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The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3 by or: Kisari Mohan Ganguli

o >> or: Kisari Mohan Ganguli >> The Mahabharata of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3




"'Duryodhana said, "Ye foremost of intelligent men, declare all of you,
without delay, your opinions! Under these circumstances, ye kings, what
is necessary and what is still more necessary?'"

"Sanjaya continued, 'When that prince of men had spoken those words,
those lions among men, seated on their thrones, made various gestures
expressive of their desire of battle. Observing the indications of those
who were all desirous of pouring their lives as libations on the
battle-fire, and beholding the monarch's face radiant as morning Sun, the
preceptor's son endued with intelligence and accomplished in speech, said
these words: "Enthusiasm, opportunity, skill and policy,--these are the
means declared by the learned, to be capable of accomplishing all ends.
They are, however, dependent on destiny. Those foremost of men we had on
our side, equal unto the celestials, mighty car-warriors all, possessed
of policy, devoted, accomplished, and loyal, have been slain. For all
that we should not despair of victory. If all these means be properly
applied, even destiny may be made propitious. All of us, therefore, O
Bharata, shall install Karna, that foremost of men, endued besides with
every accomplishment, in the command of the army! Making Karna our
commander, we shall crush our foes. This Karna is endued with great
might; he is a hero, accomplished in weapons, and incapable of defeat in
battle. Irresistible as Yama himself, he is quite competent to vanquish
our foes in battle!" Hearing these words from the preceptor's son, O
king, at that time, built great hopes on Karna. Cherishing the hope in
his heart that after the fall of Bhishma and Drona, Karna would vanquish
the Pandavas, and comforted (by it), O Bharata, Duryodhana then, filled
with joy at having heard those words of Ashvatthama, steadying his mind
and relying on the might of his arms, said unto Radha's son, O monarch,
these words that were fraught with affection and regard, and that were
true, delightful, and beneficial to himself: "O Karna, I know thy
prowess, and the great friendship thou bearest to me! For all that, O
mighty-armed one, I shall address the certain words that are for my good!
Having heard them, O hero, do that which may appear desirable to thee!
Thou art endued with great wisdom, and thou art even my supreme refuge!
Those two Atirathas that were my Generals, viz., Bhishma and Drona, have
been slain. Be thou my General, thou that art mightier than they! Both of
those great bowmen were advanced in years. They were, besides, partial to
Dhananjaya. Still both those heroes were respected by me, O son of Radha,
at thy word! Viewing his relationship of grandsire unto them, the sons of
Pandu, O sire, were spared in dreadful battle by Bhishma for ten
successive days! Thyself also having laid aside thy weapons, the valiant
Bhishma was slain in great battle by Phalguni with Shikhandi before him!
After that great bowman had fallen and betaken himself to his bed of
arrows, it was at thy word, O tiger among men, that Drona was made our
leader! By him also were the sons of Pritha spared, in consequence, as I
think, of their relationship unto him of pupils. That old man also has
been slain by Dhrishtadyumna more speedily. I do not see, even on
reflection, another warrior equal to thee in battle,--thee, that is,
whose prowess could not be measured by even those two foremost of
warriors that have been slain in the fight! Without doubt, thou alone
today art competent to win victory for us! Before, in the middle, and
later on, thou hast accordingly acted for our good. Therefore, like a
leader, it behoveth thee, in this battle, to bear the burden thyself.
Thyself install thy own self in the Generalship. Like the celestial
generalissimo, the lord Skanda of unfading prowess, (supporting the
celestial army), do thou support this Dhartarashtra host! Like Mahendra
slaying the Danavas, destroy thou all the throngs of our foes! Beholding
thee staying in battle, the Pandavas, those mighty car-warriors, will,
with the Pancalas, fly away from battle, like the Danavas at sight of
Vishnu. Do thou, therefore lead this vast force! When thou shalt stand
resolved on the field, the Pandavas of wicked hearts, the Pancalas, and
the Srinjayas, will all fly away with their friends. As the risen Sun,
scorching everything by his energy, destroyeth the thick gloom, even so
do thou destroy our foes!'"

"Sanjaya continued, 'Strong became that hope, O king, in the heart of thy
son, viz., that where Bhishma and Drona had been slain, Karna would
vanquish the Pandavas. Cherishing that hope within his heart, he said
unto Karna, "O Suta's son, Partha never wishes to fight, standing before
thee!" Karna said, "I have, O son of Gandhari, said before in thy
presence, even these words, vanquish all the Pandavas with their sons and
Janardana!' I shall become thy General. In this there is no doubt.
Tranquilise thyself, O monarch I Consider the Pandavas to be already
vanquished!'"

"Sanjaya continued, 'Thus addressed, O monarch, king Duryodhana then
stood up with all the monarchs, like He of a hundred sacrifices with the
gods, for honouring Karna with the command of the army, like the
celestials for honouring Skanda. Then, O monarch, all the kings headed by
Duryodhana, desirous of victory, installed Karna in the command,
according to the rites enjoined by the ordinance. With golden and earthen
jars filled to the brim with water and sanctified with mantras, with
tusks of elephants and horns of rhinoceroses and mighty bulls, with other
vessels decked with jewels and gems, with also fragrant herbs and plants,
and with other articles collected in abundance, Karna, seated at his ease
on a seat made of udumvara wood and overlaid with silken cloth, was
invested with the command, according to the rites in the scriptures.
Brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas, and respectable shudras, praised that
high-souled one after he was bathed on that excellent seat. Thus
installed in the command, O king, that slayer of foes, the son of Radha,
caused, by presents of Niskas and kine and other wealth, many foremost of
brahmanas to utter blessings on him. "Vanquish the Parthas with Govinda
and all their followers," even these were the words that the eulogists
and the brahmanas said (unto him), O bull among men! (And they also said)
"Slay the Parthas and the Pancalas, O son of Radha, for our victory, like
risen Sun ever destroying Darkness with his fierce rays! The son of Pandu
with Keshava are not able to even look at the shafts shot by thee, like
owls unable to gaze at the burning rays of the Sun! The Parthas with the
Pancalas are incapable of standing before thee armed with weapons, like
the danavas before Indra in battle!" Installed in the command, Radha's
son of incomparable splendour looked resplendent in beauty and radiance
like a second Sun. Having installed the son of Radha (thus) in the
command of the army, thy son, urged on by Death, regarded himself as one
who had his purpose accomplished. That chastiser of foes, Karna, also, O
king, having obtained the command, ordered the troops to be arrayed, at
the rise of the Sun. Surrounded by thy sons, O Bharata, Karna looked
resplendent like Skanda surrounded by the celestials, in the battle
having Saraka for its evil root.'"



11

"Dhritarashtra said, 'After having obtained the command of the army, and
after he had been addressed by the king himself in those sweet and
brotherly words, and after he had ordered the troops to be arrayed at the
hour of sunrise, tell me, O Sanjaya, what did Vikartana's son Karna do?'

"Sanjaya said, 'Having learnt Karna's wishes, thy sons, O bull of
Bharata's race, ordered the troops to be arrayed with joyful music. While
it still wanted a long period for the coming of the dawn, a loud noise of
"Array, Array!" O king, suddenly arose among thy troops. And the uproar
that arose, became tremendous and touched the very heavens, of foremost
of elephants and fenced cars while under process of equipment, of
foot-soldiers and steeds, O monarch, while putting on their armour or in
course of being harnessed, and of combatants moving with activity and
shouting unto one another! Then the Suta's son bearing a gold-backed bow
appeared (on the field) in his car possessed of the splendour of the
radiant Sun, crowned with many banners, equipped with a white standard,
with steeds of the hue of cranes, bearing the device of the elephants'
rope, filled with a hundred quivers, furnished with mace and wooden
fence, freighted with shataghnis and rows of bells and darts and lances
and spears, and supplied with many bows. And the Suta's son appeared on
the field, blowing his conch, O king; decorated with a net-work of gold,
and shaking his formidable bow adorned with pure gold. Beholding the
mighty bowman Karna, that foremost of car-warriors, seated on his car,
difficult of approach and resembling the risen Sun that destroys the
gloom, none amongst the Kauravas, O tiger among men, recked, O sire, the
loss of Bhishma or Drona or other men! Speeding the warriors, O sire,
with the blasts of his conch, Karna caused the vast army of the Kauravas
to be drawn out. Having arrayed the troops in the makara array, that
mighty bowman, that scorcher of foes, viz., Karna, proceeded against the
Pandavas from desire of victory. In the tip of the beak of that makara, O
king, was stationed Karna himself. In the two eyes were the brave Shakuni
and the mighty car-warrior Uluka. In the head was Drona's son and in the
neck were all the uterine brothers. In the middle was king Duryodhana
supported by a large force. In the left foot, O monarch, was stationed
Kritavarma accompanied by the Narayana troops, and those invincible
warriors, the gopalas. In the right foot, O king, was Gotama's son of
prowess incapable of being baffled, surrounded by those mighty bowmen
viz., the Trigartas and by the Southerners. In the left hind-foot was
stationed Shalya with a large force raised in the country of Madras. In
the right (hind-foot), O monarch, was Sushena of true vows, surrounded by
a 1,000 cars and 300 elephants. In the tail were the two royal brothers
of mighty energy, viz., Citra and Citrasena surrounded by a large force.

"'When, O great king, that foremost of men, Karna, thus came out, king
Yudhishthira the just, casting his eyes on Arjuna, said these words:
"Behold, O Partha, how the Dhartarashtra force, O hero, in this battle,
protected by heroes and mighty car-warriors, hath been arrayed by Karna!
This vast Dhartarashtra force hath lost its bravest warriors. They that
remain, O mighty-armed one, are feeble, equal, as I think, to straw! Only
one great bowman, viz., the Suta's son, shineth in it! That foremost of
car-warriors is incapable of being vanquished by the three worlds with
their mobile and immobile creatures, including the gods, Asuras and
Gandharvas, and the Kinnaras and great serpents! If thou slayest him
today, O mighty-armed one, the victory will be thine, O Phalguna! The
thorn also which for twelve years hath been planted in my heart will then
be plucked out! Knowing this, O thou of mighty arms, form thou the array
that thou wishest!" Hearing those words of his brother, that Pandava of
the white steeds disposed his army in counter array after the form of the
half moon. On the left side was stationed Bhimasena, and on the right was
stationed the great bowman Dhrishtadyumna. In the middle of the array
were the king and Dhananjaya the son of Pandu. Nakula and Sahadeva were
at the rear of king Yudhishthira the just. The two Pancala princes,
Yudhamanyu and Uttamauja, became the protectors of (Arjuna's) car wheels.
Protected by the diadem-decked Arjuna himself, they did not quit Arjuna
for a moment. The remaining kings, possessed of great courage, clad in
mail, stood in the array, each in the position assigned to him, according
to the measure of his enthusiasm and resolution, O Bharata. Having thus
formed their great array, O Bharata, the Pandavas, and the mighty bowmen
of thy army set their hearts on battle. Beholding thy army disposed into
battle array by the Suta's son in battle Duryodhana with all his brethren
regarded the Pandavas to be already slain. Similarly Yudhishthira, O
king, beholding the Pandava army disposed in array, regarded the
Dhartarashtras with Karna to be already slain. Then conches, and
kettle-drums, and tabours, and large drums, and cymbals, and Dindimas,
and Jharjharas, were loudly blown and beaten on all sides! Indeed, those
loud-sounding instruments were blown and beaten, O king, among both the
armies. Leonine roars also arose, uttered by brave warriors for victory.
And there also arose, O king, the noise of neighing steeds and grunting
elephants, and the fierce clatter of car-wheels. None, O Bharata, (in the
Kaurava army), at that time, felt the loss of Drona, seeing the great
bowman Karna clad in mail and stationed at the head of the array. Both
armies, O monarch, teeming with joyous men, stood, eager for battle and
(ready) to destroy each other without delay. There, the two heroes, viz.,
Karna and the son of Pandu, excited with wrath at sight of each other,
and both firmly resolved, stood or careered, O king, through their
respective divisions. The two armies, as they advanced to meet each
other, seemed to dance (in joy). From the wings and the side-wings of
both, warriors desirous of battle came forth. Then commenced the battle,
O monarch, of men, elephants, steeds, and cars, engaged in destroying one
another.'"



12

"Sanjaya said, 'Then those two vast armies, teeming with rejoicing men
and steeds and elephants, resembling in splendour the celestial and the
Asura hosts, meeting together, began to strike each other. Men, cars,
steeds, elephants, and foot-soldiers of fierce prowess, made sturdy
strokes destructive of bodies and sin. Lion-like men strewed the Earth
with the heads of lion-like men, each resembling the full moon or the sun
in splendour and the lotus in fragrance. Combatants cut off the heads of
combatants, with crescent-shaped and broad-headed shafts and razor-faced
arrows and axes, and battle-axes. The arms of men of long and massive
arms, cut off by men of long and massive arms, falling upon the Earth,
shone, decked with weapons and bracelets. With those writhing arms
adorned with red fingers and palms, the Earth looked resplendent as if
strewn with fierce five-headed snakes slain by Garuda. From elephants and
cars and steeds, brave warriors fell down, struck by foes, like the
denizens of heaven from their celestial cars on the exhaustion of their
merits. Other brave warriors fell down by hundreds, crushed in that
battle by brave combatants with heavy maces spiked clubs and short
bludgeons. Cars also, in that tumultuous fight, were crushed by cars, and
infuriate elephants by infuriate compeers, and horsemen by horsemen. Men
destroyed by cars, and cars by elephants, and horsemen by foot-soldiers,
and foot-soldiers by horsemen, dropped down on the field, as also cars
and steeds and foot-soldiers destroyed by elephants and cars and steeds
and elephants by foot-soldiers, and cars and foot-soldiers and elephants
by steeds and men and elephants by cars. Great was the carnage made of
car-warriors and steeds and elephants and men by men and steeds and
elephants and car-warriors, using their hands and feet and weapons and
cars. When that host was being thus struck and slain by heroic warriors
the Parthas, headed by Vrikodara, advanced against us. They consisted of
Dhrishtadyumna and Shikhandi and the five sons of Draupadi and the
Prabhadrakas, and Satyaki and Chekitana with the Dravida forces, and the
Pandyas, the Cholas, and the Keralas, surrounded by a mighty array, all
possessed of broad chests, long arms, tall statures, and large eyes.
Decked with ornaments, possessed of red teeth, endued with the prowess of
infuriate elephants, attired in robes of diverse colours, smeared with
powdered scents, armed with swords and nooses, capable of restraining
mighty elephants, companions in death, and never deserting one another,
equipped with quivers, bearing bows adorned with long locks, and
agreeable in speech were the combatants of the infantry files led by
Satyaki, belonging to the Andhra tribe, endued with fierce forms and
great energy. Other brave warriors such as the Cedis, the Pancalas, the
Kaikayas, the Karushas, the Kosalas, the Kanchis, and the Maghadhas, also
rushed forward. Their cars and steeds and elephants, all of the foremost
kind, and their fierce foot-soldiers, gladdened by the notes of diverse
instruments, seemed to dance and laugh. In the midst of that vast force,
came Vrikodara, riding on the neck of an elephant, and surrounded by many
foremost of elephant-soldiers, advancing against thy army. That fierce
and foremost of elephants, duly equipped, looked resplendent, like the
stone-built mansion on the top of the Udaya mountain, crowned with the
risen Sun. Its armour of iron, the foremost of its kind, studded with
costly gems, was as resplendent as the autumnal firmament bespangled with
stars. With a lance in his outstretched arm, his head decked with a
beautiful diadem, and possessed of the splendour of the meridian Sun at
autumn, Bhima began to burn his foes. Beholding that elephant from a
distance, Kshemadhurti, himself on an elephant, challenging, rushed
cheerfully towards Bhima who was more cheerful still. An encounter then
took place between those two elephants of fierce forms resembling two
huge hills topped with trees, each, fighting with the other as it liked.
Those two heroes, then, whose elephants thus encountered each other,
forcibly struck each other with lances endued with the splendour of solar
rays, and uttered loud roars. Separating, they then careered in circles
with their elephants, and each taking up a bow began to strike the other.
Gladdening the people around with their loud roars and the slaps on their
armpits and the whizz of this arrows, they continued to utter leonine
shouts. Endued with great strength, both of them, accomplished in
weapons, fought, using their elephants with upturned trunks and decked
with banners floating on the wind. Then each cutting off the other's bow,
they roared at each other, and rained on each other showers of darts and
lances like two masses of clouds in the rainy season pouring torrents of
rain. Then Kshemadhurti pierced Bhimasena in the centre of the chest with
a lance endued with great impetuosity, and then with six others, and
uttered a loud shout. With those lances sticking to his body, Bhimasena,
whose form then blazed with wrath, looked resplendent like the
cloud-covered Sun with his rays issuing through the interstices of that
canopy. Then Bhima carefully hurled at his antagonist a lance bright as
the rays of the Sun, coursing perfectly straight, and made entirely of
iron. The ruler of the Kulutas then, drawing his bow, cut off that lance
with ten shafts and then pierced the son of Pandu with sixty shafts. Then
Bhima the son of Pandu, taking up a bow whose twang resembled the roar of
the clouds, uttered a loud shout and deeply afflicted with his shafts the
elephants of his antagonist. Thus afflicted in that battle by Bhimasena
with his arrows, that elephant, though sought to be restrained, stayed
not on the field like a wind-blown cloud. The fierce prince of elephants
owned by Bhima then pursued his (flying) compeer, like a wind-blown mass
of clouds pursuing another mass driven by the tempest. Restraining his
own elephant valiant Kshemadhurti pierced with his shafts the pursuing
elephant of Bhimasena. Then with a well-shot razor-headed arrow that was
perfectly straight, Kshemadhurti cut off his antagonist's bow and then
afflicted that hostile elephant. Filled with wrath, Kshemadhurti then, in
that battle, pierced Bhima and struck his elephant with many long shafts
in every vital part. That huge elephant of Bhima then fell down, O
Bharata! Bhima, however, who had jumped down from his elephant and stood
on the Earth before the fall of the beast, then crushed the elephant of
his antagonist with his mace. And Vrikodara then struck Kshemadhurti
also, who, jumped down from his crushed elephant, was advancing against
him with uplifted weapon. Kshemadhurti, thus struck, fell down lifeless,
with the sword in his arm, by the side of his elephant, like a lion
struck down by thunder beside a thunder-riven hill. Beholding the
celebrated king of the Kulutas slain, thy troops, O bull of Bharata's
race exceedingly distressed, fled away.'"



13

"Sanjaya said, 'Then the mighty and heroic bowman Karna began to smite
the Pandava army in that battle, with his straight shafts. Similarly,
those great car-warriors, viz., the Pandavas, O king, filled with wrath,
began to smite the army of thy son in the very sight of Karna. Karna
also, O king, in that battle slew the Pandava army with his cloth-yard
shafts bright as the rays of the Sun and polished by the hands of the
smith. There, O Bharata, the elephants, struck by Karna with his shafts,
uttered loud cries, lost strength, became faint, and wandered on all
sides. While the army was being thus destroyed by the Suta's son, Nakula
rushed with speed against that mighty car-warrior. And Bhimasena rushed
against Drona's son who was engaged in the accomplishment of the most
difficult feats. Satyaki checked the Kaikaya princes Vinda and Anuvinda.
King Citrasena rushed against the advancing Srutakarman; and Prativindhya
against Citra owning a beautiful standard and a beautiful bow. Duryodhana
rushed against king Yudhishthira the son of Dharma; while Dhananjaya
rushed against the angry throngs of the samsaptakas. In that slaughter of
great heroes, Dhrishtadyumna proceeded against Kripa. The invincible
Shikhandi closed with Kritavarma. Srutakirti encountered Shalya, and
Madri's son, the valiant Sahadeva, O king, encountered thy son
Duhshasana. The two Kaikaya princes, in that battle, shrouded Satyaki
with a shower of blazing arrows, and the latter also, O Bharata, shrouded
the two Kaikaya brothers. Those two heroic brothers deeply struck Satyaki
in the chest like two elephants striking with their tusks a hostile
compeer in the forest. Indeed, O king, those two brothers, in that
battle, their own vitals pierced with shafts, pierced Satyaki of true
deeds with their shafts. Satyaki, however, O great king, covering all the
points of the compass with a shower of arrows and smiling the while,
checked the two brothers, O Bharata. Checked by those showers of arrows
shot by the grandson of Sini, the two brothers speedily shrouded the car
of Sini's grandson with their shafts. Cutting off their beautiful bows,
Saurin of great fame checked them both with his keen arrows in that
battle. Taking up two other beautiful bows, and a number of powerful
shafts, the two began to cover Satyaki and career with great activity and
skill. Shot by the two brothers, those mighty shafts equipped with the
feathers of the Kanka and the peacock and decked with gold, began to
fall, illumining all the points of the compass. In that dreadful battle
between them, O king, the arrows they shot caused a darkness there. Those
mighty car-warriors then cut off each other's bows. Then the invincible
Satwata, O king, filled with rage, took up another bow in that battle,
and stringing it, cut off Anuvinda's head with a keen razor-headed shaft.
Decked with earrings, that large head, O king, fell like the head of
Samvara slain in the great battle (of old). And it reached the Earth in
no time, filling all the Kaikayas with grief. Beholding that brave
warrior slain, his brother, the mighty car-warrior Vinda, stringing
another bow began to resist the grandson of Sini from every side.
Piercing with sixty arrows equipped with wings of gold and whetted on
stone, he uttered a loud shout and said, "Wait, Wait!" Then that mighty
car-warrior of the Kaikayas speedily struck Satyaki with many thousands
of shafts in his arms and chest. All his limbs wounded with arrows,
Satyaki, of prowess incapable of being baffled, looked resplendent in
that battle, O king, like a flowering Kinsuka. Pierced by the high-souled
Kaikaya in that encounter, Satyaki, with the greatest ease, pierced the
Kaikaya (in return) with five and twenty arrows. Then those two foremost
of car-warriors, having each cut off the other's handsome bow in that
encounter, and having each quickly slain the other's driver and steeds
approached each other on foot for a fight with swords. Both endued with
massive arms, they looked resplendent on that extensive arena, each
having taken up a shield decked with a hundred moons, and each armed with
an excellent sword, like Jambha and Sakra, both endued with great might,
in the battle between the gods and the Asuras (of old). Both of them, in
that great battle, then began to career in circles. And then they
speedily encountered each other in battle, each approaching the other
near. And each of them made great efforts for the destruction of the
other. Then Satwata cut in twain the shield of Kaikeya. The latter also,
O king, cut in twain the shield of Satyaki. Having cut off his
antagonist's shield covered with centuries of stars, Kaikeya began to
career in circles, advancing and receding (at times). Then the grandson
of Sini, endued with great activity, cut off by a sidestroke the prince
of the Kaikeyas thus careering in that great arena armed with excellent
sword. Cased in armour that great bowman, viz., the Kaikeya prince, O
king, thus cut off in twain in that great battle, fell down like a hill
riven with thunder. Having slain him in battle that foremost of
car-warriors that scorcher of foes, viz., the brave grandson of Sini
quickly got upon the car of Yudhamanyu. Afterwards riding upon another
car duly equipped (with everything), Satyaki began to slay with his
shafts the large force of the Kaikeyas. The vast army of the Kaikeyas,
thus slaughtered in battle, leaving that foe of theirs fled away on all
sides.'"

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Anonymous - "Genesis A"

Mrs Mary Spring Corning - "Miss Elliot's Girls"

William J. Locke - "Jaffery"

Various - "The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 33, June 24, 1897"

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

Theatre review: Three Women, Jermyn Street, London
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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.

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