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.’