The Birth of the War-God: A Poem by Kálidása

KalidasaProject Gutenberg · United StatesMar 2023

Rating 4.2

Word count: 123K words
Chapters: 13

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Birth of the War-God: A Poem by Kálidása by KalidasaAuthor: Kalidasa,Language: English, Class: PK: Language and Literatures: Indo-Iranian literatures, Release Date: Apr 12, 2010

Editor's review

The Birth of the War-God is an English translation of Kalidasa's celebrated long poem Kumarasambhava, released free by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain eBook, offering Chinese readers a low-threshold path into classical Sanskrit literature. Centered on the love of Shiva and Parvati and the birth of the war god Kumara, the work combines mythological narrative, religious philosophy, and exquisite description of nature; it is an important text for understanding the Indian epic-Purana tradition and classical poetics. This English translation has a somewhat Victorian style with long sentences, suited to readers willing to read slowly. Its value lies not in narrative suspense but in experiencing the layered unfolding of Sanskrit poetic imagery and how myth carries cosmic order and the tension between asceticism and desire. Enter with both literary-historical and mythological perspectives, and read it alongside selections from the two great Indian epics. As a free electronic edition, it is better suited as classroom support or a starting point for personal wandering through classical literature than as light reading for a smooth story.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers curious about classical Indian literature and mythology
Students and researchers of Sanskrit literature or comparative literature
Readers who want free public-domain eBooks of world literary classics
Literature lovers who can accept long English sentences and read poetry slowly

Not a good fit for

Casual readers hoping for an easy plot-driven novel
Learners whose English reading is not yet fluent and who are daunted by long sentences and proper names
Researchers expecting a modern vernacular translation or a fully annotated edition

Reading tips

Read the introduction or learn the background of the Kumara myth before entering the text, so proper names do not interrupt you.
Read in sections by chapter, reviewing imagery and plot development after each, rather than trying to finish in one go.
Consult a brief list of Indian mythological figures to compare the relationships among Shiva, Parvati, and others.
If the English translation is difficult, read a Chinese introductory article first, then return to the English text to feel the rhythm of the verse lines.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this a complete translation or an excerpt?

According to the Project Gutenberg page, the book is an English-translation eBook of Kalidasa's Kumarasambhava and a public-domain resource. Whether it contains all chapters should be checked against the eBook's table of contents; after downloading, look at the contents and translator's note first to judge the scope.

Can I read it without knowing Sanskrit?

Yes. This is an English translation, so no Sanskrit is required. But the poem contains many mythological figures and religious concepts, so learning the basic relationships among Shiva, Parvati, and Kumara beforehand will make reading much smoother.

Why does the English translation read awkwardly?

The translation carries the syntax and rhetoric of an earlier period of English poetry, with many long sentences and inversions; it is not a modern flowing prose style. Slowing down and reading by stanza is more effective than translating word by word.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Kalidasa Author

Kalidasa is one of the most celebrated poets and playwrights in the history of classical Sanskrit literature. Publicly available information about his life is limited, and neither his exact dates nor his birthplace can be confirmed. Three of his works are included in this collection: the drama Sakoontala Or, The Lost Ring: An Indian Drama, the translation anthology Translations of Shakuntala and Other Works, and the long poem The Birth of the War-God. Drawing on myth and legend, these works combine lyrical poetry with dramatic conflict, and their elegant language and rich imagery carry both emotional power and philosophical reflection. Sakoontala is the most widely known; through English translation it has had a lasting influence on later Indian literature and on Western awareness of Sanskrit literature, making it an important entry point for understanding the classical Indian dramatic and poetic tradition.