1870.] Rejoinder to Mr. Beames. 57 



Since the immediate subject of discussion at the present moment is 

 Mr. Beames, as a translator of Hindi, it may not be out of place to 

 notice a few more specimens of his skill. In the original edition of 

 the Glossary occur several curious local proverbs, which were nearly 

 all left untranslated. Mr. Beames, in his new edition, has very pro- 

 perly essayed to supply this omission ; but his explanations are 

 scarcely so brilliant or even so accurate as the public has a right to 

 expect from a scholar of European celebrity. Thus in the couplet 



Ndnah, nanhd ho raho jaisa nanhi dub 

 Awr glids jal jaenge dub klwb ki Jchub. 



to translate the last words by " dub remains fresh and fresh" seems 

 neither literal nor idiomatic. It should rather be ' the dub remains 

 fresh as ever.' This, however, may be a mere question of taste and 

 style ; but (under the word giimd) to translate the words sab rang rati 

 by ' all coloured red' is absolutely wrong. 

 Again, the lines — 



Des Mdlwd gaihir gamblur, 

 Dag dag roti, pag pag nir. 



are translated by Elliot correctly enough, while Mr. Beames renders 

 them thus : " The land of Malwa is deep and rich ; at every step 

 bread, on every path water;" apparently confusing pag with pagdandi. 

 I would suggest the following equivalent : — 



Kick and deep is the Malwa plain ; 

 At every step water, at every foot grain. 

 Again, " Hairy ears 



Buy these, do not let them go" 

 is certainly rather a feeble representation of the lines 



Kdr, Kachhauta jhabre Kdn 

 Inhen clihdndi na lijiye an 



Which might be rendered thus — 



When buying cattle, choose the black, 

 With bushy ears and hollow back. 



And, to conclude, under the heading akhtij occur two lines, which 

 Mr. Beames leaves unaltered in their original obscurity and docs not 

 attempt to translate : 



Poi mdvas mul bin, bin rohini khetij, 

 Sravan salono bdri kyun bakhere hi]. 



