७

अथ कम्पनरेन्द्रसुभ्रुवां
मुखपद्मान्यनुहार्य पङ्कजैः ।
अपराधभियेव भानुमा-
नपरक्ष्माधरकन्दरामगात् ॥

At that point the sun,
as if filled with terror
at the crime he had committed
in trying to make lotuses as radiant
as the lotus-faces of the King’s wives,
scurried to a cave
buried deep in the setting mountain. 1

परिचूषितदीप्तिरम्बुजैः
पुनरूष्माणमिवाप्तुमौर्वतः ।
रयवल्गितवाहनो रविः
पयसां राशिमवाप पश्चिमम् ॥

Sucked clean of energy by lotuses,
swiftly sank the sun into the western sea,
chariot reverberating as he raced downwards,
seemingly to replenish his heat from the fire in the deep.¹ 2

तरणेररुणीकृताः करै-
र्वरुणस्त्रैणकपोलभित्तयः ।
मदलोहिनिकामुपावहन्
मदिरास्वादनमन्तराप्यहो ॥

The full cheeks of Varuṇa’s wives,
reddened by the rays of the setting sun,
took on the rosy flush of wine
though they had not
touched a drop.² 3

प्रथमां हरितं प्रभाकरो
विरहय्यात्मनि तापमाप यम् ।
अपरामुपगम्य तं जहौ
हृदयं कः खलु वेत्ति रागिणाम् ॥

The scorching torment the sun suffered
in parting from his first lover, the East,
vanished in the arms of the next, the West.
Who can fathom the hearts of those red-hot with passion? 4

प्रतिबिम्बपरम्पराम्बुधौ
पवनोद्धूततरङ्गसङ्गिनी ।
नभसोऽवतरिष्यतो रवे-
र्मणिसोपानधियं व्यभावयत् ॥

The sun’s reflection,
repeated over and over
upon the wave-scored surface of the wind-stirred sea,
looked like a ruby staircase
readied for him to descend from the heavens. 5

उदधौ पतितस्य भास्वतः
कतिभिश्चित् किरणैः खवर्तिभिः ।
उदपाद्यत कालकुञ्जरो-
द्दलिताहर्द्रुमशाखिकाभ्रमः ॥

As the sun plunged into the ocean,
the few sunbeams still suspended in the sky
seemed to be the strewn branches
torn from the tree of day
by the tusker of Time. 6

गतदीप्ति गभस्तिमालिनो
विलुठद्वीचिषु बिम्बमम्बुधेः ।
शफराः पलखण्डशङ्क‍या
रसनाभिर्लिलिहुर्मुहुर्मुहुः ॥

As the ray-rich sun’s radiance-robbed disc
wobbled from wave to wave,
fish fancied it a piece of meat,
licking at it with flicking tongues. 7

घटमानदलाररीपुटं
नलिनं मन्दिरमिन्दिरास्पदम् ।
परिपालयति स्म निक्वणन्
परितो यामिकवन्मधुव्रतः ॥

Whistling all the while,
the bee,
like a sentry on night-watch,
patrolled the lotus flower –
the tower which was Lakṣmī’s bower³–
as each petal-door was pulled to. 8

अधिपङ्कजकोशमादधे
बहिरालीनमधुव्रतच्छलात् ।
मधुसौरभरक्षणोत्सुका
दिनलक्ष्मीरिव लक्ष्म जातुषम् ॥

The day herself
seemed to place upon the lotus bud –
a casket in which she was anxious
to keep both nectar and scent safe –
a lac-dark seal in the bee clinging to its edge. 9

दिनवेषमपास्य यामिनी-
वपुषा कालनटस्य नृत्यतः ।
ददृशे जगता पितृप्रसू-
र्दिवि नेपथ्यपटीव पाटला ॥

To those on earth
the glow of the evening sky
seemed to be the crimson curtain
drawn during the dance of the actor Time,
as he changed from playing day
to assume the role of night. 10

वियति व्यरुचन् पयोधराः
स्फुटसन्ध्यापरिपाटलत्विषः ।
अचिरावतरद्विभावरी-
पदलाक्षापटलानुकारिणः ॥

In the sky shone the clouds,
dyed a deep red by the twilight,
as if freshly stained
by a procession of lac-pink footprints
as the dark dame, night, descended. 11

उदियाय ततो दिगङ्गना-
श्रवणाकल्पतमालपल्लवः ।
रजनीमुखपत्रलेखिका-
रचनारङ्कुमदस्तमोऽङ्कुरः ॥

Then arose a sliver of darkness –
a tamāla leaf earring
for the ladies of the directions;
a decorative design
in musk-drawn lines
upon the face of the evening sky[^4]. 12

नयनानि जनस्य तत्क्षणा-
न्निरुणद्धि स्म निरन्तरं तमः ।
रविदीपभृताभ्रकर्पर-
च्युतकालाञ्जनपुञ्जमेचकम् ॥

In a moment,
solid darkness shrouded people’s sight –
a darkened mass of blackened soot
falling from the dome of the sky
where it had collected
as the lamp of the sun below it burnt.⁴ 13

तदमंसत मांसलं तम-
स्तनुतारागणबिन्दुजालकम् ।
दिवसात्ययचण्डताण्डव-
च्युतमीशस्य गजाजिनं जनाः ॥

People deemed the dense darkness,
dotted with a legion of slender stars,
to be the fresh-flayed elephant hide
fallen from Śiva’s shoulders
as round and round he went in his vehement tāṇḍava
at day’s end. 14

अवपत् किमु कालकर्षक-
स्तिमिराम्भःकलुषे नभस्तले ।
विमलामुडुबीजमण्डलीं
नवचन्द्रातपसस्यसिद्ध‍ये ॥

Has the tiller Time
sown upon the surface of the sky –
watered with darkness to a rich, black mud –
a patch of pristine seed-stars
to cultivate a crop of fresh moonlight? 15

अहरत्ययरागपल्लव-
स्तमसा कन्दलितो नभस्तरुः ।
सृजति स्म निरन्तरं हरि-
द्विटपैस्तारककोरकावलिम् ॥

The sky was a tree:
the new shoots were the red streaks of the dying day,
the thick foliage they grew into was the darkness,
and at length the tree’s branches,
the directions,
began to burst into an unceasing series of flower-stars. 16

अगमन्नभिसारिकाः प्रिया-
ननुरागाञ्जनरञ्जितेक्षणाः ।
अभिनत्तिमिरेऽपि ताः पुनः
श्वसितेनैव सुगन्धिना जनः ॥

Departed for their lovers’ houses
abhisārikās, eyes lined with love’s magical kajjala.
Revealed were they even in the darkness
to wayfarers, by their breath so sweetly scented. 17

जननीमुपलभ्य यामिनी-
मधिकस्नेहदशाभिवर्धिताः ।
दिवसस्य लयं प्रपेदुषो
गृहदीपा मुहुरर्भका इव ॥

Upon the demise of the day,
the lamps in each house,
his orphaned children as it were,
turned to their mother the night
and grew strong with the oil of love she lavished upon them. 18

तदनु क्षणदागमोल्लस-
त्कलशाम्भोनिधिवीचिरोचिषः ।
व्यरुचन् कतिचित् कराङ्कुराः
शशिनः शातमखे दिशामुखे ॥

After that
there shone in the East,
where lives Lord Indra of many a sacrificial feast,
a smattering of soft moonbeams
pale as the whitened waves of the milky ocean
surging in jubilance at the onset of the night[^6]. 19

तरलालसतारकं मुखं
कलयन्ती शरकाण्डपाण्डरम् ।
विगलत्तिमिराम्बरा बभौ
हरिदैन्द्री हरिणाङ्कगर्भिणी ॥

The Eastern zone,
pregnant with the moon full grown,
was resplendent:
her star-eyes now glowing bright now growing dim
her face the shade of a blade of śara grass,
and her dress of darkness slipping off. 20

अथ किञ्चिददृश्यतैन्दवं
वपुराद्रोदयरागलोहितम् ।
बलशासनदिग्विलासिनी-
मुखसिन्दूरललामकोमलम् ॥

Then the orb of the moon
started to show itself,
reddened to crimson by its recent rise,
a delicate dot of sindūra
on the face of the Eastern quarter,
Indra’s beloved. 21

परिपिण्डितयावकारुणं
प्रचकाशे हिमरश्मिमण्डलम् ।
रचितं नवरक्तसन्ध्यकै-
र्विजयच्छत्रमिवात्मजन्मनः ॥

Red as a rounded ball of lac,
the lunar orb looked like
a royal parasol
wreathed with raktasandhyakas freshly blooming
for the triumphant Kāma. 22

अथ कम्पनृपोऽपि कृत्यवित्
कृतसन्ध्यासमयोचितक्रियः ।
अवदत् सविधे स्थितां प्रियां
भुवि गङ्गेत्यभिनन्दिताह्वयाम् ॥

King Kampa,
after completing the customary sandhyā ceremony,
conscientous as ever,
then turned to speak to the wife he so loved,
she who was known to the world as Gaṅgā⁵. 23

कमलाक्षि कटाक्ष्यतामयं
समयो वर्णनया रसार्द्रया ।
जन एष वचस्तवामृतं
श्रवसा पाययितुं कुतूहली ॥

‘My lotus-eyed love,
pay homage to this hour
with a description steeped in rasa.
He that stands before you
longs to drink in the amṛta of your words
with his ears.’ 24

इति सा दयितेन भाषिता
दरनम्रं दधती मुखाम्बुजम् ।
वदति स्म शनैः शुचिस्मिता
सरसोदारपदां सरस्वतीम् ॥

Addressed thus by her lover,
she lowered her lotus face a little,
smiling shyly,
and in measured cadence
started to speak words to inspire wonder and wisdom. 25

स्वदमानसुगन्धिमारुतः
प्रसरत्कोमलचन्द्रिकोदयः ।
नृपचन्द्र निरीक्ष्यतामयं
समयः पोषितपुष्पसायकः ॥

‘O moon among kings,
how magical is this hour!
Sweetly scented blows the breeze,
velvety moonbeams wander all about
and Love of the flower-shafts flourishes. 26

परिरभ्य दृढं चिरागतः
प्रथमाशासुदृशां निशापतिः ।
श्लथयत्ययमंशुभिर्नखै-
स्तिमिरश्रेणिमयीं प्रवेणिकाम् ॥

‘See how the moon
after a long absence
clasps the lovely-eyed lady of the East
in a tight embrace,
and undoes her simply tied tresses –
tangles of darkness –
combing it through with the fingernails of his rays. 27

प्रथमाचलमौलिमुच्चकै-
रधिरुह्याम्बरपात्रसम्भृतम् ।
अयमंशुमृणालिकामुखै-
स्तिमिरं चूषयतीव चन्द्रमाः ॥

‘Ascending the soaring summit of the rising mountain,
the moon seems to suck up the darkness
collected in the goblet of the sky
with his rays as lotus-stalk straws. 28

अलिनीलमयस्तमोमयं
प्रविलाप्योदयरागवह्निना ।
कलयत्ययमोषधीश्वरः।
कलधौतं शुचि कौमुदीमिषात् ॥

‘Master chemist that he is,
the moon melts down the bee-black iron of darkness
in the red-orange blaze of his rise
forging pure silver
formed in moonlight’s image. 29

मुहुरामृशदेव पद्मिनी-
मपि रागी क्षणदाकरः करैः ।
यदमुं प्रति नेयमुन्मुखी
प्रभवत्यत्र पतिव्रतागुणः ॥

‘Flushed pink with desire,
night after night
the moon shrinks not from stroking even the lotus
with rays as roving hands.
Yet still she refuses so much as to look at him –
what firm-founded fidelity![^8] 30

अलिविभ्रममन्तरेति य-
न्न विधोस्तन्मृगलक्ष्म किन्त्वयम् ।
पुरजिद्रथचक्रतार्जितो
बहलः कज्जललेपकालिमा ॥

‘This deer etched within the moon –
black as a bee –
is no such thing.
It is rather a dark mark
from the grinding of the generously greased axel
when the moon became a chariot wheel
for Śiva, conqueror of Tripura. 31

मघवन्मणिभङ्गमेचकः
शशिनि श्यामलिमा चकास्ति यः ।
जनयत्ययमङ्कपालिका-
प्रणयालीननिशीथिनीधियम् ॥

‘This deep blue darkness,
shining like a shard of sapphire within the moon,
makes you think
night has melted into his loving embrace.’ 32