PKACRIT POETRY. 413 



noticed in treatises on Sanscrit prosody, other kinds, 

 belonging to the class of metre regulated by quantity, 

 are specified by writers on Pracrit prosody. They 

 enumerate no less than forty-tivo kinds, some of which 

 comprehend many species and varieties. The most re- 

 markable, including some of those already described as 

 belonging to Sanscrit prosody, are the following, of 

 which instances are frequent in Pracrit, and which are 

 also sometimes employed in Sanscrii poetry. 



A STANZA of four verses, containing alternately thir- 

 teen and eleven moments (and scanned 6+4+3 and 

 and 6+4+1 ) is named eifher Doha *. {S. Divipafha) 

 or Sorat't'hu (S. Saurashl'ra)^ according as the long 

 verse precedes the short one_, or the contrary. This 

 metre, of which no less than twenty three species bear 

 distinct names, (from 48 syllables to '23 long and two 

 short,) is very commonly used in Hindi poetry. As 

 an instance of it, the work of Biha'rila'l may be 

 mentioned, which consists of seven hundred couplets 

 (sat sa'i) all in this measure. It is a collection of de- 

 scriptive poetry; of which Ciushn'a, sporting with 

 Ra'd'ha' and the Gopis, is the hero. The following 

 example is from that celebrated author. 



Macaracrlta Gopala ce 



Cun d'ala jhalacata cana. 

 D'hasyo mario h:ya gad'ha samara: 



D'yod 'hi lasaia nisana. ' 



[See Plate A. Fig. 8.] 



• The dolphin-shaped ring, wK-ch srlitters in Go'pa'la's 

 ear, may be taken for the^ symbol of Cupid suspended at the 

 gate, while the god is lodged in his heart.' 



To understand this stanza, it must be remarked, that 

 the symbol of the Indian Cupid is the aquatick animal 



♦ Curru'.tly Dohra. 



