Story of Bali, Indonesia

He holds his bow and arrow exquisitely in his outstretched left hand, while with the right he sharply points his admonitions; Toealen, tottering beside him, murmurs assent. A devious hunt begins. The kidang, leaping with sharp cries, is stalked by Rama, and stricken at last limps away with one last threatening speech, followed by Rama and Toealen. Sita now raises from beside the gamelan and winding forward with her tjondong laments the long absence of Rama, and adjures Lakshmana, with imperative but gentle gestures, to go in search of him, listening to his arguments slightly turned away, with shy graceful poses.

(Merdah is in attendance, Ravana out of action beside the gamelan, or actually off the stage.) In a succession of admirable curves Lakshmana winds his way into the forest and disappears. Sita and her tjondong, still mildly dancing, for it is rare that a dancer should stand quite still on the stage, occupy the middle of the ground, so that Ravana is free to remove his mask, tuck up his long hair, and put on a pedanda's hat. (The pedanda, however, may enter from the far end of the ground, a different actor playing the part.) The hat of course disguises Ravana completely, for he has now a human face.

With swaying, elastic tread he dances swiftly down the stage in exultant conversation with Delem and Sangoet. It seems strange that the mere removal of his mask should be enough to hide the character of Ravana from Sita, for his cruel gloating laughter still remains. But she kneels respectfully, wholly unsuspecting. A double action goes on, while he persuades Sita on the one hand and on the other expresses his satisfaction to his servants. This long double dialogue is strange in the contrast, visible to us, of Sita's calm, beautiful world and that of the false pedanda's grotesque companions, contiguous but remote.

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