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Book Vi. Canto Cxxix. The Meeting With Bharat

Canto Cxxix.: The Meeting With Bharat.

O
'erwhelmed with rapture Bharat heard

The tale that all his being stirred,

And, heralding the glad event,

This order to Satrughna sent:

'Let every shrine with flowers be gay

Let incense burn and music play.

Go forth, go forth to meet your king,

Let tabours sound and minstrels sing,

Let bards swell high the note of praise

Skilled in the lore of ancient days.

Call forth the royal matrons: call

Each noble from the council hall.

Send all we love and honour most,

Send Brhmans and the warrior host,

A glorious company to bring

In triumph home our lord the king.'

Great rapture filled S'atrughna's breast,

Obedient to his brother's hest.

'Send forth ten thousand men' he cried,

'Let brawny arms be stoutly plied,

And, smoothing all with skilful care,

The road for Kosal's king prepare.

Then o'er the earth let thousands throw

Fresh showers of water cool as snow,

And others strew with garlands gay

With loveliest blooms our monarch's way.

On tower and temple porch and gate

Let banners wave in royal state.

And be each roof and terrace lined

With blossoms loose and chaplets twined.'

The nobles hasting forth fulfilled

His order as S'atrughna willed.

Sublime on elephants they rode

Whose gilded girths with jewels glowed.

Attended close by thousands more

Gay with the gear and flags they bore.

A thousand chiefs their steeds bestrode,

Their glittering cars a thousand showed.

And countless hosts in rich array

Pursued on foot their eager way.

Veiled from the air with silken screens

In litters rode the widowed queens.

Kausaly first, acknowledged head

And sovereign of the household, led:

Sumitr next, and after, dames

Of lower rank and humbler names.

Then compassed by a white-robed throng

Of Brhmans, heralded with song,

With shouts of joy from countless throats,

And shells' and tambours' mingled notes,

And drums resounding long and loud,

Exulting Bharat joined the crowd.

Still on his head, well-trained in lore

Of duty, Rma's shoes he bore.

The moon-white canopy was spread

With flowery twine engarlanded

And jewelled chouries, meet to hold

O'er Rma's brow, shone bright with gold,

Though Nandigrma's town they neared,

Of Rma yet no sign appeared.

Then Bharat called the Vnar chief

And questioned thus in doubt and grief:

'Hast thou uncertain, like thy kind,

A sweet delusive guile designed?

Where, where is royal Rma? show

The hero, victor of the foe.

I gaze, but see no Vnars still

Who wear each varied shape at will.'

In eager love thus Bharat cried,

And thus the Wind-God's son replied:

'Look, Bharat, on those laden trees

That murmur with the song of bees;

For Rma's sake the saint has made

Untimely fruits, unwonted shade.

Such power in ages long ago

Could Indra's gracious boon bestow.

O, hear the Vnars' voices, hear

The shouting which proclaims them near

E'en now about to cross they seem

Sweet Gomati's delightful stream.

I see, I see the car designed

By Brahm's own creative mind,

The car which, radiant as the moon,

Moves at the will by Brahm's boon;

The car which once was Rvan's pride,

The victor's spoil when Rvan died.

Look, there are Raghu's sons: between

The brothers stands the rescued queen.

There is Vibhshan full in view,

Sugrva and his retinue.'

He ceased: then rapture loosed each tongue:

From men and dames, from old and young,

One long, one universal cry,

'Tis he,'tis Rma, smote the sky.

All lighted down with eager speed

From elephant and car and steed,

And every joyful eye intent

On Rma's moonbright face was bent.

Entranced a moment Bharat gazed:

Then reverential hands he raised,

And on his brother humbly pressed

The honours due to welcome guest.

Then Bharat clomb the car to greet

His king and bowed him at his feet,

Till Rma raised him face to face

And held him in a close embrace.

Then Lakshman and the Maithil dame

He greeted as he spoke his name 1

He greeted next, supreme in place,

The sovereign of the Vnar race,

And Jmbavn and Bli's son,

p. 506

And lords and chiefs, omitting none. 1

Sugrva to his heart he pressed

And thus with grateful words addressed:

'Four brothers, Vnar king, were we,

And now we boast a fifth in thee.

By kindly acts a friend we know:

Offence and wrong proclaim the foe,'

To King Vibhshan then he spake:

'Well hast thou fought fov Rma's sake.'

Nor was the brave S'atrughna slow

His reverential love to show

To both his brothers, as was meet,

And venerate the lady's feet.

Then Rma to his mother came,

Saw her pale cheek and wasted frame,

With gentle words her heart consoled,

And clasped her feet with loving hold.

Then at Sumitra's feet he bent,

And fair Kaikeyi's, reverent,

Greeted each dame from chief to least,

And bowed him to the household priest.

Up rose a shout from all the throng:

'O welcome, Rma, mourned so long.

Welcome, Kausaly's joy and pride,'

Ten hundred thousand voices cried.

Then Bharat placed, in duty taught,

On Rma's feet the shoes he brought:

'My King,' he cried, 'receive again

The pledge preserved through years of pain,

The rule and lordship of the land

Entrusted to my weaker hand.

No more I sigh o'er sorrows past,

My birth and life are blest at last

In the glad sight this day has shown,

When Rma comes to rule his own.'

He ceased: the faithful love that moved

The prince's soul each heart approved;

Nor could the Vnar chiefs refrain

From tender tears that fell like rain.

Then Rma, stirred with joy anew,

His arms about his brother threw,

And to the grove his course he bent

Where Bharat's hermit days were spent.

Alighting in that pure retreat

He pressed the earth with eager feet.

Then, at his hest, the car rose high

And sailing through the northern sky

Sped homeward to the Lord of Gold

Who owned the wondrous prize of old. 2

Footnotes

505:1
In these respectful salutations the person who salutes his superior mentions his own name even when it is well known to the person whom he salutes.

506:1 I
have omitted the chieftains' names as they could not be introduced without padding. They are Mainda, Dwivid, Nla Rishabh, Sushen, Nala, Gavksha, Gandhamdan, S'arabh, and Panas.

506:2
The following addition is found in the Bengal recension: But Vais'ravan (Kuvera) when he beheld his chariot said unto it: 'Go, and carry Rma, and come unto me when my thought shall call thee, And the chariot returned unto Rma:'
and he honoured it when he had heard what had passed.
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