Page:Hausa Proverbs.djvu/54

42 211 Inda halli, muni keau ne, inda ba halli ba, keau muni ne.

Where there is a (good) disposition ugliness is beauty (or evil is good), but where there is no disposition beauty is ugliness.

Handsome is as handsome does.

212 Ba keau ba ga daki'n gona, shi dei ya yi māgani'n rua.

The farm shelter is not beautiful, but it keeps out rain.

Daki'n gona, an erection of grass put up temporarily while the owner of a farm is working on it. Farms are often many miles from the town.

Meaning as in 211.

213 Karami'n sani kunkummi ne.

Little knowledge is like kunkummi.

Kunkummi, the tying the hand to the neck, as is done with prisoners,

214 Resshi'n sani ya fi derri duffu.

Lack of knowledge is darker than night.

215 Resshi'n sani slii kan sa makafo ya taka sariki.

It is only lack of knowledge (knowing where he is) which would make a blind man tread on a king.

216 Ko a fadi a tasshi salka ya fi giandumma.

A salka is always better than a giandumma.

Salka, the leather skin for carrying water. It contains more than the giandumma, and if it falls does not break.

Giandumma. Vide 69.

217 Feeké ya fi kaia tsini?

Does a stick which has been sharpened surpass a thorn in sharpness?