[Exit CHATURIKA.

My loved one came but lately to my presence
And offered me herself, but in my folly
I spurned the gift, and now I fondly cling
To her mere image; even as a madman
Would pass the waters of the gushing stream,
And thirst for airy vapours of the desert[94].

MA[T.]HAVYA. [Aside.

He has been fool enough to forego the reality for the semblance, the substance for the shadow.

[Aloud.]

Tell us, I pray, what else remains to be painted.

SANUMATI. [Aside.

He longs, no doubt, to delineate some favourite spot where my [S’]akoontala delighted to ramble.

KING.

You shall hear:—­

  I wish to see the Malini portrayed,
  Its tranquil course by banks of sand impeded;
  Upon the brink a pair of swans; beyond,
  The hills adjacent to Himalaya[95],
  Studded with deer; and, near the spreading shade
  Of some large tree, where ’mid the branches hang
  The hermits’ vests of bark, a tender doe,
  Rubbing its downy forehead on the horn
  Of a black antelope, should be depicted.

MA[T.]HAVYA.

[Aside.

Pooh! if I were he, I would fill up the vacant
spaces with a lot of grizzly-bearded old hermits.

KING.

My dear Ma[T.]Havya, there is still a part of [S’]akoontala’s dress which I purposed to draw, but find I have omitted.

MA[T.]HAVYA.

What is that?

SANUMATI. [Aside.

Something suitable, I suppose, to the simple attire of a young and beautiful girl dwelling in a forest.

KING.

  A sweet [S’]irisha blossom should be twined
  Behind her ear[7], its perfumed crest depending
  Towards her cheek; and, resting on her bosom,
  A lotus-fibre necklace, soft and bright
  As an autumnal moonbeam, should be traced.

MA[T.]HAVYA.

Pray, why does the Queen cover her lips with the tips of her fingers, bright as the blossom of a lily, as if she were afraid of something? [Looking more closely.] Oh!  I see; a vagabond bee, intent on thieving honey from the flowers, has mistaken her mouth for a rosebud, and is trying to settle upon it.

KING.

A bee! drive off the impudent insect, will you?

MA[T.]HAVYA.

That’s your business.  Your royal prerogative gives you power over all offenders.

KING.

Very true.  Listen to me, thou favourite guest of flowering plants; why give thyself the trouble of hovering here?

  See where thy partner sits on yonder flower,
  And waits for thee ere she will sip its dew.

SANUMATI. [Aside.