Kurdish Proverbs in the New Year
Kurdish Proverbs in the New Year
I love Kurdish proverbs. I love Kurdology. It has been my personal dream to get my PhD in Kurdology studying proverbs and oral traditions and their relationship to Kurdish tribal mediation and conflict reconciliation in connection to Islamic peacebuilding. It would make for a nice dissertation. It also requires learning one of the Kurdish dialects. I am trying to teach myself Sorani with a book given to me. Although a university in Iraq Kurdistan, under the guidance of a fantastic scholar and mentor, (Choni my dear Professor!!) has agreed to accept me as a PhD student, provided I learn Sorani, the circumstances at this time have delayed this opportunity. Even so! I continue studies on my own.
Therefore, for the New Year, I want to share some of my favorite Kurdish proverbs. Some are funny, some insightful and many use animals as an example. There is a good website that has a 125 page pdf file with more proverbs. http://www.barzan.com/index.htm
and http://www.barzan.com/PDF_Files/kstudies1.pdf
Animals:
• A wise man can be a donkey (karr), but a donkey can never be wise.
• If you put a donkey on the roof, you must get him down again.
• When the camel was asked why his neck was so long, he replied, "Because I look so far into the future."
• For every mouse hole, God made a mouse.
• If six people go to kill a frog, they will frighten him to death if nothing else.
• If you are not a duck, don't try to lay duck eggs.
Food and Eating:
• Hunger is the root of violence
• When you are tired you don't need a pillow and when you are hungry you don't need spices
Family:
• If the father is a drummer, his child will be a dance.
• If your parents haven't taught you, time will teach you.
• A good mother-in-law is better than a pair of mules
Misc:
• There is a medicine for every condition except stupidity
• He who is not at home finds his wife married by others
• He who does not fight has a sharp sword
• The heart is not a rock but is softer than a flower's petal
• Cheat me once, God curse you; cheat me twice, God Curse me (this seems to be universal)
• After you try, God will give
• God was doing His work before Moses and Jesus. (Some people think they are indispensable; they are not.)
• God made a hat even for the acorn
• What you see as right for yourself, you must see as right for others
• If you can't bite, don't bare your teeth
• If you don't know how to give birth, why are you making love?
• A one-faced pig is better than a two-faced man
• Silence is better than ignorance
• They were taking a man to be hanged and his wife said, "On your way home bring me some henna."
Finally, Peacebuilding:
• A fighter will give up; a peacemaker will not
• He destroys his enemies with sugar.
• War makes thieves; peace hangs them
Happy Blessed New Year All! May 2006 hold good tidings, blessings and divine intervention and more peaceful measures, as the light spreads across the earth.
Miram
I love Kurdish proverbs. I love Kurdology. It has been my personal dream to get my PhD in Kurdology studying proverbs and oral traditions and their relationship to Kurdish tribal mediation and conflict reconciliation in connection to Islamic peacebuilding. It would make for a nice dissertation. It also requires learning one of the Kurdish dialects. I am trying to teach myself Sorani with a book given to me. Although a university in Iraq Kurdistan, under the guidance of a fantastic scholar and mentor, (Choni my dear Professor!!) has agreed to accept me as a PhD student, provided I learn Sorani, the circumstances at this time have delayed this opportunity. Even so! I continue studies on my own.
Therefore, for the New Year, I want to share some of my favorite Kurdish proverbs. Some are funny, some insightful and many use animals as an example. There is a good website that has a 125 page pdf file with more proverbs. http://www.barzan.com/index.htm
and http://www.barzan.com/PDF_Files/kstudies1.pdf
Animals:
• A wise man can be a donkey (karr), but a donkey can never be wise.
• If you put a donkey on the roof, you must get him down again.
• When the camel was asked why his neck was so long, he replied, "Because I look so far into the future."
• For every mouse hole, God made a mouse.
• If six people go to kill a frog, they will frighten him to death if nothing else.
• If you are not a duck, don't try to lay duck eggs.
Food and Eating:
• Hunger is the root of violence
• When you are tired you don't need a pillow and when you are hungry you don't need spices
Family:
• If the father is a drummer, his child will be a dance.
• If your parents haven't taught you, time will teach you.
• A good mother-in-law is better than a pair of mules
Misc:
• There is a medicine for every condition except stupidity
• He who is not at home finds his wife married by others
• He who does not fight has a sharp sword
• The heart is not a rock but is softer than a flower's petal
• Cheat me once, God curse you; cheat me twice, God Curse me (this seems to be universal)
• After you try, God will give
• God was doing His work before Moses and Jesus. (Some people think they are indispensable; they are not.)
• God made a hat even for the acorn
• What you see as right for yourself, you must see as right for others
• If you can't bite, don't bare your teeth
• If you don't know how to give birth, why are you making love?
• A one-faced pig is better than a two-faced man
• Silence is better than ignorance
• They were taking a man to be hanged and his wife said, "On your way home bring me some henna."
Finally, Peacebuilding:
• A fighter will give up; a peacemaker will not
• He destroys his enemies with sugar.
• War makes thieves; peace hangs them
Happy Blessed New Year All! May 2006 hold good tidings, blessings and divine intervention and more peaceful measures, as the light spreads across the earth.
Miram
posted by Miriam | 2:27 PM
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