My discovery of Vasko Popa led me to a slim book called The Golden Apple, a compilation of Serbo-Croation stories, spells, proverbs curses and riddles. According to the editors Popa was instrumental in popularizing a plain-spoken Serbo-Croatian language that unified the various dialects, and found “great joy in bringing the little-known and under-valued beauties…into the daylight.” Here are a few of my favorites:
Curses
May you count your teeth on your hand.
God give you a gold coin weighing a ton, so you can’t carry it or spend it, but have to sit beside it, begging.
Proverbs
Who weeps for the world
Loses his eyes.
A too cunning man jumps over his luck.
You can’t feed the wolves and keep all the sheep.
He gets in your eyes like sweat.
Even his tail is a burden to a tired fox.
A lo of dogs can eat a wolf.
Don’t meddle with muck or the pigs will eat you.
Even crows lay eggs for a lucky man.
And this one, not in the book, certainly seems like it could be:
Busybody: she who would teach the sheep how to eat.
Personally, I wish there had been more curses!
The first curse is the motto of the Dental Insurance Industrial Complex!
I like the the proverb about the tired fox and his tail.
“I think it must be nap time” this fox thinks, gazing at her tail.
May your tail always be bushy and held high.
Yikes! These are ominous. Love ’em.
Thanks, Gina. Let me know if you find any yourself.
I wish I could find more curses. I got a book of them from UC Library, but they turned out to be in ancient Greek!