Poetics Of Nature: An Ecocritical Study Of Kalidasa And William Wordsworth

Abstract

The relationship between human beings and the natural world has been a central concern of literary imagination across civilizations. Long before the emergence of ecological crises and environmental ethics as formal disciplines, poets articulated modes of coexistence, reverence, and moral engagement with nature. This research paper undertakes an ecocritical comparative study of the poetic vision of nature in the works of Kalidasa, the eminent Sanskrit poet-dramatist of ancient India, and William Wordsworth, a foundational figure of English Romanticism. Though separated by centuries, cultures, and philosophical traditions, both poets present nature not as a passive backdrop but as a living, ethical, and spiritually formative presence. Employing the theoretical framework of ecocriticism, this study examines how Kalidasa’s poetry—particularly Abhijñānaśākuntalam, Meghadūta, Raghuvaṃśa, and Ṛtusaṃhāra—and Wordsworth’s major works such as Lyrical Ballads, Tintern Abbey, and The Prelude articulate an ecological consciousness grounded in harmony, interdependence, and moral responsibility. The paper argues that both poets anticipate modern ecological thought by rejecting anthropocentrism and by foregrounding the intrinsic value of the natural world. Through close textual analysis and comparative interpretation, the study seeks to expand ecocritical discourse beyond Eurocentric boundaries and demonstrate the relevance of classical literary traditions to contemporary environmental thought.