Collected by Otto
Massiah
Patois is a very very
funny language, especially when you understand French! It is devoid of
pretensions, and allows itself to be funny and delve in picong. What seems
almost incomprehensible written down in English phonetics, becomes hilariously
clear when read aloud, compared with the English translation and with its roots
in "high" French.
Bush doo kah ashtay
shuval ah crayde.
Sweet mouth buys horses
on credit.
Bouche douce achète
cheval au crédit.
Kan ou vueh barb
camarad ou puis, defay wousay cella ou.
When you see your
friend’s beard on fire, sprinkle yours.
Quand tu vois la barbe
de ton camarad au feu, il devoit arroser celle de toi.
Malair pah kah charjay
con laplee.
Accidents don’t
threaten like rain.
Malheur ne peut [charger]
comme la pluie.
[This might be an
Anglicism having crept into the French from Engl. 'to charge', the correct
French word would be 'menacer']
Ravett pah jammay tinne
raison duvan poule.
The cockroach never has
any right to the eyes of a fowl.
Cafard n'a jamais aucune
raison devant une poule.
Say souleah sel ke
connet se shoson tinni too.
The shoe alone knows if
the socks have holes.
C'est la [souleah] seule
ce qui connaît que les [chaussons] tenaient trous.
[Again these might be
creolised words; the French word for shoe is 'chaussure', and for socks
'chaussette', however, 'chaussons' is a bedsock or footlet.]
Say coute ke connoit
sah ke nan bouden jermu.
Only the knife knows
what is in the inside of the pumpkin.
Seule le couteau connaît
ce qu'est dans [bouden jermu].
[The French word for
pumpkin is 'citrouill'.]
Say mezeh qui fair
macaque manger piman.
Trouble made the monkey
eat pepper.
C'est la misére qui
fait [macaque] manger piment.
Sa zeah pah kah vueh,
cheh kah teh mal.
What the eye does not
see the yeart does not grieve at.
Ce que les yeux ne
peuvent pas voir, le coeur ne tient mal.
Se crab pah mashay le
pah grah, le mashay trap le tombay dan showdeah.
If the crab doesn’t
walk he don’t get fat. If he walks to much he falls in the pot.
Si le crabe ne marche
pas il ne devient gras; s'il marche trop il tombe dans le chaudeur.
Se zandolee tay bon
vian le passay kah dreevay.
If lizards were eatable
they would not be so common about.
Si [zandolee] etais la
bonne viande, ...
Si crapaud di ou caiman
tini mal zieu queh le.
If the frog tells you
that the crocodile has sore eyes believe him.
Si crapaud dit que le
caiman tient mals yeux, crois-le.
You dwett pah sah pwan
peice.
One finger can’t catch
fleas.
Un doîgt ne peut pas
prendre puces.
Tampay kah ashtay
maleh, gaude passah paveh.
A penny will buy
trouble which pounds cannot buy.
Stampee [old currency]
va acheter malheur, ...
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1 comment:
Modern standard orthography would render these proverbs like this:
Bouch dou ka achté chouval an crédi
Sweet mouth buys horses on credit.
Kan ou wè bab kanmawad ou pwis difé, wouzé sla'w
When you see your friend’s beard on fire, sprinkle yours.
Malè pa ka chagé kon lapli.
Accidents don’t threaten like rain.
Wavèt pa jamé tini wézon douvan poul.
The cockroach never has any right to the eyes of a fowl.
Sé soulyé sèl ki konnèt si choson tini tou.
The shoe alone knows if the socks have holes.
Sé kouté ki konnèt sa ki nan bouden jemou.
Only the knife knows what is in the inside of the pumpkin.
Sé mizé ki fè makak mangé piman.
Trouble made the monkey eat pepper.
Sa zyé pa ka wè, tjè pa tini mal.
What the eye does not see the yeart does not grieve at.
Si kwab pa maché li pa gwa; si li maché twòp li tonbé dan chodé.
If the crab doesn’t walk he don’t get fat. If he walks to much he falls in the pot.
Si zandoli té bon vian, li pasé ka drivé.
If lizards were eatable they would not be so common about.
Si kwapo di ou kayman tini mal zyé , kwè li.
If the frog tells you that the crocodile has sore eyes believe him.
Yon dwèt pa sa pwan pis.
One finger can’t catch fleas..
Tampé ka achté malè, goud pa sa pavè.
A penny will buy trouble which pounds cannot buy.
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