SOME POPULAR ETHIOPIAN SAYINGS AND PROVERBS WITH THEIR TRANSLATION AND EXPLANATION IN ENGLISH. 4

19."ሠው:ጥራ:ቢሉት:ራሡ:መጣ::" [="When they tell him call a person, he himself go."]

If you tell this famous saying of Ethiopians, you are disdaining the one you are referring as the person who comes himself when he is told to call a person. Imagine when you want somebody to help you, just in that moment. And only someone who you do not want or who cant help is near to you. Then you tell that person "call someone please." But he himself comes to help. Alas! The one you disdain comes. This is the explanation of the saying. When it is used in speech, its meaning is just showing underestimation.


20"ሥጋ:ቁጠር:ቢሉት:ጣፊያ:አንድ:አለ::" [="When he is told to count meat, he said 'pancreas one'."]

This is when someone do something silly and unexpected simultanously. When you expect them to do big, people might perform, behave, say... , in foolish way. When you get them that way, you will say the saying to express your aspiration is not meet.

21."በሬ:ሆይ:በሬ:ሆይ:ሣሩን:አየህና:ገደሉን:ሳታይ::" [="Oh, cow! Oh, cow! You looked the grass, But the ditch, you didn't saw."]

This is told when someone lose something while he/she was trying to get benefit. The cow in the saying was enthusiastically running towards the grass, but it doesn't saw the wall just before the grass, it falls there. You tell the saying, when people make trouble to themselves (incure lose), while trying to get something to themselves in a greedy manner. 22."አይጥ:በበላ:ዳዋ:ተመታ::" [="Bush is beaten (destroyed) for what rat eaten." ] This tells someone who do not deserve a damage has suffered so, while not deserving. It was the rat who have eaten the food and beat it into the bush to hide. But the people destroyed the bush to avoid the rat. Here, the bush has received the suffering, yet the punishment should have been only to rat. Analogously, when someone received sufferings in mistake, that should have been to someone else, you tell the saying.

23."ምከረው:ምከረው:እንቢ:ካለ:መከራ:ይምከረው::" (Mkerew mkerew enbi kale mekera ymkerew.) [="Advice and advice him. If he refuses let trouble advise him."]

This means, if you refuse to hear what people advice you, and be stubborn, it's upto you-difficulties will advise you. People tell the saying when someone who have to listen and accept advices refuse to accept what they are advised. e.g. "I told him much about the transportation problem in A.A. I have advised him to buy that car for 58,000 birr. But he is still deaf to my words and opted to retain his money. I can't do any thing else. It's like advice, advice him. If he refuses, let trouble advise him. I say he will buy the car when he understand the problem."

24."ጉድ:እና:ጅራት:ከወደሁዋላ:ነው::" (Gud ena jirat kewode huala naw.) [="A bad news and tail is from the back."]

This is told when you encounter something bad, unbelievable or unexpected, late. A tail of an animal is found at its back. An unexpected realty is also comes late (at the back or end of happenings). e.g. "Last night, my only son took me to a famous bar and restaurant. He ordered a delicious dinner costing 150 birr. We drank twenty beers and pissed. A tail and bad news are at the back! After the midnight, around eight, three policemen showed up. They took beloved son. They said he has robbed a big supermarket. Alas!"

25."መካሪ:የሌለው:ንጉሥ:ያላንድ:አመት:አይነግስ::" (Mekari yelellaw nigus yalland amet aynegs.) [="A king who have no advisor never reign except for a year.]

This saying is told to encourage people listen what other tell them. Or it is to express a person who was in a good position (status) or wealth has lost his fortune because of his/her naiveness to what they had and lack (absence) of advice. e.g. "It was last year when he won the New Year Lottery, two million birr. But it was like a king who has no advisory never rule except a year. No one was willing to advice him what to do. Rather all who know him befor wasted the money with him. It's bad when you do not know what to do when you can. Even worse is when you have no one to advice you."

26."በባዳና:በጨለማ:አይፈጠጥም::" (Bebada ena bechelema ayfetetm.) [="You don't stare at darkness and non-relatives."]

This is clear. People say this when they come across with deception/disfavoure which was made on them because they are not relatives of the doers who were free to do the disfavour. The proverb is also told to indicate one should not be absolutely (100%) hopeful for help on people who are never relatives. If some one is related with you by blood, you would ask for help, since you have one flesh and blood. But in some cases, a person who is never related with you wether by blood or some other way, might not do what you want them to do, while you believe a relative of you would have done it for you. e.g. "Why don't you our new neighbour help you hired in his furniture factory?" "I did, last week. I gave him my CV. But he hired his friend's two sisters. They have only diploma in ICT. I have a degree in woodwork. What can you do of that thing? You don't stare at darkness and a non-relative. Come off it!"

27."የጠገበ:ቅማል:ይተኛል:እንጂ:አይባላም::" (Yetegebe qmal yitegnal enji aybalam.) [="A flea with filled belly would rather sleep, than sucking."]

This one is told when people are happy with the bad situation or difficulties they are in, because it's suffering has reduced. A flea that is hungry sucks your blood. But alrady filled one will only sleep in your body. It's the same. The flea is the difficulty. A filled belly and sleeping (means there is no more sucking for the moment) is to mean the difficulties are now a little bit milder. e.g. "Why don't you divorce your drunkard husband?" "No. No. No. He is drinking only since the time he lost all his property. Now his father and brothers are trying to help him recover. For sure, he will soon restart his business and forget or reduce drinking. He is good to me and better than Abera and Molla, my former husbands. So, I would say a filled flea sleeps. And never sucks your blood."