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

60 VĀSAVADATTĀ
increases the pride of passion¹; heavy with the fall of the hearts
of all mankind; the fruits of the mighty tree of existence; the
product of the great tree of youth; two Brahminy ducks, charm-
ing with necklaces of pearl for lotus-filaments²; [58] fruits of the
tree of Prayāga, which seemed to stand at the juncture of the
line of down with her necklace of pearl³; the solitary dwelling⁴
of the God of Love when overcome by weariness from the con-
quest of the triple world.
(She was) beauteous with a bud-like lower lip which had the
glow of eventide in close proximity⁵ to her moon-like face;
which had what seemed to be a minium seal as a guard for the
jewels of her teeth; [59] which was coloured, as it were, by the
flushing redness of her heart⁶; which was, so to say, a fresh bud⁷
of the coral-tree from Passion’s sea. (She was) adorned by a pair
of eyes which were longer than a very tender screw-pine blossom;
with languidly tremulous glances; giving rise to a suspicion that
they were the windows of wanton Love abiding in the inner
chamber of her heart; causing beatitude by their very passion;
[60] with redness in their corners as if for anger at her ears,
which hindered their further extension⁸; seeming to whiten all
the world; making the sky seem filled with a forest of expanded
lotuses; pouring forth, so to say, thousands of oceans of milk;
seeming to surpass the loveliness of a garland of downy Nepal
jasmine and blue lotus.⁹
(She was) beautified by a nose which was the column¹⁰ of the
¹ Tel. ed., ‘dust of the proud nature of passion’; Srirangam text, ‘dust that increases
the pride of passion.’
² Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘hidden through their greed of lotus-filaments (which
were) pearl necklaces.’
³ Tel. ed., ‘the shores of Prayāga in the guise of the junction of the Ganges and
the Jumna, (which were) her pearl necklace and line of down’; similarly the Sri-
rangam text.
⁴ Tel. ed., ‘the solitary rest-house’; Srirangam text, ‘the victory rest-house.’
⁵ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘continual close proximity.’
⁶ Tel. ed., ‘inward redness.’ ⁷ Tel. ed. and Srirangam text, ‘a bit.’
⁸ The eyes of an Indian beauty are conventionally supposed to extend to her ears.
⁹ Tel. ed., ‘surpassing a garland of blue lotuses clinging to downy Nepal jasmine-
flowers.’
¹⁰ Tel. ed., ‘trunk.’