Arnold Edward - Indian Poetry

Trbner's Oriental Series

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INDIAN POETRY Trbner's Oriental Series

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INDIA: LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
In 14 Volumes I Indian Poetry
Edwin Arnold II A Sketch of the Modern Languages of the East Indies
Robert N Cust III Lays of Ancient India
Romesh Chunder Dutt IV The Birth of the War-God
Ralph T H Griffith V The Bengali Drama
P Guha-Thakurta VI Miscellaneous Essays Relating to Indian Subjects Vol I
Brian Houghton Hodgson VII Miscellaneous Essays Relating to Indian Subjects Vol II
Brian Houghton Hodgson VIII Metrical Translations from Sanskrit Writers
J Muir IX The Spirit of Oriental Poetry
Puran Singh X The History of Indian Literature
Albrecht Weber XI The atakas of Bhartihari
B Hale Wortham XII Behar Proverbs
John Christian XIII A Classified Collection of Tamil Proverbs
Herman Jensen XIV Folk-Tales of Kashmir
J Hinton KnowlesINDIAN POETRY EDWIN ARNOLD First published in 1886 by
Trbner & Co Ltd Reprinted in 2000 by
Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN Transferred to Digital Printing 2007 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group 1886 Edwin Arnold All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. The publishers have made every effort to contact authors/copyright holders of the works reprinted in Trbner's Oriental Series.
This has not been possible in every case, however, and we would welcome correspondence from those individuals/companies we have been unable to trace. These reprints are taken from original copies of each book. In many cases the condition of these originals is not perfect. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Indian Poetry
ISBN 0-415-24500-1
India: Language and Literature: 14 Volumes
ISBN 0-415-24289-4
Trbner's Oriental Series
ISBN 0-415-23188-4 INDIAN POETRY CONTAINING THE INDIAN SONG OF SONGS, FROM THE SANSKRIT
OF THE GTA GOVINDA OF JAYADEVA
TWO BOOKS FROM THE ILIAD OF INDIA (MAHBHRATA)
PROVERBIAL WISDOM FROM THE SHLOKAS OF THE
HITOPADEA, AND OTHER ORIENTAL POEMS BY SIR EDWIN ARNOLD, M.A., K.C.I.E., C.S.I. Author of The Light of Asia
OFFICER OF THE WHITE ELEPHANT OF SIAM
THIRD CLASS OF THE IMPERIAL ORDER OF THE MEDJIDIE
FELLOW OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC AND ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETIES
HONORARY MEMBER OF THE SOCIT DE GEOGRAPHIE, MARSEILLES, ETC. Author of The Light of Asia
OFFICER OF THE WHITE ELEPHANT OF SIAM
THIRD CLASS OF THE IMPERIAL ORDER OF THE MEDJIDIE
FELLOW OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC AND ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETIES
HONORARY MEMBER OF THE SOCIT DE GEOGRAPHIE, MARSEILLES, ETC.

ETC.
FORMERLY PRINCIPAL OF THE DECCAN COLLEGE, POONA
AND FELLOW OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BOMBAY Fourth Edition LONDON
TRNER & CO., LUDGATE HILL [All rights reserved]

THE sky is clouded; and the wood resembles The sky, thick-arched with black Tamla boughs; O Radha, Radha! take this Soul, that trembles In life's deep midnight, to Thy golden house. So Nanda spoke,and, led by Radha's spirit, The feet of Krishna found the road aright; Wherefore, in bliss which all high hearts inherit, Together taste they Love's divine delight. He who wrote these things for thee, Of the Son of Wassoodee, Was the poet Jayadeva;Him Saraswati gave everFancies fair his mind to throng,Like pictures palace-walls along;Ever to his notes of loveLakshmi's mystic dancers move.If thy spirit seeks to broodOn Hari glorious, Hari good;If it feeds on solemn numbers,Dim as dreams and soft as slumbers,Lend thine ear to Jayadev,Lord of all the spells that save.Umapatidhara's strainGlows like roses after rain;Shararis stream-like song is grand,If its tide ye understand;Bard more wise beneath the sunIs not found than Govardhun;Dhoyi holds the listener stillWith his shlokes of subtle skill;But for sweet words suited wellJayadeva doth excel. (What follows is to the Music MLAVA and the Mode PUPAKA.) O thou that held'st the blessd Veda dry When all things else beneath the floods were hurled; Strong Fish-God! Ark of Men! Jai! Hari, jai! Hail, Keshav, hail! thou Master of the world! The round world rested on thy spacious nape; Upon thy neck, like a mere mole, it stood: O thou that took'st for us the Tortoise-shape, Hail, Keshav, hail! Euler of wave and wood! The world upon thy curving tusk sate sure, Like the Moon's dark disc in her crescent pale; O thou who didst for us assume the Boar, Immortal Conqueror! hail, Keshav, hail! When thou thy Giant-Foe didst seize and rend, Fierce, fearful, long, and sharp were fang and nail; Thou who the Lion and the Man didst blend, Lord of the Universe! hail, Narsingh, hail! Wonderful Dwarf!who with a threefold stride Cheated King Baliwhere thy footsteps fall Men's sins, O Wamuna! are set aside: O Keshav, hail! thou Help and Hope of all! The sins of this sad earth thou didst assoil, The anguish of its creatures thou didst heal; Freed are we from all terrors by thy toil: Hail, Purshuram, hail! Lord of the biting steel! To thee the fell Ten-Headed yielded life, Thou in dread battle laid'st the monster low I Ah, Eama! dear to Gods and men that strife; We praise thee, Master of the matchless bow! With clouds for garments glorious thou dost fare, Veiling thy dazzling majesty and might, As when Yamuna saw thee with the share, A peasantyet the King of Day and Night. Merciful-hearted! when thou earnest as Boodh Albeit 'twas written in the Scriptures so Thou bad'st our altars be no more imbrued With blood of victims: Keshav! bending low We praise thee, Wielder of the sweeping sword, Brilliant as curving comets in the gloom, Whose edge shall smite the fierce barbarian horde; Hail to thee, Keshav! hail, and hear, and come, And fill this song of Jayadev with thee, And make it wise to teach, strong to redeem, And sweet to living souls. Thou Mystery! Thou Light of Life! Thou Dawn beyond the dream! Fish! that didst outswim the flood; Tortoise! whereon earth hath stood; Boar! who with thy tush held'st high The world, that mortals might not die; Lion! who hast giants torn; Dwarf! who laugh'dst a king to scorn; Sole Subduer of the Dreaded! Slayer of the many-headed! Mighty Ploughman! Teacher tender! Of thine own the sure Defender! Under all thy ten disguises Endless praise to thee arises. (What follows is to the Music GURJJAR and the Mode NIHSRA.) Endless praise arises, O thou God that liest Kapt, on Kumla's breast, Happiest, holiest, highest! Planets are thy jewels, Stars thy forehead-gems, Set like sapphires gleaming In kingliest anadems; Even the great gold Sun-God, Blazing through the sky, Serves thee but for crest-stone,Next page