The mellow flame of their love was prepared to turn to a raging fire. Separation was not an option for them.

Only now he was on his way to finally meet her and this time to remain with her till death tore them apart. Firangia's feet were unmoored from the land, he walked in the air and flew towards the moon. A lady roamed there and with open arms waited to welcome him.

If, then, I had a pen at hand, I could capture that moment in two lines in the Vasantatilaka meter -- my meter of preference. But scenes such as these have an ephemeral quality. You capture them as you experience them after which they are gone.

He followed him like a she-snake follows her mate's killer, the blanket pulled in a hood over his head and his head filled with a thousand questions.

The undertakings of the rich are grandiose.

He saw a woman, her face awash with misery, standing in front of him. She was holding a child in her arms and as soon as he looked up at her, she placed the child on his lap. Grief must have withheld her speech. Without saying a word she spread an open palm in front of him.

People loathe the idea of destruction, particularly when it is the destruction of property or of life one is talking about (Destruction of the good name of a person, however, is a completely different matter).

Do you even realize what you are asking me to do, you idle man? Do you know how much I am needed here? It really surprises me that you could think of asking me to just walk away with you.
You are just a slave here, Mehak. If you come with me you will be a queen.

People like you and I would have long been crushed by this world. We are saved because we believed in something.

His head was bent on one side and he seemed lost in an opium dream, looking lovingly upon the world -- men, animals, the carts, carriages, palanquins, all -- as they passed by. Or perhaps he was looking upon nothing, for his gaze did not so much as flicker when Firangia came to a stop and greeted him.

Last evening, a group of women had danced for them and the entire night was spent in revelry. By morning, a good many young men were missing, looped in the alluring coils of the locks of the departing dancers.

He felt no shame in their love. It was great, honest and high. He had never in his life seen a woman like her. He admired her like he had no one before. If she were to go away, he would abandon everyone and everything that he ever cared for and follow her like a dog. He would lose his mind otherwise.

Like a thief, the image of her taut, well-formed body crept into his mind next. He marveled how beautifully her body arched as she stood and gave commands. Vishwakarma, the god of all craftsmen, in an exalting moment had threaded a wire through it to give it that elegant curve.

I may appear despicable and a little withered, yet by reason of my knowledge and wisdom I outsoar most men who dot this world. Emperors and kings are astonished at my pleasing discourse and sweetness of the tongue.

The air had borrowed wind from the wildernesses of our hills. It had stolen the fragrance from the jasmines and was blowing it around as its own. It carried the scent of crushed grapes from the surrounding grapevines and released it in occasional whiffs. The saffron fields were in full bloom, it was spring.

Waves after waves broke on the boulder-lined banks, lashing and hollering, making a colossal display of restlessness and rage and resignation. He had dropped on his knees and prayed for a long time.

A bowl of honey traps a fly. That is what this love will do to you -- reduce you to a miserable fly.

We have begun to experience a reciprocal pleasure in each other's company, have we not? Come, come, Mehak! Accept it. Sages have said, Love and musk cannot remain concealed. You are as enamored of me as I am. Why don't we get married?

Like dark clouds gathering over a happy village, troubled lines had crossed his father's face. He had turned pensive. Firangia could see his father combating something frightful. Still, he had insisted on knowing the truth.

Seventeen is a sweet year in a boy's life. He feels like he is the darling of the world and there is nothing in the world he does not love or trust.