Post by sudan on Nov 26, 2006 13:04:19 GMT -5
These come from West Africa—
Talking doesn't fill the basket in the farm (Success requires
planning and hard work.)
Don't insult the crocodile until you cross the water. (Be careful
about criticizing others.)
Only a knife knows what the inside of a coco-yam looks like. (Those
who investigate and research something understand the subject.)
A big blanket encourages sleeping in the morning. (Luxury encourages
Idleness. If you have worked hard and made wise choices, you will
find contentment.)
A bird that is eating guinea-corn keeps quiet. (Someone going about
his regular business will not create a disturbance. Dedicate yourself
to a task.)
Rats don't dance in the cat's doorway. (Don't invite trouble.)
A hippopotamus can be made invisible in dark water. (Ignorance can
lead to potential danger. It is important to be informed and alert.)
If your house is burning, there is not time to go hunting.
(Priorities are important in planning activities.)
This one was made popular by Hillary Clinton:
It takes a village to raise a child. (West Africa)
Zaire – The Congo
Lower your head modestly while passing, and you will harvest bananas.
No matter how full the river, it still wants to grow.
Do not dispose of the monkey's tail before he is dead.
Love is like a baby: it needs to be treated tenderly.
What is said over the dead lion's body could not be said to him alive.
Children are the reward of life.
The teeth are smiling, but is the heart?
Great events may stem from words of no importance.
Being well dressed does not prevent one from being poor.
Little by little grow the bananas.
You do not teach the paths of the forest to an old gorilla.
A little subtleness is better than a lot of force.
A pretty basket does not prevent worries.
Two birds disputed about a kernel, when a third swooped down and carried it off.
The son shoots a leopard; the father is proud.
Man is like palm-wine: when young, sweet but without strength; in old age, strong but harsh.
When the bee comes to your house, let her have beer; you may want to visit the bee's house some day.
No matter how long the night, the day is sure to come.
He, who is free of faults, will never die.
If you tell people to live together, you tell them to quarrel.
A single bracelet does not jingle.
The friends of our friends are our friends.
Wood may remain ten years in the water, but it will never become a crocodile.
Let him speak who has seen with his eyes.
Those who are absent are always wrong.
Ashanti, Ghana
Rain beats a leopard's skin, but it does not wash out the spots.
Wood already touched by fire is not hard to set alight.
Only when you have crossed the river, can you say the crocodile has a lump on his snout.
If you are in hiding, don't light a fire.
One falsehood spoils a thousand truths.
When a man is wealthy, he may wear an old cloth.
Do not call the forest that shelters you a jungle.
Hunger is felt by a slave and hunger is felt by a king.
The moon moves slowly, but it crosses the town.
The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people.
The poor man and the rich man do not play together.
There is no medicine to cure hatred.
It is the calm and silent water that drowns a man.
It's a bad child who does not take advice.
When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him.
When a woman is hungry, she says, Roast something for the children that they may eat."
When you are rich, you are hated; when you are poor, you are despised.
What is bad luck for one man is good luck for another.
He who cannot dance will say: "The drum is bad."
Fire and gunpowder do not sleep together.
No one tests the depth of a river with both feet
It is no shame at all to work for money.
Money is sharper than a sword.
It is the fool's sheep that break loose twice.
When a man is coming toward you, you need not say: "Come here."
Even though the old man is strong and hearty, he will not live forever.
When a king has good counselors, his reign is peaceful.
By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed.
Baguirmi
The humble pay for the mistakes of their betters.
You are beautiful because of your possessions.
A man with too much ambition cannot sleep in peace.
Lesotho
It is best to bind up the finger before it is cut.
If the palm of the hand itches it signifies the coming of great luck.
Buganda
When the moon is not full, the stars shine more brightly.
He who hunts two rats, catches none.
If you burn a house, can you conceal the smoke?
A strawberry blossom will not sweeten dry bread.
When the master is absent, the frogs hop into the house.
He who is bitten by a snake fears a lizard.
By trying often, the monkey learns to jump from the tree.
The heart of the wise man lies quiet like limpid water.
Cameroon
If you do not step on the dog's tail, he will not bite you.
The cricket cries, the year changes.
When the vine entwines your roof, it is time to cut it down.
Thought breaks the heart.
Knowledge is better than riches.
He who asks questions, cannot avoid the answers
Rain does not fall on one roof alone.
The flood takes him in, and the ebb takes him out.
A man's wealth may be superior to him.
Ethiopia
What is inflated too much, will burst into fragments.
Restless feet may walk into a snake pit.
To one who does not know, a small garden is a forest.
Snake at your feet - a stick at your hand!
The witness of a rat is another rat.
A fool looks for dung where the cow never browsed.
He who learns, teaches.
The cattle is as good as the pasture in which it grazes.
A fool will pair an ox with an elephant.
Evil enters like a needle and spreads like an oak tree.
One who runs alone cannot be outrun.
A close friend can become a close enemy.
Cactus is bitter only to him who tastes of it.
The frog wanted to be as big as the elephant, and burst.
There is no one who became rich because he broke a holiday, and no one who became fat because he broke a fast.
One who recovers from sickness, forgets about God.
When the heart overflows, it comes out through the mouth.
A partner in the business will not put an obstacle to it.
When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.
If the heart is sad, tears will flow.
Unless you call out, who will open the door?
He who digs too deep for a fish, may come out with a snake.
Confiding a secret to an unworthy person is like carrying grain in a bag with a hole.
A loose tooth will not rest until it's pulled out.
The dog I bought, bit me; the fire I kindled, burned me.
A blade won't cut another blade; a cheat won't cheat another cheat.
If relatives help each other, what evil can hurt them?
A home without a woman is like a barn without cattle.
The fool speaks, the wise man listens.
A cat may go to a monastery, but she still remains a cat!
Dine with a stranger but save your love for your family.
A too modest man goes hungry.
If you offend, ask for pardon; if offended, forgive.
He who conceals his disease cannot expect to be cured.
A fool and water will go the way they are diverted.
Where there is no shame, there is no honor.
Advise and counsel him; if he does not listen, let adversity teach him.
He who wants to barter, usually knows what is best for him.
Anticipate the good so that you may enjoy it.
She who does not yet know how to walk, cannot climb a ladder.
Clothes put on while running come off while running.
When a fool is cursed, he thinks he is being praised.
A cow gave birth to a fire: she wanted to lick it, but it burned; she wanted to leave it, but she could not because it was her own child.
One scoops with a scoop.
Galla
What has been blown away, cannot be found again.
The fool is thirsty in the midst of water.
Even over cold pudding, the coward says ~'It will burn my mouth."
What one hopes for is always better than what one has.
A single stick may smoke, but it will not burn.
As the wound inflames the finger, so thought inflames the mind.
Ghana
If you find no fish, you have to eat bread.
Talking doesn't fill the basket in the farm (Success requires
planning and hard work.)
Don't insult the crocodile until you cross the water. (Be careful
about criticizing others.)
Only a knife knows what the inside of a coco-yam looks like. (Those
who investigate and research something understand the subject.)
A big blanket encourages sleeping in the morning. (Luxury encourages
Idleness. If you have worked hard and made wise choices, you will
find contentment.)
A bird that is eating guinea-corn keeps quiet. (Someone going about
his regular business will not create a disturbance. Dedicate yourself
to a task.)
Rats don't dance in the cat's doorway. (Don't invite trouble.)
A hippopotamus can be made invisible in dark water. (Ignorance can
lead to potential danger. It is important to be informed and alert.)
If your house is burning, there is not time to go hunting.
(Priorities are important in planning activities.)
This one was made popular by Hillary Clinton:
It takes a village to raise a child. (West Africa)
Zaire – The Congo
Lower your head modestly while passing, and you will harvest bananas.
No matter how full the river, it still wants to grow.
Do not dispose of the monkey's tail before he is dead.
Love is like a baby: it needs to be treated tenderly.
What is said over the dead lion's body could not be said to him alive.
Children are the reward of life.
The teeth are smiling, but is the heart?
Great events may stem from words of no importance.
Being well dressed does not prevent one from being poor.
Little by little grow the bananas.
You do not teach the paths of the forest to an old gorilla.
A little subtleness is better than a lot of force.
A pretty basket does not prevent worries.
Two birds disputed about a kernel, when a third swooped down and carried it off.
The son shoots a leopard; the father is proud.
Man is like palm-wine: when young, sweet but without strength; in old age, strong but harsh.
When the bee comes to your house, let her have beer; you may want to visit the bee's house some day.
No matter how long the night, the day is sure to come.
He, who is free of faults, will never die.
If you tell people to live together, you tell them to quarrel.
A single bracelet does not jingle.
The friends of our friends are our friends.
Wood may remain ten years in the water, but it will never become a crocodile.
Let him speak who has seen with his eyes.
Those who are absent are always wrong.
Ashanti, Ghana
Rain beats a leopard's skin, but it does not wash out the spots.
Wood already touched by fire is not hard to set alight.
Only when you have crossed the river, can you say the crocodile has a lump on his snout.
If you are in hiding, don't light a fire.
One falsehood spoils a thousand truths.
When a man is wealthy, he may wear an old cloth.
Do not call the forest that shelters you a jungle.
Hunger is felt by a slave and hunger is felt by a king.
The moon moves slowly, but it crosses the town.
The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people.
The poor man and the rich man do not play together.
There is no medicine to cure hatred.
It is the calm and silent water that drowns a man.
It's a bad child who does not take advice.
When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him.
When a woman is hungry, she says, Roast something for the children that they may eat."
When you are rich, you are hated; when you are poor, you are despised.
What is bad luck for one man is good luck for another.
He who cannot dance will say: "The drum is bad."
Fire and gunpowder do not sleep together.
No one tests the depth of a river with both feet
It is no shame at all to work for money.
Money is sharper than a sword.
It is the fool's sheep that break loose twice.
When a man is coming toward you, you need not say: "Come here."
Even though the old man is strong and hearty, he will not live forever.
When a king has good counselors, his reign is peaceful.
By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed.
Baguirmi
The humble pay for the mistakes of their betters.
You are beautiful because of your possessions.
A man with too much ambition cannot sleep in peace.
Lesotho
It is best to bind up the finger before it is cut.
If the palm of the hand itches it signifies the coming of great luck.
Buganda
When the moon is not full, the stars shine more brightly.
He who hunts two rats, catches none.
If you burn a house, can you conceal the smoke?
A strawberry blossom will not sweeten dry bread.
When the master is absent, the frogs hop into the house.
He who is bitten by a snake fears a lizard.
By trying often, the monkey learns to jump from the tree.
The heart of the wise man lies quiet like limpid water.
Cameroon
If you do not step on the dog's tail, he will not bite you.
The cricket cries, the year changes.
When the vine entwines your roof, it is time to cut it down.
Thought breaks the heart.
Knowledge is better than riches.
He who asks questions, cannot avoid the answers
Rain does not fall on one roof alone.
The flood takes him in, and the ebb takes him out.
A man's wealth may be superior to him.
Ethiopia
What is inflated too much, will burst into fragments.
Restless feet may walk into a snake pit.
To one who does not know, a small garden is a forest.
Snake at your feet - a stick at your hand!
The witness of a rat is another rat.
A fool looks for dung where the cow never browsed.
He who learns, teaches.
The cattle is as good as the pasture in which it grazes.
A fool will pair an ox with an elephant.
Evil enters like a needle and spreads like an oak tree.
One who runs alone cannot be outrun.
A close friend can become a close enemy.
Cactus is bitter only to him who tastes of it.
The frog wanted to be as big as the elephant, and burst.
There is no one who became rich because he broke a holiday, and no one who became fat because he broke a fast.
One who recovers from sickness, forgets about God.
When the heart overflows, it comes out through the mouth.
A partner in the business will not put an obstacle to it.
When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.
If the heart is sad, tears will flow.
Unless you call out, who will open the door?
He who digs too deep for a fish, may come out with a snake.
Confiding a secret to an unworthy person is like carrying grain in a bag with a hole.
A loose tooth will not rest until it's pulled out.
The dog I bought, bit me; the fire I kindled, burned me.
A blade won't cut another blade; a cheat won't cheat another cheat.
If relatives help each other, what evil can hurt them?
A home without a woman is like a barn without cattle.
The fool speaks, the wise man listens.
A cat may go to a monastery, but she still remains a cat!
Dine with a stranger but save your love for your family.
A too modest man goes hungry.
If you offend, ask for pardon; if offended, forgive.
He who conceals his disease cannot expect to be cured.
A fool and water will go the way they are diverted.
Where there is no shame, there is no honor.
Advise and counsel him; if he does not listen, let adversity teach him.
He who wants to barter, usually knows what is best for him.
Anticipate the good so that you may enjoy it.
She who does not yet know how to walk, cannot climb a ladder.
Clothes put on while running come off while running.
When a fool is cursed, he thinks he is being praised.
A cow gave birth to a fire: she wanted to lick it, but it burned; she wanted to leave it, but she could not because it was her own child.
One scoops with a scoop.
Galla
What has been blown away, cannot be found again.
The fool is thirsty in the midst of water.
Even over cold pudding, the coward says ~'It will burn my mouth."
What one hopes for is always better than what one has.
A single stick may smoke, but it will not burn.
As the wound inflames the finger, so thought inflames the mind.
Ghana
If you find no fish, you have to eat bread.