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SUMMARY
79
yokel from dancing to the palm-beats? (15). If the rice-pudding with profuse milk effervesces bouncingly, does that mean that the rough branny gruel should stop its sputterings? (16). Whatever one's poetic.powers, one must declare them unabashed, If the four-faced god Brahman spoke, is that any reason for others to be reticent? (17).
There is not one such work of good poetry in this wide world as is not known to you, O wise ones. Hence which of you would tarry to lend an ear to the insipid, grace-lacking compositions of an ignoramus like myself? Still it may turn out like this: when men of taste, being hard-pressed, find betel-leaves beyond their reach, they have somehow to get consoled with the modest Satapatri (18). So, considering that this Saṁdeśarāsaka which is to broadcast his poetic talent and learning is composed and published by the weaver with a naive and curious heart, you please listen with indulgence for a short while to the crude utterings of this humble person (19). If anybody chances to come across my work, I request him not to recite it either before the learned ( who would not stand such stuff), or before the stupid (who would surely fail to understand it), but by all means before a person of medium calibre (20-21). So now listen to this charmer-this leading light of the loveminded, to this veritable cupid for the separated, to this revivifier of love's sentiment. Uttered so affectionately, it is full of love's aroma, it is a stream of nectar to the ear and only he who is proficient in ars cmoris càn grasp its full significance (22-23)
SECOND STRIDE
With down-cast looks and an unceasing stream of tears, a full-bosomed, slender-waisted belle of Vijayanagara stood beholding her husband with her mind's eye. Her fair body was darkened by the fire of separation-like the moon eclipsed by Rāhu( 24). Shaken by her grief she yawned, and wept, and writhed her body. While thus bewailing, she saw a traveller passing by (25). At this, longing for her husband as she was, she so hastened towards the traveller as to make her girdle creep down with tinkles (26). As she fastened it up her necklace got torn asunder, and as she was picking up some of the pearls, her feet got entangled in the anklets and she
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