The Loom of Time: A Selection of His Plays and Poems

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. "Set on a Bengali noble's estate in 1908, this is both a love story and a novel of political awakening. The central character, Bimala, is torn between the duties owed to her husband, Nikhil, and the demands made on her by the radical leader, Sandip. Her attempts to resolve the irreconciliable pressures of the home and world reflect the conflict in India itself, and the tragic outcome foreshadows the unrest that accompanied Partition in 1947"--Publisher description