diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | 44866-0.txt | 393 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 44866-0.zip | bin | 63833 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 44866-8.txt | 3865 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 44866-8.zip | bin | 62941 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 44866-h.zip | bin | 335664 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | 44866-h/44866-h.htm | 420 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 44866.txt | 3865 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 44866.zip | bin | 61959 -> 0 bytes |
8 files changed, 5 insertions, 8538 deletions
diff --git a/44866-0.txt b/44866-0.txt index a17d4e8..fbe6783 100644 --- a/44866-0.txt +++ b/44866-0.txt @@ -1,36 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of "Gombo Zhèbes", by Lafcadio Hearn - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: "Gombo Zhèbes" - Little Dictionary of Creole Proverbs - -Author: Lafcadio Hearn - -Release Date: February 10, 2014 [EBook #44866] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK "GOMBO ZHÈBES" *** - - - - -Produced by Marcia Brooks, Valérie Leduc, Hugo Voisard, -Harry Lamé and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team -at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44866 *** Transcriber’s Notes: @@ -3504,361 +3472,4 @@ Changes made to the text: End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of "Gombo Zhèbes", by Lafcadio Hearn -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK "GOMBO ZHÈBES" *** - -***** This file should be named 44866-0.txt or 44866-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/8/6/44866/ - -Produced by Marcia Brooks, Valérie Leduc, Hugo Voisard, -Harry Lamé and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team -at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44866 *** diff --git a/44866-0.zip b/44866-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 7eb6c67..0000000 --- a/44866-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/44866-8.txt b/44866-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 837fd70..0000000 --- a/44866-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3865 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of "Gombo Zhèbes", by Lafcadio Hearn - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: "Gombo Zhèbes" - Little Dictionary of Creole Proverbs - -Author: Lafcadio Hearn - -Release Date: February 10, 2014 [EBook #44866] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK "GOMBO ZHÈBES" *** - - - - -Produced by Marcia Brooks, Valérie Leduc, Hugo Voisard, -Harry Lamé and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team -at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - Transcriber's Notes: - - Small capitals in the original work are here represented in ALL - CAPITALS. Italic text has been transcribed between underscores, as in - _text_. [oe] represents the oe-ligature, [-->] a right-pointing - finger. - - - - - GOMBO - ZHEBES - - - - - "GOMBO ZHÈBES." - - - LITTLE DICTIONARY OF CREOLE PROVERBS, - SELECTED FROM SIX CREOLE DIALECTS. - - - TRANSLATED INTO FRENCH AND INTO ENGLISH, WITH NOTES, COMPLETE INDEX - TO SUBJECTS AND SOME BRIEF REMARKS UPON THE CREOLE - IDIOMS OF LOUISIANA. - - - BY - LAFCADIO HEARN. - - - NEW YORK: - WILL H. COLEMAN, PUBLISHER, NO. 70, BUSINESS QUARTER, ASTOR HOUSE. - 1885. - - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1885, by - WILL H. COLEMAN, - in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. - - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. - - - - -INTRODUCTION. - - -Any one who has ever paid a flying visit to New Orleans probably knows -something about those various culinary preparations whose generic name -is "Gombo"--compounded of many odds and ends, with the okra-plant, or -true gombo for a basis, but also comprising occasionally "losé, -zepinard, laitie," and the other vegetables sold in bunches in the -French market. At all events any person who has remained in the city for -a season must have become familiar with the nature of "gombo filé," -"gombo févi," and "gombo aux herbes," or as our colored cook calls it, -"gombo zhèbes"--for she belongs to the older generation of Creole -_cuisinières_, and speaks the patois in its primitive purity, without -using a single "r." Her daughter, who has been to school, would -pronounce it _gombo zhairbes_:--the modern patois is becoming more and -more Frenchified, and will soon be altogether forgotten, not only -throughout Louisiana, but even in the Antilles. It still, however, -retains originality enough to be understood with difficulty by persons -thoroughly familiar with French; and even those who know nothing of any -language but English, readily recognize it by the peculiarly rapid -syllabification and musical intonation. Such English-speaking residents -of New Orleans seldom speak of it as "Creole": they call it _gombo_, for -some mysterious reason which I have never been able to explain -satisfactorily. The colored Creoles of the city have themselves begun to -use the term to characterize the patois spoken by the survivors of -slavery days. Turiault tells us that in the towns of Martinique, where -the Creole is gradually changing into French, the _Bitacos_, or country -negroes who still speak the patois nearly pure, are much ridiculed by -their municipal brethren:--_Ça ou ka palé là, chè, c'est nèg:--Ça pas -Créole!_ ("_What you talk is 'nigger,' my dear:--that isn't Creole!_") -In like manner a young Creole negro or negress of New Orleans might tell -an aged member of his race: "_Ça qui to parlé ça pas Créole: ça c'est -gombo!_" I have sometimes heard the pure and primitive Creole also -called "Congo" by colored folks of the new generation. - -The literature of "gombo" has perhaps even more varieties than there are -preparations of the esculents above referred to;--the patois has -certainly its gombo févi, its gombo filé, its "gombo zhèbes"--both -written and unwritten. A work like Marbot's "Bambous" would deserve to -be classed with the pure "févi";--the treatises of Turiault, Baissac, -St. Quentin, Thomas, rather resemble that fully prepared dish, in which -crabs seem to struggle with fragments of many well-stewed meats, all -strongly seasoned with pepper. The present essay at Creole folklore, can -only be classed as "gombo zhèbes"--(_Zhèbes çé feuil-chou, cresson, -laitie, bettrav, losé, zepinard_);--the true okra is not the basis of -our preparation;--it is a Creole dish, if you please, but a salmagundi -of inferior quality. - - * * * * * - -For the collection of Louisiana proverbs in this work I am almost wholly -indebted to my friend Professor William Henry, Principal of the -Jefferson Academy in New Orleans; not a few of the notes, Creole -quotations, and examples of the local patois were also contributed by -him. The sources of the other proverbs will be found under the head of -Creole Bibliography. The translations of the proverbs into French will -greatly aid in exhibiting the curious process of transformation to which -the negro slave subjected the language of his masters, and will also -serve to show the peculiar simplicity of Creole grammar. My French is -not always elegant, or even strictly correct;--for with the above object -in view it has been necessary to make the translation as literal as is -possible without adopting the inter-linear system. Out of nearly five -hundred proverbs I selected about three hundred and fifty only for -publication--some being rejected because of their naïve indecency, -others because they offered mere variations of one and the same maxim. -Even after the sifting process, I was partly disappointed with the -results; the proportion of true Creole proverbs--proverbs of indubitably -negro invention--proved to be much smaller than I had expected. -Nevertheless all which I have utilized exhibit the peculiarities of the -vernacular sufficiently to justify their presence. - - * * * * * - -While some of these proverbs are witty enough to call a smile to the -most serious lips, many others must, no doubt, seem vapid, enigmatic, or -even meaningless. But a large majority of negro sayings depend -altogether upon application for their color or their effectiveness; they -possess a chameleon power of changing hue according to the manner in -which they are placed. (See for examples: Prov. 161, 251, or 308.) Every -saying of this kind is susceptible of numerous applications; and the art -of applying one proverb to many different situations is one in which the -negro has no rival--not even among the Arabs themselves, whose use of -such folklore has been so admirably illustrated by Carlo Landberg. - - * * * * * - -No two authors spell the Creole in the same way; and three writers whom -I have borrowed largely from--Thomas, Baissac, and Turiault--actually -vary the orthography of the same word in quite an arbitrary manner. At -first I thought of remodeling all my proverbs according to the phonetic -system of spelling; but I soon found that this would not only disguise -the Creole etymology almost beyond recognition, but would further -interfere with my plan of arrangement. Finally I concluded to publish -the Creole text almost precisely as I had found it, with the various -spellings and peculiarities of accentuation. The reader will find -_cabrit_, for example, written in four or five different ways. Where the -final _t_--never pronounced in our own patois--is fully sounded, the -several authorities upon Creole grammar have indicated the fact in -various fashions: one spelling it _cabritt_; another _cabrite_, etc. - - * * * * * - -The grammatical peculiarities and the pronounciation of the several -Creole dialects are matters which could not be satisfactorily treated -within the compass of a small pamphlet. Some few general rules might, -indeed, be mentioned as applying to most Creole dialects. It is -tolerably safe to say that in no one of the West Indian dialects was the -French "_r_" pronounced in former days; it was either totally -suppressed, as in the word "fòce" (_force_), or exchanged for a vowel -sound, as in _bouanche_ (for _branche_). The delicate and difficult -French sound of _u_ was changed into _ou_; the sound _en_ was simplified -into _é_; the clear European _o_ became a nasal _au_; and into many -French words containing the sound of _am_, such as _amour_, the negro -wedged the true African _n_, making the singular Creole pronounciation -_lanmou_, _canmarade_, _janmain_. But the black slaves from the Ivory -and Gold Coasts, from Congo or Angola, pronounced differently. The Eboes -and Mandingoes spoke the patois with varying accentuations;--it were -therefore very difficult to define rules of pronounciation applicable to -the patois spoken in all parts of one island like Guadaloupe, or one -colonial province like Guyana. Not so in regard to grammar. In all forms -of the patois (whether the musical and peculiarly picturesque Creole of -Martinique, or the more fantastic Creole of Mauritius, adulterated with -Malgache and Chinese words)--the true article is either suppressed or -transformed into a prefix or affix of the noun, as in _femme-la_ "the -woman," or _yon lagrimace_, a grimace;--there is no true gender, no true -singular and plural; verbs have rarely more than six tenses--sometimes -less--and the tense is not indicated by the termination of the verb; -there is a remarkable paucity of auxiliaries, and in some dialects none -whatever; participles are unknown, and prepositions few. A very fair -knowledge of comparative Creole grammar and pronunciation may be -acquired, by any one familiar with French, from the authors cited at the -beginning of this volume. I would also recommend those interested in -such folklore to peruse the Creole novel of Dr. Alfred Mercier--_Les -Saint-Ybars_, which contains excellent examples of the Louisiana -dialect; and Baissac's beautiful little stories, "Recits Créoles," rich -in pictures of the old French colonial life. The foreign philological -reviews and periodicals, especially those of Paris, have published quite -a variety of animal fables, proverbs, stories in various Creole -dialects; and among the recent contributions of French ethnologists to -science will be also discovered some remarkable observations upon the -actual formation of various patois--strongly resembling our own -Creole--in the French African colonies. - - * * * * * - -Needless to say this collection is far from perfect;--the most I can -hope for is that it may constitute the nucleus of a more exhaustive -publication to appear in course of time. No one person could hope to -make a really complete collection of Creole proverbs--even with all the -advantages of linguistic knowledge, leisure, wealth, and travel. Only a -society of folklorists might bring such an undertaking to a successful -issue; but as no systematic effort is being made in this direction, I -have had no hesitation in attempting--not indeed to fill a want--but to -set an example. _Gouïe passé, difil sivré_:--let the needle but pass, -the thread will follow. - - L. H. - - - - -CREOLE BIBLIOGRAPHY. - - -[-->] The selection of Haytian proverbs in this collection was made by -kindly permission of Messrs. Harper Bros., from the four articles -contributed by Hon. John Bigelow, to HARPER'S MAGAZINE, 1875. The -following list includes only those works consulted or quoted from in the -preparation of this dictionary, and comprises but a small portion of all -the curious books, essays, poems, etc., written upon, or in the Creole -patois of the Antilles and of Louisiana.--L. H. - - BRUYÈRE (LOYS)--"Proverbes Créoles de la Guyane Française." (In - l'Almanach des Traditions Populaires, 1883. Paris: Maisonneuve et - Cie.) - - BAISSAC (M. C.)--"Étude sur le Patois Créole Mauricien." Nancy: - Imprimerie Berger-Levrault & Cie., 1880. - - MARBOT--"Les Bambous." Fables de La Fontaine travesties en Patois - Créole par un Vieux Commandeur. Fort-de-France, Martinique: Librairie - de Frederic Thomas, 1869. (Second Edition. Both editions of this - admirable work are now unfortunately out of print.) - - THOMAS (J. J.)--"The Theory and Practice of Creole Grammar." Port of - Spain, Trinidad: The Chronicle Publishing Office, 1869. - - TURIAULT (J.)--"Étude sur le Langage Créole de la Martinique." - (Extrait du Bulletin de la Société Académique.) Brest: Lefournier, - 1869. - - DE ST.-QUENTIN (AUGUSTE)--Introduction à l'Histoire de Cayenne, suivie - d'un Recueil de Contes, Fables, et Chansons en Créole. Notes et - Commentaires par Alfred de St.-Quentin. Étude sur la Grammaire Créole - par Auguste de St.-Quentin. Antibes: J. Marchand, 1872. - - BIGELOW (HON. JOHN)--"The Wit and Wisdom of the Haytians." Being four - articles upon the Creole Proverbs of Hayti, respectively published in - the June, July, August and September numbers of HARPER'S MAGAZINE, - 1875. - - - - -Little Dictionary of Creole Proverbs. - - -[_Most of the proverbs quoted in Martinique are current also in -Guadeloupe, only 90 miles distant. All proverbs recognized in Louisiana -are marked by an asterisk (*). The indications,_ MAURITIUS, GUYANA, -MARTINIQUE, HAYTI, _etc., do not necessarily imply origin; they refer -only to the dialects in which the proverbs are written, and to the works -from which they are selected._] - - -1. Acoma tombé toutt mounn di: C'est bois pourri. (Quand l'Acoma est -tombé, tout le monde dit: C'est du bois pourri.) - - "When the Acoma has fallen everybody says: 'It's only rotten - wood.'"[1]--[_Mart._] - - [1] The Acoma, says Turiault, is one of the grandest trees in the - forests of the Antilles. The meaning of the proverb appears to be, - that a powerful or wealthy person who meets with misfortune is at once - treated with contempt by those who formerly sought his favor or - affected to admire his qualities. - -2. A fòce macaque caressé yche li ka touffé li. (À force de caresser son -petit le macaque l'étouffe.) - - "The monkey smothers its young one by hugging it too much."--[_Mart._] - -3. Aspère[2] iéve dans marmite avant causé. (Attendez que le lièvre soit -dans la marmite avant de parler.) - - "Wait till the hare's in the pot before you talk."--Don't count your - chickens before they're hatched.--[_Mauritius._] - - [2] Evidently a creolization of the Spanish _esperar_. - -4. Avant bois[3] d'Inde té pòté graine, macaque té nouri yche yo. (Avant -que l'arbre d'Inde portâit des graines, les macaques nourissaient leurs -petits.) - - "Before the Indian tree (?) bore seed the monkeys were able to nourish - their young."--[_Martinique._] - - [3] The word bois (wood) is frequently used in Creole for the tree - itself; and pié-bois ("foot of the wood") for the trunk or stump. "Yon - gouòs pié-bois plis facile déraciné qu'mauvais l'habitude" (A big - stump is easier to uproot than a bad habit), is a Martinique Creole - dictum, evidently borrowed from the language of the white masters. I - am sorry that I do not know which of the various trees to which the - name bois d'Inde has been given by the Creoles, is referred to in the - proverb--whether the mango, or China-berry. No tree is generally - recognized by that name in Louisiana. - -5. Avant zabocat macaque ka nouri yche li. (Avant qu'il y eût des -avocados, les macaques nourissaient leurs petits.) - - "The monkey could nourish its young, before there were any - avocadoes."[4]--[_Martinique._] - - [4] The Avocado was the name given by the Spanish conquistadores to - the Persea gratissima, whose fruit is the "alligator pear." But M. - Turiault again traces the Spanish word back to the Carib word - Aouacate. - -6. Azourdi casse en fin; dimain tape langouti. (Aujourd'hui bien mis; -demain en langouti.) - - "Well dressed to-day; only a langouti[5] tomorrow."--[_Mauritius._] - - [5] The langouti was the garment worn about the loins by male slaves - in Mauritius--who were wont to labor otherwise naked. In Creole both - _caser_ and _taper_ signify "to put on," with the difference that - _caser_ generally refers to good clothes. In colloquial French _tapé_ - means "stylishly dressed," "well-rigged-out," etc. - -7. Azourdi soûle bon temps, dimain pagayé. (Aujourd'hui soûl de plaisir, -demain la pagaye.) - - "To-day drunk with fun, to-morrow the paddle." Allusion to slavery - discipline.--[_Mauritius._] - -8. Azourdi tout marmites dibout làhaut difé. (Aujourd'hui toutes les -marmites sont debout sur le feu.) - - "All the cooking-pots are on the fire now." One man is now as good as - another:--this proverb evidently refers to the abolition of - slavery.--[_Mauritius._] - -9. Azourdi tout femmes alle confesse, més lhére zautes tourne léglise -dìabe zétte encore pécé av zautes. (Aujourd'hui toutes les femmes vont à -confesse; mais quand elles reviennent de l'église le diable leur jette -encore des péchés.) - - "All the women go to confession now-a-days; but they no sooner return - from church, than the devil piles more sins upon - them."--[_Mauritius._] - -10. Babe canmarade ou pris difé, rousé ta ou. (Quand la barbe de ton -camarade brûle, arrose la tienne.) - - "If you see your neighbor's beard on fire, water your - own."[6]--[_Martinique._] - - [6] "Take example by the misfortune of others." I much doubt the - Creole origin of any proverb relating to the _beard_. This one, like - many others in the collection, has probably been borrowed from a - European source; but it furnishes a fine sample of patois. In - Louisiana Creole we would say _to quenne_ instead of _ta ou_. The - Spanish origin of the Creole _quenne_ is obvious. - -11. Babiez mouche, babiez viande. (Grondez les mouches, grondez la -viande.) - - "Scold the flies, scold the meat."--[_Hayti._] - -12. Badnèn bien èpis macaque; main pouèngâde manyèn lakhé li. (Badinez -bien avec le macaque; mais prenez garde de ne pas manier sa queue.) - - "Joke with the monkey as much as you please; but take good care not to - handle his tail."--[_Trinidad._] - -13. Baggïe qui fair ziex fair nez. (Les choses qui font [mal aux] yeux, -font [mal au] nez.) - - "What troubles the eyes affects the nose."[7]--[_Trinidad._] - - [7] I believe there is an omission in Thomas' version, and that the - Creole ought to read: "_Baggaie qui fair mal ziex fair mal nez._" - _Baggaie_ has a hundred meanings: "thing," "affair," "business," - "nonsense," "stuff," etc. - -14. Bagasse boucoup, flangourin piti morceau. (Beaucoup de bagasse, peu -de jus.) - - "Much bagasse and little juice." (The bagasse is the refuse of the - cane, after the sap has been extracted.)--[_Mauritius._] - -15. Baignèn iches moune; main pas lavez dêïer zoreîes yeaux. (Baignez -les enfants des autres [lit: du monde]; mais ne les lavez pas derrière -les oreilles.) - - "Bathe other people's children; but don't wash behind their - ears."--That is to say: Do not be servile in obsequiousness to - others.--[_Trinidad._] - -16. Balié nef, balié prope. (Un balai neuf, un balai propre.) - - "A new broom's a clean broom."--This is a Creolization of our - household phrase: "A new broom sweeps clean."--[_Mauritius._] - -17. Bardeaux[8] couvert tout. (Les bardeaux couvrent tout.) - - "Shingles cover everything."--Family roofs often cover a multitude of - sins. [_Mauritius._] - - [8] The sarcasm of this proverb appears to be especially levelled at - the rich. In other Mauritian proverbs the house of the rich man is - always spoken of as the house covered with shingles, in - contradistinction to the humble slave cabins, thatched with straw. - -18. Báton pas fò passé[9] sabe. (Le bâton n'est pas plus fort que le -sabre.) - - "The stick is not stronger than the sabre."--[_Martinique._] - - [9] _Passé_--_lit_: "past"--therefore synonymous with "beyond." Word - for word the translation would be:--"The stick is not strong beyond - the sword." But the Creole generally uses "plis....passé" instead of - the French plus....que ("more than"). "Victorine li plis zolie passé - Alphonsine"--Victorine is more pretty than Alphonsine. The Creole - _passé_ is really adverbial; bearing some semblance to the old English - use of the word "passing," as in "_passing_ strange," "_passing_ - fair." - -19. Batté rendé zamés fére mal. (Les coups rendus ne font jamais de -mal.) - - "Blows returned never hurt."--Vengeance is sweet.--[_Mauritius._] - -20. Bef pas bousoin lakhê li yon sel fois pou chassé mouche. (Le b[oe]uf -n'a pas besoin de sa queue une fois seulement pour chasser les mouches.) - - "It isn't one time only that the ox needs his tail to drive the flies - away."--Ironical expression for "you will have need of me - again."[10]--[_Martinique._] - - [10] This proverb may be found in all the Creole dialects of the West - Indies. We have in the South a proverb to the same effect in English: - _Flytime will come again_, and the ox will want his tail. - -21. Bef pas jamain ka dîe savane, "Meçi!" (Le b[oe]uf ne dit jamais à la -savane, "Merci!") - - "Ox never says 'Thank you,' to the pasture."[11]--[_Trinidad._] - - [11] A proverb current in Martinique, Louisiana, etc., with slight - variations. Favors or services done through selfish policy, or - compelled by necessity, do not merit acknowledgment. - -22. Béfs laquée en lére, mauvés temps napas loin. (Les b[oe]ufs ont la -queue en l'air, le mauvais temps n'est pas loin.) - - "When the oxen lift their tails in the air, look out for bad - weather."--[_Mauritius._] - -23. * Bel tignon[12] pas fait bel négresse. (Le beau tignon ne fait pas -la belle negresse.) - - "It isn't the fine head-dress that makes the fine - negress."--[_Louisiana._] - - [12] The Louisiana _tiyon_ or _tignon_ [_tiyon_ is the true Creole - word] is the famously picturesque handkerchief which in old days all - slave women twisted about their heads. It is yet worn by the older - colored folk: and there are several styles of arranging it--_tiyon - chinoise_, _tiyon Créole_, etc. An old New Orleans ditty is still - sung, of which the refrain is:-- - - Madame Caba! - Tiyon vous tombé! - Madame Caba, - Tiyon vous tombé! - - "Madame Caba, your tiyon's falling off!" - -24. Bénéfice ratt, c'est pou sèpent. (Le bénéfice du rat, c'est pour le -serpent.) - - "The rat's gains are for the serpent."--[_Martinique._] - -25. Bon bagout çappe la vie. (Bon bagou sauve la vie.) - - "Good gab saves one's life."--[_Mauritius._] - -26. Bon blanc mouri; mauvais rêté. (Le bon blanc meurt; le mauvais -[méchant] reste.) - - "The good white man dies; the bad remains."--[_Hayti._] - -27. Bon-bouche ka gagnin chouvals à crédit. (La bonne bouche[13] obtient -des chevaux à credit.) - - "Fair words buy horses on credit."--[_Trinidad._] - - [13] That is to say: _la bonne langue_;--"the good tongue gets horses - on credit." - -28. * Bon chien pas janmain trappé bon zo. (Jamais un bon chien -n'obtient un bon os.) - - "A good dog never gets a good bone."--Creole adaptation of an old - French proverb.--[_Martinique._] - -29. Bon coq chanté dans toutt pouleillé. (Un bon coq chante dans tout -[n'importe quel] poulailler.) - - "A good cock crows in any henhouse."--Meaning that force of character - shows itself under all circumstances.--[_Martinique._] - -30. Bondié baille nouèsett pou ça qui pas ni dent. (Le Bon Dieu donne -des noisettes à celui qui n'a pas de dents.) - - "God gives nuts to people who have no teeth." Originally an Oriental - proverb; adopted into Creole from the French. As we say: "A fool for - luck."--[_Martinique._] - -31. Bon-Guè ka baille ti zouèseau dans bois mangé, jigé sì li pas ké -baille chritien mangé. (Le Bon Dieu donne à manger aux petits oiseaux -qui sont dans les bois; jugez s'il ne donnera pas à manger à un -chrétien.)[14] - - "God gives the little birds in the wood something to eat; judge for - yourself, then, whether he will not give a Christian something to - eat."--[_Martinique._] - - [14] Such a conversation as the following may not unfrequently be - heard among the old colored folk in New Orleans:-- - - --"Eh! Marie! to papé travaï jordi?" - - --"Moin?--non!" - - --"Eh, ben! comment to fé pou vive, alors?" - - --"_Ah!....ti zozo li ka boi, li ka mangé, li pas travaï toujou!_" - - ["Hey, Marie!--Ain't you going to work to-day?" "I?--no!" "Well then, - how do you manage to live?" "_Ah!....little bird drinks, little bird - eats, little bird doesn't work all the same!_"] - -32. Bon lilit, bon ménaze. (Bon lit, bon ménage.) - - "Where there's a good bed, there's good housekeeping."--[_Mauritius._] - -33. Bon piè sauvé mauvais cò. (Un bon pied sauve un mauvais corps.) - - "A good (swift) foot saves a bad (weakly) body."--Like our proverbial - refrain: "He that fights and runs away," etc.[15]--[_Martinique._] - - [15] Or like the Old Country saying "Better a good run than a bad - stand." - -34. * Bon-temps fait crapaud manqué bounda. (Le bon temps fait manquer -de derrière au crapaud.) - - "Idleness leaves the frogs without buttocks."--[_Louisiana._] - -35. * Bon-temps pas bosco. (Le bon temps n'est pas bossu.) - - "Good fortune is never hunch-backed." (Same proverb in Martinique - dialect, and in that of Louisiana.)[16]--[_Trinidad._] - - [16] In Creole _bon temps_ most generally signifies "idleness," and is - not always used in a pleasant sense. Prov. 35 is susceptible of - several different applications. - -36. Bon valett ni lakhé coupé. (Le bon valet a la queue coupée.) - - "The good servant's tail is cut off."--Reference to the condition of a - dog whose tail is cut off: he can't wag his tail, because he has no - tail to wag![17]--[_Martinique._] - - [17] The good servant does not fawn, does not flatter, does not affect - to be pleased with everything his master does--he may emulate the dog - in constant faithfulness, not in fawning. - -37. * Bouche li pas ni dimanche. (Sa bouche n'a pas de dimanche.) - - "His mouth never keeps Sunday"--lit: "has no Sunday"--no day of - rest.--[_Mart._] - -38. Boucoup disic dans cannes, més domaze marmites napas nous. (Beaucoup -de sucre dans les cannes, mais par malheur nous ne sommes pas les -marmites.) - - "Plenty of sugar in the canes; but unfortunately we are not the - boilers."--Said when dishonesty is discovered in the management of - affairs.--[_Mauritius._] - -39. Boudin pas tini zoreies. (Le ventre n'a pas d'oreilles.) - - "The belly has no ears."--[_Trinidad._] - -40. * Bouki fait gombo, lapin mangé li. (Le bouc fait le gombo, le lapin -le mange.) - - "He-goat makes the gombo; but Rabbit eats it."[18]--[_Louisiana._] - - [18] This proverb is founded upon one of the many amusing Creole - animal-fables, all bearing the title: _Compè Bouki épis Compè Lapin_ - ("Daddy Goat and Daddy Rabbit".) The rabbit always comes out - victorious, as in the stories of Uncle Remus. - -41. Ça ou jété jòdi épis piè, ou ramassé li dimain épis lanmain. (Ce que -vous rejetez aujourd'hui avec le pied, vous le ramasserez demain avec la -main.) - - "What you push away from you to-day with your foot, you will pick up - to-morrow with your hand."[19]--[_Martinique._] - - [19] "Waste not, want not." - -42. Ça ou pédi nen fè ou va trouvé nen sann. (Ce que vous perdez dans le -feu, vous le retrouverez dans la cendre.) - - "What you lose in the fire, you will find in the ashes."--Meaning that - a good deed is never lost. "Cast your bread upon the waters," - etc.--[_Martinique._] - -43. * Ça qui bon pou zoie, bon pou canard. (Ce qui est bon pour l'oie, -est bon pour le canard.) - - "What is good for the goose is good for the duck."--[_Martinique._] - -44. Ça qui boudé manze boudin. (Celui qui boude mange du boudin.) - - "He who sulks eats his own belly." That is to say, spites himself. The - pun is untranslatable.[20]--[_Mauritius._] - - [20] _Boudin_ in French signifies a pudding, in Creole it also - signifies the belly. Thus there is a double pun in the patois. - -45. Ça qui dourmi napas pensé manzé. (Qui dort ne pense pas à manger.) - - "When one sleeps, one doesn't think about eating."[21]--[_Mauritius._] - - [21] "_Qui dort, dine_," is an old French proverb. - -46. Ça qui fine goûté larac zamés perdi son goût. (Celui qui a goûté -l'arac n'en oublie jamais le goût.) - - "He who has once tasted arrack never forgets the - taste."--[_Mauritius._] - -47. Ça qui gagné piti mil dehors, veillé laplie. (Celui qui a un peu de -mil dehors veille la pluie.) - - "He who has [would raise] a little millet out of doors, watches for - rain."--[_Hayti._] - -48. Ça qui gagne zoli fille gagne coudeçapeau. (Celui qui a une jolie -fille reçoit des coups de chapeau.) - - "He who has a pretty daughter receives plenty of - salutes."--[_Mauritius._] - -49. Ça qui mangé zé pas save si bonda poule fait li mal. (Ceux qui -mangent des [oe]ufs ne savent pas si le derrière de la poule lui fait -mal.) - - "Those who eat eggs don't know whether the chicken - suffered."[22]--[_Martinique._] - - [22] A little too vulgar for literal translation. Those who profit by - the misfortunes of others, never concern themselves about the - suffering which they take advantage of. - -50. Ça qui ni bon piè prend douvant. (Celui qui a bon pied prend le -devant.) - - "He who is swift of foot takes the lead." Force of character always - brings its possessor to the front.--[_Mart._] - -51. Ça qui pas bon pou sac pas bon pour maconte. (Ce qui n'est pas bon -pour le sac, n'est pas pour le maconte.) - - "What is not fit for the bag, is not fit for the - maconte."[23]--[_Hayti._] - - [23] _Waïá_ in Trinidad Creole. _Maconte_ is probably from the Spanish - _macóna_, a basket without handles. The Haytian maconte is a sort of - basket made of woven grass, and used for carrying all kinds of - articles. It is strapped to the shoulders. - -52. Ça qui prend zassocié prend maite. (Celui qui prend un associé prend -(se donne) un maître.) - - "He who takes a partner takes a master."--[_Martinique._] - -53. Ça qui ti bien fére, zamés ti mal fére. (Ce qui est bien fait, n'est -jamais mal fait.) - - "What's rightly done is never wrongly done."--That is to say: Never - regret anything done for a good motive.--[_Mauritius._] - -54. Ça qui tine poélon qui cone so prix lagresse. (C'est celui qui tient -le poêlon qui connaît le prix de la graisse.) - - "It's the one who holds the skillet that knows the cost of - lard."--[_Mauritius._] - -55. Ça qui touyé son lecorps travaille pour levéres. (Celui qui tue son -propre corps, travaille pour les vers.) - - "He who kills his own body, works for the worms." Applicable to those - who injure their health by excesses.--[_Mauritius._] - -56. Ça qui vlé couvé, couvé su zè yo. (Ceux qui veulent couver, qu'elles -couvent leurs propres [oe]ufs.) - - "Let those who want to hatch hatch their own eggs."--That is, let - everybody mind his or her own business.--[_Martinique._] - -57. * Ça va rivé dans semaine quatte zheudis. (Cela va arriver dans la -semaine de quatre jeudis.) - - "That will happen in the week of four Thursdays."[24]--[_Louisiana._] - - [24] Ironically said to those who make promises which there is no - reason to believe will ever be fulfilled. - -58. Ça ziè pas vouè khè pas fè mal. (Ce que les yeux ne voient pas, ne -fait pas de mal au c[oe]ur.) - - "What the eyes don't see never hurts the heart."[25]--[_Martinique._] - - [25] _Ce que yex ne voit, cuer ne deut_, is a French proverb of the - 13th century, from which was probably derived our own saying: "What - the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve after." - -59. Cabritt[26] boué, mouton sou. (Quand la chèvre boit, c'est le mouton -qui est soûl.) - - "When the goat drinks, they say the sheep is drunk."--Meaning that the - innocent are made to suffer for the guilty.--[_Martinique._] - - [26] _Cabri_ in French signifies a kid; in Creole it signifies either - a kid or a goat--more generally the latter. The word was originally - spelled with a final _t_; and the Creoles of the Antilles have - generally preserved the letter, even in pronunciation. I have - purposely retained the various spellings given by various authors. - -60. Cabritt li ka monté roche, li descende. (Chèvre qui a monté un -rocher doit en descendre.) - - "The goat that climbs up the rocks must climb down - again."--[_Guyana._] - -61. Cabritt pas connaitt goumé,[27] mais cui li batte la charge. (La -chèvre ne sait pas le battre; mais son cuir [sa peau] bat la charge.) - - "The goat does not know how to fight; but his hide beats the - charge."--[_Hayti._] - - [27] _Goumé_, or in some dialects, _goumein_, is said by Turiault to - be a verb of African origin--_Étude sur la langage Créole_, page 142. - Still we have the French word _gourmer_, signifying to curb a horse, - also, to box, to give cuffs. - -62. Cabritt qui pas malin pas gras. (La chèvre qui n'est pas maligne -n'est pas grasse.) - - "The goat that isn't cunning never gets fat."--[_Martinique._] - -63. Cabrite qui pas malin mangé nen pié morne. (La chèvre qui n'est pas -maligne, mange au pied du morne.) - - "The foolish goat eats at the foot of the hill."--[_Hayti._] - -64. Canari vlé rîe chôdier. (Le canari [le pot] veut rire de la -chaudière [la marmite].) - - "The clay-pot wishes to laugh at the iron pot."[28]--[_Trinidad._] - - [28] "Pot calls the kettle black." The clay pot (_canari_) has almost - disappeared from Creole kitchens in Louisiana; but the term survives - in a song of which the burthen is: "_Canari cassé dans difé._" - -65. Cancrelat sourti dans la farine. (Le cancrelat [ravet] sort de la -farine.) - - "The roach has come out of the flour-barrel."--Said to women of color - who whiten their faces with rice-powder.--[_Mauritius._] - -66. Canna pa ni d'leau pou lì baingnein i lè trouvé pou lì nagé. (Le -canard n'a pas de l'eau pour se laver, et il veut trouver assez pour -nager.) - - "The duck hasn't enough water to wash with, and he wants enough to - swim in."--Refers to those who live beyond their - means.--[_Martinique._] - -67. * Capon vive longtemps. (Le capon vit longtemps.) - - "The coward lives a long time."[29]--[_Louisiana._] - - [29] The word _capon_ is variously applied by Creoles as a term of - reproach. It may refer rather to stinginess, hypocrisy, or - untruthfulness, than to cowardice. We have in New Orleans an ancient - Creole ballad of which the refrain is: - - Alcée Leblanc - Mo di toi, chère, - _To trop capon - Pou payé menage!_ - C'est qui di ça,-- - Ça que di toi chère, - Alcée Leblanc! - - In this case the word evidently refers to the niggardliness of - _Alcée_, who did not relish the idea of settling $500 or perhaps - $1,000 of furniture upon his favorite quadroon girl. The song itself - commemorates customs of slavery days. Those who took to themselves - colored mistresses frequently settled much property upon them--the - arrangement being usually made by the mother of the girl. Housekeeping - outfits of this character, constituting a sort of dowry, ranged in - value from $500 to even $2,500; and such dowries formed the foundation - of many celebrated private lodging houses in New Orleans kept by - colored women. The quadroon housekeepers have now almost all - disappeared. - -68. * Çaquéne senti so doulére. (Chacun sent sa douleur.) - - "Everybody has his own troubles."--[_Mauritius._] - -69. Çarbon zamés va done la farine. (Le charbon jamais ne donnera de -farine.) - - "Coal will never make flour."--You can't wash a negro - white.--[_Mauritius._] - -70. Çatte boire dilhouile enbas latabe. (Le chat boit l'huile sous la -table.) - - "Cat's drinking the oil under the table."--People are making fun at - your expense, though you don't know it.--[_Mauritius._] - -71. Çatte noir apéle larzent.[30] (Un chat noir présage [appelle] de -l'argent.) - - "A black cat brings money (good luck.)"--[_Mauritius._] - - [30] This is certainly of English origin. - -72. Çatte qui éna matou fére lembarras. (La chatte qui a un matou fait -ses embarras.) - - "The she-cat who has a tom-cat, puts on airs."--[_Mauritius._] - -73. Çatte qui fine bourle av difé pére lacende. (Le chat qui s'est brûlé -avec le feu, a peur de la cendre.) - - "When a cat has been once burned by fire, it is even afraid of - cinders."--[_Mauritius._] - -74. Causer cé manger zoreîes. (Causer, c'est le manger des oreilles.) - - "Conversation is the food of the ears."--[_Trinidad._] - -75. C'est bon khé crâbe qui lacause li pas tini tête. (C'est à cause de -son bon c[oe]ur que le crabe n'a pas de tête.) - - "It is because of his good heart that the crab has no - head."[31]--[_Martinique._] - - [31] Implies that excessive good nature is usually indicative of - feeble reasoning-power. - -76. * C'est couteau qui connaite ça qui dans c[oe]ur geomon. (C'est le -couteau qui sait ce qu'il y a dans le c[oe]ur du giromon.) - - "It's the knife that knows what's in the heart of the - pumpkin."[32]--[_Martinique._] - - [32] This proverb exists in five Creole dialects. In the Guyana patois - it is slightly different: _Couteau oûnso connain quior iniam_ (le - couteau seul connaît le c[oe]ur de l'igname.) "It's only the knife - knows what's in the heart of the yam." - -77. C'est cuiller qui allé lacail[33] gamelle; gamelle pas jamain allé -lacail cuiller. (C'est la cuiller qui va à la maison de la gamelle; -jamais la gamelle ne va à la maison de la cuiller.) - - "Spoon goes to bowl's house; bowl never goes to spoon's - house."--[_Hayti._] - - [33] _Caïe_ or _Caille_, as sometimes written, is a Creole word of - Carib origin. In the cities of the Antilles _case_ is generally - substituted--probably derived from the Spanish _casa_, "house." - -78. C'est douvant tambou nion connaitt Zamba. (C'est devant le tambour -qu'on reconnaît Zamba.) - - "It's before the drum one learns to know Zamba."--[_Hayti._] - -79. C'est langue crapaud[34] qui ka trahî crapaud. (C'est la langue du -crapaud qui le trahit.) - - "It's the frog's own tongue that betrays him."--[_Trinidad._] - - [34] In some of the West Indies the French word _crapaud_ seems to - have been adopted by the Creoles to signify either a toad or a frog, - as it is much more easily pronounced by Creole lips than _grenouille_, - which they make sound like "gwoonouïlle." But in Louisiana there is a - word used for frog, a delightful and absolutely perfect - onomatop[oe]ia: OUAOUARON (wahwahron). - -I think the prettiest collection of Creole onomatop[oe]ia made by any -folklorist is that in Baissac's _Étude sur le Patois Créole Mauricien_, -pp. 92-95. The delightful little Creole nursery-narrative, in which the -cries of all kinds of domestic animals are imitated by patois phrases, -deserves special attention. - -80. C'est lhé vent ka venté, moun ka ouer lapeau poule. (C'est quand le -vent vente qu'on peut voir la peau de la poule--lit.: que le monde peut -voir.) - - "It's when the wind is blowing that folks can see the skin of a - fowl."--True character is revealed under adverse - circumstances.--[_Trinidad._] - -81. C'est nans temps laplîe béf bisoèn lakhé lì. (C'est dans le temps de -pluie que le b[oe]uf a besoin de sa queue.) - - "It's in the rainy season that the ox needs his tail."--(See - Martinique proverb No. 20.) [_Trinidad._] - -82. C'est pas toutt les-jou guiabe n'empòte you pauve nhomme. (Ce n'est -pas tous les jours que le diable emporte un homme pauvre.) - - "It isn't every day that the devil carries off a poor - man."--[_Martinique._] - -83. Cé souliers tout-sêl qui save si bas tinî tous. (Ce sont les -souliers seuls qui savent si les bas ont des trous.) - - "It's only the shoes that know if the stockings have - holes."--[_Trinidad._] - -84. Chaque bêtè-à-fè clairé pou nânme yo. (Chaque mouche-à-feu éclaire -pour son âme.) - - "Every fire-fly makes light for its own soul;" that is to say, "Every - one for himself."--[_Martinique._] - -85. Chatt pas là, ratt ka baill[35] bal. (Absent le chat, les rats -donnent un bal.) - - "When the cat's away the rats give a ball."--[_Martinique._] - - [35] _Baïll_ (to give) affords example of a quaint French verb - preserved in the Creole dialect,--_bailler_. It can be found in - MOLIÈRE. Formerly a Frenchman would have said, "_Bailler sa foi, - bailler sa parole._" It is now little used in France, except in such - colloquialisms as, "_Vous me la baillez belle!_" - -86. * Chatte brilé pair di feu. (Le chat brûlé a peur du feu.) - - "A burnt cat dreads the fire."--[_Louisiana._] - -87. Chien connaitt comment li fait pou manger zos. (Le chien sait -comment il fait pour manger les os.) - - "The dog knows how he manages to eat bones."--[_Hayti._] - -88. Chien jamain mordé petite li jusque nen zos. (La chienne ne mord -jamais ses petits jusqu'à l'os.) - - "The bitch never bites her pups to the bone."--[_Hayti._] - -89. * Chien jappé li pas mordé. (Le chien qui jappe ne mord pas.) - - "The dog that yelps doesn't bite."--[_Louisiana._] - -90. Chien pas mangé chien. (Les chiens ne mangent pas les chiens.) - - "Dogs do not eat dogs."--[_Louisiana._] - -91. Chien qui fé caca dans chimin li blié, mais ça qui tiré pas blié. -(Le chien qui fait caca sur le chemin, oublie; mais celui qui l'en ôte, -n'oublie pas.) - - "The dog that dungs in the road forgets all about it, but the person - who has to remove it does not forget."--[_Martinique._] - -92. Chien tini guiole fòte à caïe maitè li. (Le chien a la gueule forte -dans la maison de son maître.) - - "The dog is loud-mouthed in the house of his master."--[_Martinique._] - -93. Chien tini quate patte, mais li pas capabe prend quate chimin. (Le -chien a quatre pattes mais il ne peut pas [n'est pas capable de] prendre -quatre chemins.) - - "The dog has four paws but is not able to go four different ways [at - one time]."--[_Martinique._] - -94. Chouval rété nen zécurie, milett nen savane. (Le cheval reste dans -l'écurie, le mulet dans la savane.) - - "The horse remains in the stable, the mule in the - field."[36]--[_Martinique._] - - [36] Each one must be content with his own station. Here the mule - seems to represent the slave; the horse, the master or overseer. - -95. * Cila qui rit vendredi va pleuré dimanche. (Celui qui rit le -vendredi va pleurer le dimanche.) - - "He who laughs on Friday will cry on Sunday." There is an English - proverb, "Sing at your breakfast and you'll cry at your - dinner."--[_Louisiana._] - -96. Ciramon[37] pas donne calabasse. (Le giraumon ne donne pas la -calebasse.) - - "The pumpkin doesn't yield the calabash."--[_Hayti._] - - [37] I give the spelling _Ciramon_ as I find it in Mr. Bigelow's - contributions to _Harper's Magazine_, 1875. (See BIBLIOGRAPHY.) - Nevertheless I suspect the spelling is wrong. In Louisiana Creole we - say _Giromon_. The French word is _Giraumon_. - -97. * Cochon conné sir qui bois l'apé frotté. (Le cochon sait bien sur -quel arbre [bois] il va se frotter.) - - "The hog knows well what sort of tree to rub himself - against."[38]--[_Louisiana._] - - [38] In most of the Creole dialects several different versions of a - popular proverb are current. A friend gives me this one of proverb 97: - _Cochon-marron conné enhaut qui bois li frotté._ ("The wild hog knows - what tree to rub himself upon.") _Marron_ is applied in all forms of - the Creole patois to _wild_ things; _zhèbes marrons_ signifies "wild - plants." The term, _couri-marron_, or _nègue-marron_ formerly - designated a runaway slave in Louisiana as it did in the Antilles. - There is an old New Orleans saying: - - "_Après yé tiré canon - Nègue sans passe c'est nègue-marron._" - - This referred to the old custom in New Orleans of firing a cannon at - eight P.M. in winter, and nine P.M. in summer, as a warning to all - slaves to retire. It was a species of modern curfew-signal. Any slave - found abroad after those hours, without a pass, was liable to arrest - and a whipping of twenty-five lashes. _Marron_, from which the English - word "Maroon" is derived, has a Spanish origin. "It is," says Skeats, - "a clipt form of the Spanish _cimarron_, wild, unruly: literally, - "living in the mountain-tops." _Cimarron_, from Span. _Cima_, a - mountain-summit. The original term for "Maroon" was _negro-cimarrón_, - as it still is in some parts of Cuba. - -98. Coment to tale to natte faut to dourmi. (Comment tu étends ta natte -il faut que tu te couches.) - - "As you spread your mat, so must you lie."--[_Mauritius._] - -99. * Compé Torti va doucement; mais li rivé coté bîte pendant Compé -Chivreil apé dormi. (Compère Tortue va doucement; mais il arrive au bût -pendant que Compère Chevreuil dort.) - - "Daddy Tortoise goes slow; but he gets to the goal while Daddy Deer is - asleep."[39]--[_Louisiana._] - - [39] Based upon the Creole fable of _Compère Tortue_ and _Comperè - Chevreuil_, rather different from the primitive story of the Hare and - the Tortoise. - -100. Complot plis fort passé ouanga.[40] (Le complot est plus fort que -l'ouanga.) - - "Conspiracy is stronger than witchcraft."--[_Hayti._] - - [40] - - Di moin si to gagnin nhomme! - Mo va fé ouanga pou li; - Mo fé li tourné fantôme - Si to vlé mo to mari.... - - "Tell me if thou hast a man [a lover]: I will make a _ouanga_ for - him--I will change him into a a ghost if thou wilt have me for thy - husband."....This word, of African origin, is applied to all things - connected with the voudooism of the negroes. In the song, _Dipi mo - vouè, touè Adèle_, from which the above lines are taken, the wooer - threatens to get rid of a rival by _ouanga_--to "turn him into a - ghost." The victims of voudooism are said to have gradually withered - away, probably through the influence of secret poison. The word - _grigri_, also of African origin, simply refers to a charm, which may - be used for an innocent or innocuous purpose. Thus, in a Louisiana - Creole song, we find a quadroon mother promising her daughter a charm - to prevent the white lover from forsaking her; _Pou tchombé li na fé - grigri_--"We shall make a _grigri_ to keep him." - -101. Conseillére napas payére. (Le donneur de conseil n'est pas le -payeur.) - - "The adviser is not the payer." That is to say, the one who gives - advice has nothing to lose.--[_Mauritius._] - -102. Coq çanté divant la porte, doumounde vini. (Quand le coq chante -devant la porte quelqu'un vient.) - - "When the cock crows before the door, somebody is - coming."[41]--[_Mauritius._] - - [41] This is also a proverb of European origin. The character of - Creole folklore is very different from European folklore in the matter - of superstition. - -103. Cououì pas laide, temps lafôce pas là. (Ce n'est pas laid de -courir, quand on n'a pas de force.) - - "It isn't ugly to run, when one isn't strong enough to - stay."--[_Trin._] - -104. Coup de langue pis mauvais piqú sèpent. (Un coup de langue est plus -mauvais qu'une piqûre de serpent.) - - "A tongue-thrust is worse than a serpent's sting."--[_Martinique._] - -105. Coudepìed napas empéçe coudecorne. (Les coups de pied n'empêchent -pas les coups de corne.) - - "Kicking doesn't hinder butting." There is more than one way to - revenge oneself.--[_Mauritius._] - -106. Coupé son nenez, volor so figuire. (Couper son nez, c'est voler sa -figure.) - - "Cutting off one's nose is robbing one's face."--[_Mauritius._] - -107. * Coupé zoré milet fait pas choual. (Couper les oreilles au mulet, -n'en fait pas un cheval.) - - "Cutting off a mule's ears won't make him a - horse."[42]--[_Louisiana._] - - [42] This seems to me much wittier than our old proverb: "You can't - make a silk purse out of a sow's ear." - -108. Couroupas dansé, zaco rìé. (Le couroupas [colimaçon] danse le singe -rit.) - - "Monkey laughs when the snail dances."[43]--[_Mauritius._] - - [43] Probably had its origin in a Creole _conte_. Same applications as - Proverbs 236, 263, 315. - -109. Çouval napas marce av bourique. (Le cheval ne marche pas avec -l'âne.) - - "The horse doesn't walk with the ass."--Let each keep his proper - place.--[_Mauritius._] - -110. Couyenade c'est pas limonade. (Couillonade n'est pas limonade.) - - "Nonsense is not sugar-water" (lemonade), says Thomas. The vulgarity - of the French word partly loses its grossness in the - Creole.--[_Trinidad._] - -111. Crabe pas mâché, li pas gras;--li mâche touop, et li tombé nans -chôdiér. (Le crabe ne marche pas, il n'est pas gras; il marche trop, et -il tombe dans la chaudière). - - "The crab doesn't walk, he isn't fat; he walks too much, and falls - into the pot."--[_Trinidad._] - -112. * Craché nen laire, li va tombé enhaut vou nez. (Crachez dans -l'air, il vous en tombera sur le nez). - - "If you spit in the air, it will fall back on your own - nose."[44]--[_Louisiana._] - - [44] Like our proverb about chickens coming home to roost. If you talk - scandal at random, the mischief done will sooner or later recoil upon - yourself. I find the same proverb in the Mauritian dialect. - -113. Crapaud pas tini chímise, ous vlé li pôte caneçon. (Le crapaud n'a -pas de chemise, et vous voulez qu'il porte caleçon). - - "The frog has no shirt, and you want him to wear - drawers!"--[_Trinidad._] - -114. Cresson content boire dileau. (Le cresson aime à boire l'eau). - - "The water cress loves to drink water." Used interrogatively, this is - equivalent to the old saw: "Does a duck like water?" "Will a duck - swim?"--[_Mauritius._] - -115. Croquez maconte ou oueti[45] main ou ka rivé. (Accrochez votre -maconte où vous pouvez l'atteindre avec la main [lit. où vôtre main peut -arriver].) - - "Hang up your _maconte_ where you can reach it with your - hand."--[_Hayti._] - - [45] The Martinique dialect gives both _oti_ and _outi_ for "où": - "where." Mr. Bigelow gives the curious spelling _croquez_. The word is - certainly derived from the French, _accrocher_. In Louisiana Creole we - always say _'croché_ for "hang up." I doubt the correctness of the - Haytian spelling as here given: for the French word _croquer_ ("to - devour," "gobble up," "pilfer," etc.) has its Creole counterpart; and - the soft _ch_ is never, so far as I can learn, changed into the k or g - sound in the patois. - -116. D'abord vous guetté poux de bois mangé bouteille, croquez calabasse -vous haut. (Quand vous voyez les poux-de-bois manger les bouteilles, -accrochez vos calabasses [en] haut). - - "When you see the woodlice eating the bottles, hang your calabashes - out of their reach."[46]--[_Hayti._] - - [46] Mr. Bigelow is certainly wrong in his definition of the origin of - the word which he spells _queté_. It is a Creole adoption of the - French _guetter_, "to watch:" and is used by the Creoles in the sense - of "observe," "perceive," "see." Other authorities spell it _guêtte_, - as all verbs ending in "ter" in French make their Creole termination - in "té." This verb is one of many to which slightly different meanings - from those belonging to the original French words, are attached by the - Creoles. Thus _çappe_, from _échapper_, is used as an equivalent for - _sauver_. - -117. D'abord vous guetté poux de bois mangé canari, calebasse pas capabe -prend pied. (Quand que vous voyez les poux-de-bois manger les marmites, -les calebasses ne peuvent pas leur résister). - - "When you see the wood-lice eating the pots, the calabashes can't be - expected to resist."[47]--[_Hayti._] - - [47] The saliva of the tropical woodlouse is said to be powerful - enough to affect iron. - -118. Dans mariaze liciens, témoins gagne batté. (Aux noces des chiens, -les témoins ont les coups.) - - "At a dog's wedding it's the witnesses who get hurt."--[_Mauritius._] - -119. Dêïèr chein, cé "chein"; douvant chein, cé "Missier Chein." -(Derrière le chien, c'est "chien," mais devant le chien, c'est "Monsieur -le Chien.") - - "Behind the dog's back it is 'dog;' but before the dog it is 'Mr. - Dog.'"--[_Trinidad._] - -120. Dent mordé langue. (Les dents mordent la langue.) - - "The teeth bite the tongue."--[_Hayti._] - -121. Dents pas ka pôté dëî. (Les dents ne portent pas le deuil.) - - "Teeth do not wear mourning."--meaning that, even when unhappy, people - may show their teeth in laughter or smiles.--[_Trinidad._] - -122. Dent pas khé ("Dents pas c[oe]ur"--Les dents ne sont pas le -c[oe]ur). - - "The teeth are not the heart." A curious proverb, referring to the - exposure of the teeth by laughter.[48]--[_Martinique._] - - [48] The laugh or smile that shows the teeth does not always prove - that the heart is merry. - -123. * Di moin qui vous laimein, ma di vous qui vous yé. (Dites moi qui -vous aimez, et je vous dirai qui vous êtes.) - - "Tell me whom you love, and I'll tell you who you - are."--[_Louisiana._] - -124. Dileau dourmi touyé dimounde. (L'eau qui dort tue les gens.) - - "The water that sleeps kills people."[49]--[_Mauritius._] - - [49] "Still waters run deep." The proverb is susceptible of various - applications. Everyone who has sojourned in tropical, or even - semi-tropical latitudes knows the deadly nature of stagnant water in - the feverish summer season. - -125. Dimounde qui fére larzent, napas larzent qui fére dimounde. (Ce -sont les hommes qui font l'argent, ce n'est pas l'argent qui fait les -hommes.) - - "It's the men who make the money; 'tisn't the money that makes the - men."--[_Mauritius._] - -126. Divant camrades capabe largué quilotte. (Devant des camarades on -peut lâcher sa culotte.) - - "Before friends one can even take off one's breeches."--[_Mauritius._] - -127. Divant tranzés faut boutonné canneçon. (Devant des étrangers il -faut boutonner son caleçon.) - - "Before strangers one must keep one's drawers - buttoned."--[_Mauritius._] - -128. Dizéfs canard plì gros qui dizéfs poule. (Les [oe]ufs de cane sont -plus gros que les [oe]ufs de poule.) - - "Ducks' eggs are bigger than hens' eggs."--Quantity is no guarantee of - quality.--[_Mauritius._] - -129. Dizéfs coq, poule qui fére. (Les [oe]ufs de coq, c'est la poule qui -les fait.) - - "It's the hen that makes the cock's eggs."--[_Mauritius._] - -130. * Dolo toujou couri larivière. (L'eau va toujours à la rivière.) - - "Water always runs to the river."--[_Louisiana._] - -131. Doucement napas empéce arrivér. (Aller doucement n'empêche pas -d'arriver.) - - "Going gently about a thing won't prevent its being - done."[50]--[_Mauritius._] - - [50] Literally: "Gently doesn't prevent arriving." One can reach his - destination as well by walking slowly, as by making frantic haste. - -132. Fair pou fair pas mal. (Faire pour faire n'est pas [mauvais] -difficile.) - - "It is not hard to do a thing for the sake of doing - it."--[_Trinidad._] - -133. Faut janmain mett racounn[51] dans loge poule. (Il ne faut jamais -mettre un raton dans la loge des poules.) - - "One must never put a 'coon into a henhouse."--[_Martinique._] - - [51] A Creole friend assures me that in Louisiana patois, the word for - coon, is _chaoui_. This bears so singular a resemblance in sound to a - French word of very different meaning--_chat-huant_ (screech-owl) that - it seems possible the negroes have in this, as in other cases, given - the name of one creature to another. - -134. Faut jamais porté déil avant défint dans cerkeil. (Il ne faut -jamais porter le deuil avant que le défunt soit dans le cercueil.) - - "Never wear mourning before the dead man's in his - coffin."[52]--[_Louisiana._] - - [52] Don't anticipate trouble: "Never bid the devil good morrow till - you meet him." "Don't cross a bridge until you come to it." - -135. Faut páoûoles môr pou moune pè vivre. (Il faut que les paroles -meurent, afin que le monde puisse vivre.) - - "Words must die that people may live."--Ironical; this is said to - those who are over-sensitive regarding what is said about - them.--[_Trinidad._] - -136. Faut pas cassé so maïe avant li fine mir. (Il ne faut pas casser -son maïs avant qu'il soit mûr.) - - "Musn't pluck one's corn before it's ripe."--[_Mauritius._] - -137. * Faut pas marré tayau[53] avec saucisse. (Il ne faut pas attacher -le chien-courant (taïant) avec des saucisses.) - - "Musn't tie up the hound with a string of sausages."--[_Louisiana._] - - [53] Adopted from old French "_taïaut_" (tally-ho!) the cry of the - huntsman to his hounds. The Creoles have thus curiously, but forcibly, - named the hound itself. - -138. Fére éne tourou pour boucé laute. (Il fait un trou pour en boucher -un autre.) - - "Make one hole to stop another." "Borrow money to pay a - debt."--[_Mauritius._] - -139. Gambette ous trouvé gan chemin, nen gan chemin ous va pède li. (Le -gambette que vous trouvez sur le grand chemin, sur le grand chemin vous -le perdrez.) - - "Every jack-knife found on the high-road, will be lost on the - high-road."[54]--[_Hayti._] - - [54] I cannot discover the etymology of this word, according to the - meaning given by Mr. Bigelow. The ordinary French signification of - _gambette_ is "red-shank"--_Totanus caledris_. - -140. Gens bon-temps kállé dîe gouvênér bon-jou. (Les gens [qui ont du] -bon-temps vont dire bon-jour au gouverneur.) - - "Folks who have nothing to do (lit.: _who have a fine time_) go to bid - the Governor good-day." _Gens bon-temps_: "fine-time - folks."--[_Trinidad._] - -141. * Gens fégnants ka mandé travâï épîs bouche; main khèrs yeaux ka -pouier Bondié pou yeaux pas touver. (Les gens fainéants demandent avec -leurs bouches pour du travail; mais leurs c[oe]urs prient le Bon Dieu -[pour] qu'ils n'en trouvent point.) - - "Lazy folks ask for work with their lips: but their hearts pray God - that they may not find it."--[_Trinidad._] - -142. Gens qui ka ba ous conseî gagnen chouval gouous-boudin nans -lhouvênaïe, nans carême pas ka rider ous nouri li. (Les gens qui nous -donnent conseil d'acheter un cheval à gros-ventre pendant l'hivernage, -ne veulent point vous aider à le nourrir pendant le carême.) - - "Folks who advise you to buy a big-bellied horse in a rainy season - (when grass is plenty), won't help you to feed him in the dry season - when grass is scarce."[55]--[_Trinidad._] - - [55] This is J. J. Thomas' translation, as given in his "Theory and - Practice of Creole Grammar." _Lhouvênaïe_ is a word which does not - exist in our Louisiana patois. Does it come from the Spanish - _llover_--"to rain"? or is it only a Creole form of the French - _hivernage_? _Carême_, of course means Lent; whether the dry season in - Trinidad is concomitant with the Lenten epoch, or whether the Creoles - of the Island use the word to signify any season of scarcity, I am - unable to decide. - -143. Gouïe passé difil sivré. (Où l'aiguille passe, le fil suivra.) - - "Where the needle passes thread will follow."[56]--[_Mauritius._] - - [56] When a strong man has opened the way, feebler folks may safely - follow. - -144. Graisse pas tini sentiment. (La graisse n'a pas de sentiment.) - - "Fat has no feeling."[57]--[_Trinidad._] - - [57] There may be some physiological truth in this proverb as applied - to the inhabitants of the Antilles, where stoutness is the exception. - Generally speaking phlegmatic persons are inclined to fleshiness. - -145. Haillons mié passé tout nu. (Les haillons sont mieux que de rester -tout nu.) - - "Rags are better than nakedness." "Half-a-loaf's better than no - bread."--[_Hayti._] - -146. Haï moune; main pas ba yeaux pañèn pou châïer dleau. (Hais les -gens; mais ne leur donne pas des paniers pour charrier de l'eau.) - - "Hate people; but don't give them baskets to carry water in."--that is - to say: Don't tell lies about them that no one can believe--stories - that "won't hold water."--[_Trinidad._] - -147. * Jadin loin, gombo gaté. (Jardin loin, gombo gâté.) - - "When the garden is far, the gombo is spoiled."[58]--[_Martinique._] - - [58] This appears to be a universal Creole proverb. If you want - anything to be well done, you must look after it yourself: to absent - oneself from one's business is unwise, etc. - -148. * Jamais di: Fontaine, mo va jamais boi to dolo. (Ne dis -jamais--Fontaine, je ne boirai jamais de ton eau.)" - - "Never say--'Spring, I will never drink your - water.'"[59]--[_Louisiana._] - - [59] The loftiest pride is liable to fall; and we know not how soon we - may be glad to seek the aid of the most humble. - -149. Janmain guiabe ka dòmi. (Jamais le diable ne s'endort.) - - "The devil never sleeps."--[_Martinique._] - -150. Janmain nous ne pas douè ladans quiou poule compté zè. (Il ne faut -jamais [nous ne devons jamais] compter les [oe]ufs dans la derrière de -la poule.) - - "We should never count the eggs in the body of the hen."-(The Creole - proverb is, however, less delicate.)--[_Martinique._] - -151. Jouè epis chatt ou trappé coup d'patte. (Jouez avec le chat, et -vous attrapperez un coup de patte.) - - "Play with the cat, and you'll get scratched."--[_Martinique._] - -152. * Joué épis chien ou trappé pice. (Jouez avec les chiens, vous -aurez des puces.) - - "Play with the dogs, and you will get fleas."[60]--[_Martinique._] - - [60] This seems to be a universal proverb. In Louisiana we say: _Jouè - evec, 'tichien_, etc. - -153. * Joudui pou ous, demain pou moin. (Aujourd'hui pour vous, demain -pour moi.) - - "To-day for you; to-morrow for me."[61]--[_Hayti._] - - [61] Current also in Louisiana: _Jordi pou vou_, etc.: "Your turn - to-day; perhaps it may be mine to-morrow." - -154. La oti zouèseau ka fé niche yo, c'est la yo ka couché. (Où les -oiseaux font leur nids, là ils se couchent.) - - "Where the birds build their nests, there they - sleep."--[_Martinique._] - -155. Laboue moque lamare. (La boue se moque de la mare.) - - "The mud laughs at the puddle."--Like our: "Pot calls kettle - black."--[_Mauritius._] - -156. Lacase bardeaux napas guétte la case vitivére. (La maison [couverte -de] bardeaux ne regarde point la case couverte de vetiver.) - - "The house roofed with shingles doesn't look at the hut covered with - vetiver."--[_Mauritius._] - -157. * Lagniappe c'est bitin qui bon. (Lagniappe c'est du bon butin.) - - "Lagniappe is lawful booty."[62]--[_Louisiana._] - - [62] _Lagniappe_, a word familiar to every child in New Orleans, - signifies the little present given to purchasers of groceries, - provisions, fruit, or other goods sold at retail stores. Groceries, - especially, seek to rival each other in the attractive qualities of - their _lagniappe_; consisting of candies, fruits, biscuits, little - fancy cakes, etc. The chief purpose is to attract children. The little - one sent for a pound of butter, or "a dime's worth" of sugar, never - fails to ask for its _lagniappe_. - -158. Laguer vêti pas ka pouend viéx nègues nans cabarets. (La guerre -avertie ne prend pas de vieux négres dans les cabarets.) - - "Threatened war doesn't surprise old negroes in the - grog-shops."[63]--[_Trinidad._] - - [63] Proverbs 158-9 are equivalent to our "Forewarned is forearmed." - -159. * Laguerre vertie pas tchué beaucoup soldats. (La guerre avertie ne -tue pas beaucoup de soldats.) - - "Threatened war doesn't kill many soldiers."--[_Louisiana._] - -160. Lakhé bef dit: Temps allé, temps vini. (La queue du b[oe]uf dit: Le -temps s'en va, le temps revient.) - - "The ox's tail says: Time goes, time comes."[64]--[_Martinique._] - - [64] See Proverb 22. Whether the swing of the tail suggested the idea - of a _pendulum_ to the deviser of this saying is doubtful. The meaning - seems to me that the motion of the ox's tail indicates a change not of - time, but of _weather_ (_temps_). - -161. Lalangue napas lézos. (La langue n'a pas d'os). - - "The tongue has no bones." This proverb has various applications. One - of the best alludes to promises or engagements made with the secret - determination not to keep them.--[_Mauritius._] - -162. * Lamisère à deux, Misère et Compagnie. (La misère à deux, c'est -Misère et Compagnie.) - - "Misery for two, is Misery & Co."[65]--[_Louisiana._] - - [65] Refers especially to a man who marries without having made proper - provision for the future. The Creole does not believe in our reckless - proverb: "What will keep one, will keep two." _Non, non, chèr, - lamisère à deux, Misère & Cie.!_ - -163. Lapauveté napas éne vis, més li éne bien gros coulou. (La pauvreté -n'est pas une vis [un vice]; mais c'est un bien gros clou.) - - "Poverty isn't a screw; but it's a very big nail." The pun will be - obvious to a French reader; but _vice_ is not a true Creole word, - according to Baissac.--[_Mauritius._] - -164. Lapin dit: Boué toutt, mangé toutt, pas dit toutt. (Le lapin dit: -Buvez tout, mangez tout, ne dites pas tout.) - - "Rabbit says: Drink everything, eat everything, but don't tell - everything."[66]--[_Martinique._] - - [66] Founded upon a celebrated Creole fable: see Prov. 40 (_note_). - -165. Laplie tombé, couroupas va sourti. (La pluie tombe, les colimaçons -vent sortir.) - - "It is raining; snails will be out presently."--[_Mauritius._] - -166. * Laplie tombé, ouaouaron chanté. (Quand la pluie va tomber, les -grenouilles chantent.) - - "When the rain is coming, the bull-frogs sing."--[_Louisiana._] - -167. Laquée bourique napas laquée çouval. (Une queue d'âne n'est pas une -queue de cheval.) - - "A donkey's tail is not a horse's tail." Can't make a silk purse out - of a sow's ear.--[_Mauritius._] - -168. Larzan bon, més li trop cère. (L'argent est bon, mais il est trop -cher.) - - "Money's good; but it's too dear."--[_Mauritius._] - -169. Larzan napas trouvé dans lipied milet. (L'argent ne se trouve pas -dans le pied d'un mulet.) - - "Money isn't to be found in a mule's hoof."--[_Mauritius._] - -170. Larzan napas éna famille. (L'argent n'a pas de famille.) - - "Money has no blood relations."--There is no friendship in - business.--[_Mauritius._] - -171. * La-tché chatte poussé avec temps. (La queue du chat pousse avec -le temps.) - - "The cat's tail takes time to grow."--[_Louisiana._] - -172. Lepé dit aimé ous pendant li ronge doighte ous. (La lépre dit -qu'elle vous aime pendant qu'elle vous ronge les doigts.) - - "The leprosy says it loves you, while it is eating your - fingers."--[_Hayti._] - -173. L'hére coq çanté, li bon pour marié. (Quand le coq chante, il est -bon à marier.) - - "When the cock begins to crow, he is old enough to get - married."--[_Mauritius._] - -174. Lhére lamontagne bourlé, tout dimounde coné; lhére léquére bourlé, -qui coné? (Quand la montagne brûle, tout le monde le sait; quand le -c[oe]ur brûle, qui le sait?) - - "When the mountain burns, everybody knows it; when the heart burns, - who knows it?"--[_Mauritius._] - -175. Li allé l'ecole cabritt, li ritouné mouton. (Il est allé à l'école -[comme un] cabri; il est revenu mouton.) - - "He went to school a kid, and came back a sheep."[67]--[_Martinique._] - - [67] The allusion to the overgrown and shy schoolboy, who has lost the - mischievous playfulness of his childhood, is easily recognizable. - Creole planters of the Antilles generally sent their sons to Europe to - be educated. - -176. Li fine vendé so coçon. (Il a vendu son cochon.) - - "He has sold his pig."[68]--[_Mauritius._] - - [68] Said of one who unexpectedly disburses a considerable sum, or who - spends more money than his visible resources admit of. - -177. Li laçasse zozos pariaca. (Il chasse aux oiseaux à paliaca.) - - "He's hunting paliaca-birds."[69]--[_Mauritius._] - - [69] _Paliaca_ is the Mauritian term for the brightly-colored kerchief - there worn by all young negresses in lieu of hats or bonnets, like the - old time Louisiana _tiyon_. "He is hunting for paliaca-birds" - therefore means, "He is running after the colored girls." - -178. Li manque lagale pour gratté. (Il [ne] manque [que] de gale pour se -gratter. [Lit. In good French: Il ne lui manque que la gale, etc.]) - - "He only wants the itch so that he may scratch himself." Said of a man - who has all that his heart can wish for.[70]--[_Mauritius._] - - [70] We have a singular expression in Louisiana: "_Li metté mantec - dans so faillots._ (He puts lard in his beans.") That is to say, "He - is well off." _Mantec_ is a Creolised form of the Spanish _manteca_, - used in Spanish-America to signify lard. - -179. Li pour marié; més qulquefois bague mariaze glisse dans lédoight. -(Il doit se marier; mais quelquefois la bague de mariage glisse du -doigt.) - - "He is to be married, they say; but sometimes the marriage-ring slips - from one's finger."[71]--[_Mauritius._] - - [71] "There's many a slip twixt the cup and the lip." - -180. Li soule bontemps. (Il se soûle de bon temps.) - - "He is drunk with doing nothing."--[_Mauritius._] - -181. Liane yame ka marré yame. (La liane du yam lie [lit. amarre] le -yam.) - - "The yam-vine ties the yam."[72]--[_Trinidad._] - - [72] In Martinique Creole the proverb is: _Còde gnâme marré gnâme._ - "Code" (_corde_) signifying the same as _liane_, the long cord-like - stalk of the creeper. Folks are sometimes caught fast in the snares - they set for others, just as the yam is tied with its own stalk. - -182. Lilit pour dé napas lilet pour trois. (Un lit pour deux n'est pas -un lit pour trois.) - - "A bed for two isn't a bed for three."--[_Mauritius._] - -183. Lizié napas éna balizaze. (Les yeux n'ont pas de frontière.)[73] - - "Eyes have no boundary." Equivalent to the English saying: "A cat may - look at a king."--[_Mauritius._] - - [73] The Mauritian Creoles have adopted a marine word in lieu of the - French term _frontière_. "Balizaze" is the Creole form of the French - _balisage_, from _balise_, a sea mark, buoy--word adopted in our own - nautical technology. The term completely changes its meaning as well - as its spelling in Creole. - -184. Macaque caresser iche li touop, lì fourrer doègt nans ziex li. (Le -macaque, en caressant trop son petit, lui a fourré le doigt dans -l'[oe]il.) - - "By petting her young one too much, the monkey ends by poking her - finger into its eye."--[_Trinidad._] - -185. * Macaque dan calebasse. (Le macaque dans la calebasse.) - - "Monkey in the calabash."[74]--[_Louisiana._] - - [74] Allusion to the old fable about the monkey, who after putting his - hand easily into the orifice of a gourd, could not withdraw it without - letting go what he sought to steal from within, and so got caught. In - the figurative Creole speech one who allows his passions to ruin or - disgrace him is a _macaque dans calebasse_. - -186. * Macaque dit si so croupion plimé ças pas gàdé lezautt. (Le -macaque dit que si son croupion est plumé, ça ne régarde pas les -autres.) - - "Monkey says if his rump is bare, it's nobody's - business."[75]--[_Louisiana._] - - [75] Allusion to the callosities of the monkey. Plimé literally means - "plucked;" but the Creole negroes use it to signify "bare" from any - cause. A negro in rags might use the above proverb as a hint to those - who wish to joke him about his personal appearance. - -187. * Macaque pas jamain ka dîe ìche li laide. (Le macaque ne dit -jamais que son petit est laid.) - - "Monkey never says its young is ugly."[76]--[_Trinidad._] - - [76] A widely-spread proverb. In Louisiana we say _piti li_ or _so - piti_, instead of "yche" or "iche li." In Martinique Creole: _Macaque - pas janmain trouve yche li laide._ - -188. Macaque save qui bois li monté; li pas monté zaurangé. (Le macaque -sait sur quel arbre il doit monter; il ne monte pas sur l'oranger.) - - "The monkey well knows what tree to climb; he doesn't climb an orange - tree."[77]--[_Martinique._] - - [77] Because the orange tree is thorny. - -189. Magré sèpent ni ti ziè li ka voué clè bien. (Bien que le serpent -ait de petits yeux, il voit très-clair.) - - "Though the serpent has little eyes, he sees very - well."--[_Martinique._] - -190. Maite cabrite mandé li; ous pas capabe di li plainda. (Le maître du -cabrit le demande; vous ne pouvez pas vous en plaindre.) - - "The kid's owner asks for it; you can't blame him."[78]--[_Hayti._] - - [78] Mr. Bigelow, in _Harper's Magazine_, explains the use of this - proverb by a creditor to a debtor. - -191. Maladie vine làhaut iéve; li alle làhaut tourtie. (La maladie vient -sur le lièvre; elle part [s'en va] sur la tortue.) - - "Sickness comes riding upon a hare; but goes away riding upon a - tortoise."--[_Mauritius._] - -192. Mal hé pas ka châger con lapliè. (Lit: Le malheur ne se charge pas -comme la pluie.) - - "Misfortune doesn't threaten like rain."[79]--[_Trinidad._] - - [79] _Le temps se charge_, in French signifies that it is clouding up, - threatening rain--lit: "loading up." Misfortune does not threaten - before it falls. - -193. Mamans ka fair iches, main pas khèrs yeaux. (Les mères font les -enfants, mais non pas leurs c[oe]urs.) - - "Mothers make children; but not children's hearts."--[_Trinidad._] - -194. Manger yon fois pas ka rìser dents. (Manger une fois n'use pas les -dents.) - - "Eating once doesn't wear out the teeth."--[_Trinidad._] - -195. Mari napas trouvé dans vétivére. (Un mari ne se trouve pas dans le -vétiver.) - - "You won't find a husband in the _vetiver_."[80]--[_Mauritius._] - - [80] The delightfully fragrant grass, well-known to pharmaceutists as - the _Andropogon muricatus_ or _Vetiveria odorata_ is used in Mauritius - to thatch cabins with. A broad border of this grass is usually planted - around each square of sugar-cane. It grows tall enough to conceal a - man, or a couple of lovers holding a rendezvous. Hence the wholesome - warning. - -196. Mariaze napas pariaze; ménaze napas badinaze. (Le mariage n'est pas -un pari; le ménage n'est pas un badinage.) - - "Marriage is no trifling wager, and housekeeping is no - sport."--[_Mauritius._] - -197. Marié éne boutéye vide. (Epouser une bouteille vide.) - - "Marry an empty bottle."--Meaning to marry a girl without a - dowry.--[_Mauritius._] - -198. * Maringouin perdi so temps quand li piqué caïman. (Le maringoin -perd son temps quand il pique le caïman.) - - "The mosquito loses his time when he tries to sting the - alligator."[81]--[_Louisiana._] - - [81] Ripost to a threat--as we would say: "All that has as little - effect on me as water on a duck's back!" - -199. Marré conm yon paqué crabe. (Amarré comme un paquet de crabes.) - - "Tangled up, or tied up, like a bundle of crabs."--Said of people - notoriously clumsy.[82]--[_Martinique._] - - [82] Anyone who has ever seen a heap of live crabs in a basket, will - comprehend the fun of this saying--intimating that the sinews of the - gawkish person are tangled up as hopelessly as crabs in a - market-basket. - -200. Mégue coment çatte qui manze lérats-misqué. (Maigre comme un chat -qui mange des rats musqués.) - - "Thin as a cat that lives on musk-rats."--[_Mauritius._] - -201. Même baton qui batte chein nouèr-là, pé batte chein blanc-là. (Le -même bâton qui bat le chien noir peut battre le chien blanc.) - - "The same stick that beats the black dog can beat the - white."[83]--[_Trinidad._] - - [83] As one should observe: "I've whipped better men than you." - -202. Menti ça pas si mal conm palé mal moun. (Le mensonge n'est pas si -mauvais que de parler mal des autres.) - - "Lying isn't as bad as speaking badly about people."--Lying is less - wicked than calumny.--[_Martinique._] - -203. * Merci pas couté arien. ("Merci" ne coûte rien.) - - "Thanks cost nothing."--[_Louisiana._] - -204. * Metté milâte enhaut choual, li va dî négresse pas so maman. -(Mettez un mulâtre [en haut] sur un cheval--il [va dire] dira qu'une -négresse n'est pas sa maman.) - - "Just put a mulatto on horseback, and he'll tell you his mother wasn't - a negress."[84]--[_Louisiana._] - - [84] I usually give but one example of a proverb when it occurs in - several dialects; but the Martinique form of this proverb is too - amusing to omit. See Prov. 267. - -205. Mié vaut mangé lamori ou, qu'codeinne leszautt. (Il vaut mieux de -manger [de] la morue [qui est] à vous que le coq-d'Inde aux autres.) - - "Better to eat one's own codfish than another person's - turkey-cock."--[_Martinique._] - -206. Milatt ka batt, cabritt ka mò. (Les mulâtres se battent, ce sont -les cabrits qui meurent.) - - "When the mulattoes get to fighting, the goats get - killed."[85]--[_Martinique._] - - [85] The feeling of the black to the mulatto is likewise revealed in - the following dicton:--Nègue pòté maïs dans so lapoche pou volé - poule;--milatt pòté cordon dans so lapoche pou volé choual;--nhomme - blanc pòté larzan dans so lapoche pou trompé fille. (Le nègre porte du - maïs dans sa poche pour voler des poules;--le mulâtre porte un cordon - dans sa poche pour voler des chevaux;--l'homme blanc porte de l'argent - dans sa poche pour tromper les filles.) - - "The negro carries corn in his pocket to [help him to] steal chickens; - the mulatto carries a rope in his pocket to steal horses; the white - man carries money in his pocket to deceive girls."--[Louisiana.] - -207. Misè fè macaque mangé piment. (La misère force le macaque à manger -du piment.) - - "Misery makes the monkey eat red pepper."--[_Martinique._] - -208. * "Mo bien comm mo yé," parole rare. ("Je me trouve bien comme je -suis"--ces sont des paroles rares.) - - "'I'm well enough as I am,' are words one doesn't often - hear."--[_Louisiana._] - -209. * Mo va pas prêté vous bâton pou cassé mo latête. (Je ne vais vous -prêter un bâton pour me casser la tête.) - - "I'm not going to lend you a stick to break my head - with."--[_Louisiana._] - -210. Moin ainmein plis yon balaou jòdi là qu'taza dimain. (J'aime mieux -un balaou aujourd'hui qu'un tazard demain.) - - "I'd rather have horn-fish to-day, than mackerel - to-morrow."[86]--[_Martinique._] - - [86] "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." The translation is - not literal. The _tazard_ or _thazard_, although belonging to the - scomber family, is not a true mackerel. _Balaou_ is one Creole name - for _l'aiguillette de mer_, hornfish [?]. - -211. Moin pas ka prend dithé pou fiève li. (Je ne veux pas prendre du -thé pour sa fièvre.) - - "I don't propose to drink tea for his fever."[87]--[_Martinique._] - - [87] Or better still: "I don't intend to drink tea just because he has - the fever." In other words, "I don't intend to bother myself with - other people's troubles."....The tea referred to is one of those old - Creole preparations taken during fevers--the _tisanes_ of the black - nurses: perhaps the cooling sassafras, or orange-leaf tea administered - to sufferers from _dengue_ in New Orleans. - -212. Montagnes zamés zoinde, domounde zoinde. (Les montagnes ne se -rencontrent jamais, les hommes se rencontrent.) - - "Mountains, only, never meet; men meet."--We are certain to encounter - friends and enemies under the most unlikely - circumstances.--[_Mauritius._] - -213. Mounn ouè défaut les-zautt, yo pas ni zié pou ta yo. (Les gens -voient les défauts des autres, ils n'ont pas d'yeux pour les leurs.) - - "Folks see the faults of others; they have no eyes for their - own."[88]--[_Martinique._] - - [88] This proverb, not being of true Creole origin, receives a place - here as an illustration of effective patois. In Louisiana we never say - _ta yo_, but _so quenne_....Were all proverbs used by the - Creole-speaking people included in this collection, it would be - considerably longer. Nearly all familiar English proverbs have - received Creole adoption, with slight modifications; for example, - instead of "putting the cart before the horse," the Mauritian negro - _mette çarette divant milét_, puts the cart before the _mule_--an - animal with which he is more familiar. - -214. Moustique pitit; més lhére li çanté vous zoréye plein. (Le -moustique est petit; mais quand il chante, votre oreille en est pleine.) - - "The mosquito is little; but when he sings, your ears are full of - him."--[_Mauritius._] - -215. Napas éna fromaze qui napas trouve so macathia. (Il n'y a pas de -fromage qui ne trouve son pain bis.) - - "There's no cheese but what can find brown bread."[89]--[_Mauritius._] - - [89] That is to say, whoever has a bit of cheese can always find a bit - of brown bread to eat with it. There never was a girl so ugly that she - could not find a husband. - -216. Napas rémié fimié sec. (Ne remuez pas le fumier sec.) - - "Don't stir up dry manure."--Said to those who desire to resurrect - forgotten scandal.--[_Mauritius._] - -217. Napas vous sangsie qui a monté làhaut moi. (Ce n'est pas votre -sangsue qui montera sur moi.) - - "Your leech isn't going to climb on me." That is: you shan't take - advantage of me.--[_Mauritius._] - -218. Napas vous laliane darzent qui a monté làhaut mo tonelle. (Ce n'est -pas votre liane d'argent qui montera sur ma tonnelle.) - - "It isn't your silver creeper that is going to climb over my summer - house."[90]--[_Mauritius._] - - [90] Said by young girls to those whose advances are disagreeable. - _Khè lanmou pas ka sauté_ ("heart-of-love does not yet leap") would be - the more polite response of a Martinique girl. - -219. * Napas zoué av difé; wou a boulé vous çimise. (Ne jouez pas avec -le feu; vous vous brûlerez la chemise.) - - "Play with the fire and you'll burn your shirt." This proverb appears - to be current wherever any form of the patois - prevails.--[_Mauritius._] - -220. Nîon doight pas jamain mangé calalou. (Avec un seul doigt on ne -peut jamais manger du calalou.) - - "You can't eat calalou with one finger."[91]--[_Hayti._] - - [91] The West Indian _calalou_ is made almost precisely like our - _gombo_-soup. The word is of African origin according to Turiault. - -221. Nhomme mort, zhèbes ka lever douvant lapôte li. ([Quand] un homme -[est] mort, l'herbe pousse [lit.: s'élève] devant sa porte.) - - "When a man is dead, the grass grows tall before his - door."--[_Trinidad._] - -222. Nououi chouval pou baille zofficié monté. (Nourir des chevaux pour -les donner à monter aux officiers.) - - "Feed horses for officers to ride." To be the victim of one's own - foolish liberality.--[_Martinique._] - -223. * Oîmso soulié savé si bas tini trou. (Le soulier seul sait si le -bas a un trou.) - - "The shoe only knows whether the stockings have - holes."[92]--[_Guyane._] - - [92] In the Martinique dialect it is: _C'est soulié qui save si bas - tini trou_. In the Trinidad patois: _Cé soulier tout-sél qui save si - bas tini trou_ (Thomas). In Louisiana Creole: _C'est soulier nek - connin si bas gagnin trou_. "Nek," compound from French _ne ... - que_--"only." - -224. Oti tini zos tini chien. (Où il y a des os il y a des chiens.) - - "Wherever there are bones, there are dogs." Meaning that when one is - rich, one has plenty of friends.--[_Martinique._] - -225. Ou faché avec gan chemin, que côté ou va passé? (Vous vous fachez -avec le grand chemin, de quel côté irez-vouz?) - - "If you get angry with the high road, what way will you - go?"--[_Hayti._] - -226. Ou fait semblant mourir, moin fait semblant enterrer ou. (Faites -semblant de mourir, et moi je ferai semblant de vous enterrer.) - - "You pretend to die; and I'll pretend to bury you."[93]--[_Hayti._] - - [93] Said to those who relate improbable stories of woe. - -227. Ou sauté, ou tombé la menme. (Vous sautez, vouz tombez tout de -même.) - - "You jump, but you come down all the same."[94]--[_Martinique._] - - [94] Just so high as you jump, so great the fall. The higher our - ambition, the greater the peril of failure. - -228. * Où y'en a charogne, y'en a carencro. (Où il a charogne, il y a -des busards.) - - "Wherever there's carrion, there are buzzards."[95]--[_Louisiana._] - - [95] This is one of several instances of the Creole adoption of - English words. The name "carrion-crow" has been applied to the buzzard - in Louisiana from an early period of its American history. - -229. Ous pôncor travesser läivïèr;--pas jirez maman caïman. (Vous n'avez -pas encore traversé la rivière--ne jurez [maudissez] pas la maman du -caïman.) - - "You haven't crossed the river yet; don't curse at the crocodile's - mother."[96]--[_Trinidad._] - - [96] "Don't halloo till you're out of the wood!" - -230. Padon pas ka guéri bosse. ("Pardon" ne guérit pas la bosse.) - - "Asking pardon doesn't cure the bump."[97]--[_Martinique._] - - [97] In the Creole of Guyana this proverb exists in a very curious - form: _Ago pa guéri maleng_.--"the excuse doesn't cure the hurt." M. - Alfred de Saint-Quentin in his work upon this remarkably fantastic and - melodious Creole dialect, says that _Ago_ is the only word of purely - African origin he has been able to find in the Guyana patois. On the - Gold coast _ago_! is a warning cry: "Take care!--clear the way!" The - Guyana slaves retained the word in a different sense. The negro who - accidentally jostles anybody, still exclaims _Ago!_--but it now means - "Beg pardon," or "Excuse me!" - -231. Pâlér pas rimède. (Parler n'est pas un reméde.) - - "Talking is no remedy." In Creole the word signifies medicine as well - as _remedy_.--[_Trinidad._] - -232. Pâler touop ka lever chein nans dômi. (Trop parler [c'est ce qui] -éveille le chien endormi.) - - "Talking too much arouses the dog from sleep."[98]--[_Trinidad._] - - [98] Talking too freely about our projects helps our enemies to thwart - our hopes. - -233. Pâoûoles pas tini coulèr. (Les paroles n'ont pas de couleur.) - - "Words have no color."--This is generally said to people who stare a - speaker out of countenance.--[_Trinidad._] - -234. Pâoûoles pas couté cher. (Les paroles ne coûtent pas cher.) - - "Words are cheap." In Martinique the phrase is _Paoûòles pas châge_: - ("Words are no weight to carry.")--[_Trinidad._] - -235. * Parole trop fort, machoir gonflé. (Par la parole trop forte, la -machoir est gonflée.) - - "By talking too loud the jaw becomes swelled."[99]--[_Louisiana._] - - [99] Literally: "Word too strong, jaw swelled up." Seems to imply the - _indirect_ rather than the direct consequence of using violent - language--viz., a severe beating from the person abused. - -236. Pas fôte langue qui fair bef pas sa pâler. (Ce n'est pas à faute de -langue que le b[oe]uf ne sait pas parler.) - - "It isn't for want of tongue that the ox can't talk."--[_Trinidad._] - -237. Pas jou' moin bien changé, moin ka rencontré nénneine moins. (Ce -n'est pas le jour que je suis bien changé que je vais rencontrer ma -marraine.) - - "It isn't on the day I am greatly changed" [when I am most - unfortunate] "that I am going to meet my godmother."--[_Martinique._] - -238. Pas menme jou ou mangé tè ou vini enflé. (Ce n'est pas le même jour -que vous mangez que vous vous trouvez enflé). - - "It isn't the same day you eat that you find yourself puffed - up."[100]--[_Martinique._] - - [100] That is to say that the worst results of folly do not always - manifest themselves when expected. - -239. Pauve moune bail déjeuner nans quior. (Les pauvres gens vous -donnent à déjeuner dans leurs c[oe]urs). - - "Poor folks give breakfast with their hearts."--[_Hayti._] - -240. * Pis faibe toujou tini tò. (Le plus faible a toujours tort). - - "The weakest is always in the wrong."--[_Martinique._] - -241. * Piti à piti, zozo fait son nid. (Petit à petit, l'oiseau fait son -nid.) - - "Little by little the bird builds its nest."--[_Louisiana._] - -242. Piti pas coûté so moman, li ka mori gran solé midi. (Petit qui -n'écoute pas sa maman meurt au grand soleil de midi). - - "Little boy who won't listen to his mother dies under the noonday - sun."[101]--[_Guyana._] - - [101] All Creole mothers are careful to keep their children from - reckless play in the sun, which is peculiarly treacherous in those - latitudes where the dialect is spoken. Hence the proverb, applicable - to any circumstance in which good advice is reluctantly received. - -243. Plis vaut mié vous pitit gagne larhime qui vous arrace son nez. (Il -vaut mieux laisser votre enfant morveux que de lui arracher le nez). - - "Better let your child be snotty, than pull his nose - off."--[_Mauritius._] - -244. Pou manje, tou bon; pou pâlé pas tou parole. (Pour manger, tout est -bon; pour parler, pas toute parole). - - "Anything is good enough to eat; but every word is not good enough to - be spoken."[102]--[_Guyane._] - - [102] In the Martinique dialect: _Toutt mangé, toutt paaule pas bon - pou di._--[_Turiault._] - -245. Poule pas ka vanté bouillon yo. (Les poules ne vantent pas leur -[propre] bouillon.) - - "The chickens don't brag about their own soup;" i.e. - _chicken-soup_.--[_Martinique._] - -246. Poule qui çanté ça méme qui fine pondé. (La poule qui chante est -celle-là même qui a pondu). - - "It's the cackling hen that has laid the egg."--[_Mauritius._] - -247. Poule qui fére dè[103] dizèfs zamés touyé. (La poule qui fait deux -[oe]ufs n'est jamais tuée). - - "The hen that lays two eggs is never killed."--[_Mauritius._] - - [103] The sound of the French _eu_ is rarely preserved in Creole. - _L'heure_ becomes _lhère_; _peu_, becomes _pè_. The Creole-speaking - negro says, _Yonne_, _dé_, _tois_, _quate_, _nèf_, instead of "un, - deux, trois, quatre, neuf." - -248. * Pranne garde vaut miè passé mandé pardon. (Prendre garde vaut -mieux que demander pardon.) - - "It is better to take care beforehand than to ask pardon - afterward."--[_Louisiana._] - -249. Ptit lasoif ptit coco, grand lasoif grand coco. (Petite soif, petit -coco; grande soif, grand coco.) - - "Little thirst, a little cocoa-nut; big thirst, a big - cocoa-nut."[104]--[_Mauritius._] - - [104] Like the old country saying: "Big horse, big feed." The - cocoa-nut shell was formerly the slave's drinking cup in Mauritius. - -250. Ptit mie tombe, ramassé li; Chrétien tombe, pas ramassé li. (Quand -une petite mie tombe, on la ramasse; quand un Chrétien tombe, on ne le -ramasse pas [i.e., on ne l'aide pas à se relever].) - - "If a little crumb falls, it is picked up; if a Christian falls, he is - not picked up."--[_Hayti._] - -251. * Quand bois tombé, cabri monté. (Quand l'arbre tombe, le cabri -monte.) - - "When the tree falls, the kid can climb it."--[105][_Louisiana._] - - [105] This saying has quite a variety of curious applications. The - last time I heard it, a Creole negress was informing me that the - master of the house in which she worked was lying at the point of - death: "_pauve diabe!_" I asked after the health of her mistress. - "_Ah! Madame se porte bien; mais . . . quand bois tombé cabri monté_," - she replied, half in French, half in her own patois; signifying that - after the husband's death, wife and children would find themselves - reduced to destitution. - -252. Quand boudin mòdè, cé pas épi bell plimm[106] yo ka plein li. -(Quand le ventre crie, ce n'est pas avec de beaux habits qu'on le -remplit.) - - "When your stomach gnaws you, it isn't with fine clothes that you can - fill it."--[_Martinique._] - - [106] Literally "feathers"--"_plimm_," _plumes_. Adopted from a Creole - version of one of Lafontaine's fables. - -253. * Quand boyaux grogné, bel évite pas fait yé pé. (Quand les boyaux -grognent, un bel habit ne leur fait pas se taire; lit., ne leur fait pas -paix.) - - "When the bowels growl a fine coat won't make them hold their - peace."[107]--[_Louisiana._] - - [107] The words _pè_, _pé_, in Creole are distinguishable only by - their accentuation. _Peur_ (fear); _peu_ (a little); _paix_ (peace, or - "hush"); _peut_ (can), all take the form _pè_ or _pé_ in various - Creole dialects. _Ipas ni pè sépent_: "he is not afraid of snakes." - Sometimes one can guess the meaning only by the context, as in the - Martinique saying: _Pè bef pè caca bef_. "Few oxen, little ox-dung;" - i.e. "little money, little trouble." The use of "_pè_" for _père_ - (father), reminds us of a curious note in the Creole studies of the - brothers Saint-Quentin (See BIBLIOGRAPHY). In the forests of Guiana - there is a bird whose song much resembles that of our Louisiana - mocking-bird, but which is far more sonorous and solemn. The Creole - negroes call it ZOZO MONPÉ (_l'oiseau mon-père_), lit., "The my-father - bird." Now _monpè_ is the Creole name for a priest; as if we should - say "a my-father" instead of "a priest." The bird's song, powerful, - solemn, far-echoing through the great aisles of the woods by night, - suggested the chant of a _monpè_, a "ghostly father;" and its name - might be freely translated by "the priest-bird." - -254. Quand cannari pas bouï pou ou, ou donè janmain découvri li. (Quand -le pôt ne bout pas pour vous, vous ne devez jamais le découvrir.) - - "When the pot won't boil for you, you must never take the lid - off."[108]--[_Martinique._] - - [108] "Watched pot never boils." The _canari_ was a clay pot as the - following Creole refrain testifies: - - Ya pas bouillon pou vous, macommère; - Canari cassé dans difé (bis). - Bouillon renvèrsé dans difé - Ya pas bouillon pou vous, macommère - Canari cassé dans difé. - - ["There's no soup for you, my gossipping friend; the pot's broken in - the fire; the soup is spilled in the fire," etc.] - -255. Quand canon causé, fisil honté. (Quand le canon parle, le fusil a -honte.) - - "When the cannon speaks, the gun is ashamed."--[_Mauritius._] - -256. Quand diabe alle lamesse li caciétte so laquée. (Quand le diable va -à la messe, il cache sa queue.) - - "When the Devil goes to mass he hides his tail."--[_Mauritius._] - -257. Quand diabe voulé prend vous li cause bondié av vous. (Quand le -diable veut vous prendre il vous parle de Bon Dieu.) - - "When the devil wants to get hold of you, he chats to you about God." - Lit.: "He talks _Good God_ to you."--[_Mauritius._] - -258. Quand done vous bourique vous pas bisoin guétte so labride. (Quand -on vous donne un âne, vous ne devez pas regarder sa bride.) - - "When somebody gives you a donkey, you musn't examine the - bridle."--Never look a gift-horse in the mouth.--[_Mauritius._] - -259. Quand femme léve so robe diabe guétte so lazambe. (Quand une femme -relève sa robe le diable regarde sa jambe.) - - "When a woman lifts her dress, the devil looks at her - leg."--[_Mauritius._] - -260. Quand gagne larmoire napas quétte côffe. (Quand on a l'armoire on -ne regarde pas le coffre.) - - "As soon as one gets a clothes-press, one never looks at the - trunk."[109]--[_Mauritius._] - - [109] A wooden chest or trunk is the first desideratum of the negro - housewife. As soon as the family is able to purchase a clothes-press, - or (as we call it in Louisiana) "armoire," it is considered quite a - prosperous household by Mauritian colored folk. The chest, Baissac - tells us, is the clothes-press of the poor. "After the bed comes the - chest, and next the accordeon!" - -261. Quand lamôrt vini, vous pense vous lavie. (Quand la mort vient, -vous pensez à vôtre vie.) - - "It's when death comes that you think about your - life."--[_Mauritius._] - -262. Quand lébras trop courte, napas zoinde. (Quand les bras son trop -courts, ils ne se rejoignent pas.) - - "When one's arms are too short, they won't go - round."[110]--[_Mauritius._] - - [110] It is needless to undertake what we have not ability to carry - out. - -263. Quand lécie tombé, tout mouces va maillé. (Quand le ciel tombera, -toutes les mouches seront prises.) - - "When the sky falls all the flies will be - caught."[111]--[_Mauritius._] - - [111] Said to those who talk hopefully of impossibilities. - -264. * Quand li gagnin kichose dans so latête, cé pas dans so lapiè. -(Quand il a quelque chose dans sa tête, ce n'est pas dans son pied.) - - "When he gets something into his head, it isn't in his - foot."[112]--[_Louisiana._] - - [112] Refers to obstinacy. A man may be compelled to move his feet, - but not to change his resolve. - -265. Quand lipièd glissé, restant sivré. (Quand le pied glisse, le reste -suit.) - - "When the foot slips the rest follows."--[_Mauritius._] - -266. Quand maite chanté, nègue dansé; quand 'conome sifflé, nègue sauté. -(Quand le maître chante, le nègre danse; quand l'économe siffle, le -nègre saute.) - - "When the master sings the negro dances; but when the overseer only - whistles, the negro jumps."--A relic of the old slave-day Creole - folklore.--[_Louisiana._] - -267. Quand milatt tini yon vié chouvral yo dit nègress pas manman yo. -(Quand les mulâtres ont un vieux cheval ils disent que les négresses ne -sont pas leurs mères.) - - "As soon as a mulatto is able to own an old horse, he will tell you - that his mother wasn't a nigger."--[_Martinique._] - -268. * Quand napas maman, tété grand-maman. (Quand on n'a pas sa mère, -on tete sa grand-mère.) - - "When one has no mother, one must be suckled by one's - grandmother."--[_Louisiana._] - -269. Quand ou tini malhé sépent mòdé ou pa lakhè. (Quand vous êtes dans -le malheur le serpent vous mord par la queue.) - - "When you're in ill-luck, a snake can bite you even with its - tail."--[_Martinique._] - -270. Quand ou mangé evec guiabe, quimbé cuillè ou longue. (Quand vous -mangez avec le diable, tenez votre cuillère longue.) - - "When you eat with the devil, see that your spoon is - long."--[_Martinique._] - -271. * Quand patate tchuite, faut mangé li. (Quand la patate est cuite, -il faut la manger.) - - "When the sweet potato is cooked, it must be - eaten."[113]--[_Louisiana._] - - [113] This differs a little from the spelling adopted by Gottschalk in - his _Bamboula_--"_Quand patate-la couite ma va mangé li._" The proverb - is used in the sense of our saying: "Strike the iron while it's hot." - -272. Quand poul ou tini zé, pas mette li dans canari. (Quand votre poule -pond des [oe]ufs, ne la mettez pas dans le pot.) - - "When your hen is laying, don't put her in the - pot."[114]--[_Martinique._] - - [114] Like our saying about killing the goose that laid the golden - eggs. - -273. Quand prend trop boucoup, li glissé. (Quand on prend trop [lit.: -"trop beaucoup"], cela glisse.) - - "Grab for too much, and it slips away from you."--[_Mauritius._] - -274. Quand vente crié zoréyes sourde. (Quand le ventre crie, les -oreilles sont sourdes.) - - "When the belly cries, the ears are deaf."--[_Mauritius._] - -275. Quand vente faim, siprit vini. (Quand le ventre a faim, l'esprit -vient.) - - "An empty stomach brings wit;"--lit.: When the stomach is empty, wit - comes.[115]--[_Mauritius._] - - [115] _Wit_, that is, "mother-wit"--common-sense. - -276. Quand vous guétte làhaut vous liziés vine pitit. (Quand vous -regardez en haut, vos yeux rapetissent.) - - "When you look overhead, your eyes become small."--[_Mauritius._] - -277. Quand yo baille ou tête bef pou mangé, n'a pas peur zieux li. -(Quand on vous donne une tête de b[oe]uf à manger n'ayez pas peur de ses -yeux.) - - "When you are given an ox's head to eat, don't be afraid of his - eyes."--[_Hayti._] - -278. Quiquefois wou plante zharicots rouze; zharicots blancs qui poussé. -(Quelquefois vous plantez des haricots rouges, et ce sont des haricots -blancs qui poussent.) - - "Sometimes you sow red beans, and white beans grow." "The best-laid - plans of mice and men gang aft a-gley."--[_Mauritius._] - -279. Quand yon bâtiment cassé ça pas empêché les zautt navigué. (Quand -un bâtiment est cassé, ça n'empêche pas les autres de naviguer.) - - "When a ship is broken (_wrecked_), the accident does not prevent - others from sailing."[116]--[_Martinique._] - - [116] There is a Portuguese proverb to the same effect: "Shipwrecks - have never deterred navigation." - -280. Qui mêlé zefs nans calenda oûoches? (Qui a mêlé (mis) des [oe]ufs -dans la calinda des roches [pierres.]?) - - "What business have eggs in the calinda--_i.e._ dance--of stones?" - (_Calinda_, said to be derived from the Spanish _que linda!_--"how - beautiful!")[117]--[_Trinidad._] - - [117] The author of _Les Bambous_ mentions the _bèlè_, _caleinda_, - _guiouba_ and _biguine_, slave-dances of Martinique. _Dansé yon - caleinda marré_ (to dance the _calinda_ or _caleinda_ tied up) meant - to receive a whipping. - -281. Rann sévice baïll mal dos. (Rendre service donne mal au dos.) - - "Doing favors gives one the back-ache."--[_Martinique._] - -282. * Ratte mangé canne, zanzoli mouri innocent. (Le rat mange la -canne-[à-sucre], le lézard en meurt.) - - "'Tis the rat eats the cane; but the lizard dies for - it."[118]--[_Louisiana._] - - [118] This proverb is certainly of West Indian origin, though I first - obtained it from a Louisianian. In consequence of the depredations - committed by rats in the West-Indian cane-fields, it is customary - after the crop has been taken off, to fire the dry cane tops and - leaves. The blaze, spreading over the fields, destroys many rats, but - also a variety of harmless lizards and other creatures. - -283. Ravett pas janmain asséz fou pou li allé lapòte pouleillé. (Le -ravet n'est jamais assez fou pour aller à la porte du poulailler.) - - "The cockroach is never silly enough to approach the door of the - hen-house."--[_Martinique._] - -284. * Ravette pas jamain tini raison douvant poule. (Le ravet n'a -jamais raison devant la poule.) - - "Cockroach is never in the right where the fowl is concerned"--(lit.: - _before the fowl_.)[119]--[_Trinidad._] - - [119] I find this proverb in every dialect I have been able to study. - In Martinique Creole the words vary slightly: "_Douvant poule ravett - pas ni raison._" - -285. Rasiers tini zoreïes. (Les [rosiers?] buissons ont des oreilles.) - - "Bushes have ears."--[_Trinidad._] - -286. * Rendé service, baille chagrin. (Rendre service donne du chagrin.) - - "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.) - -305. * Tafia toujou dîe la vérité. (Le tafia dit toujours la vérité.) - - "Tafia always tells the truth."[129]--[_Louisiana._] - - [129] _Tafia_ is the rum extracted from sugar-cane. "_In vino - veritas_." - -306. Tambou tini grand train pace endidans li vide. (Le tambour va [lit: -tient] grand train parcequ'il est vide en dedans.) - - "The drum makes a great fuss because it is empty - inside."[130]--[_Trinidad._] - - [130] In Louisiana Creole, _faire di-train_ is commonly used in the - sense of making a great noise, a big fuss. An old negro-servant might - often be heard reproving the children of the house in some such - fashion as this:--"_Ga!--pouki tapé fait tou di-train la?--Toulé - pé?--pas fait tou di-train mo di toi!_" ("Here, what are you making - all that noise for?--are you going to keep quiet?--musn't make so much - noise, I tell you!") - -307. Tampée ka gagnen malhèrs ka doublons pas sa gueri. (Un 'tampée' -achète des malheurs que les doublons ne peuveut pas guerir.) - - "A penny buys troubles that doubloons cannot cure."--[_Trinidad._] - -308. * "Tant-pis" n'a pas cabane. ("Tant-pis" n'a pas de cabane.) - - "'So-much-the-worse' has no cabin."[131]--[_Louisiana._] - - [131] This proverb is the retort for the phrase: "So much the worse - for you." Sometimes one might hear a colored servant for example, - warning the children of the house to keep out of the kitchen, which in - Creole residences usually opens into the great court-yard where the - little ones play: _Eh, pitis! faut pas restér là: vous ka casser - tout!_ ("Hey! little ones, musn't stay there: you'll break - everything!") If the father or mother should then exclaim "_Tant pis - pour eux!_"--so much the worse for them if they do break everything, - you would hear the old woman reply: "_Tant-pis n'a pas - cabane!_"--"So-much-the-worse has no cabin"--_i.e._, nothing to lose. - She believes in an ounce of prevention rather than a pound of cure. - -309. Temps moune connaîte l'aûte nans grand jou, nans nouîte yeaux pas -bisoèn chandelle pou clairér yeaux. (Quand on connait quelqu'un [lit: un -autre] dans le grand jour, dans la nuit on n'a pas besoin d'une -chandelle pour s'éclairer.) - - "When one person knows another by broad daylight, he doesn't need a - candle to recognize him at night."[132]--[_Trinidad._] - - [132] When a person has once given us positive evidence of his true - character, we do not need any information as to what that person will - do under certain circumstances. - -310. * Temps present gagnin assez comme ça avec so quenne. (Le temps -present en a assez comme ça avec le sien.) - - "The present has enough to do to mind its own - affairs."[133]--[_Louisiana._] - - [133] Literally the proverb is almost untranslateable. It is cited to - those who express needless apprehension of future misfortune. "_Mo va - gagnin malhé_"--(I am going to have trouble.) "_Aïe, aïe! - chère!--temps present gagnin assez comme ça avec so quonne._" (Ah, my - dear! the present has enough trouble of its own.) - -311. * Ti chien, ti còdon. (Petit chien, petit lien.) - - "A little string for a little dog."--[_Martinique._] - -312. Ti hache coupé gouaus bois. (Une petite hache coupe un grand -arbre.) - - "A little axe cuts down a big tree."--[_Martinique._] - -313. Ti moun cònnaitt couri, yo pas cònnaitt serré. (Les enfants--lit: -"le petit monde"--savent courir; ils ne savent pas se cacher.) - - "Children (little folk) know how to run; they do not know how to - hide."--[_Martinique._] - -314. Tig mò, chien ka prend pays. (Quand le tigre est mort, le chien -prend le pays.) - - "When the tiger is dead, the dog takes [rules] the - country."--[_Martinique._] - -315. Tòti sé vole si li tè tini plimm. (Le tortue volerait si elle avait -des ailes.) - - "The tortoise would fly if it had wings."[134]--[_Martinique._] - - [134] "Pigs might fly," etc. - -316. - - Tout bois cé bois; - Main mapou - Pas 'cajou. - (Tout bois c'est du bois; - Mais le mapou - N'est pas de l'acajou.) - - "All wood is wood; but mapou wood isn't mahogany - (cedar)."[135]--[_Trinidad._] - - [135] Thomas translates _cajou_, by "cedar." _Acajou_ in French, - signifies mahogany, as it does also in Louisiana Creole. There is an - old song, of which the refrain is: - - _Chèr bijou - Dacajou, - Mo laimin vous_ - - ("My darling mahogany jewel, I love you!") - -317. * Tout ça c'est commerce Man Lison. (Tout ça c'est affaire de Maman -Lison.) - - "All that's like Mammy Lison's doings."[136]--[_Louisiana._] - - [136] Whenever a thing is badly done, this saying is used;--_commerce_ - in the Creole signifying almost the reverse of what it does in French. - Who that traditional _Man Lison_ was, I have never been able to find - out. - -318. Tout ça qui poté zépron pas maquignon. (Tout homme qui porte -éperons n'est pas maquignon.) - - "Everybody who wears spurs isn't a jockey." All is not gold that - glitters.--[_Martinique._] - -319. Toutt cabinett tini maringouin. (Tout cabinet contient des -maringouins.) - - "Every bed-chamber has its mosquitoes in it."--Equivalent to our own - proverb: A skeleton in every closet.--[_Martinique._] - -320. * Toutt joué c'est joué; mais cassé bois dans bonda macaque--ça pas -joué. (Tout [façon de] jouer c'est jouer; mais ce n'est pas jouer que de -casser du bois dans le derrière du macaque.) - - . . . . . . . . [137]--[_Martinique._] - - [137] This ridiculous observation is unsuitable for translation. - Nevertheless we have an English, or perhaps an American, proverb - equally vulgar, which may have inspired, or been derived from, the - Creole one. In the English saying, the words "joking" and "provoking" - are used as rhymes. The moral is precisely similar to that of No. 322. - - In old days the Creole story-teller would always announce his - intention of beginning a tale by the exclamation "_Tim-tim!_" - whereupon the audience would shout in reply, "_Bois sec_;" and the - story-teller would cry again, "_Cassez-li_," to which the chorus would - add ". . . . _dans tchu_ (bonda) _macaque_." Thus the story-teller - intimated that he had no intention of merely "_joking_," but intended - to tell the whole truth and nothing else--"a real good story"--_tois - fois bonne conte!_ - -321. * Toutt jour c'est pas dimanche. (Tous les jours ne sont pas le -dimanche.) - - "Every day isn't Sunday."--[_Louisiana._] - -322. Tou jwé sa jwé; me bwa là zòrè sa pa jwé. (Tout [façon de] jouer -c'est jouer; mais enfoncer du bois dans l'oreille n'est pas jouer.) - - "All play is play; but poking a piece of wood into one's ear isn't - play."--[_Guyane._] - -323. * Tout macaque trouvé so piti joli. (Tout macaque trouve son petit -joli.) - - "Every monkey thinks its young one pretty."--[_Louisiana._] - -324. Toutt milett ni grand zaureilles. (Tout les mulets ont des grandes -oreilles.) - - "All mules have big ears."--Equivalent to our proverb; "Birds of a - feather flock together."--[_Martinique._] - -325. * Toutt mounn save ça qui ka bouï nens canari yo. (Toute personne -sait ce qui bout dans son canari [marmite].) - - "Everybody knows what boils in his own pot"--i.e., knows his own - business best.[138]--[_Martinique._] - - [138] In Thomas's Trinidad version: "_Tout moune connaite ça qui ka - bouï nans canari yeaux_." In Louisiana Creole: "_Chakin connin ça kapé - bouilli dans so chodière_." _Canari_ is sometimes used in our Creole, - but rarely. I have only heard it in old songs. The iron pot - (_chodière_) or tin utensil has superseded the _canari_. - -326. Travaï pas mal; cé ziex qui capons. (Le travail ne fait pas du mal; -c'est les yeux qui sont capons [lâches].) - - "Work doesn't hurt;--'tis the eyes that are cowards."--[_Mauritius._] - -327. Trop gratté bourlé. (Trop gratter brûle [cuit].) - - "Too much scratching brings smarting."--[_Mauritius._] - -328. Trop profi crévé poche. (Trop de profit crève la poche.) - - "Too much profit bursts one's pockets."--[_Martinique._] - -329. Tropp bijou, gàde-mangé vide. (Trop de bijoux, garde-manger vide.) - - "Too much jewelry, empty cupboard."--[_Martinique._] - -330. Vente enflé, mouces zaune té pique li. (Le ventre enflé, les -mouches jaunes l'ont piqué.)[139] - - . . . . . . . . --[_Mauritius._] - - [139] This proverb is scarcely suitable for English translation; but - the forcible and picturesque irony of it will be appreciated in M. - Baissac's explanatory note: "_Comment se l'expliquer autrement, en - dehors du mariage?_" - -331. Vide éne boutéye pour rempli laute, qui li? (Vider une bouteille -pour en remplir une autre, qu'est-ce?) - - "What's the good of emptying one bottle only to fill - another?"[140]--[_Mauritius._] - - [140] Same signification as Prov. 138. - -332. * Vie cannari ka fé bon bouillon. (Les vieux pots font les bonnes -soupes.) - - "It's the old pot that makes the good soup."--[_Martinique._] - -333. Vié coq, zène poule. (Vieux coq, jeune poule.) - - "An old cock, a young hen."--[_Mauritius._] - -334. Volè pas ainmein vouè canmarade yo pòté sac. (Les voleurs n'aiment -pas voir leurs camarades portant le sacs.) - - "Thieves do not like to see their comrades carrying the - bags."[141]--[_Martinique._] - - [141] Probably truer to human nature than our questionable statement - concerning "honor among thieves." Mr. Bigelow, in his contribution to - _Harper's Magazine_, cited a similar proverb in the Haytian dialect. - -335. Vous napas va montré vié zaco fère grimaces. (Vous ne montrerez pas -à un vieux singe à faire des grimaces.) - - "You can't teach an old monkey how to make - faces."[142]--[_Mauritius._] - - [142] "Teach your granny to suck eggs." - -336. Voyé chein, chein voyé lakhe li. (Envoyez le chien, et le chien -envoie sa queue.) - - "Send dog, and dog sends his tail."--Refers to those who obey orders - only by proxy.--[_Trinidad._] - -337. Yo ka quimbé[143] chritiens pa langue yo, bef pa còne yo. (On prend -les Chrétiens par la langue, les b[oe]ufs par les cornes.) - - "Christians are known by their tongues, oxen by their horns." - (Literally, are taken by or caught by.)--[_Martinique._] - - [143] _Quimbé_ is a verb of African origin. It survives in Louisiana - Creole as _tchombé_ or _chombo_: - - _Caroline, zolie femme, - Chombo moin dans collet._ - - ["Caroline, pretty woman; put your arm about my neck!"--lit.: "take me - by the neck."] - - There are other African words used by the older colored women, such as - _macayé_, meaning to eat at all hours; and _Ouendé_, of which the - sense is dubious. But the Congo verb _fifa_, to kiss; and the verbs - _souyé_, to flatter; _pougalé_, to abuse violently; and such nouns as - _saff_ (glutton), _yche_ or _iche_ (baby), which are preserved in - other Creole dialects, are apparently unknown in Louisiana to-day. - - In Chas. Jeannest's work, _Quatre Années au Congo_ [Paris: - Charpentier, 1883], I find a scanty vocabulary of words in the Fiot - dialect, the native dialect of many slaves imported into Louisiana and - the West Indies. In this vocabulary the word _ouenda_ is translated by - "partir pour." I fancy it also signifies "to be absent," and that it - is synonymous with our Louisiana African-Creole _ouendé_, preserved in - the song: - - _Ouendé, ouendé, macaya_; - Mo pas, 'barassé, _macaya_! - _Ouendé, ouendé, macaya_; - Mo bois bon divin, _macaya_! - _Ouendé, ouendé, macaya_; - Mo mangé bon poulé, _macaya_! - _Ouendé, ouendé, macaya_;..etc. - - This is one of the very few songs with a purely African refrain still - sung in New Orleans. The theme seems to be that, the master and - mistress of a house being absent, some slave is encouraging a - slave-friend to eat excessively, to "stuff himself" with wine, - chicken, etc. "They are gone, friend: eat, fill yourself; _I'm_ not a - bit ashamed; stuff yourself!--I'm drinking good wine; stuff - yourself!--I'm eating good chicken; gorge yourself," etc. Here - _ouendé_ seems to mean "they are out; they are gone away,"--therefore - there is no danger. - - There is another Creole song with the same kind of double refrain, but - the meaning of the African words I have not been able to discover. - - Nicolas, Nicolas, Nicolas, ou dindin; - Nicolas, Nicolas, Nicolas marché ouaminon: - Quand li marché - _Ouarasi, ouarasa!_ - Quand li marché - _Ouarasi, ouarasa!_ - - ["Nicholas, etc., you are a turkey-cock! Nicholas walks _ouaminon_: - when he walks, it is _ouarasi, ouarasa_."] The idea is obvious enough; - viz.: that Nicholas struts like a turkey-cock; but the precise - signification of the three italicised words I have failed to learn. - -338. Yon doègt pas sa pouend pice. (Un seul doigt ne peut pas attraper -des puces.) - - "One finger can't catch fleas."--[_Martinique._] - -339. * Yon lanmain douè lavé laute. (Une main doit laver l'autre.) - - "One hand must wash the other."--You must not depend upon others to - get you out of trouble.--[_Martinique._] - -340. Yon mauvais paòle ka blessé plis qu'coupd'roche. (Une mauvaise -parole blesse plus qu'un coup-de-pierre.) - - "A wicked word hurts more than a blow from a stone."--[_Martinique._] - -341. Zaco malin, li-méme té montré noir coment voler. (La singe est -malin; c'est lui qui a montré au noir comment on vole.) - - "The monkey is sly; it was he that first taught the black man how to - steal."--[_Mauritius._] - -342. Zaco napas guétte so laquée; li guétte pour son camarade. (Le singe -ne regarde pas sa queue; il regarde celle de son voisin.) - - "Monkey never watches his own tail; he watches his - neighbor's."--[_Mauritius._] - -343. * Zaffaire ça qui sotte, chien mangé dìné yo. (Des choses [qui -appartiennent] aux sots les chiens font leur dîner.) - - "Dogs make their dinner upon what belongs to fools."--[_Louisiana._] - -344. * Zaffé cabritt pa zaffé mouton. (L'affaire de la chèvre n'est pas -l'affaire du mouton.) - - "The goat's business is not the sheep's affair."[144]--[_Martinique._] - - [144] Seems to be the same in all Creole dialects, excepting that the - rabbit is sometimes substituted for the sheep. - -345. Zaffére qui fine passé narien; laute qui pour vint qui li! -(L'affaire passée n'est rien; c'est l'affaire à venir qui est le hic.) - - "What's past is nothing; it's what's to come that's the - rub."--[_Mauritius._] - -346. Zamais béf senti so corne trop lourd. (Jamais le b[oe]uf ne sent -ses cornes trop lourdes.) - - "The ox never finds his horns too heavy to carry."--[_Mauritius._] - -347. Zamés disel dire li salé. (Le sel ne dit jamais qu'il est salé.) - - "The salt never says that it is salty." True virtue never - boasts.--[_Mauritius._] - -348. Zaureille pas tini couv éti. (Les oreilles n'ont pas de -couverture.) - - "There is no covering for the ears."--[_Martinique._] - -349. Zié beké brilé zié nèg. (Les yeux du blanc brûlent les yeux du -nègre.) - - "The white man's eyes burn the negro's eyes."[145]--[_Martinique._] - - [145] _Béké_ is translated by _blanc_ in Turiault's work; but the - witty author of _Les Bambous_ writes: _Nèg_ se dit pour _esclave_, et - _béké_ pour maître. Therefore perhaps a more correct translation would - be: "The master's eyes burn the slave's eyes." The phrase recalls a - curious refrain which used to be sung by Louisiana field-hands: - - _Tout, tout, pays blanc--Danié qui commandé, - Danié qui commandé ça! - Danié qui commandé._ - - ["All, all the country white" (white-man's country); "Daniel has so - commanded," etc.] I do not know whether the prophet Daniel is referred - to. - -350. Zié rouge pas boulé savann. (Les yeux rouges ne brûlent pas la -savane.) - - "Red eyes can't burn the savannah." A better translation might be: - "Red eyes can't start a prairie-fire." The meaning is that mere anger - avails nothing.[146]--[_Martinique._] - - [146] In the Guyane patois, they say: "_Ça qui gadé gran boi yé kôlé - pa brûlé yé_." (_Celui qui regarde les grands bois avec des yeux - colères ne les brûle pas._) - -351. Zouré napas ena lentérement. (Les jurons n'ont pas d'enterrement.) - - "Curses don't make funerals."--[_Mauritius._] - -352. Zozo paillenqui crié là-haut, coudevent vini. (Le paille-en-cul -crie la-haut, le coup de vent vient.) - - "When the tropic-bird screams overhead, a storm-wind is - coming."--[_Mauritius._] - - - - -INDEX TO VARIOUS DIALECTS. - - - I.--PROVERBS IN THE CREOLE OF FRENCH GUYANA:--60, 223, 242, 244, 291, - 322. - - II.--IN THE CREOLE OF HAYTI:--11, 26, 47, 51, 61, 63, 77, 78, 87, 88, - 96, 100, 115, 116, 117, 120, 139, 145, 153, 172, 190, 220, 225, 226, - 239, 250, 277, 302. - - III.--IN THE CREOLE OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA:--23, 34, 40, 57, 67, - 86, 89, 90, 95, 97, 99, 107, 112, 123, 130, 134, 137, 147, 148, 157, - 159, 162, 166, 171, 185, 186, 198, 203, 204, 208, 209, 228, 235, 241, - 248, 251, 253, 264, 266, 268, 271, 282, 286, 295, 303, 305, 308, 310, - 317, 321, 323, 343. - - IV.--IN THE CREOLE OF MARTINIQUE:--1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 18, 20, 24, 28, 29, - 30, 31, 33, 36, 37, 41, 42, 43, 49, 50, 52, 56, 58, 59, 62, 66, 75, - 76, 82, 84, 85, 91, 92, 93, 94, 104, 122, 133, 149, 150, 151, 152, - 154, 160, 164, 175, 188, 189, 199, 202, 205, 206, 207, 210, 211, 213, - 222, 224, 227, 230, 237, 238, 240, 245, 252, 254, 267, 269, 270, 272, - 279, 281, 283, 288, 289, 294, 296, 298, 299, 301, 311, 312, 313, 314, - 315, 318, 319, 320, 324, 325, 328, 329, 332, 334, 337, 338, 339, 340, - 344, 348, 349, 350. - - V.--IN THE CREOLE OF MAURITIUS:--3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 16, 17, 19, 22, - 25, 32, 38, 44, 45, 46, 48, 53, 54, 55, 65, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, - 98, 101, 102, 105, 106, 108, 109, 114, 118, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, - 129, 131, 136, 138, 143, 155, 156, 161, 163, 165, 167, 168, 169, 170, - 173, 174, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 182, 183, 191, 195, 196, 197, 200, - 212, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 243, 246, 247, 249, 255, 256, 257, - 258, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 265, 273, 274, 275, 276, 278, 287, 290, - 304, 326, 327, 330, 331, 333, 335, 341, 342, 345, 346, 347, 351, 352. - - VI.--IN THE CREOLE OF TRINIDAD:--12, 13, 15, 21, 27, 35, 39, 64, 74, - 79, 80, 81, 83, 103, 110, 111, 113, 119, 121, 132, 135, 140, 141, 142, - 144, 146, 158, 181, 184, 187, 192, 193, 194, 201, 221, 229, 231, 232, - 233, 234, 236, 280, 284, 285, 292, 293, 297, 306, 307, 309, 316, 336. - - - - -INDEX TO SUBJECTS OF PROVERBS. - - - ACOMA-TREE.--1. - ADVISERS.--101, 142. - ALLIGATOR (or Crocodile).--198, 229, 293. - ARMS.--262. - ARRACK.--46, 305. - "AVOCADO."--5. - - BAG, SACK, "MACONTE."--51, 115, 288. - BAGASSE.--14. - "BALAOU."--210. - BEANS.--278. - BEARD.--10. - BED.--33, 182. - BELLY.--39, 44, 252, 253, 274, 275, 330. - BENGALEE.--290. - BIG AND LITTLE.--249, 311, 312. - BIRD.--154, 241. - BLOWS.--19. - "BONDA."--34, 49, 320. - BORROWERS.--138, 190, 331. - BROOM.--16. - BOUNDARY.--183 (note). - BUZZARDS.--228. - - "CALALOU."--220 (note). - "CALINDA."--280 (note). - CALABASH.--96, 116, 117, 297. - CANARY.--290. - CANNON.--255. - CAT.--70, 71, 72, 73, 85, 86, 151, 171, 200. - CHARACTER.--309. - CHEESE.--215. - CHEST.--260. - CHICKEN, OR HEN.--80, 125, 150, 245, 246, 247, 272, 283. - CHILDREN.--15, 48, 184, 187, 193, 242, 243, 313. - CHRISTIAN.--250, 337. - CLOTHES-PRESS.--260. - COAL.--69. - COCK.--29, 102, 129, 173, 333. - COCKROACH.--65, 283, 284. - CODFISH.--205. - COON.--133. - CONSPIRACY.--100. - CONTENTMENT.--208. - CORN.--136. - COWARD.--67, 132. - CURSES.--351. - CRAB.--75, 111, 199. - - DEVIL.--9, 82, 149, 256, 257, 259, 270. - DOG.--28, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 118, 119, 137, 152, 201, 314, - 336, 343. - DONKEY.--167, 258. - DUCK.--43, 66, 128. - DRAWERS.--113, 126. - DRUM.--61, 78, 306. - - EARS.--74, 107, 285, 348. - EATING.--45, 194, 238. - EGGS.--13, 56, 128, 129, 150, 247, 280. - ELEPHANT.--297. - EYES.--58, 183, 276, 293, 326, 350. - - FAT PEOPLE.--144. - FAULTS.--213. - FAVORS.--281, 286. - FEVER.--211. - FINE CLOTHES.--6, 23, 252, 253. - FIREFLY.--84. - FISHES.--295. - FLEAS.--328. - FLY.--11, 20, 263. - FLOUR.--65, 69. - FOOT.--33, 50, 264, 265. - FRIENDS.--127. - FROG.--34, 79, 113, 166, 293. - - GAB.--25, 27. - GIFTS.--258, 277. - GOAT.--40, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 175, 190, 206, 251, 344. - GOD.--30, 31, 257. - GODMOTHER.--237. - GOMBO.--147, 299. - GOOD ACTIONS.--42, 53. - GOOD FORTUNE.--35. - GOOSE.--43. - GUN.--255. - - HARE.--3, 191. - HEART.--58, 174, 212. - HIGHWAY.--139, 224, 226, 291. - HORSE.--94, 107, 109, 167, 204, 206, 222. - HOG.--97, 176. - HOUSEKEEPING.--32. - HUSBAND.--195, 294. - - IDLENESS.--34, 35, 140, 141, 180. - "IF-I-ONLY-KNEW."--298. - ITCH.--178. - - JEWELRY.--329. - - KICKS.--105. - KNIFE.--76, 139. - - LAGNIAPPE.--157. - "LANGOUTI."--6. - LARD.--53. - LEECH.--217. - LIANA.--218. - LIZARD.--282, 301. - - "MAN LISON."--317. - MANURE.--216. - MARRIAGE.--118, 179, 195, 196, 197, 215. - MASTER AND SLAVE.--266, 349. - MAT.--98. - MEADOWS.--21, 296, 350. - MILLET.--47. - MISERY.--162, 207. - MISFORTUNE.--192, 302. - MONEY.--125, 168, 169, 170, 307. - MONKEY.--2, 4, 5, 12, 108, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 207, 320, 323, - 335, 341, 342, 350. - MOSQUITO.--198, 214, 319. - MOTHERS.--2, 4, 5, 184, 187, 193, 242. - MOUNTAINS.--174, 212. - MOURNING.--121, 124, 134. - MOUSSA.--299 (note). - MUD.--155. - MULATTO.--204, 206, 267. - MULE.--107, 169, 324. - - NEEDLE AND THREAD.--143. - - OUANGA.--100. - OX.--20, 21, 22, 81, 160, 236, 277, 346. - - PADDLE.--6. - "PALIACA BIRDS."--177. - PANTALOONS.--292. - PARTNERSHIP.--52. - PETTICOAT.--294. - PETTICOAT STRINGS.--292. - POT OR KETTLE.--3, 8, 64, 254, 325, 332. - POVERTY.--163, 239. - PRESENT AND THE FUTURE.--310, 344. - PUDDLE.--155. - PUMPKIN.--76, 96. - - RABBIT.--40, 164. - RAGS.--145. - RAIN.--22, 81, 165, 166, 192, 352. - RAT.--85, 287, (musk-rat) 200. - RIGHT AND WRONG.--213, 240, 284. - RUNNING AWAY.--33, 103. - - SABRE.--18. - SALT.--347. - SEA.--295. - SECRETS.--296. - SERPENT, OR SNAKE.--24, 189, 269, 289, 291, 292. - SHEEP.--59, 175. - SHINGLES.--17, 156. - SHOES.--83, 223, 304. - SIGHING.--300. - SKILLET.--53. - SLEEP.--45, 98. - SLOW AND SURE.--131, 241. - SNAILS.--108, 165. - "SO MUCH THE WORSE."--308. - SPURS.--318. - SPOON.--77, 270. - SPRING.--148. - STARING.--235. - STICK.--18, 201, 209. - STRANGERS.--126. - SUGAR.--38. - SULKING.--44. - SUN.--302, 303. - SUNDAY.--95, 325. - SWEET POTATO.--271. - - TAIL.--12, 20, 36, 81, 167, 336, 342. - TALKING.--37, 74, 104, 112, 120, 135, 146, 161, 164, 202, 231, 232, - 234, 235, 244, 340. - TEETH.--30, 120, 121, 122, 194. - THANKS.--203. - "TAZARD."--210. - TIGER.--314. - TIYON.--23. - TO-DAY AND TO-MORROW.--41, 153, 210. - TONGUE.--79, 104, 161, 236. - TOO MUCH OF A THING.--228, 229, 273, 327. - TORTOISE.--99, 191, 315. - TROPIC-BIRD.--352. - TURKEY.--205. - - VALET.--36. - VETIVERIA.--156, 195. - VISITING.--77. - - WANT (AND WASTE).--41. - WAR.--158, 159. - WATER.--114, 121, 130, 131, 148. - WEEK OF FOUR THURSDAYS.--57. - WHITE MAN.--26, 349. - WOMAN.--9, 23, 48, 65, 259, 294. - WOODLICE.--116, 117. - WORK.--132, 141. - - YAM.--181. - - ZAMBA.--78. - - - - -LA CUISINE CREOLE. - - -A compilation of many original Creole and other valuable recipes -obtained from noted Southern housewives, with a number of _chefs -d'[oe]uvre_ from leading _chefs_, who have made New Orleans famous for -its cuisine. - - -Published by WILL H. COLEMAN, - -70 ASTOR HOUSE, NEW YORK. - -[Illustration] - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - -Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation have been retained. - -Footnote [38]: The last paragraph lacks a closing quote mark; this has -not been changed, since it is not clear where the quote ends. - -Prov. 139: gambette may be a misspelling of jambette (jack-knife) in -Bigelow's work. - -Prov. 177: zozos pariaca may be an error for zozos paliaca. - - -Changes made to the text: - - Footnotes have been moved to directly under the proverb they refer to. - - Obvious punctuation errors and missing punctuation have been corrected - silently. - - i.e. and i. e. have been standardised to i.e. - - Introduction: gomo filé changed to gombo filé - - Bibliography: Academique changed to Académique - - Prov. 4: nourish it young changed to nourish its young - - Footnote [12]: _tiyon_ the true changed to _tiyon_ is the true - - Footnote [14]: little bird does'nt changed to little bird doesn't - - Prov. 49: Ceux qui mangent ne savent pas changed to Ceux qui mangent - des [oe]ufs ne savent pas - - Prov. 54: le prix de la grasse changed to le prix de la graisse - - Prov. 82: qui le diable emporte changed to que le diable emporte - - Prov. 114: aime á boire changed to aime à boire - - Footnote [45]: _oti and outi_ changed to _oti_ and _outi_ - - Prov. 117: resister changed to résister - - Prov. 127: etrangers changed to étrangers - - Prov. 172: li rouge changed to li ronge - - Prov. 204: his mother was'nt changed to his mother wasn't - - Prov. 221: morte changed to mort - - Prov. 248: demandre changed to demander - - Prov. 253: 'evite changed to évite - - Prov. 260: les coffre changed to le coffre - - Prov. 268: Quand n'a pas changed to Quand on n'a pas - - Footnote [124]: Mousse changed to Moussa as in proverb - - Footnote [125]: _Moun_, _or moune_ changed to _Moun_, or _moune_ - - Footnote [136]: _commeree_ changed to _commerce_ - - Footnote [139]: Comment se l'expliquer autrement en dehors du mariage - changed to Comment se l'expliquer autrement, en dehors du mariage? (as - in the original text by Baissac) - - Footnote [143]: _ourasi, ouarasa_ changed to _ouarasi, ouarasa_ as in - verse - - Prov. 344: Z ffé changed to Zaffé - - Prov. 349: brûle changed to brûlent - - Index to Dialects, III.: 267 changed to 266; IV.: 147 and 329 - inserted; V.: 333 inserted. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of "Gombo Zhèbes", by Lafcadio Hearn - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK "GOMBO ZHÈBES" *** - -***** This file should be named 44866-8.txt or 44866-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/8/6/44866/ - -Produced by Marcia Brooks, Valérie Leduc, Hugo Voisard, -Harry Lamé and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team -at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - diff --git a/44866-8.zip b/44866-8.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index f8744f5..0000000 --- a/44866-8.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/44866-h.zip b/44866-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 29faf60..0000000 --- a/44866-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/44866-h/44866-h.htm b/44866-h/44866-h.htm index 1b2f08e..1d1d155 100644 --- a/44866-h/44866-h.htm +++ b/44866-h/44866-h.htm @@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" /> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" /> <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> <title> The Project Gutenberg eBook of Gombo Zhèbes, by Lafcadio Hearn. @@ -61,45 +61,7 @@ </style> </head> <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of "Gombo Zhèbes", by Lafcadio Hearn - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: "Gombo Zhèbes" - Little Dictionary of Creole Proverbs - -Author: Lafcadio Hearn - -Release Date: February 10, 2014 [EBook #44866] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK "GOMBO ZHÈBES" *** - - - - -Produced by Marcia Brooks, Valérie Leduc, Hugo Voisard, -Harry Lamé and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team -at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44866 ***</div> <div class="tnbox"> <p class="center">Please see the <a href="#TN">Transcriber’s Notes</a> at the end of this text.</p> @@ -3448,382 +3410,6 @@ Index to Dialects, III.: 267 changed to 266; IV.: 147 and 329 inserted; V.: 333 </div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of "Gombo Zhèbes", by Lafcadio Hearn - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK "GOMBO ZHÈBES" *** - -***** This file should be named 44866-h.htm or 44866-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/8/6/44866/ - -Produced by Marcia Brooks, Valérie Leduc, Hugo Voisard, -Harry Lamé and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team -at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - - -</pre> - +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44866 ***</div> </body> </html> diff --git a/44866.txt b/44866.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 2381c62..0000000 --- a/44866.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3865 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of "Gombo Zhebes", by Lafcadio Hearn - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: "Gombo Zhebes" - Little Dictionary of Creole Proverbs - -Author: Lafcadio Hearn - -Release Date: February 10, 2014 [EBook #44866] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK "GOMBO ZHEBES" *** - - - - -Produced by Marcia Brooks, Valerie Leduc, Hugo Voisard, -Harry Lame and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team -at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - Transcriber's Notes: - - Small capitals in the original work are here represented in ALL - CAPITALS. Italic text has been transcribed between underscores, as in - _text_. [oe] represents the oe-ligature, [-->] a right-pointing - finger. - - - - - GOMBO - ZHEBES - - - - - "GOMBO ZHEBES." - - - LITTLE DICTIONARY OF CREOLE PROVERBS, - SELECTED FROM SIX CREOLE DIALECTS. - - - TRANSLATED INTO FRENCH AND INTO ENGLISH, WITH NOTES, COMPLETE INDEX - TO SUBJECTS AND SOME BRIEF REMARKS UPON THE CREOLE - IDIOMS OF LOUISIANA. - - - BY - LAFCADIO HEARN. - - - NEW YORK: - WILL H. COLEMAN, PUBLISHER, NO. 70, BUSINESS QUARTER, ASTOR HOUSE. - 1885. - - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1885, by - WILL H. COLEMAN, - in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. - - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. - - - - -INTRODUCTION. - - -Any one who has ever paid a flying visit to New Orleans probably knows -something about those various culinary preparations whose generic name -is "Gombo"--compounded of many odds and ends, with the okra-plant, or -true gombo for a basis, but also comprising occasionally "lose, -zepinard, laitie," and the other vegetables sold in bunches in the -French market. At all events any person who has remained in the city for -a season must have become familiar with the nature of "gombo file," -"gombo fevi," and "gombo aux herbes," or as our colored cook calls it, -"gombo zhebes"--for she belongs to the older generation of Creole -_cuisinieres_, and speaks the patois in its primitive purity, without -using a single "r." Her daughter, who has been to school, would -pronounce it _gombo zhairbes_:--the modern patois is becoming more and -more Frenchified, and will soon be altogether forgotten, not only -throughout Louisiana, but even in the Antilles. It still, however, -retains originality enough to be understood with difficulty by persons -thoroughly familiar with French; and even those who know nothing of any -language but English, readily recognize it by the peculiarly rapid -syllabification and musical intonation. Such English-speaking residents -of New Orleans seldom speak of it as "Creole": they call it _gombo_, for -some mysterious reason which I have never been able to explain -satisfactorily. The colored Creoles of the city have themselves begun to -use the term to characterize the patois spoken by the survivors of -slavery days. Turiault tells us that in the towns of Martinique, where -the Creole is gradually changing into French, the _Bitacos_, or country -negroes who still speak the patois nearly pure, are much ridiculed by -their municipal brethren:--_Ca ou ka pale la, che, c'est neg:--Ca pas -Creole!_ ("_What you talk is 'nigger,' my dear:--that isn't Creole!_") -In like manner a young Creole negro or negress of New Orleans might tell -an aged member of his race: "_Ca qui to parle ca pas Creole: ca c'est -gombo!_" I have sometimes heard the pure and primitive Creole also -called "Congo" by colored folks of the new generation. - -The literature of "gombo" has perhaps even more varieties than there are -preparations of the esculents above referred to;--the patois has -certainly its gombo fevi, its gombo file, its "gombo zhebes"--both -written and unwritten. A work like Marbot's "Bambous" would deserve to -be classed with the pure "fevi";--the treatises of Turiault, Baissac, -St. Quentin, Thomas, rather resemble that fully prepared dish, in which -crabs seem to struggle with fragments of many well-stewed meats, all -strongly seasoned with pepper. The present essay at Creole folklore, can -only be classed as "gombo zhebes"--(_Zhebes ce feuil-chou, cresson, -laitie, bettrav, lose, zepinard_);--the true okra is not the basis of -our preparation;--it is a Creole dish, if you please, but a salmagundi -of inferior quality. - - * * * * * - -For the collection of Louisiana proverbs in this work I am almost wholly -indebted to my friend Professor William Henry, Principal of the -Jefferson Academy in New Orleans; not a few of the notes, Creole -quotations, and examples of the local patois were also contributed by -him. The sources of the other proverbs will be found under the head of -Creole Bibliography. The translations of the proverbs into French will -greatly aid in exhibiting the curious process of transformation to which -the negro slave subjected the language of his masters, and will also -serve to show the peculiar simplicity of Creole grammar. My French is -not always elegant, or even strictly correct;--for with the above object -in view it has been necessary to make the translation as literal as is -possible without adopting the inter-linear system. Out of nearly five -hundred proverbs I selected about three hundred and fifty only for -publication--some being rejected because of their naive indecency, -others because they offered mere variations of one and the same maxim. -Even after the sifting process, I was partly disappointed with the -results; the proportion of true Creole proverbs--proverbs of indubitably -negro invention--proved to be much smaller than I had expected. -Nevertheless all which I have utilized exhibit the peculiarities of the -vernacular sufficiently to justify their presence. - - * * * * * - -While some of these proverbs are witty enough to call a smile to the -most serious lips, many others must, no doubt, seem vapid, enigmatic, or -even meaningless. But a large majority of negro sayings depend -altogether upon application for their color or their effectiveness; they -possess a chameleon power of changing hue according to the manner in -which they are placed. (See for examples: Prov. 161, 251, or 308.) Every -saying of this kind is susceptible of numerous applications; and the art -of applying one proverb to many different situations is one in which the -negro has no rival--not even among the Arabs themselves, whose use of -such folklore has been so admirably illustrated by Carlo Landberg. - - * * * * * - -No two authors spell the Creole in the same way; and three writers whom -I have borrowed largely from--Thomas, Baissac, and Turiault--actually -vary the orthography of the same word in quite an arbitrary manner. At -first I thought of remodeling all my proverbs according to the phonetic -system of spelling; but I soon found that this would not only disguise -the Creole etymology almost beyond recognition, but would further -interfere with my plan of arrangement. Finally I concluded to publish -the Creole text almost precisely as I had found it, with the various -spellings and peculiarities of accentuation. The reader will find -_cabrit_, for example, written in four or five different ways. Where the -final _t_--never pronounced in our own patois--is fully sounded, the -several authorities upon Creole grammar have indicated the fact in -various fashions: one spelling it _cabritt_; another _cabrite_, etc. - - * * * * * - -The grammatical peculiarities and the pronounciation of the several -Creole dialects are matters which could not be satisfactorily treated -within the compass of a small pamphlet. Some few general rules might, -indeed, be mentioned as applying to most Creole dialects. It is -tolerably safe to say that in no one of the West Indian dialects was the -French "_r_" pronounced in former days; it was either totally -suppressed, as in the word "foce" (_force_), or exchanged for a vowel -sound, as in _bouanche_ (for _branche_). The delicate and difficult -French sound of _u_ was changed into _ou_; the sound _en_ was simplified -into _e_; the clear European _o_ became a nasal _au_; and into many -French words containing the sound of _am_, such as _amour_, the negro -wedged the true African _n_, making the singular Creole pronounciation -_lanmou_, _canmarade_, _janmain_. But the black slaves from the Ivory -and Gold Coasts, from Congo or Angola, pronounced differently. The Eboes -and Mandingoes spoke the patois with varying accentuations;--it were -therefore very difficult to define rules of pronounciation applicable to -the patois spoken in all parts of one island like Guadaloupe, or one -colonial province like Guyana. Not so in regard to grammar. In all forms -of the patois (whether the musical and peculiarly picturesque Creole of -Martinique, or the more fantastic Creole of Mauritius, adulterated with -Malgache and Chinese words)--the true article is either suppressed or -transformed into a prefix or affix of the noun, as in _femme-la_ "the -woman," or _yon lagrimace_, a grimace;--there is no true gender, no true -singular and plural; verbs have rarely more than six tenses--sometimes -less--and the tense is not indicated by the termination of the verb; -there is a remarkable paucity of auxiliaries, and in some dialects none -whatever; participles are unknown, and prepositions few. A very fair -knowledge of comparative Creole grammar and pronunciation may be -acquired, by any one familiar with French, from the authors cited at the -beginning of this volume. I would also recommend those interested in -such folklore to peruse the Creole novel of Dr. Alfred Mercier--_Les -Saint-Ybars_, which contains excellent examples of the Louisiana -dialect; and Baissac's beautiful little stories, "Recits Creoles," rich -in pictures of the old French colonial life. The foreign philological -reviews and periodicals, especially those of Paris, have published quite -a variety of animal fables, proverbs, stories in various Creole -dialects; and among the recent contributions of French ethnologists to -science will be also discovered some remarkable observations upon the -actual formation of various patois--strongly resembling our own -Creole--in the French African colonies. - - * * * * * - -Needless to say this collection is far from perfect;--the most I can -hope for is that it may constitute the nucleus of a more exhaustive -publication to appear in course of time. No one person could hope to -make a really complete collection of Creole proverbs--even with all the -advantages of linguistic knowledge, leisure, wealth, and travel. Only a -society of folklorists might bring such an undertaking to a successful -issue; but as no systematic effort is being made in this direction, I -have had no hesitation in attempting--not indeed to fill a want--but to -set an example. _Gouie passe, difil sivre_:--let the needle but pass, -the thread will follow. - - L. H. - - - - -CREOLE BIBLIOGRAPHY. - - -[-->] The selection of Haytian proverbs in this collection was made by -kindly permission of Messrs. Harper Bros., from the four articles -contributed by Hon. John Bigelow, to HARPER'S MAGAZINE, 1875. The -following list includes only those works consulted or quoted from in the -preparation of this dictionary, and comprises but a small portion of all -the curious books, essays, poems, etc., written upon, or in the Creole -patois of the Antilles and of Louisiana.--L. H. - - BRUYERE (LOYS)--"Proverbes Creoles de la Guyane Francaise." (In - l'Almanach des Traditions Populaires, 1883. Paris: Maisonneuve et - Cie.) - - BAISSAC (M. C.)--"Etude sur le Patois Creole Mauricien." Nancy: - Imprimerie Berger-Levrault & Cie., 1880. - - MARBOT--"Les Bambous." Fables de La Fontaine travesties en Patois - Creole par un Vieux Commandeur. Fort-de-France, Martinique: Librairie - de Frederic Thomas, 1869. (Second Edition. Both editions of this - admirable work are now unfortunately out of print.) - - THOMAS (J. J.)--"The Theory and Practice of Creole Grammar." Port of - Spain, Trinidad: The Chronicle Publishing Office, 1869. - - TURIAULT (J.)--"Etude sur le Langage Creole de la Martinique." - (Extrait du Bulletin de la Societe Academique.) Brest: Lefournier, - 1869. - - DE ST.-QUENTIN (AUGUSTE)--Introduction a l'Histoire de Cayenne, suivie - d'un Recueil de Contes, Fables, et Chansons en Creole. Notes et - Commentaires par Alfred de St.-Quentin. Etude sur la Grammaire Creole - par Auguste de St.-Quentin. Antibes: J. Marchand, 1872. - - BIGELOW (HON. JOHN)--"The Wit and Wisdom of the Haytians." Being four - articles upon the Creole Proverbs of Hayti, respectively published in - the June, July, August and September numbers of HARPER'S MAGAZINE, - 1875. - - - - -Little Dictionary of Creole Proverbs. - - -[_Most of the proverbs quoted in Martinique are current also in -Guadeloupe, only 90 miles distant. All proverbs recognized in Louisiana -are marked by an asterisk (*). The indications,_ MAURITIUS, GUYANA, -MARTINIQUE, HAYTI, _etc., do not necessarily imply origin; they refer -only to the dialects in which the proverbs are written, and to the works -from which they are selected._] - - -1. Acoma tombe toutt mounn di: C'est bois pourri. (Quand l'Acoma est -tombe, tout le monde dit: C'est du bois pourri.) - - "When the Acoma has fallen everybody says: 'It's only rotten - wood.'"[1]--[_Mart._] - - [1] The Acoma, says Turiault, is one of the grandest trees in the - forests of the Antilles. The meaning of the proverb appears to be, - that a powerful or wealthy person who meets with misfortune is at once - treated with contempt by those who formerly sought his favor or - affected to admire his qualities. - -2. A foce macaque caresse yche li ka touffe li. (A force de caresser son -petit le macaque l'etouffe.) - - "The monkey smothers its young one by hugging it too much."--[_Mart._] - -3. Aspere[2] ieve dans marmite avant cause. (Attendez que le lievre soit -dans la marmite avant de parler.) - - "Wait till the hare's in the pot before you talk."--Don't count your - chickens before they're hatched.--[_Mauritius._] - - [2] Evidently a creolization of the Spanish _esperar_. - -4. Avant bois[3] d'Inde te pote graine, macaque te nouri yche yo. (Avant -que l'arbre d'Inde portait des graines, les macaques nourissaient leurs -petits.) - - "Before the Indian tree (?) bore seed the monkeys were able to nourish - their young."--[_Martinique._] - - [3] The word bois (wood) is frequently used in Creole for the tree - itself; and pie-bois ("foot of the wood") for the trunk or stump. "Yon - gouos pie-bois plis facile deracine qu'mauvais l'habitude" (A big - stump is easier to uproot than a bad habit), is a Martinique Creole - dictum, evidently borrowed from the language of the white masters. I - am sorry that I do not know which of the various trees to which the - name bois d'Inde has been given by the Creoles, is referred to in the - proverb--whether the mango, or China-berry. No tree is generally - recognized by that name in Louisiana. - -5. Avant zabocat macaque ka nouri yche li. (Avant qu'il y eut des -avocados, les macaques nourissaient leurs petits.) - - "The monkey could nourish its young, before there were any - avocadoes."[4]--[_Martinique._] - - [4] The Avocado was the name given by the Spanish conquistadores to - the Persea gratissima, whose fruit is the "alligator pear." But M. - Turiault again traces the Spanish word back to the Carib word - Aouacate. - -6. Azourdi casse en fin; dimain tape langouti. (Aujourd'hui bien mis; -demain en langouti.) - - "Well dressed to-day; only a langouti[5] tomorrow."--[_Mauritius._] - - [5] The langouti was the garment worn about the loins by male slaves - in Mauritius--who were wont to labor otherwise naked. In Creole both - _caser_ and _taper_ signify "to put on," with the difference that - _caser_ generally refers to good clothes. In colloquial French _tape_ - means "stylishly dressed," "well-rigged-out," etc. - -7. Azourdi soule bon temps, dimain pagaye. (Aujourd'hui soul de plaisir, -demain la pagaye.) - - "To-day drunk with fun, to-morrow the paddle." Allusion to slavery - discipline.--[_Mauritius._] - -8. Azourdi tout marmites dibout lahaut dife. (Aujourd'hui toutes les -marmites sont debout sur le feu.) - - "All the cooking-pots are on the fire now." One man is now as good as - another:--this proverb evidently refers to the abolition of - slavery.--[_Mauritius._] - -9. Azourdi tout femmes alle confesse, mes lhere zautes tourne leglise -diabe zette encore pece av zautes. (Aujourd'hui toutes les femmes vont a -confesse; mais quand elles reviennent de l'eglise le diable leur jette -encore des peches.) - - "All the women go to confession now-a-days; but they no sooner return - from church, than the devil piles more sins upon - them."--[_Mauritius._] - -10. Babe canmarade ou pris dife, rouse ta ou. (Quand la barbe de ton -camarade brule, arrose la tienne.) - - "If you see your neighbor's beard on fire, water your - own."[6]--[_Martinique._] - - [6] "Take example by the misfortune of others." I much doubt the - Creole origin of any proverb relating to the _beard_. This one, like - many others in the collection, has probably been borrowed from a - European source; but it furnishes a fine sample of patois. In - Louisiana Creole we would say _to quenne_ instead of _ta ou_. The - Spanish origin of the Creole _quenne_ is obvious. - -11. Babiez mouche, babiez viande. (Grondez les mouches, grondez la -viande.) - - "Scold the flies, scold the meat."--[_Hayti._] - -12. Badnen bien epis macaque; main pouengade manyen lakhe li. (Badinez -bien avec le macaque; mais prenez garde de ne pas manier sa queue.) - - "Joke with the monkey as much as you please; but take good care not to - handle his tail."--[_Trinidad._] - -13. Baggie qui fair ziex fair nez. (Les choses qui font [mal aux] yeux, -font [mal au] nez.) - - "What troubles the eyes affects the nose."[7]--[_Trinidad._] - - [7] I believe there is an omission in Thomas' version, and that the - Creole ought to read: "_Baggaie qui fair mal ziex fair mal nez._" - _Baggaie_ has a hundred meanings: "thing," "affair," "business," - "nonsense," "stuff," etc. - -14. Bagasse boucoup, flangourin piti morceau. (Beaucoup de bagasse, peu -de jus.) - - "Much bagasse and little juice." (The bagasse is the refuse of the - cane, after the sap has been extracted.)--[_Mauritius._] - -15. Baignen iches moune; main pas lavez deier zoreies yeaux. (Baignez -les enfants des autres [lit: du monde]; mais ne les lavez pas derriere -les oreilles.) - - "Bathe other people's children; but don't wash behind their - ears."--That is to say: Do not be servile in obsequiousness to - others.--[_Trinidad._] - -16. Balie nef, balie prope. (Un balai neuf, un balai propre.) - - "A new broom's a clean broom."--This is a Creolization of our - household phrase: "A new broom sweeps clean."--[_Mauritius._] - -17. Bardeaux[8] couvert tout. (Les bardeaux couvrent tout.) - - "Shingles cover everything."--Family roofs often cover a multitude of - sins. [_Mauritius._] - - [8] The sarcasm of this proverb appears to be especially levelled at - the rich. In other Mauritian proverbs the house of the rich man is - always spoken of as the house covered with shingles, in - contradistinction to the humble slave cabins, thatched with straw. - -18. Baton pas fo passe[9] sabe. (Le baton n'est pas plus fort que le -sabre.) - - "The stick is not stronger than the sabre."--[_Martinique._] - - [9] _Passe_--_lit_: "past"--therefore synonymous with "beyond." Word - for word the translation would be:--"The stick is not strong beyond - the sword." But the Creole generally uses "plis....passe" instead of - the French plus....que ("more than"). "Victorine li plis zolie passe - Alphonsine"--Victorine is more pretty than Alphonsine. The Creole - _passe_ is really adverbial; bearing some semblance to the old English - use of the word "passing," as in "_passing_ strange," "_passing_ - fair." - -19. Batte rende zames fere mal. (Les coups rendus ne font jamais de -mal.) - - "Blows returned never hurt."--Vengeance is sweet.--[_Mauritius._] - -20. Bef pas bousoin lakhe li yon sel fois pou chasse mouche. (Le b[oe]uf -n'a pas besoin de sa queue une fois seulement pour chasser les mouches.) - - "It isn't one time only that the ox needs his tail to drive the flies - away."--Ironical expression for "you will have need of me - again."[10]--[_Martinique._] - - [10] This proverb may be found in all the Creole dialects of the West - Indies. We have in the South a proverb to the same effect in English: - _Flytime will come again_, and the ox will want his tail. - -21. Bef pas jamain ka die savane, "Meci!" (Le b[oe]uf ne dit jamais a la -savane, "Merci!") - - "Ox never says 'Thank you,' to the pasture."[11]--[_Trinidad._] - - [11] A proverb current in Martinique, Louisiana, etc., with slight - variations. Favors or services done through selfish policy, or - compelled by necessity, do not merit acknowledgment. - -22. Befs laquee en lere, mauves temps napas loin. (Les b[oe]ufs ont la -queue en l'air, le mauvais temps n'est pas loin.) - - "When the oxen lift their tails in the air, look out for bad - weather."--[_Mauritius._] - -23. * Bel tignon[12] pas fait bel negresse. (Le beau tignon ne fait pas -la belle negresse.) - - "It isn't the fine head-dress that makes the fine - negress."--[_Louisiana._] - - [12] The Louisiana _tiyon_ or _tignon_ [_tiyon_ is the true Creole - word] is the famously picturesque handkerchief which in old days all - slave women twisted about their heads. It is yet worn by the older - colored folk: and there are several styles of arranging it--_tiyon - chinoise_, _tiyon Creole_, etc. An old New Orleans ditty is still - sung, of which the refrain is:-- - - Madame Caba! - Tiyon vous tombe! - Madame Caba, - Tiyon vous tombe! - - "Madame Caba, your tiyon's falling off!" - -24. Benefice ratt, c'est pou sepent. (Le benefice du rat, c'est pour le -serpent.) - - "The rat's gains are for the serpent."--[_Martinique._] - -25. Bon bagout cappe la vie. (Bon bagou sauve la vie.) - - "Good gab saves one's life."--[_Mauritius._] - -26. Bon blanc mouri; mauvais rete. (Le bon blanc meurt; le mauvais -[mechant] reste.) - - "The good white man dies; the bad remains."--[_Hayti._] - -27. Bon-bouche ka gagnin chouvals a credit. (La bonne bouche[13] obtient -des chevaux a credit.) - - "Fair words buy horses on credit."--[_Trinidad._] - - [13] That is to say: _la bonne langue_;--"the good tongue gets horses - on credit." - -28. * Bon chien pas janmain trappe bon zo. (Jamais un bon chien -n'obtient un bon os.) - - "A good dog never gets a good bone."--Creole adaptation of an old - French proverb.--[_Martinique._] - -29. Bon coq chante dans toutt pouleille. (Un bon coq chante dans tout -[n'importe quel] poulailler.) - - "A good cock crows in any henhouse."--Meaning that force of character - shows itself under all circumstances.--[_Martinique._] - -30. Bondie baille nouesett pou ca qui pas ni dent. (Le Bon Dieu donne -des noisettes a celui qui n'a pas de dents.) - - "God gives nuts to people who have no teeth." Originally an Oriental - proverb; adopted into Creole from the French. As we say: "A fool for - luck."--[_Martinique._] - -31. Bon-Gue ka baille ti zoueseau dans bois mange, jige si li pas ke -baille chritien mange. (Le Bon Dieu donne a manger aux petits oiseaux -qui sont dans les bois; jugez s'il ne donnera pas a manger a un -chretien.)[14] - - "God gives the little birds in the wood something to eat; judge for - yourself, then, whether he will not give a Christian something to - eat."--[_Martinique._] - - [14] Such a conversation as the following may not unfrequently be - heard among the old colored folk in New Orleans:-- - - --"Eh! Marie! to pape travai jordi?" - - --"Moin?--non!" - - --"Eh, ben! comment to fe pou vive, alors?" - - --"_Ah!....ti zozo li ka boi, li ka mange, li pas travai toujou!_" - - ["Hey, Marie!--Ain't you going to work to-day?" "I?--no!" "Well then, - how do you manage to live?" "_Ah!....little bird drinks, little bird - eats, little bird doesn't work all the same!_"] - -32. Bon lilit, bon menaze. (Bon lit, bon menage.) - - "Where there's a good bed, there's good housekeeping."--[_Mauritius._] - -33. Bon pie sauve mauvais co. (Un bon pied sauve un mauvais corps.) - - "A good (swift) foot saves a bad (weakly) body."--Like our proverbial - refrain: "He that fights and runs away," etc.[15]--[_Martinique._] - - [15] Or like the Old Country saying "Better a good run than a bad - stand." - -34. * Bon-temps fait crapaud manque bounda. (Le bon temps fait manquer -de derriere au crapaud.) - - "Idleness leaves the frogs without buttocks."--[_Louisiana._] - -35. * Bon-temps pas bosco. (Le bon temps n'est pas bossu.) - - "Good fortune is never hunch-backed." (Same proverb in Martinique - dialect, and in that of Louisiana.)[16]--[_Trinidad._] - - [16] In Creole _bon temps_ most generally signifies "idleness," and is - not always used in a pleasant sense. Prov. 35 is susceptible of - several different applications. - -36. Bon valett ni lakhe coupe. (Le bon valet a la queue coupee.) - - "The good servant's tail is cut off."--Reference to the condition of a - dog whose tail is cut off: he can't wag his tail, because he has no - tail to wag![17]--[_Martinique._] - - [17] The good servant does not fawn, does not flatter, does not affect - to be pleased with everything his master does--he may emulate the dog - in constant faithfulness, not in fawning. - -37. * Bouche li pas ni dimanche. (Sa bouche n'a pas de dimanche.) - - "His mouth never keeps Sunday"--lit: "has no Sunday"--no day of - rest.--[_Mart._] - -38. Boucoup disic dans cannes, mes domaze marmites napas nous. (Beaucoup -de sucre dans les cannes, mais par malheur nous ne sommes pas les -marmites.) - - "Plenty of sugar in the canes; but unfortunately we are not the - boilers."--Said when dishonesty is discovered in the management of - affairs.--[_Mauritius._] - -39. Boudin pas tini zoreies. (Le ventre n'a pas d'oreilles.) - - "The belly has no ears."--[_Trinidad._] - -40. * Bouki fait gombo, lapin mange li. (Le bouc fait le gombo, le lapin -le mange.) - - "He-goat makes the gombo; but Rabbit eats it."[18]--[_Louisiana._] - - [18] This proverb is founded upon one of the many amusing Creole - animal-fables, all bearing the title: _Compe Bouki epis Compe Lapin_ - ("Daddy Goat and Daddy Rabbit".) The rabbit always comes out - victorious, as in the stories of Uncle Remus. - -41. Ca ou jete jodi epis pie, ou ramasse li dimain epis lanmain. (Ce que -vous rejetez aujourd'hui avec le pied, vous le ramasserez demain avec la -main.) - - "What you push away from you to-day with your foot, you will pick up - to-morrow with your hand."[19]--[_Martinique._] - - [19] "Waste not, want not." - -42. Ca ou pedi nen fe ou va trouve nen sann. (Ce que vous perdez dans le -feu, vous le retrouverez dans la cendre.) - - "What you lose in the fire, you will find in the ashes."--Meaning that - a good deed is never lost. "Cast your bread upon the waters," - etc.--[_Martinique._] - -43. * Ca qui bon pou zoie, bon pou canard. (Ce qui est bon pour l'oie, -est bon pour le canard.) - - "What is good for the goose is good for the duck."--[_Martinique._] - -44. Ca qui boude manze boudin. (Celui qui boude mange du boudin.) - - "He who sulks eats his own belly." That is to say, spites himself. The - pun is untranslatable.[20]--[_Mauritius._] - - [20] _Boudin_ in French signifies a pudding, in Creole it also - signifies the belly. Thus there is a double pun in the patois. - -45. Ca qui dourmi napas pense manze. (Qui dort ne pense pas a manger.) - - "When one sleeps, one doesn't think about eating."[21]--[_Mauritius._] - - [21] "_Qui dort, dine_," is an old French proverb. - -46. Ca qui fine goute larac zames perdi son gout. (Celui qui a goute -l'arac n'en oublie jamais le gout.) - - "He who has once tasted arrack never forgets the - taste."--[_Mauritius._] - -47. Ca qui gagne piti mil dehors, veille laplie. (Celui qui a un peu de -mil dehors veille la pluie.) - - "He who has [would raise] a little millet out of doors, watches for - rain."--[_Hayti._] - -48. Ca qui gagne zoli fille gagne coudecapeau. (Celui qui a une jolie -fille recoit des coups de chapeau.) - - "He who has a pretty daughter receives plenty of - salutes."--[_Mauritius._] - -49. Ca qui mange ze pas save si bonda poule fait li mal. (Ceux qui -mangent des [oe]ufs ne savent pas si le derriere de la poule lui fait -mal.) - - "Those who eat eggs don't know whether the chicken - suffered."[22]--[_Martinique._] - - [22] A little too vulgar for literal translation. Those who profit by - the misfortunes of others, never concern themselves about the - suffering which they take advantage of. - -50. Ca qui ni bon pie prend douvant. (Celui qui a bon pied prend le -devant.) - - "He who is swift of foot takes the lead." Force of character always - brings its possessor to the front.--[_Mart._] - -51. Ca qui pas bon pou sac pas bon pour maconte. (Ce qui n'est pas bon -pour le sac, n'est pas pour le maconte.) - - "What is not fit for the bag, is not fit for the - maconte."[23]--[_Hayti._] - - [23] _Waia_ in Trinidad Creole. _Maconte_ is probably from the Spanish - _macona_, a basket without handles. The Haytian maconte is a sort of - basket made of woven grass, and used for carrying all kinds of - articles. It is strapped to the shoulders. - -52. Ca qui prend zassocie prend maite. (Celui qui prend un associe prend -(se donne) un maitre.) - - "He who takes a partner takes a master."--[_Martinique._] - -53. Ca qui ti bien fere, zames ti mal fere. (Ce qui est bien fait, n'est -jamais mal fait.) - - "What's rightly done is never wrongly done."--That is to say: Never - regret anything done for a good motive.--[_Mauritius._] - -54. Ca qui tine poelon qui cone so prix lagresse. (C'est celui qui tient -le poelon qui connait le prix de la graisse.) - - "It's the one who holds the skillet that knows the cost of - lard."--[_Mauritius._] - -55. Ca qui touye son lecorps travaille pour leveres. (Celui qui tue son -propre corps, travaille pour les vers.) - - "He who kills his own body, works for the worms." Applicable to those - who injure their health by excesses.--[_Mauritius._] - -56. Ca qui vle couve, couve su ze yo. (Ceux qui veulent couver, qu'elles -couvent leurs propres [oe]ufs.) - - "Let those who want to hatch hatch their own eggs."--That is, let - everybody mind his or her own business.--[_Martinique._] - -57. * Ca va rive dans semaine quatte zheudis. (Cela va arriver dans la -semaine de quatre jeudis.) - - "That will happen in the week of four Thursdays."[24]--[_Louisiana._] - - [24] Ironically said to those who make promises which there is no - reason to believe will ever be fulfilled. - -58. Ca zie pas voue khe pas fe mal. (Ce que les yeux ne voient pas, ne -fait pas de mal au c[oe]ur.) - - "What the eyes don't see never hurts the heart."[25]--[_Martinique._] - - [25] _Ce que yex ne voit, cuer ne deut_, is a French proverb of the - 13th century, from which was probably derived our own saying: "What - the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve after." - -59. Cabritt[26] boue, mouton sou. (Quand la chevre boit, c'est le mouton -qui est soul.) - - "When the goat drinks, they say the sheep is drunk."--Meaning that the - innocent are made to suffer for the guilty.--[_Martinique._] - - [26] _Cabri_ in French signifies a kid; in Creole it signifies either - a kid or a goat--more generally the latter. The word was originally - spelled with a final _t_; and the Creoles of the Antilles have - generally preserved the letter, even in pronunciation. I have - purposely retained the various spellings given by various authors. - -60. Cabritt li ka monte roche, li descende. (Chevre qui a monte un -rocher doit en descendre.) - - "The goat that climbs up the rocks must climb down - again."--[_Guyana._] - -61. Cabritt pas connaitt goume,[27] mais cui li batte la charge. (La -chevre ne sait pas le battre; mais son cuir [sa peau] bat la charge.) - - "The goat does not know how to fight; but his hide beats the - charge."--[_Hayti._] - - [27] _Goume_, or in some dialects, _goumein_, is said by Turiault to - be a verb of African origin--_Etude sur la langage Creole_, page 142. - Still we have the French word _gourmer_, signifying to curb a horse, - also, to box, to give cuffs. - -62. Cabritt qui pas malin pas gras. (La chevre qui n'est pas maligne -n'est pas grasse.) - - "The goat that isn't cunning never gets fat."--[_Martinique._] - -63. Cabrite qui pas malin mange nen pie morne. (La chevre qui n'est pas -maligne, mange au pied du morne.) - - "The foolish goat eats at the foot of the hill."--[_Hayti._] - -64. Canari vle rie chodier. (Le canari [le pot] veut rire de la -chaudiere [la marmite].) - - "The clay-pot wishes to laugh at the iron pot."[28]--[_Trinidad._] - - [28] "Pot calls the kettle black." The clay pot (_canari_) has almost - disappeared from Creole kitchens in Louisiana; but the term survives - in a song of which the burthen is: "_Canari casse dans dife._" - -65. Cancrelat sourti dans la farine. (Le cancrelat [ravet] sort de la -farine.) - - "The roach has come out of the flour-barrel."--Said to women of color - who whiten their faces with rice-powder.--[_Mauritius._] - -66. Canna pa ni d'leau pou li baingnein i le trouve pou li nage. (Le -canard n'a pas de l'eau pour se laver, et il veut trouver assez pour -nager.) - - "The duck hasn't enough water to wash with, and he wants enough to - swim in."--Refers to those who live beyond their - means.--[_Martinique._] - -67. * Capon vive longtemps. (Le capon vit longtemps.) - - "The coward lives a long time."[29]--[_Louisiana._] - - [29] The word _capon_ is variously applied by Creoles as a term of - reproach. It may refer rather to stinginess, hypocrisy, or - untruthfulness, than to cowardice. We have in New Orleans an ancient - Creole ballad of which the refrain is: - - Alcee Leblanc - Mo di toi, chere, - _To trop capon - Pou paye menage!_ - C'est qui di ca,-- - Ca que di toi chere, - Alcee Leblanc! - - In this case the word evidently refers to the niggardliness of - _Alcee_, who did not relish the idea of settling $500 or perhaps - $1,000 of furniture upon his favorite quadroon girl. The song itself - commemorates customs of slavery days. Those who took to themselves - colored mistresses frequently settled much property upon them--the - arrangement being usually made by the mother of the girl. Housekeeping - outfits of this character, constituting a sort of dowry, ranged in - value from $500 to even $2,500; and such dowries formed the foundation - of many celebrated private lodging houses in New Orleans kept by - colored women. The quadroon housekeepers have now almost all - disappeared. - -68. * Caquene senti so doulere. (Chacun sent sa douleur.) - - "Everybody has his own troubles."--[_Mauritius._] - -69. Carbon zames va done la farine. (Le charbon jamais ne donnera de -farine.) - - "Coal will never make flour."--You can't wash a negro - white.--[_Mauritius._] - -70. Catte boire dilhouile enbas latabe. (Le chat boit l'huile sous la -table.) - - "Cat's drinking the oil under the table."--People are making fun at - your expense, though you don't know it.--[_Mauritius._] - -71. Catte noir apele larzent.[30] (Un chat noir presage [appelle] de -l'argent.) - - "A black cat brings money (good luck.)"--[_Mauritius._] - - [30] This is certainly of English origin. - -72. Catte qui ena matou fere lembarras. (La chatte qui a un matou fait -ses embarras.) - - "The she-cat who has a tom-cat, puts on airs."--[_Mauritius._] - -73. Catte qui fine bourle av dife pere lacende. (Le chat qui s'est brule -avec le feu, a peur de la cendre.) - - "When a cat has been once burned by fire, it is even afraid of - cinders."--[_Mauritius._] - -74. Causer ce manger zoreies. (Causer, c'est le manger des oreilles.) - - "Conversation is the food of the ears."--[_Trinidad._] - -75. C'est bon khe crabe qui lacause li pas tini tete. (C'est a cause de -son bon c[oe]ur que le crabe n'a pas de tete.) - - "It is because of his good heart that the crab has no - head."[31]--[_Martinique._] - - [31] Implies that excessive good nature is usually indicative of - feeble reasoning-power. - -76. * C'est couteau qui connaite ca qui dans c[oe]ur geomon. (C'est le -couteau qui sait ce qu'il y a dans le c[oe]ur du giromon.) - - "It's the knife that knows what's in the heart of the - pumpkin."[32]--[_Martinique._] - - [32] This proverb exists in five Creole dialects. In the Guyana patois - it is slightly different: _Couteau ounso connain quior iniam_ (le - couteau seul connait le c[oe]ur de l'igname.) "It's only the knife - knows what's in the heart of the yam." - -77. C'est cuiller qui alle lacail[33] gamelle; gamelle pas jamain alle -lacail cuiller. (C'est la cuiller qui va a la maison de la gamelle; -jamais la gamelle ne va a la maison de la cuiller.) - - "Spoon goes to bowl's house; bowl never goes to spoon's - house."--[_Hayti._] - - [33] _Caie_ or _Caille_, as sometimes written, is a Creole word of - Carib origin. In the cities of the Antilles _case_ is generally - substituted--probably derived from the Spanish _casa_, "house." - -78. C'est douvant tambou nion connaitt Zamba. (C'est devant le tambour -qu'on reconnait Zamba.) - - "It's before the drum one learns to know Zamba."--[_Hayti._] - -79. C'est langue crapaud[34] qui ka trahi crapaud. (C'est la langue du -crapaud qui le trahit.) - - "It's the frog's own tongue that betrays him."--[_Trinidad._] - - [34] In some of the West Indies the French word _crapaud_ seems to - have been adopted by the Creoles to signify either a toad or a frog, - as it is much more easily pronounced by Creole lips than _grenouille_, - which they make sound like "gwoonouille." But in Louisiana there is a - word used for frog, a delightful and absolutely perfect - onomatop[oe]ia: OUAOUARON (wahwahron). - -I think the prettiest collection of Creole onomatop[oe]ia made by any -folklorist is that in Baissac's _Etude sur le Patois Creole Mauricien_, -pp. 92-95. The delightful little Creole nursery-narrative, in which the -cries of all kinds of domestic animals are imitated by patois phrases, -deserves special attention. - -80. C'est lhe vent ka vente, moun ka ouer lapeau poule. (C'est quand le -vent vente qu'on peut voir la peau de la poule--lit.: que le monde peut -voir.) - - "It's when the wind is blowing that folks can see the skin of a - fowl."--True character is revealed under adverse - circumstances.--[_Trinidad._] - -81. C'est nans temps laplie bef bisoen lakhe li. (C'est dans le temps de -pluie que le b[oe]uf a besoin de sa queue.) - - "It's in the rainy season that the ox needs his tail."--(See - Martinique proverb No. 20.) [_Trinidad._] - -82. C'est pas toutt les-jou guiabe n'empote you pauve nhomme. (Ce n'est -pas tous les jours que le diable emporte un homme pauvre.) - - "It isn't every day that the devil carries off a poor - man."--[_Martinique._] - -83. Ce souliers tout-sel qui save si bas tini tous. (Ce sont les -souliers seuls qui savent si les bas ont des trous.) - - "It's only the shoes that know if the stockings have - holes."--[_Trinidad._] - -84. Chaque bete-a-fe claire pou nanme yo. (Chaque mouche-a-feu eclaire -pour son ame.) - - "Every fire-fly makes light for its own soul;" that is to say, "Every - one for himself."--[_Martinique._] - -85. Chatt pas la, ratt ka baill[35] bal. (Absent le chat, les rats -donnent un bal.) - - "When the cat's away the rats give a ball."--[_Martinique._] - - [35] _Baill_ (to give) affords example of a quaint French verb - preserved in the Creole dialect,--_bailler_. It can be found in - MOLIERE. Formerly a Frenchman would have said, "_Bailler sa foi, - bailler sa parole._" It is now little used in France, except in such - colloquialisms as, "_Vous me la baillez belle!_" - -86. * Chatte brile pair di feu. (Le chat brule a peur du feu.) - - "A burnt cat dreads the fire."--[_Louisiana._] - -87. Chien connaitt comment li fait pou manger zos. (Le chien sait -comment il fait pour manger les os.) - - "The dog knows how he manages to eat bones."--[_Hayti._] - -88. Chien jamain morde petite li jusque nen zos. (La chienne ne mord -jamais ses petits jusqu'a l'os.) - - "The bitch never bites her pups to the bone."--[_Hayti._] - -89. * Chien jappe li pas morde. (Le chien qui jappe ne mord pas.) - - "The dog that yelps doesn't bite."--[_Louisiana._] - -90. Chien pas mange chien. (Les chiens ne mangent pas les chiens.) - - "Dogs do not eat dogs."--[_Louisiana._] - -91. Chien qui fe caca dans chimin li blie, mais ca qui tire pas blie. -(Le chien qui fait caca sur le chemin, oublie; mais celui qui l'en ote, -n'oublie pas.) - - "The dog that dungs in the road forgets all about it, but the person - who has to remove it does not forget."--[_Martinique._] - -92. Chien tini guiole fote a caie maite li. (Le chien a la gueule forte -dans la maison de son maitre.) - - "The dog is loud-mouthed in the house of his master."--[_Martinique._] - -93. Chien tini quate patte, mais li pas capabe prend quate chimin. (Le -chien a quatre pattes mais il ne peut pas [n'est pas capable de] prendre -quatre chemins.) - - "The dog has four paws but is not able to go four different ways [at - one time]."--[_Martinique._] - -94. Chouval rete nen zecurie, milett nen savane. (Le cheval reste dans -l'ecurie, le mulet dans la savane.) - - "The horse remains in the stable, the mule in the - field."[36]--[_Martinique._] - - [36] Each one must be content with his own station. Here the mule - seems to represent the slave; the horse, the master or overseer. - -95. * Cila qui rit vendredi va pleure dimanche. (Celui qui rit le -vendredi va pleurer le dimanche.) - - "He who laughs on Friday will cry on Sunday." There is an English - proverb, "Sing at your breakfast and you'll cry at your - dinner."--[_Louisiana._] - -96. Ciramon[37] pas donne calabasse. (Le giraumon ne donne pas la -calebasse.) - - "The pumpkin doesn't yield the calabash."--[_Hayti._] - - [37] I give the spelling _Ciramon_ as I find it in Mr. Bigelow's - contributions to _Harper's Magazine_, 1875. (See BIBLIOGRAPHY.) - Nevertheless I suspect the spelling is wrong. In Louisiana Creole we - say _Giromon_. The French word is _Giraumon_. - -97. * Cochon conne sir qui bois l'ape frotte. (Le cochon sait bien sur -quel arbre [bois] il va se frotter.) - - "The hog knows well what sort of tree to rub himself - against."[38]--[_Louisiana._] - - [38] In most of the Creole dialects several different versions of a - popular proverb are current. A friend gives me this one of proverb 97: - _Cochon-marron conne enhaut qui bois li frotte._ ("The wild hog knows - what tree to rub himself upon.") _Marron_ is applied in all forms of - the Creole patois to _wild_ things; _zhebes marrons_ signifies "wild - plants." The term, _couri-marron_, or _negue-marron_ formerly - designated a runaway slave in Louisiana as it did in the Antilles. - There is an old New Orleans saying: - - "_Apres ye tire canon - Negue sans passe c'est negue-marron._" - - This referred to the old custom in New Orleans of firing a cannon at - eight P.M. in winter, and nine P.M. in summer, as a warning to all - slaves to retire. It was a species of modern curfew-signal. Any slave - found abroad after those hours, without a pass, was liable to arrest - and a whipping of twenty-five lashes. _Marron_, from which the English - word "Maroon" is derived, has a Spanish origin. "It is," says Skeats, - "a clipt form of the Spanish _cimarron_, wild, unruly: literally, - "living in the mountain-tops." _Cimarron_, from Span. _Cima_, a - mountain-summit. The original term for "Maroon" was _negro-cimarron_, - as it still is in some parts of Cuba. - -98. Coment to tale to natte faut to dourmi. (Comment tu etends ta natte -il faut que tu te couches.) - - "As you spread your mat, so must you lie."--[_Mauritius._] - -99. * Compe Torti va doucement; mais li rive cote bite pendant Compe -Chivreil ape dormi. (Compere Tortue va doucement; mais il arrive au but -pendant que Compere Chevreuil dort.) - - "Daddy Tortoise goes slow; but he gets to the goal while Daddy Deer is - asleep."[39]--[_Louisiana._] - - [39] Based upon the Creole fable of _Compere Tortue_ and _Compere - Chevreuil_, rather different from the primitive story of the Hare and - the Tortoise. - -100. Complot plis fort passe ouanga.[40] (Le complot est plus fort que -l'ouanga.) - - "Conspiracy is stronger than witchcraft."--[_Hayti._] - - [40] - - Di moin si to gagnin nhomme! - Mo va fe ouanga pou li; - Mo fe li tourne fantome - Si to vle mo to mari.... - - "Tell me if thou hast a man [a lover]: I will make a _ouanga_ for - him--I will change him into a a ghost if thou wilt have me for thy - husband."....This word, of African origin, is applied to all things - connected with the voudooism of the negroes. In the song, _Dipi mo - voue, toue Adele_, from which the above lines are taken, the wooer - threatens to get rid of a rival by _ouanga_--to "turn him into a - ghost." The victims of voudooism are said to have gradually withered - away, probably through the influence of secret poison. The word - _grigri_, also of African origin, simply refers to a charm, which may - be used for an innocent or innocuous purpose. Thus, in a Louisiana - Creole song, we find a quadroon mother promising her daughter a charm - to prevent the white lover from forsaking her; _Pou tchombe li na fe - grigri_--"We shall make a _grigri_ to keep him." - -101. Conseillere napas payere. (Le donneur de conseil n'est pas le -payeur.) - - "The adviser is not the payer." That is to say, the one who gives - advice has nothing to lose.--[_Mauritius._] - -102. Coq cante divant la porte, doumounde vini. (Quand le coq chante -devant la porte quelqu'un vient.) - - "When the cock crows before the door, somebody is - coming."[41]--[_Mauritius._] - - [41] This is also a proverb of European origin. The character of - Creole folklore is very different from European folklore in the matter - of superstition. - -103. Cououi pas laide, temps lafoce pas la. (Ce n'est pas laid de -courir, quand on n'a pas de force.) - - "It isn't ugly to run, when one isn't strong enough to - stay."--[_Trin._] - -104. Coup de langue pis mauvais piqu sepent. (Un coup de langue est plus -mauvais qu'une piqure de serpent.) - - "A tongue-thrust is worse than a serpent's sting."--[_Martinique._] - -105. Coudepied napas empece coudecorne. (Les coups de pied n'empechent -pas les coups de corne.) - - "Kicking doesn't hinder butting." There is more than one way to - revenge oneself.--[_Mauritius._] - -106. Coupe son nenez, volor so figuire. (Couper son nez, c'est voler sa -figure.) - - "Cutting off one's nose is robbing one's face."--[_Mauritius._] - -107. * Coupe zore milet fait pas choual. (Couper les oreilles au mulet, -n'en fait pas un cheval.) - - "Cutting off a mule's ears won't make him a - horse."[42]--[_Louisiana._] - - [42] This seems to me much wittier than our old proverb: "You can't - make a silk purse out of a sow's ear." - -108. Couroupas danse, zaco rie. (Le couroupas [colimacon] danse le singe -rit.) - - "Monkey laughs when the snail dances."[43]--[_Mauritius._] - - [43] Probably had its origin in a Creole _conte_. Same applications as - Proverbs 236, 263, 315. - -109. Couval napas marce av bourique. (Le cheval ne marche pas avec -l'ane.) - - "The horse doesn't walk with the ass."--Let each keep his proper - place.--[_Mauritius._] - -110. Couyenade c'est pas limonade. (Couillonade n'est pas limonade.) - - "Nonsense is not sugar-water" (lemonade), says Thomas. The vulgarity - of the French word partly loses its grossness in the - Creole.--[_Trinidad._] - -111. Crabe pas mache, li pas gras;--li mache touop, et li tombe nans -chodier. (Le crabe ne marche pas, il n'est pas gras; il marche trop, et -il tombe dans la chaudiere). - - "The crab doesn't walk, he isn't fat; he walks too much, and falls - into the pot."--[_Trinidad._] - -112. * Crache nen laire, li va tombe enhaut vou nez. (Crachez dans -l'air, il vous en tombera sur le nez). - - "If you spit in the air, it will fall back on your own - nose."[44]--[_Louisiana._] - - [44] Like our proverb about chickens coming home to roost. If you talk - scandal at random, the mischief done will sooner or later recoil upon - yourself. I find the same proverb in the Mauritian dialect. - -113. Crapaud pas tini chimise, ous vle li pote canecon. (Le crapaud n'a -pas de chemise, et vous voulez qu'il porte calecon). - - "The frog has no shirt, and you want him to wear - drawers!"--[_Trinidad._] - -114. Cresson content boire dileau. (Le cresson aime a boire l'eau). - - "The water cress loves to drink water." Used interrogatively, this is - equivalent to the old saw: "Does a duck like water?" "Will a duck - swim?"--[_Mauritius._] - -115. Croquez maconte ou oueti[45] main ou ka rive. (Accrochez votre -maconte ou vous pouvez l'atteindre avec la main [lit. ou votre main peut -arriver].) - - "Hang up your _maconte_ where you can reach it with your - hand."--[_Hayti._] - - [45] The Martinique dialect gives both _oti_ and _outi_ for "ou": - "where." Mr. Bigelow gives the curious spelling _croquez_. The word is - certainly derived from the French, _accrocher_. In Louisiana Creole we - always say _'croche_ for "hang up." I doubt the correctness of the - Haytian spelling as here given: for the French word _croquer_ ("to - devour," "gobble up," "pilfer," etc.) has its Creole counterpart; and - the soft _ch_ is never, so far as I can learn, changed into the k or g - sound in the patois. - -116. D'abord vous guette poux de bois mange bouteille, croquez calabasse -vous haut. (Quand vous voyez les poux-de-bois manger les bouteilles, -accrochez vos calabasses [en] haut). - - "When you see the woodlice eating the bottles, hang your calabashes - out of their reach."[46]--[_Hayti._] - - [46] Mr. Bigelow is certainly wrong in his definition of the origin of - the word which he spells _quete_. It is a Creole adoption of the - French _guetter_, "to watch:" and is used by the Creoles in the sense - of "observe," "perceive," "see." Other authorities spell it _guette_, - as all verbs ending in "ter" in French make their Creole termination - in "te." This verb is one of many to which slightly different meanings - from those belonging to the original French words, are attached by the - Creoles. Thus _cappe_, from _echapper_, is used as an equivalent for - _sauver_. - -117. D'abord vous guette poux de bois mange canari, calebasse pas capabe -prend pied. (Quand que vous voyez les poux-de-bois manger les marmites, -les calebasses ne peuvent pas leur resister). - - "When you see the wood-lice eating the pots, the calabashes can't be - expected to resist."[47]--[_Hayti._] - - [47] The saliva of the tropical woodlouse is said to be powerful - enough to affect iron. - -118. Dans mariaze liciens, temoins gagne batte. (Aux noces des chiens, -les temoins ont les coups.) - - "At a dog's wedding it's the witnesses who get hurt."--[_Mauritius._] - -119. Deier chein, ce "chein"; douvant chein, ce "Missier Chein." -(Derriere le chien, c'est "chien," mais devant le chien, c'est "Monsieur -le Chien.") - - "Behind the dog's back it is 'dog;' but before the dog it is 'Mr. - Dog.'"--[_Trinidad._] - -120. Dent morde langue. (Les dents mordent la langue.) - - "The teeth bite the tongue."--[_Hayti._] - -121. Dents pas ka pote dei. (Les dents ne portent pas le deuil.) - - "Teeth do not wear mourning."--meaning that, even when unhappy, people - may show their teeth in laughter or smiles.--[_Trinidad._] - -122. Dent pas khe ("Dents pas c[oe]ur"--Les dents ne sont pas le -c[oe]ur). - - "The teeth are not the heart." A curious proverb, referring to the - exposure of the teeth by laughter.[48]--[_Martinique._] - - [48] The laugh or smile that shows the teeth does not always prove - that the heart is merry. - -123. * Di moin qui vous laimein, ma di vous qui vous ye. (Dites moi qui -vous aimez, et je vous dirai qui vous etes.) - - "Tell me whom you love, and I'll tell you who you - are."--[_Louisiana._] - -124. Dileau dourmi touye dimounde. (L'eau qui dort tue les gens.) - - "The water that sleeps kills people."[49]--[_Mauritius._] - - [49] "Still waters run deep." The proverb is susceptible of various - applications. Everyone who has sojourned in tropical, or even - semi-tropical latitudes knows the deadly nature of stagnant water in - the feverish summer season. - -125. Dimounde qui fere larzent, napas larzent qui fere dimounde. (Ce -sont les hommes qui font l'argent, ce n'est pas l'argent qui fait les -hommes.) - - "It's the men who make the money; 'tisn't the money that makes the - men."--[_Mauritius._] - -126. Divant camrades capabe largue quilotte. (Devant des camarades on -peut lacher sa culotte.) - - "Before friends one can even take off one's breeches."--[_Mauritius._] - -127. Divant tranzes faut boutonne cannecon. (Devant des etrangers il -faut boutonner son calecon.) - - "Before strangers one must keep one's drawers - buttoned."--[_Mauritius._] - -128. Dizefs canard pli gros qui dizefs poule. (Les [oe]ufs de cane sont -plus gros que les [oe]ufs de poule.) - - "Ducks' eggs are bigger than hens' eggs."--Quantity is no guarantee of - quality.--[_Mauritius._] - -129. Dizefs coq, poule qui fere. (Les [oe]ufs de coq, c'est la poule qui -les fait.) - - "It's the hen that makes the cock's eggs."--[_Mauritius._] - -130. * Dolo toujou couri lariviere. (L'eau va toujours a la riviere.) - - "Water always runs to the river."--[_Louisiana._] - -131. Doucement napas empece arriver. (Aller doucement n'empeche pas -d'arriver.) - - "Going gently about a thing won't prevent its being - done."[50]--[_Mauritius._] - - [50] Literally: "Gently doesn't prevent arriving." One can reach his - destination as well by walking slowly, as by making frantic haste. - -132. Fair pou fair pas mal. (Faire pour faire n'est pas [mauvais] -difficile.) - - "It is not hard to do a thing for the sake of doing - it."--[_Trinidad._] - -133. Faut janmain mett racounn[51] dans loge poule. (Il ne faut jamais -mettre un raton dans la loge des poules.) - - "One must never put a 'coon into a henhouse."--[_Martinique._] - - [51] A Creole friend assures me that in Louisiana patois, the word for - coon, is _chaoui_. This bears so singular a resemblance in sound to a - French word of very different meaning--_chat-huant_ (screech-owl) that - it seems possible the negroes have in this, as in other cases, given - the name of one creature to another. - -134. Faut jamais porte deil avant defint dans cerkeil. (Il ne faut -jamais porter le deuil avant que le defunt soit dans le cercueil.) - - "Never wear mourning before the dead man's in his - coffin."[52]--[_Louisiana._] - - [52] Don't anticipate trouble: "Never bid the devil good morrow till - you meet him." "Don't cross a bridge until you come to it." - -135. Faut paouoles mor pou moune pe vivre. (Il faut que les paroles -meurent, afin que le monde puisse vivre.) - - "Words must die that people may live."--Ironical; this is said to - those who are over-sensitive regarding what is said about - them.--[_Trinidad._] - -136. Faut pas casse so maie avant li fine mir. (Il ne faut pas casser -son mais avant qu'il soit mur.) - - "Musn't pluck one's corn before it's ripe."--[_Mauritius._] - -137. * Faut pas marre tayau[53] avec saucisse. (Il ne faut pas attacher -le chien-courant (taiant) avec des saucisses.) - - "Musn't tie up the hound with a string of sausages."--[_Louisiana._] - - [53] Adopted from old French "_taiaut_" (tally-ho!) the cry of the - huntsman to his hounds. The Creoles have thus curiously, but forcibly, - named the hound itself. - -138. Fere ene tourou pour bouce laute. (Il fait un trou pour en boucher -un autre.) - - "Make one hole to stop another." "Borrow money to pay a - debt."--[_Mauritius._] - -139. Gambette ous trouve gan chemin, nen gan chemin ous va pede li. (Le -gambette que vous trouvez sur le grand chemin, sur le grand chemin vous -le perdrez.) - - "Every jack-knife found on the high-road, will be lost on the - high-road."[54]--[_Hayti._] - - [54] I cannot discover the etymology of this word, according to the - meaning given by Mr. Bigelow. The ordinary French signification of - _gambette_ is "red-shank"--_Totanus caledris_. - -140. Gens bon-temps kalle die gouvener bon-jou. (Les gens [qui ont du] -bon-temps vont dire bon-jour au gouverneur.) - - "Folks who have nothing to do (lit.: _who have a fine time_) go to bid - the Governor good-day." _Gens bon-temps_: "fine-time - folks."--[_Trinidad._] - -141. * Gens fegnants ka mande travai epis bouche; main khers yeaux ka -pouier Bondie pou yeaux pas touver. (Les gens faineants demandent avec -leurs bouches pour du travail; mais leurs c[oe]urs prient le Bon Dieu -[pour] qu'ils n'en trouvent point.) - - "Lazy folks ask for work with their lips: but their hearts pray God - that they may not find it."--[_Trinidad._] - -142. Gens qui ka ba ous consei gagnen chouval gouous-boudin nans -lhouvenaie, nans careme pas ka rider ous nouri li. (Les gens qui nous -donnent conseil d'acheter un cheval a gros-ventre pendant l'hivernage, -ne veulent point vous aider a le nourrir pendant le careme.) - - "Folks who advise you to buy a big-bellied horse in a rainy season - (when grass is plenty), won't help you to feed him in the dry season - when grass is scarce."[55]--[_Trinidad._] - - [55] This is J. J. Thomas' translation, as given in his "Theory and - Practice of Creole Grammar." _Lhouvenaie_ is a word which does not - exist in our Louisiana patois. Does it come from the Spanish - _llover_--"to rain"? or is it only a Creole form of the French - _hivernage_? _Careme_, of course means Lent; whether the dry season in - Trinidad is concomitant with the Lenten epoch, or whether the Creoles - of the Island use the word to signify any season of scarcity, I am - unable to decide. - -143. Gouie passe difil sivre. (Ou l'aiguille passe, le fil suivra.) - - "Where the needle passes thread will follow."[56]--[_Mauritius._] - - [56] When a strong man has opened the way, feebler folks may safely - follow. - -144. Graisse pas tini sentiment. (La graisse n'a pas de sentiment.) - - "Fat has no feeling."[57]--[_Trinidad._] - - [57] There may be some physiological truth in this proverb as applied - to the inhabitants of the Antilles, where stoutness is the exception. - Generally speaking phlegmatic persons are inclined to fleshiness. - -145. Haillons mie passe tout nu. (Les haillons sont mieux que de rester -tout nu.) - - "Rags are better than nakedness." "Half-a-loaf's better than no - bread."--[_Hayti._] - -146. Hai moune; main pas ba yeaux panen pou chaier dleau. (Hais les -gens; mais ne leur donne pas des paniers pour charrier de l'eau.) - - "Hate people; but don't give them baskets to carry water in."--that is - to say: Don't tell lies about them that no one can believe--stories - that "won't hold water."--[_Trinidad._] - -147. * Jadin loin, gombo gate. (Jardin loin, gombo gate.) - - "When the garden is far, the gombo is spoiled."[58]--[_Martinique._] - - [58] This appears to be a universal Creole proverb. If you want - anything to be well done, you must look after it yourself: to absent - oneself from one's business is unwise, etc. - -148. * Jamais di: Fontaine, mo va jamais boi to dolo. (Ne dis -jamais--Fontaine, je ne boirai jamais de ton eau.)" - - "Never say--'Spring, I will never drink your - water.'"[59]--[_Louisiana._] - - [59] The loftiest pride is liable to fall; and we know not how soon we - may be glad to seek the aid of the most humble. - -149. Janmain guiabe ka domi. (Jamais le diable ne s'endort.) - - "The devil never sleeps."--[_Martinique._] - -150. Janmain nous ne pas doue ladans quiou poule compte ze. (Il ne faut -jamais [nous ne devons jamais] compter les [oe]ufs dans la derriere de -la poule.) - - "We should never count the eggs in the body of the hen."-(The Creole - proverb is, however, less delicate.)--[_Martinique._] - -151. Joue epis chatt ou trappe coup d'patte. (Jouez avec le chat, et -vous attrapperez un coup de patte.) - - "Play with the cat, and you'll get scratched."--[_Martinique._] - -152. * Joue epis chien ou trappe pice. (Jouez avec les chiens, vous -aurez des puces.) - - "Play with the dogs, and you will get fleas."[60]--[_Martinique._] - - [60] This seems to be a universal proverb. In Louisiana we say: _Joue - evec, 'tichien_, etc. - -153. * Joudui pou ous, demain pou moin. (Aujourd'hui pour vous, demain -pour moi.) - - "To-day for you; to-morrow for me."[61]--[_Hayti._] - - [61] Current also in Louisiana: _Jordi pou vou_, etc.: "Your turn - to-day; perhaps it may be mine to-morrow." - -154. La oti zoueseau ka fe niche yo, c'est la yo ka couche. (Ou les -oiseaux font leur nids, la ils se couchent.) - - "Where the birds build their nests, there they - sleep."--[_Martinique._] - -155. Laboue moque lamare. (La boue se moque de la mare.) - - "The mud laughs at the puddle."--Like our: "Pot calls kettle - black."--[_Mauritius._] - -156. Lacase bardeaux napas guette la case vitivere. (La maison [couverte -de] bardeaux ne regarde point la case couverte de vetiver.) - - "The house roofed with shingles doesn't look at the hut covered with - vetiver."--[_Mauritius._] - -157. * Lagniappe c'est bitin qui bon. (Lagniappe c'est du bon butin.) - - "Lagniappe is lawful booty."[62]--[_Louisiana._] - - [62] _Lagniappe_, a word familiar to every child in New Orleans, - signifies the little present given to purchasers of groceries, - provisions, fruit, or other goods sold at retail stores. Groceries, - especially, seek to rival each other in the attractive qualities of - their _lagniappe_; consisting of candies, fruits, biscuits, little - fancy cakes, etc. The chief purpose is to attract children. The little - one sent for a pound of butter, or "a dime's worth" of sugar, never - fails to ask for its _lagniappe_. - -158. Laguer veti pas ka pouend viex negues nans cabarets. (La guerre -avertie ne prend pas de vieux negres dans les cabarets.) - - "Threatened war doesn't surprise old negroes in the - grog-shops."[63]--[_Trinidad._] - - [63] Proverbs 158-9 are equivalent to our "Forewarned is forearmed." - -159. * Laguerre vertie pas tchue beaucoup soldats. (La guerre avertie ne -tue pas beaucoup de soldats.) - - "Threatened war doesn't kill many soldiers."--[_Louisiana._] - -160. Lakhe bef dit: Temps alle, temps vini. (La queue du b[oe]uf dit: Le -temps s'en va, le temps revient.) - - "The ox's tail says: Time goes, time comes."[64]--[_Martinique._] - - [64] See Proverb 22. Whether the swing of the tail suggested the idea - of a _pendulum_ to the deviser of this saying is doubtful. The meaning - seems to me that the motion of the ox's tail indicates a change not of - time, but of _weather_ (_temps_). - -161. Lalangue napas lezos. (La langue n'a pas d'os). - - "The tongue has no bones." This proverb has various applications. One - of the best alludes to promises or engagements made with the secret - determination not to keep them.--[_Mauritius._] - -162. * Lamisere a deux, Misere et Compagnie. (La misere a deux, c'est -Misere et Compagnie.) - - "Misery for two, is Misery & Co."[65]--[_Louisiana._] - - [65] Refers especially to a man who marries without having made proper - provision for the future. The Creole does not believe in our reckless - proverb: "What will keep one, will keep two." _Non, non, cher, - lamisere a deux, Misere & Cie.!_ - -163. Lapauvete napas ene vis, mes li ene bien gros coulou. (La pauvrete -n'est pas une vis [un vice]; mais c'est un bien gros clou.) - - "Poverty isn't a screw; but it's a very big nail." The pun will be - obvious to a French reader; but _vice_ is not a true Creole word, - according to Baissac.--[_Mauritius._] - -164. Lapin dit: Boue toutt, mange toutt, pas dit toutt. (Le lapin dit: -Buvez tout, mangez tout, ne dites pas tout.) - - "Rabbit says: Drink everything, eat everything, but don't tell - everything."[66]--[_Martinique._] - - [66] Founded upon a celebrated Creole fable: see Prov. 40 (_note_). - -165. Laplie tombe, couroupas va sourti. (La pluie tombe, les colimacons -vent sortir.) - - "It is raining; snails will be out presently."--[_Mauritius._] - -166. * Laplie tombe, ouaouaron chante. (Quand la pluie va tomber, les -grenouilles chantent.) - - "When the rain is coming, the bull-frogs sing."--[_Louisiana._] - -167. Laquee bourique napas laquee couval. (Une queue d'ane n'est pas une -queue de cheval.) - - "A donkey's tail is not a horse's tail." Can't make a silk purse out - of a sow's ear.--[_Mauritius._] - -168. Larzan bon, mes li trop cere. (L'argent est bon, mais il est trop -cher.) - - "Money's good; but it's too dear."--[_Mauritius._] - -169. Larzan napas trouve dans lipied milet. (L'argent ne se trouve pas -dans le pied d'un mulet.) - - "Money isn't to be found in a mule's hoof."--[_Mauritius._] - -170. Larzan napas ena famille. (L'argent n'a pas de famille.) - - "Money has no blood relations."--There is no friendship in - business.--[_Mauritius._] - -171. * La-tche chatte pousse avec temps. (La queue du chat pousse avec -le temps.) - - "The cat's tail takes time to grow."--[_Louisiana._] - -172. Lepe dit aime ous pendant li ronge doighte ous. (La lepre dit -qu'elle vous aime pendant qu'elle vous ronge les doigts.) - - "The leprosy says it loves you, while it is eating your - fingers."--[_Hayti._] - -173. L'here coq cante, li bon pour marie. (Quand le coq chante, il est -bon a marier.) - - "When the cock begins to crow, he is old enough to get - married."--[_Mauritius._] - -174. Lhere lamontagne bourle, tout dimounde cone; lhere lequere bourle, -qui cone? (Quand la montagne brule, tout le monde le sait; quand le -c[oe]ur brule, qui le sait?) - - "When the mountain burns, everybody knows it; when the heart burns, - who knows it?"--[_Mauritius._] - -175. Li alle l'ecole cabritt, li ritoune mouton. (Il est alle a l'ecole -[comme un] cabri; il est revenu mouton.) - - "He went to school a kid, and came back a sheep."[67]--[_Martinique._] - - [67] The allusion to the overgrown and shy schoolboy, who has lost the - mischievous playfulness of his childhood, is easily recognizable. - Creole planters of the Antilles generally sent their sons to Europe to - be educated. - -176. Li fine vende so cocon. (Il a vendu son cochon.) - - "He has sold his pig."[68]--[_Mauritius._] - - [68] Said of one who unexpectedly disburses a considerable sum, or who - spends more money than his visible resources admit of. - -177. Li lacasse zozos pariaca. (Il chasse aux oiseaux a paliaca.) - - "He's hunting paliaca-birds."[69]--[_Mauritius._] - - [69] _Paliaca_ is the Mauritian term for the brightly-colored kerchief - there worn by all young negresses in lieu of hats or bonnets, like the - old time Louisiana _tiyon_. "He is hunting for paliaca-birds" - therefore means, "He is running after the colored girls." - -178. Li manque lagale pour gratte. (Il [ne] manque [que] de gale pour se -gratter. [Lit. In good French: Il ne lui manque que la gale, etc.]) - - "He only wants the itch so that he may scratch himself." Said of a man - who has all that his heart can wish for.[70]--[_Mauritius._] - - [70] We have a singular expression in Louisiana: "_Li mette mantec - dans so faillots._ (He puts lard in his beans.") That is to say, "He - is well off." _Mantec_ is a Creolised form of the Spanish _manteca_, - used in Spanish-America to signify lard. - -179. Li pour marie; mes qulquefois bague mariaze glisse dans ledoight. -(Il doit se marier; mais quelquefois la bague de mariage glisse du -doigt.) - - "He is to be married, they say; but sometimes the marriage-ring slips - from one's finger."[71]--[_Mauritius._] - - [71] "There's many a slip twixt the cup and the lip." - -180. Li soule bontemps. (Il se soule de bon temps.) - - "He is drunk with doing nothing."--[_Mauritius._] - -181. Liane yame ka marre yame. (La liane du yam lie [lit. amarre] le -yam.) - - "The yam-vine ties the yam."[72]--[_Trinidad._] - - [72] In Martinique Creole the proverb is: _Code gname marre gname._ - "Code" (_corde_) signifying the same as _liane_, the long cord-like - stalk of the creeper. Folks are sometimes caught fast in the snares - they set for others, just as the yam is tied with its own stalk. - -182. Lilit pour de napas lilet pour trois. (Un lit pour deux n'est pas -un lit pour trois.) - - "A bed for two isn't a bed for three."--[_Mauritius._] - -183. Lizie napas ena balizaze. (Les yeux n'ont pas de frontiere.)[73] - - "Eyes have no boundary." Equivalent to the English saying: "A cat may - look at a king."--[_Mauritius._] - - [73] The Mauritian Creoles have adopted a marine word in lieu of the - French term _frontiere_. "Balizaze" is the Creole form of the French - _balisage_, from _balise_, a sea mark, buoy--word adopted in our own - nautical technology. The term completely changes its meaning as well - as its spelling in Creole. - -184. Macaque caresser iche li touop, li fourrer doegt nans ziex li. (Le -macaque, en caressant trop son petit, lui a fourre le doigt dans -l'[oe]il.) - - "By petting her young one too much, the monkey ends by poking her - finger into its eye."--[_Trinidad._] - -185. * Macaque dan calebasse. (Le macaque dans la calebasse.) - - "Monkey in the calabash."[74]--[_Louisiana._] - - [74] Allusion to the old fable about the monkey, who after putting his - hand easily into the orifice of a gourd, could not withdraw it without - letting go what he sought to steal from within, and so got caught. In - the figurative Creole speech one who allows his passions to ruin or - disgrace him is a _macaque dans calebasse_. - -186. * Macaque dit si so croupion plime cas pas gade lezautt. (Le -macaque dit que si son croupion est plume, ca ne regarde pas les -autres.) - - "Monkey says if his rump is bare, it's nobody's - business."[75]--[_Louisiana._] - - [75] Allusion to the callosities of the monkey. Plime literally means - "plucked;" but the Creole negroes use it to signify "bare" from any - cause. A negro in rags might use the above proverb as a hint to those - who wish to joke him about his personal appearance. - -187. * Macaque pas jamain ka die iche li laide. (Le macaque ne dit -jamais que son petit est laid.) - - "Monkey never says its young is ugly."[76]--[_Trinidad._] - - [76] A widely-spread proverb. In Louisiana we say _piti li_ or _so - piti_, instead of "yche" or "iche li." In Martinique Creole: _Macaque - pas janmain trouve yche li laide._ - -188. Macaque save qui bois li monte; li pas monte zaurange. (Le macaque -sait sur quel arbre il doit monter; il ne monte pas sur l'oranger.) - - "The monkey well knows what tree to climb; he doesn't climb an orange - tree."[77]--[_Martinique._] - - [77] Because the orange tree is thorny. - -189. Magre sepent ni ti zie li ka voue cle bien. (Bien que le serpent -ait de petits yeux, il voit tres-clair.) - - "Though the serpent has little eyes, he sees very - well."--[_Martinique._] - -190. Maite cabrite mande li; ous pas capabe di li plainda. (Le maitre du -cabrit le demande; vous ne pouvez pas vous en plaindre.) - - "The kid's owner asks for it; you can't blame him."[78]--[_Hayti._] - - [78] Mr. Bigelow, in _Harper's Magazine_, explains the use of this - proverb by a creditor to a debtor. - -191. Maladie vine lahaut ieve; li alle lahaut tourtie. (La maladie vient -sur le lievre; elle part [s'en va] sur la tortue.) - - "Sickness comes riding upon a hare; but goes away riding upon a - tortoise."--[_Mauritius._] - -192. Mal he pas ka chager con laplie. (Lit: Le malheur ne se charge pas -comme la pluie.) - - "Misfortune doesn't threaten like rain."[79]--[_Trinidad._] - - [79] _Le temps se charge_, in French signifies that it is clouding up, - threatening rain--lit: "loading up." Misfortune does not threaten - before it falls. - -193. Mamans ka fair iches, main pas khers yeaux. (Les meres font les -enfants, mais non pas leurs c[oe]urs.) - - "Mothers make children; but not children's hearts."--[_Trinidad._] - -194. Manger yon fois pas ka riser dents. (Manger une fois n'use pas les -dents.) - - "Eating once doesn't wear out the teeth."--[_Trinidad._] - -195. Mari napas trouve dans vetivere. (Un mari ne se trouve pas dans le -vetiver.) - - "You won't find a husband in the _vetiver_."[80]--[_Mauritius._] - - [80] The delightfully fragrant grass, well-known to pharmaceutists as - the _Andropogon muricatus_ or _Vetiveria odorata_ is used in Mauritius - to thatch cabins with. A broad border of this grass is usually planted - around each square of sugar-cane. It grows tall enough to conceal a - man, or a couple of lovers holding a rendezvous. Hence the wholesome - warning. - -196. Mariaze napas pariaze; menaze napas badinaze. (Le mariage n'est pas -un pari; le menage n'est pas un badinage.) - - "Marriage is no trifling wager, and housekeeping is no - sport."--[_Mauritius._] - -197. Marie ene bouteye vide. (Epouser une bouteille vide.) - - "Marry an empty bottle."--Meaning to marry a girl without a - dowry.--[_Mauritius._] - -198. * Maringouin perdi so temps quand li pique caiman. (Le maringoin -perd son temps quand il pique le caiman.) - - "The mosquito loses his time when he tries to sting the - alligator."[81]--[_Louisiana._] - - [81] Ripost to a threat--as we would say: "All that has as little - effect on me as water on a duck's back!" - -199. Marre conm yon paque crabe. (Amarre comme un paquet de crabes.) - - "Tangled up, or tied up, like a bundle of crabs."--Said of people - notoriously clumsy.[82]--[_Martinique._] - - [82] Anyone who has ever seen a heap of live crabs in a basket, will - comprehend the fun of this saying--intimating that the sinews of the - gawkish person are tangled up as hopelessly as crabs in a - market-basket. - -200. Megue coment catte qui manze lerats-misque. (Maigre comme un chat -qui mange des rats musques.) - - "Thin as a cat that lives on musk-rats."--[_Mauritius._] - -201. Meme baton qui batte chein nouer-la, pe batte chein blanc-la. (Le -meme baton qui bat le chien noir peut battre le chien blanc.) - - "The same stick that beats the black dog can beat the - white."[83]--[_Trinidad._] - - [83] As one should observe: "I've whipped better men than you." - -202. Menti ca pas si mal conm pale mal moun. (Le mensonge n'est pas si -mauvais que de parler mal des autres.) - - "Lying isn't as bad as speaking badly about people."--Lying is less - wicked than calumny.--[_Martinique._] - -203. * Merci pas coute arien. ("Merci" ne coute rien.) - - "Thanks cost nothing."--[_Louisiana._] - -204. * Mette milate enhaut choual, li va di negresse pas so maman. -(Mettez un mulatre [en haut] sur un cheval--il [va dire] dira qu'une -negresse n'est pas sa maman.) - - "Just put a mulatto on horseback, and he'll tell you his mother wasn't - a negress."[84]--[_Louisiana._] - - [84] I usually give but one example of a proverb when it occurs in - several dialects; but the Martinique form of this proverb is too - amusing to omit. See Prov. 267. - -205. Mie vaut mange lamori ou, qu'codeinne leszautt. (Il vaut mieux de -manger [de] la morue [qui est] a vous que le coq-d'Inde aux autres.) - - "Better to eat one's own codfish than another person's - turkey-cock."--[_Martinique._] - -206. Milatt ka batt, cabritt ka mo. (Les mulatres se battent, ce sont -les cabrits qui meurent.) - - "When the mulattoes get to fighting, the goats get - killed."[85]--[_Martinique._] - - [85] The feeling of the black to the mulatto is likewise revealed in - the following dicton:--Negue pote mais dans so lapoche pou vole - poule;--milatt pote cordon dans so lapoche pou vole choual;--nhomme - blanc pote larzan dans so lapoche pou trompe fille. (Le negre porte du - mais dans sa poche pour voler des poules;--le mulatre porte un cordon - dans sa poche pour voler des chevaux;--l'homme blanc porte de l'argent - dans sa poche pour tromper les filles.) - - "The negro carries corn in his pocket to [help him to] steal chickens; - the mulatto carries a rope in his pocket to steal horses; the white - man carries money in his pocket to deceive girls."--[Louisiana.] - -207. Mise fe macaque mange piment. (La misere force le macaque a manger -du piment.) - - "Misery makes the monkey eat red pepper."--[_Martinique._] - -208. * "Mo bien comm mo ye," parole rare. ("Je me trouve bien comme je -suis"--ces sont des paroles rares.) - - "'I'm well enough as I am,' are words one doesn't often - hear."--[_Louisiana._] - -209. * Mo va pas prete vous baton pou casse mo latete. (Je ne vais vous -preter un baton pour me casser la tete.) - - "I'm not going to lend you a stick to break my head - with."--[_Louisiana._] - -210. Moin ainmein plis yon balaou jodi la qu'taza dimain. (J'aime mieux -un balaou aujourd'hui qu'un tazard demain.) - - "I'd rather have horn-fish to-day, than mackerel - to-morrow."[86]--[_Martinique._] - - [86] "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." The translation is - not literal. The _tazard_ or _thazard_, although belonging to the - scomber family, is not a true mackerel. _Balaou_ is one Creole name - for _l'aiguillette de mer_, hornfish [?]. - -211. Moin pas ka prend dithe pou fieve li. (Je ne veux pas prendre du -the pour sa fievre.) - - "I don't propose to drink tea for his fever."[87]--[_Martinique._] - - [87] Or better still: "I don't intend to drink tea just because he has - the fever." In other words, "I don't intend to bother myself with - other people's troubles."....The tea referred to is one of those old - Creole preparations taken during fevers--the _tisanes_ of the black - nurses: perhaps the cooling sassafras, or orange-leaf tea administered - to sufferers from _dengue_ in New Orleans. - -212. Montagnes zames zoinde, domounde zoinde. (Les montagnes ne se -rencontrent jamais, les hommes se rencontrent.) - - "Mountains, only, never meet; men meet."--We are certain to encounter - friends and enemies under the most unlikely - circumstances.--[_Mauritius._] - -213. Mounn oue defaut les-zautt, yo pas ni zie pou ta yo. (Les gens -voient les defauts des autres, ils n'ont pas d'yeux pour les leurs.) - - "Folks see the faults of others; they have no eyes for their - own."[88]--[_Martinique._] - - [88] This proverb, not being of true Creole origin, receives a place - here as an illustration of effective patois. In Louisiana we never say - _ta yo_, but _so quenne_....Were all proverbs used by the - Creole-speaking people included in this collection, it would be - considerably longer. Nearly all familiar English proverbs have - received Creole adoption, with slight modifications; for example, - instead of "putting the cart before the horse," the Mauritian negro - _mette carette divant milet_, puts the cart before the _mule_--an - animal with which he is more familiar. - -214. Moustique pitit; mes lhere li cante vous zoreye plein. (Le -moustique est petit; mais quand il chante, votre oreille en est pleine.) - - "The mosquito is little; but when he sings, your ears are full of - him."--[_Mauritius._] - -215. Napas ena fromaze qui napas trouve so macathia. (Il n'y a pas de -fromage qui ne trouve son pain bis.) - - "There's no cheese but what can find brown bread."[89]--[_Mauritius._] - - [89] That is to say, whoever has a bit of cheese can always find a bit - of brown bread to eat with it. There never was a girl so ugly that she - could not find a husband. - -216. Napas remie fimie sec. (Ne remuez pas le fumier sec.) - - "Don't stir up dry manure."--Said to those who desire to resurrect - forgotten scandal.--[_Mauritius._] - -217. Napas vous sangsie qui a monte lahaut moi. (Ce n'est pas votre -sangsue qui montera sur moi.) - - "Your leech isn't going to climb on me." That is: you shan't take - advantage of me.--[_Mauritius._] - -218. Napas vous laliane darzent qui a monte lahaut mo tonelle. (Ce n'est -pas votre liane d'argent qui montera sur ma tonnelle.) - - "It isn't your silver creeper that is going to climb over my summer - house."[90]--[_Mauritius._] - - [90] Said by young girls to those whose advances are disagreeable. - _Khe lanmou pas ka saute_ ("heart-of-love does not yet leap") would be - the more polite response of a Martinique girl. - -219. * Napas zoue av dife; wou a boule vous cimise. (Ne jouez pas avec -le feu; vous vous brulerez la chemise.) - - "Play with the fire and you'll burn your shirt." This proverb appears - to be current wherever any form of the patois - prevails.--[_Mauritius._] - -220. Nion doight pas jamain mange calalou. (Avec un seul doigt on ne -peut jamais manger du calalou.) - - "You can't eat calalou with one finger."[91]--[_Hayti._] - - [91] The West Indian _calalou_ is made almost precisely like our - _gombo_-soup. The word is of African origin according to Turiault. - -221. Nhomme mort, zhebes ka lever douvant lapote li. ([Quand] un homme -[est] mort, l'herbe pousse [lit.: s'eleve] devant sa porte.) - - "When a man is dead, the grass grows tall before his - door."--[_Trinidad._] - -222. Nououi chouval pou baille zofficie monte. (Nourir des chevaux pour -les donner a monter aux officiers.) - - "Feed horses for officers to ride." To be the victim of one's own - foolish liberality.--[_Martinique._] - -223. * Oimso soulie save si bas tini trou. (Le soulier seul sait si le -bas a un trou.) - - "The shoe only knows whether the stockings have - holes."[92]--[_Guyane._] - - [92] In the Martinique dialect it is: _C'est soulie qui save si bas - tini trou_. In the Trinidad patois: _Ce soulier tout-sel qui save si - bas tini trou_ (Thomas). In Louisiana Creole: _C'est soulier nek - connin si bas gagnin trou_. "Nek," compound from French _ne ... - que_--"only." - -224. Oti tini zos tini chien. (Ou il y a des os il y a des chiens.) - - "Wherever there are bones, there are dogs." Meaning that when one is - rich, one has plenty of friends.--[_Martinique._] - -225. Ou fache avec gan chemin, que cote ou va passe? (Vous vous fachez -avec le grand chemin, de quel cote irez-vouz?) - - "If you get angry with the high road, what way will you - go?"--[_Hayti._] - -226. Ou fait semblant mourir, moin fait semblant enterrer ou. (Faites -semblant de mourir, et moi je ferai semblant de vous enterrer.) - - "You pretend to die; and I'll pretend to bury you."[93]--[_Hayti._] - - [93] Said to those who relate improbable stories of woe. - -227. Ou saute, ou tombe la menme. (Vous sautez, vouz tombez tout de -meme.) - - "You jump, but you come down all the same."[94]--[_Martinique._] - - [94] Just so high as you jump, so great the fall. The higher our - ambition, the greater the peril of failure. - -228. * Ou y'en a charogne, y'en a carencro. (Ou il a charogne, il y a -des busards.) - - "Wherever there's carrion, there are buzzards."[95]--[_Louisiana._] - - [95] This is one of several instances of the Creole adoption of - English words. The name "carrion-crow" has been applied to the buzzard - in Louisiana from an early period of its American history. - -229. Ous poncor travesser laeivier;--pas jirez maman caiman. (Vous n'avez -pas encore traverse la riviere--ne jurez [maudissez] pas la maman du -caiman.) - - "You haven't crossed the river yet; don't curse at the crocodile's - mother."[96]--[_Trinidad._] - - [96] "Don't halloo till you're out of the wood!" - -230. Padon pas ka gueri bosse. ("Pardon" ne guerit pas la bosse.) - - "Asking pardon doesn't cure the bump."[97]--[_Martinique._] - - [97] In the Creole of Guyana this proverb exists in a very curious - form: _Ago pa gueri maleng_.--"the excuse doesn't cure the hurt." M. - Alfred de Saint-Quentin in his work upon this remarkably fantastic and - melodious Creole dialect, says that _Ago_ is the only word of purely - African origin he has been able to find in the Guyana patois. On the - Gold coast _ago_! is a warning cry: "Take care!--clear the way!" The - Guyana slaves retained the word in a different sense. The negro who - accidentally jostles anybody, still exclaims _Ago!_--but it now means - "Beg pardon," or "Excuse me!" - -231. Paler pas rimede. (Parler n'est pas un remede.) - - "Talking is no remedy." In Creole the word signifies medicine as well - as _remedy_.--[_Trinidad._] - -232. Paler touop ka lever chein nans domi. (Trop parler [c'est ce qui] -eveille le chien endormi.) - - "Talking too much arouses the dog from sleep."[98]--[_Trinidad._] - - [98] Talking too freely about our projects helps our enemies to thwart - our hopes. - -233. Paouoles pas tini couler. (Les paroles n'ont pas de couleur.) - - "Words have no color."--This is generally said to people who stare a - speaker out of countenance.--[_Trinidad._] - -234. Paouoles pas coute cher. (Les paroles ne coutent pas cher.) - - "Words are cheap." In Martinique the phrase is _Paouoles pas chage_: - ("Words are no weight to carry.")--[_Trinidad._] - -235. * Parole trop fort, machoir gonfle. (Par la parole trop forte, la -machoir est gonflee.) - - "By talking too loud the jaw becomes swelled."[99]--[_Louisiana._] - - [99] Literally: "Word too strong, jaw swelled up." Seems to imply the - _indirect_ rather than the direct consequence of using violent - language--viz., a severe beating from the person abused. - -236. Pas fote langue qui fair bef pas sa paler. (Ce n'est pas a faute de -langue que le b[oe]uf ne sait pas parler.) - - "It isn't for want of tongue that the ox can't talk."--[_Trinidad._] - -237. Pas jou' moin bien change, moin ka rencontre nenneine moins. (Ce -n'est pas le jour que je suis bien change que je vais rencontrer ma -marraine.) - - "It isn't on the day I am greatly changed" [when I am most - unfortunate] "that I am going to meet my godmother."--[_Martinique._] - -238. Pas menme jou ou mange te ou vini enfle. (Ce n'est pas le meme jour -que vous mangez que vous vous trouvez enfle). - - "It isn't the same day you eat that you find yourself puffed - up."[100]--[_Martinique._] - - [100] That is to say that the worst results of folly do not always - manifest themselves when expected. - -239. Pauve moune bail dejeuner nans quior. (Les pauvres gens vous -donnent a dejeuner dans leurs c[oe]urs). - - "Poor folks give breakfast with their hearts."--[_Hayti._] - -240. * Pis faibe toujou tini to. (Le plus faible a toujours tort). - - "The weakest is always in the wrong."--[_Martinique._] - -241. * Piti a piti, zozo fait son nid. (Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son -nid.) - - "Little by little the bird builds its nest."--[_Louisiana._] - -242. Piti pas coute so moman, li ka mori gran sole midi. (Petit qui -n'ecoute pas sa maman meurt au grand soleil de midi). - - "Little boy who won't listen to his mother dies under the noonday - sun."[101]--[_Guyana._] - - [101] All Creole mothers are careful to keep their children from - reckless play in the sun, which is peculiarly treacherous in those - latitudes where the dialect is spoken. Hence the proverb, applicable - to any circumstance in which good advice is reluctantly received. - -243. Plis vaut mie vous pitit gagne larhime qui vous arrace son nez. (Il -vaut mieux laisser votre enfant morveux que de lui arracher le nez). - - "Better let your child be snotty, than pull his nose - off."--[_Mauritius._] - -244. Pou manje, tou bon; pou pale pas tou parole. (Pour manger, tout est -bon; pour parler, pas toute parole). - - "Anything is good enough to eat; but every word is not good enough to - be spoken."[102]--[_Guyane._] - - [102] In the Martinique dialect: _Toutt mange, toutt paaule pas bon - pou di._--[_Turiault._] - -245. Poule pas ka vante bouillon yo. (Les poules ne vantent pas leur -[propre] bouillon.) - - "The chickens don't brag about their own soup;" i.e. - _chicken-soup_.--[_Martinique._] - -246. Poule qui cante ca meme qui fine ponde. (La poule qui chante est -celle-la meme qui a pondu). - - "It's the cackling hen that has laid the egg."--[_Mauritius._] - -247. Poule qui fere de[103] dizefs zames touye. (La poule qui fait deux -[oe]ufs n'est jamais tuee). - - "The hen that lays two eggs is never killed."--[_Mauritius._] - - [103] The sound of the French _eu_ is rarely preserved in Creole. - _L'heure_ becomes _lhere_; _peu_, becomes _pe_. The Creole-speaking - negro says, _Yonne_, _de_, _tois_, _quate_, _nef_, instead of "un, - deux, trois, quatre, neuf." - -248. * Pranne garde vaut mie passe mande pardon. (Prendre garde vaut -mieux que demander pardon.) - - "It is better to take care beforehand than to ask pardon - afterward."--[_Louisiana._] - -249. Ptit lasoif ptit coco, grand lasoif grand coco. (Petite soif, petit -coco; grande soif, grand coco.) - - "Little thirst, a little cocoa-nut; big thirst, a big - cocoa-nut."[104]--[_Mauritius._] - - [104] Like the old country saying: "Big horse, big feed." The - cocoa-nut shell was formerly the slave's drinking cup in Mauritius. - -250. Ptit mie tombe, ramasse li; Chretien tombe, pas ramasse li. (Quand -une petite mie tombe, on la ramasse; quand un Chretien tombe, on ne le -ramasse pas [i.e., on ne l'aide pas a se relever].) - - "If a little crumb falls, it is picked up; if a Christian falls, he is - not picked up."--[_Hayti._] - -251. * Quand bois tombe, cabri monte. (Quand l'arbre tombe, le cabri -monte.) - - "When the tree falls, the kid can climb it."--[105][_Louisiana._] - - [105] This saying has quite a variety of curious applications. The - last time I heard it, a Creole negress was informing me that the - master of the house in which she worked was lying at the point of - death: "_pauve diabe!_" I asked after the health of her mistress. - "_Ah! Madame se porte bien; mais . . . quand bois tombe cabri monte_," - she replied, half in French, half in her own patois; signifying that - after the husband's death, wife and children would find themselves - reduced to destitution. - -252. Quand boudin mode, ce pas epi bell plimm[106] yo ka plein li. -(Quand le ventre crie, ce n'est pas avec de beaux habits qu'on le -remplit.) - - "When your stomach gnaws you, it isn't with fine clothes that you can - fill it."--[_Martinique._] - - [106] Literally "feathers"--"_plimm_," _plumes_. Adopted from a Creole - version of one of Lafontaine's fables. - -253. * Quand boyaux grogne, bel evite pas fait ye pe. (Quand les boyaux -grognent, un bel habit ne leur fait pas se taire; lit., ne leur fait pas -paix.) - - "When the bowels growl a fine coat won't make them hold their - peace."[107]--[_Louisiana._] - - [107] The words _pe_, _pe_, in Creole are distinguishable only by - their accentuation. _Peur_ (fear); _peu_ (a little); _paix_ (peace, or - "hush"); _peut_ (can), all take the form _pe_ or _pe_ in various - Creole dialects. _Ipas ni pe sepent_: "he is not afraid of snakes." - Sometimes one can guess the meaning only by the context, as in the - Martinique saying: _Pe bef pe caca bef_. "Few oxen, little ox-dung;" - i.e. "little money, little trouble." The use of "_pe_" for _pere_ - (father), reminds us of a curious note in the Creole studies of the - brothers Saint-Quentin (See BIBLIOGRAPHY). In the forests of Guiana - there is a bird whose song much resembles that of our Louisiana - mocking-bird, but which is far more sonorous and solemn. The Creole - negroes call it ZOZO MONPE (_l'oiseau mon-pere_), lit., "The my-father - bird." Now _monpe_ is the Creole name for a priest; as if we should - say "a my-father" instead of "a priest." The bird's song, powerful, - solemn, far-echoing through the great aisles of the woods by night, - suggested the chant of a _monpe_, a "ghostly father;" and its name - might be freely translated by "the priest-bird." - -254. Quand cannari pas boui pou ou, ou done janmain decouvri li. (Quand -le pot ne bout pas pour vous, vous ne devez jamais le decouvrir.) - - "When the pot won't boil for you, you must never take the lid - off."[108]--[_Martinique._] - - [108] "Watched pot never boils." The _canari_ was a clay pot as the - following Creole refrain testifies: - - Ya pas bouillon pou vous, macommere; - Canari casse dans dife (bis). - Bouillon renverse dans dife - Ya pas bouillon pou vous, macommere - Canari casse dans dife. - - ["There's no soup for you, my gossipping friend; the pot's broken in - the fire; the soup is spilled in the fire," etc.] - -255. Quand canon cause, fisil honte. (Quand le canon parle, le fusil a -honte.) - - "When the cannon speaks, the gun is ashamed."--[_Mauritius._] - -256. Quand diabe alle lamesse li caciette so laquee. (Quand le diable va -a la messe, il cache sa queue.) - - "When the Devil goes to mass he hides his tail."--[_Mauritius._] - -257. Quand diabe voule prend vous li cause bondie av vous. (Quand le -diable veut vous prendre il vous parle de Bon Dieu.) - - "When the devil wants to get hold of you, he chats to you about God." - Lit.: "He talks _Good God_ to you."--[_Mauritius._] - -258. Quand done vous bourique vous pas bisoin guette so labride. (Quand -on vous donne un ane, vous ne devez pas regarder sa bride.) - - "When somebody gives you a donkey, you musn't examine the - bridle."--Never look a gift-horse in the mouth.--[_Mauritius._] - -259. Quand femme leve so robe diabe guette so lazambe. (Quand une femme -releve sa robe le diable regarde sa jambe.) - - "When a woman lifts her dress, the devil looks at her - leg."--[_Mauritius._] - -260. Quand gagne larmoire napas quette coffe. (Quand on a l'armoire on -ne regarde pas le coffre.) - - "As soon as one gets a clothes-press, one never looks at the - trunk."[109]--[_Mauritius._] - - [109] A wooden chest or trunk is the first desideratum of the negro - housewife. As soon as the family is able to purchase a clothes-press, - or (as we call it in Louisiana) "armoire," it is considered quite a - prosperous household by Mauritian colored folk. The chest, Baissac - tells us, is the clothes-press of the poor. "After the bed comes the - chest, and next the accordeon!" - -261. Quand lamort vini, vous pense vous lavie. (Quand la mort vient, -vous pensez a votre vie.) - - "It's when death comes that you think about your - life."--[_Mauritius._] - -262. Quand lebras trop courte, napas zoinde. (Quand les bras son trop -courts, ils ne se rejoignent pas.) - - "When one's arms are too short, they won't go - round."[110]--[_Mauritius._] - - [110] It is needless to undertake what we have not ability to carry - out. - -263. Quand lecie tombe, tout mouces va maille. (Quand le ciel tombera, -toutes les mouches seront prises.) - - "When the sky falls all the flies will be - caught."[111]--[_Mauritius._] - - [111] Said to those who talk hopefully of impossibilities. - -264. * Quand li gagnin kichose dans so latete, ce pas dans so lapie. -(Quand il a quelque chose dans sa tete, ce n'est pas dans son pied.) - - "When he gets something into his head, it isn't in his - foot."[112]--[_Louisiana._] - - [112] Refers to obstinacy. A man may be compelled to move his feet, - but not to change his resolve. - -265. Quand lipied glisse, restant sivre. (Quand le pied glisse, le reste -suit.) - - "When the foot slips the rest follows."--[_Mauritius._] - -266. Quand maite chante, negue danse; quand 'conome siffle, negue saute. -(Quand le maitre chante, le negre danse; quand l'econome siffle, le -negre saute.) - - "When the master sings the negro dances; but when the overseer only - whistles, the negro jumps."--A relic of the old slave-day Creole - folklore.--[_Louisiana._] - -267. Quand milatt tini yon vie chouvral yo dit negress pas manman yo. -(Quand les mulatres ont un vieux cheval ils disent que les negresses ne -sont pas leurs meres.) - - "As soon as a mulatto is able to own an old horse, he will tell you - that his mother wasn't a nigger."--[_Martinique._] - -268. * Quand napas maman, tete grand-maman. (Quand on n'a pas sa mere, -on tete sa grand-mere.) - - "When one has no mother, one must be suckled by one's - grandmother."--[_Louisiana._] - -269. Quand ou tini malhe sepent mode ou pa lakhe. (Quand vous etes dans -le malheur le serpent vous mord par la queue.) - - "When you're in ill-luck, a snake can bite you even with its - tail."--[_Martinique._] - -270. Quand ou mange evec guiabe, quimbe cuille ou longue. (Quand vous -mangez avec le diable, tenez votre cuillere longue.) - - "When you eat with the devil, see that your spoon is - long."--[_Martinique._] - -271. * Quand patate tchuite, faut mange li. (Quand la patate est cuite, -il faut la manger.) - - "When the sweet potato is cooked, it must be - eaten."[113]--[_Louisiana._] - - [113] This differs a little from the spelling adopted by Gottschalk in - his _Bamboula_--"_Quand patate-la couite ma va mange li._" The proverb - is used in the sense of our saying: "Strike the iron while it's hot." - -272. Quand poul ou tini ze, pas mette li dans canari. (Quand votre poule -pond des [oe]ufs, ne la mettez pas dans le pot.) - - "When your hen is laying, don't put her in the - pot."[114]--[_Martinique._] - - [114] Like our saying about killing the goose that laid the golden - eggs. - -273. Quand prend trop boucoup, li glisse. (Quand on prend trop [lit.: -"trop beaucoup"], cela glisse.) - - "Grab for too much, and it slips away from you."--[_Mauritius._] - -274. Quand vente crie zoreyes sourde. (Quand le ventre crie, les -oreilles sont sourdes.) - - "When the belly cries, the ears are deaf."--[_Mauritius._] - -275. Quand vente faim, siprit vini. (Quand le ventre a faim, l'esprit -vient.) - - "An empty stomach brings wit;"--lit.: When the stomach is empty, wit - comes.[115]--[_Mauritius._] - - [115] _Wit_, that is, "mother-wit"--common-sense. - -276. Quand vous guette lahaut vous lizies vine pitit. (Quand vous -regardez en haut, vos yeux rapetissent.) - - "When you look overhead, your eyes become small."--[_Mauritius._] - -277. Quand yo baille ou tete bef pou mange, n'a pas peur zieux li. -(Quand on vous donne une tete de b[oe]uf a manger n'ayez pas peur de ses -yeux.) - - "When you are given an ox's head to eat, don't be afraid of his - eyes."--[_Hayti._] - -278. Quiquefois wou plante zharicots rouze; zharicots blancs qui pousse. -(Quelquefois vous plantez des haricots rouges, et ce sont des haricots -blancs qui poussent.) - - "Sometimes you sow red beans, and white beans grow." "The best-laid - plans of mice and men gang aft a-gley."--[_Mauritius._] - -279. Quand yon batiment casse ca pas empeche les zautt navigue. (Quand -un batiment est casse, ca n'empeche pas les autres de naviguer.) - - "When a ship is broken (_wrecked_), the accident does not prevent - others from sailing."[116]--[_Martinique._] - - [116] There is a Portuguese proverb to the same effect: "Shipwrecks - have never deterred navigation." - -280. Qui mele zefs nans calenda ouoches? (Qui a mele (mis) des [oe]ufs -dans la calinda des roches [pierres.]?) - - "What business have eggs in the calinda--_i.e._ dance--of stones?" - (_Calinda_, said to be derived from the Spanish _que linda!_--"how - beautiful!")[117]--[_Trinidad._] - - [117] The author of _Les Bambous_ mentions the _bele_, _caleinda_, - _guiouba_ and _biguine_, slave-dances of Martinique. _Danse yon - caleinda marre_ (to dance the _calinda_ or _caleinda_ tied up) meant - to receive a whipping. - -281. Rann sevice baill mal dos. (Rendre service donne mal au dos.) - - "Doing favors gives one the back-ache."--[_Martinique._] - -282. * Ratte mange canne, zanzoli mouri innocent. (Le rat mange la -canne-[a-sucre], le lezard en meurt.) - - "'Tis the rat eats the cane; but the lizard dies for - it."[118]--[_Louisiana._] - - [118] This proverb is certainly of West Indian origin, though I first - obtained it from a Louisianian. In consequence of the depredations - committed by rats in the West-Indian cane-fields, it is customary - after the crop has been taken off, to fire the dry cane tops and - leaves. The blaze, spreading over the fields, destroys many rats, but - also a variety of harmless lizards and other creatures. - -283. Ravett pas janmain assez fou pou li alle lapote pouleille. (Le -ravet n'est jamais assez fou pour aller a la porte du poulailler.) - - "The cockroach is never silly enough to approach the door of the - hen-house."--[_Martinique._] - -284. * Ravette pas jamain tini raison douvant poule. (Le ravet n'a -jamais raison devant la poule.) - - "Cockroach is never in the right where the fowl is concerned"--(lit.: - _before the fowl_.)[119]--[_Trinidad._] - - [119] I find this proverb in every dialect I have been able to study. - In Martinique Creole the words vary slightly: "_Douvant poule ravett - pas ni raison._" - -285. Rasiers tini zoreies. (Les [rosiers?] buissons ont des oreilles.) - - "Bushes have ears."--[_Trinidad._] - -286. * Rende service, baille chagrin. (Rendre service donne du chagrin.) - - "Doing favors brings sorrow."--[_Louisiana._] - -287. Roce entete, mes quand teti cause av li, li reponde. (La roche est -entetee, mais quand le tetu lui parle, elle repond.) - - "The rock's hard-headed; but when the stone-hammer speaks to him, he - answers."--[_Tetu_ 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. Sepent dit li pas rhai mounn-la qui cue li; c'est ca qui dit, "Mi -sepent!" (Le serpent dit qu'il ne hait pas la personne qui le tue; que -c'est celle qui dit, "Voila 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 derobe; 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 oule viv, li pas prouminee grand-chimin. (Si la couleuvre -veut vivre, elle ne se promene pas dans le grand chemin). - - "If the snake cares to live, it doesn't journey upon the - high-road."--[_Guyana._] - -292. Si couleve pas te fonte,[121] femmes se pouend li fair ribans -jipes. (Si la couleuvre n'etait pas effrontee, 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] _Fonte_ (for _effronte_) 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 _fonte_ 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 die ous caiman tini mal ziex, coer-li. (Si le crapaud -vous dit que le caiman 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'alle bien, pas chache mette kilott nhomme ou. (Si -votre jupon vous va bien, ne cherchez pas a 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 lamer te bouilli, poissons sre tchuite. (Si la mer bouillait, -les poissons seraient cuits). - - "If the sea were to boil, the fishes would be cooked."--[_Louisiana._] - -296. Si lasavane te ka pale nous se connaitt trop desigret. (Si la -savanne parlait, nous connaitrions trop de secrets). - - "If the fields could talk, we should know too many - secrets."[123]--[_Martinique._] - - [123] "If walls had ears," etc. - -297. Si lephant pas te save boyaux li gouous, li pas se vale calebasses. -(Si l'elephant n'avait pas su qu'il avait de gros boyaux, il n'aurait -pas avale des calebasses). - - "If the elephant didn't know that he had big guts, he wouldn't have - swallowed calabashes."--[_Trinidad._] - -298. * Si-moin-te-connaitt pas janmain douvant; li toujou deie. -(Si-je-l'avais-su n'est jamais devant; il vient toujours derriere.) - - "'_If-I-had-only-known_' is never before one; he always comes - behind."--[_Martinique._] - -299. Si moin te gagnin moussa, moin te mange 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 te pas gagne soupe nens moune, moune ka touffe. (S'il n'y avait -pas de soupirs dans le monde, le monde etoufferait). - - "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 Tourgueneff 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 te bon viann, li se pas ka drive lassous baie. (Si le -lezard etait bon a 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 te bon - viane, le pas se ka drive_ (il ne se trouverait pas): "If a lizard - were good meat, it wouldn't easily be found." - -302. Soleil couche; malber pas jamain couche. (Le soleil se couche; le -malheur ne se couche jamais.) - - "The sun sets; misfortune never sets."--[_Hayti._] - -303. * Soleil leve la; li couche la. (Le soleil se leve la; il se couche -la.) - - "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, mes 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--"_Lhere li entre dans vous lacase, souliers dans - lipieds; lhere li dans grand cimin, souliers dans moucoirs_":--(When - he enters your house, his shoes are on his feet; but once he is on the - public road, they are in his handkerchief.) - -305. * Tafia toujou die la verite. (Le tafia dit toujours la verite.) - - "Tafia always tells the truth."[129]--[_Louisiana._] - - [129] _Tafia_ is the rum extracted from sugar-cane. "_In vino - veritas_." - -306. Tambou tini grand train pace endidans li vide. (Le tambour va [lit: -tient] grand train parcequ'il est vide en dedans.) - - "The drum makes a great fuss because it is empty - inside."[130]--[_Trinidad._] - - [130] In Louisiana Creole, _faire di-train_ is commonly used in the - sense of making a great noise, a big fuss. An old negro-servant might - often be heard reproving the children of the house in some such - fashion as this:--"_Ga!--pouki tape fait tou di-train la?--Toule - pe?--pas fait tou di-train mo di toi!_" ("Here, what are you making - all that noise for?--are you going to keep quiet?--musn't make so much - noise, I tell you!") - -307. Tampee ka gagnen malhers ka doublons pas sa gueri. (Un 'tampee' -achete des malheurs que les doublons ne peuveut pas guerir.) - - "A penny buys troubles that doubloons cannot cure."--[_Trinidad._] - -308. * "Tant-pis" n'a pas cabane. ("Tant-pis" n'a pas de cabane.) - - "'So-much-the-worse' has no cabin."[131]--[_Louisiana._] - - [131] This proverb is the retort for the phrase: "So much the worse - for you." Sometimes one might hear a colored servant for example, - warning the children of the house to keep out of the kitchen, which in - Creole residences usually opens into the great court-yard where the - little ones play: _Eh, pitis! faut pas rester la: vous ka casser - tout!_ ("Hey! little ones, musn't stay there: you'll break - everything!") If the father or mother should then exclaim "_Tant pis - pour eux!_"--so much the worse for them if they do break everything, - you would hear the old woman reply: "_Tant-pis n'a pas - cabane!_"--"So-much-the-worse has no cabin"--_i.e._, nothing to lose. - She believes in an ounce of prevention rather than a pound of cure. - -309. Temps moune connaite l'aute nans grand jou, nans nouite yeaux pas -bisoen chandelle pou clairer yeaux. (Quand on connait quelqu'un [lit: un -autre] dans le grand jour, dans la nuit on n'a pas besoin d'une -chandelle pour s'eclairer.) - - "When one person knows another by broad daylight, he doesn't need a - candle to recognize him at night."[132]--[_Trinidad._] - - [132] When a person has once given us positive evidence of his true - character, we do not need any information as to what that person will - do under certain circumstances. - -310. * Temps present gagnin assez comme ca avec so quenne. (Le temps -present en a assez comme ca avec le sien.) - - "The present has enough to do to mind its own - affairs."[133]--[_Louisiana._] - - [133] Literally the proverb is almost untranslateable. It is cited to - those who express needless apprehension of future misfortune. "_Mo va - gagnin malhe_"--(I am going to have trouble.) "_Aie, aie! - chere!--temps present gagnin assez comme ca avec so quonne._" (Ah, my - dear! the present has enough trouble of its own.) - -311. * Ti chien, ti codon. (Petit chien, petit lien.) - - "A little string for a little dog."--[_Martinique._] - -312. Ti hache coupe gouaus bois. (Une petite hache coupe un grand -arbre.) - - "A little axe cuts down a big tree."--[_Martinique._] - -313. Ti moun connaitt couri, yo pas connaitt serre. (Les enfants--lit: -"le petit monde"--savent courir; ils ne savent pas se cacher.) - - "Children (little folk) know how to run; they do not know how to - hide."--[_Martinique._] - -314. Tig mo, chien ka prend pays. (Quand le tigre est mort, le chien -prend le pays.) - - "When the tiger is dead, the dog takes [rules] the - country."--[_Martinique._] - -315. Toti se vole si li te tini plimm. (Le tortue volerait si elle avait -des ailes.) - - "The tortoise would fly if it had wings."[134]--[_Martinique._] - - [134] "Pigs might fly," etc. - -316. - - Tout bois ce bois; - Main mapou - Pas 'cajou. - (Tout bois c'est du bois; - Mais le mapou - N'est pas de l'acajou.) - - "All wood is wood; but mapou wood isn't mahogany - (cedar)."[135]--[_Trinidad._] - - [135] Thomas translates _cajou_, by "cedar." _Acajou_ in French, - signifies mahogany, as it does also in Louisiana Creole. There is an - old song, of which the refrain is: - - _Cher bijou - Dacajou, - Mo laimin vous_ - - ("My darling mahogany jewel, I love you!") - -317. * Tout ca c'est commerce Man Lison. (Tout ca c'est affaire de Maman -Lison.) - - "All that's like Mammy Lison's doings."[136]--[_Louisiana._] - - [136] Whenever a thing is badly done, this saying is used;--_commerce_ - in the Creole signifying almost the reverse of what it does in French. - Who that traditional _Man Lison_ was, I have never been able to find - out. - -318. Tout ca qui pote zepron pas maquignon. (Tout homme qui porte -eperons n'est pas maquignon.) - - "Everybody who wears spurs isn't a jockey." All is not gold that - glitters.--[_Martinique._] - -319. Toutt cabinett tini maringouin. (Tout cabinet contient des -maringouins.) - - "Every bed-chamber has its mosquitoes in it."--Equivalent to our own - proverb: A skeleton in every closet.--[_Martinique._] - -320. * Toutt joue c'est joue; mais casse bois dans bonda macaque--ca pas -joue. (Tout [facon de] jouer c'est jouer; mais ce n'est pas jouer que de -casser du bois dans le derriere du macaque.) - - . . . . . . . . [137]--[_Martinique._] - - [137] This ridiculous observation is unsuitable for translation. - Nevertheless we have an English, or perhaps an American, proverb - equally vulgar, which may have inspired, or been derived from, the - Creole one. In the English saying, the words "joking" and "provoking" - are used as rhymes. The moral is precisely similar to that of No. 322. - - In old days the Creole story-teller would always announce his - intention of beginning a tale by the exclamation "_Tim-tim!_" - whereupon the audience would shout in reply, "_Bois sec_;" and the - story-teller would cry again, "_Cassez-li_," to which the chorus would - add ". . . . _dans tchu_ (bonda) _macaque_." Thus the story-teller - intimated that he had no intention of merely "_joking_," but intended - to tell the whole truth and nothing else--"a real good story"--_tois - fois bonne conte!_ - -321. * Toutt jour c'est pas dimanche. (Tous les jours ne sont pas le -dimanche.) - - "Every day isn't Sunday."--[_Louisiana._] - -322. Tou jwe sa jwe; me bwa la zore sa pa jwe. (Tout [facon de] jouer -c'est jouer; mais enfoncer du bois dans l'oreille n'est pas jouer.) - - "All play is play; but poking a piece of wood into one's ear isn't - play."--[_Guyane._] - -323. * Tout macaque trouve so piti joli. (Tout macaque trouve son petit -joli.) - - "Every monkey thinks its young one pretty."--[_Louisiana._] - -324. Toutt milett ni grand zaureilles. (Tout les mulets ont des grandes -oreilles.) - - "All mules have big ears."--Equivalent to our proverb; "Birds of a - feather flock together."--[_Martinique._] - -325. * Toutt mounn save ca qui ka boui nens canari yo. (Toute personne -sait ce qui bout dans son canari [marmite].) - - "Everybody knows what boils in his own pot"--i.e., knows his own - business best.[138]--[_Martinique._] - - [138] In Thomas's Trinidad version: "_Tout moune connaite ca qui ka - boui nans canari yeaux_." In Louisiana Creole: "_Chakin connin ca kape - bouilli dans so chodiere_." _Canari_ is sometimes used in our Creole, - but rarely. I have only heard it in old songs. The iron pot - (_chodiere_) or tin utensil has superseded the _canari_. - -326. Travai pas mal; ce ziex qui capons. (Le travail ne fait pas du mal; -c'est les yeux qui sont capons [laches].) - - "Work doesn't hurt;--'tis the eyes that are cowards."--[_Mauritius._] - -327. Trop gratte bourle. (Trop gratter brule [cuit].) - - "Too much scratching brings smarting."--[_Mauritius._] - -328. Trop profi creve poche. (Trop de profit creve la poche.) - - "Too much profit bursts one's pockets."--[_Martinique._] - -329. Tropp bijou, gade-mange vide. (Trop de bijoux, garde-manger vide.) - - "Too much jewelry, empty cupboard."--[_Martinique._] - -330. Vente enfle, mouces zaune te pique li. (Le ventre enfle, les -mouches jaunes l'ont pique.)[139] - - . . . . . . . . --[_Mauritius._] - - [139] This proverb is scarcely suitable for English translation; but - the forcible and picturesque irony of it will be appreciated in M. - Baissac's explanatory note: "_Comment se l'expliquer autrement, en - dehors du mariage?_" - -331. Vide ene bouteye pour rempli laute, qui li? (Vider une bouteille -pour en remplir une autre, qu'est-ce?) - - "What's the good of emptying one bottle only to fill - another?"[140]--[_Mauritius._] - - [140] Same signification as Prov. 138. - -332. * Vie cannari ka fe bon bouillon. (Les vieux pots font les bonnes -soupes.) - - "It's the old pot that makes the good soup."--[_Martinique._] - -333. Vie coq, zene poule. (Vieux coq, jeune poule.) - - "An old cock, a young hen."--[_Mauritius._] - -334. Vole pas ainmein voue canmarade yo pote sac. (Les voleurs n'aiment -pas voir leurs camarades portant le sacs.) - - "Thieves do not like to see their comrades carrying the - bags."[141]--[_Martinique._] - - [141] Probably truer to human nature than our questionable statement - concerning "honor among thieves." Mr. Bigelow, in his contribution to - _Harper's Magazine_, cited a similar proverb in the Haytian dialect. - -335. Vous napas va montre vie zaco fere grimaces. (Vous ne montrerez pas -a un vieux singe a faire des grimaces.) - - "You can't teach an old monkey how to make - faces."[142]--[_Mauritius._] - - [142] "Teach your granny to suck eggs." - -336. Voye chein, chein voye lakhe li. (Envoyez le chien, et le chien -envoie sa queue.) - - "Send dog, and dog sends his tail."--Refers to those who obey orders - only by proxy.--[_Trinidad._] - -337. Yo ka quimbe[143] chritiens pa langue yo, bef pa cone yo. (On prend -les Chretiens par la langue, les b[oe]ufs par les cornes.) - - "Christians are known by their tongues, oxen by their horns." - (Literally, are taken by or caught by.)--[_Martinique._] - - [143] _Quimbe_ is a verb of African origin. It survives in Louisiana - Creole as _tchombe_ or _chombo_: - - _Caroline, zolie femme, - Chombo moin dans collet._ - - ["Caroline, pretty woman; put your arm about my neck!"--lit.: "take me - by the neck."] - - There are other African words used by the older colored women, such as - _macaye_, meaning to eat at all hours; and _Ouende_, of which the - sense is dubious. But the Congo verb _fifa_, to kiss; and the verbs - _souye_, to flatter; _pougale_, to abuse violently; and such nouns as - _saff_ (glutton), _yche_ or _iche_ (baby), which are preserved in - other Creole dialects, are apparently unknown in Louisiana to-day. - - In Chas. Jeannest's work, _Quatre Annees au Congo_ [Paris: - Charpentier, 1883], I find a scanty vocabulary of words in the Fiot - dialect, the native dialect of many slaves imported into Louisiana and - the West Indies. In this vocabulary the word _ouenda_ is translated by - "partir pour." I fancy it also signifies "to be absent," and that it - is synonymous with our Louisiana African-Creole _ouende_, preserved in - the song: - - _Ouende, ouende, macaya_; - Mo pas, 'barasse, _macaya_! - _Ouende, ouende, macaya_; - Mo bois bon divin, _macaya_! - _Ouende, ouende, macaya_; - Mo mange bon poule, _macaya_! - _Ouende, ouende, macaya_;..etc. - - This is one of the very few songs with a purely African refrain still - sung in New Orleans. The theme seems to be that, the master and - mistress of a house being absent, some slave is encouraging a - slave-friend to eat excessively, to "stuff himself" with wine, - chicken, etc. "They are gone, friend: eat, fill yourself; _I'm_ not a - bit ashamed; stuff yourself!--I'm drinking good wine; stuff - yourself!--I'm eating good chicken; gorge yourself," etc. Here - _ouende_ seems to mean "they are out; they are gone away,"--therefore - there is no danger. - - There is another Creole song with the same kind of double refrain, but - the meaning of the African words I have not been able to discover. - - Nicolas, Nicolas, Nicolas, ou dindin; - Nicolas, Nicolas, Nicolas marche ouaminon: - Quand li marche - _Ouarasi, ouarasa!_ - Quand li marche - _Ouarasi, ouarasa!_ - - ["Nicholas, etc., you are a turkey-cock! Nicholas walks _ouaminon_: - when he walks, it is _ouarasi, ouarasa_."] The idea is obvious enough; - viz.: that Nicholas struts like a turkey-cock; but the precise - signification of the three italicised words I have failed to learn. - -338. Yon doegt pas sa pouend pice. (Un seul doigt ne peut pas attraper -des puces.) - - "One finger can't catch fleas."--[_Martinique._] - -339. * Yon lanmain doue lave laute. (Une main doit laver l'autre.) - - "One hand must wash the other."--You must not depend upon others to - get you out of trouble.--[_Martinique._] - -340. Yon mauvais paole ka blesse plis qu'coupd'roche. (Une mauvaise -parole blesse plus qu'un coup-de-pierre.) - - "A wicked word hurts more than a blow from a stone."--[_Martinique._] - -341. Zaco malin, li-meme te montre noir coment voler. (La singe est -malin; c'est lui qui a montre au noir comment on vole.) - - "The monkey is sly; it was he that first taught the black man how to - steal."--[_Mauritius._] - -342. Zaco napas guette so laquee; li guette pour son camarade. (Le singe -ne regarde pas sa queue; il regarde celle de son voisin.) - - "Monkey never watches his own tail; he watches his - neighbor's."--[_Mauritius._] - -343. * Zaffaire ca qui sotte, chien mange dine yo. (Des choses [qui -appartiennent] aux sots les chiens font leur diner.) - - "Dogs make their dinner upon what belongs to fools."--[_Louisiana._] - -344. * Zaffe cabritt pa zaffe mouton. (L'affaire de la chevre n'est pas -l'affaire du mouton.) - - "The goat's business is not the sheep's affair."[144]--[_Martinique._] - - [144] Seems to be the same in all Creole dialects, excepting that the - rabbit is sometimes substituted for the sheep. - -345. Zaffere qui fine passe narien; laute qui pour vint qui li! -(L'affaire passee n'est rien; c'est l'affaire a venir qui est le hic.) - - "What's past is nothing; it's what's to come that's the - rub."--[_Mauritius._] - -346. Zamais bef senti so corne trop lourd. (Jamais le b[oe]uf ne sent -ses cornes trop lourdes.) - - "The ox never finds his horns too heavy to carry."--[_Mauritius._] - -347. Zames disel dire li sale. (Le sel ne dit jamais qu'il est sale.) - - "The salt never says that it is salty." True virtue never - boasts.--[_Mauritius._] - -348. Zaureille pas tini couv eti. (Les oreilles n'ont pas de -couverture.) - - "There is no covering for the ears."--[_Martinique._] - -349. Zie beke brile zie neg. (Les yeux du blanc brulent les yeux du -negre.) - - "The white man's eyes burn the negro's eyes."[145]--[_Martinique._] - - [145] _Beke_ is translated by _blanc_ in Turiault's work; but the - witty author of _Les Bambous_ writes: _Neg_ se dit pour _esclave_, et - _beke_ pour maitre. Therefore perhaps a more correct translation would - be: "The master's eyes burn the slave's eyes." The phrase recalls a - curious refrain which used to be sung by Louisiana field-hands: - - _Tout, tout, pays blanc--Danie qui commande, - Danie qui commande ca! - Danie qui commande._ - - ["All, all the country white" (white-man's country); "Daniel has so - commanded," etc.] I do not know whether the prophet Daniel is referred - to. - -350. Zie rouge pas boule savann. (Les yeux rouges ne brulent pas la -savane.) - - "Red eyes can't burn the savannah." A better translation might be: - "Red eyes can't start a prairie-fire." The meaning is that mere anger - avails nothing.[146]--[_Martinique._] - - [146] In the Guyane patois, they say: "_Ca qui gade gran boi ye kole - pa brule ye_." (_Celui qui regarde les grands bois avec des yeux - coleres ne les brule pas._) - -351. Zoure napas ena lenterement. (Les jurons n'ont pas d'enterrement.) - - "Curses don't make funerals."--[_Mauritius._] - -352. Zozo paillenqui crie la-haut, coudevent vini. (Le paille-en-cul -crie la-haut, le coup de vent vient.) - - "When the tropic-bird screams overhead, a storm-wind is - coming."--[_Mauritius._] - - - - -INDEX TO VARIOUS DIALECTS. - - - I.--PROVERBS IN THE CREOLE OF FRENCH GUYANA:--60, 223, 242, 244, 291, - 322. - - II.--IN THE CREOLE OF HAYTI:--11, 26, 47, 51, 61, 63, 77, 78, 87, 88, - 96, 100, 115, 116, 117, 120, 139, 145, 153, 172, 190, 220, 225, 226, - 239, 250, 277, 302. - - III.--IN THE CREOLE OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA:--23, 34, 40, 57, 67, - 86, 89, 90, 95, 97, 99, 107, 112, 123, 130, 134, 137, 147, 148, 157, - 159, 162, 166, 171, 185, 186, 198, 203, 204, 208, 209, 228, 235, 241, - 248, 251, 253, 264, 266, 268, 271, 282, 286, 295, 303, 305, 308, 310, - 317, 321, 323, 343. - - IV.--IN THE CREOLE OF MARTINIQUE:--1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 18, 20, 24, 28, 29, - 30, 31, 33, 36, 37, 41, 42, 43, 49, 50, 52, 56, 58, 59, 62, 66, 75, - 76, 82, 84, 85, 91, 92, 93, 94, 104, 122, 133, 149, 150, 151, 152, - 154, 160, 164, 175, 188, 189, 199, 202, 205, 206, 207, 210, 211, 213, - 222, 224, 227, 230, 237, 238, 240, 245, 252, 254, 267, 269, 270, 272, - 279, 281, 283, 288, 289, 294, 296, 298, 299, 301, 311, 312, 313, 314, - 315, 318, 319, 320, 324, 325, 328, 329, 332, 334, 337, 338, 339, 340, - 344, 348, 349, 350. - - V.--IN THE CREOLE OF MAURITIUS:--3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 16, 17, 19, 22, - 25, 32, 38, 44, 45, 46, 48, 53, 54, 55, 65, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, - 98, 101, 102, 105, 106, 108, 109, 114, 118, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, - 129, 131, 136, 138, 143, 155, 156, 161, 163, 165, 167, 168, 169, 170, - 173, 174, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 182, 183, 191, 195, 196, 197, 200, - 212, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 243, 246, 247, 249, 255, 256, 257, - 258, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 265, 273, 274, 275, 276, 278, 287, 290, - 304, 326, 327, 330, 331, 333, 335, 341, 342, 345, 346, 347, 351, 352. - - VI.--IN THE CREOLE OF TRINIDAD:--12, 13, 15, 21, 27, 35, 39, 64, 74, - 79, 80, 81, 83, 103, 110, 111, 113, 119, 121, 132, 135, 140, 141, 142, - 144, 146, 158, 181, 184, 187, 192, 193, 194, 201, 221, 229, 231, 232, - 233, 234, 236, 280, 284, 285, 292, 293, 297, 306, 307, 309, 316, 336. - - - - -INDEX TO SUBJECTS OF PROVERBS. - - - ACOMA-TREE.--1. - ADVISERS.--101, 142. - ALLIGATOR (or Crocodile).--198, 229, 293. - ARMS.--262. - ARRACK.--46, 305. - "AVOCADO."--5. - - BAG, SACK, "MACONTE."--51, 115, 288. - BAGASSE.--14. - "BALAOU."--210. - BEANS.--278. - BEARD.--10. - BED.--33, 182. - BELLY.--39, 44, 252, 253, 274, 275, 330. - BENGALEE.--290. - BIG AND LITTLE.--249, 311, 312. - BIRD.--154, 241. - BLOWS.--19. - "BONDA."--34, 49, 320. - BORROWERS.--138, 190, 331. - BROOM.--16. - BOUNDARY.--183 (note). - BUZZARDS.--228. - - "CALALOU."--220 (note). - "CALINDA."--280 (note). - CALABASH.--96, 116, 117, 297. - CANARY.--290. - CANNON.--255. - CAT.--70, 71, 72, 73, 85, 86, 151, 171, 200. - CHARACTER.--309. - CHEESE.--215. - CHEST.--260. - CHICKEN, OR HEN.--80, 125, 150, 245, 246, 247, 272, 283. - CHILDREN.--15, 48, 184, 187, 193, 242, 243, 313. - CHRISTIAN.--250, 337. - CLOTHES-PRESS.--260. - COAL.--69. - COCK.--29, 102, 129, 173, 333. - COCKROACH.--65, 283, 284. - CODFISH.--205. - COON.--133. - CONSPIRACY.--100. - CONTENTMENT.--208. - CORN.--136. - COWARD.--67, 132. - CURSES.--351. - CRAB.--75, 111, 199. - - DEVIL.--9, 82, 149, 256, 257, 259, 270. - DOG.--28, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 118, 119, 137, 152, 201, 314, - 336, 343. - DONKEY.--167, 258. - DUCK.--43, 66, 128. - DRAWERS.--113, 126. - DRUM.--61, 78, 306. - - EARS.--74, 107, 285, 348. - EATING.--45, 194, 238. - EGGS.--13, 56, 128, 129, 150, 247, 280. - ELEPHANT.--297. - EYES.--58, 183, 276, 293, 326, 350. - - FAT PEOPLE.--144. - FAULTS.--213. - FAVORS.--281, 286. - FEVER.--211. - FINE CLOTHES.--6, 23, 252, 253. - FIREFLY.--84. - FISHES.--295. - FLEAS.--328. - FLY.--11, 20, 263. - FLOUR.--65, 69. - FOOT.--33, 50, 264, 265. - FRIENDS.--127. - FROG.--34, 79, 113, 166, 293. - - GAB.--25, 27. - GIFTS.--258, 277. - GOAT.--40, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 175, 190, 206, 251, 344. - GOD.--30, 31, 257. - GODMOTHER.--237. - GOMBO.--147, 299. - GOOD ACTIONS.--42, 53. - GOOD FORTUNE.--35. - GOOSE.--43. - GUN.--255. - - HARE.--3, 191. - HEART.--58, 174, 212. - HIGHWAY.--139, 224, 226, 291. - HORSE.--94, 107, 109, 167, 204, 206, 222. - HOG.--97, 176. - HOUSEKEEPING.--32. - HUSBAND.--195, 294. - - IDLENESS.--34, 35, 140, 141, 180. - "IF-I-ONLY-KNEW."--298. - ITCH.--178. - - JEWELRY.--329. - - KICKS.--105. - KNIFE.--76, 139. - - LAGNIAPPE.--157. - "LANGOUTI."--6. - LARD.--53. - LEECH.--217. - LIANA.--218. - LIZARD.--282, 301. - - "MAN LISON."--317. - MANURE.--216. - MARRIAGE.--118, 179, 195, 196, 197, 215. - MASTER AND SLAVE.--266, 349. - MAT.--98. - MEADOWS.--21, 296, 350. - MILLET.--47. - MISERY.--162, 207. - MISFORTUNE.--192, 302. - MONEY.--125, 168, 169, 170, 307. - MONKEY.--2, 4, 5, 12, 108, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 207, 320, 323, - 335, 341, 342, 350. - MOSQUITO.--198, 214, 319. - MOTHERS.--2, 4, 5, 184, 187, 193, 242. - MOUNTAINS.--174, 212. - MOURNING.--121, 124, 134. - MOUSSA.--299 (note). - MUD.--155. - MULATTO.--204, 206, 267. - MULE.--107, 169, 324. - - NEEDLE AND THREAD.--143. - - OUANGA.--100. - OX.--20, 21, 22, 81, 160, 236, 277, 346. - - PADDLE.--6. - "PALIACA BIRDS."--177. - PANTALOONS.--292. - PARTNERSHIP.--52. - PETTICOAT.--294. - PETTICOAT STRINGS.--292. - POT OR KETTLE.--3, 8, 64, 254, 325, 332. - POVERTY.--163, 239. - PRESENT AND THE FUTURE.--310, 344. - PUDDLE.--155. - PUMPKIN.--76, 96. - - RABBIT.--40, 164. - RAGS.--145. - RAIN.--22, 81, 165, 166, 192, 352. - RAT.--85, 287, (musk-rat) 200. - RIGHT AND WRONG.--213, 240, 284. - RUNNING AWAY.--33, 103. - - SABRE.--18. - SALT.--347. - SEA.--295. - SECRETS.--296. - SERPENT, OR SNAKE.--24, 189, 269, 289, 291, 292. - SHEEP.--59, 175. - SHINGLES.--17, 156. - SHOES.--83, 223, 304. - SIGHING.--300. - SKILLET.--53. - SLEEP.--45, 98. - SLOW AND SURE.--131, 241. - SNAILS.--108, 165. - "SO MUCH THE WORSE."--308. - SPURS.--318. - SPOON.--77, 270. - SPRING.--148. - STARING.--235. - STICK.--18, 201, 209. - STRANGERS.--126. - SUGAR.--38. - SULKING.--44. - SUN.--302, 303. - SUNDAY.--95, 325. - SWEET POTATO.--271. - - TAIL.--12, 20, 36, 81, 167, 336, 342. - TALKING.--37, 74, 104, 112, 120, 135, 146, 161, 164, 202, 231, 232, - 234, 235, 244, 340. - TEETH.--30, 120, 121, 122, 194. - THANKS.--203. - "TAZARD."--210. - TIGER.--314. - TIYON.--23. - TO-DAY AND TO-MORROW.--41, 153, 210. - TONGUE.--79, 104, 161, 236. - TOO MUCH OF A THING.--228, 229, 273, 327. - TORTOISE.--99, 191, 315. - TROPIC-BIRD.--352. - TURKEY.--205. - - VALET.--36. - VETIVERIA.--156, 195. - VISITING.--77. - - WANT (AND WASTE).--41. - WAR.--158, 159. - WATER.--114, 121, 130, 131, 148. - WEEK OF FOUR THURSDAYS.--57. - WHITE MAN.--26, 349. - WOMAN.--9, 23, 48, 65, 259, 294. - WOODLICE.--116, 117. - WORK.--132, 141. - - YAM.--181. - - ZAMBA.--78. - - - - -LA CUISINE CREOLE. - - -A compilation of many original Creole and other valuable recipes -obtained from noted Southern housewives, with a number of _chefs -d'[oe]uvre_ from leading _chefs_, who have made New Orleans famous for -its cuisine. - - -Published by WILL H. COLEMAN, - -70 ASTOR HOUSE, NEW YORK. - -[Illustration] - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - -Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation have been retained. - -Footnote [38]: The last paragraph lacks a closing quote mark; this has -not been changed, since it is not clear where the quote ends. - -Prov. 139: gambette may be a misspelling of jambette (jack-knife) in -Bigelow's work. - -Prov. 177: zozos pariaca may be an error for zozos paliaca. - - -Changes made to the text: - - Footnotes have been moved to directly under the proverb they refer to. - - Obvious punctuation errors and missing punctuation have been corrected - silently. - - i.e. and i. e. have been standardised to i.e. - - Introduction: gomo file changed to gombo file - - Bibliography: Academique changed to Academique - - Prov. 4: nourish it young changed to nourish its young - - Footnote [12]: _tiyon_ the true changed to _tiyon_ is the true - - Footnote [14]: little bird does'nt changed to little bird doesn't - - Prov. 49: Ceux qui mangent ne savent pas changed to Ceux qui mangent - des [oe]ufs ne savent pas - - Prov. 54: le prix de la grasse changed to le prix de la graisse - - Prov. 82: qui le diable emporte changed to que le diable emporte - - Prov. 114: aime a boire changed to aime a boire - - Footnote [45]: _oti and outi_ changed to _oti_ and _outi_ - - Prov. 117: resister changed to resister - - Prov. 127: etrangers changed to etrangers - - Prov. 172: li rouge changed to li ronge - - Prov. 204: his mother was'nt changed to his mother wasn't - - Prov. 221: morte changed to mort - - Prov. 248: demandre changed to demander - - Prov. 253: 'evite changed to evite - - Prov. 260: les coffre changed to le coffre - - Prov. 268: Quand n'a pas changed to Quand on n'a pas - - Footnote [124]: Mousse changed to Moussa as in proverb - - Footnote [125]: _Moun_, _or moune_ changed to _Moun_, or _moune_ - - Footnote [136]: _commeree_ changed to _commerce_ - - Footnote [139]: Comment se l'expliquer autrement en dehors du mariage - changed to Comment se l'expliquer autrement, en dehors du mariage? (as - in the original text by Baissac) - - Footnote [143]: _ourasi, ouarasa_ changed to _ouarasi, ouarasa_ as in - verse - - Prov. 344: Z ffe changed to Zaffe - - Prov. 349: brule changed to brulent - - Index to Dialects, III.: 267 changed to 266; IV.: 147 and 329 - inserted; V.: 333 inserted. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of "Gombo Zhebes", by Lafcadio Hearn - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK "GOMBO ZHEBES" *** - -***** This file should be named 44866.txt or 44866.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/8/6/44866/ - -Produced by Marcia Brooks, Valerie Leduc, Hugo Voisard, -Harry Lame and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team -at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - diff --git a/44866.zip b/44866.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 7347f60..0000000 --- a/44866.zip +++ /dev/null |