• إلدني بْتِنْهَز ما بتُوقَع (AF 306)

 

The world may shake but it never falls.

(Meaning: no matter how many afflictions and disasters befall man, in the long run everything will be all right.)

– دِني  = Fuṣḥā دُنيا

– اْنهَزّ، يِنهَزّ  = to be shaken

– هَزّ، يْهِزّ  = to shake

 

• الدني بلا شراب خراب (AF 306)

 

Life without drinking is naught.

– دِني  = Fuṣḥā دُنيا

– بلا  = without

– شراب  = wine; drink, beverage; juice

– شرب  = to drink

– خراب  = destruction, ruination

 

• الدني بلاها ملاها، وأكتر بلاها من نساها (AF 306)

 

Life is full of misery, and most of its misery is caused by women.

– دني  = Fuṣḥā دُنيا

 

• الدني حْكاك حَمير، حِك لي تَ حِك لك (AF 306)

 

Life is like donkeys rubbing against each other: scratch me and I will scratch you.

– حْكاك

– حَكّ، يْحِكّ  = to scratch، rub

– ب) اْحتَكّ، يِحتَكّ)  = to rub against; mingle with / be in contact with 

– تَ  = so that, in order to, Fuṣḥā لكي

 

• زَلَّة الجاهل بِغَطّيها الجَهْل، وزَلَّة العالم بيضرُب فيها الطَبْل (AF 340)

 

An ignorant man’s fault is covered up by (his) ignorance, but a wise man’s fault is heralded by a drum.

– زَلّة  = slip, mistake

– زَلّة لسان  = slip of the tongue

– غطّى، يغَطّي  = to cover, to hide

– غَطَا ج غُطي  = cover, lide

– طَبِل ج طْبُوْل  = drum

– طَبَّل، يْطَبِّل  = to drum; to become weak

 

• زينة الكلام أخْذ وعطا (AF 342)

 

The beauty of a conversation lies in giving and taking (as in “talking and listening”).

 

• الساكت في الحق متل الناطق بالباطل (AF 343)

 

He who knows the truth but keeps silent is like him who tells lies.

– ساكت  = silent, quiet

– سَكَت، يِسْكُت  = to be quiet

– سَكِت  = silence

– سُكوت  = silence, tranquility

– سكّت، يسكّت  = to shut s.o. up

– ناطق  = speaker, spokesperson

– نَطَق، يُنطُق  = to pronounce, to utter

– نُطُق  = pronunciation

– بَاطِل  = false; vain; incompetent

– بَطَل، ج أَبطَال  = hero

– بَطَالِة  = unemployment

– بَطَّال  = bad, worthless

– بَطَّل، يْبَطِّل  = cancel, stop

 

• السر بين اتنين بصير بين الفين (AF 349)

 

A secret shared by two is soon shared by two thousand.

 

• سنة الخرا ٢٤ شهر (AF 354)

 

A wretched year has 24 months.

– خَرَا / خَرَى  = shit, crap

 

• الشاب إن قال أنا جوعان صدقوه، وإن قال أنا تعبان كذّبوه (AF 360)

 

If a young man says “I am hungry”, believe him, but if he says “I am tired”, call him a liar.

 

• الشيب ما هو عيب (AF 384)

 

To have white hair is no dishonor.

– شيب  = white hair, grey hair

– شاب، يشيب = to become white-haired, to get grey/white hair

– شايب = white haired

– شيّب، يشيّب  = to give s.o. grey/white hair

 

• شاب ولا تاب (AF 384)

 

– تاب، يتوب  = to repent

 

• شيطان حرك ولا ملاك جامد (AF 384)

 

Better a mischievous devil than a frozen angel.

– حَرَك، يحرُك  = to move

– حَرَكة ج حَرَكات  = movement, (in football: trick), (in linguistics: diacritic mark)

– حرّك، يحرّك  = to set in motion, stir up

– تحرّك، يتحرّك  = to move

– ملاك ج ملاكة  = angel

– جِمِد، يِجمَد  = to freeze; to become hard

– جمّد، يجمّد  = to freeze sth.

– جَمِيْد  = dried yoghurt, usually made into a sauce and eaten with mansaf 

 

 

Source:

AF = Anis Frayha. Modern Lebanese Proverbs; Collected at Ras Al-matn. American Uninversity of Beirut, Beirut (1953)