Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/173

III.] | BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. 14 love with Krishna. She has reached an age when one would not mistake her for a child, yet would hesitate to call her awomen. If at times she moves with the blithe steps of a child, she immediate- ly mends her motion and walks slowly, with the grace of a maiden. The merry ring of her laughter may remind one of a child’s voice, but she controls herself quickly, and a sweet smile such as befits a modest damsel is displayed in the soft curve of her coral lips. The beauty that has come so newly to her person is a surprise to herself. The free- dom of childhood is gone; and her eyes become downeast if a whisper is heard. While busy with her toilet, in the company of her maidens, she silently listens to their talk of love ; and if any of them notices this, she rebukes her, with mingled smiles and tears. Vidyapati’s Radha is a special creation of beauty. She is a dream seen in the flesh. Where her gentle steps may tread, water-lilies spring up at the touch of her feet. The charms of her person are a revelation ; she can hardly hide the joy, that a consciousness of it brings to her mind. Her smile is like the nectar which gives life and immor- tality. Her glances are Cupid’s own arrows, not five, but a hundred thousand—shot forth on all sides ! When she goes on Abhisgra to meet her lover, the poet creates a wilderness of lavish metaphors. The idea is here overloaded with classical and conventional figures. Yet through this cloud of imagery, appears a vision of beauty. She is, says the poet, like a luminous wand, created by the lightning; like a golden tendril; the rich clusters Radha a creation of beauty.