SCENE III     The tower-room by the terrace. Vuthsa asleep on a couch; Munjoolica. MUNJOOLICA He sleeps and now to lure my victim here. You! princess! Vasavadutta! VASAVADUTTA (approaching at the doorway) Didst thou call? MUNJOOLICA Yes, to come in from moonlight to the moon. Thou hast never seen him yet asleep. VASAVADUTTA He sleeps! MUNJOOLICA His curls are pillowed on one golden arm Like clouds upon the moon. Wilt thou not see? VASAVADUTTA I dare not. I will stand here and will see. MUNJOOLICA Thou shalt not. Either

Act Four   SCENE I   The countryside, high ground near the city of Cepheus.   A crowd of Syrians, men and women, running in terror, among them Chabrias, Megas, Baltis, Pasithea, Moms, Gardas, Syrax.   BALTIS (stopping and sinking down on her knees) Ah, whither can we run where the offended Poseidon shall not reach us. CHABRIAS Stop, countrymen; Let's all die here together. OTHERS Let's stop and die. MEGAS Run, run! Poseidon's monsters howl behind. PASITHEA O day of horror and of punishment! SYRAX Let us stay here; it is high ground

SCENE II     A hall in the palace. Rodogune, Eunice. RODOGUNE   God gave my heart and mind; they are not hers To force into this vile adultery. I am a Parthian princess, of a race Who choose one lord and cleave to him for ever Through death, through fire, through swords, in hell, in heaven. EUNICE The Queen's too broken. It was Phayllus said it. He has leaped into the saddle of affairs And is already master. What can we hope for, Left captive in such hands? Not Syria's throne Shall you ascend beside your chosen lord, But as a slave the bed of Timocles. RODOGUNE If we remain! But w

  Act Three   Avunthie; in the palace.   SCENE I   A room in the royal apartments. Mahasegn, Ungarica. MAHASEGN I conquer still though not with glorious arms. He's seized! the young victorious Vuthsa's mine, A prisoner in my hands. UNGARICA (laughing) Thou holdst the sun Under thy armpit as the tailed god did. What wilt thou do with it? MAHASEGN Make it my moon And shine by him upon the eastern night. UNGARICA Thou canst? MAHASEGN Loved sceptic of my house, I can. Have I not done all things I longed for yet Since out of thy dim world I dragged thee

SCENE V     The same. Philoctetes, Thoas, Leosthenes, Eunice. LEOSTHENES Surely this is the change that comes on men Who are to die. PHILOCTETES O me, it is, it is. THOAS Princess Eunice, what think you of it ? EUNICE Thoas, what matters what we think ? We follow Our king; it is his to choose our paths for us. Lead they to death ? Then we can die with him. THOAS That's nobly spoken. PHILOCTETES But too like a woman. Antiochus enters with Rodogune. ANTIOCHUS To Antioch! Is all ready for our march ? PHILOCTETES

VASAVADUTTA    A dramatic romance     AUTHOR'S NOTE   The action of the romance takes place a century after the war of the Mahabharata; the capital has been changed to Cowsambie; the empire has been temporarily broken and the kingdoms of India are overshadowed by three powers, Maghadha in the East ruled by Pradyota, Avunthie in the West ruled by Chunda Mahasegn who has subdued also the southern kings, and Cowsambie in the Centre where Yougundharayan strives by arms and policy to maintain the house of Parikshit against the dominating power of Avunthie. Recently since the young Vuthsa has been invested with the regal power and appeared at Cowsambie, Chund

SCENE III     Antiochus' chamber. Antiochus, with a map before him. ANTIOCHUS Ecbatana, Susa, and Sogdiana,"" The Aryan country which the Indus bounds, Euphrates' stream and Tigris' golden sands, The Oxus and Jaxartes and these mountains Vague and enormous shouldering the moon With all their dim beyond of nations huge; This were an empire! What are Syria, Greece And the blue littoral to Gades ? They are Too narrow to contain my soul, too petty To satisfy its hunger and its vastness. O pale sweet Parthian face with liquid eyes Mid darkest masses and O gracious limbs Obscuring th

SCENE II     Vasavadutta's chamber. Vuthsa, Vasavadutta. VUTHSA Thy hands have yet no cunning with the strings. 'Tis not the touch alone but manner of the touch That calls the murmuring spirit forth, — as thus. VASAVADUTTA I cannot manage it; my hand rebels. VUTHSA I will compel it then. He takes her hand in his Thou dost not chide. VASAVADUTTA I am weary of chiding; and how rule a boy Who takes delight in being chidden? And then 'Twas only my hand. What dost thou?                                       Vuthsa takes her by the arms and                   

RODOGUNE PERSONS OF THE DRAMA     ANTIOCHUS, son of Cleopatra by her first husband Nicanor (dead). TIMOCLES, twin brother of Antiochus. PHAYLLUS, Chancellor of Syria. NICANOR, a prince of the house of Syria and father of Eunice. PHILOCTETES, companion of Antiochus. MELITUS, King's Chamberlain. CLEOPATRA, Queen of Syria, wife of King Antiochus of Syria. RODOGUNE, Parthian princess, daughter of King Phraates of Parthia, captive attendant of Cleopatra. EUNICE, daughter of prince Nicanor and cousin to the brothers Antiochus and Timocles and companion of Cleopatra. CLEONE, sister of Phayllus and companion of Cleopatra. MENTHO, Egyptian nurse of A