English
Shun ff it bdng dapuni. To cry the bj'ing when asleep. A lazy, dilatorj', fellow. Bdng is the Mnhammodan call to prayers. Shupi h'nih icachhas sari ndl. A golden nAl over a fan-like bony breast. A gaudily-clressed ngly person. Shup is a flat basket used for winnowing grain. Ndl is the border of the garment called the knrtah, round the neck and down the breast. Shur gav bror ; wulah wulah kurus tah yiyih, A child is a cat, tell it to come and it will come. A child cries and runs for food. Shur nyuv pdzan tah shisfar Tchyav gagaran. The hawk took the child and the rat ate the iron. Tit for tat. Persian.— ir mosh dhan Tthorad Ttodak harad Idz. A man about to start on a journey entrusted several maonds of iron to the care of a merchant-friend. After several years he return- ed and sent to this friend for the iron. The merchant, in whoso charge it was, being a rogue had sold the iron ; and now sent to say how sorry he was that the iron had been eaten by rats. This reply somewhat astonished the other merchant, he could not understand how the iron could possibly have been broken and masticated by rats. However, he did not argue the matter in words, bat went straight 200 off to the place where the lying-merchant's child was playing, and decoyed the little fellow away to a very secret place. The merchant on discovering the loss of his child, became almost frantic with grief. He went tearing his hair and shi-ieking everywhere, " My child, where is my child ?" The other merchant seeing him in such distress enquired what was the matter, and was told that the little boy has either strayed or been stolen. " Alas," said he, " I observed a great hawk hovering over the head of your boy. The bird must have flown away with him." *' You mock me in my sorrow," said the bereaved merchant. " How could a hawk carry off my boy ?" " As easily as rats could devour iron," said the other merchant. The result was the exchange of the lost boy for the lost iron. This proverb and story is evidently translated from a Persian work, " Chihil qissa," {i. e., Forty stories,) but it is very well known among the common folk of Kashmir. Shuri cliliur hutJiis. — Sliur mdronah kih nah Jcuth Uaion ? The infant wetted the lap. What shall be done ? Shall the infant be killed ? or shall the knee be cut off. ? Parents in doubt as to whether they shall, or shall not, help a profligate son out of his difficulties. ShusTias tihpushi. Not enough even for a lung. A small income. Sikah nilu idh hdndah begdri. Like a Sikh obliging one to buy what they have to sell, and compelling the musician to play without hire. Oppression. A Muhammedan saying. The Muhammedana tell dreadful tales of the oppression which they suffered during the rule of the Sikhs in Kashmir. Silvh till bajd tah Tcahdh till bajd. If the spit is right then the meat is right. Sikandar-Nama. — Miydn-ji chindh hun harde sawdh. Ki ham sikh har jd huwad ham Icahdh. Shias tdmat sJiinas gdi, ; sudd Tcyah zdniov toe Jcariov. We got breast deep in the snow ; whatever inducement vras there to get married on such a day as this (lit., what taste did you feel that you made a feast). A very clever Hindu Persian scholar was once invited to a wed- ding feast in a certain village during winter-time. It happened that much snow fell just about the time of the wedding, and those guests who lived at a distance experienced much difficulty in attend- 201 injjf. On arrival this Hindfi was heard thus to remonstrate with the parents of the wedding-party. Notice the play upon the names of the four Persian letters sin, shin, 8&t1, and toe. Sina, (Persian) breast. 8Mn, (Kashmiri) snow. Sudd, (Kashmiri) taste, flavour, &o. Toe, (Persian) feast, festival, &o. Sir gav tirdan ; ad sir gov guzrdn ; pdv ekheh pdwdn. One ser is enough ; half a ser a man can live upon ; but a quarter of a ser prostrates a man. Sir ah 8dn pi rah mahdrdzah dv. The wedding- company of saints came along secretly. A groat man travelling in a humble way. The very respectable people have their marriage processions at night. Only the poor and uuoducatod classes have large demonstration-processions by day. Sini muhimah Muhal tah rani muhivnah khandahwdv. If there is not a plate of meat and rice there is a mallow, and if a husband is wanting, one can get a shawl-weaver. Anything is better than nothing. Shawl. weavers (Mnhammedami) are to be found in abundance all over the valley. They are a sickly, immoral, ill-paid race. Siryas hyuh nah prokash kune ; Gangih hyuh nah tirt kahh ; Bhyis hyuh nah bundav kune ; Ranih hyuh nah sukh kahh ; Aohhin hyuh nah prahdsh kune ; Kuthen hyuh nah tirt kahh ; Chandas hyuh nah bdndav kun Khanih hyuh nah sukh kahh ; Mayas hyuh nah prakdsh kune lAtyih hyuh nah tirt kaiih ; Dayas hyuh nah bnndav kune ; Bayas hyuh nah sukh kaiih ; 202 Sed Bayii was one day sitting down with his famous female disciple, Lai Ded, when the following questions crop- ped-up : — "Which was the greatest of all hghts ?" " Which was the most famous of all pilgrimages ?'* '* Which was the best of all relations ?" " Which was the best of all manner of ease V* Lai was the first to reply : — " There is no light like that of the sun ; *' There is no pilgrimage like Gang^ ; " There is no relation like a brother ; *' There is no ease like that of a wife." But Sed did not quite agree. *' No," said he — " There is no light like that of the eyes ; *' There is no pilgrimage like that of the knees ; *' There is no relation like one's pocket ; " There is no ease like that of the mendicant's cloak." Then Lai Ded, determining not to be outwitted by her master, again replied : — *' There is no light like that of the knowledge of God ; " There is no pilgrimage like that of an ardent love ; " There is no relation to be compared with the Deity ; " There is no ease like that got from the fear of God." I have seen something like a part of the above lines in Eev. C. Swynnerton's "Adventures of Kaja Rasalu," but not having the book at hand I cannot say in what connection they occur there. Gangd or Gangahal is one of the great Hindu places of pilgrimage. Hither go all those Pandits, who have had relations die during the year, carrying some small bones, which they had picked from the ashes at the time of the burning of the dead bodies. These bones are thrown into the sacred waters of Gangabal with money and sweet- meats. The pilgrimage takes place about the 8th day of the Hindu month Badarpet (August 20th dr.) Cf. " Vigne's Travels in Kash- mir," Ac, Vol. II., pp. 151, 152. So zan bozih ishdrah sueti. Ko zan bozih damdlih sueti, A hint and a good man hears. Threatening and fuss before a bad man hears. Gulistan. — Anchi ddnd Tiunad Jcunad ndddn. Lek ha'd az Jcahul i ruswa^i. Sonawdri sdban. The soap of Sonawar (e.e., the washing of the people of Sonawar). 203 Something wrong in the arrangement. Sonawdr is a little village close to the Takht-i-Snlaim&n, Srfnagar. The inhabitants have got a name for wearing cither a clean pagri and dirty garment, or else a clean garment and dirty pagrL Soht chhuh tjhali tah harud chhuh bait. Spring is a matter of inclination, but the Autumn is whether he will or not. H. H. the Mahirdjah gives a certain amount of seed to each zamfnddr about seetl-time, the sowing of this seed depends very much upon the will of the zamCnddr. But when the seed has been sown, the harvest ripens and the crops are ready to bo gathered, then, nolens volen, the zamlnd&r must oat it and give the usual State allowance. Sopur-i-mdzarat. An invitation from a SoptSr man. Nearly all the Sop6r people are most inhoflpitable. Ananta>n&g {i.e., laikvaihid) and P4mp6r folk have got ai name in the valley for hospitality. Sorah rag melih tah wordh rag melih nah. There may be a yein of affection in a pig, but not in a step- child. About fourteen years ago Hindds were permitted to koop swine. Since then the city has been entirely cleared of them by tho order of the present Mah&rAjah. His Highness' late father, tho Muh&r^jah Gul&b Singh, is said to have introduood swine into the valley. Sorah sanzih tcudih morah sund tdj. A peacock's crest upon a pig's crown. A place for every man and every man in his place Sarm chhuh dur tah marun chhuh nazdtk. All things are far-ofT, but death is nigh. In the midst of life we are in death. Sorui chhuh wm/i, hath chheh mufl.