The Birth of the War-God Part 2

Firm, yet as subtile as the yielding air: Fixt, all-pervading; ponderous, yet light, Patent to all, yet hidden from the sight.

Thine are the sacred hymns which mortals raise, Commencing ever with the word of praise, With three-toned chant the sacrifice to grace, And win at last in heaven a blissful place.

They hail Thee Nature labouring to free The Immortal Soul from low humanity; Hail Thee the stranger Spirit, unimpressed, Gazing on Nature from thy lofty rest.

Father of fathers, G.o.d of G.o.ds art thou, Creator, highest, hearer of the vow!

Thou art the sacrifice, and Thou the priest, Thou, he that eateth; Thou, the holy feast.

Thou art the knowledge which by Thee is taught, The mighty thinker, and the highest thought!"

Pleased with their truthful praise, his favouring eye He turned upon the dwellers in the sky, While from four mouths his words in gentle flow Come welling softly to a.s.suage their woe: "Welcome! glad welcome, Princes! ye who hold Your lofty sovereignties ordained of old.

But why so mournful? what has dimmed your light?

Why shine your faces less divinely bright?

Like stars that pour forth weaker, paler gleams, When the fair moon with brighter radiance beams.

O say, in vain doth mighty INDRA bear The thunderbolt of heaven, unused to spare?

VRITRA, the furious fiend, 'twas strong to slay: Why dull and blunted is that might to-day?

See, VARUN'S noose hangs idly on his arm, Like some fell serpent quelled by magic charm.

Weak is KUVERA'S hand, his arm no more Wields the dread mace it once so proudly bore; But like a tree whose boughs are lopped away, It tells of piercing woe, and dire dismay.

In days of yore how YAMA'S sceptre shone!

Fled are its glories, all its terrors gone; Despised and useless as a quenched brand, All idly now it marks the yielding sand.

Fallen are the Lords of Light, ere now the gaze Shrank from the coming of their fearful blaze; So changed are they, the undazzled eye may see Like pictured forms, each rayless deity.

Some baffling power has curbed the breezes' swell: Vainly they chafe against the secret spell.

We know some barrier checks their wonted course, When refluent waters seek again their source.

The RUDRAS too--fierce demiG.o.ds who bear The curved moon hanging from their twisted hair-- Tell by their looks of fear, and shame, and woe, Of threats now silenced, of a mightier foe.

Glory and power, ye G.o.ds, were yours of right: Have ye now yielded to some stronger might, Even as on earth a general law may be Made powerless by a special text's decree?

Then say, my sons, why seek ye BRAHMa'S throne?

'Tis mine to frame the worlds, and yours to guard your own."

Then INDRA turned his thousand glorious eyes, Glancing like lilies when the soft wind sighs, And in the G.o.ds' behalf, their mighty chief Urged the Most Eloquent to tell their grief.

Then rose the heavenly Teacher, by whose side Dim seemed the glories of the Thousand-eyed, And with his hands outspread, to BRAHMa spake, Couched on his own dear flower, the daughter of the lake: "O mighty Being! surely thou dost know The unceasing fury of our ruthless foe; For thou canst see the secret thoughts that lie Deep in the heart, yet open to thine eye.

The vengeful TaRAK, in resistless might, Like some dire Comet, gleaming wild affright, O'er all the worlds an evil influence sheds, And, in thy favour strong, destruction spreads.

All bow before him: on his palace wall The sun's first ray and parting splendour fall; Ne'er could he waken with a lovelier glance His own dear lotus from her nightly trance.

For him, proud fiend, the moon no waning knows, But with unminished full-orbed l.u.s.tre glows.

Too faint for him the crescent glory set Amid the blaze of ['S]IVA'S coronet.

How fair his garden, where the obedient breeze Dares steal no blossom from the slumbering trees!

The wild wind checks his bl.u.s.tering pinions there, And gently whispering fans the balmy air; While through the inverted year the seasons pour, To win the demon's grace, their flowery store.

For him, the River-G.o.d beneath the stream, Marks the young pearl increase its silver gleam, Until, its beauty and its growth complete, He bears the offering to his master's feet.

The Serpents, led by VaSUKI, their king, Across his nightly path their l.u.s.tre fling; Bright as a torch their flashing jewels blaze, Nor wind, nor rain, can dim their dazzling rays.

E'en INDRA, sovereign of the blissful skies, To gain his love by flattering homage tries, And sends him oft those flowers of wondrous hue That on the heavenly tree in beauty grew.

Yet all these offerings brought from day to day, This flattery, fail his ruthless hand to stay.

Earth, h.e.l.l, and heaven, beneath his rage must groan, Till force can hurl him from his evil throne.

Alas! where glowed the bright celestial bowers, And gentle fair ones nursed the opening flowers, Where heavenly trees a heavenly odour shed, O'er a sad desert ruin reigns instead.

He roots up MERU'S sacred peaks, where stray The fiery coursers of the G.o.d of Day, To form bright slopes, and glittering mounds of ease, In the broad gardens of his palaces.

There, on his couch, the mighty lord is fanned To sweetest slumber by a heavenly band; Poor captive nymphs, who stand in anguish by, Drop the big tear, and heave the ceaseless sigh.

And now have INDRA'S elephants defiled The sparkling stream where heavenly GANGa smiled, And her gold lotuses the fiend has taken To deck his pools, and left her all forsaken.

The G.o.ds of heaven no more delight to roam O'er all the world, far from their glorious home.

They dread the demon's impious might, nor dare Speed their bright chariots through the fields of air.

And when our worshippers in duty bring The appointed victims for the offering, He tears them from the flame with magic art, While we all powerless watch with drooping heart.

He too has stolen from his master's side The steed of heavenly race, great INDRA'S pride.

No more our hosts, so glorious once, withstand The fierce dominion of the demon's hand, As herbs of healing virtue fail to tame The sickness raging through the infected frame.

Idly the discus hangs on VISH[N.]U'S neck, And our last hope is vain, that it would check The haughty TaRAK'S might, and flash afar Ruin and death--the thunderbolt of war.

E'en INDRA'S elephant has felt the might Of his fierce monsters in the deadly fight, Which spurn the dust in fury, and defy The threatening clouds that sail along the sky.

Therefore, O Lord, we seek a chief, that he May lead the hosts of heaven to victory, Even as holy men who long to sever The immortal spirit from its sh.e.l.l for ever, Seek lovely Virtue's aid to free the soul From earthly ties and action's base control.

Thus shall he save us: proudly will we go Under his escort 'gainst the furious foe; And INDRA, conqueror in turn, shall bring FORTUNE, dear captive, home with joy and triumphing."

Sweet as the rains--the fresh'ning rains--that pour On the parched earth when thunders cease to roar, Were BRAHMa'S words: "G.o.ds, I have heard your grief; Wait ye in patience: time will bring relief.

'Tis not for me, my children, to create A chief to save you from your mournful fate.

Not by my hand the fiend must be destroyed, For my kind favour has he once enjoyed; And well ye know that e'en a poisonous tree By him who planted it unharmed should be.

He sought it eagerly, and long ago I gave my favour to your demon-foe, And stayed his awful penance, that had hurled Flames, death, and ruin o'er the subject world.

When that great warrior battles for his life, O, who may conquer in the deadly strife, Save one of ['S]IVA'S seed? He is the light, Reigning supreme beyond the depths of night.

Nor I, nor VISH[N.]U, his full power may share, Lo, where he dwells in solitude and prayer!

Go, seek the Hermit in the grove alone, And to the G.o.d be UMa'S beauty shown.

Perchance, the Mountain-child, with magnet's force, May turn the iron from its steadfast course, Bride of the mighty G.o.d; for only she Can bear to Him as water bears to me.

Then from their love a mighty Child shall rise, And lead to war the armies of the skies.

Freed by his hand, no more the heavenly maids Shall twine their glittering hair in mournful braids."

He spake, and vanished from their wondering sight; And they sped homeward to their world of light.

But INDRA, still on BRAHMa'S words intent, To KaMA'S dwelling-place his footsteps bent.

Swiftly he came: the yearning of his will Made INDRA'S lightning course more speedy still.

The LOVE-G.o.d, armed with flowers divinely sweet, In lowly homage bowed before his feet.

Around his neck, where bright love-tokens clung, Arched like a maiden's brow, his bow was hung, And blooming SPRING, his constant follower, bore The mango twig, his weapon famed of yore.

_CANTO THIRD._

Canto Third.

_THE DEATH OF LOVE._

Is eager gaze the sovereign of the skies looked full on _Kama_ with his thousand eyes: E'en such a gaze as trembling suppliants bend, When danger threatens, on a mighty friend.

Close by his side, where INDRA bade him rest, The LOVE-G.o.d sate, and thus his lord addressed: "All-knowing INDRA, deign, my Prince, to tell Thy heart's desire in earth, or heaven, or h.e.l.l: Double the favour, mighty sovereign, thou Hast thought on KaMA, O, command him now: Who angers thee by toiling for the prize, By penance, prayer, or holy sacrifice?

What mortal being dost thou count thy foe?

Speak, I will tame him with my darts and bow.

Has some one feared the endless change of birth, And sought the path that leads the soul from earth?

Slave to a glancing eye thy foe shall bow, And own the witchery of a woman's brow; E'en though the object of thine envious rage Were taught high wisdom by the immortal sage, With billowy pa.s.sions will I whelm his soul, Like rushing waves that spurn the bank's control.

Or has the ripe full beauty of a spouse, Too fondly faithful to her bridal vows, Ravished thy spirit from thee? Thine, all thine Around thy neck her loving arms shall twine.

Has thy love, jealous of another's charms, Spurned thee in wrath when flying to her arms?

I'll rack her yielding bosom with such pain, Soon shall she be all love and warmth again, And wildly fly in fevered haste to rest Her aching heart close, close to thy dear breast.

Lay, INDRA, lay thy threatening bolt aside: My gentle darts shall tame the haughtiest pride, And all that war with heaven and thee shall know The magic influence of thy KaMA'S bow; For woman's curling lip shall bow them down, Fainting in terror at her threatening frown.

Flowers are my arms, mine only warrior SPRING, Yet in thy favour am I strong, great King.

What can their strength who draw the bow avail Against my matchless power when I a.s.sail?

Strong is the Trident-bearing G.o.d, yet he, The mighty ['S]IVA, e'en, must yield to me."

Then INDRA answered with a dawning smile, Resting his foot upon a stool the while: "Dear G.o.d of Love, thou truly hast displayed The power unrivalled of thy promised aid.

My hope is all in thee: my weapons are The thunderbolt and thou, more mighty far.

But vain, all vain the bolt of heaven to fright Those holy Saints whom penance arms aright.