238 The Honey-Makers 



" Who loves to tint his lip, the mango spray, 

 With the fresh colors of the early day. 

 And powder its fine red with many a bee 

 That sips the oozing nectar rapturously." 



" For there in eager love the wild bee dipped 

 In the dark flower-cup, where his partner sipped." 



" no dweller of the forest stirred. 

 No wild bee murmured, hushed was every bird." 



Surely it would be a strong hermit who could hold out 

 against such forces, and when the lovely Uma herself ap- 

 peared with her train of maidens the heart of the god was 

 melted within him. 



The poet cannot sufficiently express her charms without 

 telling us that — 



" A greedy bee kept hovering round to sip 

 The fragrant nectar of her blooming lip. 

 She closed her eyes in terror of the thief 

 And beat him from her with a lotus leaf." 



Love, " the god of the flowery shafts," sent his arrow into 

 Siva's heart, but the merciless deity, inflamed with anger, 

 slew the gentle god of love with a glance of his eye. 



In a moment Kama was reduced to ashes, and we have 

 the lament of Rati, his wife, the goddess of love. 



" Say, Kama, say, whose arrow now shall be 

 The soft green shoot of thy dear mango tree, 

 The favorite spray which Koils ^ love so well. 

 And praise in sweetest strain its wondrous spell ? 

 This line of bees which strings thy useless bow 

 Hums mournful echo to my cries of woe." 



Uma, refused by Siva, takes upon herself the most austere 

 vows, and her mother fears for her daughter's strength in 

 the performance of them, for — 



1 The Indian cuckoo. 



