Page:Biographical Sketches of Dekkan Poets.djvu/125

wish to visit her—the king being rather of luxurious and lascivious disposition, appointed an early day. Ramlinga then decorated a bed fit to receive the royal visitor, but instead of a beautiful woman, placed in it a long stone pillar, which he covered over with a rich brocade quilt: 'at the hour fixed on,'the king came, his lust having been very much excited by the description given by Ramlinga of the female, who was to receive him in her arms, when the king lifted up the bed clothes, he was very much astonished to find a stone, where he expected to find a charming virgin, and his anger being raised to an ungovernable pitch, he ordered the executioner immediately to behead Ramlinga, the poet however concealed himself, and when the king's wrath was abated, he was taken once more into favor. Some time after this, the daughter of the king had composed a poem called "Marichi Parneaya," or the nuptials of Marichi—and proposed to read the same to Krishna Deva, before the whole Court; but as she was aware of the satirical character of Ramlinga, she stipulated with her father, that he should not be allowed to be pre-