Soon as those accents reached her ear

She yielded to her woe and fear,

She wept o'ercome by grief, and cried,

“Fly, Lakshmaṇ, fly to Ráma's side.”

Though many a time she bade me speed,

Her urgent prayer I would not heed.

I bade her in thy strength confide,

And thus with tender words replied:

“No giant roams the forest shade

From whom thy lord need shrink dismayed.