334 THE SINGHALESE CHRONICLES. [Part III. 



"She spake, I, drawing from beside my thigh 

 The faulchion keen, with death denouncing looks, 

 Rush'd on her, — she, with a shrill scream of fear, 

 Ran under my raised arm, seized fast my knees. 

 And in winged accents plaintive thus began : — 



* Who, whence thy city, and thy birth declare, — 

 Amazed I see thee with that potion drenched. 

 Yet unenchanted : never man before 



Once passed it through his lips and lived the same. 



* * * * Sheath again 

 Thy sword, and let us on my bed recline. 

 Mutual embrace, that we may trust henceforth 

 Each other without jealousy or fear.' 



The goddess spake, to whom I thus replied : 

 ' Oh Circe, canst thou bid me meek become. 

 And gentle, who beneath thy roof detain'st 

 My fellow- voyagers. * * * 



No, trust me, never will I share thy bed. 

 Till first, oh goddess, thou consent to swear 

 That dread, all-binding oath, that other harm 

 Against myself, thou wilt imagine none.' 

 I spake, she, swearing as I bade, renounced 

 All evil purpose, and her solemn oath 

 Concluded, I ascended next her bed." ' 



The story of Wijayo's interview with Kuweni is told in 

 nearly the same terms as it appeared in the Mahaiuanso in the 

 Rajavali, p. 172. 



Another classical coincidence is curious : we are strongly 

 reminded of Homer's description of the Syrens by the following 

 passage, relative to the female Rakshasis, or demons, by whom 

 Ceylon was originally inhabited, which is given in the memoirs 

 of Higuen-Thsang, the Chinese traveller in the 7th century, 

 as extracted by him from the Buddhist Chronicles. "Elles 

 epiaient constamment les marchands qui abordaient dans I'isle, 

 et se changeant en femmes d'une grande beaute elles venaient 

 au-devant d'eux avec des fleurs odorantes et au son des instru- 

 ments de musique, leur adressaient des paroles bienveillantes et 

 les attiraient dans la ville de fer. Alors elles leur offraient un 

 joyeux festin et se livraient au plaisir avec eux: puis elles les 

 enfermaient dans un prison de fer et les mangeaient I'un apr^s 

 I'autre." ^ 



' CowrEK's Odyssey, B. x. p. 892. 



2 HioUEN-TnsANG, Mem. des Pcler. Boudd. 1. xi, p. 181. 



