English
A passage for editorial review. TELUGU PROVERBS © 1. e>o &o~& y ^o^5§ q^gTT^TT 0 S^a-s-* e^eoo. When addressed [by his son] in the bazar as “Father,” he replied, “Son! unto whom wert thou horn?” (See Nos. 412, 1610.) Want of natural affection. Selfish indifference. 2. exoX&r 5 e>oo$ i3T*gr* ^ There is every thing in the bazar, but Saturn is in the mouth of the son-in-law. Some unfortunate circumstance prevented a son-in-law from availing himself of the good fare of his father-in-law. Evil fate. 3. 13e>$5bo DoTWiOi 13 o,5^C55oo. OO OO CO Q- cO Offering the molasses in the bazar to the idol in the temple. ( Sco No 5 . 01 o. 1396, 1360. ) Naivcdyum is the ordinary oblation. Willing to be liberal at the expense of others. ( 1 1 e 3 o § -xS o ^ S'. 4. ~23o^5bo, $)Z\£)oj. CO 7 —^ Molasses in the roof of the mouth, and poison in the heart. ( See Nos. 5, 834, 839.) Honey in his mouth, words of milk; Gall in his heart, fraud in his deeds. (Latin.)* 5. e)oA<b £>Si£bo, ^boTT^O^^b 0dSbg^££bo. Poison in the palate, sweetness on the tip of the tongue. ( See Nos. 4, 834, 839.) Full of courtesy, full of craft. 6. ZDotr* Z$x>&77°£) 0,X,Sj-S 5b5bo. eo An AgraMram which should not be touched or felt. An Agraharam is a Brahman village or quarter. Said of any thing that should scrupulously be avoided. 7. ££>oLxr* 'tSotxr* "ST 0 £)<£>, ^o7T°c\)£5^£b. All the offerings go to the priest, the noise to Gang&namma. (See No. 1545.) Gang&namma is a certain village goddess. 8. ibo&ocr-* 1§£) !&o$zSj^£>b S^dSb&o *u)§b^_dSb S^ooo ^5^_oo o 3oXtfl§$7y o £Z&. The wife’s maternal uncle’s son, who-had nothing to do with ceremonial uncleanness, went and sobbed under the bean tree. Chikkudu Chettu is the Lablab Cultratus, often grown over a shed in the yard of a Hindu’s house. Claiming relationship. 9. bn° §^<£-5^ &5Z~£>$y) Am I so well off, my son, that you should feel my ears? (See No. 819.) Said by an old woman to a thief. * Mel in ore, verba lactis, Fel in eorde, fraus in factis, ( 2 ) TELUCJU PROVERBS 10. *^oex). Annoyance at tlie beginning is better than annoyance at the end. ( See No. 246. ) A prompt denial causes less annoyance than compliance with a request and disappointment in the end. Better a friendly denial than an unwilling compliance, (German.)* 11. e>o&$5bo -u>o&K56o>, His beauty has overflowed and his politeness has gone. ( See Nos. 12, 16.) Said ironically of an ugly ruffian. 12. ©o&J&oeT 6 £5b<|. A piece of sandal wood born of beauty, and the dregs of castor oil. ( See Nos. 11, 16. ) 13. ef>o<^£) s5y°£) es^ Like wishing for fruit which cannot be reached. 14. e)o£5&i *^^5b e5^^Ss5, 7T°$o $oz) I am below all, but Nambi Ramaya is below me. 15. Cf)X?6o ^c&>eSo, The whole people [of the earth], the sage Agastya, and his jar are all of equal weight. The legend is that when all the great men of the earth had, on one occasion, assembled at Kaildsa, their weight was so great that the earth began to topple over. On this, Agastya was sent to weigh down the other side which he accordingly did, but his presence being afterwards required at Kaildsa, he transferred his virtue to his jar of holy waters, leftitto balance the earth, and obeyed the summons. * Besser freundlich versagen, ala unwilling gewfihren. ( 3 ) 16 . es o o ST, ISoSSb ey^o^ew, e$<b§6 13o&b U^sToo. Two holes in beauty; two cymbals in a dance. ( See Nos. 11, 12.) Said of an uglv and bad dancer. c j */ 17. £9o£>be5' r6 2ok> e§£o, NoeSe?*’ 6 There is no substance in that, strain the rice water. Equivalent to the English “there’s nothing in him” or “there’s nothing in it.” 18. 0o^bib&o ef>£bs5bo •vSj“°f5ib|jD. Like giving a blind man a looking glass. A blind ■man will not thank you for a looking glass. 19. e)o?o£3 £-x>y5& e^7Y°&r* ^)ol3, §^ 0200 ^ TT^Ser 6 “A river of porridge has come, mother-in-law ! ,:J she cried. “But I have the measure, daughter-in-law,” replied the dame. (See Nos. 155, 161.) 20. ^£>0200 £>j- D kr > e)o ^oX?oib^5o S^o&'U' 0 . Do people that live on porridge keep men to hold up their mustaches? ( See Nos. 836, 1603, 179*2. ) Said of a poor man trying to appear grand. A proud mind and a poor purse arc ill met. 21. ££>sf<b ef>£)l§§ A foolish minister, and a clumsy retinue, to a perverse king. TELUGU PROVERBS. 22. L 7Y*5b e>o&e/£o§k_li, t^& 3§ ^5og) OC>0 TT° Go £o. When Akkanna and Madanna mounted their state palan- kin, Sarappa got on the bund of the tank to make him¬ self equal. ( See No. 1857. ) Envying and mocking the wealthy. Puppies imitating their mistresses . (Latin.)* 23. £<& t>0§ e>l§ _D Gb CO Q_ • The moat is heaven to the cat that falls into it. It cannot possibly escape, and dies. An inextricable difficulty. 24. The brother of Agastya. Agastya was a great sage, who was not known to have any brother. Applied to a new-comer, attempting to make himself out a great personage. 25. ZDfotS <H)oooli e>oXcl§ When it is cheap, it comes to the bazar. ( See No. 857.) 26. ef)oool§ odr^So. o When it is cheap, all will buy. 27. S>oZ*& Like a grass-hopper jumping into the fire (flame). ( Sec No. 177. ) To try, they say, to extinguish it. Applied to rash acts. • Catulse clominas imitantes. ( 5 ) ts o §^J o ^ 28. £9^£bo§6 o^ 4 cx>oo5 ^£olis5£o es&^oo Somid^vamma went for fire (for the sacrifice ) and came hack six months in pregnancy. Somidevamma is an honorific title given to the wife of a sacrificing priest; she is supposed to he very pious. 29. esgs&D Like ghee poured on fire. To cast oil in the fire is not the way to quench it. 30. ©5o<xori7^Q £9ooo~^ Bex)r6o^5b. You can tell whether he is really a Vaishnava or not by the way in which he holds the pencil. Tirumani is the clay used for the Sectarian mark worn on the forehead by Vaishnavas, and Pulla is a hit of grass with which the mark is made. Halt not before a cripple. 31. ef )&~K& ^r*ex>tfo. If the ground is lucky, a foot of it is enough. Luck is all. 32 . ef)booolf oooboooll In the one case Kandi, in the other Pesara. ( See No. 33.) Kandi is the Cajanus Indicus ; Pesara is the Phaseolus Mungo. Said by a Brahman quack referring to the recovery or death of his patient. In either case he is feasted. ( 6 ) TELUGU P HO VERBS. 33. e><booo~i ooo<box>lf In the one case, Medical fees; in the other, the gift o,f a Yaitarani cow. * ( See No. 32.) A cow is presented at funerals to a Brahman to enaVie the soul of the deceased to get across the burning river Vaitarani whLh is said to separate heaven from earth. Said by a Brahman priest and doctor. 34. &ix>zSoi% esDds&b e>ofc^s5!3Afc. A Hopper-woman requiring six people to assist her. “ Hopper” is a kind of cake ( Tamil ^liulL ). Said of a person giving himself airs. 35. s^S". Like a nut in the nippers. Adakattu are nippers used for breaking Areca nuts. To be between the hammer and the anvil. (French.)* I cannot ask, sweep the whole [ into my dish ]. Feigned modesty. I don't want it, I don’t want it, but put it into my hood. (Spanish. )t 31. es<Slhr , R>§ eT'SosS. He who has to answer is inferior to him who questions. It. is one thing to put questions, another to answer them. 38. £p£o5o-^ <&>8^£So Vain hopes are a source of grief Hope and expectation are a fool's income. ( Danish. ); * Etre entre le marteau et l’enclume. t No lo quiero, no lo quiero, mas (Schadmc lo en la capilla. t Haabe og vente er Giekerente. ( 7 ) 39. 53 o§^l -C5 o ^ Like moon-light in the jungle. ( See Nos. 1613. 1619. ) Wasted on a spot where it is not appreciated. 40. £><&£) tf§J r .<L>S6 aSbiJ^o^. What ifoes a wild Jackal care for the threats of a Police Officer 1 ( See No. 1094. ) What docs the moon care if the dogs bark at her? (German.)* * + 41, e>&£) $5)§8SV°d!fc, bo^^S) ^)S5y Like salt from the sea being mixed with Emblic Myrobalan grown in the [ distant ] jungle. Usirikakaya is the Emblica Officinalis. Used with reference to an advantage gained by an unlooked for coin¬ cidence. 42. What! a caret in the commencement 1 Said by a man to an ignorant scribe who, in writing the customary invo cation “ Sri Ramajaya” at the heading of a letter, omitted a syllable. Blundering at the very beginning of any business. He who begins ill finishes worse. (Italian. )t Well begun is half done. 43. efJa^oeT 8 77*43 rSotfz$x>. A post fixed in the mire [swinging to and fro]. ( See No. 44. ) Said of a time server. To sit on two stools. ( Latin. )J * Was Ktlmmert’s den Mond, wenn ikn die Hunde anbellen, t Chi mal comincia, peggio finisce. + Duabus sellis sedero. ( 3 ) TELUGU PROVERBS. 44 S)D. Cb co Like the cat on the cross wall. ( See No. 43. ) it can jump clown either side. Applied to an unprincipled, double-dealing person. Xhc/c o' both sides. 45. ef> e£“o3£d&> £)cx5bg£5bo oooxb^ Like giving [ a cook ] two and a half measures of rice and saying, “ Madam, this is your gift.” The cook gets four-fifths of the rice for herself, and yet she must he coaxed to cook the food. The allusion is to a traveller endeavouring to get some person to cook for him. 46. ^5)o^b oSboXersT 0 *^ ^oooXT 3 §jex>'u)b<3b. [ Like a widow saying ] “ if he were alive, he would at least call the barber.” This is a reproach to the husband as being a useless fellow only fit to be employed as a messenger, and is also a joke, as the widow only, and not the wife, requires the services of a barber, to shave her head. 47. 20<b20c>5bex>. The great secret is laid bare to all. ( See Nos. 525, 635 , 1521. ) Tom Noddy's secret. 48 . Sooa, &Soa Sooa.