reverent crowd
Raised suppliant hands and humbly bowed.
Then from the palace many a dame
Following well-dressed Santa came,
Stood by the mighty saint and cried:--
"See, honor's source, thy son's dear bride."
The saint, who every virtue knew,
His arms around his daughter threw,
And with a father's rapture pressed
The lady to his wondering breast.
Arising from the saint's embrace
She bowed her low before his face,
And then, with palm to palm applied,
Stood by her hermit father's side.
He for his son, as laws ordain,
Performed the rite that frees from stain,
And, honored by the wise and good,
With him departed to the wood.

CANTO XIX

THE BIRTH OF THE PRINCES

The seasons six, in rapid flight,
Had circled since that glorious rite.
Eleven months had passed away--
'Twas Chaitra's ninth returning day.
The moon within that mansion shone
Which Aditi looks so kindly on.
Raised to their apex in the sky
Five brilliant planets beamed on high.
Shone with the moon, in Cancer's sign,
Vrihaspati with light divine.
Kausalya bore an infant blest
With heavenly marks of grace impressed;
Rama, the universe's lord,
A prince by all the worlds adored.
New glory Queen Kausalya won
Reflected from her splendid son.
So Aditi shone more and more,
The Mother of the Gods, when she
The King of the Immortals bore,
The thunder-wielding deity.
The lotus-eyed, the beauteous boy,
He came fierce Ravan to destroy;
From half of Vishnu's vigor born,
He came to help the worlds forlorn.
And Queen Kaikeyi bore a child
Of truest valor, Bharat styled,
With every princely virtue blest,
One-fourth of Vishnu manifest.
Sumitra too a noble pair,
Called Lakshman and Satrughna, bare,
Of high emprise, devoted, true,
Sharers in Vishnu's essence too.
'Neath Pushya's mansion, Mina's sign,
Was Bharat born, of soul benign.
The sun had reached the Crab at morn
When Queen Sumitra's babes were born,
What time the moon had gone to make
His nightly dwelling with the Snake.
The high-souled monarch's consorts bore
At different times those glorious four,
Like to himself and virtuous, bright
As Proshthapada's fourfold light.

Then danced the nymphs' celestial throng,
The minstrels raised their strain;
The dru