“I sought thee in my shame and fear

  With severed nose and mangled ear:

  My gashes like a river bled,

  I sought thee and was comforted.

  Those twice seven giants, brave and strong,

  Thou sentest to avenge the wrong,

  To lay the savage Ráma low,

  And Lakshmaṇ who misused me so.

  But ah, the shafts of Ráma through

  The bodies of my champions flew:

  Though madly fierce their spears they plied,

  Beneath his conquering might they died.

  I saw them, famed for strength and speed,

  I saw my heroes fall and bleed:

  Great trembling seized my every limb

  At the great deed achieved by him.

  In trouble, horror, doubt, and dread,

  Again to thee for help I fled.

  While terror haunts my troubled sight,

  I seek thee, rover of the night.

  And canst thou not thy sister free

  From this wide waste of troublous sea

  Whose sharks are doubt and terror, where

  Each wreathing wave is dark despair?

  Low lie on earth thy giant train

  By ruthless Ráma’s arrows slain,

  And all the mighty demons, fed

  On blood, who followed me are dead.

  Now if within thy breast may be

  Pity for them and love for me,

  If thou, O rover of the night,

  Have valour and with him can fight,

  Subdue the giants’ cruel foe

  Who dwells where Daṇḍak’s thickets grow.

  But if thine arm in vain assay

  This queller of his foes to slay,

  Now surely here before thine eyes,

  Wronged and ashamed thy sister dies.

  Too well, alas, too well I see

  That, strong in war as thou mayst be,

  Thou canst not in the battle stand

  When Ráma meets thee hand to hand.

  Go forth, thou hero but in name,

  Assuming might thou canst not claim;

  Call friend and kin, no longer stay:

  Away from Janasthán, away!

  Shame of thy race! the weak alone

  Beneath thine arm may sink o’erthrown:

  Fly Ráma and his brother: they

  Are men too strong for thee to slay.

  How canst thou hope, O weak and base,

  To make this grove thy dwelling-place?

  With Ráma’s might unmeet to vie,

  O’ermastered thou wilt quickly die.

  A hero strong in valorous deed

  Is Ráma, Daśaratha’s seed:

  And scarce of weaker might than he

  His brother chief who mangled me.”

  Thus wept and wailed in deep distress

  The grim misshapen giantess:

  Before her brother’s feet she lay

  O’erwhelmed with grief, and swooned away.

  Canto XXII. Khara’s Wrath.

  ROUSED BY THE taunting words she spoke,

  The mighty Khara’s wrath awoke,

  And there, while giants girt him round,

  In these fierce words an utterance found:

  “I cannot, peerless one, contain

  Mine anger at this high disdain,

  Galling as salt when sprinkled o’er

  The rawness of a bleeding sore.

  Ráma in little count I hold,

  Weak man whose days are quickly told.

  The caitiff with his life to-day

  For all his evil deeds shall pay.

  Dry, sister, dry each needless tear,

  Stint thy lament and banish fear,

  For Ráma and his brother go

  This day to Yáma’s realm below.

  My warrior’s axe shall stretch him slain,

  Ere set of sun, upon the plain,

  Then shall thy sated lips be red

  With his warm blood in torrents shed.”

  As Khara’s speech the demon heard,

  With sudden joy her heart was stirred:

  She fondly praised him as the boast

  And glory of the giant host.

  First moved to ire by taunts and stings,

  Now soothed by gentle flatterings,

  To Dúshaṇ, who his armies led,

  The demon Khara spoke, and said:

  “Friend, from the host of giants call

  Full fourteen thousand, best of all,

  Slaves of my will, of fearful might,

  Who never turn their backs in fight:

  Fiends who rejoice to slay and mar,

  Dark as the clouds of autumn are:

  Make ready quickly, O my friend,

  My chariot and the bows I bend.

  My swords, my shafts of brilliant sheen,

  My divers lances long and keen.

  On to the battle will I lead

  These heroes of Pulastya’s seed,

  And thus, O famed for warlike skill,

  Ráma my wicked foeman kill.”

  He spoke, and ere his speech was done,

  His chariot glittering like the sun,

  Yoked and announced, by Dúshan’s care,

  With dappled steeds was ready there.

  High as a peak from Meru rent

  It burned with golden ornament:

  The pole of lazulite, of gold

  Were the bright wheels whereon it rolled.

  With gold and moonstone blazoned o’er,

  Fish, flowers, trees, rocks, the panels bore;

  Auspicious birds embossed thereon,

  And stars in costly emblem shone.

  O’er flashing swords his banner hung,

  And sweet bells, ever tinkling, swung.

  That mighty host with sword and shield

  And oar was ready for the field:

  And Khara saw, and Dúshan cried,

  “Forth to the fight, ye giants, ride.”

  Then banners waved, and shield and sword

  Flashed as the host obeyed its lord.

  From Janasthán they sallied out

  With eager speed, and din, and shout,

  Armed with the mace for close attacks,

  The bill, the spear, the battle-axe,

  Steel quoit and club that flashed afar,

  Huge bow and sword and scimitar,

  The dart to pierce, the bolt to strike,

  The murderous bludgeon, lance, and pike.

  So forth from Janasthán, intent

  On Khara’s will, the monsters went.

  He saw their awful march: not far

  Behind the host he drove his car.

  Ware of his master’s will, to speed

  The driver urged each gold-decked steed.

  Then forth the warrior’s coursers sprang,

  And with tumultuous murmur rang

  Each distant quarter of the sky

  And realms that intermediate lie.

  High and more high within his breast

  His pride triumphant rose,

  While terrible as Death he pressed

  Onward to slay his foes,

  “More swiftly yet,” as on they fled,

  He cried in thundering tones

  Loud as a cloud that overhead

  Hails down a flood of stones.

  Canto XXIII. The Omens.

  AS FORTH UPON its errand went

  That huge ferocious armament,

  An awful cloud, in dust and gloom,

  With threatening thunders from its womb

  Poured in sad augury a flood

  Of rushing water mixt with blood.

  The monarch’s steeds, though strong and fleet,

  Stumbled and fell: and yet their feet

  Passed o’er the bed of flowers that lay

  Fresh gathered on the royal way.

  No gleam of sunlight struggled through

  The sombre pall of midnight hue,

  Edged with a line of bloody red,

  Like whirling torches overhead.

  A vulture, fierce, of mighty size.

  Terrific with his cruel eyes,

  Perched on the staff enriched with gold,

  Whence hung the flag in many a fold.

  Each ravening bird, each beast of prey

  Where Janasthán’s wild thickets lay,

  Rose with a long discordant cry

  And gathered as the host went by.

  And from the south long, wild, and shrill,

  Came spirit voices boding ill.

  Like elephants in frantic mood,

  Vast clouds terrific, sable-hued,

  Hid all the sky where’er they bore

  Their load of water mixt with gore.

  Above, below, around were spread

  Thick shades of darkness strange and dread,

  Nor could the wildered glance descry

  A point or quarter of the sky.

  Then came o’er heaven a sanguine hue,

  Though evening’s flush not yet was due,

  While each ill-omened bird that flies

  Assailed the king with harshest cries.

  There screamed the vulture and the crane,

  And the loud jackal shrieked again.

  Each hideous thing that bodes aright

  Disaster in the coming fight,

  With gaping mouth that hissed and flamed,

  The ruin of the host proclaimed.

  Eclipse untimely reft away

  The brightness of the Lord of Day,

  And near his side was seen to glow

  A mace-like comet boding woe.

  Then while the sun was lost to view

  A mighty wind arose and blew,

  And stars like fireflies shed their light,

  Nor waited for the distant night.

  The lilies drooped, the brooks were dried,

  The fish and birds that swam them died,

  And every tree that was so fair

  With flower and fruit was stripped and bare.

  The wild wind ceased, yet, raised on high,

  Dark clouds of dust involved the sky.

  In doleful twitter long sustained

  The restless Sárikás462 complained,

  And from the heavens with flash and flame

  Terrific meteors roaring came.

  Earth to her deep foundation shook

  With rock and tree and plain and brook,

  As Khara with triumphant shout,

  Borne in his chariot, sallied out.

  His left arm throbbed: he knew full well

  That omen, and his visage fell.

  Each awful sign the giant viewed,

  And sudden tears his eye bedewed.

  Care on his brow sat chill and black,

  Yet mad with wrath he turned not back.

  Upon each fearful sight that raised

  The shuddering hair the chieftain gazed,

  And laughing in his senseless pride

  Thus to his giant legions cried:

  “By sense of mightiest strength upborne,

  These feeble signs I laugh to scorn.

  I could bring down the stars that shine

  In heaven with these keen shafts of mine.

  Impelled by warlike fury I

  Could cause e’en Death himself to die.

  I will not seek my home again

  Until my pointed shafts have slain

  This Raghu’s son so fierce in pride,

  And Lakshmaṇ by his brother’s side.

  And she, my sister, she for whom

  These sons of Raghu meet their doom,

  She with delighted lips shall drain

  The lifeblood of her foemen slain.

  Fear not for me: I ne’er have known

  Defeat, in battle overthrown.

  Fear not for me, O giants; true

  Are the proud words I speak to you.

  The king of Gods who rules on high,

  If wild Airávat bore him nigh,

  Should fall before me bolt in hand:

  And shall these two my wrath withstand!”

  He ended and the giant host

  Who heard their chief’s triumphant boast,

  Rejoiced with equal pride elate,

  Entangled in the noose of Fate.

  Then met on high in bright array,

  With eyes that longed to see the fray,

  God and Gandharva, sage and saint,

  With beings pure from earthly taint.

  Blest for good works aforetime wrought,

  Thus each to other spake his thought:

  “Now joy to Bráhmans, joy to kine,

  And all whom world count half divine!

  May Raghu’s offspring slay in fight

  Pulastya’s sons who roam by night!”

  In words like these and more, the best

  Of high-souled saints their hopes expressed,

  Bending their eager eyes from where

  Car-borne with Gods they rode in air.

  Beneath them stretching far, they viewed

  The giants’ death-doomed multitude.

  They saw where, urged with fury, far

  Before the host rolled Khara’s car,

  And close beside their leader came

  Twelve giant peers of might and fame.

  Four other chiefs463 before the rest

  Behind their leader Dúshaṇ pressed.

  Impetuous, cruel, dark, and dread,

  All thirsting for the fray,

  The hosts of giant warriors sped

  Onward upon their way.

  With eager speed they reached the spot

  Where dwelt the princely two, —

  Like planets in a league to blot

  The sun and moon from view.

  Canto XXIV. The Host In Sight.

  WHILE KHARA, URGED by valiant rage,

  Drew near that little hermitage,

  Those wondrous signs in earth and sky

  Smote on each prince’s watchful eye.

  When Ráma saw those signs of woe

  Fraught with destruction to the foe,

  With bold impatience scarce repressed

  His brother chief he thus addressed:

  “These fearful signs, my brother bold,

  Which threaten all our foes, behold:

  All laden, as they strike the view,

  With ruin to the fiendish crew.

  The angry clouds are gathering fast,

  Their skirts with dusty gloom o’ercast,

  And harsh with loud-voiced thunder, rain

  Thick drops of blood upon the plain.

  See, burning for the coming fight,

  My shafts with wreaths of smoke are white,

  And my great bow embossed with gold

  Throbs eager for the master’s hold.

  Each bird that through the forest flies

  Sends out its melancholy cries.

  All signs foretell the dangerous strife,

  The jeopardy of limb and life.

  Each sight, each sound gives warning clear

  That foemen meet and death is near.

  But courage, valiant brother! well

  The throbbings of mine arm foretell

  That ruin waits the hostile powers,

  And triumph in the fight is ours.

  I hail the welcome omen: thou

  Art bright of face and clear of brow.

  For Lakshmaṇ, when the eye can trace

  A cloud upon the warrior’s face

  Stealing the cheerful light away,

  His life is doomed in battle fray.

  List, brother, to that awful cry:

  With shout and roar the fiends draw nigh.

  With thundering beat of many a drum

  The savage-hearted giants come.

  The wise who value safety know

  To meet, prepared, the coming blow:

  In paths of prudence trained aright

  They watch the stroke before it smite.

  Take thou thine arrows and thy bow,

  And with the Maithil lady go

  For shelter to the mountain cave

  Where thickest trees their branches wave.

  I will not have thee, Lakshmaṇ, say

  One word in answer, but obey.

  By all thy honour for these feet

  Of mine, dear brother, I entreat.

  Thy warlike arm, I know could, smite

  To death these rovers of the night;

  But I this day would fight alone

  Till all the fiends be overthrown.”

  He spake: and Lakshmaṇ answered naught:

  His arrows and his bow he brought,

  And then with Sítá following hied

  For shelter to the mountain side.

  As Lakshmaṇ and the lady through

  The forest to the cave withdrew,

  “’Tis well,” cried Ráma. Then he braced

  His coat of mail around his waist.

  When, bright as blazing fire, upon

  His mighty limbs that armour shone,

  The hero stood like some great light

  Uprising in the dark of night.

  His dreadful shafts were by his side;

  His trusty bow he bent and plied,

  Prepared he stood: the bowstring rang,

  Filling the welkin with the clang.

  The high-souled Gods together drew

  The wonder of the fight to view,

  The saints made free from spot and stain,

  And bright Gandharvas’ heavenly train.

  Each glorious sage the assembly sought,

  Each saint divine of loftiest thought,

  And filled with zeal for Ráma’s sake.

  Thus they whose deeds were holy spake:

  “Now be it well with Bráhmans, now

  Well with the worlds and every cow!

  Let Ráma in the deadly fray

  The fiends who walk in darkness slay,

  As He who bears the discus464 slew

  The chieftains of the Asur crew.”

  Then each with anxious glances viewed

  His fellow and his speech renewed:

  “There twice seven thousand giants stand

  With impious heart and cruel hand:

  Here Ráma stands, by virtue known:

  How can the hero fight alone?”

  Thus royal sage and Bráhman saint,

  Spirit, and Virtue free from taint,

  And all the Gods of heaven who rode

  On golden cars, their longing showed.

  Their hearts with doubt and terror rent,

  They saw the giants’ armament,

  And Ráma clothed in warrior might,

  Forth standing in the front of fight.

  Lord of the arm no toil might tire,

  He stood majestic in his ire,

  Matchless in form as Rudra465 when

  His wrath is fierce on Gods or men.

  While Gods and saints in close array

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 472 473 474 475 476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 486 487 488 489 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 499 500 501 502 503 504 505 506 507 508 509 510 511 512 513 514 515 516 517 518 519 520 521 522 523 524 525 526 527 528 529 530 531 532 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540 541 542 543 544 545 546 547 548 549 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 559 560 561 562 563 564 565 566 567 568 569 570 571 572 573 574 575 576 577 578 579 580 581 582 583 584 585 586 587 588 589 590 591 592 593 594 595 596 597 598 599 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 617 618 619 620 621 622 623 624 625 626 627 628 629 630 631 632 633 634 635 636 637 638 639 640 641 642 643 644 645 646 647 648 649 650 651 652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661 662 663 664 665 666 667 668 669 670 671 672 673 674 675 676 677 678 679 680 681 682 683 684 685 686 687 688 689 690 691 692 693 694 695 696 697 698 699 700 701 702 703 704 705 706 707 708 709 710 711 712 713 714 715 716 717 718 719 720 721 722 723 724 725 726 727 728 729 730 731 732 733 734 735 736 737 738 739 740 741 742 743 744 745 746 747 748 749 750 751 752 753 754 755 756 757 758 759 760 761 762 763 764 765 766 767 768 769 770 771 772 773 774 775 776 777 778 779 780 781 782 783 784 785 786 787 788 789 790 791 792 793 794 795 796 797 798 799 800 801 802 803 804 805 806 807 808 809 810 811 812 813 814 815 816 817 818 819 820 821 822 823 824 825 826 827 828 829 830 831 832 833 834 835 836 837 838 839 840 841 842 843 844 845 846 847 848 849 850 851 852 853 854 855 856 857 858 859 860 861 862 863 864 865 866 867 868 869 870 871 872 873 874 875 876 877 878 879 880 881 882 883 884 885 886 887 888 889 890 891 892 893 894 895 896 897 898 899 900 901 902 903 904 905 906 907 908 909 910 911 912 913 914 915 916 917 918 919 920 921 922 923 924 925 926 927 928 929 930 931 932 933 934 935 936 937 938 939 940 941 942 943 944 945 946 947 948 949 950 951 952 953 954 955 956 957 958 959 960 961 962 963 964 965 966 967 968 969 970 971 972 973 974 975 976 977 978 979 980 981 982 983 984 985 986 987 988 989 990 991 992 993 994 995 996 997 998 999 1000 1001 1002 1003 1004 1005 1006 1007 1008 1009