- 26. Berklahi didalam mimpi.
"To fight in a dream." To take trouble for nothing.
- 27. Bunga pun gugor, putek pun gugor, tuah pun gugor, masak pun gugor.
"The flowers fall and so must all things fair, the old drop off and the fully ripe." Death is the common lot of everything.
- 28. Buat baik ber-pâda-pâda, buat jahat jangan sakali.
"Do good in moderation, do not do evil at all." Excessive goodness is apt to exasperate the rest of mankind. It is enough to be tolerably good, and to avoid doing anything actually wicked. Thus the Malay moralist.
- 29. Bertitah lalu sembah berlaku.
"The royal command is waived and the petition is allowed to prevail."
A common expression at the Court of a Malay raja, when the sovereign, allowing himself to be influenced by representations humbly made to him, recalls his words, and graciously suffers the suggestions of his chiefs, or the prayers of a suppliant, to prevail.
- 30. Ber-tangga naik ber-jenjing turun.
"To ascend by climbing a ladder and to come down with the hands full." The trouble and difficulty of climbing up to the notice of people in high places are repaid by the substantial favours to be got from them.
- 31. Bapa-nya burik anak-aya lentu-lah ber-rintek.
"If the father is spotted the son will certainly be speckled," "like father like son."
- 32. Ber-kilat ikin didalam ayer aka subah tahu jantan betina-nya.
"As the lightning flashes on the fish in the water, I can tell the males from the females." Means "what is the use of attempting concealment? I can read your secret with the greatest ease."
- 33. Berhakim kepada brok.
"To make the monkey judge," or, to go to the monkey for justice." A fable is told by the Malays of two men one of whom planted bananas on the land of the other. When the fruit was ripe each claimed it, but not being able to come to any settlement they referred the matter to the arbitration of a monkey (of the large
