VI.] BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. 761 lacked in the edifying influence which admiration and love for the softer sex causes in youthful minds. Womankind was the subject of his constant abuse.” But we shall deal with the merits of his literary composition in their proper place. It is said that when only three years old, he composed a couplet, to the great admiration of his relations, describing the sort of life he was leading in Calcutta.
- “ Mosquitoes by night and flies by day.
This is Calcutta life, say what you may !" Though his education was practically uz/, yet on one occasion as his companions were reading poems in Persian, he sat quietly by and listened with attention to their contents, when explained in Bengali. He retired and soon came back with some sparkling verses in Bengali embodying the spirit of the Persian poems, which highly pleased his companions who took him to be a young pro- digy. This poetical trait developed so remarkably in him, that when he was only 11 years old, he could compose songs that were accepted with compliments by professional musicians who put the lad to constant tasks in poetical composition, স্নেহ ভক্তি থাকিলে হয়, তাহা তাহার হয় নাই। জ্ত্রীলোক তাহার কাছে কেবল ব্যঙ্গের পাত্র 1” The memories of I¢vara Chandra Gupta by Bankima Chandra Chatterjee.
- “ রেতে মশ। দিনে মাছি
এই নিয়ে, ভাই, কলকেতায় আছি :' 96 A born poet.
