flower.
Her highest joy was ever to behold
The early glory of your opening buds;
Oh, then, dismiss her with a kind farewell.
This very day she quits her father's home,
To seek the palace of her wedded lord.

[_The note of a Koil[66] is heard_.

Hark! heard'st thou not the answer of the trees,
Our sylvan sisters, warbled in the note
Of the melodious Koil[66]? they dismiss
Their dear [S']akoontala with loving wishes.

VOICES IN THE AIR.

Fare thee well, journey pleasantly on amid streams
Where the lotuses bloom, and the sun's glowing beams
Never pierce the deep shade of the wide-spreading trees,
While gently around thee shall sport the cool breeze;
Then light be thy footsteps and easy thy tread,
Beneath thee shall carpets of lilies be spread;
Journey on to thy lord, let thy spirit be gay,
For the smiles of all Nature shall gladden thy way.

[_All listen with astonishment_.

GAUTAMI.

Daughter! the nymphs of the wood, who love thee with the
affection of a sister, dismiss thee with kind wishes for thy
happiness. Take thou leave of them reverentially.

[S']AKOONTALA.

[_Bowing respectfully and walking on. Aside to her friend_.

Eager as I am, dear Priyamvada, to see my husband once more, yet
my feet refuse to move, now that I am quitting for ever the home
of my girlhood.

PRIYAMVADA.

You are not the only one, dearest, to feel the bitterness of
parting. As the time of separation approaches, the whole grove
seems to share your anguish.

In sorrow for thy loss, the herd of deer
Forget to browse; the peacock on the lawn
Ceases its dance[67]; the very trees around
Shed their pale leaves, like tears, upon the ground.

[S']AKOONTALA. [_Recollecting herself_.

My father, let me, before I go, bid adieu to my pet jasmine, the
Moonlight of the Grove[68]. I love the plant almost as a sister.

KANWA.

Yes, yes, my child, I remember thy sisterly affection for the
creeper. Here it is on the right.

[S']AKOONTALA. [_Approaching the jasmine_.

My beloved jasmine! most brilliant of climbing plants, how sweet
it is to see thee cling thus fondly to thy husband, the
mango-tree; yet, prithee, turn thy twining arms for a moment in
this direction to embrace thy sister; she is going far away, and
may never see thee again.

KANWA.

Daughter, the cherished purpose of my heart
Has ever