Kalidasa

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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! ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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! ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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! ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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.] ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”