A character with this role titles a poem that dedicates several stanzas to describing the flattering qualities of a king seen during his “victory tour of the world.” In Arthur Ryder’s rhyming translation, a character with this role is told to recall “o’er and o’er” a conch and a flower “painted by the door.” In a 16th-century poem, a swan acts in this role after a love goddess collapses in grief near a riverbank. In another poem, an “elephant-shaped” character with this role is told of rivers from which they will be able to drink after putting out a forest (*) fire. A genre focusing on characters with this role (-5[1])began with a long poem that pioneered 17-syllable mandākrāntā, or “slow-stepping,” meter. In that poem, a banished yaksha (“YUCK-shuh”) asks a character to perform this role and fly to the Himalayan city of Alakā (“UH-luh-kah”) to find his bride. For 10 points, (10[1])a cloud takes on what role in a long poem by Kālidāsa? ■END■