Arabic proverbs:The manners and customs of the modern Egyptians

Arabic proverbs; or, The manners and customs of the modern Egyptians

Many of the proverbial sayings translated in this volume, were collected by شرف الدين ابن أسد a native of Cairo, who lived, it is said, early in the last century, but never acquired a very high literary reputation. The translator found those Proverbs written upon nine or ten leaves in the common-place book of a sheikh, with whom he was acquainted in this city ; but they wanted explanation or commentary. Of those he has omitted a considerable number, many being altogether uninteresting, and others so grossly indicate that he could, not venture to lay them before the public, although it must be acknowledged that they excelled in wit. Several sayings which appear to have been popular in the time of Ibn Asad, are no longer current ; and these the translator has marked with an asterisk.

أمثال عربية, الأخلاق و العرف للمصريين المعاصرين, ترجمة و شرح يوهان لودفيج بيركاردت, طبعة 1875, فى مقدمة الكتاب يتحدث المؤلف أن : “معظم هذه الأمثال تم جمعها بواسطة شرف الدين بن أسد, من سكان القاهرة و اللذى عاش بها فى أوائل القرن الماضى, و لكنه لم يكتسب سمعة أدبية عالية, وجد المترجم هذه الأمثال مكتوبة على تسع أو عشر ورقات فى يوميات أحد الشيوخ.