Manimekalai · Chapter 17
Chapter XVII — Chitrapathi Plots
Translated by Muriel M. Morrow and John Bateman (1928), The Indian Publishing House, Madras. Public domain. Source: archive.org item ims-0461-manimekalai-1928., 1928. Public domain.
Now Chitrapathi heard of the won-- drous deeds of Manimekalai, her daughter’s child. The old lady was sorely grieved. She felt as if an old wound had ‘been seared with a red-hot brand. She had a very hot temper, and now she boiled with. rage. She fumed at Madhavi. She stormed at Suthamathi. “Tll soon put an end to. all this nonsense!” she cried. ‘ My Mani- mekalai, so clever, so fair, turned into a begging nun! It is ashame! It is a disgrace! It is madness! I may be an old woman. No one, takes much account of me. But I am not an old fool. There is life in me still. I will teach these young folks a lesson!”
She called together all the dancing: girls.. To them she made asolemn vow. “Listen!” she said. “Madhavi was foolish to grieve so much for the death of Kovalan. She was still more foolish to enter a monastery. She is one: of us, a dancing girl. We are not born of noble parents. We none of us know our grandfathers. Nor do we care about that.. We are not the faithful wedded wives of rich. merchants. We do not pine when our husbands die. We do not rush to throw our--
“76 MANIMEKALAI
selves upon the pyre. We give pleasure to all. From all we receive pleasure. That is our special privilege. We are like lutes. The instrument does not perish at the death of its master, It lives on to delight the living. We are like the bees. They seek honey from the flower. The flower dies. What matter? There are other flowers. So when ‘one of us becomes a nun, men rightly laugh at us. They laugh at Madhavi. She gives herself airs.
“But that is not all. She has even ‘dragged Manimekalai into a holy house. Is it not nonsense? Never was such madness known in all the world. Manimekalai is the fairest of the fair. Sweetest of all singers is Manimekalai. Daintiest of all dancers is she. Besides, the Prince has set his heart upon her. He desires her beauty. He loves her. lam resolved to aid him. Let Mani- mekalai give up her alms bowl to someone else. She must mount the chariot of the Prince. She must ride through our streets in her triumph and pride. And this will I accomplish. This is my vow. If I fail, then shall I pay penance. I will become an out- cast from you all. I will walk before you, carrying seven bricks upon my head. I will
live apart with my disgrace. Never will I sully your thresholds with my footsteps. I swear it.”