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

98 VĀSAVADATTĀ
the lotus-pool as representatives of the darkness¹; [175] while
the lotuses, love-lorn through separation from the sun, seemed to
wail under the semblance of the cries² of distressed female
ospreys³; while the early evening seemed an astrologer ⟨pointing
out the houses⟩, for it ⟨revealed the constellations⟩—there spread
darkness like the blackness of the column⁴ of Śiva's throat;
[176] with most goodly ⟨stars⟩ as the army of the demons had the
most goodly ⟨Tāraka⟩⁵; increasing the outcry of the ⟨owls⟩ as the
combat of the Bhāratas increased the outcry of ⟨Ulūka⟩⁶; dulling
the glory of the ⟨crows⟩ as the prowess of Dhṛṣṭadyumna dulled
the glory of ⟨Droṇa⟩; with ⟨owls⟩ moving about as Indra's
pleasure garden had ⟨Indra⟩ moving about; ⟨hiding all the
quarters of the sky⟩ as fire⁷ ⟨consumes all its fuel⟩; [177] resting
its belly, as it were, on the mountain slopes with their very close
fragments of stone⁸; with its eye, so to say, on peaks that were
red with lustre⁹ from the light of the eyes of sleeping lions¹⁰;
seeming to have life through the fire-flies; apparently increased
by the columns of smoke from oblations; made dense, as it were,
by masses of aloes-wood smoke¹¹ in adorning the heavy tresses of
amorous girls; [178] seeming to be illumined by spray from the
stream of ichor from¹² elephants' temples blackened by swarms of
bees clustering right closely together¹³; heaped, if one might say
so, in the shadows of clumps¹⁴ of dense tamāla-trees; apparently
¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘repelled by the darkness.’
² Srirangam text, ‘notes.’
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text add ‘while the lotuses, standing in water coloured by
the reflected hue of twilight, seemed filled with fire through the pain of their hearts at
the destruction of their spouses.’
⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit ‘column.’
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘revealing the ⟨stars⟩ as the army of the demons
revealed ⟨Tāraka⟩.’
⁶ Srirangam text, ‘of Ulūka and Śakuni’; cf. Mahābhārata, 5. 161.
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘the flame of fire.’
⁸ Tel. ed., ‘rough with their very close stones.’
⁹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘splendour of the lustre.’
¹⁰ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘lions awakened from sleep.’
¹¹ Tel. ed. omits ‘aloes-wood’ and ‘heavy’; Srirangam text omits ‘aloes-wood.’
¹² Srirangam text, ‘dripping ichor fallen from.’
¹³ Tel. ed., ‘seeming to be illumined by very thick swarms of black bees; blackened,
as it were, by the spray of dripping ichor fallen from elephants’ temples.’
¹⁴ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘forest clusters.’