The Memory of Love: Surdas Sings to Krishna - Softcover

Hawley, John Stratton

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195373995 ISBN 13: 9780195373998

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2009

Synopsis

No Hindu god is closer to the soul of poetry than Krishna, and in North India no poet ever sang of Krishna more famously than S?rdD=as-or S?r, for short. He lived in the sixteenth century and became so influential that for centuries afterward aspiring Krishna poets signed their compositions orally with his name.

This book takes us back to the source, offering a selection of S?rd=as's poems that were known and sung in the sixteenth century itself. Here we have poems of war, poems to the great rivers, poems of wit and rage, poems where the poet spills out his disappointments. Most of all, though, we have the memory of love-poems that adopt the voices of the women of Krishna's natal Braj country and evoke the power of being pulled into his irresistible orbit. Following the lead of several old manuscripts, Jack Hawley arranges these poems in such a way that they tell us Krishna's life story from birth to full maturity.

These lyrics from S?r's Ocean (the S?rs=agar) were composed in the very tongue Hindus believe Krishna himself must have spoken: Brajbh=as=a, the language of Braj, a variety of Hindi. Hawley prepares the way for his verse translations with an introduction that explains what we know of S?rd=as and describes the basic structure of his poems. For readers new to Krishna's world or to the subtleties of a poet like S?rd=as, Hawley also provides a substantial set of analytical notes. "S?r is the sun," as a familiar saying has it, and we feel the warmth of his light in these pages.

About this title

About the Author:

John Stratton Hawley is Professor of Religion at Barnard College, Columbia University.

Review:

"The songs of S?rd=as are presented here with a radiant lyricism that gives the reader a direct encounter with the 'sun' of Hindi's poetic firmament. Each poem is given the space to stand alone as a fine lyrical moment, while being discreetly supported by Hawley's perceptive annotations. An added title contextualizes each song, and an authoritative introduction helps the reader understand the complex background from which this sublime poetry has emerged."
--Rupert Snell, Associate Director, Hindi Urdu Flagship, University of Texas at Austin

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0195373995
• ISBN 13: 9780195373998
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304