O deserve thy desires first

Pining for long, O longing heart,
If smacked art thou by a beauty,
If rocked by her assets thou art,
Should any charming face sway thee,
Earn first good deeds her to deserve,
Desires on their own seldom serve.
__________________________  
Translation (sestet*) | 24.08.2025 | beauty, heart, women
*Wonder, if it can be called a Sestetto Rima-- iambic meter with a rhyme scheme of ABABCC.

Note: Here is a verse from Bhartrihari’s Shringaara Shatakam (hundred verses on love and romance). This verse is in Vasanta-tilakaa meter. It says: if ye cherish a beauty, she must be deserved first. Here is the transliteration of the verse in Sanskrit:

Tasyaah stanau yadi ghanau jaghanam cha haari,
Vaktram cha chaaru tava chittam kim aakulatvam |
Punyam kurushva yadi teshu tava asti vaañchaa,
Punyaih vinaa na hi bhavanti sam ihita-arthaah || 20 ||
Copyright © | Year Posted 2025

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