Page:History of Bengali Literature in the Nineteenth Century.djvu/486

 462 BENGALI LITERATURE may be found in the early prose of other languages and which leaves little doubt as to the value and relative anti- quity of the specimens of question. Prose evolving out of poetry. We see here the very early stages in the processes by which prose is slowly evolving itself out of poetry and asserting its right to recognition as a medium of expression altogether distinet from verse. It is a matter of regret, however, that we cannot trace other stages in this process as we do not possess any documents of prose-writing of this or sub- sequent periots until we came to the loth century. One of the curious effects of their intermixture of prosaic and poetic styles is the idea, however imperfect, or rhyth- mical arrangement in these prose passages. Of course, verse and prose rhythms have entirely Rhythmic effect. different values and the harmony of the one is not always desirable in the other: yet, if it is not rash to dogmatise in the absence of any but slight and scrappy knowledge of the phonetics of early Bengali, we cannot mistake the fine effect of sym- phonic arrangement (partly due to the presence of versicles) which the lines, perhaps unconsciously, attain. Of actual syntax there may not be much: nor is there any attempt at balance of phrase or periodic sentence-framing, although there is certainly a knowledge of the value of short and long sentences: but the very fact that the passages were meant as appendages to verse and com- posed with the not unlikely object of being sung gives them a peculiar rhythmic effect, rudimentary yet not childish, which it is impossible to ignore. The apocryphal prose piece, Chartya Ripa Prapti passing under the great name of Chancidas Chaitya Rupa Prapti, attributed to Chandi. does not, from our point of view, ve, require any special examination. The following passage :—