Asian Masters and Folk Wisdom
To see things in the seed, that is genius. - Lao-tzu
Better to light the candle, than curse the darkness. - Confucius
To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice. - Confucius
What you do is of little significance. But it is very important that you
do it. - Mahatma Gandhi
The
Analects illustrate the fundamental reality that translations differ. The sayings
of "The Master, "Confucius," or "Kong Qiu" are available at the preceding
link, with translators' names.
Some sayings' origins are hidden in the mist of time. They are cited as a master's,
to give them more authority [0];
Einstein "Said".
Kurdish
accesses many cultures: it includes Chinese,
Ashanti (from Ghana), etc. Proverbs.
A Latin proverb res, non verba
translates as
actions speak louder than words
- literally,
deeds, not words.
Rendering a saying in another language itself is an art:
English
& Spanish Equivalents |
gives Spanish speakers ideas about English sayings.
[0] Calaprice, Alice, ed., The Quotable Einstein, 1996,
The Expanded Quotable Einstein, 2000;
Princeton University Press.
[1] Jarring, Gunnar, ed., translator, The Moen collection of eastern Turki
(New Uighur) proverbs and popular sayings, Malmö, Sweden : C.W.K.
Gleerup,1985.
[2] Baker, D.S. compiler, Greek Proverbs, Belfast, Ireland: Appletree
Press, 1998.
[3] Rosten, Leo Calvin, Leo Rosten's Treatury of Jewish Quotations,
NY: McGraw-Hill, 1972.
[4] Kogos, Fred, The Dictionary of Popular Yiddish Words, Phrases, and
Proverbs, Secaucus NJ: Citadel Press, 2000.
[5] What is the Eshet Chayil
(A Woman of Valor)
hymn?
[6] Kayayerli, Mujdat, Nasreddin Hodja The Turk Who Made the World
Laugh, Istanbul Turkey: Keskin Color Matbaasi.