The World of Courtesans c9.8

c9.8

In the first canto of the *Ritusamhara* the poet draws a convincing picture of the smothering heat of the Indian summer. He speaks with awe of the havoc wrought by the sun during the day and describes the sweetness of the moonlit nights. The hot dusty wind, the scorching earth devoid of vegetation, the thirsty antelopes looking expectantly at the gloomy sky, the serpents sliding away from the hot and dusty paths recall the terrors of the Indian summer. In the forest a thirsty lion rolls his tongue but refuses to attack the elephant, his natural prey. In the dried up tank the fish and *saras* birds are tormented by terrible heat. The buffaloes wallow in the shallow pools, the birds perched on withered trees fear for their lives, and the monkeys seek shelter in the hilly groves. Herds of gazelle roam about in the forest in search of water. The forest fire is fanned by a strong wind and destroys the bamboo groves completely.