Imatges de pàgina
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and since the Genitive and the Vocative may exist without a verb, they bear not the same government which the other six cases have. Except by one of these six cases no sentiment can be expressed.

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The cook, having given unto the priesthood milky-rice, cooked

3

in a golden-vessel by means of sandal-wood, was freed from

6

metempsychosis. *

The use of agents is thus effected; and they are to be employed as occasion may require.

End of the tenth Chapter.

must be in one of six relations to the verb; and that it is this relation which Singhalese Grammarians designate 5. It must. however, be observed, that the Genitive and the locative may exist in a sentence without any relation to the verb, as 'O mighty King of Kings, Lord of Lords;' and that therefore those two cases are not comprehended in the karaka. 26∞ derived from to do, and ∞ the affix, conveys the meaning of 'the agent of the act,' but not an act, or deed." Hence in the text are distinguished into an Accusative agent, an Instrumental agent. an Auxiliary agent, a Dative agent, an b'ative agent, and a Locative agent.—vide chapter X. § 60. * Here the word "cook" is in the Nominative case; which in the sense of agents includes the Instrumenta! (see note to § 60); “milky-rice" is in the Accusative; "golden vessel" in the Lucanice; “sandal-wood” in the Auxiliary ; "priesthood" in the Da.ive; and “metempsychosis" in the Ablative.

CHAPTER XI.

On Propriety.

- 61. Hence know that he, who, having studied Grammar, wishes to versify, should do so after acquiring a knowledge of the good and evil Prosodial feet as well as letters, &c.

The eight classes (of trisyllabic prosodial feet) are produced thus:-1, where the foot is composed of three, it is called Molossus; 2, when it is composed of three e, the foot is called. Tribrach; 3, when the first syllable is long and the two last syllables are short, the foot is called Dactyl; 4, when the first syllable is short and the two last syllables are long, the foot is called o Bacchic; 5, when the middle syllable is long and the syllables on either side are short, the foot is called Amphibrach;

6, when the middle syllable is

short and the other two are long, the foot is called 6 Cretic; 7, when the last syllable is long and the two first are short, the foot is called . Anapast; and 8, when the last syllable is short and the two first are long, the foot is called

Antibacchic.

If a Molossus occurs in the beginning of a stanza and before and after the name of the person celebrated therein, the poet's enterprize will be crowned with success; if a

The Singhalese follow the rules of Sanscrit Prosody, which are expressed with singular brevity; the initia's alone of the words being given to denote them; thus for lagu, "short;" for u guru, long;" and, as in the following line (see Appendix A § 61.)

එ, ම,න,බ,ය, ජ,ර,ස,ත, යනඟමිනටගනා

Stands for Magena, for Nagena, for Bagena, for Yagena, for Jagena, for Ragena, for Sagena, and for Thagena. vide Colebrooke "On Sanscrit and Pracrit Poetry." vol. II. p. 71.

+ Before and after the name of the person celebrated therein. This means the person who is the subject of the verse-the hero of the tale.

We do not profess to pin our faith to this doctrine of the Grammarian; although, we do not disguise, we should be loth to be guilty of a departure from the rules laid down by him. Our reasons are the fol

Tibrach the poet will be renowned, or powerful, or influential¡ if a Dactyl he will be prosperous or happy; if a Bacchic longœvous; but if an Amphibrach occurs at the aforesaid places, the poet will be sick; if a Cretic he will be sorrowful; while an Anapest will cause his death; and an Antibacchio render him unfortunate or unlucky.

62. A or "class" is a prosodial foot of three letters.* The quantity of ♂ (a syllabic instant) is the time occupied in winking the eye. That period of time occupied in uttering one (simple) letter has but one, and it is C or short. When a letter occupies double that time in its utterance, or when a short letter is followed by a mute letter, the lowing. We do not believe that words have, or can have, any mystic influence upon man; but we do believe that to use an Amphibrach, a Cretic, an Anapæst, or an Antibacchic "at the beginning of a Stanza, &c. " is contrary to the rules of Prosody, and therefore improper. It is indeed our firm conviction that originally the Hindus (from whom the Singhalese have derived this notion) regarded these prosodial feet in no other light but that in which we regard them; and that in course of time. what was only bad as offending against Grammatical Propriety, was, through ignorance, or from a desire of mystifying the art and of rendering it an object of terror to students, declared to be "bad," as being productive of "sickness." "sorrow,” "death," and "misfortune "-a device by no means incredible or surpris. ing, in view of the fact, that even the Sanscrit, the most polished language of the Eastern hemisphere, was made inaccessible to all but the Brahmin, upon the alleged ground of its having been of a "Divine origin"!. "Women and the vulgar were forbidden to approach its tabooed enclosure; este procul profani was the voice heard from legislative and priestly lips.. To learn, or pronounce a letter of the Divine Alphabet was a sin of the deepest dye in all but the privileged classes. "-Calcutta Review for 1845, p. 5.

* This definition of a prosodial foot, it is apprehended, is not quite correct. In all probability its inaccuracy led to the erroneous criticism of Meeripenney-see Introduction. A "prosodial foot" is. correctly speaking, a trisyllabic (not a three-lettered class; and this definition will comprehend the different quantities assigned to the eight classes of prosodial feet. For, whether we take three sim le letters. or six letters; or 8 three long letters, &c. &c. we use no more than three syllables; but, if we take the definition in the text, ∞ ∞ ∞ @ instead of being one foot, will be two feet.

syllable is considered or or long; an d or mute letter, i. e. one deprived of its inherent vowel sound, is less than a syllabic instant in quantity. A letter such as qu in qɩ, is a little longer than one syllabic instant, [7]

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1, A Molossus, Go, Let (him) be prosperous; 2, a Tibrach, to you; 3, a Dactyl, 2, Let him be happy ; 4, a Bacchic, S, chief of the three worlds; 5, an Amphibrach, 3, consort of Indra; 6, a Cretic, 612, Baroosee; 7, an Anapæst,, an appellative for Budha, meaning the Lion of men; and 8, Antibacchic, e, a species of serpents. Of the alphabet e, ∞, ∞,,6,~,,~, 5, and o, are evil characters;,,, and ., are human characters; and the

rest, g,,,,,,, and e, are divine characters; any one of which last should be preferred to the human in the beginning of a stanza, as well as before and after the name of any person named therein. The evil characters, as being subversive of all prosperity, are to be avoided at those places.

By dividing the alphabet into four, so as to produce the letters,,, and, in the beginning of each division, (a diagram † consisting of) eight classes (of letters) will be produced. Of these the first class, called weasel, are inimical or opposed to the fifth, called ⚫ serpent; the second, buffalo, to the sixth, o horse; the third, owl, to the seventh, Segraven; and the fourth, tiger, to the eighth o deer, All the characters opposed to the first character of a person's name must be avoided before as well as after that person's name.

[7] This also is an error-See Appendix C.

* Owing to the great simplicity with which the Rules in this chapter are worded in the Singhalese, the translator is obliged to be more free in the trauslation here than elsewhere.

See diagram, in the Introduction,

63. No person who is well read in the works of Rishees will ever open the last word of the first hemistick into the first word of the second, either by compounding two words together, or by dividing a compound term, or an affix from its root, or the noun from its case termination. [12]

It is incorrect to repeat an expression which conveys the same meaning; or to use a word which has the same meaning as another (in the sentence). A departure from the first part of this rule is called 6 repetition of terms; and a departure from the last part of the rule is called පුනරුත්අරවත් repetition of significations.

1st Example. E. FA÷r & Genç pod legs. The water-giver (cloud) which inflames widowed-wives is named water-giver. † 2nd Exampl.

සොවිඹ තුහු තුනවඟ සිඟුකලෙනඟ 59. Cupid with scorn enfeebled the weakling, who was faint by reason of sorrow.

It is objectionable, when either a compound term, ‡ or a word by being divided, or a word legitimately correct, conveys an improper or a vulgar meaning in composition. This error is called god, Ambiguity—e. g.

[12] See Appendix C.

Both these canons are comprehended in the term Tautology.

This is a rule which may serve to assist the student both in poetry and prose. The Rule is this, "Avoid tautology, and the use of words of the same signification." In the first example, is used twice to mean the same thing—a cloud; and in the second, enfeebled .E—weakling

තු 5ණුවඟand faint @ar 9 are words which convey the same meaning.

This Rule is laid down by Dr. Campbell in his Philosophy of Rhetoric in nearly the same language as the above: Book II. Chap. VI. Part 3.. “Another source of obscurity, is when the same word is in the same sentence used in different senses."-Again at Book III. Chap. II. Part 1. "Tautology-which is either a repetition of the same sense in different words, or a representation of any thing as the cause, induction, or consequence of itself "

Care must be taken, either in compounding words, or in placing two words together, or in the use of even a correct expression. not to convey to the ear a low, vulgar or an undignified meaning—e. g. 1, Sø is a word for

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