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Buber's Basque Page: Esaera Zaharrak
Quote:
This collection of Basque proverbs was selected, standardized, translated, and commentary was added by Jon Aske. Thanks are due to Inaki Heras Saizarbitoria and friends from the Basque Culture List, Basque-L, for invaluable assistance.
The published sources are cited at the end of the list. The proverbs were posted to Basque-L during the months of July-November 1994 at the rate of about 2 a day.
Feel free to reproduce this collection for your personal use or to give to friends. Please include this note with it. Please do not use for publication or for profit without first consulting with me.
Enjoy!
Jon Aske
jaske@abacus.bates.e du
No. 1:
A, zer parea! Karakola eta barea!
"Oh, what a pair, a snail and a slug."
[oh what pair/couple, snail and slug]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 51, #290; B-derio. FRIENDS, RELATIONSHIPS, MISCHIEF, CHARACTER,
BEHAVIOR. Said of people who share similar defects or habits, and spend time
together. (Cf. Intza #242) (Rhyme)
No. 2:
Abadearen lapikoa, txikia baina gozoa
"The priest's pot is small but his supper is tasty."
[the priest's pot, small but tasty]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 38, #121; B-lek, from Moguel, Peru Abarca, p. 122 CLERGY, FOOD.
Priests are said to eat well. (Cf. Azkue #1225) (Rhyme)
No. 3:
Aberats izatea baino, izen ona hobe
"It's better to have a good reputation (lit. name)than to be rich."
[rather than being rich, a good name is better]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 239. WEALTH, REPUTATION
No. 4:
Adiskide onekin, orduak labur.
"Time flies when you are among friends."
[with a good friend, the hours short]
COMMENTS:
Ormazabal, p. 41. FRIENDSHIP, TIME
No. 5:
Adiskidegabeko bizitza, auzogabeko heriotza.
"A life without friends, means death without company."
[life without friends, death without neighbors]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 239. FRIENDSHIP, DEATH, LIFE, LONELINESS. (Rhyme)
No. 6:
Aditu nahi ez duenak, ez du esan behar
"He who doesn't want to hear unpleasant things, shouldn't say
unpleasant things."
[he who doesn't want to hear (it), must not say (it)]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 168, #1856; Duvoisin, #3 TALKING. Or: If you don't want to hear
it, don't say it.
No. 7:
Aditzaile onari, hitz gutxi
"A good listener needs few words."
[to a good listener, few words]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 239. TALKING, CONVERSATION. cf. Spanish: "A buen
entendedor pocas palabras bastan." Said to indicate that one should be able
to figure out the message, and that things shouldn't need to be spelled out
fully.
No. 8:
Agindua zorra, esan ohi da
"A promise is a debt, it's always been said."
[a promise a debt, it is usually said]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 239. DEBT, PROMISES. What you promise you must give.
If you promise someone something, you cannot go back on your word.
No. 9:
Aita biltzaileari, seme hondatzaile
"A thrifty father begets a squandering son."
[to gathering/collecting father, squandering son]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 239. FAMILY, DIFFERENCES, FATHERS, SONS. Pretty
self-explanatory. One expects a person's children to resemble that person.
Sometimes, however, just the opposite is found. Both expectations are perhaps
reasonable. (Cf. Intza #303)
No. 10:
Aldi luzeak, guztia ahaztu
"With the passing of time, all things are forgotten."
[the long time, everything forget]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 239. TIME, FORGIVENESS; FORGETTING
No. 11:
Alfer egon eta alfer-lana egin, biak berdin
"To do nothing or to do useless work is the same thing."
[to be lazy and to do lazy/useless work, both same]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 240. LAZINESS, WORK. (Rhyme)
No. 12:
Alferkeria, askoren ondamendia
"Laziness leads many people astray."
[laziness, the perdition of many]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 170, #1896; B-i-l, Ms. Otx., p. 351, Dic. LAZINESS. (Rhyme)
No. 13:
Alferrak, beti lanez beterik
"Lazy people are always busy."
[lazy person, always full of work]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 177, #1998; R-uzt LAZINESS. Or so they seem, anyway.
No. 14:
Alferrarendako lanik ez, eta astirik ez
"The lazy person has no work, but has no time for anything else either."
[for the lazy person work not, and time not]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 170, #1891; Lope de Isasti, p. 171. LAZINESS, TIME. (Rhyme) Cf.
"Alferrak, beti lanez beterik."
No. 15:
Alferrarentzat jana eta langilearentzat lana, ez da inoiz faltako
"There is never a lack of food for the lazy person, nor of work for the
industrious."
[for the lazy person food and for the working.person work, will never lack]
COMMENTS:
Ormazabal, p. 50. LAZINESS, WORK, FOOD. Somehow lazy people always manage to
get enough to eat (from others, etc.) and industrious people always manage to
find things to do.
No. 16:
Alferrik da, ura joan eta gero, presa egitea
"It is useless to hurry, once the water has already gone by."
[it is useless, after the water is gone, to hurry]
COMMENTS:
Ormazabal, p. 33. OPORTUNITIES; TIMING. Cf. "It's not use closing the barn
door after the horse has been stolen." (Cf. Intza #1830)
No. 17:
Amari egindako zorrak ez dira inoiz ordaintzen
"What one owes to one's mother is never repaid."
[the debts made to one's mother are never paid]
COMMENTS:
Ormazabal, p. 48. MOTHERS, DEBT. In other words, one can never do enough to
repay one's mother for what she has done.
No. 18:
Amen: Zu hor eta ni hemen
"Let s agree to disagree"
[amen: you there and me here]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 78, #697; AN-b, B-der, BN-gar, G-ar. ARGUMENT; DISAGREEMENT. Said
when one doesn't want to argue and agrees to disagree. Word play: amen-hemen
(amen-here). (Cf. Intza #693)
No. 19:
Apaizaren eltzea, txikia baina betea
"The priest's pot is small, but always full."
[the priest's pot, small but full]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 39, #130; G. CLERGY, FOOD. Priests don't go hungry. (Rhyme)
No. 20:
Ardi galdua atzeman daiteke, aldi galdua berriz ez
"One may recover a lost sheep, but not lost/wasted time."
[the lost sheep may be recovered, the lost time on the other hand not]
COMMENTS:
Ormazabal, p. 43. TIME. Word play: ardi - aldi (sheep-time).
No. 21:
Ardi txikia, beti bildots
"The small sheep, always a lamb."
[sheep small, always lamb]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 54, #336; B, G, L. REPUTATION?; CATEGORIZATION. Naturally, a small
sheep is not always a lamb, but people are likely to categorize them that way.
They say that small people seem younger than they are. (Cf. Intza #1469,
#1725, #2365; Urquijo p. 53)
No. 22:
Ardiak beeka egonik, ez du jaten belarrik
"A bleating sheep eats no grass."
[the sheep being bleating, it doesn't eat grass]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 240. ACTING, TALKING. You can't act and talk at the
same time. Don't just complain, take action. (Rhyme)
No. 23:
Arian, arian, zehetzen da burnia
"Working and working at it, iron can be pulverized."
[doing, doing, one pulverizes (turns to bits) iron]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 241. INDUSTRY; PERSISTENCE, PERSEVERATION.
No. 24:
Arranoak lumak behar, txepetxak ere bai
"The eagle needs feathers, and the wren does too."
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 53, #331; B-izpazter, Ms. Otx., p. 351. SIMILARITIES. Despite the
differences, all people (or animals) have similar needs.
No. 25:
Arrotz-herri, otso-herri
"A foreign land is a land of wolves."
[stranger/foreigner-land, wolf-land]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 103, #986; Darthayet, 39. DISTRUST, STRANGERS; FOREIGNERS. This
expresses distrust of foreigners and foreign places. (Cf. Azkue #1518, #1985)
No. 26:
Aseak gosea ezin ikus
"The satiated cannot stand to see the hungry."
[satiety cannot see hunger]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 175, #1967; BN-s, Dic. HUNGER, INEQUALITY, SELFISHNESS. Perhaps
because they feel guilty, or for some other reason, those who have enough
don't thing very highly of those who don't have enough, or don't want to have
them around. Word play: asea-gosea (sate-hungry). Variant from Bela: Aseak
gosea eztakusa.
No. 27:
Aski ez duena, deusik ez duena
"Not having enought is like not having anything"
[one who doesn't have enough, one who doesn't have anything]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 175, #1969. L, Elissamburu. DISSATISFACTION; PRIVATION. Just as
unhappy. Feels that way.
No. 28:
Asko baduk/n, asko beharko duk/n
"The more you have, the more you'll need."
[if you have much, your will need much]
COMMENTS:
Urquijo, p. 34. SIMPICITY, AMBITION, WEALTH. The verbal form duk (the ba
part means `if') is used when talking to men. The corresponding form for
talking to women would be dun. The neutral form would be duzu. Many
traditional Basque sayings have the "masculine" verb form. (Cf. Azkue #1970)
(Rhyme)
No. 29:
Asko daki zaharrak, erakutsi beharrak
"Old people know much, they were taught by necessity."
[the old knows a lot, necessity show]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 175, #1971; Lope de Isasti, p. 172. NECESSITY, OLD AGE, KNOWLEDGE,
EXPERIENCE. (Cf. Intza #2163) Cf. Spanish: "Ma's sabe el diablo por viejo que
por diablo." (Rhyme)
No. 30:
Asko dakin/k//zu, bizitzen baldin badakin/k//zu
"If you know how to live, you already know a lot."
[you know much, if you know how to live]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 241. WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE. (Cf. Intza #2121) (Rhyme)
No. 31:
Askoren mina, tontoen atsegina
"Only the stupid find consolation for their suffering in the suffering of
others."
[the pain of many, the pleasure of the dumb]
COMMENTS:
Ormazabal, p. 51. CONSOLATION, CONTENTMENT. Some people who suffer feel
better about their suffering because they are others undergoing the same
thing. cf. Spanish: "Mal de muchos, consuelo de tontos." (Rhyme)
No. 32:
Asto askok, lasto asko
"A lot of donkeys means/need a lot of hay."
[a lot of donkeys, a lot of straw]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 54, #350; B-1-mond. FAMILY; EXPENSES. Said of families with many
children, referring to the large expenses involved. (Cf. Intza #202, #325)
(Rhyme)
No. 33:
Astoari ezin mendeka, mendeka albardari
"Not able to take take it out on the donkey, take it out on the saddle."
[impossible to take revenge on the donkey, take revenge on the (pack)saddle]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 56, #374; Duvoisin, 32. REVENGE. Said for instance of someone who
does not dare take revenge directly on someone and instead takes it out on
that person's things, relatives, or servants for instance.
No. 34:
Aukera maukera, azkenik trankera
"All that being so picky, and then to end up with something ordinary."
[choice moice, in the end ordinary]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 80, #717; AN. CHOICES, RELATIONSHIPS, HUSBANDS, COURTSHIP?. Said
for instance of a person who changes boy/girlfriends a lot. It's common for
reduplications of this kind to add an m- to the second mention of the word.
(Cf. Intza, p. #110, #151, #1580) (Rhyme)
No. 35:
Aurrera begiratzen ez duena, atzean dago
"Those who don't look forward, stay behind."
[the one who doesn't look forward, is behind]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 242. EXCELLENCE, INDUSTRY. (Cf. Azkue #1870).
No. 36:
Azeri zaharrak ile zaharra uzten du, aztura zaharrik ez
"The old fox sheds its old hair, but not its old habits."
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 57, #391; AN-b. HABITS, OLD AGE. (Cf. Lopez Mendizabal, p. 242;
Intza #1993; Urquijo p. 65). Self-explanatory.
No. 37:
Azeria solas ematen zaukanean ari, gogo emak heure oiloari
"When the fox is engaging you in conversation, keep an eye on your chicken."
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 56, #378; Inchauspe. MISCHIEF, DISTRUST; VIGILANCE. 'Oilo' really
means "hen", but, like 'oilo' in Basque, 'chicken' is the basic level word for
referring to this species of animal (e.g. we say: I'm going to feed the
chickens"). (Rhyme)
No. 38:
Azken gaizto egingo duk/n//zu, txoria, gazterik egiten ez baduk/n//zu habia
"You will have a sad end, bird, if you don't make your nest while you're still
young."
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 58, #396; Axular and Ms. Otx., Dic. OLD AGE, YOUTH, WORK?. (Rhyme)
No. 39:
Bakoitzari berea, eta beti adiskide
"To each their own, and always be friends."
[to each own, and always friend]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 242. FRIENDSHIP, JUSTICE. What's yours is yours, what's
mine is mine, and if we keep things that way we won't risk damaging our
friendship. (Cf. Azkue #1526)
No. 40:
Balantza duen aldera erortzen da arbola
"The tree falls towards the side it's leaning."
COMMENTS:
Intza, p. 83, #1299. PREDISPOSITION, INCLINATIONS. Things and people have
certain predispositions, and when the time to act comes, that's the way they
go.
No. 41:
Balizko errotak, irinik ez
"An imaginary/hypothetical mill produces no flour."
[the mill of if-it-was, no flour]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 180, #2054. ILLUSIONS. Said of people who have too much
imagination and talk about things which are impossible or don't exist as if
they were real and had consequences.
No. 42:
Bat eman eta bi hartu, gure etxean ez berriz sartu
"Giving one and taking two, don't come back into our house."
COMMENTS:
Intza, p. 38, #347. SELFISHNESS, DECEIT, DISHONESTY; SNEAKINESS. Said of
someone who might do something nice, such as give a gift, but whose real
purpose is to get even more in return, to take advantage of one. Often the
first part of this saying is used alone. (Rhyme)
No. 43:
Bat izatea hobe, bi itxo egitea baino
"It's better to have one than be waiting for two."
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 243. SECURITY; CERTAINTY. Same meaning as "Hobe da
txori ..." and "Nahiago det ..."
No. 44:
Begi bat aski du saldunak, ehun ez ditu sobera erostunak
"The seller needs but one eye, whereas for the buyer a hundred eyes are never
too many."
[one eye is enough for the seller, one hundred not too many for the buyer]
COMMENTS:
Intza, p. 136, #2139 . BUSINESS AND COMMERCE; BUYING, SELLING. The seller
may overlook defects in the merchandise, but the buyer can't afford to.
(Rhyme)
No. 45:
Begiak noraino, nahia haraino
"As far as the eyes can see, that's how far one's derires go."
[to where the eyes, that far the desire]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 103, #1000; R-bid, Dic. DESIRE, GREED. One cannot desire more than
what one knows (has seen), but one often desires as much as one knows. (Cf.
Intza #2128) (Rhyme)
No. 46:
Begietatik urruti, bihotzetik urruti
"Far from the eyes, far from the heart."
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 243. FEELINGS?. Cf. "Out of sight, out of mind." Cf.
Spanish: "Ojos que no ven coraz"n que no sienty." (Cf. Azkue #1010, #2150)
(Rhyme)
No. 47:
Beltz guztiak ez dira ikatz
"Not everything that's black is coal."
[all things black are not coal]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 243. DECEPTION?; APPEARANCES, COMPARISONS. Cf. Spanish:
"No es oro todo lo que reluce." Cf. "All that glitters is not gold" or "You
can't judge a book by its cover." Cf. "Zuri guztia..."
No. 48:
Berbak handiak, ezkurrak txikiak
"The words are big but the acorns are small."
[big words, small acorns]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 184, #2115; B-der-mu, Dic. TALKING, ACTIONS. Big words but small
actions. It may be influenced by Spanish sayings such as "Muchas nueces,
pocos ruidos." (Rhyme)
No. 49:
Bere etxe pobrea, erregearena baino hobea
"Even poor people prefers their own home to a palace."
[her/his poor house, better than that of the king]
COMMENTS:
Intza, p. 15. POVERTY, SIMPLICY, HAPPINESS; HOME. cf. "There is no place like
home." (Rhyme)
No. 50:
Berri gaiztoa bera zaldi
"Bad news spread all by themselves."
[the bad news, itself (is) a horse]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 184, #2120; BN-s. NEWS. Bad news travel quickly.
No. 51:
Beste lekutan ere, zakurrak oinutsik ibiltzen dira
"In other places dogs go barefoot too."
COMMENTS:
Ormazabal, p. 35. COMPARISONS, SIMILARITIES. Many things are pretty much the
same in other places too. Spanish version: "En todas partes cuecen habas"
("People everywhere cook beans"). (Cf. Azkue, #475, #1574; Intza #2207)
No. 52:
Besteen faltak aurreko aldean, geureak bizkarrean
"Other's people carry their faults up front. We carry ours behind our backs."
[faults of others in front, our own in the back]
COMMENTS:
Ormazabal, p. 37. FAULTS, DIFFERENCES. In other words, other people's faults
are easy to see/recognize, our own aren't. We are constantly aware of and
notice other's peoples faults, but we tend to forget about or not be very
quick to see our own. It's easy to criticize others, harder to recognize
one's own faults. (Cf. Intza, p. 23, #161, the other way around: "Gure faltak
bizkarrean, besteen faltak aurreko aldean.")
No. 53:
Besteren ama ona, norberea askoz hobea
"Other people's mothers may be good, but never as good as our own."
[another's mother good, one's own much better]
COMMENTS:
Ormazabal, p. 51. MOTHERS. (Cf. Azkue #505bis) See #162. In the Alegiak
(fables, allegories) section of Luis Barandiaran eta Irizar-tar (1985) (Euskal
Herriko alegia, ipuin eta kondairen bilduma. Donostia: Txertoa) there is a
fable called "Azeriaren egiak" ("the fox's truths") told by Matias Aranaz of
Kortezubi to Joxemiel Barandiaran in 1923 in which the fox repays the boatman
who carries it across the river with three truths: (1) 'Ilargia argia da,
baina eguna bezain argi ez', "The moon gives light, but not as bright as the
day"; (2) 'Inoren ama ona da baina norberarena bezalakorik ez', "Anybody's
mother is a good mother, but not like one's own"; and (3) "Txalupari,
txalupari, praka zaharrak dauzkazu, ni bezalako asko pasatzen baduzu, berriz
ere ukanen dituzu', "Boatman, boatman, you have old trousers; if you help many
like me across, you will never have new ones."
No. 54:
Beti on nahi duena, maiz gaizki
"The one who wants everything to be just right, often gets just the opposite."
[one who always wants good, often badly]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 243. AMBITION, PERFECTION. Things often don't turn out
they way they want for those who always want/insist on things being
good/perfect. Don't be a perfectionist, don't have expectations which are too
high.
No. 55:
Beti ordu duena, beti berandu heldu dena
"The one who has a lot of time to spare, is the one who always arrives late."
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 185, #2136; S, Dic. HABITS; TARDINESS, CONTRAST. (Rhyme)
No. 56:
Bi etxetako txakurra, goseak jan
"A dog which belongs to two homes dies of hunger."
[dog of two houses, hunger kills (it)]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 59, #421; BN, S, Dic. RESPONSIBILITY. If nobody takes full
responsibility for something, each assumes the other will take care of it.
(Cf. Intza #131, #201, #1543, #1683, #1736)
No. 57:
Bihotzean dagoena, mihira irten
"What is in one's heart, comes out of one's mouth."
[what is in the heart, comes out to the tongue]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 104, #1006; B, Ms. Otx., Dic. TALKING, FEELINGS, EMOTIONS. People
cannot help expressing their feelings/emotions, they cannot keep them inside,
though some people do seem to come pretty close to suceeding. Cf. Latin: "Ex
abundantia cordis os loquitur."
No. 58:
Bost sosen pupua, eta hamar sosen trapua
"A ten cent bandage for a five cent booboo."
[five cent booboo and ten cent cloth/rag]
COMMENTS:
Intza #1603. EXAGGERATION; COMPLAINING. Said of people whose complaining is
not conmesurate with the reason for complaining (Cf. Azkue #2624, #2930;
Ormazabal, p. 19.)
No. 59:
Burdina berotan jo behar da
"Iron must be hammered when it's hot."
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 186, #2160; Darthayet, #123. OPORTUNITIES, COURAGE, INDECISION,
PROCRASTINATION. You should not be indecisive when an opportunity arises,
etc. English: "Strike while the iron is hot."
No. 60:
Burla minena, egia dioena
"The most painful mockery/derision/insult is the one that's true."
[the most painful mockery, the one that's true]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 186, #2161; S, Dic.. INSULTS; MOCKERY.
No. 61:
Bururik ez duenak, hankak ibili behar
"If you don't have a good head, then you better have good legs."
[one who doesn't have a head, must have legs]
COMMENTS:
Intza, p. 38, #367. INCOMPETENCE. People who aren't very smart take a lot of
false steps and must walk (work) a lot harder to accomplish the same. (Cf.
Intza #869, #2136)
No. 62:
Bururik ez duenak, txapel-beharrik ez
"Those who don't have heads don't need hats."
[one who doesn't have a head, no need for hat]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 105, #1020; AN-b, Dic. INCOMPETENCE. Said of people who aspire to
more than they can do or get or of people who try to get involved with things
they don't know anything about, meaning that they shouldn't. (Cf. Intza #365,
#366, #805, #1737, #1884)
No. 63:
Buztana lastozkoa duena, suaren beldur
"Those who have their tail made of straw are afraid of fire."
[the one who has the tail of straw, afraid of the fire (is)]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 105, #1022; G-errezil, Lope de Isasti, p. 172. WEAKNESS, FEAR.
(Cf. Intza #1773)
No. 64:
Dagonean bonbon, ez dagonean egon
"When there is, enjoy, and when there isn't, resign yourself."
[when there is, spend lavishly; when there isn't, wait/put up]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 187, #2169; B, G, R, Dic. ADVERSITY; CIRCUMSTANCES. Sometimes you
have things like food or money (or children, candy), so enjoy them then.
Other times you won't have these things, but there is no sense complaning too
much about it. You can't always have what you want. Another version has
on-on (very good) instead of bonbon. (Cf. Azkue #783; Intza #870, #1687,
#1740) (Rhyme)
No. 65:
Dakien guztia ez derrala, ahala oro jan ez dezala
"Don't say as much as you know and don't eat as much as you can."
[let one not say all they know, let one not eat as much as it is possible]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 187, #2170; S, Dic. TALKING, EATING
No. 66:
Dakienak, dakien adina esaten du
"One who knows, tells everything one knows."
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 244. TALKING. Therefore if someone does not give enough
information, probably he doesn't know as much as they claim to. This can be
taken as contradicting #65: "Dakien guztia ez derrala ..."
No. 67:
Dakizunaz gutxi mintza zaitez, ez dakizunaz bat ere
"Say little about what you know something about, and don't say anything about
what you don't know anything about."
[about what you know speak little, about what you don't know not at all]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 187, #2174; AN, Irigaray. TALKING, IGNORANCE
No. 68:
Danbolin ordainduak soinu txarra jotzen du
"A drummer paid in advance doesn't play good music."
[a paid drum plays bad music]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 244. BUSINESS & COMMERCE. In other words: Don't pay the
musicians beforehand if you want to hear good music. (Cf. Intza #730, #1146,
#1624, #1685)
No. 69:
Dantzatu nahi ez dana, ez doala dantzara
"If you don't want to dance you shouldn't go to a dance."
[the one who doesn't want to dance, let him/her not go to dance]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 187, #2177; Salguis, number 109. CHOICES, DECISIONS
No. 70:
Denbora badoa eta gu harekin
"Time goes by, and we go with it."
COMMENTS:
Ormazabal, p. 50. TIME
No. 71:
Dezagun gutxi, dezagun beti
"Let us have little, but let us always have enough."
[let us have little, let us have always]
COMMENTS:
Intza, p. 39, #372. WEALTH, SIMPLICITY, CONTENTMENT, SECURITY. (Cf. Intza
#2223)
No. 72:
Dirua, mutilik hoberena eta nagusirik txarrena
"Money is the best of servants, but the worst of bosses."
COMMENTS:
Intza, p. 112, #1739 MONEY. Although money is a good thing, one should never
be its servant, but, rather, the other way around. (Cf. Ormazabal, p. 43)
(Rhyme)
No. 73:
Diruak malkarrak zelaitzen
"Money can turn rough, hilly terrain into flat fields."
[money flattens hilly terrain]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 189, #2198; Duvoisin, #96. MONEY
No. 74:
Edozein txoriri, eder bere habia
"Each bird thinks its own nest is beautiful."
[to any bird, beautiful its nest]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 60, #429; B. HOME. (Cf. Azkue #617)
No. 75:
Edozeinek, edanondoan, dio bere iritzia
"After drinking everyone says what they really think."
[anybody after drinking says their opinion]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 244. DRINKING, TALKING, OPINIONS
No. 76:
Egarri dagoenarentzat, ur loirik ez
"There is no muddy water for one who is thirsty."
[for one who is thirsty, muddy water not]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 244. CONTENTMENT, ADVERSITY. When you really need
something, you will not be too picky.
No. 77:
Egi guztiak ez dira on esateko
"Some truths are better left unsaid."
[not all truths are good to say]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 244. TRUTH, TALKING
No. 78:
Egia, askoren erregarria
"The truth can be painful."
[truth, ardent/burning stuff for many]
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 244. TRUTH, PAIN. The truth can hurt; the truth is not
always pleasant. (Rhyme)
No. 79:
Egia da latz eta garratz
"The truth is bitter and unpleasant."
COMMENTS:
Lopez Mendizabal, p. 244. TRUTH, PAIN. The truth can hurt; the truth is not
always pleasant. Cf. "Egia, askoren erregarria." Word play: latz-garratz
(bitter-unpleasant).
No. 80:
Egiak esan eta adiskideak gal
"If you always tell the truth you may lose your friends."
[telling the truth and losing your friends]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 191, #2224; BN-s, Dic. TRUTHS, FRIENDS
No. 81:
Egizu beti on, ez jakinarren non
"Do always the right thing, even if you don't know who benefits."
[do always good, despite not knowing where]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 191, #2237; B-mu, Dic. GOODNESS, ACTION, GENEROSITY. Do what is
right/good for its own sake, even if you don't get to see the results of your
good actions. Cf. Spanish: "Haz bien y no mires a quie'n." (Cf. Intza #2371)
(Rhyme)
No. 82:
Eguzki bera, on ala gaiztoentzat
"The sun shines equally on the good and the bad."
[the same sun, for the good or the bad]
COMMENTS:
Ormazabal, p. 49. EQUALITY
No. 83:
Eguzkia nora, zapiak hara
"Where the sun is, that's where you should hang your clothes."
[to where the sun, (to) there the cloths]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 115, #1153; Bc. FREEDOM?, OPORTUNITIES; ADAPTATION, CIRCUMSTANCES.
You can't do much about where the sun is going to hit at any one time, but you
can adapt to this contingency easily for the purpose of drying your clothes.
In other words, adapt to circumstances. In a more negative sense, it is used
to refer to people who get close to influential people to get ahead. (Cf.
Azkue #1788; Urquijo p. 68) (Word play: nora-hara)
No. 84:
Ekark idia, edo begia
"Bring the ox or bring the eye."
[bring the ox, or the eye]
COMMENTS:
Urquijo, p. 56 DEBTS. Said of people who are too strict or severe when it
comes to collect their debts. (Rhyme)
No. 85:
Elizatik hurreanena, paradisutik urrunena.
"Those who are closest to the church are those who are farthest away from
paradise."
[the closest to the church, the farthest from paradise]
COMMENTS:
Intza, p. 137, #2144 CHURCHES, RELIGION PARADISE. Those who are the most
religious are often the least saintly.
No. 86:
Entzun eta isil, baiezko borobil
"If you hear something and you don't object, people will assume that you
agree."
[hear and be quiet, total agreement/consent]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 194, #2287; B-o$, F, Segura, Dic. AGREEMENT, TALKING. Cf. Latin:
"Qui tacet consentire videtur." Cf. Spanish: "Quien calla otorga."
No. 87:
Eroriz, eroriz, oinez ikasten da
"The way one learns to walk is by falling."
[falling and falling, one learns to walk]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 106, #1030; G-errezil. WALKING, OBSTINACY?; PERSISTENCE,
PERSEVERANCE. "You can't learn to walk without falling."
No. 88:
Esaera zaharrak, gezurrik ez
"The old saying tells no lies."
[old sayings, lies not]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 61, #447; G-errezil. PROVERBS, NATURE. Azkue's version adds
another saying to this one: "Otsoak otsakiri, horzkadarik ez": "A wolf won't
bite another wolf." This second saying, I think, warns one not to expect
one's enemies to fight one another. (Rhyme)
No. 89:
Esana da erraz eta egina garratz
"Talking is easy, but acting upon it is hard."
[saying is easy and doing is hard/bitter.]
COMMENTS:
Azkue, p. 196, #2319; B, Ms. de Londres, Dic., AN-larr; oderitz. TALKING,
ACTION. Cf. "Talk is cheap." Cf. "Some things are easier said than done."
(Rhyme)
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there's plenty more where that comes from
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ellis D.
we need to make the wheels out of pizza.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Governor
Time Bandits!
What's wrong with you people?
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katie west is the best
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ego Tripping
At this point, Democratic or Republican, theres no way the establishment will let anything less than a total war monger into the oval office.
It's the American way.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by J - Wonder
-"terror free since 2003"
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10-17-2010, 11:27 AM
cheers Juan!!!!
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