India, Dec. 6 -- Most of us know Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan as the author of the simple, somewhat didactic dohe (couplets) we learnt in our Hindi classes in primary school. Some citizens of Delhi might be able to substantiate this faceless idea of 'Rahim' with images of his recently renovated mausoleum near Humayun's tomb. Unfortunately, though, that's about it. In this context, Chandan Sinha's masterful translations of Rahim's couplets, Abundant Sense, accompanied by a detailed historical introduction, do much to recover his legacy, which holds important lessons that are as relevant today as they were in his time, approximately four centuries ago.

As Chandan Sinha illustrates, contemporary work on Rahim treats him either as a poet, or as...