SOME GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS 103 are whole realms of human thought in connection with which Hindi writers have contributed nothing, and great as their work has been, the original and stimulating thoughts which Hindi literature contains are confined within a somewhat narrow area. 6. Yet in spite of its limitations Hindi literature has many excellencies, and is worthy of much greater study than it has yet received. It has truly been described as a "garden of delights." It possesses a system and variety of versification which has seldom, if ever, been excelled, and beauties of thought and phrase, and expressions of deep feeling and noble aspiration, abound. It was moreover genuinely popular, and being written in the dialects of the people, and often as a tacit revolt against the literary exclusiveness of the Sanskrit scholars, it appealed to the heart of the people, and reached a very wide audience. Many of its thoughts and expressions have become closely bound up with the life of the people, and a close acquaintance with the vernacular literature is most important for all who would fully understand the peoples of India.
