Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 22, 1911.djvu/249

 Collectanea. 215

They are neither of the best nor of the poorest. Still they contain not a few truths, and they are very amusing too. My writing is not easy to read, I am sorry to say. But all the same I hope you will understand the greater part. There must be thousands of such proverbs here in the land. But they have never been collected anywhere. It would be interesting to see a collection of our best proverbs. Much life-wisdom and life-experience lie hidden in them. But work on Norse speech, folklore, stories, proverbs, and antiquities is still in its infancy. Here are still vast tracts to open up. I could hope that you might find one and another true grains among these proverbs."

1. Den som har hund, han slepp a. goya sjolv. He who has a dog, need not bark himself.

2. Nar husbonden gjeng or hogsetet, set katten sig uppi. When the master leaves the high seat, up jumps the cat.

3. Husmanns hage kann og bera blomar.

A cottager's garden also can bear flowers.

4. Det er ingen so hog, han ei ma toygja seg. Og ingen so lag, han ei ma boygja seg.

There is no one so tall that he has not to stretch himself, and no one so small that he has not to bend.

5. Holing er vel hoyrande men lite goymande. Flattery listens well, but remembers little.

6. Det er betre turr kaka enn inkje smaka. Better is dry cake than having nothing to eat.

7. Ein kann vel vera kar um ein inkje segjer det sjolv.

One can be a brave fellow, even if one does not proclaim it.

8. Det er betre a foda ein katt enn mange myser. It is better to feed one cat than many mice.

9. Det vil harde kilar til harde kubbar.

Hard wedges are needed for hard tree-stumps.

10. Ei kona og ein katt hoyrer huset til. A house needs a wife and a cat.

11. Det kostar a sitja fyre gjest og gangande mann.

It costs money to be obliged to receive guests constantly.

12. Kui gjeng aldri so langt, at rova ei fylgjer raed.

A cow never goes so far that her tail does not follow.