Luck is like a turban

4/27/08
The time is ripe to send you your second installment of Nigerien proverbs; they are long overdue, I know. So let's get to the point (the only problem being--where to start? There are so many, and they are all so GOOD!)

• Ran wanka ba a b'oye cibiya. On the day you wash your body, your navel will not be concealed.

• Rabo rawani ne inda ya kare sai a soke. Luck is like a turban; when it finishes, you tuck it in.

• Ko giwa ta fad'i, ta hi k'arfin tukunya. Even though the elephant has fallen, it is still too big for the pot.

• Kada ganin hadari ya saku wanka da kashi. Just because you see rain clouds doesn't mean you should bathe in poop.

• Ki naka, duniya ta sonshi. Dislike your child, and the world will love him. (What?)

• Haihuwa d'aya horon gindi. One birth is training to the vagina. (What??)

• Gwano bashi jin warin jikinshi. An ant doesn't smell his own body odor. (Do ants even have b.o.?)

Well, that's enough for now. I am going to take my proverb list out to the men and see what they make of it.