MALAY PROVERBS. 89 



285. Lulus benang lulus helindan. 



"If cotton will go through, so will thread." 



A person must submit to that to which another person 

 of the same class submits. " Do as others do," a phrase to 

 stimulate an undecided person. Hence no doubt the secon- 

 dary meaning given in Klinkert's dictionary. Favre, who 

 takes the word from him, makes probably a mistake in print- 

 ing helindan, "a stiff thread," as a distinct word from helin- 

 dan, "undecided." 



28*3. Lain pulang Imlaparan 



Dagang lalu ditanahJcan 



AnaJe di riba diletaJc-Jcan 



Kra di hutan disusu. 

 " The husband goes hungry, 

 " But she can cook for the stranger ; 

 " The child on her lap is set down 

 " While the monkey from the jungle is taken to her breast." 



A. proverbial illustration of the kind of circumstantial 

 evidence on which a man may kill his wife for suspected 

 infidelity. The first two lines are taken from a passage in 

 the undang-undang flaws) of Perak (" lahiber jalanta makan, 

 dagang lalu di tanah kan") ; the last two have been added 

 later probably. 



287. Memahei dunia her ganti-ganti, 

 Yang hid op sesarlan mail, 

 Bengali mail itu ter nanti-nanii, 



" We occupy the worlds one succeeding another, 



The living thrust aside the dead, 



Waiting themselves for death in theirturn." 



Ho die milii eras tibi. 



Stat sua cuique dies ; breve et irrepa-rahile tempus 



Omnibus est vita?. Virgil. 



288. Mahal, Imam, murahlah Khatib 

 Mahal demam mada sakit. 



" Too dear, Imam, the Khatib's cheaper ; 

 Fever's expensive, it's so easy to be ill," 



