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Desolate Condition of Cities and Territories
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654. Here in the rainy season emerges the charm of forestbreezes ( carrying) the smell of the pulp (sāra ) of Bilva ( fruit ), moistened with water, reddish and insipid.
655. The paths on lands, darkened by the dust held fast (padibajjhamta) by fresh (shower ) streams, look lovely, spotted (kabburā) as they are, with the greyish imprints of the hooves. of the deer.
656. The nights here, although bereft of clouds (avamehão ), have blurred moonlight and gentle breezes, the stars very slightly coming into view in the sky, blinded (with the darkness of the sheets of) water (over the earth).
657. (And now) here spreads the beauty of the days in autumn, pleasant with the fragrance of honey formed inside the blossoming (ummuddia ) Sinduvāra flowers and with lotuses pouring out their perfume.
658. In this way, various forest regions with their (characteristic ) lovely aspects were observed ( saccavia) by his armymen, who met in victory different countries on the earth in all directions.
The desolate condition of the territories and cities of enemykings
659. The jewelled embankments here (in the enemies' territories ), the lustre of which is faintly (virala) observed at the loss of their fresh (polished ) brightness ( virasa ) like the faded (viratta) ( discoloured) rainbow, their ( former ) brilliance now to be imagined from those parts cut open by buffaloes with their hooves.
660. The lovely appearance of parks is quite different now, ( wild and ) rough like forests, their trees being smothered with oppressive congestion (pidia ) in various parts by canopied overgrowth of creepers, turning and twisting (pariatta ) at their sweet will (without the gardeners' direction).
661. The flower of those very creepers which (worn as a decoration when only a bud) started blooming (bhijjamtam ), (and when faded) left its filaments completely hidden in the hair (alaa) of graceful ladies, now drops down (from its stem ) being pushed out (pellia) by the developing) fruit.
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