Kalidasa

“ Can you hold a council in a wood? I, who am a reverend Bráhmen, have no longer the use of my hands and feet: they are put out of joint by my running all day long after dogs and wild beasts. Favour me, I entreat, with your permission to repose but a single day.
Dushm. [Aside.] Such are this poor fellow's complaints; whilst I, when I think of Canna's daughter, have as little relish for hunting as he; how can I brace this bow, and fix a shaft in the string, to shoot at those beautiful deer who dwell in the same groves with my beloved, and whose eyes derive lustre from hers? ”

“ O my darling, whom I treated with disrespect, and forsook without reason, when will this traitor, whose heart is deeply stung with repentant sorrow, be once more blessed with a sight of thee?
A Damsel enters with a picture.
Dams. Great king, the picture is finished.
[Holding it before him. Dushm. [Gazing on it.] Yes; that is her face; those are her beautiful eyes; those her lips embellished with smiles, and surpassing the red lustre of the Carcandhu fruit; her mouth seems, though painted, to speak, and her conntenance darts beams of affection blended with a variety of melting tints. ”

“ Ah! how majestick are noble forms in every habiliment!—Our prince, even in the garb of affliction, is a venerable object.—Though he has abandoned pleasure, ornaments, and business; though he is become so thin, that his golden bracelet falls loosened even down to his wrist; though his lips are parched with the heat of his sighs, and his eyes are fixed open by long sorrow and want of sleep, yet am I dazzled by the blaze of virtue which beams in his countenance like a diamond exquisitely polished. ”

“ But this arrow shall distinguish thee from thy foe, in spight of the magick which renders thee invisible.—Mádhavya, stand firm; and thou, blood-thirsty fiend, think not of destroying him whom I love and will protect.—See, I thus fix a shaft which shall pierce thee, who deservest death, and shall save a Bráhmen who deserves long life; as the celestial bird sips the milk, and leaves the water which has been mingled with it. ”

“ Sacontalá stops, and trembles. Sárad. Let the queen hear. If thou beest what the king proclaims thee, what right hast thou to complain? But if thou knowest the purity of thy own soul, it will become thee to wait as a handmaid in the mansion of thy lord. Stay, then, where thou art; we must return to Canna.
Dushm. Deceive her not, holy men, with vain expectations. The moon opens the night flower; and the sun makes the water lily blossom: each is confined to its own object: and thus a virtuous man abstains from any connection with the wife of another. ”

“ Mount, therefore, with me, the car of Indra, and, grasping thy bow, advance to assured victory.
Dushm. Such a mark of distinction from the prince of good genii honours me highly; but say why you treated so roughly my poor friend Mádhavya.
Mát. Perceiving that, for some reason or another, you were grievously afflicted, I was desirous to rouse your spirits by provoking you to wrath.—The fire blazes when wood is thrown on it; the serpent, when provoked, darts his head against the assailant; and a man capable of acquiring glory, exerts himself when his courage is excited. ”

“ There are some damsels, I see, belonging to the hermit's family who carry water-pots of different sizes proportioned to their strength, and are going to water the delicate plants. Oh! how charmingly they look! If the beauty of maids who dwell in woodland retreats cannot easily be found in the recesses of a palace, the garden flowers must make room for the blossoms of the forest, which excel them in colour and fragrance. ”

“ Dushm. What has raised your wonder?
Second Atten. The astonishing resemblance between the child and you, gentle stranger, to whom he bears no relation.—It surprised me also to see, that although he has childish humours, and had no former acquaintance with you, yet your words have restored him to his natural good temper.
Dushm. [Raisng the Boy to his bosom.] Holy matron, if he be not the son of a hermit, what then is the name of his family? ”

“ Oh! what confidence is inspired by his brilliant appearance!—Or proceeds it rather from his disposition to virtue and holiness?—Whence comes it, that my fear vanishes?—He now has taken his abode in a wood which supplies us with every enjoyment; and with all his exertions for our safety, his devotion increases from day to day.—The praise of a monarch who has conquered his passions ascends even to heaven: inspired bards are continually singing, "Behold a virtuous prince!" ”

“ Dushmanta with Mátali in the car of Indra, supposed to be above the clouds.
Dushmanta.
I am sensible, O Mátali, that, for having executed the commission which Indra gave me, I deserved not such a profusion of honours.
Mát. Neither of you is satisfied. You who have conferred so great a benefit on the god of thunder, consider it as a trifling act of devotion; whilst he reckons not all his kindness equal to the benefit conferred. ”

“ Why does the queen cover part of her face, as if she was afraid of something, with the tips of her fingers, that glow like the flowers of the Cuvalaya?—Oh! I now perceive an impudent bee, that thief of odours, who seems eager to sip honey from the lotos of her mouth.
Dushm. A bee! drive off the importunate insect.
Mádh. The king has supreme power over all offenders. ”

“ Oh! void of honour, thou measurest all the world by thy own bad heart. What prince ever resembled, or ever will re- semble, thee, who wearest the garb of religion and virtue, but in truth art a base deceiver; like a deep well whose mouth is covered with smiling plants! ”

“ O male bee, who approachest the lovely inhabitants of a flowery grove, why dost thou expose thyself to the pain of being rejected?—See where thy female sits on a blossom, and, though thirsty, waits for thy return: without thee she will not taste its nectar. ”

“ You kings are in all cases to be credited implicitly; you perfectly know the respect which is due to virtue and to mankind; while females, however modest, however virtuous, know nothing, and speak nothing truly.—In a happy hour I came hither to seek the object of my affection; in a happy moment I received the hand of a prince descended from Puru; a prince who had won my confidence by the honey of his words, whilst his heart concealed the weapon that was to pierce mine. ”

“ What message can the pious Canna have sent me?—Has the devotion of his pupils been impeded by evil spirits—or by what other calamity?—Or has any harm, alas! befallen the poor herds who graze in the hallowed forest?—Or have the sins of the king tainted the flowers and fruits of the creepers planted by female hermits? My mind is entangled in a labyrinth of confused apprehensions.
Ward. What our sovereign imagines, cannot possibly have happened; since the hermitage has been rendered secure from evil by the mere sound of his bowstring. ”

“ She bursts into tears. Can. Thy tears, my child, ill suit the occasion: we shall all meet again: be firm: see the direct road before thee, and follow it.—When the big tear lurks beneath thy beautiful eyelashes, let thy resolution check its first efforts to disengage itself.—In thy passage over this earth, where the paths are now high, now low, and the true path seldom distinguished, the traces of thy feet must needs be unequal; but virtue will press thee right onward.
Sárn. It is a sacred rule, holy sage, that a benevolent man should accompany a traveller till he meet with abundance of water ”

“ I know not yet what blessed inhabitant of this world will be the possessor of that faultless beauty, which now resembles a blossom whose fragrance has not been diffused; a fresh leaf, which no hand has torn from its stalk ”

“ Say, Mátali, what mountain is that which, like an evening cloud, pours exhilarating streams, and forms a golden zone between the western and eastern seas?
Mát. That, O king, is the mountain of Gandharvas, named Hémacúta; the universe contains not a more excellent place for the successful devotion of the pious. ”

“ Bhadraséna, this moralizing Mádhavya has put a stop to our recreation by forbiding the pleasures of the chase.
Gen. [Aside to Mádhavya] Be firm to your word, my friend; whilst I sound the king's real inclinations.— [Aloud.] —O! Sir, the fool talks idly. Consider the delights of hunting. The body, it is true, becomes emaciated, but it is light and fit for exercise. Mark how the wild beasts of various kinds are variously affected by fear and by rage! What pleasure equals that of a proud archer, when his arrow hits the mark as it flies?—Can hunting be justly called a vice? ”

“ My son Sárngarava, remember, when thou shalt present Sacontalá to the king, to address him thus in my name: "Considering us hermits as virtuous, indeed, but rich only in devotion, and considering also thy own exalted birth, retain thy love for this girl, which arose in thy bosom without any interference of her kindred; and look on her among thy wives with the same kindness which they experience; more than that cannot be demanded; since particular affection must depend on the will of heaven." ”

“ Are those, O Mátali, the divine pair, sprung from Maríchi and Dacsha?—Are those the grand-children of Brahmá, to whom the self-existent gave birth in the beginning: whom inspired mortals pronounce the fountain of glory apparent in the form of twelve suns; they who produced my benefactor, the lord of a hundred sacrifices, and ruler of three worlds?
Mát. Even they.— [Prostrating himself with Dushmanta.] —Great beings, the king Dushmanta, who has executed the commands of your son Vasava, falls humbly before your throne.
Cas. Continue long to rule the world. ”

“ Great king, we came hither to collect wood for a solemn sacrifice; and this forest, on the banks of the Malinì, affords an asylum to the wild animals protected by Sacontalá, whom our holy preceptor Canna has received as a sacred deposit. If you have no other avocation, enter yon grove, and let the rights of hospitality be duly performed. Having seen with your own eyes the virtuous behaviour of those whose only wealth is their piety, but whose worldly cares are now at an end, you will then exclaim, "How many good subjects are defended by this arm, which the bowstring has made callous!" ”

“ Be the crime removed from my soul!—Thou hast been instructed for some bad purpose to vilify me, and make me fall from the dignity which I have hitherto supported; as a river which has burst its banks and altered its placid current, overthrows the trees that had risen aloft on them. ”

“ O king, you deserve all imaginable rewards from the sovereign of good genii, whose empyreal seats have twice been disentangled from the thorns of Danu's race; formerly by the claws of the man-lion, and lately by thy unerring shafts.
Dushm. My victory proceeded wholly from the auspices of the god; as on earth, when servants prosper in great enterprises, they owe their success to the magnificence of their lords.—Could Arun dispel the shades of night if the deity with a thousand beams had not placed him before the car of day? ”

“ But, O mighty prince, as I am favoured by you and by her, my friendship for Sacontalá prompts me to converse with you for a few moments.
Dushm. Excellent damsel, speak openly; and suppress nothing.
Pri. Our lord shall hear.
Dushm. I am attentive.
Pri. By dispelling the alarms of our pious hermits, you have discharged the duty of a great monarch.
Dushm. Oh! talk a little on other subjects.
Pri. Then I must tell you that our beloved companion is enamoured of you, and has been reduced to her present langour by the resistless divinity, love. You only can preserve her inestimable life. ”

“ By thee and by the moon, though each of you seems worthy of our confidence, we lovers are cruelly deceived. They who love as I do, ascribe flowery shafts to thee, and cool beams to the moon, with equal impropriety ”

“ When thou shalt be mistress of a family, and consort of a king, thou mayst, indeed, be occasionally perplexed by the intricate affairs which arise from exuberance of wealth, but wilt then think lightly of this transient affliction, especially when thou shalt have a son (and a son thou wilt have) bright as the rising day-star.—Know also with certainty that the body must necessarily, at the appointed moment, be separated from the soul: who, then, can be immoderately afflicted, when the weaker bounds of extrinsick relations are loosened, or even broken. ”

“ She speaks truly. Yes; her lip glows like the tender leaflet; her arms resemble two flexible stalks; and youthful beauty shines, like a blossom, in all her lineaments.
Anu. See, my Sacontalá, how yon fresh Mallicà, which you have surnamed Vanàdósinì, or Delight of the Grove, has chosen the sweet Amra for her bridegroom.
Sac. [Approaching, and looking at it with pleasure.] How charming is the season, when the nuptials even of plants are thus publickly celebrated!
[She stands admiring it.
Pri. [Smiling.] Do you know, my Anusúyá, why Sacontalá gazes on the plants with such rapture? ”

“ Yet this God, who bears a fish on his banners, and who wounds me to the soul, will give me real delight, if he destroy me with the aid of my beloved, whose eyes are large and beautiful as those of a roe. ”

“ My son, re-ascend the car of Indra with thy consort and child, and return happy to thy imperial seat.
Dushm. Be it as Maríchi ordains.
Cas. Henceforth may the god of the atmosphere with copious rain give abundance to thy affectionate subjects; and mayst thou with frequent sacrifices maintain the Thunderer's friendship! By numberless interchanges of good offices between you both, may benefits reciprocally be conferred on the inhabitants of the two worlds!
Dushm. Powerful being, I will be studious, as far as I am able, to attain that felicity. ”

“ Sacontalá walks round, bowing to the nymphs.
Sac. [Aside to Priyamvadá.] Delighted as I am, O Priyamvadá, with the thought of seeing again the son of my lord, yet, on leaving this grove, my early asylum, I am scarce able to walk.
Pri. You lament not alone.—Mark the affliction of the forest itself when the time of your departure approaches!—The female antelope browses no more on the collected Cusa grass; and the pea-hen ceases to dance on the lawn; the very plants of the grove, whose pale leaves fall on the ground, lose their strength and their beauty. ”

“ Thou seekest not thy own pleasure: no; it is for the people that thou art harassed from day to day. Such, when thou wast created, was the disposition implanted in thy soul! Thus a branchy tree bears on his head the scorching sunbeams while his broad shade allays the fever of those who seek shelter under him. ”

“ He draws the bow string.
Enter Mátali and Mádhavya.
Mát. The god Indra has destined evil demons to fall by thy shafts: against them let thy bow be drawn, and cast on thy friends eyes bright with affection. ”

“ See, my Anusúyá, where our beloved friend sits, motionless as a picture, supporting her languid head with her left hand. With a mind so intent on one object, she can pay no attention to herself, much less to a stranger. ”

“ We must greedily devour lean venison, and that commonly roasted to a stick.—Have I a moment's repose at night?—My slumber is disturbed by the din of horses and elephants, or by the sons of slave-girls hollooing out, "More venison, more venison!"—Then comes a cry that pierces my ear, "Away to the forest, away!" ”

“ Open thy mouth, lion's whelp, that I may count thy teeth.
First Atten. Intractable child! Why dost thou torment the wild animals of this forest, whom we cherish as if they were our own offspring?—Thou seemest even to sport in anger.—Aptly have the hermits named thee Servademana, since thou tamest all creatures. ”

“ Mát. In exalted minds the desire of perfect excellence continually increases.— [Turning aside.] —Tell me, Vriddhasácalya, in what business is the divine son of Maríchí now engaged?—What sayest thou?—Is he conversing with the daughter of Dacsha, who practises all the virtues of a dutiful wife, and is consulting him on moral questions?—Then we must await his leisure.— [To Dushmanta.] Rest, O king, under the shade of this Asóca tree, whilst I announce thy arrival to the father of Indra.
Dushm. As you judge right.— [Mátali goes out.—Dushmanta feels his right arm throb.] ”

“ The medicine extracted from the balmy Usíra has been applied, I see, to her bosom; her only bracelet is made of thin filaments from the stalks of a water lily, and even that is loosely bound on her arm. Yet, even thus disordered, she is exquisitely beautiful. Such are the hearts of the young! Love and the sun equally inflame us; but the scorching heat of summer leads not equally to happiness with the ardour of youthful desires.
Pri. [Aside to Anusúyá.] Did you not observe how the heart of Sacontalá was affected by the first sight of our pious monarch? ”

“ Then I have little to add.—When the king's memory was restored, by the sight of his gem, he instantly exclaimed: "Yes, the incomparable Sacontalá is my lawful wife; and when I rejected her, I had lost my reason."——— He showed strong marks of extreme affliction and penitence; and from that moment he has abhorred the pleasures of life. No longer does he exert his respectable talents from day to day for the good of his people; he prolongs his nights without closing his eyes, perpetually rolling on the edge of his couch; and when he rises, he pronounces not one sentence aptly ”

“ Sacontalá expresses an inclination to rise. Dushm. Give yourself no pain. Those delicate limbs, which repose on a couch of flowers, those arms, whose bracelets of lotos are disarranged by a slight pressure, and that sweet frame, which the hot noon seems to have disordered, must not be fatigued by ceremony. ”

“ Canna enters meditating.
Can. [Aside.] This day must Sacontalá depart: that is resolved; yet my soul is smitten with anguish.—My speech is interrupted by a torrent of tears, which my reason suppresses and turns inward: my very sight is dimmed.—Strange that the affliction of a forester, retired from the haunts of men, should be so excessive!—Oh! with what pangs must they who are fathers of families, be afflicted on the departure of a daughter! ”

“ Was that the voice of the Cócila wishing a happy journey to Sacontalá?—Or did the nymphs, who are allied to the pious inhabitants of these woods, repeat the warbling of the musical bird, and make its greeting their own?
Gaut. Daughter, the sylvan goddesses, who love their kindred hermits, have wished you prosperity, and are entitled to humble thanks. ”

“ How are our sacred rites interrupted! How are the protected herds dispersed! The wild elephant, alarmed at the new appearance of a car, lays our forest waste.
Dushm. [Aside.] How unwillingly am I offending the devout foresters! Yes; I must go to them instantly.
Pri. Noble stranger, we are confounded with dread of the enraged elephant. With your permission, therefore, we retire to the hermit's cottage.
Anu. O Sacontalá, the venerable matron will be much distressed on your account. Come quickly that we may be all safe together. ”