GIFT OF RELATIVES BEING FURTHER VERSES TRANSLATED FROM THE SANSKRIT BY ARTHUR WILLIAM RYDER TRANSLATOR OF Women s Eyes : Kalidasa : The Little Clay Cart Twenty-Two Goblins For a self-conceited modish life, made up of trifles, clinging to a corporeal civilization, hating ideas, there is no remedy like the Oriental largeness. EMERSON. SAN FRANCISCO A. M. ROBERTSON MCMXIX COPYRIGHT, 1919 BY A. M. ROBERTSON TO MY FRIEND LEON JOSIAH RICHARDSON DIRECTOR, MILITARY BUREAU UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Six things are done by friends: To take^ and give again; To listen , and to talk-, To dine, to entertain. From the PANCHATANTRA -I INTRODUCTION This volume is in some sense a sequel to the poems from the Sanskrit presented under the title "Women s Eyes". The present collection has less unity. Almost all of the verses of "Women s Eyes" were translated from Bhartrihari) the greatest Indian writer of verse epigrams. The verses here presented are from many sources^ and the selections are of very different length and date. The only bond of union is this that these poems are all taken from the ancient Sanskrit language^ and all seemed to the translator worthy of an English rendering. The oldest selection is the satirical Hymn to Faith-> which is found in the Rigveda, and may have been composed more than a thousand years before the be ginning of the Christian era. The latest is the Thief s Song) written in Kashmir in the eleventh century A. D. There are selections from Maha- bharata and Ramayana^ the two great epics whose INTRODUCTION beginnings precede by centuries the birth of Christ. There are poems by Bhartrihari and Kalidasa, poets for whom the date 500 A. D. is convenient, though probably only approximate. There are bits from the two fable books, Hitopadesha and Panchatantra, whose material is much more ancient than their present form. I have striven faithfully for a literal rendering. Though a rendering into verse cannot be quite as close as a prose version, there are, in the shorter pieces and in the Thief s Song, no wilful additions or subtractions. In the longer narrative selections some condensation seemed desirable ; here, too, noth ing is added. I am under obligations to the University of Cali fornia Chronicle for permission to reprint certain verses which first appeared in its pages. ARTHUR W. RYDER BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA September 20, 1919 CONTENTS Page RELATIVES 1 A RULE OF LIFE 3 THE PERVERSITY OF FATE 3 THE SLAVE TO HER MASTER 4 A FAITHFUL FRIEND 5 A FAITHLESS FRIEND 5 FRIENDSHIP S BROTHERS 6 HEEDLESSNESS 6 OLD AGE 7 THE CHESS-GAME 7 MANU AND THE FISH 8 THOUGHTS ON HAVING ONE S WIFE STOLEN BY A GIANT 15 THE FORTUNATE FOOL 18 FORESIGHT 18 A PRAYER 19 PROXIES 19 SIMPLE JUSTICE 20 ONE FATE OF Two 21 GENTLENESS 21 POT-EAR S AWAKENING 22 FORTITUDE 38 HYMN TO FAITH 42 WIPE OUT DELUSION 43 LIFE 44 How LONG, O LORD? 44 CONTENTS Page LITERARY CRITICISM 45 A JOY FOREVER 45 HOSPITALITY 46 HE CAN T STAND PROSPERITY 46 No NEED OF BOASTING 47 DRONA S DEATH 48 THE THIRSTY FOOL 52 PESSIMISM 53 OPTIMISM 54 THE THIEF S SONG 56 THE STRENUOUS LIFE . . 69 A SINGLE GRAB 69 ART IN A PUPIL 70 FATALISM 70 EXTRAVAGANCE .". 71 NATURE 72 YOUR NATURE 72 PREACHING 73 DEAD LOVE.... 74 HEAVEN ABOVE AND HEAVEN BELOW 75 THE BAD SON 75 ENTER INTO THY CLOSET 76 TRY AGAIN 76 THE BLESSING OF SILENCE 77 SIMPLE DEER-HORN 78 PEACE 89 VISION 90 I LOVE THE WOODS 91 No COMPROMISE 92 CAUSE AND EFFECT 93 CONTENTS Page NATURAL BEAUTY 94 WOMAN S WEAPONS 94 THE FAILURE OF EDUCATION 95 A NEGLECTED EDUCATION 96 YAYATI S SONG 97 GOOD-BYE TO SPRING 98 USE THE ROD 99 LITTLE CHILDREN 99 STRIKE 100 WHY MEN FIGHT 101 AFTER LIFE S FITFUL FEVER 102 THE INTELLIGENT CORPSE 103 WISDOM S SOUP .. 104 RELATIVES RELATIVES From the RAMAYANA I saw some great, wild elephants who Were gathered in a ring; They saw some men with a lassoo, And they began to sing: We fear no fire nor goad nor sling, Nor any man that lives; We do not fear a single thing Except our relatives. For relatives are selfish, mean, And always setting traps : We understand what we have seen; Perhaps we know PERHAPS. Girls give us hopes, too often vain; Cows give us tallow grease; Our relatives give us a pain ; The clergy give us peace. RELATIVES A thirsty bee will kiss a flower, And then extract the honey; A relative will praise your power, And carry off your money. An elephant will bathe his skin, Then dust it till it s black; A relative will praise his kin, And stab them in the back. We fear no fire nor goad nor sling, Nor any man that lives; We do not fear a single thing Except our relatives/ RELATIVES A RULE OF LIFE From the HITOPADESHA To wealth and wisdom give your days, Like one whom age and death would spare; Yet hourly walk in righteous ways, As if Death had you by the hair. THE PERVERSITY OF FATE From the ANTHOLOGY I see a dog, but not a stone; I find a stone, the dog is flown; If dog and stone at once I view, The king s dog! Damn! What can I do? RELATIVES THE SLAVE TO HER MASTER From KALIDASA S MALAVIKA My love is all in vain ; Bid hope depart, My heart! Yet thrills in me again What will not bear Despair. Beloved, give to me The joy unknown Alone; For slavery keeps from thee, Lord of my life! Thy wife. RELATIVES A FAITHFUL FRIEND From KALIDASA S MALAVIKA To bring hard matters to an end, One needs to have a faithful friend: To see an object in the night, Even eyes must have a candle s light. A FAITHLESS FRIEND From the PANCHATANTRA Whoever trusts a faithless friend And twice in him believes, Lays hold on death as willingly As when a mule conceives. RELATIVES FRIENDSHIP S BROTHERS From the PANCHATANTRA To give us birth we need a mother; For second birth we need another: And friendship s brothers seem by far More dear than natural brothers are. HEEDLESSNESS From BHARTRIHARI Old age, an awful tigress, growls: And shafts of sickness pierce the bowels; Life s water trickles from its jar Tis strange how thoughtless people are. RELATIVES OLD AGE From BHARTRIHARI Gone long ago are they who gave us birth; Old friends are memories upon this earth ; Our lives are undermined and daily sink, Like trees upon the river s sandy brink. THE CHESS-GAME From BHARTRIHARI Where there were scattered pieces on the board, There now is one; Next, many slaughtered pieces are restored, Then all are gone: The dice are day and night; the board is life; Time and again Death plays a fearful chess-game with his wife The pawns are men. RELATIVES MANU AND THE FISH From the MAHABHARATA I There was a gentle, holy sage Named Manu, in a former age. The woes of life he would not blink; For many years he did not wink. With ragged clothes and frowsy hair He lived beside a stream. And there He saw a fish who thus began To speak to him. "O holy man, I am a little fish, you see; And bigger fishes frighten me. For bigger fishes eat the small ; It is their nature, once for all. So dreadful terror weighs me down ; Besides, I fear that I shall drown. Then save me. Some day I will do An equal favor, sir, to you/ 8 RELATIVES II So Manu, when he heard his wish, Stretched forth a hand, and took the fish, And dropped him in a water-jar That was as bright as moonbeams are. And in the jar the little fish Had everything his heart could wish. He grew and thrived on food and fun, For Manu loved him like a son. At last he grew too big by far To live within the water-jar. He said: " Good Manu, I would thank You very kindly for a tank." So Manu took him to a tank Eight miles in breadth from bank to bank, And twice as long. There, free from fears, He lived and grew for many years. RELATIVES III And when he grew too big to play There in a comfortable way, He said to Manu: " Pray deliver, And put me in the Ganges River. And I will never show you spite, But some day help you, as is right. My growth has not been selfish; it Has happened for your benefit." Kind Manu, anxious to deliver His friend, went to the Ganges River, And left him happy. As before He grew in time a little more. And then he said to Manu: "Dear, I can no longer wiggle here. My holy friend, be good to me, And take me quickly to the sea. " 10 RELATIVES So Manu took him tenderly And travelled quickly to the sea. The fish tried not to weigh too much, And to be nice to smell and touch. IV The fish, when he had reached the ocean, Smiled at his holy friend s devotion, And said: "O kind and holy man, You do as much as fathers can. And now tis time for me to do A little something, dear, for you. For you must know, my holy friend, The world is hastening to its end. A dreadful time is near at hand For all the things that move or stand; There comes a flood that has no bound, And everybody will be drowned. 11 RELATIVES So build a ship and build it strong: Put ropes on board both stout and long. And one thing further you will need, Neat packages of every seed. Embark then with the seven seers, And wait, good Manu, free from fears, Until I come. And you will see A horn upon the head of me. Till then, farewell. Do not delay. The danger grows from day to day." V Then Manu packed most carefully The seeds, and straightway put to sea. His good ship gently rose and fell Upon the ocean s mighty swell. He longed to see the friendly fish, Who came in answer to the wish. He seemed a floating mountain dread; A horn was growing on his head. 12 RELATIVES So Manu, feeling less forlorn, Fastened a rope about the horn, And felt the ship glide speedily Over the dancing, salty sea. But when the wind began to roar And ocean thundered more and more, The tossing, shaken ship began To stagger like a drunken man. No land remained to cheer them there, But only water, sky, and air; No life through all those many years Save Manu, fish, and seven seers. But Manu, all those many years, Went sailing with the seven seers; The fish pulled on with might and main And did not weary nor complain. At last he did, however, stop Beside the highest mountain-top, And bade them tie the ship; and they Call it Ship Mountain to this day. 13 RELATIVES VI And then, with wide, unwinking eyes, The fish, to \lanu s great surprise, Declared : * I saved the seven seers From death and agonizing fears; For I am Brahma. And my friend, Kind Manu, who has seen the end Of all the world, shall make again Gods, devils, animals, and men. " And so he disappeared. But they, Amazed, departed on their way, While kindly Manu made again Gods, devils, animals, and men. Now all have heard who had the wish The tale of Manu and the fish. And everyone who takes it in, Shall be forever free from sin. 14 RELATIVES THOUGHTS ON HAVING ONE S WIFE STOLEN BY A GIANT From the RAMAYANA. This is the lament of the hero Rama, when his wife Sita is carried away by Ravan, the giant king of Ceylon. They say that as the seasons move, Our sorrow gently fades away; But I am far from her I love And sorrow deepens every day. That she is gone, is not my woe; That she was reft, is not my pain ; The thought that agonizes so Is this; her youth is spent in vain. Blow, breezes, blow to her dear face; Blow back to me her kisses sweet: Through you we taste a glad embrace, And in the moon our glances meet. When she was torn away from me, My lord ! My love ! was all her cry, Which tortures me incessantly; My heart is poisoned, and I die. 15 RELATIVES 1 burn upon an awful pyre ; My body wastes by day and night; Her loss is fuel to feed the fire That burns so pitilessly white. If I could leave each loving friend, Could sink beneath the sea, and sleep, Perhaps the fire of love would end, If I could slumber in the deep. One thought consoles my worst distress; Through this I live : I cannot die While she lies down in loveliness Upon the self-same earth as I. The sun-parched rice, no longer wet, Lives on, while earth her moisture gives; The root of love supports me yet, For they have told me that she lives. Though giants hem her round, yet soon She shall be freed, and shall arise As radiantly as the moon From clouds that darken autumn skies. 16 RELATIVES When shall I pierce the giant s breast With shafts that suck his life away, That give my tortured darling rest And all her absent griefs allay? When shall I feel the close embrace Of my good goddess, as in dreams? When kiss her smile, while on her face The water born of gladness gleams? When shall I pluck from out my heart A heart by woes of absence torn The pain of life from love apart, Forget it, like a garment worn? 17 RELATIVES THE FORTUNATE FOOL From BHARTRIHARI God to the fool a way has shown, A way unfailing, all his own, To hide his lack of sense; For each, however great a fool, Among the wise may wear the jewel Called Silence. FORESIGHT From BHARTRIHARI From loving girls, ye wise, refrain; Tis little pleasure, longer pain. But love three females none the less, Compassion, Wisdom, Friendliness. For swelling breasts of lovely girls, Trembling beneath their strings of pearls, And hips with jingling girdles well, They do not help you much in hell. 18 RELATIVES PROXIES From the HITOPADESHA When righteous acts must needs be done, When time of service has begun, In caring for the servant crowd, In the begetting of a son, No proxies are allowed. A PRAYER From BHARTRIHARI O father wind, friend light, and earth my mother! O kinsman water, heaven s space my brother! I bow, I pray: with you in union blest May I be good, in brightest wisdom smother The dark, and sink at last in God to rest. 19 RELATIVES SIMPLE JUSTICE From AMARU If, maiden of the lotus eye, Your anger hurts you so, Tis right you should not let it die, You hardly could, you know. But once I gave you an embrace, To keep it would be pain; And once I kissed your willing face, Give me that kiss again. 20 RELATIVES ONE FATE OF TWO From BHARTRIHARI One fate of two for the jasmine flower, The same for the wise and good; To shine at the head of all the. world, Or to wither in the wood. GENTLENESS From the MAHABHARATA To gentleness the ruffians bend, And gentlefolk no less; It moves relentless to its end So fierce is gentleness. 21 RELATIVES POT-EAR S AWAKENING From the RAMAYANA. When the giant citadel in Ceylon was in vested by Rama and his army, the giant king determined to call to his assistance his most redoubtable subject, Pot-ear. This giant was normally awake only one day every six months. He must therefore be awakened before he can employ his great strength and courage in the giant cause. I They started forth, the giant band Obedient to their king s command, With flesh and blood as tempting food, With wreaths and perfumes, sweet and good. And so they came to Pot-ear s door, Where stretched the cave a league and more On every side, where blossoms sweet Poured fragrance forth, a guest to greet. And all that mighty giant band Before his snoring scarce could stand; They tottered, but with spirit brave They fought their way into the cave. 22 RELATIVES There Pot-ear stretched this way and that Just like a mountain tumbled flat, Hideous in his slumber deep, For he was very sound asleep. They saw him bristle, saw him shake; They heard him hissing like a snake; They felt his breathing like a storm That blew them from his ugly form. They saw his nostrils sink and swell, His throat that yawned like gates of hell; The dreadful, sprawling form they saw That smelt of dinners eaten raw. They made a mountain of the food That they had brought, so sweet and good; Beside his bed the mountain rose Of deer and boars and buffaloes. They grasped their trumpets glittering bright As moonbeams shining in the night; Impatiently they blew and blew, And screamed and howled and shouted, too. 23 RELATIVES Through all the tumult loud and deep Pot-ear lay snoring, fast asleep; They saw he did not mind their clamor And seized a stone, or club, or hammer. They tumbled boulders on his chest, To see if they could break his rest. They beat a hundred rub-a-dubs With fists and hammers, bars and clubs. The only answer was a snore A little deeper than before That blew away the giant band; Before his breath they could not stand. More sternly yet the giants strove: With sticks and whips and goads they drove Horses and elephants abreast, Asses and camels on his chest. They clubbed and pounded without pity, Until the tumult filled the city; They made the woods and mountains shake, But giant Pot-ear would not wake. 24 RELATIVES Then anger filled each giant breast; They swore that they would break his rest. One last attack they made at length With all their might and wrath and strength. And there were some to beat the drum, While screamed and howled and shouted some; Some bit his ears, while some would tear Away great handfuls of his hair. A hundred water-pots they poured Into his ears, and still he snored; They could not shake his slumber deep; Pot-ear was very sound asleep. Some took a hammer or a club, With all their might began to drub Upon his chest and limbs and head To wake him from his drowsy bed. They tied great, spiky stones to ropes And dragged them over him; their hopes Were disappointed still; for he Slept on with peaceful dignity. 25 RELATIVES But when a thousand elephants Upon his chest began to dance, Then Pot-ear, gently tickled, broke From bonds of slumber, and awoke. He did not heed the falling stones Or clubs that rattled on his bones, But yawned and raised himself to see What breakfast might provided be. The giants pointed to the food That they had brought, so sweet and good; Then Pot-ear in his might arose And ate some boars and buffaloes. II Now when the meat, with wine afloat, Had vanished down his mighty throat, Dull Pot-ear shook his heavy head, And rolled his sleepy eyes, and said ; 26 RELATIVES Great matters surely are at stake, Or I should hardly be awake; And for our giant king, I will Cool fire or overturn a hill But tell me why I am awake; Surely great matters are at stake." Then giant Post-eye bent him low And humbly answered: " Pot-ear, know That neither gods nor devils can Affright us but we fear a man. He leads his mountainous apes across The strait, for grief at Sita s loss. One ape has burned our splendid town And he has struck Prince Aksha down. While Ravan, heaven s scourge and thorn, Has been by Rama overborne In single fight, and has been spared A thing no god or devil dared." Then Pot-ear rolled his eyes, and said : Well, I v/ill strike the monkeys dead, 27 RELATIVES With Lakshman and with Rama, and Before our king as victor stand. And monkey flesh and blood shall be Your food the blood of men for me." So Pot-ear, rising, took a cup And drank, to keep his courage up; He drank two thousand jars of wine, And washed his face, and made it shine. Eager, excited, haughty, proud, He towered above the giant crowd; And as he strode his king to greet, Earth trembled underneath his feet. Ill On, to his brother s proud abode, Half-drunk with sleep and wine, he strode; Red-eyed with wrath, he bowed him low, And asked; "Why was I wakened so? 28 RELATIVES What danger threatens, or what ill? Whom would you like to have me kill?" And Ravan, maddened by his wrong, Said: Brother, you have slept too long; So all the wickedness and woe That Rama works, you do not know; How he has built a bridge, and crossed The channel with a monkey host. Behold their strangely hideous shapes! See Lanka s groves, one sea of apes! They kill our bravest when we fight; For who can conquer monkey might? Ah, brother, save your stricken nation, Your king reduced to supplication; You know I love you and adore you; I know how devils flee before you. So, if you have a warrior s might, Or if you love your brother, fight! Or if you would not sulk apart While trouble makes me sad at heart. 29 VJMf RELATIVES He only is a friend indeed Who aids his sinful friend in need, Who indefatigably gives A helping hand to relatives. " IV Then Pot-ear felt his brother s woe, And answered softly, soothing, slow: In battle s forefront I will slay Rama, and chase his apes away. Yes, I would drink the sea, eat fire, Slay Death himself, should you desire; Would crush the mountains, pierce the earth, Smite sun and stars, to bring you mirth, And food to me. I sleep so long And grow so hungry and so strong That earth and heaven and hell would be A not too bounteous meal for me. 30 RELATIVES Rejoice, and let your heart incline To every pleasure rare and fine, And murmur, as you sip your wine Sita is mine, forever mine ." V So Ravan, knowing Pot-ear s might, Rejoiced, and felt his heart grow light; While Pot-ear grasped, his foe to strike, His trusty, gold-bespangled pike The pike that gods and devils feared, Made of black iron, in spots besmeared With many a stain and blotch of red, By foemen s blood contributed. Then, maddened by the reek of blood, To the great city wall he strode, While flowers and prayers upon him fell, And drums and trumpets wished him well. 31 RELATIVES And there he paused and spoke : * To-day Shall all the monkeys fade away Like moths in flame. I would not care To hurt them in their forest lair; Indeed, the species often proves Quite ornamental in our groves; But Rama is the cause of all Our woe; so he and his must fall. He spoke, nor heeded signs of ill That waited on his footsteps still The sky as red as asses skin, The clouds with lightning mingled in, The jackals spitting fire on high, The throbbing arm, the twitching eye, The vulture on his pike-staff croaking, The thunderbolt before him smoking. He heeded not, but leaped the wall, Obeying thus the certain call Of Death; and straight the monkey crowds Scattered and fled like riven clouds. 32 RELATIVES But Angad called: " Why would you flee Like apes of mean or no degree? Return and prove your valor: thus He shall not prove a match for us. Ashamed, they seized upon great boulders Or lifted trees upon their shoulders; The trees were splintered, striking him; Rocks split upon his every limb. While underneath his blows they bled And swooned and died, or turned and fled; Till Angad called them back to fight, Reproving thus their shameless flight: Why save your lives? Why run away? What will the monkey women say? For high-born monkeys may not flee Like vulgar apes of no degree. And if we fight our best and die, We win a hero s home on high; If victory should crown our worth, We win a hero s name on earth. 33 RELATIVES " But life is dear to us:" they said, " And Pot-ear quickly strikes us dead." Yet, rallying to their prince s name, They fought once more for very shame. VI They sought for courage in despair: For wounds and death they did not care Nor for their scores and hundreds slain And eaten on the battle-plain. Then great Hanuman hurled a shower Of boulders, using all his power; But Pot-ear answered with a blow From that fierce pike, that laid him low. The mountain crag that Nila hurled He caught, as through the air it whirled, And powdered it, till sparks and flame Forth from the tortured missile came. 34 RELATIVES Then monkeys by the thousand poured Upon him, bit and tore and roared; Even as they clawed and gashed and smote, They vanished in their hell, his throat. " With Rama only will I fight, " Cried Pot-ear: "then will put to flight, When he is dead, your warriors all;" And Rama answered Pot-ear s call With shafts that pierced his shaggy chest; Then, spitting fire, with bleeding breast, He charged, but from his weakened hand The weapons dropped upon the sand. Yet with bare, weakened hands he slew Two hundred monkeys as they flew Upon him; then, with tempest-shock He hurled a craggy, ponderous rock At Rama, who evaded it, While Pot-ear, in a foaming fit, Turned, licking bloody chops, and slew Of monkey warriors not a few. 35 RELATIVES And hoarsely laughing, shouted so : " Rama, I am no common foe Like those that you have slain; this club With which I have been wont to drub The gods and devils, you shall feel As it prepares you for my meal. " An answering arrow cut away The right arm and the club. They lay Immense. A second arrow sped And shore away his bleeding head, Which tumbled, grinning horribly, Among the fishes in the sea. Then choirs of heaven praised the might Of Rama in that dreadful fight; And monkey faces blossomed bright Like lilies in the glad sun-light. VII But in the city Ravan kept A tortured vigil, moaned and wept: 36 RELATIVES "Ah, Pot-ear! Source of all my hope and gladness! Where are you flown, Leaving unplucked your brother s thorn of sadness, Dying alone? My right arm were you; you I trusted only, Death s match! And can The tamer of high gods be sleeping lonely, Slain by a man ? The gods rejoice, forgetting all their anguish; Foes not a few Soon will assail the fortress where I languish, Grieving for you. I am no king, nor Sita s lover longer Till I shall give Battle to Rama, prove myself the stronger, Vainly I live. And should it be his lot to slay another, Gladly I die; Beside the headless form that was my brother, There let me lie." 37 RELATIVES FORTITUDE From the MAHABHARATA. This is the consolation offered to those who have lost kinsmen in the great epic war All gathering ends in dissipation; All heaps, at last, must fall; All friendships melt in separation; And death at last ends all. The coward dies, the hero lives A space, but none pass by The appointed days that heaven gives Then let us fighting die. All lives begin from nothingness, Stir for a time, and then (No cause for grief) sink into less Than nothingness again. Death has no enemy nor friend; Each in his turn must pass, Must helpless to that bidding bend As wind-blown blades of grass. 38 RELATIVES Our goal is there. And every day The one long caravan Moves on with death to point the way. Why should it grieve a man? For all the saints and scholars old Since first the world began Are gone, with every fighter bold. Why should it grieve a man? The fighter slain attains to heaven; The other wins the fight; To each is much advantage given; Fighting is good and right. And God, who loves a fighting man, Hailing a welcome guest, Prepares with all the care he can, A seat among the blest. Oh, trust yourself, and spare your tears For those who fell in strife ; Not all your sorrow, pain, and fears Can bring the dead to life. 39 RELATIVES Hundreds of parents, sons, and wives Loved you with passion true; Gone are the loves of former lives What do they mean to you? Time makes us win our strength, and keep; Time tells us when to die; Time is awake when others sleep; Time passes no man by. Youth vanishes, and beauty, wealth, And love and friendship die With life itself and living health ; But wise men do not cry. They do not cry, but fight; and then Forget their former woes; For pain forgotten is not pain, But pain remembered, grows. This wisdom heals the heart s dull woes As herbs the body s pain; When palliating wisdom grows, We are not children then. 40 RELATIVES One thing remains of all our loves, Our wealth and honors won The character that onward moves, The deeds that we have done. Man has no enemy nor friend Except himself; alone He knows what deeds to virtue tend, What seeds of sin are sown 41 RELATIVES HYMN TO FAITH From the RIGVEDA By Faith the holy fire is lit, And sung the liturgy; We pray to Faith with all our wit For prosperous piety. Give wealth, O Faith, to me who give Such worship as I can; Make me respected, make me live A rich, religious man. The gods have faith from imps, I see; For what they will, they can; Enlarge my prosperous piety As a rich, religious man. Gods worship Faith, and pious men Must worship every hour; If faith first fills our bosoms, then Faith gives us wealth and power. 42 RELATIVES We call on Faith by morning s light, On -Faith in glare of day, On Faith when evening sinks to night O Faith, give faith to pray! WIPE OUT DELUSION From BHARTRIHARI Wipe out delusion, O my soul! Seek peace in Shiva ever; Dwell on the banks whereunder roll Floods of the sacred river; Who trusts in waves that break and crash, In bonfires flaming flakes, In bubble or in lightning-flash, In women, streams, or snakes? RELATIVES LIFE From BHARTRIHARI Here is the sound of lutes, and there are screams and wailing; Here winsome girls, there bodies old and failing; Here scholars talk, there drunkards mad commotion Is life a nectared or a poisoned potion? HOW LONG, O LORD ? From BHARTRIHARI Alone, without desire, at rest, In atmosphere of heaven drest, My hand for spoon, when shall I be, O Shiva, God ! from karma free ? 44 RELATIVES LITERARY CRITICISM From KALIDASA S MALAVIKA Established fame is not enough; Not all the new is wretched stuff. The wise approve where er they may; The fools repeat what critics say. A JOY FOREVER From BHARTRIHARI The poet-kings who know the art To touch the chord that moves the heart, Secure may draw their breath; Far from the body of their fame apart Lurk fears of age and death. 45 RELATIVES HOSPITALITY From the HITOPADESHA A mat of straw upon the floor, Water, and kindly words as well: These things at least, if nothing more, Are always found where good men dwell. HE CAN T STAND PROSPERITY From the MAHABHARATA The man who does not steel his heart To evil fates and fair, Is crumbled by prosperity Like unbaked earthenware. 46 RELATIVES NO NEED OF BOASTING y^ From the MAHABHAKATA The wise who conquer cities vast, Win wealth untold, and call The mighty earth their own, are not Disposed to boast at all. The fire cooks silently; the sun Shines, but he does not talk; The dumb earth bears all moving things And all that do not walk 47 RELATIVES DRONA S DEATH From the MAHABHARATA. Drona is the eighty-year old hero who had instructed the heroes of both the opposing armies in the use of arms. While Drona led the Kuru van, The Pandu army to a man Was beaten back and strove in vain To dominate the battle-plain. Where tramp and clash of battle grew Like crackling flames in dry bamboo, There Drona blazed, a smokeless fire That fed on death and mounted higher. Where aged Drona s arrows passed, Horse, man, and tusker breathed their last. Like hissing snakes his arrows sped And left a trail of reeking red. The Pandu army fought in vain Against him. They had all been slain, Had not they striven to beguile Their foe with false and wicked wile. 48 RELATIVES For Bhima cried aloud and said : " Old man, your son is stark and dead. As silly simpletons will fight For wife and child and money bright, So you have fought and all for one, Your dearly loved, your only son; Who studied in the school of strife, And paid his lesson with his life. Dead on the plain his body lies A prey to all that creeps and flies." The father heard the lie, and slow His hand released the fatal bow; He sank, yet roused himself again In one strong cry: " Fight on, my men! Destroy the treacherous Pandu line, But hope no more for aid of mine. All hatred dies from out my breast; Remains religion s peaceful rest." 49 RELATIVES His foe believed the Brahman s word And darted with uplifted sword To pierce him through, while all the men And all the horses shrieked in pain. But Drona, in ecstatic prayer, Knew not his foe was standing there; Wrapped in inviolable fire, He thought on God with pure desire. We saw his lifted face; we heard His murmuring lips pronounce the word 1 * Amen!" We felt him pray; at last We knew his hero soul had passed. For while his body tumbled dead, A flame flashed from his cloven head; His soul flew in the flame above To dwell with God in deathless love. There were but five of mortal birth Who saw his spirit leave the earth; Who heard the choirs of angels sing Divinely in their welcoming; 50 RELATIVES Saw heaven s everlasting fire Flash out, and flicker, and expire; And knew that he was with the saints Where God s love wearies not nor faints. But all could see the bloody corse, By arrows torn and trampling horse; All sorrowed for the evil done Save one insatiate foe alone, Who scorned our hero s eighty years And scant hair gray behind the ears; He hacked the body from the head, To show his hatred for the dead. And all the army fled away; Where Drona died, they could not stay; But Drona s spirit dwells on high Among the stars that light the sky. 51 RELATIVES THE THIRSTY FOOL From the KATHASARITSAGARA A thirsty fool had labored much To reach a river fair; Then would not drink, perceiving such A lot of water there. " Why do n t you drink?" A neighbor cried Who saw the thing befall; " How can I?" Simpleton replied; "I couldn t drink it all." " Suppose you leave a little bit," Said neighbor, " Do you think The king would punish you for it?" The booby would not drink. Just like a fool! He sees a thing That terrifies his heart; He loses time in dallying, And never gets a start. 52 RELATIVES PESSIMISM From the MAHABHARATA Our happiness is past; a curse On sin and lack of truth ! Yet each tomorrow will be worse, For earth has lost her youth. Fraud and illusion crowd the time; Conduct and virtue flee; Religion seeks a happier clime The worst is yet to be. 53 RELATIVES , OPTIMISM From the RAMAYANA Toward Death we move with every breath ; Death dogs us every day; However far we journey, Death Is never far away. We laugh to see the rising sun, And laugh to see him set; Nor think that when the day is done, Our days are fewer yet. Our hearts are warm to each new spring, Each summer, winter, fall; But what the passing seasons bring Is only Death to all. * As log collides with log upon The sea, and parts again, So friend and gold and wife and son Love and abandon men. 54 RELATIVES As if a traveler should meet A hurrying caravan, And say: "I too with willing feet Will follow as I can/ So to the long parade we cleave That with the world began : Then do not grieve, you cannot leave The social caravan. The hours of youth grow ever less; No river climbs the hill; Then turn your thoughts to happiness, Which is your portion still. 55 RELATIVES THE THIEF S SONG The CHAURA-PANCHASHIKA of the poet Bilhana, who lived in Kashmir in the eleventh century. The thief has stolen a princess heart, and has been thrown into prison, on the discovery of the intrigue, by the irate father. While awaiting the king s pleasure, he writes his song, which comes to the royal ear, procuring him liberty and the legitimation of his love. The verbal trick of the translation is found also in the Sanskrit. As then she was, I think of her today : The face that blossomed as she woke from sleep, The slender waist, the golden champaks gay, The self-surrendering love; and I must weep For magic happiness I could not keep. If I could see her once again today, Fair as the moon, as beautifully pale, Full-bosomed, love-sick, bearing queenly sway O er youth and charm, that only would avail To heal my fever, and to make me hale. If I could see her lotus-eyes today, The breast that into sloping shoulders slips, Would I not clasp her in my arms straightway And drink the maddening honey of her lips, Drunk like the bee that from the lotus sips! 56 RELATIVES In prison I remember her today : Dark curls against the pallor of her cheek; The soft resistance as she strove to stay My eager love with arms around my neck Yet shamed, and even in her resisting, meek. Awaiting death, I think of her today: Of her sweet face, her timid, downward glance, Her eyes that in their restlessness betray The madness of love s long and waking trance Queen-swan among love s flowering lily-plants! If I could see her in my cell today, If arms that yearn for her could but receive her, My best of love should comfort her, should slay The absence and the sorrows that bereave her, I d close my eyes, and never, never leave her. A vision comes to comfort me today, A slender form that gives to dance a grace Unknown before with beauties that obey Love s bidding, and a pale but shining face, And earrings that in air strange patterns trace. 57 RELATIVES And I remember in my bonds today, How she, with soft, smooth sandal powder sweet, And musk diffusing pungent perfume, lay Upon her couch, how arching brows would greet Her lovely eyes, like lips that kissing meet. Here, chained and fettered, I recall today, The slender form, eyes veiled in modest fear, The wine-sweet lips I kissed in loving play, The musk, the saffron of my own Kashmir, Betel, and camphor, that to her were dear The crowning moment I recall today, When all her soul is given to my lips, When, clad in love s warm, golden, glad array, My darling from the hated palace slips, Like to the moon delivered from eclipse. But slighter joys are in my mind today, How once a lovers quarrel checked our glee; Then when I sneezed, the princess would not say " God bless you!" but with silent coquetry Stuck blossoms in her hair, to madden me. 58 RELATIVES Another picture visits me today: The drops of weariness that oft would seek To make upon her face a pearl inlay When love had left her pale and worn and weak) The golden earring that would fret her cheek. I seem to see her lovely breast today, The skirt that tripped her quick steps on the floor, The glance that modesty would lead astray And love bring back to me, the lips grown sore Because I would be kissing evermore. I seem to see my princess-bride today Moving with swan-like, undulating grace, And in her hand a red ashoka-spray, Pearl necklace on her breast in close embrace, Quick smiles that light the pallor of her face. I see her gold-bespangled dress today Held as a frail defending shield, the pain Of my too eager passion to allay, Clutched tightly as she struggles once again For very shame to leave me but in vain. 59 RELATIVES Her golden bracelets haunt my thoughts today, Her restless eyes that pierce a gloom like this As memories that none can take away, The teeth of pearl, red lips, the secret bliss, The wealth of hair that fresh-picked blossoms kiss. That wealth of hair I seem to see today When ribbons break and flowers begin to fall; Then heaven is opened in the dazzling ray Of her dear smile; at love s imperious call We sink in bliss that none may share at all. And I remember in my cell today How she would come to find me through the night, Guided by beams illumining her way From lamps that glitter with a gem-like light On her shamed face, and mine with kindness bright. Well I remember thee, my love, today: Thy startled eyes as of a gentle deer, Thy body wasting at the least delay Of love, thy graceful gait, thy teeth so dear Delights of heaven transplanted to Kashmir! 60 RELATIVES I hear the echo of thy laugh today : I see thy bosom quiver in sheer glee; I see the necklace, darting beams that stray About thy neck; sure, Love has planted thee Upon a hill, his bright flower flag to be ! Yes, I can hear through dungeon-walls today Sweet flatteries of thine, when, soon or late. Passion grew weary in its house of clay; I hear the parrot quaintly imitate, Learning soft words to utter to her mate. Even as in prison I recall today The limp, surrendered form, the luscious hair, The half-shut eyes, the swanlike, queenly play In love s bright lotus-pool, I cannot bear, In death or life, to be without her there. If I could see her once again today At sunset, see her fawnlike, gracious eyes, If on her heavenly bosom I could lay My cheek and rest oh, I should quite despise The saint, the king, the blest in Paradise. 61 RELATIVES For I remember fervently today Her beauty perfect in its every part, To which all other lovely women pay Their homage, for tis far beyond their art Queen of love s drama, mistress of my heart! I could not, if I would, forget today Even for a moment, such a wondrous wife, So young, so helpless that she seems to pray For pity, stabbed by love as by a knife, Nearer than garments are, more dear than life. The vision of her beauty comes today To make all other beauty seem awry, To shame the pride of women, and to slay Men s hearts by hundreds; and I know that I, Consumed by absent fires, shall surely die. Heroic wisdom, teach me how today To act, to save a life than life more dear, And deeds of heaven s heroes to outweigh; For well I know that death is creeping near, And for my bride, my brave, true bride, I fear. 62 RELATIVES My bride ! And must I think of her today With bright eyes dimmed by sorrow and by fears, With light feet treading slow the future gray; I hear her voice come stumblingly through tears, And see her bowed by woe through endless years. For I have never seen, nor see today A face that with my darling s could compare, Though all the rival world should challenge. Nay, The sweetness of Love s wife is not so rare; The moon itself is not so spotless fair. Her wealth of wondrous hair I see today, Her teeth of pearl; and I remember well How sorrow in her presence would not stay; How union with my bride would ever spell The bliss of heaven; one moment s absence, hell. The last grim moment I recall today When from her palace slaves that seemed to be Resistless slaves of Death, tore me away, And all her prayers for me were vain; yet she Still gazed and gazed. That gaze still tortures me. 63 RELATIVES I think with anguish of her face today The face that in its beauty overbore The wonder of the moon s unclouded ray Because upon that face I may not pore Again, and yet again, and evermore. I think of her, my hope of life, today, How she would listen with her mind and heart To all I said. My maiden young and gay, Thy youth was mine alone, thine artless art, And shall be mine again, though death us part. And I recall what I have lost today How she would move in such sweet perfume clad That bees would gather round her cheek alway; The very tinkle that her bracelets had When she would fix her hair, will drive me mad. And I remember woefully today How gently I would waken her, while she Would shiver, and her startled eyes would stray, Unable yet our love s new day to see She wakes, starts back, then recognizes me. 64 RELATIVES And I recall another hour today When, jealous, she would leave me. I entreat Her, and she does not turn her face away But weeps when kissed. I fall before her feet: " Be gracious to thine humble servant, sweet. Thou canst not think that I would fall today In thy bed-chamber, victim to the glance Of others, I, the subject of thy sway Far rather would I perish in a trance Of thy dear kisses, playfulness, and dance." I wonder, as I think of her today, If she be heaven s queen come down to earth, Or Shiva s bride, or Vishnu s. Or she may Be God s own thought of beauty in mortal birth, To drive men mad with woman s perfect worth. There is no man that lives on earth today Who could depict her; none but me has seen Such beauty. Should the king of heaven essay The task, with memories of his heavenly queen, He might succeed. None other could, I ween. 65 RELATIVES And I remember in my cell today How she would stop her ears in graceful fun. No other face like hers is lovely. Yea, And if her form blots out beneath the sun All other beauty, why, what harm is done? No doubt her heavenly features keep today The pallid splendor of the autumn moon, And trip the saint on his ascetic way: Would I might gain the glory lost so soon, And lose no more forever such a boon ! Ah, yes, if I might plunge again today Beneath love s waters that so long I miss, Might save love s lotus-blossom from decay And share with her the heaven of a kiss, I d give my life for one such moment s bliss ! Though lovely women walk the world today By tens of thousands, there is none so fair In all that exhibition and display With her most perfect beauty to compare This is my consolation, and my care. 66 RELATIVES As then she floated, so she floats today A swan-queen, down the river of my mind O er waves that thrill beneath her plumage gay; She leaves my admiration far behind, And flying dust of blossoms turns me blind. In sadness I remember her today, The daughter of my king, whom love has driven To me with timid, eager eyes then say, Was she a goddess, or a nymph of heaven, Angel, or fairy, to my longings given? I cannot for an hour forget today From dawn until the evening sinks in night How, sleeping, she would gather beauty; nay, Her form seemed slenderer, her breast more white, Her gems more radiant yet, by morning s light. Her golden beauty comes to me today, Her slow, coquettish grace, as she would lie In shamed humility upon her couch, would pray For maddening love and kisses. Oh, might I Taste that elixir now, I could not die. 67 RELATIVES I could not die, might I enjoy today That bliss so deep as almost to be woe; We hardly knew if it were war or play, So fiercely did we clasp each other, so Fire-hot with passion did our faces glow. How could I, after that, endure today The subtlest fascinations of another? Far rather would I end my life straightway; Come quickly, Death! Come as a kindly brother, With one swift act my spark of life to smother. God Shiva has his poison even today; The ocean guards his awful, hidden fire; The tortoise bears upon his back alway The burden of the earth. However dire The things they love, they keep what they desire. 68 RELATIVES THE STRENUOUS LIFE From the HITOPADESHA Success the strenuous will reap, And not your pensive sinner; For when the lion fell asleep, He had no deer for dinner. A SINGLE GRAB From the PANCHATANTRA Remember that a single grab Suffices for a fish or crab, For fool or woman; and tis so For sot, cement, or indigo. 69 RELATIVES ART IN A PUPIL From Kalidasa s MALAVIKA Art in a pupil shows The artist doubly well; The raindrop turns to pearl When falling in a shell. FATALISM From the HITOPADESHA What shall not be, will never be; What shall be, will be so: This tonic slays anxiety; Taste it, and end your woe. 70 RELATIVES EXTRAVAGANCE From BHARTRIHARI They cook their grain in beryl kettles With fuel of sandal-shoots, They plough with ploughs of precious metals To get the yercum-roots, They make a hedge of camphor wood About the humblest corn, Unhappy fools! who are not good On earth where they were bornJ 71 RELATIVES NATURE From the HITOPADESHA The habits we acquire are little worth; The nature that was ours before our birth Will master us, while yet we live on earth. YOUR NATURE From the HITOPADESHA Your nature is a thing you cannot beat; It serves as guide in everything you do : Give a dog all the meat that he can eat, You can t prevent his gnawing at a shoe, 72 RELATIVES PREACHING From BHARTRIHARI He longs, with twigs from lotus -bowers To bind an elephant, He strives, with softest siris-flowers To sever adamant, He yearns, with honey-drops alone To sweeten ocean s taint, Who hopes, with sugar-coated tone To make a rogue a saint. 73 RELATIVES DEAD LOVE From AMARU In early days, my husband, we Were one unsevered entity, And neither of the lovers knew Were I the dearer half, or you. Now you are tyrant of my life, And I am nothing but your wife. Oh, it was hard as stone for me, The fruit of life s alluring tree! 74 RELATIVES HEAVEN ABOVE AND HEAVEN BELOW From BHARTRIHARI Oh, dwell by Ganges * holy wave Where passion s slave his soul may lave; Or on the bosom of a girl Where strings of pearl would charm a churl. THE BAD SON From the HITOPADESHA What profits the begetting of a son, So he be neither good nor wise? With sightless eyeballs what is to be done? They ache and yet they are not eyes. 75 RELATIVES ENTER INTO THY CLOSET From BHARTRIHARI Although thou sink to hell, fly through the air, Or flutter o er the earth and never cease, Think not, my soul, to find salvation there: Remember God at home, who gives t-hee peace. TRY AGAIN From the MAHABHARATA Do not despise yourself, my son, For early ill-success ; For things that were not, come to be, While things that are, grow less. 76 RELATIVES THE BLESSING OF SILENCE From the HITOPADESHA The fool among the wise may shine A moment, if his dress be fine; But One moment, while his mouth is shut. 77 RELATIVES SIMPLE DEER-HORN From the MAHABHARATA I Young Deer-horn was a pious youth Devoted to religious truth, A hermit innocently good Who grew to manhood in the wood. His mother left him at his birth; He only knew one soul on earth, His austere father; therefore he Grew up in natural piety. Now in a kingdom near at hand No rain had fallen on the land, Prevented by the magic skill Of priests the king had treated ill. An aged priest advised the king: " Propitiate the clergy; bring Pure-minded Deer-horn from the wood, That hermit innocently good. 78 RELATIVES He dwells in purity afar; He does not know what women are: Fetch him, and then the rain will fall; Of this I have no doubt at all." The counsel pleased the king; he planned To entertain the hermit, and Invited women of the town To go and bring young Deer-horn down. But they refused the royal plan, Fearing to meet a holy man; At last an aged crone s ambition Drove her to undertake the mission. "If you will give me what I ask/ She said, "I can fulfill the task; But I require a rich reward Of gold and gems, my royal lord." With royal bounty richly laden, She took her child, a youthful maiden More known as beautiful than good, And so departed to the wood. 79 RELATIVES II She waited till the coast was clear, And then she sent her daughter dear To interview the hermit who Had never learned what women do. The maiden found the lad and said: " I trust your pious life is led Without offence, and that your food Of roots and fruits is sweet and good. I trust your father s heart is blest With deep religious peace and rest; For I am hither come to see Your unpretending piety." And Deer-horn answered: "Sir, you are As radiant as a beaming star; I never saw a man like you; Then tell me, sir, what shall I do 80 RELATIVES To make you happy? Here are roots, Water, a couch of skins, and fruits. What vows are yours, most holy sage? Where is your pious hermitage?" "My hermitage/ the maid replied, "Is three long leagues from here, beside The river; there I practise now A fearfully ascetic vow. For I have sworn that I will greet Such other hermits as I meet; And I must clasp and kiss you too So my religion bids me do. " She spurned the fruits that he had offered, And in their stead to him she proffered Confectionery sweet and good That she had brought into the wood. She gave him fragrant garlands too, And brilliant garments, clean and new; She offered wine; and while he quaffed, She played and swayed and danced and laughed 81 RELATIVES She played about him with a ball, And oft coquettishly would fall Upon his bosom, until he Took fire from her immodesty. | At last she saw the deed was done, I That she had charmed the hermit s son; \And, gazing o er her shoulder, fled, To make her sacrifice, she said. , When she had left him, peace and joy Departed from the luckless boy; Sadly he sighed, by love distressed, An aching void within his breast. His father, while he sighed, returned, Whose eyes with fire ascetic burned, Whose life was one devoted prayer, Whose nails were overgrown with hair. When he beheld his son distressed With eye upturned and heaving breast, With longing written on his face And passion in contentment s place, 82 RELATIVES "What troubles you, my dearest son?" He asked, "and are your duties done? Who has been here with you today?" And Deer-horn answered him straightway. Ill " A hermit youth with hanging hair, Not short, nor very tall, but fair And bright as gold, with lotus-eyes, Some child of heaven, wondrous wise. He came in beauty like the sun, Black eyes, sweet voice, his hair undone And hanging soft, dark, fragrant, and Encircled by a golden band. f%> A relic on his neck was seen That danced like flashing lightnings keen; Below it, two soft swellings white That thrilled me with a strange delight. 83 RELATIVES Large hips he had, but slender waist Which I could see was close embraced By a golden belt; I saw it shine And it was not at all like mine. fihik And on his ankles something stirred That jingled like a cooing bird, While on his wrist there tinkled free A novel kind of rosary. And as he moved, the beads would sing Like gay flamingoes in the spring; His pious robe was wondrous fair, And quite unlike the garb we wear. >*H His face was beautiful to see; His speech was kind and gladdened me; His voice was like the nightingale; It made me sigh and yearn and pale. And as in spring the forest trees Wave beautifully in the breeze, So, father, when the wind blew, he Shed fragrance like a flowering tree. 84 RELATIVES His hermit locks I wondered how They parted on his noble brow; And dangling from each ear, there stirred And danced what seemed a brilliant bird. A round, elastic fruit he had That bounded from the earth like mad When he would strike it merrily Twas very wonderful to see. He moved and swayed with graceful ease I thought of wind among the trees: A wonderful delight and joy Came when I saw the godlike boy. ^ He held me in a tight embrace; I felt his hair; he pressed his face Against my face and made a noise That waked in me the strangest joys. Our simple fruits he did not think Were good, or water that we drink; He gave me other fruits and rare, And said: This is my humble fare/ 85 RELATIVES They were not like the fruits we eat, But tasted wonderfully sweet; They had a different sort of skin, different was the pulp within. A strange, sweet kind of water he Offered with noble piety; It filled me with an odd delight, And earth grew wobbly to my sight. Sweet garlands with a careless mirth He wove, and scattered on the earth; Then, glorious as an ancient sage, Departed to his hermitage. since he went, I feel distressed; My limbs are burning and my breast; I long to go to him today Or have him here with me alway. Yes, I will tread the path he trod And learn the way he worships God; With him I long to make a trial Of holy life and self-denial. 86 RELATIVES I find no peace from him apart; Religious yearnings fill my heart. IV "It was a devil, dear my son; By foes like these we are undone; They walk the earth in conquering charm And work religious men much harm. They win us with their cunning wiles, Their wondrous beauty and their smiles, Then show themselves as demons fell And plunge us in the pit of hell. The man who seeks religious peace Should keep himself from such as these; To ruin us, is their delight, My pious boy. Forget the sight. And those sweet waters that you had Are tasted only by the bad; And we ascetics never wear A perfumed garland on our hair. 87 RELATIVES Resist the devil, boy;" he said And then he hunted for the jade; Three days he sought without success And ceased for very weariness. Meantime, the tempting minx returned, And seeing her, young Deer-horn burned; " Come quick," he said, " and let us roam; You see my father s not at home. Your hermitage I fain would view;" So, hand in eager hand, they flew And found a boat and floated down The river to the royal town. No sooner did the hermit gain The royal palace than the rain Fell, drenching every thirsty part And gladdening the sovereign s heart. The joyful monarch to the brave, Bewildered young ascetic gave Lest he should ever seek release A princess and her name was Peace. 88 RELATIVES PEACE From BHARTRIHARI I would not call a friend or foe mine own, A gem or clod, a bed of flowers or stone, A serpent or a string of precious pearls, A bunch of grasses or a bunch of girls, So might I see with calm, unwavering eye My peaceful days move softly gliding by, The while I murmured in a pious grove To Shiva, Shiva, Shiva, all my love. 89 RELATIVES VISION From the HITOPADESHA Who sees his life in others life, In others wealth a clod, a weed, His mother in his neighbor s wife, He sees, he sees indeed. 90 RELATIVES I LOVE THE WOODS From BHARTRIHARI Girl, girl ! What mean those tender glances Like budding flowers in languid dances? Stop, stop ! Your art no more entrances. I love the woods. My childish madness Awakens memories of sadness. The world? A straw brings equal gladness. 91 RELATIVES NO COMPROMISE From Kalidasa s MALAVIKA Oh, I would have her whole, Else leave her free; Not clasp her, while her soul Is not for me. No, let us rather die Hopeless, apart, If in a lonely sigh Heart answers heart. 92 RELATIVES CAUSE AND EFFECT From BHARTRIHARI As knowledge in the just Increases self-distrust; In others, pride and lust Just so, the saint will find When lonely, peace of mind; Not so the lovesick kind. 93 RELATIVES NATURAL BEAUTY From BHARTRIHARI The color on the lily s face Is natural. So is maiden grace. The bee flits vainly round the flower, The fool round beauty s virgin power. WOMAN S WEAPONS From BHARTRIHARI The skilfully coquettish frown, Bashfulness choking laughter down, The love-word seeming free from guile, The undulating step, the smile These things, to every woman true, Are ornaments, and weapons too. 94 RELATIVES THE FAILURE OF EDUCATION From BHARTRIHARI Uneducated moths will fly Into the blazing fire; Ignorant fish will take the hook In the bait of their desire. And we who know so many things Forget the price, and feed The creeping lusts that coil us round Oh! We are fools indeed. 95 RELATIVES A NEGLECTED EDUCATION From the HITOPADESHA Alas, my foolish, foolish boy, Whose nights are spent in thoughtless joy, Among the wise as ill you stand, As some poor cow in boggy land. RELATIVES YAY ATI S SONG From the MAHABHARATA Desire is never satisfied By winning each desire; As fuel, added to the blaze, Gluts not the hungry fire. Not all the barley in the world And rice and gold and kine And women, are enough for one Remember, and resign. For when our longings and our sins Toward every creature cease, When deed and thought and word are pure, We find eternal peace. When all things lose their fear of us, And when we find release From fear of them, and hate, and hope, We have eternal peace. RELATIVES GOOD-BYE TO SPRING From Kalidasa s MALAVIKA The mango trees are bending Beneath the fruits they bring; The amaranths are spending Their flowers with lavish fling; The heart of youth is sending A sad good-bye to spring. 98 RELATIVES USE THE ROD From the ANTHOLOGY The youngsters nowadays run wild From petting; whipping makes them mild, And therefore I would never pet But whip a pupil or a child. LITTLE CHILDREN From Kaliclasa s SHAKUNTALA They show their little buds of teeth In peals of causeless laughter; They hide their trustful heads beneath Your heart. And stumbling after Come sweet, unmeaning sounds that sing To you. The father warms And loves the very dirt they bring Upon their little forms. 99 RELATIVES STRIKE From the HITOPADESHA Fear fearful things, while yet No fearful thing appears; When dangers must be met, Strike, and forget your fears. When all his safety lies In fighting, blow for blow, The wise man fights and dies, And with him dies his foe. 100 RELATIVES WHY MEN FIGHT From BHARTRIHARI Perhaps the warrior, smitten by his foe, Will rise to heaven and leave the world below; Perhaps the fighting is its own reward; No god has told us and we do not know. We only know that the applauding beat Of eager hands, the joyous shouts that greet The sturdy fighter from his foes and friends, Are music in his ears, and very sweet. OF- CALIFORNIA 101 RELATIVES AFTER LIFE S FITFUL FEVER From BHARTRIHARI My mind no longer loves philosophy No longer seeks delight in poetry, Contemns the paths of doubt so often trod, And yearns to be united with its God. 102 RELATIVES THE INTELLIGENT CORPSE From BHARTRIHARI A beggar in the graveyard cried : * " Awake, my friend, be satisfied To live again and bear the weight Of poverty; for I of late Am weary grown; my heart is led To crave the comfort of the dead." The corpse was silent; he was sure Twas better to be dead than poor. 103 RELATIVES WISDOM S SOUP From the MAHABHARATA A scholar who can merely quote Unmastered learning got by rote, Is erudition s luckless dupe, A spoon to ladle wisdom s soup. The fool who hears but cannot prize The wisdom of the truly wise, He too is erudition s dupe, A spoon to ladle wisdom s soup. But you, dear reader, if you prize This wisdom of the truly wise, Will soon be added to the group Of tongues that relish wisdom s soup. i /i I 1 A V TO OESK FRQM LOAN DEPT. ^ - 5 PM YB 40586 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY