HARVARD ORIENTAL SERIES

 WITH THE COÖPERATION OF VARIOUS SCHOLARS

 BY

 CHARLES ROCKWELL LANMAN

 WALES PROFESSOR OF SANSKRIT IN HARVARD UNIVERSITY

 Volume Nine

 CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

 Published by Harvard University

 1905

 * * * * *

 THE LITTLE CLAY CART

 [MṚCCHAKAṬIKA]

 A Hindu Drama

 ATTRIBUTED TO KING SHŪDRAKA

 TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL SANSKRIT AND PRĀKRITS

 INTO ENGLISH PROSE AND VERSE

 BY

 ARTHUR WILLIAM RYDER, PH. D. 

 INSTRUCTOR IN SANSKRIT IN HARVARD UNIVERSITY

 CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

 Published by Harvard University

 1905

 COPYRIGHT, 1905, BY HARVARD UNIVERSITY

 * * * * *

TO MY FATHER

WILLIAM HENRY RYDER

 * * * * *

CONTENTS

NOTE BY THE EDITOR OF THE SERIES

PREFACE BY THE TRANSLATOR

INTRODUCTION

THE AUTHOR AND THE PLAY

THE TRANSLATION

AN OUTLINE OF THE PLOT

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

TRANSLATION OF THE LITTLE CLAY CART

PROLOGUE

ACT I. THE GEMS ARE LEFT BEHIND

ACT II. THE SHAMPOOER WHO GAMBLED

ACT III. THE HOLE IN THE WALL

ACT IV. MADANIKĀ AND SHARVILAKA

ACT V. THE STORM

ACT VI. THE SWAPPING OF THE BULLOCK-CARTS

ACT VII. ARYAKA'S ESCAPE

ACT VIII. THE STRANGLING OF VASANTASENĀ

ACT IX. THE TRIAL

ACT X. THE END

EPILOGUE

DEPARTURES OF THE TRANSLATION FROM PARAB'S TEXT

 * * * * *

NOTE BY THE EDITOR

With _the battle of the Sea of Japan another turning-point in thebrief course of recorded human history has been reached. Whatever theoutcome of the negotiations for peace, one thing is sure: for better, for worse, and whether we will or no, the West must know the East, andthe East must know the West. With that knowledge will inevitably comean interchange of potent influences, of influences that will affectprofoundly the religion and morals, the philosophy, the literature, the art, in short, all the elements that make up the civilizations ofthe two hemispheres. It is a part of the responsibility resting uponthe molders and leaders of the thought and life of our time, and uponour Universities in particular, to see to it that these new forces, mighty for good or for evil, are directed aright. _

_The fruitfulness of those scions of Western civilization which theJapanese have grafted upon their own stock is to-day the admirationof the world. In our wonder, let us not forget that that stock is thegrowth of centuries, and that it is rooted in a soil of racial characterinformed by ethical ideals which we are wont to regard, witharrogant self-complacency, as exclusively proper to Christianity, butwhich were, in fact, inculcated twenty-four centuries ago throughprecept and example by Gotama the Enlightened, or, as the Hinduscalled him, Gotama the Buddha. It has often been said that Indiahas never influenced the development of humanity as a whole. Be thatas it may, it now seems no less probable than strange that she is yetdestined to do so, on the one hand, indirectly, through the influenceof Indian Buddhism upon Japan, and, on the other, directly, by thediffusion in the West of a knowledge of her sacred writings, especiallythose of Vedantism and Buddhism. To judge the East aright, we must know not only what she is, but also how she has become whatshe is; know, in short, some of the principal phases of her spiritualhistory as they are reflected in her ancient literature, especially thatof India. To interpret to the West the thought of the East, to bringher best and noblest achievements to bear upon our life_, --_that is to-daythe problem of Oriental philology. _

_The Harvard Oriental Series embodies an attempt to present to Westernscholars, in trustworthy texts and translations, some of the greatestworks of the Hindu literature and philosophy and religion, togetherwith certain instruments, such as the Vedic Concordance or the Historyof the Beast-fable, for their critical study or elucidation. Someaccount of the volumes completed or in progress may be found at theend of this book. Dr. Ryder, passing by for the present the moremomentous themes of religion and philosophy, has in this volumeattempted to show what the Indian genius, in its strength and in itsweakness, could do in the field of literature pure and simple. Thetimeliness of the Series as a whole is an eloquent tribute to thediscernment of my loved and unforgotten pupil and friend, Henry ClarkeWarren. In him were united not only the will and the ability toestablish such a publication as this, but also the learning andinsight which enabled him to forecast in a general way itspossibilities of usefulness. He knew that the East had many a lessonto teach the West; but whether the lesson be repose of spirit orhygiene of the soldier in the field, whether it be the divineimmanence or simplicity of life or the overcoming of evil with good, he knew that the first lesson to be taught us was the teachable habitof mind. _

C. R. L. 

June, 1905

PREFACE

The text chosen as the basis of this translation is that given in theedition of Parab, [1] and I have chosen it for the following reasons. Parab's edition is the most recent, and its editor is a most admirableSanskrit scholar, who, it seems to me, has in several placesunderstood the real meaning of the text better than his predecessors. This edition contains the comment of Pṛthvīdhara; it is far freer frommisprints than many texts printed in India, and, in respect toarrangement and typography, it is clear and convenient. Besides, it iseasily obtainable and very cheap. This last consideration may prove tobe of importance, if the present translation should be found helpfulin the class-room. For the sake of cataloguers, I note that the propertransliteration of the Sanskrit names of this title according to therules laid down by the American Library Association in its Journal for1885, is as follows: Mṛcchakaṭika; Çūdraka; Pṛthvīdhara; KāçīnāthaPāṇḍuran̄ga Paraba; Nirṇaya-Sāgara. 

The verse-numeration of each act follows the edition of Parab;fortunately, it is almost identical with the numeration in the editionsof Godabole and Jīvānanda. For the convenience of thosewho may desire to consult this book in connection with Stenzler'sedition, I have added references at the top of the page to that editionas well as to the edition of Parab. In these references, theletter P. Stands for Parab, the letter S. For Stenzler. 

There are a few passages in which I have deviated from Parab'stext. A list of such passages is given on page 177. From this listI have omitted a few minor matters, such as slight misprints andwhat seem to me to be errors in the _chāyā_; these matters, and thepassages of unusual interest or difficulty, I shall treat in a seriesof notes on the play, which I hope soon to publish in the Journalof the American Oriental Society. It is hardly necessary to givereasons for the omission of the passage inserted by Nīlakaṇṭhain the tenth act (Parab. 288. 3-292. 9). This passage is explicitlydeclared by tradition to be an interpolation by another hand, andit is clearly shown to be such by internal evidence. It will be noticedthat the omission of this passage causes a break in the verse-numerationof the tenth act, where the verse-number 54 is followedby the number 58. 

Of the books which have been useful to me in the present work, I desire to mention especially the editions of Stenzler, Godabole, Jīvānanda Vidyāsāgara, and Parab; the commentaries of Pṛthvīdhara, Lallādīkṣita, and Jīvānanda; further, the translations ofWilson, Regnaud, and Böhtlingk. 

A number of friends were kind enough to read my manuscript, and each contributed something. I wish to mention especially myfriend and pupil, Mr. Walter E. Clark, of Harvard University, whose careful reading of both text and translation was fruitful ofmany good suggestions. 

But by far my greatest personal indebtedness is to ProfessorLanman, whose generous interest in my work has never flaggedfrom the day when I began the study of Sanskrit under his guidance. He has criticized this translation with the utmost rigor; indeed, the pages are few which have not witnessed some improvementfrom his hand. It is to him also that I owe the accuracyand beauty which characterize the printed book: nothing has beenhard enough to weary him, nothing small enough to escape him. And more than all else, I am grateful to him for the opportunityof publishing in the Harvard Oriental Series; for this series is thatenterprise which, since the death of Professor Whitney, mosthonorably upholds in this country the standards of accurate scholarshipset by the greatest of American Sanskritists. 

ARTHUR W. RYDER

_Harvard University_

_May 23, 1905_

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: The Mṛichchhakaṭika of Śūdraka with the commentary ofPṛthvīdhara. Edited by Kāshināth Pāṇḍurang Parab. Bombay: Nirṇaya-SāgarPress. 1900. Price 1 Rupee. It may be had of O. Harrassowitz in Leipzigfor 2-1/2 Marks. ]

INTRODUCTION

I. THE AUTHOR AND THE PLAY

Concerning the life, the date, and the very identity[2] ofKing Shūdraka, the reputed author of The Little Clay Cart, we are curiously ignorant. No other work is ascribed to him, andwe have no direct information about him, beyond the somewhatfanciful statements of the Prologue to this play. There are, to besure, many tales which cluster about the name of King Shūdraka, but none of them represents him as an author. Yet our very lack ofinformation may prove, to some extent at least, a disguised blessing. For our ignorance of external fact compels a closer study ofthe text, if we would find out what manner of man it was whowrote the play. And the case of King Shūdraka is by no meansunique in India; in regard to every great Sanskrit writer, --so bareis Sanskrit literature of biography, --we are forced to concentrateattention on the man as he reveals himself in his works. First, however, it may be worth while to compare Shūdraka with two othergreat dramatists of India, and thus to discover, if we may, in whatways he excels them or is excelled by them. 

Kālidāsa, Shūdraka, Bhavabhūti--assuredly, these are the greatestnames in the history of the Indian drama. So different are thesemen, and so great, that it is not possible to assert for any one ofthem such supremacy as Shakspere holds in the English drama. It is true that Kālidāsa's dramatic masterpiece, the Shakuntalā, is the most widely known of the Indian plays. It is true that thetender and elegant Kālidāsa has been called, with a not wholly fortunateenthusiasm, the "Shakspere of India. " But this rather exclusiveadmiration of the Shakuntalā results from lack of informationabout the other great Indian dramas. Indeed, it is partly dueto the accident that only the Shakuntalā became known in translationat a time when romantic Europe was in full sympathy withthe literature of India. 

Bhavabhūti, too, is far less widely known than Kālidāsa; and for thisthe reason is deeper-seated. The austerity of Bhavabhūti's style, hislack of humor, his insistent grandeur, are qualities which prevent hisbeing a truly popular poet. With reference to Kālidāsa, he holds aposition such as Aeschylus holds with reference to Euripides. He willalways seem to minds that sympathize with his grandeur[3] the greatestof Indian poets; while by other equally discerning minds of anotherorder he will be admired, but not passionately loved. 

Yet however great the difference between Kālidāsa, "the graceof poetry, "[4] and Bhavabhūti, "the master of eloquence, "[5] these twoauthors are far more intimately allied in spirit than is either ofthem with the author of The Little Clay Cart. Kālidāsa and Bhavabhūtiare Hindus of the Hindus; the Shakuntalā and the LatterActs of Rāma could have been written nowhere save in India:but Shūdraka, alone in the long line of Indian dramatists, has acosmopolitan character. Shakuntalā is a Hindu maid, Mādhava isa Hindu hero; but Sansthānaka and Maitreya and Madanikā arecitizens of the world. In some of the more striking characteristics ofSanskrit literature--in its fondness for system, its elaboration ofstyle, its love of epigram--Kālidāsa and Bhavabhūti are far truerto their native land than is Shūdraka. In Shūdraka we find fewof those splendid phrases in which, as the Chinese[6] say, "it is onlythe words which stop, the sense goes on, "--phrases like Kālidāsa's[7]"there are doors of the inevitable everywhere, " or Bhavabhūti's[8] "forcauseless love there is no remedy. " As regards the predominance ofswift-moving action over the poetical expression of great truths, The Little Clay Cart stands related to the Latter Acts of Rāma asMacbeth does to Hamlet. Again, Shūdraka's style is simple and direct, a rare quality in a Hindu; and although this style, in the passagesof higher emotion, is of an exquisite simplicity, yet Shūdrakacannot infuse into mere language the charm which we find in Kālidāsaor the majesty which we find in Bhavabhūti. 

Yet Shūdraka's limitations in regard to stylistic power are notwithout their compensation. For love of style slowly strangled originalityand enterprise in Indian poets, and ultimately proved thedeath of Sanskrit literature. Now just at this point, where otherHindu writers are weak, Shūdraka stands forth preëminent. Nowhereelse in the hundreds of Sanskrit dramas do we find such variety, and such drawing of character, as in The Little Clay Cart;and nowhere else, in the drama at least, is there such humor. Letus consider, a little more in detail, these three characteristics ofour author; his variety, his skill in the drawing of character, hishumor. 

To gain a rough idea of Shūdraka's variety, we have only to recallthe names of the acts of the play. Here The Shampooer whoGambled and The Hole in the Wall are shortly followed by TheStorm; and The Swapping of the Bullock-carts is closely succeededby The Strangling of Vasantasenā. From farce to tragedy, fromsatire to pathos, runs the story, with a breadth truly Shaksperian. Here we have philosophy:

 _The lack of money is the root of all evil. _ (_i. 14_)

And pathos:

 _My body wet by tear-drops falling, falling; My limbs polluted by the clinging mud; Flowers from the graveyard torn, my wreath appalling; For ghastly sacrifice hoarse ravens calling, And for the fragrant incense of my blood. _ (_x. 3_)

And nature description:

 _But mistress, do not scold the lightning. She is your friend, This golden cord that trembles on the breast Of great Airāvata; upon the crest Of rocky hills this banner all ablaze; This lamp tn Indra's palace; but most blest As telling where your most belovèd stays. _ (_v. 33_)

And genuine bitterness:

 _Pride and tricks and lies and fraud Are in your face; False playground of the lustful god, Such is your face; The wench's stock in trade, in fine, Epitome of joys divine, I mean your face-- For sale! the price is courtesy. I trust you'll find a man to buy Your face. _ (_v. 36_)

It is natural that Shūdraka should choose for the expression ofmatters so diverse that type of drama which gives the greatestscope to the author's creative power. This type is the so-called"drama of invention, "[9] a category curiously subordinated in Indiato the heroic drama, the plot of which is drawn from history ormythology. Indeed, The Little Clay Cart is the only extant dramawhich fulfils the spirit of the drama of invention, as defined by theSanskrit canons of dramaturgy. The plot of the "Mālatī and Mādhava, "or of the "Mallikā and Māruta, " is in no true sense the inventionof the author; and The Little Clay Cart is the only dramaof invention which is "full of rascals. "[10]

But a spirit so powerful as that of King Shūdraka could not beconfined within the strait-jacket of the minute, and sometimespuerile, rules of the technical works. In the very title of the drama, he has disregarded the rule[11] that the name of a drama of inventionshould be formed by compounding the names of heroine and hero. [12]Again, the books prescribe[13] that the hero shall appear in every act;yet Chārudatta does not appear in acts ii. , iv. , vi. , and viii. Andfurther, various characters, Vasantasenā, Maitreya, the courtier, and others, have vastly gained because they do not conform tooclosely to the technical definitions. 

The characters of The Little Clay Cart are living men and women. Evenwhen the type makes no strong appeal to Western minds, as in the caseof Chārudatta, the character lives, in a sense in which Dushyanta[14]or even Rāma[15] can hardly be said to live. Shūdraka's men are betterindividualized than his women; this fact alone differentiates himsharply from other Indian dramatists. He draws on every class ofsociety, from the high-souled Brahman to the executioner and thehousemaid. 

His greatest character is unquestionably Sansthānaka, thiscombination of ignorant conceit, brutal lust, and cunning, this greaterthan Cloten, who, after strangling an innocent woman, can say:[16]"Oh, come! Let's go and play in the pond. " Most attractive charactersare the five[17] conspirators, men whose home is "east of Suezand the ten commandments. " They live from hand to mouth, readyat any moment to steal a gem-casket or to take part in a revolution, and preserving through it all their character as gentlemen and theirirresistible conceit. And side by side with them moves the heroChārudatta, the Buddhist beau-ideal of manhood, _A tree of life to them whose sorrows grow_, _Beneath its fruit of virtue bending low_. (_i. 48_)

To him, life itself is not dear, but only honor. [18] He values wealthonly as it supplies him with the means of serving others. We may, with some justice, compare him with Antonio in The Merchantof Venice. There is some inconsistency, from our point of view, in making such a character the hero of a love-drama; and indeed, it is Vasantasenā who does most of the love-making. [19]

Vasantasenā is a character with neither the girlish charm ofShakuntalā[20] nor the mature womanly dignity of Sītā. [21] She ismore admirable than lovable. Witty and wise she is, and in herlove as true as steel; this too, in a social position which makes suchconstancy difficult. Yet she cannot be called a great character; shedoes not seem so true to life as her clever maid, Madanikā. Inmaking the heroine of his play a courtezan, Shūdraka follows asuggestion of the technical works on the drama; he does notthereby cast any imputation of ill on Vasantasenā's character. Thecourtezan class in India corresponded roughly to the hetæræ ofancient Greece or the geishas of Japan; it was possible to be acourtezan and retain one's self-respect. Yet the inherited[22] way oflife proves distasteful to Vasantasenā; her one desire is to escapeits limitations and its dangers by becoming a legal wife. [23]

In Maitreya, the Vidūshaka, we find an instance of our author'smasterly skill in giving life to the dry bones of a rhetorical definition. The Vidūshaka is a stock character who has something incommon with a jester; and in Maitreya the essential traits of thecharacter--eagerness for good food and other creature comforts, and blundering devotion to his friend--are retained, to be sure, but clarified and elevated by his quaint humor and his readinessto follow Chārudatta even in death. The grosser traits of the typicalVidūshaka are lacking. Maitreya is neither a glutton nor a fool, but a simple-minded, whole-hearted friend. 

The courtier is another character suggested by the technicalworks, and transformed by the genius of Shūdraka. He is a mannot only of education and social refinement, but also of real nobilityof nature. But he is in a false position from the first, thistrue gentleman at the wretched court of King Pālaka; at last hefinds the courage to break away, and risks life, and all that makeslife attractive, by backing Aryaka. Of all the conspirators, it is hewho runs the greatest risk. To his protection of Vasantasenā isadded a touch of infinite pathos when we remember that he washimself in love with her. [24] Only when Vasantasenā leaves him[25] withouta thought, to enter Chārudatta's house, does he realize howmuch he loves her; then, indeed, he breaks forth in words of themost passionate jealousy. We need not linger over the other characters, except to observe that each has his marked individuality, and that each helps to make vivid this picture of a society thatseems at first so remote. 

Shūdraka's humor is the third of his vitally distinguishing qualities. This humor has an American flavor, both in its puns and in itssituations. The plays on words can seldom be adequately reproduced intranslation, but the situations are independent of language. AndShūdraka's humor runs the whole gamut, from grim to farcical, fromsatirical to quaint. Its variety and keenness are such that KingShūdraka need not fear a comparison with the greatest of Occidentalwriters of comedies. 

It remains to say a word about the construction of the play. Obviously, it is too long. More than this, the main action halts through acts ii. To v. , and during these episodic acts we almost forget that the mainplot concerns the love of Vasantasenā and Chārudatta. Indeed, we have inThe Little Clay Cart the material for two plays. The larger part of acti. Forms with acts vi. To x. A consistent and ingenious plot; while theremainder of act i. Might be combined with acts iii. To v. To make apleasing comedy of lighter tone. The second act, clever as it is, haslittle real connection either with the main plot or with the story ofthe gems. The breadth of treatment which is observable in this play isfound in many other specimens of the Sanskrit drama, which has setitself an ideal different from that of our own drama. The lack ofdramatic unity and consistency is often compensated, indeed, by lyricalbeauty and charms of style; but it suggests the question whether wemight not more justly speak of the Sanskrit plays as dramatic poems thanas dramas. In The Little Clay Cart, at any rate, we could ill afford tospare a single scene, even though the very richness and variety of theplay remove it from the class of the world's greatest dramas. 

II. THE TRANSLATION

The following translation is sufficiently different from previoustranslations of Indian plays to require a word of explanation. Thedifference consists chiefly in the manner in which I have endeavored topreserve the form of the original. The Indian plays are written inmingled prose and verse; and the verse portion forms so large a part ofthe whole that the manner in which it is rendered is of much importance. Now this verse is not analogous to the iambic trimeter of Sophocles orthe blank verse of Shakspere, but roughly corresponds to the Greekchoruses or the occasional rhymed songs of the Elizabethan stage. Inother words, the verse portion of a Sanskrit drama is not narrative; itis sometimes descriptive, but more commonly lyrical: each stanza sums upthe emotional impression which the preceding action or dialogue has madeupon one of the actors. Such matter is in English cast into the form ofthe rhymed stanza; and so, although rhymed verse is very rarely employedin classical Sanskrit, it seems the most appropriate vehicle for thetranslation of the stanzas of a Sanskrit drama. It is true that weoccasionally find stanzas which might fitly be rendered in English blankverse, and, more frequently, stanzas which are so prosaic as not todeserve a rendering in English verse at all. [26] But, as the presenttranslation may be regarded as in some sort an experiment, I havepreferred to hold rigidly to the distinction found in the originalbetween simple prose and types of stanza which seem to me to correspondto English rhymed verse. 

It is obvious that a translation into verse, and especially intorhymed verse, cannot be as literal as a translation into prose; thisdisadvantage I have used my best pains to minimize. I hope itmay be said that nothing of real moment has been omitted fromthe verses; and where lack of metrical skill has compelled expansion, I have striven to make the additions as insignificant aspossible. 

There is another point, however, in which it is hardly feasible toimitate the original; this is the difference in the dialects used by thevarious characters. In The Little Clay Cart, as in other Indian dramas, some of the characters speak Sanskrit, others Prākrit. Now Prākrit isthe generic name for a number of dialects derived from the Sanskrit andclosely akin to it. The inferior personages of an Indian play, and, withrare exceptions, all the women, speak one or another of these Prākrits. Of the thirty characters of this play, for example, only five(Chārudatta, the courtier, Aryaka, Sharvilaka, and the judge) speakSanskrit;[27] the others speak various Prākrit dialects. Only in thecase of Sansthānaka have I made a rude attempt to suggest the dialect bysubstituting sh for s as he does. And the grandiloquence of Sharvilaka'sSanskrit in the satirical portion of the third act I have endeavored toimitate. 

Whenever the language of the original is at all technical, thetranslator labors under peculiar difficulty. Thus the legal termsfound in the ninth act are inadequately rendered, and, to some extentat least, inevitably so; for the legal forms, or lack of forms, pictured there were never contemplated by the makers of the Englishlegal vocabulary. It may be added here that in rendering from aliterature so artificial as the Sanskrit, one must lose not only thesensuous beauty of the verse, but also many plays on words. 

In regard to the not infrequent repetitions found in the text, Ihave used my best judgment. Such repetitions have been given infull where it seemed to me that the force or unity of the passagegained by such treatment, or where the original repeats in full, asin the case of v. 7, which is identical with iii. 29. Elsewhere, I havemerely indicated the repetition after the manner of the original. 

The reader will notice that there was little effort to attain realismin the presentation of an Indian play. He need not be surprisedtherefore to find (page 145) that Vīraka leaves the court-room, mounts a horse, rides to the suburbs, makes an investigationand returns--all within the limits of a stage-direction. Thesimplicity of presentation also makes possible sudden shifts ofscene. In the first act, for example, there are six scenes, which takeplace alternately in Chārudatta's house and in the street outside. In those cases where a character enters "seated" or "asleep, " I havesubstituted the verb "appear" for the verb "enter"; yet I am notsure that this concession to realism is wise. 

The system of transliteration which I have adopted is intended to renderthe pronunciation of proper names as simple as may be to the Englishreader. The consonants are to be pronounced as in English, [28] thevowels as in Italian. Diacritical marks have been avoided, with theexception of the macron. This sign has been used consistently[29] tomark long vowels except _e_ and _o_, which are always long. Three rules suffice for the placing of the accent. A long penult isaccented: Maitréya, Chārudatta. If the penult is short, the antepenultis accented provided it be long: Sansthā́naka. If both penult andantepenult of a four-syllabled word are short, the pre-antepenultimatereceives the accent: Mádanikā, Sthā́varaka. 

III. AN OUTLINE OF THE PLOT

ACT I. , entitled _The Gems are left Behind_. Evening of the firstday. --After the prologue, Chārudatta, who is within his house, converseswith his friend Maitreya, and deplores his poverty. While they arespeaking, Vasantasenā appears in the street outside. She is pursued bythe courtier and Sansthānaka; the latter makes her degrading offers ofhis love, which she indignantly rejects. Chārudatta sends Maitreya fromthe house to offer sacrifice, and through the open door Vasantasenāslips unobserved into the house. Maitreya returns after an altercationwith Sansthānaka, and recognizes Vasantasenā. Vasantasenā leaves acasket of gems in the house for safe keeping and returns to her home. 

ACT II. , entitled _The Shampooer who Gambled_. Second day. --Theact opens in Vasantasenā's house. Vasantasenā confesses to hermaid Madanikā her love for Chārudatta. Then a shampooer appearsin the street, pursued by the gambling-master and a gambler, whodemand of him ten gold-pieces which he has lost in the gambling-house. At this point Darduraka enters, and engages the gambling-masterand the gambler in an angry discussion, during which theshampooer escapes into Vasantasenā's house. When Vasantasenālearns that the shampooer had once served Chārudatta, she pays hisdebt; the grateful shampooer resolves to turn monk. As he leavesthe house he is attacked by a runaway elephant, and saved byKarnapūraka, a servant of Vasantasenā. 

ACT III. , entitled _The Hole in the Wall_. The night following thesecond day. --Chārudatta and Maitreya return home after midnightfrom a concert, and go to sleep. Maitreya has in his hand thegem-casket which Vasantasenā has left behind. Sharvilaka enters. He is in love with Madanikā, a maid of Vasantasenā's, and isresolved to acquire by theft the means of buying her freedom. Hemakes a hole in the wall of the house, enters, and steals the casketof gems which Vasantasenā had left. Chārudatta wakes to findcasket and thief gone. His wife gives him her pearl necklace withwhich to make restitution. 

ACT IV. , entitled _Madanikā and Sharvilaka_. Third day. --Sharvilakacomes to Vasantasenā's house to buy Madanikā's freedom. Vasantasenā overhears the facts concerning the theft of her gem-casketfrom Chārudatta's house, but accepts the casket, and givesMadanikā her freedom. As Sharvilaka leaves the house, he hearsthat his friend Aryaka, who had been imprisoned by the king, hasescaped and is being pursued. Sharvilaka departs to help him. Maitreya comes from Chārudatta with the pearl necklace, to repayVasantasenā for the gem-casket. She accepts the necklace also, asgiving her an excuse for a visit to Chārudatta. 

ACT V. , entitled _The Storm_. Evening of the third day. --Chārudattaappears in the garden of his house. Here he receives a servantof Vasantasenā, who announces that Vasantasenā is on herway to visit him. Vasantasenā then appears in the street with thecourtier; the two describe alternately the violence and beauty of thestorm which has suddenly arisen. Vasantasenā dismisses the courtier, enters the garden, and explains to Chārudatta how she hasagain come into possession of the gem-casket. Meanwhile, the stormhas so increased in violence that she is compelled to spend the nightat Chārudatta's house. 

ACT VI. , entitled _The Swapping of the Bullock-carts_. Morning ofthe fourth day. --Here she meets Chārudatta's little son, Rohasena. The boy is peevish because he can now have only a little clay cartto play with, instead of finer toys. Vasantasenā gives him hergems to buy a toy cart of gold. Chārudatta's servant drives up totake Vasantasenā in Chārudatta's bullock-cart to the park, whereshe is to meet Chārudatta; but while Vasantasenā is making ready, he drives away to get a cushion. Then Sansthānaka's servant drivesup with his master's cart, which Vasantasenā enters by mistake. Soon after, Chārudatta's servant returns with his cart. Then theescaped prisoner Aryaka appears and enters Chārudatta's cart. Two policemen come on the scene; they are searching for Aryaka. One of them looks into the cart and discovers Aryaka, but agreesto protect him. This he does by deceiving and finally maltreatinghis companion. 

ACT VII. , entitled _Aryaka's Escape_. Fourth day. --Chārudattais awaiting Vasantasenā in the park. His cart, in which Aryaka lieshidden, appears. Chārudatta discovers the fugitive, removes hisfetters, lends him the cart, and leaves the park. 

ACT VIII. , entitled _The Strangling of Vasantasenā_. Fourthday. --A Buddhist monk, the shampooer of the second act, entersthe park. He has difficulty in escaping from Sansthānaka, whoappears with the courtier. Sansthānaka's servant drives in with thecart which Vasantasenā had entered by mistake. She is discoveredby Sansthānaka, who pursues her with insulting offers of love. When she repulses him, Sansthānaka gets rid of all witnesses, strangles her, and leaves her for dead. The Buddhist monk entersagain, revives Vasantasenā, and conducts her to a monastery. 

ACT IX. , entitled _The Trial_. Fifth day. --Sansthānaka accusesChārudatta of murdering Vasantasenā for her money. In the courseof the trial, it appears that Vasantasenā had spent the night of thestorm at Chārudatta's house; that she had left the house the nextmorning to meet Chārudatta in the park; that there had been astruggle in the park, which apparently ended in the murder of awoman. Chārudatta's friend, Maitreya, enters with the gems whichVasantasenā had left to buy Chārudatta's son a toy cart of gold. These gems fall to the floor during a scuffle between Maitreya andSansthānaka. In view of Chārudatta's poverty, this seems to establishthe motive for the crime, and Chārudatta is condemned todeath. 

ACT X. , entitled _The End_. Sixth day. --Two headsmen are conductingChārudatta to the place of execution. Chārudatta takeshis last leave of his son and his friend Maitreya. But Sansthānaka'sservant escapes from confinement and betrays the truth; yet he isnot believed, owing to the cunning displayed by his master. Theheadsmen are preparing to execute Chārudatta, when Vasantasenāherself appears upon the scene, accompanied by the Buddhistmonk. Her appearance puts a summary end to the proceedings. Then news is brought that Aryaka has killed and supplanted theformer king, that he wishes to reward Chārudatta, and that he hasby royal edict freed Vasantasenā from the necessity of living as acourtezan. Sansthānaka is brought before Chārudatta for sentence, but is pardoned by the man whom he had so grievously injured. The play ends with the usual Epilogue. 

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 2: For an illuminating discussion of these matters, the readeris referred to Sylvain Lévi's admirable work, Le Théâtre Indien, Paris, 1890, pages 196-211. ]

[Footnote 3: In his Mālatīmādhava, i. 8, he says: "Whoever they may bewho now proclaim their contempt for me, --they know something, but thiswork was not for them. Yet there will arise a man of nature like mineown; for time is endless, and the world is wide. " This seems propheticof John Milton. ]

[Footnote 4: Prasannarāghava, i. 22. ]

[Footnote 5: Mahāvīracarita, i. 4. ]

[Footnote 6: History of Chinese Literature, by H. A. Giles, pages 145-146. ]

[Footnote 7: Shakuntalā, i. 15. ]

[Footnote 8: Latter Acts of Rāma, v. 17. ]

[Footnote 9: _Prakaraṇa. _]

[Footnote 10: Dhūrtasaṁkula: Daçarūpa, iii. 38. ]

[Footnote 11: _Sāhityadarpaṇa_, 428. ]

[Footnote 12: As in Mālatī-mādhava. ]

[Footnote 13: Daçarūpa, iii. 33. ]

[Footnote 14: In Kālidāsa's Shakuntalā. ]

[Footnote 15: In Bhavabhūti's Latter Acts of Rāma. ]

[Footnote 16: See page 128. ]

[Footnote 17: Aryaka, Darduraka, Chandanaka, Sharvilaka, and the courtier. ]

[Footnote 18: See x. 27. ]

[Footnote 19: See v. 46 and the following stage-direction. ]

[Footnote 20: In Kālidāsa's play of that name. ]

[Footnote 21: In Bhavabhūti's Latter Acts of Rāma. ]

[Footnote 22: See viii. 43. ]

[Footnote 23: See pages 65-66 and page 174. ]

[Footnote 24: See viii. 38 and compare the words, "Yet love bids meprattle, " on page 86. ]

[Footnote 25: Page 87. ]

[Footnote 26: Stanzas of the latter sort in The Little Clay Cart arevii. 2 and viii. 5. ]

[Footnote 27: This statement requires a slight limitation; compare, forexample, the footnote to page 82. ]

[Footnote 28: But the combination _th_ should be pronounced as in_ant-hill_, not as in _thin_ or _this_; similarly _dh_ as in_mad-house_; _bh_ as in _abhor. _]

[Footnote 29: Except in the names Āryaka and Āhīnta, where typographicalconsiderations have led to the omission of the macron over the initialletter; and except also in head-lines. ]

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

CHĀRUDATTA, _a Brahman merchant_

ROHASENA, _his son_

MAITREYA, _his friend_

VARDHAMĀNAKA, _a servant in his house_

SANSTHĀNAKA, _brother-in-law of King_ PĀLAKA

STHĀVARAKA, _his servant_

_Another Servant of_ SANSTHĀNAKA

_A Courtier_

ARYAKA, _a herdsman who becomes king_

SHARVILAKA, _a Brahman, in love with_ MADANIKĀ

_A Shampooer, who becomes a Buddhist monk_

MĀTHURA, _a gambling-master_

DARDURAKA, _a gambler_

_Another Gambler_

KARNAPŪRAKA }KUMBHĪLAKA } _servants of_ VASANTASENĀ

VĪRAKA }CHANDANAKA } _policemen_

GOHA }AHĪNTA } _headsmen_

_Bastard pages, in_ VASANTASENĀ'S _house_

_A Judge_, _a Gild-warden_, _a Clerk_, _and a Beadle_

VASANTASENĀ, _a courtezan_

_Her Mother_

MADANIKĀ, _maid to_ VASANTASENĀ

_Another Maid to_ VASANTASENĀ

_The Wife of_ CHĀRUDATTA

RADANIKĀ, _a maid in_ CHĀRUDATTA'S _house_

SCENE

UJJAYINĪ (_called also_ AVANTI) _and its Environs_

THE LITTLE CLAY CART

PROLOGUE

_Benediction upon the audience_

 His bended knees the knotted girdle holds, Fashioned by doubling of a serpent's folds; His sensive organs, so he checks his breath, Are numbed, till consciousness seems sunk in death; Within himself, with eye of truth, he sees The All-soul, free from all activities. May His, may Shiva's meditation be Your strong defense; on the Great Self thinks he, Knowing full well the world's vacuity. 1

And again:

 May Shiva's neck shield you from every harm, That seems a threatening thunder-cloud, whereon, Bright as the lightning-flash, lies Gaurī's arm. 2

_Stage-director. _ Enough of this tedious work, which fritters awaythe interest of the audience! Let me then most reverently salutethe honorable gentlemen, and announce our intention to producea drama called "The Little Clay Cart. " Its author was a man

 Who vied with elephants in lordly grace; Whose eyes were those of the chakora bird That feeds on moonbeams; glorious his face As the full moon; his person, all have heard, Was altogether lovely. First in worth Among the twice-born was this poet, known As Shūdraka far over all the earth, His virtue's depth unfathomed and alone. 3

[1. 14. S. 

And again:

 The Sāmaveda, the Rigveda too, The science mathematical, he knew; The arts wherein fair courtezans excel, And all the lore of elephants as well. Through Shiva's grace, his eye was never dim; He saw his son a king in place of him. The difficult horse-sacrifice he tried Successfully; entered the fiery tide, One hundred years and ten days old, and died. 4

And yet again:

 Eager for battle; sloth's determined foe; Of scholars chief, who to the Veda cling; Rich in the riches that ascetics know; Glad, gainst the foeman's elephant to show His valor;--such was Shūdraka, the king. 5

And in this work of his, Within the town, Avanti named, Dwells one called Chārudatta, famed No less for youth than poverty; A merchant's son and Brahman, he. 

 His virtues have the power to move Vasantasenā's inmost love; Fair as the springtime's radiancy, And yet a courtezan is she. 6

 So here king Shūdraka the tale imparts Of love's pure festival in these two hearts, Of prudent acts, a lawsuit's wrong and hate, A rascal's nature, and the course of fate. 7

[_He walks about and looks around him. _] Why, this music-room ofours is empty. I wonder where the actors have gone. [_Reflecting. _]Ah, I understand. 

P. 4. 7]

 Empty his house, to whom no child was born; Thrice empty his, who lacks true friends and sure; To fools, the world is empty and forlorn; But all that is, is empty to the poor. 8

I have finished the concert. And I've been practising so long thatthe pupils of my eyes are dancing, and I'm so hungry that my eyesare crackling like a lotus-seed, dried up by the fiercest rays of thesummer sun. I'll just call my wife and ask whether there is anythingfor breakfast or not. 

Hello! here I am--but no! Both the particular occasion and thegeneral custom demand that I speak Prākrit. [_Speaking in Prākrit. _]Confound it! I've been practising so long and I'm so hungry thatmy limbs are as weak as dried-up lotus-stalks. Suppose I go homeand see whether my good wife has got anything ready or not. [_Hewalks about and looks around him. _] Here I am at home. I'll just goin. [_He enters and looks about. _] Merciful heavens! Why in the worldis everything in our house turned upside down? A long stream ofrice-water is flowing down the street. The ground, spotted blackwhere the iron kettle has been rubbed clean, is as lovely as a girlwith the beauty-marks of black cosmetic on her face. It smells sogood that my hunger seems to blaze up and hurts me more thanever. Has some hidden treasure come to light? or am I hungryenough to think the whole world is made of rice? There surely isn'tany breakfast in our house, and I'm starved to death. But everythingseems topsyturvy here. One girl is preparing cosmetics, anotheris weaving garlands of flowers. [_Reflecting. _] What does it allmean? Well, I'll call my good wife and learn the truth. [_He lookstoward the dressing-room. _] Mistress, will you come here a moment?

[_Enter an actress. _]

_Actress. _ Here I am, sir. 

_Director. _ You are very welcome, mistress. 

_Actress. _ Command me, sir. What am I to do?

[3. 8. S. 

_Director. _ Mistress, I've been practising so long and I'm so hungrythat my limbs are as weak as dried-up lotus-stalks. Is there anythingto eat in the house or not?

_Actress. _ There's everything, sir. 

_Director. _ Well, what?

_Actress. _ For instance--there's rice with sugar, melted butter, curdledmilk, rice; and, all together, it makes you a dish fit forheaven. May the gods always be thus gracious to you!

_Director. _ All that in our house? or are you joking?

_Actress. _ [_Aside. _] Yes, I will have my joke. [_Aloud. _] It's in themarket-place, sir. 

_Director. _ [_Angrily. _] You wretched woman, thus shall your ownhope be cut off! And death shall find you out! For my expectations, like a scaffolding, have been raised so high, only to fall again. 

_Actress. _ Forgive me, sir, forgive me! It was only a joke. 

_Director. _ But what do these unusual preparations mean? One girlis preparing cosmetics, another is weaving garlands, and the veryground is adorned with sacrificial flowers of five different colors. 

_Actress. _ This is a fast day, sir. 

_Director. _ What fast?

_Actress. _ The fast for a handsome husband. 

_Director. _ In this world, mistress, or the next?

_Actress. _ In the next world, sir. 

_Director. _ [_Wrathfully. _] Gentlemen! look at this. She is sacrificingmy food to get herself a husband in the next world. 

_Actress. _ Don't be angry, sir. I am fasting in the hope that youmay be my husband in my next birth, too. 

_Director. _ But who suggested this fast to you?

_Actress. _ Your own dear friend Jūrnavriddha. 

_Director. _ [_Angrily. _] Ah, Jūrnavriddha, son of a slave-wench!When, oh, when shall I see King Pālaka angry with you? Thenyou will be parted, as surely as the scented hair of some youngbride. 

P. 8. 10]

_Actress. _ Don't be angry, sir. It is only that I may have you in thenext world that I celebrate this fast. [_She falls at his feet. _]

_Director. _ Stand up, mistress, and tell me who is to officiate at thisfast. 

_Actress. _ Some Brahman of our own sort whom we must invite. 

_Director. _ You may go then. And I will invite some Brahman ofour own sort. 

_Actress. _ Very well, sir. [_Exit. _

_Director. _ [_Walking about. _] Good heavens! In this rich city ofUjjayinī how am I to find a Brahman of our own sort? [_He looksabout him. _] Ah, here comes Chārudatta's friend Maitreya. Good!I'll ask him. Maitreya, you must be the first to break bread inour house to-day. 

_A voice behind the scenes. _ You must invite some other Brahman. I am busy. 

_Director. _ But, man, the feast is set and you have it all to yourself. Besides, you shall have a present. 

_The voice. _ I said no once. Why should you keep on urging me?

_Director. _ He says no. Well, I must invite some other Brahman. 

 [_Exit. _

END OF THE PROLOGUE

ACT THE FIRST

THE GEMS ARE LEFT BEHIND

[_Enter, with a cloak in his hand, Maitreya. _]

_Maitreya. _

"You must invite some other Brahman. I am busy. " And yet I really oughtto be seeking invitations from a stranger. Oh, what a wretched state ofaffairs! When good Chārudatta was still wealthy, I used to eat my fillof the most deliciously fragrant sweetmeats, prepared day and night withthe greatest of care. I would sit at the door of the courtyard, where Iwas surrounded by hundreds of dishes, and there, like a painter with hispaint-boxes, I would simply touch them with my fingers and thrust themaside. I would stand chewing my cud like a bull in the city market. Andnow he is so poor that I have to run here, there, and everywhere, andcome home, like the pigeons, only to roost. Now here is thisjasmine-scented cloak, which Chārudatta's good friend Jūrnavriddha hassent him. He bade me give it to Chārudatta, as soon as he had finishedhis devotions. So now I will look for Chārudatta. [_He walks about andlooks around him. _] Chārudatta has finished his devotions, and here hecomes with an offering for the divinities of the house. 

[_Enter Chārudatta as described, and Radanikā. _]

_Chārudatta. _ [_Looking up and sighing wearily. _]

 Upon my threshold, where the offering Was straightway seized by swans and flocking cranes, The grass grows now, and these poor seeds I fling Fall where the mouth of worms their sweetness stains. 9

[_He walks about very slowly and seats himself. _]

_Maitreya_. Chārudatta is here. I must go and speak to him. [_Approaching. _] My greetings to you. May happiness be yours. 

P. 13. 1]

_Chārudatta. _ Ah, it is my constant friend Maitreya. You are verywelcome, my friend. Pray be seated. 

_Maitreya. _ Thank you. [_He seats himself. _] Well, comrade, here is ajasmine-scented cloak which your good friend Jūrnavriddha hassent. He bade me give it you as soon as you had finished your devotions. [_He presents the cloak. Chārudatta takes it and remainssunk in thought. _] Well, what are you thinking about?

_Chārudatta. _ My good friend, A candle shining through the deepest dark Is happiness that follows sorrow's strife; But after bliss when man bears sorrow's mark, His body lives a very death-in-life. 10

_Maitreya. _ Well, which would you rather, be dead or be poor?

_Chārudatta. _ Ah, my friend, Far better death than sorrows sure and slow; Some passing suffering from death may flow, But poverty brings never-ending woe. 11

_Maitreya. _ My dear friend, be not thus cast down. Your wealth hasbeen conveyed to them you love, and like the moon, after she hasyielded her nectar to the gods, your waning fortunes win an addedcharm. 

_Chārudatta. _ Comrade, I do not grieve for my ruined fortunes. But

 This is my sorrow. They whom I Would greet as guests, now pass me by. "This is a poor man's house, " they cry. 

 As flitting bees, the season o'er, Desert the elephant, whose store Of ichor[30] spent, attracts no more. 12

_Maitreya. _ Oh, confound the money! It is a trifle not worth thinkingabout. It is like a cattle-boy in the woods afraid of wasps; itdoesn't stay anywhere where it is used for food. 

[8. 5. S. 

_Chārud. _ Believe me, friend. My sorrow does not spring

 From simple loss of gold; For fortune is a fickle, changing thing, Whose favors do not hold; But he whose sometime wealth has taken wing, Finds bosom-friends grow cold. 13

Then too:

 A poor man is a man ashamed; from shame Springs want of dignity and worthy fame; Such want gives rise to insults hard to bear; Thence comes despondency; and thence, despair; Despair breeds folly; death is folly's fruit-- Ah! the lack of money is all evils root! 14

_Maitreya. _ But just remember what a trifle money is, after all, andbe more cheerful. 

_Chārudatta. _ My friend, the poverty of a man is to him

 A home of cares, a shame that haunts the mind, Another form of warfare with mankind; The abhorrence of his friends, a source of hate From strangers, and from each once-loving mate; But if his wife despise him, then 't were meet In some lone wood to seek a safe retreat. The flame of sorrow, torturing his soul, Burns fiercely, yet contrives to leave him whole. 15

Comrade, I have made my offering to the divinities of the house. Do you too go and offer sacrifice to the Divine Mothers at a placewhere four roads meet. 

_Maitreya. _ No!

_Chārudatta. _ Why not?

_Maitreya. _ Because the gods are not gracious to you even whenthus honored. So what is the use of worshiping?

P. 16. 8]

_Chārudatta. _ Not so, my friend, not so! This is the constant dutyof a householder. 

 The gods feel ever glad content In the gifts, and the self-chastisement, The meditations, and the prayers, Of those who banish worldly cares. 16

Why then do you hesitate? Go and offer sacrifice to the Mothers. 

_Maitreya. _ No, I'm not going. You must send somebody else. Anyway, everything seems to go wrong with me, poor Brahman thatI am! It's like a reflection in a mirror; the right side becomes theleft, and the left becomes the right. Besides, at this hour of theevening, people are abroad upon the king's highway--courtezans, courtiers, servants, and royal favorites. They will take me now forfair prey, just as the black-snake out frog-hunting snaps up themouse in his path. But what will you do sitting here?

_Chārudatta. _ Good then, remain; and I will finish my devotions. 

 * * * * *

_Voices behind the scenes. _ Stop, Vasantasenā, stop!

[_Enter Vasantasenā, pursued by the courtier, by Sansthānaka, and theservant. _]

_Courtier. _ Vasantasenā! Stop, stop!

 Ah, why should fear transform your tenderness? Why should the dainty feet feel such distress, That twinkle in the dance so prettily? Why should your eyes, thus startled into fear, Dart sidelong looks? Why, like the timid deer Before pursuing hunters, should you flee? 17

_Sansthānaka. _ Shtop, [31] Vasantasenā, shtop!

 Why flee? and run? and shtumble in your turning? Be kind! You shall not die. Oh, shtop your feet! With love, shweet girl, my tortured heart is burning. As on a heap of coals a piece of meat. 18

[10. 2 S. 

_Servant. _ Stop, courtezan, stop!

 In fear you flee Away from me, As a summer peahen should; But my lord and master Struts fast and faster, Like a woodcock in the wood. 19

_Courtier. _ Vasantasenā! Stop, stop!

 Why should you tremble, should you flee, A-quiver like the plantain tree? Your garment's border, red and fair, Is all a-shiver in the air; Now and again, a lotus-bud Falls to the ground, as red as blood. A red realgar[32] vein you seem, Whence, smitten, drops of crimson stream. 20

_Sansthānaka. _ Shtop. Vasantasenā, shtop!

 You wake my passion, my desire, my love; You drive away my shleep in bed at night; Both fear and terror sheem your heart to move; You trip and shtumble in your headlong flight. But Rāvana forced Kuntī[33] to his will; Jusht sho shall I enjoy you to the fill. 21

_Courtier. _ Ah, Vasantasenā, Why should your fleeter flight Outstrip my flying feet? Why, like a snake in fright Before the bird-king's might, Thus seek to flee, my sweet? Could I not catch the storm-wind in his flight? Yet would not seize upon you, though I might. 22

P. 19. 9]

_Sansthānaka_. Lishten to me, shir!

 Thish whip of robber Love, thish dancing-girl, Eater of fish, deshtroyer of her kin, Thish shnubnose, shtubborn, love-box, courtezan, Thish clothes-line, wanton creature, maid of sin-- I gave her ten shweet names, and shtill She will not bend her to my will. 23

_Courtier_. 

 As courtier's fingers strike the lute's tense string, The dancing ear-ring smites your wounded cheek. Why should you flee, with dreadful terror weak, As flees the crane when heaven's thunders ring? 24

_Sansth_. 

 Your jingling gems, girl, clink like anything; Like Draupadī you flee, when Rāma kisshed her. I'll sheize you quick, as once the monkey-king Sheized Subhadrā, Vishvāvasu's shweet shishter. 25

_Servant_. 

 He's the royal protégé; Do whatever he may say. And you shall have good fish and flesh to eat. For when dogs have all the fish And the flesh that they can wish, Even carrion seems to them no longer sweet. 26

_Courtier_. Mistress Vasantasenā, The girdle drooping low upon your hips Flashes as brilliant as the shining stars; The wondrous terror of your fleeing mars Your charms; for red realgar, loosened, slips As on an imaged god, from cheek and lips. 27

_Sansth_. 

 We're chasing you with all our main and might, As dogs a jackal when they hunt and find it; But you are quick and nimble in your flight, And shteal my heart with all the roots that bind it. 28

[11. 23. S. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Pallavaka! Parabhritikā!

_Sansthānaka. _ Mashter! a man! a man!

_Courtier. _ Don't be a coward. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Mādhavikā! Mādhavikā!

_Courtier. _ [_Laughing. _] Fool! She is calling her servants. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Mashter! Is she calling a woman?

_Courtier. _ Why, of course. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Women! I kill hundreds of 'em. I'm a brave man. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Seeing that no one answers. _] Alas, how comes it thatmy very servants have fallen away from me? I shall have to defendmyself by mother-wit. 

_Courtier. _ Don't stop the search. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Shqueal, Vasantasenā, shqueal for your cuckooParabhritikā, or for your blosshom Pallavaka or for all the month ofMay! Who's going to save you when I'm chasing you?

 Why shpeak of Bhīmasena? Or the shon Of Jamadagni, that thrice-mighty one? The ten-necked ogre? Shon of Kuntī fair? Jusht look at me! My fingers in your hair, Jusht like Duhshāsana, I'll tear, and tear. 29

Look, look!

 My shword is sharp; good-by, poor head! Let's chop it off, or kill you dead. Then do not try my wrath to shun; When you musht die, your life is done. 30

_Vasantasenā. _ Sir, I am a weak woman. 

_Courtier. _ That is why you are still alive. 

_Sansthānaka. _ That is why you're not murdered. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Aside. _] Oh! his very courtesy frightens me. Come, I will try this. [_Aloud. _] Sir, what do you expect from this pursuit?my jewels?

P. 24. 7]

_Courtier. _ Heaven forbid! A garden creeper, mistress Vasantasenā, should not be robbed of its blossoms. Say no more about the jewels. 

_Vasantasenā. _ What is then your desire?

_Sansthānaka. _ I'm a man, a big man, a regular Vāsudeva. [34] Youmusht love me. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Indignantly. _] Heavens! You weary me. Come, leaveme! Your words are an insult. 

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Laughing and clapping his hands. _] Look, mashter, look! The courtezan's daughter is mighty affectionate with me, isn't she? Here she says "Come on! Heavens, you're weary. You'retired!" No, I haven't been walking to another village or anothercity. No, little mishtress, I shwear by the gentleman's head, Ishwear by my own feet! It's only by chasing about at your heelsthat I've grown tired and weary. 

_Courtier. _ [_Aside. _] What! is it possible that the idiot does notunderstand when she says "You weary me"? [_Aloud. _] Vasantasenā, your words have no place in the dwelling of a courtezan, Which, as you know, is friend to every youth; Remember, you are common as the flower That grows beside the road; in bitter truth, Your body has its price; your beauty's dower Is his, who pays the market's current rate: Then serve the man you love, and him you hate. 31

And again:

 The wisest Brahman and the meanest fool Bathe in the selfsame pool; Beneath the peacock, flowering plants bend low, No less beneath the crow; The Brahman, warrior, merchant, sail along With all the vulgar throng. You are the pool, the flowering plant, the boat; And on your beauty every man may dote. 32

[13. 22 S. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Yet true love would be won by virtue, not violence. 

_Sansthānaka. _ But, mashter, ever since the shlave-wench went intothe park where Kāma's[35] temple shtands, she has been in love witha poor man, with Chārudatta, and she doesn't love me any more. His house is to the left. Look out and don't let her shlip out of ourhands. 

_Courtier. _ [_Aside. _] Poor fool, he has said the very thing he shouldhave concealed. So Vasantasenā is in love with Chārudatta? Theproverb is right. Pearl suits with pearl. Well, I have had enoughof this fool. [_Aloud. _] Did you say the good merchant's house wasto the left, you jackass?

_Sansthānaka. _ Yes. His house is to the left. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Aside. _] Oh, wonderful! If his house is really at myleft hand, then the scoundrel has helped me in the very act of hurtingme, for he has guided me to my love. 

_Sansthānaka. _ But mashter, it's pitch dark and it's like huntingfor a grain of soot in a pile of shpotted beans. Now you shee Vasantasenāand now you don't. 

_Courtier. _ Pitch dark it is indeed. 

 The sudden darkness seems to steal The keenness of my sight; My open eyes, as with a seal, Are closed by blackest night. 33

And again:

 Darkness anoints my body, and the sky Drops ointment of thick darkness, till mine eye Is all unprofitable grown to me, Like service done to them who cheat and lie. 34

_Sansthānaka. _ Mashter, I'm looking for Vasantasenā. 

_Courtier. _ Is there anything you can trace her by, jackass?

_Sansthānaka. _ Like what, for inshtance?

P. 28. 3]

_Courtier. _ Like the tinkling of her jewels, for instance, or the fragranceof her garlands. 

_Sansthānaka. _ I hear the shmell of her garlands, but my nose isshtuffed so full of darkness that I don't shee the shound of herjewels very clearly. 

_Courtier. _ [_To Vasantasenā. Aside. _] Vasantasenā, 'T is true, the night is dark, O timid maid, And like the lightning hidden in the cloud, You are not seen; yet you will be betrayed By fragrant garlands and by anklets loud. 35

Have you heard me, Vasantasenā?

_Vasantasenā. _ [_To herself. _] Heard and understood. [_She removesthe ankle-rings, lays aside the garlands, and takes a few steps, feelingher way. _] I can feel the wall of the house, and here is a side-entrance. But alas! my fingers tell me that the door is shut. 

 * * * * *

_Chārudatta_ [_who is within the house_]. Comrade, my prayer is done. Go now and offer sacrifice to the Mothers. 

_Maitreya. _ No, I'm not going. 

_Chārudatta. _ Alas!

 The poor man's kinsmen do not heed his will; The friends who loved him once, now stand afar; His sorrows multiply; his strength is nil; Behold! his character's bright-shining star Fades like the waning moon; and deeds of ill That others do, are counted to him still. 36

And again:

 No man holds converse with him; none will greet With due respect the poor man when they meet. Where rich men hold a feast, if he draw near, He meets with scornful looks for looks of cheer. 

[15. 19. S. 

 Where vulgar throngs are gathered, 't is the same; His scanty raiment wakes his heartfelt shame. Five are the deadly sins[36] we knew before; Alas! I find the sixth is--to be poor. 37

And yet again:

 Ah, Poverty, I pity thee, that so To me thou clingest, as thy dearest friend; When my poor life has met its woeful end, I sadly wonder, whither thou wilt go. 38

_Maitreya. _ [_Betraying his embarrassment. _] Well, comrade, if I mustgo, at least let Radanikā go with me, to keep me company. 

_Chārudatta. _ Radanikā, you are to accompany Maitreya. 

_Radanikā. _ Yes, sir. 

_Maitreya_. Mistress Radanikā, do you take the offering and thecandle while I open the side-door. [_He does so. _]

_Vasantasenā. _ It seems as if the door took pity on me and openedof itself. I will lose no time, but enter. [_She looks in. _] What? acandle? Oh dear, oh dear! [_She puts it out with her skirt and enters. _]

_Chārudatta. _ What was that, Maitreya?

_Maitreya. _ I opened the side-door and the wind came through allin a lump and blew out the candle. Suppose you go out by theside-door, Radanikā, and I will follow as soon as I have gone intothe courtyard and lighted the candle again. [_Exit. _

_Sansthānaka. _ Mashter! mashter! I'm looking for Vasantasenā. 

_Courtier. _ Keep on looking, keep on looking!

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Does so. _] Mashter! mashter! I've caught her! I'vecaught her!

_Courtier. _ Idiot, you've caught me. 

_Sansthānaka. _ You shtand right here, mashter, and shtay whereyou're put. [_He renews the search and seizes the servant. _] Mashter!mashter! I've caught her! I've caught her!

P. 31. 3]

_Servant. _ Master, you've caught me, your servant. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Mashter here, shervant here! Mashter, shervant;shervant, mashter. Now shtay where you're put, both of you. [_Herenews the search and seizes Radanikā by the hair. _] Mashter! mashter!Thish time I've caught her! I've caught Vasantasenā!

 Through the black night she fled, fled she; Her garland's shmell betrayed her; Like Chānakya caught Draupadī, I caught her hair and shtayed her. 39

_Courtier. _

 Ah, proud to be so young, so fair! Too high thy love must not aspire; For now thy blossom-fragrant hair, That merits richest gems and rare, Serves but to drag thee through the mire. 40

_Sansth. _

 I've got your head, girl, got it tight, By the hair, the locks, and the curls, too. Now shcream, shqueak, shqueal with all your might "Shiva! Ishvara! Shankara! Shambhu!"[37] 41

_Radanikā. _ [_In terror. _] Oh, sirs, what does this mean?

_Courtier. _ You jackass! It's another voice. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Mashter, the wench has changed her voice, the way acat changes her voice, when she wants shome cream of curdled milk. 

_Courtier. _ Changed her voice? Strange! Yet why so strange?

 She trod the stage; she learned the arts; She studied to deceive our hearts; And now she practises her parts. 42

[_Enter Maitreya. _]

_Maitreya. _ Look! In the gentle evening breeze the flame of thecandle is fluttering like the heart of a goat that goes to the altar. 

[_He approaches and discovers Radanikā. _] Mistress Radanikā!

[17. 17. S. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Mashter, mashter! A man! a man!

_Maitreya. _ This is right, this is perfectly right, that strangers shouldforce their way into the house, just because Chārudatta is poor. 

_Radanikā. _ Oh, Maitreya, see how they insult me. 

_Maitreya. _ What! insult you? No, they are insulting us. 

_Radanikā. _ Very well. They are insulting you, then. 

_Maitreya. _ But they aren't using violence?

_Radanikā. _ Yes, yes!

_Maitreya. _ Really?

_Radanikā. _ Really. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Raising his staff angrily. _] No, sir! Man, a dog will showhis teeth in his own kennel, and I am a Brahman! My staff is crookedas my fortunes, but it can still split a dry bamboo or a rascal's pate. 

_Courtier. _ Have mercy, O great Brahman, have mercy. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Discovers the courtier. _] He is not the sinner. [_DiscoversSansthānaka. _] Ah, here is the sinner. Well, you brother-in-law tothe king, Sansthānaka, you scoundrel, you coward, this is perfectlyproper, isn't it? Chārudatta the good is a poor man now--true, but are not his virtues an ornament to Ujjayinī? And so men breakinto his house and insult his servants!

 Insult not him, laid low by poverty; For none are counted poor by mighty fate: Yet he who falls from virtue's high estate, Though he be rich, no man is poor as he. 43

_Courtier. _ [_Betraying his embarrassment. _] Have mercy, O greatBrahman, have mercy. We intended no insolence; we merely mistook thislady for another. For

 We sought an amorous maiden, _Maitreya. _ What! this one?

_Courtier. _ Heaven forbid!

 one whose youth Is in the guidance of her own sweet will; She disappeared: unconscious of the truth, We did what seems a purposed deed of ill. 44

P. 35. 4]

I pray you, accept this all-in-all of humblest supplication. [_He dropshis sword, folds his hands, and falls at Maitreya's feet. _]

_Maitreya. _ Good man, rise, rise. When I reviled you, I did not knowyou. Now I know you and I ask your pardon. 

_Courtier. _ It is I who should ask pardon. I will rise on one condition. 

_Maitreya. _ And that is--

_Courtier. _ That you will not tell Chārudatta what has happened here. 

_Maitreya. _ I will be silent. 

_Courtier. _

 Brahman, this gracious act of thine I bow my neck to bear; For never could this sword of mine With virtue's steel compare. 45

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Indignantly. _] But mashter, what makes you foldyour hands sho helplesshly and fall at the feet of thish manikin?

_Courtier. _ I was afraid. 

_Sansthānaka. _ What were _you_ afraid of?

_Courtier. _ Of Chārudatta's virtues. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Virtues? He? You can go into his houshe and notfind a thing to eat. 

_Courtier. _ No, no. 

 His loving-kindness unto such as we Has brought him low at last; From him could no man learn what insults be, Or e'er his wealth was past. This well-filled pool, that in its summer day Gave others drink, itself is dried away. 46

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Impatiently. _] Who is the shon of a shlave-wenchanyway?

 Brave Shvetaketu is he, Pāndu's child? Or Rādhā's shon, the ten-necked ogre wild? Or Indradatta? or again, is he Shon of brave Rāma and of fair Kuntī? Or Dharmaputra? Ashvatthāman bold? Perhaps Jatāyu's shelf, that vulture old? 47

[19. 19. S. 

_Courtier. _ Fool! I will tell you who Chārudatta is. 

 A tree of life to them whose sorrows grow, Beneath its fruit of virtue bending low; Father to good men; virtue's touchstone he; The mirror of the learned; and the sea Where all the tides of character unite; A righteous man, whom pride could never blight; A treasure-house, with human virtues stored; Courtesy's essence, honor's precious hoard. He doth to life its fullest meaning give, So good is he; we others breathe, not live. 48

Let us be gone. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Without Vasantasenā?

_Courtier. _ Vasantasenā has disappeared. 

_Sansthānaka. _ How?

_Courtier. _

 Like sick men's strength, or like the blind man's sight, Like the fool's judgment, like the sluggard's might, Like thoughtless scoundrels' store of wisdom's light, Like love, when foemen fan our slumbering wrath, So did _she_ vanish, when you crossed her path. 49

_Sansthānaka. _ I'm not going without Vasantasenā. 

_Courtier. _ And did you never hear this?

 To hold a horse, you need a rein; To hold an elephant, a chain; To hold a woman, use a heart; And if you haven't one, depart. 50

_Sansthānaka. _ If you're going, go along. I'm not going. 

_Courtier. _ Very well. I will go. [_Exit. _

P. 38. 2]

_Sansthānaka. _ Mashter's gone, sure enough. [_To Maitreya. _] Well, you man with the head that looks like a caret, you manikin, take asheat, take a sheat. 

_Maitreya. _ We have already been invited to take a seat. 

_Sansthānaka. _ By whom?

_Maitreya. _ By destiny. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Shtand up, then, shtand up!

_Maitreya. _ We shall. 

_Sansthānaka. _ When?

_Maitreya. _ When fate is kind again. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Weep, then, weep!

_Maitreya. _ We have wept. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Who made you?

_Maitreya. _ Poverty. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Laugh, then, laugh!

_Maitreya. _ Laugh we shall. 

_Sansthānaka. _ When?

_Maitreya. _ When Chārudatta is happy once more. 

_Sansthānaka. _ You manikin, give poor little Chārudatta thish messhagefrom me. "Thish wench with golden ornaments and golden jewels, thishfemale shtage-manager looking after the rehearsal of a new play, thishVasantasenā--she has been in love with you ever shince she went into thepark where Kāma's temple shtands. And when we tried to conciliate her byforce, she went into your houshe. Now if you shend her away yourshelfand hand her over to me, if you reshtore her at once, without anylawshuit in court, then I'll be friends with you forever. But if youdon't reshtore her, there will be a fight to the death. " Remember:

 Shmear a pumpkin-shtalk with cow-dung; Keep your vegetables dried; Cook your rice in winter evenings; And be sure your meat is fried. Then let 'em shtand, and they will not Bothershomely shmell and rot. 51

[21. 17. S. 

Tell it to him prettily, tell it to him craftily. Tell it to him sho thatI can hear it as I roosht in the dove-cote on the top of my ownpalace. If you shay it different, I'll chew your head like an applecaught in the crack of a door. 

_Maitreya. _ Very well. I shall tell him. 

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Aside. _] Tell me, shervant. Is mashter really gone?

_Servant. _ Yes, sir. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Then we will go as quickly as we can. 

_Servant. _ Then take your sword, master. 

_Sansthānaka. _ You can keep it. 

_Servant. _ Here it is, master. Take your sword, master. 

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Taking it by the wrong end. _]

 My shword, red as a radish shkin, Ne'er finds the time to molder; Shee how it shleeps its sheath within! I put it on my shoulder. While curs and bitches yelp at me, I roam, Like a hunted jackal, home. 52

 [_Sansthānaka and the servant walk about, then exeunt. _

_Maitreya. _ Mistress Radanikā, you must not tell good Chārudattaof this outrage. I am sure you would only add to the poor man'ssorrows. 

_Radanikā. _ Good Maitreya, you know Radanikā. Her lips are sealed. 

_Maitreya. _ So be it. 

 * * * * *

_Chārudatta. _ [_To Vasantasenā. _] Radanikā, Rohasena likes the freshair, but he will be cold in the evening chill. Pray bring him into thehouse, and cover him with this mantle. [_He gives her the mantle. _]

P. 49. 19]

_Vasantasenā. _ [_To herself. _] See! He thinks I am his servant. [_Shetakes the mantle and perceives its perfume. Ardently to herself. _] Oh, beautiful! The mantle is fragrant with jasmine. His youthful daysare not wholly indifferent to the pleasures of the world. [_She wrapsit about her, without letting Chārudatta see. _]

_Chārudatta. _ Come, Radanikā, take Rohasena and enter the heartof the house. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_To herself. _] Ah me unhappy, that have little partor lot in your heart!

_Chārudatta. _ Come, Radanikā, will you not even answer? Alas!

 When man once sees that miserable day, When fate almighty sweeps his wealth away, Then ancient friendships will no longer hold, Then all his former bosom-friends grow cold. 53

_Maitreya. _ [_Drawing near to Radanikā. _] Sir, here is Radanikā. 

_Chārudatta. _ Here is Radanikā? Who then is this--

 This unknown lady, by my robe Thus clinging, desecrated, _Vasantasenā. _ [_To herself. _] Say rather "consecrated. "

_Chārudatta. _ Until she seems the crescent moon. With clouds of autumn[38] mated? 54

But no! I may not gaze upon another's wife. 

_Maitreya. _ Oh, you need not fear that you are looking at anotherman's wife. This is Vasantasenā, who has been in love with youever since she saw you in the garden where Kāma's temple stands. 

_Chārudatta. _ What! this is Vasantasenā? [_Aside. _]

 My love for whom--my fortune spent-- My wretched self in twain has rent. Like coward's anger, inward bent. 55

[23. 19. S. 

_Maitreya. _ My friend, that brother-in-law of the king says--

_Chārudatta. _ Well?

_Maitreya. _ "This wench with golden ornaments and golden jewels, this female stage-manager looking after the rehearsal of a newplay, this Vasantasenā--she has been in love with you ever sinceshe went into the park where Kāma's temple stands. And when wetried to conciliate her by force, she went into your house. "

_Vasantasenā. _ [_To herself. _] "Tried to conciliate me by force"--truly, I am honored by these words. 

_Maitreya. _ "Now if you send her away yourself and hand her overto me, if you restore her at once, without any lawsuit in court, then I'll be friends with you forever. Otherwise, there will be afight to the death. "

_Chārudatta. _ [_Contemptuously. _] He is a fool. [_To himself. _] How isthis maiden worthy of the worship that we pay a goddess! For now

 Although I bade her enter, yet she seeks To spare my poverty, nor enters here; Though men are known to her, yet all she speaks Contains no word to wound a modest ear. 56

[_Aloud. _] Mistress Vasantasenā, I have unwittingly made myselfguilty of an offense; for I greeted as a servant one whom I did notrecognize. I bend my neck to ask your pardon. 

_Vasantasenā. _ It is I who have offended by this unseemly intrusion. I bow my head to seek your forgiveness. 

_Maitreya. _ Yes, with your pretty bows you two have knocked yourheads together, till they look like a couple of rice-fields. I also bowmy head like a camel colt's knee and beseech you both to standup. [_He does so, then rises. _]

_Chārudatta. _ Very well, let us no longer trouble ourselves withconventions. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_To herself. _] What a delightfully clever hint! Butit would hardly be proper to spend the night, considering how Icame hither. Well, I will at least say this much. [_Aloud. _] If I amto receive thus much of your favor, sir, I should be glad to leavethese jewels in your house. It was for the sake of the jewels thatthose scoundrels pursued me. 

P. 45. 14]

_Chārudatta. _ This house is not worthy of the trust. 

_Vasantasenā. _ You mistake, sir! It is to men that treasures areentrusted, not to houses. 

_Chārudatta. _ Maitreya, will you receive the jewels?

_Vasantasenā. _ I am much indebted to you. [_She hands him thejewels. _]

_Maitreya. _ [_Receiving them. _] Heaven bless you, madam. 

_Chārudatta. _ Fool! They are only entrusted to us. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Aside. _] Then the thieves may take them, for all I care. 

_Chārudatta. _ In a very short time--

_Maitreya. _ What she has entrusted to us, belongs to us. 

_Chārudatta. _ I shall restore them. 

_Vasantasenā. _ I should be grateful, sir, if this gentleman wouldaccompany me home. 

_Chārudatta. _ Maitreya, pray accompany our guest. 

_Maitreya. _ She walks as gracefully as a female swan, and you arethe gay flamingo to accompany her. But I am only a poor Brahman, and wherever I go, the people will fall upon me just as dogs willsnap at a victim dragged to the cross-roads. 

_Chārudatta. _ Very well. I will accompany her myself. Let thetorches be lighted, to ensure our safety on the highway. 

_Maitreya. _ Vardhamānaka, light the torches. 

_Vardhamānaka. _ [_Aside to Maitreya. _] What! light torches withoutoil?

_Maitreya. _ [_Aside to Chārudatta. _] These torches of ours are likecourtezans who despise their poor lovers. They won't light up unlessyou feed them. 

[25. 23. S. 

_Chārudatta. _ Enough, Maitreya! We need no torches. See, we havea lamp upon the king's highway. 

 Attended by her starry servants all, And pale to see as a loving maiden's cheeks, Rises before our eyes the moon's bright ball, Whose pure beams on the high-piled darkness fall Like streaming milk that dried-up marshes seeks. 57

[_His voice betraying his passion. _] Mistress Vasantasenā, we havereached your home. Pray enter. [_Vasantasenā gazes ardently at him, then exit. _] Comrade, Vasantasenā is gone. Come, let us go home. 

 All creatures from the highway take their flight; The watchmen pace their rounds before our sight; To forestall treachery, is just and right, For many sins find shelter in the night. 58

[_He walks about. _] And you shall guard this golden casket by night, and Vardhamānaka by day. 

_Maitreya. _ Very well. [_Exeunt ambo. _

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 30: During the mating season, a fragrant liquor exudes fromthe forehead of the elephant. Of this liquor bees are very fond. ]

[Footnote 31: The most striking peculiarity of Sansthānaka'sdialect--his substitution of _sh_ for _s_--I have tried to imitate inthe translation. ]

[Footnote 32: Red arsenic, used as a cosmetic. ]

[Footnote 33: Here, as elsewhere, Sansthānaka's mythology is wildlyconfused. To a Hindu the effect must be ludicrous enough; but the humoris necessarily lost in a translation. It therefore seems hardly worthwhile to explain his mythological vagaries in detail. ]

[Footnote 34: A name of Krishna, who is perhaps the most amorouscharacter in Indian story. ]

[Footnote 35: Cupid. ]

[Footnote 36: The five deadly sins are: the slaying of a Brahman, thedrinking of wine, theft, adultery with the wife of one's teacher, andassociation with one guilty of these crimes. ]

[Footnote 37: These are all epithets of the same god. ]

[Footnote 38: Which look pretty, but do not rain. He doubtless means tosuggest that the cloak, belonging to a strange man, is as useless toVasantasenā as the veil of autumn clouds to the earth. ]

ACT THE SECOND

THE SHAMPOOER[39] WHO GAMBLED

 [_Enter a maid. _]

_Maid. _

I am sent with a message to my mistress by her mother. I mustgo in and find my mistress. [_She walks about and looks aroundher. _] There is my mistress. She is painting a picture, and puttingher whole heart into it. I must go and speak to her. 

[_Then appear the love-lorn Vasantasenā, seated, and Madanikā. _]

_Vasantasenā. _ Well, girl, and then--

_Madanikā. _ But mistress, you were not speaking of anything. Whatdo you mean?

_Vasantasenā. _ Why, what did I say?

_Madanikā. _ You said, "and then"--

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Puckering her brows. _] Oh, yes. So I did. 

_Maid. _ [_Approaching. _] Mistress, your mother sends word that youshould bathe and then offer worship to the gods. 

_Vasantasenā. _ You may tell my mother that I shall not take theceremonial bath to-day. A Brahman must offer worship in my place. 

_Maid. _ Yes, mistress. [_Exit. _

_Madanikā. _ My dear mistress, it is love, not naughtiness, that asksthe question--but what does this mean?

_Vasantasenā. _ Tell me, Madanikā. How do I seem to you?

_Madanikā. _ My mistress is so absent-minded that I know her heartis filled with longing for somebody. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Well guessed. My Madanikā is quick to fathomanother's heart. 

_Madanikā. _ I am very, very glad. Yes, Kāma is indeed mighty, andhis great festival is welcome when one is young. But tell me, mistress, is it a king, or a king's favorite, whom you worship?

[28. 1. S. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Girl, I wish to love, not to worship. 

_Madanikā. _ Is it a Brahman that excites your passion, some youthdistinguished for very particular learning?

_Vasantasenā. _ A Brahman I should have to reverence. 

_Madanikā. _ Or is it some young merchant, grown enormouslywealthy from visiting many cities?

_Vasantasenā. _ A merchant, girl, must go to other countries andleave you behind, no matter how much you love him. And theseparation makes you very sad. 

_Madanikā. _ It isn't a king, nor a favorite, nor a Brahman, nor amerchant. Who is it then that the princess loves?

_Vasantasenā. _ Girl! Girl! You went with me to the park whereKāma's temple stands?

_Madanikā. _ Yes, mistress. 

_Vasantasenā. _ And yet you ask, as if you were a perfect stranger. 

_Madanikā. _ Now I know. Is it the man who comforted you whenyou asked to be protected?

_Vasantasenā. _ Well, what was his name?

_Madanikā. _ Why, he lives in the merchants' quarter. 

_Vasantasenā. _ But I asked you for his name. 

_Madanikā. _ His name, mistress, is a good omen in itself. His nameis Chārudatta. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Joyfully. _] Good, Madanikā, good. You have guessedit. 

_Madanikā. _ [_Aside. _] So much for that. [_Aloud. _] Mistress, they sayhe is poor. 

_Vasantasenā. _ That is the very reason why I love him. For a courtezanwho sets her heart on a poor man is blameless in the eyes ofthe world. 

P. 59. 14]

_Madanikā. _ But mistress, do the butterflies visit the mango-treewhen its blossoms have fallen?

_Vasantasenā. _ That is just why we call _that_ sort of a girl a butterfly. 

_Madanikā. _ Well, mistress, if you love him, why don't you go andvisit him at once?

_Vasantasenā. _ Girl, if I should visit him at once, then, because hecan't make any return--no, I don't mean that, but it would behard to see him. 

_Madanikā. _ Is that the reason why you left your jewels with him?

_Vasantasenā. _ You have guessed it. 

 * * * * *

_A voice[40] behind the scenes_. Oh, sir, a shampooer owes me tengold-pieces, and he got away from us. Hold him, hold him! [_To thefleeing shampooer. _] Stop, stop! I see you from here. [_Enter hurriedlya frightened shampooer. _]

_Shampooer. _ Oh, confound this gambling business!

 Freed from its tether, the ace-- I might better say "ass"--how it kicks me! And the cast of the dice called the "spear" Proves true to its name; for it sticks me. 1

 The keeper's whole attention Was busy with the score; So it took no great invention To vanish through the door. But I cannot stand forever In the unprotected street. Is there no one to deliver? I would fall before his feet. 2

While the keeper and the gambler are looking somewhere elsefor me, I'll just walk backwards into this empty temple and turngoddess. [_He makes all sorts of gestures, takes his place, and waits. _]

[_Enter Māthura and the gambler. _]

[30. 1. S. 

_Māthura. _ Oh, sir, a shampooer owes me ten gold-pieces, and he gotaway from us. Hold him, hold him! Stop, stop! I see you fromhere. 

_Gambler. _

 You may run to hell, if they'll take you in; With Indra, the god, you may stay: For there's never a god can save your skin. While Māthura wants his pay. 3

_Māthura. _

 Oh, whither flee you, nimble rambler. You that cheat an honest gambler? You that shake with fear and shiver. All a-tremble, all a-quiver; You that cannot trip enough. On the level ground and rough; You that stain your social station, Family, and reputation! 4

_Gambler. _ [_Examining the footprints. _] Here he goes. And here thetracks are lost. 

_Māthura. _ [_Gazes at the footprints. Reflectively. _] Look! The feet areturned around. And the temple hasn't any image. [_After a moment'sthought. _] That rogue of a shampooer has gone into the templewith his feet turned around. 

_Gambler. _ Let's follow him. 

_Māthura. _ All right. [_They enter the temple and take a good look, then make signs to each other. _]

_Gambler. _ What! a wooden image?

_Māthura. _ Of course not. It's stone. [_He shakes it with all his might, then makes signs. _] What do we care? Come, let's have a game. [_Hestarts to gamble as hard as he can. _]

_Shampooer. _ [_Trying with all his might to repress the gamblingfever. Aside. _] Oh, oh!

 Oh, the rattle of dice is a charming thing, When you haven't a copper left; It works like a drum on the heart of a king, Of all his realm bereft. 5

 For gamblers leap down a mountain steep-- I know I shall not play. Yet the rattle of dice is as sweet as the peep Of nightingales in May. 6

_Gambler. _ My turn, my turn!

P. 56. 10]

_Māthura. _ Not much! it's my turn. 

_Shampooer. _ [_Coming up quickly from behind. _] Isn't it _my_ turn?

_Gambler. _ We've got our man. 

_Māthura. _ [_Seizing him. _] You jail-bird, you're caught. Pay memy ten gold-pieces. 

_Shampooer. _ I'll pay you this very day. 

_Māthura. _ Pay me this very minute!

_Shampooer. _ I'll pay you. Only have mercy!

_Māthura. _ Come, will you pay me now?

_Shampooer. _ My head is getting dizzy. [_He falls to the ground. Theothers beat him with all their might. _]

_Māthura. _ There [_drawing the gamblers ring_] you're bound bythe gamblers' ring. 

_Shampooer. _ [_Rises. Despairingly. _] What! bound by the gamblers'ring? Confound it! That is a limit which we gamblers can't pass. Where can I get the money to pay him?

_Māthura. _ Well then, you must give surety. 

_Shampooer. _ I have an idea. [_He nudges the gambler. _] I'll give youhalf, if you'll forgive me the other half. 

_Gambler. _ All right. 

_Shampooer. _ [_To Māthura. _] I'll give you surety for a half. Youmight forgive me the other half. 

_Māthura. _ All right. Where's the harm?

_Shampooer. _ [_Aloud. _] You forgave me a half, sir?

[31. 24. S. 

_Māthura. _ Yes. 

_Shampooer. _ [_To the gambler. _] And you forgave me a half?

_Gambler. _ Yes. 

_Shampooer. _ Then I think I'll be going. 

_Māthura. _ Pay me my ten gold-pieces! Where are you going?

_Shampooer. _ Look at this, gentlemen, look at this! Here I just gavesurety to one of them for a half, and the other forgave me a half. And even after that he is dunning me, poor helpless me!

_Māthura. _ [_Seizing him. _] My name is Māthura, the clever swindler, and you're not going to swindle me this time. Pay up, jail-bird, every bit of my money, and this minute, too. 

_Shampooer. _ How can I pay?

_Māthura. _ Sell your father and pay. 

_Shampooer. _ Where can I get a father?

_Māthura. _ Sell your mother and pay. 

_Shampooer. _ Where can I get a mother?

_Māthura. _ Sell yourself and pay. 

_Shampooer. _ Have mercy! Lead me to the king's highway. 

_Māthura. _ Go ahead. 

_Shampooer. _ If it must be. [_He walks about. _] Gentlemen, will youbuy me for ten gold-pieces from this gambling-master? [_He seesa passer-by and calls out. _] What is that? You wish to know whatI can do? I will be your house-servant. What! he has gone withouteven answering. Well, here's another. I'll speak to him. [_He repeatshis offer. _] What! this one too takes no notice of me. He isgone. Confound it! I've had hard luck ever since Chārudatta losthis fortune. 

_Māthura. _ Will you pay?

_Shampooer. _ How can I pay? [_He falls down. Māthura drags himabout. _] Good gentlemen, save me, save me! [_Enter Darduraka. _]

P. 61. 5]

_Darduraka. _ Yes, gambling is a kingdom without a throne. 

 You do not mind defeat at all; Great are the sums you spend and win; While kingly revenues roll in, Rich men, like slaves, before you fall. 7

And again:

 You earn your coin by gambling, Your friends and wife by gambling, Your gifts and food by gambling; Your last cent goes by gambling. 8

And again:

 My cash was taken by the trey; The deuce then took my health away; The ace then set me on the street; The four completed my defeat. 9

[_He looks before him. _] Here comes Māthura, our sometimegambling-master. Well, as I can't escape, I think I'll put on my veil. [_He makes any number of gestures with his cloak, then examines it. _]

 This cloth is sadly indigent in thread; This lovely cloth lets in a lot of light; This cloth's protective power is nearly fled; This cloth is pretty when it's rolled up tight. 10

Yet after all, what more could a poor saint do? For you see, One foot I've planted in the sky, The other on the ground must lie. [41] The elevation's rather high, But the sun stands it. Why can't I? 11

_Māthura. _ Pay, pay!

_Shampooer. _ How can I pay? [_Māthura drags him about. _]

_Darduraka. _ Well, well, what is this I see? [_He addresses a bystander. _]What did you say, sir? "This shampooer is being maltreatedby the gambling-master, and no one will save him"? I'llsave him myself. [_He presses forward. _] Stand back, stand back!

[33. 25. S. 

[_He takes a look. _] Well, if this isn't that swindler Māthura. Andhere is the poor saintly shampooer; a saint to be sure, Who does not hang with bended head Rigid till set of sun, Who does not rub his back with sand Till boils begin to run, Whose shins dogs may not browse upon, As they pass him in their rambling. [42] Why should this tall and dainty man Be so in love with gambling? 12

Well, I must pacify Māthura. [_He approaches. _] How do you do, Māthura? [_Māthura returns the greeting. _]

_Darduraka. _ What does this mean?

_Māthura. _ He owes me ten gold-pieces. 

_Darduraka. _ A mere bagatelle!

_Māthura. _ [_Pulling the rolled-up cloak from under Darduraka'sarm. _] Look, gentlemen, look! The man in the ragged cloak callsten gold-pieces a mere bagatelle. 

_Darduraka. _ My good fool, don't I risk ten gold-pieces on a castof the dice? Suppose a man has money--is that any reason whyhe should put it in his bosom and show it? But you, You'll lose your caste, you'll lose your soul, For ten gold-pieces that he stole, To kill a man that's sound and whole, With five good senses in him. 13

_Māthura. _ Ten gold-pieces may be a mere bagatelle to you, sir. Tome they are a fortune. 

_Darduraka. _ Well then, listen to me. Just give him ten more, andlet him go to gambling again. 

_Māthura. _ And what then?

_Darduraka. _ If he wins, he will pay you. 

P. 63. 12]

_Māthura. _ And if he doesn't win?

_Darduraka. _ Then he won't pay you. 

_Māthura. _ This is no time for nonsense. If you say that, you cangive him the money yourself. My name is Māthura. I'm a swindlerand I play a crooked game, and I'm not afraid of anybody. Youare an immoral scoundrel. 

_Darduraka. _ Who did you say was immoral?

_Māthura. _ You're immoral. 

_Darduraka. _ Your father is immoral. [_He gives the shampooer asign to escape. _]

_Māthura. _ You cur! That is just the way that you gamble. 

_Darduraka. _ That is the way I gamble?

_Māthura. _ Come, shampooer, pay me my ten gold-pieces. 

_Shampooer. _ I'll pay you this very day. I'll pay at once. [_Māthuradrags him about. _]

_Darduraka. _ Fool! You may maltreat him when I am away, butnot before my eyes. 

[_Māthura seizes the shampooer and hits him on the nose. The shampooerbleeds, faints, and falls flat. Darduraka approaches and interferes. Māthura strikes Darduraka, and Darduraka strikes back. _]

_Māthura. _ Oh, oh, you accursèd hound! But I'll pay you for this. 

_Darduraka. _ My good fool, I was walking peaceably along thestreet, and you struck me. If you strike me to-morrow in court, then you will open your eyes. 

_Māthura. _ Yes, I'll open my eyes. 

_Darduraka. _ How will you open your eyes?

_Māthura. _ [_Opening his eyes wide. _] This is the way I'll open myeyes. 

[_Darduraka throws dust in Māthura's eyes, and gives the shampooera sign to escape. Māthura shuts his eyes and falls down. The shampooerescapes. _]

[35. 20. S. 

_Darduraka. _ [_Aside. _] I have made an enemy of the influentialgambling-master Māthura. I had better not stay here. Besides, mygood friend Sharvilaka told me that a young herdsman namedAryaka has been designated by a soothsayer as our future king. Now everybody in my condition is running after him. I think Iwill join myself to him. [_Exit. _

_Shampooer. _ [_Trembles as he walks away and looks about him. _] Hereis a house where somebody has left the side-door open. I will goin. [_He enters and perceives Vasantasenā. _] Madam, I throw myselfupon your protection. 

_Vasantasenā. _ He who throws himself upon my protection shall besafe. Close the door, girl. [_The maid does so. _]

_Vasantasenā. _ What do you fear?

_Shampooer. _ A creditor, madam. 

_Vasantasenā. _ You may open the door now, girl. 

_Shampooer. _ [_To himself. _] Ah! Her reasons for not fearing a creditorare in proportion to her innocence. The proverb is right:

 The man who knows his strength and bears a load Proportioned to that strength, not more nor less, Is safe from stumbling and from sore distress, Although he wander on a dreary road. 14

That means me. 

_Māthura. _ [_Wiping his eyes. To the gambler. _] Pay, pay!

_Gambler. _ While we were quarreling with Darduraka, sir, theman escaped. 

_Māthura. _ I broke that shampooer's nose for him with my fistCome on! Let's trace him by the blood. [_They do so. _]

_Gambler. _ He went into Vasantasenā's house, sir. 

_Māthura. _ Then that is the end of the gold-pieces. 

_Gambler. _ Let's go to court and lodge a complaint. 

P. 67. 1]

_Māthura. _ The swindler would leave the house and escape. No, wemust besiege him and so capture him. 

 * * * * *

[_Vasantasenā gives Madanikā a sign. _]

_Madanikā. _ Whence are you, sir? or who are you, sir? or whose sonare you, sir? or what is your business, sir? or what are you afraid of?

_Shampooer. _ Listen, madam. My birthplace is Pātaliputra, madam. I am the son of a householder. I practise the trade of a shampooer. 

_Vasantasenā. _ It is a very dainty art, sir, which you have mastered. 

_Shampooer. _ Madam, as an art I mastered it. It has now become amere trade. 

_Madanikā. _ Your answers are most disconsolate, sir. Pray continue. 

_Shampooer. _ Yes, madam. When I was at home, I used to hear travelerstell tales, and I wanted to see new countries, and so I came here. Andwhen I had come here to Ujjayinī, I became the servant of a noblegentleman. Such a handsome, courteous gentleman! When he gave moneyaway, he did not boast; when he was injured, he forgot it. To cut a longstory short: he was so courteous that he regarded his own person as thepossession of others, and had compassion on all who sought hisprotection. 

_Madanikā. _ Who may it be that adorns Ujjayinī with the virtueswhich he has stolen from the object of my mistress' desires?

_Vasantasenā. _ Good, girl, good! I had the same thought in mind. 

_Madanikā. _ But to continue, sir--

_Shampooer. _ Madam, he was so compassionate and so generous thatnow--

_Vasantasenā. _ His riches have vanished?

_Shampooer. _ I didn't say it. How did you guess it, madam?

_Vasantasenā. _ What was there to guess? Virtue and money seldomkeep company. In the pools from which men cannot drink thereis so much the more water. 

_Madanikā. _ But sir, what is his name?

[37. 23. S. 

_Shampooer. _ Madam, who does not know the name of this moonof the whole world? He lives in the merchants' quarter. He whosename is worthy of all honor is named Chārudatta. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Joyfully rising from her seat. _] Sir, this house is yourown. Give him a seat, girl, and take this fan. The gentleman isweary. [_Madanikā does as she is bid. _]

_Shampooer. _ [_Aside. _] What! so much honor because I mentionedChārudatta's name? Heaven bless you, Chārudatta! You are theonly man in the world who really lives. All others merely breathe. [_He falls at Vasantasenā's feet. _] Enough, madam, enough. Praybe seated, madam. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Seating herself. _] Where is he who is so richly yourcreditor, sir?

_Shamp. _

 The good man's wealth consists in kindly deeds; All other wealth is vain and quickly flies. The man who honors not his neighbor's needs, Does that man know what honor signifies? 15

_Vasantasenā. _ But to continue--

_Shampooer. _ So I became a servant in his employ. And when hiswealth was reduced to his virtue, I began to live by gambling. Butfate was cruel, and I lost ten gold-pieces. 

_Māthura. _ I am ruined! I am robbed!

_Shampooer. _ There are the gambling-master and the gambler, lookingfor me. You have heard my story, madam. The rest is youraffair. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Madanikā, the birds fly everywhither when the treeis shaken in which they have their nests. Go, girl, and give thegambling-master and the gambler this bracelet. And tell them thatthis gentleman sends it. [_She removes a bracelet from her arm, andgives it to Madanikā. _]

_Madanikā. _ [_Receiving the bracelet. _] Yes, mistress. [_She goes out. _]

P. 71. 2]

_Māthura. _ I am ruined! I am robbed!

_Madanikā. _ Inasmuch as these two are looking up to heaven, andsighing, and chattering, and fastening their eyes on the door, Iconclude that they must be the gambling-master and the gambler. [_Approaching. _] I salute you, sir. 

_Māthura. _ May happiness be yours. 

_Madanikā. _ Sir, which of you is the gambling-master?

_Māth. _

 O maiden, fair but something less than shy, With red lip wounded in love's ardent play, On whom is bent that sweet, coquettish eye? For whom that lisp that steals the heart away? 16

_I_ haven't got any money. You'll have to look somewhere else. 

_Madanikā. _ You are certainly no gambler, if you talk that way. Is there any one who _owes_ you money?

_Māthura. _ There is. He owes ten gold-pieces. What of him?

_Madanikā. _ In his behalf my mistress sends you this bracelet. No, no! He sends it himself. 

_Māthura. _ [_Seizing it joyfully. _] Well, well, you may tell the nobleyouth that his account is squared. Let him come and seek delightagain in gambling. [_Exeunt Māthura and the gambler. _

 * * * * *

_Madanikā. _ [_Returning to Vasantasenā. _] Mistress, the gambling-masterand the gambler have gone away well-pleased. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Go, sir, and comfort your kinsfolk. 

_Shampooer. _ Ah, madam, if it may be, these hands would gladlypractise their art in your service. 

_Vasantasenā. _ But sir, he for whose sake you mastered the art, who first received your service, he should have your service still. 

_Shampooer. _ [_Aside. _] A very pretty way to decline my services. Howshall I repay her kindness? [_Aloud. _] Madam, thus dishonored as agambler, I shall become a Buddhist monk. And so, madam, treasure thesewords in your memory: "He was a shampooer, a gambler, a Buddhist monk. "

[40. 1. S. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Sir, you must not act too precipitately. 

_Shampooer. _ Madam, my mind is made up. [_He walks about. _]

 I gambled, and in gambling I did fall, Till every one beheld me with dismay. Now I shall show my honest face to all, And walk abroad upon the king's highway. 17

[_Tumultuous cries behind the scenes. _]

_Shampooer. _ [_Listening. _] What is this? What is this? [_Addressingsome one behind the scenes. _] What did you say? "Post-breaker, Vasantasenā's rogue elephant, is at liberty!" Hurrah! I must goand see the lady's best elephant. No, no! What have I to do withthese things? I must hold to my resolution. [_Exit. _

[_Then enter hastily Karnapūraka, highly delighted, wearing a gorgeousmantle. _]

_Karnapūraka. _ Where is she? Where is my mistress?

_Madanikā. _ Insolent! What can it be that so excites you? You donot see your mistress before your very eyes. 

_Karnapūraka. _ [_Perceiving Vasantasenā. _] Mistress, my service toyou. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Karnapūraka, your face is beaming. What is it?

_Karnapūraka. _ [_Proudly. _] Oh, mistress! You missed it! You didn'tsee Karnapūraka's heroism to-day!

_Vasantasenā. _ What, Karnapūraka, what?

_Karnapūraka. _ Listen. Post-breaker, my mistress' rogue elephant, broke the stake he was tied to, killed his keeper, and ran into thestreet, making a terrible commotion. You should have heard thepeople shriek, Take care of the babies, as quick as you can. And climb up a roof or a tree! The elephant rogue wants the blood of a man. Escape! Run away! Can't you see? 18

P. 74. 14]

And:

 How they lose their ankle-rings! Girdles, set with gems and things, Break away from fastenings!

 As they stumble, trip, and blunder, See the bracelets snap asunder, Each a tangled, pearly wonder! 19

And that rogue of an elephant dives with his trunk and his feetand his tusks into the city of Ujjayinī, as if it were a lotus-pondin full flower. At last he comes upon a Buddhist monk. [43] Andwhile the man's staff and his water-jar and his begging-bowl flyevery which way, he drizzles water over him and gets him betweenhis tusks. The people see him and begin to shriek again, crying "Oh, oh, the monk is killed!"

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Anxiously. _] Oh, what carelessness, what carelessness!

_Karnapūraka. _ Don't be frightened. Just listen, mistress. Then, with a big piece of the broken chain dangling about him, he pickedhim up, picked up the monk between his tusks, and just thenKarnapūraka saw him, _I_ saw him, no, no! the slave who growsfat on my mistress' rice-cakes saw him, stumbled with his leftfoot over a gambler's score, grabbed up an iron pole out of a shop, and challenged the mad elephant--

_Vasantasenā. _ Go on! Go on!

_Karnap. _

 I hit him--in a fit of passion, too-- He really looked like some great mountain peak. And from between those tusks of his I drew The sacred hermit meek. 20

_Vasantasenā. _ Splendid, splendid! But go on!

_Karnapūraka. _ Then, mistress, all Ujjayinī tipped over to one side, like a ship loaded unevenly, and you could hear nothing but "Hurrah, hurrah for Karnapūraka!" Then, mistress, a man touched theplaces where he ought to have ornaments, and, finding that hehadn't any, looked up, heaved a long sigh, and threw this mantleover me. 

[41. 19. S. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Find out, Karnapūraka, whether the mantle is perfumedwith jasmine or not. 

_Karnapūraka. _ Mistress, the elephant perfume is so strong that Ican't tell for sure. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Then look at the name. 

_Karnapūraka. _ Here is the name. You may read it, mistress. [_Hehands her the mantle. _]

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Reads. _] Chārudatta. [_She seizes the mantle eagerlyand wraps it about her. _]

_Madanikā. _ The mantle is very becoming to her, Karnapūraka. 

_Karnapūraka. _ Oh, yes, the mantle is becoming enough. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Here is your reward, Karnapūraka. [_She gives hima gem. _]

_Karnapūraka. _ [_Taking it and bowing low. _] Now the mantle ismost wonderfully becoming. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Karnapūraka, where is Chārudatta now?

_Karnapūraka. _ He started to go home along this very street. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Come, girl! Let us go to the upper balcony and seeChārudatta. [_Exeunt omnes. _

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 39: Perhaps masseur would be more accurate. ]

[Footnote 40: That of Māthura, the keeper of the gambling house. ]

[Footnote 41: A humorously exaggerated reference to Indian asceticpractices. ]

[Footnote 42: See note on page 33. ]

[Footnote 43: The shampooer, whose transformation is astonishinglysudden. ]

ACT THE THIRD

THE HOLE IN THE WALL

[_Enter Chārudatta's servant, Vardhamānaka. _]

_Vardh. _

 A master, kindly and benevolent, His servants love, however poor he be. The purse-proud, with a will on harshness bent, Pays service in the coin of cruelty. 1

And again:

 A bullock greedy for a feast of corn You never can prevent; A wife who wants her lord to wear a horn You never can prevent; A man who loves to gamble night and morn You never can prevent; And blemishes[44] that with a man are born You never can prevent. 2

It is some time since Chārudatta went to the concert. It is pastmidnight, and still he does not come. I think I will go into theouter hall and take a nap. [_He does so. _]

 * * * * *

[_Enter Chārudatta and Maitreya. _]

_Chārudatta. _ How beautifully Rebhila sang! The lute is indeed apearl, a pearl not of the ocean. 

 Gently the anxious lover's heart befriending, Consoling when true lovers may not meet, To love-lorn souls the dearest comforts sending, It adds to sweetest love its more of sweet. 3

_Maitreya. _ Well then, let's go into the house. 

_Chārudatta. _ But how wonderfully Master Rebhila sang!

[44. 1. S

_Maitreya. _ There are just two things that always make me laugh. One is a woman talking Sanskrit, and the other is a man who triesto sing soft and low. Now when a woman talks Sanskrit, she is likea heifer with a new rope through her nose; all you hear is "soo, soo, soo. " And when a man tries to sing soft and low, he remindsme of an old priest muttering texts, while the flowers in his chapletdry up. No, I don't like it!

_Chārudatta. _ My friend, Master Rebhila sang most wonderfullythis evening. And still you are not satisfied. 

 The notes of love, peace, sweetness, could I trace, The note that thrills, the note of passion too, The note of woman's loveliness and grace-- Ah, my poor words add nothing, nothing new! But as the notes in sweetest cadence rang, I thought it was my hidden love who sang. 4

 The melody of song, the stricken strings In undertone that half-unconscious clings, More clearly sounding when the passions rise, But ever sweeter as the music dies. Words that strong passion fain would say again, Yet checks their second utterance--in vain; For music sweet as this lives on, until I walk as hearing sweetest music still. 5

_Maitreya. _ But see, my friend! The very dogs are sound asleep inthe shops that look out on the market. Let us go home. [_He looksbefore him. _] Look, look! The blessèd moon seems to give place todarkness, as she descends from her palace in heaven. 

_Chārudatta. _ True. 

 The moon gives place to darkness as she dips Behind the western mountain; and the tips Of her uplifted horns alone appear, Like two sharp-pointed tusks uplifted clear, Where bathes an elephant in waters cool, Who shows naught else above the jungle pool. 6

P. 89. 1]

_Maitreya. _ Well, here is our house. Vardhamānaka, Vardhamānaka, open the door!

_Vardhamānaka. _ I hear Maitreya's voice. Chārudatta has returned. I must open the door for him. [_He does so. _] Master, I salute you. Maitreya, I salute you too. The couch is ready. Pray be seated. [_Chārudatta and Maitreya enter and seat themselves. _]

_Maitreya. _ Vardhamānaka, call Radanikā to wash our feet. 

_Chārudatta. _ [_Compassionately. _] She sleeps. Do not wake her. 

_Vardhamānaka. _ I will bring the water, Maitreya, and you maywash Chārudatta's feet. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Angrily. _] Look, man. He acts like the son of a slavethat he is, for he is bringing water. But he makes me wash yourfeet, and I am a Brahman. 

_Chārudatta. _ Good Maitreya, do you bring the water, and Vardhamānakashall wash my feet. 

_Vardhamānaka. _ Yes, Maitreya. Do you bring the water. [_Maitreyadoes so. Vardhamānaka washes Chārudatta's feet, then moves away. _]

_Chārudatta. _ Let water be brought for the Brahman's feet. 

_Maitreya. _ What good does water do my feet? I shall have to rollin the dirt again, like a beaten ass. 

_Vardhamānaka. _ Maitreya, you are a Brahman. 

_Maitreya. _ Yes, like a slow-worm among all the other snakes, soam I a Brahman among all the other Brahmans. 

_Vardhamānaka. _ Maitreya, I will wash your feet after all. [_He doesso. _] Maitreya, this golden casket I was to keep by day, you bynight. Take it. [_He gives it to Maitreya, then exit. _

_Maitreya. _ [_Receiving the casket. _] The thing is here still. Isn't therea single thief in Ujjayinī to steal the wretch that robs me of mysleep? Listen. I am going to take it into the inner court. 

[46. 1. S. 

_Chārud. _

 Such lax attention we can ill afford. If we are trusted by a courtezan, Then, Brahman, prove yourself an honest man, And guard it safely, till it be restored. 7

[_He nods, repeating the stanza_ "The melody of song, the strickenstrings:" _page_ 44. ]

_Maitreya. _ Are you going to sleep?

_Chārudatta. _ Yes, so it seems. 

 For conquering sleep, descending on mine eyes, First smites the brow with unresisted blow; Unseen, elusive, like old age, she tries To gather strength by weakening her foe. 8

_Maitreya. _ Then let's go to sleep. [_He does so. _]

 * * * * *

[_Enter Sharvilaka. _[45]]

_Sharv. _

 I made an entrance for my body's round By force of art and arms, a path to deeds! I skinned my sides by crawling on the ground, Like a snake that sloughs the skin no longer sound: And now I go where my profession leads. 9

[_He gazes at the sky. Joyfully. _] See! The blessèd moon is setting. For well I know, My trade would fain from watchmen's eyes be shrouded; Valiant, I force the dwelling of another. But see, the stars in deepest dark are clouded, And the night shields me like a careful mother. 10

I made a breach in the orchard wall and entered. And now I must force myway into the inner court as well. 

 Yes, let men call it vulgar, if they will, The trade that thrives while sleeps the sleepyhead; Yes, knavery, not bravery, call it still, To overreach confiding folk a-bed. 

P. 86. 9]

 Far better blame and hissing, fairly won. Than the pay of genuflecting underlings; This antique path was trod by Drona's son, Who slew the sleeping, unsuspecting kings. 11

But where shall I make the breach?

 Where is the spot which falling drops decayed? For each betraying sound is deadened there. No yawning breach should in the walls be made, So treatises on robbery declare. Where does the palace crumble? Where the place That niter-eaten bricks false soundness wear? Where shall I 'scape the sight of woman's face? Fulfilment of my wishes waits me there. 12

[_He feels the wall. _] Here is a spot weakened by constant sun andsprinkling and eaten by saltpeter rot. And here is a pile of dirtthrown up by a mouse. Now heaven be praised! My venture prospers. This is the first sign of success for Skanda's[46] sons. Now firstof all, how shall I make the breach? The blessèd Bearer of theGolden Lance[47] has prescribed four varieties of breach, thus: ifthe bricks are baked, pull them out; if they are unbaked, cutthem; if they are made of earth, wet them; if they are made ofwood, split them. Here we have baked bricks; ergo, pull out thebricks. 

 Now what shall be the shape I give the breach? A "lotus, " "cistern, " "crescent moon, " or "sun"? "Oblong, " or "cross, " or "bulging pot"? for each The treatises permit. Which one? which one? And where shall I display my sovereign skill, That in the morning men may wonder still? 13

In this wall of baked bricks, the "bulging pot" would be effective. Iwill make that. 

[47. 16. S. 

 At other walls that I have pierced by night, And at my less successful ventures too, The crowd of neighbors gazed by morning light, Assigning praise or blame, as was my due. 14

Praise to the boon-conferring god, to Skanda of immortal youth!Praise to him, the Bearer of the Golden Lance, the Brahman'sgod, the pious! Praise to him, the Child of the Sun! Praise to him, the teacher of magic, whose first pupil I am! For he found pleasurein me and gave me magic ointment, With which so I anointed be, No watchman's eye my form shall see; And edged sword that falls on me From cruel wounds shall leave me free. 15

[_He anoints himself. _] Alas, I have forgotten my measuring line. [_Reflecting. _] Aha! This sacred cord[48] shall be my measuring line. Yes, the sacred cord is a great blessing to a Brahman, especially to onelike me. For, you see, With this he measures, ere he pierce a wall, And picks the lock, when jewels are at stake. It serves as key to bolted door and hall, As tourniquet for bite of worm and snake. 16

The measuring is done. I begin my task. [_He does so, then takes alook. _] My breach lacks but a single brick. Alas, I am bitten by asnake. [_He binds his finger with the sacred cord, and manifests theworkings of poison. _] I have applied the remedy, and now I am restored. [_He continues his work, then gazes. _] Ah, there burns a candle. See!

 Though jealous darkness hems it round, The golden-yellow candle from its place Shines through the breach upon the ground, Like a streak of gold upon the touchstone's face. 17

P. 87. 9]

[_He returns to his work. _] The breach is finished. Good! I enter. But no, I will not enter yet. I will shove a dummy in. [_He doesso. _] Ah, no one is there. Praise be to Skanda! [_He enters and looksabout. _] See! Two men asleep. Come, for my own protection I willopen the door. But the house is old and the door squeaks. I mustlook for water. Now where might water be? [_He looks about, findswater, and sprinkles the door. Anxiously. _] I hope it will not fallupon the floor and make a noise. Come, this is the way. [_He putshis back against the door and opens it cautiously. _] Good! So muchfor that. Now I must discover whether these two are feigningsleep, or whether they are asleep in the fullest meaning of theterm. [_He tries to terrify them, and notes the effect. _] Yes, they mustbe asleep in the fullest meaning of the term. For see!

 Their breath first calmly rises, ere it sink; Its regularity all fear defies. Unmoving in their socket-holes, the eyes Are tightly closed, and never seem to wink. The limbs relaxed, at ease the bodies lie, I see their feet beyond the bedstead peep, The lighted candle vexes not the eye; It would, if they were only feigning sleep. 18

[_He looks about him. _] What! a drum? And here is a flute. Andhere, a snare-drum. And here, a lute. And reed-pipes. And yonder, manuscripts. Is this the house of a dancing-master? But no!When I entered, I was convinced that this was a palatial residence. Now then, is this man poor in the fullest meaning of the term, or, from fear of the king or of thieves, does he keep his propertyburied? Well, my own property is buried, too. But I will scatterthe seeds that betray subterranean gold. [_He does so. _] The scatteredseeds nowhere swell up. Ah, he is poor in the fullest meaningof the term. Good! I go. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Talking in his sleep. _] Look, man. I see something likea hole in the wall. I see something like a thief. You had bettertake this golden casket. 

[49. 7. S

_Sharvilaka. _ I wonder if the man has discovered that I have entered, and is showing off his poverty in order to make fun of me. Shall I kill him, or is the poor devil talking in his sleep? [_He takesa look. _] But see! This thing wrapped in a ragged bath-clout, nowthat I inspect it by the light of my candle, is in truth a jewel-casketSuppose I take it. But no! It is hardly proper to rob aman of good birth, who is as poor as I am. I go. 

_Maitreya. _ My friend, by the wishes of cows and Brahmans[49] I conjureyou to take this golden casket. 

_Sharvilaka. _ One may not disregard the sacred wish of a cow andthe wish of a Brahman. I will take it. But look! There burns thecandle. I keep about me a moth for the express purpose of extinguishingcandles. I will let him enter the flame. This is his placeand hour. May this moth which I here release, depart to flutterabove the flame in varying circles. The breeze from the insect'swings has translated the flame into accursèd darkness. Or shall Inot rather curse the darkness brought by me upon my Brahmanicfamily? For my father was a man who knew the four Vedas, whowould not accept a gift; and I, Sharvilaka, his son, and a Brahman, I am committing a crime for the sake of that courtezan girlMadanikā. Now I will grant the Brahman's wish. [_He reaches outfor the casket. _]

_Maitreya. _ How cold your fingers are, man!

_Sharvilaka. _ What carelessness! My fingers are cold from touchingwater. Well, I will put my hand in my armpit [_He warms his left handand takes the casket. _]

_Maitreya. _ Have you got it?

_Sharvilaka. _ I could not refuse a Brahman's request. I have it. 

P. 80. 9]

_Maitreya. _ Now I shall sleep as peacefully as a merchant who hassold his wares. 

_Sharvilaka. _ O great Brahman, sleep a hundred years! Alas that aBrahman family should thus be plunged in darkness for the sakeof Madanikā, a courtezan! Or better, I myself am thus plungedin darkness. 

 A curse on poverty, I say! 'T is stranger to the manly will; This act that shuns the light of day I curse indeed, but do it still. 19

Well then, I must go to Vasantasenā's house to buy Madanikā'sfreedom. [_He walks about and looks around him. _] Ah, I think Ihear footsteps. I hope they are not those of policemen. Never mind. I will pretend to be a pillar, and wait. But after all, do policemenexist for me, for Sharvilaka? Why, I am

 A cat for crawling, and a deer for flight, A hawk for rending, and a dog for sight To judge the strength of men that wake or sleep, A snake, when 't is advisable to creep, Illusion's self, to seem a saint or rogue, Goddess of Speech in understanding brogue; A light in blackest night, in holes a lizard I can be, A horse on terra firma, and a ship upon the sea. 20

And again:

 Quick as a snake, and steady as a hill; In flight the prince of birds can show no greater skill; In searching on the ground I am as keen as any hare, In strength I am a lion, and a wolf to rend and tear. 21

_Radanikā. _ [_Entering. _] Dear me! Vardhamānaka went to sleepin the outer court, and now he is not there. Well, I will callMaitreya. [_She walks about. _]

[51. 1. S. 

_Sharvilaka. _ [_Prepares to strike down Radanikā, but first takes alook. _] What! a woman? Good! I go. [_Exit. _

 * * * * *

_Radanikā. _ [_Recoiling in terror. _] Oh, oh, a thief has cut a hole inthe wall of our house and is escaping, I must go and wake Maitreya. [_She approaches Maitreya. _] Oh, Maitreya, get up, get up!A thief has cut a hole in the wall of our house and has escaped. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Rising. _] What do you mean, wench? "A hole in thewall has cut a thief and has escaped"?

_Radanikā. _ Poor fool! Stop your joking. Don't you see it?

_Maitreya. _ What do you mean, wench? "It looks as if a seconddoor had been thrown open"? Get up, friend Chārudatta, get up!A thief has made a hole in the wall of our house and has escaped. 

_Chārudatta. _ Yes, yes! A truce to your jests!

_Maitreya. _ But it isn't a jest. Look!

_Chārudatta. _ Where?

_Maitreya. _ Why, here. 

_Chārudatta. _ [_Gazing. _] What a very remarkable hole!

 The bricks are drawn away below, above; The top is narrow, but the center wide; As if the great house-heart had burst with pride, Fearing lest the unworthy share its love. 22

To think that science should be expended on a task like this!

_Maitreya. _ My friend, this hole must have been made by one oftwo men; either by a stranger, or else for practice by a studentof the science of robbery. For what man here in Ujjayinī doesnot know how much wealth there is in our house?

_Chārud. _

 Stranger he must have been who made the breach, His customed harvest in my house to reap; He has not learned that vanished riches teach A calm, untroubled sleep. 

 He saw the sometime greatness of my home And forced an entrance; for his heart did leap With short-lived hope; now he must elsewhere roam, And over broken hopes must sorely weep. 23

Just think of the poor fellow telling his friends: "I entered thehouse of a merchant's son, and found--nothing. "

P. 92. 4]

_Maitreya. _ Do you mean to say that you pity the rascally robber? Thinkshe--"Here's a great house. Here's the place to carry off a jewel-casketor a gold-casket. " [_He remembers the casket. Despondently. Aside. _]Where _is_ that golden casket? [_He remembers the events of the night. Aloud. _] Look, man! You are always saying "Maitreya is a fool, Maitreyais no scholar. " But I certainly acted wisely in handing over that goldencasket to you. If I hadn't, the son of a slave would have carried itoff. 

_Chārudatta. _ A truce to your jests!

_Maitreya. _ Just because I'm a fool, do you suppose I don't evenknow the place and time for a jest?

_Chārudatta. _ But when did this happen?

_Maitreya. _ Why, when I told you that your fingers were cold. 

_Chārudatta. _ It might have been. [_He searches about. Joyfully. _]My friend, I have something pleasant to tell you. 

_Maitreya. _ What? Wasn't it stolen?

_Chārudatta. _ Yes. 

_Maitreya. _ What is the pleasant news, then?

_Chārudatta. _ The fact that he did not go away disappointed. 

_Maitreya. _ But it was only entrusted to our care. 

_Chārudatta. _ What! entrusted to our care? [_He swoons. _]

_Maitreya. _ Come to yourself, man. Is the fact that a thief stole whatwas entrusted to you, any reason why you should swoon?

53. 5. S. ]

_Chārudatta. _ [_Coming to himself. _] Ah, my friend, Who will believe the truth? Suspicion now is sure. This world will show no ruth To the inglorious poor. 24

Alas! If envious fate before Has wooed my wealth alone. Why should she seek my store Of virtue as her own? 25

_Maitreya. _ I intend to deny the whole thing. Who gave anybodyanything? who received anything from anybody? who was a witness?

_Chārudatta. _ And shall I tell a falsehood now?

 No! I will beg until I earn The wherewithal my debt to pay. Ignoble falsehood I will spurn. That steals the character away. 26

_Radanikā. _ I will go and tell his good wife. [_She goes out, returningwith Chārudatta's wife. _]

_Wife. _ [_Anxiously. _] Oh! Is it true that my lord is uninjured, andMaitreya too?

_Radanikā. _ It is true, mistress. But the gems which belong to thecourtezan have been stolen. [_Chārudatta's wife swoons. _] O my goodmistress! Come to yourself!

_Wife. _ [_Recovering. _] Girl, how can you say that my lord is uninjured?Better that he were injured in body than in character. Fornow the people of Ujjayinī will say that my lord committed thiscrime because of his poverty. [_She looks up and sighs. _] Ah, mightyFate! The destinies of the poor, uncertain as the water-drops whichfall upon a lotus-leaf, seem to thee but playthings. There remainsto me this one necklace, which I brought with me from my mother'shouse. But my lord would be too proud to accept it. Girl, call Maitreya hither. 

P. 95. 7]

_Radanikā. _ Yes, mistress. [_She approaches Maitreya. _] Maitreya, my lady summons you. 

_Maitreya. _ Where is she?

_Radanikā. _ Here. Come!

_Maitreya. _ [_Approaching. _] Heaven bless you!

_Wife. _ I salute you, sir. Sir, will you look straight in front of you?

_Maitreya. _ Madam, here stands a man who looks straight in frontof him. 

_Wife. _ Sir, you must accept this. 

_Maitreya. _ Why?

_Wife. _ I have observed the Ceremony of the Gems. And on thisoccasion one must make as great a present as one may to a Brahman. This I have not done, therefore pray accept this necklace. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Receiving the necklace. _] Heaven bless you! I will goand tell my friend. 

_Wife. _ You must not do it in such a way as to make me blush, Maitreya. [_Exit. _

_Maitreya. _ [_In astonishment. _] What generosity!

 * * * * *

_Chārudatta. _ How Maitreya lingers! I trust his grief is not leadinghim to do what he ought not. Maitreya, Maitreya!

_Maitreya. _ [_Approaching. _] Here I am. Take that. [_He displays thenecklace. _]

_Chārudatta. _ What is this?

_Maitreya. _ Why, that is the reward you get for marrying such awife. 

_Chārudatta. _ What! my wife takes pity on me? Alas, now am Ipoor indeed!

 When fate so robs him of his all, That on her pity he must call, The man to woman's state doth fall, The woman is the man. 27

But no, I am not poor. For I have a wife

 Whose love outlasts my wealthy day; In thee a friend through good and ill; And truth that naught could take away: Ah! this the poor man lacketh still. 28

[55. 9. S. 

Maitreya, take the necklace and go to Vasantasenā. Tell her inmy name that we have gambled away the golden casket, forgettingthat it was not our own, that we trust she will accept thisnecklace in its place. 

_Maitreya. _ But you must not give away this necklace, the pride ofthe four seas, for that cheap thing that was stolen before we hada bite or a drink out of it. 

_Chārudatta. _ Not so, my friend. 

 She showed her trust in leaving us her treasure; The price of confidence has no less measure. 29

Friend, I conjure you by this gesture, not to return until you havedelivered it into her hands. Vardhamānaka, do you speedily

 Fill up the opening with the selfsame bricks; Thus will I thwart the process of the law, For the blemish of so great a scandal sticks. 30

And, friend Maitreya, you must show your pride by not speakingtoo despondently. 

_Maitreya. _ How can a poor man help speaking despondently?

_Chārudatta. _ Poor I am not, my friend. For I have a wife

 Whose love outlasts my wealthy day; In thee a friend through good and ill; And truth that naught could take away: Ah, this the poor man lacketh still. (28)

Go then, and after performing rites of purification, I will offermy morning prayer. [_Exeunt omnes. _

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 44: This refers to Chārudatta's generosity, which continuesafter his wealth has vanished. ]

[Footnote 45: The following scene satirises the Hindu love of system andclassification. ]

[Footnote 46: The patron saint of thieves. ]

[Footnote 47: An epithet of Skanda. ]

[Footnote 48: The sacrificial cord, which passes over the left shoulderand under the right arm, is worn constantly by members of the threeupper castes. ]

[Footnote 49: Sacred creatures. ]

ACT THE FOURTH

MADANIKA AND SHARVILAKA

[_Enter a maid. _]

_Maid. _

I am entrusted with a message for my mistress by her mother. Here is my mistress. She is gazing at a picture and is talkingwith Madanikā. I will go to her. [_She walks about. Then enterVasantasenā as described, and Madanikā. _]

_Vasantasenā. _ Madanikā girl, is this portrait really like Chārudatta?

_Madanikā. _ Very like. 

_Vasantasenā. _ How do you know?

_Madanikā. _ Because my mistress' eyes are fastened so lovinglyupon it. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Madanikā girl, do you say this because courtezancourtesy demands it?

_Madanikā. _ But mistress, is the courtesy of a girl who lives in acourtezan's house, necessarily false?

_Vasantasenā. _ Girl, courtezans meet so many kinds of men thatthey do learn a false courtesy. 

_Madanikā. _ But when the eyes of my mistress find such delight ina thing, and her heart too, what need is there to ask the reason?

_Vasantasenā. _ But I should not like to have my friends laugh at me. 

_Madanikā. _ You need not be afraid. Women understand women. 

_Maid. _ [_Approaching. _] Mistress, your mother sends word that acovered cart is waiting at the side-door, and that you are to takea drive. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Tell me, is it Chārudatta who invites me?

_Maid. _ Mistress, the man who sent ornaments worth ten thousandgold-pieces with the cart--

[58. 6. S. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Is who?

_Maid. _ Is the king's brother-in-law, Sansthānaka. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Indignantly. _] Go! and never come again on suchan errand. 

_Maid. _ Do not be angry, mistress. I was only sent with the message. 

_Vasantasenā. _ But it is the message which makes me angry. 

_Maid. _ But what shall I tell your mother?

_Vasantasenā. _ Tell my mother never to send me another suchmessage, unless she wishes to kill me. 

_Maid. _ As you will. [_Exit. _] [_<Enter Sharvilaka. _]

_Sharv. _

 Blame for my sin I laid upon the night; I conquered sleep and watchmen of the king; But darkness wanes, and in the sun's clear light My light is like the moon's--a faded thing. 1

And again:

 Whoever cast at me a passing look, Or neared me, anxious, as they quickly ran, All such my laden soul for foes mistook; For sin it was wherein man's fear began. 2

Well, it was for Madanikā's sake that I did the deed of sin. 

 I paid no heed to any one who talked with serving-men; The houses ruled by women-folk--these I avoided most; And when policemen seemed to have me almost in their ken, I stood stock-still and acted just exactly like a post. A hundred such manoeuvres did I constantly essay, And by such means succeeded in turning night to day. 3

[_He walks about. _]

_Vasantasenā. _ Girl, lay this picture on my sofa and come back atonce with a fan. 

_Madanikā. _ Yes, mistress. [_Exit with the picture. _

_Sharvilaka. _ This is Vasantasenā's house. I will enter. [_He does so. _]

P. 101. 11]

I wonder where I can find Madanikā. [_Enter Madanikā with thefan. Sharvilaka discovers her. _] Ah, it is Madanikā. 

 Surpassing Madana[50] himself in charm, She seems the bride of Love, in human guise; Even while my heart the flames of passion harm, She brings a sandal[51] coolness to my eyes. 4

Madanikā!

_Madanikā. _ [_Discovers Sharvilaka. _] Oh, oh, oh, Sharvilaka! I am soglad, Sharvilaka. Where have you been?

_Sharvilaka. _ I will tell you. [_They gaze at each other passionately. _]

_Vasantasenā. _ How Madanikā lingers! I wonder where she is. [_Shelooks through a bull's-eye window. _] Why, there she stands, talkingwith a man. Her loving glance does not waver, and she gazes asif she would drink him in. I imagine he must be the man whowishes to make her free. Well, let her stay, let her stay. Never interruptanybody's happiness. I will not call her. 

_Madanikā. _ Tell me, Sharvilaka. [_Sharvilaka looks about him uneasily. _]What is it, Sharvilaka? You seem uneasy. 

_Sharvilaka. _ I will tell you a secret. Are we alone?

_Madanikā. _ Of course we are. 

_Vasantasenā. _ What! a deep secret? I will not listen. 

_Sharvilaka. _ Tell me, Madanikā. Will Vasantasenā take a price foryour freedom?

_Vasantasenā. _ The conversation has to do with me? Then I willhide behind this window and listen. 

_Madanikā. _ I asked my mistress about it, Sharvilaka, and she saidthat if she could have _her_ way, she would free all her servants fornothing. But Sharvilaka, where did you find such a fortune thatyou can think of buying my freedom from my mistress?

_Sharvilaka. _

 A victim to my pauper plight, And your sweet love to win, For you, my timid maid, last night I did the deed of sin. 5

[60. 16. S. 

_Vasantasenā. _ His face is tranquil. It would be troubled, if he hadsinned. 

_Madanikā. _ Oh, Sharvilaka! For a mere nothing--for a woman--youhave risked both things!

_Sharvilaka. _ What things?

_Madanikā. _ Your life and your character. 

_Sharvilaka. _ My foolish girl, fortune favors the brave. 

_Madanikā. _ Oh, Sharvilaka! Your character was without a stain. You didn't do anything _very_ bad, did you, when for my sake youdid the deed of sin?

_Sharv. _

 The gems that magnify a woman's charm, As flowers the creeping plant, I do not harm. I do not rob the Brahman of his pelf, Nor seize the sacrificial gold myself. I do not steal the baby from the nurse, Simply because I need to fill my purse. Even as a thief, I strive with main and might For just distinction 'twixt the wrong and right. 6

And so you may tell Vasantasenā this:

 These ornaments were made for you to don, Or so it seems to me; But as you love me, never put them on Where other folks may see. 7

_Madanikā. _ But Sharvilaka, ornaments that nobody may see, anda courtezan--the two things do not hang together. Give me thejewels. I want to see them. 

_Sharvilaka. _ Here they are. [_He gives them to her with some uneasiness. _]

_Madanikā. _ [_Examining the jewels. _] It seems to me I have seenthese before. Tell me. Where did you get them?

P. 104. 15]

_Sharvilaka. _ What does that matter to you, Madanikā? Take them. 

_Madanikā. _ [_Angrily. _] If you can't trust me, why do you wish tobuy my freedom?

_Sharvilaka. _ Well, this morning I heard in the merchants' quarterthat the merchant Chārudatta--

[_Vasantasenā and Madanikā swoon. _]

_Sharvilaka. _ Madanikā! Come to yourself! Why is it that now

 Your figure seems to melt in limp despair, Your eyes are wildly rolling here and there? That when I come, sweet girl, to make you free, You fall to trembling, not to pitying me? 8

_Madanikā. _ [_Coming to herself. _] O you reckless man! When youdid what you ought not to have done for my sake, you didn't killanybody or hurt anybody in that house?

_Sharvilaka. _ Madanikā, Sharvilaka does not strike a terrified manor a man asleep. I did not kill anybody nor hurt anybody. 

_Madanikā. _ Really?

_Sharvilaka. _ Really. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Recovering consciousness. _] Ah, I breathe again. 

_Madanikā. _ Thank heaven!

_Sharvilaka. _ [_Jealously. _] What does this "Thank heaven" mean, Madanikā?

 I sinned for you, when love had made me pine, Although my house was good since time began; Love took my virtue, but my pride is mine. _You_ call me friend and love another man? 9

[_Meaningly. _]

 A noble youth is like a goodly tree; His wealth, the fruit so fair; The courtezan is like a bird; for she Pecks him and leaves him bare. 10

 Love is a fire, whose flame is lust, Whose fuel is gallantry, Wherein our youth and riches must Thus sacrificèd be. 11

[62. 16. S. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_With a smile. _] His excitement is a little out ofplace. 

_Sharvilaka. _ Yes!

 Those men are fools, it seems to me, Who trust to women or to gold; For gold and girls, 'tis plain to see. Are false as virgin snakes and cold. 12

 Love not a woman; if you ever do, She mocks at you, and plays the gay deceiver: Yet if she loves you, you may love her too; But if she doesn't, leave her. 13

Too true it is that

 A courtezan will laugh and cry for gold; She trusts you not, but waits your trustful hour. If virtue and a name are yours, then hold! Avoid her as you would a graveyard flower. 14

And again:

 As fickle as the billows of the sea, Glowing no longer than the evening sky, A woman takes your gold, then leaves you free; You're worthless, like cosmetics, when you're dry. 15

Yes, women are indeed fickle. 

 One man perhaps may hold her heart in trust, She lures another with coquettish eyes, Sports with another in unseemly lust, Another yet her body satisfies. 16

As some one has well said:

 On mountain-tops no lotuses are grown; The horse's yoke no ass will ever bear; Rice never springs from seeds of barley sown; A courtezan is not an honest fair. 17

Accursèd Chārudatta, you shall not live! [_He takes a few steps. _]

P. 107. 11]

_Madanikā. _ [_Seizing the hem of his garment. _] O you foolish man!Your anger is so ridiculous. 

_Sharvilaka. _ Ridiculous? how so?

_Madanikā. _ Because these jewels belong to my mistress. 

_Sharvilaka. _ And what then?

_Madanikā. _ And she left them with that gentleman. 

_Sharvilaka. _ What for?

_Madanikā. _ [_Whispers. _] That's why. 

_Sharvilaka. _ [_Sheepishly. _] Confound it!

 The sun was hot one summer day; I sought the shadow, there to stay: Poor fool! the kindly branch to pay, I stole its sheltering leaves away. 18

_Vasantasenā. _ How sorry he seems. Surely, he did this thing inignorance. 

_Sharvilaka. _ What is to be done now, Madanikā?

_Madanikā. _ Your own wit should tell you that. 

_Sharvilaka. _ No. For you must remember, Nature herself gives women wit; Men learn from books a little bit. 19

_Madanikā. _ Sharvilaka, if you will take my advice, restore thejewels to that righteous man. 

_Sharvilaka. _ But Madanikā, what if he should prosecute me?

_Madanikā. _ No cruel heat comes from the moon. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Good, Madanikā, good!

_Sharvilaka. _ Madanikā, For what I did, I feel no grief nor fear: Why tell me of this good man's virtues high? Shame for my baseness touches me more near; What can this king do to such rogues as I? 20

Nevertheless, your suggestion is inconsistent with prudence. Youmust discover some other plan. 

[64. 16. S. 

_Madanikā. _ Yes, there is another plan. 

_Vasantasenā. _ I wonder what it will be. 

_Madanikā. _ Pretend to be a servant of that gentleman, and givethe jewels to my mistress. 

_Sharvilaka. _ And what then?

_Madanikā. _ Then you are no thief, Chārudatta has discharged hisobligation, and my mistress has her jewels. 

_Sharvilaka. _ But isn't this course too reckless?

_Madanikā. _ I tell you, give them to her. Any other course is tooreckless. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Good, Madanikā, good! Spoken like a free woman. 

_Sharvilaka. _

 Risen at last is wisdom's light. Because I followed after you; When clouds obscure the moon by night, 'Tis hard to find a guide so true. 21

_Madanikā. _ Then you must wait here a moment in Kāma's shrine, while I tell my mistress that you have come. 

_Sharvilaka. _ I will. 

_Madanikā. _ [_Approaches Vasantasenā. _] Mistress, a Brahman hascome from Chārudatta to see you. 

_Vasantasenā. _ But girl, how do you know that he comes fromChārudatta?

_Madanikā. _ Should I not know my own, mistress?

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Shaking her head and smiling. Aside. _] Splendid![_Aloud. _] Bid him enter. 

_Madanikā. _ Yes, mistress. [_Approaching Sharvilaka. _] Enter, Sharvilaka. 

_Sharvilaka. _ [_Approaches. With some embarrassment. _] My greetingsto you. 

P. 110. 8]

_Vasantasenā. _ I salute you, sir. Pray be seated. 

_Sharvilaka. _ The merchant sends this message: "My house is soold that it is hard to keep this casket safe. Pray take it back. "[_He gives it to Madanikā, and starts to leave. _]

_Vasantasenā. _ Sir, will you undertake a return commission of mine?

_Sharvilaka. _ [_Aside. _] Who will carry it? [_Aloud. _] And this commissionis--

_Vasantasenā. _ You will be good enough to accept Madanikā. 

_Sharvilaka. _ Madam, I do not quite understand. 

_Vasantasenā. _ But I do. 

_Sharvilaka. _ How so?

_Vasantasenā. _ Chārudatta told me that I was to give Madanikā tothe man who should return these jewels. You are therefore tounderstand that he makes you a present of her. 

_Sharvilaka. _ [_Aside. _] Ah, she sees through me. [_Aloud. _] Good, Chārudatta, good!

 On virtue only set your heart's desire; The righteous poor attain to heights whereto The wicked wealthy never may aspire. 22

And again:

 On virtue let the human heart be set; To virtue nothing serves as check or let The moon, attaining unattainable, is led By virtue to her seat on Shiva's head. 23

_Vasantasenā. _ Is my driver there? [_Enter a servant with abullock-cart. _]

_Servant. _ Mistress, the cart is ready. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Madanikā girl, you must show me a happy face. You are free. Enter the bullock-cart. But do not forget me. 

_Madanikā. _ [_Weeping. _] My mistress drives me away. [_She falls ather feet. _]

_Vasantasenā. _ You are now the one to whom honor should bepaid. [52] Go then, enter the cart. But do not forget me. 

[66. 17. S. 

_Sharvilaka. _ Heaven bless you! and you, Madanikā, Turn upon her a happy face, And hail with bended head the grace That gives you now the name of wife. As a veil to keep you safe through life. 24

[_He enters the bullock-cart with Madanikā, and starts away. _]

_A voice behind the scenes. _ Men! Men! We have the followingorders from the chief of police: "A soothsayer has declared thata young herdsman named Aryaka is to become king. Trusting tothis prophecy, and alarmed thereat, King Pālaka has taken himfrom his hamlet, and thrown him into strict confinement. Thereforebe watchful, and every man at his post. "

_Sharvilaka. _ [_Listening. _] What! King Pālaka has imprisoned mygood friend Aryaka? And here I am, a married man. Confound it!But no, Two things alone--his friend, his wife-- Deserve man's love below; A hundred brides may forfeit life Ere he should suffer so. 25

Good! I will get out [_He does so. _]

_Madanikā. _ [_Folding her hands. Tearfully. _] My lord, if you must, at least bring me first to your parents. 

_Sharvilaka. _ Yes, my love. I will. I had the same thought in mind. [_To the servant. _] My good fellow, do you know the house of themerchant Rebhila?

_Servant. _ Certainly. 

_Sharvilaka. _ Bring my wife thither. 

_Servant. _ Yes, sir. 

_Madanikā_. If you desire it, dear. But dear, you must be verycareful. [_Exit. _

P. 113. 6]

_Sharvilaka. _ Now as for me, I'll rouse my kin, the kitchen cabinet. Those high in fame by strength of good right arm, And those who with the king's contempt have met, And royal slaves, to save my friend from harm: Like old Yaugandharāyana For the good king Udayana. 26

And again:

 My friend has causeless been confined By wicked foes of timid kind; I fly, I fly to free him soon, Like the eclipse-oppressèd moon. [_Exit. _] 27

_Maid. _ [_Entering. _] Mistress, I congratulate you. A Brahman hascome with a message from Chārudatta. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Ah, this is a joyful day. Show him every mark ofrespect, girl, and have him conducted hither by one of the pages. 

_Maid. _ Yes, mistress. [_Exit. _

 * * * * *

[_Enter Maitreya with a page. _]

_Maitreya. _ Well! Rāvana, the king of the demons, travels with hischariot that they call the "Blossom. " He earned it by his penances. Now I am a Brahman, and though I never performed any penances, I travel with another sort of a blossom--a woman of the town. 

_Maid. _ Sir, will you inspect our gateway. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Gazes admiringly. _] It has just been sprinkled andcleaned and received a coat of green. The threshold of it is prettyas a picture with the offerings of all sorts of fragrant flowers. Itstretches up its head as if it wanted to peep into the sky. It isadorned with strings of jasmine garlands that hang down and tossabout like the trunk of the heavenly elephant. It shines with itshigh ivory portal. It is lovely with any number of holiday bannersthat gleam red as great rubies and wave their coquettish fingers asthey flutter in the breeze and seem to invite me to enter. Bothsides are decorated with holiday water-jars of crystal, which arecharming with their bright-green mango twigs, and are set at thefoot of the pillars that sustain the portal. The doors are of gold, thickly set with diamonds as hard to pierce as a giant's breast. It actually wearies a poor devil's envy. Yes, Vasantasenā's house-dooris a beautiful thing. Really, it forcibly challenges the attentionof a man who doesn't care about such things. 

[68. 16. S. 

_Maid. _ Come, sir, and enter the first court. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Enters and looks about. _] Well! Here in the first courtare rows of balconies brilliant as the moon, or as sea-shells, or aslotus-stalks; whitened by handfuls of powder strewn over them;gleaming with golden stairways inlaid with all sorts of gems: theyseem to gaze down on Ujjayinī with their round faces, the crystalwindows, from which strings of pearls are dangling. The porter sitsthere and snoozes as comfortably as a professor. The crows whichthey tempt with rice-gruel and curdled milk will not eat theoffering, because they can't distinguish it from the mortar. Showme the way, madam. 

_Maid. _ Come, sir, and enter the second court. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Enters and looks about. _] Well! Here in the secondcourt the cart-bullocks are tied. They grow fat on mouthfuls ofgrass and pulse-stalks which are brought them, right and left, byeverybody. Their horns are smeared with oil. And here is another, a buffalo, snorting like a gentleman insulted. And here is a ram[53]having his neck rubbed, like a prize-fighter after the fight. Andhere are others, horses having their manes put in shape. And herein a stall is another, a monkey, tied fast like a thief. [_He looks inanother direction. _] And here is an elephant, taking from his driversa cake of rice and drippings and oil. Show me the way, madam. 

_Maid. _ Come, sir, and enter the third court. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Enters and looks about. _] Well! Here in the third courtare these seats, prepared for young gentlemen to sit on. A half-readbook is lying on the gaming-table. And the table itself hasits own dice, made out of gems. And here, again, are courtezansand old hangers-on at court, past masters in the war and peace oflove, wandering about and holding in their fingers pictures paintedin many colors. Show me the way, madam. 

P. 117. 4]

_Maid. _ Come, sir, and enter the fourth court. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Enters and looks about. _] Well! Here in the fourthcourt the drums that maiden fingers beat are booming like thethunder; the cymbals are falling, as the stars fall from heaven whentheir merit is exhausted;[54] the pipe is discoursing music as sweetas the humming of bees. And here, again, is a lute that somebodyis holding on his lap like a girl who is excited by jealousy andlove, and he is stroking it with his fingers. And here, again, arecourtezan girls that sing as charmingly as honey-drunken bees, and they are made to dance and recite a drama with love in it. And water-coolers are hanging in the windows so as to catch thebreeze. Show me the way, madam. 

_Maid. _ Come, sir, and enter the fifth court. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Enters and looks about. _] Well! Here in the fifth courtthe overpowering smell of asafetida and oil is attractive enoughto make a poor devil's mouth water. The kitchen is kept hot allthe time, and the gusts of steam, laden with all sorts of goodsmells, seem like sighs issuing from its mouth-like doors. Thesmell of the preparation of all kinds of foods and sauces makes mesmack my lips. And here, again, is a butcher's boy washing a messof chitterlings as if it were an old loin-cloth. The cook is preparingevery kind of food. Sweetmeats are being constructed, cakesare being baked. [_To himself. _] I wonder if I am to get a chance towash my feet and an invitation to eat what I can hold. [_He looksin another direction. _] There are courtezans and bastard pages, adorned with any number of jewels, just like Gandharvas[55] andApsarases. [56] Really, this house is heaven. Tell me, who are youbastards anyway?

[70. 13. S. 

_Pages. _ Why, we are bastard pages--

 Petted in a stranger's court. Fed on stranger's food, Stranger's money makes us sport-- Not so very good. Stranger women gave us birth. Stranger men begot; Baby elephants in mirth, We're a bastard lot. 28

_Maitreya. _ Show me the way, madam. 

_Maid. _ Come, sir, and enter the sixth court. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Enters and looks about. _] Well! Here in the sixthcourt they are working in gold and jewels. The arches set withsapphires look as if they were the home of the rainbow. The jewelersare testing the lapis lazuli, the pearls, the corals, the topazes, the sapphires, the cat's-eyes, the rubies, the emeralds, and all theother kinds of gems. Rubies are being set in gold. Golden ornamentsare being fashioned. Pearls are being strung on a red cord. Pieces of lapis lazuli are being cleverly polished. Shells are beingpierced. Corals are being ground. Wet bundles of saffron are beingdried. Musk is being moistened. Sandalwood is being groundto make sandal-water. Perfumes are being compounded. Betel-leavesand camphor are being given to courtezans and their lovers. Coquettish glances are being exchanged. Laughter is going on. Wine is being drunk incessantly with sounds of glee. Here aremen-servants, here are maid-servants, and here are men who forgetchild and wife and money. When the courtezans, who havedrunk the wine from the liquor-jars, give them the mitten, they--drink. Show me the way, madam. 

P. 121. 5]

_Maid. _ Come, sir, and enter the seventh court. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Enters and looks about. _] Well! Here in the seventhcourt the mated doves are sitting comfortably in their snug dovecotes, billing and cooing and nothing else, and perfectly happy. And there is a parrot in a cage, chanting like a Brahman with abellyful of curdled milk and rice. And here, again, is a talkingthrush, chattering like a housemaid who spreads herself becausesomebody noticed her. A cuckoo, her throat still happy from tastingall sorts of fruit-syrups, is cooing like a procuress. Rows ofcages are hanging from pegs. Quails are being egged on to fight. Partridges are being made to talk. Caged pigeons are being provoked. A tame peacock that looks as if he was adorned with allsorts of gems is dancing happily about, and as he flaps his wings, he seems to be fanning the roof which is distressed by the raysof the sun. [_He looks in another direction. _] Here are pairs of flamingoslike moonbeams rolled into a ball, that wander about afterpretty girls, as if they wanted to learn how to walk gracefully. And here, again, are tame cranes, walking around like ancienteunuchs. Well, well! This courtezan keeps a regular menagerie ofbirds. Really, the courtezan's house seems to me like Indra's heaven. Show me the way, madam. 

_Maid. _ Come, sir, and enter the eighth court. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Enters and looks about. _] Madam, who is this in thesilk cloak, adorned with such astonishingly tautologous ornaments, who wanders about, stumbling and stretching his limbs?

_Maid. _ Sir, this is my mistress' brother. 

_Maitreya. _ What sort of ascetic exercises does a man have to perform, in order to be born as Vasantasenā's brother? But no, He may be shiny, may be greasy, And perfumed may he be. And yet I warn you to go easy; He's a graveyard champak-tree. 29

[_He looks in another direction. _] But madam, who is that in theexpansive garment, sitting on the throne? She has shoes on hergreasy feet. 

[72. 9. S. 

_Maid. _ Sir, that is my mistress' mother. 

_Maitreya. _ Lord! What an extensive belly the dirty old witch hasgot! I suppose they couldn't put that superb portal on the housetill after they had brought the idol in?

_Maid. _ Rascal! You must not make fun of our mother so. She ispining away under a quartan ague. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Bursts out laughing. _] O thou blessèd quartan ague!Look thou upon a Brahman, even upon me, with this thy favor!

_Maid. _ Rascal! May death strike you. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Bursts out laughing. _] Why, wench, a pot-belly likethat is better dead. 

 Drinking brandy, rum, and wine, Mother fell extremely ill. If mother now should peak and pine, A jackal-pack would have its fill. 30

Well, I have seen Vasantasenā's palace with its many incidentsand its eight courts, and really, it seems as if I had seen the tripleheaven in a nut-shell. I haven't the eloquence to praise it. Is thisthe house of a courtezan, or a piece of Kubera's[57] palace? Where'syour mistress?

_Maid. _ She is here in the orchard. Enter, sir. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Enters and looks about. _] Well! What a beautiful orchard!There are any number of trees planted here, and they arecovered with the most wonderful flowers. Silken swings are hungunder the thick-set trees, just big enough for a girl to sit in. Thegolden jasmine, the shephālikā, the white jasmine, the jessamine, the navamallikā, the amaranth, the spring creeper, and all the otherflowers have fallen of themselves, and really, it makes Indra's heavenlook dingy. [_He looks in another direction. _] And the pond herelooks like the morning twilight, for the lilies and red lotuses areas splendid as the rising sun. And again:

 The ashoka-tree, whose twigs so merry And crimson flowers have just appeared, Seems like a battling mercenary, With clotting crimson gore besmeared. 31

Good! Now where's your mistress?

P. 126. 7]

_Maid. _ If you would stop star-gazing, sir, you would see her. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Perceives Vasantasenā and approaches. _] Heaven blessyou!

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Speaking in Sanskrit. _[58]] Ah, Maitreya! [_Rising. _] Youare very welcome. Here is a seat. Pray be seated. 

_Maitreya. _ When you are seated, madam. [_They both seat themselves. _]

_Vasantasenā. _ Is the merchant's son well?

_Maitreya. _ Well, madam. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Tell me, good Maitreya, Do friends, like birds, yet seek a shelter free Beneath the modest boughs of this fair tree, Whose leaves are virtues, confidence its root, Its blossoms honor, good its precious fruit? 32

_Maitreya. _ [_Aside. _] A good description by a naughty woman. [_Aloud. _] They do, indeed. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Tell me, what is the purpose of your coming?

_Maitreya. _ Listen, madam. The excellent Chārudatta folds hishands[59] and requests--

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Folding her hands. _] And commands--

_Maitreya. _ He says he imagined that that golden casket was hisown and gambled it away. And nobody knows where the gambling-masterhas gone, for he is employed in the king's business. 

[74. 9. S. 

_Maid. _ Mistress, I congratulate you. The gentleman has turnedgambler. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Aside. _] It was stolen by a thief, and he is so proudthat he says he gambled it away. I love him for that. 

_Maitreya. _ He requests that you will therefore be good enough toaccept in its place this necklace of pearls. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Aside. _] Shall I show him the jewels? [_Reflecting. _]No, not yet. 

_Maitreya. _ Why don't you take this necklace?

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Laughs and looks at her friend. _] Why should I nottake the necklace, Maitreya? [_She takes it and lays it away. Aside. _]How is it possible that drops of honey fall from the mango-tree, even after its blossoms are gone? [_Aloud. _] Sir, pray tell the worthygambler Chārudatta in my name that I shall pay him a visit thisevening. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Aside. _] What else does she expect to get out of a visitto our house? [_Aloud. _] Madam, I will tell him--[_Aside_ to havenothing more to do with this courtezan. [_Exit. _

_Vasantasenā. _ Take these jewels, girl. Let us go and bring cheerto Chārudatta. 

_Maid. _ But mistress, see! An untimely storm is gathering. 

_Vasant. _

 The clouds may come, the rain may fall forever, The night may blacken in the sky above; For this I care not, nor I will not waver; My heart is journeying to him I love. 33

Take the necklace, girl, and come quickly. [_Exeunt omnes. _

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 50: A name of Kāma, the god of love. ]

[Footnote 51: Used as a refrigerant. ]

[Footnote 52: That is to say. You are now a legal wife, while I am stilla courtesan. ]

[Footnote 53: "Rams in India are commonly trained to fight. " WILSON. ]

[Footnote 54: Virtuous souls after death may become stars; but whentheir stellar happiness equals the sum of their acquired merit, theyfall to earth again. ]

[Footnote 55: The choristers of heaven. ]

[Footnote 56: The nymphs of heaven. ]

[Footnote 57: The god of wealth. ]

[Footnote 58: This shows the excellence of Vasantasenā's education. Women, as an almost invariable rule, speak Prākrit. ]

[Footnote 59: A gesture of respectful entreaty. ]

ACT THE FIFTH

THE STORM

[_The love-lorn Chārudatta appears, seated. _]

_Chārudatta. _ [_Looks up. _]

 An untimely storm[60] is gathering. For see! The peacocks gaze and lift their fans on high; The swans forget their purpose to depart; The untimely storm afflicts the blackened sky, And the wistful lover's heart. 1

And again:

 The wet bull's belly wears no deeper dye; In flashing lightning's golden mantle clad, While cranes, his buglers, make the heaven glad, The cloud, a second Vishnu, [61] mounts the sky. 2

And yet again:

 As dark as Vishnu's form, with circling cranes To trumpet him, instead of bugle strains, And garmented in lightning's silken robe. Approaches now the harbinger of rains. 3

 When lightning's lamp is lit, the silver river Impetuous falls from out the cloudy womb; Like severed lace from heaven-cloaking gloom, It gleams an instant, then is gone forever. 4

 Like shoaling fishes, or like dolphins shy, Or like to swans, toward heaven's vault that fly, Like paired flamingos, male and mate together, Like mighty pinnacles that tower on high. In thousand forms the tumbling clouds embrace, Though torn by winds, they gather, interlace, And paint the ample canvas of the sky. 5

 The sky is black as Dhritarāshtra's face; Proud as the champion of Kuru's race. The haughty peacock shrills his joy abroad; The cuckoo, in Yudhishthira's sad case, Is forced to wander if he would not die; The swans must leave their forest-homes and fly, Like Pāndu's sons, to seek an unknown place. 6

[_Reflecting. _] It is long since Maitreya went to visit Vasantasenā. And even yet he does not come. [_Enter Maitreya. _]

[76. 20. S. 

_Maitreya. _ Confound the courtezan's avarice and her incivility! Tothink of her making so short a story of it! Over and over sherepeats something about the affection she feels, and then withoutmore ado she pockets the necklace. She is rich enough so thatshe might at least have said: "Good Maitreya, rest a little. Youmust not go until you have had a cup to drink. " Confound thecourtezan! I hope I 'll never set eyes on her again. [_Wearily. _]The proverb is right. "It is hard to find a lotus-plant without aroot, a merchant who never cheats, a goldsmith who never steals, a village-gathering without a fight, and a courtezan without avarice. "Well, I 'll find my friend and persuade him to have nothingmore to do with this courtezan. [_He walks about until he discoversChārudatta. _] Ah, my good friend is sitting in the orchard. I 'llgo to him. [_Approaching. _] Heaven bless you! May happiness beyours. 

_Chārudatta. _ [_Looking up. _] Ah, my friend Maitreya has returned. You are very welcome, my friend. Pray be seated. 

_Maitreya. _ Thank you. 

_Chārudatta. _ Tell me of your errand, my friend. 

_Maitreya. _ My errand went all wrong. 

P. 132. 8]

_Chārudatta. _ What! did she not accept the necklace?

_Maitreya. _ How could we expect such a piece of luck? She puther lotus-tender hands to her brow, [62] and took it. 

_Chārudatta. _ Then why do you say "went wrong"?

_Maitreya. _ Why not, when we lost a necklace that was the prideof the four seas for a cheap golden casket, that was stolen beforewe had a bite or a drink out of it?

_Chārudatta. _ Not so, my friend. 

 She showed her trust in leaving us her treasure; The price of confidence has no less measure. 7

_Maitreya. _ Now look here! I have a second grievance. She tippedher friend the wink, covered her face with the hem of her dress, and laughed at me. And so, Brahman though I am, I hereby fallon my face before you and beg you not to have anything moreto do with this courtezan. That sort of society does any amountof damage. A courtezan is like a pebble in your shoe. It hurtsbefore you get rid of it. And one thing more, my friend. A courtezan, an elephant, a scribe, a mendicant friar, a swindler, and anass--where these dwell, not even rogues are born. 

_Chārudatta. _ Oh, my friend, a truce to all your detraction! Mypoverty of itself prevents me. For consider:

 The horse would gladly hasten here and there, But his legs fail him, for his breath departs. So men's vain wishes wander everywhere, Then, weary grown, return into their hearts. 8

Then too, my friend:

 If wealth is thine, the maid is thine, For maids are won by gold;

[_Aside. _ And not by virtue cold. _Aloud. _]

 But wealth is now no longer mine, And her I may not hold. 9

[78. 23. S. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Looks down. Aside. _] From the way he looks up andsighs, I conclude that my effort to distract him has simply increasedhis longing. The proverb is right. "You can't reason witha lover. " [_Aloud. _] Well, she told me to tell you that she wouldhave to come here this evening. I suppose she isn't satisfied withthe necklace and is coming to look for something else. 

_Chārudatta. _ Let her come, my friend. She shall not depart unsatisfied. [_Enter Kumbhīlaka. _]

_Kumbhīlaka. _ Listen, good people. 

 The more it rains in sheets, The more my skin gets wet; The more the cold wind beats, The more I shake and fret. 10

[_He bursts out laughing. _]

 I make the sweet flute speak from seven holes, I make the loud lute speak on seven strings; In singing, I essay the donkey's rôles: No god can match my music when he sings. 11

My mistress Vasantasenā said to me "Kumbhīlaka, go and tell Chārudattathat I am coming. " So here I am, on my way to Chārudatta's house. [_Hewalks about, and, as he enters, discovers Chārudatta. _] Here isChārudatta in the orchard. And here is that wretched jackanapes, too. Well, I'll go up to them. What! the orchard-gate is shut? Good! I'llgive this jackanapes a hint. [_He throws lumps of mud. _]

_Maitreya. _ Well! Who is this pelting me with mud, as if I werean apple-tree inside of a fence?

_Chārudatta. _ Doubtless the pigeons that play on the roof of thegarden-house. 

_Maitreya. _ Wait a minute, you confounded pigeon! With thisstick I'll bring you down from the roof to the ground, like anover-ripe mango. [_He raises his stick and starts to run. _]

P. 136. 8]

_Chārudatta. _ [_Holding him back by the sacred cord. _] Sit down, myfriend. What do you mean? Leave the poor pigeon alone with hismate. 

_Kumbhīlaka. _ What! he sees the pigeon and doesn't see me? Good!I'll hit him again with another lump of mud. [_He does so. _]

_Maitreya. _ [_Looks about him. _] What! Kumbhīlaka? I'll be with youin a minute. [_He approaches and opens the gate. _] Well, Kumbhīlaka, come in. I'm glad to see you. 

_Kumbhīlaka. _ [_Enters. _] I salute you, sir. 

_Maitreya. _ Where do you come from, man, in this rain and darkness?

_Kumbhīlaka. _ You see, she's here. 

_Maitreya. _ Who's she? Who's here?

_Kumbhīlaka. _ She. See? She. 

_Maitreya. _ Look here, you son of a slave! What makes you sighlike a half-starved old beggar in a famine, with your "shesheshe"?

_Kumbhīlaka. _ And what makes you hoot like an owl with your"whowhowho"?

_Maitreya. _ All right. Tell me. 

_Kumbhīlaka. _ [_Aside. _] Suppose I say it this way. [_Aloud. _] I'll giveyou a riddle, man. 

_Maitreya. _ And I'll give you the answer with my foot on yourbald spot. 

_Kumbhīlaka. _ Not till you've guessed it. In what season do themango-trees blossom?

_Maitreya. _ In summer, you jackass. 

_Kumbhīlaka. _ [_Laughing. _] Wrong!

_Maitreya. _ [_Aside. _] What shall I say now? [_Reflecting. _] Good! I'llgo and ask Chārudatta. [_Aloud. _] Just wait a moment. [_ApproachingChārudatta. _] My friend, I just wanted to ask you in whatseason the mango-trees blossom. 

[81. 3. S. 

_Chārudatta. _ You fool, in spring, in _vasanta. _

_Maitreya. _ [_Returns to Kumbhīlaka. _] You fool, in spring, in _vasanta_. 

_Kumbhīlaka. _ Now I 'll give you another. Who guards thrivingvillages?

_Maitreya. _ Why, the guard. 

_Kumbhīlaka. _ [_Laughing. _] Wrong!

_Maitreya. _ Well, I'm stuck. [_Reflecting. _] Good! I'll ask Chārudattaagain. [_He returns and puts the question to Chārudatta. _]

_Chārudatta. _ The army, my friend, the _senā_. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Comes back to Kumbhīlaka. _] The army, you jackass, the_senā_. 

_Kumbhīlaka. _ Now put the two together and say 'em fast. 

_Maitreya. _ Senā-vasanta. 

_Kumbhīlaka. _ Say it turned around. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Turns around. _] Senā-vasanta. 

_Kumbhīlaka. _ You fool! you jackanapes! Turn the parts of the thingaround!

_Maitreya. _ [_Turns his feet around. _] Senā-vasanta. 

_Kumbhīlaka. _ You fool! Turn the parts of the word around!

_Maitreya. _ [_After reflection. _] Vasanta-senā. 

_Kumbhīlaka. _ She's here. 

_Maitreya. _ Then I must tell Chārudatta. [_Approaching. _] Well, Chārudatta, your creditor is here. 

_Chārudatta. _ How should a creditor come into my family?

_Maitreya. _ Not in the family perhaps, but at the door. Vasantasenāis here. 

_Chārudatta. _ Why do you deceive me, my friend?

_Maitreya. _ If you can't trust me, then ask Kumbhīlaka here. Kumbhīlaka, you jackass, come here. 

P. 140. 4]

_Kumbhīlaka. _ [_Approaching. _] I salute you, sir. 

_Chārudatta. _ You are welcome, my good fellow. Tell me, is Vasantasenāreally here?

_Kumbhīlaka. _ Yes, she's here. Vasantasenā is here. 

_Chārudatta. _ [_Joyfully. _] My good fellow, I have never let thebearer of welcome news go unrewarded. Take this as your recompense. [_He gives him his mantle. _]

_Kumbhīlaka. _ [_Takes it and bows. Gleefully. _] I'll tell my mistress. 

 [_Exit. _

_Maitreya. _ Do you see why she comes in a storm like this?

_Chārudatta. _ I do not quite understand, my friend. 

_Maitreya. _ I know. She has an idea that the pearl necklace ischeap, and the golden casket expensive. She isn't satisfied, andshe has come to look for something more. 

_Chārudatta. _ [_Aside. _] She shall not depart unsatisfied. 

 * * * * *

[_Then enter the love-lorn Vasantasenā, in a splendid garment, fitfor a woman who goes to meet her lover, a maid with an umbrella, and the courtier. _]

_Courtier. _ [_Referring to Vasantasenā. _]

 Lakshmī[63] without the lotus-flower is she, Loveliest arrow of god Kāma's bow, [64] The sweetest blossom on love's magic tree. 

 See how she moves, so gracefully and slow! In passion's hour she still loves modesty; In her, good wives their dearest sorrow know. 

 When passion's drama shall enacted be. When on love's stage appears the passing show, A host of wanderers shall bend them low. Glad to be slaves in such captivity. 12

[82. 94. S. 

See, Vasantasenā, see!

 The clouds hang drooping to the mountain peaks, Like a maiden's heart, that distant lover seeks: The peacocks startle, when the thunder booms, And fan the heaven with all their jeweled plumes. 13

And again:

 Mud-stained, and pelted by the streaming rain, To drink the falling drops the frogs are fain; Full-throated peacocks love's shrill passion show, And nīpa flowers like brilliant candles glow; Unfaithful clouds obscure the hostage moon, Like knaves, unworthy of so dear a boon; Like some poor maid of better breeding bare, The impatient lightning rests not anywhere. 14

_Vasantasenā. _[65] Sir, what you say is most true. For

 The night, an angry rival, bars my way; Her thunders fain would check and hinder me: "Fond fool! with him I love thou shalt not stay, 'T is I, 't is I, he loves, " she seems to say, "Nor from my swelling bosom shall he flee. " 15

_Courtier. _ Yes, yes. That is right. Scold the night. 

_Vasantasenā. _ And yet, sir, why scold one who is so ignorant ofwoman's nature! For you must remember:

 The clouds may rain, may thunder ne'er so bold, May flash the lightning from the sky above; That woman little recks of heat or cold, Who journeys to her love. 16

_Courtier. _ But see, Vasantasenā! Another cloud, Sped by the fickle fury of the air-- A flood of arrows in his rushing streams, His drum, the roaring thunder's mighty blare, His banner, living lightning's awful gleams--

 Rages within the sky, and shows him bold 'Mid beams that to the moon allegiance owe, Like a hero-king within the hostile hold Of his unwarlike foe. 17

P. 142. 9]

_Vasantasenā. _ True, true. And more than this:

 As dark as elephants, these clouds alone Fall like a cruel dart-- With streaks of lightning and with white birds strewn-- To wound my wretched heart. But, oh, why should the heron, bird of doom, With that perfidious sound[66] Of "Rain! Rain! Rain!"--grim summons to the tomb For her who spends her lonely hours in gloom-- Strew salt upon the wound? 18

_Courtier. _ Very true, Vasantasenā. And yet again:

 It seems as if the sky would take the guise Of some fierce elephant to service bred; The lightning like a waving streamer flies, And white cranes serve to deck his mighty head. 19

_Vasantasenā. _ But look, sir, look!

 Clouds, black as wet tamāla-leaves, the ball Of heaven hide from our sight; Rain-smitten homes of ants decay and fall Like beasts that arrows smite; Like golden lamps within a lordly hall Wander the lightnings bright; As when men steal the wife of some base thrall, Clouds rob the moon of light. 20

_Courtier. _ See, Vasantasenā, see!

 Clouds, harnessed in the lightning's gleams, Like charging elephants dash by; At Indra's bidding, pour their streams, Until with silver cords it seems That earth is linked with sky. 21

[84. 14. S. 

And look yonder!

 As herds of buffaloes the clouds are black; The winds deny them ease; They fly on lightning wings and little lack Of seeming troubled seas. 

 Smitten with falling drops, the fragrant sod, Upon whose bosom greenest grasses nod, Seems pierced with pearls, each pearl an arrowy rod. 22

_Vasantasenā. _ And here is yet another cloud. 

 The peacock's shrill-voiced cry Implores it to draw nigh; And ardent cranes on high Embrace it lovingly. 

 The wistful swans espy The lotus-sweeter sky; The darkest colors lie On heaven clingingly. 23

_Courtier. _ True. For see!

 A thousand lotuses that bloom by night, A thousand blooming when the day is bright, Nor close nor ope their eyes to heaven's sight; There is no night nor day. 

 The face of heaven, thus shrouded in the night, Is only for a single instant bright, When momentary lightning gives us sight; Else is it dark alway. 

 Now sleeps the world as still as in the night Within the house of rain where naught is bright, Where hosts of swollen clouds seem to our sight One covering veil of gray. 24

P. 143. 20]

_Vasantasenā. _ True. And see!

 The stars are lost like mercies given To men of evil heart; Like lonely-parted wives, the heaven Sees all her charms depart. And, molten in the cruel heat Of Indra's bolt, it seems As if the sky fell at our feet In liquid, flowing streams. 25

And yet again:

 The clouds first darkly rise, then darkly fall, Send forth their floods of rain, and thunder all; Assuming postures strange and manifold, Like men but newly blest with wealth untold. 26

_Courtier. _ True. 

 The heaven is radiant with the lightning's glare; Its laughter is the cry of myriad cranes; Its voice, the bolts that whistle through the air; Its dance, that bow whose arrows are the rains. It staggers at the winds, and seems to smoke With clouds, which form its black and snaky cloak. 27

_Vasantasenā. _ O shameless, shameless sky!

 To thunder thus, while I To him I love draw nigh. Why do thy thunders frighten me and pain? Why am I seized upon by hands of rain? 28

O Indra, mighty Indra!

 Did I then give thee of my love before, That now thy clouds like mighty lions roar? Ah no! Thou shouldst not send thy streaming rain, To fill my journey to my love with pain. 29

[83. 23. S. 

Remember:

 For Ahalyā's sweet sake thou once didst lie; Thou knowest lover's pain. As thou didst suffer then, now suffer I; O cruel, cease thy rain. 30

And yet:

 Thunder and rain and lighten hundredfold Forth from thy sky above; The woman canst thou not delay nor hold Who journeys to her love. 31

 Let thunders roar, for men were cruel ever; But oh, thou maiden lightning! didst thou never Know pains that maidens know? 32

_Courtier. _ But mistress, do not scold the lightning. She is yourfriend, This golden cord that trembles on the breast Of great Airāvata;[67] upon the crest Of rocky hills this banner all ablaze; This lamp in Indra's palace; but most blest As telling where your most beloved stays. 33

_Vasantasenā. _ And here, sir, is his house. 

_Courtier. _ You know all the arts, and need no instruction now. Yet love bids me prattle. When you enter here, you must notshow yourself too angry. 

 Where anger is, there love is not; Or no! except for anger hot, There is no love. 

 Be angry! make him angry then! Be kind! and make him kind again-- The man you love. 34

So much for that. Who is there? Let Chārudatta know, that

P. 145. 17]

 While clouds look beautiful, and in the hour Fragrant with nīpa and kadamba flower, She comes to see her lover, very wet. With dripping locks, but pleased and loving yet. Though lightning and though thunder terrifies, She comes to see you; 't is for you she sighs. The mud still soils the anklets on her feet, But in a moment she will have them sweet. 35

_Chārudatta. _ [_Listening. _] My friend, pray discover what this means. 

_Maitreya. _ Yes, sir. [_He approaches Vasantasenā. Respectfully. _]Heaven bless you!

_Vasantasenā. _ I salute you, sir. I am very glad to see you. [_To thecourtier. _] Sir, the maid with the umbrella is at your service. 

_Courtier. _ [_Aside. _] A very clever way to get rid of me. [_Aloud. _]Thank you. And mistress Vasantasenā, Pride and tricks and lies and fraud Are in your face; False playground of the lustful god, Such is your face; The wench's stock in trade, in fine, Epitome of joys divine, I mean, your face-- For sale! the price is courtesy. I trust you'll find a man to buy Your face. [_Exit. _] 36

_Vasantasenā. _ Good Maitreya, where is your gambler?

_Maitreya. _ [_Aside. _] "Gambler"? Ah, she's paying a compliment tomy friend. [_Aloud. _] Madam, here he is in the dry orchard. 

_Vasantasenā. _ But sir, what do you call a dry orchard?

_Maitreya. _ Madam, it's a place where there's nothing to eat ordrink, [_Vasantasenā smiles. _] Pray enter, madam. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Aside to her maid. _] What shall I say when I enter?

[87. 17. S. 

_Maid. _ "Gambler, what luck this evening?"

_Vasantasenā. _ Shall I dare to say it?

_Maid. _ When the time comes, it will say itself. 

_Maitreya. _ Enter, madam. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Enters, approaches Chārudatta, and strikes him withthe flowers which she holds. _] Well, gambler, what luck this evening?

_Chārudatta. _ [_Discovers her. _] Ah, Vasantasenā is here. [_He risesjoyfully. _] Oh, my belovèd, My evenings pass in watching ever, My nights from sighs are never free; This evening cannot else than sever-- In bringing you--my grief and me. 37

You are very, very welcome. Here is a seat. Pray be seated. 

_Maitreya. _ Here is a seat. Be seated, madam. [_Vasantasenā sits, thenthe others. _]

_Chārudatta. _ But see, my friend, The dripping flower that decks her ear, droops down, And one sweet breast Anointed is, like a prince who wears the crown, With ointment blest. 38

My friend, Vasantasenā's garments are wet. Let other, and mostbeautiful, garments be brought. 

_Maitreya. _ Yes, sir. 

_Maid. _ Good Maitreya, do you stay here. I will wait upon my mistress. [_She does so. _]

_Maitreya. _ [_Aside to Chārudatta. _] My friend, I'd just like to askthe lady a question. 

_Chārudatta. _ Then do so. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Aloud. _] Madam, what made you come here, when itis so stormy and dark that you can't see the moon?

_Maid. _ Mistress, the Brahman is very plain-spoken. 

P. 148. 17]

_Vasantasenā. _ You might better call him clever. 

_Maid. _ My mistress came to ask how much that pearl necklace isworth. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Aside to Chārudatta. _] There! I told you so. She thinksthe pearl necklace is cheap, and the golden casket is expensive. She isn't satisfied. She has come to look for something more. 

_Maid. _ For my mistress imagined that it was her own, and gambledit away. And nobody knows where the gambling-master has gone, for he is employed in the king's business. 

_Maitreya. _ Madam, you are simply repeating what somebody saidbefore. 

_Maid. _ While we are looking for him, pray take this golden casket. [_She displays the casket. _ _Maitreya hesitates. _] Sir, you examineit very closely. Did you ever see it before?

_Maitreya. _ No, madam, but the skilful workmanship captivatesthe eye. 

_Maid. _ Your eyes deceive you, sir. This _is_ the golden casket. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Joyfully. _] Well, my friend, here is the golden casket, the very one that thieves stole from our house. 

_Chārudatta. _ My friend, The artifice we tried before, Her stolen treasure to restore, Is practised now on us. But no, I cannot think 't is really so. 39

_Maitreya. _ But it is so. I swear it on my Brahmanhood. 

_Chārudatta. _ This is welcome news. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Aside to Chārudatta. _] I'm going to ask where theyfound it. 

_Chārudatta. _ I see no harm in that. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Whispers in the maid's ear. _] There!

_Maid. _ [_Whispers in Maitreya's ear. _] So there!

[89. 19. S. 

_Chārudatta. _ What is it? and why are we left out?

_Maitreya. _ [_Whispers in Chārudatta's ear. _] So there!

_Chārudatta. _ My good girl, is this really the same golden casket?

_Maid. _ Yes, sir, the very same. 

_Chārudatta. _ My good girl, I have never let the bearer of welcomenews go unrewarded. Take this ring as your recompense. [_Helooks at his finger, notices that the ring is gone, and betrays hisembarrassment. _]

_Vasantasenā. _ [_To herself. _] I love you for that. 

_Chārudatta. _ [_Aside to Maitreya. _] Alas, When in this world a man has lost his all, Why should he set his heart on longer life? His angers and his favors fruitless fall, His purposes and powers are all at strife. 40

 Like wingless birds, dry pools, or withered trees, Like fangless snakes--the poor are like to these. 41

 Like man-deserted houses, blasted trees, Like empty wells--the poor are like to these. For them no pleasant hours serve happy ends; They are forgotten of their sometime friends. 42

_Maitreya. _ But you must not grieve thus beyond reason. [_Hebursts out laughing. Aloud. _] Madam, please give me back mybath-clout. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Chārudatta, it was not right that you should showyour distrust of me by sending me this pearl necklace. 

_Chārudatta. _ [_With an embarrassed smile. _] But remember, Vasantasenā, Who will believe the truth? Suspicion now is sure. This world will show no ruth To the inglorious poor. 43

P. 152. 4]

_Maitreya. _ Tell me, girl, are you going to sleep here to-night?

_Maid. _ [_Laughing. _] But good Maitreya, you show yourself mostremarkably plain-spoken now. 

_Maitreya. _ See, my friend, the rain enters again in great streams, as if it wanted to drive people away when they are sitting comfortablytogether. 

_Chārudatta. _ You are quite right. 

 The falling waters pierce the cloud, As lotus-shoots the soil; And tears the face of heaven shroud, Who weeps the moon's vain toil. 44

And again:

 In streams as pure as thoughts to good men given, But merciless as darts that Arjun hurls, And black as Baladeva's cloak, the heaven Seems to pour out all Indra's hoarded pearls. 45

See, my belovèd, see!

 The heaven is painted with the blackest dye, And fanned by cool and fragrant evening airs; Red lightning, glad in union, clasps the sky With voluntary arms, and shows on high The love that maiden heart to lover bears. 46

[_Vasantasenā betrays her passion, and throws her arms about Chārudatta. Chārudatta feels her touch, and embraces her. _]

_Chārudatta. _

 More grimly yet, O thunder, boom; For by thy grace and power My love-distracted limbs now bloom Like the kadamba flower. Her dear touch all my being thrills, And love my inmost spirit fills. 47

_Maitreya. _ Confound you, storm! You are no gentleman, tofrighten the lady with the lightning. 

[91. 20. S. 

_Chārudatta. _

 Do not rebuke the storm, my friend. Let ceaseless rain a hundred years endure, The lightning quiver, and the thunder peal; For what I deemed impossible is sure: Her dear-loved arms about my neck I feel. 48

And oh, my friend, He only knows what riches are, Whose love comes to him from afar, Whose arms that dearest form enfold, While yet with rain 't is wet and cold. 49

Vasantasenā, my belovèd, The masonry is shaken; and so old The awning, that 't will not much longer hold. Heavy with water is the painted wall, From which dissolving bits of mortar fall. 50

[_He looks up. _] The rainbow! See, my belovèd, see!

 See how they yawn, the cloudy jaws of heaven, As by a tongue, by forkèd lightning riven; And to the sky great Indra's fiery bow In lieu of high-uplifted arms is given. 51

Come, let us seek a shelter. [_He rises and walks about. _]

 On palm-trees shrill, On thickets still, On boulders dashing, On waters splashing, Like a lute that, smitten, sings, The rainy music rings. 52

 [_Exeunt omnes. _

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 60: In Indian love poetry, the rainy season is the time whenlovers most ardently long to be united. ]

[Footnote 61: In allusion to Vishnu's name, Krishna, "black. "]

[Footnote 62: A gesture of respect. ]

[Footnote 63: The goddess of wealth and beauty, usually represented witha lotus. ]

[Footnote 64: Kāma's (Cupid's) arrows are flowers. ]

[Footnote 65: Throughout this scene, Vasantasenā's verses are inSanskrit. Compare note 1 on page 73. ]

[Footnote 66: The cry of the heron resembles the Sanskrit word for"rain. " Indian love-poetry often paints the sorrow, even unto death, ofher whose beloved does not return before the rainy season. ]

[Footnote 67: The elephant of Indra. Indra is the god of thethunderstorm. ]

ACT THE SIXTH

THE SWAPPING OF THE BULLOCK-CARTS

[_Enter a maid. _]

_Maid. _

Isn't my mistress awake yet? Well, I must go in and wakeher. [_She walks about. Vasantasenā appears, dressed, but stillasleep. The maid discovers her. _] It is time to get up, mistress. Themorning is here. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Awakening. _] What! is the night over? is it morning?

_Maid. _ For us it is morning. But for my mistress it appears to benight still. 

_Vasantasenā. _ But girl, where is your gambler?

_Maid. _ Mistress, after giving Vardhamānaka his orders, Chārudattawent to the old garden Pushpakaranda. 

_Vasantasenā. _ What orders?

_Maid. _ To have the bullock-cart ready before daylight; for, hesaid, Vasantasenā was to come--

_Vasantasenā. _ Where, girl?

_Maid. _ Where Chārudatta is. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Embraces the maid. _] I did not have a good look athim in the evening. But to-day I shall see him face to face. Tellme, girl. Have I found my way into the inner court?

_Maid. _ You have found your way not only into the inner court, but into the heart of every one who lives here. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Tell me, are Chārudatta's servants vexed?

_Maid. _ They will be. 

_Vasantasenā. _ When?

_Maid. _ When my mistress goes away. 

_Vasantasenā. _ But not so much as I shall be. [_Persuasively. _] Here, girl, take this pearl necklace. You must go and give it to my ladysister, his good wife. And give her this message: "Worthy Chārudatta'svirtues have won me, made me his slave, and therefore yourslave also. And so I hope that these pearls may adorn your neck. "

[94. 3. S. 

_Maid. _ But mistress, Chārudatta will be angry with you. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Go. He will not be angry. 

_Maid. _ [_Takes the necklace. _] Yes, mistress. [_She goes out, thenreturns. _] Mistress, his lady wife says that her lord made you a presentof it, and it would not be right for her to accept it. And further, thatyou are to know that her lord and husband is her most excellentadornment. 

[_Enter Radanikā, with Chārudatta's little son. _]

_Radanikā. _ Come, dear, let's play with your little cart. 

_Rohasena. _ [_Peevishly. _] I don't like this little clay cart, Radanikā. Give me my gold cart. 

_Radanikā. _ [_Sighing wearily. _] How should we have anything to dowith gold now, my child? When your papa is rich again, then youshall have a gold cart to play with. But I'll amuse him by takinghim to see Vasantasenā. [_She approaches Vasantasenā. _] Mistress, my service to you. 

_Vasantasenā. _ I am glad to see you, Radanikā. But whose littleboy is this? He wears no ornaments, yet his dear little face makesmy heart happy. 

_Radanikā. _ This is Chārudatta's son, Rohasena. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Stretches out her arms. _] Come, my boy, and putyour little arms around me. [_She takes him on her lap. _] He looksjust like his father. 

_Radanikā. _ More than looks like him, he _is_ like him. At least Ithink so. His father is perfectly devoted to him. 

_Vasantasenā. _ But what is he crying about?

_Radanikā. _ He used to play with a gold cart that belongs to theson of a neighbor. But that was taken away, and when he askedfor it, I made him this little clay cart. But when I gave it to him, he said "I don't like this little clay cart, Radanikā. Give me mygold cart. "

P. 158. 10]

_Vasantasenā. _ Oh, dear! To think that this little fellow has to sufferbecause others are wealthy. Ah, mighty Fate! the destinies of men, uncertain as the water-drops which fall upon a lotus-leaf, seem tothee but playthings! [_Tearfully. _] Don't cry, my child. You shallhave a gold cart to play with. 

_Rohasena. _ Who is she, Radanikā?

_Vasantasenā. _ A slave of your father's, won by his virtues. 

_Radanikā. _ My child, the lady is your mother. 

_Rohasena. _ That's a lie, Radanikā. If the lady is my mother, whydoes she wear those pretty ornaments?

_Vasantasenā. _ My child, your innocent lips can say terrible things. [_She removes her ornaments. Weeping. _] Now I am your mother. You shall take these ornaments and have a gold cart made for you. 

_Rohasena. _ Go away! I won't take them. You're crying. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Wiping away her tears. _] I'll not cry, dear. There!go and play. [_She fills the clay cart with her jewels. _] There, dear, you must have a little gold cart made for you. 

 [_Exit Radanikā, with Rohasena. _

[_Enter Vardhamānaka, driving a bullock-cart. _]

_Vardhamānaka. _ Radanikā, Radanikā! Tell mistress Vasantasenāthat the covered cart is standing ready at the side-door. 

_Radanikā. _ [_Entering. _] Mistress, Vardhamānaka is here, and hesays that the cart is waiting at the side-door. 

_Vasantasenā. _ He must wait a minute, girl, while I get ready. 

_Rad. _ Wait a minute, Vardhamānaka, while she gets ready. [_Exit. _

_Vardhamānaka. _ Hello, I've forgotten the cushion. I must go andget it. But the nose-rope makes the bullocks skittish. I suppose Ihad better take the cart along with me. [_Exit. _

[96. 14. S. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Bring me my things, girl. I must make myself ready. [_She does so. _]

 * * * * *

[_Enter, driving a bullock-cart, Sthāvaraka, servant to Sansthānaka. _]

_Sthāvaraka. _ Sansthānaka, the king's brother-in-law, said to me"Take a bullock-cart, Sthāvaraka, and come as quick as you canto the old garden Pushpakaranda. " Well, I'm on my way there. Get up, bullocks, get up! [_He drives about and looks around. _]Why, the road is blocked with villagers' carts. What am I to donow? [_Haughtily. _] Get out of my way, you! Get out of my way![_He listens. _] What's that? you want to know whose cart this is?This cart belongs to Sansthānaka, the king's brother-in-law. Soget out of my way--and this minute, too! [_He looks about. _] Why, here's a man going in the other direction as fast as he can. He istrying to hide like a runaway gambler, and he looks at me as if Iwere the gambling-master. I wonder who he is. But then, whatbusiness is it of mine? I must get there as soon as I can. Get outof my way, you villagers, get out of my way! What's that? youwant me to wait a minute and put a shoulder to your wheel? Confoundyou! A brave man like me, that serves Sansthānaka, theking's brother-in-law, put a shoulder to your wheel? After all, thepoor fellow is quite alone. I'll do it. I'll stop my cart at the side-doorto Chārudatta's orchard. [_He does so. _] I'm coming! [_Exit. _

_Maid. _ Mistress, I think I hear the sound of wheels. The cartmust be here. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Come, girl. My heart grows impatient. Go with meto the side-door. 

_Maid. _ Follow me, mistress. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Walks about. _] You have earned a rest, girl. 

_Maid. _ Thank you, mistress. [_Exit. _

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Feels her right eye twitch_[68] _as she enters thecart. _] Why should my right eye twitch now? But the sight of Chārudattawill smooth away the bad omen. [_Enter Sthāvaraka. _]

P. 169. 8]

_Sthāvaraka. _ I've cleared the carts out of the way, and now I'llgo ahead. [_He mounts and drives away. To himself. _] The cart hasgrown heavy. But I suppose it only seems so, because I got tiredhelping them with that wheel. Well, I'll go along. Get up, bullocks, get up!

_A voice behind the scenes. _ Police! Police! Every man at his post!The young herdsman has just broken jail, killed the jailer, brokenhis fetters, escaped, and run away. Catch him! Catch him!

[_Enter, in excited haste, Aryaka, an iron chain on one foot. Coveringhis face, he walks about. _]

_Sthāvaraka. _ [_To himself. _] There is great excitement in the city. Imust get out of the way as fast as I possibly can. [_Exit. _

_Aryaka. _

 I leave behind me that accursèd sea Of human woe and human misery, The prison of the king. Like elephants that break their chains and flee, I drag a fettered foot most painfully In flight and wandering. 1

King Pālaka was frightened by a prophecy, took me from thehamlet where I lived, fettered me, and thrust me into a solitarycell, there to await my death. But with the help of my good friendSharvilaka I escaped. [_He sheds tears. _]

 If such my fate, no sin is mine at least, That he should cage me like a savage beast. A man may fight with kings, though not with fate-- And yet, can helpless men contend with great? 2

Whither shall I go with my wretchedness? [_He looks about. _] Here is thehouse of some good man who hasn't locked the side-door. 

 The house is old, the door without a lock, The hinges all awry. Some man, no doubt, who feels misfortune's shock As cruelly as I. 3

[96. 18. S. 

I will enter here and wait. 

_A voice behind the scenes. _ Get up, bullocks, get up!

_Aryaka. _ [_Listening. _] Ah, a bullock-cart is coming this way. 

 If this should prove to be a picnic rig, Its occupants not peevishly inclined; Some noble lady's waiting carriage trig; Or rich man's coach, that leaves the town behind-- And if it empty be, fate proving kind, 'T would seem a godsend to my anxious mind. 4

[_Enter Vardhamānaka with the bullock-cart. _]

_Vardhamānaka. _ There, I've got the cushion. Radanikā, tell mistressVasantasenā that the cart is ready and waiting for her to getin and drive to the old garden Pushpakaranda. 

_Aryaka. _ [_Listening. _] This is a courtezan's cart, going out of thecity. Good, I'll climb in. [_He approaches cautiously. _]

_Vardhamānaka. _ [_Hears him coming. _] Ah, the tinkling of ankle-rings!The lady is here. Mistress, the nose-rope makes the bullocksskittish. You had better climb in behind. [_Aryaka does so. _]The ankle-rings tinkle only when the feet are moving, and thesound has ceased. Besides, the cart has grown heavy. I am sure thelady must have climbed in by this time. I'll go ahead. Get up, bullocks, get up! [_He drives about. Enter Vīraka. _]

_Vīraka. _ Come, come! Jaya, Jayamāna, Chandanaka, Mangala, Phullabhadra, and the rest of you!

 So calm, when the herdsman, slipping his tether, Breaks jail and the heart of the king together? 5

Here! You stand at the east gate of the main street, you at thewest, you at the south, you at the north. I'll climb up the brokenwall here with Chandanaka and take a look. Come on, Chandanaka, come on! This way! [_Enter Chandanaka, in excitement. _]

P. 166. 5]

_Chandanaka. _ Come, come! Vīraka, Vishalya, Bhīmāngada, Dandakāla, Dandashūra, and the rest of you!

 Come quick, my reliables! Work! Now begin! Lest the old king go out, and a new king come in. 6 Search gardens, and dives, and the town, and the street, The market, the hamlet, wherever you meet 7 With what looks suspicious. Now, Vīraka, say, Who saved the young herdsman that just broke away? 8 Who was born when the sun in his eighth mansion stood, Or the moon in her fourth, or when Jupiter could Be seen in his sixth, or when Saturn was resting In his ninth, in her sixth house when Venus was nesting, Or Mars in his fifth?[69] Who will dare to be giving The herdsman protection, while I am still living? 9, 10

_Vīraka. _ Chandanaka, you mercenary!

 I swear on your heart, he's been long out of prison, For the herdsman escaped ere the sun was half risen. 11

_Vardhamānaka. _ Get up, bullocks, get up!

_Chandanaka. _ [_Discovers him. _] Look, man, look!

 A covered cart is moving in the middle of the road; Investigate it, whose it is, and where it takes its load! 12

_Vīraka. _ [_Discovers him. _] Here, driver, stop your cart! Whose cartis this? who is in it? where is it going?

_Vardhamānaka. _ This is Chārudatta's cart. Mistress Vasantasenāis in it. I am taking her to the old garden Pushpakaranda to meetChārudatta. 

_Vīraka. _ [_Approaches Chandanaka. _] The driver says it is Chārudatta'scart; that Vasantasenā is in it; that he is taking her to theold garden Pushpakaranda. 

_Chandanaka. _ Then let it pass. 

_Vīraka. _ Without inspection?

[101. 3. S. 

_Chandanaka. _ Certainly. 

_Vīraka. _ On whose authority?

_Chandanaka. _ On Chārudatta's. 

_Vīraka. _ Who is Chārudatta, or who is Vasantasenā, that the cartshould pass without inspection?

_Chandanaka. _ Don't you know Chārudatta, man? nor Vasantasenā?If you don't know Chārudatta, nor Vasantasenā, then you don'tknow the moon in heaven, nor the moonlight. 

 Who does n't know this moon of goodness, virtue's lotus-flower, This gem of four broad seas, this savior in man's luckless hour? 13 These two are wholly worshipful, our city's ornaments, Vasantasenā, Chārudatta, sea of excellence. 14

_Vīraka. _ Well, well, Chandanaka! Chārudatta? Vasantasenā?

 I know them perfectly, as well as I know anything; But I do not know my father when I 'm serving of my king. 15

_Aryaka. _ [_To himself. _] In a former existence the one must have beenmy enemy, the other my kinsman. For see!

 Their business is the same; their ways Unlike, and their desire: Like flames that gladden wedding days, And flames upon the pyre. 16

_Chandanaka. _ You are a most careful captain whom the kingtrusts. I am holding the bullocks. Make your inspection. 

_Vīraka. _ You too are a corporal whom the king trusts. Make theinspection yourself. 

_Chandanaka. _ If I make the inspection, that 's just the same as ifyou had made it?

_Vīraka. _ If you make the inspection, that 's just the same as ifKing Pālaka had made it. 

P. 171. 5]

_Chandanaka. _ Lift the pole, man! [_Vardhamānaka does so. _]

_Aryaka. _ [_To himself. _] Are the policemen about to inspect me?And I have no sword, worse luck! But at least, Bold Bhīma's spirit I will show; My arm shall be my sword. Better a warrior's death than woe That cells and chains afford. 17

But the time to use force has not yet come. [_Chandanaka entersthe cart and looks about. _] I seek your protection. 

_Chandanaka. _ [_Speaking in Sanskrit. _] He who seeks protectionshall be safe. 

_Aryaka. _

 Whene'er he fight, that man will suffer hurts, Will be abandoned of his friends and kin, Becomes a mock forever, who deserts One seeking aid; 't is an unpardoned sin. 18

_Chandanaka. _ What! the herdsman Aryaka? Like a bird that fleesfrom a hawk, he has fallen into the hand of the fowler. [_Reflecting. _]He is no sinner, this man who seeks my protection and sitsin Chārudatta's cart. Besides, he is the friend of good Sharvilaka, who saved my life. On the other hand, there are the king's orders. What is a man to do in a case like this? Well, what must be, mustbe. I promised him my protection just now. 

 He who gives aid to frightened men, And joys his neighbor's ills to cure, If he must die, he dies; but then, His reputation is secure. 19

[_He gets down uneasily. _] I saw the gentleman--[_correcting himself_]I mean, the lady Vasantasenā, and she says "Is it proper, isit gentlemanly, when I am going to visit Chārudatta, to insult meon the highway?"

_Vīraka. _ Chandanaka, I have my suspicions. 

_Chandanaka. _ Suspicions? How so?

[103. 2. S. 

_Vir. _ You gurgled in your craven throat; it seems a trifle shady. You said "I saw the gentleman, " and then "I saw the lady. " 20

That's why I'm not satisfied. 

_Chandanaka. _ What's the matter with you, man? We southernersdon't speak plain. We know a thousand dialects of the barbarians--theKhashas, the Khattis, the Kadas, the Kadatthobilas, theKarnātas, the Karnas, the Prāvaranas, the Drāvidas, the Cholas, the Chīnas, the Barbaras, the Kheras, the Khānas, the Mukhas, theMadhughātas, and all the rest of 'em, and it all depends on the waywe feel whether we say "he" or "she, " "gentleman" or "lady. "

_Vīraka. _ Can't I have a look, too? It's the king's orders. And theking trusts me. 

_Chandanaka. _ I suppose the king doesn't trust _me_!

_Vīraka. _ Is n't it His Majesty's command?

_Chandanaka. _ [_Aside_] If people knew that the good herdsman escapedin Chārudatta's cart, then the king would make Chārudattasuffer for it. What's to be done? [_Reflecting. _] I'll stir up a quarrelthe way they do down in the Carnatic. [_Aloud. _] Well, Vīraka, Imade one inspection myself--my name is Chandanaka--and youwant to do it over again. Who are you?

_Vīraka. _ Confound it! Who are you, anyway?

_Chandanaka. _ An honorable and highly respectable person, and youdon't remember your own family. 

_Vīraka. _ [_Angrily. _] Confound you! What is my family?

_Chandanaka. _ Who speaks of such things?

_Vīraka. _ Speak!

_Chandanaka. _ I think I'd better not. 

 I know your family, but I won't say; 'T would not be modest, such things to betray; What good's a rotten apple anyway? 21

_Vīraka. _ Speak, speak! [_Chandanaka makes a significant gesture. _]Confound you! What does that mean?

P. 175. 1]

_Chand. _

 A broken whetstone in one hand--a thing That looks like scissors in the other wing-- To trim the scrubby beards that curl and cling, And you--why, you 're a captain of the king! 22

_Vīraka. _ Well, Chandanaka, you highly respectable person, youdon't remember your own family either. 

_Chandanaka. _ Tell me. What is the family I belong to, I, Chandanaka, pure as the moon?

_Vīraka. _ Who speaks of such things?

_Chandanaka. _ Speak, speak! [_Vīraka makes a significant gesture. _]Confound you! What does that mean?

_Vīraka. _ Listen. 

 Your house is pure; your father is a drum, Your mother is a kettledrum, you scum! Your brother is a tambourine--tum, tum! And you--why, you 're a captain of the king! 23

_Chandanaka. _ [_Wrathfully. _] I, Chandanaka, a tanner! You can lookat the cart. 

_Vīraka. _ You! driver! turn the cart around. I want to look in. 

[_Vardhamānaka does so. Vīraka starts to climb in. Chandanakaseizes him violently by the hair, throws him down, and kicks him. _]

_Vīraka. _ [_Rising. Wrathfully. _] Confound you! I was peaceably goingabout the king's business, when you seized me violently by thehair and kicked me. So listen! If I don't have you drawn andquartered in the middle of the court-room, my name's not Vīraka. 

_Chandanaka. _ All right. Go to court or to a hall of justice. Whatdo I care for a puppy like you?

_Vīraka. _ I will. [_Exit. _

_Chandanaka. _ [_Looks about him. _] Go on, driver, go on! If anybodyasks you, just say "The cart has been inspected by Chandanakaand Vīraka. " Mistress Vasantasenā, let me give you a passport. [_He hands Aryaka a sword. _]

[105. 11. S. 

_Aryaka. _ [_Takes it. Joyfully to himself. _]

 A sword, a sword! My right eye twitches fast. [70] Now all is well, and I am safe at last. 24

_Chandanaka. _ Madam, As I have given you a passage free, So may I live within your memory. To utter this, no selfish thoughts could move; Ah no, I speak in plenitude of love. 25

_Aryaka. _

 Chandanaka is rich in virtues pure; My friend is he--Fate willed it--true and tried. I 'll not forget Chandanaka, be sure, What time the oracle is justified. 26

_Chand. _

 May Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Three in One, Protect thee, and the Moon, and blessèd Sun; Slay all thy foes, as mighty Pārvatī Slew Shumbha and Nishumbha--fearfully. 27

[_Exit Vardhamānaka, with the bullock-cart. Chandanaka looks towardthe back of the stage. _] Aha! As he goes away, my good friendSharvilaka is following him. Well, I 've made an enemy of Vīraka, the chief constable and the king's favorite; so I think I too hadbetter be following him, with all my sons and brothers. 

 [_Exit. _

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 68: A bad omen, in the case of a woman. ]

[Footnote 69: Lallādīkṣita says that these horoscopes indicaterespectively distress, colic, stupidity, poverty, sorrow, destruction. ]

[Footnote 70: A good omen, in the case of a man. ]

ACT THE SEVENTH

ARYAKA'S ESCAPE

[_Enter Chārudatta and Maitreya. _]

_Maitreya. _

How beautiful the old garden Pushpakaranda is. 

_Chārudatta. _ You are quite right, my friend. For see!

 The trees, like merchants, show their wares; Each several tree his blossoms bears, While bees, like officers, are flitting, To take from each what toll is fitting. 1

_Maitreya. _ This simple stone is very attractive. Pray be seated. 

_Chārudatta. _ [_Seats himself. _] How Vardhamānaka lingers, my friend!

_Maitreya. _ I told Vardhamānaka to bring Vasantasenā and comeas quickly as he could. 

_Chārudatta. _ Why then does he linger?

 Is he delayed by some slow-moving load? Has he returned with broken wheel or traces? Obstructions bid him seek another road? His bullocks, or himself, choose these slow paces? 2

[_Enter Vardhamānaka with the bullock-cart, in which Aryaka lieshidden. _]

_Vardhamānaka. _ Get up, bullocks, get up!

_Aryaka. _ [_Aside. _]

 And still I fear the spies that serve the king; Escape is even yet a doubtful thing, While to my foot these cursèd fetters cling. 

 Some good man 't is, within whose cart I lie, Like cuckoo chicks, whose heartless mothers fly, And crows must rear the fledglings, or they die. 3

I have come a long distance from the city. Shall I get out of thecart and seek a hiding-place in the grove? or shall I wait to seethe owner of the cart? On second thoughts, I will not hide myselfin the grove; for men say that the noble Chārudatta is everhelpful to them that seek his protection. I will not go until I haveseen him face to face. 

[108. 3. S. 

 'T will bring contentment to that good man's heart To see me rescued from misfortune's sea. This body, in its suffering, pain, and smart, Is saved through his sweet magnanimity. 4

_Vardhamānaka. _ Here is the garden. I 'll drive in. [_He does so. _]Maitreya!

_Maitreya. _ Good news, my friend. It is Vardhamānaka's voice. Vasantasenā must have come. 

_Chārudatta. _ Good news, indeed. 

_Maitreya. _ You son of a slave, what makes you so late?

_Vardhamānaka. _ Don't get angry, good Maitreya. I rememberedthat I had forgotten the cushion, and I had to go back for it, andthat is why I am late. 

_Chārudatta. _ Turn the cart around, Vardhamānaka. Maitreya, myfriend, help Vasantasenā to get out. 

_Maitreya. _ Has she got fetters on her feet, so that she can't getout by herself? [_He rises and lifts the curtain of the cart. _] Why, this is n't mistress Vasantasenā--this is Mister Vasantasena. 

_Chārudatta. _ A truce to your jests, my friend. Love cannot wait. I will help her to get out myself. [_He rises. _]

_Aryaka. _ [_Discovers him. _] Ah, the owner of the bullock-cart! Heis attractive not only to the ears of men, but also to their eyes. Thank heaven! I am safe. 

_Chārudatta. _ [_Enters the bullock-cart and discovers Aryaka. _] Whothen is this?

 As trunk of elephant his arms are long, His chest is full, his shoulders broad and strong, His great eyes restless-red;[71] Why should this man be thus enforced to fight-- So noble he--with such ignoble plight, His foot to fetters wed? 5

P. 180. 14]

Who are you, sir?

_Aryaka. _ I am one who seeks your protection, Aryaka, by birth aherdsman. 

_Chārudatta. _ Are you he whom King Pālaka took from the hamletwhere he lived and thrust into prison?

_Aryaka. _ The same. 

_Chārudatta. _

 'T is fate that brings you to my sight; May I be reft of heaven's light, Ere I desert you in your hapless plight. 6

[_Aryaka manifests his joy. _]

_Chārudatta. _ Vardhamānaka, remove the fetters from his foot. 

_Vardhamānaka. _ Yes, sir. [_He does so. _] Master, the fetters are removed. 

_Aryaka. _ But you have bound me with yet stronger fetters of love. 

_Maitreya. _ Now you may put on the fetters yourself. He is freeanyway. And it 's time for us to be going. 

_Chārudatta. _ Peace! For shame!

_Aryaka. _ Chārudatta, my friend, I entered your cart somewhatunceremoniously. I beg your pardon. 

_Chārudatta. _ I feel honored that you should use no ceremony withme. 

_Aryaka. _ If you permit it, I now desire to go. 

_Chārudatta. _ Go in peace. 

_Aryaka. _ Thank you. I will alight from the cart. 

_Chārudatta. _ No, my friend. The fetters have but this momentbeen removed, and you will find walking difficult. In this spotwhere men seek pleasure, a bullock-cart will excite no suspicion. Continue your journey then in the cart. 

[110. 4. S. 

_Aryaka. _ I thank you, sir. 

_Chārud. _ Seek now thy kinsmen. Happiness be thine!

_Aryaka. _ Ah, I have found thee, blessèd kinsman mine!

_Chārud. _ Remember me, when thou hast cause to speak. 

_Aryaka. _ Thy name, and not mine own, my words shall seek. 

_Chārud. _ May the immortal gods protect thy ways!

_Aryaka. _ Thou didst protect me, in most perilous days. 

_Chārud. _ Nay, it was fate that sweet protection lent. 

_Aryaka. _ But thou wast chosen as fate's instrument. 7

_Chārudatta. _ King Pālaka is aroused, and protection will provedifficult. You must depart at once. 

_Aryaka. _ Until we meet again, farewell. [_Exit. _

_Chārud. _

 From royal wrath I now have much to fear; It were unwise for me to linger here. Then throw the fetters in the well; for spies Serve to their king as keen, far-seeing eyes. 8

[_His left eye twitches. _] Maitreya, my friend, I long to see Vasantasenā. For now, because

 I have not seen whom I love best, My left eye twitches; and my breast Is causeless-anxious and distressed. 9

Come, let us go. [_He walks about. _] See! a Buddhist monk approaches, and the sight bodes ill. [_Reflecting. _] Let him enter bythat path, while we depart by this. [_Exit. _

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 71: Lallādīkṣita says that these are signs of royalty. ]

ACT THE EIGHTH

THE STRANGLING OF VASANTASENA

[_Enter a monk, with a wet garment in his hand. _]

_Monk. _

 Ye ignorant, lay by a store of virtue! Restrain the belly; watch eternally, Heeding the beat of contemplation's[72] drum, For else the senses--fearful thieves they be-- Will steal away all virtue's hoarded sum. 1

And further: I have seen that all things are transitory, so that nowI am become the abode of virtues alone. 

 Who slays the Five Men, [73] and the Female Bane, [74] By whom protection to the Town[75] is given, By whom the Outcaste[76] impotent is slain, He cannot fail to enter into heaven. 2

 Though head be shorn and face be shorn, The heart unshorn, why should man shave him? But he whose inmost heart is shorn Needs not the shaven head to save him. 3

I have dyed this robe of mine yellow. And now I will go into thegarden of the king's brother-in-law, wash it in the pond, and goaway as soon as I can. [_He walks about and washes the robe. _]

_A voice behind the scenes. _ Shtop, you confounded monk, shtop!

_Monk. _ [_Discovers the speaker. Fearfully. _ ] Heaven help me! Hereis the king's brother-in-law, Sansthānaka. Just because one monkcommitted an offense, now, wherever he sees a monk, whether itis the same one or not, he bores a hole in his nose and drives himaround like a bullock. Where shall a defenseless man find a defender?But after all, the blessèd Lord Buddha is my defender. 

[119. 90. S. 

[_Enter the courtier, carrying a sword, and Sansthānaka. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ Shtop, you confounded monk, shtop! I'll poundyour head like a red radish[77] at a drinking party. [_He strikes him. _]

_Courtier. _ You jackass, you should not strike a monk who wearsthe yellow robes of renunciation. Why heed him? Look ratherupon this garden, which offers itself to pleasure. 

 To creatures else forlorn, the forest trees Do works of mercy, granting joy and ease; Like a sinner's heart, the park unguarded lies, Like some new-founded realm, an easy prize. 4

_Monk. _ Heaven bless you! Be merciful, servant of the BlessèdOne!

_Sansthānaka. _ Did you hear that, shir? He's inshulting me. 

_Courtier. _ What does he say?

_Sansthānaka. _ Shays I'm a shervant. What do you take me for?a barber?

_Courtier. _ A servant of the Blessèd One he calls you, and this ispraise. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Praise me shome more, monk!

_Monk. _ You are virtuous! You are a brick!

_Sansthānaka. _ Shee? He shays I'm virtuous. He shays I'm a brick. What do you think I am? a materialistic philosopher? or a watering-trough?or a pot-maker?[78]

_Courtier. _ You jackass, he praises you when he says that you arevirtuous, that you are a brick. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Well, shir, what did he come here for?

_Monk. _ To wash this robe. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Confound the monk! My shishter's husband gave methe finesht garden there is, the garden Pushpakaranda. Dogs andjackals drink the water in thish pond. Now I'm an arishtocrat. I'ma man, and I don't even take a bath. And here you bring yourshtinking clothes, all shtained with shtale bean-porridge, and wash'em! I think one good shtroke will finish you. 

P. 187. 7]

_Courtier. _ You jackass, I am sure he has not long been a monk. 

_Sansthānaka. _ How can you tell, shir?

_Courtier. _ It doesn't take much to tell that, See!

 His hair is newly shorn; the brow still white; The rough cloak has not yet the shoulder scarred; He wears it awkwardly; it clings not tight; And here above, the fit is sadly marred. 5

_Monk. _ True, servant of the Blessèd One. I have been a monk buta short time. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Then why haven't you been one all your life? [_Hebeats him. _]

_Monk. _ Buddha be praised!

_Courtier. _ Stop beating the poor fellow. Leave him alone. Let himgo. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Jusht wait a minute, while I take counshel. 

_Courtier. _ With whom?

_Sansthānaka. _ With my own heart. 

_Courtier. _ Poor fellow! Why didn't he escape?

_Sansthānaka. _ Blesshèd little heart, my little shon and mashter, shallthe monk go, or shall the monk shtay? [_To himself. _] Neither go, nor shtay. [_Aloud. _] Well, shir, I took counshel with my heart, andmy heart shays--

_Courtier. _ Says what?

_Sansthānaka. _ He shall neither go, nor shtay. He shall neitherbreathe up, nor breathe down. He shall fall down right here anddie, before you can shay "boo. "

_Monk. _ Buddha be praised! I throw myself upon your protection. 

_Courtier. _ Let him go. 

[114. 24. S. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Well, on one condition. 

_Courtier. _ And what is that?

_Sansthānaka. _ He musht shling mud in, without making the waterdirty. Or better yet, he musht make the water into a ball, andshling it into the mud. 

_Courtier. _ What incredible folly!

 The patient earth is burdened by So many a fool, so many a drone, Whose thoughts and deeds are all awry-- These trees of flesh, these forms of stone. 6

[_The monk makes faces at Sansthānaka. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ What does he mean?

_Courtier. _ He praises you. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Praise me shome more! Praise me again! [_The monkdoes so, then exit. _]

_Courtier. _ See how beautiful the garden is, you jackass. 

 See yonder trees, adorned with fruit and flowers, O'er which the clinging creepers interlace; The watchmen guard them with the royal powers; They seem like men whom loving wives embrace. 7

_Sansthānaka. _ A good deshcription, shir. 

 The ground is mottled with a lot of flowers; The blosshom freight bends down the lofty trees; And, hanging from the leafy tree-top bowers, The monkeys bob, like breadfruit in the breeze. 8

_Courtier. _ Will you be seated on this stone bench, you jackass?

_Sansthānaka. _ I am sheated. [_They seat themselves. _] Do you know, shir, I remember that Vasantasenā even yet. She is like an inshult. I can't get her out of my mind. 

_Courtier. _ [_Aside. _] He remembers her even after such a repulse. For indeed, The mean man, whom a woman spurns, But loves the more; The wise man's passion gentler burns, Or passes o'er. 9

P. 190. 16]

_Sansthānaka. _ Shome time has passhed, shir, shince I told my shervantSthāvaraka to take the bullock-cart and come as quick ashe could. And even yet he is not here. I 've been hungry a longtime, and at noon a man can't go a-foot. For shee!

 The shun is in the middle of the shky, And hard to look at as an angry ape; Like Gāndhārī, whose hundred shons did die, The earth is hard dishtresshed and can't eshcape. 10

_Courtier. _ True. 

 The cattle all--their cuds let fall-- Lie drowsing in the shade; In heated pool their lips to cool, Deer throng the woodland glade; A prey to heat, the city street Makes wanderers afraid; The cart must shun the midday sun, And thus has been delayed. 11

_Sansthānaka. _ Yesshir, Fasht to my head the heated shun-beam clings; Birds, flying creatures, alsho wingèd things Resht in the branches of the trees, while men, People, and pershons shigh and shigh again; At home they tarry, in their houses shtay, To bear the heat and burden of the day. 12

Well, shir, that shervant is n't here yet. I 'm going to shing shomethingto passh the time. [_He sings. _] There, shir, did you hearwhat I shang?

_Courtier. _ What shall I say? Ah, how melodious!

[116. 23. S. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Why _should n't_ it be malodorous?

 Of nut-grass and cumin I make up a pickle, Of devil's-dung, ginger, and orris, and treacle; That's the mixture of perfumes I eagerly eat; Why should n't my voice be remarkably shweet? 13

Well, shir, I 'm jusht going to shing again, [_He does so. _] There, shir, did you hear what I shang?

_Courtier. _ What shall I say? Ah, how melodious!

_Sansthānaka. _ Why _should n't_ it be malodorous?

 Of the flesh of the cuckoo I make up a chowder, With devil's-dung added, and black pepper powder; With oil and with butter I shprinkle the meat: Why should n't my voice be remarkably shweet? 14

But shir, the shervant is n't here yet. 

_Courtier. _ Be easy in your mind. He will be here presently. 

[_Enter Vasantasenā in the bullock-cart, and Sthāvaraka. _]

_Sthāvaraka. _ I 'm frightened. It is already noon. I hope Sansthānaka, the king's brother-in-law, will not be angry. I must drivefaster. Get up, bullocks, get up!

_Vasantasenā. _ Alas! That is not Vardhamānaka's voice. What doesit mean? I wonder if Chārudatta was afraid that the bullocksmight become weary, and so sent another man with another cart. My right eye twitches. My heart is all a-tremble. There is no onein sight. Everything seems to dance before my eyes. 

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Hearing the sound of wheels. _] The cart is here, shir. 

_Courtier. _ How do you know?

_Sansthānaka. _ Can't you shee? It shqueaks like an old hog. 

_Courtier. _ [_Perceives the cart. _] Quite true. It is here. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Sthāvaraka, my little shon, my shlave, are you here?

_Sthāvaraka. _ Yes, sir. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Is the cart here?

P. 194. 9]

_Sthāvaraka. _ Yes, sir. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Are the bullocks here?

_Sthāvaraka. _ Yes, sir. 

_Sansthānaka. _ And are you here?

_Sthāvaraka. _ [_Laughing. _] Yes, master, I am here too. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Then drive the cart in. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ By which road?

_Sansthānaka. _ Right here, where the wall is tumbling down. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ Oh, master, the bullocks will be killed. The cart willgo to pieces. And I, your servant, shall be killed. 

_Sansthānaka. _ I'm the king's brother-in-law, man. If the bullocksare killed, I 'll buy shome more. If the cart goes to pieces, I 'llhave another one made. If you are killed, there will be anotherdriver. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ Everything will be replaced--except me. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Let the whole thing go to pieces. Drive in over thewall. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ Then break, cart, break with your driver. There willbe another cart. I must go and present myself to my master. [_Hedrives in. _] What! not broken? Master, here is your cart. 

_Sansthānaka. _ The bullocks not shplit in two? and the ropes notkilled? and you too not killed?

_Sthāvaraka. _ No, sir. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Come, shir. Let's look at the cart. You are myteacher, shir, my very besht teacher. You are a man I reshpect, my intimate friend, a man I delight to honor. Do you enter thecart firsht. 

_Courtier. _ Very well. [_He starts to do so. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ Not much! Shtop! Is thish your father's cart, thatyou should enter it firsht? I own thish cart. I 'll enter it firsht. 

_Courtier. _ I only did what you said. 

[119. 8. S. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Even if I do shay sho, you ought to be polite enoughto shay "After you, mashter. "

_Courtier. _ After you, then. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Now I 'll enter. Sthāvaraka, my little shon, myshlave, turn the cart around. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ [_Does so. _] Enter, master. 

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Enters and looks about, then hastily gets out in terror, and falls on the courtier's neck. _] Oh, oh, oh! You're a deadman! There's a witch, or a thief, that's sitting and living in mybullock-cart. If it's a witch, we 'll both be robbed. If it's a thief, we 'll both be eaten alive. 

_Courtier. _ Don't be frightened. How could a witch travel in abullock-cart? I hope that the heat of the midday sun has notblinded you, so that you became the victim of an hallucinationwhen you saw the shadow of Sthāvaraka with the smock on it. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Sthāvaraka, my little shon, my shlave, are youalive?

_Sthāvaraka. _ Yes, sir. 

_Sansthānaka. _ But shir, there's a woman sitting and living in thebullock-cart. Look and shee!

_Courtier. _ A woman?

 Then let us bow our heads at once and go, Like steers whose eyes the falling raindrops daze; In public spots my dignity I show; On high-born dames I hesitate to gaze. 15

_Vasantasenā. _ [_In amazement. Aside. _] Oh, oh! It is that thorn inmy eye, the king's brother-in-law. Alas! the danger is great. Poorwoman! My coming hither proves as fruitless as the sowing of ahandful of seeds on salty soil. What shall I do now?

_Sansthānaka. _ Thish old shervant is afraid and he won't look intothe cart. Will you look into the cart, shir?

_Courtier. _ I see no harm in that. Yes, I will do it. 

P. 198. 12]

_Sansthānaka. _ Are those things jackals that I shee flying into theair, and are those things crows that walk on all fours? While thewitch is chewing him with her eyes, and looking at him with herteeth, I 'll make my eshcape. 

_Courtier. _ [_Perceives Vasantasenā. Sadly to himself. _] Is it possible?The gazelle follows the tiger. Alas!

 Her mate is lovely as the autumn moon, Who waits for her upon the sandy dune; And yet the swan will leave him? and will go To dance attendance on a common crow? 16

[_Aside to Vasantasenā. _] Ah, Vasantasenā! This is neither right, nor worthy of you. 

 Your pride rejected him before, Yet now for gold, and for your mother's will

_Vasantasenā. _ No! [_She shakes her head. _]

_Courtier. _ Your nature knows your pride no more; You honor him, a common woman still. 17

Did I not tell[79] you to "serve the man you love, and him youhate"?

_Vasantasenā. _ I made a mistake in the cart, and thus I camehither. I throw myself upon your protection. 

_Courtier. _ Do not fear. Come, I must deceive him. [_He returns toSansthānaka. _] Jackass, there is indeed a witch who makes herhome in the cart. 

_Sansthānaka. _ But shir, if a witch is living there, why are n't yourobbed? And if it 's a thief, why are n't you eaten alive?

_Courtier. _ Why try to determine that? But if we should go backon foot through the gardens until we came to the city, to Ujjayinī, what harm would that do?

_Sansthānaka. _ And if we did, what then?

[121. 7. S. 

_Courtier. _ Then we should have some exercise, and should avoidtiring the bullocks. 

_Sansthānaka. _ All right. Sthāvaraka, my shlave, drive on. But no!Shtop, shtop! I go on foot before gods and Brahmans? Not much!I 'll go in my cart, sho that people shall shee me a long way off, and shay "There he goes, our mashter, the king's brother-in-law. "

_Courtier. _ [_Aside. _] It is hard to convert poison into medicine. Sobe it, then. [_Aloud. _] Jackass, this is Vasantasenā, come to visityou. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Heaven forbid!

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Gleefully. _] Oh, oh! To visit me, an arishtocrat, aman, a regular Vāsudeva?

_Courtier. _ Yes. 

_Sansthānaka. _ This is an unheard-of piece of luck. That other timeI made her angry, sho now I 'll fall at her feet and beg her pardon. 

_Courtier. _ Capital!

_Sansthānaka. _ I 'll fall at her feet myshelf. [_He approachesVasantasenā. _] Little mother, mamma dear, lishten to my prayer. 

 I fold my hands and fall before thy feet-- Thine eyes are large, thy teeth are clean and neat, Thy finger-nails are ten--forgive thy shlave What, love-tormented, he offended, shweet. 18

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Angrily. _] Leave me! Your words are an insult! [_Shespurns him with her foot. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Wrathfully. _]

 Thish head that mother and that mamma kissed, That never bent to worship god, I wist, Upon thish head she dared to plant her feet, Like jackals on the carrion they meet. 19

Sthāvaraka, you shlave, where did you pick her up?

_Sthāvaraka. _ Master, the highway was blocked by villagers' wagons. So I stopped my cart near Chārudatta's orchard, and got out. Andwhile I was helping a villager with his wagon, I suppose she mistookthis cart for another, and climbed in. 

P. 201. 14]

_Sansthānaka. _ Oho! she mishtook my cart for another? and did n'tcome to shee me? Get out of my cart, get out! You 're going tovisit your poor merchant's shon, are you? Those are my bullocksyou 're driving. Get out, get out, you shlave! Get out, get out!

_Vasantasenā. _ Truly, you honor me when you say that I came tosee Chārudatta. Now what must be, must be. 

_Sansthānaka. _

 These hands of mine, ten-finger-naily, These hands sho lotush-leafy, Are itching-anxious, girl, to dally With you; and in a jiffy I 'll drag Your Shweetness by the hair From the cart wherein you ride, As did Jatāyu Bāli's fair, The monkey Bāli's bride. 20

_Courtier. _

 So virtuous ladies may not be Insulted thus despitefully; Nor garden creepers may not be Robbed of their leaves so cruelly. 21

Stand up, man. I will help her to alight. Come, Vasantasenā! [_Vasantasenāalights and stands apart. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Aside. _] The flame of wrath was kindled when shedespised my proposition, and now it blazes up because she kickedme. Sho now I 'll murder her. Good! Thish way. [_Aloud. _] Well, shir, what do you want?

 A cloak with fringes hanging down and all, Tied with a hundred shtrings? or good ragout, To make you shmack your greedy lips and call "Chuhoo, chuhoo, chukku, chuhoo, chuhooo"? 22

_Courtier. _ Well?

_Sansthānaka. _ Do me a favor. 

[123. 11. S. 

_Courtier. _ Certainly. Anything, unless it be a sin. 

_Sansthānaka. _ There's not a shmell of a shin in it, shir. Not a perfume!

_Courtier. _ Speak, then. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Murder Vasantasenā. 

_Courtier. _ [_Stopping his ears. _]

 A tender lady, gem of this our city, A courtezan whose love was stainless ever-- If I should kill her, sinless, without pity. What boat would bear me on the gloomy river? 23

_Sansthānaka. _ I'll give you a boat. And beshides, in thish desertedgarden, who'll shee you murdering her?

_Courtier. _

 The regions ten, [80] the forest gods, the sky, The wind, the moon, the sun whose rays are light, Virtue, my conscience--these I cannot fly, Nor earth, that witnesses to wrong and right. 24

_Sansthānaka. _ Well then, put your cloak over her and murder her. 

_Courtier. _ You fool! You scoundrel!

_Sansthānaka. _ The old hog is afraid of a shin. Never mind. I'll pershuadeSthāvaraka, my shlave. Sthāvaraka, my little shon, myshlave, I'll give you golden bracelets. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ And I'll wear them. 

_Sansthānaka. _ I'll have a golden sheat made for you. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ And I'll sit on it. 

_Sansthānaka. _ I'll give you all my leavings. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ And I'll eat them. 

_Sansthānaka. _ I'll make you the chief of all my shervants. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ Master, I'll be the chief. 

_Sansthānaka. _ You only have to attend to what I shay. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ Master, I will do anything, unless it be a sin. 

P. 205. 12]

_Sansthānaka. _ There's not a shmell of a shin in it. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ Then speak, master. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Murder Vasantasenā. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ Oh, master, be merciful! Unworthy as I am, I broughtthis worthy lady hither, because she mistook this bullock-cart foranother. 

_Sansthānaka. _ You shlave, ain't I your mashter?

_Sthāvaraka. _ Master of my body, not of my character. Be merciful, master, be merciful! I am afraid. 

_Sansthānaka. _ You're my shlave. Who are you afraid of?

_Sthāvaraka. _ Of the other world, master. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Who is thish "other world"?

_Sthāvaraka. _ Master, it is a rewarder of righteousness and sin. 

_Sansthānaka. _ What is the reward of righteoushness?

_Sthāvaraka. _ To be like my master, with plenty of golden ornaments. 

_Sansthānaka. _ What is the reward of shin?

_Sthāvaraka. _ To be like me, eating another man's bread. That iswhy I will do no sin. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Sho you won't murder her? [_He beats him with allhis might. _]

_Sthāvaraka. _ You may beat me, master. You may kill me, master. I will do no sin. 

 A luckless, lifelong slave am I, A slave I live, a slave I die; But further woe I will not buy, I will not, will not sin. 25

_Vasantasenā. _ Sir, I throw myself upon your protection. 

_Courtier. _ Pardon him, jackass! Well done, Sthāvaraka!

 Does this poor, miserable slave Seek virtue's meed beyond the grave? And is his lord indifferent? Then why are not such creatures sent To instant hell, whose sinful store Grows great, who know not virtue more? 26

[125. 14. S. 

And again:

 Ah, cruel, cruel is our fate, And enters through the straitest gate; Since he is slave, and you are lord, Since he does not enjoy your hoard, Since you do not obey his word. 27

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Aside. _] The old jackal is afraid of a shin, and the"lifelong shlave" is afraid of the other world. Who am I afraid of, I, the king's brother-in-law, an arishtocrat, a man? [_Aloud. _] Well, shervant, you "lifelong shlave, " you can go. Go to your room andresht and keep out of my way. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ Yes, master. [_To Vasantasenā. _] Madam, I have nofurther power. [_Exit. _

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Girds up his loins. _] Wait a minute, Vasantasenā, wait a minute. I want to murder you. 

_Courtier. _ You will kill her before my eyes? [_He seizes him by thethroat. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Falls to the ground. _] Shir, you 're murdering yourmashter. [_He loses consciousness, but recovers. _]

 I always fed him fat with meat, And gave him butter too, to eat; Now for the friend in need I search; Why does he leave me in the lurch? 28

[_After reflection. _] Good! I have an idea. The old jackal gave hera hint by shaking his head at her. Sho I 'll shend him away, andthen I 'll murder Vasantasenā. That's the idea. [_Aloud. _] Shir, Iwas born in a noble family as great as a wine-glass. How could Ido that shin I shpoke about? I jusht shaid it to make her love me. 

P. 209. 3]

_Courtier. _ Why should you boast of this your noble birth?

 'T is character that makes the man of worth; But thorns and weeds grow rank in fertile earth. 29

_Sansthānaka. _ She 's ashamed to confessh her love when you 're here. Please go. My shervant Sthāvaraka has gone too after getting abeating. He may be running away. Catch him, shir, and come backwith him. 

_Courtier. _ [_Aside. _]

 Vasantasenā is too proud to own. While I am near, her love for one so crude; So now I leave her here with him alone; Love's confidences long for solitude. 30

[_Aloud. _] Very well. I go. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Seizing the hem of his garment. _] Did I not throwmyself upon your protection?

_Courtier. _ Do not fear, Vasantasenā. Jackass, Vasantasenā is apledge, committed to your hand. 

_Sansthānaka. _ All right. Jusht let her be committed to my hand. It 's a pledge that I 'll execute. 

_Courtier. _ Are you honest?

_Sansthānaka. _ Honesht. 

_Courtier. _ [_Takes a few steps. _] No! If I go, the wretch might killher. I will conceal myself for a moment, and see what he intendsto do. [_He stands apart. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ Good! I 'll murder her. But no! Perhaps thish trickytrickshter, thish Brahman, thish old jackal, has gone and hiddenhimshelf; he might raise a howl like the jackal he is. I 'll jusht dothish to deceive him. [_He gathers flowers and adorns himself. _]Vasantasenā, my love, my love! Come!

_Courtier. _ Yes, he has turned lover. Good! I am content. I willgo. [_Exit. _

[127. 12. S. 

_Sansthānaka. _

 I 'll give you gold, I 'll call you shweet; My turbaned head adores your feet. Why not love me, my clean-toothed girl? Why worship such a pauper churl? 31

_Vasantasenā. _ How can you ask? [_She bows her head and recitesthe following verses. _]

 O base and vile! O wretch! What more? Why tempt me now with gold and power? The honey-loving bees adore The pure and stainless lotus flower. 32

 Though poverty may strike a good man low, Peculiar honor waits upon his woe; And 't is the glory of a courtezan To set her love upon an honest man. 33

And I, who have loved the mango-tree, I cannot cling to thelocust-tree. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Wench, you make that poor little Chārudatta intoa mango-tree, and me you call a locusht-tree, not even an acacia!That 's the way you abuse me, and even yet you remember Chārudatta. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Why should I not remember him who dwells in myheart?

_Sansthānaka. _ Thish very minute I 'm going to shtrangle "him who dwellsin your heart, " and you too. Shtand shtill, you poor-merchant-man'slover!

_Vasantasenā. _ Oh speak, oh speak again these words that do me honor!

_Sansthānaka. _ Jusht let poor Chārudatta--the shon of a shlave--reshcueyou now!

_Vasantasenā. _ He would rescue me, if he saw me. 

_Sansthānaka. _

 Is he the king of gods? the royal ape? Shon of a nymph? or wears a demon's shape? The kingly deity of wind and rain? The offshpring of the Pāndu-princes' bane? A prophet? or a vulture known afar? A shtatesman? or a beetle? or a shtar? 34

P. 212. 11]

But even if he was, he could n't reshcue you. 

 As Sītā in the Bhārata Was killed by good old Chānakya, Sho I intend to throttle thee, As did Jatāyu Draupadī. 35

[_He raises his arm to strike her. _]

_Vasantasenā. _ Mother! where are you? Oh, Chārudatta! my heart'slonging is unfulfilled, and now I die! I will scream for help. No!It would bring shame on Vasantasenā, should she scream for help. Heaven bless Chārudatta!

_Sansthānaka. _ Does the wench shpeak that rashcal's name evenyet? [_He seizes her by the throat. _] Remember him, wench, rememberhim!

_Vasantasenā. _ Heaven bless Chārudatta!

_Sansthānaka. _ Die, wench! [_He strangles her. Vasantasenā losesconsciousness, and falls motionless. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Gleefully. _]

 Thish bashketful of shin, thish wench, Thish foul abode of impudence-- She came to love, she shtayed to blench, For Death's embrace took every sense. But why boasht I of valorous arms and shtout? She shimply died because her breath gave out. Like Sītā in the Bhārata, she lies. Ah, mother mine! how prettily she dies. 36

[129. 4. S. 

 She would not love me, though I loved the wench; I shaw the empty garden, set the shnare, And frightened her, and made the poor girl blench. My brother! Oh, my father! Thish is where You misshed the shight of heroism shtout; Your brother and your shon here blosshomed out Into a man; like Mother Draupadī, You were not there, my bravery to shee. 37

Good! The old jackal will be here in a minute. I 'll shtep ashideand wait. [_He does so. _] [_Enter the courtier, with Sthāvaraka. _]

_Courtier. _ I have persuaded the servant Sthāvaraka to come back, and now I will look for the jackass. [_He walks about and looksaround him. _] But see! A tree has fallen by the roadside, and killeda woman in its fall. O cruel! How couldst thou do this deed ofshame? And when I see that a woman was slain by thy fatal fall, I too am felled to the earth. Truly, my heart's fear for Vasantasenāwas an evil omen. Oh, heaven grant that all may yet be well![_He approaches Sansthānaka. _] Jackass, I have persuaded your servantSthāvaraka to return. 

_Sansthānaka. _ How do you do, shir? Sthāvaraka, my little shon, my shlave, how do you do?

_Sthāvaraka. _ Well, thank you. 

_Courtier. _ Give me my pledge. 

_Sansthānaka. _ What pledge?

_Courtier. _ Vasantasenā. 

_Sansthānaka. _ She's gone. 

_Courtier. _ Where?

_Sansthānaka. _ Right after you. 

_Courtier. _ [_Doubtfully. _] No, she did not go in that direction. 

_Sansthānaka. _ In what direction did you go?

_Courtier. _ Toward the east. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Well, she went shouth. [81]

_Courtier. _ So did I. 

P. 216. 2]

_Sansthānaka. _ She went north. 

_Courtier. _ This is nonsense. My heart is not satisfied. Speak thetruth. 

_Sansthānaka. _ I shwear by your head, shir, and my own feet. Youmay be easy in your heart. I murdered her. 

_Courtier. _ [_Despairingly. _] You really killed her?

_Sansthānaka. _ If you don't believe my words, then shee the firshtheroic deed of Sansthānaka, the king's brother-in-law. [_He pointsout the body. _]

_Courtier. _ Alas! Ah, woe is me! [_He falls in a swoon. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ Hee, hee! The gentleman is calm enough now!

_Sthāvaraka. _ Oh, sir! Come to yourself! I am the first murderer, for I brought the bullock-cart hither without looking into it. 

_Courtier. _ [_Comes to himself. Mournfully. _] Alas, Vasantasenā!

 The stream of courtesy is dried away, And happiness to her own land doth flee, Sweet gem of gems, that knew love's gentle play, Love's mart and beauty's! Joy of men like me! Thy mirth-shored stream, that kind and healing river-- Alas! is perished, lost, and gone forever! 38

[_Tearfully. _] Ah, woe is me!

 What sin is yet to come, or woe, Now thou hast done this deed of hate? Like sin's foul self, hast thou laid low The sinless goddess of our state. 39

[_Aside. _] Ah! Perhaps the wretch means to lay this sin to mycharge. I must go hence. [_He walks about. Sansthānaka approachesand holds him back. _] Scoundrel! Touch me not. I have done withyou. I go. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Aha! Firsht you murder Vasantasenā, then youabuse me, and now where will you run to? And sho a man like mehas n't anybody to protect him. 

[131. 8. S. 

_Courtier. _ You are an accursèd scoundrel!

_Sansth. _

 I'll give you countless wealth, a piece of gold, A copper, and a cap, to have and hold. And sho the fame of thish great deed shall be A common property, and shan't touch me. 40

_Courtier. _ A curse upon you! Yours, and yours only, be the deed. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ Heaven avert the omen! [_Sansthānaka bursts outlaughing. _]

_Courtier. _

 Be enmity between us! Cease your mirth! Damned be a friendship that so shames my worth! Never may I set eyes on one so low! I fling you off, an unstrung, broken bow. 41

_Sansthānaka. _ Don't be angry. Come, let's go and play in the pond. 

_Courtier. _

 Unstained my life, and yet it seems to me Your friendship stains, and mocks my sinlessness, You woman-murderer! How could I be A friend to one whom women ever see With eyes half-closed in apprehension's stress? 42

[_Mournfully. _] Vasantasenā, When thou, sweet maid, art born again, Be not a courtezan reborn, But in a house which sinless men, And virtuous, and good, adorn. 43

_Sansthānaka. _ Firsht you murder Vasantasenā in my old gardenPushpakaranda, and now where will you run to? Come, defendyourshelf in court before my shishter's husband! [_He holds himback. _]

_Courtier. _ Enough, you accursèd scoundrel! [_He draws his sword. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Recoiling in terror. _] Shcared, are you? Go along, then. 

_Courtier. _ [_Aside. _] It would be folly to remain here. Well, I willgo and join myself to Sharvilaka, Chandanaka, and the rest. [_Exit. _

P. 219. 5]

_Sansthānaka. _ Go to hell. Well, my little shon Sthāvaraka, whatkind of a thing is thish that I 've done?

_Sthāvaraka. _ Master, you have committed a terrible crime. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Shlave! What do you mean by talking about a crime?Well, I 'll do it thish way. [_He takes various ornaments from hisperson. _] Take these gems. I give 'em to you. Whenever I want towear them, I 'll take them back again, but the resht of the timethey are yours. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ They should be worn only by my master. What haveI to do with such things?

_Sansthānaka. _ Go along! Take these bullocks, and wait in the towerof my palace until I come. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ Yes, master. [_Exit. _

_Sansthānaka. _ The gentleman has made himshelf invisible. Hewanted to save himshelf. And the shlave I 'll put in irons in the palacetower, and keep him there. And sho the shecret will be shafe. I 'll go along, but firsht I 'll take a look at her. Is she dead, or shallI murder her again? [_He looks at Vasantasenā. _] Dead as a doornail!Good! I 'll cover her with thish cloak. No, it has my nameon it. Shome honesht man might recognize it. Well, here are shomedry leaves that the wind has blown into a heap. I 'll cover herwith them. [_He does so, then pauses to reflect. _] Good! I 'll do itthish way. I 'll go to court at once, and there I 'll lodge a complaint. I 'll shay that the merchant Chārudatta enticed Vasantasenā intomy old garden Pushpakaranda, and killed her for her money. 

 Yesh, Chārudatta musht be shlaughtered now, And I 'll invent the plan, forgetting pity; The shacrificing of a sinless cow Is cruel in the kindesht-hearted city. 44

Now I 'm ready to go. [_He starts to go away, but perceives somethingthat frightens him. _] Goodnessh gracioush me! Wherever Igo, thish damned monk comes with his yellow robes. I bored a holein his nose once and drove him around, and he hates me. Perhapshe'll shee me, and will tell people that I murdered her. How shallI eshcape? [_He looks about. _] Aha! I 'll jump over the wall whereit is half fallen down, and eshcape that way. 

[133. 8. S. 

 I run, I run, I go, In heaven, on earth below, In hell, and in Ceylon, Hanūmat's peaks upon-- Like Indra's self, I go. [_Exit. _] 45

[_Enter hurriedly the Buddhist monk, ex-shampooer. _]

_Monk. _ I 've washed these rags of mine. Shall I let them dry on abranch? no, the monkeys would steal them. On the ground? thedust would make them dirty again. Well then, where shall I spreadthem out to dry? [_He looks about. _] Ah, here is a pile of dry leaveswhich the wind has blown into a heap. I 'll spread them out onthat. [_He does so. _] Buddha be praised! [_He sits down. _] Now I willrepeat a hymn of the faith. 

 Who slays the Five Men, and the Female Bane, By whom protection to the Town is given, By whom the Outcaste impotent is slain, He cannot fail to enter into heaven. (2)

After all, what have I to do with heaven, before I have paid mydebt to Vasantasenā, my sister in Buddha? She bought my freedomfor ten gold-pieces from the gamblers, and since that day Iregard myself as her property. [_He looks about. _] What was that?a sigh that arose from the leaves? It cannot be. 

 The heated breezes heat the leaves, The wetted garment wets the leaves, And so, I guess, the scattered leaves Curl up like any other leaves. 46

[_Vasantasenā begins to recover consciousness, and stretches out herhand. _]

P. 222. 12]

_Monk. _ Ah, there appears a woman's hand, adorned with beautiful gems. What! a second hand? [_He examines it with the greatest care. _] It seemsto me, I recognize this hand. Yes, there is no doubt about it. Surely, this is the hand that saved me. But I must see for myself. [_He uncoversthe body, looks at it, and recognizes it. _] It _is_ my sister in Buddha. [_Vasantasenā pants for water. _] Ah, she seeks water, and the pond isfar away. What shall I do? An idea! I will hold this robe over her andlet it drip upon her. [_He does so. Vasantasenā recovers consciousness, and raises herself. The monk fans her with his garment. _]

_Vasantasenā. _ Who are you, sir?

_Monk. _ Has my sister in Buddha forgotten him whose freedomshe bought for ten gold-pieces?

_Vasantasenā. _ I seem to remember, but not just as you say. Itwere better that I had slept never to waken. 

_Monk. _ What happened here, sister in Buddha?

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Despairingly. _] Nothing but what is fitting--for acourtezan. 

_Monk. _ Sister in Buddha, support yourself by this creeper[82] thatclings to the tree, and rise to your feet [_He bends down the creeper. Vasantasenā takes it in her hand, and rises. _]

_Monk. _ In yonder monastery dwells one who is my sister in thefaith. There shall my sister in Buddha be restored before she returnshome. You must walk very slowly, sister. [_He walks aboutand looks around him. _] Make way, good people, make way! This isa young lady, and I am a monk, yet my conduct is above reproach. 

 The man whose hands, whose lips are free from greed, Who curbs his senses, he is man indeed. He little recks, if kingdoms fall or stand; For heaven is in the hollow of his hand. 47

 [_Exeunt. _

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 72: An allusion to the practice by which the Buddhists induceda state of religious ecstasy. ]

[Footnote 73: The five senses. ]

[Footnote 74: Ignorance. ]

[Footnote 75: The body. ]

[Footnote 76: The conceit of individuality. ]

[Footnote 77: Used as an appetiser. ]

[Footnote 78: The elaborate puns of this passage can hardly bereproduced in a translation. ]

[Footnote 79: See page 13. ]

[Footnote 80: The four cardinal points, the four intermediate points, the zenith, and the nadir. ]

[Footnote 81: The region of Yama, god of death. ]

[Footnote 82: A monk may not touch a woman. ]

ACT THE NINTH

THE TRIAL

[_Enter a beadle. _]

_Beadle. _

The magistrates said to me "Come, beadle, go to thecourt-room, and make ready the seats. " So now I am on my way to set thecourt-room in order. [_He walks about and looks around him. _] Here isthe court-room, I will enter. [_He enters, sweeps, and puts a seat inits place. _] There! I have tidied up the court-room and put the seats inreadiness, and now I will go and tell the magistrates. [_He walks aboutand looks around him. _] But see! Here comes that arrant knave, theking's brother-in-law. I will go away without attracting his attention. [_He stands apart. Enter Sansthānaka, in gorgeous raiment. _]

_Sansth. _

 I bathed where water runs and flows and purls; I shat within a garden, park, and grove With women, and with females, and with girls, Whose lovely limbs with grace angelic move. 1

 My hair is shometimes done up tight, you shee; In locks, or curls, it hangs my forehead o'er; Shometimes 't is matted, shometimes hanging free; And then again, I wear a pompadour. I am a wonder, I'm a wondrous thing. And the husband of my shishter is the king. 2

And beshides, I 've found a big hole, like a worm that has crawledinto the knot of a lotush-root, and is looking for a hole to creepout at. Now who was I going to accuse of thish wicked deed? [_Herecalls something. _] Oh, yesh! I remember. I was going to accusepoor Chārudatta of thish wicked deed. Beshides, he's poor. They 'llbelieve anything about him. Good! I 'll go to the court-room andlodge a public complaint against Chārudatta, how he shtrangledVasantasenā and murdered her. Sho now I 'm on my way to thecourt-room. [_He walks about and looks around him. _] Here is thecourt-room. I 'll go in. [_He enters and looks about. _] Well, here arethe sheats, all arranged. While I 'm waiting for the magishtrates, I 'll jusht sit down a minute on the grass. [_He does so. _]

P. 226. 10]

_Beadle. _ [_Walks about in another direction, and looks before him. _]Here come the magistrates. I will go to them. [_He does so. _]

[_Enter the judge, accompanied by a gild-warden, a clerk, and others. _]

_Judge. _ Gild-warden and clerk!

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ We await your bidding. 

_Judge. _ A trial depends to such an extent upon others that the taskof the magistrates--the reading of another's thoughts--is mostdifficult. 

 Men often speak of deeds that no man saw, Matters beyond the province of the law; Passion so rules the parties that their lies, Hide their offenses from judicial eyes; This side and that exaggerate a thing, Until at last it implicates the king; To sum it up: false blame is easy won, A true judge little praised, or praised by none. 3

And again:

 Men often point to sins that no man saw, And in their anger scorn the patient law; In court-rooms even the righteous with their lies Hide their offenses from judicial eyes; And those who did the deed are lost to view, Who sinned with plaintiff and defendant too; To sum it up: false blame is easy won, A true judge little praised, or praised by none. 4

For the judge must be

 Learnèd, and skilled in tracing fraud's sly path, And eloquent, insensible to wrath; To friend, foe, kinsman showing equal grace, Reserving judgment till he know the case; Untouched by avarice, in virtue sound. The weak he must defend, the knave confound; An open door to truth, his heart must cling To others' interests, yet shun each thing That might awake the anger of the king. 5

[137. 94. S. 

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ And do men speak of defects in yourvirtue? If so, then they speak of darkness in the moonlight. 

_Judge. _ My good beadle, conduct me to the court-room. 

_Beadle. _ Follow me, Your Honor. [_They walk about. _] Here is thecourt-room. May the magistrates be pleased to enter. [_All enter. _]

_Judge. _ My good beadle, do you go outside and learn who desiresto present a case. 

_Beadle. _ Yes, sir. [_He goes out. _] Gentlemen, the magistrates ask ifthere is any here who desires to present a case. 

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Gleefully. _] The magishtrates are here. [_He strutsabout. _] I desire to present a cashe, I, an arishtocrat, a man, aVāsudeva, the royal brother-in-law, the brother-in-law of the king. 

_Beadle. _ [_In alarm. _] Goodness! The king's brother-in-law is the firstwho desires to present a case. Well! Wait a moment, sir. I will informthe magistrates at once. [_He approaches the magistrates. _] Gentlemen, here is the king's brother-in-law who has come to court, desiring to present a case. 

_Judge. _ What! the king's brother-in-law is the first who desires topresent a case? Like an eclipse at sunrise, this betokens the ruinof some great man. Beadle, the court will doubtless be very busyto-day. Go forth, my good man, and say "Leave us for to-day. Your suit cannot be considered. "

_Beadle. _ Yes, Your Honor. [_He goes out, and approaches Sansthānaka. _]Sir, the magistrates send word that you are to leave them for to-day;that your suit cannot be considered. 

P. 229. 13]

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Wrathfully. _] Confound it! Why can't my shuit beconshidered? If it is n't conshidered, then I 'll tell my brother-in-law, King Pālaka, my shishter's husband, and I 'll tell my shishterand my mother too, and I 'll have thish judge removed, and anotherjudge appointed. [_He starts to go away. _]

_Beadle. _ Oh, sir! Brother-in-law of the king! Wait a moment. Iwill inform the magistrates at once. [_He returns to the Judge. _] Thebrother-in-law of the king is angry, and says--[_He repeats Sansthānaka'swords. _]

_Judge. _ This fool might do anything. My good man, tell him tocome hither, that his suit will be considered. 

_Beadle. _ [_Approaching Sansthānaka. _] Sir, the magistrates sendword that you are to come in, that your suit will be considered. Pray enter, sir. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Firsht they shay it won't be conshidered, then theyshay it will be conshidered. The magishtrates are shcared. WhateverI shay, I 'll make 'em believe it. Good! I 'll enter. [_He entersand approaches the magistrates. _] I am feeling very well, thank you. Whether you feel well or not--that depends on me. 

_Judge. _ [_Aside. _] Well, well! We seem to have a highly cultivatedplaintiff. [_Aloud. _] Pray be seated. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Well! Thish floor belongs to me. I 'll sit down whereverI like. [_To the gild-warden. _] I'll sit here. [_To the beadle. _]Why should n't I sit here? [_He lays his hand on the Judge's head. _]I 'll sit here. [_He sits down on the floor. _]

_Judge. _ You desire to present a case?

_Sansthānaka. _ Of courshe. 

_Judge. _ Then state the case. 

_Sansthānaka. _ I 'll whishper it. I was born in the great family ofa man as glorioush as a wine-glass. 

 My father's father of the king--in law; The king, he is my daddy's son-in-law; And I am brother to the king--in law; And the husband of my shishter is the king. 6

[140. 1. S. 

_Judge. _ All this we know. 

 Why should you boast of this your noble birth? 'T is character that makes the man of worth; But thorns and weeds grow rank in fertile earth. 7

State your case. 

_Sansthānaka. _ I will, but even if I was guilty, he wouldn't doanything to me. Well, my shishter's husband liked me, and gaveme the besht garden there is, the old garden Pushpakaranda, toplay in and look after. And there I go every day to look at it, tokeep it dry, to keep it clean, to keep it blosshoming, to keep ittrimmed. But fate decreed that I shaw--or rather, I didn't _shee_--theproshtrate body of a woman. 

_Judge. _ Do you know who the unfortunate woman was?

_Sansthānaka. _ Hello, magishtrates! Why shouldn't I know? Awoman like that! the pearl of the city! adorned with a hundredgolden ornaments! Shomebody's unworthy shon enticed her intothe old garden Pushpakaranda when it was empty, and for amere trifle--for her money!--shtrangled Vasantasenā and killedher. But _I_ didn't--[_He breaks off, and puts his hand over hismouth. _]

_Judge. _ What carelessness on the part of the city police! Gild-wardenand clerk, write down the words "I didn't, " as the firstarticle in the case. 

_Clerk. _ Yes, sir. [_He does so. _] Sir, it is written. 

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Aside. _] Goodnessh! Now I've ruined myshelf, likea man that shwallows a cake of rice and milk in a hurry. Well, I'll get out of it thish way. [_Aloud. _] Well, well, magishtrates! Iwas jusht remarking that I didn't shee it happen. What are youmaking thish hullabaloo about? [_He wipes out the written wordswith his foot. _]

P. 233. 3]

_Judge. _ How do you know that she was strangled--and for hermoney?

_Sansthānaka. _ Hello! Why shouldn't I think sho, when her neckwas shwollen and bare, and the places where you wear jewelsdid n't have any gold on them?

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ That seems plausible. 

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Aside. _] Thank heaven! I breathe again. Hooray!

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ Upon whom does the conduct of thiscase depend?

_Judge. _ The case has a twofold aspect. 

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ How so?

_Judge. _ We have to consider the allegations, then the facts. Nowthe investigation of the allegations depends upon plaintiff and defendant. But the investigation of the facts must be carried out bythe wisdom of the judge. 

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ Then the conduct of the case dependsupon the presence of Vasantasenā's mother?

_Judge. _ Precisely. My good beadle, summon Vasantasenā's mother, without, however, giving her cause for anxiety. 

_Beadle. _ Yes, Your Honor. [_He goes out, and returns with themother of the courtezan. _] Follow me, madam. 

_Mother. _ My daughter went to the house of a friend to enjoy heryouth. But now comes this gentleman--long life to him!--andsays "Come! The judge summons you. " I find myself quite bewildered. My heart is palpitating. Sir, will you conduct me to thecourt-room?

_Beadle. _ Follow me, madam. [_They walk about. _] Here is the court-room. Pray enter, madam. [_They enter. _]

_Mother. _ [_Approaching. _] Happiness be yours, most worthy gentlemen. 

_Judge. _ My good woman, you are very welcome. Pray be seated. 

[141. 24. S. 

_Mother. _ Thank you. [_She seats herself. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Abusively. _] You 're here, are you, you old bawd?

_Judge. _ Tell me. Are you Vasantasenā's mother?

_Mother. _ I am. 

_Judge. _ Whither has Vasantasenā gone at this moment?

_Mother. _ To the house of a friend. 

_Judge. _ What is the name of her friend?

_Mother. _ [_Aside. _] Dear me! Really, this is very embarrassing. [_Aloud. _] Any one else might ask me this, but not a judge. 

_Judge. _ Pray do not be embarrassed. The conduct of the case putsthe question. 

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ The conduct of the case puts the question. You incur no fault. Speak. 

_Mother. _ What! the conduct of the case? If that is so, then listen, worthy gentlemen. There lives in the merchants' quarter thegrandson of the merchant Vinayadatta, the son of Sāgaradatta, a man whose name is a good omen in itself--that name is Chārudatta. In his house my daughter enjoys her youth. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Did you hear that? Write those words down. Mycontention is with Chārudatta. 

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ It is no sin for Chārudatta to be herfriend. 

_Judge. _ The conduct of this case demands the presence of Chārudatta. 

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ Exactly. 

_Judge. _ Dhanadatta, write as the first article in the case "Vasantasenāwent to the house of Chārudatta. " But must we summon theworthy Chārudatta also? No, the conduct of the case summonshim. Go, my good beadle, summon Chārudatta, --but gently, withouthaste, without giving him cause for anxiety, respectfully, as itwere incidentally, --with the words "The judge wishes to see you. "

P. 236. 11]

_Beadle. _ Yes, Your Honor. [_He goes out, then returns with Chārudatta. _]Follow me, sir. 

_Chārudatta. _ [_Thoughtfully. _]

 My character and kin are known Unto the king who rules our state; And in this summons there is shown A doubt begotten of my wretched fate. 8

[_Reflectively. Aside. _]

 Ah! Were there those, the man to recognize Who met me on the road, from bondage freed? Or did the king, who sees through cunning spies, Learn that my cart was lent him in his need? Why should I else be forced to tread the street, Like one accused of crime, my judge to meet? 9

But why consider thus? I must go to the court-room. My goodbeadle, conduct me to the court. 

_Beadle. _ Follow me, sir. [_They walk about. _]

_Chārudatta. _ [_Apprehensively. _] And what means this?

 Hear how the gloomy raven hoarsely croaks; The slaves of justice summon me again; My left eye twitches; these repeated strokes Of threatened evil frighten me and pain. 10

_Beadle. _ Follow me, sir, gently and without haste. 

_Chārudatta. _ [_Walks about and looks before him. _]

 Upon the withered tree, a crow Turns to the sun; His left eye falls on me. Ah, woe! My doubt is done. 11

[_He looks in another direction. _] But see! a snake!

 His eye is fixed upon me; and his back Flashes like antimony's lustrous black; His long tongue quivers; four white fangs appear; His belly swells and coils. He slumbered here, This prince of serpents, till I crossed his path, And now he darts upon me in his wrath. 12

[143. 21. S. 

And more than this:

 I slip, although the ground has felt no rain; My left eye, and my left arm throb again; Another bird is screaming overhead; All bodes a cruel death, and hope is fled. 13

Surely, the gods will grant that all may yet be well. 

_Beadle. _ Follow me, sir. Here is the court-room. Pray enter. 

_Chārudatta. _ [_Enters and looks about. _] How wonderfully splendidis the court-room. For it seems an ocean, Whose waters are the king's advisers, deep In thought; as waves and shells it seems to keep The attorneys; and as sharks and crocodiles It has its spies that stand in waiting files; Its elephants and horses[83] represent The cruel ocean-fish on murder bent; As if with herons of the sea, it shines With screaming pettifoggers' numerous lines; While in the guise of serpents, scribes are creeping Upon its statecraft-trodden shore: the court The likeness of an ocean still is keeping, To which all harmful-cruel beasts resort. 14

Come! [_As he enters, he strikes his head against the door. Reflectively. _]Alas! This also?

 My left eye throbs; a raven cries; A serpent coils athwart my path. My safety now with heaven lies. 15

But I must enter. [_He does so. _]

P. 238. 16]

_Judge. _ This is Chārudatta. 

 A countenance like his, with clear-cut nose, Whose great, wide-opened eye frank candor shows, Is not the home of wantonness; With elephants, with horses, and with kine, The outer form is inner habit's sign; With men no less. 16

_Chārudatta. _ My greetings to the officers of justice. Officials, I saluteyou. 

_Judge. _ [_Betraying his agitation. _] You are very welcome, sir. Mygood beadle, give the gentleman a seat. 

_Beadle. _ [_Brings a seat. _] Here is a seat. Pray be seated, sir. [_Chārudatta seats himself. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Angrily. _] You're here, are you, you woman-murderer?Well! Thish is a fine trial, thish is a jusht trial, where theygive a sheat to thish woman-murderer. [_Haughtily. _] But it's allright. They can give it to him. 

_Judge. _ Chārudatta, have you any attachment, or affection, orfriendship, with this lady's daughter?

_Chārudatta. _ What lady?

_Judge. _ This lady. [_He indicates Vasantasenā's mother. _]

_Chārudatta. _ [_Rising. _] Madam, I salute you. 

_Mother. _ Long life to you, my son! [_Aside. _] So this is Chārudatta. My daughter's youth is in good hands. 

_Judge. _ Sir, is the courtezan your friend? [_Chārudatta betrays hisembarrassment. _]

_Sansthānaka. _

 He tries to hide the deed he did; He lies, from shame or fear; He murdered her, of her got rid For gold, and thinks the deed is hid; Not sho his mashter here. 17

[145. 18. S. 

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ Speak, Chārudatta. Do not be ashamed. This is a lawsuit. 

_Chārudatta. _ [_In embarrassment. _] Officials, how can I testify thata courtezan is my friend? But at worst, it is youth that bears theblame, not character. 

_Judge. _

 The case is hard; then banish shame, Though it oppress your heart; Speak truth with fortitude, and aim To set deceit apart. 18

Do not be embarrassed. The conduct of the case puts the question. 

_Chārudatta. _ Officer, with whom have I a lawsuit?

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Arrogantly. _] With me!

_Chārudatta. _ A lawsuit with you is unendurable!

_Sansthānaka. _ Well, well, woman-murderer! You murder a womanlike Vasantasenā who used to wear a hundred gems, and now youtry deceitful deceivings to hide it!

_Chārudatta. _ You are a fool. 

_Judge. _ Enough of him, good Chārudatta. Speak the truth. Is thecourtezan your friend?

_Chārudatta. _ She is. 

_Judge. _ Sir, where is Vasantasenā?

_Chārudatta. _ She has gone home. 

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ How did she go? When did she go? Whoaccompanied her?

_Chārudatta. _ [_Aside. _] Shall I say that she went unobserved?

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ Speak, sir. 

_Chārudatta. _ She went home. What more shall I say?

_Sansthānaka. _ She was enticed into my old garden Pushpakaranda, and was shtrangled for her money. Now will you shay that shewent home?

_Chārudatta. _ Man, you are crazy. 

 The very clouds of heaven wet not you; Your lips are like the blue-jay's wing-tip worn, Yes, full as fickle with their speech untrue, And like the winter lotus lustre-lorn. 19

P. 241. 19]

_Judge. _ [_Aside. _]

 Take the Himalayan hills within your hand, And swim from ocean strand to ocean strand, And hold within your grasp the fleeting wind: Then may you think that Chārudatta sinned. 20

[_Aloud. _] This is the noble Chārudatta. How could he commit this crime?[_He repeats the verse_ "A countenance like his:" _page 141. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ Why thish partiality in a lawshuit?

_Judge. _ Away, you fool!

 Illiterate, you gloss the Sacred Law, And still your tongue uninjured find? The midday sun with steadfast eye you saw, And are not straightway stricken blind? You thrust your hand into the blazing fire, And draw it forth, unscathed and sound? Drag Chārudatta's virtue in the mire, Nor sink beneath this yawning ground? 21

How could the noble Chārudatta commit a crime?

 Of all the riches of the mighty sea Only the swelling waters now are left, Because, without consideration, he-- For others' good--himself of all has reft. And should this high-souled man, this store-house where All gems of virtue gather and unite, For lucre's sake, so foul a trespass dare That in it even his foe could not delight? 22

_Mother. _ You scoundrel! When the golden casket that was leftwith him as a pledge was stolen by thieves at night, he gave inplace of it a pearl necklace that was the pride of the four seas. And he should now, for a mere trifle--for her money!--do thissin? Oh, my child, come back to me, my daughter! [_She weeps. _]

[147. 16. S. 

_Judge. _ Noble Chārudatta, did she go on foot, or in a bullock-cart?

_Chārudatta. _ I did not see her when she went. Therefore I do notknow whether she went on foot, or in a bullock-cart. 

 * * * * *

[_Enter Vīraka, in anger. _]

_Vīraka. _

 My anger was so prodded to the quick, By that dishonoring, insulting kick, And so I brooded, till at last the night Unwilling yielded to the dawning light. 23

So now I will go to the court-room. [_He enters. _] May happinessbe the lot of these honorable gentlemen. 

_Judge. _ Ah, it is Vīraka, the captain of the guard. Vīraka, whatis the purpose of your coming?

_Vīraka. _ Well! I was looking for Aryaka, in all the excitementabout his escape from prison. I had my suspicions about a coveredbullock-cart that was coming, and wanted to look in. "You 'vemade one inspection, man, I must make another, " said I, and thenI was kicked by the highly respectable Chandanaka. You haveheard the matter, gentlemen. The rest is your affair. 

_Judge. _ My good man, do you know to whom the bullock-cartbelonged?

_Vīraka. _ To this gentleman here, Chārudatta. And the driver saidthat Vasantasenā was in it, and was on her way to have a goodtime in the old garden Pushpakaranda. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Lishten to that, too!

_Judge. _

 This moon, alas, though spotless-bright, Is now eclipsed, and robbed of light; The bank is fallen; the waves appear Befouled, that once were bright and clear. 24

P. 244. 8]

Vīraka, we will investigate your case here later. Mount the horsethat stands before the court-room door, go to the garden Pushpakaranda, and see whether a woman has perished there or not. 

_Vīraka. _ Yes, sir. [_He goes out, then returns. _] I have been there. And I saw the body of a woman, torn by wild beasts. 

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ How do you know that it was the bodyof a woman?

_Vīraka. _ That I perceived from the traces of hair and arms andhands and feet. 

_Judge. _ Alas for the difficulties which are caused by the actionsof men!

 The more one may apply his skill, The harder is the matter still; Plain are indeed the law's demands, Yet judgment insecurely stands As some poor cow on shifting sands. 25

_Chārudatta. _ [_Aside. _]

 As bees, when flowers begin to blow, Gather to sip the honey, so When man is marked by adverse fate, Misfortunes enter every gate. 26

_Judge. _ Noble Chārudatta, speak truth!

_Chārudatta. _

 A mean and jealous creature, passion-blind, Sets all his soul, some fatal means to find To slay the man he envies; shall his lies By evil nature prompted, win the prize? No! he is unregarded by the wise. 27

And more than this:

 The creeper's beauty would I never blight, Nor pluck its flowers; should I not be afraid To seize her hair so lovely-long, and bright As wings of bees, and slay a weeping maid? 28

[149. 15. S. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Hello, magishtrates! How can you inveshtigate thecashe with such partiality? Why, even now you let thish shcoundrelChārudatta shtay on his sheat. 

_Judge. _ My good beadle, so be it [_The beadle follows Sansthānaka'ssuggestion. _]

_Chārudatta. _ Consider, magistrates, consider what you are doing![_He leaves his seat, and sits on the floor. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Dancing about gleefully. Aside. _] Fine! The shinthat I did falls on another man's head. Sho I 'll sit where Chārudattawas. [_He does so. _] Look at me, Chārudatta, and confesshthat you murdered her. 

_Chārudatta. _ Magistrates!

 A mean and jealous creature, passion-blind, Sets all his soul, some fatal means to find To slay the man he envies; shall his lies, By evil nature prompted, win the prize? No! he is unregarded by the wise. (27)

[_Sighing. Aside. _]

 My friend Maitreya! Oh, this cruel blow! My wife, thou issue of a spotless strain! My Rohasena! Here am I, laid low By sternest fate; and thou, thou dost not know That all thy childish games are played in vain. Thou playest, heedless of another's pain! 29

But Maitreya I sent to Vasantasenā, that he might bring me tidingsof her, and might restore the jewels which she gave my child, to buy him a toy cart. Why then does he linger?

 * * * * *

[_Enter Maitreya with the gems. _]

P. 246. 19]

_Maitreya. _ Chārudatta bade me go to Vasantasenā, to return her jewels, and he said to me: "Maitreya, Vasantasenā adorned my dear Rohasena withher own jewels, and sent him thus to his mother. It was fitting that sheshould give him the jewels, but not that we should receive them. Therefore restore them to her. " So now I will go to Vasantasenā's house. [_He walks about and looks around, then speaks to a person behind thescenes. _] Ah, it is Master Rebhila. Oh, Master Rebhila, why do you seemso exceedingly troubled? [_He listens. _] What! do you mean to say thatmy dear friend Chārudatta has been summoned to court? That can hardly bean insignificant matter. [_He reflects. _] I will go to Vasantasenā'shouse later, but now I will go to the court-room. [_He walks about andlooks around. _] Here is the court-room. I will go in at once. [_Heenters. _] May happiness be the lot of the magistrates. Where is myfriend?

_Judge. _ Here. 

_Maitreya. _ My friend, I wish you happiness. 

_Chārudatta. _ It will be mine. 

_Maitreya. _ And peace. 

_Chārudatta. _ That too will be mine. 

_Maitreya. _ My friend, why do you seem so exceedingly troubled?And why were you summoned?

_Chārudatta. _ My friend, A scoundrel I, who bear the blame, Nor seek in heaven to be blest; A maid--or goddess--'t is the same-- But _he_ will say the rest. 30

_Maitreya. _ What? what?

_Chārudatta. _ [_Whispers. _] That is it. 

_Maitreya. _ Who says that?

_Chārudatta. _ [_Indicating Sansthānaka. _] This poor fellow is theinstrument that fate uses to accuse me. 

[131. 12. S. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Aside to Chārudatta. _] Why don't you simply say thatshe went home?

_Chārudatta. _ Though I say it, it is not believed, so unfortunate ismy condition. 

_Maitreya. _ But gentlemen! He adorned the city of Ujjayinī withmansions, cloisters, parks, temples, pools, and fountains, and heshould be mad enough to commit such a crime--and for a meretrifle? [_Wrathfully. _] You offspring of a loose wench, you brother-in-lawof the king, Sansthānaka, you libertine, you slanderer, youbuffoon, you gilded monkey, say it before me! This friend of minedoes n't even draw a flowering jasmine creeper to himself, to gatherthe blossoms, for fear that a twig might perhaps be injured. How should he commit a crime like this, which heaven and earthcall accursèd? Just wait, you son of a bawd! Wait till I split yourhead into a hundred pieces with this staff of mine, as crooked asyour heart. 

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Angrily. _] Lishten to that, gentlemen! I have aquarrel, or a lawshuit, with Chārudatta. What right has a manwith a pate that looks like a caret, to shplit my head into a hundredpieces? Not much! You confounded rashcal! [_Maitreya raiseshis staff and repeats his words. Sansthānaka rises angrily and strikeshim. Maitreya strikes back. During the scuffle the jewels fall fromMaitreya's girdle. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Picks up the jewels and examines them. Excitedly. _]Look, gentlemen, look! These are the poor girl's jewels! [_Pointingto Chārudatta. _] For a trifle like thish he murdered her, and killedher too. [_The magistrates all bow their heads. _]

_Chārudatta. _ [_Aside to Maitreya. _]

 'T is thus my fate would vent its gall, That at this moment they should fall, These gems--and with them, I. 31

_Maitreya. _ But why don't you simply tell the truth?

P. 250. 1]

_Chārudatta. _ My friend, The king perceives with blinded eye, Nor on the truth that eye will bend; Though telling all, I cannot fly A wretched and inglorious end. 32

_Judge. _ Alas! Alas!

 With Mars strives Jupiter, and dies; Beside them both there seems to rise A comet-planet[84] in the skies. 33

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ [_Looking at the casket. To Vasantasenā'smother. _] Madam, pray examine this golden casket attentively, tosee whether it be the same or not. 

_Mother. _ [_Examining the casket. _] It is similar, but not the same. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Oh, you old bawd! You confessh it with your eyes, and deny it with your lips. 

_Mother. _ Away, you scoundrel!

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ Speak carefully. Is it the same or not?

_Mother. _ Sir, the craftsman's skill captivates the eye. But it is notthe same. 

_Judge. _ My good woman, do you know these jewels?

_Mother. _ No, I said. No! I don't recognize them; but perhaps theywere made by the same craftsman. 

_Judge. _ Gild-warden, see!

 Gems often seem alike in many ways, When the artist's mind on form and beauty plays; For craftsmen imitate what they have seen, And skilful hands remake what once has been. 34

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ Do these jewels belong to Chārudatta?

_Chārudatta. _ Never!

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ To whom then?

[153. 12. S. 

_Chārudatta. _ To this lady's daughter. 

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ How did she lose them?

_Chārudatta. _ She lost them. Yes, so much is true. 

_Gild-warden and Clerk. _ Chārudatta, speak the truth in this matter. For you must remember, Truth brings well-being in its train; Through speaking truth, no evils rise; Truth, precious syllable!--Refrain From hiding truth in lies. 35

_Chārudatta. _ The jewels, the jewels! I do not know. But I do knowthat they were taken from my house. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Firsht you take her into the garden and murderher. And now you hide it by tricky trickinessh. 

_Judge. _ Noble Chārudatta, speak the truth!

 Merciless lashes wait to smite This moment on thy tender flesh; And we--we can but think it right. 36

_Chārudatta. _

 Of sinless sires I boast my birth, And sin in me was never found; Yet if suspicion taints my worth, What boots it though my heart be sound? 37

[_Aside. _] And yet I know not what to do with life, so I be robbedof Vasantasenā. [_Aloud. _] Ah, why waste words?

 A scoundrel I, who bear the blame, Nor think of earth, nor heaven blest; That sweetest maid, in passion's flame-- But _he_ will say the rest. 38

_Sansthānaka. _ Killed her! Come, you shay it too. "I killed her. "

_Chārudatta. _ You have said it. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Lishten, my mashters, lishten! He murdered her! Noone but him! Doubt is over. Let punishment be inflicted on thebody of thish poor Chārudatta. 

P. 253. 1]

_Judge. _ Beadle, we must do as the king's brother-in-law says. Guardsmen, lay hold on this Chārudatta. [_The guardsmen do so. _]

_Mother. _ Be merciful, good gentlemen, be merciful! [_She repeats whatshe had said before, beginning_ "When the golden casket:" _page 143. _]If my daughter is killed, she is killed. Let him live for me--bless him!And besides, a lawsuit is a matter between plaintiff and defendant. I amthe real plaintiff. So let him go free!

_Sansthānaka. _ You shlave, get out of the way! What have you gotto shay about him?

_Judge. _ Go, madam. Guardsmen, conduct her forth. 

_Mother. _ Oh, my child, my son! [_Exit weeping. _

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Aside. _] I 've done shomething worthy of myshelf. Now I 'll go. [_Exit. _

_Judge. _ Noble Chārudatta, the decision lies with us, but the restdepends on the king. And yet, beadle, let King Pālaka be remindedof this:

 The Brahman who has sinned, our laws declare, May not be slain, but banished from the realm, And with his wealth entire abroad may fare. 39

_Beadle. _ Yes, Your Honor. [_He goes out, then reënters in tears. _]Oh, sirs, I was with the king. And King Pālaka says: "Inasmuchas he killed Vasantasenā for such a trifle, these same jewels shallbe hung about his neck, the drum shall be beaten, he shall be conductedto the southern burying-ground, and there impaled. " Andwhoever else shall commit such a crime, shall be punished withthe like dreadful doom. 

_Chārudatta. _ Oh, how wanton is this act of King Pālaka! Nevertheless, Although his counsellors may plunge a king Into injustice' dangers great, Yet he will reap the woe and suffering; And 't is a righteous fate. 40

[155. 10. S. 

And more than this:

 They who pervert the king's true bent, The white crow's part who play, Have slain their thousands innocent, And slay, and slay, and slay. 41

My friend Maitreya, go, greet the mother of my son in my namefor the last time. And keep my son Rohasena free from harm. 

_Maitreya. _ When the root is cut away, how can the tree be saved?

_Chārudatta. _ No, not so. 

 When man departs to worlds above, In living son yet liveth he; Bestow on Rohasena love No less than that thou gavest me. 42

_Maitreya. _ Oh, my friend! I will prove myself your friend by continuingthe life that you leave unfinished. 

_Chārudatta. _ And let me see Rohasena for a single moment. 

_Maitreya. _ I will. It is but fitting. 

_Judge. _ My good beadle, remove this man. [_The beadle does so. _]Who is there? Let the headsmen receive their orders. [_The guardsmenloose their hold on Chārudatta, and all of them go out. _]

_Beadle. _ Come with me, sir. 

_Chārudatta. _ [_Mournfully repeats the verse, page 146, beginning_ "Myfriend Maitreya!" _Then, as if speaking to one not present. _]

 If you had proved my conduct by the fire, By water, poison, scales, and thus had known That I deserved that saws should bite my bone, My Brahman's frame, more could I not desire. You trust a foeman, slay me thus? 'T is well. With sons, and sons' sons, now you plunge to hell! 43

I come! I come! [_Exeunt omnes. _

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 83: Elephants were employed as executioners; and, according toLallādīkṣita, the horses served the same purpose. ]

[Footnote 84: This refers to the fallen jewels. ]

ACT THE TENTH

THE END

[_Enter Chārudatta, accompanied by two headsmen. _]

_Headsmen. _

 Then think no longer of the pain; In just a second you 'll be slain. We understand the fashions new To fetter you and kill you too. In chopping heads we never fail, Nor when the victim we impale. 1

Out of the way, gentlemen, out of the way! This is the noble Chārudatta. 

 The oleander on his brow, In headsmen's hands you see him now; Like a lamp whose oil runs nearly dry, His light fades gently, ere it die. 2

_Chārudatta. _ [_Gloomily. _]

 My body wet by tear-drops falling, falling; My limbs polluted by the clinging mud; Flowers from the graveyard torn, my wreath appalling; For ghastly sacrifice hoarse ravens calling, And for the fragrant incense of my blood. 3

_Headsmen. _ Out of the way, gentlemen, out of the way!

 Why gaze upon the good man so? The ax of death soon lays him low. Yet good men once sought shelter free, Like birds, upon this kindly tree. 4

Come, Chārudatta, come!

_Chārudatta. _ Incalculable are the ways of human destiny, that Iam come to such a plight!

 Red marks of hands in sandal paste O'er all my body have been placed; The man, with meal and powder strewn, Is now to beast of offering grown. 5

[157. 19. S. 

[_He gazes intently before him. _] Alas for human differences![_Mournfully. _]

 For when they see the fate that I must brave, With tears for death's poor victim freely given, The citizens cry "shame, " yet cannot save, -- Can only pray that I attain to heaven. 6

_Headsmen. _ Out of the way, gentlemen, out of the way! Why doyou gaze upon him?

 God Indra moving through the sky, [85] The calving cow, the falling star, The good man when he needs must die, -- These four behold not from afar. 7

_Goha. _ Look, Ahīnta! Look, man!

 While he, of citizens the best, Goes to his death at fate's behest, Does heaven thus weep that he must die? Does lightning paint the cloudless sky? 8

_Ahīnta. _ Goha, man, The heaven weeps not that he must die, Nor lightning paints the cloudless sky; Yet streams are falling constantly From many a woman's clouded eye. 9

And again:

 While this poor victim to his death is led, No man nor woman here but sorely weeps; And so the dust, by countless tear-drops fed, Thus peacefully upon the highway sleeps. 10

_Chārudatta. _ [_Gazes intently. Mournfully. _]

 These women, in their palaces who stay, From half-shut windows peering, thus lament, "Alas for Chārudatta! Woe the day!" And pity-streaming eyes on me are bent. 11

P. 258. 12]

_Headsmen. _ Come, Chārudatta, come! Here is the place of proclamation. Beat the drum and proclaim the sentence. 

Listen, good people, listen! This is the noble Chārudatta, sonof Sāgaradatta, and grandson of the merchant Vinayadatta. Thismalefactor enticed the courtezan Vasantasenā into the desertedold garden Pushpakaranda, and for a mere trifle murdered her bystrangling. He was taken with the booty, and confessed his guilt. Therefore are we under orders from King Pālaka to execute him. And if any other commit such a crime, accursèd in this world andthe next, him too King Pālaka condemns to the like punishment. 

_Chārudatta. _ [_Despondently. Aside. _]

 By hundred sacrifices purified, My radiant name Was once proclaimed by countless altars' side, And knew no blame. Now comes my hour of death, and evil men Of baser fame In public spots proclaim it once again, But linked with shame. 12

[_He looks up and stops his ears. _]

 Vasantasenā! Oh, my belovèd! From thy dear lips, that vied with coral's red, Betraying teeth more bright than moonbeams fair, My soul with heaven's nectar once was fed. How can I, helpless, taste that poison dread, To drink shame's poisoned cup how can I bear? 13

_Headsmen. _ Out of the way, gentlemen, out of the way!

 This treasure-house, with pearls of virtue stored, This bridge for good men o'er misfortune's river, This gem now robbed of all its golden hoard, Departs our town to-day, departs forever. 14

[159. 15. S. 

And again:

 Whom fortune favors, find That all the world is kind; Whose happy days are ended, Are rarely thus befriended. 15

_Chārudatta. _ [_Looks about him. _]

 Their faces with their garments' hem now hiding, They stand afar, whom once I counted friends: Even foes have smiles for men with Fortune biding: But friends prove faithless when good fortune ends. 16

_Headsmen. _ They are out of the way. The street is cleared. Leadon the condemned criminal. 

_Chārudatta. _ [_Sighing. _]

 My friend Maitreya! Oh, this cruel blow! My wife, thou issue of a spotless strain! My Rohasena! Here am I, laid low By sternest fate; and thou, thou dost not know That all thy childish games are played in vain. Thou playest, heedless of another's pain! (ix. 29)

 * * * * *

_Voices behind the scenes. _ My father! Oh, my friend!

_Chārudatta. _ [_Listens. Mournfully. _] You are a leader in your owncaste. I would beg a favor at your hands. 

_Headsmen. _ From _our_ hands you would receive a favor?

_Chārudatta. _ Heaven forbid! Yet a headsman is neither so wantonnor so cruel as King Pālaka. That I may be happy in the otherworld, I ask to see the face of my son. 

_Headsmen. _ So be it. 

_A voice behind the scenes. _ My father! oh, my father! [_Chārudattahears the words, and mournfully repeats his request. _]

_Headsmen. _ Citizens, make way a moment. Let the noble Chārudattalook upon the face of his son. [_Turning to the back of thestage. _] This way, sir! Come on, little boy!

P. 261. 15]

[_Enter Maitreya, with Rohasena. _]

_Maitreya. _ Make haste, my boy, make haste! Your father is beingled to his death. 

_Rohasena. _ My father! oh, my father!

_Maitreya. _ Oh, my friend! Where must I behold you now?

_Chārudatta. _ [_Perceives his son and his friend. _] Alas, my son! Alas, Maitreya! [_Mournfully. _] Ah, woe is me!

 Long, too long, shall I thirst in vain Through all my sojourn dread; This vessel[86] small will not contain The water for the dead. 17

What may I give my son? [_He looks at himself, and perceives thesacrificial cord. _] Ah, this at least is mine. 

 The precious cord that Brahmans hold Is unadorned with pearls and gold; Yet, girt therewith, they sacrifice To gods above and fathers[87] old. 18

[_He gives Rohasena the cord. _]

_Goha. _ Come, Chārudatta! Come, man!

_Ahīnta. _ Man, do you name the noble Chārudatta's name, and forgetthe title? Remember:

 In happy hours, in death, by night, by day, Roving as free as a yet unbroken colt, Fate wanders on her unrestricted way. 19

And again:

 Life will depart his body soon; Shall our reproaches bow his head? Although eclipse may seize the moon, We worship while it seems but dead. 20

_Rohasena. _ Oh, headsmen, where are you leading my father?

[161. 10. S. 

_Chārudatta. _ My darling, About my neck I needs must wear The oleander-wreath; Upon my shoulder I must bear The stake, and in my heart the care Of near-approaching death. I go to-day to meet a dastard's ending, A victim, at the fatal altar bending. 21

_Goha. _ My boy, Not we the headsmen are, Though born of headsman race; Thy father's life who mar, These, these are headsmen base. 22

_Rohasena. _ Then why do you murder my father?

_Goha. _ Bless you, 't is the king's orders must bear the blame, not we. 

_Rohasena. _ Kill me, and let father go free. 

_Goha. _ Bless you, may you live long for saying that!

_Chārudatta. _ [_Tearfully embracing his son. _]

 This treasure--love--this taste of heaven, To rich and poor alike is given; Than sandal better, or than balm, To soothe the heart and give it calm. 23

 About my neck I needs must wear The oleander-wreath, Upon my shoulder I must bear The stake, and in my heart the care Of near-approaching death. I go to-day to meet a dastard's ending, A victim, at the fatal altar bending. (21)

[_He looks about. Aside. _]

 Their faces with their garments' hem now hiding, They stand afar, whom once I counted friends: Even foes have smiles (16)

P. 264. 7]

_Maitreya. _ My good men, let my dear friend Chārudatta go free, and kill me instead. 

_Chārudatta. _ Heaven forbid! [_He looks about. Aside. _] Now I understand. 

 for men with Fortune biding; But friends prove faithless when good fortune ends. (16)

[_Aloud. _]

 These women, in their palaces who stay, From half-shut windows peering, thus lament, "Alas for Chārudatta! Woe the day!" And pity-streaming eyes on me are bent. (11)

_Goha. _ Out of the way, gentlemen, out of the way!

 Why gaze upon the good man so, When shame his living hope lays low? The cord was broken at the well, And down the golden pitcher fell. 24

_Chārudatta. _ [_Mournfully. _]

 From thy dear lips, that vied with coral's red, Betraying teeth more bright than moonbeams fair, My soul with heaven's nectar once was fed. How can I, helpless, taste that poison dread, To drink shame's poisoned cup how can I bear? (13)

_Ahīnta. _ Proclaim the sentence again, man. [_Goha does so. _]

_Chārud. _

 So lowly fallen! till shame my virtues blur, Till such an ending seem not loss, but gain! Yet o'er my heart there creeps a saddening pain, To hear them cry abroad "_You_ murdered _her_!" 25

[162. 18. S. 

[_Enter Sthāvaraka, fettered, in the palace tower. _]

_Sthāvaraka. _ [_After listening to the proclamation. In distress. _]What! the innocent Chārudatta is being put to death? And mymaster has thrown me into chains! Well, I must shout to them. --Listen, good gentlemen, listen! It was I, wretch that I am, whocarried Vasantasenā to the old garden Pushpakaranda, becauseshe mistook my bullock-cart for another. And then my master, Sansthānaka, found that she would not love him, and it was he, not this gentleman, who murdered her by strangling. --But theyare so far away that no one hears me. What shall I do? Shall I castmyself down? [_He reflects. _] If I do, then the noble Chārudattawill not be put to death. Yes, through this broken window I willthrow myself down from the palace tower. Better that I shouldmeet my end, than that the noble Chārudatta should perish, thistree of life for noble youths. And if I die in such a cause, I haveattained heaven. [_He throws himself down. _] Wonderful! I did notmeet my end, and my fetters are broken. So I will follow thesound of the headsmen's voices. [_He discovers the headsmen, andhastens forward. _] Headsmen, headsmen, make way!

_Headsmen. _ For whom shall we make way?

_Sthāvaraka. _ Listen, good gentlemen, listen! It was I, wretch thatI am, who carried Vasantasenā to the old garden Pushpakaranda, because she mistook my bullock-cart for another. And then mymaster, Sansthānaka, found that she would not love him, and itwas he, not this gentleman, who murdered her by strangling. 

_Chārudatta. _ Thank heaven!

 But who thus gladdens this my latest morn, When in Time's snare I struggle all forlorn, A streaming cloud above the rainless corn? 26

Listen! do you hear what I say?

 Death have I never feared, but blackened fame; My death were welcome, coming free from shame, As were a son, new-born to bear my name. 27

And again:

 That small, weak fool, whom I have never hated, Stained me with sin wherewith himself was mated, An arrow, with most deadly poison baited. 28

_Headsmen. _ Are you telling the truth, Sthāvaraka?

P. 266. 13]

_Sthāvaraka. _ I am. And to keep me from telling anybody, he castme into chains, and imprisoned me in the tower of his palace. 

 * * * * *

[_Enter Sansthānaka. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Gleefully. _]

 I ate a shour and bitter dish Of meat and herbs and shoup and fish; I tried at home my tongue to tickle With rice-cakes plain, and rice with treacle. 29

[_He listens. _] The headsmen's voices! They shound like a broken brasscymbal. I hear the music of the fatal drum and the kettle-drums, and shoI shuppose that that poor man, Chārudatta, is being led to the place ofexecution. I musht go and shee it. It is a great delight to shee myenemy die. Beshides, I 've heard that a man who shees his enemy beingkilled, is sure not to have shore eyes in his next birth. I acted like aworm that had crept into the knot of a lotush-root. I looked for a holeto crawl out at, and brought about the death of thish poor man, Chārudatta. Now I 'll climb up the tower of my own palace, and have alook at my own heroic deeds. [_He does so and looks about. _] Wonderfulwhat a crowd there is, to shee that poor man led to his death! Whatwould it be when an arishtocrat, a big man like me, was being led to hisdeath? [_He gazes. _] Look! There he goes toward the shouth, adorned likea young shteer. But why was the proclamation made near my palace tower, and why was it shtopped? [_He looks about. _] Why, my shlave Sthāvarakais gone, too. I hope he has n't run away and betrayed the shecret. Imusht go and look for him. [_He descends and approaches the crowd. _]

_Sthāvaraka. _ [_Discovers him. _] There he comes, good masters!

_Headsmen. _

 Give way! Make room! And shut the door! Be silent, and say nothing more! Here comes a mad bull through the press, Whose horns are sharp with wickedness. 30

[164. 16. S. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Come, come, make way! [_He approaches. _] Sthāvaraka, my little shon, my shlave, come, let 's go home. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ You scoundrel! Are you not content with the murderof Vasantasenā? Must you try now to murder the noble Chārudatta, that tree of life to all who loved him?

_Sansthānaka. _ I am beautiful as a pot of jewels. I kill no woman!

_Bystanders. _ Oho! _you_ murdered her, not the noble Chārudatta. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Who shays that?

_Bystanders. _ [_Pointing to Sthāvaraka. _] This honest man. 

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Fearfully. Aside. _] Merciful heavens! Why did n'tI chain that shlave Sthāvaraka fasht? Why, he was a witnessh ofmy crime. [_He reflects. _] I 'll do it thish way. [_Aloud. _] Lies, lies, good gentlemen. Why, I caught the shlave shtealing gold, and Ipounded him, and murdered him, and put him in chains. He hatesme. What he shays can't be true. [_He secretly hands Sthāvarakaa bracelet, and whispers. _] Sthāvaraka, my little shon, my shlave, take thish and shay shomething different. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ [_Takes it. _] Look, gentlemen, look! Why, he is tryingto bribe me with gold. 

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Snatches the bracelet from him. _] That 's the gold thatI put him in chains for. [_Angrily. _] Look here, headsmen! I puthim in charge of my gold-chest, and when he turned thief, I murderedhim and pounded him. If you don't believe it, jusht lookat his back. 

_Headsmen. _ [_Doing so. _] Yes, yes. When a servant is branded thatway, no wonder he tells tales. 

_Sthāvaraka. _ A curse on slavery! A slave convinces nobody. [_Mournfully. _] Noble Chārudatta, I have no further power. [_Hefalls at Chārudatta's feet. _]

_Chārudatta. _ [_Mournfully. _]

 Rise, rise! Kind soul to good men fallen on pain! Brave friend who lendest such unselfish aid! Thy greatest toil to save me was in vain, For fate would not. Thy duty now is paid. 31

P. 270. 15]

_Headsmen. _ Beat your servant, master, and drive him away. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Out of the way, you! [_He drives Sthāvaraka away. _]Come, headsmen, what are you waiting for? Kill him. 

_Headsmen. _ Kill him yourself, if you are in a hurry. 

_Rohasena. _ Oh, headsmen, kill me and let father go free. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Yesh, shon _and_ father, kill them both. 

_Chārudatta. _ This fool might do anything. Go, my son, to yourmother. 

_Rohasena. _ And what should I do then?

_Chārud. _

 Go with thy mother to a hermitage; No moment, dear, delay; Lest of thy father's fault thou reap the wage, And tread the selfsame way. 32

And you, my friend, go with him. 

_Maitreya. _ Oh, my friend, have you so known me as to think thatI can live without you?

_Chārudatta. _ Not so, my friend. Your life is your own. You maynot throw it away. 

_Maitreya. _ [_Aside. _] True. And yet I cannot live apart from myfriend. And so, when I have taken the boy to his mother, I willfollow my friend even in death. [_Aloud. _] Yes, my friend, I willtake him to her at once. [_He embraces Chārudatta, then falls athis feet. Rohasena does the same, weeping. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ Look here! Did n't I tell you to kill Chārudatta, andhis shon, too? [_At this, Chārudatta betrays fear. _]

_Headsmen. _ We have n't any orders from the king to kill Chārudatta, andhis son, too. Run away, boy, run away! [_They drive Rohasena away. _]Here is the third place of proclamation. Beat the drum! [_They proclaimthe sentence again. _]

[167. 1. S. 

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Aside. _] But the citizens don't believe it. [_Aloud. _]Chārudatta, you jackanapes, the citizens don't believe it. Shay itwith your own tongue, "I murdered Vasantasenā. " [_Chārudatta remainssilent. _] Look here, headsmen! The man won't shpeak, thejackanapes Chārudatta. Jusht make him shpeak. Beat him a fewtimes with thish ragged bamboo, or with a chain. 

_Goha. _ [_Raises his arm to strike. _] Come, Chārudatta, speak!

_Chārudatta. _ [_Mournfully. _]

 Now am I sunk so deep in sorrow's sea, I know no fear, I know no sadness more; Yet even now one flame still tortures me, That men should say I slew whom I adore. 33

[_Sansthānaka repeats his words. _]

_Chārudatta. _ Men of my own city!

 A scoundrel I, who bear the blame, Nor seek in heaven to be blest; A maid--or goddess--'t is the same-- But _he_ will say the rest. (ix. 30)

_Sansthānaka. _ Killed her!

_Chārudatta. _ So be it. 

_Goha. _ It 's your turn to kill him, man. 

_Ahīnta. _ No, yours. 

_Goha. _ Well, let 's reckon it out. [_He does so at great length. _] Well, if it 's my turn to kill him, we will just let it wait a minute. 

_Ahīnta. _ Why?

_Goha. _ Well, when my father was going to heaven, he said to me, "Son Goha, if it 's your turn to kill him, don't kill the sinner tooquick. "

_Ahīnta. _ But why?

_Goha. _ "Perhaps, " said he, "some good man might give the moneyto set him free. Perhaps a son might be born to the king, and tocelebrate the event, all the prisoners might be set free. Perhapsan elephant might break loose, and the prisoner might escape inthe excitement. Perhaps there might be a change of kings, and allthe prisoners might be set free. "

P. 274. 8]

_Sansthānaka. _ What? What? A change of kings?

_Goha. _ Well, let 's reckon it out, whose turn it is. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Oh, come! Kill Chārudatta at once. [_He takes Sthāvaraka, and withdraws a little. _]

_Headsmen. _ Noble Chārudatta, it is the king's commandment thatbears the blame, not we headsmen. Think then of what you needsmust think. 

_Chārudatta. _

 Though slandered by a cruel fate, And stained by men of high estate, If that my virtue yet regarded be, Then she who dwells with gods above Or wheresoever else--my love-- By her sweet nature wipe the stain from me! 34

Tell me. Whither would you have me go?

_Goha. _ [_Pointing ahead. _] Why, here is the southern burying-ground, and when a criminal sees that, he says good-by to life ina minute. For look!

 One half the corpse gaunt jackals rend and shake, And ply their horrid task; One half still hangs impaled upon the stake, Loud laughter's grinning mask. 35

_Chārudatta. _ Alas! Ah, woe is me! [_In his agitation he sits down. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ I won't go yet. I 'll jusht shee Chārudatta killed. [_Hewalks about, gazing. _] Well, well! He shat down. 

_Goha. _ Are you frightened, Chārudatta?

_Chārudatta. _ [_Rising hastily. _] Fool!

 Death have I never feared, but blackened fame; My death were welcome, coming free from shame, As were a son, new-born to bear my name. (27)

[169. 3. S. 

_Goha. _ Noble Chārudatta, the moon and the sun dwell in the vaultof heaven, yet even they are overtaken by disaster. How muchmore, death-fearing creatures, and men! In this world, one risesonly to fall, another falls only to rise again. But from him who hasrisen and falls, his body drops like a garment. Lay these thoughtsto heart, and be strong. [_To Ahīnta. _] Here is the fourth place ofproclamation. Let us proclaim the sentence. [_They do so onceagain. _]

_Chārudatta. _

 Vasantasenā! Oh, my belovèd! From thy dear lips, that vied with coral's red, Betraying teeth more bright than moonbeams fair, My soul with heaven's nectar once was fed. How can I, helpless, taste that poison dread, To drink shame's poisoned cup how can I bear? (13)

 * * * * *

[_Enter, in great agitation, Vasantasenā and the Buddhist monk. _]

_Monk. _ Strange! My monkish life did me yeoman service when itproved necessary to comfort Vasantasenā, so untimely wearied, andto lead her on her way. Sister in Buddha, whither shall I lead you?

_Vasantasenā. _ To the noble Chārudatta's house. Revive me withthe sight of him, as the night-blooming water-lily is revived bythe sight of the moon. 

_Monk. _ [_Aside. _] By which road shall I enter? [_He reflects. _] Theking's highway--I 'll enter by that. Come, sister in Buddha!Here is the king's highway. [_Listening. _] But what is this greattumult that I hear on the king's highway?

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Looking before her. _] Why, there is a great crowdof people before us. Pray find out, sir, what it means. All Ujjayinītips to one side, as if the earth bore an uneven load. 

 * * * * *

_Goha. _ And here is the last place of proclamation. Beat the drum!Proclaim the sentence! [_They do so. _] Now, Chārudatta, wait!Don't be frightened. You will be killed very quickly. 

P. 277. 12]

_Chārudatta. _ Ye blessèd gods!

_Monk. _ [_Listens. In terror. _] Sister in Buddha, Chārudatta is beingled to his death for murdering _you_. 

_Vasantasenā. _ [_In terror. _] Alas! For my wretched sake the nobleChārudatta put to death? Quick, quick! Oh, lead me thither!

_Monk. _ Hasten, oh, hasten, sister in Buddha, to comfort the nobleChārudatta while he yet lives. Make way, gentlemen, make way!

_Vasantasenā. _ Make way, make way!

 * * * * *

_Goha. _ Noble Chārudatta, it is the king's commandment that bearsthe blame. Think then of what you needs must think. 

_Chārudatta. _ Why waste words?

 Though slandered by a cruel fate, And stained by men of high estate, If that my virtue yet regarded be, Then she who dwells with gods above Or wheresoever else--my love-- By her sweet nature wipe the stain from me! (34)

_Goha. _ [_Drawing his sword. _] Noble Chārudatta, lie flat and bequiet. With one stroke we will kill you and send you to heaven. 

[_Chārudatta does so. Goha raises his arm to strike. The sword fallsfrom his hand. _] What is this?

 I fiercely grasped within my hand My thunderbolt-appalling brand; Why did it fall upon the sand? 36

But since it did, I conclude that the noble Chārudatta is not todie. Have mercy, O mighty goddess of the Sahya hills! If onlyChārudatta might be saved, then hadst thou shown favor to ourheadsman caste. 

_Ahīnta. _ Let us do as we were ordered. 

_Goha. _ Well, let us do it. [_They make ready to impale Chārudatta. _]

[170. 23. S. 

_Chārud. _

 Though slandered by a cruel fate, And stained by men of high estate, If that my virtue yet regarded be, Then she who dwells with gods above Or wheresoever else--my love-- By her sweet nature wipe the stain from me! (34)

_Monk and Vasantasenā. _ [_Perceiving what is being done. _] Goodgentlemen! Hold, hold!

_Vasantasenā. _ Good gentlemen! I am the wretch for whose sakehe is put to death. 

_Goha. _ [_Perceiving her. _]

 Who is the woman with the streaming hair That smites her shoulder, loosened from its bands? She loudly calls upon us to forbear, And hastens hither with uplifted hands. 37

_Vasantasenā. _ Oh, Chārudatta! What does it mean? [_She falls onhis breast. _]

_Monk. _ Oh, Chārudatta! What does it mean? [_He falls at his feet. _]

_Goha. _ [_Anxiously withdrawing. _] Vasantasenā?--At least, we didnot kill an innocent man. 

_Monk. _ [_Rising. _] Thank heaven! Chārudatta lives. 

_Goha. _ And shall live a hundred years!

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Joyfully. _] And I too am brought back to life again. 

_Goha. _ The king is at the place of sacrifice. Let us report to himwhat has taken place. [_The two headsmen start to go away. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ [_Perceives Vasantasenā. In terror. _] Goodnessh! whobrought the shlave back to life? Thish is the end of me. Good!I 'll run away. [_He runs away. _]

_Goha. _ [_Returning. _] Well, did n't we have orders from the king toput the man to death who murdered Vasantasenā? Let us huntfor the king's brother-in-law. [_Exeunt the two headsmen. _

P. 281. 1]

_Chārudatta. _ [_In amazement. _]

 Who saves me from the uplifted weapon's scorn, When in Death's jaws I struggled all forlorn, A streaming cloud above the rainless corn? 38

[_He gazes at her. _]

 Is this Vasantasenā's counterfeit? Or she herself, from heaven above descended? Or do I but in madness see my sweet? Or has her precious life not yet been ended? 39

Or again:

 Did she return from heaven, That I might rescued be? Was her form to another given? Is this that other she? 40

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Rises tearfully and falls at his feet. _] O nobleChārudatta, I am indeed the wretch for whose sake you are fallen uponthis unworthy plight. 

_Voices behind the scenes. _ A miracle, a miracle! Vasantasenā lives. [_The bystanders repeat the words. _]

_Chārudatta. _ [_Listens, then rises suddenly, embraces Vasantasenā, and closes his eyes. In a voice trembling with emotion. _] My love!You _are_ Vasantasenā!

_Vasantasenā. _ That same unhappy woman. 

_Chārudatta. _ [_Gazes upon her. Joyfully. _] Can it be? Vasantasenāherself? [_In utter happiness. _]

 Her bosom bathed in streaming tears, When in Death's power I fell, Whence is she come to slay my fears, Like heavenly magic's spell? 41

Vasantasenā! Oh, my belovèd!

 Unto my body, whence the life was fleeting, And all for thee, thou knewest life to give. Oh, magic wonderful in lovers' meeting! What power besides could make the dead man live? 42

[172. 17. S. 

But see, my belovèd!

 My blood-red garment seems a bridegroom's cloak, Death's garland seems to me a bridal wreath; My love is near. And marriage music seems the fatal stroke Of drums that heralded my instant death; For she is here. 43

_Vasantasenā. _ You with your utter kindliness, what can it be thatyou have done?

_Chārudatta. _ My belovèd, he said that I had killed you. 

 For ancient hatred's sake, my mighty foe, Hell's victim now, had almost laid me low. 44

_Vasantasenā. _ [_Stopping her ears. _] Heaven avert the omen! It washe, the king's brother-in-law, who killed me. 

_Chārudatta. _ [_Perceiving the monk. _] But who is this?

_Vasantasenā. _ When that unworthy wretch had killed me, thisworthy man brought me back to life. 

_Chārudatta. _ Who are you, unselfish friend?

_Monk. _ You do not remember me, sir. I am that shampooer, whoonce was happy to rub your feet. When I fell into the hands ofcertain gamblers, this sister in Buddha, upon hearing that I hadbeen your servant, bought my freedom with her jewels. ThereuponI grew tired of the gambler's life, and became a Buddhistmonk. Now this lady made a mistake in her bullock-cart, and socame to the old garden Pushpakaranda. But when that unworthywretch learned that she would not love him, he murdered her bystrangling. And I found her there. 

P. 283. 11]

_Loud voices behind the scenes. _

 Unending victory to Shiva be, Who Daksha's offering foiled; And victory may Kārttikeya see, Who Krauncha smote and spoiled;

 And victory to Aryaka the king-- His mighty foe he kills-- Far over all the earth's expansive ring, That earth her joyous flag abroad may fling, The snowy banner of Kailāsa's hills. 45

 * * * * *

[_Enter hurriedly Sharvilaka. _]

_Sharv. _

 Yes, Pālaka, the royal wretch, I slew, Anointing Aryaka good king and true; And now, like sacrificial flowers, I wed The king's commandment to my bended head, To give sad Chārudatta life anew. 46

 The foe whose powers and friends had fled, he slew, Consoled and comforted his subjects true; And earth's broad sovereignty has gladly wed His power, and bent to him her lowly head, Who toward his foe plays Indra's part anew. 47

[_He looks before him. _] Ah! There he will be found, where thepeople are thus gathered together. Oh, that this deed of KingAryaka might be crowned with the rescued life of noble Chārudatta![_He quickens his steps. _] Make way, you rascals! [_He discoversChārudatta. Joyfully. _] Is Chārudatta yet living, and Vasantasenā?Truly, our sovereign's wishes are fulfilled. 

 Now, thanks to heaven, from sorrow's shoreless sea I see him saved by her he loved, set free By that sweet bark, that knew her course to steer With virtue's tackle and with goodness' gear. He seems the moon, whose light shines clear at last, When all the sad eclipse is overpast. 48

Yet how shall I approach him, who have so grievously sinnedagainst him? But no! Honesty is always honorable. [_He approachesand folds his hands. Aloud. _] O noble Chārudatta!

_Chārudatta. _ Who are you, sir?

[174. 13. S. 

_Sharvilaka. _

 I forced your house in manner base, And stole the gems there left behind; But though this sin oppress my mind, I throw myself upon your grace. 49

_Chārudatta. _ Not so, my friend. Thereby you showed your faithin me. [_He embraces him. _]

_Sharvilaka. _ And one thing more:

 The very noble Aryaka, To save his family and name, Has slain the wretched Pālaka, A victim at the altar's flame. 50

_Chārudatta. _ What say you?

_Sharvilaka. _

 'T was your cart helped him on his way, Who sought the shelter of your name; He slew King Pālaka to-day, A victim at the altar's flame. 51

_Chārudatta. _ Sharvilaka, did you set free that Aryaka, whom Pālakatook from his hamlet, and confined without cause in the tower?

_Sharvilaka. _ I did. 

_Chārudatta. _ This is indeed most welcome tidings. 

_Sharvilaka. _ Scarcely was your friend Aryaka established in Ujjayinī, when he bestowed upon you the throne of Kushāvatī, onthe bank of the Venā. May you graciously receive this first tokenof his love. [_He turns around. _] Come, lead hither that rascal, thatvillain, the brother-in-law of the king!

_Voices behind the scenes. _ We will, Sharvilaka. 

_Sharvilaka. _ Sir, King Aryaka declares that he won this kingdomthrough your virtues, and that you are therefore to have somebenefit from it. 

_Chārudatta. _ The kingdom won through my virtues?

 * * * * *

_Voices behind the scenes. _ Come on, brother-in-law of the king, andreap the reward of your insolence. [_Enter Sansthānaka, guarded, with his hands tied behind his back. _]

P. 285. 18]

_Sansthānaka. _ Goodnessh gracious!

 It came to pass, I ran away Like any ass, and had my day. They drag me round, a prishoner, As if they 'd found a naughty cur. 52

[_He looks about him. _] They crowd around me, though I 'm a relativeof the king's. To whom shall I go for help in my helplesshnessh?[_He reflects. _] Good! I 'll go to the man who gives help andshows mercy to the shuppliant. [_He approaches. _] Noble Chārudatta, protect me, protect me! [_He falls at his feet. _]

_Voices behind the scenes. _ Noble Chārudatta, leave him to us! letus kill him!

_Sansthānaka. _ [_To Chārudatta. _] O helper of the helplessh, protectme!

_Chārudatta. _ [_Mercifully. _] Yes, yes. He who seeks protection shallbe safe. 

_Sharvilaka. _ [_Impatiently. _] Confound him! Take him away fromChārudatta! [_To Chārudatta. _] Tell me. What shall be done withthe wretch?

 Shall he be bound and dragged until he dies? Shall dogs devour the scoundrel as he lies? If he should be impaled, 't would be no blunder, Nor if we had the rascal sawn asunder. 53

_Chārudatta. _ Will you do as I say?

_Sharvilaka. _ How can you doubt it?

_Sansthānaka. _ Chārudatta! Mashter! I sheek your protection. Protectme, protect me! Do shomething worthy of yourshelf. I 'llnever do it again!

_Voices of citizens behind the scenes. _ Kill him! Why should thewretch be allowed to live?

[176. 8. S. 

[_Vasantasenā takes the garland of death from Chārudatta's neck, and throws it upon Sansthānaka. _]

_Sansthānaka. _ You shlave-wench, be merciful, be merciful! I 'llnever murder you again. Protect me!

_Sharvilaka. _ Come, take him away! Noble Chārudatta, say whatshall be done with the wretch. 

_Chārudatta. _ Will you do as I say?

_Sharvilaka. _ How can you doubt it?

_Chārudatta. _ Really?

_Sharvilaka. _ Really. 

_Chārudatta. _ Then let him be immediately--

_Sharvilaka. _ Killed?

_Chārudatta. _ No, no! Set free. 

_Sharvilaka. _ What for?

_Chārud. _

 The humbled foe who seeks thine aid, Thou mayst not smite with steely blade--

_Sharvilaka. _ All right. We will have the dogs eat him alive. 

_Chārudatta. _ No, no!

 Be cruelty with kindness paid. 54

_Sharvilaka. _ Wonderful! What shall I do? Tell me, sir. 

_Chārudatta. _ Why, set him free. 

_Sharvilaka. _ It shall be done. 

_Sansthānaka. _ Hooray! I breathe again. [_Exit, with the guards. _

_Sharvilaka. _ Mistress Vasantasenā, the king is pleased to bestowupon you the title "wedded wife. "

_Vasantasenā. _ Sir, I desire no more. 

_Sharvilaka. _ [_Places the veil[88] upon Vasantasenā. To Chārudatta. _]Sir, what shall be done for this monk?

_Chārudatta. _ Monk, what do you most desire?

_Monk. _ When I see this example of the uncertainty of all things, I am twice content to be a monk. 

P. 292. 16]

_Chārudatta. _ His purpose is not to be changed, my friend. Let himbe appointed spiritual father over all the monasteries in the land. 

_Sharvilaka. _ It shall be done. 

_Monk. _ It is all that I desire. 

_Vasantasenā. _ Now I am indeed brought back to life. 

_Sharvilaka. _ What shall be done for Sthāvaraka?

_Chārudatta. _ Let the good fellow be given his freedom. Let thoseheadsmen be appointed chiefs of all the headsmen. Let Chandanakabe appointed chief of all the police in the land. Let the brother-in-lawof the king continue to act exactly as he acted in the past. 

_Sharvilaka. _ It shall be done. Only _that_ man--leave him to me, and I 'll kill him. 

_Chārudatta. _

 He who seeks protection shall be safe. The humbled foe who seeks thine aid, Thou mayst not smite with steely blade. Be cruelty with kindness paid. (54)

_Sharvilaka. _ Then tell me what I may yet do for you. 

_Chārudatta. _ Can there be more than this?

 I kept unstained my virtue's even worth, Granted my enemy his abject suit; Friend Aryaka destroyed his foeman's root, And rules a king o'er all the steadfast earth. 

 This dear-loved maiden is at last mine own, And you united with me as a friend. And shall I ask for further mercies, shown To me, who cannot sound these mercies' end? 58

 Fate plays with us like buckets at the well, Where one is filled, and one an empty shell, Where one is rising, while another falls; And shows how life is change--now heaven, now hell. 59

Yet may the wishes of our epilogue be fulfilled. 

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 85: That is, the lightning. ]

[Footnote 86: Rohasena is himself conceived as the receptacle of thewater which a son must pour as a drink-offering to his dead father. ]

[Footnote 87: The Manes or spirits of the blessèd dead. ]

[Footnote 88: A token of honorable marriage. Compare page 66. ]

EPILOGUE

[178. 9. S. 

 May kine yield streaming milk, the earth her grain, And may the heaven give never-failing rain, The winds waft happiness to all that breathes, And all that lives, live free from every pain. 

 In paths of righteousness may Brahmans tread, And high esteem their high deserving wed; May kings in justice' ways be ever led, And earth, submissive, bend her grateful head. 60

 [_Exeunt omnes. _]

A LIST OF PASSAGES

IN WHICH THE TRANSLATION DEPARTS FROM PARAB'S TEXT

35. 15: Here _nirmitāḥ_ is apparently a mere misprint for _nirjitāḥ_. 

45. 11: The addition of _uṭṭhedha tti_ seems almost necessary. 

53. 10; 54. 9; 55. 11; 62. 7; 66. 7: In these passages I have substituted"shampooer" for "gambler, " to prevent confusion of the shampooer withthe unnamed gambler. 

57. 13: I have added the stage-direction _dyūtakaramaṇḍalīṁ kṛtvā_. 

67. 5: Read _kaṁ_ for _kiṁ_. 

72. 9: Read _ajjo bandhuaṇaṁ samassāsiduṁ_ for Parab's _ajja bandhuaṇosamassasadu_. 

73. 5: We should probably read _bīhacchaṁ_ (_bībhatsam_) for_vīhatthaṁ_. 

87. 3: The words _cikitsāṁ kṛtvā_ seem to be part of the text, not ofthe stage-direction. 

97. 13: I regard _nayasya_ as one word, not two (_na yasya_). 

100. 12: Read _rakṣān_ for _rakṣyān_. 

114. 5: Read _ṇaaraṇārī-_ for _ṇaraṇārī-_. 

125. 8-11: These lines I have omitted. 

126. 4: Read _accharīa-_ (_āçcarya-_) for _accharīdi-_. 

170. 8: Read _eka-_ for _ekā-_. 

178. 11: Read _vaḍḍhamāṇao_ for _vaḍḍhamāṇaa_. 

184. 9: Read _a_ (_ca_) for _ka_. 

217. 15: Whatever _çavoḍiaṁ_ may be, I have translated it in accordancewith Lallādīkṣita's gloss, _saveṣṭikam_. 

226. 2: Apparently _khala-_ is a misprint for _khaṇa-_. 

238. 10: Read _-ruciram_ for _-racitam_. 

259. 16: Read _udvīkṣya_ for _udvījya_. 

262. 4: Read _-bhājanam_ for _-bhojanam_. 

262. 14: Read _paḍicchidaṁ_ (_pratīṣṭam_) for _paḍicchiduṁ_. 

265. 6: Read _tvayā_ for _mayā_. 

284. 14: The words _atha vā_ plainly belong to the text, not to thestage-direction. 

287. 2: I take _paurāḥ_ as part of the stage-direction. 

288. 3-292. 9: This passage I have omitted: compare page xii. 

 * * * * *