Then Jasmine made her sit down under the mango trees, while she went
and let Lotus-lake in. So he entered and looked upon Love-cluster as
the traveller looks upon the shade of trees with thick foliage. And as
he drew near, she saw him and ran to him, for love took away her
modesty, and she fell on his neck. "Where would you go? I have caught
you, thief of my heart!" she cried. Then excessive joy stopped her
breathing and she died. She fell on the ground like a vine broken by
the wind. Strange are the mysterious ways of Love.
When Lotus-lake saw that terrible fall, he cried: "Oh, what does it
mean?" And he fainted and fell down. Presently he came to himself, and
took his darling on his lap. He embraced her and kissed her and wept
terribly. He was so borne down by the terrible burden of grief that his
own heart broke. And when they were both dead, the night seemed to die
away in shame and fear.
In the morning the relatives heard the story from the gardeners, and
came there filled with timidity and wonder and grief and madness. They
did not know what to do, but stood a long time with downcast eyes.
Unfaithful women disgrace a family.
Presently the husband Jewel-guard came back from his father's house in
Copper City, filled with love for Love-cluster. When he came to his
father-in-law's house and saw the business, he was blinded by tears and
went thoughtfully into the garden. There he saw his wife dead in
another man's arms, and his body was scorched by flames of grief, and
he died immediately.
Then the whole household shouted and screamed so that all the citizens
heard the story and came there. The demi-gods themselves were filled
with pity and prayed to the goddess Gauri whose image had been set up
there before by Love-cluster's father: "Oh, Mother, the merchant who
set up this statue was always devoted to you. Show mercy to him in his
affliction."
And the gracious goddess heard their prayer. She said: "All three shall
live again, and shall forget their love." Then through her grace they
all arose like people waking from sleep. They were alive, and their
love was gone. While all the people there rejoiced at what had
happened. Lotus-lake went home, bending his head in shame. And the
merchant took his shamefaced daughter and her husband and went into the
house and made a feast.
When the goblin had told this story on the road in the night, he said:
"O King, which was the most foolish among those who died for love? If
you know and do not tell, you must remember the curse I spoke of
before."
Then the king answered: "O magic creature, Jewel-guard was the most
foolish of them. When he saw that his wife had died for love of another
man, he should have been angry. Instead, he was loving, and died of
grief."
Then the goblin slipped from the king's shoulder and quickly set out
for his home. And the king ran after him again, eager as before.
TWENTIETH GOBLIN
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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