The Winds of Wonder

The destined meeting place

But now the destined spot and hour were close;

Unknowing she had neared her nameless goal. ||101.1||

Pale waters ran like glimmering threads of pearl. ||101.6||

A sigh was straying among happy leaves;

Cool-perfumed with slow pleasure-burdened feet

Faint stumbling breezes faltered among flowers. ||101.7||

The white crane stood, a vivid motionless streak,

Peacock and parrot jewelled soil and tree,

The dove’s soft moan enriched the enamoured air

And fire-winged wild-drakes swam in silvery pools. ||101.8||

Earth couched alone with her great lover Heaven,

Uncovered to her consort’s purple eye.101.9

The featured painting is by Huta

Savitri Book 5 Canto 1 – The Destined Meeting-Place

Let us scan the lines:

But now| the des|+tined spot| and hour| were close;|

Unknow|ing she| had neared| her name|+less goal.| 101.1

Be+low| there crouched| a dream| of em|+er+ald woods|

And gleam|+ing bor|+ders sol|+i+tary| as sleep:|

Pale wa|+ters ran| like glim|+mer+ing threads| of pearl.| 101.6

A sigh| was stray|+ing a|+mong hap|+py leaves;|

Cool-per|+fumed with| slow pleas|+ure-bur|+dened feet|

Faint stum|+bl+ing breez|+es fal+tered| a+mong| flow+ers.| 101.7

The white| crane stood,| a viv|+id mo|+tion+less streak,|

Pea+cock| and par|+rot jew|+elled soil| and tree,|

The dove’s| soft moan| en+riched| the e+na|+moured air|

And fire|-winged wild|-drakes swam| in sil|+ver+y pools.| 101.8

Earth couched| a+lone| with her| great lov|+er Heav+en,|

Un+cov|+ered to| her con|+sort’s pur|+ple eye.| 101.9

Last two lines mean: Earth, uncovered to her consort’s purple eye, couched alone with her great lover Heaven; “couched” is an intransitive verb, reposed, reclined; in “purple eye” there is the royalty of the lover.

Dazzling and strong-willed dynamic Savitri was bidden to find her own life’s partner as no hero-prince had dared to approach her and claim her hand in marriage. After a long journey through peopled and lonely places she arrives at the destined place, the Shalwa Woods, where she is going to meet Satyavan. They immediately fall in love and pledge to be together, unknowing the working of cruel fate in the death of the youth one year after their union.