A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History, and Literature c5.775

c5.775

Lassen in his *Indische Alterthumskunde* says, “Kāli-dāsa may be considered as the brightest star in the firmament of Hindu artificial poetry. He deserves this praise on account of the mastery with which he wields the language, and on account of the consummate tact with which he imparts to it a more simple or more artificial form, according to the requirements of the subjects treated by him, without falling into the artificial diction of later poets or over-stepping the limits of good taste; on account of the variety of his creations, his ingenious conceptions, and his happy choice of subjects; and not less on account of the complete manner in which he attains his poetical ends, the beauty of his narrative, the delicacy of his sentiment, and the fertility of his imagination.” Many of his works have been translated, and there is a French translation of the whole by Fauche.