Translations of Shakuntala and Other Works

by Kālidāsa

Work based around Hindu mythology and philosophy from the famous Sanskrit poet and dramatist also known as Kavikulaguru (Preceptor of All Poets).

Genres: Plays, Poetry, Classics, Fiction, India, Drama, Theatre

247 pages, Paperback

First published March 8, 2007

About the author

Poetry of Indian dramatist and lyric poet Kalidasa (circa 375-circa 415) represents the height of the kavya style, which his epic poem Raghuvamsha and his lyric poem Meghaduta exemplify.

Poeple widely regard Kālidāsa (Devanāgarī: कालिदास "servant of Kali") as the greatest renowned writer in the classical Sanskrit language.

We know nothing with certainty about the life of Kālidāsa apart from works but speculate about the place where he lived or the dates of his birth and death. According to legend, his known beauty brought him to the attention of Vidyottama, princess, who married him.
Kālidāsa, however, legendarily lacked much education, and his ignorance and coarseness shamed the princess. A devoted worshipper of Kali (by other accounts of Saraswati), Kālidāsa is said to have called upon his goddess for help when he was going to commit suicide in a well after he was humiliated by his wife, and was rewarded with a sudden and extraordinary gift of wit. He is then said to have become the most brilliant of the "nine gems" at the court of the king Vikramaditya of Ujjain. Legend also has it that he was murdered by a courtesan in Sri Lanka during the reign of Kumaradasa.

Reviews

[Zahra · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Oscar Wilde says: "Nowadays we know the price of everything and the value of nothing."
The story of Shakuntala reminds us of the lost values in the modern time and that how far we have gone from our anscestors, from our nature. Let us remember...

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

#23 of 133 on Clifton Fadiman's New Lifetime Reading Plan.

[Jennifer Ochoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple tale of love told in dramatic form. Not terribly exciting by today's standards, but interesting in terms of literary history. Best part of the book is the revelation that the "I've got something in my eye" trick has been luring men closer to women for 1600 years. (Note that I only read the Shakuntala play, nothing else in this volume. I tried to read the introduction, but it was terrifically boring.)

[Mahika]

***read for FoL class***

Riyl : vivid descriptions of nature interwoven into love stories, careless characters, horny kings, and MELODRAMA.

[Saloni (earnestlyeccentric) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of how King Dusyanta falls in love with Shakuntala, forgets about her, and then remembers her again with the help of his ring.

Spoilers ahead.

I wish I had carefully picked a translation of Kalidasa's works rather than downloading something off of Project Gutenberg. I don't speak or read Sanskrit, so I knew I needed an English translation of Kalidasa's works. However, there were some parts of this translation that were just glaringly wrong (like how Hanuman was called Hanumat!). With that being said, I did enjoy some of the passages from Shakuntala and sent a few screenshots over to Stormaflu to express the sadness I was feeling.

My grandmother's favourite story is Meghaduta (Cloud Messenger), and I felt a little underwhelmed by the poetry. I think this may be because I just don't enjoy reading poetry. It has a way of bringing me to the brink of sleep every time I read a few lines from a stanza. I also do wonder how much was lost in translation. Anyway, I am glad I read this book because it gave me an idea of how Indian playwrights structure their work, i.e., having nice and happy endings. This probably explains why so many Bollywood films end so happily ever after too. I suppose we just like fictional characters being happy.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shakuntala and king Dushyant were everything one imagines.
Standing through thick and thin, though due to curse king couldn't recognise the beautiful women but he did never felt for anyone.
The circle of acts was similar to that of ring, starting from one part and ending to that part only. Like the life, the love.

Perfect blend of all the elements of an epic.
Poetic power 🦋
Kalidasa was literally best in this literary work.
More by this author in future definitely.

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this several months ago. I cannot tell if the translation by Aurthur Ryder has done justice to Kalidasa's writing, but it is certainly powerful in terms of composition and rhythm.

The translator has succeeded in presenting this story about Shakuntala and the king, who is enamoured by her divine beauty and seeks to marry her, in a simple and gripping manner.

There are lines worth memorising or taking note of, especially the ones where the king describes Shakuntala's beauty, her physical form and the lucky bee who can flutter about her so shamelessly and peck her on the cheek.

The work on any translation should be to not just allow someone unfamiliar with the original text's language to appreciate the work and its author, but also to entice them to read the original. This book does that.

[Rishik Kumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 stars for translation of Shakuntala but other translations were crass(perhaps, English has limited features to translate Sanskrit). Also, I liked how the translator has admired Kalidasa. I'm overcome by the feeling of learning Sanskrit and read Kalidasa's works.

[Emil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming book. Can't speak for the quality of the translation.

[Shubhika Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flawlessly beautiful ! *hearts*