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In a similar strain another Rishi sings:—
- Again and again newly born though ancient,
- Decking her beauty with the self-same colours,
- The goddess wastes away the life of mortals,
- Like wealth diminished by the skilful player (i. 92, 10).
The following stanzas from one of the finest hymns to Dawn (i. 113) furnish a more general picture of this fairest creation of Vedic poetry:—
- This light has come, of all the lights the fairest,
- The brilliant brightness has been born, far-shining.
- Urged onward for god Savitṛi's uprising,
- Night now has yielded up her place to Morning.
- The sisters' pathway is the same, unending:
- Taught by the gods, alternately they tread it.
- Fair-shaped, of different forms and yet one-minded,
- Night and Morning clash not, nor do they linger.
- Bright leader of glad sounds, she shines effulgent:
- Widely she has unclosed for us her portals.
- Arousing all the world, she shows us riches:
- Dawn has awakened every living creature.
- There Heaven's Daughter has appeared before us,
- The maiden flushing in her brilliant garments.
- Thou sovran lady of all earthly treasure,
- Auspicious Dawn, flush here to-day upon us.
- In the sky's framework she has shone with splendour;
- The goddess has cast off the robe of darkness.
- Wakening up the world with ruddy horses,
- Upon her well-yoked chariot Dawn is coming.
- Bringing upon it many bounteous blessings,
- Brightly shining, she spreads her brilliant lustre.
- Last of the countless mornings that have gone by,
- First of bright morns to come has Dawn arisen.
- Arise! the breath, the life, again has reached us:
- Darkness has gone away and light is coming.
- She leaves a pathway for the sun to travel:
- We have arrived where men prolong existence.