bya ba chen po yun gyis bsgrub
ngang thung 'bad pas mthar mi phyin
rlung chen dal yang ring 'gro la
rba rlabs drag kyang cher mi 'gro
A great deed will not come to pass by a rash effort, but is accomplished over a long period of time. Although powerful, a wave will not go very far; but a wave will go a long way even if the great wind is slow.
Textual Notes:
It seems that rba rlabs should be implied in the 3rd line in order for it to make any sense, and that is reflected in my translation. The sense I get from reading it is that a powerful wave crashes, while a small wave moved by a slow but powerful wind goes a long way. This is a much clearer rendition, but it is so far from a direct translation that I have to ask myself whether or not it's appropriate to use. I think I can pinpoint the issue in using the verb "to crash" in English where it is absent in Tibetan.
Signing off in Cleveland, Miss A.
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