A History of Indian Literature v3.c35.s8.126

v3.c35.s8.126

In the way the Sattasaī of Hāla is the chief work of Prākrit love lyric, we can consider the Amaruśataka as the main work of erotic lyric of Sanskrit. The common feature of the Amaruśataka and Sattasaī is that every individual stanza is a complete poem in itself in both of them. It is a thing that properly holds good for the whole of Indian lyric and didactic poetry, including works like Meghadūta or Ṛtusaṁhāra, where a long series of several stanzas is expressive of a single idea. This is especially the case with the śatakas or "centuries", that is to say, in collections of stanzas counted in hundreds³. Like the lyric strophes of the Sattasaī, those of the Amaruśataka too are in majority of cases miniature paintings from amorous life, however, in an environment that is quite different from the one that we have known from the Sattasaī. But as there, so here too, the talk is about separation and parting, about grievances and resentment; more frequently, however, it is about wilful surrender and affectionate embraces. The lays of Amaru have become considerably known [ in Germany ] through translations. Friedrich Rückert has already translated into German a portion of it under the title “38 Liedchen von Amaru.”} Very often these songs have later evoked the talents of translators. A small selection is given below as a representation of the character of these poems:—