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A renowned Enlightenment polymath, Sir William Jones (1746-94) was a lawyer, translator and poet who wrote authoritatively on politics, comparative linguistics and oriental literature. Known initially for his Persian translations and political radicalism, Jones became further celebrated for his study and translation of ancient Sanskrit texts following his appointment to the supreme court in Calcutta in 1783. He spent the next eleven years introducing Europe to the mysticism and rationality of Hinduism through works such as his nine 'Hymns' to Hindu deities and his translation of the Sanskrit classic Sacontalá, influencing Romantic writers from William Blake to August Wilhelm Schlegel. Volume 4 of his thirteen-volume works, published in 1807, contains Jones' extensive Indic scholarship and translations published in British periodicals such as Asiatick Researches and The Asiatick Miscellany, and includes the unprecedented 'On the Musical Modes of the Hindus' (1792) and 'On the Mystical Poetry of the Persians and Hindus' (1791).

Jones, William, Sir, 1746-1794 --- Biography & Autobiography

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A renowned Enlightenment polymath, Sir William Jones (1746-94) was a lawyer, translator and poet who wrote authoritatively on politics, comparative linguistics and oriental literature. Known initially for his Persian translations and political radicalism, Jones became further celebrated for his study and translation of ancient Sanskrit texts following his appointment to the supreme court in Calcutta in 1783. He spent the next eleven years introducing Europe to the mysticism and rationality of Hinduism through works such as his nine 'Hymns' to Hindu deities and his translation of the Sanskrit classic Sacontalá, influencing Romantic writers from William Blake to August Wilhelm Schlegel. Volume 10 of his thirteen-volume works, published in 1807, contains Jones' important pre-India poetry and essays. These include his essays 'On the Arts, Commonly Called Imitative' and 'On the Poetry of the Eastern Nations' (1772), which anticipate Romantic themes of the sublime, as well as his Alcaic 'Odes', which establish Jones' radical political identity.

Jones, William, Sir, 1746-1794 --- Biography & Autobiography

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A renowned Enlightenment polymath, Sir William Jones (1746-94) was a lawyer, translator and poet who wrote authoritatively on politics, comparative linguistics and oriental literature. Known initially for his Persian translations and political radicalism, Jones became further celebrated for his study and translation of ancient Sanskrit texts following his appointment to the supreme court in Calcutta in 1783. He spent the next eleven years introducing Europe to the mysticism and rationality of Hinduism through works such as his nine 'Hymns' to Hindu deities and his translation of the Sanskrit classic Sacontalá. Volume 8 of his thirteen-volume works, published in 1807, contains more of Jones' legal work, including his pre-India tracts on Islamic laws of succession and inheritance - culturally comparative works debunking prejudiced claims that Islamic cultures denied private property. Also included is his formative 'Essay on the Law of Bailments' (1781), a work still cited in some legal cases today.

Jones, William, Sir, 1746-1794 --- Biography & Autobiography

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A renowned Enlightenment polymath, Sir William Jones (1746-94) was a lawyer, translator and poet who wrote authoritatively on politics, comparative linguistics and oriental literature. Known initially for his Persian translations and political radicalism, Jones became further celebrated for his study and translation of ancient Sanskrit texts following his appointment to the supreme court in Calcutta in 1783. He spent the next eleven years introducing Europe to the mysticism and rationality of Hinduism through works such as his nine 'Hymns' to Hindu deities and his translation of the Sanskrit classic Sacontalá. Volume 9 of his thirteen-volume works, published in 1807, contains Jones' translation of the Speeches of Isaeus (1779) and perhaps his most influential translation, Sacontalá (1789), a Hindu love fable that explores the depths of Hindu mythology and philosophy. Lauded throughout Europe, Sacontalá would inspire Goethe to write that once it is mentioned, 'everything is said'.

Jones, William, Sir, 1746-1794 --- Biography & Autobiography

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A renowned Enlightenment polymath, Sir William Jones (1746-94) was a lawyer, translator and poet who wrote authoritatively on politics, comparative linguistics and oriental literature. Known initially for his Persian translations and political radicalism, Jones became further celebrated for his study and translation of ancient Sanskrit texts following his appointment to the supreme court in Calcutta in 1783. He spent the next eleven years introducing Europe to the mysticism and rationality of Hinduism through works such as his nine 'Hymns' to Hindu deities and his translation of the Sanskrit classic Sacontalá, influencing Romantic writers from William Blake to August Wilhelm Schlegel. Volume 12 of his thirteen-volume works, published in 1807, contains the final book of Jones's Histoire de Nader Chah (1770), a memoir of the famed Iranian ruler, translated into French from the Persian. This volume also includes Jones' Traité sur la poësie orientale (1770), an essay exploring Arabic and Persian poetry.

Jones, William, Sir, 1746-1794 --- Biography & Autobiography