“I needs must go—do thou consent—

To the wild wood in banishment.

O give me, by my life I pray,

Thy blessing ere I go away.

I, when the promised years are o'er,

Shall see Ayodhyá's town once more.

Then, mother dear, thy tears restrain,

Nor let thy heart be wrung by pain:

In time, my father's will obeyed,

Shall I return from greenwood shade.