The Kama Sutra - Page 61/585

In the next place he should get her to meet him in some place privately,

and should then tell her that the reason of his giving presents to her

in secret was the fear that the parents of both of them might be

displeased, and then he may add that the things which he had given her

had been much desired by other people. When her love begins to show

signs of increasing he should relate to her agreeable stories if she

expresses a wish to hear such narratives. Or if she takes delight in

legerdemain, he should amaze her by performing various tricks of

jugglery; or if she feels a great curiosity to see a performance of the

various arts, he should show his own skill in them. When she is

delighted with singing he should entertain her with music, and on

certain days, and at the time of going together to moonlight fairs and

festivals, and at the time of her return after being absent from home,

he should present her with bouquets of flowers, and with chaplets for

the head, and with ear ornaments and rings, for these are the proper

occasions on which such things should be presented.

He should also teach the daughter of the girl's nurse all the sixty-four

means of pleasure practised by men, and under this pretext should also

inform her of his great skill in the art of sexual enjoyment. All this

time he should wear a fine dress, and make as good an appearance as

possible, for young women love men who live with them, and who are

handsome, good looking and well dressed. As for the saying that though

women may fall in love, they still make no effort themselves to gain

over the object of their affections, that is only a matter of idle talk.

Now a girl always shows her love by outward signs and actions, such as

the following:--She never looks the man in the face, and becomes abashed

when she is looked at by him; under some pretext or other she shows her

limbs to him; she looks secretly at him though he has gone away from her

side; hangs down her head when she is asked some question by him, and

answers in indistinct words and unfinished sentences, delights to be in

his company for a long time, speaks to her attendants in a peculiar tone

with the hope of attracting his attention towards her when she is at a

distance from him, does not wish to go from the place where he is, under

some pretext or other she makes him look at different things, narrates

to him tales and stories very slowly so that she may continue conversing

with him for a long time, kisses and embraces before him a child sitting

in her lap, draws ornamental marks on the foreheads of her female

servants, performs sportive and graceful movements when her attendants

speak jestingly to her in the presence of her lover, confides in her

lover's friends, and respects and obeys them, shows kindness to his

servants, converses with them, and engages them to do her work as if she

were their mistress, and listens attentively to them when they tell

stories about her lover to somebody else, enters his house when induced

to do so by the daughter of her nurse, and by her assistance manages to

converse and play with him, avoids being seen by her lover when she is

not dressed and decorated, gives him by the hand of her female friend

her ear ornament, ring, or garland of flowers that he may have asked to

see, always wears anything that he may have presented to her, become

dejected when any other bridegroom is mentioned by her parents, and does

not mix with those who may be of her party, or who may support his

claims.