t--leaving me, by sleep oppressed?
Openly, the gods rejected--was he chosen by me, my lord:
Could he leave the true, the loving--her that hath his children borne!
By the nuptial fire, in presence--of the gods, he clasped my hand,
'I will be,'[134] this truth he plighted--whither did he then depart?"
While all this in broken accents--sadly Damayanti spoke,
From her eyes the drops of sorrow--flowed in copious torrents down.
Those dark eyes, with vermeil corners--thus with trembling moisture dewed,
When king Nala saw, and gazed on--to the sorrowful he spake.
"Gaming that I lost my kingdom--'twas not mine own guilty deed,
It was Kali wrought within me--hence it was I fled from thee;
Therefore he, in th' hour of trial--smitten by thy scathing curse,
In the wild wood as thou wanderest--grieving night and day for me,
Kali dwelt within my body--burning with thy powerful curse,
Ever burning, fiercer, hotter--as when fire is heaped on fire.
He, by my religious patience--my devotion, now subdued,
Lo! the end of all our sorrows--beautiful! is now at hand.
I, the evil one departed, hither have made haste to come;
For thy sake, O round-limbed! only;--other business have I none.
Yet, O how may high-born woman--from her vowed, her plighted lord,
Swerving, choose another husband--even as thou, O trembler, would'st?
Over all the earth the heralds--travel by the kings command,
'Now the daughter of king Bhima--will a second husband choose,
'Free from every tie, as wills she--as her fancy may beseem,'
Hearing this, came hither speeding--king Bhangasuri in haste."
Damayanti, when from Nala--heard she this his grievous charge,
With her folded hands, and trembling--thus to Nala made reply:
"Do not me, O noble-minded--of such shameless guilt suspect,
Thou, when I the gods rejected--Nala, wert my chosen lord.
Only thee to find, the Brahmins--went to the ten regions forth,
Chaunting to their holy measures--but the words that I had taught.
Then that Brahmin wise, Parnada--such the name he bears, O king,
Thee in Kosala, the palace--of king Rituparna saw.
There to thee, my words addressed he--answer there from thee received.
I this subtle wile imagined--king of men, to bring thee here.
Since, beside thyself, no mortal--in the world, within the day,
Could drive on the fleetest coursers--for a hundred Yojanas