![]() Praised him for his skill and valour and his deed of glory done,Īnd with dark and cruel purpose bade his henchmen yoke his car,īade them take the sorrowing Sita to the gory field of war! Spake of midnight’s darksome contest, Rama’s death and Lakshman’s fall,Īnd the proud and peerless Ravan clasped his brave and gallant son, Indrajit ere dawned the morning entered in his father’s hall, ![]() Rama and the powerless Lakshman fell and fainted on the field! Vainly sought the unseen warrior dealing unresisted blow,įastened by a noose of Naga forced by hidden foe to yield, Vainly then the royal brothers fought the cloud-enshrouded foe, Serpent noose upon his foemen draining life blood from their heart! Matchless in his magic weapons, then he hurled his Naga-dart, On young Lakshman and on Rama and on countless Vanars slain, Shrouded in a cloud of darkness still he poured his darts like rain, Indrajit hid in the midnight battled from its friendly shade, What though Angad in his fury had his steeds and driver slayed, Matchless in his magic weapons came and turned battle’s tide, Indrajit the son of Ravan, Lanka’s glory and her pride, Perished under Rama’s arrows as the moths upon the flame! Iron-toothed Vajra-danshtra and his fainting comrades fled,ĭauntless still the serried Rakshas, wave on wave succeeding came, Six bright arrows Rama thundered from his weapon dark and dread, Shook the earth and sounding welkin, waked the echoes of the night! Sound of trumpet and of bugle, drum and horn and echoing shell,Īnd the neigh of charging coursers and the tuskers’ dying wail,Īnd the yell of wounded Rakshas and the Vanars’ fierce delight, Streams of red blood warm and bubbling issued from the countless slain,įlooded battle’s dark arena like the floods of summer rain, Dust arose like clouds of summer from each thunder-sounding car,įrom the hoofs of charging coursers, from the elephants of war, Till at last the gallant Lakshman and the godlike Rama came,Īnd they swept the hosts of Ravan like a sweeping forest flame,Īnd their shafts like hissing serpents on the falt’ring foemen fell,įiercer grew the sable midnight with the dying shriek and yell! Struggling with the charging tusker and the steed and battle car, Onward came resistless Rakshas, laid Sugriva’s forces low,Ĭrushed the broken ranks of Vanars, drank the red blood of the foe,īravely fought the scattered Vanars facing still the tide of war, Struggling with a deathless hatred fiercer in the gloom of night! What unnumbered Vanars perished and what countless Rakshas fell,ĭarkness came, the fiery foemen urged the still unceasing fight, ![]() Wrath and anguish shook his bosom and the gates he opened wide,Īnd with ranks of charging Rakshas sallied with a Raksha’s pride!Īll the day the battle lasted, endless were the tale to tell, Indrajit’s First Battle – The Serpent-Nooseĭarkly round the leaguered city Rama’s countless forces lay,įar as Ravan cast his glances in the dawning light of day, to xci., and portions of Sections xciii., xcvi., ci., cii., ciii., cix., cx., and cxiii. The portions translated in this Book form the whole or portions of Sections xliv., xlviii., lix., lxvi., lxvii., and lxxiii., an abstract of Sections lxxv. The war ended with the fall of Ravan and his funerals. After these five warriors, pre-eminent for their prowess, various Vanars and Rakshas took their rank. Concealed in mists by his magic, he twice defeated both Rama and Lakshman but in his last battle he had to wage a face to face combat with Lakshman, and was slain. Fifth in order of prowess was Indrajit the son of Ravan, but he was the first in his magic art. Next to Rama and to Ravan stood their brothers, Lakshman and Kumbha-karna it is difficult to say who was the best of these two, for they fought only once, and it was a drawn battle. Next to him, and to him only, was Ravan the monarch of Lanka he twice defeated Lakshman in battle, and never retreated except before Rama. And the reader will mark a certain method in the poet’s estimate of the warriors who took part in these battles.įirst and greatest among the warriors was Rama he was never beaten by an open foe, never conquered in fair fight. But almost every sally was repulsed, every chief was killed, and at last Ravan himself who made the last sally was slain and the war ended.Īmong the numberless fights described in the original work, those of Ravan himself, his brother Kumbha-karna, and his son Indrajit, are the most important, and oftenest recited and listened to in India: and these have been rendered into English in this Book. The town of Lanka, the capital of Ceylon, was invested, and the war which followed was a succession of sallies by the great leaders and princes of Lanka. There is a chain of islands across the strait, and the Indian poet supposes them to be the remains of a vast causeway which Rama built to cross over with his army. ![]() Rama crossed over with his army from India to Ceylon. ![]()
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