A History of Indian Literature v3.c35.s8.38

v3.c35.s8.38

out from the clouds. The breasts of the female miller that have become dusty with flour are the two swans that have hidden their faces inside lotuses. In these songs often we find talk about bitings and scratchings as well. The crescent of the moon covered in the glue of the evening redness of the sky is compared with the nail-scratch on the bosom of a young damsel shimmering through red silk garment. They bring before our eyes the picture of family-life too. The angry wife is obliged to smile when her little son with a jerk climbs on the back of her husband who has fallen at her feet. A pregnant woman, asked about her health,* just casts her glance gently at her lover. A woman is enchanted to see the first little tooth of her child and shows it to her husband. In many stanzas (407, 449, 635) we find references to burning of widows: While on one hand we find these pictures in which the village scenes prevail by far, we find on the other songs that belong to the city harem life, and there are many stanzas (thus 887f.) that can outright be designated as songs about courtesans.