MAITIIIL CIIRESTOMATHY. 
[Extra No. 
24 
The proud lady gives me no alms. Where is the village Qorait? Make the 
lady give me alms at once. The serpent has sat at rest throughout the 
whole year, and in Bhado he has made us wander about for alms. 
(4) 
The serpent sat on the mound of a tank, and made us ask for alms. 
The serpent eats rolls of ripe pan, and his wife prepares them. If I had 
known that the Jdmun fruit would complain (to you, 0 serpent, of being 
neglected by us), I would have given up mangos, and would have eaten 
jdmun. If I had known that the barhar fruit would complain, I would have 
scattered my jack fruits away (in present), and would have eaten the barhar. 
The serpent has sat upon a sandal wood tree, and has made us wander about 
for alms. 
Next follows the Song of the Famine by Phaturi or Faturi Lai, a 
living poet. It is a description of the Famine of the Fasli year 1281 
(1873-74), and was written by a man of the people. It is worth noting 
this fact, for it praises both the English and the Maharaja of Darbhanga 
in no measured terms, and speaks of native peculation in tones of grim 
and unsparing satire. I can certainly say that the Maharaja of Dar¬ 
bhanga had never seen it, and that certainly no Government official had 
ever heard of it, till I brought it to notice. Hence, it cannot have been 
written in a tone of false flattery, but must be a really and truly sincere 
production; that it chimes with the feelings of the people is shown by its 
immense popularity with the lower orders, and I may take it as proving that 
a lively gratitude is felt in the hearts of the natives of Tirhut for the 
efforts of Government and of the Darbhanga IIaj in the disastrous year 
1874. 
As already mentioned the language is not pure Maithili, being mixed 
with several Braj forms. 
^Rrrat.-ii 
—i xiTf^r —ii 
srfetTcr fes *rfw —I qp?T ^rf \ 
TifufiT ssrtft i irar .—ii 
fferfjlftTO I % —1| 5!, 
wrsssrc: wet. —i —n 
tro ^ srcnt —i ik —ii ^ 
