Whose oil is running thin;
One moment it is shining bright,
   Then darkness closes in." - Meaning and context.">
Act 5 (tr. Arthur W. Ryder, 1912)
“

The mind of age is like a lamp
   Whose oil is running thin;
One moment it is shining bright,
   Then darkness closes in.

— Kalidasa

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The mind of age is like a lamp
   Whose oil is running thin;
One moment it is shining bright,
   Then darkness closes in." in the context of "Act 5 (tr. Arthur W. Ryder, 1912)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Kalidasa" (Quotes, Abhijñānaśākuntalam: (The Sign of Shakuntala)) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Kalidasa

About Kalidasa

Kālidāsa (Sanskrit: कालिदास Kālidāsaकालिदास, "Servant of Kali"; fl. 4th–5th century AD) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on Hindu Puranas and philosophy. His surviving works consist of three plays, two epic poems and two shorter poems.