show how far the vernaculars had advanced beyond the Prākrits of the drama. It would, however, be quite unjust to deny to Rājaçekhara the power of effective expression; like all the later dramatists he is capable of producing elegant and attractive verses, which are largely spoiled in their context by their being embedded in masses of tasteless matter. Thus the benediction of the Viddhaçālabhañjikā is decidedly graceful: kulagurur abalānāṁ kelidīkṣāpradāne paramasuhṛd anan̄go rohiṇīvallabhasya api kusumapṛṣatkair devadevasya jetā jayati suratalīlānāṭikāsūtradhāraḥ. ‘Family preceptor of young maidens for the bestowal of the sacrament of love, the bodyless one, dearest friend of Rohiṇī’s lover, he that with his flower arrows overthrew the god of gods, he is victorious ever, the director of the comedy of the play of love’s mysteries.’ The description of summer is also pretty if banal: rajaniviramayāmeṣv ādiçantī ratecchām kim api kaṭhinayantī nārikelīphalāmbhaḥ api pariṇamayitrī rājarambhāphalānām dinapariṇatiramyā vartate grīṣmalakṣmīḥ. ‘This is the glorious season of summer, delightful in the length of the days, when the royal plantain fruits are ripened, and the milk in the coco-nut is hardened, and the season bids us enjoy the delight of love in the closing watches of the night.’ The signs of a maiden distracted by unfulfilled affection are quaintly described: candraṁ candanakardamena likhitaṁ sā mārṣṭi daṣṭādharā bandhyaṁ nindati yac ca manmatham asau bhan̄ktvāgrahastān̄gurīḥ kāmaḥ puṣpaçaraḥ kileti sumanovargaṁ lunīte ca yat tat kāmyā subhaga tvayā varatanur vātūlatāṁ lambhitā. ‘Biting her lip, she wipes out the figure of the moon sketched in sandal paste; snapping her finger-tips she mocks at love as barren; to flout his darts, the flowers she gathers she tears in shreds; assuredly the fair one whom thou shouldst love hath been brought by thee to madness.’ antastāraṁ taralitatalāḥ stokam utpīḍabhājaḥ pakṣmāgreṣu grathitapṛṣataḥ kīrṇadhārāḥ krameṇa cittātan̄kaṁ nijagarimataḥ samyag āsūtrayanto niryānty asyāḥ kuvalayadṛço bāṣpavārām pravāhāḥ. ‘Rippled on the surface of the pupil, slightly foaming, forming drops on the tips of the lashes, then slowly issuing in streams, betokening by their weight her heart’s sorrow, there pour forth from the lotus-eyed one the floods of her tears.’ Of all the plays the Karpūramañjarī is undoubtedly that which contains the most substantial evidence that Rājaçekhara had some real poetic talent, despite the banality and stupidity of his conception of love in Act III. The swing scene contains really effective lines of word-painting, in harmonious metre: [493] vicchaanto ṇaararamaṇīmaṇḍalassāṇaṇāiṁ viccholanto gaaṇakuharaṁ kantijoṇhājaleṇa pecchantīṇaṁ hiaaṇihiaṁ ṇiddalanto a dappaṁ dolālīlāsaralataralo dīsae se muhendū.