Читать книгу The Lady of the Jewel Necklace & The Lady who Shows her Love - Harsha - Страница 31

We will begin with ‘The Lady of the Jewel Necklace,’ which Indian tradition regards as the more important play.

The Lady of the Jewel Necklace

Vasava·datta tried to keep the king from seeing Sagarika, but Sagarika saw him and fell in love with him. She painted a portrait of the king as Kama, the god of love, and her friend painted in, beside him, a portrait of Sagarika as Rati, Kama’s wife. The king then found the portrait that Sagarika had made of him and declared his passionate love for the unknown maiden who had painted his portrait and hers. Vasava·datta saw the portrait and became suspicious; she bribed Sagarika’s friend, by giving her some of her own clothes, to get her to guard Sagarika. This woman, however, dressed Sagarika in the queen’s clothes and arranged for the king to meet Sagarika when Sagarika was disguised as Vasava·datta. But Vasava·datta’s friend overheard Sagarika’s friend talking about it, and the queen went to the place of assignation, the portrait-gallery.

The king mistook her for Sagarika and made love to her with words, addressing her as Sagarika. But when the king attempted to kiss Vasava·datta-as-Sagarika, the queen threw off her veil, in fury. The king begged her to forgive him, but the queen went away. Then Sagarika-as-Vasava·datta started to hang herself with a creeper, in shame that her secret love had been found out. The king, thinking that she was Vasava·datta trying to commit suicide because he had made love to another woman, embraced her. Sagarika, thinking that he knew that she was Sagarika, rejoiced, but then the king realized, with joy, that it was Sagarika, ________