Day and night,
The King of Serpents on his thousand heads
Upholds the incumbent earth; and even so,
Unceasing toil is aye the lot of kings,
Who, in return, draw nurture from their subjects.
I will therefore deliver my message. [_Walking on and looking about_.]
Ah! here comes the King:--
His subjects are his children; through the day,
Like a fond father, to supply their wants,
Incessantly he labors; wearied now,
The monarch seeks seclusion and repose--
E'en as the prince of elephants defies
The sun's fierce heat, and leads the fainting herd
To verdant pastures, ere his wayworn limbs
He yields to rest beneath the cooling shade.
[_Approaching_.] Victory to the King! So please your majesty, some
hermits who live in a forest near the Snowy Mountains have arrived here,
bringing certain women with them. They have a message to deliver from
the sage Kanwa, and desire an audience. I await your Majesty's commands.
KING [_respectfully_].--A message from the sage Kanwa, did you say?
CHAMBERLAIN.--Even so, my liege.
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