See the Light

The sage says that fire is bright.

Is that not so?

But it is not the equal of the Sun.

He says the Sun’s rays

Are resplendent in the heavens

But are not equal to

The Dharma of the Lord Buddha.

The fire blazes with all its might

But at the end of its time it is gone,

Used up, extinguished.

The Sun is brilliant,

Magnificent, it is true

But, when it sets, it is dimmed.

You can not see its light.

Lok tha bhloen bhli

Maen bit moh ri

Bum smoe suriya

Lok tha sury saen

Bhli caen veha

Moh bum smoe na

Brah dharm brah buddh

Bhloen bhli as citt

As kal hoey pat

Ralay ralat

Brah sury bhli loen

Thkom thkoen prakat

Ap astangat

Bum yal rasmi

Stanzas 9 & 10 of Chbab Kun Cau (Codes of Conduct: Children

and Grandchildren)

Composed in Pad Kakagati (Crow’s Gait Metre) 17th Century or earlier

Transliteration by Judith M. Jacob

Have Some Humility

The immature rice stalk stands erect, while the mature stalk, heavy  

with grains, bends over.

Khmer Proverb

Keep Smiling

I saw it, your smile as beautiful as the day;

And the hour of the smile is the hour of love.

Ancient and Modern Poems (1826) by Alfred de Vigny

Teav is Homesick

Just then the group of elderly court ladies

Came together cordially and sincerely,

And pleaded with her immediately to change

All her old clothes for new.

Refusing to do as they said, she wept constantly

In the bedroom, refraining from food.

The elderly ladies asked what was the matter.

She said she was sad without her mother.

Teav-Ek (1950) by Nou Kan

Be the Perfect Lady

Don’t curse. Lovely girls do not have foul mouths.

My Grandmother

Cambodia 1904?-May 1975

A Better Literature

If the letters disappear, the nation dies; if the letters are brilliance,

the nation is excellence.

Khmer Proverb

Know Your Strengths

Knowledge is your nourishment; wits are your weapon.

Khmer Proverb

Only You Can Help Yourself

It takes a spider to mend its own web.

Khmer Adage

Change Is A Constant

Just like the sun that never stays in the east, power, reputation and wealth come and go.

Khmer Proverb

Too Clever By Half

Wisdom rides your own neck.

Khmer Adage