THE WATER-GARDEN 261 



tender touch of the moonbeams, which made them like 

 patches of white moonshine a-gleam through dark foliage. 

 And here again, in places, the pollen of lotus and water- 

 lily, wafted by the dainty fingering of the ripples, em- 

 broidered the shore as if with fine lace of gold. And 

 in yet other places, where it was carpeted with filaments 

 and lapsed petals of lotus and lily, the water had a wide 

 splendour, like a gift of homage and glorification. Yet 

 another beauty was due to its limpid tranquillity, so trans- 

 parent as to show each line and scale and curve of the in- 

 numerable fishes, whose flashing movement were no less 

 plain to view than if they had been wheeling silvery through 

 clear sky. And here the elephants, coming to dip their 

 trunks, blew forth cascades of spray that glittered like 

 loosened strings of pearl. And all the lake was so 

 brilliant that it was the very mirror of the stars, daughters 

 of our Lady Moon. Gay birds abounded there, and their 

 warbling resounded across the water.' 



Thus was the lake constructed by Brahmadatta the 

 King for the allurement of all birds that fly ; and he 

 ordered then a proclamation of safety, and pronounced 

 that the lake, with all its lilies and all its lotuses, was 

 the gift of King Brahmadatta to the birds, that they 

 might come and dwell in safety there. 



And so his wicked scheme came to success one day, 

 * when autumn had drawn away the curtain of dark 

 cloud, and had scattered its beautiful gifts abroad, 

 widening infinitely the clear purity of the horizon ; the 

 lakes were glorious to behold, with their translucent 

 water, and the crowded lilies opening in fullest brilliancy. 

 It was in the time when our Lady Moon, flashing rays 

 of doubled glory, reaches the highest pitch of loveliness 

 and youth; ],when earth, robed in the splendour of 

 innumerable harvests, offers her richest beauty.' 



Thus begins this simple pious old parable, which, like 



