Norman
48. Going out from my daytime-resting-place on Mt. Gijjhakūṭa, I saw an elephant on the bank of the river, having come up after plunging in.
49. A man, taking a hook, requested the elephant, “Give me your foot.” The elephant stretched forth its foot; the man mounted the elephant.
50. Seeing the untamed tamed, gone under human control, I then concentrated my mind, gone to the forest for that purpose indeed.
Weingast
While walking along the river
after a long day meditating on Vulture Peak,
I watched an elephant splashing its way
out of the water and up the bank.
Hello, my friend, a man waiting there said,
scratching the elephant behind its ear.
Did you have a good bath?
The elephant stretched out its leg,
the man climbed up,
and the two rode off like that—
together.
Seeing what had once been so wild
now a friend and companion to this good man,
I took a seat under the nearest tree
and reached out a gentle hand
to my own mind.
Truly, I thought, this is why
I came to the woods.