“The water cress loves to drink water.” Used interrogatively, this is
equivalent to the old saw: “Does a duck like water?” “Will a duck
swim?”--[_Mauritius._]
115. Croquez maconte ou oueti[45] main ou ka rivé. (Accrochez votre
maconte où vous pouvez l’atteindre avec la main [lit. où vôtre main peut
arriver].)
“Hang up your _maconte_ where you can reach it with your
hand.”--[_Hayti._]
[45] The Martinique dialect gives both _oti_ and _outi_ for “où”:
“where.” Mr. Bigelow gives the curious spelling _croquez_. The word is
certainly derived from the French, _accrocher_. In Louisiana Creole we
always say _’croché_ for “hang up.” I doubt the correctness of the
Haytian spelling as here given: for the French word _croquer_ (“to
devour,” “gobble up,” “pilfer,” etc.) has its Creole counterpart; and
the soft _ch_ is never, so far as I can learn, changed into the k or g
sound in the patois.
116. D’abord vous guetté poux de bois mangé bouteille, croquez calabasse
vous haut. (Quand vous voyez les poux-de-bois manger les bouteilles,
accrochez vos calabasses [en] haut).
“When you see the woodlice eating the bottles, hang your calabashes
out of their reach.”[46]--[_Hayti._]
[46] Mr. Bigelow is certainly wrong in his definition of the origin of
the word which he spells _queté_. It is a Creole adoption of the
French _guetter_, “to watch:” and is used by the Creoles in the sense
of “observe,” “perceive,” “see.” Other authorities spell it _guêtte_,
as all verbs ending in “ter” in French make their Creole termination
in “té.” This verb is one of many to which slightly different meanings
from those belonging to the original French words, are attached by the
Creoles. Thus _çappe_, from _échapper_, is used as an equivalent for
_sauver_.
117. D’abord vous guetté poux de bois mangé canari, calebasse pas capabe
prend pied. (Quand que vous voyez les poux-de-bois manger les marmites,
les calebasses ne peuvent pas leur résister).
“When you see the wood-lice eating the pots, the calabashes can’t be
expected to resist.”[47]--[_Hayti._]
[47] The saliva of the tropical woodlouse is said to be powerful
enough to affect iron.
118. Dans mariaze liciens, témoins gagne batté. (Aux noces des chiens,
les témoins ont les coups.)
“At a dog’s wedding it’s the witnesses who get hurt.”--[_Mauritius._]
119. Dêïèr chein, cé “chein”; douvant chein, cé “Missier Chein.”
(Derrière le chien, c’est “chien,” mais devant le chien, c’est “Monsieur
le Chien.”)
“Behind the dog’s back it is ‘dog;’ but before the dog it is ‘Mr.
Dog.’”--[_Trinidad._]