पश्योन्मत्ते द्विजेशोऽप्यखिलजनतमस्तोमहन्तापि शान्तः
कान्तोऽयं ते समन्तात्सपदि निपतितो वारुणीं संनिषेव्य ।
इत्थं स्वीयेन सङ्गप्रमुदित-नलिनीहास-सञ्जातलज्जा
शङ्के वक्त्रं पिधत्ते ह्युषसि कुमुदिनी सङ्कुचद्भिर्दलैः स्वैः ॥
“And there, the lotus says to the white lily, ‘O angry Kumudinī, look! Your lover the moon, chief of the twice-born, destroys the darkness of the whole world and is very peaceful. But because he has become so fond of Vāruṇī, the western sky, he has quickly fallen from his position.’ Hearing the joking words of the lotus, who is now joyful in the company of her lover the sun, it seems the white lily has hidden her face in shame within her own withered petals.”
दृष्ट्वा तमःक्षयममी विधुनान्यपुष्टा नक्तं तमश्चयनिभाश्चकिताः प्रभाते ।
मित्रं तदाश्रयतया तमसा चरन्तीं ग्रस्तं कुहूरिति कुहूं स्वगिराह्वयन्ति ॥
“Having seen before the darkness of night destroyed by the moon, the black cuckoos fear that because they are also dark, they may be destroyed at dawn. Remembering that the sun can be swallowed by Rāhu, they call out to the new moon with a sound of ‘kuhū, kuhū.’”
वसन्तकान्तसंसर्गजातानन्दभराटवी ।
कपोतीघूत्कृतिमिषात्शीत्करोतीव सोन्मदा ॥
“Just as a girl sometimes emits an ecstatic breathy sound while making love, in the same way this forest, joined with her lover the springtime, utters such a sound disguised as the cooing of doves.”
पश्यानुसरति चञ्चलभृङ्गः कैरविणीकुल-केलि-पिशङ्गः ।
नलिनीकोषे निशि कृतसङ्गां भृङ्गीं शशिमुखि कृतनतिभङ्गाम् ॥
“O Moonface, look! A restless bumblebee, dusted yellow with pollen from sporting in a cluster of white water-lilies, now follows his mate, who was trapped within the petals of a lotus all night and who shatters his modesty.”
1 comment:
The reason the cuckoos are calling for the new moon is that, when at amāvasyā the moon and sun are situated together in one place, Rāhu will arrive and swallow them both, thus freeing the cuckoos and the darkness of any fear of being destroyed. Kuhū means ‘the new moon, amāvasyā.’
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