Rabindranath Tagore

“ This body of mine has received a stain—I shall make a sacrifice of it to-day in the dust of the hall, before all these princes! But shall I never be able to tell you that I know of no stain of faithlessness within the hidden chambers of my heart? That dark chamber where you would come to meet me lies cold and empty within my bosom to-day—but, O my Lord! none has opened its doors, none has entered it but you, O King! Will you never come again to open those doors? Then, let death come, for it is dark like yourself, and its features are beautiful as yours. It is you—it is yourself, O King! ”

“ King, you too are walking in the dust to-day: this road has never known anybody driving his horse or chariot over it.
SUDARSHANA.
When I was the Queen, I stepped over silver and gold—I shall have now to atone for the evil fortune of my birth by walking over dust and bare earth. I could not have dreamed that thus I would meet my King of common earth and dust at every step of mine to-day.
SURANGAMA.
Look, my Queen, there on the eastern horizon comes the dawn. We have not long to walk: I see the spires of the golden turrets of the King’s palace. ”

“ SUDARSHANA.
Tell me, Surangama, I implore you, won’t you tell me what is the King like to look at? I have not seen him yet for a single day. He comes to me in darkness, and leaves me in this dark room again. How many people have I not asked—but they all return vague and dark answers—it seems to me that they all keep back something.
SURANGAMA.
To tell you the truth, Queen, I could not say well what he is like. No—he is not what men call handsome. ”

“ KANCHI.
False pretender, it is you who are suffering from an overdose of arrogant spirits. Your head will soon kiss the dust.
“KING”.
Princes, these heavy jokes are not worthy of a king.
KANCHI.
Those who will jest properly with you are near at hand. General!
“KING”.
No more, I entreat you. I can see plainly I owe homage to you all. The head is bowing down of itself—there is no need for the application of any sharp methods to lay it low. So here I do my obeisance to you all. If you kindly allow me to escape I shall not inflict my presence long on you. ”

“ But it is his gift to me: yet I could not fling this garland away! When the fire came roaring on all sides of me, I thought of throwing this garland into the fire. But no, I could not. My mind whispered, "Let that garland be on you in your death." . . . What fire is this, O King, into which I, who had come out to see you, leaped like a moth that cannot resist the flame? What a pain is this, oh, what agony! The fire keeps burning as fiercely as ever, but I go on living within its flames! ”

“ KING.
Your own mirror will not reflect them—it lessens you, limits you, makes you look small and insignificant. But could you see yourself mirrored in my own mind, how grand would you appear! In my own heart you are no longer the daily individual which you think you are—you are verily my second self.
SUDARSHANA.
Oh, do show me for an instant how to see with your eyes! Is there nothing at all like darkness to you? I am afraid when I think of this. This darkness which is to me real and strong as death—is this simply nothing to you? ”

“ Look behind you, Prince of Kanchi, your regal umbrella is lying in the dust: you have not noticed when your umbrella-holder has stolen away.
Kanchi
All right, general. I too am going—but not to do him homage. I go to fight him on the battle-ground.
Grandfather
You will meet my King in the field of battle: that is no mean place for your reception.
Virat
Look here, friends, perhaps we are all flying before an imagined terror—it looks as if the King of Kanchi will have the best of it. ”

“ KING.
It will be possible in time, my Queen. The utter and bleak blackness that has to-day shaken you to your soul with fear will one day be your solace and salvation. What else can my love exist for?
SUDARSHANA.
It cannot be, it is not possible. What will your love only do? My love has now turned away from you. Beauty has cast its spell on me—this frenzy, this intoxication will never leave me—it has dazzled and fired my eyes, it has thrown its golden glamour over my very dreams! ”

“ SUDARSHANA.
Oh, I should have been dead long ago! But, O King, my King, if you had come and helped my father, your fame would have been none the less! It would have become brighter and higher. Are you quite sure, Surangama, that he has not come?
SURANGAMA.
I know nothing for certain.
SUDARSHANA.
But since I came here I have felt suddenly many a time as if somebody were playing on a vina below my window.
SURANGAMA.
There is nothing impossible in the idea that somebody indulges his taste for music there. ”

“ A Road. Sudarshana and Surangama
Sudarshana
What a relief, Surangama, what freedom! It is my defeat that has brought me freedom. Oh, what an iron pride was mine! Nothing could move it or soften it. My darkened mind could not in any way be brought to see the plain truth that it was not the King who was to come, it was I who ought to have gone to him. All through yesternight I lay alone on the dusty floor before that window—lay there through the desolate hours and wept! All night the southern winds blew and shrieked and moaned like the pain that was biting at my heart ”

“ Just look at our Queen—she got into a temper with herself and thought that she could spoil her matchless beauty by flinging away all her ornaments: but this insult to her beauty has made it shine forth in tenfold radiance, and now it is in its unadorned perfection. We hear that our King is all innocent of beauty—that is why he loves all his manifold beauty of form which shines as the very ornament of his breast. And that beauty has to-day taken off its veil and cloak of pride and vanity! ”

“ There is no need, Bhavadatta, of my pointing out afresh that Janardan is blessed with an intelligence which is remarkably crooked, which is sure to land him in danger some day. If the King comes to hear of our worthy friend, he will make it a pretty hard job for him to find any one to do him his funeral rites when he is dead.
BHAVADATTA.
One can’t help feeling that life becomes a burden in this country; one misses the joys of privacy in these streets—this jostling and brushing shoulders with strange people day and night makes one long for a bath. ”

“ Not even once did he forbid me to come away, and I found all the doors wide open to let me out! And the stony and dusty road over which I walked—it was nothing to it that a queen was treading on it. It is hard and has no feelings, like your King; the meanest beggar is the same to it as the highest Empress. You are silent! Well, I tell you, your King’s behaviour is—mean, brutal, shameful!
SURANGAMA.
Every one knows that my King is hard and pitiless—no one has ever been able to move him.
SUDARSHANA.
Why do you, then, call him day and night? ”

“ KANCHI.
Tell your King that I have come prepared for such an answer. [MESSENGER goes out.]
SUVARNA.
King of Kanchi, it seems to me that we are daring too much.
KANCHI.
What pleasure would there be in this adventure if it were otherwise?
SUVARNA.
It does not cost much courage to challenge Kanya Kubja—but . . .
KANCHI.
If you once begin to be afraid of “but,” you will hardly find a place in this world safe enough for you. ”

“ Living in this dark room you have grown to speak darkly and strangely—I cannot understand you, Surangama. But tell me, in what part of the palace is this chamber situated? I cannot make out either the entrance or the way out of this room.
Surangama
This room is placed deep down, in the very heart of the earth. The King has built this room specially for your sake.
Sudarshana
Why, he has no dearth of rooms—why need he have made this chamber of darkness specially for me?
Surangama
You can meet others in the lighted rooms: but only in this dark room can you meet your lord. ”

“ The King of Kanchi wants to demonstrate the futility and inferiority of outer beauty and grandeur. Vanity of his prowess has made him discard all outer embellishments from his limbs.
KOSLIALA.
I am quite up to his trickery; he is seeking to prove his own dignity, maintaining a severe plainness among the bejewelled princes.
PANCHALA.
I cannot commend his wisdom in this matter. Every one knows that a woman’s eyes are like a moth in that they fling themselves headlong on the glare and glitter of jewel and gold. ”

“ KANCHI.
Why, what good will it bring him?
SUVARNA.
The greedy ones will tear one another to pieces in the general rivalry and scramble-and he will take advantage of the situation to go back with the booty.
KANCHI.
Now it becomes clear why your King never shows himself. His trick is to multiply himself on every side—fear makes him visible everywhere. But I will still maintain that your King is but an empty fraud from top to bottom.
SUVARNA.
But, please Your Highness, will you have the kindness to let me off? ”

“ SUVARNA.
Your servant is ready for anything; but of what profit will that be to you?
KANCHI.
My man, I see that your weak intellect cannot go with a high ambition in you. You have no notion yet with what favour the Queen looked upon you. After all, she cannot possibly throw the bridal garland on an umbrella-bearer’s neck in a company of princes, and yet, I know, she will not be able to turn her mind away from you. So on all accounts this garland will fall under the shade of my regal umbrella. ”

“ We all know that the supreme thing that strikes one’s eye in any country is the King, who of course loses no opportunity of exhibiting himself.
JANARDAN.
But look at the nice order and regularity prevailing all over the place—how do you explain it without a King?
BHAVADATTA.
So this is the wisdom you have arrived at by living so long under a ruler! Where would be the necessity of having a King if order and harmony existed already?
JANARDAN.
All these people have assembled to rejoice at this festival. Do you think they could come together like this in a country of anarchy? ”

“ We have always wondered . . . why, the mere sight of a King in all countries makes one’s soul quake like an aspen leaf with fear; but why should our King never have been seen by any mortal soul? Even if he at least came out and consigned us all to the gibbet, we might be sure that our King was no hoax. After all, there is much in Virupaksha’s explanation that sounds plausible enough. ”

“ He only looks so innocent from the outside. If you had only taken off his white disguise, you would have seen his trickery. I have been watching what red colours he is throwing on the Earth to-night. And yet, fancy his remaining white and colourless all the while!
Song
With you is my game, love, my love!
My heart is mad, it will never own defeat,
Do you think you will escape stainless yourself reddening me with red powder?
Could I not colour your robe with the red pollens of the blossom of my heart? ”

“ Surangama
A mighty forest inly smokes and smoulders before it bursts into a conflagration: the time has not come yet.
Sudarshana
I have thrown my queen's honour and glory to the dust and winds—but is there no human being who will come out to meet my desolate soul here? Alone—oh, I am fearfully, terribly alone! ”

“ KING.
Will you be able to bear me now?
SUDARSHANA.
Oh yes, yes, I shall. Your sigh repelled me because I had sought to find you in the pleasure garden, in my Queen’s chambers: there even your meanest servant looks handsomer than you. That fever of longing has left my eyes for ever. You are not beautiful, my lord—you stand beyond all comparisons! ”

“ My faith is, to go on obeying the King—it does not matter whether he is a real one or a pretender. What do we know of Kings that we should judge them! It is like throwing stones in the dark—you are almost sure of hitting your mark. ”

“ I have heard that you are my King's friend, so accept my obeisance and give me your blessings.
Grandfather
What are you doing, Queen? I never accept anybody's obeisance. My relation with every one is only that of comradeship. ”

“ Your song has filled my eyes with tears. . . . A fancy comes to me—that desire can never attain its object—it need never attain it. What sweet hermit of the woods has taught you this song? Oh that my eyes could see him whose song my ears have heard! Oh, how I wish—I wish I could wander rapt and lovely in the thick woodland arbours of the heart! Dear boys of the hermitage! how shall I reward you? This necklace is but made of jewels, hard stones—its hardness will give you pain—I have got nothing like the garlands of flowers you have on. ”

“ I cannot regard this as a very auspicious omen.
Kanchi
Everything looks inauspicious to the eye of fear.
Vidarbha
I fear none except Fate, before which courage or heroism is as futile as it is absurd. ”