The period in Hindi literature known as ‘Chayavad’ marked a first blossoming of poetry in modern Hindi, which, for its originality, depth and technical resourcefulness, still remains unsurpassed in the language. This book provides a sampling of four major poets of this revival: Jayshankar Prasad, Nirala, Sumitranandan Pant, and Mahadevi Varma. The translations are mostly of their short lyrics. In the case of Nirala and Pant the poems have been selected both from the so-called Chayavad era as well as later. The difficult passages of each poem are individually footnoted to aid the reader, and brief explanatory notes are provided to explain the context and general significance of most poems. A general introduction to each poet, together with the notes and Rubin’s smooth translation, makes these poems more accessible to anyone interested in Indian literature in translation or otherwise.
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