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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/12169-0.txt b/12169-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..64286b3 --- /dev/null +++ b/12169-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,9223 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 12169 *** + +[S']AKOONTALÁ + +OR THE LOST RING + + + + + + + +AN INDIAN DRAMA + + + + + + +TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH PROSE AND VERSE +FROM THE SANSKRIT OF KÁLIDÁSA + + +BY + + +SIR MONIER MONIER-WILLIAMS, K.C.I.E. +M.A., D.C.L., LL.D., PH.D. +BODEN PROFESSOR OF SANSKRIT, HON. FELLOW OF UNIVERSITY +AND LATE FELLOW OF BALLIOL COLLEGE, OXFORD + + + + +PREFACE TO THE EIGHTH EDITION. + +The fact that the following translation (first published in 1855) of +India's most celebrated drama has gone through seven editions, might +reasonably have absolved me from the duty of revising it. + +Three years ago, however, I heard that Sir John Lubbock had thought +'[S']akoontalá' worthy of a place among the hundred best books of the +world, and had adopted my version of the original. I therefore +undertook to go through every line and once again compare the +translation with the Sanskrit, in the hope that I might be able to +give a few finishing touches to a performance which, although it had +been before the public for about forty years, was certainly not +perfect. The act of revision was a labour of love, and I can honestly +say that I did my best to make my representation of Kálidása's +immortal work as true and trustworthy as possible. + +Another edition is now called for, but after a severely critical +examination of every word, I have only detected a few minor +unimportant points--and those only in the Introduction and Notes--in +which any alteration appeared to be desirable. Indeed it is probable +that the possessors of previous editions will scarcely perceive that +any alterations have been made anywhere. + +Occasionally in the process of comparison a misgiving has troubled me, +and I have felt inclined to accuse myself of having taken, in some +cases, too great liberties with the Sanskrit original. But in the end +I have acquiesced in my first and still abiding conviction that a +literal translation (such as that which I have given in the notes of +my edition of the Sanskrit text) might have commended itself to +Oriental students, but would not have given a true idea of the beauty +of India's most cherished drama to general readers, whose minds are +cast in a European mould, and who require a translator to clothe +Oriental ideas, as far as practicable, in a dress conformable to +European canons of taste. + +And most assuredly such a translation would never have adapted itself +to actual representation on a modern stage as readily as it now +appears that my free version has done. It has gratified me exceedingly +to find that youthful English-speaking Indians--cultured young men +educated at the Universities of Calcutta, Madras and Bombay--have acted +the [S']akoontalá, in the very words of my translation with the greatest +success before appreciative audiences in various parts of India. + +And lest any one in this country should be sceptical as to the +possibility of interesting a modern audience in a play written +possibly as early as the third or fourth century of our era (see p. +xvi), I here append an extract from a letter received by me in 1893 +from Mr. V. Padmanabha Aiyar, B.A., resident at Karamanai, Trivandrum, +Travancore. + +'SIVEN COIL STREET, TRIVANDRUM, + +_'May 1, 1893_. + +'The members of the "Karamanai Young Men's Mutual Improvement Society" +acted your translation of "[S']akoontalá" on the 3rd and 5th of +September last year, in the Government Museum Theatre, Trivandrum. + +'It was acted in two parts. On the first day Acts I to IV were acted, +and on the second the remaining three Acts. + +'All our chief native officials and many Europeans and their ladies +honoured the occasion with their presence. We acted it a second time +at the special request of H.H. the Second Prince of Travancore, in the +Palace of His Highness' mother, the Junior Ránee. + +'The public were kind enough to pronounce it a success. In many cases +the applause given was not so much for the acting as for the beauty of +your translation. The Hindús have a great liking for this play, and +not one of the enlightened Hindú community will fail to acknowledge +your translation to be a very perfect one. Our object in acting Hindú +plays is to bring home to the Hindús the good lessons that our ancient +authors are able to teach us. If there is one lesson in these days +more than another which familiarity with the fountains of Western +literature constantly forces upon the mind, it is that our age is +turning its back on time-honoured creeds and dogmas. We are hurrying +forward to a chaos in which all our existing beliefs, nay even the +fundamental axioms of morality, may in the end be submerged; and as +the general tenor of Indian thought among the educated community is to +reject everything that is old, and equally blindly to absorb +everything new, it becomes more and more an urgent question whether +any great intellectual or moral revolution, which has no foundations +in the past, can produce lasting benefits to the people. + +'"I desire no future that will break the ties of the past" is what +George Eliot has said, and so it is highly necessary that the Hindús +should know something of their former greatness. + +'The songs in [S']akoontalá, one in the Prologue and another in the +beginning of the fifth Act, very easily adapted themselves to Hindú +tunes.' + +Towards the end of his letter Mr. Aiyar intimated that he himself took +the part of Má[T.]Havya. He also mentioned that a few modifications and +additions were introduced into some of the scenes. + +In a subsequent letter received from Mr. Keshava Aiyar, the Secretary +of the Society, I was informed that my version of the Play was acted +again at Trivandrum in 1894. + +These descriptions of the successful representation of the [S']akoontalá +in Travancore justified me in expressing a hope that, as Kálidása has +been called the Shakespeare of India, so the most renowned of his +three dramatic works might, with a few manifestly necessary +modifications, be some day represented, with equal success, before +English-speaking audiences in other parts of the world and especially +here in England. This hope has been realized, and quite recently my +translation has been successfully acted by amateur actors before a +London audience. + +I venture, therefore, to add the expression of a further hope that +with the daily growth of interest in Oriental literature, and now that +the [S']akoontalá forms one of Sir John Lubbock's literary series, it +may be more extensively read by the Rulers of India in all parts of +the Empire. Those who study it attentively cannot fail to become +better acquainted with the customs and habits of thought, past and +present, of the people committed to their sway. + +And it cannot be too often repeated that our duty towards our great +Dependency requires us to do something more than merely rule justly. +We may impart high education, we may make good laws, we may administer +impartial justice, we may make roads, lay down railroads and +telegraphs, stimulate trade, accomplish amazing engineering +feats--like that lately achieved at Periyar--increase the wealth and +develop the resources of our vast Eastern territories; but unless we +seek to understand the inhabitants, unless we think it worth while to +study their ancient literatures, their religious ideas, and +time-honoured institutions, unless we find in them something to admire +and respect, we can never expect any reciprocity of esteem and respect +on their part--we can never look forward to a time when the present +partition-wall, which obstructs the free Interchange of social +relations between European and Asiatic races, will be entirely +removed. + +MONIER MONIER-WILLIAMS, _December, 1898_. + + + + +INTRODUCTION + + +About a century has elapsed since the great English Orientalist, Sir +William Jones, astonished the learned world by the discovery of a +Sanskrit Dramatic Literature. He has himself given us the history of +this discovery. It appears that, on his arrival in Bengal, he was very +solicitous to procure access to certain books called Nátaks, of which +he had read in one of the 'Lettres Édifiantes et Curieuses' written by +the Jesuit Missionaries of China. But, although he sought information +by consulting both Bráhmans and Europeans, he was wholly unable for +some time to satisfy his curiosity as to the nature of these books. It +was reported to him that they were not histories, as he had hoped, but +that they abounded with fables, and consisted of conversations in +prose and verse held before ancient Rájás, in their public assemblies. +Others, again, asserted that they were discourses on dancing, music, +and poetry. At length, a sensible Bráhman, conversant with European +manners, removed all his doubts, and gave him no less delight than +surprise, by telling him that the English nation had compositions of +the same sort, which were publicly represented at Calcutta in the cold +season, and bore the name of 'plays.' The same Bráhman, when asked +which of these Nátaks was most universally esteemed, answered without +hesitation, '[S']akoontalá.' + +It may readily be imagined with what interest, the keen Orientalist +received this communication; with what rapidity he followed up the +clue; and, when at length his zeal was rewarded by actual possession +of a MS. copy of one of these dramas, with what avidity he proceeded +to explore the treasures which for eighteen hundred years had remained +as unknown to the European world as the gold-fields of Australia. + +The earliest Sanskrit drama with which we are acquainted, the +'Clay-cart,' translated by my predecessor in the Boden Chair at +Oxford, Professor H.H. Wilson, is attributed to a regal author, King +[S']údraka, the date of whose reign cannot be fixed with any certainty, +though some have assigned it to the first or second century B.C. +Considering that the nations of Europe can scarcely be said to have +possessed a dramatic literature before the fourteenth or fifteenth +century of the present era, the great age of the Hindú plays would of +itself be a most interesting and attractive circumstance, even if +their poetical merit were not of a very high order. But when to the +antiquity of these productions is added their extreme beauty and +excellence as literary compositions, and when we also take into +account their value as representations of the early condition of Hindú +society--which, notwithstanding the lapse of two thousand years, has +in many particulars obeyed the law of unchangeableness ever stamped on +the manners and customs of the East--we are led to wonder that the +study of the Indian drama has not commended itself in a greater degree +to the attention of Europeans, and especially of Englishmen. The +English student, at least, is bound by considerations of duty, as well +as curiosity, to make himself acquainted with a subject which +elucidates and explains the condition of the millions of Hindús who +owe allegiance to his own Sovereign, and are governed by English laws. + +Of all the Indian dramatists, indeed of all Indian poets, the most +celebrated is Kálidása, the writer of the present play. The late +Professor Lassen thought it probable that he flourished about the +middle of the third century after Christ. Professor Kielhorn of +Göttingen has proved that the composer of the Mandasor Inscription +(A.D. 472) knew Kálidása's Ritusamhára. Hence it may be inferred that +Lassen was not far wrong[1]. Possibly some King named Vikramáditya +received Kálidása at his Court, and honoured him by his patronage +about that time. Little, however, is known of the circumstances of his +life. There is certainly no satisfactory evidence to be adduced in +support of the tradition current in India that he lived in the time +of the _great_ King Vikramáditya I., whose capital was Ujjayiní, now +Oujein. + +From the absence of historical literature in India, our knowledge of +the state of Hindústán between the incursion of Alexander and the +Muhammadan conquest is very slight. But it is ascertained with +tolerable accuracy that, after the invasion of the kingdoms of Bactria +and Afghánistán, the Tartars or Scythians (called by the Hindús +'[S']akas') overran the north-western provinces of India, and retained +possession of them. The great Vikramáditya or Vikramárka succeeded in +driving back the barbaric hordes beyond the Indus, and so consolidated +his empire that it extended over the whole of Northern Hindústán. His +name is even now cherished among the Hindús with pride and affection. +His victory over the Scythians is believed to have taken place about +B.C. 57. At any rate this is the starting-point of the Vikrama (also +called the Málava and in later times the Samvat) era, one of the +epochs from which the Hindús still continue to count. There is good +authority for affirming that the reign of this Vikramárka or +Vikramáditya was equal in brilliancy to that of any monarch in any +age. He was a liberal patron of science and literature, and gave +splendid encouragement to poets, philologists, astronomers, and +mathematicians. Nine illustrious men of genius are said to have +adorned his Court, and to have been supported by his bounty. They were +called the 'Nine Gems'; and a not unnatural tradition, which, however, +must be considered untrustworthy, included Kálidása among the Nine. + +To Kálidása (as to another celebrated Indian Dramatist, Bhavabhúti, +who probably flourished in the eighth century) only three plays are +attributed; and of these the '[S']akoontalá' (here translated) has +acquired the greatest celebrity [2]. + +Indeed, the popularity of this play with the natives of India exceeds +that of any other dramatic, and probably of any other poetical +composition [3]. But it is not in India alone that the '[S']akoontalá' is +known and admired. Its excellence is now recognized in every +literary circle throughout the continent of Europe; and its beauties, +if not yet universally known and appreciated, are at least +acknowledged by many learned men in every country of the civilized +world. The four well-known lines of Goethe, so often quoted in +relation to the Indian drama, may here be repeated: + + 'Willst du die Blüthe des frühen, die Früchte des + späteren Jahres, + Willst du was reizt und entzückt, willst du was sättigt + und nährt, + Willst du den Himmel, die Erde, mit einem Namen + begreifen: + Nenn' ich, [S']akoontalá, Dich, und so ist Alles gesagt.' + + 'Would'st thou the young year's blossoms and the fruits + of its decline, + And all by which the soul is charmed, enraptured, + feasted, fed? + Would'st thou the Earth and Heaven itself in one sole + name combine? + I name thee, O [S']akoontalá! and all at once is said.' + + _E.B. Eastwick_. + +Augustus William von Schlegel, in his first Lecture on Dramatic +Literature, says: 'Among the Indians, the people from whom perhaps all +the cultivation of the human race has been derived, plays were known +long before they could have experienced any foreign influence. It has +lately been made known in Europe that they have a rich dramatic +literature, which ascends back for more than two thousand years. The +only specimen of their plays (Nátaks) hitherto known to us is the +delightful [S']akoontalá, which, notwithstanding the colouring of a +foreign clime, bears in its general structure a striking resemblance +to our romantic drama.' + +Alexander von Humboldt, in treating of Indian poetry, observes: +'Kálidása, the celebrated author of the [S']akoontalá, is a masterly +describer of the influence which Nature exercises upon the minds of +lovers. This great poet flourished at the splendid court of +Vikramáditya, and was, therefore, cotemporary with Virgil and Horace. +Tenderness in the expression of feeling, and richness of creative +fancy, have assigned to him his lofty place among the poets of all +nations'. + +These considerations induced me, in 1853, to compile and publish an +edition of the text of the '[S']akoontalá' from various original MSS., +with English translations of the metrical passages, and explanatory +notes. A second edition of this work has since been published by the +Delegates of the Oxford University Press. To the notes of that edition +I must refer all students of Sanskrit literature who desire a close +and literal translation of the present drama, and in the Preface will +be found an account of various other editions and translations. + +The following pages contain a _free_ translation, and the first +English version in prose and metre, of the purest recension of the +most celebrated drama of the Shakespeare of India. + +The need felt by the British public for some such translation as I +have here offered can scarcely be questioned. A great people, who, +through their empire in India, command the destinies of the Eastern +world, ought surely to be conversant with the most popular of Indian +dramas, in which the customs of the Hindús, their opinions, +prejudices, and fables, their religious rites, daily occupations and +amusements, are reflected as in a mirror. Nor is the prose translation +of Sir W. Jones (excellent though it be) adapted to meet the +requirements of modern times. That translation was unfortunately made +from corrupt manuscripts (the best that could then be procured), in +which the bold phraseology of Kálidása has been occasionally weakened, +his delicate expressions of refined love clothed in an unbecoming +dress, and his ideas, grand in their simplicity, diluted by repetition +or amplification. It is, moreover, altogether unfurnished with +explanatory annotations. The present translation, on the contrary, +while representing the purest version of the drama, has abundant +notes, sufficient to answer the exigencies of the non-oriental +scholar. + +It may be remarked that in every Sanskrit play the women and inferior +characters speak a kind of provincial dialect or _patois_, called +Prákrit--bearing the relation to Sanskrit that Italian bears to Latin, +or that the spoken Latin of the age of Cicero bore to the highly +polished Latin in which he delivered his Orations. Even the heroine of +the drama is made to speak in the vernacular dialect. The hero, on the +other hand, and all the higher male characters, speak in Sanskrit; and +as if to invest them with greater dignity, half of what they say is in +verse. Indeed the prose part of their speeches is often very +commonplace, being only introductory to the lofty sentiment of the +poetry that follows. Thus, if the whole composition be compared to a +web, the prose will correspond to the warp, or that part which is +extended lengthwise in the loom, while the metrical portion will +answer to the cross-threads which constitute the woof. + +The original verses are written in a great variety of Sanskrit metres. +For example, the first thirty-four verses of '[S']akoontalá' exhibit +eleven different varieties of metre. No English metrical system could +give any idea of the almost infinite resources of Sanskrit in this +respect. Nor have I attempted it. Blank verse has been employed by me +in my translation, as more in unison with the character of our own +dramatic writings, and rhyming stanzas have only been admitted when +the subject-matter seemed to call for such a change. Perhaps the chief +consideration that induced me to adopt this mode of metrical +translation was, that the free and unfettered character of the verse +enabled me to preserve more of the freshness and vigour of the +original. If the poetical ideas of Kálidása have not been expressed in +language as musical as his own, I have at least done my best to avoid +diluting them by unwarrantable paraphrases or additions. If the +English verses are prosaic, I have the satisfaction of knowing that by +resisting the allurements of rhyme, I have done all in my power to +avoid substituting a fictitious and meagre poem of my own for the +grand, yet simple and chaste creation of Kálidása. + +The unrestricted liberty of employing hypermetrical lines of eleven +syllables, sanctioned by the highest authority in dramatic +composition, has, I think, facilitated the attainment of this object. +One of our own poets has said in relation to such lines: 'Let it be +remembered that they supply us with another cadence; that they add, as +it were, a string to the instrument; and--by enabling the poet to +relax at pleasure, to rise and fall with his subject--contribute what +most is wanted, compass and variety. They are nearest to the flow of +an unstudied eloquence, and should therefore be used in the drama[4].' +Shakespeare does not scruple to avail himself of this licence four or +five times in succession, as in the well-known passage beginning-- + + 'To be or not to be, that is the question'; + +and even Milton uses the same freedom once or twice in every page. + +The poetical merit of Kálidása's '[S']akoontalá' is so universally +admitted that any remarks on this head would be superfluous. I will +merely observe that, in the opinion of learned natives, the Fourth +Act, which describes the departure of [S']akoontalá from the hermitage, +contains the most obvious beauties; and that no one can read this Act, +nor indeed any part of the play, without being struck with the +richness and elevation of its author's genius, the exuberance and glow +of his fancy, his ardent love of the beautiful, his deep sympathy with +Nature and Nature's loveliest scenes, his profound knowledge of the +human heart, his delicate appreciation of its most refined feelings, +his familiarity with its conflicting sentiments and emotions. But in +proportion to the acknowledged excellence of Kálidása's composition, +and in proportion to my own increasing admiration of its beauties, is +the diffidence I feel lest I may have failed to infuse any of the +poetry of the original into the present version. Translation of poetry +must, at the best, resemble the process of pouring a highly volatile +and evanescent spirit from one receptacle into another. The original +fluid will always suffer a certain amount of waste and evaporation. + +The English reader will at least be inclined to wonder at the +analogies which a thoroughly Eastern play offers to our own dramatic +compositions written many centuries later. The dexterity with which +the plot is arranged and conducted, the ingenuity with which the +incidents are connected, the skill with which the characters are +delineated and contrasted with each other, the boldness and felicity +of the diction, are scarcely unworthy of the great dramatists of +European countries. Nor does the parallel fail in the management of +the business of the stage, in minute directions to the actors, and +various scenic artifices. The asides and aparts, the exits and the +entrances, the manner, attitude, and gait of the speakers, the tone of +voice with which they are to deliver themselves, the tears, the +smiles, and the laughter, are as regularly indicated as in a modern +drama. + +In reference to the constitution and structure of the play here +translated, a few general remarks on the dramatic system of the Hindús +may be needed[5]. + +Dramatic poetry is said to have been invented by the sage Bharata, +who lived at a very remote period of Indian history, and was the +author of a system of music. The drama of these early times was +probably nothing more than the Indian Nách-dance (Nautch) of the +present day. It was a species of rude pantomime, in which dancing and +movements of the body were accompanied by mute gestures of the hands +and face, or by singing and music. Subsequently, dialogue was added, +and the art of theatrical representation was brought to great +perfection. Elaborate treatises were written which laid down minute +regulations for the construction and conduct of plays, and subjected +dramatic composition to highly artificial rules of poetical and +rhetorical style. For example, the Sáhitya-darpana divides Sanskrit +plays into two great classes, the Rúpaka or principal dramas, and the +Uparúpaka or minor dramas. At the head of the ten species of Rúpaka +stands the Nátaka, of which the '[S']akoontalá' is an example. It should +consist of from five to ten Acts; it should have a celebrated story +for its plot; it should represent heroic or godlike characters and +good deeds; it should be written in an elaborate style, and be full of +noble sentiments. Moreover, it should be composed like the end of a +cow's tail; so that each of the Acts be gradually shorter. + +In India, as in Greece, scenic entertainments took place at religious +festivals, and on solemn public occasions. Kalidása's '[S']akoontalá' +seems to have been acted at the commencement of the summer season--a +period peculiarly sacred to Káma-deva, the Indian god of love. We are +told that it was enacted before an audience 'consisting chiefly of men +of education and discernment.' As the greater part of every play was +written in Sanskrit, which, although spoken by the learned in every +part of India even at the present day, was certainly not the +vernacular language of the country at the time when the Hindú dramas +were performed, few spectators would be present who were not of the +educated classes. This circumstance is in accordance with the +constitution of Hindú society, whereby the productions of literature +as well as the offices of state, were reserved for the privileged +castes[6]. + +Every Sanskrit play opens with a prologue, or, to speak more +correctly, an introduction, designed to prepare the way for the +entrance of the _dramatis personæ_. The prologue commences with a +benediction or prayer (pronounced by a Bráhman, or if the +stage-manager happened to be of the Bráhmanical caste, by the manager +himself), in which the poet invokes the favour of the national deity +in behalf of the audience. The blessing is generally followed by a +dialogue between the manager and one or two of the actors, in which an +account is given of the author of the drama, a complimentary tribute +is paid to the critical acumen of the spectators, and such a reference +is made to past occurrences or present circumstances as may be +necessary for the elucidation of the plot. At the conclusion of the +prologue, the manager, by some abrupt exclamation, adroitly introduces +one of the dramatic personages, and the real performance commences. + +The play, being thus opened, is carried forward in scenes and Acts; +each scene being marked by the entrance of one character and the exit +of another, as in the French drama. The _dramatis personæ_ were +divided into three classes--the inferior characters (nicha), who were +said to speak Prákrit in a monotonous accentless tone of voice +(anudáttoktyá); the middling (madhyama), and the superior (pradhána), +who were said to speak Sanskrit with accent, emphasis, and expression +(udáttoktyá). In general, the stage is never left vacant till the end +of an Act, nor does any change of locality take place until then. The +commencement of a new Act is often marked, like the commencement of +the piece, by an introductory monologue or dialogue spoken by one or +more of the _dramatis personæ_, and called Vishkambha or Prave[S']aka. +In this scene allusion is frequently made to events supposed to have +occurred in the interval of the Acts, and the audience is the better +prepared to take up the thread of the story, which is then skilfully +carried on to the concluding scene. The piece closes, as it began, +with a prayer for national plenty and prosperity, addressed to the +favourite deity, and spoken by one of the principal personages of the +drama. + +Although, in the conduct of the plot, and the delineation of +character, Hindú dramatists show considerable skill, yet they do not +appear to have been remarkable for much fertility of invention. Love, +according to Hindú notions, is the subject of most of their dramas. + +The hero, who is generally a king, and already the husband of a wife +or wives (for a wife or two more or less is no encumbrance in Indian +plays), is suddenly smitten with the charms of a lovely woman, +sometimes a nymph, or, as in the case of [S']akoontalá, the daughter of +a nymph by a mortal father. The heroine is required to be equally +impressible, and the first tender glance from the hero's eye reaches +her heart. With true feminine delicacy, however, she locks the secret +of her passion in her own breast, and by her coyness and reserve keeps +her lover for a long period in the agonies of suspense. The hero, +being reduced to a proper state of desperation, is harassed by other +difficulties. Either the celestial nature of the nymph is in the way +of their union, or he doubts the legality of the match, or he fears +his own unworthiness, or he is hampered by the angry jealousy of a +previous wife. In short, doubts, obstacles, and delays make great +havoc of both hero and heroine. They give way to melancholy, indulge +in amorous rhapsodies, and become very emaciated. So far, it must be +confessed, the story is decidedly dull, and its chain, however, does +not commence until the Fourth Act, when the union of the heroine with +King Dushyanta, and her acceptance of the marriage-ring as a token of +recognition, are supposed to have taken place. Then follows the King's +departure and temporary desertion of his bride; the curse pronounced +on [S']akoontalá by the choleric Sage; the monarch's consequent loss of +memory; the bride's journey to the palace of her husband; the +mysterious disappearance of the marriage-token; the public repudiation +of [S']akoontalá; her miraculous assumption to closes, as it began, with +a prayer for national plenty and prosperity, addressed to the +favourite deity, and spoken by one of the principal personages of the +drama. + +Although, in the conduct of the plot, and the delineation of +character, Hindú dramatists show considerable skill, yet they do not +appear to have been remarkable for much fertility of invention. Love, +according to Hindú notions, is the subject of most of their dramas. + +The hero, who is generally a king, and already the husband of a wife +or wives (for a wife or two more or less is no encumbrance in Indian +plays), is suddenly smitten with the charms of a lovely woman, +sometimes a nymph, or, as in the case of [S']akoontalá, the daughter of a +nymph by a mortal father. The heroine is required to be equally +impressible, and the first tender glance from the hero's eye reaches +her heart. With true feminine delicacy, however, she locks the secret +of her passion in her own breast, and by her coyness and reserve keeps +her lover for a long period in the agonies of suspense. The hero, +being reduced to a proper state of desperation, is harassed by other +difficulties. Either the celestial nature of the nymph is in the way +of their union, or he doubts the legality of the match, or he his own +unworthiness, or he is hampered by the angry jealousy of a previous +wife. In short, doubts, obstacles, and delays make great havoc of both +hero and heroine. They give way to melancholy, indulge in amorous +rhapsodies, and become very emaciated. So far, it must be confessed, +the story is decidedly dull, and its pathos, notwithstanding the +occasional grandeur and beauty of the imagery, often verges on the +ridiculous. + +But, by way of relief, an element of life is generally introduced in +the character of the Vidúshaka, or Jester, who is the constant +companion of the hero; and in the young maidens, who are the +confidential friends of the heroine, and soon become possessed of her +secret. By a curious regulation, the Jester is always a Bráhman, and +therefore of a caste superior to the king himself; yet his business is +to excite mirth by being ridiculous in person, age, and attire. He is +sometimes represented as grey-haired, hump-backed, lame, and ugly. In +fact, he is a species of buffoon, who is allowed full liberty of +speech, being himself a universal butt. His attempts at wit, which are +rarely very successful, and his allusions to the pleasures of the +table, of which he is a confessed votary, are absurdly contrasted with +the sententious solemnity of the despairing hero, crossed in the +prosecution of his love-suit. His clumsy interference in the intrigues +of his friend only serves to augment his difficulties, and occasions +many an awkward dilemma. On the other hand, the shrewdness of the +heroine's confidantes never seems to fail them under the most trying +circumstances; while their sly jokes and innuendos, their love of fun, +their girlish sympathy with the progress of the love affair, their +warm affection for their friend, heighten the interest of the plot, +and contribute not a little to vary its monotony. + +Fortunately, in the '[S']akoontalá' the story is diversified and the +interest well sustained by a chain of stirring incidents. The first +link of the chain, however, does not commence until the Fourth Act, +when the union of the heroine with King Dushyanta, and her acceptance +of the marriage-ring as a token of recognition, are supposed to have +taken place. Then follows the King's departure and temporary desertion +of his bride; the curse pronounced on [S']akoontalá by the choleric Sage; +the monarch's consequent loss of memory; the bride's journey to the +palace of her husband; the mysterious disappearance of the +marriage-token; the public repudiation of [S']akoontalá; her miraculous +assumption to a celestial asylum; the unexpected discovery of the ring +by a poor fisherman; the King's agony on recovering his recollection; +his aërial voyage in the car of Indra; his strange meeting with the +refractory child in the groves of Kasyapa; the boy's battle with the +young lion; the search for the amulet, by which the King is proved to +be his father; the return of [S']akoontalá, and the happy reunion of the +lovers;--all these form a connected series of moving and interesting +incidents. The feelings of the audience are wrought up to a pitch of +great intensity; and whatever emotions of terror, grief, or pity may +have been excited, are properly tranquillized by the happy termination +of the story. + +Indeed, if a calamitous conclusion be necessary to constitute a +tragedy, the Hindú dramas are never tragedies. They are mixed +compositions, in which joy and sorrow, happiness and misery, are woven +in a mingled web--tragi-comic representations, in which good and evil, +right and wrong, truth and falsehood, are allowed to blend in +confusion during the first Acts of the drama. But, in the last Act, +harmony is always restored, order succeeds to disorder, tranquillity +to agitation; and the mind of the spectator, no longer perplexed by +the apparent ascendency of evil, is soothed, and purified, and made to +acquiesce in the moral lesson deducible from the plot. + +The play of '[S']akoontalá,' as Sir W. Jones observes, must have been +very popular when it was first performed. The Indian empire was then +in its palmy days, and the vanity of the natives would be flattered by +the introduction of those kings and heroes who were supposed to have +laid the foundation of its greatness and magnificence, and whose were +connected with all that was sacred and holy in their religion, +Dushyanta, the hero of the drama, according to Indian legends, was one +of the descendants of the Moon, or in other words, belonged to the +Lunar dynasty of Indian princes; and, if any dependence may be placed +on Hindú chronology, he must have lived in the twenty-first or +twenty-second generation after the Flood. Puru, his most celebrated +ancestor, was the sixth in descent from the Moon's son Budha, who +married a daughter of the good King Satya-vrata, preserved by Vishnu +in the Ark at the time of the Deluge. The son of Dushyanta, by +[S']akoontalá, was Bharata, from whom India is still called by the +natives Bhárata-varsha. After him came Samvarana, Kuru, Sántanu, +Bhíshma, and Vyasa. The latter was the father of Dhritaráshtra and +Pándu, the quarrels of whose sons form the subject of the great +Sanskrit epic poem called Mahá-bhárata, a poem with parts of which the +audience would be familiar, and in which they would feel the greatest +pride. Indeed the whole story of [S']akoontalá is told in the +Mahá-bhárata. The pedigree of [S']akoontalá, the heroine of the drama, +was no less interesting, and calculated to awaken the religious +sympathies of Indian spectators. She was the daughter of the +celebrated Vi[s']wámitra, a name associated with many remarkable +circumstances in Hindú mythology and history. His genealogy and the +principal events of his life are narrated in the Rámáyana, the first +of the two epic poems which were to the Hindús what the Iliad and the +Odyssey were to the Greeks. He was originally of the regal caste; and, +having raised himself to the rank of a Bráhman by the length and +rigour of his penance, he became the preceptor of Rámachandra, who +was the hero of the Rámáyana, and one of the incarnations of the god +Vishnu. With such an antecedent interest in the particulars of the +story, the audience could not fail to bring a sharpened appetite, and +a self-satisfied frame of mind, to the performance of the play. + +Although in the following translation it has been thought expedient to +conform to modern usage, by indicating at the head of each Act the +scene in which it is laid, yet it is proper to apprise the English +reader that in scenery and scenic apparatus the Hindú drama, must have +been very defective. No directions as to changes of scene are given in +the original text of the play. This is the more curious, as there are +numerous stage directions, which prove that in respect of dresses and +decorations the resources of the Indian theatre were sufficiently +ample. + +It is probable that a curtain suspended across the stage, and divided +in the centre, answered all the purposes of scenes. Behind the curtain +was the space or room called _nepathya_, where the decorations were +kept, where the actors attired themselves, and remained in readiness +before entering the stage, and whither they withdrew on leaving it. +When an actor was to enter hurriedly, he was directed to do so 'with a +toss of the curtain.' + +The machinery and paraphernalia of the Indian theatre were also very +limited, contrasting in this respect unfavourably with the ancient +Greek theatre, which appears to have comprehended nearly all that +modern ingenuity has devised. Nevertheless, seats, thrones, weapons, +and chariots, were certainly introduced, and as the intercourse +between the inhabitants of heaven and earth was very frequent, it is +not improbable that there may have been aërial contrivances to +represent the chariots of celestial beings, as on the Greek stage. It +is plain, however, from the frequent occurrence of the word +_nátayitwá_, 'gesticulating,' 'acting,' that much had to be supplied +by the imagination of the spectator, assisted by the gesticulations of +the actors. + +For further information relative to the dramatic system of the Hindús, +the reader is referred to the notes appended to the present +translation. It is hoped that they will be found sufficient to explain +every allusion that might otherwise be unintelligible to the English +reader. + +MONIER MONIER-WILLIAMS. + + +FOOTNOTES: + +[Footnote 1: In the Aihole Inscription (edited by Dr. Fleet) of the +Western Chálukya King Pulike[S']in II, dated [S']aka 556=A.D. 634-35, +actual mention is made of Kálidása and Bháravi by name, and Professor +Kielhorn has informed me that he found a verse from the Raghu-van[S']a +quoted in an inscription dated A.D. 602.] + +[Footnote 2: As to the other two, the most celebrated, called +Vikramorva[S']í, has been excellently translated by Professors H.H. +Wilson and E.B. Cowell, and the Málavikágnimitra, by Professor Weber, +the eminent Orientalist of Berlin.] + +[Footnote 3: The following is an extract from, the _Bombay Times_ of +February 3, 1855. It is given _literatim_, and the orthographical +errors and mutilation of the story prove that in those days a good and +complete version of India's most celebrated drama was not obtainable. + +'HINDU DRAMA. 'SATURDAY, 3D FEBRUARY 1855. + +'An outline of the play to be performed at the Theatre this night. + +'After a short discourse between the Sutradhar (the chief actor) and +the Vidúshaka (the clown), Surswati (the Goddess of learning) will +appear. Sutradhar will call his wife (Nati), and they will determine +on performing the play of Shakuntala. They both will sing songs +together, after which Nati will go away. The play will then regularly +commence. Dushanta Rajah will appear in the Court, and order his +Pradhan (the Minister) to make preparations for a hunting excursion. +The Rajah, sitting in his carriage, will pursue a stag, the stag will +disappear, upon which Dushanta will ask his coachman the cause +thereof, this being known, the Rajah in his carriage will proceed +farther, when they will see the stag again, upon which he will aim an +arrow at the stag. The stag will run and reach the retirement of +Waikhanas Rushi. The sage will come out of his hut and remonstrate +with the Rajah against his killing the harmless animal. The Rajah will +obey the injunctions of the sage, who will pronounce benedictions upon +him. According to the Rushi's instructions, he will prepare to proceed +to the residence of another sage named Kunwa. Bidding each other +farewell, the Rushi will go to procure material for his religious +ceremonies. After reaching Kunwa's place, and commanding his coachman +to groom the horses, the Rajah will walk forth to the sage's hut. +Observing on his way thither Shakuntala with her fellow mates watering +the trees, he will hide himself behind a tree. Shakuntala will praise +to her mates the beauty of the Keshar tree. Charmed with overhearing +her discourse, Dushanta will try to find out her descent. Shakuntala +will be very much teased by a Bhramar (fly) hovering about her face. +The Rajah will then come forward and ask the cause of the disturbed +state of her mind. After a mutual exchange of polite respect they all +take their seats beneath a shady tree, Dushanta will inform her of his +country and descent, whereupon they will all go to the Rushi's hut. + +'Here there is a pause. A pleasing farce will then be performed.' + +I have already stated that the '[S']akoontalá' in the words of my own +translation has been since performed at Bombay and recently at +Trivandrum, the capital of Travancore (see Preface to this edition, p. +vii, &c).] + +[Footnote 4: Rogers' Italy, note to line 23.] + +[Footnote 5: The admirable Essay by Professor H.H. Wilson, prefixed to +his Hindú Theatre, is the principal source of the information which I +have here given.] + +[Footnote 6: Wilson's Hindú Theatre, p. xii.] + + + + +RULES FOR THE PRONUNCIATION OF +THE PROPER NAMES. + +Observe, that in order to secure the correct pronunciation of the +title of this Drama, 'Sakuntalá' has been spelt '[S']akoontalá,' the +_u_ of [S']akuntalá being pronounced like the _u_ in the English +word _rule_. + +The vowel _a_ must invariably be pronounced with a dull sound, +like the _a_ in _organ_, or the _u_ in _gun, sun. Dushyanta_ must +therefore be pronounced as if written _Dooshyunta_. The long +vowel _á_ is pronounced like the _a_ in _last, cart_; _i_ like +the _i_ in _pin, sin_; _í_ like the _i_ in _marine_; _e_ like the +_e_ in _prey_; _o_ like the _o_ in _so_; _ai_ like the _ai_ in +_aisle_; _au_ like _au_ in the German word _haus_, or like the +_ou_ in _our_. + +The consonants are generally pronounced as in English, but _g_ +has always the sound of _g_ in _gun, give_, never of _g_ in +_gin_. S with the accent over it (s), has the sound of _s_ in +_sure_, or of the last _s_ in _session_. + + * * * * * + + + +PERSONS REPRESENTED. + + * * * * * + + +DUSHYANTA, _King of India_. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA, _the jester, friend, and companion of the King_. + +KANWA, _chief of the hermits, foster-father of_ [S']AKOONTALÁ. + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA,} + } _two Bráhmans, belonging to the hermitage of KANWA_. +[S']ÁRADWATA, } + +MITRÁVASU, _brother-in-law of the King, and superintendent of the + city police_. + +JÁNUKA _and_ SÚCHAKA, _two constables_. + +VÁTÁYANA, _the chamberlain or attendant on the women's + apartments_. + +SOMARÁTA, _the domestic priest_. + +KARABHAKA, _a messenger of the queen-mother_. + +RAIVATIKA, _the warder or doorkeeper_. + +MÁTALI, _charioteer of Indra_. + +SARVA-DAMANA, _afterwards_ BHARATA, _a little boy, son + of_ DUSHYANTA by [S']AKOONTALÁ. + +KA[S']YAPA, _a divine sage, progenitor of men and gods, son of_ + MARÍCHI, _and grandson of_ BRAHMÁ. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ, _daughter of the sage_ VI[S']WÁMITRA _and the + nymph_ MENAKÁ, _foster-child of the hermit_ KANWA. + +PRIYAMVADÁ _and_ ANASÚYÁ, _female attendants, companions + of_ [S']AKOONTALÁ. + +GAUTAMÍ, _a holy matron, Superior of the female inhabitants + of the hermitage_. + +VASUMATÍ, _the Queen of_ DUSHYANTA. + +SÁNUMATÍ, _a nymph, friend of_ [S']AKOONTALÁ. + +TARALIKÁ, _personal attendant of the Queen_. + +CHATURIKÁ, _personal attendant of the King_. + +VETRAVATÍ, _female warder or doorkeeper_. + +PARABHRITIKÁ} _and_ + +MADHUKARIKÁ,} _maidens in charge of the royal gardens_. + +SUVRATÁ, _a nurse_. + +ADITI, _wife of_ KA[S']YAPA; _granddaughter of_ BRAHMÁ + _through her father_ DAKSHA. + +CHARIOTEER, FISHERMAN, OFFICERS, AND HERMITS. + + + + + + +[S']AKOONTALÁ; OR, THE LOST RING. + + +PROLOGUE. + + +BENEDICTION. + + Í[S']a preserve you [1]! he who is revealed + In these eight forms[2] by man perceptible-- + Water, of all creation's works the first; + The Fire that bears on high the sacrifice + Presented with solemnity to heaven; + The Priest, the holy offerer of gifts; + The Sun and Moon, those two majestic orbs, + Eternal marshallers of day and night; + The subtle Ether, vehicle of sound, + Diffused throughout the boundless universe; + The Earth, by sages called 'The place of birth + Of all material essences and things'; + And Air, which giveth life to all that breathe. + +STAGE-MANAGER. + + [_After the recitation of the benediction_.] + + [_Looking toward the living-room_.] + +Lady, when you have finished attiring yourself, come this way. + +ACTRESS. + + [_Entering_.] + +Here I am, Sir; what are your commands? + +STAGE-MANAGER. + +We are here before the eyes of an audience of educated and +discerning men[3]; and have to represent in their presence a new +drama composed by Kálidása, called '[S']akoontalá; or, the Lost +Ring[4].' Let the whole company exert themselves to do justice to +their several parts. + +ACTRESS. + +You, Sir, have so judiciously managed the cast of the characters, +that nothing will be defective in the acting. + +STAGE-MANAGER. + +Lady, I will tell you the exact state of the case, + + No skill in acting can I deem complete, + Till from the wise the actor gain applause; + Know that the heart e'en of the truly skilful, + Shrinks from too boastful confidence in self. + +ACTRESS. [_Modestly_.] + +You judge correctly And now, what are your commands? + +STAGE-MANAGER. + +What can you do better than engage the attention of the audience +by some captivating melody? + +ACTRESS. + +Which among the seasons shall I select as the subject of my song? + +STAGE-MANAGER. + +You surely ought to give the preference to the present Summer +season[5] that has but recently commenced, a season so rich in +enjoyment. For now + + Unceasing are the charms of halcyon days, + When the cool bath exhilarates the frame; + When sylvan gales are laden with the scent + Of fragrant Pátalas[6]; when soothing sleep + Creeps softly on beneath the deepening shade; + And when, at last, the dulcet calm of eve + Entrancing steals o'er every yielding sense. + +ACTRESS. + +I will:-- + + [_Sings_.] + + Fond maids, the chosen of their hearts to please, + Entwine their ears with sweet [S']irísha flowers[7], + Whose fragrant lips attract the kiss of bees + That softly murmur through the summer hours. + +STAGE-MANAGER. + +Charmingly sung! The audience are motionless as statues, their +souls riveted by the enchanting strain. What subject shall we +select for representation, that we may ensure a continuance +of their favour? + +ACTRESS. + +Why not the same, Sir, announced by you at first? Let the drama +called '[S']akoontalá; or, the Lost Ring,' be the subject of our +dramatic performance. + +STAGE-MANAGER. + +Rightly reminded! For the moment I had forgotten it. + + Your song's transporting melody decoyed + My thoughts, and rapt with ecstasy my soul; + As now the bounding antelope allures + The King Dushyanta[8] on the chase intent. + + [_Exeunt_. + + + + +ACT I. + +SCENE-_A Forest_. + +_Enter King_ DUSHYANTA, _armed with a bow and arrow, in a +chariot, chasing an antelope, attended by his_ CHARIOTEER. + +CHARIOTEER. + + [_Looking at the deer, and then at the_ KING. + +Great Prince, + + When on the antelope I bend my gaze, + And on your Majesty, whose mighty bow + Has its string firmly braced; before my eyes + The god that wields the trident[9] seems revealed. + Chasing the deer that flies from him in vain. + +KING. + +Charioteer, this fleet antelope has drawn us far from my +attendants. See! there he runs: + + Aye and anon his graceful neck he bends + To cast a glance at the pursuing car; + And dreading now the swift-descending shaft, + Contracts into itself his slender frame; + About his path, in scattered fragments strewn, + The half-chewed grass falls from his panting mouth; + See! in his airy bounds he seems to fly, + And leaves no trace upon th' elastic turf. + + [_With astonishment_.] + +How now! swift as is our pursuit, I scarce can see him. + +CHARIOTEER. + +Sire, the ground here is full of hollows; I have therefore drawn +in the reins and checked the speed of the chariot. Hence the deer +has somewhat gained upon us. Now that we are passing over level +ground, we shall have no difficulty in overtaking him. + +KING. + +Loosen the reins, then. + +CHARIOTEER. + +The King is obeyed. + + [_Drives the chariot at full speed_.] + +Great Prince, see I see! + + Responsive to the slackened rein, the steeds, + Chafing with eager rivalry, career + With emulative fleetness o'er the plain; + Their necks outstretched, their waving plumes, that late + Fluttered above their brows, are motionless[10]; + Their sprightly ears, but now erect, bent low; + Themselves unsullied by the circling dust, + That vainly follows on their rapid course. + +KING. [_Joyously_. + +In good sooth, the horses seem as if they would outstrip the +steeds of Indra and the Sun[11]. + + That which but now showed to my view minute + Quickly assumes dimension; that which seemed + A moment since disjoined in diverse parts, + Looks suddenly like one compacted whole; + That which is really crooked in its shape + In the far distance left, grows regular; + Wondrous the chariot's speed, that in a breath, + Makes the near distant and the distant near. + +Now, Charioteer, see me kill the deer. + + [_Takes aim_. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Hold, O King! this deer belongs to our hermitage. +Kill it not! kill it not! + +CHARIOTEER. [_Listening and looking_. + +Great King, some hermits have stationed themselves so as to +screen the antelope at the very moment of its coming within range +of your arrow. + +KING. [_Hastily_. + +Then stop the horses. + +CHARIOTEER. + +I obey. + + [_Stops the chariot_. + +_Enter a_ HERMIT, _and two others with him_.] + +HERMIT. [_Raising his hand_. + +This deer, O King, belongs to our hermitage. Kill +it not! kill it not! + + Now heaven forbid this barbed shaft descend + Upon the fragile body of a fawn, + Like fire upon a heap of tender flowers! + Can thy steel bolts no meeter quarry find + Than the warm life-blood of a harmless deer? + Restore, great Prince, thy weapon to its quiver. + More it becomes thy arms to shield the weak, + Than to bring anguish on the innocent. + +KING. + +'Tis done. + + [_Replaces the arrow in its quiver_. + +HERMIT. + +Worthy is this action of a Prince, the light of Puru's race[12]. + + Well does this act befit a Prince like thee, + Right worthy is it of thine ancestry. + Thy guerdon be a son of peerless worth, + Whose wide dominion shall embrace the earth. + +BOTH THE OTHER HERMITS. [_Raising their hands_. + +May heaven indeed grant thee a son, a sovereign of the earth from +sea to sea! + +KING. + + [_Bowing_. + +I accept with gratitude a Bráhman's benediction. + +HERMIT. + +We came hither, mighty Prince, to collect sacrificial wood. Here +on the banks of the Máliní you may perceive the hermitage of the +great sage Kanwa[13]. If other duties require not your presence, +deign to enter and accept our hospitality. + + When you behold our penitential rites + Performed without impediment by saints + Rich only in devotion, then with pride + Will you reflect:--Such are the holy men + Who call me Guardian; such the men for whom + To wield the bow I bare my nervous arm, + Scarred by the motion of the glancing string. + +KING. + +Is the Chief of your Society now at home? + +HERMIT. + +No; he has gone to Soma-tírtha[14] to propitiate Destiny, which +threatens his daughter [S']akoontalá with some calamity; but he has +commissioned her in his absence to entertain all guests with +hospitality. + +KING. + +Good! I will pay her a visit. She will make me acquainted with +the mighty sage's acts of penance and devotion. + +HERMIT. + +And we will depart on our errand. + + [_Exit with his companions_. + +KING. + +Charioteer, urge on the horses. We will at least purify our souls +by a sight of this hallowed retreat. + +CHARIOTEER. + +Your Majesty is obeyed. + + [_Drives the chariot with great velocity_. + +KING. [_Looking all about him_. + +Charioteer, even without being told, I should have known that +these were the precincts of a grove consecrated to penitential +rites. + +CHARIOTEER. + +How so? + +KING. + +Do not you observe? + + Beneath the trees, whose hollow trunks afford + Secure retreat to many a nestling brood + Of parrots, scattered grains of rice lie strewn. + Lo! here and there are seen the polished slabs + That serve to bruise the fruit of Ingudí[15]. + The gentle roe-deer, taught to trust in man, + Unstartled hear our voices. On the paths + Appear the traces of bark-woven vests[16] + Borne dripping from the limpid fount of waters. + +And mark! + + Laved are the roots of trees by deep canals [17], + Whose glassy waters tremble in the breeze; + The sprouting verdure of the leaves is dimmed + By dusky wreaths of upward curling smoke + From burnt oblations; and on new-mown lawns + Around our car graze leisurely the fawns. + +CHARIOTEER. + +I observe it all. + +KING. [_Advancing a little further_. + +The inhabitants of this sacred retreat must not be disturbed. +Stay the chariot, that I may alight. + +CHARIOTEER. + +The reins are held in. Your Majesty may descend. + +KING. [_Alighting_. + +Charioteer, groves devoted to penance must be entered in humble +attire. Take these ornaments. + + [_Delivers his ornaments and bow to CHARIOTEER_.] + +Charioteer, see that the horses are watered, and attend to them +until I return from visiting the inhabitants of the hermitage. + +CHARIOTEER. + +I Will. + + [_Exit_. + +KING. [_Walking and looking about_. + +Here is the entrance to the hermitage. I will now go in. + +[_Entering and feeling a throbbing sensation in his arm_. + + Serenest peace is in this calm retreat, + By passion's breath unruffled; what portends + My throbbing arm[18]? Why should it whisper here + Of happy love? Yet everywhere around us + Stand the closed portals of events unknown. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +This way, my dear companions; this way. + +KING. [_Listening_. + +Hark! I hear voices to the right of yonder grove +of trees. I will walk in that direction. + + [_Walking and looking about_.] + +Ah! here are the maidens of the hermitage coming this way to +water the shrubs, carrying water-pots proportioned to their +strength. + + [_Gazing at them_.] + +How graceful they look! + + In palaces such charms are rarely ours; + The woodland plants outshine the garden flowers. + +I will conceal myself in this shade and watch them. + + [_Stands gazing at them_. + +_Enter [S']AKOONTALÁ, with her two female companions, employed in +the manner described_. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ + +This way, my dear companions; this way. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Dear [S']akoontalá, one would think that father Kanwa had more +affection for the shrubs of the hermitage even than for you, +seeing he assigns to you, who are yourself as delicate as the +fresh-blown jasmine, the task of filling with water the trenches +which encircle their roots. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Dear Anasúyá, although I am charged by my good father with this +duty, yet I cannot regard it as a task. I really feel a sisterly +love for these plants. + + [_Continues watering the shrubs_. + +KING. + +Can this be the daughter of Kanwa? The saintly man, though +descended from the great Kasyapa, must be very deficient in +judgment to habituate such a maiden to the life of a recluse. + + The sage who would this form of artless grace + Inure to penance, thoughtlessly attempts + To cleave in twain the hard acacia's stem[19] + With the soft edge of a blue lotus-leaf. + +Well! concealed behind this tree, I will watch her without +raising her suspicions. + + [_Conceals himself_. + + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Good Anasúyá, Priyamvadá has drawn this bark-dress too tightly +about my chest. I pray thee, loosen it a little. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +I will. [_Loosens it_. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. [_Smiling_. + +Why do you lay the blame on me? Blame rather your own blooming +youthfulness which imparts fulness to your bosom. + +KING. + +A most just observation! + + This youthful form, whose bosom's swelling charms + By the bark's knotted tissue are concealed, + Like some fair bud close folded in its sheath, + Gives not to view the blooming of its beauty. + +But what am I saying? In real truth this bark-dress, +though ill-suited to her figure, sets it off like an ornament. + + The lotus[20] with the [S']aivala[21] entwined + Is not a whit less brilliant; dusky spots + Heighten the lustre of the cold-rayed moon; + This lovely maiden in her dress of bark + Seems all the lovelier. E'en the meanest garb + Gives to true beauty fresh attractiveness. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [Looking before her. + +Yon Ke[S']ara-tree[22] beckons to me with its young shoots, which, +as the breeze waves them to and fro, appear like slender fingers. +I will go and attend to it. + + [_Walks towards it_. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +Dear [S']akoontalá, prithee, rest in that attitude one moment. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Why so? + +PRIYAMVADÁ + +The Ke[S']ara-tree, whilst your graceful form bends about its stem, +appears as if it were wedded to some lovely twining creeper. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Ah! saucy girl, you are most appropriately named Priyamvadá +('Speaker of flattering things'). + +KING. + +What Priyamvadá says, though complimentary, is nevertheless true. +Verily, + + Her ruddy lip vies with the opening bud; + Her graceful arms are as the twining stalks; + And her whole form is radiant with the glow + Of youthful beauty, as the tree with bloom. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +See, dear [S']akoontalá, here is the young jasmine, which you +named 'the Moonlight of the Grove,' the self-elected wife of the +mango-tree. Have you forgotten it? + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Rather will I forget myself. + + [_Approaching the plant and looking at it_.] + +How delightful is the season when the jasmine-creeper and the +mango-tree seem thus to unite in mutual embraces! The fresh +blossoms of the jasmine resemble the bloom of a young bride, and +the newly-formed shoots of the mango appear to make it her +natural protector. + + [_Continues gazing at it_. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +Do you know, my Anasúyá, why [S']akoontalá gazes so intently at the +jasmine? + +ANASÚYÁ. + +No, indeed, I cannot imagine. I pray thee tell me. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +She is wishing that as the jasmine is united to a suitable tree, +so, in like manner, she may obtain a husband worthy of her. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Speak for yourself, girl; this is the thought in your own mind. + + [_Continues watering the flowers_. + +KING. + +Would that my union with her were permissible[23]! and yet I +hardly dare hope that the maiden is sprung from a caste different +from that of the Head of the hermitage. But away with doubt: + + That she is free to wed a warrior-king + My heart attests. For, in conflicting doubts, + The secret promptings of the good man's soul + Are an unerring index of the truth. + +However, come what may, I will ascertain the fact. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_In a flurry_. + +Ah! a bee, disturbed by the sprinkling of the water, has left the +young jasmine, and is trying to settle on my face. + + [_Attempts to drive it away_. + +KING. [_Gazing at her ardently_. + +Beautiful! there is something charming even in her repulse. + + Where'er the bee his eager onset plies, + Now here, now there, she darts her kindling eyes; + What love hath yet to teach, fear teaches now, + The furtive glances and the frowning brow. + + [_In a tone of envy_. + + Ah, happy bee! how boldly dost thou try + To steal the lustre from her sparkling eye; + And in thy circling movements hover near, + To murmur tender secrets in her ear; + Or, as she coyly waves her hand, to sip + Voluptuous nectar from her lower lip! + While rising doubts my heart's fond hopes destroy, + Thou dost the fulness of her charms enjoy. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +This impertinent bee will not rest quiet. I must move elsewhere. + +[_Moving a few steps off, and casting a glance around_.] + +How now! he is following me here. Help! my dear friends, help! +deliver me from the attacks of this troublesome insect. + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + +How can we deliver you? Call Dushyanta to your aid. The sacred +groves are under the King's special protection. + +KING. + +An excellent opportunity for me to show myself. +Fear not-- + +[_Checks himself when the words are half-uttered; Aside_.] + +But stay, if I introduce myself in this manner, they will know me +to be the King. Be it so, I will accost them, nevertheless. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + + [_Moving a step or two further off_. + +What! it still persists in following me. + +KING. [_Advancing hastily_. + + When mighty Puru's offspring sways the earth, + And o'er the wayward holds his threatening rod, + Who dares molest the gentle maids that keep + Their holy vigils here in Kanwa's grove? + +[_All look at the_ KING, _and all are embarrassed_. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Kind Sir, no outrage has been committed; only our dear friend +here was teased by the attacks of a troublesome bee. + + [_Points to_ [S']AKOONTALÁ. + +KING. [_Turning to_ [S']AKOONTALÁ. + +I trust all is well with your devotional rites[24]? + + [[S']AKOONTALÁ _stands confused and silent_.] + +ANASÚYÁ. + +All is well indeed, now that we are honoured by the reception of +a distinguished guest. Dear [S']akoontalá, go, bring from the +hermitage an offering of flowers, rice, and fruit. This water +that we have brought with us will serve to bathe our guest's +feet[25]. + +KING. + +The rites of hospitality are already performed; your truly kind +words are the best offering I can receive. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +At least be good enough, gentle Sir, to sit down awhile, and rest +yourself on this seat shaded by the leaves of the Sapta-parna +tree[26]. + +KING. + +You, too, must all be fatigued by your employment. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Dear [S']akoontalá, there is no impropriety in our sitting by the +side of our guest; come, let us sit down here. + + [_All sit down together_. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Aside_. + +How is it that the sight of this made me sensible of emotions +inconsistent with religious vows? + +KING. [_Gazing at them all By turns_. + +How charmingly your friendship is in keeping with the equality of +your ages and appearance! + +PRIYAMVADÁ. [_Aside to ANASÚYÁ_. + +Who can this person be, whose lively yet dignified manner, and +polite conversation, bespeak him a man of high rank? + +ANASÚYÁ. + +I, too, my dear, am very curious to know. I will ask him myself. + +[_Aloud_] + +Your kind words, noble Sir, fill me with confidence, and prompt +me to inquire of what regal family our noble guest is the +ornament? what country is now mourning his absence? and what +induced a person so delicately nurtured to expose himself to the +fatigue of visiting this grove of penance? + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Aside_. + +Be not troubled, O my heart, Anasúyá is giving utterance to thy +thoughts. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +How now shall I reply? shall I make myself known, or shall I +still disguise my real rank? I have it; I will answer her thus. +[_Aloud_.] I am the person charged by his Majesty, the descendant +of Puru, with the administration of justice and religion; and am +come to this sacred grove to satisfy myself that the rites of the +hermits are free from obstruction. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +The hermits, then, and all the members of our religious society, +have now a guardian. + + [[S']AKOONTALÁ _gazes bashfully at the_ KING. + + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + + [_Perceiving the state of her feelings, and of the_ KING'S. + _Aside to_ [S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Dear [S']akoontalá, if father Kanwa were but at home to-day-- + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Angrily_. + +What if he were? + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + +He would honour this our distinguished guest with an offering of +the most precious of his possessions. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Go to! you have some silly idea in your minds, I will not listen +to such remarks. + +KING. + +May I be allowed, in my turn, to ask you maidens a few +particulars respecting your friend? + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + +Your request, Sir, is an honour. + +KING. + +The sage Kanwa lives in the constant practice of austerities. +How, then, can this friend of yours be called his daughter? + +ANASÚYÁ. + +I will explain to you. Sir. You have heard of an illustrious sage +of regal caste, Vi[s']wámitra, whose family name is Kau[S']ika[27]. + +KING. + +I have. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Know that he is the real father of our friend. The venerable +Kanwa is only her reputed father. He it was who brought her up, +when she was deserted by her mother. + +KING. + +'Deserted by her mother!' My curiosity is excited; pray let me +hear the story from the beginning. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +You shall hear it, Sir. Some time since, this sage of regal +caste, while performing a most severe penance on the banks of the +river Godávarí, excited the jealousy and alarm of the gods; +insomuch that they despatched a lovely nymph named Menaká to +interrupt his devotions. + +KING. + +The inferior gods, I am aware, are jealous[28] of the power which +the practice of excessive devotion confers on mortals. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Well, then, it happened that Vi[s']wámitra, gazing on the +bewitching beauty of that nymph at a season when, spring being in +its glory-- + + [_Stops short, and appears confused_. + +KING. + +The rest may be easily divined. [S']akoontalá, then, is the +offspring of the nymph. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Just so. + +KING. + +It is quite intelligible. + + How would a mortal to such charms give birth? + The lightning's radiance flashes not from earth. + + [[S']AKOONTALÁ _remains modestly seated with downcast eyes_. + _Aside_.] + +And so my desire has really scope for its indulgence. Yet I am +still distracted by doubts, remembering the pleasantry of her +female companions respecting her wish for a husband. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + + [_Looking with a smile at [S']AKOONTALÁ, and then turning towards + the KING.] + +You seem desirous, Sir, of asking something further. + + [[S']AKOONTALÁ _makes a chiding gesture with her finger_. + +KING. + +You conjecture truly. I am so eager to hear the particulars of +your friend's history, that I have still another question to ask. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +Scruple not to do so. Persons who lead the life of hermits may be +questioned unreservedly. + +KING. + +I wish to ascertain one point respecting your friend. + + Will she be bound by solitary vows + Opposed to love, till her espousals only? + Or ever dwell with these her cherished fawns, + Whose eyes, in lustre vying with her own, + Return her gaze of sisterly affection? + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +Hitherto, Sir, she has been engaged in the practice of religious +duties, and has lived in subjection to her foster-father; but it +is now his fixed intention to give her away in marriage to a +husband worthy of her. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +His intention may be easily carried into effect. + + Be hopeful, O my heart, thy harrowing doubts + Are past and gone; that which thou didst believe + To be as unapproachable as fire, + Is found a glittering gem that may be touched. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Pretending anger_. + +Anasúyá, I shall leave you. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Why so? + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +That I may go and report this impertinent Priyamvadá to the +venerable matron, Gautamí[29]. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Surely, dear friend, it would not be right to leave a +distinguished guest before he has received the rites of +hospitality, and quit his presence in this wilful manner. + + [[S']AKOONTALÁ, _without answering a word, moves away_. + +KING. + + [_Making a movement to arrest her departure, but checking + himself. Aside_. + +Ah! a lover's feelings betray themselves by his gestures. + + When I would fain have stayed the maid, a sense + Of due decorum checked my bold design; + Though I have stirred not, yet my mien betrays + My eagerness to follow on her steps. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + + [_Holding [S']AKOONTALÁ back_. + +Dear [S']akoontalá, it does not become you to go away in this +manner. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Frowning_. + +Why not, pray? + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +You are under a promise to water two more shrubs for me. When you +have paid your debt, you shall go, and not before. + + [_Forces her to turn back_. + +KING. + +Spare her this trouble, gentle maiden. The exertion of watering +the shrubs has already fatigued her. + + The water-jar has overtasked the strength + Of her slim arms; her shoulders droop, her hands + Are ruddy with the glow of quickened pulses; + E'en now her agitated breath imparts + Unwonted tremor to her heaving breast; + The pearly drops that mar the recent bloom + Of the [S']irísha pendent in her ear, + Gather in clustering circles on her cheek; + Loosed is the fillet of her hair; her hand + Restrains the locks that struggle to be free. + Suffer me, then, thus to discharge the debt for you. + + [_Offers a ring to_ PRIYAMVADÁ. _Both the maidens, reading the + name_ DUSHYANTA _on the seal, look at each other with + surprise_. + +KING. + +Nay, think not that I am King Dushyanta. I am only the King's +officer, and this is the ring which I have received from him as +my credentials. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +The greater the reason you ought not to part with the ring from +your finger. I am content to release her from her obligation at +your simple request. + +[_With a smile_.] + +Now, [S']akoontalá, my love, you are at liberty to retire, thanks +to the intercession of this noble stranger, or rather of this +mighty prince. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Aside_. + +My movements are no longer under my own control. + + [_Aloud_. + +Pray, what authority have you over me, either to send me away or +keep me back? + +KING. [_Gazing at_ [S']AKOONTALÁ. _Aside_. + +Would I could ascertain whether she is affected towards me as I +am towards her! At any rate, my hopes are free to indulge +themselves. Because, + + Although she mingles not her words with mine, + Yet doth her listening ear drink in my speech; + Although her eye shrinks from my ardent gaze, + No form but mine attracts its timid glances. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +O hermits, be ready to protect the animals belonging to our +hermitage. King Dushyanta, amusing himself with hunting, is near +at hand. + + Lo! by the feet of prancing horses raised, + Thick clouds of moving dust, like glittering swarms + Of locusts, in the glow of eventide, + Fall on the branches of our sacred trees + Where hang the dripping vests of woven bark, + Bleached by the waters of the cleansing fountain. + +And see! + + Scared by the royal chariot in its course, + With headlong haste an elephant invades + The hallowed precincts of our sacred grove; + Himself the terror of the startled deer, + And an embodied hindrance to our rites. + The hedge of creepers clinging to his feet, + Feeble obstruction to his mad career, + Is dragged behind him in a tangled chain; + And with terrific shock one tusk he drives + Into the riven body of a tree, + Sweeping before him all impediments. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +Out upon it! my retinue are looking for me, and are disturbing +this holy retreat. Well! there is no help for it; I must go and +meet them. + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + +Noble Sir, we are terrified by the accidental disturbance caused +by the wild elephant. Permit us to return to the cottage. + +KING. [_Hastily_. + +Go, gentle maidens. It shall be our care that no injury happen to +the hermitage. + + [_All rise up_. + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + +After such poor hospitality, we are ashamed to request the honour +of a second visit from you. + +KING. + +Say not so. The mere sight of you, sweet maidens, has been to me +the best entertainment. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Anasúyá, a pointed blade of Ku[s']a-grass [30] has pricked my foot; +and my bark-mantle is caught in the branch of a Kuruvaka-bush[31]. +Be so good as to wait for me until I have disentangled it. + + [_Exit with her two companions, after making pretexts + for delay, that she may steal glances at the_ KING. + +KING. + +I have no longer any desire to return to the city. I will +therefore rejoin my attendants, and make them encamp somewhere in +the vicinity of this sacred grove. In good truth, [S']akoontalá has +taken such possession of my thoughts, that I cannot turn myself +in any other direction. + + My limbs drawn onward leave my heart behind, + Like silken pennon borne against the wind. + + * * * * * + + + + +ACT II. + + +SCENE.--_A plain on the skirts of the forest. + +Enter the Jester_ [32] MÁ[T.]HAVYA, _in a melancholy mood_. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. [_Sighing_. + +Heigh-ho! what an unlucky fellow I am! worn to a shadow by my +royal friend's sporting propensities. 'Here's a deer!' 'There +goes a boar!' 'Yonder's a tiger!' This is the only burden of our +talk, while in the heat of the meridian sun we toil on from +jungle to jungle, wandering about in the paths of the woods, +where the trees afford us no shelter. Are we thirsty? We have +nothing to drink but the dirty water of some mountain stream +mixed with dry leaves, which give it a most pungent flavour. Are +we hungry? We have nothing to eat but roast game[33], which we +must swallow down at odd times, as best we can. Even at night +there is no peace to be had. Sleeping is out of the question, +with joints all strained by dancing attendance upon my sporting +friend; or if I do happen to doze, I am awakened at the very +earliest dawn by the horrible din of a lot of rascally beaters +and huntsmen, who must needs surround the wood before sunrise, +and deafen me with their clatter. Nor are these my only troubles. +Here's a fresh grievance, like a new boil rising upon an old +one! Yesterday, while we were lagging behind, my royal friend +entered yonder hermitage after a deer; and there, as ill-luck +would have it, caught sight of a beautiful girl, called +[S']akoontalá, the hermit's daughter. From that moment, not another +thought about returning to the city! and all last night not a +wink of sleep did he get for thinking of the damsel. What is to +be done? At any rate I will be on the watch for him as soon as he +has finished his toilet. + + [_Walking and looking about_.] + +Oh! here he comes, attended by the Yavana women[34], with bows in +their hands, wearing garlands of wild flowers. What shall I do? I +have it. I will pretend to stand in the easiest attitude for +resting my bruised and crippled limbs. + + [_Stands leaning on a staff_. + +_Enter King_ DUSHYANTA, _followed by a retinue, in the manner +described_. + +KING. + + True, by no easy conquest may I win her, + Yet are my hopes encouraged by her mien, + Love is not yet triumphant; but, methinks, + The hearts of both are ripe for his delights. + + [_Smiling_. + +Ah! thus does the lover delude himself; judging of the state of +his loved one's feelings by his own desires. But yet, + + The stolen glance with half-averted eye, + The hesitating gait, the quick rebuke + Addressed to her companion, who would fain + Have stayed her counterfeit departure; these + Are signs not unpropitious to my suit. + So eagerly the lover feeds his hopes, + Claiming each trivial gesture for his own. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + + [_Still in the same attitude_. + +Ah, friends, my hands cannot move to greet you with the usual +salutation. I can only just command my lips to wish your Majesty +victory. + +KING. + +Why, what has paralysed your limbs? + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +You might as well ask me how my eye comes to water after you have +poked your finger into it. + +KING. + +I don't understand you; speak more intelligibly. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Ah, my dear friend, is yonder upright reed transformed into a +crooked plant by its own act, or by the force of the current? + +KING. + +The current of the river causes it, I suppose. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Ay; just as you are the cause of my crippled limbs. + +KING. + +How so? + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Here are you living the life of a wild man of the woods in a +savage unfrequented region, while your State-affairs are left to +shift for themselves; and as for poor me, I am no longer master +of my own limbs, but have to follow you about day after day in +your chases after wild animals, till my bones are all crippled +and out of joint. Do, my dear friend, let me have one day's rest. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +This fellow little knows, while he talks in this manner, that my +mind is wholly engrossed by recollections of the hermit's +daughter, and quite as disinclined to the chase as his own. + + No longer can I bend my well-braced bow + Against the timid deer; nor e'er again + With well-aimed arrows can I think to harm + These her beloved associates, who enjoy + The privilege of her companionship; + Teaching her tender glances in return. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. [_Looking in the King's face_. + +I may as well speak to the winds, for any attention you pay to my +requests. I suppose you have something on your mind, and are +talking it over to yourself. + +KING. [_Smiling_. + +I was only thinking that I ought not to disregard a friend's +request. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Then may the King live for ever! + + [_Moves off_. + +KING. + +Stay a moment, my dear friend. I have something else to say to +you. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Say on, then. + +KING. + +When you have rested, you must assist me in another business +which will give you no fatigue. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +In eating something nice, I hope. + +KING. + +You shall know at some future time. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +No time better than the present. + +KING. + +What ho, there! + +WARDER. [_Entering_. + +What are your Majesty's commands? + +KING. + +O Raivatika, bid the General of the forces attend. + +WARDER. + +I will, Sire. + +[_Exit and re-enters with the_ GENERAL.] + +Come forward, General; his Majesty is looking towards you, and +has some order to give you. + +GENERAL. [_Looking at the_ KING. + +Though hunting is known to produce ill effects, my royal master +has derived only benefit from it. For + + Like the majestic elephant that roams + O'er mountain wilds, so does the King display + A stalwart frame, instinct with vigorous life. + His brawny arms and manly chest are scored + By frequent passage of the sounding string; + Unharmed he bears the midday sun; no toil + His mighty spirit daunts; his sturdy limbs, + Stripped of redundant flesh, relinquish nought + Of their robust proportions, but appear + In muscle, nerve, and sinewy fibre cased. + + [_Approaching the_ KING. + +Victory to the King! We have tracked the wild beasts to their +lairs in the forest. Why delay, when everything is ready? + +KING. + +My friend Má[T.]Havya here has been disparaging the +chase, till he has taken away all my relish for it. + +GENERAL. [_Aside to_ MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Persevere in your opposition, my good fellow; I will sound the +King's real feelings, and humour him accordingly. + + [_Aloud_. + +The blockhead talks nonsense, and your Majesty in your own person +furnishes the best proof of it. Observe, Sire, the advantage and +pleasure the hunter derives from the chase. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. [_Angrily_. + +Away! tempter, away! The King has recovered his senses, and is +himself again. As for you, you may, if you choose, wander about +from forest to forest, till some old bear seizes you by the nose, +and makes a mouthful of you. + +KING. + +My good General, as we are just now in the neighbourhood of a +consecrated grove, your panegyric upon hunting is somewhat +ill-timed, and I cannot assent to all you have said. For the +present, + + All undisturbed the buffaloes shall sport + In yonder pool, and with their ponderous horns + Scatter its tranquil waters, while the deer, + Couched here and there in groups beneath the shade + Of spreading branches, ruminate in peace. + And all securely shall the herd of boars + Feed on the marshy sedge; and thou, my bow, + With slackened string, enjoy a long repose. + +GENERAL. + +So please your Majesty, it shall be as you desire. + +KING. + +Recall, then, the beaters who were sent in advance to surround +the forest. My troops must not be allowed to disturb this sacred +retreat, and irritate its pious inhabitants. + + Know that within the calm and cold recluse + Lurks unperceived a germ of smothered flame, + All-potent to destroy; a latent fire + That rashly kindled bursts with fury forth; + As in the disc of crystal[35] that remains + Cool to the touch, until the solar ray + Falls on its polished surface, and excites + The burning heat that lies within concealed. + +GENERAL. + +Your Majesty's commands shall be obeyed. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Off with you, you son of a slave! Your nonsense won't go down +here, my fine fellow. + + [_Exit_ GENERAL. + +KING. [_Looking at his attendants_. + +Here, women, take my hunting-dress; and you, Raivatika, keep +guard carefully outside. + +ATTENDANTS. + +We will, Sire. + + [_Exeunt_. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Now that you have got rid of these plagues, who have been buzzing +about us like so many flies, sit down, do, on that stone slab, +with the shade of the tree as your canopy, and I will seat myself +by you quite comfortably. + +KING. + +Go you, and sit down first. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Come along, then. + + [_Both walk on a little way, and seat themselves_. + +KING. + +Má[T.]Havya, it may be said of you that you have never beheld +anything worth seeing; for your eyes have not yet looked upon the +loveliest object in creation. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +How can you say so, when I see your Majesty before me at this +moment? + +KING. + +It is very natural that every one should consider his own friend +perfect; but I was alluding to [S']akoontalá, the brightest +ornament of these hallowed groves. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. [_Aside_. + +I understand well enough, but I am not going to humour him. + + [_Aloud_. + +If, as you intimate, she is a hermit's daughter, you cannot +lawfully ask her in marriage. You may as well then dismiss her +from your mind, for any good the mere sight of her can do. + +KING. + +Think you that a descendant of the mighty Puru could fix his +affections on an unlawful object? + + Though, as men say, the offspring of the sage, + The maiden to a nymph celestial owes + Her being, and by her mother left on earth, + Was found and nurtured by the holy man + As his own daughter, in this hermitage. + So, when dissevered from its parent stalk, + Some falling blossom of the jasmine[36], wafted + Upon the sturdy sun-flower, is preserved + By its support from premature decay. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. [_Smiling_. + +This passion of yours for a rustic maiden, when you have so many +gems of women at home in your palace, seems to me very like the +fancy of a man who is tired of sweet dates, and longs for sour +tamarinds as a variety. + +KING. + +You have not seen her, or you would not talk in this fashion. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +I can quite understand it must require something surpassingly +attractive to excite the admiration of such a great man as you. + +KING. + +I will describe her, my dear friend, in a few words, + + Man's all-wise Maker, wishing to create + A faultless form, whose matchless symmetry + Should far transcend Creation's choicest works, + Did call together by his mighty will, + And garner up in his eternal mind, + A bright assemblage of all lovely things; + And then, as in a picture, fashion them + Into one perfect and ideal form-- + Such the divine, the wondrous prototype, + Whence her fair shape was moulded into being. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +If that's the case, she must indeed throw all other beauties into +the shade. + +KING. + +To my mind she really does. + + This peerless maid is like a fragrant flower, + Whose perfumed breath has never been diffused; + A tender bud, that no profaning hand + Has dared to sever from its parent stalk; + A gem of priceless water, just released + Pure and unblemished from its glittering bed. + Or may the maiden haply be compared + To sweetest honey, that no mortal lip + Has sipped; or, rather, to the mellowed fruit + Of virtuous actions in some former birth[37], + Now brought to full perfection? Lives the man + Whom bounteous heaven has destined to espouse her? + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Make haste, then, to her aid; you have no time to lose, if you +don't wish this fruit of all the virtues to drop into the mouth +of some greasy-headed rustic of devout habits. + +KING. + +The lady is not her own mistress, and her foster-father is not at +home. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Well, but tell me, did she look at all kindly upon you? + +KING. + + Maidens brought up in a hermitage are naturally + shy and reserved; but for all that + She did look towards me, though she quick withdrew + Her stealthy glances when she met my gaze; + She smiled upon me sweetly, but disguised + With maiden grace the secret of her smiles. + Coy love was half unveiled; then, sudden checked + By modesty, left half to be divined. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Why, of course, my dear friend, you never could seriously expect +that at the very first sight she would fall over head ears in +love with you, and without more ado come and sit in your lap. + +KING. + + When we parted from each other, she betrayed + her liking for me by clearer indications, but still with the + utmost modesty. + Scarce had the fair one from my presence passed, + When, suddenly, without apparent cause, + She stopped; and, counterfeiting pain, exclaimed, + 'My foot is wounded by this prickly grass,' + Then, glancing at me tenderly, she feigned + Another charming pretext for delay, + Pretending that a bush had caught her robe + And turned as if to disentangle it. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA + +I trust you have laid in a good stock of provisions, +for I see you intend making this consecrated grove your +game-preserve, and will be roaming here in quest of sport for +some time to come. + +KING. + +You must know, my good fellow, that I have been recognised by +some of the inmates of the hermitage. Now I want the assistance +of your fertile invention, in devising some excuse for going +there again. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +There is but one expedient that I can suggest. You are the King, +are you not? + +KING. + +What then? + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Say you have come for the sixth part of their grain [38], which +they owe you for tribute. + +KING. + +No, no, foolish man; those hermits pay me a very different kind +of tribute, which I value more than heaps of gold or jewels; +observe, + + The tribute which my other subjects bring + Must moulder into dust, but holy men + Present me with a portion of the fruits + Of penitential services and prayers-- + A precious and imperishable gift. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +We are fortunate; here is the object of our search. + +KING. [_Listening_. + +Surely those must be the voices of hermits, to judge by their +deep tones. + +WARDER. [_Entering_. + +Victory to the King! two young hermits are in waiting outside, +and solicit an audience of your Majesty. + +KING. + +Introduce them Immediately. + +WARDER. + +I will, my liege. + +[_Goes out, and re-enters with_ TWO YOUNG HERMITS.] + +This way, Sirs, this way. + + [_Both the_ HERMITS _look at the KING. + +FIRST HERMIT. + +How majestic is his mien, and yet what confidence it inspires! +But this might be expected in a king, whose character and habits +have earned for him a title only one degree removed from that of +a Sage [39]. + + In this secluded grove, whose sacred joys + All may participate, he deigns to dwell + Like one of us; and daily treasures up + A store of purest merit for himself, + By the protection of our holy rites. + In his own person wondrously are joined + Both majesty and saintlike holiness; + And often chanted by inspired bards [40], + His hallowed title of 'Imperial Sage' + Ascends in joyous accents to the skies. + +SECOND HERMIT. + +Bear in mind, Gautama, that this is the great Dushyanta, the +friend of Indra. + +FIRST HERMIT. + +What of that? + +SECOND HERMIT. + + Where is the wonder if his nervous arm, + Puissant and massive as the iron bar + That binds a castle-gateway, singly sways + The sceptre of the universal earth, + E'en to its dark-green boundary of waters? + Or if the gods, beholden to his aid + In their fierce warfare with the powers of hell [41], + Should blend his name with Indra's in their songs + Of victory, and gratefully accord + No lower meed of praise to his braced bow, + Than to the thunders of the god of heaven? + +BOTH THE HERMITS. [_Approaching_. + +Victory to the King! + +KING. [_Rising from his seat_. + +Hail to you both! + +BOTH THE HERMITS. + +Heaven bless your Majesty! + + [_They offer fruits_. + +KING. [_Respectfully receiving the offering_. + +Tell me, I pray you, the object of your visit. + +BOTH THE HERMITS. + +The inhabitants of the hermitage, having heard of your Majesty's +sojourn in our neighbourhood, make this humble petition:-- + +KING. + +What are their commands? + +BOTH THE HERMITS. + +In the absence of our Superior, the great sage Kanwa, evil demons +are disturbing our sacrificial rites [42]. Deign, therefore, +accompanied by your charioteer, to take up your abode in our +hermitage for a few days. + +KING. + +I am honoured by your invitation. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. [_Aside_. + +Most opportune and convenient, certainly! + +KING. [_Smiling_. + +Ho, there, Raivatika! Tell the charioteer from me to bring round +the chariot with my bow. + +WARDER. + +I will, Sire. + + [_Exit_. + +BOTH THE HERMITS. [_Joyfully_. + + Well it becomes the King by acts of grace + To emulate the virtues of his race. + Such acts thy lofty destiny attest; + Thy mission is to succour the distressed. + +KING. [_Bowing to the_ HERMITS. + +Go first, reverend Sirs, I will follow you immediately. + +BOTH THE HERMITS. + +May victory attend you! + + [_Exeunt_. + +KING. + +My dear Má[T.]Havya, are not you full of longing to see +[S']akoontalá? + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +To tell you the truth, though I was just now brimful of desire to +see her, I have not a drop left since this piece of news about +the demons. + +KING. + +Never fear; you shall keep close to me for protection. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Well, you must be my guardian-angel, and act the part of a very +Vishnu [43] to me. + +WARDER. [_Entering_. + +Sire, the chariot is ready, and only waits to conduct you to +victory. But here is a messenger named Karabhaka, just arrived +from your capital, with a message from the Queen, your mother. + +KING. [_Respectfully_. + +How say you? a messenger from the venerable Queen? + +WARDER. + +Even so. + +KING. + +Introduce him at once. + +WARDER. + +I will, Sire. + +[_Goes out and re-enters with_ KARABHAKA.] + +Behold the King. Approach. + +KARABHAKA. + +Victory to the King! The Queen-mother bids me say that in four +days from the present time she intends celebrating a solemn +ceremony for the advancement and preservation of her son. She +expects that your Majesty will honour her with your presence on +that occasion. + +KING. + +This places me in a dilemma. Here, on the one hand, is the +commission of these holy men to be executed; and, on the other, +the command of my revered parent to be obeyed. Both duties are +too sacred to be neglected. What is to be done? + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +You will have to take up an intermediate position between the +two, like King Tri[s']anku [44], who was suspended between heaven +and earth, because the sage Vi[s']wámitra commanded him to mount up +to heaven, and the gods ordered him down again. + +KING. + +I am certainly very much perplexed. For here, + + Two different duties are required of me + In widely distant places; how can I + In my own person satisfy them both? + Thus is my mind distracted, and impelled + In opposite directions like a stream + That, driven back by rocks, still rushes on, + Forming two currents in its eddying course. + + [_Reflecting_.] + +Friend Má[T.]Havya, as you were my playfellow in childhood, the +Queen has already received you like a second son; go you, then, +back to her, and tell her of my solemn engagement to assist these +holy men. You can supply my place in the ceremony, and act the +part of a son to the Queen. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +With the greatest pleasure in the world; but don't suppose that +I am really coward enough to have the slightest fear of those +trumpery demons. + +KING. + +Oh! of course not; a great Bráhman like you could not possibly +give way to such weakness. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +You must let me travel in a manner suitable to the King's younger +brother. + +KING. + +Yes, I shall send my retinue with you, that there may be no +farther disturbance in this sacred forest. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA, [_With a strut_. + +Already I feel quite like a young prince. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +This is a giddy fellow, and in all probability he will let out +the truth about my present pursuit to the women of the palace. +What is to be done? I must say something to deceive him. + +[_Aloud to_ MÁ[T.]HAVYA, _taking him by the hand_.] + +Dear friend, I am going to the hermitage wholly and solely out of +respect for its pious inhabitants, and not because I have really +any liking for [S']akoontalá, the hermit's daughter. Observe:-- + + What suitable communion could there be + Between a monarch and a rustic girl? + I did but feign an idle passion, friend, + Take not in earnest what was said in jest. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Don't distress yourself; I quite understand. + + [_Exeunt_. + + * * * * * + + + + +PRELUDE TO ACT III. + +SCENE.--_The Hermitage_. + +_Enter a_ YOUNG BRÁHMAN _carrying bundles of ku[S']a-grass for the +use of the sacrificing priest_. + +YOUNG BRÁHMAN. + +How wonderful is the power of King Dushyanta! No sooner did he +enter our hermitage, than we were able to proceed with our +sacrificial rites, unmolested by the evil demons. + + No need to fix the arrow to the bow; + The mighty monarch sounds the quivering string, + And, by the thunder of his arms dismayed, + Our demon foes are scattered to the wind. + +I must now, therefore, make haste and deliver to the sacrificing +priests these bundles of Ku[s']a-grass, to be strewn round the +altar. + +[_Walking and looking about; then addressing some one off the +stage_.] + +Why, Priyamvadá, for whose use are you carrying that ointment of +Usíra-root and those lotus-leaves with fibres attached to them? + +[_Listening for her answer_.] + +What Say you?--that [S']akoontalá is suffering from fever produced +by exposure to the sun, and that this ointment is to cool her +burning frame? Nurse her with care, then, Priyamvadá, for she is +cherished by our reverend Superior as the very breath of his +nostrils[46]. I, for my part, will contrive that soothing waters, +hallowed in the sacrifice, he administered to her by the hands of +Gautamí. + + [_Exit_. + + +ACT III. + + +SCENE.--_The Sacred Grove_. + +_Enter_ KING DUSHYANTA, _with the air of one in love_. + +KING. [_Sighing thoughtfully_. + + The holy sage possesses magic power + In virtue of his penance; she, his ward, + Under the shadow of his tutelage, + Rests in security, I know it well; + Yet sooner shall the rushing cataract + In foaming eddies re-ascend the steep, + Than my fond heart turn back from its pursuit. + +God of love! God of the flowery shafts [47]! we lovers are cruelly +deceived by thee, and by the Moon, however deserving of confidence +you may both appear. + + For not to us do these thine arrows seem + Pointed with tender flowerets; not to us + Doth the pale Moon irradiate the earth + With beams of silver fraught with cooling dews; + But on our fevered frames the moon-beams fall + Like darts of fire, and every flower-tipt shaft + Of Káma[47], as it probes our throbbing hearts, + Seems to be barbed with hardest adamant. + +Adorable god of love! hast thou no pity for me? + +[_In a tone of anguish_.] + +How can thy arrows be so sharp when they are pointed with +flowers? Ah! I know the reason: + + E'en now in thine unbodied essence lurks + The fire of [S']iva's anger[48], like the flame + That ever hidden in the secret depths + Of ocean, smoulders there unseen[49]. How else + Could'st thou, all immaterial as thou art, + Inflame our hearts thus fiercely?--thou, whose form + Was scorched to ashes by a sudden flash + From the offended god's terrific eye. + +Yet, methinks, + + Welcome this anguish, welcome to my heart + These rankling wounds inflicted by the god, + Who on his scutcheon bears the monster-fish[50] + Slain by his prowess; welcome death itself, + So that, commissioned by the lord of love, + This fair one be my executioner. + Adorable divinity! Can I by no reproaches excite your commiseration? + Have I not daily offered at thy shrine + Innumerable vows, the only food + Of thine ethereal essence? Are my prayers + Thus to be slighted? Is it meet that thou + Should'st aim thy shafts at thy true votary's heart, + Drawing thy bow-string even to thy ear? + +[_Pacing up and down in a melancholy manner_.] + +Now that the holy men have completed their rites, and have no +more need of my services, how shall I dispel my melancholy? + +[_Sighing_.] + +I have but one resource. Oh for another sight of the Idol of my +soul! I will seek her. + +[_Glancing at the sun_.] + +In all probability, as the sun's heat is now at its height, +[S']akoontalá is passing her time under the shade of the bowers on +the banks of the Máliní, attended by her maidens. I will go and +look for her there. + +[_Walking and looking about_.] + +I suspect the fair one has but just passed by this avenue of +young trees. + + Here, as she tripped along, her fingers plucked + The opening buds; these lacerated plants, + Shorn of their fairest blossoms by her hand, + Seem like dismembered trunks, whose recent wounds + Are still unclosed; while from the bleeding socket + Of many a severed stalk, the milky juice + Still slowly trickles, and betrays her path. + +[_Feeling a breeze_.] + +What a delicious breeze meets me in this spot! + + Here may the zephyr, fragrant with the scent + Of lotuses, and laden with the spray + Caught from the waters of the rippling stream, + Fold in its close embrace my fevered limbs. + +[_Walking and looking about_.] + +She must be somewhere in the neighbourhood of this arbour of +overhanging creepers enclosed by plantations of cane; + +[_Looking down_.] + + For at the entrance here I plainly see + A line of footsteps printed in the sand. + Here are the fresh impressions of her feet; + Their well-known outline faintly marked in front, + More deeply towards the heel; betokening + The graceful undulation of her gait[51]. + +I will peep through those branches. + + [_Walking and looking. With transport_.] + +Ah! now my eyes are gratified by an entrancing sight. Yonder is +the beloved of my heart reclining on a rock strewn with flowers, +and attended by her two friends. How fortunate! Concealed behind +the leaves, I will listen to their conversation, without raising +their suspicions. + + [_Stands concealed, and gazes at them_. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ _and her two attendants, holding fans in their hands, +are discovered as described_. + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + + [_Fanning her. In a tone of affection_. + +Dearest [S']akoontalá, is the breeze raised by these broad +lotus-leaves refreshing to you? + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Dear friends, why should you trouble yourselves to fan me? + +[PRIYAMVADÁ _and_ ANASÚYÁ _look sorrowfully at one another_. + +KING. + +[S']akoontalá seems indeed to be seriously ill. + +[_Thoughtfully_.] + +Can it be the intensity of the heat that has affected her? or +does my heart suggest the true cause of her malady? + +[_Gazing at her passionately_.] + +Why should I doubt it? + + The maiden's spotless bosom is o'erspread + With cooling balsam; on her slender arm + Her only bracelet, twined with lotus-stalks, + Hangs loose and withered; her recumbent form + Betokens languor. Ne'er could noon-day sun + Inflict such fair disorder on a maid-- + No, love, and love alone, is here to blame. + + +PRIYAMVADÁ. [_Aside to_ ANASÚYÁ. + +I have observed, Anasúyá, that [S']akoontalá has been indisposed +ever since her first interview with King Dushyanta. Depend upon +it, her ailment is to be traced to that source. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +The same suspicion, dear, has crossed my mind. But I will at once +ask her and ascertain the truth. + +[_Aloud_.] + +Dear [S']akoontalá, I am about to put a question to you. Your +indisposition is really very serious. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Half rising from her couch_. + +What were you going to ask? + +ANASÚYÁ. + +We know very little about love-matters, dear [S']akoontalá; but for +all that, I cannot help suspecting your present state to be +something similar to that of the lovers we have heard about in +romances. Tell us frankly what is the cause of your disorder. It +is useless to apply a remedy, until the disease be understood. + +KING. + +Anasúyá bears me out in my suspicion. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Aside_. + +I am, indeed, deeply in love; but cannot rashly +disclose my passion to these young girls. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +What Anasúyá says, dear [S']akoontalá, is very just. Why give so +little heed to your ailment? Every day you are becoming thinner; +though I must confess your complexion is still as beautiful as +ever. + +KING. + +Priyamvadá speaks most truly. + + Sunk is her velvet cheek; her wasted bosom + Loses its fulness; e'en her slender waist + Grows more attenuate; her face is wan, + Her shoulders droop;--as when the vernal blasts + Sear the young blossoms of the Mádhaví[52], + Blighting their bloom; so mournful is the change. + Yet in its sadness, fascinating still, + Inflicted by the mighty lord of love + On the fair figure of the hermit's daughter. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Dear friends, to no one would I rather reveal the nature of my +malady than to you; but I should only be troubling you. + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + +Nay, this is the very point about which we are so solicitous. +Sorrow shared with affectionate friends is relieved of half its +poignancy. + +KING. + + Pressed by the partners of her joys and griefs, + Her much beloved companions, to reveal + The cherished secret locked within her breast, + She needs must utter it; although her looks + Encourage me to hope, my bosom throbs + As anxiously I listen for her answer. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Know then, dear friends, that from the first moment the +illustrious Prince who is the guardian of our sacred grove +presented himself to my sight-- + + [_Stops short, and appears confused_. + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + +Say on, dear [S']akoontalá, say on. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Ever since that happy moment, my heart's affections have been +fixed upon him, and my energies of mind and body have all +deserted me, as you see. + +KING. [_With rapture_. + +Her own lips have uttered the words I most longed to hear. + + Love lit the flame, and Love himself allays + My burning fever, as when gathering clouds + Rise o'er the earth in summer's dazzling noon, + And grateful showers dispel the morning heat. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +You must consent, then, dear friends, to contrive some means by +which I may find favour with the King, or you will have ere long +to assist at my funeral. + +KING. + +Enough! These words remove all my doubts. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. [_Aside to_ ANASÚYÁ. + +She is far gone in love, dear Anasúyá, and no time ought to be +lost. Since she has fixed her affections on a monarch who is the +ornament of Puru's line, we need not hesitate for a moment to +express our approval. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +I quite agree with you. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. [_Aloud_. + +We wish you joy, dear [S']akoontalá. Your affections are fixed on an +object in every respect worthy of you,. The noblest river will unite itself +to the ocean, and the lovely Mádhaví-creeper clings naturally to the +Mango, the only tree capable of supporting it. + +KING. + +Why need we wonder if the beautiful constellation Vi[s']ákhá pines +to be united with the Moon[53]? + +ANASÚYÁ. + +By what stratagem can we best secure to our friend the +accomplishment of her heart's desire both speedily and secretly? + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +The latter point is all we have to think about. As to 'speedily,' +I look upon the whole affair as already settled. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +How so? + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +Did you not observe how the King betrayed his liking by the +tender manner in which he gazed upon her, and how thin he has +become the last few days, as if he had been lying awake thinking +of her? + +KING. [_Looking at himself_. + +Quite true! I certainly am becoming thin from want of sleep: + + As night by night in anxious thought I raise + This wasted arm to rest my sleepless head, + My jewelled bracelet, sullied by the tears + That trickle from my eyes in scalding streams, + Slips towards my elbow from my shrivelled wrist. + Oft I replace the bauble, but in vain; + So easily it spans the fleshless limb + That e'en the rough and corrugated skin, + Scarred by the bow-string, will not check its fall[54]. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +An idea strikes me, Anasúyá. Let [S']akoontalá write a love-letter; +I will conceal it in a flower, and contrive to drop it in the +King's path. He will surely mistake it for the remains of some +sacred offering, and will, in all probability, pick it up. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +A very ingenious device! It my entire approval; but what says +[S']akoontalá? + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +I must consider before I can consent to it. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +Could, you not, dear [S']akoontalá, think of some pretty +composition in verse, containing a delicate declaration of your +love? + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Well, I will do my best; but my heart trembles when I think of +the chances of a refusal. + +KING. [_With rapture_. + + Too timid maid, here stands the man from whom + Thou fearest a repulse; supremely blessed + To call thee all his own. Well might he doubt + His title to thy love; but how could'st thou + Believe thy beauty powerless to subdue him? + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + +You undervalue your own merits, dear [S']akoontalá. What man in his +senses would intercept with the skirt of his robe the bright rays +of the autumnal moon, which alone can allay the fever of his +body? + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Smiling_. + +Then it seems I must do as I am bid. + + [_Sits down and appears to be thinking_. + +KING. + +How charming she looks! My very eyes forget to wink, jealous of +losing even for an instant a sight so enchanting. + + How beautiful the movement of her brow, + As through her mind love's tender fancies flow! + And, as she weighs her thoughts, how sweet to trace + The ardent passion mantling in her face! + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Dear girls, I have thought of a verse, but I have no +writing-materials at hand. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +Write the letters with your nail on this lotus-leaf, which is +smooth as a parrot's breast. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_After writing the verse_. + +Listen, dear friends, and tell me whether the ideas are +appropriately expressed. + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + +We are all attention. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Reads_. + + I know not the secret thy bosom conceals, + Thy form is not near me to gladden my sight; + But sad is the tale that my fever reveals, + Of the love that consumes me by day and by night. + +KING. [_Advancing hastily towards her_. + + Nay, Love does but warm thee, fair maiden,--thy frame + Only droops like the bud in the glare of the noon; + But me he consumes with a pitiless flame, + As the beams of the day-star destroy the pale moon. + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + + [_Looking at him joyfully and rising to salute him_. + +Welcome, the desire of our hearts, that so speedily presents +itself! + + [[S']AKOONTALÁ _makes an effort to rise_. + +KING. + +Nay, trouble not thyself, dear maiden. + + Move not to do me homage; let thy limbs + Still softly rest upon their flowery couch; + And gather fragrance from the lotus-stalks, + Bruised by the fevered contact of thy frame. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Deign, gentle Sir, to seat yourself on the rock on which our +friend is reposing. + + [_The_ KING _sits down_. [S']AKOONTALÁ _is confused_. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +Any one may see at a glance that you are deeply attached to each +other. But the affection I have for my friend prompts me to say +something of which you hardly require to be informed. + +KING. + +Do not hesitate to speak out, my good girl. If you omit to say +what is in your mind, you may be sorry for it afterwards. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +Is it not your special office as a King to remove the suffering +of your subjects who are in trouble? + +KING. + +Such is my duty, most assuredly. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +Know, then, that our dear friend has been brought to her present +state of suffering entirely through love for you. Her life is in +your hands; take pity on her and restore her to health. + +KING. + +Excellent maiden, our attachment is mutual. It is I who am the +most honoured by it. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Looking at PRIYAMVADÁ_. + +What do you mean by detaining the King, who must be anxious to +return to his royal consorts after so long a separation? + +KING. + + Sweet maiden, banish from thy mind the thought + That I could love another. Thou dost reign + Supreme, without a rival, in my heart, + And I am thine alone; disown me not, + Else must I die a second deadlier death, + Killed by thy words, as erst by Káma's[47] shafts. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Kind Sir, we have heard it said that kings have many favourite +consorts. You must not, then, by your behaviour towards our dear +friend, give her relations cause to sorrow for her. + +KING. + +Listen, gentle maiden, while in a few words I quiet your anxiety. + + Though many beauteous forms my palace grace, + Henceforth two things alone will I esteem + The glory of my royal dynasty-- + My sea-girt realm, and this most lovely maid. + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + +We are satisfied by your assurances. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. [_Glancing on one side_. + +See, Anasúyá, there is our favourite little fawn running about in +great distress, and turning its eyes in every direction as if +looking for its mother; come, let us help the little thing to +find her. [_Both move away_. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Dear friends, dear friends, leave me not alone and unprotected. +Why need you both go? + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + +Unprotected! when the Protector of the world is at your side. + + [_Exeunt_. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +What! have they both really left me? + +KING. + +Distress not thyself, sweet maiden. Thy adorer is at hand to wait +upon thee. + + Oh let me tend thee, fair one, in the place + Of thy dear friends; and with broad lotus fans + Raise cooling breezes to refresh thy frame; + Or shall I rather, with caressing touch, + Allay the fever of thy limbs, and soothe + Thy aching feet, beauteous as blushing lilies? + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Nay, touch me not. I will not incur the censure of those whom I +am bound to respect. + + [_Rises and attempts to go_. + +KING. + +Fair one, the heat of noon has not yet subsided, and thy body is +still feeble. + + How canst thou quit thy fragrant couch of flowers, + And from thy throbbing bosom cast aside + Its covering of lotus-leaves, to brave + With weak and fainting limbs the noon-day heat? + + [_Forces her to turn back_. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Infringe not the rules of decorum, mighty descendant of Puru. +Remember, though I love you, I have no power to dispose of +myself. + +KING. + +Why this fear of offending your relations, timid maid? When your +venerable foster-father hears of it, he will not find fault with +you. He knows that the law permits us to be united without +consulting him. + + In Indra's heaven, so at least 'tis said, + No nuptial rites prevail[55], nor is the bride + Led to the altar by her future lord; + But all in secret does the bridegroom plight + His troth, and each unto the other vow + Mutual allegiance. Such espousals, too, + Are authorised on earth, and many daughters + Of royal saints thus wedded to their lords + Have still received their father's benison. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Leave me, leave me; I must take counsel with my female friends. + +KING. + +I will leave thee when-- + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +When? + +KING. + + When I have gently stolen from thy lips + Their yet untasted nectar, to allay + The raging of my thirst, e'en as the bee + Sips the fresh honey from the opening bud. + + [_Attempts to raise her face_. [S']AKOONTALÁ tries to + prevent him_. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +The loving birds, doomed by fate to nightly separation[56], must +bid farewell to each other, for evening is at hand. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_In confusion_. + +Great Prince, I hear the voice of the matron Gautamí. She is +coming this way to inquire after my health. Hasten and conceal +yourself behind the branches. + +KING. + +I will. [_Conceals himself_. + +_Enter_ GAUTAMÍ _with a vase in her hand, preceded by two +attendants_. + +ATTENDANTS. + +This way, most venerable Gautamí. + +GAUTAMÍ. [_Approaching_ [S']AKOONTALÁ. + +My child, is the fever of thy limbs allayed? + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Venerable mother, there is certainly a change for the better. + +GAUTAMÍ. + +Let me sprinkle you with this holy water, and all +your ailments will depart. + +[_Sprinkling_ [S']AKOONTALÁ on the head_.] + +The day is closing, my child; come, let us go to the cottage. + + [_They all move away_. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Aside_. + +Oh my heart! thou didst fear to taste of happiness when it was +within thy reach. Now that the object of thy desires is torn from +thee, how bitter will be thy remorse, how distracting thine +anguish! + +[_Moving on a few steps and stopping. Aloud_.] + +Farewell! bower of creepers, sweet soother of my sufferings, +farewell! may I soon again be happy under thy shade. + + [_Exit reluctantly with the others_. + +KING. + + [_Returning to his former seat in the arbour. Sighing_. + +Alas! how many are the obstacles to the accomplishment of our +wishes! + + Albeit she did coyly turn away + Her glowing cheek, and with her fingers guard + Her pouting lips, that murmured a denial + In faltering accents, she did yield herself + A sweet reluctant captive to my will. + As eagerly I raised her lovely face; + But ere with gentle force I stole the kiss, + Too envious Fate did mar my daring purpose. + +Whither now shall I betake myself? I will tarry for a brief space +in this bower of creepers, so endeared to me by the presence of +my beloved [S']akoontalá. + + [_Looking round_. + + Here printed on the flowery couch I see + The fair impression of her slender limbs; + Here is the sweet confession of her love, + Traced with her nail upon the lotus-leaf; + And yonder are the withered lily-stalks + That graced her wrist. While all around I view + Things that recall her image, can I quit + This bower, e'en though its living be fled? + +A VOICE IN THE AIR. + +Great King, + + Scarce is our evening sacrifice begun, + When evil demons, lurid as the clouds + That gather round the dying orb of day, + Cluster in hideous troops, obscene and dread, + About our altars, casting far and near + Terrific shadows, while the sacred fire + Sheds a pale lustre o'er their ghostly shapes. + +KING. + +I come to the rescue, I come. + + [_Exit_. + + * * * * * + + + + +PRELUDE TO ACT IV. + + +SCENE.--_The Garden of the Hermitage_. + +_Enter_ PRIYAMVADÁ and ANASÚYÁ in the act of gathering flowers_. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Although, dear Priyamvadá, it rejoices my heart to think that +[S']akoontalá has been happily united to a husband in every respect +worthy of her, by the form of marriage prevalent among Indra's +celestial musicians, nevertheless, I cannot help feeling somewhat +uneasy in my mind. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +How so? + +ANASÚYÁ. + +You know that the pious King was gratefully dismissed by the +hermits on the successful termination of their sacrificial rites. +He has now returned to his capital, leaving [S']akoontalá under our +care; and it may be doubted whether, in the society of his royal +consorts, he will not forget all that has taken place in this +hermitage of ours. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +On that score be at ease. Persons of his noble nature are not so +destitute of all honourable feeling. I confess, however, that +there is one point about which I am rather anxious. What, think +you, will Father Kanwa say when he hears what has occurred? + +ANASÚYÁ. + +In my opinion, he will approve the marriage. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +What makes you think so? + +ANASÚYÁ. + +From the first, it was always his fixed purpose to bestow the +maiden on a husband worthy of her; and since heaven has given her +such a husband, his wishes have been realized without any trouble +to himself. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. [_Looking at the flower-basket_. + +We have gathered flowers enough for the sacred offering, dear +Anasúyá. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Well, then, let us now gather more, that we may have wherewith to +propitiate the guardian-deity of our dear [S']akoontalá. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +By all means. + + [_They continue gathering_. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Ho there! See you not that I am here! + +ANASÚYÁ. + +That must be the voice of a guest announcing his arrival. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +Surely, [S']akoontalá is not absent from the cottage. + +[_Aside_.] + +Her heart at least is absent, I fear. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Come along, come along; we have gathered flowers +enough. + + [_They move away_. + +THE SAME VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Woe to thee, maiden, for daring to slight a guest like me! + + Shall I stand here unwelcomed--even I, + A very mine of penitential merit, + Worthy of all respect? Shalt thou, rash maid, + Thus set at nought the ever sacred ties + Of hospitality? and fix thy thoughts + Upon the cherished object of thy love, + While I am present? Thus I curse thee, then-- + He, even he of whom thou thinkest, he + Shall think no more of thee; nor in his heart + Retain thine image. Vainly shalt thou strive + To waken his remembrance of the past; + He shall disown thee, even as the sot, + Roused from his midnight drunkenness, denies + The words he uttered in his revellings. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +Alas! alas! I fear a terrible misfortune has occurred. +[S']akoontalá, from absence of mind, must have offended some guest +whom she was bound to treat with respect. + +[_Looking behind the scenes_.] + +Ah! yes; I see; and no less a person than the great sage +Durvásas[57], who is known to be most irascible. He it is that +has just cursed her, and is now retiring with hasty strides, +trembling with passion, and looking as if nothing could turn him. +His wrath is like a consuming fire. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Go quickly, dear Priyamvadá, throw yourself at his feet, and +persuade him to come back, while I prepare a propitiatory +offering[59] for him, with water and refreshments. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +I will. + + [_Exit_. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +[_Advancing hastily a few steps and stumbling_. + +Alas! alas! this comes of being in a hurry. My foot has slipped, +and my basket of flowers has fallen from my hand. + + [_Stays to gather them up_. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. [_Re-entering_ + +Well, dear Anasúyá, I have done my best; but what living being +could succeed in pacifying such a cross-grained, ill-tempered old +fellow? However, I managed to mollify him a little. + +ANASÚYÁ [_Smiling_. + +Even a little was much for him. Say on. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +When he refused to turn back, I implored his forgiveness in these +words: 'Most venerable sage, pardon, I beseech you, this first +offence of a young and inexperienced girl, who was ignorant of +the respect due to your saintly character and exalted rank.' + +ANASÚYÁ + +And what did he reply? + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +'My word must not be falsified; but, at the sight of the ring of +recognition the spell shall cease.' So saying, he disappeared. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Oh! then we may breathe again; for, now I think of it, the King +himself, at his departure, fastened on [S']akoontalá's finger, as a +token of remembrance, a ring on which his own name was engraved. +She has, therefore, a remedy for her misfortune at her own +command. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +Come, dear Anasúyá, let us proceed with our religious duties. + + [_They walk round_. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. [_Looking off the stage_. + +See, Anasúyá, there sits our dear friend, motionless as a statue, +resting her face on her left hand, her whole mind absorbed in +thinking of her absent husband. She can pay no attention to +herself, much less to a stranger. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Priyamvadá, let this affair never pass our lips. We must spare +our dear friend's feelings. Her constitution is too delicate to +bear much emotion. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +I agree with you. Who would think of watering a tender jasmine +with hot water? + + + +ACT IV. + +Scene.--_The Neighbourhood of the Hermitage. + +Enter one of_ Kanwa's Pupils _just arisen from his couch at the +dawn of day_. + +PUPIL. + +My master, the venerable Kanwa, who is but lately returned from +his pilgrimage, has ordered me to ascertain how the time goes. I +have therefore come into the open air to see if it be still dark. + + [_Walking and looking about_.] + +Oh! the dawn has already broken. + + Lo! in one quarter of the sky, the Moon, + Lord of the herbs and night-expanding flowers, + Sinks towards his bed behind the western hills; + While in the east, preceded by the Dawn, + His blushing charioteer[59], the glorious Sun + Begins his course, and far into the gloom + Casts the first radiance of his orient beams. + Hail! co-eternal orbs, that rise to set, + And set to rise again; symbols divine + Of man's reverses, life's vicissitudes. + +And now, + + While the round Moon withdraws his looming disc + Beneath the western sky, the full-blown flower + Of the night-loving lotus[60] sheds her leave + In sorrow for his loss, bequeathing nought + But the sweet memory of her loveliness + To my bereaved sight; e'en as the bride + Disconsolately mourns her absent lord, + And yields her heart a prey to anxious grief. + +ANASÚYÁ. [_Entering abruptly_. + +Little as I know of the ways of the world, I cannot help thinking +that King Dushyanta is treating [S']akoontalá very improperly. + +PUPIL. + +Well, I must let my revered preceptor know that it is time to +offer the burnt oblation. + + [_Exit_. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +I am broad awake, but what shall I do? I have no energy to go +about my usual occupations. My hands and feet seem to have lost +their power. Well, Love has gained his object; and Love only is +to blame for having induced our dear friend, in the innocence of +her heart, to confide in such a perfidious man. Possibly, +however, the imprecation of Durvásas may he already taking +effect. Indeed, I cannot otherwise account for the King's strange +conduct, in allowing so long a time to elapse without even a +letter; and that, too, after so many promises and protestations. +I cannot think what to do unless we send him the ring which was +to be the token of recognition. But which of these austere +hermits could we ask to be the bearer of it? Then, again, Father +Kanwa has just returned from his pilgrimage; and how am I to +inform him of [S']akoontalá's marriage to King Dushyanta, and her +expectation of becoming soon a mother? I never could bring myself +to tell him, even if I felt that [S']akoontalá had been in fault, +which she certainly has not. What is to be done? + +PRIYAMVADÁ. [_Entering; joyfully_. + +Quick! quick! Anasúyá! come and assist in the joyful preparations +for [S']akoontalá's departure to her husband's palace. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +My dear girl, what can you mean? + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +Listen, now, and I will tell you all about it. I went just now to +[S']akoontalá, to inquire whether she had slept comfortably-- + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Well, well; go on. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +She was sitting with her face bowed down to the very ground with +shame, when Father Kanwa entered, and, embracing her, of his own +accord offered her his congratulations. 'I give thee joy, my +child,' he said, 'we have had an auspicious omen. The priest who +offered the oblation dropped it into the very centre of the +sacred fire [81], though thick smoke obstructed his vision. +Henceforth thou wilt cease to be an object of compassion. This +very day I purpose sending thee, under the charge of certain +trusty hermits, to the King's palace; and shall deliver thee into +the hands of thy husband, as I would commit knowledge to the +keeping of a wise and faithful student.' + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Who, then, informed the holy father of what passed in his +absence? + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +As he was entering the sanctuary of the consecrated fire, an +invisible being chanted a verse in celestial strains. + +ANASÚYÁ. [_With astonishment_. + +Indeed! pray repeat it. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. [_Repeating the verse_. + + Glows in thy daughter King Dushyanta's glory, + As in the sacred tree the mystic fire [62]; + Let worlds rejoice to hear the welcome story, + And may the son immortalize the sire. + +ANASÚYÁ. [_Embracing_ PRIYAMVADÁ. + +Oh, my dear Priyamvadá, what delightful news! I am pleased +beyond measure; yet when I think that we are to lose our dear +[S']akoontalá this very day, a feeling of melancholy mingles with +my joy. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +We shall find means of consoling ourselves after her departure. +Let the dear creature only be made happy at any cost. + +ANASÚYÁ. + +Yes, yes, Priyamvadá, it shall be so; and now to prepare the +bridal array. I have always looked forward to this occasion, and +some time since, I deposited a beautiful garland of Ke[S']ara +flowers in a cocoa-nut box, and suspended it on a bough of +yonder mango-tree. Be good enough to stretch out your hand and +take it down, while I compound unguents and perfumes with this +consecrated paste and these blades of sacred grass. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +Very well. + + [_Exit_ ANASÚYÁ. PRIYAMVADÁ _takes down the flowers_. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Gautamí, bid [S']árngarava and the others hold themselves in +readiness to escort [S']akoontalá. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. [_Listening_. + +Quick, quick, Anasúyá! They are calling the +hermits who are to go with [S']akoontalá to Hastinápur[83]. + +ANASÚYÁ. [_Re-entering with the perfumed unguents in her +hand_. + +Come along then, Priyamvadá; I am ready to go with you. + + [_They walk away_. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. [_Looking_. + +See! there sits [S']akoontalá, her locks arranged even at this +early hour of the morning. The holy women of the hermitage are +congratulating her, and invoking blessings on her head, while +they present her with wedding-gifts and offerings of consecrated +wild-rice. Let us join them. + + [_They approach_. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ _is seen seated, with women surrounding her, occupied +in the manner described_. + +FIRST WOMAN. [_To_ [S']AKOONTALÁ. + +My child, may'st thou receive the title of 'Chief-queen,' and may +thy husband delight to honour thee above all others! + +SECOND WOMAN. + +My child, may'st thou be the mother of a hero! + +THIRD WOMAN. + +My child, may'st thou be highly honoured by thy lord! + +[_Exeunt all the women, excepting_ GAUTAMÍ, after blessing_ +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. [_Approaching_. + +Dear [S']akoontalá, we are come to assist you at your toilet, and +may a blessing attend it! + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Welcome, dear friends, welcome. Sit down here. + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + + [_Taking the baskets containing the bridal decorations, and + sitting down_. + +Now, then, dearest, prepare to let us dress you. We must first +rub your limbs with these perfumed unguents. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +I ought indeed to be grateful for your kind offices, now that I +am so soon to be deprived of them. Dear, dear friends, perhaps I +shall never be dressed by you again. + + [_Bursts into tears_. + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + +Weep not, dearest; tears are out of season on such a happy +occasion. + + [_They wipe away her tears and begin to dress her_. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +Alas! these simple flowers and rude ornaments, which our +hermitage offers in abundance, do not set off your beauty as it +deserves. + +_Enter TWO YOUNG HERMITS, bearing costly presents_. + +BOTH HERMITS. + +Here are ornaments suitable for a queen. + +[_The women look at them in astonishment_. + +GAUTAMÍ + +Why, Nárada, my son, whence came these? + +FIRST HERMIT. + +You owe them to the devotion of Father Kanwa. + +GAUTAMÍ. + +Did he create them by the power of his own mind? + +SECOND HERMIT. + +Certainly not; but you shall hear. The venerable sage ordered us +to collect flowers for [S']akoontalá from the forest-trees; and we +went to the wood for that purpose, when + + Straightway depending from a neighbouring tree + Appeared a robe of linen tissue, pure + And spotless as a moonbeam--mystic pledge + Of bridal happiness; another tree + Distilled a roseate dye wherewith to stain + The lady's feet [135]; and other branches near + Glistened with rare and costly ornaments. + While, 'mid the leaves, the hands of forest-nymphs, + Vying in beauty with the opening buds, + Presented us with sylvan offerings. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. [_Looking at_ [S']AKOONTALÁ. + +The wood-nymphs have done you honour, indeed. This favour +doubtless signifies that you are soon to be received as a happy +wife into your husband's house, and are from this time forward to +become the partner of his royal fortunes. + +[[S']AKOONTALÁ _appears abashed_. + +FIRST HERMIT. + +Come, Gautama; Father Kanwa has finished his ablutions. Let us go +and inform him of the favour we have received from the deities +who preside over our trees. + +SECOND HERMIT. + +By all means. + + [_Exeunt_. + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ + +Alas! what are we to do? We are unused to such splendid +decorations, and are at a loss how to arrange them. Our +knowledge of painting must be our guide. We will dispose the +ornaments as we have seen them in pictures. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ + +Whatever pleases you, dear girls, will please me. I have perfect +confidence In your taste. + + [_They commence dressing her_. + +_Enter_ KANWA, _having just finished his ablutions_. + +KANWA. + + This day my loved one leaves me, and my heart + Is heavy with its grief; the streams of sorrow, + Choked at the source, repress my faltering voice, + I have no words to speak; mine eyes are dimmed + By the dark shadows of the thoughts that rise + Within my soul. If such the force of grief + In an old hermit parted from his nursling, + What anguish must the stricken parent feel-- + Bereft for ever of an only daughter. + +[_Advances towards_ [S']AKOONTALÁ + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + +Now, dearest [S']akoontalá, we have finished decorating you. You +have only to put on the two linen mantles. + + [[S']AKOONTALÁ _rises and puts them on_. + +GAUTAMÍ. + +Daughter, see, here comes thy foster-father; he is eager to fold +thee in his arms; his eyes swim with tears of joy. Hasten to do +him reverence. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ [_Reverently_. + +My father, I salute you. + +KANWA. + +My daughter, + + May'st thou be highly honoured by thy lord, + E'en as Yayáti [S']armishthá adored[64]! + And, as she bore him Puru, so may'st thou + Bring forth a son to whom the world shall bow! + +GAUTAMÍ. + +Most venerable father, she accepts your benediction as if she +already possessed the boon it confers. + +KANWA. + +Now come this way, my child, and walk reverently +round these sacrificial fires. + + [_They all walk round_. + +KANWA. + + [_Repeats a prayer in the metre of the Rig-veda_. + + Holy flames, that gleam around + Every altar's hallowed ground; + Holy flames, whose frequent food + Is the consecrated wood, + And for whose encircling bed, + Sacred Ku[s']a-grass is spread [65]; + Holy flames, that waft to heaven + Sweet oblations daily given, + Mortal guilt to purge away, + Hear, oh hear me, when I pray-- + Purify my child this day! + +Now then, my daughter, set out on thy journey. + +[_Looking on one side_.] + +Where are thy attendants. [S']árngarava and the others? + +YOUNG HERMIT. [_Entering_. + +Here we are, most venerable father. + +KANWA. + +Lead the way for thy sister. + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA. + +Come, [S']akoontalá, let us proceed. + + [_All move away_. + +KANWA. + + Hear me, ye trees that surround our hermitage! + [S']akoontalá ne'er moistened in the stream + Her own parched lips, till she had fondly poured + Its purest water on your thirsty roots; + And oft, when she would fain have decked her hair + With your thick-clustering blossoms, in her love + She robbed you not e'en of a single flower. + Her highest joy was ever to behold + The early glory of your opening buds; + Oh, then, dismiss her with a kind farewell. + This very day she quits her father's home, + To seek the palace of her wedded lord. + +[_The note of a Koïl[66] is heard_. + + Hark! heard'st thou not the answer of the trees, + Our sylvan sisters, warbled in the note + Of the melodious Koïl[66]? they dismiss + Their dear [S']akoontalá with loving wishes. + +VOICES IN THE AIR. + + Fare thee well, journey pleasantly on amid streams + Where the lotuses bloom, and the sun's glowing beams + Never pierce the deep shade of the wide-spreading trees, + While gently around thee shall sport the cool breeze; + Then light be thy footsteps and easy thy tread, + Beneath thee shall carpets of lilies be spread; + Journey on to thy lord, let thy spirit be gay, + For the smiles of all Nature shall gladden thy way. + + [_All listen with astonishment_. + +GAUTAMÍ. + +Daughter! the nymphs of the wood, who love thee with the +affection of a sister, dismiss thee with kind wishes for thy +happiness. Take thou leave of them reverentially. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +[_Bowing respectfully and walking on. Aside to her friend_. + +Eager as I am, dear Priyamvadá, to see my husband once more, yet +my feet refuse to move, now that I am quitting for ever the home +of my girlhood. + +PRIYAMVADÁ. + +You are not the only one, dearest, to feel the bitterness of +parting. As the time of separation approaches, the whole grove +seems to share your anguish. + + In sorrow for thy loss, the herd of deer + Forget to browse; the peacock on the lawn + Ceases its dance[67]; the very trees around + Shed their pale leaves, like tears, upon the ground. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Recollecting herself_. + +My father, let me, before I go, bid adieu to my pet jasmine, the +Moonlight of the Grove[68]. I love the plant almost as a sister. + +KANWA. + +Yes, yes, my child, I remember thy sisterly affection for the +creeper. Here it is on the right. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Approaching the jasmine_. + +My beloved jasmine! most brilliant of climbing plants, how sweet +it is to see thee cling thus fondly to thy husband, the +mango-tree; yet, prithee, turn thy twining arms for a moment in +this direction to embrace thy sister; she is going far away, and +may never see thee again. + +KANWA. + + Daughter, the cherished purpose of my heart + Has ever been to wed thee to a man + That should be worthy of thee; such a spouse + Hast thou thyself, by thine own merits, won. + To him thou goest, and about his neck + Soon shalt thou cling confidingly, as now + Thy favourite jasmine twines its loving arms + Around the sturdy mango. Leave thou it + To its protector--e'en as I consign + Thee to thy lord, and henceforth from my mind + Banish all anxious thought on thy behalf. + +Proceed on thy journey, my child. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_To_ PRIYAMVADÁ _and_ ANASÚYÁ. + +To you, my sweet companions, I leave it as a keepsake. Take +charge of it when I am gone. + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. [_Bursting into tears_. + +And to whose charge do you leave us, dearest? Who will care for +us when you are gone? + +KANWA. + +For shame, Anasúyá! dry your tears. Is this the way to cheer your +friend at a time when she needs your support and consolation? + + [_All move on_. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +My father, see you there my pet deer, grazing close to the +hermitage? She expects soon to fawn, and even now the weight of +the little one she carries hinders her movements. Do not forget +to send me word when she becomes a mother. + +KANWA. + +I will not forget it. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Feeling herself drawn back_. + +What can this be, fastened to my dress? + + [_Turns round_. + +KANWA. + +My daughter, + + It is the little fawn, thy foster-child, + Poor helpless orphan! it remembers well + How with a mother's tenderness and love + Thou didst protect it, and with grains of rice + From thine own hand didst daily nourish it; + And, ever and anon, when some sharp thorn + Had pierced its mouth, how gently thou didst tend + The bleeding wound, and pour in healing balm. + The grateful nursling clings to its protectress, + Mutely imploring leave to follow her. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +My poor little fawn! dost thou ask to follow an ungrateful +wretch who hesitates not to desert her companions! When thy +mother died, soon after thy birth, I supplied her place, and +reared thee with my own hand; and now that thy second mother is +about to leave thee, who will care for thee? My father, be thou a +mother to her. My child, go back, and be a daughter to my father. + + [_Moves on, weeping_. + +KANWA. + + Weep not, my daughter, check the gathering tear + That lurks beneath thine eyelid, ere it flow + And weaken thy resolve; be firm and true-- + True to thyself and me; the path of life + Will lead o'er hill and plain, o'er rough and smooth, + And all must feel the steepness of the way; + Though rugged be thy course, press boldly on. + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA. + +Venerable Sire! the sacred precept is:--'Accompany thy friend as +far as the margin of the first stream.' Here, then, we are +arrived at the border of a lake. It is time for you to give us +your final instructions and return. + +KANWA. + +Be it so; let us tarry for a moment under the shade of this +fig-tree[69]. + +[_They do so_. + +KANWA [_Aside_. + +I must think of some appropriate message to send to his Majesty +King Dushyanta. + +[_Reflects_. . + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Aside to_ ANASÚYÁ. + +See, see, dear Anasúyá, the poor female Chakraváka-bird[70], whom +cruel fate dooms to nightly separation from her mate, calls to +him in mournful notes from the other side of the stream, though +he is only hidden from her view by the spreading leaves of the +water-lily. Her cry is so piteous that I could almost fancy she +was lamenting her hard lot in intelligible words. + +ANASÚYÁ + +Say not so, dearest: + + Fond bird! though sorrow lengthen out her night + Of widowhood, yet with a cry of joy + She hails the morning light that brings her mate + Back to her side. The agony of parting + Would wound us like a sword, but that its edge + Is blunted by the hope of future meeting. + +KANWA. + +[S']árngarava! when you have introduced [S']akoontalá into the +presence of the King, you must give him this message from me:-- + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA + +Let me hear it, venerable father. + +KANWA. + +This is it:-- + + Most puissant prince! we here present before thee + One thou art bound to cherish and receive + As thine own wife; yea, even to enthrone + As thine own queen--worthy of equal love + With thine imperial consorts. So much, Sire, + We claim of thee as justice due to us, + In virtue of our holy character, + In virtue of thine honourable rank, + In virtue of the pure spontaneous love + That secretly grew up 'twixt thee and her, + Without consent or privity of us. + We ask no more--the rest we freely leave + To thy just feeling and to destiny. + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA. + +A most suitable message! I will take care to deliver it +correctly. + +KANWA. + +And, now, my child, a few words of advice for thee. We hermits, +though we live secluded from the world are not ignorant of +worldly matters. + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA. + +No, indeed. Wise men are conversant with all subjects. + +KANWA. + +Listen, then, my daughter. When thou reachest thy husband's +palace, and art admitted into his family, + + Honour thy betters; ever be respectful + To those above thee; and, should others share + Thy husband's love, ne'er yield thyself a prey + to jealousy; but ever be a friend, + A loving friend, to those who rival thee + In his affections. Should thy wedded lord + Treat thee with harshness, thou most never be + Harsh in return, but patient and submissive; + Be to thy menials courteous, and to all + Placed under thee, considerate and kind; + Be never self-indulgent, but avoid + Excess in pleasure; and, when fortune smiles, + Be not puffed up. Thus to thy husband's house + Wilt thou a blessing prove, and not a curse. + +What thinks Gautamí of this advice? + +GAUTAMÍ. + +An excellent compendium, truly, of every wife's duties! Lay it +well to heart, my daughter. + +KANWA. + +Come, my beloved child, one parting embrace for me and for thy +companions, and then we leave thee. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +My father, must Priyamvadá and Anasúyá really return with you? +They are very dear to me. + +KANWA. + +Yes, my child; they, too, in good time, will be given in marriage +to suitable husbands. It would not be proper for them to +accompany thee to such a public place. But Gautamí shall be thy +companion. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Embracing him_. + +Removed from thy bosom, my beloved father, like a young +tendril of the sandal-tree torn from its home in the western +mountains[71], how shall I be able to support life in a foreign +soil? + +KANWA. + +Daughter, thy fears are groundless. + + Soon shall thy lord prefer thee to the rank + Of his own consort; and unnumbered cares + Befitting his imperial dignity + Shall constantly engross thee. Then the bliss + Of bearing him a son--a noble boy, + Bright as the day-star, shall transport thy soul + With new delights, and little shalt thou reck + Of the light sorrow that afflicts thee now + At parting from thy father and thy friends. + + [[S']AKOONTALÁ _throws herself at her foster-father's feet_. + +KANWA. + +Blessings on thee, my child! May all my hopes of thee be +realized! + +[S']AKOONTALÁ [_Approaching her friends_. + +Come, my two loved companions, embrace me both of you together. + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. [_Embracing her_. + +Dear [S']akoontalá, remember, if the King should by any chance be +slow in recognizing you, you have only to show him this ring, on +which his own name is engraved. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +The bare thought of it puts me in a tremor. + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + +There is no real cause for fear, dearest. Excessive affection is +too apt to suspect evil where none exists. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Come, lady, we must hasten on. The sun is rising in the heavens. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Looking towards the hermitage_. + +Dear father, when shall I ever see this hallowed grove again? + +KANWA. + +I will tell thee; listen:-- + + When thou hast passed a long and blissful life + As King Dushyanta's queen, and jointly shared + With all the earth his ever-watchful care; + And hast beheld thine own heroic son, + Matchless in arms, united to a bride + In happy wedlock; when his aged sire, + Thy faithful husband, hath to him resigned + The helm of state; then, weary of the world, + Together with Dushyanta thou shalt seek + The calm seclusion of thy former home[72]; + There amid holy scenes to be at peace, + Till thy pure spirit gain its last release. + +GAUTAMÍ. + +Come, my child, the favourable time for our journey is fast +passing. Let thy father return. Venerable Sire, be thou the first +to move homewards, or these last words will never end. + +KANWA. + +Daughter, detain me no longer. My religious duties must not be +interrupted. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Again embracing her foster-father_. + +Beloved father, thy frame is much enfeebled by penitential +exercises. Do not, oh! do not, allow thyself to sorrow too much +on my account. + +KANWA. [_Sighing_. + + How, O my child, shall my bereaved heart + Forget its bitterness, when, day by day, + Full in my sight shall grow the tender plants + Reared by thy care, or sprang from hallowed grain + Which thy loved hands have strewn around the door-- + A frequent offering to our household gods[73]? + +Go, my daughter, and may thy journey be prosperous. + + [_Exit_ [S']AKOONTALÁ _with her escort_. + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. [_Gazing after_ [S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Alas! alas! she is gone, and now the trees hide our darling from +our view. + +KANWA. [_Sighing_. + +Well, Anasúyá, your sister has departed. Moderate your grief, +both of you, and follow me, I go back to the hermitage. + +PRIYAMVADÁ AND ANASÚYÁ. + +Holy father, the sacred grove will be a desert without +[S']akoontalá. How can we ever return to it? + +KANWA. + +It is natural enough that your affection should make you view it +in this light. + +[_Walking pensively on_.] + +As for me, I am quite surprised at myself. Now that I have fairly +dismissed her to her husband's house, my mind is easy; for, +indeed, + + A daughter is a loan--a precious jewel + Lent to a parent till her husband claim her. + And now that to her rightful lord and master + I have delivered her, my burdened soul + Is lightened, and I seem to breathe more freely. + + [_Exeunt_. + + * * * * * + + + + +ACT V. + +SCENE.--_A Room in the Palace_. + +_The King_ DUSHYANTA _and the Jester_ MÁ[T.]HAVYA _are discovered +seated_. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. [_Listening_. + +Hark! my dear friend, listen a minute, and you will hear sweet +sounds proceeding from the music-room. Some one is singing a +charming air. Who can it be? Oh! I know. The queen Hansapadiká is +practising her notes, that she may greet you with a new song. + +KING. + +Hush! Let me listen. + +A VOICE SINGS BEHIND THE SCENES. + + How often hither didst thou rove, + Sweet bee, to kiss the mango's cheek; + Oh! leave not, then, thy early love, + The lily's honeyed lip to seek. + +KING. + +A most impassioned strain, truly! + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Do you understand the meaning of the words? + +KING. [_Smiling_. + +She means to reprove me, because I once paid her great attention, +and have lately deserted her for the queen Vasumatí. Go, my dear +fellow, and tell Hansapadiká from me that I take her delicate +reproof as it is intended. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Very well. + +[_Rising from his seat_.] + +But stay--I don't much relish being sent to bear the brunt of her +jealousy. The chances are that she will have me seized by the +hair of the head and beaten to a jelly. I would as soon expose +myself, after a vow of celibacy, to the seductions of a lovely +nymph, as encounter the fury of a jealous woman. + +KING. + +Go, go; you can disarm her wrath by a civil speech; but give her +my message. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +What must be must be, I suppose. + + [_Exit_. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +Strange! that song has filled me with a most peculiar sensation. +A melancholy feeling has come over me, and I seem to yearn after +some long-forgotten object of affection. Singular, indeed! but + + Not seldom In our happy hours of ease, + When thought is still, the sight of some fair form, + Or mournful fall of music breathing low, + Will stir strange fancies, thrilling all the soul + With a mysterious sadness, and a sense + Of vague yet earnest longing. Can it be + That the dim memory of events long past, + Or friendships formed in other states of being[74], + Flits like a passing shadow o'er the spirit? + + [_Remains pensive and sad_. + +_Enter the_ CHAMBERLAIN[75], _named_ VÁTÁYANA. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +Alas! to what an advanced period of life have I attained! + + Even this wand betrays the lapse of years; + In youthful days 'twas but a useless badge + And symbol of my office; now it serves + As a support to prop my tottering steps. + +Ah me! I feel very unwilling to announce to the King that a +deputation of young hermits from the sage Kanwa has arrived, and +craves an immediate audience. Certainly, his Majesty ought not to +neglect a matter of sacred duty, yet I hardly like to trouble him +when he has just risen from the judgment-seat. Well, well; a +monarch's business is to sustain the world, and he must not +expect much repose; because-- + + Onward, for ever onward, in his car + The unwearied Sun pursues his daily course, + Nor tarries to unyoke his glittering steeds. + And, ever moving, speeds the rushing Wind + Through boundless space, filling the universe + With his life-giving breezes. Day and night, + The King of Serpents on his thousand heads[76] + Upholds the incumbent earth; and even so, + Unceasing toil is aye the lot of kings, + Who, in return, draw nurture from their subjects. + +I will therefore deliver my message. + +[_Walking on and looking about_.] + +Ah! here comes the King. + + His subjects are his children; through the day, + Like a fond father, to supply their wants, + Incessantly he labours; wearied now, + The monarch seeks seclusion and repose; + E'en as the prince of elephants defies + The sun's fierce heat, and leads the fainting herd + To verdant pastures, ere his wayworn limbs + He yields to rest beneath the cooling shade. + +[_Approaching_.] + +Victory to the King! So please your Majesty, some hermits who +live in a forest near the Snowy Mountains have arrived here, +bringing certain women with them. They have a message to deliver +from the sage Kanwa and desire an audience. I await your +Majesty's commands. + +KING. [_Respectfully_. + +A message from the sage Kanwa, did you say? + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +Even so, my liege. + +KING. + +Tell my domestic priest Somaráta to receive the hermits with due +honour, according to the prescribed form. He may then himself +introduce them into my presence. I will await them in a place +suitable for the reception of such holy guests. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +Your Majesty's commands shall be obeyed. + + [_Exit_. + +KING. [_Rising and addressing his_ WARDER. + +Vetravatí, lead the way to the chamber of the consecrated +fire[77]. + +WARDER. + +This way, Sire. + +KING. + +[_Walking on, with the air of one oppressed by the cares of +Government_. + +People are generally contented and happy when they have gained +their desires; but kings have no sooner attained the object of +their aspirations than all their troubles begin. + + 'Tis a fond thought that to attain the end + And object of ambition is to rest; + Success doth only mitigate the fever + Of anxious expectation; soon the fear + Of losing what we have, the constant care + Of guarding it, doth weary. Ceaseless toil + Must be the lot of him who with his hands + Supports the canopy that shields his subjects. + +TWO HERALDS[78]. [_Behind the scenes_. + +May the King be victorious! + +FIRST HERALD. + + Honour to him who labours day by day + For the world's weal, forgetful of his own; + Like some tall tree that with its stately head + Endures the solar beam, while underneath + It yields refreshing shelter to the weary. + +SECOND HERALD. + + Let but the monarch wield his threatening rod + And e'en the guilty tremble; at his voice + The rebel spirit cowers; his grateful subjects + Acknowledge him their guardian; rich and poor + Hail him a faithful friend--a loving kinsman. + +KING. + +Weary as I was before, this complimentary address has refreshed +me. + + [_Walks on_. + +WARDER. + +Here is the terrace of the hallowed fire-chamber, and yonder +stands the cow that yields the milk for the oblations. The sacred +enclosure has been recently purified, and looks clean and +beautiful. Ascend, Sire. + +KING. [Leans on the shoulders of his attendants and ascends_. + +Vetravatí, what can possibly be the message that the venerable +Kanwa has sent me by these hermits? + + Perchance their sacred rites have been disturbed + By demons, or some evil has befallen + The innocent herds, their favourites, that graze + Within the precincts of the hermitage, + Or haply, through my sins, some withering blight + Has nipped the creeping plants that spread their arms + Around the hallowed grove. Such troubled thoughts + Crowd through my mind, and fill me with misgiving. + +WARDER. + +If you ask my opinion, Sire, I think the hermits merely wish to +take an opportunity of testifying their loyalty, and are +therefore come to offer homage to your majesty. + +_Enter the_ HERMITS _leading_ [S']AKOONTALÁ, _attended by_ GAUTAMÍ; +_and in advance of them, the_ CHAMBERLAIN _and the_ DOMESTIC +PRIEST. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +This way, reverend Sirs, this way. + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA + +O [S']áradwata, + + 'Tis true the monarch lacks no royal grace, + Nor ever swerves from justice; true, his people, + Yea such as in life's humblest walks are found, + Refrain from evil courses; still to me, + A lonely hermit reared in solitude, + This throng appears bewildering, and I seem + To look upon a burning house, whose inmates + Are running to and fro in wild dismay. + +[S']ÁRADWATA. + +It is natural that the first sight of the King's capital should +affect you in this manner; my own sensations are very similar. + + As one just bathed beholds the man polluted; + As one late purified, the yet impure; + As one awake looks on the yet unawakened; + Or as the freeman gazes on the thrall, + So I regard this crowd of pleasure-seekers. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + + [_Feeling a quivering sensation in her right eyelid_ [79]_, and + suspecting a bad omen_. + +Alas! what means this throbbing of my right eyelid? + +GAUTAMÍ. + +Heaven avert the evil omen, my child! May the guardian deities of +thy husband's family convert it into a sign of good fortune! + +[_Walks on_. + +PRIEST. + +[_Pointing to the King_. + +Most reverend Sirs, there stands the protector of the four +classes of the people; the guardian of the four conditions of the +priesthood[80]. He has just left the judgment-seat, and is +waiting for you. Behold him! + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA + +Great Bráhman, we are happy in thinking that the King's power is +exerted for the protection of all classes of his subjects. We +have not come as petitioners--we have the fullest confidence in +the generosity of his nature. + + The loftiest trees bend humbly to the ground + Beneath the teeming burden of their fruit; + High in the vernal sky the pregnant clouds + Suspend their stately course, and, hanging low, + Scatter their sparkling treasures o'er the earth; + And such is true benevolence; the good + Are never rendered arrogant by riches. + + WARDER. + +So please your Majesty, I judge from the placid countenance of +the hermits that they have no alarming message to deliver. + +KING. [_Looking at [S']AKOONTALÁ_. + +But the lady there-- + + Who can she be, whose form of matchless grace + Is half concealed beneath her flowing veil? + Among the sombre hermits she appears + Like a fresh bud 'mid sear and yellow leaves. + +WARDER. + +So please your Majesty, my curiosity is also roused, but no +conjecture occurs to my mind. This at least is certain, that she +deserves to be looked at more closely. + +KING. + +True; but it is not right to gaze at another man's wife[120]. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Placing her hand on her bosom. Aside_. + +O my heart, why this throbbing? Remember thy lord's affection, +and take courage. + +PRIEST. [_Advancing_. + +These holy men have been received with all due honour. One of +them has now a message to deliver from his spiritual superior. +Will your Majesty deign to hear it? + +KING. + +I am all attention. + +HERMITS. [_Extending their hands_. + +Victory to the King! + +KING. + +Accept my respectful greeting. + +HERMITS. + +May the desires of your soul be accomplished! + +KING. + +I trust no one is molesting you in the prosecution of your +religious rites. + +HERMITS. + + Who dares disturb our penitential rites + When thou art our protector? Can the night + Prevail to cast her shadows o'er the earth + While the sun's beams irradiate the sky? + +KING. + +Such, indeed, is the very meaning of my title--'Defender of the +Just.' I trust the venerable Kanwa is in good health. The world +is interested in his well-being. + +HERMITS. + +Holy men have health and prosperity in their own power. He bade +us greet your Majesty, and, after kind inquiries, deliver this +message. + +KING. + +Let me hear his commands. + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA. + +He bade us say that he feels happy in giving his sanction to the +marriage which your Majesty contracted with this lady, his +daughter, privately and by mutual agreement. Because, + + By us thou art esteemed the most illustrious + Of noble husbands; and [S']akoontalá, + Virtue herself in human form revealed. + Great Brahmá hath in equal yoke united + A bride unto a husband worthy of her; + Henceforth let none make blasphemous complaint + That he is pleased with ill-assorted unions[81]. + +Since, therefore, she expects soon to be the mother of thy child, +receive her into thy palace, that she may perform, in conjunction +with thee, the ceremonies prescribed by religion on such an +occasion. + +GAUTAMÍ. + +So please your Majesty, I would add a few words; but why should +I intrude my sentiments when an opportunity of speaking my mind +has never been allowed me? + + She took no counsel with her kindred; thou + Didst not confer with thine, but all alone + Didst solemnize thy nuptials with thy wife. + Together, then, hold converse; let us leave you. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ [_Aside_. + +Ah! how I tremble for my lord's reply. + +KING. + +What strange proposal is this? + +[S']AKOONTALÁ [_Aside_. + +His words are like fire to me. + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA + +What do I hear? Dost thou, then, hesitate? Monarch, thou art well +acquainted with the ways of the world, and knowest that + + A wife, however virtuous and discreet, + If she live separate from her wedded lord, + Though under shelter of her parent's roof, + Is marked for vile suspicion. Let her dwell + Beside her husband, though he hold her not + In his affection. So her kinsmen will it. + +KING. + +Do you really mean to assert that I ever married +this lady? + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Despondingly. Aside_. + +O my heart, thy worst misgivings are confirmed. + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA. + +Is it becoming in a monarch to depart from the rules of justice, +because he repents of his engagements? + +KING. + +I cannot answer a question which is based on a mere fabrication. + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA. + +Such inconstancy is fortunately not common, except in men +intoxicated by power. + +KING. + +Is that remark aimed at me? + +GAUTAMÍ. + +Be not ashamed, my daughter. Let me remove thy veil for a little +space. Thy husband will then recognize thee. + + [_Removes her veil_. + +KING. + + [_Gazing at_ [S']AKOONTALÁ. _Aside_. + + What charms are here revealed before mine eyes! + Truly no blemish mars the symmetry + Of that fair form; yet can I ne'er believe + She is my wedded wife; and like a bee + That circles round the flower whose nectared cup + Teems with the dew of morning, I must pause + Ere eagerly I taste the proffered sweetness. + + [_Remains wrapped in thought_. + +WARDER. + +How admirably does our royal master's behaviour prove his regard +for justice! Who else would hesitate for a moment when good +fortune offered for his acceptance a form of such rare beauty? + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA. + +Great King, why art thou silent? + +KING. + +Holy men, I have revolved the matter in my mind; but the more I +think of it, the less able am I to recollect that I ever +contracted an alliance with this lady. What answer, then, can I +possibly give you when I do not believe myself to be her husband, +and I plainly see that she is soon to become a mother? + +[S']AKOONTALÁ + +[_Aside_. + +Woe! woe! Is our very marriage to be called in question by my own +husband? Ah me! is this to be the end of all my bright visions of +wedded happiness? + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA. + +Beware! + + Beware how thou insult the holy Sage! + Remember how he generously allowed + Thy secret union with his foster-child; + And how, when thou didst rob him of his treasure, + He sought to furnish thee excuse, when rather + He should have cursed thee for a ravisher. + +[S']ÁRADWATA. + +[S']árngarava, speak to him no more. [S']akoontalá, +our part is performed; we have said all we have to +say, and the King has replied in the manner thou +hast heard. It is now thy turn to give him convincing +evidence of thy marriage. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Aside_. + +Since his feeling towards me has undergone a complete revolution, +what will it avail to revive old recollections? One thing is +clear--I shall soon have to mourn my own widowhood. + +[_Aloud_.] + +My revered husband-- + +[_Stops short_.] + +But no--I dare not address thee by this title, since thou hast +refused to acknowledge our union. Noble descendant of Puru! It is +not worthy of thee to betray an innocent-minded girl, and disown +her in such terms, after having so lately and so solemnly +plighted thy vows to her in the hermitage. + +KING. + +[_Stopping his ears_. + +I will hear no more. Be such a crime far from my thoughts! + + What evil spirit can possess thee, lady, + That thou dost seek to sully my good name + By base aspersions, like a swollen torrent, + That, leaping from its narrow bed, o'erthrows + The tree upon its bank, and strives to blend + Its turbid waters with the crystal stream? + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +If, then, thou really believest me to be the wife of another, and +thy present conduct proceeds from some cloud that obscures thy +recollection, I will easily convince thee by this token. + +KING. + +An excellent idea! + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +[_Feeling for the ring_. + +Alas! alas! woe is me! There is no ring on my finger! + + [_Looks with anguish at_ GAUTAMÍ. + +GAUTAMÍ. + +The ring must have slipped off when thou wast in the act of +offering homage to the holy water of [S']achí's sacred pool, near +Sakrávatára[82]. + +KING. [_Smiling_. + +People may well talk of the readiness of woman's invention! Here +is an instance of it. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Say, rather, of the omnipotence of fate. I will mention another +circumstance, which may yet convince thee. + +KING. + +By all means let me hear it at once. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +One day, while we were seated in a jasmine-bower, thou didst pour +into the hollow of thine hand some water, sprinkled by a recent +shower in the cup of a lotus-blossom-- + +KING. + +I am listening; proceed. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +At that instant, my adopted child, the little fawn, with soft, +long eyes, came running towards us. Upon which, before tasting +the water thyself, thou didst kindly offer some to the little +creature, saying fondly:--'Drink first, gentle fawn.' But she +could not be induced to drink from the hand of a stranger; though +immediately afterwards, when I took the water in my own hand, +she drank with perfect confidence. Then, with a smile, thou didst +say;--'Every creature confides naturally in its own kind. You are +both inhabitants of the same forest, and have learnt to trust +each other.' + +KING. + +Voluptuaries may allow themselves to be seduced from the path of +duty by falsehoods such as these, expressed in honeyed words. + +GAUTAMÍ. + +Speak not thus, illustrious Prince. This lady was brought up in a +hermitage, and has never learnt deceit. + +KING. + +Holy matron, + + E'en in untutored brutes, the female sex + Is marked by inborn subtlety--much more + In beings gifted with intelligence. + The wily Koïl[83], ere towards the sky + She wings her sportive flight, commits her eggs + To other nests, and artfully consigns + The rearing of her little ones to strangers. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Angrily_. + +Dishonourable man, thou judgest of others by thine own evil +heart. Thou, at least, art unrivalled in perfidy, and standest +alone--a base deceiver in the garb of virtue and religion--like a +deep pit whose yawning mouth is concealed by smiling flowers. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +Her anger, at any rate, appears genuine, and makes me almost +doubt whether I am in the right. For indeed, + + When I had vainly searched my memory, + And so with stern severity denied + The fabled story of our secret loves, + Her brows, that met before in graceful curves, + Like the arched weapon of the god of love, + Seemed by her frown dissevered; while the fire + Of sudden anger kindled in her eyes. + +[_Aloud_.] + +My good lady, Dushyanta's character is well known to all. I +comprehend not your meaning. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Well do I deserve to be thought a harlot for having in the +innocence of my heart, and out of the confidence I reposed in a +Prince of Puru's race, entrusted my honour to a man whose mouth +distils honey, while his heart is full of poison. + + [_Covers her face with her mantle, and bursts into tears_. + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA. + +Thus it is that burning remorse must ever follow rash actions +which might have been avoided, and for which one has only one's +self to blame. + + Not hastily should marriage be contracted, + And specially in secret. Many a time, + In hearts that know not each the other's fancies, + Fond love is changed into most bitter hate. + +KING. + +How now! Do you give credence to this woman rather than to me, +that you heap such accusations on me? + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA. [_Sarcastically_. + +That would be too absurd, certainly. You have heard the +proverb:-- + + Hold in contempt the innocent words of those + Who from their infancy have known no guile; + But trust the treacherous counsels of the man + Who makes a very science of deceit. + +KING. + +Most veracious Bráhman, grant that you are in the right, what end +would be gained by betraying this lady? + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA. + +Ruin. + +KING. + +No one will believe that a Prince of Puru's race would seek to +ruin others or himself. + +[S']ÁRADWATA. + +This altercation is idle, [S']árngarava. We have executed the +commission of our preceptor; come, let us return. + + [_To the_ KING. + + [S']akoontalá is certainly thy bride; + Receive her or reject her, she is thine. + Do with her, King, according to thy pleasure-- + The husband o'er the wife is absolute. + +Go on before us, Gautamí. + + [_They move away_. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +What! is it not enough to have been betrayed by this perfidious +man? Must you also forsake me, regardless of my tears and +lamentations? + + [_Attempts to follow them_. + +GAUTAMÍ. [_Stopping_. + +My son [S']árngarava, see! [S']akoontalá is following us, and with +tears implores us not to leave her. Alas! poor child, what will +she do here with a cruel husband who casts her from him? + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA. + + [_Turning angrily towards her_. + +Wilful woman, dost thou seek to be independent of thy lord? + + [[S']AKOONTALÁ _trembles with fear_. + +[S']akoontalá! + + If thou art really what the King proclaims thee, + How can thy father e'er receive thee back + Into his house and home? but if thy conscience + Be witness to thy purity of soul, + E'en should thy husband to a handmaid's lot + Condemn thee, thou may'st cheerfully endure it. + When ranked among the number of his household. + +Thy duty therefore is to stay. As for us, we must return +immediately. + +KING. + +Deceive not this lady, my good hermit, by any such expectations. + + The moon expands the lotus of the night, + The rising sun awakes the lily; each + Is with his own contented. Even so + The virtuous man is master of his passions, + And from another's wife averts his gaze[120]. + +[S']ÁRNGARAVA. + +Since thy union with another woman has rendered thee oblivious of +thy marriage with [S']akoontalá, whence this fear of losing thy +character for constancy and virtue? + +KING. [_To his domestic_ PRIEST. + +You must counsel me, revered Sir, as to my course of action. +Which of the two evils involves the greater or less sin? + + Whether by some dark veil my mind be clouded. + Or this designing woman speak untruly, + I know not. Tell me, must I rather be + The base disowner of my wedded wife, + Or the defiling and defiled adulterer? + +PRIEST. [_After deliberation_. + +You must take an intermediate course. + +KING. + +What course, revered Sir? Tell me at once. + +PRIEST. + +I will provide an asylum for the lady in my own house until the +birth of her child; and my reason, if you ask me, is this: +Soothsayers have predicted that your first-born will have +universal dominion. Now, if the hermit's daughter bring forth a +son with the discus or mark of empire in the lines of his +hand[84], you must admit her immediately into your royal +apartments with great rejoicings; if not, then determine to send +her back as soon as possible to her father. + +KING. I bow to the decision of my spiritual advisor. + +PRIEST. + +Daughter, follow me. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +O divine earth, open and receive me into thy bosom! + +[_Exit_ [S']AKOONTALÁ _weeping, with the_ PRIEST _and the_ HERMITS. +_The_ KING _remains absorbed in thinking of her, though the curse +still clouds his recollection_. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +A miracle! a miracle! + +KING. + + [_Listening_. + +What has happened now? + +PRIEST. [_Entering with an air of astonishment_. + +Great Prince, a stupendous prodigy has just occurred. + +KING. + +What is it? + +PRIEST. + +May it please your Majesty, so soon as Kanwa's pupils had +departed, [S']akoontalá, her eyes all bathed in tears, with +outstretched arms, bewailed her cruel fate-- + +KING. + +Well, well, what happened then? + +PRIEST. + + When suddenly a shining apparition, + In female shape, descended from the skies, + Near the nymph's pool, and bore her up to heaven. + +[_All remain motionless with astonishment_. + +KING. + +My good priest, from the very first I declined having anything to +do with this matter. It is now all over, and we can never, by our +conjectures, unravel the mystery; let it rest; go, seek repose. + +PRIEST. + + [_Looking at the_ KING. + +Be it so. Victory to the King! + + [_Exit_. + +KING. + +Vetravatí, I am tired out; lead the way to the bedchamber. + +WARDER. + +This way, Sire. + + [_They move away_. + +KING. + + Do what I will, I cannot call to mind + That I did e'er espouse the sage's daughter; + Therefore I have disowned her; yet 'tis strange + How painfully my agitated heart + Bears witness to the truth of her assertion, + And makes me credit her against my judgment. + + [_Exeunt_. + + * * * * * + + + + +PRELUDE TO ACT VI. + +SCENE.--_A Street_. + +_Enter the King's brother-in-law as_ SUPERINTENDENT _of the city +police; and with him_ TWO CONSTABLES, _dragging a poor_ +FISHERMAN, _who has his hands tied behind his back_. + +BOTH THE CONSTABLES. [_Striking the prisoner_. + +Take that for a rascally thief that you are; and now tell us, sirrah, +where you found this ring--aye, the King's own signet-ring. See, here +is the royal name engraved on the setting of the jewel. + +FISHERMAN. [_With a gesture of alarm_. + +Mercy! kind sirs, mercy! I did not steal it; indeed I did not. + +FIRST CONSTABLE. + +Oh! then I suppose the King took you for some fine Bráhman, and +made you a present of it? + +FISHERMAN. + +Only hear me. I am but a poor fisherman, living at Sakrávatára-- + +SECOND CONSTABLE. + +Scoundrel, who ever asked you, pray, for a history of your birth +and parentage? + +SUPERINTENDENT. [_To one of the_ CONSTABLES. + +Súchaka, let the fellow tell his own story from the beginning. +Don't interrupt him. + +BOTH CONSTABLES. + +As you please, master. Go on, then, sirrah, and say what you've +got to say. + +FISHERMAN. + +You see in me a poor man, who supports his family by catching +fish with nets, hooks, and the like. + +SUPERINTENDENT. [_Laughing_. + +A most refined occupation, certainly[85]! + +FISHERMAN. + +Blame me not for it, master, + + The father's occupation, though despised + By others, casts no shame upon the son, + And he should not forsake it[86]. Is the priest + Who kills the animal for sacrifice + Therefore deemed cruel? Sure a low-born man + May, though a fisherman, be tender-hearted. + +SUPERINTENDENT. + +Well, well; go on with your story. + +FISHERMAN. + +One day I was cutting open a large carp[87] I had just hooked, +when the sparkle of a jewel caught my eye, and what should I find +in the fish's maw but that ring! Soon afterwards, when I was +offering it for sale, I was seized by your honours. Now you know +everything. Whether you kill me, or whether you let me go, this +is the true account of how the ring came into my possession. + +SUPERINTENDENT. [_To one of the_ CONSTABLES. + +Well, Jánuka, the rascal emits such a fishy odour that I have no +doubt of his being a fisherman; but we must inquire a little more +closely into this queer story about the finding of the ring. +Come, we'll take him before the King's household. + +BOTH CONSTABLES. + +Very good, master. Get on with you, you cutpurse. + + [_All move on_. + +SUPERINTENDENT. + +Now attend, Súchaka; keep your guard here at the gate; and hark +ye, sirrahs, take good care your prisoner does not escape, while +I go in and lay the whole story of the discovery of this ring +before the King in person. I will soon return and let you know +his commands. + +BOTH CONSTABLES. + +Go in, master, by all means; and may you find favour in the +King's sight. + +[_Exit_ SUPERINTENDENT. FIRST CONSTABLE. + + [_After an interval_. + +I say, Jánuka, the Superintendent is a long time away. + +SECOND CONSTABLE. + +Aye, aye; kings are not to be got at so easily. Folks must bide +the proper opportunity. + +FIRST CONSTABLE. + +Jánuka, my fingers itch to strike the first blow at this royal +victim here. We must kill him with all the honours, you know. I +long to begin binding the flowers round his head[88]. + + [_Pretends to strike a blow at the_ FISHERMAN. + +FISHERMAN. + +Your Honour surely will not put an innocent man to a cruel death. + +SECOND CONSTABLE. + +There's our Superintendent at last, I declare. See! he is coming +towards us with a paper in his hand. We shall soon know the +King's command; so prepare, my fine fellow, either to become food +for the vultures, or to make acquaintance with some hungry cur. + +SUPERINTENDENT. + + [_Entering_. + +Ho, there, Súchaka! set the fisherman at liberty, I tell you. His +story about the ring is all correct. SÚCHAKA. + +Oh! very good, Sir; as you please. + +SECOND CONSTABLE. + +The fellow had one foot in hell, and now here he is in the land +of the living. + + [_Releases him_. + +FISHERMAN. + + [_Bowing to the_ SUPERINTENDENT. + +Now, master, what think you of my way of getting a livelihood? + +SUPERINTENDENT. + +Here, my good man, the King desired me to present you with this +purse. It contains a sum of money equal to the full value of the +ring. + + [_Gives him the money_. + +FISHERMAN. + + [_Taking it and bowing_. + +His Majesty does me too great honour. + +SÚCHAKA. + +You may well say so. He might as well have taken you from the +gallows to seat you on his state elephant. + +JÁNUKA. + +Master, the King must value the ring very highly, or he would +never have sent such a sum of money to this ragamuffin. + +SUPERINTENDENT. + +I don't think he prizes it as a costly jewel so much as a +memorial of some person he tenderly loves. The moment it was +shown to him he became much agitated, though in general he +conceals his feelings. SÚCHAKA. + +Then you must have done a great service-- + +JÁNUKA. + +Yes, to this husband of a fish-wife. + + [_Looks enviously at the_ FISHERMAN. + +FISHERMAN. + +Here's half the money for you, my masters. It will serve to +purchase the flowers you spoke of, if not to buy me your +good-will. + +JÁNUKA. + +Well, now, that's just as it should be. + +SUPERINTENDENT. + +My good fisherman, you are an excellent fellow, and I begin to +feel quite a regard for you. Let us seal our first friendship +over a glass of good liquor. Come along to the next wine-shop, +and we'll drink your health. + +ALL. + +By all means. + + [_Exeunt_. + + * * * * * + + + + +ACT VI. + +SCENE.--_The Garden of a Palace. + +The nymph_ SÁNUMATÍ _is seen descending in a celestial car_. + +SÁNUMATÍ. + +Behold me just arrived from attending in my proper turn at the +nymph's pool, where I have left the other nymphs to perform their +ablutions, whilst I seek to ascertain, with my own eyes, how it +fares with King Dushyanta. My connexion with the nymph Menaká has +made her daughter [S']akoontalá dearer to me than my own flesh and +blood; and Menaká it was who charged me with this errand on her +daughter's behalf. + +[_Looking round in all directions_.] + +How is it that I see no preparations in the King's household for +celebrating the great vernal festival[89]? I could easily +discover the reason by my divine faculty of meditation[134]; but +respect must be shown to the wishes of my friend. How then shall +I arrive at the truth? I know what I will do. I will become +invisible, and place myself near those two maidens who are +tending the plants in the garden. + + [_Descends and takes her station_. + +_Enter a_ MAIDEN, _who stops in front of a mango-tree, and gazes +at the blossom. Another_ MAIDEN _is seen behind her_. + +FIRST MAIDEN. + +Hail to thee, lovely harbinger of spring! The varied radiance of +thy opening flowers Is welcome to my sight. I bid thee hail, +Sweet mango, soul of this enchanting season. + +SECOND MAIDEN. + +Parabhritiká, what are you saying there to yourself? + +FIRST MAIDEN. + +Dear Madhukariká, am I not named after the Koïl[90]? and does not +the Koïl sing for joy at the first appearance of the mango-blossom? + +SECOND MAIDEN. [_Approaching hastily, with transport_. + +What! is spring really come? + +FIRST MAIDEN. + +Yes, indeed, Madhukariká, and with it the season of joy, love, +and song. + +SECOND MAIDEN. + +Let me lean upon you, dear, while I stead on tiptoe and pluck a +blossom, of the mango, that I may present it as an offering to +the god of love. + +FIRST MAIDEN. + +Provided you let me have half the reward which the god will +bestow in return. + +SECOND MAIDEN. + +To be sure you shall, and that without asking. Are we not one in +heart and soul, though divided in body? + +[_Leans on her friend and plucks a mango-blossom_.] + +Ah! here is a bud just bursting into flower. It diffuses a +delicious perfume, though not yet quite expanded. + +[_Joining her hands reverentially_.] + + God of the bow, who with spring's choicest flowers + Dost point thy five unerring shafts[91]; to thee + I dedicate this blossom; let it serve + To barb thy truest arrow; be its mark + Some youthful heart that pines to be beloved. + + [_Throws down a mango-blossom_. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + + [_Entering in a hurried manner, angrily_. + +Hold there, thoughtless woman. What are you about, breaking off +those mango-blossoms, when the King has forbidden the celebration +of the spring festival? + +BOTH MAIDENS. [_Alarmed_. + +Pardon us, kind Sir, we have heard nothing of it. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +You have heard nothing of it? Why, all the vernal plants and +shrubs, and the very birds that lodge in their branches, show +more respect to the King's order than you do. + + Yon mango-blossoms, though long since expanded, + Gather no down upon their tender crests; + The flower still lingers in the amaranth[92], + Imprisoned in its bud; the tuneful Koïl, + Though winter's chilly dews be overpast, + Suspends the liquid volume of his song + Scarce uttered in his throat; e'en Love, dismayed, + Restores the half-drawn arrow to his quiver. + +BOTH MAIDENS. + +The mighty power of King Dushyanta is not to be disputed. + +FIRST MAIDEN. + +It is but a few days since Mitrávasu, the King's brother-in-law, +sent us to wait upon his Majesty; and, during the whole of our +sojourn here, we have been entrusted with the charge of the royal +pleasure-grounds. We are therefore strangers in this place, and +heard nothing of the order till you informed us of it. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +Well then, now you know it, take care you don't continue your +preparations. + +BOTH MAIDENS. + +But tell us, kind Sir, why has the King prohibited the usual +festivities? We are curious to hear, if we may. + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +Men are naturally fond of festive entertainments. There must be +some good reason for the prohibition. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +The whole affair is now public; why should I not speak of it? +Has not the gossip about the King's rejection of [S']akoontalá +reached your ears yet? + +BOTH MAIDENS. + +Oh yes, we heard the story from the King's brother-in-law, as +far, at least, as the discovery of the ring. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +Then there is little more to tell you. As soon as the King's +memory was restored by the sight of his own ring, he exclaimed: +'Yes, it is all true. I remember now my secret marriage with +[S']akoontalá. When I repudiated her, I had lost my recollection!' +Ever since that moment, he has yielded himself a prey to the +bitterest remorse. + + He loathes his former pleasures; he rejects + The daily homage of his ministers; + On his lone couch he tosses to and fro, + Courting repose in vain. Whene'er he meets + The ladies of his palace, and would fain + Address them with politeness, he confounds + Their names; or, calling them '[S']akoontalá,' + Is straightway silent and abashed with shame. + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +To me this account is delightful. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +In short, the King is so completely out of his mind that the +festival has been prohibited. + +BOTH MAIDENS. + +Perfectly right. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +The King! the King! This way, Sire, this way. + +CHAMBERLAIN. [_Listening_. + +Oh! here comes his Majesty in this direction. Pass on, maidens; +attend to your duties. + +BOTH MAIDENS. + +We will, sir. + + [_Exeunt_. + +_Enter King_ DUSHYANTA, _dressed in deep mourning, attended his +Jester_, MÁ[T.]HAVYA, _and preceded by_ VETRAVATÍ. + +CHAMBERLAIN. [_Gazing at the_ KING. + +Well, noble forms are certainly pleasing, under all varieties of +outward circumstances. The King's person is as charming as ever, +notwithstanding his sorrow of mind. + + Though but a single golden bracelet spans + His wasted arm; though costly ornaments + Have given place to penitential weeds; + Though oft-repeated sighs have blanched his lips, + And robbed them of their bloom; though sleepless care + And carking thought have dimmed his beaming eye; + Yet does his form, by its inherent lustre, + Dazzle the gaze; and, like a priceless gem + Committed to some cunning polisher, + Grow more effulgent by the loss of substance. + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside. Looking at the_ KING. + +Now that I have seen him, I can well understand why [S']akoontalá +should pine after such a man, in spite of his disdainful +rejection of her. + +KING. [_Walking slowly up and down in deep thought_. + + When fatal lethargy o'erwhelmed my soul, + My loved one strove to rouse me, but in vain; + And now, when I would fain in slumber deep + Forget myself, full soon remorse doth wake me. + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +My poor [S']akoontalá's sufferings are very similar. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. [_Aside_. + +He is taken with another attack of this odious [S']akoontalá-fever. +How shall we ever cure him? + +CHAMBERLAIN. [_Approaching_. + +Victory to the King! Great Prince, the royal pleasure-grounds +have been put in order. Your Majesty can resort to them for +exercise and amusement whenever you think proper. + +KING. + +Vetravatí, tell the worthy Pi[S']una, my prime minister, from me, +that I am so exhausted by want of sleep that I cannot sit on the +judgment-seat to-day. If any case of importance be brought before +the tribunal, he must give it his best attention, and inform me +of the circumstances by letter. + +VETRAVATÍ. + +Your Majesty's commands shall be obeyed. + + [_Exit_. + +KING. [_To the CHAMBERLAIN_. + +And you, Vátáyana, may go about your own affairs. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +I will, Sire. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Now that you have rid yourself of these troublesome fellows, you +can enjoy the delightful coolness of your pleasure-grounds +without interruption. + +KING. + +Ah! my dear friend, there is an old adage:--'When affliction has +a mind to enter, she will find a crevice somewhere;' and it is +verified in me. + + Scarce is my soul delivered from the cloud + That darkened its remembrance of the past, + When lo! the heart-born deity of love + With yonder blossom of the mango barbs + His keenest shaft, and aims it at my breast. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Well, then, wait a moment; I will soon demolish Master Káma's[47] +arrow with a cut of my cane. + + [_Raises his stick and strikes off the mango-blossom_. + +KING. [_Smiling_. + +That will do. I see very well the god of love is not a match for +a Bráhman. And now, my dear friend, where shall I sit down, that +I may enchant my sight by gazing on the twining plants, which +seem to remind me of the graceful shape of my beloved? + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Don't you remember? you told your personal attendant, Chaturiká, +that you would pass the heat of the day in the jasmine-bower; and +commanded her to bring the likeness of your queen [S']akoontalá, +sketched with your own hand. + +KING. + +True. The sight of her picture will refresh my soul. Lead the way +to the arbour. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +This way, Sire. + + [_Both move on, followed by_ SÁNUMATÍ. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Here we are at the jasmine-bower. Look, it has a marble seat, and +seems to bid us welcome with its offerings of delicious flowers. +You have only to enter and sit down. + + [_Both enter and seat themselves_. + +SÁNUMATÍ + +[_Aside_. + +I will lean against these young jasmines. I can easily, from +behind them, glance at my friend's picture, and will then hasten +to inform her of her husband's ardent affection. + + [_Stands leaning against the creepers_. + +KING. + +Oh! my dear friend, how vividly all the circumstances of my union +with [S']akoontalá present themselves to my recollection at this +moment! But tell me now how it was that, between the time of my +leaving her in the hermitage and my subsequent rejection of her, +you never breathed her name to me? True, you were not by my side +when I disowned her; but I had confided to you the story of my +love, and you were acquainted with every particular. Did it pass +out of your mind as it did out of mine? + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +No, no; trust me for that. But, if you remember, when you had +finished telling me about it, you added that I was not to take +the story in earnest, for that you were not really in love with a +country girl, but were only jesting; and I was dull and +thick-headed enough to believe you. But so fate decreed, and +there is no help for it. + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +Exactly. + +KING. [_After deep thought_. + +My dear friend, suggest some relief for my misery. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Come, come, cheer up; why do you give way? Such weakness is +unworthy of you. Great men never surrender themselves to +uncontrolled grief. Do not mountains remain unshaken even in a +gale of wind? + +KING. + +How can I be otherwise than inconsolable, when I call to mind the +agonized demeanour of the dear one on the occasion of my +disowning her? + + When cruelly I spurned her from my presence, + She fain had left me; but the young recluse, + Stern as the Sage, and with authority + As from his saintly master, in a voice + That brooked not contradiction, bade her stay. + Then through her pleading eyes, bedimmed with tears, + She cast on me one long reproachful look, + Which like a poisoned shaft torments me still. + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +Alas! such is the force of self-reproach following a rash +action. But his anguish only rejoices me. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA + +An idea has just struck me. I should not wonder if some celestial +being had carried her off to heaven. + +KING. + +Very likely. Who else would have dared to lay a finger on a wife, +the idol of her husband? It is said that Menaká, the nymph of +heaven, gave her birth. The suspicion has certainly crossed my +mind that some of her celestial companions may have taken her to +their own abode. + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +His present recollection of every circumstance of her history +does not surprise me so much as his former forgetfulness. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +If that's the case, you will be certain to meet her before long. + +KING. + +Why? + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +No father and mother can endure to see a daughter suffering the +pain of separation from her husband. + +KING. Oh! my dear Má[T.]Havya, + + Was it a dream? or did some magic dire, + Dulling my senses with a strange delusion, + O'ercome my spirit? or did destiny, + Jealous of my good actions, mar their fruit, + And rob me of their guerdon? It is past, + Whate'er the spell that bound me. Once again + Am I awake, but only to behold + The precipice o'er which my hopes have fallen. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Do not despair in this manner. Is not this very ring a proof that +what has been lost may be unexpectedly found? + +KING. [_Gazing at the ring_. + +Ah! this ring, too, has fallen from a station not easily +regained, and I offer it my sympathy. O gem, + + The punishment we suffer is deserved, + And equal is the merit of our works, + When such our common doom. Thou didst enjoy + The thrilling contact of those slender fingers, + Bright as the dawn; and now how changed thy lot! + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +Had it found its way to the hand of any other person, then indeed +its fate would have been deplorable. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Pray, how did the ring ever come upon her hand at all? + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +I myself am curious to know. + +KING. + +You shall hear. When I was leaving my beloved [S']akoontalá that I +might return to my own capital, she said to me, with tears in her +eyes: 'How long will it be ere my lord send for me to his palace +and make me his queen?' + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Well, what was your reply? + +KING. + +Then I placed the ring on her finger, and thus addressed her:-- + +Repeat each day one letter of the name Engraven on this gem; ere +thou hast reckoned The tale of syllables, my minister Shall come +to lead thee to thy husband's palace. + +But, hard-hearted man that I was, I forgot to fulfil my promise, +owing to the infatuation that took possession of me. + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +A pleasant arrangement! Fate, however, ordained that the +appointment should not be kept. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +But how did the ring contrive to pass into the stomach of that +carp which the fisherman caught and was cutting up? + +KING. + +It must have slipped from my [S']akoontalá's hand, and fallen into +the stream of the Ganges, while she was offering homage to the +water of [S']achí's holy pool. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Very likely. + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +Hence it happened, I suppose, that the King, always fearful of +committing the least injustice, came to doubt his marriage with +my poor [S']akoontalá. But why should affection so strong as his +stand in need of any token of recognition? + +KING. + +Let me now address a few words of reproof to this ring. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. [_Aside_. + +He is going stark mad, I verily believe. + +KING. + + Hear me, then dull and undiscerning bauble! + For so it argues thee, that thou could'st leave + The slender fingers of her hand, to sink + Beneath the waters. Yet what marvel is it + That thou should'st lack discernment? let me rather + Heap curses on myself, who, though endowed + With reason, yet rejected her I loved. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. [_Aside_. + +And so, I suppose, I must stand here to be devoured by hunger, +whilst he goes on in this sentimental strain. + +KING. + +O forsaken one, unjustly banished from my presence, take pity on +thy slave, whose heart is consumed by the fire of remorse, and +return to my sight. + +_Enter_ CHATURIKÁ _hurriedly, with a picture in her hand_. + +CHATURIKÁ. + +Here is the Queen's portrait. + + [_Shows the picture_. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Excellent, my dear friend, excellent! The imitation of nature is +perfect, and the attitude of the figures is really charming. They +stand out in such bold relief that the eye is quite deceived. + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +A most artistic performance! I admire the King's skill, and could +almost believe that [S']akoontalá herself was before me. + +KING. + + I own 'tis not amiss, though it portrays + But feebly her angelic loveliness. + Aught less than perfect is depicted falsely, + And fancy must supply the imperfection. + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +A very just remark from a modest man, whose affection is +exaggerated by the keenness of his remorse. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Tell me:--I see three female figures drawn on the canvas, and all +of them beautiful; which of the three is her Majesty [S']akoontalá? + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +If he cannot distinguish her from the others, the simpleton might +as well have no eyes in his head. + +KING. + +Which should you imagine to be intended for her? + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +She who is leaning, apparently a little tired, against the stem +of that mango-tree, the tender leaves of which glitter with the +water she has poured upon them. Her arms are gracefully extended; +her face is somewhat flushed with the heat; and a few flowers +have escaped from her hair, which has become unfastened, and hangs +in loose tresses about her neck. That must be the queen +[S']akoontalá, and the others, I presume, are her two attendants. + +KING. + +I congratulate you on your discernment. Behold the proof of my +passion; + + My finger, burning with the glow of love[93], + Has left its impress on the painted tablet; + While here and there, alas! a scalding tear + Has fallen on the cheek and dimmed its brightness. + +Chaturiká, the garden in the background of the picture is only +half-painted. Go, fetch the brush that I may finish it. + +CHATURIKÁ. + +Worthy Má[t.]havya, have the kindness to hold the picture until I +return. + +KING. + +Nay, I will hold it myself. + + [_Takes the picture_. + + [_Exit_ CHATURIKÁ. + + My loved one came but lately to my presence + And offered me herself, but in my folly + I spurned the gift, and now I fondly cling + To her mere image; even as a madman + Would pass the waters of the gushing stream, + And thirst for airy vapours of the desert[94]. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. [_Aside_. + +He has been fool enough to forego the reality for the semblance, +the substance for the shadow. + +[_Aloud_.] + +Tell us, I pray, what else remains to be painted. + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +He longs, no doubt, to delineate some favourite spot where my +[S']akoontalá delighted to ramble. + +KING. + +You shall hear:-- + + I wish to see the Máliní portrayed, + Its tranquil course by banks of sand impeded; + Upon the brink a pair of swans; beyond, + The hills adjacent to Himálaya[95], + Studded with deer; and, near the spreading shade + Of some large tree, where 'mid the branches hang + The hermits' vests of bark, a tender doe, + Rubbing its downy forehead on the horn + Of a black antelope, should be depicted. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + + [_Aside_. + +Pooh! if I were he, I would fill up the vacant +spaces with a lot of grizzly-bearded old hermits. + +KING. + +My dear Má[T.]Havya, there is still a part of [S']akoontalá's +dress which I purposed to draw, but find I have +omitted. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +What is that? + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +Something suitable, I suppose, to the simple attire of a young +and beautiful girl dwelling in a forest. + +KING. + + A sweet [S']irísha blossom should be twined + Behind her ear[7], its perfumed crest depending + Towards her cheek; and, resting on her bosom, + A lotus-fibre necklace, soft and bright + As an autumnal moonbeam, should be traced. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Pray, why does the Queen cover her lips with the tips of her +fingers, bright as the blossom of a lily, as if she were afraid +of something? [_Looking more closely_.] Oh! I see; a vagabond +bee, intent on thieving honey from the flowers, has mistaken her +mouth for a rosebud, and is trying to settle upon it. + +KING. + +A bee! drive off the impudent insect, will you? + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +That's your business. Your royal prerogative gives you power over +all offenders. + +KING. + +Very true. Listen to me, thou favourite guest of flowering plants; +why give thyself the trouble of hovering here? + + See where thy partner sits on yonder flower, + And waits for thee ere she will sip its dew. + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +A most polite way of warning him off! + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +You'll find the obstinate creature is not to be sent about his +business so easily as you think. + +KING. + +Dost thou presume to disobey? Now hear me:-- + + An thou but touch the lips of my beloved, + Sweet as the opening blossom, whence I quaffed + In happier days love's nectar, I will place thee + Within the hollow of yon lotus cup, + And there imprison thee for thy presumption. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +He must be bold indeed not to show any fear when you threaten him +with such an awful punishment. [_Smiling, aside_.] He is stark mad, +that's clear; and I believe, by keeping him company, I am beginning +to talk almost as wildly. [_Aloud_.] Look, it is only a painted bee. + +KING. + +Painted? impossible! + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +Even I did not perceive it; how much less should he! + +KING. + +Oh! my dear friend, why were you so ill-natured as to tell me the +truth? + + While all entranced, I gazed upon her picture, + My loved one seemed to live before my eyes + Till every fibre of my being thrilled + With rapturous emotion. Oh! 'twas cruel + To dissipate the day-dream, and transform + The blissful vision to a lifeless image. + + [_Sheds tears_. + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +Separated lovers are very difficult to please; but he seems more +difficult than usual. + +KING. + +Alas! my dear Má[T.]Havya, why am I doomed to be the victim of +perpetual disappointment? + + Vain is the hope of meeting her in dreams, + For slumber night by night forsakes my couch; + And now that I would fain assuage my grief + By gazing on her portrait here before me, + Tears of despairing love obscure my sight. + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +You have made ample amends for the wrong you did [S']akoontalá in +disowning her. + +CHATURIKÁ. [_Entering_. + +Victory to the King! I was coming along with the box of colours +in my hand-- + +KING. + +What now? + +CHATURIKÁ. + +When I met the queen Vasumatí, attended by Taraliká. She insisted +on taking it from me, and declared she would herself deliver it +into your Majesty's hands. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +By what luck did you contrive to escape her? + +CHATURIKÁ. + +While her maid was disengaging her mantle, which had caught in +the branch, of a shrub, I ran away. + +KING. + +Here, my good friend, take the picture and conceal it. My +attentions to the Queen have made her presumptuous. She will be +here in a minute. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +Conceal the picture! conceal myself, you mean. + +[_Getting up and taking the picture_.] + +The Queen has a bitter draught in store for you, which you will +have to swallow, as [S']iva did the poison at the Deluge[96]. When +you are well quit of her, you may send and call me from the +Palace of Clouds[97], where I shall take refuge. + + [_Exit, running_. + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +Although the King's affections are transferred to another object, +yet he respects his previous attachments. I fear his love must be +somewhat fickle. + +VETRAVATÍ. [_Entering with a despatch in her hand_. + +Victory to the King! + +KING. + +Vetravatí, did you observe the queen Vasumatí coming in this +direction? + +VETRAVATÍ. + +I did; but when she saw that I had a despatch in my hand for your +Majesty, she turned back. + +KING. + +The Queen has too much regard for propriety to interrupt me when +I am engaged with State-affairs. + +VETRAVATÍ. + +So please your Majesty, your prime minister begs respectfully to +inform you that he has devoted much time to the settlement of +financial calculations, and only one case of importance has been +submitted by the citizens for his consideration. He has made a +written report of the facts, and requests your Majesty to cast +your eyes over it. + +KING. + +Hand me the paper. + + [_VETRAVATÍ delivers it_. + +[_Reading_. + +What have we here? 'A merchant named Dhanamitra, trading by sea, +was lost in a late shipwreck. Though a wealthy trader, he was +childless; and the whole of his immense property becomes by law +forfeited to the king.' So writes the minister. Alas! alas! for +his childlessness! But surely, if he was wealthy, he must have +had many wives. Let an inquiry be made whether any one of them is +expecting to give birth to a child. + +VETRAVATÍ. + +They say that his wife, the daughter of the foreman of a guild +belonging to Ayodhyá [98], has just completed the ceremonies usual +upon such expectations. + +KING. + +The unborn child has a title to its father's property. Such is my +decree. Go, bid my minister proclaim it so. + +VETRAVATÍ. + +I will, my liege. + + [_Going_. + +KING. + +Stay a moment. + +VETRAVATÍ. + +I am at your Majesty's service. + +KING. + +Let there be no question whether he may or may not have left +offspring; Rather be it proclaimed that whosoe'er Of King +Dushyanta's subjects be bereaved + + Of any loved relation, an it be not + That his estates are forfeited for crimes, + Dushyanta will himself to them supply + That kinsman's place in tenderest affection. + +VETRAVATÍ. + +It shall be so proclaimed. + + [_Exit_ VETRAVATÍ, _and re-enters after an interval_. + +VETRAVATÍ. + +Your Majesty's proclamation was received with acclamations of +joy, like grateful rain at the right season. + +KING. [_Drawing a deep sigh_. + +So, then, the property of rich men, who have no lineal +descendants, passes over to a stranger at their decease. And +such, alas! must be the fate of the fortunes of the race of Puru +at my death; even as when fertile soil is sown with seed at the +wrong season. + +VETRAVATÍ. + +Heaven forbid! + +KING. + +Fool that I was to reject such happiness when it offered itself +for my acceptance! + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +He may well blame his own folly when he calls to mind his +treatment of my beloved [S']akoontalá. + +KING. + + Ah! woe is me! when I forsook my wife-- + My lawful wife--concealed within her breast + There lay my second self, a child unborn, + Hope of my race, e'en as the choicest fruit + Lies hidden in the bosom of the earth. + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +There is no fear of your race being cut off for want of a son. + +CHATURIKÁ. [_Aside to_ VETRAVATÍ. + +The affair of the merchant's death has quite upset our royal +master, and caused him sad distress. Would it not be better to +fetch the worthy Má[t.]havya from the Palace of Clouds to comfort +him? + +VETRAVATÍ. + +A very good idea. + + [_Exit_. + +KING. + +Alas! the shades of my forefathers are even now beginning to be +alarmed, lest at my death they may be deprived of their funeral +libations. + + No son remains in King Dushyanta's place + To offer sacred homage to the dead + Of Puru's noble line; my ancestors + Must drink these glistening tears, the last libation[99] + A childless man can ever hope to make them. + + [_Falls down in an agony of grief_. + +CHATURIKÁ. [_Looking at him in consternation_. + +Great King, compose yourself. + +SÁNUMATÍ. [_Aside_. + +Alas! alas! though a bright light is shining near him, he is +involved in the blackest darkness, by reason of the veil that +obscures his sight. I will now reveal all, and put an end to his +misery. But no; I heard the mother of the great Indra[100], when +she was consoling [S']akoontalá, say that the gods will soon bring +about a joyful union between husband and wife, being eager for +the sacrifice which will be celebrated in their honour on the +occasion. I must not anticipate the happy moment, but will return +at once to my dear friend and cheer her with an account of what I +have seen and heard. [_Rises aloft and disappears_. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Help! help! to the rescue! + +KING. + + [_Recovering himself. Listening_. + +Ha! I heard a cry of distress, and in Má[t.]havya's voice too. What +ho there! + +VETRAVATÍ. [_Entering_. + +Your friend is in danger; save him, great King. + +KING. + +Who dares insult the worthy Má[t.]havya? + +VETRAVATÍ. + +Some evil demon, invisible to human eyes, has seized him, and +carried him to one of the turrets of the Palace of Clouds. + +KING. [_Rising_. + + Impossible! Have evil spirits power over my subjects, + even in nay private apartments? Well, well;-- + Daily I seem, less able to avert + Misfortune from myself, and o'er my actions + Less competent to exercise control; + How can I then direct my subjects' ways, + Or shelter them from tyranny and wrong? + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Halloo there! my dear friend; help! help! + +KING. [_Advancing with rapid strides_. + +Fear nothing-- + +THE SAME VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Fear nothing, indeed! How can I help fearing when some monster is +twisting back my neck, and is about to snap it as he would a +sugar-cane? + +KING. [_Looking round_. +What ho there! my bow! + +SLAVE. [_Entering with a bow_. + +Behold your bow, Sire, and your arm-guard. + +[_The_ KING _snatches up the bow and arrows_. + +ANOTHER VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + + Here, thirsting for thy life-blood, will I slay thee, + As a fierce tiger rends his struggling prey. + Call now thy friend Dushyanta to thy aid; + His bow is mighty to defend the weak; + Yet all its vaunted power shall be as nought. + +KING. [_With fury_. + +What! dares he defy me to my face? Hold there, monster! Prepare +to die, for your time is come. + +[_Stringing his bow_.] + +Vetravatí, lead the way to the terrace. + +VETRAVATÍ. + +This way, Sire. + + [_They advance in haste_. + +KING. [_Looking on every side_. + +How's this? there is nothing to be seen. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Help! Save me! I can see you, though you cannot see me. I am like +a mouse in the claws of a cat; my life is not worth a minute's +purchase. + +KING. + + Avaunt, monster! You may pride yourself on the + magic that renders you invisible, but my arrow shall + find you out. Thus do I fix a shaft + That shall discern between an impious demon, + And a good Bráhman; bearing death to thee, + To him deliverance--even as the swan + Distinguishes the milk from worthless water[101]. + + [_Takes aim_. + +_Enter_ MÁTALI[102] _holding_ MÁ[T.]HAVYA, _whom he releases_. + +MÁTALI. + + Turn thou thy deadly arrows on the demons; + Such is the will of Indra; let thy bow + Be drawn against the enemies of the gods; + But on thy friends cast only looks of favour. + +KING. [_Putting back his arrow_. + +What, Mátali! Welcome, most noble charioteer of the mighty Indra. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +So, here is a monster who thought as little about slaughtering me +as if I had been a bullock for sacrifice, and you must e'en greet +him with a welcome. + +MÁTALI. [_Smiling_. + +Great Prince, hear on what errand Indra sent me into your +presence. + +KING. + +I am all attention. + +MÁTALI. + +There is a race of giants, the descendants of Kálanemi[103], whom +the gods find it difficult to subdue. + +KING. + +So I have already heard from Nárada[104]. + +MÁTALI. + + Heaven's mighty lord, who deigns to call thee 'friend,' + Appoints thee to the post of highest honour, + As leader of his armies; and commits + The subjugation of this giant brood + To thy resistless arms, e'en as the sun + Leaves the pale moon to dissipate the darkness. + +Let your Majesty, therefore, ascend at once the celestial car of +Indra; and, grasping your arms, advance to victory. + +KING. + +The mighty Indra honours me too highly by such a mark of +distinction. But tell me, what made you act thus towards my poor +friend Má[T.]Havya? + +MÁTALI. + + I will tell you. Perceiving that your Majesty's + spirit was completely broken by some distress of mind + under which you were labouring, I determined to + rouse your energies by moving you to anger. Because + To light a flame, we need but stir the embers; + The cobra, when incensed, extends his head + And springs upon his foe; the bravest men + Display their courage only when provoked. + +KING. [_Aside to_ MÁ[T.]HAVYA. + +My dear Má[T.]Havya, the commands of the great Indra must not be +left unfulfilled. Go you and acquaint my minister, Pi[S']una, with +what has happened, and say to him from me:-- + + Dushyanta to thy care confides his realm-- + Protect with all the vigour of thy mind + The interests of his people; while his bow + Is braced against the enemies of heaven. + +MÁ[T.]HAVYA. +I obey. [_Exit_. + +MÁTALI + +Ascend, illustrious Prince. + + [_The_ KING _ascends the car_. + + [_Exeunt_. + + * * * * * + + + + +ACT VII. + + +SCENE.--_The Sky_. + +_Enter_ KING DUSHYANTA _and_ MÁTALI _in the car of Indra, moving +in the air_. + +KING. + +My good Mátali, it appears to me incredible that I can merit such +a mark of distinction for having simply fulfilled the behests of +the great Indra. + +MÁTALI. [_Smiling_. + +Great Prince, it seems to me that neither of you is satisfied +with himself. + + You underrate the services you have rendered, + And think too highly of the god's reward; + He deems it scarce sufficient recompense + For your heroic deeds on his behalf. + +KING. + +Nay, Mátali, say not so. My most ambitious expectations were more +than realised by the honour conferred on me at the moment when I +took my leave. For, + + Tinged with celestial sandal, from the breast[105] + Of the great Indra, where before it hung, + A garland of the ever-blooming tree + Of Nandana[106] was cast about my neck + By his own hand; while, in the very presence + Of the assembled gods, I was enthroned + Beside their mighty lord, who smiled to see + His son Jayanta[107] envious of the honour. + +MÁTALI. + +There is no mark of distinction which your Majesty does not +deserve at the hands of the immortals. See, + + Heaven's hosts acknowledge thee their second saviour: + For now thy how's unerring shafts (as erst + The Lion-man's terrific claws[108]) have purged + The empyreal sphere from taint of demons foul. + +KING. + +The praise of my victory must be ascribed to the majesty of +Indra. + + When mighty gods make men their delegates + In martial enterprise, to them belongs + The palm of victory; and not to mortals. + Could the pale Dawn dispel the shades of night, + Did not the god of day, whose diadem + Is jewelled with a thousand beams of light, + Place him in front of his effulgent car[11]? + +MÁTALI. + +A very just comparison! + +[_Driving on_.] + +Great King, behold! the glory of thy fame has reached even to the +vault of heaven. + + Hark! yonder inmates of the starry sphere + Sing anthems worthy of thy martial deeds, + While with celestial colours they depict + The story of thy victories on scrolls + Formed of the leaves of heaven's immortal trees. + +KING. + +My good Mátali, yesterday, when I ascended the sky, I was so +eager to do battle with the demons, that the road by which we +were travelling towards Indra's heaven escaped my observation. +Tell me, in which path of the seven winds are we now moving? + +MÁTALI. + + We journey in the path of Parivaha[109]-- + The wind that bears along the triple Ganges[110] + And causes Ursa's seven stars to roll + In their appointed orbits, scattering + Their several rays with equal distribution. + 'Tis the same path that once was sanctified + By the divine impression of the foot + Of Vishnu, when, to conquer haughty Bali, + He spanned the heavens in his second stride[111]. + +KING. + +This is the reason, I suppose, that a sensation of calm repose +pervades all my senses. + +[_Looking down at the wheels_.] + +Ah! Mátali, we are descending towards the earth's atmosphere. + +MÁTALI. + +What makes you think so? + +KING. + +The car itself instructs me; we are moving +O'er pregnant clouds, surcharged with rain; below us +I see the moisture-loving Chátakas[112] +In sportive flight dart through the spokes; the steeds +Of Indra glisten with the lightning's flash; +And a thick mist bedews the circling wheels. + +MÁTALI. + +You are right; in a little while the chariot will touch the +ground, and you will be in your own dominions. + +KING. [_Looking down_. + +How wonderful the appearance of the earth as we rapidly descend! + + Stupendous prospect! yonder lofty hills + Do suddenly uprear their towering heads + Amid the plain, while from beneath their crests + The ground receding sinks; the trees, whose stem + Seemed lately hid within their leafy tresses, + Rise into elevation, and display + Their branching shoulders; yonder streams, whose waters, + Like silver threads, were scarce, but now, discerned, + Grow into mighty rivers; lo! the earth + Seems upward hurled by some gigantic power. + +MÁTALI. + +Well described! + + [_Looking with awe_.] + +Grand, indeed, and lovely is the spectacle presented by the +earth. + +KING. + +Tell me, Mátali, what is the range of mountains which, like a +bank of clouds illumined by the setting sun, pours down a stream +of gold? On one side its base dips into the eastern ocean, and on +the other side into the western. + +MÁTALI. + +Great Prince, it is called 'Golden-peak[113],' and is the abode +of the attendants of the god of wealth. In this spot the highest +forms of penance are wrought out. + + There Ka[s']yapa[114], the great progenitor + Of demons and of gods, himself the offspring + Of the divine Maríchi, Brahmá's son, + With Adití, his wife, in calm seclusion, + Does holy penance for the good of mortals. + +KING. + +Then I must not neglect so good an opportunity of obtaining his +blessing. I should much like to visit this venerable personage +and offer him my homage. + +MÁTALI. + +By all means. An excellent idea! + + [_Guides the car to the earth_. + +KING. [_In a tone of wonder_. + +How's this? + + Our chariot wheels move noiselessly. Around + No clouds of dust arise; no shock betokened + Our contact with the earth; we seem to glide + Above the ground, so lightly do we touch it. + +MÁTALI. + +Such is the difference between the car of Indra and that of your +Majesty. + +KING. + +In which direction, Mátali, is Ka[s']yapa's sacred retreat? + +MÁTALI. [_Pointing_. + + Where stands yon anchorite, towards the orb + Of the meridian sun, immovable + As a tree's stem, his body half-concealed + By a huge ant-hill. Bound about his breast + No sacred cord is twined[115], but in its stead + A hideous serpent's skin. In place of necklace, + The tendrils of a withered creeper chafe + His wasted neck. His matted hair depends + In thick entanglement about his shoulders, + And birds construct their nests within its folds[116]. + +KING. + +I salute thee, thou man of austere devotion. + +MÁTALI. [_Holding in the reins of the car_. + +Great Prince, we are now in the sacred grove of the holy +Ka[s']yapa--the grove that boasts as its ornament one of the five +trees of Indra's heaven, reared by Adití. + +KING. + +This sacred retreat is more delightful than heaven itself. I +could almost fancy myself bathing in a pool of nectar. + +MÁTALI. [_Stopping the chariot_. + +Descend, mighty Prince. + +KING. [_Descending_. + +And what will you do, Mátali? + +MÁTALI. + +The chariot will remain where I have stopped it. We may both +descend. + +[_Doing so_.] + +This way, great King. + +[_Walking on_.] + +You see around you the celebrated region where the holiest sages +devote themselves to penitential rites. + +KING. + +I am filled with awe and wonder as I gaze. + + In such a place as this do saints of earth + Long to complete their acts of penance; here, + Beneath the shade of everlasting trees. + Transplanted from the groves of Paradise, + May they inhale the balmy air, and need + No other nourishment[117]; here may they bathe + In fountains sparkling with the golden dust + Of lilies; here, on jewelled slabs of marble, + In meditation rapt, may they recline; + Here, in the presence of celestial nymphs, + E'en passion's voice is powerless to move them. + +MÁTALI. + +So true is it that the aspirations of the good and great are ever +soaring upwards. + +[_Turning round and speaking off the stage_.] + +Tell me, Vriddha-[S']ákalya, how is the divine son of Maríchi now +engaged? What sayest thou? that he is conversing with Adití and +some of the wives of the great sages, and that they are +questioning him respecting the duties of a faithful wife? + +KING. [_Listening_. + +Then we must await the holy father's leisure. + +MÁTALI. [_Looking at the_ KING. + +If your Majesty will rest under the shade, at the foot of this +A[s']oka-tree [118], I will seek an opportunity of announcing your +arrival to Indra's reputed father. + +KING. + +As you think proper. + + [_Remains under the tree_. + +MÁTALI. + +Great King, I go. [_Exit_. + +KING. [_Feeling his arm throb_. + + Wherefore this causeless throbbing, O mine arm[18]? + All hope has fled for ever; mock me not + With presages of good, when happiness + Is lost, and nought but misery remains. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Be not so naughty. Do you begin already to show a refractory +spirit? + +KING. [_Listening_. + +This is no place for petulance. Who can it be whose behaviour +calls for such a rebuke? + +[_Looking in the direction of the sound and smiling_.] + +A child, is it? closely attended by two holy women. His +disposition seems anything but child-like. See! + + He braves the fury of yon lioness + Suckling its savage offspring, and compels + The angry whelp to leave the half-sucked dug, + Tearing its tender mane in boisterous sport. + +_Enter a_ CHILD, _attended by_ TWO WOMEN _of the hermitage, in +the manner described_. + +CHILD. + +Open your mouth, my young lion, I want to count your teeth. + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + +You naughty child, why do you tease the animals? Know you not +that we cherish them in this hermitage as if they were our own +children? In good sooth, you have a high spirit of your own, and +are beginning already to do justice to the name Sarva-damana +('All-taming'), given you by the hermits. + +KING. + +Strange! My heart inclines towards the boy with almost as much +affection as if he were my own child. What can be the reason? I +suppose my own childlessness makes me yearn towards the sons of +others. + +SECOND ATTENDANT. + +This lioness will certainly attack you if you do not release her +whelp. + +CHILD. [_Laughing_. + +Oh! indeed! let her come. Much I fear her, to be sure! + + [_Pouts his under-lip in defiance_. + +KING. + + The germ of mighty courage lies concealed + Within this noble infant, like a spark + Beneath the fuel, waiting but a breath + To fan the flame and raise a conflagration. + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + +Let the young lion go, like a dear child, and I will give you +something else to play with. + +CHILD. + +Where is it? Give it me first. + + [_Stretches out his hand_. + +KING. [_Looking at his hand_. + +How's that? His hand exhibits one of those mystic marks[84] which +are the sure prognostic of universal empire. See! His fingers +stretched in eager expectation To grasp the wished-for toy, and +knit together By a close-woven web, in shape resemble A lotus +blossom, whose expanding petals The early dawn has only half +unfolded. + +SECOND ATTENDANT. + +We shall never pacify him by mere words, dear Suvratá. Be kind +enough to go to my cottage, and you will find there a plaything +belonging to Márkandeya, one of the hermit's children. It is a +peacock made of china-ware, painted in many colours. Bring it +here for the child. + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + +Very well. [_Exit_. + +CHILD. + +No, no; I shall go on playing with the young lion. + +[_Looks at the_ FEMALE ATTENDANT _and laughs_. + +KING. + + I feel an unaccountable affection for this wayward child. + How blessed the virtuous parents whose attire + Is soiled with dust, by raising from the ground + The child that asks a refuge in their arms! + And happy are they while with lisping prattle, + In accents sweetly inarticulate, + He charms their ears; and with his artless smiles + Gladdens their hearts[119], revealing to their gaze + His pearly teeth just budding into view. + +ATTENDANT. + +I see how it is. He pays me no manner of attention. + +[_Looking off the stage_.] + +I wonder whether any of the hermits are about here. + +[_ Seeing the_ KING.] + +Kind Sir, could you come hither a moment and help me to release +the young lion from the clutch of this child who is teasing him +in boyish play? + +KING. [_Approaching and smiling_. + +Listen to me, thou child of a mighty saint! + + Dost thou dare show a wayward spirit here? + Here, in this hallowed region? Take thou heed + Lest, as the serpent's young defiles the sandal[71], + Thou bring dishonour on the holy sage + Thy tender-hearted parent, who delights + To shield from harm the tenants of the wood. + +ATTENDANT. + +Gentle Sir, I thank you; but he is not the saint's son. + +KING. + +His behaviour and whole bearing would have led me to doubt it, +had not the place of his abode encouraged the idea. + + [_Follows the_ CHILD, _and takes him by the hand, according to + the request of the attendant. Aside_. + + I marvel that the touch of this strange child + Should thrill me with delight; if so it be, + How must the fond caresses of a son + Transport the father's soul who gave him being! + +ATTENDANT. [_Looking at them both_. + +Wonderful! Prodigious! + +KING. + +What excites your surprise, my good woman? + +ATTENDANT. + +I am astonished at the striking resemblance between the child and +yourself; and, what is still more extraordinary, he seems to have +taken to you kindly and submissively, though you are a stranger +to him. + +KING. [_Fondling the_ CHILD. + +If he be not the son of the great sage, of what family does he +come, may I ask? + +ATTENDANT. + +Of the race of Puru. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +What! are we, then, descended from the same ancestry? This, no +doubt, accounts for the resemblance she traces between the child +and me. Certainly it has always been an established usage among +the princes of Puru's race, + + To dedicate the morning of their days + To the world's weal, in palaces and halls, + 'Mid luxury and regal pomp abiding; + Then, in the wane of life, to seek release + From kingly cares, and make the hallowed shade + Of sacred trees their last asylum, where + As hermits they may practise self-abasement, + And bind themselves by rigid vows of penance. + +[_Aloud_.] + +But how could mortals by their own power gain admission to this +sacred region? + +ATTENDANT. + +Your remark is just; but your wonder will cease when I tell you +that his mother is the offspring of a celestial nymph, and gave +him birth in the hallowed grove of Ka[s']yapa. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +Strange that my hopes should be again excited! + +[_Aloud_.] + +But what, let me ask, was the name of the prince whom she deigned +to honour with her hand? + +ATTENDANT. + +How could I think of polluting my lips by the mention of a wretch +who had the cruelty to desert his lawful wife? + +KING. [_Aside_. + +Ha! the description suits me exactly. Would I could bring myself +to inquire the name of the child's mother! + +[_Reflecting_.] + +But it is against propriety to make too minute inquiries about +the wife of another man[120]. + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + + [_Entering with the china peacock in her hand_. + +Sarva-damana, Sarva-damana, see, see, what a beautiful [S']akoonta +(bird). + +CHILD. [_Looking round_. + +My mother! Where? Let me go to her. + +BOTH ATTENDANTS. + +He mistook the word [S']akoonta for [S']akoontalá. The boy dotes upon +his mother, and she is ever uppermost in his thoughts. + +SECOND ATTENDANT. + +Nay, my dear child, I said: Look at the beauty of this [S']akoonta. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +What! is his mother's name [S']akoontalá? But the name is not +uncommon among women. Alas! I fear the mere similarity of a name, +like the deceitful vapour of the desert[94], has once more raised +my hopes only to dash them to the ground. + +CHILD. + +Dear nurse, what a beautiful peacock! + + [_Takes the toy_. + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + + [_Looking at the CHILD. In great distress_. + +Alas! alas! I do not see the amulet on his wrist. + +KING. + +Don't distress yourself. Here it is. It fell off while he was +struggling with the young lion. + + [_Stoops to pick it up_. + +BOTH ATTENDANTS. + +Hold! hold! Touch it not, for your life. How marvellous! He has +actually taken it up without the slightest hesitation. + + [_Both raise their hands to their breasts and look at each other + in astonishment_. + +KING. + +Why did you try to prevent my touching it? + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + +Listen, great Monarch. This amulet, known as 'The Invincible,' +was given to the boy by the divine son of Maríchi, soon after his +birth, when the natal ceremony was performed. Its peculiar virtue +is, that when it falls on the ground, no one except the father or +mother of the child can touch it unhurt. + +KING. + +And suppose another person touches it? + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + +Then it instantly becomes a serpent, and bites him. + +KING. + +Have you ever witnessed the transformation with your own eyes? + +BOTH ATTENDANTS. + +Over and over again. + +KING. [_With rapture. Aside_. + +Joy! joy! Are then my dearest hopes to be fulfilled? + + [_Embraces the CHILD_. + +SECOND ATTENDANT. + +Come, my dear Suvratá, we must inform [S']akoontalá immediately of +this wonderful event, though we have to interrupt her in the +performance of her religious vows. + + [_Exeunt_. + +CHILD. [_To the_ KING. + +Don't hold me. I want to go to my mother. + +KING. + +We will go to her together, and give her joy, my son. + +CHILD. + +Dushyanta is my father, not you. + +KING. [_Smiling_. + +His contradiction only convinces me the more. + +_Enter_ [S']AKOONTALÁ, _in widow's apparel, with her long hair +twisted into a single braid_. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Aside_. + +I have just heard that Sarva-damana's amulet has retained its +form, though a stranger raised it from the ground. I can hardly +believe in my good fortune. Yet why should not Sánumatí's +prediction be verified? + +KING. + +Alas! can this indeed be my [S']akoontalá? + + Clad in the weeds of widowhood, her face + Emaciate with fasting, her long hair + Twined in a single braid[121], her whole demeanour + Expressive of her purity of soul; + With patient constancy she thus prolongs + The vow to which my cruelty condemned her. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Gazing at the_ KING, _who is pale with remorse_. + +Surely this is not like my husband; yet who can it be that dares +pollute by the pressure of his hand my child, whose amulet should +protect him from a stranger's touch? + +CHILD. [_Going to his mother_. + +Mother, who is this man that has been kissing me and calling me +his son? + +KING. + +My best beloved, I have indeed treated thee most cruelly, but am +now once more thy fond and affectionate lover. Refuse not to +acknowledge me as thy husband. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Aside_. + +Be of good cheer, my heart. The anger of Destiny is at last +appeased. Heaven regards thee with compassion. But is he in very +truth my husband? + +KING. + + Behold me, best and loveliest of women, + Delivered from the cloud of fatal darkness + That erst oppressed my memory. Again + Behold us brought together by the grace + Of the great lord of Heaven. So the moon + Shines forth from dim eclipse [122], to blend his rays + With the soft lustre of his Rohiní. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +May my husband be victorious-- + + [_She stops short, her voice choked with tears_. + +KING. + + O fair one, though the utterance of thy prayer + Be lost amid the torrent of thy tears, + Yet does the sight of thy fair countenance + And of thy pallid lips, all unadorned[123] + And colourless in sorrow for my absence, + Make me already more than conqueror. + +CHILD. + +Mother, who is this man? + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +My child, ask the deity that presides over thy destiny. + +KING. [_Falling at_ [S']AKOONTALÁ's _feet_. + + Fairest of women, banish from thy mind + The memory of my cruelty; reproach + The fell delusion that o'erpowered my soul, + And blame not me, thy husband; 'tis the curse + Of him in whom the power of darkness[124] reigns, + That he mistakes the gifts of those he loves + For deadly evils. Even though a friend + Should wreathe a garland on a blind man's brow, + Will he not cast it from him as a serpent? + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Rise, my own husband, rise. Thou wast not to blame. My own evil +deeds, committed in a former state of being[37], brought down +this judgment upon me. How else could my husband, who was ever of +a compassionate disposition, have acted so unfeelingly? + +[_The_ KING _rises_.] + +But tell me, my husband, how did the remembrance of thine +unfortunate wife return to thy mind? + +KING. + +As soon as my heart's anguish is removed, and its wounds are +healed, I will tell thee all. + + Oh! let me, fair one, chase away the drop + That still bedews the fringes of thine eye; + And let me thus efface the memory + Of every tear that stained thy velvet cheek, + Unnoticed and unheeded by thy lord, + When in his madness he rejected thee. + + [_Wipes away the tear_. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + + [_Seeing the signet-ring on his finger_. + +Ah! my dear husband, is that the Lost Ring? + +KING. + +Yes; the moment I recovered it my memory was restored. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +The ring was to blame in allowing itself to be lost at the very +time when I was anxious to convince my noble husband of the +reality of my marriage. + +KING. + +Receive it back, as the beautiful twining-plant receives again +its blossom in token of its reunion with the spring. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +Nay; I can never more place confidence in it. Let my husband +retain it. + + [_Enter_ MÁTALI. + +MÁTALI. + +I congratulate your Majesty. Happy are you in your reunion with +your wife; happy are you in beholding the face of your own son. + +KING. + +Yes, indeed. My heart's dearest wish has borne sweet fruit. But +tell me, Mátali, is this joyful event known to the great Indra? + +MÁTALI. [_Smiling_. + +What is unknown to the gods? But come with me, noble Prince, the +divine Ka[s']yapa graciously permits thee to be presented to him. + +KING. + +[S']akoontalá, take our child and lead the way. We will together go +into the presence of the holy Sage. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +I shrink from entering the august presence of the great Saint, +even with my husband at my side. + +KING. + +Nay; on such a joyous occasion it is highly proper. Come, come; I +entreat thee. + + [_All advance_. + +KA[S']YAPA _is discovered seated on a throne with his wife_ ADITI. + +KA[S']YAPA. + + [_Gazing at_ DUSHYANTA. _To his wife_. + +O Adití, + + This is the mighty hero, King Dushyanta, + Protector of the earth; who, at the head + Of the celestial armies of thy son, + Does battle with the enemies of heaven. + Thanks to his bow, the thunderbolt of Indra + Rests from its work, no more the minister + Of death and desolation to the world, + But a mere symbol of divinity. + +ADITI. + +He bears in his noble form all the marks of dignity. + +MÁTALI. [_To_ DUSHYANTA + +Sire, the venerable progenitors of the celestials are gazing at +your Majesty with as much affection as if you were their son. You +may advance towards them. + +KING. + + Are these, O Mátali, the holy pair, + Offspring of Daksha and divine Maríchi, + Children of Brahmá's sons[125], by sages deemed + Sole fountain of celestial light, diffused + Through twelve effulgent orbs [114]? Are these the pair + From whom the ruler of the triple world [126], + Sovereign of gods and lord of sacrifice, + Sprang into being? That immortal pair + Whom Vishnu, greater than the Self-existent [127], + Chose for his parents, when, to save mankind, + He took upon himself the shape of mortals? + +MÁTALI. + +Even so. + +KING. [_Prostrating himself_. + +Most august of beings! Dushyanta, content to have fulfilled the +commands of your son Indra, offers you his adoration. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +My son, long may'st thou live, and happily may'st thou reign over +the earth! + +ADITI. + +My son, may'st thou ever be invincible in the field of battle! + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. + +I also prostrate myself before you, most adorable Beings, and my +child with me. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +My daughter, + + Thy lord resembles Indra, and thy child + Is noble as Jayanta, Indra's son; + I have no worthier blessing left for thee, + May'st thou be faithful as the god's own wife! + +ADITI. + +My daughter, may'st thou be always the object of thy husband's +fondest love; and may thy son live long to be the joy of both his +parents! Be seated. + +[_All sit down in the presence of KA[S']YAPA_. + +KA[S']YAPA. [_Regarding each of them by turns_. + + Hail to the beautiful [S']akoontalá, + Hail to her noble son, and hail to thee, + Illustrious Prince--rare triple combination + Of virtue, wealth, and energy united! + +KING. + +Most venerable Ka[s']yapa, by your favour all my desires were +accomplished even before I was admitted to your presence. Never +was mortal so honoured that his boon should be granted ere it was +solicited. Because-- + + Bloom before fruit, the clouds before the rain, + Cause first and then effect, in endless sequence, + Is the unchanging law of constant nature; + But, ere the blessing issued from thy lips, + The wishes of my heart were all fulfilled. + +MÁTALI. + +It is thus that the great progenitors of the world confer +favours. + +KING. + +Most reverend Sage, this thy handmaid was married to me by the +Gándharva ceremony[55], and after a time was conducted to my +palace by her relations. Meanwhile a fatal delusion seized me; I +lost my memory and rejected her, thus committing a grievous +offence against the venerable Kanwa, who is of thy divine race. +Afterwards the sight of this ring restored my faculties, and +brought back to my mind all the circumstances of my union with +his daughter. But my conduct still seems to me incomprehensible; + + As foolish as the fancies of a man + Who, when he sees an elephant, denies + That 'tis an elephant; then afterwards, + When its huge bulk moves onward, hesitates; + Yet will not be convinced till it has passed + For ever from his sight, and left behind + No vestige of its presence save its footsteps. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +My son, cease to think thyself in fault. Even the delusion that +possessed thy mind was not brought about by any act of thine. +Listen to me. + +KING. + +I am attentive. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +Know that when the nymph Menaká, the mother of [S']akoontalá, +became aware of her daughter's anguish in consequence of the loss +of the ring at the nymph's pool, and of thy subsequent rejection +of her, she brought her and confided her to the care of Adití. +And I no sooner saw her than I ascertained by my divine faculty +of meditation[134], that thy repudiation of thy poor faithful +wife had been caused entirely by the curse of Durvásas--not by +thine own fault--and that the spell would terminate on the +discovery of the ring. + +KING. [_Drawing a deep breath_. + +Oh! what a weight is taken off my mind, now that my character is +cleared of reproach. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Aside_. + +Joy! joy! My revered husband did not, then, reject me without +good reason, though I have no recollection of the curse +pronounced upon me. But, in all probability, I unconsciously +brought it upon myself, when I was so distracted on being +separated from my husband soon after our marriage. For I now +remember that my two friends advised me not to fail to show the +ring in case he should have forgotten me. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +At last, my daughter, thou art happy, and hast gained thy heart's +desire. Indulge, then, no feeling of resentment against thy +consort. See, now, + + Though he repulsed thee, 'twas the sage's curse + That clouded his remembrance; 'twas the curse + That made thy tender husband harsh towards thee. + Soon as the spell was broken, and his soul + Delivered from its darkness, in a moment, + Thou didst regain thine empire o'er his heart. + So on the tarnished surface of a mirror + No image is reflected, till the dust, + That dimmed its wonted lustre, is removed. + +KING. + +Holy father, see here the hope of my royal race. + + [_Takes his child by the hand_. + +KA[S']YAPA. + + + Know that he, too, will become the monarch of the + wholes earth. Observe, + Soon, a resistless hero, shall he cross + The trackless ocean, borne above the waves + In an aërial car; and shall subdue + The earth's seven sea-girt isles[128]. Now has he gained, + As the brave tamer of the forest-beasts, + The title Sarva-damana; but then + Mankind shall hail him as King Bharata[129], + And call him the supporter of the world. + +KING. + +We cannot but entertain the highest hopes of a child for whom +your Highness performed the natal rites. + +ADITI. + +My revered husband, should not the intelligence be conveyed to +Kanwa, that his daughter's wishes are fulfilled, and her +happiness complete? He is [S']akoontalá's foster-father. Menaká, +who is one of my attendants, is her mother, and dearly does she +love her daughter. + +[S']AKOONTALÁ. [_Aside_. + +The venerable matron has given utterance to the very wish that +was in my mind. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +His penances have gained for him the faculty of omniscience, and +the whole scene is already present to his mind's eye. + +KING. + +Then most assuredly he cannot be very angry with me. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +Nevertheless, it becomes us to send him intelligence of this +happy event, and hear his reply. What ho there! + +PUPIL. [_Entering_. + +Holy father, what are your commands? + +KA[S']YAPA. + +My good Gálava, delay not an instant, but hasten through the air +and convey to the venerable Kanwa, from me, the happy news that +the fatal spell has ceased, that Dushyanta's memory is restored, +that his daughter [S']akoontalá has a son, and that she is once +more tenderly acknowledged by her husband. + +PUPIL. + +Your Highness' commands shall be obeyed. + + [_Exit_. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +And now, my dear son, take thy consort and thy child, re-ascend +the car of Indra, and return to thy imperial capital. + +KING. + +Most holy father, I obey. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +And accept this blessing-- + + For countless ages may the god of gods, + Lord of the atmosphere, by copious showers + Secure abundant harvests to thy subjects; + And thou by frequent offerings preserve + The Thunderer's friendship. Thus, by interchange + Of kindly actions may you both confer + Unnumbered benefits on earth and heaven. + +KING. + +Holy father, I will strive, as far as I am able, to attain this +happiness. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +What other favour can I bestow on thee, my son? + +KING. + +What other can I desire? If, however, you permit me to form +another wish, I would humbly beg that the saying of the sage +Bharata[130] be fulfilled: + + May kings reign only for their subjects' weal; + May the divine Saraswatí[131], the source + Of speech, and goddess of dramatic art, + Be ever honoured by the great and wise; + And may the purple self-existent god[132], + Whose vital Energy[133] pervades all space, + From future transmigrations save my soul. + + + [_Exeunt omnes_. + + + + +NOTES: + + +1. _Í[S']a preserve you_. + +That is, 'the Lord,' a name given to the god Siva, when regarded as +supreme. As presiding over dissolution he is associated with Brahmá +the Creator, and Vishnu the Preserver; constituting with them the +Hindú Triad. Kálidása indulges the religious predilections of his +fellow-townsmen by beginning and ending the play with a prayer to +[S']iva, who had a large temple in Ujjayiní, the modern Oujein, the city +of Vikramáditya, situated north-eastward from Gujarát. + +2. _In these eight forms_. + +The worshippers of Siva, who were Pantheists in the sense of +believing that [S']iva was himself all that exists, as well as the +cause of all that is, held that there were eight different +manifestations of their god, called Rudras; and that these had +their types in the eight visible forms enumerated here. The +Hindús reckon five elements. The most subtle is Ether (_ákása_), +supposed to convey sound, which is its peculiar attribute or +property (_guna_). The next element--Air, has for its properties +sound and feeling. The third--Fire, has sound, feeling, and +colour. The fourth--Water, has sound, feeling, colour, and taste. +The fifth--Earth, has all the other properties, with the addition +of smell. + +3. _An audience of educated and discerning men_. + +Lit. 'An audience, who are chiefly men of education and discernment.' +Few could have been present at these dramatic representations excepting +learned and educated men. The mass of the composition being in Sanskrit, +would not have been intelligible to the vulgar and illiterate. + +4. _[S']akoontalá; or, The Lost Ring_. + +The literal title is '[S']akoontalá recognized by the token or +ring.' + +5. _The present Summer season_. + +Hindú poets divide the year into six seasons of two months each, +viz. I. Spring (Vasanta), beginning about the middle of March; +or, according to some, February. 2. Summer (Gríshma). 3. Rains +(Varsha). 4. Autumn (Sarad). 5. Winter (Hemanta). 6. Dews +(Sisira). Practically, however, there are only three seasons in +India, 1. The hot season. 2. The rains. 3. The cold weather. In +Lower Bengal and Behar, the first of these seasons begins in +March, the second in June, and the third in November. The +temperature of the cold season is highly exhilarating, and the +climate is then superior to that of any portion of the English +year. In Calcutta, this season continues for about three months; +in Upper India, for about five; and in the Panjáb for about +seven. The rains in Bengal Proper are more violent and protracted +than in Hindústán and the Panjáb. In the latter country they last +for hardly more than two months, and even then only fall at +intervals. Plays were acted on solemn and festive occasions, on +lunar holidays, and especially at the changes of the season. + +6. _Of fragrant Pátalas_. + +The Pátala or trumpet-flower; _Bignonia suaveolens_. + +7. _With sweet [S']irísha flowers_. + +The flowers of the _Acacia Sírisha_ were used by the Hindú women +as ear-ornaments. + +8. _King Dushyanta_. + +For the genealogy of King Dushyanta see Introduction, page +xxxviii. + +9. _That wields the trident_. + +[S']iva is called Pinákin, that is, 'armed with a trident,' or +according to some, a bow named Pináka. Siva not being invited to +Daksha's sacrifice, was so indignant, that, with his wife, he +suddenly presented himself, confounded the sacrifice, dispersed +the gods, and chasing Yajna, 'the lord of sacrifice,' who fled in +the form of a deer, overtook and decapitated him. + +10. _Their waving plumes, that late + Fluttered above their brows, are motionless._ + +The Chámarí, or chowrie, formed of the white bushy tail of the +Yak, or _Bos grunniens_, was placed as an ornament between the +ears of horses, like the plume of the war-horse of chivalry. The +velocity of the chariot caused it to lose its play, and appear +fixed in one direction, like a flag borne rapidly against the +wind. + +11. _The steeds of Indra and the Sun._ + +That is, the speed of the chariot resembled that of the Wind and +the Sun. Indra was the god of the firmament or atmosphere--the +Jupiter Tonans of Hindú mythology--and presided over the +forty-nine Winds. He has a heaven of his own (Swarga), of which +he is the lord, and, although inferior to the three great deities +of the Hindú Triad (Brahmá, Vishnu, and Siva), he is chief of the +secondary gods. The Hindús represent the Sun as seated in a +chariot, drawn by seven green horses, having before him a lovely +youth without legs, who acts as his charioteer, and who is Aruna, +or the Dawn personified. + +12. _Puru's race_. + +See Dushyanta's pedigree detailed at page xxxviii of the +Introduction. + +13. _The great sage Kanwa_. + +The sage Kanwa was a descendant of Kasyapa, whom the Hindús +consider to have been the father of the inferior gods, demons, +man, fish, reptiles, and all animals, by his twelve wives. Kanwa +was the chief of a number of devotees, or hermits, who had +constructed a hermitage on the banks of the river Máliní, and +surrounded it with gardens and groves, where penitential rites +were performed, and animals were reared for sacrificial purposes, +or for the amusement of the inmates. There is nothing new in +asceticism. The craving after self-righteousness, and the desire +of acquiring merit by self-mortification, is an innate principle +of the human heart, and ineradicable even by Christianity. +Witness the monastic institutions of the Romish Church, of which +Indian penance-groves were the type. The Superior of a modern +Convent is but the antitype of Kanwa; and what is Romanism but +humanity developing itself in some of its most inveterate +propensities? + +14. _He has gone to Soma tírtha_. + +A place of pilgrimage in the west of India, on the coast of +Gujarát, near the temple of Somanáth, or Somnát, made notorious +by its gates, which were brought back from Ghazní by Lord +Ellenborough's orders in 1842, and are now to be seen in the +arsenal at Agra. These places of pilgrimage were generally fixed +on the bank of some sacred stream, or in the vicinity of some +holy spring. The word _tírtha_ is derived from a Sanskrit root, +_trí_, 'to cross,' implying that the river has to be passed +through, either for the washing away of sin, or extrication from +some adverse destiny. Thousands of devotees still flock to the +most celebrated Tírthas on the Ganges, at Benares, Haridwár, etc. + +15. _Ingudí_. + +A tree, commonly called Ingua, or Jiyaputa, from the fruit of +which oil was extracted, which the devotees used for their lamps +and for ointment. One synonym for this tree is _tápasa-taru_, +'the anchorite's tree.' + +16. _Bark-woven vests_. + +Dresses made of bark, worn by ascetics, were washed in water, and +then suspended to dry on the branches of trees. + +17. _By deep canals_. + +It was customary to dig trenches round the roots of trees, to +collect the rain-water. + +18. _My throbbing arm_. + +A quivering sensation in the right arm was supposed by the Hindús +to prognosticate union with a beautiful woman. Throbbings of the +arm or eyelid, if felt on the right side, were omens of good +fortune in men; if on the left, bad omens. The reverse was true +of women. 19. _The hard acacia's stem_. + +The Samí tree, a kind of acacia (_Acacia Suma_), the wood of +which is very hard, and supposed by the Hindús to contain fire. + +20. _The lotus_. + +This beautiful plant, the varieties of which, white, blue, and +red, are numerous, bears some resemblance to our water-lily. It +is as favourite a subject of allusion and comparison with Hindú +poets as the rose is with Persian. + +21. _With the Saivala entwined_. + +The [S']aivala (_Vallisneria_) is an aquatic plant, which spreads +itself over ponds, and interweaves itself with the lotus. The +interlacing of its stalks is compared in poetry to braided hair. + +22. _Yon Ke[s']ara tree_. + +The Ke[s']ara tree (_Mimusops elengi_) is the same as the Bakula, +frequent mention of which is made is some of the Puránas. It +bears a strong-smelling flower, which, according to Sir W. Jones, +is ranked among the flowers of the Hindú paradise. The tree Is +very ornamental in pleasure-grounds. + +23. _Would that my union with her were permissible_. + +A Bráhman might marry a woman of the military or kingly class +next below him, and the female offspring of such a marriage would +belong to a mixed caste, and might be lawfully solicited in +marriage by a man of the military class. But if [S']akoontalá were +a pure Bráhmaní woman, both on the mother's and father's side, +she would be ineligible as the wife of a Kshatriya king. +Dushyanta discovers afterwards that she was, in fact, the +daughter of the great Vi[s']wámitra (see note 27), who was of the +same caste as himself, though her mother was the nymph Menaká. + +24. _I trust all is well with your devotional rites_. + +This was the regular formula of salutation addressed to persons +engaged in religions exercises. + +25. _This water that we have brought with us will serve to bathe +our guest's feet_. + +Water for the feet is one of the first things invariably provided +for a guest in all Eastern countries. Compare Genesis xxiv. 32; +Luke vii. 44. If the guest were a Bráhman, or a man of rank, a +respectful offering (_argha_) of rice, fruit, and flowers was +next presented. In fact, the rites of hospitality in India were +enforced by very stringent regulations. The observance of them +ranked as one of the five great sacred rites, and no punishment +was thought too severe for one who violated them. If a guest +departed unhonoured from a house, his sins were to be transferred +to the householder, and all the merits of the householder were to +be transferred to him. + +26. _Sapta-parna tree_. + +A tree having seven leaves on a stalk (_Echites scholaris_). + +27. _Vis']wámitra, whose family name is Kausika_. + +In the Rámáyana, the great sage Vi[s']wámitra (both king and saint), +who raised himself by his austerities from the regal to the +Bráhmanical caste, is said to be the son of Gádhi, King of Kanúj, +grandson of Kusanátha, and great-grandson of Kusika or Kusa. On +his accession to the throne, in the room of his father Gádhi, in +the course of a tour through his dominions, he visited the +hermitage of the sage Vasishtha, where the Cow of Plenty, a cow +granting all desires, excited his cupidity. He offered the sage +untold treasures for the cow; but being refused, prepared to take +it by force. A long war ensued between the king and the sage +(symbolical of the struggles between the military and Bráhmanical +classes), which ended in the defeat of Vi[s']wámitra, whose vexation +was such, that he devoted himself to austerities, in the hope of +attaining the condition of a Bráhman. The Rámáyana recounts how, +by gradually increasing the rigour of his penance through +thousands of years, he successively earned the title of Royal +Sage, Sage, Great Sage, and Bráhman Sage. It was not till he had +gained this last title that Vasishtha consented to acknowledge +his equality with himself, and ratify his admission into the +Bráhmanical state. It was at the time of Vi[s']wámitra's advancement +to the rank of a Sage, and whilst he was still a Kshatriya, that +Indra, jealous of his increasing power, sent the nymph Menaká to +seduce him from his life of mortification and continence. The Rámáyana +records his surrender to this temptation, and relates that the nymph +was his companion in the hermitage for ten years, but does not allude +to the birth of [S']akoontalá during that period. + +28. _The inferior gods, I am aware, are jealous_. + +According to the Hindú system, Indra and the other inferior +deities were not the possessors of Swarga, or heaven, by +indefeasible right. They accordingly viewed with jealousy, and +even alarm, any extraordinary persistency by a human being in +acts of penance, as it raised him to a level with themselves; +and, if carried beyond a certain point, enabled him to dispossess +them of Paradise. Indra was therefore the enemy of excessive +self-mortification, and had in his service numerous nymphs who +were called his 'weapons,' and whose business it was to impede by +their seductions the devotion of holy men. + +29. _Gautamí_. + +The name of the matron or Superior of the female part of the +society of hermits. Every association of religious devotees seems +to have included a certain number of women, presided over by an +elderly and venerable matron, whose authority resembled that of +an abbess in a convent of nuns. + +30. _Ku[s']a-grass_. + +This grass was held sacred by the Hindús, and was abundantly +used in all their religions ceremonies. Its leaves are very long, +and taper to a sharp needle-like point, of which the extreme +acuteness was proverbial; whence the epithet applied to a clever +man, 'sharp as the point of Ku[s']a-grass.' Its botanical name is +_Poa cynosuroïdes_. + +31. _Kuruvaka._ + +A species of Jhintí or Barleria, with purple flowers, and covered +with sharp prickles. + +32. _The Jester_. + +See an account of this character in the Introduction, p. xxxiv. + +33. _We have nothing to eat but roast game_. + +Indian game is often very dry and flavourless. + +34. _Attended by the Yavana women_. + +Who these women were has not been accurately ascertained. Yavana +is properly Arabia, but is also a name applied to Greece. The +Yavana women were therefore either natives of Arabia, or Greece, +and their business was to attend upon the king, and take charge +of his weapons, especially his bow and arrows. Professor H. H. +Wilson, in his translation of the Vikramorva[s']í, where the same +word occurs (Act V. p. 261), remarks that Tartarian or Bactrian +women may be intended. + +35. _In the disc of crystal_. + +That is, the sun-gem (_Súrya-kánta_, 'beloved by the sun'), a +shining stone resembling crystal. Professor Wilson calls it a +fabulous stone with fabulous properties, and mentions another +stone, the moon-gem (_chandra-kánta_). It may be gathered from +this passage that the sun-stone was a kind of glass lens, and +that the Hindús were not ignorant of the properties of this +instrument at the time when '[S']akoontalá' was written. + +36. _Some fallen blossoms of the jasmine_. + +The jasmine here intended was a kind of double jasmine with a +very delicious perfume, sometimes called 'Arabian jasmine' +(_Jasminum zambac_). It was a delicate plant, and, as a creeper, +would depend on some other tree for support. The Arka, or +sun-tree (Gigantic Asclepias: _Calotropis gigantea_), on the +other hand, was a large and vigorous shrub. Hence the former is +compared to [S']akoontalá, the latter to the sage Kanwa. + +37. + + _The mellowed fruit + Of virtuous actions in some former birth_. + +The doctrine of the transmigration of the soul from one body to +another is an essential dogma of the Hindú religion, and +connected with it is the belief in the power which every human +being possesses of laying up for himself a store of merit by good +deeds performed in the present and former births. Indeed the +condition of every person is supposed to derive its character of +happiness or misery, elevation or degradation, from the virtues +or vices of previous states of being. The consequences of actions +in a former birth are called _vipáka_; they may be either good +or bad, but are rarely unmixed with evil taint. + +In the present comparison, however, they are described as pure +and unalloyed. With reference to the first four lines of this +stanza, compare Catullus, Carmen Nuptiale, verse 39. + + 'Ut flos in septis secretus nascitur hortis, + Ignotus pecori, nullo contusus aratro, + Quem mulcent auræ, firmat sol, educat imber: + Multi illuum pueri, multæ optavere puellæ: + Idem quum tenui carptus defloruit ungui, + Nulli illum pueri, nallæ optavere puellæ: + Sic virgo, dum intacta manet,' etc. + +38. _The sixth part of their grain_. + +According to Manu, a king might take a sixth part of liquids, +flowers, roots, fruit, grass, etc.; but, even though dying with +want, he was not to receive any tax from a Bráhman learned in the +Vedas. + +39. _A title only one degree removed from that of a Sage_. + +Dushyanta was a Rájarshi; that is, a man of the military class +who had attained the rank of Royal Sage or Saint by the practice +of religious austerities. The title of Royal or Imperial Sage was +only one degree inferior to that of Sage. Compare note 27. + +40. _Chanted by inspired bards_. + +Or celestial minstrels, called Gandharvas. These beings were the +musicians of Indra's heaven, and their business was to amuse the +inhabitants of Swarga by singing the praises of gods, saints, or +heroes. Compare note 11. + +41. _In their fierce warfare with the powers of hell_. + +Indra and the other inferior gods (compare note 11) were for ever +engaged in hostilities with their half-brothers, the demons +called Daityas, who were the giants or Titans of Hindú mythology. +On such occasions the gods seem to have depended very much upon +the assistance they received from mortal heroes. + +42. _Evil demons are disturbing our sacrificial rites_. + +The religious rites and sacrifices of holy men were often +disturbed by certain evil spirits or goblins called Rákshasas, +who were the determined enemies of piety and devotion. No great +sacrifice or religious ceremony was ever carried on without an +attempt on the part of these demons to impede its celebration; +and the most renowned saints found it necessary on such occasions +to acknowledge their dependence on the strong arm of the military +class, by seeking the aid of warriors and heroes. The inability +of holy men, who had attained the utmost limit of spiritual +power, to cope with the spirits of evil, and the superiority of +physical force in this respect, is very remarkable. + +43. _Vishnu_. + +Vishnu, the Preserver, was one of the three gods of the Hindú +Triad. He became incarnate in various forms for the good of +mortals, and is the great enemy of the demons. + +14 _Like king Tri[s']anku_. + +The story of this monarch is told in the Rámáyana. He is there +described as a just and pious prince of the solar race, who +aspired to celebrate a great sacrifice, hoping thereby to ascend +to heaven in his mortal body. After various failures he had +recourse to Vi[s']wámitra, who undertook to conduct the sacrifice, +and invited all the gods to be present. They, however, refused to +attend; upon which the enraged Vi[s']wámitra, by his own power, +transported Tri[s']anku to the skies, whither he had no sooner +arrived than he was hurled down again by Indra and the gods; but +being arrested in his downward course by the sage, he remained +suspended between heaven and earth, forming a constellation in +the southern hemisphere. + +45. _Ointment of Usíra-root_. + +The root of a fragrant grass (_Andropogon muricatum_), from +which a cooling ointment was made. + +46. _The very breath of his nostrils_. + +Compare Lam. iv. 20. 'The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of +the Lord, was taken.' + +47. _God of the flowery shafts_. + +The Hindú Cupid, or god of love (Káma), is armed with a bow made +of sugar-cane, the string of which consists of bees. He has five +arrows, each tipped with the blossom of a flower, which pierce +the heart through the five senses; and his favourite arrow is +pointed with the _chita_, or mango-flower. + +48. _E'en now in thy unbodied essence lurks The fire of [S']iva's +anger_. + +The story is thus told in the Rámáyana. Káma (Cupid) once +approached [S']iva that he might influence him with love for his +wife, Párvatí. [S']iva happened then to be practising austerities, +and intent on a vow of chastity. He therefore cursed the god of +love in a terrible voice, and at the same time a flash from his +eye caused the god's body to shrivel into ashes. Thus Káma was +made incorporeal, and from that time was called 'the bodiless +one.' + +49. + _Like the flame, + That ever hidden in the secret depths + Of ocean, smoulders there unseen_. + +This submarine fire was called Aurva, +from the following fable. The Rishi Aurva, who had gained great +power by his austerities, was pressed by the gods and others to +perpetuate his race. He consented, but warned them that his +offspring would consume the world. Accordingly, he created from +his thigh a devouring fire, which, as soon as it was produced, +demanded nourishment, and would have destroyed the whole earth, +had not Brahmá appeared and assigned the ocean as its habitation, +and the waves as its food. The spot where it entered the sea was +called 'the mare's mouth.' Doubtless the story was invented to +suit the phenomenon of some marine volcano, which may have +exhaled through the water bituminous inflammable gas, and which, +perhaps in the form of a horse's mouth, was at times visible +above the sea. + +50 _Who on his 'scutcheon bears the monster-fish_. + +The Hindú Cupid is said to have subdued a marine monster, which +was, therefore, painted on his banner. + +51 _The graceful undulation of her gait_. + +_Hansa-gáminí_, 'walking like a swan,' was an epithet for a +graceful woman. The Indian lawgiver, Manu, recommends that a +Bráhman should choose for his wife a young maiden, whose gait was +like that of a phoenicopter, or flamingo, or even like that of a +young elephant. The idea in the original is, that the weight of +her hips had caused the peculiar appearance observable in the +print of her feet. Largeness of the hips was considered a great +beauty in Hindú women, and would give an undulatory motion to +their walk. 52 _The Mádhaví_. + +A large and beautiful creeper (_Gaertnera racemosa_), bearing +white, fragrant flowers, to which constant allusion is made in +Sanskrit plays. + +53 _Pines to be united with the Moon_. + +A complete revolution of the moon, with respect to the stars, being +made in twenty-seven days, odd hours, the Hindús divide the heavens +into twenty-seven constellations (asterisms) or lunar stations, one +of which receives the moon for one day in each of his monthly journeys. +As the Moon, Chandra, is considered to be a masculine deity, the Hindús +fable these twenty-seven constellations as his wives, and personify +them as the daughters of Daksha. Of these twenty-seven wives, twelve +of whom give names to the twelve months, Chandra is supposed to show +the greatest affection for the fourth, Rohiní; but each of the others, +and amongst them Vi[s']ákhá, is represented as jealous of this +partiality, and eager to secure the Moon's favour for herself, +Dushyanta probably means to compare himself to the Moon (he being of +the Lunar race) and [S']akoontalá to Vi[s']ákhá. + +54. _Checks its fall_. + +Owing to emaciation and disuse of the bow, the callosities on the +forearm, usually caused by the bow-string, were not sufficiently +prominent to prevent the bracelet from slipping down from the +wrist to the elbow, when the arm was raised to support the head. +This is a favourite idea with Kálidása to express the attenuation +caused by love. + +55. _No nuptial rites prevail_. + +A marriage without the usual ceremonies is called Gándharva. It +was supposed to be the form of marriage prevalent among the +nymphs of India's heaven. In the 3rd Book of Manu (v. 22), it is +included among the various marriage rites, and is said to be a +union proceeding entirely from love, or mutual inclination, and +concluded without any religious services, and without consulting +relatives. It was recognized as a legal marriage by Manu and +other lawgivers, though it is difficult to say in what respect it +differed from unlawful cohabitation. + +56. _The loving birds doomed by fate to nightly separation_. + +That is, the male and female of the Chakraváka, commonly called Chakwa +and Chakwí, or Bráhmaní duck (_Anas casarca_). These birds associate +together during the day, and are, like turtle-doves, patterns of +connubial affection; but the legend is, that they are doomed to pass +the night apart, in consequence of a curse pronounced upon them by a +saint whom they had offended. As soon as night commences, they take +up their station on the opposite banks of a river, and call to each +other in piteous cries. The Bengálís consider their flesh to be a good +medicine for fever. + +57. _The great sage Durvásas_. + +A Saint or Muni, represented by the Hindú poets as excessively +choleric and inexorably severe. The Puránas and other poems +contain frequent accounts of the terrible effects of his +imprecations on various occasions, the slightest offence being in +his eyes deserving of the most fearful punishment. On one +occasion he cursed Indra, merely because his elephant let fall a +garland he had given to this god; and in consequence of this +imprecation all plants withered, men ceased to sacrifice, and the +gods were overcome in their wars with the demons. + +58. _Propitiatory offering_. + +Compare note 25. + +59. _His blushing charioteer_. + +Compare note 11. + +60. _Night-loving lotus_. + +Some species of the lotus, especially the white esculent kind, +open their petals during the night, and close them during the +day, whence the moon is often called the 'lover, or lord of the +lotuses.' + +61. _The very centre of the sacred fire_. + +Fire was an important object of veneration with the Hindús, as +with the ancient Persians. Perhaps the chief worship recognized +in the Vedas is that of Fire and the Sun. The holy fire was +deposited in a hallowed part of the house, or in a sacred +building, and kept perpetually burning. Every morning and +evening, oblations were offered to it by dropping clarified +butter and other substances into the flame, accompanied with +prayers and invocations. + +62. _As in the sacred tree the mystic fire_. + +Literally, 'as the [S']ami-tree is pregnant with fire.' The legend +is, that the goddess Párvatí, being one day under the influence +of love, reposed on a trunk of this tree, whereby a sympathetic +warmth was generated in the pith or interior of the wood, which +ever after broke into a sacred flame on the slightest attrition. + +63 _Hastinápur_. + +The ancient Delhi, situated on the Ganges, and the capital of +Dushyanta. Its site is about fifty miles from the modern Delhi, +which is on the Jumná, + +64 _E'en as Yayáti [S']armishthá adored_, + +[S']armishthá was the daughter of Vrishaparvan, king of the +demons, and wife of Yayáti, son of Nahusha, one of the princes of +the Lunar dynasty, and ancestor of Dushyanta. Puru was the son of +Yayáti, by [S']armishthá. + +65 _And for whose encircling bed, Sacred Kusa-grass is spread_. + +At a sacrifice, sacred fires were lighted at the four cardinal +points, and Ku[s']a-grass was scattered around each fire, 66 +_Koïl_, + +The Koïl, or Kokil, is the Indian cuckoo. It is sometimes called +Para-bhrita ('nourished by another'). because the female is known +to leave her eggs in the nest of the crow to be hatched. The bird +is as great a favourite with Indian poets as the nightingale with +European. One of its names is 'Messenger of Spring.' Its note is +a constant subject of allusion, and is described as beautifully +sweet, and, if heard on a journey, indicative of good fortune. +Everything, however, is beautiful by comparison. The song of the +Koïl is not only very dissimilar, but very inferior to that of +the nightingale, + +67 _The peacock on the lawn Ceases its dance_, + +The Indian peacock is very restless, especially at the approach +of rain, in which it is thought to take delight. Its circular +movements are a frequent subject of allusion with Hindú poets, +and are often by them compared to dancing. + +68. _The moonlight of the grove_. + +The name of [S']akoontalá's favourite jasmine, spoken of in the 1st +Act. See page 15 of this volume. + +69. _Fig-tree_. + +Not the Banyan-tree (_Ficus Indica_), nor the Pippala (_Ficus +religiosa_), but the Glomerous Fig-tree (_Ficus glomerata_), +which yields a resinous milky juice from its bark, and is large +enough to afford abundant shade. + +70. _The poor female Chakraváka_. + +Compare note 56. + +71. _Like a young tendril of the sandal-tree torn from its home +in the western mountains_. + +The sandal is a kind of large myrtle with pointed leaves (_Sirium +myrtifolium_). The wood affords many highly esteemed perfumes, +unguents, etc., and is celebrated for its delicious scent. It is +chiefly found on the slopes of the Malaya mountain or Western +Ghauts on the Malabar coast. The roots of the tree are said to be +infested with snakes. Indeed it seems to pay dearly for the +fragrance of its wood: 'The root is infested by serpents, the +blossoms by bees, the branches by monkeys, the summit by bears. +In short there is not a part of the sandal-tree that is not +occupied by the vilest impurities.' Hitopade[s']a, verse 162. + +72. _The calm seclusion of thy former home_. + +'When the father of a family perceives his own wrinkles and grey +hair, committing the care of his wife to his sons, or accompanied +by her, let him repair to the woods and become a hermit.'--Manu, +vi. 2. It was usual for kings, at a certain time of life, to +abdicate the throne in favour of the heir-apparent, and pass the +remainder of their days in seclusion. + +73. _A frequent offering to our household gods_. + +This was an offering (_bali_) in honour of those spiritual +beings called 'household deities,' which were supposed to hover +round and protect houses. It was made by throwing up into the air +in some part of the house (generally at the door) the remains of +the morning and evening meal of rice or grain, uttering at the +same time a _mantra_, or prayer. + +74. _In other states of being_. + +Dim recollections of occurrences in former states of existence +are supposed occasionally to cross the mind. Compare note 37. + +75. _The Chamberlain_. + +The attendant on the women's apartment. He is generally a +Bráhman, and usually appears in the plays as a tottering and +decrepit old man, leaning on his staff of office. 76. _The king +of serpents on his thousand heads_. + +A mythological serpent, the personification of eternity, and king +of the Nágas, or snakes, who inhabit Pátála, the lowermost of the +seven regions below the earth. His body formed the couch of +Vishnu, reposing on the waters of Chaos, whilst his thousand +heads were the god's canopy. He is also said to uphold the world +on one of his heads. + +77. _The chamber of the consecrated fire_. + +Compare note 61. + +78. _Two heralds_. + +These heralds were introduced into Hindú plays something in the +same manner as a Chorus; and, although their especial duty was to +announce, in measured verse, the periods of the day, and +particularly the fixed divisions into which the king's day was +divided, yet the strain which they poured forth frequently +contained allusions to incidental circumstances. The royal office +was no sinecure. From the Da[s']a-kumára, it appears that the day +and night were each divided into eight portions of one hour and a +half, reckoned from sunrise; and were thus distributed: Day--l. +The king, being dressed, is to audit accounts; 2. He is to +pronounce judgment in appeals; 3. He is to breakfast; 4. He is to +receive and make presents; 5. He is to discuss political +questions with his ministers; 6. He is to amuse himself; 7. He is +to review his troops; 8. He is to hold a military council. +Night--l. He is to receive the reports of his spies and envoys; +2. He is to sup or dine; 3. He is to retire to rest after the +perusal of some sacred work; 4 and 5. He is to sleep; 6. He is to +rise and purify himself; 7. He is to hold a private consultation +with his ministers, and instruct his officers; 8. He is to attend +upon the _Purohita_ or family priest, for the performance of +religious ceremonies. See Wilson's Hindú Theatre, vol. i. p. 209. + +79. _Feeling a quivering sensation in her right eyelid_. + +Compare note 18. + +80. _The protector of the four classes of the people, the +guardian of the four conditions of the priesthood_. + +A remarkable feature in the ancient Hindú social system, as +depicted in the plays, was the division of the people into four +classes or castes:--1st. The sacerdotal, consisting of the +Bráhmans.--2nd. The military, consisting of fighting men, and +including the king himself and the royal family. This class +enjoyed great privileges, and must have been practically the most +powerful.--3rd. The commercial, including merchants and +husbandmen.--4th. The servile, consisting of servants and slaves. +Of these four divisions the first alone has been preserved in its +purity to the present day, although the Rájputs claim to be the +representatives of the second class. The others have been lost in +a multitude of mixed castes formed by intermarriage, and bound +together by similarity of trade or occupation. With regard to the +sacerdotal class, the Bráhmans, who formed it, were held to be +the chief of all human beings; they were superior to the king, +and their lives and property were protected by the most stringent +laws. They were to divide their lives into four quarters, during +which they passed through four states or conditions, viz. as +religious students, as householders, as anchorites, and as +religious mendicants. + +81. _That he is pleased with ill-assorted unions_. + +The god Brahmá seems to have enjoyed a very unenviable notoriety +as taking pleasure in ill-assorted marriages, and encouraging +them by his own example in the case of his own daughter. + +82. _[S']achí's sacred pool near Sakrávatára_. + +[S']akra is a name of the god Indra, and Sakrávatára is a sacred +place of pilgrimage where he descended upon earth. [S']achí is his +wife, to whom a _Urtha_, or holy bathing-place, was probably +consecrated at the place where [S']akoontalá had performed her +ablutions. Compare note 14. + +83. _The wily Koïl_. + +Compare note 66. + +84. _With the discus or mark of empire in the lines of his +hand_. + +When the lines of the right hand formed themselves into a circle, +it was thought to be the mark of a future hero or emperor. + +85. _A most refined occupation, certainly!_ + +Spoken ironically. The occupation of a fisherman, and, indeed, any +occupation which involved the sin of slaughtering animals, was +considered despicable. Fishermen, butchers, and leather-sellers were +equally objects of scorn. In Lower Bengal the castes of Jáliyás and +Bágdis, who live by fishing, etc., are amongst the lowest, and eke +out a precarious livelihood by thieving and dacoity. + +86. _And he should not forsake it_. + +The great Hindú lawgiver is very peremptory in restricting +special occupations (such as fishing, slaughtering animals, +basket-making) to the mixed and lowest castes. 'A man of the +lowest caste, who, through covetousness, lives by the acts of the +highest, let the king strip of all his wealth and banish. His own +business, though badly performed, is preferable to that of +another, though well performed.'--Manu, x. 96. In the later Hindú +system the sacrifice of animals is practised by the priests of +the goddess Káli only. + +87. _Carp_. + +That is, the Rohita, or Rohi (red) fish (_Cyprinus rohita_), a +kind of carp found in lakes and ponds in the neighbourhood of the +Ganges. It grows to the length of three feet, is very voracious, +and its flesh, though it often has a muddy taste, is edible. Its +back is olive-coloured, its belly of a golden hue, its fins and +eyes red. This fish is often caught in tanks in Lower Bengal of +the weight of twenty-five or thirty pounds. + +88. _I long to begin binding the flowers round his head_. + +It is evident from the Málati-Mádhava, and other plays, that a +victim, about to be offered as a sacrifice, had a wreath of +flowers bound round the head. + +89. _The great vernal festival_. + +In celebration of the return of Spring, and said to be in honour +of Krishna, and of his son Káma-deva, the god of love. It is +identified with the Holí or Dolá-yátra, the Saturnalia, or +rather, Carnival of the Hindús, when people of all conditions +take liberties with each other, especially by scattering red +powder and coloured water on the clothes of persons passing in +the street, as described in the play called Ratnávalí, where the +crowd are represented as using syringes and waterpipes. Flowers, +and especially the opening blossoms of the mango, would naturally +be much employed for decoration at this festival, as an offering +to the god of love. It was formerly held on the full moon of the +month Chaitra, or about the beginning of April, but it is now +celebrated on the full moon of Phálguna, or about the beginning +of March. The other great Hindú festival, held in the autumn, +about October, is called Durgá-pújá, being in honour of the +goddess Durgá. The Holí festival is now so disfigured by unseemly +practices and coarse jests that it is reprobated by the +respectable natives, and will probably, in the course of time, +either die out or be prohibited by legal enactment. + +90. _Am not I named after the Koïl?_ + +Compare note 66. + +91. _Thy fire unerring shafts_. + +Compare note 47. + +92. _The amaranth_ + +That is, the Kuruvaka, either the crimson amaranth, or a purple +species of _Barleria_. + +93. _My finger burning with the glow of love_. + +However offensive to our notions of good taste, it is certain +that, in Hindú erotic poetry, a hot hand is considered to be one +of the signs of passionate love. Compare Othello, Act III. Scene +4. 'Give me your hand: this hand is moist, my lady--hot, hot, +and moist.' + +94. _The airy vapours of the desert_. + +A kind of mirage floating over waste places, and appearing at a +distance like water. Travellers and some animals, especially +deer, are supposed to be attracted and deceived by it. + +95. _Himálaya_. + +The name of this celebrated range of mountains is derived from +two Sanskrit words, _hima_, 'ice' or 'snow' (Lat. _hiems_), and +_álaya_, 'abode.' The pronunciation Himalaya is incorrect. + +96. _As [S']iva did the poison at the Deluge_. + +At the churning of the ocean, after the Deluge, by the gods and +demons, for the recovery or production of fourteen sacred things, +a deadly poison called Kála-kúta, or Halá-hala, was generated, so +virulent that it would have destroyed the world, had not the god +[S']iva swallowed it. Its only effect was to leave a dark blue mark +on his throat, whence his name Níla-kantha. This name is also +given to a beautiful bird, not wholly unlike our jay, common in +Bengal. + +97. _Palace of clouds_. + +The palace of King Dushyanta, so called because it was lofty as +the clouds. + +98. _The foreman of a guild belonging to Ayodhyá_. + +The chief of a guild or corporation of artisans practising the +same trade. Ayodhyá, or the Invincible City, was the ancient +capital of Rámachandra, founded by Ikshwáku, the first of the +Solar dynasty. It was situated on the river Sarayu in the north +of India, and is now called Oude. + +99. _My ancestors Must drink these glistening tears, the last +libation_. + +Oblations to the spirits of the deceased are offered by the +nearest surviving relatives soon after the funeral ceremonies; +and are repeated once in every year. They are supposed to be +necessary to secure the well-being of the souls of the dead in +the world appropriated to them. The oblation-ceremony is called +[S']ráddha, and generally consisted in offering balls made of rice +and milk, or in pouring out water, or water and sesamum-seed +mixed. These ceremonies are still regarded as essential to the +welfare of deceased persons, and their celebration is marked by +magnificent feasts, to which relations and a host of Bráhmans are +invited. A native who had grown rich in the time of Warren +Hastings spent nine lakhs of rupees on his mother's [S']ráddha; and +large sums are still spent on similar occasions by wealthy Hindús +(see my 'Bráhmanism and Hindúism,' p. 306). + +100. _The mother of the great Indra_. + +That is, Adití, the wife of Ka[s']yapa, with whom, in their sacred +retreat, [S']akoontalá was enjoying an asylum. + +101. _Distinguishes the milk from worthless water_. + +The Hindús imagine that the flamingo (a kind of goose) is the +vehicle on which the god Brahmá is borne through the air; and +that this bird, being fond of the pulpy fibres of the water-lily, +has been gifted by him with the power of separating the milky +from the watery portion of the juice contained in the stalk of +that plant. + +102. _Mátali_. + +The charioteer of Indra. In the pictures which represent this god +mounted on his usual vehicle--an elephant called Aírávata--Mátali +is seen seated before him on the withers of the animal, acting as +its driver. In the plays, however, Indra is generally represented +borne in a chariot drawn by two horses, guided by Mátali. + +103. _Kálanemi_. + +A Daitya or demon, with a hundred arms and as many heads. + +104. _Nárada_. + +A celebrated divine sage, usually reckoned among the ten +patriarchs first created by Brahmá. He acted as a messenger of +the gods. + +105. _Tinged with celestial sandal from the breast_. + +The breast of Indra was dyed yellow with a fragrant kind of +sandal-wood (_hari-chandana_); and the garland by rubbing +against it, became tinged with the same color. Wreaths and +garlands of flowers are much used by the Hindús as marks of +honorary distinction, as well as for ornament or festive +occasions. They are suspended round the neck. + +106. _The ever-blooming tree of Nandana_. + +That is, Mandára, one of the five ever-blooming trees of Nandana, +or Swarga, Indra's heaven. The two most celebrated of these trees +were the Párijáta and the Kalpa-druma, or tree granting all +desires. Each of the superior Hindú gods has a heaven, paradise, +or elysium of his own. That of Brahmá is called Brahma-loka, +situate on the summit of mount Meru; that of Vishnu is Vaikuntha, +on the Himálayas; that of [S']iva and Kuvera is Kailása, also on +the Himálayas; that of Indra is Swarga or Nandana. The latter, +though properly on the summit of mount Meru, below Brahmá's +paradise, is sometimes identified with the sphere of the sky or +heaven in general. It is the only heaven of orthodox Bráhmanism. + +107. _Jayanta_. + +The son of Indra by his favourite wife Paulomí or [S']achí. + +108. _The Lion-man's terrific claws_. + +Vishnu, in the monstrous shape of a creature half man, half lion +(his fourth Avatár or incarnation), delivered the three worlds, +that is to say, Earth, Heaven, and the lower regions, from the +tyranny of an insolent demon called Hiranya-ka[S']ipu. + +109. _We journey in the path of Parivaha_. + +The Hindús divide the heavens into seven Márgas, paths or +orbits, assigning a particular wind to each. The sixth of these +paths is that of the Great Bear, and its peculiar wind is called +Parivaha. This wind is supposed to bear along the seven stars of +Ursa Major, and to propel the heavenly Ganges. + +110. _The triple Ganges_. + +The Ganges was supposed to take its rise in the toe of Vishnu +(whence one of its names, Vishnu-padí); thence it flowed through +the heavenly sphere, being borne along by the wind Parivaha, and +identified with the Mandákiní, or Milky Way. Its second course is +through the earth; but the weight of its descent was borne by +[S']iva's head, whence, after wandering among the tresses of his +hair, it descended through a chasm in the Himálayas. Its third +course is through Pátála, or the lower regions, the residence of +the Daityas and Nágas, and not to be confounded with Naraka, +'hell,' 'the place of punishment.' + +111. _He spanned the heavens in his second stride_. + +The story of Vishnu's second stride was this:--An Asura or +Daitya, named Bali, had, by his devotions, gained the dominion of +Heaven, Earth, and Pátála. Vishnu undertook to trick him out of +his power, and assuming the form of a Vámana, or dwarf (his fifth +Avatár), he appeared before the giant and begged as a boon as +much land as he could pace in three steps. This was granted; and +the god immediately expanded himself till he filled the world; +deprived Bali, at the first step, of Earth; at the second, of +Heaven; but, in consideration of some merit, left Pátála still +under his rule. + +112. _I see the moisture-loving Chátakas_. + +The Chátaka is a kind of Cuckoo (_Cuculus Melanoleucus_). The +Hindús suppose that it drinks only the water of the clouds, and +their poets usually introduce allusions to this bird in connexion +with cloudy or rainy weather. + +113. _Golden-peak_. + +A sacred range of mountains lying among the Himálaya chain, and +apparently identical with, or immediately adjacent to, Kailása, +the paradise of Kuvera, the god of wealth. It is here described +as the mountain of the Kimpurashas, or servants of Kuvera. They +are a dwarfish kind of monster, with the body of a man and the +head of a horse, and are otherwise called Kinnara. + +114. _Ka[s']yapa_. + +Ka[s']yapa was the son of Brahmá's son, Maríchi, and was one of +those Patriarchs (created by Brahmá to supply the universe with +inhabitants) who, after fulfilling their mission, retired from +the world to practise penance. He was a progenitor on a +magnificent scale, as he is considered to have been the father of +the gods, demons, man, fish, reptiles, and all animals, by the +thirteen daughters of Daksha. The eldest of the thirteen, his +favourite wife, was Adití, from whom were born Indra and all the +inferior gods, and particularly the twelve Ádityas, or forms of +the sun, which represent him in the several months of the year. +From Diti, Danu, and others of the remaining twelve, came the +Daityas, Dánavas, and other demons. + +115. _No sacred cord is twined_. + +The serpent's skin was used by the ascetic in place of the +regular Bráhmanical cord. This thread or cord, sometimes called +the sacrificial cord, might be made of various substances, such +as cotton, hempen or woollen thread, according to the class of +the wearer; and was worn over the left shoulder and under the +right. The rite of investiture with this thread, which conferred +the title of 'twice-born,' and corresponded in some respects with +the Christian rite of baptism, was performed on youths of the +first three classes (compare note 80), at ages varying from eight +to sixteen, from eleven to twenty-two, and from twelve to +twenty-four, respectively. At present the Bráhmans alone, and +those who claim to be Kshatriyas, have a right to wear this +thread. Not long since, a Káyath (or man of the writer caste) in +Bengal, who attempted to claim it, was excommunicated. + +116. _And birds construct their nests within its folds_. + +Such was the immovable impassiveness of this ascetic, that the +ants had thrown up their mound as high as his waist without being +disturbed, and birds had built their nests in his hair. + +117. _And need no other nourishment_. + +The Hindús imagine that living upon air is a proof of the highest +degree of spirituality to which a man can attain. + +118. _A[s']oka-tree_. + +The A[s']oka (_Jonesia Asoka_) is one of the most beautiful of +Indian trees. Sir W. Jones observes that 'the vegetable world +scarce exhibits a richer sight than an A[s']oka-tree in full bloom'. +It is about as high as an ordinary cherry-tree. The flowers are +very large, and beautifully diversified with tints of +orange-scarlet, of pale yellow, and of bright orange, which form +a variety of shades according to the age of the blossom. + +119. _And with his artless smiles Gladdens their hearts_. + +Chézy is enraptured with this verse: ' ... strophe incomparable, +que tout père, ou plutôt toute mère, ne pourra lire sans sentir +battre son coeur, tant le poète a su y rendre, avec les nuances +les plus délicates, l'expression vivante de l'amour maternel.' +Compare Statius, Theb., book v. line 613. + + 'Heu ubi siderei vultus? ubi verba ligatis + Imperfecta sonis? risusque et murmura soli + Intellecta mihi?' + + 120. _It is against propriety to make too minute inquiries +about the wife of another man_. + +The Hindús were very careful to screen their wives from the curiosity +of strangers; and their great lawgiver, Manu, enjoined that married +women should be cautiously guarded by their husbands in the inner +apartments (_antahpura_) appropriated to women (called by the +Muhammadans, Haram, and in common parlance, in India _andar-mahall_). +The chief duty of a married woman's life seems to have been to keep as +quiet as possible, to know as little as possible, to hear, see, and +inquire about nothing; and above all, to avoid being herself the +subject of conversation or inquiry; in short, the sole end and object +of her existence was to act as a good head-servant, yielding to her +husband a servile obedience, regulating the affairs of his family, +preparing his daily food, and superintending his household. (Manu, ix. +11, 16.) But notwithstanding the social restrictions to which women +were subjected, even in the earlier periods of Indian history, it +seems probable that they were not rigidly excluded from general +society until after the introduction of Muhammadan customs into India. +It appears from the plays that they were allowed to go into public on +certain occasions; they took part in bridal processions, and were +permitted to enter the temples of the gods, [S']akoontalá appears in +the court of King Dushyanta and pleads her own cause; and Vásavadattá, +in the Ratnávalí, holds a conversation with her father's envoy. Even +in later times, the presence of men, other than husbands or sons, in +the inner apartments, was far from being prohibited. See Wilson's +Hindú Theatre, p. xliii. + +121. _Her long hair Twined in a single braid_. + +Hindú women collect their hair into a single long braid as a sign +of mourning, when their husbands are dead or absent for a long +period. + +122. _Shines forth from dim eclipse_. + +The following is the Hindú notion of an eclipse:--A certain +demon, which had the tail of a dragon, was decapitated by Vishnu +at the churning of the ocean; but, as he had previously tasted of +the Amrit or nectar reproduced at that time, he was thereby +rendered immortal, and his head and tail, retaining their +separate existence, were transferred to the stellar sphere. The +head was called Ráhu, and became the cause of eclipses, by +endeavouring at various times to swallow the sun and moon. So in +the Hitopade[s']a, line 192, the moon is said to be eaten by Ráhu. +With regard to the love of the Moon for Rohiní, the fourth lunar +constellation, see note 53. + +123. _All unadorned_. + +That is, from the absence of colouring or paint. + +124. _The power of darkness_. + +According to Hindú philosophy there are three qualities or +properties which together make up or dominate humanity: 1. +_Sattwa_, 'excellence' or 'goodness' (quiescence), whence +proceed truth, knowledge, purity, etc. 2. _Rajas_, 'passion' +(activity), which produces lust, pride, falsehood, etc., and is +the cause of pain. 3. _Tamas_, 'darkness' (inertia), whence +proceed ignorance, infatuation, delusion, mental blindness, etc. + +125. _Children of Brahmá's sons_. + +Ka[s']yapa and Adití were the children of Maríchi and Daksha +respectively, and these last were the sons of Brahmá. + +126. _The ruler of the triple world_. + +That is, Indra, lord of heaven, earth, and the lower regions. +Compare notes 110, 113. + +127. _Whom Vishnu, greater than the Self-existent_. + +Vishnu, as Náráyana, or the Supreme Spirit, moved over the waters +before the creation of the world, and from his navel came the lotus +from which Brahmá, the World's Creator, here called the Self-existent, +sprang. As Vishnu, the Preserver, he became incarnate in various +forms; and chose Ka[s']yapa and Adití, from whom all human beings +were descended, as his medium of incarnation, especially in the Avatár +in which he was called Upendra, 'Indra's younger brother.' Hence it +appears that the worshippers of Vishnu exalt him above the Creator. + +128. _The earth's seven sea-girt isles_. + +According to the mythical geography of the Hindús, the earth +consisted of seven islands, or rather insular continents, +surrounded by seven seas. That inhabited by men was called +Jambudwípa, and was in the centre, having in the middle of it the +sacred mountain Meru or Sumeru, a kind of Mount Olympus inhabited +by the gods. About Jambu flowed the sea of salt-water which +extends to the second Dwípa, called Plaksha, which is in its turn +surrounded by a sea of sugar-cane juice. And so with the five +other Dwípas, viz. Sálmali, Ku[S']a, Krauncha, [S']áka, and Pushkara, +which are severally surrounded by the seas of wine, clarified +butter, curds, milk, and fresh water. + +129. _Bharata_. + +The name Bharata is derived from the root bhri (fero),'to +support.' Many Indian princes were so named, but the most +celebrated was this son of Dushyanta and [S']akoontalá, who so +extended his empire that from him the whole of India was called +Bharata-varsha or Bhárata-varsha; and whose descendants, the sons +of Dhritaráshtra and Pándu, by their quarrels, formed the subject +of the great epic poem called Mahá-bhárata. The Hindús at the +present day continue to call India by the name Bhárata-varsha. + +180. _The Sage Bharata_. + +The Bharata here intended must not be confounded with the young +prince. He was a holy sage, the director or manager of the gods' +dramas, and inventor of theatrical representations in general. He +wrote a work containing precepts and rules relating to every +branch of dramatic writing, which appears to have been lost, but +is constantly quoted by the commentators. (See p. xxix.) + +131. _Saraswatí_. + +She is the goddess of speech and eloquence, patroness of the arts +and sciences, and inventress of the Sanskrit language. There is a +festival still held in her honour for two days, about February in +every year, when no Hindú will touch a pen or write a letter. The +courts are all closed accordingly. + +132. _The purple self-existent god_. + +[S']iva is usually represented as borne on a bull; his colour, as +well as that of the animal he rides, being white, to denote the +purity of Justice, over which he presides. In his destroying +capacity, he is characterized by the quality 'darkness,' and +named Rudra, Kála, etc., when his colour is said to be purple or +black. Some refer the epithet 'purple' to the colour of his +throat; compare note 96. Self-existent, although properly a name +of the Supreme Being (Brahmá), is applied both to Vishnu and +[S']iva by their votaries. + +134. _Whose vital Energy_. + +That is, [S']iva's wife, Párvatí, who was supposed to personify his +energy or active power. Exemption from further transmigration, +and absorption into the divine soul, was the _summum bonum_ of +Hindú philosophy. Compare note 37. + +135. _By my divine faculty of meditation_. + +Celestial beings were endowed with a mental faculty (called +dhyána, pranidhána, etc.), which enabled them to arrive at the +knowledge of present and future events. + +136. _A roseate dye wherewith to stain The lady's feet_. + +That is, the soles of her feet. It was customary for Hindú ladies +to stain the soles of their feet of a red colour with the dye +made from lac--a minute insect bearing some resemblance to the +cochineal--which punctures the bark of the Indian fig-tree, and +surrounds itself with the milky resinous juice of that tree. +This custom is a alluded to in one of Paterson's Hindú odes-- + + 'The rose that humbly bowed to meet, + With glowing lips, her hallowed feet, + And lent them all its bloom.' + +See Megha-dúta (Edit. Johnson), p. 32. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Sakoontala or The Lost Ring, by Kalidasa + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 12169 *** diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. 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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Sakoontala or The Lost Ring + An Indian Drama + +Author: Kalidasa + +Release Date: April 27, 2004 [EBook #12169] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAKOONTALA OR THE LOST RING *** + + + + +Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Keren Vergon, jayam and PG Distributed +Proofreaders + + + + + + +[S']AKOONTAL + +OR THE LOST RING + + + + + + + +AN INDIAN DRAMA + + + + + + +TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH PROSE AND VERSE +FROM THE SANSKRIT OF KLIDSA + + +BY + + +SIR MONIER MONIER-WILLIAMS, K.C.I.E. +M.A., D.C.L., LL.D., PH.D. +BODEN PROFESSOR OF SANSKRIT, HON. FELLOW OF UNIVERSITY +AND LATE FELLOW OF BALLIOL COLLEGE, OXFORD + + + + +PREFACE TO THE EIGHTH EDITION. + +The fact that the following translation (first published in 1855) of +India's most celebrated drama has gone through seven editions, might +reasonably have absolved me from the duty of revising it. + +Three years ago, however, I heard that Sir John Lubbock had thought +'[S']akoontal' worthy of a place among the hundred best books of the +world, and had adopted my version of the original. I therefore +undertook to go through every line and once again compare the +translation with the Sanskrit, in the hope that I might be able to +give a few finishing touches to a performance which, although it had +been before the public for about forty years, was certainly not +perfect. The act of revision was a labour of love, and I can honestly +say that I did my best to make my representation of Klidsa's +immortal work as true and trustworthy as possible. + +Another edition is now called for, but after a severely critical +examination of every word, I have only detected a few minor +unimportant points--and those only in the Introduction and Notes--in +which any alteration appeared to be desirable. Indeed it is probable +that the possessors of previous editions will scarcely perceive that +any alterations have been made anywhere. + +Occasionally in the process of comparison a misgiving has troubled me, +and I have felt inclined to accuse myself of having taken, in some +cases, too great liberties with the Sanskrit original. But in the end +I have acquiesced in my first and still abiding conviction that a +literal translation (such as that which I have given in the notes of +my edition of the Sanskrit text) might have commended itself to +Oriental students, but would not have given a true idea of the beauty +of India's most cherished drama to general readers, whose minds are +cast in a European mould, and who require a translator to clothe +Oriental ideas, as far as practicable, in a dress conformable to +European canons of taste. + +And most assuredly such a translation would never have adapted itself +to actual representation on a modern stage as readily as it now +appears that my free version has done. It has gratified me exceedingly +to find that youthful English-speaking Indians--cultured young men +educated at the Universities of Calcutta, Madras and Bombay--have acted +the [S']akoontal, in the very words of my translation with the greatest +success before appreciative audiences in various parts of India. + +And lest any one in this country should be sceptical as to the +possibility of interesting a modern audience in a play written +possibly as early as the third or fourth century of our era (see p. +xvi), I here append an extract from a letter received by me in 1893 +from Mr. V. Padmanabha Aiyar, B.A., resident at Karamanai, Trivandrum, +Travancore. + +'SIVEN COIL STREET, TRIVANDRUM, + +_'May 1, 1893_. + +'The members of the "Karamanai Young Men's Mutual Improvement Society" +acted your translation of "[S']akoontal" on the 3rd and 5th of +September last year, in the Government Museum Theatre, Trivandrum. + +'It was acted in two parts. On the first day Acts I to IV were acted, +and on the second the remaining three Acts. + +'All our chief native officials and many Europeans and their ladies +honoured the occasion with their presence. We acted it a second time +at the special request of H.H. the Second Prince of Travancore, in the +Palace of His Highness' mother, the Junior Rnee. + +'The public were kind enough to pronounce it a success. In many cases +the applause given was not so much for the acting as for the beauty of +your translation. The Hinds have a great liking for this play, and +not one of the enlightened Hind community will fail to acknowledge +your translation to be a very perfect one. Our object in acting Hind +plays is to bring home to the Hinds the good lessons that our ancient +authors are able to teach us. If there is one lesson in these days +more than another which familiarity with the fountains of Western +literature constantly forces upon the mind, it is that our age is +turning its back on time-honoured creeds and dogmas. We are hurrying +forward to a chaos in which all our existing beliefs, nay even the +fundamental axioms of morality, may in the end be submerged; and as +the general tenor of Indian thought among the educated community is to +reject everything that is old, and equally blindly to absorb +everything new, it becomes more and more an urgent question whether +any great intellectual or moral revolution, which has no foundations +in the past, can produce lasting benefits to the people. + +'"I desire no future that will break the ties of the past" is what +George Eliot has said, and so it is highly necessary that the Hinds +should know something of their former greatness. + +'The songs in [S']akoontal, one in the Prologue and another in the +beginning of the fifth Act, very easily adapted themselves to Hind +tunes.' + +Towards the end of his letter Mr. Aiyar intimated that he himself took +the part of M[T.]Havya. He also mentioned that a few modifications and +additions were introduced into some of the scenes. + +In a subsequent letter received from Mr. Keshava Aiyar, the Secretary +of the Society, I was informed that my version of the Play was acted +again at Trivandrum in 1894. + +These descriptions of the successful representation of the [S']akoontal +in Travancore justified me in expressing a hope that, as Klidsa has +been called the Shakespeare of India, so the most renowned of his +three dramatic works might, with a few manifestly necessary +modifications, be some day represented, with equal success, before +English-speaking audiences in other parts of the world and especially +here in England. This hope has been realized, and quite recently my +translation has been successfully acted by amateur actors before a +London audience. + +I venture, therefore, to add the expression of a further hope that +with the daily growth of interest in Oriental literature, and now that +the [S']akoontal forms one of Sir John Lubbock's literary series, it +may be more extensively read by the Rulers of India in all parts of +the Empire. Those who study it attentively cannot fail to become +better acquainted with the customs and habits of thought, past and +present, of the people committed to their sway. + +And it cannot be too often repeated that our duty towards our great +Dependency requires us to do something more than merely rule justly. +We may impart high education, we may make good laws, we may administer +impartial justice, we may make roads, lay down railroads and +telegraphs, stimulate trade, accomplish amazing engineering +feats--like that lately achieved at Periyar--increase the wealth and +develop the resources of our vast Eastern territories; but unless we +seek to understand the inhabitants, unless we think it worth while to +study their ancient literatures, their religious ideas, and +time-honoured institutions, unless we find in them something to admire +and respect, we can never expect any reciprocity of esteem and respect +on their part--we can never look forward to a time when the present +partition-wall, which obstructs the free Interchange of social +relations between European and Asiatic races, will be entirely +removed. + +MONIER MONIER-WILLIAMS, _December, 1898_. + + + + +INTRODUCTION + + +About a century has elapsed since the great English Orientalist, Sir +William Jones, astonished the learned world by the discovery of a +Sanskrit Dramatic Literature. He has himself given us the history of +this discovery. It appears that, on his arrival in Bengal, he was very +solicitous to procure access to certain books called Ntaks, of which +he had read in one of the 'Lettres difiantes et Curieuses' written by +the Jesuit Missionaries of China. But, although he sought information +by consulting both Brhmans and Europeans, he was wholly unable for +some time to satisfy his curiosity as to the nature of these books. It +was reported to him that they were not histories, as he had hoped, but +that they abounded with fables, and consisted of conversations in +prose and verse held before ancient Rjs, in their public assemblies. +Others, again, asserted that they were discourses on dancing, music, +and poetry. At length, a sensible Brhman, conversant with European +manners, removed all his doubts, and gave him no less delight than +surprise, by telling him that the English nation had compositions of +the same sort, which were publicly represented at Calcutta in the cold +season, and bore the name of 'plays.' The same Brhman, when asked +which of these Ntaks was most universally esteemed, answered without +hesitation, '[S']akoontal.' + +It may readily be imagined with what interest, the keen Orientalist +received this communication; with what rapidity he followed up the +clue; and, when at length his zeal was rewarded by actual possession +of a MS. copy of one of these dramas, with what avidity he proceeded +to explore the treasures which for eighteen hundred years had remained +as unknown to the European world as the gold-fields of Australia. + +The earliest Sanskrit drama with which we are acquainted, the +'Clay-cart,' translated by my predecessor in the Boden Chair at +Oxford, Professor H.H. Wilson, is attributed to a regal author, King +[S']draka, the date of whose reign cannot be fixed with any certainty, +though some have assigned it to the first or second century B.C. +Considering that the nations of Europe can scarcely be said to have +possessed a dramatic literature before the fourteenth or fifteenth +century of the present era, the great age of the Hind plays would of +itself be a most interesting and attractive circumstance, even if +their poetical merit were not of a very high order. But when to the +antiquity of these productions is added their extreme beauty and +excellence as literary compositions, and when we also take into +account their value as representations of the early condition of Hind +society--which, notwithstanding the lapse of two thousand years, has +in many particulars obeyed the law of unchangeableness ever stamped on +the manners and customs of the East--we are led to wonder that the +study of the Indian drama has not commended itself in a greater degree +to the attention of Europeans, and especially of Englishmen. The +English student, at least, is bound by considerations of duty, as well +as curiosity, to make himself acquainted with a subject which +elucidates and explains the condition of the millions of Hinds who +owe allegiance to his own Sovereign, and are governed by English laws. + +Of all the Indian dramatists, indeed of all Indian poets, the most +celebrated is Klidsa, the writer of the present play. The late +Professor Lassen thought it probable that he flourished about the +middle of the third century after Christ. Professor Kielhorn of +Gttingen has proved that the composer of the Mandasor Inscription +(A.D. 472) knew Klidsa's Ritusamhra. Hence it may be inferred that +Lassen was not far wrong[1]. Possibly some King named Vikramditya +received Klidsa at his Court, and honoured him by his patronage +about that time. Little, however, is known of the circumstances of his +life. There is certainly no satisfactory evidence to be adduced in +support of the tradition current in India that he lived in the time +of the _great_ King Vikramditya I., whose capital was Ujjayin, now +Oujein. + +From the absence of historical literature in India, our knowledge of +the state of Hindstn between the incursion of Alexander and the +Muhammadan conquest is very slight. But it is ascertained with +tolerable accuracy that, after the invasion of the kingdoms of Bactria +and Afghnistn, the Tartars or Scythians (called by the Hinds +'[S']akas') overran the north-western provinces of India, and retained +possession of them. The great Vikramditya or Vikramrka succeeded in +driving back the barbaric hordes beyond the Indus, and so consolidated +his empire that it extended over the whole of Northern Hindstn. His +name is even now cherished among the Hinds with pride and affection. +His victory over the Scythians is believed to have taken place about +B.C. 57. At any rate this is the starting-point of the Vikrama (also +called the Mlava and in later times the Samvat) era, one of the +epochs from which the Hinds still continue to count. There is good +authority for affirming that the reign of this Vikramrka or +Vikramditya was equal in brilliancy to that of any monarch in any +age. He was a liberal patron of science and literature, and gave +splendid encouragement to poets, philologists, astronomers, and +mathematicians. Nine illustrious men of genius are said to have +adorned his Court, and to have been supported by his bounty. They were +called the 'Nine Gems'; and a not unnatural tradition, which, however, +must be considered untrustworthy, included Klidsa among the Nine. + +To Klidsa (as to another celebrated Indian Dramatist, Bhavabhti, +who probably flourished in the eighth century) only three plays are +attributed; and of these the '[S']akoontal' (here translated) has +acquired the greatest celebrity [2]. + +Indeed, the popularity of this play with the natives of India exceeds +that of any other dramatic, and probably of any other poetical +composition [3]. But it is not in India alone that the '[S']akoontal' is +known and admired. Its excellence is now recognized in every +literary circle throughout the continent of Europe; and its beauties, +if not yet universally known and appreciated, are at least +acknowledged by many learned men in every country of the civilized +world. The four well-known lines of Goethe, so often quoted in +relation to the Indian drama, may here be repeated: + + 'Willst du die Blthe des frhen, die Frchte des + spteren Jahres, + Willst du was reizt und entzckt, willst du was sttigt + und nhrt, + Willst du den Himmel, die Erde, mit einem Namen + begreifen: + Nenn' ich, [S']akoontal, Dich, und so ist Alles gesagt.' + + 'Would'st thou the young year's blossoms and the fruits + of its decline, + And all by which the soul is charmed, enraptured, + feasted, fed? + Would'st thou the Earth and Heaven itself in one sole + name combine? + I name thee, O [S']akoontal! and all at once is said.' + + _E.B. Eastwick_. + +Augustus William von Schlegel, in his first Lecture on Dramatic +Literature, says: 'Among the Indians, the people from whom perhaps all +the cultivation of the human race has been derived, plays were known +long before they could have experienced any foreign influence. It has +lately been made known in Europe that they have a rich dramatic +literature, which ascends back for more than two thousand years. The +only specimen of their plays (Ntaks) hitherto known to us is the +delightful [S']akoontal, which, notwithstanding the colouring of a +foreign clime, bears in its general structure a striking resemblance +to our romantic drama.' + +Alexander von Humboldt, in treating of Indian poetry, observes: +'Klidsa, the celebrated author of the [S']akoontal, is a masterly +describer of the influence which Nature exercises upon the minds of +lovers. This great poet flourished at the splendid court of +Vikramditya, and was, therefore, cotemporary with Virgil and Horace. +Tenderness in the expression of feeling, and richness of creative +fancy, have assigned to him his lofty place among the poets of all +nations'. + +These considerations induced me, in 1853, to compile and publish an +edition of the text of the '[S']akoontal' from various original MSS., +with English translations of the metrical passages, and explanatory +notes. A second edition of this work has since been published by the +Delegates of the Oxford University Press. To the notes of that edition +I must refer all students of Sanskrit literature who desire a close +and literal translation of the present drama, and in the Preface will +be found an account of various other editions and translations. + +The following pages contain a _free_ translation, and the first +English version in prose and metre, of the purest recension of the +most celebrated drama of the Shakespeare of India. + +The need felt by the British public for some such translation as I +have here offered can scarcely be questioned. A great people, who, +through their empire in India, command the destinies of the Eastern +world, ought surely to be conversant with the most popular of Indian +dramas, in which the customs of the Hinds, their opinions, +prejudices, and fables, their religious rites, daily occupations and +amusements, are reflected as in a mirror. Nor is the prose translation +of Sir W. Jones (excellent though it be) adapted to meet the +requirements of modern times. That translation was unfortunately made +from corrupt manuscripts (the best that could then be procured), in +which the bold phraseology of Klidsa has been occasionally weakened, +his delicate expressions of refined love clothed in an unbecoming +dress, and his ideas, grand in their simplicity, diluted by repetition +or amplification. It is, moreover, altogether unfurnished with +explanatory annotations. The present translation, on the contrary, +while representing the purest version of the drama, has abundant +notes, sufficient to answer the exigencies of the non-oriental +scholar. + +It may be remarked that in every Sanskrit play the women and inferior +characters speak a kind of provincial dialect or _patois_, called +Prkrit--bearing the relation to Sanskrit that Italian bears to Latin, +or that the spoken Latin of the age of Cicero bore to the highly +polished Latin in which he delivered his Orations. Even the heroine of +the drama is made to speak in the vernacular dialect. The hero, on the +other hand, and all the higher male characters, speak in Sanskrit; and +as if to invest them with greater dignity, half of what they say is in +verse. Indeed the prose part of their speeches is often very +commonplace, being only introductory to the lofty sentiment of the +poetry that follows. Thus, if the whole composition be compared to a +web, the prose will correspond to the warp, or that part which is +extended lengthwise in the loom, while the metrical portion will +answer to the cross-threads which constitute the woof. + +The original verses are written in a great variety of Sanskrit metres. +For example, the first thirty-four verses of '[S']akoontal' exhibit +eleven different varieties of metre. No English metrical system could +give any idea of the almost infinite resources of Sanskrit in this +respect. Nor have I attempted it. Blank verse has been employed by me +in my translation, as more in unison with the character of our own +dramatic writings, and rhyming stanzas have only been admitted when +the subject-matter seemed to call for such a change. Perhaps the chief +consideration that induced me to adopt this mode of metrical +translation was, that the free and unfettered character of the verse +enabled me to preserve more of the freshness and vigour of the +original. If the poetical ideas of Klidsa have not been expressed in +language as musical as his own, I have at least done my best to avoid +diluting them by unwarrantable paraphrases or additions. If the +English verses are prosaic, I have the satisfaction of knowing that by +resisting the allurements of rhyme, I have done all in my power to +avoid substituting a fictitious and meagre poem of my own for the +grand, yet simple and chaste creation of Klidsa. + +The unrestricted liberty of employing hypermetrical lines of eleven +syllables, sanctioned by the highest authority in dramatic +composition, has, I think, facilitated the attainment of this object. +One of our own poets has said in relation to such lines: 'Let it be +remembered that they supply us with another cadence; that they add, as +it were, a string to the instrument; and--by enabling the poet to +relax at pleasure, to rise and fall with his subject--contribute what +most is wanted, compass and variety. They are nearest to the flow of +an unstudied eloquence, and should therefore be used in the drama[4].' +Shakespeare does not scruple to avail himself of this licence four or +five times in succession, as in the well-known passage beginning-- + + 'To be or not to be, that is the question'; + +and even Milton uses the same freedom once or twice in every page. + +The poetical merit of Klidsa's '[S']akoontal' is so universally +admitted that any remarks on this head would be superfluous. I will +merely observe that, in the opinion of learned natives, the Fourth +Act, which describes the departure of [S']akoontal from the hermitage, +contains the most obvious beauties; and that no one can read this Act, +nor indeed any part of the play, without being struck with the +richness and elevation of its author's genius, the exuberance and glow +of his fancy, his ardent love of the beautiful, his deep sympathy with +Nature and Nature's loveliest scenes, his profound knowledge of the +human heart, his delicate appreciation of its most refined feelings, +his familiarity with its conflicting sentiments and emotions. But in +proportion to the acknowledged excellence of Klidsa's composition, +and in proportion to my own increasing admiration of its beauties, is +the diffidence I feel lest I may have failed to infuse any of the +poetry of the original into the present version. Translation of poetry +must, at the best, resemble the process of pouring a highly volatile +and evanescent spirit from one receptacle into another. The original +fluid will always suffer a certain amount of waste and evaporation. + +The English reader will at least be inclined to wonder at the +analogies which a thoroughly Eastern play offers to our own dramatic +compositions written many centuries later. The dexterity with which +the plot is arranged and conducted, the ingenuity with which the +incidents are connected, the skill with which the characters are +delineated and contrasted with each other, the boldness and felicity +of the diction, are scarcely unworthy of the great dramatists of +European countries. Nor does the parallel fail in the management of +the business of the stage, in minute directions to the actors, and +various scenic artifices. The asides and aparts, the exits and the +entrances, the manner, attitude, and gait of the speakers, the tone of +voice with which they are to deliver themselves, the tears, the +smiles, and the laughter, are as regularly indicated as in a modern +drama. + +In reference to the constitution and structure of the play here +translated, a few general remarks on the dramatic system of the Hinds +may be needed[5]. + +Dramatic poetry is said to have been invented by the sage Bharata, +who lived at a very remote period of Indian history, and was the +author of a system of music. The drama of these early times was +probably nothing more than the Indian Nch-dance (Nautch) of the +present day. It was a species of rude pantomime, in which dancing and +movements of the body were accompanied by mute gestures of the hands +and face, or by singing and music. Subsequently, dialogue was added, +and the art of theatrical representation was brought to great +perfection. Elaborate treatises were written which laid down minute +regulations for the construction and conduct of plays, and subjected +dramatic composition to highly artificial rules of poetical and +rhetorical style. For example, the Shitya-darpana divides Sanskrit +plays into two great classes, the Rpaka or principal dramas, and the +Uparpaka or minor dramas. At the head of the ten species of Rpaka +stands the Ntaka, of which the '[S']akoontal' is an example. It should +consist of from five to ten Acts; it should have a celebrated story +for its plot; it should represent heroic or godlike characters and +good deeds; it should be written in an elaborate style, and be full of +noble sentiments. Moreover, it should be composed like the end of a +cow's tail; so that each of the Acts be gradually shorter. + +In India, as in Greece, scenic entertainments took place at religious +festivals, and on solemn public occasions. Kalidsa's '[S']akoontal' +seems to have been acted at the commencement of the summer season--a +period peculiarly sacred to Kma-deva, the Indian god of love. We are +told that it was enacted before an audience 'consisting chiefly of men +of education and discernment.' As the greater part of every play was +written in Sanskrit, which, although spoken by the learned in every +part of India even at the present day, was certainly not the +vernacular language of the country at the time when the Hind dramas +were performed, few spectators would be present who were not of the +educated classes. This circumstance is in accordance with the +constitution of Hind society, whereby the productions of literature +as well as the offices of state, were reserved for the privileged +castes[6]. + +Every Sanskrit play opens with a prologue, or, to speak more +correctly, an introduction, designed to prepare the way for the +entrance of the _dramatis person_. The prologue commences with a +benediction or prayer (pronounced by a Brhman, or if the +stage-manager happened to be of the Brhmanical caste, by the manager +himself), in which the poet invokes the favour of the national deity +in behalf of the audience. The blessing is generally followed by a +dialogue between the manager and one or two of the actors, in which an +account is given of the author of the drama, a complimentary tribute +is paid to the critical acumen of the spectators, and such a reference +is made to past occurrences or present circumstances as may be +necessary for the elucidation of the plot. At the conclusion of the +prologue, the manager, by some abrupt exclamation, adroitly introduces +one of the dramatic personages, and the real performance commences. + +The play, being thus opened, is carried forward in scenes and Acts; +each scene being marked by the entrance of one character and the exit +of another, as in the French drama. The _dramatis person_ were +divided into three classes--the inferior characters (nicha), who were +said to speak Prkrit in a monotonous accentless tone of voice +(anudttokty); the middling (madhyama), and the superior (pradhna), +who were said to speak Sanskrit with accent, emphasis, and expression +(udttokty). In general, the stage is never left vacant till the end +of an Act, nor does any change of locality take place until then. The +commencement of a new Act is often marked, like the commencement of +the piece, by an introductory monologue or dialogue spoken by one or +more of the _dramatis person_, and called Vishkambha or Prave[S']aka. +In this scene allusion is frequently made to events supposed to have +occurred in the interval of the Acts, and the audience is the better +prepared to take up the thread of the story, which is then skilfully +carried on to the concluding scene. The piece closes, as it began, +with a prayer for national plenty and prosperity, addressed to the +favourite deity, and spoken by one of the principal personages of the +drama. + +Although, in the conduct of the plot, and the delineation of +character, Hind dramatists show considerable skill, yet they do not +appear to have been remarkable for much fertility of invention. Love, +according to Hind notions, is the subject of most of their dramas. + +The hero, who is generally a king, and already the husband of a wife +or wives (for a wife or two more or less is no encumbrance in Indian +plays), is suddenly smitten with the charms of a lovely woman, +sometimes a nymph, or, as in the case of [S']akoontal, the daughter of +a nymph by a mortal father. The heroine is required to be equally +impressible, and the first tender glance from the hero's eye reaches +her heart. With true feminine delicacy, however, she locks the secret +of her passion in her own breast, and by her coyness and reserve keeps +her lover for a long period in the agonies of suspense. The hero, +being reduced to a proper state of desperation, is harassed by other +difficulties. Either the celestial nature of the nymph is in the way +of their union, or he doubts the legality of the match, or he fears +his own unworthiness, or he is hampered by the angry jealousy of a +previous wife. In short, doubts, obstacles, and delays make great +havoc of both hero and heroine. They give way to melancholy, indulge +in amorous rhapsodies, and become very emaciated. So far, it must be +confessed, the story is decidedly dull, and its chain, however, does +not commence until the Fourth Act, when the union of the heroine with +King Dushyanta, and her acceptance of the marriage-ring as a token of +recognition, are supposed to have taken place. Then follows the King's +departure and temporary desertion of his bride; the curse pronounced +on [S']akoontal by the choleric Sage; the monarch's consequent loss of +memory; the bride's journey to the palace of her husband; the +mysterious disappearance of the marriage-token; the public repudiation +of [S']akoontal; her miraculous assumption to closes, as it began, with +a prayer for national plenty and prosperity, addressed to the +favourite deity, and spoken by one of the principal personages of the +drama. + +Although, in the conduct of the plot, and the delineation of +character, Hind dramatists show considerable skill, yet they do not +appear to have been remarkable for much fertility of invention. Love, +according to Hind notions, is the subject of most of their dramas. + +The hero, who is generally a king, and already the husband of a wife +or wives (for a wife or two more or less is no encumbrance in Indian +plays), is suddenly smitten with the charms of a lovely woman, +sometimes a nymph, or, as in the case of [S']akoontal, the daughter of a +nymph by a mortal father. The heroine is required to be equally +impressible, and the first tender glance from the hero's eye reaches +her heart. With true feminine delicacy, however, she locks the secret +of her passion in her own breast, and by her coyness and reserve keeps +her lover for a long period in the agonies of suspense. The hero, +being reduced to a proper state of desperation, is harassed by other +difficulties. Either the celestial nature of the nymph is in the way +of their union, or he doubts the legality of the match, or he his own +unworthiness, or he is hampered by the angry jealousy of a previous +wife. In short, doubts, obstacles, and delays make great havoc of both +hero and heroine. They give way to melancholy, indulge in amorous +rhapsodies, and become very emaciated. So far, it must be confessed, +the story is decidedly dull, and its pathos, notwithstanding the +occasional grandeur and beauty of the imagery, often verges on the +ridiculous. + +But, by way of relief, an element of life is generally introduced in +the character of the Vidshaka, or Jester, who is the constant +companion of the hero; and in the young maidens, who are the +confidential friends of the heroine, and soon become possessed of her +secret. By a curious regulation, the Jester is always a Brhman, and +therefore of a caste superior to the king himself; yet his business is +to excite mirth by being ridiculous in person, age, and attire. He is +sometimes represented as grey-haired, hump-backed, lame, and ugly. In +fact, he is a species of buffoon, who is allowed full liberty of +speech, being himself a universal butt. His attempts at wit, which are +rarely very successful, and his allusions to the pleasures of the +table, of which he is a confessed votary, are absurdly contrasted with +the sententious solemnity of the despairing hero, crossed in the +prosecution of his love-suit. His clumsy interference in the intrigues +of his friend only serves to augment his difficulties, and occasions +many an awkward dilemma. On the other hand, the shrewdness of the +heroine's confidantes never seems to fail them under the most trying +circumstances; while their sly jokes and innuendos, their love of fun, +their girlish sympathy with the progress of the love affair, their +warm affection for their friend, heighten the interest of the plot, +and contribute not a little to vary its monotony. + +Fortunately, in the '[S']akoontal' the story is diversified and the +interest well sustained by a chain of stirring incidents. The first +link of the chain, however, does not commence until the Fourth Act, +when the union of the heroine with King Dushyanta, and her acceptance +of the marriage-ring as a token of recognition, are supposed to have +taken place. Then follows the King's departure and temporary desertion +of his bride; the curse pronounced on [S']akoontal by the choleric Sage; +the monarch's consequent loss of memory; the bride's journey to the +palace of her husband; the mysterious disappearance of the +marriage-token; the public repudiation of [S']akoontal; her miraculous +assumption to a celestial asylum; the unexpected discovery of the ring +by a poor fisherman; the King's agony on recovering his recollection; +his arial voyage in the car of Indra; his strange meeting with the +refractory child in the groves of Kasyapa; the boy's battle with the +young lion; the search for the amulet, by which the King is proved to +be his father; the return of [S']akoontal, and the happy reunion of the +lovers;--all these form a connected series of moving and interesting +incidents. The feelings of the audience are wrought up to a pitch of +great intensity; and whatever emotions of terror, grief, or pity may +have been excited, are properly tranquillized by the happy termination +of the story. + +Indeed, if a calamitous conclusion be necessary to constitute a +tragedy, the Hind dramas are never tragedies. They are mixed +compositions, in which joy and sorrow, happiness and misery, are woven +in a mingled web--tragi-comic representations, in which good and evil, +right and wrong, truth and falsehood, are allowed to blend in +confusion during the first Acts of the drama. But, in the last Act, +harmony is always restored, order succeeds to disorder, tranquillity +to agitation; and the mind of the spectator, no longer perplexed by +the apparent ascendency of evil, is soothed, and purified, and made to +acquiesce in the moral lesson deducible from the plot. + +The play of '[S']akoontal,' as Sir W. Jones observes, must have been +very popular when it was first performed. The Indian empire was then +in its palmy days, and the vanity of the natives would be flattered by +the introduction of those kings and heroes who were supposed to have +laid the foundation of its greatness and magnificence, and whose were +connected with all that was sacred and holy in their religion, +Dushyanta, the hero of the drama, according to Indian legends, was one +of the descendants of the Moon, or in other words, belonged to the +Lunar dynasty of Indian princes; and, if any dependence may be placed +on Hind chronology, he must have lived in the twenty-first or +twenty-second generation after the Flood. Puru, his most celebrated +ancestor, was the sixth in descent from the Moon's son Budha, who +married a daughter of the good King Satya-vrata, preserved by Vishnu +in the Ark at the time of the Deluge. The son of Dushyanta, by +[S']akoontal, was Bharata, from whom India is still called by the +natives Bhrata-varsha. After him came Samvarana, Kuru, Sntanu, +Bhshma, and Vyasa. The latter was the father of Dhritarshtra and +Pndu, the quarrels of whose sons form the subject of the great +Sanskrit epic poem called Mah-bhrata, a poem with parts of which the +audience would be familiar, and in which they would feel the greatest +pride. Indeed the whole story of [S']akoontal is told in the +Mah-bhrata. The pedigree of [S']akoontal, the heroine of the drama, +was no less interesting, and calculated to awaken the religious +sympathies of Indian spectators. She was the daughter of the +celebrated Vi[s']wmitra, a name associated with many remarkable +circumstances in Hind mythology and history. His genealogy and the +principal events of his life are narrated in the Rmyana, the first +of the two epic poems which were to the Hinds what the Iliad and the +Odyssey were to the Greeks. He was originally of the regal caste; and, +having raised himself to the rank of a Brhman by the length and +rigour of his penance, he became the preceptor of Rmachandra, who +was the hero of the Rmyana, and one of the incarnations of the god +Vishnu. With such an antecedent interest in the particulars of the +story, the audience could not fail to bring a sharpened appetite, and +a self-satisfied frame of mind, to the performance of the play. + +Although in the following translation it has been thought expedient to +conform to modern usage, by indicating at the head of each Act the +scene in which it is laid, yet it is proper to apprise the English +reader that in scenery and scenic apparatus the Hind drama, must have +been very defective. No directions as to changes of scene are given in +the original text of the play. This is the more curious, as there are +numerous stage directions, which prove that in respect of dresses and +decorations the resources of the Indian theatre were sufficiently +ample. + +It is probable that a curtain suspended across the stage, and divided +in the centre, answered all the purposes of scenes. Behind the curtain +was the space or room called _nepathya_, where the decorations were +kept, where the actors attired themselves, and remained in readiness +before entering the stage, and whither they withdrew on leaving it. +When an actor was to enter hurriedly, he was directed to do so 'with a +toss of the curtain.' + +The machinery and paraphernalia of the Indian theatre were also very +limited, contrasting in this respect unfavourably with the ancient +Greek theatre, which appears to have comprehended nearly all that +modern ingenuity has devised. Nevertheless, seats, thrones, weapons, +and chariots, were certainly introduced, and as the intercourse +between the inhabitants of heaven and earth was very frequent, it is +not improbable that there may have been arial contrivances to +represent the chariots of celestial beings, as on the Greek stage. It +is plain, however, from the frequent occurrence of the word +_ntayitw_, 'gesticulating,' 'acting,' that much had to be supplied +by the imagination of the spectator, assisted by the gesticulations of +the actors. + +For further information relative to the dramatic system of the Hinds, +the reader is referred to the notes appended to the present +translation. It is hoped that they will be found sufficient to explain +every allusion that might otherwise be unintelligible to the English +reader. + +MONIER MONIER-WILLIAMS. + + +FOOTNOTES: + +[Footnote 1: In the Aihole Inscription (edited by Dr. Fleet) of the +Western Chlukya King Pulike[S']in II, dated [S']aka 556=A.D. 634-35, +actual mention is made of Klidsa and Bhravi by name, and Professor +Kielhorn has informed me that he found a verse from the Raghu-van[S']a +quoted in an inscription dated A.D. 602.] + +[Footnote 2: As to the other two, the most celebrated, called +Vikramorva[S'], has been excellently translated by Professors H.H. +Wilson and E.B. Cowell, and the Mlavikgnimitra, by Professor Weber, +the eminent Orientalist of Berlin.] + +[Footnote 3: The following is an extract from, the _Bombay Times_ of +February 3, 1855. It is given _literatim_, and the orthographical +errors and mutilation of the story prove that in those days a good and +complete version of India's most celebrated drama was not obtainable. + +'HINDU DRAMA. 'SATURDAY, 3D FEBRUARY 1855. + +'An outline of the play to be performed at the Theatre this night. + +'After a short discourse between the Sutradhar (the chief actor) and +the Vidshaka (the clown), Surswati (the Goddess of learning) will +appear. Sutradhar will call his wife (Nati), and they will determine +on performing the play of Shakuntala. They both will sing songs +together, after which Nati will go away. The play will then regularly +commence. Dushanta Rajah will appear in the Court, and order his +Pradhan (the Minister) to make preparations for a hunting excursion. +The Rajah, sitting in his carriage, will pursue a stag, the stag will +disappear, upon which Dushanta will ask his coachman the cause +thereof, this being known, the Rajah in his carriage will proceed +farther, when they will see the stag again, upon which he will aim an +arrow at the stag. The stag will run and reach the retirement of +Waikhanas Rushi. The sage will come out of his hut and remonstrate +with the Rajah against his killing the harmless animal. The Rajah will +obey the injunctions of the sage, who will pronounce benedictions upon +him. According to the Rushi's instructions, he will prepare to proceed +to the residence of another sage named Kunwa. Bidding each other +farewell, the Rushi will go to procure material for his religious +ceremonies. After reaching Kunwa's place, and commanding his coachman +to groom the horses, the Rajah will walk forth to the sage's hut. +Observing on his way thither Shakuntala with her fellow mates watering +the trees, he will hide himself behind a tree. Shakuntala will praise +to her mates the beauty of the Keshar tree. Charmed with overhearing +her discourse, Dushanta will try to find out her descent. Shakuntala +will be very much teased by a Bhramar (fly) hovering about her face. +The Rajah will then come forward and ask the cause of the disturbed +state of her mind. After a mutual exchange of polite respect they all +take their seats beneath a shady tree, Dushanta will inform her of his +country and descent, whereupon they will all go to the Rushi's hut. + +'Here there is a pause. A pleasing farce will then be performed.' + +I have already stated that the '[S']akoontal' in the words of my own +translation has been since performed at Bombay and recently at +Trivandrum, the capital of Travancore (see Preface to this edition, p. +vii, &c).] + +[Footnote 4: Rogers' Italy, note to line 23.] + +[Footnote 5: The admirable Essay by Professor H.H. Wilson, prefixed to +his Hind Theatre, is the principal source of the information which I +have here given.] + +[Footnote 6: Wilson's Hind Theatre, p. xii.] + + + + +RULES FOR THE PRONUNCIATION OF +THE PROPER NAMES. + +Observe, that in order to secure the correct pronunciation of the +title of this Drama, 'Sakuntal' has been spelt '[S']akoontal,' the +_u_ of [S']akuntal being pronounced like the _u_ in the English +word _rule_. + +The vowel _a_ must invariably be pronounced with a dull sound, +like the _a_ in _organ_, or the _u_ in _gun, sun. Dushyanta_ must +therefore be pronounced as if written _Dooshyunta_. The long +vowel __ is pronounced like the _a_ in _last, cart_; _i_ like +the _i_ in _pin, sin_; __ like the _i_ in _marine_; _e_ like the +_e_ in _prey_; _o_ like the _o_ in _so_; _ai_ like the _ai_ in +_aisle_; _au_ like _au_ in the German word _haus_, or like the +_ou_ in _our_. + +The consonants are generally pronounced as in English, but _g_ +has always the sound of _g_ in _gun, give_, never of _g_ in +_gin_. S with the accent over it (s), has the sound of _s_ in +_sure_, or of the last _s_ in _session_. + + * * * * * + + + +PERSONS REPRESENTED. + + * * * * * + + +DUSHYANTA, _King of India_. + +M[T.]HAVYA, _the jester, friend, and companion of the King_. + +KANWA, _chief of the hermits, foster-father of_ [S']AKOONTAL. + +[S']RNGARAVA,} + } _two Brhmans, belonging to the hermitage of KANWA_. +[S']RADWATA, } + +MITRVASU, _brother-in-law of the King, and superintendent of the + city police_. + +JNUKA _and_ SCHAKA, _two constables_. + +VTYANA, _the chamberlain or attendant on the women's + apartments_. + +SOMARTA, _the domestic priest_. + +KARABHAKA, _a messenger of the queen-mother_. + +RAIVATIKA, _the warder or doorkeeper_. + +MTALI, _charioteer of Indra_. + +SARVA-DAMANA, _afterwards_ BHARATA, _a little boy, son + of_ DUSHYANTA by [S']AKOONTAL. + +KA[S']YAPA, _a divine sage, progenitor of men and gods, son of_ + MARCHI, _and grandson of_ BRAHM. + +[S']AKOONTAL, _daughter of the sage_ VI[S']WMITRA _and the + nymph_ MENAK, _foster-child of the hermit_ KANWA. + +PRIYAMVAD _and_ ANASY, _female attendants, companions + of_ [S']AKOONTAL. + +GAUTAM, _a holy matron, Superior of the female inhabitants + of the hermitage_. + +VASUMAT, _the Queen of_ DUSHYANTA. + +SNUMAT, _a nymph, friend of_ [S']AKOONTAL. + +TARALIK, _personal attendant of the Queen_. + +CHATURIK, _personal attendant of the King_. + +VETRAVAT, _female warder or doorkeeper_. + +PARABHRITIK} _and_ + +MADHUKARIK,} _maidens in charge of the royal gardens_. + +SUVRAT, _a nurse_. + +ADITI, _wife of_ KA[S']YAPA; _granddaughter of_ BRAHM + _through her father_ DAKSHA. + +CHARIOTEER, FISHERMAN, OFFICERS, AND HERMITS. + + + + + + +[S']AKOONTAL; OR, THE LOST RING. + + +PROLOGUE. + + +BENEDICTION. + + [S']a preserve you [1]! he who is revealed + In these eight forms[2] by man perceptible-- + Water, of all creation's works the first; + The Fire that bears on high the sacrifice + Presented with solemnity to heaven; + The Priest, the holy offerer of gifts; + The Sun and Moon, those two majestic orbs, + Eternal marshallers of day and night; + The subtle Ether, vehicle of sound, + Diffused throughout the boundless universe; + The Earth, by sages called 'The place of birth + Of all material essences and things'; + And Air, which giveth life to all that breathe. + +STAGE-MANAGER. + + [_After the recitation of the benediction_.] + + [_Looking toward the living-room_.] + +Lady, when you have finished attiring yourself, come this way. + +ACTRESS. + + [_Entering_.] + +Here I am, Sir; what are your commands? + +STAGE-MANAGER. + +We are here before the eyes of an audience of educated and +discerning men[3]; and have to represent in their presence a new +drama composed by Klidsa, called '[S']akoontal; or, the Lost +Ring[4].' Let the whole company exert themselves to do justice to +their several parts. + +ACTRESS. + +You, Sir, have so judiciously managed the cast of the characters, +that nothing will be defective in the acting. + +STAGE-MANAGER. + +Lady, I will tell you the exact state of the case, + + No skill in acting can I deem complete, + Till from the wise the actor gain applause; + Know that the heart e'en of the truly skilful, + Shrinks from too boastful confidence in self. + +ACTRESS. [_Modestly_.] + +You judge correctly And now, what are your commands? + +STAGE-MANAGER. + +What can you do better than engage the attention of the audience +by some captivating melody? + +ACTRESS. + +Which among the seasons shall I select as the subject of my song? + +STAGE-MANAGER. + +You surely ought to give the preference to the present Summer +season[5] that has but recently commenced, a season so rich in +enjoyment. For now + + Unceasing are the charms of halcyon days, + When the cool bath exhilarates the frame; + When sylvan gales are laden with the scent + Of fragrant Ptalas[6]; when soothing sleep + Creeps softly on beneath the deepening shade; + And when, at last, the dulcet calm of eve + Entrancing steals o'er every yielding sense. + +ACTRESS. + +I will:-- + + [_Sings_.] + + Fond maids, the chosen of their hearts to please, + Entwine their ears with sweet [S']irsha flowers[7], + Whose fragrant lips attract the kiss of bees + That softly murmur through the summer hours. + +STAGE-MANAGER. + +Charmingly sung! The audience are motionless as statues, their +souls riveted by the enchanting strain. What subject shall we +select for representation, that we may ensure a continuance +of their favour? + +ACTRESS. + +Why not the same, Sir, announced by you at first? Let the drama +called '[S']akoontal; or, the Lost Ring,' be the subject of our +dramatic performance. + +STAGE-MANAGER. + +Rightly reminded! For the moment I had forgotten it. + + Your song's transporting melody decoyed + My thoughts, and rapt with ecstasy my soul; + As now the bounding antelope allures + The King Dushyanta[8] on the chase intent. + + [_Exeunt_. + + + + +ACT I. + +SCENE-_A Forest_. + +_Enter King_ DUSHYANTA, _armed with a bow and arrow, in a +chariot, chasing an antelope, attended by his_ CHARIOTEER. + +CHARIOTEER. + + [_Looking at the deer, and then at the_ KING. + +Great Prince, + + When on the antelope I bend my gaze, + And on your Majesty, whose mighty bow + Has its string firmly braced; before my eyes + The god that wields the trident[9] seems revealed. + Chasing the deer that flies from him in vain. + +KING. + +Charioteer, this fleet antelope has drawn us far from my +attendants. See! there he runs: + + Aye and anon his graceful neck he bends + To cast a glance at the pursuing car; + And dreading now the swift-descending shaft, + Contracts into itself his slender frame; + About his path, in scattered fragments strewn, + The half-chewed grass falls from his panting mouth; + See! in his airy bounds he seems to fly, + And leaves no trace upon th' elastic turf. + + [_With astonishment_.] + +How now! swift as is our pursuit, I scarce can see him. + +CHARIOTEER. + +Sire, the ground here is full of hollows; I have therefore drawn +in the reins and checked the speed of the chariot. Hence the deer +has somewhat gained upon us. Now that we are passing over level +ground, we shall have no difficulty in overtaking him. + +KING. + +Loosen the reins, then. + +CHARIOTEER. + +The King is obeyed. + + [_Drives the chariot at full speed_.] + +Great Prince, see I see! + + Responsive to the slackened rein, the steeds, + Chafing with eager rivalry, career + With emulative fleetness o'er the plain; + Their necks outstretched, their waving plumes, that late + Fluttered above their brows, are motionless[10]; + Their sprightly ears, but now erect, bent low; + Themselves unsullied by the circling dust, + That vainly follows on their rapid course. + +KING. [_Joyously_. + +In good sooth, the horses seem as if they would outstrip the +steeds of Indra and the Sun[11]. + + That which but now showed to my view minute + Quickly assumes dimension; that which seemed + A moment since disjoined in diverse parts, + Looks suddenly like one compacted whole; + That which is really crooked in its shape + In the far distance left, grows regular; + Wondrous the chariot's speed, that in a breath, + Makes the near distant and the distant near. + +Now, Charioteer, see me kill the deer. + + [_Takes aim_. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Hold, O King! this deer belongs to our hermitage. +Kill it not! kill it not! + +CHARIOTEER. [_Listening and looking_. + +Great King, some hermits have stationed themselves so as to +screen the antelope at the very moment of its coming within range +of your arrow. + +KING. [_Hastily_. + +Then stop the horses. + +CHARIOTEER. + +I obey. + + [_Stops the chariot_. + +_Enter a_ HERMIT, _and two others with him_.] + +HERMIT. [_Raising his hand_. + +This deer, O King, belongs to our hermitage. Kill +it not! kill it not! + + Now heaven forbid this barbed shaft descend + Upon the fragile body of a fawn, + Like fire upon a heap of tender flowers! + Can thy steel bolts no meeter quarry find + Than the warm life-blood of a harmless deer? + Restore, great Prince, thy weapon to its quiver. + More it becomes thy arms to shield the weak, + Than to bring anguish on the innocent. + +KING. + +'Tis done. + + [_Replaces the arrow in its quiver_. + +HERMIT. + +Worthy is this action of a Prince, the light of Puru's race[12]. + + Well does this act befit a Prince like thee, + Right worthy is it of thine ancestry. + Thy guerdon be a son of peerless worth, + Whose wide dominion shall embrace the earth. + +BOTH THE OTHER HERMITS. [_Raising their hands_. + +May heaven indeed grant thee a son, a sovereign of the earth from +sea to sea! + +KING. + + [_Bowing_. + +I accept with gratitude a Brhman's benediction. + +HERMIT. + +We came hither, mighty Prince, to collect sacrificial wood. Here +on the banks of the Mlin you may perceive the hermitage of the +great sage Kanwa[13]. If other duties require not your presence, +deign to enter and accept our hospitality. + + When you behold our penitential rites + Performed without impediment by saints + Rich only in devotion, then with pride + Will you reflect:--Such are the holy men + Who call me Guardian; such the men for whom + To wield the bow I bare my nervous arm, + Scarred by the motion of the glancing string. + +KING. + +Is the Chief of your Society now at home? + +HERMIT. + +No; he has gone to Soma-trtha[14] to propitiate Destiny, which +threatens his daughter [S']akoontal with some calamity; but he has +commissioned her in his absence to entertain all guests with +hospitality. + +KING. + +Good! I will pay her a visit. She will make me acquainted with +the mighty sage's acts of penance and devotion. + +HERMIT. + +And we will depart on our errand. + + [_Exit with his companions_. + +KING. + +Charioteer, urge on the horses. We will at least purify our souls +by a sight of this hallowed retreat. + +CHARIOTEER. + +Your Majesty is obeyed. + + [_Drives the chariot with great velocity_. + +KING. [_Looking all about him_. + +Charioteer, even without being told, I should have known that +these were the precincts of a grove consecrated to penitential +rites. + +CHARIOTEER. + +How so? + +KING. + +Do not you observe? + + Beneath the trees, whose hollow trunks afford + Secure retreat to many a nestling brood + Of parrots, scattered grains of rice lie strewn. + Lo! here and there are seen the polished slabs + That serve to bruise the fruit of Ingud[15]. + The gentle roe-deer, taught to trust in man, + Unstartled hear our voices. On the paths + Appear the traces of bark-woven vests[16] + Borne dripping from the limpid fount of waters. + +And mark! + + Laved are the roots of trees by deep canals [17], + Whose glassy waters tremble in the breeze; + The sprouting verdure of the leaves is dimmed + By dusky wreaths of upward curling smoke + From burnt oblations; and on new-mown lawns + Around our car graze leisurely the fawns. + +CHARIOTEER. + +I observe it all. + +KING. [_Advancing a little further_. + +The inhabitants of this sacred retreat must not be disturbed. +Stay the chariot, that I may alight. + +CHARIOTEER. + +The reins are held in. Your Majesty may descend. + +KING. [_Alighting_. + +Charioteer, groves devoted to penance must be entered in humble +attire. Take these ornaments. + + [_Delivers his ornaments and bow to CHARIOTEER_.] + +Charioteer, see that the horses are watered, and attend to them +until I return from visiting the inhabitants of the hermitage. + +CHARIOTEER. + +I Will. + + [_Exit_. + +KING. [_Walking and looking about_. + +Here is the entrance to the hermitage. I will now go in. + +[_Entering and feeling a throbbing sensation in his arm_. + + Serenest peace is in this calm retreat, + By passion's breath unruffled; what portends + My throbbing arm[18]? Why should it whisper here + Of happy love? Yet everywhere around us + Stand the closed portals of events unknown. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +This way, my dear companions; this way. + +KING. [_Listening_. + +Hark! I hear voices to the right of yonder grove +of trees. I will walk in that direction. + + [_Walking and looking about_.] + +Ah! here are the maidens of the hermitage coming this way to +water the shrubs, carrying water-pots proportioned to their +strength. + + [_Gazing at them_.] + +How graceful they look! + + In palaces such charms are rarely ours; + The woodland plants outshine the garden flowers. + +I will conceal myself in this shade and watch them. + + [_Stands gazing at them_. + +_Enter [S']AKOONTAL, with her two female companions, employed in +the manner described_. + +[S']AKOONTAL + +This way, my dear companions; this way. + +ANASY. + +Dear [S']akoontal, one would think that father Kanwa had more +affection for the shrubs of the hermitage even than for you, +seeing he assigns to you, who are yourself as delicate as the +fresh-blown jasmine, the task of filling with water the trenches +which encircle their roots. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Dear Anasy, although I am charged by my good father with this +duty, yet I cannot regard it as a task. I really feel a sisterly +love for these plants. + + [_Continues watering the shrubs_. + +KING. + +Can this be the daughter of Kanwa? The saintly man, though +descended from the great Kasyapa, must be very deficient in +judgment to habituate such a maiden to the life of a recluse. + + The sage who would this form of artless grace + Inure to penance, thoughtlessly attempts + To cleave in twain the hard acacia's stem[19] + With the soft edge of a blue lotus-leaf. + +Well! concealed behind this tree, I will watch her without +raising her suspicions. + + [_Conceals himself_. + + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Good Anasy, Priyamvad has drawn this bark-dress too tightly +about my chest. I pray thee, loosen it a little. + +ANASY. + +I will. [_Loosens it_. + +PRIYAMVAD. [_Smiling_. + +Why do you lay the blame on me? Blame rather your own blooming +youthfulness which imparts fulness to your bosom. + +KING. + +A most just observation! + + This youthful form, whose bosom's swelling charms + By the bark's knotted tissue are concealed, + Like some fair bud close folded in its sheath, + Gives not to view the blooming of its beauty. + +But what am I saying? In real truth this bark-dress, +though ill-suited to her figure, sets it off like an ornament. + + The lotus[20] with the [S']aivala[21] entwined + Is not a whit less brilliant; dusky spots + Heighten the lustre of the cold-rayed moon; + This lovely maiden in her dress of bark + Seems all the lovelier. E'en the meanest garb + Gives to true beauty fresh attractiveness. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [Looking before her. + +Yon Ke[S']ara-tree[22] beckons to me with its young shoots, which, +as the breeze waves them to and fro, appear like slender fingers. +I will go and attend to it. + + [_Walks towards it_. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +Dear [S']akoontal, prithee, rest in that attitude one moment. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Why so? + +PRIYAMVAD + +The Ke[S']ara-tree, whilst your graceful form bends about its stem, +appears as if it were wedded to some lovely twining creeper. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Ah! saucy girl, you are most appropriately named Priyamvad +('Speaker of flattering things'). + +KING. + +What Priyamvad says, though complimentary, is nevertheless true. +Verily, + + Her ruddy lip vies with the opening bud; + Her graceful arms are as the twining stalks; + And her whole form is radiant with the glow + Of youthful beauty, as the tree with bloom. + +ANASY. + +See, dear [S']akoontal, here is the young jasmine, which you +named 'the Moonlight of the Grove,' the self-elected wife of the +mango-tree. Have you forgotten it? + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Rather will I forget myself. + + [_Approaching the plant and looking at it_.] + +How delightful is the season when the jasmine-creeper and the +mango-tree seem thus to unite in mutual embraces! The fresh +blossoms of the jasmine resemble the bloom of a young bride, and +the newly-formed shoots of the mango appear to make it her +natural protector. + + [_Continues gazing at it_. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +Do you know, my Anasy, why [S']akoontal gazes so intently at the +jasmine? + +ANASY. + +No, indeed, I cannot imagine. I pray thee tell me. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +She is wishing that as the jasmine is united to a suitable tree, +so, in like manner, she may obtain a husband worthy of her. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Speak for yourself, girl; this is the thought in your own mind. + + [_Continues watering the flowers_. + +KING. + +Would that my union with her were permissible[23]! and yet I +hardly dare hope that the maiden is sprung from a caste different +from that of the Head of the hermitage. But away with doubt: + + That she is free to wed a warrior-king + My heart attests. For, in conflicting doubts, + The secret promptings of the good man's soul + Are an unerring index of the truth. + +However, come what may, I will ascertain the fact. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_In a flurry_. + +Ah! a bee, disturbed by the sprinkling of the water, has left the +young jasmine, and is trying to settle on my face. + + [_Attempts to drive it away_. + +KING. [_Gazing at her ardently_. + +Beautiful! there is something charming even in her repulse. + + Where'er the bee his eager onset plies, + Now here, now there, she darts her kindling eyes; + What love hath yet to teach, fear teaches now, + The furtive glances and the frowning brow. + + [_In a tone of envy_. + + Ah, happy bee! how boldly dost thou try + To steal the lustre from her sparkling eye; + And in thy circling movements hover near, + To murmur tender secrets in her ear; + Or, as she coyly waves her hand, to sip + Voluptuous nectar from her lower lip! + While rising doubts my heart's fond hopes destroy, + Thou dost the fulness of her charms enjoy. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +This impertinent bee will not rest quiet. I must move elsewhere. + +[_Moving a few steps off, and casting a glance around_.] + +How now! he is following me here. Help! my dear friends, help! +deliver me from the attacks of this troublesome insect. + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + +How can we deliver you? Call Dushyanta to your aid. The sacred +groves are under the King's special protection. + +KING. + +An excellent opportunity for me to show myself. +Fear not-- + +[_Checks himself when the words are half-uttered; Aside_.] + +But stay, if I introduce myself in this manner, they will know me +to be the King. Be it so, I will accost them, nevertheless. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + + [_Moving a step or two further off_. + +What! it still persists in following me. + +KING. [_Advancing hastily_. + + When mighty Puru's offspring sways the earth, + And o'er the wayward holds his threatening rod, + Who dares molest the gentle maids that keep + Their holy vigils here in Kanwa's grove? + +[_All look at the_ KING, _and all are embarrassed_. + +ANASY. + +Kind Sir, no outrage has been committed; only our dear friend +here was teased by the attacks of a troublesome bee. + + [_Points to_ [S']AKOONTAL. + +KING. [_Turning to_ [S']AKOONTAL. + +I trust all is well with your devotional rites[24]? + + [[S']AKOONTAL _stands confused and silent_.] + +ANASY. + +All is well indeed, now that we are honoured by the reception of +a distinguished guest. Dear [S']akoontal, go, bring from the +hermitage an offering of flowers, rice, and fruit. This water +that we have brought with us will serve to bathe our guest's +feet[25]. + +KING. + +The rites of hospitality are already performed; your truly kind +words are the best offering I can receive. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +At least be good enough, gentle Sir, to sit down awhile, and rest +yourself on this seat shaded by the leaves of the Sapta-parna +tree[26]. + +KING. + +You, too, must all be fatigued by your employment. + +ANASY. + +Dear [S']akoontal, there is no impropriety in our sitting by the +side of our guest; come, let us sit down here. + + [_All sit down together_. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Aside_. + +How is it that the sight of this made me sensible of emotions +inconsistent with religious vows? + +KING. [_Gazing at them all By turns_. + +How charmingly your friendship is in keeping with the equality of +your ages and appearance! + +PRIYAMVAD. [_Aside to ANASY_. + +Who can this person be, whose lively yet dignified manner, and +polite conversation, bespeak him a man of high rank? + +ANASY. + +I, too, my dear, am very curious to know. I will ask him myself. + +[_Aloud_] + +Your kind words, noble Sir, fill me with confidence, and prompt +me to inquire of what regal family our noble guest is the +ornament? what country is now mourning his absence? and what +induced a person so delicately nurtured to expose himself to the +fatigue of visiting this grove of penance? + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Aside_. + +Be not troubled, O my heart, Anasy is giving utterance to thy +thoughts. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +How now shall I reply? shall I make myself known, or shall I +still disguise my real rank? I have it; I will answer her thus. +[_Aloud_.] I am the person charged by his Majesty, the descendant +of Puru, with the administration of justice and religion; and am +come to this sacred grove to satisfy myself that the rites of the +hermits are free from obstruction. + +ANASY. + +The hermits, then, and all the members of our religious society, +have now a guardian. + + [[S']AKOONTAL _gazes bashfully at the_ KING. + + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + + [_Perceiving the state of her feelings, and of the_ KING'S. + _Aside to_ [S']AKOONTAL. + +Dear [S']akoontal, if father Kanwa were but at home to-day-- + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Angrily_. + +What if he were? + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + +He would honour this our distinguished guest with an offering of +the most precious of his possessions. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Go to! you have some silly idea in your minds, I will not listen +to such remarks. + +KING. + +May I be allowed, in my turn, to ask you maidens a few +particulars respecting your friend? + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + +Your request, Sir, is an honour. + +KING. + +The sage Kanwa lives in the constant practice of austerities. +How, then, can this friend of yours be called his daughter? + +ANASY. + +I will explain to you. Sir. You have heard of an illustrious sage +of regal caste, Vi[s']wmitra, whose family name is Kau[S']ika[27]. + +KING. + +I have. + +ANASY. + +Know that he is the real father of our friend. The venerable +Kanwa is only her reputed father. He it was who brought her up, +when she was deserted by her mother. + +KING. + +'Deserted by her mother!' My curiosity is excited; pray let me +hear the story from the beginning. + +ANASY. + +You shall hear it, Sir. Some time since, this sage of regal +caste, while performing a most severe penance on the banks of the +river Godvar, excited the jealousy and alarm of the gods; +insomuch that they despatched a lovely nymph named Menak to +interrupt his devotions. + +KING. + +The inferior gods, I am aware, are jealous[28] of the power which +the practice of excessive devotion confers on mortals. + +ANASY. + +Well, then, it happened that Vi[s']wmitra, gazing on the +bewitching beauty of that nymph at a season when, spring being in +its glory-- + + [_Stops short, and appears confused_. + +KING. + +The rest may be easily divined. [S']akoontal, then, is the +offspring of the nymph. + +ANASY. + +Just so. + +KING. + +It is quite intelligible. + + How would a mortal to such charms give birth? + The lightning's radiance flashes not from earth. + + [[S']AKOONTAL _remains modestly seated with downcast eyes_. + _Aside_.] + +And so my desire has really scope for its indulgence. Yet I am +still distracted by doubts, remembering the pleasantry of her +female companions respecting her wish for a husband. + +PRIYAMVAD. + + [_Looking with a smile at [S']AKOONTAL, and then turning towards + the KING.] + +You seem desirous, Sir, of asking something further. + + [[S']AKOONTAL _makes a chiding gesture with her finger_. + +KING. + +You conjecture truly. I am so eager to hear the particulars of +your friend's history, that I have still another question to ask. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +Scruple not to do so. Persons who lead the life of hermits may be +questioned unreservedly. + +KING. + +I wish to ascertain one point respecting your friend. + + Will she be bound by solitary vows + Opposed to love, till her espousals only? + Or ever dwell with these her cherished fawns, + Whose eyes, in lustre vying with her own, + Return her gaze of sisterly affection? + +PRIYAMVAD. + +Hitherto, Sir, she has been engaged in the practice of religious +duties, and has lived in subjection to her foster-father; but it +is now his fixed intention to give her away in marriage to a +husband worthy of her. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +His intention may be easily carried into effect. + + Be hopeful, O my heart, thy harrowing doubts + Are past and gone; that which thou didst believe + To be as unapproachable as fire, + Is found a glittering gem that may be touched. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Pretending anger_. + +Anasy, I shall leave you. + +ANASY. + +Why so? + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +That I may go and report this impertinent Priyamvad to the +venerable matron, Gautam[29]. + +ANASY. + +Surely, dear friend, it would not be right to leave a +distinguished guest before he has received the rites of +hospitality, and quit his presence in this wilful manner. + + [[S']AKOONTAL, _without answering a word, moves away_. + +KING. + + [_Making a movement to arrest her departure, but checking + himself. Aside_. + +Ah! a lover's feelings betray themselves by his gestures. + + When I would fain have stayed the maid, a sense + Of due decorum checked my bold design; + Though I have stirred not, yet my mien betrays + My eagerness to follow on her steps. + +PRIYAMVAD. + + [_Holding [S']AKOONTAL back_. + +Dear [S']akoontal, it does not become you to go away in this +manner. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Frowning_. + +Why not, pray? + +PRIYAMVAD. + +You are under a promise to water two more shrubs for me. When you +have paid your debt, you shall go, and not before. + + [_Forces her to turn back_. + +KING. + +Spare her this trouble, gentle maiden. The exertion of watering +the shrubs has already fatigued her. + + The water-jar has overtasked the strength + Of her slim arms; her shoulders droop, her hands + Are ruddy with the glow of quickened pulses; + E'en now her agitated breath imparts + Unwonted tremor to her heaving breast; + The pearly drops that mar the recent bloom + Of the [S']irsha pendent in her ear, + Gather in clustering circles on her cheek; + Loosed is the fillet of her hair; her hand + Restrains the locks that struggle to be free. + Suffer me, then, thus to discharge the debt for you. + + [_Offers a ring to_ PRIYAMVAD. _Both the maidens, reading the + name_ DUSHYANTA _on the seal, look at each other with + surprise_. + +KING. + +Nay, think not that I am King Dushyanta. I am only the King's +officer, and this is the ring which I have received from him as +my credentials. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +The greater the reason you ought not to part with the ring from +your finger. I am content to release her from her obligation at +your simple request. + +[_With a smile_.] + +Now, [S']akoontal, my love, you are at liberty to retire, thanks +to the intercession of this noble stranger, or rather of this +mighty prince. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Aside_. + +My movements are no longer under my own control. + + [_Aloud_. + +Pray, what authority have you over me, either to send me away or +keep me back? + +KING. [_Gazing at_ [S']AKOONTAL. _Aside_. + +Would I could ascertain whether she is affected towards me as I +am towards her! At any rate, my hopes are free to indulge +themselves. Because, + + Although she mingles not her words with mine, + Yet doth her listening ear drink in my speech; + Although her eye shrinks from my ardent gaze, + No form but mine attracts its timid glances. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +O hermits, be ready to protect the animals belonging to our +hermitage. King Dushyanta, amusing himself with hunting, is near +at hand. + + Lo! by the feet of prancing horses raised, + Thick clouds of moving dust, like glittering swarms + Of locusts, in the glow of eventide, + Fall on the branches of our sacred trees + Where hang the dripping vests of woven bark, + Bleached by the waters of the cleansing fountain. + +And see! + + Scared by the royal chariot in its course, + With headlong haste an elephant invades + The hallowed precincts of our sacred grove; + Himself the terror of the startled deer, + And an embodied hindrance to our rites. + The hedge of creepers clinging to his feet, + Feeble obstruction to his mad career, + Is dragged behind him in a tangled chain; + And with terrific shock one tusk he drives + Into the riven body of a tree, + Sweeping before him all impediments. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +Out upon it! my retinue are looking for me, and are disturbing +this holy retreat. Well! there is no help for it; I must go and +meet them. + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + +Noble Sir, we are terrified by the accidental disturbance caused +by the wild elephant. Permit us to return to the cottage. + +KING. [_Hastily_. + +Go, gentle maidens. It shall be our care that no injury happen to +the hermitage. + + [_All rise up_. + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + +After such poor hospitality, we are ashamed to request the honour +of a second visit from you. + +KING. + +Say not so. The mere sight of you, sweet maidens, has been to me +the best entertainment. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Anasy, a pointed blade of Ku[s']a-grass [30] has pricked my foot; +and my bark-mantle is caught in the branch of a Kuruvaka-bush[31]. +Be so good as to wait for me until I have disentangled it. + + [_Exit with her two companions, after making pretexts + for delay, that she may steal glances at the_ KING. + +KING. + +I have no longer any desire to return to the city. I will +therefore rejoin my attendants, and make them encamp somewhere in +the vicinity of this sacred grove. In good truth, [S']akoontal has +taken such possession of my thoughts, that I cannot turn myself +in any other direction. + + My limbs drawn onward leave my heart behind, + Like silken pennon borne against the wind. + + * * * * * + + + + +ACT II. + + +SCENE.--_A plain on the skirts of the forest. + +Enter the Jester_ [32] M[T.]HAVYA, _in a melancholy mood_. + +M[T.]HAVYA. [_Sighing_. + +Heigh-ho! what an unlucky fellow I am! worn to a shadow by my +royal friend's sporting propensities. 'Here's a deer!' 'There +goes a boar!' 'Yonder's a tiger!' This is the only burden of our +talk, while in the heat of the meridian sun we toil on from +jungle to jungle, wandering about in the paths of the woods, +where the trees afford us no shelter. Are we thirsty? We have +nothing to drink but the dirty water of some mountain stream +mixed with dry leaves, which give it a most pungent flavour. Are +we hungry? We have nothing to eat but roast game[33], which we +must swallow down at odd times, as best we can. Even at night +there is no peace to be had. Sleeping is out of the question, +with joints all strained by dancing attendance upon my sporting +friend; or if I do happen to doze, I am awakened at the very +earliest dawn by the horrible din of a lot of rascally beaters +and huntsmen, who must needs surround the wood before sunrise, +and deafen me with their clatter. Nor are these my only troubles. +Here's a fresh grievance, like a new boil rising upon an old +one! Yesterday, while we were lagging behind, my royal friend +entered yonder hermitage after a deer; and there, as ill-luck +would have it, caught sight of a beautiful girl, called +[S']akoontal, the hermit's daughter. From that moment, not another +thought about returning to the city! and all last night not a +wink of sleep did he get for thinking of the damsel. What is to +be done? At any rate I will be on the watch for him as soon as he +has finished his toilet. + + [_Walking and looking about_.] + +Oh! here he comes, attended by the Yavana women[34], with bows in +their hands, wearing garlands of wild flowers. What shall I do? I +have it. I will pretend to stand in the easiest attitude for +resting my bruised and crippled limbs. + + [_Stands leaning on a staff_. + +_Enter King_ DUSHYANTA, _followed by a retinue, in the manner +described_. + +KING. + + True, by no easy conquest may I win her, + Yet are my hopes encouraged by her mien, + Love is not yet triumphant; but, methinks, + The hearts of both are ripe for his delights. + + [_Smiling_. + +Ah! thus does the lover delude himself; judging of the state of +his loved one's feelings by his own desires. But yet, + + The stolen glance with half-averted eye, + The hesitating gait, the quick rebuke + Addressed to her companion, who would fain + Have stayed her counterfeit departure; these + Are signs not unpropitious to my suit. + So eagerly the lover feeds his hopes, + Claiming each trivial gesture for his own. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + + [_Still in the same attitude_. + +Ah, friends, my hands cannot move to greet you with the usual +salutation. I can only just command my lips to wish your Majesty +victory. + +KING. + +Why, what has paralysed your limbs? + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +You might as well ask me how my eye comes to water after you have +poked your finger into it. + +KING. + +I don't understand you; speak more intelligibly. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Ah, my dear friend, is yonder upright reed transformed into a +crooked plant by its own act, or by the force of the current? + +KING. + +The current of the river causes it, I suppose. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Ay; just as you are the cause of my crippled limbs. + +KING. + +How so? + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Here are you living the life of a wild man of the woods in a +savage unfrequented region, while your State-affairs are left to +shift for themselves; and as for poor me, I am no longer master +of my own limbs, but have to follow you about day after day in +your chases after wild animals, till my bones are all crippled +and out of joint. Do, my dear friend, let me have one day's rest. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +This fellow little knows, while he talks in this manner, that my +mind is wholly engrossed by recollections of the hermit's +daughter, and quite as disinclined to the chase as his own. + + No longer can I bend my well-braced bow + Against the timid deer; nor e'er again + With well-aimed arrows can I think to harm + These her beloved associates, who enjoy + The privilege of her companionship; + Teaching her tender glances in return. + +M[T.]HAVYA. [_Looking in the King's face_. + +I may as well speak to the winds, for any attention you pay to my +requests. I suppose you have something on your mind, and are +talking it over to yourself. + +KING. [_Smiling_. + +I was only thinking that I ought not to disregard a friend's +request. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Then may the King live for ever! + + [_Moves off_. + +KING. + +Stay a moment, my dear friend. I have something else to say to +you. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Say on, then. + +KING. + +When you have rested, you must assist me in another business +which will give you no fatigue. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +In eating something nice, I hope. + +KING. + +You shall know at some future time. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +No time better than the present. + +KING. + +What ho, there! + +WARDER. [_Entering_. + +What are your Majesty's commands? + +KING. + +O Raivatika, bid the General of the forces attend. + +WARDER. + +I will, Sire. + +[_Exit and re-enters with the_ GENERAL.] + +Come forward, General; his Majesty is looking towards you, and +has some order to give you. + +GENERAL. [_Looking at the_ KING. + +Though hunting is known to produce ill effects, my royal master +has derived only benefit from it. For + + Like the majestic elephant that roams + O'er mountain wilds, so does the King display + A stalwart frame, instinct with vigorous life. + His brawny arms and manly chest are scored + By frequent passage of the sounding string; + Unharmed he bears the midday sun; no toil + His mighty spirit daunts; his sturdy limbs, + Stripped of redundant flesh, relinquish nought + Of their robust proportions, but appear + In muscle, nerve, and sinewy fibre cased. + + [_Approaching the_ KING. + +Victory to the King! We have tracked the wild beasts to their +lairs in the forest. Why delay, when everything is ready? + +KING. + +My friend M[T.]Havya here has been disparaging the +chase, till he has taken away all my relish for it. + +GENERAL. [_Aside to_ M[T.]HAVYA. + +Persevere in your opposition, my good fellow; I will sound the +King's real feelings, and humour him accordingly. + + [_Aloud_. + +The blockhead talks nonsense, and your Majesty in your own person +furnishes the best proof of it. Observe, Sire, the advantage and +pleasure the hunter derives from the chase. + +M[T.]HAVYA. [_Angrily_. + +Away! tempter, away! The King has recovered his senses, and is +himself again. As for you, you may, if you choose, wander about +from forest to forest, till some old bear seizes you by the nose, +and makes a mouthful of you. + +KING. + +My good General, as we are just now in the neighbourhood of a +consecrated grove, your panegyric upon hunting is somewhat +ill-timed, and I cannot assent to all you have said. For the +present, + + All undisturbed the buffaloes shall sport + In yonder pool, and with their ponderous horns + Scatter its tranquil waters, while the deer, + Couched here and there in groups beneath the shade + Of spreading branches, ruminate in peace. + And all securely shall the herd of boars + Feed on the marshy sedge; and thou, my bow, + With slackened string, enjoy a long repose. + +GENERAL. + +So please your Majesty, it shall be as you desire. + +KING. + +Recall, then, the beaters who were sent in advance to surround +the forest. My troops must not be allowed to disturb this sacred +retreat, and irritate its pious inhabitants. + + Know that within the calm and cold recluse + Lurks unperceived a germ of smothered flame, + All-potent to destroy; a latent fire + That rashly kindled bursts with fury forth; + As in the disc of crystal[35] that remains + Cool to the touch, until the solar ray + Falls on its polished surface, and excites + The burning heat that lies within concealed. + +GENERAL. + +Your Majesty's commands shall be obeyed. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Off with you, you son of a slave! Your nonsense won't go down +here, my fine fellow. + + [_Exit_ GENERAL. + +KING. [_Looking at his attendants_. + +Here, women, take my hunting-dress; and you, Raivatika, keep +guard carefully outside. + +ATTENDANTS. + +We will, Sire. + + [_Exeunt_. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Now that you have got rid of these plagues, who have been buzzing +about us like so many flies, sit down, do, on that stone slab, +with the shade of the tree as your canopy, and I will seat myself +by you quite comfortably. + +KING. + +Go you, and sit down first. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Come along, then. + + [_Both walk on a little way, and seat themselves_. + +KING. + +M[T.]Havya, it may be said of you that you have never beheld +anything worth seeing; for your eyes have not yet looked upon the +loveliest object in creation. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +How can you say so, when I see your Majesty before me at this +moment? + +KING. + +It is very natural that every one should consider his own friend +perfect; but I was alluding to [S']akoontal, the brightest +ornament of these hallowed groves. + +M[T.]HAVYA. [_Aside_. + +I understand well enough, but I am not going to humour him. + + [_Aloud_. + +If, as you intimate, she is a hermit's daughter, you cannot +lawfully ask her in marriage. You may as well then dismiss her +from your mind, for any good the mere sight of her can do. + +KING. + +Think you that a descendant of the mighty Puru could fix his +affections on an unlawful object? + + Though, as men say, the offspring of the sage, + The maiden to a nymph celestial owes + Her being, and by her mother left on earth, + Was found and nurtured by the holy man + As his own daughter, in this hermitage. + So, when dissevered from its parent stalk, + Some falling blossom of the jasmine[36], wafted + Upon the sturdy sun-flower, is preserved + By its support from premature decay. + +M[T.]HAVYA. [_Smiling_. + +This passion of yours for a rustic maiden, when you have so many +gems of women at home in your palace, seems to me very like the +fancy of a man who is tired of sweet dates, and longs for sour +tamarinds as a variety. + +KING. + +You have not seen her, or you would not talk in this fashion. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +I can quite understand it must require something surpassingly +attractive to excite the admiration of such a great man as you. + +KING. + +I will describe her, my dear friend, in a few words, + + Man's all-wise Maker, wishing to create + A faultless form, whose matchless symmetry + Should far transcend Creation's choicest works, + Did call together by his mighty will, + And garner up in his eternal mind, + A bright assemblage of all lovely things; + And then, as in a picture, fashion them + Into one perfect and ideal form-- + Such the divine, the wondrous prototype, + Whence her fair shape was moulded into being. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +If that's the case, she must indeed throw all other beauties into +the shade. + +KING. + +To my mind she really does. + + This peerless maid is like a fragrant flower, + Whose perfumed breath has never been diffused; + A tender bud, that no profaning hand + Has dared to sever from its parent stalk; + A gem of priceless water, just released + Pure and unblemished from its glittering bed. + Or may the maiden haply be compared + To sweetest honey, that no mortal lip + Has sipped; or, rather, to the mellowed fruit + Of virtuous actions in some former birth[37], + Now brought to full perfection? Lives the man + Whom bounteous heaven has destined to espouse her? + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Make haste, then, to her aid; you have no time to lose, if you +don't wish this fruit of all the virtues to drop into the mouth +of some greasy-headed rustic of devout habits. + +KING. + +The lady is not her own mistress, and her foster-father is not at +home. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Well, but tell me, did she look at all kindly upon you? + +KING. + + Maidens brought up in a hermitage are naturally + shy and reserved; but for all that + She did look towards me, though she quick withdrew + Her stealthy glances when she met my gaze; + She smiled upon me sweetly, but disguised + With maiden grace the secret of her smiles. + Coy love was half unveiled; then, sudden checked + By modesty, left half to be divined. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Why, of course, my dear friend, you never could seriously expect +that at the very first sight she would fall over head ears in +love with you, and without more ado come and sit in your lap. + +KING. + + When we parted from each other, she betrayed + her liking for me by clearer indications, but still with the + utmost modesty. + Scarce had the fair one from my presence passed, + When, suddenly, without apparent cause, + She stopped; and, counterfeiting pain, exclaimed, + 'My foot is wounded by this prickly grass,' + Then, glancing at me tenderly, she feigned + Another charming pretext for delay, + Pretending that a bush had caught her robe + And turned as if to disentangle it. + +M[T.]HAVYA + +I trust you have laid in a good stock of provisions, +for I see you intend making this consecrated grove your +game-preserve, and will be roaming here in quest of sport for +some time to come. + +KING. + +You must know, my good fellow, that I have been recognised by +some of the inmates of the hermitage. Now I want the assistance +of your fertile invention, in devising some excuse for going +there again. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +There is but one expedient that I can suggest. You are the King, +are you not? + +KING. + +What then? + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Say you have come for the sixth part of their grain [38], which +they owe you for tribute. + +KING. + +No, no, foolish man; those hermits pay me a very different kind +of tribute, which I value more than heaps of gold or jewels; +observe, + + The tribute which my other subjects bring + Must moulder into dust, but holy men + Present me with a portion of the fruits + Of penitential services and prayers-- + A precious and imperishable gift. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +We are fortunate; here is the object of our search. + +KING. [_Listening_. + +Surely those must be the voices of hermits, to judge by their +deep tones. + +WARDER. [_Entering_. + +Victory to the King! two young hermits are in waiting outside, +and solicit an audience of your Majesty. + +KING. + +Introduce them Immediately. + +WARDER. + +I will, my liege. + +[_Goes out, and re-enters with_ TWO YOUNG HERMITS.] + +This way, Sirs, this way. + + [_Both the_ HERMITS _look at the KING. + +FIRST HERMIT. + +How majestic is his mien, and yet what confidence it inspires! +But this might be expected in a king, whose character and habits +have earned for him a title only one degree removed from that of +a Sage [39]. + + In this secluded grove, whose sacred joys + All may participate, he deigns to dwell + Like one of us; and daily treasures up + A store of purest merit for himself, + By the protection of our holy rites. + In his own person wondrously are joined + Both majesty and saintlike holiness; + And often chanted by inspired bards [40], + His hallowed title of 'Imperial Sage' + Ascends in joyous accents to the skies. + +SECOND HERMIT. + +Bear in mind, Gautama, that this is the great Dushyanta, the +friend of Indra. + +FIRST HERMIT. + +What of that? + +SECOND HERMIT. + + Where is the wonder if his nervous arm, + Puissant and massive as the iron bar + That binds a castle-gateway, singly sways + The sceptre of the universal earth, + E'en to its dark-green boundary of waters? + Or if the gods, beholden to his aid + In their fierce warfare with the powers of hell [41], + Should blend his name with Indra's in their songs + Of victory, and gratefully accord + No lower meed of praise to his braced bow, + Than to the thunders of the god of heaven? + +BOTH THE HERMITS. [_Approaching_. + +Victory to the King! + +KING. [_Rising from his seat_. + +Hail to you both! + +BOTH THE HERMITS. + +Heaven bless your Majesty! + + [_They offer fruits_. + +KING. [_Respectfully receiving the offering_. + +Tell me, I pray you, the object of your visit. + +BOTH THE HERMITS. + +The inhabitants of the hermitage, having heard of your Majesty's +sojourn in our neighbourhood, make this humble petition:-- + +KING. + +What are their commands? + +BOTH THE HERMITS. + +In the absence of our Superior, the great sage Kanwa, evil demons +are disturbing our sacrificial rites [42]. Deign, therefore, +accompanied by your charioteer, to take up your abode in our +hermitage for a few days. + +KING. + +I am honoured by your invitation. + +M[T.]HAVYA. [_Aside_. + +Most opportune and convenient, certainly! + +KING. [_Smiling_. + +Ho, there, Raivatika! Tell the charioteer from me to bring round +the chariot with my bow. + +WARDER. + +I will, Sire. + + [_Exit_. + +BOTH THE HERMITS. [_Joyfully_. + + Well it becomes the King by acts of grace + To emulate the virtues of his race. + Such acts thy lofty destiny attest; + Thy mission is to succour the distressed. + +KING. [_Bowing to the_ HERMITS. + +Go first, reverend Sirs, I will follow you immediately. + +BOTH THE HERMITS. + +May victory attend you! + + [_Exeunt_. + +KING. + +My dear M[T.]Havya, are not you full of longing to see +[S']akoontal? + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +To tell you the truth, though I was just now brimful of desire to +see her, I have not a drop left since this piece of news about +the demons. + +KING. + +Never fear; you shall keep close to me for protection. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Well, you must be my guardian-angel, and act the part of a very +Vishnu [43] to me. + +WARDER. [_Entering_. + +Sire, the chariot is ready, and only waits to conduct you to +victory. But here is a messenger named Karabhaka, just arrived +from your capital, with a message from the Queen, your mother. + +KING. [_Respectfully_. + +How say you? a messenger from the venerable Queen? + +WARDER. + +Even so. + +KING. + +Introduce him at once. + +WARDER. + +I will, Sire. + +[_Goes out and re-enters with_ KARABHAKA.] + +Behold the King. Approach. + +KARABHAKA. + +Victory to the King! The Queen-mother bids me say that in four +days from the present time she intends celebrating a solemn +ceremony for the advancement and preservation of her son. She +expects that your Majesty will honour her with your presence on +that occasion. + +KING. + +This places me in a dilemma. Here, on the one hand, is the +commission of these holy men to be executed; and, on the other, +the command of my revered parent to be obeyed. Both duties are +too sacred to be neglected. What is to be done? + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +You will have to take up an intermediate position between the +two, like King Tri[s']anku [44], who was suspended between heaven +and earth, because the sage Vi[s']wmitra commanded him to mount up +to heaven, and the gods ordered him down again. + +KING. + +I am certainly very much perplexed. For here, + + Two different duties are required of me + In widely distant places; how can I + In my own person satisfy them both? + Thus is my mind distracted, and impelled + In opposite directions like a stream + That, driven back by rocks, still rushes on, + Forming two currents in its eddying course. + + [_Reflecting_.] + +Friend M[T.]Havya, as you were my playfellow in childhood, the +Queen has already received you like a second son; go you, then, +back to her, and tell her of my solemn engagement to assist these +holy men. You can supply my place in the ceremony, and act the +part of a son to the Queen. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +With the greatest pleasure in the world; but don't suppose that +I am really coward enough to have the slightest fear of those +trumpery demons. + +KING. + +Oh! of course not; a great Brhman like you could not possibly +give way to such weakness. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +You must let me travel in a manner suitable to the King's younger +brother. + +KING. + +Yes, I shall send my retinue with you, that there may be no +farther disturbance in this sacred forest. + +M[T.]HAVYA, [_With a strut_. + +Already I feel quite like a young prince. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +This is a giddy fellow, and in all probability he will let out +the truth about my present pursuit to the women of the palace. +What is to be done? I must say something to deceive him. + +[_Aloud to_ M[T.]HAVYA, _taking him by the hand_.] + +Dear friend, I am going to the hermitage wholly and solely out of +respect for its pious inhabitants, and not because I have really +any liking for [S']akoontal, the hermit's daughter. Observe:-- + + What suitable communion could there be + Between a monarch and a rustic girl? + I did but feign an idle passion, friend, + Take not in earnest what was said in jest. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Don't distress yourself; I quite understand. + + [_Exeunt_. + + * * * * * + + + + +PRELUDE TO ACT III. + +SCENE.--_The Hermitage_. + +_Enter a_ YOUNG BRHMAN _carrying bundles of ku[S']a-grass for the +use of the sacrificing priest_. + +YOUNG BRHMAN. + +How wonderful is the power of King Dushyanta! No sooner did he +enter our hermitage, than we were able to proceed with our +sacrificial rites, unmolested by the evil demons. + + No need to fix the arrow to the bow; + The mighty monarch sounds the quivering string, + And, by the thunder of his arms dismayed, + Our demon foes are scattered to the wind. + +I must now, therefore, make haste and deliver to the sacrificing +priests these bundles of Ku[s']a-grass, to be strewn round the +altar. + +[_Walking and looking about; then addressing some one off the +stage_.] + +Why, Priyamvad, for whose use are you carrying that ointment of +Usra-root and those lotus-leaves with fibres attached to them? + +[_Listening for her answer_.] + +What Say you?--that [S']akoontal is suffering from fever produced +by exposure to the sun, and that this ointment is to cool her +burning frame? Nurse her with care, then, Priyamvad, for she is +cherished by our reverend Superior as the very breath of his +nostrils[46]. I, for my part, will contrive that soothing waters, +hallowed in the sacrifice, he administered to her by the hands of +Gautam. + + [_Exit_. + + +ACT III. + + +SCENE.--_The Sacred Grove_. + +_Enter_ KING DUSHYANTA, _with the air of one in love_. + +KING. [_Sighing thoughtfully_. + + The holy sage possesses magic power + In virtue of his penance; she, his ward, + Under the shadow of his tutelage, + Rests in security, I know it well; + Yet sooner shall the rushing cataract + In foaming eddies re-ascend the steep, + Than my fond heart turn back from its pursuit. + +God of love! God of the flowery shafts [47]! we lovers are cruelly +deceived by thee, and by the Moon, however deserving of confidence +you may both appear. + + For not to us do these thine arrows seem + Pointed with tender flowerets; not to us + Doth the pale Moon irradiate the earth + With beams of silver fraught with cooling dews; + But on our fevered frames the moon-beams fall + Like darts of fire, and every flower-tipt shaft + Of Kma[47], as it probes our throbbing hearts, + Seems to be barbed with hardest adamant. + +Adorable god of love! hast thou no pity for me? + +[_In a tone of anguish_.] + +How can thy arrows be so sharp when they are pointed with +flowers? Ah! I know the reason: + + E'en now in thine unbodied essence lurks + The fire of [S']iva's anger[48], like the flame + That ever hidden in the secret depths + Of ocean, smoulders there unseen[49]. How else + Could'st thou, all immaterial as thou art, + Inflame our hearts thus fiercely?--thou, whose form + Was scorched to ashes by a sudden flash + From the offended god's terrific eye. + +Yet, methinks, + + Welcome this anguish, welcome to my heart + These rankling wounds inflicted by the god, + Who on his scutcheon bears the monster-fish[50] + Slain by his prowess; welcome death itself, + So that, commissioned by the lord of love, + This fair one be my executioner. + Adorable divinity! Can I by no reproaches excite your commiseration? + Have I not daily offered at thy shrine + Innumerable vows, the only food + Of thine ethereal essence? Are my prayers + Thus to be slighted? Is it meet that thou + Should'st aim thy shafts at thy true votary's heart, + Drawing thy bow-string even to thy ear? + +[_Pacing up and down in a melancholy manner_.] + +Now that the holy men have completed their rites, and have no +more need of my services, how shall I dispel my melancholy? + +[_Sighing_.] + +I have but one resource. Oh for another sight of the Idol of my +soul! I will seek her. + +[_Glancing at the sun_.] + +In all probability, as the sun's heat is now at its height, +[S']akoontal is passing her time under the shade of the bowers on +the banks of the Mlin, attended by her maidens. I will go and +look for her there. + +[_Walking and looking about_.] + +I suspect the fair one has but just passed by this avenue of +young trees. + + Here, as she tripped along, her fingers plucked + The opening buds; these lacerated plants, + Shorn of their fairest blossoms by her hand, + Seem like dismembered trunks, whose recent wounds + Are still unclosed; while from the bleeding socket + Of many a severed stalk, the milky juice + Still slowly trickles, and betrays her path. + +[_Feeling a breeze_.] + +What a delicious breeze meets me in this spot! + + Here may the zephyr, fragrant with the scent + Of lotuses, and laden with the spray + Caught from the waters of the rippling stream, + Fold in its close embrace my fevered limbs. + +[_Walking and looking about_.] + +She must be somewhere in the neighbourhood of this arbour of +overhanging creepers enclosed by plantations of cane; + +[_Looking down_.] + + For at the entrance here I plainly see + A line of footsteps printed in the sand. + Here are the fresh impressions of her feet; + Their well-known outline faintly marked in front, + More deeply towards the heel; betokening + The graceful undulation of her gait[51]. + +I will peep through those branches. + + [_Walking and looking. With transport_.] + +Ah! now my eyes are gratified by an entrancing sight. Yonder is +the beloved of my heart reclining on a rock strewn with flowers, +and attended by her two friends. How fortunate! Concealed behind +the leaves, I will listen to their conversation, without raising +their suspicions. + + [_Stands concealed, and gazes at them_. + +[S']AKOONTAL _and her two attendants, holding fans in their hands, +are discovered as described_. + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + + [_Fanning her. In a tone of affection_. + +Dearest [S']akoontal, is the breeze raised by these broad +lotus-leaves refreshing to you? + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Dear friends, why should you trouble yourselves to fan me? + +[PRIYAMVAD _and_ ANASY _look sorrowfully at one another_. + +KING. + +[S']akoontal seems indeed to be seriously ill. + +[_Thoughtfully_.] + +Can it be the intensity of the heat that has affected her? or +does my heart suggest the true cause of her malady? + +[_Gazing at her passionately_.] + +Why should I doubt it? + + The maiden's spotless bosom is o'erspread + With cooling balsam; on her slender arm + Her only bracelet, twined with lotus-stalks, + Hangs loose and withered; her recumbent form + Betokens languor. Ne'er could noon-day sun + Inflict such fair disorder on a maid-- + No, love, and love alone, is here to blame. + + +PRIYAMVAD. [_Aside to_ ANASY. + +I have observed, Anasy, that [S']akoontal has been indisposed +ever since her first interview with King Dushyanta. Depend upon +it, her ailment is to be traced to that source. + +ANASY. + +The same suspicion, dear, has crossed my mind. But I will at once +ask her and ascertain the truth. + +[_Aloud_.] + +Dear [S']akoontal, I am about to put a question to you. Your +indisposition is really very serious. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Half rising from her couch_. + +What were you going to ask? + +ANASY. + +We know very little about love-matters, dear [S']akoontal; but for +all that, I cannot help suspecting your present state to be +something similar to that of the lovers we have heard about in +romances. Tell us frankly what is the cause of your disorder. It +is useless to apply a remedy, until the disease be understood. + +KING. + +Anasy bears me out in my suspicion. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Aside_. + +I am, indeed, deeply in love; but cannot rashly +disclose my passion to these young girls. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +What Anasy says, dear [S']akoontal, is very just. Why give so +little heed to your ailment? Every day you are becoming thinner; +though I must confess your complexion is still as beautiful as +ever. + +KING. + +Priyamvad speaks most truly. + + Sunk is her velvet cheek; her wasted bosom + Loses its fulness; e'en her slender waist + Grows more attenuate; her face is wan, + Her shoulders droop;--as when the vernal blasts + Sear the young blossoms of the Mdhav[52], + Blighting their bloom; so mournful is the change. + Yet in its sadness, fascinating still, + Inflicted by the mighty lord of love + On the fair figure of the hermit's daughter. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Dear friends, to no one would I rather reveal the nature of my +malady than to you; but I should only be troubling you. + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + +Nay, this is the very point about which we are so solicitous. +Sorrow shared with affectionate friends is relieved of half its +poignancy. + +KING. + + Pressed by the partners of her joys and griefs, + Her much beloved companions, to reveal + The cherished secret locked within her breast, + She needs must utter it; although her looks + Encourage me to hope, my bosom throbs + As anxiously I listen for her answer. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Know then, dear friends, that from the first moment the +illustrious Prince who is the guardian of our sacred grove +presented himself to my sight-- + + [_Stops short, and appears confused_. + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + +Say on, dear [S']akoontal, say on. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Ever since that happy moment, my heart's affections have been +fixed upon him, and my energies of mind and body have all +deserted me, as you see. + +KING. [_With rapture_. + +Her own lips have uttered the words I most longed to hear. + + Love lit the flame, and Love himself allays + My burning fever, as when gathering clouds + Rise o'er the earth in summer's dazzling noon, + And grateful showers dispel the morning heat. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +You must consent, then, dear friends, to contrive some means by +which I may find favour with the King, or you will have ere long +to assist at my funeral. + +KING. + +Enough! These words remove all my doubts. + +PRIYAMVAD. [_Aside to_ ANASY. + +She is far gone in love, dear Anasy, and no time ought to be +lost. Since she has fixed her affections on a monarch who is the +ornament of Puru's line, we need not hesitate for a moment to +express our approval. + +ANASY. + +I quite agree with you. + +PRIYAMVAD. [_Aloud_. + +We wish you joy, dear [S']akoontal. Your affections are fixed on an +object in every respect worthy of you,. The noblest river will unite itself +to the ocean, and the lovely Mdhav-creeper clings naturally to the +Mango, the only tree capable of supporting it. + +KING. + +Why need we wonder if the beautiful constellation Vi[s']kh pines +to be united with the Moon[53]? + +ANASY. + +By what stratagem can we best secure to our friend the +accomplishment of her heart's desire both speedily and secretly? + +PRIYAMVAD. + +The latter point is all we have to think about. As to 'speedily,' +I look upon the whole affair as already settled. + +ANASY. + +How so? + +PRIYAMVAD. + +Did you not observe how the King betrayed his liking by the +tender manner in which he gazed upon her, and how thin he has +become the last few days, as if he had been lying awake thinking +of her? + +KING. [_Looking at himself_. + +Quite true! I certainly am becoming thin from want of sleep: + + As night by night in anxious thought I raise + This wasted arm to rest my sleepless head, + My jewelled bracelet, sullied by the tears + That trickle from my eyes in scalding streams, + Slips towards my elbow from my shrivelled wrist. + Oft I replace the bauble, but in vain; + So easily it spans the fleshless limb + That e'en the rough and corrugated skin, + Scarred by the bow-string, will not check its fall[54]. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +An idea strikes me, Anasy. Let [S']akoontal write a love-letter; +I will conceal it in a flower, and contrive to drop it in the +King's path. He will surely mistake it for the remains of some +sacred offering, and will, in all probability, pick it up. + +ANASY. + +A very ingenious device! It my entire approval; but what says +[S']akoontal? + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +I must consider before I can consent to it. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +Could, you not, dear [S']akoontal, think of some pretty +composition in verse, containing a delicate declaration of your +love? + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Well, I will do my best; but my heart trembles when I think of +the chances of a refusal. + +KING. [_With rapture_. + + Too timid maid, here stands the man from whom + Thou fearest a repulse; supremely blessed + To call thee all his own. Well might he doubt + His title to thy love; but how could'st thou + Believe thy beauty powerless to subdue him? + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + +You undervalue your own merits, dear [S']akoontal. What man in his +senses would intercept with the skirt of his robe the bright rays +of the autumnal moon, which alone can allay the fever of his +body? + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Smiling_. + +Then it seems I must do as I am bid. + + [_Sits down and appears to be thinking_. + +KING. + +How charming she looks! My very eyes forget to wink, jealous of +losing even for an instant a sight so enchanting. + + How beautiful the movement of her brow, + As through her mind love's tender fancies flow! + And, as she weighs her thoughts, how sweet to trace + The ardent passion mantling in her face! + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Dear girls, I have thought of a verse, but I have no +writing-materials at hand. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +Write the letters with your nail on this lotus-leaf, which is +smooth as a parrot's breast. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_After writing the verse_. + +Listen, dear friends, and tell me whether the ideas are +appropriately expressed. + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + +We are all attention. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Reads_. + + I know not the secret thy bosom conceals, + Thy form is not near me to gladden my sight; + But sad is the tale that my fever reveals, + Of the love that consumes me by day and by night. + +KING. [_Advancing hastily towards her_. + + Nay, Love does but warm thee, fair maiden,--thy frame + Only droops like the bud in the glare of the noon; + But me he consumes with a pitiless flame, + As the beams of the day-star destroy the pale moon. + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + + [_Looking at him joyfully and rising to salute him_. + +Welcome, the desire of our hearts, that so speedily presents +itself! + + [[S']AKOONTAL _makes an effort to rise_. + +KING. + +Nay, trouble not thyself, dear maiden. + + Move not to do me homage; let thy limbs + Still softly rest upon their flowery couch; + And gather fragrance from the lotus-stalks, + Bruised by the fevered contact of thy frame. + +ANASY. + +Deign, gentle Sir, to seat yourself on the rock on which our +friend is reposing. + + [_The_ KING _sits down_. [S']AKOONTAL _is confused_. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +Any one may see at a glance that you are deeply attached to each +other. But the affection I have for my friend prompts me to say +something of which you hardly require to be informed. + +KING. + +Do not hesitate to speak out, my good girl. If you omit to say +what is in your mind, you may be sorry for it afterwards. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +Is it not your special office as a King to remove the suffering +of your subjects who are in trouble? + +KING. + +Such is my duty, most assuredly. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +Know, then, that our dear friend has been brought to her present +state of suffering entirely through love for you. Her life is in +your hands; take pity on her and restore her to health. + +KING. + +Excellent maiden, our attachment is mutual. It is I who am the +most honoured by it. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Looking at PRIYAMVAD_. + +What do you mean by detaining the King, who must be anxious to +return to his royal consorts after so long a separation? + +KING. + + Sweet maiden, banish from thy mind the thought + That I could love another. Thou dost reign + Supreme, without a rival, in my heart, + And I am thine alone; disown me not, + Else must I die a second deadlier death, + Killed by thy words, as erst by Kma's[47] shafts. + +ANASY. + +Kind Sir, we have heard it said that kings have many favourite +consorts. You must not, then, by your behaviour towards our dear +friend, give her relations cause to sorrow for her. + +KING. + +Listen, gentle maiden, while in a few words I quiet your anxiety. + + Though many beauteous forms my palace grace, + Henceforth two things alone will I esteem + The glory of my royal dynasty-- + My sea-girt realm, and this most lovely maid. + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + +We are satisfied by your assurances. + +PRIYAMVAD. [_Glancing on one side_. + +See, Anasy, there is our favourite little fawn running about in +great distress, and turning its eyes in every direction as if +looking for its mother; come, let us help the little thing to +find her. [_Both move away_. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Dear friends, dear friends, leave me not alone and unprotected. +Why need you both go? + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + +Unprotected! when the Protector of the world is at your side. + + [_Exeunt_. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +What! have they both really left me? + +KING. + +Distress not thyself, sweet maiden. Thy adorer is at hand to wait +upon thee. + + Oh let me tend thee, fair one, in the place + Of thy dear friends; and with broad lotus fans + Raise cooling breezes to refresh thy frame; + Or shall I rather, with caressing touch, + Allay the fever of thy limbs, and soothe + Thy aching feet, beauteous as blushing lilies? + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Nay, touch me not. I will not incur the censure of those whom I +am bound to respect. + + [_Rises and attempts to go_. + +KING. + +Fair one, the heat of noon has not yet subsided, and thy body is +still feeble. + + How canst thou quit thy fragrant couch of flowers, + And from thy throbbing bosom cast aside + Its covering of lotus-leaves, to brave + With weak and fainting limbs the noon-day heat? + + [_Forces her to turn back_. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Infringe not the rules of decorum, mighty descendant of Puru. +Remember, though I love you, I have no power to dispose of +myself. + +KING. + +Why this fear of offending your relations, timid maid? When your +venerable foster-father hears of it, he will not find fault with +you. He knows that the law permits us to be united without +consulting him. + + In Indra's heaven, so at least 'tis said, + No nuptial rites prevail[55], nor is the bride + Led to the altar by her future lord; + But all in secret does the bridegroom plight + His troth, and each unto the other vow + Mutual allegiance. Such espousals, too, + Are authorised on earth, and many daughters + Of royal saints thus wedded to their lords + Have still received their father's benison. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Leave me, leave me; I must take counsel with my female friends. + +KING. + +I will leave thee when-- + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +When? + +KING. + + When I have gently stolen from thy lips + Their yet untasted nectar, to allay + The raging of my thirst, e'en as the bee + Sips the fresh honey from the opening bud. + + [_Attempts to raise her face_. [S']AKOONTAL tries to + prevent him_. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +The loving birds, doomed by fate to nightly separation[56], must +bid farewell to each other, for evening is at hand. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_In confusion_. + +Great Prince, I hear the voice of the matron Gautam. She is +coming this way to inquire after my health. Hasten and conceal +yourself behind the branches. + +KING. + +I will. [_Conceals himself_. + +_Enter_ GAUTAM _with a vase in her hand, preceded by two +attendants_. + +ATTENDANTS. + +This way, most venerable Gautam. + +GAUTAM. [_Approaching_ [S']AKOONTAL. + +My child, is the fever of thy limbs allayed? + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Venerable mother, there is certainly a change for the better. + +GAUTAM. + +Let me sprinkle you with this holy water, and all +your ailments will depart. + +[_Sprinkling_ [S']AKOONTAL on the head_.] + +The day is closing, my child; come, let us go to the cottage. + + [_They all move away_. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Aside_. + +Oh my heart! thou didst fear to taste of happiness when it was +within thy reach. Now that the object of thy desires is torn from +thee, how bitter will be thy remorse, how distracting thine +anguish! + +[_Moving on a few steps and stopping. Aloud_.] + +Farewell! bower of creepers, sweet soother of my sufferings, +farewell! may I soon again be happy under thy shade. + + [_Exit reluctantly with the others_. + +KING. + + [_Returning to his former seat in the arbour. Sighing_. + +Alas! how many are the obstacles to the accomplishment of our +wishes! + + Albeit she did coyly turn away + Her glowing cheek, and with her fingers guard + Her pouting lips, that murmured a denial + In faltering accents, she did yield herself + A sweet reluctant captive to my will. + As eagerly I raised her lovely face; + But ere with gentle force I stole the kiss, + Too envious Fate did mar my daring purpose. + +Whither now shall I betake myself? I will tarry for a brief space +in this bower of creepers, so endeared to me by the presence of +my beloved [S']akoontal. + + [_Looking round_. + + Here printed on the flowery couch I see + The fair impression of her slender limbs; + Here is the sweet confession of her love, + Traced with her nail upon the lotus-leaf; + And yonder are the withered lily-stalks + That graced her wrist. While all around I view + Things that recall her image, can I quit + This bower, e'en though its living be fled? + +A VOICE IN THE AIR. + +Great King, + + Scarce is our evening sacrifice begun, + When evil demons, lurid as the clouds + That gather round the dying orb of day, + Cluster in hideous troops, obscene and dread, + About our altars, casting far and near + Terrific shadows, while the sacred fire + Sheds a pale lustre o'er their ghostly shapes. + +KING. + +I come to the rescue, I come. + + [_Exit_. + + * * * * * + + + + +PRELUDE TO ACT IV. + + +SCENE.--_The Garden of the Hermitage_. + +_Enter_ PRIYAMVAD and ANASY in the act of gathering flowers_. + +ANASY. + +Although, dear Priyamvad, it rejoices my heart to think that +[S']akoontal has been happily united to a husband in every respect +worthy of her, by the form of marriage prevalent among Indra's +celestial musicians, nevertheless, I cannot help feeling somewhat +uneasy in my mind. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +How so? + +ANASY. + +You know that the pious King was gratefully dismissed by the +hermits on the successful termination of their sacrificial rites. +He has now returned to his capital, leaving [S']akoontal under our +care; and it may be doubted whether, in the society of his royal +consorts, he will not forget all that has taken place in this +hermitage of ours. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +On that score be at ease. Persons of his noble nature are not so +destitute of all honourable feeling. I confess, however, that +there is one point about which I am rather anxious. What, think +you, will Father Kanwa say when he hears what has occurred? + +ANASY. + +In my opinion, he will approve the marriage. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +What makes you think so? + +ANASY. + +From the first, it was always his fixed purpose to bestow the +maiden on a husband worthy of her; and since heaven has given her +such a husband, his wishes have been realized without any trouble +to himself. + +PRIYAMVAD. [_Looking at the flower-basket_. + +We have gathered flowers enough for the sacred offering, dear +Anasy. + +ANASY. + +Well, then, let us now gather more, that we may have wherewith to +propitiate the guardian-deity of our dear [S']akoontal. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +By all means. + + [_They continue gathering_. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Ho there! See you not that I am here! + +ANASY. + +That must be the voice of a guest announcing his arrival. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +Surely, [S']akoontal is not absent from the cottage. + +[_Aside_.] + +Her heart at least is absent, I fear. + +ANASY. + +Come along, come along; we have gathered flowers +enough. + + [_They move away_. + +THE SAME VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Woe to thee, maiden, for daring to slight a guest like me! + + Shall I stand here unwelcomed--even I, + A very mine of penitential merit, + Worthy of all respect? Shalt thou, rash maid, + Thus set at nought the ever sacred ties + Of hospitality? and fix thy thoughts + Upon the cherished object of thy love, + While I am present? Thus I curse thee, then-- + He, even he of whom thou thinkest, he + Shall think no more of thee; nor in his heart + Retain thine image. Vainly shalt thou strive + To waken his remembrance of the past; + He shall disown thee, even as the sot, + Roused from his midnight drunkenness, denies + The words he uttered in his revellings. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +Alas! alas! I fear a terrible misfortune has occurred. +[S']akoontal, from absence of mind, must have offended some guest +whom she was bound to treat with respect. + +[_Looking behind the scenes_.] + +Ah! yes; I see; and no less a person than the great sage +Durvsas[57], who is known to be most irascible. He it is that +has just cursed her, and is now retiring with hasty strides, +trembling with passion, and looking as if nothing could turn him. +His wrath is like a consuming fire. + +ANASY. + +Go quickly, dear Priyamvad, throw yourself at his feet, and +persuade him to come back, while I prepare a propitiatory +offering[59] for him, with water and refreshments. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +I will. + + [_Exit_. + +ANASY. + +[_Advancing hastily a few steps and stumbling_. + +Alas! alas! this comes of being in a hurry. My foot has slipped, +and my basket of flowers has fallen from my hand. + + [_Stays to gather them up_. + +PRIYAMVAD. [_Re-entering_ + +Well, dear Anasy, I have done my best; but what living being +could succeed in pacifying such a cross-grained, ill-tempered old +fellow? However, I managed to mollify him a little. + +ANASY [_Smiling_. + +Even a little was much for him. Say on. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +When he refused to turn back, I implored his forgiveness in these +words: 'Most venerable sage, pardon, I beseech you, this first +offence of a young and inexperienced girl, who was ignorant of +the respect due to your saintly character and exalted rank.' + +ANASY + +And what did he reply? + +PRIYAMVAD. + +'My word must not be falsified; but, at the sight of the ring of +recognition the spell shall cease.' So saying, he disappeared. + +ANASY. + +Oh! then we may breathe again; for, now I think of it, the King +himself, at his departure, fastened on [S']akoontal's finger, as a +token of remembrance, a ring on which his own name was engraved. +She has, therefore, a remedy for her misfortune at her own +command. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +Come, dear Anasy, let us proceed with our religious duties. + + [_They walk round_. + +PRIYAMVAD. [_Looking off the stage_. + +See, Anasy, there sits our dear friend, motionless as a statue, +resting her face on her left hand, her whole mind absorbed in +thinking of her absent husband. She can pay no attention to +herself, much less to a stranger. + +ANASY. + +Priyamvad, let this affair never pass our lips. We must spare +our dear friend's feelings. Her constitution is too delicate to +bear much emotion. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +I agree with you. Who would think of watering a tender jasmine +with hot water? + + + +ACT IV. + +Scene.--_The Neighbourhood of the Hermitage. + +Enter one of_ Kanwa's Pupils _just arisen from his couch at the +dawn of day_. + +PUPIL. + +My master, the venerable Kanwa, who is but lately returned from +his pilgrimage, has ordered me to ascertain how the time goes. I +have therefore come into the open air to see if it be still dark. + + [_Walking and looking about_.] + +Oh! the dawn has already broken. + + Lo! in one quarter of the sky, the Moon, + Lord of the herbs and night-expanding flowers, + Sinks towards his bed behind the western hills; + While in the east, preceded by the Dawn, + His blushing charioteer[59], the glorious Sun + Begins his course, and far into the gloom + Casts the first radiance of his orient beams. + Hail! co-eternal orbs, that rise to set, + And set to rise again; symbols divine + Of man's reverses, life's vicissitudes. + +And now, + + While the round Moon withdraws his looming disc + Beneath the western sky, the full-blown flower + Of the night-loving lotus[60] sheds her leave + In sorrow for his loss, bequeathing nought + But the sweet memory of her loveliness + To my bereaved sight; e'en as the bride + Disconsolately mourns her absent lord, + And yields her heart a prey to anxious grief. + +ANASY. [_Entering abruptly_. + +Little as I know of the ways of the world, I cannot help thinking +that King Dushyanta is treating [S']akoontal very improperly. + +PUPIL. + +Well, I must let my revered preceptor know that it is time to +offer the burnt oblation. + + [_Exit_. + +ANASY. + +I am broad awake, but what shall I do? I have no energy to go +about my usual occupations. My hands and feet seem to have lost +their power. Well, Love has gained his object; and Love only is +to blame for having induced our dear friend, in the innocence of +her heart, to confide in such a perfidious man. Possibly, +however, the imprecation of Durvsas may he already taking +effect. Indeed, I cannot otherwise account for the King's strange +conduct, in allowing so long a time to elapse without even a +letter; and that, too, after so many promises and protestations. +I cannot think what to do unless we send him the ring which was +to be the token of recognition. But which of these austere +hermits could we ask to be the bearer of it? Then, again, Father +Kanwa has just returned from his pilgrimage; and how am I to +inform him of [S']akoontal's marriage to King Dushyanta, and her +expectation of becoming soon a mother? I never could bring myself +to tell him, even if I felt that [S']akoontal had been in fault, +which she certainly has not. What is to be done? + +PRIYAMVAD. [_Entering; joyfully_. + +Quick! quick! Anasy! come and assist in the joyful preparations +for [S']akoontal's departure to her husband's palace. + +ANASY. + +My dear girl, what can you mean? + +PRIYAMVAD. + +Listen, now, and I will tell you all about it. I went just now to +[S']akoontal, to inquire whether she had slept comfortably-- + +ANASY. + +Well, well; go on. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +She was sitting with her face bowed down to the very ground with +shame, when Father Kanwa entered, and, embracing her, of his own +accord offered her his congratulations. 'I give thee joy, my +child,' he said, 'we have had an auspicious omen. The priest who +offered the oblation dropped it into the very centre of the +sacred fire [81], though thick smoke obstructed his vision. +Henceforth thou wilt cease to be an object of compassion. This +very day I purpose sending thee, under the charge of certain +trusty hermits, to the King's palace; and shall deliver thee into +the hands of thy husband, as I would commit knowledge to the +keeping of a wise and faithful student.' + +ANASY. + +Who, then, informed the holy father of what passed in his +absence? + +PRIYAMVAD. + +As he was entering the sanctuary of the consecrated fire, an +invisible being chanted a verse in celestial strains. + +ANASY. [_With astonishment_. + +Indeed! pray repeat it. + +PRIYAMVAD. [_Repeating the verse_. + + Glows in thy daughter King Dushyanta's glory, + As in the sacred tree the mystic fire [62]; + Let worlds rejoice to hear the welcome story, + And may the son immortalize the sire. + +ANASY. [_Embracing_ PRIYAMVAD. + +Oh, my dear Priyamvad, what delightful news! I am pleased +beyond measure; yet when I think that we are to lose our dear +[S']akoontal this very day, a feeling of melancholy mingles with +my joy. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +We shall find means of consoling ourselves after her departure. +Let the dear creature only be made happy at any cost. + +ANASY. + +Yes, yes, Priyamvad, it shall be so; and now to prepare the +bridal array. I have always looked forward to this occasion, and +some time since, I deposited a beautiful garland of Ke[S']ara +flowers in a cocoa-nut box, and suspended it on a bough of +yonder mango-tree. Be good enough to stretch out your hand and +take it down, while I compound unguents and perfumes with this +consecrated paste and these blades of sacred grass. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +Very well. + + [_Exit_ ANASY. PRIYAMVAD _takes down the flowers_. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Gautam, bid [S']rngarava and the others hold themselves in +readiness to escort [S']akoontal. + +PRIYAMVAD. [_Listening_. + +Quick, quick, Anasy! They are calling the +hermits who are to go with [S']akoontal to Hastinpur[83]. + +ANASY. [_Re-entering with the perfumed unguents in her +hand_. + +Come along then, Priyamvad; I am ready to go with you. + + [_They walk away_. + +PRIYAMVAD. [_Looking_. + +See! there sits [S']akoontal, her locks arranged even at this +early hour of the morning. The holy women of the hermitage are +congratulating her, and invoking blessings on her head, while +they present her with wedding-gifts and offerings of consecrated +wild-rice. Let us join them. + + [_They approach_. + +[S']AKOONTAL _is seen seated, with women surrounding her, occupied +in the manner described_. + +FIRST WOMAN. [_To_ [S']AKOONTAL. + +My child, may'st thou receive the title of 'Chief-queen,' and may +thy husband delight to honour thee above all others! + +SECOND WOMAN. + +My child, may'st thou be the mother of a hero! + +THIRD WOMAN. + +My child, may'st thou be highly honoured by thy lord! + +[_Exeunt all the women, excepting_ GAUTAM, after blessing_ +[S']AKOONTAL. + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. [_Approaching_. + +Dear [S']akoontal, we are come to assist you at your toilet, and +may a blessing attend it! + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Welcome, dear friends, welcome. Sit down here. + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + + [_Taking the baskets containing the bridal decorations, and + sitting down_. + +Now, then, dearest, prepare to let us dress you. We must first +rub your limbs with these perfumed unguents. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +I ought indeed to be grateful for your kind offices, now that I +am so soon to be deprived of them. Dear, dear friends, perhaps I +shall never be dressed by you again. + + [_Bursts into tears_. + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + +Weep not, dearest; tears are out of season on such a happy +occasion. + + [_They wipe away her tears and begin to dress her_. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +Alas! these simple flowers and rude ornaments, which our +hermitage offers in abundance, do not set off your beauty as it +deserves. + +_Enter TWO YOUNG HERMITS, bearing costly presents_. + +BOTH HERMITS. + +Here are ornaments suitable for a queen. + +[_The women look at them in astonishment_. + +GAUTAM + +Why, Nrada, my son, whence came these? + +FIRST HERMIT. + +You owe them to the devotion of Father Kanwa. + +GAUTAM. + +Did he create them by the power of his own mind? + +SECOND HERMIT. + +Certainly not; but you shall hear. The venerable sage ordered us +to collect flowers for [S']akoontal from the forest-trees; and we +went to the wood for that purpose, when + + Straightway depending from a neighbouring tree + Appeared a robe of linen tissue, pure + And spotless as a moonbeam--mystic pledge + Of bridal happiness; another tree + Distilled a roseate dye wherewith to stain + The lady's feet [135]; and other branches near + Glistened with rare and costly ornaments. + While, 'mid the leaves, the hands of forest-nymphs, + Vying in beauty with the opening buds, + Presented us with sylvan offerings. + +PRIYAMVAD. [_Looking at_ [S']AKOONTAL. + +The wood-nymphs have done you honour, indeed. This favour +doubtless signifies that you are soon to be received as a happy +wife into your husband's house, and are from this time forward to +become the partner of his royal fortunes. + +[[S']AKOONTAL _appears abashed_. + +FIRST HERMIT. + +Come, Gautama; Father Kanwa has finished his ablutions. Let us go +and inform him of the favour we have received from the deities +who preside over our trees. + +SECOND HERMIT. + +By all means. + + [_Exeunt_. + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY + +Alas! what are we to do? We are unused to such splendid +decorations, and are at a loss how to arrange them. Our +knowledge of painting must be our guide. We will dispose the +ornaments as we have seen them in pictures. + +[S']AKOONTAL + +Whatever pleases you, dear girls, will please me. I have perfect +confidence In your taste. + + [_They commence dressing her_. + +_Enter_ KANWA, _having just finished his ablutions_. + +KANWA. + + This day my loved one leaves me, and my heart + Is heavy with its grief; the streams of sorrow, + Choked at the source, repress my faltering voice, + I have no words to speak; mine eyes are dimmed + By the dark shadows of the thoughts that rise + Within my soul. If such the force of grief + In an old hermit parted from his nursling, + What anguish must the stricken parent feel-- + Bereft for ever of an only daughter. + +[_Advances towards_ [S']AKOONTAL + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + +Now, dearest [S']akoontal, we have finished decorating you. You +have only to put on the two linen mantles. + + [[S']AKOONTAL _rises and puts them on_. + +GAUTAM. + +Daughter, see, here comes thy foster-father; he is eager to fold +thee in his arms; his eyes swim with tears of joy. Hasten to do +him reverence. + +[S']AKOONTAL [_Reverently_. + +My father, I salute you. + +KANWA. + +My daughter, + + May'st thou be highly honoured by thy lord, + E'en as Yayti [S']armishth adored[64]! + And, as she bore him Puru, so may'st thou + Bring forth a son to whom the world shall bow! + +GAUTAM. + +Most venerable father, she accepts your benediction as if she +already possessed the boon it confers. + +KANWA. + +Now come this way, my child, and walk reverently +round these sacrificial fires. + + [_They all walk round_. + +KANWA. + + [_Repeats a prayer in the metre of the Rig-veda_. + + Holy flames, that gleam around + Every altar's hallowed ground; + Holy flames, whose frequent food + Is the consecrated wood, + And for whose encircling bed, + Sacred Ku[s']a-grass is spread [65]; + Holy flames, that waft to heaven + Sweet oblations daily given, + Mortal guilt to purge away, + Hear, oh hear me, when I pray-- + Purify my child this day! + +Now then, my daughter, set out on thy journey. + +[_Looking on one side_.] + +Where are thy attendants. [S']rngarava and the others? + +YOUNG HERMIT. [_Entering_. + +Here we are, most venerable father. + +KANWA. + +Lead the way for thy sister. + +[S']RNGARAVA. + +Come, [S']akoontal, let us proceed. + + [_All move away_. + +KANWA. + + Hear me, ye trees that surround our hermitage! + [S']akoontal ne'er moistened in the stream + Her own parched lips, till she had fondly poured + Its purest water on your thirsty roots; + And oft, when she would fain have decked her hair + With your thick-clustering blossoms, in her love + She robbed you not e'en of a single flower. + Her highest joy was ever to behold + The early glory of your opening buds; + Oh, then, dismiss her with a kind farewell. + This very day she quits her father's home, + To seek the palace of her wedded lord. + +[_The note of a Kol[66] is heard_. + + Hark! heard'st thou not the answer of the trees, + Our sylvan sisters, warbled in the note + Of the melodious Kol[66]? they dismiss + Their dear [S']akoontal with loving wishes. + +VOICES IN THE AIR. + + Fare thee well, journey pleasantly on amid streams + Where the lotuses bloom, and the sun's glowing beams + Never pierce the deep shade of the wide-spreading trees, + While gently around thee shall sport the cool breeze; + Then light be thy footsteps and easy thy tread, + Beneath thee shall carpets of lilies be spread; + Journey on to thy lord, let thy spirit be gay, + For the smiles of all Nature shall gladden thy way. + + [_All listen with astonishment_. + +GAUTAM. + +Daughter! the nymphs of the wood, who love thee with the +affection of a sister, dismiss thee with kind wishes for thy +happiness. Take thou leave of them reverentially. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +[_Bowing respectfully and walking on. Aside to her friend_. + +Eager as I am, dear Priyamvad, to see my husband once more, yet +my feet refuse to move, now that I am quitting for ever the home +of my girlhood. + +PRIYAMVAD. + +You are not the only one, dearest, to feel the bitterness of +parting. As the time of separation approaches, the whole grove +seems to share your anguish. + + In sorrow for thy loss, the herd of deer + Forget to browse; the peacock on the lawn + Ceases its dance[67]; the very trees around + Shed their pale leaves, like tears, upon the ground. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Recollecting herself_. + +My father, let me, before I go, bid adieu to my pet jasmine, the +Moonlight of the Grove[68]. I love the plant almost as a sister. + +KANWA. + +Yes, yes, my child, I remember thy sisterly affection for the +creeper. Here it is on the right. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Approaching the jasmine_. + +My beloved jasmine! most brilliant of climbing plants, how sweet +it is to see thee cling thus fondly to thy husband, the +mango-tree; yet, prithee, turn thy twining arms for a moment in +this direction to embrace thy sister; she is going far away, and +may never see thee again. + +KANWA. + + Daughter, the cherished purpose of my heart + Has ever been to wed thee to a man + That should be worthy of thee; such a spouse + Hast thou thyself, by thine own merits, won. + To him thou goest, and about his neck + Soon shalt thou cling confidingly, as now + Thy favourite jasmine twines its loving arms + Around the sturdy mango. Leave thou it + To its protector--e'en as I consign + Thee to thy lord, and henceforth from my mind + Banish all anxious thought on thy behalf. + +Proceed on thy journey, my child. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_To_ PRIYAMVAD _and_ ANASY. + +To you, my sweet companions, I leave it as a keepsake. Take +charge of it when I am gone. + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. [_Bursting into tears_. + +And to whose charge do you leave us, dearest? Who will care for +us when you are gone? + +KANWA. + +For shame, Anasy! dry your tears. Is this the way to cheer your +friend at a time when she needs your support and consolation? + + [_All move on_. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +My father, see you there my pet deer, grazing close to the +hermitage? She expects soon to fawn, and even now the weight of +the little one she carries hinders her movements. Do not forget +to send me word when she becomes a mother. + +KANWA. + +I will not forget it. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Feeling herself drawn back_. + +What can this be, fastened to my dress? + + [_Turns round_. + +KANWA. + +My daughter, + + It is the little fawn, thy foster-child, + Poor helpless orphan! it remembers well + How with a mother's tenderness and love + Thou didst protect it, and with grains of rice + From thine own hand didst daily nourish it; + And, ever and anon, when some sharp thorn + Had pierced its mouth, how gently thou didst tend + The bleeding wound, and pour in healing balm. + The grateful nursling clings to its protectress, + Mutely imploring leave to follow her. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +My poor little fawn! dost thou ask to follow an ungrateful +wretch who hesitates not to desert her companions! When thy +mother died, soon after thy birth, I supplied her place, and +reared thee with my own hand; and now that thy second mother is +about to leave thee, who will care for thee? My father, be thou a +mother to her. My child, go back, and be a daughter to my father. + + [_Moves on, weeping_. + +KANWA. + + Weep not, my daughter, check the gathering tear + That lurks beneath thine eyelid, ere it flow + And weaken thy resolve; be firm and true-- + True to thyself and me; the path of life + Will lead o'er hill and plain, o'er rough and smooth, + And all must feel the steepness of the way; + Though rugged be thy course, press boldly on. + +[S']RNGARAVA. + +Venerable Sire! the sacred precept is:--'Accompany thy friend as +far as the margin of the first stream.' Here, then, we are +arrived at the border of a lake. It is time for you to give us +your final instructions and return. + +KANWA. + +Be it so; let us tarry for a moment under the shade of this +fig-tree[69]. + +[_They do so_. + +KANWA [_Aside_. + +I must think of some appropriate message to send to his Majesty +King Dushyanta. + +[_Reflects_. . + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Aside to_ ANASY. + +See, see, dear Anasy, the poor female Chakravka-bird[70], whom +cruel fate dooms to nightly separation from her mate, calls to +him in mournful notes from the other side of the stream, though +he is only hidden from her view by the spreading leaves of the +water-lily. Her cry is so piteous that I could almost fancy she +was lamenting her hard lot in intelligible words. + +ANASY + +Say not so, dearest: + + Fond bird! though sorrow lengthen out her night + Of widowhood, yet with a cry of joy + She hails the morning light that brings her mate + Back to her side. The agony of parting + Would wound us like a sword, but that its edge + Is blunted by the hope of future meeting. + +KANWA. + +[S']rngarava! when you have introduced [S']akoontal into the +presence of the King, you must give him this message from me:-- + +[S']RNGARAVA + +Let me hear it, venerable father. + +KANWA. + +This is it:-- + + Most puissant prince! we here present before thee + One thou art bound to cherish and receive + As thine own wife; yea, even to enthrone + As thine own queen--worthy of equal love + With thine imperial consorts. So much, Sire, + We claim of thee as justice due to us, + In virtue of our holy character, + In virtue of thine honourable rank, + In virtue of the pure spontaneous love + That secretly grew up 'twixt thee and her, + Without consent or privity of us. + We ask no more--the rest we freely leave + To thy just feeling and to destiny. + +[S']RNGARAVA. + +A most suitable message! I will take care to deliver it +correctly. + +KANWA. + +And, now, my child, a few words of advice for thee. We hermits, +though we live secluded from the world are not ignorant of +worldly matters. + +[S']RNGARAVA. + +No, indeed. Wise men are conversant with all subjects. + +KANWA. + +Listen, then, my daughter. When thou reachest thy husband's +palace, and art admitted into his family, + + Honour thy betters; ever be respectful + To those above thee; and, should others share + Thy husband's love, ne'er yield thyself a prey + to jealousy; but ever be a friend, + A loving friend, to those who rival thee + In his affections. Should thy wedded lord + Treat thee with harshness, thou most never be + Harsh in return, but patient and submissive; + Be to thy menials courteous, and to all + Placed under thee, considerate and kind; + Be never self-indulgent, but avoid + Excess in pleasure; and, when fortune smiles, + Be not puffed up. Thus to thy husband's house + Wilt thou a blessing prove, and not a curse. + +What thinks Gautam of this advice? + +GAUTAM. + +An excellent compendium, truly, of every wife's duties! Lay it +well to heart, my daughter. + +KANWA. + +Come, my beloved child, one parting embrace for me and for thy +companions, and then we leave thee. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +My father, must Priyamvad and Anasy really return with you? +They are very dear to me. + +KANWA. + +Yes, my child; they, too, in good time, will be given in marriage +to suitable husbands. It would not be proper for them to +accompany thee to such a public place. But Gautam shall be thy +companion. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Embracing him_. + +Removed from thy bosom, my beloved father, like a young +tendril of the sandal-tree torn from its home in the western +mountains[71], how shall I be able to support life in a foreign +soil? + +KANWA. + +Daughter, thy fears are groundless. + + Soon shall thy lord prefer thee to the rank + Of his own consort; and unnumbered cares + Befitting his imperial dignity + Shall constantly engross thee. Then the bliss + Of bearing him a son--a noble boy, + Bright as the day-star, shall transport thy soul + With new delights, and little shalt thou reck + Of the light sorrow that afflicts thee now + At parting from thy father and thy friends. + + [[S']AKOONTAL _throws herself at her foster-father's feet_. + +KANWA. + +Blessings on thee, my child! May all my hopes of thee be +realized! + +[S']AKOONTAL [_Approaching her friends_. + +Come, my two loved companions, embrace me both of you together. + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. [_Embracing her_. + +Dear [S']akoontal, remember, if the King should by any chance be +slow in recognizing you, you have only to show him this ring, on +which his own name is engraved. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +The bare thought of it puts me in a tremor. + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + +There is no real cause for fear, dearest. Excessive affection is +too apt to suspect evil where none exists. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Come, lady, we must hasten on. The sun is rising in the heavens. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Looking towards the hermitage_. + +Dear father, when shall I ever see this hallowed grove again? + +KANWA. + +I will tell thee; listen:-- + + When thou hast passed a long and blissful life + As King Dushyanta's queen, and jointly shared + With all the earth his ever-watchful care; + And hast beheld thine own heroic son, + Matchless in arms, united to a bride + In happy wedlock; when his aged sire, + Thy faithful husband, hath to him resigned + The helm of state; then, weary of the world, + Together with Dushyanta thou shalt seek + The calm seclusion of thy former home[72]; + There amid holy scenes to be at peace, + Till thy pure spirit gain its last release. + +GAUTAM. + +Come, my child, the favourable time for our journey is fast +passing. Let thy father return. Venerable Sire, be thou the first +to move homewards, or these last words will never end. + +KANWA. + +Daughter, detain me no longer. My religious duties must not be +interrupted. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Again embracing her foster-father_. + +Beloved father, thy frame is much enfeebled by penitential +exercises. Do not, oh! do not, allow thyself to sorrow too much +on my account. + +KANWA. [_Sighing_. + + How, O my child, shall my bereaved heart + Forget its bitterness, when, day by day, + Full in my sight shall grow the tender plants + Reared by thy care, or sprang from hallowed grain + Which thy loved hands have strewn around the door-- + A frequent offering to our household gods[73]? + +Go, my daughter, and may thy journey be prosperous. + + [_Exit_ [S']AKOONTAL _with her escort_. + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. [_Gazing after_ [S']AKOONTAL. + +Alas! alas! she is gone, and now the trees hide our darling from +our view. + +KANWA. [_Sighing_. + +Well, Anasy, your sister has departed. Moderate your grief, +both of you, and follow me, I go back to the hermitage. + +PRIYAMVAD AND ANASY. + +Holy father, the sacred grove will be a desert without +[S']akoontal. How can we ever return to it? + +KANWA. + +It is natural enough that your affection should make you view it +in this light. + +[_Walking pensively on_.] + +As for me, I am quite surprised at myself. Now that I have fairly +dismissed her to her husband's house, my mind is easy; for, +indeed, + + A daughter is a loan--a precious jewel + Lent to a parent till her husband claim her. + And now that to her rightful lord and master + I have delivered her, my burdened soul + Is lightened, and I seem to breathe more freely. + + [_Exeunt_. + + * * * * * + + + + +ACT V. + +SCENE.--_A Room in the Palace_. + +_The King_ DUSHYANTA _and the Jester_ M[T.]HAVYA _are discovered +seated_. + +M[T.]HAVYA. [_Listening_. + +Hark! my dear friend, listen a minute, and you will hear sweet +sounds proceeding from the music-room. Some one is singing a +charming air. Who can it be? Oh! I know. The queen Hansapadik is +practising her notes, that she may greet you with a new song. + +KING. + +Hush! Let me listen. + +A VOICE SINGS BEHIND THE SCENES. + + How often hither didst thou rove, + Sweet bee, to kiss the mango's cheek; + Oh! leave not, then, thy early love, + The lily's honeyed lip to seek. + +KING. + +A most impassioned strain, truly! + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Do you understand the meaning of the words? + +KING. [_Smiling_. + +She means to reprove me, because I once paid her great attention, +and have lately deserted her for the queen Vasumat. Go, my dear +fellow, and tell Hansapadik from me that I take her delicate +reproof as it is intended. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Very well. + +[_Rising from his seat_.] + +But stay--I don't much relish being sent to bear the brunt of her +jealousy. The chances are that she will have me seized by the +hair of the head and beaten to a jelly. I would as soon expose +myself, after a vow of celibacy, to the seductions of a lovely +nymph, as encounter the fury of a jealous woman. + +KING. + +Go, go; you can disarm her wrath by a civil speech; but give her +my message. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +What must be must be, I suppose. + + [_Exit_. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +Strange! that song has filled me with a most peculiar sensation. +A melancholy feeling has come over me, and I seem to yearn after +some long-forgotten object of affection. Singular, indeed! but + + Not seldom In our happy hours of ease, + When thought is still, the sight of some fair form, + Or mournful fall of music breathing low, + Will stir strange fancies, thrilling all the soul + With a mysterious sadness, and a sense + Of vague yet earnest longing. Can it be + That the dim memory of events long past, + Or friendships formed in other states of being[74], + Flits like a passing shadow o'er the spirit? + + [_Remains pensive and sad_. + +_Enter the_ CHAMBERLAIN[75], _named_ VTYANA. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +Alas! to what an advanced period of life have I attained! + + Even this wand betrays the lapse of years; + In youthful days 'twas but a useless badge + And symbol of my office; now it serves + As a support to prop my tottering steps. + +Ah me! I feel very unwilling to announce to the King that a +deputation of young hermits from the sage Kanwa has arrived, and +craves an immediate audience. Certainly, his Majesty ought not to +neglect a matter of sacred duty, yet I hardly like to trouble him +when he has just risen from the judgment-seat. Well, well; a +monarch's business is to sustain the world, and he must not +expect much repose; because-- + + Onward, for ever onward, in his car + The unwearied Sun pursues his daily course, + Nor tarries to unyoke his glittering steeds. + And, ever moving, speeds the rushing Wind + Through boundless space, filling the universe + With his life-giving breezes. Day and night, + The King of Serpents on his thousand heads[76] + Upholds the incumbent earth; and even so, + Unceasing toil is aye the lot of kings, + Who, in return, draw nurture from their subjects. + +I will therefore deliver my message. + +[_Walking on and looking about_.] + +Ah! here comes the King. + + His subjects are his children; through the day, + Like a fond father, to supply their wants, + Incessantly he labours; wearied now, + The monarch seeks seclusion and repose; + E'en as the prince of elephants defies + The sun's fierce heat, and leads the fainting herd + To verdant pastures, ere his wayworn limbs + He yields to rest beneath the cooling shade. + +[_Approaching_.] + +Victory to the King! So please your Majesty, some hermits who +live in a forest near the Snowy Mountains have arrived here, +bringing certain women with them. They have a message to deliver +from the sage Kanwa and desire an audience. I await your +Majesty's commands. + +KING. [_Respectfully_. + +A message from the sage Kanwa, did you say? + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +Even so, my liege. + +KING. + +Tell my domestic priest Somarta to receive the hermits with due +honour, according to the prescribed form. He may then himself +introduce them into my presence. I will await them in a place +suitable for the reception of such holy guests. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +Your Majesty's commands shall be obeyed. + + [_Exit_. + +KING. [_Rising and addressing his_ WARDER. + +Vetravat, lead the way to the chamber of the consecrated +fire[77]. + +WARDER. + +This way, Sire. + +KING. + +[_Walking on, with the air of one oppressed by the cares of +Government_. + +People are generally contented and happy when they have gained +their desires; but kings have no sooner attained the object of +their aspirations than all their troubles begin. + + 'Tis a fond thought that to attain the end + And object of ambition is to rest; + Success doth only mitigate the fever + Of anxious expectation; soon the fear + Of losing what we have, the constant care + Of guarding it, doth weary. Ceaseless toil + Must be the lot of him who with his hands + Supports the canopy that shields his subjects. + +TWO HERALDS[78]. [_Behind the scenes_. + +May the King be victorious! + +FIRST HERALD. + + Honour to him who labours day by day + For the world's weal, forgetful of his own; + Like some tall tree that with its stately head + Endures the solar beam, while underneath + It yields refreshing shelter to the weary. + +SECOND HERALD. + + Let but the monarch wield his threatening rod + And e'en the guilty tremble; at his voice + The rebel spirit cowers; his grateful subjects + Acknowledge him their guardian; rich and poor + Hail him a faithful friend--a loving kinsman. + +KING. + +Weary as I was before, this complimentary address has refreshed +me. + + [_Walks on_. + +WARDER. + +Here is the terrace of the hallowed fire-chamber, and yonder +stands the cow that yields the milk for the oblations. The sacred +enclosure has been recently purified, and looks clean and +beautiful. Ascend, Sire. + +KING. [Leans on the shoulders of his attendants and ascends_. + +Vetravat, what can possibly be the message that the venerable +Kanwa has sent me by these hermits? + + Perchance their sacred rites have been disturbed + By demons, or some evil has befallen + The innocent herds, their favourites, that graze + Within the precincts of the hermitage, + Or haply, through my sins, some withering blight + Has nipped the creeping plants that spread their arms + Around the hallowed grove. Such troubled thoughts + Crowd through my mind, and fill me with misgiving. + +WARDER. + +If you ask my opinion, Sire, I think the hermits merely wish to +take an opportunity of testifying their loyalty, and are +therefore come to offer homage to your majesty. + +_Enter the_ HERMITS _leading_ [S']AKOONTAL, _attended by_ GAUTAM; +_and in advance of them, the_ CHAMBERLAIN _and the_ DOMESTIC +PRIEST. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +This way, reverend Sirs, this way. + +[S']RNGARAVA + +O [S']radwata, + + 'Tis true the monarch lacks no royal grace, + Nor ever swerves from justice; true, his people, + Yea such as in life's humblest walks are found, + Refrain from evil courses; still to me, + A lonely hermit reared in solitude, + This throng appears bewildering, and I seem + To look upon a burning house, whose inmates + Are running to and fro in wild dismay. + +[S']RADWATA. + +It is natural that the first sight of the King's capital should +affect you in this manner; my own sensations are very similar. + + As one just bathed beholds the man polluted; + As one late purified, the yet impure; + As one awake looks on the yet unawakened; + Or as the freeman gazes on the thrall, + So I regard this crowd of pleasure-seekers. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + + [_Feeling a quivering sensation in her right eyelid_ [79]_, and + suspecting a bad omen_. + +Alas! what means this throbbing of my right eyelid? + +GAUTAM. + +Heaven avert the evil omen, my child! May the guardian deities of +thy husband's family convert it into a sign of good fortune! + +[_Walks on_. + +PRIEST. + +[_Pointing to the King_. + +Most reverend Sirs, there stands the protector of the four +classes of the people; the guardian of the four conditions of the +priesthood[80]. He has just left the judgment-seat, and is +waiting for you. Behold him! + +[S']RNGARAVA + +Great Brhman, we are happy in thinking that the King's power is +exerted for the protection of all classes of his subjects. We +have not come as petitioners--we have the fullest confidence in +the generosity of his nature. + + The loftiest trees bend humbly to the ground + Beneath the teeming burden of their fruit; + High in the vernal sky the pregnant clouds + Suspend their stately course, and, hanging low, + Scatter their sparkling treasures o'er the earth; + And such is true benevolence; the good + Are never rendered arrogant by riches. + + WARDER. + +So please your Majesty, I judge from the placid countenance of +the hermits that they have no alarming message to deliver. + +KING. [_Looking at [S']AKOONTAL_. + +But the lady there-- + + Who can she be, whose form of matchless grace + Is half concealed beneath her flowing veil? + Among the sombre hermits she appears + Like a fresh bud 'mid sear and yellow leaves. + +WARDER. + +So please your Majesty, my curiosity is also roused, but no +conjecture occurs to my mind. This at least is certain, that she +deserves to be looked at more closely. + +KING. + +True; but it is not right to gaze at another man's wife[120]. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Placing her hand on her bosom. Aside_. + +O my heart, why this throbbing? Remember thy lord's affection, +and take courage. + +PRIEST. [_Advancing_. + +These holy men have been received with all due honour. One of +them has now a message to deliver from his spiritual superior. +Will your Majesty deign to hear it? + +KING. + +I am all attention. + +HERMITS. [_Extending their hands_. + +Victory to the King! + +KING. + +Accept my respectful greeting. + +HERMITS. + +May the desires of your soul be accomplished! + +KING. + +I trust no one is molesting you in the prosecution of your +religious rites. + +HERMITS. + + Who dares disturb our penitential rites + When thou art our protector? Can the night + Prevail to cast her shadows o'er the earth + While the sun's beams irradiate the sky? + +KING. + +Such, indeed, is the very meaning of my title--'Defender of the +Just.' I trust the venerable Kanwa is in good health. The world +is interested in his well-being. + +HERMITS. + +Holy men have health and prosperity in their own power. He bade +us greet your Majesty, and, after kind inquiries, deliver this +message. + +KING. + +Let me hear his commands. + +[S']RNGARAVA. + +He bade us say that he feels happy in giving his sanction to the +marriage which your Majesty contracted with this lady, his +daughter, privately and by mutual agreement. Because, + + By us thou art esteemed the most illustrious + Of noble husbands; and [S']akoontal, + Virtue herself in human form revealed. + Great Brahm hath in equal yoke united + A bride unto a husband worthy of her; + Henceforth let none make blasphemous complaint + That he is pleased with ill-assorted unions[81]. + +Since, therefore, she expects soon to be the mother of thy child, +receive her into thy palace, that she may perform, in conjunction +with thee, the ceremonies prescribed by religion on such an +occasion. + +GAUTAM. + +So please your Majesty, I would add a few words; but why should +I intrude my sentiments when an opportunity of speaking my mind +has never been allowed me? + + She took no counsel with her kindred; thou + Didst not confer with thine, but all alone + Didst solemnize thy nuptials with thy wife. + Together, then, hold converse; let us leave you. + +[S']AKOONTAL [_Aside_. + +Ah! how I tremble for my lord's reply. + +KING. + +What strange proposal is this? + +[S']AKOONTAL [_Aside_. + +His words are like fire to me. + +[S']RNGARAVA + +What do I hear? Dost thou, then, hesitate? Monarch, thou art well +acquainted with the ways of the world, and knowest that + + A wife, however virtuous and discreet, + If she live separate from her wedded lord, + Though under shelter of her parent's roof, + Is marked for vile suspicion. Let her dwell + Beside her husband, though he hold her not + In his affection. So her kinsmen will it. + +KING. + +Do you really mean to assert that I ever married +this lady? + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Despondingly. Aside_. + +O my heart, thy worst misgivings are confirmed. + +[S']RNGARAVA. + +Is it becoming in a monarch to depart from the rules of justice, +because he repents of his engagements? + +KING. + +I cannot answer a question which is based on a mere fabrication. + +[S']RNGARAVA. + +Such inconstancy is fortunately not common, except in men +intoxicated by power. + +KING. + +Is that remark aimed at me? + +GAUTAM. + +Be not ashamed, my daughter. Let me remove thy veil for a little +space. Thy husband will then recognize thee. + + [_Removes her veil_. + +KING. + + [_Gazing at_ [S']AKOONTAL. _Aside_. + + What charms are here revealed before mine eyes! + Truly no blemish mars the symmetry + Of that fair form; yet can I ne'er believe + She is my wedded wife; and like a bee + That circles round the flower whose nectared cup + Teems with the dew of morning, I must pause + Ere eagerly I taste the proffered sweetness. + + [_Remains wrapped in thought_. + +WARDER. + +How admirably does our royal master's behaviour prove his regard +for justice! Who else would hesitate for a moment when good +fortune offered for his acceptance a form of such rare beauty? + +[S']RNGARAVA. + +Great King, why art thou silent? + +KING. + +Holy men, I have revolved the matter in my mind; but the more I +think of it, the less able am I to recollect that I ever +contracted an alliance with this lady. What answer, then, can I +possibly give you when I do not believe myself to be her husband, +and I plainly see that she is soon to become a mother? + +[S']AKOONTAL + +[_Aside_. + +Woe! woe! Is our very marriage to be called in question by my own +husband? Ah me! is this to be the end of all my bright visions of +wedded happiness? + +[S']RNGARAVA. + +Beware! + + Beware how thou insult the holy Sage! + Remember how he generously allowed + Thy secret union with his foster-child; + And how, when thou didst rob him of his treasure, + He sought to furnish thee excuse, when rather + He should have cursed thee for a ravisher. + +[S']RADWATA. + +[S']rngarava, speak to him no more. [S']akoontal, +our part is performed; we have said all we have to +say, and the King has replied in the manner thou +hast heard. It is now thy turn to give him convincing +evidence of thy marriage. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Aside_. + +Since his feeling towards me has undergone a complete revolution, +what will it avail to revive old recollections? One thing is +clear--I shall soon have to mourn my own widowhood. + +[_Aloud_.] + +My revered husband-- + +[_Stops short_.] + +But no--I dare not address thee by this title, since thou hast +refused to acknowledge our union. Noble descendant of Puru! It is +not worthy of thee to betray an innocent-minded girl, and disown +her in such terms, after having so lately and so solemnly +plighted thy vows to her in the hermitage. + +KING. + +[_Stopping his ears_. + +I will hear no more. Be such a crime far from my thoughts! + + What evil spirit can possess thee, lady, + That thou dost seek to sully my good name + By base aspersions, like a swollen torrent, + That, leaping from its narrow bed, o'erthrows + The tree upon its bank, and strives to blend + Its turbid waters with the crystal stream? + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +If, then, thou really believest me to be the wife of another, and +thy present conduct proceeds from some cloud that obscures thy +recollection, I will easily convince thee by this token. + +KING. + +An excellent idea! + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +[_Feeling for the ring_. + +Alas! alas! woe is me! There is no ring on my finger! + + [_Looks with anguish at_ GAUTAM. + +GAUTAM. + +The ring must have slipped off when thou wast in the act of +offering homage to the holy water of [S']ach's sacred pool, near +Sakrvatra[82]. + +KING. [_Smiling_. + +People may well talk of the readiness of woman's invention! Here +is an instance of it. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Say, rather, of the omnipotence of fate. I will mention another +circumstance, which may yet convince thee. + +KING. + +By all means let me hear it at once. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +One day, while we were seated in a jasmine-bower, thou didst pour +into the hollow of thine hand some water, sprinkled by a recent +shower in the cup of a lotus-blossom-- + +KING. + +I am listening; proceed. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +At that instant, my adopted child, the little fawn, with soft, +long eyes, came running towards us. Upon which, before tasting +the water thyself, thou didst kindly offer some to the little +creature, saying fondly:--'Drink first, gentle fawn.' But she +could not be induced to drink from the hand of a stranger; though +immediately afterwards, when I took the water in my own hand, +she drank with perfect confidence. Then, with a smile, thou didst +say;--'Every creature confides naturally in its own kind. You are +both inhabitants of the same forest, and have learnt to trust +each other.' + +KING. + +Voluptuaries may allow themselves to be seduced from the path of +duty by falsehoods such as these, expressed in honeyed words. + +GAUTAM. + +Speak not thus, illustrious Prince. This lady was brought up in a +hermitage, and has never learnt deceit. + +KING. + +Holy matron, + + E'en in untutored brutes, the female sex + Is marked by inborn subtlety--much more + In beings gifted with intelligence. + The wily Kol[83], ere towards the sky + She wings her sportive flight, commits her eggs + To other nests, and artfully consigns + The rearing of her little ones to strangers. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Angrily_. + +Dishonourable man, thou judgest of others by thine own evil +heart. Thou, at least, art unrivalled in perfidy, and standest +alone--a base deceiver in the garb of virtue and religion--like a +deep pit whose yawning mouth is concealed by smiling flowers. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +Her anger, at any rate, appears genuine, and makes me almost +doubt whether I am in the right. For indeed, + + When I had vainly searched my memory, + And so with stern severity denied + The fabled story of our secret loves, + Her brows, that met before in graceful curves, + Like the arched weapon of the god of love, + Seemed by her frown dissevered; while the fire + Of sudden anger kindled in her eyes. + +[_Aloud_.] + +My good lady, Dushyanta's character is well known to all. I +comprehend not your meaning. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Well do I deserve to be thought a harlot for having in the +innocence of my heart, and out of the confidence I reposed in a +Prince of Puru's race, entrusted my honour to a man whose mouth +distils honey, while his heart is full of poison. + + [_Covers her face with her mantle, and bursts into tears_. + +[S']RNGARAVA. + +Thus it is that burning remorse must ever follow rash actions +which might have been avoided, and for which one has only one's +self to blame. + + Not hastily should marriage be contracted, + And specially in secret. Many a time, + In hearts that know not each the other's fancies, + Fond love is changed into most bitter hate. + +KING. + +How now! Do you give credence to this woman rather than to me, +that you heap such accusations on me? + +[S']RNGARAVA. [_Sarcastically_. + +That would be too absurd, certainly. You have heard the +proverb:-- + + Hold in contempt the innocent words of those + Who from their infancy have known no guile; + But trust the treacherous counsels of the man + Who makes a very science of deceit. + +KING. + +Most veracious Brhman, grant that you are in the right, what end +would be gained by betraying this lady? + +[S']RNGARAVA. + +Ruin. + +KING. + +No one will believe that a Prince of Puru's race would seek to +ruin others or himself. + +[S']RADWATA. + +This altercation is idle, [S']rngarava. We have executed the +commission of our preceptor; come, let us return. + + [_To the_ KING. + + [S']akoontal is certainly thy bride; + Receive her or reject her, she is thine. + Do with her, King, according to thy pleasure-- + The husband o'er the wife is absolute. + +Go on before us, Gautam. + + [_They move away_. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +What! is it not enough to have been betrayed by this perfidious +man? Must you also forsake me, regardless of my tears and +lamentations? + + [_Attempts to follow them_. + +GAUTAM. [_Stopping_. + +My son [S']rngarava, see! [S']akoontal is following us, and with +tears implores us not to leave her. Alas! poor child, what will +she do here with a cruel husband who casts her from him? + +[S']RNGARAVA. + + [_Turning angrily towards her_. + +Wilful woman, dost thou seek to be independent of thy lord? + + [[S']AKOONTAL _trembles with fear_. + +[S']akoontal! + + If thou art really what the King proclaims thee, + How can thy father e'er receive thee back + Into his house and home? but if thy conscience + Be witness to thy purity of soul, + E'en should thy husband to a handmaid's lot + Condemn thee, thou may'st cheerfully endure it. + When ranked among the number of his household. + +Thy duty therefore is to stay. As for us, we must return +immediately. + +KING. + +Deceive not this lady, my good hermit, by any such expectations. + + The moon expands the lotus of the night, + The rising sun awakes the lily; each + Is with his own contented. Even so + The virtuous man is master of his passions, + And from another's wife averts his gaze[120]. + +[S']RNGARAVA. + +Since thy union with another woman has rendered thee oblivious of +thy marriage with [S']akoontal, whence this fear of losing thy +character for constancy and virtue? + +KING. [_To his domestic_ PRIEST. + +You must counsel me, revered Sir, as to my course of action. +Which of the two evils involves the greater or less sin? + + Whether by some dark veil my mind be clouded. + Or this designing woman speak untruly, + I know not. Tell me, must I rather be + The base disowner of my wedded wife, + Or the defiling and defiled adulterer? + +PRIEST. [_After deliberation_. + +You must take an intermediate course. + +KING. + +What course, revered Sir? Tell me at once. + +PRIEST. + +I will provide an asylum for the lady in my own house until the +birth of her child; and my reason, if you ask me, is this: +Soothsayers have predicted that your first-born will have +universal dominion. Now, if the hermit's daughter bring forth a +son with the discus or mark of empire in the lines of his +hand[84], you must admit her immediately into your royal +apartments with great rejoicings; if not, then determine to send +her back as soon as possible to her father. + +KING. I bow to the decision of my spiritual advisor. + +PRIEST. + +Daughter, follow me. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +O divine earth, open and receive me into thy bosom! + +[_Exit_ [S']AKOONTAL _weeping, with the_ PRIEST _and the_ HERMITS. +_The_ KING _remains absorbed in thinking of her, though the curse +still clouds his recollection_. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +A miracle! a miracle! + +KING. + + [_Listening_. + +What has happened now? + +PRIEST. [_Entering with an air of astonishment_. + +Great Prince, a stupendous prodigy has just occurred. + +KING. + +What is it? + +PRIEST. + +May it please your Majesty, so soon as Kanwa's pupils had +departed, [S']akoontal, her eyes all bathed in tears, with +outstretched arms, bewailed her cruel fate-- + +KING. + +Well, well, what happened then? + +PRIEST. + + When suddenly a shining apparition, + In female shape, descended from the skies, + Near the nymph's pool, and bore her up to heaven. + +[_All remain motionless with astonishment_. + +KING. + +My good priest, from the very first I declined having anything to +do with this matter. It is now all over, and we can never, by our +conjectures, unravel the mystery; let it rest; go, seek repose. + +PRIEST. + + [_Looking at the_ KING. + +Be it so. Victory to the King! + + [_Exit_. + +KING. + +Vetravat, I am tired out; lead the way to the bedchamber. + +WARDER. + +This way, Sire. + + [_They move away_. + +KING. + + Do what I will, I cannot call to mind + That I did e'er espouse the sage's daughter; + Therefore I have disowned her; yet 'tis strange + How painfully my agitated heart + Bears witness to the truth of her assertion, + And makes me credit her against my judgment. + + [_Exeunt_. + + * * * * * + + + + +PRELUDE TO ACT VI. + +SCENE.--_A Street_. + +_Enter the King's brother-in-law as_ SUPERINTENDENT _of the city +police; and with him_ TWO CONSTABLES, _dragging a poor_ +FISHERMAN, _who has his hands tied behind his back_. + +BOTH THE CONSTABLES. [_Striking the prisoner_. + +Take that for a rascally thief that you are; and now tell us, sirrah, +where you found this ring--aye, the King's own signet-ring. See, here +is the royal name engraved on the setting of the jewel. + +FISHERMAN. [_With a gesture of alarm_. + +Mercy! kind sirs, mercy! I did not steal it; indeed I did not. + +FIRST CONSTABLE. + +Oh! then I suppose the King took you for some fine Brhman, and +made you a present of it? + +FISHERMAN. + +Only hear me. I am but a poor fisherman, living at Sakrvatra-- + +SECOND CONSTABLE. + +Scoundrel, who ever asked you, pray, for a history of your birth +and parentage? + +SUPERINTENDENT. [_To one of the_ CONSTABLES. + +Schaka, let the fellow tell his own story from the beginning. +Don't interrupt him. + +BOTH CONSTABLES. + +As you please, master. Go on, then, sirrah, and say what you've +got to say. + +FISHERMAN. + +You see in me a poor man, who supports his family by catching +fish with nets, hooks, and the like. + +SUPERINTENDENT. [_Laughing_. + +A most refined occupation, certainly[85]! + +FISHERMAN. + +Blame me not for it, master, + + The father's occupation, though despised + By others, casts no shame upon the son, + And he should not forsake it[86]. Is the priest + Who kills the animal for sacrifice + Therefore deemed cruel? Sure a low-born man + May, though a fisherman, be tender-hearted. + +SUPERINTENDENT. + +Well, well; go on with your story. + +FISHERMAN. + +One day I was cutting open a large carp[87] I had just hooked, +when the sparkle of a jewel caught my eye, and what should I find +in the fish's maw but that ring! Soon afterwards, when I was +offering it for sale, I was seized by your honours. Now you know +everything. Whether you kill me, or whether you let me go, this +is the true account of how the ring came into my possession. + +SUPERINTENDENT. [_To one of the_ CONSTABLES. + +Well, Jnuka, the rascal emits such a fishy odour that I have no +doubt of his being a fisherman; but we must inquire a little more +closely into this queer story about the finding of the ring. +Come, we'll take him before the King's household. + +BOTH CONSTABLES. + +Very good, master. Get on with you, you cutpurse. + + [_All move on_. + +SUPERINTENDENT. + +Now attend, Schaka; keep your guard here at the gate; and hark +ye, sirrahs, take good care your prisoner does not escape, while +I go in and lay the whole story of the discovery of this ring +before the King in person. I will soon return and let you know +his commands. + +BOTH CONSTABLES. + +Go in, master, by all means; and may you find favour in the +King's sight. + +[_Exit_ SUPERINTENDENT. FIRST CONSTABLE. + + [_After an interval_. + +I say, Jnuka, the Superintendent is a long time away. + +SECOND CONSTABLE. + +Aye, aye; kings are not to be got at so easily. Folks must bide +the proper opportunity. + +FIRST CONSTABLE. + +Jnuka, my fingers itch to strike the first blow at this royal +victim here. We must kill him with all the honours, you know. I +long to begin binding the flowers round his head[88]. + + [_Pretends to strike a blow at the_ FISHERMAN. + +FISHERMAN. + +Your Honour surely will not put an innocent man to a cruel death. + +SECOND CONSTABLE. + +There's our Superintendent at last, I declare. See! he is coming +towards us with a paper in his hand. We shall soon know the +King's command; so prepare, my fine fellow, either to become food +for the vultures, or to make acquaintance with some hungry cur. + +SUPERINTENDENT. + + [_Entering_. + +Ho, there, Schaka! set the fisherman at liberty, I tell you. His +story about the ring is all correct. SCHAKA. + +Oh! very good, Sir; as you please. + +SECOND CONSTABLE. + +The fellow had one foot in hell, and now here he is in the land +of the living. + + [_Releases him_. + +FISHERMAN. + + [_Bowing to the_ SUPERINTENDENT. + +Now, master, what think you of my way of getting a livelihood? + +SUPERINTENDENT. + +Here, my good man, the King desired me to present you with this +purse. It contains a sum of money equal to the full value of the +ring. + + [_Gives him the money_. + +FISHERMAN. + + [_Taking it and bowing_. + +His Majesty does me too great honour. + +SCHAKA. + +You may well say so. He might as well have taken you from the +gallows to seat you on his state elephant. + +JNUKA. + +Master, the King must value the ring very highly, or he would +never have sent such a sum of money to this ragamuffin. + +SUPERINTENDENT. + +I don't think he prizes it as a costly jewel so much as a +memorial of some person he tenderly loves. The moment it was +shown to him he became much agitated, though in general he +conceals his feelings. SCHAKA. + +Then you must have done a great service-- + +JNUKA. + +Yes, to this husband of a fish-wife. + + [_Looks enviously at the_ FISHERMAN. + +FISHERMAN. + +Here's half the money for you, my masters. It will serve to +purchase the flowers you spoke of, if not to buy me your +good-will. + +JNUKA. + +Well, now, that's just as it should be. + +SUPERINTENDENT. + +My good fisherman, you are an excellent fellow, and I begin to +feel quite a regard for you. Let us seal our first friendship +over a glass of good liquor. Come along to the next wine-shop, +and we'll drink your health. + +ALL. + +By all means. + + [_Exeunt_. + + * * * * * + + + + +ACT VI. + +SCENE.--_The Garden of a Palace. + +The nymph_ SNUMAT _is seen descending in a celestial car_. + +SNUMAT. + +Behold me just arrived from attending in my proper turn at the +nymph's pool, where I have left the other nymphs to perform their +ablutions, whilst I seek to ascertain, with my own eyes, how it +fares with King Dushyanta. My connexion with the nymph Menak has +made her daughter [S']akoontal dearer to me than my own flesh and +blood; and Menak it was who charged me with this errand on her +daughter's behalf. + +[_Looking round in all directions_.] + +How is it that I see no preparations in the King's household for +celebrating the great vernal festival[89]? I could easily +discover the reason by my divine faculty of meditation[134]; but +respect must be shown to the wishes of my friend. How then shall +I arrive at the truth? I know what I will do. I will become +invisible, and place myself near those two maidens who are +tending the plants in the garden. + + [_Descends and takes her station_. + +_Enter a_ MAIDEN, _who stops in front of a mango-tree, and gazes +at the blossom. Another_ MAIDEN _is seen behind her_. + +FIRST MAIDEN. + +Hail to thee, lovely harbinger of spring! The varied radiance of +thy opening flowers Is welcome to my sight. I bid thee hail, +Sweet mango, soul of this enchanting season. + +SECOND MAIDEN. + +Parabhritik, what are you saying there to yourself? + +FIRST MAIDEN. + +Dear Madhukarik, am I not named after the Kol[90]? and does not +the Kol sing for joy at the first appearance of the mango-blossom? + +SECOND MAIDEN. [_Approaching hastily, with transport_. + +What! is spring really come? + +FIRST MAIDEN. + +Yes, indeed, Madhukarik, and with it the season of joy, love, +and song. + +SECOND MAIDEN. + +Let me lean upon you, dear, while I stead on tiptoe and pluck a +blossom, of the mango, that I may present it as an offering to +the god of love. + +FIRST MAIDEN. + +Provided you let me have half the reward which the god will +bestow in return. + +SECOND MAIDEN. + +To be sure you shall, and that without asking. Are we not one in +heart and soul, though divided in body? + +[_Leans on her friend and plucks a mango-blossom_.] + +Ah! here is a bud just bursting into flower. It diffuses a +delicious perfume, though not yet quite expanded. + +[_Joining her hands reverentially_.] + + God of the bow, who with spring's choicest flowers + Dost point thy five unerring shafts[91]; to thee + I dedicate this blossom; let it serve + To barb thy truest arrow; be its mark + Some youthful heart that pines to be beloved. + + [_Throws down a mango-blossom_. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + + [_Entering in a hurried manner, angrily_. + +Hold there, thoughtless woman. What are you about, breaking off +those mango-blossoms, when the King has forbidden the celebration +of the spring festival? + +BOTH MAIDENS. [_Alarmed_. + +Pardon us, kind Sir, we have heard nothing of it. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +You have heard nothing of it? Why, all the vernal plants and +shrubs, and the very birds that lodge in their branches, show +more respect to the King's order than you do. + + Yon mango-blossoms, though long since expanded, + Gather no down upon their tender crests; + The flower still lingers in the amaranth[92], + Imprisoned in its bud; the tuneful Kol, + Though winter's chilly dews be overpast, + Suspends the liquid volume of his song + Scarce uttered in his throat; e'en Love, dismayed, + Restores the half-drawn arrow to his quiver. + +BOTH MAIDENS. + +The mighty power of King Dushyanta is not to be disputed. + +FIRST MAIDEN. + +It is but a few days since Mitrvasu, the King's brother-in-law, +sent us to wait upon his Majesty; and, during the whole of our +sojourn here, we have been entrusted with the charge of the royal +pleasure-grounds. We are therefore strangers in this place, and +heard nothing of the order till you informed us of it. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +Well then, now you know it, take care you don't continue your +preparations. + +BOTH MAIDENS. + +But tell us, kind Sir, why has the King prohibited the usual +festivities? We are curious to hear, if we may. + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +Men are naturally fond of festive entertainments. There must be +some good reason for the prohibition. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +The whole affair is now public; why should I not speak of it? +Has not the gossip about the King's rejection of [S']akoontal +reached your ears yet? + +BOTH MAIDENS. + +Oh yes, we heard the story from the King's brother-in-law, as +far, at least, as the discovery of the ring. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +Then there is little more to tell you. As soon as the King's +memory was restored by the sight of his own ring, he exclaimed: +'Yes, it is all true. I remember now my secret marriage with +[S']akoontal. When I repudiated her, I had lost my recollection!' +Ever since that moment, he has yielded himself a prey to the +bitterest remorse. + + He loathes his former pleasures; he rejects + The daily homage of his ministers; + On his lone couch he tosses to and fro, + Courting repose in vain. Whene'er he meets + The ladies of his palace, and would fain + Address them with politeness, he confounds + Their names; or, calling them '[S']akoontal,' + Is straightway silent and abashed with shame. + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +To me this account is delightful. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +In short, the King is so completely out of his mind that the +festival has been prohibited. + +BOTH MAIDENS. + +Perfectly right. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +The King! the King! This way, Sire, this way. + +CHAMBERLAIN. [_Listening_. + +Oh! here comes his Majesty in this direction. Pass on, maidens; +attend to your duties. + +BOTH MAIDENS. + +We will, sir. + + [_Exeunt_. + +_Enter King_ DUSHYANTA, _dressed in deep mourning, attended his +Jester_, M[T.]HAVYA, _and preceded by_ VETRAVAT. + +CHAMBERLAIN. [_Gazing at the_ KING. + +Well, noble forms are certainly pleasing, under all varieties of +outward circumstances. The King's person is as charming as ever, +notwithstanding his sorrow of mind. + + Though but a single golden bracelet spans + His wasted arm; though costly ornaments + Have given place to penitential weeds; + Though oft-repeated sighs have blanched his lips, + And robbed them of their bloom; though sleepless care + And carking thought have dimmed his beaming eye; + Yet does his form, by its inherent lustre, + Dazzle the gaze; and, like a priceless gem + Committed to some cunning polisher, + Grow more effulgent by the loss of substance. + +SNUMAT. [_Aside. Looking at the_ KING. + +Now that I have seen him, I can well understand why [S']akoontal +should pine after such a man, in spite of his disdainful +rejection of her. + +KING. [_Walking slowly up and down in deep thought_. + + When fatal lethargy o'erwhelmed my soul, + My loved one strove to rouse me, but in vain; + And now, when I would fain in slumber deep + Forget myself, full soon remorse doth wake me. + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +My poor [S']akoontal's sufferings are very similar. + +M[T.]HAVYA. [_Aside_. + +He is taken with another attack of this odious [S']akoontal-fever. +How shall we ever cure him? + +CHAMBERLAIN. [_Approaching_. + +Victory to the King! Great Prince, the royal pleasure-grounds +have been put in order. Your Majesty can resort to them for +exercise and amusement whenever you think proper. + +KING. + +Vetravat, tell the worthy Pi[S']una, my prime minister, from me, +that I am so exhausted by want of sleep that I cannot sit on the +judgment-seat to-day. If any case of importance be brought before +the tribunal, he must give it his best attention, and inform me +of the circumstances by letter. + +VETRAVAT. + +Your Majesty's commands shall be obeyed. + + [_Exit_. + +KING. [_To the CHAMBERLAIN_. + +And you, Vtyana, may go about your own affairs. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +I will, Sire. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Now that you have rid yourself of these troublesome fellows, you +can enjoy the delightful coolness of your pleasure-grounds +without interruption. + +KING. + +Ah! my dear friend, there is an old adage:--'When affliction has +a mind to enter, she will find a crevice somewhere;' and it is +verified in me. + + Scarce is my soul delivered from the cloud + That darkened its remembrance of the past, + When lo! the heart-born deity of love + With yonder blossom of the mango barbs + His keenest shaft, and aims it at my breast. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Well, then, wait a moment; I will soon demolish Master Kma's[47] +arrow with a cut of my cane. + + [_Raises his stick and strikes off the mango-blossom_. + +KING. [_Smiling_. + +That will do. I see very well the god of love is not a match for +a Brhman. And now, my dear friend, where shall I sit down, that +I may enchant my sight by gazing on the twining plants, which +seem to remind me of the graceful shape of my beloved? + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Don't you remember? you told your personal attendant, Chaturik, +that you would pass the heat of the day in the jasmine-bower; and +commanded her to bring the likeness of your queen [S']akoontal, +sketched with your own hand. + +KING. + +True. The sight of her picture will refresh my soul. Lead the way +to the arbour. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +This way, Sire. + + [_Both move on, followed by_ SNUMAT. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Here we are at the jasmine-bower. Look, it has a marble seat, and +seems to bid us welcome with its offerings of delicious flowers. +You have only to enter and sit down. + + [_Both enter and seat themselves_. + +SNUMAT + +[_Aside_. + +I will lean against these young jasmines. I can easily, from +behind them, glance at my friend's picture, and will then hasten +to inform her of her husband's ardent affection. + + [_Stands leaning against the creepers_. + +KING. + +Oh! my dear friend, how vividly all the circumstances of my union +with [S']akoontal present themselves to my recollection at this +moment! But tell me now how it was that, between the time of my +leaving her in the hermitage and my subsequent rejection of her, +you never breathed her name to me? True, you were not by my side +when I disowned her; but I had confided to you the story of my +love, and you were acquainted with every particular. Did it pass +out of your mind as it did out of mine? + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +No, no; trust me for that. But, if you remember, when you had +finished telling me about it, you added that I was not to take +the story in earnest, for that you were not really in love with a +country girl, but were only jesting; and I was dull and +thick-headed enough to believe you. But so fate decreed, and +there is no help for it. + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +Exactly. + +KING. [_After deep thought_. + +My dear friend, suggest some relief for my misery. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Come, come, cheer up; why do you give way? Such weakness is +unworthy of you. Great men never surrender themselves to +uncontrolled grief. Do not mountains remain unshaken even in a +gale of wind? + +KING. + +How can I be otherwise than inconsolable, when I call to mind the +agonized demeanour of the dear one on the occasion of my +disowning her? + + When cruelly I spurned her from my presence, + She fain had left me; but the young recluse, + Stern as the Sage, and with authority + As from his saintly master, in a voice + That brooked not contradiction, bade her stay. + Then through her pleading eyes, bedimmed with tears, + She cast on me one long reproachful look, + Which like a poisoned shaft torments me still. + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +Alas! such is the force of self-reproach following a rash +action. But his anguish only rejoices me. + +M[T.]HAVYA + +An idea has just struck me. I should not wonder if some celestial +being had carried her off to heaven. + +KING. + +Very likely. Who else would have dared to lay a finger on a wife, +the idol of her husband? It is said that Menak, the nymph of +heaven, gave her birth. The suspicion has certainly crossed my +mind that some of her celestial companions may have taken her to +their own abode. + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +His present recollection of every circumstance of her history +does not surprise me so much as his former forgetfulness. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +If that's the case, you will be certain to meet her before long. + +KING. + +Why? + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +No father and mother can endure to see a daughter suffering the +pain of separation from her husband. + +KING. Oh! my dear M[T.]Havya, + + Was it a dream? or did some magic dire, + Dulling my senses with a strange delusion, + O'ercome my spirit? or did destiny, + Jealous of my good actions, mar their fruit, + And rob me of their guerdon? It is past, + Whate'er the spell that bound me. Once again + Am I awake, but only to behold + The precipice o'er which my hopes have fallen. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Do not despair in this manner. Is not this very ring a proof that +what has been lost may be unexpectedly found? + +KING. [_Gazing at the ring_. + +Ah! this ring, too, has fallen from a station not easily +regained, and I offer it my sympathy. O gem, + + The punishment we suffer is deserved, + And equal is the merit of our works, + When such our common doom. Thou didst enjoy + The thrilling contact of those slender fingers, + Bright as the dawn; and now how changed thy lot! + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +Had it found its way to the hand of any other person, then indeed +its fate would have been deplorable. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Pray, how did the ring ever come upon her hand at all? + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +I myself am curious to know. + +KING. + +You shall hear. When I was leaving my beloved [S']akoontal that I +might return to my own capital, she said to me, with tears in her +eyes: 'How long will it be ere my lord send for me to his palace +and make me his queen?' + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Well, what was your reply? + +KING. + +Then I placed the ring on her finger, and thus addressed her:-- + +Repeat each day one letter of the name Engraven on this gem; ere +thou hast reckoned The tale of syllables, my minister Shall come +to lead thee to thy husband's palace. + +But, hard-hearted man that I was, I forgot to fulfil my promise, +owing to the infatuation that took possession of me. + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +A pleasant arrangement! Fate, however, ordained that the +appointment should not be kept. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +But how did the ring contrive to pass into the stomach of that +carp which the fisherman caught and was cutting up? + +KING. + +It must have slipped from my [S']akoontal's hand, and fallen into +the stream of the Ganges, while she was offering homage to the +water of [S']ach's holy pool. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Very likely. + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +Hence it happened, I suppose, that the King, always fearful of +committing the least injustice, came to doubt his marriage with +my poor [S']akoontal. But why should affection so strong as his +stand in need of any token of recognition? + +KING. + +Let me now address a few words of reproof to this ring. + +M[T.]HAVYA. [_Aside_. + +He is going stark mad, I verily believe. + +KING. + + Hear me, then dull and undiscerning bauble! + For so it argues thee, that thou could'st leave + The slender fingers of her hand, to sink + Beneath the waters. Yet what marvel is it + That thou should'st lack discernment? let me rather + Heap curses on myself, who, though endowed + With reason, yet rejected her I loved. + +M[T.]HAVYA. [_Aside_. + +And so, I suppose, I must stand here to be devoured by hunger, +whilst he goes on in this sentimental strain. + +KING. + +O forsaken one, unjustly banished from my presence, take pity on +thy slave, whose heart is consumed by the fire of remorse, and +return to my sight. + +_Enter_ CHATURIK _hurriedly, with a picture in her hand_. + +CHATURIK. + +Here is the Queen's portrait. + + [_Shows the picture_. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Excellent, my dear friend, excellent! The imitation of nature is +perfect, and the attitude of the figures is really charming. They +stand out in such bold relief that the eye is quite deceived. + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +A most artistic performance! I admire the King's skill, and could +almost believe that [S']akoontal herself was before me. + +KING. + + I own 'tis not amiss, though it portrays + But feebly her angelic loveliness. + Aught less than perfect is depicted falsely, + And fancy must supply the imperfection. + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +A very just remark from a modest man, whose affection is +exaggerated by the keenness of his remorse. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Tell me:--I see three female figures drawn on the canvas, and all +of them beautiful; which of the three is her Majesty [S']akoontal? + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +If he cannot distinguish her from the others, the simpleton might +as well have no eyes in his head. + +KING. + +Which should you imagine to be intended for her? + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +She who is leaning, apparently a little tired, against the stem +of that mango-tree, the tender leaves of which glitter with the +water she has poured upon them. Her arms are gracefully extended; +her face is somewhat flushed with the heat; and a few flowers +have escaped from her hair, which has become unfastened, and hangs +in loose tresses about her neck. That must be the queen +[S']akoontal, and the others, I presume, are her two attendants. + +KING. + +I congratulate you on your discernment. Behold the proof of my +passion; + + My finger, burning with the glow of love[93], + Has left its impress on the painted tablet; + While here and there, alas! a scalding tear + Has fallen on the cheek and dimmed its brightness. + +Chaturik, the garden in the background of the picture is only +half-painted. Go, fetch the brush that I may finish it. + +CHATURIK. + +Worthy M[t.]havya, have the kindness to hold the picture until I +return. + +KING. + +Nay, I will hold it myself. + + [_Takes the picture_. + + [_Exit_ CHATURIK. + + My loved one came but lately to my presence + And offered me herself, but in my folly + I spurned the gift, and now I fondly cling + To her mere image; even as a madman + Would pass the waters of the gushing stream, + And thirst for airy vapours of the desert[94]. + +M[T.]HAVYA. [_Aside_. + +He has been fool enough to forego the reality for the semblance, +the substance for the shadow. + +[_Aloud_.] + +Tell us, I pray, what else remains to be painted. + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +He longs, no doubt, to delineate some favourite spot where my +[S']akoontal delighted to ramble. + +KING. + +You shall hear:-- + + I wish to see the Mlin portrayed, + Its tranquil course by banks of sand impeded; + Upon the brink a pair of swans; beyond, + The hills adjacent to Himlaya[95], + Studded with deer; and, near the spreading shade + Of some large tree, where 'mid the branches hang + The hermits' vests of bark, a tender doe, + Rubbing its downy forehead on the horn + Of a black antelope, should be depicted. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + + [_Aside_. + +Pooh! if I were he, I would fill up the vacant +spaces with a lot of grizzly-bearded old hermits. + +KING. + +My dear M[T.]Havya, there is still a part of [S']akoontal's +dress which I purposed to draw, but find I have +omitted. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +What is that? + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +Something suitable, I suppose, to the simple attire of a young +and beautiful girl dwelling in a forest. + +KING. + + A sweet [S']irsha blossom should be twined + Behind her ear[7], its perfumed crest depending + Towards her cheek; and, resting on her bosom, + A lotus-fibre necklace, soft and bright + As an autumnal moonbeam, should be traced. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Pray, why does the Queen cover her lips with the tips of her +fingers, bright as the blossom of a lily, as if she were afraid +of something? [_Looking more closely_.] Oh! I see; a vagabond +bee, intent on thieving honey from the flowers, has mistaken her +mouth for a rosebud, and is trying to settle upon it. + +KING. + +A bee! drive off the impudent insect, will you? + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +That's your business. Your royal prerogative gives you power over +all offenders. + +KING. + +Very true. Listen to me, thou favourite guest of flowering plants; +why give thyself the trouble of hovering here? + + See where thy partner sits on yonder flower, + And waits for thee ere she will sip its dew. + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +A most polite way of warning him off! + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +You'll find the obstinate creature is not to be sent about his +business so easily as you think. + +KING. + +Dost thou presume to disobey? Now hear me:-- + + An thou but touch the lips of my beloved, + Sweet as the opening blossom, whence I quaffed + In happier days love's nectar, I will place thee + Within the hollow of yon lotus cup, + And there imprison thee for thy presumption. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +He must be bold indeed not to show any fear when you threaten him +with such an awful punishment. [_Smiling, aside_.] He is stark mad, +that's clear; and I believe, by keeping him company, I am beginning +to talk almost as wildly. [_Aloud_.] Look, it is only a painted bee. + +KING. + +Painted? impossible! + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +Even I did not perceive it; how much less should he! + +KING. + +Oh! my dear friend, why were you so ill-natured as to tell me the +truth? + + While all entranced, I gazed upon her picture, + My loved one seemed to live before my eyes + Till every fibre of my being thrilled + With rapturous emotion. Oh! 'twas cruel + To dissipate the day-dream, and transform + The blissful vision to a lifeless image. + + [_Sheds tears_. + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +Separated lovers are very difficult to please; but he seems more +difficult than usual. + +KING. + +Alas! my dear M[T.]Havya, why am I doomed to be the victim of +perpetual disappointment? + + Vain is the hope of meeting her in dreams, + For slumber night by night forsakes my couch; + And now that I would fain assuage my grief + By gazing on her portrait here before me, + Tears of despairing love obscure my sight. + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +You have made ample amends for the wrong you did [S']akoontal in +disowning her. + +CHATURIK. [_Entering_. + +Victory to the King! I was coming along with the box of colours +in my hand-- + +KING. + +What now? + +CHATURIK. + +When I met the queen Vasumat, attended by Taralik. She insisted +on taking it from me, and declared she would herself deliver it +into your Majesty's hands. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +By what luck did you contrive to escape her? + +CHATURIK. + +While her maid was disengaging her mantle, which had caught in +the branch, of a shrub, I ran away. + +KING. + +Here, my good friend, take the picture and conceal it. My +attentions to the Queen have made her presumptuous. She will be +here in a minute. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +Conceal the picture! conceal myself, you mean. + +[_Getting up and taking the picture_.] + +The Queen has a bitter draught in store for you, which you will +have to swallow, as [S']iva did the poison at the Deluge[96]. When +you are well quit of her, you may send and call me from the +Palace of Clouds[97], where I shall take refuge. + + [_Exit, running_. + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +Although the King's affections are transferred to another object, +yet he respects his previous attachments. I fear his love must be +somewhat fickle. + +VETRAVAT. [_Entering with a despatch in her hand_. + +Victory to the King! + +KING. + +Vetravat, did you observe the queen Vasumat coming in this +direction? + +VETRAVAT. + +I did; but when she saw that I had a despatch in my hand for your +Majesty, she turned back. + +KING. + +The Queen has too much regard for propriety to interrupt me when +I am engaged with State-affairs. + +VETRAVAT. + +So please your Majesty, your prime minister begs respectfully to +inform you that he has devoted much time to the settlement of +financial calculations, and only one case of importance has been +submitted by the citizens for his consideration. He has made a +written report of the facts, and requests your Majesty to cast +your eyes over it. + +KING. + +Hand me the paper. + + [_VETRAVAT delivers it_. + +[_Reading_. + +What have we here? 'A merchant named Dhanamitra, trading by sea, +was lost in a late shipwreck. Though a wealthy trader, he was +childless; and the whole of his immense property becomes by law +forfeited to the king.' So writes the minister. Alas! alas! for +his childlessness! But surely, if he was wealthy, he must have +had many wives. Let an inquiry be made whether any one of them is +expecting to give birth to a child. + +VETRAVAT. + +They say that his wife, the daughter of the foreman of a guild +belonging to Ayodhy [98], has just completed the ceremonies usual +upon such expectations. + +KING. + +The unborn child has a title to its father's property. Such is my +decree. Go, bid my minister proclaim it so. + +VETRAVAT. + +I will, my liege. + + [_Going_. + +KING. + +Stay a moment. + +VETRAVAT. + +I am at your Majesty's service. + +KING. + +Let there be no question whether he may or may not have left +offspring; Rather be it proclaimed that whosoe'er Of King +Dushyanta's subjects be bereaved + + Of any loved relation, an it be not + That his estates are forfeited for crimes, + Dushyanta will himself to them supply + That kinsman's place in tenderest affection. + +VETRAVAT. + +It shall be so proclaimed. + + [_Exit_ VETRAVAT, _and re-enters after an interval_. + +VETRAVAT. + +Your Majesty's proclamation was received with acclamations of +joy, like grateful rain at the right season. + +KING. [_Drawing a deep sigh_. + +So, then, the property of rich men, who have no lineal +descendants, passes over to a stranger at their decease. And +such, alas! must be the fate of the fortunes of the race of Puru +at my death; even as when fertile soil is sown with seed at the +wrong season. + +VETRAVAT. + +Heaven forbid! + +KING. + +Fool that I was to reject such happiness when it offered itself +for my acceptance! + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +He may well blame his own folly when he calls to mind his +treatment of my beloved [S']akoontal. + +KING. + + Ah! woe is me! when I forsook my wife-- + My lawful wife--concealed within her breast + There lay my second self, a child unborn, + Hope of my race, e'en as the choicest fruit + Lies hidden in the bosom of the earth. + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +There is no fear of your race being cut off for want of a son. + +CHATURIK. [_Aside to_ VETRAVAT. + +The affair of the merchant's death has quite upset our royal +master, and caused him sad distress. Would it not be better to +fetch the worthy M[t.]havya from the Palace of Clouds to comfort +him? + +VETRAVAT. + +A very good idea. + + [_Exit_. + +KING. + +Alas! the shades of my forefathers are even now beginning to be +alarmed, lest at my death they may be deprived of their funeral +libations. + + No son remains in King Dushyanta's place + To offer sacred homage to the dead + Of Puru's noble line; my ancestors + Must drink these glistening tears, the last libation[99] + A childless man can ever hope to make them. + + [_Falls down in an agony of grief_. + +CHATURIK. [_Looking at him in consternation_. + +Great King, compose yourself. + +SNUMAT. [_Aside_. + +Alas! alas! though a bright light is shining near him, he is +involved in the blackest darkness, by reason of the veil that +obscures his sight. I will now reveal all, and put an end to his +misery. But no; I heard the mother of the great Indra[100], when +she was consoling [S']akoontal, say that the gods will soon bring +about a joyful union between husband and wife, being eager for +the sacrifice which will be celebrated in their honour on the +occasion. I must not anticipate the happy moment, but will return +at once to my dear friend and cheer her with an account of what I +have seen and heard. [_Rises aloft and disappears_. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Help! help! to the rescue! + +KING. + + [_Recovering himself. Listening_. + +Ha! I heard a cry of distress, and in M[t.]havya's voice too. What +ho there! + +VETRAVAT. [_Entering_. + +Your friend is in danger; save him, great King. + +KING. + +Who dares insult the worthy M[t.]havya? + +VETRAVAT. + +Some evil demon, invisible to human eyes, has seized him, and +carried him to one of the turrets of the Palace of Clouds. + +KING. [_Rising_. + + Impossible! Have evil spirits power over my subjects, + even in nay private apartments? Well, well;-- + Daily I seem, less able to avert + Misfortune from myself, and o'er my actions + Less competent to exercise control; + How can I then direct my subjects' ways, + Or shelter them from tyranny and wrong? + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Halloo there! my dear friend; help! help! + +KING. [_Advancing with rapid strides_. + +Fear nothing-- + +THE SAME VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Fear nothing, indeed! How can I help fearing when some monster is +twisting back my neck, and is about to snap it as he would a +sugar-cane? + +KING. [_Looking round_. +What ho there! my bow! + +SLAVE. [_Entering with a bow_. + +Behold your bow, Sire, and your arm-guard. + +[_The_ KING _snatches up the bow and arrows_. + +ANOTHER VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + + Here, thirsting for thy life-blood, will I slay thee, + As a fierce tiger rends his struggling prey. + Call now thy friend Dushyanta to thy aid; + His bow is mighty to defend the weak; + Yet all its vaunted power shall be as nought. + +KING. [_With fury_. + +What! dares he defy me to my face? Hold there, monster! Prepare +to die, for your time is come. + +[_Stringing his bow_.] + +Vetravat, lead the way to the terrace. + +VETRAVAT. + +This way, Sire. + + [_They advance in haste_. + +KING. [_Looking on every side_. + +How's this? there is nothing to be seen. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Help! Save me! I can see you, though you cannot see me. I am like +a mouse in the claws of a cat; my life is not worth a minute's +purchase. + +KING. + + Avaunt, monster! You may pride yourself on the + magic that renders you invisible, but my arrow shall + find you out. Thus do I fix a shaft + That shall discern between an impious demon, + And a good Brhman; bearing death to thee, + To him deliverance--even as the swan + Distinguishes the milk from worthless water[101]. + + [_Takes aim_. + +_Enter_ MTALI[102] _holding_ M[T.]HAVYA, _whom he releases_. + +MTALI. + + Turn thou thy deadly arrows on the demons; + Such is the will of Indra; let thy bow + Be drawn against the enemies of the gods; + But on thy friends cast only looks of favour. + +KING. [_Putting back his arrow_. + +What, Mtali! Welcome, most noble charioteer of the mighty Indra. + +M[T.]HAVYA. + +So, here is a monster who thought as little about slaughtering me +as if I had been a bullock for sacrifice, and you must e'en greet +him with a welcome. + +MTALI. [_Smiling_. + +Great Prince, hear on what errand Indra sent me into your +presence. + +KING. + +I am all attention. + +MTALI. + +There is a race of giants, the descendants of Klanemi[103], whom +the gods find it difficult to subdue. + +KING. + +So I have already heard from Nrada[104]. + +MTALI. + + Heaven's mighty lord, who deigns to call thee 'friend,' + Appoints thee to the post of highest honour, + As leader of his armies; and commits + The subjugation of this giant brood + To thy resistless arms, e'en as the sun + Leaves the pale moon to dissipate the darkness. + +Let your Majesty, therefore, ascend at once the celestial car of +Indra; and, grasping your arms, advance to victory. + +KING. + +The mighty Indra honours me too highly by such a mark of +distinction. But tell me, what made you act thus towards my poor +friend M[T.]Havya? + +MTALI. + + I will tell you. Perceiving that your Majesty's + spirit was completely broken by some distress of mind + under which you were labouring, I determined to + rouse your energies by moving you to anger. Because + To light a flame, we need but stir the embers; + The cobra, when incensed, extends his head + And springs upon his foe; the bravest men + Display their courage only when provoked. + +KING. [_Aside to_ M[T.]HAVYA. + +My dear M[T.]Havya, the commands of the great Indra must not be +left unfulfilled. Go you and acquaint my minister, Pi[S']una, with +what has happened, and say to him from me:-- + + Dushyanta to thy care confides his realm-- + Protect with all the vigour of thy mind + The interests of his people; while his bow + Is braced against the enemies of heaven. + +M[T.]HAVYA. +I obey. [_Exit_. + +MTALI + +Ascend, illustrious Prince. + + [_The_ KING _ascends the car_. + + [_Exeunt_. + + * * * * * + + + + +ACT VII. + + +SCENE.--_The Sky_. + +_Enter_ KING DUSHYANTA _and_ MTALI _in the car of Indra, moving +in the air_. + +KING. + +My good Mtali, it appears to me incredible that I can merit such +a mark of distinction for having simply fulfilled the behests of +the great Indra. + +MTALI. [_Smiling_. + +Great Prince, it seems to me that neither of you is satisfied +with himself. + + You underrate the services you have rendered, + And think too highly of the god's reward; + He deems it scarce sufficient recompense + For your heroic deeds on his behalf. + +KING. + +Nay, Mtali, say not so. My most ambitious expectations were more +than realised by the honour conferred on me at the moment when I +took my leave. For, + + Tinged with celestial sandal, from the breast[105] + Of the great Indra, where before it hung, + A garland of the ever-blooming tree + Of Nandana[106] was cast about my neck + By his own hand; while, in the very presence + Of the assembled gods, I was enthroned + Beside their mighty lord, who smiled to see + His son Jayanta[107] envious of the honour. + +MTALI. + +There is no mark of distinction which your Majesty does not +deserve at the hands of the immortals. See, + + Heaven's hosts acknowledge thee their second saviour: + For now thy how's unerring shafts (as erst + The Lion-man's terrific claws[108]) have purged + The empyreal sphere from taint of demons foul. + +KING. + +The praise of my victory must be ascribed to the majesty of +Indra. + + When mighty gods make men their delegates + In martial enterprise, to them belongs + The palm of victory; and not to mortals. + Could the pale Dawn dispel the shades of night, + Did not the god of day, whose diadem + Is jewelled with a thousand beams of light, + Place him in front of his effulgent car[11]? + +MTALI. + +A very just comparison! + +[_Driving on_.] + +Great King, behold! the glory of thy fame has reached even to the +vault of heaven. + + Hark! yonder inmates of the starry sphere + Sing anthems worthy of thy martial deeds, + While with celestial colours they depict + The story of thy victories on scrolls + Formed of the leaves of heaven's immortal trees. + +KING. + +My good Mtali, yesterday, when I ascended the sky, I was so +eager to do battle with the demons, that the road by which we +were travelling towards Indra's heaven escaped my observation. +Tell me, in which path of the seven winds are we now moving? + +MTALI. + + We journey in the path of Parivaha[109]-- + The wind that bears along the triple Ganges[110] + And causes Ursa's seven stars to roll + In their appointed orbits, scattering + Their several rays with equal distribution. + 'Tis the same path that once was sanctified + By the divine impression of the foot + Of Vishnu, when, to conquer haughty Bali, + He spanned the heavens in his second stride[111]. + +KING. + +This is the reason, I suppose, that a sensation of calm repose +pervades all my senses. + +[_Looking down at the wheels_.] + +Ah! Mtali, we are descending towards the earth's atmosphere. + +MTALI. + +What makes you think so? + +KING. + +The car itself instructs me; we are moving +O'er pregnant clouds, surcharged with rain; below us +I see the moisture-loving Chtakas[112] +In sportive flight dart through the spokes; the steeds +Of Indra glisten with the lightning's flash; +And a thick mist bedews the circling wheels. + +MTALI. + +You are right; in a little while the chariot will touch the +ground, and you will be in your own dominions. + +KING. [_Looking down_. + +How wonderful the appearance of the earth as we rapidly descend! + + Stupendous prospect! yonder lofty hills + Do suddenly uprear their towering heads + Amid the plain, while from beneath their crests + The ground receding sinks; the trees, whose stem + Seemed lately hid within their leafy tresses, + Rise into elevation, and display + Their branching shoulders; yonder streams, whose waters, + Like silver threads, were scarce, but now, discerned, + Grow into mighty rivers; lo! the earth + Seems upward hurled by some gigantic power. + +MTALI. + +Well described! + + [_Looking with awe_.] + +Grand, indeed, and lovely is the spectacle presented by the +earth. + +KING. + +Tell me, Mtali, what is the range of mountains which, like a +bank of clouds illumined by the setting sun, pours down a stream +of gold? On one side its base dips into the eastern ocean, and on +the other side into the western. + +MTALI. + +Great Prince, it is called 'Golden-peak[113],' and is the abode +of the attendants of the god of wealth. In this spot the highest +forms of penance are wrought out. + + There Ka[s']yapa[114], the great progenitor + Of demons and of gods, himself the offspring + Of the divine Marchi, Brahm's son, + With Adit, his wife, in calm seclusion, + Does holy penance for the good of mortals. + +KING. + +Then I must not neglect so good an opportunity of obtaining his +blessing. I should much like to visit this venerable personage +and offer him my homage. + +MTALI. + +By all means. An excellent idea! + + [_Guides the car to the earth_. + +KING. [_In a tone of wonder_. + +How's this? + + Our chariot wheels move noiselessly. Around + No clouds of dust arise; no shock betokened + Our contact with the earth; we seem to glide + Above the ground, so lightly do we touch it. + +MTALI. + +Such is the difference between the car of Indra and that of your +Majesty. + +KING. + +In which direction, Mtali, is Ka[s']yapa's sacred retreat? + +MTALI. [_Pointing_. + + Where stands yon anchorite, towards the orb + Of the meridian sun, immovable + As a tree's stem, his body half-concealed + By a huge ant-hill. Bound about his breast + No sacred cord is twined[115], but in its stead + A hideous serpent's skin. In place of necklace, + The tendrils of a withered creeper chafe + His wasted neck. His matted hair depends + In thick entanglement about his shoulders, + And birds construct their nests within its folds[116]. + +KING. + +I salute thee, thou man of austere devotion. + +MTALI. [_Holding in the reins of the car_. + +Great Prince, we are now in the sacred grove of the holy +Ka[s']yapa--the grove that boasts as its ornament one of the five +trees of Indra's heaven, reared by Adit. + +KING. + +This sacred retreat is more delightful than heaven itself. I +could almost fancy myself bathing in a pool of nectar. + +MTALI. [_Stopping the chariot_. + +Descend, mighty Prince. + +KING. [_Descending_. + +And what will you do, Mtali? + +MTALI. + +The chariot will remain where I have stopped it. We may both +descend. + +[_Doing so_.] + +This way, great King. + +[_Walking on_.] + +You see around you the celebrated region where the holiest sages +devote themselves to penitential rites. + +KING. + +I am filled with awe and wonder as I gaze. + + In such a place as this do saints of earth + Long to complete their acts of penance; here, + Beneath the shade of everlasting trees. + Transplanted from the groves of Paradise, + May they inhale the balmy air, and need + No other nourishment[117]; here may they bathe + In fountains sparkling with the golden dust + Of lilies; here, on jewelled slabs of marble, + In meditation rapt, may they recline; + Here, in the presence of celestial nymphs, + E'en passion's voice is powerless to move them. + +MTALI. + +So true is it that the aspirations of the good and great are ever +soaring upwards. + +[_Turning round and speaking off the stage_.] + +Tell me, Vriddha-[S']kalya, how is the divine son of Marchi now +engaged? What sayest thou? that he is conversing with Adit and +some of the wives of the great sages, and that they are +questioning him respecting the duties of a faithful wife? + +KING. [_Listening_. + +Then we must await the holy father's leisure. + +MTALI. [_Looking at the_ KING. + +If your Majesty will rest under the shade, at the foot of this +A[s']oka-tree [118], I will seek an opportunity of announcing your +arrival to Indra's reputed father. + +KING. + +As you think proper. + + [_Remains under the tree_. + +MTALI. + +Great King, I go. [_Exit_. + +KING. [_Feeling his arm throb_. + + Wherefore this causeless throbbing, O mine arm[18]? + All hope has fled for ever; mock me not + With presages of good, when happiness + Is lost, and nought but misery remains. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Be not so naughty. Do you begin already to show a refractory +spirit? + +KING. [_Listening_. + +This is no place for petulance. Who can it be whose behaviour +calls for such a rebuke? + +[_Looking in the direction of the sound and smiling_.] + +A child, is it? closely attended by two holy women. His +disposition seems anything but child-like. See! + + He braves the fury of yon lioness + Suckling its savage offspring, and compels + The angry whelp to leave the half-sucked dug, + Tearing its tender mane in boisterous sport. + +_Enter a_ CHILD, _attended by_ TWO WOMEN _of the hermitage, in +the manner described_. + +CHILD. + +Open your mouth, my young lion, I want to count your teeth. + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + +You naughty child, why do you tease the animals? Know you not +that we cherish them in this hermitage as if they were our own +children? In good sooth, you have a high spirit of your own, and +are beginning already to do justice to the name Sarva-damana +('All-taming'), given you by the hermits. + +KING. + +Strange! My heart inclines towards the boy with almost as much +affection as if he were my own child. What can be the reason? I +suppose my own childlessness makes me yearn towards the sons of +others. + +SECOND ATTENDANT. + +This lioness will certainly attack you if you do not release her +whelp. + +CHILD. [_Laughing_. + +Oh! indeed! let her come. Much I fear her, to be sure! + + [_Pouts his under-lip in defiance_. + +KING. + + The germ of mighty courage lies concealed + Within this noble infant, like a spark + Beneath the fuel, waiting but a breath + To fan the flame and raise a conflagration. + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + +Let the young lion go, like a dear child, and I will give you +something else to play with. + +CHILD. + +Where is it? Give it me first. + + [_Stretches out his hand_. + +KING. [_Looking at his hand_. + +How's that? His hand exhibits one of those mystic marks[84] which +are the sure prognostic of universal empire. See! His fingers +stretched in eager expectation To grasp the wished-for toy, and +knit together By a close-woven web, in shape resemble A lotus +blossom, whose expanding petals The early dawn has only half +unfolded. + +SECOND ATTENDANT. + +We shall never pacify him by mere words, dear Suvrat. Be kind +enough to go to my cottage, and you will find there a plaything +belonging to Mrkandeya, one of the hermit's children. It is a +peacock made of china-ware, painted in many colours. Bring it +here for the child. + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + +Very well. [_Exit_. + +CHILD. + +No, no; I shall go on playing with the young lion. + +[_Looks at the_ FEMALE ATTENDANT _and laughs_. + +KING. + + I feel an unaccountable affection for this wayward child. + How blessed the virtuous parents whose attire + Is soiled with dust, by raising from the ground + The child that asks a refuge in their arms! + And happy are they while with lisping prattle, + In accents sweetly inarticulate, + He charms their ears; and with his artless smiles + Gladdens their hearts[119], revealing to their gaze + His pearly teeth just budding into view. + +ATTENDANT. + +I see how it is. He pays me no manner of attention. + +[_Looking off the stage_.] + +I wonder whether any of the hermits are about here. + +[_ Seeing the_ KING.] + +Kind Sir, could you come hither a moment and help me to release +the young lion from the clutch of this child who is teasing him +in boyish play? + +KING. [_Approaching and smiling_. + +Listen to me, thou child of a mighty saint! + + Dost thou dare show a wayward spirit here? + Here, in this hallowed region? Take thou heed + Lest, as the serpent's young defiles the sandal[71], + Thou bring dishonour on the holy sage + Thy tender-hearted parent, who delights + To shield from harm the tenants of the wood. + +ATTENDANT. + +Gentle Sir, I thank you; but he is not the saint's son. + +KING. + +His behaviour and whole bearing would have led me to doubt it, +had not the place of his abode encouraged the idea. + + [_Follows the_ CHILD, _and takes him by the hand, according to + the request of the attendant. Aside_. + + I marvel that the touch of this strange child + Should thrill me with delight; if so it be, + How must the fond caresses of a son + Transport the father's soul who gave him being! + +ATTENDANT. [_Looking at them both_. + +Wonderful! Prodigious! + +KING. + +What excites your surprise, my good woman? + +ATTENDANT. + +I am astonished at the striking resemblance between the child and +yourself; and, what is still more extraordinary, he seems to have +taken to you kindly and submissively, though you are a stranger +to him. + +KING. [_Fondling the_ CHILD. + +If he be not the son of the great sage, of what family does he +come, may I ask? + +ATTENDANT. + +Of the race of Puru. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +What! are we, then, descended from the same ancestry? This, no +doubt, accounts for the resemblance she traces between the child +and me. Certainly it has always been an established usage among +the princes of Puru's race, + + To dedicate the morning of their days + To the world's weal, in palaces and halls, + 'Mid luxury and regal pomp abiding; + Then, in the wane of life, to seek release + From kingly cares, and make the hallowed shade + Of sacred trees their last asylum, where + As hermits they may practise self-abasement, + And bind themselves by rigid vows of penance. + +[_Aloud_.] + +But how could mortals by their own power gain admission to this +sacred region? + +ATTENDANT. + +Your remark is just; but your wonder will cease when I tell you +that his mother is the offspring of a celestial nymph, and gave +him birth in the hallowed grove of Ka[s']yapa. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +Strange that my hopes should be again excited! + +[_Aloud_.] + +But what, let me ask, was the name of the prince whom she deigned +to honour with her hand? + +ATTENDANT. + +How could I think of polluting my lips by the mention of a wretch +who had the cruelty to desert his lawful wife? + +KING. [_Aside_. + +Ha! the description suits me exactly. Would I could bring myself +to inquire the name of the child's mother! + +[_Reflecting_.] + +But it is against propriety to make too minute inquiries about +the wife of another man[120]. + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + + [_Entering with the china peacock in her hand_. + +Sarva-damana, Sarva-damana, see, see, what a beautiful [S']akoonta +(bird). + +CHILD. [_Looking round_. + +My mother! Where? Let me go to her. + +BOTH ATTENDANTS. + +He mistook the word [S']akoonta for [S']akoontal. The boy dotes upon +his mother, and she is ever uppermost in his thoughts. + +SECOND ATTENDANT. + +Nay, my dear child, I said: Look at the beauty of this [S']akoonta. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +What! is his mother's name [S']akoontal? But the name is not +uncommon among women. Alas! I fear the mere similarity of a name, +like the deceitful vapour of the desert[94], has once more raised +my hopes only to dash them to the ground. + +CHILD. + +Dear nurse, what a beautiful peacock! + + [_Takes the toy_. + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + + [_Looking at the CHILD. In great distress_. + +Alas! alas! I do not see the amulet on his wrist. + +KING. + +Don't distress yourself. Here it is. It fell off while he was +struggling with the young lion. + + [_Stoops to pick it up_. + +BOTH ATTENDANTS. + +Hold! hold! Touch it not, for your life. How marvellous! He has +actually taken it up without the slightest hesitation. + + [_Both raise their hands to their breasts and look at each other + in astonishment_. + +KING. + +Why did you try to prevent my touching it? + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + +Listen, great Monarch. This amulet, known as 'The Invincible,' +was given to the boy by the divine son of Marchi, soon after his +birth, when the natal ceremony was performed. Its peculiar virtue +is, that when it falls on the ground, no one except the father or +mother of the child can touch it unhurt. + +KING. + +And suppose another person touches it? + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + +Then it instantly becomes a serpent, and bites him. + +KING. + +Have you ever witnessed the transformation with your own eyes? + +BOTH ATTENDANTS. + +Over and over again. + +KING. [_With rapture. Aside_. + +Joy! joy! Are then my dearest hopes to be fulfilled? + + [_Embraces the CHILD_. + +SECOND ATTENDANT. + +Come, my dear Suvrat, we must inform [S']akoontal immediately of +this wonderful event, though we have to interrupt her in the +performance of her religious vows. + + [_Exeunt_. + +CHILD. [_To the_ KING. + +Don't hold me. I want to go to my mother. + +KING. + +We will go to her together, and give her joy, my son. + +CHILD. + +Dushyanta is my father, not you. + +KING. [_Smiling_. + +His contradiction only convinces me the more. + +_Enter_ [S']AKOONTAL, _in widow's apparel, with her long hair +twisted into a single braid_. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Aside_. + +I have just heard that Sarva-damana's amulet has retained its +form, though a stranger raised it from the ground. I can hardly +believe in my good fortune. Yet why should not Snumat's +prediction be verified? + +KING. + +Alas! can this indeed be my [S']akoontal? + + Clad in the weeds of widowhood, her face + Emaciate with fasting, her long hair + Twined in a single braid[121], her whole demeanour + Expressive of her purity of soul; + With patient constancy she thus prolongs + The vow to which my cruelty condemned her. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Gazing at the_ KING, _who is pale with remorse_. + +Surely this is not like my husband; yet who can it be that dares +pollute by the pressure of his hand my child, whose amulet should +protect him from a stranger's touch? + +CHILD. [_Going to his mother_. + +Mother, who is this man that has been kissing me and calling me +his son? + +KING. + +My best beloved, I have indeed treated thee most cruelly, but am +now once more thy fond and affectionate lover. Refuse not to +acknowledge me as thy husband. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Aside_. + +Be of good cheer, my heart. The anger of Destiny is at last +appeased. Heaven regards thee with compassion. But is he in very +truth my husband? + +KING. + + Behold me, best and loveliest of women, + Delivered from the cloud of fatal darkness + That erst oppressed my memory. Again + Behold us brought together by the grace + Of the great lord of Heaven. So the moon + Shines forth from dim eclipse [122], to blend his rays + With the soft lustre of his Rohin. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +May my husband be victorious-- + + [_She stops short, her voice choked with tears_. + +KING. + + O fair one, though the utterance of thy prayer + Be lost amid the torrent of thy tears, + Yet does the sight of thy fair countenance + And of thy pallid lips, all unadorned[123] + And colourless in sorrow for my absence, + Make me already more than conqueror. + +CHILD. + +Mother, who is this man? + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +My child, ask the deity that presides over thy destiny. + +KING. [_Falling at_ [S']AKOONTAL's _feet_. + + Fairest of women, banish from thy mind + The memory of my cruelty; reproach + The fell delusion that o'erpowered my soul, + And blame not me, thy husband; 'tis the curse + Of him in whom the power of darkness[124] reigns, + That he mistakes the gifts of those he loves + For deadly evils. Even though a friend + Should wreathe a garland on a blind man's brow, + Will he not cast it from him as a serpent? + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Rise, my own husband, rise. Thou wast not to blame. My own evil +deeds, committed in a former state of being[37], brought down +this judgment upon me. How else could my husband, who was ever of +a compassionate disposition, have acted so unfeelingly? + +[_The_ KING _rises_.] + +But tell me, my husband, how did the remembrance of thine +unfortunate wife return to thy mind? + +KING. + +As soon as my heart's anguish is removed, and its wounds are +healed, I will tell thee all. + + Oh! let me, fair one, chase away the drop + That still bedews the fringes of thine eye; + And let me thus efface the memory + Of every tear that stained thy velvet cheek, + Unnoticed and unheeded by thy lord, + When in his madness he rejected thee. + + [_Wipes away the tear_. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + + [_Seeing the signet-ring on his finger_. + +Ah! my dear husband, is that the Lost Ring? + +KING. + +Yes; the moment I recovered it my memory was restored. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +The ring was to blame in allowing itself to be lost at the very +time when I was anxious to convince my noble husband of the +reality of my marriage. + +KING. + +Receive it back, as the beautiful twining-plant receives again +its blossom in token of its reunion with the spring. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +Nay; I can never more place confidence in it. Let my husband +retain it. + + [_Enter_ MTALI. + +MTALI. + +I congratulate your Majesty. Happy are you in your reunion with +your wife; happy are you in beholding the face of your own son. + +KING. + +Yes, indeed. My heart's dearest wish has borne sweet fruit. But +tell me, Mtali, is this joyful event known to the great Indra? + +MTALI. [_Smiling_. + +What is unknown to the gods? But come with me, noble Prince, the +divine Ka[s']yapa graciously permits thee to be presented to him. + +KING. + +[S']akoontal, take our child and lead the way. We will together go +into the presence of the holy Sage. + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +I shrink from entering the august presence of the great Saint, +even with my husband at my side. + +KING. + +Nay; on such a joyous occasion it is highly proper. Come, come; I +entreat thee. + + [_All advance_. + +KA[S']YAPA _is discovered seated on a throne with his wife_ ADITI. + +KA[S']YAPA. + + [_Gazing at_ DUSHYANTA. _To his wife_. + +O Adit, + + This is the mighty hero, King Dushyanta, + Protector of the earth; who, at the head + Of the celestial armies of thy son, + Does battle with the enemies of heaven. + Thanks to his bow, the thunderbolt of Indra + Rests from its work, no more the minister + Of death and desolation to the world, + But a mere symbol of divinity. + +ADITI. + +He bears in his noble form all the marks of dignity. + +MTALI. [_To_ DUSHYANTA + +Sire, the venerable progenitors of the celestials are gazing at +your Majesty with as much affection as if you were their son. You +may advance towards them. + +KING. + + Are these, O Mtali, the holy pair, + Offspring of Daksha and divine Marchi, + Children of Brahm's sons[125], by sages deemed + Sole fountain of celestial light, diffused + Through twelve effulgent orbs [114]? Are these the pair + From whom the ruler of the triple world [126], + Sovereign of gods and lord of sacrifice, + Sprang into being? That immortal pair + Whom Vishnu, greater than the Self-existent [127], + Chose for his parents, when, to save mankind, + He took upon himself the shape of mortals? + +MTALI. + +Even so. + +KING. [_Prostrating himself_. + +Most august of beings! Dushyanta, content to have fulfilled the +commands of your son Indra, offers you his adoration. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +My son, long may'st thou live, and happily may'st thou reign over +the earth! + +ADITI. + +My son, may'st thou ever be invincible in the field of battle! + +[S']AKOONTAL. + +I also prostrate myself before you, most adorable Beings, and my +child with me. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +My daughter, + + Thy lord resembles Indra, and thy child + Is noble as Jayanta, Indra's son; + I have no worthier blessing left for thee, + May'st thou be faithful as the god's own wife! + +ADITI. + +My daughter, may'st thou be always the object of thy husband's +fondest love; and may thy son live long to be the joy of both his +parents! Be seated. + +[_All sit down in the presence of KA[S']YAPA_. + +KA[S']YAPA. [_Regarding each of them by turns_. + + Hail to the beautiful [S']akoontal, + Hail to her noble son, and hail to thee, + Illustrious Prince--rare triple combination + Of virtue, wealth, and energy united! + +KING. + +Most venerable Ka[s']yapa, by your favour all my desires were +accomplished even before I was admitted to your presence. Never +was mortal so honoured that his boon should be granted ere it was +solicited. Because-- + + Bloom before fruit, the clouds before the rain, + Cause first and then effect, in endless sequence, + Is the unchanging law of constant nature; + But, ere the blessing issued from thy lips, + The wishes of my heart were all fulfilled. + +MTALI. + +It is thus that the great progenitors of the world confer +favours. + +KING. + +Most reverend Sage, this thy handmaid was married to me by the +Gndharva ceremony[55], and after a time was conducted to my +palace by her relations. Meanwhile a fatal delusion seized me; I +lost my memory and rejected her, thus committing a grievous +offence against the venerable Kanwa, who is of thy divine race. +Afterwards the sight of this ring restored my faculties, and +brought back to my mind all the circumstances of my union with +his daughter. But my conduct still seems to me incomprehensible; + + As foolish as the fancies of a man + Who, when he sees an elephant, denies + That 'tis an elephant; then afterwards, + When its huge bulk moves onward, hesitates; + Yet will not be convinced till it has passed + For ever from his sight, and left behind + No vestige of its presence save its footsteps. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +My son, cease to think thyself in fault. Even the delusion that +possessed thy mind was not brought about by any act of thine. +Listen to me. + +KING. + +I am attentive. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +Know that when the nymph Menak, the mother of [S']akoontal, +became aware of her daughter's anguish in consequence of the loss +of the ring at the nymph's pool, and of thy subsequent rejection +of her, she brought her and confided her to the care of Adit. +And I no sooner saw her than I ascertained by my divine faculty +of meditation[134], that thy repudiation of thy poor faithful +wife had been caused entirely by the curse of Durvsas--not by +thine own fault--and that the spell would terminate on the +discovery of the ring. + +KING. [_Drawing a deep breath_. + +Oh! what a weight is taken off my mind, now that my character is +cleared of reproach. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Aside_. + +Joy! joy! My revered husband did not, then, reject me without +good reason, though I have no recollection of the curse +pronounced upon me. But, in all probability, I unconsciously +brought it upon myself, when I was so distracted on being +separated from my husband soon after our marriage. For I now +remember that my two friends advised me not to fail to show the +ring in case he should have forgotten me. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +At last, my daughter, thou art happy, and hast gained thy heart's +desire. Indulge, then, no feeling of resentment against thy +consort. See, now, + + Though he repulsed thee, 'twas the sage's curse + That clouded his remembrance; 'twas the curse + That made thy tender husband harsh towards thee. + Soon as the spell was broken, and his soul + Delivered from its darkness, in a moment, + Thou didst regain thine empire o'er his heart. + So on the tarnished surface of a mirror + No image is reflected, till the dust, + That dimmed its wonted lustre, is removed. + +KING. + +Holy father, see here the hope of my royal race. + + [_Takes his child by the hand_. + +KA[S']YAPA. + + + Know that he, too, will become the monarch of the + wholes earth. Observe, + Soon, a resistless hero, shall he cross + The trackless ocean, borne above the waves + In an arial car; and shall subdue + The earth's seven sea-girt isles[128]. Now has he gained, + As the brave tamer of the forest-beasts, + The title Sarva-damana; but then + Mankind shall hail him as King Bharata[129], + And call him the supporter of the world. + +KING. + +We cannot but entertain the highest hopes of a child for whom +your Highness performed the natal rites. + +ADITI. + +My revered husband, should not the intelligence be conveyed to +Kanwa, that his daughter's wishes are fulfilled, and her +happiness complete? He is [S']akoontal's foster-father. Menak, +who is one of my attendants, is her mother, and dearly does she +love her daughter. + +[S']AKOONTAL. [_Aside_. + +The venerable matron has given utterance to the very wish that +was in my mind. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +His penances have gained for him the faculty of omniscience, and +the whole scene is already present to his mind's eye. + +KING. + +Then most assuredly he cannot be very angry with me. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +Nevertheless, it becomes us to send him intelligence of this +happy event, and hear his reply. What ho there! + +PUPIL. [_Entering_. + +Holy father, what are your commands? + +KA[S']YAPA. + +My good Glava, delay not an instant, but hasten through the air +and convey to the venerable Kanwa, from me, the happy news that +the fatal spell has ceased, that Dushyanta's memory is restored, +that his daughter [S']akoontal has a son, and that she is once +more tenderly acknowledged by her husband. + +PUPIL. + +Your Highness' commands shall be obeyed. + + [_Exit_. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +And now, my dear son, take thy consort and thy child, re-ascend +the car of Indra, and return to thy imperial capital. + +KING. + +Most holy father, I obey. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +And accept this blessing-- + + For countless ages may the god of gods, + Lord of the atmosphere, by copious showers + Secure abundant harvests to thy subjects; + And thou by frequent offerings preserve + The Thunderer's friendship. Thus, by interchange + Of kindly actions may you both confer + Unnumbered benefits on earth and heaven. + +KING. + +Holy father, I will strive, as far as I am able, to attain this +happiness. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +What other favour can I bestow on thee, my son? + +KING. + +What other can I desire? If, however, you permit me to form +another wish, I would humbly beg that the saying of the sage +Bharata[130] be fulfilled: + + May kings reign only for their subjects' weal; + May the divine Saraswat[131], the source + Of speech, and goddess of dramatic art, + Be ever honoured by the great and wise; + And may the purple self-existent god[132], + Whose vital Energy[133] pervades all space, + From future transmigrations save my soul. + + + [_Exeunt omnes_. + + + + +NOTES: + + +1. _[S']a preserve you_. + +That is, 'the Lord,' a name given to the god Siva, when regarded as +supreme. As presiding over dissolution he is associated with Brahm +the Creator, and Vishnu the Preserver; constituting with them the +Hind Triad. Klidsa indulges the religious predilections of his +fellow-townsmen by beginning and ending the play with a prayer to +[S']iva, who had a large temple in Ujjayin, the modern Oujein, the city +of Vikramditya, situated north-eastward from Gujart. + +2. _In these eight forms_. + +The worshippers of Siva, who were Pantheists in the sense of +believing that [S']iva was himself all that exists, as well as the +cause of all that is, held that there were eight different +manifestations of their god, called Rudras; and that these had +their types in the eight visible forms enumerated here. The +Hinds reckon five elements. The most subtle is Ether (_ksa_), +supposed to convey sound, which is its peculiar attribute or +property (_guna_). The next element--Air, has for its properties +sound and feeling. The third--Fire, has sound, feeling, and +colour. The fourth--Water, has sound, feeling, colour, and taste. +The fifth--Earth, has all the other properties, with the addition +of smell. + +3. _An audience of educated and discerning men_. + +Lit. 'An audience, who are chiefly men of education and discernment.' +Few could have been present at these dramatic representations excepting +learned and educated men. The mass of the composition being in Sanskrit, +would not have been intelligible to the vulgar and illiterate. + +4. _[S']akoontal; or, The Lost Ring_. + +The literal title is '[S']akoontal recognized by the token or +ring.' + +5. _The present Summer season_. + +Hind poets divide the year into six seasons of two months each, +viz. I. Spring (Vasanta), beginning about the middle of March; +or, according to some, February. 2. Summer (Grshma). 3. Rains +(Varsha). 4. Autumn (Sarad). 5. Winter (Hemanta). 6. Dews +(Sisira). Practically, however, there are only three seasons in +India, 1. The hot season. 2. The rains. 3. The cold weather. In +Lower Bengal and Behar, the first of these seasons begins in +March, the second in June, and the third in November. The +temperature of the cold season is highly exhilarating, and the +climate is then superior to that of any portion of the English +year. In Calcutta, this season continues for about three months; +in Upper India, for about five; and in the Panjb for about +seven. The rains in Bengal Proper are more violent and protracted +than in Hindstn and the Panjb. In the latter country they last +for hardly more than two months, and even then only fall at +intervals. Plays were acted on solemn and festive occasions, on +lunar holidays, and especially at the changes of the season. + +6. _Of fragrant Ptalas_. + +The Ptala or trumpet-flower; _Bignonia suaveolens_. + +7. _With sweet [S']irsha flowers_. + +The flowers of the _Acacia Srisha_ were used by the Hind women +as ear-ornaments. + +8. _King Dushyanta_. + +For the genealogy of King Dushyanta see Introduction, page +xxxviii. + +9. _That wields the trident_. + +[S']iva is called Pinkin, that is, 'armed with a trident,' or +according to some, a bow named Pinka. Siva not being invited to +Daksha's sacrifice, was so indignant, that, with his wife, he +suddenly presented himself, confounded the sacrifice, dispersed +the gods, and chasing Yajna, 'the lord of sacrifice,' who fled in +the form of a deer, overtook and decapitated him. + +10. _Their waving plumes, that late + Fluttered above their brows, are motionless._ + +The Chmar, or chowrie, formed of the white bushy tail of the +Yak, or _Bos grunniens_, was placed as an ornament between the +ears of horses, like the plume of the war-horse of chivalry. The +velocity of the chariot caused it to lose its play, and appear +fixed in one direction, like a flag borne rapidly against the +wind. + +11. _The steeds of Indra and the Sun._ + +That is, the speed of the chariot resembled that of the Wind and +the Sun. Indra was the god of the firmament or atmosphere--the +Jupiter Tonans of Hind mythology--and presided over the +forty-nine Winds. He has a heaven of his own (Swarga), of which +he is the lord, and, although inferior to the three great deities +of the Hind Triad (Brahm, Vishnu, and Siva), he is chief of the +secondary gods. The Hinds represent the Sun as seated in a +chariot, drawn by seven green horses, having before him a lovely +youth without legs, who acts as his charioteer, and who is Aruna, +or the Dawn personified. + +12. _Puru's race_. + +See Dushyanta's pedigree detailed at page xxxviii of the +Introduction. + +13. _The great sage Kanwa_. + +The sage Kanwa was a descendant of Kasyapa, whom the Hinds +consider to have been the father of the inferior gods, demons, +man, fish, reptiles, and all animals, by his twelve wives. Kanwa +was the chief of a number of devotees, or hermits, who had +constructed a hermitage on the banks of the river Mlin, and +surrounded it with gardens and groves, where penitential rites +were performed, and animals were reared for sacrificial purposes, +or for the amusement of the inmates. There is nothing new in +asceticism. The craving after self-righteousness, and the desire +of acquiring merit by self-mortification, is an innate principle +of the human heart, and ineradicable even by Christianity. +Witness the monastic institutions of the Romish Church, of which +Indian penance-groves were the type. The Superior of a modern +Convent is but the antitype of Kanwa; and what is Romanism but +humanity developing itself in some of its most inveterate +propensities? + +14. _He has gone to Soma trtha_. + +A place of pilgrimage in the west of India, on the coast of +Gujart, near the temple of Somanth, or Somnt, made notorious +by its gates, which were brought back from Ghazn by Lord +Ellenborough's orders in 1842, and are now to be seen in the +arsenal at Agra. These places of pilgrimage were generally fixed +on the bank of some sacred stream, or in the vicinity of some +holy spring. The word _trtha_ is derived from a Sanskrit root, +_tr_, 'to cross,' implying that the river has to be passed +through, either for the washing away of sin, or extrication from +some adverse destiny. Thousands of devotees still flock to the +most celebrated Trthas on the Ganges, at Benares, Haridwr, etc. + +15. _Ingud_. + +A tree, commonly called Ingua, or Jiyaputa, from the fruit of +which oil was extracted, which the devotees used for their lamps +and for ointment. One synonym for this tree is _tpasa-taru_, +'the anchorite's tree.' + +16. _Bark-woven vests_. + +Dresses made of bark, worn by ascetics, were washed in water, and +then suspended to dry on the branches of trees. + +17. _By deep canals_. + +It was customary to dig trenches round the roots of trees, to +collect the rain-water. + +18. _My throbbing arm_. + +A quivering sensation in the right arm was supposed by the Hinds +to prognosticate union with a beautiful woman. Throbbings of the +arm or eyelid, if felt on the right side, were omens of good +fortune in men; if on the left, bad omens. The reverse was true +of women. 19. _The hard acacia's stem_. + +The Sam tree, a kind of acacia (_Acacia Suma_), the wood of +which is very hard, and supposed by the Hinds to contain fire. + +20. _The lotus_. + +This beautiful plant, the varieties of which, white, blue, and +red, are numerous, bears some resemblance to our water-lily. It +is as favourite a subject of allusion and comparison with Hind +poets as the rose is with Persian. + +21. _With the Saivala entwined_. + +The [S']aivala (_Vallisneria_) is an aquatic plant, which spreads +itself over ponds, and interweaves itself with the lotus. The +interlacing of its stalks is compared in poetry to braided hair. + +22. _Yon Ke[s']ara tree_. + +The Ke[s']ara tree (_Mimusops elengi_) is the same as the Bakula, +frequent mention of which is made is some of the Purnas. It +bears a strong-smelling flower, which, according to Sir W. Jones, +is ranked among the flowers of the Hind paradise. The tree Is +very ornamental in pleasure-grounds. + +23. _Would that my union with her were permissible_. + +A Brhman might marry a woman of the military or kingly class +next below him, and the female offspring of such a marriage would +belong to a mixed caste, and might be lawfully solicited in +marriage by a man of the military class. But if [S']akoontal were +a pure Brhman woman, both on the mother's and father's side, +she would be ineligible as the wife of a Kshatriya king. +Dushyanta discovers afterwards that she was, in fact, the +daughter of the great Vi[s']wmitra (see note 27), who was of the +same caste as himself, though her mother was the nymph Menak. + +24. _I trust all is well with your devotional rites_. + +This was the regular formula of salutation addressed to persons +engaged in religions exercises. + +25. _This water that we have brought with us will serve to bathe +our guest's feet_. + +Water for the feet is one of the first things invariably provided +for a guest in all Eastern countries. Compare Genesis xxiv. 32; +Luke vii. 44. If the guest were a Brhman, or a man of rank, a +respectful offering (_argha_) of rice, fruit, and flowers was +next presented. In fact, the rites of hospitality in India were +enforced by very stringent regulations. The observance of them +ranked as one of the five great sacred rites, and no punishment +was thought too severe for one who violated them. If a guest +departed unhonoured from a house, his sins were to be transferred +to the householder, and all the merits of the householder were to +be transferred to him. + +26. _Sapta-parna tree_. + +A tree having seven leaves on a stalk (_Echites scholaris_). + +27. _Vis']wmitra, whose family name is Kausika_. + +In the Rmyana, the great sage Vi[s']wmitra (both king and saint), +who raised himself by his austerities from the regal to the +Brhmanical caste, is said to be the son of Gdhi, King of Kanj, +grandson of Kusantha, and great-grandson of Kusika or Kusa. On +his accession to the throne, in the room of his father Gdhi, in +the course of a tour through his dominions, he visited the +hermitage of the sage Vasishtha, where the Cow of Plenty, a cow +granting all desires, excited his cupidity. He offered the sage +untold treasures for the cow; but being refused, prepared to take +it by force. A long war ensued between the king and the sage +(symbolical of the struggles between the military and Brhmanical +classes), which ended in the defeat of Vi[s']wmitra, whose vexation +was such, that he devoted himself to austerities, in the hope of +attaining the condition of a Brhman. The Rmyana recounts how, +by gradually increasing the rigour of his penance through +thousands of years, he successively earned the title of Royal +Sage, Sage, Great Sage, and Brhman Sage. It was not till he had +gained this last title that Vasishtha consented to acknowledge +his equality with himself, and ratify his admission into the +Brhmanical state. It was at the time of Vi[s']wmitra's advancement +to the rank of a Sage, and whilst he was still a Kshatriya, that +Indra, jealous of his increasing power, sent the nymph Menak to +seduce him from his life of mortification and continence. The Rmyana +records his surrender to this temptation, and relates that the nymph +was his companion in the hermitage for ten years, but does not allude +to the birth of [S']akoontal during that period. + +28. _The inferior gods, I am aware, are jealous_. + +According to the Hind system, Indra and the other inferior +deities were not the possessors of Swarga, or heaven, by +indefeasible right. They accordingly viewed with jealousy, and +even alarm, any extraordinary persistency by a human being in +acts of penance, as it raised him to a level with themselves; +and, if carried beyond a certain point, enabled him to dispossess +them of Paradise. Indra was therefore the enemy of excessive +self-mortification, and had in his service numerous nymphs who +were called his 'weapons,' and whose business it was to impede by +their seductions the devotion of holy men. + +29. _Gautam_. + +The name of the matron or Superior of the female part of the +society of hermits. Every association of religious devotees seems +to have included a certain number of women, presided over by an +elderly and venerable matron, whose authority resembled that of +an abbess in a convent of nuns. + +30. _Ku[s']a-grass_. + +This grass was held sacred by the Hinds, and was abundantly +used in all their religions ceremonies. Its leaves are very long, +and taper to a sharp needle-like point, of which the extreme +acuteness was proverbial; whence the epithet applied to a clever +man, 'sharp as the point of Ku[s']a-grass.' Its botanical name is +_Poa cynosurodes_. + +31. _Kuruvaka._ + +A species of Jhint or Barleria, with purple flowers, and covered +with sharp prickles. + +32. _The Jester_. + +See an account of this character in the Introduction, p. xxxiv. + +33. _We have nothing to eat but roast game_. + +Indian game is often very dry and flavourless. + +34. _Attended by the Yavana women_. + +Who these women were has not been accurately ascertained. Yavana +is properly Arabia, but is also a name applied to Greece. The +Yavana women were therefore either natives of Arabia, or Greece, +and their business was to attend upon the king, and take charge +of his weapons, especially his bow and arrows. Professor H. H. +Wilson, in his translation of the Vikramorva[s'], where the same +word occurs (Act V. p. 261), remarks that Tartarian or Bactrian +women may be intended. + +35. _In the disc of crystal_. + +That is, the sun-gem (_Srya-knta_, 'beloved by the sun'), a +shining stone resembling crystal. Professor Wilson calls it a +fabulous stone with fabulous properties, and mentions another +stone, the moon-gem (_chandra-knta_). It may be gathered from +this passage that the sun-stone was a kind of glass lens, and +that the Hinds were not ignorant of the properties of this +instrument at the time when '[S']akoontal' was written. + +36. _Some fallen blossoms of the jasmine_. + +The jasmine here intended was a kind of double jasmine with a +very delicious perfume, sometimes called 'Arabian jasmine' +(_Jasminum zambac_). It was a delicate plant, and, as a creeper, +would depend on some other tree for support. The Arka, or +sun-tree (Gigantic Asclepias: _Calotropis gigantea_), on the +other hand, was a large and vigorous shrub. Hence the former is +compared to [S']akoontal, the latter to the sage Kanwa. + +37. + + _The mellowed fruit + Of virtuous actions in some former birth_. + +The doctrine of the transmigration of the soul from one body to +another is an essential dogma of the Hind religion, and +connected with it is the belief in the power which every human +being possesses of laying up for himself a store of merit by good +deeds performed in the present and former births. Indeed the +condition of every person is supposed to derive its character of +happiness or misery, elevation or degradation, from the virtues +or vices of previous states of being. The consequences of actions +in a former birth are called _vipka_; they may be either good +or bad, but are rarely unmixed with evil taint. + +In the present comparison, however, they are described as pure +and unalloyed. With reference to the first four lines of this +stanza, compare Catullus, Carmen Nuptiale, verse 39. + + 'Ut flos in septis secretus nascitur hortis, + Ignotus pecori, nullo contusus aratro, + Quem mulcent aur, firmat sol, educat imber: + Multi illuum pueri, mult optavere puell: + Idem quum tenui carptus defloruit ungui, + Nulli illum pueri, nall optavere puell: + Sic virgo, dum intacta manet,' etc. + +38. _The sixth part of their grain_. + +According to Manu, a king might take a sixth part of liquids, +flowers, roots, fruit, grass, etc.; but, even though dying with +want, he was not to receive any tax from a Brhman learned in the +Vedas. + +39. _A title only one degree removed from that of a Sage_. + +Dushyanta was a Rjarshi; that is, a man of the military class +who had attained the rank of Royal Sage or Saint by the practice +of religious austerities. The title of Royal or Imperial Sage was +only one degree inferior to that of Sage. Compare note 27. + +40. _Chanted by inspired bards_. + +Or celestial minstrels, called Gandharvas. These beings were the +musicians of Indra's heaven, and their business was to amuse the +inhabitants of Swarga by singing the praises of gods, saints, or +heroes. Compare note 11. + +41. _In their fierce warfare with the powers of hell_. + +Indra and the other inferior gods (compare note 11) were for ever +engaged in hostilities with their half-brothers, the demons +called Daityas, who were the giants or Titans of Hind mythology. +On such occasions the gods seem to have depended very much upon +the assistance they received from mortal heroes. + +42. _Evil demons are disturbing our sacrificial rites_. + +The religious rites and sacrifices of holy men were often +disturbed by certain evil spirits or goblins called Rkshasas, +who were the determined enemies of piety and devotion. No great +sacrifice or religious ceremony was ever carried on without an +attempt on the part of these demons to impede its celebration; +and the most renowned saints found it necessary on such occasions +to acknowledge their dependence on the strong arm of the military +class, by seeking the aid of warriors and heroes. The inability +of holy men, who had attained the utmost limit of spiritual +power, to cope with the spirits of evil, and the superiority of +physical force in this respect, is very remarkable. + +43. _Vishnu_. + +Vishnu, the Preserver, was one of the three gods of the Hind +Triad. He became incarnate in various forms for the good of +mortals, and is the great enemy of the demons. + +14 _Like king Tri[s']anku_. + +The story of this monarch is told in the Rmyana. He is there +described as a just and pious prince of the solar race, who +aspired to celebrate a great sacrifice, hoping thereby to ascend +to heaven in his mortal body. After various failures he had +recourse to Vi[s']wmitra, who undertook to conduct the sacrifice, +and invited all the gods to be present. They, however, refused to +attend; upon which the enraged Vi[s']wmitra, by his own power, +transported Tri[s']anku to the skies, whither he had no sooner +arrived than he was hurled down again by Indra and the gods; but +being arrested in his downward course by the sage, he remained +suspended between heaven and earth, forming a constellation in +the southern hemisphere. + +45. _Ointment of Usra-root_. + +The root of a fragrant grass (_Andropogon muricatum_), from +which a cooling ointment was made. + +46. _The very breath of his nostrils_. + +Compare Lam. iv. 20. 'The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of +the Lord, was taken.' + +47. _God of the flowery shafts_. + +The Hind Cupid, or god of love (Kma), is armed with a bow made +of sugar-cane, the string of which consists of bees. He has five +arrows, each tipped with the blossom of a flower, which pierce +the heart through the five senses; and his favourite arrow is +pointed with the _chita_, or mango-flower. + +48. _E'en now in thy unbodied essence lurks The fire of [S']iva's +anger_. + +The story is thus told in the Rmyana. Kma (Cupid) once +approached [S']iva that he might influence him with love for his +wife, Prvat. [S']iva happened then to be practising austerities, +and intent on a vow of chastity. He therefore cursed the god of +love in a terrible voice, and at the same time a flash from his +eye caused the god's body to shrivel into ashes. Thus Kma was +made incorporeal, and from that time was called 'the bodiless +one.' + +49. + _Like the flame, + That ever hidden in the secret depths + Of ocean, smoulders there unseen_. + +This submarine fire was called Aurva, +from the following fable. The Rishi Aurva, who had gained great +power by his austerities, was pressed by the gods and others to +perpetuate his race. He consented, but warned them that his +offspring would consume the world. Accordingly, he created from +his thigh a devouring fire, which, as soon as it was produced, +demanded nourishment, and would have destroyed the whole earth, +had not Brahm appeared and assigned the ocean as its habitation, +and the waves as its food. The spot where it entered the sea was +called 'the mare's mouth.' Doubtless the story was invented to +suit the phenomenon of some marine volcano, which may have +exhaled through the water bituminous inflammable gas, and which, +perhaps in the form of a horse's mouth, was at times visible +above the sea. + +50 _Who on his 'scutcheon bears the monster-fish_. + +The Hind Cupid is said to have subdued a marine monster, which +was, therefore, painted on his banner. + +51 _The graceful undulation of her gait_. + +_Hansa-gmin_, 'walking like a swan,' was an epithet for a +graceful woman. The Indian lawgiver, Manu, recommends that a +Brhman should choose for his wife a young maiden, whose gait was +like that of a phoenicopter, or flamingo, or even like that of a +young elephant. The idea in the original is, that the weight of +her hips had caused the peculiar appearance observable in the +print of her feet. Largeness of the hips was considered a great +beauty in Hind women, and would give an undulatory motion to +their walk. 52 _The Mdhav_. + +A large and beautiful creeper (_Gaertnera racemosa_), bearing +white, fragrant flowers, to which constant allusion is made in +Sanskrit plays. + +53 _Pines to be united with the Moon_. + +A complete revolution of the moon, with respect to the stars, being +made in twenty-seven days, odd hours, the Hinds divide the heavens +into twenty-seven constellations (asterisms) or lunar stations, one +of which receives the moon for one day in each of his monthly journeys. +As the Moon, Chandra, is considered to be a masculine deity, the Hinds +fable these twenty-seven constellations as his wives, and personify +them as the daughters of Daksha. Of these twenty-seven wives, twelve +of whom give names to the twelve months, Chandra is supposed to show +the greatest affection for the fourth, Rohin; but each of the others, +and amongst them Vi[s']kh, is represented as jealous of this +partiality, and eager to secure the Moon's favour for herself, +Dushyanta probably means to compare himself to the Moon (he being of +the Lunar race) and [S']akoontal to Vi[s']kh. + +54. _Checks its fall_. + +Owing to emaciation and disuse of the bow, the callosities on the +forearm, usually caused by the bow-string, were not sufficiently +prominent to prevent the bracelet from slipping down from the +wrist to the elbow, when the arm was raised to support the head. +This is a favourite idea with Klidsa to express the attenuation +caused by love. + +55. _No nuptial rites prevail_. + +A marriage without the usual ceremonies is called Gndharva. It +was supposed to be the form of marriage prevalent among the +nymphs of India's heaven. In the 3rd Book of Manu (v. 22), it is +included among the various marriage rites, and is said to be a +union proceeding entirely from love, or mutual inclination, and +concluded without any religious services, and without consulting +relatives. It was recognized as a legal marriage by Manu and +other lawgivers, though it is difficult to say in what respect it +differed from unlawful cohabitation. + +56. _The loving birds doomed by fate to nightly separation_. + +That is, the male and female of the Chakravka, commonly called Chakwa +and Chakw, or Brhman duck (_Anas casarca_). These birds associate +together during the day, and are, like turtle-doves, patterns of +connubial affection; but the legend is, that they are doomed to pass +the night apart, in consequence of a curse pronounced upon them by a +saint whom they had offended. As soon as night commences, they take +up their station on the opposite banks of a river, and call to each +other in piteous cries. The Bengls consider their flesh to be a good +medicine for fever. + +57. _The great sage Durvsas_. + +A Saint or Muni, represented by the Hind poets as excessively +choleric and inexorably severe. The Purnas and other poems +contain frequent accounts of the terrible effects of his +imprecations on various occasions, the slightest offence being in +his eyes deserving of the most fearful punishment. On one +occasion he cursed Indra, merely because his elephant let fall a +garland he had given to this god; and in consequence of this +imprecation all plants withered, men ceased to sacrifice, and the +gods were overcome in their wars with the demons. + +58. _Propitiatory offering_. + +Compare note 25. + +59. _His blushing charioteer_. + +Compare note 11. + +60. _Night-loving lotus_. + +Some species of the lotus, especially the white esculent kind, +open their petals during the night, and close them during the +day, whence the moon is often called the 'lover, or lord of the +lotuses.' + +61. _The very centre of the sacred fire_. + +Fire was an important object of veneration with the Hinds, as +with the ancient Persians. Perhaps the chief worship recognized +in the Vedas is that of Fire and the Sun. The holy fire was +deposited in a hallowed part of the house, or in a sacred +building, and kept perpetually burning. Every morning and +evening, oblations were offered to it by dropping clarified +butter and other substances into the flame, accompanied with +prayers and invocations. + +62. _As in the sacred tree the mystic fire_. + +Literally, 'as the [S']ami-tree is pregnant with fire.' The legend +is, that the goddess Prvat, being one day under the influence +of love, reposed on a trunk of this tree, whereby a sympathetic +warmth was generated in the pith or interior of the wood, which +ever after broke into a sacred flame on the slightest attrition. + +63 _Hastinpur_. + +The ancient Delhi, situated on the Ganges, and the capital of +Dushyanta. Its site is about fifty miles from the modern Delhi, +which is on the Jumn, + +64 _E'en as Yayti [S']armishth adored_, + +[S']armishth was the daughter of Vrishaparvan, king of the +demons, and wife of Yayti, son of Nahusha, one of the princes of +the Lunar dynasty, and ancestor of Dushyanta. Puru was the son of +Yayti, by [S']armishth. + +65 _And for whose encircling bed, Sacred Kusa-grass is spread_. + +At a sacrifice, sacred fires were lighted at the four cardinal +points, and Ku[s']a-grass was scattered around each fire, 66 +_Kol_, + +The Kol, or Kokil, is the Indian cuckoo. It is sometimes called +Para-bhrita ('nourished by another'). because the female is known +to leave her eggs in the nest of the crow to be hatched. The bird +is as great a favourite with Indian poets as the nightingale with +European. One of its names is 'Messenger of Spring.' Its note is +a constant subject of allusion, and is described as beautifully +sweet, and, if heard on a journey, indicative of good fortune. +Everything, however, is beautiful by comparison. The song of the +Kol is not only very dissimilar, but very inferior to that of +the nightingale, + +67 _The peacock on the lawn Ceases its dance_, + +The Indian peacock is very restless, especially at the approach +of rain, in which it is thought to take delight. Its circular +movements are a frequent subject of allusion with Hind poets, +and are often by them compared to dancing. + +68. _The moonlight of the grove_. + +The name of [S']akoontal's favourite jasmine, spoken of in the 1st +Act. See page 15 of this volume. + +69. _Fig-tree_. + +Not the Banyan-tree (_Ficus Indica_), nor the Pippala (_Ficus +religiosa_), but the Glomerous Fig-tree (_Ficus glomerata_), +which yields a resinous milky juice from its bark, and is large +enough to afford abundant shade. + +70. _The poor female Chakravka_. + +Compare note 56. + +71. _Like a young tendril of the sandal-tree torn from its home +in the western mountains_. + +The sandal is a kind of large myrtle with pointed leaves (_Sirium +myrtifolium_). The wood affords many highly esteemed perfumes, +unguents, etc., and is celebrated for its delicious scent. It is +chiefly found on the slopes of the Malaya mountain or Western +Ghauts on the Malabar coast. The roots of the tree are said to be +infested with snakes. Indeed it seems to pay dearly for the +fragrance of its wood: 'The root is infested by serpents, the +blossoms by bees, the branches by monkeys, the summit by bears. +In short there is not a part of the sandal-tree that is not +occupied by the vilest impurities.' Hitopade[s']a, verse 162. + +72. _The calm seclusion of thy former home_. + +'When the father of a family perceives his own wrinkles and grey +hair, committing the care of his wife to his sons, or accompanied +by her, let him repair to the woods and become a hermit.'--Manu, +vi. 2. It was usual for kings, at a certain time of life, to +abdicate the throne in favour of the heir-apparent, and pass the +remainder of their days in seclusion. + +73. _A frequent offering to our household gods_. + +This was an offering (_bali_) in honour of those spiritual +beings called 'household deities,' which were supposed to hover +round and protect houses. It was made by throwing up into the air +in some part of the house (generally at the door) the remains of +the morning and evening meal of rice or grain, uttering at the +same time a _mantra_, or prayer. + +74. _In other states of being_. + +Dim recollections of occurrences in former states of existence +are supposed occasionally to cross the mind. Compare note 37. + +75. _The Chamberlain_. + +The attendant on the women's apartment. He is generally a +Brhman, and usually appears in the plays as a tottering and +decrepit old man, leaning on his staff of office. 76. _The king +of serpents on his thousand heads_. + +A mythological serpent, the personification of eternity, and king +of the Ngas, or snakes, who inhabit Ptla, the lowermost of the +seven regions below the earth. His body formed the couch of +Vishnu, reposing on the waters of Chaos, whilst his thousand +heads were the god's canopy. He is also said to uphold the world +on one of his heads. + +77. _The chamber of the consecrated fire_. + +Compare note 61. + +78. _Two heralds_. + +These heralds were introduced into Hind plays something in the +same manner as a Chorus; and, although their especial duty was to +announce, in measured verse, the periods of the day, and +particularly the fixed divisions into which the king's day was +divided, yet the strain which they poured forth frequently +contained allusions to incidental circumstances. The royal office +was no sinecure. From the Da[s']a-kumra, it appears that the day +and night were each divided into eight portions of one hour and a +half, reckoned from sunrise; and were thus distributed: Day--l. +The king, being dressed, is to audit accounts; 2. He is to +pronounce judgment in appeals; 3. He is to breakfast; 4. He is to +receive and make presents; 5. He is to discuss political +questions with his ministers; 6. He is to amuse himself; 7. He is +to review his troops; 8. He is to hold a military council. +Night--l. He is to receive the reports of his spies and envoys; +2. He is to sup or dine; 3. He is to retire to rest after the +perusal of some sacred work; 4 and 5. He is to sleep; 6. He is to +rise and purify himself; 7. He is to hold a private consultation +with his ministers, and instruct his officers; 8. He is to attend +upon the _Purohita_ or family priest, for the performance of +religious ceremonies. See Wilson's Hind Theatre, vol. i. p. 209. + +79. _Feeling a quivering sensation in her right eyelid_. + +Compare note 18. + +80. _The protector of the four classes of the people, the +guardian of the four conditions of the priesthood_. + +A remarkable feature in the ancient Hind social system, as +depicted in the plays, was the division of the people into four +classes or castes:--1st. The sacerdotal, consisting of the +Brhmans.--2nd. The military, consisting of fighting men, and +including the king himself and the royal family. This class +enjoyed great privileges, and must have been practically the most +powerful.--3rd. The commercial, including merchants and +husbandmen.--4th. The servile, consisting of servants and slaves. +Of these four divisions the first alone has been preserved in its +purity to the present day, although the Rjputs claim to be the +representatives of the second class. The others have been lost in +a multitude of mixed castes formed by intermarriage, and bound +together by similarity of trade or occupation. With regard to the +sacerdotal class, the Brhmans, who formed it, were held to be +the chief of all human beings; they were superior to the king, +and their lives and property were protected by the most stringent +laws. They were to divide their lives into four quarters, during +which they passed through four states or conditions, viz. as +religious students, as householders, as anchorites, and as +religious mendicants. + +81. _That he is pleased with ill-assorted unions_. + +The god Brahm seems to have enjoyed a very unenviable notoriety +as taking pleasure in ill-assorted marriages, and encouraging +them by his own example in the case of his own daughter. + +82. _[S']ach's sacred pool near Sakrvatra_. + +[S']akra is a name of the god Indra, and Sakrvatra is a sacred +place of pilgrimage where he descended upon earth. [S']ach is his +wife, to whom a _Urtha_, or holy bathing-place, was probably +consecrated at the place where [S']akoontal had performed her +ablutions. Compare note 14. + +83. _The wily Kol_. + +Compare note 66. + +84. _With the discus or mark of empire in the lines of his +hand_. + +When the lines of the right hand formed themselves into a circle, +it was thought to be the mark of a future hero or emperor. + +85. _A most refined occupation, certainly!_ + +Spoken ironically. The occupation of a fisherman, and, indeed, any +occupation which involved the sin of slaughtering animals, was +considered despicable. Fishermen, butchers, and leather-sellers were +equally objects of scorn. In Lower Bengal the castes of Jliys and +Bgdis, who live by fishing, etc., are amongst the lowest, and eke +out a precarious livelihood by thieving and dacoity. + +86. _And he should not forsake it_. + +The great Hind lawgiver is very peremptory in restricting +special occupations (such as fishing, slaughtering animals, +basket-making) to the mixed and lowest castes. 'A man of the +lowest caste, who, through covetousness, lives by the acts of the +highest, let the king strip of all his wealth and banish. His own +business, though badly performed, is preferable to that of +another, though well performed.'--Manu, x. 96. In the later Hind +system the sacrifice of animals is practised by the priests of +the goddess Kli only. + +87. _Carp_. + +That is, the Rohita, or Rohi (red) fish (_Cyprinus rohita_), a +kind of carp found in lakes and ponds in the neighbourhood of the +Ganges. It grows to the length of three feet, is very voracious, +and its flesh, though it often has a muddy taste, is edible. Its +back is olive-coloured, its belly of a golden hue, its fins and +eyes red. This fish is often caught in tanks in Lower Bengal of +the weight of twenty-five or thirty pounds. + +88. _I long to begin binding the flowers round his head_. + +It is evident from the Mlati-Mdhava, and other plays, that a +victim, about to be offered as a sacrifice, had a wreath of +flowers bound round the head. + +89. _The great vernal festival_. + +In celebration of the return of Spring, and said to be in honour +of Krishna, and of his son Kma-deva, the god of love. It is +identified with the Hol or Dol-ytra, the Saturnalia, or +rather, Carnival of the Hinds, when people of all conditions +take liberties with each other, especially by scattering red +powder and coloured water on the clothes of persons passing in +the street, as described in the play called Ratnval, where the +crowd are represented as using syringes and waterpipes. Flowers, +and especially the opening blossoms of the mango, would naturally +be much employed for decoration at this festival, as an offering +to the god of love. It was formerly held on the full moon of the +month Chaitra, or about the beginning of April, but it is now +celebrated on the full moon of Phlguna, or about the beginning +of March. The other great Hind festival, held in the autumn, +about October, is called Durg-pj, being in honour of the +goddess Durg. The Hol festival is now so disfigured by unseemly +practices and coarse jests that it is reprobated by the +respectable natives, and will probably, in the course of time, +either die out or be prohibited by legal enactment. + +90. _Am not I named after the Kol?_ + +Compare note 66. + +91. _Thy fire unerring shafts_. + +Compare note 47. + +92. _The amaranth_ + +That is, the Kuruvaka, either the crimson amaranth, or a purple +species of _Barleria_. + +93. _My finger burning with the glow of love_. + +However offensive to our notions of good taste, it is certain +that, in Hind erotic poetry, a hot hand is considered to be one +of the signs of passionate love. Compare Othello, Act III. Scene +4. 'Give me your hand: this hand is moist, my lady--hot, hot, +and moist.' + +94. _The airy vapours of the desert_. + +A kind of mirage floating over waste places, and appearing at a +distance like water. Travellers and some animals, especially +deer, are supposed to be attracted and deceived by it. + +95. _Himlaya_. + +The name of this celebrated range of mountains is derived from +two Sanskrit words, _hima_, 'ice' or 'snow' (Lat. _hiems_), and +_laya_, 'abode.' The pronunciation Himalaya is incorrect. + +96. _As [S']iva did the poison at the Deluge_. + +At the churning of the ocean, after the Deluge, by the gods and +demons, for the recovery or production of fourteen sacred things, +a deadly poison called Kla-kta, or Hal-hala, was generated, so +virulent that it would have destroyed the world, had not the god +[S']iva swallowed it. Its only effect was to leave a dark blue mark +on his throat, whence his name Nla-kantha. This name is also +given to a beautiful bird, not wholly unlike our jay, common in +Bengal. + +97. _Palace of clouds_. + +The palace of King Dushyanta, so called because it was lofty as +the clouds. + +98. _The foreman of a guild belonging to Ayodhy_. + +The chief of a guild or corporation of artisans practising the +same trade. Ayodhy, or the Invincible City, was the ancient +capital of Rmachandra, founded by Ikshwku, the first of the +Solar dynasty. It was situated on the river Sarayu in the north +of India, and is now called Oude. + +99. _My ancestors Must drink these glistening tears, the last +libation_. + +Oblations to the spirits of the deceased are offered by the +nearest surviving relatives soon after the funeral ceremonies; +and are repeated once in every year. They are supposed to be +necessary to secure the well-being of the souls of the dead in +the world appropriated to them. The oblation-ceremony is called +[S']rddha, and generally consisted in offering balls made of rice +and milk, or in pouring out water, or water and sesamum-seed +mixed. These ceremonies are still regarded as essential to the +welfare of deceased persons, and their celebration is marked by +magnificent feasts, to which relations and a host of Brhmans are +invited. A native who had grown rich in the time of Warren +Hastings spent nine lakhs of rupees on his mother's [S']rddha; and +large sums are still spent on similar occasions by wealthy Hinds +(see my 'Brhmanism and Hindism,' p. 306). + +100. _The mother of the great Indra_. + +That is, Adit, the wife of Ka[s']yapa, with whom, in their sacred +retreat, [S']akoontal was enjoying an asylum. + +101. _Distinguishes the milk from worthless water_. + +The Hinds imagine that the flamingo (a kind of goose) is the +vehicle on which the god Brahm is borne through the air; and +that this bird, being fond of the pulpy fibres of the water-lily, +has been gifted by him with the power of separating the milky +from the watery portion of the juice contained in the stalk of +that plant. + +102. _Mtali_. + +The charioteer of Indra. In the pictures which represent this god +mounted on his usual vehicle--an elephant called Arvata--Mtali +is seen seated before him on the withers of the animal, acting as +its driver. In the plays, however, Indra is generally represented +borne in a chariot drawn by two horses, guided by Mtali. + +103. _Klanemi_. + +A Daitya or demon, with a hundred arms and as many heads. + +104. _Nrada_. + +A celebrated divine sage, usually reckoned among the ten +patriarchs first created by Brahm. He acted as a messenger of +the gods. + +105. _Tinged with celestial sandal from the breast_. + +The breast of Indra was dyed yellow with a fragrant kind of +sandal-wood (_hari-chandana_); and the garland by rubbing +against it, became tinged with the same color. Wreaths and +garlands of flowers are much used by the Hinds as marks of +honorary distinction, as well as for ornament or festive +occasions. They are suspended round the neck. + +106. _The ever-blooming tree of Nandana_. + +That is, Mandra, one of the five ever-blooming trees of Nandana, +or Swarga, Indra's heaven. The two most celebrated of these trees +were the Prijta and the Kalpa-druma, or tree granting all +desires. Each of the superior Hind gods has a heaven, paradise, +or elysium of his own. That of Brahm is called Brahma-loka, +situate on the summit of mount Meru; that of Vishnu is Vaikuntha, +on the Himlayas; that of [S']iva and Kuvera is Kailsa, also on +the Himlayas; that of Indra is Swarga or Nandana. The latter, +though properly on the summit of mount Meru, below Brahm's +paradise, is sometimes identified with the sphere of the sky or +heaven in general. It is the only heaven of orthodox Brhmanism. + +107. _Jayanta_. + +The son of Indra by his favourite wife Paulom or [S']ach. + +108. _The Lion-man's terrific claws_. + +Vishnu, in the monstrous shape of a creature half man, half lion +(his fourth Avatr or incarnation), delivered the three worlds, +that is to say, Earth, Heaven, and the lower regions, from the +tyranny of an insolent demon called Hiranya-ka[S']ipu. + +109. _We journey in the path of Parivaha_. + +The Hinds divide the heavens into seven Mrgas, paths or +orbits, assigning a particular wind to each. The sixth of these +paths is that of the Great Bear, and its peculiar wind is called +Parivaha. This wind is supposed to bear along the seven stars of +Ursa Major, and to propel the heavenly Ganges. + +110. _The triple Ganges_. + +The Ganges was supposed to take its rise in the toe of Vishnu +(whence one of its names, Vishnu-pad); thence it flowed through +the heavenly sphere, being borne along by the wind Parivaha, and +identified with the Mandkin, or Milky Way. Its second course is +through the earth; but the weight of its descent was borne by +[S']iva's head, whence, after wandering among the tresses of his +hair, it descended through a chasm in the Himlayas. Its third +course is through Ptla, or the lower regions, the residence of +the Daityas and Ngas, and not to be confounded with Naraka, +'hell,' 'the place of punishment.' + +111. _He spanned the heavens in his second stride_. + +The story of Vishnu's second stride was this:--An Asura or +Daitya, named Bali, had, by his devotions, gained the dominion of +Heaven, Earth, and Ptla. Vishnu undertook to trick him out of +his power, and assuming the form of a Vmana, or dwarf (his fifth +Avatr), he appeared before the giant and begged as a boon as +much land as he could pace in three steps. This was granted; and +the god immediately expanded himself till he filled the world; +deprived Bali, at the first step, of Earth; at the second, of +Heaven; but, in consideration of some merit, left Ptla still +under his rule. + +112. _I see the moisture-loving Chtakas_. + +The Chtaka is a kind of Cuckoo (_Cuculus Melanoleucus_). The +Hinds suppose that it drinks only the water of the clouds, and +their poets usually introduce allusions to this bird in connexion +with cloudy or rainy weather. + +113. _Golden-peak_. + +A sacred range of mountains lying among the Himlaya chain, and +apparently identical with, or immediately adjacent to, Kailsa, +the paradise of Kuvera, the god of wealth. It is here described +as the mountain of the Kimpurashas, or servants of Kuvera. They +are a dwarfish kind of monster, with the body of a man and the +head of a horse, and are otherwise called Kinnara. + +114. _Ka[s']yapa_. + +Ka[s']yapa was the son of Brahm's son, Marchi, and was one of +those Patriarchs (created by Brahm to supply the universe with +inhabitants) who, after fulfilling their mission, retired from +the world to practise penance. He was a progenitor on a +magnificent scale, as he is considered to have been the father of +the gods, demons, man, fish, reptiles, and all animals, by the +thirteen daughters of Daksha. The eldest of the thirteen, his +favourite wife, was Adit, from whom were born Indra and all the +inferior gods, and particularly the twelve dityas, or forms of +the sun, which represent him in the several months of the year. +From Diti, Danu, and others of the remaining twelve, came the +Daityas, Dnavas, and other demons. + +115. _No sacred cord is twined_. + +The serpent's skin was used by the ascetic in place of the +regular Brhmanical cord. This thread or cord, sometimes called +the sacrificial cord, might be made of various substances, such +as cotton, hempen or woollen thread, according to the class of +the wearer; and was worn over the left shoulder and under the +right. The rite of investiture with this thread, which conferred +the title of 'twice-born,' and corresponded in some respects with +the Christian rite of baptism, was performed on youths of the +first three classes (compare note 80), at ages varying from eight +to sixteen, from eleven to twenty-two, and from twelve to +twenty-four, respectively. At present the Brhmans alone, and +those who claim to be Kshatriyas, have a right to wear this +thread. Not long since, a Kyath (or man of the writer caste) in +Bengal, who attempted to claim it, was excommunicated. + +116. _And birds construct their nests within its folds_. + +Such was the immovable impassiveness of this ascetic, that the +ants had thrown up their mound as high as his waist without being +disturbed, and birds had built their nests in his hair. + +117. _And need no other nourishment_. + +The Hinds imagine that living upon air is a proof of the highest +degree of spirituality to which a man can attain. + +118. _A[s']oka-tree_. + +The A[s']oka (_Jonesia Asoka_) is one of the most beautiful of +Indian trees. Sir W. Jones observes that 'the vegetable world +scarce exhibits a richer sight than an A[s']oka-tree in full bloom'. +It is about as high as an ordinary cherry-tree. The flowers are +very large, and beautifully diversified with tints of +orange-scarlet, of pale yellow, and of bright orange, which form +a variety of shades according to the age of the blossom. + +119. _And with his artless smiles Gladdens their hearts_. + +Chzy is enraptured with this verse: ' ... strophe incomparable, +que tout pre, ou plutt toute mre, ne pourra lire sans sentir +battre son coeur, tant le pote a su y rendre, avec les nuances +les plus dlicates, l'expression vivante de l'amour maternel.' +Compare Statius, Theb., book v. line 613. + + 'Heu ubi siderei vultus? ubi verba ligatis + Imperfecta sonis? risusque et murmura soli + Intellecta mihi?' + + 120. _It is against propriety to make too minute inquiries +about the wife of another man_. + +The Hinds were very careful to screen their wives from the curiosity +of strangers; and their great lawgiver, Manu, enjoined that married +women should be cautiously guarded by their husbands in the inner +apartments (_antahpura_) appropriated to women (called by the +Muhammadans, Haram, and in common parlance, in India _andar-mahall_). +The chief duty of a married woman's life seems to have been to keep as +quiet as possible, to know as little as possible, to hear, see, and +inquire about nothing; and above all, to avoid being herself the +subject of conversation or inquiry; in short, the sole end and object +of her existence was to act as a good head-servant, yielding to her +husband a servile obedience, regulating the affairs of his family, +preparing his daily food, and superintending his household. (Manu, ix. +11, 16.) But notwithstanding the social restrictions to which women +were subjected, even in the earlier periods of Indian history, it +seems probable that they were not rigidly excluded from general +society until after the introduction of Muhammadan customs into India. +It appears from the plays that they were allowed to go into public on +certain occasions; they took part in bridal processions, and were +permitted to enter the temples of the gods, [S']akoontal appears in +the court of King Dushyanta and pleads her own cause; and Vsavadatt, +in the Ratnval, holds a conversation with her father's envoy. Even +in later times, the presence of men, other than husbands or sons, in +the inner apartments, was far from being prohibited. See Wilson's +Hind Theatre, p. xliii. + +121. _Her long hair Twined in a single braid_. + +Hind women collect their hair into a single long braid as a sign +of mourning, when their husbands are dead or absent for a long +period. + +122. _Shines forth from dim eclipse_. + +The following is the Hind notion of an eclipse:--A certain +demon, which had the tail of a dragon, was decapitated by Vishnu +at the churning of the ocean; but, as he had previously tasted of +the Amrit or nectar reproduced at that time, he was thereby +rendered immortal, and his head and tail, retaining their +separate existence, were transferred to the stellar sphere. The +head was called Rhu, and became the cause of eclipses, by +endeavouring at various times to swallow the sun and moon. So in +the Hitopade[s']a, line 192, the moon is said to be eaten by Rhu. +With regard to the love of the Moon for Rohin, the fourth lunar +constellation, see note 53. + +123. _All unadorned_. + +That is, from the absence of colouring or paint. + +124. _The power of darkness_. + +According to Hind philosophy there are three qualities or +properties which together make up or dominate humanity: 1. +_Sattwa_, 'excellence' or 'goodness' (quiescence), whence +proceed truth, knowledge, purity, etc. 2. _Rajas_, 'passion' +(activity), which produces lust, pride, falsehood, etc., and is +the cause of pain. 3. _Tamas_, 'darkness' (inertia), whence +proceed ignorance, infatuation, delusion, mental blindness, etc. + +125. _Children of Brahm's sons_. + +Ka[s']yapa and Adit were the children of Marchi and Daksha +respectively, and these last were the sons of Brahm. + +126. _The ruler of the triple world_. + +That is, Indra, lord of heaven, earth, and the lower regions. +Compare notes 110, 113. + +127. _Whom Vishnu, greater than the Self-existent_. + +Vishnu, as Nryana, or the Supreme Spirit, moved over the waters +before the creation of the world, and from his navel came the lotus +from which Brahm, the World's Creator, here called the Self-existent, +sprang. As Vishnu, the Preserver, he became incarnate in various +forms; and chose Ka[s']yapa and Adit, from whom all human beings +were descended, as his medium of incarnation, especially in the Avatr +in which he was called Upendra, 'Indra's younger brother.' Hence it +appears that the worshippers of Vishnu exalt him above the Creator. + +128. _The earth's seven sea-girt isles_. + +According to the mythical geography of the Hinds, the earth +consisted of seven islands, or rather insular continents, +surrounded by seven seas. That inhabited by men was called +Jambudwpa, and was in the centre, having in the middle of it the +sacred mountain Meru or Sumeru, a kind of Mount Olympus inhabited +by the gods. About Jambu flowed the sea of salt-water which +extends to the second Dwpa, called Plaksha, which is in its turn +surrounded by a sea of sugar-cane juice. And so with the five +other Dwpas, viz. Slmali, Ku[S']a, Krauncha, [S']ka, and Pushkara, +which are severally surrounded by the seas of wine, clarified +butter, curds, milk, and fresh water. + +129. _Bharata_. + +The name Bharata is derived from the root bhri (fero),'to +support.' Many Indian princes were so named, but the most +celebrated was this son of Dushyanta and [S']akoontal, who so +extended his empire that from him the whole of India was called +Bharata-varsha or Bhrata-varsha; and whose descendants, the sons +of Dhritarshtra and Pndu, by their quarrels, formed the subject +of the great epic poem called Mah-bhrata. The Hinds at the +present day continue to call India by the name Bhrata-varsha. + +180. _The Sage Bharata_. + +The Bharata here intended must not be confounded with the young +prince. He was a holy sage, the director or manager of the gods' +dramas, and inventor of theatrical representations in general. He +wrote a work containing precepts and rules relating to every +branch of dramatic writing, which appears to have been lost, but +is constantly quoted by the commentators. (See p. xxix.) + +131. _Saraswat_. + +She is the goddess of speech and eloquence, patroness of the arts +and sciences, and inventress of the Sanskrit language. There is a +festival still held in her honour for two days, about February in +every year, when no Hind will touch a pen or write a letter. The +courts are all closed accordingly. + +132. _The purple self-existent god_. + +[S']iva is usually represented as borne on a bull; his colour, as +well as that of the animal he rides, being white, to denote the +purity of Justice, over which he presides. In his destroying +capacity, he is characterized by the quality 'darkness,' and +named Rudra, Kla, etc., when his colour is said to be purple or +black. Some refer the epithet 'purple' to the colour of his +throat; compare note 96. Self-existent, although properly a name +of the Supreme Being (Brahm), is applied both to Vishnu and +[S']iva by their votaries. + +134. _Whose vital Energy_. + +That is, [S']iva's wife, Prvat, who was supposed to personify his +energy or active power. Exemption from further transmigration, +and absorption into the divine soul, was the _summum bonum_ of +Hind philosophy. Compare note 37. + +135. _By my divine faculty of meditation_. + +Celestial beings were endowed with a mental faculty (called +dhyna, pranidhna, etc.), which enabled them to arrive at the +knowledge of present and future events. + +136. _A roseate dye wherewith to stain The lady's feet_. + +That is, the soles of her feet. It was customary for Hind ladies +to stain the soles of their feet of a red colour with the dye +made from lac--a minute insect bearing some resemblance to the +cochineal--which punctures the bark of the Indian fig-tree, and +surrounds itself with the milky resinous juice of that tree. +This custom is a alluded to in one of Paterson's Hind odes-- + + 'The rose that humbly bowed to meet, + With glowing lips, her hallowed feet, + And lent them all its bloom.' + +See Megha-dta (Edit. Johnson), p. 32. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Sakoontala or The Lost Ring, by Kalidasa + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAKOONTALA OR THE LOST RING *** + +***** This file should be named 12169-8.txt or 12169-8.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/2/1/6/12169/ + +Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Keren Vergon, jayam and PG Distributed +Proofreaders + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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For +example an eBook of filename 10234 would be found at: + + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/0/2/3/10234 + +or filename 24689 would be found at: + https://www.gutenberg.org/2/4/6/8/24689 + +An alternative method of locating eBooks: + https://www.gutenberg.org/GUTINDEX.ALL + + diff --git a/old/12169-8.zip b/old/12169-8.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..5344a25 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/12169-8.zip diff --git a/old/12169.txt b/old/12169.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8be695d --- /dev/null +++ b/old/12169.txt @@ -0,0 +1,9647 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Sakoontala or The Lost Ring, by Kalidasa + +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 included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Sakoontala or The Lost Ring + An Indian Drama + +Author: Kalidasa + +Release Date: April 27, 2004 [EBook #12169] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAKOONTALA OR THE LOST RING *** + + + + +Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Keren Vergon, jayam and PG Distributed +Proofreaders + + + + + + +[S']AKOONTALA + +OR THE LOST RING + + + + + + + +AN INDIAN DRAMA + + + + + + +TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH PROSE AND VERSE +FROM THE SANSKRIT OF KALIDASA + + +BY + + +SIR MONIER MONIER-WILLIAMS, K.C.I.E. +M.A., D.C.L., LL.D., PH.D. +BODEN PROFESSOR OF SANSKRIT, HON. FELLOW OF UNIVERSITY +AND LATE FELLOW OF BALLIOL COLLEGE, OXFORD + + + + +PREFACE TO THE EIGHTH EDITION. + +The fact that the following translation (first published in 1855) of +India's most celebrated drama has gone through seven editions, might +reasonably have absolved me from the duty of revising it. + +Three years ago, however, I heard that Sir John Lubbock had thought +'[S']akoontala' worthy of a place among the hundred best books of the +world, and had adopted my version of the original. I therefore +undertook to go through every line and once again compare the +translation with the Sanskrit, in the hope that I might be able to +give a few finishing touches to a performance which, although it had +been before the public for about forty years, was certainly not +perfect. The act of revision was a labour of love, and I can honestly +say that I did my best to make my representation of Kalidasa's +immortal work as true and trustworthy as possible. + +Another edition is now called for, but after a severely critical +examination of every word, I have only detected a few minor +unimportant points--and those only in the Introduction and Notes--in +which any alteration appeared to be desirable. Indeed it is probable +that the possessors of previous editions will scarcely perceive that +any alterations have been made anywhere. + +Occasionally in the process of comparison a misgiving has troubled me, +and I have felt inclined to accuse myself of having taken, in some +cases, too great liberties with the Sanskrit original. But in the end +I have acquiesced in my first and still abiding conviction that a +literal translation (such as that which I have given in the notes of +my edition of the Sanskrit text) might have commended itself to +Oriental students, but would not have given a true idea of the beauty +of India's most cherished drama to general readers, whose minds are +cast in a European mould, and who require a translator to clothe +Oriental ideas, as far as practicable, in a dress conformable to +European canons of taste. + +And most assuredly such a translation would never have adapted itself +to actual representation on a modern stage as readily as it now +appears that my free version has done. It has gratified me exceedingly +to find that youthful English-speaking Indians--cultured young men +educated at the Universities of Calcutta, Madras and Bombay--have acted +the [S']akoontala, in the very words of my translation with the greatest +success before appreciative audiences in various parts of India. + +And lest any one in this country should be sceptical as to the +possibility of interesting a modern audience in a play written +possibly as early as the third or fourth century of our era (see p. +xvi), I here append an extract from a letter received by me in 1893 +from Mr. V. Padmanabha Aiyar, B.A., resident at Karamanai, Trivandrum, +Travancore. + +'SIVEN COIL STREET, TRIVANDRUM, + +_'May 1, 1893_. + +'The members of the "Karamanai Young Men's Mutual Improvement Society" +acted your translation of "[S']akoontala" on the 3rd and 5th of +September last year, in the Government Museum Theatre, Trivandrum. + +'It was acted in two parts. On the first day Acts I to IV were acted, +and on the second the remaining three Acts. + +'All our chief native officials and many Europeans and their ladies +honoured the occasion with their presence. We acted it a second time +at the special request of H.H. the Second Prince of Travancore, in the +Palace of His Highness' mother, the Junior Ranee. + +'The public were kind enough to pronounce it a success. In many cases +the applause given was not so much for the acting as for the beauty of +your translation. The Hindus have a great liking for this play, and +not one of the enlightened Hindu community will fail to acknowledge +your translation to be a very perfect one. Our object in acting Hindu +plays is to bring home to the Hindus the good lessons that our ancient +authors are able to teach us. If there is one lesson in these days +more than another which familiarity with the fountains of Western +literature constantly forces upon the mind, it is that our age is +turning its back on time-honoured creeds and dogmas. We are hurrying +forward to a chaos in which all our existing beliefs, nay even the +fundamental axioms of morality, may in the end be submerged; and as +the general tenor of Indian thought among the educated community is to +reject everything that is old, and equally blindly to absorb +everything new, it becomes more and more an urgent question whether +any great intellectual or moral revolution, which has no foundations +in the past, can produce lasting benefits to the people. + +'"I desire no future that will break the ties of the past" is what +George Eliot has said, and so it is highly necessary that the Hindus +should know something of their former greatness. + +'The songs in [S']akoontala, one in the Prologue and another in the +beginning of the fifth Act, very easily adapted themselves to Hindu +tunes.' + +Towards the end of his letter Mr. Aiyar intimated that he himself took +the part of Ma[T.]Havya. He also mentioned that a few modifications and +additions were introduced into some of the scenes. + +In a subsequent letter received from Mr. Keshava Aiyar, the Secretary +of the Society, I was informed that my version of the Play was acted +again at Trivandrum in 1894. + +These descriptions of the successful representation of the [S']akoontala +in Travancore justified me in expressing a hope that, as Kalidasa has +been called the Shakespeare of India, so the most renowned of his +three dramatic works might, with a few manifestly necessary +modifications, be some day represented, with equal success, before +English-speaking audiences in other parts of the world and especially +here in England. This hope has been realized, and quite recently my +translation has been successfully acted by amateur actors before a +London audience. + +I venture, therefore, to add the expression of a further hope that +with the daily growth of interest in Oriental literature, and now that +the [S']akoontala forms one of Sir John Lubbock's literary series, it +may be more extensively read by the Rulers of India in all parts of +the Empire. Those who study it attentively cannot fail to become +better acquainted with the customs and habits of thought, past and +present, of the people committed to their sway. + +And it cannot be too often repeated that our duty towards our great +Dependency requires us to do something more than merely rule justly. +We may impart high education, we may make good laws, we may administer +impartial justice, we may make roads, lay down railroads and +telegraphs, stimulate trade, accomplish amazing engineering +feats--like that lately achieved at Periyar--increase the wealth and +develop the resources of our vast Eastern territories; but unless we +seek to understand the inhabitants, unless we think it worth while to +study their ancient literatures, their religious ideas, and +time-honoured institutions, unless we find in them something to admire +and respect, we can never expect any reciprocity of esteem and respect +on their part--we can never look forward to a time when the present +partition-wall, which obstructs the free Interchange of social +relations between European and Asiatic races, will be entirely +removed. + +MONIER MONIER-WILLIAMS, _December, 1898_. + + + + +INTRODUCTION + + +About a century has elapsed since the great English Orientalist, Sir +William Jones, astonished the learned world by the discovery of a +Sanskrit Dramatic Literature. He has himself given us the history of +this discovery. It appears that, on his arrival in Bengal, he was very +solicitous to procure access to certain books called Nataks, of which +he had read in one of the 'Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses' written by +the Jesuit Missionaries of China. But, although he sought information +by consulting both Brahmans and Europeans, he was wholly unable for +some time to satisfy his curiosity as to the nature of these books. It +was reported to him that they were not histories, as he had hoped, but +that they abounded with fables, and consisted of conversations in +prose and verse held before ancient Rajas, in their public assemblies. +Others, again, asserted that they were discourses on dancing, music, +and poetry. At length, a sensible Brahman, conversant with European +manners, removed all his doubts, and gave him no less delight than +surprise, by telling him that the English nation had compositions of +the same sort, which were publicly represented at Calcutta in the cold +season, and bore the name of 'plays.' The same Brahman, when asked +which of these Nataks was most universally esteemed, answered without +hesitation, '[S']akoontala.' + +It may readily be imagined with what interest, the keen Orientalist +received this communication; with what rapidity he followed up the +clue; and, when at length his zeal was rewarded by actual possession +of a MS. copy of one of these dramas, with what avidity he proceeded +to explore the treasures which for eighteen hundred years had remained +as unknown to the European world as the gold-fields of Australia. + +The earliest Sanskrit drama with which we are acquainted, the +'Clay-cart,' translated by my predecessor in the Boden Chair at +Oxford, Professor H.H. Wilson, is attributed to a regal author, King +[S']udraka, the date of whose reign cannot be fixed with any certainty, +though some have assigned it to the first or second century B.C. +Considering that the nations of Europe can scarcely be said to have +possessed a dramatic literature before the fourteenth or fifteenth +century of the present era, the great age of the Hindu plays would of +itself be a most interesting and attractive circumstance, even if +their poetical merit were not of a very high order. But when to the +antiquity of these productions is added their extreme beauty and +excellence as literary compositions, and when we also take into +account their value as representations of the early condition of Hindu +society--which, notwithstanding the lapse of two thousand years, has +in many particulars obeyed the law of unchangeableness ever stamped on +the manners and customs of the East--we are led to wonder that the +study of the Indian drama has not commended itself in a greater degree +to the attention of Europeans, and especially of Englishmen. The +English student, at least, is bound by considerations of duty, as well +as curiosity, to make himself acquainted with a subject which +elucidates and explains the condition of the millions of Hindus who +owe allegiance to his own Sovereign, and are governed by English laws. + +Of all the Indian dramatists, indeed of all Indian poets, the most +celebrated is Kalidasa, the writer of the present play. The late +Professor Lassen thought it probable that he flourished about the +middle of the third century after Christ. Professor Kielhorn of +Goettingen has proved that the composer of the Mandasor Inscription +(A.D. 472) knew Kalidasa's Ritusamhara. Hence it may be inferred that +Lassen was not far wrong[1]. Possibly some King named Vikramaditya +received Kalidasa at his Court, and honoured him by his patronage +about that time. Little, however, is known of the circumstances of his +life. There is certainly no satisfactory evidence to be adduced in +support of the tradition current in India that he lived in the time +of the _great_ King Vikramaditya I., whose capital was Ujjayini, now +Oujein. + +From the absence of historical literature in India, our knowledge of +the state of Hindustan between the incursion of Alexander and the +Muhammadan conquest is very slight. But it is ascertained with +tolerable accuracy that, after the invasion of the kingdoms of Bactria +and Afghanistan, the Tartars or Scythians (called by the Hindus +'[S']akas') overran the north-western provinces of India, and retained +possession of them. The great Vikramaditya or Vikramarka succeeded in +driving back the barbaric hordes beyond the Indus, and so consolidated +his empire that it extended over the whole of Northern Hindustan. His +name is even now cherished among the Hindus with pride and affection. +His victory over the Scythians is believed to have taken place about +B.C. 57. At any rate this is the starting-point of the Vikrama (also +called the Malava and in later times the Samvat) era, one of the +epochs from which the Hindus still continue to count. There is good +authority for affirming that the reign of this Vikramarka or +Vikramaditya was equal in brilliancy to that of any monarch in any +age. He was a liberal patron of science and literature, and gave +splendid encouragement to poets, philologists, astronomers, and +mathematicians. Nine illustrious men of genius are said to have +adorned his Court, and to have been supported by his bounty. They were +called the 'Nine Gems'; and a not unnatural tradition, which, however, +must be considered untrustworthy, included Kalidasa among the Nine. + +To Kalidasa (as to another celebrated Indian Dramatist, Bhavabhuti, +who probably flourished in the eighth century) only three plays are +attributed; and of these the '[S']akoontala' (here translated) has +acquired the greatest celebrity [2]. + +Indeed, the popularity of this play with the natives of India exceeds +that of any other dramatic, and probably of any other poetical +composition [3]. But it is not in India alone that the '[S']akoontala' is +known and admired. Its excellence is now recognized in every +literary circle throughout the continent of Europe; and its beauties, +if not yet universally known and appreciated, are at least +acknowledged by many learned men in every country of the civilized +world. The four well-known lines of Goethe, so often quoted in +relation to the Indian drama, may here be repeated: + + 'Willst du die Bluethe des fruehen, die Fruechte des + spaeteren Jahres, + Willst du was reizt und entzueckt, willst du was saettigt + und naehrt, + Willst du den Himmel, die Erde, mit einem Namen + begreifen: + Nenn' ich, [S']akoontala, Dich, und so ist Alles gesagt.' + + 'Would'st thou the young year's blossoms and the fruits + of its decline, + And all by which the soul is charmed, enraptured, + feasted, fed? + Would'st thou the Earth and Heaven itself in one sole + name combine? + I name thee, O [S']akoontala! and all at once is said.' + + _E.B. Eastwick_. + +Augustus William von Schlegel, in his first Lecture on Dramatic +Literature, says: 'Among the Indians, the people from whom perhaps all +the cultivation of the human race has been derived, plays were known +long before they could have experienced any foreign influence. It has +lately been made known in Europe that they have a rich dramatic +literature, which ascends back for more than two thousand years. The +only specimen of their plays (Nataks) hitherto known to us is the +delightful [S']akoontala, which, notwithstanding the colouring of a +foreign clime, bears in its general structure a striking resemblance +to our romantic drama.' + +Alexander von Humboldt, in treating of Indian poetry, observes: +'Kalidasa, the celebrated author of the [S']akoontala, is a masterly +describer of the influence which Nature exercises upon the minds of +lovers. This great poet flourished at the splendid court of +Vikramaditya, and was, therefore, cotemporary with Virgil and Horace. +Tenderness in the expression of feeling, and richness of creative +fancy, have assigned to him his lofty place among the poets of all +nations'. + +These considerations induced me, in 1853, to compile and publish an +edition of the text of the '[S']akoontala' from various original MSS., +with English translations of the metrical passages, and explanatory +notes. A second edition of this work has since been published by the +Delegates of the Oxford University Press. To the notes of that edition +I must refer all students of Sanskrit literature who desire a close +and literal translation of the present drama, and in the Preface will +be found an account of various other editions and translations. + +The following pages contain a _free_ translation, and the first +English version in prose and metre, of the purest recension of the +most celebrated drama of the Shakespeare of India. + +The need felt by the British public for some such translation as I +have here offered can scarcely be questioned. A great people, who, +through their empire in India, command the destinies of the Eastern +world, ought surely to be conversant with the most popular of Indian +dramas, in which the customs of the Hindus, their opinions, +prejudices, and fables, their religious rites, daily occupations and +amusements, are reflected as in a mirror. Nor is the prose translation +of Sir W. Jones (excellent though it be) adapted to meet the +requirements of modern times. That translation was unfortunately made +from corrupt manuscripts (the best that could then be procured), in +which the bold phraseology of Kalidasa has been occasionally weakened, +his delicate expressions of refined love clothed in an unbecoming +dress, and his ideas, grand in their simplicity, diluted by repetition +or amplification. It is, moreover, altogether unfurnished with +explanatory annotations. The present translation, on the contrary, +while representing the purest version of the drama, has abundant +notes, sufficient to answer the exigencies of the non-oriental +scholar. + +It may be remarked that in every Sanskrit play the women and inferior +characters speak a kind of provincial dialect or _patois_, called +Prakrit--bearing the relation to Sanskrit that Italian bears to Latin, +or that the spoken Latin of the age of Cicero bore to the highly +polished Latin in which he delivered his Orations. Even the heroine of +the drama is made to speak in the vernacular dialect. The hero, on the +other hand, and all the higher male characters, speak in Sanskrit; and +as if to invest them with greater dignity, half of what they say is in +verse. Indeed the prose part of their speeches is often very +commonplace, being only introductory to the lofty sentiment of the +poetry that follows. Thus, if the whole composition be compared to a +web, the prose will correspond to the warp, or that part which is +extended lengthwise in the loom, while the metrical portion will +answer to the cross-threads which constitute the woof. + +The original verses are written in a great variety of Sanskrit metres. +For example, the first thirty-four verses of '[S']akoontala' exhibit +eleven different varieties of metre. No English metrical system could +give any idea of the almost infinite resources of Sanskrit in this +respect. Nor have I attempted it. Blank verse has been employed by me +in my translation, as more in unison with the character of our own +dramatic writings, and rhyming stanzas have only been admitted when +the subject-matter seemed to call for such a change. Perhaps the chief +consideration that induced me to adopt this mode of metrical +translation was, that the free and unfettered character of the verse +enabled me to preserve more of the freshness and vigour of the +original. If the poetical ideas of Kalidasa have not been expressed in +language as musical as his own, I have at least done my best to avoid +diluting them by unwarrantable paraphrases or additions. If the +English verses are prosaic, I have the satisfaction of knowing that by +resisting the allurements of rhyme, I have done all in my power to +avoid substituting a fictitious and meagre poem of my own for the +grand, yet simple and chaste creation of Kalidasa. + +The unrestricted liberty of employing hypermetrical lines of eleven +syllables, sanctioned by the highest authority in dramatic +composition, has, I think, facilitated the attainment of this object. +One of our own poets has said in relation to such lines: 'Let it be +remembered that they supply us with another cadence; that they add, as +it were, a string to the instrument; and--by enabling the poet to +relax at pleasure, to rise and fall with his subject--contribute what +most is wanted, compass and variety. They are nearest to the flow of +an unstudied eloquence, and should therefore be used in the drama[4].' +Shakespeare does not scruple to avail himself of this licence four or +five times in succession, as in the well-known passage beginning-- + + 'To be or not to be, that is the question'; + +and even Milton uses the same freedom once or twice in every page. + +The poetical merit of Kalidasa's '[S']akoontala' is so universally +admitted that any remarks on this head would be superfluous. I will +merely observe that, in the opinion of learned natives, the Fourth +Act, which describes the departure of [S']akoontala from the hermitage, +contains the most obvious beauties; and that no one can read this Act, +nor indeed any part of the play, without being struck with the +richness and elevation of its author's genius, the exuberance and glow +of his fancy, his ardent love of the beautiful, his deep sympathy with +Nature and Nature's loveliest scenes, his profound knowledge of the +human heart, his delicate appreciation of its most refined feelings, +his familiarity with its conflicting sentiments and emotions. But in +proportion to the acknowledged excellence of Kalidasa's composition, +and in proportion to my own increasing admiration of its beauties, is +the diffidence I feel lest I may have failed to infuse any of the +poetry of the original into the present version. Translation of poetry +must, at the best, resemble the process of pouring a highly volatile +and evanescent spirit from one receptacle into another. The original +fluid will always suffer a certain amount of waste and evaporation. + +The English reader will at least be inclined to wonder at the +analogies which a thoroughly Eastern play offers to our own dramatic +compositions written many centuries later. The dexterity with which +the plot is arranged and conducted, the ingenuity with which the +incidents are connected, the skill with which the characters are +delineated and contrasted with each other, the boldness and felicity +of the diction, are scarcely unworthy of the great dramatists of +European countries. Nor does the parallel fail in the management of +the business of the stage, in minute directions to the actors, and +various scenic artifices. The asides and aparts, the exits and the +entrances, the manner, attitude, and gait of the speakers, the tone of +voice with which they are to deliver themselves, the tears, the +smiles, and the laughter, are as regularly indicated as in a modern +drama. + +In reference to the constitution and structure of the play here +translated, a few general remarks on the dramatic system of the Hindus +may be needed[5]. + +Dramatic poetry is said to have been invented by the sage Bharata, +who lived at a very remote period of Indian history, and was the +author of a system of music. The drama of these early times was +probably nothing more than the Indian Nach-dance (Nautch) of the +present day. It was a species of rude pantomime, in which dancing and +movements of the body were accompanied by mute gestures of the hands +and face, or by singing and music. Subsequently, dialogue was added, +and the art of theatrical representation was brought to great +perfection. Elaborate treatises were written which laid down minute +regulations for the construction and conduct of plays, and subjected +dramatic composition to highly artificial rules of poetical and +rhetorical style. For example, the Sahitya-darpana divides Sanskrit +plays into two great classes, the Rupaka or principal dramas, and the +Uparupaka or minor dramas. At the head of the ten species of Rupaka +stands the Nataka, of which the '[S']akoontala' is an example. It should +consist of from five to ten Acts; it should have a celebrated story +for its plot; it should represent heroic or godlike characters and +good deeds; it should be written in an elaborate style, and be full of +noble sentiments. Moreover, it should be composed like the end of a +cow's tail; so that each of the Acts be gradually shorter. + +In India, as in Greece, scenic entertainments took place at religious +festivals, and on solemn public occasions. Kalidasa's '[S']akoontala' +seems to have been acted at the commencement of the summer season--a +period peculiarly sacred to Kama-deva, the Indian god of love. We are +told that it was enacted before an audience 'consisting chiefly of men +of education and discernment.' As the greater part of every play was +written in Sanskrit, which, although spoken by the learned in every +part of India even at the present day, was certainly not the +vernacular language of the country at the time when the Hindu dramas +were performed, few spectators would be present who were not of the +educated classes. This circumstance is in accordance with the +constitution of Hindu society, whereby the productions of literature +as well as the offices of state, were reserved for the privileged +castes[6]. + +Every Sanskrit play opens with a prologue, or, to speak more +correctly, an introduction, designed to prepare the way for the +entrance of the _dramatis personae_. The prologue commences with a +benediction or prayer (pronounced by a Brahman, or if the +stage-manager happened to be of the Brahmanical caste, by the manager +himself), in which the poet invokes the favour of the national deity +in behalf of the audience. The blessing is generally followed by a +dialogue between the manager and one or two of the actors, in which an +account is given of the author of the drama, a complimentary tribute +is paid to the critical acumen of the spectators, and such a reference +is made to past occurrences or present circumstances as may be +necessary for the elucidation of the plot. At the conclusion of the +prologue, the manager, by some abrupt exclamation, adroitly introduces +one of the dramatic personages, and the real performance commences. + +The play, being thus opened, is carried forward in scenes and Acts; +each scene being marked by the entrance of one character and the exit +of another, as in the French drama. The _dramatis personae_ were +divided into three classes--the inferior characters (nicha), who were +said to speak Prakrit in a monotonous accentless tone of voice +(anudattoktya); the middling (madhyama), and the superior (pradhana), +who were said to speak Sanskrit with accent, emphasis, and expression +(udattoktya). In general, the stage is never left vacant till the end +of an Act, nor does any change of locality take place until then. The +commencement of a new Act is often marked, like the commencement of +the piece, by an introductory monologue or dialogue spoken by one or +more of the _dramatis personae_, and called Vishkambha or Prave[S']aka. +In this scene allusion is frequently made to events supposed to have +occurred in the interval of the Acts, and the audience is the better +prepared to take up the thread of the story, which is then skilfully +carried on to the concluding scene. The piece closes, as it began, +with a prayer for national plenty and prosperity, addressed to the +favourite deity, and spoken by one of the principal personages of the +drama. + +Although, in the conduct of the plot, and the delineation of +character, Hindu dramatists show considerable skill, yet they do not +appear to have been remarkable for much fertility of invention. Love, +according to Hindu notions, is the subject of most of their dramas. + +The hero, who is generally a king, and already the husband of a wife +or wives (for a wife or two more or less is no encumbrance in Indian +plays), is suddenly smitten with the charms of a lovely woman, +sometimes a nymph, or, as in the case of [S']akoontala, the daughter of +a nymph by a mortal father. The heroine is required to be equally +impressible, and the first tender glance from the hero's eye reaches +her heart. With true feminine delicacy, however, she locks the secret +of her passion in her own breast, and by her coyness and reserve keeps +her lover for a long period in the agonies of suspense. The hero, +being reduced to a proper state of desperation, is harassed by other +difficulties. Either the celestial nature of the nymph is in the way +of their union, or he doubts the legality of the match, or he fears +his own unworthiness, or he is hampered by the angry jealousy of a +previous wife. In short, doubts, obstacles, and delays make great +havoc of both hero and heroine. They give way to melancholy, indulge +in amorous rhapsodies, and become very emaciated. So far, it must be +confessed, the story is decidedly dull, and its chain, however, does +not commence until the Fourth Act, when the union of the heroine with +King Dushyanta, and her acceptance of the marriage-ring as a token of +recognition, are supposed to have taken place. Then follows the King's +departure and temporary desertion of his bride; the curse pronounced +on [S']akoontala by the choleric Sage; the monarch's consequent loss of +memory; the bride's journey to the palace of her husband; the +mysterious disappearance of the marriage-token; the public repudiation +of [S']akoontala; her miraculous assumption to closes, as it began, with +a prayer for national plenty and prosperity, addressed to the +favourite deity, and spoken by one of the principal personages of the +drama. + +Although, in the conduct of the plot, and the delineation of +character, Hindu dramatists show considerable skill, yet they do not +appear to have been remarkable for much fertility of invention. Love, +according to Hindu notions, is the subject of most of their dramas. + +The hero, who is generally a king, and already the husband of a wife +or wives (for a wife or two more or less is no encumbrance in Indian +plays), is suddenly smitten with the charms of a lovely woman, +sometimes a nymph, or, as in the case of [S']akoontala, the daughter of a +nymph by a mortal father. The heroine is required to be equally +impressible, and the first tender glance from the hero's eye reaches +her heart. With true feminine delicacy, however, she locks the secret +of her passion in her own breast, and by her coyness and reserve keeps +her lover for a long period in the agonies of suspense. The hero, +being reduced to a proper state of desperation, is harassed by other +difficulties. Either the celestial nature of the nymph is in the way +of their union, or he doubts the legality of the match, or he his own +unworthiness, or he is hampered by the angry jealousy of a previous +wife. In short, doubts, obstacles, and delays make great havoc of both +hero and heroine. They give way to melancholy, indulge in amorous +rhapsodies, and become very emaciated. So far, it must be confessed, +the story is decidedly dull, and its pathos, notwithstanding the +occasional grandeur and beauty of the imagery, often verges on the +ridiculous. + +But, by way of relief, an element of life is generally introduced in +the character of the Vidushaka, or Jester, who is the constant +companion of the hero; and in the young maidens, who are the +confidential friends of the heroine, and soon become possessed of her +secret. By a curious regulation, the Jester is always a Brahman, and +therefore of a caste superior to the king himself; yet his business is +to excite mirth by being ridiculous in person, age, and attire. He is +sometimes represented as grey-haired, hump-backed, lame, and ugly. In +fact, he is a species of buffoon, who is allowed full liberty of +speech, being himself a universal butt. His attempts at wit, which are +rarely very successful, and his allusions to the pleasures of the +table, of which he is a confessed votary, are absurdly contrasted with +the sententious solemnity of the despairing hero, crossed in the +prosecution of his love-suit. His clumsy interference in the intrigues +of his friend only serves to augment his difficulties, and occasions +many an awkward dilemma. On the other hand, the shrewdness of the +heroine's confidantes never seems to fail them under the most trying +circumstances; while their sly jokes and innuendos, their love of fun, +their girlish sympathy with the progress of the love affair, their +warm affection for their friend, heighten the interest of the plot, +and contribute not a little to vary its monotony. + +Fortunately, in the '[S']akoontala' the story is diversified and the +interest well sustained by a chain of stirring incidents. The first +link of the chain, however, does not commence until the Fourth Act, +when the union of the heroine with King Dushyanta, and her acceptance +of the marriage-ring as a token of recognition, are supposed to have +taken place. Then follows the King's departure and temporary desertion +of his bride; the curse pronounced on [S']akoontala by the choleric Sage; +the monarch's consequent loss of memory; the bride's journey to the +palace of her husband; the mysterious disappearance of the +marriage-token; the public repudiation of [S']akoontala; her miraculous +assumption to a celestial asylum; the unexpected discovery of the ring +by a poor fisherman; the King's agony on recovering his recollection; +his aerial voyage in the car of Indra; his strange meeting with the +refractory child in the groves of Kasyapa; the boy's battle with the +young lion; the search for the amulet, by which the King is proved to +be his father; the return of [S']akoontala, and the happy reunion of the +lovers;--all these form a connected series of moving and interesting +incidents. The feelings of the audience are wrought up to a pitch of +great intensity; and whatever emotions of terror, grief, or pity may +have been excited, are properly tranquillized by the happy termination +of the story. + +Indeed, if a calamitous conclusion be necessary to constitute a +tragedy, the Hindu dramas are never tragedies. They are mixed +compositions, in which joy and sorrow, happiness and misery, are woven +in a mingled web--tragi-comic representations, in which good and evil, +right and wrong, truth and falsehood, are allowed to blend in +confusion during the first Acts of the drama. But, in the last Act, +harmony is always restored, order succeeds to disorder, tranquillity +to agitation; and the mind of the spectator, no longer perplexed by +the apparent ascendency of evil, is soothed, and purified, and made to +acquiesce in the moral lesson deducible from the plot. + +The play of '[S']akoontala,' as Sir W. Jones observes, must have been +very popular when it was first performed. The Indian empire was then +in its palmy days, and the vanity of the natives would be flattered by +the introduction of those kings and heroes who were supposed to have +laid the foundation of its greatness and magnificence, and whose were +connected with all that was sacred and holy in their religion, +Dushyanta, the hero of the drama, according to Indian legends, was one +of the descendants of the Moon, or in other words, belonged to the +Lunar dynasty of Indian princes; and, if any dependence may be placed +on Hindu chronology, he must have lived in the twenty-first or +twenty-second generation after the Flood. Puru, his most celebrated +ancestor, was the sixth in descent from the Moon's son Budha, who +married a daughter of the good King Satya-vrata, preserved by Vishnu +in the Ark at the time of the Deluge. The son of Dushyanta, by +[S']akoontala, was Bharata, from whom India is still called by the +natives Bharata-varsha. After him came Samvarana, Kuru, Santanu, +Bhishma, and Vyasa. The latter was the father of Dhritarashtra and +Pandu, the quarrels of whose sons form the subject of the great +Sanskrit epic poem called Maha-bharata, a poem with parts of which the +audience would be familiar, and in which they would feel the greatest +pride. Indeed the whole story of [S']akoontala is told in the +Maha-bharata. The pedigree of [S']akoontala, the heroine of the drama, +was no less interesting, and calculated to awaken the religious +sympathies of Indian spectators. She was the daughter of the +celebrated Vi[s']wamitra, a name associated with many remarkable +circumstances in Hindu mythology and history. His genealogy and the +principal events of his life are narrated in the Ramayana, the first +of the two epic poems which were to the Hindus what the Iliad and the +Odyssey were to the Greeks. He was originally of the regal caste; and, +having raised himself to the rank of a Brahman by the length and +rigour of his penance, he became the preceptor of Ramachandra, who +was the hero of the Ramayana, and one of the incarnations of the god +Vishnu. With such an antecedent interest in the particulars of the +story, the audience could not fail to bring a sharpened appetite, and +a self-satisfied frame of mind, to the performance of the play. + +Although in the following translation it has been thought expedient to +conform to modern usage, by indicating at the head of each Act the +scene in which it is laid, yet it is proper to apprise the English +reader that in scenery and scenic apparatus the Hindu drama, must have +been very defective. No directions as to changes of scene are given in +the original text of the play. This is the more curious, as there are +numerous stage directions, which prove that in respect of dresses and +decorations the resources of the Indian theatre were sufficiently +ample. + +It is probable that a curtain suspended across the stage, and divided +in the centre, answered all the purposes of scenes. Behind the curtain +was the space or room called _nepathya_, where the decorations were +kept, where the actors attired themselves, and remained in readiness +before entering the stage, and whither they withdrew on leaving it. +When an actor was to enter hurriedly, he was directed to do so 'with a +toss of the curtain.' + +The machinery and paraphernalia of the Indian theatre were also very +limited, contrasting in this respect unfavourably with the ancient +Greek theatre, which appears to have comprehended nearly all that +modern ingenuity has devised. Nevertheless, seats, thrones, weapons, +and chariots, were certainly introduced, and as the intercourse +between the inhabitants of heaven and earth was very frequent, it is +not improbable that there may have been aerial contrivances to +represent the chariots of celestial beings, as on the Greek stage. It +is plain, however, from the frequent occurrence of the word +_natayitwa_, 'gesticulating,' 'acting,' that much had to be supplied +by the imagination of the spectator, assisted by the gesticulations of +the actors. + +For further information relative to the dramatic system of the Hindus, +the reader is referred to the notes appended to the present +translation. It is hoped that they will be found sufficient to explain +every allusion that might otherwise be unintelligible to the English +reader. + +MONIER MONIER-WILLIAMS. + + +FOOTNOTES: + +[Footnote 1: In the Aihole Inscription (edited by Dr. Fleet) of the +Western Chalukya King Pulike[S']in II, dated [S']aka 556=A.D. 634-35, +actual mention is made of Kalidasa and Bharavi by name, and Professor +Kielhorn has informed me that he found a verse from the Raghu-van[S']a +quoted in an inscription dated A.D. 602.] + +[Footnote 2: As to the other two, the most celebrated, called +Vikramorva[S']i, has been excellently translated by Professors H.H. +Wilson and E.B. Cowell, and the Malavikagnimitra, by Professor Weber, +the eminent Orientalist of Berlin.] + +[Footnote 3: The following is an extract from, the _Bombay Times_ of +February 3, 1855. It is given _literatim_, and the orthographical +errors and mutilation of the story prove that in those days a good and +complete version of India's most celebrated drama was not obtainable. + +'HINDU DRAMA. 'SATURDAY, 3D FEBRUARY 1855. + +'An outline of the play to be performed at the Theatre this night. + +'After a short discourse between the Sutradhar (the chief actor) and +the Vidushaka (the clown), Surswati (the Goddess of learning) will +appear. Sutradhar will call his wife (Nati), and they will determine +on performing the play of Shakuntala. They both will sing songs +together, after which Nati will go away. The play will then regularly +commence. Dushanta Rajah will appear in the Court, and order his +Pradhan (the Minister) to make preparations for a hunting excursion. +The Rajah, sitting in his carriage, will pursue a stag, the stag will +disappear, upon which Dushanta will ask his coachman the cause +thereof, this being known, the Rajah in his carriage will proceed +farther, when they will see the stag again, upon which he will aim an +arrow at the stag. The stag will run and reach the retirement of +Waikhanas Rushi. The sage will come out of his hut and remonstrate +with the Rajah against his killing the harmless animal. The Rajah will +obey the injunctions of the sage, who will pronounce benedictions upon +him. According to the Rushi's instructions, he will prepare to proceed +to the residence of another sage named Kunwa. Bidding each other +farewell, the Rushi will go to procure material for his religious +ceremonies. After reaching Kunwa's place, and commanding his coachman +to groom the horses, the Rajah will walk forth to the sage's hut. +Observing on his way thither Shakuntala with her fellow mates watering +the trees, he will hide himself behind a tree. Shakuntala will praise +to her mates the beauty of the Keshar tree. Charmed with overhearing +her discourse, Dushanta will try to find out her descent. Shakuntala +will be very much teased by a Bhramar (fly) hovering about her face. +The Rajah will then come forward and ask the cause of the disturbed +state of her mind. After a mutual exchange of polite respect they all +take their seats beneath a shady tree, Dushanta will inform her of his +country and descent, whereupon they will all go to the Rushi's hut. + +'Here there is a pause. A pleasing farce will then be performed.' + +I have already stated that the '[S']akoontala' in the words of my own +translation has been since performed at Bombay and recently at +Trivandrum, the capital of Travancore (see Preface to this edition, p. +vii, &c).] + +[Footnote 4: Rogers' Italy, note to line 23.] + +[Footnote 5: The admirable Essay by Professor H.H. Wilson, prefixed to +his Hindu Theatre, is the principal source of the information which I +have here given.] + +[Footnote 6: Wilson's Hindu Theatre, p. xii.] + + + + +RULES FOR THE PRONUNCIATION OF +THE PROPER NAMES. + +Observe, that in order to secure the correct pronunciation of the +title of this Drama, 'Sakuntala' has been spelt '[S']akoontala,' the +_u_ of [S']akuntala being pronounced like the _u_ in the English +word _rule_. + +The vowel _a_ must invariably be pronounced with a dull sound, +like the _a_ in _organ_, or the _u_ in _gun, sun. Dushyanta_ must +therefore be pronounced as if written _Dooshyunta_. The long +vowel _a_ is pronounced like the _a_ in _last, cart_; _i_ like +the _i_ in _pin, sin_; _i_ like the _i_ in _marine_; _e_ like the +_e_ in _prey_; _o_ like the _o_ in _so_; _ai_ like the _ai_ in +_aisle_; _au_ like _au_ in the German word _haus_, or like the +_ou_ in _our_. + +The consonants are generally pronounced as in English, but _g_ +has always the sound of _g_ in _gun, give_, never of _g_ in +_gin_. S with the accent over it (s), has the sound of _s_ in +_sure_, or of the last _s_ in _session_. + + * * * * * + + + +PERSONS REPRESENTED. + + * * * * * + + +DUSHYANTA, _King of India_. + +MA[T.]HAVYA, _the jester, friend, and companion of the King_. + +KANWA, _chief of the hermits, foster-father of_ [S']AKOONTALA. + +[S']ARNGARAVA,} + } _two Brahmans, belonging to the hermitage of KANWA_. +[S']ARADWATA, } + +MITRAVASU, _brother-in-law of the King, and superintendent of the + city police_. + +JANUKA _and_ SUCHAKA, _two constables_. + +VATAYANA, _the chamberlain or attendant on the women's + apartments_. + +SOMARATA, _the domestic priest_. + +KARABHAKA, _a messenger of the queen-mother_. + +RAIVATIKA, _the warder or doorkeeper_. + +MATALI, _charioteer of Indra_. + +SARVA-DAMANA, _afterwards_ BHARATA, _a little boy, son + of_ DUSHYANTA by [S']AKOONTALA. + +KA[S']YAPA, _a divine sage, progenitor of men and gods, son of_ + MARICHI, _and grandson of_ BRAHMA. + +[S']AKOONTALA, _daughter of the sage_ VI[S']WAMITRA _and the + nymph_ MENAKA, _foster-child of the hermit_ KANWA. + +PRIYAMVADA _and_ ANASUYA, _female attendants, companions + of_ [S']AKOONTALA. + +GAUTAMI, _a holy matron, Superior of the female inhabitants + of the hermitage_. + +VASUMATI, _the Queen of_ DUSHYANTA. + +SANUMATI, _a nymph, friend of_ [S']AKOONTALA. + +TARALIKA, _personal attendant of the Queen_. + +CHATURIKA, _personal attendant of the King_. + +VETRAVATI, _female warder or doorkeeper_. + +PARABHRITIKA} _and_ + +MADHUKARIKA,} _maidens in charge of the royal gardens_. + +SUVRATA, _a nurse_. + +ADITI, _wife of_ KA[S']YAPA; _granddaughter of_ BRAHMA + _through her father_ DAKSHA. + +CHARIOTEER, FISHERMAN, OFFICERS, AND HERMITS. + + + + + + +[S']AKOONTALA; OR, THE LOST RING. + + +PROLOGUE. + + +BENEDICTION. + + I[S']a preserve you [1]! he who is revealed + In these eight forms[2] by man perceptible-- + Water, of all creation's works the first; + The Fire that bears on high the sacrifice + Presented with solemnity to heaven; + The Priest, the holy offerer of gifts; + The Sun and Moon, those two majestic orbs, + Eternal marshallers of day and night; + The subtle Ether, vehicle of sound, + Diffused throughout the boundless universe; + The Earth, by sages called 'The place of birth + Of all material essences and things'; + And Air, which giveth life to all that breathe. + +STAGE-MANAGER. + + [_After the recitation of the benediction_.] + + [_Looking toward the living-room_.] + +Lady, when you have finished attiring yourself, come this way. + +ACTRESS. + + [_Entering_.] + +Here I am, Sir; what are your commands? + +STAGE-MANAGER. + +We are here before the eyes of an audience of educated and +discerning men[3]; and have to represent in their presence a new +drama composed by Kalidasa, called '[S']akoontala; or, the Lost +Ring[4].' Let the whole company exert themselves to do justice to +their several parts. + +ACTRESS. + +You, Sir, have so judiciously managed the cast of the characters, +that nothing will be defective in the acting. + +STAGE-MANAGER. + +Lady, I will tell you the exact state of the case, + + No skill in acting can I deem complete, + Till from the wise the actor gain applause; + Know that the heart e'en of the truly skilful, + Shrinks from too boastful confidence in self. + +ACTRESS. [_Modestly_.] + +You judge correctly And now, what are your commands? + +STAGE-MANAGER. + +What can you do better than engage the attention of the audience +by some captivating melody? + +ACTRESS. + +Which among the seasons shall I select as the subject of my song? + +STAGE-MANAGER. + +You surely ought to give the preference to the present Summer +season[5] that has but recently commenced, a season so rich in +enjoyment. For now + + Unceasing are the charms of halcyon days, + When the cool bath exhilarates the frame; + When sylvan gales are laden with the scent + Of fragrant Patalas[6]; when soothing sleep + Creeps softly on beneath the deepening shade; + And when, at last, the dulcet calm of eve + Entrancing steals o'er every yielding sense. + +ACTRESS. + +I will:-- + + [_Sings_.] + + Fond maids, the chosen of their hearts to please, + Entwine their ears with sweet [S']irisha flowers[7], + Whose fragrant lips attract the kiss of bees + That softly murmur through the summer hours. + +STAGE-MANAGER. + +Charmingly sung! The audience are motionless as statues, their +souls riveted by the enchanting strain. What subject shall we +select for representation, that we may ensure a continuance +of their favour? + +ACTRESS. + +Why not the same, Sir, announced by you at first? Let the drama +called '[S']akoontala; or, the Lost Ring,' be the subject of our +dramatic performance. + +STAGE-MANAGER. + +Rightly reminded! For the moment I had forgotten it. + + Your song's transporting melody decoyed + My thoughts, and rapt with ecstasy my soul; + As now the bounding antelope allures + The King Dushyanta[8] on the chase intent. + + [_Exeunt_. + + + + +ACT I. + +SCENE-_A Forest_. + +_Enter King_ DUSHYANTA, _armed with a bow and arrow, in a +chariot, chasing an antelope, attended by his_ CHARIOTEER. + +CHARIOTEER. + + [_Looking at the deer, and then at the_ KING. + +Great Prince, + + When on the antelope I bend my gaze, + And on your Majesty, whose mighty bow + Has its string firmly braced; before my eyes + The god that wields the trident[9] seems revealed. + Chasing the deer that flies from him in vain. + +KING. + +Charioteer, this fleet antelope has drawn us far from my +attendants. See! there he runs: + + Aye and anon his graceful neck he bends + To cast a glance at the pursuing car; + And dreading now the swift-descending shaft, + Contracts into itself his slender frame; + About his path, in scattered fragments strewn, + The half-chewed grass falls from his panting mouth; + See! in his airy bounds he seems to fly, + And leaves no trace upon th' elastic turf. + + [_With astonishment_.] + +How now! swift as is our pursuit, I scarce can see him. + +CHARIOTEER. + +Sire, the ground here is full of hollows; I have therefore drawn +in the reins and checked the speed of the chariot. Hence the deer +has somewhat gained upon us. Now that we are passing over level +ground, we shall have no difficulty in overtaking him. + +KING. + +Loosen the reins, then. + +CHARIOTEER. + +The King is obeyed. + + [_Drives the chariot at full speed_.] + +Great Prince, see I see! + + Responsive to the slackened rein, the steeds, + Chafing with eager rivalry, career + With emulative fleetness o'er the plain; + Their necks outstretched, their waving plumes, that late + Fluttered above their brows, are motionless[10]; + Their sprightly ears, but now erect, bent low; + Themselves unsullied by the circling dust, + That vainly follows on their rapid course. + +KING. [_Joyously_. + +In good sooth, the horses seem as if they would outstrip the +steeds of Indra and the Sun[11]. + + That which but now showed to my view minute + Quickly assumes dimension; that which seemed + A moment since disjoined in diverse parts, + Looks suddenly like one compacted whole; + That which is really crooked in its shape + In the far distance left, grows regular; + Wondrous the chariot's speed, that in a breath, + Makes the near distant and the distant near. + +Now, Charioteer, see me kill the deer. + + [_Takes aim_. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Hold, O King! this deer belongs to our hermitage. +Kill it not! kill it not! + +CHARIOTEER. [_Listening and looking_. + +Great King, some hermits have stationed themselves so as to +screen the antelope at the very moment of its coming within range +of your arrow. + +KING. [_Hastily_. + +Then stop the horses. + +CHARIOTEER. + +I obey. + + [_Stops the chariot_. + +_Enter a_ HERMIT, _and two others with him_.] + +HERMIT. [_Raising his hand_. + +This deer, O King, belongs to our hermitage. Kill +it not! kill it not! + + Now heaven forbid this barbed shaft descend + Upon the fragile body of a fawn, + Like fire upon a heap of tender flowers! + Can thy steel bolts no meeter quarry find + Than the warm life-blood of a harmless deer? + Restore, great Prince, thy weapon to its quiver. + More it becomes thy arms to shield the weak, + Than to bring anguish on the innocent. + +KING. + +'Tis done. + + [_Replaces the arrow in its quiver_. + +HERMIT. + +Worthy is this action of a Prince, the light of Puru's race[12]. + + Well does this act befit a Prince like thee, + Right worthy is it of thine ancestry. + Thy guerdon be a son of peerless worth, + Whose wide dominion shall embrace the earth. + +BOTH THE OTHER HERMITS. [_Raising their hands_. + +May heaven indeed grant thee a son, a sovereign of the earth from +sea to sea! + +KING. + + [_Bowing_. + +I accept with gratitude a Brahman's benediction. + +HERMIT. + +We came hither, mighty Prince, to collect sacrificial wood. Here +on the banks of the Malini you may perceive the hermitage of the +great sage Kanwa[13]. If other duties require not your presence, +deign to enter and accept our hospitality. + + When you behold our penitential rites + Performed without impediment by saints + Rich only in devotion, then with pride + Will you reflect:--Such are the holy men + Who call me Guardian; such the men for whom + To wield the bow I bare my nervous arm, + Scarred by the motion of the glancing string. + +KING. + +Is the Chief of your Society now at home? + +HERMIT. + +No; he has gone to Soma-tirtha[14] to propitiate Destiny, which +threatens his daughter [S']akoontala with some calamity; but he has +commissioned her in his absence to entertain all guests with +hospitality. + +KING. + +Good! I will pay her a visit. She will make me acquainted with +the mighty sage's acts of penance and devotion. + +HERMIT. + +And we will depart on our errand. + + [_Exit with his companions_. + +KING. + +Charioteer, urge on the horses. We will at least purify our souls +by a sight of this hallowed retreat. + +CHARIOTEER. + +Your Majesty is obeyed. + + [_Drives the chariot with great velocity_. + +KING. [_Looking all about him_. + +Charioteer, even without being told, I should have known that +these were the precincts of a grove consecrated to penitential +rites. + +CHARIOTEER. + +How so? + +KING. + +Do not you observe? + + Beneath the trees, whose hollow trunks afford + Secure retreat to many a nestling brood + Of parrots, scattered grains of rice lie strewn. + Lo! here and there are seen the polished slabs + That serve to bruise the fruit of Ingudi[15]. + The gentle roe-deer, taught to trust in man, + Unstartled hear our voices. On the paths + Appear the traces of bark-woven vests[16] + Borne dripping from the limpid fount of waters. + +And mark! + + Laved are the roots of trees by deep canals [17], + Whose glassy waters tremble in the breeze; + The sprouting verdure of the leaves is dimmed + By dusky wreaths of upward curling smoke + From burnt oblations; and on new-mown lawns + Around our car graze leisurely the fawns. + +CHARIOTEER. + +I observe it all. + +KING. [_Advancing a little further_. + +The inhabitants of this sacred retreat must not be disturbed. +Stay the chariot, that I may alight. + +CHARIOTEER. + +The reins are held in. Your Majesty may descend. + +KING. [_Alighting_. + +Charioteer, groves devoted to penance must be entered in humble +attire. Take these ornaments. + + [_Delivers his ornaments and bow to CHARIOTEER_.] + +Charioteer, see that the horses are watered, and attend to them +until I return from visiting the inhabitants of the hermitage. + +CHARIOTEER. + +I Will. + + [_Exit_. + +KING. [_Walking and looking about_. + +Here is the entrance to the hermitage. I will now go in. + +[_Entering and feeling a throbbing sensation in his arm_. + + Serenest peace is in this calm retreat, + By passion's breath unruffled; what portends + My throbbing arm[18]? Why should it whisper here + Of happy love? Yet everywhere around us + Stand the closed portals of events unknown. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +This way, my dear companions; this way. + +KING. [_Listening_. + +Hark! I hear voices to the right of yonder grove +of trees. I will walk in that direction. + + [_Walking and looking about_.] + +Ah! here are the maidens of the hermitage coming this way to +water the shrubs, carrying water-pots proportioned to their +strength. + + [_Gazing at them_.] + +How graceful they look! + + In palaces such charms are rarely ours; + The woodland plants outshine the garden flowers. + +I will conceal myself in this shade and watch them. + + [_Stands gazing at them_. + +_Enter [S']AKOONTALA, with her two female companions, employed in +the manner described_. + +[S']AKOONTALA + +This way, my dear companions; this way. + +ANASUYA. + +Dear [S']akoontala, one would think that father Kanwa had more +affection for the shrubs of the hermitage even than for you, +seeing he assigns to you, who are yourself as delicate as the +fresh-blown jasmine, the task of filling with water the trenches +which encircle their roots. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Dear Anasuya, although I am charged by my good father with this +duty, yet I cannot regard it as a task. I really feel a sisterly +love for these plants. + + [_Continues watering the shrubs_. + +KING. + +Can this be the daughter of Kanwa? The saintly man, though +descended from the great Kasyapa, must be very deficient in +judgment to habituate such a maiden to the life of a recluse. + + The sage who would this form of artless grace + Inure to penance, thoughtlessly attempts + To cleave in twain the hard acacia's stem[19] + With the soft edge of a blue lotus-leaf. + +Well! concealed behind this tree, I will watch her without +raising her suspicions. + + [_Conceals himself_. + + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Good Anasuya, Priyamvada has drawn this bark-dress too tightly +about my chest. I pray thee, loosen it a little. + +ANASUYA. + +I will. [_Loosens it_. + +PRIYAMVADA. [_Smiling_. + +Why do you lay the blame on me? Blame rather your own blooming +youthfulness which imparts fulness to your bosom. + +KING. + +A most just observation! + + This youthful form, whose bosom's swelling charms + By the bark's knotted tissue are concealed, + Like some fair bud close folded in its sheath, + Gives not to view the blooming of its beauty. + +But what am I saying? In real truth this bark-dress, +though ill-suited to her figure, sets it off like an ornament. + + The lotus[20] with the [S']aivala[21] entwined + Is not a whit less brilliant; dusky spots + Heighten the lustre of the cold-rayed moon; + This lovely maiden in her dress of bark + Seems all the lovelier. E'en the meanest garb + Gives to true beauty fresh attractiveness. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [Looking before her. + +Yon Ke[S']ara-tree[22] beckons to me with its young shoots, which, +as the breeze waves them to and fro, appear like slender fingers. +I will go and attend to it. + + [_Walks towards it_. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +Dear [S']akoontala, prithee, rest in that attitude one moment. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Why so? + +PRIYAMVADA + +The Ke[S']ara-tree, whilst your graceful form bends about its stem, +appears as if it were wedded to some lovely twining creeper. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Ah! saucy girl, you are most appropriately named Priyamvada +('Speaker of flattering things'). + +KING. + +What Priyamvada says, though complimentary, is nevertheless true. +Verily, + + Her ruddy lip vies with the opening bud; + Her graceful arms are as the twining stalks; + And her whole form is radiant with the glow + Of youthful beauty, as the tree with bloom. + +ANASUYA. + +See, dear [S']akoontala, here is the young jasmine, which you +named 'the Moonlight of the Grove,' the self-elected wife of the +mango-tree. Have you forgotten it? + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Rather will I forget myself. + + [_Approaching the plant and looking at it_.] + +How delightful is the season when the jasmine-creeper and the +mango-tree seem thus to unite in mutual embraces! The fresh +blossoms of the jasmine resemble the bloom of a young bride, and +the newly-formed shoots of the mango appear to make it her +natural protector. + + [_Continues gazing at it_. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +Do you know, my Anasuya, why [S']akoontala gazes so intently at the +jasmine? + +ANASUYA. + +No, indeed, I cannot imagine. I pray thee tell me. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +She is wishing that as the jasmine is united to a suitable tree, +so, in like manner, she may obtain a husband worthy of her. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Speak for yourself, girl; this is the thought in your own mind. + + [_Continues watering the flowers_. + +KING. + +Would that my union with her were permissible[23]! and yet I +hardly dare hope that the maiden is sprung from a caste different +from that of the Head of the hermitage. But away with doubt: + + That she is free to wed a warrior-king + My heart attests. For, in conflicting doubts, + The secret promptings of the good man's soul + Are an unerring index of the truth. + +However, come what may, I will ascertain the fact. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_In a flurry_. + +Ah! a bee, disturbed by the sprinkling of the water, has left the +young jasmine, and is trying to settle on my face. + + [_Attempts to drive it away_. + +KING. [_Gazing at her ardently_. + +Beautiful! there is something charming even in her repulse. + + Where'er the bee his eager onset plies, + Now here, now there, she darts her kindling eyes; + What love hath yet to teach, fear teaches now, + The furtive glances and the frowning brow. + + [_In a tone of envy_. + + Ah, happy bee! how boldly dost thou try + To steal the lustre from her sparkling eye; + And in thy circling movements hover near, + To murmur tender secrets in her ear; + Or, as she coyly waves her hand, to sip + Voluptuous nectar from her lower lip! + While rising doubts my heart's fond hopes destroy, + Thou dost the fulness of her charms enjoy. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +This impertinent bee will not rest quiet. I must move elsewhere. + +[_Moving a few steps off, and casting a glance around_.] + +How now! he is following me here. Help! my dear friends, help! +deliver me from the attacks of this troublesome insect. + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + +How can we deliver you? Call Dushyanta to your aid. The sacred +groves are under the King's special protection. + +KING. + +An excellent opportunity for me to show myself. +Fear not-- + +[_Checks himself when the words are half-uttered; Aside_.] + +But stay, if I introduce myself in this manner, they will know me +to be the King. Be it so, I will accost them, nevertheless. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + + [_Moving a step or two further off_. + +What! it still persists in following me. + +KING. [_Advancing hastily_. + + When mighty Puru's offspring sways the earth, + And o'er the wayward holds his threatening rod, + Who dares molest the gentle maids that keep + Their holy vigils here in Kanwa's grove? + +[_All look at the_ KING, _and all are embarrassed_. + +ANASUYA. + +Kind Sir, no outrage has been committed; only our dear friend +here was teased by the attacks of a troublesome bee. + + [_Points to_ [S']AKOONTALA. + +KING. [_Turning to_ [S']AKOONTALA. + +I trust all is well with your devotional rites[24]? + + [[S']AKOONTALA _stands confused and silent_.] + +ANASUYA. + +All is well indeed, now that we are honoured by the reception of +a distinguished guest. Dear [S']akoontala, go, bring from the +hermitage an offering of flowers, rice, and fruit. This water +that we have brought with us will serve to bathe our guest's +feet[25]. + +KING. + +The rites of hospitality are already performed; your truly kind +words are the best offering I can receive. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +At least be good enough, gentle Sir, to sit down awhile, and rest +yourself on this seat shaded by the leaves of the Sapta-parna +tree[26]. + +KING. + +You, too, must all be fatigued by your employment. + +ANASUYA. + +Dear [S']akoontala, there is no impropriety in our sitting by the +side of our guest; come, let us sit down here. + + [_All sit down together_. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Aside_. + +How is it that the sight of this made me sensible of emotions +inconsistent with religious vows? + +KING. [_Gazing at them all By turns_. + +How charmingly your friendship is in keeping with the equality of +your ages and appearance! + +PRIYAMVADA. [_Aside to ANASUYA_. + +Who can this person be, whose lively yet dignified manner, and +polite conversation, bespeak him a man of high rank? + +ANASUYA. + +I, too, my dear, am very curious to know. I will ask him myself. + +[_Aloud_] + +Your kind words, noble Sir, fill me with confidence, and prompt +me to inquire of what regal family our noble guest is the +ornament? what country is now mourning his absence? and what +induced a person so delicately nurtured to expose himself to the +fatigue of visiting this grove of penance? + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Aside_. + +Be not troubled, O my heart, Anasuya is giving utterance to thy +thoughts. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +How now shall I reply? shall I make myself known, or shall I +still disguise my real rank? I have it; I will answer her thus. +[_Aloud_.] I am the person charged by his Majesty, the descendant +of Puru, with the administration of justice and religion; and am +come to this sacred grove to satisfy myself that the rites of the +hermits are free from obstruction. + +ANASUYA. + +The hermits, then, and all the members of our religious society, +have now a guardian. + + [[S']AKOONTALA _gazes bashfully at the_ KING. + + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + + [_Perceiving the state of her feelings, and of the_ KING'S. + _Aside to_ [S']AKOONTALA. + +Dear [S']akoontala, if father Kanwa were but at home to-day-- + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Angrily_. + +What if he were? + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + +He would honour this our distinguished guest with an offering of +the most precious of his possessions. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Go to! you have some silly idea in your minds, I will not listen +to such remarks. + +KING. + +May I be allowed, in my turn, to ask you maidens a few +particulars respecting your friend? + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + +Your request, Sir, is an honour. + +KING. + +The sage Kanwa lives in the constant practice of austerities. +How, then, can this friend of yours be called his daughter? + +ANASUYA. + +I will explain to you. Sir. You have heard of an illustrious sage +of regal caste, Vi[s']wamitra, whose family name is Kau[S']ika[27]. + +KING. + +I have. + +ANASUYA. + +Know that he is the real father of our friend. The venerable +Kanwa is only her reputed father. He it was who brought her up, +when she was deserted by her mother. + +KING. + +'Deserted by her mother!' My curiosity is excited; pray let me +hear the story from the beginning. + +ANASUYA. + +You shall hear it, Sir. Some time since, this sage of regal +caste, while performing a most severe penance on the banks of the +river Godavari, excited the jealousy and alarm of the gods; +insomuch that they despatched a lovely nymph named Menaka to +interrupt his devotions. + +KING. + +The inferior gods, I am aware, are jealous[28] of the power which +the practice of excessive devotion confers on mortals. + +ANASUYA. + +Well, then, it happened that Vi[s']wamitra, gazing on the +bewitching beauty of that nymph at a season when, spring being in +its glory-- + + [_Stops short, and appears confused_. + +KING. + +The rest may be easily divined. [S']akoontala, then, is the +offspring of the nymph. + +ANASUYA. + +Just so. + +KING. + +It is quite intelligible. + + How would a mortal to such charms give birth? + The lightning's radiance flashes not from earth. + + [[S']AKOONTALA _remains modestly seated with downcast eyes_. + _Aside_.] + +And so my desire has really scope for its indulgence. Yet I am +still distracted by doubts, remembering the pleasantry of her +female companions respecting her wish for a husband. + +PRIYAMVADA. + + [_Looking with a smile at [S']AKOONTALA, and then turning towards + the KING.] + +You seem desirous, Sir, of asking something further. + + [[S']AKOONTALA _makes a chiding gesture with her finger_. + +KING. + +You conjecture truly. I am so eager to hear the particulars of +your friend's history, that I have still another question to ask. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +Scruple not to do so. Persons who lead the life of hermits may be +questioned unreservedly. + +KING. + +I wish to ascertain one point respecting your friend. + + Will she be bound by solitary vows + Opposed to love, till her espousals only? + Or ever dwell with these her cherished fawns, + Whose eyes, in lustre vying with her own, + Return her gaze of sisterly affection? + +PRIYAMVADA. + +Hitherto, Sir, she has been engaged in the practice of religious +duties, and has lived in subjection to her foster-father; but it +is now his fixed intention to give her away in marriage to a +husband worthy of her. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +His intention may be easily carried into effect. + + Be hopeful, O my heart, thy harrowing doubts + Are past and gone; that which thou didst believe + To be as unapproachable as fire, + Is found a glittering gem that may be touched. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Pretending anger_. + +Anasuya, I shall leave you. + +ANASUYA. + +Why so? + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +That I may go and report this impertinent Priyamvada to the +venerable matron, Gautami[29]. + +ANASUYA. + +Surely, dear friend, it would not be right to leave a +distinguished guest before he has received the rites of +hospitality, and quit his presence in this wilful manner. + + [[S']AKOONTALA, _without answering a word, moves away_. + +KING. + + [_Making a movement to arrest her departure, but checking + himself. Aside_. + +Ah! a lover's feelings betray themselves by his gestures. + + When I would fain have stayed the maid, a sense + Of due decorum checked my bold design; + Though I have stirred not, yet my mien betrays + My eagerness to follow on her steps. + +PRIYAMVADA. + + [_Holding [S']AKOONTALA back_. + +Dear [S']akoontala, it does not become you to go away in this +manner. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Frowning_. + +Why not, pray? + +PRIYAMVADA. + +You are under a promise to water two more shrubs for me. When you +have paid your debt, you shall go, and not before. + + [_Forces her to turn back_. + +KING. + +Spare her this trouble, gentle maiden. The exertion of watering +the shrubs has already fatigued her. + + The water-jar has overtasked the strength + Of her slim arms; her shoulders droop, her hands + Are ruddy with the glow of quickened pulses; + E'en now her agitated breath imparts + Unwonted tremor to her heaving breast; + The pearly drops that mar the recent bloom + Of the [S']irisha pendent in her ear, + Gather in clustering circles on her cheek; + Loosed is the fillet of her hair; her hand + Restrains the locks that struggle to be free. + Suffer me, then, thus to discharge the debt for you. + + [_Offers a ring to_ PRIYAMVADA. _Both the maidens, reading the + name_ DUSHYANTA _on the seal, look at each other with + surprise_. + +KING. + +Nay, think not that I am King Dushyanta. I am only the King's +officer, and this is the ring which I have received from him as +my credentials. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +The greater the reason you ought not to part with the ring from +your finger. I am content to release her from her obligation at +your simple request. + +[_With a smile_.] + +Now, [S']akoontala, my love, you are at liberty to retire, thanks +to the intercession of this noble stranger, or rather of this +mighty prince. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Aside_. + +My movements are no longer under my own control. + + [_Aloud_. + +Pray, what authority have you over me, either to send me away or +keep me back? + +KING. [_Gazing at_ [S']AKOONTALA. _Aside_. + +Would I could ascertain whether she is affected towards me as I +am towards her! At any rate, my hopes are free to indulge +themselves. Because, + + Although she mingles not her words with mine, + Yet doth her listening ear drink in my speech; + Although her eye shrinks from my ardent gaze, + No form but mine attracts its timid glances. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +O hermits, be ready to protect the animals belonging to our +hermitage. King Dushyanta, amusing himself with hunting, is near +at hand. + + Lo! by the feet of prancing horses raised, + Thick clouds of moving dust, like glittering swarms + Of locusts, in the glow of eventide, + Fall on the branches of our sacred trees + Where hang the dripping vests of woven bark, + Bleached by the waters of the cleansing fountain. + +And see! + + Scared by the royal chariot in its course, + With headlong haste an elephant invades + The hallowed precincts of our sacred grove; + Himself the terror of the startled deer, + And an embodied hindrance to our rites. + The hedge of creepers clinging to his feet, + Feeble obstruction to his mad career, + Is dragged behind him in a tangled chain; + And with terrific shock one tusk he drives + Into the riven body of a tree, + Sweeping before him all impediments. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +Out upon it! my retinue are looking for me, and are disturbing +this holy retreat. Well! there is no help for it; I must go and +meet them. + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + +Noble Sir, we are terrified by the accidental disturbance caused +by the wild elephant. Permit us to return to the cottage. + +KING. [_Hastily_. + +Go, gentle maidens. It shall be our care that no injury happen to +the hermitage. + + [_All rise up_. + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + +After such poor hospitality, we are ashamed to request the honour +of a second visit from you. + +KING. + +Say not so. The mere sight of you, sweet maidens, has been to me +the best entertainment. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Anasuya, a pointed blade of Ku[s']a-grass [30] has pricked my foot; +and my bark-mantle is caught in the branch of a Kuruvaka-bush[31]. +Be so good as to wait for me until I have disentangled it. + + [_Exit with her two companions, after making pretexts + for delay, that she may steal glances at the_ KING. + +KING. + +I have no longer any desire to return to the city. I will +therefore rejoin my attendants, and make them encamp somewhere in +the vicinity of this sacred grove. In good truth, [S']akoontala has +taken such possession of my thoughts, that I cannot turn myself +in any other direction. + + My limbs drawn onward leave my heart behind, + Like silken pennon borne against the wind. + + * * * * * + + + + +ACT II. + + +SCENE.--_A plain on the skirts of the forest. + +Enter the Jester_ [32] MA[T.]HAVYA, _in a melancholy mood_. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. [_Sighing_. + +Heigh-ho! what an unlucky fellow I am! worn to a shadow by my +royal friend's sporting propensities. 'Here's a deer!' 'There +goes a boar!' 'Yonder's a tiger!' This is the only burden of our +talk, while in the heat of the meridian sun we toil on from +jungle to jungle, wandering about in the paths of the woods, +where the trees afford us no shelter. Are we thirsty? We have +nothing to drink but the dirty water of some mountain stream +mixed with dry leaves, which give it a most pungent flavour. Are +we hungry? We have nothing to eat but roast game[33], which we +must swallow down at odd times, as best we can. Even at night +there is no peace to be had. Sleeping is out of the question, +with joints all strained by dancing attendance upon my sporting +friend; or if I do happen to doze, I am awakened at the very +earliest dawn by the horrible din of a lot of rascally beaters +and huntsmen, who must needs surround the wood before sunrise, +and deafen me with their clatter. Nor are these my only troubles. +Here's a fresh grievance, like a new boil rising upon an old +one! Yesterday, while we were lagging behind, my royal friend +entered yonder hermitage after a deer; and there, as ill-luck +would have it, caught sight of a beautiful girl, called +[S']akoontala, the hermit's daughter. From that moment, not another +thought about returning to the city! and all last night not a +wink of sleep did he get for thinking of the damsel. What is to +be done? At any rate I will be on the watch for him as soon as he +has finished his toilet. + + [_Walking and looking about_.] + +Oh! here he comes, attended by the Yavana women[34], with bows in +their hands, wearing garlands of wild flowers. What shall I do? I +have it. I will pretend to stand in the easiest attitude for +resting my bruised and crippled limbs. + + [_Stands leaning on a staff_. + +_Enter King_ DUSHYANTA, _followed by a retinue, in the manner +described_. + +KING. + + True, by no easy conquest may I win her, + Yet are my hopes encouraged by her mien, + Love is not yet triumphant; but, methinks, + The hearts of both are ripe for his delights. + + [_Smiling_. + +Ah! thus does the lover delude himself; judging of the state of +his loved one's feelings by his own desires. But yet, + + The stolen glance with half-averted eye, + The hesitating gait, the quick rebuke + Addressed to her companion, who would fain + Have stayed her counterfeit departure; these + Are signs not unpropitious to my suit. + So eagerly the lover feeds his hopes, + Claiming each trivial gesture for his own. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + + [_Still in the same attitude_. + +Ah, friends, my hands cannot move to greet you with the usual +salutation. I can only just command my lips to wish your Majesty +victory. + +KING. + +Why, what has paralysed your limbs? + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +You might as well ask me how my eye comes to water after you have +poked your finger into it. + +KING. + +I don't understand you; speak more intelligibly. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Ah, my dear friend, is yonder upright reed transformed into a +crooked plant by its own act, or by the force of the current? + +KING. + +The current of the river causes it, I suppose. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Ay; just as you are the cause of my crippled limbs. + +KING. + +How so? + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Here are you living the life of a wild man of the woods in a +savage unfrequented region, while your State-affairs are left to +shift for themselves; and as for poor me, I am no longer master +of my own limbs, but have to follow you about day after day in +your chases after wild animals, till my bones are all crippled +and out of joint. Do, my dear friend, let me have one day's rest. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +This fellow little knows, while he talks in this manner, that my +mind is wholly engrossed by recollections of the hermit's +daughter, and quite as disinclined to the chase as his own. + + No longer can I bend my well-braced bow + Against the timid deer; nor e'er again + With well-aimed arrows can I think to harm + These her beloved associates, who enjoy + The privilege of her companionship; + Teaching her tender glances in return. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. [_Looking in the King's face_. + +I may as well speak to the winds, for any attention you pay to my +requests. I suppose you have something on your mind, and are +talking it over to yourself. + +KING. [_Smiling_. + +I was only thinking that I ought not to disregard a friend's +request. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Then may the King live for ever! + + [_Moves off_. + +KING. + +Stay a moment, my dear friend. I have something else to say to +you. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Say on, then. + +KING. + +When you have rested, you must assist me in another business +which will give you no fatigue. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +In eating something nice, I hope. + +KING. + +You shall know at some future time. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +No time better than the present. + +KING. + +What ho, there! + +WARDER. [_Entering_. + +What are your Majesty's commands? + +KING. + +O Raivatika, bid the General of the forces attend. + +WARDER. + +I will, Sire. + +[_Exit and re-enters with the_ GENERAL.] + +Come forward, General; his Majesty is looking towards you, and +has some order to give you. + +GENERAL. [_Looking at the_ KING. + +Though hunting is known to produce ill effects, my royal master +has derived only benefit from it. For + + Like the majestic elephant that roams + O'er mountain wilds, so does the King display + A stalwart frame, instinct with vigorous life. + His brawny arms and manly chest are scored + By frequent passage of the sounding string; + Unharmed he bears the midday sun; no toil + His mighty spirit daunts; his sturdy limbs, + Stripped of redundant flesh, relinquish nought + Of their robust proportions, but appear + In muscle, nerve, and sinewy fibre cased. + + [_Approaching the_ KING. + +Victory to the King! We have tracked the wild beasts to their +lairs in the forest. Why delay, when everything is ready? + +KING. + +My friend Ma[T.]Havya here has been disparaging the +chase, till he has taken away all my relish for it. + +GENERAL. [_Aside to_ MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Persevere in your opposition, my good fellow; I will sound the +King's real feelings, and humour him accordingly. + + [_Aloud_. + +The blockhead talks nonsense, and your Majesty in your own person +furnishes the best proof of it. Observe, Sire, the advantage and +pleasure the hunter derives from the chase. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. [_Angrily_. + +Away! tempter, away! The King has recovered his senses, and is +himself again. As for you, you may, if you choose, wander about +from forest to forest, till some old bear seizes you by the nose, +and makes a mouthful of you. + +KING. + +My good General, as we are just now in the neighbourhood of a +consecrated grove, your panegyric upon hunting is somewhat +ill-timed, and I cannot assent to all you have said. For the +present, + + All undisturbed the buffaloes shall sport + In yonder pool, and with their ponderous horns + Scatter its tranquil waters, while the deer, + Couched here and there in groups beneath the shade + Of spreading branches, ruminate in peace. + And all securely shall the herd of boars + Feed on the marshy sedge; and thou, my bow, + With slackened string, enjoy a long repose. + +GENERAL. + +So please your Majesty, it shall be as you desire. + +KING. + +Recall, then, the beaters who were sent in advance to surround +the forest. My troops must not be allowed to disturb this sacred +retreat, and irritate its pious inhabitants. + + Know that within the calm and cold recluse + Lurks unperceived a germ of smothered flame, + All-potent to destroy; a latent fire + That rashly kindled bursts with fury forth; + As in the disc of crystal[35] that remains + Cool to the touch, until the solar ray + Falls on its polished surface, and excites + The burning heat that lies within concealed. + +GENERAL. + +Your Majesty's commands shall be obeyed. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Off with you, you son of a slave! Your nonsense won't go down +here, my fine fellow. + + [_Exit_ GENERAL. + +KING. [_Looking at his attendants_. + +Here, women, take my hunting-dress; and you, Raivatika, keep +guard carefully outside. + +ATTENDANTS. + +We will, Sire. + + [_Exeunt_. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Now that you have got rid of these plagues, who have been buzzing +about us like so many flies, sit down, do, on that stone slab, +with the shade of the tree as your canopy, and I will seat myself +by you quite comfortably. + +KING. + +Go you, and sit down first. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Come along, then. + + [_Both walk on a little way, and seat themselves_. + +KING. + +Ma[T.]Havya, it may be said of you that you have never beheld +anything worth seeing; for your eyes have not yet looked upon the +loveliest object in creation. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +How can you say so, when I see your Majesty before me at this +moment? + +KING. + +It is very natural that every one should consider his own friend +perfect; but I was alluding to [S']akoontala, the brightest +ornament of these hallowed groves. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. [_Aside_. + +I understand well enough, but I am not going to humour him. + + [_Aloud_. + +If, as you intimate, she is a hermit's daughter, you cannot +lawfully ask her in marriage. You may as well then dismiss her +from your mind, for any good the mere sight of her can do. + +KING. + +Think you that a descendant of the mighty Puru could fix his +affections on an unlawful object? + + Though, as men say, the offspring of the sage, + The maiden to a nymph celestial owes + Her being, and by her mother left on earth, + Was found and nurtured by the holy man + As his own daughter, in this hermitage. + So, when dissevered from its parent stalk, + Some falling blossom of the jasmine[36], wafted + Upon the sturdy sun-flower, is preserved + By its support from premature decay. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. [_Smiling_. + +This passion of yours for a rustic maiden, when you have so many +gems of women at home in your palace, seems to me very like the +fancy of a man who is tired of sweet dates, and longs for sour +tamarinds as a variety. + +KING. + +You have not seen her, or you would not talk in this fashion. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +I can quite understand it must require something surpassingly +attractive to excite the admiration of such a great man as you. + +KING. + +I will describe her, my dear friend, in a few words, + + Man's all-wise Maker, wishing to create + A faultless form, whose matchless symmetry + Should far transcend Creation's choicest works, + Did call together by his mighty will, + And garner up in his eternal mind, + A bright assemblage of all lovely things; + And then, as in a picture, fashion them + Into one perfect and ideal form-- + Such the divine, the wondrous prototype, + Whence her fair shape was moulded into being. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +If that's the case, she must indeed throw all other beauties into +the shade. + +KING. + +To my mind she really does. + + This peerless maid is like a fragrant flower, + Whose perfumed breath has never been diffused; + A tender bud, that no profaning hand + Has dared to sever from its parent stalk; + A gem of priceless water, just released + Pure and unblemished from its glittering bed. + Or may the maiden haply be compared + To sweetest honey, that no mortal lip + Has sipped; or, rather, to the mellowed fruit + Of virtuous actions in some former birth[37], + Now brought to full perfection? Lives the man + Whom bounteous heaven has destined to espouse her? + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Make haste, then, to her aid; you have no time to lose, if you +don't wish this fruit of all the virtues to drop into the mouth +of some greasy-headed rustic of devout habits. + +KING. + +The lady is not her own mistress, and her foster-father is not at +home. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Well, but tell me, did she look at all kindly upon you? + +KING. + + Maidens brought up in a hermitage are naturally + shy and reserved; but for all that + She did look towards me, though she quick withdrew + Her stealthy glances when she met my gaze; + She smiled upon me sweetly, but disguised + With maiden grace the secret of her smiles. + Coy love was half unveiled; then, sudden checked + By modesty, left half to be divined. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Why, of course, my dear friend, you never could seriously expect +that at the very first sight she would fall over head ears in +love with you, and without more ado come and sit in your lap. + +KING. + + When we parted from each other, she betrayed + her liking for me by clearer indications, but still with the + utmost modesty. + Scarce had the fair one from my presence passed, + When, suddenly, without apparent cause, + She stopped; and, counterfeiting pain, exclaimed, + 'My foot is wounded by this prickly grass,' + Then, glancing at me tenderly, she feigned + Another charming pretext for delay, + Pretending that a bush had caught her robe + And turned as if to disentangle it. + +MA[T.]HAVYA + +I trust you have laid in a good stock of provisions, +for I see you intend making this consecrated grove your +game-preserve, and will be roaming here in quest of sport for +some time to come. + +KING. + +You must know, my good fellow, that I have been recognised by +some of the inmates of the hermitage. Now I want the assistance +of your fertile invention, in devising some excuse for going +there again. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +There is but one expedient that I can suggest. You are the King, +are you not? + +KING. + +What then? + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Say you have come for the sixth part of their grain [38], which +they owe you for tribute. + +KING. + +No, no, foolish man; those hermits pay me a very different kind +of tribute, which I value more than heaps of gold or jewels; +observe, + + The tribute which my other subjects bring + Must moulder into dust, but holy men + Present me with a portion of the fruits + Of penitential services and prayers-- + A precious and imperishable gift. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +We are fortunate; here is the object of our search. + +KING. [_Listening_. + +Surely those must be the voices of hermits, to judge by their +deep tones. + +WARDER. [_Entering_. + +Victory to the King! two young hermits are in waiting outside, +and solicit an audience of your Majesty. + +KING. + +Introduce them Immediately. + +WARDER. + +I will, my liege. + +[_Goes out, and re-enters with_ TWO YOUNG HERMITS.] + +This way, Sirs, this way. + + [_Both the_ HERMITS _look at the KING. + +FIRST HERMIT. + +How majestic is his mien, and yet what confidence it inspires! +But this might be expected in a king, whose character and habits +have earned for him a title only one degree removed from that of +a Sage [39]. + + In this secluded grove, whose sacred joys + All may participate, he deigns to dwell + Like one of us; and daily treasures up + A store of purest merit for himself, + By the protection of our holy rites. + In his own person wondrously are joined + Both majesty and saintlike holiness; + And often chanted by inspired bards [40], + His hallowed title of 'Imperial Sage' + Ascends in joyous accents to the skies. + +SECOND HERMIT. + +Bear in mind, Gautama, that this is the great Dushyanta, the +friend of Indra. + +FIRST HERMIT. + +What of that? + +SECOND HERMIT. + + Where is the wonder if his nervous arm, + Puissant and massive as the iron bar + That binds a castle-gateway, singly sways + The sceptre of the universal earth, + E'en to its dark-green boundary of waters? + Or if the gods, beholden to his aid + In their fierce warfare with the powers of hell [41], + Should blend his name with Indra's in their songs + Of victory, and gratefully accord + No lower meed of praise to his braced bow, + Than to the thunders of the god of heaven? + +BOTH THE HERMITS. [_Approaching_. + +Victory to the King! + +KING. [_Rising from his seat_. + +Hail to you both! + +BOTH THE HERMITS. + +Heaven bless your Majesty! + + [_They offer fruits_. + +KING. [_Respectfully receiving the offering_. + +Tell me, I pray you, the object of your visit. + +BOTH THE HERMITS. + +The inhabitants of the hermitage, having heard of your Majesty's +sojourn in our neighbourhood, make this humble petition:-- + +KING. + +What are their commands? + +BOTH THE HERMITS. + +In the absence of our Superior, the great sage Kanwa, evil demons +are disturbing our sacrificial rites [42]. Deign, therefore, +accompanied by your charioteer, to take up your abode in our +hermitage for a few days. + +KING. + +I am honoured by your invitation. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. [_Aside_. + +Most opportune and convenient, certainly! + +KING. [_Smiling_. + +Ho, there, Raivatika! Tell the charioteer from me to bring round +the chariot with my bow. + +WARDER. + +I will, Sire. + + [_Exit_. + +BOTH THE HERMITS. [_Joyfully_. + + Well it becomes the King by acts of grace + To emulate the virtues of his race. + Such acts thy lofty destiny attest; + Thy mission is to succour the distressed. + +KING. [_Bowing to the_ HERMITS. + +Go first, reverend Sirs, I will follow you immediately. + +BOTH THE HERMITS. + +May victory attend you! + + [_Exeunt_. + +KING. + +My dear Ma[T.]Havya, are not you full of longing to see +[S']akoontala? + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +To tell you the truth, though I was just now brimful of desire to +see her, I have not a drop left since this piece of news about +the demons. + +KING. + +Never fear; you shall keep close to me for protection. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Well, you must be my guardian-angel, and act the part of a very +Vishnu [43] to me. + +WARDER. [_Entering_. + +Sire, the chariot is ready, and only waits to conduct you to +victory. But here is a messenger named Karabhaka, just arrived +from your capital, with a message from the Queen, your mother. + +KING. [_Respectfully_. + +How say you? a messenger from the venerable Queen? + +WARDER. + +Even so. + +KING. + +Introduce him at once. + +WARDER. + +I will, Sire. + +[_Goes out and re-enters with_ KARABHAKA.] + +Behold the King. Approach. + +KARABHAKA. + +Victory to the King! The Queen-mother bids me say that in four +days from the present time she intends celebrating a solemn +ceremony for the advancement and preservation of her son. She +expects that your Majesty will honour her with your presence on +that occasion. + +KING. + +This places me in a dilemma. Here, on the one hand, is the +commission of these holy men to be executed; and, on the other, +the command of my revered parent to be obeyed. Both duties are +too sacred to be neglected. What is to be done? + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +You will have to take up an intermediate position between the +two, like King Tri[s']anku [44], who was suspended between heaven +and earth, because the sage Vi[s']wamitra commanded him to mount up +to heaven, and the gods ordered him down again. + +KING. + +I am certainly very much perplexed. For here, + + Two different duties are required of me + In widely distant places; how can I + In my own person satisfy them both? + Thus is my mind distracted, and impelled + In opposite directions like a stream + That, driven back by rocks, still rushes on, + Forming two currents in its eddying course. + + [_Reflecting_.] + +Friend Ma[T.]Havya, as you were my playfellow in childhood, the +Queen has already received you like a second son; go you, then, +back to her, and tell her of my solemn engagement to assist these +holy men. You can supply my place in the ceremony, and act the +part of a son to the Queen. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +With the greatest pleasure in the world; but don't suppose that +I am really coward enough to have the slightest fear of those +trumpery demons. + +KING. + +Oh! of course not; a great Brahman like you could not possibly +give way to such weakness. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +You must let me travel in a manner suitable to the King's younger +brother. + +KING. + +Yes, I shall send my retinue with you, that there may be no +farther disturbance in this sacred forest. + +MA[T.]HAVYA, [_With a strut_. + +Already I feel quite like a young prince. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +This is a giddy fellow, and in all probability he will let out +the truth about my present pursuit to the women of the palace. +What is to be done? I must say something to deceive him. + +[_Aloud to_ MA[T.]HAVYA, _taking him by the hand_.] + +Dear friend, I am going to the hermitage wholly and solely out of +respect for its pious inhabitants, and not because I have really +any liking for [S']akoontala, the hermit's daughter. Observe:-- + + What suitable communion could there be + Between a monarch and a rustic girl? + I did but feign an idle passion, friend, + Take not in earnest what was said in jest. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Don't distress yourself; I quite understand. + + [_Exeunt_. + + * * * * * + + + + +PRELUDE TO ACT III. + +SCENE.--_The Hermitage_. + +_Enter a_ YOUNG BRAHMAN _carrying bundles of ku[S']a-grass for the +use of the sacrificing priest_. + +YOUNG BRAHMAN. + +How wonderful is the power of King Dushyanta! No sooner did he +enter our hermitage, than we were able to proceed with our +sacrificial rites, unmolested by the evil demons. + + No need to fix the arrow to the bow; + The mighty monarch sounds the quivering string, + And, by the thunder of his arms dismayed, + Our demon foes are scattered to the wind. + +I must now, therefore, make haste and deliver to the sacrificing +priests these bundles of Ku[s']a-grass, to be strewn round the +altar. + +[_Walking and looking about; then addressing some one off the +stage_.] + +Why, Priyamvada, for whose use are you carrying that ointment of +Usira-root and those lotus-leaves with fibres attached to them? + +[_Listening for her answer_.] + +What Say you?--that [S']akoontala is suffering from fever produced +by exposure to the sun, and that this ointment is to cool her +burning frame? Nurse her with care, then, Priyamvada, for she is +cherished by our reverend Superior as the very breath of his +nostrils[46]. I, for my part, will contrive that soothing waters, +hallowed in the sacrifice, he administered to her by the hands of +Gautami. + + [_Exit_. + + +ACT III. + + +SCENE.--_The Sacred Grove_. + +_Enter_ KING DUSHYANTA, _with the air of one in love_. + +KING. [_Sighing thoughtfully_. + + The holy sage possesses magic power + In virtue of his penance; she, his ward, + Under the shadow of his tutelage, + Rests in security, I know it well; + Yet sooner shall the rushing cataract + In foaming eddies re-ascend the steep, + Than my fond heart turn back from its pursuit. + +God of love! God of the flowery shafts [47]! we lovers are cruelly +deceived by thee, and by the Moon, however deserving of confidence +you may both appear. + + For not to us do these thine arrows seem + Pointed with tender flowerets; not to us + Doth the pale Moon irradiate the earth + With beams of silver fraught with cooling dews; + But on our fevered frames the moon-beams fall + Like darts of fire, and every flower-tipt shaft + Of Kama[47], as it probes our throbbing hearts, + Seems to be barbed with hardest adamant. + +Adorable god of love! hast thou no pity for me? + +[_In a tone of anguish_.] + +How can thy arrows be so sharp when they are pointed with +flowers? Ah! I know the reason: + + E'en now in thine unbodied essence lurks + The fire of [S']iva's anger[48], like the flame + That ever hidden in the secret depths + Of ocean, smoulders there unseen[49]. How else + Could'st thou, all immaterial as thou art, + Inflame our hearts thus fiercely?--thou, whose form + Was scorched to ashes by a sudden flash + From the offended god's terrific eye. + +Yet, methinks, + + Welcome this anguish, welcome to my heart + These rankling wounds inflicted by the god, + Who on his scutcheon bears the monster-fish[50] + Slain by his prowess; welcome death itself, + So that, commissioned by the lord of love, + This fair one be my executioner. + Adorable divinity! Can I by no reproaches excite your commiseration? + Have I not daily offered at thy shrine + Innumerable vows, the only food + Of thine ethereal essence? Are my prayers + Thus to be slighted? Is it meet that thou + Should'st aim thy shafts at thy true votary's heart, + Drawing thy bow-string even to thy ear? + +[_Pacing up and down in a melancholy manner_.] + +Now that the holy men have completed their rites, and have no +more need of my services, how shall I dispel my melancholy? + +[_Sighing_.] + +I have but one resource. Oh for another sight of the Idol of my +soul! I will seek her. + +[_Glancing at the sun_.] + +In all probability, as the sun's heat is now at its height, +[S']akoontala is passing her time under the shade of the bowers on +the banks of the Malini, attended by her maidens. I will go and +look for her there. + +[_Walking and looking about_.] + +I suspect the fair one has but just passed by this avenue of +young trees. + + Here, as she tripped along, her fingers plucked + The opening buds; these lacerated plants, + Shorn of their fairest blossoms by her hand, + Seem like dismembered trunks, whose recent wounds + Are still unclosed; while from the bleeding socket + Of many a severed stalk, the milky juice + Still slowly trickles, and betrays her path. + +[_Feeling a breeze_.] + +What a delicious breeze meets me in this spot! + + Here may the zephyr, fragrant with the scent + Of lotuses, and laden with the spray + Caught from the waters of the rippling stream, + Fold in its close embrace my fevered limbs. + +[_Walking and looking about_.] + +She must be somewhere in the neighbourhood of this arbour of +overhanging creepers enclosed by plantations of cane; + +[_Looking down_.] + + For at the entrance here I plainly see + A line of footsteps printed in the sand. + Here are the fresh impressions of her feet; + Their well-known outline faintly marked in front, + More deeply towards the heel; betokening + The graceful undulation of her gait[51]. + +I will peep through those branches. + + [_Walking and looking. With transport_.] + +Ah! now my eyes are gratified by an entrancing sight. Yonder is +the beloved of my heart reclining on a rock strewn with flowers, +and attended by her two friends. How fortunate! Concealed behind +the leaves, I will listen to their conversation, without raising +their suspicions. + + [_Stands concealed, and gazes at them_. + +[S']AKOONTALA _and her two attendants, holding fans in their hands, +are discovered as described_. + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + + [_Fanning her. In a tone of affection_. + +Dearest [S']akoontala, is the breeze raised by these broad +lotus-leaves refreshing to you? + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Dear friends, why should you trouble yourselves to fan me? + +[PRIYAMVADA _and_ ANASUYA _look sorrowfully at one another_. + +KING. + +[S']akoontala seems indeed to be seriously ill. + +[_Thoughtfully_.] + +Can it be the intensity of the heat that has affected her? or +does my heart suggest the true cause of her malady? + +[_Gazing at her passionately_.] + +Why should I doubt it? + + The maiden's spotless bosom is o'erspread + With cooling balsam; on her slender arm + Her only bracelet, twined with lotus-stalks, + Hangs loose and withered; her recumbent form + Betokens languor. Ne'er could noon-day sun + Inflict such fair disorder on a maid-- + No, love, and love alone, is here to blame. + + +PRIYAMVADA. [_Aside to_ ANASUYA. + +I have observed, Anasuya, that [S']akoontala has been indisposed +ever since her first interview with King Dushyanta. Depend upon +it, her ailment is to be traced to that source. + +ANASUYA. + +The same suspicion, dear, has crossed my mind. But I will at once +ask her and ascertain the truth. + +[_Aloud_.] + +Dear [S']akoontala, I am about to put a question to you. Your +indisposition is really very serious. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Half rising from her couch_. + +What were you going to ask? + +ANASUYA. + +We know very little about love-matters, dear [S']akoontala; but for +all that, I cannot help suspecting your present state to be +something similar to that of the lovers we have heard about in +romances. Tell us frankly what is the cause of your disorder. It +is useless to apply a remedy, until the disease be understood. + +KING. + +Anasuya bears me out in my suspicion. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Aside_. + +I am, indeed, deeply in love; but cannot rashly +disclose my passion to these young girls. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +What Anasuya says, dear [S']akoontala, is very just. Why give so +little heed to your ailment? Every day you are becoming thinner; +though I must confess your complexion is still as beautiful as +ever. + +KING. + +Priyamvada speaks most truly. + + Sunk is her velvet cheek; her wasted bosom + Loses its fulness; e'en her slender waist + Grows more attenuate; her face is wan, + Her shoulders droop;--as when the vernal blasts + Sear the young blossoms of the Madhavi[52], + Blighting their bloom; so mournful is the change. + Yet in its sadness, fascinating still, + Inflicted by the mighty lord of love + On the fair figure of the hermit's daughter. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Dear friends, to no one would I rather reveal the nature of my +malady than to you; but I should only be troubling you. + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + +Nay, this is the very point about which we are so solicitous. +Sorrow shared with affectionate friends is relieved of half its +poignancy. + +KING. + + Pressed by the partners of her joys and griefs, + Her much beloved companions, to reveal + The cherished secret locked within her breast, + She needs must utter it; although her looks + Encourage me to hope, my bosom throbs + As anxiously I listen for her answer. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Know then, dear friends, that from the first moment the +illustrious Prince who is the guardian of our sacred grove +presented himself to my sight-- + + [_Stops short, and appears confused_. + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + +Say on, dear [S']akoontala, say on. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Ever since that happy moment, my heart's affections have been +fixed upon him, and my energies of mind and body have all +deserted me, as you see. + +KING. [_With rapture_. + +Her own lips have uttered the words I most longed to hear. + + Love lit the flame, and Love himself allays + My burning fever, as when gathering clouds + Rise o'er the earth in summer's dazzling noon, + And grateful showers dispel the morning heat. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +You must consent, then, dear friends, to contrive some means by +which I may find favour with the King, or you will have ere long +to assist at my funeral. + +KING. + +Enough! These words remove all my doubts. + +PRIYAMVADA. [_Aside to_ ANASUYA. + +She is far gone in love, dear Anasuya, and no time ought to be +lost. Since she has fixed her affections on a monarch who is the +ornament of Puru's line, we need not hesitate for a moment to +express our approval. + +ANASUYA. + +I quite agree with you. + +PRIYAMVADA. [_Aloud_. + +We wish you joy, dear [S']akoontala. Your affections are fixed on an +object in every respect worthy of you,. The noblest river will unite itself +to the ocean, and the lovely Madhavi-creeper clings naturally to the +Mango, the only tree capable of supporting it. + +KING. + +Why need we wonder if the beautiful constellation Vi[s']akha pines +to be united with the Moon[53]? + +ANASUYA. + +By what stratagem can we best secure to our friend the +accomplishment of her heart's desire both speedily and secretly? + +PRIYAMVADA. + +The latter point is all we have to think about. As to 'speedily,' +I look upon the whole affair as already settled. + +ANASUYA. + +How so? + +PRIYAMVADA. + +Did you not observe how the King betrayed his liking by the +tender manner in which he gazed upon her, and how thin he has +become the last few days, as if he had been lying awake thinking +of her? + +KING. [_Looking at himself_. + +Quite true! I certainly am becoming thin from want of sleep: + + As night by night in anxious thought I raise + This wasted arm to rest my sleepless head, + My jewelled bracelet, sullied by the tears + That trickle from my eyes in scalding streams, + Slips towards my elbow from my shrivelled wrist. + Oft I replace the bauble, but in vain; + So easily it spans the fleshless limb + That e'en the rough and corrugated skin, + Scarred by the bow-string, will not check its fall[54]. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +An idea strikes me, Anasuya. Let [S']akoontala write a love-letter; +I will conceal it in a flower, and contrive to drop it in the +King's path. He will surely mistake it for the remains of some +sacred offering, and will, in all probability, pick it up. + +ANASUYA. + +A very ingenious device! It my entire approval; but what says +[S']akoontala? + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +I must consider before I can consent to it. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +Could, you not, dear [S']akoontala, think of some pretty +composition in verse, containing a delicate declaration of your +love? + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Well, I will do my best; but my heart trembles when I think of +the chances of a refusal. + +KING. [_With rapture_. + + Too timid maid, here stands the man from whom + Thou fearest a repulse; supremely blessed + To call thee all his own. Well might he doubt + His title to thy love; but how could'st thou + Believe thy beauty powerless to subdue him? + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + +You undervalue your own merits, dear [S']akoontala. What man in his +senses would intercept with the skirt of his robe the bright rays +of the autumnal moon, which alone can allay the fever of his +body? + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Smiling_. + +Then it seems I must do as I am bid. + + [_Sits down and appears to be thinking_. + +KING. + +How charming she looks! My very eyes forget to wink, jealous of +losing even for an instant a sight so enchanting. + + How beautiful the movement of her brow, + As through her mind love's tender fancies flow! + And, as she weighs her thoughts, how sweet to trace + The ardent passion mantling in her face! + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Dear girls, I have thought of a verse, but I have no +writing-materials at hand. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +Write the letters with your nail on this lotus-leaf, which is +smooth as a parrot's breast. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_After writing the verse_. + +Listen, dear friends, and tell me whether the ideas are +appropriately expressed. + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + +We are all attention. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Reads_. + + I know not the secret thy bosom conceals, + Thy form is not near me to gladden my sight; + But sad is the tale that my fever reveals, + Of the love that consumes me by day and by night. + +KING. [_Advancing hastily towards her_. + + Nay, Love does but warm thee, fair maiden,--thy frame + Only droops like the bud in the glare of the noon; + But me he consumes with a pitiless flame, + As the beams of the day-star destroy the pale moon. + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + + [_Looking at him joyfully and rising to salute him_. + +Welcome, the desire of our hearts, that so speedily presents +itself! + + [[S']AKOONTALA _makes an effort to rise_. + +KING. + +Nay, trouble not thyself, dear maiden. + + Move not to do me homage; let thy limbs + Still softly rest upon their flowery couch; + And gather fragrance from the lotus-stalks, + Bruised by the fevered contact of thy frame. + +ANASUYA. + +Deign, gentle Sir, to seat yourself on the rock on which our +friend is reposing. + + [_The_ KING _sits down_. [S']AKOONTALA _is confused_. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +Any one may see at a glance that you are deeply attached to each +other. But the affection I have for my friend prompts me to say +something of which you hardly require to be informed. + +KING. + +Do not hesitate to speak out, my good girl. If you omit to say +what is in your mind, you may be sorry for it afterwards. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +Is it not your special office as a King to remove the suffering +of your subjects who are in trouble? + +KING. + +Such is my duty, most assuredly. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +Know, then, that our dear friend has been brought to her present +state of suffering entirely through love for you. Her life is in +your hands; take pity on her and restore her to health. + +KING. + +Excellent maiden, our attachment is mutual. It is I who am the +most honoured by it. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Looking at PRIYAMVADA_. + +What do you mean by detaining the King, who must be anxious to +return to his royal consorts after so long a separation? + +KING. + + Sweet maiden, banish from thy mind the thought + That I could love another. Thou dost reign + Supreme, without a rival, in my heart, + And I am thine alone; disown me not, + Else must I die a second deadlier death, + Killed by thy words, as erst by Kama's[47] shafts. + +ANASUYA. + +Kind Sir, we have heard it said that kings have many favourite +consorts. You must not, then, by your behaviour towards our dear +friend, give her relations cause to sorrow for her. + +KING. + +Listen, gentle maiden, while in a few words I quiet your anxiety. + + Though many beauteous forms my palace grace, + Henceforth two things alone will I esteem + The glory of my royal dynasty-- + My sea-girt realm, and this most lovely maid. + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + +We are satisfied by your assurances. + +PRIYAMVADA. [_Glancing on one side_. + +See, Anasuya, there is our favourite little fawn running about in +great distress, and turning its eyes in every direction as if +looking for its mother; come, let us help the little thing to +find her. [_Both move away_. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Dear friends, dear friends, leave me not alone and unprotected. +Why need you both go? + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + +Unprotected! when the Protector of the world is at your side. + + [_Exeunt_. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +What! have they both really left me? + +KING. + +Distress not thyself, sweet maiden. Thy adorer is at hand to wait +upon thee. + + Oh let me tend thee, fair one, in the place + Of thy dear friends; and with broad lotus fans + Raise cooling breezes to refresh thy frame; + Or shall I rather, with caressing touch, + Allay the fever of thy limbs, and soothe + Thy aching feet, beauteous as blushing lilies? + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Nay, touch me not. I will not incur the censure of those whom I +am bound to respect. + + [_Rises and attempts to go_. + +KING. + +Fair one, the heat of noon has not yet subsided, and thy body is +still feeble. + + How canst thou quit thy fragrant couch of flowers, + And from thy throbbing bosom cast aside + Its covering of lotus-leaves, to brave + With weak and fainting limbs the noon-day heat? + + [_Forces her to turn back_. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Infringe not the rules of decorum, mighty descendant of Puru. +Remember, though I love you, I have no power to dispose of +myself. + +KING. + +Why this fear of offending your relations, timid maid? When your +venerable foster-father hears of it, he will not find fault with +you. He knows that the law permits us to be united without +consulting him. + + In Indra's heaven, so at least 'tis said, + No nuptial rites prevail[55], nor is the bride + Led to the altar by her future lord; + But all in secret does the bridegroom plight + His troth, and each unto the other vow + Mutual allegiance. Such espousals, too, + Are authorised on earth, and many daughters + Of royal saints thus wedded to their lords + Have still received their father's benison. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Leave me, leave me; I must take counsel with my female friends. + +KING. + +I will leave thee when-- + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +When? + +KING. + + When I have gently stolen from thy lips + Their yet untasted nectar, to allay + The raging of my thirst, e'en as the bee + Sips the fresh honey from the opening bud. + + [_Attempts to raise her face_. [S']AKOONTALA tries to + prevent him_. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +The loving birds, doomed by fate to nightly separation[56], must +bid farewell to each other, for evening is at hand. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_In confusion_. + +Great Prince, I hear the voice of the matron Gautami. She is +coming this way to inquire after my health. Hasten and conceal +yourself behind the branches. + +KING. + +I will. [_Conceals himself_. + +_Enter_ GAUTAMI _with a vase in her hand, preceded by two +attendants_. + +ATTENDANTS. + +This way, most venerable Gautami. + +GAUTAMI. [_Approaching_ [S']AKOONTALA. + +My child, is the fever of thy limbs allayed? + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Venerable mother, there is certainly a change for the better. + +GAUTAMI. + +Let me sprinkle you with this holy water, and all +your ailments will depart. + +[_Sprinkling_ [S']AKOONTALA on the head_.] + +The day is closing, my child; come, let us go to the cottage. + + [_They all move away_. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Aside_. + +Oh my heart! thou didst fear to taste of happiness when it was +within thy reach. Now that the object of thy desires is torn from +thee, how bitter will be thy remorse, how distracting thine +anguish! + +[_Moving on a few steps and stopping. Aloud_.] + +Farewell! bower of creepers, sweet soother of my sufferings, +farewell! may I soon again be happy under thy shade. + + [_Exit reluctantly with the others_. + +KING. + + [_Returning to his former seat in the arbour. Sighing_. + +Alas! how many are the obstacles to the accomplishment of our +wishes! + + Albeit she did coyly turn away + Her glowing cheek, and with her fingers guard + Her pouting lips, that murmured a denial + In faltering accents, she did yield herself + A sweet reluctant captive to my will. + As eagerly I raised her lovely face; + But ere with gentle force I stole the kiss, + Too envious Fate did mar my daring purpose. + +Whither now shall I betake myself? I will tarry for a brief space +in this bower of creepers, so endeared to me by the presence of +my beloved [S']akoontala. + + [_Looking round_. + + Here printed on the flowery couch I see + The fair impression of her slender limbs; + Here is the sweet confession of her love, + Traced with her nail upon the lotus-leaf; + And yonder are the withered lily-stalks + That graced her wrist. While all around I view + Things that recall her image, can I quit + This bower, e'en though its living be fled? + +A VOICE IN THE AIR. + +Great King, + + Scarce is our evening sacrifice begun, + When evil demons, lurid as the clouds + That gather round the dying orb of day, + Cluster in hideous troops, obscene and dread, + About our altars, casting far and near + Terrific shadows, while the sacred fire + Sheds a pale lustre o'er their ghostly shapes. + +KING. + +I come to the rescue, I come. + + [_Exit_. + + * * * * * + + + + +PRELUDE TO ACT IV. + + +SCENE.--_The Garden of the Hermitage_. + +_Enter_ PRIYAMVADA and ANASUYA in the act of gathering flowers_. + +ANASUYA. + +Although, dear Priyamvada, it rejoices my heart to think that +[S']akoontala has been happily united to a husband in every respect +worthy of her, by the form of marriage prevalent among Indra's +celestial musicians, nevertheless, I cannot help feeling somewhat +uneasy in my mind. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +How so? + +ANASUYA. + +You know that the pious King was gratefully dismissed by the +hermits on the successful termination of their sacrificial rites. +He has now returned to his capital, leaving [S']akoontala under our +care; and it may be doubted whether, in the society of his royal +consorts, he will not forget all that has taken place in this +hermitage of ours. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +On that score be at ease. Persons of his noble nature are not so +destitute of all honourable feeling. I confess, however, that +there is one point about which I am rather anxious. What, think +you, will Father Kanwa say when he hears what has occurred? + +ANASUYA. + +In my opinion, he will approve the marriage. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +What makes you think so? + +ANASUYA. + +From the first, it was always his fixed purpose to bestow the +maiden on a husband worthy of her; and since heaven has given her +such a husband, his wishes have been realized without any trouble +to himself. + +PRIYAMVADA. [_Looking at the flower-basket_. + +We have gathered flowers enough for the sacred offering, dear +Anasuya. + +ANASUYA. + +Well, then, let us now gather more, that we may have wherewith to +propitiate the guardian-deity of our dear [S']akoontala. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +By all means. + + [_They continue gathering_. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Ho there! See you not that I am here! + +ANASUYA. + +That must be the voice of a guest announcing his arrival. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +Surely, [S']akoontala is not absent from the cottage. + +[_Aside_.] + +Her heart at least is absent, I fear. + +ANASUYA. + +Come along, come along; we have gathered flowers +enough. + + [_They move away_. + +THE SAME VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Woe to thee, maiden, for daring to slight a guest like me! + + Shall I stand here unwelcomed--even I, + A very mine of penitential merit, + Worthy of all respect? Shalt thou, rash maid, + Thus set at nought the ever sacred ties + Of hospitality? and fix thy thoughts + Upon the cherished object of thy love, + While I am present? Thus I curse thee, then-- + He, even he of whom thou thinkest, he + Shall think no more of thee; nor in his heart + Retain thine image. Vainly shalt thou strive + To waken his remembrance of the past; + He shall disown thee, even as the sot, + Roused from his midnight drunkenness, denies + The words he uttered in his revellings. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +Alas! alas! I fear a terrible misfortune has occurred. +[S']akoontala, from absence of mind, must have offended some guest +whom she was bound to treat with respect. + +[_Looking behind the scenes_.] + +Ah! yes; I see; and no less a person than the great sage +Durvasas[57], who is known to be most irascible. He it is that +has just cursed her, and is now retiring with hasty strides, +trembling with passion, and looking as if nothing could turn him. +His wrath is like a consuming fire. + +ANASUYA. + +Go quickly, dear Priyamvada, throw yourself at his feet, and +persuade him to come back, while I prepare a propitiatory +offering[59] for him, with water and refreshments. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +I will. + + [_Exit_. + +ANASUYA. + +[_Advancing hastily a few steps and stumbling_. + +Alas! alas! this comes of being in a hurry. My foot has slipped, +and my basket of flowers has fallen from my hand. + + [_Stays to gather them up_. + +PRIYAMVADA. [_Re-entering_ + +Well, dear Anasuya, I have done my best; but what living being +could succeed in pacifying such a cross-grained, ill-tempered old +fellow? However, I managed to mollify him a little. + +ANASUYA [_Smiling_. + +Even a little was much for him. Say on. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +When he refused to turn back, I implored his forgiveness in these +words: 'Most venerable sage, pardon, I beseech you, this first +offence of a young and inexperienced girl, who was ignorant of +the respect due to your saintly character and exalted rank.' + +ANASUYA + +And what did he reply? + +PRIYAMVADA. + +'My word must not be falsified; but, at the sight of the ring of +recognition the spell shall cease.' So saying, he disappeared. + +ANASUYA. + +Oh! then we may breathe again; for, now I think of it, the King +himself, at his departure, fastened on [S']akoontala's finger, as a +token of remembrance, a ring on which his own name was engraved. +She has, therefore, a remedy for her misfortune at her own +command. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +Come, dear Anasuya, let us proceed with our religious duties. + + [_They walk round_. + +PRIYAMVADA. [_Looking off the stage_. + +See, Anasuya, there sits our dear friend, motionless as a statue, +resting her face on her left hand, her whole mind absorbed in +thinking of her absent husband. She can pay no attention to +herself, much less to a stranger. + +ANASUYA. + +Priyamvada, let this affair never pass our lips. We must spare +our dear friend's feelings. Her constitution is too delicate to +bear much emotion. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +I agree with you. Who would think of watering a tender jasmine +with hot water? + + + +ACT IV. + +Scene.--_The Neighbourhood of the Hermitage. + +Enter one of_ Kanwa's Pupils _just arisen from his couch at the +dawn of day_. + +PUPIL. + +My master, the venerable Kanwa, who is but lately returned from +his pilgrimage, has ordered me to ascertain how the time goes. I +have therefore come into the open air to see if it be still dark. + + [_Walking and looking about_.] + +Oh! the dawn has already broken. + + Lo! in one quarter of the sky, the Moon, + Lord of the herbs and night-expanding flowers, + Sinks towards his bed behind the western hills; + While in the east, preceded by the Dawn, + His blushing charioteer[59], the glorious Sun + Begins his course, and far into the gloom + Casts the first radiance of his orient beams. + Hail! co-eternal orbs, that rise to set, + And set to rise again; symbols divine + Of man's reverses, life's vicissitudes. + +And now, + + While the round Moon withdraws his looming disc + Beneath the western sky, the full-blown flower + Of the night-loving lotus[60] sheds her leave + In sorrow for his loss, bequeathing nought + But the sweet memory of her loveliness + To my bereaved sight; e'en as the bride + Disconsolately mourns her absent lord, + And yields her heart a prey to anxious grief. + +ANASUYA. [_Entering abruptly_. + +Little as I know of the ways of the world, I cannot help thinking +that King Dushyanta is treating [S']akoontala very improperly. + +PUPIL. + +Well, I must let my revered preceptor know that it is time to +offer the burnt oblation. + + [_Exit_. + +ANASUYA. + +I am broad awake, but what shall I do? I have no energy to go +about my usual occupations. My hands and feet seem to have lost +their power. Well, Love has gained his object; and Love only is +to blame for having induced our dear friend, in the innocence of +her heart, to confide in such a perfidious man. Possibly, +however, the imprecation of Durvasas may he already taking +effect. Indeed, I cannot otherwise account for the King's strange +conduct, in allowing so long a time to elapse without even a +letter; and that, too, after so many promises and protestations. +I cannot think what to do unless we send him the ring which was +to be the token of recognition. But which of these austere +hermits could we ask to be the bearer of it? Then, again, Father +Kanwa has just returned from his pilgrimage; and how am I to +inform him of [S']akoontala's marriage to King Dushyanta, and her +expectation of becoming soon a mother? I never could bring myself +to tell him, even if I felt that [S']akoontala had been in fault, +which she certainly has not. What is to be done? + +PRIYAMVADA. [_Entering; joyfully_. + +Quick! quick! Anasuya! come and assist in the joyful preparations +for [S']akoontala's departure to her husband's palace. + +ANASUYA. + +My dear girl, what can you mean? + +PRIYAMVADA. + +Listen, now, and I will tell you all about it. I went just now to +[S']akoontala, to inquire whether she had slept comfortably-- + +ANASUYA. + +Well, well; go on. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +She was sitting with her face bowed down to the very ground with +shame, when Father Kanwa entered, and, embracing her, of his own +accord offered her his congratulations. 'I give thee joy, my +child,' he said, 'we have had an auspicious omen. The priest who +offered the oblation dropped it into the very centre of the +sacred fire [81], though thick smoke obstructed his vision. +Henceforth thou wilt cease to be an object of compassion. This +very day I purpose sending thee, under the charge of certain +trusty hermits, to the King's palace; and shall deliver thee into +the hands of thy husband, as I would commit knowledge to the +keeping of a wise and faithful student.' + +ANASUYA. + +Who, then, informed the holy father of what passed in his +absence? + +PRIYAMVADA. + +As he was entering the sanctuary of the consecrated fire, an +invisible being chanted a verse in celestial strains. + +ANASUYA. [_With astonishment_. + +Indeed! pray repeat it. + +PRIYAMVADA. [_Repeating the verse_. + + Glows in thy daughter King Dushyanta's glory, + As in the sacred tree the mystic fire [62]; + Let worlds rejoice to hear the welcome story, + And may the son immortalize the sire. + +ANASUYA. [_Embracing_ PRIYAMVADA. + +Oh, my dear Priyamvada, what delightful news! I am pleased +beyond measure; yet when I think that we are to lose our dear +[S']akoontala this very day, a feeling of melancholy mingles with +my joy. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +We shall find means of consoling ourselves after her departure. +Let the dear creature only be made happy at any cost. + +ANASUYA. + +Yes, yes, Priyamvada, it shall be so; and now to prepare the +bridal array. I have always looked forward to this occasion, and +some time since, I deposited a beautiful garland of Ke[S']ara +flowers in a cocoa-nut box, and suspended it on a bough of +yonder mango-tree. Be good enough to stretch out your hand and +take it down, while I compound unguents and perfumes with this +consecrated paste and these blades of sacred grass. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +Very well. + + [_Exit_ ANASUYA. PRIYAMVADA _takes down the flowers_. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Gautami, bid [S']arngarava and the others hold themselves in +readiness to escort [S']akoontala. + +PRIYAMVADA. [_Listening_. + +Quick, quick, Anasuya! They are calling the +hermits who are to go with [S']akoontala to Hastinapur[83]. + +ANASUYA. [_Re-entering with the perfumed unguents in her +hand_. + +Come along then, Priyamvada; I am ready to go with you. + + [_They walk away_. + +PRIYAMVADA. [_Looking_. + +See! there sits [S']akoontala, her locks arranged even at this +early hour of the morning. The holy women of the hermitage are +congratulating her, and invoking blessings on her head, while +they present her with wedding-gifts and offerings of consecrated +wild-rice. Let us join them. + + [_They approach_. + +[S']AKOONTALA _is seen seated, with women surrounding her, occupied +in the manner described_. + +FIRST WOMAN. [_To_ [S']AKOONTALA. + +My child, may'st thou receive the title of 'Chief-queen,' and may +thy husband delight to honour thee above all others! + +SECOND WOMAN. + +My child, may'st thou be the mother of a hero! + +THIRD WOMAN. + +My child, may'st thou be highly honoured by thy lord! + +[_Exeunt all the women, excepting_ GAUTAMI, after blessing_ +[S']AKOONTALA. + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. [_Approaching_. + +Dear [S']akoontala, we are come to assist you at your toilet, and +may a blessing attend it! + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Welcome, dear friends, welcome. Sit down here. + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + + [_Taking the baskets containing the bridal decorations, and + sitting down_. + +Now, then, dearest, prepare to let us dress you. We must first +rub your limbs with these perfumed unguents. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +I ought indeed to be grateful for your kind offices, now that I +am so soon to be deprived of them. Dear, dear friends, perhaps I +shall never be dressed by you again. + + [_Bursts into tears_. + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + +Weep not, dearest; tears are out of season on such a happy +occasion. + + [_They wipe away her tears and begin to dress her_. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +Alas! these simple flowers and rude ornaments, which our +hermitage offers in abundance, do not set off your beauty as it +deserves. + +_Enter TWO YOUNG HERMITS, bearing costly presents_. + +BOTH HERMITS. + +Here are ornaments suitable for a queen. + +[_The women look at them in astonishment_. + +GAUTAMI + +Why, Narada, my son, whence came these? + +FIRST HERMIT. + +You owe them to the devotion of Father Kanwa. + +GAUTAMI. + +Did he create them by the power of his own mind? + +SECOND HERMIT. + +Certainly not; but you shall hear. The venerable sage ordered us +to collect flowers for [S']akoontala from the forest-trees; and we +went to the wood for that purpose, when + + Straightway depending from a neighbouring tree + Appeared a robe of linen tissue, pure + And spotless as a moonbeam--mystic pledge + Of bridal happiness; another tree + Distilled a roseate dye wherewith to stain + The lady's feet [135]; and other branches near + Glistened with rare and costly ornaments. + While, 'mid the leaves, the hands of forest-nymphs, + Vying in beauty with the opening buds, + Presented us with sylvan offerings. + +PRIYAMVADA. [_Looking at_ [S']AKOONTALA. + +The wood-nymphs have done you honour, indeed. This favour +doubtless signifies that you are soon to be received as a happy +wife into your husband's house, and are from this time forward to +become the partner of his royal fortunes. + +[[S']AKOONTALA _appears abashed_. + +FIRST HERMIT. + +Come, Gautama; Father Kanwa has finished his ablutions. Let us go +and inform him of the favour we have received from the deities +who preside over our trees. + +SECOND HERMIT. + +By all means. + + [_Exeunt_. + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA + +Alas! what are we to do? We are unused to such splendid +decorations, and are at a loss how to arrange them. Our +knowledge of painting must be our guide. We will dispose the +ornaments as we have seen them in pictures. + +[S']AKOONTALA + +Whatever pleases you, dear girls, will please me. I have perfect +confidence In your taste. + + [_They commence dressing her_. + +_Enter_ KANWA, _having just finished his ablutions_. + +KANWA. + + This day my loved one leaves me, and my heart + Is heavy with its grief; the streams of sorrow, + Choked at the source, repress my faltering voice, + I have no words to speak; mine eyes are dimmed + By the dark shadows of the thoughts that rise + Within my soul. If such the force of grief + In an old hermit parted from his nursling, + What anguish must the stricken parent feel-- + Bereft for ever of an only daughter. + +[_Advances towards_ [S']AKOONTALA + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + +Now, dearest [S']akoontala, we have finished decorating you. You +have only to put on the two linen mantles. + + [[S']AKOONTALA _rises and puts them on_. + +GAUTAMI. + +Daughter, see, here comes thy foster-father; he is eager to fold +thee in his arms; his eyes swim with tears of joy. Hasten to do +him reverence. + +[S']AKOONTALA [_Reverently_. + +My father, I salute you. + +KANWA. + +My daughter, + + May'st thou be highly honoured by thy lord, + E'en as Yayati [S']armishtha adored[64]! + And, as she bore him Puru, so may'st thou + Bring forth a son to whom the world shall bow! + +GAUTAMI. + +Most venerable father, she accepts your benediction as if she +already possessed the boon it confers. + +KANWA. + +Now come this way, my child, and walk reverently +round these sacrificial fires. + + [_They all walk round_. + +KANWA. + + [_Repeats a prayer in the metre of the Rig-veda_. + + Holy flames, that gleam around + Every altar's hallowed ground; + Holy flames, whose frequent food + Is the consecrated wood, + And for whose encircling bed, + Sacred Ku[s']a-grass is spread [65]; + Holy flames, that waft to heaven + Sweet oblations daily given, + Mortal guilt to purge away, + Hear, oh hear me, when I pray-- + Purify my child this day! + +Now then, my daughter, set out on thy journey. + +[_Looking on one side_.] + +Where are thy attendants. [S']arngarava and the others? + +YOUNG HERMIT. [_Entering_. + +Here we are, most venerable father. + +KANWA. + +Lead the way for thy sister. + +[S']ARNGARAVA. + +Come, [S']akoontala, let us proceed. + + [_All move away_. + +KANWA. + + Hear me, ye trees that surround our hermitage! + [S']akoontala ne'er moistened in the stream + Her own parched lips, till she had fondly poured + Its purest water on your thirsty roots; + And oft, when she would fain have decked her hair + With your thick-clustering blossoms, in her love + She robbed you not e'en of a single flower. + Her highest joy was ever to behold + The early glory of your opening buds; + Oh, then, dismiss her with a kind farewell. + This very day she quits her father's home, + To seek the palace of her wedded lord. + +[_The note of a Koil[66] is heard_. + + Hark! heard'st thou not the answer of the trees, + Our sylvan sisters, warbled in the note + Of the melodious Koil[66]? they dismiss + Their dear [S']akoontala with loving wishes. + +VOICES IN THE AIR. + + Fare thee well, journey pleasantly on amid streams + Where the lotuses bloom, and the sun's glowing beams + Never pierce the deep shade of the wide-spreading trees, + While gently around thee shall sport the cool breeze; + Then light be thy footsteps and easy thy tread, + Beneath thee shall carpets of lilies be spread; + Journey on to thy lord, let thy spirit be gay, + For the smiles of all Nature shall gladden thy way. + + [_All listen with astonishment_. + +GAUTAMI. + +Daughter! the nymphs of the wood, who love thee with the +affection of a sister, dismiss thee with kind wishes for thy +happiness. Take thou leave of them reverentially. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +[_Bowing respectfully and walking on. Aside to her friend_. + +Eager as I am, dear Priyamvada, to see my husband once more, yet +my feet refuse to move, now that I am quitting for ever the home +of my girlhood. + +PRIYAMVADA. + +You are not the only one, dearest, to feel the bitterness of +parting. As the time of separation approaches, the whole grove +seems to share your anguish. + + In sorrow for thy loss, the herd of deer + Forget to browse; the peacock on the lawn + Ceases its dance[67]; the very trees around + Shed their pale leaves, like tears, upon the ground. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Recollecting herself_. + +My father, let me, before I go, bid adieu to my pet jasmine, the +Moonlight of the Grove[68]. I love the plant almost as a sister. + +KANWA. + +Yes, yes, my child, I remember thy sisterly affection for the +creeper. Here it is on the right. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Approaching the jasmine_. + +My beloved jasmine! most brilliant of climbing plants, how sweet +it is to see thee cling thus fondly to thy husband, the +mango-tree; yet, prithee, turn thy twining arms for a moment in +this direction to embrace thy sister; she is going far away, and +may never see thee again. + +KANWA. + + Daughter, the cherished purpose of my heart + Has ever been to wed thee to a man + That should be worthy of thee; such a spouse + Hast thou thyself, by thine own merits, won. + To him thou goest, and about his neck + Soon shalt thou cling confidingly, as now + Thy favourite jasmine twines its loving arms + Around the sturdy mango. Leave thou it + To its protector--e'en as I consign + Thee to thy lord, and henceforth from my mind + Banish all anxious thought on thy behalf. + +Proceed on thy journey, my child. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_To_ PRIYAMVADA _and_ ANASUYA. + +To you, my sweet companions, I leave it as a keepsake. Take +charge of it when I am gone. + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. [_Bursting into tears_. + +And to whose charge do you leave us, dearest? Who will care for +us when you are gone? + +KANWA. + +For shame, Anasuya! dry your tears. Is this the way to cheer your +friend at a time when she needs your support and consolation? + + [_All move on_. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +My father, see you there my pet deer, grazing close to the +hermitage? She expects soon to fawn, and even now the weight of +the little one she carries hinders her movements. Do not forget +to send me word when she becomes a mother. + +KANWA. + +I will not forget it. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Feeling herself drawn back_. + +What can this be, fastened to my dress? + + [_Turns round_. + +KANWA. + +My daughter, + + It is the little fawn, thy foster-child, + Poor helpless orphan! it remembers well + How with a mother's tenderness and love + Thou didst protect it, and with grains of rice + From thine own hand didst daily nourish it; + And, ever and anon, when some sharp thorn + Had pierced its mouth, how gently thou didst tend + The bleeding wound, and pour in healing balm. + The grateful nursling clings to its protectress, + Mutely imploring leave to follow her. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +My poor little fawn! dost thou ask to follow an ungrateful +wretch who hesitates not to desert her companions! When thy +mother died, soon after thy birth, I supplied her place, and +reared thee with my own hand; and now that thy second mother is +about to leave thee, who will care for thee? My father, be thou a +mother to her. My child, go back, and be a daughter to my father. + + [_Moves on, weeping_. + +KANWA. + + Weep not, my daughter, check the gathering tear + That lurks beneath thine eyelid, ere it flow + And weaken thy resolve; be firm and true-- + True to thyself and me; the path of life + Will lead o'er hill and plain, o'er rough and smooth, + And all must feel the steepness of the way; + Though rugged be thy course, press boldly on. + +[S']ARNGARAVA. + +Venerable Sire! the sacred precept is:--'Accompany thy friend as +far as the margin of the first stream.' Here, then, we are +arrived at the border of a lake. It is time for you to give us +your final instructions and return. + +KANWA. + +Be it so; let us tarry for a moment under the shade of this +fig-tree[69]. + +[_They do so_. + +KANWA [_Aside_. + +I must think of some appropriate message to send to his Majesty +King Dushyanta. + +[_Reflects_. . + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Aside to_ ANASUYA. + +See, see, dear Anasuya, the poor female Chakravaka-bird[70], whom +cruel fate dooms to nightly separation from her mate, calls to +him in mournful notes from the other side of the stream, though +he is only hidden from her view by the spreading leaves of the +water-lily. Her cry is so piteous that I could almost fancy she +was lamenting her hard lot in intelligible words. + +ANASUYA + +Say not so, dearest: + + Fond bird! though sorrow lengthen out her night + Of widowhood, yet with a cry of joy + She hails the morning light that brings her mate + Back to her side. The agony of parting + Would wound us like a sword, but that its edge + Is blunted by the hope of future meeting. + +KANWA. + +[S']arngarava! when you have introduced [S']akoontala into the +presence of the King, you must give him this message from me:-- + +[S']ARNGARAVA + +Let me hear it, venerable father. + +KANWA. + +This is it:-- + + Most puissant prince! we here present before thee + One thou art bound to cherish and receive + As thine own wife; yea, even to enthrone + As thine own queen--worthy of equal love + With thine imperial consorts. So much, Sire, + We claim of thee as justice due to us, + In virtue of our holy character, + In virtue of thine honourable rank, + In virtue of the pure spontaneous love + That secretly grew up 'twixt thee and her, + Without consent or privity of us. + We ask no more--the rest we freely leave + To thy just feeling and to destiny. + +[S']ARNGARAVA. + +A most suitable message! I will take care to deliver it +correctly. + +KANWA. + +And, now, my child, a few words of advice for thee. We hermits, +though we live secluded from the world are not ignorant of +worldly matters. + +[S']ARNGARAVA. + +No, indeed. Wise men are conversant with all subjects. + +KANWA. + +Listen, then, my daughter. When thou reachest thy husband's +palace, and art admitted into his family, + + Honour thy betters; ever be respectful + To those above thee; and, should others share + Thy husband's love, ne'er yield thyself a prey + to jealousy; but ever be a friend, + A loving friend, to those who rival thee + In his affections. Should thy wedded lord + Treat thee with harshness, thou most never be + Harsh in return, but patient and submissive; + Be to thy menials courteous, and to all + Placed under thee, considerate and kind; + Be never self-indulgent, but avoid + Excess in pleasure; and, when fortune smiles, + Be not puffed up. Thus to thy husband's house + Wilt thou a blessing prove, and not a curse. + +What thinks Gautami of this advice? + +GAUTAMI. + +An excellent compendium, truly, of every wife's duties! Lay it +well to heart, my daughter. + +KANWA. + +Come, my beloved child, one parting embrace for me and for thy +companions, and then we leave thee. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +My father, must Priyamvada and Anasuya really return with you? +They are very dear to me. + +KANWA. + +Yes, my child; they, too, in good time, will be given in marriage +to suitable husbands. It would not be proper for them to +accompany thee to such a public place. But Gautami shall be thy +companion. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Embracing him_. + +Removed from thy bosom, my beloved father, like a young +tendril of the sandal-tree torn from its home in the western +mountains[71], how shall I be able to support life in a foreign +soil? + +KANWA. + +Daughter, thy fears are groundless. + + Soon shall thy lord prefer thee to the rank + Of his own consort; and unnumbered cares + Befitting his imperial dignity + Shall constantly engross thee. Then the bliss + Of bearing him a son--a noble boy, + Bright as the day-star, shall transport thy soul + With new delights, and little shalt thou reck + Of the light sorrow that afflicts thee now + At parting from thy father and thy friends. + + [[S']AKOONTALA _throws herself at her foster-father's feet_. + +KANWA. + +Blessings on thee, my child! May all my hopes of thee be +realized! + +[S']AKOONTALA [_Approaching her friends_. + +Come, my two loved companions, embrace me both of you together. + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. [_Embracing her_. + +Dear [S']akoontala, remember, if the King should by any chance be +slow in recognizing you, you have only to show him this ring, on +which his own name is engraved. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +The bare thought of it puts me in a tremor. + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + +There is no real cause for fear, dearest. Excessive affection is +too apt to suspect evil where none exists. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Come, lady, we must hasten on. The sun is rising in the heavens. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Looking towards the hermitage_. + +Dear father, when shall I ever see this hallowed grove again? + +KANWA. + +I will tell thee; listen:-- + + When thou hast passed a long and blissful life + As King Dushyanta's queen, and jointly shared + With all the earth his ever-watchful care; + And hast beheld thine own heroic son, + Matchless in arms, united to a bride + In happy wedlock; when his aged sire, + Thy faithful husband, hath to him resigned + The helm of state; then, weary of the world, + Together with Dushyanta thou shalt seek + The calm seclusion of thy former home[72]; + There amid holy scenes to be at peace, + Till thy pure spirit gain its last release. + +GAUTAMI. + +Come, my child, the favourable time for our journey is fast +passing. Let thy father return. Venerable Sire, be thou the first +to move homewards, or these last words will never end. + +KANWA. + +Daughter, detain me no longer. My religious duties must not be +interrupted. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Again embracing her foster-father_. + +Beloved father, thy frame is much enfeebled by penitential +exercises. Do not, oh! do not, allow thyself to sorrow too much +on my account. + +KANWA. [_Sighing_. + + How, O my child, shall my bereaved heart + Forget its bitterness, when, day by day, + Full in my sight shall grow the tender plants + Reared by thy care, or sprang from hallowed grain + Which thy loved hands have strewn around the door-- + A frequent offering to our household gods[73]? + +Go, my daughter, and may thy journey be prosperous. + + [_Exit_ [S']AKOONTALA _with her escort_. + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. [_Gazing after_ [S']AKOONTALA. + +Alas! alas! she is gone, and now the trees hide our darling from +our view. + +KANWA. [_Sighing_. + +Well, Anasuya, your sister has departed. Moderate your grief, +both of you, and follow me, I go back to the hermitage. + +PRIYAMVADA AND ANASUYA. + +Holy father, the sacred grove will be a desert without +[S']akoontala. How can we ever return to it? + +KANWA. + +It is natural enough that your affection should make you view it +in this light. + +[_Walking pensively on_.] + +As for me, I am quite surprised at myself. Now that I have fairly +dismissed her to her husband's house, my mind is easy; for, +indeed, + + A daughter is a loan--a precious jewel + Lent to a parent till her husband claim her. + And now that to her rightful lord and master + I have delivered her, my burdened soul + Is lightened, and I seem to breathe more freely. + + [_Exeunt_. + + * * * * * + + + + +ACT V. + +SCENE.--_A Room in the Palace_. + +_The King_ DUSHYANTA _and the Jester_ MA[T.]HAVYA _are discovered +seated_. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. [_Listening_. + +Hark! my dear friend, listen a minute, and you will hear sweet +sounds proceeding from the music-room. Some one is singing a +charming air. Who can it be? Oh! I know. The queen Hansapadika is +practising her notes, that she may greet you with a new song. + +KING. + +Hush! Let me listen. + +A VOICE SINGS BEHIND THE SCENES. + + How often hither didst thou rove, + Sweet bee, to kiss the mango's cheek; + Oh! leave not, then, thy early love, + The lily's honeyed lip to seek. + +KING. + +A most impassioned strain, truly! + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Do you understand the meaning of the words? + +KING. [_Smiling_. + +She means to reprove me, because I once paid her great attention, +and have lately deserted her for the queen Vasumati. Go, my dear +fellow, and tell Hansapadika from me that I take her delicate +reproof as it is intended. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Very well. + +[_Rising from his seat_.] + +But stay--I don't much relish being sent to bear the brunt of her +jealousy. The chances are that she will have me seized by the +hair of the head and beaten to a jelly. I would as soon expose +myself, after a vow of celibacy, to the seductions of a lovely +nymph, as encounter the fury of a jealous woman. + +KING. + +Go, go; you can disarm her wrath by a civil speech; but give her +my message. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +What must be must be, I suppose. + + [_Exit_. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +Strange! that song has filled me with a most peculiar sensation. +A melancholy feeling has come over me, and I seem to yearn after +some long-forgotten object of affection. Singular, indeed! but + + Not seldom In our happy hours of ease, + When thought is still, the sight of some fair form, + Or mournful fall of music breathing low, + Will stir strange fancies, thrilling all the soul + With a mysterious sadness, and a sense + Of vague yet earnest longing. Can it be + That the dim memory of events long past, + Or friendships formed in other states of being[74], + Flits like a passing shadow o'er the spirit? + + [_Remains pensive and sad_. + +_Enter the_ CHAMBERLAIN[75], _named_ VATAYANA. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +Alas! to what an advanced period of life have I attained! + + Even this wand betrays the lapse of years; + In youthful days 'twas but a useless badge + And symbol of my office; now it serves + As a support to prop my tottering steps. + +Ah me! I feel very unwilling to announce to the King that a +deputation of young hermits from the sage Kanwa has arrived, and +craves an immediate audience. Certainly, his Majesty ought not to +neglect a matter of sacred duty, yet I hardly like to trouble him +when he has just risen from the judgment-seat. Well, well; a +monarch's business is to sustain the world, and he must not +expect much repose; because-- + + Onward, for ever onward, in his car + The unwearied Sun pursues his daily course, + Nor tarries to unyoke his glittering steeds. + And, ever moving, speeds the rushing Wind + Through boundless space, filling the universe + With his life-giving breezes. Day and night, + The King of Serpents on his thousand heads[76] + Upholds the incumbent earth; and even so, + Unceasing toil is aye the lot of kings, + Who, in return, draw nurture from their subjects. + +I will therefore deliver my message. + +[_Walking on and looking about_.] + +Ah! here comes the King. + + His subjects are his children; through the day, + Like a fond father, to supply their wants, + Incessantly he labours; wearied now, + The monarch seeks seclusion and repose; + E'en as the prince of elephants defies + The sun's fierce heat, and leads the fainting herd + To verdant pastures, ere his wayworn limbs + He yields to rest beneath the cooling shade. + +[_Approaching_.] + +Victory to the King! So please your Majesty, some hermits who +live in a forest near the Snowy Mountains have arrived here, +bringing certain women with them. They have a message to deliver +from the sage Kanwa and desire an audience. I await your +Majesty's commands. + +KING. [_Respectfully_. + +A message from the sage Kanwa, did you say? + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +Even so, my liege. + +KING. + +Tell my domestic priest Somarata to receive the hermits with due +honour, according to the prescribed form. He may then himself +introduce them into my presence. I will await them in a place +suitable for the reception of such holy guests. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +Your Majesty's commands shall be obeyed. + + [_Exit_. + +KING. [_Rising and addressing his_ WARDER. + +Vetravati, lead the way to the chamber of the consecrated +fire[77]. + +WARDER. + +This way, Sire. + +KING. + +[_Walking on, with the air of one oppressed by the cares of +Government_. + +People are generally contented and happy when they have gained +their desires; but kings have no sooner attained the object of +their aspirations than all their troubles begin. + + 'Tis a fond thought that to attain the end + And object of ambition is to rest; + Success doth only mitigate the fever + Of anxious expectation; soon the fear + Of losing what we have, the constant care + Of guarding it, doth weary. Ceaseless toil + Must be the lot of him who with his hands + Supports the canopy that shields his subjects. + +TWO HERALDS[78]. [_Behind the scenes_. + +May the King be victorious! + +FIRST HERALD. + + Honour to him who labours day by day + For the world's weal, forgetful of his own; + Like some tall tree that with its stately head + Endures the solar beam, while underneath + It yields refreshing shelter to the weary. + +SECOND HERALD. + + Let but the monarch wield his threatening rod + And e'en the guilty tremble; at his voice + The rebel spirit cowers; his grateful subjects + Acknowledge him their guardian; rich and poor + Hail him a faithful friend--a loving kinsman. + +KING. + +Weary as I was before, this complimentary address has refreshed +me. + + [_Walks on_. + +WARDER. + +Here is the terrace of the hallowed fire-chamber, and yonder +stands the cow that yields the milk for the oblations. The sacred +enclosure has been recently purified, and looks clean and +beautiful. Ascend, Sire. + +KING. [Leans on the shoulders of his attendants and ascends_. + +Vetravati, what can possibly be the message that the venerable +Kanwa has sent me by these hermits? + + Perchance their sacred rites have been disturbed + By demons, or some evil has befallen + The innocent herds, their favourites, that graze + Within the precincts of the hermitage, + Or haply, through my sins, some withering blight + Has nipped the creeping plants that spread their arms + Around the hallowed grove. Such troubled thoughts + Crowd through my mind, and fill me with misgiving. + +WARDER. + +If you ask my opinion, Sire, I think the hermits merely wish to +take an opportunity of testifying their loyalty, and are +therefore come to offer homage to your majesty. + +_Enter the_ HERMITS _leading_ [S']AKOONTALA, _attended by_ GAUTAMI; +_and in advance of them, the_ CHAMBERLAIN _and the_ DOMESTIC +PRIEST. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +This way, reverend Sirs, this way. + +[S']ARNGARAVA + +O [S']aradwata, + + 'Tis true the monarch lacks no royal grace, + Nor ever swerves from justice; true, his people, + Yea such as in life's humblest walks are found, + Refrain from evil courses; still to me, + A lonely hermit reared in solitude, + This throng appears bewildering, and I seem + To look upon a burning house, whose inmates + Are running to and fro in wild dismay. + +[S']ARADWATA. + +It is natural that the first sight of the King's capital should +affect you in this manner; my own sensations are very similar. + + As one just bathed beholds the man polluted; + As one late purified, the yet impure; + As one awake looks on the yet unawakened; + Or as the freeman gazes on the thrall, + So I regard this crowd of pleasure-seekers. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + + [_Feeling a quivering sensation in her right eyelid_ [79]_, and + suspecting a bad omen_. + +Alas! what means this throbbing of my right eyelid? + +GAUTAMI. + +Heaven avert the evil omen, my child! May the guardian deities of +thy husband's family convert it into a sign of good fortune! + +[_Walks on_. + +PRIEST. + +[_Pointing to the King_. + +Most reverend Sirs, there stands the protector of the four +classes of the people; the guardian of the four conditions of the +priesthood[80]. He has just left the judgment-seat, and is +waiting for you. Behold him! + +[S']ARNGARAVA + +Great Brahman, we are happy in thinking that the King's power is +exerted for the protection of all classes of his subjects. We +have not come as petitioners--we have the fullest confidence in +the generosity of his nature. + + The loftiest trees bend humbly to the ground + Beneath the teeming burden of their fruit; + High in the vernal sky the pregnant clouds + Suspend their stately course, and, hanging low, + Scatter their sparkling treasures o'er the earth; + And such is true benevolence; the good + Are never rendered arrogant by riches. + + WARDER. + +So please your Majesty, I judge from the placid countenance of +the hermits that they have no alarming message to deliver. + +KING. [_Looking at [S']AKOONTALA_. + +But the lady there-- + + Who can she be, whose form of matchless grace + Is half concealed beneath her flowing veil? + Among the sombre hermits she appears + Like a fresh bud 'mid sear and yellow leaves. + +WARDER. + +So please your Majesty, my curiosity is also roused, but no +conjecture occurs to my mind. This at least is certain, that she +deserves to be looked at more closely. + +KING. + +True; but it is not right to gaze at another man's wife[120]. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Placing her hand on her bosom. Aside_. + +O my heart, why this throbbing? Remember thy lord's affection, +and take courage. + +PRIEST. [_Advancing_. + +These holy men have been received with all due honour. One of +them has now a message to deliver from his spiritual superior. +Will your Majesty deign to hear it? + +KING. + +I am all attention. + +HERMITS. [_Extending their hands_. + +Victory to the King! + +KING. + +Accept my respectful greeting. + +HERMITS. + +May the desires of your soul be accomplished! + +KING. + +I trust no one is molesting you in the prosecution of your +religious rites. + +HERMITS. + + Who dares disturb our penitential rites + When thou art our protector? Can the night + Prevail to cast her shadows o'er the earth + While the sun's beams irradiate the sky? + +KING. + +Such, indeed, is the very meaning of my title--'Defender of the +Just.' I trust the venerable Kanwa is in good health. The world +is interested in his well-being. + +HERMITS. + +Holy men have health and prosperity in their own power. He bade +us greet your Majesty, and, after kind inquiries, deliver this +message. + +KING. + +Let me hear his commands. + +[S']ARNGARAVA. + +He bade us say that he feels happy in giving his sanction to the +marriage which your Majesty contracted with this lady, his +daughter, privately and by mutual agreement. Because, + + By us thou art esteemed the most illustrious + Of noble husbands; and [S']akoontala, + Virtue herself in human form revealed. + Great Brahma hath in equal yoke united + A bride unto a husband worthy of her; + Henceforth let none make blasphemous complaint + That he is pleased with ill-assorted unions[81]. + +Since, therefore, she expects soon to be the mother of thy child, +receive her into thy palace, that she may perform, in conjunction +with thee, the ceremonies prescribed by religion on such an +occasion. + +GAUTAMI. + +So please your Majesty, I would add a few words; but why should +I intrude my sentiments when an opportunity of speaking my mind +has never been allowed me? + + She took no counsel with her kindred; thou + Didst not confer with thine, but all alone + Didst solemnize thy nuptials with thy wife. + Together, then, hold converse; let us leave you. + +[S']AKOONTALA [_Aside_. + +Ah! how I tremble for my lord's reply. + +KING. + +What strange proposal is this? + +[S']AKOONTALA [_Aside_. + +His words are like fire to me. + +[S']ARNGARAVA + +What do I hear? Dost thou, then, hesitate? Monarch, thou art well +acquainted with the ways of the world, and knowest that + + A wife, however virtuous and discreet, + If she live separate from her wedded lord, + Though under shelter of her parent's roof, + Is marked for vile suspicion. Let her dwell + Beside her husband, though he hold her not + In his affection. So her kinsmen will it. + +KING. + +Do you really mean to assert that I ever married +this lady? + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Despondingly. Aside_. + +O my heart, thy worst misgivings are confirmed. + +[S']ARNGARAVA. + +Is it becoming in a monarch to depart from the rules of justice, +because he repents of his engagements? + +KING. + +I cannot answer a question which is based on a mere fabrication. + +[S']ARNGARAVA. + +Such inconstancy is fortunately not common, except in men +intoxicated by power. + +KING. + +Is that remark aimed at me? + +GAUTAMI. + +Be not ashamed, my daughter. Let me remove thy veil for a little +space. Thy husband will then recognize thee. + + [_Removes her veil_. + +KING. + + [_Gazing at_ [S']AKOONTALA. _Aside_. + + What charms are here revealed before mine eyes! + Truly no blemish mars the symmetry + Of that fair form; yet can I ne'er believe + She is my wedded wife; and like a bee + That circles round the flower whose nectared cup + Teems with the dew of morning, I must pause + Ere eagerly I taste the proffered sweetness. + + [_Remains wrapped in thought_. + +WARDER. + +How admirably does our royal master's behaviour prove his regard +for justice! Who else would hesitate for a moment when good +fortune offered for his acceptance a form of such rare beauty? + +[S']ARNGARAVA. + +Great King, why art thou silent? + +KING. + +Holy men, I have revolved the matter in my mind; but the more I +think of it, the less able am I to recollect that I ever +contracted an alliance with this lady. What answer, then, can I +possibly give you when I do not believe myself to be her husband, +and I plainly see that she is soon to become a mother? + +[S']AKOONTALA + +[_Aside_. + +Woe! woe! Is our very marriage to be called in question by my own +husband? Ah me! is this to be the end of all my bright visions of +wedded happiness? + +[S']ARNGARAVA. + +Beware! + + Beware how thou insult the holy Sage! + Remember how he generously allowed + Thy secret union with his foster-child; + And how, when thou didst rob him of his treasure, + He sought to furnish thee excuse, when rather + He should have cursed thee for a ravisher. + +[S']ARADWATA. + +[S']arngarava, speak to him no more. [S']akoontala, +our part is performed; we have said all we have to +say, and the King has replied in the manner thou +hast heard. It is now thy turn to give him convincing +evidence of thy marriage. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Aside_. + +Since his feeling towards me has undergone a complete revolution, +what will it avail to revive old recollections? One thing is +clear--I shall soon have to mourn my own widowhood. + +[_Aloud_.] + +My revered husband-- + +[_Stops short_.] + +But no--I dare not address thee by this title, since thou hast +refused to acknowledge our union. Noble descendant of Puru! It is +not worthy of thee to betray an innocent-minded girl, and disown +her in such terms, after having so lately and so solemnly +plighted thy vows to her in the hermitage. + +KING. + +[_Stopping his ears_. + +I will hear no more. Be such a crime far from my thoughts! + + What evil spirit can possess thee, lady, + That thou dost seek to sully my good name + By base aspersions, like a swollen torrent, + That, leaping from its narrow bed, o'erthrows + The tree upon its bank, and strives to blend + Its turbid waters with the crystal stream? + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +If, then, thou really believest me to be the wife of another, and +thy present conduct proceeds from some cloud that obscures thy +recollection, I will easily convince thee by this token. + +KING. + +An excellent idea! + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +[_Feeling for the ring_. + +Alas! alas! woe is me! There is no ring on my finger! + + [_Looks with anguish at_ GAUTAMI. + +GAUTAMI. + +The ring must have slipped off when thou wast in the act of +offering homage to the holy water of [S']achi's sacred pool, near +Sakravatara[82]. + +KING. [_Smiling_. + +People may well talk of the readiness of woman's invention! Here +is an instance of it. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Say, rather, of the omnipotence of fate. I will mention another +circumstance, which may yet convince thee. + +KING. + +By all means let me hear it at once. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +One day, while we were seated in a jasmine-bower, thou didst pour +into the hollow of thine hand some water, sprinkled by a recent +shower in the cup of a lotus-blossom-- + +KING. + +I am listening; proceed. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +At that instant, my adopted child, the little fawn, with soft, +long eyes, came running towards us. Upon which, before tasting +the water thyself, thou didst kindly offer some to the little +creature, saying fondly:--'Drink first, gentle fawn.' But she +could not be induced to drink from the hand of a stranger; though +immediately afterwards, when I took the water in my own hand, +she drank with perfect confidence. Then, with a smile, thou didst +say;--'Every creature confides naturally in its own kind. You are +both inhabitants of the same forest, and have learnt to trust +each other.' + +KING. + +Voluptuaries may allow themselves to be seduced from the path of +duty by falsehoods such as these, expressed in honeyed words. + +GAUTAMI. + +Speak not thus, illustrious Prince. This lady was brought up in a +hermitage, and has never learnt deceit. + +KING. + +Holy matron, + + E'en in untutored brutes, the female sex + Is marked by inborn subtlety--much more + In beings gifted with intelligence. + The wily Koil[83], ere towards the sky + She wings her sportive flight, commits her eggs + To other nests, and artfully consigns + The rearing of her little ones to strangers. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Angrily_. + +Dishonourable man, thou judgest of others by thine own evil +heart. Thou, at least, art unrivalled in perfidy, and standest +alone--a base deceiver in the garb of virtue and religion--like a +deep pit whose yawning mouth is concealed by smiling flowers. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +Her anger, at any rate, appears genuine, and makes me almost +doubt whether I am in the right. For indeed, + + When I had vainly searched my memory, + And so with stern severity denied + The fabled story of our secret loves, + Her brows, that met before in graceful curves, + Like the arched weapon of the god of love, + Seemed by her frown dissevered; while the fire + Of sudden anger kindled in her eyes. + +[_Aloud_.] + +My good lady, Dushyanta's character is well known to all. I +comprehend not your meaning. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Well do I deserve to be thought a harlot for having in the +innocence of my heart, and out of the confidence I reposed in a +Prince of Puru's race, entrusted my honour to a man whose mouth +distils honey, while his heart is full of poison. + + [_Covers her face with her mantle, and bursts into tears_. + +[S']ARNGARAVA. + +Thus it is that burning remorse must ever follow rash actions +which might have been avoided, and for which one has only one's +self to blame. + + Not hastily should marriage be contracted, + And specially in secret. Many a time, + In hearts that know not each the other's fancies, + Fond love is changed into most bitter hate. + +KING. + +How now! Do you give credence to this woman rather than to me, +that you heap such accusations on me? + +[S']ARNGARAVA. [_Sarcastically_. + +That would be too absurd, certainly. You have heard the +proverb:-- + + Hold in contempt the innocent words of those + Who from their infancy have known no guile; + But trust the treacherous counsels of the man + Who makes a very science of deceit. + +KING. + +Most veracious Brahman, grant that you are in the right, what end +would be gained by betraying this lady? + +[S']ARNGARAVA. + +Ruin. + +KING. + +No one will believe that a Prince of Puru's race would seek to +ruin others or himself. + +[S']ARADWATA. + +This altercation is idle, [S']arngarava. We have executed the +commission of our preceptor; come, let us return. + + [_To the_ KING. + + [S']akoontala is certainly thy bride; + Receive her or reject her, she is thine. + Do with her, King, according to thy pleasure-- + The husband o'er the wife is absolute. + +Go on before us, Gautami. + + [_They move away_. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +What! is it not enough to have been betrayed by this perfidious +man? Must you also forsake me, regardless of my tears and +lamentations? + + [_Attempts to follow them_. + +GAUTAMI. [_Stopping_. + +My son [S']arngarava, see! [S']akoontala is following us, and with +tears implores us not to leave her. Alas! poor child, what will +she do here with a cruel husband who casts her from him? + +[S']ARNGARAVA. + + [_Turning angrily towards her_. + +Wilful woman, dost thou seek to be independent of thy lord? + + [[S']AKOONTALA _trembles with fear_. + +[S']akoontala! + + If thou art really what the King proclaims thee, + How can thy father e'er receive thee back + Into his house and home? but if thy conscience + Be witness to thy purity of soul, + E'en should thy husband to a handmaid's lot + Condemn thee, thou may'st cheerfully endure it. + When ranked among the number of his household. + +Thy duty therefore is to stay. As for us, we must return +immediately. + +KING. + +Deceive not this lady, my good hermit, by any such expectations. + + The moon expands the lotus of the night, + The rising sun awakes the lily; each + Is with his own contented. Even so + The virtuous man is master of his passions, + And from another's wife averts his gaze[120]. + +[S']ARNGARAVA. + +Since thy union with another woman has rendered thee oblivious of +thy marriage with [S']akoontala, whence this fear of losing thy +character for constancy and virtue? + +KING. [_To his domestic_ PRIEST. + +You must counsel me, revered Sir, as to my course of action. +Which of the two evils involves the greater or less sin? + + Whether by some dark veil my mind be clouded. + Or this designing woman speak untruly, + I know not. Tell me, must I rather be + The base disowner of my wedded wife, + Or the defiling and defiled adulterer? + +PRIEST. [_After deliberation_. + +You must take an intermediate course. + +KING. + +What course, revered Sir? Tell me at once. + +PRIEST. + +I will provide an asylum for the lady in my own house until the +birth of her child; and my reason, if you ask me, is this: +Soothsayers have predicted that your first-born will have +universal dominion. Now, if the hermit's daughter bring forth a +son with the discus or mark of empire in the lines of his +hand[84], you must admit her immediately into your royal +apartments with great rejoicings; if not, then determine to send +her back as soon as possible to her father. + +KING. I bow to the decision of my spiritual advisor. + +PRIEST. + +Daughter, follow me. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +O divine earth, open and receive me into thy bosom! + +[_Exit_ [S']AKOONTALA _weeping, with the_ PRIEST _and the_ HERMITS. +_The_ KING _remains absorbed in thinking of her, though the curse +still clouds his recollection_. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +A miracle! a miracle! + +KING. + + [_Listening_. + +What has happened now? + +PRIEST. [_Entering with an air of astonishment_. + +Great Prince, a stupendous prodigy has just occurred. + +KING. + +What is it? + +PRIEST. + +May it please your Majesty, so soon as Kanwa's pupils had +departed, [S']akoontala, her eyes all bathed in tears, with +outstretched arms, bewailed her cruel fate-- + +KING. + +Well, well, what happened then? + +PRIEST. + + When suddenly a shining apparition, + In female shape, descended from the skies, + Near the nymph's pool, and bore her up to heaven. + +[_All remain motionless with astonishment_. + +KING. + +My good priest, from the very first I declined having anything to +do with this matter. It is now all over, and we can never, by our +conjectures, unravel the mystery; let it rest; go, seek repose. + +PRIEST. + + [_Looking at the_ KING. + +Be it so. Victory to the King! + + [_Exit_. + +KING. + +Vetravati, I am tired out; lead the way to the bedchamber. + +WARDER. + +This way, Sire. + + [_They move away_. + +KING. + + Do what I will, I cannot call to mind + That I did e'er espouse the sage's daughter; + Therefore I have disowned her; yet 'tis strange + How painfully my agitated heart + Bears witness to the truth of her assertion, + And makes me credit her against my judgment. + + [_Exeunt_. + + * * * * * + + + + +PRELUDE TO ACT VI. + +SCENE.--_A Street_. + +_Enter the King's brother-in-law as_ SUPERINTENDENT _of the city +police; and with him_ TWO CONSTABLES, _dragging a poor_ +FISHERMAN, _who has his hands tied behind his back_. + +BOTH THE CONSTABLES. [_Striking the prisoner_. + +Take that for a rascally thief that you are; and now tell us, sirrah, +where you found this ring--aye, the King's own signet-ring. See, here +is the royal name engraved on the setting of the jewel. + +FISHERMAN. [_With a gesture of alarm_. + +Mercy! kind sirs, mercy! I did not steal it; indeed I did not. + +FIRST CONSTABLE. + +Oh! then I suppose the King took you for some fine Brahman, and +made you a present of it? + +FISHERMAN. + +Only hear me. I am but a poor fisherman, living at Sakravatara-- + +SECOND CONSTABLE. + +Scoundrel, who ever asked you, pray, for a history of your birth +and parentage? + +SUPERINTENDENT. [_To one of the_ CONSTABLES. + +Suchaka, let the fellow tell his own story from the beginning. +Don't interrupt him. + +BOTH CONSTABLES. + +As you please, master. Go on, then, sirrah, and say what you've +got to say. + +FISHERMAN. + +You see in me a poor man, who supports his family by catching +fish with nets, hooks, and the like. + +SUPERINTENDENT. [_Laughing_. + +A most refined occupation, certainly[85]! + +FISHERMAN. + +Blame me not for it, master, + + The father's occupation, though despised + By others, casts no shame upon the son, + And he should not forsake it[86]. Is the priest + Who kills the animal for sacrifice + Therefore deemed cruel? Sure a low-born man + May, though a fisherman, be tender-hearted. + +SUPERINTENDENT. + +Well, well; go on with your story. + +FISHERMAN. + +One day I was cutting open a large carp[87] I had just hooked, +when the sparkle of a jewel caught my eye, and what should I find +in the fish's maw but that ring! Soon afterwards, when I was +offering it for sale, I was seized by your honours. Now you know +everything. Whether you kill me, or whether you let me go, this +is the true account of how the ring came into my possession. + +SUPERINTENDENT. [_To one of the_ CONSTABLES. + +Well, Januka, the rascal emits such a fishy odour that I have no +doubt of his being a fisherman; but we must inquire a little more +closely into this queer story about the finding of the ring. +Come, we'll take him before the King's household. + +BOTH CONSTABLES. + +Very good, master. Get on with you, you cutpurse. + + [_All move on_. + +SUPERINTENDENT. + +Now attend, Suchaka; keep your guard here at the gate; and hark +ye, sirrahs, take good care your prisoner does not escape, while +I go in and lay the whole story of the discovery of this ring +before the King in person. I will soon return and let you know +his commands. + +BOTH CONSTABLES. + +Go in, master, by all means; and may you find favour in the +King's sight. + +[_Exit_ SUPERINTENDENT. FIRST CONSTABLE. + + [_After an interval_. + +I say, Januka, the Superintendent is a long time away. + +SECOND CONSTABLE. + +Aye, aye; kings are not to be got at so easily. Folks must bide +the proper opportunity. + +FIRST CONSTABLE. + +Januka, my fingers itch to strike the first blow at this royal +victim here. We must kill him with all the honours, you know. I +long to begin binding the flowers round his head[88]. + + [_Pretends to strike a blow at the_ FISHERMAN. + +FISHERMAN. + +Your Honour surely will not put an innocent man to a cruel death. + +SECOND CONSTABLE. + +There's our Superintendent at last, I declare. See! he is coming +towards us with a paper in his hand. We shall soon know the +King's command; so prepare, my fine fellow, either to become food +for the vultures, or to make acquaintance with some hungry cur. + +SUPERINTENDENT. + + [_Entering_. + +Ho, there, Suchaka! set the fisherman at liberty, I tell you. His +story about the ring is all correct. SUCHAKA. + +Oh! very good, Sir; as you please. + +SECOND CONSTABLE. + +The fellow had one foot in hell, and now here he is in the land +of the living. + + [_Releases him_. + +FISHERMAN. + + [_Bowing to the_ SUPERINTENDENT. + +Now, master, what think you of my way of getting a livelihood? + +SUPERINTENDENT. + +Here, my good man, the King desired me to present you with this +purse. It contains a sum of money equal to the full value of the +ring. + + [_Gives him the money_. + +FISHERMAN. + + [_Taking it and bowing_. + +His Majesty does me too great honour. + +SUCHAKA. + +You may well say so. He might as well have taken you from the +gallows to seat you on his state elephant. + +JANUKA. + +Master, the King must value the ring very highly, or he would +never have sent such a sum of money to this ragamuffin. + +SUPERINTENDENT. + +I don't think he prizes it as a costly jewel so much as a +memorial of some person he tenderly loves. The moment it was +shown to him he became much agitated, though in general he +conceals his feelings. SUCHAKA. + +Then you must have done a great service-- + +JANUKA. + +Yes, to this husband of a fish-wife. + + [_Looks enviously at the_ FISHERMAN. + +FISHERMAN. + +Here's half the money for you, my masters. It will serve to +purchase the flowers you spoke of, if not to buy me your +good-will. + +JANUKA. + +Well, now, that's just as it should be. + +SUPERINTENDENT. + +My good fisherman, you are an excellent fellow, and I begin to +feel quite a regard for you. Let us seal our first friendship +over a glass of good liquor. Come along to the next wine-shop, +and we'll drink your health. + +ALL. + +By all means. + + [_Exeunt_. + + * * * * * + + + + +ACT VI. + +SCENE.--_The Garden of a Palace. + +The nymph_ SANUMATI _is seen descending in a celestial car_. + +SANUMATI. + +Behold me just arrived from attending in my proper turn at the +nymph's pool, where I have left the other nymphs to perform their +ablutions, whilst I seek to ascertain, with my own eyes, how it +fares with King Dushyanta. My connexion with the nymph Menaka has +made her daughter [S']akoontala dearer to me than my own flesh and +blood; and Menaka it was who charged me with this errand on her +daughter's behalf. + +[_Looking round in all directions_.] + +How is it that I see no preparations in the King's household for +celebrating the great vernal festival[89]? I could easily +discover the reason by my divine faculty of meditation[134]; but +respect must be shown to the wishes of my friend. How then shall +I arrive at the truth? I know what I will do. I will become +invisible, and place myself near those two maidens who are +tending the plants in the garden. + + [_Descends and takes her station_. + +_Enter a_ MAIDEN, _who stops in front of a mango-tree, and gazes +at the blossom. Another_ MAIDEN _is seen behind her_. + +FIRST MAIDEN. + +Hail to thee, lovely harbinger of spring! The varied radiance of +thy opening flowers Is welcome to my sight. I bid thee hail, +Sweet mango, soul of this enchanting season. + +SECOND MAIDEN. + +Parabhritika, what are you saying there to yourself? + +FIRST MAIDEN. + +Dear Madhukarika, am I not named after the Koil[90]? and does not +the Koil sing for joy at the first appearance of the mango-blossom? + +SECOND MAIDEN. [_Approaching hastily, with transport_. + +What! is spring really come? + +FIRST MAIDEN. + +Yes, indeed, Madhukarika, and with it the season of joy, love, +and song. + +SECOND MAIDEN. + +Let me lean upon you, dear, while I stead on tiptoe and pluck a +blossom, of the mango, that I may present it as an offering to +the god of love. + +FIRST MAIDEN. + +Provided you let me have half the reward which the god will +bestow in return. + +SECOND MAIDEN. + +To be sure you shall, and that without asking. Are we not one in +heart and soul, though divided in body? + +[_Leans on her friend and plucks a mango-blossom_.] + +Ah! here is a bud just bursting into flower. It diffuses a +delicious perfume, though not yet quite expanded. + +[_Joining her hands reverentially_.] + + God of the bow, who with spring's choicest flowers + Dost point thy five unerring shafts[91]; to thee + I dedicate this blossom; let it serve + To barb thy truest arrow; be its mark + Some youthful heart that pines to be beloved. + + [_Throws down a mango-blossom_. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + + [_Entering in a hurried manner, angrily_. + +Hold there, thoughtless woman. What are you about, breaking off +those mango-blossoms, when the King has forbidden the celebration +of the spring festival? + +BOTH MAIDENS. [_Alarmed_. + +Pardon us, kind Sir, we have heard nothing of it. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +You have heard nothing of it? Why, all the vernal plants and +shrubs, and the very birds that lodge in their branches, show +more respect to the King's order than you do. + + Yon mango-blossoms, though long since expanded, + Gather no down upon their tender crests; + The flower still lingers in the amaranth[92], + Imprisoned in its bud; the tuneful Koil, + Though winter's chilly dews be overpast, + Suspends the liquid volume of his song + Scarce uttered in his throat; e'en Love, dismayed, + Restores the half-drawn arrow to his quiver. + +BOTH MAIDENS. + +The mighty power of King Dushyanta is not to be disputed. + +FIRST MAIDEN. + +It is but a few days since Mitravasu, the King's brother-in-law, +sent us to wait upon his Majesty; and, during the whole of our +sojourn here, we have been entrusted with the charge of the royal +pleasure-grounds. We are therefore strangers in this place, and +heard nothing of the order till you informed us of it. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +Well then, now you know it, take care you don't continue your +preparations. + +BOTH MAIDENS. + +But tell us, kind Sir, why has the King prohibited the usual +festivities? We are curious to hear, if we may. + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +Men are naturally fond of festive entertainments. There must be +some good reason for the prohibition. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +The whole affair is now public; why should I not speak of it? +Has not the gossip about the King's rejection of [S']akoontala +reached your ears yet? + +BOTH MAIDENS. + +Oh yes, we heard the story from the King's brother-in-law, as +far, at least, as the discovery of the ring. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +Then there is little more to tell you. As soon as the King's +memory was restored by the sight of his own ring, he exclaimed: +'Yes, it is all true. I remember now my secret marriage with +[S']akoontala. When I repudiated her, I had lost my recollection!' +Ever since that moment, he has yielded himself a prey to the +bitterest remorse. + + He loathes his former pleasures; he rejects + The daily homage of his ministers; + On his lone couch he tosses to and fro, + Courting repose in vain. Whene'er he meets + The ladies of his palace, and would fain + Address them with politeness, he confounds + Their names; or, calling them '[S']akoontala,' + Is straightway silent and abashed with shame. + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +To me this account is delightful. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +In short, the King is so completely out of his mind that the +festival has been prohibited. + +BOTH MAIDENS. + +Perfectly right. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +The King! the King! This way, Sire, this way. + +CHAMBERLAIN. [_Listening_. + +Oh! here comes his Majesty in this direction. Pass on, maidens; +attend to your duties. + +BOTH MAIDENS. + +We will, sir. + + [_Exeunt_. + +_Enter King_ DUSHYANTA, _dressed in deep mourning, attended his +Jester_, MA[T.]HAVYA, _and preceded by_ VETRAVATI. + +CHAMBERLAIN. [_Gazing at the_ KING. + +Well, noble forms are certainly pleasing, under all varieties of +outward circumstances. The King's person is as charming as ever, +notwithstanding his sorrow of mind. + + Though but a single golden bracelet spans + His wasted arm; though costly ornaments + Have given place to penitential weeds; + Though oft-repeated sighs have blanched his lips, + And robbed them of their bloom; though sleepless care + And carking thought have dimmed his beaming eye; + Yet does his form, by its inherent lustre, + Dazzle the gaze; and, like a priceless gem + Committed to some cunning polisher, + Grow more effulgent by the loss of substance. + +SANUMATI. [_Aside. Looking at the_ KING. + +Now that I have seen him, I can well understand why [S']akoontala +should pine after such a man, in spite of his disdainful +rejection of her. + +KING. [_Walking slowly up and down in deep thought_. + + When fatal lethargy o'erwhelmed my soul, + My loved one strove to rouse me, but in vain; + And now, when I would fain in slumber deep + Forget myself, full soon remorse doth wake me. + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +My poor [S']akoontala's sufferings are very similar. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. [_Aside_. + +He is taken with another attack of this odious [S']akoontala-fever. +How shall we ever cure him? + +CHAMBERLAIN. [_Approaching_. + +Victory to the King! Great Prince, the royal pleasure-grounds +have been put in order. Your Majesty can resort to them for +exercise and amusement whenever you think proper. + +KING. + +Vetravati, tell the worthy Pi[S']una, my prime minister, from me, +that I am so exhausted by want of sleep that I cannot sit on the +judgment-seat to-day. If any case of importance be brought before +the tribunal, he must give it his best attention, and inform me +of the circumstances by letter. + +VETRAVATI. + +Your Majesty's commands shall be obeyed. + + [_Exit_. + +KING. [_To the CHAMBERLAIN_. + +And you, Vatayana, may go about your own affairs. + +CHAMBERLAIN. + +I will, Sire. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Now that you have rid yourself of these troublesome fellows, you +can enjoy the delightful coolness of your pleasure-grounds +without interruption. + +KING. + +Ah! my dear friend, there is an old adage:--'When affliction has +a mind to enter, she will find a crevice somewhere;' and it is +verified in me. + + Scarce is my soul delivered from the cloud + That darkened its remembrance of the past, + When lo! the heart-born deity of love + With yonder blossom of the mango barbs + His keenest shaft, and aims it at my breast. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Well, then, wait a moment; I will soon demolish Master Kama's[47] +arrow with a cut of my cane. + + [_Raises his stick and strikes off the mango-blossom_. + +KING. [_Smiling_. + +That will do. I see very well the god of love is not a match for +a Brahman. And now, my dear friend, where shall I sit down, that +I may enchant my sight by gazing on the twining plants, which +seem to remind me of the graceful shape of my beloved? + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Don't you remember? you told your personal attendant, Chaturika, +that you would pass the heat of the day in the jasmine-bower; and +commanded her to bring the likeness of your queen [S']akoontala, +sketched with your own hand. + +KING. + +True. The sight of her picture will refresh my soul. Lead the way +to the arbour. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +This way, Sire. + + [_Both move on, followed by_ SANUMATI. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Here we are at the jasmine-bower. Look, it has a marble seat, and +seems to bid us welcome with its offerings of delicious flowers. +You have only to enter and sit down. + + [_Both enter and seat themselves_. + +SANUMATI + +[_Aside_. + +I will lean against these young jasmines. I can easily, from +behind them, glance at my friend's picture, and will then hasten +to inform her of her husband's ardent affection. + + [_Stands leaning against the creepers_. + +KING. + +Oh! my dear friend, how vividly all the circumstances of my union +with [S']akoontala present themselves to my recollection at this +moment! But tell me now how it was that, between the time of my +leaving her in the hermitage and my subsequent rejection of her, +you never breathed her name to me? True, you were not by my side +when I disowned her; but I had confided to you the story of my +love, and you were acquainted with every particular. Did it pass +out of your mind as it did out of mine? + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +No, no; trust me for that. But, if you remember, when you had +finished telling me about it, you added that I was not to take +the story in earnest, for that you were not really in love with a +country girl, but were only jesting; and I was dull and +thick-headed enough to believe you. But so fate decreed, and +there is no help for it. + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +Exactly. + +KING. [_After deep thought_. + +My dear friend, suggest some relief for my misery. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Come, come, cheer up; why do you give way? Such weakness is +unworthy of you. Great men never surrender themselves to +uncontrolled grief. Do not mountains remain unshaken even in a +gale of wind? + +KING. + +How can I be otherwise than inconsolable, when I call to mind the +agonized demeanour of the dear one on the occasion of my +disowning her? + + When cruelly I spurned her from my presence, + She fain had left me; but the young recluse, + Stern as the Sage, and with authority + As from his saintly master, in a voice + That brooked not contradiction, bade her stay. + Then through her pleading eyes, bedimmed with tears, + She cast on me one long reproachful look, + Which like a poisoned shaft torments me still. + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +Alas! such is the force of self-reproach following a rash +action. But his anguish only rejoices me. + +MA[T.]HAVYA + +An idea has just struck me. I should not wonder if some celestial +being had carried her off to heaven. + +KING. + +Very likely. Who else would have dared to lay a finger on a wife, +the idol of her husband? It is said that Menaka, the nymph of +heaven, gave her birth. The suspicion has certainly crossed my +mind that some of her celestial companions may have taken her to +their own abode. + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +His present recollection of every circumstance of her history +does not surprise me so much as his former forgetfulness. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +If that's the case, you will be certain to meet her before long. + +KING. + +Why? + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +No father and mother can endure to see a daughter suffering the +pain of separation from her husband. + +KING. Oh! my dear Ma[T.]Havya, + + Was it a dream? or did some magic dire, + Dulling my senses with a strange delusion, + O'ercome my spirit? or did destiny, + Jealous of my good actions, mar their fruit, + And rob me of their guerdon? It is past, + Whate'er the spell that bound me. Once again + Am I awake, but only to behold + The precipice o'er which my hopes have fallen. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Do not despair in this manner. Is not this very ring a proof that +what has been lost may be unexpectedly found? + +KING. [_Gazing at the ring_. + +Ah! this ring, too, has fallen from a station not easily +regained, and I offer it my sympathy. O gem, + + The punishment we suffer is deserved, + And equal is the merit of our works, + When such our common doom. Thou didst enjoy + The thrilling contact of those slender fingers, + Bright as the dawn; and now how changed thy lot! + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +Had it found its way to the hand of any other person, then indeed +its fate would have been deplorable. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Pray, how did the ring ever come upon her hand at all? + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +I myself am curious to know. + +KING. + +You shall hear. When I was leaving my beloved [S']akoontala that I +might return to my own capital, she said to me, with tears in her +eyes: 'How long will it be ere my lord send for me to his palace +and make me his queen?' + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Well, what was your reply? + +KING. + +Then I placed the ring on her finger, and thus addressed her:-- + +Repeat each day one letter of the name Engraven on this gem; ere +thou hast reckoned The tale of syllables, my minister Shall come +to lead thee to thy husband's palace. + +But, hard-hearted man that I was, I forgot to fulfil my promise, +owing to the infatuation that took possession of me. + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +A pleasant arrangement! Fate, however, ordained that the +appointment should not be kept. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +But how did the ring contrive to pass into the stomach of that +carp which the fisherman caught and was cutting up? + +KING. + +It must have slipped from my [S']akoontala's hand, and fallen into +the stream of the Ganges, while she was offering homage to the +water of [S']achi's holy pool. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Very likely. + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +Hence it happened, I suppose, that the King, always fearful of +committing the least injustice, came to doubt his marriage with +my poor [S']akoontala. But why should affection so strong as his +stand in need of any token of recognition? + +KING. + +Let me now address a few words of reproof to this ring. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. [_Aside_. + +He is going stark mad, I verily believe. + +KING. + + Hear me, then dull and undiscerning bauble! + For so it argues thee, that thou could'st leave + The slender fingers of her hand, to sink + Beneath the waters. Yet what marvel is it + That thou should'st lack discernment? let me rather + Heap curses on myself, who, though endowed + With reason, yet rejected her I loved. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. [_Aside_. + +And so, I suppose, I must stand here to be devoured by hunger, +whilst he goes on in this sentimental strain. + +KING. + +O forsaken one, unjustly banished from my presence, take pity on +thy slave, whose heart is consumed by the fire of remorse, and +return to my sight. + +_Enter_ CHATURIKA _hurriedly, with a picture in her hand_. + +CHATURIKA. + +Here is the Queen's portrait. + + [_Shows the picture_. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Excellent, my dear friend, excellent! The imitation of nature is +perfect, and the attitude of the figures is really charming. They +stand out in such bold relief that the eye is quite deceived. + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +A most artistic performance! I admire the King's skill, and could +almost believe that [S']akoontala herself was before me. + +KING. + + I own 'tis not amiss, though it portrays + But feebly her angelic loveliness. + Aught less than perfect is depicted falsely, + And fancy must supply the imperfection. + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +A very just remark from a modest man, whose affection is +exaggerated by the keenness of his remorse. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Tell me:--I see three female figures drawn on the canvas, and all +of them beautiful; which of the three is her Majesty [S']akoontala? + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +If he cannot distinguish her from the others, the simpleton might +as well have no eyes in his head. + +KING. + +Which should you imagine to be intended for her? + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +She who is leaning, apparently a little tired, against the stem +of that mango-tree, the tender leaves of which glitter with the +water she has poured upon them. Her arms are gracefully extended; +her face is somewhat flushed with the heat; and a few flowers +have escaped from her hair, which has become unfastened, and hangs +in loose tresses about her neck. That must be the queen +[S']akoontala, and the others, I presume, are her two attendants. + +KING. + +I congratulate you on your discernment. Behold the proof of my +passion; + + My finger, burning with the glow of love[93], + Has left its impress on the painted tablet; + While here and there, alas! a scalding tear + Has fallen on the cheek and dimmed its brightness. + +Chaturika, the garden in the background of the picture is only +half-painted. Go, fetch the brush that I may finish it. + +CHATURIKA. + +Worthy Ma[t.]havya, have the kindness to hold the picture until I +return. + +KING. + +Nay, I will hold it myself. + + [_Takes the picture_. + + [_Exit_ CHATURIKA. + + My loved one came but lately to my presence + And offered me herself, but in my folly + I spurned the gift, and now I fondly cling + To her mere image; even as a madman + Would pass the waters of the gushing stream, + And thirst for airy vapours of the desert[94]. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. [_Aside_. + +He has been fool enough to forego the reality for the semblance, +the substance for the shadow. + +[_Aloud_.] + +Tell us, I pray, what else remains to be painted. + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +He longs, no doubt, to delineate some favourite spot where my +[S']akoontala delighted to ramble. + +KING. + +You shall hear:-- + + I wish to see the Malini portrayed, + Its tranquil course by banks of sand impeded; + Upon the brink a pair of swans; beyond, + The hills adjacent to Himalaya[95], + Studded with deer; and, near the spreading shade + Of some large tree, where 'mid the branches hang + The hermits' vests of bark, a tender doe, + Rubbing its downy forehead on the horn + Of a black antelope, should be depicted. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + + [_Aside_. + +Pooh! if I were he, I would fill up the vacant +spaces with a lot of grizzly-bearded old hermits. + +KING. + +My dear Ma[T.]Havya, there is still a part of [S']akoontala's +dress which I purposed to draw, but find I have +omitted. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +What is that? + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +Something suitable, I suppose, to the simple attire of a young +and beautiful girl dwelling in a forest. + +KING. + + A sweet [S']irisha blossom should be twined + Behind her ear[7], its perfumed crest depending + Towards her cheek; and, resting on her bosom, + A lotus-fibre necklace, soft and bright + As an autumnal moonbeam, should be traced. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Pray, why does the Queen cover her lips with the tips of her +fingers, bright as the blossom of a lily, as if she were afraid +of something? [_Looking more closely_.] Oh! I see; a vagabond +bee, intent on thieving honey from the flowers, has mistaken her +mouth for a rosebud, and is trying to settle upon it. + +KING. + +A bee! drive off the impudent insect, will you? + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +That's your business. Your royal prerogative gives you power over +all offenders. + +KING. + +Very true. Listen to me, thou favourite guest of flowering plants; +why give thyself the trouble of hovering here? + + See where thy partner sits on yonder flower, + And waits for thee ere she will sip its dew. + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +A most polite way of warning him off! + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +You'll find the obstinate creature is not to be sent about his +business so easily as you think. + +KING. + +Dost thou presume to disobey? Now hear me:-- + + An thou but touch the lips of my beloved, + Sweet as the opening blossom, whence I quaffed + In happier days love's nectar, I will place thee + Within the hollow of yon lotus cup, + And there imprison thee for thy presumption. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +He must be bold indeed not to show any fear when you threaten him +with such an awful punishment. [_Smiling, aside_.] He is stark mad, +that's clear; and I believe, by keeping him company, I am beginning +to talk almost as wildly. [_Aloud_.] Look, it is only a painted bee. + +KING. + +Painted? impossible! + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +Even I did not perceive it; how much less should he! + +KING. + +Oh! my dear friend, why were you so ill-natured as to tell me the +truth? + + While all entranced, I gazed upon her picture, + My loved one seemed to live before my eyes + Till every fibre of my being thrilled + With rapturous emotion. Oh! 'twas cruel + To dissipate the day-dream, and transform + The blissful vision to a lifeless image. + + [_Sheds tears_. + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +Separated lovers are very difficult to please; but he seems more +difficult than usual. + +KING. + +Alas! my dear Ma[T.]Havya, why am I doomed to be the victim of +perpetual disappointment? + + Vain is the hope of meeting her in dreams, + For slumber night by night forsakes my couch; + And now that I would fain assuage my grief + By gazing on her portrait here before me, + Tears of despairing love obscure my sight. + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +You have made ample amends for the wrong you did [S']akoontala in +disowning her. + +CHATURIKA. [_Entering_. + +Victory to the King! I was coming along with the box of colours +in my hand-- + +KING. + +What now? + +CHATURIKA. + +When I met the queen Vasumati, attended by Taralika. She insisted +on taking it from me, and declared she would herself deliver it +into your Majesty's hands. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +By what luck did you contrive to escape her? + +CHATURIKA. + +While her maid was disengaging her mantle, which had caught in +the branch, of a shrub, I ran away. + +KING. + +Here, my good friend, take the picture and conceal it. My +attentions to the Queen have made her presumptuous. She will be +here in a minute. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +Conceal the picture! conceal myself, you mean. + +[_Getting up and taking the picture_.] + +The Queen has a bitter draught in store for you, which you will +have to swallow, as [S']iva did the poison at the Deluge[96]. When +you are well quit of her, you may send and call me from the +Palace of Clouds[97], where I shall take refuge. + + [_Exit, running_. + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +Although the King's affections are transferred to another object, +yet he respects his previous attachments. I fear his love must be +somewhat fickle. + +VETRAVATI. [_Entering with a despatch in her hand_. + +Victory to the King! + +KING. + +Vetravati, did you observe the queen Vasumati coming in this +direction? + +VETRAVATI. + +I did; but when she saw that I had a despatch in my hand for your +Majesty, she turned back. + +KING. + +The Queen has too much regard for propriety to interrupt me when +I am engaged with State-affairs. + +VETRAVATI. + +So please your Majesty, your prime minister begs respectfully to +inform you that he has devoted much time to the settlement of +financial calculations, and only one case of importance has been +submitted by the citizens for his consideration. He has made a +written report of the facts, and requests your Majesty to cast +your eyes over it. + +KING. + +Hand me the paper. + + [_VETRAVATI delivers it_. + +[_Reading_. + +What have we here? 'A merchant named Dhanamitra, trading by sea, +was lost in a late shipwreck. Though a wealthy trader, he was +childless; and the whole of his immense property becomes by law +forfeited to the king.' So writes the minister. Alas! alas! for +his childlessness! But surely, if he was wealthy, he must have +had many wives. Let an inquiry be made whether any one of them is +expecting to give birth to a child. + +VETRAVATI. + +They say that his wife, the daughter of the foreman of a guild +belonging to Ayodhya [98], has just completed the ceremonies usual +upon such expectations. + +KING. + +The unborn child has a title to its father's property. Such is my +decree. Go, bid my minister proclaim it so. + +VETRAVATI. + +I will, my liege. + + [_Going_. + +KING. + +Stay a moment. + +VETRAVATI. + +I am at your Majesty's service. + +KING. + +Let there be no question whether he may or may not have left +offspring; Rather be it proclaimed that whosoe'er Of King +Dushyanta's subjects be bereaved + + Of any loved relation, an it be not + That his estates are forfeited for crimes, + Dushyanta will himself to them supply + That kinsman's place in tenderest affection. + +VETRAVATI. + +It shall be so proclaimed. + + [_Exit_ VETRAVATI, _and re-enters after an interval_. + +VETRAVATI. + +Your Majesty's proclamation was received with acclamations of +joy, like grateful rain at the right season. + +KING. [_Drawing a deep sigh_. + +So, then, the property of rich men, who have no lineal +descendants, passes over to a stranger at their decease. And +such, alas! must be the fate of the fortunes of the race of Puru +at my death; even as when fertile soil is sown with seed at the +wrong season. + +VETRAVATI. + +Heaven forbid! + +KING. + +Fool that I was to reject such happiness when it offered itself +for my acceptance! + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +He may well blame his own folly when he calls to mind his +treatment of my beloved [S']akoontala. + +KING. + + Ah! woe is me! when I forsook my wife-- + My lawful wife--concealed within her breast + There lay my second self, a child unborn, + Hope of my race, e'en as the choicest fruit + Lies hidden in the bosom of the earth. + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +There is no fear of your race being cut off for want of a son. + +CHATURIKA. [_Aside to_ VETRAVATI. + +The affair of the merchant's death has quite upset our royal +master, and caused him sad distress. Would it not be better to +fetch the worthy Ma[t.]havya from the Palace of Clouds to comfort +him? + +VETRAVATI. + +A very good idea. + + [_Exit_. + +KING. + +Alas! the shades of my forefathers are even now beginning to be +alarmed, lest at my death they may be deprived of their funeral +libations. + + No son remains in King Dushyanta's place + To offer sacred homage to the dead + Of Puru's noble line; my ancestors + Must drink these glistening tears, the last libation[99] + A childless man can ever hope to make them. + + [_Falls down in an agony of grief_. + +CHATURIKA. [_Looking at him in consternation_. + +Great King, compose yourself. + +SANUMATI. [_Aside_. + +Alas! alas! though a bright light is shining near him, he is +involved in the blackest darkness, by reason of the veil that +obscures his sight. I will now reveal all, and put an end to his +misery. But no; I heard the mother of the great Indra[100], when +she was consoling [S']akoontala, say that the gods will soon bring +about a joyful union between husband and wife, being eager for +the sacrifice which will be celebrated in their honour on the +occasion. I must not anticipate the happy moment, but will return +at once to my dear friend and cheer her with an account of what I +have seen and heard. [_Rises aloft and disappears_. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Help! help! to the rescue! + +KING. + + [_Recovering himself. Listening_. + +Ha! I heard a cry of distress, and in Ma[t.]havya's voice too. What +ho there! + +VETRAVATI. [_Entering_. + +Your friend is in danger; save him, great King. + +KING. + +Who dares insult the worthy Ma[t.]havya? + +VETRAVATI. + +Some evil demon, invisible to human eyes, has seized him, and +carried him to one of the turrets of the Palace of Clouds. + +KING. [_Rising_. + + Impossible! Have evil spirits power over my subjects, + even in nay private apartments? Well, well;-- + Daily I seem, less able to avert + Misfortune from myself, and o'er my actions + Less competent to exercise control; + How can I then direct my subjects' ways, + Or shelter them from tyranny and wrong? + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Halloo there! my dear friend; help! help! + +KING. [_Advancing with rapid strides_. + +Fear nothing-- + +THE SAME VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Fear nothing, indeed! How can I help fearing when some monster is +twisting back my neck, and is about to snap it as he would a +sugar-cane? + +KING. [_Looking round_. +What ho there! my bow! + +SLAVE. [_Entering with a bow_. + +Behold your bow, Sire, and your arm-guard. + +[_The_ KING _snatches up the bow and arrows_. + +ANOTHER VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + + Here, thirsting for thy life-blood, will I slay thee, + As a fierce tiger rends his struggling prey. + Call now thy friend Dushyanta to thy aid; + His bow is mighty to defend the weak; + Yet all its vaunted power shall be as nought. + +KING. [_With fury_. + +What! dares he defy me to my face? Hold there, monster! Prepare +to die, for your time is come. + +[_Stringing his bow_.] + +Vetravati, lead the way to the terrace. + +VETRAVATI. + +This way, Sire. + + [_They advance in haste_. + +KING. [_Looking on every side_. + +How's this? there is nothing to be seen. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Help! Save me! I can see you, though you cannot see me. I am like +a mouse in the claws of a cat; my life is not worth a minute's +purchase. + +KING. + + Avaunt, monster! You may pride yourself on the + magic that renders you invisible, but my arrow shall + find you out. Thus do I fix a shaft + That shall discern between an impious demon, + And a good Brahman; bearing death to thee, + To him deliverance--even as the swan + Distinguishes the milk from worthless water[101]. + + [_Takes aim_. + +_Enter_ MATALI[102] _holding_ MA[T.]HAVYA, _whom he releases_. + +MATALI. + + Turn thou thy deadly arrows on the demons; + Such is the will of Indra; let thy bow + Be drawn against the enemies of the gods; + But on thy friends cast only looks of favour. + +KING. [_Putting back his arrow_. + +What, Matali! Welcome, most noble charioteer of the mighty Indra. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. + +So, here is a monster who thought as little about slaughtering me +as if I had been a bullock for sacrifice, and you must e'en greet +him with a welcome. + +MATALI. [_Smiling_. + +Great Prince, hear on what errand Indra sent me into your +presence. + +KING. + +I am all attention. + +MATALI. + +There is a race of giants, the descendants of Kalanemi[103], whom +the gods find it difficult to subdue. + +KING. + +So I have already heard from Narada[104]. + +MATALI. + + Heaven's mighty lord, who deigns to call thee 'friend,' + Appoints thee to the post of highest honour, + As leader of his armies; and commits + The subjugation of this giant brood + To thy resistless arms, e'en as the sun + Leaves the pale moon to dissipate the darkness. + +Let your Majesty, therefore, ascend at once the celestial car of +Indra; and, grasping your arms, advance to victory. + +KING. + +The mighty Indra honours me too highly by such a mark of +distinction. But tell me, what made you act thus towards my poor +friend Ma[T.]Havya? + +MATALI. + + I will tell you. Perceiving that your Majesty's + spirit was completely broken by some distress of mind + under which you were labouring, I determined to + rouse your energies by moving you to anger. Because + To light a flame, we need but stir the embers; + The cobra, when incensed, extends his head + And springs upon his foe; the bravest men + Display their courage only when provoked. + +KING. [_Aside to_ MA[T.]HAVYA. + +My dear Ma[T.]Havya, the commands of the great Indra must not be +left unfulfilled. Go you and acquaint my minister, Pi[S']una, with +what has happened, and say to him from me:-- + + Dushyanta to thy care confides his realm-- + Protect with all the vigour of thy mind + The interests of his people; while his bow + Is braced against the enemies of heaven. + +MA[T.]HAVYA. +I obey. [_Exit_. + +MATALI + +Ascend, illustrious Prince. + + [_The_ KING _ascends the car_. + + [_Exeunt_. + + * * * * * + + + + +ACT VII. + + +SCENE.--_The Sky_. + +_Enter_ KING DUSHYANTA _and_ MATALI _in the car of Indra, moving +in the air_. + +KING. + +My good Matali, it appears to me incredible that I can merit such +a mark of distinction for having simply fulfilled the behests of +the great Indra. + +MATALI. [_Smiling_. + +Great Prince, it seems to me that neither of you is satisfied +with himself. + + You underrate the services you have rendered, + And think too highly of the god's reward; + He deems it scarce sufficient recompense + For your heroic deeds on his behalf. + +KING. + +Nay, Matali, say not so. My most ambitious expectations were more +than realised by the honour conferred on me at the moment when I +took my leave. For, + + Tinged with celestial sandal, from the breast[105] + Of the great Indra, where before it hung, + A garland of the ever-blooming tree + Of Nandana[106] was cast about my neck + By his own hand; while, in the very presence + Of the assembled gods, I was enthroned + Beside their mighty lord, who smiled to see + His son Jayanta[107] envious of the honour. + +MATALI. + +There is no mark of distinction which your Majesty does not +deserve at the hands of the immortals. See, + + Heaven's hosts acknowledge thee their second saviour: + For now thy how's unerring shafts (as erst + The Lion-man's terrific claws[108]) have purged + The empyreal sphere from taint of demons foul. + +KING. + +The praise of my victory must be ascribed to the majesty of +Indra. + + When mighty gods make men their delegates + In martial enterprise, to them belongs + The palm of victory; and not to mortals. + Could the pale Dawn dispel the shades of night, + Did not the god of day, whose diadem + Is jewelled with a thousand beams of light, + Place him in front of his effulgent car[11]? + +MATALI. + +A very just comparison! + +[_Driving on_.] + +Great King, behold! the glory of thy fame has reached even to the +vault of heaven. + + Hark! yonder inmates of the starry sphere + Sing anthems worthy of thy martial deeds, + While with celestial colours they depict + The story of thy victories on scrolls + Formed of the leaves of heaven's immortal trees. + +KING. + +My good Matali, yesterday, when I ascended the sky, I was so +eager to do battle with the demons, that the road by which we +were travelling towards Indra's heaven escaped my observation. +Tell me, in which path of the seven winds are we now moving? + +MATALI. + + We journey in the path of Parivaha[109]-- + The wind that bears along the triple Ganges[110] + And causes Ursa's seven stars to roll + In their appointed orbits, scattering + Their several rays with equal distribution. + 'Tis the same path that once was sanctified + By the divine impression of the foot + Of Vishnu, when, to conquer haughty Bali, + He spanned the heavens in his second stride[111]. + +KING. + +This is the reason, I suppose, that a sensation of calm repose +pervades all my senses. + +[_Looking down at the wheels_.] + +Ah! Matali, we are descending towards the earth's atmosphere. + +MATALI. + +What makes you think so? + +KING. + +The car itself instructs me; we are moving +O'er pregnant clouds, surcharged with rain; below us +I see the moisture-loving Chatakas[112] +In sportive flight dart through the spokes; the steeds +Of Indra glisten with the lightning's flash; +And a thick mist bedews the circling wheels. + +MATALI. + +You are right; in a little while the chariot will touch the +ground, and you will be in your own dominions. + +KING. [_Looking down_. + +How wonderful the appearance of the earth as we rapidly descend! + + Stupendous prospect! yonder lofty hills + Do suddenly uprear their towering heads + Amid the plain, while from beneath their crests + The ground receding sinks; the trees, whose stem + Seemed lately hid within their leafy tresses, + Rise into elevation, and display + Their branching shoulders; yonder streams, whose waters, + Like silver threads, were scarce, but now, discerned, + Grow into mighty rivers; lo! the earth + Seems upward hurled by some gigantic power. + +MATALI. + +Well described! + + [_Looking with awe_.] + +Grand, indeed, and lovely is the spectacle presented by the +earth. + +KING. + +Tell me, Matali, what is the range of mountains which, like a +bank of clouds illumined by the setting sun, pours down a stream +of gold? On one side its base dips into the eastern ocean, and on +the other side into the western. + +MATALI. + +Great Prince, it is called 'Golden-peak[113],' and is the abode +of the attendants of the god of wealth. In this spot the highest +forms of penance are wrought out. + + There Ka[s']yapa[114], the great progenitor + Of demons and of gods, himself the offspring + Of the divine Marichi, Brahma's son, + With Aditi, his wife, in calm seclusion, + Does holy penance for the good of mortals. + +KING. + +Then I must not neglect so good an opportunity of obtaining his +blessing. I should much like to visit this venerable personage +and offer him my homage. + +MATALI. + +By all means. An excellent idea! + + [_Guides the car to the earth_. + +KING. [_In a tone of wonder_. + +How's this? + + Our chariot wheels move noiselessly. Around + No clouds of dust arise; no shock betokened + Our contact with the earth; we seem to glide + Above the ground, so lightly do we touch it. + +MATALI. + +Such is the difference between the car of Indra and that of your +Majesty. + +KING. + +In which direction, Matali, is Ka[s']yapa's sacred retreat? + +MATALI. [_Pointing_. + + Where stands yon anchorite, towards the orb + Of the meridian sun, immovable + As a tree's stem, his body half-concealed + By a huge ant-hill. Bound about his breast + No sacred cord is twined[115], but in its stead + A hideous serpent's skin. In place of necklace, + The tendrils of a withered creeper chafe + His wasted neck. His matted hair depends + In thick entanglement about his shoulders, + And birds construct their nests within its folds[116]. + +KING. + +I salute thee, thou man of austere devotion. + +MATALI. [_Holding in the reins of the car_. + +Great Prince, we are now in the sacred grove of the holy +Ka[s']yapa--the grove that boasts as its ornament one of the five +trees of Indra's heaven, reared by Aditi. + +KING. + +This sacred retreat is more delightful than heaven itself. I +could almost fancy myself bathing in a pool of nectar. + +MATALI. [_Stopping the chariot_. + +Descend, mighty Prince. + +KING. [_Descending_. + +And what will you do, Matali? + +MATALI. + +The chariot will remain where I have stopped it. We may both +descend. + +[_Doing so_.] + +This way, great King. + +[_Walking on_.] + +You see around you the celebrated region where the holiest sages +devote themselves to penitential rites. + +KING. + +I am filled with awe and wonder as I gaze. + + In such a place as this do saints of earth + Long to complete their acts of penance; here, + Beneath the shade of everlasting trees. + Transplanted from the groves of Paradise, + May they inhale the balmy air, and need + No other nourishment[117]; here may they bathe + In fountains sparkling with the golden dust + Of lilies; here, on jewelled slabs of marble, + In meditation rapt, may they recline; + Here, in the presence of celestial nymphs, + E'en passion's voice is powerless to move them. + +MATALI. + +So true is it that the aspirations of the good and great are ever +soaring upwards. + +[_Turning round and speaking off the stage_.] + +Tell me, Vriddha-[S']akalya, how is the divine son of Marichi now +engaged? What sayest thou? that he is conversing with Aditi and +some of the wives of the great sages, and that they are +questioning him respecting the duties of a faithful wife? + +KING. [_Listening_. + +Then we must await the holy father's leisure. + +MATALI. [_Looking at the_ KING. + +If your Majesty will rest under the shade, at the foot of this +A[s']oka-tree [118], I will seek an opportunity of announcing your +arrival to Indra's reputed father. + +KING. + +As you think proper. + + [_Remains under the tree_. + +MATALI. + +Great King, I go. [_Exit_. + +KING. [_Feeling his arm throb_. + + Wherefore this causeless throbbing, O mine arm[18]? + All hope has fled for ever; mock me not + With presages of good, when happiness + Is lost, and nought but misery remains. + +A VOICE BEHIND THE SCENES. + +Be not so naughty. Do you begin already to show a refractory +spirit? + +KING. [_Listening_. + +This is no place for petulance. Who can it be whose behaviour +calls for such a rebuke? + +[_Looking in the direction of the sound and smiling_.] + +A child, is it? closely attended by two holy women. His +disposition seems anything but child-like. See! + + He braves the fury of yon lioness + Suckling its savage offspring, and compels + The angry whelp to leave the half-sucked dug, + Tearing its tender mane in boisterous sport. + +_Enter a_ CHILD, _attended by_ TWO WOMEN _of the hermitage, in +the manner described_. + +CHILD. + +Open your mouth, my young lion, I want to count your teeth. + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + +You naughty child, why do you tease the animals? Know you not +that we cherish them in this hermitage as if they were our own +children? In good sooth, you have a high spirit of your own, and +are beginning already to do justice to the name Sarva-damana +('All-taming'), given you by the hermits. + +KING. + +Strange! My heart inclines towards the boy with almost as much +affection as if he were my own child. What can be the reason? I +suppose my own childlessness makes me yearn towards the sons of +others. + +SECOND ATTENDANT. + +This lioness will certainly attack you if you do not release her +whelp. + +CHILD. [_Laughing_. + +Oh! indeed! let her come. Much I fear her, to be sure! + + [_Pouts his under-lip in defiance_. + +KING. + + The germ of mighty courage lies concealed + Within this noble infant, like a spark + Beneath the fuel, waiting but a breath + To fan the flame and raise a conflagration. + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + +Let the young lion go, like a dear child, and I will give you +something else to play with. + +CHILD. + +Where is it? Give it me first. + + [_Stretches out his hand_. + +KING. [_Looking at his hand_. + +How's that? His hand exhibits one of those mystic marks[84] which +are the sure prognostic of universal empire. See! His fingers +stretched in eager expectation To grasp the wished-for toy, and +knit together By a close-woven web, in shape resemble A lotus +blossom, whose expanding petals The early dawn has only half +unfolded. + +SECOND ATTENDANT. + +We shall never pacify him by mere words, dear Suvrata. Be kind +enough to go to my cottage, and you will find there a plaything +belonging to Markandeya, one of the hermit's children. It is a +peacock made of china-ware, painted in many colours. Bring it +here for the child. + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + +Very well. [_Exit_. + +CHILD. + +No, no; I shall go on playing with the young lion. + +[_Looks at the_ FEMALE ATTENDANT _and laughs_. + +KING. + + I feel an unaccountable affection for this wayward child. + How blessed the virtuous parents whose attire + Is soiled with dust, by raising from the ground + The child that asks a refuge in their arms! + And happy are they while with lisping prattle, + In accents sweetly inarticulate, + He charms their ears; and with his artless smiles + Gladdens their hearts[119], revealing to their gaze + His pearly teeth just budding into view. + +ATTENDANT. + +I see how it is. He pays me no manner of attention. + +[_Looking off the stage_.] + +I wonder whether any of the hermits are about here. + +[_ Seeing the_ KING.] + +Kind Sir, could you come hither a moment and help me to release +the young lion from the clutch of this child who is teasing him +in boyish play? + +KING. [_Approaching and smiling_. + +Listen to me, thou child of a mighty saint! + + Dost thou dare show a wayward spirit here? + Here, in this hallowed region? Take thou heed + Lest, as the serpent's young defiles the sandal[71], + Thou bring dishonour on the holy sage + Thy tender-hearted parent, who delights + To shield from harm the tenants of the wood. + +ATTENDANT. + +Gentle Sir, I thank you; but he is not the saint's son. + +KING. + +His behaviour and whole bearing would have led me to doubt it, +had not the place of his abode encouraged the idea. + + [_Follows the_ CHILD, _and takes him by the hand, according to + the request of the attendant. Aside_. + + I marvel that the touch of this strange child + Should thrill me with delight; if so it be, + How must the fond caresses of a son + Transport the father's soul who gave him being! + +ATTENDANT. [_Looking at them both_. + +Wonderful! Prodigious! + +KING. + +What excites your surprise, my good woman? + +ATTENDANT. + +I am astonished at the striking resemblance between the child and +yourself; and, what is still more extraordinary, he seems to have +taken to you kindly and submissively, though you are a stranger +to him. + +KING. [_Fondling the_ CHILD. + +If he be not the son of the great sage, of what family does he +come, may I ask? + +ATTENDANT. + +Of the race of Puru. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +What! are we, then, descended from the same ancestry? This, no +doubt, accounts for the resemblance she traces between the child +and me. Certainly it has always been an established usage among +the princes of Puru's race, + + To dedicate the morning of their days + To the world's weal, in palaces and halls, + 'Mid luxury and regal pomp abiding; + Then, in the wane of life, to seek release + From kingly cares, and make the hallowed shade + Of sacred trees their last asylum, where + As hermits they may practise self-abasement, + And bind themselves by rigid vows of penance. + +[_Aloud_.] + +But how could mortals by their own power gain admission to this +sacred region? + +ATTENDANT. + +Your remark is just; but your wonder will cease when I tell you +that his mother is the offspring of a celestial nymph, and gave +him birth in the hallowed grove of Ka[s']yapa. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +Strange that my hopes should be again excited! + +[_Aloud_.] + +But what, let me ask, was the name of the prince whom she deigned +to honour with her hand? + +ATTENDANT. + +How could I think of polluting my lips by the mention of a wretch +who had the cruelty to desert his lawful wife? + +KING. [_Aside_. + +Ha! the description suits me exactly. Would I could bring myself +to inquire the name of the child's mother! + +[_Reflecting_.] + +But it is against propriety to make too minute inquiries about +the wife of another man[120]. + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + + [_Entering with the china peacock in her hand_. + +Sarva-damana, Sarva-damana, see, see, what a beautiful [S']akoonta +(bird). + +CHILD. [_Looking round_. + +My mother! Where? Let me go to her. + +BOTH ATTENDANTS. + +He mistook the word [S']akoonta for [S']akoontala. The boy dotes upon +his mother, and she is ever uppermost in his thoughts. + +SECOND ATTENDANT. + +Nay, my dear child, I said: Look at the beauty of this [S']akoonta. + +KING. [_Aside_. + +What! is his mother's name [S']akoontala? But the name is not +uncommon among women. Alas! I fear the mere similarity of a name, +like the deceitful vapour of the desert[94], has once more raised +my hopes only to dash them to the ground. + +CHILD. + +Dear nurse, what a beautiful peacock! + + [_Takes the toy_. + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + + [_Looking at the CHILD. In great distress_. + +Alas! alas! I do not see the amulet on his wrist. + +KING. + +Don't distress yourself. Here it is. It fell off while he was +struggling with the young lion. + + [_Stoops to pick it up_. + +BOTH ATTENDANTS. + +Hold! hold! Touch it not, for your life. How marvellous! He has +actually taken it up without the slightest hesitation. + + [_Both raise their hands to their breasts and look at each other + in astonishment_. + +KING. + +Why did you try to prevent my touching it? + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + +Listen, great Monarch. This amulet, known as 'The Invincible,' +was given to the boy by the divine son of Marichi, soon after his +birth, when the natal ceremony was performed. Its peculiar virtue +is, that when it falls on the ground, no one except the father or +mother of the child can touch it unhurt. + +KING. + +And suppose another person touches it? + +FIRST ATTENDANT. + +Then it instantly becomes a serpent, and bites him. + +KING. + +Have you ever witnessed the transformation with your own eyes? + +BOTH ATTENDANTS. + +Over and over again. + +KING. [_With rapture. Aside_. + +Joy! joy! Are then my dearest hopes to be fulfilled? + + [_Embraces the CHILD_. + +SECOND ATTENDANT. + +Come, my dear Suvrata, we must inform [S']akoontala immediately of +this wonderful event, though we have to interrupt her in the +performance of her religious vows. + + [_Exeunt_. + +CHILD. [_To the_ KING. + +Don't hold me. I want to go to my mother. + +KING. + +We will go to her together, and give her joy, my son. + +CHILD. + +Dushyanta is my father, not you. + +KING. [_Smiling_. + +His contradiction only convinces me the more. + +_Enter_ [S']AKOONTALA, _in widow's apparel, with her long hair +twisted into a single braid_. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Aside_. + +I have just heard that Sarva-damana's amulet has retained its +form, though a stranger raised it from the ground. I can hardly +believe in my good fortune. Yet why should not Sanumati's +prediction be verified? + +KING. + +Alas! can this indeed be my [S']akoontala? + + Clad in the weeds of widowhood, her face + Emaciate with fasting, her long hair + Twined in a single braid[121], her whole demeanour + Expressive of her purity of soul; + With patient constancy she thus prolongs + The vow to which my cruelty condemned her. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Gazing at the_ KING, _who is pale with remorse_. + +Surely this is not like my husband; yet who can it be that dares +pollute by the pressure of his hand my child, whose amulet should +protect him from a stranger's touch? + +CHILD. [_Going to his mother_. + +Mother, who is this man that has been kissing me and calling me +his son? + +KING. + +My best beloved, I have indeed treated thee most cruelly, but am +now once more thy fond and affectionate lover. Refuse not to +acknowledge me as thy husband. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Aside_. + +Be of good cheer, my heart. The anger of Destiny is at last +appeased. Heaven regards thee with compassion. But is he in very +truth my husband? + +KING. + + Behold me, best and loveliest of women, + Delivered from the cloud of fatal darkness + That erst oppressed my memory. Again + Behold us brought together by the grace + Of the great lord of Heaven. So the moon + Shines forth from dim eclipse [122], to blend his rays + With the soft lustre of his Rohini. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +May my husband be victorious-- + + [_She stops short, her voice choked with tears_. + +KING. + + O fair one, though the utterance of thy prayer + Be lost amid the torrent of thy tears, + Yet does the sight of thy fair countenance + And of thy pallid lips, all unadorned[123] + And colourless in sorrow for my absence, + Make me already more than conqueror. + +CHILD. + +Mother, who is this man? + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +My child, ask the deity that presides over thy destiny. + +KING. [_Falling at_ [S']AKOONTALA's _feet_. + + Fairest of women, banish from thy mind + The memory of my cruelty; reproach + The fell delusion that o'erpowered my soul, + And blame not me, thy husband; 'tis the curse + Of him in whom the power of darkness[124] reigns, + That he mistakes the gifts of those he loves + For deadly evils. Even though a friend + Should wreathe a garland on a blind man's brow, + Will he not cast it from him as a serpent? + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Rise, my own husband, rise. Thou wast not to blame. My own evil +deeds, committed in a former state of being[37], brought down +this judgment upon me. How else could my husband, who was ever of +a compassionate disposition, have acted so unfeelingly? + +[_The_ KING _rises_.] + +But tell me, my husband, how did the remembrance of thine +unfortunate wife return to thy mind? + +KING. + +As soon as my heart's anguish is removed, and its wounds are +healed, I will tell thee all. + + Oh! let me, fair one, chase away the drop + That still bedews the fringes of thine eye; + And let me thus efface the memory + Of every tear that stained thy velvet cheek, + Unnoticed and unheeded by thy lord, + When in his madness he rejected thee. + + [_Wipes away the tear_. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + + [_Seeing the signet-ring on his finger_. + +Ah! my dear husband, is that the Lost Ring? + +KING. + +Yes; the moment I recovered it my memory was restored. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +The ring was to blame in allowing itself to be lost at the very +time when I was anxious to convince my noble husband of the +reality of my marriage. + +KING. + +Receive it back, as the beautiful twining-plant receives again +its blossom in token of its reunion with the spring. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +Nay; I can never more place confidence in it. Let my husband +retain it. + + [_Enter_ MATALI. + +MATALI. + +I congratulate your Majesty. Happy are you in your reunion with +your wife; happy are you in beholding the face of your own son. + +KING. + +Yes, indeed. My heart's dearest wish has borne sweet fruit. But +tell me, Matali, is this joyful event known to the great Indra? + +MATALI. [_Smiling_. + +What is unknown to the gods? But come with me, noble Prince, the +divine Ka[s']yapa graciously permits thee to be presented to him. + +KING. + +[S']akoontala, take our child and lead the way. We will together go +into the presence of the holy Sage. + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +I shrink from entering the august presence of the great Saint, +even with my husband at my side. + +KING. + +Nay; on such a joyous occasion it is highly proper. Come, come; I +entreat thee. + + [_All advance_. + +KA[S']YAPA _is discovered seated on a throne with his wife_ ADITI. + +KA[S']YAPA. + + [_Gazing at_ DUSHYANTA. _To his wife_. + +O Aditi, + + This is the mighty hero, King Dushyanta, + Protector of the earth; who, at the head + Of the celestial armies of thy son, + Does battle with the enemies of heaven. + Thanks to his bow, the thunderbolt of Indra + Rests from its work, no more the minister + Of death and desolation to the world, + But a mere symbol of divinity. + +ADITI. + +He bears in his noble form all the marks of dignity. + +MATALI. [_To_ DUSHYANTA + +Sire, the venerable progenitors of the celestials are gazing at +your Majesty with as much affection as if you were their son. You +may advance towards them. + +KING. + + Are these, O Matali, the holy pair, + Offspring of Daksha and divine Marichi, + Children of Brahma's sons[125], by sages deemed + Sole fountain of celestial light, diffused + Through twelve effulgent orbs [114]? Are these the pair + From whom the ruler of the triple world [126], + Sovereign of gods and lord of sacrifice, + Sprang into being? That immortal pair + Whom Vishnu, greater than the Self-existent [127], + Chose for his parents, when, to save mankind, + He took upon himself the shape of mortals? + +MATALI. + +Even so. + +KING. [_Prostrating himself_. + +Most august of beings! Dushyanta, content to have fulfilled the +commands of your son Indra, offers you his adoration. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +My son, long may'st thou live, and happily may'st thou reign over +the earth! + +ADITI. + +My son, may'st thou ever be invincible in the field of battle! + +[S']AKOONTALA. + +I also prostrate myself before you, most adorable Beings, and my +child with me. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +My daughter, + + Thy lord resembles Indra, and thy child + Is noble as Jayanta, Indra's son; + I have no worthier blessing left for thee, + May'st thou be faithful as the god's own wife! + +ADITI. + +My daughter, may'st thou be always the object of thy husband's +fondest love; and may thy son live long to be the joy of both his +parents! Be seated. + +[_All sit down in the presence of KA[S']YAPA_. + +KA[S']YAPA. [_Regarding each of them by turns_. + + Hail to the beautiful [S']akoontala, + Hail to her noble son, and hail to thee, + Illustrious Prince--rare triple combination + Of virtue, wealth, and energy united! + +KING. + +Most venerable Ka[s']yapa, by your favour all my desires were +accomplished even before I was admitted to your presence. Never +was mortal so honoured that his boon should be granted ere it was +solicited. Because-- + + Bloom before fruit, the clouds before the rain, + Cause first and then effect, in endless sequence, + Is the unchanging law of constant nature; + But, ere the blessing issued from thy lips, + The wishes of my heart were all fulfilled. + +MATALI. + +It is thus that the great progenitors of the world confer +favours. + +KING. + +Most reverend Sage, this thy handmaid was married to me by the +Gandharva ceremony[55], and after a time was conducted to my +palace by her relations. Meanwhile a fatal delusion seized me; I +lost my memory and rejected her, thus committing a grievous +offence against the venerable Kanwa, who is of thy divine race. +Afterwards the sight of this ring restored my faculties, and +brought back to my mind all the circumstances of my union with +his daughter. But my conduct still seems to me incomprehensible; + + As foolish as the fancies of a man + Who, when he sees an elephant, denies + That 'tis an elephant; then afterwards, + When its huge bulk moves onward, hesitates; + Yet will not be convinced till it has passed + For ever from his sight, and left behind + No vestige of its presence save its footsteps. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +My son, cease to think thyself in fault. Even the delusion that +possessed thy mind was not brought about by any act of thine. +Listen to me. + +KING. + +I am attentive. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +Know that when the nymph Menaka, the mother of [S']akoontala, +became aware of her daughter's anguish in consequence of the loss +of the ring at the nymph's pool, and of thy subsequent rejection +of her, she brought her and confided her to the care of Aditi. +And I no sooner saw her than I ascertained by my divine faculty +of meditation[134], that thy repudiation of thy poor faithful +wife had been caused entirely by the curse of Durvasas--not by +thine own fault--and that the spell would terminate on the +discovery of the ring. + +KING. [_Drawing a deep breath_. + +Oh! what a weight is taken off my mind, now that my character is +cleared of reproach. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Aside_. + +Joy! joy! My revered husband did not, then, reject me without +good reason, though I have no recollection of the curse +pronounced upon me. But, in all probability, I unconsciously +brought it upon myself, when I was so distracted on being +separated from my husband soon after our marriage. For I now +remember that my two friends advised me not to fail to show the +ring in case he should have forgotten me. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +At last, my daughter, thou art happy, and hast gained thy heart's +desire. Indulge, then, no feeling of resentment against thy +consort. See, now, + + Though he repulsed thee, 'twas the sage's curse + That clouded his remembrance; 'twas the curse + That made thy tender husband harsh towards thee. + Soon as the spell was broken, and his soul + Delivered from its darkness, in a moment, + Thou didst regain thine empire o'er his heart. + So on the tarnished surface of a mirror + No image is reflected, till the dust, + That dimmed its wonted lustre, is removed. + +KING. + +Holy father, see here the hope of my royal race. + + [_Takes his child by the hand_. + +KA[S']YAPA. + + + Know that he, too, will become the monarch of the + wholes earth. Observe, + Soon, a resistless hero, shall he cross + The trackless ocean, borne above the waves + In an aerial car; and shall subdue + The earth's seven sea-girt isles[128]. Now has he gained, + As the brave tamer of the forest-beasts, + The title Sarva-damana; but then + Mankind shall hail him as King Bharata[129], + And call him the supporter of the world. + +KING. + +We cannot but entertain the highest hopes of a child for whom +your Highness performed the natal rites. + +ADITI. + +My revered husband, should not the intelligence be conveyed to +Kanwa, that his daughter's wishes are fulfilled, and her +happiness complete? He is [S']akoontala's foster-father. Menaka, +who is one of my attendants, is her mother, and dearly does she +love her daughter. + +[S']AKOONTALA. [_Aside_. + +The venerable matron has given utterance to the very wish that +was in my mind. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +His penances have gained for him the faculty of omniscience, and +the whole scene is already present to his mind's eye. + +KING. + +Then most assuredly he cannot be very angry with me. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +Nevertheless, it becomes us to send him intelligence of this +happy event, and hear his reply. What ho there! + +PUPIL. [_Entering_. + +Holy father, what are your commands? + +KA[S']YAPA. + +My good Galava, delay not an instant, but hasten through the air +and convey to the venerable Kanwa, from me, the happy news that +the fatal spell has ceased, that Dushyanta's memory is restored, +that his daughter [S']akoontala has a son, and that she is once +more tenderly acknowledged by her husband. + +PUPIL. + +Your Highness' commands shall be obeyed. + + [_Exit_. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +And now, my dear son, take thy consort and thy child, re-ascend +the car of Indra, and return to thy imperial capital. + +KING. + +Most holy father, I obey. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +And accept this blessing-- + + For countless ages may the god of gods, + Lord of the atmosphere, by copious showers + Secure abundant harvests to thy subjects; + And thou by frequent offerings preserve + The Thunderer's friendship. Thus, by interchange + Of kindly actions may you both confer + Unnumbered benefits on earth and heaven. + +KING. + +Holy father, I will strive, as far as I am able, to attain this +happiness. + +KA[S']YAPA. + +What other favour can I bestow on thee, my son? + +KING. + +What other can I desire? If, however, you permit me to form +another wish, I would humbly beg that the saying of the sage +Bharata[130] be fulfilled: + + May kings reign only for their subjects' weal; + May the divine Saraswati[131], the source + Of speech, and goddess of dramatic art, + Be ever honoured by the great and wise; + And may the purple self-existent god[132], + Whose vital Energy[133] pervades all space, + From future transmigrations save my soul. + + + [_Exeunt omnes_. + + + + +NOTES: + + +1. _I[S']a preserve you_. + +That is, 'the Lord,' a name given to the god Siva, when regarded as +supreme. As presiding over dissolution he is associated with Brahma +the Creator, and Vishnu the Preserver; constituting with them the +Hindu Triad. Kalidasa indulges the religious predilections of his +fellow-townsmen by beginning and ending the play with a prayer to +[S']iva, who had a large temple in Ujjayini, the modern Oujein, the city +of Vikramaditya, situated north-eastward from Gujarat. + +2. _In these eight forms_. + +The worshippers of Siva, who were Pantheists in the sense of +believing that [S']iva was himself all that exists, as well as the +cause of all that is, held that there were eight different +manifestations of their god, called Rudras; and that these had +their types in the eight visible forms enumerated here. The +Hindus reckon five elements. The most subtle is Ether (_akasa_), +supposed to convey sound, which is its peculiar attribute or +property (_guna_). The next element--Air, has for its properties +sound and feeling. The third--Fire, has sound, feeling, and +colour. The fourth--Water, has sound, feeling, colour, and taste. +The fifth--Earth, has all the other properties, with the addition +of smell. + +3. _An audience of educated and discerning men_. + +Lit. 'An audience, who are chiefly men of education and discernment.' +Few could have been present at these dramatic representations excepting +learned and educated men. The mass of the composition being in Sanskrit, +would not have been intelligible to the vulgar and illiterate. + +4. _[S']akoontala; or, The Lost Ring_. + +The literal title is '[S']akoontala recognized by the token or +ring.' + +5. _The present Summer season_. + +Hindu poets divide the year into six seasons of two months each, +viz. I. Spring (Vasanta), beginning about the middle of March; +or, according to some, February. 2. Summer (Grishma). 3. Rains +(Varsha). 4. Autumn (Sarad). 5. Winter (Hemanta). 6. Dews +(Sisira). Practically, however, there are only three seasons in +India, 1. The hot season. 2. The rains. 3. The cold weather. In +Lower Bengal and Behar, the first of these seasons begins in +March, the second in June, and the third in November. The +temperature of the cold season is highly exhilarating, and the +climate is then superior to that of any portion of the English +year. In Calcutta, this season continues for about three months; +in Upper India, for about five; and in the Panjab for about +seven. The rains in Bengal Proper are more violent and protracted +than in Hindustan and the Panjab. In the latter country they last +for hardly more than two months, and even then only fall at +intervals. Plays were acted on solemn and festive occasions, on +lunar holidays, and especially at the changes of the season. + +6. _Of fragrant Patalas_. + +The Patala or trumpet-flower; _Bignonia suaveolens_. + +7. _With sweet [S']irisha flowers_. + +The flowers of the _Acacia Sirisha_ were used by the Hindu women +as ear-ornaments. + +8. _King Dushyanta_. + +For the genealogy of King Dushyanta see Introduction, page +xxxviii. + +9. _That wields the trident_. + +[S']iva is called Pinakin, that is, 'armed with a trident,' or +according to some, a bow named Pinaka. Siva not being invited to +Daksha's sacrifice, was so indignant, that, with his wife, he +suddenly presented himself, confounded the sacrifice, dispersed +the gods, and chasing Yajna, 'the lord of sacrifice,' who fled in +the form of a deer, overtook and decapitated him. + +10. _Their waving plumes, that late + Fluttered above their brows, are motionless._ + +The Chamari, or chowrie, formed of the white bushy tail of the +Yak, or _Bos grunniens_, was placed as an ornament between the +ears of horses, like the plume of the war-horse of chivalry. The +velocity of the chariot caused it to lose its play, and appear +fixed in one direction, like a flag borne rapidly against the +wind. + +11. _The steeds of Indra and the Sun._ + +That is, the speed of the chariot resembled that of the Wind and +the Sun. Indra was the god of the firmament or atmosphere--the +Jupiter Tonans of Hindu mythology--and presided over the +forty-nine Winds. He has a heaven of his own (Swarga), of which +he is the lord, and, although inferior to the three great deities +of the Hindu Triad (Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva), he is chief of the +secondary gods. The Hindus represent the Sun as seated in a +chariot, drawn by seven green horses, having before him a lovely +youth without legs, who acts as his charioteer, and who is Aruna, +or the Dawn personified. + +12. _Puru's race_. + +See Dushyanta's pedigree detailed at page xxxviii of the +Introduction. + +13. _The great sage Kanwa_. + +The sage Kanwa was a descendant of Kasyapa, whom the Hindus +consider to have been the father of the inferior gods, demons, +man, fish, reptiles, and all animals, by his twelve wives. Kanwa +was the chief of a number of devotees, or hermits, who had +constructed a hermitage on the banks of the river Malini, and +surrounded it with gardens and groves, where penitential rites +were performed, and animals were reared for sacrificial purposes, +or for the amusement of the inmates. There is nothing new in +asceticism. The craving after self-righteousness, and the desire +of acquiring merit by self-mortification, is an innate principle +of the human heart, and ineradicable even by Christianity. +Witness the monastic institutions of the Romish Church, of which +Indian penance-groves were the type. The Superior of a modern +Convent is but the antitype of Kanwa; and what is Romanism but +humanity developing itself in some of its most inveterate +propensities? + +14. _He has gone to Soma tirtha_. + +A place of pilgrimage in the west of India, on the coast of +Gujarat, near the temple of Somanath, or Somnat, made notorious +by its gates, which were brought back from Ghazni by Lord +Ellenborough's orders in 1842, and are now to be seen in the +arsenal at Agra. These places of pilgrimage were generally fixed +on the bank of some sacred stream, or in the vicinity of some +holy spring. The word _tirtha_ is derived from a Sanskrit root, +_tri_, 'to cross,' implying that the river has to be passed +through, either for the washing away of sin, or extrication from +some adverse destiny. Thousands of devotees still flock to the +most celebrated Tirthas on the Ganges, at Benares, Haridwar, etc. + +15. _Ingudi_. + +A tree, commonly called Ingua, or Jiyaputa, from the fruit of +which oil was extracted, which the devotees used for their lamps +and for ointment. One synonym for this tree is _tapasa-taru_, +'the anchorite's tree.' + +16. _Bark-woven vests_. + +Dresses made of bark, worn by ascetics, were washed in water, and +then suspended to dry on the branches of trees. + +17. _By deep canals_. + +It was customary to dig trenches round the roots of trees, to +collect the rain-water. + +18. _My throbbing arm_. + +A quivering sensation in the right arm was supposed by the Hindus +to prognosticate union with a beautiful woman. Throbbings of the +arm or eyelid, if felt on the right side, were omens of good +fortune in men; if on the left, bad omens. The reverse was true +of women. 19. _The hard acacia's stem_. + +The Sami tree, a kind of acacia (_Acacia Suma_), the wood of +which is very hard, and supposed by the Hindus to contain fire. + +20. _The lotus_. + +This beautiful plant, the varieties of which, white, blue, and +red, are numerous, bears some resemblance to our water-lily. It +is as favourite a subject of allusion and comparison with Hindu +poets as the rose is with Persian. + +21. _With the Saivala entwined_. + +The [S']aivala (_Vallisneria_) is an aquatic plant, which spreads +itself over ponds, and interweaves itself with the lotus. The +interlacing of its stalks is compared in poetry to braided hair. + +22. _Yon Ke[s']ara tree_. + +The Ke[s']ara tree (_Mimusops elengi_) is the same as the Bakula, +frequent mention of which is made is some of the Puranas. It +bears a strong-smelling flower, which, according to Sir W. Jones, +is ranked among the flowers of the Hindu paradise. The tree Is +very ornamental in pleasure-grounds. + +23. _Would that my union with her were permissible_. + +A Brahman might marry a woman of the military or kingly class +next below him, and the female offspring of such a marriage would +belong to a mixed caste, and might be lawfully solicited in +marriage by a man of the military class. But if [S']akoontala were +a pure Brahmani woman, both on the mother's and father's side, +she would be ineligible as the wife of a Kshatriya king. +Dushyanta discovers afterwards that she was, in fact, the +daughter of the great Vi[s']wamitra (see note 27), who was of the +same caste as himself, though her mother was the nymph Menaka. + +24. _I trust all is well with your devotional rites_. + +This was the regular formula of salutation addressed to persons +engaged in religions exercises. + +25. _This water that we have brought with us will serve to bathe +our guest's feet_. + +Water for the feet is one of the first things invariably provided +for a guest in all Eastern countries. Compare Genesis xxiv. 32; +Luke vii. 44. If the guest were a Brahman, or a man of rank, a +respectful offering (_argha_) of rice, fruit, and flowers was +next presented. In fact, the rites of hospitality in India were +enforced by very stringent regulations. The observance of them +ranked as one of the five great sacred rites, and no punishment +was thought too severe for one who violated them. If a guest +departed unhonoured from a house, his sins were to be transferred +to the householder, and all the merits of the householder were to +be transferred to him. + +26. _Sapta-parna tree_. + +A tree having seven leaves on a stalk (_Echites scholaris_). + +27. _Vis']wamitra, whose family name is Kausika_. + +In the Ramayana, the great sage Vi[s']wamitra (both king and saint), +who raised himself by his austerities from the regal to the +Brahmanical caste, is said to be the son of Gadhi, King of Kanuj, +grandson of Kusanatha, and great-grandson of Kusika or Kusa. On +his accession to the throne, in the room of his father Gadhi, in +the course of a tour through his dominions, he visited the +hermitage of the sage Vasishtha, where the Cow of Plenty, a cow +granting all desires, excited his cupidity. He offered the sage +untold treasures for the cow; but being refused, prepared to take +it by force. A long war ensued between the king and the sage +(symbolical of the struggles between the military and Brahmanical +classes), which ended in the defeat of Vi[s']wamitra, whose vexation +was such, that he devoted himself to austerities, in the hope of +attaining the condition of a Brahman. The Ramayana recounts how, +by gradually increasing the rigour of his penance through +thousands of years, he successively earned the title of Royal +Sage, Sage, Great Sage, and Brahman Sage. It was not till he had +gained this last title that Vasishtha consented to acknowledge +his equality with himself, and ratify his admission into the +Brahmanical state. It was at the time of Vi[s']wamitra's advancement +to the rank of a Sage, and whilst he was still a Kshatriya, that +Indra, jealous of his increasing power, sent the nymph Menaka to +seduce him from his life of mortification and continence. The Ramayana +records his surrender to this temptation, and relates that the nymph +was his companion in the hermitage for ten years, but does not allude +to the birth of [S']akoontala during that period. + +28. _The inferior gods, I am aware, are jealous_. + +According to the Hindu system, Indra and the other inferior +deities were not the possessors of Swarga, or heaven, by +indefeasible right. They accordingly viewed with jealousy, and +even alarm, any extraordinary persistency by a human being in +acts of penance, as it raised him to a level with themselves; +and, if carried beyond a certain point, enabled him to dispossess +them of Paradise. Indra was therefore the enemy of excessive +self-mortification, and had in his service numerous nymphs who +were called his 'weapons,' and whose business it was to impede by +their seductions the devotion of holy men. + +29. _Gautami_. + +The name of the matron or Superior of the female part of the +society of hermits. Every association of religious devotees seems +to have included a certain number of women, presided over by an +elderly and venerable matron, whose authority resembled that of +an abbess in a convent of nuns. + +30. _Ku[s']a-grass_. + +This grass was held sacred by the Hindus, and was abundantly +used in all their religions ceremonies. Its leaves are very long, +and taper to a sharp needle-like point, of which the extreme +acuteness was proverbial; whence the epithet applied to a clever +man, 'sharp as the point of Ku[s']a-grass.' Its botanical name is +_Poa cynosuroides_. + +31. _Kuruvaka._ + +A species of Jhinti or Barleria, with purple flowers, and covered +with sharp prickles. + +32. _The Jester_. + +See an account of this character in the Introduction, p. xxxiv. + +33. _We have nothing to eat but roast game_. + +Indian game is often very dry and flavourless. + +34. _Attended by the Yavana women_. + +Who these women were has not been accurately ascertained. Yavana +is properly Arabia, but is also a name applied to Greece. The +Yavana women were therefore either natives of Arabia, or Greece, +and their business was to attend upon the king, and take charge +of his weapons, especially his bow and arrows. Professor H. H. +Wilson, in his translation of the Vikramorva[s']i, where the same +word occurs (Act V. p. 261), remarks that Tartarian or Bactrian +women may be intended. + +35. _In the disc of crystal_. + +That is, the sun-gem (_Surya-kanta_, 'beloved by the sun'), a +shining stone resembling crystal. Professor Wilson calls it a +fabulous stone with fabulous properties, and mentions another +stone, the moon-gem (_chandra-kanta_). It may be gathered from +this passage that the sun-stone was a kind of glass lens, and +that the Hindus were not ignorant of the properties of this +instrument at the time when '[S']akoontala' was written. + +36. _Some fallen blossoms of the jasmine_. + +The jasmine here intended was a kind of double jasmine with a +very delicious perfume, sometimes called 'Arabian jasmine' +(_Jasminum zambac_). It was a delicate plant, and, as a creeper, +would depend on some other tree for support. The Arka, or +sun-tree (Gigantic Asclepias: _Calotropis gigantea_), on the +other hand, was a large and vigorous shrub. Hence the former is +compared to [S']akoontala, the latter to the sage Kanwa. + +37. + + _The mellowed fruit + Of virtuous actions in some former birth_. + +The doctrine of the transmigration of the soul from one body to +another is an essential dogma of the Hindu religion, and +connected with it is the belief in the power which every human +being possesses of laying up for himself a store of merit by good +deeds performed in the present and former births. Indeed the +condition of every person is supposed to derive its character of +happiness or misery, elevation or degradation, from the virtues +or vices of previous states of being. The consequences of actions +in a former birth are called _vipaka_; they may be either good +or bad, but are rarely unmixed with evil taint. + +In the present comparison, however, they are described as pure +and unalloyed. With reference to the first four lines of this +stanza, compare Catullus, Carmen Nuptiale, verse 39. + + 'Ut flos in septis secretus nascitur hortis, + Ignotus pecori, nullo contusus aratro, + Quem mulcent aurae, firmat sol, educat imber: + Multi illuum pueri, multae optavere puellae: + Idem quum tenui carptus defloruit ungui, + Nulli illum pueri, nallae optavere puellae: + Sic virgo, dum intacta manet,' etc. + +38. _The sixth part of their grain_. + +According to Manu, a king might take a sixth part of liquids, +flowers, roots, fruit, grass, etc.; but, even though dying with +want, he was not to receive any tax from a Brahman learned in the +Vedas. + +39. _A title only one degree removed from that of a Sage_. + +Dushyanta was a Rajarshi; that is, a man of the military class +who had attained the rank of Royal Sage or Saint by the practice +of religious austerities. The title of Royal or Imperial Sage was +only one degree inferior to that of Sage. Compare note 27. + +40. _Chanted by inspired bards_. + +Or celestial minstrels, called Gandharvas. These beings were the +musicians of Indra's heaven, and their business was to amuse the +inhabitants of Swarga by singing the praises of gods, saints, or +heroes. Compare note 11. + +41. _In their fierce warfare with the powers of hell_. + +Indra and the other inferior gods (compare note 11) were for ever +engaged in hostilities with their half-brothers, the demons +called Daityas, who were the giants or Titans of Hindu mythology. +On such occasions the gods seem to have depended very much upon +the assistance they received from mortal heroes. + +42. _Evil demons are disturbing our sacrificial rites_. + +The religious rites and sacrifices of holy men were often +disturbed by certain evil spirits or goblins called Rakshasas, +who were the determined enemies of piety and devotion. No great +sacrifice or religious ceremony was ever carried on without an +attempt on the part of these demons to impede its celebration; +and the most renowned saints found it necessary on such occasions +to acknowledge their dependence on the strong arm of the military +class, by seeking the aid of warriors and heroes. The inability +of holy men, who had attained the utmost limit of spiritual +power, to cope with the spirits of evil, and the superiority of +physical force in this respect, is very remarkable. + +43. _Vishnu_. + +Vishnu, the Preserver, was one of the three gods of the Hindu +Triad. He became incarnate in various forms for the good of +mortals, and is the great enemy of the demons. + +14 _Like king Tri[s']anku_. + +The story of this monarch is told in the Ramayana. He is there +described as a just and pious prince of the solar race, who +aspired to celebrate a great sacrifice, hoping thereby to ascend +to heaven in his mortal body. After various failures he had +recourse to Vi[s']wamitra, who undertook to conduct the sacrifice, +and invited all the gods to be present. They, however, refused to +attend; upon which the enraged Vi[s']wamitra, by his own power, +transported Tri[s']anku to the skies, whither he had no sooner +arrived than he was hurled down again by Indra and the gods; but +being arrested in his downward course by the sage, he remained +suspended between heaven and earth, forming a constellation in +the southern hemisphere. + +45. _Ointment of Usira-root_. + +The root of a fragrant grass (_Andropogon muricatum_), from +which a cooling ointment was made. + +46. _The very breath of his nostrils_. + +Compare Lam. iv. 20. 'The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of +the Lord, was taken.' + +47. _God of the flowery shafts_. + +The Hindu Cupid, or god of love (Kama), is armed with a bow made +of sugar-cane, the string of which consists of bees. He has five +arrows, each tipped with the blossom of a flower, which pierce +the heart through the five senses; and his favourite arrow is +pointed with the _chita_, or mango-flower. + +48. _E'en now in thy unbodied essence lurks The fire of [S']iva's +anger_. + +The story is thus told in the Ramayana. Kama (Cupid) once +approached [S']iva that he might influence him with love for his +wife, Parvati. [S']iva happened then to be practising austerities, +and intent on a vow of chastity. He therefore cursed the god of +love in a terrible voice, and at the same time a flash from his +eye caused the god's body to shrivel into ashes. Thus Kama was +made incorporeal, and from that time was called 'the bodiless +one.' + +49. + _Like the flame, + That ever hidden in the secret depths + Of ocean, smoulders there unseen_. + +This submarine fire was called Aurva, +from the following fable. The Rishi Aurva, who had gained great +power by his austerities, was pressed by the gods and others to +perpetuate his race. He consented, but warned them that his +offspring would consume the world. Accordingly, he created from +his thigh a devouring fire, which, as soon as it was produced, +demanded nourishment, and would have destroyed the whole earth, +had not Brahma appeared and assigned the ocean as its habitation, +and the waves as its food. The spot where it entered the sea was +called 'the mare's mouth.' Doubtless the story was invented to +suit the phenomenon of some marine volcano, which may have +exhaled through the water bituminous inflammable gas, and which, +perhaps in the form of a horse's mouth, was at times visible +above the sea. + +50 _Who on his 'scutcheon bears the monster-fish_. + +The Hindu Cupid is said to have subdued a marine monster, which +was, therefore, painted on his banner. + +51 _The graceful undulation of her gait_. + +_Hansa-gamini_, 'walking like a swan,' was an epithet for a +graceful woman. The Indian lawgiver, Manu, recommends that a +Brahman should choose for his wife a young maiden, whose gait was +like that of a phoenicopter, or flamingo, or even like that of a +young elephant. The idea in the original is, that the weight of +her hips had caused the peculiar appearance observable in the +print of her feet. Largeness of the hips was considered a great +beauty in Hindu women, and would give an undulatory motion to +their walk. 52 _The Madhavi_. + +A large and beautiful creeper (_Gaertnera racemosa_), bearing +white, fragrant flowers, to which constant allusion is made in +Sanskrit plays. + +53 _Pines to be united with the Moon_. + +A complete revolution of the moon, with respect to the stars, being +made in twenty-seven days, odd hours, the Hindus divide the heavens +into twenty-seven constellations (asterisms) or lunar stations, one +of which receives the moon for one day in each of his monthly journeys. +As the Moon, Chandra, is considered to be a masculine deity, the Hindus +fable these twenty-seven constellations as his wives, and personify +them as the daughters of Daksha. Of these twenty-seven wives, twelve +of whom give names to the twelve months, Chandra is supposed to show +the greatest affection for the fourth, Rohini; but each of the others, +and amongst them Vi[s']akha, is represented as jealous of this +partiality, and eager to secure the Moon's favour for herself, +Dushyanta probably means to compare himself to the Moon (he being of +the Lunar race) and [S']akoontala to Vi[s']akha. + +54. _Checks its fall_. + +Owing to emaciation and disuse of the bow, the callosities on the +forearm, usually caused by the bow-string, were not sufficiently +prominent to prevent the bracelet from slipping down from the +wrist to the elbow, when the arm was raised to support the head. +This is a favourite idea with Kalidasa to express the attenuation +caused by love. + +55. _No nuptial rites prevail_. + +A marriage without the usual ceremonies is called Gandharva. It +was supposed to be the form of marriage prevalent among the +nymphs of India's heaven. In the 3rd Book of Manu (v. 22), it is +included among the various marriage rites, and is said to be a +union proceeding entirely from love, or mutual inclination, and +concluded without any religious services, and without consulting +relatives. It was recognized as a legal marriage by Manu and +other lawgivers, though it is difficult to say in what respect it +differed from unlawful cohabitation. + +56. _The loving birds doomed by fate to nightly separation_. + +That is, the male and female of the Chakravaka, commonly called Chakwa +and Chakwi, or Brahmani duck (_Anas casarca_). These birds associate +together during the day, and are, like turtle-doves, patterns of +connubial affection; but the legend is, that they are doomed to pass +the night apart, in consequence of a curse pronounced upon them by a +saint whom they had offended. As soon as night commences, they take +up their station on the opposite banks of a river, and call to each +other in piteous cries. The Bengalis consider their flesh to be a good +medicine for fever. + +57. _The great sage Durvasas_. + +A Saint or Muni, represented by the Hindu poets as excessively +choleric and inexorably severe. The Puranas and other poems +contain frequent accounts of the terrible effects of his +imprecations on various occasions, the slightest offence being in +his eyes deserving of the most fearful punishment. On one +occasion he cursed Indra, merely because his elephant let fall a +garland he had given to this god; and in consequence of this +imprecation all plants withered, men ceased to sacrifice, and the +gods were overcome in their wars with the demons. + +58. _Propitiatory offering_. + +Compare note 25. + +59. _His blushing charioteer_. + +Compare note 11. + +60. _Night-loving lotus_. + +Some species of the lotus, especially the white esculent kind, +open their petals during the night, and close them during the +day, whence the moon is often called the 'lover, or lord of the +lotuses.' + +61. _The very centre of the sacred fire_. + +Fire was an important object of veneration with the Hindus, as +with the ancient Persians. Perhaps the chief worship recognized +in the Vedas is that of Fire and the Sun. The holy fire was +deposited in a hallowed part of the house, or in a sacred +building, and kept perpetually burning. Every morning and +evening, oblations were offered to it by dropping clarified +butter and other substances into the flame, accompanied with +prayers and invocations. + +62. _As in the sacred tree the mystic fire_. + +Literally, 'as the [S']ami-tree is pregnant with fire.' The legend +is, that the goddess Parvati, being one day under the influence +of love, reposed on a trunk of this tree, whereby a sympathetic +warmth was generated in the pith or interior of the wood, which +ever after broke into a sacred flame on the slightest attrition. + +63 _Hastinapur_. + +The ancient Delhi, situated on the Ganges, and the capital of +Dushyanta. Its site is about fifty miles from the modern Delhi, +which is on the Jumna, + +64 _E'en as Yayati [S']armishtha adored_, + +[S']armishtha was the daughter of Vrishaparvan, king of the +demons, and wife of Yayati, son of Nahusha, one of the princes of +the Lunar dynasty, and ancestor of Dushyanta. Puru was the son of +Yayati, by [S']armishtha. + +65 _And for whose encircling bed, Sacred Kusa-grass is spread_. + +At a sacrifice, sacred fires were lighted at the four cardinal +points, and Ku[s']a-grass was scattered around each fire, 66 +_Koil_, + +The Koil, or Kokil, is the Indian cuckoo. It is sometimes called +Para-bhrita ('nourished by another'). because the female is known +to leave her eggs in the nest of the crow to be hatched. The bird +is as great a favourite with Indian poets as the nightingale with +European. One of its names is 'Messenger of Spring.' Its note is +a constant subject of allusion, and is described as beautifully +sweet, and, if heard on a journey, indicative of good fortune. +Everything, however, is beautiful by comparison. The song of the +Koil is not only very dissimilar, but very inferior to that of +the nightingale, + +67 _The peacock on the lawn Ceases its dance_, + +The Indian peacock is very restless, especially at the approach +of rain, in which it is thought to take delight. Its circular +movements are a frequent subject of allusion with Hindu poets, +and are often by them compared to dancing. + +68. _The moonlight of the grove_. + +The name of [S']akoontala's favourite jasmine, spoken of in the 1st +Act. See page 15 of this volume. + +69. _Fig-tree_. + +Not the Banyan-tree (_Ficus Indica_), nor the Pippala (_Ficus +religiosa_), but the Glomerous Fig-tree (_Ficus glomerata_), +which yields a resinous milky juice from its bark, and is large +enough to afford abundant shade. + +70. _The poor female Chakravaka_. + +Compare note 56. + +71. _Like a young tendril of the sandal-tree torn from its home +in the western mountains_. + +The sandal is a kind of large myrtle with pointed leaves (_Sirium +myrtifolium_). The wood affords many highly esteemed perfumes, +unguents, etc., and is celebrated for its delicious scent. It is +chiefly found on the slopes of the Malaya mountain or Western +Ghauts on the Malabar coast. The roots of the tree are said to be +infested with snakes. Indeed it seems to pay dearly for the +fragrance of its wood: 'The root is infested by serpents, the +blossoms by bees, the branches by monkeys, the summit by bears. +In short there is not a part of the sandal-tree that is not +occupied by the vilest impurities.' Hitopade[s']a, verse 162. + +72. _The calm seclusion of thy former home_. + +'When the father of a family perceives his own wrinkles and grey +hair, committing the care of his wife to his sons, or accompanied +by her, let him repair to the woods and become a hermit.'--Manu, +vi. 2. It was usual for kings, at a certain time of life, to +abdicate the throne in favour of the heir-apparent, and pass the +remainder of their days in seclusion. + +73. _A frequent offering to our household gods_. + +This was an offering (_bali_) in honour of those spiritual +beings called 'household deities,' which were supposed to hover +round and protect houses. It was made by throwing up into the air +in some part of the house (generally at the door) the remains of +the morning and evening meal of rice or grain, uttering at the +same time a _mantra_, or prayer. + +74. _In other states of being_. + +Dim recollections of occurrences in former states of existence +are supposed occasionally to cross the mind. Compare note 37. + +75. _The Chamberlain_. + +The attendant on the women's apartment. He is generally a +Brahman, and usually appears in the plays as a tottering and +decrepit old man, leaning on his staff of office. 76. _The king +of serpents on his thousand heads_. + +A mythological serpent, the personification of eternity, and king +of the Nagas, or snakes, who inhabit Patala, the lowermost of the +seven regions below the earth. His body formed the couch of +Vishnu, reposing on the waters of Chaos, whilst his thousand +heads were the god's canopy. He is also said to uphold the world +on one of his heads. + +77. _The chamber of the consecrated fire_. + +Compare note 61. + +78. _Two heralds_. + +These heralds were introduced into Hindu plays something in the +same manner as a Chorus; and, although their especial duty was to +announce, in measured verse, the periods of the day, and +particularly the fixed divisions into which the king's day was +divided, yet the strain which they poured forth frequently +contained allusions to incidental circumstances. The royal office +was no sinecure. From the Da[s']a-kumara, it appears that the day +and night were each divided into eight portions of one hour and a +half, reckoned from sunrise; and were thus distributed: Day--l. +The king, being dressed, is to audit accounts; 2. He is to +pronounce judgment in appeals; 3. He is to breakfast; 4. He is to +receive and make presents; 5. He is to discuss political +questions with his ministers; 6. He is to amuse himself; 7. He is +to review his troops; 8. He is to hold a military council. +Night--l. He is to receive the reports of his spies and envoys; +2. He is to sup or dine; 3. He is to retire to rest after the +perusal of some sacred work; 4 and 5. He is to sleep; 6. He is to +rise and purify himself; 7. He is to hold a private consultation +with his ministers, and instruct his officers; 8. He is to attend +upon the _Purohita_ or family priest, for the performance of +religious ceremonies. See Wilson's Hindu Theatre, vol. i. p. 209. + +79. _Feeling a quivering sensation in her right eyelid_. + +Compare note 18. + +80. _The protector of the four classes of the people, the +guardian of the four conditions of the priesthood_. + +A remarkable feature in the ancient Hindu social system, as +depicted in the plays, was the division of the people into four +classes or castes:--1st. The sacerdotal, consisting of the +Brahmans.--2nd. The military, consisting of fighting men, and +including the king himself and the royal family. This class +enjoyed great privileges, and must have been practically the most +powerful.--3rd. The commercial, including merchants and +husbandmen.--4th. The servile, consisting of servants and slaves. +Of these four divisions the first alone has been preserved in its +purity to the present day, although the Rajputs claim to be the +representatives of the second class. The others have been lost in +a multitude of mixed castes formed by intermarriage, and bound +together by similarity of trade or occupation. With regard to the +sacerdotal class, the Brahmans, who formed it, were held to be +the chief of all human beings; they were superior to the king, +and their lives and property were protected by the most stringent +laws. They were to divide their lives into four quarters, during +which they passed through four states or conditions, viz. as +religious students, as householders, as anchorites, and as +religious mendicants. + +81. _That he is pleased with ill-assorted unions_. + +The god Brahma seems to have enjoyed a very unenviable notoriety +as taking pleasure in ill-assorted marriages, and encouraging +them by his own example in the case of his own daughter. + +82. _[S']achi's sacred pool near Sakravatara_. + +[S']akra is a name of the god Indra, and Sakravatara is a sacred +place of pilgrimage where he descended upon earth. [S']achi is his +wife, to whom a _Urtha_, or holy bathing-place, was probably +consecrated at the place where [S']akoontala had performed her +ablutions. Compare note 14. + +83. _The wily Koil_. + +Compare note 66. + +84. _With the discus or mark of empire in the lines of his +hand_. + +When the lines of the right hand formed themselves into a circle, +it was thought to be the mark of a future hero or emperor. + +85. _A most refined occupation, certainly!_ + +Spoken ironically. The occupation of a fisherman, and, indeed, any +occupation which involved the sin of slaughtering animals, was +considered despicable. Fishermen, butchers, and leather-sellers were +equally objects of scorn. In Lower Bengal the castes of Jaliyas and +Bagdis, who live by fishing, etc., are amongst the lowest, and eke +out a precarious livelihood by thieving and dacoity. + +86. _And he should not forsake it_. + +The great Hindu lawgiver is very peremptory in restricting +special occupations (such as fishing, slaughtering animals, +basket-making) to the mixed and lowest castes. 'A man of the +lowest caste, who, through covetousness, lives by the acts of the +highest, let the king strip of all his wealth and banish. His own +business, though badly performed, is preferable to that of +another, though well performed.'--Manu, x. 96. In the later Hindu +system the sacrifice of animals is practised by the priests of +the goddess Kali only. + +87. _Carp_. + +That is, the Rohita, or Rohi (red) fish (_Cyprinus rohita_), a +kind of carp found in lakes and ponds in the neighbourhood of the +Ganges. It grows to the length of three feet, is very voracious, +and its flesh, though it often has a muddy taste, is edible. Its +back is olive-coloured, its belly of a golden hue, its fins and +eyes red. This fish is often caught in tanks in Lower Bengal of +the weight of twenty-five or thirty pounds. + +88. _I long to begin binding the flowers round his head_. + +It is evident from the Malati-Madhava, and other plays, that a +victim, about to be offered as a sacrifice, had a wreath of +flowers bound round the head. + +89. _The great vernal festival_. + +In celebration of the return of Spring, and said to be in honour +of Krishna, and of his son Kama-deva, the god of love. It is +identified with the Holi or Dola-yatra, the Saturnalia, or +rather, Carnival of the Hindus, when people of all conditions +take liberties with each other, especially by scattering red +powder and coloured water on the clothes of persons passing in +the street, as described in the play called Ratnavali, where the +crowd are represented as using syringes and waterpipes. Flowers, +and especially the opening blossoms of the mango, would naturally +be much employed for decoration at this festival, as an offering +to the god of love. It was formerly held on the full moon of the +month Chaitra, or about the beginning of April, but it is now +celebrated on the full moon of Phalguna, or about the beginning +of March. The other great Hindu festival, held in the autumn, +about October, is called Durga-puja, being in honour of the +goddess Durga. The Holi festival is now so disfigured by unseemly +practices and coarse jests that it is reprobated by the +respectable natives, and will probably, in the course of time, +either die out or be prohibited by legal enactment. + +90. _Am not I named after the Koil?_ + +Compare note 66. + +91. _Thy fire unerring shafts_. + +Compare note 47. + +92. _The amaranth_ + +That is, the Kuruvaka, either the crimson amaranth, or a purple +species of _Barleria_. + +93. _My finger burning with the glow of love_. + +However offensive to our notions of good taste, it is certain +that, in Hindu erotic poetry, a hot hand is considered to be one +of the signs of passionate love. Compare Othello, Act III. Scene +4. 'Give me your hand: this hand is moist, my lady--hot, hot, +and moist.' + +94. _The airy vapours of the desert_. + +A kind of mirage floating over waste places, and appearing at a +distance like water. Travellers and some animals, especially +deer, are supposed to be attracted and deceived by it. + +95. _Himalaya_. + +The name of this celebrated range of mountains is derived from +two Sanskrit words, _hima_, 'ice' or 'snow' (Lat. _hiems_), and +_alaya_, 'abode.' The pronunciation Himalaya is incorrect. + +96. _As [S']iva did the poison at the Deluge_. + +At the churning of the ocean, after the Deluge, by the gods and +demons, for the recovery or production of fourteen sacred things, +a deadly poison called Kala-kuta, or Hala-hala, was generated, so +virulent that it would have destroyed the world, had not the god +[S']iva swallowed it. Its only effect was to leave a dark blue mark +on his throat, whence his name Nila-kantha. This name is also +given to a beautiful bird, not wholly unlike our jay, common in +Bengal. + +97. _Palace of clouds_. + +The palace of King Dushyanta, so called because it was lofty as +the clouds. + +98. _The foreman of a guild belonging to Ayodhya_. + +The chief of a guild or corporation of artisans practising the +same trade. Ayodhya, or the Invincible City, was the ancient +capital of Ramachandra, founded by Ikshwaku, the first of the +Solar dynasty. It was situated on the river Sarayu in the north +of India, and is now called Oude. + +99. _My ancestors Must drink these glistening tears, the last +libation_. + +Oblations to the spirits of the deceased are offered by the +nearest surviving relatives soon after the funeral ceremonies; +and are repeated once in every year. They are supposed to be +necessary to secure the well-being of the souls of the dead in +the world appropriated to them. The oblation-ceremony is called +[S']raddha, and generally consisted in offering balls made of rice +and milk, or in pouring out water, or water and sesamum-seed +mixed. These ceremonies are still regarded as essential to the +welfare of deceased persons, and their celebration is marked by +magnificent feasts, to which relations and a host of Brahmans are +invited. A native who had grown rich in the time of Warren +Hastings spent nine lakhs of rupees on his mother's [S']raddha; and +large sums are still spent on similar occasions by wealthy Hindus +(see my 'Brahmanism and Hinduism,' p. 306). + +100. _The mother of the great Indra_. + +That is, Aditi, the wife of Ka[s']yapa, with whom, in their sacred +retreat, [S']akoontala was enjoying an asylum. + +101. _Distinguishes the milk from worthless water_. + +The Hindus imagine that the flamingo (a kind of goose) is the +vehicle on which the god Brahma is borne through the air; and +that this bird, being fond of the pulpy fibres of the water-lily, +has been gifted by him with the power of separating the milky +from the watery portion of the juice contained in the stalk of +that plant. + +102. _Matali_. + +The charioteer of Indra. In the pictures which represent this god +mounted on his usual vehicle--an elephant called Airavata--Matali +is seen seated before him on the withers of the animal, acting as +its driver. In the plays, however, Indra is generally represented +borne in a chariot drawn by two horses, guided by Matali. + +103. _Kalanemi_. + +A Daitya or demon, with a hundred arms and as many heads. + +104. _Narada_. + +A celebrated divine sage, usually reckoned among the ten +patriarchs first created by Brahma. He acted as a messenger of +the gods. + +105. _Tinged with celestial sandal from the breast_. + +The breast of Indra was dyed yellow with a fragrant kind of +sandal-wood (_hari-chandana_); and the garland by rubbing +against it, became tinged with the same color. Wreaths and +garlands of flowers are much used by the Hindus as marks of +honorary distinction, as well as for ornament or festive +occasions. They are suspended round the neck. + +106. _The ever-blooming tree of Nandana_. + +That is, Mandara, one of the five ever-blooming trees of Nandana, +or Swarga, Indra's heaven. The two most celebrated of these trees +were the Parijata and the Kalpa-druma, or tree granting all +desires. Each of the superior Hindu gods has a heaven, paradise, +or elysium of his own. That of Brahma is called Brahma-loka, +situate on the summit of mount Meru; that of Vishnu is Vaikuntha, +on the Himalayas; that of [S']iva and Kuvera is Kailasa, also on +the Himalayas; that of Indra is Swarga or Nandana. The latter, +though properly on the summit of mount Meru, below Brahma's +paradise, is sometimes identified with the sphere of the sky or +heaven in general. It is the only heaven of orthodox Brahmanism. + +107. _Jayanta_. + +The son of Indra by his favourite wife Paulomi or [S']achi. + +108. _The Lion-man's terrific claws_. + +Vishnu, in the monstrous shape of a creature half man, half lion +(his fourth Avatar or incarnation), delivered the three worlds, +that is to say, Earth, Heaven, and the lower regions, from the +tyranny of an insolent demon called Hiranya-ka[S']ipu. + +109. _We journey in the path of Parivaha_. + +The Hindus divide the heavens into seven Margas, paths or +orbits, assigning a particular wind to each. The sixth of these +paths is that of the Great Bear, and its peculiar wind is called +Parivaha. This wind is supposed to bear along the seven stars of +Ursa Major, and to propel the heavenly Ganges. + +110. _The triple Ganges_. + +The Ganges was supposed to take its rise in the toe of Vishnu +(whence one of its names, Vishnu-padi); thence it flowed through +the heavenly sphere, being borne along by the wind Parivaha, and +identified with the Mandakini, or Milky Way. Its second course is +through the earth; but the weight of its descent was borne by +[S']iva's head, whence, after wandering among the tresses of his +hair, it descended through a chasm in the Himalayas. Its third +course is through Patala, or the lower regions, the residence of +the Daityas and Nagas, and not to be confounded with Naraka, +'hell,' 'the place of punishment.' + +111. _He spanned the heavens in his second stride_. + +The story of Vishnu's second stride was this:--An Asura or +Daitya, named Bali, had, by his devotions, gained the dominion of +Heaven, Earth, and Patala. Vishnu undertook to trick him out of +his power, and assuming the form of a Vamana, or dwarf (his fifth +Avatar), he appeared before the giant and begged as a boon as +much land as he could pace in three steps. This was granted; and +the god immediately expanded himself till he filled the world; +deprived Bali, at the first step, of Earth; at the second, of +Heaven; but, in consideration of some merit, left Patala still +under his rule. + +112. _I see the moisture-loving Chatakas_. + +The Chataka is a kind of Cuckoo (_Cuculus Melanoleucus_). The +Hindus suppose that it drinks only the water of the clouds, and +their poets usually introduce allusions to this bird in connexion +with cloudy or rainy weather. + +113. _Golden-peak_. + +A sacred range of mountains lying among the Himalaya chain, and +apparently identical with, or immediately adjacent to, Kailasa, +the paradise of Kuvera, the god of wealth. It is here described +as the mountain of the Kimpurashas, or servants of Kuvera. They +are a dwarfish kind of monster, with the body of a man and the +head of a horse, and are otherwise called Kinnara. + +114. _Ka[s']yapa_. + +Ka[s']yapa was the son of Brahma's son, Marichi, and was one of +those Patriarchs (created by Brahma to supply the universe with +inhabitants) who, after fulfilling their mission, retired from +the world to practise penance. He was a progenitor on a +magnificent scale, as he is considered to have been the father of +the gods, demons, man, fish, reptiles, and all animals, by the +thirteen daughters of Daksha. The eldest of the thirteen, his +favourite wife, was Aditi, from whom were born Indra and all the +inferior gods, and particularly the twelve Adityas, or forms of +the sun, which represent him in the several months of the year. +From Diti, Danu, and others of the remaining twelve, came the +Daityas, Danavas, and other demons. + +115. _No sacred cord is twined_. + +The serpent's skin was used by the ascetic in place of the +regular Brahmanical cord. This thread or cord, sometimes called +the sacrificial cord, might be made of various substances, such +as cotton, hempen or woollen thread, according to the class of +the wearer; and was worn over the left shoulder and under the +right. The rite of investiture with this thread, which conferred +the title of 'twice-born,' and corresponded in some respects with +the Christian rite of baptism, was performed on youths of the +first three classes (compare note 80), at ages varying from eight +to sixteen, from eleven to twenty-two, and from twelve to +twenty-four, respectively. At present the Brahmans alone, and +those who claim to be Kshatriyas, have a right to wear this +thread. Not long since, a Kayath (or man of the writer caste) in +Bengal, who attempted to claim it, was excommunicated. + +116. _And birds construct their nests within its folds_. + +Such was the immovable impassiveness of this ascetic, that the +ants had thrown up their mound as high as his waist without being +disturbed, and birds had built their nests in his hair. + +117. _And need no other nourishment_. + +The Hindus imagine that living upon air is a proof of the highest +degree of spirituality to which a man can attain. + +118. _A[s']oka-tree_. + +The A[s']oka (_Jonesia Asoka_) is one of the most beautiful of +Indian trees. Sir W. Jones observes that 'the vegetable world +scarce exhibits a richer sight than an A[s']oka-tree in full bloom'. +It is about as high as an ordinary cherry-tree. The flowers are +very large, and beautifully diversified with tints of +orange-scarlet, of pale yellow, and of bright orange, which form +a variety of shades according to the age of the blossom. + +119. _And with his artless smiles Gladdens their hearts_. + +Chezy is enraptured with this verse: ' ... strophe incomparable, +que tout pere, ou plutot toute mere, ne pourra lire sans sentir +battre son coeur, tant le poete a su y rendre, avec les nuances +les plus delicates, l'expression vivante de l'amour maternel.' +Compare Statius, Theb., book v. line 613. + + 'Heu ubi siderei vultus? ubi verba ligatis + Imperfecta sonis? risusque et murmura soli + Intellecta mihi?' + + 120. _It is against propriety to make too minute inquiries +about the wife of another man_. + +The Hindus were very careful to screen their wives from the curiosity +of strangers; and their great lawgiver, Manu, enjoined that married +women should be cautiously guarded by their husbands in the inner +apartments (_antahpura_) appropriated to women (called by the +Muhammadans, Haram, and in common parlance, in India _andar-mahall_). +The chief duty of a married woman's life seems to have been to keep as +quiet as possible, to know as little as possible, to hear, see, and +inquire about nothing; and above all, to avoid being herself the +subject of conversation or inquiry; in short, the sole end and object +of her existence was to act as a good head-servant, yielding to her +husband a servile obedience, regulating the affairs of his family, +preparing his daily food, and superintending his household. (Manu, ix. +11, 16.) But notwithstanding the social restrictions to which women +were subjected, even in the earlier periods of Indian history, it +seems probable that they were not rigidly excluded from general +society until after the introduction of Muhammadan customs into India. +It appears from the plays that they were allowed to go into public on +certain occasions; they took part in bridal processions, and were +permitted to enter the temples of the gods, [S']akoontala appears in +the court of King Dushyanta and pleads her own cause; and Vasavadatta, +in the Ratnavali, holds a conversation with her father's envoy. Even +in later times, the presence of men, other than husbands or sons, in +the inner apartments, was far from being prohibited. See Wilson's +Hindu Theatre, p. xliii. + +121. _Her long hair Twined in a single braid_. + +Hindu women collect their hair into a single long braid as a sign +of mourning, when their husbands are dead or absent for a long +period. + +122. _Shines forth from dim eclipse_. + +The following is the Hindu notion of an eclipse:--A certain +demon, which had the tail of a dragon, was decapitated by Vishnu +at the churning of the ocean; but, as he had previously tasted of +the Amrit or nectar reproduced at that time, he was thereby +rendered immortal, and his head and tail, retaining their +separate existence, were transferred to the stellar sphere. The +head was called Rahu, and became the cause of eclipses, by +endeavouring at various times to swallow the sun and moon. So in +the Hitopade[s']a, line 192, the moon is said to be eaten by Rahu. +With regard to the love of the Moon for Rohini, the fourth lunar +constellation, see note 53. + +123. _All unadorned_. + +That is, from the absence of colouring or paint. + +124. _The power of darkness_. + +According to Hindu philosophy there are three qualities or +properties which together make up or dominate humanity: 1. +_Sattwa_, 'excellence' or 'goodness' (quiescence), whence +proceed truth, knowledge, purity, etc. 2. _Rajas_, 'passion' +(activity), which produces lust, pride, falsehood, etc., and is +the cause of pain. 3. _Tamas_, 'darkness' (inertia), whence +proceed ignorance, infatuation, delusion, mental blindness, etc. + +125. _Children of Brahma's sons_. + +Ka[s']yapa and Aditi were the children of Marichi and Daksha +respectively, and these last were the sons of Brahma. + +126. _The ruler of the triple world_. + +That is, Indra, lord of heaven, earth, and the lower regions. +Compare notes 110, 113. + +127. _Whom Vishnu, greater than the Self-existent_. + +Vishnu, as Narayana, or the Supreme Spirit, moved over the waters +before the creation of the world, and from his navel came the lotus +from which Brahma, the World's Creator, here called the Self-existent, +sprang. As Vishnu, the Preserver, he became incarnate in various +forms; and chose Ka[s']yapa and Aditi, from whom all human beings +were descended, as his medium of incarnation, especially in the Avatar +in which he was called Upendra, 'Indra's younger brother.' Hence it +appears that the worshippers of Vishnu exalt him above the Creator. + +128. _The earth's seven sea-girt isles_. + +According to the mythical geography of the Hindus, the earth +consisted of seven islands, or rather insular continents, +surrounded by seven seas. That inhabited by men was called +Jambudwipa, and was in the centre, having in the middle of it the +sacred mountain Meru or Sumeru, a kind of Mount Olympus inhabited +by the gods. About Jambu flowed the sea of salt-water which +extends to the second Dwipa, called Plaksha, which is in its turn +surrounded by a sea of sugar-cane juice. And so with the five +other Dwipas, viz. Salmali, Ku[S']a, Krauncha, [S']aka, and Pushkara, +which are severally surrounded by the seas of wine, clarified +butter, curds, milk, and fresh water. + +129. _Bharata_. + +The name Bharata is derived from the root bhri (fero),'to +support.' Many Indian princes were so named, but the most +celebrated was this son of Dushyanta and [S']akoontala, who so +extended his empire that from him the whole of India was called +Bharata-varsha or Bharata-varsha; and whose descendants, the sons +of Dhritarashtra and Pandu, by their quarrels, formed the subject +of the great epic poem called Maha-bharata. The Hindus at the +present day continue to call India by the name Bharata-varsha. + +180. _The Sage Bharata_. + +The Bharata here intended must not be confounded with the young +prince. He was a holy sage, the director or manager of the gods' +dramas, and inventor of theatrical representations in general. He +wrote a work containing precepts and rules relating to every +branch of dramatic writing, which appears to have been lost, but +is constantly quoted by the commentators. (See p. xxix.) + +131. _Saraswati_. + +She is the goddess of speech and eloquence, patroness of the arts +and sciences, and inventress of the Sanskrit language. There is a +festival still held in her honour for two days, about February in +every year, when no Hindu will touch a pen or write a letter. The +courts are all closed accordingly. + +132. _The purple self-existent god_. + +[S']iva is usually represented as borne on a bull; his colour, as +well as that of the animal he rides, being white, to denote the +purity of Justice, over which he presides. In his destroying +capacity, he is characterized by the quality 'darkness,' and +named Rudra, Kala, etc., when his colour is said to be purple or +black. Some refer the epithet 'purple' to the colour of his +throat; compare note 96. Self-existent, although properly a name +of the Supreme Being (Brahma), is applied both to Vishnu and +[S']iva by their votaries. + +134. _Whose vital Energy_. + +That is, [S']iva's wife, Parvati, who was supposed to personify his +energy or active power. Exemption from further transmigration, +and absorption into the divine soul, was the _summum bonum_ of +Hindu philosophy. Compare note 37. + +135. _By my divine faculty of meditation_. + +Celestial beings were endowed with a mental faculty (called +dhyana, pranidhana, etc.), which enabled them to arrive at the +knowledge of present and future events. + +136. _A roseate dye wherewith to stain The lady's feet_. + +That is, the soles of her feet. It was customary for Hindu ladies +to stain the soles of their feet of a red colour with the dye +made from lac--a minute insect bearing some resemblance to the +cochineal--which punctures the bark of the Indian fig-tree, and +surrounds itself with the milky resinous juice of that tree. +This custom is a alluded to in one of Paterson's Hindu odes-- + + 'The rose that humbly bowed to meet, + With glowing lips, her hallowed feet, + And lent them all its bloom.' + +See Megha-duta (Edit. Johnson), p. 32. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Sakoontala or The Lost Ring, by Kalidasa + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SAKOONTALA OR THE LOST RING *** + +***** This file should be named 12169.txt or 12169.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/2/1/6/12169/ + +Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Keren Vergon, jayam and PG Distributed +Proofreaders + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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