaspati, <ref target="Pg028">28</ref>, <ref target="Pg031">31</ref>, <ref target="Pg095">95</ref>, <ref target="Pg124">124</ref>, <ref target="Pg210">210</ref>, <ref target="Pg307">307</ref>, <ref target="Pg464">464</ref>, <ref target="Pg517">517</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vritra, <ref target="Pg125">125</ref>, <ref target="Pg264">264</ref>, <ref target="Pg288">288</ref>, <ref target="Pg387">387</ref>, <ref target="Pg487">487</ref>, <ref target="Pg491">491</ref>, <ref target="Pg536">536</ref>.</p> + +<p>Vulture-king, <ref target="Pg009">9</ref>.</p> + + +<p>War-god, <ref target="Pg124">124</ref>, <ref target="Pg476">476</ref>.</p> + +<p>Wind, <ref target="Pg030">30</ref>, <ref target="Pg218">218</ref>.</p> + +<p>Wind-god, <ref target="Pg010">10</ref>, <ref target="Pg036">36</ref>, <ref target="Pg042">42</ref>, <ref target="Pg068">68</ref>, <ref target="Pg325">325</ref>, <ref target="Pg326">326</ref>, <ref target="Pg379">379</ref>, <ref target="Pg392">392</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg417">417</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg449">449</ref>, <ref target="Pg470">470</ref>, <ref target="Pg478">478</ref>, <ref target="Pg481">481</ref>, <ref target="Pg488">488</ref>, <ref target="Pg502">502</ref>, <ref target="Pg503">503</ref>.</p> + + +<p>Yavadwípa, <ref target="Pg372">372</ref>.</p> + +<p>Yajnakopa, <ref target="Pg433">433</ref> note, <ref target="Pg459">459</ref>.</p> + +<p>Yajush, <ref target="Pg326">326</ref>.</p> + +<p>Yajnaśatru, <ref target="Pg256">256</ref> note.</p> + +<p>Yaksha, <ref target="Pg236">236</ref> note, <ref target="Pg306">306</ref>, <ref target="Pg318">318</ref>, <ref target="Pg363">363</ref>, <ref target="Pg375">375</ref>, <ref target="Pg394">394</ref>, <ref target="Pg420">420</ref>, <ref target="Pg422">422</ref>, <ref target="Pg425">425</ref>, <ref target="Pg431">431</ref>, <ref target="Pg454">454</ref>, <ref target="Pg458">458</ref>, <ref target="Pg468">468</ref>.</p> + +<p>Yáma, <ref target="Pg068">68</ref>, <ref target="Pg071">71</ref>, <ref target="Pg112">112</ref>, <ref target="Pg117">117</ref>, <ref target="Pg124">124</ref>, <ref target="Pg140">140</ref>, <ref target="Pg166">166</ref>, <ref target="Pg171">171</ref>, <ref target="Pg241">241</ref>, <ref target="Pg248">248</ref>, <ref target="Pg262">262</ref>, <ref target="Pg275">275</ref>, <ref target="Pg287">287</ref>, <ref target="Pg313">313</ref>, <ref target="Pg343">343</ref> ff., <ref target="Pg432">432</ref>, <ref target="Pg437">437</ref>, <ref target="Pg449">449</ref>, <ref target="Pg472">472</ref>, <ref target="Pg475">475</ref>, <ref target="Pg496">496</ref>, <ref target="Pg518">518</ref>, <ref target="Pg554">554</ref>.</p> + +<p>Yamuná, <ref target="Pg158">158</ref>, <ref target="Pg159">159</ref>, <ref target="Pg160">160</ref>, <ref target="Pg178">178</ref>, <ref target="Pg214">214</ref>, <ref target="Pg223">223</ref>, <ref target="Pg372">372</ref>.</p> + +<p>Yámun, <ref target="Pg372">372</ref>.</p> + +<p>Yavanas, <ref target="Pg066">66</ref>, <ref target="Pg550">550</ref>.</p> + +<p>Yayáti, <ref target="Pg082">82</ref>, <ref target="Pg095">95</ref>, <ref target="Pg107">107</ref>, <ref target="Pg119">119</ref>, <ref target="Pg163">163</ref>, <ref target="Pg186">186</ref>, <ref target="Pg307">307</ref>, <ref target="Pg344">344</ref>.</p> + +<p>Yudhájit, <ref target="Pg084">84</ref>, <ref target="Pg088">88</ref>, <ref target="Pg180">180</ref>, <ref target="Pg190">190</ref>.</p> + +<p>Yúpáksha, <ref target="Pg420">420</ref>, <ref target="Pg472">472</ref>.</p> + +<p>Yuvanáśva, <ref target="Pg081">81</ref>, <ref target="Pg219">219</ref>.</p> + +</div> + +</body> +<back rend="page-break-before: right"> + <div id="footnotes"> + <index index="toc" /> + <index index="pdf" /> + <head>Footnotes</head> + <divGen type="footnotes"/> + </div> + <div rend="page-break-before: right"> + <divGen type="pgfooter" /> + </div> +</back> +</text> +</TEI.2> |