• القناعة غنى (AF 505)

 

Contentment is riches.

– قَنَاعَة  = conviction; contentment

– قِناع، ج أَقنعة  = mask

–  أَقنَع، يِقنِع  = to convince

– اْقتَنَع، يِقِتنِع  = to be convinced

 

• كان ع بالي وبدالي (AF)

 

It was on my mind and suddenly appeared.

–  ع بالي  = on my mind

– بدا، يبدو  (Fuṣḥā) = to appear, become evident; to seem

 

• كانت حمامة يا أمير وطارت (AF 509)

 

She was a dove, oh prince, and she flew away.

– حمامة = dove, pigeon (note the difference between حمّام (restroom) and حمام (doves) without the shedda

– طار، يطير  = to fly

– طيَّارة  = airplane

– مَطار ج مَطارات  = airport

– طِيّارْجي  = pilot

– طَيْر، ج طيور  = bird

 

• كِتِر الأيادي في الحصيدة غنيمة، وعَ الطَبَق ظليمة (AF 514)

 

To have many hands at the time of harvest is of great advantage; to have many hands at table is a calamity.

– غَنيمة، ج غَنائِم  = loot, plunder

– طَبَق ج أَطباق  = tray, plate

– طابِق، ج طوابِق  = story, floor

– طَبَقَة، ج طَبَقات  = social class; layer

– تَطبيق  = application (also on the phone)

 

• الكِذْب بِغَدي ما بِعَشي (AF 517)

 

To tell a lie might help you to have lunch, but not to have supper.

– غَدَّى، يغدّي  = to feed lunch, make lunch

– تْغَدَّى / دْغَدَّى، يِتغَدَّى / يِدغَدَّى  = to have lunch

– غَدَا = lunch

– عشّى، يعّشي  = to feed dinner, make dinner

– تْعَشَّى، يِتعَشَّى  = to have dinner

– عَشا  = dinner, supper

– عِشا = Islamic night prayer

– عَشِيِّة  = evening

 

• كِذْب ينْفع ولا صِدْق يضُر (AF 518)

 

Better a lie which does good, than truth which does harm.

– نَفَع، ينفَع  = to benefit, be of use, work out

– مَنَافِع  = bathroom, lavatory

– ضَرّ، يضُرّ  = to harm, to injure

– ضَرَر ج أَضرار  = damage

– مُضِرّ  = harmful

– ضَرُوْري  = necessary

– ضَرَّة  = second wife, co-wife

 

• كل شي بالأمل إلا الرِزق بالعمل (AF 526)

 

You may hope for anything, but a livelihood (only comes through labour).

– أَمَل، ج آمَال = hope 

– تأمّل، يتأمّل  = to contemplate, reflect on

– رِزْق  = livelihood, wealth, daily bread

 

• كل شي تسبيب إلا الجازة نصيب (AF 527)

 

Everything in life comes about logically except marriage. That is chance.

– جازِة  = marriage

– جيزة  = marriage

– جَوَاز  = Fuṣḥā زواج  (marriage)

– جوز ج جواز  = husband; piece

– جَوَّز، يْجَوِّز  = to marry off

– تجوّز، يتجوّز  = to marry

 

• كِل شي دواه الصبر، لكن قِلة الصبر مالها دوا (AF 527)

 

Everything may be remedied by patience, but lack of patience has no remedy.

 

• كل محجوب مرغوب (AF 533)

 

Everything hidden is desired.

– حَجَب، يحْجُب  (Fuṣḥā) = to veil, cover 

– مْحَجَّب  = veiled, wearing a hijab

– حِجاب ج أَحجِبة / حُجُب  = hijab, veil

– حَاجِب، ج حَوَاجِب  = eyebrow

– مَرغوب  = desired, wanted

– رَغبة  = desire, wish

 

• كل ممنوع متبوع (AF 533)

 

Everything forbidden is run after.

– تَبَع، يِتبَع  = to follow, chase, keep track of

 

• كَلامه عليه تَرْك (AF 539)

 

There should be a discount on what he says.

 

• كَلب الأمير أمير (AF 542)

 

The dog of an Amir is an Amir (= prince).

 

• كِلمة “يا ريت” ما عَمّرِت ولا بيت (AF 545)

 

The word “if” never build a house.

– عَمَّر، يعَمِّر  = to build

– عَمَارَة  = building

– مِعمَاري  = building, builder, architect

– وَلَا  = nor, not even

 

• لا بقاتل ولا بْلِم حجار (AF 554)

 

I neither fight nor pick up stones.

(In old village fights boys and women helped pick up stones and gave them to men fighting)

–  قاتل، يقاتل = to fight, battle, combat

– وَلَا  = nor, not even

– لَمّ، يْلِمّ  = to pick, gather, collect

– اِلْتَمَّ، يَلْتِمّ = to assemble, to gather

– حَجَر، حجَار  = stone; chessman

 

• لا بَقَر ولا مْنِغدي على سحر (AF 554)

 

(We neither have got) no cows, nor do we need to rise with the dawn.

– غِدَى، يغدي = to wake up early

– غَدْوِيِّة  = early

– سَحَر  = early morning, dawn

 

• لا تذكر الحَبْل ببيت المشنوق (AF 558)

 

Don’t mention the word “rope” at the house of a man who died by hanging.

– ذَكَر، يذْكُر  = to mention

– ذِكرَى، ذِكرَيَات  = memory

– ذكّر، يذكّر  = to remind

– ذاكْرة  = memory (capacity of remembering)

– شَنَق، يُشنُق  = to hang

 

• لا تْذِم ولا تشكر إلا بعد سنة وأربعة أشهر (AF 558)

 

Neither blame nor praise until a year and four months later.

– ذَمَّ، يَذُمّ  (Fuṣḥā) = to blame, criticize

– ذَمَّمَ = to rebuke

– شَكَر، يِشْكُر  = to thank

– شُكر  = gratitude

– مُتَشَكِّر  = thankful

 

• لا تَعَب إلا تَعَب القلب (AF 560)

 

There is no weariness like that which troubles the heart.

 

• لا تُقْعُد بين القبور ولا تِبْصَر منامات (AF 562)

 

In order not to have nightmares, do not sit among graves.

–  قَعَد، يِقْعُد  = to sit; to remain doing something

– قاعدة، ج قَوَاعِد  = rule, base

– مَقعَد، ج مَقاعِد  = seat, bench

– مُقعَد  = disabled

– تقاعَد، يِتْقاعِد  = to retire

–  قَبَر ج قبور  = grave

– قَبَر، يِقبُر  = to bury

– بَصَر، يبْصُر  = to see

– بَصَر  = vision, sight

– أَبْصَر  = who knows?; I wonder

– بَصير  = clear-sighted; epithet of God

–  منام  = dream; sleep; place to sleep

 

• لسانه بيمدح إيده بْتِذْبَح (AF 572)

 

His tongue praises, but his hand slaughters.

– مَدَح، يِمدَح  = to praise

– مَدِح  = praise

– ذبَح، يذبَح  = to kill, to slaughter

– مَدبَحَة، ج مَدَابِح

 

• لو بدها تْشَتّي زْلابية كانت غَيَّمِت عَجين (AF 576)

 

 

Were it going to rain doughnuts, the sky would have darkened with clouds of dough.

– بدها  = normally “she wants”; here: “to be about to”

–  زْلابية  = Jalebi (West-Asian fried dough dipped in sugar syrup, very popular in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran; for more info see here)

– شَتَّى، يشَتّي  = to rain

– أَشتى، يشتي (Palestinian) = to rain

– شِتِي / شِتِة / شِتَا  = winter; rain

– غيّم، يغيّم = to become cloudy

– غيمة ج غيوم  = cloud

– عَجِيْن = dough

– عَجَن، يعجِن  = to knead

– مَعجُوْن  = paste, cream

 

• لو الشِرْكِة بَرَكة كانوا كِل اتنين أخدوا مرة (AF 577)

 

Had partnership been a blessing then every two men would have married one woman.

– شِرْكِة  = company, firm, corporation; here: partnership

– شريك ج شُرَكا  = partner

– شَارَك، يْشَارِك  = to participate, join

– اْشتِراك  = membership, subscription, contract (e.g. in a gym, for the phone)

– مرَة ج نسوان = Fuṣḥā 

 

• الليل ستَار العيوب (AF 582)

 

The night conceals all defects.

 

• ما بِحِكّ جِلدك متل ظِفْرَك (AF 586)

 

Nothing scratches your skin better than your own nail.

– حَكّ، يْحِكّ  = to scratch، rub

– جِلد ج جلود = skin, leather

– ضُفُر / ضِفِر، ج اْضَافِير  = finger

 

 

Source:

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