महावीरचरितम् (महाकवि भवभूति - वीररस-प्रधान रामकथा नाटक सम्पूर्ण ७ अङ्क सटीक)

51] Act III, The Shadow — Translation [—iii. 28¹ Vāsantī, seating herself, with tears—My liege Lord! Is dear Lakshmaṇa doing well ? Rāma, pretending not to hear— With water and wild-rice and grass—offered with her own lotus- like hands—these trees and birds and deer¹ that the daughter of the King of Mithilā² [once] used to feed: as I sight them [now] an indescribable emotion wells up within me; [an emotion] that, like an oozing [in some rock], must end (yogya) by breaking my heart [in twain]. 26 Vāsantī—I was asking, My liege Lord, Is it all well with dear Lakshmaṇa ? Rāma, to himself—Ah! ‘My liege Lord’ [is] a mode of address devoid of cordiality and her inquiry referred to the son of Sumitrā [Lakshmaṇa] only; her voice [too was choked] with tears [and] faltered: so I fear she already knows the news about Sītā. Aloud. Ah, yes: Prince Lakshmaṇa is doing well. Sobs. Vāsantī—Why, O King, why art thou [so, so] cruel ? Sītā—And what art thou, dear Vāsantī, when thou couldst reproach [him] thus ? My noble Lord certainly deserves kind consideration from all—and particularly from my dear friend. Vāsantī—“Thou [art] my life; thou art my second heart; thou the moon-light of my eyes: thou the [immortal] ambrosia to my body”—with these and hundreds of other endearments her simple- and-loving (mugdhā) soul thou didst beguile; and her now—alas! why utter the rest? 27 Faints. Tamasā—Quite natural indeed that [thus] she should break off in her speech and faint away. Rāma—Compose thyself, friend, compose thyself. Vāsantī, recovering—Wherefore, then, has Your Majesty done this un- worthy deed ? Sītā—Desist, dear Vāsantī, desist. Rāma—Because the people would not put up with it. Vāsantī—And why ? Rāma—They themselves know—I-know-not-what (kimapi). Vāsantī—O thou hard-hearted one! Is it honour that you profess (kila) to hold dear? What dishonour I ask (nanu) is more dreadful than this? And what, in that forest, may have been the fate of that fawn-eyed one [your wife]? Alas! Tell me, My Lord, what do you think about it? 28 Tamasā—After a [very] long time [indeed comes] this reproof! ¹ Respectively. ² Mithilā was the capital of King Janaka.