Triveni Journal
1927 | 11,233,916 words
Triveni is a journal dedicated to ancient Indian culture, history, philosophy, art, spirituality, music and all sorts of literature. Triveni was founded at Madras in 1927 and since that time various authors have donated their creativity in the form of articles, covering many aspects of public life....
The Madness of Manini
By The Rev. Narayan Waman Tilak Translated from Marathi by R. L. Rau
The Madness of Manini
1BY THE REV. NARAYAN WAMAN TILAK
Dear one, your touch has set me a-weeping,
And the tears stream down.
With these very tears did I nurture a little plant,
And the little plant grew and flowered.
Lovingly I held these flowers at my breast;
And alas! one day I crushed them:
Crushed them through my pride.
Sadly I plucked them–these withered faded ones, the ones
that I had crushed.
And gazed at the ruin.
Lo! I beheld the fires I myself had lit
Into which I had consigned my offering.
The ashes I smeared on me in despair
And went a-crying out into the
World: I was mine own enemy’.
Translated from MARATHI by
R. L. RAU.
1
Manini, in a fit, sends her lover away. She is proud and sensitive and does not want to call him again to her. And then come regrets, longings and the inevitable madness.