Burmese Proverbs-Hla Pe

VlIl CONTENTS

Kry

to prommtiatiou

88

BUfmtSt texts ₉₀

Suggrstionsfor jilflh" Trading

IO?

Abb,tviations u~d ill the ttxt 108

VariollS tOllfUS

₁₀₉

Pr

ef

a

ce

This docs nOt purport to be an exhaustive colkction of Burmese prollerb1. It is intended to provide 3. selection of them, which can

illustr:l.te Burmese proverbial wisdom. They have therefore

been

arnnged loosely under ftve headings, coveri.ng mw's character­ istics, behaviour, rdations with others and the world he lives in. Each of these five sections is introduced

by a

n explanatory Ilote, and the general Introduction will, I hope, help the reader appreci­ ate the meaning and implications of the proverbs.

The preparation of such a work in English presents many complex problems, the most formidable being the translation of 13urmcse rhymed sayings into idiomatic English prose. capturing

the ~pirit of d'e original without sacrificing the sense: d,C two languages are e:ntircly diffcrent i.n structure and culttlral back­

ground.

Mr H. F. Searle, co-ed.itor of the new Durmtst-Englislt Dictiollary. encouraged me in the compibtion of this book, read the manuscript and gave me wise counsel. But for his unstintcd help the work might not have been completed. 1 :un greatly i.ndebted to John Murra.y for invaluablc suggestions and criti­

cisms and also deeply grateful to Mrs M. St.-arle, who spent many long .sessions with me translating French veo ions of DurmeS(: proverbs, as I have mentioned in the Introduction. U Tin Maung of the B.B.C. read the manuscript and put forward several

suggestions. I have accepted gratefully many cogent comments

by Mr J.

Okcll, who tC2d the proofs.

l dedicate this

book

to

my two mentors and fricllCis, Mr C. W. Dunn and Mr H. F. Searle, who have inspired me in ill

my schol:istic pursuits.

UlA PH

I

ntroduction

>( it:ographicaJ and historio! factors-political, physic:!I, economic and human-all have:\ bearing on the birth of J3urmesc proverbs. Dunna has common frontiers with India on the west 2nd with China (through Ymman) on the north and north-<3.st-two

great nations which have contribut'cd no small measure ofculture

:I.lld civilintion to the world. To the c:tSt lies Th2ibnd a.nd to the

south Malaya and the Indian Ocean, which has been the highway

for merchants from the West since before the 5th century A.D. The chief physical features of Durma arc the thickly wooded mountains

ill

the northern region and high wooded plateaux :md hills in the cast :md sollth-e:l5t; the plains in the centre imcrs«:tcd

b

y

hiU

ridges; the Arakan Yom.u, tile Pegu Yom:u

;md

the Shan plate:mx; and the valleys of the three main rivers-the

Irrawaddy (with its tributary the Chindwin), the Sitt<U1g and the Salwcm- which have served as means of conunun.ication from

north to south since the dawn of history. And in the south arc the fi3t areas of [he Irraw:lddy delta.

The clim3[e of Bunna is mostly tropical. From May until

October there is a regubr :md heavy run&lI; for the rest of the year there is hardly any r.lIin. The central partof llurma is known as the Dry Zone, for here tile ninfall is very light. III the hottcst

months the temperature in the southern

'a

n

d

central pam of the 0

country n1ay

be

over 100 Fahrenheit, while in December, Jall uary and February the temperature m.ay

f

all

to 600

in the south md become progressively less in the Jlorth.

These physical and cl imatic conditions Me mainly responsible for the distribution of both 3griCUltura1 :md natuf21 products and :lisa ofthe peoples throughout Burma. Dunna h3S for as long 2S we know been primarily m agricultural country. Rjce cultiv:ltcd in wet areas as well :IS in the Dry Zone by means of irrigation

2 INTRODUCTION

₃

tops the list of agricultural products. ScSoJIllUm,l groundnurs,

cotton. maize. bons. tobacco and sugar-ane arc the other chief

products.

all

ofwhich cxccpt stlgar-anc are grown on a rcl:lIivdy

large 5C:I.lc in drier areas. Rubber W:I.S introduced compar:Hivcly late. 1n addition, Burma has been endowed with ll"curaJ Ie­ SOurCC1, such as mineral oil. wolfnm. tin. silver, rubies. jade; and teak forests which lIe mostly found in the Pegu Yomas and

the south-castcrn p:ms of Burma. Most of these cxporu.blc

commodities pass through Rangoon, the principal pOrt :1lld

capical

o

f the country

.

The indigenous races of Burm3., which arc of Mongoloid

stock, faJl imo thrtt main groups: the Tibeto-Bunru,n. the M OIl­ Khmer 2nd the T h2i-Chincsc. The fim group is represented

by

the llurmcsc proper (concentrated cspcciaUy in the Irrawaddy

v;illcy). Araanesc (along the western coastal strip). Tavoyans

and Mergucsc (in the valleys of Tenasserim). the Nagas, Chills

and Kachins and many other tribes in the mountainous regions

of the north. The representatives of the second group arc the

Man (in the Irrawaddy ddta and the Thalon :md Amherst

districts). the Wa (between the Shan States and YUlU1all), and Palaung (in Northern Shan States); whilst the third group includes the Shans, Karcus (in Tenasserim, K::I.f ClUU and the lrrawaddy ddta) and Taungthu (chieA.y in the Shan States). There ;!.re several thousand domiciled Indians and Chinese

sottcred all over Burma.

H)lirieal StIt;IIg

Politicilly the history ofBmma down to the last decade of thc

19th century can

he

summed up as the southward advance of

Burmans, and the unification of the country at the beginning: of

e:l.ch dynasty by powerful Burman kings. whose control was

bter ended by misnlie or invasiom from neighbouring countries.

The numg of Durma was periodically interrupted by the

1 Scs.une, annual Iler~us [fopical and lu~ropiClI plant with seeds wed:u; food and yielding m OUllSt.-d for cooking or in silid. Q.E.D.

INTRODU CTION

struggles for suprc:nucy between the Durmans :and the Teprc­

SCIlUtiVes of the other two groups-the Mon and the Slun. Twice the kingdom ofBunna came to an end through external invasion 3mi ct2SCd for <lbout 60 years to exist as an independent

country: the first conquest was by the Tar-un in tile 13th century anc! the second by the British in the 19th century.

W aves of migration from Central Asia had been going on for

thousands of years before the Burnuns dcsccndc..-d to the plains probably in the mid-9th century.' Here they came into COlltaCf with the Pym, now almost extinct, :md the Mons who had already attained a high level of civilization. In the 11th century

King Atuwrahta (1044-77)

welded

into one kingdom a group of formerly independent states, and ruled them from

his

COIpitai city of Pagan. GudualJy he ('xtendcd his sovereignty down to

Tcrusscrim in the south and Th:l.ton, the capiul city ofthe Mon

kingdom in tbe dclu :area; to Ar:lbn in the west; and over the hills east of the Sittang. The city of Pagan, today one of the

fantous ruined cities of south-east Asia, succumbed to the on­

slaught of the Mongols in 1287. llurm3 rhen split lip into small principalities. During the next three gcneratiom, Upper liurJ1\<I formed part of the Shan hegemony with separate capitals at

Sagaing, }'ill}'3 and MyillS3ing (all a few miles from Mancbhy), while the Mons at Pegu (north of Rangoon) held SUZCr2illty over Lawl'r BurIna.

In 136S. the Ava dynasty was founded with its capital at Ava (south-west of Mandalay). The kin~ of trus dynasty devoted much energy to upholding Buddhism and to encouraging Burmese literature; at the same time they tried to prevent the domination ofthe Sham, and attemplcd to conquer the Mon kingdom, Later.

two kings of the Toungco dynasty. Tabinshwehci (I ~i3J-So) and Uayilluaung (ISSe-SI), ;l.t Toungoo and afterwards at Pegu, I C. H. Luce SUtes mat the Burnuns dc:scrodtd m 1tI/USt into the pUins of K)':l.ukse sometime after A.D. 8}5. J.B.RS., vol. XUI. pt. i, p. 80. (['Or a list ofabbrtviltiOllS a.lld the full ritles of worlu refem:d to,

INTRODUCTION

4

re-cstablisncd unity which lasted till A.D. 1750. The Mon s

then

tried to wrcst power again and spread their control over the Dry Zone, but they lost their gains as well as their independence for good when Alaungpaya (r7Sz...60), Chief ofShwcbo (north of MamWay). reunited the whole of Burnu. The opening of the 19th century saw the kingdom of Burma reach its widest extent; it included the whole of modem Burma together with Manipur and part of ASSam. for astfologietl reasous or political expediency, the kings of the Alaungpaya dYIl.:UlY established thcir capitals at A~. Am:ar:apuf2 :md finally at Mandalay.

Three successive wars with the British in 1824, 1852 ::lIld 188S

J

ed

to the British annexation of Arabn and Tel1asserim, the delta region known as the Pcgu Division. and fin:llly of the rcst of the kingdom.

After the Second W orld War of 1939-45. during which the country W:.lS occupied by tbeJ:ap2nC'SC from 1942 to 1945. Burma

regained her indcpendolcc on 4 j3.Iluary 1948. She did not revert to the old monarchical type of govemment, but chose instead to become the Republic of the Union of Burm:a, which is at present IlUde up oLDurnu proper, the Shall State, the Kachin State, the Karenni (or Ka)'2h) State. the Karen State and the Special Division of the Chins.

Cultllral Setting

Culturally Durm:a owes a considerable debt to its neighbours.

especially to India and Ceylon. Doth forllls of Buddhism, the MnniiyJua (Greater Vehicle) ;rnd The-ravada (Teaching of rhe Elders), whicllc:ame front India were in existence in Burm.:t from the sth ccnrury A.D. 1ncrnvifda Buddhism. 3Ccording to the Burmese chroniclers, gained predominancc over the Mahayand .:tfter the conquest of Th.:tton

b

y

Anawr:ahta in JOH.1 _{And the} TI,t fdviiJa, together with its scriptures in Pali introduced 1 So

ur

this claim Iw not been supported by :my arcll:I.C:ological or epigraphical evidcnCl:.

INTRODUCTION

s

ofliciilly through the Mons from Ceylon. uplifted the Burnum to a pime above their kjndred raccs. One concrete example

will

suffice. Durmans borrowed the Mon alphabet and reduced their l:mguage to writing some time in the early J2th century. Evangelical Z(~al to study and propagate Buddhism in their own language was the chief reason for this achievement.

Of

the

members of the Tibeto-Burnun sub-family. only the Tibeuns and the Bunnam can

l.a.

y

claim to a script of thcjr OWIl.

Burmese

Ius

a vast amount of literature: in epigraphs, on palm-leaves and folded paper. and in printed

books

.

The

epigraphica.l literature of over one thousand inscriptions,

dedicatory in nature, dignified in style, with many allusions to incidents from Buddhist scriptures and stories. began in tbe early

12th century. The palm-leaf and folded paper liter-mIre of an imaginative type came into being under the auspices ofBuddhist Ulonudu, and Rourished from the J sth century until printing

became prevalent in the 19th century. Its contributors were Buddhist monks or ex-monks (and

also

some court pocresscs), and its notable features were Buddhist piety and courtly rcfin~

man of language. There was a prepondcr.ancc of verse over prose. The verse litcrature consists of translations or adaptations of the Ji/taka (Buddha's Dirth Stories), historical ballads, pane-­ gyric odes in prust of kings, and love and nature poems. a! well as epistlcs. letters and drama.'! in 'mixcd style' of verse and prose. Prose literature Wa.'! relatively Sfll:tU in amount. It comprises

transl:ations or adaptations of 13nddhist scriptures and stories. chiefly the ] atnkn. DiJcIII",opiiJa A!!lIokatiJii, Milinaa Ponho, Loka

Hili, I chronicles :Uld legal precedents, the last being based mainly

on Sanskrit law

boo

ks.

The printed liter:l.ture which appeared in 1 All this BuddhiSt liter:l;nlfc is wrincn in Pa!i and all of it h:lS been transla.ted into Bunncsc. The la/aka a.fe the H 7 Dirth Stories of Gouma BuddlJ;l. DhammaptTda Arthllkathci :I[e Stories simil:u: to tho§!: in the Ja/aka. Milinda PaiiiUl .are the questions of King Milinda w d T.AhI Nfti or Wortlly Wisdom is ;tn cthiCOlI treatisc. milch studied by DUrlne1C

6

INTRODUCTION

the: 19th ccnrury covers such works as pylf-za! (dt3l1latizcd ver­ sions of Duddhist or non-Buddhist stories).l novels. et$;I.}'l and short Storics_

Durmms arc almost exclusively Buddhists.. and Buddhism is inextriClbly

oowld

lip

with

a Durnun's life. The lessons he

learns from tbe monks, from his parents, from Burmese

books

and even &om sugc plays influence a 13urman's thoughts, speech 2nd aCtions. To most Burman!, Buddhism mC2llS kanna, 1 re­ incarnation :l.I1d ni,,'ono. Karma can be summed up as a doctrine of 'as you sow, so shall you rcap', and good or evil consequences accompany a person (rom one existence to another. R cillUf­ mltion

wi

ll go a

ll as l

ong

as men

h

av

e desi

res.

greed.

lu

st. selfish­

ness and att:.chmcnt. The object in life, w hich is full of misery. is to 3ttailll1irvmJo, where consciousness of selfceases. This em

be

:lchicvcd by good living: on the positive side. by uking refuge in

Buddha.

DI,amml1 (the

la

w)

and Sallgha (the Order). by 2cquiring mcrit through charitable gifts. by pious conduct and meditation; on the negative side, by abstaining froIn committing sim. undcrulcing not to kill. not to ste.a1. not to commit :l.Ily sexu21 crime, not to tclllics:md not to

drink

intoxicating liquor.

Burmans arc aware

tha

t Budd

ha is not 2 God; He is a [cOlcher. His tachings arc ol philosophy

of

life, which his disciples.

the

monks, pr2ctise :md impart to thcir followers. 111e monks :ue celibate :md own no property. They live in monasteries, we2r

saffron-colourcd rohcs,

go

round tbe village or quarter to

beg

food

once a

d3y,

and b:lve their meals before nooll. Most Burmese Buddhists treat their p:uents with the reverence 2ccordcd to Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. 3

Many ilurm21lS combine Buddhism with ~mism. Propitia­

tion oflUll (celestial beings Olnd tcrrcsui.a1spirits) is still carried on.

1 For the origin and development ofpyll-Zilt sec Htin Aung's Burmts~ Dra"'tl and Hla Pe's Kcmmara Pya Zaf.

t Sec also 'krmll' under tile sccrion he:ackd '11te World'.

, This TrUd together with Parents and Teaehen :tre uUl:ally refcm::d to as 'The Five Wonhy Objects'.

INTRO D UCTION

₇

These people t:ike renlgc in Buddhism for the sake of the world herQ(ter, while they propiwte, and sometimes try to placate, the Iwt for the sake of the present world. They .a1so believe in the survival of the spirits of the dead. The numerous rdigious Wi6ccs and snuU nat-shrines all over Burma

be:l.f

testimony to

this du.a1 faith.

A .Burman is .a1so a firm believer in magic and :!ostrology. He often resom to ffi:!og1cal practices such :loS being tauooed and

swallowing pills to achit.'Ve the power of invuLtcubility

and

other supcrnarural accomplishments. Astrology h:u been known

and made usc of probably by the Manipuri Brahmans at least ~ince the 13th century.l It has played a very important part in the lifc of thc people 2S a means offofetd ling the future or of tryiug 10 avert impending danger or calamity.

The syncretic beliefs of Dunnans in Buddhism, an.imism, magic and astrology have unnttcsted themselves in many w:ay5. Onc is the Burmans' attitude towards the white e1ephOlnt. To them a white e1eph:l.tlt is a compoWld ofdivine and ~cred beings. The Buddha himself was rei.ru:::mu.ted as a white dcph:mt in

\ll:lIIY existences; a white elephant is :l1so one of the seven requisites of a universal monarch; an.d the presence ofthis sacred allim:al brings prosperity :md raiu to a country suffering from drought.

Besiclcs

it possesses transcc:ndental power. It was lI:acura! for the Blumcse kings to take pride in the number of these sacred a.uiJu21s they

possessed

and they were eager to assume the title of Lord of one (or more) White Eleplunts. History lus m:my accounts of Burmese monarchs waging wars against other St2tes for their possession.' The English saying 'That's a White Elephant' could not h2ve origiJl.:lt~d in Burma. It is derived from Siam wbere the original White Elephant was :llso regarded as sacred, :md was nuintained accordingly. It was I Astrology is mentioned in inscriptioru of the 13th-14th eeflturtes. See for iruuncc S.J.P., p. 155.

a E.g. Hm. YQz .• ii, p. 364- (W:ar between Durma and Siam in the 16th century.)

8

INTR ODUC TION

the custom of the King of Siam, whot

he

wanted to dispose of

the services of2. courtier who had become obnoxious to him, to make the counier a rop.1 present of a white elephant. The recipient was usually ruined

by

the cOSt of the animal's main­ tcn:mcc.

EcOllomic Background

Burmcsc pt"Oplc arc esscncia11y 2.gricu1rurists. Rice-growing by wet or dry cultivation is the chief occupation. Ploughing, harrowing. tra.Il5pl:tnting ;\nd harvesting in orthodox ways was 311d still is the order of the

day.

The natur.ll workmatcs and

friends of the cultivators :u c tropical beasts of burden such :u water-buffaloes and attIc to whom they h:wc a sentimcnul. attachment; and yet they look upon them as dumb animals devoid of sensitiveness. Among other domcstiettcd allim:!.ls, c1cph:mu and horses arc regarded as the paraphc01alia of officials,

even nowadays, and the elephant is accredited with intelligence of a high d(:gree; goats arc often 01 symbol of ,h:unclessncss; and dogs 2.re hdd to be destitute of any good qua.lities or redeeming fea tures.

Ther(,' have always

been

Durmans who earn their living or supplement their inadequate earnings by hunting or fuhing.

though Dmldhism disapproves of these activitit...,. Dows ::md arrows aud spears ;ue the chief weapons of a hmuer who is often accornp:l11ied by dogs.

or

the wild beasts the tiger stands for

savagery ilnd ferocity, whilst the deer stmds for meekness and mildness; the monkey is noted for naughtin<."Ss; :md the monitor

linrd, because of its forked tongue,l is au embodiment of untruthfulness; its appearance is also regarded as an ilI-omcn,

a sign of poverty.' Fishing with varions kinds of Ileu:md traps goes on in sma.1] streams as well ;as in the large rivers of Burma. Both the hUllters and the fishermen, in view of their sinful

I C( On Sifi/rM~ ProvnM fi/1U1 Uiol1lfillic Exprts,sicIIIS, p. :15.

S Ibid.,

p.

31.

INTRODU CTION

₉

vOOtlOns, occupy the lowest rung in the social b,dder of Dud­ dhist Burma.

There arc in Durma many kinds

of

manua] worker and 21so

~rtists and craftsmen. To list a few: boatman, raftsman. eart­

,\rivcr, toddy elimber (who taps the juice at the top of tall

pllm trees) and f.1rm labourer; author, poet, musician, black­ illuth. goldsmith, mason, sculptor, wood arver, weaver and

potter.

Burmese women,} especially in rural are;,.s, share the burden

with their nwn-folk in many w21ks oflife. They arc independent. tree :I.lld enjoy equal rights with the men. In llurriage a Bunm-se Wife docs not take her husband's name. She can alw:tys le:lve her

husband whenever she wishes. hut divorce. a soci:J. stigma, is very I'lre in Dunn.a. If such::an wtplcas:mt course has to be resorted to, I he property :I wife brought with her when she married is hers, :md any property acquired during the marriage is divided hctwcen her and her husband. Much of the ru.y-to-d:ay business 1\ in tbe hands of the women and they give a good account of Ihr:lnsclves.

SClC

i

a

l

Envircmltlrllt

Many western writen have portrayed the Burmese people as nsy-going and plC3Sure loving. They forget however the serious '1lle: oftlic life of these people who work arduously on f3.rm~ and 0 11 rivers lmdcr exacting conditions. Duriug these

peri

ods of har

d wNk. they have scarcely any time to give attention to anything tnher than the

task

in hand. When therefore they h.ave an 'lPI)Qrtunity to release their pent-up

feelings

they

enjoy thcm­ ~Ivcs with spccill fervour. forms of amuscmCllt up to the 20th

"entury were comparatively simple. Those that :l.ppcaled most

III 13urmans were pwe (stage puys), dancing :lnd. music, playing musical instrumentS and singing all one hand, and on the other,

gambling (usually at pwr). racing a.nd boxing which they

Kc:ncr.Jly indulged in O1t the

many f

es

nv21s and

fairs

\I$\l21ly held

L Sec :also 'Women' under the section he:r.ded 'Human Char:r.ctcristio '.

10 INTRODUCTION

at the time of the full moon; the period for such pleasures was confined [0 the dry season.

Dllrmtst Proverbs

Burmese proverbs (r.Jg<lbouy means literally 'simibr saying')! arc CUOltially similes or pauble'S. They 2fC usually introduced in written or spoken bngulIgc by the words 'like as' :l11d 'as it were', Similar in meaning to the Arabic word

matJJ

a

l

or the Malay

Ifpall1l'1-1m,~ the Burmcsc word

also

cmbr.'lccs

m

e

idcu inherent in the Chincse words for proverb,

y

e

n,

elegant or accomplished words, and su-yii, common sayings, and in the Sanskrit word

slIb/'ilsita, wdl-spokcll words.3

SiII}aOott7) arc at leaSt as old as, and almost ccrttinly older than, the written i2Jlguagc. Ever since Blirmese was first pm into writing pcrwps during the ~Iy pan of [he 12th century A.D.,. they have enriched :md embellished the literary as wel1 2S the cvcry-day styles, Burmese literatllrc~ whcther in prose or verse

or in 'mL,,(cd style', abounds in proverbs: thc), formed the m ..in

ingrcdient ofa number oflitcrary epist1cs submitted [0 the kings of Burma by Duddhist monks.A Then, coo, there :lre many collections of proverbs,' the most recent being 711~ Two 71""ISatld PrOlle,bs,' published ]910, and The Thrce T/u)l/smld Proverbs,S published 1956. Many Rurmans still usc these sayings frcqucnt1y, whether in formal speech or in cbily conversation.'

1 The term hu bec:n taken also to mean 'word picture' or 'modd $:lying'.

I Sec R4Ci41 Prowr/n, Introduction, pp. xv, xvii. lOp. cit., pp. XV, xvi, xvii.

I Sec S.I.P., p. 7.

'E.g. KlIndaw M. Com. and YUlIIU. K.

'E.g. Sa gab. B., Wisit. Lirik. Sngab., Wisj!. PDf. SGgab. and Wisit.

Safab. ' See Sagab.

An enlarged edition of SaRab.

• Sec for instauce the specx:hc:s of U Nu, the Durmese Prime

Minister from 19-47 to 1962 (excrpt for a break in 19056 :lnd ag:lin in

l9059-60).

INTROD U CTION I I

Dut m:lny sayings which have been :lcccpted as proverbs do not deserve the name. Some arc riddles

(

S

39i1Iha),'

others arc spoonerisms (~!I), aJld a grC4t many are mete similes

("'~ma) . To sift the proverbs from thcse other figures of speech h:lS provcd a more formidable 13.sk than had ocen expected. Like

lnlC proverbs, many of the pretenders are decked with rhymes

and are eouchcd in terse language. and many comain allusions to ineid(.·nts from the Jiifaka or from well-known Pali or Sanskrit works and native chronicles or arc w en from incidcnts of every~ay life. The simple tests employed to solve this problem, ullsatisf.1.ctory though they are, have been (i) that the style of :I. proverb must be epigramlll:ltie; and

(

i

i)

chat the i.ntcnrion undcrlying the proverb is (0 give advice or w.arning or to h:llld on :l pi!'CC of wi5dom.

In trying to asccruin whar a proverb is, we must look through the proverbs of many cOlmuies of south-a st Asia that arc :Hljaccnt to Burma, and also those of C hin:l and Japan.' As expected we shall notice that ccruin proverbs arc common to two or more of these countries. In several inStances some ofthese proverbs arc almost identical both in ideas and itnplic.atiom; if

there arc differences. they are in the ehan etcrs llsed in t he provcrbs. These. simiiaritiC1 call be ascribed to three 0I2in reasons: (i) the proverbs have been derivl·d from a common source; (ij) one of the countries has borrowed directly or in­ directly from :mother; and (iii) the commies conccmcd have ~imilar attitudes towards certain concepts.

Burm.a,

.as

stated earlier, is .. Buddhist land, where ~nskrit works such as the Hitopadtsal _{and the epics :arc not IUtknOwn.}

rhe J3urmcse proverb 'Playing a hup before a bulfalo' h:ls its COuntcq>:lfU in Thai, Chinese:and Mall, except thac tbe Til.ai has I Sec 'Burmese Riddles' by Maung WUII, ].B.R.S., \'oJ. XL. pt. i, pp. 1-13·

I Some of these are given in Racial Ptow,bs, others in Malay Prow,bs :lnd On Sia,"c~ Provnbs and Idiomalic Expressions.

12 I NTRODUCTI ON

'fiddle' for h2rp. the Chinese 'lute' (and 'ox' for the buffalo) and the Mon has 'zither' (and 'ox' for the bu..fhlO).l This is a Buddhist

\V2Y of saying 'C2,Sting

ports

before swine', The Thai, Mal:ay 2nd J2pancsc proverb 'The teeth sometimes bite the tongue' is applied to urulvoi<hblc

tiffs

between friends or between husband and wife, whereas the Burmc:sc 'Husband and wife (are like) the tongue and the teeth' obviously refer! only to those

bctwC'Cll

husband and wife. Greed is anathcnu to tbe Buddhists. The J3urmC$C'Jf your desire is great you obuin little' has its vari:ults in Chinese 'He that grasps loses' and in Thai 'With over greedi­ ness olle's (oerLUlc v:utisbes', lngratiUldc is another sin. The Burmese proverb 'Tlking shcJtcr in the shade of a tree and breaking off'the branches' i.5 echoed in the Lao 'Don't soil the tree's shade that has heCll hospiublc to thce'. O u karma toO the Dllddhist cotilltrics of Durma, China and Thailand have similar

conceptions as witnessed in these following proverbs: 'A man docs not lose his life jfthe time at which he is fated to die has not :ltrived' (Durma), 'If the end ofrus li£c-sp:m

h:1.3

not yet come he shall not die' (Th~i); and the Durmese saying 'One day to die, :md one day to be born' I has its double in the Chincsc 'There is

::a day to

be

born and a time to die'.

Sanslc.rit literature too has given many proverbs to the countries of south-cast luia. Sir Richard Winstcdt bas given a list of

proverbs' [olUId in Ma.lay, Japanese and Afghan, which arc derived from the Sanskrit saying: 'He who docs not go out and explore ill the earth is a well-frog'. To thi~ list we Olay add [he

Burmese version 'A frog in (the puddle of) ::a buff2lo's hoof­ mark' and the Thai 'A frog in a lotus pond'. And the Maby proverb 'You can't str.lighten a dog's biI' has a very dose

affinity to the Durmese 'Threading a dog's crooked u ti through a joillt of bamboo'. Proverbs of many countries warn people in a similar strain to

guard

::I.gainst 'a slip of the tongue'. The

1 0" Siam~~ Prcwt,bs IIJIJ ]Jiomali, Expussiotls, p. 134.

, Not included in this colkction. 'Milloy Prollt,bs, pp. 2-3.

IN TRODUCTION

[

3

Burmese 'If the body goes through a hole, it cm be puUed out; if the mouth (tongue) slips. it a nnot retraCt iudf', the Thai'A slip of the tongue may ausc the loss of one's fortune'

and

the Malay'A slip of the tongue may cause the loss of one's fortune, ::I. dip of the foot may cause one to

fall

(from ::I. tree), are but a few of them.

It is difficult to say with cert:linty, whether Similarity between rhe proverbs of twO countries is allc to borrowing or to coinci­

de

n

cc.

The proverbs 'Teaching a monk to re:ld, showing :l

crocodile how to swim' in Burmese, and 'Tcach a crocodile to swim' in Thai and Milay, meaning 'teaching a gr.:m.dmothcr how to suck eggs', is a case in point. Bul in a fcw inst:lJlces, such as I he l':lbw,g sayin_{g '} 'People who come fcom hell arc not afraid ofhot :uht's" we can say that it is a borrowing from the Bnrmese. A.lld in the following examples, wbere the Bllnnesc isjU'lctapo$Cd with thcChinesc-'lna basket it is the binding, ina nun ids hisdothcs' :Iud ' A m:ln is cstimated by his clothes, and a horse by his $.1ddlc';

'Da}, will not break for a hen's cackle; it will break only for a lock's crow' and 'A bell

docs nO[

usually :l1U10unce the break of ~b>··; and

;(

It

is as difllcuh to look after) one cbughtcr

(as

;U"ter)

a thousand cattlc' and 'When a daughter

h.-u

grown up she is like smuggled salt'-the similarity can safely be attributed to u )incidence.

There arc also a few Burmese proverbs which arc compara­

lively rCCCJlt, and they bc.ar so much resemblance to the English du t we arc tempted to coruider thl·m as imports. To cite a few: 'Silence is worth a thousand pieces (ofsilver),; '1)on't look a gift .,,, in the mouth' and 'Because the cat's away the mice arc at

play',l

This little book is intended to

be

:l oolJOClion of Dunncsc pmvcrbs which reflect different aspects of Dnrme$e life. A great ... ,uly of them were gleaned from prose works of the

first

half

I 1~.JriaII7ol!(fbs, p. 348.

• ·11,is is also found in the Thai, t.g. 0,. Siamtst PrOIlUbl anJ Idiomatic

1

4

J NTRODUC TI ON

ofthe 20th ccnnlry,l During the literary rcvivaJ which fonowed

the inuoduction of t he printing press to Burma in the 19th century. many proverbs were given new currency. T he various printed collcctions of proverbs have been consulted and also a manuscript collcction made by Father f;oIurc. a Roman Dtholic

missionary,: with translations and cxpl:Ulations in French. From this latter source u many suitable examples as possible have been taken in order to give a represC1ltative sclcction.

As

lw: been

explained, all Durmese proverbs arc terse and luvc

a rhythm of their own. and most of them arc composed with

rhymes or

j

ing1c5.

J

USt

as many English proverbs arc noted for

allircr:ltioll, so arc the Dunnest (or their rhymcs.3 To try to a.prucc the terseness :md rhythm in translating them into English is a ncar impossibility, but to reproduce the rhymes is impossible without sacrificing the sense. Consider the following examples-(the rhyming words or sylbbles arc in italics):

ky£' hma a'yo, luhn\U a'myo (With fowls, the pWigrec, with

men, brceding);

k

o'

'wuDna kobo

O

i

'

(Only the sufferer knows

how his bellyaches); !)oji!JYv.

Iv

to',

Uust

when he wants to cry yon touch him); and rokhu'lo'ko

Ja,

t,..,lingwago twe' (He

searched for a woman whose marriage had broken down :md he

found a woman who had left hcr hmband).' These losses caused by 2 f.1i1ure to do justice in translation to the original version arc indecd grcat; [or the effectiveness of 2liurmese proverb dcpcnth upon the sound as much OIS on the tersencss of the wording. As close a translation as the English idiom pccllliu has been givcn, and when rhe meaning or implic:l.tion of2 proverb is likely to be ambiguous or obscure, an explanatory note

Jus

been added. Where possible the corresponding English proverb is shown by inverted commas.

1 Sec: the Varil1llJ S"",",, pp. 1000010.

t Sec 'DllrmC5C Prove;rbs, 2 supplell\Cl'lt to existing proverbs', by Kin

M:wnS Lat, B.S.O.A.S., vol. X, pc. i, pp. 31-51.

a Many He in bif1~ry ronn.

*

The Burmese dlyme schemes in the I)roverbs ~«: not unlike those

found in the Chinese Proverbs: see RlJrial P,,,vrrbs, p. xlii.

I NT ROD UCTI O N

1

5

Proverbs express the views ofmen 2bout their fdlow men 2nd

abom humall life in its various aspects. They have been classified, Iherefore. under five headings: (1) Human Characteristics, (2)

Human Deha....'iour, (3) Hunun Relationships, (4) Ihe World :md

(5)

Man. T

h

ese

divisions 2re arbitrary,

an

d

2re based 011 con· velliencc; a proverb may have more than Olle implication, de~

pending on the circumstances in which it is used. However, each of these five sections,

whi

ch

consist of proverbs embodying

similar idea.s, is in tum divided into sulHcctions. Care hOlS been

I:\ken to group together in c2eh sub-seetion proverbs titat have

affinities with one another. Where possible they have been arranged so as to indiClte the development of their b:lSic idea.

H,/man

Characteristics

This section ofBurmese Proverbs tbrows Iigllt on divers humm ch.aracteristics: breed, behaviour. speech and

physial featur

es :1.5 indices to the potentialities and stupidities of human nature, and deals especially with women, who have charutcristics of their own.

llmma.ns beljeve cbat people arc like their progenitors, because 'like begets like'. This view of heredity and breed plays 2 very important part in sh3ping the life

of a llurman. It is m

ost app~l!llt in matrimonial affairs, :tnd especially in marriages arranged

by

the parents of the parties: wealth, status and other considcratioll5 all have to give way to fam..iiy breeding. The first qucstion asked by the parents about a prospective son- or

dmghtcr-in-law is invarilbly: 'Docs he or she come of a good stock?' or

'rs

there allY mad person or drunkard or gambler or

leper in the family?' The a:llcestors ofthe person conccrned may

be

tI':l.ccd

back

for seven generations,

because 'a

gourd plmt will

not beu :my fruit other

than

a gourd'. This practicc is also common among the Chinese.

Ie is easier to go wrong in sizing IIp:l. person than in 3SS2ying :I. piece of gold or silvef, so S2YS:ut old :l.d:l.ge. llurnwu have how­ ever mmy touchstones by which to test!l man's c1uracter. One of

these is his reacti

on til :l.dversjty, which brings out the worst or best in a nl:l.ll; another is his manner ofspeech, since they seldom trust a suave person; the third is the shape of his forehead:a.nd of his knees; and finally his outward appearancc is an index to his

chaueter. Once a man has passed the test he is worth his weight

in gold and will not sink into oblivion, since 'a gelluine ruby will not be seorched iftossed into the fire nor will it sink ifthrown 011­

to the mud'.

Hunun types annot always be divided so neatly intO the •6

H U MAN CHARACTERISTICS

₁₇

worthy and the worthless. There is :I. type whose btent poten­

tialities manifest thcnuclvcs only when the right time comes. To Iluny Durmaru everyone has a fine prospect before him, unless he has proved himself 3D ignoramus. There is a consensus of opinion :l.bout ignorance. and the futile and superfluous actions which result from it.

Lack

of material wealth is preferred to lad: of imclligel1ce. A fool is mentally blind, ment.,uy deaf and illscluitivc to all the beautiful th.ings: 'Tell him to bring buttcr­ milk and he will ask: Shall [bring the jar :as well?' He cannOt read the letter A even if it is written as large as :I. b:nket; :l.bove :1.11 he is,

co quote the proverb, 'a buffalo before which it would

be

futile to playa h:trp'.l Many proverbs portray him as :I. dunderhead, a

braggart :I.JlU an idiot ill combined.

Burmese women have a sepaute place in this section. 'They wear a skirt only three cubits long whereas a nun's nether gar­ Illent is twenty cubits long:- In other words a man is a future Uuddh:l. whilst a woman is not. She is dlaaeterized as being valli

:md wanting to preserve her looks or cnhance them when she IS elderly. Deatley is however only skin deep, since a good­ I(~king woman devoid of virtues is like a bulI'a (lower,

w

h

i

ch

is

.til

beauty without fr.1grancc. Able women Imy Ic:.ve theif mark nil II/story. but only at the expense of their domestic duties; and .\ woman is likely to min a whole kingdom by her lack ofa sense (If I)roportion. She is also painted as an embodiment of wiles, of which 'there are as many as the grains of s:md on nine mats'

Nevertheless, the women of Burma luve been praised for their 'Iuick wit, their business sense, their skill in houschold

manage-I The Burmese harp today has rh.irt«n silk strings which ue attached h) a boat-sllaped wooden sound-bo" with a long. eurvet! neck. This proverb

hu

its eountcrp~ttS in Chinese, Th~i :md Mon. Sec the lnn-o-­ .lu,,-ion, pp. I I-U.

ITlli! lercn to the pll-Iuo (nether garment) worn by Burmese men in nlJen days. Nowadays men wen the IOIlKyi, which is only s1igbtly WidCl

.han ~ woman's skirt. The /OtIgyi. a cylindrical skirt reaching to the ankle. II wonl round the !Ups and tucked in at the waist .

18

HUMAN CHARACTElUSTICS

mOlt. Thus far credit is givcn to them, for men cUlm that

w omen's achievements :lCC limited. Women arc not therefore

complementary but supplcmelltlry to men. This view is rdtccted in the distorting mirror of Burmcsc literature.

HEREDITY AND BREED

Witb j

ow

ls, lIN p

t

d

ig

r

tt;

with /lien, h

ru

diltg.

_II

'What call you expect from a Illan like that?' Class counts.

Na

t

u

r

a

ll

y

the

s

am

e

beans

f

rolll

th

e

same

bin.

[

2

'A chip of the old block.'

Stt up a

plal/tain, it

will

bear

fruit

s o

j

its

kind.

_Il

Only rivers

alld

streams

can d

is

app

e

a

r

w

i

rhollt a

trace;

a

people

(annol.

[

4

Lik

t

fat""

and

granJfatlxr

alik

t.

1

5

'Like father, like son:

MARKS

OF CHARACTER

Only wbm bt

mutr

ad

vers

ity

IviII YOII

know

')h

character.

[6

D:l.Ilgcr brings out the best in n131l,

If

you waitt to know his

origin

lock

(t[

his

COlldlict.

17

'Manners makcth man.'

A III

r

alrmoutbtd p

e

rs

on

bas

au

IIgly

dispo

s

iti

o

n.

f

S

Suing tbe baric

you

kn

ow

the

tr

tt;

stt

ing

his

exp

ressi

on

YOI

f

know

his

cha

ra

c

t

e

r.

(9

MARK S OF CHARACTER

19

When you

Stt

tbe

wattr

...

li1y

sum antI root

you

sboul

d

bt

abl

e

~~.~.

11

0

Again this implics that outward appcannce is an index to ::a 1ll211'S char.acter.

Tlx man

t

is

the pro

o

f of a r

ea

l li

o

n.

_I

_II

1

/1

a

d

og

it's the bridg

e

of

the

no

se,

ill

a cat th

e

forebead

ana

in

a

lIIatl

the

knte.

[12­

Things [0 look for when judging value.

Tbe {mnk is

fix

proof

of

an elephant; tbe tl

Ose

oj

till

I

ndia

n.

I

II

The noses of Indians are more prominCJ1t than those of

DurIJl.1Ils.

Tbe soldrring

is proof

of

tbe

go

ld

s

mith.

₁

₁₄

'The proof of the pudding is in the c::ating.'

Wax w

ill

,haw

tlx

quality

of

gold.

[15

.lkcsw:u: is used (or testing precious meWs in Burma.

A

rta

l

cbilli, seven

fathoms

IInder watef,

will still

ta

stt

bot.

116

The w ents of211 outst::anding person can

be

tcstcd anywhcre.

Re

al

ivory willlt

o

t b

e

ratelt

by

insects.

[

17

A

rt

al ruby

cannol

sink

ill

tJ

x

mua.

lIB

A man of rcal merit annot sink into obscurity.

tl

Jl

bu

tter is

goo

d

YOll (an

serve

i

t

in a

pot

lid

.

₁

₁₉

/

1

flea'

s bead

of

good

m

ed

i

cine

is

enollgh.

[20

20 HUMAN CHARACTER1STlCS

Wilh

a iHl

s

ktt

J

tbt binding

;

with a man, bis

c10t/JtI

.

[21

'The 2pp:trcl ofr proclaims [he mm: Homkt. Act J, Scene iii.

A

lazy

mall

fitS

flat on his back

,

a

lazy woman

s

lrttchis

out

her

I(t"

[22

PROSPECTS

Sho

o

ts

grow

01/

a pestle.

_[2)

Applied to a person who h;u achieved a success that was never expected of him.

Th

e

cbickm

dertined for the pot bas grown fine

SpUfS.

124

An app3rcmly iusignilicant person suddenly displaying

abili

ty

.

Stram (oming alit oj

tbe (oiJ

cook

e

d riet!

_[2S

An

t

mbe, about

t

o

blaz

e g

low

s

brightly

.

_[26

&tid of a man who gives an indication orms power.

Uk

t

OIlt'S

t

o"

Ibt

m

o

rt

y

o

u

lo

o

k at

if

tbt farther

o/vay

it

i

f

!

[27

A remote prospect.

FUTILITY

Playi"

g

a

IJorp

brj

o

rt a

buffalo

.

[28

'To cn pearls before swine.'

Wattr

can

n

e

ver

b

e

jOfud into a

solid

bamboo.

[29

Dmldcrb

ca

d.

FUTILITY 2[

H

e

ba

r

n

o

t l

e

arnt

anytbing

thougb all tbt palnt..

leaves

have

b

u

n

uftd

lip.

ho

Oblong strips cut from palm-I~ves, :after being smoothed :Iond polished, were in general use :as writing material until t 50 years ago. They :arc

st

ill

uS(:d for speci:al purposes such as the preparation ofhoroscopcs.

T

be

sil

k

is

allur

e

d up, but Maung P

o

n

never

learnt'd to

rlay

IIJ( b.'p

.

[31

ilurmcsc harp-strings :lore: made: of silk and e:asily broken.

You hav

e

married off all your daughters yet y

o

u hav

e

n

'

r

g

o

t a

SOI/ ..

ill..101ll.

[p

YO

II

can't get wlJole

rice by pounding bran.

[33

'You an't J"lUke :I. silk purse: out ofa sow's c:tr.'

Tb

o

llgh

you burn a cartfi,! of corton..woo! Y

OIl

won't g

et

a ham{..

fi" of

",Ix,

.

[34

You an't e:xpcct much from :a person who

boo

natural :Iobility.

I

"'

il

a

pyi

of

[

!Ja

k

l1Ut

.fl

o

w"" IIx,t'1I

bt

1

m

lb..

a b./lif.1

~

.

[3s

A vuiant of the last one. 'Th4lcJIIII (Digl'loni:l.) flowen h:avc medicin3l properties. Like spin:ach they

boil

down to nothing. One: prj =

-h

of:a bushel

if

yo

u

try to

sharptn a

rotten bamboo

it won't

tak

e

a point

.

[36

cr

.

'Rotten

w

ood

CUlllo t

be

c rved, :and mud w:alls CUUlot

be plastered.' ChineS(: proverb.

O

(U

illg

a w

e

ll on bigh ground.

[37

Mjsdircctcd effort.

I

V

a

lt

r

falling into sand.

[38

22 HUMAN CHARACTERISTICS

Wbtn th

t

lorrt nl

comts

b

t

trits

to Jam

U

up with sand.

[39

Flippin

/.

SUamllttl

suds into an

tltpbant's

mouth.

'A drop in the

0CC3ll.'

TIN

mODn

shining

in

tbt bollow

of

tbt bamb

M

.

[40

[41

Buried (alent. Applied to someone who shows otfhis sLIl1l1d

ability where they canuot be appreciated.

Giv

ing

Q

goo

d I

r

eom to

a

dumb

puson

.

[42

C( 'Like :I. dumb person dreaming in his sleep.' Tllai proverb.

He cmnot repeat the dream.

I

GNORANCE

AND UNENLIGHTENMENT

Wbtn

Ibt Jistclst'

is

1101

known

lbtrf

is no

rtmtdy.

[43

I

ff a for

ts

! where

tlxre

i

s

no hrart"'UJo

oJ

fbi

(Qstof"oil

plant

,ul"

.

[44

•Among the blind :I. onc-cycd man is king.'

I

t

may

10k!

an

embry

o

Buddha to

«nsWtf

a blilfalo",btrJ's

qutstion

.

_[

₄₅

'A fool may uk: more questjons in:tJ1 hour th... n a wise m:an can answer in seven ynf'S.· A f:avourirc retort given by those who u e at .:l loss when confronted with 2 question they annot answer.

A

stupid act tntails

d

o

in

g

th~

lUork tllJict

Oller,

[46

Ask

wbtn

you don

'

t

'wow,

wasb when YOU'rt dirty

.

{47

Thost who

a

r

t

unawart walk olltr it;

t

b

ou

who

art

Qwart

lI~artb

it

Qlld tat

it.

[

48

Eyes and N~yes. A reward awaits the observ2nt.

IGNORANCE AND UNENLIGHTENMENT 23

If

you

don't

obserllt YOll

won

't Stt

a

,all~; if

you

do

obstrvt

YOII

s((

a

'1''''

of

au

s

t

.

[49

A

jar

halffull

of wat" sp/aslxs

abollt.

[so

c( '

Still water runs deep.'

N

t

wbo

talks i

s

n

'

t

strong;

be who's strong

d

oesn't

talk.

[

51

'Those who know don't spc;ak; those who speak don't know.'

Tbt

blilld man is

not afraid

of

ghos

ts

.

[52

An ignormt person is reckless of consequences.

N

t

ridl's without know

i

ng w/Jl'tbcr it's

a stallioll or

a

mar~.

[

53

H

e

gl'ls

alollg

011 bis journ

ey

bllt

ht d

oes

not

know

tbe villages

M~ ro~ ~

C( "The fool wanders, the wise man tf:l.vds.'

I,

g

nor

a

ll

c

t is mort

t

roublesomt

If

Jan

p

Olltr

ly

.

[

5

5

'Detter to be a beggar than a fool.'

H

t

i

s

t

o

ld it's

a (fallt'

alld

Ix asks

:

'Wha

t

kind of bird

it

it!'

[

56

T

o

ld

that

somtone

had

bun

killtd by

a t

iJ.e

r,

bt asktd:

'Had

/"

bun

ill lon

g"

[

57

SUPERFLUITY

Teach

ing afisblrman

h

ow

to knot

his

fit!

or

a

hunur

bow to

spe

ar gamt.

[58

'Te:r.clullg your gundmother to suck eggs.'

TeaclJ

ing

a

motlk to

r

ead;

showin,~

all alliJ.ator kin,!

the

waltr

h

l/sintSI.

[

59

Going

to China to

sell

needl

es

.

_[

₆₀

'Carrying coals to Newcastle.'

II.P.- ( :

2

4

HUMAN CH ARACTERISTICS

WOMEN

Buttrtiling an

o

ld

boult,

aaorning an o

l

d woman

witb

flowers.

[61

'Mutton dressed 2S luab.'

Btauty ;',

fix

jact,

hIlt

in the body grocf, and you

cannot

tXbalut

it.

_[62

'Beauty is skin-<lccp:

Sbt bas good looks h

ut

no

c

haracter.

_[63

•A (.:lir woman without virtue is like pallid wine.'

Famous

i

n his

t

o

r

y bu

t

bouubo

ld

affairs

art

tllgIte/fa.

[6

4

If

a woman wruk! a count

r

y

i

t

i

J

wd

l

and

tr

uly wrakrd. [65

Day

will

not break for a htn's cackle; it w

ill

br

t

ak

on

l

y for a

cock's crow.

[66

Cf .•

A hen docs not usually announce the brc:lk of day: Chinese proverb.

A

big

wallt!

iI's

undtr tbt

boat;

a big

mowltdin!

its

IIIlatr

tbt

Jut.

[

<57

Womrll

will always

be

subdued by

men.

HHlll

a

n

Behaviou

r

In this second section we ~ nuny :11\(1 varied sides of hunun hchlViour through the

lens

presented

by

these proverbs. The

rics of pictures which greets our eyes tends to be wlauractive. "llS is deliberate; the proverbs serve as a warning and stimulate

I d lection 011 hmllan wcakncss~.

M:r.n is egoistic, sclf-opinionatcd, self-willed. i-ieadveftiscs him­ I' lr1

ikc

the seven shameless creatures which

c;J

1

out their names.l

,.. '!elf-satisfied mall, like a rogue, SttS in another a fault 35 sm:a.ll .n J

S

cs;lm

u

m

seed,

but

in

h

imsdf

he docs not see a fau

lt as big as

II «lConm.' A self-willed person through obstinacy brings his own 11ntruction upon himself. The moral is quite

c1e:u:

be

selfless.

SOUle men arc comparable to a puffed-up frog, and they arc

HfU'll of tbe kind which

bash

ill tbe

feRected

glory of others. I hese peoplc arc like 'a yokd employed :lS a footman, grinning H If the royal insignia be has to carry were his own'. nurmans Iq{ud pom~ity with :unusement alld, whenever opportunity ~II~. thc)' take great ple3S\lre in pricking the

bubb

l

e.

A pompous

1"'r~1I is often li kened to the

dum

dco

n

(in the Ma/louuJ/ra

"I(IJJ:a)' with a peJlnyworth ofsilver round its ned:. which filled

II with vainglory. And those who swagger about in the light

of

'Iher people's achievements arc also described as vultures who 1, ..,11. IIkc golden

birds

because they arc perching on :I golden

hill

!

"lIother is the vaingloriou~ extrovert. An individual of tbis , t )fthe seven crc:r.turc:s, the fint is a reptile and dIe rest arc birds. They

.ft·

the large crowing lizard or gecko, the pied eresu.-d cuckoo. the

11111 l1Iae spotted OW!cI. the Ikngll brown fish-owl, the Burmese red~

~I\ ltd ilpwing, the common iOf:l and the Malay kod. • tokll Nfti Pi/r Nissayll, pp. 64-j.

'lhejJlllkll', vi, pp. 17;-3.

"

26

HUMAN BEHAVIOUR

species is prcpucd to go to any length so long as he can nuke a grc:u impression on adlcr

peop

l

e.

He is tbe crow in the

fab

l

e

who wears pc2cock fcathers. When such a persOIl docs a work of

merit, such as alms-giving, it is Iikdy

that

he will proclaim from the roof-top that he is the alms-givcr! In scdting limdight to

S2tisfy his vanity he goes on from pretension to pretension. He will live ill a

plank

house-a

dwdl

m

g

that was a sign of oplllcnce in

o

l

den days-while fced

i

ng on

t

he

dlcapest

ki

n

d

o

f food,

namdy roselle leaves.1 _{Vanity goes hand in hand with boastful­}

ness and blusteri.ng. '-low often do we meet a vain peuon whose

hig c:uk is lacking in weight? His boasting and vaullting arc cynically compucd to the booming of a New Yc;u 's Day C:Ulllon.

Such people arc: apt to entertain great expectations and nourish

high aspirations without regard to their own worth or ability, or

to decorum

:md

propriety. The proverbs in the sub-section on

'Gre:u Expectltions' show these people up as wretched beings

trying to reach out for something which is nOt meant for them:

they ~e like a person whose: ht::l.d is among the douds, crying

out for the moon. Their achievements fall

far

short of their

expectations and their further efforts t1Su:'IJly end in diuster lile

that of 'the sparrow wh.ich imitated tbe strut of a peacock'.

The next sub-section on 'Dopair' is a grim warning to those:

whose: aspi.rations have

been

frustr.ltcd. In such a plight <and

driven by despair a man may have recourse to CJ,.1:rellle measures

like the Camdas whidl, having exhausted all its ideas, took to

hailing salt (the occupation of the forlorn). Dcsper.ttion ouy

drive a man from had to worse and when he finally r~izc$ that

his sicnation cannot deteriorate any further, he will in his desperate

I Roselle, the lndian sond. There are manv varieties, but it is the: red

sorrel that Burmese: people: nuke

=

ofin tl~cir everyday dishes. Doth I~vcs and buds h.we a sour taste:.

I CaruJtI, a mythical bird, half mall, half bird. He is the hng of birds

and die greateSt enemy ofthe: Ntlgtl (scrpcnn). He h usually rep=ntc:d

as having the head, wings, blons and beak ofan Qgle, alld the: body and

limbs ofa man.

HU M AN BEHAVIOUR

₂₇

mood declare: 'I have become a dog and I am not afraid ofexcre­

mcnt'.

Dunnans' views on dishonesty and crookedness, with thcir

concomitant betrayal of trust, as seen in

the

proverbs are most

cnliglltcning. Honesty is of course the best

po

li

cy,

but dishonesty

Jhould

be

forgiven if the end justifies it. They believe due

fundamentally 3. man is neither honest nor dishonest; it is the

'Iut'stion of expediency Veuns moruity that nukes him what he

IS. After

all

it is easy to

be

mot:l.! 0 11 £2,000 a ye~, but it is not rlsy to be moral on

£200

.

Dishonesty is therefore m aberration,

whereas crookedness, according to the proverbs,

;

5

a permanent feature which

can

never be altered. Believers in these provcrbs /If

course

forget the one saying: 'An error may go

on

for ever,

hilt it can he set right in a moment', which is somewhat cquiva­

I(·m to 'It's never toobte: to mend'. These viewshavc made many

it. Burman cautiollS. He: is not (eady to place confidence in his

6ervants or friends, or in his wife or even in

his

children. He

would quote Mahosa.dha,l the embryo Buddha, who

uid

that flne's

secret

should not be

confi

ded

to myone:. 1he secret would

be

om and one would

be

betrayed. One: of the Durmans'

favourite stories of bctnyal is about a wife offering a sword by

I

he

handle to the robber (with whom she has faJlell in love:)

while he was fighting with. her husband.1 _{Such sw«ping views}

have led DurllUllS to suspect even 'their knees'.

Dishoncsty, crookedness and betrayal of trust are no doubt bJd traits ofhuman nature; hut ingratit\ICtc is the worst of all. It

11 ten thouS31ld times more lUlbcanb)e

than

the winccr wind.

Ilurm:llls who insist that he who

h

as

had even a glass of water

from a person mtlst show his gratitude, arc shocked to sec an ungrateful film turning 3.gainst his beneElctor. 11e would it"rtainl y liken such a man to a dog, an animal of despicable ll.llure. The proverbs in the subsection 'Once bitten, twice shy' h lVC been created by men who have had bitter experienccs in

Iheir

lives!

28

HU MAN BEHAVIOUR

'I1uce other kinds of hum.:m weakness are also dQlt with in

these proverbs: rcwiation, timidity, and contempt for familiae

objects. R.c:Willtion &.lIs into twO categories. One is revenge in kiud: 'A tooth [or 2 tooth', The other is spite: 'Unable to

'be2t

the

foreigners, he phebct on the Arakanesc'.l To the DUCD~

Duddhists paying b.:l.ck in onc's own coin is not the answer, for, if enmity is met with dimity. it will merely prolong the strife. I

They wiUsay: 'IfI worsted him, some other person was bound to worst me'. Forbearance md even humility arc advocated to over­

come this animal-like reaction which stems from anger and

spite.

The Burmese language

has

only one word for both timidity and cowardice. The meaning is inferred from the context or sitm.tion, or from

bot

h

.

Dunnam maintain that to fcar is human. Fear or timidity never kills a man. but slwne often docs. Some­ times timidity has its own advmtagcs: it keeps the timid out of

trouble. On the other h::md cowudicc is derided. A coward is held

up to ridicule, especially when he tries to keep up appearances by tackling a cbngerous fcat. There arc many such proverbs. Courage is a different matter. A brave man 'though frightened sd dom runs'. A faint-hcutcd man miSSC"S his d u nccs, while a brave one attains grcaroess. A rcally nliant m.an can rout ten thousaud soldil~rs. 3

Familiarity, it is said, breeds eorncmpt, but with the Durmans,

it docs more than tltis. Between a smdcnt and his teacher, tOO

1 There u e: 110 historial r«:Ords of Bum lCSC :lf1nc:d forces wraking their vengemcc 0 11 the /UU 2J1CSC people beawc they h~ been dcfcall!d. by foreign (orca. Prob.1bly thisis:l reference 10 onc ordie instances when iIl-tre:;ltrncnt was meted out to the: .... r:lk:m=: by the Burmcsc when they were cn~~ged in war with the British bctwttn 1814-6.

1

c

r

.

For not by h~tl'Cd ~re hatreds ever qucnched here in this world.

By love rather lre they quenched. This is art etcrn~l Jaw.' Dhalllm~ptlda Crmrmc",ary, pI. I , p. 174.

, This is l reference to the incident in which MahoSoldha, the embryo

Buddh:l. ,ingle-handed scored a victory over d ghtecn illming armies.

Sec lheJilltV:4, vi, p. :w6 and following.

H U MAN BEHA VIOUR

29

long a contact is likely to brcc::d disrespcct on the part of dle

student- he may address his teacber as 'my de:a brother';

between a wife and her husband. constant comp:mionship is apt to produce apathy; and between friends familiarity often

l

e

w

to one taking advanuge of the other. h therefore creates in the pcople concerned a frame ofmind

that

is made up ofindiffercncc,

llIItipathy and contempt. Hence the proverb: 'W hen together

(two people) squabble. when apart they yearn for each other',

Absence docs make the heart fonder.

It may )lot

b

e

inappropriate to end this section with some note

nil old age. Dnrrn2lu generally look upon :m old nun as physic­

\I

ll

y

w{"ak and mentally set in ideas, although there arc some

.prightly old people who arc more dIan a mateh for m.1ny a younger 1113n in active life. Intellectually, an. old m.:LI\ is regarded

.11 a symbol of wisdom, experience and sound judgement. llIogiell dlough it may sound, there arc mmy proverbs which uy: 'He (an old man) ate rice first' a.nd 'He was born first'. lIuplying that he is lUore learned and mature. Most Bunnan

Ituddhists arc well ::acquainted with the exhoru tion: 'Show 1"Spccl to a man who is older in age. higher ill sa tus, and greater

III ~chicvements' .

EGO

I

S

M AND

SE

Lf-WILL

/I

f

dorm

'l

Sri

hi

s

ow

n ilI

/

j

allou

r

,

b

'l

t t

bt

ilI

1a

v

o

ur

of

o

t

lJ

r

rs

m

aku

him wan

t t

o

la

ug

h.

[

6

8

I

II

a

ll

ot

ba'

s

,

r

ts,

bu

t i

n his ow

n

(yr b(

U ti

no J

i

rt.

[

69

I

I

f prai

sr

s

t

h

e

pick

lin

g o

j hi

s o

u

m fish.

[

70

. 1\) blow one's OWll u umpct:

I

bt sturn

vulga

r

crt

atur

es who

011l10UIIU

t

lx

ir

o

wn fl

omts.

[

7

1

See

p. 2S, footnote I.