'Up the raja at the sign upon his glittering chariot leaps, Instant Ganga the divine follows his majestic steps, From the high heaven burst she forth first on Siva's lofty crown, Headlong then and prone to earth thundering rushed the cataract down. Swarms of bright-hued fish came dashing; turtles, dolphins in their mirth, Fallen or falling, glancing, flashing, to the many gleaming earth. And all the host of heaven came down, spirits and genii, in amaze, And each forsook his heavenly throne, upon that glorious scene to gaze. On cars, like high tower'd cities, seen, with elephants and coursers, rode, Or on soft swinging palanquin, lay wondering each observant god. As met in bright divan each god, and flash'd their jewell'd vestures' rays, The coruscating æther glow'd, as with a hundred suns ablaze. And with the fish and dolphins gleaming, and scaly crocodiles and snakes, Glanc'd the air, as when fast streaming the blue lightning shoots and breaks: And in ten thousand sparkles bright went flashing up the cloudy spray, The snowy flocking swans less white, within its glittering mists at play. And headlong now poured down the flood, and now in silver circlets wound, Then lakelike spread all bright and broad, then gently, gently flowed around, Then 'neath the cavern'd earth descending, then spouted up the boiling tide, Then stream with stream harmonious blending, swell bubbling up or smooth subside. By that heaven-welling water's breast, the genii and the sages stood, Its sanctifying dews they blest, and plung'd within the lustral flood. Whoe'er beneath the curse of heaven from that immaculate world had fled, To th' impure earth in exile driven, to that all-holy baptism sped; And purified from every sin, to the bright spirit's bliss restor'd, Th' etherial sphere they entered in, and through th' empyreal mansions soar'd. The world in solemn jubilee behold these heavenly waves draw near, From sin and dark pollution free, bathed in the blameless waters clear. Swift king Bhagiratha drave upon his lofty glittering car, And swift with her obeisant wave bright Ganga followed him afar.' [Footnote 159: Schlegel supposes the three western streams to be the Indus, which appears under its real name the Sind, the Iaxartes, and the Oxus; are not the Sareswatie, or perhaps the Sutlej, under the name of Sita, and the Jumna meant? Of the eastern branches, it is not difficult to fix the Burhampooter. Schlegel suggests the Irawaddy, and the Blue River of China. Why not the Alacananda and the Gogra? The main stream bears the name of the Bhaghiratha, till it joins the Alacananda and takes the name of the Ganges.] THE END. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Nala and Damayanti and Other Poems, by Henry Hart Milman