A.J. Alston Libri

A translation of 202 of the songs attributed to the early sixteenth-century female bhakti poet Mīrābāi. These poems, widely loved in much of northern India, express an intense love for Krishna and are especially affecting when separation from the divine lover is the theme. Given the dearth of good, easily accessible translations of bhakti poetry, this volume is highly recommended for undergraduate libraries wherever Indian religions are taught. Dr.Alston is perhaps the first Western Indologist to offer a faithful but readable English translation of about two hundred stanzas (Padas) selected from the compositions of Mīrābāi. The translation is sober and entirely gratifying. In three introductory essays, Alston discusses the life and work of Mīrā (pp. 1-32). At the end of the collection of poems in translation he gives valuable terminal notes and explanations. These notes and annotations will be of great use to all students of Vaisnava (bhakti) and Puranic mythology.