A Poem at the Right Moment : Remembered Verses from Premodern South India

"A Poem at the Right Moment" collects, and preserves, poems--called "catus"--that have circulated orally for centuries in South India.

The poems are remarkable for their wit and precision, their lyrical insight on the commonplace, their fascination with sensual experience, and their exploration of the connection between language and desire.

Taken together the "catus" offer a penetrating critical vision and an understanding of the classical traditions of Telugu, Tamil, and Sanskrit. Each poem is presented in a contemporary English translation along with the Indian-language original.

An introduction and a concluding essay explore in detail the stories and texts that comprise the "catu" system.