With woody mountains like a net. The country's farthest limit reach, And stand upon the ocean beach. There wander through the groves of palir Where the soft air is full of balm. Through grassy dell and dark ravine Seek Kavan and the Maithil queen. Go visit Somagiri's1 steep Where Siudhu2 mingles with the deep. There lions, borne on swift wings, roam The levels of their mountain home, And elephants and monsters bear, Caught from the ocean, to their lair. You Vanars, changing forms at will. With rapid search must scour the hill, And his sky-kissing peak of gold Where loveliest trees their blooms unfold There golden peaked, ablaze with light, Uprises Pariyatra's3 height Where wild Gandharvas, fierce and fell, In bands of countless myriads dwell. Pluck ye no fruit within the wood; Beware the impious neighbourhood^ Where, very mighty, strong", and hard To overcome, the fruit they guard. Yet search for Janak's daughter still, For Vanars there need fear no ill. Near, bright as turkis, Vaj;-a4 named, There stands a hill of diamond framed. Soaring a hundred leagues in pride, With trees and creepers glorified. Search there each cave and dark abyss By waterfall and precipice. Far in that sea the wild waves beat On t hakravan's5 firm- rooted feet. Wheiv the great discus.6 thousand rayed By Visvakarma's7 art was made. When Panchajan8 the fiend was slain. And Hayagriva,9 fierce in vain, 1 The Moon-mountain here is mythical z Si n dim is the Indus.
3 Piiriyatrn, or as more usually writtei Paripatra, is the central or western por tion of the Vindhya chain which skirt the province of Malwa.
4 Vajra means both diamond and thun derbolt, the two substances being suppos ed to be identical.
5 Chakravan means the discus-bearer.
6 The discus is the favourite weapon o Vishnu.
7 The Indian Hephaistos or Vulcan.
8 Panchajan was a demon who lived ii the sea in the form of a conch shell WILSON'S Vishnu Pur tin a > V. 21.
9 Hayagriva," Horse-necked, is the nann of a Daitya who at the dissolution of th« universe caused by Brahma's sleep. seize< and carried off the Vedas. Vishnu slew- him and recovered the sacred treasured.
•Canto XL Til.
THE RAM AY AN.
Thence taking shell and discus went Lord Vishnu, God preeminent. On! sixty thousand hills of gold With wondering eyes shall ye behold, Where in his glory every one Is brilliant as the morning sun. Full in the midst King Meru.1 best Of mountains, lifts his lofty crest, On whom of yore, as all have heard, The sun well-pleased this boon conferred: * On thee, O King, on thee and thine Light, day and night, shall ever shine. Gandharvas, Gods who love thee well And on thy sacred summits dwell, Undi mined in lustre, bright and fair, The golden sheen shall ever share.' The Viavas,a Vasus,3 they who ride The tempest,4 every God beside, Draw nigh to Meru's lofty crest When evening darkens in the west, And to the parting Lord of Day The homage of their worship pay, Ere yet a while, unseen of all, Behind Mount Asta'rs5 peaks he fall. Wrought by the heavenly artist's care A glorious palace glitters there, And round about it sweet birds sing Where the gay trees are blossoming: 1 Meru stands in the centre of Jambu- dwipa and consequently of the earth. " The sun travels round the world, keep- ing Meru always on his right, To the spec- tator who fronts him, therefore, as he rises Meru must be always on the north; and as the sun's rays do not penetrate be- yond the centre of the mountain, the re- gions beyond, or to the north of it must Be in darkness, whilst those on the south of it must be in light: north and south being relative, not absolute, terms, de- pending on the position of the spectator with regard to the Sun and Meru." WIL- SON'S Vishnu Pnrdna, Vol. II. p. 243. Note.
* The Visvadevas are a class of deities to whom sacrifices should be daily offered, as part of the ordinary worship of the householder. According to the Vdyu Pu- rdna, this is a privilege conferred on them by Brahma and the Pitris as a re- ward for religious austerities practised by them upon Himalaya.
3 The eight Vasus were originally per- sonifications like other Vedic deities, of natural phenomena, such as Fire, Wind, &c*. Their appellations are variously given by different authorities.
'4 The Marutsor Storm-Gods, frequently addressed and worshipped as the attend- ants and allies of Tndra.
5The mountain behind which the sun sets.
The home of Varun1 high soul ed- lord, Wrist-girded with his deadly cord.- With ten tall stems, a palm between Meru and Asta's hill is seen: Pure silver from the base it spring, And far and wide its lustre flings' Seek Kavan and the dame by brook, In pathless glen, in leafy nook, On Meru's crest a hermit lives Bright with the light that penance gives: Savarni3 is he named, renowned As Brahma's peer, with glory crowned. There bowing down in reverence speak And ask him of the dame you seek. Thus far the splendid Lord of Day Pursues through heaven his ceaseless way, Shedding on every spot his light: Then sinks behind Mount Asta's height, Thus far advance: the sunless sea Beyond is all unknown to me. Sushen of mighty arm. long tried In peril, shall your legions guide. Receive his words with high respect, And ne'er his lightest wish neglect. He is my consort's sire, and hence Deserves the utmost reverence.'
CANTO XLIII.
THE ARMY OF THE NORTH.
Forth went the legions of the west: And wise Sugriva then addressed Satabal. summoned from the crowd, To whom the sovereign cried aloud: ' Go forth, O Vanar chief, go forth, Explore the regions of the north. Thy host a hundred thousand be, And Yama's sons4 attend on thee. With dauntless courage, strength, and skill Search every river, wood, and hill. Through every laud in order go Eight onward to the Hills of ^now. Search mid the peaks that shine afar, In woods of Lodh and Deodar.6 Search if with Jaiiak's daughter, screened By sheltering rocks, there lie the fiend.
1 One of the oldest and mightiest ot the Vedic deities; in later mythology regard- ed as the God of the sea.
2 The knotted noose with which he seizes and punishes transgressors.
3 Savarni is a Maim, offspring of tba Sun by Cnhaya.
4 The poet has not said who the sons of Yam a are.
5 The Lodhra or Lodh (Symplocoa Racemosa) and the Devaduru or are well known trees.
THE It AM AY AN.
Boole IV The holy grounds of Soma tread By Gods and minstrels visited.
Reach Kala's mount, and flats that lie Among the peaks that tower on high.
Then leave that hill that gleams with ore, And fair Sudarsan's heights explore.
Then on to Devasakha1 hie.
Loved by the children cf the sky, A dreary land you then will see Without a hill or brook or tree, A hundred leagues, bare, wild, and dread In lifeless desolation, spread.
Pursue your onward way, and haste Through the dire horrors of the waste Until triumphant with delight You reach Kailasa's glittering height.
There stands a palace decked with gold, F >r King Kuvera? wrought of old, A home tlie heavenly artist planned And fashioned with his cunning hand.
There lotuses adorn the flood With full-blown flower and opening bud Where swans and mallards float, and gay Apsarases? come down to play.
There King Vaigravan's4 self, the lord By all the universe adored.
Who golden gifts to mortals sends, Lives with the Guhyakas5 his friends.
Search every cavern in £he steep, And green glens where the moonbeams sleep, If haply in that distant ground The robber and the dame be found. Then on to Krauncha's bill,* and through His fearful pass your way pursue: Though dark and terrible the vale Your wonted courage must not fail. There through abyss and cavern seek, On lofty ridge, and mountain peak. On, on! pursue your journey still By valley, Jake, and towering hill. Beach the North Kurus' land, where rest The holy spirits of the blest: Where golden buds of lilies gleam Resplendent on the silver stream, 1 The hills mentioned are not identi- fiable. Soma means the Moon. Kala, black; Sudarasan, fair to see; and Devasakha, friend of the Gods.
3 The God of Wealth.
3 The nymphs oj: Paradise.
4 Kuvera ithe son of Visravaa.
5 A class of demigods who, like the Yakshas, are the attendants of Kuvera, and the guardians of his treasures.
6 Situated in the eastern part of the Himalaya chain, on the north of Assam. The mountain was torn asunder and the pass formed by the War- God Kurtjkeya and Parasurama.
And leaves of azure turkis throw Soft splendour on the waves below. Bright as the sun at early rnorn Fair pools that happy clime adorn, Where shine the loveliest flowers on stem* Of crystal and all valued gems. Blue lotuses through all the land The glorives of their blooms expand, And the resplendent earth is strown With peerless pearl and precious stone. There stately trees can scarce uphold The burthen of their fruits of gold, And ever flaunt their gay attire Of fjower and leaf like flames of fire. All there sweet lives untroubled spend In bliss and joy that know not end. While pearl-decked maidens laugh, or sing To music of the silvery string.1 >itill on your forward journey keep, And rest you by the northern deep, Where springing from the billows high Mount Somagiri? seeks the sky, And lightens with perpetual glow The sunless realm that lies below. There, present through all life's extent, Dwells Brahma, Lord preeminent,' ,4nd round the great God, manifest In Rudra3 forms high sages rest. Then turn, O Vanars: search no. more, Nor tempt the sunless, boundless shore.'
CANTO XLIV.
THE RING.
But special counselling he gave fo Hanuman the wise and brave: 1 "The Uttara Kiiru?, it should bn remarked, may have been a real people, as they are mentioned in the AitareyE I Prahmana, VIII. H "Wherefore thd several nations who dwell in this northerr I quarter, bey.ond the Himaya£, the Uttara J Kurus and the IJttara Madras are con- 1 secratecj. to glorious dominion, and people I term them the glorious. In another pas- j sage of the same work, however, the Uttarq I Kurus are treated as belonging to the] domain of mythology." Muni's Sanskrit I Texts, YoJ, J. p. 4y4. See ADDJTIQNAI I NOTES.
3 The Rudras are the same as the storrr winds, more usually called Maruts, anc are often associated with India. In th< later mythology the Rudras are regarded as inferior manifestations of $iya, anc most of their names are also names of Siva Canto XLVL THE RAM A? AX.
To him on whom his soul relied, With friendly words the monarch cried: ' O best of Vanars, naught can stay By land or sea thy rapid way, Who through the air thy flight canst bend, And to the Immortals' home ascend.
All realms, I ween, are known to thee With every mountain, lake, and sea.
In strength and speed which naught can tire Thou, worthy rival of thy sire The mighty monarch of the wind, Where'er thou wilt a way canst find, Exert thy power, O swift and strong, Brin^ back the lady lost so long. For time and place, O thou most wise, Lie open to thy searching eyes.'
When Rama heard that special hest To Hanuman above the rest, He from the monarch's favour drew Hope of success and trust anew That he on whom his lord relied, In toil and peril trained and tried, Would to a happy issue bring The task commanded by the king. He gave the ring that bore his name, A token for the captive dame, That the sad lady in her woe The missive of her lord might know. " This ring,' he said, 'my wife will see, Nor fear an envoy sent by me. Thy valour and thy skill combined, Thy resolute and vigorous mind, And King Sugriva's high behest, With joyful hopes inspire my breast.'
CANTO XLV.
THE DEPARTURE, Away, away the Vanars sped Like locusts o'er the land outspread. To northern realms where rising high Fhe King of Mountains cleaves the sky, Pierce 3atabal with vast array Of Vanar warriors led the way. Far southward, as his lord decreed, Wise Hanuman, the Wind-God's seed, With Angad his swift way pursued, \nd Tara's warlike multitude, strong Vinata with all his band Betook him to the eastern land, Ind brave Sushen in eager quest Sped swiftly to the gloomy west. Sach Vanar chieftain sought with speed Phe quarter by his king decreed, iiVhile from his legions rose on high Che shout and boast and battle cry: We will restore the dame and beat Che robber down beneath our feet, My arm alone shall win the day From Ravan met in single fray, Shall rob the robber of his life, And rescue Rama's captive wife All trembling in her fear and woe. Here, comrades, rest: no farther go: For I will vanquish hell, and she Shall by this arm again be free. The rooted mountains will I rend, The mightiest trees will break and bend, Earth to her deep foundations cleave,. And make the calm sea throb and heave. A hundred leagues from steep to steep In desperate bound my feet shall leap. My steps shall tread unchecked and free. Through woods, o'er land and hill and sea, Range as they list from flood to fell. And wander through the depths of hell.'
CANTO XLVI.
SUGRIVA'S TALE.
' How, King,' cried Ram a, * didst thou gain Thy lore of sea and hill and plain? ' ' From Bali's arm Mayavi fled1 To Malaya's hill, and strove to save His life by hiding in the cave.
I told how Bali sought, to kill His foe, the hollow of the hill; Nor need I, King, again unfold The wondrous tale already told.
Then, wandering forth, my way I took By many a town and wood and brook.
I roamed the earth from place to place, Till, like a mirror's polished face, The whole broad disk, that lies between Its farthest bounds, mine eyes had seen.
I wandered first to eastern skies Where fairest trees rejoiced mine eyes, And many a cave and wooded hill Where lilies robed the lake and rill.
There metal dyes that hill3 adorn Whence springs the sun to light the morn.
There, too. I viewed the Milky sea, Where nyphs of heaven delight to be.
Then to the south I made my way From regions of the rising day, And roamed o'er Vindhya, where the breeze ts odorous of sandal trees.
Still in my fear I found no rest: [ sought the regions of the west.
And gazed on Asta,3 where the sun 1 Canto IX.
2 Udayagiri or the hill from which the sun rises.
3 Asta is the mountain behind which the sun sets.
THE RAMAYAN.
Bool- IV.
Sinks when his daily course is run. Then from that noblest hill I fled And to the nothern country sped, Saw Himavan,1 and Meru's steep, And stood heside the northern deep. But when, by Bali's might oppressed, E'en in those wilds I could not rest, Came Hanuman the wise and brave, And thus his prudent counsel gave; ' I told thee how Matanga* cursed Thy tyrant, that his head should burst In pieces, should he dare invade The precincts of that tranquil shade. There may we dwell in peace and be From thy oppressor's malice free.' We went to Rishyamuka's hill, And spent our days secure from ill Where, with that curse upon his head, The cruel Bali durst not tread.'
CANTO XLVII.
THE RETURN.
Thus forth in quest of Sita went The legions King Sugriva sent.
To many a distant town they hied By many a lake and river's side.
As their great sovereign's order taught, Through valleys, plains, and groves they sought.
They toiled unresting through the day: At night upon the ground they lay Where the tall trees, whose branche.
swayed Beneath their fruit, gave pleasant shade. Then, when a weary month was spent, Back to Prasravan's hill they went, And stood with faces of despair Before their king Sugriva there. Thus, having wandered through the east Great Vinata his labours ceased, And weary of the fruitless pain Returned to meet the king again. Brave Satabali to the north Had led his Vanar legions forth. Now to Sugriva back he sped With all his host dispirited. Sushen the western realms had sought, And homeward now his legions brought. All to Sugriva came, where still He sat with Rama on the hill, Before their sovereign humbly bent And thus addressed him reverent: * On every hill our steps have been, By wood and cave and deep ravine; 1 Himalaya, the Hills of Snow.
2 Canto XI.
nd all the wandering brooks we know hroughout the land that seaward flow. ur feet by thy command have traced he tangled thicket and the waste, nd dens and dingles hard to pass 'or creeping plants and matted grass. Veil have we searched with toil and pain, Lnd monstrous creatures have we slain. 5ut Hanuman of noblest mind 'he Maithil lady yet will find; 'or to his quarter of the sky1 'he robber fiend was seen to fly.'
CANTO XLVIII.
THE ASUR'S DEATH.
5ut Hanuman still onward pressed With Tara, Angad, and the rest, Through Vindhya's pathless glens he sped And left no spot unvisited. E£e gazed from every mountain height, He sought each cavern dark as night, And wandered through the bloomy shade By pool and river and cascade, But, though they sought in every place, Of Sita yet they found no trace. On fruit and woodland berries fed Through many a lonely wild they sped, And reached at last, untouched by fear, A desert terrible and drear: A fruitless waste, a laud of gloom Where trees were bare of leaf and bloom; Where every scanty stream was dried, And niggard earth her roots denied. No elephants through all the ground, No buffaloes or deer are found. There roams no tiger, pard, or bear, No creature of the wood is there. No bird displays his glittering wings, No tree, no shrub, no creeper springs. There rise no lilies from the flood, Resplendent with their flower and bud, Where the delighted bees may throng About the fragrance with their song. There lived a hermit Kandu named, For truth and wealth of "penance famed, Whom fervent zeal and holy rite Had dowered with all-surpassing might. His little son, a ten year child — a So chanced it— perished in the wild. His death with fury stirred the sage, Who cursed the forest in his rage, Doomed from that hour to shelter none, A waste for bird and beast to shun.
i Hanuman was the leader of the armj of the south which was under the nomi- nal command of Angad the heir apparent Canto L.
THE RAM AY AN.
They searched by every forest edge, They searched each cave and mountain ledge, And thickets whence the water fell Wandering through the tangled dell. Striving to do Su^riva's will They roamed along eich leafy rill. Ba: vain were all endeavours, vain Tue careful search, the toil ani pain. Through one dark grove they scarce could wind, So thick were creepers intertwined. There as they struggled through the wood Before their eyes an Asur1 stood. High as a towering hill, his pride The very Gods in heaven defied. When on the fiend their glances fell Each braced him for the combat well. The demon raised his arm on high, And rushed upon them with a cry. Him Angad smote,— for, sure, he thought This was the tiend they long had sought. From his huge mouth by Angad felled, The blood in rushing torrents welled, As, like a mountain from his base XJptorn, he dropped upon his face. Tims fell the mighty tiend: and they Through the thick wood pursued their way; Then, weary with the toil, reclined Where leafy boughs to shade them twined.
CANTO XLIX.
ANGAD'S SPEECH.
Then Angad spake: ' We Vanars well Have searched each valley, cave, and dell, And hill, and brook, and dark recess, And tangled wood, and wilderness.
But all in vain: no eye has seen The robber or the Maithil queen.
A dreary time has passed away, And stern is he we all obey.
Come, cast your grief and sloth aside: Again be every elf or t tried; S> haply may our toil attain The sweet success that follows pain.
Laborious effort, toil, and skill, The tirm resolve, the constant will Secure at last the ends we seek: Hence, O my friends, I boldly speak.
Once more then, noble hearts, once more L'-it us to-day this wood explore, And, languor and despair subdued, Purchase success with toil renewed, 1 The Bengal recension— Gorresio's edi- tion— calls this^Asur or demon the son of Maricha.
Sugriva is a king austere, And llama's wrath we needs must fear. Oorne. Viinars, if ye think it wise, And do the thing that I advise ' Tli en G and ham id an thus replied With lips that toil and thirst had dried: 1 Obey his words, f >r wise and true Is all thac he has counselled you. Come, let your ho*ts their toil renew An 1 search each grove and desert through, Each towering hill and forest glade. Bv lake and brook and white cascade, Till every spot, as our great lord Commanded, be again explored.'
Uprose the Vanars one and all, Obedient to the chieftain's call, And over the southern region sped Where Vindhya's tangled forests spread. They clomb that hill that towers on high Like a huge cloui in autumn's sky, Where many a cavern yawns, and streaks Of radiant silver dejk the peaks. In eager search they wandered through The forests where the Lodh trees grew. Where the dark leaves were thick and green, But found nor, Rama's darling queen. Then faint with toil, their hearts depressed, Descending from the mountain's crest, Their weary limbs a while to ease They lay beneath the spreading trees.
CANTO L.
THE ENCHANTED CAVE.
Angad and Tara by his side, Again rose Hanuman and tried Each mountain cavern, dark arid deep, And stony pass and wooded steep.
The lion's and the tiger's home, By rushing torrents white with foam.
Then with new ardour, south and west, O'er Vindhya's height the search they pressed.
The day prescribed was near, and they Still wandered on their weary way. They reached the southern land beset With woody mountains like a net. At length a mighty cave they spied That opened in' a mountain's side. Where many a verdant creeper grew And o'er the mouth its tendrils threw. Thence issued crane, and swan, and drake, And trooping birds that love the lake. The Vanars rushed within to cool Their fevered lips in spring or pool., Vast was the cavern dark and dread, Where not a ray of light was shed: Yet not the more their eyesight failed, THE RAMAYAN.
Boole IV Their courage sank or valour quailed.
On -through -the gloom the Vanars pressed With hunger, thirst, and toil distressed, Poor helpless wanderers, sad, forlorn, With wasted faces wan and worn.
At length, when life seemed lost for aye, They saw a splendour as of day, A wondrous forest, fair and bright, Where golden trees shot flamy light.
And lotus-covered pools were there With pleasant waters fresh and fair, And streams their rippling currents rolled By seats of silver and of gold.
Fair houses reared their stately height Of burnished gold and lazulite, And glorious was the lustre thrown Through lattices of precious stone.
And there were flowers and fruit on stems Of coral decked with rarest gems, And emerald leaves on silver trees, And honeycomb and golden bets.
Then as the Vanars nearer drew, A holy woman met their view.
Around her form was duly tied A garment of the blackdeer's hide.1 Pure votaress she shone with light Of fervent zeal and holy rite.
Then Hanuman before the rest With reverent words the dame addressed: ' Who art tliou / say: and who is lord Of this vast cave with treasures stored? ' CANTO LI.
SVAYAMPRABHA.
* Assailed by thirst and hunger, dame, Within a gloomy vault we came. We saw the cavern opening wide, And straight within its depths we hied. J>ut utterly amazed are we At all the marvels that we see. Whose are the golden trees that gleam With splendour like the morning's beam? rj hese cates of noblest sort? the^e roots? This wondrous store of rarest fruits? Whose are these calm and cool retreats, These silver homes and golden seats, And lattices of precious stones? Who is the happy lord that owns The golden trees, of rarest scent, 3Sreath loads of fruit and blossom bent? Who, strong in holy zeal, had power To deck the streams with richest dower, And bade the lilies bright with gold The glory of their blooms unfold, 1 The skin of the black antelope was the ascetic's proper garb.
Where fish in living gold below The sheen of changing colours show?
Thine is the holy power, I ween, That beautified the wondrous scene; But if another's, lady, deign To tell us, and the whole explain.'
To him the lady of the cave In words like these her answer gave: 4 Skilled Maya framed in days uf old This magic wood of growing gold. The chief artificer in place Was he of all the Danav race. He. for his wise enchantments famed, This glorious dwelling planned and framed He for a thousand years endured The sternest penance, arid secured From Brahma of all boons the best, The knowledge Usanas1 possessed. Lord, by that boon, of all his will, He fashioned all with perfect skill; And, with his blissful state content, In this vast grove a season spent. By Indra's jealous bolt he fell For loving Hema's* charms too well. And Brahma on that nymph bestowed The treasures of this fair abode, Wherein her tranquil days to spend In happiness that ne'er may end. Sprung of a lineage old and high, Merusavarni's3 daughter, I Guard ever* for that heavenly dame This home, Svayamprabha4 my name,— For I have loved the lady long, So skilled in arts of dance and song. But say what cause your steps has led The mazes of this grove to tread.
1 Usanas is the name of a sage men- tioned in the Vedas. In the epic poems he is identified with $ukra, the regent of the planet Venus, and described as the preceptor of the Asuras or Daityas, and possessor of vast knowledge.
* Hemaisoneof the nymphs of Paradise.
3 Merusavarni is a general name for the last four of the fourteen Manus.
4 Svayamprabha. the "self-luminous" is according to DEGrBERNATIsthe moon: '* In the Svayamprabha too. we meet with the moon as a good fairy who, from the golden palace which she reserves for her friend Hema (the golden one;) is during a month the guide, in the vast cavern of Hanumant and his companions, who h*ve lost their way in the search of the dawn Sita." This is not quite accurate: Hanu- man and his companions wander for a month in the cavern without a guide and then Svayamprabha leads thuin o-ut.
Canto LIIL THE RAM A? AN.
How, strangers, did ye chance to spy The wood concealed from wanderer's eye? Tell clearly why ye come; but first Eat of this fruit and quench your thirst.'
CANTO LIL THE EXIT* Rfima,' he cried, ' a prince whose sway All peoples of the earth obey, To Dandak's tangled forest came With his brave brother and his dame. From that dark shade of forest boughs The giant Rdvan stole his spouse* Our king Sugriva's orders send These Vanars forth to aid his friend, That so the lady be restored Uninjured to her sorrowing lord. With Angad and the rest this band Has wandered through the southern land, With careful search in every place The lady and the fiend to trace. We roamed the southern region o'er, And stood upon the ocean's shore. By hunger pressed our strength gave way; Beneath the spreading trees we lay, And cried, worn out with toil and woe, 1 No farther, comrades, can we go.' Then a* our sad eyes looked around We spied an opening in the ground, Where all was gloomy dark behind The creeping plants that o'er it twined. Forth trooping from the dark recess Came swans and mallards numberless, With drops upon their shining wings As newly bathed where water springs. 1 On. comrades, to the cave,' I cried And all within the portal hied. Each clasping fast another's hand Far onward pressed the Vanar band; And still, as thirst and hunger drove, We traced the mazes of the grove. Here thou with hospitable care Hast fed us with the noblest fare, Preserving us, about to die, With this thy plentiful supply. But how, O pious lady, say, Mav we thy gracious boon repay?'