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

A SANSKRIT ROMANCE 107

their slavery! [Thou false lover! Thou effacer of thoughts!
Thou inglorious one! Alas, sir! By love is she¹ to be won,
great and noble,² with large eyes, with sidelong glances; then her
attendants will show their slavery!]'; 'By thee, who art like to
a lotus, the fabulous riches of thy foes and the faces of their
women are blackened! [By thee the faces of women like unto
Lakṣmī are blackened, not the lotus faces of thy foes!]'; [211]
'Having inspired confidence of all, attended by Lakṣmī, depart-
ing from the rules (of decorum), having obtained one to be
obtained,³ wavering an instant,⁴ slow for modesty, with love vio-
lently born through pain among the flowers of Him whose shafts
are flowers,⁵ she fainteth limblessly, Limbless God⁶ (saying):
"Bliss thou bringest me, thou that art devoted to songs of many
measures"! [Having inspired confidence of all, attended by
Lakṣmī, (but) with her youth departed, obtained in a way she
should not be obtained,³ wavering an instant,⁴ slow for modesty,
with love violently born through pain among the flowers of Him
whose shafts are flowers,⁵ she fainteth limblessly, Limbless God⁶
(saying): "Woe thou bringest me, thou that art devoted to songs
of many measures"!]; [212-213] 'What woman was (ever) aban-
doned by thee that bearest love's burden, with thy beautiful lips,
with thy sectarial mark characterised by a streak of dust,⁷ with
thy moon-like face, (when once she had) clung to thy heart⁸ with
her soft-formed hand, with her breast, holding the water of drops
of sweat, moving on thy broad bosom, being overcome by thy
unblemished lustre? [What woman was (ever) released by thee,
¹ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'this unparalleled maid.'
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'accompanied by Lakṣmī.'
³ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'having obtained to-day a covenant of all the world
for some time, she, attended by Lakṣmī [having inspired an agreement of all, a woman
who should not be obtained hath been obtained for some time].'
⁴ Tel. ed., 'just for an instant.' ⁵ Kāma.
⁶ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text omit 'limblessly, Limbless God.' The 'Limbless God'
is Kāma.
⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, 'characterised by Kāma [characterised by lovelessness].'
⁸ Srirangam text, 'what woman with beautiful lips that bear love's burden, with
a sectarial mark characterised by Kāma, (and) with a lotus face hath clung to thy heart
[what woman with hideous lips that bear love's burden, characterised by lovelessness,
devoid of auspicious signs, and with a moon-like face (!) hath clung to thy heart].'