The King of the Dark Chamber Part 9

AVANTI. Kanchi is always avoiding us. He is certainly planning to deceive us all. I have not done well to put my hand in this imbroglio. Friend, could you kindly tell me any way out of this garden?

ROHINI. I have none.

AVANTI. Is there no man here who will show me the way out?

ROHINI. The servants have all left the garden.

AVANTI. Why did they do so?

ROHINI. I could not exactly understand what they meant. They said the King had commanded them to leave the garden at once.

AVANTI. King? Which King? Rohini They could not say exactly.

AVANTI. This does not sound well. I shall have to find a way out at any cost. I cannot stay here a single moment more. [Goes out hurriedly.]

ROHINI. Where shall I find the King? When I gave him the flowers the Queen had sent, he did not seem much interested in me at the time; but ever since that hour he has been showering gifts and presents on me. This causeless generosity makes me more afraid.... Where are the birds flying at such an hour of the night? What has frightened them all of a sudden? This is not the usual time of their flight, certainly, ... Why is the Queen's pet deer running that way? Chapata! Chapata! She does not even hear my call. I have never seen a night like this! The horizon on every side suddenly becomes red, like a madman's eye!

The sun seems to be setting at this untimely hour on all sides at the same time. What madness of the Almighty is this! ... Oh, I am frightened! ... Where shall I find the King?

VII

[At the Door of the QUEEN'S Palace]

"KING". What is this you have done, Kanchi?

KANCHI. I wanted to fire only this part of the garden near the palace. I had no idea that it would spread so quickly on all sides. Tell me, quick, the way out of this garden.

"KING". I can tell you nothing about it. Those who brought us here have all fled away.

VII

KANCHI. You are a native of this country--you must know the way.

"KING". I have never entered these inner royal gardens before.

KANCHI. I won't hear of it--you must show me the way, or I shall split you into halves.

"KING". You may take my life by that means, but it would be a very precarious method of finding the way out of this garden.

KANCHI. Why were you, then, going about saying that you were the King of this country?

"KING". I am not the King--I am not the King. [Throwing himself on the ground with folded hands.] Where art thou, my King? Save me, oh, save me! I am a rebel--punish me, but do not kill me!

KANCHI. What is the use of shouting and cringing to the empty air? It is a much better way of spending the time to search for the way.

"KING". I shall lie down here--I shall not move an inch. Come what will, I shall not complain.

KANCHI. I will not allow all this nonsense. If I am to be burnt to death, you will be my companion to the very end.

FROM THE OUTSIDE. Oh, save us, save us, our King! The fire is on all sides of us!

KANCHI. Fool, get up, lose no more time.

SUDARSHANA. [entering] King, O my King! save me, save me from death! I am surrounded by fire.

"KING". Who is the King? I am no King.

SUDARSHANA. You are not the King?

"KING". No, I am a hypocrite, I am a scoundrel. [Flinging his crown on the ground.] Let my deception and hypocrisy be shattered into dust! [Goes out with KANCHI.]

SUDARSHANA. No King! He is not the King? Then, O thou G.o.d of fire, burn me, reduce me to ashes! I shall throw myself into thy hands, O thou great purifier; burn to ashes my shame, my longing, my desire.

ROHINI. [entering] Queen, where are you going? All your inner chambers are shrouded in raging fire--do you not enter there.

SUDARSHANA. Yes! I will enter those burning chambers! It is the fire of my death! [Enters the Palace.]

VIII

[The Dark Room. The KING and SUDARSRANA]

KING. Do not be afraid--you have no cause for fear. The fire will not reach this room.

SUDARSHANA. I have no fear--but oh, shame has accompanied me like a raging fire. My face, my eyes, my heart, every part of my body is being scorched and burnt by its flames.

KING. It will be some time before you get over this burning.

SUDARSHANA. This fire will never cease-will never cease!

KING. Do not be despondent, Queen!

SUDARSHANA. O King, I shall not hide anything from you.... I have another's garland round my neck.

KING. That garland, too, is mine--how else could he get it? He stole it from my room.

SUDARSHANA. But it is his gift to me: yet I could not fling this garland away! When the fire came roaring on all sides of me, I thought of throwing this garland into the fire.

But no, I could not. My mind whispered, "Let that garland be on you in your death." ... What fire is this, O King, into which I, who had come out to see you, leaped like a moth that cannot resist the flame? What a pain is this, oh, what agony!