The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-07
THE ABODE OF IDEAL LOVE.
A LEGEND.
From the Literary Digest.

7
we translate from the German Of Nord
ind SUD, which IN its turn translated il
from the Polish, Is an old Hindu legend.
born Of poetic fancy when the race was
Young Its simple teaching is that ideal
love, called into existence by q special
act Of Divine will. is too delicate for con-
tact with the rude world, and has no sure
abiding place save IN the poets heart
Once, on a bright moonlight night
Truus the legend the wise and mighty
hrishua commuued with himself aud
said:
] thought man was the most beauti-
ful OF created things, buts am mistaken.
see the lOtus-hOwer DOW 10 the passing
breeze. How it surpasses all living
creatures in. beauty. Its leaves are Just
closed in the sivery moonlight
and ] cannot turn my eyes away from
20 Yes, there is nothing like the lily
among men he repeated, signing
But q minUue later he thought:
' Why should not l. who am a god. by
the might Of my word, create being
which would be 10 mankind what the lotus
Is among theJowers, So be 1t then, for
the delight Of humanity and OF the
earth. Lcius-tOwer, be transformed into
. d maiden and stand before me-
The waves rlppied softly as the beat
ing Of swallows wings. the night became
clearer, the moon shone deeper, the night
song of the thrush rose higher, and then
suddenly died away. And IL was as
Krishna had commanded. Before him
( stood the lotus-hower il human form.
The god himself was startled.
d" Thou vert the flower Of the waters
said he; be henceforth tine flower Of my
, thoughts and speak
Aud the maiden began to whisper,
AOftly as the murmur of white lotus
le ayes kissed by the summer airs.
N"Lord, thou hast transformed me into q
living creature; where wilt thou that /
dweAl} Remember, Lord, that when l
was flower l trembled, and closed my
leaves at every breath of wind. ! was
smitteAl with fear, Lord at the rain and
the stof N, the thunder and the lightning;
yea. IVras even overcome with fear of
the .scort hug rays Of the sun. Thou
commando ST me to become a living,
breathing lotus-fOwer 1 have, cOnse-
ouently, retained my former nature, and
now Lore / SIN troubled at the earth and
al everything that lives upon it. Where
wilt thou. talen. Bnlt / make my abOden
"Krishna lifted his serene eyes to the
stars. meditsted q while, and asked
q Wouldst thou live on the mountains
peaks
= There is f.-ost and snow; am afraid
Lord
well, then, I will build palace Of
crystal for thee 0L, the ocean toOF'
q In the depths of the waters there
glide SCI pents and horrible monsters. o
L0rd, ! am afraid
. Wit thou, The n, dwell on the bound
less praiTi ~
40 Lord. the pr airie is ravaged with
the thunder and the whirlwind as with
the tramp Of wild erds.
e How then shall l provide for thee,
thou flower THAI hast become t1eshl--
An. in the caves Of I.llOra there live holy
hermits. Wilt Lhosi. retired from the
world, make thy dwelling in the caves?'
There rules thedarkness, Lord am
afraid
Then Krishna snt him down upon
a stone. and learn ed his head upon his
hand The maiden stood before him,
trembling and quaking.
AT that moment ithe fiery crimson Of
dawn glowed in the EAST; the waves of
ocean, the palm-tre'ss and the banIboOs
glistened with gold The rosy-vdnged
famingos, the blue or anes, and tho white
swans in the waters joined their notes in
chorus with the birds in the jungle, and
Immediately was heard the clang of harp
strings extended upon shell Of pearl
and words OF a song in human voice
Then Krishaa aroGsed himself from
his dream, and said:
The poet Walmiki greets the rising
sun
"A little later, the purple veil of dawn
was withdrawn from the flower bedecked
ereepers, and Walmiki appeared upon the
lake.
AT sight Of the transformed lotus
flower he ceased to play, the pearly in
struments slipped softly from his fingers
10 earth, his hands dropped motionless to
his sides, and he stood as speeches. as
though Kirshna had transformed him
into tree.
And the god was pleased at this ac-
miration of his handiwork, and said:
:" Wake, Walmiki, aud speak
"And Walmiki spoke:
I" i love
"This was the only word he could re-
call, the only word TO which he could give
expression.
"Krishna's countenance glowed sud
denly.
'Wondrous maiden ne said: 4 have
found place fit for thee. Dwell in the
poets heart
Sand Walmiki repeated:
" j love-
''The win of the mighty Krishna, the
divine will, drew the maiden TO the poets
heart. At the gods behest also the heart
of Walmiki became transparent as glass.
"t4lad as summer day, peaceful as a
wave of the Ganges, advanced the maiden
10 her allotted place. but suddenly, as
she looked deeper into WalmiSi's heart,
her eountenance paled, and fear agtated
her with its icy breath Krishna was
startled.
'Sentient flower he asked, art thou
afraid even of the heart of the pOet!'
Lord answered the maiden, what
sort Of dwelling place is this that thou
hast appoined met Here in this one heart
/ behold snowy mountain peaks and ocean
depths peopled with terrible creatures
and here, TOO, the prairie with its whirl-
wind and storm; here, too, the dark caves
of Ellora; hence / am again afraid, y
Lordr
"But the good and wise Krishna said:
Calm myself, sentient flower If in
Walmiki's heart there are solitary snow
fields, be thou the breath of spring to
melt them. II there are ocean depths in
his heart, be thou the pearl of those
waters Are there prairie wastes, then
SOW them with the flowers of happiness
and If thou fndest there dark caves as Of
Ellora, so be thou in this darkness as a
ray Of sunlight
"And Walmiki, who had meanwhile re-
covered his speech, added:
And be blessed .
"a. NJ