「豚に真珠」「猫に小判」は、日本語の辞書にも出てくるくらい有名ですが、「豚に真珠」のほうは聖書に由来します。
豚は pig または swine といいますが、swine は古語、文語の類です。pig も swine も、口語、俗語では、「堕落した人、邪悪な人」といった悪い意味にしか用いません。swine は集合名詞ですから、複数でも swine ですが、「人」のことを言うときは、複数は swines と-s をつけていいます。
聖書では、豚と同様に、犬も悪い連想にしか用いられません。例えば、「マタイによる福音書」7章6節の「神聖なものを犬に与えるな」のようにです。日本でも、「犬侍」「犬死に」「犬の遠吠え」「犬に論語」といった悪い連想が多いので、戌年の私などはチョッピリ引け目を感じてしまいます。
「マタイによる福音書」7章6節を何種類かの英訳聖書で読んでみましょう。訳者によって少しずつ訳し方が違うので、苦心のあとが偲ばれます。
Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls to the pigs: they will only trample on them, and turn and tear you to pieces. --New English Bible
Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. -New International Version
Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls in front of pigs, or they may trample them and then turn on you and tear you to pieces.--Jerusalem Bible
You must not give holy things to dogs, nor must you throw your pearls before pigs─or they may trample them underfoot and turn and attack you. --Phillips Modern English Bible
Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you. --Revised Standard Version
Do not give what is holy to dogs─they will only turn and attack you. Do not throw your pearls in front of pigs─they will only trample them underfoot. --Today's English Version
Never give dogs what is sacred, and never throw pearls before swine, in case they trample them under foot and turn to gore you. --James Moffatt Version
Don't give what is holy to unholy people. Don't give pearls to swine! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you. --New Living Translation
