Indian Antiquary Vol 28

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 81

MARCH, 1899.)
A POPULAR MOPLA SONG
67
accomplishment, and everyone called her Hasanu'l-Jamal. Her morals and disposition were exact counterparts of her physical beauty. This beloved daughter of king Mahasil had beautiful jewels in abundance. She wore golden ornaments set with the most precious stones. She slept in the firest of beds. She dressed in the most beautiful silk. She walked like an elephant, with wavy side to side motion, her head slightly bent. She looked with quiwering eye which resembled the bee that has seen honey. Any one, man or angel, who saw her smile with her coral like lips, would be snitten instantly with love; nay, more, he would lose his wits and go mad. This fine coloured parroto of a princess loved Badaru'l-Munir with all her heart : her feelings towards him never changed. There did not live in that age one who was in any way comparable to Badara'l-Munir. His face would have put the lotus flower to shame; his talk would have stopped the course of the river of honey : even the húris of Paradise would have been enraptured with the music of his voice, with the sweetness of his words. Not a day passed without this beautiful princess and this fairest of youths meeting each other; day by day their love increased, till at last the people began to whisper tales of sin. Rumours reached even the ear of the king, who issued stringent orders forbidding the minister's son to come to the palace. Badaru'l-Munir, fearing the king's displeasure, did not go to the palace. Day and night, without food or sleep and with aching hearts they thought of each other. Their dreams were their only means of sympathetic communication ; waking, they were undeceived, and wept bitterly.
The princess called a faithful slave, and told him to bring to her presence unknown, to any one, the full moon of her affections. True to his mission the servant conveyed secretly the joyful message to the minister's son. He was elated, and arranged to meet her the same night. Delighted beyond measure by the way in which the slave had carried out her orders, the princess immediately gave him his liberty and a present of four hundred silver coins. With eagle eyes the princess looked out for her beloved Badaru'l-Manir who, like the beetle seeking the lotus flower, kept his tryst faithfully.
The princess of resplendent beanty thus addressed him abroptly "My father lies between our meeting; the full moon of our happiness is gone : do yon propose any remedy ?"
Badaru'l-Munir replied: "Oh my dear one! Oh most beantiful manikam?! Oh rising moon! Your father's cruel order is a death-blow to us. Oh fairest flower of humanity! Whatever you wish to be done I will do it at all risks."
The princess said :-"Oh my beloved! So long as my father is king we cannot live together in this country; if we cannot meet at least once a day the ocean of our love will be tossed with violent waves, and we shall go mad; I see no way for our remaining here. I am ready to quit my father's realm and go elsewhere: I have golden ornaments set with precious stones of grent value : one of my bracelets would suffice to maintain us for a life-time."
As these words came out of her coral-like lips be blushed with joy, and said :-"Oh sweetest flower! I am ready to do your wish and bidding at all bazard. I accept entirely what you say." The princess then said to him with bated breath :-"I will get ready the fleetest of horses that will gallop through the forest with the speed of the wind; I will have everything ready by midnight : you must be here then. By day break we will be beyond the dominions of my father.”
Having so resolved, they embraced and parted.
Now this conversation took place at the foot of the staircase of the palace in which the princess lived. A fisherman by nam Abu Sayyid who used to bring fish to the palace was sleeping near the foot of the staircase. Hearing a voice above his head he awoke and listened
& A Tamil simile of loveliness.
TA precious stone. Lit., the precious stone which is within the head of the serpent Mableca, but applied generally to any precious stone.
* In the original - "human voice."