ABSTRACT
The courts of ancient and medieval India delighted in eloquent speech. Words of counsel, as well as erotic and philosophical musings, were recited before the king in witty and elegant language. Among the languages of ancient India, Sanskrit and Tamil had the most highly developed linguistic structures and literary means. Within the cultures of both languages, the systems of grammar and poetics were the foundation for poetic activity. Lyric was especially prized among the forms of poetry. Lyric poetry in Sanskrit is defined as a form—kavya, “imaginative literature.” A great deal of Sanskrit literature is written in verse, but would not qualify as kavya. In contrast with epic poetry, which is characterized by redundancy of words and formulas and a pace carefully measured to the listening audience, kavya poetry is marked by a brilliant condensation of independent stanzas, metrical complexity, compound words, and intricate figures of speech.
