“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.)