URVASI
AND PURURAVAS
PURASU BALAKRISHNAN
[The love between Urvasi,
an immortal, and King Pururavas, a mortal, came to an
abrupt end when she left him on what would appear to be trivial grounds,
telling him, as the Rigveda has it, “There can be no
lasting love, women have the heart of hyenas.” According to H. H. Wilson, Pururavas is the Sun, and Urvasi
the Dawn. They are together for a while, and after the Sun has wandered all
over the earth, they are together again for a while at the close of the day.]
Woman who is Dawn
pursued by the Sun,
day after day,
slipping, ever-slipping
from the climbing Sun
the live-long day,
day after day,
till he moves,
moves close at last
to her at eve,
eve after eve,
when she slips
slips again,
again from him
at dusk,
dusk after dusk,
and he dies in the night,
night after night,
and he comes forth again
next morn,
morn after morn,
achasing her
endlessly,
achasing her,
her, Urvasi,
the bride ever-vanishing
of him, Pururavas.