Books: The King of the Dark Chamber
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Rabindranath Tagore (trans.) >> The King of the Dark Chamber
SUDARSHANA. Oh no, no, no! He has taken away those regal robes
from me for ever--he has attired me in a servant's dress before
the eyes of the whole world: what a relief this has been to me!
I am his servant now, no longer his Queen. To-day I stand at the
feet of all those who can claim any relationship with him.
GRANDFATHER. But your enemies will laugh at you now: how can you
bear their derision?
SUDARSHANA. Let their laughter and derision be immortal--let
them throw dust at me in the streets: this dust will to-day be
the powder with which I shall deck myself before meeting my lord.
GRANDFATHER. After this, we shall say nothing. Now let us play
the last game of our Spring Festival--instead of the pollen of
flowers let the south breeze blow and scatter dust of lowliness
in every direction! We shall go to the lord clad in the common
grey of the dust. And we shall find him too covered with dust
all over. For do you think the people spare him? Even he cannot
escape from their soiled and dusty hands, and he does not even
care to brush the dirt off his garments.
KANCHI. Grandfather, do not forget me in this game of yours! I
also will have to get this royal garment of mine soiled till it
is beyond all recognition.
GRANDFATHER. That will not take long, my brother. Now that you
have come down so far--you will change your colour in no time.
Just look at our Queen--she got into a temper with herself and
thought that she could spoil her matchless beauty by flinging
away all her ornaments: but this insult to her beauty has made it
shine forth in tenfold radiance, and now it is in its unadorned
perfection. We hear that our King is all innocent of beauty--
that is why he loves all his manifold beauty of form which shines
as the very ornament of his breast. And that beauty has to-day
taken off its veil and cloak of pride and vanity! What could I
not give to be allowed to hear the wonderful music and song that
has filled my King's palace to-day!
SURANGAMA. Lo, there rises the sun!
XX
[The Dark Chamber]
SUDARSHANA. Lord, do not give me back the honour which you once
did turn away from me! I am the servant of your feet--I only
seek the privilege of serving you.
KING. Will you be able to bear me now?
SUDARSHANA. Oh yes, yes, I shall. Your sigh repelled me because
I had sought to find you in the pleasure garden, in my Queen's
chambers: there even your meanest servant looks handsomer than
you. That fever of longing has left my eyes for ever. You are
not beautiful, my lord--you stand beyond all comparisons!
KING. That which can be comparable with me lies within yourself.
SUDARSHANA. If this be so, then that too is beyond comparison.
Your love lives in me--you are mirrored in that love, and you see
your face reflected in me: nothing of this mine, it is all yours,
O lord!
KING. I open the doors of this dark room to-day--the game is
finished here! Come, come with me now, come outside--
into the
light!
SUDARSHANA. Before I go, let me bow at the feet of my lord of
darkness, my cruel, my terrible, my peerless one!
THE END