Then on their breasts they smote with thundering blows,

And higher yet the wild commotion rose,

When the loud cymbal vied with drum and horn,

And fiendish war-cries on the gale upborne

Through all the air in hideous discord spread,

And the birds heard the din and fell down dead.
But Kumbhakarna calmly took his rest :

And they smote fiercely on his shaggy chest

With maces, clubs, and pieces of the rock,

But still he moved not yet nor felt the shock.
Then all united in one effort more

With shell, drum, tabor, and redoubled roar ;

Club, mace, staff, mallet, with strong arms applied,
Rained vigorous blows upon his breast and side;

And screaming elephants were urged to aid,
And beaten camels groaned and horses neighed.
But Kumbhakarna calmly slumbered still.
Then furious wrath began their breasts to fill :
They drencht his forehead with a hundred pails,
They tore his ears and hair with teeth and nails
They bound together many a murderous mace,
And beat him wildly on the head and face,

And drove wild elephants, with ponderous tread,
Over his mighty limbs and chest and head.
The unusual weight the giant's slumber broke,
He shook his sides and started and awoke ;

And, all regardless of the wounds and blows,
Yawning with thirst and faint with hunger, rose.
His jaws like hell gaped terrible and wide,
Red as the sun when glaring o'er the side
Of Meru. Every burning breath he drew
Roared like a mighty wind that rushes through
The cedars on the mountain. Up he raised

His horselike head, with eyes that fiercely blazed
Like comets; horrible as Death in form

When menacing the worlds with fire and storm.

The giants pointed to the reeking store

Of flesh of buffalo and deer and boar,

And the fiend gorged him with the flesh and blood,
Huge jars of marrow and of wine a flood.
He ended; and the giants ventured near,
And bent their heads in reverence and fear,
And Kumbhakarna looked around with eyes
All glazed and heavy in their first surprise,

And drowsy yet from his late troubled rest

He thus the Rovers of the Night addrest :

'Why have ye called me from my sleep to wake?

None with light cause my rest should dare to break. Say, is it well with Ravan ? Or has need

And fear come on ye, that with heedless speed
Ye thus disturb me? Mark the words I say,
The giants' King shall tremble in dismay,
The fire be quencht and Indra's self be slain,
Ere he shall rouse me from my sleep in vain.'
The wise Yupaksha humbly thus replied :
'No fiend has dared us, and no God defied.
But gathered men our golden walls assail,
And fear is on us lest their might prevail.
For Rama leads them to the deadly strife,
Burning for vengeance for his ravisht wife.
The hostile flame through Lanka's town is red,
And Ravan weeps his best and dearest dead.
Nay, e'en our King who never trembled yet
For heavenly hosts or fiends in battle met,
Himself at last the general dread has shared,
By Rama vanquisht and by Rama spared.'

Then Kumbhakarna thus in answer spake :

I will go forth, and deadly vengeance take, And tread their armies 'neath my conquering feet ; Then, flusht with victory, the King will meet. The princes' blood shall be my special draught ; By you the gore of all the host be quaffed.'

THE OMENS.

Fierce as he who rules the dead,

Ravan forth to battle sped;

Chieftains of his giant band

Followed close on either hand.

Scarce the city gates were past

When the sun was overcast :

Darkness fell on all around,

Roared the clouds and shook the ground.

Startled coursers fled amain

Mid a shower of bloody rain.
Vultures, with ill-omened wing,
Smote the banner of the King;