वासवदत्ता (महाकवि सुबन्धु - श्लेष-प्रधान शास्त्रीय गद्यकाव्य सान्वय सटीक)

86 VĀSAVADATTĀ
The flower of the iron-wood tree was lovely as the wheel ¹ of the
God of Flowery Arrows for agitating the hearts of absentees.
The trumpet-flower seemed to be the hook of the God of the
Flowery Bow to catch the fish which are the hearts of the
travellers.²
[139] ‘The breeze of Malaya blew with odours of great
sweetness from the perfumes commingled by being crushed
by the braids on the sloping foreheads ³ of Lāṭa damsels, eager
for abundance ⁴ of amorous play; bearing the fragrance of the
perfume of saffron-dust on the urn-like bosoms ⁵ of fair Karṇāṭic
beauties, versed in all amorous arts; making the sky re-echo
with the sound of the very sweet ⁶ humming of swarms of bees,
collected because of the fragrance inherent in the splendour ⁷
of the hair of beautiful, artfully expert damsels of Kuntala ⁸;
skilful in gathering perfumes for marks on lovely cheeks of
Kērala girls, tremulous with the passion of young adolescence ⁹;
[140] cunning ¹⁰ to touch the round buttocks of large-buttocked
Mālava ingénues,¹¹ versed in all the four-and-sixty arts; cooled
by ¹² abundant drops of perspiration from the burden of the firm
and swelling breasts of Andhra dames, overcome by amorous
exhaustion.¹³
¹ Tel. ed., ‘round whetstone’; Srirangam text, ‘round whetstone for the arrows.’
² Cf. the quatrain of Bhartṛhari (Böhtlingk, Indische Sprüche, 2 ed., No. 6237,
St. Petersburg, 1870–1873) thus translated by Jackson (in Cosmopolitan Magazine,
26. 276):
‘Angling in life’s river, Men—those silly fishes—
Cupid drops his line; Quick dart up above;
On the hook he fastens Out he pulls and fries them
Some fair maiden fine. In the fire of love.’
³ Tel. ed., ‘perfume of flowers (Srirangam text, ‘association of the perfume of
medlar-flowers’) in the massy braids of hair dishevelled on the sloping brows.’
⁴ Tel. ed. omits ‘abundance.’
⁵ Tel. ed., ‘masses of saffron-dust on the pairs of fair, urn-like bosoms.’
⁶ Tel. ed. omits ‘very sweet.’ ⁷ Srirangam text, ‘swaying.’
⁸ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘on account of the delightful fragrance inherent in the
tresses of western beauties filled with love-longing.’
⁹ Tel. ed., ‘lifted up by young adolescence.’ ¹⁰ Tel. ed., ‘fortunate.’
¹¹ Tel. ed., ‘talkative Mālava damsels.’ ¹² Tel. ed., ‘cool from.’
¹³ On the erotic characteristics of women from the several districts of India see
Schmidt, Beiträge zur indischen Erotik, pp. 315–338, Leipzig, 1902, and for the ‘four-
and-sixty arts’ see ib. pp. 136–146.