English
) / / ... Ak chhiwyov maah bynk hAkah rasah. One man is intoxicated with the juice of thegrapc, another with the juice of vegetables. Pride dwells in every one, bo ho rich or poor. " Kashmir is tho only part of India whore wino is made from the jnico of the grape, a fact to bo attribatod rather to it aoeBcent quality than to any loaroity of tho fruit." Ak ffavjani y^r, by/tic gav nuni y&r. One is a thorough friend, another is a " loafer." 7V<ini yar, a bread friend. Pran~rar't.j(iH o ydr-i-ncin. Ak gub neriht ak Ichor huehih, petjih gdsah, wafui nah kehh. One sheep in a meadow, one kharwar (of grain) in thehouse and the bulrush (these three) do not last. The shoop and tho khanv&r are bat " as a drop in the ocean," Boon ■wallowed up, and tho bulrush quickly rots. Kh.ir or Khancdr, is a dry measure, containing lbs. 192. The literal meaning of the word is an ass-load. Khar is tho Kushmirf word for an ass (liko tho Persian). Ak hhojas suet batah khyun, beya sinis kun athah nyun ? When a person is dining with a great man, will he stretch out his hand towards the dish (to help himself) 1 Give him a yard, and he'll take an ell. Ak kot tah beyih kutis garawani. First there's the gallows, then there's the trouble of making the gallows. A difficult and losing game. Ak lewon graitas byuk Ihvon gratloioidi sunzih chinih. One licks the mill-stone, the other licks the millers dish. As fast as one earns, the other spends. r Ak nyuv Yaman tah hyok khyav braman. iG. - ' Death took one and the other was seduced from his own country to another country in hope of gain. A man of large family, but not one child left to him, all scattered. Yama is the Hindu god and judge of the dead. Ak n'lfiz tah beyih gumah rufiz. A Shi'a and also a village Shi'a. There are Shi'as and Shi'as. The village Shi'as are much more superstitions and bigoted than the city Shi'as. Altogether there are about six thousand Shi'as in the valley. They are found chiefly at Zadibal, a few miles to the north of Srinagar, and at Hasandbad near to the city lake, where their prin- cipal mosque is. Great bitterness of feeling exists between the Sunfs and the Shi'as, the rival sects of Muhammedanism, which occasionally manifests itself in open fights ending in loss of life and great destruction of property. In 1874 the Maharajah's troops were obliged to be called out to quell the rioters. During the Pathan rule in the valley the Shi'as were forbidden to celebrate the Muharram. About the time when the country vvas annexed to the Durrdni empire (1753-1819 a.d.), the Shi'as determined to enact this sacred feast ; and acordingly compelled a Suni boy to eat salt ; then tantalized him with water ; and just as he was about to drink it they shot him to death with arrows, so, that he might perish like Husain, who was killed by Yazid near Eufa, in the desert, of thirst. When 'Abdu'lM Kbdn, who had just conquered this country, heard of this, he was much enraged and immediately gave the order for the collecting of all the Shi'as in Srinagar, that their noses might be pierced, and one line of string run through the whole of them, and that, thus fastened together, they might be conducted through the principal thoroughfares of the city. Nothing daunted, however, they very soon again tried to celebrate their sacred festival, and notably in the time of the Sikh governor Bama Singh ( 1830 a.d.) There was a great Suni living in Kashmir in the fifteenth century, whose name was Muqaddam Sahib, He had a large number of followers, amongst whom was Shams-ud-din, a Persian Shi'a, who managed to conceal his religious views and to ingratiate himself into his master's favour, though all the time he was really proselytising. He thus made many converts to the Shi'a faith, and in consequence is much respected by the Shi'as, for these people have a j)rinciple of religious compromise called takia, whereby the Shi'a thinks that he is perfectly justified in lying and deceiving to save himself from religious persecution. It appears that during the year or so of Bama Singh's governorship in Kashmir, the Shfas when celebrating the Muharram purposely spat ia tka direction of the MuqiMldam Sahib's tomb, and this so enraged the Sunis that they foil ufK)ii thorn then and there and slew fifteen of them, besides doing much damage to their property. Since then 1 Persian traders have kept at a distance from Kashmir. Ak tah ak gav hah. One and one are eleven. Two heads are better than one. Ak woTn'n wayivi byuk pilanuwnn chhus petj. One weaves the mat and another holds out to him the reed. The mat-maker could work much better alone. Hence the above is quoted when uunecesaary help is received. Ak wukur heyih trdkur. First, you are unfortunate ; secondly, you are proud. Pride without reason. Ak zulih bachhih tal hihit toh, tah hijuk zulih tumul. One will sit by tho tire-place and buru chaff, while another will burn rice. Economy and extravagance. Ak saw'tnah chhai dnulatthy<ik zattat. One woman is wealth to you, another is ruination. Ak zow'nah chhai hat lanjih bunt, bjfuk chhai bar tal hmi hish. One woman is (like) a hundred-branch plane-tree to you, another is like a bitch at the door. The 6an< or chiniir {VI atanus Or ientalis) of Kashmiris one of the finest and most shado-giviug trees. It was intnxluced by the Mn- hamraadans from iho West, and under tho fostering attention of royalty this splendid tree with its palmate loaves and spreading bi-anches, has reached Uie greatest ago and attention in Kashmir. Akhu ffamut yirah tah w'lrih mangdn tang. A man is contused and asks for pears from the willow tree. Akha khut hastis bigi'kh'i khaslan dusih. One man rode upouan elephant, another mounted the wall. Uigh and low ; rich and poor. Panjdbi. — Uik yinne, te diyd ghoreghinne. AkhA lasin susas mar as. Let one man live for the sake of a thousand houses. Go<l spare tho public b>nofactor. 8 Akhi latik khasih nah gvris, beyih lalih pakih nah piyudah. At one time he will ride on a horse, at another time he will go on foot. Diruit cedificat miitat quadrdta rotundis Akhi waktah prdnah'Ttuj tah heyih waktah pranah-dyal. At one time the onion-plant, and at another time the onion- skin. Good and bad times. Ahi sund dazih ub tah heyih sund dazih nah til. One man can burn water, where another cannot even burn oil. A matter of luck. AH sund dyurah chandah beyih sund hata. One man's pocketful of money (is no more than) another man's word. Ahi tsat sum tah sas gav hulih. One man cut the bridge, and a thousand people fell into the river. Ptmishment visited upon many because of the iniquity of one. This is a saying derived from a true story (so a native friend says). A very long time ago a large crowd of people were travelling toge- ther;— perhaps they were going on a visit to some popular shrine. In the midst of the crowd there was a very wicked man who did not seem to be able to think, or say, or do, anything except that which was evil. On seeing a swift and deep stream in front, this wicked man ran on ahead and crossed the ordinary plank bridge built over it ; and no sooner had he himself crossed over, than with his big hatchet he hacked and hewed away at the supporting beam of the bridge, until it broke into two pieces and the whole structure fell down, and was soon carried away by the angry waters. Now what were the people to do ? — go they must to this place, concerning which they had been making preparations many-a-long-day before. At length two or three of the bolder spirits among them determined to wade the stream ; and the others encouraged by their example resolved to venture also. They all started together, but, alas ! when they reached the middle of the water the swiftness and depth proving too much for them they all lost heart, gave themselves to be carried away by the waters, and were drowned. AM tsond dunyd tah beyih ahi imdn ; dunyd tah imdn chhih nah donawai athih yiwdn. One man sought the world and another sought for faith ; the world and faith both do not come into the same hand. '* Ye cannot serve God and mammon. " 9 uihis ehhiik daz&n ddr tah byak ekhus tovshanawun athah. One man's beard is on fire, and another man warms his hands by it. To be glad at another's misfortune. P&njibi. — Kini ki ghar jale, koi tape. Akia gom zah ; ffHthar gdm ihethar ; knwas gdyam kukil. One became two ; friends became enemies ; the crow became a dove.