Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/957

WII. ]) BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. 913 the middle of the 19th century that we can see the full harvest grown from the seeds sown at the beginning. The works on various subjects. written in Bengali after the model of European works abound like ‘‘leaves .by the streams of Vallom- brosa,”’ and it will be a hard task for the historian of the present epoch of our literature to make his selection from amongst the very considerable materials which will be at his command. Bengali literature, previous to the advent of the Europeans on the field, was. mainly in the hands of the Vaisnavas and Caktas. The songs of Krisna Kamala who belonged to the former and of Rama Prasada who belonged to the latter sect, are the last great utterances of the two cults, the echoes. of ০ 5 ০ ° . The 7 7 0 which will ring in the ear of future generations of represenee Bengalis for ages to come. The yatrawalas tive 2. ; ’ character kaviwalas, and panchalikars drew profusely from of our past literature. the vast resources of our past lore, and having put the old sentiments in modern garb appealed to our masses. But with these people the last echoes of our past literature have nearly died out. There are still szrtanas, kathakatas and yatras, but they no longer contribute to the rich literature of the past. They only recite what the old masters have sung or sald, and are mere relics of institutions which were once a living force in the country. The old literature of Bengal was a truly repre- sentative literature; Bharata Chandra’s writings and Alaol’s style, though so artificial and loaded with classical figures, were yet accessible to the masses of Bengal. The literature of the Bengalis belonged essentially to them all,—not to thé literate 115