the laxity of Puranas. It is also characterised by brevity and perspicuity. His similes are charming, appropriate and natural. Delineation of characters, faithful to the minutest point and within the shortest compass imaginable, is the peculiar characterstic of his poetry." In his writings there is unaffected simplicity of expression. His language is simple and fluent and rich with similes and general truths. His choice of metres is consistent with the ruling sentiment. With no exaggeration he is praised for his happy selection of subjects and the amicable development and beautiful repre- sentation of the matter which delicately reveal the tenderness of feelings and poetical fancy of a very high order. To put in a nutshell, it can be safely stated that his poetical produc- tions which stand as an immortal monument of his unsurpassed poetic elegance have brought Sanskrit poetry to the highest refinement based on purity of style in spite of extravagant colouring.
None whosoever had the fortune to read and appreciate the poetry of this prince of the Indian poets, can resist to admire its mysteriously picturesque character which has evoked "spontaneous outpourings of praise" from foreign scholars who had access to it either directly or through English versions. Being spelled with the charms of his Muse and poetic genius, Goethe, who was the foremost rider on the wings of poesy in the land of Germany, has bestowed the highest meed of praise on Kalidasa. "Nature must be the life and essence of poetry" is the motto of our poet's poetry and in this respect he may be compared with the great poet Wordsworth. He is a very critical observer of Nature and every student of Kalidasa feels so when coming across the delightful description of the cliffs of the Himalayas decked with snowy diadems, the lofty peaks of Kailasa, the fragrant breezes blowing, the heavenly Ganges, the mountain lake and similar spectacles of Nature. "He shows an acquaintance with China pottery and silk and refers to the true causes of eclipse and the influence of the moon over tides." His queenly heroines write their love letters on the bark of the birch tree with mineral dyes or on lotus leaves with their nails. His works abound in pithy and pregnant generalisations which strike every reader with their vivid and impressive truths which are both touching and didactic.
What impresses us in Kalidasa's works is their free- dom from immaturity, but this freedom must have been the
