Part 9
The _Hitopadesa_ is a work of high antiquity and extended popularity. The prose is doubtless as old as our own era; but the intercalated verses and proverbs compose a selection from writings of an age extremely remote. The _Mahábhárata_ and the textual _Veds_ are of those quoted; to the first of which Professor M. Williams (in his admirable edition of the _Nala_, 1860) assigns the modest date of 350 B.C., while he claims for the _Rig-Veda_ an antiquity as high as 1300 B.C. The _Hitopadesa_ may thus be fairly styled "The Father of all Fables;" for from its numerous translations have probably come Esop and Pilpay, and in latter days _Reineke Fuchs_. Originally compiled in Sanskrit, it was rendered, by order of Nushirván, in the sixth century A.D., into Persic. From the Persic it passed, A.D. 850, into the Arabic, and thence into Hebrew and Greek. In its own land it obtained as wide a circulation. The Emperor Akbar, impressed with the wisdom of its maxims and the ingenuity of its apologues, commended the work of translating it to his own Vizier, Abdul Fazel. That Minister accordingly put the book into a familiar style, and published it with explanations, under the title of the _Criterion of Wisdom_. The Emperor had also suggested the abridgment of the long series of shlokes which here and there interrupt the narrative, and the Vizier found this advice sound, and followed it, like the present Translator. To this day, in India, the _Hitopadesa_, under its own or other names (as the _Anvári Suhaili_), retains the delighted attention of young and old, and has some representative in all the Indian vernaculars. A selection from the metrical Sanskrit proverbs and maxims is here given.
_PROVERBIAL WISDOM_
FROM THE
_SHLOKAS OF THE HITOPADESA._
_This Book of Counsel read, and you shall see, Fair speech and Sanskrit lore, and Policy._
"Wise men, holding wisdom highest, scorn delights, more false than fair; Daily live as if Death's fingers twined already in thy hair!
"Truly, richer than all riches, better than the best of gain, Wisdom is; unbought, secure--once won, none loseth her again.
"Bringing dark things into daylight, solving doubts that vex the mind, Like an open eye is Wisdom--he that hath her not is blind."
* * * * *
"Childless art thou? dead thy children? leaving thee to want and doole? Less thy misery than his is, who lives father to a fool."
"One wise son makes glad his father, forty fools avail him not: One moon silvers all that darkness which the silly stars did dot."
"Ease and health, obeisant children, wisdom, and a fair-voiced wife-- Thus, great King! are counted up the five felicities of life."
"For the son the sire is honoured; though the bow-cane bendeth true, Let the strained string crack in using, and what service shall it do?"
"That which will not be, will not be--and what is to be, will be: Why not drink this easy physic, antidote of misery?"
"Nay! but faint not, idly sighing, 'Destiny is mightiest,' Sesamum holds oil in plenty, but it yieldeth none unpressed."
"Ah! it is the Coward's babble, 'Fortune taketh, Fortune gave;' Fortune! rate her like a master, and she serves thee like a slave."
"Two-fold is the life we live in--Fate and Will together run: Two wheels bear life's chariot onward--Will it move on only one?"
"Look! the clay dries into iron, but the potter moulds the clay: Destiny to-day is master--Man was master yesterday."
"Worthy ends come not by wishing. Wouldst thou? Up, and win it, then! While the hungry lion slumbers, not a deer comes to his den."
* * * * *
"Silly glass, in splendid settings, something of the gold may gain; And in company of wise ones, fools to wisdom may attain."
"Labours spent on the unworthy, of reward the labourer balk; Like the parrot, teach the heron twenty words, he will not talk."
* * * * *
"Ah! a thousand thoughts of sorrow, and a hundred things of dread, By the fools unheeded, enter day by day the wise man's head."
"Of the day's impending dangers, Sickness, Death, and Misery, One will be; the wise man, waking, ponders which that one will be."
"Good things come not out of bad things; wisely leave a longed-for ill. Nectar being mixed with poison serves no purpose but to kill."
* * * * *
"Give to poor men, son of Kûnti--on the wealthy waste not wealth; Good are simples for the sick man, good for nought to him in health."
* * * * *
"Be his Scripture-learning wondrous, yet the cheat will be a cheat; Be her pasture ne'er so bitter, yet the cow's milk will taste sweet."
"Trust not water, trust not weapons; trust not clawed nor horned things; Neither give thy soul to women, nor thy life to Sons of Kings."
* * * * *
"Look! the Moon, the silver roamer, from whose splendour darkness flies, With his starry cohorts marching, like a crowned king, through the skies: All his grandeur, all his glory, vanish in the Dragon's jaw; What is written on the forehead, that will be, and nothing more."
* * * * *
"Counsel in danger; of it Unwarned, be nothing begun; But nobody asks a Prophet, Shall the risk of a dinner be run?"
* * * * *
"Avarice begetteth anger; blind desires from her begin; A right fruitful mother is she of a countless spawn of sin."
* * * * *
"Be second and not first!--the share's the same If all go well. If not, the Head's to blame."
* * * * *
"Passion will be Slave or Mistress: follow her, she brings to woe; Lead her, 'tis the way to Fortune. Choose the path that thou wilt go."
"When the time of trouble cometh, friends may ofttimes irk us most: For the calf at milking-hour the mother's leg is tying-post."
* * * * *
"In good-fortune not elated, in ill-fortune not dismayed, Ever eloquent in council, never in the fight affrayed, Proudly emulous of honour, steadfastly on wisdom set; These six virtues in the nature of a noble soul are met. Whoso hath them, gem and glory of the three wide worlds is he; Happy mother she that bore him, she who nursed him on her knee."
* * * * *
"Small things wax exceeding mighty, being cunningly combined; Furious elephants are fastened with a rope of grass-blades twined."
"Let the household hold together, though the house be ne'er so small; Strip the rice-husk from the rice-grain, and it groweth not at all."
"Sickness, anguish, bonds, and woe Spring from wrongs wrought long ago."
* * * * *
"Keep wealth for want, but spend it for thy wife, And wife, and wealth, and all, to guard thy life."
* * * * *
"Death, that must come, comes nobly when we give Our wealth, and life, and all, to make men live."
* * * * *
"Floating on his fearless pinions, lost amid the noonday skies, Even thence the Eagle's vision kens the carcass where it lies; But the hour that comes to all things comes unto the Lord of Air, And he rushes, madly blinded, to die helpless in the snare."
* * * * *
Bar thy door not to the stranger, be he friend or be he foe, For the tree will shade the woodman while his axe doth lay it low.
Greeting fair, and room to rest in; fire, and water from the well-- Simple gifts--are given freely in the house where good men dwell;--
Young, or bent with many winters; rich, or poor whate'er thy guest, Honour him for thine own honour--better is he than the best.
"Pity them that crave thy pity: who art thou to stint thy hoard, When the holy moon shines equal on the leper and the lord?"
When thy gate is roughly fastened, and the asker turns away, Thence he bears thy good deeds with him, and his sins on thee doth lay.
In the house the husband ruleth; men the Brahman "master" call; Agni is the Twice-born's Master--but the guest is lord of all.
"He who does and thinks no wrong-- He who suffers, being strong-- He whose harmlessness men know-- Unto Swarga such doth go."
* * * * *
"In the land where no wise men are, men of little wit are lords; And the castor-oil's a tree, where no tree else its shade affords."
* * * * *
"Foe is friend, and friend is foe, As our actions make them so."
* * * * *
"That friend only is the true friend who abides when trouble comes; That man only is the brave man who can bear the battle-drums; Words are wind; deed proveth promise: he who helps at need is kin; And the leal wife is loving though the husband lose or win."
"Friend and kinsman--more their meaning than the idle-hearted mind; Many a friend can prove unfriendly, many a kinsman less than kind: He who shares his comrade's portion, be he beggar, be he lord, Comes as truly, comes as duly, to the battle as the board-- Stands before the king to succour, follows to the pile to sigh-- He is friend, and he is kinsman; less would make the name a lie."
* * * * *
"Stars gleam, lamps flicker, friends foretell of fate; The fated sees, knows, hears them--all too late."
* * * * *
"Absent, flatterers' tongues are daggers--present, softer than the silk; Shun them! 'tis a draught of poison hidden under harmless milk; Shun them when they promise little! Shun them when they promise much! For enkindled, charcoal burneth--cold, it doth defile the touch."
* * * * *
"In years, or moons, or half-moons three, Or in three days--suddenly, Knaves are shent--true men go free."
* * * * *
"Anger comes to noble natures, but leaves there no strife or storm: Plunge a lighted torch beneath it, and the ocean grows not warm."
"Noble hearts are golden vases--close the bond true metals make; Easily the smith may weld them, harder far it is to break. Evil hearts are earthen vessels--at a touch they crack a-twain, And what craftsman's ready cunning can unite the shards again?"
"Good men's friendships may be broken, yet abide they friends at heart; Snap the stem of Luxmee's lotus, but its fibres will not part."
* * * * *
"One foot goes, and one foot stands, When the wise man leaves his lands."
* * * * *
"Over-love of home were weakness; wheresoe'er the hero come, Stalwart arm and steadfast spirit find or make for him a home. Little recks the awless lion where his hunting jungles lie-- When he enters them be certain that a royal prey shall die."
* * * * *
"Very feeble folk are poor folk; money lost takes wit away: All their doings fail like runnels, wasting through the summer day."
"Wealth is friends, home, father, brother--title to respect and fame; Yea, and wealth is held for wisdom--that it should be so is shame."
"Home is empty to the childless; hearts to those who friends deplore: Earth unto the idle-minded; and the three worlds to the poor."
"Say the sages, nine things name not: Age, domestic joys and woes, Counsel, sickness, shame, alms, penance; neither Poverty disclose. Better for the proud of spirit, death, than life with losses told; Fire consents to be extinguished, but submits riot to be cold."
"As Age doth banish beauty, As moonlight dies in gloom, As Slavery's menial duty Is Honour's certain tomb;
As Hari's name and Hara's Spoken, charm sin away, So Poverty can surely A hundred virtues slay."
"Half-known knowledge, present pleasure purchased with a future woe, And to taste the salt of service--greater griefs no man can know."
"All existence is not equal, and all living is not life; Sick men live; and he who, banished, pines for children, home, and wife; And the craven-hearted eater of another's leavings lives, And the wretched captive, waiting for the word of doom, survives; But they bear an anguished body, and they draw a deadly breath; And life cometh to them only on the happy day of death."
"Golden gift, serene Contentment! have thou that, and all is had; Thrust thy slipper on, and think thee that the earth is leather-clad."
"All is known, digested, tested; nothing new is left to learn When the soul, serene, reliant, Hope's delusive dreams can spurn."
"Hast thou never watched, awaiting till the great man's door unbarred? Didst thou never linger parting, saying many a sad last word? Spak'st thou never word of folly, one light thing thou would'st recall? Rare and noble hath thy life been! fair thy fortune did befall!"
* * * * *
"True Religion!--'tis not blindly prating what the gurus prate, But to love, as God hath loved them, all things, be they small or great; And true bliss is when a sane mind doth a healthy body fill; And true knowledge is the knowing what is good and what is ill."
* * * * *
"Poisonous though the tree of life be, two fair blossoms grow thereon: One, the company of good men; and sweet songs of Poets, one."
* * * * *
"Give, and it shall swell thy getting; give, and thou shalt safer keep: Pierce the tank-wall; or it yieldeth, when the water waxeth deep."
"When the miser hides his treasure in the earth, he doeth well; For he opens up a passage that his soul may sink to hell."
"He whose coins are kept for counting, not to barter nor to give, Breathe he like a blacksmith's bellows, yet in truth he doth not live."
"Gifts, bestowed with words of kindness, making giving doubly dear: Wisdom, deep, complete, benignant, of all arrogancy clear; Valour, never yet forgetful of sweet Mercy's pleading prayer; Wealth, and scorn of wealth to spend it--oh! but these be virtues rare!"
* * * * *
"Sentences of studied wisdom, nought avail they unapplied; Though the blind man hold a lantern, yet his footsteps stray aside."
* * * * *
"Would'st thou, know whose happy dwelling Fortune entereth unknown? His, who careless of her favour, standeth fearless in his own; His, who for the vague to-morrow barters not the sure to-day-- Master of himself, and sternly steadfast to the rightful way: Very mindful of past service, valiant, faithful, true of heart-- Unto such comes Lakshmi smiling--comes, and will not lightly part."
* * * * *
"Be not haughty, being wealthy; droop not, having lost thine all; Fate doth play with mortal fortunes as a girl doth toss her ball."
"Worldly friendships, fair but fleeting; shadows of the clouds at noon; Women, youth, new corn, and riches; these be pleasures passing soon."
* * * * *
"For thy bread be not o'er thoughtful--Heav'n for all hath taken thought: When the babe is born, the sweet milk to the mother's breast is brought.
"He who gave the swan her silver, and the hawk her plumes of pride, And his purples to the peacock--He will verily provide."
"Though for good ends, waste not on wealth a minute; Mud may be wiped, but wise men plunge not in it."
* * * * *
"Brunettes, and the Banyan's shadow, Well-springs, and a brick-built wall, Are all alike cool in the summer, And warm in the winter--all."
* * * * *
"Ah! the gleaming, glancing arrows of a lovely woman's eye! Feathered with her jetty lashes, perilous they pass thee by: Loosed at venture from the black bows of her arching brow, they part, All too penetrant and deadly for an undefended heart."
* * * * *
"Beautiful the Koil seemeth for the sweetness of his song, Beautiful the world esteemeth pious souls for patience strong; Homely features lack not favour when true wisdom they reveal, And a wife is fair and honoured while her heart is firm and leal."
* * * * *
"Friend! gracious word!--the heart to tell is ill able Whence came to men this jewel of a syllable."
* * * * *
"Whoso for greater quits small gain, Shall have his labour for his pain; The things unwon unwon remain, And what was won is lost again."
* * * * *
"Looking down on lives below them, men of little store are great; Looking up to higher fortunes, hard to each man seems his fate."
"As a bride, unwisely wedded, shuns the cold caress of eld, So, from coward souls and slothful, Lakshmi's favours turn repelled."
"Ease, ill-health, home-keeping, sleeping, woman-service, and content-- In the path that leads to greatness these be six obstructions sent."
"Seeing how the soorma wasteth, seeing how the ant-hill grows, Little adding unto little--live, give, learn, as life-time, goes."
"Drops of water falling, falling, falling, brim the chatty o'er; Wisdom comes in little lessons--little gains make largest store."
"Men their cunning schemes may spin-- God knows who shall lose or win."
* * * * *
"Shoot a hundred shafts, the quarry lives and flies--not due to death; When his hour is come, a grass-blade hath a point to stop his breath."
"Robes were none, nor oil of unction, when the King of Beasts was crowned: 'Twas his own fierce roar proclaimed him, rolling all the kingdom round."
* * * * *
"What but for their vassals, Elephant and man-- Swing of golden tassels, Wave of silken fan-- But for regal manner That the 'Chattra' brings, Horse, and foot, and banner-- What would come of kings?"
* * * * *
"At the work-time, asking wages--is it like a faithful herd? When the work's done, grudging wages--is _that_ acting like a lord?"
"Serve the Sun with sweat of body; starve thy maw to feed the flame; Stead thy lord with all thy service; to thy death go, quit of blame."
"Many prayers for him are uttered whereon many a life relies; 'Tis but one poor fool the fewer when the greedy jack-daw dies."
* * * * *
"Give thy Dog the merest mouthful, and he crouches at thy feet, Wags his tail, and fawns, and grovels, in his eagerness to eat; Bid the Elephant be feeding, and the best of fodder bring; Gravely--after much entreaty--condescends that mighty king."
* * * * *
"By their own deeds men go downward, by them men mount upward all, Like the diggers of a well, and like the builders of a wall."
* * * * *
"Rushes down the hill the crag, which upward 'twas so hard to roll: So to virtue slowly rises--so to vice quick sinks the soul."
"Who speaks unasked, or comes unbid, Or counts on service--will be chid."
* * * * *
"Wise, modest, constant, ever close at hand, Not weighing but obeying all command, Such servant by a Monarch's throne may stand."
* * * * *
"Pitiful, who fearing failure, therefore no beginning makes, Why forswear a daily dinner for the chance of stomach-aches?"
* * * * *
"Nearest to the King is dearest, be thy merit low or high; Women, creeping plants, and princes, twine round that which groweth nigh."
* * * * *
"Pearls are dull in leaden settings, but the setter is to blame; Glass will glitter like the ruby, dulled with dust--are they the same?"
"And a fool may tread on jewels, setting in his turban glass; Yet, at selling, gems are gems, and fardels but for fardels pass."
* * * * *
"Horse and weapon, lute and volume, man and woman, gift of speech, Have their uselessness or uses in the one who owneth each."
* * * * *
"Not disparagement nor slander kills the spirit of the brave; Fling a torch down, upward ever burns the brilliant flame it gave."
* * * * *
"Wisdom from the mouth of children be it overpast of none; What man scorns to walk by lamplight in the absence of the sun?"
* * * * *
"Strength serves Reason. Saith the Mahout, when he beats the brazen drum, 'Ho! ye elephants, to this work must your mightinesses come.'"
"Mighty natures war with mighty: when the raging tempests blow, O'er the green rice harmless pass they, but they lay the palm-trees low."
"Narrow-necked to let out little, big of belly to keep much, As a flagon is--the Vizier of a Sultan should be such."
* * * * *
"He who thinks a minute little, like a fool misuses more; He who counts a cowry nothing, being wealthy, will be poor."
* * * * *
"Brahmans, soldiers, these and kinsmen--of the three set none in charge: For the Brahman, though you rack him, yields no treasure small or large; And the soldier, being trusted, writes his quittance with his sword, And the kinsman cheats his kindred by the charter of the word; But a servant old in service, worse than any one is thought, Who, by long-tried license fearless, knows his master's anger nought."
* * * * *
"Never tires the fire of burning, never wearies Death of slaying, Nor the sea of drinking rivers, nor the bright-eyed of betraying."
* * * * *
"From false friends that breed thee strife, From a house with serpents rife, Saucy slaves and brawling wife-- Get thee forth, to save thy life."
* * * * *
"Teeth grown loose, and wicked-hearted ministers, and poison trees, Pluck them by the roots together; 'tis the thing that giveth ease."
"Long-tried friends are friends to cleave to--never leave thou these i' the lurch: What man shuns the fire as sinful for that once it burned a church?"
"Raise an evil soul to honour, and his evil bents remain; Bind a cur's tail ne'er so straightly, yet it curleth up again."
"How, in sooth, should Trust and Honour change the evil nature's root? Though one watered them with nectar, poison-trees bear deadly fruit."
"Safe within the husk of silence guard the seed of counsel so That it break not--being broken, then the seedling will not grow."
* * * * *
"Even as one who grasps a serpent, drowning in the bitter sea, Death to hold and death to loosen--such is life's perplexity."
* * * * *
"Woman's love rewards the worthless--kings of knaves exalters be; Wealth attends the selfish niggard, and the cloud rains on the sea."
"Many a knave wins fair opinions standing in fair company, As the sooty soorma pleases, lighted by a brilliant eye."
"Where the azure lotus blossoms, there the alligators hide; In the sandal-tree are serpents. Pain and pleasure live allied."
"Rich the sandal--yet no part is but a vile thing habits there; Snake and wasp haunt root and blossom; on the boughs sit ape and bear."
* * * * *
"As a bracelet of crystal, once broke, is not mended So the favour of princes, once altered, is ended."