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Nigerian Proverbs
Much of Africa's history has been passed on through the generations
orally. One consequence of this is that morals and lessons have been
crystallized in the form of proverbs. A proverb is a simple and
concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a
truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of
elders. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a
basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim. If a proverb is
distinguished by particularly good phrasing, it may be known as an
aphorism.
Proverbs are often borrowed from similar languages and cultures, and
sometimes come down to the present through more than one language.
Here is a collection of proverbs attributed to the people of
Nigeria, some rendered in the original language. A translation
is given for each proverb. The usage or meaning is left to the
reader to determine. Enjoy ...
Some Igbo Proverbs:
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Nwunye awo si na di atoka uto, ya
jiri nuta nke ya kworo ya n'azu.
Lit: The female toad said that husband is so
sweet that when she got married, she carried her husband
permanently on the back.
Exp: A humorous proverb used in cajoling women into
loving their husbands.
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Si kele onye nti chiri; enu
anughi, ala anu.
Lit: Salute the deaf; if the heavens don't hear, the
earth will hear.
Exp: Let us do the correct thing, there are those who
will understand.
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Nwaanyi muta ite ofe mmiri
mmiri, di ya amuta ipi utara aka were suru ofe.
Lit: If a woman decides to make the soup watery, the
husband will learn to dent the foofoo before dipping it
into the soup.
Exp: one should learn to change tactics to suit a
situation.
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Agwo emeghi nke o jiri buru
agwo, umuaka achiri ya hie nku.
Lit: If a snake fails to show its venom, little kids
will use it in tying firewood.
Exp: There are times when one defends ones
capability. |
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Some Hausa proverbs
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Ba afafi giandumma ran taffia
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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.
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Rua ba su yami banza
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Water does not get bitter without a cause. There is
reason for everything.
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Ansan baki yana da ja'n myo,
akan zubar da fari. -
It is well known that the mouth has red spittle (or that
it looks red in the mouth), still white comes out.Though
spittle in the mouth looks red, still, when it comes
out, it is white, so, though you are hot with anger, let
it come out cool. I know you are angry, still forgive
him.
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Gishiri nema (na yi ma) mai'n
kadd^ daria'n rana, randa rua ya zo gishiri ya ji kumia.
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Salt laughs at mai'n kadde while the sun shines, but
when rain comes it hides its head. Mai'n kadd6, shea
butter. He laughs best who laughs last.
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Some Yoruba Proverbs
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Bí abá so òkò lójà ará ilé eni ní
bá;
Translation: He who throws a stone in the market will
hit his relative
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B’ópé títí, akólòlò yó pe "baba"
Translation: A stammerer would eventually say "father"
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Kò sí eni tí ó ma gùn esin tí kò ní ju ìpàkó. Bí kò
fe ju ìpàkó, esin tí ó ngùn á je koju.
Translation: No one rides a horse without moving his
head, voluntarily or involuntarily. (your status in life
dictates your attitude towards your peers)
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Gbogbo alangba lo d'anu dele, a ko mo eyi t'inu nrun
Translation: All lizards lie flat on their stomach and
it is difficult to determine which has a stomach ache
(Everyone looks the same on the outside but everyone has
problems that are invisible to outsiders)
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Some Esan Proverbs
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Ose ii gba ni usẹnbhokhan.
Translation: ( A young man's beauty is never
without defects.)
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Eji Aah nyẹlẹn ọhle Aah khọ.
Translation: (People resemble where they live.)
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Udo ni Aah daghe ọ' vade ii degbi
ọrhia bhi ẹlo.
Translation: (A missile that one sees coming does
not blind one.)
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Aah ii fi ini bhi otọ kha khin
oha-ọtan.
Translation: (Do not go hunting for squirrel
while you have an elephant as a catch.)
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Amẹn ni ọrhia la muọn ii gbera ọle
a.
Translation: (The water one would drink can
never flow past one.)
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Ene wwue bhi uwa kha yyọ ele mmin okpodu, ?bi ene wwuẹ
bhi ole ki da ta yẹ.
Translation: (What would they say who slept
outside if those who slept inside complained of
harassment?)
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General Proverbs
| A man with sweet food before him can not understand
the bitterness of famine. |
| Even if the youth has as many clothes as his father,
he has not worn so many out |
| However far a stream flows, it never forgets its
origin. |
| No God is more demanding than your stomach – it
requires a sacrifice every day. |
| One who defames another's character, also defames
their own. |
| The man who waits for a perfect opportunity, will
wait a life-time. |
| The world has reached a sad state when cracking an
egg breaks the pot. |
| Victory is achieved by he who forgives. |
| What makes sense today may be madness tomorrow. |
| Where you settle in old age depends upon where you
stood in your youth. |
| You may tell little lies, small as a thorn, but they
will grow to the size of a spear and kill you. |
| You will know who you love, you can not truly know
who loves you. |
| If you never give palm wine to your elders, you will
never learn their proverbs. |
| Strong people make things happen; weak people let
things happen. |
| Why be a second rate version of someone else when
you can be a first rate version of yourself |
| To eat from the same pot with another man, is to
take an oath of perpetual friendship with him. |
| A child does not die because the mother's breasts
are dry. |
| The tree that cannot shed its old leaves in the dry
season, cannot survive the period of drought. |
| You can only stop a bird from making a nest on your
head but you can't stop it from flying over your head -
Hausa |
| what an elder sees when sitting down,a child cannot
see even on the highest mountain - grandpa |
| wise people use their tounges to count their teeth -
Hausa |
| a child that washes his hands well will learn to eat
and dine with elders - Hausa |
| It is better to eat mushroom in freedom than to eat
meat in slavery |
| If you choose to lie down with dogs then you must be
prepared to wake up with fleas |
| It is a foolish fly that is buried with a corpse |
| It is in the eyes of a lazy man that maize ripens |
| He who cannot rest cannot work; he who cannot let
go, cannot hold on; he who cannot find footing, cannot
go forward.
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"If you never
give palm wine to your elders, you will never learn their
proverbs."
--Nigerian Proverb |
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