FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144  
145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   >>   >|  
r gladdest dances, That bids the love-word trippingly to glide, Is now deception; for if flashing glances Lead not to love, they lead to naught beside. And when he knows thy life is a remembrance, Thy friend the moon will feel his shining vain, Will cease to show the world a circle's semblance, And even in his waxing time, will wane. Slowly the mango-blossoms are unfolding On twigs where pink is struggling with the green, Greeted by koil-birds sweet concert holding-- Thou dead, who makes of flowers an arrow keen? Or weaves a string of bees with deft invention, To speed the missile when the bow is bent? They buzz about me now with kind intention, And mortify the grief which they lament. Arise! Assume again thy radiant beauty! Rebuke the koil-bird, whom nature taught Such sweet persuasion; she forgets her duty As messenger to bosoms passion-fraught. Well I remember, Love, thy suppliant motion, Thy trembling, quick embrace, the moments blest By fervent, self-surrendering devotion-- And memories like these deny me rest. Well didst thou know thy wife; the springtime garland, Wrought by thy hands, O charmer of thy Charm! Remains to bid me grieve, while in a far land Thy body seeks repose from earthly harm. Thy service by the cruel gods demanded, Meant service to thy wife left incomplete, My bare feet with coquettish streakings banded-- Return to end the adorning of my feet. No, straight to thee I fly, my body given, A headlong moth, to quick-consuming fire, Or e'er my cunning rivals, nymphs in heaven, Awake in thee an answering desire. Yet, dearest, even this short delay is fated For evermore a deep reproach to prove, A stain that may not be obliterated, If Charm has lived one moment far from Love. And how can I perform the last adorning Of thy poor body, as befits a wife? So strangely on the path that leaves me mourning Thy body followed still the spirit's life. I see thee straighten out thy blossom-arrow, The bow slung careless on thy breast the while, Thine eyes in mirthful, sidelong glance grow narrow, Thy conference with friendly Spring, thy smile. But where is Spring? Dear friend, whose art could fashion The flowery arrow for thee? Has the wrath Of dreadful Shiva, in excess of passion, Bade him, too, follow on that fatal path?"
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144  
145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
adorning
 

passion

 

service

 

friend

 

Spring

 
heaven
 
answering
 

nymphs

 
repose
 

rivals


Return

 

desire

 
dearest
 

coquettish

 
streakings
 

banded

 
cunning
 
demanded
 

incomplete

 

straight


evermore

 

consuming

 

earthly

 

headlong

 

conference

 

narrow

 

friendly

 

glance

 

breast

 

careless


sidelong

 
mirthful
 

excess

 

follow

 

dreadful

 
fashion
 

flowery

 
blossom
 

moment

 
grieve

obliterated
 

reproach

 
perform
 
spirit
 

straighten

 

mourning

 
leaves
 

befits

 
strangely
 

surrendering