No More Learning

Some faint conception of this may be given by the view of Moscow from the Kremlin over the blue, green, and gilded domes and towers springing from the gardens which fill up the vacant intervals of that most Oriental of European capitals. But neither that view nor any other can give a notion of the vastness of the varie gated landscape of Babylon as seen from any of its elevated points.
From the earliest times of the city, as we have seen, the two materials of its architecture were the bricks baked from the plains on which it stood, and the plaster fetched from the bitumen springs of Hit. But these homely materials were made to yield effects as bright and varied as porcelain or metal.
The several stages of the Temple itself were black, orange, vol. in. — 16
242 BABYLON AND NEBUCHADNEZZAR.
crimson, gold, deep yellow, brilliant blue, and silver. The white or pale brown of the houses, wherever the natural color of the bricks was left, must have been strikingly contrasted with the rainbow hues with which most of them were painted, according to the fancy of their owners, whilst all the interven ing spaces were filled with the variety of gigantic palms in the gardens, or the thick jungles or luxuriant groves by the silvery lines of the canals, or in the early spring the carpet of brilliant flowers that cover the illimitable plain without the walls, or the sea of waving corn, both within and without, which burst from the teeming soil with a produce so plentiful that the Grecian traveler dared not risk his credit by stating its enormous magnitude.
When from the outward show we descend to the inner life of the place, Babylon may well indeed to the secluded Israelite have seemed to be that of which to all subsequent ages it has been taken as the type — " the World " itself. No doubt there was in Jerusalem and Samaria, especially since the days of Solomon, a little hierarchy and aristocracy and court, with its factions, feasts, and fashions. But nowhere else in Asia, hardly even in Egypt, could have been seen the magnificent cavalry careering through the streets, the chariots and four, " chariots like whirlwinds," " horses swifter than eagles," — "horses, " and chariots, and horsemen, and companies," with "spears and "burnished helmets. " Nowhere else could have been imagined the long muster roll, as of a peerage, that passes in long procession before the eye of the Israelite captive — " the satraps, captains, pashas, the chief judges, treasurers, judges, counselors, and all the rulers of the provinces. " Their splen did costumes of scarlet — their party-colored sashes — "all of them princes to look to " ; their elaborate armor, — " buckler, and shield, and helmet," — their breastplates, their bows and quivers, and battle-axes — marked out to every eye the power and grandeur of the army. Nowhere was science or art so vis ibly exalted, as in " the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the wise Chaldaeans," who were expected to un ravel all the secrets of nature, and who in point of fact, from those wide level plains, " where the entire celestial hemisphere is continually visible to every eye, and where the clear trans
parent atmosphere shows night after night the heavens gemmed with countless stars of undimmed brilliancy," had laid the first foundations of astronomy, mingled as it was with the specu
BABYLON AND NEBUCHADNEZZAR.
243
lations, then deemed pregnant with yet deeper significance, of astrology. Far in advance of the philosophy, as yet unborn, of Greece, in advance even of the ancient philosophy of Egypt, the Chaldaeans long represented to both those nations the high est flights of human intellect — even as the majestic Temples, which served to them at once as college and observatory, towered above the buildings of the then known world. Twice over in the Biblical history — once on the heights of Zophim, once beside the cradle of Bethlehem — do the star gazers of Chaldaea lay claim to be at once the precursors of Divine Reve lation, and the representatives of superhuman science.
Returning to the ordinary life of the place, its gay scenes of luxury and pomp were stamped on the memory of the Is raelites by the constant clash and concert, again and again re sounding, of the musical instruments in which the Babylonians delighted, and of which the mingled Greek and Asiatic names are faintly indicated by the British catalogue of " cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music. " Nor could they forget how, like the Athenian exiles in later days at Syracuse, their artistical masters besought them to take their own harps and sing one of the songs of their distant mountain city ; though, unlike those prisoners, who gladly re cited to their kindred enemies the tragedies of their own Eu ripides, they could not bring themselves to waste on that foreign
land the melody which belonged only to their Divine Master. Yet one more feature peculiar to Chaldaea, both natural and social, is recalled by the scene of that touching dialogue be tween the captors and the captives. The trees on which their harps were hung were unlike any that they knew in their own country. They called them by the name that seemed nearest to the willows of their own watercourses. But they were in fact the branching poplars mingled with the tamarisks, which still cluster beside the streams of Mesopotamia, and of which one solitary and venerable specimen long survived on the ruins of Babylon, and in the gentle waving of its green boughs sent forth a melancholy, rustling sound, such as in
after times chimed in with the universal desolation of the spot, such as in the ears of the Israelites might have seemed to echo their own mournful thoughts. The "waters " by which they wept were " the riven of Babylon. " "The river" — that word was of unknown or almost unknown sound to those who had seen only the scanty torrent beds of Judtea, or
244 BABYLON AND NEBUCHADNEZZAR.
the narrow rapids of the Jordan. The " river " in the mouth of an Israelite meant almost always the gigantic Euphrates — the fourth "river" of the primeval garden of the earth — the boundary of waters, from beyond which their forefathers had come. And now, after parting from it for many centuries, they once more found themselves on its banks — not one river only, but literally, as the Psalmist calls "rivers"; for by the wonderful system of irrigation which was the life of the whole region, was diverted into separate canals, each of which was itself " river," the source and support of the gardens and palaces which clustered along the water's edge. The country far and near was intersected with these branches of the mighty stream. One of them was so vast as to bear then the name, which bears even to this day, of the Egyptian Nile.
On the banks of the main channel of the "river" all the streets abutted, all the gates opened and immediately on leaving the city opened into that vast lake or estuary which made the surrounding tract itself " the desert of the sea" —the great sea, tossed by the four winds of heaven, and teeming with the monster shapes of earth — the sea on which floated innum erable ships or boats, as the junks at Canton, or the gondolas at Venice, or even as the vast shipping at our own renowned seaports. " Of the great waters," such the monumental in scription of Nebuchadnezzar, " like the waters of the ocean, made use abundantly. " " Their depths were like the depths of the vast ocean. " The inland city was thus converted into " city of merchants" — the magnificent empire into "a land of traffic. " " The cry," the stir, the gayety of the Chaldaeans was not in the streets or gardens of Babylon, but "in their ships. " — (Isaiah. ) Down the Euphrates came floating from the bitumen pits of Hit the cement with which its foundations were covered, and from Kurdistan and Armenia huge blocks of basalt, from Phoenicia gems and wine, perhaps its tin from Cornwall; up its course came from Arabia and from India the dogs for their sports, the costly wood for their stately walking staves, the frankincense for their worship.
And over this vast world of power, splendor, science, art, and commerce presided genius worthy of (so at least the Israelite tradition represented him), — "the Head of Gold," "whose brightness was excellent" —the Tree whose height reached to heaven, and the sight thereof " to the end of all the earth " — " whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much,
a
it
a
I
is
;
it,
it
it
a
it
BABYLON AND NEBUCHADNEZZAR. 245
and in it meat for all—under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the air had their habitation. " He whose reign reached over one half of the whole period of the empire — he who was the last conqueror amongst the primeval monarchies, as Nimrod had been the first — the Lord of the then known historical world from Greece to India, — was the favorite of Nebo, who when he looked on his vast constructions might truly say, " Is not this Great Babylon that I have built for the house of my kingdom, by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty ? "
Hardly any other name than Nebuchadnezzar's is found on " the bricks of Babylon. " — (Rawlinson. ) Palace and Temple were both rebuilt by him ; and not only in Babylon but through out the country. The representations of him in the Book of Daniel may belong to a later epoch ; but they agree in their general outline with the few fragments preserved to us of ancient annals or inscriptions ; and they have a peculiar interest of their own, from the fact that the combination which they exhibit of savage power with bursts of devotion and tenderness is not found elsewhere amongst the Hebrew portraitures of any Gentile potentate. It is loftier and more generous than their conception of the Egyptian Pharaoh, the Assyrian Sennacherib, or the Greek Antiochus ; it is wilder and fiercer than the adumbrations of the Persian Cyrus or the Roman Caesar.
His decrees as recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures may breathe a more didactic spirit than they actually bore ; but they are not unlike in tone to those which are preserved on the monuments. And the story of his insanity, even if the momen tary light thrown upon it by the alleged interpretation of the inscriptions be withdrawn, may remain as the Hebrew version of the sickness described by Berosus and the sudden disappear ance described by Abydenus, and also as the profound Biblical expression of "the Vanity of Human Wishes" — the punish ment of the "vaulting ambition that overleaps itself" — the eclipse and the return of reason, which when witnessed even in modern times in the highest places of the State have moved the heart of a whole nation to sympathy or to thanksgiving. He was to the Israelite captives, not merely a gigantic tyrant, but with something like " the prophetic soul of the wide world, dreaming on things to come " — himself the devoted worshiper of his own Merodach, yet bowing before the King of Heaven, "whose works are truth, and whose ways judgment. "
246 THE FIRST RECORDED FUGITIVE-SLAVE CASE.
THE FIRST RECORDED FUGITIVE-SLAVE CASE. (From a Babylonian tablet : " Records of the Fast. ")
By Db. OPPEBT.
[Jot-ius or Jules Oppebt, a leading Assyriologist and Orientalist, was a German by birth, a Jew by race, and a Frenchman by need. Born in Hamburg July 0, 1825, and educated at Heidelberg and Bonn in law, Arabic, and Sanskrit, he removed to France in 1847 because Jews could not have places in German universities ; was professor of German in Laval and Rheims ; accompanied a government expedition to Mesopotamia and wrote a report of it in 1867 ; became professor of Sanskrit at Paris. His life work has been the deciphering and study of legal decisions and contracts in the cuneiform script. His chief works, be sides the report above named, are : " Inscriptions of the Achaemenidae " (1852) ; " Assyrian Studies " (1859-34) ; " Sanskrit Grammar " (1869) ; " History of the Chaldean and Assyrian Empires " (1866) ; " Immortality of the Soul among the Chaldeans " (1876) ; " People and Language of the Medes " (1879). ]
Babachiel, a captive Jew, carried to Babylon after the de struction of Jerusalem, had been the property of a wealthy per son named Akhi-nuri, who had sold him to a widow of the name of Gaga, about 570 B. C. He remained in the house of this lady as a slave, with the power of liberating himself by paying a sum equal to his peculium, or private property which he had been allowed to acquire, like a slave in ancient Rome; but it seems that he was never fortunate enough to be able to afford the sum of money required. He remained with Gaga twenty- one years, and was considered the res or property of the house, and as such was handed over in pledge, was restored, and finally became the dowry of Nubta (" Bee "), the daughter of Gaga. Nubta gave him to her son and husband in exchange for a house and some slaves.
After the death of the two ladies he was sold to the wealthy publican Itti-Mardukbaladh, from whose house he escaped twice. Taken the second time, he instituted an action in order that he might be recognized as a free-born citizen, of the family of Bel-rimanni ; and to prove that he was of noble origin, he pre tended that he had performed the matrimonial solemnities at the marriage of his master's daughter Qudasu with a certain Samas-mudammiq. Such a performance doubtless implied that the officiating priest was of free birth. The case was brought before a court of justice, and the royal judges asked Barachiel to prove that he was of free birth. Eventually Barachiel was obliged to retract his former statements. He was unable to rebut the evidence alleged against him 5 and though it is prob
THE FIRST RECORDED FUGITIVE-SLAVE CASE. 247
able that the two married persons whose " hands he had joined " were dead, other witnesses came forward who proved that he was "a slave of ransom " ; that is to say, a slave who was allowed by special laws to employ his private fortune in the work of liberating himself.
The judges, after perusing all the evidence, do not find any proofs that Barachiel was a man of free birth, and accordingly say to him, " Prove to us that you are the descendant of a (noble) ancestor. " Thereupon Barachiel confesses that he is not free-born, but has twice run away from the house of his master ; as, however, the act was seen by many people, he was afraid, and said, "I am the son of a (noble) ancestor. " "But I am not free-born," he continues, and then gives an account of the events of his life. "
The expression " letter of citizenship (dippi mar-banui) occurs several times, and signifies the warrant given by a master to his emancipated slave. " Non-citizenship " was the fourth fact guaranteed by the seller of a slave to the purchaser, the other three being : (1) that the slave should not rebel or run away, if he returned to his former master he was to be sent back ; (2) that no claim should lie against the validity of the sale on account of technical or other errors ; (3) that the purchaser should be secured against any claim made upon the services of a slave by a royal officer.
The judges decided that Barachiel should be restored to his original status. The only penalty imposed upon the slave is his restoration to his ancient condition ; penalties were decreed against those who wished to annul a contract, not against those who pretended to be free citizens. In this respect the Baby lonian law was more humane than the Roman. The old Jew escaped with the failure of his attempt to recover his unde served loss of liberty ; perhaps the court took into serious con sideration his fidelity to his former master, who had esteemed him to be worth not only a house but other slaves as well.
The Text.
Barachiel is a slave of ransom belonging to Gaga the daughter of
. . . whom in the 35th year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, [from Akhi-]nuri, the son of Nabu-nadin-akh, for the third of a mina
and 8 shekels
she had bought. Recently he has instituted an action, saying thus
248 THE FIRST RECORDED FUGITIVE-SLAVE CASE.
I am the son of a (noble) ancestor, of the family of Bel-rimanni, who have joined the hands (in matrimony) of Samas-mudammiq the son of Nabu-nadin-akh
and the woman Qudasu the daughter of Akhi-nuri, even L In the presence of
the high priest, the nobles and the judges of NaboniduB king of Babylon
they pleaded the case and listened to their arguments in regard to
the obligation of servitude
of Barachiel. From the 35th year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Baby- to the 7th year of Nabonidus king of Babylon, he had been sold for
money, had been put
in pledge, (and) as the dowry of Nubta the daughter
of Gaga had. been given. Afterwards Nubta had alienated him by a
sealed contract ;
in exchange for a house and slaves to Zamama-nadin
her son and Idina her husband had given him. They read (the
evidence) and
said thus to Barachiel : Thou hast brought an action and said : The
son of a (noble) ancestor
am I. Prove to us thy (noble) ancestry. Barachiel his former
statement
retracted, saying : Twice have I run away from the house of my
master, but many people (were present),
and I was seen. I was afraid and said (accordingly) that I am the
son of a (noble) ancestor.
My citizenship exists not ; I am the slave of ransom of Gagfi.
NubtS her daughter received me as (her) dowry ; Nubta
alienated me by a sealed contract, and to Zamama-nadin her son and
Idina her husband
gave me in exchange ; and after the death of GagS. (and) Nubta,
to Itti-Marduk-baladh the son of Nabu-akhe-iddin of the family of
Egibi, for silver
I [was sold]. I am a slave. Go now, [pronounce sentence] about me. [The high priest], the nobles and the judges heard the evidence [and] restored [Barachiel] to his condition as slave of ransom, not
withstanding the absence of Samas-mudammiq
[the son of Nabu-nadin-akh] and Qudasu the daughter of Akhi-nuri,
the seller
[of the slave]. For the registration of this [decision] Musezib the
[priest]
[and] . . . Nergal-akhe-iddin the judges
. . . of the family of Epis-el, in the city of the palace of the king
of Babylon, the 17th day of
the month Marchesvan [October], [the 7th? year] of Nabonidus king of Babylon.
[lon
PASSAGES IN THE BUDDHA'S LIFE. 249
PASSAGES IN THE BUDDHA'S LIFE.
(From " The Romantic Legend of Sakya Buddha" : Translated by Samuel Beal. )
[He had previously existed in heaven, but descended and was miraculously incarnated in his mother, without human agency or the usual accompaniments of gestation or birth, at which the devas (angels) sang hymns of joy. ]
His Birth.
Bodhisatwa having thus been born without any assistance or support, he forthwith walked seven steps towards each quarter of the horizon ; and as he walked, at each step, there sprang from the earth beneath his feet a lotus flower ; and as he looked steadfastly in each direction his mouth uttered these words; first looking to the east, he said, in no childish accents, but according to the very words of the Gatha, plainly pronounced, " In all the world I am the very chief ; from this day forth my births are finished. " Bodhisatwa having been born, the at tendants looked everywhere for water; hurriedly they ran in every direction, but found none ; when lo ! before the very face of the mother there suddenly appeared two beautiful tanks, one of cold, the other of hot water, which she mixed as most agree able to herself, and used. And so again from the midst of space, there fell two streamlets of water, cold and hot, with which the body of Bodhisatwa was washed. Then all the Devas brought a golden seat for Bodhisatwa to occupy, which done, he refreshed and washed his body with the grateful streams of water.
At this time there was a great minister of state (koue sse) whose family name was Basita, and his private name Mahanama. He, in company with various other ministers and Brahmans, went together to visit the Lumbini garden. Having arrived there, and standing without the gates, at that time Basita addressed the ministers and said : " Do you perceive how the great earth is rocking as a ship borne over the waves? And see how the sun and moon are darkened and deprived of their light ; just as the stars of the night in their appearance ! And see how all the trees are blossoming as if the season had come — and hark ! whilst the heavens are serene and calm — listen ! there is the roll of thunder! and though there be no clouds, yet the soft rain is falling ; so beautifully fertilizing in its quali ties ! and the air is moved by a gentle and cool breeze coming from the eight quarters — and hark to the sound of that voice
250 PASSAGES IN THE BUDDHA'S LIFE.
of Brahma so sweetly melodious in the air, and all the Devas chanting their hymns and praises ! whilst the flowers and sweet unguents rain down through the void ! "
Then a minister answered Mahanama and said, "These things are so ! yet it is nothing extraordinary ; it is the nature of things (earth) to produce such results ! " Another said, "No doubt these things are very wonderful and not to be accounted for. " Thus they deliberated together on the point. All at once, from the garden, there came tripping along a woman who came forth from Lumbini and stood outside the very gate where Basita and the Brahmans were in consulta tion ; on seeing whom, she was greatly rejoiced, and could not contain herself for very gladness of heart ; and so she cried out, " Oh ! ye sons of Sakya ! hurry away as fast as possible to Maharaja. " Then the ministers replied, seeing her high
spirits, " And what news shall we give him when we see him ; what does your manner signify — is it good tidings or bad ? " To whom she replied, " Oh ! Sakyas ! it is wonderfully good news ! " "What is it then? " they said ; "come let us know. " Then she continued, " The queen has borne a son ! oh ! so beau tiful and such a lovely child ! a child without peer on earth ! and the Devas are scattering flowers about him, and there is a heavenly light diffused round his person. " The great minis ters having heard these words, their hearts were filled with joy, and they could not contain themselves for gladness of heart.
At this time the great minister Basita loosed from his neck the string of precious stones that he wore, and gave it to the woman, because of the news she brought ; but having done so, again he thought, " This woman, perhaps, is a favorite of the king, and his majesty, seeing her so beautifully adorned, will naturally inquire and find out where these pearls were ob tained, and so it will cause trouble. " So he took back the gems and desired that whatever merit would have attached to the gift, that this might redound to the woman's benefit.
Then dismissing the other Brahmans to go to the king and tell the joyful news, he himself began to question the woman straitly as to the character of the event which had happened. To whom the woman replied, " Great minister 1 pray listen to me well ; the circumstances attending the birth of the child were very wonderful ! for our queen, Maya, standing upright on the ground, the child came forth of her right side ; there was no rent in her bosom, or side, or loins 1 when the child
PASSAGES IN THE BUDDHA'S LIFE.
251
came forth, from the air there fell beautiful garments, soft as the stuff of Kasi, sent by the Devas ! these the Devas wrapped round the body of the babe, and holding him before his mother, they said, ' All joy be to you, queen Maya ! rejoice and be glad ! for this child you have borne is holy ! ' Then the child, having come forth from his mother's side, said these words, 'No further births have I to endure! this is my very last body ! now shall I attain to the condition of Buddha ! ' then, without aid, standing on the ground, he walked seven steps, whilst lotus flowers sprang up beneath his feet, and faced each quarter ; and whilst looking to the east, in perfectly rounded accents, unlike the words of a child, he said, 'Amongst all creatures I am the most excellent ; for I am about to destroy and extirpate the roots of sorrow caused by the universal evil of birth and death. " Then there came forth from mid air two streams of water hot and cold, respectively, to refresh and cleanse the child's body as he stood there on the ground ; and again there was brought to him a golden seat on which to repose whilst he was washed. Then such brightness shone around, eclipsing the very sun and moon, and all the Devas brought a white umbrella with an entire gold handle — it was large as a chariot wheel — with which to shelter him, and they held great chamaras in their hands, waving them over the child's head ! whilst in the air there was the sound of beautiful music, but no instruments ; and there was the voice of people singing hymns of praise in every direction ; and flowers beau tifully scented fell down in profusion, and though the sun was shining fiercely, yet they withered not, nor dried ! "
Then Mah&nama, the great minister, having heard this description, immediately reflected : " Wonderful ! wonderful ! doubtless a great teacher has been born into the world in the midst of this wicked age ! Now then will I myself go to Suddhodana Raja, and acquaint him with these wonderful circumstances. "
Then the great minister, taking his swiftest horses, and yoking them to a beautiful chariot, drove, fleet as the wind, from the gate of Lumbini straight to Kapilavastu, and without waiting to see the king, he sounded aloud the drum of joy, until his very strength was exhausted. Now, at this time, Suddhodana Raja was sitting on his royal throne, settling with his ministers some important affairs of state, surrounded by attendants on every side ; suddenly hearing the sound of the
252
PASSAGES IN THE. BUDDHA'S LIFE.
joy drum, the king, in surprise, inquired of his minister, " Who is it so abruptly dares to make this noise in front of the gate of one of the Ikshwaku family ? exhausting all his strength in beating the drum of joy ! " Then " the guard in front of the gate replied, and said to the king, Maharaja ! your majesty's minister, Basita, surnamed Mahanama, is approaching in a four- horsed chariot, swift as the wind, from the direction of Lum- bini ; and now he is getting down from his chariot, and, with all his might, beating the drum of joy belonging to the Maharaja ; and without any further words he demands straight way to see the king. " The Suddhodana replied thus to his min isters, " What can be the good news which Basita Mahanama has to tell that he comes so hurriedly to my presence ? " The ministers replied, "Let him be summoned to your majesty's pres ence. " So then Mahanama, coming before the king, cried out with a loud voice, " May the king be ever victorious ! may the king be ever honored ! " Having said this, he paused to regain his strength. Meantime Suddhodana, having heard these words, addressed Mah&nama, and said, " Mahanama ! great minister of the Sakyas ! tell me why you thus come without preface into our presence, your strength exhausted with beat ing the drum of joy. " Then the great minister, Mahanama, replied, " Oh king ! your majesty's queen, the queen of the ruler of the city of Devadaho and Lumbini, having gone forth into the midst of that garden, has brought forth a son, beauti ful as gold in color, heralded into the world by a supernatural light, and provided with a cradle by the Devas ! "
His Love fob all Living Things.
Now the Royal Prince, up to the time of his eighth year, grew up in the royal palace without attention to study; but from his eighth year till his twelfth year he was trained under the care of Visvamitra and Kshantedeva, as we have related.
But now, having completed twelve years and being perfectly acquainted with all the customary modes of enjoyment, as men speak, such as hunting, riding, and driving here and there, according to the desire of the eye or for the gratification of the mind, such being the case, it came to pass on one occasion that he was visiting the Kan-ku garden, and whilst there amused himself by wandering in different directions, shooting with his bow and arrow at whatever he pleased ; and so he
PASSAGES IN THE BUDDHA'S LIFE. 253
separated himself from the other Sakya youths who were also in the several gardens enjoying themselves in the same way.
Just at this time it happened that a flock of wild geese, flying through the air, passed over the garden, on which the young man, Devadatta, pointing his bow, shot one of them through the wing, and left his arrow fixed in the feathers ; whilst the bird fell to the ground at some distance off in the middle of the garden. The Prince Royal, seeing the bird thus transfixed with the arrow, and fallen to the ground, took it with both his hands, and sitting down, with his knees crossed, he rested it in his lap, and with his own soft and glossy hand, smooth and pliable as the leaf of the plantain, his left hand holding it, with his right hand he drew forth the arrow, and anointed the wound with oil and honey.
At this time Devadatta, the young prince, sent certain mes sengers to the Prince Royal, who spoke to him thus : " Deva datta has shot a goose which has fallen down in your garden ; send it to him without delay. "
Then the Prince Royal answered the messengers and said, " If the bird were dead, it would be only right I should return it forthwith to you ; but if it is not dead you have no title to it. " Then Devadatta sent again to the Prince Royal, and the message was this : " Whether the bird be Uving or dead it is mine : my skill it was that shot it, and brought it down : on what ground do you delay to send it me ? " To which the Prince Royal answered : " The reason why I have taken posses sion of the bird is this, to signify that in time to come, when I have arrived at the condition of perfection to which I tend, I shall thus receive and protect all living creatures ; but if still you say that this bird belongs not to me, then go and summon all the wise and ancient men of the Sakya tribe, and let them decide the question on its merits I "
At this time there was a certain Deva belonging to the Sud- dhavasa heaven, who assumed the appearance of an old man and entered the assembly of the Sakyas, where they had come together, and spoke thus : " He who nourishes and cherishes is by right the keeper and owner ; he who shoots and destroys is by his own act the loser and the disperser. "
At this time all the ancient men of the Sakyas at once con firmed the words of the would-be clansman and said, " Verily, verily, it is as this venerable one says, with respect to the dif ference between Devadatta and the Royal Prince. "
254 PASSAGES 1ST THE BUDDHA'S LIFE.
The Competition for his Hand.
Now at this time Suddhodana Raja, having watched his son gradually growing up to manhood, once more recalled the words of the Rishi Asita to his memory, and in consequence he sum moned the great ministers"of the Sakya race to an assembly, and spake thus to them : Do you not remember at the time of the birth of the Royal Prince that the assembled Brahmans and Asita all bear record when they calculated the babe's horo scope, that if he remained a prince he would be a Chakravartin, but if he became a recluse, he would be a supreme Buddha. Now then, my Ministers, tell me by what contrivance I can prevent the Prince leaving his home and assuming a religious life? " "
Then the Sakyas answered and said,
to construct another Palace for the Prince, and let there be prepared there every accommodation for voluptuous pleasures, with women and handmaidens ; so the prince will give up the
idea of leaving his home and becoming a recluse.
Then Suddhodana Raja began to think with himself thus :
" If I do not go to the Prince Royal and consult with him about taking a wife, then I shall but provoke him to disobey and thwart my design ; and again, if I do go to him and consult, then I fear he will take the subject deeply to heart, and in the end not fall in with my views. What then shall I do ? what expedient shall I adopt ? I will do this ;
I will cause every sort of precious ornament to be made, and, when complete, I
will offer them to the prince with the request that he will dis tribute them among the females of his tribe, and then, having trusty persons in watch, I will request them to look well and observe the prince's countenance, and on whichever of the ladies he looks with tenderness, her will I select, and propose to him for a wife. "
Accordingly the king ordered every kind of jeweled orna ment, and delightful trifle (un lung*), to be made of silver and gold ; and then he sent messengers throughout Kapilavastu to proclaim as follows : " After seven days the Prince Royal de sires all the ladies of the Sakya race to assemble at the court, and, after receiving them, he purposes to distribute among them every kind of precious ornament and delightful toy. Let all the ladies, therefore, come, as they are bidden to the palace gate! "
You ought, O King 1
. . . "
PASSAGES IN THE BUDDHA'S LIFE. 255
Then six days passed, and on the seventh the Prince Royal, first going forth, arrived in front of the gate of the palace, and, advancing towards his cushioned throne, he sat down. There upon the ladies, decorated with every sort of precious jewel, began to assemble in numbers before the palace, desiring to see the prince, and still more anxious to receive from him the jewels and precious toys he had promised to bestow upon them.
The prince, seeing the ladies coming, took the jewels he had by him, and the ornaments which had been made, and began to bestow them as he proposed ; whilst the ladies, because of the grace and beauty of the prince's demeanor, could not look him straight in the face ; but each one, simply passing by and bow ing the head in profound obeisance, took her gift, and departed. And now, when all the gifts were exhausted, at the very last there came a certain damsel of the family of Basita, of the Sakya tribe, whose name was Yasodhara, the daughter of Mahanama, the great minister of state, surrounded on every side by a circle of personal attendants, to see the Prince Royal. With an easy gait, and her eyes fixed before her, she advanced towards the prince, as one who had known him in old time, and, without any timidity, addressed him thus : " Your Royal" High ness ! what gift or costly ornament have you for me ? The prince forthwith replied, " You have come too late, the presents are all distributed. " To whom she replied again, "And what have I done that you should not have reserved one for me ? " To whom the prince said, " I do not refuse to give you one, but why did you not come in time ? " Now, on the prince's finger there was a very costly signet ring worth a hundred thousand (pieces of gold). Taking this from his finger, he offered it to Yasodhara. Yasodhara rejoined, "Your Highness! I can re main here by your side, perhaps you may have something else to give. " On this the prince replied, " You can take my neck lace of pearls if you please ; " — to whom she rejoined, " It would be a pity for me to do that, and so deprive the prince of that which so much becomes him. " Saying which, she departed in no very amiable temper.
The Story of YasSdharA.
At this time the world-honored one, having arrived at com plete enlightenment, was addressed by the venerable Udayi as follows : "How was it when you were still residing in your
256 PASSAGES IN THE BUDDHA'S LIFE.
father's royal palace, and you offered to Yasodhara, the priceless jewels and ornaments that adorned your person, you were un able to cause her any gratification ? "
On this Buddha answered Udayi as follows : " Listen ! and weigh my words. It was not only on this occasion that Yaso dhara was discontented with the gifts I offered her, but from old time, because of an offense she had taken through succes sive ages, she"has never been pleased with me. " On which Udayi said, Oh ! would that the world-honored Buddha would recount this history to me. "
At this time Buddha addressed the venerable Udayi and
I remember, in there was in the ages gone by
said : "
Kasi, and in the city of Benares, a certain king who was an unbeliever. That king had a son who, for some trivial fault, was banished by his father from the kingdom. As he wan dered along, he came to a certain Devalaya, and having there contracted a marriage with a woman, he stopped in the place, and lived with her. Now, after a time it so happened that, all their food being exhausted, this king's son went out to hunt to try to get something to eat. It so chanced that on that day
he shot a large sort of lizard, and having skinned it, he cut up the flesh, and put it in a pot of water to boil. When it was nearly cooked, the water in the pot having boiled away, the king's son said to his wife, ' This flesh is hardly done yet, will you run and get some more water ? ' She immediately con sented, and went to fetch it. In the mean while, her husband, overcome with hunger and not having patience to wait, began to eat the flesh that was in the pot, and at last finished it all, without leaving a morsel. Just as he had finished, his wife came back with the water, and, seeing the pot empty, she asked her husband, ' Where was the flesh gone ? ' He imme diately prevaricated, and said, ' Do you know, just after you
left, the lizard came to life again, got out of the pot and ran away. ' But his wife would not believe that the half-cooked lizard had really so suddenly come to life again and got away ; for she said, ' How is it possible ? ' and so she thought to her self, ' The fact is, this man of mine has eaten it all up, and now he is mocking me by telling me this story about the animal running away. ' So she took offense, and was always in a poor temper.
" Now, after the lapse of a few years, it came to pass that the king, the father of the prince, died ; at which time all the
country of
PASSAGES IN THE BUDDHA'S LIFE. 257
ministers sent for the young prince, and immediately anointed him king. On this the king, having ascended the throne, caused every kind of precious jewel, costly ornament, and splendid robe to be brought to him, and these he forthwith presented to his wife, the queen. Notwithstanding this, although so liberally and ungrudgingly provided, her face revealed not the slightest pleasure or happiness ; but she remained gloomy as before. On this the king addressed her and said : ' How is notwithstand ing the priceless gifts have bestowed on you, that you still remain so gloomy and so sad You are just as unhappy now as you were before. ' Then the queen forthwith replied in the following Gatha —
" Most noble monarch listen
In years gone by, when you went to hunt, Taking your arrows and your knife,
You trapped and killed certain lizard.
You skinned and put on to boil,
You sent me to fetch more water for the pot You ate the flesh, and did not leave morsel You mocked me and said had run away. '
" And now, Udayi you should know, that at this time, the king was myself — the queen was Yasodhara, and by this one transgression in those days long gone by, entailed on myself this perpetual result, that no gift of mine or precious offering can ever cause joy to Yasodhara. "
His Marriage.
At this time then, of all the Sakya princes, the three who excelled in the arts and martial exercises were Siddartha first, then Nanda, and then Devadatta. Now happened that just at this time there was certain nobleman in Eapilavastu, chief minister of the family of Dandi, whose name was Pani. He was very rich in every kind of property.
He had an only daughter called Gotami she was very beautiful, and unequaled for grace. Not too tall or too short, not too stout or too thin, not too white or too dark. She was young and in the prime of her beauty. Then Suddhodana, hearing of her fame, having selected favorable day, sent messenger, Brahman, to the house of the minister Pani, who spake thus " hear you have daughter called Gotami we ask you to give her to the Prince Sidd&rtha in marriage. " At
the same time the father of Nanda sent similar message on VOL. m. — 17
:a I
'
:
a
? !
a a
I
;;
;
aa
a
!
it
I
it ;a
it,
it
it a
!
258 PASSAGES IN THE BUDDHA'S LIFE.
behalf of his son, and so also Devadatta, having heard that Suddhodana was seeking Gotanrf for Siddartha, sent a message to Dandi, and said, " I require you to give me your daughter in marriage ; if you do not, I will bring a great loss to you. " Then Dandi was in much distress of mind, and he reflected thus : " These three powerful families have sons unequaled in skill and prowess, and I have only one daughter, and they each demand her in marriage ; so that if I give her to Siddartha I make the others my mortal foes, and so likewise if I give her to Nanda or Devadatta — I know not what to do. " Being thus exceedingly perplexed, he became pensive and sad, and could do nothing but sit still and think over the matter, trying to contrive some expedient to escape from the dilemma.
Then Gotanii, seeing her father thus silent and sad as he sat still, came to his presence and said, " Honored father ! why are you so sorrowful and pensive as you sit here in silence ? " To this her father replied, " Dear Gotami ! ask me not, nor inquire further —these matters are not for you to know. " Yet she asked him a second time, and notwithstanding a similar re ply, she pressed him a third time to tell her the reason of his grief. Even then he refused to tell her ; but when a fourth time she said, "Dear father, you ought to let me know the cause of all this, nor try to conceal it from me ; " — then he answered her and said : " Dear Gotami ! since you insist upon it, listen to my words and weigh them well 1 You must know then that Suddhodana Raja has sent to me demanding you in marriage for the Prince Siddartha; but at the same time both Nanda and Devadatta are making similar overtures, and threaten me with their anger if I do not consent, and there fore, because I do not know how to adjust this matter so as to avoid trouble, I am in perplexity and sit here in grief. " Then Gotami answered her father and said : " Dear father ! don't be distressed !
father no further trouble than to ask for a man to follow my directions and make my intention known, and then I will select the husband of my choice. "
At this time Dandapani, having attended to Gotami's direc tions, immediately sent to the Raja, and begged him to pro claim throughout the city of Kapilavastu that after seven days, Gotami, the Sakya princess, would select a husband. " What ever youths therefore desire to obtain her hand let them, after six days, assemble together (at the Palace) for her to choose
I will arrange this matter myself. I will give my
PASSAGES IN THE BUDDHA'S LIFE. 259
one of their number. " Then after six days all the Sakya youths, with Siddartha at their head, were assembled at the Palace gate. The maiden GStami, the six days having expired, very early on the morning of the seventh, arose, and bathing her person, she proceeded to decorate herself with the choicest jewels and the most costly robes ; around her head she wore a chaplet of the loveliest flowers, and, surrounded by a suite of maidens and accompanied by her mother, she proceeded to the place of assembly. Gradually she drew near, and having come she entered the Palace.
Meantime the Sakya youths, of whom Nanda and Deva- datta were foremost, had in the early morn anointed themselves with every kind of unguent and perfume, and decorated their persons with gems and costly robes, all except Siddartha, who had taken no pains to ornament his person, and was dressed in his usual attire, simply wearing his earrings, and having three small golden flowers in his hair as ornaments. Then Gotami, accompanied by her mother, entered the assembly, and her mother spoke to her thus, " Whom will you select of all these as a husband ? " Then Gotami, looking on one after the other till she had observed the whole of the five hundred youths, an swered her mother thus : " Dear mother ! it seems to me that all these youths are very much decorated with ornaments. As to their persons they appear to me more like women than men. I, indeed, as a woman, cannot think of selecting one of these as a husband, for I cannot suppose that any youth possessing manly qualities, fit for a woman to respect in a husband, would dress himself out as these have. But I observe that Siddartha, the Prince, is not so bedizened with jewels about his person, there is no love of false appearances in his presence, I do not think that he is of the effeminate disposition that these are — my heart is well affected to him. I will take Siddartha as the husband of my choice. " Then Gotami, in her right hand hold ing a beautiful wreath of Sumana flowers (jasmin), advancing past all the youths in succession, went straight up to Siddartha, and having reached him she stopped, and then taking the jas min wreath, having fastened it around the neck of Siddartha, she gently put her arm upon the back of his neck, and said, " Siddartha, my Prince !
band ! " Then Siddartha replied, " So let it be — so let it be, even as you say. " At this time Siddartha in return took a jasmin wreath and fastened it round the neck of the maiden
Itake you to be my lord and my hus
260 PASSAGES IN THE BUDDHA'S LIFE.
Gotami, and spoke thus : " I take you to be my wife ; you are now my own wife. " . . .
The Sakya youths were greatly cast down and dejected; they hung their heads in shame and disappointment, and each in stealth slipped away in every direction, and returned to their homes.
Meantime, Siddartha, causing the choicest gems which he possessed, and every jeweled ornament to be brought forth, presented them to Gotami with which still more to adorn her person, and then, surrounded by five hundred dancing girls, she proceeded towards the palace of the Prince her hus band, and entering into the inner apartments she partook of the joys of wedded life.
Story op GotamI.
It came to pass in after time, when the world-honored one had arrived at complete enlightenment, that Udayi asked him the following question : " What were the previous relations between yourself and Gotami that led to her selecting you as her husband from"amongst all the Sakya princes ? " To whom Buddha replied : Listen, Udayi, and weigh my words well. It was not only on this occasion that Gotami rejected the proffered addresses of others and exhibited a preference for me ; but I remember in ages gone by that in the Himalaya region there were assembled together every kind of beast, each of whom wandered here and there seeking food according to its taste and preference. At this time amongst those beasts there was a very beautifully marked tigress, unrivaled for grace of form and strength, her skin sleek and shining. All the male beasts were on this account enamored of her, and wished to possess her as their own, one saying, 'Come with me,' and another, 'Come with me. ' So at last the beasts said one to another,
' Let us not quarrel over this matter, but let the lovely tigress herself decide whom she will select for herself, and let him be her husband. ' Now at this time I was king of these beasts. So, first of all came the buffalo king, and advancing to the tigress he said: 'Amongst men my very droppings are used! to make the purest and sweetest incense ! For this reason, oh, beautiful tigress, you ought to select me to be your husband. ' Then the tigress replied to the buffalo king and said, ' Above the back of your neck I observe a high projection, fit for a yoke
PASSAGES IN THE BUDDHA'S LIFE. 261
to rest upon by which you may draw a chariot or other vehicle — how can I select you, possessing such an objectionable form, or desire to have you as my lord and husband ? ' Then came a large white elephant towards the tigress and addressed her thus: '
I am the great elephant king of these snowy moun tains ; in all warfare I am used as one that invariably secures victory. Such vast strength do I possess, you cannot refuse to select me as a husband. '
" Then the tigress replied, ' But you, if you come near to or hear the roar of the lion king, are filled with fear and trem bling and take to instant flight ; you give proof of abject terror and confusion as you go : how then can I take you to be my husband ? '
" At this time, in the midst of those beasts, the lion king of the herd came forward towards the tigress and spake thus : ' Look well and examine my proportions and my form ; see how in the fore part I am large and powerfully made, whilst in the flank I am graceful and sleek. I dwell in the midst of the mountains, and pass my life without restraint, and I am able to
protect and feel for other creatures :
there are none who would dare to compete with me ; whoever sees my form or hears the sound of my roar takes at once to instant flight; I am not able to speak further about my pro digious strength or my majestic and graceful form ; but I ask you, dear tigress, as you know all this, to select me and take me as your husband. ' Then the tigress replied to the lion and said : * Your strength is very great, and your spirit high and noble, your body and entire mien are in the highest degree graceful ; now, then, I have selected you as my husband, and I desire to honor and respect you henceforth as I ought to do. '
" Now at this time I was the king of these beasts, and this beautiful tigress was Gotami that now is, the other beasts were the five hundred Sakya princes, and as the tigress then selected me after my address, so in the present life Gotami selected me as a husband in preference to all the Sakyas. "
Iam lord of all the beasts,
262 PRINCE SIDDARTHA'S MARRIAGE.
PRINCE SIDDARTHA'S MARRIAGE.
(From "The Light of Asia. ") By Sib EDWIN ARNOLD.
[Sir Edwin Arnold : An English poet and journalist ; born at Rochester, England, June 10, 1832. He was editor of the London Daily Telegraph during the Russo-Turkiflh war of 1878. His residence in India as president of the San skrit College turned his attention to Oriental themes. Among his principal works are : " The Light of Asia," 1876 ; " Indian Idylls," 1883 ; " Pearls of the Faith," "Sa'adi" in the Garden," "India Revisited," "The Tenth Muse, and Other Poems," The Light of the World. " ]
Now, when our Lord was come to eighteen years, The King commanded that there should be built Three stately houses : one of hewn square beams With cedar lining, warm for winter days ;
One of veined marbles, cool for summer heat ;
And one of burned bricks, with blue tiles bedecked. Pleasant at seedtime, when the champaks bud : Subha, Suramma, Ramma, were their names.
Delicious gardens round about them bloomed,
Streams wandered wild and musky thickets stretched, With many a bright pavilion and fair lawn,
In midst of which Siddartha strayed at will,
Some new delight provided every hour :
And happy hours he knew, for life was rich,
With youthful blood at quickest ; yet still came
The shadows of his meditation back,
As the lake's silver dulls with driving clouds.
He said, " and what my dream readers foretold, This boy, more dear to me than mine heart's blood, Shall be of universal dominance,
Trampling the neck of all his enemies,
A King of kings — and this is in my heart ; —
Or he shall tread the sad and lowly path
Of self-denial and of pious pains,
Gaining who knows what good, when all is lost Worth keeping ; and to this his wistful eyes
Do still incline amid my palaces.
But ye are sage, and ye will counsel me :
How may his feet be turned to that proud road
'
" Which the King marking, called his Ministers : — Bethink ye, sirs ! how the old Rishi spake,"
PRINCE SEDDiRTHA'S MARRIAGE.
Where they should walk, and all fair signs come true Which gave him Earth to rule, if he would rule ? "
The eldest answered, "Maharaja! love
Will cure these thin distempers : weave the spell Of woman's wiles about his idle heart.
What knows this noble boy of beauty yet,
Eyes that make heaven forgot, and lips of balm ? Find him soft wives and pretty playfellows :
The thoughts ye cannot stay with brazen chains A girl's hair lightly binds. "
And all thought good, But the King answered, " If we seek him wives,
Love chooseth ofttimes with another eye ;
And if we bid range Beauty's garden round,
To pluck what blossom pleases, he will smile
And sweetly shun the joy he knows not of. "
Then said another, " Roams the barasingh
Until the fated arrow flies : for him,
As for less lordly spirits, some one charms,
Some face will seem a Paradise, some form
Fairer than pale Dawn when she wakes the world. This do, my King ! Command a festival
Where the realm's maids shall be competitors
In youth and grace, and sports that S^kyas use. Let the Prince give the prizes to the fair,
And, when the lovely victors pass his seat,
There shall be those who mark if one or two Change the fixed sadness of his tender cheek ;
So we may choose for Love with Love's own eyes, And cheat his Highness into happiness. "
This thing seemed good : wherefore upon a day The criers bade the young and beautiful
Pass to the palace ; for 'twas in command
To hold a court of pleasure, and the Prince
Would give the prizes, something rich for all,
The richest for the fairest judged. So flocked Kapilavastu's maidens to the gate,
Each with her dark hair newly smoothed and bound, Eyelashes lustered with the soorma stick, Fresh-bathed and scented ; all in shawls and cloths Of gayest ; slender hands and feet new-stained
With crimson, and the tilka spots stamped bright. Fair show it was of all those Indian girls, Slow-pacing past the throne with large black eyes Fixed on the ground ; for when they saw the Prince,
PRINCE SIDDARTHA'S MARRIAGE.
More than the awe of Majesty made beat — Their fluttering hearts, he sat so passionless Gentle, but so beyond them. Each maid took With down-dropped lids her gift, afraid to gaze ; And if the people hailed some lovelier one Beyond her rivals worthy royal smiles,
She stood like a scared antelope to touch — The gracious hand, then fled to join her mates, Trembling at favor, so divine he seemed,
So high and saintlike and above her world.
Thus filed they, one bright maid after another, The city's flowers, and all this beauteous march Was ending and the prizes spent ; when last Came young Yasodhara, and they that stood Nearest Siddartha saw the princely boy
Start, as the radiant girl approached. A form
Of heavenly mold ; a gait like Parvati's ;
Eyes like a hind's in love time, face so fair
Words cannot paint its spell ; and she alone
Gazed full — folding her palms across her breasts — On the boy's gaze, her stately neck unbent.
"Is there a gift for me? " she asked, and smiled. "The gifts are gone," the Prince replied, "yet take This for amends, dear sister, of whose grace
Our happy city boasts ; " therewith he loosed
The emerald necklet from his throat, and clasped
Its green beads round her dark and silk-soft waist: And their eyes mixed, and from the look sprang love.
Long after — when enlightenment was full — Lord Buddha, being prayed why thus his heart Took fire at first glance of the Sikya girl, Answered, " We were not strangers, as to us And all it seemed; —in ages long gone by
A hunter's son, playing with forest girls
By Yamun's springs, where Nandadevi stands,
Sat umpire while they raced beneath the firs
Like hares at eve that run their playful rings :
One with flower stars crowned he, one with long plumes Plucked from eyed pheasant and the jungle cock,
One with fir apples ; but who ran the last
Came first for him, and unto her the boy
Gave a tame fawn and his heart's love beside.
And in the wood they lived many glad years
And in the wood they undivided died.
PRINCE SIDDARTHA'S MARRIAGE.
Lo! as hid seed shoots after rainless years,
So good and evil, pains and pleasures, hates
And loves, and all dead deeds, come forth again Bearing bright leaves or dark, sweet fruit or sour. Thus I was he and she Yasddhara;
And while the wheel of birth and death turns round, That which hath been must be between us two. "
But they who watched the Prince at prize-giving Saw and heard all, and told the careful King
How sat Siddartha heedless, till there passed
Great Suprabuddha's child, Yasddhara;
And how — at sudden sight of her — he changed, And how she gazed on him and he on her,
And of the jewel gift, and what beside
Passed in their speaking glance.
" The fond King smiled. Look ! we have found a lure : take counsel now
To fetch . therewith our falcon from the clouds. Let messengers be sent to ask the maid
In marriage for my son. " But it was law "With Sakyas, when any asked a maid
Of noble house, fair and desirable,
He must make good his skill in martial arts
Against all suitors who should challenge it;
Nor might this custom break"itself for kings.
Therefore her father spake : Say to the King,
The child is sought by princes far and near :
If thy most gentle son can bend the bow,
Sway sword, and back a horse, better than they,
Best would he be in all and best to us ; "
But how shall this be, with his cloistered ways ?
Then the King's heart was sore : for now the Prince Begged sweet Yas<5dhara for wife in vain,
With Devadatta foremost at the bow,
Ardjuna master of all fiery steeds,
And Nanda chief in swordplay ; but the Prince
Laughed low and said, " These things, too, I have learned Make proclamation that thy son will meet
All comers at their chosen games. I think
I shall not lose my love for such as these. "
So 'twas given forth that on the seventh day
The Prince Siddartha summoned whoso would
To match with him in feats of manliness, The victor's crown to be Yasddhara.
PRINCE SIDDARTHA'S MARRIAGE.
Therefore, upon the seventh day, there went
The Sakya lords and town and country round
Unto the maidan ; and the maid went too
Amid her kinsfolk, carried as a bride,
With music, and with litters gayly dight,
And gold-homed oxen, flower-caparisoned:
Whom Devadatta claimed, of royal line,
And Nanda and Ardjuna, noble both,
The flower of all youths there, till the Prince came Riding his white horse Kantaka, which neighed, Astonished at this great strange world without ;
Also Siddartha gazed with wondering eyes
On all those people born beneath the throne,
Otherwise housed than kings, otherwise fed,
And yet so like — perchance — in joys and griefs.
But when the Prince saw sweet Yasodhara,
Brightly he smiled, and drew his silken rein,
Leaped to the earth from Kantaka's broad back,
And cried, " He is not worthy of this pearl
Who is not worthiest : let my rivals prove
If I have dared too much in seeking her. "
Then Nanda challenged for the arrow test
And set a brazen drum six gows away,
Ardjuna six and Devadatta eight ;
But Prince Siddartha bade them set his drum
Ten gows from off the line, until it seemed
A cowry shell for target. Then they loosed,
And Nanda pierced his drum, Ardjuna his,
And Devadatta drove a well-aimed shaft
Through both sides of his mark, so that the crowd Marveled and cried ; and sweet Yasddhara
Dropped the gold sari o'er her fearful eyes,
Lest she should see her Prince's arrow fail.
But he, taking their bow of lacquered cane,
With sinews bouud, and strong with silver wire,
Which none but stalwart arms could draw a span, Thrummed it — low laughing — drew the twisted string Till the horns kissed, and the thick belly snapped :
" That is for play, not love," he said : " hath none
A bow more fit" for Sakya lords to use ? "
And one said, There is Sinhahahu's bow,
Kept in the temple since we know not when,
Which none can string, nor draw if it be strung. "
" Fetch me," he cried, " that weapon of a man ! " They brought the ancient bow, wrought of black steel,
PRINCE SIDDARTHA'S MARRIAGE. 267
Laid with gold tendrils on its branching curves
Like bison horns ; and twice Siddartha tried
Its strength across his knee, then spake — " Shoot now With this, my cousins ! " but they could not bring
The stubborn arms a handbreadth nigher use :
Then the Prince, lightly leaning, bent the bow,
Slipped home the eye upon the notch, and twanged Sharply the cord, which, like an eagle's wing
Thrilling the air, sang forth so clear and loud
That feeble folk at home that day inquired
" What is this sound ? " and people answered them,
" It is the sound of Sinhahahu's bow, " Which the King's son has strung and goes to shoot ; Then fitting fair a shaft, he drew and loosed,
And the keen arrow clove the sky, and drave
Right through that farthest drum, nor stayed its flight, But skimmed the plain beyond, past reach of eye.
Then Devadatta challenged with the sword,
And clove a Talas tree six fingers thick ;
Ardjuna seven ; and Nanda cut through nine;
But two such stems together grew, and both Siddartha's blade shred at one flashing stroke,
Keen, but so smooth that the straight trunks upstood, And Nanda cried, " His edge turned ! " and the maid Trembled anew seeing the trees erect,
Until the Devas of the air, who watched,
Blew light breaths from the south, and both green crowns Crashed in the sand, clean-felled.
Then brought they steeds, High-mettled, nobly bred, and three times scoured
Around the maidan, but white Kantaka
Left even the fleetest far behind — so swift,
That ere the foam fell from his mouth to earth Twenty spear lengths he flew; but Nanda said,
" We too might win with such as Kantaka :
Bring an unbroken horse, and let men see
Who best can back him. " So the syces brought
A stallion dark as night, led by three chains, Fierce-eyed, with nostrils wide and tossing mane, Unshod, unsaddled, for no rider yet
Had crossed him. Three times each young Sakya Sprang to his mighty back, but the hot steed Furiously reared, and flung them to the plain
In dust and shame : only Ardjuna held
His seat awhile, and, bidding loose the chains,
PRINCE SIDDARTHA'S MARRIAGE.
Lashed the black flank, and shook the bit, and held The proud jaws fast with grasp of master hand,
So that in storms of wrath and rage and fear
The savage stallion circled once the plain Half-tamed ; but sudden turned with naked teeth, Gripped by the foot Ardjuna, tore him down,
And would have slain him, but the grooms ran in Fettering the maddened beast. Then all men cried,
" Let not Siddartha meddle with this Bhut,
"Whose liver is a tempest, and his blood
Red flame ; " but the Prince said, " Let go the chains, Give me his forelock only," which he held
With quiet grasp, and, speaking some low word,
Laid his right palm across the stallion's eyes,
And drew it gently down the angry face,
And all along the neck and panting flanks,
Till men astonished saw the night-black horse
Sink his fierce crest and stand subdued and meek,
As though he knew our Lord and worshiped him.
Nor stirred he while Siddartha mounted, then
Went soberly to touch of knee and rein
Before all eyes, so that the people said,
" Strive no more, for Siddartha is the best. "
And all the suitors answered " He is best ! "
And Suprabuddha, father of the maid,
Said, " It was in our hearts to find thee best,
Being dearest, yet what magic taught thee more
Of manhood 'mid thy rose bowers and thy dreams Than war and chase and world's work bring to these ? But wear, fair Prince, the treasure thou hast won.