114 Transactions.— Miscellaneous. 
whose language the proverb is about to be translated ; such as, for 
instance, the common sayings,—‘ Coals to Newcastle,” * The Greek 
Kalends,” * Davy Jones’ locker," ** Hobson's choice," ** Nelson's signal," 
ete. Now all such short proverbial sayings as these absolutely lose their 
pregnant meaning when literally translated, and can only be understood 
upon being fully explained. A notable instance of all this took place here 
in New Zealand, some twenty-five years ago. The ** Pilgrim's Progress," 
of John Bunyan, whieh abounds in homely and useful proverbs and 
sayings, was translated into the Maori tongue* by order of the Govern- 
ment, and the translator endeavoured to render all such sayings literally ! 
The consequence was he completely spoiled his work,—as the wit, the 
allusion, or apt turn of such a saying could not possibly be so shown in 
the translation. He might, however, if he had known them sufficiently 
well, have supplied, in many places, similar and suitable Maori proverbs in 
their stead. 
And this will be found to be more or less the case in all languages. 
Still, the rendering of any of the various European proverbs into another 
European or Western-Asiatie language than its own vernacular is not so 
difficult, at all events not under the first head, because the animals, plants, 
metals, and things in general, and their uses, are either the same or well 
known; indeed, it is sometimes a difficult matter to ascertain whence the 
proverb originally sprang—with the English, the Irish, the Welsh, or the 
Scotch, or with the British, the French or the German, etc.—seeing such 
have ever been alike used by all;+ but such a thing can never happen with 
any Maori proverb, which, however much resembling a European one, 
must be original ;—while, under the second head, many of them when 
translated into another European tongue are pretty well understood. But 
the very contrary of all this is the case in the endeavour to render our 
English proverbs into Maori, or the Maori proverbs into English. Hence, 
it will be observed that by far the larger number of the short, sharp, witty, 
pungent, and popular ones of the Maori, having no equivalents, cannot be 
readily rendered into English, and, therefore, must necessarily be omitted 
by me on this occasion. 
* Though a far better translation of the same work had been made nearly twenty 
years before, by a skilled Maori scholar; this translation, in MS., I have still by me. 
+ As, for instance :—“ A'are no frien's that speak fair to you" (S.), * All are not 
friends that speak us fair” (E.); “ As the auld cock craws, the young ane learns " (S.), 
“ As the old cock crows, the young one learns” (E.) ; ** As the old cock crows, the young 
bird ehirrups" (I). Again, “ To carry coals to Newcastle” (E. “To carry saut to 
Dysart” (S.), “ To send water to the sea” (French and German), ** To send fir to Norway" 
(Dutch), are all one and the same proverb as to meaning but which is the original? 
