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The carriers lift up the body and carry it out.
Oh, fare thee well, thou good and worthy friend,
Oh, fare thee well, but thy departure is
To me a token that my time has come.
Turning to Kala who all the while was lying prostrate weeping.
Weep not, companion of my childhood days,
But bear in mind the courage of thy mirth.
Remember all the virtues of thy father
And let them live again in thine own heart.
Thou must not yield to weakness and lamenting,
Tend to life's duties: Go and call me Channa,
Bid him to saddle Kanthaka, my steed,
And let him ready be for a night's ride.
Kala exit. Siddhattha alone.
The hour has come! and now my last farewell
To thee my wife and Rahula my son.
Siddhattha makes a few steps and halts.
This is the greatest sacrifice I bring:
I leave behind a crown without regret;
I leave the luxury of wealth and power;
I care for them as though they were but ashes
But I must also leave my wife and child:
Here I must prove the courage of my heart.
Enters the house.
[The veil of clouds comes down, and when it rises we see Yasodhara's bedroom again.]
Siddhattha (B) enters. Yasodhara (Y) sleeps with the babe in her arms.
B. Here lie the rarest treasures of this life,
My noble wife, my dear boy Rahula.
Siddhattha approaches the bed.
Your sleep is sweet in your sweet innocence,
And I will not disturb your blissful rest.
I will go out in search for saving Truth
And shall not come again unless 't be found
Farewell my wife and Rahula my son.
Must I be gone? Is this, in sooth, my duty?
He goes toward the door. There he stops.
Perchance on their account I ought to stay.
But no! my father can take care of them.
It is my tender heart that makes me weak.
This is the greatest sacrifice I bring.
[Change of scene, as rapid as before. The garden before the palace]
Channa (Ch.) enters with a horse.
Channa. My Prince, here is your steed!
Mara (M), a superhuman figure, gaudily dressed, hovering in the air, suddenly appears and addresses Siddhattha (B).
M. It is a shame to leave your wife and child.
B. [Addressing the vision in the air.]
Mara, thou here? thou wicked one, thou tempter!
K. Oh do not leave us Prince. Think of the wrong you do.
You wrong your royal father, you wrong your wife, you wrong your child.
B. What sayest thou? Thou sayest I do wrong?
The same rebuke is echoed in my heart;
It is so sweet, so loving, so alluring!
And shall I listen to its tender voice?
How pleasant would it be to stay at home,
And to enjoy my wife's love and my child's!
Is that my duty? Say, is that my duty?
[25]
K. Surely my Lord, your duties lie at home.
Siddhattha wavers as if in doubt. He stands pondering for a moment.
B. Who will instruct me where my duty lies?
M. I will instruct thee, I will guide thee right.
K. How can you doubt, my Prince? And can you not
Search for the truth here in this pleasant garden?
There're spots enough where you can think and ponder,
And meditate among the fragrant flowers.
B. Here I shall never reach my goal.
K.Stay here.
A kingdom is your sure inheritance,
While Buddahood is but a doubtful prize.
B. And shall the world wait for another Buddha?
So many millions clamor for the truth!
With determination.
I hear the call and naught shall hold me back.
I see my duty and I will obey.
M. Wilt thou not stay, my noble Prince Siddhattha?
The wheel of empire turns, and thee I shall
Make king of kings to rule the whole broad earth.
Think of the good which thou wilt do as king!
And then as king of kings thy mighty power
Will spread the good religion o'er the world.
B. I know thee Mara, tempter, Evil One,
[26]Prince of this world, I know thy voice, thy meaning.
The gifts thou offerest are transient treasures,
And thy dominion is mere vanity.
I go to found a kingdom in the realm
Of the immortal state which lasts for aye.
Thou hinderest and dost not help the truth.
K. Thou speakest to the empty air, my Prince,
For I see no one whom thou thus addressest.
Channa helps Siddhattha to mount, and while the gate opens leads the horse out of the gate, and Kala enters into the palace. Visakha is coming to the front.
V. He is gone. He has made room for me. The time will come when this kingdom will be mine.
Y. [from the balcony] Siddhattha! Siddhattha! Where are you? He is gone! He has departed into homelessness! [She faints.]
[Curtain]
Living pictures accompanied by appropriate music, as an introduction to Act II.
1. Begging Food.
A scene of the Prince's life as a mendicant friar.
A Hindu village, Siddhattha stands bowl in hand before a hut; a woman dishes some rice from a kettle into his bowl; villagers, including children, stand around gazing at him,—a few with clasped hands.
2. The King Greets the Mendicant.[27]
Tradition tells that King Bimbisara, hearing of the noble monk, went out to see him and offered him to take part in the government. This being refused, the King requested him to visit Rajagaha, the royal residence, as soon as Siddhattha had become a Buddha.
Siddhattha is seated under a tree near a brook; the king stands before him, surrounded by his retinue.
3 Preaching to the Villagers.
Under the tree in the market place of a Hindu village The Buddha is seated in the attitude of a preacher. The villagers stand or squat around intently listening.
4. Saved from Starvation
In company with other monks, Siddhattha sought for a while enlightenment by self-mortification.
Being exhausted by severe fasts, the mendicant faints, and Nanda, the shepherd's daughter, passing by, refreshes him with rice milk. His five disciples at a distance fear that he has given up his quest for truth.
[Seven years have elapsed since the first act. A room in the royal palace at Magadha]
