2 h 32 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 2 h 32 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What holds a vow firm when love and duty ask more than anyone should have to give?
In Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan, Toru Dutt retells stories from Sanskrit epics, the Puranas and Bengali tradition. The opening ballad, Savitri, follows a princess who chooses her own husband. Across these narrative poems, wives, sons, brothers and children face the cost of staying faithful to those they love.
Dhruva introduces a small prince pushed aside by his father's second wife. Jogadhya Uma turns to a Bengal legend linked to a temple of Uma, a form of Durga. Dutt brings these tales into English ballad verse, with steady beats, rhyme and direct scenes. Short lyrics draw the reader toward memory and a tree in her family garden.
What you’ll discover
- A princess who chooses Meet Savitri, whose choice of husband opens a story of love and devotion.
- A young prince set aside Follow Dhruva into a tale where childhood hurt meets the demands of faith.
- Bengal beyond the epics Explore Jogadhya Uma, a local legend rooted in Bengal and its goddess tradition.
- Stories with a steady beat Let regular rhythms and rhymed patterns carry you through short, direct scenes.
- Memory beside myth Turn from heroic devotion to intimate lyrics, including a tree in the poet's family garden.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy tales told in rhyme, the old Indian legends, and strong heroines. It suits anyone curious about how one poet joined two worlds.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Savitri chooses a husband the sages warn against
- Love and duty walk with Death
- Savitri wins the god of death by wisdom
- Two short ballads of anger and of awe
- The hermit and the hind, and the boy who became a star
- Buttoo and Sindhu show courage under injustice
- Prehlad defies a tyrant and his own fear
- The poet's own world: Sita, France and a tree at home
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Ballades et légendes anciennes de l’Inde
by Toru Dutt · 1882
A princess follows Death into the dark forest and argues her husband back to life, in verse.
Medium level2–5 hours to readfrançais
Excellent
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In short
What does a young woman say to Death when he comes for her husband? In the first poem of this book, Savitri does not simply beg.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Savitri chooses a husband the sages warn against
The book opens with Savitri, the only child of the king of Madra. Her father has longed for her through years of prayer, and he lets her roam as she pleases. She walks in the woods and learns from the old sages. Her charm is a purity so plain that no man can look at her with a base thought.
One summer morning she sees a tall young man among the sons of the hermits. His name is Satyavan. His father was once a king, but he is now blind, driven from his throne, and living in the forest. Savitri carries her new feeling home.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1882
- Language
- français
- Reading time
- 1 h 40 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Dutt, Toru. Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/ancient-ballads-and-legends-of-hindustan.
Dutt, T. (2026). Ancient ballads and legends of Hindustan. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/ancient-ballads-and-legends-of-hindustan (Original work published 1882)
Dutt, Toru. Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/ancient-ballads-and-legends-of-hindustan.
@book{dutt2026ancient,
author = {Dutt, Toru},
title = {Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/ancient-ballads-and-legends-of-hindustan},
note = {First published 1882}
}
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What is Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan about?
It is a book of verse that retells tales from Indian epics and the Vishnu Purana, such as Savitri, Prehlad and Dhruva, and adds poems from the poet's own life, including sonnets and a tribute to a tree.
Who was Toru Dutt?
She was a young poet from Calcutta who wrote in English and French and spent time in Europe. She died in 1877. This book of retold legends and personal poems is the work for which she is best remembered.
Who is Savitri in the first poem?
She is the only child of the king of Madra. She chooses Satyavan, a hermit's son, though a sage warns her that he has one year to live, and she meets Death in the forest.
The author
Toru Dutt
1856–1877 · Bengali poet and translator
Toru Dutt (1856–1877) was a Bengali poet and translator. She wrote in English and French. Born in Calcutta, she lived in France and England before returning to India. A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields appeared in 1876. Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan was published after her death, in 1882.
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