The World of Courtesans c10.132

c10.132

He is asked about the ways of propitiating an offended woman; the Vita says, "The young men of our time regard touching her feet as a sure remedy. But I do not think much of this cure. In a way it is customary to touch the feet of those learned in the Vedas. Those are hard and wrinkled feet, shaped like an old crab and smelling of the massage of old ghee. Then what is so wonderful in falling at the tender sprout-like feet of girls?" The Vita elaborates further. Falling at the feet of the beloved gives rise to tears and they are the enemy of love. Nobody believes in the vows of a lover. A wife gives no credence to it let alone a courtesan. The Vita does not agree with the view that the beloved should be made to smile. The anger of the beloved has its own charm. An angry woman is pleased when the lover places her left foot on his head. In the opinion of the Vita this is a sure remedy and can assuage her anger.