[paragraph continues] Dhatarattha king make a big cage shaded with white lotus, and for me a small cage covered with red lotus, and put him in front and me behind, somewhat lower, and take us with all speed and present us to the king." The fowler, hearing the words of Sumukha, thought, "Sumukha, in seeing the king, must be desirous of conferring great honour on me," and being highly delighted he fashioned cages of soft osiers and covering them with lotuses set out with the birds in the way already described.

To make the matter clear, the Master said:

The fowler grasping them with both his hands, as he was told,
Placed in their cage these ruddy geese with skin of yellow gold.

[366] The goose-king now and Sumukha with plumage bright to see,
Safe in their cage the fowler took and off with them marched he.

As soon as the fowler had set off with them the Dhatarattha goose called to mind his wife, the daughter of the paka goose-king, and addressing Sumukha under the influence of his passion he thus lamented.

To make the matter clear, the Master said:

The king on being carried off to Sumukha thus spake;
"My fair and gracious spouse, methinks, now grieving for my sake,
If she should hear that I am dead, her life, I fear, might take.

Like heron mourning for its mate by lonely ocean's shore,
Suhema--bright as gold her skin--her lord will still deplore ."

On hearing this Sumukha thought, "This goose, though ready to admonish others, all for a female's sake, under the sway of passion babbles just as when water is heated , or as when (birds) rise up from a bank and devour a field of grain. What if I were by my own wisdom to make clear to him the vices of the female sex and to bring him to his senses?" and he said:

That one so great and peerless thought, a leader of his kind,
Should grieve for bird of female sex shows little strength of mind,

As wind will carry any scent, be it or bad or good,
Or greedy child, as if 'twere blind eats raw or well-cooked food,

[367] Without true judgement in affairs, poor fool, thou canst not see,
What to avoid or what to do in each emergency.

Half mad thou speakst of womankind as blest with every grace,
Yet most as common are to men as toper's drinking place.

Sorrow, disease, calamity, like harshest chains to bind,
Mirage, and fraud, the snare of death deep-seated in the mind--
Such women are: who trusts in them is vilest of his kind.

[368] Then the Dhatarattha goose, in his infatuation for the female sex, said, "You know not the virtues of womankind, but the sages know: they are not deserving of censure." And by way of explanation he said:

Truth that sages ascertained, who is there that dares to blame?
Women in this world are born, destined to great power and fame.