Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/100

Rh early age, he simply attempted at poetical composition in English, his mother language, and a language spoken in nearly every part of the world. But young Isvar Chandra wrote elegant poetry in a dead, classical language, spoken nowhere. Which of the two was greater, we leave the readers to decide.

The fame of Isvar Chandra's extraordinary talents, uncommon powers, and great proficiency in Sanskrit, soon spread throughout the length and breadth of the country, and many persons came forward with proposals of marriage, offering their daughters as brides to Isvar Chandra. At last, the marriage was definitely settled with a daughter of one Satrughna Bhattacharya, a well-to-do Brahman of Khirpai. It was at that time an important village. It was a great market of country-made cloth. Dealers in cloth from different parts of Bengal, nay from remote corners of western and north-western India, resorted to this mart. Satrughna Bhattacharya was one of the most respectable men of this large village. He considered Isvar Chandra the best bridegroom for his daughter, and he resolved on marrying her to him. Isvar Chandra was thus married, at the early age of fourteen, to Satrughna Bhattacharya's daughter.