Well does this act befit a Prince like thee,
Right worthy is it of thine ancestry.
Thy guerdon be a son of peerless worth,
Whose wide dominion shall embrace the earth.
BOTH THE OTHER HERMITS [_raising their hands_].--May heaven indeed grant
thee a son, a sovereign of the earth from sea to sea!
KING [_bowing._]--I accept with gratitude a Brahman's benediction.
HERMIT.--We came hither, mighty Prince, to collect sacrificial wood.
Here on the banks of the Malini you may perceive the hermitage of the
great sage Kanwa. If other duties require not your presence, deign to
enter and accept our hospitality.
When you behold our penitential rites
Performed without impediment by Saints
Rich only in devotion, then with pride
Will you reflect, Such are the holy men
Who call me Guardian; such the men for whom
To wield the bow I bare my nervous arm,
Scarred by the motion of the glancing string.
KING.--Is the Chief of your Society now at home?
HERMIT.--No; he has gone to Soma-tirtha to propitiate Destiny, which
threatens his daughter Sakoontala with some calamity; but he has
commissioned her in his absence to entertain all guests with
hospitality.
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