PRAC RIT POETRY. 443 



reeds. He found the vase ; and, near it, a hermit*s son 

 pierced by his arrow ; and he stood amazed as if -internally 

 wounded. The king, of glorious lineage, who had already 

 alighted from his horse, eagerly inquired the parentage of the 

 youth; who, resting on the vase, with feeble accents said 

 " he was the son of a hermit, but no priest." Instructed by 

 him, the king conveyed the wounded youth to his blind pa- 

 rents : and to them as they approached their only son, he 

 related his mistaken deed. The unhappy pair, lamenting, 

 conjured the king to draw the arrow from the breast of their 

 woimded son. The youth was dead. The aged hermit rati- 

 fying his curse with tears instead of water for a libation, pro- 

 nounced this imprecation on the king. " In thy extreme 

 age thou shalt reach thy fated time, with grief like mine for a 

 beloved son.'' While he spoke, as it were a serpent assailing 

 first and then discharging fatal venom ; Ca us ALYA'sIord, 

 conscious of the first offence, addressed him thus: *' Thy 

 curse has fallen like a boon on me, who have not seen the 

 beauteous countenance of offspring ; as fire, fed with fuel, 

 fertilises the soil which it burns." The king then said, " For 

 me, who merciless deserves death at thy hands, what are thy 

 commands r" The holy hermit asked fuel for the funeral pile ; 

 he and his wife resolving to follow their son in death. The 

 king,who'-e attendants were now arrived, promptly fulfilled his 

 cnmmand, and remained dejected, bearing with him the her- 

 mit's curse, a cause of his future destruction, as the ocean 

 embraces the devouring fire. Again the king addressed him. 

 ** Wise hermit! what shall this shameless criminal, who de- 

 serves death from thee, now perform." He desired the funeral 

 flame to be duly lighted : and the king presented the fire for 

 him and his wife and son. 



* The chief of the race of R \ghu, attended by his army, 

 now returned to his palace, dejected, bearing in his mind 

 the heavy imprecation ot the saint, as the ocean holds within 

 itself the fire of destruction.' 9. 74. — 89. 



This extract exhibits, besides two stanzas of PuS" 

 pitagrd* and as many of Snnciari metre, -j- both 

 belonging to the present head, and one, of which an 

 example was promised in this place, :|: several others 



• 75 and 70'. 



t 77 and 7p, most properly the last. 



X Swi'igatd 7B. 



