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K A L I D A S KUMARASAMBHAVA
THE BIRTH OF THE WAR-GOD Three Renderings canto ONE: first rendering
1 A God mid hills northern Himaloy rears His snow-piled summits’ dizzy majesties, And in the eastern and the western seas He bathes his giant sides; lain down appears Measures the dreaming earth in an enormous ease.
2 Him, it is told, the living mountains made A mighty calf of earth, the mother large, When Meru of that milking had the charge By Prithu bid, and jewels brilliant-rayed Were brightly born and herbs on every mountain marge.
3 So is he in his infinite riches dressed Not all his snows can slay that opulence. As drowned in luminous floods the mark though dense On the moon’s argent disc; so faints oppressed One fault mid crowding virtues fading from our sense.
4 Brightness of minerals on his peaks outspread In their love-sports and in their dances gives To heavenly nymphs adornment, which when drive The split clouds across, those broken hues displayed Like an untimely sunset’s magic glories live.
5 Far down the clouds droop to his girdle-waist; And to this low-hung plateaus’ coolness won The siddhas in soft shade repose, but run Soon gleaming upwards by wild rains distressed To unstained summits splendid with the veilless sun. Page – 99
6 Although unseen the reddened footprints blotted By the new-fallen snows, the hunters know The path their prey the mighty lions go; For pearls from the slain elephants there clotted Fallen from the hollow claws their dangerous passage show.
7 The birch-leaves on his slopes love-pages turn: Like spots of age upon the tusky kings Of liquid metal ink their letterings Make crimsoned pages that with passion burn Where heaven’s divine Circes pen heart-moving things 8
He fills the hollows of his bamboo trees With the breeze rising from his deep ravines, Breathes1 from his rocky mouths as if he means To be tune-giver to the minstrelsies Of high-voiced Kinnars chanting in his woodland glens
9 His poplars by the brows of elephants Shaken and rubbed loose forth their odorous cream; And the sweet resin pours its trickling stream, And wind on his high levels burdened pants With fragrance making all the air a scented dream. 10 His grottoes are love-chambers in the night For the stray forest-wanderer when he lies Twined with his love, marrying with hers his sighs And from the dim banks luminous herbs give light Strange2 oilless lamps to their locked passion’s ecstasies. 1 Flutes 2 Like Page – 100 11 Himaloy’s snows in frosted slabs distress The delicate heels of his maned Kinnaris And yet for all their chilly path’s unease They change not their slow motion’s swaying grace For their burden of breasts and heavy hips.
12 He guards from the pursuing sun far hid In his deep caves of gloom the fallen night Afraid of the day’s eyes of brilliant light Even on base things and low for refuge fled High-crested souls shed love and kindly might.
13 The mountain yaks lift up their bushy tails And with their lashing scatter gleamings round White as the moonbeams on the rocky groun They seem to fan their king, his parallels Of symbolled monarchy more perfectly to found.
14 There in his glens upon his grottoed floors When from her limbs is plucked the raiment fine Of the Kinnar’s shame-fast love, hanging come in The concave clouds across the cavern doors; Chance curtains shielding her bared1 loveliness divine.
1 shield her unveiled
Page – 101 15 Weary with tracking the wild deer for rest The hunter bares his forehead to the fay Breezes which sprinkle Ganges’ cascade spray Shaking the cedars on Himaloy’s breast, Gambolling with the proud peacock’s gorgeous-plumed array.
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Circling his mountains in its path below The sun awakes with upward glittering wands What still unplucked by the seven sages’ hands Remains of the bright lotuses that glow In tarns upon his tops with heaven-kissing strands. 17
Because the Somaplant for sacrifice He rears and for his strength1 upbearing Earth The Lord of creatures gave to this great birth His sacrificial share and ministries And empire over all the mountains to his worth. 15. There rests the hunter weary of the chase And bares his forehead to the breeze which comes With spray of Ganger’ cascades on its wings, Scattering the peacock’s gorgeous plumes abroad, Shaking the cedars on Himaloy’s breast.
16. In tarns upon its heaven-kissing tops Immortal lilies bloom the shining hands Of the Seven Sages pluck, a few still left Awake with morn to the sun’s upward beams Circling those mountains on his lower path.
17. Because he rears for sacrifice the plant Of honeyed wine, his sacred share fulfilled, And for his many strengths upbearing Earth The Father of the peoples’ very hands Crowned him the monarch of a million hills. ¹mass Page – 102
18 Companion of, Meru their high floor In equal wedlock to his mighty1 bed The mind-born child of the world-fathers wed, Mena whose wisdom the deep seers adore, Stable and wise himself his stable race to spread.
19 Their joys of love were like themselves immense And its long puissant ecstasies at last Bore fruit, for in her womb a seed was cast Bearing the banner of her youth intense In moving beauty and charm to motherhood she passed.
20 Mainac she bore, the ocean’s guest and friend, Upon whose peaks the serpent-women roam, Dwellers in their unsunned and cavernous home; Mainac, whose sides though angry Indra rend Feels not the anguish of the thunder’s shock of doom.
(Incomplete)
18. In equal rites he to his mighty bed The mind-born child of the world-fathers bore. Companion fit of Meru their high home, Stable of thought to stabilise his race, Mena the wise he wed by seers adored.
19. Their joys of love were like themselves immense And in long puissant ecstasy at last Bore fruit; for in her womb his seed was thrown And bearing like a banner with her youth’s Heart-moving beauty motherhood she crossed.
20. Mainac she bore, the guest of the great sea, Upon whose peaks the serpent women sport Who through the Titan slayer’s wrath has shorn His budding wings, felt not the fiery blow, Shook not with anguish of the thunder’s scars. ‘ large Page – 103 |
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