Ritusamharam

Perhaps the most lively and exuberant of Kalidasa's extant works Ritusamharam is a glorious ode to nature's bounty and the enduring emotional response it evokes in mankind as a whole.Recounted as a celebration of the passing seasons it is a feast for the senses capturing the myriad facets of love and longing in a kaleidoscope of sumptuous imagery the mischievous moonlight that like a pining lover steals glances at sleeping maidens the monsoon-bloated rivers that rush to the sea with a lustful urgency the flame of lovemaking that is kindled anew at the onset of winter the heady scent of mango blossoms that makes even the most unyielding of hearts quiver. Even animals big and small are swept into the playful pattern of the great poet's lyrical homage.A.N.D. Haksar's supple and spirited translation is accompanied by an absorbing introduction and notes that shed further light on this extraordinary work. About the Author Kalidasa perhaps the most extraordinary of India's classical poets composed seven major works three plays two epic poems and two lyric poems. According to legend he lived at the end of the fourth century and was one the 'nine jewels' in the court of the Gupta king Chandragupta II. Although very little is known about his life Kalidasa's popularity has endured for centuries.ADITYA NARAYAN DHAIRYASHEEL HAKSAR is a well-known translator of Sanskrit classics. A long-time career diplomat he served as the Indian high commissioner in Kenya and the Seychelles minister in the United States and ambassador in Portugal and Yugoslavia. His translations from the Sanskrit includeHitopadesaSimhasanaDvatrimsikaSubhashitavaliKama SutraThe Courtesan's KeeperThe Seduction of ShivaSuleiman CharitraRaghuvamsam andThree Hundred Verses all published in Penguin Classics.