[Ads-l] Ax/Tree proverb

Fri Sep 20 23:01:17 UTC 2024

Barry lists an excellent 1977 citation in English:
Revolution in the Third World (1977) by Gérard Chaliand

[Begin excerpt]
When the axe came into the forest, the trees said: the handle is one of us.
TURKISH PROVERB
[End excerpt]

I looked in a wonderful scholarly book on Turkish Proverbs and found
two pertinent entries that point to an 1885 book and a 1965 book. I
have not yet examined these two books.

[ref] 2012 (1993 First Printing), A Dictionary of Turkish Proverbs,
Compiled by Metin Yurtbaşı, Topic: Ingratitude, Quote Page 232,
Published by Mehmet Başpehlivan, Excellence Publishing. (Verified with
scans) [/ref]

[Begin excerpt]
Ormana (bir) balta girmiş sapı yine kendisinden (imiş).
An ax went into the woods and its handle was of itself. ET 796
[End excerpt]

This citation uses the ET abbreviation to point to the following:
ET = Ebüzziya Tevfik, Durüb-ı Emsâl-i Osmaniyye (Oltoman Proverbs), 1885.

[ref] 2012 (1993 First Printing), A Dictionary of Turkish Proverbs,
Compiled by Metin Yurtbaşı, Topic: Ingratitude, Quote Page 231,
Published by Mehmet Başpehlivan, Excellence Publishing. (Verified with
scans) [/ref]

[Begin excerpt]
Ağaca balta vurmuşlar, “Sapı bedenimden” demiş.
They struck at the tree with an ax; and the tree said: “The handle is
made from my body.” [It is the most painful blow when it is one's own
child or someone you have protected who sets out to harm him.]
ÖAA 85 < ET 160

The axe goes to the wood from whence it borrowed its helve.
John Ray, Adagia Hebraica. No. 1 (1678)

The sandal tree perfumes the axe that fells it.
[End excerpt]

The above citation points to the following books:
ÖAA = Ömer Asim Aksoy, Atasözleri Sözlüyü (Dictionary of Proverbs),
Ankara, 1965.
ET = Ebüzziya Tevfik, Durüb-ı Emsâl-i Osmaniyye (Oltoman Proverbs), 1885.

I also used Google Translate to find what appears to be a pertinent
1970 match in the Internet Archive:

[Begin excerpt]
TÜRK DİLİ
AYLIK DİL VE EDEBİYAT DERGİSİ
Yıl 19, Cih XXI, Sayı 221, 1 Şubat 1970
[End excerpt]

[Begin Google Translate]
TURKISH LANGUAGE
MONTHLY LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE JOURNAL
Year 19, Volume XXI, Issue 221, February 1, 1970
[End Google Translate]

[Begin excerpt]
AĞACA BALTA VURMUŞLAR “SAPI BEDENİMDEN” DEMİŞ
[End excerpt]

[Begin Google Translate]
THEY HIT THE TREE WITH AN AXE AND SAID “THE HANDLE IS FROM MY BODY”
[End Google Translate]

Garson

On Fri, Sep 20, 2024 at 5:30 PM ADSGarson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Barry Popik previously explored this topic. He has the following two
> pertinent webpages:
>
> “When the axe came into the forest, the trees said: ‘The handle is one
> of us’” (proverb)
> https://barrypopik.com/blog/when_the_axe_came_into_the_forest
>
>
> “The forest was shrinking, but the trees kept voting for the axe
> because its handle was made of wood…”
> https://barrypopik.com/blog/the_forest_was_shrinking_but_the_trees
>
> On Fri, Sep 20, 2024 at 4:57 PM ADSGarson O'Toole
> <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Interesting topic, JL. Here is a preliminary exploration using
> > keywords in the xtwitter database.
> >
> > [Begin xtweet info]
> > https://x.com/chirag/status/791091440
> > Chirag Patnaik @chirag
> > From the forest itself comes the handle for the axe...
> > 9:51 AM · Apr 17, 2008
> > [End xtweet info]
> >
> > [Begin xtweet info]
> > https://x.com/kkartikeya/status/854155285
> > kkartikeya @kkartikeya
> > When the axe entered the forest, the trees said, "The handle is one of us!"
> > 7:26 PM · Jul 9, 2008
> > [End xtweet info]
> >
> > [Begin xtweet info]
> > https://x.com/Moenypenny/status/1006320593
> > Cat City @Moenypenny
> > When the axe came into the forest, one of the trees said to the
> > others,"Look, the handle is one of us"
> > 6:51 PM · Nov 14, 2008
> > [End xtweet info]
> >
> > [Begin xtweet info]
> > https://x.com/BenShaw/status/1922096076
> > Ben Shaw @BenShaw
> > RT @quotesnack: When the axe came to the forest the trees said the
> > handle is one of us -Proverb (May be Turkish or African)
> > 5:56 AM · May 26, 2009
> > [End xtweet info]
> >
> > [Begin xtweet info]
> > https://x.com/longwall26/status/319138405759991808
> > Jason @longwall26
> > The fact that axe handles are made of wood is the ultimate "fuck you" to trees.
> > 1:24 PM · Apr 2, 2013
> > [End xtweet info]
> >
> > [Begin xtweet info]
> > https://x.com/SaifRRahman/status/439811388262055937
> > Saif Rahman @SaifRRahman
> > Old Turkish proverb ~ When the axe came into the forest the trees said
> > dont worry the handle is one of us
> > 12:16 PM · Mar 1, 2014
> > [End xtweet info]
> >
> > [Begin xtweet info]
> > https://x.com/rainingglobe/status/794321591211393024
> > Mpls Anita - Blue is the Majority...Vote like it!! @rainingglobe
> > When the axe came into the forest, the trees said, it's okay, the
> > handle is one of us.   In other words, TRUMP = AXE & GOP = TREES.
> > 7:33 PM · Nov 3, 2016
> > [End xtweet info]
> >
> > [Begin xtweet info]
> > https://x.com/kimcentt/status/920634774720573445
> > Vincent 'Kimcent' Kimutai @kimcentt
> > Q: Y r our forests disappearing?
> > A: Because our trees keep saying: "We will vote 4 the axe; the handle
> > is from our tribe". Wafula Chebukati
> > 8:56 AM · Oct 18, 2017
> > [End xtweet info]
> >
> > [Begin xtweet info]
> > https://x.com/Jomba_16/status/920674723977138176
> > Land Lord @Jomba_16
> > Q: Why are our forests disappearing?
> > A: Because our trees keep saying: "We will vote for the axe; the
> > handle is from our tribe".
> > 11:35 AM · Oct 18, 2017
> > [End xtweet info]
> >
> > [Begin xtweet info]
> > https://x.com/calvinebarongo/status/920618406663147521
> > Barongo 🇮🇹🇧🇪 @calvinebarongo
> > Q: Why are our forests disappearing?
> > A: Because our trees keep saying: We will vote for the axe; the handle
> > is from our tribe
> > @bernard_omari
> > 7:51 AM · Oct 18, 2017
> > [End xtweet info]
> >
> > [Begin xtweet info]
> > https://x.com/Realmadiehe/status/921041951490789376
> > Addley @Realmadiehe
> > When the trees in the forest say; We will vote for the axe because the
> > handle is one of our own
> > Result...👇
> >  #PatriotismKE
> > #EmbaFomNiUhuRuto
> > 11:54 AM · Oct 19, 2017
> > [End xtweet info]
> >
> > [Begin xtweet info]
> > https://x.com/SonOfNyamiwa/status/921774090486190082
> > Hanny Nyamiwa @SonOfNyamiwa
> > If the trees kept voting for the axe becoz the handle is from their
> > tribe we'd have no forests
> > @xtiandela
> > 12:24 PM · Oct 21, 2017
> > [End xtweet info]
> >
> > [Begin xtweet info]
> > https://x.com/MbuyiZa/status/930145615580925953
> > Father of 3 girls and a son. @MbuyiZa
> > The forest was at a loss as to why its tree population was shrinking.
> > Then it dawned upon the forest that the trees kept voting for the axe
> > believing it was an ally since the handle was one of its own.
> > ~ Anon
> > 1:49 PM · Nov 13, 2017 from Diepkloof, South Africa
> > [End xtweet info]
> >
> > Garson
> >
> > On Fri, Sep 20, 2024 at 10:03 AM Jonathan Lighter
> > <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > >  A lot of Internet discussion about what is said to be a Turkish proverb:
> > >
> > >  "And though the forest was shrinking, the trees kept voting for the axe,
> > > for the axe was clever and convinced the trees that since his handle was
> > > made of wood, he was one of them."
> > >
> > > JL
> > > --
> > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org