Thus to thy husband's house
Wilt thou a blessing prove, and not a curse.
What thinks Gautami of this advice?
GAUTAMI.--An excellent compendium, truly, of every wife's duties! Lay it
well to heart, my daughter.
KANWA.--Come, my beloved child, one parting embrace for me and for thy
companions, and then we leave thee.
SAKOONTALA.--My father, must Priyamvada and Anasuya really return with
you? They are very dear to me.
KANWA.--Yes, my child; they, too, in good time, will be given in
marriage to suitable husbands. It would not be proper for them to
accompany thee to such a public place. But Gautami shall be thy
companion.
SAKOONTALA [_embracing him_].--Removed from thy bosom, my beloved
father, like a young tendril of the sandal-tree torn from its home in
the western mountains,[40] how shall I be able to support life in a
foreign soil?
KANWA.--Daughter, thy fears are groundless:--
Soon shall thy lord prefer thee to the rank
Of his own consort; and unnumbered cares
Befitting his imperial dignity
Shall constantly engross thee.
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