And now, by the decree of destiny, it so happened, that Umra-Singh,
having wandered through the whole world looking for his wife, roaming
up and down in the forest, was lying asleep in another place, close
to that very pool. And suddenly he laughed in his sleep. For in his
dreams he had found again the Land of the Lotus of the Sun. And he
stood once more in the moonlit hall, beside the golden couch. Then
slowly, slowly, he raised the pall, and looked long at the face of
Shrí. But as he gazed, it became apeish, and stuck out at him a
large red tongue. And he saw before him, not Shrí, but the old
Wairágí. Then a shout of laughter rang in his ears, mingled with the
voices of criers and the din of drums; and he started to his feet
awake, with an icy sweat on his brow.
And as he stood there, doubting still, for the laughter in his waking
ears, whether he woke or slept, he looked before him, and saw in the
moonlight the figure of a woman, running towards him: and instantly
he knew her to be Shrí. For out of the shadow of her floating hair
her great eyes glittered in the moon like the blade of his own sword,
and flashed into the night before her like lightning from a dark blue
cloud. And he ran to meet her with a shout of joy. But Shrí, when
she saw him coming, stopped short, and began to laugh like one
possessed by a vampire. And crying: What, another! she turned and
fled away from him faster than ever, covering her eyes with her
hands. But Umra-Singh was so astonished, that he stood like a tree,
rooted to the ground: saying to himself: Is it reality, or is it a
dream? Yonder she flies from me in terror as if I were an enemy.
And then, seized with frenzy, he began to pursue her, calling aloud:
Shrí! Shrí! So they ran through the wood in the moonlight, in and
out of the trees, like a spotted panther and a black antelope. And
suddenly, Shrí slipped and fell. And a tawny lion leaped out of the
wood, before the eyes of Umra-Singh, and stood over her as she lay.
Then Umra-Singh turned white with fear, and uttered a groan. And in
a moment he reached them as he ran, and struck at the lion, with all
his force, a blow of his sword. Then lo! that phantom lion vanished,
for he was but an illusion of the crafty Nightwalker. But the sword
fell, sharp and true, on the shoulder of Shrí, and cut through to her
heart.
Then Umra-Singh fell on his knees beside her with a wail, and took
his darling in his arms, while her blood gushed out over him like a
river, carrying away her life. And as his hot tears fell on her face
like rain, Shrí opened her dying eyes: and instantly they were full
of peace, for she knew that it was her husband at last. And she said
slowly: Weep not for me, O my lord, for I have attained the
emancipation of union with thee. All day long, I have sought thee:
but I have found thee in the evening, before my sun goes down: that
is enough.
Dawn.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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