A Wonderland, pp. 604-605

Opening Remarks
The worlds through which they are passing now is a wonder world that imitates Heaven as a shadow.

Shadowed forth
All in this world was shadowed forth, not limned,
Like faces leaping on a fan of fire
Or shapes of wonder in a tinted blur,
Like fugitive landscapes painting silver mists.

It was not a delineated and distinct world. All was as if a shadow of something hidden behind, like faces that may form with the leaping of fire, or as indistinct shapes seen through tinted glass, or as fugitive landscapes in a silver mist.

Hasty joy
Here vision fled back from the sight alarmed,
And sound sought refuge from the ear’s surprise,
And all experience was a hasty joy.

In this world images seen seemed as if drawing away from sight and sounds seemed to surprise and then draw into some far background. Indeed all experience was a hasty joy.

Glimmering Eden
The joys here snatched were half-forbidden things,
Timorous soul-bridals delicately veiled
As when a goddess’ bosom dimly moves
To first desire and her white soul transfigured,
A glimmering Eden crossed by faery gleams,
Trembles to expectation’s fiery wand,
But nothing is familiar yet with bliss.

It was a realm of happy expectation and sweet anticipation as if the soul wore the bridal delicately veiled waits nervously for half-forbidden joys. Or as when the bosom of a goddess is moved by a first desire transfiguring her pure soul, Or as a glimmering Eden was crossed by floating gleams with the air trembling, touched by the magic wand, in expectation. Yet there was nothing that was familiar with bliss.

Heavenly strange
All things in this fair realm were heavenly strange
In a fleeting gladness of untired delight,
In an insistency of magic change.

All things in this fair realm were strange as if heavenly. There were fleeting gladness as waves from some untired delight insistent with magic change.

Hurrying hints
Past vanishing hedges, hurrying hints of fields,
Mid swift escaping lanes that fled her feet
Journeying she wished no end: as one through clouds
Travels upon a mountain ridge and hears
Arising to him out of hidden depths
Sound of invisible streams, she walked besieged
By the illusion of a mystic space,
A charm of bodiless touches felt and heard
A sweetness as of voices high and dim
Calling like travellers upon seeking winds
Melodiously with an alluring cry.

Savitri’s feet fled past vanishing hedges with hints of fields hurrying mid lanes that were swiftly disappearing. She wished no end to her journey as one traveling through clouds upon a mountain ridge hears sounds of invisible streams. She walked besieged by the illusion of a mystic space and a charm of bodiless touches that were felt. She heard high and dim, melodious voices sweetly calling her alluringly as travellers climbing upon winds.

Music old yet ever new
As if a music old yet ever new,
Moving suggestions on her heart-strings dwelt,
Thoughts that no habitation found, yet clung
With passionate repetition to her mind,
Desires that hurt not, happy only to live
Always the same and always unfulfilled
Sang in the breast like a celestial lyre.

Her heart-rhythms were moved by suggestions from a music old and yet ever new. Thoughts that had no dwelling place clung with passionate repetition to her mind. She felt the desires that hurt not, that were happy only to live, always the same and always unfulfilled sang like a celestial lyre sang in her breast.

Closing Remarks
This is the heaven built by man’s desires and hopes, his idealising emotions drawing its sanction and breath from the heaven.