166 Translations from Cliand. [No. 4, 



Translation. 



Towards the eastern quarter is a princely fort, Samud-sikhari, the 

 impregnable ; its king the heroic Bijai, of highly exalted descent : 

 lord of thousand horses, elephants and lands, of imperial dignity ; all 

 puissant chiefs do him service 'mid the din of deep-sounding kettle- 

 drums. 



'Mid the din of deep-sounding kettle-drnms, there is daily equip- 

 ment of heroes, mounting ten thousand horses, their bodies gleaming 

 with gold and jewels. There too innumerable elephants, myriads of 

 horses, a warrior host with thousands of men, each bearing the royal 

 umbrella, all of equal dignity. Ten were his sons, all gallant and 

 fail', comely as the dawn, with countless stores of treasure; but 

 comeliest of all, Prince Padam-sen. 



The comely prince, Padam-sen, had a noble spouse; by her one 

 daughter, brilliant as the sun, lovely as the new moon. 



Lovely as the new moon, did I say ? nay, lovely as the moon in its 

 fulness ; sweet as nectar was the grace of her blooming maidenhood. 

 As the opening lotus, or the circling bee, or the wanton wagtail, so 

 glittered her fawn-like eyes. The pearl, the parrot and the swan lost 

 all courage in her presence, shimmering as a fish in a stream. The 

 horse, the elephant, and the car lent her each its own special grace ; 

 this lotus of Prince Padam-sen must have been fashioned in female 

 form by Kamadeva himself. 



Fashioned by Kamadeva himself, a form of ideal beauty, stealing 

 the hearts alike of gods, men, saints, cattle, birds and deer. Her 

 body had all marks of good fortune ; she was familiar with the sixty- 

 four arts; and well-formed in all her members ; she was graceful as 

 the Spring. Laughing and playing with her companions in the 

 garden of the palace, she beheld a parrot ; great delight filled her soul. 



Great delight filled her soul as when the swan sees the sun ; as she 

 bit her red lips, they seemed to the flock of parrots like a himh. The 

 bird flies round her ; she startled, looks down to her breast ; vehement 

 desire takes her soul, she catches it in her hands. Gladly she detains 

 the little Love, and goes with it into the palace ; there in a cage 

 studded with many jewels, she takes and places it. 



There she takes and places it, forgetting all her sport, and with irre- 

 pressible delight begins teaching it to say Ram, Ram. The parrot, see- 



