ACT IV
SHAKUNTALA'S DEPARTURE
SCENE
I
(Enter
the two friends, gathering flowers.)
Anusuya.
Priyamvada, dear Shakuntala has been properly married by
the voluntary ceremony and she has a husband worthy of her.
And yet I am not quite satisfied.
Priyamvada.
Why not?
Anusuya.
The sacrifice is over and the good king was dismissed
to-day by the hermits. He has gone back to the city and
there he is surrounded by hundreds of court ladies. I
wonder whether he will remember poor Shakuntala or not.
Priyamvada.
You need not be anxious about that. Such handsome men are
sure to be good. But there is something else to think
about. I don't know what Father will have to say when he
comes back from his pilgrimage and hears about it.
Anusuya.
I believe that he will be pleased.
Priyamvada.
Why?
Anusuya.
Why not? You know he wanted to give his daughter to a lover
worthy of her. If fate brings this about of itself, why
shouldn't Father be happy?
Priyamvada.
I suppose you are right. (She
looks at her flower-basket.) My
dear, we have gathered flowers enough for the sacrifice.
Anusuya.
But we must make an offering to the gods that watch over
Shakuntala's marriage. We had better gather more.
Priyamvada.
Very well. (They
do so.)
A
voice behind the scenes. Who
will bid me welcome?
Anusuya
(listening).
My dear, it sounds like a guest announcing himself.
Priyamvada.
Well, Shakuntala is near the cottage.
(Reflecting.)
Ah, but to-day her heart is far away. Come,
we must do with the flowers we have. (They
start to walk away.)
The
voice. Do you
dare despise a guest like me?
Because
your heart, by loving fancies blinded,
Has scorned a guest in pious life grown old,
Your lover shall forget you though reminded,
Or think of you as of a story told.
(The
two girls listen and show dejection.)
Priyamvada.
Oh, dear! The very thing has happened. The dear,
absent-minded girl has offended some worthy man.
Anusuya
(looking
ahead). My
dear, this is no ordinary somebody. It is the great sage
Durvasas, the irascible. See how he strides away!
Priyamvada.
Nothing burns like fire. Run, fall at his feet, bring him
back, while I am getting water to wash his feet.
Anusuya.
I will. (Exit.)
Priyamvada
(stumbling).
There! I stumbled in my excitement, and the flower-basket
fell out of my hand. (She
collects the scattered flowers.
ANUSUYA returns.)
Anusuya.
My dear, he is anger incarnate. Who could appease him? But
I softened him a little.
Priyamvada.
Even that is a good deal for him. Tell me about it.
Anusuya.
When he would not turn back, I fell at his feet and prayed
to him. "Holy sir," I said, "remember her former devotion
and pardon this offence. Your daughter did not recognise
your great and holy power to-day."
Priyamvada.
And then------
Anusuya.
Then he said: "My words must be fulfilled. But the curse
shall be lifted when her lover sees a gem which he has
given her for a token." And so he vanished.
Priyamvada.
We can breathe again. When the good king went away, he put
a ring, engraved with his own name, on Shakuntala's finger
to remember him by. That will save her.
Anusuya.
Come, we must finish the sacrifice for her.
(They
walk about.)
Priyamvada
(gazing).
Just look, Anusuya! There is the dear girl, with her cheek
resting on her left hand. She looks
like a painted picture. She is thinking about him. How
could she notice a guest when she has forgotten herself?
Anusuya.
Priyamvada, we two must keep this thing to ourselves. We
must be careful of the dear girl. You know how delicate she
is.
Priyamvada.
Would any one sprinkle a jasmine-vine with scalding water?
(Exeunt
ambo.)
SCENE II.--Early
Morning.
(Enter
a pupil of KANVA,
just
risen from sleep.)
Pupil.
Father Kanva has returned from his pilgrimage, and has
bidden me find out what time it is. I will go into the open
air and see how much of the night remains.
(He
walks and looks about.) See!
The dawn is breaking. For already
The moon
behind the western mount is sinking;
The eastern sun is heralded by dawn;
From heaven's twin lights, their fall and glory linking,
Brave lessons of submission may be drawn.
And again:
Night-blooming
lilies, when the moon is hidden,
Have naught but memories of beauty left.
Hard, hard to bear! Her lot whom heaven has bidden
To live alone, of love and lover reft.
And again:
On
jujube-trees the blushing dewdrops falter;
The peacock wakes and leaves the cottage
thatch;
A deer is rising near the hoof-marked altar,
And stretching, stands, the day's new life to
catch.
And yet again:
The moon
that topped the loftiest mountain ranges,
That slew the darkness in the midmost sky,
Is fallen from heaven, and all her glory changes:
So high to rise, so low at last to lie!
Anusuya
(entering
hurriedly. To herself). That
is just what happens to the innocent. Shakuntala has been
treated shamefully by the king.
Pupil.
I will tell Father Kanva that the hour of morning sacrifice
is come. (Exit.)
Anusuya.
The dawn is breaking. I am awake bright and early. But what
shall I do now that I am awake? My hands refuse to attend
to the ordinary morning tasks. Well, let love take its
course. For the dear, pure-minded girl trusted him--the
traitor! Perhaps it is not the good king's fault. It must
be the curse of Durvasas. Otherwise, how could the good
king say such beautiful things, and then let all this time
pass without even sending a message? (She
reflects.) Yes,
we must send him the ring he left as a token. But whom
shall we ask to take it? The hermits are unsympathetic
because they have never suffered. It seemed as if her
friends were to blame and so, try as we might, we could not
tell Father Kanva that Shakuntala was married to Dushyanta
and was expecting a baby. Oh, what shall we do?
(Enter
PRIYAMVADA.)
Priyamvada.
Hurry, Anusuya, hurry! We are getting Shakuntala ready for
her journey.
Anusuya
(astonished).
What do you mean, my dear?
Priyamvada.
Listen. I just went to Shakuntala, to ask if she had slept
well.
Anusuya.
And then------
Priyamvada.
I found her hiding her face for shame, and Father Kanva was
embracing her and encouraging her. "My child," he said, "I
bring you joy. The offering fell straight in the sacred
fire, and auspicious smoke rose toward the sacrificer. My
pains for you have proved like instruction given to a good
student; they have brought me no regret. This very day I
shall give you an escort of hermits and send you to your
husband."
Anusuya.
But, my dear, who told Father Kanva about it?
Priyamvada.
A voice from heaven that recited a verse when he had
entered the fire-sanctuary.
Anusuya
(astonished).
What did it say?
Priyamvada.
Listen. (Speaking
in good Sanskrit.)
Know,
Brahman, that your child,
Like the fire-pregnant tree,
Bears kingly seed that shall be born
For earth's prosperity.
Anusuya
(hugging
PRIYAMVADA).
I am so glad, dear. But my joy is half sorrow when I think
that Shakuntala is going to be taken away this very day.
Priyamvada.
We must hide our sorrow as best we can. The poor girl must
be made happy to-day.
Anusuya.
Well, here is a cocoa-nut casket, hanging on a branch of
the mango-tree. I put flower-pollen in it for this very
purpose. It keeps fresh, you know. Now you wrap it in a
lotus-leaf, and I will get yellow pigment and earth from a
sacred spot and blades of panic grass for the happy
ceremony. (PRIYAMVADA does
so. Exit ANUSUYA.)
A
voice behind the scenes.
Gautami, bid the worthy Sharngarava and Sharadvata make
ready to escort my daughter Shakuntala.
Priyamvada
(listening).
Hurry, Anusuya, hurry! They are calling the hermits who are
going to Hastinapura. (Enter
ANUSUYA,
with
materials for the ceremony.)
Anusuya.
Come, dear, let us go. (They
walk about.)
Priyamvada
(looking
ahead). There
is Shakuntala. She took the ceremonial bath at sunrise, and
now the hermit-women are giving her rice-cakes and wishing
her happiness. Let's go to her. (They
do so. Enter SHAKUNTALA
with
attendants as described, and GAUTAMI.)
Shakuntala.
Holy women, I salute you.
Gautami.
My child, may you receive the happy title "queen," showing
that your husband honours you.
Hermit-women.
My dear, may you become the mother of a hero.
(Exeunt
all but GAUTAMI.)
The
two friends (approaching).
Did you have a good bath, dear?
Shakuntala.
Good morning, girls. Sit here.
The
two friends (seating
themselves). Now
stand straight, while we go through the happy ceremony.
Shakuntala.
It has happened often enough, but I ought to be very
grateful to-day. Shall I ever be adorned by my friends
again? (She weeps.)
The
two friends. You
ought not to weep, dear, at this happy time. (They wipe the
tears away and adorn her.)
Priyamvada.
You are so beautiful, you ought to have the finest gems. It
seems like .an insult to give you these hermitage things.
(Enter
HARITA,
a
hermit-youth, with ornaments.)
Harita.
Here are ornaments for our lady. (The
women look at them in astonishment.)
Gautami.
Harita, my son, whence come these things?
Harita.
From the holy power of Father Kanva.
Gautami.
A creation of his mind?
Harita.
Not quite. Listen. Father Kanva sent us to gather blossoms
from the trees for Shakuntala, and then
One tree
bore fruit, a silken marriage dress
That shamed the moon in its white loveliness;
Another gave us lac-dye for the feet;
From others, fairy hands extended, sweet
Like flowering twigs, as far as to the wrist,
And gave us gems, to adorn her as we list.
Priyamvada
(looking
at SHAKUNTALA).
A bee may be born in a hole in a tree, but she likes the
honey of the lotus.
Gautami.
This gracious favour is a token of the queenly happiness
which you are to enjoy in your husband's palace.
(SHAKUNTALA shows
embarrassment.)
Harita.
Father Kanva has gone to the bank of the Malini, to perform
his ablutions. I will tell him of the favour shown us by
the trees. (Exit.)
Anusuya.
My dear, we poor girls never saw such ornaments. How shall
we adorn you? (She
stops to think, and to look at the
ornaments.) But
we have seen pictures. Perhaps we can arrange them right.
Shakuntala.
I know how clever you are. (The
two friends adorn her. Enter KANVA,
returning
after his ablutions.)
Kanva.
Shakuntala
must go to-day;
I miss her now at heart;
I dare not speak a loving word
Or choking tears will start.
My eyes are dim with anxious thought;
Love
strikes me to the life:
And
yet I strove for pious peace--
I
have no child, no wife.
What must a father feel, when come
The
pangs of parting from his child at home?
(He
walks about.)
The
two friends. There,
Shakuntala, we have arranged your ornaments. Now put on
this beautiful silk dress. (SHAKUNTALA rises
and does so.)
Gautami.
My child, here is your father. The eyes with which he seems
to embrace you are overflowing with tears of joy. You must
greet him properly. (SHAKUNTALA makes
a shamefaced reverence.)
Kanva.
My child,
Like
Sharmishtha, Yayati's wife,
Win favour measured by your worth;
And may you bear a kingly son
Like Puru, who shall rule the earth.
Gautami.
My child, this is not a prayer, but a benediction.
Kanva.
My daughter, walk from left to right about the fires in
which the offering has just been thrown.
(All
walk about.)
The holy
fires around the altar kindle,
And at their margins sacred grass is piled;
Beneath their sacrificial odours dwindle
Misfortunes. May the fires protect you, child!
(SHAKUNTALA
walks
about them from left to right.)
Kanva.
Now you may start, my daughter. (He
glances about.) Where
are Sharngarava and Sharadvata? (Enter
the two pupils.)
The
two pupils. We are
here, Father.
Kanva.
Sharngarava, my son, lead the way for your sister.
Sharngarava.
Follow me. (They
all walk about.)
Kanva.
O trees of the pious grove, in which the fairies dwell,
She
would not drink till she had wet
Your roots, a sister's duty,
Nor pluck your flowers; she loves you yet
Far more than selfish beauty.
’Twas festival in her pure life
When
budding blossoms showed;
And
now she leaves you as a wife--
Oh,
speed her on her road!
Sharngarava
(listening
to the song of koïl-birds).
Father,
The
trees are answering your prayer
In cooing cuckoo-song,
Bidding Shakuntala farewell,
Their sister for so long.
Invisible
beings.
May
lily-dotted lakes delight your eye;
May shade-trees bid the heat of noonday cease;
May soft winds blow the lotus-pollen nigh;
May all your path be pleasantness and peace.
(All
listen in astonishment.)
Gautami.
My child, the fairies of the pious grove bid you farewell.
For they love the household. Pay reverence to the holy
ones.
Shakuntala
(does
so. Aside to PRIYAMVADA).
Priyamvada, I long to see my husband, and yet my feet will
hardly move. It is hard, hard to leave the hermitage.
Priyamvada.
You are not the only one to feel sad at this farewell. See
how the whole grove feels at parting from you.
The
grass drops from the feeding doe;
The peahen stops her dance;
Pale, trembling leaves are falling slow,
The tears of clinging plants.
Shakuntala
(recalling
something).
Father, I must say good-bye to the spring-creeper, my
sister among the vines.
Kanva.
I know your love for her. See! Here she is at your right
hand.
Shakuntala
(approaches
the vine and embraces it). Vine
sister, embrace me too with your arms, these branches. I
shall be far away from you after to-day. Father, you must
care for her as you did for me.
Kanva.
My
child, you found the lover who
Had long been sought by me;
No longer need I watch for you;
I'll give the vine a lover true,
This handsome mango-tree.
And now start on your journey.
Shakuntala
(going
to the two friends). Dear
girls, I leave her in your care too.
The two friends. But who will care for poor us?
(They
shed tears.)
Kanva.
Anusuya! Priyamvada! Do not weep. It is you who should
cheer Shakuntala. (All
walk about.)
Shakuntala.
Father, there is the pregnant doe, wandering about near the
cottage. When she becomes a happy mother, you must send
some one to bring me the good news. Do not forget.
Kanva.
I shall not forget, my child.
Shakuntala
(stumbling).
Oh, oh! Who is it that keeps pulling at my dress, as if to
hinder me? (She
turns round to see.)
Kanva.
It is
the fawn whose lip, when torn
By kusha-grass, you soothed with oil;
The fawn who gladly nibbled corn
Held in your hand; with loving toil
You have adopted him, and he
Would never leave you willingly.
Shakuntala.
My dear, why should you follow me when I am going away from
home? Your mother died when you were born and I brought you
up. Now I am leaving you, and Father Kanva will take care
of you. Go back, dear! Go back! (She
walks away, weeping.)
Kanva.
Do not weep, my child. Be brave. Look at the path before
you.
Be
brave, and check the rising tears
That dim your lovely eyes;
Your feet are stumbling on the path
That so uneven lies.
Sharngarava.
Holy Father, the Scripture declares that one should
accompany a departing loved one only to the first water.
Pray give us your commands on the bank of this pond, and
then return.
Kanva.
Then let us rest in the shade of this fig-tree.
(All
do so.) What
commands would it be fitting for me to lay on King
Dushyanta? (He
reflects.)
Anusuya.
My dear, there is not a living thing in the whole
hermitage that is not grieving to-day at saying good-bye to
you. Look!
The
sheldrake does not heed his mate
Who calls behind the lotus-leaf;
He drops the lily from his bill
And turns on you a glance of grief.
Kanva.
Son Sharngarava, when you present Shakuntala to the king,
give him this message from me.
Remembering
my religious worth,
Your own high race, the love poured forth
By her, forgetful of her friends,
Pay her what honour custom lends
To all your wives. And what fate gives
Beyond, will please her relatives.
Sharngarava.
I will not forget your message, Father.
Kanva
(turning
to SHAKUNTALA).
My child, I must now give you my counsel. Though I live in
the forest, I have some knowledge of the world.
Sharngarava.
True wisdom, Father, gives insight into everything.
Kanva.
My child, when you have entered your husband's home,
Obey
your elders; and be very kind
To rivals; never be perversely blind
And angry with your husband, even though he
Should prove less faithful than a man might be;
Be as courteous to servants as you may,
Not puffed with pride in this your happy day:
Thus does a maiden grow into a wife;
But self-willed women are the curse of life.
But what does Gautami say?
Gautami.
This is advice sufficient for a bride. (To
SHAKUNTALA.)
You will not forget, my child.
Kanva.
Come, my daughter, embrace me and your friends.
Shakuntala.
Oh, Father! Must my friends turn back too?
Kanva.
My daughter, they too must some day be given in marriage.
Therefore they may not go to court. Gautami will go with
you.
Shakuntala
(throwing
her arms about her father). I am
torn from my father's breast like a vine stripped from a
sandal-tree on the Malabar hills. How can I live in another
soil? (She
weeps.)
Kanva.
My daughter, why distress yourself so?
A noble
husband's honourable wife,
You are to spend a busy, useful life
In the world's eye; and soon, as eastern skies
Bring forth the sun, from you there shall arise
A child, a blessing and a comfort strong--
You will not miss me, dearest daughter, long.
Shakuntala
(falling
at his feet).
Farewell, Father.
Kanva.
My daughter, may all that come to you which I desire for
you.
Shakuntala
(going
to her two friends). Come,
girls! Embrace me, both of you together.
The
two friends (do
so). Dear,
if the good king should perhaps be slow to recognise you,
show him the ring with his own name engraved on it.
Shakuntala.
Your doubts make my heart beat faster.
The
two friends. Do not
be afraid, dear. Love is timid.
Sharngarava
(looking
about).
Father, the sun is in mid-heaven. She must hasten.
Shakuntala
(embracing
KANVA
once
more).
Father, when shall I see the pious grove again?
Kanva.
My daughter,
When you
have shared for many years
The king's thoughts with the earth,
When to a son who knows no fears
You shall have given birth,
When, trusted to the son you love,
Your
royal labours cease,
Come
with your husband to the grove
And
end your days in peace.
Gautami.
My child, the hour of your departure is slipping by. Bid
your father turn back. No, she would never do that. Pray
turn back, sir.
Kanva.
Child, you interrupt my duties in the pious grove.
Shakuntala.
Yes, Father. You will be busy in the grove. You will not
miss me. But oh! I miss you.
Kanva.
How can you think me so indifferent? (He
sighs.)
My
lonely sorrow will not go,
For seeds you scattered here
Before the cottage door, will grow;
And I shall see them, dear.
Go. And peace go with you. (Exit SHAKUNTALA,
With
GAUTAMI,
SHARNGARAVA, and
SHARADVATA.)
The
two friends (gazing
long after her. Mournfully). Oh,
oh! Shakuntala is lost among the trees.
Kanva.
Anusuya! Priyamvada! Your companion is gone. Choke down
your grief and follow me. (They
start to go back.)
The
two friends.
Father, the grove seems empty without Shakuntala.
Kanva.
So love interprets. (He walks about, sunk in thought.) Ah!
I have sent Shakuntala away, and now I am myself again. For
A girl
is held in trust, another's treasure;
To arms of love my child to-day is given;
And now I feel a calm and sacred pleasure;
I have restored the pledge that came from
heaven.
(Exeunt
omnes.)