Know that when the nymph Menaka, the mother of [S']akoontala,
became aware of her daughter's anguish in consequence of the loss
of the ring at the nymph's pool, and of thy subsequent rejection
of her, she brought her and confided her to the care of Aditi.
And I no sooner saw her than I ascertained by my divine faculty
of meditation[134], that thy repudiation of thy poor faithful
wife had been caused entirely by the curse of Durvasas--not by
thine own fault--and that the spell would terminate on the
discovery of the ring.

KING. [_Drawing a deep breath_.

Oh! what a weight is taken off my mind, now that my character is
cleared of reproach.

[S']AKOONTALA. [_Aside_.

Joy! joy! My revered husband did not, then, reject me without
good reason, though I have no recollection of the curse
pronounced upon me. But, in all probability, I unconsciously
brought it upon myself, when I was so distracted on being
separated from my husband soon after our marriage. For I now
remember that my two friends advised me not to fail to show the
ring in case he should have forgotten me.

KA[S']YAPA.

At last, my daughter, thou art happy, and hast gained thy heart's
desire. Indulge, then, no feeling of resentment against thy
consort. See, now,

Though he repulsed thee, 'twas the sage's curse
That clouded his remembrance; 'twas the curse
That made thy tender husband harsh towards thee.
Soon as the spell was broken, and his soul
Delivered from its darkness, in a moment,
Thou didst regain thine empire o'er his heart.
So on the tarnished surface of a mirror
No image is reflected, till the dust,
That dimmed its wonted lustre, is removed.

KING.

Holy father, see here the hope of my royal race.

[_Takes his child by the hand_.

KA[S']YAPA.

Know that he, too, will become the monarch of the
wholes earth. Observe,
Soon, a resistless hero, shall he cross
The trackless ocean, borne above the waves
In an aerial car; and shall subdue
The earth's seven sea-girt isles[128]. Now has he gained,
As the brave tamer of the forest-beasts,
The title Sarva-damana; but then
Mankind shall hail him as King Bharata[129],
And call him the supporter of the world.

KING.

We cannot but entertain the highest hopes of a child for whom
your Highness performed the natal rites.

ADITI.

My revered husb