2.20

“The blossoming of fresh gladiolas* fails to refresh
or gladden me;
breezes off woodland ponds, though cool, inflame me;
And the flowering tips of mango branches,* all abuzz
with bees—
even they, my friend, cannot cheer me up.”

Krishna had been watching the cowherd girls:
One, with a seductive smile and winsome wink,
pretending to fix a loosened braid of hair,
had lifted her hands up above her shoulders
to show off her breasts to him.
While such a sight would have bewitched a naive
and foolish man,
Krishna, after pondering it awhile,
renounced his desire for those girls.
May his example ease our anxiety!