THE HARVARD ORIENTAL SERIES

VOLUME NINE

HARVARD ORIENTAL SERIES

EDITED

WITH THE COOPERATION o r VARIOUS SCHOLARS

BY

CHARLES ROCKWELL LANMAN

WALES PROFESSOR OF SANSKRI‘

I' IN HARVARD UNIVERSITY

1]olumcflint

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

publishenby 193m mmathentity1905

THE LITTLE CLAY CART

[MRCCHARATI KA]

a 19mm: EmmaATTRIBUTED TO KING SHUDRAKA

TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIG INAL SANSKRIT AND PRAII RITS

INTO ENGLISH PROSE AND VERSE

BY

ARTHUR WILLIAM RYDER, F ILD.

INSTRUCTOR IN SANSKRI'I‘ IN HARVARD UNIVERS ITY

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

pub“51)anby 19m manthem“?1905

H

Gu nm an. Mm , U . S . A. Pum cxrxos Aam o r HARVARD Um vm

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e Street ,

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COPYRIGHT, 1905. BY HARVARD

PRINTED RY D. R. UPDIKE AT THE MERRYMOUNT PRESSBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

TO MY FATHER

WILLIAM HENRY RYDER

CONTENTS

NOTE BY THE EDITOR OF THE SERIES

PREFACE BY THE TRANSLATOR

INTRODU CTIONTHE AUTHOR AND THE PLAYTHE TRANSLATIONAN OUTLINE OF THE PLOTDRAMATI S PERSONAE

TRANSLATION OF THE LITTLE CLAY CARTPROLOGUEACT I . THE GEMS ARE LEFT BEHINDACI

‘ II . THE SHAMPOOER WHO GAMBLEDACT III. THE HOLE IN THE WALLACI

‘

IV. MADANI IIA AND SHARVILAxA

ACT V. THE STORMACT VI . THE SWAPPING OF THE RULLOCK-CARTSACT VI I . ARYAIIA

’S ESCAPE

ACT VI I I . THE STRANGLING OF VASANTASENA

ACT I II . THE TRIALACT II . THE END

EPILOGUE

DEPARTU RES OF THE TRANSLATION FROM PARAE ’

S TEXT

NOTE BY THE EDITOR

ITH the battle of the Sea ofJapananother tu rning -

point

in the brig"cou rse of recorded human history has been

thing is su re:fo r better,for worse, and whether we will or no , the

West must know the E ast, and the E ast must know the West. W'

ith

that knowledge will inevitably came aninterchange ofpotent influenc es, of influences tha t will afl

'

ec t profoundly the religion and

morals, the philosophy, the lit erat u re, the art , inshort, all the ele

is a

part of the responsibility resting uponthe molders and leaders ofthe thought and life ofou r time, and uponou r Universities inpar

tic u lar , to see to it that thesenewforces,nughtyfo r good orfor evil,

Japanese havegrafted upontheir ownstock is to -day the admiration

of the world . I nou r wonder, let usno tforget tha t that stock is the

growth qfcentun'

es, and that it is rooted ina soil qfracial char

ac ter informed by ethical idealswhich we are wont to regard, with

which were, infact, inc ulcat ed twentyfou r centu ries ago through

precept and ea'ample by Gotama the Enlightened, o r, as the H indus

caded him , Gotama the B uddha . I t has qfienbeensaid tha t I ndia

hasnever influenc ed the development ofhumanity asa whole. B e that

as it may, it now seemsno lessprobable thanstrange that she isyet

destined to do so , on the one hand, indirectly, through the :iryluenc e

q ndianB uddhism uponJapan, and, onthe other, directly, by the

dgfi‘

uston in the West ofa knowledge qfher sacred wri tings, espe

A NOTE BY THE EDITOR

we must know no t only wha t she is, bu t also how she hasbec ome what

she is; know, inshort, some of the prmapalphases ofher spiri t ua l

lustory as they are reflected inher anc ient lit eratu re, especially thatofI ndia. To interpret to the West the thought ofthe E ast, to bringhe r best and noblest achievements to bear upono u r hfe, — that is to

day the problem ofOrientalphilo logy .

The H arvard Oriental Series embodies ana ttempt t o present to

Westernscho lars, intrustworthy textsand translations, some ofthegreatest worksofthe H indu literature andphilosophy and religion,

togethe r with certain instruments, su ch as the Vedic Conc o rdanc e

o r the H istory of the B eastfabk ,fo r their c ri tical study o r elu ci

befo und a t the end ofthisbook. D r. Ryder ,passing byfor the pre

thisvolume attempted t o show wha t the I ndiangenius, initsstrength

and in its weakness, co u ld do in thefield of literatu re pu re and

simple . The timeliness ofthe Series asa who le is aneloquent tribu te

t o the discernment of my loved and unforgo ttenpupil andfriend,

H enry ClarkeWarren. I nhim were unit edno t only the will and the

ability to establish such a public ationas this, bu t also the learningand insight which enabled him toforecast ina general way itspos

sibilities of usd'

u lness. H e knew that the E ast had many a lessont o

teach theWest ; bu t whether the lessonbe repose qfspirit or hygieneof the soldier inthefield, whether it be the divine immanence or sim

plicity oflife o r the overcoming ofevil with go od, he knew that the

first lessonto be taught us was the teachable habit ofmind.

C. R. L.

June, 1905

PREFACE

HE text Chosenasthe basis Ofthis translationis that given

inthe editionof Parab,‘ and I have chosenit fo r the follow

ing reasons. Farah'

s edition is the most recent, and its editor is a

most admirable Sanskrit scholar, who, it seems to me, has in

several places understood the real meaning Ofthe text bett er than

his predecessors. This edition contains the comment Of Prthvi

dhara ; it is far freer from misprints thanmany texts printed in

India, and, inrespect to arrangement and typography, it is clear

and convenient. Besides, it is easily obtainable and very cheap. This

last considerationmay prove to be Of importance, if the present

translationShould be found helpfu l inthe Class-room. Fo r the sake

Ofcataloguers, I note that the proper transliterationOf the Sanskrit

names of this title according to the ru les laid downby theAmeri

canLibrary Association in its Jou rnal fo r 1885, is as follows

Mrc chakat ika ; Cfidraka ; Prthv'

idhara ; Kacinatha Pandu rafiga Paraba ; Nirnaya-Sagara.

The verse-numerationOf each ac t follows the editionOf Parab

fortunately, it is almost identica l with the numerationinthe edi

tions Of GOdabOle and Jivananda. Fo r the convenience o f those

who m ay desire to consu lt this book inconnectionwith St enzler’

s

edition, I have added references at the top of the page to that edi

tionas well as to the edition of Parab. In these references, the

letter P . stands fo r Parab, the letter S . fo r St enzler.

d O. Harrem witx InLe ipzig for 2} Marks.

xii PREFACE

I have omitt ed a few minor matters, su ch as slight misprints and

what seem to me to be errors inthe damn; these matt ers, and thepassages of unu sual interest o r difficu lty, I shall treat in a series

ofnotes ont he play, which I hope soont o pu blish inthe Journal

o f the AmericanOrienta l Society. It is hardly necessary to give

in the t enth ac t (Parab, 2883 This passage is explicitly

declared by traditionto be an int erpolationby another band, and

it is clearly shownto be su ch by internal evidence. It will benoticed

that the omissionof this passage cau ses a break in the verse

num eration of the tenth ac t , where the verse-number 54 is fol

lowed by the number 58.

Of the books which have beenu sefu l to me inthe present work ,

I desire to mentionespecially the editions of St enzler, G odabo le ,

Jivananda Vidyasagara, and Parab ; the commentaries of Prthvi

dhara, Lalladiksita, and Jivananda ; further, the translations of

Wilson, Regnaud, and Boht lingk.

A number of friends were kind enough to read my manu script,

and each contribu te d som ething. I wish to mentionespecially my

friend and pupil, M r. Walter E . C lark, of Harvard University,

whose carefu l reading of both text and translationwas fru itfu l of

many good suggestions.

Bu t by far my greatest personal indebt edness is to Professor

Lanman, whose generou s interest inmy work has never flagged

from the day whenI beganthe stu dy ofSanskrit under his gu idance. He has criticized this translationwith the u tmost rigor ; ih

deed, the pages are few which have no t witnessed some improve

ment from his hand. It is to him also that I owe the accuracy

and beau ty which characterize the printed book ; nothing hasbeen

hard enough to weary him , nothing small enough t o esc ape him .

PREFACE xiii

And more t hanall else , I am grat eful t o him fo r the opport unit y

ofpublishing int he Harvard Oriental Series; fo r t hisseries ist hat

ent erprise which, since the deat h of Professor Whitney, most

honorably upholdsint hisc ount ry the standardsofaccurat e scholar

ship set by the great est ofAmericanSanskrit ists.

ARTHUR W. RYDER

Harvard UniversityMay 23, 1905

INTRODUCTION

I. THE AUTHOR AND THE PLAY

ONCERNING the life, the date, and the very identity‘ of

K ing Shfidraka, the repu ted au thor of The Little C lay Cart,

we are cu riou sly ignorant. No other work is ascribed to him, and

we have no direct informationabou t him , beyond the somewhat

fanciful statements ofthe Prologue to this play. There are , to be

sure, many tales which cluster abou t the name of King Shudraka,

bu t none of them represents him asanau thor. Yet o u r very lack of

informationm ay prove, to some extent at least, a disgu ised bless

ing. Fo r o ur ignorance of ext ernal fact compels a closer study o f

the text , if we would find o u t what manner o f m an it waswho

te the play. And the case of King Shfidraka is by no means

uniqu e inIndia ; inregard to every great Sanskrit writ er, — so bare

is Sanskrit literature o fbiography, — we are forced to concentrate

attentiononthe m anashe reveals himself inhisworks. First, how

ever, it may be worth while to compare Shndraka with two other

great dramatists of India, and thu s to discover, if we may, inwhat

ways he excels t hem o r is excelled by them.

Kalidasa, Shfidraka, Bhavabhuti— assuredly, these are the great

est names inthe history o fthe Indiandrama. So different are these

m en, and so great, that it is no t possible t o '

asse rt fo r any one of

them su ch su premacy as Shakspere holds in the English drama.

It is tru e that Kalidasa’

s dramatic masterpiece, the Shakuntala,

is the most widely knownof the Indianplays . It is tru e that the

tender and elegant Kalidasa hasbeenca lled, with ano t wholly fo r

‘ Fo r m muminafing disc ussionof thu e mm me ru der isnferred tO Sylvfinu m“ .

mirable wo rk. Le Théfitre Indien, Paris. 1890, pages 196- 911.

xvi INTRODUCTION

tunate enthu siasm , the “ Shakspere of India. Bu t this rather ex

elusive admirationof the Shakunta la resu lts from lack o f informa

tionabou t the other great Indiandramas. Indeed, it is part ly du e

to the accident that only the Shakuntala became knownintrans.

lationat a time whenromant ic Europe was infu ll sympathy with

the literatu re of India.

Bhavabhuti, too, is far less widely knownthanKalidasa ; and fo r

this the reasonis deeper-seated. The au sterity ofBhavabhuti 's style,

his lack ofhumor, his insist ent grandeur, are qualities which pre

vent his being a tru ly popu lar poet. With reference to Kalidasa,

he holds a positionsu ch asAeschylus holds with reference to Eu

ripides. He will always seem to minds that sympathize with his

grandeur ‘ the greatest of Indianpoets ; while by ot her equally dis.

c em ing minds ofanother order he will be admired, bu t no t pas

sionat ely loved.

Yet however great the difference betweenKalidasa, “ the grace

of poet ry,”2and Bhavabhuti, the master ofeloqu ence,

”3 these two

au thors are far more intimately allied in spirit than is either o f

them with the au thor of The Little C lay Cart . Kalidasa and Bhava

bhuti are H indu s of the H indu s ; the Shakuntala and the Latter

Acts of Rama cou ld have beenwritt ennowhere save in India :

bu t Shfidraka, alone in the long line of Indiandramatist s, has a

cosmopolitancharacte r. Shakuntala is a H indu maid , Madhava is

a Hindu hero ; bu t Sansthanaka and Maitreya and Madanika are

citizens of theworld. Insome of the more striking characteristics of

Sanskrit literatu re — inits fondness fo r system, its elaboration of

style, its love of epigram — Kalidasa and Bhavabhuti are far tru er

‘ Inhis now pro ch im their c on

tempt fo r m e— they lm ow som e thing, bu t tha

’

a wo rk m no t fo r them. Yet there will arise a

ofJohnMilton. Panam a-fight " . i. 99.

3 Mahi virw u it l . i. 4

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xviii INTRODUCTION

Here we have phflm phy

Thc lack g'

nm wy ia thc root g'

aflw il.

My limbapoflu ted by thc cling ing mud :

W efim the gru vcyard tmvy my wreath appaflhag ;

And natu re description

(y'

g'mat d irévatanoponthe m st

(y‘

rw lcy hifla this bmm c r aflablaxc

M W M Inda

And genu ine bitterness

FWM E M MWW M

W W ’

a stock intradc , iafinc ,

Fo r sak l the priw ia caurt y .

I trw t ymc’flfind a maw to buy

(v. 36)

It is natural that Shudraka shou ld choose fo r the exprwsionof

matters so diverse that type of drama which gives the greatest

scope to the au thor'

s creative power. This type is the so -called

INTRODUCTION xix

drama of invent ion,”1

a category curiou sly su bordinat ed in India

to the heroic drama, the plot of which is drawn from history o r

myt hology. Indeed,lThe Little C lay Cart isthe only extant drama

which fu lfils the spirit of the drama of invention, as defined by the

Sanskrit canons ofdramaturgy. The plot of the “ Malati and Map

dhava,”o r of the “ Mallika ahdMaru ta,

" is inno true sense the ih

ventionofthe au thor ; and The Little C lay Cart is the only drama

of inventionwhich is “ fu ll ofrascals. ”2

Bu t a spirit so powerfu l as that ofKing Shfidraka cou ld no t be

confined within the strait-jacket of the minu te, and sometimes

pu erile, rules ofthe technical works. Inthe very title ofthe drama,

he hasdisregarded the ru le3 that the name of a drama of invention

shou ld be formed by c ommunding thenames of heroine and hero.‘

Again, the books prescribe5 that the hero shall appear inevery ac t ;

yet Charudat ta does no t appear in acts ii . , iv. , vi. , and viii. And

further, variou s characters, Vasantasena, Maitreya, the courtier,

and others, have vastly gained becau se they do no t conform too

closely to the technic al definitions.

The charactersofTheLittleClayCart are livingm enandwomen.

Evenwhent he type makes no strong appeal to Westernminds,

asinthe case of Cham dat ta, the character lives, ina sense inwhich

Du shyanta“o r evenRam a

"c anhardly be said to livejShudraka ’

s

m enare bet ter individualized thanhis women; this fact alone dif

ferent iat es him sharply from other Indian dram at iM I e draws

on every class high-sou led Brahman to the

execu t ioner and

Hisgreatest character is unqu estionably Sanst hz‘

inaka, this com

‘ Pnh umpa.‘ Dm la : Dacariipa. iii. 88 .

As inMi lat idnidhava. Decarfipa, iii. 83. InKi lidi sa’

sShakuntall .

7 InBhavabhfit i'

s Lat ter Acts of

xx INTRODUCTION

binationof ignorant conceit, bru tal lust, and cunning, this greater

thanClo t en, who , after strangling an innocent woman, cansay :‘

W M"

Most attractive char

acters are the five 2 conspirat ors, m enwhose home is “ east ofSuez

and the t encommandment s.”They live from hand to mou th , ready

at anymoment to steal a gem -casket o r to take part ina revolu tion,

and preserving thro ugh it all t beir charac te r asgent lem enand their

irresistible conceit. And side by side with them moves the hero

Charudat ta , the Buddhist beau -ideal ofmanhood ,

Am g'

hfe to thc m whox som m gmw,

(5 43)

To him, life itself is no t dear, bu t only honor.

3 He valu es wealth

only as it supplies him with the means of serving others. We may,

of Venice. There is. some inconsistency, from o ur point of view,

inmaking su ch a character the hero of a love-drama ; and indeed,

it is Vasantasena who does most of the love-making !

Vasantasena is a charact er with neither the girlish charm of

Shakuntalii “ no r the matu re womanly dignity of Site.

6 She is

more admirable than lovable. Witt y and wise she is; and in her

love astrue as steel ; this too, ina social positionwhich makes su ch

constancy difficu lt. Yet she cannot be called a great characte r; she

does no t seem so true to life as her clever maid, Madanika. In

making the heroine of his play a court esan, Shfidraka follows a

suggestion of the technical works on the drama ; he does no t

thereby cast any impu tationof ill onVasantasena’

scharacter. The

courtezan class in India corresponded roughly to the hetaerm of

l see psge lfl.

‘ See x. 91.‘ See v. 48 m d the fo llov ing stage-direction.

InKi lidi u'

splay of tbe t name . InBhavabhfit i'

s Lat ter Ac t l ofRims.

INTRODUCTION xxi

ancient Greece o r the geishas o fJapan; it was possible to be a

cou rtezanand reta inone’s self-respect. Yet the inherited 1 way of

life proves distastefu l to Vasantasena; her one desire is t o weape

its limitations and its dangers by becoming a legal wife.2

InMaitreya, the Vidfishaka, we find an instance ofo u r au tho r’s

masterly skill ingiving life to the dry bones of a rheto rical defini

t ion. The . l lidfishaka is a sto ck charac t er who has so m et hing in

commonwith a jester ; and inMaitreya the essential traits of the

character — eagerness fo r good food and other creatu re comforts,

and blundering devot ionto his friend— are reta ined, to be su re,

to follow Charudat ta evenindeath . The grosser traits of the typi

calVidfishaka are lacking. Maitreya isneither a glu ttonno r a fool,

bu t a simme-minded, whole-hearted friend.

The courtier is another character suggested by the technical

works, and transformed by the genius of Shfidraka. He is a man

no t only of edu cationand soc ial refinement, bu t also of real no

bility of nature. B ut he is ina false position from the first, this

finds the courage to break away, and risks life, and all that makes

life attractive, by backing Aryaka. Of all the conspirators, it is he

who runs the greatest risk. To his protection o fVasanm ena is

added a tou ch of infinite pathos whenwe remember that he was

himselfinlovewith her.3Only whenVasantasena leaves him ‘with

o u t a thought, to enter Cham dat ta’

s house, does he realize how

mu ch he loves her ; then, indeed, he breaks forth inwords of the

most passionate jealou sy. We need no t linger over the other char

acters, except to observe that each has his marked individuality,

‘ See viii. 48.‘ See pagea ss-sfiand page l

‘

u .

“ Ye t lo ve bids m e pn t t le .

”onpage 86 .

‘ Page s'

l .

xxii INTRODUCTION

and that each helps to make vivid this pictu re of a society that

Shudraka’

s humor is the third'

o fhisvita lly dist ingmshmg'

qualio o o o 0 0

12188. (PB S humor has anAmericanflavor, both m its puns and m

its sit u at ionsj‘

he plays onwords can seldom be adequately re

produ ced in translation, bu t the situations are independent of

language . And Shfidraka’

shumor runs the whole gamu t, from grim

to farcical, from satirical to quaint . Its variety and keenness are

W O c c ident al writers of comedies.

It remains to say a word abou t the constru ctionof the play.

Obviou sly, it is too long. M ore 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 ofVasantasena and

Charudat t a. Indeed, we have inThe Little C lay Cart the material

fo r two plays. The larger part o fac t i. forms with ac ts vi. to x . a

consistent and ingenious plot ; while the remainder ofac t i. might

be combined with act s iii. to v. to make a pleasing comedy of

lighter tone. The second ac t , clever as it is, has little real connec

tioneither with the mainplot o r with the story o f the gems . The

breadth of treatment which is observable inthis play is found in

many other specimens of the Sanskrit drama, which has set it self

an ideal different from that of o ur owndrama. The lack o fdra

matic unity and consistency is o ft en compensated , indeed , by

lyrical beau ty and charms of st yle ; bu t it suggests the qu estion

whether we might no t more j ustly speak of the Sanskrit plays as

dramatic poems thanas dramas. InThe Little C lay Cart, at anyrate, we cou ld ill afford to spare a single scene, even though the

very richness and variety of the play remove it from the class of

the world’s greatest dramas .

INTRODUCTION

II . THE TRANSLATION

THE following translation is sufficiently different from previou s

translations of Indianplays to requ ire a word of explanation. The

difi'

erence consists chiefly in the manner inwhich I have endea

vo red to s. n e rve the form o f the original. The Indianplays are

written inmingled pm and i and t il

so large a part of the who le that the manner inwhich it is ren

the iambic t t eterofSophocles o r t he b lam veme of Shakspere,

bu t roughly corresponds to the Greek choru ses o r the occasional

rhymed songs of the E lizabet hanstage. Inot her words, the v

portionof a Sanskrit drama is no t narrat ive ; it is somet imes de~

s;

°

pt ive , bu t more commonly lyrica l : w eb sta sums up the

emot ional imp which the preceding acfiono r dialogu e has

made u ponone of the actors. Su ch mat t er is inEnglish c ast into

the form of the rhymed stanza ; and so, although rhymed v a is

very rarely employed inclassical Sanskrit, it seems the most ap

propriat e vehicle fo r the t ranslat ionof the stanzas of a Sam krit

drama. It 9true that we occasionally find stanzas which might

fit ly be rendere d inEnglish blank verse, and, more frequently,

su m which are so prosaic asno t to dmerve a rendering inEnglish verse at all. 1 Bu t , as the present translat ionmay be regarded

insome sort a nexperiment, I have preferred to hold rigidly to

the dist inct ion found in the original between simple prose and

types ofstanzawhich seem to me to correspond t o English rhymed

It is obvious that a translation into verse , and especially into

rhymed verse, s o t be as literal as a translationinto prose ; this

of the lat ta sort inThe Lit t le Ch y Gu t are vii. sand viii. s.

xxiv INTRODUCTION

disadvantage I have used my best pains t o m inim ize . I hope it

may be said that nothing o f real moment has beenomitted from

the verses ; and where lack of met rica l skill has compelled ex

pansion, I have striven to make the additions as insignificant as

possible.

There is another point, however, inwhich it is hardly feasible

to imit ate the original ; this is the difference in the dialects u sed

by the variou s charact ers. InThe Little C lay Cart, as in other

Indiandramas, some of the characters speak Sanskrit, others P ra

krit. Now Prakrit is the generic name fo r a num ber of dialects

derived from the Sanskrit and closely akinto it. The inferior per

sonages of an Indian play, and, with rare exceptions, all the

women, speak one o r another of these Prakrits. Of the thirty

charact ers of this play, fo r example, only five (Charudat ta, the

cou rtier,Aryaka, Sharvilaka, and the judge) speak Sanskrit ; ‘ the

ot hers speak various Prakrit dialects. Only in the case of San

st hanaka have I made a rude att empt to suggest the dialect by

su bstitu ting sh fo r s as he does. And the grandiloqu ence ofShar

vilaka'

s Sanskrit in the satirical portionof the third ac t I have

Whenever the language of the original is at all technical, the

translator labors under pecu liar difficu lty. Thus the legal terms

found intheninth ac t are inadequ ately rendered , and, to some ex

tent at least, inevitab ly so ; fo r the legal forms, o r lack of forms,

pictured there werenever contemplated by the makers ofthe English legal vocabu lary. Itmay be added here that inrendering from a

literature so artificial as the Sanskrit, one mu st lose no t only the

sensu ou s beau ty o fthe verse, bu t also many plays onwords.

Inregard to the no t infrequ ent repetitions found inthe text, IxThisstatement requ ire-a slight lirnitat ion; c ompare. for emample the foo tno t e to page se.

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INTRODUCTION

III. AN OUTLINE OF THE PLOT

ACT I . , entitled The Gems are 142 B ehind. Evening of the first

day— After the prologue, Charudat t a, who is within his house,

converses with his friend M aitreya, and deplores his poverty.

While they are speaking,Vasantasena appears inthe street ou tside.

She is pursu ed by the courtier and Sanst hanaka ; the latter makes

her degrading offers of his love, which she indignantly rejects.

Charudat t a sends Maitreya from the house to offer sacrifice, and

through the open door Vasantasena slips unobserved into the

house . Maitreya retu rns aft er analterca t ion

re cognizes Vasantasena. Vasantasena leaves a casket ofgems inthe

hou se fo r safe keeping and retu rns to her home.

ACT I I . , entitled The Shampooer who Gambled. Second day.

The ac t Opens inVasantasena’

shou se. Vasantasenaconfesses to her

maid Madanikaher love fo rCharudat ta .Thena Shampooer appears

inthe street, pursued by the gambling-master and a gambler, who

demand of him t engold-pieces which he has lost inthe gambling

hou se. At this pointDardu raka enters, and engages the gambling

master and the gambler inanangry discu ssion, du ring which the

Shampooer escapes into Vasantasena’

s hou se. WhenVasantasena

learns that the shamm r had once served Charudat ta, she pays his

debt ; the gratefu l Shampooer resolves to turnmonk. As he leaves

the hou se he is attacked by a runaway elephant, and saved by

Kam apfiraka, a servant of Vasantasena.

ACT I I I . , entitled The H ole intheWall. The night following thesecond day.

— Charudat t a and Maitreya return home aft er mid

night from a concert, and go to sleep. Maitreya hasinhis hand the

gem-casket which Vasantasena has left behind . Sharvilaka enters.

He is inlove with Madanika, a maid of Vasantasena'

s, and is t e

INTRODUCTION xxvii

solved to acqu ire by thefi the means of bu ying her freedom. He

makes a hole inthe wall of the hou se, enters, and steals the casket

of gems which Vasantasena had left . Cham dat t a wakes t o find

casket and thief gone. Hiswife gives him her pearl necklace with

which to make restitu tion.

vilaka comes to Vasantasena’

s hou se to buy Madanika’

s freedom.

Vasantasena overhears the facts concerning the theft ofher gem

casket fio m Charudat ta’

s hou se, bu t accepts the casket, and gives

Madanika her freedom. As Sharvilaka leaves the hou se, he hears

that his friend Aryaka ,who had beenimprisoned by the king, has

escaped and is being pursu ed. Sharvilaka departs to help him.

Maitreya comes from Charudat t a with the pearl necklace, to repay

Vasantasena fo r the gem-casket. She accepts the necklac e also, as

giving her anexcu se fo r a visit to Charudat t a.

ACT V. , entitled The Storm. Evening of the third day — Cha

rudat ta appears inthe gardenof his hou se . Here he receives a ser

vant ofVasantasena, who announces that Vasantasena is on her

way to visit him . Vasantasena thenappears inthe street with the

cou rtier ; the two describe alternately the violence and beau ty ofthe

storm which has suddenly arisen. Vasantasena dismisses the cou r

tier, enters the garden, and explains to Charudat t a how she has

againcome into possessionofthe gem-casket. Meanwhile, the storm

hasso increased inviolence that she is compelled to spend the night

at Charudat t a’

s hou se.

Ae '

rVL,entitled The .S‘wam ng of the B ullo ck' car ts.Morning of

the fourth day.— H c re she meets Charudat ta

’

slittle son,Ro hasena.

The boy is peevish because he cannow have only a little clay cart

to play with , instead of finer toys . Vasantasena gives him her

gems to buy a toy cart ofgold . Charudat t a’

s servant drives up to

xxviii INTRODUCTION

take Vasantasena inCharudat t a'

s bullo c k»cart to the park, where

she is to meet Charudat ta ; bu t whileVasantasena is making ready,

he drives away toget a cu shion. ThenSanst hanaka’

sservant drives

up with his master’s cart, which Vasantasena enters by mistake.

Soonafter, Charudat ta’

s servant retu rns with his cart. Then the

escaped prisoner Aryaka appears and enters Cham dat ta ’

s cart.

Two policemencome onthe scene ; they are searching fo rAryaka.

One of them looks into the cart and discovers Aryaka, bu t agrees

to protect him . This he do es by deceiving and finally maltreating

his companion.

ACT VI I . , entitledAryaka’

sE scape. Fourth day.— Charudat ta

is awaitingVasantasena inthe park . H is cart, inwhich Aryaka lies

hidden, appears. Charudat t a discovers the fugitive, removes his

ACT VI I I . , entitled The S trangling of Vasantasena. Fourth

day.— A Buddhist monk , the shampooer of the second ac t , enters

the park. He has difficu lty in escaping from Sanst hanaka. who

appears with the courtier. Sansthanaka’

s servant drives inwith the

cart which Vasantasena had entered by mistake. She is discovered

by Sansthanaka, who pu rsues her with insu lting offers of love.

When she repu lses him , Sanst hanaka gets rid of all witnesses,

strangles her, and leaves her fo r dead . The Buddhist monk enters

again, revives Vasantasena, and condu cts her to a monastery.

Ao'

r IX. , entitled The Trial. Fifth day.— Sansthanaka accu ses

Charudat ta ofmurderingVasantasenafo r her money. Inthe cou rse

of the trial, it appears thatVasantasena had spent the night of the

storm at Charudat t a’

s hou se ; that she had left the hou se the next

morning to meet Charudat ta inthe park ; that there had beena

struggle in the park, which apparently ended inthe murder of a

woman. Charudat ta’

sfriend, Maitreya, enters with the gems which

INTRODUCTION xxix

Vasant asena had lefl: to buy Charudat t a’

s sona to y cart of gold .

These gems fall to the floor during a scuffle betweenMaitreya and

Sanst hanaka. Inview of Charudat t a’

s poverty, this seems to esta

blish the motive fo r the crime, and Charudat ta is condemned t o

death.

Ae '

rX. , entitled The End. Sixth day.— Two headsmenare c on

du cting Charudat ta to the place of execu tion. Cham dat ta takes

his last leave of his sonand hisfriend Maitreya. B u t Sansthanaka’

s

no t believed , owing to the cunning displayed by his master. The

headsmenare preparing to execu te Charudat t a, whenVasantasena

herself appears upon the scene, accompanied by the Buddhist

monk. Her appearance pu ts a summary end to the proceedings .

Thennews is brought that Aryaka has killed and supplanted the

former king, that he wishes t o reward Charudat ta, and that he has

by royal edict freed Vasantasena from the necessity of living as a

co urtesan. Sanst hanaka is brought before Charudat ta fo r sent ence,

bu t is pardoned by the manwhom he had so grievou sly injured .

The play ends with the u sual Epilogue.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Ca i sson-t a, a Brahmanmerchant

Rom ans, hisson

Manam a, hisfi iend

Vu naau l nan , a servant inhis house

Sansm fm au , bro ther -iw law ofK ing PKLAKASm i van xa , his servant

Ano thor Sa vant q m l Na

AnYaxa, a herd-rmanwho becomes kingSnu vru xa , a Brahman, inlo ve with Manam a

Mi rrmna, a gumblingamastcr

Du nc an“ , a gambler

Ano ther Gambler

Kannari'

raan

Kmmrriu xa

VIRAKA

Gru m m an}PdGena

Amara}heBastardpages, inVasm asrmfr

’

sho use

A Judge, a Gad-warden, a Clerk, and a Beadle

m anta ofVam rasanii

Vasan'rasmsx, a courtesan

Her M o ther

Manu a l , maid to Vasasu sssi

Ano ther Maid to VAM NTASENZ.

The Wiflof CHZaUDA'

rrA

Ranam xx, a ma id inCniiauna'

rra’s ho use

SCENE

UJJAYINI (called also Avan'

rl) and itsEnvirons

THE LITTLE CLAY CART

TPROLOGUE

IS bended knees the knotted girdle holds,Fashioned by doubling ofa serpent's folds

H is sensive organs , so he checks his breath ,Are numbed, till consciou sness seems sunk indeath ;

The All-sou l, free from all activities .

May H is, may Shiva’s meditationbe

Your strong defense ; onthe Great Self thinks he,Knowing fu ll well the world

’s vacu ity.

May Shiva’s neck shield yo u from every harm,

That seems a threatening thunder-cloud, whereon,Bright as the lightning-flash , lies Gauri

’s arm .

Stage-director . Enough of this tediou s work, which fritt ers away

the interest of the au dience ! Let me thenmost reverently salu tethe honorable gentlemen, and announce o u r intentionto produ cea drama called “ The Little C lay Cart . ” Its au thor was a man

Who vied with elephants inlordly grace ;

That feeds onmoonbeams ; glorious his faceAs the fu ll moon; his person, all have heard,Was altogether lovely. First inworthAmong the twice-bornwas this poet, known

As Shfidraka far over all the earth,H is virtu e’s depth unfathomed and alone.

2 ACT THE F IRST

The Samaveda, the Rigveda too,The science mathematical, he knew ;The arts whereinfair cou rtezans excel,And all the lore of elephants aswell .Through Shiva

's grace, his eye wasnever dimHe saw his sona king inplace of him.

The difficu lt horse-sacrific e he triedSu ccessfu lly ; entered the fiery tide,One hundred years and t endays old, and died.

Eager fo r battle ; sloth’s determined foe ;

Of scholars chief, who to the Veda clingR ich inthe riches that ascetics know ;Glad, gainst the foeman

’s elephant to showHis valor ; — su ch was Shfidraka, the king.

And inthis work of his,Withinthe town, Avanti named,

Dwells one called Charudat ta, famedNo less fo r you th thanpoverty ;A merchant’s sonand Brahman, he.

His virtu es have the power to moveVasantasena

’

s inmost love ;Fair as the springtime’s radiancy,And yet a courtezanis she.

So here king Shudraka the tale impartsOf love’s pu re festival inthese two hearts,Of pru dent acts, a lawsu it

’s wrong and hate,A rascal's nature, and the cou rse of fate. 7

[H e walksabou t and looksaround him ]Why, this mu sic-room ofours is empt y. I wonder where the act ors have gone. [Bglec ting ]Ah , I understand .

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4 ACT THE FIRST 5 .

D irector . M istre ss, I’ve beenpractising so long and I ’m so hungry

that my limbs are asweak as dried-up lotu s-sta lks. Is there anything to eat inthe hou se o r no t ?

Actress. There’

s everything, sir.

D irector. Well, what ?

Ac tress. Fo r instance — there ’s rice with sugar, melted bu tter, cu rdled milk , rice ; and, all together, it makes yo u a dish fit fo rheaven. May the gods always be thus graciou s to yo u !

D irector . All that ino u r hou se ? o r are yo u joking ?

Actress. [Aside ]Yes, I will have my joke. [Aloud ] It’s in the

D irector . [Angrily] Yo u wretched woman, thu s shall your o wn

hOpe be c u t o ff!And death shall find yo u o u t ! Fo r my expectations, like a scaffolding, have beenraised so high , only to fall again.

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

D irector. Bu t what do these unu sual preparations mean? One girlis preparing cosmetics, another is weaving garlands, and the veryground is adorned with sacrificial flowers of five different colors .

Ac tress. This is a fast day, sir.

Actress. The fast fo r a handsome hu sband.

Director. Inthis world, mistress, o r the next ?

Actress. Inthe next world, sir.

D irector . Wra thfidly] Gentlemen! look at this . She is sacrificingmy food to get herself a hu sband inthe next world.

Actress. Don’t be angry, sir. I am fasting in the hope that yo umay be my hu sband inmy next birth , t o o .

D irec tor . Bu t who suggested this fast to yo u ?

Ac tress. You r owndear friend Jfirnavriddha.

D irector . [Angr ily] Ah, Jurnavriddha, son of a slave-wench !When, oh, whenshall I see King Palaka angry with yo u ? Then

P. PROLOGUE 5

yo u will be part ed, as surely as t he scented hair of some youngbride .

Ac tress. Don’t be angry, sir. It is only t hat I m ay have yo u int henext world t hat I ce lebrat e t hisfast . [Shefallsat hisfeet ]D irec tor . Stand up, mistress, and t ell m e who is t o oflic iat e at t hisfast .

Ac tress. Some Brahmanof o u r ownso rt whom we must invit e .

Direc tor . Yo u m ay go then. And I will invit e some Brahman of

o ur ownsort .

Ac tress. Very well, sir. [Exit

D irec tor . [Walking abou t ]Good heavens! In t his rich cit y ofUjjayini how am I t o find a Brahmanof o ur ownso rt ? [H e lo oks

abou t hint ]Ah, here comes Charudat t a’

s friend Maitreya. Good!I ’

ll ask him . Maitreya, yo u must be t he first t o break bread ino u r house t o -day.

A voic e behind the scenes. Yo u must invit e some ot her Brahman.

I am busy.

D irec t or . Bu t , m an, t he feast is set and yo u have it all t o yo urse lf. Besides, yo u shall have a present .

The voic e. I said no once . Why should yo u keep onu rging m e ?

Direc tor . He saysno . We ll, I must invit e some o t her Brahman.

[Ex-it .

END OF THE PROLOGUE

ACT THE FIRST

THE GEMS ARE LEFT BEHIND

[E atenwith a c loak inhis hand, M ait reya ]

OU must invite some other Brahman. I am busy. And yet

I really ought to be seeking invitations from a stranger. Oh ,what a wretched state of affairs !Whengood Charudat ta was stillwealthy, I u sed to eat my fill of the most deliciou sly fragrantsweetmeats, prepared day and night with the greatest of care. Iwou ld sit at the door of the cou rtyard, where I was su rrounded byhundreds o fdishes, and there, like a painter with his pa int-boxes,I wou ld simply tou ch them with my fingers and thru st them aside.I wou ld stand chewing my c ud like a bu ll in the city market.And now he is so poor that I have to runhere, there, and everywhere, and come home, like the pigeons, only to roost. Now hereis this jasmine-scented cloak, which Cham dat ta

’

s good friendJurnavriddha has sent him. H e bade me give it to Charudat ta , as

soonashe had finished hisdevotions. So now I will look fo r Chmdatta. [H e walks about and lo oks around hint ]Chsrudat ta hasfinished his devot ions, and here he comes with anoffering fo r thedivinities of the hou se.

[Enter Cham da t ta asdescribed, and Radanika]

Uponmy threshold , where the offeringWas straightway seized by swans and flocking cranes,The grass grows now , and these poor seeds I flingFall where the mou th of worms their sweetness stains.

[H e waflcs abou t very slowly and sea ts himselfi]M ait reya . Chim dat ta is here . I mu st go and speak to him .

pre aching] My gre etings to yo u . May happiness be you rs.

P. THE GEMS ARE LEFT BEH IND 7

Charudat ta . Ah , it is my constant friend Maitreya. Yo u are verywelcome, my friend . Pray be seated .

M aitreya . Thank yo u . [H e seatshimself]Well, comrade, here is ajasmine-scented cloak which you r good friend Jurnavriddha hassent. He bade me give it yo u as soonasyo u had finished your devotions. [H epresents the cloak. Cham dat ta takes it and remains

sunk intho ught ]Well , what are yo u thinking abou t?

A candle shining through the deepest darkIs happiness that follows sorrow

'

s strife ;Bu t aft er bliss whenm anbears sorrow’s mark,H is body lives a very death-in- life.

M aitreya . Well , which wou ld yo u rather, be dead o r be poor?

Charadat ta . Ah, my friend,Far better death thansorrows sure and slow ;Some passing sufl

'

ering from death may flow,

Bu t poverty brings never-ending wo e . 11

M ait reya . My dear friend , be no t thu s cast down. Your wealth hasbeenconveyed to them yo u love, and like the moon, aft er she hasyielded hernect ar to the gods, your waning fortunes winanaddedcharm.

Charudat ta . Comrade, I do no t grieve fo rmy ru ined fortunes. Bu t

This is my sorrow. They whom I

Wou ld greet as gu ests, now pass m e by.

This is a poor man’s hou se,” they c ry.

As flitting bees, the seasono’

er,

Desert the elephant, whose storeOf ichor 1 spent, attracts no more. 12

M aitreya. Oh, confound the money ! It is a trifleno t worth thinking abou t. It is like a cat t le-boy int he woods afraid of waSps; itdoesn

’

t stay anywhere where it is u sed fo r food.

‘M g thc m ting m om a frngrw t hqm r exudes fio m thc fonhu d of the c lephm t m

8 ACT THE FIRST (ass.

Charad. Believe me, friend . My sorrow does no t springFrom simple loss of gold ;

Fo r fortune is a fickle, changing thing,Whose favors do no t hold ;

Bu t he whose sometime wealth has takenwing,

ThentooA poor manis a manashamed ; from shameSprings want of dignity and worthy fame ;Su ch want gives rise to insu lts hard to bearThence comes despondency

'

; and thence, despairDespair breeds folly ; death is folly

’s fru it.Ah ! the lack of money is all evil

's root ! 14

M aitreya . Bu t ju st remember what a trifle money is, afier all, and

he more cheerfu l.

Charada t ta . My friend, the poverty ofa manis to him

A home of cares, a shame that haunts the mind,Another form ofwarfare with mankind ;The abhorrence ofhis friends, a source of hateFrom strangers, and from each once- loving mate ;Bu t if his wife despise him, then

’

t were meet

Insome lone wood to seek a safe retreat.The flame of sorrow, tortu ring his sou l,Burns fiercely, yet contrives to leave him whole. 15

Comrade, I have made my offering to the divinities of the hou se .

Do yo u t o o go and offer sacrifice to the D ivine Mot hers at a placewhere fou r roads meet .

Charuda t ta . Why no t ?M aitreya . Becau se the gods are no t graciou s to yo u evenwhen

thu s honored. So what is the use of worshiping?

Charudat ta . Not so, my friend, no t so ! This is the constant dutyof a hou seholder.

P. !6.Sl THE GEMS ARE LEFT BEH IND 9

The gods feel ever glad contentInthe gifts, and the self-chast isement,The meditations, and the prayers,Of those who banish worldly cares. 16

Why thendo yo u hesitate ? G o and offer sacrifice to the Mothers .

M aitreya . No, I’

m no t going. Yo u mu st send somebody else.Anyway, everyt hing seems to go wrong with me, poor BrahmanthatI am ! It ’

s like a reflectionina mirror ; the right side becomes theleft, and the left becomes the right. Besides, at this hou r of theevening, people are abroad uponthe king

'

s highway — courtesans ,co urt iers, servants, and royal favorit es. They will take me now fo rfair prey, ju st as the black-snake o u t frog-hunting snaps up themouse inhis path . Bu t what will yo u do sitting here?

Charu da t ta . Good then, remain; and I will finish my devotions .

[Ent er Vasantasena,pu rsued by the cou rtier, by Sansthanaka , and

the servant ]Com -tier . Vasantasena! St0 p, stop !

Ah, why shou ld fear transform you r tenderness ?Why should the dainty feet feel su ch dist ress,That twinkle inthe dance so prettily ?

Why shou ld you r eyes, thu s startled into fear,Dart sidelong looks ?Why, like the timid deerBefore pursu ing hunters, shou ld yo u flee ?

Sansthanaka . Sht op,

1 Vasantasena, shtop!

Why flee ? and run? and sht um ble inyou r turning?Be kind !Yo u shall no t die . Oh , sht op your feet !With love, shwee t girl, my tortu red heart is burning,As ona heap of coals a piece of meat. 18

l Thc most sh lking pecuhafity ofSonsthfinah '

sdidw t — hnsubsfimfionofsh fm s— I have

tried t o im it t te inthe transh t ion.

10 ACT THE FIRST

Servant . c o u rt esan, stop !

Infear yo u fleeAway from me,

As a summer peahenshou ld ;Bu t my lord and master

Stru ts fast and faster,Like a woodcock inthe wood.

Why shou ld yo u tremble, shou ld yo u flee,A-qu iver like the plantaintree ?You r garment’s border, red and fair,Is all a-shiver inthe air ;Now and again, a lotu s-budFalls to the ground, asred as blood.

A red realgar ‘ veinyo u seem,

Whence, smitten, drops of crimsonstream.

Sansthanaka. Sht op, Vasantasena, sht op!

Yo u wake my passion, my desire, my love ;Yo u drive away my shleep inbed at night ;Both fear and terror sheem your heart to move ;Yo u trip and sht um ble inyou r headlong flight.

Bu t Ravana forced Kunti 3 to his will ;Jusht sho shall I enjoy yo u to the fill.

Cour tier. Ah, Vasantasena,

Why shou ld your fieeter flightOutst rip my flying feet ?

Why, like a snake infrightBefore the bird-king’s might,Thu s seek to flee, my sweet?

Red arsenic, used as a cosmetic.

s.

Hcm w dsewhcm Sm stMnah'

smytho logy isv ildly c onmsed. To a I-I indu the dfec t mustbe ludic ro usenough ; bu t the humo r is o eceu arily lost inam nslat ion. I t therefm e seemshu dlyworth while t o expldnhlsmytho loglcal vagafles lndetail.

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12 ACT THE FIRST (u se s.

Sansthanaka . Masht er! a man! a man!

Cou rtier . Don’t be a coward.

Vasantasena. Madhavika!Madhavika!

Cou rtier . [Laughing] Fool ! She is calling her servants.

Sansthanaka . Masht er ! Is she calling a woman?

Cou rtier. Why, o fcourse .

Sansthanaka . Women! I kill hundreds of'

em. I’m a brave man.

Vasantasena. [Seeing thatno one answers]Alas, how comes it thatmy very servants have fa llenaway from me ? I shall have to defend myself by mother-wit .

Cou rtier . Don’t stop the search.

Sansthanaka . Shqu eal,Vasantasena, shqu eal fo r your cu ckoo Para

bhrit ika, o r fo r your blosshom Pallavaka o r fo r all the month ofMay !Who

’s going to save yo u when I’m chasing yo u ?

Why shpeak of Bhimasena?Or the shonOf Jamadagni, that thrice-mighty one ?The t en-necked ogre ? Shonof Kunti fair ?

Jusht look at me !My fingers inyour hair,Jusht like Duhshasana, I

’

ll tear, and tear.

Look , look !My shwo rd is sharp ; good-by, poor head !

Let ’s chop it off, o r kill yo u dead .

Thendo no t try my wrath to shun;Whenyo u mu sht die, you r life is done.

Vasantasena. Sir, I am a weak woman.

Cou rtier . That is why yo u are still alive.

Sansthanaka . That is why you’

re no t mu rdered.

Vasantasena. [Aside ]Oh ! his very cou rtesy frightens me. Come,I will t ry this. [Alo ud ]Sir, what do yo u expect from this pu rsu it ?

my jewels ?

P. in] THE GEMS ARE LEFT BEH IND 13

Cou rtier. Heavenforbid !A gardencreeper, mistress Vasantasena,shou ld no t be robbed of its blossoms . Sayno more abou t thejewels .

Vasantasena. What is thenyour desire ?

Sansthanaka . I ’m a man, a big man, a regu lar Vasudeva.

‘ Yo u

mu sht love me.

Vasantasena. [I ndignant ly.]Heavens !Yo u weary me. Come, leaveme ! Your words are aninsu lt.

Sansthanaka . [Laughing and clapping his hands]Look , m asht er,

look ! The courtezan’s daughter is mighty affectionate with me,isn't she ?Here she says Come on!Heavens, yo u

’

re weary. Yo u’

re

tired ! No , I haven’

t beenwalking to another village o r anothercity. No, little m ishtress, I shwear by the gentleman

’s head , Ishwear by my ownfeet ! It

’s only by chasing abou t at your heelsthat I ’ve growntired and weary.

Cou rtier. [Aside ]What ! is it possible that the idiot does no tunderstand whenshe says “ Yo u weary me [Aloud ]Vasantasena,you r words have no place inthe dwelling of a cou rtezan,

Which, as yo u know, is friend to every you th ;Remember, yo u are commonas the flowerThat grows beside the road ; inbitter tru th ,Your body has its price ; you r beau ty

’s dowerIs his , who pays the market

’s current rate :Thenserve the manyo u love, and him yo u hate.

And again:The wisest Brahmanand the meanest foolBathe inthe selfsame pool ;Beneath the peacock , flowering plant s bend low,

No less beneath the crow ;The Brahman, warrior, merchant, sail alongWith all the vu lgar throng.

Yo u are the pool, the flowering plant, the boatAnd onyou r beau ty every manm ay dote .

‘Aname ofKrishnm who isperhapo the most amom us c hnac t er in lndiansto ry.

14 ACT THE FIRST s.

Vasantasena. Yet tru e love wou ld be wonby virtu e, no t violence .

Sansthanaka. Bu t , m asht er, ever since the shlave -wench went intothe park where Kama’s‘ temple shtands, she has beeninlove with

a poor man, with Charudat t a, and she doesn’t love me any more.

H is house is to the left . Look o u t and don’

t let her shlip o u t of o u rhands.

Co u rtier. [Aside ]Poor fool, he has said the very thing he shou ldhave concealed. So Vasantasena is in love with Cham dat t a ? Theproverb is right. Pearl su its with pearl. Well , I have had enoughof this fool. [Aloud ]D id yo u say the good merchant

’s hou se wasto the left , yo u jackass ?

Vasantasena. [Aside ]Oh , wonderfu l ! If his hou se is really at mylefi; hand, thenthe scoundrel has helped me inthe very ac t of hurting me, fo r he has gu ided me to my love.

Sansthanaka . Bu t masht er, it’s pitch dark and it ’s like hunting

fo r a grainofsoot ina pile o fshpo t t ed beans. Now yo u shee Vasantasena and no w yo u don

’t.

Cou rtier. Pitch dark it is indeed.

The suddendarkness seems t o stealThe keenness of my sight

My Openeyes, aswith a seal,Are closed by blackest night.

And againDarkness anoints my body, and the skyDrops ointment o fthick darkness, till mine eyeIs all unprofitable grownto me,Like service done to them who cheat and lie .

Sansthanaka . Masht er, I’

m looking fo r Vasantasena.

Co u rtier. Is there anyt hing yo u c antrace her by, jackass ?

Sansthanaka . Like what, fo r inshtanc e ?

1 Cupid.

P. THE GEMS ARE LEFT BEH IND 15

Co u rtier . Like the tinkling o fher jewels, fo r instance, o r the fragranee of her garlands.

Sansthanalca . I hear the shm e ll of her garlands, bu t my nose is

sht ufi'

ed so fu ll o f darkness that I don’t shee the sho und of her

jewels very clearly.

Co urtier. [To Vasantasena. Aside ]Vasantasena,'

T is tru e, the night is dark, 0 timid maid,And like the lightning hiddeninthe cloud,

Yo u are no t seen; yet yo u will be betrayedBy fragrant garlands and by anklets loud.

Have yo u heard me, Vasantasena?

Vasantasena. [To herselji]Heard and understo od . [She removesthe ankle-wings, lays aside the garlands, and takes afew steps,fing her way ]I c an feel the wall o f the hou se, and here is a sideentrance. Bu t alas !my fingers tell me that the door is shu t.

Cham da tta [who iswithinthe house]. Comrade, my prayer is done.Go now and offer sacrifice to the Mothers.

M aitreya . No, I’

m no t going.

The poor man’s kinsmendo no t heed his willThe friends who loved him once, now stand afar

H is sorrows mu ltiply ; his strengt h is nilBehold ! his character’s bright- shining starFades like the waning moon; and deeds of illThat others do, are counted to him still.

again:No m anholds converse with him ; none will greetWith du e respect the poor m anwhenthey meet.Where rich m enhold a feast , if he draw near,He meets with sc om fu l looks fo r looks of cheer.

16 ACT THE FIRST 8.

Where vulgar throngs are gathered ,’

t is the same ;H is scanty raiment wakes his heartfelt shame.Five are the deadly sins 1 we knew before ;Alas ! I find the sixth is — to be poor.

And yet againAh , Poverty, I pity thee, that soTo me thou c lingest , as thy dearest friend ;Whenmy poor life hasmet its woefu l end,I sadly wonder, whither thou wilt go.

M ait reya . [B etraying hisembarrassment ]Well, comrade, if Igo, at least let Radanika go with me, to keep me company.

Cham dat ta . Radanika, yo u are to accompany Maitreya.

M aitreya M istress Radanika, do yo u take the offering and thecandle while I openthe side-door. [H e doesso .]Vasantasena. It seems as if the door took pity onme and openedo f itself. I will lose no time, bu t enter. [She looks ia .]What? acandle?Oh dear, oh dear! [Shepu ts it ou t with her skirt and enters]Charudat ta. What was that, Maitreya ?

M aitreya . I opened the side-door and the wind came through all

ina lump and blew o u t the candle. Suppose yo u go o u t by theside-door, Radanika, and I will follow as soonas I have gone intothe courtyard and lighted the candle again.

Sansthanaka . Masht er ! masht er ! I ’

m looking fo r Vasantasena.

Cou rtier . Keep onlooking, keep onlooking !

Sansthanaka. [Doesso .]Masht er !masht er ! I ’

ve caught her ! I ’

ve

Cou rtier. Idiot , yo u’

ve caught me.

Sansthdnah‘a . Yo u shtand right here, masht er, and shtay where

yo u’

re pu t . [H e renews the search andseizes the servant ]Masht er !

‘Thc five dendly slna m z thc sh ying of a Bm hm m the drinking of wine thd t , adu lterywit h the wife of one ’s tu c her, m d asoo dsfionwith one guflty of thm c rimu .

P. THE GEMS ARE LEFT BEH IND 17

mashter ! I ’

ve caught her ! I ’

ve caught her !

Servant . Master, yo u’

ve caught me, you r servant

Sansthanaka . Mashter here, shervant here ! M asht er, shervant ;

shervant , masht er. Now sh tay where yo u’

re pu t , both o fyo u . [H e

ta !Thish time I ’

ve caught her ! I ’

ve caught ntm enfi!

Through t he black night she fled , fled she ;Her garland ’s shm ell betrayed her ;Like Chanakya caught Draupad

‘

i,

I caught her hair and shtayed her.

Ah , proud to be so young, so fair !

To o high thy love mu st no t aspire ;Fo r now thy 1t hair,That merits richm t gems and rare,Serves b u t to drag thee t hrough the mire.

I ’

ve got you r head, girl, got it tight,By the hair, the locks, and the cu rls, too.

Now shc ream , shq ueak, shq u eal with all your might“ Shiva ! Ishvara ! S s Shambhu !” 1

n [I nterror] Oh, sirs, what does this mean?

Cou rtier . Yo u jackass ! It ’s another voice.

Sansthanaka . Masht er, the wench haschanged her voice, the way acat changes her voice,whenshewantsshome cream o fcurdled milk .

Cou rtier. Changed her voice ? Strange ! Yet why so strange ?

She trod the stage ; she learned the arts ;She studied to deceive o ur hearts ;And now she her part s.

[E nt er M aitreya ]M im e-eye Look ! In the gentle evening brem the flame of the

1 1 is flu tt ering like the heart o fa go at that go es to the altar.

[H e approaches and discoversRadam'

lcaj M ist ress Radanika!

. ii

18 ACT THE FIRST s.

Sansthanaka . Masht er, m asht er !A man! a man!

M aitreya . This is right, this is perfectly right, that strangers shou ldforce their way into the hou se, just becau se Charudat ta is poor.

Radanika. Oh, Maitreya, see how they insu lt me.

M aitreya . What ! insu lt yo u ? No , they are insu lting us.

Radanilca. Very well . They are insu lting yo u , then.

M aitreya . Bu t they are n’

t u sing violence?

Radanika. Yes , yes !

Radanika. Really.

M aitreya . [Raising hisstaf angrily]No, sir !Man, a dog will showhis teeth inhisownkennel,and I am a BrahmanMystafi

'

iscrookedasmy fortunes, bu t it c anstill split a dry bamboo o r a rascal

’s pate.

Cou rtier . Have mercy, 0 great Brahman, have mercy.

Sansthdnaka] Ah, here is the sinner. Well , yo u brother-in-law tothe king, Sanst hanaka, yo u scoundrel , yo u coward , this is perfectlyproper, isn

’

t it ?Charudat ta the good is a poor m annow — true,bu t are no t his virtu es anornament to Ujjayini And so m enbreakinto his hou se and insu lt his servants !

Insu lt no t him , laid low by povertyFo r none are counted poor by mighty fateYet he who falls from virtu e’s high estate,Though he be rich , no manis poor as he. 48

Cou rtier. [B etraying his embarrassment ]Have mercy, O greatBrahman, have mercy. We intended no insolence ; we merely mistook this lady fo r another. F o r

We sought anamorou s maiden,

M aitreya . What ! this one ?

one whose you th

Is inthe gu idance ofher ownsweet will

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20 ACT THE FIRST 8.

Or Indradat t a ? o r again, is heShono fbrave Rama and of fair Kunti?Or Dharm apu t ra

? Ashvat t hamanbold ?Perhaps Jatayu

’

s shelf, that vu ltu re o ld?

Fool ! I will tell yo u who Charudat ta is.

A tree of life to them whose sorrows grow,

Beneath its fru it of virtu e bending low ;Father to good m en; virtu e

’

s tou chstone he ;The mirror of the learned ; and the seaWhere all the tides of character unite ;A righteou s m an, whom pride cou ld never blightA treasure-hou se, with humanvirtues stored ;Courtesy

’s essence, honor’s preciou s hoard .

H e doth to life it s fu llest meaning give,So good is he ; we others breathe, no t live.

Let us be gone.

Sansthanalca . Withou t Vasantasena?

Sansthanaka . How ?

Cou rtier . Like sick men’s strength , o r 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, whenfoemenfano ur slumbering wrat h ,So did she vanish , whenyo u crossed her path.

Sansthanalea . I ’

m no t going withou t Vasantasena.

Cou rtier. And did yo u never hear this ?

To hold a horse, yo u need a rein;To hold anelephant, a chain;To hold a woman, use a heartAnd if yo u haven

’

t one , depart.

Sansthanalca. If yo u’

t e going, go along. I ’m no t going.

Co urtier. Very well. I will go.

e ase] THE GEMS ARE LEFT BEH IND 21

Sansthanaha. Mashter’

s gone, su re enough . [To M aitreya ]Well,

yo u manwith the head that looks like a caret, yo u manikin, take a

sheat, take a sheat.

M aitreya . We have already beeninvited to take a seat.

Sansthanaka . By whom ?

M aitreya . By dest iny.

Sansthanaka . Shtand up, then, Shtand up!

M aitreya . We shall.

Sansthanaka . When?

M ait reya . Whenfate is kind again.

Sansthanaka . Weep, then, weep !

M ait reya. We have wept.

Samsthaswka. Who made yo u ?

Sansthanaka . Laugh , then, laugh !

M ait reya . Laugh we shall.

W h ale r. When?

M aitreya . WhenCharudat t a is happy once more.

Sansthanaka . Yo u manikin, give poor little Charudat t a thish m es

shage from me. “ Thish wench with goldenornaments and golden

jewels, t hish female shtage -manager looking afier the rehearsal ofa new play, thish Vasantasena— she hasbeeninlove wit h yo u ever

shinc e she went into the park where Kama’s temple shtands. And

whenwe tried to conciliate her by force, she went into you r hou she.Now if yo u shend her away yo u rshelfand hand her over to me, if

yo u resht o re her at once, without any lawshu it incou rt, thenI’

ll

be friends with yo u forever. Bu t if yo u don’t resht o re her, there

will be a fight to the death. Remember

Shmear a pumpkin-shtalk with cow-dung ;Keep you r vegetables dried ;

Cook you r rice inwinter evenings

22 ACT THE FIRST 8 .

And be sure you r meat is fried .

Theniet’em shtand, and they will no t

Bo thershom e ly shm ell and ro t . 51

Tell it to him prettily, tell it to him craft ily. Tell it to him sho thatI canhear it as I ro osht in the dove-cote onthe top o fmy own

palace. If yo u shay it different, I’

ll chew your head like anapplecaught inthe crack o fa door.

M aitreya . Very well. I shall tell him.

Sansthanaka . [Aside ]Tell me, shervant . Is m ashte r really gone ?

Servant. Yes, sir.

Sansthana lca . Thenwe will go as qu ickly aswe can.

Servant. Thentake your sword, master.

Servant . Here it is, master. Take you r sword, master.

Sansthanalca [Taking it by the wrong end ]My shwo rd, red as a radish shkin,Ne’er finds the time t o molder ;

Shee how it shleeps its sheath within!I pu t it onmy shou lder.

While curs and bitches yelp at me, I roam,

I Like a hunted jackal, home. 52

1 [Sansthanaha and the servant walk abou t , thenercunt .

M aitreya M istress Radanika, yo u mu st no t tell good Charudat ta

of this ou trage. I am su re yo u would only add to the poor man’s

M aitreya So be it.

Charuda t ta . [To Vasantasena ]Radaniki , Ro hasena likes the fresh

air, b u t he will be cold inthe evening chill . Pray bring him into thehou se, and cover him with this mantle. [H egivesher the mant le ]

P. THE GEM S ARE LEFT BEH IND 23

Vasantasend . [To herself]See ! He thinks I am his servant. [Shetakes the mant le andperceives itsperfume Ardent ly to herself]Oh,beau tifu l !The mantle is fragrant with jasmine . H isyou thfu l days

are no t wholly indifferent to the pleasu res of the world. [She wraps

it abou t her, witho ut letting Charuda t ta see ]

Cham dat ta . Come, Radanika, take Ro hasena and enter the heart

of the hou se.

Vasantasena. [To herself]Ah me unhappy, that have little parto r lot inyou r heart !

Charuda tta. Come, Radanika, will yo u no t evenanswer ? Alas !

Whenm anonce sees that miserable day,

Whenfate almighty sweeps his wealth away,Thenancient friendships will no longer hold,Thenall his former bosom-friends grow cold.

M ait reya. [D rawing near to Radanika] Sir, here is Radanika.

Charudat ta . Here is Radanika?Who then is thisTh is unknown lady, by my robeThu s clinging, desecrated,

Vasantasend. [To herselfl]Say rather “ consecrated. ”

Until she seems the crescent moon,VWth clouds o fau tumn1 mated ?

Bu t no ! I may no t gaze u ponanother’s wife.

M aitreya Oh , yo u need no t fear that yo u are looking at anotherman’s wife. This isVasantasenfi, who has been in love with yo uever since she saw yo u inthe gardenwhere Kama

’s t emple stands.

Charudatta . What ! this is Vasantasena? [Aside ]My love fo r whom — my fortune spentMy wretched self intwainhas rent,Like coward’s anger, inward bent. 55

1Which lo ok pre tty, bu t do no t rain. He do u bfless means t o snggeat mat the c lo ok belonging to a l tu nge man. is u uad eas to nh scni u fiw veflo l aummndo udsm tbe a nh .

24 ACT THE FIRST [sa w 8 .

M aitreya My fri end, that brother-in-law of the king says

M aitreya .

“ This wench with goldenornaments and goldenjewels,this female stage-manager looking aft er the rehearsal o f a newplay, this Vasantasena— she has beenin love with yo u ever sinceshe went into the park where Kama

’s temple stands. Andwhenwetried to conciliate her by force, she went into your hou se.

”

Vasantasena. [To herself]“ Tried to conciliate me by force

tru ly, I am honored by these words.

M aitreya“ Now ifyo u send her away you rself and hand her over

to me, ifyo u restore her at once, without any lawsu it in court,then I ’

ll be friends with yo u forever. Otherwise, there will be afight to the den

Charada t ta [Contemptno usly ]He is a fool . [To himself]H ow isthis maidenworthy of the worship that we pay a goddess !Fo rnow

Al though I bade her enter, yet she seeksTo spare my poverty, no r enters here ;Though m enare knownto her, yet all she speaks

Conta ins no word to wound a modest ear. 56

[Alo ud ]M istress Vasantasena, I have unwittingly made myselfgu ilty of anoffense ; fo r I greeted asa servant one whom I did no t

recognize. I bend my neck to ask you r pardon.

Vasantasend . It isI who have offended by this unseemly intru sion.

I bo w my head to seek you r forgiveness .

M aitreya Yes, with you r pretty bows yo u two have knocked you rheads together, till they look like a couple o frice-fields. I also bowmy head like a camel colt’s knee and beseech yo u bot h to st and

up. [H e do esso , thenri ses]Charuda t ta . Very well, let usno longer trouble ourselves with c onvent ions.

Vasantasena. [To herself]What a delightfu lly clever hint ! Butit wou ld hardly be proper to spend the night, considering how I

P. THE GEMS ARE LEFT BEH IND 25

came hither. Well, I will at least say this mu ch . [Aloud]If I amto receive thus mu ch of your favor, sir, I shou ld be glad to leavethese jewels inyou r house . It was fo r the sake of the jewels thatthose scoundrels pursu ed me.

Cham dat ta . This hou se is no t worthy of the tru st.

Vasantasena Yo u mistake, sir ! It is to m enthat treasures are en

tru sted , no t to hou ses .

Charadat ta Maitreya, will yo u receive the jewels ?

Vasantasena I am mu ch indebted to yo u . [She hands him the

jewels]M aitreya [Receiving them ]Heavenbless yo u , madam.

Chdrndat ta Fool ! They are only entru sted to us.

M aitreya . [Aside ]Thenthe thieves may take them, fo r all I c are.

Charada t ta Ina very short time

M aitreya . What she has entru sted to us, belongs to us.

Charuda t ta . I shall restore them .

Vasantasena I shou ld be gratefu l, sir, if this gent lemanwou ldaccompany me home.

Charitdat ta Maitreya, pray accompany o ur guest.

M aitreya . She walks as gracefu lly as a female swan, and yo u are

the gay flamingo to accompany her. Bu t I am only a poor Brahman,

and wherever I go, the people will fall uponme just as dogs willsnap at a victim dragged to the cross-roads.

Charadat ta . Very well . I will accompany her myself. Let theto rches be lighted, to ensu re o u r safety onthe highway.

M aitreya . Vardhamanaka, light the torches.

Vardhamanalca . [Aside to M aitreya ]What ! light torches with

M aitreya . [Aside to Charadat ta] These torches of ours are likecourtezans who despise their poor lovers. They won’t light upless yo u feed them.

26 ACT THE FIRST (asse s.

Charudat ta . Enough,Maitreya !We needno torches. See ,we havea lamp upont he king’

shighway.

At t ended by her starry servants all,And pale t o see as a loving m aiden’

s cheeks,Rises before o u r eyes the moon’

s bright ball,Whose pu re beams ont he high-piled darknessfallLike st reaming milk t hat dried-upmarshes seeks. 57

[H is vo ice betraying hispassion]M ist ressVasantasena, we havereached you r home . Pray ent er. [Vasantasenagazesardent ly at him,

then exit ]Comrade , Vasantasena isgone . Come , let usgo home .

All creat u res from the highway take t he ir flight ;The watchm enpace their rounds before o ur sight ;To forestall t reachery, isju st and right ,F o r many sinsfind shelt er in the night . 58

[H e walksabou t ]And yo u shall guard t his goldencasket bynight ,and Vardhamanaka by day.

M aitreya . Very we ll . [Eweunt ambo .

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28 ACT THE SECOND 8.

his great festival is welcome whenone is young. Bu t tell me, m istress, is it a king, o r a king

’s favorite, whom yo u worship ?

Vasantasena. Girl, I wish to love, no t to worship.

M adanika. Is it a Brahmanthat excites you r passion, some you thdistingu ished fo r very part icu lar learning?

Vasantasena A Brahman I should have to reverence.

M adanilca. Or is it some young merc hant, grown enormou slywealthy from visiting many cities ?

Vasantasena A merchant, girl, mu st go to other countries andleave yo u behind, no matter how mu ch yo u love him . And th e

separationmakes yo u very sad.

M adanilca. It isn’

t a king, no r a favorite, no r a Brahman, no r a

merchant. Who is it thenthat the princess loves ?

Vasant asena. Girl ! Girl ! Yo u went with me to the park where

Kama’s temple stands ?

M adanilcd. Yes, mistress.

Vasantasena. And yet yo u ask, as ifyo u were a perfect stranger.

M adanilca Now I know. Is it the manwho comfort ed yo u when

yo u asked to be protected ?

Vasantasena Well, what was his name ?

M adanih‘

a. Why, he lives inthe merchants’ qu arter.

Vasantasena Bu t I asked yo u fo r his name.

M adamha H isname, mistress, is a good omenin it self. H isnam eis Charudat ta .

Vasantasena. [Joyfu lly ]G o od,Madanika, good.Yo u have gu essed

it.

M adanika [Aside ]So mu ch fo r that. [Aloud ]M istress, they sayhe is poor.

Vasantasena. That isthe very reasonwhy I love him . For a cou rtezanwho sets her heart ona poor m anis blameless inthe eyes ofthe world .

P. THE SHAMPOOER WHO GAMBLED 29

M adanika Bu t mistress, do the bu tterflies visit the mango- treewhenits blossoms have fallen?

Vasantasena That isju st why we ca ll that sort of a girl a bu tterfly.

M adanilca. Well, mistress, if yo u love him, why don’t yo u go and

visit him at once ?

Vasantasena. Girl, if I shou ld visit him at once, then, becau se hecan

’t make any retu rn— no , I don’

t mean that, bu t it wou ld behard to see him.

M adanika Is that the reasonwhy yo u left your jewels with him ?

Vasantasena Yo u have gu essed it.

A voic e 1 behind the scenes. Oh, sir, a Shampooer owes me t engoldpieces, and he go t away from us. Hold him , hold him ! [To thefleeing shampooer .]Stop, stop ! I see yo u from here. [Enter huniedly

Shampooer . Oh, confound this gambling business !

Freed from its tether, the ac eI m ight better say

“ass — how it kicks me !

And the cast of the dice cal led the “ spearProves tru e to its name ; fo r it sticks me.

The keeper’s whole attentionWas bu sy with the score ;

80 it took no great inventionTo vanish through the door.

Bu t I cannot stand foreverInthe unprot ected street.Is there no one to deliver?

I wou ld fall before his feet. 2

While the keeper and the gambler are looking somewhere elsefo r me, I

’ll ju st walk backwards into this empty temple and tu rn

goddess. [H e makesall sorts ofgestu res, takes hisplace , and waits.

Ent er M atha ra and the gamblen]l '

l'

hat ofMi thun. the kc eper of the gamb ling -bo u l e .

30 ACT THE SECOND s.

M athu ra . Oh, sir, a shampooer owes me t engold-pieces , and he gotaway from us. Hold him , hold him ! Stop, stop ! I see yo u fromhere

Gambler . Yo u m ay runto hell, if they’ll take yo u in;

With Indra, the god . yo u may stay :Fo r there ’s never a god cansave you r skin,While Mathura wants his pay.

Oh , whither flee yo u , nim ble rambler,Yo u that cheat anhonest gambler ?

Yo u that shake with fear and shiver,All a-tremble, all a-qu iver ;Yo u that cannot trip enough ,Onthe level ground and rough

Family, and repu tation! 4

G ambler . [Examining the footprints]Here he goes. And here thetracks are lost.

M athu ra. [G asesat thefootprints. q ec tively]Look !The feet aretu rned around . And the temple hasn

’

t any image. [Afier a mo

ment’

s tho ught ]That rogue o fa shampooer hasgone into the temple with his feet tu rned around.

G ambler . Let’s follow him .

M athu ra . All right. [They enter the temple and take a good look,thenmake signs t o each other.]

Gambler. What !a wooden image ?

M athura . Of courseno t . It ’

sstone. [H e shakesit with all hismight ,thenmakessigns]What do we care ?Come, let

’s have a game. [H e

starts to gamble as hard as he can]

Shampooer. [Trying with all his might to repress the gamblingfever. Aside ]Oh , oh !

Oh, the rattle o fdice is a charming thing.Whenyo u haven

’

t a copper left ;

R eam] THE SHAMPOOER WHO GAMBLED 81

It works like a drum onthe heart of a king,Of all his realm bereft .

Fo r gamblers leap downa mountainsteep

I know I shall no t play.

Yet the rattle of dice is as sweet as the peepOf nightingales inMay.

Gambler . My tu rn, my tu rn!

M athu ra. Not mu ch ! it’s my turn.

Shampooer. [Coming up qu icklyfrom behind ]Isn’

t it my tu rn?

G ambler. We’

ve got o u r man.

M athu ra . [Seizing him ]Yo u jail-bird, yo u'

t e caught. Pay me

my t engold-pieces .

Shampooer. I ’

ll pay yo u this very day.

M at/mm . Pay me this very minu te !

Shampooer. I ’

ll pay yo u . Only have mercy !

M athura . Come, will yo u pay me now ?

Shampooer . My head isgetting dizzy . [H efalls to the ground. The

others beat him with all their might ]M athnra. There [drawing the gamblers

’

ring] yo u’

t e bound by

ring ?Confound it ! That is a limit which we gamblers can’t pass .Where can I get the money to pay him ?

M atha ra. Well then, yo u mu st give su rety.

Shampooer. I have anidea. [H e nudges the gambler] I’ll give yo u

half, if you’ll forgive me the other half.

Shampooer. [To M at/cu rd ] I 11 give yo u suret y fo r a half. Yo umight forgive me the other half.

M dthura . All right. Where’

s the harm ?

Shampooer . [Alo ud ]Yo u forgave me a half, sir ?

82 ACT THE SECOND

M athu ra . Yes.

Shampooer . [To the gambler] And yo u forgave me a half?

Gambler. Yes.

Shampooer . ThenI think I ’

ll be go ing.

M at/mm . Pay me my t engold-pieces !Where are yo u going?

Shampooer. Look at this , gentlemen, look at this !Here I ju st gavesu rety to one of them fo r a half, and the other forgave me a half.

And evenaft er that he is dunning me, poor helpless me !

M athu ra . [Seizing him.]Myname is Mathu ra, the clever swindler ,and yo u

’

t e no t going to swindle me this time. Pay up, jail-bird,

Shampooer . H ow can I pay ?

M athu ra . Sell you r father and pay.

Shampooer . Where c anI get a father?

M athu ra . Sell you r mother and pay.

Shampooer. Where c an I get a mother ?

M athu ra. Sell yourself and pay.

Shampooer. Have merc y ! Lead me to the king’s highway.

M athu ra . Go ahead .

Shampooer. If it mu st be. [H e walks abo u t ]Gentlemen, will yo u

buy me fo r t engold-pieces from this gambling-master ? [H e sees

a passer-by and calls ou t ]What is that?Yo u wish to know what

I cando ? I will be you r hou se-servant. What ! he hasgone withou tevenanswering. Well, here

’

s another. I ’

11 speak to him . [H e re

peats his ofer]What ! this one too takes no notice o fme. He isgone. Confound it ! I ’

ve had hard luck ever since Charudat ta losthis fortune.

M athu ra. Will yo u pay?

Shampooer. How can I pay ? [H efalls down. M athu ra drags him

abou t ]Good gentlemen, save me, save me ! [Enter Dardu rahd ]Dardnraha . Yes, gambling is a kingdom withou t a throne.

P. 61.6] THE SHAMPOOER WHO GAMBLED 38

Yo u do no t mind defeat at all

Great are the sums yo u spend and win;While kingly revenu es roll in,

R ich m en, like slaves, before yo u fall.And again

Yo u earnyour coinby gambling,Your friends and wife by gambling,You r gifts and food by gambling ;You r last cent goes by gambling.

And againMy cash was takenby the trey ;The deu ce thentook my health awayThe ac e thenset me onthe street ;The four completed my defeat. 9

[H e lo oks befo re him ]Here comes Mathura, o u r sometime gambling-master. Well , as I can

’

t escape, I think I’

ll pu t onmy veil .

[H e makesanynumber ofgestu reswith his cloak, thenexaminesit ]

This cloth is sadly indigent inthread ;This lovely cloth lets ina lot of light ;This cloth’s protective power is nearly fled;This cloth is pret ty whenit ’

s rolled up tight.

Yet aft er all, what more cou ld a poor saint do ? Fo r yo u see,

One foot I ’

ve planted inthe sky,The other onthe ground must lie.‘

The elevation’

s rather high ,Bu t the sunst ands it. Why can

’t I ?

Shampooer. How can I pay? [M at/tum dragshim abou t ]Dardu raka . Well, well, what is this I see ? [H e addresses a bystander.]What did you say, sir

? “ This shampooer is being maltreated by the gambling-master, and no one will save him” ? I ’llsave him myself. [H e pressesforward]Stand back, stand back !‘A humo rouzly eu ggm ted rd m nc e t o lndiannc e t ic pnc t ic u .

34 ACT THE SECOND

[H e takes a look ]Well , if this isn’

t that swindler Mathura. And

here is the poor saintly shampooer; a saint to be sure,

Who does no t hang with bended headR igid till set o fsun,Wh o do esno t ru b his back wit h sand

Till boils beginto run,

Whose shins dogs m ay no t browse u pon,As they pass him intheir rambling}Why shou ld this ta ll and dainty manBe so inlove with gambling ? 12

Well , I mu st pacify Mathura. [H e approaches]How do yo u do,Mathu ra ? [M athu ra retu rns the greeting ]Dardu raka. What does this mean?

M at/tum . He owes me t engold -pieces.

Dardu raka. A mere bagatelle !

M athu ra . [Pu lling the rolled-up c loak from under Dardu raka’

s

am ]Look, gentlemen, look ! The m aninthe ragged cloak callst engold -pieces a mere bagatelle.

Dardu raka . My good fool, don’t I risk t engold-pieces ona cast

o fthe dice ? Suppose a manhas money — is that any reasonwhyhe shou ld pu t it inhis bosom and show it ?Bu t yo u ,

You ’ll lose your caste, you’ll lose you r sou l,

F o r t engold-pieces that he stole,To kill a m anthat ’s sound and whole,With five good senses inhim. 18

M athu ra . Tengo ld-piecesmay be a mere bagatelle to yo u , sir. Tome they are a fortune.

Dardu raka . Well then, listento me. Ju st give him t enmore, and

let him go to gambling again.

M athu ra. And what then?

Dardu raka . If he wins, he will pay yo u .

See no te onpage 88.

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36 ACT THE SECOND [saw s

Darduraka . [Aside] I have made an enemy of the influentia lgambling-masterMathu ra. I had better no t st ay here. Besides, mygood friend Sharvilaka told me that a young herdsmannamedAryaka has beendesignated by a soothsayer as o u r fu ture king.

Now everybody inmy condition is running after him. I think Iwill joinmyself to him .

Shampooer . Tremblesas he walksaway and looksabou t him]Hereis a hou se where somebody has left the side-door open. I will goin. [H e enters andperceives Vasantasena] Madam, I throw myself u ponyour protection.

Vasantasena. He who throws himself uponmy protectionshall besafe. C lose the door, girl. [The maid does so]

Shampooer . A creditor, madam .

Vasantasena. Yo u m ay openthe door now, girl.

Shampooer. [To himself]Ah !Her reasons fo rno t fearing a credit o r are inproportionto her innocence. The proverb is right

The manwho knows his strengt h and bears a loadProportioned t o that strength, no t more no r less,Is safe from stumbling and from sore distress,

Although he wander ona dreary road.

That means me.

M athu ra . [Wiping his eyes. To the gambler] Pay, pay !

Gambler. While we were quarreling with Darduraka ,

m anescaped.

M athu ra . I broke that shampooer’s nose fo r him withCome on! Let

’

s trace him by the blood. [They do so]G ambler. He went into Vasantasena

’

s hou se, sir.

M athu ra. Thenthat is the end of the gold-pieces .

Gambler. Let ’

sgo to cou rt and lodge a complaint.

P. THE SHAMPOOER WHO GAMBLED 87

M athwra . The swindler wou ld leave the hou se and escape. No, wemu st besiege him and so capture him .

[Vasantasena givesM adanika a sign]M adanika. Whence are yo u , sir ? o rwho are yo u , sir ? o rwhose son

are yo u , sir ?o rwhat is you r bu siness, sir ? o rwhat are yo u afraid of?

Shampooer. Listen, madam . My birt hplace is Patalipu t ra, madam .

I am the sonof a hou seholder. I practise the trade ofa shampooer.

Vasantasena. It is a very dainty art , sir, which yo u have mast ered .

Shampooer. Madam , as anart I mastered it. It hasnow become a

mere trade.

M adanika. Your answers are most disconsolate, sir. Pray continu e.

Shampooer. Yes, madam . When I was at home, I u sed to heartravelers tell tales. and I wanted to see new co untries, and so Icame here. And when I had come here to Ujjayini , I became theservant ofa noble gentleman. Su ch a handsome, courteou s gentleman!Whenhe gave money away, he did no t boast ; whenhe wasinjured , he forgot it. To c u t a long story short : he wasso courteou sthat he regarded his ownpersonas the possessionof others, and

had compassiononall who sought his prot ect ion.

M adanika. Who may it be that adorns Ujjayini with the virtu eswhich he has stolenfrom the object of my mistress’ desires ?

Vasantasena. Good . girl, good ! I had the same thought inmind .

M adanika. Bu t to continu e, sir

Shampooer. Madam, he was so compassionate and so generou s that

Vasantasena. His riches have vanished ?

Shampooer. I didn’

t say it. H o w did yo u gu ess it, madam ?

Vasantasena. What wasthere to gu ess ?Virtu e andmoney seldomkeep company. Inthe pools from which m encannot drink thereis so mu ch the more water.

M adanika. Bu t sir, what is his name ?

88 ACT THE SECOND

Shampooer . Madam, who does no t know the name o f this moonof the whole world ?He lives inthe merchants’ quarter. He whosename is worthy o fall honor is named Charudat t a.

Vasantasena. [Joy/idly risingfrom her seat]Sir, this house isyou rown. Give him a seat, girl , and take this fan. The gentleman isweary. [M adanika does as she is bid]Shampooer . [Aside]What ! so mu ch honor becau se I mentionedCharudat ta

’

sname ?Heaven bless yo u , Charudat ta ! Yo u are the

only maninthe world who really lives . All others merely breathe.

[H efallsat Vasantasend’

sfeet] Enough, madam, enough . Praybe seat ed, madam.

Vasantasend. [Seating herself]Where is he who is so richly you r

W rap. The good man’s wealth consist s inkindly deeds ;All other wealth is vainand qu ickly flies.The manwho honors no t his neighbor

'

s needs.Does that manknow what honor signifies ?

Vasantasena. Bu t to continu e

Shampooer . So I became a servant in his employ. And when hiswealth wasredu ced to his virtu e, I beganto live by gambling. Bu t

fate was cru el, and I lost t engold-pieces.

M athu ra . I am ru ined ! I am robbed !

Shampooer . There are the gamb ling-master and the gambler, looking fo r me. Yo u have heard my story, madam . The rest is your

Vasantasena. Madanika, the birds fly everywhitherwhenthe treeis shaken inwhich they have their nests. Go, girl, and give thegambling-master and the gambler t his bracelet. And tell them thatthis gentlemansends it. [She removesa braceletfrom her arm , and

gives it to M adam'

ka]M adanika. [Receiving the bracelet] Yes , m istress. [She goes ou t]

THE SHAMPOOER WHO GAMBLED 39

M athu ra. I am ru ined ! I am robbed !

M adanika. Inasmu ch as these two are looking up to heaven, andsighing, and chattering, and fastening their eyes on the door, Iconclude that they mu st be the gambling-master and the gambler.

[Approaching] I salu te yo u , sir.

M athu ra . May happiness be yours .

M adanika. Sir, which ofyo u is the gambling-master?

M ath. O maiden, fair bu t somet hing less thanshy,With red lip wounded inlove

’s ardent play,Onwhom is bent that sweet, coquettish eye ?

Fo r whom that lisp that steals the heart away ?

I have n’

t got any money. Yo u’

11have to look somewhere else.

M adanika. Yo u are certainly no gambler, if yo u talk that way.

Is there any one who owes yo u money ?

M athu ra . There is. He owes tengold-pieces. What o fhim ?

M adanika. Inhis behalf my m istress sends yo u this bracelet. No,no ! He sends it himself.

M athu ra . [Seizing it joyfully]Well , well, yo u may tell the nobleyou th that his account is squared . Let him come and seek delight

[Exeunt M athu ra and the gambler .

M adanika. [Returning to Vasantasena ]M ist ress, the gamblingmaster and the gambler have gone away well-pleased .

Vasantasena. G o , sir, and comfort your kinsfolk .

Shampoo er. Ah, madam, if it may be, these hands wou ld gladlypractise their art inyou r service.

Vasantasena. Bu t sir, he fo r whose sake yo u mastered the art ,

who first received you r service, he shou ld have you r service still .

Shampooer . [Aside] A very pretty way to decline my services .How shall I repay her kindness ? [Alo ud] Madam,

thu s dishonored as a gambler, I shall become a Buddhist monk . And so,

40 ACT THE SECOND s.

madam, treasure these words inyour memory : “ He was a sham

po o er, a gambler, a Buddhist monk.

”

Vasantasena. Sir, yo u mu st no t ac t too precipitately.

Shampooer . Madam, my mind is made up. [H e walks abou t ]I gambled , and ingambling I did fall,

Now I shall show my honest face to all,And walk abroad u ponthe king’s highway.

[Tumultuo us c ries behind the scenes]Shampooer . [Listening]What is this ? What is this ? [Addressingsome one behind the scenes] What did yo u say?

“ Post-breaker,Vasantasena

’

s rogu e elephant, is at liberty !”Hurrah ! I mu st go

and see the lady’s best elephant. No ,no !What have I to do withthese things? I mu st hold to my resolu tion.

[Thenenter hastily K am apnraka , highly delighted, wearing a go r

geons mant le]K arnapuraka. Where is she ?Where is my mistress ?M adanika. Insolent !What c anit be that so excites yo u ? Yo u do

no t see you r mistress before your very eyes.

yo u .

Vasantasena. Kam apuraka, your face is beaming. What is it ?

K arnapuraka. [Proudly]Oh ,mistress !Yo u missed it !Yo u didn’t

see K am apuraka’

s heroism to-day !

Vasantasena. What, Karnapuraka, what ?

K arnapuraka . 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. Yo u shou ld have heard thepeople shriek ,

Take care of the babies, as qu ick as yo u c an,

And climb up a ro of o r a tree !

P. nu ] THE SHAMPOOER WHO GAMBLED 4 1

The elephant rogue wants the blood of a man.

E scape !Runaway ! Can’t yo u see ?

H ow 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 tu sks into the city of Ujjayini, as if it were a lotu s-pondin fu ll flower. At last he comes upon a Buddhist monk.

l And

while the man’s staff and his water-jar and his begging-bowl flyevery which way, he drizzles water over him and gets him be

tween his tu sks. The people see him and begin to shriek again,

crying “ Oh, o h, the monk is killed !”

ness !

K arnapuraka . Don’t be frightened. Ju st listen, mistress . Then,

with a big piece of the brokenchaindangling abou t him , he pickedhim up, picked up the monk between his tu sks, and j ust thenKarnapuraka 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 ironpole o u t o fa shop,and challenged the mad elephant

Vasantasena. Go on! Go on!

K arnap . I hit him — ina fit ofpassion, tooHe really looked like some great mountainpeak.

And from betweenthose tu sks ofhis I drewThe sacred hermit meek .

Vasantasena. Splendid, splendid ! Bu t go on!

K arnaptzraka. Then,mistress, all Ujjayini tipped over t o one side,1The shu npo oer. who oe tnnsform ationis u t oniahingly sudden.

4 2 ACT THE SECOND

like a ship loaded unevenly, andyo u cou ld hearno thing bu t Hur

rah, hurrah fo r Kam api'

rraka l” Then, mistress, a mantou ched the

places where he ought to have ornaments, and, finding that hehadn

’

t any, looked up, heaved a long sigh, and threw this mantle

Vasantasena. Find o u t , Kam aptrraka , whet her the mantle is pe r»

fumed with jasmine o r no t .

K arnapuraka. M istress, the elephant perfume is so strong that Ican’t tell fo r su re.

Vasantasena. Thenlook at the name.

K arnapuraka. Here is the name. Yo u m ay read it, mistress. [H e

hands her the mantle]Vasant asend. [Reads] Charudat ta. [She seizes the mant le eagerlyand wraps it abou t her]M adanika. The mantle is very becoming to her, Kam apfiraka.

K arnapflraka . Oh , yes , the mant le is becoming enough .

Vasantasena. Here is your reward, Kam apuraka. [She gives him

a M ]K arnapuraka . [Taking it and bowing low] Now the mantle is

Vasantasena. Karnapfiraka, where is Charudat ta no w ?

K arnapur aka . H e started to go home along this very street.

Vasantasena. Come, girl !Le t us go to the upper balcony and see

[E r cunt omnes.

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4 4 ACT THE TH IRD s.

M aitreya. There are ju st two things that always make me laugh .

One is a womanta lking Sanskrit, and the other is a m anwho triesto sing soft and lo w . Now whena wom anta lks Sanskrit, she is like

a heifer with a new rope through her nose ; all yo u hear is“ soo ,

soo, And whena mantries to sing soft and lo w , he reminds

me of anold priest mutt ering texts,while the flowers inhis chapletdry up. No, I don

’t like it !

Charudat ta . My friend, Master Rebhila sang most wonderft

The not es of love, peace, sweetness, cou ld I trace ,

The note that thrills, the note of passiontoo,The not e of woman

’s loveliness and graceAh, my poor words add nothing, nothing

Bu t as the not es insweetest cadence rang,I thought it wasmy hiddenlove who sang.

The melody of song, the strickenstringsInundertone that half-unconsciou s clings,More clearly sounding whenthe passions rise,Bu t ever sweeter as the mu sic dies.

Words that strong passionfainwould say again,Yet checks their second u tterance — invain;Fo r mu sic sweet as this lives on, untilI walk as hearing sweetest mu sic still. 5

M aitreya . Bu t see , my friend ! The very dogs are sound asleep inthe shops that look o u t onthe market. Le t us go home. [H e looksbd

’

o re him] Look , look !The blessed moonseems to give place todarkness, as she descends from her palace inheaven.

The moongives place to darkness as she dipsBehind the westernmounta in; and the tipsOf her uplift ed horns alone appear,Like two sharp-pointed tu sks uplift ed clear,

THE HOLE IN THE WALL 45

Where bathes anelephant inwaters cool,Who shows naught else above the jungle pool. 6

M ait reya. Well, here iso ur hou se.Vardhamanaka ,Vardhamanaka ,

Vardhamanaka . I hear Maitreya’

s voice. Charudat ta has ret u rned .

I mu st Openthe door fo r him . [H e do es so] Master, I salute yo u .

M aitreya, I salute yo u to o . The cou ch is ready. Pray be seated.

M ait reya. Vardhamanaka, call Radanika to wash o u r feet.

Charuda t ta. [Congrassionat ely] She sleeps. Do no t wake her.

Vardhamanaka . I will bring the water, Maitreya, and yo u m ay

M aitreya . [Angr ily] Look, m an. H e acts like the sono f a slavethat he is, fo r he is bringing water. Bu t he makes me wash you rfeet, and I am a Brahman.

Charuda t ta . Good Maitreya, do yo u bring the water, andVardhamanaka shall wash my feet.

Vardhamanaka . Yes, Maitreya.D o yo u bring the water. [M aitreya

Charada t ta . Let water be brought fo r the Brahman’s feet.

M aitreya. What good does water do my feet ? I shall have to rollinthe dirt again, like a beatenass.

Vardhamanaka. Maitreya, yo u are a Brahman.

M aitreya. Yes, like a slow-worm among all the other snakes, soam I a Brahmanamong all the other Brahmans .

Vardhamdnaka . M aitreya, I will wash your feet after all. [H e doesso] M aitreya, this golden casket I was to keep by day, yo u bynight. Take it. [H e gives it to M aitreya , thenexi t .

M aitreya . [Receiving the casket] The thing is here still . Isn’

t therea single thief inUjjayini to steal the wretch that robs me of mysleep ? List en. I am going to take it into the inner cou rt.

46 ACT THE TH IRD s.

Charud. Su ch lax attentionwe c anill afford.If we are tru sted by a cou rtezan,

Then, Brahman, prove yourself anhonest man,And guard it safely, till it be restored . 7

[H e nods, repeating the stanza“ The melody of song, the st ricken

st ringsz”

page 4 4]M aitreya . Are yo u going to sleep ?

Charada t ta . Yes, so it seems.Fo r conqu ering sleep, descending onmine eyes,First sm ites the brow with unresisted blow ;

Unseen, elu sive, like old age, she triesTo gather strength by weakening her foe.

M ait reya . Thenlet ’s go to sleep. [H e doesso]

Sharv. I made anentrance fo r my body’s round

By force of art and arms, a path to deeds !I skinned my sides by crawling onthe ground,Like a snake that sloughs the skinno longer soundAnd now I go where my professionleads. 9

[H e gazes at the sky. Joyfit lly] See !The blessed moonis set ting.

Fo r well I know,

My trade wou ld fainfrom wat chm en’

s eyes be shroudedValiant, I force the dwelling of another.

Bu t see, the stars indeepest dark are clouded,And the night shields me like a carefu l mother. 10

I made a breach in the orchard wall and entered. And now Imu st force my way into the inner court aswell.

Yes, let m encall it vu lgar, if they will ,The trade that thrives while sleeps the sleepyhead ;Yes, knavery, no t bravery, call it still,To overreach c onfiding folk a-bed.

‘The fo llowing sc ene u tifim the Hindu lo ve o fsyst c m and c lu slflc atlon.

P. THE HOLE IN THE WALL 47

Far better blame and hissing, fairly won,

Thanthe pay o fgenuflec t ing underlings ;This antiqu e path was trod by Drona’s son,Who slew the sleeping, unsu specting kings.

Bu t where shall I make the breach ?

Where is the spot which falling drops dec ayed ?For each betraying sound is deadened there.No yawning breach shou ld inthe walls be made,So treatises onrobbery declare.Where does the palace crumble ?Where the placeThat niter-eatenbricks false soundness wear?

Where shall I ’scape the sight ofwoman’s face ?Fu lfilment of my wishes waits m e there. 12

[H efeels the wall] Here is a spot weakened by constant sunand

sprinkling and eaten by saltpeter ro t . And here is a pile o f dirtthrownup by a mou se. Now heavenbe praised ! My ventu re prospers. This is the first signof su ccess fo r Skanda’

sl/ sons. Now first

of all, how shall I make the breach ? 1‘

t Bearer of theGolden Lance”has prescribed four varieties of breach , thu s : ifthe bricks are baked, pu ll them o u t ; if they are unbaked, c u tthem ; if they are made of earth, wet t hem ; if they are made ofwood , split them. Here we have baked bricks ; ergo, pu ll o u t thebricks.

Now what shall be the shape I give the breach ?A “ lotu s,

” “ cistern,

” “ crescent moon, o r“sun

Oblong,”o r

“ cross,”

o r“ bu lging pot ” ? fo r each

The treatises permit. Which one ? which one ?

And where shall I display my sovereignskill ,That inthe morning m enm ay wonder still ? 18

Inthis wall o fbaked bricks, the “ bu lging pot” would be efl'

ec tive .

I will make that .1Thc patronu lnt o fthieves.

‘Aneptthc t ofSkanda .

48 ACT THE TH IRD

At other walls that I have pierced by night,And at my less su ccessfu l ventures too,The crowd of neighbors gazed by morning light,Assigning praise o r blame, aswasmy due . 14

Praise to the boon-conferring god, to Skanda o f immortal you t h !Praise to him , the Bearer of the GoldenLance, the Brahman

'

s

god, the piou s ! Praise to him , the Child of the Sun!Praise to him ,

the teacher ofmagic, whose first pu pil I am ! Fo r he found pleasu re inm e and gave me magic ointment,

With which so I anointed be,No watchman’s eye my form shall see ;And edged sword that falls onmeFrom cruel wounds shall leave me free. 15

[H e anoints bim elffi]Alas, I have forgottenmy measuring line.

[Rde cfing ]Aha ! This sacred cord1 shall be my measuring line .

Yes, the sacred cord is a great blessing to a Brahman, especially toone like me. Fo r, yo u see,

With this he measures, ere he pierce a wall ,And picks the lock , whenjewels are at stake.It serves as key to bolted door and hall,As tourniqu et fo r bite of worm and snake. 16

The m easuring is done. I beginmy task. [H e do es so , tIzentaIres a

lo o/a]My breach lacks bu t a single brick . Alas, I am bittenby asnake. [H e binds hisfinger with the sac red c o rd, and mamfcats thewo rkings ofpoison.]I have applied the remedy, and now I am re

stored. [H e continues hiswork, thengazes]Ah , there bu rns a can

dle. See !

Though jealous darkness hems it round,The golden-yellow candle from its placeShines through the breach u ponthe ground,Like a streak of gold uponthe tou chstone’s face. 17

l The m ificmm ' hlc h pasca over the kflaho ulderm d under the rigbt m h wo rnc on

stant ly by rnc rnbcfl of thc three upper cu t ea.

P. THE HOLE IN THE WALL 49

[H e returns to his wo rk ]The breach is finished . Good ! I enter.

Bu t no , I will no t enter yet. I will shove a dummy in. [H e doesso .]Ah,no one is there. Praise be to Skanda ! [H e entersand looksabou t ]See ! Two m enasleep. Come, fo rmy ownprotectionI willopenthe door. Bu t the hou se is old and the door squeaks. I mu stlook fo r water. Now where might water be ? [H e looksabo u t ,findswater, and sprinkles the do or . Aaaio usly] I hope it will no t falluponthe floor and make a noise. Come, this is the way. [H eputshis back against the do o r and opens it cau tiously]Good ! So mu chfo r that. Now I mu st discover whether these two are feigningsleep, o r whether they are asleep in the fu llest meaning of the

be asleep inthe fu llest meaning of the term . F o r see !

Their breath first calmly rises, ere it sink ;Its regu larity all fear defies.Unmoving intheir 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 no t the eye ;It wou ld , if they 18

[H e looks about him ]What ! a drum ? And here is a flu te. Andhere, a snare-drum. And here, a lu te. And reed-pipes. And yon

der, manu scripts. Is this the hou se of a dancing-master ? Bu t no !WhenI entered , I was convinced that this wasa palatial residence.Now then, is this manpoor inthe fu llest meaning of the term , o r,

from fear of the king o r of thieves , does he keep his propertyburied ?Well, my ownproperty is bu ried, too. Bu t I will scatterthe seeds that betray subterraneangold . [H e does so .]The scat

t ered seeds nowhere swell up. Ah, he is poor inthe fu llest mean

ing of the term . Good ! I go.

M aitreya. [Talking m his sleep] Look , man. I see something like

50 ACT THE TH IRD

a hole inthe wall . I see something like a thief. Yo u had better

take this goldencasket.

Sham ilaka . I wonder if the manhas discovered that I have ent ered, and is showing o ff his poverty inorder to make funof me.Shall I kill him, o r is the poor devil talking inhis sleep ? [H e takesa look ]Bu t see ! This thing wrapped ina ragged bath-clou t, no w

that I inspect it by the light o fmy candle, is intru th a jewelcasket. Suppose I take it. Bu t no ! It is hardly proper to ro b a

manofgo od birth, who isaspo o r as I am . I go.

M aitreya . My friend, by the wishes ofcows and Brahmans 1 I c onju re yo u to take this goldencasket.

Sharvilaka. One m ay no t disregard the sacred wish of a c ow and

the wish of a Brahman. I will take it. Bu t look ! There bu rns thecandle. I keep abou t me a moth fo r the express purpose of ext in

gu ishing candles. I will let him enter the flame. This is his placeand hour. May this moth which I here release, depart to flu tterabove the flame invarying circles . The breeze from the insect

’swings has translated the flame into accu rsed darkness. Or shall Ino t rather cu rse the darkness brought by me uponmy Brahmanicfamily?Fo r my father was a m anwho knew the four Vedas, whowou ld no t accept a gilt ; and I , Sharvilaka, his son, and a Brahm an, I am committing a crime fo r the sake of that c o u rtesangirlMadanika. Now I will grant the Brahman’s wish. [H e reaches ou t

fo r the casket ]M aitreya . H ow cold your fingers are , m an!

Sharm'

lalra . What carelessness !My fingers are cold from tou ching water. Well, I will pu t my hand inmy armpit. [H e warms

his left hand and takes the casket ]M aitreya Have yo u got it ?

Shaw ilalca . I cou ld no t refu se a Brahman’s requ est. I have it.

l sm ed c rc atm 'es.

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52 ACT THE TH IRD

look ]What ! a woman? Good ! I go.

Radanika. [Recoiling interror] Oh , oh , a thief has c u t a hole inthe wall o f o u r house and is escaping. I mu st go and wake M ai

t reya. [She approaches M aitreya ]Oh, Maitreya, get up, get up!A thief has c u t a hole inthe wall o fo ur house and has escaped.

M aitreya . [Rising]What do yo u mean, wench ?“ A hole in the

wall has c u t a t hiefand has escaped ?

Radaniloa. Poor fool ! Stop your joking. Don’t yo u see it ?

M ait reya . What do yo u mean, wench ?“ It looks as if a second

door had beenthrownopen”? Get up, friend Charudat ta, get up!

A thief hasmade a hole inthe wall of o u r hou se and has escaped.

Charada t ta . Yes, yes !A tru ce to you r jests !

M aitreya. Bu t it isn’t a jest. Look !

Charadat ta. Where ?

M aitreya . Why, here .

Cham da t ta . [Gazing ]What a very remarkable hole !

The bricks are drawnaway below, aboveThe top is narrow, bu t the center wide ;As if the great hou se-heart had burst with pride,Fearing lest the unworthy share its love.

To think that science shou ld be expended ona task like this !

M aitreya . My friend, this hole mu st have beenmade by one o f

two m en; either by a stranger, o r else fo r practice by a stu dentof the sc ience of robbery. Fo r what man here inUjjayini does

no t know how mu ch wealth there is ino ur house ?

Charud. Stranger he mu st have beenwho made the breach ,H is cu stomed harvest inmy hou se to reap ;

He hasno t learned that vanished riches teachA calm , untroubled sleep.

P. THE HOLE IN THE WALL 53

He saw the sometime greatness of my homeAnd forced anentrance ; fo r hisheart did leapWith short- lived hope ; now he must elsewhere roam ,

And over brokenhopes mu st sorely weep. 23

Ju st think of the poor fellow telling his friends: “ I entered thehou se of a merchant’s son, and found — nothing.

”

D o yo u meanto say that yo u pity the rascally robber ?

—“ Here ’

s a great hou se. Here ’

s the place to carry o ff

o r a gold-casket.” [H e remembers the casket. De

that goldencasket ? [H e remembersnight . Alo ud ]Look , man!Yo u are always saya fool , Maitreya is no scholar.

”Bu t I certainly

handing over that golden casket to yo u . If Iofa slave wou ld have carried it off.

tru ce to you r jestsl

becau se I ’

m a fool, do yo u suppose I don’t even

and time fo r a jest ?

t whendid this happen?

your fingers were cold.

My friend, I have something pleasant to tell yo u .

M aitreya . What ?Wasn’

t it stolen?

Charuda t ta . Yes .

M aitreya . What is the pleasant news, then?

Charuda t ta . The fact that he did no t go away disappointed.

M aitreya . Bu t it was only entru sted t o o ur care.

Cham da t ta . What ! entru sted to o u r care ? [H e m o ons]M ait reya . Come to you rself, m an. Is the fact that a thief stole whatwas entru sted to yo u , any reasonwhy you shou ld swoon?

Cham da t ta . [Coming to himself]Ah , my friend,

54 ACT THE THIRD 3 .

Who will believe the tru th ?Suspicionnow is sure.This world will show no ru thTo the inglo riou s poor.

If enviou s fate beforeHas wooed my wealth alone,Why shou ld she seek my storeOf virtu e as her own? 25

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

Charudat ta . And shall I tell a falsehood now ?

No l I will beg unt il l earn

The wherewithal my debt to pay.

Ignoble falsehood I will sptn'n,

That stea ls the character away.

Radanika. I will go and te ll hisgo odwife . [She go es o u t , retu rning

Wife. [Anxiously ]Oh ! Is it tru e that my lord is uninjured, and

Radanika. It is true, mistress. Bu t the gems which belong to thec o u rt esanhave beenstolen. [Charuda t ta

’

swifem oons]O my goodmistress ! Come to yourself !

Wife. [Recover-ing .]Girl, how canyo u say that my lord is uninjured? Better that he were inju red inbody thanincharacter. Fo r

now the people of Ujjayini will say that my lord committed thiscrime becau se o fhis poverty. [She lo oks up and sighs]Ah , mightyFate !The destinies ofthe poor, uncerta inasthewater-drops whichfall upona lotus- leaf, seem to thee bu t playthings . Thereto me this one necklace, which I brought with me from my m o

t her’

s hou se. Bu t my lord would be too proud to accept it. Girl ,call Mait reya hither.

new ] THE HOLE IN THE WALL 55

my lady summons yo u .

M aitreya . Where is she ?

Radanika. Here . Come !

M aitreya . [Approaching ]Heavenbless yo u !

lVife. I salu te yo u , sir. Sir, will yo u look straight infront o fyo u ?

M aitreya . Madam , here stands a m anwho looks straight infront

ofhim .

Wife. Sir, yo u mu st accept this.

M ait reya. Why ?

W’ife. I have observed the Ceremony of the Gems. And onthisoccasionone mu st make asgreat a present asone may t o a Brah

man. This I have no t done, therefore pray accept this necklace.

M ait reya . [Receiving the necklac e ]Heaven bless yo u ! I will goand tell my friend.

Wife. Yo u mu st no t do it in su ch a way as to make me blu sh,Maitreya .

Charudat ta. How Maitreya lingers ! I tru st his grief is no t leadinghim to do what he ought no t . Maitreya , Maitre ya !

Cham da t ta. What is this ?

M ait reya. Why, that is the reward yo u get fo r marrying su ch a

What ! my wife takes pity onme ?Alas, now

Whenfat e so ro bs him ofhis all,

That onher pity he mu st call,The manto woman’s state doth fall,The woman is the m an.

56 ACT THE TH IRD

Bu t no , I am no t poor. F o r I have a wife

Whose love ou tlasts my wealthy day ;Inthee a friend thro ugh good and ill

And tru th that naught cou ld take awayAh , this the poor manlacketh still. 28

Maitreya, take the necklace and go to Vasantasena. Tell her inmy name that we have gambled away the golden casket, forgetting that it was no t o ur own; that we tru st she will accept this

necklace inits place.

M aitreya . Bu t yo u mu st no t give away this necklace, the pride ofthe fou r seas, fo r that cheap thing that was stolenbefore we hada bite o r a drink o u t of it.

Charudat ta. No t so, my friend .

She showed her tru st inleaving us her treasu reThe price of confidence hasno less measure. 29

Friend, I conju re yo u by this gesture, no t to return until yo uhave delivered it int o her hands . Vardhamanaka, do yo u speedily

Fill up the opening with the selfsame bricks ;Thu s will I thwart the process of the law ,

Fo r the b lemish of so great a scandal sticks. 30

And, friend Maitreya, yo u mu st show you r pride byno t speaking

too despondently.

Charada t ta . Poor I am no t , my friend . F o r I have a wife

Whose love ou tlasts my wealthy day ;Inthee a friend through good and ill

And tru th that naught cou ld take awayAh , this the poor m an lacketh still. (28 )

Go then, and aft er performing rites o f purification, I will ofl’er

[Exeunt omnes.

ACT THE FOURTH

MADANIKA AND SHARVILAKA

AM entru sted with a message fo r my mistress by her mother.

Here ismy m ist ress. She isgazing at a pic t u re and is talkingwit h Madanika. I will go to her. [She walks abou t. Then enter

Vasantasena, as described, and M adanika]Vasantasena. Madanika girl, is this portrait really like Cham

datta ?

M adam'

ka. Very like.

Vasantasena. How do yo u know?

M adanika. Becau se my mistress ’ eyes are fast ened so lovinglyu ponit.

cou rtesy demands it ?

M adanika. Bu t mistress, is the courtesy of a girl who lives ina

courtezan’s hou se, necessarily false ?

Vasantasena. Girl, courtezans meet so many kinds ofm en thatthey do learna false cou rtesy.

M ada/trike . Bu t whenthe eyes ofmy mistress find su ch delight ina thing, and her heart too, what need is there to ask the reason?

Vasantasena. Bu t I shou ldno t like to have my friends laugh at me.

M adanika. Yo u need no t be afraid. Womenunderstand women.

M aid. [Approaching ]M istress, you r mother sends word that acovered cart iswaiting at the side-door, and that yo u are to take

Vasantasena. Tell me, is it Charudat ta who invites me?

M aid. Mistress, the manwho sent ornaments worth t enthou sand

58 ACT THE FOURTH (sass.

Vasantasena. Is who ?

M aid. Is the king’s brot her-in-law , Sanst hanaka.

Vasantasena. [I ndignant ly ]Go ! and never come againon su chanerrand.

M aid. D o no t be angry,mistress. I wasonly sent with the message .

Vasantasena. Bu t it is the m essage which makes me angry.

M aid. Bu t what shall I tell you r mother?

Vasantasena. Tell my mot her never to send me another su chmessage, unless she wishes to kill me.

[Enter Sharvihzka]Sharv. Blame fo r my sin I laid u ponthe night ;

I conqu ered sleep and watchmeno fthe kingBu t darkness wanes, and inthe sun

’s clear lightMy light is like the moon

’s — a faded thing.

And again:Whoever cast at me a passing look ,Or neared me, anxiou s, as they qu ickly ran,

All su ch my ladensou l fo r foes mistookFo r sin it was whereinman’s fear began.

Well, it was fo r Madanika’

s sake that I did the deed of sin.

I paid no heed to any one who talked with serving-m en;

The hou ses ru led by women-folk — these I avoided most ;And whenpolicemenseemed to have me almost intheir ken,I stood stock-still and acted ju st exactly like a post.

A hundred su ch manoeu vres did I constantly essay,And by su ch means su cceeded inturning night to day.

[H e walks abou t ]Vasantasena. Girl, lay this pictu re onmy sofa and come back at

once with a fan.

M adanika. Yes, mistress.

fi arvilaka . This is Vasantasena’

shou se. I will enter. [H e does ao .]

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60 ACT THE FOURTH

Fo r yo u , my timid maid, last nightI did the deed of sin. 5

Vasantasena. His face is tranqu il. It wou ld be troubled, ifhe had

M adanika. Oh, Sharvilaka !Fo r a mere nothing — fo r a woman

yo u have risked both things !

Sha rvilaka. What things?

M adanika. Your life and your character.

Shannlaka . My foolish girl, fortune favors the brave.

M adanika. Oh, Sharvilaka ! Your character was withou t a sta in.

Yo u didn’

t do anything very bad, did you , whenfo r my sake yo udid the deed of sin?

Sho rv. The gems that magnify a woman’s charm,

As flowers the creeping plant, I do no t harm.

I do no t ro b the Brahmanof his pelf,No r seize the sacrificial gold myself.I do no t steal the baby from the nu rse,Simply bec ause I need to fill my purse.Evenasa thief, I strive with mainand mightFo r just dist inction’twixt the wrong and right.

And so yo u may tell Vasantasena this :

These ornaments were made fo r yo u to don,Or so it seems to me ;

Bu t as yo u love me, never pu t them on

Where other folks may see. 7

M ada/nika. Bu t Sharvilaka, ornaments that nobody may see, and

a courtezan— the two things do no t hang together. Give me the

jewels. I want t o see them.

Sharvilaka. Here they are . [H e gives them to her with some un

these before. Tell me. Where did yo u ge t them ?

P. MADANI KA AND SHARVILAKA 61

Sharvilaka. What does that matter to yo u ,Madanika?Take them .

M adanika. [Angrily] If yo u can’t tru st me, why do yo u wish t o

buy my freedom ?

Sharvilaka. Well, this morning I heard inthe merchants’ quarter

that the merchant Charudat t a

[Vasantasena and M adanika swoon]M laka. Madanika! Come to yourself !Why is it that now

Your figu re seems to melt in limp despa ir,You r eyes are wildly rolling here and there ?

That when I come, sweet girl, to make yo u free,Yo u fall to trembling, no t to pitying me? 8

M adanika. [Coming to herself]O yo u reckless m an!Whenyo udid what yo u ought no t to have done fo rmy sake, yo u didn

’

t kill

anybody o r hurt anybody inthat hou se ?

Sha rvilaka . Madanika, Sharvilaka does no t strike a terrified man

o r a m anasleep. I did no t kill anybody no r hurt anybody.

Sharvilaka . Really.

Vasantasena. [Recovering consciousness] Ah, I breathe again.

M laka. [Jealously] What does this“ Thank heaven” mean,

Madanika?

I sinned fo r yo u , whenlove had made me pine ,Alt hough my hou se was good since time began;

Love took my virtu e, bu t my pride is mine.Yo u call me friend and love another man?

[M eaningly] A noble you th is like a goodly tree ;His wea lth , the fru it so fair ;The courtezan is like a bird ; fo r shePeeks him and leaves him bare.

Love is a fire , whose flame is lu st,Whose fu el is gallantry,

62 ACT THE FOURTH (sa ws.

Where ino ur you th and riches mu stThu s sacrificed be.

Vasantasena. [With a smile] His excitement is a little o u t

place.

Sharvilaka . Yes !

Those m enare fools, it seems to me,Who tru st to womeno r to gold ;

Fo r gold and girls,’

t is pla into see,Are false as virginsnakes and cold.

Love no t a woman; if yo u ever do ,

She mocks at yo u , and plays the gay deceiverYet if she loves yo u , yo u m ay love her too ;Bu t if she does n’

t , leave her.

To o true it is thatA cou rtezanwill laugh and c ry fo r goldShe tru st s yo u no t , b u t waits your tru stfu l hour.

If virtu e and a name are you rs, thenhold !

Avoid her as yo u wou ld a graveyard flower.

And again.

As fickle as the billows of the sea,

Glowing no longer thanthe evening sky,A womantakes your gold, then leaves you freeYo u

’

re worthless, like cosmetics, whenyo u’

t e

Yes, womenare indeed fickle.

One manperhaps may hold her heart intru st,She lu res another with coqu ettish eyes,Sports with another inunseemly lu st,Another yet her body satisfies.

As some one haswell saidOnmounta in- tops no lot u ses are grownThe horse ’s yoke no asswill ever hear ;

R ice never springs from seeds o fbarley sown

A courtezan is no t anhonest fair.

P. MADANIKA AND SHARVILAKA 63

Accu rsed Charudat ta, yo u shall no t live ! [H e takes afew steps]

M adanikd . [Seizing the hem of his garment] O yo u foolish man!You r anger is so ridicu lous .

Shannlaka . R idicu lou s ? how so ?

M adanika. Becau se these jewels belong to my mistress.

Sharvilaka . And what then?

M adanika. And she left them with that gentleman.

M adanika. [Wip ers] That’

swhy.

The sunwas hot one summer dayI sought the shadow, there to stayPoor fool ! the kindly branch to pay,I st ole its sheltering leaves away.

Vasantasena. How sorry he seems. Surely, he did this

ignorance.

Shamrilaka . What is to be done now, Madanika?

M adanika. Your ownwit shou ld tell yo u that.

Sharvilaka . No. Fo r yo u mu st remember,Natu re herself gives womenwit ;Menlearnfrom books a little bit.

M adanika. Sharvilaka, if yo u will take my advice, restore

Sharvilaka . Bu t Madanika, what if he shou ld prosecu te me ?

M adanika. No cru el heat comes from the moon.

Vasantasena. Good , Madanika, good !

Sharvilaka . Madanikfi,

Fo r what I did, I feel no griefno r fearWhy tell me of this good man’s virtu es high ?Shame fo r my baseness to u ches me more near ;What c anthis king do to su ch rogu es as l ?

64 ACT THE FOURTH (u re a

Nevertheless, you r suggestionis inconsistent with prudence. Yo u

mu st discover some other plan.

M adanika. Yes, there is another plan.

Vasantasena. I wonder what it will be.

M adanika. Pretend to be a servant of that gentleman, and givethe jewels to my mistress.

Shm ilaka. And what then?

M adanika. Thenyo u are no thief, Charudat ta has discharged hisobligation, and my mistress has her jewels.

Sharvilaka . B u t isn’

t this course too reckless ?

M adanika. I tell yo u , give them to her. Any other cou rse is tooreckless.

Vasantasena. Good, Madanika, good ! Spokenlike a free woman.

Sharvilaka. R isenat last is wisdom’s light,Becau se I followed aft er yo u ;Whenclouds obscure the moonby night,

’

Tis hard t o find a gu ide so t ru e . 2 1

M adanika. Thenyo u mu st wait here a moment inKama’s shrine,

while I tell my mistress that yo u have come.

Sharvilaka . I will.

M adanika. [Approaches Vasantasena] M istress, a Brahmanhascome from Charudat ta to see yo u .

Vasantasena. Bu t girl, how do yo u know that he comes fromCharudat ta ?

M adanika. Shou ld I no t know my own, mistress ?

Vasantasena. [Shaking her head and smiling . Aside] Splendid !

[Alo ud] Bid him enter.

M adanika. Yes, mistress. [Approaching Sharvilaka ]Enter, Sharvilaka .

Sharvilaka. [Amm aches lVith some embarrassment] My gre etings to yo u .

P. MADAN IKA AND SHARVILAKA 65

Vasantasena. I salu te yo u , sir. Pray be seated.

Sharv ilaka . The merchant sends this message : “ My hou se is soold that it is hard to keep this casket safe. Pray take it back.

”

[H e gives it to M adanika, and starts to leave]Vasantasena. Sir, will yo u undertake a returncomm issionof mine ?

Sharvilaka. [Aside] Who will carry it? [Alo ud] And this com

rm ss1on1s

Vasantasena. Yo u will be good enough to accept Madanika.

Sharvilaka. Madam, I do no t qu ite understand.

Vasantasena. Bu t I do .

Sha rvilaka . How so ?

Vasantasena. Charudat t a told me that I was to give Madanika tothe manwho shou ld retu rn these jewels . Yo u are therefore tounderstand that he makes yo u a present o fher.

Sha rvilaka . [Aside] Ah , she sees through me. [Aloud] Good,Charudat t a, good !

Onvirtu e only set you r heart’s desire ;The righteou s poor atta into heights wheretoThe wicked wealthy never may aspire.

Onvirtu e let the humanheart be setTo virtu e nothing serves as check o r let.The moon, atta ining unatt ainable, is ledBy virtu e to her seat onShiva

’s head . 23

Vasant asend . Is my driver there ? [Enter a servant with a bu llo ck

cart]Servant . M ist ress, the cart is ready.

Vasantasena. Madanika girl, yo u mu st show me a happy face.Yo u are free. Enter the bu llock-cart. Bu t do no t forget me.

M adanika. [Weeping] My mistress drives me away. [Shefa lls a therfeet]Vasantasena. Yo u are now the one to whom honor shou ld be

66 ACT THE FOURTH

paid .

‘ Go then, ente r the cart. Bu t do no t forget me.

Sha rvilaka . Heavenbless yo u ! and yo u , Madanika,

Tu rnuponher a happy face,And hail with bended head the graceThat gives yo u now the name o fwife,As a veil t o keep yo u safe thro ugh life.

A voic e behind the scenes. M en! M en! We have the followingorders from the chief of police .

“ A soothsayer has declared thata young herdsmannamed Aryaka 15 to become king. Tru sting tothis prophecy, and alarmed thereat, King Palaka has takenhimfrom his hamlet, and thrownhim into strict confinement. Therefore be watchfu l , and every manat his post. ”

Sha rvilaka . [Listening ]What ! King Palaka has imprisoned mygood friendAryaka ?And here I am , a married m an. Confound it !Bu t no ,

Two things alone — his friend, his wifeDeserve man’s love below ;

A hundred brides m ay forfeit lifeEre he shou ld sufl

’

er so.

Good ! I will get o u t . [H e do esso]M adanika. [F olding her hands. Tea ifu lly] My lord, ifyo u mu st ,at least bring me first to your parents.

Shaw ilaka . Yes, my love, I will. I had the same thought inmind .

[To the servant] My good fellow, do yo u know the hou se of themerchant Rebhila ?

Shannlaka. Bring my wife thither.

M adanika. If yo u desire it, dear. Bu t dear, yo u mu st be verycarefu l .1That ia to say, Yonare now a leg

-al wife, whilc l am still a c o urt c u n.

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68 ACT THE FOURTH 8 .

they flu tter in the breeze and seem to invite me to enter. Bothsides are decorated with holiday wate r-jars o f crysta l, which are

charming with their bright-greenmango twigs, and are set at thefoot of the pillars that su sta inthe portal. The doors are o f gold ,thickly set with diamonds as hard to pierce as a giant’s breast .It actu ally wearies a poor devil ’s envy. Yes,Vasantasena

’

s hou sedoor is a beau tifu l thing. Really, it forcibly challenges the attentionof a manwho doesn’

t care abou t su ch things.

M aid. Come, sir, and enter the first court . b y . h

M aitreya . [Enters and looks abou t] Here inthe first courtare rows of balconies brilliant as the moon, o r as sea

-shells, o r aslotu s-st alks ; whitened by handfu ls of powder strewnover them ;gleaming with goldensta irways inlaid with all sorts of gems : theyseem to gaze downonUjjayini

’

with their round faces, the crysta lwindows, from which strings o fpearls are dangling. The porte r sitsthere and snoozes as comfortably as a professor. The crows whichthey tempt with rice-gru el and curdled m ilk will no t eat theoffering, becau se they can

’t distingu ish it from the mortar. Showme the way, madam

M aid. Come, sir, and enter the second cou rt.

M aitreya . [Enters and looks abou t] Here in the secondcou rt the cart-bu llocks are tied . They grow fat onmou thfu ls ofgrass and pu lse-stalks which are brought them, right and left , byeverybody. Their horns are smeared with o il. And here is another,a bufl

’

alo , snorting like a gentlemaninsu lted . And here is a ram ‘

having his neck rubbed, like a prize-fight er after the fight. Andhere are others, horses having theirmanes pu t inshape. And here

ina sta ll is another, a monkey, tied fast like a thief [H e looks inanother direc tion]And here is anelephant, taking from his driversa cake of rice and drippings and o il. Show me the way, madam.

M aid. Come, sir, and enter the third cou rt .

M aitreya . [Ent ersand looksabou t] Here inthe third cou rt“ Ram inIndia are commonly trained t o fight . ”Wru o u .

P. MADANI KA AND SHARVILAKA 69

are these seats, prepared fo r young gentlemento sit on. A half

read book is lying onthe gaming-table. And the table itself hasits owndice, made o u t of gems. And here, again, are cou rtezansand o ld hangers-o u at court, past masters inthe war and peace o flove, wandering abou t and holding intheir fingers pictures paintedinmany colors. Show me the way, madam .

M aid. Come, sir, and enter the fou rth court.

M aitreya . [Enters and looks abou t] Well ! Here in the fou rthcourt the drums that maidenfingers beat are booming like thethunder ; the cymbals are falling, asthe stars fall from heavenwhentheir merit is exhau sted ;1 the pipe is discoursing mu sic as sweet

as the humming of bees. And here, again, is a lu te that somebody

is holding on his lap like a girl who is excited by jealou sy and

love, and he is stroking it with his fingers. And here, again, are

courtezangirls that sing as charmingly as honey-drunken bees,and they are made to dance and recite a drama with love init.

And water- coolers are hanging inthe windows so as to cat ch thebreeze. Show me the way, madam .

M aid. Come, sir, and enter the fift h cou rt.

M aitreya. [Entersand lo oksabout]Well !Here int he fifth courtthe overpowering smell of asafet ida and oil is attract ive enought o make a poor devil ’s mou th water. The kitchen is kept ho t allthe tim e, and the gu sts of steam , ladenwith all sorts o f go odsmells, seem like sighs issuing from its mou th- like doors. Thesmell of the preparationo fall kinds offoods and sau ces makes mesmack my lips. And here, again, isa bu tcher

’s boy washing a messof chitterlings as if it were anold loin-clot h. The cook is preparing every kind o f food . Sweetmeats are being constru cted, cakesare being baked. [To himselfi]I wonder if I am t o get a chanc e towash my feet and an invitationto eat what I canhold. [H e looksin another direction] There are courtezans and bastard pages,1 Virtumm so rfla aft er death may bec ome stara ; bu t when thdr st ellar happinm u lm h the

sum d tbc ir acq uired merit , they fall to earth again.

70 ACT THE FOURTH

adorned with any number of jewels, ju st like Gandharvasl and

Apsarases.2 Really, this hou se is heaven. Tell me, who yo u

basta rds anyway ?

Pages. Why, we are bastard pagesPett ed ina stranger

’s court,Fed onstranger’s food,

Stranger’s money makes us sportNot so very good .

Stranger womengave us birth,Stranger m enbegotBaby elephants inmirth,We ’

t e a bastard lot.

M aitreya. Show me the way, madam.

M aid. Come, sir, and enter the sixth cou rt.

M aitreya. [Enters and looks abo u t] Well ! Here in thecou rt they are working ingold and jewels. The arc hes set with

sapphires look as if they were the home of the rainbow. The jewelers are testing the lapis lazu li, the pearls, the corals, the topazes ,the sapphires, the cat

’

s-eyes“the ru bies, the emeralds, and all the

other kinds of gems. Rubies are being set ingold. Goldenornaments are being fashioned . Pearls are being strung ona red cord .

Pieces of lapis lazu li are being cleverly polished. Shells are beingpierced. Corals are being ground. Wet bundles of saffronare be

ing dried. M usk is being moistened. Sandalwood is being groundt o make sandal-water. Perfumes are being compounded . Betelleaves and camphor are being givent o cou rtezans and their lovers.Coquettish glances are being exchanged. Laughter is going on.

Wine is being dmnk incessantly with sounds of glee. Here are

m en-servants, here are maid-servants, and here are m enwho fo r

get child and wife and money. Whenthe courtezans, who havedrunk the wine from the liquor-jars, give them the mitten, theydrink. Show me the way, madam .

1The cho riste rs o fheaven. The nymphs o fheaven.

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72 ACT THE FOURTH

[H e looks inanother direc tion] But madam , who is that in theexpansive garment, sitting onthe throne ? She has shoes onhergreasy feet.

M aid. Sir, that is my mistress’ mother.

M aitreya . Lord !What anextensive belly the dirty o ld witch hasgot ! I suppose they cou ldn’

t pu t that superb portal onthe hou setill after they had brought the idol in?

M aid. Rascal !Yo u mu st no t make funof o ur mot her so. She tspining away under a qu artanagu e.

M ait reya . [B u rsts ou t laughing ]O thou blessed quartan agu e !Look thou upona Brahman, evenu ponme, with this thy favor !

M aid. Rascal !May death strike yo u .

M aitreya . [B u rsts ou t laughing ]Why, wench, a po t -belly likethat is bet ter dead.

Drinking brandy, rum , and wine,Mother fell extremely ill.If mother now shou ld peak and pine,A jackal-pack wou ld have its fill.

Well, I have seenVasantasena’

s palace with its manyand its eight court s, and really, it seems as if I had seenthe tripleheavenm a nu t -shell . I haven’

t the eloquence to praise 1t . [IM a piece o fKu bera’

sl pdace ?Where ’syou r mist ress ?

M aid. She is here inthe orchard . Enter, sir.

M aitreya . [Enters and looks abou t]Well !What a beau tifu l o rchard ! There are any number o f trees planted here, and they arecovered with the most wonderfu l flowers. Silkenswings are hungunder the thick -set trees, ju st big enough fo r a girl to sit in. The

goldenjasmine, the shephalika, the white jasmine, the jessamine,thenavamallika, the amaranth, the spring creeper, and all the otherflowers have fallenof themselves, and really, it makes Indra

's hea

The god ofwealth.

P. MADANIKA AND SHARVILAKA 73

venlook dingy. [H e looks inanothe r direction]And the pond herelooks like the morning twilight, fo r the lilies and red lotu ses areas splendid as the rising sun. And again

The ashoka-tree, whose twigs so merryAnd crimsonflowers have ju st appeared,

Seems like a battling m ercenary,With clotting crimsongore besmeared.

Good !Now where’

syou r mistress ?

M aid. If yo u wou ld stop stangazing, sir, yo u wou ld see her.

yo u !

Vasantasena. [Speaking inSanskrit ]Ah,Maitreya ![Rising ]Yo uare very welcome. Here is a seat. Pray be seated .

M aitreya . Whenyo u are seated, madam. [They both sent them

selves]Vasantasena. Is the merchant

’

s sonwell?

M aitreya . Well, madam.

Vasantasena. Tell me, go od Maitreya,Do friends, like birds, ye t seek a shelter freeBeneath the modest boughs ofthis fair tree,Whose leaves are virtu es, confidence its root,Its blossoms honor, good its precious fru it ? 32

M aitreya . [Aside] A good description by a naughty woman.

[Alo ud] They do, indeed.

Vasant asena. Tell me, what is the purpose of your coming ?

M aitreya . Listen, madam . The excellent Charudat ta folds hishands 2 and requ ests

Vasamt asena. [F olding her hands] And commands

M aitreya . He says he imagined that that golden casket was hisownandgambled it away. Andnobody knows where the gambling

74 ACT THE FOURTH

master hasgone, for he is employed inthe king’s bu siness.

M aid. M istress, I congratu late yo u . The gentleman has turned

Vasantasena. [Aside] It was stolenby a thief, and he is so proudthat he says he gambled it away. I love him fo r that.

M aitreya. He requ ests that yo u will therefore be good enough toaccept in its place this necklace of pearls.

Vasantasena. [Aside] Shall I show him the jewels ? [Rgleeting]No, no t yet.

M aitreya . Why don'

t yo u take this necklace ?

Vasantasena. [Laughs and looks at herfriend]Why shou ld I no ttake the necklace, Mait reya ?[She takesit and laysit away. Aside]H ow is it possible that drops o f honey fall from the mango-tree,evenaft er itsblossoms are gone?[Alo ud] Sir, pray tell the worthygambler Charudat ta inmy name that I shall pay him a visit this

M aitreya . [Aside]What else does she expect to get o u t of a visitto o ur hou se ? [Alo ud] Madam, I w ill tell him — [aside]to havenothing more to do with this courtezan.

Vasantasena. Take these jewels, girl. Let us go and bring cheerto Charudat ta.

M aid. Bu t m ist ress, see !Anuntimely storm is gathering.

Vasant . The clouds may come, the rainm ay fall forever,The night may blackeninthe sky above ;

Fo r this I care no t , no r I will no t waver ;My heart is journeying to him I love. 88

Take the necklace, girl, and come qu ickly. [Eweunt omnes.

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76 ACT THE FIFTH

Inthou sand forms the tumbling clou ds embrace,Though tornby winds, they gather, interlace,

And paint the ample canvas of the sky.

The sky is black asD hritarashtra’s face ;

Proud as the championof Ku ru ’s race,The haughty peacock shrills his joy abroad ;The cu ckoo, inYudhishthira

’

s sad case,Is forced to wander ifhe wou ld no t die ;The swans must leave their forest-homes and fly,Like Pandu

’

s sons, to seek anunknownplace . 6

[RM ] It is long since Maitreya went to visit Vasantasena.

And evenyet he does no t come.

M aitreya . Confound the courtezan’s avarice and her inc ivilit y lTothink of her making so short a st ory of it ! Over and over she

more ado she pocket s the necklace. She is rich enough so thatshe might at least have said : “ Good Maitreya, rest a little. Yo u

mu st no t go unt il yo u have had a c up to drink .

”Confound the

courtezan! I hope I ’

11never set eyes on her again. [Wearily]The proverb is right. “ It is hard to find a lotu s-plant withou t aroot, a merchant who never cheats, a goldsmith who never steals,a village-gathering withou t a fight, and a cou rtezanwithou t avarice. ”Well, I

'

ll find my friend and persuade him to have nothingmore to do with this cou rtezan. [H e walks abou t until he discoversCharudat ta] Ah , my good friend is sitting in the orchard . I ’llgo t o him . [Am roaching] Heaven bless yo u ! May happiness beyours.

Charudat ta. [Looking up] Ah, my friend Maitreya has returned.

Yo u are very welcome, my friend. Pray be seated.

M aitreya . Thank yo u .

Charuda t ta . Tell me of you r errand, my friend.

M aitreya . My errand went all wrong.

P. was] THE STORM 77

Charudat ta . What ! did she no t ac cept the necklace ?

M aitreya . H ow cou ld we expect su ch a piece of lu ck ? She pu ther lotu s-tender hands to her brow,

‘and took it.

C f

u r Thenwhy do yo u say“ went wrong” ?

M (atreya. Why no t , whenwe lost a necklace that was the prideof the four i fo r a cheap golden casket, that was stolen beforewe had a bite o r a o

’

o u t of it ?

She showed her mu st in leaving us her treasure ;The price of confidence hasno less measu re. 7

M ait reya. 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 t hough I am , I a b y fall

onmy face before yo u and beg yo u no t to have anyt hing moreto do with t his i That sort of society dom any amountof damage. A .a is like a pebble inyour shoe . It hurt sbefore yo u get rid of it. And one t hing more, my fiiend. A courtezan, anelephant, a scribe, a mendi friar, a swindler, and an

- where these dwell, no t evenrogu es are born.

Charudat ta . Oh, my friend, a tru ce to all you r det raction! Mypoverty o f itself prevent s me. F o r

The horse wou ld gladly hastenhere and t here,Bu t his legs fail him, fo r his breath departs .So men’s vainwishes wander everywhere,Then, weary grown, return into their hearts.

Thent o o , my friend :If wealth is thine, the maid is thine,F o r mw

'

ada are wonby go ld ;

[Aside And no t by virtu e cold. Aloud]Bu t wealth is now no longe r m ine,And her I m ay no t hold .

‘A gestnrc ofru pert .

78 ACT THE FIFTH s.

sighs, I conclude that my effort to distract him has simply increased his longing. The proverb is right. “ Yo u can’t reasonwit ha lover.

”

[Aloud]Well, she told me to tell yo u that she wou ldhave to come here this evening. I suppose she isn’

t satisfied with

Charudat ta . Let her come, my fiiend. She shallno t depart um

The more it rains insheets,The moreThe more the cold wind beats,The more I shake and fre t.

I make the sweet flu te speak from sevenholes,I make the lou d lu te speak onsevenst rings

Nogod canmatch my mu sic whenhe sings. l l

a said to me “ K umbhflflka, 80 tell

rudat t a’

s hou se. [H e walks abou t, and, ashe ent ers, discovers I

ruda t ta ]Here is Charudat t a in the orchard. And here is thatwretched jackanapes, t o o . Well, I ’ll go up to them. What ! theorchard-gate is shu t ? Good ! I 'll give this jac kanapes a hint. [H e

M aitreya . Well !Who is this pelting me with m ud, as if I wereanapple-tree inside of a fence ?

Charuda t ta . Doubt less the pigeons that play on the ro of of thegarden-hou se.

M aitreya . Wait a minu te, yo u confounded pigeon! Wit h thisSt ick I 'll bring yo u down from the roof to the ground , like an

over-ripe mango . [H e raises his stick and starts to run]

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80 ACT THE FIFTH

Charuda t ta . Yo u fool, inspring, invasanta .

M aitreya. [Retu rns to K umbhilaka ]Yo u fool , in spring, in o u

K umbhilalra . Now I '

11 give yo u another. Who guards thriving

M aitreya. Why, the guard .

M aitreya . Well , I’

m stu ck. [Rg‘le c ting]Good ! I

’

ll ask Charudat ta

again. [H e retu rns andputs the questionto Charuda t ta]Charudat ta . The army, my friend, the send .

M aitreya. [Comesback to K unrbhi‘

laka ]The army, yo u jackass, the

K umbhilaka . Now pu t the two together and say’em fast .

M aitreya. Sena-vasanta.

K umbhilaka . Say it tu rned around .

M aitreya. [Tu rns around] Sena-vasanta.

K umbhilaka . Yo u fool !yo u jackanapes !Turnthe parts ofthe thingaround !

M ait reya . [Turns hisfeet around] Senfiwasanta .

K uhnbhilaka. Yo u fool ! Tu rnthe parts of the word around!

M aitreya . [Afler rgiec tio a ]Vasanta-sena.

K umbhilaka . She ’

s here.

M ait reya . Then I mu st tell Charudat ta . [Approaching] Well,Charudat ta, you r creditor is here.

Charudat ta . How should a creditor come into my family ?

M aitreya. No t inthe family perhaps, bu t at the door. Vasantasena

is here.

Charuda t ta . Why do yo u deceive me, my friend ?

M aitreya . If yo u can’t tru st me , then ask K um bhilaka here.

K um bhilaka, yo u jackass, come here.

P. THE STORM 81

K umbhilaka . [Amm aching] I salu te yo u , sir.

Chdruda t ta. Yo u are welcome, my good fellow. Tell me, is Va

santasena really here ?

K umbhilaha.

‘ Yes, she’

s here. Vasantasena is here.

Charudat ta. [Joyfu lly] My good fellow, I have never let thebearer of welcome news go unrewarded. Take this asyour rec om

pense. [H e gives him hismant le]K umbhila/ca . [Takes it and bows. G leq

‘

u lly] I’

11 t ell my mistress.

[B ai t

M aitreya. Do yo u see why she comes ina storm like this ?

Charuda t ta . I do no t qu ite understand, my friend.

M aitreya . I know. She has an idea that the pearl necklace ischeap, and the golden casket expensive. She isn

’t satisfied , and

she has come to look fo r something more.

Charudat ta . [Aside] She shall no t depart unsatisfied .

[Thenenter the lo ve- tornVasantasena, in a splendid garment ,fit

fo r a womanwho go es to meet her lover, a maid with anumbrella ,

Cozn'tier. [Referring to Vasantasena]Lakshmi ‘ withou t the lotu s-flower is she ,Loveliest arrow o fgod Kama

’s how ,

”

The sweetest blossom onlove’s magic tree.

See how she moves, so gracefully and slow !Inpassion’s hour she still loves modesty ;

Inher, good wives their dearest sorrow know .

Whenpassion’s drama shall enacted be,Whenonlove’s stage appears the passing show,

A host of wanderers shall bend them low ,

Glad to be slaves insu ch captivity.

l The goddcss of v enlth and bc-uty, usually represented with a lo tus.

Kim’

s(Cupid’

s) arrows are flowers.

82 ACT THE FIFTH (sens.

See, Vasantasena, see !The clouds hang drooping to the mountainpeaks,Like a maiden’s heart, that distant lover seeks :The peacocks startle, whenthe thunder booms,And fanthe heavenwith all their jeweled plumes .

And again:M ud-stained , and pelted by the streaming rain,To drink the falling drops the frogs are fa in;Fu ll-throated peacocks love’s shrill passionshow,

And nipa flowers like brilliant candles glow ;Unfaithfu l clouds obscu re the hostage moon,Like knaves, unworthy o fso dear a boon;Like some poor maid o fbet ter breeding bare,The impatient lightning rests no t anywhere.

Vasantasena .

1 Sir, what yo u say is most tru e. Fo r

The night, anangry rival, bars my way ;Her thunders fainwou ld check and hinder meFond fool ! with him I love thou shalt no t stay,’

T is I ,’

t is I , he loves,” she seems to say,

No r from my swelling bosom shall he flee.

Cou rtier. Yes, yes. That is right. Scold the night.

Vasantasena. And yet, sir, why scold one who is so ignorant ofwoman

’

s nature? Fo r yo u mu st remember :

The clouds m ay rain, m ay thunder ne’er so bold,

May flash the lightning from the sky above ;That womanlittle reekso fheat o r cold ,Who journeys to her love.

Cou rtier . Bu t see, Vasantasena!Another cloud,Sped by the fickle fu ry o f the airA flood of arrows inhis ru shing streams,

His drum, the roaring thunder’s mighty blare,

H is banner, living lightning’s awfu l gleams

1Th roughou t thia sc ene, Vau ntncnl’

s vc rsesarc inSanskr-it . Compare no t e l onpagc m.

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84 ACT THE FIFTH

At Indra’s bidding, pour their streams,Until with silver cords it seemsThat earth is linked with sky.

And look yonder!As herds of buffaloes the clou ds are black ;The winds deny them ease ;They fly onlightning wings and little lackOf seeming troubled seas .

Smitt enwith falling drOps, the fragrant sod,

Uponwhose bosom greenest grasses nod,

Seem s pierced with pearls, each pearl anarrowy rod.

Vasantasena. And here is yet another clou d .

The peacock ’s shrill-voiced c ryImplores it to draw nigh ;And ardent cranes onhighEmbrace it lovingly.

The wistfu l swans espyThe lotu s-sweeter sky ;The darkest colors lieOnheavenclingingly.

Courtier. Tru e. Fo r see !

A thou sand lotu ses that bloom by night,A thou sand blooming whenthe day is bright,No r close no r ope their eyes to heaven’s sightThere is no night no r day.

The face of heaven, thu s shrouded inthe night,Is only fo r a single instant bright,Whenmomentary lightning gives us sight ;E lse is it dark alway.

Now sleeps the world as still as inthe nightWithinthe house of rainwhere naught is bright,

P. THE STORM

Where hosts of swollenclouds seem to o u r sightOne covering veil ofgray.

Vasantasend . Tru e. And see !

The stars are lost like mercies givenTo m enof evil heart ;Like lonely-parted wives, the heavenSees all her charms depart.

And, molteninthe cru el heatOf Indra

’

s bolt, it seemsAs if the sky fell at o u r feetIn liqu id, flowing streams.

And yet againThe clou ds first darkly rise, thendarkly fall,Send forth their floods of rain, and thunder allAssuming postu res strange and manifold,Like m enbu t newly blest with wealth untold .

The heaven is radiant with the lightning’s glare ;Its laughter is the c ry o fmyriad cranes ;I ts voice, the bolts that whistle through the air ;Its dance, that ho w whose arrows are the rains.It staggers at the winds, and seems to smokeWith clouds, which form its black and snaky cloak .

Vasantasena. O shameless, shameless sky !To thunder thu s, while ITo him I love draw nigh.

Why do thy thunders frightenme and pain?Why am I seized u ponby hands o frain?

O Indra, mighty Indra !D id I thengive thee o fmy love before,That now thy clouds like mighty lions roar?Ah no ! Thou shou ldst no t send thy streaming rain,To fill my journey to my love with pain.

85

86 ACT THE FIFTH [sasss.

Fo r Aha lya’

s sweet sake thou once didst lie ;Thou knowest lover

's pain.

As thou didst suffer then, now suffer I ;O cruel, cease thy

Thunder and rainand lightenhundredfoldForth from thy sky above ;The womancanst thou no t delay no r holdWho jou rneys to her love.

And yet

Let thunders roar, fo r m enwere cruel ever ;Bu t oh, thou maiden lightning ! didst thou neverKnow pains that maidens know? 82

Co u rtier. Bu t mistress, do no t scold the lightning. She is you r

This goldencord that trembles onthe breastOf great Airavata ; ‘ u ponthe crestOfro cky hills this banner all ablazeThis lamp in Indra’s palace ; bu t most blestAs telling where your most beloved stays.

Vasantasm d. And here, sir, is his hou se .

Cou rtier . Yo u know all the arts, and need no instru ct ionnow .

Yet love bids me prattle. Whenyo u enter here, yo u must no t

Where anger is, there love is no tOr no ! except fo r anger hot,

Be angry ! make him angry then!Be kind ! and make him kind againThe m anyo u love.

So mu ch fo r that. Who is there ?Le t Cham dat ta

I The elephont of ludra. Indn h thc god of the thundm t orm .

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88 ACT THE FIFTH

M aid.

“ Gambler, what lu ck this evening ?”

Vasantasma. Shall I dare to say it ?

M aid Whenthe time comes, it will say itself.

M aitreya. Enter, madam .

theflowersmlzich size ho lds]Well, gambler,what lu ck this evening ?Charuda t ta. [D iscovers hen]Ah, Vasanm ena is here. [H e rises

My evenings pass inwatching ever,My nights from sighs are never freeThis evening cannot else thanseverInbringing yo u — my grief and me.

Yo u are very, very welcome. Here is a seat. Pray be seated.

M aitreya . Here is a seat. Be seated, madam. [Vasantasena sits,

then the o thers]d m dat ta . Bu t see, my friend,The dripping flower that decks her ear, droops down,

And one sweet breastAnointed is, like a prince who wears the crown,

With ointment blest. 88

My friend, Vasantasena’

s garments are wet . Let other, and mostbeau tifu l, garments be brought.

M ait reya . Yes, sir.

M aid. Good M aitreya, do yo u stay here. I will wait uponmy mistress. [She do esso]M aitreya . [Aside to C

'karudat td ]My friend, I

’

d ju st like to ask

the lady a qu estion.

Charudat ta . Thendo so.

M aitreya . [Aloud ]Madam , what made yo u come here, when it

is so stormy and dark that yo u can’t see the moon?

M aid. M istress, the Brahm anis very plain-spoken.

P. THE STORM 89

Vascm tasena. Yo u might better call him clever.

M aid. My mist ress came to ask how mu ch that pearl necklace isworth.

M aitreya. [Aside to Cham dat ta ]There ! I told yo u so. She thinks

the pearl necklace is cheap, and the golden casket is expensive.She isn’

t satisfied . She has come to look fo r somet hing more.

M aid. Fo rmy mistress imagined that it washer own, and gambledit away. Andnobody knows where the gambling-master hasgone,fo r he is employed inthe king’s bu siness.

M aid. While we are looking fo r him , pray take this goldencasket. [She dispkzys the casket. M aitreya hesitates]Sir, yo u examineit very closely. D id yo u ever see it before ?

M aitreya . No, madam , bu t the skilfu l workmanship captivatesthe eye.

M aid. You r eyes deceive yo u , sir. This is the goldencasket.

M ait reya . [Joyfirfly ]Well , my friend, here is the goldencasket,the very one that thieves stole from o ur house.

Chanda t ta . My friend,The artifice we tried before,H er stolentreasure to resto re,Is practised now onus. Bu t no ,

I cannot think ’

t is really so.

M aitreya . Bu t it is so. I swear it onmy Brahmanhood .

Cham da t ta. This is welcome news.

M ai treya . [Aside to Charadat taJI

’

m going to ask where theyfound it.

Charudat ta . I see no harm inthat.

M aitreya . [Whispers inthe maids ear.]There !

M aid. [W'

hispers inM aitreya’

s ear .]So there !

90 ACT THE FIFTH

Cham dat ta . What is it ? and why are we left o u t ?

M aitreya . [W spers inCharuda t ta’

s ear .]So there !

Charada tt a. My good girl, is this really the same goldencasket?

M aid. Yes, sir, the very same.

Charada t ta. My good girl, I havenever let the bearer ofwelcomenews go unrewarded . Take this ring as your recompense. [H e

embarrassment ]Vasantasena. [To herseyi]I love yo u fo r that.

Wheninthis world a manhas lost his all,Why shou ld he set his heart onlonger life ?

His angers and his favors fru itless fall,H is purposes and powers are all at strife.

Like Wingless birds, dry pools, o r withered trees,Like fangless snakes — the poor are like to these.

Like man-deserted hou ses, blasted trees,Like empty wells — the poor are like to these.

F o r them no pleasant hours serve happy ends ;They are forgottenof their somet ime friends. 4 2

M aitreya . Bu t yo u mu st no t grieve thu s beyond reason. [H e

bu rsts ou t laughmg . Alo ad ]Madam, please give me back my

bath-clou t.

Vasant asena. Charudat ta, it wasno t right that yo u shou ld showyour distru st of me by sending me this pearl necklace.

Char-adat ta . [With anembarrassedsmile ]Bu t remember,Vasanta

Who will believe the truth ?Su spicionnow is su re.This world will show no ru thTo the ingloriou s poor.

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92 ACT THE FIFTH

Charada t ta. Do no t rebuke the st orm, my friend .

Let ceaseless raina hundred years endu re,The lightning qu iver, and the thunder pea!

Fo r what I deemed immssible is sure :Her dear-loved arms about my neck I feel.

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 iswet and cold.

Vasantasena, my beloved,The masonry is shaken; and so o ldThe awning, that

’

t will no t mu ch longer hold.H eavy with water is the painted wall,From which dissolving bits of mortar fall.

[H e looks up ]The rainbow ! See, my beloved , see !

See how they yawn, the cloudy jaws of heaven,As by a tongue, by forked lightning riven;And to the sky great Indra’s fiery bo w

Inlieu of high -uplift ed arms is given.

Come, let us seek a shelter. [H e rises and walks abou t ]Onpalm-trees shrill,Onthickets still,Onbou lders dashing,Onwaters splashing,Like a lu te that, smit ten, sings,The rainy mu sic rings.

ACT THE SIXTH

M aid [Ent er a maid ]

S N’

T my mistress awake yet ? Well, I mu st go inand wakeher. [She walks abou t . Vascm t asend am ears, dressed, bu t still

asleep. The maid discoversher .]It is time to get 11p, mistress. The

Vasantasena. [Awakening ]What ! is the night over? is it m om

ing?

M aid. Fo r us it is morning. Bu t fo r my mist ress it appears t o be

Vasantasena. Bu t girl, where is you r gambler?

M aid. Mistress, aft er giving Vardhamanaka his orders, Chamdatta went to the o ld gardenPushpakaranda.

Vasantasena. What orders ?

M aid. To have the bu llock-cart ready before daylight ; fo r, hesaid , Vasantasena was to come

Vasantasena. Where, girl?

M aid. Where Charudat t a is.

Vasantasena. [E mbraces the maid ]I did no t have a good look athim inthe evening. Bu t to-day I shall see him face to face. Tellme, girl. Have I found my way into the inner cou rt ?

M aid. Yo u have found your way no t only into the inner court,bu t into the heart of every one who lives here.

Vasantasena. Tell me, are Charudat ta’

s servants vexed?

M aid. They will be.

Vasantasena. When?

M aid. Whenmy mist ress goes away.

Vasa/ntasena. Bu t no t so mu ch as I shall be . [P ersuasively ]Here,

94 ACT THE SIXTH

girl, take this pearl necklace. Yo u mu st go and give it to my ladysister, his good wife. And give her this message : “ Worthy Charudatt a’s virtu es have wonme,made me his slave, and t herefore you rslave also. And so I hope that these pearls may adornyourneck .

”

M aid. Bu t mistress, Charudat t a will be angry with yo u .

Vasantasena. Go. He will no t be angry.

M aid. [Takes the necklace ]Yes, mistress. [fire go es ou t , thenre

turns]M istress, his lady wife says that her lord made yo u a pre

sent of it, and it wou ld no t be right fo r her to accept it. And further, that yo u are to know that her lord and husband is her mostexcellent adornment.

[Ent er Radanika, with Charada t ta'

s little so rt ]Radanika. Come, dear, let

’

splay with you r little cart.

Give me my gold cart .

Radam'

ka. [Sighing wean'

ly]How shou ld we have anyt hing to dowith gold now , my child ?Whenyou r papa is rich again, thenyo ushall have a gold cart to play with. Bu t I '

ll amu se him by takinghim to see Vasantasena. [She approaches Vasaa tasena]M istress,my service to yo u .

Vasantasena. I am glad to see yo u , Radanika. Bu t whose littleboy is this ?He wears no ornament s, yet hisdear little face makesmy heart happy.

Radanika. This is Charudat ta ’

s son, Ro hasena.

Vasantasena. [Stretches ou t he r arms] Come, my bo y, and pu t

your lit t le arms around me. [She takes him onher lap] He looks

Radam'

ka. More than looks like him, he is like him . At least Ithink so. H is father is perfectly devoted to him .

Vasantasena. Bu t what is he crying abou t?

Radanika. He u sed to play with a gold cart that belongs to thesono fa neighbor. But that was takenaway, and whenhe asked

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96 ACT THE SIXTH

Vasantasena. Bring me my things, girl. I mu st make myself ready.

[She do esso ]

[E at endriving a bu llo ck-cart,S thavaraka,servant to SansthanakajS thavaraka . Sanst hanaka, the king

’s brother-in-law, said to me“ Take a bu llock-cart, Sthavaraka, and come as quick asyo u can

to the old gardenPushpakaranda.

” Well, I’

m onmy way there.Get up, bu llocks, get up! [H e drives abou t and lo oks aro und]Why, the ro ad is blocked with villagers

’ carts. What am I to donow ? [H aughtily ]Get o u t ofmy way, yo u !Get o u t of my way !

[H e listens]What’

s that? yo u want to know whose cart this is ?This cart belongs to Sansthanaka, the king

’s brother-in-law . Soget o u t ofmy way and this minu te, too ! [H e looksabou t ]Why,here

’

s a mango ing inthe o ther direc t ionasfast as he can. He istrying to hide like a runaway gambler, and he looks at me as if Iwere the gambling-maste r. I wonder who he is. Bu t then, whatbusiness is it o fm ine ? I m ust get there as so onas I can. Get o u t

of my way, yo u villagers, get o u t of my way!What’

s that ? yo u

want me to wait a minu te andpu t a shou lder to you r wheel? Con

found yo u ! A brave m an like me, that serves Sanst hanaka, t he

king’s brother-ih -law, pu t a shou lder to your wheel ?After all, thepoor fellow is qu ite alone. I ’

ll do it. I ’

ll stop my cart at the sidedoor to Charudat ta ’

s orchard . [H e do es so .]I’

m coming ! [Emit

M aid. M istress, I think I hear the sound of wheels. The cartmu st be here.

Vasantasena. Come, girl . My heart grows impatient. Go with meto the side-door.

M aid. Follow me, mistress.

Vasantasena. [Walks abou t ]Yo u have earned a rest, girl .

M aid. Thank yo u , mistress.

Vasantasena. [F eels her right eye twitchl as she enters the cart ]

‘A bad omcm inthe c l sc ofa woman.

P. SWAPPING THE BULLOCK-CARTS 97

Why shou ld my right eye twitch now ? Bu t the sight of Chamdatta will smoot h away the bad omen. [Enter S thavaralca]S thavaraka . I ’ve cleared the carts o u t of the way, and now I

’

11

go ahead . [H e mo unts and drives away. To himself.]The cart hasgrownheavy. Bu t I suppose it only seems so, becau se I go t tiredhelping them with that wheel. Well, I

’ll go along. Get up, bul

locks , get up!

A voice behind the scenes. Police ! Police ! Every m anat his post !The young herdsmanhas ju st brokenjail, killed the jailer, brokenhis fetters, escaped, and runaway. Catch him ! Catch him !

[Enter, inea'cited haste,Aryaka, anironchainononefoot. Cover

ing hisfac e, he walks abou t.]S thavaraka . [To himselfi]There is great excitement inthe city. Imust get o u t of the way as fast as I possibly can.

Aryaka . I leave behind me that accu rsed seaOf humanwoe and humanmisery,The prisonof the king.

Like elephants that break their chains and flee,I drag a fettered foot most painfu llyInflight and wandering. 1

King Palaka was frightened by a prophecy, took me from thehamlet where I lived, fette red me, and thrust me into a solitarycell, there to await my death. Bu t with the help ofmy good friendSharvilaka I escaped. [H e sheds tears]

If su ch my fate, no sinis m ine at least,That he shou ld cage me like a savage beast .

A manmay fight with kings, though no t with fat eAnd yet, canhelpless m encontend with great ? 2

“ fhither shall I go with my wretchedness ? [H e looksabou t ]Hereis the house of some good manwho hasn’

t locked the side-door.

The hou se is o ld, the door withou t a lock,The hinges all awry.

98 ACT THE SIXTH

Some man, no doubt, who feels misfortune's shock

As cruelly as I .

A voice behind the scenes. Get up, bu llocks, get up!

Aryaka. [Listening ]Ah, 9. bu llock-cart is coming this way.

If this shou ld prove to be a picnic rig,

Its occupants no t peevishly inclined

Some noble lady’s waiting carriage trig ;

Or rich man’s coach , that leaves the townbehindAnd if it empty be, fate proving kind ,’

Twou ld seem a godsend to my anxiou s mind.

[Ent er Vardhamanaka with the bu llock-cart ]Vardhamanaka. There, I

’

ve got the cushion. Radanika, tell m istress Vasantasena that the cart is ready and waiting fo r her to getinand drive to the old gardenPushpakaranda.

Aryaka. [Listening ]This is a court ezan’s cart, going o u t of t he

Vardhamanaka . [H ears him coming ]Ah, the tinkling of anklerings ! The lady is here. M istress, the nose- rope makes the bullocks skittish . Yo u had better climb inbehind. [Aryaka do es so .]The ankle-rings tinkle only when the feet are moving, and thesound has ceased. Besides, the cart hasgrownheavy . I am sure thelady mu st have climbed inby this time. I '

ll go ahead. Get up,bu llocks, get up! [H e drives abou t . Enter Vt rains]Viraka . Come, come ! Jaya, Jayamana, Chandanaka, Mangala,Phu llabhadra, and the rest of yo u !

So calm, whenthe herdsman, slipping his tether,Breaks jail and the heart of the king together ? 5

Here !Yo u stand at the east gate of the main street, yo u at thewest, yo u at the sou th , yo u at the north. I '

ll climb up the brokenwall here with Chandanaka and take a look. Come on, Chanda»

naka, come on! This way ! [Enter Chandanaka , inexcitement ]

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100 ACT THE SIXTH s.

Viraka. Onwhose au thority ?

Chandanaka . OnCharudat t a’

s.

Viraka . Who is Charudat t a, o r who is Vasantasena, that the cartshou ld pass withou t inspection?

Chandana/ca . Don’t yo u know Cham dat ta ,m an?no rVasantasena?

If yo u don’t know Charudat ta , no r Vasantasena, thenyo u don

’tknow the mooninheaven, no r the moonlight.

Who doesn’

t know this moonof goodness, virtue'

s lotu s

This gem of fou r broad seas, this savior inman’

s lu ckless

These two are wholly worshipful , o ur city’

s ornaments,Vasantasena, Charudat ta, sea of excellence .

Vera/ca . Well , well, Chandanaka ! Charudat t a ?Vasantasena?

I know them perfectly, aswell as I know anything ;Bu t I do no t know my father whenI ’

m serving of my king. 15

Aryaka . [To himself] Ina former existence the one mu st havebeenmy enemy, the other my kinsman. Fo r see !

Their bu siness is the same ; their waysUnlike, and their desireLike flames that gladdenwedding days,And flames u ponthe pyre. 16

Chandanaka . Yo u are a most careful captain whom the kingtru sts. I am holding the bu llocks . Make your inspection.

Viraka. Yo u t o o are a co rpo ral whom the king t rusts. Make theinspectionyou rself.

Chandanaka . If I make the inspection, that’

s ju st the same as if

yo u had made it ?

Vim /ca . If yo u make the inspection, that’s just the same as if

King Palaka had made it.

P. SWAPPING THE BULLOCK-CARTS 101

Chandanaka . Lift the pole, m an! [Vardhamanaka does so .]Aryaka . [To himsel/I]Are the policemen abou t to inspect me ?And I have no sword , worse lu ck ! Bu t at least,

Bold Bhima'

s spirit I will show ;My arm shall be my sword .

Better a warrior’s death thanwoeThat cells and chains afford. 17

Bu t the time to use force has no t yet come. [Chandanaka entersthe cart and looks abo u t ]I seek you r protection.

Chandanaka . [Speaking in Sans/ofit .] He who seeks prot ectionshall be safe.

Aryaka. Whene ’er he fight, that m anwill suffer hurts,Will be abandoned of his friends and kin,Becomes a mock forever, who deserts

One seeking aid ;’

t is anunpardoned sin. 18

Chandanaka . What ! the herdsmanAryaka ?Like a bird that fleesfrom a hawk, he has fallen into the hand of the fowler. [Rglec ting ]He is no sinner, this m anwho seeks my protectionand sitsinCharudat ta

’

s cart. Besides, he is the friend of good Sharvilaka,who saved my life. Onthe ot her hand, there are the king

’s orders.What isa m ant o do ina case like this ?Well, what mu st he, mu stbe. I prom ised him my protectionju st now .

He who gives aid to frightened m en,

And joys his neighbor’s ills to cure,If he mu st die, he dies ; bu t then,H is repu tation is secu re. 19

[H e gets downuneasily ]I saw the gentleman— [correcting himself]I mean, the lady Vasantasena, and she says Is it proper, isit gentlemanly, whenI am going to visit Cham dat ta, to insu lt meonthe highway ?”

Viraka . Chandanaka, I have my su spicions.

Chandanaka . Suspic io us?How so ?

102 ACT THE SIXTH

Vir. Yo u gurgled inyour craventhroat ; it seems a trifle shady.

Yo u said “ I saw the gentleman,

”

and then “ I saw the lady .

That ’s why I ’

m no t satisfied .

Chandanaka . What ’

s the matter with yo u , man?We sou thernersdon’t speak pla in. We know a thou sand dialects of the barbari

ans— the Khashas, the Khattis, the Kadas, the Kadat t ho bilas, theKarnat as, the Karnas, the Pravaranas, the Dravidas, the Cholas,the Chinas, the Barbaras, the Kheras, the Khanas, the M ukhas, the

Madhughatas, and all the rest of’em, and it all depends onthe way

we feel whethm' we say“ he” o r

“ she,” “ gentleman” o r

“ lady.

”

V‘

zraka . Can’t I have a look, too ? It

’

s the king’s orders. And theking tru st s me.

Chandanaka . I su ppose the king doesn’

t tru st me !

Viraka. Isn’

t it HisMajesty’s command ?

Chandanaka. [Aside ]If people knew that the good herdsmanes

caped inCharudat ta ’

scart, thenthe king wou ld make Charudat ta

suffer fo r it. What ’

s to be done? [Reflecting ]I’

ll stir up a qu arrelthe way they do down inthe Cam at ic . [Aloud ]Well, Viraka, Imade one inspectionmyself— myname is Chandanaka — and you

want to do it over again. Who are yo u?

Vtraka . Confound it !Who are yo u , anyway ?

Chandanaka . Anhonorable and highly respectable person, andyo u

don’

t remember your ownfamily.

Vt rnka . [Angr ily.]Confound yo u !What is my family ?

Chandanaka . Who speaks of su ch things ?

Viraka . Speak !

Chandanaka . I think I ’

d better no t .

I know you r family, bu t I won’t say

’

Twou ld no t be modest , su ch things to betrayWhat good ’

s a rottenapple anyway ? 21

Viraka . Speak, speak ! [Chandanaka makes a signific ant gest ure ]Confound yo u !What does that mean?

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104 ACT THE SIXTH S.

Aryaka. [Takes it . Joyfu lly to himself]A sword, a sword !My right eye twitches fast .

‘

Now all iswell, and I am safe at last .

As I have givenyo u a passage free,So may I live withinyou r memory.

To utter this, no selfish thoughts co u ld move ;Ah no , I speak inplenitu de o f love.

Aryaka. Chandanaka is rich invirtu es pu re ;My friend is he — Fate willed it — true and tried.

I ’

11no t forget Chandanaka, be sure,What time the oracle is ju stified .

May Shiva, Vishnu , Brahma, Three inOne ,Protect thee, and the M oon, and blessed Sim ;Slay all thy foes

,asmighty Parvati

Slew Shum bha and Nishum bha — fearfully.

ward the back of the stage ]Aha !Ashe goes away, my good friendSharvilaka is following him . Well, I

’

ve made anenemy ofViraka,

the chief constable and the king’s favorite ; so I think I t o o hadbetter be following him , with all my sons and brothers.

l A good ornea thc cnsc o t a man.

ACT THE SEVENTH

HOWbeau tifu l the old gardenPushpakaranda is.

The trees, like merchants, show their wares ;Each several tree his blossoms bears,While bees, h

'

ke oflicers, are flitting,To take from each what to ll is fitting. 1

M aitreya. This simple stone is very attractive. Pray be seat ed.

Charada t ta. [Seatshimself]HowVardhamanaka lingers ,myfriend !

M aitreya I told Vardhamanaka to bring Vasantasena and come

as qu ickly as he cou ld .

Charada t ta. Why thendoes he linger?

Is be delayed by some slow-moving load ?

Has he returned with brokenwheel o r traces ?Obstru ctions bid him seek another road ?

His bu llocks, o r himself, choose these slow paces ? 2

[Enter Vardhamanaka with the bu llo ck-cart, inwhich Aryaka lieshidden]Vardhama/naka. Get up, bu llocks, get up!

Aryaka . [Aside ]And still I fear the spies that serve the kingE scape is evenyet a doubtfu l thing,While to my foot these cu rsed fetters cling.

Some good man'

t is, withinwhose cart I lie,Like cu ckoo chicks, whose heart less mothers fly,And crows mu st rear the fledglings, o r they die. 8

I have come a long distance from the city. Shall I get o u t of the

106 ACT THE SEVENTH

c art and seek a hiding-

plac e in the gro ve? o r shall l wait t o see

the owner of the cart? On second thoughts, I will no t hide myself ln the grove ; fo r m ensay that the noble Charudat t a is ever

helpful t o them that seek hisprotection. I will no t go until I haveseenhim face to face.

’T will bring contentment t o that good man’

s heartTo see me rescu ed from misfortune

’

s sea.

This body, in its suffering, pain, and smart,Is saved through his sweet magnanimity. 4

Vardhamanaka . Here is the garden. I ’

!I drive in. [H e does so .]

news, my friend. It is Vardhamanaka’

s voice.Vasantasenamu st have come.

Charudat ta. Good news, indeed .

M aitreya. Yo u sonof a slave, what makes yo u so late ?

that I had forgottenthe cu shion, and I had to go back fo r it, andthat is why I am late.

friend , help Vasantasena to get o u t .

M aitreya . Has she go t fetters onher feet, so that she can’t get

o u t by herself? [H e rises and lifts the cu rtainof the cart ]Why,this isn

'

t mistress Vasantasena— this is M ister Vasantasena.

Charuda t ta. A tru ce to your jests, my friend . Love cannot wait.I will help her to get o u t myself. [H e rises]Aryaka. [D iscovers him ]Ah , the owner of the bu llock-a rt ! H e

is at tractive no t only to the ears of m en, bu t also to their eyes.Thank heaven! I am safe.

Charuda t ta . [Ent ers the bu llo ck-c art and discoversAryaka ]Whothen is this ?

As trunk of elephant his arms are long,His chest is fu ll, his shou lders broad and strong,

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108 ACT THE SEVENTH

where m en seek pleasu re, a bu llock -cart will excite no su spic ion.

Continu e you r jou rney theninthe cart .

Aryaka . I thank yo u , sir.

Charud. Seek now thy kinsmen. Happiness be thine !

Aryaka. Ah , I have found thee, b lessed kinsmanmine !

Charud. Remember me, whenthou hast cau se to speak.

Aryaka . Thy name, and no t mine own, my words shall seek .

Charred. May the immortal go ds protect thy ways !

Aryaka . Thou didst protect me, inmost perilous days.

Charud. Nay, it was fate that sweet protectionlent.

Aryaka . Bu t thou wast chosenas fate'

s inst rument.

diflic u lt . Yo u must depart at once.

Aryaka . Until we meet again, farewell.

Charud From royal wrath I now have mu ch to fear ;It were unwise fo r me to linger here.Thenthrow the fetters inthe well ; fo r spiesServe to their king as keen, far-seeing eyes . 8

[H is left eye twitches]Maitreya, my friend, I long to see Vasantasena. Fo r now, because

I have no t seenwhom I love best,My left eye twitches ; and my breastIs causeless-anxious and dist ressed . 9

Come, let us go. [H e woflcs abou t ] See ! a Buddhist monk ap

proaches, and the sight bodes ill. [Reflecting ]Le t him ente r bythat path, while we depart by this.

ACT THE E IGHTH

THE STRANGLING OF VASANTASENA

[Enter a monk, with a wet garment inhis hand ]M onk

E ignorant, lay by a store o fvirtu e !

Restrainthe belly ; watch eternally,H eeding the beat o f contemplation

’s ‘ drum .

F o r else the senses — fearful thieves they be

Will steal away all virtu e’s boarded sum .

And fu rther : I have seenthat all things are transito ry, so thatnow

I am become the abode ofvirtu es alone.

Who slays the Five M en,13and the Female Bane,3

By whom prot ectionto the Town‘ is given,By whom the Ou tcaste ’simpotent is slain,He cannot fail to enter into heaven.

Though head he shornand face he shom ,

The heart unshorn, why shou ld manshave him ?

Bu t he whose inmost heart is shornNeeds no t the shavenhead to save him. 8

I have dyed this robe ofmine yellow. And now I will go into thegardenof the king

’s brother- in- law, wash it in the pond, and go

away as soonas I can. [H e walks abou t washes the robe ]A voice behind the scenes. Sht op, yo u confounded monk, sht op!

M onk. [D iscovers the speaker. F earfullyj Heavenhelp me !Hereis the king’s brother-in-law, Sanst hanaka. Ju st becau se one monkcommitt ed anoffense, now , wherever he sees a monk , whet her itis the same one o r no t , he bores a hole inhisnose and drives himaround like a bu llock. Where shall a defenseless manfind a defender ? Bu t afte r all, the blessed Lord Buddha is my defender.

1 Andh donm the prwfic e by which the 8addh ists mduc ed a stat e of rehgiom m y.

’ The five senses.‘ Igno rance .

‘The body.“ Th e m c e it of individm lity .

110 ACT THE E IGHTH

Sansthanaka. Sht op, yo u confounded monk , shtop! I’

ll poundyour head like a red radish ‘ at a drinking party. [H e strikes hint ]Co u r tier . Yo u jackass, yo u shou ld no t strike a monk who wearsthe yellow robes of renunciation. Why heed him ? Look ratheruponthis garden, which offers itself to pleasu re.

To creatures else forlorn, the forest treesD o works o fmercy, granting joy and ease ;Like a sinner’s heart, the park unguarded lies,Like some new-founded realm, aneasy prize 4

M onk. Heaven bless yo u ! Be mercifu l, servant of the BlessedOne !

Sansthanaka. D id yo u hear that, shir?He’

s inshult ing me.

Cou rtier. What does he say?

Sansthanaka . Shays I ’m a shhrvant . What do yo u take me fo r?a barber?

Co urtier . A servant of the Blessed One he calls yo u , and this is

Sansthanaka . Praise me shome more, monk !

M onk. Yo u are virtuou s !Yo u are a brick !

Sansthanaka . Shee ?He shays I’

m virtuou s. He shays I ’

m a brick.What do yo u think I am ? a materialistic philosopher?o r a watering

-trough ? o r a pot-maker?9

Cou rtier. Yo u jackass, he praises yo u whenhe says that yo u are

virtuou s, that yo u are a brick.

Sansthanaka. Well, shir, what did he come here for ?

M onk. To wash this robe.

Sansthanaka. Confound the monk !My shisht er‘

shusband gave methe finesht gardenthere is, the gardenPushpakaranda. Dogs andjackals drink the water inthish pond . Now I ’

m anarisht o c rat , I’

m

l Used asanappet h er.

‘Thc dabonte puns of thispassage canhu dly be reproduc ed lna mnslaflon.

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112 ACT THE E IGHTH 8.

Sansthanaka . Well, onone condition.

Cou rtier. And what is that ?

Sansthanaka. He musht shling m ud in, wit hou t making the waterdirty. Or bet ter yet, he mu sht make the water into a ball, andshling it into the m ud.

Courtier . What incredible folly !

The pat ient earth is bu rdened.

bySo many a fool, so many a drone,Whose thoughts and deeds are all awryThese trees o fflesh, these forms of stone.

[The monk makesfac es at Sansthanaka ]Sansthanaka . What does he mean?

Cou rtier. He praises yo u .

Sansthanaka . Praise me shome more ! Praise me again! [The monkdoes so , thenea t ]Cou rtier. See how beau tifu l the garden is, yo u jackass.

See yonder trees, adorned with fru it and flowers,O

’

er which the clinging creepers interlace ;The watchmenguard them with the royal powers ;They seem like m enwhom loving wives embrace.

Sansthanaka . A good deshcript ion, shir.

The ground is mottled with a lot of flowers ;The blosshom freight bends downthe loft y trees ;

And, hanging from the leafy tree- t op bowers,The monkeys bob, like breadfruit inthe breeze. 8

Courtier. Will you be seated onthis st one bench , yo u jackass ?

Sansthanaka . I am sheat ed. [They seat themselves]Do yo u know,

shir, I remember that Vasantasena evenyet. She is like aninshu lt .I can’t get her o u t o fmy m ind .

Cou rtier . [Aside ]He remembers her even aft er su ch a repu lse.Fo r indeed,

P. STRANGLING OF VASANTASENA 118

The meanm an, whom a womanspurns,Bu t loves the more ;

The wise man’s passiongentler burns,Or passes o ’

er. 9

Sansthanaka . Shome time haspasshed, shir, shinc e I told my shervant Sthavaraka to take the bu llock-cart and come as qu ick ashe cou ld . And evenyet he is no t here. I ’

ve beenhungry a longtime, and at noona m ancan

’t go a-foot. Fo r shee !

The shun is inthe middle of the shky,And hard t o lo ok at as anangry ape ;

Like Gandhari, whose hundred shons did die,The earth is hard disht resshed and can’t eshcape .

The cattle all — their cuds let fallLie drowsing inthe shade ;

Inheated pool their lips to cool,Deer throng the woodland glade ;

A prey to heat, the city street

Makes wanderers afraid ;The cart mu st shunthe midday sun,And thu s has beendelayed.

Sansthanaka . Yesshir,

Fasht to my head the heated shun-beam clings ;Birds, flying creatu res, alsbo winged thingsResht inthe branches of the trees, while m en,

People, and pershons shigh and shigh again;At home they tarry, intheir hou ses shtay,

To bear the heat and bu rdenofthe day. 12

We ll , shir, that shervant isn’

t here yet. I ’

m going to shing shomething to passh the time. [H e sings]There, shir, did yo u hearwhat I shang ?

Cou rtier . What shall I say ? Ah, how melodiou s !

114 ACT THE E IGHTH

Sansthanaka. Why shou ldn’

t it be malodorou s ?

Of nu t -grass and cuminI make up a pickle,Of devil ’s-dung, ginger, and orris, and treacle ;That ’s the mixture of perfumes I eagerly eatWhy shou ldn

’

t my voice be remarkably shwee t ? 18

Well, Shit , I’

m jusht going to shing again. [H e does cc .]There,shir, did yo u hear what I shang ?

Cou rtier . What shall I say?Ah, how melodious !Sansthanaka . Why sho u ldn’t it be malodorou s ?

Of the flesh of the cu ckoo I make up a chowder,With devil’s-dung added, and black pepper powder;With o il and with bu tte r I shprinkle the meat :Why shou ld n

'

t my voice be remarkably shweet ?

Bu t shir, the shervant is n’

t here yet.

Co urtier. Be easy inyour mind . He will be here presently.

[Enter Vasantasena inthe bu llo ck-cart, and S thavaraka]S thavaraka . I ’m frightened . It is already noon. I hope Sanst ha~

naka, the king’s brother-ln-law, will no t be angry. I mu st drive

faster. Get up, bu llocks, get up!

Vasantasena. Alas !That is no t Vardhamanaka’

s voice.What doesit mean? I wonder if Charudat t a was afi'

aid that the bu llocksmight become weary, and so sent another m anwith another cart.My right eye twitches. My heart is all a- tremble. There isno one

insight. Everything seems to dance before my eyes.

Sansthanaka. [H earing the sound ofwheels]The cart ishere, shir.

Cou rtier. H ow do yo u know ?

Sansthanaka . Can’t yo u shee ? It shq ueaks like anold hog.

Cou rtie r. [Perceives the cart ]Q u ite tru e. It is here.

Sansthanaka . Sthavaraka, my little shon, my shlave, are yo u here ?

Sansthanaka . Is the cart here ?

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116 ACT THE E IGHTH

Sansthanaka . Evenif I do shay sho, yo u ought to be polite enoughto shay “ Aft er yo u , masht er.

”

Cou rtier . After yo u , then.

Sansthanaka . Now I ’

ll enter. Sthavaraka, my little shon, myshlave , tu rnthe cart around .

Sthavaraka . [Doesso .]Enter, mast er.

Sansthanaka. [Enters and looks about, thenhast ilygets ou t inter

ror, andfalls on the cou rtier’

sneck ]Oh , oh , o h ! You’

re a deadm an! There ’s a witch, o r a thief, that

’s sitting and living inmybu llock-cart . If it ’

s a witch, we’

11both be robbed . If it 's a thief,we ’

11bot h be eatenalive.

Cou rtier . Don’t be frightened. H ow cou ld a witch travel in a

bu llock-cart? I hope that the heat of the midday sun has no t

blinded yo u , so that yo u became the victim of an hallucinationwhenyo u saw the shadow of Sthavaraka with the smock onit.

Sansthanaka . Sthavaraka, my litt le shon, my shlave , are yo u

alive ?

Sansthanaka . Bu t shir, there’

s a woman sitting and living inthebu llock-cart . Look and shee !

Courtier . A woman?

Thenlet us bow o ur heads at once and go,Like steers whose eyes the falling raindrops daze

Inpublic spot s my dignity I show ;Onhigh-borndames I hesitate to gaze. 15

Vasant asend . [I namazement . Aside ]Oh , o h ! It is that thorninmy eye, the king

’s brother- ln-law . Alas ! the danger is great. Poorwoman!My coming hither proves as fru itless as the sowing o f a

handfu l of seeds onsalty soil . What shall I do now ?

Sansthanaka . Thish old shervant is afra id and he won’t look intothe cart. Will yo u look into the cart, shir ?

Cou rtier . I see no harm inthat. Yes, I will do it.

P. STRANGLING OF VASANTASENA 117

Sansthanaka. Are those things jackals that I shee flying into theair, and are those things crows that walk onall fou rs ?While thewitch is chewing him with her eyes, and looking at him with herteeth

,I ’

ll make my eshcape .

The gazelle follows the tiger. Alas !

Her mate is lovely as the au tumnmoon,Who waits fo r her u ponthe sandy dune ;And yet the swanwill leave him ? and will goTo dance attendance ona commoncrow ? 16

[Aside to Vasantasend ]Ah , Vasantasena! This isneither right,nor worthy of yo u .

You r pride rejected him before,Yet now fo r go ld, and fo r your mother

’s will

Vasantasend . No ! [fi e shakes her head]

You r natu re knows you r prideYo u honor him, a commonwomanst ilL 17

D id I no t tell ‘ yo u to“ serve the manyo u love, and him yo u

hat e”?

Vasantasena. I made a mistake in the cart, and thu s I camehither. I throw myself uponyour prot ection.

Cou rtier . Do no t fear. Come, I mu st deceive him. [H e retu rns to

W ]Jackass, there is indeed a witch who makes her

home inthe cart.

Sansthanaka . Bu t shir, if a witch is living there, why aren’t yo u

robbed?And if it’s a thief, why are n

’

t yo u eatenalive ?

Courtier . Why t ry to determine that? Bu t if we shou ld go back

onfoot through the gardens until we came to the city, to Ujjayini,what harm wou ld that do ?

Sansthanaka. And if we did, what then?

1 See page 13.

118 ACT THE E IGHTH

Cou rtier . Thenwe should have some exercise, and shou ld avoidtiring the bu llocks.

Sansthanaka . All right. Sthavaraka, my shlave , drive on. Bu t no !

Sht op, shtOp! I go onfoot before gods and Brahmans ? Not mu c h !

I ’

ll go inmy cart, sho that people shall shee me a long way o ff,

and shay “ There he goes, o ur masht er, the king’s brother- in- law .

”

Courtier. [Aside ] It is hard to convert poison into medicine . Sobe it, then. [Aloud ]Jackass, this is Vasantasena, come to visit

yo u .

Vasantasena. Heavenforbid !

Sansthanaka . [Gleefully ]Oh , oh ! To visit me, an arisht o c rat , a

man, a regu lar Vasudeva ?

Sansthanaka. This is anunheard-o fpiece of lu ck . That other timeI made her angry, sho now I

’

ll fall at her feet and beg her pardon.

Cour tier . Capital !

Sansthanaka. I ’

ll fall at her feetmyshelf. [H e approachesVasanta

send ]Little mother, mamm a dear, lisht ento my prayer.

I fold my hands and fall before thy feetThine eyes are large, thy teeth are cleanand neat,Thy finger-nails are t en— forgive thy shlaveWhat, love- tormented , be offended, shweet . 18

Vasantasena. [Angrily.]Leave me !Your words are aninsu lt ![fi e

spurns him. with her foot ]Sansthanaka. [Wru thfu lly ]

Thish head that mother and that mamma kissed,That never bent to worship god , I wist,Uponthish head she dared to plant her feet,Like jackals onthe carrionthey meet.

Sthavaraka, yo u shlave , where did yo u pick her up?

Sthavaraka . Master, the highwaywasblocked by villagers’wagons.

So I stopped my c artnear Charudat ta’

sorchard , and got o u t . And

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120 ACT THE E IGHTH 8.

Cou rtier. Certainly. Anything, unless it be a sin.

Sansthanaka. There’

sno t a shm ell ofa shinin it, shir. Not a perfume !

Sansthanaka . M urder Vasantasena.

A tender lady, gem of this o u r cit y,A courtezanwhose love was stainless everIf I shou ld kill her, sinless, withou t pity,What boat wou ld bear me onthe gloomy river ? 28

Sansthanaka . I ’

11give yo u a boat. And beshides, inthish desertedgarden, who

’

11 shee yo u murdering her?

Courtier . The regions t en,

‘ the forest gods, the sky,The wind, the moon, the sunwhose rays are light ,

Virtue, my conscience — these I cannot fly,24

Sansthdnaka . Well then, pu t your cloak over her and murder her.

Co urtier. Yo u fool !Yo u scoundrel !

fi m thdnaka . The o ld hog isafraid of a shin. Nevermind. I’

11per

shuade Sthavaraka, my shlave . Sthavaraka, my little shon, myshlave , I

”11give yo u goldenbracelet s.

Sthavaraka. And I ’

ll wear them .

Sansthanaka. I ’

11have a goldensheat made fo r yo u .

Sthavaraka. And I '

ll sit onit.

Sansthanaka . I ’

11give yo u all my leavings.

Sthavaraka. And I ’

11eat them.

Sansthanaka. I 1]make yo u the chief o fall my shervants.

S thdvaraka. Master, I’

ll be the chief.

Sansthanaka . Yo u only have to attend to what I shay.

S thavaraka. Master, I will do anything, unless it be a sin.

t m m m m mm m mm mm m mm u mm m m m .

P. STRANGLING OF VASANTASENA 121

Sansthanaka. There ’

sno t a shm ell of a shininit .

S thavaraka . Thenspeak, master.

Sansthanaka. M urder Vasant asena.

S thavaraka . Oh ,master, be mercifu l!Unworthy as I am , I broughtthis wort hy lady hither, becau se she mistook this bullock-cart fo r

Sansthanaka. Yo u shlave, ain’t I your mashte r?

S thavaraka. Maste r of my body,no t ofmy character. Be merciful,master, be merciful ! I am afraid .

Sansthanaka . You’

re my shlave . Who are yo u afraid of?

S thavaraka . Of the other world, mast er.

Sansthanaka. Who is t hish “ other world

S thdvaraka . Master, it is a rewarder of righteou sness and sin.

Sansthanaka . What is the reward of right eo ushness?

S thavaraka . To be like my master, with plenty of goldenornaments .

Sansthanaka . What is the reward of shin?

S thavaraka . To be like me, eating another man’s bread. That is

why I will do no sin.

Sansthanaka. Sho yo u won’t murder her ? [H e beats him with all

his might ]S thavaraka . Yo u may beat me, master. Yo u may kill me, mast e r.

I will do no sin.

A lu ckless, lifelong slave am I ,A slave I live, a slave I die ;Bu t fu rther wo e I will no t buy,I will no t , will no t sin.

Vasantasena. Sir, I throw myself u ponyour protection.

Cou rtier . Pardonhim , jackass !Well done, Sthavaraka !

Does this poor, m iserable slaveSeek virtue’s meed beyond the grave ?

122 ACT THE E IGHTH 8.

And is his lord indifferent ?Thenwhy are no t su ch creatures sentTo instant hell, whose sinfu l storeGrows great, who know no t virtu e more ?

And againAh , cruel, cru el is o ur fate,

Since he is slave, and yo u are lord,Since he does no t enjoy you r hoard,Since yo u do no t obey hisword. 27

[Aside ]The old jackal is afraid o f a shin, and thelifelong shlave ” is afraid of the otherworld . Who am I afraid of,I , the king

’s brother-in-law , anarisht o crat , a m an? [Alo ud]Well,shervant , yo u

“ lifelong shlave ,”

yo u cango. Go to your room and

resht and keep o u t of my way.

St lzavaralca. Yes, master. [To Vasant asena]Madam, I have nofu rther power.

Sansthanaka . [Girds up his loins.]Wait a minu te , Vasantasena,

wait a minu te. I want to murder yo u .

Cou rtier . Yo u will kill her before my eyes ? [H e seizeshim by the

Sam thdnalca . [F alls to the ground ]Shir, yo u’

re murdering yourmasht er. [H e loses consciousness, bu t recovers]

I always fed him fat with meat,And gave him bu tter too, to eat ;

Now fo r the friend inneed I searchWhy does he leave me inthe lurch ? 28

[Afier rgle ctio ra]Good! I have anidea. The o ld jackal gave hera hint by shaking his head at her. Sho I ‘

ll shend him away, andthen I ’

ll murder Vasantasena. That ’

s the idea. [Alo ud ] Shir, Iwas bornina noble family as great as a wine-glass. How cou ld I

do that shinI shpo ke abou t? I jusht shaid it to make her love me.

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124 ACT THE E IGHTH

Sansthanaka . I ’

11give yo u gold, I’

ll c all yo u shweet ;

My tu rbaned head adores you r feet.Why no t love me, my clean-toot hed girl ?

Why worship su ch a pauper chu rl ? 31

Vasantasena. H ow canyo u ask ? [She bows her head and recitesthefollowing verses]

0 base and vile ! O wretch !What more ?

Why tempt me now with gold and power?The honey- loving beenadoreThe pure and stainless lotu s flower.

Though poverty may strike a good manlow ,

Pecu liar honor waits uponhis woe ;And

’

t is the glory o fa cou rtezanTo set her love uponanhonest man. 88

And I , who have loved the m ango-tree, I cannot cling t o the

Sanstbanalca . Wench , yo u make that poor little Charudat t a int oa mango- tree, and me yo u call a lo c usht - tree, no t evenanacacia !That ’

s the way yo u abu se me, and evenyet yo u remember Charudat ta.

Vasantasena. Why shou ld I no t remember him who dwells inmyheart ?

Sanstlzanalca . Thish very minute . I’

m go ing to shtrangle“ him

who dwells inyour heart,”and yo u too. Shtand sht ill, yo u poor

merc hant-man’s lover !

Vasantasena. Oh speak , oh speak again these words that do me

honor!

Sansthanalca . Jusht let poor Charudat ta — the shonof a shlave

reshc u e yo u now !

Vasantasena. He would rescu e me, if he saw me.

Sanstbanalca . Is he the king of gods ? the royal ape ?

Shonof a nymph ? o r wears a demon’s shape ?

STRANGLING OF VASANTASENA 125

The kingly deity of Wind and rain?

The o ffshpring of the Pandu -princes’ bane ?

A prophet ? o r a vu lture knownafar ?

A shtatesman? o r a beetle ? o r a shtar ?

Bu t even if he was, he cou ldn’

t t esbene yo u .

As Sita inthe BharataWas killed by good o ld Chanakya,Sho I intend to throttle thee,Asdid Jatayu Draupadi .

[H e raises hisarm to strike hen]Vasantasena. Mother !where are yo u ?Oh , Charudat ta !my heart

’slonging is unfu lfilled , and now I die ! I will scream fo r help. No !It wou ld bring shame onVasantasena, shou ld she scream fo r help.

Heavenbless Charudat t a !

Sansthanaka. Does the wench shpeak that rashc al’

s name even

yet? [H e seizesher by the throa t ]Remember him, wench, remem

ber him !

Vasant asena. Heavenbless Charudat ta !

Thish bashketfu l of shin, t hish wench ,Thish fou l abode of im pudenceShe came to love, she shtayed to blench ,Fo r Death

’s embrace took every sense.Bu t why bo asht I ofvalorou s arms and sht o u t ?

She shimply died becau se her breath gave o u t .Like Sita inthe Bharata , she lies.Ah , mother mine ! how prett ily she dies .

She wou ld no t love me, though I loved the wench ;I shaw the empty garden, set the shnare ,

126 ACT THE E IGHTH

And frightened her, and made the poor girl blench.My brother! Oh, my father !Thish is where

Yo u m isshed the shight of heroism sht o u t ;

You r brother and your shonhere blo sshom ed o u t

Into a man; like Mother D raupadi,

Yo u were no t there, my bravery to shee. 37

Good ! The o ld jackal will be here ina minu te. I ’

ll sht ep ashide

and wait. [H e does so .] [E nter the cou rtier, with Sthavaralra]Cou rtier. I have persu aded the servant St havaraka to come back,and now I will look fo r the jackass. [H e walks abou t and lo oksaround him ]Bu t see !A tree hasfallenby the roadside, and killed

a woman in its fall. 0 cru el ! How couldst thou do this deed ofshame ? And when I see that a womanwas slainby thy fatal fall ,I too am felled to the earth . Tru ly, my heart

’s fear fo r Vasantasenswasanevil omen. Oh, heavengrant that all m ay yet be well !

[H e approachesSansthanalea ]Jackass, I have persuaded your se rvant Sthavaraka to retu rn.

Sansthanalra . How do yo u do , shir? Sthavaraka, my li t tle shon,

my shlave , how do yo u do ?

S thavaraka . Well, thank yo u .

Cou rtier. Give me my pledge .

Sansthanalca . What pledge?

Cou rtier. Vasantasena.

Sansthanaha . She ’

s gone.

Sansthanah‘a. R ight after yo u .

Courtier . [Doubtfidly ]No, she did no t go in direction.

Sansthanaka . Inwhat directiondid yo u go ?

Cou rtier. Toward the east.

Sansthanaka . Well , she went sho u th.

‘

Cour tier. So did I .‘Thc regid M gM o fdeath .

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128 ACT THE E IGHTH

Co urtier . Yo u are anaccursed scoundrel !

Sansth. I'

11give yo u countless wealth, a piece o fgold,A copper, and a c ap, to have and hold .

And sho the fame of thish great deed shall beA commonproperty, and shan

’t touch me. 40

Cour tier. A curse uponyo u !Yours, and yours only, be the deed.

Sthavaraha . Heaven avert the omen! [Sansthanaha bu rsts ou t

laughing-1

Cou rtier . Be enmity betweenus! Cease your mirth !Damned be a friendship that so shames my worth !Never m ay I set eyes onone so low !I fling yo u off, anunstrung, brokenhow. 4 1

Sansthanalra. Don’t be angry. Come, let’

sgo and play inthe pond.

Courtier . Unstained’

rny life, and yet it seems to meYou r friendship stains, and mocks my sinlessness .

Yo u woman-murderer! How cou ld I beA friend to one whom womenever seeWith eyes half-closed inapprehension’s stress ?

Whenthou , sweet maid, art bornagain,Be no t a courtezanreborn,

Bu t ina house which sinless m en,

48

Sansthanalca . Firsht yo u mu rder Vasantasena inmy old garden

Pushpakaranda, and now where will yo u run to ? Come, defend

yo u rshelf in court before my shisht er’

s hu sband ! [H e holds him

Cou rtier. Enough , yo u accursed scoundrel ! [H e draws his sword]Sansthanalca . [Recalling in terror .]Sheared , are yo u ? Go along,then.

Cou rtier . [Aside ]It would be folly to remainhere. Well, I willgo andjoinmyself to Sharvilaka, Chandanaka, and the rest. [Exit

P. STRANGLING OF VASANTASENA 129

Sansthanalra . G o to hell . Well, my little shonSt havaraka, whatkind of a thing is t hish that I ’

ve done ?

S thavaraha . Master, yo u have committed a terrible crime.

Sansthanaka . Shlave !What do yo u meanby talking abou t a crime ?

Well, I’

11do it thish way. [H e takes various ornamentsfrom his

person]Take these gems . I give’em to yo u . Whenever I want to

wear them , I’

ll take them back again, bu t the resht o f the timethey are yours.

S thavaraha . They shou ld be wornonly by my master. What haveI to do with su ch things ?

Sansthanah'a. Go along !Take these bu llocks, andwait inthe towerof my palace until I come.

Sthdvaraka . Yes, master. [Exit

Sansthanaka . The gentleman has made himshelf invisible. He

wanted to save himshelf. And the shlave I ’

ll pu t inirons inthe palac e tower, and keep him there. And sho the shec ret will be shafe.I ’

ll go along, bu t firsht I’

ll take a look at her. Is she dead , o r shallI mu rder her again? [H e looks at Vasantasend] Dead as a doornail ! Good ! I ’

11 cover her with t hish cloak . No, it has my nameonit. Shome honesht manmight recognize it. Well, here are shomedry leaves that the wind has blown into a heap. I ’ll cover herwith them . [H e does so , thenpauses t o reflec t ]Good ! I

’

ll do itt hish way. I ’

ll go to cou rt at once, and there I’

ll lodge a complaint.I

’

ll shay that the merchant Charudat t a enticed Vasantasena intomy o ld gardenPushpakaranda, and killed her fo r her money.

Yesh, Charudat t a mu sht be shlaught ered now ,

And I’

ll invent the plan, forgetting pity ;The shac rificing o fa sinless c owIs cruel inthe kindesht -hearted city. 4 4

Now I ’

m ready to go . [H e starts to go away, bu t perceives something thatfrightens him ]Go odnessh grac io ush me !Wherever Igo, thish damned monk comes with his yellow robes . I bored a hole

130 ACT THE E IGHTH s.

inhisnose once and drove him aro und, and he hates me. Perhapshe ’

ll shee me, andwill tell people that I mu rdered her. How shallI eshcape ? [H e looks abo u t ]Aha ! I

’

11jump over the wall whereit is half fallendown, and eshcape that way.

I run, I run, I go,Inheaven, onearth below,

Inhell, and inCeylon,Hani

‘

unat’

s peaks uponLike Indra’s self, I go. [E xit ] 4 5

[Enter hu rriedly the B uddhist monk, ex-shampooer .]M onk. I ’

ve washed these rags of mine. Shall I let them dry ona

branch ?no , the monkeys wou ld steal them. On the ground ? thedu st wou ld make them dirty again. Well then, where shall I Spreadthem o u t to dry

? [H e looksabou t ]Ah , here is a pile of dry leaveswhich the Wind has blown into a heap . I ’ll spread them o u t on

that. [H e do es ao .]Buddha be praised ! [H e sitsdown]Now I willrepeat a hymnof the faith .

Who slays the Five M en, and the Female Bane ,By whom protectionto the Town is given,By whom the Ou tcaste imwt ent 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 Vasantasena, my sister inBuddha ? She bought my freedom fo r t engold-pieces from the gamblers, and since that day I

regard myself as her property. [H e looks abou t ]What was that ?

a sigh that arose from the leaves ? It cannot be .

The heated breezes heat the leaves,The wet ted garment wets the leaves,And so, I gu ess, the scattered leavesCu rl up like any other leaves . 46

[Vasantasena begins to recover conscio usness, and stretches ou t her

hand ]

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ACT THE NINTH

THE TRIAL

[Ent er a beadle.]

HE magistrates said to me “ Com e, beadle, go to the courtroom, and make ready the seats.

” So now I am onmy wayto set the cou rt-room inorder. [H e walks abou t and looksaroundhim .]Here is the court-room . I will enter. [H e enters, sweeps, and

puts a seat in itspla c e ]There ! I have tidied up the cou rt-roomand pu t the seats inreadiness, and now I will go and tell the m a

gistrates. [H e walks abo u t and looks around him .]Bu t see ! Herecomes that arrant knave, the king

’s brother-in-law . I will go awaywithou t attracting his attention. [H e stands apart. Enter San

Sansth. I bathed where water runs and flows and pu rlsI shat withina garden, park , and groveWith women, and with females, and with girls,Whose lovely limbs with grace angelic move.

My hair is shom et im es done up t ight, yo u sheeInlocks, o r cu rls, it hangs my forehead o

’

er ;

Shom et imes’

t is matt ed , shom et im es hanging freeAnd thenagain, I wear a pompadour.

I am a wonder, I’

m a wondrou s thing,And the hu sband of my shisht er is the king. 2

And beshides, I’

ve found a big hole, like a worm that hascrawledinto the knot ofa lo tush-root, and is looking fo r a hole t o creep

o u t at . Now who was I going to accu se of t hish wicked deed ? [H e

recallssomething ]Oh, yeah ! I remember. I was going to accu sepoor Charudat ta ofthish wicked deed . Beshides, he

’

spoor. They 11believe anything abou t him . Good ! I ’

ll go to the cou rt-room and

lodge a pu blic complaint against Cham dat ta, how he sht rangled

P. THE TR IAL 133

Vasantasena and murdered her. Sho now I ’

m . onmy way to thecou rt-room . [H e walks abou t and looks aro und him.]Here is the

court-room. I ’

11go in. [H e ent ersand looks abou t ]Well herethe sheat s, all arranged. While I ’

m waiting fo r the magisht rat es,I ’

ll jusht sit downa minu te onthe grass. [H e doesso .]

B eadle . [Walks abo ut inanother direc tion, and looks before him.]Here come the magistrates . I will go to them. [H e do es ao .]

[Ent er thejudge, accompaniedby agild-warden,a clerk, and others]Judge. Gild-wardenand clerk !

Gild-wardenand Clerk. We await your bidding.

Judge. A trial depends to su ch anextent uponothers that the tasko f the magistrates — the reading o f another’s thoughts — is mostdifficu lt

M enoft enspeak o fdeeds that no mansaw,

Matters beyond the province o fthe law ;Passionso ru les the parties that their liesH ide their offenses from ju dicial 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 , o r praised by none.

And againM enoft enpoint to sins t hat no mansaw ,

And intheir anger scornthe patient law ;Incourt-rooms eventhe righteou s with their liesHide their ofl

'

enses from ju dicial 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 tru e judge little praised , o r praised by none.Fo r the judge mu st be

Learned , and skilled intracing fraud’s sly path,

And eloquent, insensible to wrath ;

134 ACT THE NINTH

To friend, fo e , kinsmanshowing equal grace,Reserving judgment till he know the case ;Untou ched by avarice, invirtu e sound,The weak he mu st defend, t he knave confound ;Anopendoor to tru th, his heart mu st clingTo others’ interests, yet shuneach thingThat might awake the anger of the king. 5

Gild-warden and Clerk. And do m en speak of defects inyou rvirtu e ? If so, thenthey speak ofdarkness inthe moonlight.

Judge. My good beadle, condu ct me to the c ou rt-room.

B eadle . Follow me, Your Honor. [They walk abou t ]Here is thecourt-room . May the magistrates be pleased to enter. [All ent er .]Judge. My go od beadle, do yo u go ou tside and learnwho desires

to present a case .

B eadle. Yes, sir. [H e go es ou t ]Gentlemen, the magistrates ask ifthere is any here who desires to present a case .

Sansthanaka . [G led'

u llu]The magishtrates are here. [H e strutsabou t ]I desire to present a cashe, I, anarisht o c rat , a m an, a Va.

sudeva, the royal brother-in-law, the brother- in-law o fthe king.

B eadle . [I nalarm ]Goodness !The king’s brother-in-law is the first

who desires to present a case. Well !Wait a moment, sir. I will in

t lem en, here is the king’s brother-ia -law who has come to cou rt,

desiring to present a case.

Judge. What ! the king’

s brother-ih -law is the first who desires topresent a case ? Like aneclipse at sunrise, this betokens the ru in

of some great man. Beadle, the cou rt will dou btless be very bu sytod ay. Go forth, my good man, and say

“ Leave us fo r tod ay.

Your su it cannot be considered.

”

B eadle . Yes, You r Honor. [H e go es o u t , and approaches San

sthanaka] Sir, the magistrates send word that yo u are to leavethem fo r to-day ; that your su it cannot be considered .

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136 ACT THE NINTH 8 .

And I am brother to the king — inlaw ;

And the hu sband of my shishte r is the king.

Judge. All this we know.

Why shou ld yo u boast of this you r noble birth ?’

T is character that makes the m ano fworth ;Bu t thorns and weeds gro w rank infertile earth .

State your case.

Sansthanaka . I will, bu t even if I was gu ilty, he wou ldn’

t do

anything to me. Well , my shisht er’

s hu sband liked me, and gaveme the besht gardenthere is, the old gardenPushpakaranda, toplay inand look after. And there I go every day to look at it, tokeep it dry, to keep it clean, to keep it blosshom ing, to keep ittrimmed . Bu t fate decreed that I shaw — o r rather, I didn

’t shee— the proshtrat e body of a woman.

Judge. D o yo u know who the unfortunate womanwas?

Sansthanaka . Hello, magishtrates! Why shou ldn’t I know ? A

woman like that ! the pearl o f the city ! adorned with a hundredgo ldenornaments ! Shom ebo dy

’

s unworthy shon enticed her intothe old garden Pushpakaranda when it was empty , and fo r a

mere t rifle — fo r her m oney l— shtrangled Vasantasena and killed

her. Bu t I didn’

t — [H e breaks of; and pu ts his hand over his

mou th ]Judge. What carelessness on the part of the city police ! Gildwardenand clerk, write down the words “ I didn’

t ,”as the first

art icle inthe case .

Ckrk. Yes, sir. [H e do esso.]Sir, it is writ ten.

Sansthanaka. [Aside ]G o odnessh ! Now I’

ve ru ined myshelf, likea m an that shwallows a cake of rice and milk ina hurry. Well,I ’

11get o u t of it thish way. [Alo ud]Well, well , magisht rates! Iwasjusht remarking that I didn’

t shee it happen. What are yo u

making thiab hu llabaloo abou t? [H e wipes ou t the writtenwo rdswith hisfoot ]

P. m a] THE TR IAL 137

Judge. How do yo u know t hat she was strangled — and fo r her

money

Sansthanaka. Hello !Why shou ld n’

t I think sho, whenher neck

was shwo llen and bare, and the places where yo u wear jewelsdidn’

t have any gold onthem ?

Sansthanaka. [Aside ]Thank heaven! I breathe again. Hooray !

Gild-warden and Clerk. Uponwhom does the condu ct of thiscase depend?

Judge. The case has a twofold aspect.

Gild-wardenand Clerk. How so ?

Judge. We have to consider the allegations , thenthe facts. Now

the investigationof the allegations depends u ponplaintiffand defendant. Bu t the investigationof the facts mu st be carried o u t bythe wisdom of the judge.

G ild-wardenand Clerk. Then the conduct of the caseuponthe presence ofVasantasena

’

smother?

Judge. Precisely. Mygood beadle, summonVasantasena’

smother,without, however, giving her cau se fo r anxiety.

B eadle. Yes, Your Honor. [H e goes ou t , and retu rns with themother of the cou rtezan]Follow me, madam.

M other. My daughter went to the house of a friend to enjoy heryou th . Bu t now comes this gentleman long life to him !— and

says “ Come ! The judge summons yo u . I find myself quite bewildered. My heart is palpitating. Sir, will yo u condu ct me to thecourt-room ?

B eadle . Follow me, madam. [They walk abou t ]Here isthe cou rtroom. Pray enter , madam . [They eaten]M other . [Am a t ching ]Happiness be yours, most worthy gentlem en.

Judge . My good woman, yo u are very welcome. Pray be seated.

138 ACT THE NINTH

M other . Thank yo u . [She seats herselt ]Sansthanaka . [Abusively.]Yo u

’

re here, are you , yo u o ld bawd?

Judge. Tell me. Are yo u Vasantasena’

smother?

Judge. Whither hasVasantasena gone at this moment?

M other. To the hou se of a friend .

Judge. What is the name of her friend?

M other. [Aside ] D ear me ! Really, this is very embarrassing.

[Alo ud ]Any one else m ight ask me this, bu t no t a ju dge .

Judge. Pray do no t be embarrassed The condu ct of the case pu tsthe question.

Gild-wardenand Clerk. The conduct of the case pu ts the qu estion. Yo u incur no fau lt. Speak .

M other. What ! the condu ct of the case ? If that is so, t hen lis

t en, worthy gentlemen. There lives inthe merchant s’ quarter thegrandson of the merchant Vinayadat ta , the son of Sagaradat t a,a m anwhose name is a good omen in itself— that name is Charudat ta . Inhis hou se my daughter enjoys her you th.

Sansthanaka . Did yo u hear that ? Write t hose words down. Mycontentionis with Charudat ta.

Gild-warden and Clerk. It is no sin fo r Charudat ta to be herfriend.

Judge. The condu ct of this case demands the presence ofChamdatta.

Gild-warden and Clerk. Exactly.

Judge. Dhanadat ta , write as the first article inthe case “ Vasanta

senawent to the hou se ofCharudat ta.

”Bu t mu st we summonthe

worthy Charudat ta also ? No, the condu ct of the case summonshim . Go,my good beadle, summonCharudat t e — bu t gently,wit ho u t haste, without giving him cau se fo r anxiety, respect fu lly, as itwere incidentally, — with the words “ The judge wishes t o see yo u .

”

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140 ACT THE NINTH

His long tongu e qu ivers ; fou r white fangs appearHis belly swells and coils . He slumbered here,This prince o fserpents, till I crossed his path ,And now he darts u ponme inhis wrath .

And more thanthisI 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 cru el death, and hope is fled .

Surely, the gods will grant that all may yet be well.

B eadle . Follow me, sir. Here is the court-room. Pray enter.

Charada t ta. [Enters and looks abou t ]How wonderfu lly splendidis the court-room . Fo r it seems anocean,

Whose waters are the king’s advisers, deepInthought ; aswaves and shells it seems to keepThe attorneys ; and as sharks and crocodilesIt has its spies that stand inwait ing files ;Its elephants and horses ‘representThe cru el ocean-fish onmurder bentAs if with herons o fthe sea , it shinesWith screaming pet tifoggers’ numerou s lines ;While inthe gu ise of serpents, scribes are creepingUponits stat ec rafi-troddenshore : the courtThe likeness of anoceanstill is keeping,To which all harmfu l-cru el beast s resort . 14

Come ! [Ashe enters, he strikes his head against the door . Reflectively.]Alas ! This also ?

My left eye throbs ; a ravencries ;A serpent coils athwart my path.

My safety now with heavenlies.

B ut I must enter. [H e does so .]1 Elephantswere employedn exe cnt ioners ; M ac c ording to w idikahltg the ho rm m ed

the same purposc .

P. m m] THE TR IAL 14 1

Judge. This is Charudat ta .

A countenance like his, with clear-c u t nose,Whose great, wide-opened eye frank candor shows,Is no t the home o fwantonness ;With elephants, with horses, and with kine,The outer form is inner habit’s sign;With m enno less . 16

Charu da t ta . My greetings to the officers of just ice. Officials, I salu te yo u .

Judge. [B etraying his agitation]Yo u are very welcome, sir. My

good beadle, give the gentlemana seat.

B eadle [B ringsa seat ]Here is a seat. Pray be seated , sir. [Choru

Sansthanaka . [AngrilyJYou’

re here, are yo u , yo u woman-m ur

derer?Well ! Thiab is a fine trial, thish is a jusht trial, where theygive a sheat to thish woman-murderer. [H aught ily ]Bu t it

’s allright. They cangive it to him .

Judge. Charudat t a, have yo u any attachment, o r affection, or

friendship, with this lady’s daughter?

Charudat ta. What lady ?Judge. This lady. [H e indicatesVasantasena’

smo ther.]Charuda t ta . [Rising ]Madam, I salu te yo u .

M other . Long life to yo u , my son! [Aside ]So this is Charudat ta .

My daughter’s you th is ingood hands.

Judge. Sir, is the cou rtezanyour friend ? [Charada tta betrayshisembarr assment ]Sansthanaka . He tries to hide the deed he did ;

H e lies, from shame o r fear;He murdered her, o f her got ridFo r gold, and thinks the deed is hidNo t sho his mashter here.

142 ACT THE NINTH

Gild-wardenand Clerk. Speak, Charudat ta . D o no t be ashamed.

This is a lawsu it.

Charudat ta . [ I nembarrassment ]Officials, how c an I testify thata courtezanismy friend? Bu t at worst, it is you th that bears theblame, no t character.

The case is hard ; thenbanish shame,Though it oppress your heart ;

Speak tru th with fortitude, and aim

To set deceit apart . 18

D o no t be embarrassed . The condu ct o fthe case pu ts the question.

Charuda t ta . Officer, with whom have I a lawsu it ?

Sansthanaka . [Arrogantly.]With me !

Charudat ta. A lawsu it with yo u is unendurable !

Sansthanaka . Well , well, woman-mu rderer !Yo u murder a womanlike Vasantasenawho u sed to wear a hundred gems, and now yo u

t ry deceitfu l deceivings to hide it !

Judge. Enough of him , good Cham dat t a. Speak the tru th . Is thecou rtezanyou r friend ?

Chdruda t ta . She is.

Judge . Sir, where isVasantasena?

Charudat ta . She has gone home.

Gild-wardenand Clerk. How did she go ?Whendid she go ?Whoaccompanied her ?

Charudat ta. [Aside ]Shall I say that she went uno bmrved?

G ild-wardenand Clerk. Speak, sir.

Charuda tta . She went home. What more shall I say?

Sansthanaka . She wasenticed into my old gardenPushpakaranda,

and was shtrangled fo r her money. Now will yo u shay that she

went home?

Charuda t ta . Man, yo u are crazy.

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144 ACT THE NINTH

with him as a pledge was st olenby thieves at night, he gave inplace of it a pearl necklace that was the pride of the four seas.And he shou ld now , fo r a mere t rifle — fo r her m oney l

— do thissin? Oh , my child , come back to me, my daughter ! [Size weeps]Judge. No ble Charudat ta, did she go on foot , o r in a bu llock

Clzam da t ta . I did no t see her whenshe went. Therefore I do no tknow whether she went onfoot, o r ina bu llock-cart.

[Enter Viraka, inanger ]My anger was so prodded to the quickBy that dishonoring, insu lting kick,And so I brooded , till at last the nightUnwilling yielded to the dawning light. 28

So now I will go to the court -room. [H e enters]May happinessbe the lo t of these honorable gentlemen.

Judge. Ah , it is Viraka, the captain of the guard. Viraka, whatis the purpose of your coming ?

Vim /ca . Well ! I was looking fo r Aryaka, inall the excitementabou t his escape from prison. I had my su spicions abou t a coveredbu llock-c art that was coming, and wanted to look in.

“ You ’vemade one inspection, m an, I must make another,

” said I , and thenI was kicked by the highly respectable Chandanaka. Yo u haveheard the matter, gentlemen. The rest is you r affair.

Judge. My good m an, do yo u know to whom the bu llock-cart

Vt ruka . To this gentlemanhere, Cham dat ta. And the driver saidthat Vasantasena was in it, and was onher way to have a goodtime inthe old gardenPushpakaranda.

Sanstkanalca . Lisht ento that, too !

Judge This moon, alas, though spotless-bright,Is now eclipsed , and robbed o f light ;

P. w e) THE TR IAL 14-5

The bank is fallen; the waves appearBefou led , that once were bright and clear. 24

Viraka, we will investigate you r case here later. Mount the horsethat stands before the court-room door, go to the gardenPu sh

pakaranda, and see whether a womanhas perished there o r no t .

Viraka . Yes, sir. [H e goes o u t , thenretu rns]I have been there.

And I saw the body of a woman, tornby wild beasts.

Gilli-wardenand Clerk. How do yo u know that it was the body

ofa woman?

VIraka . That I perceived from the traces of hair and arms andhands and feet.

Judge. Alas fo r the difficu lties which are cau sed by theof m en!

The more one may apply his skill,The harder is the matter still ;Plainare indeed the law’s demands,Yet judgment insecurely standsAs some poor cow onshift ing sands.

As bees, whenflowers beginto blow,

Gather to sip the honey, soWhenman is marked by adverse fate,M isfortunes enter every gate .

Judge. Noble Charudat ta, speak tru th !

Charudat ta . A meanand jealou s creature, passion-blind,Sets all his sou l, some fatal means to findTo slay the manhe envies ; shall his liesBy evil natu re prompt ed , winthe prize ?No ! he is unregarded by the wise.

And more thanthisThe creeper’s beau ty wou ld I never blight ,No r plu ck its flowers ; shou ld I no t be afraid

146 ACT THE NINTH (w uss.

To seize her hair so lovely- long, and brightAswings of bees, and slay a weeping maid ? 28

Sanstbanaka . Hello, magishtrat es!How canyo u invesht igat e thecashe with su ch partiality ?Why, evennow yo u let thish shec undrel Charudat ta abtay onhis sheat.

Judge My go od beadle , so be it [The beadle follows Sanstha

Charudat ta. Consider, magistrates, consider what yo u are doing !

[H e leaves his seat , and sits onMeflomz]Sansthanaka . [D anc ing abou t gleefu lly. Aside ] Fine ! The shinthat I did falls onanother man’s head. Sho I ’

ll sit where Chamdatta was. [H e do es so .]Look at me, Charudat ta, and

that yo u murdered her.

Char udat ta. Magistrates !

A meanand jealous creatu re, passion-blind,Sets all his sou l, some fatal means to findTo slay the m anhe envies ; shall his lies,By evil nature prompt ed, winthe prize ?

No ! he is unregarded by the wise.

My friend Maitreya ! Oh , this cru el blow !My wife, thou issu e of a spotless strain!

My R o hasena !Here am I , laid low

By sternest fate ; and thou , thou dost no t knowThat all thy childish games are played invain.

Thou playest , heedless o fanother’s pain! 29

Bu t Maitreya I sent toVasantasena, that he might bring me tidings of her, andmight restore the jewels which she gave my child,to buy him a toy cart. Why thendoes he linger?

M ait reya . Charudat t a bade me go to Vasantasena, t o retu rn her

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148 ACT THE NINTH s.

M aitreya [Aside to Charuda t ta]Why don't yo u simply say that

she went home ?

Charuda t ta. Though I say it, it is not believed, so unfortunate ismy condition.

M aitreya . Bu t gentlemen! He adorned the city of Ujjayini wit hmansions, cloisters, parks, temples, pools, and fountains, and heshould be mad enough to commit such a crime — and fo r a meretrifle ? [Wrathfidly.]Yo u offspring of a loose wench , yo u brotherih -law of the king, Sanst hanaka , yo u libertine, yo u slanderer, yo ubuffoon, yo u gilded monkey, say it before me !This friend o fminedoesn’

t evendraw a flowering jasmine creeper to himself, to gather the blossoms, fo r fear that a twig might perhaps be injured.

How shou ld he commit a crime like this, which heavenand earthcall accu rsed ?Ju st wait, yo u sono fa bawd !Wait till I split you rhead into a hundred pieces with this stafl

'

o f mine, as crooked as

Sansthanaka . [Aug-lily] Lisht en to that, gentlemen! I have a

quarrel, o r a lawshu it , with Charudatta . What right has a m an

with a pate that looks like a caret, to shplit my head into a hun

Look, gentlemen, look !These are the poor girl’s jewels ! [Pointing

to Cham da t ta ]Fo r a trifle like t hiab he murdered her, and killed

her too. [The magistrates aHbow their heads]

’

T is thus my fate wou ld vent its gall,That at this moment they shou ld fall,These gems — and with them , I .

M aitreya . Bu t why don’t yo u simply tell the tru th ?

P. THE TR IAL 149

Charuda t ta . My friend ,The king perceives with blinded eye,No r onthe tru th that eye will bend ;Though telling all, I cannot flyA wretched and ingloriou s end.

With Mars stri ves Jupiter, and dies ;Beside them both there seems to riseA comet-planet 1 inthe skies .

mother] Madam, pray examine this goldencasket attentively, tosee whether it be the same o r no t .

M other. [E ramining the casket.]It is similar, b u t no t the same.

Sansthanaka . Oh, yo u o ld bawd !Yo u c onfessh it with your eyes,and deny it with you r lips.

M other. Away, yo u scoundrel !

Gi ld wardenand Clerk. Speak carefu lly. Is it the same o r no t ?

M other. Sir, the craftsm an’s skill captivates the eye. Bu t it is no t

the same.

Judge. My good woman, do yo u know thwe jewels ?

M other . No, I said. No ! I don’t recognize them ; bu t perhaps theywere made by the same craftsman.

Gems oftenseem alike inmany ways,Whenthe artist’s mind onform and beau ty plays ;Fo r craft smenimitate what they have seen,And skilfu l hands remake what once has been. 34

Gild-wardenand Clerk. D o these jewels belong to Charudat ta ?

Gild-wardeu and Cle rk. To whom then?

1 This refers to the fallenjewe ls.

150 ACT THE NINTH

Charuda t ta . To this lady’

s daughter.

Gild-wardenand Clerk. How did she lose them ?

Charuda t ta. She lost them . Yes, so mu ch is tru e.

G illi-wardenand Clerk. Charudat ta, Speak the tru th inthis m at

ter. Fo r yo u mu st remember,Tru th brings well-being inits tramThrough speaking tru th , no evils rise ;Tru th , preciou s syllable l— RefrainFrom hiding tru th m lies. 85

Charuda t ta . The jewels, the jewels ! I do no t know. Bu t I do knowthat they were takenfrom my house.

Sansthanaka. F irsht yo u t ake her into the gardenand murder

her. And now yo u hide it by tricky t rickinessh.

Judge. Noble Charudat ta , speak the tru th !

Merciless lashes wait to smiteThis moment onthy tender flesh

And we — we canbu t think it right.

Charudat ta . Of sinless sires I boast my birth ,And sininme wasnever found ;Yet if suspiciontaints my worth ,What boots it though my heart be sound ? 87

[Aside ]And yet I know no t what to do with life, so I be robbed

ofVasant asena. [Alo ud]Ah, why waste words ?

A scoundrel I , who bear the blame,No r think ofearth , no r heavenblest ;That sweet est maid, inpassion

’sflam e

Bu t he will say the rest.

Sausthanaka. Killed her ! Come, yo u shay it too.

“ I killed her.

Chanrda t ta. Yo u have said it .

Sansthanaka. Lisht en,mymasht ers, lishten!He murdered her !Noone bu t him !Doubt is over. Let punishment be inflicted onthebody of thish poor Charudat ta.

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152 ACT THE NINTH

They who pervert the king’s tru e bent,The white crow

’

s part who play,Have slaintheir thou sands innocent,And slay, and slay, and slay. 41

My friend Maitreya, go, greet the mother of my soninmy namefo r the last time. And keep my sonRo hasena free from harm.

M aitreya . Whenthe root is c u t away, how canthe tree be saved ?

Charuda t ta. No , no t so.

Whenm andeparts to worlds above,Inliving sonyet livet h he ;

Bestow onRo hasena loveNo less thanthat thou gavest me.

M aitreya . Oh, my friend ! I will prove myself you r friend byt inu ing the life that yo u leave unfinished .

Cham dat ta. And let me see Ro hasena fo r a single moment .

M aitreya . I will . It is bu t fitting.

Judge. My good beadle, remove this m an. [The beadle do es so .]Who is there ?Let the headsmenreceive their orders. [The guards»menlo ose their ho ld onCharuda t ta , and alq them go o u t .]B eadle. Come with me, sir.

My friend Maitreya !” Then, as ifspeaking to one no t present ]If yo u had proved my condu ct by the fire ,By wat er, poison, scales, and thu s had knownThat I deserved that saws shou ld bite my bone,

My Brahman’

s frame, more could I no t desire.Yo u trust a foeman, slay me thu s ?

’

T is well .With sons, and sons

’ sons, now yo u plunge to hell ! 48

I come ! I come ! [E reunt omnes

ACT THE TENTH

Inju st a second yo u'

ll be slain.

We understand the fashions newTo fetter yo u and kill yo u too.

Inchopping heads we never fail,No r whenthe victim we impale.

Ou t of the way, gentlemen, o u t of the way! This is the

Charudat ta.

The oleander onhis brow,

Inheadsm en’

s hands yo u see him now ;Like a M p whose o il runs nearly dry,H is light fades gently, ere it die .

Charuda t ta . [Gloomily ]My body we t by teard rops falling, falling ;My limbs pollu ted by the clinging m ud

Flowers from the graveyard t orn, my wreath appallingF o r ghastly sacrifice hoarse ravens calling,And fo r the flagrant incense o fmy blood.

H eads-men. Ou t of the way, gentlemen, o u t of the way!

Why gaze u ponthe good m anso ?The ax of death soonlays him low.

Yet good m enonce sought shelter free,Like birds, uponthis kindly tree.

Come, Charudat t a, come !

Charudat ta . Incalcu lable are the ways of human destiny,am come to su ch a plight !

Red marks ofs insandal paste

O’

er all my body have beenplaced ;

154 ACT THE TENTH

The m an, with meal and powder strewn,Is now to beast ofoffering grown. 5

[H e gazes int ent ly before him .]Alas fo r human differences !

[M ournfu lly]Fo r whenthey see the fate that I mu st brave,With tears fo r death

’

s poor vict im freely given,The citizens cry shame,

” yet cannot save,Canonly pray that I atta int o heaven.

H eadsmen. Ou t of the way, gentlemen, o u t of the way!Whyyo u gaze uponhim ?

God Indra moving through t he sky,‘

The calving c ow, the falling star,The good m anwhenhe needs must die ,These four behold no t from afar.

Goha . Look, Ahinta ! Look, m an!

While he, ofcitizens the best,Goes t o his death at fat e’s behest,Does heaventhu s weep that he mu st die ?

Does lightning paint the cloudless sky ?

Ahint a . Goha, m an,

The heavenweeps no t that he mu st die,No r lightning paints the cloudless sky ;Yet streams are falling constantlyFrom many a woman’s clouded eye.

And againWhile this poor victim to his death is led ,No m anno r womanhere bu t sorely weeps

And so the du st, by countless tear drops fed,Thu s peacefu lly uponthe highway sleeps.

These women, intheir palaces who stay,From half-shu t windows peering, thu s lament,

1 That la, the lightning.

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156 ACT THE TENTH

Whom fortune favors, findThat all the world is kind ;Whose happy days are ended,Are rarely thu s befriended.

They st and afar, whom once I counted friendsEvenfoes have smiles fo r m enwith Fortune hiding ;Bu t friends prove faithless whengood fortune ends.

H eadm en. They are o u t of the way. The street is cleared.

onthe condemned criminal.

My friend M aitreya ! Oh , this cruel blow !My wife, thou issu e of a spotless strain!

My Ro hasena ! Here am I , laid lowBy sternest fate ; and thou , thou dost no t knowThat all thy childish games are played invain.

Thou playest , heedless of another’s pain! (ix. 29 )

Voices behind the scenes My father ! Oh, my friend !

caste. I would beg a favor at your hands.

H eadsmen. From ou r hands yo u wou ld receive a favor ?

Chdruda t ta . Heavenforbid !Yet a headsmanisneither so wanton

no r so cru el as King Palaka. That I m ay be happy inthe other

world, I ask to see the face of my son.

H eadsmen. So be it.

A voice behind the scenes. My father! oh, my father ! [Charuda t ta

hea rs the words, and mou rnfully repeats his request ]H eads-men. C itizens, make way a moment. Let the noble Cham

datt a look upon the face of his son. [Tu rning to the back of the

stage ]This way, sir ! Come on, little boy !

P. THE END 157

[Enter M ait reya , with Rohasena ]

Maitreya . Make haste , my boy, make haste !You r father is being

led to his death.

Rohasena . My father ! oh , my father !

M aitreya. Oh, my friend !Where mu st I behold yo u now ?

Charuda t ta. [P erceiveshas sonand hisfriend ]Alas, my son!Alas,M aitreya ! [M o urnfully ]Ah , wo e is me !

Through all my sojou rndread ;This vessel ‘ small will no t containThe water fo r the dead . 17

What may I give my son? [H e looks at hunsef andperceives the

sw ificial cord]Ah , this at least 13 mine.

The preciou s cord that Brahmans holdIs unadorned with pearls and gold ;Yet, girt therewith , they sacrificeTo gods above and fathers3 o ld.

[H e gives Rohasena the cord]Goha . Come, Charudat ta ! Come, m an!

Ahtnta . Man, do yo u name the noble Charudat ta’

sname,get the tit le ?Remember:

Inhappy hours, indeath, by night, by day,Roving as free as a yet unbrokencolt,Fate wanders onher unrestricted way.

And again:Life will depart his body soon;Shall o u r reproaches how his head ?

Although eclipse may seize the moon,We worship while it seems bu t dead.

Rohasena . Oh, headsmen, where are yo u leading my father ?

l Ro hu eo a h himadf c onc dved u the m eph d e of the water whic h a sonmust po ur u a

drink‘ ofiering to hia dead father.’ The Manes o r-spirits of the b leased dead.

158 ACT THE TENTH

Abou t my neck I needs must wear

The oleander-wreath ;Uponmy shou lder I mu st hearThe stake, and inmy heart the careOf near-approaching death .

I go tod ay to meet a dastard ’s ending,A victim, at the fatal altar bending.

Goha .

No t we t he headsmenare ,

Though borno fheadsmanrace ;Thy father’s life who mar,These, these are headsmenbase.

Rohasena . Thenwhy do yo u murder my fat her?

Goha . Bless yo u ,

’

t is the king’s orders mu st bear the blame,

Rohasena . Kill me, and let father go free.

G oha . Bless yo u , may yo u live long fo r saying that !

Charadat ta . [Tearfu lly embracing his son.]This treasu re — love — this taste of heaven,To rich and poor alike is given;

To soothe the heart and give it cairn.

Abou t my neck I needs mu st wearThe oleander-wreath,

Uponmy shou lder I mu st hearThe st ake, and inmy heart the

I go t o-day t o meet a dast ard’

s ending,

A victim , at the fatal altar bending.

Their faces with t heir garments’ hem now hiding,They stand afar, whom once I counted friends

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160 ACT THE TENTH

carried Vasant asena to the old garden Pushpakaranda, becau seshe mistook my bu llock- cart fo r another. And thenmy master,Sanst hanaka, found that she wou ld no t love him , and it was he,no t this gentlem an, who mu rdered her by strangling — Bu t theyare so far away thatno one hears me. What shall I do ? Shall I castmyself down? [H e rQlec ts]If I do, then the noble Charudat tawill no t be pu t to death . Yes, through this brokenwindow I willthrow myself downfrom the palace tower. Bet ter that I shou ldmeet my end, thanthat the noble Charudat ta shou ld perish , thistree o f life fo r noble you ths. And if I die insu ch a cau se, I haveatta ined heaven. [H e throwshimselfdown]Wonderfu l ! I did no tmeet my end, and my fetters are broken. So I will follow thesound of the headsman’s voices. [H e discovers the headsmen, andhastensforward]Headsmen, headsmen, make way !

H eadsmen. Fo r whom shall we make way?

Sthavaraka . Listen, good gentlemen, listen! It was I , wretch thatI am , who carried Vasantasena to the o ld gardenP ushpakaranda,

becau se she mistook my bu llock-cart fo r another. And thenmymaster, Sanst hanaka, found that she wou ld no t love him , and itwas he, no t this gentleman, who murdered her by strangling.

Charada t ta. Thank heaven!

Bu t who thu s gladdens this my latest morn,WheninTime’s snare I struggle all forlorn,A streaming cloud above the rainless corn?

List en!do yo u hear what I say?

Death have I never feared , bu t blackened fame ;My death were welcome, coming free from shame,Aswere a son, new-bornto hear my name.

And again:

That small, weak fool, whom I have never hated ,Stained me with sinwherewith himself wasmated,

H eadsmen. Are yo u telling the tru th , Sthavaraka ?

P. THE END 161

S thavaraka . I am . And to keep me from telling anybody, be castme into chains, and imprisoned me inthe tower o fhis palace.

[Enter Sansthdnakaj

I at e a shour and bitter dishOf meat and herbs and shoup and fish ;I tried at home my tongu e to tickleWith rice-cakes plain, and rice with treacle. 29

[H e h’

stens]The headsm en’

s voices ! They sho und like a brokenbrass cymbal. I hear the mu sic o f the fatal drum and the ket tledrums, and sho I shuppose that that poor man, Charudat ta , isbeing led to the place o f execu tion. I mu sht go and shee it. It is

a great delight to shee my enemy die. Beshides, I’

ve heard that

a manwho shees his enemy being killed, is sure no t to have shoreeyes inhisnext birth . I acte d like a worm that had crept into theknot of a lo t ush-root. I looked fo r a hole to crawl o u t at , and

brought abou t the death of t hish poor m an, Charudat t a. Now I ’

ll

clim b up the tower of my ownpalace , and have a look at my

ownheroic deeds. [H e doesso and looks abo u t ]Wonderfu l whata crowd there is, to shee that poor m an led to his death ! Whatwou ld it be whenanarisht o c rat , a big m an like me, was beingled to his death ? [H e gazes]Look ! There he goes toward thesho u t h , adorned like a young sht eer. Bu t why was the proclamationmade near my palace tower, and why was it sht opped ? [H e

looks abou t ]Why, my shlave Sthavaraka is gone, too. I hope hehasn

’

t runaway and betrayed the shec ret . I musht go and look fo rhim . [H e descends and approac hes the crowd ]S thavaraka . [U se-overs him.]There he comes, good maste rs !

H eadsmen. Give way !Make room !And shu t the door !Be silent, and say nothing more !Here comes a m ad bu ll through the press,Whose horns are sharp with wickedness.

162 ACT THE TENTH

raka, my little shon, my shlave , come, let’s go home.

Sthavaraka . Yo u scoundrel !Are yo u no t content with the mu rdero fVasantasena? M u st yo u try now to murder the noble Chamdatta, that tree of life to all who loved him ?

Sansthanaka. I am beau tifu l as a pot ofjewels . I kill no woman!

Bystanders Oho ! yo u murdered her, no t the noble Charudat ta.

Sansthanaka . Who shays that ?

B ystanders [P ointing t o S'

thavaraka ]This honest man.

Sansthanaka . [F earfidly Aside ]Mercifu l heavens !Why didn’

t

I chainthat shlave Sthavaraka fasht ?Why, be was a witnessh ofmy crime. [H e rglec tsJI

'

11 do it t hish way. [Aloud]Lies, lies,good gentlem en. Why, I caught the shlave sht ealing gold, and Ipounded him , andmu rdered him, andpu t him inchains. He hatesme. What he shays can’t be tru e. [H e secretly hands S thavarakaa bracelet, and whiqm

'

s]St havaraka, my little shon, my shlave ,

take t hish and shay shom ething different.

S thavaraka . [Takesit ]Look, gentlemen, look !Why, be is tryingto bribe me with gold .

Sansthanaka . [Snatches the braceletfrom him . That ’

sthe gold thatI pu t him in chains fo r. [Angrily ]Look here, headsmen! I pu t

him 1ncharge ofmy go ld- ,chest andwhenhe tu rned thief, I m u r

dered him and pounded him . If yo u don’

t believe it , jusht lookat his back.

H eadsmen. [D o ing so .]Yes, yes. Whena servant is branded thatway, no wonder he tells tales.

S thavaraka. A curse on slavery ! A slave convinces nobody.

[M o unyully ]Noble Charudat ta , I have no further power. [H e

falls at Chdrudat ta’

sfeet ]Charudat ta . [M ou rnfu lly.]

R ise, rise ! Kind sou l to good m enfallenonpain!Brave friend who lendest su ch unselfish aid !

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164 ACT THE TENTH 8.

Sansthanaka . [Aside ]Bu t the citizens don’t believe it . [Aloud ]

Charudat ta, yo u jackanapes, the citizens don’t believe it. Shay it

with your owntongue, I murdered Vasantasena.

”

[Charuda t ta re

mains silent.]Look here, headsmen! The m anwon’t shpeak, the

jackanapes Charudat t a. Jusht make him shpeak. Beat him a

times with thish ragged bamboo, o r with a chain.

G oha . [Raises his arm to strike ]Come, Charudat ta, speak !

Now am I sunk so deep insorrow’s sea,

I know no fear, I know no sadness more ;Yet evennow one flame still tortu res me,That m enshou ld say I slew whom I adore.

[Sansthanaka repeats hiswords]Charuda t ta . M enofmy owncity !

A scoundrel I , who hear the blame,No r seek inheavento be blest ;

A maid — o r goddess —

’

t is the sameBu t he will say the rest.

Sansthanaka . Killed her !

Charudat ta . So be it.

Go ha . It ’s your turnto kill him , man.

Ahinta . No, you rs.

Go ha . Well , let’s reckonit o u t . [H e doesso at gr eat length]Well ,

if it ’s my turnto kill him , we will ju st let it wait a minu te.

Ahinta . Why ?

Goha . Well, whenmy father wasgoing to heaven, he said t o me,“ SonGoha, if it

’

s your tu rnto kill him , don’t kill the sinner too

qu ick .

Ahinta . Bu t why ?

Goha .

“ Perhaps, said be , “ some good manmight give the moneyto set him free. Perhaps a sonmight be bornto t he king, and t o

celebrate the event, all the prisoners might be set free. Perhaps

P. THE END 165

anelephant might break loose, and the prisoner might escape inthe excitement. Perhaps there might be a change o fkings, and all

the prisoners might be set free.”

Sansthanaka . What ? What ? A change o fkings?

Goha . Well, let’

s reckonit o u t , whose tu rnit is.

Sansthanaka . Oh , come !Kill Charudat t a at once. [H e takes S tha

varaka , and withdraws a little ]H eadsmen. Noble Charudat t a, it is the king

’s commandment thatbears the blame,no t we headsmen. Think theno fwhat yo u needsmu st think .

Charuda t ta . Though slandered by a cru el fat e,And stained by m eno fhigh estate,If that my virtu e yet regarded be,Thenshe who dwells with gods aboveOr wheresoever else — m y love

By her sweet nature wipe the stainfrom me !

Tell me. Whither wou ld yo u have me go ?

Goha . [P ointing ahead ]Why, here is the sou thern buryingground, and whena criminal sees that, he says good-by to life ma minu te. Fo r look !

One half the corpse gaunt jackals rend and shake,And ply their horrid task ;

One half still hangs impaled u ponthe stake,Lou d laughter

’

s grinning mask. 85

Charuda t ta . Alas !Ah, wo e is me ! [I nhis agit ationhe sitsdown]Sansthanaka . I won’t go yet. I ’

ll jusht shee Charudat ta killed. [H e

walks abo u t , gazing ]Well, well ! He shat down.

Goha . Are yo u frightened , Charudat ta ?

Charuda t ta . [Rising hastily ]Fool !

Death have I never feared, bu t blackened fame ;My death were welcome, coming free from shame,Aswere a son, new-bornto bear my name.

166 ACT THE TENTH

Goha . Noble Charudat ta , the moonand the sundwell inthe vau ltof heaven, yet even they are overtaken by disast er. H ow mu chmore, death-fearing creatu res, and m en! In this world, one risesonly to fal l, another falls only to rise again. Bu t h'

om him who hasrisenand falls, his body drops like a garment. Lay these thought sto heart, and be strong. [To Ahinta] Here is the fourth place ofproclamation. Let us proclaim the sentence. [They do so onc eagain-JCharudat ta . Vasantasena! Oh , my beloved !

From thy dear lips, that vied with coral’s red,

Betraying teeth more bright thanmoonbeams fair,My sou l with heaven

’s nect ar once was fed .

How can I , helpless, taste that poisondread,

To drink shame’

s poisoned c up how can I hear? (18)

M onk. Strange !My monkish life did me yeomanservice when itproved necessary to comfort Vasantasena, so untimely wearied, andt o lead her onher way. Siste r inBuddha,whither shall I lead you ?

Vasantasena. To the noble Charudat t a’

s hou se. Revive me withthe sight o f him , as the night ~blo om ing water- lily is revived bythe sight ofthe moon.

M onk. [Aside ]By which road shall I enter? [H e rqlec tsj Theking’s highway I ’

ll enter by that. Come, sister in Buddha !Here is the king’s highway. [Listening ]Bu t what is this greattumu lt that I hear onthe king’s highway ?

Vasantasena. [Looking befo re her .]Why, there is a great crowdof people before us. Pray find o u t , sir, what it means. All Ujjayinitips t o one side, as ifthe earth bore anuneven load.

Goha . And here is the last place o fproclamation. Beat the drum !Proclaim the sentence ! [They do so .] Now, Charudat ta, wait !Don’t be frightened . Yo u will be killed very qu ickly.

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168 ACT THE TENTH

Charud. Though slandered by a cru el fate,And stained by m eno fhigh estate,If that my virtu e yet regarded be,Thenshe who dwells with gods aboveOr wheresoever else — my love

By her sweet nature wipe the stainfrom (34 )

M onk and Vasantasena. [P erceiving what is being done ]Goodgentlem en!Hold, hold !

he is pu t to death .

Who is the womanwith the streaming hairThat smites her shou lder, loosened from its bands ?

She loudly calls uponus to forbear,And hastens hither with u plifted hands. 37

Vasantasena. Ob , Charudat t a !What does it mean? [Shefags

M onk. Oh, Charudat ta !What does it mean? [H efalls at hisfeet]Goha . [Ana

'iously withdrawing ]Vasantasena?— At least , we didno t kill an innocent man.

M onk. [Rising] Thank heaven! Charudat ta lives .

Goha . And shall live a hundred years !

Vasantasena. [Jog/fi lly]And I t o o am brought back to life again.

Go ha . The king is at the place of sacrifice. Le t us report to him

what has takenplace. [The two headsmenstart to go away]

brought the shlave back to life ? Thish is the end o fme. Good!

Goha . [Retu rning]Well , didn’

t we have orders from the king to

pu t the manto death who mu rdered Vasantasena? Let us huntfo r the king’s brother-in-law . [Eweunt the two headsmen.

P. THE END 169

Who saves me from the uplift ed weapon’s scorn,WheninDeath ’s jaws I struggled all forlorn,A streaming cloud above the rainless corn?

[H e gazes at her.]Is t his Vasantasena’

s counterfeit ?Or she herself, from heavenabove descended ?

Or do I bu t inmadness see my swee t ?

Or has her precious life no t yet beenended ?

Or again D id she ret urnfrom heaven,That I m ight rescu ed be ?

Was her form to another given?Is this that other she ? 40

Vasantasena. [Rises tearfu lly andfallsat hisfeet ]0 noble Charudat ta , I am indeed the wretch fo r whose sake yo u are fa llenuponthis unworthy plight.

[The bystanders repeat the words]

and c loses his eyes. I na vo ic e trembling with emotion]My love !

Cham da t ta . [G azes uponher . Jogfully] Can it be ? Vasantasenaherself? [I nu tter haw inm ]

Her bosom bathed instreaming tears,WheninDeath ’s power I fell,Whence is she come to slay my fears,Like heavenly magic’s spell ?

Vasantasena! Oh, my beloved !Unto my body, whence the life was fleeting,And all fo r thee, thou knewest life to give.Oh , magic wonderfu l inlovers

’ meeting !What power besides cou ld make the dead manlive ? 42

170 ACT THE TENTH

Bu t see, my beloved !My blood -red garment seems a bridegroom

's cloak,Death

'

s garland seems to me a bridal wreath ;My love is near.

And marriage mu sic seems the fatal strokeOf drums that heralded my instant death ;

F o r she is here. 48

Vasantasena. Yo u with your u tter kindliness,what canit be that

yo u have done?

Chdm da t ta. My beloved, he said that I had killed yo u .

Fo r ancient hatred ’s sake, my mighty foe,Hell

’

s victim now , had almost laid me low. 4 4

Vasantasena. [S toppinn ears.]Heavenavert the omen! It washe, the king

’s bro ther-in-law , who killed me.

Cham da t ta . [P erceiving the monk ]B u t who is this ?

Vasantasena. When that unworthy wretc h had killed me, thisworthy m anbrought me back to life.

Charudat ta . Who are yo u , unselfish friend ?

M onk . Yo u do no t remember me, sir. I am t hat shampooer, whoonce was happy to ru b your feet. WhenI fell into the hands of

been you r servant, bought my freedom with her jewels. There

upon I grew tired o f the gambler's life, and became a Buddhist

monk . Now this lady made a mistake inher bu llock-cart , and socame to the o ld gardenPushpakaranda. Bu t whenthat unworthywretch learned that she wou ld no t love him , be murdered her bystrangling. And I found her t h

Loud voices behind the scenes.

Unending victory to Shiva be,Who Daksha’s offering foiled

And victory m ay Karttikeya see,Who K raunc ha smote and spoiled

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172 ACT THE TENTH [wu ss

Show ilaka . I forced your hou se inmanner base,And stole the gems there left behindBu t though this sinoppress my mind ,I throw myself uponyour grace.

Charudat ta . Not so, my friend. Thereby yo u showedinme. [H e embraceshim .]Sharvilaka. And one thing more

The very noble Aryaka,To save his family and name,

Has slainthe wretc hed Palaka,A victim at the altar’s flame.

Cham da t ta. What say yo u ?

Shaw ilaka .

’

Twas you r cart helped him onhisway,

Who sought the shelter of you r name ;He slew King Palaka tod ay,A victim at the altar’s flame. 51

Charudatta . Sharvilaka, did yo u set free that Aryaka, whom Palaka took from his hamlet,and confined withou t cau se inthe to wer?

Sha rvilaka . I did.

Shaw ilaka. Scarcely was you r friend Aryaka established inUjja

yini, when he best owed uponyo u the throne of K ushavat i, onthe bank ofthe Vena. May yo u graciou sly receive this first tokenof his love. [H e tu rns 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 wonthis kingdomthrough you r virtu es, and that yo u are therefore to have somebenefit from it.

Cham dat ta . The kingdom wonthrough my virtu es ?

Voic esbehind the scenes. Come on, brot her-in-law of the king, and

THE END 173

Sansthanaka. Go odnessh gracious !

It came to pass, I ranawayLike any ass, and had my day.

They drag me round , a prishoner,As if they ’

d found a naughty c ur. 52

[H e looks abo u t him.]They crowd around me, though I’m a rela

tive of the king’s. To whom shall I go for help inmy helplesshnessh ? [H e rdle c tsj Good ! I

’

ll go to the manwho gives help andshows mercy to the shuppliant . [H e am oe chesJNoble Chamdatta, protect me, protect me ! [H efalls at hisfeet ]Vo ic es behind the scenes. Noble Charudat t a, leave him to us! letus kill him !

Sansthanaka . [To Chav'

ztdat td ]O helper of the helplessh, protectme !

Charudat ta. [M erczfufly ]Yes, yes. He who seeks protectionshallbe safe.

Shanfilaka. [I inpatient ly] Confound him ! Take him away fromCharudat ta ! [To Charndat taj Tell me. What shall be done with

Shall be be bound and dragged until he dies ?Shall dogs devour the scoundrel as he lies ?

If he shou ld be impaled ,’

t wou ld be no blunder,No r if we had the rascal sawnasunder.

Charuda t ta . Will yo u do as I say?

Sharvilaka. How canyo u dou bt it?

Sansthanaka . Charudat ta !Masht er ! I sheek you r protection. Pro

tect me, protect me ! Do shom et hing worthy of yo urshelf. I'

11

never do it again!

Voices of citizens behind the scenes. Kill him ! Why shou ld thewretch be allowed to live ?

174 ACT THE TENTH

[Vasantasend takes the garland ofdeathfrom Charndat ta’

s neck,

and throws it uponSansthanaka]Sansthanaka. Yo u shlave-wench , be mercifu l, be merc ifu l ! I

'

ll

never mu rder yo u again. Protect me !

fi arvilaka . Come, take him away ! Noble Charudat ta, say whatshall be done with the wretch .

Chdrudat ta . Will yo u do as I say?

Sharvilaka . H ow canyo u doubt it?

Charndat ta . Then let him be immediately

Sharvilaka . What fo r?

Cham d The humbled fo e who seeks thine aid,

Thou mayst no t smite with steely blade

Sharvilaka . All right. We will have the dogs eat him alive.

Cham dat ta . No, no !

Be cruelty with kindness paid .

Sharvilaka. Wonderfu l !What shall I do ?Tell me, sir.

Cham da t ta . Why, set him free.

fi arviIaka. It shall be done.

Sharvilaka . M istress Vasantasena, the king is pleased to ba t owu ponyo u the title

“ wedded wife. ”

Vasantasena. Sir, I desire no more.

Sir, what shall be done fo r this monk ?

Cham dat ta . Monk, what do yo u most desire ?

M onk. When I see this example of the uncertainty ofall things,1 A to kenofhono rable marriage . Compare page 68.

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176 ACT THE TENTH

EPILOGUE

MAY kine yield st ream ing milk , t he earth her grain,And m ay t he heavengive never-failing rain,The windswaft happiness t o all t hat breat hes,

And all t hat lives, live free from every pain.

Inpat hs of right eousnessm ay Brahmans t read,And high est eem t he ir high deserving wed ;May kings injust ice

’ ways he ever led,And eart h, submissive , bend her grate fu l head.

[E a'eunt omnes.]

A LIST OF PASSAGES

m WH ICH THE TRANSLATION DEPARTS FROM PARAB’

S TEXT

Here nirmitéh is apparent ly a mere m isprint fo r ni1j1t6hThe addit ionofu tthedha t ti seems alm ost necessary.

In these passages I have subst it u ted “sham

po o er”fo r “ gambler,” t o prevent c onfusion of the shampo o er with the un

named gambler.

I have added the stage-direc t iondyfitakaramandalirh krtvii.Read lead: fo r kirk.

We sho u ld pro bably read bihac charh (bibhatsam) fo r viha tthan'

i .

The wo rds c ikitstinzkrtvii seem t o be part of the t ext , no t ofthedirec t ion.

I regard nayasya as one wo rd, no t two (na gasgo ).1 2 : Read raksanfo r raksyiin.

Read naaraniir’i fo r naranafi— 11 These lines I have om it t ed .

Read eka fo r chii

Read vaddhamdnao fo r vaddhamiinaa .

Read a (ca) fo r ka .

5 : What ever favodian'

z may be, I have t ranslated ac co rdanceLalladiksita

’sgloss, savestikam .

Apparent ly khala is a m isprint fo r khanaRead m eiram fo r -rac itam .

Read -bhq'

ianam fo r -bhojanam .

Readpadic chidanz pratistam) fo rpadic chidmiz.Read tvaya fo r maya.

The wo rdsatha v6 plainlybelong t o the t ext ,no t t o the stage-direc t ion.

I take pau réh as part of the st age -direc t ion.

288 8— 292 9 : This passage I have om it t ed : c o mpare page x11.

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m Buddhind ne m d wnc erntbem dvu ru pecfivdywith the phih sophia l wnc epfimmat m da heme Buddhh t rd igimm syM fi th the d ne d Kam a m a m d vflhthe mhm e of ad vafionfmm unaa y. Cbapter i. gim the w co unt o f the pnflom eflst enc uOf GOh ma Boddha m d o f his hfe m the h st a istenc e upm the at tdnmw t oa ddhnhip:while the sc c tions o fchapter v. are abo o t 8uddhist monaat ic life .

VOLUME IV.— Raja-

cekhara’

s Karpura-manjari, a drama by theIndianpo et Raja-cekhara (abo u t 900 critically edit ed in the o riginalPrakrit , wi th a glossarial index and anessay on the life and writ ings Of thepo et , by Dr. STEN KONOW, Of the Universi ty o fChrist iania, Norway ; and translated int o Engl ish with no tes by Pro fesso r LANMAN. 1901. Royal 8vO, bu c kram , xxviii pages, pric eHere fo r the first time inthe history of lndianphflo logy we have the t ext ofa Pri krit playpreacnt ed to us inatric t ly c orrec t Pri krit . Dr. Konow ia a pupil ofPro feaso r Ph chel ofBerhn.whose Pri kflt gnmmar hu made his anthofity upon this m bje c t od the very higheet l

'

he

w h han had the benefit om m r Piachd'

smfiaion The imporh nc e d the play h pfio

VOLUMESV.ANDVI . — TheBrhad-Devata, attribu ted toCaunaka,

a summary Of the deities and myths Of the Rig-Veda : cri t ically edited intheo riginal Sanskrit with an intro duc tion and seven appendic es, and translat edinto English with critical and illust rative no t es, by ARTHUR A. MAODONELL,

BodenPro femo r Of Sanskrit inthe Uni versity ofOxfo rd, and Fellow ofBallio lCo llege. 1904 . Royal 8vo , bu ckram , xxxvi+198 andxvi+884 pages, pric e pervo lum eVo lum e V. (or Pat t i . )c ontains the inb o duc t ionand text and appendic es. Vo lume Vl . (Or Part11. )c ontaina the tranalat ionand no t ea. The arrangem ent of the material intwo vo lum ea isauc hthat the sNdent mnhan the t ext ofm y give a ge tha wit h the M ah fiond thu

passage and the c rit ical apparatm and the illastrative no t cs there to apprrrtenant all openedo u t before hia eyesat one t ime withont having c onstant ly t o turnfrom o ae part of the vo lum e

to ano ther, as ia nec easary vith the usual arrangem ent ofm ch mat ter.

VOLUMES VI I . AND VI I I . — Atharva-Veda Samhita, translated ,with a c ri t ical and exegetical c ommentary, byWiLLrAM Dwrc H'

rWHITNEY, lat e

Pro fesso r Of Sanskrit inYale University . Re vised and bro ught neare r t o c om

pletion and edi ted by CHARLES ROCKWELL LANMAN, Pro fessor of Sanskrit inHarvard Uni versity. 1905 . Ro yal 8vo , buc kram ,

c lxi i+1044 pages,pric e of the two vo lumesM wo rk h d adm m the fimt ph ce cfificd no t u uponthe text glflng fire vaflw a ru dings

of the rnanusc ripts. and no t alone of those mHated byWhitney m Enmpe bu t alao of thoaeof the apparatus uscd by S . P. Pandit inthe great Bombay edit io o . Se c ond. the rcadlngl ofthe Paippalida o r Cashm ere version. furnished hy the la t e Professo r Ro th . Further. no t ic e of

m m m m w mm me m vw e m m m o fm vm m mp .

Further. the dat a Of the Hindu scho liast respect ing au tho rship, divinity, and me ter of eachverse . Mad rd a enc ea w the andUary ht eratm e espedaHy M the wefle ditd Kaucih m d

Vait ina SfiM with ac c o unt oftbe ritnalist ic use flrere inmade ofthe hymnso rpartso fhymna.so far as this appeara to cast any light upon their meaning . Also . extrac ta fimnthe print ed

commentary. And, finally. a simple lit eral translation, with introduct ionand indices. Prefixcd

to the wo rk proper isanelaborate c rific al and histo fic al intm duc tlon.

[ 9 ]

VOLUME IX .— The Little C lay Cart (Mrc c hakat ika), a H indu

drama attribu ted to King Shfidraka, translated from the o riginal Sanskrit andPrakrits into English pro se and verse by ARTHUR WI LLIAM RYDER, Ph. D. ,

Instruc to r inSanskrit inHarvard Uni versi ty. 1905 . Ro yal 8vc , buckram ,xxx

+ 177 pages, pric e

VOLUME X.— A Vedic Concordance : be ing analphabetic index

t o every line ofevery st anza of every hymno f the published Vedic li terature,and t o every sac rificial and ritual formu la thereo f. By MAURICE BLOOMP IELD,Pro fesso r Of Sanskrit andComparative Philo logy inJohnsHo pkinsUniversity .

'

I'

he work, with whic h Bb omfleld has beenbusy fo r om a doaenyw mwill form a lo yal

qnarto of abo u t 1100 pages. 0 f theae, fully 800 are already print ed (June, 190.5) ; the c o m

plately reviscd manuac ript of the remainder ia at the preas: and it ia hoped that the printing

of this Series. The Conco c-danc e will serve aa a register of thc oo riotaa loetioaia for the texta

of the Vedic literature and thus pro ve t o be anarniliary of the very first tmpo rtanc e tntheww k d mah ng new cdifionsof t t edic t exu :m dmm y subsldh ry um ot omfidd

’

scd

lect ionswill auggeat themaelvea to acho lars.

IN PREPARATION

No pmmiu of a definite fim fw the mmpkfim and appearm q g qf thefd b wiagm rh rdflm der any dm md anm be given; they m nem thela s inm h a rb k qfad~

Buddha-

ghosa’

sWay of Pu rity (Visuddhi-magga ), a systematictre at ise o f Buddhist do c t rine by Buddha-

ghosa (abo u t 400 A. c rit ic allyedi ted inthe o riginal Pali by the lat e HENRY CLARKEWARREN, Of Cambridge,

The “ Way OfPurity, which has beenforflfteencenturies one of the “ boo ks ofpower"

in

ing a mm do us gmsp of the m bjec t"

Mr. Wam npubhahed m eh bom te and ysis of the ewtire trc at ise tnthe l ounal of the P éli Tm Soc iayfo r 1891- 98, pagea 76- 164 . His planwas t oinm a who hfly edifim of the Pi h ta t ofthe m h wit h firflbM WeB-sified a ificd appamma c omplc te English translation, aninda ofnamea and o ther usefnl appendic ea, and to trac ebac k to their so urc es all the q uo taticnswhich Buddhaeghosa c onstantly makesfrom the writ

mga d hh predm mm l h e ta t h h hopd may be pubhshc d wit hm t tw m o c h furfiwr

labor onthe part of the edito r of the Seriea.

Mr.Warrendied inJanuary, 1899, inthe forty-fifih yw of hisage Ac c o unt a o t‘

hia life andwo rk may be fmmd in the (New York)Nationfo r Jan. 12, 1899 : inthe Hanar

-d Graduam’

Magan'

m fo r March , 1899 g in the Journal of tho Royal Am t oM y fo r ApriL1899 (with a

list ofhia writinga) : inthe (Chic ago )Opea Oom -t fo rJune , 1899 : o r inthe Joun o l o/ lhad micanOrim to l So cioty, vo l. xx. , se c ond half.

Buddha-

ghosa’sWay OfPu rity, a systematic treatise Of Buddhist

do ctrine, translated int o English fro m the o riginal Pali Of H . C. Warren’

s

edi tion, by the lat e HENRY CLARKEWARREN and CHARLES ROCKWELL LANMAN .

Mr. Warrenhad made a large part (abo ut one third) of the tranalat ion. With thIS pa I-t as a

[ 3 ]

hd pm d gdde the edimr d the Sefies hopesmm mpleu the versionm d w pnhhah it u m n“ infeasible . The t ext and tranalatio o will perhapa t ake thrc e o r fonr vo lnmea.

The Pancha-tantra, according to the recensionOf the Jaina monkParnao bhadra (abo u t 1200 cri t ically edited inthe o riginal Sanskrit byDr. JOHANNES HERTEI, of the Ro yal Gymnasium o f Do ebeln in Saxony, andDr. RI CHARD SCHM IDT, Of the University ofHalle.

The baais ow mr Sc hm idt ’a a c cUent vm ionof the c ha-h a m a tu t pnpand byhim from wverd Eumpu nmw uscnpu . 1nthe meanfime , Do c to r Hertel hu pwcund a va yh rge amount o fmanumfipt matefid fmm lndig chiefly fiom nd haa m bjec t ed the u met o acarchlng c rit ical stndy. and h m bodying hh m uh so far as they c onc ernthe ac hnlm dinga h a tha mrgb revisionof the printa

’

a w py o t flre t ext The oflra m du o l hh

m a ve m pubm mm m w m m w m mGou lh chafldor WW haflca for Apr-il. l d inrww t vo luma of the ZM fl

'

fi dor

M Mm-ym haa Gm llcchafl —MS . ,num bend viiL145 in the Catalogue o t

’

the DwmnCo llege MSS and c ontaining the Tantra- ikhyi ytka or

Kashm irian recem ion of the Pm c haf tanh a haa proved to be of auch great importanc e fo rme hlat ory d mh bmnc h o fSanaknt ht eratm that Do cmr Ha td hn pnbhahed h (AbMk ayo

a utumn-hist orical invest igationand aa one of the cu ent ial pre limlnariea fo r the edition of

Pfirna-t dra'

s rec enaionto be isaued inthe Harvard Seriea. 1t appean that the M nu nedrecensionh a firsionofthe Tm Uv i khyiyih and the w cd ledTa M Simphd o r of the Pancha

Sanskrit o f the rec ension Of Patna-bhadra, by PAUL ELI I ER MORE, somet im e

Assist ant inSanskrit inHarvard Uni versity,no w Of the Edito rial Stafl'

o f the

M vm iomm parcd u verd yu nago fio m lh c to rSchmidt’

sm nm fipt w py byMr. Mmhaa ye t t o be ao revised as to bring it int o c onform lty with the meantime t bo roughly revieed

text ofPfirna-bhadra'

s rec enaion. Apart from the intrinsie int ereat and merit o f the ato riea of

whic h the Panchm nb a c ondataJhia b anah fionmaku m espedd appa l Mdeo u of

Indiananflq aitiea offo lk-lora and of the hiat ory ofpopu lar talc a.

H istory Of the Beast-fable Of India, with especial reference to thePancha—tantra and t o the related literature ofSo uthwest ernAsia and ofMe

dieval Euro pe, byDr. JOHANNES HERTEL o f the Ro yal Gymnasium ofDo ebelninSaxony.

Altho ugh thia vo lume ia mim ri ly deaigned to be anintro dnc tio o t o Pfirna-bhadra’

s Panchapnu tm iu wope h nm rthelu a m c h that tt m y with pmprb ty be enfit led a flismry d the

Bm tJab le of lndia The definifive am ngement ofthe matefid iano t yet aet t led. bu t the gena al planmay be glvennnder aix headlnga.

1. Bfief o u thne ofthe mc identa ofa c h am , mgetha with a nfenm e fo r eac h c tmym tu

prec ise plac e in the oflgind Sanskfit t cxt the me thod of c ita tion to be au ch that the aam e

referenc e will apply with eq ual fac ility to e ither the text o r the tranalationcr the apparatua

crit icm o r the c omm entary.

11. Tabuh r mnspec tus o f sh o phes m d cto dea mnu ined in forma of flre chu h ntn

111. Appantna c rit ic ua. 1. Ac c ount of the MSS . co llat ed. 9. A piec e o f the text printed inseveral parallel forms side by side (Tantra-akhyi yika. Simplic io r, Ornatio r) as a specimen.

to illustrat e the relat ive value of the several MSS . and Pr'

irna-bhadra’

i way ofconstruc ting hilrecension. 8. Readings of the MSS . Bh, bh, A, P. p. et c .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

damental doc trines. I t isalso the o ldest ; Garbe refersit t o the seventh century ofour era, andthe evidence adduced by Takakusu ofTokyo may pro ve it t o be considerably earlier.

Inthe preparat ionofhist ranslat ion, Dr. Wo odshas had the benefit ofDeussen’

scrit icism ;and he has revised hiswo rk under the oversight ofGangadhara Shastrinand ofhis pupils inBeam ; and he has constant ly consult edVfichaspat im icra’

ssub-c omment onthe Yoga—bhishya, and, as o cc asionrequ ired, the Yoga-vart tika ofViiiiana-bhikshu and o ther wo rks of

mo re modernscho liasts. I t is ho ped that thiswo rk will throw light upon the early histo ry o fthe Mahfr yana scho o l ofBuddhism.

The Talavakara o r Jaim iniya Brahmans of t he Same Veda : c rit ic ally edit ed inthe o riginal Sanskrit ,with a translat ionint o English, by Harm s

OERTEL, Professo r ofLingu ist icsandComparat ive Philo logy inYale University .

In1877, A. C. Burnell bro ught thisBrahmans t o the no t ice ofEuro peanscho lars. So onaft er,he pro cured manuscripts, and t urned them over t o Pro fesso rWhitney.With the aid ofpupils,Whitney made a translit erated copy o f one , and himself co llated the copy with the o thers.

Since 1891, of and on, Oert el has beenat wo rk uponthe rest orat ionof the co rrupt text ofth isBrahmans, and has published considerable parts ofit inthe Joana! of the Americ anOrienta lSoc iety (vo l’s xv. , xvi. , xviii. , xix. , xxiii. , and xxvi. ) and elsewhere . I t is his intentiont o addt o his translationsyst ematic references t o the parallel passagesfrom the o ther Brahman“ .

Bo oksfo r the Study o f Indo -IranianLanguages

(Sanskrit, Prakrit, Pali, Avestan)

Lit erat ures, Religions, andAnt iquit ies

Pub lished by M essrs. Ginn8: Company

Bost on, New York, Chicago , and London

Whitney’s Sanskrit Grammar. A Sanskri t Grammar, includingbo th the c lassic al language, and the o lder dialec ts, ofVeda and Brahmana ByW1LLIAM Dwo '

rWHITNEY, [lat e]Pro fesso r o fSanskrit and Comparat ive Philo logy inYale Universitended) edition. 1896. 8vo . xv i pages. Clo t h : Mailing pric e,Paper :

Cappe ller’

s Sanskrit-English D ictionary. A Sanskrit-English D ict ionary. Basedu ponthe St. Pet ersbu rg Lexic ons. ByCAa t. CAPPKLLE I , Pro fesso r

at the Uni versity o fJena . Royal 8vo . Clo th. vi ii pages. By mail,

Lanman’

s Sanskrit Reader. A Sanskrit Reader : with Vocabu laryand No t es. By CHARLES Ro cxwe u . LANMAN, Pro fesso r o f Sanskrit inHarvardUni versity . Fo r use inc o lleges and fo r private st udy . Ro yal 8vo . Comple te :

Text, No tes, and Vo cabulary, xxiv+405 pages. Clo th : Mail ing pric e,Tart alone, fo r use inexam inations, 106 pages. Clo th : Mailing pric e, 85 c ents.

Notes alone, viii pages. Clo t h : Mailing pric e, 85 c ents.

ThisReader is c onst rnc tedwit h spec ial refer-enc e to the needso t

'

tho se who bave to use it wit h

ou t a teac her. The text is inOriental charac ters. The selec tions are from the Mahi —bhfi'ata,

Hitopadeca, Kathi -sarit -sigara, Lawso fNanu the Rigveda. the Brahman“ , and the Sfitras.

The Sanskrit wo rds of the No tes and Vo c abu lary are inEngfish let t a a The No tes renderample assistanc e inthe int erpre tat ionofdific u lt passages.

Sanskrit Text inEnglish Letters. Parts of Nala and H it opadeca

inEnglish Let t ers. Pre pare d by CHARLES R. LANMAN . Ro yal 8vo . Paper. vi+44pages. Mailing pric e, 80 c ents.

The Sanakrit tenof the first fo rty-fo ur pages of l lanman

’

s Reader, reprinted inEnglish char

Perry’

s Sanskrit Primer. A Sanskrit Primer : based on the Leit

fadenflr denElementarvwrsus des Sanskri t ofPro f. Ge org Biihler ofVienna.

By Emm a !) DHLAvAN Paaav, Pro fesso r o fGreek inCo lumbia University,NewYo rk. 1885 . SW . xii+230 pages. Mailing pric e ,

l 7 l

Kasgi sR igveda.The R igveda t heOldest Lit erat ure oft he Indians.

ByAnonr KAEG I , Professo r inthe University o fZ iirich. Au tho rize d translat ion

[from the German], with addit ions t o the no t es, by ROBERTAasowsu rm , Ph .D.

1886. 8vo . Clo th . viii+ 198 pages. Mailing pric e,

Hopkins’sReligionsof India. The Religionsof India. By EDWARDWASHsuaN HOPKINS, Professo r o f Sanskrit inYale University. 1895. 12m o .

Clo th. xvi+612 pages. Mailing pric e,This isthe first ofPro fesso rMo rrisJastrow’

sSeriesofHandbo oks onthe Hist ory ofReligions.

The bo o k gives anacco unt of the religions o f India inthe chrono logic al o rder of their develOpm ent . Extracts are givenfrom Vedic, Brahmanic, Jain, Buddhist ic, and lat er sectarianliteratu res.

Jackson’sAvesta Reader.Avesta Reader:First Series. Easier t exts,no tes, and vo c abulary. ByA. V. WI LLIAMS JAcxsoN. 1898. 8vo . Clo th. viii 112

pages. Mailing pric e,The select ions include passages from Yasna, Visparad, Yashts, and Vendidad, and the t extis based onGeldner’s edition. The bo o k is intended fo r beginners.