Page:Hausa Proverbs.djvu/21

 1 A yi, a gamma, ta fi takamma, gobé a koma.

To do, to finish, is better than "don't care, come back to-morrow."

Takamma, swagger: it comes to mean here not to work hard so as to show independence and disregard for authority.

Never put off till to-morrow what you can do to-day.

2 Hakki da ka rena shi kan soni maka ido.

The grass which you disregard will injure your eye.

Don't forget to take all precautions.

No man or thing is too insignificant to be altogether disregarded.

3 Maichi da uwa ba shi kuka'n soodi.

He who eats with his mother will not have to ask for the soodi, for she will give it to him as a matter of course.

Soodi, the surplus or remainder of anything. The usual way of eating is for every one to dip his hand in turn into a calabash until the food is finished: the scrapings are the soodi, and this the child of the house would naturally get.

Vide 70.

4 Ba afafi giandumma ran taffia.

The day of starting is not the time to prepare the giandumma.

Giandumma, the gourd or calabash with a narrow neck, which all carriers use for water on a march.

Fafewa, hollowing out the pith from the inside of the giandumma.

Don't leave a thing till the last minute.