Austronesian/Papuan proverb question

[Waruno Mahdi]

Carl, that's a fantastic collection. When will it be published?
I'm sorry I had been too much distracted by other matters to
respond to your previous call.

I have two proverbs (one of which actually isn't) that I find
rather remarkable. Unfortunately, neither is from a unique language
not yet included in your collection.

1) this is from Sundanese, reported 12 May 1998 on SEALang-L by
   Iskandar Baharuddin:

> "Ciri sa-bumi, cara sa-desa" - Old Sundanese saying.
>
> English translation:  "People all over the world are basically
> about the same, but the way they go about doing things depends
> upon the village they come from."

which I at that time commented, 12 May 1998 on SEALang-L:

......
< piece of folk wisdom that so aptly expresses the equality and individuality
< of man.
......
< ciri "feature, individual mark(s)" (the word is also used in pasports
<      at the place where they note down whether one has some particular
<      features like having a hare's lip or only one arm etc.)
<      The English translation does not quite adequately cover the
<      range of meanings, which also includes part of that which is
<      included in English _characteristics_, _profile_.
<
< cara "method, manner / way of doing something", cognate with corresponding
<      element in: _upacara_ "ceremony, ritual"
<                  _tatacara_ "protocol, decorum, customary rule"
<                  _bicara_  "speaking, way of speaking"
<
< sa- "one, a/the whole, by / according to"
<
< bumi "land, earth, world"
<
< desa "the common, village community, village" (derives from Sanskrit
<      word meaning "country, kingdom, state")
<
< And when put together:
<
< Ciri sa-bumi, cara sa-desa
<
< "features pertain-to/are-reckoned-by [the] world,
<  manners-of-doing pertain-to/are-reckoned-by [the] village"
<
< The saying seems to present a profound, multidimensional system of inner
< binding on many levels, phonetic, semantic, syntactic, a.o.: the a-finals
< of cara/desa set against the i-finals of ciri/bumi, but held together
< by the c_r_ consonant skeleton of ciri/cara, the parallel syntax of the
< two clauses. the apposition of "the common", i.e. a realm or world on
< itself at the familiar native level (compare the various modern and
historical
< meanings of Thai _mYang_), with "world", being the same on a more
< universal and mondane level (the world out there as against the world
< in here that we are acustomed to; the big world and the small world).
< Another interesting opposition: a person's _ciri_-s are generally
< innate, his/her _cara_-s, on the other hand, usually learned or bred.
< I could ramble on endlessly, but you are probably wondering when I would
< stop at last.....  :-)
< Just one more try at a translation:
<
< "[by one's] inclinations [one is of the] world
<  [by one's] customs [one is from one's] hometown"

2) This is actually not a proverb but a (pseudo-)Ambonese Malay "pantun"
   (kind of Limerick). It is not really Ambonese Malay, but Indonesian
Malay "Ambonoiserie" from the time when Ambonese folksongs were particularly
popular throughout the country. Ambon folk music even now retains roughly
the kind of access to the Indonesian soul, as "country" to the American.
The lyrics probably originate from an Indonesian Malay speaking Ambonese
or Indon-Eurasian milieu.

  Kalau ada sumur di ladang, boleh beta tumpang mandi,
  Kalau ada umur panjang, boleh kita berjumpa lagi.

Lit.: If be well in field, may I drop-by bathe
      If be age long, may we meet again.

(If you have a well in your fields, could I drop by to take a bath,
 If we will be given a long life, may we meet together once again)

It breathes nostalgia after the peaceful rustical village-community
of the "good old days when the world was still in order", when you
could entrust yourself to a fellow villager even in an as intimate
and vulnerable moment as while taking a bath, and yet not be imposing.
It relivens the scenes of parting from close ones, so typical of
nations of sailors, traders, distant navigators, settlers of far
shores. It reflects a stunning contradiction between the closeness
of inter-personal ties, and the merciless finality of separations,
when not only were there no internet, phone or even mail services,
but you had good fortune when you arrived, let alone returned safe
and sound.

The "key" word in the whole verse is however the very specific and quite
untranslatable word _tumpang_. It expresses accepting hospitality or a
courtesy. When you tumpang at an inn or a hotel, or in someone's house,
it is something between "drop/stop by" and "take lodgings". You can also
tumpang in a bus, train, or other means of public transportation, in
which case you would be a _penumpang_ 'passenger'. But _tumpang_ can
also function as modifier or auxiliary to a verb, e.g. _tanya_ 'ask'
as in _boleh saya tumpang tanya?_ 'may I trouble you with a question?'
(literally 'may I <tumpang> ask?'). It is used in this latter manner
in the verse above.

I think, the verse expresses something very traditional Austronesian,
and will surely be understood by Polynesians, Micronesians, Melanesians,
Indonesians, Malaysians, Philipin at s, Malagasys, etc. alike.

Aloha,   Waruno