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FEBRUARY, 1873.]
In rare cases, however, the modern Bengali ke occurs:
VAISHNAVA POETS OF BENGAL.
Kânuke bujhâï
"Having explained to Kanh."
The genitive is most usually left unmarked, the word which governs it being placed after it, in the manner of a Sanskrit Tatpurusha compound. This practice is universal with the early Hindi poets, as taila bindu-" a drop of oil;" rasa gana-" song of delight," and the like. Bidyapati's favourite method of forming the genitive is, however, by the addition of the syllable ka; thus
Sujanaka piriti pâshâna sama rehâ"The love of a good man is firm as stone." Maramaka dukha kahite hay lâja
"To tell the grief of (my) heart is shame (to me)."
Premaka guna kahaba sab koi"Every one will say (it is) the effect of love."
This form, in which the final a is not always pronounced, is a shortening of the fuller form kara or kar, which is found-(1) in Bidyâpati's pronouns, as takara bachana lobhái, "having longed for his voice;" (2) in the pronouns of the modern Bhojpuri dialect, as ikard, okará; (3) in a few Bengali words, as ájkar kálíkar, "belonging to, or of, to-day, to-morrow," &c.; (4) in the plural genitive of Oriya, both in nouns and pronouns, as rájánkar, " of kings," ambhankar, "of us," where the rejection of the final r is also common, so that they say and write rájánka, ambhanka; (5) in Marathi surnames, as Chiplunkar of or from Chiplun. There are several passages in Chand in which the genitive seems to be thus expressed by the addition of k only; the context is, however, so obscure, that I fear to quote them in support of the form itself.
In the passage quoted above, ropiyá premer bija, we have the modern Bengali genitive in er; but this is, I think, an intentional modernization of the copyist. The line would run just as well if we read premak, and this would be more in keeping with Bidyapati's usual style. It is very unusual in his poems to find the genitive in er. The instrumental and locative cases are both indicated by e.
Jo preme kulabati kulatâ hoï
"That a virtuous woman should become unchaste through love."
Mane kichhu nå-gapalu o rase bhola
Supurukha parihare dukha bichâri
"On account of the absence of the lover, having experienced grief."
Ambare badana chhapâï
"Hiding (her) face in (her) garment." Dipaka lobhe salabha janu dhâyala"From desire of the lamp as a moth has run" (i.e., flown).
Occasionally the Hindi se, 'with,' occurs, but rarely, as it is liable to be mistaken for the Bengali se, 'he.'
E sakhi kâhe kahasi anuyoge, Kânu se abhi karabi premabhoge"Ah, dearest! why dost thou question (me)? Even now thou shalt enjoy love with Kênh." Here again the e is added to the objective; kahasi anuyoge, "thou dost speak a question;" karabi prema bhoge," thou shalt make an enjoying of love."
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Kole leyaba tuhunka priyâ"Thy love shall take (thee) in his arms."
Other postpositions are used with the genitive in ka, as májh, 'in,' sang, 'with,' thus:
Hatha sane paithaye śrabanaka májh— "Suddenly it penetrates into the ear."
Phutala bândhuli kamalaka sang"The bândhuli has flowered with the lotus."
Sometimes we have the old Hindi form in hi, which is there used for all cases of the oblique, though properly a dative, as in the line quoted in a former article (I. A., Vol I. p. 324). Jâmini banchasi ânahi sáta"Thou passest the night with another."
There is no distinctive form for the plural. When it is necessary to express the idea of plurality very distinctly, words like sab, 'all,' anek, 'many,' and the like, are used. Occasionally also we find gana, crowd,' as a first faint indication of what was subsequently to become the regular sign of the plural in Bengali.
We may now draw out our noun thusPrema, love. (emphatic) premé.
N.
A. D.
id. id.
Instr. preme, by love. Gen. premaka, of love. Abl.
premaka majh, sang, &c., with, by love.
Loc. preme, in love. Crude form. premahi,
"In (my) mind I nothing considered, being foolish through that love."
In the case of nouns ending in short i or u, no special inflections have yet been observed. The
1,6., supurusha, 'good man,' used for Krishna, the lover of Raha; kk for sh as usual in Hindi, though not in Bengali.
