DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49272#0212
196
HARVARD AFRICAN STUDIES
65. Dabd mana falamd way a. “For one who has no house, it is a good thing to bring
lawsuits.”
Since he has everything to gain and nothing to lose.
66. Ho ’u! gennan didde 61 kzenan hate. “ 1 Take it,’ we said to him, and he refused;
we put it back and he stole it.”
Forbidden things are a temptation.
67. Ndta'ngabbatdnu yada gabbdtu. “ Upon food one does not grow fat; upon thought
one fattens.”
68. Namni biyand; nagd! gede ndmd gad; faya! gede namatti faya. “ The men of this
country say: ‘ Greeting,’ and enter people’s houses; they say: ‘ Hail! ’ and they carry
away the people.”
An allusion to the spies and to the seizures and confiscations so frequent in the Galla
kingdoms.
69. Ani qz'ensa'nqabu qubd ndn'oqddda | ani kzessa'nqabu igzd nan dow ’ddda. “I
have no nails, I scratch myself with my fingers; I have no brain, I look at it with my
eyes.”
For one who looks without understanding.
70. Sani hadd intdlafarso qdl A. “ Offspring of the mother, the daughter is poor beer.”
Tel pere, tel fils. (Like father, like son.)
71. Wdmicci ulfind ollun salpind. “It is lightness not to respond to a heavy invi-
tation.”
Here, the Galla play upon words; between ulfind, which means both “ heavy ” and
“ worthy of respect ” and salpind, 11 light ” materially as well as “ contemptible.”
72. Hidin gaddntu ise oldntu tufati. “ The lower lip scorns the upper lip.”
Cf. “ The pot calls the kettle black.”
73. Karaddf garatu gar gar ndmd bdsd. “ The way and the thought divide people.”
As travellers separate at the crossroads, so differences of opinion separate friends.
74. Hora^ngdin harrotti maccofte. 11 Thou hast not yet reached the warm spring and
thou art already intoxicated with the water of the pool.”
For boasts made before going to war.
75. Mi ’effate nd arrdbi gede sogiddi. “ 1 [The other time] I was sweet; lick me [now]! ’
said the salt.”
For one who, having once yielded, then prepares to resist the second time.
76. OtuAnkolfun gubbadde! gette akkdin. “ ‘ If I had not laughed, I should have been
burnt,’ said the parched chick-peas.”
The Abyssinians and the Galla while cooking parched chick-peas (Amharic: qolld;
Galla: akkae) are in the habit of sprinkling them with water. Then the chick-peas crack
(the proverb says, “laugh”). The proverb is applied when distraction from a long piece
of work is needed.
HARVARD AFRICAN STUDIES
65. Dabd mana falamd way a. “For one who has no house, it is a good thing to bring
lawsuits.”
Since he has everything to gain and nothing to lose.
66. Ho ’u! gennan didde 61 kzenan hate. “ 1 Take it,’ we said to him, and he refused;
we put it back and he stole it.”
Forbidden things are a temptation.
67. Ndta'ngabbatdnu yada gabbdtu. “ Upon food one does not grow fat; upon thought
one fattens.”
68. Namni biyand; nagd! gede ndmd gad; faya! gede namatti faya. “ The men of this
country say: ‘ Greeting,’ and enter people’s houses; they say: ‘ Hail! ’ and they carry
away the people.”
An allusion to the spies and to the seizures and confiscations so frequent in the Galla
kingdoms.
69. Ani qz'ensa'nqabu qubd ndn'oqddda | ani kzessa'nqabu igzd nan dow ’ddda. “I
have no nails, I scratch myself with my fingers; I have no brain, I look at it with my
eyes.”
For one who looks without understanding.
70. Sani hadd intdlafarso qdl A. “ Offspring of the mother, the daughter is poor beer.”
Tel pere, tel fils. (Like father, like son.)
71. Wdmicci ulfind ollun salpind. “It is lightness not to respond to a heavy invi-
tation.”
Here, the Galla play upon words; between ulfind, which means both “ heavy ” and
“ worthy of respect ” and salpind, 11 light ” materially as well as “ contemptible.”
72. Hidin gaddntu ise oldntu tufati. “ The lower lip scorns the upper lip.”
Cf. “ The pot calls the kettle black.”
73. Karaddf garatu gar gar ndmd bdsd. “ The way and the thought divide people.”
As travellers separate at the crossroads, so differences of opinion separate friends.
74. Hora^ngdin harrotti maccofte. 11 Thou hast not yet reached the warm spring and
thou art already intoxicated with the water of the pool.”
For boasts made before going to war.
75. Mi ’effate nd arrdbi gede sogiddi. “ 1 [The other time] I was sweet; lick me [now]! ’
said the salt.”
For one who, having once yielded, then prepares to resist the second time.
76. OtuAnkolfun gubbadde! gette akkdin. “ ‘ If I had not laughed, I should have been
burnt,’ said the parched chick-peas.”
The Abyssinians and the Galla while cooking parched chick-peas (Amharic: qolld;
Galla: akkae) are in the habit of sprinkling them with water. Then the chick-peas crack
(the proverb says, “laugh”). The proverb is applied when distraction from a long piece
of work is needed.