The moon seems to realize itself, not wanting to hinder what is about to happen. Therefore, the moon withdraws, hiding behind the gray clouds that are strolling in the sky. For a moment, the atmosphere becomes dark. In the dark night under the full moon, Begawan Swandagni and Dewi Sokawati roll up to enjoy the romance of love. The dark night seems to give them the opportunity to do as they like, not ashamed to cover desires of their lust. Never have Begawan Swandagni and Dewi Sokawati been hit by a passionate love affair like that night. They are terribly in love, not wanting to be separable, like tepus flowers that crowd together. The moon is pulling away and the night is getting darker. Strangely, it is precisely in the darkness that Begawan Swandagni feels that he can see his wife\'s naked body. Likewise, Dewi Sokawati feels how handsome and exciting her husband is that night. The darkness has become the light for lust and they do not want to lose time any more. They let themselves fly high up to the sky of the most extreme lust, while feeling how delicious and beautiful the lust is. Their lust touches the cloud of the moon\'s hiding place. The moon seems to be lifting its thick blanket, thereby slowly revealing the light. It is getting brighter and brighter, as if the moon can\'t help but be patient to take a peek at two people who are at the peak of their beauty and lust. Begawan Swandagni and Dewi Sokawati don\'t care anymore about darkness or brightness. They feel that when lust leads to the peak of pleasure, there is no longer dark or bright, dirty or clean. All they know is how steep and high the hill is that they are climbing. It is impossible for them to reach the peak, if they have not been drawn in by the lust, which they no longer know where it has come from. And when she reaches the peak of her lust, Dewi Sokawati imagines how lust becomes the fertility for love. She feels that it is the lust that will enable love to bear fruit. She still thinks a little bit about the holiness and impurity in herself if she indulges in lust to the fullest. But her mind can no longer control the lust that is at its peak of beauty. Strangely, at that moment, she happens to know that love cannot be separated from her lust. And when she feels that love and lust are one, it is the time for her to look at the sky as if there is a pair of golden golek (dolls). Bamboo trees moan in the wind, as if they are moaning for Dewi Sokawati\'s lust. In the midst of the moans of pleasure, a pair of golek suddenly descend to infiltrate her. Then Dewi Sokawati flounders helplessly.
Also read:
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (6)
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (5)
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (4)
"Begawan, finally the moon is also the darkness," whispers Dewi Sokawati softly, leaning her limp body helplessly on her husband\'s chest.
"Yes, Sokawati, even love is finally also lust," replies Begawan Swandagni as he looks at her.
For a moment, the moon slips into the clouds. The light is covered and the darkness comes up. Begawan Swandagni pushes his wife\'s body, slowly. He looks at his wife with dim eyes that feel guilty. Dewi Sokawati cannot read the meaning of those eyes. Then, she hugs her husband tightly, as if she does not want to let him go again.
"Sir, don\'t be sorry for what you did. You\'re not accusing me. But I know, you\'re accusing your lust. If you really love me, forgive your lust, Begawan. You should thank your lust instead. It is your lust that pushes you to enter and go through me. Because of your lust, now you are no longer separated from me. You are not only a part of me, but you are already inside of me," said Dewi Sokawati.
"Sokawati, how can I have been inside you, while your body is separated from mine?" asks Begawan Swandagni.
“Begawan, when our love was at its peak a few moments ago, I really felt that a pair of golden golek dolls had descended from the sky, entering me. That was the time when I felt you really lived and existed in me. I was really happy. You were no longer a stranger to me. You and I had become one. Now I am no longer alone in navigating the ocean of this life. You and I are a ship, sailing in the middle of that ocean. I am no longer afraid of silence. Because for me now, silence is no longer solitude. Look at the sky, Begawan, even the moon seems to validate my words," said Dewi Sokawati.
Yes, the moon is reappearing from behind the clouds. Its light makes the sky bright. And the moon is like a ship sailing through the clouds, jumping up and down joyfully. For her, the clouds are no longer the waves blocking her journey. Now, they are the blue ocean. The ocean is peace, which swallows the silence into quietness with unspeakable happiness. And the dewdrops fall, dripping on nagakusuma trees, which are ornamenting their flowers so that they can bloom beautifully at dawn. The fragrance spreads, bathing Dewi Sokawati\'s body.
Also read:
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (1)
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (2)
> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (3)
"Sokawati, put on your clothes. Don\'t let the sun know the beauty of your body," says Begawan Swandagni.
Dewi Sokawati just realizes that she has been naked. The dim sunlight is shining through the gaps in the trees. The sun seems to spark its light so quickly, as if it does not want to be late to witness Dewi Sokawati, who has just handed over her beautiful body. Dewi Sokawati does not want the sun to stare at her naked body. Hastily she puts on her clothes, then smooths her hair. From the courtyard of the Jatisrana hermitage, roosters begin to crow. Dewi Sokawati and Begawan Swandagni know that morning will soon come and they have to return to the real world, where they both have to pretend to act as if they are human beings who have been freed from the commotion of their lusts. No wonder, they look at each other shyly. Even though nature knows and accepts what they have done in the previous night. Water of the fountain in the hermitage\'s courtyard falls with a rumbling sound, as if wanting to sing more melodiously so that there is no need for two people to cover their lust with shame. And the campaka flowers bloom more beautifully than in previous days, as if they want to be picked up as a necklace to be worn by Dewi Sokawati on her chest so that she will look more beautiful even after she willingly surrenders herself honestly to her lust.
This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.
