Title: Songs of love, poems of sadness : the erotic verse of the Sixth Dalai Lama /
Authors: Tshangs-dbyangs-rgya-mtsho, 1683-1706.; Williams, Paul, 1950-
Publisher: I. B. Tauris,
Year: 2004
Subjects: Tshangs-dbyangs-rgya-mtsho, Translations into English.; Tshangs-dbyangs-rgya-mtsho, Criticism and interpretation.; Love poetry, Tibetan Translations into English.; Erotic poetry, Tibetan Translations into English.
Abstract: The Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso (1683-1706), refused to take full monastic vows, returned the vows that he had already taken, and loved alcohol, archery, and women with a passion that perhaps suggests he had a premonition of his early death at the age of twenty-four. He also wrote a remarkable collection of love poetry. In this book, the author offers a completely new translation of the erotic poems attributed to the Sixth Dalai Lama. With hints on how to read the verses, as well as explanations of obscure points or allusions, the author makes this extraordinary Dalai Lama and his verses accessible to those with no background in the study of Buddhism or Tibet. This first translation to be based on the latest critical edition will be of great interest to those eager to learn more about Eastern religion and spirituality.
Contents: Introduction -- Who or what is a Dalai Lama? -- The life and times of the Sixth Dalai Lama -- The sexy Dalai Lama? -- How to read the verses of the Sixth Dalai Lama -- The present translation -- Songs of Love, Poems of Sadness -- Notes for Appreciation -- Appendix: The Mind of a Dalai Lama.