He glances briefly at Dewi Citrawati, and her matchless beauty shines brilliantly. He does not have the courage to look upon her any longer. He does not want to prolong his imagining that such a stunning beauty will be forever lost to him. Sumantri also seems at a loss for words on what he should say to Dewi Citrawati. He lowers his head in silence as the dusk unfolds before his eyes. Yellow hues radiate together with the white blossoms of the kemuning (orange jessamine) that fall in the wind.
"Sumantri, send and hand me over to your lord right now." Sumantri is astonished by Dewi Citrawati's words. They are spoken quickly, without considering his feelings at all. At a glance, he can imagine the intimacy he felt when he was alone in the Magada princess's tent, with no one else but her, accompanied by the dim moonlight that broke through the night. How was it so easy for Dewi Citrawati to forget it all? Perhaps this is because he no longer has the slightest meaning for Dewi Citrawati?
His sorrow sings in the trees as the dusk echoes the heart-rending sounds of the bamboo sundari.
Sumantri feels as though he has lost all self-respect. Now he truly feels defeated, not as a knight, but as a human being. He can still feel proud because he is still considered a knight by the King of Maespati, but this doesn't motivate him at all, because it seems as if Dewi Citrawati no longer considers him a human being. Sumantri looks down sadly. His sorrow sings in the trees as the dusk echoes the heart-rending sounds of the bamboo sundari.
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"Very well, Your Highness." With his curt and cold answer, Sumantri wants Dewi Citrawati to know that he also doesn't need her anymore. This is how Sumantri is trying to force his self-respect, which he no longer has. Feeling humiliated, he escorts the Princess of Magada, accompanied by the 800 domas girls, to Prabu Arjunasasrabahu. Everyone cheers at the luxurious procession of the majestic and glamorous beautiful princess. It is this splendor that Sumantri hands over to Prabu Arjunasasrabahu while he bows in defeat, like the hapa-hapa grass that has been trampled by human feet. Sumantri grapples with his feelings of shame and defeat as he presents his lord with a glorious victory. Prabu Arjunasasrabahu cannot believe the extraordinariness of the prize before his eyes.
“Sumantri, you are the matchless warlord of Maespati. With this offering of yours, you have not only obtained for me a queen, but you have also restored the glory of the magnificent kingdom of Maespati. The gloom that overhung Maespati has disappeared because of the arrival of the Princess of Magada. The sorrow has gone, and the land of Maespati will again be green, fertile, and fruitful. Not only myself, but all the people of Maespati thank you," Prabu Arjunasasrabahu ways with pride.
"I am just carrying out my obligations and duties, Your Majesty," Sumantri answers humbly.
Everyone there thinks that Prabu Arjunasasrabahu will first speak about his joy on welcoming the Princess of Magada, so they are surprised on hearing the King of Maespati prioritizing his pride for Sumantri, as if he doesn't care that he now has in his hands Dewi Citrawati, the beautiful princess that kings had risked their lives fighting for.
Dewi Citrawati also asks herself, why does her future husband, the King of Maespati, not pay attention to her immediately? Instead, he first praises his warlord, Sumantri. The beautiful Princess of Magada does not like it, that her future husband is more appreciative of the services and efforts of his warlord than the treasures he has acquired that the king only need enjoy. Dewi Citrawati feels that she is a princess who has been fought over by a thousand kings, so why does she seem to be of no value to the King of Maespati? What is lacking in her that she receives no warm greeting from the king who is to become her husband? Meanwhile, he praises to the high heavens his envoy who had dared challenge him and was then defeated. The Princess of Magada feels her heart weaken like the tired tendrils of the gadung plants creeping up, hit by a scorching heat that has extinguished her desire.
Sumantri also feels uncomfortable in his heart. Why does his lord not immediately ask and speak about Dewi Citrawati, the prize that has been claimed for him? So as not to grapple with his anxiety any longer, he bows in respect and says, "Your Majesty, I present the Princess of Magada, Kusuma Ayu Dewi Citrawati, in Your Majesty's presence. May Your Majesty's heart rejoice because of my offering."
"Sumantri, there are no words I can say to you. I accept your sacrifice and offering with gratitude and joy. Because of your services, Maespati will no longer be lonely and will again be respected on earth, because I, the king, will have an queen, Dewi Citrawati, a princess who has been fought over by a thousand kings," says Prabu Arjunasasrabahu.
Once again, the words of Prabu Arjunasasrabahu form a compliment for Sumantri. But this compliment shatters Sumantri's heart. To be honest, he is actually unwilling to hand over Dewi Citrawati to Prabu Arjunasasrabahu. But with these words from the King of Maespati, Dewi Citrawati now truly belongs to his lord. He never had her, but he now realizes that Dewi Citrawati will never be his again.
That fate would have been sealed, if at that very moment Dewi Citrawati had not uttered her surprising words.
A dim light breaks between the branches of the Gandapurnama trees, and Sumantri feels that he is like the jangga vine that has been left behind by the full moon. It feels as if his journey of luck is over. Anything connecting him to Dewi Citrawati seems to have ended here. That fate would have been sealed, if at that very moment Dewi Citrawati had not uttered her surprising words.
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"Sang Prabu, do you not think that I have become your queen because Sumantri has handed me over to you. I still have one request that must be fulfilled until you can possess me as the queen of Maespati," says Dewi Citrawati.
All eyes then turn to the Princess of Magada. On hearing her words, people think, How arrogant she is! But this arrogance does not come to the fore because it is overtaken by her enchanting elegance. The princess stands like an ashoka tree blooming its red flowers, spreading a fragrance that makes people forget her arrogance. Gone is the cold and sharp impression of her words as if they were a freshly sharpened dagger, because those words have come out of her lips, beautiful like a katirah bloom.
(This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo).
