18 PADUMĀWATI. [31-34 winding steps on which the folk ascend and descend on all sides. The lotuses bloom there beautiously scarlet, with their clusters of thousands upon thousands of petals. The swans overturn the shells, from which pearls fall out, which they pick up and sport as they do so. Beautiful swim these golden birds, looking as it were statues cast in gold. Above around lie the banks, with ambrosial fruit on every tree. He who hath but once seen the fairness of these lakes, loseth for aye both thirst and hunger. 32. The maidens come to draw the water, each in form and figure a Padmini. Their limbs are odorous of the lotus (padma), and the black bees hover round them as they come. Waisted like lionesses, and with eyes like lotuses, swan-like in their motions, sweet-voiced as the cuckoo. In numbers they come, row upon row, charming the eye with varied gaits. Over their moon-faces shine their golden jars, 6 as, in joy and sport, they come and go. Struck, as it were by a dagger, by her coquettish eyes, is he on whom the glance of one of them is fallen. The black cloud of her hair falleth from her head to her feet, from behind which flasheth the lightning of her teeth. Like images of the God of Love are these nymphs? of matchless charm. If these water-maidens are so beauteous, how lovely must be their queen! 33. To tell of the lakes and lakelets is more than I can do. So broad are they that vision cannot cross them. How many are the lilies that bloom there, like stars risen in the sky. The clouds come down to them, drink their water and ascend, while within the fish (carried up into the air) gleam like lightning. Happily with each other swim the feathered fowl upon the surface, white are they and yellow, and red of varied hue. There sport the ruddy goose and his mate, whose lot it is to wake the night apart, and meet by day.8 There joyfully sporteth the Indian crane, (re- membering that, not like the ruddy goose) he liveth and dieth in the com- pany (of his spouse). There are the lotus, the gold crane, 10 the stork, and the lēdi, 11 and countless fishes piercing the waves. There, in those lie priceless jewels, shining, e'en by day, like lamps; and he who diveth therein, findeth the pearl-oyster. 34. On every side are ambrosial gardens, filled with perfect fruit, and carefully watched. There are the fresh coloured 12 lime and the pretty orange-citron, the almond, and figs of various kinds. Elephant lemons 1 The excellence of a lotus depends on the number of its petals. % The Golden Swan. 3 The best of the four classes of women. The Padmini, Citrini, Çaykhini, and Hastini. In a later portion of the poem, Raghava-citanya, describes them to 'Alau-d-din.
- Sārāga is like Mark Twain's zug. It may mean almost anything. Here it means a
lotus or a deer. 5 The snn is often compared to a golden jar. 6 Maina= Madana = Kama-dēva. 7 Achari= a psarns. 8 The fable about the cat'wā and cakai is one of the commonplaces of Indian poetry. 9 The legend is that a pair of these birds cannot bear to be separated. If one dies, the other dies also. 10 A fish-eating bird which I have not identified. It is the Ardea sibirica, the same as the sāras above translated by Indian crane. 11 Not identified. It is a fish-eating bird. 12 Or perhaps nau-rāga may be for naraygi orange.
