Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/806

 764. BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. [ Chap. his patron, was also the recepient of prizes from him: So lived and died I¢vara Chandra,—one of the most remarkable men of his time in Bengal. He was a born satirist and a born poet. He adorned whatever he touched with his brilliant wit. When he would vilify a rival, his style would sink into the grossest and most atrocious obsceneties. This had grown to be the fashion amongst the literary cones men of this time. I¢vara Chandra’s scathing attacks on his rival Gauri Cankara Bhattacharyya, commonly known as Gurgure Bhattacharyya, in the Sombad Prabhakara, and the latter's charges in answer published in his journal the Aasaraza, form a literature of the worst type that ever saw light ; and Mr. Lang, the popular Christian mis- sionary, whose name is inseparably connected with the indigo disturbances, felt the necessity of mov- ing the authorities to enact a law against obscene writings, owing to these perverse and scurrilous publications. Yet, in spite of such writings I¢vara Chandra often disciosed in his poems a highly religious turn of mind. He was not great enough to irtroduce innovation in taste and free himself. from the vices of the age. In the collection of his poems by Babu Manindra Chandra Gupta, we find no less than; 70 pieces devoted to religious subjects, and all of them bear evidences of their writer's spirituality and faith. Specimens We give below some specimens of his writing. of his S > 2 (a). From the poem ‘ Festivity in| the month ot Pausa.