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At a breath you can remove my veils, my lord!
If I fall asleep on the dust and hear not your call, would you
wait till I wake?
Would not the thunder of your chariot wheel make the earth
tremble?
Would you not burst open the door and enter your own house
unbidden?
*/
Then do you go, O Queen, and open the door for him: he will not
enter otherwise.
SUDARSHANA. I do not see anything distinctly in the dark--I do
not know where the doors are. You know everything here--go and
open the doors for me.
[SURANGAMA opens the door, bows to the KING, and goes out. The
KING will remain invisible throughout this play.]
SUDARSHANA. Why do you not allow me to see you in the light?
KING. So you want to see me in the midst of a thousand things in
broad daylight! Why should I not be the only thing you can feel
in this darkness?
SUDARSHANA. But I must see you--I am longing to have a sight of
you.
KING. You will not be able to bear the sight of me--it will only
give you pain, poignant and overpowering.
SUDARSHANA. How can you say that I shall be unable to bear your
sight? Oh, I can feel even in this dark how lovely and wonderful
you are: why should I be afraid of you in the light? But tell
me, can you see me in the dark?
KING. Yes, I can.
SUDARSHANA. What do you see?
KING. I see that the darkness of the infinite heavens, whirled
into life and being by the power of my love, has drawn the light
of a myriad stars into itself, and incarnated itself in a form of
flesh and blood. And in that form, what aeons of thought and
striving, untold yearnings of limitless skies, the countless
gifts of unnumbered seasons!
SUDARSHANA. Am I so wonderful, so beautiful? When I hear you
speak so, my heart swells with gladness and pride. But how can I
believe the wonderful things you tell me? I cannot find them in
myself!
KING. Your own mirror will not reflect them--it lessens you,
limits you, makes you look small and insignificant. But could
you see yourself mirrored in my own mind, how grand would you
appear! In my own heart you are no longer the daily individual
which you think you are--you are verily my second self.
SUDARSHANA. Oh, do show me for an instant how to see with your
eyes! Is there nothing at all like darkness to you? I am afraid
when I think of this. This darkness which is to me real and
strong as death--is this simply nothing to you? Then how can
there be any union at all between us, in a place like this? No,
no--it is impossible: there is a barrier betwixt us two: not here,
no, not in this place. I want to find you and see you where I
see trees and animals, birds and stones and the earth
KING. Very well, you can try to find me--but none will point me
out to you. You will have to recognise me, if you can, yourself.
And even if anybody professes to show me to you, how can you be
sure he is speaking the truth?
SUDARSHANA. I shall know you; I shall recognise you. I shall
find you out among a million men. I cannot be mistaken.
KING. Very well, then, to-night, during the festival of the full
moon of the spring, you will try to find me out from the high
turret of my palace--search for me with your own eyes amongst the
crowd of people.
SUDARSHANA. Wilt thou be there among them?
KING. I shall show myself again and again, from every side of
the crowd. Surangama!
[Enter SURANGAMA]
SURANGAMA. What is thy pleasure, lord?
KING. To-night is the full moon festival of the spring.
SURANGAMA. What have I to do to-night?
KING. To-day is a festive day, not a day of work. The pleasure
gardens are in their full bloom--you will join in my festivities
there.
SURANGAMA. I shall do as thou desirest, lord.
KING. The Queen wants to see me to-night with her own eyes.
SURANGAMA. Where will the Queen see you?
KING. Where the music will play at its sweetest, where the air
will be heavy with the dust of flowers--there in the pleasure
grove of silver light and mellow gloom.
SURANGAMA. What can be seen in the hide-and-seek of darkness and
light? There the wind is wild and restless, everything is dance
and swift movement--will it not puzzle the eyes?
KING. The Queen is curious to search me out.
SURANGAMA. Curiosity will have to come back baffled and in
tears!