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Proverbs

He who is not taught by his mother is taught by the world

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Updated 4mo ago
by
Brighid McCarthy
View this proverb in Swahili
Asiyefunzwa na mamaye hufunzwa na ulimwengu

Question: Have you learned more from you parents or from your experiences in the world? 


Today's proverb is often used in Swahili to describe a person who makes a mistake that could have been foreseen and suffers negative consequences... like the truck driver in this picture from Oxfordshire, UK. Regardless of what your parents taught you (or failed to teach you), you will eventually have to confront the harsh realities of life and learn from experience.
See also: If a child cries for a razor, give it to him (Mtoto akilia wembe, mpe)

He who is not taught by his parents is taught by the world. (Asofunzwa na wazazi, hufunzwa na ulimwengu)
Here's a poem by the poet Akilimali Snow-White about this proverb. (My translation from the original Swahili)

In the age they fooled me, my old folks in raising me,
I failed to learn the new movements of the world.
Today I please myself, to the people of the world, listen:
He who is not taught by his parents, is taught by the world.

I couldn’t have done any work without humbling myself before them,
Obeying to flatter them, then to serve them,
Even when I pleased them, they taught me with intention,
He who is not taught by his parents, is taught by the world.

Now I can speak European languages without difficulty,
like English and others too,
With effort I learn, and even they have raised me.
He who is not taught by his parents, is taught by the world.

I can converse without blemish,
And lead amidst evil, removing the blemish,
In the end the place pleases, one step towards harmony,
He who is not taught by his parents, is taught by the world.

There is nowhere I have overlooked, without investigation,
All sides examined, knowledge I have taken,
I even know how to sell products and buy,
He who is not taught by his parents, is taught by the world.

The amount which I have learned, not a little by fumbling,
I am pleasing where I come from, I employ good work
It’s hard to scorn, how it raises me,
He who is not taught by his parents, is taught by the world.

It’s not right to ignore what you don’t know
Try to investigate, and then analyze,
When your intention is tightened, you can’t fail to know a thing,
He who is not taught by his parents, is taught by the world.

The tasks I taught myself, my father didn’t know
He didn’t know English, or selling and buying,
but only praising oneself, that was when I, the child, knew,
He who is not taught by his parents, is taught by the world. 

I give more for you, you all who helped me,
All of you who’ve taught me, Lord give you health
God fill you all with happiness, and return goodness to you,
He who is not taught by his parents, is taught by the people of the world.
- Diwani ya Akilimali

What do you think about this poem? What does it mean? Can you improve the translation?

Fikeni E. M. K. Senkoro (1988) wrote of this poem (my translation):
[A] person can't experience everything in life from their parents: they must be ready to be taught by the world-- that is to learn from others beyond their father and mother.

Sources
The illustration shows a real accident in Oxfordshire, England - BBC article (image from social media)

Poem from Diwani ya Akilimali

Quote at the end from "Ushairi - Nadharia na Tahakiki" by F.E.M.K. Senkoro, Chapter 7 (Dar Es Salaam University Press, 1988, ISBN 9976 60 0224)
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Other proverbs
Ukitaka cha uvunguni sharti uiname
Methali yetu ya leo inasemwa pia kama:
Mtaka cha mvunguni sharti ainame
Methali hii hutumika kuwahimiza watu kufanya kazi kwa bidii na kujitahidi. Hatupaswi kutarajia kupata vitu tunavyotafuta isipokuwa tumekubali kuvitafuta katika mahali ambapo ni vigumu kupafikia.

Hapa kuna hadithi fupi inayoeleza methali hii, juu ya Mulla Nasreddin, mhusika mcheshi katika ngano za Kisufi.
Mulla [Nasreddin] alikuwa amepoteza pete yake sebuleni. Aliitafuta kwa muda, lakini kwa kuwa hakuipata, alitoka nje hadi uani na kuanza kuchungulia pale. Mkewe, ambaye aliona alichokifanya, akamwuliza: “Mulla, umepoteza pete yako sebuleni , kwa nini unaitafuta uani?” Mulla alishika ndevu zake akisema: “Chumbani kuna giza na sioni vizuri. Nilitoka nje kwenda uani ili kutafuta pete yangu kwa sababu kuna mwanga mwingi zaidi hapa.
- Usimulizi wa Houman Farzad. Imetafsiriwa kwa Kiingereza kutoka lugha ya Kiajemi na Diane L. Wilcox (1989), halafu nimeitafsiri kwa Kiswahili.

Kwa Kiingereza, kuna hadithi inayosimuliwa juu ya mlevi anayetafuta pesa (au funguo) karibu na taa. Hili ni toleo liliochapishwa katika gazeti ya Boston Herald (mwaka wa 1924): 
[Afisa wa polisi alikutana na mwanamume akipapasa-papasa akipiga magoti] “Nilipoteza noti ya $2 kwenye barabara ya Atlantic,” kasema mwanamume huyo. "Nini kile?" aliuliza afisa aliyeshangaa. "Umepoteza notiya $2 kwenye barabara ya Atlantic? Kwa nini basi unaitafuta hapa Copley Square?" “Kwa sababu,” akasema akiendelea na utafutaji wake, “mwanga ni bora hapa."

Hadithi hii imekuja kujulikana kama "Streetlight effect" katika sayansi.

Asante kwa mshiriki mwenzetu kwa kupendekeza methali hii! Je, una methali ya kupendekeza? Shiriki hapa!
...

Mchoro huu umetengenezwa kwa kutumia Akili Bandia (AI). Unafikiriaje?

Updated 4mo ago
by
Brighid McCarthy
Savings don't rot
 
by Rose Mwanri 🇹🇿 
🏆 Proverb Essay Contest 
🥈 Second Place Winner
A proverb is a metaphorical expression used in a community. Words in proverbs have additional meanings and proverbs have two sides. The first side gives an idea and the second side completes the idea. Akiba haiozi (Savings do not decay) is one of the Swahili proverbs that is widely used in African communities and by Kiswahili speakers globally, with the aim of reminding people about the importance of saving.

The purpose of this proverb is to encourage us as members of the community to prepare well for today's life as well as tomorrow so we are ready to face the various challenges of life.

This proverb shows us that it is normal for a human being to experience various emergencies in everyday life. For example, an illness, accident, or even death. When you have the savings that you have set aside, it will help you when you are faced with a sudden challenge that you did not expect.

Another benefit of saving is improving life. First of all, I advise we all have a regular savings plan to be able to improve our lives in general. The more we save, the more that savings can help us improve our housing and infrastructure within our communities. A good example is parents whose savings enable them to pay for school fees, supplies and even other expenses that may arise at the same time.

This proverb also reminds us that the more we save, the more we grow our treasury. As with the proverb that says "Haba and haba hujaza kibaba" (little by little fills up the measure). If you analyze these proverbs, they have the same meaning, and you will find that it is a great reminder about building a good fate for our community, now and later. [These proverbs] encourage us to invest every penny we get. We grow our treasury, because what we save is there for us.

Take the opportunity to ask yourself, how many times have you faced challenges and your savings kept the ship afloat? How many issues have arisen without notice that you used your savings to put things right? I believe we should all save regardless of whether our income is big or small. For example, you can start saving little by little from what you earn and in time your savings will add up to be big.

Also, this proverb helps to develop knowledge for individuals and communities, especially where there has been a difference in savings from one generation to another. In the past we are told that people used to store their savings by digging underground, putting under the bed or even other places that they believed were safe. Today, people do not use traditional methods to save their savings. When it comes to money, there are banks with stable and safe systems for storing money. In terms of crop saving, there are also safe ways to store crops, even for a long time, without spoiling. In fact, savings do not decay.

In Swahili, we say “Akiba haizoi” ("Savings don't rot"), “Haba na haba hujaza kibaba” (“Little by little fills up the measure") meaning that the savings may seem small but the more they increase, the bigger they become. On the contrary, we are told “Chovya chovya humaliza buyu la asali” (“Dip [by] dip finishes the jar of honey”), “Bandu bandu humaliza gogo” (“Chop [by] chop finishes the log.”) If we take from our savings little by little without a good reason, the day will come when we’re infuriated to see all the savings are gone without anything meaningful getting done. Let's remember “mali bila daftari huisha bila habari” ("Wealth without a notebook disappears without notice"). Let's look at an example of this poem that stresses us about saving.

  Savings are truly a treasure, they never betray,
  For us it’s very important, they carries us through times
  When we really have nothing, they stand sincerely,
  Let's all save, savings is a savior.

Truly, it’s clear that we should take care of the good things and the resources we have by saving, so that we can save ourselves when we are faced with surprising challenges in our present and future lives.
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Updated 4mo ago
by
Brighid McCarthy
1
Maji yaliyotulia ndiyo yenye kina kirefu
 
na Nankya Sauda 🇺🇬
Shindano la Insha ya Methali 🏆
Mshindi wa Kwanza 🥇

Maji yaliyotulia ndiyo yenye kina kirefu

Umewahi kuchukua muda na kujiuliza kwa nini wazee huwa wana busara zaidi kuliko vijana? Je, umewahi kuchukua muda wa kutafakari asili yako ulipochipuka? Ikiwa sivyo, [sasa] ni wakati mzuri wa kuanza kutafuta asili yako kwa sababu ni muhimu mtu ajue mizizi yake.
   Baada ya muda, unachukua mzigo wa kufunua asili ya watu mashuhuri wenye akili na haiba zao, utakuja kutambua kwamba wao ni introverts (yaani wakimya, wanaopenda kukaa peke yao/kujitenga) lakini ni mashuhuri. Ni muhimu uchukue muda wako, hata ukiwa bize, ujifunze kuhusu wasomi mashuhuri kama Albert Einstein, mwanasayansi mashuhuri ambaye alisema nukuu inayotuelimisha:
"Maisha tulivu ya upweke yasiobadilikaa huchochea akili na fikra bunifu."

Hii inamaanisha kwamba wakati ukiwa peke yako ni nafasi ya kujitafakari, lakini pia ni nafasi ya kutumia akili yako bunifu. Wanasema wazungumzaji wakubwa ni wanasheria wazuri, na tumeona hayo katika maisha yetu ya kila siku ambapo watu hutoa ahadi tupu, hutoa matamko ya uwongo ili kuwapendeza waliomzunguka bila kuchukua muda wa kufanya kitu kwa nia ya kutekeleza maneno yao. Kwa sababu hiyo, wengi wamepoteza imani na hawa wanaoitwa “wazungumzaji wakubwa.”
   Kwa upande mwingine, wakimya hutushangaza kwa matendo yao. Hatua zao hupangiliwa kila mara, matamanio yao ni wazi na vitendo vyao hufanyika kwa kusudi. Wapenzi wakimya hukuza mahusiano yao ya kimapenzi kwa ubunifu mpya ili kudumisha mahusiano. Waliowaajiri [wakimya] na waliokaa karibu na introverts husema kuwafahamu ni moja ya mafanikio makubwa katika maisha yao, ndo maana hawa wamefanya kazi nadhifu zaidi, wakawa na vipindi vyao vya kutafakari peke yao, na hatimaye walitoa kazi bora na kupata cheo kikubwa.
   Tunaweza kufafanua methali kama misemo inatumika katika nchi au utamaduni fulani. Ni maneno mafupi yenye busara na hutoa ushauri na vile vile kuongeza wazo kuhusiana na maisha ya kila siku. Kwa kweli, ili kufahamu kwa kina mila na desturi za kitamaduni, ni vizuri warejelee methali kwani zinaweza kuwa na maana pana ndani. 
Kihistoria, methali "Still waters run deep" (Maji yalotulia ndo yenye kina kirefu/Usicheze maji yanayosimama) inatoka Kilatini cha kale. Ilipata umaarufu baada ya Shakespeare kuitumia katika tamthilia yake ya Henry VI mwaka 1590. Alisema:
"Maji hutulia pale ambapo mto una kina kirefu."

Tunatambua kwamba, mara nyingi watu hatari zaidi walio na roho mbaya hupanga hatua zao na kuchukua hatua kwa wakati ambao wengine hatarajii. Ndio maana usaliti hutoka kwa watu ambao hatutarajii [kitu kama hicho] kutoka kwao. Kwa hiyo ni muhimu kwa mtu kuchukua si tu yale yanayokutana na macho bali pia kuchukua tahadhari hasa kutoka kwa watu ambao hawalipizi kisasi mara tu baada ya kukasirishwa au kukabiliwa.
   Albert Einstein licha ya tabia yake ya kujittenga, yeye anajulikana sana kwa kubuni nadharia yake ya relativity ambayo ilileta mapinduzi katika uelewa wetu wa nafasi ya nje, wakati, na kanimvutano (gravity).
   Kwa kumalizia, ni muhimu sana kutofikia hitimisho [haraka] kwa sababu sura hudanganya na kuna mengi ya kujua na kugundua kuliko macho yanavyoweza kuona.
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Updated 4mo ago
by
Brighid McCarthy
If you want something under the bed, you must bend down
Our proverb today comes from Swahili.
Ukitaka uvunguni sharti uiname
If you want something underneath [the bed] you must bend down
This proverb is usually used to encourage hard work and dedication. We can't expect to find the things we are searching for unless we are willing to looking in places that aren't easy to reach.

Here's a story that illustrates the proverb. The story is about Mulla Nasreddin, a humorous character often seen in Sufi folklore.
Mulla [Nasreddin] had lost his ring in the living room. He searched for it for a while, but since he could not find it, he went out into the yard and began to look there. His wife, who saw what he was doing, asked: “Mulla, you lost your ring in the room, why are you looking for it in the yard?” Mulla stroked his beard and said: “The room is too dark and I can’t see very well. I came out to the courtyard to look for my ring because there is much more light out here.”
-  Retold by Houman Farzad, Translated from Persian by Diane L. Wilcox (1989)

In English, a similar story is often told with a drunkard looking for money (or keys). Here is a version from the Boston Herald (1924):
[A police officer encountered a man groping about on his hands and knees]
“I lost a $2 bill down on Atlantic avenue,” said the man. “What’s that?” asked the puzzled officer. “You lost a $2 bill on Atlantic avenue? Then why are you hunting around here in Copley square?” “Because,” said the man as he turned away and continued his hunt on his hands and knees, “the light’s better up here.”

This story has come to be known as the streetlight effect in science.

Thank you to one of our members for suggesting this proverb! 🙏
Do you have a proverb to suggest? Share it here!


...

This picture was created using AI. What do you think?

Updated 4mo ago
by
Brighid McCarthy