Something Like an Eternal Literature

Written by Ana Bilić

Ever since we came into the world, we have been putting forward our findings as theses that help us to understand the world and find our place in it. Children are particularly good at studying their parents and their environment and acting accordingly. I still remember as a child comparing my classmates’ moms with my mom. I was convinced that my mom was the most beautiful because she was a bigger version of me, because she was slim, graceful and beautifully dressed. If I were to formulate this conviction as a child’s proverb, it would be that you can achieve happiness only through your own mom.

Proverbs are wisdom in its condensed, abstract form. Proverbs transcend the boundaries of time and space and speak to everyone, regardless of time and space. In a sense, proverbs are eternal literature. The writing style of proverbs is extremely simple and understandable to everyone, and when a proverb is conveyed as an image, the interpretation of the image is clear. Proverbs are based on past experiences, on what we have lived through. When a proverb refers to a future experience, it is called a prophecy. A delicate matter.

Here is a small digression:

One of the famous prophecies was that of the ancient prophesying priestess Pythia of Delphi to a king about his upcoming battles: “You will go and return never to perish in war.” If you put a comma in different places, you also get different meanings: a) You will go and return, never perish in war. = You will defeat the enemy and survive; b) You will go and return never, perish in war. = You will lose the war and die. So, compressed statements that determine the future is a double-edged thing.

But back to proverbs, which are a part of our everyday lives.

The emotional basis of a proverb is neutral – a proverb appeals to our mind, not so much to our emotions, but to the good and honorable in us. But there are proverbs that have a particular undertone and leave a funny aftertaste because of the freedom of interpretation – for example: Attack is the best defense, The end justifies the means, Misfortune rarely comes alone, One hand washes the other, Money doesn’t stink, Clothes make the man, Cobbler, stick to your last, Time is money, etc. These proverbs describe people’s everyday lives and capture experiences that are not always dignified.

On the other hand, life is also pure joy and this can also be expressed in a proverb. These are called winged words. They are quotes that resemble proverbs and – as the word itself says – inspire the mind and soul. I have dealt with this in my book ‘CITTADOR, my CITTADOR!’ The book ‘CITTADOR, my CITTADOR!’ is a collection of winged words that have only one goal – to bring joy and cheerfulness and to strengthen humor and wit in life. Everything revolves around the word Cittador, which for me, in my mind, shines and sparkles with bonfire. A symbol of the spiritual longed-for home we all want to be in one way or another.

What I mean by that – here are a few quotes from the book:

Cittador is the clothing against human coldness.
Cittador is reasonable and demands the impossible.
Always think of Cittador and you will be carried to your grave with a smile.
Your task in life is to become the first violin of Cittador.
Cittador consists of two beautiful parts: Citta and Dor.
Drinking without toasting Cittador is like sleeping without a bed.
The soul of Cittador sleeps in all of us.
If you are very excited, repeat the mantra “Cittador my Cittador!”.