15. So having said, she knit Her body up to work her soul's desire, And rush at once among the thickest fire. Like as a God, Ladurlad made his way; XV. THE CITY OF BALY. 1. KAILYAL. Ereenia ! LADURLAD. Nay, let no reproachful thought Wrong his heroic heart! The Evil Powers Hvae the dominion o'er this wretched World, And no good Spirit now can venture here. KAILYAL. Alas, my Father! he hath ventured here, And saved me from one horror. But the Powers Of Evil beat him down, and bore away To some dread scene of durance and despair; The Ancient Tombs, methought their mistress said, Beneath the ocean-waves; no way for Man Is there; and Gods, she boasted, there are none On Earth to help him now. LADURLAD. Is that her boast? And hath she laid him in the Ancient Tombs, Relying that the Waves will guard him there? Short-sighted are the eyes of Wickedness, And all its craft but folly. Oh my child! The Curses of the Wicked are upon me, And the immortal Deities, who see And suffer all things for their own wise end, Have made them blessings to us! KAILYAL. Then thou knowest Where they have borne him? ! "The fifth incarnation was in a Bramin dwarf, under the name of Vamen; it was wrought to restrain the pride of the giant Baly. The latter, after having conquered the gods, expelled them from Sorgon; he was generous, true to his word, compassionate, and charitable. Vichenou, under the form of a very little Bramin, presented himself before him while he was sacrificing, and asked him for three paces of land to build a hut. Baly ridiculed the apparent imbecility of the dwarf, in telling him, that he ought not to limit his demand to a bequest so trifling; that his generosity could bestow a much larger donation of land. Vamen answered, That being of so small a stature, what he asked was more than sufficient. The prince immediately granted his request, LADURLAD. To the Sepulchres Of the Ancient Kings, which Baly in his power 2. Up from the ground the Maid exultant sprung, And clapp'd her happy hands in attitude Of thanks to Heaven, and flung Her arms around her Father's neck, and stood Struggling awhile for utterance, with excess Of hope and pious thankfulness. Come.. come! she cried, Oh let us not delay,.. He is in torments there,.. away!.. away! 3. Long time they travell'd on; at dawn of day Hope kept her up, and her intense desire 4. Their talk was of the City of the days Of old, Earth's wonder once, and of the fame Of Baly its great founder,.. he whose name In ancient story and in poet's praise, Liveth and flourisheth for endless glory, Because his might Put down the wrong, and aye upheld the right. Till for ambition, as old sages tell, At length the universal Monarch fell: For he too, having made the World his own, Then in his pride, had driven The Devetas from Heaven, And seized triumphantly the Swerga throne. The Incarnate came before the Mighty One, In dwarfish stature, and in mien obscure; The sacred cord? he bore, and, to ratify his donation, poured water into his right hand; which was no sooner done than the dwarf grew so prodigiously, that his body filled the universe! He measured the earth with one pace, and the heavens with another, and then summoned Baly to give him his word for the third. The prince then recognised Vichenou, adored him, and presented his head to him; but the god, satisfied with his submission, sent him to govern the Padalon, and permitted him to return every year to the earth, the day of the full moon, in the month of November."— Sonnerat's l'oyages, vol. i. p. 24. 2 "The Brahmans who officiate at the temples generally go with their heads uncovered, and the upper part of the body naked. The Zennar, or sacred string, is hung round the And ask'd, for Brama's sake, a little boon, Three steps of Baly's ample reign, no more. Poor was the boon required, and poor was he Who begg'd,.. a little wretch it seem'd to be; But Baly ne'er refused a suppliant's prayer. He on the Dwarf cast down, A glance of pity in contemptuous mood, 5. Lo, Son of giant birth, I take my grant! the Incarnate Power replies. 6. Then Baly knew the God, and at his feet, In homage due, he laid his humbled head. Mighty art thou, O Lord of Earth and Heaven, Mighty art thou! he said, Be merciful, and let me be forgiven. body from the left shoulder; a piece of white cotton cloth is wrapped round the loins, which descends under the knee, but lower on the left side than on the other; and in cold weather they sometimes cover their bodies with a shawl, and their heads with a red cap. The Zennar is made of a particular kind of perennial cotton, called Verma: it is composed of a certain number of threads of a fixed length. The Zennar worn by the Khatries has fewer threads than that worn by the Brahmans; and that worn by the Bhyse fewer than that worn by the Khatries; but those of the Soodra caste are excluded from this distinction, none of them being permitted to wear it." Craufurd. 1 Ruins of Mahabalipur, the City of the great Baly. "A rock, or rather hill of stone, is that which first engrosses the attention on approaching the place; for as it rises abruptly out of a level plain of great extent, consists chiefly of one single stone, and is situated very near to the seabeach, it is such a kind of object as an inquisitive traveller would naturally turn aside to examine. Its shape is also singular and romantic, and, from a distant view, has an appearance like some antique and lofty edifice. On coming near to the foot of the rock from the north, works of imagery and sculpture crowd so thick upon the eye, as might seem to favour the idea of a petrified town, like those that have been fabled in different parts of the world, by too credulous travellers. Proceeding on by the foot of the hill, on the side facing the sea, there is a pagoda rising out of the ground, of one solid stone, about sixteen or eighteen feet high, which seems to have been cut upon the spot, out of a detached rock, that has been found of a proper size for that purpose. The top is arched, and the style of architecture, according to which it is formed, different from any now used in those parts. A little farther on, there appears, upon a huge surface of stone that juts out a little from the side of the hill, a numerous group of human figures, in bas-relief, considerably larger than life, representing the most remarkable persons whose actions are celebrated in the Mahabharit, each of them in an attitude, or with weapons, or other insignia, expressive of his character, or of some one of his most famous exploits. All these figures are doubtless much less distinct than they were at first: for upon comparing these and the rest of the sculptures that are exposed to the sea-air, with others at the same place, whose situation has afforded them protection from that He ask'd for mercy of the Merciful, And mercy for his virtue's sake was shown. For though he was cast down to Padalon, Yet there, by Yamen's throne, Doth Baly sit in majesty and might, To judge the dead, and sentence them aright. And forasmuch as he was still the friend Of righteousness, it is permitted him, Yearly, from those drear regions to ascend, And walk the Earth, that he may hear his name Still hymn'd and honour'd by the grateful voice Of humankind, and in his fame rejoice. 7. Such was the talk they held upon their way, Of him to whose old City they were bound; And now, upon their journey, many a day Had risen and closed, and many a week gone round, And many a realm and region had they pass'd, When now the Ancient Towers appear'd at last. 8. Their golden summits in the noon-day light, Shone o'er the dark green deep that roll'd between For domes, and pinnacles, and spires were seen Peering above the sea,.. a mournful sight! element, the difference is striking the former being every where much defaced, while the others are fresh as recently finished. An excavation in another part of the east side of the great rock appears to have been made on the same plan, and for the same purpose that Chowltries are usually built in that country, that is to say, for the accommodation of travellers. The rock is hollowed out to the size of a spacious room, and two or three rows of pillars are left, as a seeming support to the mountainous mass of stone which forms the roof. "The ascent of the hill on the north is, from its natural shape, gradual and easy at first, and is in other parts rendered more so by very excellent steps, cut out in several places where the communication would be difficult or impracticable without them. A winding stair of this sort leads to a kind of temple cut out of the solid rock, with some figures of idols in high relief upon the walls, very well finished. From this temple there are flights of steps, that seem to have led to some edifice formerly standing upon the hill; nor does it seem absurd to suppose that this may have been a palace, to which this temple may have appertained; for besides the small detached ranges of stairs that are here and there cut in the rock, and seem as if they had once led to different parts of one great building, there appear in many places small water channels cut also in the rock, as if for drains to a house; and the whole top of the hill is strewed with small round pieces of brick, which may be supposed, from their appearance, to have been worn down to their present form during the lapse of many ages. On a plain surface of the rock, which may once have served as the floor of some apartment, there is a platform of stone, about eight or nine feet long, by three or four wide, in a situation rather elevated, with two or three steps leading up to it, perfectly resembling a couch or bed, and a lion very well executed at the upper end of it, by way of pillow: the whole of one piece being part of the hill itself. This the Bramins, inhabitants of the place, call the bed of Dhermarâjah, or Judishter, the eldest of the five brothers, whose exploits are the leading subject in the Mahabhârit. And at a considerable distance from this, at such a distance indeed as the apartments of the women might be supposed to be from that of the men, is a bath, excavated also from the rock, with steps in the inside, which the Bramins call the Bath of Dropedy, the wife of Well might the sad beholder ween from thence The lonely sound of winds, that moan around 9. With reverence did the travellers see To Heaven he raised his hand Thou dreadful Rajah, doth thy curse impart ! And in the Chambers of the Rock by night, No prowling beast to harm thee, or affright, And in this robe of mine involve thy feet. Duly commend us both to Heaven in prayer, Be of good heart, and may thy sleep be sweet! Judishter and his brothers. How much credit is due to this tradition, and whether this stone couch may not have been anciently used as a kind of throne, rather than a bed, is matter for future inquiry. A circumstance, however, which may seem to favour this idea is, that a throne, in the Sanscrit and other Hindoo languages, is called Singhåsen, which is compounded of Sing, a lion, and âsen, a seat. "But though these works may be deemed stupendous, they are surpassed by others that are to be seen at the distance of about a mile, or mile and half, to the south of the hill. They consist of two pagodas, of about thirty feet long, by twenty feet wide, and about as many in height, cut out of the solid rock, and each consisting originally of one single stone. Their form is different from the style of architecture according to which idol temples are now built in that country. These sculptures approach nearer to the Gothic taste, being surmounted by arched roofs or domes, not semicircular, but composed of two segments of circles meeting in a point at top. Near these also stand an elephant full as big as life, and a lion much larger than the natural size, both hewn also out of one stone. 10. So saying, he put back his arm, and gave The cloth which girt his loins, and press'd her hand With fervent love, then from the sand Advanced into the sea; the coming Wave Which knew Kehama's curse, before his way Started, and on he went as on dry land, And still around his path the waters parted. She stands upon the shore, where sea-weeds play, Lashing her polish'd ankles, and the spray Which off her Father, like a rainbow, fled, Falls on her like a shower; there Kailyal stands, And sees the billows rise above his head. She at the startling sight, forgot the power The Curse had given him, and held forth her hands Imploringly,... her voice was on the wind, And the deaf Ocean o'er Ladurlad closed. Soon she recall'd his destiny to mind, And shaking off that natural fear, composed Her soul with prayer, to wait the event resign'd. 11. Alone, upon the solitary strand, Save her, ye Gods! from Evil Powers, and here All day, she walk'd the beach, at night she sought 12. Be of good heart, and may thy sleep be sweet, Ladurlad said: . . Alas! that cannot be To one whose days are days of misery. How often did she stretch her hands to greet "The great rock is about fifty or one hundred yards from the sea; but close to the sea are the remains of a pagoda built of brick, and dedicated to Sib, the greatest part of which has evidently been swallowed up by that element: for the door of the innermost apartment, in which the idol is placed, and before which there are always two or three spacious courts surrounded with walls, is now washed by the waves, and the pillar used to discover the meridian at the time of founding the pagoda, is seen standing at some distance in the sea. In the neighbourhood of this building there are some detached rocks, washed also by the waves, on which there appear sculptures, though now much worn and defaced. And the natives of the place declared to the writer of this account, that the more aged people among them remembered to have seen the tops of several pagodas far out in the sea, which being covered with copper (probably gilt), were particularly visible at sun-rise, as their shining surface used then to reflect the sun's rays, but that now that effect was no longer produced, as the copper had since become encrusted with mould and verdigris."— Chambers, Asiatic Researches. Ereenia, rescued in the dreams of night! How oft amid the vision of delight, Fear in her heart all is not as it seems; Then from unsettled slumber start, and hear The Winds that moan above, the Waves below! Thou hast been call'd, O Sleep! the friend of Woe, But 'tis the happy who have call'd thee so.1. 13. Another day, another night are gone, So often on the beach she took her stand, That the wild Sea-Birds knew her, and no more Fled, when she pass'd beside them on the strand. Bright shine the golden summits in the light Of the noon-sun, and lovelier far by night Their moonlight glories o'er the sea they shed: Fair is the dark-green deep by night and day Unvex'd with storms, the peaceful billows play, As when they closed upon Ladurlad's head; The firmament above is bright and clear; The sea-fowl, lords of water, air, and land, Joyous alike upon the wing appear, Or when they ride the waves, or walk the sand; Beauty and light and joy are every where ; There is no sadness and no sorrow here, Save what that single human breast contains, But oh what hopes, and fears, and pains are there! Toward Ladurlad darted; Beholding then that human form erect, How like a God the depths he trod, Appall'd the monster started, And in his fear departed. Onward Ladurlad went with heart elate, And now hath reach'd the Ancient City's gate. 2. Wondering he stood awhile to gaze Upon the works of elder days. The brazen portals open stood, Even as the fearful multitude Had left them, when they fled Before the rising flood. High over-head, sublime, The mighty gateway's storied roof was spread, Dwarfing the puny piles of younger time. With the deeds of days of yore That ample roof was sculptured o'er, And many a godlike form there met his eye, And many an emblem dark of mystery. Through these wide portals oft had Baly rode Triumphant from his proud abode, When, in his greatness, he bestrode The Aullay 2, hugest of four-footed kind, The Aullay-Horse, that in his force, With elephantine trunk, could bind And lift the elephant, and on the wind Whirl him away, with sway and swing, Even like a pebble from the practised sling. 3. Those streets which never, since the days of yore, Ladurlad trod. In sun-light and sea-green, His war for love and envy, not in rage, O thou fair City, that he spared thee thus ? 3 Art thou Varounin's capital and court, Where all the Sea-Gods for delight resort, A place too godlike to be held by us, Wherewith he starts; feels waking cares do creep Civil War, Book 11. st. 52. 58. 2 This monster of Hindoo imagination is a horse with the trunk of an elephant, but bearing about the same proportion, to the elephant in size, that the elephant itself does to a common sheep. In one of the prints to Mr. Kindersley's " Specimens of Hindoo Literature," an aullay is represented taking up an elephant with his trunk. 3 Malecheren (which is probably another name for Baly), in an excursion which he made one day alone, and in disguise, came to a garden in the environs of his city Mahâbali The poor degenerate children of the Earth? So thought Ladurlad, as he look'd around, Weening to hear the sound Of Mermaid's shell, and song Of choral throng from some imperial hall, But all is silence dread, The everlasting stillness of the Deep. 4. Through many a solitary street, And all fair fruits were through all seasons seen; Call'd forth new powers wherewith to vanquish Art. 5. It was a Garden still beyond all price, Even yet it was a place of Paradise ; For where the mighty Ocean could not spare, There had he with his own creation, Sought to repair his work of devastation. And here were coral bowers, And grots of madrepores, And banks of sponge, as soft and fair to eye Here too were living flowers poor, where was a fountain so inviting, that two celestial nymphs had come down to bathe there. The Rajah became enamoured of one of them, who condescended to allow of his attachment to her; and she and her sister nymph used thenceforward to have frequent interviews with him in that garden. On one of those occasions they brought with them a male inhabitant of the heavenly regions, to whom they introduced the Rajah, and between him and Malecheren a strict friendship ensued; in consequence of which he agreed, at the Rajah's earnest request, to carry him in disguise to see the court of the divine Inder-a favour never before granted to any mortal. The Rajah returned from thence with new ideas of splendour and magnificence, which he immediately adopted in regulating his court and his retinue, and in beautifying his seat of government. By this means Mahabalipoor became soon celebrated beyond all the cities of the earth; And now in open blossom spread, Stretch'd like green anthers many a seeking head. And arborets of jointed stone were there, And plants of fibres fine, as silkworm's thread; Yea, beautiful as Mermaid's golden hair Upon the waves dispread. Others that, like the broad banana growing, Raised their long wrinkled leaves of purple hue, Like streamers wide out-flowing. And whatsoe'er the depths of Ocean hide From human eyes, Ladurlad there espied, Trees of the deep, and shrubs and fruits and flowers, As fair as ours, Wherewith the Sea-Nymphs love their locks to braid, To grace the banquet, and the solemn day. 6. The golden fountains had not ceased to flow: Round those strange waters they repair,' 7. Almost in scenes so wondrous fair, The mighty cause which led him there; His busy eye was every where, His mind had lost all thought; His heart, surrender'd to the joys Of sight, was happy as a boy's. But soon the awakening thought recurs Of him who in the Sepulchres, Hopeless of human aid, in chains is laid; And her who on the solitary shore, By night and day her weary watch will keep, Till she shall see them issuing from the deep. and an account of its magnificence having been brought to the gods assembled at the court of Inder, their jealousy was so much excited at it, that they sent orders to the God of the Sea to let loose his billows, and overflow a place which im. piously pretended to vie in splendour with their celestial mansions. This command he obeyed, and the city was at once overflowed by that furious element, nor has it ever since been able to rear its head. -Chambers, Asiatic Researches. In the Bahia dos Artifices, which is between the river Jagoarive and S. Miguel, there are many springs of freshwater, which may be seen at low tide, and these springs are frequented by fish and by the sea-cow, which they say comes to drink there.-Noticias do Brazil, MSS. i. 8. The inhabitants of the Feroe Islands seek for cod in places where there is a fresh-water spring at the bottom. —Landt. ! |