Page:Katha sarit sagara, vol2.djvu/548

 Then in her longing she was eager to behold that loved one, though only in a picture, so by her magic power she summoned for herself a tablet for painting and colour-pencils. And she said to herself, "Considering even the Disposer is unable to create a second like my beloved, how can I, reed* in hand, produce a worthy likeness of him? Nevertheless, I will paint him as well as I can for my own consolation." After going through these reflections she proceeded to paint him on a tablet, and while she was thus engaged, her confidante Manoháriká, who had been troubled at not seeing her, came to that place to look for her. She stood behind the princess, and saw her languishing alone in the bower of creepers, with her painting-tablet in her hand. She said to herself, " I will just see now what the princess is doing here alone." So the princess's confidante remained there concealed.

And then Padmávatí, with her lotus-like eyes gushing with tears, began to address in the following words her beloved in the painting, " When thou didst slay the formidable Asuras and deliver Indra, how comes it that thou dost not deliver me from my woe, though near me, by speaking to me at any rate? To one whose merits in a former life are small,even a wishing-tree is ungenerous, even Buddha is wanting in compassion, and even gold becomes a stone. Thou knowest not the fever of love, and canst not comprehend my pain; what could the poor archer Love, whose arrows are but flowers, do against one whom the Daityas found invincible? But what am I saying? Truly Fate is adverse to me, for Fate stops my eyes with tears, and will not allow me to behold thee for long together, even in a picture." When the princess had said this, she began to weep with teardrops that were so large that it appeared as if her necklace were broken, and great pearls were falling from it.

At that moment her friend Manoháriká advanced towards her, and the princess concealed the picture and said to her, " My friend, I have not seen you for ever so long; where have you been?" When Manoháriká heard this, she laughed and said, " I have been wandering about, my friend, for a long time to look for you; so, why do you hide the picture? I saw a moment ago a wonderful picture. " †

When Padmávatí's friend said this to her, she seized her hand, and said to her with a face cast down from shame, and a voice choked with tears, " My friend, you knew it all long ago; why should I try to conceal it? ‡ The fact is, that prince, though on that occasion, in the sacred