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CANTO XIV
1. Rāma, with the day wasted, not having encountered Rāvana as desired by him, became sad as he, looking towards Lankā, tardily slew the demons.
2. He resolved to discharge his arrows that had proved burdensomeat the demons as he thought: "Care-free because of his confidence in them, Rāvana doth not come out to fight.'
3. As Rāma's arrows killed the enemy at sight, or as he retreated or drew near, the apes moved about the battlefield downhearted, holding up their trees in vain.2
4. Rāma's arrows pierced their way through the swiftly hurled boulders of the apes, flying in the same direction, and killed the enemy first, disappointing the apes in their hopes.
5. The weapons of the demons were rent asunder by his arrows all at once, and did not reach the apes; nor did the swiftly flung missiles of the apes find any demon unhurt.3
6. The mountain peaks, wrathfully hurled by the apes, whose valour was frustrated4 by Rāma's arrows, dropped on the heads of the demons, already severed and dashed on the ground; while the boulders hurled by them likewise dropped on their chest already pierced by the arrows.
7. Rāma's arrows appeared to be all the time fixed to the bow, and the bow all the time curved; while the ground was strewn with the ever rolling heads of the demons struck off by the arrows.
8. The tracks of the arrows, fiery at places, but not the arrows, were seen in the bodies of the demons, and resembled the mouth of holes abandoned by serpents.
9. Rāma's arrows, their course revealed by the fall of heads in unbroken succession, were visible only when they dropped on
1. Because the desired target could not be found. See the preceding verse.
2. i.e., without any opportunity to kill the enemy. 3. Because they were already wounded by Rāma's arrows. 4. i.e., rendered superfluous.
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