Abstract:
Since ancient times clouds have been seen as aerial messengers offering signs about the state of the world and its meanings. In the fourth century Sanskrit poem ‘Megha Dhuta’ or ‘Cloud Messenger’ by the poet Kalidasa, a message of the sorrying love of an exile for his wife is transported by the Cloud Messenger, an act of reassurance. Its setting is the seasonal time of oncoming storms heralding the rainy season. ‘Camped inside the sacred grove The King’s body forges on,/my restless mind streams back/A silken banner borne against the wind.’ And the cloud is performing a journey of goodness and mercy as the king sings with sadness, dedication and truth from within the grove.
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