Songs of Ecstasy

This book offers the first English translation of a body of highly esoteric, mystical poetry and songs associated with the Khartabhajas - a Bengali sect devoted to Tantrism, an Indian religious movement that employs deliberately shocking sexual language and rituals. The period from the late eighteenth to the early nineteenth century, during which these lyrics were written, was an era of change, experimentation, and transition from the older medieval styles to the new literary forms of "modern" Bengal. The highly original songs presented here are an important part of this transitional period, reflecting the search for new literary forms and experimentation in new poetic styles.