Vessantara-Jataka in Pali and English - MyWebSpace

Translation 499 Vessantara-Jåtaka
[Fausbøll, Jåtaka, vol. VI, p. 499]
After this bitter lament, she consoled her son and his wife, and went before the king and
said:
"Like mangoes fallen to the ground, like money waste and spent,
So falls thy kingdom, if they will banish the innocent.
Like a wild goose with crippled wing, when all the water's gone,
Deserted by thy courtiers, thou wilt live in pain alone.
I tell thee true, O mighty king: let not thy good go by,
Nor banish him, the innocent, because the people cry."
Hearing which, the king answered:
"Thy son, the people's banner, if I send to exile drear,
My royal duty I obey, than life itself more dear."
On hearing this, the queen said, lamenting:
"Once hosts of men escorted him, with goodly banners flown,
Like forests full of flowering trees: to-day he goes alone. 1
1
Four stanzas, almost the same, are here condensed into one. The tree is kaṇikāra
(Pterospermum Acerifolium).