A \ B \ C \ D \ E \ F \ G \ H \ I \ J \ K \ L \ M \ N \ O \ P \ R \ S \ T \ U \ V \ W \Z

The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 2 by or: Kisari Mohan Ganguli

o >> or: Kisari Mohan Ganguli >> The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 2




Sanjaya continued,--"Having said this, O monarch, Hari, the mighty Lord
of mystic power, then revealed to the son of Pritha his Supreme sovereign
form, with many mouths and eyes, many wonderous aspects, many celestial
ornaments, many celestial weapons uplifted, wearing celestial garlands
and robes, (and) with unguents of celestial fragrance, full of every
wonder, resplendent, infinite, with faces turned on all sides.[250] If
the splendour of a thousand suns were to burst forth at once in the sky,
(then) that would be like the splendour of that Mighty One. The son of
Pandu then beheld there in the body of that God of gods the entire
universe divided and sub-divided into many parts, all collected
together.[251] Then Dhananjaya, filled with amazement, (and) with hair
standing on end, bowing with (his) head, with joined hands addressed the
God.

"Arjuna said, 'I behold all the gods, O God, as also all the varied hosts
of creatures, (and) Brahman seated on (his) lotus seat, and all the
Rishis and the celestial snakes. I behold Thee with innumerable arms,
stomachs, mouths, (and) eyes, on every side, O thou of infinite forms.
Neither end nor middle, nor also beginning of thine do I behold, O Lord
of the universe, O thou of universal form. Bearing (thy) diadem, mace,
and discus, a mass of energy, glowing on all sides, do I behold thee that
art hard to look at, endued on all sides with the effulgence of the
blazing fire or the Sun, (and) immeasurable. Thou art indestructible,
(and) the Supreme object of this universe. Thou art without decay, the
guardian of eternal virtue. I regard thee to be the eternal (male) Being.
I behold thee to be without beginning, mean, end, to be of infinite
prowess, of innumerable arms, having the Sun and the Moon for thy eyes,
the blazing fire for thy mouth, and heating this universe with energy of
thy own. For the space betwixt heaven and earth is pervaded by Thee
alone, as also all the points of the horizon. At sight of this marvellous
and fierce form of thine, O Supreme Soul, the triple world trembleth. For
these hosts of gods are entering thee. Some, afraid, are praying with
joined hands. Saying Hail to Thee--the hosts of great Rishis and Siddhas
praise Thee with copious hymns of praise.[252] The Rudras, the Adityas,
the Vasus, they that (called) the Siddhas, the Viswas, the Aswins, the
Maruts, also the Ushmapas, the Gandharvas, the Yakshas, the Asuras, the
hosts of Siddhyas, behold Thee and are all amazed. Beholding Thy mighty
form with many mouths and eyes, O mighty-armed one, with innumerable
arms, thighs and feet, many stomachs, (and) terrible in consequence of
many tusks, all creatures are frightened and I also. Indeed, touching the
very skies, of blazing radiance, many-hued, mouth wide-open, with eyes
that are blazing and large, beholding thee, O Vishnu, with (my) inner
soul trembling (in fright), I can no longer command courage and peace of
mind. Beholding thy mouths that are terrible in consequence of (their)
tusks, and that are fierce (as the all-destroying fire at the end of the
Yuga), I cannot recognise the points of the horizon nor can I command
peace of mind. Be gracious, O God of gods, O thou that art the refuge of
the Universe. And all these sons of Dhritarashtra, together with the
hosts of kings, and Bhishma, and Drona, and also this Suta's son (Karna),
accompanied by even the principal warriors of our side, are quickly
entering thy terrible mouths rendered fierce by thy tusks. Some, with
their heads crushed, are seen striking at the interstices of (thy) teeth.
As many currents of water flowing through different channels roll rapidly
towards the ocean, so these heroes of the world of men enter thy mouths
that flame all around. As moths with increasing speed rush for (their
own) destruction to the blazing fire, so also do (these) people, with
unceasing speed, enter thy mouths for (their) destruction. Swallowing all
these men from every side, thou lickest them with thy flaming mouths.
Filling the whole universe with (thy) energy, thy fierce splendours, O
Vishnu, are heating (everything). Tell me who thou art of (such) fierce
form. I bow to thee, O chief of the gods, be gracious to me. I desire to
know thee that art the Primeval One, I do not understand thy action.'[253]

The Holy One said, "I am Death, the destroyer of the worlds, fully
developed. I am now engaged in slaying the race of men. Without thee all
these warriors standing in the different divisions shall cease to
be.[254] Wherefore, arise, gain glory, (and) vanquishing the foe, enjoy
(this) swelling kingdom. By me have all these been already slain. Be only
(my) instrument. O thou that can'st draw the bow with (even) the left
hand. Drona and Bhishma, and Jayadratha, and Karna, and also other heroic
warriors, (already) slain by me, do thou slay. Be not dismayed, fight;
thou shalt conquer in battle (thy) foes."

Sanjaya continued,--"Hearing these words of Kesava, the diadem-decked
(Arjuna), trembling, (and) with joined-hands, bowed (unto him); and once
more said unto Krishna, with voice choked up and overwhelmed with fear,
and making his salutations (to him).--

Arjuna said, "It is meet, Hrishikesa, that the universe is delighted and
charmed in uttering thy praise, and the Rakshasas flee in fear in all
directions, and the hosts of the Siddhas bow down (to thee). And why
should they not bow down to thee, O Supreme Soul, that are greater than
even Brahman (himself), and the primal cause? O thou that art Infinite. O
God of the gods, O thou that art the refuge of the universe, thou art
indestructible, thou art that which is, and that which is not and that
which is beyond (both). Thou art the First God, the ancient (male) Being,
thou art the Supreme refuge of this universe. Thou art the Knower, thou
art the Object to be known, thou art the highest abode. By thee is
pervaded this universe, O thou of infinite form.[255] Thou art Vayu,
Yama, Agni, Varuna, Moon, Prajapati, and Grandsire. Obeisance be to thee
a thousand times, and again and yet again obeisance to thee. Obeisance to
thee in front, and also from behind. Let obeisance be to thee from every
side, O thou that art all. Thou art all, of energy that is infinite, and
prowess that is immeasurable. Thou embracest the All. Regarding (thee) a
friend whatever hath been said by me carelessly, such as--O Krishna, O
Yadava, O friend,--not knowing this thy greatness from want of judgement
or from love either, whatever disrespect hath been shown thee for purpose
of mirth, on occasions of play, lying, sitting, (or) at meals, while
alone or in the presence of others, O undeteriorating one, I beg thy
pardon for it, that art immeasurable. Thou art the father of this
universe of mobiles and immobiles. Thou art the great master deserving of
worship. There is none equal to thee, how can there be one greater? O
thou whose power is unparalleled in even three worlds?[256] Therefore
bowing (to thee) prostrating (my) body, I ask thy grace, O Lord, O
adorable one. It behoveth thee. O God, to bear (my faults) as a father
(his) son's, a friend (his) friend's, a lover (his) loved one's.
Beholding (thy) form (unseen) before, I have been joyful, (yet) my mind
hath been troubled, with fear. Show me that (other ordinary) form, O God.
Be gracious, O Lord of the gods, O thou that art the refuge of the
universe. (Decked) in diadem, and (armed) with mace, discus in hand, as
before, I desire to behold thee. Be of that same four-armed form, O thou
of a thousand arms, thou of universal form."

"The Holy One said, 'Pleased with thee, O Arjuna, I have, by my (own)
mystic power, shown thee this supreme form, full of glory, Universal,
Infinite, Primeval, which hath been seen before by none save thee. Except
by thee alone, hero of Kuru's race, I cannot be seen in this form in the
world of men by any one else, (aided) even by the study of the Vedas and
of sacrifices, by gifts, by actions, (or) by the severest
austerities.[257] Let no fear be thine, nor perplexity of mind at seeing
this awful form of mine. Freed from fear with a joyful heart, thou again
see Me assuming that other form.'"

Sanjaya continued,--"Vasudeva, having said all this to Arjuna, once more
showed (him) his own (ordinary) form, and that High-Souled one, assuming
once more (his) gentle form, comforted him who had been afflicted."

"Arjuna said, 'Beholding this gentle human form of thine, O Janardana, I
have now become of right mind and have come to my normal state.'

"The Holy One said, 'This form of mine which thou hast seen is difficult
of being seen. Even the gods are always desirous of becoming spectators
of this (my) form. Not by the Vedas, nor by austerities, nor by gifts,
nor by sacrifices, can I be seen in this form of mine which thou hast
seen. By reverence, however, that is exclusive (in its objects), O
Arjuna, I can in this form be known, seen truly, and attained to, O
chastiser of foes. He who doth everything for me, who hath me for his
supreme object, who is freed from attachment, who is without enmity
towards all beings, even he, O Arjuna, cometh to me.'



SECTION XXXVI
[(Bhagavad Gita Chapter XII)]

"Arjuna said, 'Of those worshippers who, constantly devoted, adore thee,
and those who (meditate) on thee as the Immutable and Unmanifest, who are
best acquainted with devotion.'

"The Holy One said, 'Fixing (their) mind on me, they that constantly
adore me, being endued (besides) with the highest faith, are deemed by me
to be the most devoted. They, however, who worship the Immutable, the
Unmanifest, the All-pervading, the Inconceivable, the Indifferent, the
Immutable, the Eternal, who, restraining the entire group of the senses,
are equal-minded in respect of all around and are engaged in the good of
all creatures, (also) attain to me. The trouble is the greater for those
whose minds are fixed on the Unmanifest; for the path to the Unmanifest
is hard to find by those that are embodied. They (again) who, reposing
all action on me (and) regarding me as their highest object (of
attainment), worship me, meditating on me with devotion undirected to
anything else, of them whose minds are (thus) fixed on me, I, without
delay, become the deliverer from the ocean of (this) mortal world. Fix
thy heart on me alone, place thy understanding on me, Hereafter then
shalt thou dwell in me. (There is) no doubt (in this).[258] If however,
thou art unable to fix thy heart steadily on me, then, O Dhananjaya,
strive to obtain me by devotion (arising) from continuous application. If
thou beest unequal to even (this) continuous application, then let
actions performed for me be thy highest aim. Even performing all thy acts
for my sake, thou wilt obtain perfection. If even this thou art unable to
do, then resorting to devotion in me, (and) subduing thy soul, abandon
the fruit of all actions. Knowledge is superior to application (in
devotion); meditation is better than knowledge; the abandonment of the
fruit of reaction (is better) than meditation, and tranquillity (results)
immediately from abandonment. He who hath no hatred for any creature, who
is friendly and compassionate also, who is free from egoism, who hath no
vanity, attachment, who is alike in pleasure and pain, who is forgiving,
contented, always devoted, of subdued, soul, firm of purpose, with heart
and understanding fixed on me, even he is dear to me. He through whom the
world is not troubled, (and) who is not troubled by the world, who is
free from joy, wrath, fear and anxieties, even he is dear to me. That
devotee of mine who is unconcerned, pure, diligent, unconnected (with
worldly objects), and free from distress (of mind), and who renounceth
every action (for fruit), even he is dear to me.[259] He who hath no joy,
no aversion, who neither grieveth nor desireth, who renounceth both good
and evil, (and) who is full of faith in me, even he is dear to me. He who
is alike to friend and foe, as also in honour and dishonour, who is alike
in cold and heat, (and pleasure and pain), who is free from attachment,
to whom censure and praise are equal, who is taciturn, who is contented
with anything that cometh (to him), who is homeless, of steady mind and
full of faith, even that man is dear to me. They who resort to this
righteousness (leading to) immortality which hath been (already)
declared,--those devotees full of faith and regarding me as the highest
object (of their acquisition) are the dearest to me.'



SECTION XXXVII
[(Bhagavad Gita, Chapter XIII)]

"The Holy One said, 'This body, O son of Kunti, is called Kshetra. Him
who knoweth it, the learned call Kshetrajna.[260] Know me, O Bharata, to
be Kshetras. The knowledge of Kshetra and Kshetrajna I regard to be
(true) knowledge. What that Kshetra (is), and what (it is) like, and what
changes it undergoes, and whence (it comes), what is he (viz.,
Kshetrajna), and what his powers are, hear from me in brief. All this
hath in many ways been sung separately, by Rishis in various verses, in
well-settled texts fraught with reason and giving indications of Brahman.
The great elements, egoism, intellect, the unmanifest (viz., Prakriti),
also the ten senses, the one (manas), the five objects of sense, desire,
aversion, pleasure, pain, body consciousness, courage,--all this in brief
hath been declared to be Kshetra in its modified form. Absence of vanity,
absence of ostentation, abstention from injury, forgiveness, uprightness,
devotion to preceptor, purity, constancy, self-restraint, indifference to
objects of sense, absence of egoism, perception of the misery and evil of
birth, death, decrepitude and disease,[261] freedom from attachment,
absence of sympathy for son, wife, home, and the rest, and constant
equanimity of heart on attainment of good and evil, unswerving devotion
to me without meditation on anything else, frequenting of lonely places,
distaste for concourse of men,[262] constancy in the knowledge of the
relation of the individual self to the supreme, perception of the object
of the knowledge of truth,--all this is called Knowledge; all that which
is contrary to this is Ignorance.[263] That which is the object of
knowledge I will (now) declare (to thee), knowing which one obtaineth
immortality. [It is] the Supreme Brahma having no beginning, who is said
to be neither existent nor non-existent; whose hands and feet are on all
sides, whose eyes, heads and faces are on all sides, who dwells pervading
everything in the world, who is possessed of all the qualities of the
senses (though) devoid of the senses, without attachment (yet) sustaining
all things, without attributes (yet) enjoying (a) all attributes,[264]
without and within all creatures, immobile and mobile, not knowable
because of (his) subtlety, remote yet near, undistributed in all beings,
(yet) remaining as if distributed, who is the sustainer of (all) beings,
the absorber and the creator (of all); who is the light of all luminous
bodies, who is said to be beyond all darkness; who is knowledge, the
Object of knowledge, the End of knowledge and seated in the hearts of
all. Thus Kshetra, and Knowledge, and the Object of Knowledge, have been
declared (to thee) in brief. My devotee, knowing (all) this, becomes one
in spirit with me. Know that Nature and Spirit are both without beginning
(and) know (also) that all modifications and all qualities spring from
Nature.[265] Nature is said to be the source of the capacity of enjoying
pleasures and pains.[266] For Spirit, dwelling in nature enjoyeth the
qualities born of Nature. The cause of its births in good or evil wombs
is (its) connection with the qualities.[267] The Supreme Purusha in this
body is said to be surveyor, approver, supporter, enjoyer, the mighty
lord, and also the Supreme Soul.[268] He who thus knows Spirit, and
Nature, with the qualities, in whatever state he may be, is never born
again. Some by meditation behold the self in the self by the self; others
by devotion according to the Sankhya system; and others (again), by
devotion through works. Others yet not knowing this, worship, hearing of
it from others. Even these, devoted to what is heard, cross over
death.[269] Whatever entity, immobile or mobile, cometh into existence,
know that, O bull of Bharata's race, to be from the connection of Kshetra
and Kshetrajna (matter and spirit). He seeth the Supreme Lord dwelling
alike in all beings, the Imperishable in the Perishable. For seeing the
Lord dwelling alike everywhere, one doth not destroy[270] himself by
himself, and then reacheth the highest goal. He seeth (truly) who seeth
all actions to be wrought by nature alone in every way and the self
likewise to be not the doer. When one seeth the diversity of entities as
existing in one, and the issue (everything) from that (One), then is one
said to attain to Brahma. This inexhaustible Supreme Self, O son of
Kunti, being without beginning and without attributes, doth not act, nor
is stained even when stationed in the body. As space, which is
ubiquitous, is never, in consequence of its subtlety tainted, so the
soul, stationed in every body, is never tainted.[271] As the single Sun
lights up the entire world, so the Spirit, O Bharata, lights up the
entire (sphere of) matters. They that, by the eye of knowledge, know the
distinction between matter and spirit, and the deliverance from the
nature of all entities, attain to the Supreme.[272]



SECTION XXXVIII
[(Bhagavad Gita Chapter XIV)]

"The Holy One said, 'I will again declare (to thee) that supernal science
of sciences, that excellent science, knowing which all the munis have
attained to the highest perfection from (the fetters of) this body.[273]
Resorting to this science, and attaining to my nature, they are not
reborn even on (the occasion of) a (new) creation and are not disturbed
at the universal dissolution. The mighty Brahma is a womb for me. Therein
I place the (living) germ. Thence, O Bharata, the birth of all beings
taketh place. Whatever (bodily) forms, O son of Kunti, are born in all
wombs, of them Brahma is the mighty womb, (and) I the seed-imparting
Sire.[274] Goodness, passion, darkness, these qualities, born of nature,
bind down, O thou of mighty arms, the eternal embodied [soul] in the
body.[275] Amongst these, Goodness, from its unsullied nature, being
enlightening and free from misery, bindeth (the soul), O sinless one,
with the attainment of happiness and of knowledge. Know that passion,
having desire for its essence, is born of thirst and attachment. That, O
son of Kunti, bindeth the embodied (soul) by the attachment of work.
Darkness, however, know, is born of ignorance, (and) bewilders all
embodied [soul]. That bindeth, O Bharata, by error, indolence, and sleep.
Goodness uniteth (the soul) with pleasure; Passion, O Bharata, uniteth
with work; but darkness, veiling knowledge, uniteth with error. Passion
and darkness, being repressed, Goodness remaineth, O Bharata. Passion and
goodness (being repressed), darkness (remaineth); (and) darkness and
goodness (being repressed), passion (remaineth). When in this body, in
all its gates, the light of knowledge is produced, then should one know
that goodness hath been developed there. Avarice, activity, performance
of works, want of tranquillity, desire,--these, O bull of Bharata's race,
are born when passion is developed. Gloom, inactivity, error, and
delusion also,--these, O son of Kuru's race, are born when darkness is
developed. When the holder of a body goeth to dissolution while goodness
is developed, then he attaineth to the spotless regions of those that
know the Supreme. Going to dissolution when passion prevails, one is born
among those that are attached to work. Likewise, dissolved during
darkness, one is born in wombs that beget the ignorant. The fruit of good
action is said to be good and untainted. The fruit, however, of passion,
is misery; (and) the fruit of Darkness is ignorance. From goodness is
produced knowledge; from passion, avarice; (and) from darkness are error
and delusion, and also ignorance. They that dwell in goodness go on high;
they that are addicted to passion dwell in the middle; (while) they that
are of darkness, being addicted to the lowest quality, go down. When an
observer recognises none else to be an agent save the qualities, and
knows that which is beyond (the qualities), he attaineth to my nature.
The embodied [soul], by transcending these three qualities which
constitute the source of all bodies, enjoyeth immortality, being freed
from birth, death, decrepitude, and misery.'[276]

"Arjuna said, 'What are indications, O Lord, of one who hath transcended
these three qualities? What is his conduct? How also doth one transcend
these three qualities?"

"The Holy One said, 'He who hath no aversion for light, activity, and
even delusion, O son of Pandu, when they are present, nor desireth them
when they are absent,[277] who, seated as one unconcerned, is not shaken
by those qualities; who sitteth and moveth not, thinking that it is the
qualities (and not he) that are engaged (in their respective functions);
to whom pain and pleasure are alike, who is self-contained, and to whom a
sod of earth, a stone, and gold are alike; to whom the agreeable and the
disagreeable are the same; who hath discernment; to whom censure and
praise are the same; to whom honour and dishonour are the same; who
regardeth friend and foe alike; who hath renounced all exertion--is said
to have transcended the qualities. He also who worshippeth Me with
exclusive devotion, he, transcending those qualities, becometh fit for
admission into the nature of Brahma. For I am the stay of Brahma, of
immortality, of undestructibility, of eternal piety, and of unbroken
felicity.'[278]



SECTION XXXIX
[(Bhagavad Gita Chapter XV)]

"The Holy One said, 'They say that the Aswattha, having its roots above
and branches below, is eternal, its leaves are the Chhandas. He who
knoweth it, knoweth the Vedas.[279] Downwards and upwards are stretched
its branches which are enlarged by the qualities; its sprouts are the
objects of senses. Downwards its roots, leading to action, are extended
to this world of men.[280] Its form cannot here (below) be thus known,
nor (its) end, nor (its) beginning, nor (its) support. Cutting, with the
hard weapon of unconcern, this Aswattha of roots firmly fixed, then
should one seek for that place repairing whither one returneth not again
(thinking)--I will seek the protection of that Primeval Sire from whom
the ancient course of (worldly) life hath flowed.--Those that are free
from pride and delusion, that have subdued the evil of attachment, that
are steady in the contemplation of the relation of the Supreme to the
individual self, from whom desire hath departed, freed from the pairs of
opposites known by the names of pleasure and pain (and the like), repair,
undeluded, to that eternal seat. The sun lighteth not that [seat], nor
the moon, nor fire. Whither going none returneth, that is my supreme
seat. An eternal portion of Me is that which, becoming an individual soul
in the world of life, draweth to itself the (five) senses with the mind
as the sixth which all depend on nature. When the sovereign (of this
bodily frame) assumeth or quitteth (a) body, it departeth taking away
these, like the wind (taking away) perfumes from their seats. Presiding
over the ear, the eye, (the organs of) touch, taste, and smell, and also
over the mind, he enjoyeth all objects of senses. They that are deluded
do not see (him) when quitting or abiding in (the body), when enjoying or
joined to the qualities. They (however) see that have the eye of
knowledge.[281] Devotees exerting (towards that end) behold him dwelling
in themselves. They (however) that are senseless and whose minds are not
restrained, behold him not, even while exerting (themselves).[282] That
splendour dwelling in the sun which illumines the vast universe, that
(which is) in the moon, and that (which is) in the fire, know that
splendour to be mine. Entering into the earth I uphold creatures by my
force; and becoming the juicy moon I nourish all herbs.[283] Myself
becoming the vital heat (Vaiswanara) residing in the bodies of creatures
that breathe, (and) uniting with the upward and the downward
life-breaths, I digest the four kinds of food.[284] I am seated in the
hearts of all. From Me are memory and knowledge and the loss of both. I
am the objects of knowledge to be known by (the aid of) all the Vedas. I
am the author of the Vedantas, and I alone am the knower of the
Vedas.[285] There are these two entities in the world, viz., the mutable
and the immutable. The mutable is all (these) creatures. The unchangeable
one is called the immutable.[286] But there is another, the Supreme
Being, called Paramatman, who was the Eternal Lord, pervading the three
worlds, sustaineth (them) (and) since I transcend the mutable, and am
higher than even the immutable; for this I am celebrated in the world
(among men) and in the Veda as Purushottama (the Highest Being). He who,
without being deluded, knoweth Me as this Highest Being,--he knowing all,
O Bharata, worshippeth Me in every way.[287] Thus, O sinless one, hath
this knowledge, forming the greatest of mysteries, been declared by Me
(to thee). Knowing this, O Bharata, one will become gifted with
intelligence, and will have done all he needs do.'

Copyright (c) 2007. bestextbooks.com. All rights reserved.

Albert Venn Dicey - "England's Case Against Home Rule"

Various - "Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 103, November 12, 1892"

W.B. Yeats - "The Land Of Heart's Desire (Little Blue Book#335)"

L. Leslie Brooke - "The Golden Goose Book"

Obituary: Donald Westlake
Articles published by guardian.co.uk Books

Theatre review: Three Women, Jermyn Street, London
Obituary: Prolific crime novelist, Oscar-nominated screenwriter and man of many pseudonyms

Obama to feature in Marvel comic

We do not know the women's names, but their voices are quite distinct. All are pregnant. But while the first woman awaits the birth of her baby with a moon-like serenity, the other two are not so lucky. One, whose previous pregnancies have failed to go to term, is experiencing a heartbreaking late miscarriage; the other is a young student whose accidental pregnancy will end in her child being put up for adoption.

Sylvia Plath's only play was never intended for the stage, being broadcast instead on BBC radio in August 1962. Less than six months later, Plath killed herself, but not before the burst of astonishing creative energy that produced her extraordinary, terrifying Ariel poems.

Anyone who knows Plath's poetry will see the connection between Three Women and Plath's subsequent poems, particularly in the way she talks about the agony of childbirth, the rush of love for this tiny alien being, and both the wonder and wounded rawness of motherhood. It is a beautiful piece, full of startling imagery that draws you in through the sheer intensity of its femaleness, and because it so precisely articulates the emotions that are often thought but seldom voiced by women - certainly not in the early 1960s - about men, motherhood and our relationship to our bodies.

It's been 20 years since there has been an attempt at a professional stage version and - in a theatre world that happily accepts the poetic offerings of Sarah Kane and Debbie Tucker Green, or the staged possibilities of The Waves, one of Plath's own inspirations for the piece, I see no reason why it shouldn't be brought to life. Sadly, it doesn't breathe here, in a production by Robert Shaw that is clearly a labour of love, but which never finds a way to give the internal a physical reality. Plath's poetry, like most babies, is more robust than it appears - and won't break if treated with a little less reverence and considerably more grit.

Instead, what we are offered is tinkling piano music, mournful mood lighting, an innocuous pale setting, as well as three perfectly good but indisputably ladylike performances that capture none of the wounded redness of Plath's poetry, and do her the disservice of making her sound bleached and somewhat prissy. It's a pity. What might have been a wonder ends up a mere curiosity.

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds