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Book Iii. Canto Xxvii. The Death Of Tris'iras

Canto Xxvii.: The Death Of Tris'IRAS.

But Tris'iras, 2 a chieftain dread,

Marked Khara as he onward sped.

And met his car and cried, to stay

The giant from the purposed fray:

'Mine be the charge: let me attack,

And turn thee from the contest back.

Let me go forth, and thou shalt see

The strong-armed Rma slain by me.

True are the words I speak, my lord:

I swear it as I touch my sword:

That I this Rma's blood will spill,

Whom every giant's hand should kill.

This Rma will I slay, or he

In battle fray shall conquer me.

Restrain thy spirit: check thy car,

And view tne combat from afar.

Thou, joying o'er the prostrate foe,

To Janasthn again shalt go,

Or, if I fall in battle's chance,

Against my conqueror advance.'

Thus Tris'iras for death who yearned:

And Khara from the conflict turned,

'Go forth to battle,' Khara cried;

And toward his foe the giant hied.

Borne on a car of glittering hue

Which harnessed coursers fleetly drew,

Like some huge hill with triple peak

He onward rushed the prince to seek,

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Still, like a big cloud, sending out

His arrowy rain with many a shout

Like the deep sullen roars that come

Discordant from a moistened drum.

But Raghu's son, whose watchful eye

Beheld the demon rushing nigh,

From the great bow he raised and bent

A shower of shafts to meet him sent.

Wild grew the fight and wilder yet

As fiend and man in combat met,

As when in some dark wood's retreat

An elephant and a lion meet.

The giant bent his bow, and true

To Rma's brow three arrows flew.

Then, raging as he felt the stroke,

These words in anger Rma spoke:

'Heroic chief! is such the power

Of fiends who rove at midnight hour?

Soft as the touch of flowers I feel

The gentle blows thine arrows deal.

Receive in turn my shafts, and know

What arrows fly from Rma's bow.'

Thus as he spoke his wrath grew hot.

And twice seven deadly shafts he shot,

Which, dire as serpent's deadly fang,

Straight to the giant's bosom sprang.

Four arrows more,--each shaped to deal

A mortal wound with barbd steel,--

The glorious hero shot, and slew

The four good steeds the car that drew.

Eight other shafts flew straight and fleet,

And hurled the driver from his seat,

And in the dust the banner laid

That proudly o'er the chariot played.

Then as the fiend prepared to bound

Forth from his useless car to ground,

The hero smote him to the heart,

And numbed his arm with deadly smart.

Again the chieftain, peerless-souled,

Seat forth three rapid darts, and rolled

With each keen arrow, deftly sped,

Low in the dust a monstrous head.

Then yielding to each deadly stroke,

Forth spouting streams of blood and smoke,

The headless trunk bedrenched with gore

Fell to the ground and moved no more.

The fiends who yet were left with life,

Routed and crushed in battle strife,

To Khara's side, like trembling deer

Scared by the hunter, fled in fear.

King Khara saw with furious eye

His scattered giants turn and fly;

Then rallying his broken train

At Raghu's son he drove amain,

Like Rhu 1 when his deadly might

Comes rushing on the Lord of Night.

Footnotes

260:1
Tris'iras.

260:2
The Three-headed.

261:1 The demon who causes eclipses.

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