कुमारसम्भवम् (महाकवि कालिदास - संस्कृत मूल एवं हिन्दी अनुवाद)

( 8 ) taken by surprise to see that he also uses the figures of sound whenever suitable for his text and this he does with great skill. Of the figures of sound alliteration ( अनुप्रास ) and repetition of syllables ( यमक ) are most common Thus, one can say that Kalidasa is a master of sense as well as of words These qualities have won for him an unqualified praise from Indian as well as foreign critics and poets In India he is regarded as "The lord of poets" ( कविकुलगुरु )* and his poetry as sweet as "honey-laden flowers "† He is an unrivalled poet‡ and his Shakuntala is the most charming of all dramas § Sir William Jones, who was the first to translate the Sha- kuntala into English, styles him as "the Indian Shakespeare' Professer Lassen pays his tribute to him by calling him "the brightest star in the firmament of Indian poetry," and the following compliment for the Shakuntala from Goethe, the great German poet is a well-known one — "Wouldst thou the young year’s blossoms and the fruits of its decline, And all by which the soul is charmed, enraptured, feasted, fed? Wouldst thou the earth and heaven itself in one sole name combine? I name thee, O Shakuntalâ, and all at once is said"

• "भासो हासः कविकुलगुरुः कालिदासो विलासः ।" जयदेव । † ‘निर्गतासु न वा कस्य कालिदासस्य सूक्तिषु । प्रीतिर्मधुरसार्द्रासु मञ्जरीष्विव जायते ॥" बाणभट्ट । ‡ "पुरा कवीनां गणनाप्रसङ्गे कनिष्ठिकाधिष्ठितकालिदासः । अद्यापि तत्तुल्यकवेरभावादनामिका सार्थवती बभूव ॥ § "काव्येषु नाटकं श्रेष्ठं तत्र रम्या शकुन्तला । तत्रापि चतुर्थोऽङ्कस्तत्र श्लोकचतुष्टयम् ॥"