Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/712

 The advent of the spring. 672 BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. [ Chap. arrangement of words, we here attempt a trans- lation of one passage of remarkable elegance :— about the dakula flowers, the Goddess Annapurna sat in a jewelled shrine. A stream of cool and lotus-scented water over-flowed its banks and the waves danced to the melody of the air. The Spring season had arrayed himself like a prince, and, accompanied by the six modes of music had taken up his abode beneath the acoka tree. Here and there the bees were humming about the flowers, and the god of love had strung his bow. Laughing blossoms gemmed the wood-land bowers. Bharata Chandra was charmed to see the advent of the Spring.” But the original passage subjoined in the foot- note discovers to us that Bengali is one of the sweetest tongues of the world. The words chosen for this piece chiefly consist of the soft letters l, m, m,—the hissing s and the harsh 7 are, generally speaking, omitted from these lines. The poem, when recited with proper accentuation, charms the ear and sounds like music unsung. Many passages of Bharata Chandra afford examples বসিল। অন্নপূর্ণা মণি দেউলে॥ কমল পরিমল, লয়ে শীতল জল, পবনে টল টল, উছলে কুলে। বসস্তরাজ! আনি, ছয় রাগিণী রাণী, করিলা রাজধানী, অশোক মূলে ॥ কুন্নুমে পুনঃ পুনঃ, ভ্রমরে গুনশুন, মদন দিল গুণ, ধনুক, হলে । খতেক উপবন, কুস্থম সুশোভন, মধু-মুদ্িত-মন ভারত ভূলে ॥ Bharata Chandra’s Annada Mangala.
 * “ While the cuckoos sang and the bees hummed
 * 'কল কোকিল, অলিকুল বকুল ফুলে ।