18
Hausa Proverbs
47 Komi ya ke chikkin dan kaza, shafu ya deddi da sanninshi.
- Whatever there is inside a chicken the hawk has been familiar with it for a very long time.
- There is not much that you can teach me about that.
48 Ansan baki yana da ja'n myo, akan zubar da fari.
- It is well known that the month has red spittle (or that it looks red in the mouth), still white comes out.
- Though spittle in the mouth looks red, still, when it comes out, it is white, so, though you are hot with anger, let it come out cool.
- I know you are angry, still forgive him.
49 Gishiri nema (na yi ma) mai'n kaddé daria'n rana, randa rua ya zo gishiri ya ji kumia.
- Salt laughs at mai'n kaddé while the sun shines, but when rain comes it hides its head.
- Mai'n kaddé, shea butter.
- He laughs best who laughs last. Vide 63.
50 Inda gainya'n doka daia ya fadi, asa gainya'n dorowa derri ba rufe wurinn.
- Where one doka leaf has fallen, it would require more than 100 dorowa leaves to fill its place.
- 100 men will not fill the place of the man who has been removed or died; you will never get one so good.
- The leaf of the doka is a large flat one; that of the dorowa is like that of an ash tree or a fern; when a leaf falls all the side pieces (pinnæ) fall separately.
- Wurinn, note the accent on the "inn," meaning "in that place."
