k to anticipate the critics, nor to deprecate their
animadversions, by pointing out the beauties of the poet, or
particularising the defects of him and his translator. That the former
will be appreciated, and the latter kindly dealt with, late experience
makes me confident; so that now, in the words of the Manager in the
Prelude to the HERO AND THE NYMPH, "I have only to request the
audience that they will listen to this work of KALIDASA with attention
and kindness, in consideration of its subject and respect for the
Author."

ADDERLEY LIBRARY, MARLBOROUGH COLLEGE,
_April, 1853_.

PRELIMINARY NOTE.

PRONUNCIATION.

As a general rule, the Sanskrit vowels are to be sounded like those of
the Italian alphabet, except the short or unaccented _a_, which has
the sound of that letter in the word _America_: "_pandit_," a learned
man, being pronounced _pundit_.

_a_, long or accented like _a_ in _father_.
_e_ like _e_ in _they_.
_i_, short or unaccented, like _i_ in _pick_.
_i_, long or accented like _i_ in _pique_.
_o_ like _o_ in _go_.
_u_, short or unaccented, like _u_ in _full_.
_u_, long or accented like _u_ in _rule_.

The diphthongs _ai_ and _au_ are pronounced severally like _i_ in
_rise_ and _ou_ in _our_.

The consonants are sounded as in English. In the aspirates, however,
the sound of _h_ is kept distinct; _dh_, _th_, _ph_, _bh_, &c., being
pronounced as in _red-hot_, _pent-house_, _up-hill_, _abhor_, &c. _G_
is always hard, whatever vowel follows.

In HIMALAYA the accent is on the _second_ syllable.

THE
BIRTH OF THE WAR-GOD.

Canto First.

_UMA'S NATIVITY._

Far in the north HIMALAYA, lifting high
His towery summits till they cleave the sky,
Spans the wide land from east to western sea,
Lord of the hills, instinct with deity.
For him, when PRITHU ruled in days of old
The rich earth, teeming with her gems and gold,
The vassal hills and MERU drained her breast,
To deck HIMALAYA, for they loved him best;
And earth, the mother, gave her store to fill
With herbs and sparkling ores the royal hill.
Proud mountain-king! his diadem of snow
Dims not the beauty of his gems below.
For who can gaze upon the moon, and d