By strainèd sense, by constant prayer, By steadfastness of heart and will, By courage to confront and dare, All obstacles he conquered still; A conscience clear,--a ready hand, Joined to a meek humility, Success must everywhere command, How could he fail who had all three!
And now, by tests assured, he knows His own God-gifted wondrous might, Nothing to any man he owes, Unaided he has won the fight; Equal to gods themselves,--above Wishmo and Drona,--for his worth His name, he feels, shall be with love Reckoned with great names of the earth.
Yet lacks he not, in reverence To Dronacharjya, who declined To teach him,--nay, with e'en offence That well might wound a noble mind, Drove him away;--for in his heart Meek, placable, and ever kind, Resentment had not any part, And Malice never was enshrined.
One evening, on his work intent, Alone he practised Archery, When lo! the bow proved false and sent The arrow from its mark awry; Again he tried,--and failed again; Why was it? Hark!--A wild dog's bark! An evil omen:--it was plain Some evil on his path hung dark!
Thus many times he tried and failed, And still that lean, persistent dog At distance, like some spirit wailed, Safe in the cover of a fog. His nerves unstrung, with many a shout He strove to frighten it away, It would not go,--but roamed about, Howling, as wolves howl for their prey.
Worried and almost in a rage, One magic shaft at last he sent, A sample of his science sage, To quiet but the noises meant. Unerring to its goal it flew, No death ensued, no blood was dropped, But by the hush the young man knew At last that howling noise had stopped.
It happened on this very day That the Pandava princes came With all the Kuru princes gay To beat the woods and hunt the game. Parted from others in the chase, Arjuna brave the wild dog found,-- Stuck still the shaft,--but not a trace Of hurt, though tongue and lip were bound.
"Wonder of wonders! Didst not thou O Dronacharjya, promise me Thy crown in time should deck my brow And I be first in archery? Lo! here, some other thou hast taught A magic spell,--to all unknown; Who has in secret from thee bought The knowledge, in this arrow shown!"
Indignant thus Arjuna spake To his great Master when they met-- "My word, my honour, is at stake, Judge not, Arjuna, judge not yet. Come, let us see the dog,"--and straight They followed up the creature's trace. They found it, in the selfsame state, Dumb, yet unhurt,--near Buttoo's place.