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.