to his living son, addressed:
'I too, my son, am I not here?--thy sire with thy sad mother stands;
Awake, arise, my child, draw near--and clasp each neck with loving hands.
Who now, 'neath the dark wood by night--a pious reader shall be heard?
Whose honied voice my ear delight--with th' holy Veda's living word?
The evening prayer, th' ablution done--the fire adored with worship meet,
Who now shall soothe like thee, my son--with fondling hand, my aged feet?
And who the herb, the wholesome root--or wild fruit from the wood shall
bring?
To us the blind, the destitute--with helpless hunger perishing?
Thy blind old mother, heaven-resigned--within our hermit-dwelling lone,
How shall I tend, myself as blind--now all my strength of life is gone!
Oh stay, my child, Oh part not yet--to Yama's dwelling go not now,
To-morrow forth we all will set--thy mother, and myself, and thou:
For both, in grief for thee, and both--so helpless, ere another day,
From this dark world, but little loath--shall we depart, death's easy prey!
And I myself, by Yama's seat--companion of thy darksome way,
The guerdon to thy virtues meet--from that great Judge of men will pray.
Because, my boy, in innocence--by wicked deed thou hast been slain,
Rise, where the heroes dwell, who thence--ne'er stoop to this dark world
again.
Those that to earth return no more--the sense-subdued, the hermits wise,
Priests their sage masters that adore--to their eternal seats arise.
Those that have studied to the last--the Veda's, the Vedanga's page,
Where saintly kings of earth have passed--Nahusa and Yayati sage;
The sires of holy families--the true to wedlock's sacred vow;
And those that cattle, gold, or rice--or lands with liberal hands bestow;
That ope th' asylum to th' oppressed--that ever love, and speak the truth,
Up to the dwellings of the blest--th' eternal, soar thou, best loved youth.
For none of such a holy race--within the lowest seat may dwell;
But that will be his fatal place--by whom my only offspring fell.'
So groaning deep, that wretched pair--the hermit and his wife, essayed
The meet ablution to prepare--their hands their last faint effort made.
Divine, with glorious body bright--in splendid car of heaven elate,
Before them stood their son in light--and thus consoled their helpless
state:
'Meed of my