The Loom of Time: 2a Selection of His Plays and Poems

by Kālidāsa

Kalidasa is the major poet and dramatist of classical Sanskrit literature - a many-sided talent of extraordinary scope and exquisite language. His great poem, Meghadutam (The Cloud Messenger), tells... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140445382
• ISBN13: 9780140445381
• Release Date: April 1991
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 343 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Vivid, beautiful, and complex ... loses a bit in translation, unfortunately

I greatly enjoyed these works. The vivid immediacy of the description of the seasons intertwined with the experiences of lovers in Rtusamhara, the profound sorrow of separation and the ephemeral cloud-imagery in Meghaduta, the joy of discovery, the pain of loss, and the elation of reunion in Abhijnanashakuntala ... all these works left a lasting emotional and aesthetic impact. For me, one of the joys of Indian literature (and this work is no different) is the way in which there are no lines of demarcation between humanity, nature, and divinity; each sphere seamlessly co-exists with the others. In my experience, poetry suffers more than prose in translation, and unfortunately I believe this to be the case here. Despite the best efforts of the translator (whose thorough introduction and copious notes and appendices were much appreciated), I got the sense that a few layers of meaning and beauty are unfortunately "lost in translation" due to the separation in time, language, and culture from the average modern reader. Overall, however, I found Kalidasa to be quite interesting and engaging even in translation. I would also encourage the general reader to put aside any comparisons to Shakespeare (it seems impossible to encounter Kalidasa without running across the phrase "Shakespeare of Sanskrit literature"). Not because Kalidasa lacks in quality, but because the comparison does not do justice to the unique talents of each very different writer. Judge Kalidasa on his own merits, and you will be sure not to be disappointed by these sublimely beautiful works.

Great Translation, Intro Materials, Poems and Play

The book's cover declares Kalidasa "the greatest poet and playwright in classical Sanskrit literature and one of the greatest in world literature." These are lofty claims, but you will definitely agree by the time you reach the book's end. Substantial introductory material, historical clarity and Chandra Rajan's attentive translation make this collection of Kalidasa's poetry and one of his plays a great read.The greatest strength of this book is its thoroughness. Roughly one half of the pages comprise the introduction, the glossary of Sanskrit terms, and the meticulous footnotes to the texts translated. Rajan is careful in her historiography of Kalidasa, who is a problematic figure in that it is impossible to date him with any great degree of accuracy (Rajan points out that scholars have placed him anywhere from 100 BC to 500 AD; she herself comes down on the earlier side, making the playwright/poet a rough contemporary of, say, Plautus and Terence).This care is also evident in the lengthy Sanskrit glossary to terms left untranslated in the texts themselves. At first, this tendency is frustrating; when you're cruising through a play or poem, you don't want to be skipping to the book's end to see what's being said. But it also helps to preserve the integrity of the original. Rajan points out polyvalences in the Sanskrit that would have been simply whitewashed in typical English translation. And, miraculously, by the end of the poem/play, you've internalized the Sanskrit meanings and don't NEED the glossary anymore.As for the poems and plays themselves, they're a revelation. The translation feels a bit antique--like reading Milton, say, or even Shakespeare--but this is perfectly suited to Kalidasa's position in literature. The epic sweep of "The Cloud Messenger" is matched only by the sophistication of the famous play, "The Recognition of Sakuntala," which places Kalidasa alongside Shakespeare, in my mind. While Plautus and Terence were scripting the comic format that, borrowed from Menander, would evolve into the worst of today's sit-coms, Kalidasa was writing comedy with such dark corners that it provokes as much thought as laughter. If the seeming cheesiness of some of the lovey-dovey parts annoys today's reader, it must be admitted that it helps to accentuate the frustration of the darker parts. The ending is happy, yes, as the King eventually realizes his mistake, comes out of his oblivion and takes his intended, Sakuntala, back; but before we reach that point, there are three or four acts replete with suffering and rejection, of an intensity that Western comedy would not countenance for over a thousand years.This collection of Kalidasa makes for satisfying reading, whether you're into slogging through the weighty introductory materials for the full picture, or just interested in experiencing some of the best of Indian--or world, for that matter--poetry and drama.