Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/244

 2t4 BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. [ Chap. This almost verbatim agreement cannot be ex- plained by the fact of the two works’ being equally translations from acommon Sanskrit original. As | have said, Bengali recensions scarcely ever follow their texts closely; and in this instance the differ- ence between the original and what is belived to be its translation, is really similar to that between the deep and measured tone of a European organ and the soft and melodious lay of an Indian lute. O ns We now come to Kaciragm D4s, admittedly the Ka¢giram ee: z Das, a poet best of all recensionists of the Mahabharata. He of the people. draws largely from the preceding writers. Indeed his purpose is to revise their works and _ incor- porate them in his own. But in spite of this, his poetic individuality 1s deeply impresed on many of those lines with which he illumines their compositions. But this is not all. He introduces episodes not to be found in the original Maha- bharata, nor in any extant translation earlier than his own: and it is mainly in these additions that he displays the peculiar traits of his poetry. Kagiram Das was a poet of the people. Indeed his educa- tion, scope of intelligence and mode of treatment of his subjects were all such as to meet the require- ments of the masses. Those deep problems of the soul, which are worked out in so many chapters of the original Mahabharata, he scarcely প্নঃ ACA, we find Sz কিছু; the r2th line reads fRa- কেশ মত্তবেশ দেখ তুমি নেত্রে; 11) the r6th line, we read কণশব্দ for foe; in the 20th line, there is syfe for af®; in the 21st, FtfS for Baz); and in the 22nd wifs for Bey |