32 
Hugh Fraser —Folklore from Eastern Goralcpur. [No. 1, 
Most of the songs are current in this district (Shahabad), with more 
or less variations from the text herewith printed. As an example of the 
variations, I here give the second song, as dictated to me in Ara (Arrah). 
^rfwr i 
Nt ^ ^ttnt NNfywT Nfe 11 n \ n 
WN 31TN ®f» JTTtjNNT I 
Tiftt Ntt NfWl WT? TT II II t II 
I <N 4 
<ff^TT farsfiN WW NT II II ^ II 
I ^ I 
srfjpsrT t Nf^T % nTnnt i 
^ter^T fdltf ^ ^ttnt NT n ii a n 
5*T T Nf^WT n stTnnt i 
4 
3TT T *TT^T Nt II II ‘1 II 
^TNT Jre ftTCN T Nfa^T N NlTfNT I 
ittNRT T ^TTNT Nt II II <f <1 
The above version appears to me to be the more distinctly, Bihari of 
the two ; e. g., the Bihari ‘ you will cause to stay,’ in the 3rd verse 
compared with the Gorakhpur! ^3, which has a very Hindi air about it. 
The last song given by Mr. Fraser is a specimen of the Nag song, 
of which there are several examples in my Maitliil Chrestomathy. 
In conclusion, I would express a hope that this most interesting col¬ 
lection of folk-songs will stimulate other gentlemen having equal oppor¬ 
tunities with Messrs. Fraser and Fisher, to lend a hand at collecting 
materials for a most fascinating study. The Bihari folk-songs are a mine 
almost entirely unworked, and there is hardly a line in one of them 
which if published now will not give valuable ore, in the shape of an 
explanation of some philological difficulty. But it is from comparison 
of various versions of the same song from various portions of the Bihari 
tract that there is most hope of tangible result: and this can only be 
attained if other gentlemen, officials and non-officials, can be induced to 
collect a few of the songs current in their own immediate neighbourhood 
and forward them to the Society, where it is unnecessary to say that they 
Tvill be valued and welcomed. 
