loD

Gr9r
A7

ARABIC PROVERBS:
THE MANNERS

AND CUSTOMS

MODEEN EGYPTIANS,
ILLUSTRATED

CURRENT AT

FROM THEIR PROVERBIAL SAYINGS

CAIRO;

TEANSLATED AND EXPLAINED

BY THE LATE

JOHN LEWIS BUECKHARDT.

SECOND

EDITION.

LONDON
BERNARD QUARITCH,

15,

PICCADILLY.

MDCCCLXXT

GIORGIO

X LIBR

LONDON

UIBRISON AND SONS, PKINTEBS IN ORDINARY TO HER MAJESTT,

ST. martin's lane.

TRANSLATOE'S PREFACE.

Many

of the proverbial sayings translated in this

volume, were collected by Sheref ed chjn Ihn Asacl,

{sJ\

^\

is said,

Ij^) a native of Cairo,

^J\^\

a very high

literary

reputation.

found those Proverbs written upon

in the

who

lived, it

early in the last century, but never acquired

The

nme

or ten leaves

common-place book of a sheikh,

he was acquainted in this city

explanation

commentary.

or

omitted a considerable number,

translator

mth whom

but they wanted

Of those he has
many being alto-

gether uninteresting, and others so grossly indehcate

that he could, not venture to lay

pubhc, although

it

them

before the

must be acknowledged that they

Several sayings which appear to

excelled in wit.

have been popular in the time of Ibn Asad, are no

longer current

and these the translator has marked

with an asterisk.

The

original

collection

he has augmented by

some hundreds, committed to paper as he heard them

quoted

in general society or in the bdzar.

Where

the sense of a Proverb did not seem quite clear, he

TRANSLATORS TREFACE.

IV

has explained

or at least noticed tlie

it,

commonly assigned

to

as well as any peculiarity

it,

wherever the provincial idiom

of language

by many

differs

In this labour he was

from the learned Arabic.

assisted

meaning

intelligent

Arabs of

The

Cairo.

natives, in general, are so fond of figurative language

and of witty
low

life,

that these sayings are constantly quoted on

common

every

and comparisons taken from

allusions

occasion,

and express the tendency or

moral of an event much better than could be done

Many

by a long or flowery speech.

and sometimes the rhymes are ex-

are rhythmical,

tremely happy

and

sacrificed

but the drollery

is

lost in a plain

which has been rendered as

translation,
possible,

of these sayings

in

which the true sense has never been

They are written

elegance.

to

as

literal

in

the

vulgar dialect of Cairo, such as every inhabitant

understands and every one uses, except perhaps a

few who

affect to despise the

classes.

These Proverbs

language of the lower

offer a

genuine specimen of

the Arabic at present spoken in the Egyptian capital,

and the same, or very nearly the same, as that used

in the

towns of the Delta.

These sayings are

us

how

the Arabs judge of

this respect

dictated by

sayings and

here

useful, as

it

they serve to show

men and

things,

and

must be acknowledged that many

wisdom and

maxims

naturalized

in

are

Several Scrijotural

sagacity.

of ancient sages will be found

among Arabs

as

well

as

some

TRANSLATORS PREFACE.

Proverbs which have generally been supposed of

European

origin.

Meidani has collected many sayings that were

current
liant

among the

period

language

of

ancient Arabs at the most bril-

their

social

and

state

but the present collection

of

their

our

offers to

view a different nation and different manners

also exhibits in

and alludes

some places an adulterated

to vices

known among
means

so

corrupted

as

imagined, and that the

of friendship

honour,

little

the forefathers of the Egyptians.

various

It

not by any

have

travellers

principles

and true

is

it

dialect,

which were probably but

proves, however, that the language

of virtue

charity,

and

of inde-

pendence and generosity, are perfectly well known

to the

modern inhabitants of Egypt, although very

few among them take the trouble of regulating their

conduct accordingly.

The number of nine hundred and ninety-nine

Proverbs might easily have been augmented by one,

but the translator refrains from completing the thousand, adopting here a notion prevalent

that even

numbers are unlucky, and that any thing

perfect in its quantity

evil eye.

among Arabs,

He

is

particularly affected

by the

does not pretend to possess such a

thorough knowledge of the learned Arabic as would

have enabled him

to indicate

every instance of dis-

crepancy between the language of these popular

sayings

and

that

used

by

the

ancient

Arabian

NOTE OF THE EDITOR.

VI

writers.

His long
o residence at Cairo rendered the

vulgar idiom of

him

inhabitants familiar to

its

and

knowing how few specimens of that idiom have

hitherto been published, he flatters himself with the

hope that this

collection

may

interest

and gratify

the Orientalist, and that his explanations will be

regarded as the hasty work of a traveller subject to

numerous inconveniences, and who may,

cases,

in

some

have been deceived by erroneous or defective

and

information,

not

criticised

the

as

treatise of a learned Arabic scholar or

surrounded by

elaborate

grammarian,

the means of making his com-

all

position perfect.

CAIRO,

2hth of March, 1817.

NOTE OF THE EDITOR.

To Burckhardt's short Preface a few lines must here be added.

accompHshed traveller has suflSciently explained his

That

motives for withholding from publication several Proverbs which

had found a place

that

the

contain

Editor

even

so

in his original collection.

should

many

publish (nine hundred

is

account
as

why

It

this

seems necessary

volume does

not

Burckhardt evidently intended to

and ninety-nine).

The numerical

series

interrupted in various parts of the manuscript, not by any

accidental injury, mutilation, or loss of leaves, but

which amount

in

some instances

to

by chasms,

whole decades of Proverbs

the most considerable deficiency occurring where (in the middle

VU

NOTE OF THE EDITOR.

of a page) immediately after No. 516 follows No. 577.

omissions

from the
1

may

writez''s

mistake of one figure for another

No. 516 so much resembles a

of

the 5 by a stroke of the pen at

7,

upper

its

collected

of

also be

original information

all

who

may have

offers a variety

respecting

the

customs, and opinions of an extraordinary people

philological remarks

manners,
while his

must prove highly useful and interesting

are desirous

of

for

which our

to

danger, or inconvenience, he

and explained these Proverbs, his work

curious and

might

made

Under whatever circum-

ingenious traveller has above alluded.

stances of

part,) that it

those inconvenient circumstances

diflBculty,

in fact the

(being nearly joined to

Some allowance must

easily deceive the eye.

the effect of

These

unreasonably be sui^posecl to have arisen

not

understanding-, with

critical

to

accuracy,

the modern Arabic dialect used at Cairo.

In the composition of this work, as of his volumes already

published, he adopted the language of our country, and generally

with

sufficient correctness

it

has been, however,

in

some

places,

necessary to substitute an EngUsh for a foreign idiom, Burck-

meaning beiug on

hardt's

served

even where

all

occasions most scrupulously pre-

his translation of certain

terms or phrases

(which the Arabic scholar will soon discover) appeared more

literal

than decent,

it

has been endeavoured by circumlocution to

express the sense without offending delicacy.

These and the

omission of a few Proverbs (found to agree most exactly both in

words

and

signification

with others

numbers) constitute the only

by the

liberties

given

under

preceding

which have been assumed

Editor.

WILLIAM OUSELEY.
London,

May

21st, 1830.

Erratum .Proverb No.

138.

lor ci;U read

c^^U

AEABIC PEOVERBS

MODERN

EGYPTIANS,

i_asi

No.

1.

thousand raps at the door, hut no salute or

invitation

This

is

from

ivithin.

said of a person's fruitless endeavours to

become intimate with another.

2.

(Let them strike or slap) a thousand nechs, hut not

mine.

Among
(liji)

the Arabs

and not the

ears.

it is

usual to strike the neck

blow on the neck

is

con-

ARABIC PROVERBS.

sidered a

much

greater affront than a slap on the

Not only the

face.

the neck,

Thus

is

neck, but a blow struck

expressed in the

Egyptian dialect

upon
by Ui.

" I struck

him a blow on his neck," (Uj <tu^)

is exactly equivalent in its meaning to the English
phrase, " I boxed his ears."
3.

thousand cranes in the air are not worth one

sparrow in

The crane

^^

is

the fist.

a bird

common

in the Delta,

Lake of Menzaleh. i_J^ prothe "hand," or "palm of the hand ;"

particularly about the

perly signifies

but in Egypt

is

generally used for the "

fist."

4.

If

the

moon

he ivith thee, thou needest not to care

about the stars.

5.

If a worthless felloiv he with

else

thee,

do not

one luorse will come

let

him

go, or

to thee.

The general meaning is, that we should bear

present ills rather than, by endeavouring to remove
them,

expose ourselves to greater.

This saying

ARABIC PROVERBS.

quoted with respect to servants, whose

often

is

dishonesty and insolence are subjects of universal

The word

complaint throughout Egypt.

common
let it

in

acceptation signifies ''to leave a thing, to

The word

go out of one's hands."

Egypt

in

i-_->-^.^.

used

u*^ is

to express a low, disorderly, unprincipled

character

base, worthless fellow.

6.
i-uJ^l

If

JU-

^_j^,

^)}

luuiil

the turbans complaiyi

he the state

This proverb

murmur

is

^_JSJij

>A^\

of a slight ivind, what must

mner

of the

draivei^s f

quoted when the citizens of Cairo

^JLi\

much

at oppression, the peasants having

greater reason for being discontented.

u::^!^ Ijl

in the

Egyptian

plural of (jwU, drawers

dialect

worn

used

for

'L^\ flatus,

^
i^l

aLJ],

under the great trowsers.

7.

^\j^\

If my husband

J^

JLj\

^\j ^^j

consent, ivhy should the

\^\

kadhys

inter-

ference be necessary.

This means in general that

when two

parties

who

have contended agree to be reconciled, the arbitration

of a third person

more

is

not requisite.

But the saying

particularly alludes to divorces,

cases are determined

Egyptian

dialect,

by the kadhy.

signifies

the

interference of a third person.

which

J^

many
in the

meddling, officious

AEABIC PROVERBS.

8.

jjiob

If thou forgettest

to

say "Praise he

other ivords
Tills

is

L::.-^-^

Jk/i^kwl

iJ-A)

\j\

to

thou 'pray

ivilt

addressed to persons

God"

in ivhat

who

neglect the

principal object or part of their business,

and execute

only that which

J^^^ means

the expression

is

<dl

the least important.

^^a^S,

which commences the Fateha,

and should be recited

the Egyptian dialect for

or first chapter of the Koran,

in every prayer.

(^

t^V-

iJlj\j

in

The Egyptians always put

verb in interrogations, as
Syrians invariably place

it

this after the

^^J^ ^whilst the

before, and say
^^J^ lAi^'*
^jLA)

9.

If thy neighbour

dislike thee,

change the gate of thy

house.

The intimacy with neighbours is much greater in

the East than in Europe and the repose of a family
often depends upon the harmony subsisting between
it and those who occupy the adjoining house.
;

10.

If thy neighhour shaves (somebody), do thou soak

head of the person whom he shaves).

Always endeavour

(the

to act agreeably to the wishes

ARABIC PROVERBS.
Jjo to wet,

of thy neighbour.

meaning here

to

wet

the head with a lather of soap before the application

of a razor.
11.

If God proposes

the destruction of

wings

to

grow upon

an

ant, he allows

her.

The sudden elevation of persons to stations above

their means or capacities, may often cause their ruin.
12.

^
If thou

seest

Xi\ j^s. jf.\

>-:^;\;

\^\

a one-eyed person pass

hy,

turn up a

stone.

The people of Cairo turn up a stone or break a

water-jar behind the back of any person whom they
dislike, just

on his leaving them, hoping thereby to

prevent his return

this is a

kind of incantation.

The term one-eyed here expresses a person disagreeThe Arabs regard a one-eyed
able on any account.
man as of bad omen ((*-ij), and nobody wishes to
meet him.
13.
l^Irsr

If thou

seest

^^ u3j^ JyA'* W*" '---V.J

a tcall mclining, run from under
'"^^

Fly from him whose power

dangers threaten.

used for k>U-.

is

tottering, or

In the Egyptian dialect

it.

whom

Lj.*-

is

ARABIC PROVERBS.

14.
^\^4'\

If

^^.

^ ^\

JP\ ^/^

^*j-\

number,

the dishes increase in

that they are from the houses

it

'^\

becomes hiown

of neighbours.

In the East, neighbours frequently supply the

wants of their
feasts.

friend's kitchen

on occasion of family

when a person makes

This saying implies that

too expensive an entertainment,

it is

evident that he

has borrowed from others.

means not only

^^ (in the plural J\)\)

a colour," but, among the Egyptians,

"

a dish of dressed victuals.

15.

i.^}\

If

the sailors

cL>jj^

L::-^yi

become

L:j\y^\

too

CL)j:^ \j\

numerous, the ship

instead of Luy^.

The lu

is

sinks.

seldom pro-

nounced in Egypt.
16.

If a serpent

love thee, luear

him as a necMace.

show affection towards thee,

by the most polite attention.

If dangerous people

court their friendship

17.
j\,*j>~

,^As>-

J-4^ J^snJl

If thy camel break down,

ijut

j^^

\>^\

on an ass-load.

Suit thy business to thy circumstances.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

18.
^Lsn.--j

^Ji\^

Sj^jmL*

aS'jJl

j^z\ J^Ull
J (j!^'^ ^ji^^

^^

\J\

If the winding-sheet he ragged, and the corpse-washer

one-eyed, and the hier broken, and the hurialgrou7id a saltish soil, then truly the deceased
must belong to the inhabitants of hell.
If everything in a person's business goes wrong,

he must be totally ruined at

last.

stand or frame on which the

coffin rests before it is

removed

<i^j

is

properly a

to the grave.
19.

If mendicity should unfortunately

be thy

lot,

knock at

the large gates only.

Ask

assistance from those only

power of helping

who have the

thee.
20.

If an onion causes his loud rejoicings, what then

we say to sugar f
Said of people

shall

who bestow admiration upon triffing

objects.

21.

C>1^\,

If they

J^jJ^ JU2- l^^^i^ iJl

call thee reaper,

whet thy scythe.

Endeavour, even by mere appearances, to con-

ARABIC PROVERBS.
vince people that thou deservest the reputation that

thou enjoy est.

22.

If

ivater is ijvesentfor ablution, the use of

sand

is

discontinued.

Affluence renders unnecessary what

during poverty.

^^<>J1

is

is

practised

the abhition with sand

which the Turkish law prescribes when water cannot

be procured.
23.

When the angels present themselves,

the devils abscond.

24.
j_jiL^\

If the ivind

J.^w>

blows,

lucky person

is

J^t> ^^^^
it

^'^^

^^-r^

enters at every crevice.

fortunate in the most trifhng

jylij plural of jJ^, a fissure in the wall.

affair,

25.

t_iy^

If

^jj\j\\

c-yl

^Ji

d.^.^\

^ji^^ t_>Jj3

there be grease on thy hand, ruh

it

J^

^^^

off at thy

nearest friend's.

Let your own kmdred, and not strangers, share

in your superfluities, or the fragments from your

ARABIC PROVERBS.
sA

table.

is

used at Cairo for

there eed, not yed, as

It

and pronounced

Jo

ought to

be.

26.

^\

<^s:b

If thou

seest

<UauJ

JLc-\

ajulj

Mm reproaching and

\3\

swearing at him,

hnoio that he loves him.

De

amatorlbus

dlcltur.

commonly used

c_,uj Is

at Cairo for reviling, calling opprobrious names, or

swearing at a person.
27/"-

c-CU-j

If

the water

^.::^^ c-iCJu^

come

like

J-1

^li_jL

U\ U-

\3\

a deluge, place thy son under

thy feet.

Save

thyself,

even at the expense of thy nearest

kindred or friends
the Levant.

selfish principle

very general in

According to Moslim tradition, when the

deluge came and the rebel sons of

Noah

approach their ankles, they took their

in their arms

when the water

felt

the water

little

children

rose higher, they

placed them upon their shoulders, then upon their

heads

but at

last,

when

own mouths, they put

the flood reached to their

the children under their feet, en-

deavouring to keep their

own heads above the

water.

28.-"'

The

who understands his husiness does not

from his own quarter (of the town).

thief

j\^\, able, clever, expert.

steal

ABABIC PROVERBS.

10

29.

iU]!

At

JJ^\

^1

the close of the night the cries are heard.

This sajdng

good fortune,

addressed to persons exulting in

is

to

may have

night

^j

warn them of the

The

final issue.

passed tranquilly, but at the end

by drunkards,
jDrofligates coming from the houses of pubhc women,
or by robbers, who generally commit depredations at

affrays often happen, occasioned either

that time,

when they suppose the inhabitants

be

to

asleep.

30.

The ultimate remedy

is

cautery.

If nothing else will avail, violent measures

be at

must

last adopted.

31.

The nuptials are

the nuptials of our father, yet the

peo2)le fight with us.

Those who have the strongest claim find themselves dispossessed of the advantage by others.
This
saying alludes to a crowd of fellows

who have

sembled at a nuptial entertainment, but beat

displace the bridegroom's children, to

themselves.

as-

and

make room

for

ARABIC PROVERBS.

11

32.

The pregnant woman longed for it, hut

the nurse ate

it.

This proverb resembles in sense tbat immediately

preceding.

The whims

women are treated

of pregnant

with indulgence in the East as well as in Europe.

33.
J.OJ Jjo tX^lj Ujj J i__a^ u_2^ <^^V. ij;^^^^^

The miller takes (steals) handful by handful, hut the

Lord takes {sums up his reckoniiig) mule (load)
by mule
Jci^b

rally

in

(load).

Egypt used

pronounced as

for

j^ri-b

^the

J being gene-

J.

34.

Rather be scarified

ivith

an axe than require favours

from

others.

might likewise mean a

thing, or
(as hereafter remarked), and so understood would signify, *' better to be scarified with an
axe than to owe or be indebted to others for anything."
Lol^^ means cupping, also^to make mere
a^lLl for -UIs-^L

It

scarifications

on the forehead or legs

practice in the Levant.

father threatening

liis

you do so we

cup (or

shall

Among

common

the Bedouins, a

son, says, tC^s:\^s:U ilUi

scarify) you."

^Jl

"if

ARABIC PROVERBS.

12

35.

The

cai^tain {of the ship) loves thee, luipe thy

on the

He who

is

hand

sail.

may do any

favoured by government

thing with impunity.

36.

(Yes)

like

she should

my

mother-in-law,

make a

and I

like also that

{disgusting) smell

under

my

nose {crepitum reddendo).

This refers to a
sists in
it is

silly,

obstinate fellow,

longing for what offends others.

who

per-

In the East

generally supposed that a mother-in-law cannot

long be on good terms with the son-in-law, and her

name

commonly used as a term expressing "disagreeable kindred."

Here is to be understood
is

37/'

Play ivith a

Low

slave,

he will show

to thee his

people become insolent

famHiarity,

is

if

hinder parts.

you admit them to

equivalent to jA)

or rather to

ARABIC PROVERBS.

13

38.
i]l\

Jljj

^Lli

l^^lA\

u4 splinter entered the

<U-^

jJ

jji\

t.::-^^

sound eye of a one-eyed person.

" / ivish you good night,'' said he.

He

fancied that night

who judge

to those

had

arrived.

This refers

the world merely by their

and suppose that every one must

sensations,

own

feel as

il^ in the Egyptian dialect, signifies any

they do.

small piece of wood, straw, &c.

39.'"

He

is

hump-backed, yet whirls about.

tJjLlj properly expresses those " tours

de force

by a rope dancer in wheeling round

whole body with the head forwards.
practised

"

his

40.

He
^yj^\

is blind,

^^J^

and

still

L^^, o^

ogles the

ci^^^. is

women.

commonly used

Cairo to describe the glances which a

man

at

passing in

the street directs towards the shutters, behind which

the

women

sit.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

14

41.-"-

/^

^0

if

Aee

speak,

my

{fair) neighbour

hut truly

thou art an ass.

This

said of dull persons, unable to

is

A man conversing with

a slight hint.

comprehend

his

own

wife,

was desirous of giving a hint to his neighbour's wife,

whom he was the gallant, and who overheard the
conversation but she did not understand him, and
of

he in a rage used the words above quoted.

42.
'ixJ^

If

L^

u?J

i'jJ^_j!l

happen

the midivife

^jS:A

^Jy

'iS\d^\

CjIss-

^\

have more commiseration

to

{for the child) than the mother, that

is

a corrupt

feeling.

The humane
little avail, if
'i>J\^\

ii-jo-

intentions of inferior officers are of

the spirit of government be unmerciful.

the midwife.

may

^d

used

Egypt

for i_?j^.

likewise be translated " affection."

43.^'^

IAjc-._^

V^jJ

ijl;!^^

C::^ikljJ3

{Jmj\

Whatever the halfhlind wife cooJcs for her husband,

he sups on it.

Custom

reconciles us to

bad

living.

^Ji^ half-

ARABIC PROVERBS.

15

(The Egyptians frequently use the

blind, sore-eyed.
"

hlindness to thy eyes^' t5^^

imprecation,

lA^ )

The L-j of ^<^ is according to the Egyptian dialect,

and often prefixed to verbs but stiU more commonly
;

in Syria

What

is

than in Egypt.

in the cauldron

is

taken out with the hitchen

spoon.

Every
and
to

its

own

affair requires its

own

brmg

people to

it

peculiar treatment,

to a conclusion

many
'^J^\

^\

used in Egypt for ^^JJU

significations

is

it

also,

mode must be

obtain information, the proper

adopted.

here means

^Ik> has

" to take out."

the great kitchen ladle or wooden spoon.

45.

The lazy person has no

The Egyptians pronounce

loo,

aj

legs.

as if

it

were written

instead of saying lahoo.

46.

The burial

is

attended by crowds of people, the

deceased is a dog.

Alluding to great honours bestowed on persons

not worthy of them.
funeral

when it is

" hot

L^[s>~
;" i.e.,

signifies

a burial or

attended by multitudes.

ARABIC PROVEUBS.

16

47.

Play

false coin until thou gettest a diwdny.

ivith

^^-alLo is the

old clipped silver or copper coin,

The Egyptians more generally

likewise false coin.

use Jxj or uJyj to express false money.

To

the same as pdrd.

gain, begin

Diivdny

is

humbly.

48.

The fine pullet

The

pullets

shotvs its excellence

most

from

the egg.

likely to thrive are those

cry from the very egg.

This

which

likewise expressed

is

by the saying
The words

^ji and

(SJj^::^

are synonymous.

49.-"'^

L^jy
The world

is

^jj\ h\r^ W"^^

a mirror ; show

thyself in

it,

and

it

will

reflect thy image.

We may also translate thus

(i.e.,

be frank with the

see its

image

" (i.e.,

peoj3le),

" show thyself in

and

it will let

it

thee

people will be frank with thee).

This meaning would be more clearly expressed by

the words
dialect

^*uA3

h\^

is

l-^Ij^'j

(CJu

used for l\^.

1$jjj^.

In the Egyptian

ARABIC PROVERBS.

17

50.

From

the aszer (or afternoon)

cqypears ivhether the

it

night will be clear.

This (like No.

48)

means that a person gives

indications of his future virtues from early youth.

is

much used among the Egyptians

for

d:^]j.

51.

Tie a turhan of straiv round thy head, hut do not

forget thy engagements.

Play the

fool as

much

as thou wilt, but observe

thy promises and engagements.

Ljju1

straw from which baskets are made.

them
"to

like turbans

tie

ribbands of

Idiots fasten

about their heads.

c^"^,

signifies

a turban."
52.

The hasty and

the tardy meet at the ferry.

Extremes often meet

ferries

hss.,<

a ferry-boat.

The

wait a long time on the banks of the Nile,

until the

complement of passengers be

full.

53.

T'ooha hears the

name, hut

This alludes to the

cold of

tiie

the deeds belong to

common

Emshyr.

saying, h^\s jy

Tooba," which in Egypt

is

"the

applied to any

ARABIC PROVERBS.

lb

considerable degree of cold.

Tooba

is

the Coptic

month comprehending the greater part of January

but the coldest month in Egypt, although it has not
the character of being so, is Emshyr, the month next
:

after Tooba.

54.
c o ^

From

the

mother s

efforts in labour, ive expected the

birth of

" Parturiunt

a male

montes,

child.

nascitur

ridiculus

mus."

Sons are much more desired than daughters throughout the East.

jiL "the labour of a

woman

in child-

bed."
55.-'^

Work

(ivere it only) for

the profits
cLs-

"

often

single grain,

and reckon up

of him who does nothing.

means "a

not even the smallest

trifle."

Thus

it is said,

lo-

trifle."

56.

If thou find her, cut her veil in tvjo. " The object is
now tofnd the chance of meeting her," he replied.
It is not sufficient to

must favour us
veil,

form projects, circumstances

in executing them.

^^jA

generally of black silk or cotton.

a woman's
JL is

here

ARABIC PROVERBS.
put

for Jjlill

"now,
J^'uiJl

In the Egyptian dialect

Jli'.

above

for once,

all."

ijjtii

literally, " the gathering

separated

19

"in

ij^j

means

my

turn."

together

what

is

or as here, " to cause or find a meeting."

;"

The expression

J,/uLll

nothing more than

^U

i>',.jJl

often

signifies

"if, if!"

57.

/ best

my

knoiv the sun of

Every one knows best

his

oivn country.

own

afiairs,

and those

interested in them.
58.

The Zalahye

^Jij

is

{a dish)

forbidden

to the dogs.^

The higher classes only can enjoy certain pleasures.

are round cakes made of flour, butter, and

sugar

not

much

in fashion of late at Cairo.

59."

The needy

is

the brother of the cuckold.

The needy husband connives

at the dishonourable

The term ^{jj

Cuckolds and
(cuckold) is no longer used at Cairo.
procurers are generally comprised under the same
earnings

appellation
insult

unfaithful

of his

^jj^ .j^o

which

is

wife.

the

common

expression of

among the Egyptians, and heard on every

occasion.

Equivalent to f^jx^ are the words

^\^'i

and

ARABIC PROVERBS.

20

60.

The

On

the

(luJLAri-)

a beauty in

beetle is

is

markable

infatuation

the eyes of its mother.

of

The

parents.

beetle

by the present Egyptians as reugliness. They use ,-4^ in the sense

cited

for its

of "handsome."

61.

Work, though thy gain be merely the

sit {idle)

This alludes to the

lighted,

paras

and which

every night.

oil,

rather than

at home.

oil

with which lamps are

least two
To express that a man is

costs each family at

reduced to abject poverty, the Egyptians say, "he

has not as

much

as

would pay

for

the

oil."

^^xc

62.

Gain

ivpoyi dirt

Endeavour

rather than

to gain in

lose in brilliant concerns.

signify

loss

upon mush.

low pursuits rather than

L^Jl is used in Egypt to

"loss;" but the term i?^L^

quently employed.

is

more

fre-

ARABIC PROVERBS.

21

63.

//* ^Ae

house he relieved

no other
This relates

truding
(called

J-.ii')

{the 2)^^esence of)

Sayd^

come from afar.

ivill

general to importunate and in-

iii

Sayd was one of

visitors.

who

from

in former times

tliose j)arasites

were established as

a regular corporation at Cairo, and became a plague

who gave

They have their

chief or sheikh, and obtruded their company at every
private feast, unless they were induced by a present
to all

entertainments.

to depart from the house.

64.

The wise

ivith

a wink,
to

the fool tvith

kick {are taught

understand).
65.

Follow the owl, she will lead thee

On

to

a ruined place.

the consequences of bad company.

constant use

among the Egyptians,

i^^^.

signifying

in

"to

carry," " to lead," " to transport."

The fly knows

the face

of the

milk-'seller.

This proverb chiefly refers to the dancing

girls.

ABABIC PROVERBS.

22
wlio,

when they

are brought for the

amusement of

company, pay attention particularly to those whom

they soon discover to be the most inclined towards
them.

The

devil does not destroy his (oivn) house.

68.

The

devil

On
religion,

knows

his Lord, hut

still

who understands

a person

practises

the precepts of

but never acts according to them.

Egyptian

dialect,

for

tji^^Lku

evil.

cUAio^^

In the

"to practise

foul deeds," " to intrigue," or " embroil."

69.

The Sultan

is

reviled in his absence {only).

70.

To us belong

the house,

This expresses that

that

it

is

our

own

and

we

affair

the talking {therein).

are here sole masters, or

exclusively.

^-^^.^^^

for

ARABIC PROVERBS.

23

71/"'

The public ivoman

ivho is liberal {of her favours) j does

not wish for a p>vocuress.

A
bad
in

thorough scoundrel wants no inducement to

actions.

Egypt

IS\^3

for

a^i commonly used

a procuress,

an unchaste female or prostitute.

72."'

Jj^^ll

'j~i^J

The people concerned in

(J^y'^'l

J^-^i

the nuptials long for the broth.

Those nearest to wealth are often prevented from

'

enjoying

verb

it

it

is

the great enjoy the least.

In this pro-

supposed that the guests devour

meat of the nuptial

feast,

leaving the

all

the

members of

the family to long even for the broth.

73.

Mingle thy

Drown your

soi^roiv with Zebijbe.

griefs in pleasures.

4-^j is a preparation from the flower of hemp, opium, and honey,

excessively intoxicating.
classes
is
is

and peasants.

It is used

among

the lower*

In Hedjaz this flower of hemp

mixed with raisins (called Zehyb) and tobacco, and

smoked in the Persian j^ipe from which mixture

the

name

of

Zebybe has probably been derived.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

24

74.

upon the camel, or upon

camel-driver, or upon the owner of the camel.

(T/ie misfortune) falls either

the

This expresses that

he

if

a person be once unlucky,

unfortunate in every

is

thing,

whether with

respect to his family or his business.

75.-'-

'i.^l\

jSi ^^^

Light a candle

if*-*-^*

''^*'^^

lAH?

search for a ichole iceek

find something worth a

On
white

shells

The

thou wilt

are small

lz^_^

brought from the Red Sea, which serve

of mangal.

^i::^>

bird picks

little

'^y

shell.

fruitless or childish exertions.

as playthings for children,

game

^'-*^

its

and

as counters in the

used in Egypt for

breast, icliile the

^^^ilj'

sjwrtsman

sets his net.

The word j^i*^

properly a sparrow,

used to express any small bird.

sense means

to pick the

of a child.

The birds

vermin

leisure.

is

off the

head or body

in performing that operation

upon themselves always appear

In Egypt it is said of a person
that he

^J^^\

often

is

in the original

to be

much

,^Ul)

^j[^ to express

pleased.

in a thoughtless state of security or

(Jlf stands for J^-ci " he does

;"

happy

and

is

an

ARABIC PROVERBS.
auxiliary verb in constant use.)

nifying " to fry a piece of

meat

25

Jji-v. pi'operly sig-

in the

pan

;"

here

means, " to turn the ends of the net-strings in the

is

turned with a spoon in

To live single rather than have

ill-natured companions.

sportsman's hand, as meat

the frying-pan."

s-

7sr'

They stood in need of

Jew

the

day, said he,

is

(to assist

them)

this

my feast-day.

Addressed to persons unwilhng to serve or

oblige.

thousand lovers rather than one Mostahel.

Many lovers or gallants cause less shame to a

woman than one Mostahel. According to the Moslim
law a person who has once divorced his wife cannot
re-marry her, until she has been married to some
other

man who becomes

her legitimate husband,

and divorces her the

which the first husband may
his wife.
Such cases are of

cohabits with her for one night,

next morning

after

again possess her as

frequent occurrence

as

men

often divorce their wives

in the haste of anger

by the simple expression

E

ARABIC PROVERBS.

26
eJouiJi?

regam
rate)

which

In order to

cannot be retracted.

his wife a

some peasant,

man

hires (at no inconsiderable

whom

he chooses from the ughest

that can be found in the streets

but who must

engage effectually to consummate the nuptials.

temporary husband of this kind

and

is

is

called Mostahel,

generally most disgusting to the wife.

80.

Aj]

What

ti

^;lii^

^^

^^^^^

the ant collects in the course

the

monk

^^if-^^

^\

of a ivhole year,

eats iq^ in one night.

JJl for ^JJl

81.

^m
What

On

l.Lv

U-i^

does heaven care for the

cities

of the dogs?

the indifference of government to the com-

plaints of the lower classes.

"be

J^" u^}

attentive to

:"

thus

JIjo

it is said,

"to care for"

u-^SIj

^o

" take

care."

82.-"

The smallest stock of pi^ovisions supports

(the traveller

back) to his home,

Cii^\

is

or country.

often employed, as here, for one's

home

ARABIC PROVERBS.

27

83.

A secret

confided

to

him may he regarded as

if it were

[published) in the house of the police officers.

jyi

whose house
known.
everJ private transaction becomes
is

the chief

officer of police, in

84.

He gave
This
^tij is

him

relates

the sheep's ear {for his share).

to

unjust

used in Egypt for

or

unequal

divisions.

^ Jl
85.

J^^

^\j^\ iLs^p-b

He

gave him the vinegar

to

!i\x^\

drink upon the tvings of

flies.

He

the most artful and

devised

ignominious

methods of slowly tormenting him.

86.

He

let

him

This proverb

is

see the stars in day-time.

exclusively applied to those

who

from stinginess keep their own people in such a

state of

hunger that they become

object seems black to their eyes.

faint,

and every

AEABIC PROVERBS.

28

87.

When

the

monhey

reigns,

dance before him.

88.

7%e captain (of the

ship)

means one

ivay, the sailor

another.

Of a person who

gives such an answer as does

c-jLo-

not relate to the question asked.

here in its usual sense, of " account,"

or

^jj

uJLjb

" meaning."
-.jm'i

Thus

it

is

is

not used

but stands

said

^\

for

t::,,^.^^-

" I meant to go there."

89.

i/' ^Ae erc?e6 {of

present

when

corn) does not belong

it is

will be dusted,

removing of

Do

measured out

and

to thee, be

(else)

not

thy beard

thou wilt be ivearied with the

it.

not trouble thyself about the business of

others, else thou wilt repent

it.

^'^j\

the Egyptian

corn-measure, equal to about fifteen bushels.

90.

The

clever

and

tvanis no one to set

active valet

him

right.

The lazy only require

spurs.

{J^\j^\

in Eg3rpt

ARABIC PROVERBS.
signifies the valet

clothes

29

who keeps his master's

chief among his servants,

de chambre,

and keys,

is

the

and generally his confidant. The Egyptians use the

word jUf< to express a man who is lazy hunself and
The Mogonly occupied in the affairs of others.
"
In Egypt ^Ui
spurs."
grebyns give this name to
denotes one who is both active and clever in his
business.

91.

clever spinster spins ivith

an

ass's

foot (as her

distaff).

Of

those

who do much with

small means.

92.

The walls have

ears.

J\^\\ for J\3/\

93.

He

who introduces himself hetiveen

the onion

and

the

peel, does 7iot go forth ivithout its strong smell.

On

the

people.

21^

smell."

consequences
is

of intimacy with bad

used in Egypt for ''stink" or ''bad

ARABIC PROVERBS.

30

94.

(Even) the entrails in the belly quarrel together.

On

family broils.
95.

Feed

the

mouth, the eye

ivill

he bashful.

Give presents to great people and they will be

ashamed not
saying

is

to look

very

upon you with kindness.

common

This

at Cairo.
96.

He

sells his

_jIJ1

friend more easily than the brethren of

Joseph sold him.

signifies at Cairo

one

who abandons

his old

friends for new, on the slightest prospect of gain.

The history of Joseph

is

very finely told

the

Koran.
97.

{He

is)

more greedy than Ashab.

m.
^.^

O ^J

greater liar than Moseylama.

These two sayings relate to Ashab and Moseylama,

ancient Arabs

(the

latter

a false prophet)


ARABIC PROVERBS.

31

remarkable for the vices here imputed

to

them.

These personages are noticed in the following

verses

Thou gavest me thy 23ledge

so that

In my greedy hopes Iivent

(to

I helieved

thy abode)

People

will say,

it to

he true.

and turned back.

and I should meet,

''here is Moseylama
and that

society thou

If in

fine

is

Ashab!'

99.

Folloio the liar to the gate of his house.

To

ascertain

whether he has spoken truth.

used in Egypt for

c-jIj

c_>U

J1
100.-"-

What does

the ivolfcare if the sheep-fold be destroyed f

^Ikj the

same

as

c_-;;i

woLf.

101.

Gay

or expensive fashions {adopted

consist in the Tikhe

and

hut) concealed

the Tdk.ye.

Said of hypocrites or timid persons

who declaim

ARABIC PROVERBS.

32

against gay fashions, but secretly indulge in tliem.

El

TikJce is

sasli of silk or

muslin, often embroidered,

with which the trowsers of

men and women

closely tied about the loins, while it remains

El Tdkye

under the garments.

are

hidden

a white

signifies

cambric bonnet or cap, frequently embroidered, that

is

worn

close to the

head under the red bonnet or

Tai'hosh.
In the Egyptian dialect 'ij>^\ means
" high gaiety," " fashion," " liberality," " heartiness,"

The words

"jollity."

common
their
affect

j^^^^

and

ijjjkxc

are

being applied also to low people,

very

who

in

and among their own acquaintances

Those who do not
to be smart and dashing.
station

wish or who fear to make themselves too conspicuous

by an open display of gay fashions, console themselves

by having these two hidden articles of costly materials
and expensive workmanship. Both the Tikhe and
the Tdkye are

among the

by a lady

sent

subject for

first

to her lover.

many

tokens of affection

The

TikTce

affords

jokes in gay conversation.

102.

What can I

think of thy good qualities,

onion

as

every hite draws tears f

Said of
onion.

and

men who

Here

is

in this respect are like the

to be understood,

stands for

^'A

ARABIC PROVERBS.

33

103.

They saw a drunhard reading

they said,

and

[the

Koran).

Sing,

both thy occupations will resemble

each other.
If the verb

^jiu

understood as ^\^\\

stand by

often to be

itself, it is

]yb

104.
(3J.

ij:>-

'^j^

i_s*^

u::--ccJ5

Tfthou shoiddest prove a virtuous ivoman, hang a jar

on
I shall

ear.

submit to pain and ridicule

continue virtuous.
free-born

my

Sjr^

virtuous,

if

" as

the

woman

becomes a

woman."
105.

iPf) the slave (take) either thejirst or the

last.

Beware of the pains that must be taken with a

half-bred man.
Purchase the slave either when he
is quite young and raw, so that he may be educated
as you please
or when he is full grown and all his
good or bad qualities can be discovered.
;

106.

We

bought

him

{the jackass) to

turn the plaster (of

Paris) mill; but he proved Jit only for the corn mill.

On

disappomted expectations,

ij^^-^

gypsum, or
F

ARABIC PROVERBS,

34
plaster of Paris.
to turn the
mill.
its

It requires

heavy gypsum

Almost every

own

mill

which

much

mill,

respectcible

is

greater strength

than a common corn

house at Cairo has

worked by a jackass.
107.

A
This

is

&c.,

said

Such

names.

name without a body

as

of persons
s^s^\

,j-.us-

but whose characters

[or reality).

who

bear honourable

dillj^ ^JU
little

^iiu.3-0

answer to their

names.
108.

Lending

is

rimious

There

is

{to

lenders

and

a similar proverb

borrowers).
:

Lending nurses enmity.

in the

(-_aL>

Egyptian

dialect,

" to

advance or

lend money."
109.

Work

thou,

unfortunate person, for this idle

Sybarite.

^^^/^^

cushions
luxury.

one

who

sits

at ease reclining

and, in general, the idle

upon

his

who enjoy every

ARABIC PROVERBS.

35

110.

The mother of the coward does not grieve {for him).

She has no cause to grieve

one who never

for

exposes himself to danger.

111.
cU:s^a!1

\,::^^j.

If the harlot

'^i^-Aj

^\

repent, she becomes

Similar to this proverb

is

a procuress.

the following

112.

Thou art

hut the luasherman {of the dead), yet thou

wilt insure {him) Paradise.

On

the airs of patronage or protection assumed

by those who possess not any influence

or authority

whatever.
113.

If

the rose come, tve

depart,

We

eat

ive

and drink near

do not regret

court the friendship of those

wards leave with

indifference.

it; if

it

it.

whom we

after-

This proverb alludes

to the Eastern custom of having feasts and collations

in gardens during the season of roses.
for ^jc^

^^

is

here


36

ARABIC PROVERBS.
t

114.

The father

house)

home

is

is

lover {of

mother

the

puzzled how

some one not in his own

jealous

is

the

daughter at

to act.

115.

God grant

us not any neighbour

luith tivo eyes.

It is better that our neighbours should be halfblind.

116.

He

ivho steals

what does he care about

the asses,

selling each of

them even for one derhem f

117."

An honourable man

is

honomxible, even though mishaps

shoidd befall him.

j>. signifies here " virtuous," or " honourable," as

above

(in

No. 104).

tion at Cairo

is

Of

this proverb the pronuncia-

as follows

El horr horr

Wa low messoo edclorr,

the ow in low having the sound of

word

owl.

oiu in

the English

ARABIC PROVERBS.

37

118."

The inconsiderate

Some

is the first to lose {or

nearest

to loss).

robbers attacked a house, and the owner

was forced to give them a hundred pieces of coin

all base money, the robbers were
;

but these being

detected in the bazar, where they went to

purchases.

One

of

them on

way

his

make

to the scaffold,

passed by the house of the person robbed, and re-

proached him for his cunning

]sju*^

i-::-J1

"

but the

man

thou art the inconsiderate person

which words gave origin to

this proverb.

common

iSl^j^\

phrase at Cairo,

have foolishly or inconsiderately

^^^\
lost

thus,

^^\

cl^j^j

\j\

There
^^:^\sji

is

:"

"I

such a thing."

The people of Upper Egypt use the word

sapae sense

repHed,

jJj in the

this is probably

a corruption of the verb j3j or jSj.

119.-"-

The tongue

is the neclcs

Bad language is retorted upon

who uses it, with a blow.

enemy.
the neck of him

120.

To have patience

ivith

a friend rather than

for

lose

him

ever.

In the dialect of Cairo

many terms

are used in

ARABIC PROVERBS.

38

the sense of " friend."

of friends

then

superlative

is

L_-^a-U

follows

denotes the
or

^-.-s^

l_,>:s^^

first class

and

the

J^.Jv-^.

121.

To haul

the rope is

Every one

Here

business.
ij^sn.11

incumbent upon the boatmen.

and should

has,
is

The word

know,

to be understood

jA^I

j^lx.

own

his
d;^j&i

JA^^

the rope by which boats

is

are dragged along the shore of the Nile against the

stream.

'ij\

:s^\

boatmen who pull the

are the

rope,

or peasants hired for that purpose.

122.

i^sT ^

(^,^s. Hall

The com passes from hand

j^S)^

to

^/Wil^

hand, but comes at

last

to the mill.

However he may turn

caught or

fall

into the

or shift, he will at last be

hands of

his

enemy.

123.

^M
Throw him

<L2

jJ

into the river

j-i^,

r^r^^

and he

ivill

^rri}^

rise with

a Jish

in his mouth.

Said of a lucky or highly fortunate person.

is

here put

throughout

The term jsr expresses

Egypt the Nile or J-Jl jsr The

for j:s^J^
all

j-^s^'-H

ARABIC PROVERBS.
i

often added to nouns

(as in

39

K^J)

not only marks

the feminine gender, but shows precisely that the

noun
bird

is

singular

thus lyu a single cow,

but in common conversation the

'ijJb

is

a single

frequently

added without any particular meaning.

124 *

Advance or lend
him

hion (money),
;

tJioic

and play

or joke ivith

wilt lose by him.

Jocularity with a debtor often causes the loss of

the money due.

125.

Improve or

correct thy intentions (preserve

conscience)

and

clea.r

sleep (ivithout fear) in the desert.

126.

He

bought for one derhem some dates;

and has

noiu

his 2:>alm-trees in the village.

Said of boasters

this

man

wishes

others

to

believe that the dates which, he purchased were the

produce of his own

trees.

In Egypt

it

is

generally

considered by the peasants as an honoiu' to possess

date trees, because they mostly belong to ancient


ARABIC PROVERBS.

40

and cannot

families

meaning

is

easily be purchased.

the proverb

Of

similar

Let him wJio owns one herdt of the mare, mount her.

Fine horses and valuable mares are shared among

different proprietors, each of

number
animal

whom

possesses a certain

of the twenty-four kerdts

is

which the

into

supposed to be divided.

127.-^'

Debts cause both cheeks

to

become black.

Debts are a constant shame. ^^^

is

(Moslim)
it

^^^-^

or j^\\

j1^-j

the distinguishing colour of wicked persons on the

means

Day

of Judgment.

" shame."

In

The father says

the friend to his companion,

blacken

my

common

face" "do not

let

^-^.

discourse

to his son, or

j^-

" do not

thy behaviour prove

a cause of shame to me."

128.

He

falls

more frequently

{or inore easily)

than flies

fall into honey.

here used as the comparative of _jj an

form
often employed by the Egyptians.
irregular
It

^^\

is

is

equivalent in meaning to

c^jj jJ^\

ARABIC PROVERBS.

41

129.

The one-eyed person

is

a beauty

country of the

in the

blind.

130.

Whither can

the

sun

retire from the bleachers"^

This alludes to persons

who cannot

elude the

The bleachers

pursuit of their importunate cHents.

are constantly watching for the sun, that they

spread out their cloth or yarn.

Egypt,

may

in the dialect of

.Lai

is " a bleacher."

131."
'iyi\j^\

CJ>^-J1

^J=^

The foreign hand destroys

j^\s.

signifies

"^^

"^W^*^^

the well-conditioned houses.

both " populous

"

and "

in a

good

state of repair or cultivation."

132.

They

7net

a inonkey making

ivater in

a mosque, "Dost
Lord may

thou not fearj' said they, " that the

transform or metamorphose thee

replied he, ("

he ivere

to

(" Indeed,")

should fear that p>unishment) if

change

me

into

a Gazelle."

This refers to conceited persons.

Gazelles and

ARABIC PROVERBS.

42

monkies, according to Eastern nations, represent the

extremes of beauty and ugliness. uXsa-u^^

God metamorphose
of insult

to

is

change thee into a dog or a hog

ji,jj^

j\

^^

Here

is

"May

is a common expression
frequently added, " may he

thee

which

i^\

!"

!"

ujCk\.-^

<dll

lJ'ustU

to be understood' ^\

133.

Custom

is ctjifth

nature.

Arabian physiologists divide the human character

into four natural classes
bilious

(c/j^/t-tf),

the choleric

the melancholy

(t_?jUt>),

(^/^b^-:),

the

and the

phlegmatic (^^b).

134.-"

l%e

Z>ac/

neighbour sees only what enters

not ivhat goes out [from

He
gains,

he

is

your

keeps an account of

what

(the house),

it).

his

neighbour

but not of what he expends in charity

i.e.,

bluid to your good qualities and only notices

defects.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

43

^_^

Ul^

135.
<W-=^j

<^j

'"t/*"

^'<=

'^'V

After he had mounted, he put his legs in motio?i

excite the

When

man

is

animal that he

[to

7'ode).

once firmly established in power,

he begins to oppress and tyrannize.

136.'"

After he had attained

to

Isldm, he affected to he a

Sherif
Success renders a

man

bold.

137.-"

miserable Bedouin
thi'own aivay.

"

found a date
Whither

shall

{that

had

been)

go," said

he,

{" to eat it in safety ?")

Trifles

become treasures

to the poor,

not used by the Egyptians in

"ulcerated," but generally to
pitiable."

They

also use ^j'

its

Hteral

j-jy^

is

meaning

express ''miserable,

for^ "a

dry date."

ARABIC PROVERBS.

44

138.
c-'l^

'ijixi]

Ijfc^il)

'ijJL.^

Lc

i^xj

After they had ravished her, she called out

to

the

watchmen.

On
sJlc.

the hypocrisy of prudes.

watchmen stationed

^.jjLc.

in the plural

in different quarters of the

town.
139.

The village saint

signifies a

J^l^j

Egypt abounds with

known

are well

is

a clever impostor.

Hving saint or half-mad man.

fellows of this description,

to be vile impostors.

usual acceptation

of

the word,

*^J^

who

in the

means the open

country and villages between Cairo and the Mediterranean Sea.

jLc

in the

Egyptian

dialect, a clever

active thief, an impostor.

140.'-

She sold

the

lamp and bought a curtain

doings in the bed chamber).

" is

[to

hide her

" That," said one,

a scandal under ajine appearance."

" scandal."

Thus (J^^ " they make a

public scandal of me."
The word <x-)/^ is likewise
ijL^ ^.w^sr- "finely exused in the same sense.
ILfSjb

plained, giving a

good external appearance."

45

ARABIC PROVERBS.
141.

*.C^

^<Ci^.
a4/7;e?^ /ie

and

^ac? eaten

said,

When
parage

'^^.j^^

it.

''

J^

^^'^

ivas reclining

J^^

^*

on the

^V
sofa, he

thy bread has a smell of mastick."

he had fully enjoyed

\^'\

"

it

he began to

dis-

he reclined," as people after dinner,

upon sofa-cushions, when coffee is presented to them.

j^Ju-x in the Egyptian dialect signifies " bread."
142.

Our tovm
This

is

is hut small, ive all hioiv

said

each other.

when an acquaintance meditates some

fraud or deception.

143.

Instead of v:alking upon kabkdbs, take the rags off

thy heels.

Provide for the necessaries of

enjoy the luxuries.
Jj^ Kabkabs

are stilts or

five inches high,

baths,

and the

JUj

life

before you

in the Egyptian dialect for

wooden

slippers, four or

upon which the women walk

in the

ladies of genteel rank in their houses.

These latter have their kabkabs ornamented with

various sorts of silver tassels, and inlaid with mother
of pearl,

rag

;"

i.'^^^

is

used by the Egyptians

also for " a vile slut."

for " a

"

ARABIC PROVERBS.

46

144.

She has cm offensive

breath, yet presses

get

On

forward

to

kiss.

the ill-founded pretensions of people.

145.'"

{That

is)

a had exchange,

{like giving)

a j^aivn for a

bishop.

saying derived from the

game

of chess.

146.

Betiueen

Hdnd and Band

This proverb owes

its

our beards were

origm to a story resembling

one which La Fontaine has related.

were the wives of an elderly

Hana and Bana

man one

his grey hairs, the other his black,

almost
{l:l>jJ

(ut!'*

and so

left

him

Bana, used merely because they sound

alike

cl^j^),

foolish

plucked out

In Egypt there are other terms, like

without any.

Hana and

lost.

''

he went

Khirt

to

Birt

"

which means that he travelled upon a

errand
iJir^)'

thus

or

" he

went

ii^ipljing that

business, or else that he

to

Hersh Mersh

he did not succeed in his

was placed

in a state of

mortification or disgrace,

which might be expressed

the English saying, "

he was sent to Coventry."

by

(Other words without any Hteral

significatioYi

used

ARABIC PROVERBS.
in this

manner, will occur hereafter.)

be remarked that

many

47
It

may

here

facetious stories long current

in Europe, are of Arabian origin.

147.

(Like) the lamentation of

separatio

This

Adam

on his departure or

from Paradise.

said of unavailing grief, chiefly of lamen-

is

tation for the deceased.

148.

She went

to

sleep hungry, {although) her

husband

is

haher.

Those nearest to plenty sometimes experience

want.

^^.^

in

Egypt used

for ^^^U-

149.

In a town

ivhere thou knoivest nohody,

thou

do ivhatever

nicest.

Most people are ashamed only of those by whom

Here is to be understood jJj
they are known.

150.

house

from which

thou eatest, do not

destruction.

pray for

its

ARABIC PROVERBS.

48

151.

ivell

from which

thou drinhest, throw not a stone

into

it.

152.

Roast them only, do not

Too violent measures cause us

them.

to lose the

in small iron pans, according to the Eastern

these pans are called

do," &c.

all

custom
is

of the

it

means

events," "nothing more," "this will

at other times

particle, or

The word ^^
and much used

I^zaj^^^

Syrian or Egyptian dialect

"only," "at

expected

the roasting of coffee-beans

^-.^^rs^ signifies

profits,

hum

it

is

merely a superfluous

an expletive without meaning, annexed

to

some phrase.
153.

Selling

and

buying,

and nothing

tijjon the hoai^d.

Equivalent to the saying, "great cry and

wool."

&^

pedlars

who walk about

goods for

or iiJJ?

is

little

a round board on which the

the streets expose their

sale.

154.

(Like)

a hawk over a scare-crow

(i.e.,

flying about

To designate a person of meddling

it).

disposition,

ARABIC PROVERBS.

49

who never remains a moment quiet.

ticular sort of scare-crow^ made of

jUi

is

a par-

thin pieces of

wood, and used in the gardens about Cairo.

'bil

^j^

155.

He

left off

sinning, hut never ashed forgiveness.

Said in allusion to those

if

who think

it sufficient

they discontinue their bad actions, but never

atonement or sohcit pardon

for

make

those they have

already committed.
156.

harlot repented for one night.

offbcer," she

harlots

exclaimed,

''

to

" Is there no police

take

up or lay hold of

Those who have been sinners themselves are often

the least indulgent towards others

and on the

slightest repentance they claim the privilege of rigid

virtue.

to

<u^

(phu-al c-jU^*) the

express a harlot

or

public

term used at Cairo

woman,

^j

is

an

^\^\ the chief police officer at Cairo.

also entitled exclusively " El Aga."

exclamation.

He

is

AH ABIC

50

TROVERP.S.

157.
kiiJl

Come,

A
is

1^ yiO'

t_?J

us circumcise the

let

in this

Icalijt

crowd.

proverb ironically expressing that this

is

not

or place for a business in question.

the proper time

kJj

^Iki ^Ji\

a person suffering from certain tumours which

sometimes

affect

even children at Cairo

and which

would render the operation of circumcision extremely

Kalyt among the vulgar

tedious and troublesome.

is

a nickname frequently applied.

158.

Come, {my dear,)

any (more)

luithout

down ujwn

quarrelling,

sit

this pelisse.

Said in ridicule of the means employed by a

husband
for

t^-jj&

to coax his wife into

In the EgyjDtian dialect

"complaint," "quarrel."

another

good humour.

may

sit

upon

it

is

iJjrJ

^^

signifies

To spread a pelisse that

a mark of great respect

and attention.
159.

The falcon dies and

his eye is

{still)

ttpon the seizure

{of his prey).

The tyrant continues a tyrant

Ll^x^

to his last breath.

an ash-grey falcon of the

smaller

species,

ARABIC PROVERBS.

common throughout Egypt and

51

Syria.

idksnJl

constantly employed to express the carrying

is

i^_fii2;>-

the

The verb

action of seizing or carrying off prey.

plunder by soldiers from peasants and shop-

off

keepers.
160.

Thou

kindlest the flame,

and

criest

"Jhe."

161.

It

may

he afljve

on the morrow

he ashes.

it ivill

Violent passions easily subside.

162.

Thou

Thou

tahest from the sore-footed his sandal.

ruinest the

man

completely.

not only "bare-footed," but one

who

ijl^

means

has the sole of

his foot sore from walking.

163.

Thou

On
perly

used

hissest thy lover,

and

tear est out his teeth.

the greediness of bad women.

means "a
for "

a lover

rival;"
:"

but in Egypt

it signifies

iC;*^^^ prois

generally

also at Cairo a partner

at the chess or backgauunuii board.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

52

164.

Thou

Psalms

readest the

to

the inhabitants of the

tomhs.

Thou doest what nobody else does. The Psalms

are seldom read by Moslims, because they assert that
the Christians have interpolated them
yet they
acknowledge that David was inspired by heaven
when he composed and sung them. Nobody thinks,
;

however, of reading or reciting to the dead.

165.

They behaved

poor honest people until they

like

ivere

firmly established.

On

the

artful

system of

\yLjx^ from the word

" poor

" or

^'

t:,nCw<5

Eastern governors.

which means not only

humble," but also

from

probably arising

"

honest

;"

the circumstance

a sense
that

Eastern countries poor people only are honest.

in
It

sometimes implies likewise a reproach of stupidity

thus {j\L,^

''

J^b

a poor, honest

for a reason similar to

one

but

is

the former

fool,"
;

and perhaps

because here no

ever blamed for cheating or deceiving others,

for allowing himself to

be cheated.

Few who

have talents and cunning condescend to be honest

so that honesty

among poor

is

fools.

rather depreciated, or found only

ARABIC PROVERBS.

53

166.
ij j,:j&

He

lays

>^~}^A

L_--ik)'

^Ji^^

round eggs and asks for young turkeys

2) 1 'oceed fi'om

On

(^j

J j^s.<

them)

unreasonable expectations.

The turkey egg

while the pigeon egg (here meant)

is oval,

(to

is

nearly

round.

167.

Wind and
"

When

sea combat
ive shall

two

"this

have the

time," said the ships,

ivorst

of

it."

contend for the government, the

subjects are most to be pitied.
^_y in the Egyptian
dialect

means "for

"for once

There

rivals

is

it

also a saying

this time it has

or "

we

Lj^

once," "this time."

has fallen upon us

li-.U

come ujjon

shall be gainers."

;" i.e.,

^z^^^

{i.e.,

I' .3

the misfortune.

u:-^^ iJJ

us,"

c;:-^xj.

"for once or
the goodhap,)

used in Egypt for

168.

The ivind

hloivs

On untoward
" to run

motion.

;"

it

as the sailors do not wish.

circumstances in general.

oyr'

implies also any other kind of rapid

ARABIC PROVERBS.

54

169.

Under

this {fine)

he-goat

apparel a he-goat

(ij^'-')

of a stupid clown.
goat,"

is

is,

{is

hidden).

among Arabs, the emblem

lt-^^ " be

fj^'J

silent,

thou

a phrase often heard in the bazars.

170.

The crown of a good disposition

'ij^-a

in

humility.

the Egyptian dialect does not merely

what is manly, but

what belongs to the
general "good disposition," "kindness," "zeal."

signify
in

is

<,

It is said of a person ^j^ c-^s^U

serviceable to others," "

business."

who

Sj^ u^j^^< (^V*

''who likes to be

is

honestly zealous in his

\^

^ U) " a cold egotist."

^\

171.

horroived cloaJc does not keep one ivarm.

We

best enjoy

what

is

our

own

property.

vXKABTC PROVERBS.

55

172.

The ox that ploughs

not to he muzzled.

is

This was a precept of the Jewish law.

ronomy XXV,

We

4.

whom we employ
iv'^Ui

must necessarily trust to those

any business, f^'*^. comes from

in

made

a muzzle

of ropes, closely tied to the

mouths of oxen, camels, and other

their grazing

along the road

See Deute-

the
;

prevent

cattle, to

of strangers in passing

fields

for there are

not in Egypt any

inclosures.

173.

Three

{jpersons)

if they unite against

ruin

toivn will

it.

The smallest number of evil-disposed persons,

united, can work considerable mischief.

if

weU

174.
*^.

His gown

t^- \j^^
is

J^

full of holes

"rf^

cT*

is

A;y for

hand

at

likes.

sometimes an advantage, as

freedom of action.

'^.y.

he thrusts out his

ivhatever place he

Poverty

Jj^^

it

insures

^.-y

175.-i^jJi\

oJkl

Jli jJJj

^oi^j

ti

*jU

^<1p>-

^j^

i^cLc

^jL^J

serpent \ipon a dung-cake ivas sivimming in a diriij

ARABIC PROVERBS.

56

pond.

Some one

this filthy spectator''

Jl

or

cattle-dung are called

l\s>^

^5jJ

for

A common

^i-Ai)

term

great serpent

is

" nothing suits

jyond better than this ship of dirt

this stinking

and

said, (indeed,)

the serpent).

The dried cakes

tJ-^c^

of

used as fuel in the East.

for " serpent

called

wise given to the

{i.e.,

^K^^L^

Egypt is
and this name
"

in

'Ls^

is like-

eel.

j-s;al^

^j^

176.''^

The oppression of Turhs, rather than

the justice

of

Arabs.

By

the term Arabs are here meant the Bedouins,

who, in the

Mammelouk

times,

most grievously op-

pressed the open country of Egypt.

themselves often

call their

a term they use more

and

all

nation exclusively " Arab,"

frequently than " Bedou

\'

who are not of Arab tribes,

by the appellation of Hadhary or
which with them are terms of reproach or

other Arabians,

they distinguish
Fellah,

The Bedouins

contempt.

ARABIC PROVEEBS.

57

177.^'

The tyranny of

the cat, rather (or is better) than the

justice of the mouse.

The mouse bears a much worse character

East than in the

West

in the

"wily, insidious, rapacious,"

Mice are

are the gentlest epithets applied to her.

certainly a great nuisance in Egypt,

where the open

country (as well as every town) abounds with them

to such a degree, that I

have known instances of

families being actually driven

from their homes by

the numbers and rapaciousness of the mice and rats,

j^

that spared neither victuals nor furniture,

nifies

sig-

"unjust, violent, oppressive behaviour."

178.
aJu:

I came

to

JjU

k-.Ll

utter

found

^\^

'>-^}j

^-^\

^-^^--^iPr

an imprecation against him, and

the wall inclininfj over him:

It is unnecessary to revile a person

crushed by universal opprobrium.

clining over him,"

"ready to

fall

who

a^U

already

is

J.'U

"in-

upon him."

179.

The fool has

The
comes

fool

first

his

answer on

the

answers without

into his mind,

^^^

edge ^f his tongue.

reflection,

whatever

here means "a

1

fool,"

ARABIC PROVERBS.

58

The following verse

not merely "vile or bad."

is

quoted on the same subject

The tongue of the wise is in his heart,

The heart of the fool is in his mouth.
180.

Silence
Au.

cijl^l

is the {best)

answer

means likewise

to the

stupid.

'*to leave

him

alone."

"leave him alone" is a common expression,

signifying " neither speak to him nor meddle with
A:^

u:^X^l

him."
181.

He
He

came

to the

impious

to

blaspheme.

did what was superfluous, because

all

liis

companions did the same.

With a

the Arabs say J-^U- J^-^^

" a (second) receipt for

what has already been

settled,"

similar

meaning

or equally super-

fluous actions.
182.

The lamb came

to

teach

its

father hoiv

to feed.

183.
l^L>-j

Theu came

X*^Aia!l
to

'JLJs^

l-iLH

J-^

shoe the horses of the

then stretched out

On

^^^^^^

Fashd ;

its leg {to

V^the beetle

be shod).

ridiculous pretensions.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

59

184.
l__5,-J

The camel crouches

U-^^
cloiim

f^?"*

on

cJ"^^

the

place of another

camel.

This

said

is

when one

great dignitary dies and

In travelling,

another immediately takes his place.

the places where the camels repose on the evening

from

distinguished

are

station

siuToundrng

the

country, and caravans usually halt at the same spots.

185/"-

ivell is

not to he filled ivith deiv.

when trifling presents are offered

powerful person who is known to be greedy.
This

is

said

to a

186.

/ came
his

to the

amused in
head and fright-

scahhy-headed {^person)

company

he uncovered his

he

to

ened me.
Friendship ceases
is

when a

person's real character

known.
187.

count the waves of the sea he erred (in

" There are {at all events) more
the reckoning).

One came

to

coming than going" he said.

On

paltry expedients

to

conceal

ignorance or

ARABIC PROVERBS.

60
negligence.
is

The expression cuWi^l

^\ clA^\^

likewise often used to console a person for

disap23ointment,
is lost,

and then

it

means

but another will present

Egyptian

dialect for

"

some

one opportunity

itself."

CL-jl-^^s^in

the

ci-^V.^s^

188.

They came

his

to

milk the goat

he hr

ke nd.
iv

The stupid clown disappoints those who require

services.
\j>- used in Egypt for yU189.

The

ej^'orts

of the poor

The poor can only weep

others,

are, his tears.

for

the misfortunes of

but are not able to alleviate them

this is a

frequent apology for withholding assistance.

190.

Thy neighbour

We

is

thy teacher.

learn from our companions.

191.

{Like) the

hanger of

the louse

upon

the

head of

the

scabby.
Is said

when

a person in affluence pleads poverty.

61

ARABIC PROVERBS.
192.""

Grief came

The

afflicted

SU.

Ji\

CL?J^::<:

to

U-

j^^W

converse with grief.

cannot console the

afflicted.

193.''

(Like) the burial of

a stranger, no one goes before and

no one behind him.

This

is

said of a person

who

without the regret of any one.

stood as

J^r^l

li]j}

retires
ii\jj

^ is

from

office

to be under-

194.'''

^j^jD

The

'^-^^

(J--

\^

^JCr*-

{intercession of the) soldier loas not accepted, he

{then) sent the soldiers

cap

{to intercede for him).

If the patronage of the master cannot serve, that

of the servant can be of httle avail.

In Egypt ^^'-^

implies a horse soldier, in opposition to a foot soldier

or lj/-^^^

The

term

"to send."

for

Egyptians use ^-1 as the common

j^^J^ is the

high woollen or fur

cap worn by the horsemen, called dely or delaty.

195.

A paradise
Said of a beautiful

in which hogs feed.

woman whose husband

is

ugly.

ABABIC PBOVEBBS.

62

196.

me

Ignorance that supports

I must

ivhich

Rather take from the

is

better than ivisdoni

support.

fool,

than give to the wise.

197.

Thou art more ignorant even than thou art impious.

"thy ignorance is stronger than thy

impiety." The wordyl^ is a very common term of
insult among the Moslim Egyptians themselves, and
means, v^^hen ajDplied by one of them to another,
Verbatim

''

impious."

198.

The camel has

and

his projects,

the

camel driver has

his projects.

The

interests of the governor

are never alike.

<-i)

is

and the governed

here to be understood as

199.'"-

jd-jj

Sit

^Ji'"^

down

J'^'

^^

'

'^y.

^-^^-^^

wlieu thou art taken by the hojid

u^^^

and when

ARABIC PROVERBS.
thou receivest presents

and

63

not ivhen they lay

hold of thy leg and drag thee (away).

Visit only where thou art welcome.
to the expression t>ouj

With

respect

j.^^ some remarks shall be

offered hereafter.

'Un u_j^

200.

Is

thy

mother-in-law quarrelsome

Divorce her

daughter.

Cut up the

evil

by the

root.

The mother and

daughter will leave thy house together.

201.

[In truth)

my

lover is

a Jine fellow, and he wears a

st)-aiv

turban.

Said in derision of a ridiculous spark,

tie,"

and

" to

wear a turban."

of dry reeds in

which

^tx)

*^ are the mats

" to

made

packed the charcoal sent to

Cairo from the country about Thebes.
is

ARABIC PROVERBS.

64

202.

she has no coivs

Afflicted, because

she twisted her

hair into a whip.

Said of one

who

consoles himself for the

enjoyments by mere phantasms,

aili^

is

want of
a whip

made

of date-leaves, with which the peasants drive

their

oxen in ploughing or drawing at the water-

mills

it is

likewise called

not be confounded with

have so translated
of the head;
it

is

"

but

it

Ijdii

^:>~j

The word

^^

or "hair," although I

this latter

'ijtJii

means the

must

" hair

those hairs which in the East

usual to shave off or remove by a depilatory,

although the slovenly peasant- women often allow

them

to

grow

for

months.
203.-^''

Afflicted at having no house, she bought

and some

Of the same

a broomstick

oil.

signification as the proverb

imme-

diately preceding.
204.

Aggrieved because she had no

eyes, she purchased,

looking-glass for two derhems.

Of

the same import,

^.^^--c

for

S1^.c

ARABIC PROVERBS.

65

'

205.

In our account we reckoned

scorpion; hut the " erha

and the
erbayn" was not 'in

the serpent

lua

our reckoning.

We

have not taken proper precautions against

is

" erha, iva erhayn "

The

the most dangerous enemy.

a small spider-like insect, which

forty-four feet,

whence

derives

it

reputed extremely venomous.

said to have

is

its

name.

It is

never happened to

see one,

206.

They milked a monkey

"

manner.

from

(one

drew hack

she

a surly

in

The milk," said they, " which comes

that

ivith)

face

is

(surely)

had

stuff:'

The wretch who with

refuses to assist others

honour on himself,

will

by a

affectation

service that

and oorrimace
would

never do any good.

reflect

^^iiO

in

the Egyptian dialect means " to draw back sulkily,"

or like a prude or coquette, if
near.

^\js^

not only signifies

bidden," but in

common

any one approach too

"

unlawful

" or

speech, " worthless."

" for-


ARABIC PROVERBS.

Q6

207.

Anger without power

If a person

he

become angry with another

inferior in strength,

is

blow,

ajl^^

a blow ready.

{is)

in the

may

he

Egyptian

as well as "stupidity."

whom

expect to receive a

dialect signifies "anger,"

It is said, Ai^

became angry with him."

irU-

is

^jU> equivalent to

"

Ijlj

i.::,^.A^>ssr

"1

" official power,

influence, importance, patronage derived

or wealth."

to

from rank

a blow on the

neck/'

208.

Loose

me from

pillar to pillar

perchance

it

may

cause liberation.

Loose

my

chains from one pillar, and fasten

them

to another, said a prisoner, perhaps in so doing I

eflect

my release.

This

signifies, that

may

the unfortunate

grasp at the most trifling circumstance in hopes of

Among

relief.

other meanings

ance, relief, return of

circumstances.

implies deliver-

good luck, an opening to happier

In this sense

and when Arabs pray

God

is

for deliverance

styled

-ly

from misfor-

tunes they always address him by this name, and say

^V^

V.

The expression ^y

manner
the best

<Li

to console a person,
!'

is

often used in like

and then means " hope

ARABIC PROVERBS.

Q7

209.

storm in the

shoiJ

of a glass-dealer.

Signifying that a thing

is

quite

out of place.

-.U-j a dealer in glass-ware.

210.

He

put him

into the basket of

Meloukhye

he came

out of the basket of Bddenjdn.

Said of one

who

is

continually running about and

seen almost at the same time in different parts of the

The Meloulchye

town, always in great haste.

corchorus olitorius, a favourite vegetable

Bddenjdn, the egg-plant,

Egyptians.

is

among the
is

likewise

much esteemed by them,

211.

^,jj

^=:l.^

^$^*t**^

On

of

l^

'^*rlj*'

house, she

made a

the hole (in

which she

lived).

livery

the ridiculous attempts of poor people to

imitate the great,

means a

1,1

had no

Afflicted because she

stable

)iJ

or to appear rich.

'Lxj

for Lju

" hole,"

derision this

more particularly foramen ani. In

term is applied to a small dirty place

where poor persons hve.

Ljjj a public stable wherein

cows are kept in the town at that season when the

open country is inundated. Similar stables are found
in every quarter of the town,

and the cows kept

therein furnish Cairo with milk during the inundation.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

68

212.

i2<^6

against a

/oa/'

no doubt of

loaf,

its

crumbs

{coming forth).

Set two

men

of equal powers against each other,

their true character will appear from that experiment.

213.

Remove
This

is

the gate of thy stable to another side.

generally said on averting the danger of

the evil eye.

(^*^^),

If a house

is

reputed of

evil

omen

the owner usually walls up the gate, and

opens one at another

side,

by which he hopes

to

avert the baneful consequences of the evil eye of

his

enemies.

JjJatfl

(or

Jjda-j^)

is

the

origin

of

" stabulum," a stable.

214.

Sireet of tongue (but) of far dista^it beneficence.

Said of a hypocrite.
21.5.

We

thought that there were

men

in the desert.

Said of persons whose cowardice has disappointed

our expectations,
sense of

i^.^^^-^

is

"thinking;" thus

thought thou lovedst me."

often employed in the

^j-^

u_C^

l::->-w..^

"I

69

ARABIC PROVERBS.
216.
i-i-Jt*a!\

[Like] the

4^^*^^

L5^

government of

(*^

the strong over the weak.

Applied to unjust oppressions in private

life.

217.

virtuous

woman had

patience

{ivith

her husband),

her house flourished {or continued well peopled).

cu^

means here "to be peopled/' or to

continue inhabited by all its inmates in opposition to
ci^jci. [f^ words which would have been used if her
husband had divorced her and she had left the house
is^^\

here

is

to be understood ej,^^

^\

i"-^

218.

Your

talking

In spite of

hut our house

is fine,

all

your

complying with your

fine

is

far

reasoning I

desire,

in

Egypt synonymously with

is

used instead of

ci^'^r*-

is

distant.

am

far

often used

as the verb

/il^

from

(JL?Jcs.^j

*K::j

219.^

Crook-backed, limping, her right

Denoting a

woman
in the

afflicted

Egyptian

hand

tremhling.

with every kind of

means one.
who labours under a tremor produced by extreme

misery.

^Ili

dialect,

ARABIC PROVERBS.

70

because
Instead of ^j^^ it ought to be <J.'-aj
feminine but the Egyptians very often con-

debility.
Jo

is

found the genders.

understood here as

may, however, be possibly

It

s^'^

i^^j^\

^'^.

c;-*

220.
- ^

3fay

the ulcer {of the

Franks) love

thee,

and

the

Lord

hate thee.

Addressed to a hypocritical enemy who assures

us of his friendship,
lJLs^\

\j\

and

" I

says,

The word t-,^^

love thee,"

here put for

is

or

t_,.,osa]l

" the ulcer of the Frank," or " the French

^Jsrj^\

disease."

221.

May
An

her envier stumble over her hair.

imprecation against the

rival of a

woman.

j^'J

in the

enemy

or jealous

Egyptian dialect

See above, No. 202, for a remark on

*jO'

means,

"may

iyt-i

for

It

he be unlucky whenever he approaches

her."

222.

single grain

Where two
very

makes

the balance heavier.

parties of equal

power contend, a

slight accession of strength

question in favour of one.

Ji-ii'

for

will

JxU

decide the

ARABIC PROVERBS.

71

223.

She

is

with child,

and nurses a

child,

and has four

(children) before her.

On

affluence of riches.

224.

The

[bi'oken)

pots are put

to

the

account of the

retailer.

Great people make the poor pay

that befall them.

and

j\^s

jars of earth."

for the

mishaps
" pots

in the

Egyptian dialect

It is

to be understood here

The name of j^j^^^ is given to those

J^^\
carry the earthenware upon their heads about

fji,yuSX\

who

If

any

them should break, those who carry them

are

the streets, on account of the manufacturers.

of

responsible to their principals.

225.

The dream of

the cat

is all

about the mice.

226.

[Like)

dry reeds and

{still)

keeps

company

ivith the

fire.

Most

likely to suffer

from the calamity yet im-

prudently exposing himself to

it.

Ixl^ is the

arundo


ARABIC PROVERBS.

72

that grows particularly

epigeios,

in

Upper Egypt

in districts which are not regularly inundated

poor people use

j^U^j

as fuel.

it

is

the

the Egyptian

The lower classes frequently

pronounce the ^ like ^ Thus they say j^s. l::^<^j\
and aj {jj^^sr
also i'r-as^.o for 'ij^x^
for ^ lx)j\
pronunciation of

-i^Uj

for

for

is^-^j

i.::-^^

l::.-^*>-j

likewise

but the same people pronounce the

t::^-t>

in other

words when

it is

for

c:-n^c

strongly

placed at the beginning or

end of them.

227.-'-

Thy

beloved

is

the object that thou lovest, ivere

it

even

a monkey.

Love

is

'\^\

blind.

^j^

228.

The
Such
Li\^ is

best

is

taken

food

is

that ivhich fills the belly.

the true though not the

here for the

literal

meaning.

whole of the intestines. J^>-

*'to reach, to arrive at, to hit, to fulfil one's purpose,

to satiate."

ARABIC PROVERBS.

73

229.

They wooed

her,

and

she resisted

they left her,

and

she then fell in love.

On

the whims of those

the wishes of others,

cations, means, in the

j^LiJ "to

fall

who

*JiJ

among

Egyptian

in love," because

capriciously oppose
several signifi-

dialect,

it is

the same as

understood

ci-^jtUaj'

230.

Baker and

His interest
duty.

(at the

same time) Mohteseb.

will cause

Mohteseb

is

him

the public

to lose sight of his

who

officer

super-

intends the legal price and weight of the provisions

sold in the bazar.

231.-''

Take thy luck from the lap of thy

poor

woman complained

children, her sister

sister.

that she had not any

had half-a-dozen

little

ones in her

and did not know how to supply them with food.

The person is therefore advised to take warning from
her and not to form rash wishes.

lap,

ARABIC PROVERBS.

74

232.

The

dirt of labour rather than the saffron of indolence.

Bather to be busy were

labour of

little profit,

it

even in dirty work or

than to be indolent though in

possession of luxuries.

233.

vinegar seller does not

On
of

like

(another) vinegar seller.

the "jalousie de metier."

J^Ls:;S^

is

At

Cairo the

given to the sellers of pickles

name

cucumbers,

turnips, onions, badenjans (egg-plants) preserved in

date vinegar are favourites with the Egyptians.

234.

Acquire leariiing and information {even if they come)

from the mouths of cows.

Never object
derive

useful

to

any source from which you may

knowledge,

a^^j^

is

the snout of

?i

hog, and generally applied to any ugly mouth.

235.

2hhe from the (bad) debtor

Do

ivere

it

but

stone.

not refuse from a bad debtor whatsoever he

ARABIC PROVERBS.

may pay on

In receiving a small part of a

account.

considerable debt,

75

it is

single bristle of the

often said,

hog

is

hetter tJmn all his (the

bad debtor s) beard.

236.
J_j-4csn4^

iee^^e i^^ow

" Zoo^,"

and
The

JU

J-elLl Jaj\

J-i

^l...ji--..<.

a broomstick was entering the privy

sai'c?

the hotel
a31^^1

<il>-b aLojiU

j-ljtx^l

one,

" a^ the

carrier^ the carried,

!"

j\j are public

khans at Cairo, where

strangers halt and merchandise

is

deposited.

The

abridged saying, "look at the carrier and the carried,"

is

often quoted on seeing a

mean looking man

riding

upon a wretched Rosinante.

237.

Toys without instruments,

small ware and other toys sold usually in

i^jyi.

the same shop,

crafts.

"

if

much ado about

his

Jcc

The saying

shop,

plements.

but

implements used in the different

implies,

nothing."

not

" fuss

A man

about

trifles,"

keeps toys in

any useful or necessary im-

ARABIC PROVERBS.

76

238.

He
He

left

her upon the black ground.

ruined her completely.

In taking away her

mat, the poorest article of household furniture, he left

her to

sit

upon the bare

floor.

239.

whom

Those are {esteemed) the best people through

one gains.

The expression ^Lc \y^

stands for ^^ Jo ^J^
\y^ or ^jJl
jj^ "upon whose hand they gained,"
J..;

i.e.,

through whose interference or medium.

240.

The

best generosity is that luhich is quick.

241.

Do

no good

thou

On

shalt not

find

evil.

ingratitude.

242

Leave the entangled

yam

to

be

untwisted by the

effeminate or pusillanimous.
J-.:kall

sense

is

intei-woven,

intricate,

likewise expressed by

disordered

L^U

The word

this
J.'J^1

ARABIC PROVERBS.
in the

for

signifies " effemi-

JjU

" weak-heart eel," " unable to

nate,"
i^jJ

Egyptian diaject

77

make

exertion."

This saying means that the business

for ^sJi

must be suited to the capacity or character of a man,

and the puny or weak-hearted must be employed
in women's work.
243.-"

Of empty

stomach, yet he chews incense.

hungry beggar, yet

great people.

among

It

common

is

affecting the

manners of

practice in

Egypt

the higher classes to chew incense in order

to sweeten the breath

or,

as

it is said,

to facilitate

digestion.

244.

Take

his

understanding a7id put

it

into the basket (at

thy hack).

Said in derision of a person^s understanding.

^y^y*

is

who come

a small basket which the poor Nubians,

upon
and miserable

to try their fortunes at Cairo, sling

their back,

and carry in

it

their food

luggage.
245.

Those are the

best onches ivhich

are spent in their

proper place.
Literally, "
side."

which are directed towards the proper

ARABIC PROVERBS.

78

246.

He

the chosen of the ^jeople

is

who

rejoices in the

welfare of others.

2A7.

(^k
With

With

d/^^^

gentleness the fracture

politeness

and

be effected in quarrels.
saying,

ipj^.

."*rsxJl

is

repaired.

softness a reconciliation can

This refers to the

" a hole has
Jj>~

common

been bored

Jj>in the friendship," or " friends have been disunited."

248.

To he humble when we want

(the help of others) is

manliness.

maxim

deeply impressed on the minds of

ci-*U-lLl " affairs," " business,"
people in the East.

This

is

"wants," " demands from others," &c.

249.

Expel avidity from thy heart;

the fetters will he

loosened from thy foot.

Be

contented, and thou wilt be free.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

79

250.
jSi

<Cc'

Leave him alone

jo-i

i"jo-u

ivith his grief-

^''^.

**^>-

he

has taken one as

old as his mother.

Of one who

deserves his misfortunes.

The man

had married an old woman, and might therefore have

expected from the first not to be very happy with her.
'ss>~\

is

often used for ^^j " he married."

to anything in quantity or quality

in the

;"

jJcf "

similar

often employed

same sense as Ji^

251.

Take

{the wine)

The sober

from the drunkard and do

from the soher.

not take

it

more probably betray thee in this

instance than the drunkard.
The U of Ui.:>- refers
'y^:>or "wine."
^>-l^ "one who is awake," "in
to
will

possession of his senses," "sober."

252.

Take

the hook by its title

or,

take the letter hy

its

address.

The

view teaches us to judge of a person's

and whether he be a fit object for a nearer
acquaintance.
Such is generally thought in the
East, where a Lavaterian system of physiognomy
first

character,

prevails.

Every governor of a province

is

a phy-

80

ARABIC PROVERBS.

siognomist, .and fancies that he can ascertain in the

him which is
prepossessing face has more

looks or mien of those brouerht before

the gnilty party.

influence in the East than in

Europe

but the rules

of physiognomy are never strictly analysed, and

chiefly

it is

from the expression of the eyes and the state

of the eyebrows and nose that an opinion

is

formed.

2.53.

His bread

j^
is

is

kneaded and his

is

tvater is in the jug.

a small earthen or tin jug, by which water

taken out of the large jars that stand in the vesti-

bule of each house in Egypt.

2.54.

Take

it

for nothing.

{''No,") he said, " mij sack is

not large enough

On

[to

contain

the great luck of some to

offered than they can accept.

or white

whom more

(^-Jj" is

and black striped goat

it)."

a sack of black

hair, in

peasants carry their corn to market.

is

the

common

expression in

Egypt

is

which the

^jLh for

^h

for " gratis."

255.
c:jJ\

u^j!

k-k^

U^-Jl J

Jul

Take a piece of mud, strike it against the wall, if

do not stick it will leave a mark.

On

the effects of slander.

it

81'

ABABIC PEO VERBS.

256.

had rider

yet he gallops about

atnong the date-

trees.

This

is

said of the ignorant

learning.
*'

" du-t,"

\y>.

thing as bad as

difficult

affect to display-

often used

to express a

dirt," " useless," " miserable."

" to set off the horse in

speed."

is

who

full gallop,"

^jJ^

" to ride at full

To gallop among date-trees is of course

on account of the numerous turnings.

257.

Take

the thief before he take thee.

258.

Take me by the hand to-day, I

will take thee hy the

foot to-morrow.

Be kind

to

me

favour two-fold.

"take

my

now, I will hereafter return the

i_f

J^

^^^

is

hand/' or "assist me."

Cairo constantly say ^J\\ Juj

the charitable and generous."

God

equivalent to

Jo-l>

^<^,

c^Jl>

jci.

The beggars at
^dS!

"

3o-Ij

God

assists

^1 "

May

The expression " I will take thee

by the foot," means that on a future occasion I will
assist thee more powerfully than thou assistest me at
assist thee."

present.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

82

259.

He

exposes himself

{to

danger) who regards his own

counsel or opinion as sufficient.

But
this is not the usual signification of the word in
Egypt, where it commonly means " not to be in want
e:-^-.iii-il
Thus a very frequent expression is
of."
" I do not want it," " I can dispense with it."
here in the same sense as

iJJc>J\ is

^^y:^\

J^^:^

260.

Take

the merest trifle from the vile

the

same

and abuse him

(at

time).

The miser deserves no better treatment.

*-.Ul
properly
^JJ^
J-jki!^ "the miser."
signifies " to reproach a person with his bad quahties,"

is

here put for

or c--oUlt

^J

JU^

''/>-

261.

The house of
troyed,

tl

the unjust oppressor is {or

lugh

it

must

he) des-

should happen in distant timss.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

83

262.

The

riches of

Egypt are for

the foreigners therein.

Egypt has never

been governed by national rulers, but constantly by
j^s^ jb is said in the same sense as
foreigners,
Since the time of the Pharaohs

jb

j^i

or hy^\ j\^

263.

Something has entered into his bach

never come out again.
This

is

applied to a person

teeth that will

who cannot

of a disagreeable companion or confidant.

j^

pronounced '^baka/'

is

rid himself

The word

constantly employed as

an adverb, sometimes quite superfluously and without

any meaning at other times it signifies " now,"
;

''

again," " then," " never."

264.

The

tears of the adultress are ever ready.

265.

house with

its

gate

and

the

monk cannot find a

crumb of bread in

On

it.

the stinginess of a person in easy circum-

ARABIC PROVERBS.

84
stances.
is

"

house with

a well-conditioned

stumble/' " to

make a

its gate,"

dwelling.

^j_

false step,"

it

means a "by-gate."

interior quarters of the

(Like)

a hear

for

l->Ij

upon."

"to
" to

^j\^i

is

at other times

The gates which

town are

^*j

and therefore

sin;" likewise "to find," or "light

often used synonymously with

implies that it

inclose the

called ^^y

that is neither to he milked, nor to he

led in parade, nor to he ridden.

Said of a useless clown.

is

<-_>j

often pronounced

t_-jj

Turks from Anadolia sometimes ex-

*'bear.^'

hibit bears in

shows at Cairo.

A large party of those

Turks came in 1814 from Romelia to Cau-o with

half-a-dozen bears.
The people then said, that in

Mohammed

Aly's country (he

coast of Romelia,) every

to

is

a native of the sea

man was

a dancing master

a bear, and that the pasha had sent for them

to remind him of his youthful pursuits.

On

the

spreading of this report the bears and their masters

were immediately banished from the country. i_^irsx>

comes from ^--^^^ a horse led in parade before a
great

man

in public processions.

267.

Their hoilers are high ; their stomachs are empty.

Costly furniture in a house, but no provisions nor

ARABIC PROVERBS.
money.

cu^-jJ is the plural of

85

LJ.-^-;0

"a

boiler/' or

"large pan/'

268.

There was a knock at

"

"

the door.
"

wench for nothing"

Who

Enter" he

is

there ?"

said, " even

if thou wert the poison of death."

What

is

given gratis

is

always acceptable

and

according to that rule no one in the East, from the

lowest to the highest, refuses a present.
subject the following proverb also

What

is for

nothing, get

still

j^

meet

it."

^-o

is

On

this

is

for

it.

" take another road that you

for

gation at Cairo for

say

cited

more of it ; what

money, avoid
<ti

is

'*

Ijjb

who

and likewise

JJ&

is

the

is

there

a.:^^

may not
common interro-

In Syria they

instead of

not properly " a wench

/'

its

1*\&

^ji>

true meaning

It is a term heard
may be found
much moi^ frequently in public than Europeans
would suppose, who geneirally entertain very false
in the dictionaries.

notions concerning the modesty and decency of the

Easterns, with respect at least to language.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

86

269.

The worms of
This

is

the vinegar are of the vinegar

when something

said

in a family caused

by one of its

itself.

disagreeable happens

members.

ill-natured

270^

Leave

{or

do not think on) luhat

good things

to

<__>IL

be spoiled," and

"

what

fell

to

sense of this proverb

ancient verses

hut eat the

{that are before thee),

Egyptian dialect

(^\j in the
*'

is spoiled,

thy
is

is

the same as

lot of

i-JiJ

said of

food.

good things."

The

principally

is

expressed in the following

271.
ilibl

TAe

6oaj werzi

ilLi

in search of its lid until

with

On
and at

it

met

it.

a person's eagerly watching an opportunity

last finding

of ivory

musk,

jLl ^b

or

&c.,

it.

^^\

is

a small box

bone wherein perfumes, balm,

are sold.

II

often implies, as here, the

means "until."

in the

made
civet,

Egyptian dialect

same as

^^^^^ks^

and then

ARABIC PROVERBS.

Bf

272.

Money

sweet halm.

is

Such

It heals all wounds.

is

the general opinion

in the East.

273.
dSjSuc

The animal

As much
is

worth (no more than) a whip.

as to say "it

a scourge or whip

thin sHps,

wand
"

is

it

it is

Ijw

of date-branches cut into

price of it

"

what

it.

" it is equal,"

tjjl*^'

usually " it is worth."

pronounced as

(j^\

LyLo

holding together Hke a harlequin's

hke," and more

is

worth nothing."

is

made

children play with

Egypt
say,

still

^\'^\

cij^-***J'

is

if

written

it

worth

\y^^

"

?"

In

thus they
what

the

is

V
274.

The remedy against (bad) times

is to

have patience

with them.

In their nervous language the ancient Arabs

aj\j

Thou

"Las.

J ic:^

jT^^ ^j^

ijt^j^

4_5pi&J

said,

i.::-J^lj

hast eaten (or enjoyed) thy age for forty-four

ARABIC PROVERBS.

88
years

hack

^jJl

ivait then

when

it

preys upon thee with

its

teeth.
is

sometimes limited to the space of forty-

four years, or the computed age of man.

275.

(That

is)

thy ivorld wherein thou Jindest thyself.

Enjoy the present moment.

for <Us <z^i\

JUs-1

or

cannot relate to LjJ which

^}\^\

is

<::^\

<i-i

<^:^A

^_^\

stands

The

<Ui

of the feminine gender.

t-Jr=-

276.*

They mentioned Misr to Kahera; on which Bdh

Look rose with its loeeds.
In

ridicule of those

who push

el

themselves forwards

nobody pays them attention.

They mentioned Misr (or Fostdt, the first-built
Moslim city, southward of the present Cairo,) to
Kahera, the town erected by the Fatemites, on the
Bdh el Look is a small and at
north of Fostdt.

to attract notice while

present half-ruined

quarter formerly belonging to

ARABIC PROVERBS,

now

to Fostat, but

Southern Cairo

included within the environs of

it

89

is

in

many

places quite deserted

and abounds with grass and weeds

had, there-

it

fore,

but sHght pretensions for standing up when

Misr

(or Fostd-t)

was mentioned, of which

it

formed

one of the worst quarters or rather suburbs.

2V7.

J 15

mentioned

TJiey
"

Jij}

\yf^]

\jL

Jli

Prophet

the

Vj/i

4_c.il ^

people

the

one, " -what he said " (rather

Hear," cried

tvept,

than

weep).

278,

That

is

a patty,

[tliey said,)

hut

we are not

{Jit to he)

its stuffing.

fine affair

but not one in which we can par-

\-^ according to

bazar,
^rsT

meat patty sold in the

the Egyptian pronunciation

ujL^i.-.^ is a flat

ticipate.

foi'

4,^.^

" the hashed

meat and

which patties and other dishes are

^ of

^lij=-l is

the

spices with

The
nouns and

stuffed."

common appendage

to

verbs in the Egyptian dialect.

279.
C_5^ls-:1

Pull
This

is

not

iUlil

this dish out

^,^\

made

for you.

of thy

^}

t-ilo
teeth.

in the

Egyptian

dialect " a dish of cooked victuals."

AEABIC PROVERBS.

90

280.

That

On

is

a lattice-work

that does not keep off wind.

half-measures.

<__>jj

as sheds in gardens, or

a lattice-work used

is

upon

balconies,

which are

usually covered with vines or creeping plants.

made
1

jjb.

Ju**;

" to

keep

off,

It is

of the ^jd^ or dry canes of the durra.

for

to stop or hinder."

281.

Tliat is (like) the

master's wo7*k for his son.

In praise of nice and well-executed work.

282.

That

is

a plaster

like {the plaster)

of a horse doctor.

Said of a coarse remedy applied to some

jlL-j

evil.

" the horse-smith," who, at Cairo, is likewise

veterinary surgeon.

283.

That

is

a thing cheaper than a blow.

It is of a very

on the neck."

low

price.

t_5ls

or uJC-j

"a blow

ARABIC PROVERBS.

91

284.

That

a hunger that

is

hi^eahs

cuirass.

Said of boundless avidity or greediness;

Egyptian dialect

in the

is

often used for

jj "a coat of mail," "a

break."

i*::-^.

^^-Jo

" to

cuirass,"

285.*

dog's tail never stands straight.

Said of incorrigible habits.

whole

his

often used for sA "never," without

is

life,"

" during

any reference to

life-time.

286.-'"

is

fly

nothing

The most
agreeable.
disgust/'

*'

yet

it

creates loathsomeness.

insignificant

in the

ij:-tUj

to

person

may

Egyptian dialect " to excite

become loathsome."

aj^

Of the same

is

disgusted me."

prove dis-

sense

l::-Jj^;

"he has

the term

uJ^Ju"

287.

removal from

The,

the

When we

office ivhich is

despised, laughs at

pride of government.

have departed from our station we

ARABIC PROVERBS.

92

begin to see what was ridiculous in

dained,

mean, miserable."

despised,

personified together with

from

J}*11

rank, or power.

office,

which

the

Ji

it.

This
is

" puffed

''

is

dis-

here

the removal

up

pride."

288.

Lectve off

ambiguous

talking, should

it

even be true,

289.-''^

Debased

is

he ivho has no impudent defender.

" insolent,

impudent."
So are called ia
Egypt those persons whom their masters, patrons, or
friends employ in fighting their quarrels or in disputing for them with their insolent behaviour and
impudent language people of this kind are easily
found at Cairo. The followmg verse expresses the
same sense
aujLu

290.

Thy mouth put me

in

mind of the jackass

at

home

{or

of my family).

On

a person appearing well at

a worthless object on nearer view.

followed a

woman

first,

but proving

young man

in the street thinking

her pretty

ARABIC PROVERBS.

when she
her

veil,

led

him

to a

93

remote corner and hfted up

he discovered her ugliness, and exclaimed

in those words.

291.

TJie

people ivent away ; the baboons remained.

(j/jLwJ

is

a species of the

a baboon.
conjugated

it

in the

monkey

tribe, I believe

Egyptian dialect

is

seldom

ought here to be

y^

292.

Drunkenness departed and

reflection came.

293.

Dogs are

left to

The extravagant
those

who

lot," or

sense

little

fool

provided for by fools.

throws away his money upon

deserve

"whatever

it is

be

is

it.

jjj here

means "the

assigned by destiny."

often employed,

and we

find

it

In this
so in the

ARABIC PROVERBS.

94

To

Koran,

we might

sentence

this

here suppose

prefixed ^\ Joo>In Syria the term jj^ is often

used to express " merchandise," which in Egypt is
called

ilcUij

294.

rose fell to the lot of

Said of persons

little

a monkey.

deserving their good luck.

295.

I saw

thee go

on the pilgrimage at the same time that

the people returned from

On

it.

tardiness.

296.

He

went

to

make

his ablutions in

a pond and was

drowned.

He

expected some advantage, but instead of

met with

it

total ruin.

297.
a^A

God

bless his

ii^\

mother

L::->3l^

she

<u^

dill

was more

^rwj
j^^'ofligafe

than

hisfatlier.

Beviling language.

The meaning of

<d51

J^^ from J^y (see Dictionary),

^j

is

literally

**

God have

ARABIC PROVERBS.
mercy

;"

95

but in vulgar use the phrase corresponds

rather with the English "

God

bless

him

!"

298.

\^ \^

jjj

The provision for to-morrow belongs

Do

to the

morrow.

not trouble thyself about futurity.

299.

Give

Its

back our basket ,

ive

do not wish for any grapes

{therein).

Pay what thou owest us

from

L-iilii^

it.

a basket

which the servants bring

only,

we want no

made

fruits

profit

of date-leaves, in

and vegetables from

the market.

300.
Li^b

A
This

is

jr.^

cT*

'^J

throw without a thrower.

said in excuse of a loose

tently dropped

and giving

word inadver-

offence to another person.

301.

He

luent

away from me

together with the fat of the

kidneys.

Used to express that the person left me and took

away even the smallest trifle of what was due to

96

ARABIC PROVERBS.

him

so that

When

he has no further demands on me.

a sheep

by a private person some

the bystanders often take away the kidneys, or
is

killed

least the fat that incloses them, as

of

at

due to the public

from him who slaughters the sheep,

Egyptian plural of L^ " kidney."

il^

is

the

302.

Go, (and) the most sour thou hast, cook

An

it.

answer to one who excuses himself on pre-

tence of the bad state of his larder for not being

able to entertain a guest.
dialect

^^

is

In the vulgar Egyptian

the imperative instead of ^j

303.
c-pj."^

God

bless

The

visits in

women

}\\
^4 Jl;

him who pays

<dll
^^ ^^

,.t^

visits,

and

short visits.

the East, and chiefly those paid by

to each other, sometimes last a whole

and even the

visits of

men

day

are usually prolonged to

a most unreasonable length.

*'

(**v

^..Jiss^

" to lighten,"

cause to be less heavy," and here " to shorten."

304.

lie ivent to woo {her for a friend)

and married her

himself

On an

agent taking possession of the profits

ARABIC PROVERBS.
that he
^jj\

was employed to earn

in the

Egyptian dialect

for

for

97
his

principal.

^jjy

SOS.''"'

man tvho knows

Blessed he the

from doing

his

power and abstains

evil to others.

306.

His head turned towards

the Kehly, his hinder parts

among

On

ruins.

the hypocrisy of devotees,

who seem

attentive

to their religious duties while they are occupied in

base worldly

affairs.

sor."^*

The head in

On

the heavens^ the hinder parts in water.

pride assumed by low people.

308.

Riding {though) upon a

beetle, leather

than ivalking

u2>on carpets.

Persons of high rank in Egypt hold walking in

great horror

and

after they

have passed the years

ARABIC PROVERBS.

98

of childhood, are rarely seen on

thresholds of their
of <Lju1?

"

a carpet

own
:"

houses,

it is

foot

^j^'oi^

more usually

beyond the
is

the plural

called

* jLsa-.

in Egypt.

309.

The two parties

hut the

it),

Said

had been) contending agreed

kadhy refused his consent.

{ivho

when the

arbitrator,

{to

from an interested

motive, endeavours to prolong the quarrel.

310.

{Like)

Said

of

frivolous

wind in a

nonsensical

measures that cannot have any

made

cage.

actions

effect.

and of

^^^ a cage

of loosely interwoven palm-leaves.

Sometimes

love

has been implanted hy one glance

alone.

312.'"

{The fire of) more than one ivar has been enkindled
by a single ivord.

99

ARABIC PROVERBS.
313.

Perhaps

and

We
seemed

the drinker

of water

is

nearly choked by

spits it out before his thirst be quenched.

must sometimes abandon a business wbich

profitable at

the conclusion of
signifies the

first,

it.

but proves ruinous before

in the

-.-^

made

gurgling noise

Egyptian

signifies

dialect \^,

sometimes happen

by

In the

"perhaps," or "it

may

common meaning

the more

;"

dialect,

in the throat

spitting out water that nearly chokes one

same

it,

is

''perhaps."

uij^

'-*>

314.

The husband of

tiuo

parrots

{is like)

a neck

betiveen

tivo sticks (that strike it).

On

the misfortunes of a

man

married to two

quarrelsome and garrulous women.

315.

narrow

lane,

and

the ass

(upon which one rides)

is kicking.

Said of those

who

cause additional difficulties in

ARABIC PROVERBS.

100

an

through

Intricate business, instead of carrying us

u^j}. is

it.

the

common term

expressing the kicking

of beasts.

316.

My

husband

tells lies

to

me, and

lies

tell

to

the

neighbours.
X do according to

My

husband

came

what

ivas not jealous,

to

On

search for

me

I learn.

[although)

ivith

my

lover

a candle.

the blindness of cuckolds.

318.*

27ie

husband of

the harlot is

a base

ivretch by his

own

testimony.

319.

Zayt and Mayt, and jumpiiig over

This

Zayt

is

and

said of a

Mayt^

man

are

the ivall.

fond of company and noisy.

words

without

any Hteral

meaning, expressing merely the noise of a busy

crowd,
(See Proverb No. 146.)

ARABIC PROVERBS.

101

320.

Thejifer of Ms {own)

The

camp

does not rejoice.

talents of a person are less admired at

home

than abroad.
321.
liJLJj

Our

oil is

Ijcjj

(J,

[mixed]

ivith

our [own) flour.

Said when a person marries his

own near relation.

Oil-cakes are a favourite dish with the lower classes

in

Egypt; the

oil

used

is

lamp-oil (jU-

*-::-vj).

322.

He
Said
addition,
is

when

added singing

to the

drum.

good or bad fortune receives an

the small drum or tambourine which

either

j^^

held in one hand and beaten with the other, and

is

the constant companion of the women, especially of

the lower classes, in their gay moments.

323.
X o ^

The ass slipped {and fell)

this

{proceeded)

OSS driver's desire (to see

The

>

from

the

lady).

was spoiled because the person entrusted with the management of it yielded to the
affair

impulse of his

own

passion or interest.

A lady rode

ARABIC PROVERBS.

102

upon an

ass,

which the driver caused to stumble and

that he might obtain a sight of the

fall,

ji>-j\

" to

fair one.

used in the Egyptian dialect for jJj or J^s^j

slip, slide,

stumble,

fall,"

^-./.Jl

&c.

t*r-

324.

asked him about his father.

"

My

name

uncle's

is

Shayh," he replied.

Applied to those giving an answer not suited to

the question.

J L>.

is

the mother's brother

* the

father's brother.

325.

They entrusted
-, J

in

the keys of the pigeon-house to the cat.

Egypt

houses, which

ill

is

the

name given

to the pigeon-

the open country are built in the

shape of small towers, upon a plan

much resembhng

that of the propylaea of the ancient temples.

ARABIC PROVEKBS.

103

326.'''

They have
they

called thee Rddjeh.

"If God

" (iiow) ice shall come

said,

ijlease^'

the

to

just

{measure) J'

Thy

reputation and outward appearance promise

Rddjeh is frequently used as a man's name

ako in the Egyptian dialect signifies " to increase

much.
it

the weight of the lighter scale until

other."

(j:^\\

equal the

it

not only "truth," but also "just,"

is

and "one's own due."

327.

One hour for thy

heart,

and one hour for

thy Lord.

Divide thy time between heavenly and worldly

concerns.

328.

lean

little

thing of a lady;

and

{moreover) in

childbed.

She was miserable enough, and still became

more miserable (by the labours of childbed). (_jw
used in the Egyptian dialect for l::,^-.
^^^J ^
is

said

mstead of

^-i

^^

common

expression to

denote a person or thing of utter insignificance, poor,

thin, miserable.

(^IjbJ^

is

the state of a

woman

for


ARABIC PROVERBS.

104

forty days after the birth of her child, during

time the

MosHm law

which

regards her as impure.

329.

The market of debauch

" erect

*jli'

;"

if

is

always open.

said of the market, it

means

"open."
330.
ij^J^

i:^^

liiJI

^\s.

hloiv that is 2>rofitable

Vo

^ijtx:^

l_X-j

does not hurt the neck.

331.-"'

Arms ready and good

On

a passionate

man ready

sense absent.

to vent his rage.

332.-''

He

is

proceeding

to the

pilgrimage by a day's journey.

Said of the hasty.

333.

Govern
\y^^^

is

the rabble by

opposing them.

the imperative of the verb

LL

u^y^.

The substantive is LjL-. which means the government or administration of the executive power, in

ARABIC PROVERBS.
opposition to that of the judicial

105

body or

^jL\\

*^

has also another sense,

In the Egyptian
and means " to talk gently to a person," " to coax or
wheedle him." a::^L--> means then, " I have talked
gently with him, enticed him by soft words." The
dialect ^--L-:

grooms in Egypt are

called

{j^^^

(singular ^/^L>)

because they treat (or ought to treat) the horse

The proverb means, that low people can

only be governed by acting in direct opposition to
gently.

their inclinations.

334.

tyrannical sultan

than constant broils {or

is better

anarcliy).

335.
S\s>-

Tlie

This

/l-:J

hearing of music

^-^^1

is

9^

a poignant pain.

said in ridicule of misers,

is

proached for

proof of which the following saying

them

who

are re-

their contempt of music and songs

is

in

attributed to

L-JNia^i

The person

money

listens {to music),

{on the songst7^ess)

he grieves
(Ly

f-i^^,

and

l^l^jj!)

he rejoices in
;

it,

spends

then comes reflection,

dies.

a Persian word, meaning the pain of any

ARABIC PROVERBS.

106
disease
sicians,

it is

and

Egypt among the phy-

naturalized in

signifies

a violent pain, or distemper in

the brain.

336.

The riders have carried

it

with them {on their journey).

Said of a piece of news so publicly known, that

even the Bedouin travellers heard

in every place on their way.

it,

and reported

v_^

is

it

a party of

Bedouins mounted on horses or camels.

337.

Inquiries become {or lead

Too much inquisitiveness

affairs

of another

may

to)

separation.

or curiosity about the

cause

a disagreement and

separation.

338.'"'

The sultdn

teaches,

and

is

not

to

he taught.

339.-"'

Prostrate thyself before the ivicked monkey in his

time {of i'>oiver).

ARABIC PROVERBS.

107

340.

The cat

that is (always) crying catches nothing.

To be

successful in taking

ceed with secrecy and

game one must

pro-

caution.

I*/="

(_^j--tUI

341.

We

have nothing coohed ; ivhence came

On
is

this fiery coalf

unforeseen and undeserved mishaps.

the usual term for lighted

also in the

same

coal.

aL^ is

jA^

employed

sense.

342.

We have eaten nothing tvhy should tee drink f

We have not done anything to render necessary
;

the action in question.

It

is

usual

among people

in the East to drink only after eating, so that being

thirsty
tjL^\

may

they

positions

is

the

more

enjoy the

put here for Jl^} or

J^

and Jl are

^c5^

in general

draught.

as the pre-

used mdiscrimi-

ARABIC TRO VERBS.

108
nately.

^^ ^j^

Thus, ^\

dost thou beat

"why,

what

for

or

me ?"
343.

They lorepared me

me

they girded

hut

have not

strength for war.

Notwithstanding every assistance the person

unfit for his business.

ready/^ " to pack

ujd

from

i.^^jji,

and prepare

j^Ij

" to

is

make

for travelling."

344.

It resembles the thing that is attracted toivards

it.

This saying, which sounds better in Arabic than

in

my

translation,

frequently quoted, to say that

is

a person frequents those people only whose characters

The construction

agree with his own.

is

^JJl

^_^l'i

345.

jjjj^

They i^raised

c^^'

the cat

^%rL

kill

\j^i^

she (then tvent and) dirted in

the meal-box.

Said of those

who become

bearing in consequence of praise.

insolent

and over-

ARABIC PROVERBS.

109

346.

Thejj took

it

off from the

beard and put

it

into the

moustaches.

The change did not

better the condition.

347.

The buying of a

The Eastern
task

it is

slave

but not the trainhig of him.

know

peoj)le

to educate a slave

well

how

and break

difficult

his stubborn

temper.
348.

His beard became grey

his society

(then)

became

agreeable.

349.

Of a month

that does not belong to thee, do not count

the days.

Do

not score up the profits of others which can

never become thine own.

By

^.^ or " month,"

is

here understood the monthly pay or gain.

350.
<0'ls:u

ci-'^^

cl:\s>\J^

^^

luIjs^^

beggar filed his sack from another beggar.

cljUU. a corruption of jUui,

commonly used

in

ARABIC TRO VERBS.

110

Egypt

for

"a beggar."

'ilkx^ is

the bag out of which

horses and asses get their evening allowance of barley

or beans.

It

is

loosely tied to the

head, like a muzzle, and the

mouth over the

mouth and

half of the

head are in the bag during the time of feeding.

351.

ITie {first) condition

of friendshij^

is

to

agree with

each other.

352.

Greyheaded and

vicious.

353.'"'

S\Jii\

L::--Jli.j

jLuS.1

Ajl,^-ij

The rejoicing of the envious rends

the heart.

354.
ijiL^

single sparJc
Trifles

may

^f^

ij\jj^

can burn the

ivhole quarter.

cause universal disaster.

355.-"

thing that does not satiate, creates hunger.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

Ill

356.-"-

Take away

thine, that

I may put down

am
On an

171

mine, for

haste.

angry person in haste, who thinks that

make room

him aDcl give way to

t-jCclixj and ^^l::^
his desires or caprices.
are expressions commonly used in Egypt for
thine " and
" mine." In the same manner u-^^^l:;^ and ^l:x^ are
and the Arabians say
used by the Moggrebins
every one must

for

'"'

uJobs-

and ^Ji^

From

the singular c^b a plural

is

thus formed in the vulgar dialect, ^fj

and we hear
Jr^\ "my horses," <X^ l^^\ "his books,"

^^

lJCc^

SijT^

^'thy chddren."

357.

The dogs became

satiated,

and

then

made

presents

to

each other (of the remaining meat).

This

is

appHed to the generosity evinced by

pashas and other great

men towards

each other.

358.

Part {of

it)

ivas hurnt,

part of

it

spoiled,

and part

eaten by the cats.

For money frivolously spent, such

given to him who had possessed it.

is

the account

Llk-

a vulgar

112

ARABIC PROVERBS.

plural of

lajj

The term Lb

is

used by the gardeners

who, about Cairo, are accustomed to prick the

figs

of the sycamore, while yet on the tree and before

they are
of

ripe,

them a

with a pointed

piece,

not larger than a pea

to render the fruit

shown that an

iron, so as to tear

more sweet,

done

this is

for experience

increase of sweetness

quence of allowing the

air to enter

is

out

has

the conse-

by that operation

Figs that have not been

into the heart of the fruit.

pricked never acquire a good flavour and are called

The operation

Lb or spoiled.

itself is styled

circumcision of sycamore figs."

U^s^W

"the

^^^

359.'"'

Take

off thy liand

from

the broth lest it should he

burnt.

Said to expose an insidious adviser whose object

was that he might have the broth for himself

J jxsr

in the

Egyptian

similar cases the

J^l

is

dialect for

jy.^

In

^ (^^

often dropt in conversation.

360.

little

old man, yet he ])lays the part of a

gay

spark.
i^j^i the diminutive of

play the spark or gallant."

^i^-.--.

^^Ub from

"to

AHABIC PROVERBS.

113

361.

do not order

tree that affords thee shade,

it

to he

cut doion.

362.

Take off thy father from thy brother.

This expression, which has no real sense in
has received, I

know not how,

the familiar language of conversation.

"after

many

difficulties," or

few words," or

" at

journey they say,

last

"we

tired on the road, thu-st

we had
brother'

to

fight

until at last

thus in talking

came upon

we

of

we became very
us,

and hunger,

thy father from thy

off

'

It implies

"in short," or "to make

:"

travelled,

take

itself,

a kind of meaning in

arrived."

L-jci

^^.iL^ L^

363.

Urine alighted upon

dirt.

"

Welcome,

my frieiid,"

he said.

This
soldiers,

is

to ridicule

the dirty rascally Turkish

who when they meet

salute each other in

the Turkish manner with the expression (^^^Jy ^*v*

"

Welcome, brother,

or friend

!"

ARABIC PROVERBS.

114

364.

Evil

is

of old date,

365.

TJie

barley

engrossed

poetry,

and

my

thoughts instead of the

the corn instead of liberality,

This
had things quite different in my head.
saying, which is without wit, puns in the Arabic
text. <U i^jiiA-i " it engaged my leisure or attention
and prevented me from adverting to the other."
This is an expression much used.
I

jUI ^j^

366.
i^y:Li)

d3^\

Cl^L?

The Old has become a poetess.

Of

those

they are not

d3u^

1*1

is

who undertake
qualified.

ajyJ!

professions for

which

more commonly

called

that species of small owl wliich the Syrians

denominate

a^*^

ARABIC PROVERBS.

115

367.

The

asses have

Misfortunes return.

met with
is

,^t^'i'J

the sacks.

the plural of

,j**Aj

(See No. 254.)

368.

He

vjho

made a

hole in the corn sacks has become

preacher.

A
hole,

thief turned saint.

more

Thus \zX^

l-j\ju

one who bores a

particularly with the intention of stealing.

^Jlju

signifies

may

wall that he

one

who breaks through a

steal in the house,

practised with incredible dexterity

an operation

by the thieves of

Upper Egypt. j\J^ the plural of 'ij\j:. a corn bag

it is shorter but wider than the
carried by camels
;

In the southern parts of Syria the

^..-\v

h\J:.

is

corn measure.

369,

He fasted for

We

his fast

sometimes find persons of good repute who

character upon some trifling occasion,

forfeit their

or to

a whole year, and then broke

with an onion.

obtain

Ramadhdn

is

some small advantage.

over the Moslims break

When

the

their fast on

lie

ARABIC PROVERBS.

the morning of the great feast (y^:) with some

dainty morsels from their kitchens. It is thought
meritorious on that occasion to eat

first

example of Mohammed, and

after the

shameful to use so

term jkij

is

a few dates,

would be
mean a thinoo as an onion. The

appHed to the

it

legal breaking of the fast,

as also to the illegal breaking of

it

during the course

month of Eamadhdn and it is thus said of

a person ^l?li
or "he is breakfasting," when he
of the

^ji,

eats in secret, which thus becomes a very opprobrious

expression.

370.

The

amonr/ {certain) people arc great amori<j

little

other people.

371.'"

The

On

Ayshe

ivcll

suited

Abd

the meeting of two persons

el

Kerym.

who

suit each

-^^. in the Egyptian dialect means " it

or suits me," "it is of use to me," or "proper

other.
fits

little

for me."

^ly^

is

the diminutive of

<Ll-

372.

The morning salutation

to the bean-seller,

and

not to

the druggist.

Kather be poor but healthy

like a peasant,

than

ARABIC PROVERBS.

117

rich but require the apothecary's medicines.

word -L*

is

here put for .LsrU:^ "the

first

or saluting on going out in the morning."

to popular belief in the East, the

the day

According

good or bad luck of

by the object

influenced

is

The

meeting

first

coming out of the door in the morning.

seen on

Thus

it is

said if a lucky object present itself at early hours,

t_.^

lia-Ltf

good,"

day

J1*a]1

sells

"our morning salute

from

coarse

is

Jj

the

but

it

butter or lamp-oil.

early in the

when

boiled

requires the stomach

them they
The druggists

of a peasant to digest

common

(called

they form the principal break-

fast of the lower classes

time the

man who

horse-beans

fj,^<x<) in the bazar

fortunate or

is

mixed with
are at the same
are

physicians of the town.

373.

The goat met

On

the

water and ivetted his whiskers.

a person immoderately enjoying the good

luck that had happened to him.

374.

Who 2^ossSses

little

has thejirst right

to

it.

375.
J\^\

seller

c^U

\^^\\\

Jli j\]^

d\^\J

^U

of dogs-meat became the son-in-laiv of a

ARABIC PROVERBS.

118

" (There,)"

butcher.

come

to the

gate of

they said,

{its)

" the

dirt has

house!'

Said of a connection formed between two low

fellows

it is

usual to abridge this proverb and only

quote the latter phrase,

person

is

^^jJI

who

called vJ^--^^

^-t^'^

sells

\J^\

U-

The

the Ij^^ or stomach

of a sheep, together with tripes or entrails and

other kinds of dogs-meat

East, seldom

by poor

falls to

all

which, however, in the

the lot of dogs, but

is

purchased

people.

376.

He

has smoothed

He

Ms

and cleaned

cloak

his heard.

prepared himself for the business.

used on the subject of

iron over

it

cloth,

means

to restore its lustre

:"

if

^}jua

when

" to pass a hot

spoken of paper,

means "to glaze it." ij^s^ is the under vest of

j^s in the Egyptian
cloth as worn in the East,
"
to cleanse the beard from dust ;" the word
dialect
_, is used in the same sense.
it

377.

The image of friendship

It is to be wished that the

this

maxim

as their guide.

not occur in the East

is truth.

Egyptians would take

Truth in friendship does

can at least conscientiously

declare that neither in Syria nor in

Egypt did any

ARABIC PROVERBS.
instance

of

its

appearing under

my

stances ever come within

119

observation

the contrary, numerous cases where those

themselves

friends,

betrayed

slightest prospect of gain, or

circum-

difficult

each other

through

but on

who

called

on

the

some

fear, or

other base motive.

378.

Who

ivants

a thing

is

blind

(to its

In the Egyptian dialect ^iL^

who wants
who possesses

the thing," "

stands for

the thing."

-.L-..-^^!

and

who

the same as <^^lLl c-JlL

means "he

l._--^2^U

asks

In the
d^lk>l

faults).

it,"

or also " he

first

sense

js-U

means then

.L>-lLl

(See No. 34.)

379.

A Jew found

meat at a low price.

"It

stinks," he

then said.

On

the excuses offered

by a

miser.

380.'''

ti,**uiJ

ready blow

ivith

^c^
cash

^J^

J^^

is better

<SxiJ

iMua

than eighty thousand

derhems of promised future payments.

ijjo

is

equal to " eighty thousand derhems," a

term not used at present in keeping accounts.

in the

Egyptian dialect equivalent to Jj^I or

a....\

*xcj

120

ARABIC PROVERBS.

oU\

381.

Rather {hear)

the Jlatidencies

of the camels, than the

jprayers ofthejlshes.

to

The most fatiguing journey by land is preferable

" Take thy passage
the pleasantest sea voyage.

by

sea,"

see

many

said a
fishes

devotions."

person to his friend,

" thou wilt

about the ship .performing their

"No,"

replied the friend,

"I think

it

The Egyptians dislike sea

voyages so much that most of them choose the
tedious and fatiguing journey by land to Mekka,
rather than the shorter passage by sea.
^-f^^^ is the
prayer ^\ (^U^i- and in general any homage paid to
better to hear,"

&c.

the divinity.

382.

Two

blows on the head cause pain.

Said of a person
the same manner.

who has been

twice cheated in

ARABIC PROVERBS.

121

383.

Thei/ laughed ivith the water-carrier, he thoujht

it

to

he true.

On

the credulity with which inferiors Usten to

^^

the joking promises of their superiors.

usually

means "they laughed

at Piim

;"

times, as here, " they laughed ivith liim," or

with him."
<L.>u*r>.

thus

"joked

the Egyptian pronunciation of

^^^-'^-^

havmg
''

\^^:^J>

but some-

the last syllables very strongly accented,

hasabooe/'
384.

The guest of

Or he
evinced

it

the hospitable treats hospitably.

learn s hospitality from those

towards him.

general in the East

man

invited

able person to an entertainment

several of his

own

who have

This alludes to a custom

may

by any

respect-

bring with him

friends without the desire or per-

mission of the host

who^ nevertheless, treats them

with as much politeness as those

whom

he had

himself particularly invited.

385.

He

beat

me and

cried out

he got the start of nie

and complained.
Said of those

who complain

in the midst of their

successes.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

122

386.

Entertain the Bedouin, he will steal thy

On

clothes.

The Bedouins of Egypt have

the worst reputation amongst the townspeople and
ingratitude.

many
free

of them, reduced to a mongrel race between

Bedouins and peasants, have adopted

<^

vices of the latter.

ol* L'^_;j'

is

all

the

the Egyptian imperative

"to treat as a guest,"

''to entertain."

387.

hloiv

from our

lover is as {sweet as) the eating

of

raisins.

Here the wit

zebyb, raisin,

lies

merely

with hahyh,

the Arabic

rhyme of

lover.

388.

Fight

ivith

me, hut do not lay hold of such a part as

may

he seriously injured.

Observe some decency and moderation in thy

enmity.

When

each other

it

the Egyptian peasants fight with

frequently happens that

the weaker

manner

as to cause

seizes his adversary in such a

rlangerous or fatal results.

123

ARABIC PEOVERBS.
389.

His understanding
Said of a person as

is lost in his length.

tall

in stature as

he

is

stupid

in mind.

390.

(when crached) hetween

(Like) the laughter of the nut

two stones.

Said of smiles or laughter forced amidst poignant

sufferings.

391.
<NJciyt

Put

the

U_5n*^'

^.-ej'^-e

jy^^ V**

things into their ^places, they

ivill

put

thee

into thy place.

Give to every one

shalt have thy due.

his

due and

right,

and thou

This saying also means, "

make

no innovations, and thou shalt not be disturbed."

392.

^J^^^ ^-^M

C_?<'=^

Lj.-t-^

Strike the imiocent, that the guilty

What
an

a judicial

intricate

law

maxim

suit,

It

is

'-t't^^

may

related that in

the kadhy caused a person

avowedly innocent to be bastinadoed.

poor

man

confess.

When

the

complained, the kadhy declared that he

beat him merely with the hope that whoever was

ARABIC PROVERBS.

124

the real culprit might be induced to confess out of

compassion.
393.

(Like) the laughter

of serpents in the sack of burning

chalk.

This in purport

the

serpents

is

children

put them into a sack

unslaked lime, and then pour water on

of the

To torment

similar to No. 390.

it

of

the hisses

while they suffer the torture of

serpents

burning, are called by the children " the laughing of

the serpents."

name

unextinguished lime

also given to a paste

is

mercury, which
to

is

'i^^

made

the same

of this lime

and

used in the bath as a depilatory

is

remove hairs from the body.

S-^'^/r

is

a ''leather

bag."
394.

[He
This

al^^

in

is

is)

of nai'TOiv throat.

said of a person

Egypt

who

blabs every secret.

signifies that part of a bird's throat

wherein the food

deposited before digestion.

is

395.-"

^^\

^,.

\^\

{He) holds faster than the blind man.

Said of one

men
force

who never

relaxes his hold.

Blind

grasp at the objects before them with peculiar

and eagerness.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

125

396.

Narroiver than the ear of a needle.

Applied to business of a
is

Ll-^l

difficult nature.

an expression meaning the " ear of a needle."

find in the

Koran

LLk;!^

J,

J.*^!

^_

j*.--

We
(Ss>-

" until the camel shall enter into the needle's ear."

M
397.

Thy bird flew

aivay,

and another

Another has seized upon thy good

took

it.

luck, or of the

opportunity that thou hast missed.

398.-''

{Like)

This
^jil^J^ or

a high cap,

is

it

said of an

j^\:>Jb

falls off at

hloiv.

effeminate cowardly person

(See No.

dialect aALl signifies a

a single

194.)

In the Egyptian

blow not very

violent.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

126

399.

Beat thy drum and blow thy pipe.

Thou hast obtained thy wishes, now rejoice, this

The Egyptians frequently
is the time for mirth.
The drum and the pipe are
quote this saying.
instruments much used, especially among the peasants.
400.

He

caused his hird

to Jiy

aivay,

running after

On

and then

tvent

it.

inconsistency of conduct.

401.

The

made) opened

hole {which he

into

a granary.

Said of the failure of a person's eager endeavours.

make

thief contrived to

to find a
side

room

of valuable goods on the other

full

but instead of

it

or corn that was of

the hole

made

a hole in a wall, expecting

he found a magazine of straw

little

service to him.

in the wall,

ij^ij

is

v/here the corn or straw belonging to

kept.

In every town

where the corn

exposed to rain

is
;

of

Egypt

there

is

-^'ij

an open yard

government
is

is

such a yard,

heaped up, but uncovered and

which, however, only spoils the

surface to the depth of six or eight inches.

As

far

ARABIC PROVE KBS.

127

as I know, there exists at present in

roofed magazine of corn

Alexandria by

this

was

Mohammed Aly

Egypt but one

lately erected at

Pasha.

402.

Who

seeks for luecdth ivithout [previous] wealth is like

him

ivho carries ivater in

sieve.

403/""
iu\sj

Obedience

Who

to tJic

^LM\

^^

tongue [causes) repentance.

leaves his tongue uncontrolled, repents.

404.

(Like)

a physician curing
is

the people, while he himself

distempered.

(A

verse.)

405.

The food of

the lion [causes) indigestion to the

l^\jsr

wolf

surfeit, indigestion,

406.

False ambition severs the neck.

It

leads

to

perdition.

^-vL

means

''avidity,"

ARABIC PROVERBS.

128

whether
in

which

for pecuniary gain, or for power, or fame,

latter sense it

means " ambition."

the Egyptian dialect, " to strike," " to cut

M\

ja^^

off,"

in

&c.

-v^

407.

The

ill-treatment of brute creatures is unlawful.

408.

Suspicious, treacherous, remote from good

Striking characteristics

Ui

one who tliinks

is

understood *j^b

(^liu

ill

of a

ivoy^ks.

worthless person.

of others, because

it

is

i_5JJl

409.

Ti/rannical, cheating, of bad omen.

A^-uuH

i_^ means

the whole person)

j*j-i

d;^i

which
L_^J?

is

of

bad omen

it

stands for

The Egyptians say concerning a thing

of bad
"^^'^^

L/"-?'''

is

that his heel (and therefore

omen
^^^*^^

'^^

to
^^^^

its

possessor

good

^lIc

for it," or

a^
"his

ARABIC PROVERBS.
over

heel in passing
for

yb

With

U)

Egyptians say ^_^V J

and the

heels,

houses, men,
evil

^-'^-'^^

i-j^^ " thresholds,

forelocks ;"

eye and bad omens.

This

is

'i\J,\

j\jii\

only in three things

/yu!l

" Let the bad

c?l)

to the

probably derived

from the saying of Mohammed, ^ii

LloJl

meaning that

most exposed

are

horses,

(u^y^

bad omens the

respect to

horses'

and

be unlucky."

will

it

129

^^^

omen

reside

the house, the woman, and

The ancient Arabs were extremely

and even now the fear
superstitious on this subject
of a bad omen .is universal, and pervades every
the animal."

transaction.

C_5>

;^^11

410.

(When)

the eye does not see, the heart does not grieve.

Be not an eye-witness

of misfortunes.

411.

In proportion

to the [length of)

thy garment stretch

out thy legs.

Accommodate thyself

to

the circumstances in

130

ARABIC PROVERBS.

which

tliou art placed.

among

respectable persons in Eastern society.

To stretcli out one's leg

beyond the cloak, so that any part of it should
appear, is reckoned highly indecent and unmannerly
a superior the

man who

sits cross-legged

deavour to hide even his feet and

must show no part of

Egyptian dialect

his

used

must en-

toes, in fact

body but the

si is often

Before

face.

he

In the

for jSi

412.

lT^^
3Iy enemy

is the

S>J

Jlc

washer of my corpse.

am thrown upon the mercy of my enemy. il^Ull

the woman who waslies the corpses of females
I

is

previously to interment.

413.

Naked

about his hinder parts,

and perfume under

them.

Although he has not money wherewith

to pur-

chase drawers, yet he has the vanity to perfume his

hinder parts

while even the rich are content to

perfume their beards.

one's station,

and

common among

The vanity of

living

affecting airs of greatness,

the Easterns of a low class

beyond
is
;

very
while

on the contrary, those of the higher classes endeavour

to conceal their wealth
patible with then- rank.

by

living as poorly as

is

com-

131

ARABIC PROVERBS.
414.

Wise men do not quarrel

ivith

each other.

415.

The enmity of

the ivise, rather tha7i the friendshi}')

of

the fool.

416.

At

ford over

the

the river

the Jcalyt

becomes con-

Sjncuous.

On

certain occasions the

bad

qualities of a person

must show themselves. aj>\^x< is a fording j)^^^

where the water is shallow. The peasants in crossing
over hold up their loose skirts, and on such occasions
the kalyt (see No. 157,) becomes conspicuous.

417.

At

the roasted

meat "take, take;" hut at

"

He

is

"to

means

to

bread as

offered he says, " it

encircle,

the vinegar

teeth ache."

eagerly eats the roasted meat

vinegar
uJl

my

to cover,

but when

makes my teeth ache."

wrap up." Here it

or

wrap up the pieces of roast meat

is

practised at dinners in

tlie

in

East,

some
where

132

ARABIC PROVERBS.

every morsel taken from the dish

is

accompanied to

the mouth with a piece of bread

or, if possible,
wrapped up in it. ij^ja is that unpleasant sensation
;

of the teeth

when we

Vinegar made of dates

nature or taste.

summer

the lower classes in

into

see anything repugnant to our

is

used by

they dip their bread

it.

418.
t^JbjJ

Jyixll

When

stomach

the

Wisdom

is

(j^iaJ^

J*^^

wisdom withdraws.

concerned,

overpowered by hunger or dire necessity.

is

419.

At

passage there

the narroiv

is

no brother and no

friend.

In dangerous cases we must only think of saving

ourselves.

Jh-^^

"a narrow

pass,"

"a

difficult

moment."
420.

A
On
affairs.

blind

woman

shaves an insane one.

improper persons
iajL^ is derived

employed

from

t-J^-

in

ridiculous

or (c-xsr- " the

rubbing the skin of the face with the libdn shdmy as

a depilatory to remove
(^^l-l

^U)

is

haii^s.

a white shining

The

gum

libdn

shdmy

of a glutinous

ARABIC PROVERBS.
quality, a

kind of turpentine that

Egypt from the

larly

of

from
It

fir.

dipped into
process

all

where

is

it

produced from a species

used in a melted

the hair to which

The women

state,

and rubbed over the

it

imported into

is

islands of the Archipelago, particu-

Scio,
is

133

the finger being

sticks

it

of Cairo whose beauty

by which

face,
is

eradicated.

obscured by

is

hair on the skin, avail themselves of this (-J-jLs^

421.

To thy

The whole
thy eyes, for

is

if

now thy own

MercJmnt.

eye,

displayed before thee, therefore ojjen

thou art cheated in the business,

it is

fault.

422.

^Ul.^

To

the

Li^b

JJJI

my

good luck of

was short, and

This

is

^i

4lij

^z^^

Jx

ivedding festivities the night

the female singers

became penitents.

said ironically to express that the wedding-

did not succeed well

and the saying

is

applied to

any unfortunate circumstance that throws obstacles

in the

way

of rejoicings.

i_Jljj

is

" the procession in which the bride

house of her spouse

;"

and

it

the plural of ^:
is

carried to the

also signifies " tlie

whole

wedding- feast," the principal rejoicings of which take

place during the night

night preceding the

and at Cairo always on the

consummation of matrimony,

ARABIC PROVERBS.

134

which

last

night

is

called

Wliile I

a3J

Alri-jJ^

am

writing this, the whole quarter of the city in which

I reside

illuminated on a similar occasion

is

and

two men, one disguised as a French soldier, the

other dressed up as a French woman, play their
tricks before a large assembly of Arabs, in front of

the bridegroom's house

a third

Arab

personifies a

cowardly Turkish soldier making love to the lady

he,

as well as the French pair, pronounce Arabic

according to their supposed native idioms, a circumstance which causes roars of laughter.
lady's heart

pockets are

is

won

full of

by the Turkish

gold

The mockwhose

soldier,

but the French soldier beats

the Turk unmercifully whenever he meets him, and

at last obhges

him

to put on his hat instead of the

pubHc women
those who were expected at
of a loose description
the wedding feast suddenly felt symptoms of repent-

turban.

The female

singers are mostly

;

ance

(l::.^Ij),

As

and therefore did not attend.

certain customs usual on a

MosHm wedding

ceremony at Cairo have not been mentioned by former

travellers, I shall here give some account of them.

When

a girl

is

to be asked in matrimony, a friend or

relation, or the sheikh of the young man, (who has

instructed him in reading the Koran,) goes to the
girl's father,

and makes a bargain

real bargain, for the

sulted,

her

girl's

and the amount of the

(w::^:Ji

j.=^

for her.

affections are

as they call

It is a

never con-

price to be paid for

it,)

is

the only matter

taken into consideration, provided the stations in life

of both parties sufiiciently correspond but even in
;

ARABIC PROVERBS.
this respect the

135

Egyptians are not very scrupulous,

and a man of low extraction and profession who

The

possesses wealth often marries into a high class.

price paid for the girl to her father, or, if he be dead,

to the nearest male relation, varies according to her

rank, fortune, or reputation for beauty.

first-rate

merchants the price

three hundred dollars

the

from two huDdred to

among

those of the second

from sixty to eighty

class,

Among

is

and the lower

classes

often pay no more than from three to five dollars.

It

is

money immediately

usual to pay half of the

sum becomes

in advance, this
father

the property

the other half remains in the brideafroom's

hands, and reverts to his wife

divorce her
forfeits

of the

but

if

if

her claim to the money.

betrothing (Lkkill

he should die or

she herself sues for a divorce she

a^j)

the

girl's

On

the

day of

father gives a small

entertainment in his house, where none assemble but

intimate friends, the bridegroom himself not
present.

The day

If any festivity

is

which the poorer

bemg

for the marriage is then fixed.

to take place (a circumstance with

classes

generally dispense), the

street wherein the bridegroom resides

is

for six or

seven days before the marriage decorated with flags

and various-coloured lamps, suspended from cords

drawn across the street. Three days before the
marriage ceremony the festivities usually begin

if

the parties are great and rich people, they begin

eight days before

the house

is

every night, and an open table

then fuU of company

is

kept.

But on the

great night of the feast (that immediately preceding

ARABIC PROVERBS.

136

the nuptial night,) singmg and dancing

hired to attend, and the whole street

is

women

are

illuminated.

Next morning when the nuptials are to take place

(al^jJl A^), (which in Egypt is always on Monday
or Thursday, the other days being considered of bad

omen with regard

to weddings,) the girl's father

accompanied by

repairs to the bridegroom's house,

some of his friends, in order to conclude the marriage

compact ( J^') after a plentiful dinner the mutual
friends assemble in a circle, the girl's father and the
;

The former takes

bridegroom sitting in the midst.

the other's hand, and after the recital of a short

prayer addresses him in these words

my

daughter

,,^

^,.

,,,

^j-jj

^\

God and

iJ^J

<ulUS^

To which the other

AJi\)

daughter

,<.

,,,

give to thee

the adult virgin, in marriage

according to the law of

(<uLc

" I

of his prophet."

L^y

'ijCj]\

replies

(_j.:.)

"I

i,.J<:s>-^j

take thy

in marriage, the adult virgin, accord-

The
ing to the law of God and of his prophet."
father asks, " Dost thou accept my daughter ?"
(^:j

The answer

e:-Xj!^)

(l$:dJ)

The

(l^J

her."

God

bless

('i^iW

i-jCS

^jW.

aUI)

hope in God that

replies, " I

blessing."

"I have accepted

father immediately adds,

thee with her."

groom

is,

'1--

^J

chapter of the Koran)

is

^j^-<)

"

And the brideshe may prove a

The Fatha

(or first

then recited by the whole

company, and all present shake hands with the

bridegroom, and congratulate him. No document or
marriage contract

is

written on this occasion, nor

even at the time of betrothing,

when two

witnesses

only are required, to attest verbally the betrothing

ARABIC PROVERBS.

While

and the payment of the money.

is

taking place, the bride, having

and accompanied by

all

137

left

ceremony

this

her

own

house,

her female relations, proceeds

through the town in a manner faithfully represented

in

canopy of red

silk or cotton stuff,

carried over her

her.

head

She parades through

from morning

When

a large

held by four men,

the prmcipal streets

all

*''

till

evening, for six or eight hours.

great people marry, these processions are conscale.

have seen

nuptial processions of persons high in office at

the court of
in

completely

the musicians go before

ducted upon a more magnificent

many

is

generally with a Cashmere shawl

veiled,

is

She

a plate of Niebuhr s Travels.

Mohammed Aly

a carriage, and

all

the bride was seated

the different trades and pro-

town appeared personified upon richly

decorated open waggons drawn by horses in these
waggons the tradesmen and artists had estabHshed
their shops, and sat working in the same manner as

fessions of the

in then-

own

regular abodes

sixty or seventy of

those waggons followed the carriage of the bride.

Before them went rope-dancers, harlequins, &c., and

at their head was a masqued figure that is frequently
seen parading in

firont

of nuptial processions of

an

and conducted with much less pomp

and splendour; this figure is a young man whose
head, arms, legs, and entire body are patched over

inferior order,

* In Syi'ia, wliere this procession

ceremonies and

is

accompanied with other

usually takes place in the early part of the night,

reckoned a very bad omen to pass with the bride before a

public bath, and therefore those streets are carefully avoided into

it is

which the baths open.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

138

with white cotton, so that no part of the skin can be

perceived, his person appearing as if completely

He

dered over.
that

object

pow-

exhibits, in the natural position,

which constituted

attribute of the ancient

distinguishing

the

Boman god

of the gardens

enormous proportion, two feet in length,

and covered with cotton; and he displays it with

this is of

indecent gesticulation in
staring multitude,

How

procession.

all

the bazars before the

and during the whole time of the

this custom,

which

is

not

known

began among the Egyptians, I am

unable to ascertain
but it seems not improbably

in other places,

some remnant of the worship paid by their forefathers

to that god, whose temple at Karnak is the most considerable now existing in Egypt.
Towards evening
the bride arrives, half fainting from fatigue, before
the gate of her spouse's dwelling, from which he

suddenly clasps her in his arms as

issues,

violence,

and running

off

with his

her into the female's apartments up

the

women

evening
last

is

and none but the

friends attend at supper.

his turn leaves the house,
clothes,

stairs,

where

by the

festivities

all

This

than the

not any pubHc rejoicings in the

there are

streets,

much fewer

by

fair prize carries

of both families are assembled.

past with

if

relations

and intimate

The bridegroom now

in

he parades in hi newest

light of torches

and to the sound of

drums, a short way through the town, accompanied

by his friends he then goes to the Mosque, and
;

recites the Aeshe, or last evening prayer, after

he returns to

his

home.

As soon

as

which

he enters the

"

ARABIC PROVERBS.

139

house his friends leave him, but at parting strike

him many times with

hands upon

their

liis

back

these blows he endeavours to avoid by running in as

He

fast as possible.

in his

is

indulged with a short repose

own apartment, and a message

informing him that his bride

He

or aunt,

then sent

ready to receive him.

is

bedchamber, sitting upon the

finds her in his

sofa with

is

two women by her

side, usually

the mother

and the old midwife of her family.

here that for the

first

time her face

is

It

is

seen by the

bridegroom, and his expectations are but too often

disappointed.

At

his entrance the veil that covers

removed by her attendants

her

is

and

kisses his hands.

An

she then rises

and indispen-

invariable

custom now obliges the bridegroom to give

sable

money

and likewise

to

put some money into the hands of his bride, this

is

called

{^^y\

to both the female attendants,

" the

price for the uncovering of the face

IA^ (J^)'

^^ ^^s circumstances allow him,

he generally gives gold coins

a

piastre, or

must be

even a few paras

if
;

he

is

poor, he gives

something, however,

given, although a trifling sum, in testimony

of the veil having been removed with

the

gill's

The two women then retire, and none

remain but the bride and bridegroom. During this
consent.

first

nuptial " tete a tete"

many women

before the door, striking drums, singing,

loudly, to prevent from being heard

assemble

and shouting

any conversation

that might pass between the newly married couple.

On

this occasion the

self that

no

man

bridegroom must convince him-

has anticipated him in the possession

ARABIC PROVERBS.

140
of the fair one,

whom

to boast of being a
in

he must no longer allow

also

maiden

(l^i^^J

which he acquires that conviction

repugnant to manly

feelings, that I

The mode

^j^)-

sometimes so

is

must describe

it

in a language better adapted than the English to a

detail of similar proceedings.

i_53a$'

bride

his

it

is

reckoned proper that he

utter aloud these words of the

<-^^

J.i

Cairo

it

Among
is

"^^^^

,^ d'-j^

Before the bridegroom approaches

^^ijub

(jw.U\

Koran

i^\

should
^^^

j^

the lower classes of Moslims at

customary that on the day after the

nuptials certain female relations of the bride should

carry her innermost garment (not

as

some

travellers

h.er

handkerchief

have related,) in triumph, to the

But

houses of their neighbours.

this practise

is

not adopted by the more respectable inhabitants,

among whom the chemise

is

bridegroom's house to the

women assembled

and

in

many

demn even
allow

it.

exhibited only in the

there

instances the people of high rank con-

this exhibition as indecent,

On

that night,

and no longer

immediately after the

^ conclusion of their first interview, the bride and

'^idegroom retire to separate apartments
next
;

m(Tning they go to the bath

after

some female

and

for seven

days

relations constantly remain with

the bride in the house of her husband, but he

permitted to approach her.

is

not

141

ARABIC PROVERBS.

The bride furnishes herself with clothes for the

she brings likewise
marriage, and with ornaments
;

to

her husband's house

much

furniture, bedding,

kitchen utensils, &c. (called J^j) often of greater

value than the price which was paid for her those
;

articles continue

widow

If a

take place

her property.
marries,

the nuptials are celebrated in a quiet

Even the marriage of

sometimes not accompanied by any fes-

manner by the family

a virgin

is

tivities,

but

none of those ceremonies

alone.

for this omission

must be made
and her

bride

an express stipulation

at the time of betrothing

friends

else the

would consider themselves

insulted.
It is always expected that those

to nuptials should bring

and wax

who

some presents

are invited

sugar, coffee,

candles, are the articles generally sent on

such occasions to the bridegroom's house, upon

large board covered with a fine handkerchief.

Divorces

are

beheve there

are

extremely

common

at

Cairo

few individuals who have

not

Polygamy is much less frequent

than Europeans imagine.
Of one hundred married
men in this city there certainly is not more than one
who has two wives and not more than one in five
hundred who has more than two. The privilege of
having four, which the Moslim law allows, is enjoyed

divorced one wife.

by the richest

class

only, those

who can

aiford to

keep separate establishments.

To estimate the condition of the Arab women at

Cairo, by that reported to exist at Constantinople

ARABIC PROVERBS.

142

and

the

in

large

Turkish towns, would be very

Females probably enjoy more freedom

erroneous.

here at Cairo than in any other part of the Turkish

empire, the deserts excepted
reason, or from

some accessory

and whether

for that

causes, they are of less

reserved manners, and more addicted to debauchery

than the

women

of the neighbouring countries, Syria

and Hedjaz.
423.'''

The

liar is short-lived {soon detected).

424.

It

is

the business of the

Mueddin

to call to

prayers.

There are appropriate persons for the performance

of every business. J-c sometimes means "the business
"belonging

of,"
is

my

Thus it is said,
duty to perform,"

to."

business or

*'

\j^ "this

this obligation

devolves upon me."

425.

Live, thou ass, until the clover sprouts up.

Exhorting a
to despond, as
will

change

it

foolish person to be patient

is

and not

quite certain that circumstances

for the better.

ARABIC PROVEEBS.

143

426.

Teach me Ilow I can depart from you.

they said,

and

Let us alone,

begone.

Said of a person fondly imagining that he

who do not

to people

is

dear

live

with

care about him.

427.'-

lT-"^'

Live

ivith

him

l5^^
ivho

J^^

Li^' Li'^^ J-^^

and thou prayest

and thou singest.

j^'i'ciys,

the singer,

428.-''

miserahle disorderly slut

tail's

p^roudly

and

affects

prudery.
..liUi

comes from the term

Egyptian
"

trumpery

dialect
;"

signifies

^JlL:^

cant term

employed only in

without any real signification, but

baggage,"

meaning a
The word {Jls6 is

this
it

(See No. 146 and No. 319.)

sense ,^Ai

means

also "

aLi^L

baggage in

from the word

about," "disorderly," "worthless."

phrase,

In a wdder

general,'''

^jAi^
ijLJL,

and

rhyme

serves to

with iJJ^

cels of goods."

in the

thus they say iJUu JLLz.

"deal of rubbish and trumpery."

a

which

" miserable

"

" par-

thrown

an imitative

word expressing the gurgling sound which water

produces in passing through

tlie

narrow opening of

ARABIC PROVERBS.

144
earthen jars

when poured

its figurative sense,

bling,

Lilc-j

From

out.

this

is

derived

the talking loud, and also bab-

from

" to

ij^^^^i

abstract one's self

from society," " to neglect one's friends," "to behave

towards them with reserve and affected

airs."

429.

The

became blind yet

cat

still

ivas hayikering after

mice.

430.

To keep

the

family in good condition, not

to

destroy

it.

When

the words

house or family),

'ij\^

and ^\j>- refer to l::,^

means "to keep the family

ijl^

(a

in

a good state by letting the mother live with her

husband and children ;" and h\j:>- means " to ruin

the family by divorcing the mother and obliging her
to quit the house."

when the

^-^:---i^\

^J^

^^

likewise used

father of a family dies.

431.

Unmarried, quarrelso^ne, and retaining no fHend,

Said of one whose manners are repulsive.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

145

432.

(Half) naked and a balance in his hand.

Miserable,

still

layiDg claim to the habits of the

^byx does not here properly

wealthy,

but "half-naked,"

''in rags."

The

mean " naked/'

substantial mer-

chants of Cairo frequently carry a small balance in

their

wide

sleeves, to

weigh the sequins and other

gold coins which they receive in payment.

433.
o

We

taught

him

.^

and [now) he has

begging,

the start

of us at the gates.

The pupil excelling

for

his master.

See No. 350,

dj\:S\J^

434.

A pap

of the cookery of

Om

Aly.

To express a thing prepared with great care and

Is^^^^s. is a pap made of meal, butter, and
nicety.
water, much used among the negroes and also among
the peasants.
^U m\ a woman's name as women
;

are often called

by the name of

their favourite child,

usually the first-born son.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

146

435/'-

The

kettle

"

reproached the kitchen siwon.

Thou

hlackee," he said, " thou idle babbler."

Of

those

reprove others for faults of which

who

ai^\ is a large
they themselves are more guilty.
JjUu has not in Egypt
wooden kitchen spoon.

always the

literal signification,

idly," " to give

bad

but means "to talk

advice," " to delude a person

by

shrewd words."
436.

Instead of thy {fine) tattoo and

off the dirt

Do what

is

thinkest of what

from

thy face, thou hussey.

merely ornamental.

L^Lri.

called the tattooing of the female peasants

made along the forehead and

temples, dis-

syikJ\

women paint
of Henna or
^\^ means

''

is

lines,

the red colour, with which the gay

and

their hands

feet

it is

made

either

In the Egyptian dialect

dirt in the eye," (and likewise, " sore").

'i)aj

equivalent to " slut or

labia

this

but never forming any regular

of Cinnabar.

ness of the eye

and those

produced by

posed in separate
figures.

so is

is

of the lower classes in general

incisions

wipe

and necessary before thou

right
is

thij j^ctinti^ig,

is

an insulting expression,

wench."

It originally signifies

pudendorum, quae a Cahirinis etiam jy^j

dicuntur, et in puellis exciduntur.


AEABIC PROVERBS.

147

437.

The embrace at meeting

is better

than that at parting,

438.

^^

(J^j

^is

e?/e

upon

^j1 ^ ^J^^^

<^r^

<.i

the cuphoard, his ear towards the crier

(of things for sale in the street).

^L

Applied to a gi-eedy glutton,

shelf in a

room whereon

^j

and

^^ "to him who

^jx-j

victuals, fruit, &c., for sale

cries

here put for

a board or

eatables, especially fruits

sweetmeats, are deposited,

cries," viz.,

is

it

is

^J
439.

\2JcJ
v-5'

>mAj1j|
/
C^J^\
f^JU.

^J^

The eye of the sun cannot he hidden.

Superior excellence or beauty will become known,

notwithstanding every

effort

made

to conceal them.

1^^ and ^^^^.^ are often said indifferently it

also means the body of the sun, or the solar rays.
,j..;uiJ)

This proverb

is

taken from a poem in praise of wine,

beginning with the following verses

f^^ijoj

In the

jj-*^ulJl

first line

expressing wine.

(^-x

L:i^l3

(Lo^Jkiil

U>yac

there are six different

terms

ARABIC PROVERBS.

148

440.

Borrow and lend out {what thou

is the

This

j^ and

is

hast horroived), thai

great shame.

a verbal play on the different meanings of

j\c

441.

ivedding,

A
term

and by

its

side

a circumcision

{fectst).

The

surplus or superabundance of rejoicings.

'iji^ is

more commonly used

in

Egypt than

^^l:^::^'

To save expense the Egyptians frequently celebrate

these two festivals at the same time,

when an

oppor-

tunity of doing so presents itself

442.
*

iiX,.,^]

The jewel of the necklace, the canopy of the throne,

the vanguard of the army, the point in discourse,
the best verse of the poem.

The "eye
precious

of the necklace"

stone,

or

medallion,

{'iiS^\

or gold

^^-c)

coin,

is

the

which

hangs upon the breast, from the middle of a woman's

necklace, to attract particular notice.

" an

army

thus,

or large

^}^}^

^^

*a^^^ or

i^yi^f^

body of troops in actual warfare ;"

"the army agtiinst the
'^^:.j^^

ARABIC PROVERBS.

Wahdby."

*J^.-lj^^

Jj^ is

149

the " head or vanguard of

the army, composed of the bravest soldiers." i3L4\

" the very point or

under discussion."
verse

(L::-^-J)

powers

h^

most material part of the question

so

ci:-^

iJA-,^!!

is

styled the

wherein the poet has exerted his utmost

the main verse of the poem, usually found

towards the end of those compositions called Kasyde.

443.

dirty liquor in a wretched bottle.

bad character and unseemly body,

liquid extracted

may

be.

'^j^j^'-

^jl-oc

by pressure from whatever source

the same as
a " glass bottle."

it

i'jljl'

444.

May

that

come upon him

lohich

comes upon the

drum

on the feast-day.

Much beating; verbatim, "to him what

drum on the day of festival."

to the

445.

May

those torments he his

which are the due of the

adxdteresses.

May

oUyi

he suffer stoning.
c:-;L...is4^

condemns

or those

Here

is

to be understood

women whom

to be stoned (*^y)-

the

Koran

150

ARABIC PROVERBS.
446.
i-::-wJl

May that

t_>UsUpl

be his lot which is the

&J^

to

1^^

lot

of the Sabbat men.

The Sabbat men, or the Jews, are doomed to hell

by the Koran.
All these imprecations are in
common and frequent use.

fire

447.

The blind man does what

is

nasty upon the roof

of the house, and thinks that the people do not

see him.

Said of a blockhead

who

fancies that the world is

unacquainted with his foolish

he practises them.

however openly

tricks,

The nieaning

of .^diJl

j^

properly " above the roof or terrace of the house

but

it

is

constantly used to

express

is
;"

" upon the

terrace."

448.

Custom

is the

twin of the innate character.

(See No. 133.)

449.

More rare tJmn

Said of

fly-brains.

any thing very

scarce.

^j*j means

ABABIC PROVERBS.

151

originally (as here) "a fly"; but in the

of

Egypt

this

name

is

common

dialect

given to a sort of vermin that

stick to the beards of filthy peasants,

and are

also

called ^U--?

450.

Scarcer than the nose of the

Said of a rare thing, because

lion.

it is diflficult

to take

a lion by the nose.

451.

More
Said of a person
is

adhesive than a

whom

tick.

one cannot shake

a species of tike (or tick)

off.

o^

these creatures attach

themselves firmly to the body (especially to the belly)

of a camel,

and annoy him extremely.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

152
signifies

the lock of hair that

falls

on the horse's

forehead.

454.

own

the texture of which is not truth's

an excuse

It is

work.

Said of a false excuse.

jjwil

\sjb

often

own

^^

labour/' equivalent to

and a weaver

one's self," "

(_/iJlj

J**^^

more common term

is

is

^JL\

In the Egyptian dialect

jJ

means " to do a thing by

"to weave."
jji

^f<i

The construction

-s^***j

for

by
or

J^_
one's
,^iUuij

weaving

is

called j|jJ5 in Egypt.

^jJ^\

(_J^

455.

The

lions ivithdreiv, the hycenas then flayed.

A verse

which

same meaning

is

frequently quoted conveys the

And when

the lion has cleared the field,

The ferret dances and

U^y:.

or ^J^y^

^Ws

the

Ichneumon

sings.

a species of small weasel or

ARABIC PROVERBS.

common

very

ferret

houses, feeds

Egypt

in

upon meat,

153

comes into the

it

of a gentle disposition

is

although not to be domesticated, and

gambols.

^/-*;ull

is

the Ichneumon

sharp

shrill

means

*'to sing," " to recite a

voice.

that has a

the Egyptian dialect,

^j in

/j

play and

full of
rat,

poem."

456.

A clear loss rather than a profit of distant

ex2)ectation.

457.

Scarcity

and had

Bad

(corn) measuring.

times and bad men.

458.
\^\^

\^\\ jJibO

crow exclaimed " God

J^

Jli
is the

one, " the dirt scraper has

is

^\

truth

;"

Jli

i-r'^ji

" then" quoth

become a preacher."

a kind of expletive often used in Egypt,

sometimes meaning "there," "therefore," "altogether,"

or " in short ;" but at other times it has not any signification

whatever and

No. 263.) Ji-jj

dig

it

is

" to search

quite superfluous.

(See

upon the ground," " to

sHghtly," " to scrape, or scratch

it."

ARABIC PROVERBS.

154

459.

hoy-servant of all

ivithout food or ivages.

ivorJc,

Said in reference to the unwillingness of a person

to reward those

who have

"sufficient/'

for all

house.

i.e.,

'^-:^^

is

the

wages or monthly pay.

signifies

served him well.

lAs^

the work required in the

common term

in

Egypt

for

<^)^ in the Egyptian dialect

the daily allowance of victuals given to

soldiers, labourers, servants, &c.

460.
i^

'ij}^\

The jealousy of

ijSs.

the harlot

that of the virtuous

JusaJiH

1}J

(is

^_xc

evinced by) adultery,

woman

(by) weeping.

461.

Anger with our friend, rather than

constant friend-

ship ivith our enemy.

" to be

expression iz^

angry with," " to quarrel with."

u^^

^^

"I

am

The

angry with him,"

is

often heard.

462.

The dinner
This

is

is

in

Upper Egypt

it is

not far

said in ridicule of the parasites

off.

(J^) who

run from one end of the town to the other

sake of a good dinner.

for the

ARABIC PROVERBS.

155

463.

The jealousy of a wife

is the

key

her divorce.

to

464.

Singing without ^remuneration

is

like

a dead body

without perfumes.

When

the singing

money from

collect

women perform
the persons

all

landlord or host as well as the guests

to custom, one of

the

in

Egypt they

present, the

and according

them proclaims with a loud

sum which each person

puts

on the

voice
plate,

mentioning at the same time the donor's name

this

custom excites the vanity of those who form

the company,

each

liberality wishing to

as the

from a kind of emulation in

have

most generous

and pleasure of the

his

own name mentioned

this heightens the interest

society,

and

fills

the pockets of

\sy.j signifies the money given to the

^i>. is a mixture of
by the company.
camphor and rose-water, with which the face of a
dead person is sprinkled before the body is placed

the singers.
singers

in the coffin.

465.

My

debtor

is still

more backward in payment than

I am
This

is

myself.

said in excuse for our not paying a debt,

156

ARABIC PROVERBS.

as our

own

debtor does not pay us.

*jy^ in the

Egyptian dialect means the debtor and

j^\
which means
creditor.

also

the

here used in the same sense as^liL*

is

Egypt one who

in

is

paying, or generally remiss in doing

backward

what

is

in

his

duty.
466.

Give dinner

to the

hut

drunken

not supper to the

tipsy.

The drunken,
the evening

it is

supposed, will become sober in

but the tipsy during supper will be

toxicated and continue so

tipsy."

i^'yiJl

ti

all

night.

^U

completely drunk."

in-

man
who is

jyJs^^* " a

" one

or ^J\J^
" a person clouded or stupified

^js>'J

with wine," being the

first

stage of drunkenness.

This expression corresponds exactly to the

German

" henehelt"

467.

His anger
Ever ready
signifies

for 7iose,

nostrils,

or

uJjl

is

to

on the edge of his nose.

burst

but

is

forth.

^^^

properly

used constantly in Egypt

term seldom heard there

in

familiar conversation.

468.

He

plunged a (deep) plunge, and came up with a

piece of dung.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

157

M\

469.

mouse feared
ciently luide

On

that her hinder

was not

suffi-

they then introduced an iron pestle.

remedies that cause an evil worse than that

which they are appHed.

for

j)ci7't

yx*

is

a low word for

more pohtely expressed by c:^^.!

The word 1::^ means a thick heavy iron ckib held
by both hands, and used by the public coftee-roasters

Ij jj

to

jj^

&c.,

pound the roasted beans

in large mortars.

470.

She has a distorted mouth and drinks Meloukhya.

She does a thing seldom done by

others, although

doing so than others. Uii

" with a distorted mouth." The pot-herb meloukhya

she

is

is

less qualified for

boiled with

meat

till

it

forms a thick broth, of

which the Egyptians are very fond

a spoon or dip their bread into
thick broth, and the

it,

woman with

they eat

it

with

but few drink the

a distorted mouth

ARABIC PROVERBS.

158

has the least claim

probably

spill

to

do

so,

being scarcely able to drink mere

it,

water without letting some

the end of

she will

because

and

Uiti

fall

l-^^Lo

is

the lower

pronunciation of

which a strong accent

at

according to the
of

classes

upon the

is laid

The

about.

Cairo,

by

at the end

of feminine nouns.

471.
/io

AXusJb

Afedddn may

A trifling
.

\ss^

^i

have a Jcassaha bestowed in

thing

It

great one.

^\^

may

its favour.

be sacrificed in favour of a

would have been better Arabic thus

^Uu2j

The fedddn

an Egyptian land

is

measure, of which the extent differs according to

the various departments of the revenue

^^Fedddn

el Jcamel,''

or "el Djerhasy"

of 400 square rods or kassabas,

24 kerats

and

is

is

composed

computed at

the kassaba being an imaginary portion

of the division which comprises 24 kerats, and used

on many occasions.

Fedddn of 333 J- square kassabas or 20 kerats.

Fedddn of 300 kassabas or 18 kerats; this is
the feddan most used at present. The kassaba that
composes it has 3 i-q-o metres. But this kassaba, or
rod,

which the surveyors now use in measuring out

the sown

fields

regulations

of

every year, according to the

Mohammed

Ali

Pasha, (who

new
has

abolished the land taxes assessed upon villages, or


ARABIC PROVERBS.
districts at

large,

159

and now takes throughout the

country the miri from each fed dan), this rod,

say, is often changed,

i.e.

shortened, to cheat the

and every two or three years an inch is

lopped oif from it. The poor fellah is little aware of
this diminution at the moment, but he has, however,
peasants,

found out that at present

is

(in

181 7) the kassaba used

only three-fourths of what

was twelve years

it

ago under the Mamelouks, although the feddan for

which they pay the tax

still

contains the

number

of rods.

itself is

measured favours a deception of

The manner

Immemorial custom has decided that

consist of twenty-four fists {Lixi\

it

it,

this kind.

ought to

meaning such

are formed in seizing a stick with the

keeping the thumb erect upon

same

which the kassaba

in

as

hand and

thus

No exact measure has ever been determined, and it

may be easily conceived that government does not
choose the largest hands to fix the length of the
rod.

pikes.

In 1816, the kassaba had about

The peasants

6J

Cairo

are so stupid, or so negligent,

that perhaps they seldom

discover the cheat,

or

ARABIC PROVERBS.

160
think

it

of little

moment

besides, they respect

it

as

The shortening of
probably makes an increase

a custom of their forefathers.

the kassaba by an inch,

in the receipts of the Fisciis of from

20,000 to

30,000 sterling per annum.

one of the

numerous

tricks

government

and

curtails

This

is

measures

secret

the fellah's

by which

pittance

without

incurring the blame of open tyrannical extortion.

According to the latest data there are about

2,000,000 of fedddn

now under

actual cultivation in

Egypt, (of which five-sixths are sown with grain).

Then 2,000,000

of feddan

at

the rate of 3|

4 dollars annual tax per feddan, (as

it

may

be

or

now

computed,) gives a land revenue of at least 7,000,000

of dollars to

I believe, little

As
Egypt,

I
it

Pasha of Egypt a sum that forms,

more than half of his income.

t;he

have mentioned the subject of taxation in

may

gratify the reader to lay before

him

an accurate statement of the proportion which the

land tax bears to the
in this country.

expenditure on a

field

income of the cultivator

The following
field

and the produce of

it

is

an account of the

near Esne, in Upper Egypt,

in

winter

must be recollected that in

1813-1814.

the higher parts

It

of

Egypt the Nile never inundates the ground, but

that the fields are in-igated in high-water time either

by means of wheels, or of buckets worked by men,

who draw the water up from the river.
A society of twenty- six peasants had hired a
piece of ground comprising

which fourteen were destined

seventeen feddans, of
for durra,

and three

161

ARABIC PROVERBS.
water-melons

for

being the custom of poor

it

who have not any landed property

fellahs,

own, to associate every year and hire a

Expenses incurred in

the

of their

field.

Cultivation of Seventeen

Fedddtis.

For three months twenty of the

were

associates

occupied in drawing up water from the river in

buckets, which they emptied into the small channels

made

to

convey the water into the

This

field.

labour was continued incessantly during the whole

Those

until the durra approached to maturity.

day

who

could not themselves attend, were obliged to

send in their stead labourers hired for the purpose.

Besides these twenty men, two were employed in

keeping the channels clear of

mud and weeds two

;

others in partitioning the water at

its issue

from the

and one man superintended

the whole of the labourers, and excited them to
exertion. The sheikh, or head man of the company,
channels over the

field

was alone exempt from contributing

his

share

of

actual work.
Piasters.

The

daily labour of a fellah in drawing the

bucket (which

is

of a

than the hardest

field

more fatiguing nature

work in Europe), was

then estimated in Esne at

fifteen

paras,

which ten were reckoned as pay

in cash,

five paras for food,

oil

(viz.,

lentils,

of

and

or durra

making the labour of each man

during the three months amount to the value of
cakes,) thus

thirty-four piasters

or for the whole

.850


ARABIC PROVERBS.

162

Piasfers.

After the conclusion of those three months,

when

the chisters of the durra (called then

Jjjlij)

were nearly

persons were

ripe, five or six

employed in watching the crop of durra as

well as the melon

field,

to

guard them from

nightly robbers, and from the multitude

of

sparrows and other small birds, which often, in

spite of every precaution, deprive the fellah of

the whole fruit of his labours.

men

of these
sixty for

is

them

The

daily

pay

estimated at twelve paras, or

during two months, until

all,

the durra harvest in February or March

For the construction

of water-buckets

90

and

the poles to which they are suspended, and which

facilitate the operation of

drawing them up

Seed (^.Uj) of 14 feddiins of durra, at one raftan per fedddn, makes 3^

Seed

mud for the

for three feddans of

melon

whole, or

field

Labour of throwing the durra seed

Labour of planting the melon seed

Expenses of harvest, twelve persons

four days, at fifteen paras per day

...
...
.

2^
1

3
2

for
.

18

Expenses of treading out the grain and

winnowing

when

it,

which

is

performed on the spot

the produce of the field

is

collected in a

large heap

Hire of the ground paid by the society to

the owner of the

we may

field,

H mud

for

each fedddn,

20

say

Total Expense attending the

labour

inasters

field 1

ARABIC PROVERBS.

163

Produce of Seventeen Fedddns.

Piasters.

The water-melons of the three feddans,

sold m the market of Esne at from two to
280

three paras each

Each of the
from

off

the

own

associates for his

field

eating

....

about sixty paras

40

For about three months the associates cut

every day weeds and grass from the durra and

melon

which they divided among them

field,

every evening

part of the weeds and grass

they sold at the market of Esne for feeding

and asses

horses, camels,

in that

town

part of

own sheep and goats

taken away from them forcibly

them they gave

and part 'was

to their

every morning, by the soldiers of the garrison.

The

daily share of each associate

may be commaking

puted at from six to seven paras,

the three months about fifteen

for

piasters per

390

head

Wlien the grain was divided every

carried

mud

home

four

and-a-half

worth at that

soogy,

tellys,

associate

or forty

time thirty-two

paras per mud, or thirty-two piasters for the

share of each

The dry durra

harvest

fall

832

in all
stalks,

which

to the share of each

after

and of which the leaves are given to the

as food in the

summer months, the

them being used

for

fuel

or

were worth about four piasters

the

individual,
cattle

canes of

for thatching,

or in the whole

104

ARABIC PROVERBS.

164

Piasters.

Each

associate

fattened at

besides

home

with the dry durra leaves a couple of sheep,

which he could

sell

afterwards with a profit of

about three piasters per head

piasters for each individual

we may say

Total Produce of the

I

six

or in the whole
field

156

1802

piasters

must here observe that the durra harvest had

been bad, because a high wind and heavy rain in

November had bent

plant

or broken

of the

the stalks

otherwise the produce of the field might have

been 1000 piasters in durra, instead

832

'of

ever,

the

How-

water haviug been very abundant this year.

two or three years seldom elapse without some

calamity equally distressing as heavy rain

innumerable

flights of birds,

or low water,

worms

either

in the ground,

which adds considerably to the labour

and expense of

irrigation,

are

circumstances that

cause a great diminution in the produce

misfortunes,

if

the crop

does

not

for those

entirely

fail,

government never makes the smallest allowance.

Piasters.

Total produce

1802

Total expense

993^

Clear produce

808 J

The taxes of

this year

were twenty-nine

piasters per each feddan of durra and melons,

which are usually sown together, making in all

Remained

to the fellahs, taxes deducted 1

piasters

>-

493

oloi

ARABIC PROVERBS.

165

The income of a feddan (taxes

dedvicted)

was

therefore 18-g piasters.

Each of the
after

piasters,

had
having worked
associates

for his share twelve

during

the

whole

As the durra fields are very seldom

sown twice in Upper Egypt, the man had

winter season.
(if

ever)

to support himself during the rest of the year either

by joining some other society to sow summer seed,

or by hiring himself out as a labourer.
The produce of the corn field is better, although
the seed produces

much

because corn does not

less,

or incessant labour of

require such long continued

irrigation.

At

the same period, the produce of a

corn field near Esne, was 84 piasters per feddan

may be

the expenses

the taxes laid

piasters

upon

calculated at 15 piasters,

corn

fields

were then

there remained a clear profit of 29

and
40^

jDiasters.

The com measures of Upper Egypt are the erdeh

and the tellys. The erdeh has 12 muds, or 24 kadalis,
or 48 raftans.
The tellys has 16 muds. Of the mud
there are two kinds, the mud el shoone (or the
granary mud), and the mud el soogy (or souky), the
market mud 16 of the mud el shoone make 9 mud
el soogy.
The seed of the 14 fedddns of durra was
3^ mud soogy. The produce yielded 40 muds for
each associate, or 1040 for the whole, which makes
;

297

for each

mud

reckoned at 300 for

of seed.
1

of seed.

The durra is usually

The corn produce at

Esne in middling years 25 from 1 in the better

ground of the neighbouring plains of Thebes, it
;

produces 35 for

1.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

IGG

The present system of government is to oblige

the peasants to sow the whole ground belonging to
whether good or bad, whether elevated

their village,

or

and

not,

therefore,

The bad ground

cultivators,

is

whether

or

irrigable

not.

then partitioned out amongst the

and they must pay the taxes from

Of

the same proportion as from the good.

it

in

late all

the peasants' cattle has likewise been taxed, and

they are to pay the tithes from

before

known

it,

a thing never

Egypt, and I beHeve, unknown in

in

any other part of the Turkish dominions.

which they do not want

for

their

The grain

own

families,

they are not at liberty to

sell

must

at a fixed price.

government have

let

it

at

pleasure,

but

The

erdeb of durra was then worth at Esne 5f piasters

1 piaster
40 paras.
8 piasters
1 Spanish dollar

472.

month

that prays,

On

a hand

that

kills.

hypocrites.

473.

hi

Wealth
\j\^\

the corners are

is

plural of

hidden treasures.

sometimes found where least expected.

'ii^\j

"the corner of a building."

" hidden treasures," a

word of frequent

use.

llj^

ARABIC PROVERBS.

167

474.

He

jled

from

the

and

rain,

sat

down wider

the

ivater-spout.

475.

One
^ji

dialect

single

word only

instead of

j^-lj

is sufficient for the wise.

is

much used

in the Syrian

not so frequently in the Egyptian.

476.'"-

In every head

is

some wisdom.

477.

In

his jachass-saddle sticks

Secret vexations plague him.

for asses

used in Egypt.

needle.

i^jy the saddle

a long iron packing

i3wu^

needle, used likewise in sewing the saddle.

478.

cV M^ ^j
The young

ones of the duck are swimmers.

Young minds
^ytj

in the

swim."

^^

are inflamed

common Egyptian
is

by example.

^ ^ or

dialect, signifies

"to

likewise used, but not frequently.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

168

479.

{Standing)

in

middle

the

hinder parts of those

ivindow,

and

the loiver

He

ivindow,

he tickles

tvho

in

sit

the

the

ujyper

insults {by offensive noises) those in

window.

behaves with vulgarity and

people above and below him.

dJUL

indecency to

among many
/Ox

significations

Egyptian
person

;"

means

dialect,
it

" a

window."

in the

^^^z^juj

"to tickle the hinder parts of a

has also another sense.

480.
<U*sa}

j_jlsaj

Such a man performed

"

quoth one,

and for

_j

,*Ar^

Jljj

the

j^^i

" Yes^'

pilgrimage.

his

had doings remains

resident at Mekka."
i.lsn,j

to

become

Beitullah of Mekka,

neighbour

of

either

Mosque

or of the

the

of Medina,

any other celebrated mosque or to reside there

for some time, which is regarded as very meritorious.
or

Those persons,
lectures

^lj\^^
{^ji\

in

especially

a mosque,

Thus

foreigners,

who attend

that reason

called

at Cairo the neighbours of the

Azhar

are for

|^^jls^) are far famed.

481.'"

Poverty and anger do not agree.

The poor must have

pliant tempers.

^vjlr

in

ARABIC PROVERBS.

Egypt means ''anger;"

it

169

sometimes used, but

is

not often, for "folly."

482.
,

napkin

-^ Iv;^

tvith {fine)

Puff without

^^\y^ tdry
borders and nothing under
to

reality.

Presents to

it.

people

of

high rank are often placed upon a board or plate,

and covered with

kerchiefs

embroidered towels or hand-

fine

(d^lrJ).

483.

y^\ f^y^ ^y^. J ]y*j

They are poMpers, and walk about loith

the air

of

grandees.
484.

We

rejoiced at

{the rising of)

came and we

ivere

the Nile

the Nile

drowned.

485.

He

has a voice in his head, and will certainly give

it

utterance.

person follows his inclination or natural pro-

pensities.

The saying is

originally applied to a jackass

that brays notwithstanding the severest beating.

480.

Every day man

inci^eases in neiv

understanding.

Arabic proverbs.

170

4!B7.

T^e wedding
concluded

When
tageous

loith its broth

and

disguise

the

the entertainments)

{i.e.

then every one put on his rags.

no longer necessary or advan-

is

natural

character

is

weddings even the poorest people

At

resumed.

dress, if not in

their own, at least in fine clothes borrowed for the

occasion,

tali^

" a torn cloth,"

"a

rag."

488.

^j^

^1 JU

l::^!

mouse

fell

alll

from

refreshment,"

hxW

the

roof

said

the

<d

J'i

c-g.t-J\

" Com.e,

,J_j

take

''Stand thou

cat.

^U

some
off,''

she 7'eplied,

Mistrust any
adjl

^_

is

offer of assistance

from the enemy.

used as an invitation to partake of food,

To decline
wholesome food
&c.

it

to

implying

expression

the reply
thee!"

with

is

^^

(^
^^\

harshness

"

May
a

it

be

common

"keep

off,"

"stand off"
489.

{He

is)

LiJI\

is

of more corrupt doings than the moth.

the moth that feeds upon clothes, books,

furniture, &e.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

l^l

490.

The enchantments of the devil are

a key in

{only)

his hand.

plural of

The saying
The dealing

is

'

'i^ij

a charm/'

addressed

to

a malicious sorcerer.

in charms and incantations

common throughout Egypt.

however

village,

" enchantment/'

small, in

is

There

extremely
not

is

any

which they may not be

obtained from the fakyh, or village priest.

491."

Hejiedfroni death, and fell

into

it.

492.^^"

^^

He fled,

disgrace upon

was
Said

slain,

in

expression

is better

God have mercy

of

derision
<d]l

himT

i^\js-~^

Egypt uJoj^. ^^

is

or,

ii2:)on

cowardly

than,

him

The

soldiers.

as they likewise

say in

very common.

493.

Upo7i every misfortune another misfortune.

One misfortune

after anather.

''He

"

ARABIC PROVERBS.

172

494.

The merit

belongs to the begmner, should even the

successor do better.

To the same purport

^jJa-^U

This

is

a phrase often used

" the merit belongs to the predecessor."

J^\

taken from the subjoined beautiful verses,

among

celebrated
into

is

the

the Arabs, and inserted by Hariri

Introduction of his

Makamat, assigning

thereby the merit for that species of poetry to his

predecessor

Uamaddni, surnamed Bedya

They have been

Zamdn.

ascribed to several poets, but were

probably composed by Ibn Malek Ibn e'RaJcaa, of

Damascus, who lived in the eighth century of the

Christian era.

/Jw'aJI

jJ-J

igi

If

,_cjccwJ

i^s^yJut)

i:^ JJi

.:U.

before she herself loept, love for

my
I

i_Jji]^

Sada

h^iid

caused

tears to flow,

should have lightened

{choked

But
The

^,

my

heart before repentance

it)

she weptflrst, her tears excited mine.

merit,

I cried,

belongs

to the

predecessor.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

jliil

173

-i^

495.

decent public ivoman, rather than

honest

stances

;"

it

is

frequently

people

may

jewels, or

lifts

^ ^.<,

decent

circum-

in

or l^^^^

np a corner of her

is

woman

veil so that

catch a glimpse of her face or her fine

else

one who stretches out her legs to

display her ankle-rings,

as

"

applied both to the character and

condition of a person.

who

woman.

" decently covered/'

jyj^^

an indecent

much indecency as

and

in general behaves with

she can without quite exposing

her character.
is

<Ljs:i3

sorts of

a generic term applied in Egypt to

bad and public women.

There

is

nil

a particular

whom
may prove interesting. In every town,
may be said in almost every large village,

class of the latter in this country, respecting

some

notices

indeed

it

of Egypt, individuals are found belonging to a tribe

of prostitutes called Ghazye

{h^

or in the plm^al

They are a race distinct from all

Ghowdzy ^J^^)other pubHc women, and relate with pride that their
origin is Arabian, and that they are of the true

ARABIC PROVERBS.

174

Bedouin

name

of

however,

Among

blood.

Barameke

or

themselves they assume the

Barmehy

they are less generally

that of Ghoivdzy.

by

{K^\^),

wliich,

known than by

They boast that their origin is

Barmehy (or Barmecide)
of Haroun er' Basheed but in

derived from the celebrated

family, the viziers

what manner any descent can be traced to them,

why they emigrated to Egypt, and how they chose
to adopt their vile profession, not one of them
knows.
They usually marry among themselves, at
least the males never marry any girl but a Barmeky
and few of the Barmeky females condescend to take
a husband of any other triVje. All their females,
;

without exception, are educated for the purpose of

Their law is, tliat a girl, as soon as
prostitution.
she

is

marriageable, must yield to the embraces of a

stranger,

man

and soon

of her

own

after

tribe.

be married to a young

Thus the husband

never

is

permitted to receive his bride in a state of virgin

purity

favours

but the Ghowazy father

of his

the

sells

first

daughter to a stranger, making a

bargain with the highest bidder, generally in presence of the sheikh of the village, or chief of the

town, in which the parties reside.

all

These women, and

the females of this tribe marry, immediately after

the nuptial ceremony, receive the visits of any

who

man

presents himself, while the husband performs the

duties of a menial servant in the family

the musician
public,

persons

and

is

who

he

is

also

plays v/hen his wife dances in

consequently employed in seeking for

who may be induced

to visit his wife, with

ARABIC PROVERBS.

whom

17')

he himself cohabits only by stealth

for

Ghazye would think herself disgraced, or at least

would be exposed to the sneers of the sisterhood, if
it

were known that she admitted her husband to

any

familiarity or participation in the

Among

her charms.
(but

am

them, I have reason to believe,

not certain,) that the Ghazy

profession

the male
follow

is

any

they are neither cultivators, nor traders,

nor artists

(so

The men never

has but one wife.

called)

enjoyment of

the dealing in asses, of which they rear

an excellent breed, being the only branch of industry

to which they apply themselves, besides the sale of
their partners' charms.

They

are as

as their females are distinguished

the birth of a male child

is

despised

and often honoured

considered by a Ghazye

as a great misfortune, because he

article

much

mere incumbrance

is

and

an unprofitable
the whole male

sex look up to the females for food, clothes, and

protection.

The Ghowazys have

in every

town or

considerable village a small quarter assigned to them,

where they
houses

whom
rank.

and

live

in large huts or tents, seldom in

never associating with other public women,

they regard as

They

singers,

much

inferior to themselves in

are generally, but not always, dancers

and as such many

and admired them.

travellers

have seen

Like true Bedouins they are

constantly moving about, either paying visits to the

sisterhood established in neighbouring places, attend-

ing the country

fairs,

They have made

it

or the

a law

camps of the

troops.

among them, never

refuse the embraces of any person, whatever

may

to

be

ARABIC PROVERBS.

176
his condition,

so

that he I3ays

the most fashionable

therefore,

with gold, will admit the

fellah for a

of any clown

great

female slaves,

(the

profits

Half-a-dozen
of

whose

or

Some

of

and

wealth

considerable

establishments.

fairs,

Ghazye, glittering

visit

sum not exceeding twopence.

them have accumulated

keep

country

at

black

prostitution

they claim as their own property,) two or three

dromedaries, as

many

horses, half-a-dozen asses, are

unfrequently seen in one family

not
dress

and ornaments of those

gold- embroidered silk

while

the

females, consisting in

gowns, and

many

chains

of

sequins that hang about the head, neck, and breast,

with heavy golden bracelets, are sometimes worth

from two to three hundred pounds
features they

may be

sterling.

In

common

distinguished from the

Egvptians, and appear to bear traces of Arabian

origin, especially in their fine aquiline noses.

beauty

is

famous throughout Egypt

Their

the greater

number, however, cannot be reckoned handsome, yet

I

have seen some that might have served as models

of

Phryne

for

a painter

their

not being

skin

browner than that of the inhabitants of southern

Europe.

Instances are not

uncommon

of a

Ghazye

marrying a village sheikh, especially of the Howara

Arabs settled in Upper Egypt, who consider it an

off so fair a prize, nor would the

honour to carry

Ghazye bestow herself in matrimony on any common

But these instances only occur when the
peasant.
Ghazye has lost her husband, or divorced him, and
has become tired of her

mode

of

life,

in

the out-

ARABIC PROVERBS.

177

which she can never be induced to renounce

set of

When

her hereditary profession.

such an event

is

to take place, the Ghazye, before she marries the

makes a solemn vow upon the tomb of some

new husband, and

sheikh,

saint never to be unfaithful to her

sacrifices a

sheep in honour of that patron.

have

been assured on good authority that no Ghazye

married under these circumstances was ever known

The number

to violate her vow.

considerable

believe

that

Egypt

in

they

may

is

very

be fairly

estimated, males and females, at from six to eight

thousand persons.

Their principal settlements are

towns of the Delta, and in Upper Egypt at

in the

Kenne, where they have a colony of at least three

On

hundred individuals.
Saint

el

the great festival of the

Bedowy, at Tanta

celebrated three

in the Delta, (which

every year,)

times

an

is

hundred

thousand persons sometimes crowd together from

all

parts of Egypt, to perform a pilgrimage resembling

in

many

respects that of

Mekka, which swallows up

the savings collected by the poorer classes of

At one

of those festivals

have seen above six

hundred Ghazye assembled

the

town.

Some

of

perform the pilgrimage

Sfreat state,
title of

tlie

Cair^o.

in tents pitched about

most wealthy Gliazye

to

and assume ever

]\Iekka

themselves in

after the honourable

Hadjy, not changing however their mode of

The Ghowazys are protected by the governof Egypt, to which they pay an annual
In the time of the Mamelouks their
capitation tax.

life.

ment

influence in the open country

was very considerable,

2

ARABIC PROVERBS.

178

and

protection

tlie

of a

was courted by

CJliazye

many respectable jjei'sons.

The Arnaut soldiers,
who are at present masters of Egypt, have plundered
several

and

killed others in fits of jealousy, so that

many have

from the garrison towns into the

fled

They have a custom in Upper Egypt,

on the feast-day after Eamadhan, of paying visits to
all the first people of the town or village, when they
open country.

dance for a few minutes in the court-yard of the

house and receive a present at

Their

parting.

behaviour towards those

who do

them is much less

but woe to him whose

affections

not meddle with

indecent than might be imagined

At every
them

they captivate

where they are numerous one of

place

regarded as head of their community, and

is

assumes the

of "

title

Emeer

or " chief of the settlement

;"

el

Nezel

"

{^^y^W

.^c^)>

which, however, does

not invest her with any authority over the others.

At Cairo
all

itself their

number

is

but small

together in a large khan, called

just

below the

women

they

live

Bardnl-,

In a city where among

castle.

of every rank

Hosh

chastity

is

so

scarce

as

at

Cairo, it could not be expected that public prostitu-

tion should thrive.

The Ghowazys have established among themselves

a vocabulary of the most common nouns and phrases,
in

whicli they are able to converse without being

understood by those who

There

visit

them.

women

Egypt
fewer in numbers
^^^J
than the Ghowdzys, but like them intermarry among
is

anotlier tribe of public

called Ilcdebye

(^w-.^)'

'^^^

in

ARABIC PROVERBS.

The men are

themselves.
doctors

and horse or

over the country

are

much Hke
here

called

Of

Gypsies.

^^i Ghadjar

Korhat), very few families are found in

are

ass

women for the greater part, but I

They wander
all, common prostitutes.

the

believe not

which

tinkers,

179

more numerous

the latter,

Syria

(in

Egypt

they

in Syria.

496.

The value of each man

i^*^^-:^l

is

is

consists in ivhat he does well.

here equivalent to

meaning

The Syrians say

" I cannot

express by

jSii~\

It

but not always, applied to

in this sense usually,

handiwork.

^j^^^j^^\

Jc..;

(do

it),"

^j^^^^^,

for

,^;xu.s:b

which the Egyptians

U
497.-"'

harlot did not sweep her

out the mosque.

oivii

house, hut cleaned

certain i^erson said,

" that

harlot loves goodbj uvrks."

498.
r:S!i

uJ

'li.^

harlot does not repent:

^yJ

tc

and water

iiLjs^^Ji]!

in a

jar does

not become sour milk.

j.\j

a large jar in which the ^^ater

is

kept for

ARABIC PROVERBS.

180

every family's use.

'-r-'^.

is

milk when

apj)lied to

In Egypt, therefore, sour milk

turns sour.

is

it

called

499.

Moonshine and

To

oil,

those are the

win of a

house.

lamp while the moon shines

light the

is

extravagant expense that will ruin the family.

is

often used instead of ^^1^

an

,.:-

500.
u^. ;^^ J

monkey

U^j^^ J^^

J^'

u^<J L"^V.

tvatches [ajield of) tormus.

one,

"at the guard and

'^

Look," said

the crop."

This alludes to a despicable person occupying a

despicable

sants frequently
field."

and but

jjw^lU

office.

Tormus
little

compliment

is

is
is

in the dialect of the pea-

used instead of

,:1\

"the sown

the lupinus, a bean of bitter taste

esteemed.

person to

whom

a small

given, shows his contempt of the gift

by returning it and saying to the donor

"(buy and) chew some tormus with it."

^j^tj

tU jsji

Boiled tormus beans are sold in the morningf at

the bazdr, and principally eaten by children without

either salt or butter.

The meal of

this

bean

is

used

instead of soap by the jDOorer classes for v/ashing

their hands,

and on this account

cultivated in Egypt.

it is

very generally

ARABIC PROVERBS.

181

501.

They said

They

to

some blind men,

replied,

" thai is

''oil is

a thing

ivith

become dear''

which we can

dispensed
ij>jc^\

means here (as observ^ed in tlie explanation

"not to be in want of.'' \d used

of Proverb 259)

instead of

Lvj^

ARABIC PROVERBS.

182

503.

The

Jish hinny said, " if thou canst find

titan

The hinny

is

myself do not eat

is

hetter fish

7ne."

reckoned the finest tasted

This proverb

the river Nile.

whose vanity

is

fish of

appHed to

fools

such that they pride themselves on

the circumstance which contributes to their misfortune, because

it

them among

distinguishes

their

equals.

504.

He

scahhy -headed and quarrels about the comb.

is

On

a person's disputing about a thing of which

he does not stand in need.

505.

[Like) assignments
j^-L^jJj

or

tj^'^^i

or

^\j^\

upon

p)<^upers.

used instead of

^^

or

^.i-;llu.,ij

" titles, receipts, assignments, bills," &c.

506.'"

A
Said

what

is

of

lock

on a ruined

unnecessary

j^ains

not worth keeping.

2^l(^(ce.

taken to

preserve

ARABIC PROVERBS.

83

507.

^.

jl>-^\

l:._^

UL-

TAe Moggrebyns said

jiJ j^.

to the

c^L-

Why

people of Cairo, "

"On

do not ye love us?"

h^

Jjb^J

account of your

ill-

natured cliaracU'r," they replied.

This saying

applied to a person

is

his surprise at not

having any

who

expresses

The Moggre-

friends.

byns form a colony of very wealthy merchants at

Ghoorye and

Cairo, established in the quarters of

Fahamyn, who trade in the produce of their native

country. They have the reputation of being ill-bred,
surly, proud, and very obstinate, and are therefore
disliked

although, with respect to probity, thiy

bear a character superior to the Moslims of any other

The word

nation.

of a

become a proverbial

Moggrebyn

{l^_f^

uK) has

saying in trade, but nobody

ever mentions the word of a Syrian, a Hedjazi, or a

Turk.
508.

They

said,

"

priest

more!'"

brother

once

ivards,''

he replied.

On
t_5jj

may God

''That

inahc you a lay

a step down-

is

foolish congratulations or wishes.

ail^

a compliment

is

intended, meaning

restore thee to thy prosperous state

say l^V^\

ujly

thee to health

"
!

aUI

"

or c_>li

God

Tn saying

^<j^j

"
!

"God

Thus they

^H "God restore
"
youth

restore thee to

mo VERBS.

ARABIC

184

509.

^.Li

^juV^

u^^^

^^-^

(J^^-ri

They asked, ''How does your patient f'

" he used

they replied,

ivell,'^

to

spit

''Very

upon

the

ground, now he spits upon his breast."

On

the delusive consolations offered by medical

attendants.

who cannot even throw

patient

upon the ground, must

spittle

state of

extreme

his

be, of coarse, in a

debility.

.510.

They said

"Eat, and do not scatter

the hen,

to

"[cannot

corn) about"

leave off

my

[the

habits," she

replied.
It is useless to instruct

in morals,

jlx^^

throw about,"
\\ord

r-'-tj

but

among

an inveterate scoundrel

the Egyptians

" to scatter

"

it

means

" to

comes from the

differs in signification.

511.

[Like) a karmoot rubbed with seder in a tank of soap

(ivater)

This

is

said of a person

catch or find

one

who

whom

eludes

all

it

is

search.

difficult

to

L^^* kar-

ARABIC PROVERBS.
moot

185

a fish of the river Nile, witiiout any scales,

is

and of a very smooth

Seder

skin.

[j^-^) signifies

the

leaves of the nehek or seder tree, (rhamnus lotus,)

which, being dried and pulverized, are used as soap

by people of the poorest

class

in

washing their

hands, and by the richer classes in washing the dead

bodies

CLi^l^

of their friends.

dialect has the

same sense

in

the Egyptian

as ^y&J^^

512."
^.LUj

It

^iauj_

ivas

asked,

^xi

^J

J\

jj

"

What

is

^^^Jl

JL'

the ivish

^\j<

JlA

JIj

of the blind

"
?

''A basket full of horns," they replied, "if he

does not see he

The

blind

may

men

like butting."

of Cau-o, especially those quar-

tered in the mosques, are notorious for their very

The multitudes of blind men

the Mosque el Azhar have frequently

quarrelsome temper.
daily fed in

committed violent outrages

in

fighting

one with

another.

513.

They asked
sleep?"

the cock,

"I

"

What

hast thou seen in thy

saw people

sifting

{corn),"

replied.

2 B

he

mo VERBS.

ARABIC

186

514.-"
Ls-A

^Z^\

Jl*

Jib

\ux^

''Father,'' he said, " the

is

he

to

,^}

V.

J'^^

person loho washes his hand

usV

eat ivith

lJ^^^'

J--V.

''

Neither he nor thou

he replied.

also,''

On

ii^i

a person who, confident of obtaining some

advantage for himself, endeavours to thwart others

in

wishes,

their

but finds at

prospects have vanished.

last

that

his

In the East, before a

own
man

begins to dine he always washes his hands, or at

least the right hand,

which alone

is

used at meals.

515.

They said

to the

mouse, " Take these two p)0unds of

sugar and carry

fee

is

good

this

to the

letter

etiough,"

she

replied,

cat."

" hut

"

The
{the

business) is tiresome."

often used in

c-^l::^

Egypt

for ^y:>^ " a letter."

516.

They asked
**

the ass, "

Why

do

7iot

you ruminate

"

Conceit," he said, " never deluAes me."

^1^11

"the chewing and ruminating of cows

and camels."

JUull

^is. ^^Ikx)

verbatim, "deceit

ARABIC PROVERBS.
cannot be gilt
me,"

gold leaf) over or upon

(or laid like

make me appear to myself

The expression ^^
U

" does not

than I am."
often used,

" I

am

better
\si>

^.iliij

and conveys the same meaning

my

can never enter

it,"

187

is

as " this

head," " I can have no idea of

not to be gilt over with this."

517.

To

hemp

cut off the mice ivith

not too

oil, is

much

expense.

Do

not care for expense in freeing yourself from

The hemp

an enemy.

oil

mixed with

arsenic

is

used

as poison for mice.

518.

J
He

Ujfe

JU

"

said,

lJ^ UJ^ Jli ^-^[/^^

Jli

i-Jji^

slave,

have bought
"

thy business," he replied.

" That

is

my

thee."

^^
"

Wilt thou run

\\

That

J^-'

is

aivaij?"

business," he answered.

519.
i^^j^ikil

They cut

it to

pieces;

L::-..^:s^^

it

served

of) the

Commonly

UjxLi
ivell

for

{the covering

drum.

said of a broken or spoiled piece of

any thing, which

can, however, be

some manner, so as not

still

employed in

to be wholly useless.

"

18

ARABIC PROVERBS.
520.

They said

"For

to the wolf,

ivhat art thou following

He

those poor little sheep f"

[upon which they tread)

is

replied,

"The dust

good for poor

little

eyes!'

On

the hypocritical professions of tyrants.

diminutive

The

often used not only because the object

is

in question is really smaller or inferior in quantity

or quality, but to give a kind of bonhomie to the

expression

and

many

on

in this sense the

Bedouins especially

Thus "poor little thing"

might be applied in a kind and compassionate
manner to a person by no means diminutive in
stature or wanting money.
c:j\:j^^ is the diminutive
i,<3
U is a common
or jJc^ of ^_^^^ the eyes.
use

it

occasions.

expression in Egypt, not implying

thee

"

but,

" what

the

is

what dost thou want

same sense t_Jo ^Ji..\\
"

"

"what

matter

ivith

The Syrians say

is it

thee

to
?

in the

521.

They asked

the cows,

you

into

shrouds

God

they

may

Instead of
sav

sj.-^

"If you
They

die,

leave our shins

u::^!

and then

do they not put

rep)lied,

upon us

"Would

to

/"

the Egyptians more frequently

it

would stand

\1^\. ^-m.

"

ARABIC PROVERBS.

189

522.

*'lf?/

Lord," he said, "(/

" Alan,"

together with the

?>e(7

of you) the melon

" thy

quoth he,

melon

Lord

eats

jjeels."

the

melon

peels."

When a
person eats melons in the bdzar or before the coffee
CLi\csr signifies

shops, he

always accosted by beggars, who ask for

is

the peels,

a piece of melon peel.

which they

eat,

as all the peasants do

when hungry.

523.

monkey

solicited hospitality Jrom demons.

gentleman,"

they

" the house

replied,

"Yotmg
is

quite

empty of provisions."
It
in the

in

is

in vain to ask charity from wretches,

Egyptian dialect

opposition to

hospitality.''

pohteness

the same as ajLJl

^J^, which

^-.-ll^

and

is

^Ji}

is

equivalent

"young gentleman."

'i^y^^

is

,jX

signifies " to grant

title

to

t_jU

given from mere

" gentleman "

or

to be understood as

preceded by j\^\ " the house from which everv

thing has been removed," or " which has remained
if

empty

of provisions.


ARABIC PROVERBS.

190

524.

Verily he loses his

verse

meaniug

is

way whom

cited

which

blind

men

expresses

guide.

the

same

When

crows are the guides of people,

They lead them

to the

carcases of dogs.

525.

Even

the

handsome {looman) experiences

the mis-

fortune of divorce.
This

is

said in consolation of people's sufferings.

526/"

Truly, the sword inspires dread even in

its

scabbard.

527.'"

From
t_a^_

his

pen nothing flows

originally

means

" blood flowing out of tlie

The reproach conveyed

more applicable to Western than
nose."

but malice.

in this proverb is

to Eastern writers.

ARABIC PROVERBS.
Oriental authors are

191

distil igiiished for

ness towards each other

great gentle-

paper wars seldom rage

among them, and they render justice one

to another

perhaps in a strain of excessive panegyric

they correct an

The

ration.

error, it is

total

opinions,

and

if

with coolness and mode-

want of publications resembling

our Keviews, and the fear of broaching

or

contribute

new

doctrines

probably to this spirit of

indulgence.

528.
Ij^

i^rjl

The hutcher

is

d\^ii

c-jLiJiil

not startled at the multiplicity of

sheep.

tyrant perpetrates bloody acts without com-

punction.

J^ "to be

afraid," or

^'

amazed."

Before the clouds {appeared) the rain came upon me.

The accident happened quite unexpectedly.

term

t-J^j

for " rain," is

no longer used at Cairo,

.530.

^y^
[It is

still)

"k

j^-*

^^

^^^

worse than a promise ivithout

performance,

J^

a word, a saying, a promise.

The

AUABTC PROVERBS.

192

i^\

i.!y>-

531.

Be
^

diligent,
"

.,^^j

to

and God

make

small

luill

send

balls

or

profit.
pills

"

this

generally implies "to be diligently occupied," 'Ho

work

carefully."

_,.^-^!

This

the cause of causes."

and then means,

"

"

<dll

God

is

God

is

is

the

the cause of thy goods

c_^L~j^

Egyptian

in the

" trade,

buying and

trades."

i..,>-.aux

(^->^--^^

dialect,

selling in general."

Jj>-j

cause,

often said in trade,

being sold, the cause of thy profits"

The word

first

<d.r:5-).

signifies
"

^.-r^^'^\

be

for " trader or merchant," is

more commonly used than j^VJ

J^j

532.
(

As

al'l

c:-J,:;i

if she teas one

^i^\)'^^

of

^s^f-'i^

'^Jr^~^^

4^^'^

0"

^'^

of Djyze, her
and one hundred oxen luere

the water-ivheels

hack teeth fell out,

killed by her {ivith the ivork).

This
e^l-j

saymg

is

used in derision of old women.

plural of LjsL a water-wheel,

(jw^-i

means the

ARABIC PROVERBS.
back teeth of a person, also

e-^

wheel,
"a

to a strong
place.

that

ox

teeth of a water-

the Egyptian pronunniation of

is

young man

tlie

193

"
;

the peasants also give this

hence the pan

which occurs

t_jl-->

name

in this

a water-wheel be half broken, the oxen

If

draw

it

are

excessive

labour.

Baeotians

of

soon

overworked and killed by

The people of Djyze

Egypt, they are despised

are
for

the
their

stupidity and slovenly negligence, and often afford

subject for ridicule.
.533.

Eat

ivhatever thou likest, hut dress as others do.

Do whatever you

like at

home, but in public

behave according to received usage.

534.

dog that harks does not

hite.

535.-"'

Hoiv many

sheej) at

the roaster's ?

dogs in the sheep/old

How many

good people are

sells

sacrificed while the

wicked enjoy their hfe in repose.

who

and how many

Ij^ll

the person

roasted meat in the bdzdr.

2 c

AHABIC PROVERBS.

194

53G.

hand accustomed
^_^*j

Am*.'

is

take is

to

far from

here put for ^-^^ ^\

giving.

^^^^J

537.

7%e hunting dogs have scratched faces.

The

face of a milksop does not

show any marks

jLi.^.-* in the

Egyptian dialect

of labour or fatigue.
" scratched."

538.

J ivhatever manner
person {on

A man is

thou, strikest

a scahhy-headed

the head), his blood willfloiu.

easily

wounded

in his

weak

part.

539.

He

ivas

an iron block

07'

anvil,

and

then become a

hammer.

The same meaning

is

also

expressed by the

phrase

Beaten

but to-day beater

ARABIC PROVERBS.

195

540.

The lazy

is

not fed on

lioneij.

541.

Eat of

the

hvead made hy a ivoman

a bleeding

ivith

nose; hut do not eat the bread of her ivho constantly remiiids thee of having given

The

dirtiest bread,

made by a

it.

lizj

''a

recounts his

signifies a

of the favours he has conferred on him.

East, there

woman

person who
LU
own good works, and reminds another

with a bleeding nose."

is

In the

no sort of insulting language which

hurts the feelings so

favours conferred
conscious of their

much

own

reminded of

as being

probably because

tlie

people are

ingratitude.

542.
L\j

will

l^ursT

i^j

tL!?lk<

Under every doivn-hanging head

Ji'

divell

a thousand

mischiefs.

This

is

said of persons

who

in comj^any sit with

downcast eyes and low-bent head, brooding

while on evil designs.
lect signifies "

^^

in the

bent downwards."

all

the

Egyptian dia-

ARABIC PROVERBS.

196

543.-""

'^-?

Whoever

Jr^^

j^'->

cries " Fire,"

J^*

er'=

lK

has he his mouth hurnt?

Those who cry out most loudly have often the

least reason to complain.

544.

Coarse meal for ever, rather than fine flour at

certain times only.

This proverb

Mohammed

The

is

founded upon the

saying of

recorded in the Hadyth or Traditions

best 'works

are those ivhich

last,

although they

should not he of great imjjortance.

JijL>

lA^

is

the

" coarse

''the flour of

meal used by peasants."

meal"

Iz^

"cut

off,"

"at

intervals only."

545.

Every sheep

is

suspended by

its (otni) heels.

In a future state, none will be made to suffer for

the (;rimes of others,
(of Achilles)

tered sheep.

(-r'^'ij^ is the sinew or tendon

by which Imtchers hang up the slaugh-

ARABIC PROVERBS.

197

540'.

Xe^

7?ie 0??/^

he excused

from

thy

had smells ; I do

not luant thy perfumes.

speech in the closet from a husband to his

Leave

wife.

thy rudeness,

oft'

I require

no

civihties.

.347.

As

often as

strike a

uvtedfor hmi he hangs up

[another) harley-sacJc.

No
about

sooner
anotlier.

is

one business finished than he sets

Among Arab

as well as in the villages,

sheiks in the desert,

customary that w^hen

it is

guests arrive on horseback, each horse

is

attached by

a chain on his legs to an iron spike driven for that

purpose into the ground, either before the tent or in

This spike, about eight

the court-yard of the house.

inches long,

is

called woted,

(j^v.)

As soon

carries one with him.

and every horseman

as the guest alights

from his horse the master of the tent or house takes

from him the barley-sack
receives his food, (and
carries with him,)

From
it

and hangs
it

it

nail.

and

fill

In this proverb the master's serv^ant

into the ground, another

is

upon a post or

in the evening

complains, that as soon as he

barley-sack

the horse

which the horseman likewise

this his people take

with barley.

{'i\kx^) in wdiich

hung

iias

driven one ivoted

horseman

up, ajid

whose

wise be driven into the ground.

arrives,

ivoted

wliose

must

like-

198

"

All ABIC riiO VERBS.

548.'"

Be

hrothcrs,

and

between you the accounts of

hcej)

merchants.

541).

handful of consideration ratlicr

titan

a woehe of

riches.

Woehe
which six

an Egyj)tlaii coin measure, of

is

{^-^i,')

make an

erdeh.

550.

He

ivas ivont to

swear

hand!" He
money

to the 2)oor

is

May my hand

the hand
rich

of his right

''hi/the giving of his

said of persons

of rich people,
"

novj sivears

who having been poor

wealth and inunediately assume the kmguage

This
aequh^e

" hy the cutting

off

men

is

low fellow without money, swears,

be cut off

if

"

(the amputation of

a thief's punishment).

swear, "I will give

wealth to the poor

if

my

The great and

whole estates or

."

551.

Eat and drinh, and

let

the ivorld go to ruin.

ABABIC PROVERBS.

199

552.

Every one

sells his

rags in his own market.

Every one parades or displays

quaUties in his

own

his distinguishing

circle of acquainta.nces.

553.

For

the saJce of thy

j_^Ak\ll

is

or reeds,
its

plural

oksor,

iJ

palace shall

ive

demolish our hut

an Arab hut constructed of brushwood

^di

From

a stately building or palace.

J^1^

which the peasants pronounce

we have formed Luxor,

my honour/'
my sake."

usual sense "for

" for

el

the temple of Thebes.

mean

L^\^ (pronounced kornidly) does not

but merely

or ''to

my

in the

honour,"

55-1.
"

\f

The generous

He

is

>
\

never satisfied ivith riches.

wants money

tliat

lie

may bestow

it

on

others.

555.

We

are all (afflicted)

ivith this disease

physician.

Said in offering consolation to others.

God

is the

ARABIC PROVERBS.

200

55 fi.

EcU

the present (sent to thee)

ivhich

The
gation.

was

it

and break

dish will otherwise remind

Ljk.^ is

on the inside

the dish {in

hroiight).

you of the

obli-

a small basin of earthenware glazed

it is

usual to serve up sweetmeats in

dishes of this kind.

557.

Every thing forbidden

is

sweet.

558.

Every man

Every person
instead of

and

lias his

his oivn care.

share of trouble.

cl',\>.

put

&.^^

Be a thorough Jew,

or else do not

pla.ij

with the Old

Testament.

Be

sincerely attached to a religion

rather than laugh at

this,

thy

however bad,

religion,

il^^dl

the

Books of Moses, which are respected by the Moslims

as derived from heaven, but which they believe to

have suffered by the interpolations of Jews and

Christians, because the mission of

Mohammed was

as they pretend, foretold in the original text.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

201

560.''

Like a cat that eats her own young ones.

who

Said of a mother

neglects her children.

.561.*

The day

obliterates the ivord (or promise) of the

night.

This verse was quoted in reply to Haroun

el

Rasheed by a beautiful woman who at night had

promised that she would bestow her favours on him
but when day appeared she
the next morning
;

decHned the performance of her promise.

thus become proverbial.

generally

current at

promise of
melts

Cairo,

the night

away when

^.-^_ J j\^\

the

ruhhed

is

day

^i

shines

^lia.;

is

more

that

" the

similar saying

expressing

i'jJj.'

ivith

upon

has

It

butter,

which

it."

^sy^^-^

iSi^\

(^J^

when passion has ceased, we

promise made while it influenced us.

This means, that,

forget the

562.

Like the asss

tail, it

never increases,

and never

diminishes.

Applied to one who remains constantly

same

condition.

There

is

a popular notion, I
2

in

the

know


202

ARABIC PROVERBS.

not whether founded on

fact,

that the

tail

of an ass

never increases in length, but remains as

when

it

was

the animal was born, except as to the growth

t-^o

of hair,

is

used in Egypt for L_^'i

5G3.

Like a needle that clothes people and

This
stances

alludes

and

is

to persons

is still

naked.

under similar circum-

taken from that

The same meaning

is itself

fine verse

more

forcibly expressed

in the following verse

/ have become

like

a wick placed in a lamp,

It affords light to the 'peop)le while itself is burnt.

564.*

Be

Like the

il.'u

of good memory if you become a

any (known) origin, and

sending forth any branches.

truffle, luithout

is

liar.

not

a species of truffle found in the deserts

203

ARABIC PROVERBS.
of Syria,

(I

believe

nourishment to

European

many Bedouin

truffles

known how

not in Egypt,) which affords

families.

Like the

they produce no plant, nor

they are propagated.

is

it

The Arabs say

that they are produced by thunder and lightning.

566.

Soft ivords, but open injustice.

567.-"'

HoiD many a hand iveak in gaining

is

prodigal in

spending.

568.

The dog does not hark in

his oivn house.

569:'

Every slave ivhen he

is

hungry

steals,

and when he

is

satiated, practises ivickedness.

On
minded

the effects of poverty and wealth upon lowpersons.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

204

570.

Like the impotent, who glories in the vigour of his

father.

Applied to those who without any just personal

pretensions assume airs in consequence of the merits
of their ancestors,

^,-^r.

signifies

one naturally im-

The ancient Arabs quoted on

potent.

this subject

the following fine verse

Ij

He

is the

Ij^

^.

J^ij

truly nohle youth,

who says

the man,'' not he ivho says

What

is

above

original Arabic a

t_5%il^

''

translated

term

for

J\

"

Behold,

My father
vigour,

I am

was.''

in

the

which the Dictionary

may

is

be consulted.

r^'

571.

Hearsay
^Lc

is

is not like

ocular testimony.

ocular evidence, equivalent to

^,^1 ij^^Uu

ARABIC PROVERBS.

205

572.
aJJUu

If thou wert

(^'.^.mh^

my

to see

lS"^.

'-^*j.'2j'

luck, thou

under

4j

wouldst trample

it

foot.

Said by the unlucky.

573.

Did

hut the radish digest

Could we but

we have

its

oivnself!

rid ourselves of the person

invited to be our assistant.

It

is

whom

commonly

believed in the East that radishes eaten at or after

meals

facilitate the digestion of other food,

although

they themselves remain undigested in the stomach.

574.

If a

man were

to

inquire after [the dirty

malcing) bread, he would not eat

manner of

it.

575.

If the fellah were made of gold, certain j^arts of him

would he of wood.

Although a low person may attain an exalted

station, and however his manners may be improved,

some remnants of

his former

meanness

will

always


206

ARABIC PROVERBS.

be conspicuous.

Here may be quoted the following

verse

Riches have disclosed in thy character the had

qualities

formerly concealed hy thy poverty.

576.

If I had lighted for

thou wouldst

still

thee the ten [fingers as candles)

regard them as if they

ivere in

darkness.

Said of one

who

forgets or never acknowledges

the most signal services rendered to him.

577.

Were

it

not for fractures there

woidd

he no pottery.

Misfortunes are not without some good consequences.

hyJi in the Egyptian dialect

for

yjS

578.

If his gain lay in the hinder

dog he tvoidd

On

[or filthiest)

eat

part of a

it.

a person descending to the vilest modes of

.obtaining profit.

"

207

ARABIC PROVERBS.
579.
Aiijj

l::^-^

^cj^

4^^^

him, I
If they had not dragged me from under

should have hilled him.

Said in ridicule of a bragging fellow.

580.

If his mouth

ivere silent another

part of him woidd

speak.

Alluding to one

who

talked incessantly.

581.'''

c;:.'

If

the falcon

had been good for amj

thing, he

woidd

not have escaped the sportsman.

On

a person indebted for safety to his insigni-

ficance or trifling character.

J:j\i

" I

dSl^\

^1^

"

In the Egyptian dialect

such a thing has escaped

have not been able to lay hold of

me

it."

582.-^'^

Cursed he

the hath that has shoivn to

part of him ivhose face {even)

me

the hinder

should not

like

to see.

Accident has thrown us into the society of one

whose very aspect

is

disagreeable to us.

208

ARABIC PROVEKBS.
583.

Her meat and

his

meat cannot

he cooked together in

the (same) pot.

Said of a husband and wife ill-suited to each other.

" the

,*A~i2:j

preparing of victuals."

also ufj^'. is

In this sense

used by the Egyptians.

584.
ei^/i-i

If it

l::^!^ JtiXJ

i-::-^!^

irere to rain, clouds luoi.dd

have appeared.

585.''^-

To

the lion belongs whatever his

Were

hand has

seized.

not for the tears the ribs ivould have been

it

burnt.

Tears soothe the pangs of distress.

587.''-

^*XJJ

The mare

is

not

housings
Jj>-

^'^^^^f^,

{to

and

i^r^

be valued) according to its

its

ornameyits in front.

the housings of a horse.

used to denote the ornaments of

foreparts.

LJ^^

The word *J j is
a horse's head and

ARABIC PROVERBS.

209

588.

{He

is)

not in hell luhere neither luater nor trees {can

he found).

reply to those

who bewail without reason the

situation of another person.

Mohammedan

regions in the

Ji..^

is

one of the upper

hell.

589.

If a

hloiu

were

to fall

from heaven

upon anything hut

Said of the unfortunate.
the neck

No.

it

ivould not light

his neck.

(Respecting a blow on

among the Egyptians

and Arabs,

see

2.)

590.

If I were

to

trade in winding-sheets, no one would

die.

On

a person unfortunate in commercial specula-

tions.

591.*

Not every one whose face has heen hlackened can

say ''/

am

a hlacksmith."
2 E

ARABIC PROVERBS.

210

592.

The tongue of experience has most

t^nith.

593*

If

the

gain

ivere

to

approach

turn his hack

his
to

mouth, he would

it.

Said of the negligent and indolent,

signifies

lii

not only the hinder part of the neck, but also the
back.

594.

hand

that has been short in rendering services to

do not stretch

others,

it

out

in

of high

quest

places.

The
^s^'j
is

selfish

the final

'i

called

"

is

unworthy

" the

of a high station.

strengthens the imperative, and

by the Arabs

expressed
others

person

^Ui^^S

rendering

such good

oflfices

of

^J
kind

By

i_J^-ll

services

as every one feels

duty to perform towards his fellow creatures.

term in this sense is very commonly used;
t_J^y^

LT*"*

("J"*^'

" ^'^^

to
his

The
thus

y^^ ^ kind enough," whenrank are

ever the services of a superior or inferior in

solicited.

it

is

ARABIC PROVERBS.

211

595.*

He

reads notlihig hut the sentences of toiinents and

the hook of thunderholts.

Said of a person

who always

frightens

with disastrous or portentous news.

those

passages

t__;U*ll

others
ijl

are

Koran which threaten the

of the

wicked with hell-torments.

^z\_yj\

(^[^^ alludes to

^ji) which has

a work written by Ibn Hadjar (
for its title " The burning Thunderbolts " j.c^j^\
,:

^'ijss\^\

Ibn

Hadjar

an author much esteemed

is

among the Olemas of Cairo several of his works on

the Hadyth or Tradition (especially his Annotations
to Kastellany's Commentary on the Hadyth,) serve
as guides in the lectures delivered at the Mosque el
;

Azhar.
596.

Not a

single grain of

mustard seed falls from

his

hands.

Said of the care with which a miller watches his

property.

Mustard seed

is

extremely small.

597.

Do

not

j=^^_

put

off the luork of this

'Ho

defer,"

day

''put back," &c.

till

to-morrow.

212

ARABIC PROVERBS.
598.*

Do

not trust the emir if his vizir cheat thee.

599.

The serpent brings forth nothing but a

little

serpent.

600.

Who

gives not thanlcs to men, gives not thanks to God.

601.*

Do

not ridicule the short

and

thin-bearded, as long

as thou thyself art ivithout

For

-f^-s/

In J

<L:^

the Egyptians

the

ma

a beard.

more frequently say

stands for

U ^Uj

or

J^L

602.-^

The hawk
It
j_f;Ul

Syria,

is
is

is

not frightened by the cries of the crane.

not size that imparts courage or strength.

a species of buzzard
^(/l^ see No.

3.

common

in

Egypt and

ARABIC PROVERBS.

213

603.

Heji^ids no ascent

to

heaven and no seat on earth.

Said of one so perplexed and embarrassed that

he knows not where to turn.

r^'

tSfS''

604.

FT^o knocks at the door

ivill

hear the answer.

605.

^Z^ that

is

known

is

not told.

606.

T'/ie

misfortunes of some people are advantages

others.

to

214

ARABIC PROVERBS.
607.''

T^e

mother who has

affiicted

like the

ivoman

her children

lost

weeps for

ivho

is

not

hire.

now use the word A'jljj

"
to express those hired
pleureuses," or mourners.
For

the Egyptians

'i:^\j

608.

He

does not know in the heavens any thing hut

Sirius.

He knows

heaven.

only

the

most conspicuous

^^art

of

saying appUed to persons Httle versed

in the details of business.

609.

fool

The word

a7id free
^^u-jJ

license luas allowed.

two

in Arabic has

significations.

It means, as here, the liberty granted to a person

who

is

high in favour to do whatever he pleases, a

circumstance

usually

vernors' favourites.

the

case

It is also

Math Turkish go-

used as an exclamation

on entering the houses of strangers, and passing by

the places occupied by women, that they may be

warned

to retire

it

then

your leave," or " take care

frequently employed.

is

"
;

equivalent to " with

and

in this sense it is

ARABIC PROVERBS.

215

610.*

Not

every face

to

is

said " Welcome."

Egypt Us-^* implies " welcome." In the

Hedjaz it means " you are welcome to it," or " I
am ready for it," and is the usual reply given by
servants when commanded to do any thing by their
masters.
In Egypt the servant says on that occaIn

sion ^^U-

''

am

ready."

611.
<t]U-

"

Why
*'

<_^i-c-

is

(^^^ cK J^ d*,<W

l5^.

funeral

the

so

hot ?

"

^jUJsail

One answered,

weeps for his oivn (unhappy)

JEvery person

state."
'ij\ujs^

t_i3

(see

here used in the same manner as

is

No. 520,) and

matter with the funeral," &c.

is

said to be i;^\=- hot, or

mourners attend
those occasions

it,

"what

signifies

burial or funeral

warm, when crowds of

The women on

crying loudly.

wave

the

is

their handkerchiefs with both

hands over their heads, and following the

bier,

sing

the praises of the deceased, whom, whether male or

female, they celebrate chiefly for beauty or finery
"

What

a beautiful turban he had

lovely person she

"

wore

was

"

"

What

"

"

What

a fine veil she

ARABIC PROVERBS.

216

612.

He

alone knoivs the heat of the bath ivho has

entered

it.

613.

No

right is lost ivhich is folloioed

up by demands.

614.

T^e bad

Said of those

who

families or friends.

or
*'a

employed

remain at

coivs only

mangers.

the

continue as burthens on their

The good cows

in the field.

are either sold

JjIj^ is the plural of

JjJ.

manger."
615.
i.r^ial?

It is not every

L::,-N.sn.iJ

woman

J^

to

luho blows {the fire)

that

cooks also.
It

may

likewise

mean

" not every

" for

woman who

up

may be used

figuratively in Arabic as in English.

or assumes airs

the word

i^

puffs herself

616.
Jx^ssj-

<s-J^\

-ry*^

Every thing crooked-necked

^
is

^
not

a camel.

"

ARABIC PROVERBS.

217

617.

{5

/(^

not every spirit that enters the glass bottle.

We

cannot persuade or compel every person to

serve our purposes.

Sorcerers

who pretend

to con-

fine hostile or familiar spirits in a glass bottle

are as well

known

i^-^)

East as in Europe.

in the

618.

No

ivorm-eaten bean remains without finding a

half-blind measurer.

Every bad thing

match

finds

The word

it.

*J'

something equally bad to

is

frequently used in the

sense here expressed, as ssXs

ting;"
until

(J.>.

,:^_

jw'

J "he

remained

sit-

''he continued railing or abusing

619.

On

account of her fine talking they sent her

to

ivoo

(for a friend).

Said ironically of a
or vulgar manner,
dialect for

woman who spoke

ljj..^

in a

mean

according to the Egyptian

(J->*j

620.

He who

is

bashful with his cousin, gets no boy by her.

This saying

is

often addressed to a friend

2 F

whom

ARABIC PROVERBS.

218

we

entreat to render us some service, or to pay a

If

debt.

we

we

are ashamed, or act bashfully with him,

obtain nothing from him.

in the
this

Levant to marry the

name stands

continue to

first

for " wife."

each

call

custom

It is a general

and here

cousin,

Cousins thus married

other " cousins,"

marriage, and not '^husband and wife

even after the

"

because the

more
sacred than that of matrimony, which may be, and
is frequently, dissolved at the momentary caprice of
of first-cousinship

tie

either party.

is

universally regarded as

Thus the man

daughter of
house j^ i^:^u} Ij "
the wife says to her husband ^^^

my

in the

calls his wife

my

uncle

^j\

"

Ij

"

and

son of

uncle."

621.

He

is like

the cocks of the Bedouins, eating

dung and

calling to prayers gratis.

Said of one

who

services, to live in
is

is left,

notwithstanding

poverty and contempt.

all his

The cock

likened to the muezzin, because he crows at the

time of morning prayers when the muezzin

people

to

their

devotions.

^Si^

is

calls

the

the Egyptian

The phrase "for God's sake,"

"
gratis," is expressed by .dl
or
The Bedouins (here
designated by the word Arab,) have no criers or

pronunciation of

^ij^.

muezzins but their cocks.

219

ARABIC PROVERBS.
622.

N^one got the coiv hut the hdclhy.

The

arbitrator himself seized

dispute.

t_5^1

meaning

"

exactly

^^^ is

an expression frequently used,

thou hast luckily gotten

what thou shouldest have

appropriately to thy lot."

.f^

upon the object of

<-J^l

originally signifies "it

is

it/'

had,"

" it

was

"it

fell

(from the verb

perfect for thee."

623.

To him

father

come

mother

ivhose
is

and

ivhose

from whence can

health

the hot fever,

is

the cold fever,

Children suffer from the discordant tempers of

their

^-sr

parents.

the

in

Egyptian dialect

for

624.

No

one extracts the

To every
man.

jl.:yt\\

oil hut the oil-presser.

sort of labour its

is

the person

own

particular work-

who works

at the

'ij^2x.^

or oil-mill.

625.

He who

leaves {the

fame of good

or great

after him, does not die.

ivorl's)

ARABIC PROVEIlBg.

220

626.

covered dish

and a handmaid for a

worth of

The construction
the inversion
A'X*

is

dishes

is for

is

farthing's

sjyrats.

J^:>J^sr_

hj\^)

i>jU- j <LC*

(_>%Lc

the sake of the rhyme at the end.

the copper cover placed over the most choice

in setting

female slave

is

them

before

the

here supposed to bring one of those

dishes into the room, a great honour conferred

the

The

guests.

company and upon the

upon

dish she carries, because

female slaves attend only on extraordinary occasions.

The small

hj\^ very much resemble

fishes called

sprats of from

two

to four inches long

they are

found in the tanks and ponds of Egypt after the

inundation subsides.

In these ponds the

Nile deposit their spawn

and when the

fish of

the

river sinks,

the fishermen stop up the communication between

and the ponds until the water becomes

it

so shallow

that they can take the young fry in immense quan-

by means of wicker baskets dragged along the

bottom.
In order to feed the young fish, or hisarye,
tities,

they throw oil-cakes called hoJcma

the dregs of
fattens

them

hemp
in

oil,)

At

a short time.

government has declared the whole

concern, and lets

it

(A*;uij)

into the ponds,

(made of

and

fishery a public

out to several companies.

November and December the

this

present the

In

hisarye form one of

the principal dishes of the middling classes at Cairo,

and one pennyworth

of

them

is

sufiicient to satisfy

221

ARABIC PROVERBS.

name of the bisarye, as I

Of the Jjj^ (an ancient
have heard, is ^^^j^j
copper coin of Egypt) few now remain, they being
no longer current ten of them were equal to one
para. The preposition ^-^^ is put here for J^^J and
thus in the common
in this sense is often used
?
"
"
what for ? " ^\ ^^
"question
for what " or
The

a person.

original

stands for J>.\

or

^^J

c_,,^^

^^J

627.

He

ivmits of dried fruits only the zaroiir.

The ^aj

Said of unreasonable demands.

a superfluous

No. 263.)

as

particle,

JjLl^

noticed.

already

are " dried fruits

"

is

here
(See

(and JjJi\ "the

Zarour is a small fruit

seller
").
resembling a cherry in size, and an apple in taste
and colour. It grows upon a low thorny shrub in
different parts of Syria, where I have seen it, espeof dried

cially in
is

the

fruits

YaUey

of the Jordan.

not a native of Egypt, and

in the shops of those

it is

I believe that it

rarely to be found

Damascus people who

sell

dried

fruits at Cairo.

628.

He

loas not

a match for

his mother-in-law

he

then

rose against his wife.

Finding

the

actual

enemy

too

powerful,

he


222

ARABIC PROVERBS.

attacks the

weak and

dialect

jSi\

(or

^-.l^

an overmatch)

for him."

a match for him."

iOi^^

In the Egyptian

innocent.

signifies

\j\

" I

am

quite a match

^JLz jSi\

Instead of Aji^l

"I am not

we

^^Jlz

find

according to the practice before mentioned of

and vice versa.

putting the J for ^.

629.
i-w2j:

ji.'i]\

Death

AjJy^

,__c.r^

ivas not sufficient

moreover must

''^^-^A^

^^

fJ^

for the dead, the grave

p7^ess

upon him.

by Mohammedans that the tomb

the body therein deposited either

It is believed

presses

upon

lightly or heavily according to the sins or merits of

the deceased.

This

saying therefore means " not

only was he punished for his sins by death, but the

very tomb pressed upon him."

"

moreover," or " even,"

Here

l^S ^U

IS\jj

^s>~

means

having no

Thus it is said ^yj ^Jlr*. a.;Mji,

abused him and even (or moreover) struck

reference to time.
" he

him,"
630.

The fraud

is

not comijlete unless

clever

and

it

he practised

It requires no ability to cheat the stupid.

is

"

the

plural

of

Jb\J:>

knowing and expert

upon

cunning persons.

^'able,"

"active/'

in business."

and

^Iki
also

ARABIC PROVERBS.

223

631.
dj^-^W

JJ\

False coin

is

J^

^J^

J^J\

^j^\

J^j.^.

passed upon none hut

shrewd

the

hanher.

<uLc

The over-shrewd are most easily cheated. J^aj

" it enters upon him " that is, " it is passed
;

upon him."

The money-changers {dj^)

are mostly Jews.

i^ -^oyP^

In Syria, especially at Aleppo,

these seyrafs, or bankers, are depositories of the cash

of

the wealthy merchants.

all

Each has

in his

shop

a kind of Giro-bank, where sums of money are paid

and received by

his

account book to another.

and

payments,

tates

them from one

transferring

This system

much

conducted with

is

facili-

sufficient

security.

632.

{He

is) like

the perverse porter

only ivhen he

He

under

who

calls

The

porters

upon God

the load.

God but when he

never thinks of

from misfortune.

is

are

is

suffering

accustomed to

exclaim at every step while they carry heavy burthens,

"

O God

God

or the carrier of a load

Jl^ or Jlli

is

"
!

^1 l

called in

^Ul

Egypt

porter

Jlj^ also

224

ARABIC PROVERBS.
633.
y

^jiS |i-c

L<\

lS'^I

J^-J

(^-^

<

^'^^

(^

^^

iUrsr

|^<!

" Which dost thou most love of thy children'^''

07ie,'^

he replied, ''ivhose mother's conduct

''That

I most

strictly ivatch."

The

father

loves

most

that child

of

whose

mother's fidelity he does not entertain a doubt.

must be

It

recollected that in consequence of a plurahty

of wives the children of different

beds are often

The Arabic

found in one man's house.

scholar will

easily perceive that the latter part of this proverb

would not decently bear a

literal translation.

634.
i_cjlr

cA.c y~2^

^J'<

f^j^

^J^

^j:~^\

o"-iJ

*^

and thou art my neighbour,

(and) comest from Cairo upon my jackass.

Thou didst

not visit me,

Said of a person

towards those

deficient in polite

who had a

right to expect

attentions

them from

him.
635.

The death of the wife

Here

new

wife

is

is

reyiewal of the ivedding.

an allusion to the custom of taking a

immediately on the death of a former.

So universally
ever

is the

is

this practised, that

attached to a

man

or

no blame what-

woman who remarry

ARABIC PROVERBS.

225

the former in the next fortnight, the latter after the

stipulated term of forty days, from the death of their
partners.

636.

Him

ivho

makes chaff of

He who

himself, the cows will eat.

does not support his

be slighted and

No

ill-treated.

sentence without exclaiming

this

"

illahy
foible

"

Thanks be

God

to

own

dignity will

Levantine will read

"

El hamcloo

that

is

not

my

"
!

637.
iiU-.^J

He

c_?li.

who absents himself

CjIc

^^
share {or his share

loses his

absents itself).

That thou mayst prosper, attend to thy task.

i_^,^ " the lot bestowed by

fate," also "

a share or

portion."

638.

harher opened

{his shoiD)

the first per

so7i

ivhom he

shaved was scald-headed.

Said of business commenced inauspiciously.

^j^

"a barber," the same as jL^ after J3 is understood

ajl^j "he opened his shop."
In the Egyptian dialect
" and the word
,^JlL^\ is for jSj\ " to begin with
is
;

generally used

by shopkeepers

to express the first

2 G

ARABIC PROVERBS.

226

Thus they

they make in the mornmg.

sale

cheap to you, that

might begin

sold

it

sale)

with a goodly work."

say, " I

(this day's

639.

bankrupt and an usurer do not disagree.

They

easily conclude a bargain.

640."
<^u^

He

cj^-i

who cooks a bad

The promoter
from

t-?*^

(JiV.

!f^

fj'*

thing, eats of

it.

or contriver of a bad affair suffers

it.

641.'''

Who

Oweyshe in

is

the

market of the cotton-yarn

person great or famous in his

neighbourhood,

is

lost

when he

own immediate

enters the crowd

^,y^ is a diminutive
The diminutive is often

upon the stage of this world.

of

iLlu.

a woman's name.

applied to the

names

of children

who

with their parents or acquaintances.

just after sunrise, the

women

are favourites

Every morning,

of the lower classes at

Cairo take the cotton-yarn, which they have

at

home,

for sale to certain bd-zdrs

JjAll

spun

j^), where

227

AEABIC PROVERBS.
of course there are great crowds

where Oweyshe, however emment

of

women, and
her

own

quar-

The sale
which
by
of this yarn is one of the few means
females can earn an honest hvelihood at Cairo, and
an industrious woman may support herself by

ter, is

not distinguished from the others.

spinning.

642.

Who

him ; and ivho ivishes thee at a

wish him at a still greater distance.

likes thee, like

distance,

a^j

understood j^^
is

"give him more."

Here

Of a

similar

literally

t-^Ji?

:>s:j

the following proverbial saying

Who

to be

is

meaning

abandon him, for surely thou

hast no occasion to meet him ; and who sold thee
for a dindr, sell him for a hens egg.
abandons

thee,

The Egyptians say

sense as l.^,^j

thus,

jlj

Jjj^.

and

JH

sjjJ^

in

the same

"such a one

likes

me," or "is fond of me."

643.

He

who

is

not

ashamed does whatever he

likes.

228

ARABIC PROVERBS.

(*f^

He

jL

ivho intimately

^L5 uy^J^

(*y j--'^

(^

frequents people for forty days,

has become one of their number.

U^

is

often used instead of

j*^>

645.

Truth becomes disagreeable

to

the fool only.

646.
^Jo-

-ftTe

The

it'Ao

t^^

li

^J^^ Jil

ea^s alone, coughs alone.

egotist or selfish miser

is

abandoned

in his

^_^ to cough with the throat crammed,

or when one has been almost suffocated by somemisfortunes.

thing sticking in the windpipe.

shame

in the

It is reckoned a

East to eat alone, and those who do so

are despised as misers.

647.

This

This

saying
square

is

not the bishop's square.

not the proper place for a person.

derived
is

is

called

from the chess-board, where the

c:^-.'

or

*'

house."

ARABIC PROVERBS.

229

648.

hair dresser,

and

she comhs {or dresses the hair

of) her daughter.

This

is

said of

good work, such as

is

executed by

when they work "con amore."

peasants signifies " a woman who

skilful artists

ali^U

among

earns

the

her livelihood by combing

and cleaning the long

thick hair of the female villagers, which she after-

wards

plaits,"

able Turkish

week.

an operation to which

women submit

This business

baths by professional

is

the respect-

at least once in every

performed

women

all

towns at the

in

called iiL

649.

How

very great

how small

pretty

ip\jSL^\

is

the quantity

girl,

my wooers
my furniture.

the yiumher of

of

hut

but too poor to obtain a husband.

comprises the whole furniture

beds,

sofas,

kitchen utensils, china-ware, &c. which a wife brings

amounting often to a greater value

than the price paid for the girl to her father. She

to her husband,

retains,

unless

may

however,

the property

she demands a divorce,

clairn it

of

this

when

on her leaving his house.

furniture,

the husband

230

ARABIC PROVERBS
650

Nobody

considers himself as contemptible.

In the Egyptian dialect a:^

and a^^

commonly

foi-

used for

is

j^:^'

^^i

651.

He

luho talks
tvill

about that ivhich does

7iot

hear something not pleasing

concern him,
to

him.

652/'<

many

^0?/;

is

>i(L>

>.ijiJl

<

Is.

are the roads that lead not

here to be understood as

to the

heart

653.

Among

He

is

the pottery there is

distinguished only

none

among

like

his

him.

low com-

panions.
654.

JE/e

ly/io

cannot reach

of

it,

to

"It

the
is

bunch of grapes, says

sour."

ARABIC PROVERBS.

231

655.

He

receive

MosHms

it

is

Book of Destiny that he

a puff of wind vijon the serdt.

is

to

in

ivritten

The

him

bran in

distributes

ivJio

serat

alms, for

the

is

that narrow bridge by which the

pass over the precipice of Hell towards the

avenues of Paradise.

656.

Of him who marries

be [as quick as one

ivill

Women

b^zdrs of Cairo.
^:sn]b \^^^j

can say) ''good night."

of the lower class and of unchaste cha-

racter sell pigeons

is

in the bird-market, the divorce

^JJ^.i

expressed thus,

and other birds

Here

is

to be understood cGE>

That a person went

J\j

^ j^^^^,

\^jj^

'good evening,' and went away."

quitting a

adieus

company

man

in the different

it

is

may

"

JL

he said

In the East on

make long

not usual to

says merely " good night,"

morning," and immediately withdraws.

verb

^^

off in haste,

perhaps also mean, that

if

o]'

"

good

The prothe person

marries in the morning at the bird-market he will

be divorced on the evening of the same day.

232

ARABIC PROVERB?.
657.

From

the heginning

The

affair

of the vinegar dregs were in

was badly concerted from the

the Egyptian dialect

j_^o.o

in

lees,'

the same as

signifies

it.

first.

"dregs or

G
658.

(He

is) like

the icorld

no corifidence

ill

be placed

is to

him.

659.

UjkLs^

As

(^="J^

(J-^-V.

lAt*^^

S?

^^^^

J^*^'

J^u

the sheep does with the acacia-pulse, the acacia-

pidse does

tvith the sheep's skin.

mimosa called k;,^ or l^u.^

pod resembling that
of carobs.
It contains several beans, and when fresh
is excellent food for cattle
when dried it is used by
the tanners in Upper Egypt and all the Bedouins of
x'i

is

the fruit of the

consisting of a small pulse or

Arabia to tan sheep's skins.

060.

It

is

ivritten

upon

the

cucmmber

watches during the night

He who

slee2')s

leaf,

^'

He who

during the day."

passes the night in revelry

is

unfit for

233

ARABIC PROVERBS.
business during the day.
cuciiTuher leaf,"

^'

It

that

signifies

is ivritten
it

is

upon

the

written where

may read it, as cucumbers

and common in Egypt. JJJl and

even the meanest people

are very cheap

In
^1^1 are here put for jjJJb and jl^Jb or JJJl J,
witli
dispense
this manner the Egyptians frequently
the prepositions

^.

and

j,

661.

vV<
There are
^^\y

7io

the plural of

fans in

^>-j)/*

''

hell.

a fan

made

of the

chips of date-leaves."

662.

He

an opportimity of
let him feed on the

ivho loses

the

(eating)

meat,

broth.

An

Arabian story relates that the bird komhar

{j^i of the lark species,) once invited King Solomon
to dine, and requested that all Iris courtiers might

accompany him.

was a
pany

sufficient

The king inquired whether there

supply of food for so large a com-

and received

in

answer,

necessary had been provided.

that

everythmg

The guests arrived

and seated themselves near the banks of a river

when dinner time approached the kombar came fly-

ing with a locust in his

bill.

Having eaten some

2

234

ARABIC PROVERBS.

of

threw the rest into the water, and

it liiinself, lie

addressed this proverb to his royal guest, advising

him

The

to satiate himself with the locust-broth.

wise monarch smiled, he and his attendants drank

some of the water, thanked their

host,

and departed.

6G3.

J^^l

He

who

^-^'

'J^

L>J^

the Zoity

talks with

(^

U'^

commits a sin against

himself.

Avoid the conversation of unmannerly persons.

l?j

an Arabian tribe noted

their manners.

of

for the coarseness

have heard at Cairo, (but cannot

affirm as fact,) that a small tribe of Zotty

is

still

established in some villages of Palestine.

664.-"
-

After Ahhdddn no village remains {or

This

said

is

in derision of the

exists).

which

praises

people so lavishly bestow upon their native places,

Ahhdddn
on the eastern bank of the

even the most miserable hamlets.

was a place

belonging to the district of Sowdd.

am

whether Ahhdddn exists at present or not

I

imagine

duced

it

why

the Egyptians

Jj'uc)

Tigris,

ignorant
;

nor can

should have intro-

into one of their proverbial sayings.

signifies a village in

the modern dialect of Egyj^t.

X..


ARABIC PROVERBS.

235

665.

There

any

not in the ferrij boat

is

[gratis or)

for

God's sake.

There every person must pay his

same manner as the expression

in the

sake/'

i.e.

^U is

fare.

" for

used

God's

gratis.

666.

c^yi
J'/^e

Man
he

is

he

^^

(for

i.u^

possesses
"

^^^z)

JL,

Common

^:^ i;u

U b

" tliis

his

This figurative sense

c__)1j

signifies

j\i]\

saying of

proverb in sense

is

(_j\j

^'

fill

is

to

full,"

or

he

is

his eye,"

restored in

fill

the eye."

"dust of the

the

Mohammed

is

desire,

does not

the proverb to the real meaning of

here

expressions

"his eye

every object of

or content him.

grave."

of man.

ca)i Jill the eye

deposited in the dust.

satiated

U;:

continues to be ambitious or covetous until

are ^^LL
"

ct/o7ie

cZiti"^

^j1

^J!

resembling this

recorded as follows

667.-'-

He

who has a head

at the sellers of sheep's heads,

does not sleep at night.

The person whose fortune

is

intrusted

to

the

ARABIC PROVERBS.

236

The poor

hands of strangers, cannot enjoy repose.

at Cairo

them

buy

and

sheep's heads

boiled in the bazar

for a trifle

by persons who

have

are not

only cooks, but sellers of sheep's heads, and therefore called

^^J

or in the Egyptian dialect

^jw^j

668.

Of

that person at ivhose ivedding thou dost not eat,

eat at the funeral.

Lose no opportunity of gaining from a stingy

The more natural construction

verb would be
person.

The word

\r^

means the

days of mourning-

first

after a person's death, generally spent

tions in loud expressions of grief

the Egyptians say also

*:u.*

by

his rela-

sumptuous enter-

tainments being given to the mourners.

Ijjr

of this pro-

which

is

Instead of

a corruption

of ^-'U

669.

He who
^^l^*J\

to sit

is

is

fatigued shall repose {afterwards).

the expression used in inviting a person

down when he

enters a room, as the Arabs say

ARABIC PHO VERBS.

237

670.

iiave

no cows,

do I

noi'

set

myself up as a

sorcerer.
I

have no money

left to assist

the want of thy lost cow).

^y\
to be), " I suddenly begin to be."

thee (or to supply

" I rise " (to

do or

671.

He

ivho

is

not satisfied with the government of Moses,

will he satisfied ivith the goveriiment of

Tills

Pharaoh.

saying has latterly been often quoted

express that those

who

must now submit

to the

vernment of

to

did not like the Mamelouks,

Mohammed

still

Aly.

more tyrannical goThe construction is

according to the vulgar dialect of Cairo,

it

should

have been (more correctly)

^^y

^y.

^-^y^

jX=c:

^j

^*

672.

It is nothing hut the fire of the

Said to a person

who

Magians.

highly values that which

must hurt him. The Madjous, or

adore the same element which burns them.

finally

Idolaters^

238

ARABIC PEOVERBS.
673/''

He

who does not

jmH

taste the {best

of the) meat

the lungs.

likes

The poor must be content with that which the

The lungs are eaten only by the
lich disdains.
Instead of

poor.

the Egyptians more

ij^

commonly

use the term ^j^ in speaking of lungs.

G74.

^P^ ^fi
Of him

^^j^

whose cook

^j<.:>-

is

^\

Ji ^c

ark Us

what may not be

beetle,

the dishes f

What

can the work be

employed to execute
species of 'Ljc^
latter, as

it

slovenly

if

^^j^^ y}

or scarabseus,

and

an emblem of ugliness and

is

fools

are

the largest

cited, like
filth.

It

the

is tlie

same animal which the learned Arabians sometimes

call

Jjt^
675.

He

ivho eats

a hen of

the sultan will return her

to hitn

On

a cow.

the heavy fines imposed on those

bezzle the public money.

imply "the taking of

J^'

is

who em-

constantly used to

illegal gain."

Thus ^jU

Jil

he has eaten
"he has cheated me ;" ^^^^1 ^^ ^\
But it always
(embezzled) some of the money."
has
betrayed
eater
at the same
thethat
supposes
''


ARABIC PROVERBS.

239

time the trust or confidence placed in him.

fore it is not said of a

shopkeeper who cheats his

customer by overcharges
cheated him

;"

an account of

but

my

if

There-

my

.u,m

J^^

but

servant overcharges

expenses, I say

^J.,^

" he

&ji,^

me

in

"he has

J^l

cheated me."

Him

vjhom goodness cannot mend,

evil ivill not

mend.

On

such

persons

incorrigible

softened by kindness nor corrected

On

as

cannot

be

by punishment.

this subject the following verse is cited

677.

He

who

loves

a thing

often talks of

Literally " abounds in the mentioning of

if.

it."

678.

Who

is

able to restore {what was) yesterday, or

to

plaster over the rays of the sun ?

One

is

as

impossible

as

the

other.

This

is

generally said of any undertaking quite beyond the

ARABIC PROVERBS.

240

human

reach of

power,

^j^^'j

a wall or anything with mud,

(from

i^laster,

j^l?)

to cover

&c.

679.

JUi^ Ji^\ u^A..:^\x^\

Among

tvofide^fid things is
is

A man

should

an

a sore-eyed person

oculist.

the

cure

own defects.
Jl^ who pretend

attend to his

first

In Egypt those quacks are styled

to

ivho

which purpose they usually

eyes, for

employ a mixture of mineral or metallic substances,

especially antimony, and from this they derive their
name.
680.

Mail
This

vile

is

only

saying

is

man

by his money.

in opposition to the celebrated

answer given to the great Arab

Hyra,

Neman Ibn

chief,

or

King of

Monzer, by his enemy and rival

Dhamra Ibn Dhamra, whom Neman when he came

into his presence reproached for the

look

and the smallness of

Bedouin
in

two of

tongue

his

his person.

" Surely the

replied,

smallest

meanness of

The noble

worth of a man

parts his

his

lies

heart and his

!"

Others affirm that this answer was given by the

Arab Mady Kerb

to the

King

of Persia.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

241

681.
- O - C '^

When

wert

tJioic

changed into a queen,

paivn

Said of low people suddenly elevated.

This

is

taken from the chess board, when a pawn passes to

queen

The

(jj).

of

Lii^jyu'i

is

superfluous,

and

must be ascribed merely to the vulgar pronunciation.

The ancient poet Abou Tamam has a similar
expression

682.'^'

Of him

ivho eats the sultdn's broth, the lips will be

scalded,

should

even

be

it

at

a very distant

time.

On

the

attending

dangers

those

who

is

here in

its

or "gain."
it is

true sense and implies " illegal eating,"

(jlisLJ!'

^Li^-x

stands for

Isj^

said .ui^x J^Ij bl

preceded

accept

The ^\

lucrative situations undei Eastern rulers.

"I

i>Jyo

^^^

Thus

ate of his bread/' as if

or as a host says to his guest,

" eat o/the meat," for ^s:^\

,jsn>U^

^, J^

^^
J^


ARABIC PROVERBS.

242

c_J>

^^'^\
U^'

683.

small date-stone "props up the ivater-jar.

Great princes often owe

meanest of their subjects

supported by the most
is

tlieir
or,

security to the

great concerns are

trifling circumstances.

That the large

the diminutive of ^.3

i.'jly

water-jars,

which are of this form

may be kept
balanced,

in

an

upright

position

and

well

some small stones are often put under

them.
684.
^_jJkX.

The

advise)'

of the fool

The word
a

fool,

(J^'i]

jj^]

is

is

^\j
(or becomes) his enemy.

applied in

Egypt not only

but also to an obstinate headstrong person.

to

ARABIC PROVERBS.

243

685.
lii-^Aj

They embraced

U_j-I'U

her, she

proached

remained

'<^iri,

airs.

not ashamed of

is

"to enjoy female

they re-

silent;

assumed

her, then she

She dreads the reproach, but

the deed.

[si^[j

u::-v:;.C:

society."

L::.-^:saxj

signifies " the twisting of the

body
from J^ which
and coy motions of a woman impatient of reproach."
The same word is often used to express similar
motions produced by coquetry or voluptuousness,

and the women of Cairo

Ji

superior to that of

is

themselves that their

flatter
all

other females in the

Levant.

686.

The blowing of
This

is

said

the stable.

on two occasions

first,

when a

person resembles a horse that issues from his stable

and breathes high, blows out

and strikes the ground with his

in full vigour, snorts

at the
hoofs,
it

is

nostrils,

but soon after

is

found to be tu^ed

secondly,

applied to a person resembling the grooms of

the stable,

who

puff themselves

up and give them-

selves great airs, fellows noted in Egyj^t for their

insolence.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

244

687.
lik.^\

The

iL^^

liU-Jl ^li

jive of reeds is of

The passions

of those

rapid extinction.

who have no energy

of

character are easily subdued.

688.-"<Xi-iLuJl

He
Of

_^

_j

ij,

ivas horn ivith

LiJ

Noah

in the ark.

ancient origin, of long standing.

689.*

Man

the slave of benefcence.

is

Beneficent actions and kindnesses enslave a

man

to the generous.

690.
?jj

i_5^

rr-^

'^'^

Sr ^^^.

CI-^JJ

alighted {at his house) in a barren valley

Said of an inhospitable mansion, in allusion to a

passage of the Koran (Chapter

xiv),

wherein

it

is

said

^j

kS^ ji^

by which valley
<ij^

^^^.

common

one for the other.

c;'*

^^^-^^^^

i^^

^^:j

understood the valley of Mekka.

is

stands here for

being in

i^Hj'^

^su.

or fJ

these

prepositions

conversation frequently misused


245

ARABIC PROVERBS.
691.

Advice given in the midst of a crowd,

\\ the (place)

Egyptian

filled

as follows

is

loathsome.

^Ju

(with people).

" loathsomeness,"

dialect

This meaning

is

in the

" disgust/'

&c.

well expressed by an ancient poet,

ill! JilrsnU

^'j-Cii

'

^^^xA\

(_;,\Lc

ci^w^j

\S^,

If I should Jind my friend in the wrong, I reproach

him secretly; hut in 2)resence of company, I
praise him.

G92.

People resemble
live,

more

the time in

which they

than they resemble their fathers,

(Verbatim

still

Men,

with their time, are more similar

than

their fathers.)

to

to

it,

This proverb means, that the general state of

and manners, have more influence

upon man than education or the example set by his

society, its notions

parents.

maxim

equally just as

sagacious.

It

might have been expressed more precisely in Arabic

thus
s.

246

ARABIC PEOVERBS.
093.

The clarionet

in

is

my

sleeve

and

the breath in

my

mouth (ready for playing).

Used
business."

to express

^U

is

" I

am

completely ready for

a sort of clarionet very

common

in

the Levant.
694.

[Like) the look of the miser at his bankrujjt debtor.

[:]\

695.

The presents of our friends are [as dear to us as if

they -were) upon the leaves of rue.
It

is

well

known

that presents are frequently

interchanged between friends in the East.

is

thing

generally presented wrapped in a handkerchief, or

placed
flowers.

on the leaves of some fragrant

_^U-

is

herbs or

the plant rue, a favourite

among

ARABIC PROVERBS.
the Turks and Arabs, whose
contain

in

it

It

pots.

drawing-rooms often

Hkewise called

is

Here we must understand

247

;,,

Is

t-_?^jcw

Ujl^

696,

He

running away, yet shouts loudly.

is

Instead of endeavouring to facilitate his escape

by

silence,

For

voice.

he attracts notice by crying with a loud

Jl^j

more usual

it is

to say

.^.

697.

Give

me

and

ivool to-day,

Applicable

to

those

take sheep to-morroiv.

who

give

small

presents

hoping to receive some more valuable in return.

This
tine

is

almost universally the case where a Levan-

makes a present

an European.

to

698.

He

is

high-minded, hut empty-hellied.

699."

It is not

larger than a button, yet

The merest

trifles

may

it

annoys

us.

cause vexation and pain.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

248
jj is a silk

button which fastens the gown about the

^\ means

neck.

here " the innermost, the secret,

^\

the mind, the secret intention."

J;.*_t

tresses

and occupies our inmost thoughts,

;"

is

us

so this expression

same sense
or

is

i^

^IjjO"

y^\

We

i_,vcj

''l^e is

frequently used.

vexed."

"

it dis-

it

vexes

Of the

hear also JA^i^ i-w

^^^

^_^<^;

"do not

vex me."
700.

Is this a

drum hidden under

the clothing f

The drum will be heard although it may be

The question means, "Do you suppose
hidden.
that so

awkward an attempt

can hide

it

from the public

to conceal this

mystery

''

701.

Musk became

so

common and

luas scattered about, so

that even the coivs used

Said of a precious thing used by

it.

mean people

or of a distinguished personage connected with those

unworthy of

his acquaintance.

702.

It

is

thy face,

woman
and

in grief, ivhen

ornamented

attired.

reproof to an ugly

woman angry

at her face

ARABIC PROVERBS.
and endeavouring to deck
saying

apphed

is

ifc

249

with ornaments.

to all vain attempts at concealing

natural deformities or bad qualities.

"the jewels or gold and

silver

the head or neck."

"

woman's
tion
for

lxij\

toilette for the

^~^

means

ornaments of the

whatever

used at a

is

purpose of personal decora-

such as the kohel for her eyes, the henna

"

This

her fingers, the perfume for her hair, &c.

703.

Is this an art of drugs ?

Is it as difiicult as the profession of a druggist

This

is

said to imply that

the knowledge

may

Egyptian dialect

is

as a matter of

be easily acquired,

signifies

simples, &c.,

spices,

shops,

it

all

which

j-^^ in the

the difierent drugs,

which are found in druggists'

and which cannot well be distinguished one

from another without much

skill

and patience.

704.^''

It is
It

is

an how's poison.

of a very destructive quality, causing almost

immediate

ruin.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

250

705.

Is this provision for a year'^

Said in advising a person not to squander away

his little

stock

of provisions, and to regulate his

expenses.

706.-"'

This dead

(jperson) is not ivorth

the iveeping.

707.

Tear

Doubt

off the curtain of doubt hy questions.

is

here personified as a veil or curtain

with which virgin truth or knowledge

In

its

original sense (.JcJ^

veil of a

Hence
and

woman

is

covered.

signifies to

remove the

may

be exposed.

so that her face

are derived the other significations, disgracing

violating, certain consequences in the

tending the removal of a woman's

veil

by

East at-

force.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

251

,\,\\

708.=^

The cmnels have reached

jiy

is

a line

of

camels

another, each being fastened

the

sycamore

walking

by

its

tree.

one behind

halter to the tail

of the one immediately before him.

In the open

country of Egypt large sycamore trees are frequently

found by the side of public fountains

(J-*--)?

under

the shade of which travellers and cattle often repose.

709.'''

The

knife has reached the bone.

The wound

is

deep.

710.

The door has

rested

upon

its hinges.

Everything has been placed in

ation.

its

proper situ-

252

ARABIC PROVERBS.
711.

The axe has fallen upon

The blow was well

the head.

directed.

712.
^>

poor

small

and

leaf,

it

was

ivetted.

and overwhelmed by mis-

little creature,

fortune.
/

y^

(J-*

^jxJ^

\^\i

lJ^

One shaved

his heard,

t^"-

io.
-

i^vlii

a second plucked out

every one, they said, according

The abridged phrase

used in the same sense
disputandum."
clearly

y&

we should

<^^

his hairs

own

word heard

^j.^
is

liking.

^f*

jfc

^J^

u^

to

liT*

express

mentioned

in

it

Respect-

-^

ing the true meaning of iyt^ see No. 202.

ever the

<\>-i

is often
.-* Ji
"
as
de gustibus non est

cOV.uj

stands for

say,

to his

(J^s*'

When-

the

same

phrase with a term expressing some object dirty or

contemptible,

it

always implies disrespect or ridicule

towards the owner of the beard, this appendage so

venerated

among the Arabs,

their scruples

when a person

respecting

it

Indeed they carry

to such a degree that

relates a story or sings a song

in

which occur the words dung, hogs, dogs, or other

ARABIC PROVERBS.

253

terms denoting what they regard as filthy or impure,

may

he requests any of his auditors who

moment be

in the

moustaches,

to

act of touching

remove

hand,

his

proves that no offensive allusion

his

which

at that

beard or
request

was meant between

the beard and the word which the speaker or singer

was going to pronounce.

714.
Cll-^^si*ji

ijerson

^JL*^

^'J^ J

embraces his

ivife

'^^1

Jo-lj

a female neighbour

affects to look as if she herself ivere in the

wifes

'place.

Said of a bystander

who assumes

the air of

enjoying that which he had merely happened to

witness.

have heard

this proverb (which, as the

Arabic scholar will perceive,

often

translated.)

And

there are

quoted

many

others

is

not very literally

respectable

in
still

more

society.

indelicate, not

inserted in this collection, although frequently used

by the best-bred people, even in the presence of

virtuous and most respectable women.

715.
^A^f

A^^j'wj)

c^V. J

'j^*

^"T 3

fine face, but eats vile things.

Alluding to a person of good appearance who

commits base

actions.

254

ARABIC PROVERBS,
716.

Sour faces and

dJi^

in the

ill-natured

Egyptian

" a sour, morose,

dialect,

than which

nothing

where a man

is

countenance,"

more disliked
for

deceitful hearts.

in the East,

being a scoundrel, but not

if

is

forgiven

he seems to despise

or dislike scoundrels,

717.

Rude and

morose, yet he

in front {of the

sits

company).

He

takes a place to which he

have before remarked

not entitled,

is

that the

Orientals

extremely a sour or morose countenance,

the dialect

Egypt

of

many

[JSj^

see

persons

No, 716,

for

_^

dislike

ij^^^ in

seldom used to express

is

savage or wild, but " rude in

ance."

It

manners and appearso

^_^^1^

is

to

pronounced by
be

understood

718.
^j)\

His face
His face

is

deal with him.

^j

i,^^

cuts off all gain.

so disagreeable that no one likes to


ARABIC PROVERBS.

255

7J9.

^f? led him

to the 7'iver, yet

^jj or

Egyptian dialect means " to

in the

eit3^.|

brought him hack thirsty.

carry, lead, transport, bring to."

,j^]\

for

^\\

or

]\

720.-"'

The Pharos of Alexandria has fallen down.

"God

save us," said they, "eve7ifrom the very dust of it."

The
its

of a great

fall

man

remote consequences or

is

to be dreaded, even in

effects.

721.

^
A

l^

^Jl)

^^\

^i-^J^

9^'^

LS-^.

"^^^

J'i-I^

person sat demandi^ig as a favour from

rise

of morn

We

the

ha^ e often to lament the accomplishment of

our wishes
enjoy

God

ivhen morn arose, he became blind.

or

them.

when they
This

are fulfilled

proverb

is

derived

we cannot
from the

following verse

The verb
sat,"

but

is

x-H

does not here exactly

mean

employed as a kind of auxiliary,

ing nothing more than

J^

thus,

l:^L

"

he

signify-

^t^]

"be

256

ARABIC rROYKRBS.
" sit silent,"

or

silent,"

sitting or standing.

to

me

me

until

until

"

"

^"^

(J,^ss^^ jj

or rather "

Uj

a long time," or

<Ui-l

" I

whether

said to a person
"

he did speak

he continued speaking to

li^'a.^

[j\

" I did love

him

for

continued loving him for a long

time."

722.

More

easy

This

is

to

he broJcen than the house of the spider.

taken from the Koran, where

:^Jj^\

we

read.

257

ARABIC PROVERBS,

U^\

^>

^^U^

724.

^
2)o

Do
fire.

ac?c?

710^

not

iLi,!

wiore

make an
is

Lx\

Joy

mud

to

evil worse,

the Mohella.

nor add fuel to the

a tank sunk into the ground above four

and from forty to fifty feet square it is waUed

up witli stones and level with the surface of the
ground
the floor is composed of unburnt mud

feet,

'

bricks.

In this tank the Egyptian peasants deposit

their flax after

They

it

has been well dried in the sun.

then let in water

and cover the wetted

with heavy stones, leaving

it

in that condition until

a sufiicient state of maceration renders

They

being worked.
floor

find

it

it

fit

for

necessary to keep this

very clean, because the masses of clay would

spoil the flax

hence arises the proverb.

hella is also called ^uL^^

this

flax

manner

and

The mo-

to prepare the flax in

L^j

2 L

ARABIC PROVERBS.

258

725.'"

Do
Do

not cut out of the purse of another.

not seize upon that which does not belong to

The people of Cairo say ^j ^n^ty meaning

by force taken something away
The word hjJ> is used in the
from such a one."
same sense and they also say, (_J-J: ^j^ J, c_y^' ^

thee.

" I have unjustly or

726.

It is neither (to he

found)

ivith thy

God nor

ivith

thy landholder.
It

give

it

is

in vain to ask for the thing,

But
as

The Egyptian peasants call the landproprietors of their fields by the name of

to thee.

holders or
jliu*)!

no one can

In towns those landlords are called

^jA^

at present this class does not exist in Egypt,

Mohammed Aly Pasha

has sequestered

all

landed

property of individuals, and obliged them to take

from the fiscus what they formerly received as rents

from their farmers.
727.

will not

he thy friend, nor

will

This

is

said

knows that he

is

of a

vjill

suit

thee,

nor

leave thee.

wearisome

hanger-on,

who

disliked, yet perseveringly obtrudes


ARABIC PROVERBS.

259

presence upon his acquaintances.

his

numerous in the Levant,

this description are

comes from

The

^^j.

a ''companion," also a "friend."

^-.ij

proverb

Persons of

an

from

derived

is

old

Arabian

saying

728.

Neither

thou seen, nor with thy

loith thine eye hast

heart hast thou loved.

Applied to one who

person

whom

afiects

violent Idve for a

he has never seen unveiled.

729.

Lend

not to the fool anything, else he

that

may fancy

belongs to himself

it

730.

He gained

no merit {by spending

he leave

He

else.

jjuidl

ti

of having

iJ\^
-r^^i>^^

f^.j

expended

(the

money) from

profitable

it

^j

liberally)

nor did

to the right owners.

unjustly took

without rendering
one

it

it

here

"

it in

-l^

is

another,

to himself or

to

any

be understood

gained not the merit

alms."

ARABIC PROVERBS.

260

731.

Z)o

??o^

^^5

/e^

cheapness delude thee

thou purchase

it)

throiv

thou

away half of

ivilt

{if

it.

According to the Egyptian pronunciation

j_^'

used for t_^ although other words of the sa,me

form are correctly pronounced, such as u-i^
lJ<^>is

732.

T/ie

6a(i

stuff

remains

ivith its oicner

{some fool) comes

aJ^-W

means " a
some stuff,"

often

merchandise,

synonymous with
"

^^ thus,

buy

to

tiling,

&c.

put the thing into the chest."

it.

some
it

jx^]\

until

article

of

is

frequently

AVl^l

ks-

(See Nos. 34 and

378.)
733.-"

Thei^e is no peace until after enmity.

734.

Do

not cry out

i^i

the face of

gain

else it flies

away.
This

is

quoted as advice to dealers, that they

ARABIC PROVERBS.
should behave
reject

good

civilly

offers

261

towards customers and not

harshly

otherwise the goods

may

remain upon their hands.

735.-"-

Neither' handsome, nor liberal, nor good-natured.

one

who

and none

ivith

Said of a repulsive character.

expends money

jli3

liberally.

736.-"

Have

no dealings

ivith the indolent,

the oivner of the jackass.

The lazy will do nothing for thee

and the
owner of the jackass will purchase food for his beast
with the profits which he ought to divide with thee.
;

il^U^

signifies

concerns."

" trade,"

a.UU';

is

" commercial or j)ecuniary

equivalent to

ti^x*.'

Jjf^

737.

Do

not

push forward a

wilt be tired in

ivorthless fellow,

else

putting him back again.

thou

ARABIC PROVERBS.

262

738.

Do

and do

not heat the wolf,

not cause hunger to

the sheep.

Be kind and mild towards friends and enemies.

is the only maxim recommending miiversal
charity that I have been able to discover among
This

tliose current at Cairo.

739.

an Aly in the reading school, nor a

Fatme in the ivorJcing school.

{I have) neither

am

not encumbered with children and there-

fore ready for

is
The school c
a mosque where little children

any vocation.

generally held in

learn to read the Kordn.

>l:i$'

After four or five years

they are sent to attend lectures in the mosque,

where the Koran

and
al^Lt^

in

religion
is

is

explamed, and their language

systematically taught, but

the school where

sewing and spinning.

women

Among

instruct

little

else.

young

girls

a thousand females

who knows how

to read, and perhaps not more than twenty who
know how to pray or possess the least notion of
Even among the highest classes the
their religion.
at Cairo scarcely one can be found

education of the mind

is

totally neglected.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

263

740.

Do

not give

any money

The expectations
excited in thy mind
entitled to

to the

-which

astrologer for

this.

the fortune-teller has

are ridiculous,

any remuneration.

*.s^xi

and he

is

not

^^ astrologer.

Sheikhs and olemas are found in every town of

Egypt,

who

deceive the credulous

by

their pretended

skill in fortune-telhng.

741.''^

(A

2^<^f'son

good) neither for the sword nor for the

guest.

Cowardly and

stingy.

U^

-j^

742.^''

We

must hear

the

medicine on account of
usefolness.

its

ARABIC PROVERBS.

:2G4

743.

He

gets his passage for nothing,

and winhs

the

to

wife of the captain {of the ship).

He

owes

obligations

to

deavours to seduce his wife.

understood
" to

wink

^^y

<\\

at,"

or

"'

captain,

'-r'^l

The word

make mutual

gence with another person."

dialect for

the

here
-^IAj

yet enis

to be

signifies

signals of intelli-

^^j. in the Egyptian

^^.

7U.

Among

things thrown

which

is

not

away is found (perhaps)

found in the casket.

that

ki^ a box in which jew^els and golden ornaments

are kept.

745.

He
He

is

slips out through the coat of mail.

so full of wily tricks that he

would con-

away through the wire-work of a coat

The word j^aj is seldom used in Egypt,

trive to slip

of mail.

but frequently in Syria, and

in the

Black country

on the Nile, and in Hedjdz, where to express

go7ieJ'

used

(or the vulgar English " get out")

for w^hich in

Egypt the word ^^^

is

jj<\

''he
is

common.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

265

746.

He
He

is

swims in a span {depth) of

full

of resources and

icater.

knows how

to avail

himself of the smallest means.

747.
JljklU

L-^Jti^^l

The gold

The great want the

is

TT^^^'^:'.

ivants bran.

Gold

assistance of the mean.

cleaned with bran.

748.

you ivho feed the peop)le

are

(left)

longing for

ivithout ivhile those ivithiji

it, sit

doivn out of the ivay

to eat it.

This

is

said

in advice to

those

who make an

ostentatious display of hospitality towards strangers,

but leave their own family to starve.

Egyptian dialect "inside," "within."

"

by the

side of the road

where

\^:>-

ji^iall

in the
(

travellers ^Dass,"

u:^
viz.,

Eat with your own people.

very usual in the Levant to eat before the
gate of the house where travellers pass, and every
out of their way.
It is

stranger of respectable appearance

quested to

sit

down and partake

is

invariably reof the

repast.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

2G6

Even the poorest man while he is eating invites any

one passing by to share his humble meal. It must
be

acknowledged that with respect

the

food,

to

Egyptians, and in general the Orientals of every

are

class,

generous towards strangers as well as

towards the poor.

have reason to beheve that

very few at Cairo suffer from hunger, at least they

may

be certain of getting food in some part of the

town

before sunset

fellow creatures

they retire to
are

few,

if

and those who

must be

feel for their

gratified on reflecting

when

sleep, that in this great capital there

any,

without thanking

individuals

God

who

pass the night

an evening meal, although

for

poor-houses, hospitals, parish-rates, and public chari-

unknown.

table institutions, are here

ation

counterbalances a

number

This consider-

of disadvantages,

and tends to reconcile us with the character of the

inhabitants and their political condition.

can easily obtain work

and they neither

seasons nor from
classes being

if

Beggars

they like to be employed,

suffer

from

inclemency

the

want of lodgings

all

of

the lower

from their infancy accustomed

to

go

half-naked and to sleep upon the bare ground under

the canopy of heaven.

But on the other hand,

food is a main cause of

this facihty of procuring

inactivity

and indolence

among the Egyptians, which would be

carried

still

farther did not the extortions of government obHge

them
taxes.

to

work, merely that they might jmy the land

It is not the southern sun, as

Montesquieu

imagines, but the luxuriance of southern

soil,

and

ARABIC PROVERBS.

267

the abundance of provisions, that relax the exertions of the inhabitants

man

and cause apathy.

Where

almost certain of finding sufficient food,

is

however coarse or simple, he

By

indulge in laziness.

is

tempted to

easily

the fertility

of Egypt,

Mesopotamia, and India, which yield their produce

almost spontaneously, the people are lulled into indolence

while in neighbouring countries, of a tem-

perature equally warm, as

Yemen and

Syria,

among

the mountains of

where hard labour

ensure a good harvest,

we

is

necessary to

find a race as superior

industry to the former, as the inhabitants

in

Northern Europe are to those of Spain or

of

Italy.

<U:

He

inquires about the Beshneen

solved

and

the person wJio

it.

Everybody at Cairo knows the plant beshneen,

and that it is not sown, but grows wild, ^j^-:^^ " to
inquire," is a verb of very common use. The beshneen
is

undoubtedly the lotus of the ancient Egyptians

at least its flower resembles exactly the lotus as

is

it

represented on the walls of the Egyptian temples.

The flower consists of four green -coloured outer

leaves, and four of a violet or rose colour placed in
the interstices of the others
part,

these inclose the inner

which consists of a double set of smaller white

leaves one ])ehind anothei', in the midst of which

stands the

v^How

seed-vessel, about one inch

and a

ARABIC PROVERBS.

268

The whole flower when half opened is

one of the most beautiful plants in Egypt, which

half high.

is

probably the reason

why

the natives call these

plants "the brides of the Nile"

rests

upon a

stalk

which

is

ij^}--

It

about three feet

five

J-^H

inches long, covered externally with a green skin,

under which

lies

a second skin of a fine violet colour,

The children play with this

stalk, the inside of which is fibrous, and use it as
a pipe-tube by placing some lighted tobacco at the
place where the seed-vessel stood, the smoke of this
they draw through the stalk. In their hands it
closely resembles the plant which is held by the
Theban priests in the pictures that decorate their
spotted with white.

temples.

They

likewise eat the yellow seed-vessel, of which

the taste

is

not disagreeable, though rather insipid.

The flower generally stands on the stalk from one

foot to two feet above the surface of the water.

When

the flower opens completely the leaves form a

horizontal disk, with the isolated seed-vessel in the

midst, which bends down the stalk by
and swims upon the surface of the water
days, until

it

is

ingulphed.

Cairo in the tank called Birket

its

weight

for several

This plant grows at

el Rotoli,

near one of

ARABIC PROVERBS,

269

the northern suburbs, where I happened to reside.

It is not found in Upper Egypt, I believe, but
abounds in the Delta, and attains maturity at the

time when the Nile reaches

it

in great abundance,

and

its full

height.

saw

in full flower, covering

the whole inundated plain on the twelfth of October,

1815, near the ruins of Tmey, about twelve miles
south-east from. Mansoura, on the Damietta branch.

when the water

" It dies

said

my

It

retires," (^lU

is

therefore a

fit

emblem

vigour and luxuriance while

inundation, which

is

it

of

life

in all

blossoms during the

It

an emblem of death

is

it

understood differently, (and I believe the

Egyptians did understand

it

in both senses,) as in-

dicating while in blossom that everything

with water, and nature, as

dicating

also,

Or

quite open, as the flood then retires.

may be

its

the certain cause and forerunner

of plenty in Egypt.

when

'^y^')

ll

^-j^,

boatman to me.

when

restored to

it

is

were, asleep

covered

and

in-

in a state of decay that nature is

for

life,

soon after that period seeds are

sown by the husbandmen thus, inundation

in one sense, and death in the other.

is

life

50.

He

eats

and

sighs.

Said of those who, in good health and prosperous

circumstances,
fortune.

complain of sickness or
is

^J^^
sigh, or exclaim

murmur

used by the Egyptians for ^'b

Ah Ah !"
!

at

" to

ARABIC PROVERBS.

270

751.

He

resembles the bread on {seeing only) the smoke.

He

is

preparing for some expected good fortune

without any certainty of

occurring,

its

t::.^

" to

break bread into small pieces," (over which the broth

poured to make soup).

is

to resemble

said

smoke
is

rises

on the

The man,

therefore, is

the bread in a plate

when the

from the kitchen, supposing that broth

and expecting that

fire

it

will

be brought

to him.
I

happened one day

in the Sinai

mountains to

Arab tent. Ayd, my old Bedouin guide,

as soon as he had sipped his coffee, went out in
these he brought back
search of two large stones
to the tent, sat down, and placed them by his side.
alight at an

When

asked

his object

was

why he had done

to use

them

so, it

appeared that

in breaking the bones, for

the sake of the marrow, of a sheep that was (as he

expected) to be slaughtered in honour of us

yet he

had never received the slightest intimation that such

a circumstance was intended all present began to
laugh, but Ayd had not indulged a vain speculation,
:

for

soon after a copious repast of meat was placed

before us.

752.

He

learns cupping on the heads of orp)hans.

Cupping

is

generally applied in the East to the

271

ARABIC PROVERBS.

hind part of the head, just above the neck. Thus in

some hospitals of Europe the young surgeons learn
their

by practising upon the bodies of poor

art

patients

who come

to be cured gratis.

753.

He

is

instructed in the blacksmith's or farriei^'s art

upon

(or horse-doctors) hy practising

the

the asses of

Kurds.

This

in opposition to the proverb

is

preceding.

know

immediately

not that asses are particularly

esteemed by the Kurds, but this saying means that

it is silly

to

undertake the shoeing or curing of those

animals which are reckoned valuable by their owners

without an adequate knowledge of the

art.

754.

day

that is not

thine^

own, do not reckon

of thy
uj3 "thine,"

'*

as

life.

thy own."

That day which thou

dost not enjoy in perfect freedom

not pass according to thine

it

own

which thou canst

will.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

272

755.

A^\

He

All

I'

Jyi,j.

^^^^ 'J^ ^5^^.

walks upon the highest part of the wall

''For safety ive trust

He demands

and

says,

God!"

to

or expects safety yet does an act

which exposes him to danger. If security be thy

object do not voluntarily run into the way of danger.

756.
J^js-

He

descends

u_ari-

(like)
(like)

j-lk).

c_Jyi

the foot of
the

J^rj

Jj^

croiv,

and ascends

hoof of a camel.

Said of an ill-bred person affecting refined man-

In eating with the assistance of one's fingers

ners.

only out of the dish round which

seated,

good-breeding established

One

rule

is,

many

guests

ai-e

necessary to observe several rules of

is

it

to take

among Arab gentlemen.

up small morsels at a time, and

therefore to keep the fingers thrust into the dish as

close

together as circumstances will allow.

proverb

is

This

quoted in derision of an ill-bred person,

whose hand, when it descends into the dish, appears

very small to the company (as small as a crow's foot),
but v/hen withdrawn from the dish and ascending
towards his mouth, incloses so large a piece within
its

grasp that

it

resembles the hoof of a camel.

273

ARABIC PROVERBS.
757.

He

lies

tells

j^l

of the dead and belies the

(from which

Egyptian

dialect, to

is

living.

formed '^^) means in the

and

affirm boldly

falsely in a

person's face that he has done or said something of

which he

innocent or ignorant

is

me ? "

thou behe
that which

is

''

or rather

a falsehood

thus,

dj^

" dost

dost thou state of

me

"
?

758.

He

contents himself with {incurring) the suspicion

of doing
This

evil actions.

said of a person

is

who

does not actually

but constantly exposes himself

commit bad

actions,

to suspicion

by conversing with abandoned women,

associating with drunkards,

ters,

&c.

means

j_j?l*i.^

and human

men

of infamous charac-

actions contrary to divine

laws.

759.

He

causes enmity between the bear

He
variance
^,j

is

and

his fodder.

such a mischief-maker that he sets at

those

who

"to throw,''

is

are

most

united.

intimately

often used in the sense above

2

ARABIC PROVERBS.

274
mentioned

as

U^i^j

" such a person has

^,^,

Jj^
caused mischief or enmity between us." Jj^ s:^ JU;
" by cahimny or false accusation he has caused such
;

an one to

my

become

enemy."

The meddHng

mischief-maker bears at Caii^o the appellation of

^l^j

760.

He

eats luhatever is there

and

contracts {or

narrow) the place of

makes

others.

Said of a low-mannered person assuming the

privileges of high rank.

This proverb supposes a

vulgar ill-bred man, voracious at an entertainment,

(while the great Arabs never are so,) and pretending

nevertheless

the

to

of

privilege

a distmguished

personage in occupying with his body as

as possible,

crowded

in their straightened

stands for

J-c

ij^

much room

and thereby causing other guests

^\^

"do not

sit

j,\^

J^

K U

places.

J^Ij

to be

J^L

It is usual to say

too close to me," or "let

me

have more room."

761.-"'

time

ivill

come when they

ivill solicit

God^s mercy

for Pharaoh.

Times are

so

bad that even Pharaoh

is

regretted.

275

ARABIC PROVERBS.

The Egyptians often mention this sovereign, and the

Turks call the inhabitants of Egypt by the opprobrious

name

meaning

of ^.^.i

Jjiil

" impious."

or the people of Pharaoh,

It is said of a

man who

has

proved stubborn, malicious, or impious, ^.ju" he has

become hke Pharaoh.
762.

He

is

niggardly towards his family, hut beneficent

towards strangers.

j^

in the

the dues of people/'

food.

signifies " to curtail

Egyptian dialect

^\ Jx

Jii.

principally with

respect

to

(See No. 748.)

763.

rose issues

A good son from

from

thorns.

worthless parents.

764.

He

defiles his clothes,

the

Of

and

sits

reclined in front of

company.

the same signification as No. 760.


ARABIC PROVERBS.

276

The

sitting

rooms in Egypt are generally on

such a plan as the following outlines represent


ARABIC PROVERBS.

ment
fore

man

to the great

who

either

is

277

He

of the company.

there-

takes his seat and reclines upon the sader,

or affects to be a

man

of importance.

765.

thou

ivJio

to

.^

left

thine

own

in the Cairo pronunciation for

He
\i]

trouhlest thyself about the cares

ivhom hast thou

of others,

cares ?
^J

longs for war, hut dislikes the battle.

the meeting (of the enemy) or battle.

767.''

thou who askest one about

bread

is

my

food, {knoiv that)

the chief of all things.

Another verse of similar meaning

\^J\

These

^U ^\

lines are

'U\

JlJlU

quoted

^}\i J',:^\

pronounced at Cairo as follows

El komhar

Ma

is

kail HI

kyky

ahlattyn arryky

Kalloo tdddeb yd komhar

Ma

bad

el

aysh mokhahhar.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

278

The kombar
breakfast

fig for

said to the kyky, "

How

sweet

is

!"

kombar," he replied,

"Learn better manners,

" after bread nothing deserves notice."

The komhar and kyky are birds about as large as

sparrows, and numerous in the vicinity of Cairo.
Ic means that state of the stomach in the
j.ij\
morning when nothing has been swallowed except
spittle, when the person is still " upon his spittle,"
i.e.

with an empty stomach.

(JjJ\

upon the empty stomach,"

The Egyptians say
breakfast."

"a

fig

Jx

^j^\

or

"a

j..\j\

means
fig

jh^

for

"to

breakfast," or "to eat a morsel immediately rismg

from bed

;"

which the Syrians express by

'iyiJ]

j^^

" to break the phlegm, or the bile, (by eating) or to

breakfast."

-^Jji]

have assigned to

j\s^.^*

" I

have not yet break-

The word j^:ku has here the sense which

fasted."

proverb

cL^yJ

it

in the above translation of the

believe

it

stands for j\^i

as

neither

nor nin^ hterally explained, convey in this

place any true sense.

768.

Oil the

day of

victory no fatigue

is felt.

ARABIC PROVERBS.

279

769.''^

He gives

advice such as the cat gives to the mouse, or

the devil to

man.

Alluding to insidious advice.

770.

He

builds

This proverb

a
is

j^cdace

and ruins a

often

quoted

in

city.

allusion

to

Mohammed Aly

Pasha's passion for building palaces

and

not only means Egypt or Cairo, but

villas.

..^^

name appHed to all cities of considerable

Thus we read in the Mohammedan law that

also a

is

size.

the Friday prayer should be performed only in a

city {^2^

J,),

in opposition to the ojDen country, of

which the inhabitants, as well as

all travellers,

are

make the particular prayer of noon

The commentators explain this term
^^ as relating to any town or city governed by an
emir or chief, and under the jurisdiction of a kadhy,
not required to

on Fridays.

or

some head of a tribunal of

justice.

771.

He

advances one leg and draivs bach the other.

He
actions.

wants decision and

is

unstable in

all

his

ARABIC PRO VERBS.

280

772.

The mouse

is

bridled in his house.

Said of a miser in whose house even the mouse

has been bridled, lest

should be able to eat any-

it

thing.

773.

governor do not tyrannize

last

for

the

dominion does not

ever.

774.

He prays upon his rosary the prayer of the mouse,

"0 most holy, who hast created me for vile doings."
Said of base hypocrites

who

with rosaries in their hands.

are constantly seen

The word ^\^^

is

repeated during prayer thirty- three times in passing

many beads through

that God is free from all
so

pure and holy.

the fingers, and expresses

defects or faults,

and most

ARABIC PROVERBS.

281

775.

He

strikes

On

my

face,

the unjust ruler,

Why

"

and says
cry?"

who

does this

man

expresses surprise at

the complaints of his subjects.

for

^_^

^c^

776.

-He says

to the

thief,

oivner, "

" Steal

"

and

to

the house-

Take care of thy goods."

Applied to double-dealers.

777.
'ij^\}

^e

^-Lj j

'ijii\

,^_^

^^i>

pronounces ^idgment upon a needle, and (at the

same

He

is

time) swalloivs

rigid in

a large

judging the

affairs of others,

commits flagrant peculation himself.

like

J^\

not his
in

pole.

j-Lj

is

but

used

to signify that a person devours property

own nor

confided to his care,

Egypt the long

ijj^*

signifies

pole with which sailors push on

the vessels in shallow water.

2 O


282

ARABIC PROVERBS.
778.

Thy

right

hand knows nothing of thy

Mohammed

has

One

Scripture.

left

hand.

taken this principle from the

sayings

of his

is

recorded which

concludes with the following words

A man

and his left hand does

right hand disi^enses.

distributes alms,

knoio what his

not

779.

He

spoils the slave

Said of those
children,
folly

who

and

then beats him.

spoil their inferiors or their

and then punish them

has caused.

spoil (a child)

for

what

own

their

J]j in the Egyptian dialect "to

by too much indulgence

;"

for Jjjj

we

often hear -Jju

780.

He

eats

and

{at

the

same time) mocks

{at

ivhat

he eats).

Instead of thanking, he ridicules the host.

is

j^^.

a low word of the Egyptian dialect synonymous

with j^^^_

ARABIC PROVERBS.

283

781.

One day
LiUll

is

in {perfect) health

the most

common

salutation

receives on the road from peasants

it "

Howdfye."

The reply

is

much.

is

which one

they pronounce

(.jLiLo s^\

782.

The

eye-witness observes what the absent does not see.

THE END.

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