Friday, September 3, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 4.21: Exaggerated Female Beauty

tasyaa mukhaM tat sa-tamaala-pattraM
taamr'-aadhar'-auShThaM cikur'-aayat'-aakShaM
rakt'-aadhik'-aagraM patita-dvirephaM
sa-shaivalaM padmam iv' aababhaase

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4.21
Set off by the tamala marks, her face

With its cherry red lips,
and wide eyes extending to her hair,

Seemed like a lotus set off by duck-weed,

With crimson tips, and two big bees settled on it.


EH Johnston:
Her face seemed like a lotus with the tamala leaf for its water-weed, her dark red lips for its flaming tip and her long flashing eyes for the bees settled on it.

Linda Covill:
Her own face, with its tamala paste, lips touched with red and eyes extending to her hair, seemed a moss-bedecked, crimson-tipped lotus settled by bees.


VOCABULARY:
tasyaaH (gen. sg. f.): her
mukham (nom. sg.): n. mouth, face, countenance
tat (nom. sg. n.): it, the, that
sa-tamaala-pattram (nom. sg. n.): with tamala paint marks
sa: (possessive prefix) ind. an inseparable prefix expressing "junction" , "conjunction" , "possession", " similarity " , " equality " (and when compounded with nouns to form adjectives and adverbs it may be translated by " with " , " together or along with " , " accompanied by " , " added to " , " having " , " possessing " , " containing "
tamaala-pattra: n. the leaf of Xanthochymus pictorius ; " a sectarial mark on the forehead "
tamaala: m. " dark-barked (but white-blossomed) " Xanthochymus Pictorius ; sectarial mark on the forehead (made with the juice of the tamaala fruit)
pattra: n. wing, feather; a leaf , petal (regarded as the plumage of a tree or flower)

taamr'-aadhar'-auShTham (nom. sg. n.): red lipped
taamra: mfn. of a coppery red colour
adhara: mfn. lower ; m. the lower lip , the lip
oShTha: m. the lip ; f. the plant Coccinia Grandis (to whose red fruits lips are commonly compared)
cikur'-aayat'-aakSham (nom. sg. n.): with eyes extending to her hair
cikura: m. the hair of the head
aayata: mfn. stretched , lengthened ; stretching , extending , extended , spread over ; directed towards , aiming at
akSha: n. [only ifc. for akShi] the eye

rakt'-aadhik'-aagram (nom. sg. n.): tipped with crimson
rakta: mfn. coloured , dyed , painted ; reddened , red , crimson
adhika: mfn. surpassing (in number or quantity or quality) , superior , more numerous ; abundant ; excellent
agra: mfn. foremost , anterior , first , prominent , projecting ; n. uppermost point or part, tip
patita-dvirepham (nom. sg. n.): with large black bees alighted on it
patita: mfn. fallen , dropped , descended , alighted
dvirepha: m. a large black bee

sa-shaivalam (nom. sg. m.): with duck-weed
shaivala: mn. Blyxa Octandra (a kind of duck-weed or green moss-like plant growing in pools and often alluded to in poetry)
padmam (nom. sg. n.): mn. a lotus
iva: like, as if
ababhaase = 3rd pers.sg. perfect bhaas: to shine , be bright ; to appear (" as " or " like " nom. or instr. of an abstract noun)

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