Chapter II: Part 2

[55] This is J. J. Thomas’ translation, as given in his “Theory and
Practice of Creole Grammar.” _Lhouvênaïe_ is a word which does not
exist in our Louisiana patois. Does it come from the Spanish
_llover_--“to rain”? or is it only a Creole form of the French
_hivernage_? _Carême_, of course means Lent; whether the dry season in
Trinidad is concomitant with the Lenten epoch, or whether the Creoles
of the Island use the word to signify any season of scarcity, I am
unable to decide.

143. Gouïe passé difil sivré. (Où l’aiguille passe, le fil suivra.)

“Where the needle passes thread will follow.”[56]--[_Mauritius._]

[56] When a strong man has opened the way, feebler folks may safely
follow.

144. Graisse pas tini sentiment. (La graisse n’a pas de sentiment.)

“Fat has no feeling.”[57]--[_Trinidad._]

[57] There may be some physiological truth in this proverb as applied
to the inhabitants of the Antilles, where stoutness is the exception.
Generally speaking phlegmatic persons are inclined to fleshiness.

145. Haillons mié passé tout nu. (Les haillons sont mieux que de rester tout nu.)

“Rags are better than nakedness.” “Half-a-loaf’s better than no
bread.”--[_Hayti._]

146. Haï moune; main pas ba yeaux pañèn pou châïer dleau. (Hais les gens; mais ne leur donne pas des paniers pour charrier de l’eau.)

“Hate people; but don’t give them baskets to carry water in.”--that is
to say: Don’t tell lies about them that no one can believe--stories
that “won’t hold water.”--[_Trinidad._]

147. * Jadin loin, gombo gaté. (Jardin loin, gombo gâté.)

“When the garden is far, the gombo is spoiled.”[58]--[_Martinique._]

[58] This appears to be a universal Creole proverb. If you want
anything to be well done, you must look after it yourself: to absent
oneself from one’s business is unwise, etc.

148. * Jamais di: Fontaine, mo va jamais boi to dolo. (Ne dis jamais--Fontaine, je ne boirai jamais de ton eau.)”

“Never say--‘Spring, I will never drink your
water.’”[59]--[_Louisiana._]

[59] The loftiest pride is liable to fall; and we know not how soon we
may be glad to seek the aid of the most humble.

149. Janmain guiabe ka dòmi. (Jamais le diable ne s’endort.)

“The devil never sleeps.”--[_Martinique._]

150. Janmain nous ne pas douè ladans quiou poule compté zè. (Il ne faut jamais [nous ne devons jamais] compter les œufs dans la derrière de la poule.)

“We should never count the eggs in the body of the hen.”-(The Creole
proverb is, however, less delicate.)--[_Martinique._]

151. Jouè epis chatt ou trappé coup d’patte. (Jouez avec le chat, et vous attrapperez un coup de patte.)

“Play with the cat, and you’ll get scratched.”--[_Martinique._]

152. * Joué épis chien ou trappé pice. (Jouez avec les chiens, vous aurez des puces.)

“Play with the dogs, and you will get fleas.”[60]--[_Martinique._]

[60] This seems to be a universal proverb. In Louisiana we say: _Jouè
evec, ‘tichien_, etc.

153. * Joudui pou ous, demain pou moin. (Aujourd’hui pour vous, demain pour moi.)

“To-day for you; to-morrow for me.”[61]--[_Hayti._]

[61] Current also in Louisiana: _Jordi pou vou_, etc.: “Your turn
to-day; perhaps it may be mine to-morrow.”

154. La oti zouèseau ka fé niche yo, c’est la yo ka couché. (Où les oiseaux font leur nids, là ils se couchent.)

“Where the birds build their nests, there they
sleep.”--[_Martinique._]

155. Laboue moque lamare. (La boue se moque de la mare.)

“The mud laughs at the puddle.”--Like our: “Pot calls kettle
black.”--[_Mauritius._]

156. Lacase bardeaux napas guétte la case vitivére. (La maison [couverte de] bardeaux ne regarde point la case couverte de vetiver.)

“The house roofed with shingles doesn’t look at the hut covered with
vetiver.”--[_Mauritius._]

157. * Lagniappe c’est bitin qui bon. (Lagniappe c’est du bon butin.)

“Lagniappe is lawful booty.”[62]--[_Louisiana._]

[62] _Lagniappe_, a word familiar to every child in New Orleans,
signifies the little present given to purchasers of groceries,
provisions, fruit, or other goods sold at retail stores. Groceries,
especially, seek to rival each other in the attractive qualities of
their _lagniappe_; consisting of candies, fruits, biscuits, little
fancy cakes, etc. The chief purpose is to attract children. The little
one sent for a pound of butter, or “a dime’s worth” of sugar, never
fails to ask for its _lagniappe_.

158. Laguer vêti pas ka pouend viéx nègues nans cabarets. (La guerre avertie ne prend pas de vieux négres dans les cabarets.)

“Threatened war doesn’t surprise old negroes in the
grog-shops.”[63]--[_Trinidad._]

[63] Proverbs 158-9 are equivalent to our “Forewarned is forearmed.”

159. * Laguerre vertie pas tchué beaucoup soldats. (La guerre avertie ne tue pas beaucoup de soldats.)

“Threatened war doesn’t kill many soldiers.”--[_Louisiana._]

160. Lakhé bef dit: Temps allé, temps vini. (La queue du bœuf dit: Le temps s’en va, le temps revient.)

“The ox’s tail says: Time goes, time comes.”[64]--[_Martinique._]

[64] See Proverb 22. Whether the swing of the tail suggested the idea
of a _pendulum_ to the deviser of this saying is doubtful. The meaning
seems to me that the motion of the ox’s tail indicates a change not of
time, but of _weather_ (_temps_).

161. Lalangue napas lézos. (La langue n’a pas d’os).

“The tongue has no bones.” This proverb has various applications. One
of the best alludes to promises or engagements made with the secret
determination not to keep them.--[_Mauritius._]

162. * Lamisère à deux, Misère et Compagnie. (La misère à deux, c’est Misère et Compagnie.)

“Misery for two, is Misery & Co.”[65]--[_Louisiana._]

[65] Refers especially to a man who marries without having made proper
provision for the future. The Creole does not believe in our reckless
proverb: “What will keep one, will keep two.” _Non, non, chèr,
lamisère à deux, Misère & Cie.!_

163. Lapauveté napas éne vis, més li éne bien gros coulou. (La pauvreté n’est pas une vis [un vice]; mais c’est un bien gros clou.)

“Poverty isn’t a screw; but it’s a very big nail.” The pun will be
obvious to a French reader; but _vice_ is not a true Creole word,
according to Baissac.--[_Mauritius._]

164. Lapin dit: Boué toutt, mangé toutt, pas dit toutt. (Le lapin dit: Buvez tout, mangez tout, ne dites pas tout.)

“Rabbit says: Drink everything, eat everything, but don’t tell
everything.”[66]--[_Martinique._]

[66] Founded upon a celebrated Creole fable: see Prov. 40 (_note_).

165. Laplie tombé, couroupas va sourti. (La pluie tombe, les colimaçons vent sortir.)

“It is raining; snails will be out presently.”--[_Mauritius._]

166. * Laplie tombé, ouaouaron chanté. (Quand la pluie va tomber, les grenouilles chantent.)

“When the rain is coming, the bull-frogs sing.”--[_Louisiana._]

167. Laquée bourique napas laquée çouval. (Une queue d’âne n’est pas une queue de cheval.)

“A donkey’s tail is not a horse’s tail.” Can’t make a silk purse out
of a sow’s ear.--[_Mauritius._]

168. Larzan bon, més li trop cère. (L’argent est bon, mais il est trop cher.)

“Money’s good; but it’s too dear.”--[_Mauritius._]

169. Larzan napas trouvé dans lipied milet. (L’argent ne se trouve pas dans le pied d’un mulet.)

“Money isn’t to be found in a mule’s hoof.”--[_Mauritius._]

170. Larzan napas éna famille. (L’argent n’a pas de famille.)

“Money has no blood relations.”--There is no friendship in
business.--[_Mauritius._]

171. * La-tché chatte poussé avec temps. (La queue du chat pousse avec le temps.)

“The cat’s tail takes time to grow.”--[_Louisiana._]

172. Lepé dit aimé ous pendant li ronge doighte ous. (La lépre dit qu’elle vous aime pendant qu’elle vous ronge les doigts.)

“The leprosy says it loves you, while it is eating your
fingers.”--[_Hayti._]

173. L’hére coq çanté, li bon pour marié. (Quand le coq chante, il est bon à marier.)

“When the cock begins to crow, he is old enough to get
married.”--[_Mauritius._]

174. Lhére lamontagne bourlé, tout dimounde coné; lhére léquére bourlé, qui coné? (Quand la montagne brûle, tout le monde le sait; quand le cœur brûle, qui le sait?)

“When the mountain burns, everybody knows it; when the heart burns,
who knows it?”--[_Mauritius._]

175. Li allé l’ecole cabritt, li ritouné mouton. (Il est allé à l’école [comme un] cabri; il est revenu mouton.)

“He went to school a kid, and came back a sheep.”[67]--[_Martinique._]

[67] The allusion to the overgrown and shy schoolboy, who has lost the
mischievous playfulness of his childhood, is easily recognizable.
Creole planters of the Antilles generally sent their sons to Europe to
be educated.

176. Li fine vendé so coçon. (Il a vendu son cochon.)

“He has sold his pig.”[68]--[_Mauritius._]

[68] Said of one who unexpectedly disburses a considerable sum, or who
spends more money than his visible resources admit of.

177. Li laçasse zozos pariaca. (Il chasse aux oiseaux à paliaca.)

“He’s hunting paliaca-birds.”[69]--[_Mauritius._]

[69] _Paliaca_ is the Mauritian term for the brightly-colored kerchief
there worn by all young negresses in lieu of hats or bonnets, like the
old time Louisiana _tiyon_. “He is hunting for paliaca-birds”
therefore means, “He is running after the colored girls.”

178. Li manque lagale pour gratté. (Il [ne] manque [que] de gale pour se gratter. [Lit. In good French: Il ne lui manque que la gale, etc.])

“He only wants the itch so that he may scratch himself.” Said of a man
who has all that his heart can wish for.[70]--[_Mauritius._]

[70] We have a singular expression in Louisiana: “_Li metté mantec
dans so faillots._ (He puts lard in his beans.”) That is to say, “He
is well off.” _Mantec_ is a Creolised form of the Spanish _manteca_,
used in Spanish-America to signify lard.

179. Li pour marié; més qulquefois bague mariaze glisse dans lédoight. (Il doit se marier; mais quelquefois la bague de mariage glisse du doigt.)

“He is to be married, they say; but sometimes the marriage-ring slips
from one’s finger.”[71]--[_Mauritius._]

[71] “There’s many a slip twixt the cup and the lip.”

180. Li soule bontemps. (Il se soûle de bon temps.)

“He is drunk with doing nothing.”--[_Mauritius._]

181. Liane yame ka marré yame. (La liane du yam lie [lit. amarre] le yam.)

“The yam-vine ties the yam.”[72]--[_Trinidad._]

[72] In Martinique Creole the proverb is: _Còde gnâme marré gnâme._
“Code” (_corde_) signifying the same as _liane_, the long cord-like
stalk of the creeper. Folks are sometimes caught fast in the snares
they set for others, just as the yam is tied with its own stalk.

182. Lilit pour dé napas lilet pour trois. (Un lit pour deux n’est pas un lit pour trois.)

“A bed for two isn’t a bed for three.”--[_Mauritius._]

183. Lizié napas éna balizaze. (Les yeux n’ont pas de frontière.)[73]

“Eyes have no boundary.” Equivalent to the English saying: “A cat may
look at a king.”--[_Mauritius._]

[73] The Mauritian Creoles have adopted a marine word in lieu of the
French term _frontière_. “Balizaze” is the Creole form of the French
_balisage_, from _balise_, a sea mark, buoy--word adopted in our own
nautical technology. The term completely changes its meaning as well
as its spelling in Creole.

184. Macaque caresser iche li touop, lì fourrer doègt nans ziex li. (Le macaque, en caressant trop son petit, lui a fourré le doigt dans l’œil.)

“By petting her young one too much, the monkey ends by poking her
finger into its eye.”--[_Trinidad._]

185. * Macaque dan calebasse. (Le macaque dans la calebasse.)

“Monkey in the calabash.”[74]--[_Louisiana._]

[74] Allusion to the old fable about the monkey, who after putting his
hand easily into the orifice of a gourd, could not withdraw it without
letting go what he sought to steal from within, and so got caught. In
the figurative Creole speech one who allows his passions to ruin or
disgrace him is a _macaque dans calebasse_.

186. * Macaque dit si so croupion plimé ças pas gàdé lezautt. (Le macaque dit que si son croupion est plumé, ça ne régarde pas les autres.)

“Monkey says if his rump is bare, it’s nobody’s
business.”[75]--[_Louisiana._]

[75] Allusion to the callosities of the monkey. Plimé literally means
“plucked;” but the Creole negroes use it to signify “bare” from any
cause. A negro in rags might use the above proverb as a hint to those
who wish to joke him about his personal appearance.

187. * Macaque pas jamain ka dîe ìche li laide. (Le macaque ne dit jamais que son petit est laid.)

“Monkey never says its young is ugly.”[76]--[_Trinidad._]

[76] A widely-spread proverb. In Louisiana we say _piti li_ or _so
piti_, instead of “yche” or “iche li.” In Martinique Creole: _Macaque
pas janmain trouve yche li laide._

188. Macaque save qui bois li monté; li pas monté zaurangé. (Le macaque sait sur quel arbre il doit monter; il ne monte pas sur l’oranger.)

“The monkey well knows what tree to climb; he doesn’t climb an orange
tree.”[77]--[_Martinique._]

[77] Because the orange tree is thorny.

189. Magré sèpent ni ti ziè li ka voué clè bien. (Bien que le serpent ait de petits yeux, il voit très-clair.)

“Though the serpent has little eyes, he sees very
well.”--[_Martinique._]

190. Maite cabrite mandé li; ous pas capabe di li plainda. (Le maître du cabrit le demande; vous ne pouvez pas vous en plaindre.)

“The kid’s owner asks for it; you can’t blame him.”[78]--[_Hayti._]

[78] Mr. Bigelow, in _Harper’s Magazine_, explains the use of this
proverb by a creditor to a debtor.

191. Maladie vine làhaut iéve; li alle làhaut tourtie. (La maladie vient sur le lièvre; elle part [s’en va] sur la tortue.)

“Sickness comes riding upon a hare; but goes away riding upon a
tortoise.”--[_Mauritius._]

192. Mal hé pas ka châger con lapliè. (Lit: Le malheur ne se charge pas comme la pluie.)

“Misfortune doesn’t threaten like rain.”[79]--[_Trinidad._]

[79] _Le temps se charge_, in French signifies that it is clouding up,
threatening rain--lit: “loading up.” Misfortune does not threaten
before it falls.

193. Mamans ka fair iches, main pas khèrs yeaux. (Les mères font les enfants, mais non pas leurs cœurs.)

“Mothers make children; but not children’s hearts.”--[_Trinidad._]

194. Manger yon fois pas ka rìser dents. (Manger une fois n’use pas les dents.)

“Eating once doesn’t wear out the teeth.”--[_Trinidad._]

195. Mari napas trouvé dans vétivére. (Un mari ne se trouve pas dans le vétiver.)

“You won’t find a husband in the _vetiver_.”[80]--[_Mauritius._]

[80] The delightfully fragrant grass, well-known to pharmaceutists as
the _Andropogon muricatus_ or _Vetiveria odorata_ is used in Mauritius
to thatch cabins with. A broad border of this grass is usually planted
around each square of sugar-cane. It grows tall enough to conceal a
man, or a couple of lovers holding a rendezvous. Hence the wholesome
warning.

196. Mariaze napas pariaze; ménaze napas badinaze. (Le mariage n’est pas un pari; le ménage n’est pas un badinage.)

“Marriage is no trifling wager, and housekeeping is no
sport.”--[_Mauritius._]

197. Marié éne boutéye vide. (Epouser une bouteille vide.)

“Marry an empty bottle.”--Meaning to marry a girl without a
dowry.--[_Mauritius._]

198. * Maringouin perdi so temps quand li piqué caïman. (Le maringoin perd son temps quand il pique le caïman.)

“The mosquito loses his time when he tries to sting the
alligator.”[81]--[_Louisiana._]

[81] Ripost to a threat--as we would say: “All that has as little
effect on me as water on a duck’s back!”

199. Marré conm yon paqué crabe. (Amarré comme un paquet de crabes.)

“Tangled up, or tied up, like a bundle of crabs.”--Said of people
notoriously clumsy.[82]--[_Martinique._]

[82] Anyone who has ever seen a heap of live crabs in a basket, will
comprehend the fun of this saying--intimating that the sinews of the
gawkish person are tangled up as hopelessly as crabs in a
market-basket.

200. Mégue coment çatte qui manze lérats-misqué. (Maigre comme un chat qui mange des rats musqués.)

“Thin as a cat that lives on musk-rats.”--[_Mauritius._]

201. Même baton qui batte chein nouèr-là, pé batte chein blanc-là. (Le même bâton qui bat le chien noir peut battre le chien blanc.)

“The same stick that beats the black dog can beat the
white.”[83]--[_Trinidad._]

[83] As one should observe: “I’ve whipped better men than you.”

202. Menti ça pas si mal conm palé mal moun. (Le mensonge n’est pas si mauvais que de parler mal des autres.)

“Lying isn’t as bad as speaking badly about people.”--Lying is less
wicked than calumny.--[_Martinique._]

203. * Merci pas couté arien. (“Merci” ne coûte rien.)

“Thanks cost nothing.”--[_Louisiana._]

204. * Metté milâte enhaut choual, li va dî négresse pas so maman. (Mettez un mulâtre [en haut] sur un cheval--il [va dire] dira qu’une négresse n’est pas sa maman.)

“Just put a mulatto on horseback, and he’ll tell you his mother wasn’t
a negress.”[84]--[_Louisiana._]

[84] I usually give but one example of a proverb when it occurs in
several dialects; but the Martinique form of this proverb is too
amusing to omit. See Prov. 267.

205. Mié vaut mangé lamori ou, qu’codeinne leszautt. (Il vaut mieux de manger [de] la morue [qui est] à vous que le coq-d’Inde aux autres.)

“Better to eat one’s own codfish than another person’s
turkey-cock.”--[_Martinique._]

206. Milatt ka batt, cabritt ka mò. (Les mulâtres se battent, ce sont les cabrits qui meurent.)

“When the mulattoes get to fighting, the goats get
killed.”[85]--[_Martinique._]

[85] The feeling of the black to the mulatto is likewise revealed in
the following dicton:--Nègue pòté maïs dans so lapoche pou volé
poule;--milatt pòté cordon dans so lapoche pou volé choual;--nhomme
blanc pòté larzan dans so lapoche pou trompé fille. (Le nègre porte du
maïs dans sa poche pour voler des poules;--le mulâtre porte un cordon
dans sa poche pour voler des chevaux;--l’homme blanc porte de l’argent
dans sa poche pour tromper les filles.)

“The negro carries corn in his pocket to [help him to] steal chickens;
the mulatto carries a rope in his pocket to steal horses; the white
man carries money in his pocket to deceive girls.”--[Louisiana.]

207. Misè fè macaque mangé piment. (La misère force le macaque à manger du piment.)

“Misery makes the monkey eat red pepper.”--[_Martinique._]

208. * “Mo bien comm mo yé,” parole rare. (“Je me trouve bien comme je suis”--ces sont des paroles rares.)

“‘I’m well enough as I am,’ are words one doesn’t often
hear.”--[_Louisiana._]

209. * Mo va pas prêté vous bâton pou cassé mo latête. (Je ne vais vous prêter un bâton pour me casser la tête.)

“I’m not going to lend you a stick to break my head
with.”--[_Louisiana._]

210. Moin ainmein plis yon balaou jòdi là qu’taza dimain. (J’aime mieux un balaou aujourd’hui qu’un tazard demain.)

“I’d rather have horn-fish to-day, than mackerel
to-morrow.”[86]--[_Martinique._]

[86] “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” The translation is
not literal. The _tazard_ or _thazard_, although belonging to the
scomber family, is not a true mackerel. _Balaou_ is one Creole name
for _l’aiguillette de mer_, hornfish [?].

211. Moin pas ka prend dithé pou fiève li. (Je ne veux pas prendre du thé pour sa fièvre.)

“I don’t propose to drink tea for his fever.”[87]--[_Martinique._]

[87] Or better still: “I don’t intend to drink tea just because he has
the fever.” In other words, “I don’t intend to bother myself with
other people’s troubles.”....The tea referred to is one of those old
Creole preparations taken during fevers--the _tisanes_ of the black
nurses: perhaps the cooling sassafras, or orange-leaf tea administered
to sufferers from _dengue_ in New Orleans.

212. Montagnes zamés zoinde, domounde zoinde. (Les montagnes ne se rencontrent jamais, les hommes se rencontrent.)

“Mountains, only, never meet; men meet.”--We are certain to encounter
friends and enemies under the most unlikely
circumstances.--[_Mauritius._]

213. Mounn ouè défaut les-zautt, yo pas ni zié pou ta yo. (Les gens voient les défauts des autres, ils n’ont pas d’yeux pour les leurs.)

“Folks see the faults of others; they have no eyes for their
own.”[88]--[_Martinique._]

[88] This proverb, not being of true Creole origin, receives a place
here as an illustration of effective patois. In Louisiana we never say
_ta yo_, but _so quenne_....Were all proverbs used by the
Creole-speaking people included in this collection, it would be
considerably longer. Nearly all familiar English proverbs have
received Creole adoption, with slight modifications; for example,
instead of “putting the cart before the horse,” the Mauritian negro
_mette çarette divant milét_, puts the cart before the _mule_--an
animal with which he is more familiar.

214. Moustique pitit; més lhére li çanté vous zoréye plein. (Le moustique est petit; mais quand il chante, votre oreille en est pleine.)

“The mosquito is little; but when he sings, your ears are full of
him.”--[_Mauritius._]

215. Napas éna fromaze qui napas trouve so macathia. (Il n’y a pas de fromage qui ne trouve son pain bis.)

“There’s no cheese but what can find brown bread.”[89]--[_Mauritius._]

[89] That is to say, whoever has a bit of cheese can always find a bit
of brown bread to eat with it. There never was a girl so ugly that she
could not find a husband.

216. Napas rémié fimié sec. (Ne remuez pas le fumier sec.)

“Don’t stir up dry manure.”--Said to those who desire to resurrect
forgotten scandal.--[_Mauritius._]

217. Napas vous sangsie qui a monté làhaut moi. (Ce n’est pas votre sangsue qui montera sur moi.)

“Your leech isn’t going to climb on me.” That is: you shan’t take
advantage of me.--[_Mauritius._]

218. Napas vous laliane darzent qui a monté làhaut mo tonelle. (Ce n’est pas votre liane d’argent qui montera sur ma tonnelle.)

“It isn’t your silver creeper that is going to climb over my summer
house.”[90]--[_Mauritius._]

[90] Said by young girls to those whose advances are disagreeable.
_Khè lanmou pas ka sauté_ (“heart-of-love does not yet leap”) would be
the more polite response of a Martinique girl.

219. * Napas zoué av difé; wou a boulé vous çimise. (Ne jouez pas avec le feu; vous vous brûlerez la chemise.)

“Play with the fire and you’ll burn your shirt.” This proverb appears
to be current wherever any form of the patois
prevails.--[_Mauritius._]

220. Nîon doight pas jamain mangé calalou. (Avec un seul doigt on ne peut jamais manger du calalou.)

“You can’t eat calalou with one finger.”[91]--[_Hayti._]

[91] The West Indian _calalou_ is made almost precisely like our
_gombo_-soup. The word is of African origin according to Turiault.

221. Nhomme mort, zhèbes ka lever douvant lapôte li. ([Quand] un homme [est] mort, l’herbe pousse [lit.: s’élève] devant sa porte.)

“When a man is dead, the grass grows tall before his
door.”--[_Trinidad._]

222. Nououi chouval pou baille zofficié monté. (Nourir des chevaux pour les donner à monter aux officiers.)

“Feed horses for officers to ride.” To be the victim of one’s own
foolish liberality.--[_Martinique._]

223. * Oîmso soulié savé si bas tini trou. (Le soulier seul sait si le bas a un trou.)

“The shoe only knows whether the stockings have
holes.”[92]--[_Guyane._]

[92] In the Martinique dialect it is: _C’est soulié qui save si bas
tini trou_. In the Trinidad patois: _Cé soulier tout-sél qui save si
bas tini trou_ (Thomas). In Louisiana Creole: _C’est soulier nek
connin si bas gagnin trou_. “Nek,” compound from French _ne ...
que_--“only.”

224. Oti tini zos tini chien. (Où il y a des os il y a des chiens.)

“Wherever there are bones, there are dogs.” Meaning that when one is
rich, one has plenty of friends.--[_Martinique._]

225. Ou faché avec gan chemin, que côté ou va passé? (Vous vous fachez avec le grand chemin, de quel côté irez-vouz?)

“If you get angry with the high road, what way will you
go?”--[_Hayti._]

226. Ou fait semblant mourir, moin fait semblant enterrer ou. (Faites semblant de mourir, et moi je ferai semblant de vous enterrer.)

“You pretend to die; and I’ll pretend to bury you.”[93]--[_Hayti._]

[93] Said to those who relate improbable stories of woe.

227. Ou sauté, ou tombé la menme. (Vous sautez, vouz tombez tout de même.)

“You jump, but you come down all the same.”[94]--[_Martinique._]

[94] Just so high as you jump, so great the fall. The higher our
ambition, the greater the peril of failure.

228. * Où y’en a charogne, y’en a carencro. (Où il a charogne, il y a des busards.)

“Wherever there’s carrion, there are buzzards.”[95]--[_Louisiana._]

[95] This is one of several instances of the Creole adoption of
English words. The name “carrion-crow” has been applied to the buzzard
in Louisiana from an early period of its American history.

229. Ous pôncor travesser läivïèr;--pas jirez maman caïman. (Vous n’avez pas encore traversé la rivière--ne jurez [maudissez] pas la maman du caïman.)

“You haven’t crossed the river yet; don’t curse at the crocodile’s
mother.”[96]--[_Trinidad._]

[96] “Don’t halloo till you’re out of the wood!”

230. Padon pas ka guéri bosse. (“Pardon” ne guérit pas la bosse.)

“Asking pardon doesn’t cure the bump.”[97]--[_Martinique._]

[97] In the Creole of Guyana this proverb exists in a very curious
form: _Ago pa guéri maleng_.--“the excuse doesn’t cure the hurt.” M.
Alfred de Saint-Quentin in his work upon this remarkably fantastic and
melodious Creole dialect, says that _Ago_ is the only word of purely
African origin he has been able to find in the Guyana patois. On the
Gold coast _ago_! is a warning cry: “Take care!--clear the way!” The
Guyana slaves retained the word in a different sense. The negro who
accidentally jostles anybody, still exclaims _Ago!_--but it now means
“Beg pardon,” or “Excuse me!”

231. Pâlér pas rimède. (Parler n’est pas un reméde.)

“Talking is no remedy.” In Creole the word signifies medicine as well
as _remedy_.--[_Trinidad._]

232. Pâler touop ka lever chein nans dômi. (Trop parler [c’est ce qui] éveille le chien endormi.)

“Talking too much arouses the dog from sleep.”[98]--[_Trinidad._]

[98] Talking too freely about our projects helps our enemies to thwart
our hopes.

233. Pâoûoles pas tini coulèr. (Les paroles n’ont pas de couleur.)

“Words have no color.”--This is generally said to people who stare a
speaker out of countenance.--[_Trinidad._]

234. Pâoûoles pas couté cher. (Les paroles ne coûtent pas cher.)

“Words are cheap.” In Martinique the phrase is _Paoûòles pas châge_:
(“Words are no weight to carry.”)--[_Trinidad._]

235. * Parole trop fort, machoir gonflé. (Par la parole trop forte, la machoir est gonflée.)

“By talking too loud the jaw becomes swelled.”[99]--[_Louisiana._]

[99] Literally: “Word too strong, jaw swelled up.” Seems to imply the
_indirect_ rather than the direct consequence of using violent
language--viz., a severe beating from the person abused.

236. Pas fôte langue qui fair bef pas sa pâler. (Ce n’est pas à faute de langue que le bœuf ne sait pas parler.)

“It isn’t for want of tongue that the ox can’t talk.”--[_Trinidad._]

237. Pas jou’ moin bien changé, moin ka rencontré nénneine moins. (Ce n’est pas le jour que je suis bien changé que je vais rencontrer ma marraine.)

“It isn’t on the day I am greatly changed” [when I am most
unfortunate] “that I am going to meet my godmother.”--[_Martinique._]

238. Pas menme jou ou mangé tè ou vini enflé. (Ce n’est pas le même jour que vous mangez que vous vous trouvez enflé).

“It isn’t the same day you eat that you find yourself puffed
up.”[100]--[_Martinique._]

[100] That is to say that the worst results of folly do not always
manifest themselves when expected.

239. Pauve moune bail déjeuner nans quior. (Les pauvres gens vous donnent à déjeuner dans leurs cœurs).

“Poor folks give breakfast with their hearts.”--[_Hayti._]

240. * Pis faibe toujou tini tò. (Le plus faible a toujours tort).

“The weakest is always in the wrong.”--[_Martinique._]

241. * Piti à piti, zozo fait son nid. (Petit à petit, l’oiseau fait son nid.)

“Little by little the bird builds its nest.”--[_Louisiana._]

242. Piti pas coûté so moman, li ka mori gran solé midi. (Petit qui n’écoute pas sa maman meurt au grand soleil de midi).

“Little boy who won’t listen to his mother dies under the noonday
sun.”[101]--[_Guyana._]

[101] All Creole mothers are careful to keep their children from
reckless play in the sun, which is peculiarly treacherous in those
latitudes where the dialect is spoken. Hence the proverb, applicable
to any circumstance in which good advice is reluctantly received.

243. Plis vaut mié vous pitit gagne larhime qui vous arrace son nez. (Il vaut mieux laisser votre enfant morveux que de lui arracher le nez).

“Better let your child be snotty, than pull his nose
off.”--[_Mauritius._]

244. Pou manje, tou bon; pou pâlé pas tou parole. (Pour manger, tout est bon; pour parler, pas toute parole).

“Anything is good enough to eat; but every word is not good enough to
be spoken.”[102]--[_Guyane._]

[102] In the Martinique dialect: _Toutt mangé, toutt paaule pas bon
pou di._--[_Turiault._]

245. Poule pas ka vanté bouillon yo. (Les poules ne vantent pas leur [propre] bouillon.)

“The chickens don’t brag about their own soup;” i.e.
_chicken-soup_.--[_Martinique._]

246. Poule qui çanté ça méme qui fine pondé. (La poule qui chante est celle-là même qui a pondu).

“It’s the cackling hen that has laid the egg.”--[_Mauritius._]

247. Poule qui fére dè[103] dizèfs zamés touyé. (La poule qui fait deux œufs n’est jamais tuée).

“The hen that lays two eggs is never killed.”--[_Mauritius._]

[103] The sound of the French _eu_ is rarely preserved in Creole.
_L’heure_ becomes _lhère_; _peu_, becomes _pè_. The Creole-speaking
negro says, _Yonne_, _dé_, _tois_, _quate_, _nèf_, instead of “un,
deux, trois, quatre, neuf.”

248. * Pranne garde vaut miè passé mandé pardon. (Prendre garde vaut mieux que demander pardon.)

“It is better to take care beforehand than to ask pardon
afterward.”--[_Louisiana._]

249. Ptit lasoif ptit coco, grand lasoif grand coco. (Petite soif, petit coco; grande soif, grand coco.)

“Little thirst, a little cocoa-nut; big thirst, a big
cocoa-nut.”[104]--[_Mauritius._]

[104] Like the old country saying: “Big horse, big feed.” The
cocoa-nut shell was formerly the slave’s drinking cup in Mauritius.

250. Ptit mie tombe, ramassé li; Chrétien tombe, pas ramassé li. (Quand une petite mie tombe, on la ramasse; quand un Chrétien tombe, on ne le ramasse pas [i.e., on ne l’aide pas à se relever].)

“If a little crumb falls, it is picked up; if a Christian falls, he is
not picked up.”--[_Hayti._]

251. * Quand bois tombé, cabri monté. (Quand l’arbre tombe, le cabri monte.)

“When the tree falls, the kid can climb it.”--[105][_Louisiana._]

[105] This saying has quite a variety of curious applications. The
last time I heard it, a Creole negress was informing me that the
master of the house in which she worked was lying at the point of
death: “_pauve diabe!_” I asked after the health of her mistress.
“_Ah! Madame se porte bien; mais . . . quand bois tombé cabri monté_,”
she replied, half in French, half in her own patois; signifying that
after the husband’s death, wife and children would find themselves
reduced to destitution.

252. Quand boudin mòdè, cé pas épi bell plimm[106] yo ka plein li. (Quand le ventre crie, ce n’est pas avec de beaux habits qu’on le remplit.)

“When your stomach gnaws you, it isn’t with fine clothes that you can
fill it.”--[_Martinique._]

[106] Literally “feathers”--“_plimm_,” _plumes_. Adopted from a Creole
version of one of Lafontaine’s fables.

253. * Quand boyaux grogné, bel évite pas fait yé pé. (Quand les boyaux grognent, un bel habit ne leur fait pas se taire; lit., ne leur fait pas paix.)

“When the bowels growl a fine coat won’t make them hold their
peace.”[107]--[_Louisiana._]

[107] The words _pè_, _pé_, in Creole are distinguishable only by
their accentuation. _Peur_ (fear); _peu_ (a little); _paix_ (peace, or
“hush”); _peut_ (can), all take the form _pè_ or _pé_ in various
Creole dialects. _Ipas ni pè sépent_: “he is not afraid of snakes.”
Sometimes one can guess the meaning only by the context, as in the
Martinique saying: _Pè bef pè caca bef_. “Few oxen, little ox-dung;”
i.e. “little money, little trouble.” The use of “_pè_” for _père_
(father), reminds us of a curious note in the Creole studies of the
brothers Saint-Quentin (See BIBLIOGRAPHY). In the forests of Guiana
there is a bird whose song much resembles that of our Louisiana
mocking-bird, but which is far more sonorous and solemn. The Creole
negroes call it ZOZO MONPÉ (_l’oiseau mon-père_), lit., “The my-father
bird.” Now _monpè_ is the Creole name for a priest; as if we should
say “a my-father” instead of “a priest.” The bird’s song, powerful,
solemn, far-echoing through the great aisles of the woods by night,
suggested the chant of a _monpè_, a “ghostly father;” and its name
might be freely translated by “the priest-bird.”

254. Quand cannari pas bouï pou ou, ou donè janmain découvri li. (Quand le pôt ne bout pas pour vous, vous ne devez jamais le découvrir.)

“When the pot won’t boil for you, you must never take the lid
off.”[108]--[_Martinique._]

[108] “Watched pot never boils.” The _canari_ was a clay pot as the
following Creole refrain testifies:

Ya pas bouillon pou vous, macommère;
Canari cassé dans difé (bis).
Bouillon renvèrsé dans difé
Ya pas bouillon pou vous, macommère
Canari cassé dans difé.

[“There’s no soup for you, my gossipping friend; the pot’s broken in
the fire; the soup is spilled in the fire,” etc.]

255. Quand canon causé, fisil honté. (Quand le canon parle, le fusil a honte.)

“When the cannon speaks, the gun is ashamed.”--[_Mauritius._]

256. Quand diabe alle lamesse li caciétte so laquée. (Quand le diable va à la messe, il cache sa queue.)

“When the Devil goes to mass he hides his tail.”--[_Mauritius._]

257. Quand diabe voulé prend vous li cause bondié av vous. (Quand le diable veut vous prendre il vous parle de Bon Dieu.)

“When the devil wants to get hold of you, he chats to you about God.”
Lit.: “He talks _Good God_ to you.”--[_Mauritius._]

258. Quand done vous bourique vous pas bisoin guétte so labride. (Quand on vous donne un âne, vous ne devez pas regarder sa bride.)

“When somebody gives you a donkey, you musn’t examine the
bridle.”--Never look a gift-horse in the mouth.--[_Mauritius._]

259. Quand femme léve so robe diabe guétte so lazambe. (Quand une femme relève sa robe le diable regarde sa jambe.)

“When a woman lifts her dress, the devil looks at her
leg.”--[_Mauritius._]

260. Quand gagne larmoire napas quétte côffe. (Quand on a l’armoire on ne regarde pas le coffre.)

“As soon as one gets a clothes-press, one never looks at the
trunk.”[109]--[_Mauritius._]

[109] A wooden chest or trunk is the first desideratum of the negro
housewife. As soon as the family is able to purchase a clothes-press,
or (as we call it in Louisiana) “armoire,” it is considered quite a
prosperous household by Mauritian colored folk. The chest, Baissac
tells us, is the clothes-press of the poor. “After the bed comes the
chest, and next the accordeon!”

261. Quand lamôrt vini, vous pense vous lavie. (Quand la mort vient, vous pensez à vôtre vie.)

“It’s when death comes that you think about your
life.”--[_Mauritius._]

262. Quand lébras trop courte, napas zoinde. (Quand les bras son trop courts, ils ne se rejoignent pas.)

“When one’s arms are too short, they won’t go
round.”[110]--[_Mauritius._]

[110] It is needless to undertake what we have not ability to carry
out.

263. Quand lécie tombé, tout mouces va maillé. (Quand le ciel tombera, toutes les mouches seront prises.)

“When the sky falls all the flies will be
caught.”[111]--[_Mauritius._]

[111] Said to those who talk hopefully of impossibilities.

264. * Quand li gagnin kichose dans so latête, cé pas dans so lapiè. (Quand il a quelque chose dans sa tête, ce n’est pas dans son pied.)

“When he gets something into his head, it isn’t in his
foot.”[112]--[_Louisiana._]

[112] Refers to obstinacy. A man may be compelled to move his feet,
but not to change his resolve.

265. Quand lipièd glissé, restant sivré. (Quand le pied glisse, le reste suit.)

“When the foot slips the rest follows.”--[_Mauritius._]

266. Quand maite chanté, nègue dansé; quand ’conome sifflé, nègue sauté. (Quand le maître chante, le nègre danse; quand l’économe siffle, le nègre saute.)

“When the master sings the negro dances; but when the overseer only
whistles, the negro jumps.”--A relic of the old slave-day Creole
folklore.--[_Louisiana._]

267. Quand milatt tini yon vié chouvral yo dit nègress pas manman yo. (Quand les mulâtres ont un vieux cheval ils disent que les négresses ne sont pas leurs mères.)

“As soon as a mulatto is able to own an old horse, he will tell you
that his mother wasn’t a nigger.”--[_Martinique._]

268. * Quand napas maman, tété grand-maman. (Quand on n’a pas sa mère, on tete sa grand-mère.)

“When one has no mother, one must be suckled by one’s
grandmother.”--[_Louisiana._]

269. Quand ou tini malhé sépent mòdé ou pa lakhè. (Quand vous êtes dans le malheur le serpent vous mord par la queue.)

“When you’re in ill-luck, a snake can bite you even with its
tail.”--[_Martinique._]

270. Quand ou mangé evec guiabe, quimbé cuillè ou longue. (Quand vous mangez avec le diable, tenez votre cuillère longue.)

“When you eat with the devil, see that your spoon is
long.”--[_Martinique._]

271. * Quand patate tchuite, faut mangé li. (Quand la patate est cuite, il faut la manger.)

“When the sweet potato is cooked, it must be
eaten.”[113]--[_Louisiana._]

[113] This differs a little from the spelling adopted by Gottschalk in
his _Bamboula_--“_Quand patate-la couite ma va mangé li._” The proverb
is used in the sense of our saying: “Strike the iron while it’s hot.”

272. Quand poul ou tini zé, pas mette li dans canari. (Quand votre poule pond des œufs, ne la mettez pas dans le pot.)

“When your hen is laying, don’t put her in the
pot.”[114]--[_Martinique._]

[114] Like our saying about killing the goose that laid the golden
eggs.

273. Quand prend trop boucoup, li glissé. (Quand on prend trop [lit.: “trop beaucoup”], cela glisse.)

“Grab for too much, and it slips away from you.”--[_Mauritius._]

274. Quand vente crié zoréyes sourde. (Quand le ventre crie, les oreilles sont sourdes.)

“When the belly cries, the ears are deaf.”--[_Mauritius._]

275. Quand vente faim, siprit vini. (Quand le ventre a faim, l’esprit vient.)

“An empty stomach brings wit;”--lit.: When the stomach is empty, wit
comes.[115]--[_Mauritius._]

[115] _Wit_, that is, “mother-wit”--common-sense.

276. Quand vous guétte làhaut vous liziés vine pitit. (Quand vous regardez en haut, vos yeux rapetissent.)

“When you look overhead, your eyes become small.”--[_Mauritius._]

277. Quand yo baille ou tête bef pou mangé, n’a pas peur zieux li. (Quand on vous donne une tête de bœuf à manger n’ayez pas peur de ses yeux.)

“When you are given an ox’s head to eat, don’t be afraid of his
eyes.”--[_Hayti._]

278. Quiquefois wou plante zharicots rouze; zharicots blancs qui poussé. (Quelquefois vous plantez des haricots rouges, et ce sont des haricots blancs qui poussent.)

“Sometimes you sow red beans, and white beans grow.” “The best-laid
plans of mice and men gang aft a-gley.”--[_Mauritius._]

279. Quand yon bâtiment cassé ça pas empêché les zautt navigué. (Quand un bâtiment est cassé, ça n’empêche pas les autres de naviguer.)

“When a ship is broken (_wrecked_), the accident does not prevent
others from sailing.”[116]--[_Martinique._]

[116] There is a Portuguese proverb to the same effect: “Shipwrecks
have never deterred navigation.”

280. Qui mêlé zefs nans calenda oûoches? (Qui a mêlé (mis) des œufs dans la calinda des roches [pierres.]?)

“What business have eggs in the calinda--_i.e._ dance--of stones?”
(_Calinda_, said to be derived from the Spanish _que linda!_--“how
beautiful!”)[117]--[_Trinidad._]

[117] The author of _Les Bambous_ mentions the _bèlè_, _caleinda_,
_guiouba_ and _biguine_, slave-dances of Martinique. _Dansé yon
caleinda marré_ (to dance the _calinda_ or _caleinda_ tied up) meant
to receive a whipping.

281. Rann sévice baïll mal dos. (Rendre service donne mal au dos.)

“Doing favors gives one the back-ache.”--[_Martinique._]

282. * Ratte mangé canne, zanzoli mouri innocent. (Le rat mange la canne-[à-sucre], le lézard en meurt.)

“’Tis the rat eats the cane; but the lizard dies for
it.”[118]--[_Louisiana._]

[118] This proverb is certainly of West Indian origin, though I first
obtained it from a Louisianian. In consequence of the depredations
committed by rats in the West-Indian cane-fields, it is customary
after the crop has been taken off, to fire the dry cane tops and
leaves. The blaze, spreading over the fields, destroys many rats, but
also a variety of harmless lizards and other creatures.

283. Ravett pas janmain asséz fou pou li allé lapòte pouleillé. (Le ravet n’est jamais assez fou pour aller à la porte du poulailler.)

“The cockroach is never silly enough to approach the door of the
hen-house.”--[_Martinique._]

284. * Ravette pas jamain tini raison douvant poule. (Le ravet n’a jamais raison devant la poule.)

“Cockroach is never in the right where the fowl is concerned”--(lit.:
_before the fowl_.)[119]--[_Trinidad._]

[119] I find this proverb in every dialect I have been able to study.
In Martinique Creole the words vary slightly: “_Douvant poule ravett
pas ni raison._”

285. Rasiers tini zoreïes. (Les [rosiers?] buissons ont des oreilles.)

“Bushes have ears.”--[_Trinidad._]

286. * Rendé service, baille chagrin. (Rendre service donne du chagrin.)

“Doing favors brings sorrow.”--[_Louisiana._]

287. Roce entété, més quand téti cause av li, li répondé. (La roche est entêtée, mais quand le têtu lui parle, elle répond.)

“The rock’s hard-headed; but when the stone-hammer speaks to him, he
answers.”--[_Têtu_ means an obstinate person, also a
stone-hammer.][120]--[_Mauritius._]

[120] This is another example of double-punning, of which we have
already had a specimen in Prov. 163.

288. Sac vide pas ka tienne douboutt. (Un sac vide ne peut pas se tenir debout.)

“An empty sack cannot stand up.” One cannot work with an empty
stomach.--[_Martinique._]

289. Sèpent dit li pas rhaï mounn-la qui cué li; c’est ça qui dit, “Mi sèpent!” (Le serpent dit qu’il ne hait pas la personne qui le tue; que c’est celle qui dit, “Voilà le serpent!”)

“The snake says he doesn’t hate the person who kills him, but the one
who calls out, ‘Look at the snake!’”--[_Martinique._]

290. Serin dérobé; maille bengali. (Le serin se derobe; prenez le bengali.)

“When the canary can’t be found, take the bengalee.” When you can’t
find what you like, be content with what you can get.--[_Mauritius._]

291. Si coulev oûlé viv, li pas prouminée grand-chimin. (Si la couleuvre veut vivre, elle ne se promène pas dans le grand chemin).

“If the snake cares to live, it doesn’t journey upon the
high-road.”--[_Guyana._]

292. Si coulève pas té fonté,[121] femmes sé pouend li fair ribans jipes. (Si la couleuvre n’était pas effrontée, les femmes la prendraient pour en faire des rubans de jupes).

“If the snake wasn’t spunky, women would use it for petticoat
strings.”--[_Trinidad._]

[121] _Fonté_ (for _effronté_) has quite an extensive meaning in
Creole. It may refer to the impudence of a badly-brought-up child, or
to the over-familiarity on the part of an adult; but it may also refer
to high spirit, pluck, independence of manner. A colored mother once
told me I should be surprised to see how _fonté_ her son had become
since he had been going to school. She meant, of course, that the lad
was growing “smart,” active, plucky.

293. Si crapaud dîe ous caïman tini mal ziex, coèr-li. (Si le crapaud vous dit que le caïman a mal aux yeux, croyez-le).

“If the frog tells you the alligator has sore eyes, believe
him!”[122]--[_Trinidad._]

[122] Similarity of habits and of experience is necessary to guarantee
the trustworthiness or testimony regarding those we do not know.

294. Si jipon ou k’allé bien, pas chaché mette kilott nhomme ou. (Si votre jupon vous va bien, ne cherchez pas à mettre la culotte de votre mari.)

“If your petticoat fits you well, don’t try to put on your husband’s
breeches.”--[_Martinique._]

295. * Si lamèr té bouilli, poissons sré tchuite. (Si la mer bouillait, les poissons seraient cuits).

“If the sea were to boil, the fishes would be cooked.”--[_Louisiana._]

296. Si lasavane té ka palé nous sé connaitt trop désigret. (Si la savanne parlait, nous connaîtrions trop de secrets).

“If the fields could talk, we should know too many
secrets.”[123]--[_Martinique._]

[123] “If walls had ears,” etc.

297. Si léphant pas té savé boyaux li gouous, li pas sé valé calebasses. (Si l’éléphant n’avait pas su qu’il avait de gros boyaux, il n’aurait pas avalé des calébasses).

“If the elephant didn’t know that he had big guts, he wouldn’t have
swallowed calabashes.”--[_Trinidad._]

298. * Si-moin-tè-connaitt pas janmain douvant; li toujou deïè. (Si-je-l’avais-su n’est jamais devant; il vient toujours derrière.)

“‘_If-I-had-only-known_’ is never before one; he always comes
behind.”--[_Martinique._]

299. Si moin té gagnin moussa, moin té mangé gombo. (Si j’avais du moussa, je mangerais du gombo).

“If I had some _moussa_[124] I would eat some gombo.” If I had the
necessary I could enjoy the superfluous.--[_Martinique._]

[124] _Moussa_ is a word used in _Martinique_ for hominy, or a sort of
corn-mush which is used to thicken gombo-soup. In Louisiana boiled
rice is similarly used.

300. Si té pas gagné soupé nens moune, moune ka touffé. (S’il n’y avait pas de soupirs dans le monde, le monde étoufferait).

“If there were no sighing in the world, the world would
stifle.”[125]--[_Quoted by Alphonse Daudet._]

[125] I found this proverb cited in Daudet’s article on Tourguèneff in
the November _Century_ [1883]. The accentuation was incorrect. _Moun_,
or _moune_, Creole form of French _monde_, is generally used to
signify people in general--_folks_--not the world.

301. Si zannoli té bon viann, li sè pas ka drivé lassous baïe. (Si le lézard était bon à manger [lit.: bonne viande], il ne se trouverait point sous une baille.)

“If the lizard were good to eat, it would never be found under a
tub.”[126]--[_Martinique._]

[126] Thomas gives us a briefer Trinidad version: _Si zandoli té bon
viâne, le pas sé ka drivé_ (il ne se trouverait pas): “If a lizard
were good meat, it wouldn’t easily be found.”

302. Soleil couché; malbèr pas jamain couché. (Le soleil se couche; le malheur ne se couche jamais.)

“The sun sets; misfortune never sets.”--[_Hayti._]

303. * Soleil levé là; li couché là. (Le soleil se lève là; il se couche là.)

“Sun rises there [pointing to the east]; he sets there.” [pointing to
the west][127]--[_Louisiana._]

[127] A proverb common to all the dialects. In uttering it, with
emphatic gesture, the negro signifies that there is no pride which
will not be at last brought down, no grandeur which will not have an
end.

304. Souliers faraud, més domage ziutes manze lipieds. (Les souliers sont elegants, mais c’est dommage qu’ils mangent les pieds.)

“Shoes are fine things; but it’s a pity they bite one’s
feet.”[128]--[_Mauritius._]

[128] M. Baissac tells us, in a very amusing way, how this proverb
originated at the time of the negro emancipation in Mauritius, when
30,000 pairs of new shoes were distributed. Another saying, equally
characteristic, was--“_Lhère li entré dans vous lacase, souliers dans
lipieds; lhére li dans grand cimin, souliers dans mouçoirs_”:--(When
he enters your house, his shoes are on his feet; but once he is on the
public road, they are in his handkerchief.)

305. * Tafia toujou dîe la vérité. (Le tafia dit toujours la vérité.)

“Tafia always tells the truth.”[129]--[_Louisiana._]

[129] _Tafia_ is the rum extracted from sugar-cane. “_In vino
veritas_.”

306. Tambou tini grand train pace endidans li vide. (Le tambour va [lit: tient] grand train parcequ’il est vide en dedans.)

“The drum makes a great fuss because it is empty
inside.”[130]--[_Trinidad._]

[130] In Louisiana Creole, _faire di-train_ is commonly used in the
sense of making a great noise, a big fuss. An old negro-servant might
often be heard reproving the children of the house in some such
fashion as this:--“_Ga!--pouki tapé fait tou di-train la?--Toulé
pé?--pas fait tou di-train mo di toi!_” (“Here, what are you making
all that noise for?--are you going to keep quiet?--musn’t make so much
noise, I tell you!”)

307. Tampée ka gagnen malhèrs ka doublons pas sa gueri. (Un ‘tampée’ achète des malheurs que les doublons ne peuveut pas guerir.)

“A penny buys troubles that doubloons cannot cure.”--[_Trinidad._]

308. * “Tant-pis” n’a pas cabane. (“Tant-pis” n’a pas de cabane.)

“‘So-much-the-worse’ has no cabin.”[131]--[_Louisiana._]

[131] This proverb is the retort for the phrase: “So much the worse
for you.” Sometimes one might hear a colored servant for example,
warning the children of the house to keep out of the kitchen, which in
Creole residences usually opens into the great court-yard where the
little ones play: _Eh, pitis! faut pas restér là: vous ka casser
tout!_ (“Hey! little ones, musn’t stay there: you’ll break
everything!”) If the father or mother should then exclaim “_Tant pis
pour eux!_”--so much the worse for them if they do break everything,
you would hear the old woman reply: “_Tant-pis n’a pas
cabane!_”--“So-much-the-worse has no cabin”--_i.e._, nothing to lose.
She believes in an ounce of prevention rather than a pound of cure.

309. Temps moune connaîte l’aûte nans grand jou, nans nouîte yeaux pas bisoèn chandelle pou clairér yeaux. (Quand on connait quelqu’un [lit: un autre] dans le grand jour, dans la nuit on n’a pas besoin d’une chandelle pour s’éclairer.)

“When one person knows another by broad daylight, he doesn’t need a
candle to recognize him at night.”[132]--[_Trinidad._]

[132] When a person has once given us positive evidence of his true
character, we do not need any information as to what that person will
do under certain circumstances.

310. * Temps present gagnin assez comme ça avec so quenne. (Le temps present en a assez comme ça avec le sien.)

“The present has enough to do to mind its own
affairs.”[133]--[_Louisiana._]

[133] Literally the proverb is almost untranslateable. It is cited to
those who express needless apprehension of future misfortune. “_Mo va
gagnin malhé_”--(I am going to have trouble.) “_Aïe, aïe!
chère!--temps present gagnin assez comme ça avec so quonne._” (Ah, my
dear! the present has enough trouble of its own.)

311. * Ti chien, ti còdon. (Petit chien, petit lien.)

“A little string for a little dog.”--[_Martinique._]

312. Ti hache coupé gouaus bois. (Une petite hache coupe un grand arbre.)

“A little axe cuts down a big tree.”--[_Martinique._]

313. Ti moun cònnaitt couri, yo pas cònnaitt serré. (Les enfants--lit: “le petit monde”--savent courir; ils ne savent pas se cacher.)

“Children (little folk) know how to run; they do not know how to
hide.”--[_Martinique._]

314. Tig mò, chien ka prend pays. (Quand le tigre est mort, le chien prend le pays.)

“When the tiger is dead, the dog takes [rules] the
country.”--[_Martinique._]

315. Tòti sé vole si li tè tini plimm. (Le tortue volerait si elle avait des ailes.)

“The tortoise would fly if it had wings.”[134]--[_Martinique._]

[134] “Pigs might fly,” etc.

316.

Tout bois cé bois;
Main mapou
Pas ‘cajou.
(Tout bois c’est du bois;
Mais le mapou
N’est pas de l’acajou.)

“All wood is wood; but mapou wood isn’t mahogany
(cedar).”[135]--[_Trinidad._]

[135] Thomas translates _cajou_, by “cedar.” _Acajou_ in French,
signifies mahogany, as it does also in Louisiana Creole. There is an
old song, of which the refrain is:

_Chèr bijou
Dacajou,
Mo laimin vous_

(“My darling mahogany jewel, I love you!”)

317. * Tout ça c’est commerce Man Lison. (Tout ça c’est affaire de Maman Lison.)

“All that’s like Mammy Lison’s doings.”[136]--[_Louisiana._]

[136] Whenever a thing is badly done, this saying is used;--_commerce_
in the Creole signifying almost the reverse of what it does in French.
Who that traditional _Man Lison_ was, I have never been able to find
out.

318. Tout ça qui poté zépron pas maquignon. (Tout homme qui porte éperons n’est pas maquignon.)

“Everybody who wears spurs isn’t a jockey.” All is not gold that
glitters.--[_Martinique._]

319. Toutt cabinett tini maringouin. (Tout cabinet contient des maringouins.)

“Every bed-chamber has its mosquitoes in it.”--Equivalent to our own
proverb: A skeleton in every closet.--[_Martinique._]

320. * Toutt joué c’est joué; mais cassé bois dans bonda macaque--ça pas joué. (Tout [façon de] jouer c’est jouer; mais ce n’est pas jouer que de casser du bois dans le derrière du macaque.)

. . . . . . . . [137]--[_Martinique._]

[137] This ridiculous observation is unsuitable for translation.
Nevertheless we have an English, or perhaps an American, proverb
equally vulgar, which may have inspired, or been derived from, the
Creole one. In the English saying, the words “joking” and “provoking”
are used as rhymes. The moral is precisely similar to that of No. 322.

In old days the Creole story-teller would always announce his
intention of beginning a tale by the exclamation “_Tim-tim!_”
whereupon the audience would shout in reply, “_Bois sec_;” and the
story-teller would cry again, “_Cassez-li_,” to which the chorus would
add “. . . . _dans tchu_ (bonda) _macaque_.” Thus the story-teller
intimated that he had no intention of merely “_joking_,” but intended
to tell the whole truth and nothing else--“a real good story”--_tois
fois bonne conte!_

321. * Toutt jour c’est pas dimanche. (Tous les jours ne sont pas le dimanche.)

“Every day isn’t Sunday.”--[_Louisiana._]

322. Tou jwé sa jwé; me bwa là zòrè sa pa jwé. (Tout [façon de] jouer c’est jouer; mais enfoncer du bois dans l’oreille n’est pas jouer.)

“All play is play; but poking a piece of wood into one’s ear isn’t
play.”--[_Guyane._]

323. * Tout macaque trouvé so piti joli. (Tout macaque trouve son petit joli.)

“Every monkey thinks its young one pretty.”--[_Louisiana._]

324. Toutt milett ni grand zaureilles. (Tout les mulets ont des grandes oreilles.)

“All mules have big ears.”--Equivalent to our proverb; “Birds of a
feather flock together.”--[_Martinique._]

325. * Toutt mounn save ça qui ka bouï nens canari yo. (Toute personne sait ce qui bout dans son canari [marmite].)

“Everybody knows what boils in his own pot”--i.e., knows his own
business best.[138]--[_Martinique._]

[138] In Thomas’s Trinidad version: “_Tout moune connaite ça qui ka
bouï nans canari yeaux_.” In Louisiana Creole: “_Chakin connin ça kapé
bouilli dans so chodière_.” _Canari_ is sometimes used in our Creole,
but rarely. I have only heard it in old songs. The iron pot
(_chodière_) or tin utensil has superseded the _canari_.

326. Travaï pas mal; cé ziex qui capons. (Le travail ne fait pas du mal; c’est les yeux qui sont capons [lâches].)

“Work doesn’t hurt;--‘tis the eyes that are cowards.”--[_Mauritius._]

327. Trop gratté bourlé. (Trop gratter brûle [cuit].)

“Too much scratching brings smarting.”--[_Mauritius._]

328. Trop profi crévé poche. (Trop de profit crève la poche.)

“Too much profit bursts one’s pockets.”--[_Martinique._]

329. Tropp bijou, gàde-mangé vide. (Trop de bijoux, garde-manger vide.)

“Too much jewelry, empty cupboard.”--[_Martinique._]