Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/740

 The bashful Hindu wife. Rama Vasu, 698 BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. { Chap. and spiritual force, and any one who can recollect the old yatras and has the misfortune to attend their modern carricatures, is involuntarily reminded of Hamlet’s famous line, ‘‘Look here upon this picture, and on that !” The songs of the faviwa/as in former times gave pictures of the domestic life of Bengal with all its gentle lights and shadows. The coy Bengali wife unable to speak out those sentiments of love with which her heart is filled, is beautifully por- trayed in them. I quote below a song by Rama Vasu, a kaviwala, who once enjoyed great popu- larity in the country. The song opens the door to a chamber into which outsiders have no access ;—where the coy wife whispers her tale of grief to her maid and confidante. It 1s no free speech of love; we may well imagine the stops, the sighs and tears with which she delivers her tale, in a voice scarcely audible. Unfortunately it is impossible to convey the wailing cadence of the tune of the song. The bashful woman is longing for a sight of her husband, yet she could not speak out at the moment of farewell. Here is a picture of the Hindu wife that we miss in those poems and novels of modern Bengal which have been influenced by English literature. was filled with sorrow. But it was hidden so deep! [ tried to speak, when he said good-bye, but shyness প্রবাসে যখন যায় €গো সে, তারে বলি বলি আর বল! হ'ল না। সরমে মরমের কথা কওয়1 গেল না॥
 * “T could not tell him what I felt. My heart
 * “মনে বুইল সই মনের বেদনা ।