38 SOME ASSAMESE PROVERBS. A horse is known by his ears, A woman in times o£ adversity, And a razor on a whetstone. The idea here is that a good horse keeps his ears erect ; a virtuous wife will be faithful in adversity ; and a good razor does not break on the whetstone. As to the faithfulness of women, horses, etc., cf. the Persian proverb :—
- ' Asp o zan o shamsher-i-tez wafadar ke did."
What man ever saw a horse, a woman, or a sword faithful f t5 (khur) (or khyur) is the usual word for razor. *tt^ is a grindstone or whetstone. This is one of D^k*s sayings. 103. The irony of fate. Chore niye lapha dai, Girlhat mare kharali khdi. When the thief steals the " laphd" The householder consoles himself with hharalu An amusing comment on the irony of fate, perhaps. The w^ ^^ is a common Assamese vegetable, "^^t^^leaves and stalks of vegetables cooked dry. ^t^ literally reaps. <t^pi ^t^ means suffers inconvenience. 104. Sudden misfortunes. (3T^ atc^ 1tc«r, Chorak more pale, Ta(n) tik barale khdie. The thief was seized with colic, And a wasp stung the weaver. Both of these are intended to be instances of sudden and unexpected mishap.
