Thy mother furious with her lord,

And fain to perish by the cord,

Said to her husband: “I would know,

O Monarch, why thou laughest so.”

The king in answer spake again:

“If I this laughter should explain,

This very hour would be my last,

For death, be sure would follow fast.”

Again thy mother, flushed with ire,

To Kekaya spake, thy royal sire: