Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan (1882) is a collection of
poems by Toru Dutt. Compiled after her death and published in London,
Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan is an invaluable work of art
from a pioneering figure in Indian history and Bengali literature. Born
in Calcutta to a family of Bengali Christians, Toru Dutt was raised at
the crossroads of English and Indian cultures. In addition to her native
Bengali, she became fluent in English, French, and Sanskrit as a young
girl, eventually writing novels and poems in each language. Despite her
limited body of work, Dutt's legacy as a groundbreaking writer remains
firm in India and around the world. "Savitri was the only child / Of
Madra's wise and mighty king; / Stern warriors, when they saw her,
smiled, / As mountains smile to see the spring." In rhyming English
verse, Bengali poet Toru Dutt presents some of the oldest and most
sacred stories from ancient India. Translated from Sanskrit into the
popular ballad form, Dutt introduces an English audience to the story of
Savitri, originally from the epic Mahabharata, as well as the tale of
Lakshman, which comes from the Hindu epic Ramayana. Alongside these
poems appear Dutt's versions of Bengali folklore-"Joghadhya Uma"-and
poems written during her stay in Europe. "Near Hastings" is a
particularly beautiful example of her original verse depicting an
otherworldly encounter along the English seacoast: "Near Hastings, on
the shingle-beach, / We loitered at the time / When ripens on the wall
the peach, / The autumn's lovely prime." With a beautifully designed
cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Toru Dutt's
Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan is a classic work of Bengali
literature reimagined for modern readers.
