MALAY PBOVERBS. 71 



212 r^jT^ilar aU j r'ifj 

 Pijat-pijat pun telah men-jadi hora-hora. 



" Bugs have become tortoises." Kl. 89. Hk. Ab. 4. 

 Said of the inhabitants of a country who have prospered. 

 See supra No. 66. 



213 pJ-«J tiiJUVS jiK 



Kapak naih pemidang. 

 "The axe mounts the loom " (undertakes weaving) . 

 Unsuitable, incompatible. " A beggar on horseback." 

 The popular phrase as I have heard it in Perak is : Kapak masoh meminang. 

 See M. 219. 



Is this a different version, or is not pemidang a mistake for meminang ? 



214 \j* bjs* j';"U Jaf 

 Kapal satu nakliodah dua. 



"One ship and two captains." Kl. 130. 

 " Too many cooks spoil the broth. " 



215 tajf ^XoUo jjjjb t5jJf" 

 Kaldei liandalz di-jadi-Jcan-nia huda. 



" He wants to make an ass into a horse." Hk. Ab. 173. 

 You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. 

 , Cf. Pachat handalt men-jadi alar san-ah. No. 199. 

 The ass is but little known to the Malays, so phrases in which this animal 

 is introduced as an illustration are likely to be of foreign origin. 



216 jb/j> *jSy \J*» O^ ^J^ 

 Kalau tiada angin ta'kan pokok her-goyancj. 



" If there is no wind the trees do not rock." 



"There is no smoke without fire." A man would not act in a particular way 

 if there were not some one " pulling the strings." 

 Cf. TaHiimboh td'me-lata, 



Ta'sunggoJb orang ta'hata. M. 4 1 . 



217 ^jA^jU-O i$\i jlJ Pj^-j ^-jL jjXJjO^ IsIj> c,x5k^ yj jib 



Kalau lcerbau salcandang dapat di-Icaival-han, manusia so? orang 

 tiada dapat di-m'alum-kan. 

 " Though a herd of buffaloes may be successfully guarded, a 



