^{page 207 note 1} Some Folk-Songs, Bihārī, J.R.A.S. Vol. XVI. p. 196.Google Scholar

^{page 207 note 2} Seven Grammars of the Dialects and Sub-Dialects of the Bihārī Language, by Grierson, G. A., B.C.S. Part I. General Introduction. Part II. The Bhoj'pūrī Dialect. Calcutta, Bengal Secretariat Press; London, Trübner. Five parts in all have been published up to date, and two others are in the press.Google Scholar

^{page 207 note 3} London, Trübner.

^{page 207 note 4} e.g., the Sudhābund, by Kumāra Lāla Khaḍga Bahādūr Mall, published by Sāhib Prasād Singh in Bākīpūr (Bankipore).

^{page 208 note 1} The only poem of Tul'sī Dās, with which I am acquainted, and, which is not written in Bais'wārī, is the Krish'nābalī, which he wrote, as the subject and fashion required, in Braj Bhāshā. Sūr Dās, who wrote only about Kṛiṣṇa, wrote in Braj Bhāshā, and Tul'sī Dās, the bard of Rān, in Bais'wārī, and it seems to have been a recognized rule, even as far back as the time of the latter poet, that poems concerning the former hero must therefore be written in Braj, and those concerning the latter hero in Bais'wāṛī. So prevalent and fixed has this idea become, that Bidyapati, the Maithilī poet, who wrote only about Kṛriṣṇa, in the Maithilī dialect, is declared by Bangālī historians to have written in Braj, a language as different from Maithilī as German is from English!! The argument seems to have been something like this. Any poems about Kṛriṣṇa must be in Braj; Bidyāpati's poems are about Kṛriṣṇa; therefore (although they admittedly do not possess a single Braj inflection) they are in Braj.

^{page 209 note 1} Bais'wāṛī may be considered as a dialect of Bihārī, but it is really, as already stated, rather a border dialect, though nearer related to Bihārī than to Braj.

^{page 209 note 2} The edition of this work which is usually quoted is published by Bēṇī Mādhab Dē & Co., A.D. 1866.

^{page 210 note 1} I do not know what is being done in Calcutta, where Bāhū Surēndra Mōhan Tagore has started a revival of Hindū music.

^{page 212 note 2} The principal pasture land of Shāhābād. They are to the south of the district, and are a branch of the Vindhya range.

^{page 213 note 1} e.g. in line 2, and in line 3 of No. 4.

^{page 213 note 2} For an example, see J.A.S.B. Part i. No. 1, 1885, p. 36.Google Scholar

^{page 213 note 3} See Hēm. iv. 434.

^{page 213 note 4} They still, however, retain an adjectival oblique form. See Bh. Gr. § 34.

^{page 213 note 5} The instances are mōri, 9, 4; 21, 4; 43, 18, 19. hamari, 44, 5; 45, 10. hamariyā (lg. f.), 9, 1. āpani, 4, 3. ēkari, 6, 3.

^{page 213 note 6} See Bh. Grammar, §61a. dēkhelō ‘I see,’ dēkhīlā ‘we see,’ dēkhelē ‘thou seest,’ dēkhelâ ‘you see,’ dēkhelā ‘he sees,’ dēkhtian ‘they see.’

^{page 214 note 1} Regarding the two pairs of vowels â and a and ā, and ă and Introduction (Chap. IV.), and article a in the Bihārī Dictionary.

^{page 214 note 2} But instr. amawē in 38, 3.

^{page 215 note 1} has its final vowel lengthened metri gratia. is first verbal noun of ‘call to mind,’ used instead of the conj. part.

^{page 215 note 2} i.e. Lakshmaṇa.

^{page 215 note 3} is the Pers.

^{page 215 note 4} is a contracted form of , which is the adjectival obl. base of the pronoun ‘this.’

^{page 215 note 5} Lit. ‘Who from a boy, made me become grown up.’ or is an old form of , the nom. pl. of ‘who.’ See Bh. Gr. § 26. is honorific 3rd pl. perf. In Bh. the most usual form of the perfect is made by adding the word ‘is,’ to any form of the preterite. ’I did,’ ‘I have done’; ‘you did,’ ’you have done,’ and so on; see Bh. Gr. § 71. It will be seen that this mode of forming the perfect is radically different from that in vogue in the Western or Hindī group of dialects.

^{page 215 note 1} is a corruption of

^{page 215 note 2} is long form of almost exclusively used to mean ‘enemy,’ except in the law courts, where it means ‘plaintiff’ or ‘complainant.’

^{page 216 note 1} is emphatic for

^{page 216 note 1} Raghunandan is, of course, a synonym of Rām. The poet has, apparently, forgotten this. Perhaps he meant to say Bharat.

^{page 216 note 2} i.e. Kṛiṣṇa. according to a law of Bihārī spelling that when anunāsik is followed by the third or fourth consonant of any class, the two together may be represented by the nasal of the class or nasal of the class aspirated respectively. Thus, ‘a limb,’ ‘sleep,’ ‘a pumpkin,’ ‘Kṛiṣṇa.’

^{page 216 note 3} is long form of , made feminine, to give a diminutive sense. See note on in No. 26.

^{page 217 note 1} Lit. ‘Went with them on a Lorry.’ is a curious instance of the adoption of an English word. With the introduction of railways into India the Lorry or Trolly became a familiar sight, and its name has been extended to mean a railway train. Hence, ‘a railway companion,’ and hence, again, ‘a companion in general.’

^{page 217 note 2} Ambrosia is here a drink = nectar.

^{page 217 note 1} is a redundant form of ’a woman,’ used in a diminutive sense, with the genitive of the relative pronoun, also feminine. Cf. No. 9 and No. 45, v. 10.

^{page 218 note 1} This beautiful legend shows how prayers are answered by the ever-pitying Rām. At a feast the dishes are made of lotus leaves, and hence the lotus plant now gets admission to the tables of the great. Its flowers, too, are offered to Māhadēb (Çiva), by being thrown upon his image; and what greater glory can there be than to be borne upon the head of the upholder of the Heavenly Ganges itself? is long form of ‘a hall.’

^{page 218 note 1} This tree is noted for its glorious red blossoms. It is a stock simile-subject in Hindū poetry; for while it is fair to look upon, it is worthless, for it has no scent. ‘a tree’ = the Hīndī

^{page 218 note 2}

^{page 219 note 1} is long form of diminutive sense. This is emphasized by the personal pronoun, which is the genitive, thrown into the form of an adjective, made feminine, and given a long form

^{page 219 note 2} is 3 pret. fem. potential passive of ‘be hungry’; as against which would be causal. See Bh. Gr. § 101.

^{page 219 note 3} I do not know the botanical name of the Barōhī tree. It is one of the fig tribe.

^{page 219 note 4} The meaning of this song is well illustrated in the proverb ‘One can't get milk out of a stone.’ The man from whom milk is demanded says, ‘I suppose I am expected to milk the fig trees, for I have no other source from which to get any milk.’

^{page 219 note 1} This ia a corruption of a name (here) of Durgā.

^{page 219 note 2} is sign of the abl. (Cf. No.21 and No. 43, v. 2),

^{page 220 note 1} The Ḍih'wār is the tutelary deity of the village. There is a separate one to each township. He is said often to be heard calling out over the fields at night, especially when worshippers are lax in their attentions to him. The creation of a new township creates, of course, a new Ḍih'wār, which explains the latter half of the song.

^{page 220 note 1} i.e. Kṛiṣṇa. The song deals with the amours of Kṛiṣṇa. Some one complains of these, and says, ‘but what can be expected of a mere ahīr, or cowherd?’ not recognising his divinity, locatives = the Ap. Pr. See No. 10.

^{page 221 note 2}

^{page 221 note 3} is an oblique form. It is obl. of ‘of another,’ gen.

^{page 221 note 1} I have never met this legend elsewhere, nor can any one whom I have asked explain it to me. This song exists, and that is all I can find out on the subject.

^{page 221 note 1} This song is simply nonsense. Dwārikā (the capital of Kṛiṣṇa.) does not exist nowadays, being said to have been submerged under the sea.

^{page 222 note 1} ‘to pollute vessels by touching them.’ Another form of the same root is see No. 47, 1. 2.

^{page 222 note 2} is a technical term, meaning a pious and learned man devoted to the worship and literature of Rām.

^{page 222 note 3} is an irregular long form of as if for Ap. Pr.

^{page 222 note 1} This is an obscure song. It seems to mean that the pain of tattooing is only comparatively slight, even if a pattern as intricate as that on a bordered veil is tattooed on a person. The real pain which the girl feels is the thorn (or needle) in her heart caused by separation from her lover. Compare No. 5 of an unpublished set of Bir'hās in the Magahā dialect which are in my possession, ‘If you will have tattooing- done on your fair body, the needle will prick you as it goes along. You mny summon heart-doctors of all lands, but without your beloved, how will the pain depart?’

^{page 223 note 1} is a rhyming repetition of , which is long form of ‘a rat.’

^{page 223 note 2} = ‘accustomed to.’

^{page 223 note 3}

^{page 223 note 4} i.e. a gallant. The Rahari or Rahar (Cytims Cajan) is a tall shrub, bearing a kind of pea. It is grown in large fields, and offers rare opportunities for concealment. Nearly every highway robbery in Bihār, and other crimes involving an unexpected attack, take place near a Rahar field.

^{page 224 note 1} is long form of ‘an immature mango.’

^{page 224 note 2} means ‘abundant, full,’ Natives connect it with the phrase which means to sow with a drill-plough in a field which has been previously ploughed. This is said to give an abundant crop.

^{page 224 note 3} is the long form, means specially the budding bosom of a young maiden.

^{page 224 note 1} See No. 18.

^{page 224 note 2} is masculine. Here it takes a feminine long form in a diminutive sense.

^{page 224 note 3} A specimen of the not very delicate jokes which villagers bandy amongst each other. The last verse is literally ‘by you, efforts it will not be (successful).’

^{page 224 note 1} is simply a rhyming repetition of This comparison of the gait of ants, of cattle, and of a pretty girl is common in these songs. Thus, in the Magahī songs (No. 8) already quoted, occurs the passage—

‘Wherefrom has the ant issued to-day, and wherefrom the milch-cow; and wherefrom issues the gardener's daughter, who goes along the rond veiling her face?’

^{page 225 note 2} ‘the nipple of the bosom.’

^{page 225 note 1} Bngh'sar (or the Tiger-pond) = vulgo Buxar, the capital of the Par'ganā of Bhoj'pūr, where the Bhoj'pāmacr;rī dialect is spoken in its purest. is a common ablative postposition in Bh. Cf. No. 10.

^{page 225 note 2}

^{page 225 note 3} is the ordinal termination, which also appears in in Comp. Die. of Bih. Language.

^{page 225 note 4} In lengthened for the sake of metre.

^{page 225 note 5} is the parting of a woman's hair, which is covered with vermilion, and otherwise adorned as long as her husband is alive.

^{page 225 note 6} the adjectival form of the Interrogative Pronoun .

^{page 225 note 7} Bate's Hindī Dictionary gives the verb as meaning ‘to totter, to stagger.’ In Bhoj'pūrī the corresponding root means rather ‘to fall with a crash,’ or ‘in a heap.’

^{page 226 note 1} and are long forms of and respectively.

^{page 226 note 2} See note on in No. 26.

^{page 226 note 3} See No. 21.

^{page 226 note 4} is emphatic for ‘not even one.’

^{page 226 note 1} This song contains a double-entendre. (of which is long form) is continually used to mean ‘a lover,’ as well as ‘a bee.’ So also (of which is the long form) means ‘love’ as well as ‘juice.’ Hence the girl means that she hns only enough love for one person.

^{page 227 note 1} This comparison of a slender maiden to the string by which a lōtā or drinking vessel is let down into a well, is very common in poems of this class; e.g. in the set of Bir'hās in the Magahī dialect already quoted from, the following passage occurs: ‘Whence do you come, O fair one? I see you slender in form, like the string in a well.’ ‘ (I am so slender) that I can give my beloved to drink, even when he has no drinking vessel, and no string.’ This piece of ridiculous hyperbole is repeated in the present song.

^{page 227 note 2} is poet, for the more usual contracted form

^{page 227 note 1} The is a vessel (generally made of alloy) used for cooking pulse or meat. It is smaller than the See Bihār Peasant Life (London, Trübner), § 664.Google Scholar

^{page 228 note 2} i.e. as she cleans the cup, she sings to it. lit. ‘break a measure’ means ‘to sing.’

^{page 228 note 3} is a bye-form of the more common see Bh. Gr. § 32. means to ‘stuff’ or ‘gorge oneself.’ is long form of The song alludes to the custom of the males of the family going out on service and sending their earnings home, where they are not always put to their legitimate uses. Or it may mean that the husband sends so little money home that she has only enough to buy betel with.

^{page 228 note 1} is pres. part.

^{page 228 note 2} ‘a body,’ is masculine. Here, however, it is used as a feminine,. and given a feminine long form, to give it a diminutive sense, ‘ my poor little body.’

^{page 228 note 3} I do not know what doctors would call the disease here called Natives describe it to me as a wasting disease, in which the body turns pale. is long form of

^{page 228 note 4} a secret (Skr. ). The termination adds emphasis, ‘they have not an idea of the secret.’ It is really an emphasized fein. long form, like

^{page 228 note 5} is long form of or This is the ceremony performed when a bride becomes apta viro, and her husband (to whom she has been married years previously) comes to her parents'; house to take her to his home. Here the girl complains that though she is ready for the ceremony, her husband does not come for her.

^{page 229 note 1} ‘The getting up and sitting down.’ The phrase commonly means the meeting of friends every evening for a smoke and talk.

^{page 229 note 1} is 3rd pres. potential passive, as against which is causal. See Bh. Gr. § 89.

^{page 229 note 2} is a long stick, loaded at each end, which is flourished by gymnasts.

^{page 229 note 3} is long form of is strong form of is long form of ‘a tight double waistcloth.’ Cf. Bihār Peasant Life, § 726.

^{page 229 note 4} Lit. ‘By (or of) which the body above the waist () having contracted bends .’

^{page 230 note 1} or is the regular Bihārī word for ‘good,’ ‘pleasant’ = the Hindī Cf. Rāmāyan Bā. do. 35, ‘O Rām, your goodness is good to all, and if that is true, then good to Tul';sī also.' with long antepenultimate, Is the present indicative, as against with shortened antepenult., which is the pret. ind. See Bihārī Grammar, Introd. § 36, 3, and Bh. Gr. § 61a, and § 61b.

^{page 230 note 2} or is the act of tending cattle, as it were for Skr.

^{page 230 note 3} Lit. ‘If the land is fallow,’ i.e. ‘produces no crop.’ Cattle in India are always pastured on fallow or par';tī lands. The simile here is to a barren wife.

^{page 230 note 1} All these are perfects with see No. 1.

^{page 230 note 2} Not necessarily young girls, but rather, ‘All the pretty young women in the neighbourhood.’ The song alludes to those epidemics of births which occasionally occur everywhere.

^{page 231 note 1} and are potential passives.

^{page 231 note 2} The hero of a great many poems, principally in the Magahī and Bhoj'pūrī dialects.

^{page 231 note 3} ‘carry.’ The or is the Hindū name for the stick carried across the shoulder, from each end of which baskets or other burdens are suspended. The Ordū name for it is bahangī.

^{page 231 note 1} or is a kind of bracelet peculiar to the Goālā caste. Ud'rāchh is the or necklace worn by Çāīva mendicants (see Bihār Peasant Life, §§ 767, 781).

^{page 231 note 2} The last line is literally ‘he has carried off his sweetheart and is going’ is long form of

^{page 232 note 1} a compound of fem, of old, and Hence the of is shortened, as it comes before the penultimate.

^{page 232 note 1} is long form of The allusion is to the communication of the by the Guru to his disciple. Every follower of the Çāīva religion must have a Guru or spiritual preceptor, to whom he is chēlā, or disciple. The Guru communicates to each disciple a peculiar charm, consisting principally of meaningless words, such as hū"Ṃ", hrīṂ, etc. This is communicated in a whisper, and is never divulged. The charm is called the chēlā's swa-mantra, and the ceremony of communication creates the relationship of Guru and Chēlā. See my forthcoming edition of the Yōgīnī Tantra in the Bibliotheca Indica for further particulars.

^{page 232 note 2} is long form of of of

^{page 233 note 1} is the regular Bhoj'pūrī form for the neuter interrogative pronoun ‘what.’ It is used, also, in Western Magahī, and corresponds to the Hindī In Eastern Magahī, and in Maithilī, we first come upon the true Eastern form, cf. Baηgālī

^{page 234 note 1} Lit. With what wood did you burn your preceptor, etc.? is the obl. adj. form of the interrog. pron.

^{page 234 note 1} is instr. of long form of is instrumental of

^{page 235 note 1} and are both emphatic of and respectively. The allusion, of course, is to persons drowned in its waters, and those burnt on its hanks.

^{page 235 note 2} in this line is a mere expletive.

^{page 235 note 3} This is a common argument in favour of a wandering existence; especially that of a mendicant devotee.

^{page 239 note 1} Cf. H. ‘to undulate (as the flame of a candle).’

^{page 239 note 2} ‘to make a bed.’

^{page 239 note 3} in Bhoj'pūrī, often means ‘with’ or even ‘from,’ cf. Nos. 10 and 21.

^{page 239 note 4} is feminine of the long form of the relative pronoun is another form of or .feminine long form of ‘a garden,’ is generally specialized to mean ‘an orchard.’

^{page 239 note 5}

^{page 239 note 6} is obl. of

^{page 239 note 7} is obl. of

^{page 239 note 8} is 1 sg. pres. fem. of the strong form of ‘be.’

^{page 239 note 9} see note to No. 49, v. 2.

^{page 239 note 10} above.

^{page 239 note 11} This is a very obscure line. It appears to mean that the speaker is considering the best way to induce K"ṛ"iṣṭa's return. Will it be by adorning her person, and thereby enticing the man, or by meditating on his excellence, and thereby propitiating the deity ? The first idea she abandons, for the wood-worm (of separation) has devoured the vermilion box (of her charms). It is hardly necessary to point out that a vermilion box is a portion of every married woman's toilet apparatus, and that she only puts it aside (and then for ever) when she becomes a widow. Here, either her beauty is compared to a vermilion box, or else she hints that she has become as good as a widow through Kṛiṣṭa's prolonged absence.

^{page 242 note 1} is an old form of 2nd imperat. of ‘sit.’

^{page 242 note 2} is long form of ‘an arrow.’

^{page 242 note 3} ‘a potter's kiln.’ Cf. Hindī

^{page 242 note 4} ‘to be cooked.’ A maund is about 80 pounds.

^{page 242 note 5} is a feminine genitive. is a feminine long form of the masculine

^{page 242 note 6} A wife's visit to her parents'; house is called of which the locative is

^{page 242 note 7} The person who brings a marriage about, or match-maker, is called and his office of which is long form.

^{page 242 note note 8} is a common expletive, used specially with the imperative, and in asking questions.

^{page 242 note 9} or ‘to bloom.’

^{page 242 note 10} Lit. liver.

^{page 246 note 1} (lg. f. of ) is a kind of vegetable curry.

^{page 246 note 2} is pl. of is long form of

^{page 246 note 3} Sāṭhī is a peculiar kind of rice, which grows in sixty days. Hence its name. See Bihār Peasant Life, § 966.

^{page 246 note 4} Mūũg is phaseolus mungo, a kind of vetch. Out of it, and other similar pulses, is a kind of brose made. is long form of is contracted from which is redundant form of

^{page 246 note 5} is fem. of See 1. 5.

^{page 246 note 6} It is a universal custom in Northern India, that while a wife may joke with her husband's younger brothers, she must always veil herself before, and may not speak even a word to, his elder brothers. The heroine of the song is proving her chastity and showing that she is not inviting the latter's criminal attentions. Hence she asks her natural protector, her husband's mother, to save her from the necessity of even appearing be fore him. The mother-in-law, however, does not under stand, and insists on the girl serving the meal.

^{page 246 note 7} Lit. ‘Having twisted your eight limbs, cover them,’ etc. The eight limbs are well known to students of Sanskrit and need not be detailed here.

^{page 247 note 8} i.e. do not let your hand appear through the veil, as you serve the dishes. is long form of ‘like.’ Secondarily it means, ‘with’ or ‘by.’ is the hand from the tips of the fingers to the wrist.

^{page 247 note 9} Lit. from below upwards.

^{page 247 note 10} ‘forgetfulness.’

^{page 247 note 11} is long form of ‘salt’

^{page 246 note 12} i.e. her husband. This verse is a good example of the very loose way in which the number of the Bhoj'pūrī verb is used. Here the plural subject has a singular verb after it, because it is non-honorific, while the singular subject has a plural verb because it is honorific. In this verse I have translated by ‘alas, alas.’

^{page 247 note 13} It is an evil omen when a woman's ī, or forehead spangle, falls off. If she is married, it is supposed to prognosticate the death of her husband. Note the peculiar use of genitive of with a feminine termination. The word has in fact reverted to its original sense as a pure possessive adjectival pronoun = Ap. Pr. ( see Hem. iv. 434). Cf. introductory remarks, p. 213.

^{page 247 note 14} is only a rhyming repetition of So also is the same of

^{page 247 note 15} This is one of the stock lines which appears continually in poems like these.

^{page 247 note 16} means ‘to be killed in a fight.’ The idea is that the brother-in-law, after having killed her husband, tries to gain admittance to her chamber, under pretence that he is the murdered man. The in is the Ap Pr. locative.

^{page 247 note 17} Half a line is missing in the original here.

^{page 247 note 18} is the end of a woman's sheet, where it is gathered up and tied in front. iS long form of ‘ashes.’

^{page 249 note 1} Lit. ‘the rays have burst forth.’

^{page 249 note 2} Lit. ‘having contrived a (means).’

^{page 249 note 3} and are different forms of the same word. See No. 4, note 2.

^{page 250 note 1} Lit. ‘both water carriers.’ is shortened from for the sake of metre.

^{page 250 note 2} ‘to pollute a vessel by touching it’ = see Bir'hā, No. 15. is a bye-form of long form of see Bh. Gr. § 4.

^{page 250 note 3} is oblique form of or ‘a hank.’

^{page 251 note 4} See note to v. 3 of the last song.

^{page 251 note 5} is obl. of ‘second,’ and is instr. of ‘a hand.’

^{page 251 note 6} is loc. of ‘a house.’

^{page 251 note 7} A common dialectic use of the word

^{page 251 note 8} is potential passive.

^{page 252 note 1} is simply a rhyming repetition of in an endearing sense.

^{page 252 note 2} is 2nd imperat. of a strengthened form of See Bh. Gr. § 58b.

^{page 252 note 3} is loc. of ‘opinion.’

^{page 253 note 1} See note to No. 45, v. 2.

^{page 253 note 2} is here used to mean ‘to complete, finish,’ (Anglo-American) ‘to get through with.’ Cf. No. 25, Note 2.

^{page 253 note 3} is a bundle made up of anything contained in one's loin-cloth, carried the way things are carried in an apron. It is specially used for the knot in the loin-cloth for holding money, etc.

^{page 253 note 1} See Comparative Dictionary of the Bihārī Language, Introduction.

^{page 253 note 2} See Introduction to Bihārī Dictionary.