My father has a fondness for proverbs.
Okay, let me clarify. My father is an Arab man over the age of 20 so it goes without saying that he has a fondness for proverbs.
He uses them often. Mainly Arabic proverbs, but Dad has been known to venture into other regions.
Like this one from Sweden "Friendship doubles our joy and divides our grief." That's a nice one right? It gets to the point. It has a nice message. I mean most proverbs have a good message. But this one has a nice message. I feel cozy just reading it.
Many proverbs are like that. The get to the point. Using as few words as possible. Because that's the idea. We want to remember them so that we may draw upon them in times of strife when teaching our children or addressing our constituents or however we choose to pass along these nuggets of wisdom. If you can't remember a proverb because it's too long or convoluted, chances are you won't use it. Now, a lot of proverbs don't originate in English, but instead are translated. And still they stay succinct and to the point (see above Swedish example.)
However, many proverbs don't enjoy the same conciseness. And I'm sorry to say, many of these are Arabic proverbs...Before you accuse me of being anti-Arab just take a look at the title of this blog. I'm the one who hates Leban, remember. So take me with a grain of salt. But bear with me.
Arabic is a language known for being flowery and adding embellishments to a simple statement. And usually when something goes from Arabic to English, you lose something in the translation. Therefore the simple statement of "Drop Dead" becomes the following:
"May the fleas of a thousand angry camels infest your mother's nostrils"
or something like that....I exaggerate. I believe the phrase was:
"May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits"
But I'm sure you see my point. Maybe this is the reason Arabs get the reputation of being passionate (read: angry) But I'm going off topic. I apologize. Let's just say, some Arabs are passionate. Some are angry. Some are both. Some are neither.
....Anyway, back to proverbs. I was talking about how English proverbs get to the point. Arabic ones...notsomuch. Let's dive into some examples. English ones first:
EASY COME, EASY GO - simple right? I get it. Things which come easy are easily lost.
In Arabic it's WHAT COMES THIS WAY, GOES THIS WAY.
..I'm sorry...Which way? This way? (points to left) or this way? (points to right.) Which frigging way!??
Is it like "In one ear and out the other?" or is it "Things leave the way they come?" Now I'm too stressed trying to figure this out and I miss the point!
Some Arabic proverbs are deliberately vague - A BETTER ONE IN ANOTHER ONE instead of the English -- BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME. I give them points for staying universal. But it could mean anything! Why can't Arabic proverbs just be simple?
Some are completely off in left field, like this one - NOTHING IS FOR FREE, NOT EVEN BLINDNESS AND DEAFNESS....I'm not even going to try to analyze that. The English version is the 'to-the-point' NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH.
I know I want a free lunch. I don't really care to have blindness or deafness. And now I'm depressed, thinking of having my sight or sound taken away. So it's all a big mess. Fine, I'll pay for my lunch. Small cost to have all your faculties intact. Is that what the point is...?
I tried to ask my father about that particular one and even he couldn't give me a good answer. Actually, I should say, he answered me using a proverb: He told me in life when attempting anything, such as learning proverbs, GRAPES ARE EATEN ONE BY ONE.
I was about to wrinkle my brows in my trademark look of dissatisfaction...when I realized I'd recently gotten botox and couldn't really move my face.
...NO, BUT SERIOUSLY, I realized this proverb is a good one. Grapes are eaten one by one. It's true! It does conjure up an image. You're apt to remember it if you think about the succulent grapes you're biting into and how you can't shove a bunch in your mouth and not appear savage. It kinda works.Take your time. Why rush? I chuckled with delight to this happy realization, then realized that I my goal wasn't to uphold the Arabic proverbs, but to attack them for being vague and redundant. So I got back to business. The grapes saying was a fluke. Surely, there were more bad sayings. And I was going to uncover them. So I pressed further with my father.
"Okay, Dad, what are some other sayings?" To this he listed three:
THE BARBER OPENED UP HIS SHOP, HIS FIRST CUSTOMER WAS BALD.
(To start the day off on the wrong foot)
A THOUSAND CURSES DO NOT TEAR A ROBE
(Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me
A FIRE IN THE HEART, BUT NO TEAR IN THE EYE
(To keep a stiff upper lip)
I guess Dad was saving the best for last because all the Arabic versions of these are spot on. Specially the last one. I never understood what it meant to keep a stiff upper lip...unless you count what most women in Hollywood over 40 do to themselves with plastic surgery. I mean they look like ducks, am I right?...But again, I digress...
Maybe there is something to these proverbs. They do paint a nice image and sometimes a strong visual is better than brevity. Take what is now becoming my favorite saying
WE MENTIONED THE CAT, IT CAME BOUNDING.
(Speak of the Devil)
....Well, cats are cuter than the devil.
Got any fun proverbs of your own passed down in your family? Would love to hear them.
--Sami
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