Here temple, and triumphal arc,

And rampart banner-crowned.

There gilded turrets rose on high

Above the waving green

Of mango-groves, and bloomy trees,
And flowery knots between.

On battlement and gilded spire

The pennon waved in state;

And warders, with the ready bow,
Kept watch at every gate.
She shone a very mine of gems,

The throne of Fortune's Queen :

So many-hued her gay parterres,

So bright her fountains' sheen.

Her pleasure-grounds were filled at eve

With many a happy throng,

And ever echoed with the sound

Of merry feast and song.

For meat and drink of noblest sort

In plenty there were stored:

And all enjoyed their share of wealth,

Nor heaped the miser's hoard.

At morn the blossom-scented air

The clouds of incense stirred,

And blended with the wreath's perfume

The sweet fresh smell of curd.

Streamed through her streets, in endless line,
Slow wain and flying car :

Horse, elephant, and merchant train,

And envoys from afar.

Her ample arsenals were filled

With sword, and club, and mace:

And wondrous engines, dealing death,'
Within her towers had place.

Nor there unknown the peaceful arts
That youthful souls entrance,
Of player, minstrel, mime, and bard,
And girls that weave the dance.
There rose to heaven the Veda-chant,

Here blent the lyre and lute:

There rang the stalwart archer's string,

Here softly breathed the flute.

1 The sataghni, i. e. centicide, or slayer of a hundred, is generally supposed, says Wilson, to be a sort of fire-arms, or the ancient Indian rocket; but it is also described as a stone set round with iron spikes.

The swiftest horses whirled her cars,

Of noblest form and breed:

Vanayu's' mare that mocked the wind,

And Vahli's fiery steed.

There elephants, that once had roamed
On Vindhya's mountains, vied

With monsters from the bosky dells

That shag Himalaya's side.

The best of Brahmans, gathered there,
The flame of worship fed;

And, versed in all the Vedas' lore,

Their lives of virtue led.

By penance, charity, and truth,

They kept each sense controlled,

And giving freely of their store

Rivalled the saints of old.

Her dames were peerless for the charm
Of figure, voice, and face :

For lovely modesty and truth,

And woman's gentle grace.

The situation of Vanayu is not exactly determined: it seems to have lain to the North-West of India.

2 Vahli, or Vallika, is the modern Balkh.

Their husbands, loyal, wise, and kind,

Were heroes in the field,

And sternly battling with the foe,

Could die, but never yield.

The poorest man was richly blest

With knowledge, wit, and health;

Each lived contented with his own,
Nor envied other's wealth.

All scorned to lie: no miser there

His buried silver stored :

The braggart and the boast were shunned,

The slanderous tongue abhorred.

Each kept his high observances,

And loved one faithful spouse;

And troops of happy children crowned,
With fruit, their holy vows.

7

RAVAN DOOMED.

"Lanka, or Ceylon, had fallen under the dominion of a prince named Ravan, who was a demon of such power that by dint of penance he had extorted from the God Brahma a promise that no immortal should destroy him. Such a promise was as relentless as the Greek Fate, from which Jove himself could not escape; and Ravan, now deeming himself invulnerable, gave up asceticism and tyrannized over the whole of southern India. At length even the Gods in heaven were distressed at the destruction of holiness and oppression of virtue consequent upon Ravan's tyrannies; and they called a council in the mansion of Brahma, to consider how the earth could be relieved from such a fiend."-MRS. SPEIR, Life in Ancient India.

Thus to the Lord by whom the worlds were made,

The Gods of Heaven in full assembly prayed:

'O Brahma, mighty by thy tendered grace

Fierce Ravan, leader of the giant race,

Torments the Gods, too feeble to withstand

The ceaseless fury of his heavy hand.