Dutt, Romesh Chunder: The literature of Bengal: being an attempt to trace the progress of the national mind in its various aspects, as reflected in the nation’s literature from the earliest times to the present day ; with copious extracts from the best writers (Calcutta, 1877)

116 LITERATURE OP, BENGAL. ,

seep, or read. The passage is not marked by any deep
poetical feeling, but is so exceedingly natural aM in-
tensely real that it almost reminds one of Shakespeare
himself. Boor Fullora preaches on morality and virtue,
but almost every word, she says, shews that the fair
preacher is not wholly influenced by a regard for virtue !
The fair intruder however is immovable, and we almost
think we see the smile of ridicule which curls "her sweet
cherry lips as she probes the inner thoughts of her rival
discoursing oil molality ! Poor Fullora then discourses
on her own sorrows, and tries to dissuade the fair visi-
tant from sharing them, and the eloquence and pathos*
with which she dwells on her troubles and sorrows all
the twelve months in the year, would almost moisten the
eye of the reader if he could for a moment suppress the
sense of humour which the occurrence suggests. But
the disguised goddess says, truly enough, that she has
wealth of her own, with «which she will make Kalketu
happy. Throughout the passage the replies of the god-
dess have a double meaning, *and while she is evidently
practising deceit on poor Fullora',' her words, if rightly
interpreted, are literally true. Most of our JBoagali
readers are familiar with the account which Bharat
Chandra makes his Chandi give of herself to Iswar, the
ferryman, when he takes her across the river. The*
goddess, while virtually giving a true account of herself,
makes the ferryman believe that she is but a poor unfor-
tunate woman like other women. The passage is remark-
able for the skill it displays,—but it is only a copy of