Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstrait121878roya).pdf/126

 "Jawi Peranakan" without finding an argument clenched, or an adversary answered by some well known "ibârat" (proverb), or "perupamaan" (similitude), a dictum of some forgotten sage from which there is no appeal.

To any one studying the language, Malay proverbs are extremely useful, not only because they contain many homely: words and phrases not usually to be met with in books, but also as examples of the art of putting ideas into very few words, in which the Malays excel; but which the student, whose thoughts will run in a European mould, finds it so difficult to acquire. Newbold, in his "Political and Statistical account of the British Settlements in the Straits of Malacca," which though published as long ago as 1839, is still by far the most valuable authority on Malay subjects in the English language, gives (vol. II, p. 335.) translations of a few Malay proverbs, but with this exception I am not aware that any collection in our language has hitherto been printed.

I began to collect Malay proverbs in 1871 while residing in Province Wellesley, where there is a large Malay population. The Malay and French dictionary of l'Abbé Favre, which was published in 1875, fell into my hands early last year, and I then found that I had been anticipated in my researches, not only by the learned and reverend author, but also by M. Klinkert, a Dutch gentleman, who, as early as 1863, published a collection of 183 Malay proverbs with a preface and notes in the Dutch language. M. Favre, in his preface, acknowledges his obligations to M. Klinkert's work in the following passage: "C'est ainsi M. Klinkert qui, dans un ouvrage spécial, nous a servi a compléter notre collection de proverbes Malais, extraits partiellement de divers auteurs: nous lui devons aussi les énigmes." The only copy of M. Klinkert's book which I have seen, a thin pamphlet of 51 pages, does not contain the enigmas mentioned in the foregoing quotation. It is probable therefore that later and more complete editions exist. In the very interesting and modest introduction which precedes M. Klinkert's collection of Malay proverbs, the author states that they are taken partly from the works of Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir Munshi, especially from his "Hikayat Abdullah" and his "Pelayaran," and partly, but more rarely, from other "Hikayat," from native "pantun," and from the lips of Malays themselves. For many proverbs in the collection he acknowledges bis indebtedness to the late Mr. Keasberry of Singapore, a man who, from his youth until he became an old man, "studied the Malays and their language, and who had the ad-