proverbs

Fire
243. Niitu ba lakkle. (3,19)
Kuy niitu ba lakkle. (2)
Dafa doon niitu, faf lakkle. (7)
To play with fire until the house burns down.
“If you play with fire you will get burnt.”
A wife, pampered by her husband was becoming more and more capricious and
demanding. She wanted everything she saw and nothing was too good for her. When her
desires were not satisfied, she would get angry. Her husband eventually could not cope
with her anymore and divorced her. The neighbours commented on her departure, quoting
this proverb.
“Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned Can a man
walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched” (Proverbs 6:28-29 NIV)
First
244. Jëkk cim pax, sab geen nekk ci biti. (2,3,5,6)
To be the first to get to the hole and have your tail outside.
This proverbs speaks of those who do not take advantage of being first, when another
coming after can profit from the situation.
A man wants to marry a girl from the village. Instead of giving presents and hurrying to
conclude the arrangements, he lets it drag on. A young man from the village arrives from
Dakar with a car and much money, and marries the girl. The first man sighs and laments to
his father who quotes this proverb.
Food
245. Lu yaq añ, añ la. (20)
What you ate to spoil your lunch is your lunch.
246. Cin bu naree neex, bu baxee xeeñ. (2,6,8,19)
Bu cin naree neex, bu baxee xeeñ. (7,10)
A cooking pot which is intended to be sweet, will smell good when it boils.
The pleasant odour given off during cooking is the promise of a treat.
Fool
247. Dof sonnul, bokk yaa sonn. (19)
A fool does not suffer; it is his relatives who suffer.
248. Dof ba raw, moo gëna muus ba dee. (6)
It is better to be saved by one's foolishness than to die through cunning.
249. Waxi dof, taaw baay gën caat ma. (11,12)
The first words of a fool are better than his last words.
The words of a fool start better than they finish.
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