617
Selected Specimens of the Bihan Language.
Edited and Translated by George A. Grierson.
Part I, The Maithili Dialect. The Git Dinä Bhadrik,
and the Git Nebärak.
I propose, if it is found acceptable, that this shall be the
first of a series of papers dealing with the Bihärl Language. This
language contains four main dialects, — the Maithili, the Magahl,
the Bhoj 'püri, and the Bais' wäfi. The Maithili, which is the
language of Mithilä is the one illustrated in this part. The
Magahl is the modem language of the Ancient Magadha. The
Bhoj'pürl takes its name from the Par 'ganä of Bhoj'pur in the
district of Shähäbäd , but extends from the borders of Mithilä and
Magadha on the east up to Banäras on the west, and from
the Himalaya on the north to Jabal'pur on the south. The
Bais'warl lies again to the west of the Bhoj'pürl, and is in fact
the border dialect between tbe Bihärl and Hindi languages, parta¬
king of the nature of both. Purther description of these dialects
need not be given here. They are described at length in the
Introduction to my seven Grammars of the Bihär dialects (Calcutta,
Bengal Secretariat Press; London, Triibner), and the description
does not require repetition.
The following two songs are published exactly as they were
taken down from the mouths of two itinerant singers in the Nepal
Taräi about six years ago. They are very popular throughout
northem Mithilä and are excellent examples of the spoken dialect
of that portion of the country. A few archaisms will be noted
in the proper place.
Although poems they are not in metre. They are sung rather
• 1) The country bounded on the north by the Himalaya, on the south by the river Ganges, on the west by the river Ga^dak, aud on tbe east by the river Kosl.
618 Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihari Language.
than recited, and the hnes in which they are printed represent the
pauses in the melody.
They are written in the Devanagari Alphabet as adopted for
Bihärl. I have adhered to the system of spelling usually adopted
in printing Bihärl, viz. to spell every word rigidly as pronounced.
As in the case of other Gaudian languages, a final a is not pro¬
nounced ; and words ending with this letter are treated as practi¬
cally ending in consonants; thus , 'I will see', is pronounced
dekhab and not dekhaba. Occasionally however, (principally in the
case of monosyllables and in Imperative 2nd persons plural of
verbs) a final a is pronounced, and this is shown by the sign
thus ^fia^« dekhiha 'be good enough to see'. I have used the
signs, ll, , and , for the short diphthongs e, at, 8, äii,
peculiar to Eastem Gaudian languages. Their non-initial forms are
c, af, ^ Ö, and äü respectively. These signs are those
used by the Bengal Asiatic Society, the Royal Asiatic Society, and
the Government of Bengal for the purpose. Natives, in writing,
make no distinction between long aud short vowels or diphthongs;
I when non-initial, is always written long, whether really long or
short, and short when initial. So also u is always written short.
In transhteration , for the sake of uniformity, I mark these
diphthongs like the other vowels when they are long and not when
they are short, so that the pairs are, c, e ; ai, äi; o, ö ; and au, äü.
The imperfect a sound in the middle of a word in the introduction
I represent in Devanägari by r, and in transhteration by an apo¬
strophe, — thus ^^"T^ dekh'bah, but ^<a^t5 dekhahah. As
this imperfect a-sound does not occur in songs or iu poetry,
I have not inserted it in the text.
The pair of vowel-signs Aff has four sounds in Bihari. In fact
each represents a pair of long and short sounds, and the two signs do not represent difference of quantity, but difference of quality. Thus
has two sounds ; the short a, sounds something between the vowel
sound of the English 'hut', and of the English 'hot', i. e. broader than
the former, but not so broad as the latter. The long sound of 'V
is represented in Nagari by and in transliteration by ä. It
is the above sound lengthened, or something like the aw in the
English 'law'. The sound of Ad is on the contrary open. The
long sound of this letter like that of a in the Italian 'baco', and
is represented by ^ «. The short sound is observable in the
Italian 'ballo', and is denoted by the sign or in transliteration
by a. For full particulars see Chapter IV, e, and Art. K in
Hömle and Grierson's Comparative Dictionary of the Bihärl Language
(London, Triibner).
Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihäri Langnage.
The legend of Phot'rä the were-jackal, corresponding to the
were-wolf of European folk-tales is worth noting. Phot'ra, according to tradition is a jackal, into whose body an evil spirit or sorcerer
has entered. He is then invincible and his bite is certain death.
Tbe bowl of a herd of jackals on a quiet Indian night is at all
times terrifying enough, but now and then one hears a single
jackal give vent to a horribly weird cry of a pecuhar kind, quite
different from the ordinary cry of its fellows. Tbis is, according
to tbe natives, the cry of Phot'ra, and a wise man will not venture
out into the dark night if he hears it close by. Really, it is, I
beheve, the cry of the female jackal under the influence of the
oestrum. The tales of the certain death which result from the
bite of the were-jackal, are probably founded on the hydrophobia
which results from the bite of a mad jackal, a thing which not
unfrequently occurs.
The following sketch of the phase of the Maithili dialect
preserved in these poems may be useful. It aims at presenting,
in the shape of a grammar, the various grammatical forms which
will be found in the text.
Substantives.
Declension usually formed by postposition, as follows
Acc. %, %
Instr. %, C^, ^f)
Dat. %, (fl)
Ahl. %, CW, ^)
Gen. ?R
Loc. "W
These postpositions are usually added to the stem of the noun
as represented by the nominative. Thus
Nom. WfT, 'a boy'
Acc. 'tTT %
Instr. %Tr %
Dat. %TT ^
Ahl. %
Gen. %Tr M (usuaUy written as one word, thus %Tra, see below)
Loc. %»TT
In the genitive , the noun and its postposition are usually
written and treated as one word. The result follows, that sometimes
'">0 Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihari Language.
vowels which were in the penultimate now find themselves in the
Antepenultimate, and consequently, if long (by nature or position)
require to be shortened. Examples occurring in the poem are
^rWK., 'north', — gen. ~a<i^«« (Din. 393)
^^Pr, 'south' » <^f**l* (Din. 392)
ir«?*!, 'west' » Mf^*1<* (Din. 391)
'east' » M^qqi (Din. 390)
'a pig' » ^TT^ (Din. 105, &c.)
In these poems, nouns ending in long ^ or long t^, shorten
their final vowel before the genitive termination ^. This is not
the case in Standard Maithili, and seems to be borrowed from the
custom of the Bhoj'pürl or Magahl dialects. Examples are
of ^"'ff^, N. Pr. gen. ■^•flRr (Din. 164, 177)
^HUO, N. Pr. " flHlfil* (Din. 368)
5T0, 'a water-vessel' » ^jlH^qi (Din. 60)
VT'^fV, N. Pr. » >^^"f»rai (Dm. 69)
Vmt, N. Pr. « Vir*1«ft (Dm. 22, 41)
T^, 'a river' » 'rf^ (Din. 84, &c.)
'a daughter' " %ft^ (Din. 195)
'a husband' " «lf*<** (Neb. 36)
name of a caste » «P««« (Neb. 17)
^^'sTi, 'private apartments' » f^f^SR (Din. 284)
of ^. 'a sip' " (Dm. 359, 360)
Some nouns have, exceptionally, an oblique form before the
postpositions. This obl. form obtains almost universally in the
genitive of pronouns , where it forms the obl. declensional base,
but a few sporadic examples occur in Maithili in connection with
substantives.
These obUque forms may be divided into two classes , those
in , and those in T| . As in other Gaudian languages, they are
remnants of the Präkrit genitive.
The obl. forms in W occur, principally, as oblique forms of
the 2nd and 3rd verbal nouns in and "VA . Thus
^WA, 'the act of seeing', obl. ^"WT, No instances of
those obl. verbal nouns occur in the present songs, but the
forms occur in the case of the following words. They are rem-
Grierton, Selected Specimens of the Bihäri Language. 621
nants of the Mag. Pr. gen. term. W?. Thus Skr. W^^TTZ: =
Mag. Pr. '^r^^W%, = (exceptionally) BihärT -««ai«. So Skr.
= Mag. Pr. '^PPinSim? ?Tt5?J = Bihärl 'wreT "W.
It is often difficult to distinguish the strong direct forms from
oblique forms , as they are identical in appearance. Thus , the
strong from of Skr. TTWZ: is ^^<«l<i«*: = Mag. Pr. ^R^-
= Bih. ■^I'smsi . I believe however that the following are
certainly obhque forms.
^nUTS , 'an arena' obl. ^T^TTT (v. 1. see trans. Din.
403)
^Tf, do. » Wrer (Din. 369,399,403)
'a lap' » ^t^T (Din. 306)
'a village site' » (Din. 373, 374)
^-^•^7^, 'a door' (Persian « ^'TIWl (this is doubtful),
B^t^y; (Dm. 281)
t^TTT, 'a wall' » f^'TT (Din. 107)
f^, 'a direction' » V^M\ (Din. 113)
'a bow' » (Din. 48)
inn:, 'a plank' , xra'TT (Din. 347)
'a boy' , (Neb. 7)
On the contrary the following are certainly strong forms
HTT, 'a burden' Str. f. VfJJJ (Neb. 31)
'a pinioning' » «J«««! (Din. 8)
WTK, 'a brother-m-law' » ^TTTT (Neb.' 39)
'a winnowing basket' » (Din. 172)
The obl. forms in ^, are confined to 1st verbal nouns in ^.
Thus ^f^, 'the act of seeing', obl. . The termination T[ is
either the Mag. Pr. gen. term, til, or the Ap. Pr. gen. term.
See J. A. S. B. Vol. Lll, Part. 1. 1883, pp. 155, 163, where the
whole question of these verbal nouns is worked out. The following
examples occur in the poems.
^f%, 'the act of weeping' obl. (Din. 294. Neb. 24).
Wni, ', , , eating' » ^"T? (gen. ^TJ^), (Din. 298,
302)
', , „ playing- , (Din. 399)
622 Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihäri Language.
^f^, 'the act of seeing" obl. ^ (Din. 140, 242, 341)
■^{fA, ', , , drinking , ^ (Din. 863, 364)
^Yf%, ', , , speaking (Din. 14).
HfT, , . fiUing » »rt (Din. 226)
■fr^, , , weeping' » Ttll (Din. 294)
^rrf^, „ , preparing' » ^rra (Din. 14, &c.)
With these may be compared the noun 'proximity', which
was originally a verbal noun Wf*?. It has an obl. form ^f'T.
Irregular are \ 'the act of giving', obl. and % 'the act
of taking', obl. fHl.
Substantives can also have an organic instr. and loc. Tbe
oldest forms of these are identical, and end iu f% or f^. In
more modem language they were contracted generally with the final
vowel of the base into II and ISf, the latter of which became con¬
fined to the instrumental and the former to the locative. f% and
flj in fact were originally used for any oblique case, or indeed
to form an oblique base , and this has surrived in the present
poems in the word Tpf'^f^f, obl. of TTT'^ 'so much' (Din. 50
Tr?T'Tf^ "W, 'at so much'). No examples of the term, occur
in the present poems, but the foUowing examples of in the
sense of the locative occur.
^■Hi., 'north' loc. "^'T^ (Dm. 3)
<^f^»I, 'south' » 4f^««f^ (Dm. 4)
Mn*fe*< , 'west' » Mf^*<f^ (Din. 2)
'east' » (Din. 1)
In each of these words the penultimate syllable becomes ante¬
penultimate in the locative, and is hence shortened.
The foUowing examples occm- of instramentals in tT.
'the act of weeping' instr. (Din. 178,179,180)
^•AJ, 'a quality' - (Neb. 24).
^^ra, 'the act of going' « (Din. 324)
'below' » (Din. 352)
Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihärl Language. 623
Htm, 'mouth' "»Str. (Din. 142, 143, 381,
^ ' 382)
ftW, 'the act of taking' » "W (Din. 10, 23, 60),
(Din. 193, 330)
or (Din. 203)
The following examples occur of locatives in IJ.
'^•^j 'hope* loc. "fm ^ (Neb. 37)
^^r^, 'the act of going' » (Din. 12)
5Jiy«(, 'the act of going' « (for irtj%), (Din. 380)
5^5^, 'vmion' B 5^ (Din. 322)
"SJJf, 'place' B ZT^ (Dm. 248)
'village site' B (Din. 357, 387)
^W7f , 'a shop' fl
^^1% (Dm. 24).
ATJf , 'a name' B TT^ (Din. 260)
^
ITT^, 'sleep' »
'fi^ (Din. 353)
«(IHK, 'exterior' J) ^tft (Neb. 33)
At^, 'load' B (Din. 267)
AtKJ, 'sack' B ^ (Din. 267)
JT^T, 'morning' B »fr^ (Din. 25)
TT3r, 'kingdom' » TT^ (Neb. 11. 15)
f^, 'head' B ftr^ (Din. 28)
^TTO, 'the act of sleeping' B (Din. 308)
The nominative of substantives usually takes no termination.
That is to say it originally had the Apabhramsha Prakrit termin¬
ation ^ (cf Hem. Ch. IV. 331, 354), which it bas in the modern
language dropped. Pom- instances however, occur of a survival of this
^, two of them curiously enough in non-Indo-Aryan words. They are
'^n^, 'a cultivated field' (Din, 17)
TT^, 'a boy' (Neb. 24)
H^TT^, 'reverence' (Neb, 44)
f^T^, 'barber' (Neb. 43)
Nouns appear in three' forms, a short, a long, and a redundant.
624 Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihäri Langvage.
The short form may also be weak or strong. For particulars con-i
ceming these see Hömle, Gaudian Grammar. § 195, &ff. j
A hst of the strong forms has been given above. No redundant'
forms occur in these poems. The following are the long forms
which occur. In Mth. the termination TT is often written and pro¬
nounced TT.
a) Regular masculine,
^ire, 'hope 1ITZ, 'a bed*
'a retura-joumey' TT, 'a quahty' TT, 'bottom*
ihHIT, 'letter of invitation' Tra, 'reciting'
TfTTTT, 'a merchant'
»TU5TT, 'store-house*
fiTT'TT, 'dawn*
TTI, 'road*
^tr, 'people'
b) Regular masc. in 1[, t;
^TTfr, 'bad water'
TTTO, 'a son-in-law'
«r\«n , 'an ascetic' T^T^, 'an oil-man' Trfr, 'water' TZtf^, 'a wayfarer'
c) Regular masc. in ^.
TTT, 'a boy'
'trWTT, 'reverence' fTT^, 'a barber'
TIT'TT (Neb. 37)
^•TT (Neb. 23)
^•TT (Neb. 26)
TT'TT (Neb. 24)
TT'TT (DTn. 45, 246)
^NlT-TT (Neb. 25)
T^'TT (Neb. 14)
TfTTT'TT (Neb. 16)
HO^TT'TT ') (Neb. 2)
f^T'TT'^n (Din. 9, 37)
Tf'TT (Neb. 27)
wtT'TT (Neb. 4)
and T.
^trrf (Neb. 32)
T^ (Din. 197)
TtfTTT (Dm. 219, 230, 238)
(Din. 6)
Trfrrt (Neb. 32)
<4iir|*<l (Din. 350)
TTW (Neb. 24)
^^4j^t (Neb. 44)
fTT^ (Neb. 43)
1) This is a tatsama word and the antepenult, is not shortened.
Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihäri Language. 625
d) Irregular masc.
^jaf^TTT, 'a religious client' 3ra-TT-^ (Neb. 47)
, 'information' tWT'TT (Neb. 37)
f5[ST, 'a day' f^'TT (Neb. 37)
^f^UTT) 'letter of invitation' TTT^ (Neb. 34).
^|f^<j| , 'mercantile transactions' TfTT^ (Neb. 31)
TK'TT, 'face' ^i^R:^ (Neb. 48)
The language of Neb. is much more colloquial than that of
Din. Hence these irregular forms.
e) Regular feminines.
qjT^'T^, 'office' WfftTT (Neb. 42)
aiT'^'f^, 'thrusting by the neck* T?:-^tT (Dm. 245, 254, 255)
fTZ3^, 'a letter' frfSTT (Neb. 46)
irtTT, N. Pr. frfTTT (Din. 312, 328)
^it^, 'a litter' Tl-ftlTT (Din. 340)
f?fO , 'a woman' trfTTT (Din. 233 &c.)
'a doorway' ^^f?:TT (Din. 352)
'a daughter' ■f^üTT (Dm. 347 &c. Neb. 17)
■yH',<K ^ 'an ascetic's fire' VfrrY (Din. 241)
TT"^, 'a village' •«Tr<4|T (Neb. 41)
T?T'^, 'a hobble' WffTT (Neb. 20)
TTfJ"'^, 'a letter' Tmtr^T (Neb. 45)
HT«ft, 'a letter' XjfTTT (Neb. 40)
^♦{41, 'a flute' ^Tf^ (Din. 244)
TTZ, 'a road' «4fi4|l (Dm. 82)
TTJT, 'a word' Tttraf (Dm. 95)
frW'O, 'sale' frwfTTT (Neb. 21)
■frfTT, 'dawn' fTffTTT (Din. 40)
%fT, 'bour' TfTTT (Dm. 128)
■frftft, 'a petition' fTTfTITT (Neb. 35)
^Ht, N. Pr.
4 5
f^fTTT (Dm. 312, 327)
626 Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihäri Language.
f) Irregidar feminines.
TZTT^, 'an upper chamber' TZfT^ (Neb. 29)
^UWrr , 'a mother' ■«»♦J'?« (as if fi-om ^P^t) (Neb. 29)
Number.
Tbe singular of nouns and pronouns is the same as the plural.
Sometimes, when it is necessary to emphasize the plural idea, the
word TT 'all' is added; e. g. Din. 20, TT TT ^TOTT ^, 'having
sent his men'.
Adjectives.
Gender , except the gender of personal substantives , such as
caste names , &c. , or of adjectives used substantively , is rarely
observed. A few instances, however, occur of adjectives taking a
feminine (not compulsory) in T • Eor further particulars, see part 8,
of the Introduction to Grierson and Hörnle's Comparative Dictionary
of the Bihari Language. The following examples occur in the
poems now printed.
a) Caste, and proper names.
TTTtfr, 'a betel seUer' fern. TTtfrfT (Din. 312, &c.)
VrrV, N. Pr. » >af*4*»lf,fT (Hswife) (Din.
60, 64, 65)
TtfTT, 'a blacksmith' " TtfTf;f«> (Din. 313, &c.)
b) Adjectives used substantively.
TTT, 'young' fem. TTfT 'a youngwoman',
(Neb. 30) c) Adjectives.
T>J-TT, 'distressed' fern. T>H'Tf?T (Din. 319)
'high' » ^ilfr (Din. 154)
FfT, 'such' » ITftr (Din. 82, &c.)
^TT, 'third' » TtrfT (Din. 129, &c.)
^TT, 'second' « ^TfT (Din. 327)
qifajT, 'last' » ^ITflrfT (Din. 266)
^ 'old' - TfS (Din. 165)
TVT, 'sweet' » TVfT (Din. 14, &c.)
With the above may be compared the feminine of verbal past
participles, used as 3rd pret., e. g. ^TtT, 'she entered' (Din. 33),
and also the fem. of present pai-ticiples , e. g. qi^ffl (Din. 354).
Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihari Language. 627 Pronouns.
If, T, gen. dir. jftT, gen. obl., and obl. base, I.T.
fT, 'I', gen. dir. %,*\\ '- emph. ^«iO , gen. obl, and obl.
base fT'TT.
Tf , 'you', gen. dir. (TtT) j gen. obl., and obl. base T^TT •
(Tt%), 'you', gen. dir. TtfT, gen. obl., and obl. base TtfTT.
TfY, 'your honour', nom. Tff.
T^'Tff, 'self, nom. T^'Tff , T^T'T; gen. T^IT, obl. TT?"TT.
4^, 'this', dir. obl. base jff .
Tt, 'that', dir. Tt, emph. Tf , gen. Tt^^ , gen. obl., and
obl. base Tt«li"TT; obl. base Ttff .
'who', dir. gen. obl. base TTff, also Bh.')
form ^ff .
'that', dir. %, emph. %ft, gen. T^; obl. gen. TWTT;
obl. base TTff.
'who'?', gen. (Bh. form) 5«*^,; obl. base W«Ii'TT: adj. dir., and obl. ^T.
?Rt, 'what (neut.)'?', dir. f^iT; obl. base WfT; adj. obl.
%Tt, 'any', subst. dir. ^STft: adj., dir., and obl. <»l«il . f«(igf , 'anything, something', not declined.
Verb s.
The following paradigms of the Y , 'see', are built up on
the various verbal forms occurring through the poems here printed.
Sometimes one verbal form suggests the existence of another form
which is not found in the poems. These suggested forms I have
also given, enclosing them in marks of parenthesis thus (l5['5'TtWj.
When an asterisk , thus , *^^1f , is prefixed to a verbal form , it
means that that form is not used in modern colloquial Maithili, as
exemplified in my Maithil Grammar (J. A. S. B. Part I. 1880, Extra
uumber).
Verbs do not change for number. Each person has, however, a
gi'eat variety of forms. Tliese forms may be divided into groups, viz.
One set of forms, which appears with great regularity, — a
1) Bh. == Bhoj'piirl,
628 Grierson, Selected Speeimens of the Bihäri Language.
short, a long, and a redundant form, all having the sarae meaning.
The long form is made by adding ^ to the short, and the redund¬
ant by adding W to the long form. Thus,
short long redundant
^f^fN t^'t
When the subject or object is in the second person, non-
honoritic, may be substituted for ^ in the long and redundant
forms.
Thus ^T ^■■^^
The last two of which mean, 'I wih see you', or 'you will see'.
So also in ^'sIT ^■<ft' ^"T^^R
the last two mean 'he will see you'.
Examples are (Dm. 273) 'rff T?JT'^, ^ % H^-
ffr 5iT«h , 'she did not understand your actions; she has done
indignity to her daughters-in-law'. Again, (Din. 345) ^fft"
irfr? 'she will give you a bundred thousand abuses. (Din. 16)
TTT«S f^-<n«f» WTTT, 'Do you give wark for the day only'.
Very often the sense of the second person is very indirectly
contained in the object. Thus, (Dm. 103) Wf ^f<sl'*n**,
^ Tf'TTT, «fitn «TT Ttf TTT, 'On other days I see, 0 nephews,
the Katäiyä forest (to which you wish me to go) to be very
pleasing'. Here the nephews urge the speaker to go into the
forest, and he speaks of it as their forest, and hence, in addressing
them uses in the verb.
1
Another group of verbal forms ends in TfT, TTf and Tf*f .
These were originally plurals , and are used when the subject is
spoken of honorifically , and is in the third person. When the
second person is used honorifically the forms of the first person
are used for it, and the first person is so rarely used honorifically
that I have been unable to form a rule on the subject, except
that forms in are generally more honorific than forms in Tf.
The following are examples of the use of verbs when the
subject is honorifically treated.
a) 2nd pers honorific, (Din. 368) f(f ^T TTTfTW TTT
'You, (respected brother), have made enmity with Gulami'.
b) 3rd pers. bon., — TfT (only used with transitive verbs) —
(Din. 370) ^ TTf; ?ftfT ^TfT, 'the two (respected)
brothers gave up their bodily forms.
Grierson, Selected Specimens of tlie Bihärl Language. ß29
lütf (only used with intransitive verbs) , — (Din. 369)
TTT TTril TTT tH tttt , 'the two (respected) brothers went
to the cowshed of Barä Dih'.
Tf*f , - (Dm. 63) TT jr^TT T^ fiTf»f 'Dinä and
Bhadri (tbose great persons) bave put me to great ignominy'.
A third group of verbal forms is that in which special respect
is attributed to the object. This is done by adding the .syllable
f*f to another verbal form , lengthening if possilUe the preceding
vowel.
Thus ^'S"^ 'I will see', ^^'^f'f 'I will see something respected',
^^ifr , 'he (the respected person) sees', ^^'«Hf^S , 'he (the respected person) sees (something respected)'. Examples are (Neb. 37) 'ft'IT«!!
»nr qiTTtf^ f^TT tWTTT, TtT? T7ITT «JT^f^f ^ ^f^,
'may (the respected brother) fix the (lucky) day for bringing t,be
bride home. I will make an (important) journey to the Möraüg
in the hope of wealth". (Din. 199) WTT T^ ^ '^fffrf^
TgjTT, 'tell (the respected) Kälü Sadä?
Amongst other groups of verbal forms may be mentioned
those of the old second person plural, formed with the Ap. Pr.
term. TF. TF is liable to be contracted into '^f , aud henc(!
we get the regular set, viz. , ^'if ; then (redundant or long
forms) ^fFTt , ^«^^«ti ; aud finally the form with honorific object,
^■^f*f . A variety of tbe long form is ^'flTi.
The old form of the 2. pei'son sing, must have been in ff ,
or f^, as is borne out by the fut. contracted form ^'1^, and
the foi-m with honorific object ^^'Tftf'f . So also iu the other
tenses.
The few remaining verbal forms defy all attempts at classi¬
fication which 1 have made. Most of them (e. g. 3. pres. ^«^JS )
are survivals or remains of old Ap. Pr. conjugations.
With respect to the use of the foregoing groups , it must lie
observed that the rules laid down are very loosely olaserved, and
that local custom or individual caprice frequently leads to their
infringement.
In the following Paradigms 1 first give the forms of the
auxiliary verb which occur in the songs. They are as follows.
nd. XXXI.\ 42
4 5*
630 Grifrurm, Selected Speeimen» of the Bihärl Lnnffiiage.
V TW.
Pres. 1) 'T^'), wt, fWTNs.
2) wt,
3) TfW. fWT"), Wtr^), t, tr, tf^, Wt, B^.
Wfr. WTtf^.
Pret, 1) *WTt.
2) caret.
3) WT, W^. WW. WTTf .
V fTT. Pres. 3 fTT: fem. TtfT.
V Pres. 3 Tff.
The Regular aud irregular verbs.
These are conjugated as follows. Roots in TTT and TT have
often special forms owing to the contraction of concurrent vowels.
I therefore give those which occur under each tense. The l/mT
'obtain' and ]/ 'eat' being the standard which I have adopted.
JiTCgular forms are noted under each tense.
The Preterite and connected tenses of transitive verbs, differ
from the corresponding tenses of intransitive verbs. They are hence
given separately , ]/ f*I\ ? 'fall' being taken as the standard of the intransitive verbs.
Present Ind. and Conj.
\) *^^: (*t^t, tf^), t^-^, ^T^.
2) (jaret.
■.\) tt. *tt^: *ttf^: t'^: *tw-
'i'he irregulai- verb y ^ > 'give', has 1) f^^lftTi , — no exam¬
ples of the other persons.
The roots in TTT, have forms coiresponding in tbird person to
^TT. TI^, ^T^T.
The roots in TT , bave ibrms corresponding to ^TT, *'^Tir,
both 3rd jierson.
1) See notf> td trjins. nf DTn. I. S.'i.
-) fWT ^"<1 Wtr '^'-^ South Maithili I'urius. coming from a strengthened V fWT.
« 5 *
Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihiirl Lnnguatye. 631
Future iud. 1) J^'^ , ^t^, (^•?^);
t^-%f*f : *^"T#, t^"Tf.
2) t^T, *^-^, (t^-^); f^T; *t^T-
*t^-Tfr.
3) t^'^, t^'Tft, (^-7^):
^"TTTf .
The irregular verb V^, 'give', has, 1)
2) If^^ ^Tftf»f : 3) ^?N, so also ^ ^.
'take', has 1)%T: 3) %7T. (/ft, 'become', ha-s 1) ft^, ftp^f,
fttf: 2) ftTfV.
The roots in TTT have forms corresponding to tbe following,
1) ^W^, 'TR: 2) MV^: cf from Vn\, 'drink', 2) ^YW".
The roots in TT have forms corresponding to
1) '^t; 2) t^ 3) wwf{, trif .
Preterite ind.
(Trans, verb) j 1) ^''^ftri: ^'Wt: ^•T#.
(Intrans. verb) I tTT'Tt: fTT'T#.
(Trans.). , , , j 2) t'^' *^''l^: f^^: ^"^f.
(Intrans.) . . . | fT'?:-WTf .
(Trans.). . . . (3) ^"TT, ^'IT'^, f'sW^lfrT ; f^f^:
T'flf^f ; »t^'TfT. ^^'Ttf^.
(Intrans.). . . fTTT (fem. fTTfTI, *fTT'TT. f'lT'^, f»!-
■^•%T, fTT"^. fTTi'^T: fTT'Ttf (fern.
fTT'Ttff): fTT'^f^. 'fTTTTf^.
Tiie irregular y TT , 'do' has its pret. stem 5t , — as follows,
1) fiT, 2) %m, 3) ^TT, fiTf*f : so also \ VT.
.seize','place', has 2) ^[^, '■'>) ^TT. ^Tf*?.
The irregular V ^ ) '^'ve', bas its jiret. stem ' —
follows, 1) ^m\*, 2) t^f, 3) fTT, t^fr.
fT'Ttf»f: so also T. 'take', has 2) tW, 3; TTT. 5lTf*f .
42'
632 Grierson, Seieeted Specimens of the Bihäri Langunge.
The iiTegular ]/ TT, 'go', has its preterite stem äNf, — as
follows, 1) »1^, 2) , 3) »Nf, atwif , *i^V^, WTf^.
The irregular /ft, 'become', has its pret. stem ^T, — as
follows, — 3) 5^T, T^T, 5)Tif .
Tbe roots in TTT appear only in one person , of which the
foUowmg is tbe type, — 3) t^TT.
The roots in TT, also appear only in the 3rd person. The
cases of occurrence are 3) TTTTT, ^TT, ^wif , T^^Pf , 'he came',
and T^frt^Q , 'she trusted*.
Note that the ]/TTT, 'come* in its p. part, and in its pret.
is conjugated like a verb in TT, but in the other tenses like a
verb in TTT- Imperative.
IJ tlL' ^^^^ ^■
2) <r«^^n«*: t^, (or ^t"^"
*tW, *t^FT, t^fT, *t^'ftT. f^'^f*f.
3) f^'Ttt^.
The irregular ( f ' 'give', has a number of forms for the
2. person, viz f > ' ^ ; ? » H^'^Tl'* , ^ ■ so also
y iJ 'take' has 2) and fw4.
The roots in TIT have forms corresponding to the following,
2) nT^. TiT'ftT.
Tbe roots in TT have forms corresponding to the following,
2) ^TTf, ^nt, 'ary, ^Tf .
Precative forms are
2) ^f^, ff^f^, ^'f^^N, <fMl?1f^.
As an example of roots in TTT we have Tffr^ 'be good
enough to come'. The roots in TT have forms (jorresjionding to
2) W, and tf*.
Pret. Hond. 1) ft?iT# (from [%, ff<T#). (*ttcft),
2) caret.
3) ftT. t^^fr, f^'Tt^.
The roots in TTT have forms correspondijig to the following
Griersitn, Selected Speciinem of the Bihärl Language. 633
1) (TjtTft), qtf7f$, 2) TTtn, 'ftrf^.
No instances occur of roots in TT in this tense.
Periphrastic Tenses.
Periphrastic Present.
This is formed by adding the auxihary verb to the present
participle. The participle is inflected for gender.
Example.
1) ^ßl^ wt or contracted ^twt 'I am seeing'.
2) contracted (fem. ^fTT 1^).
3) tt'T ^rfW or contracted ftT^, (fem. ^tfTT Tfw)
and so on. Any form of either auxiliary in the present tense can
be used.
Imperfect.
Conjugated as above , the pret. of the auxiliary , or the pres.
of y Tf 'remain' being used.
E. g. WT, WWif , or ^#7T tt, 'he was seing'.
This tense only occurs in the present poem in the 3rd pers.
Perfect and Pluperfect.
These tenses are formed in two ways, either directly or in¬
directly. In the direct form the Perfect is formed by conjugating
the past participle with the present tense of the auxiliary verb.
In the case of transitive verbs the past participle is in the in-
strmnental case, and is not affected for gender (e. g. wt,
'I have seen'). In the case of intransitive verbs, the past jiarticiple
is in the direct form, and is affected for gender (e. g. fTTT Wt,
fem. frrf^ 'I am fallen').
No instance of the direct form of the perfect of a transitive
verb occurs in these poems. The only form of the direct perf, of
an intransitive verb which occurs is
3) ?flT!, 'he is seated' (Din. 318).
The direct form of the pluperfect is tbnned in the same way,
substituting tbe preterite of the auxiliary verb. No instance occurs
of a transitive verb iu this form. Of tbe intransitive tbe ouly
forms which occur, aie
3) T?rT W^ilS (Din. 377) 'he was arisen', fern. W^
(Din. 353) 'she was asleep'.
Tbe indirect form of these two tenses is formed in exactly
the reverse way. The third person singular of the auxiliary (present
or preterite according to circumstances) is added to auy form of
634 Grierson, Selected Specinieits of the Bihari Language.
the preterite, and thereby the whole gets tbe corresponding meaning
of the perfect or pluperfect as the case may be ; — thus.
Preterite.
1) t^'T#, 'I saw'
2) ^«a^, 'you saw'
3) t^'TT, 'he saw'
Perfect.
t^'T# TtW or Tff, 'I have seen
^«a'W TfW or Tff , 'you have seen'
t^'TT TfW or 'Tff, 'he has seen'
Pluperfect.
1) ^^T^ s?<!l , 'I had seen'
2) WT, 'you had see.
3) ^'a'TT WT, 'he had .seen'
The only forms of the indirect perfect which occur correspond to the following
Trans. 1) f^'Tt Tff, 3) ^^'TT TfW, t^'TT Tff,
Intrans. 3) fTT'^^T TfW, fTT'Tf*f TfW-
No fonns of the Indirect Pluperfect occur.
Future conj.
Only one instance of this tense occurs viz. 3rd person T^
ft^, '(If) he come'.
■Verbal nouns. 1) ^f*^ > obl. gen. f^T.
)/ t has t 01" t' o'^l- SSO y ^! I'as ^ pr %, obl. iHl,
KfY has *>.
Roots in TTT, — TlfT, TTT, so has irVfT, obl.
Roots in TT, — ^TTT, obl. ^TT, gen. WTg^
2) (t^T', instr. f^'W, loc. f^'lf .
y % has (i^T), obl. or instr. ^f^, "^1^, y TT has
(^), instr. |/ TT has (TTT), instr. ^f^.
No e.\ample of roots in TTT-
Roots in TT, — WTFT, instr. (su also \ fTTTT has
fTTT^, instr. 'Mtf^).
3) (t^): instr. loc. .
y "fft makes (itVtT), emph. ^t%.
No example of Roots in TTT.
Roots in TT, — (^T^T), emph. loc.
Griei-son, Selected Specimein of the Bihari Language. 635
Conj. part. Formed by adding T to the 1st verbal noun. Thus
T, % T, MTV % &c.
The word ^ commonly called the conj. part of Y^^^i is in
reality no such thing. It is derived independently from the Vaidik
(Skr. ^iW[), hence Pr. *«f\T (Hem. Ch. IV, 271) and Bihärl
(with elision of T.) T. Hence ^fia IS, means 'having done the
action of seeing', (Hindi) TT ^ 'having done the action of doing',
(Hindi) ^ 'having done the action of doing the act of
seeing' and so on.
Pres. part. , loc. ^^'Ttf. fem. ^Qfil.
From y t» tT*T O'" so ft'om V %j ^1.0 •
From roots in TTT, — ^A^, so ]/Tt, tT^, and V^, f^fit^.
From roots in TT,
Past part,
From roots in TTT, (TTtIt).
From roots in TT, (^T^).
II TT ^ftr ^tTT T^ II
Chapter I.
Dhämi asks Dinä and BhadrT to labour for him in the fields.
They refuse, on the gi-ound that they live by huntmg, and, beating
him, entreat him shamefully
^TTff T^, fr ftw( vrft, TfTT 'grr i
qfWrff Ttfffr ft ^tn T^, tH TTTTT I
TTTff TtfTf, fr ^tTT T^, TT^Tt TT^ T^T^T I
^fBRff T^, ft ftWt T^, Tl'T fTTTT I
Ttf Tf? T'ff, ft ftTT T^, Ttf fTfTTT I II M II
1) This Chapter is Iroijuoiitly rccitud separately, and is then called the
^trT T^t TT*^ , " name which appears to have uo very definite meaning,
and which seems to mc to bo incorrect for ^TT TI^T T^, ''he band
(or verses) of Dinä Bhadri.
636 (irrierxoii, Selected Spcciiiteiw of the Bihtin iMiigiuiijc.
tN ^ TFff. ft TfW iWTT 1
^jpf TT'ff , Tt TTTtT 5|TT Tpff I
Tt^ TT Tpff Tft T«TT II
3|t fTTTTTT, fr T^, TiTT ^TT I
trffft ^fM TTTt ffr ^rrt tttT? i ii <io ii
Tf? ^ Ttfrrr Tl%ft i
Tfr TT TT% WT frfr Jtr i
TfT »TT TtfTTT TFrft I
Tt^ TTTT, ft, TTTt TT^ TTTT TTft TTTT I
Tff 'Jt, fTT 3)t, tt^ ^''■'tttt; i ii «im ii
TT^ f?[^^ TTTT I
TTT TITOs tTT tttt, fTT TTT TTTT TTT I
TTT TTTT TT^ «^tTTTT 1
TTT TT ^ T ^ ^TTT I
TT TT TTTT T TTTt TTTif ^tTT Tf^ TTT I II 'lO ||
Tt'i TTTT TTTt, TTt TTTT TTft TTT I
TTfTT TT^ TfT THTtff ^tTT Tf^ TTT f^TT I
ffr "^"^ TTffr TfT ^T fTf ^TTTT I
Ttl TT'Tfr fTT^ TTT, TtI TTTfT TTft TTT I
^tr TT^ TT^, fr TTTt, TT Ttt "^TT ^TTT I II 'IM II
TXIT TF %zt TWf*f TT ^TTT I
fTT TZt gTF f^Tf^ TfJTZ TTTT I
TT^ ^tTTTT TT 5)T ^TTT I
TTTT f^T ^T T^ ^ T^ I
TT % ^ '^Tft TT Ttfr I II 90 II
^trr T^ ^ t?%fT TfT TtfT I
Grierismi, Selected, Specimens of the Bihor'i [janijmirje. (537
ffTZff TTT TTTT ^tTT Tf^ TTT '
TtTfrfTT TT ^fr, ^T Tf^ fTTTT TTfT TTTfrfT I
TTTT TT^ Tfr ^^TT T^ T3T fTfTT I
TTT TTt Tff!TfT, TiftT# T^T f^T^ 'iTTT I II II
Tt # TtfT TtT TTT I
»)T ^TTTT^ TTT Tftw fTTTTT %ft I
yTI^T TTT TTTT fTTTt TTT '
TTT TTTT %Tf^S ^tTT T^ ffr ^ I
Tfr TT frffTTT fTTTT I II 80 II
TTft »NT TTfTT ^ ^tf3 I
Ttt TTTT flfNrr T^ t, TtI tttt TTft ^TT I
TT^T f^ f«^-*n<* TTTT I
TTTf TTT Tfr ^TT T^ ^T f^fTTTT I
TTTTTT Tfft TTTTT Tf% ^T I II 84 II
Ttl TTTT Tftt, TTT TTTT T^ TTTT I
TT %ft FTT f^, fr fTrr t^ i
TTT^ TTTIT, t^ ^TTT I
TtI TTTT ^tTT T^, TTT TTTT TTft TTTT I
TTTff »rrff f^fTTTT I II MO ||
TTTf TT^, fr TTTt, TtfTTT TTTft TTTf I
TT f T? fiT ^T^t Tt^T TtfT I
TffTt TfrrT, fr TTTt, ^if%T TTTT I
fftr fWT TTft TtfTTT liT TTTTT I
Ttl TTTT TTTt, TTT TTTT TTf^ TTTT I II MM II
TTTT f^ f^rTr TTTT I
TTTf TTT Tfr Tf tt I
638 Gricrsun, Selected SjMicimens uf the Bihnrl Languaqe.
>irrjft % TTTTT T^T fT rTtt II
T% f^T TTTt WT TTTT TTT I
?JTftT TTfr TfTTTTfr I II ^0 ||
T^ TTTt TtTT T^ TTT I
?(ffT T^ XTTT: ft TTTt, TTTif ^TTft I
TT T^T ftiT T^ flrf^ fT TTT I
'^'TT fTT T^, TfTTTTfr, TT TtT I
TT^ TfTt rf TTTT, TfTTTTfr, TTTTT rff l>T I II ||
^trT Tsft TT TfTT II
Chapter II.
Dina and Bhadri go out hunting with their uncle Bahöran and
are killed by Phot'rä the were-jackal.
ftl TT^ ^trT T^, TT§ TTTT I
TftTT TTT % TirftT ttTTT I
rtT TTfTT TTT tTTJT I
rtr TTT TfTTT TTTTT TtTT fTTTT I II ^0 ||
irrrf rrr ^ ttt frTTt Tifr TTfr TTrt i
ffr ffr TTTT TTTT TfT ^t I
TTfr TTfr TTTT TTTT ^T TZ^ I
ffr ffr T^ fTTf rT^t i
rtr TTTT TfTTT ^Tf'f TtTT T^STT TTZ I II II
?T TtT itrff , ft TftTT, fT ^r TTTf I
%TT TtT t'stTf'f T TFTTT "^T ^ WT TfTTT I
TTTf rftT, t TfTTT, Tfrft frfr %T I
TffTt % t^ TFTTT TT WT TfTTTr I
TTT, t, TtTT rtrT T^T rff Tr% I II CO II
Grierson, Selected Sj>ecimens of the Bihärl Language. 639
T^, t HTTTT, Tft T TT I
TTffT fffr Tfr Tf^, t TTTT, TfZTT I
T^ TTTT tStT TfTT TTT T^ TTI7T TfW 1
WT ^ TTT TT#TT TTTT Tf^T TTT I
t^T TWf TTft IT I 11 cq ||
TTf^r TTTT ff%T TfW TTf TTT I
TIT, t TfTTT, TtTT TTT Tff TTt, T^ Tft TT I
Tff, ff TTTT, "^T^, T^ TtTT fTTTT I
WT T{ TTT ^fT frfr ^tr i
TT#TT TTTT Tf^ TTT I II II
TTT f^ Tft WTT TTTT# TTT I
TTT ftr wf TTT TTTf I
T^, ff: TffTTT vft TT I
TTTT T^ ^TT TTTT ^TTT I
ITffT Tfrrf Tfr Tf^, ff tttt, tttt Tf^ TTT I II II
TTT TTTf TTT, ff TTT, TT'tf TfTT, TfT TTTT, ff TTT I
TT'Tf ItT fTTTTT I
<TT fT T3T f^ TTT TtTT fTTTT I
Tfr TTT TTTT. ff TfTTT. TtVt TTTT I
'^TTT TfTTT Ttrr fTTTT I II «100 ||
TTT TTfr. TTTT TfTTT, TTTT T^ ^ TT^ ^TT I
TTTif TtTT fTTTT I
TTT f|[T ^fisuTl«*. t TfTTT. TtTT TT Tff TTT I
TTT TtTT ttfW^frr TT TTTTT 1
TTT f^T. t TfTTT, ff^"^ ^''^^ ^ ' " "
TT^ Tff ftfW^^ ffTT TTT^ ZTZ I
640 Gricrsun, Selected Specimens uf the Bihnrl Langiuige.
Tfs^'fN vw[ TTWra TTW, *rf^ «Mr«f> f^TTT Tft 5rT i
TTTTF wr fftf ^liT 3TZ I
ITT TTTTT ^f^T Tf T^T ifNi TtZTT fTTTT I
^TT T^ Ttr 'sfN TtZTT fTTTT I II ||
TTfr fTT T^T T^fT ?ftTi TTTT I
TTT, TtTT T^ If HTfT litfT T ^aHTT ft^ I
^ f^T ^ Ttr ff^ TW 1^ I
fTT TTTTT TTTT TTT %Tt % TTW TTT % fttf I
^frrr T^ % TTfr T ^HTT 5)t ^TT Tf^ TTT% I II n
TTT%, TfTTT, T^T ^Ti I
tH tttt TSt4? TtTT TTT% T^T iffT I
TtZTT ^ TtT TSTT T T^ Tit, Tft TTT i
t'sITT TT|T T tt TT'JT ^ I
Tfrftr Ttft TTfr TtZTT ^ fTTTT I II q^O II
TTTT TTt T T+TT^, t TfTTT, TT TtZTT ^ TTTT I
TT TiTTf^ ^tTT TTT TtZTT % f^rf^ ^TT I
TTT TTT Tff ^TTT TTTTT I
TT t'TTT TT%T T TT TTTT ^T I
TT TTTftTT TtTT Ttft TfrftTT % f^ fTTTT I II q^M II
TT TStZTT TT ^TTT I
TTT T TitfT #f , ft TfTTT, TjtZTT TT ^T ^TTT I
TTff tftTT Ttrt, ft TTTT, TTTt ^ TtZTT I
^Tft %ft T^%T TfTTtf^ TT fTT Tt TTT TTT TT^ I
%Tft %ft TT % TstZTT ^TT I II q?0 II
^tTT TTT frr TTTt "W ^TT I
^T TTT % TftcTff Tf^ ?^Tt WTt fft ^tT I
Grierum, SeUrted Specimrm of tlie Bihärl Language. &A\
XitZTT t! Tsft, Tirfr, TTTT T TTTTT
TTTf fTTTT I
TTT TTT Tfir TiTTT TTTT I
TT^ "^tfK T fTT fTTTT I II I^M II
Tf^ TT^ TT^ ^ »trif 3Tf? I
TTT TT'I. TtT TTT TTIT TtfTTT TT I
TTT WTjf % TTTT TT TZTT I
•^Iff ^ft TTTf TT TtfTTT I
TTT fT «#lT TTT ^ TTJTT tTItTT I II ^ÖO H
TTT fT TTT t2tt I
Tiff tfff ^TT TtZTT Tt^ ^ TTT ti I
Tiff W ^ ^ ^ '
itrft tft T^ ^ ^ T %fZ 3?T TTTt I
TTT TTT Tff TTTT TTR II II «H^M «
Chapter III.
The Spirits of Dinä and Bhadri entreat their uncle to carry
news of their death home. He, being afraid to go alone, reluses.
The confusion at bome on account of the non-return of Pinä and
Bhadri for seven days. The latter send word of their death by
Ahirä Goar.
TTTTT TTft Tfft T^t ff^, ff TTTT I
Tfa?t tZT fTTT ^ xnc, TfT fTTT I
TTTTT TTW TT % ftTff. ff TTTT I
f^rtf TTfTTT % T Shft TtfTTT Tff TTT I
Tff fs ffutf, ff TfTTT. T TTW ^ Tff TtfTT,
% ^ TT "if I tt SMO II
fT f fs fflTT Tt fTTf ^ ^ I
Tf fs ff^. ff TTTT. TfT TTT?[ TtfTTT % TTf I
4 •
642 Grierson, Selected Sjiecimens of the Bihiir'i Langnnge.
fTTTt TTT % T?JTT I
^rflW Tft fTTTt f^T TtTT H^STT TTZ I
fftr frff »trif . ■% TftTT, tttt ^rif i n «imm ii
ftTT Tff f^ TTTT I
ffTT ffTT TfT TTT , fTTTt TffTf, fT fT ffT %Tf*f TtTT I
TTT f^ TTT TTfr ftfT ^T TtTT I
TtTTT TTT^ Tff ^Tf TTTTT I
TtTT TTtfT, ft TftTT, TTT «h<IT II II 1^0 ||
TT%T TTfT TTT 1
TJT t TT TTfT TtT Tfw ^^TTf Tff I
TTT TT^TT TTT Tffff TT^TT I
tfrf TTTT TfW TTfTT Tff I
if^ it? ^TfTTf ^ ffr %TT TT^ T^ ti I II q^M ||
TTTT TTTT TTfTTf TT^ T^ ff^ Tf^fT TfW Zf ST I
^f TTfT t TT t ffTT TfW ^TffT I
TT^ T^T Ttr Ttr ^T Tf fTTTT TTT I
TfTT frrrf\j ff^^\ tt • tttt \* i
TTTf ^TTf STTT '^TTf Tfl"^^ I II ^^0 ||
TitTT ^TTf ^araft 5TTf TTT I
^T ?[TTf TTTfr ^TTf ^T^ff ^TTf I
^1
TTSIT fr^fT ff TTT ^TT I
Tf frtr WTTf ^TT T^ TffTTT TTT I II ^^M II
#Tf TTfTTf Tff tiTT f^TTT I
fTTT TOt ITT TTTf »TT T^TT
TT^ TTTT TT^ TTT Tff TTT I
4 i
Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihär'i Langunfie. ß43
TTT fTTTt TTf ftftW ??ft 'tT I
^TT TTTTT TTf T%f^ TtfTTTT tZT I II q^o ||
ftTT Tf^ Ttfff TtfTTT ft^ Tftr I
TTT ffT TTT TTfT TtTT TETT TT^ I
trrt Tff TTTTT TtT TtfTT I
TTTT f T TtfTTT Tfrft ^TT TTT^ I
f^T wt, ft ^T^, TffTT TtTTT TtT Tfw TTTT I II qcg ||
f^ »Itt ttt^ i
TffTT TtTTT ^ TirftT TtT ftt. ^ TtT Tff TTt; I
TTff TtTTT aff^ TT T^T TTZ TZfft T TTft TZTT STlt I
TTT TffTT. Tf %t TTT I
TffTT TtTTT tT TtTT, T^ tTT tl I II SQO II
TfTf»f it TffTT Tff TTTif I
TfTT t TTTWt TTT^ TTTT I
fTT TTT^ TTTf TfTft I
TTT TTTf ^ Tff^f^ T^TTT I
^ %ftgi Tffftff i TffTT TTfr ^TT I II S^M II
fT TTTT TTTT T%f^ TZTT I
^Tf^ fTTTTT TTTf^ T^TT TTTft
TTT TTTt ^ TTT^ Tff T "Mf TtfTTT TTT
TTf^ T^ ^ Tffftf^ ^^T I
fT TTT TTTT TTTf^ ^iZTT ^TT I II ^00 ||
T^. ft ^Tf. T^, tItT ^TTT, fTTT fÄ TTT^T wt I
Tfr 'ftl Ttr wfr f ^t wt ttz i
TTT fTTTt TTT T«[T Tt TffTT TtTTT TTT^ "tt" T%»T WT I
Tjfrf frfT T TTT¥ TWgiTT I
044 (Iriersmi, Selected Speeimens of the Bihü'n Language.
TtI TPM ffTT #r TTTT <4<4M I II ROM II
fr, TffTT Ttw?: t( Tfl^ TTT TTTT I
TT^ T^ TTT fTTTt tt TWf»f tUtTT Tlf; I
TTT tt Tffl^f^ T fT-#f T<f
«*t«iT TTT t> fT^Rfr Tff I
Tfff TTf TTfr "if Tfrff , % TTTT T fTfff»f I || ^f\o H
fT %T ^ '«TfZ Tff ^«<ftR{ I
Tfff It TTT T%f^, % fTT frftTT T^ II
TTT ffT TTT TlfT TffT »tT I
TffTTTT ffT TfT it ffTT Tsff Tft »tT I
frtrT tt^ Tf TffTTT T^T ^TfZ II II 'iqM II
Chapter IV.
The spirits of Dinä and Bhadri disguise themselves as mendi¬
cant ascetics, and visit their village. After a variety of adventures,
they make themselves known to their father and mother.
TffTTTT TffrTT tit T^JT I
fr, ^T TTTT TT5fT TffTTT TTT 1
fft TTTT ffTT, Tff % TT^ TTTT I
Tfsrf tgff Tf fTTTTT TffTTTT ^TT T^ |
TTTT T^zf TTTT TTT TtT TT TffTTT TTT I II ^^0 ||
rffTTT TTTT T^T TTTf I
Tfff 3TT ftT TTf ^TTT I
TT ItT TffTTT TffrTT I
TTT TTfr TTT ffT TTf fTf»\? ^TTT I
TTTT T^Tzf TTTt TTT I II RRM II
fffTTTT tzf TTtT TTTft T^ I
fftr TTTf TftT TfT TTTT TTff I
Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihari Langttage. 645
•jrffr 'ftfTT TT # f ♦i*»f) I
ftTT Tft frtr WT Tf Ttr i
ftfTTT Tff T^TT yff TffI I II II
% Tf^, TTTf TT % ZTfs ff^ I
ijWJt** ^ Tfr wf I
ff frftTT ^TfW TTfrr 5<*I«I, Tf Tff^fl^ I
T^fT T TTfTT ffrf wf I
TTf^fZT Wff, t frftm, fT TTT TTT^R TTT Tf^ TTff I H'^^MII
TTf*f fft Wff, t frftTT. fT TfTTT ^ tff I
ffTT TffT Tfr TTsWf fTT II
TTf rff frfTT ff ftTTT ffT I
Tff, ff ^J^, '«[rf TTT^f I
TT^ TTTFT ffTTT I II RgO II
Vftrf ftr ^TT, TTTT Tffzf T^t TT^T I
TTff rTr THTT TTTTT ft I
^TTFT ff TTt TTT ^ft tT I
ffsrf ^TffTT wffr "^tlifT frr i
TTcf^ TT^frrf frr i ii röm ii
TTTTTT Tfft TffT TTT Tff tT I
ITT tft FTT ffF
Tff TTt TTTTfTT TffJt; TTTF TfTTf % TTff I
ffrT TTT ftr wfr t ?fr ttt Tfr Tff i
TFT TTTTT Tfr T^ I II RMO II
TTT TTT T^t USTT I
ITT Tff fTf»f TTfTT TTTT I
Wfz IT TT ^T fTTT T^ I
Bd. XXXIX. 43
4 6 •
646 Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihär'i Language.
frr rr^frrf frrr tttf, t^ ffT frrTts i
fTT Tft. 1 TTTF, ftr TT?j^ TT?[frTf fff i ii h
rffT ffTTT TTT tjft TTlTfT I
TT TT ffftTT ftr TTTT II
Tff trff TTTTT ftff I
frftTT frf^f TTTTT ffftTT TTT I
ITT TT TTTf^ ffTT TTt Tff TSTt I II ||
Tft ffT fffr TTTT ^tr I
Tift, f , TTTFT ffTTT, fT TT fTT % T fTTT I
fTTT "tfr T fr fTTTT I
f TTTF, fT tT fTT fff^ TF I
ffrr TTTT fft Ail^A I II II
Ttrf Tft ^TT TTTfwff TTTT If fTT ^TTT I
ftt rft fr^ fr^ ftr tttt fftt tff r^ ^ i
fTTT tTT fffr, fF ^TTT
Tfrii TWtr TfW I
TTf^ ffr ^ t t TTf I II R^O II
TTf fTTTf TTft tTSTT, ff TTfz T TTft Tft TTS |
rff TTfTTTF, rf Tffff. fr# ffTlff TTTTT I
^^T ft, rff r^ff , fT qrF ^ Tffffr ttt i
rff Tif?Ttt TTT fTTTf. Ttr ^ TfTlft ^TTTT I
Tff TTft ti Tfr wft. % TTT, TTTT TTT I " '^^M W
fTTT ffr T frf Tff ffTTT, fT TTTT tZT Wf I
TfTTf^. % TWTT, TTf TTf TT I
fff TTff Tftr. TTf^ ffT ffr ^ t W II
ffftTTT ffr rff ff »fTT I
4 6 *
Orierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihäri Language. 647
T^f '^^T ftff TR TTT ^ T^ 1^ tTTT I II R^o ||
TTf T^T t3T Tfff ^TTTT I
ffTT Tff 3TS trff , gtr tf*f i
t ftr ffTT ftff I
% TTT, ftffr ff ^tr wf, TTfT^ ftff wfr i
ff TTT fW^? TTf T^ TTT wfT I II RFq ||
TTf T^ ^ t|t Wfff^ ir fT # TTfT Wf I
TTTT TTft tI ff^, Tft TTft TfT tfTTT TTf TTT I
TTT T^ ffTT Tff T tt f Tfff^ I
TTf ffT ffr ffrr, %tt tzT wf, Tff tttt wf i
^ ff , TTT TTTT TTT fW^^tT wf, ff FfT ZTT TlfT
^ ffTT TfW I II RQO II
TfTfff»f , t fTTT TRT TTT TTf T^ I
TTT^ TTT TTT ftTff
fTTT ff TTT^ TTT wfT ffTT T^ I
TT ff TTTft ff ffZTT ffT ^, TTTff TTt tft I
tft fffTTTT ffT Th: tr, ffTT Tff Tft ttf»f I II RQM II
TTT TT ^Tf^ TfW. t fTTT ffT TT I
ftTff ff gT¥ % TTTT fTf^ I
t TTJTT TtJTT TT TTT ^T^TT ff T^ I
TT ftr TTTft ftr TTf TT f^^TT TTff I
ftft^T ffrr TT TT Tff TTT TTfT5T I II ^00 II
TffTT ffTT TTT TTfTT 1
TTZ TTT ftTff TlTVT ^TT I
ff TTT ^ fTslTfTT I
ff gTF % TfTT t. tT TTff. t. ff ffZT T TTT Tft^ I
648 Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihäri Language.
IT fff, t TTT, ftftTTT TT fTT I II ^OM ||
IT fTT TtfTT ftTT, fTT TTTT f^TT I
ftTft fTf*I TTT TTTT zitf I
T TTf fT% Tfrif , Tff ^Tf^S II
Chapter V.
The disguised ascetics depart and carry off Hirä Tamölini' and
Jirä Lohäini' as their wives.
TTTT TTT fTTTt zfTTT Tff, t T^ ^ I
TTT TTTTT f t%ftT ^HTT f ftTff Tff I H ^qo ||
?f ^ II ff^ t tzTT ffT II
TTT Tfttr, ft Ttr ffftTT Tftffft ff¬
ftTT fffTTft I
TTTf TT^ TTfT TTTT ^TT ff fff^ Tf| f^TT I
fft TfZ ftT ffT fTT ^ ffr TTlt I
t TTT. t fTT, TT ff^ ff ffTT Tff I II ^qq ||
fTfT Tff TfttT, ft «[^, frfT Tffr TTT I
TTff tf tfff^, fT TTTT wf ^ff TTT I
Tfff TT^ ^ ffTT fff^, t TT^ tTT 1^ frfT TffT TTT I
fT ftftTT ^ Tff TTTft fTT T^TT I
TTTf TftT TTff, t Tf^, ^Itf TTT I II ^RO II
Tffff t TTft ffTZT ffWT I
T^, t Tf^. sftt ffff TTft ffTST ffWT I
frfT Tff TTT TTTTT I
^ TT^, TTfT ftft tr, TJ#TT frfT Tffr TTT I
TT, t Tfr, T^ TTTTT fTfT Tff I II ^RM II
tfTT ffTTT f TRT t(J^, TT ffWT TTft ffT^T I
(friergon, Selected Specimens of the Bilulri Language. 649
fT fft frr ffftTT Tfftrft, ffrft tft ffzTT 'ff^
TfTTT ffr I
TT Tf% "TTTT tT, ffftTT ftftTT fT Tfff ^TfT
TffT TTT I
Jiff TTT tl ffr W3TT, ffr ^ f %TT TZTT I
ffTf ft" ^ ff ffT TfTfl- t T^ Tftf wf I II n
ffff Tfr ^ ftTTTT fT ftftTT ti t ffff ^TTT I
TTf TTf ffff T^, TTT^ TT^ ff TTT >l
Chapter VI.
The spirit of Bhadri asks Gulaml Jat for milk. He refuses
churlishly. Thereupon the two spirits enter the body of the were-
jackal Phot'ra and overcome Gulämi. He promises to serve them.
TTfT TTfT fft^, ff tf^, TTfT TTT I
TTfT TTT TtT TTffT ffrf fTTT I
ffTTT TTTff TZ TTTT TTTTf I II ^^M II
ffTT tTT ^ f TTtT TfW TTT fffT TTTT I
ffTT TTi<* ^ % fttT TfW TTTff TZ I
TTffT ffrfr tzf T^ff #T TT ffT TTT I
TTTT TT t TTTff TZ TTtT TfW TTT fff TTTT I
t ffffTT tztr wf TTfTT JTT I II 380 II
fT, ff TTTT wf TTffT ffffr ftff f# I
ffTT TTT TtT Wft Tff ti, t tf Tft TTf TTffT ffffr ftff I
TTffT ffrfT tzf t TT ffT TTT I
"pfi TTTT TfTrft, TTft Tff TftT I
frfr TT^ TTft t TTTTTT I II 38M II
Tf Tff TTfZ f fT Tff fff Tftr I
TTfT fTTT gTT TTTT tZT, fTTT gTT ti gfr Wft
650 Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihiirl Language.
ät, t ftJTT gTT. TTffT ftft f^slTT , TfTTT f^ ftft
1^ ^
fVTT gTT Tft % %T tf^ fffZ
t TZtffTT, TTffT ftrf TTTT TTTH tr, ftTT TTT
TTt t TTZ TZtft Ttr TfW I II ^MO ||
t fTTT gTT TTffT Ttr^T ftft fTTT I
#ff ftft ftr fTftTT, Tff TfTT Tff I
TTT f?f TTff TTft , Tft TZ%T fff TT I
Tft % TfT t Tfffft Ttft TfW I
fTTft TTTT, t #?%T TT, ffTT fT TTTT TfT^, ft
^ T TTft Tff Tft" I II 3MM 11
TTTT TTTTT ^tTt, TTT^ TTft "fW, TTT TTT fT Tff
ff Ws» Tf^^ I
Tfff TT^ TTT ftT TT^ft fritft 1^, Tfff TT^ ti fT
TTT fff friT I
TTTTf Tft TTTft % TfT, #ffTT T^T ^T, Tff TTT
TTT fff TTTT I
fT, t TffTT, gtr r*^n<*, TT TTT TTT, IJT TTT ^
f fTTTT I
TTT ffT TTT Tift TT TTft ffT Ttft tr. fT TTT f
fTTTT I II 3^0 tl
fTTfT ITTf^ TTTT, TTT TZtffTT, TTT ftf TTTT I
t fffTTTT fTTT TTTT Ttt T^ tTT I
tf fTTT TTTT f;T Tft", ff TTTT Tttr I
Tff, t TffTT, ^T Tft ft", ft T?T TT TTTf f , TTT
ftr ftrr wf i
t f fz-fff TT, Tftrf , Tt TTfT tf TTff TTTf T^tftt I H^^M «
Grierson, Selected S2>ecimens of tke Bihnrl Language. 55 j
Tff ft", TffTT, TTT TTTf TTT|[, fT TTTT Wt I
TT trif ftTTT TTT Tff I
tf, ft ^T, tT TTTftT TTT tT, TT TTT ftf TTTT,
«?r T^ WfTT TTT I
fT TTT TTTTf TTT fff TTTT I
fff fT TTT wffr frft, fff TTfftT trff i ii 3^0 11
ffZTT ft^T ^T ^ fTf>f FTTTT I
TitT TfW ffr, TTT fTT TfW TTTTT I
ff ZTT TTT fffT tf TTT TTTitT TfW I
ffZTT ff^ Tff TT TT^ fT fTT TtT
wf TTT fffT I
Tfrff TTff f ffZTT ff^ % T+TTT TTff TTTT I II II
TTT TTT Tff TTTT TTTT Tff ftT ffft f fTT ffTTT I
TTT TTT Tff T TZT Wrff ff ZTT ff^T tT tTTT I
TfZTT % ff^ TTTT f^Prr, TTft TTT TfZTT t I
Tfrff TTff TT Tf ZTT t TfTTT TTW TTT I
TTT TTT Tff TTTT TTTT, TffftT TTft ti fTT ff¬
TTT I II 3^0 II
trft tft Tff fTTTT?^, fff "tT "Mf TtTT I
ffff "igf TT TTTT TTT t I
WTft f TfZTT ff^ TTTff TZ t ^TT I
TfZ f ^TT, TfZ f TfTTT, TT'fTT T^TTff ^ f I
ffT Ttr wf, tÜff ijff Tff TTff Tff Tff
wf I II II
fT ffTT TTTr fTT ffT# ftTTT I
ffTT TTt, tTT TTT fff Tfff TtT II
652 Griemon, Selected Specimeiis of the Bihär'i Limguage.
Chapter VII.
Joräbar Siftgh, the Raj'put, attacks the marriage procession
of the spirits of Dinä and Bhadri, and carries it off. Bhadri con¬
quers Joräbar Si Agh with the help of Gulämi Jat.
ffin Tft, TTtrt tf ftTTTT fff T^TTT Ttn TfW I
T^lft tf TTT t TTZTT TMI«I tf #TtT TfW I
ftTTTT fff Tirrr grrr Tffrf Tfrir Tff ttt fT
Tfw I « 3^0 11
Tfw'TT Tffrf grr Tff ttt ^t Tfw i
^fWTT Tffrf TTT Tff TTT fT TfW I
TTTT Tffrf ?[fT^ Tff TTT fT TfBf I
fT ffTT tl ffTT Tff fft[^ TTTWff I
ftTTTT fff tIttT ffTT % frr TfW ^ 1 II II
T#T wff ffTTTTTT Tff ti f , Tff TTTJTT ^tTT, TT%
Tff TftTT I
TTf fl % Tff ffTT TTfffTT, ^T Tf % TTTt TZT fTT I
ftTTTT fff TitTT, ff ffTT TTfftT ffTT I
TTTff TZ Ttf TTTT TfW ftTTTT fff^B TTTTT TT I
ftTTTT fff' TfTTT Tft ffT TTf fff t Tff ttft I II 800 II
Tft ffT TfT ffTT, Tft ffr ft Tff ftT^TT I
^rftrrr, Tft ffr fff, fr Ttf fift tt TUTt tt i
TTTft TZ TTT t jrtiT TTISf TTTTT TfW TTTTT TT I
Tff y ft Ml I TTfft ITT ffr T^ I
TTTff TZ ft ftTTTT fff TfTTT, ff Tffff Tfff %t
TTTff I II 80M II
ftTTTT fff fTT fTTff TZ ti TTZTT I
Tf^ ^tftrrr itt tft zt? t f t^ fff i
Grierson, Selected Specimens of the ßihäri Language. 653
ftTTTT fff % TTTft TZ T^TTT ffTT ftfT TTTT I
TfZ t tTT TTf^, <««flTl TT^ TfZ 5tT I
ftTTTT fTT Tfrgr tttt ^rr, ffrr t^ %ff tri » 8"io i
qji^ f ftTTTT ^ TfrfPT TTTT atr ffTT Tft #f I
n Tff II
II TTT^ II
II TT ftr TTTTT B
TTT tft Tfftf TTTffTT ff TT I
^ tft fff^ ITTT TH^TTWT ff TT
Turr g^ T% t^ Tffrf ff tt i
^nrff ffTTT % tT TTffTTT ff TT I
^^nrr ^ tttt ^t tfrT fr tt i ii m ii
Ttr TTTT T^-TTTT TTK TTTT ft TT I
ffTTT TTTTT Tl^ TTTTf ff TT I
TTft f ft^TT TT t WT I
TTT fT fTT TTTT fi|«lST TT t WT I
TffTTT tf frr TWT TT t WT I II <fO M
TT ^frfZ tT TTT TT T^ TT t WT I
TTTT tTTT ^T fTT TT t TTT I
TTTT fTT TTir TT TTT TT TTT I
TTTf TT tiTT ;^ffT TZTT TT t WT I
TT ffTT TTT ^T TTt TT t WT II IMM H
rm^ T^tfT ffTT TffTTTT TT t WT I
TT tft ^§ffT ffrr TTTT ^^ft ff^ TT t WT I
<1<IT TTTT TT% ffzft TT t WT I
654 Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihäri Language.
TTTf ^ WT^ ^TT %TP9r HW t TTT I
Tftff t TTTT TTTffTT TT t TTT I H ^^0 ||
trr ^TT afrtt ftrftTT tt t ttt i
ITf^ ittf* ftTlP TTTTT TT t WT I
TT'sTT T^tTT fT WTT TT t TTT II
TT^ TT% TTTT TT^ TT^^ ft TT I
wt TTt TffTT TTft TTTTT ft TT I IMM M
TT^ TTTf TTtr ^ITTT ft TT I
TTT fT^ TfTT t ft TTt ft TT I
TT^ ftT<t fft tr ft TT I
TTTT TTTf #T TZftt ft TT I
TTTft trr TT Tffff ft TT I II 30 II
Tt ft TTTT, t Tt TTTWff ftTJT Wftff ft TT
ftTlT ^ Tffrf TTTftrf ft TT I
Tfft TTt TTFT TTTT Tft ft TT II
t ft Tft fTTT tTtf ft TT I
TTTff TTf ff^ ffTftrr ft TT I II 3M II
TTffT TTTT Wfff^ TT ft TT I
JfftTT TTT TTTff^f fl[TTT tTTTT ft TT I
ftTlT TTTTT TTtf»f TT TTt ft TT I
t ft TTTT ft Tffffff fTT ffTTT ft TT I
TTTiT tTTT trr t TftTT ft TT I II 80 II
TTTT T^ trftf «TTR«II ft TT I
TTTT TTfftTT Tf; Tffrf ft TT I
TfTTT tff tfTT fTTTT ft TT I
tft tft Tt# TT TTTTT ft TT I
Orierson, Seieeted Specimens of the Bihäri Language. 655
iTWT Tft XT' ffzft TfrftTT fr TT I II 8M ü
Trar Tft Wtt fffZTT f> TT I
TPiir ^ Tf: TTTTt fr TT I
TTTT Tft f<UTf^ TTsT^ ft TT I
II Tft II
II ^TTTJ II
Translation.
The song of Dinä and Bhadri.
Chapter I.
The invocation.
To the east ') 1 adore , 0 Dinä and Bhadri , chiefly the sun,
and to the west, I worship Mir Sul'tan. To the north I worship
Bhim Sen , and to the south I adore the Ganges and Halumän ^).
(5) On ascending the dih'), I adore its Dih'bär I enter the
village and confine Teliya Masän *), and evUs ^) and the spells of
witches, and of wizards, tying their arms behind their back
JWrff , MfW^ff, TTTTtf, »""l ^fWrff , are all old poetic
locatives of ^^T , TfT^T , TtTT ^fT^T respectively. The termin¬
ation ff is the old Apabhramsha Präkrit termination of the locative. In modern Maithili it is usually contracted into XJ, — thus T^^, Tfwt, which should not be confounded with the Skr. loc. In all the above words, the first syllable is shortoned, as falling earlier than penultimate.
2) A dialectic form for fTTTT.
;i) A dlh is the high land adjoining a village. A Dih'bär is the village- Ood, i. e., the special genius loci, who protects the village, such as Goräiyä and tbe like.
4) Teliyä Masän is a kind of ghost or evil spirit, who haunts burning- ghäfs (tttt). Ho is worshipped principally by low-caste Doms and DusSdhs, and is said to have been originally a Tell or oilman. TffTTT '""8 f"'™
of tft.
5) t^[T is a i-urruption of ^«|«| = TTTT .
6) I. e. making them helpless. 4J^<l|| t|S|}|q is the technical word for pinioning a person's arms behind his back.
666 Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihärl Language.
The legend.
(0 Dmä and Bhadri) , dawn ') has come , and the sun has
risen. (10) Dhämi put on his sandals, and taking*) his jhun'kl*)
stick in his hand, started for the villages of Jogiya- Jäjari'*).
After travelling a joumey of a few half-hom-s *), a watch of the day
had gone by, and he arrived at Jogiyä-Jäjari'. Ha! Dhämi be¬
gan to speak, aud to prepare sweet answers. (15) 'Where has Thärö
Don'wär gone, and what^) has become of him. This day') would
I weed my fields. Fields of all (others) have been weeded but
mine are running to waste." So many words heard Thara Don'wär
and taking his horses *) he became ready. (20) Dhämi sent his
labourers *) (to the field) , and went to (the house of) Dinä and
Bhadri. He began to speak, and to prepare sweet words. On
hearing the voice of DhämT, the mother of DTnä and Bhadri started
up, and went to the main door of her house with a broom in
her hand. Mother Nir'so began to speak, and to prepare sweet
words, (25) 'What misfortune has fallen upon us, 0 Dhämi, that
you have obstructed*") my door so early in the morning? You
1) ffWTTWT » iB f of ffw?:.
2) lit- 'by tlio ao* of taking', hence, 'having taken'. The word
is instr. of 2nd v. n. of and is used idiomatically in the above
sense. It then appears in a variety of forms, e. g. '^fjf' (1- 193), or even (1- 203).
3) A j hun'kl-phar äthi, is a split bamboo (pharfithi), with a bunch of iron rings (jhun'kl) at each end. These make a jingling noise, and frighten away any snakes which may be on the path.
4) This is properly two villages Jogiyä and Jäj ari'. When two villages are close together they are thus often formed into a compound.
5) 'one', when placed after the noun it qualifies, means 'one or two', or 'ft few'. T^tflt is locative of TTT, 3rd verbal noun of J/TT 'go'.
6) ffr is a kind of Ig. f. of the neut. interrog. pron. ff.
TITT is genitivo of the adv. TTT, 'to-day'. See note 3) p. 659.
8) TT 'all' is bore the sign of the Mth. periphrastic plural.
9) TT is used as a technical term to signify a labourer paid in grain, and uot in money. The pay is called TT , of . i" Maithili , more usually
fHf . Cf 1. 30.
^TTT tJtST , 'to obstruct a door', has a technical meaning. Wheu H landlord wishes to compel a tenant to perform auy work , which the latter refuses tu du, he sends a malo servant to 'obstruct' tho door. The servant simply sits on tho road, and leers immodestly at any women who issue from the house. The result is that the family is practically besieged into compliance, for the women dare not leave tho house either to fetch water from tho well or, in tho morning, for the necessary ablutions. Nir'so evidently considered that DhämT had como to compel DinS and Bhadri to some unpleasant service,
— hence her allusion to tho younger females of hur family.
Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihäri Language. 657
have put your own daughters-in-law and daughters to sleep, and
keep them safe in your house, and you have (come here to) see
my daughters-in-law and daughters naked and uncovered.'
'The labourers of Thärü Don'wär are ready for work ; for
today only, give me Dinä and Bhadri for labour'). (30) To all
(others) will I give four sers*) (of grain) as daily wages '), but
to Dinä and Bhadri will I give a full pas gri*).'
So much heard Dinä and Bhadri's mother, and she entered
the shrine of her family Goddess, and sat cahnly by the head of
their bed. When they heard their mother's voice they started up
(and cried), (35) 'Had it been any one else, I would have knocked
him down with a blow of my fist , but you are ^) my mother.
Davra has broken , 0 mother , and the clear morning is the time
for hunting.'
So many words heard mother Nir'so, and Dinä and Bhadri
took up their green bows, (40) and started for the morning hunt.
Their eyes fell on Dhämi's face, and he began to speak to them,
and to prepare sweet answers. 'This day weed ye my fields?'
So many words heard Dinä and Bhadri, and they were filled with
rage. (45) The blaze of anger rushed from the soles of their feet
to their heads. Then Mah'ri ••) began to speak, and to prepare a
sweet reply. 'Give me but once the order, 0 Dinä and Bhadri,
and I will shoot him (with a arrow) from my bow, and fell him.'
But Dina and Bhadri began to speak and to prepare a sweet
reply. (50) 'At only this much are you enraged?' (Then said they
to Dhämi) 'For twelve years, 0 Dhämi, have we Hved in Jogiyä
Jäjari', aud never did we earn labourer's pay with hoe or mattock.
Never did we know of borrowing or buying articles on credit ')
1) T^Tf ""^ «i^frf is a corruption of the Arabic OlXx, 'help'. It is used technically to mean the occasional feudal services demanded by a landlord from his tenants.
2) A Ser equals about two English pounds.
3) See note to 1. 20.
*) Ttr\ M^O J properly a corruption of , 'five sers', but
it varies greatly, according to locality sometimes being as much as seven sers.
5) ffff is 3 fem. pres. ofthe verb, subst. ]/ff?|i. See Mth. Gr. § 112.
Here the sense is inverted in the original, the literal translation being 'my mother is you indeed".
ß) Mah'ri must have been some member of Ding and Bhadri's household, but he does not appear again in the legend. Mah'ri also means 'mother', and it is possible that 'mother Nir'so' may be referred to.
7) This is a reference to the custom of proedial servitude which obtains in Bihär. The labouring classes are wretchedly poor, and live literally from hand to mouth. In hiird times, like the Kgyptians in the time of Joseph, they bind themselves as serfs to their landlords. He gives them advances of grain, and covenants to support them, and they bind themselves and their children
* 7
658 Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihär'i language.
from you. We hunt the deer and boar in Jogiyä, and so pass
our lives.'
(55) Dhämi began to speak, and to prepare a sweet reply.
'Weed ye my fields but for this day only.' So many words heard
Mah'ri, and he gave Dhämi two or three blows with his fist.
Shedding tears and full of rage did DhämT retum to his
home. (60) His wife brought a water-pot of water, saying, 'Come
my husband. Take yom- dinner. ^Vhat calamity has befallen you,
0 Dhämi, that you are lying on yom- bed, (and will not take
your food)?'
'Great indignity ') have the two brothers Dinä and Bhadri
done to me. Today my enemy ■') is very powerful. (65) If I
beat him, wife, today, he will beat me, and thei-efore I will not
have the courage to do so. Dinä and Bhadri have many persons
to help them ').'
Chapter n.
Dinä and Bhadri began to speak, and prepare replies. 'Send
for Bahöran, om- mother's brother. We wUl can-y home the prey
of our bow and aiTOW (70) Let us three, uncle and nephews,
go a-hunting in the forest of Katäiyä.' So much heard mother
Nir'so, and, weeping, weeping, she parches gi-ain *), while laughing,
laughing, Budh'nä and Raj'nä pound the grain when parched'').
as slaves to him for ever. These proedial serfs are called TTTT TSf^TTT, and the food given to them by the landlord is ^^«1. Here DlnS and Bhadri say that they are not such serfs . and hence cannot be compelled to work against their will.
1' Ti^TT Miff Ijld "^f " 354) is a corruption of the Arabic
2 1 4j^^ is the Arabic ^^^..cA-« . It means in the law-court language
•a compl»inaut or prosecutor', but in vernacular Bihärl it always means 'enemy'.
'* '''^ Persian ^.j , 3 1 Lit. have much help'.
4 1 This line is very ub>cure. ■"Bpif'ft , "f which \|4|fi{^ is the genitive is said to mean 'a bow', but 1 have never met the word elsewhere. JTTT
'SlTV'! literally we will hang up the load iof our bow and arrow/, alluding to the carrying the animals killed suspended from a bamboo borne on the Shoulders of two men.
•>I Vllft is the quantity of grain thrown into the parching-pot at one lime. So also it means the quantity of grain put into a husking-mortar at one time, or the amount of oil-seed put into an oilmill.
Cl Budh'nä and Raj'nä are the wives of Dinä and Bhadri. When gr.-»in is parched it is then pounded rtnt. and cleaned, nnd is then called chfirä.
4 7
Grierson, Selected Specimens of the Bihärl Language. 659
Weeping, weeping, Budh'nä and Raj'nä clean the parched grain, and,
laughing, laughing, Bhadri ties it up in the knot (of his sheet).
(75) The three, the uncle and nephews, took the road to the
Katäiyä forest. 0 Bahöran, they went one kös, they went two
kös. At the third kös they saw a khan jan') fluttering over
the head of a cobra. 'Twelve years of my life, 0 Nephews, have
passed, but never have I seen a khafi jan fluttering over the
head of a cobra. (80) Today the omen is uot auspicious -) for
hunting in the Katäiyä wood. Come, nephews, let us return home.'
'Say not such words, 0 uncle, ou the way. Come, the omeu
is becoming auspicious for hunting in the Katäiyä wood.'
For a while they went on , and arrived at the stream of the
river ^) Kaj'rä; (85) 'I see*), ou a branch, the fearful crow caw¬
ing "Death, Death." Today , 0 Nephews , the omen is not auspi¬
cious for hunting in the Katäiyä forest. Come let us retum home.'
'Nay, Uncle, we will not return. Come to hunt in Ka^aiyä'.
For a while they went on , and a watch of the day passed.
(90) They arrived (again) at the stream of the river Kaj'rä. 'On
other days I crossed the river, with the water only up to the
calves of my legs ; but , today , I see it to be extremely ^) deep.
Come , 0 (Nephews), let us return home to Jogiyä , how shall we
cross the river Kaj'rä?'
(95) 'Say not such words, 0 uncle, near the stream of the
river Kaj'rä. We will cross it oue behind the other. Do not run
away, or, 0 uncle, we will draw an arrow and slay you, and cover
1) The khafijan imotacilla albai is a hird whose fluttering motion forms a frequent subject of reference amongst Hindu poets. A maiden's eyes are frequently compared to it.
2; 4^ 41 «1 TTT i*^ the idiom for 'to be auspicious.'
3) Tf^T 's 'be genitive of T^f . I" ordinary Xorthern Maithili, the genitive wonld be T^*B , but the dialect of this song agrees with Southern Maithili in shortening a final or ^ before the genitival termination qj.
So also from T^ft, Tf^T: from TIT, TT^T, •■""^ "lany others.
4 1 T^f a"^ "Id form of the 1st present of y ^ ^ , 'be'. The modern Mth. drops the initial vowel and has 18^. It only preserves the in one form of the 3rd sing. (Tfif). I" oi'i Mth., however, the initial ^ is, as here, sometimes retained: e. g. TWT^f iMan'bödh's Haribans, X, 50i, 'he
was', which would in modern Mth. be ^T^f . Compare BangälT , Tlfip ,
■I am', f^gim (but old Bangäll, Tlf^TTT). I «as'.
b) Lit. 'unapproachably bottomless'. TTT (Skr 'TTT) frequently
used merely as an adverb expressing tho superlative degree. See Comparative Dictionary uf tbe Bib.lrl langiinge. s. v.
