The Little Clay Cart Part 26

[Footnote 53: "Rams in India are commonly trained to fight." WILSON.]

[Footnote 54: Virtuous souls after death may become stars; but when their stellar happiness equals the sum of their acquired merit, they fall to earth again.]

[Footnote 55: The choristers of heaven.]

[Footnote 56: The nymphs of heaven.]

[Footnote 57: The G.o.d of wealth.]

[Footnote 58: This shows the excellence of Vasantasena's education.

Women, as an almost invariable rule, speak Prakrit.]

[Footnote 59: A gesture of respectful entreaty.]

ACT THE FIFTH

THE STORM

[_The love-lorn Charudatta appears, seated._]

_Charudatta._ [_Looks up._]

An untimely storm[60] is gathering. For see!

The peac.o.c.ks gaze and lift their fans on high; The swans forget their purpose to depart; The untimely storm afflicts the blackened sky, And the wistful lover's heart. 1

And again:

The wet bull's belly wears no deeper dye; In flas.h.i.+ng lightning's golden mantle clad, While cranes, his buglers, make the heaven glad, The cloud, a second Vishnu,[61] mounts the sky. 2

And yet again:

As dark as Vishnu's form, with circling cranes To trumpet him, instead of bugle strains, And garmented in lightning's silken robe.

Approaches now the harbinger of rains. 3

When lightning's lamp is lit, the silver river Impetuous falls from out the cloudy womb; Like severed lace from heaven-cloaking gloom, It gleams an instant, then is gone forever. 4

Like shoaling fishes, or like dolphins shy, Or like to swans, toward heaven's vault that fly, Like paired flamingos, male and mate together, Like mighty pinnacles that tower on high.

In thousand forms the tumbling clouds embrace, Though torn by winds, they gather, interlace, And paint the ample canvas of the sky. 5

The sky is black as Dhritarashtra's face; Proud as the champion of Kuru's race.

The haughty peac.o.c.k shrills his joy abroad; The cuckoo, in Yudhishthira's sad case, Is forced to wander if he would not die; The swans must leave their forest-homes and fly, Like Pandu's sons, to seek an unknown place. 6

[_Reflecting._] It is long since Maitreya went to visit Vasantasena.

And even yet he does not come. [_Enter Maitreya._]

[76.20. S.

_Maitreya._ Confound the courtezan's avarice and her incivility! To think of her making so short a story of it! Over and over she repeats something about the affection she feels, and then without more ado she pockets the necklace. She is rich enough so that she might at least have said: "Good Maitreya, rest a little. You must not go until you have had a cup to drink." Confound the courtezan! I hope I 'll never set eyes on her again. [_Wearily._]

The proverb is right. "It is hard to find a lotus-plant without a root, a merchant who never cheats, a goldsmith who never steals, a village-gathering without a fight, and a courtezan without avarice."

Well, I 'll find my friend and persuade him to have nothing more to do with this courtezan. [_He walks about until he discovers Charudatta._] Ah, my good friend is sitting in the orchard. I 'll go to him. [_Approaching._] Heaven bless you! May happiness be yours.

_Charudatta._ [_Looking up._] Ah, my friend Maitreya has returned.

You are very welcome, my friend. Pray be seated.

_Maitreya._ Thank you.

_Charudatta._ Tell me of your errand, my friend.

_Maitreya._ My errand went all wrong.

P. 132.8]

_Charudatta._ What! did she not accept the necklace?

_Maitreya._ How could we expect such a piece of luck? She put her lotus-tender hands to her brow,[62] and took it.

_Charudatta._ Then why do you say "went wrong"?

_Maitreya._ Why not, when we lost a necklace that was the pride of the four seas for a cheap golden casket, that was stolen before we had a bite or a drink out of it?

_Charudatta._ Not so, my friend.

She showed her trust in leaving us her treasure; The price of confidence has no less measure. 7

_Maitreya._ Now look here! I have a second grievance. She tipped her friend the wink, covered her face with the hem of her dress, and laughed at me. And so, Brahman though I am, I hereby fall on my face before you and beg you not to have anything more to do with this courtezan. That sort of society does any amount of damage. A courtezan is like a pebble in your shoe. It hurts before you get rid of it. And one thing more, my friend. A courtezan, an elephant, a scribe, a mendicant friar, a swindler, and an a.s.s--where these dwell, not even rogues are born.

_Charudatta._ Oh, my friend, a truce to all your detraction! My poverty of itself prevents me. For consider:

The horse would gladly hasten here and there, But his legs fail him, for his breath departs.

So men's vain wishes wander everywhere, Then, weary grown, return into their hearts. 8

Then too, my friend:

If wealth is thine, the maid is thine, For maids are won by gold;

[_Aside._ And not by virtue cold. _Aloud._]

But wealth is now no longer mine, And her I may not hold. 9

[78.23. S.

_Maitreya._ [_Looks down. Aside._] From the way he looks up and sighs, I conclude that my effort to distract him has simply increased his longing. The proverb is right. "You can't reason with a lover." [_Aloud._] Well, she told me to tell you that she would have to come here this evening. I suppose she isn't satisfied with the necklace and is coming to look for something else.

_Charudatta._ Let her come, my friend. She shall not depart unsatisfied.