Chapter Five — Water Play

Parasparaṃ jala-kaṇān siñcayanti varāṅganāḥ,
Kācij jalaṃ kara-pādais tāḍayanti muhur muhuḥ. (12)

The beautiful women sprinkled one another with droplets. Some beat the water again and again with their hands and feet, sending showers through the air.

Mahāñ śabdo bhavat tatra samudra-mathane yathā,
Kācit santārayan premṇā kācic corasi kārayat. (13)

A tremendous sound arose, like the tumult of the churning ocean. One swam forward, full of love, while another pressed heart to heart in a close embrace.

Nipatya ca mahāgādhe prahasya Raghunandanaḥ,
Kācin magna-bhayāt kāntaṃ gāḍham āliṅganaṃ dadau. (14)

Laughing, Raghunandana plunged into the deepest water. Afraid that she might sink, one maiden clasped her beloved in a tight embrace.

Kācit pravāha-patitā taraṅgair vāritāṃśukā,
Hriyā nāyāti nikaṭaṃ saṅkaṭaṃ bahu manyate. (15)

One companion was caught in the current, and the waves displaced her garment. Too ashamed to come near, she regarded her predicament as a grave danger.