ఆంధ్రలోకోక్తిచంద్రిక/Preface
PREFACE.
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THE collection of Telugu Proverbs contained in this volume was commenced several years ago, at the request of the translator, by Ravipati Guruvayya Garu, the able Munshi to the Telugu Translator to the Government of Madras, who has up to within a late date perseveringly laboured in adding to the small beginning at first made. To him therefore the public are indebted for this gathering of the ‘household words,’ and homely maxims of his countrymen and countrywomen-the property specially of the latter for, as among other
nations so among the Hindus, “the women of the family retain a larger number of such household words in their memories, than any other class of the community.”[1]
That Proverbial phrases give an insight into the minds and sentiments of a people that cannot otherwise be easily obtained, will generally be admitted. It is hoped that the present addition to the numerous collections of “people’s words”[2] may not be altogether profitless.
In the translation, escape from the accusation Translators, traitors[3] by the preservation as far as possible of the idea contained in the original, has been aimed at, and to this end, the rendering has been made as literal as could be, leaving it to the English reader to transfer the sentiment into epigrammatic language of his own.
The difficulty of transferring proverbs-intertwined as they are with the peculiar thoughts, manners, and customs of a people-from their own language to another tongue will be acknowledged, and the defects of the present work in that respect, will, it is hoped, be pardoned. As has been Well said, “Transport them under other skies, or, which is still more fatal, empty them from vessel to vessel, and their strength and flavour will in great part have disappeared in the process." [4] The translator is under obligation to R. Guruvayya Garu for his valuable assistance.
In the hope of making this collection of their sayings more acceptable to Telugu readers who have had an English education, European proverbs exactly or approximately corresponding to some of the Telugu Proverbs, have been quoted by way of illustration. The similarity in many instances is striking. These European Proverbs have been culled from the useful volumes in Bohn's Antiquarian and Classical Libraries, and from Kelly’s Proverbs of all Nations.
In respect to the few Sanscrit Proverbs which are appended, it is scarcely necessary to state that no pretension is here made to present a collection of proverbial sayings and Aphorisms found in the literature of that language. For such the reader must go to the Indische Spriiche of Professor Bohtlingk. (St. Petersburgh, 1863-65.) Some Sanscrit phrases were collected promiscuously with Telugu proverbs, and it was thought expedient to separate them. To these others were added from the Kavitaratnakara and other sources. For the convenience of Telugu readers, unacquainted with the Devanagari character, these proverbs have also been printed in the Telugu character. In the translation of the Sanscrit portion, material assistance has been rendered by Srirekam Ramanuja Suri, Head Telugu Munshi in the Madras Presidency College.
In the Supplement will be found additional Telugu proverbs, an Index Verborum, and an Index to the European Proverbs.
The translator has to thank the Rev. P. Percival, Professor of Vernacular literature, Madras Presidency College, for kindly placing at his disposal a MS., containing a large number of Telugu Proverbs.
His acknowledgments are also due to the printers for their pains and labour.
MADRAS, July, 1868.
- Archbishop Trench.