446 Analysis of the llaghu Vans 1 a. [No. 6. 



A Latin translation was published by Stenzler in 1832, but by aim- 

 ing at strict literality, the spirit of the poem has been almost extin- 

 guished in the letter. His Latin style is very inelegant and very 

 deficient in perspicuity, so that it is sometimes almost as difficult to 

 ascertain the meaning of the translation as of the original. It retains 

 to a great extent the absurd system of the pandits in grouping a number 

 of words together.* 



To Kalidasa has been assigned the title of the Indian Shakspeare 

 on the authority of that prince of critics, Sir W. Jones. Schlegel writ- 

 ing of Kalidasa' s works, remarks : " the Drama of Sakuntala presents 

 through its oriental brilliancy of colouring, so striking a resemblance on 

 the whole to our romantic Drama, that it might be suspected the love 

 of Shakspeare had influenced the translator, if other orientalists had 

 not borne testimony to the fidelity of the translation." Shakspeare was 

 once as little noticed as Kalidasa is now, but with the advance of Orien- 

 tal literature he is destined " to emerge into universal celebrity." Both 

 Kalidasa and Shakspeare brought the Drama to perfection out of their 

 own original stores, independently of all models of Grecian authors. In 

 the case of both " their lives remain almost a blank, and their very name 

 a subject of contention." Shakspeare was neglected in England dur- 

 ing the period of the Commonwealth, when the liberal arts and litera- 

 ture were proscribed as if opposed to Christianity, but to use the 

 beautiful language of Schlegel " his fame was awhile obscured only to 

 shine forth again about the beginning of the last century with more 

 than its original brightness, and since then it has but increased in 

 lustre with the course of time ; and for centuries to come, it will like 

 an Alpine Avalanche continue to gather strength at every moment of 

 its progress." So will it be with Kalidasa : the educated natives 

 of this country are now all seized with Anglo-mania, as were our 

 forefathers with the classic mania, but the time is rapidly coming when 

 the importance of forming a vernacular literature on the Oriental model 

 will be felt, and as Germans brought prominently to view in England 

 the beauties of Shakspeare, so probably will European Orientalists bring 

 in India those of Sanskrit literature. 



There is one class of persons in this country, however, on whose ears 



* In 1849, a translation of the Raghu Vansa was made into modern Greek and 

 published by Mr. Typaldo, Ephore of the Library at Athens. 



