A beautiful and sensual dreamscape, The Loom of Time is a very engaging translation of 1st century sanskrit literature. The origins of the author Kalidasa may have been lost to time, but the imagery conjured in The Cloud Messenger is fresh and vibrant.
The play, The Recognition of Sakuntala, weaves humans into the nature surrounding them where they are governed by the elements and the whims of the gods. The exquisite descriptions of the characters and their environments really pulls you into the story. The translator has provided interesting and comprehensive annotations to help the reader to imagine how these works were originally received and made me very interested to see the stage version of this play.
This book is an accessible and enjoyable introduction to one of the most important authors in world literature.
Kalidasa was the most accomplished poet and playwright in classical Sanskrit literature. This collection features his best-known work: the great poem Meghadutam (The Cloud Messenger), a haunting depiction of longing and separation; the play Sakuntala, which describes the troubled love between a Lady of Nature and King Duhsanta; and the poem Rtusamharam (The Gathering of the Seasons), an exuberant observation of the sheer variety of the natural world as it teems with the energies of the great god Siva.
