144                           ALBERUNPS INDIA.

This is a representation of a species of their metres,
called Skandha, containing four pdda. It consists of
two halves, and each half has eight amsaka.

Of the single amsaka, the ist, 3d, and 5th can never
be a madhya, i.e. < |, and the 6th must always be
either a madhya or a ghana. If this condition is adhered
to, the other amsalcas may be anything at all, just as
accident or the fancy of the poet wills it. However,
the metre must always be complete, neither more nor
less. Therefore, observing the rules as to the formation
of certain amsakas in the single pddas, we may repre¬
sent the ionr pddas in the following manner :—

Padal.        < <        <   I I      I I   <.

Pada II.      < <       I I   <       I  <  I       <  I 1     < <.

Pada HI.     < <        <      |       <  <.

p«ge 70.           Pada IV.     < <       I < <       I   <  I       <   M    1 I <.

According to this pattern the verse is composed,
Arab and         If you represent an Arabic metre by these signs of

tion of a the Hiudus, you will find that they mean something
entirely different from what the Arabic signs mean
which denote a consonant with a short vowel and a
consonant without a vowel. (The Arabic sign \ means
a consonant without a vowel; the Hindu sign | means
a short syllable; the Arabic sign o means a consonant
followed by a short vowel; the Hindu sign < means a
long syllable.) As an example, we give a representation
of the regular complete Khafif metre, representing each
foot by derivations of the root ^Ui.

Metrum Khafif.

(l-)   ^^L:lj                      ,^UaJuu.«                     ^i^li,

represented by derivations of the root ^Jjtj.

(2-) loloolo     loo lolo     loloolo,

represented by Arabic signs.

(3.) <<!<                 <l<<                 <<l<,

represented by the signs of the Hindus.
 

Ill etre.