The Steps of Grief, pp. 468-469

Opening remarks
As the season changed, Savitri could sense the steps of approaching fate where death was written for Satyavan began to draw near. Grief began to alternate with joy in her heart, the joy of union alternating with the possibility of parting forever.

The forest’s titan voice
But soon now failed the summer’s ardent breath
And throngs of blue-black clouds crept through the sky
And rain fled sobbing over the dripping leaves
And storm became the forest’s titan voice.

Summer now began to pass and the clouds began to gather in the sky announcing the coming of rains. The forest storms started growling like a titan’s voice.

The grief of all the world
Then listening to the thunder’s fatal crash
And the fugitive pattering footsteps of the showers
And the long unsatisfied panting of the wind
And sorrow muttering in the sound-vexed night,
The grief of all the world came near to her.

Thunders and fugitive pattering of rain and panting of winds in the night muttered to her of the approaching sorrow. Savitri felt as if all the world’s grief was coming to her.

Future’s ominous face
Night’s darkness seemed her future’s ominous face.

The dense night and its darkness seemed the future’s ominous face.

Shadow of her lover’s doom
The shadow of her lover’s doom arose
And fear laid hands upon her mortal heart.

The shadow of Satyavan’s doom started arising in her and fear took hold of her human heart.

Moments swift and ruthless raced
The moments swift and ruthless raced; alarmed
Her thoughts, her mind remembered Narad’s date.

The moments began to fly swiftly and ruthlessly as her mind remembered Narad’s date.

Grief came
A trembling moved accountant of her riches,
She reckoned the insufficient days between:
A dire expectancy knocked at her breast;
Dreadful to her were the footsteps of the hours:
Grief came, a passionate stranger to her gate:
Banished when in his arms, out of her sleep
It rose at morn to look into her face.

The passage of time became dreadful reminding her of the insufficient days between the riches of the moment and the dire expectancy of death that will take away everything she loved. Grief came to her gates as a passionate stranger, forgotten when she was in Satyavan’s embrace but rising in the morning again.

Vainly she fled
Vainly she fled into abysms of bliss
From her pursuing foresight of the end.

The more Savitri tried to fly away from her grief into the bliss of Satyavan’s embrace, the more it pursued her reminding her of the prophesy of the parting.

Closing Remarks
Thus Savitri began to move between the joy of togetherness with Satyavan and the grief of the future doom as foreseen by Narad.