Epic
The Legends of the Panjâb
Richard Carnac Temple · 1884
Synopsis
Legends and ballads sung in the villages of the Punjab, taken down from the dictation of bards. We follow the adventures of Raja Rasalu, the life of Guru Gugga, of Puran Bhagat or of Raja Gopi Chand, the love affairs of Princess Niwal Dai and the marriage of Hir and Ranjha, alongside songs in praise of saints such as Sakhi Sarwar, a hymn to Abdu'l-Qadir Jilani and the genealogies of Lal Beg, which were passed down by the sweepers.
Context
The collector had singers of all kinds come to him, wandering jogis, mirasis, bhats, let them recite their three or four hundred lines in one go, then transcribed the text in Latin characters and translated it word for word, as he explains in his preface. The whole appeared in Bombay in three volumes, dated from 1883 to 1890 (from 1884 to 1900 according to the catalogues). The book was reprinted in New York in 1977.
Who it is for
In English, with the original text transcribed; a folklorist's compendium, to be read in pieces rather than in one go.
Prizes and reception
The collection still serves as a reference for the oral poetry of the Punjab; Arno Press reprinted it in 1977.
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