________________
40
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[FEBRUARY, 1873.
..
Brâhmans reciting invocations and spells. The pollen of flowers floats like a canopy, toying with the southern breeze. Jasmine and bel have planted their standard, with påtala, tula, and as oka as generals, kins'uka and clove-vine tendrils along with them : seeing (them) the winter-season flies from before (them). The tribe of honey-bees have arrayed their ranks, they have routed entirely the whole of the winter ; the water-lily has raised itself up and found life, with its own new leaves it makes itself a seat. A fresh spring shines in Brindaban; Bidyâpati describes the essence of seasons.
VI. E dhani kamalini suna hita bâņi ! Prem karabi ab supurukha jâni. Sujanaka prema hema sama tul, Dabite kanaka dwigun haye múl. Tutaïte nâhi ţute prema adabhut, Yaichhane bâphata mpinalaka sut. Sabahu matanga jemoti nâhi mâni; Sakal kanthe nåhi kokila bâņi; Sakal samay nahe pitu basant; Sakal purukh nâri nahe guarant; Bhaņaye Bidyâpati suna bara nåri, Premaka rit ab bujhaha bichári.-I. v. 8. (109.)
Translation. O lotus-like lady, hear a friendly word! Thou shalt practise love now, having known a goodman. A good man's love is equal to gold, (like) gold in burning it has double value. In breaking, it breaks not (this) wonderful love : it * In No. I. the following words deserve notice :
Baithabi, the Hindi form of the root with old Bengali termination : modern Bengali would be basibi gim. Sanskrit griva.
Pahun; this curious word is generally='near, 'Skr. pars've; but it must sometimes be rendered again, and sometimes, as in this instance, it is almost pleonastic.
Sathaf. I am not sure about this word. That means generally forin, shape, and in this place we may perhaps render this is delight in (full) shape in true guise, &c.
In No. II., the first line is literally having looked at life, youth is the great pleasure, from which the rendering in the text flows naturally.
Piriti=Skr. priti. Any one familiar with any of the Indian vernaculars will need no aid in this song. The grammatical forms are given further on.
No. III. Strictly speaking, we should read khelat, but the metre demands a final short a. The eighth line is literally 'having made (kive) drunk mátala) with honey (madhu) is not able (nd par for pare) to fly (urai for uraite). Bhanas #eyebrow.' Hd jáyat dharane is a difficult phrase. It may be nájáyat, 'does not go,' dharane, in holding is not held or embraced ;' but this is stiff, and I seek for a better explanation.
No. I V. SanalaSkr. syamala, Hindi sânwlâ. The third line means the moonlight has grown brighter from thy presence. In line 4, kata nd literally how much not?'that is, what efforts bas he not made?' jatane-Skr. yatne; bahi, having brought, having collected.' Lukdy-present 3 sing from lukâte; lit. 'one does not hide :' this usage is equivalent to a presive. In pabane pelila the pret. still
increases like the fibres of the lotus-stalk. All elephants are not of equal breed: not in every throat is the koil's voice : not at all times is the spring season : not all men and women are excellent : quoth Bidyâpati—Listen, good lady, now having pondered, understand the ways of love.*
I may now attempt to give a sketch, though necessarily little more than a sketch, of the grammar of Bidyâpati, regarded as the vernacular of Upper Bengal at the beginning of the fifteenth century. It will be observed that the distinctive forms of modern Bengali have only just faintly begun to show themselves, and where they do occur they are not so much definite forms as incipient dialectic variations.
The noun has lost all trace of inflection, The nominative is the crude form or base of Sanskrit. Occasionally, an e is added, sometimes for the sake of the metre, sometimes for emphasis, thusTaichhana tohari sobâge (sohâge gaubhagya“Of this kind is thy beauty."
Apana karama doshe"(Your own deed is (this) fault."
The objective case (under which we must include both accusative and dative) is most frequently left without any sign. The context supplies the sense.
Chintâ nâ kara koi“Let no one take thought." Ropivá premer bija
“Having planted the seed of love." shows indications of its old participial origin : it is here shaken'Skr. piditam. The construction of the last two lines is peculiar : the first line is addressed to Jabatt yuvati, i.e., Lachhima (Lakshmi) Debi herself ; but in the second, Rai Sib Singh would seem to be addressed. The translation above aims at reconciling the difficulty by treating the latter as though he were incidentally introduced out of compliment, 49 usual.
No, V. I leave the names of the flowers in their native dress. Most of them are to be found in any native garden, and they seem more natural and poetical in their own names than if we called them by the sweet dog-latin of the botanists. Tastes differ, but I prefer kes'ari and madhavi to Wrightia antidysenterica and Rottleria tinctoria. The metaphor by which the pistil of the kesari is compared to a sceptre, and its wide-spread petals to a throne, will be understood by those who know the flower.
Panchama is the fifth note in the native scale of music. The notes are sá, ri, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni. The koil's noto is always compared to pa, or the fifth of these sounds. As I know nothing whatever of music, I can only hope those who do will understand what is meant.
In line 9 the dancing of the peacocks is compared to the intricate movements (antra-yantra) of a swarm of bees, and their shrieks, most disrespectfully, to Brahmans reading. Madhu makhyik=Skr, madhumakshika; ksha is in Bengali khya:
No. VI. It is only necessary to note the form haye='is,' the original of modern Bengali hay. The grammatical forms are partially explained in the text.
