SECTION XLII.

The Hindoo poetical works.

It is a fact, which adds greatly to the literary honours of the Hindoo sages, that they studied both poetry and music as men of science, laying down rules which prove how well they were acquainted with these subjects, and how capable they were of reducing to system whatever was the object of human research. These rules, it is true, like all ancient theories, are full of fantacies and unnecessary divisions, yet that they are in general apposite, clear, and scientific, must certainly be admitted.

The Hindoo poetry, as might be expected, beyond any other class of their writings, abounds in the most extravagant metaphor, and the most licentious images. It requires a greater knowledge of their poetry than the author is possessed of, for him to determine whether their ancient poets were more sober and chaste than the modern; but these extravagancies and unchaste allusions are found in the works of Kalee-Dasŭ and others his contemporaries; and all the modern works are so full of them, that many of their poems can never be given to the English reader in a literal translation. Some allowance may be made for Eastern manners; but granting every possible latitude of this kind, innumerable ideas are found in almost every poem, which could have become familiar to the imagination only amidst a people whose very country was a brothel :*-of extravagant metaphor, the author here gives a few examples:

"Your glory so far exceeds the splendor of the sun, that his services are no longer necessary."-ShreeHurshu.

"If there had been no spots in the moon, his face might perhaps have borne a comparison with thine (addressing a beautiful person)."-Hùnoomană.

"That person has discharged his arrow with such force, that even thought cannot pursue it.”—Vyasti. "Compared with thy wealth, O Mandhata! Koovérů, the god of riches, is starving."-Vyasů.

"Thy beauty and modesty resemble the lightning in the heavens-now flashing and now passing away." --Bhuru-bhootee.

"This (a beautiful female) is not a human form: it is Chŭndrů (the moon) fallen to the earth through fear of the dragon."-Soobindhoo.

"The fall of this (great man) is as if Indrŭ had fallen from heaven."-Kalee-Dasă.

* Even their works on ethics are, in some places, highly indecent and offensive,

'Some of the most elegant and highly wrought Hindoo works in prose,' says Mr. Colebrooke, are reckoned among poems, in like manner as the "Telemache" of Fenelon, and "Tod Abels" of Gesner. The most celebrated are the Vasăvădăttů of Soobundhoo, the Dushu-koomară of Dăndee, and the Kadumbŭree of Vană. In the Vasăvădăttă, as in various compositions of the same kind, the occasional introduction of a stanza, or even of several, either in the preface, or in the body of the work, does not take them out of the class of prose. But other works exist, in which more frequent introduction of verse makes of these a class apart. It bears the name of Chumpōō: and of this kind is the Nŏlu-Chumpōō of Trivikrămů. This style of composition is not without example in European literature. The "Voyage de Bachaumont et de La Chapele," which is the most known, if not the first instance of it, in French, has found imitators in that and in other languages. The Sungskrită inventor of it has been equally fortunate : and a numerous list may be collected of works expressly entitled Chumpoo. The Indian dramas are also instances of the mixture of prose and verse. Our own language exhibits too many instances of the first to render it necessary to cite any example in explanation of the transition from verse to prose. In regard to mixture of languages the Italian theatre presents instances quite parallel in the comedies of Angelo Beolco, surnamed Ruzanti: with this difference, however, that the dramas of Ruzanti and his imitators are rustic farces; while the Indian dramatists intermingle various dialects in their serious compositions.'

Valmeekee, the author of the Ramayŭnă, is called the father of Hindoo poetry. Respecting this poet, the following legend is current amongst the Hindoos: Jūnŭků, the king of Mithila, being charmed with the poetry of the Ramayănă, sent for Valmeekee, and requested him to write another epic poem, in celebration of the wars of the Panduvůs and the Kourůvus. This, however, Valmēēkee declined; when Purashŭră and Vyasă, father and son, attempted a few verses. Those of the son were approved, and Vyasă became the author of the Mahabharǎtǎ.—The poems next in estimation are the Shisoopală-bůdhů, by king Maghŭ; the Kadŭmbŭree, by Vană-Bhuttă; the works of Kalee-Dasă, the names of which will be found in the succeeding list of poems; the Malutee-Madhŭvů,

* See a very learned Essay on the Sŭngskritŭ and Prakritŭ prosody, in the tenth volume of the Asiatic Researches. + As the Nrisinghŭ-Chůmpōō, Gangŭ-Chùmpōō, Vrindavŭnů-Chŭmpōō, &c. Walker's Memoir on Italian Tragedy.

the Ooturu-Ramu-Chărită, and the Veeru-Chărită, by Bhůvů-bhootee; the Kiratarjooneeyu, by Bharŭvee; the Noishudhů, by Shree-Hurshu; the Vénee-sungharu, by BhuttůNarayŭnů; the Ŭnŏrghü-Raghŏvă, by Mooraree-Mishră; the Prusunnů-Raghŭvũ, by Pükshŭ-Dhǎrů-Mishrů; the Vidŭgdhŭ-Madhŭvů, by Jeevu-Goswamee, and the GeetăGovindă, by Jũyŭ-dévů. It may be difficult to ascertain the period in which the poets before Kalee-Dasă lived, but this celebrated poet is known to have been patronized by Vikromadityŏ. The rest are of modern date: the last Hindoo raja whose reign was honoured with the praises of living poets, was Bhojů.

The author here begs leave to add a few paragraphs on the Measures of Sungskrită Verse, from the Essay already mentioned:

The second

The third

"The rules of Hindoo prosody are contained in soōtrus, or brief aphorisms, the reputed author of which is Pingulu-Nagu, a fabulous being, represented by mythologists in the shape of a serpent; and the same, who, under the title of Pătunjulee, is the supposed author of the Müha-bhashyč, or great commentary on grammar, and also of the text of the Yogi shastru; and to whom likewise the text or the commentary of the Jyotishu annexed to the védŭs, appears to be attributed. The aphorisms of Pingŭlacharyŭ, as he is sometimes called, on the prosody of Sungskrită (exclusive of the rules in Prakritů likewise ascribed to him), are collected into eight books, the first of which allots names, or rather literal marks, to feet consisting of one, two, or three syllables. book teaches the manner in which passages of the védés are measured. explains the variations in the subdivision of the couplet and stanza. of profane poetry, and especially of verses, in which the number of syllables, or their quantity, is not uniform. The fifth, sixth and seventh exhibit metres of that sort which has been called monoschemastic, or uniform, because the same feet recur invariably in the same places. The eighth and last book serves as an appendix to the whole, and contains rules for computing all the possible combinations of long and short syllables in verses of any length. This author cites earlier writers on prosody, whose works appear to have been lost: such as Shoituvŭ, Kroushtiků, Tandin, and other ancient sages, Yasku, Kashyŭpů, &c. Pingulu's text has been interpreted by various commentators; and, among others, by Hulayoodhů-Bhuttu, author of an excellent gloss entitled Mritu

The fourth treats

sunjeevinec. A more modern commentary, or rather a paraphrase in verse, by Narayănă-Bhüttŏ-Tara, under the title of Vrittoktee-Rătně, presents the singularity of being interpreted throughout in a double sense, by the author himself, in a further gloss entitled Puriksha.

The Ŭgnee poorană is quoted for a complete system of prosody, founded apparently on Pingulu's aphorisms; but which serves to correct or to supply the text in many places; and which is accordingly used for that purpose by commentators. Original treatises likewise have been composed by various authors: and among others by the celebrated poet Kalee-Dasă. In a short treatise, entitled Shrootu-Bodhů, this poet teaches the laws of versification in the very metre to which they relate and has thus united the example with the precept. The same mode has been also practised by many other writers on prosody; and, in particular, by Pingulu's commentator Narayănă-Bhüttă; and by the authors of the Vrittă-Rotnakŭră, and Vrittă-Dărpănă.

The

Pingulu's rules of Söngskrită prosody are expressed with singular brevity. artifice, by which this has been effected, is the use of single letters to denote the feet or the syllables. Thus L, the initial of a word signifying short (lughoo), indicates a short syllable. G, for a similar reason, intends a long one. The combinations of these two letters denote the several dissyllables: lg signifying an iambic; gl a trochæus or choreus; gg a spondee ; Il a pyrrichius. The letters, M.Y.R.S.T.J.Bh. and N, mark all the trisyllabical feet, from three long syllables to as many short. A Sungskritŭ verse is generally scanned by these last mentioned feet; with the addition of either a dissyllable or a monosyllable at the close of the verse, if necessary. This may be rendered plain by an example taken from the Greek and Latin prosody. Scanned in the Indian manner, a phaleucian verse, instead of a spondee, a dactyl, and three trochees, would be measured by a molossus, an anapæst, an amphibrachys, and a trochee; expressed thus, m. s. j. g. 1. A sapphic verse would be similarly measured by a cretic, an antibacchius, an amphibrachys, and a trochee; written, r. t. j. g. l.

To avoid the too frequent use of uncommon terms, I shall, in describing the different sorts of Singskriti metre, occasionally adopt a mode of stating the measure more consonant to the Greek and Latin prosody, in which the iambic, trochee, and spondee,

dactyl, anapæst, and tribrachys are the only feet of two or three syllables which are commonly employed.

'The verse, according to the Săngskrită system of prosody, is the component part of a couplet, stanza or strophe, commonly named a shlokŭ, although this term be sometimes restricted to one sort of metre, as will be subsequently shewn on the authority of Kalee-Dasă. The stanza or strophe consists usually of four verses denominated padŭ; or, considered as a couplet, it comprises two verses subdivided into padŭs or measures. Whether it be deemed a stanza or a couplet, its half, called ŭrdhŭ-shloků, contains usually two padus; and in general the pauses of the sense correspond with the principal pauses of the metre, which are accordingly indicated by lines of separation at the close of the shloku and of its hemistich. When the sense is suspended to the close of a second shloků, the double stanza is denominated yoogmă; while one, comprising a greatIn common with others, I have someer number of measures, is termed koolňků. times translated shlokй by "verse," or by " couplet;" but, in prosody it can only be considered as a stanza, though the pauses are not always very perfectly marked until the close of the first half; and, in conformity to the Indian system, it is generally treated as a tetrastich, though some kinds of regular metre have uniform pauses which might permit a division of the stanza into eight, twelve, and even sixteen verses.

'Concerning the length of the vowels in Sungskrită verse, since none are ambiguous, it is only necessary to remark, that the comparative length of syllables is determined by the allotment of one instant or matră to a short syllable, and two to a long one; that a naturally short vowel becomes long in prosody when it is followed by a double or conjunct consonant; and that the last syllable of a verse is either long or short, according to the exigence of the metre, whatever may be its natural length.

'Sungskrită prosody admits two sorts of metre; one governed by the number of syllables; and which is mostly uniform or monoschemastic in profane poetry, but altogether arbitrary in various metrical passages of the védus. The other is in fact measured by feet like the hexameters of Greek and Latin: but only one sort of this metre, which is denominated arya, is acknowledged to be so regulated; while another sort is governed by the number of syllabick instants or matrŭs.'