Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/171

 III. ] BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. = 141 t..* Purusa’ Pariks§:- 2: Caiva Sarvaswasara. 3. Dana Vakyavali.. 4. Vivadasara. 5. Gaya- Pattan. 6. Ganga Viksyavali. 7. Durga Bhakti Tarangini. 8. Kirtilata. - My own criticism deals however with his Verna- cular poems alone. Vidyapati sang much in the strain of Chandi das;asa Sanskrit poet of eminence, he was held in great admiration in the court of Rajah Civa Simha. His own heart, however, was in the songs which he composed in the Vernacular. In the brilliance of his metaphors and similes, in the choice of his expressions, and_ in the higher flights of his poetic fancy, he over-shadows all Vernacular poets; and Chandidas, the child of nature, is no match for him. When one reads the songs of both the poets, the ordinary ear is charmed with the elegant ex- pressions of the Maithil bard; but to those who dive deeper into the inner yearnings of the human soul, Chandidas will seem afar greater apostle of love; his simple words will leave a more lasting impression, than all the literary embellishments and poetic flights of Vidyapati. Yet Vidyapati also sometimes scales the heights attained by Chandi das. In the ‘Parvaraga,’ ‘Sambhoga Milana,’ ‘Abhi- sara’ and ‘ Mana’ Vidyapati is more of a poet than a prophet. There is not much of spirituality, but a good deal of sensuality, in his earlier love songs. He ransacks the whole classical store to find an apt simile and is never weary of applying as_ much of these as is within his knowledge, like the sound scholar of rhetoric that he is. To give an example ; His songs about Radhaand Krishna. His meta- phors and similes.
 * Lover's quarrels.