A History of Indian Literature v2.c19.s3.t2.138

v2.c19.s3.t2.138

The refrain and the repetition of typical phrases are a characteristic feature of these poems.¹ The semi-dramatic dialogue form, too, is very popular. Thus one of the "Songs of the Lady Elders" (Therīg. 271 ff.) is a conversation between daughter and father, in which the daughter sets forth the advantages of the monastic life, and converts her father. Another of these songs (Therīg. 291 ff.) introduces a man—he was first a monk, then became a hunter, had a son, and now desires to become a monk again—in conversation with his wife, who is trying to dissuade him from his resolve; she threatens to kill the child if he leaves her; but he remains firm: