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
