Whence can this woe upon thee fall,

Say, gentle one who lovest all?”

Thus spake the God who rules the skies,

Indra, the Lord supremely wise;

And gentle Surabhí, well learned

In eloquence, this speech returned:

“Not thine the fault, great God, not thine

And guiltless are the Lords divine:

I mourn two children faint with toil,

Labouring hard in stubborn soil.