Audio samples of Old Bengali metre
Recorded by Makoto Kitada on the Aug. of 2008
at Bibarda in Bankura district, West Bengal

 The readers are Gauri Bala (gaurī bālā), Arati Mukherjee (ārati mukherjī) and Pushpa Mallik (puṣpā mallik'). They are members of the female devotees gathered in the Vaishnava temple of the village. Gauri Bala seems to play a leading role in this group. I give them these sample text, and they recited these songs spontaneously, looking at the printed text. The three ladies are not scholars specialized in philology who could analyze the metrical structure with exactitude, but those who daily recite the hymns as religious practice. Nor are their recitations free from small errors due to the fact they saw these texts for the first time. However, the rhythmic structures of the metres, as are actually understood by the readers, can be all the more, exactly observed.

Author: Bidyāpati
Title: Prārthanā
mātrāchanda 4/4//4/4 4/4/3   

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mādhaba, bahuta minati kari toýa /
dei tulasī tila  e deha samarpilu
daýā janu choŕabi moýa //

gaṇaïte doṣa guṇa- leśa nāhi pāýabi
yaba tuhũ karabi bicāra /
tuhũ jagannātha  jagate kahāýasi
jaga-bāhira naha muñi chāra //

kiýe mānuṣa paśu  pākhīkule janamiýe
athabā kīṭa-pataṅge /
karama-bipāke  gatāgati puna puna
mati rahu tuýā parasaṅge //

bhanaýe bidyāpati  atiśaýa kātara
taraïte iha bhabasindhu /
tuýā pada-pallaba  kari abalambana
tila eka deha dīnabandhu //

Author: gobindadāsa
Title: duḥsādhya-sādhana
Metre: mātrāchanda (The syllables in italic are counted as two mātrās)
kaṇṭaka ŕi ka / mala samapadatala 8 + 8
mañjīra rahi / jhā̃pi 8 + 3³   

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kaṇṭaka gāŕi  kamala sama padatala
mañjīra cīrahi jhā̃pi /
gāgari-bāri  ḍhāri karu pichala
calatahi aṅguli cāpi //
mādhaba, tuýā abhisāraka lāgi /
dutara pantha  gamana dhani sādhaýe
mandire yāminī jāgi //
kara yuge naýana mundi calū bhābinī
timira paýānaka āśe /
kara-kaṅkana-paṇa  phaṇīmukha-bandhana
śikhaï bhujaga-guru pāśe //
gurujana-bacana  badhira sama mānaï
āna śunaï, kaha āna /
parijana-bacane  sugadha sama hāsaï
gobindadāsa paramāṇa //

Author: gobindadāsa
Title: naýana nīra
Metre: mātrāchanda (the same as in the previous poetry)   

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śunaïte kānu-  muralī-raba-mādhurī
śrabaṇe nibāralũ tora /
heraïte rūpa  naýana-yuga jhāpalũ
taba mohe rokhali* bhora //
sundari, taïkhane kahalama toýa
bharamahi tā sañe leha bāŕhaýali
janama goṅāýabi roýa //
bini guṇa parakhi  paraśa-rasa-lālase
kāhe sõpali nija dehā /
dine dine khoýāýāli  iha rūpa lābaṇi
jībaïte bhela sandehā //
yo tachu hṛdaýe  prema-taru ropali
śyāma-jalada-rasa-āśe /
so aba naýana-  nīra dei siñcaha /
kahatahi gobindadāsa

*The reciting lady falsely read it as rākhali.

Author: caṇḍīdāsa
No: gaurīmaṅgala no. 232 (Mohit'lāl' Majum'dār': Kāvya-mañjūṣā. Kalikātā (ḍi ṣiṭi Buk' Kompānī). 1367, p. 346)
Metre: cautisa tripadī   

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karapuṭe kari nati  kṛpā kara bhagabatī
kālikā kamala kātyāýānī /
khapātāla (?) khitibarā  kharatara khaŕgadharā
khageśbarī khecarabāsinī //
gaurī gaṇeśara mātā  gokule gobinda trātā
giri himālaýera tanaýā /
gharghara bādinī ghorā  ghane taŕitera pārā
gharera naphare kara daýā //
umā kātyāýanī gaurī  usāra (uṣāra?) kalyāṇa kari*
uri aniruddhe kaïle māýā /
carccikā caṇḍikā tumi  cātakī haïýāchi āmi
cāhiýā caitanya rākha jaýā //
chalachalā chattra dharā  cha kāra bāsinī sbarā
chale chala karile bināśa** /
jagat janera jība  jāne jagannātha śiba
jīmūtabāhane pūra āśa //
jhaṭita kariýā kāryya  jhasa tuṣṭe (?) deha rājya
jhagaŕā karaha bimocana /
isata pāiýā taba  ihā kahilena bhaba
i saṃsāre tumi se kāraṇa //
ṭiṭakāri śabdamaýī ṭaṅkāra dhanuṣe dei
ṭalamala karila dharaṇī /
ṭhaga haïla balabāna  ṭhāi laiýā cāýa prāṇa
ṭhaga nāśi rākha ṭhākurāṇī //
ḍitkāri ḍambaru priýā  ḍāḍḍina ḍḍina se māýā
ḍāki durgā durgā nāma bali /
ḍhakkābādya sadāratā  ḍhakkā dhbani kari mātā
ḍhāka ḍhola priýā karatāli //

* Pay attention to the fact that these two pāda-s show some phonetic features symmetrical to each other.
** Pay attention to the alliterations with the sound cha.

Author: caṇḍīdāsa
No: gaurīmaṅgala no. 257 (p. 383)
Metre: ṣaṭpadī   

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dekhiýā brāhmaṇa  jīmūtabāhana
jijñāse kuśala kathā /
kaha dbijabara  lipira uttara
ānile kona bāratā //
kahena brāhmaṇa  śunaha rājana
debadatta āila ethā /
taba lipi pāñā  mastake laïýā
śunila bācaka kathā //
ye ājñā tomāra  kaila aṅgīkāra
āila senāgaṇa laïýā /
ḍhana āila yata  tāhā kaba kata
āścaryya māni dekhiýā //
more yata dila  kabhu nā dekhila
vaṭe karṇa sama dānī /
bale bṛkodara  pārtha dhanurddhara
janaka samāna jñānī //
setye yudhiṣṭhira  jība sama dhīra
teje yena dhanañjaýa /
gatite pabana  māne duryyodhana
sthire yena himālaýa //
kubera samāna  dhanera bākhāna
sadā dharmmaparāýana /
taba nāma śuni  nija bhāgya māni
takhani kaila gamana //
thāki ei bane  taba sannidhāne
bāratā dite pāṭhāila /
ājñā kara more  āniýe tāhāre
śuni bhūpa tuṣṭa haïla //

Author: caṇḍīdāsa
No: gaurīmaṅgala no. 296 (p. 441)
Metre: caupadī   

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bidyādhara kaýa  śuna mahāśaýa
kahi saba bibaraṇa /
jīmūtabāhana  rūpete madana
tulā naýa konajana //
batsara āṭhāro  baýasa tāhāra
bedabidyā biśārada /
satye yudhiṣṭhira  raṇe bhīma bīra
tuliýā dhare dbirada //
kata kaba guṇa  samare arjjuna
māne yena duryyodhana /
karṇa sama dātā  prajñā pāle pitā
bhīṣmera samāna paṇa //
kubera samāna  bate dhanabāna
janaka samāna jñānī /
pabana gamane  dharaṇī dhāraṇe
tape dhruba sama jāni //
atiśaýa bhakti  cintā kare śakti
japa yajña dibāniśi /
purāṇa bhārata  śune abirata
tuṣṭa bipra muni ṛṣi //
nija bāhu bale  jinila sakale
[śāsana] karila dharā /
āra rājā saba  pāýa parābhaba
rājakara deýa tārā //
brāhmaṇe sammāna  sadā deýa dāna
sarbbajane kari daýā /
deśe nāi duṣṭa  haïle kare naṣṭa
kātare karaýe māýā //
sakala sambhāba  daridra abhāba
deśe nāi duḥkhījana /
śuni dharādhrita  haýā ānandita
bhāṭe kahena bacana //
mora loka yāba  dekhiýā āsiba
tabe se haba pratyaýa /
ghaṭakera bāṇī  satya nāi jāni
dharāśaśī ei kaýa //

Author: jñānadāsa
Title: hatāśera ākṣepa
Metre: tripadī (6 + 6 + 8), brajabulī   

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sukhera lāgiýā  e ghara bā̃dhinu
ānale puŕiýā gela /
amiýa-sāgare  sināna karite
sakali garala bhela //
sakhi, ki mora karame lekhi /
śītala baliýā  o cā̃da sebinu
bhānura kiraṇa dekhi //
ucala baliýā  acale caŕinu
paŕinu agādha jale /
lachamī cāhite  dāridrya beŕhala
māṇika hārānu hele //
nagara basānu  sāgara bāndhinu
māṇika pābāra āśe /
sāgara śukhāla  māṇika lukāla
abhāgī-karama-doṣe //
piýāsa lāgiýā  jalada sebinu
bajara paŕiýā gela /
jñānadāsa kahe  kānura pīriti
maraṇa-adhika śeal //

Author: Saiyad Alaul (saiýada ālāula)
Title: padminīra keśa
Metre: purātana paýāra   

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sarobare āsiýā padminī upasthita /
khõpā khasāiýā keśa kaila mukulita* //
sugandhī kamala bhāra dharaṇī chũila /
candanera taru yena nāginī beŕila //
kimbā meghārambha yoge haila andhakāra /
bidhuntuda āsila candra grāsibāra //
dibasa sahite sūryya haïla gopana /
candratārā laiýā niśi haila prakāśana //
bhābiýā cakora ā̃khi paŕi gela dhanda /
jīmūta samaýe kibā prakāśita canda //
hāsya saudāminī tulya kokila bacana /
bhuruyuga indradhanu śobhita gagana //
sarobara mohita kanyāra rūpa heri /
pada paraśana hetu karaýe laharī //
āpāda-lambita keśa kasturī-saurabha /
moha-andhakāra mana-dṛṣṭi parābhaba //
birājita kusuma-grathita muktāhāra /
sajala jalada-madhye tārakā-sañcāra //
sbarga haïte āsite yāite manoratha /
sṛjila araṇya madhye mahā śuddha patha //
kibā kabarīra mājhe sbarṇarekhākāra /
yamunāra mājhe yena suradhuni dhāra //
kibā mukhacandra ā̃khi-aruṇe dekhiýā /
trāse phāṭiýāche kibā timirera hiýā //
kāra śakti āche sei pantha jāibāra /
rudhira-aṅkita yena tīkṣṇa asidhāra //
kadācit keha yadi yāýa gamya āśe /
mana bandī haýa tāra alakāra phā̃se //

* The commentator takes it as meaning the converse ‘open’ (unmukta).

Author: Kabirañjana rāmaprasāda sena
Title: cā̃da dharā (This song is contained in Sen’s Kālīkīrtan.)
tripadī (8 + 8 + 10)
* Some lines of this song show excesses and insufficiencies in syllables, due to the fact that they were sung.   

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giribara, āra āmi  pāri nā he
prabodha dite umāre /
ati abaśeṣa niśi  gagane udaýa śaśī
bale umā, dha’re de uhāre /
kā̃dile phulāla ā̃khi  malina o-mukha dekhi
māýe ihā sahite ki pāre /
āýa, āýa, mā, mā bali  dhariýe kara-aṅguli
yete cāýa nā jāni kothā re /
āmi kahilāma tāýa  cā̃da ki re dharā jāýa
bhūṣaṇa pheliýā more māre /
uṭhe base giribara  kari bahu samādara
gaurīre laïýā kole kare,
sānande kahiche hāsi  dhara mā lao śaśī
mukura laïýā dila kare /
mukure heriýā mukha  upajila mahāsukha
binindita koṭi śaśadhare /