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Maji yaliyotulia ndiyo yenye kina kirefu

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Updated 4mo ago
by
Brighid McCarthy
View this proverb in English
Still waters run deep 
na Nankya Sauda đŸ‡ș🇬
Shindano la Insha ya Methali 🏆
Mshindi wa Kwanza đŸ„‡

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.
Sources

Kuhusu Insha Hii

Insha hii ilishinda nafasi ya kwanza đŸ„‡ katika Shindano la Insha ya Methali 🏆 July 2023
NANKYA SAUDA ni MWUGANDA  đŸ‡ș🇬  anaye MIAKA 21 
Insha iliandikwa kwa Kiingereza juu ya methali "Still waters run deep."
Methali za Kiswahili ambazo ni karibu na hii ni:
Usicheze maji yanayosimama, na Kimya kingi kina mshindo mkuu.  

Hakimiliki

Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0)
Inaruhusiwa kunakili, kutafsiri, kubadilisha na kuchapisha bila malipo ukitaja tu m/watunzi.
Insha iliandikwa na Nankya Sauda
Ilitafsiriwa na Brighid McCarthy
Ilichapishwa na Maktaba.org
Mchoro/Image: CC BY Maktaba.org
Created from "Weeping Willows by Akerselven" by Thorolf Holmboe, Public Domain 1907

Vitabu - Related Books on Maktaba.org 

Vitabu hivi vilivyotajwa kwenye insha vinapatikana bure:
Henry VI: Part II na William Shakespeare
Relativity: The Special and General Theory na Albert Einstein 
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Other proverbs
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!


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Updated 4mo ago
by
Brighid McCarthy
Little by little fills up the jar
Large tasks in life need to tackled in small steps, day by day. This proverb comes from Swahili:
Haba na haba hujaza kibaba
Little by little fills up the jar

Can you think of other similar proverbs that encourage the same way of thinking? 

This saying reminds be of a poem called "Little Things" by Julia Abigail Fletcher Carney:
Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land.
     
Thus the little minutes,
Humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages
Of eternity. 
Julia Carney composed this poem in 1845 as a student in class -- and she was given only 10 minutes to write it!
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Updated 4mo ago
by
Brighid McCarthy
Savings don't rot
 
by Rose Mwanri đŸ‡č🇿 
🏆 Proverb Essay Contest 
đŸ„ˆ 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
Work in the sun, eat in the shade
 
by Magreth Lazaro Mafie đŸ‡č🇿
🏆 Proverb Essay Contest 
đŸ„‰ Third Place Winner
(English translation from Kiswahili)
How many times have you heard “Mchumia juani hulia kivulini” (One who works in the sun, eats in the shade). This is a Swahili (Bantu) proverb meant to encourage people in their everyday activities, to have faith that there will be a day when they will enjoy the fruits of their work.

This proverb gives people strength, diligence, heart, courage, hope and skill in working. The worker believes that hard work brings a good harvest that will allow him to relax in the shade as he eats the fruits of his labor. 

The following poem shows “One who works in the sun” in their daily responsibilities.
I fear neither sun nor rain, making my tomorrow
I fear neither injuries nor pain, because all are temporary
Scorching sun and work are my custom, so that happiness comes in life
The street vendor, the farmer, the [port boys] and their fisherman and the sun, in search of tomorrow
One who works in the sun, eats in the shade, I am still searching for shade.

It's noon, the sun overhead, in my head I have the harvest, sweat is dripping,
The sun has set now, the oar on the beach, exhausted in bed, nets in the sea,
At home on fourth street, captain of the family, may I pull happiness from hard labor
Now the sun is rising, walking the path to look for a bite,
One who works in the sun, eats in the shade, I am still searching for shade.

Once there was a farmer. He spent his whole life in agriculture. Thus his times for pleasure were few. People in his village called him a skilled farmer. He built a house by selling part of his crops, he educated his children through farming.

This farmer was a diligent man, he always learned the principles of being a good farmer, so as time went by, he harvested many crops from his fields. Many people were really amazed to see the big changes in his family. He made many investments in his village, the farms, houses, and shops, and many livestock came from his farm.

Many people came to take wisdom from the skilled farmer. He always told them "One who works in the sun, eats in the shade. The hoe has given me respect in the village, me and my family. My life now is going on a path of certainty, I am in the shade, enjoying the fruits of my labor in the sun. I, the son of that skilled farmer, am proud of my upbringing, and his responsibility, because work in the sun today has made us rest and eat in the shade. The true meaning of “he who works in the sun” can be seen in actions. Your diligence is your sun and the shade is the fruit of your diligence.

This story is complemented by the story of "Mabala the Farmer" by Richard S. Mabala (1989). Mabala was a port worker then he was demoted, so he chose to return to the village of Morogoro. Mabala was careless, drunk and obstinate. Mabala went to the farm with a gallon of booze, he drank it and went to sleep, when he woke up, he called out to his wife but there was no answer except the sound of the hoe tik-tok, tik-tok.

Mabala was obstinate, he watered the fields with sugar, thinking it was fertilizer, but in the end he changed to become a skilled farmer, becoming “one who works” in the sun so that his family could eat in the shade. Do you feel that Mabala is “one who works in the sun”? In the family or in the community, what’s your image of a skilled farmer?

In conclusion, this story on the proverb "Work in the sun, eat in the shade" shows us a good vision in everything we do in our daily lives. Also proverbs like "Subira yavuta kheri” (Patience brings blessings), "Mgaa na Upwa hali wali mkavu” (He who combs the beach at low tide doesn’t eat dry rice) all have similar themes; they exist to give the community strength and hope each task undertaken to pursue their goals.

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Updated 4mo ago
by
Brighid McCarthy
4