Abkhazian proverbs in Russian. Abaza proverbs and sayings

Abaza proverbs and sayings

Without fire there is no smoke

A slacker is worse than a scarecrow: a scarecrow even scares animals
The big dog barks, followed by the little one
It also happens that the egg is smarter than the chicken
Even the mouse is strong in its hole
The oldest child in the family
The wind blows away both the house and the hut
The ox and the fly went to war against each other
The wolf sets its teeth on edge from unobtained meat
The wolf was made a shepherd
After the ax he threw the handle
Discarded ash is not brought back into the house
Where you can’t mow an armful, don’t put a stack there
Where you don't have any business, don't go there with your shovel.
Thunder rumbled, lightning struck, where was the rain?
You can't hold two watermelons in one hand
Good follows good, evil follows evil
The road to truth is wide
The skin of a lamb will cover those who are friendly, but the skin of a bull will not save those who are unfriendly.
Even if a young man is blind, he seems sighted to his mother
If one sheep jumps off a cliff, everyone else will jump after it.
If a word is repeated many times, it will become bitter
If an argument ends in a fight, the outsider suffers
Take care of the horse, but don't forget the ox
Earth taken out of a hole cannot fill the same hole.
Knowledge is not carried on the back
And the fool is smart while he is silent
Water will not pour out of an empty cup
A hundred horses are watered for one horse
He who had a saddle rode, he who had a horse stayed
Looking for a needle in a haystack
Don’t take out your dagger twice and don’t repeat your word twice
It's hard to put your feet on a lie
When a wolf carries away a sheep, he does not look at its brand
When a tree gets old it becomes wormy
Whom the bow cannot hold, neither can the mane hold
Horses are no friend to people on foot
Fun for the cat, death for the mouse
Toys for the cat, death for the mouse
Who will be a man can be seen when he is still as tall as a whip
He who has seen a lot knows a lot
He who has not eaten bitter food does not know the sweetness of honey
He who knows neither good nor evil thinks that he knows everything
He who does not know how to cultivate the land sows millet on pebbles
Those who burn themselves on milk blow on sour milk
Those who lie once are not believed a second time
Where there is a needle, there is a thread
Where the river begins, so does the end.
It is better to have one relative in each village than one village full of relatives
Don’t put a baby who has fallen off a donkey onto a horse.
The mother instructed her daughter, and the daughter counted flies
The young grows, the old decrepit
Whoever you laugh at will laugh at you
Not all the red you see is meat, and not all the white you see is lard.
Can't bend an arrow, so he tried to bend the barrel of a pistol
An unbearable woman gave birth to an even more unbearable child
Ignorance leads to mistakes
A cat that doesn't meow is more dangerous than a cat that meows.
Unhappy is the lot of the one who has a stepmother
The mangy mouse has grown fur again
General agreement strengthens the home, shared food tastes better
The combined force moves the rock
He's looking for a needle in a haystack
The cart is repaired where it broke down
Sow the wind, reap the storm
Praise the old, but choose the young
Before you marry a girl, look at her mother
If you're bald, don't take out your comb
The whims of a prince are the lament of a serf
Came to ask for sour milk, but hid his cup
Will a wolf pass by a sheep?
Will a goat become a sheep or a sheep become a goat?
Do the well-fed and the hungry understand each other?
The river returns to its old channel
I was born on the same day, I will die on the same day
Digging a well with a needle
The death of the buffalo is a feast for the dogs
The snow falls very white and beautiful, but disappears quickly
They don’t even give serum to an old dog.
As soon as you say “almasty”, it takes seven steps in your direction
The one on whom the tree fell groans, the one on whom the leaf fell groans.
The body is an ornament for the bones, clothes are an ornament for the body.
What is in his soul kills him, and what comes out of his mouth kills us
He who knows neither good nor evil thinks that he knows everything
A childless woman's child does not cry
The unlucky one can't cook his meat
The diligent man's blood flows, but the lazy man's blood runs cold
The hand has five fingers, and all are different
A mind is good, but two is better
A drowning man clutching at a straw
A good friend is better than a bad brother
Although a snake's skin changes, its heart remains the same
Although his teeth are white, his heart is black
What is stored in the heart is reflected on the face
Do not count your chickens before they are hatched
What adults say, children repeat
What one can't do, two can do
What you put in your bag is what you drink from it
What the drought took away can be brought back by rain, but what the rain took away cannot be brought back by drought.
To prevent meat from spoiling, it is sprinkled with salt, but what to do if the salt starts to spoil?
Someone else's dog came and chased ours away
Whose name is spoken is already on the threshold
The egg teaches the chicken
***

Abkhazians- indigenous people of Transcaucasia. They live mainly in Abkhazia, as well as in Turkey. The Abkhazian language is part of the Abkhazian subgroup of the Western group of the Caucasian family of languages.

Abkhazian proverbs and sayings

The powerless enemy of everyone

There would be a head, but there would be a hat
You can't hide fire in cotton wool
On the day of the hike, they notified someone they didn’t want to take with them.
What is sown on time comes up on time
All dogs are strong in their own yard
Look into the man's face and give him his share
Where you press the cart more, that’s where it creaks.
Where a person hurts, there he puts his hand
The potter attaches the handle to the jug wherever he wants
The guest hated the guest, and the owner hated both
Do for others, learn for yourself
A tree is held together by its roots, and a person is held together by its relatives
For a bull, horns are not a burden
For a deaf person the drums are not beaten twice
For the hungry, salt and pepper is good food
For his own and oblique - very sighted
A good neighbor is better than an evil brother
If you look closely at the milk, you will find black spots
If the water catches fire, how to put it out?
If you shout into a jug, then the jug will shout at you
If a father is pugnacious, then his son will be pugnacious
If I don’t go myself, who will go with me?
Living is not exchanged for dead
You can't make a hedge from just one stake
To whom we are accustomed, there is no respect
When the dogs died out, they began to hunt jackals
Whoever is scolded by a hundred people is worth a hundred people
The goat is small - the horns are large
Goats butt before death
Whoever is harmed beyond the mountain will be forced to repent on this side of the mountain.
A beautiful woman guards herself, but an ugly woman must be guarded by her husband.
Who does evil - for himself, who does good - also for himself
He who trusts in his own strength does not threaten
Those who have not been sick do not value health
Whoever does not want to be related to you asks you for a saddle pommel
Those who are not useful to themselves are also useless to others.
He who is not ashamed to say is not ashamed to do
Tender lamb of two queens sucks
The fox is the enemy of its tail
An extra word gets boring
The horse dies - the field remains, the man dies - the word remains
The best bird flies behind everyone
The frog - and she wants her swamp to be bigger than anyone else
The bear bites the one who raised him
A silent cat is more dangerous than a meowing one
There are only five fingers on the hand, but even those are not equal
Don't mock a bad wineskin without knowing what's in it
Without burning the skewer and without burning the meat
Education is the guest, mind is the host
One rotten pear will rot a hundred pears
If you say the same word twice, it will stink.
The saddle doesn't suit the donkey
A sword heals a wound, and a bullet heals a wound, but a wound inflicted with a tongue does not heal.
The bad doesn't hide and the good doesn't show
Until the baby screams, the mother gives him pacifiers
Parents for children, and children for themselves
A spoken word is a fired bullet
Cattle are colorful on the outside, but man is colorful on the inside.
The weak are kind
First, see who's listening, then start your speech.
An old dog can catch a pig
The well-fed man thought that his comrades were also full
It was a small world for two dwarfs
The poplar grows high, but no one has seen any fruit from it.
A bully father has a brawler son
The weak have a long tongue
The stolen buffalo gave four milk containers
A drowning man grabs a snake
A good daughter is worth two bad sons
Brave is the one who has not been to war
A man is held by a man, like a fence with stakes
Nothing can satisfy a person except the earth.
Rather than sit in vain, it is better to walk in vain
They climb over the fence where it is lower
What you do with caution will not bring you shame
What you did not say at sowing time cannot be said at harvest time.
Alien dead man seems to be sleeping
Someone else's dead man seems to be sleeping
A joke is half the truth

Abkhazian proverbs

All the poor guy can do is twirl his mustache.

The powerless enemy of everyone.
There would be a head, but there would be a hat.
You can't hide fire in cotton wool.
All dogs are strong in their own yard.
Look into the person's face and give him his share.
Everyone loves their homeland as a holy place.
Do for others, learn for yourself.
For the hungry, salt and pepper is good food.
If the water catches fire, how do you put it out?
If you shout into the jug, the jug will shout at you.
And feed your enemy to death!
To whom we are accustomed, there is no respect.
As you clap your hands, so I dance.
Whoever is scolded by a hundred people is worth a hundred people.
The goat is small - the horns are large.
Whoever you trust with a horse, trust your wife.
She stole threads from her own dress.
Who doesn't know how to work for
A bad wife's husband turns gray early.
A bad husband's smart wife is always a fool.
Even if you sit crookedly, tell the truth.
If you want to hear the truth, let me speak.
Lame truth will overtake lies.
The tongue is gold, the tongue is dirt.
The tongue is wet, whatever you force it to say, it will say.
A person's tongue can hurt and heal.
***

Avars- one of the mountain peoples of the North Caucasus. They live in Dagestan, as well as in Azerbaijan. The Avar language is part of the Dagestan group of the East Caucasian family of languages

Avar proverbs and sayings

Without the wind, the feather grass won’t move

Flowers cannot grow without manure and moisture.
The former is bad, the past is good
The bull dies - meat, the cart breaks - firewood
I like my things, but my wives like strangers
The sparrow thinks only about the millet field
Stolen goods seem like pennies to the thief, but rubles to the owner
Ahead of the good is bad, ahead of the bad is good
Bandage your head until it's broken
A mouse cub gnaws a bag, a wolf cub tears at a sheep
The baby duck already knows water in the egg
You can find a crow's house by croaking
The alien's house is on the edge of the village
Daughter, I’m telling you, and you, daughter-in-law, listen
You don’t know, so there’s no guilt
And Allah loves a field that is manured
And honey tastes bitter if there is too much of it
From under the rain and under the gutter
A beautiful wife is good next door
He who seeks finds
Whoever went along the path did not return, and whoever went along the high road returned
Better a fat tail today than a sheep tomorrow
He who has not lived much knows much, but he who has seen much
The husband is good and the wife is good, the wife is good and the husband is good
For every pharaoh there is one Moses
An oak tree falls on a goat with a broken leg
What there is no witness to is a lie
The heir of the donkey is a dog
While on a ship, do not argue with the shipowner
Don't get married if your mother praises you and your neighbors respect you, don't miss out
Lie down at night, get up during the day - don't follow the owl's habits
He's like a tarred rag
From the boiler - soot, from the evil - evil
The father eats barberry, and the children's teeth are set on edge
Our bad has perished, let someone else’s good perish too
Under the canopy, where there are no cats, mice frolic
While the hare is in the bushes, do not put the boiler on fire
Until I found out, the price of news is a hundred tomans, I found out - a penny
While the skillful Hasanali is here, bring another donkey to slaughter
The past will not return, the extinguished will not light up
The past won't come back, shorty won't grow up
A bee and a fly don't work well in the same deck
The mouth of the one who speaks of honey does not become sweet
Small, great feat
Your own daughter is better than someone else's son
They said that the mountain visited the mountain - believe me; don’t believe that a person’s character has changed
Cattle are colorful on the outside, but man is colorful on the inside.
An arrow that hits someone else's head is the same as an arrow that hits a dung heap.
What we eat and drink is ours, the rest is someone else’s
Eat a whole garden, eat one grape - the sin is the same
Job quitter's jaw stops
Lies have one leg of fire, the other of wax.
The lucky one's donkey gives birth like a donkey
The lame man has a lame shadow
Well the word is short, but the rope is long
What I saw is true, what I heard is a lie
What's the use of driving kids off the boundary when buffaloes are grazing on the crops?
***

Adyghe people- one of the nationalities of the North Caucasus. They live in Adygea, Turkey and the countries of the Middle East. The Adyghe language is part of the Abkhaz-Adyghe group of the Caucasian family of languages.

Adyghe proverbs and sayings

The disease comes through the eye of the cleaver and leaves through the eye of the needle.

Even the mouse is brave in its hole
If you see a bear's head, don't look for its tracks.
Delicious food makes a person happy
The whole village is never stupid, and among the stupid there are smart ones
Where there are no cats, there is freedom for mice
Where there are no good old people, there are no good youth
Where there are bees, there is honey
Where there is a lot of noise, there is little intelligence
Stupid loves motley
A stupid person eats up his supplies right away
Speak after thinking, sit down and look around
You can't take fire with your bare hand
Two stones in the water - and they collide
Two neighbors milk a cow, and then in different ways
Two hawks fight - the sparrow gets food
Two mange horses are friends
The share of the weak is the remainder
If the belly is full, the bread becomes soggy
If the leader is sharp-sighted, then the one who follows him is not bad either.
If the rider loses heart, then the horse will not gallop
If you look at milk for a long time, you see blood in it.
If you don't know, there's no harm in asking
If you don't answer the one who hits you, he will never know if you have hands
If you have no one to consult with, put down your hat and consult with her
If the same man deceives you three times, you are stupid; if you fall into the same hole three times, you are blind.
If an eagle beats its wings often, the wings break
If the baby doesn't cry, don't let him suck.
If the heart doesn't look, then the eyes don't see
If you listen a lot, you will talk little
If an argument ends in a fight, then others suffer too.
If you're right, you're strong
If you don’t bend it while it looks like a twig, then when it becomes a stake, you won’t bend it at all.
If you feed a skinny animal, your lips will be smeared with fat, but if you raise a bad person, he will only kick
Eating together tastes better, working together is more fun
Gold is more valuable where it is mined
And in death there is courage
And if the trap doesn’t deceive, it won’t catch
Don't chase a frightened horseman for long
How they see you is how you seem, how you appear is how they think
When a liar tells the truth, no one believes
When there are many shepherds, there is death among the sheep
When asked whose head was more beautiful, the turtle stuck out his
Whoever you call a prince will take you for a slave
He who is not noticed coughs
Those who are not wanted as travel companions are called in passing
Don't tell anyone who doesn't care about you about your headache.
To whom you are not dear, it is not for you that you have a head, but a head
The bones are colored by the meat, and the body by the clothes.
Heavy rain doesn't last long
Whoever chooses for a long time will lose
Who feeds the child, for him and the mother
Those who don't see you while you're sitting won't notice you when you get up.
He who is not ashamed to say is not afraid to do
Whoever survived the plague died from hops
Those who died first are carried to the cemetery first
He who does not know his place will remain without a place
A kind word softens the heart
Affectionate calf sucks two cows
Don't trust the forest and the dark night with your secret.
Better a good weapon than a bad companion
Stepmother is like snow
Fox fur is her enemy
The young are taught, the old are not taught
Mullah knows “give”, but does not recognize “take”
Instruct your daughter so that your daughter-in-law can hear
Do not scold or praise someone who has not been tested by you either in business or on the road.
Don't take out your dagger twice, don't repeat your word twice
Don’t take out your saber at the wrong time, but if you take it out, don’t put it back without earning praise.
Don't laugh at the one who falls first
A poorly planted tree dries out
The shepherds of the calves and those of the elder ones have
Don't chase a frightened horseman for long
The man on foot always laughs at the horseman
Bad news travels fast
Don't take a burka after the rain
Will a cow's foot kill a calf?
Does a goat give birth to a lamb?
A wound from a saber will heal, but a wound from a tongue will not.
Even the rook considers his chicks beautiful
Look at your mother and get married
Competitors get rich, but those who scheme against each other go bankrupt
Both the one on whom the tree falls and the one on whom the leaves fall groan
Every business has its turn
He who has many shortcomings can easily find them in others.
Lies have short legs
A wise man has many envious people
An ant grows wings before it dies
One has nine fur coats, and the other nine have no fur coat.
Praise the old and choose the new
You recognize a good ox as a calf
Rather than bargain, it’s better to give everything away
What the mullah says, do it, and what he does, don’t do it.
What people say is true
What is pleasing to the soul is beautiful to the eyes
Whose speech is sweet will lure a snake out of its hole
Master of tongue, left-handed in deed

Adyghe proverbs

The snake sits in unfinished business.

Even the mouse is brave in its hole.
Stupid people love colorful things.
Speak after thinking, sit down and look around.
Even a camel has fun once a year.
If the heart does not look, then the eyes do not see.
If you want to lie, blame the dead.
And a fool is smart as long as he remains silent.
What good is it if a cow gives a lot of milk if she spills it?
Heavy rain does not fall for a long time.
He who is not ashamed to say it will not be afraid to do it.
A tender lamb sucks two queens.
It's better to have a smart enemy than a stupid friend.
The frog also says: Ah, if only the river where I am sitting was deeper!
Look at your mother, marry your daughter.
In place of the thorns, the thorns will grow.
Don't laugh at the one who falls first.
The unappointed date is far away, the appointed time will come.
A wound from a saber will heal, but a wound from a tongue will not.
First learn at home, then go to the hase (meeting).
A secret known to three is no longer a secret.
The coward strikes first.
He who has many shortcomings can easily find them in others.
Know how to deal with a stupid person, and a smart person will deal with you
A good weapon is a good companion.
What the blind man grabs, he holds tightly.
***
Editor of the magazine "Azov Literary"

The earth, like every living thing, has its own special spirituality, and without your native land, without a close connection with your fatherland, it is impossible to find yourself and your soul. (Martiros Saryan)

“To know wisdom and instructions, to understand the sayings of reason, to learn the rules of prudence and truth”... - these are the first words written in Armenian. Words that became the motto of an entire people, words that saved this people.

A great man has two hearts - one bleeds, the other endures steadfastly.
(D. Gibran)

How poor is the one who has nothing but money. (A. Graf)

God gives us relatives; Thank God, we choose our friends ourselves. (E. Mumford)

Getting married is not difficult at all, it is difficult to be married. (M. Unamuno)

It is easier to stop the rain than a girl getting married. (Abkhaz proverb)

They are in need while possessing wealth, and this is the most severe form of poverty. (Seneca)

We are often more alone among people than in the quiet of our rooms. (G. Thoreau)

Even when the bird walks, it is clear that it has wings. (A. Lemierre)

The less people think, the more they talk. (C. Montesquieu)

The deepest rivers flow with the least noise. (Curtius)

He who knows does not speak; He says he doesn't know. (Lao Tzu)

While the mouth accuses, the heart justifies. (A. Musset)

Let's live in such a way that even the undertaker mourns our death. (M. Twain)

Anyone who stands on tiptoes cannot stand for long. (Tao de Ching)

People of small minds are sensitive to petty insults; people of great intelligence notice everything and are not offended by anything. (Jean de La Bruyère)

Narrow-minded people usually condemn everything that goes beyond their understanding. (Jean de La Bruyère)

A noble soul stands above insults, injustice, grief, ridicule; she would be invulnerable if she did not suffer from compassion. (Jean de La Bruyère)

There are low souls, molded from dirt and impurities, who love self-interest and profit just as much as high souls love fame and virtue. Their only joy is to gain everything and lose nothing; they are interested in only one thing - to place money from ten per annum; they are constantly busy thinking about their debtors, are always afraid of lowering the standard or weight of the coin, are always immersed in contracts, bills and other documents. You cannot call them neither fathers, nor citizens, nor friends, nor Christians. They are probably not even people. But they have money...
(Jean de La Bruyère)

Death is not proof that you have lived. (?)

All people are brothers, but not all brothers are people.
Always work. Always love. Love your wife and children more than yourself. Don’t expect gratitude from people and don’t be upset if they don’t thank you. Instruction instead of hatred, smile instead of contempt. Extract threads from nettles, and medicine from wormwood.
Bend down only to raise the fallen. Always have more intelligence than pride. Ask yourself every evening: what did you do good? Always have a new book in your library, a full bottle in your cellar, a fresh flower in your garden. (Epicurus)

Not every person who is similar to a person. People are made, not born. (Gevorg Emin)

Don't always say what you know, but always know what you are saying. (?)

He is the happiest of all, be he a king or a peasant, who has found peace in his own home. (I. Goethe)

If your daughter married successfully, you have found a son; if not, you have lost your daughter. (F.Quorl)

Wealth does not reduce greed. (Sallustria)

Don't rely on your wife to laugh a lot (Pythagoras)

Get married no matter what. If you get a good wife, you will be an exception, and if you get a bad wife, you will become a philosopher. (Socrates)

A serious person has few ideas. A man with many ideas is never serious. (P. Valeria)

If you want to get rid of a guest who bothers you with his visits, lend him money. (B. Franklin)

People with weak character are not capable of being sincere. (F. La Rochefoucauld)

People highly value those who move quickly to the top, although nothing rises faster than dust, straw and feathers.
(Martin du Gard)

Laziness is the habit of resting before getting tired. (J. Renard)

Any noble deed seems impossible at first. (T. Carlyle)

There is a hidden scoundrel in each of us, but a decent guy does not let it come out. (E. Lik)

Is there a greater disadvantage than noticing other people's shortcomings? (D. Gibran)

The one who tells you about other people's shortcomings tells others about yours. (D. Diderot)

Write down grievances in the sand, carve blessings in marble. (P. Baust)

Abkhazian proverbs. In Russian and English. Collected, translated into Russian and processed by Professor Oleg Shamba. Translated into English by Professor Roger Jesse. Sukhum, 2009.

Abkhazian provers. In Russian and English. Collected, translated into Russian and processed Professor Oleg Shamba. Translated into English Professor Roger Jesse. Sukhum, 2009.

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Remember at least a word from the speech of the sage,
So that it doesn't go to waste.
After all, even a sliver of a large tree
Gives us warmth in the furnace of grief.

From the speech of a wise man,
Though only a word is remembered,
The speech was not made in vain.
After all, even a chip of wood from a big tree
Grants warmth to us, burning in the furnace.

Oleg Shamba. From the compiler.

FROM THE COMPILER

The mountains are singing... Gray peaks in soft white hats are talking among themselves. They are taciturn witnesses of bygone times. Here even the stones speak. The Abkhazians absorbed the song of their native land with their mother's milk; their folklore is rich in proverbs. Their themes are varied, each of them is a small work of art, reflecting the life, history and socio-political thinking of the people.

This publication, of course, is far from complete, but it also gives an idea of ​​the talent and wisdom of the Abkhaz people, living in this wonderful land with an ancient culture, rich history, which has long attracted the attention of thinkers like a magnet, historians, local historians and travelers.

For the most part, proverbs are accurate, colorful, original and rhymed.

This collection of proverbs is just a small part of the golden fund of folklore, which is still used today. The works of various authors, magazines, conversations with long-livers, the personal archives of the compiler - all this formed the basis of this publication. For the first time, a number of ambassadors of Abkhazians living in Turkey are included in this collection.

The proverbs are arranged in thematic order, by sections, although this division is arbitrary, since many of them can be applied in different cases.

This work can be used as a teaching aid for students of Abkhaz folklore and English.

Professor OlegShamba

From the Compiler

The mountains sing... Their hoary peaks, in their snow-white fur hats, carry on a conversation among themselves. They are laconic witnesses of times long past. Even the stones speak here. Abkhazians imbibed the songs of their native soil with their mothers’ milk, and their folklore is rich in proverbs. Their themes differ, and each is a small work of art reflecting the everyday life, history, and social and political thinking of the people.

This edition is of course far from complete, yet it at least gives an idea of ​​the talent and wisdom of the people of Abkhazia - this lovely territory with its ancient culture and rich history which has, from time immemorial, drawn the attention of thinkers, historians, students of local folklore, and other visitors to it like a magnet.

The majority of proverbs in this book are most apt in their originality, rhythms, and local

colouring. In quite a number of cases, unfortunately, this aptness is somewhat lost in translation, as it is difficult to fit them into the philological form of another language. For the first time, a number of proverbs of Abkhazians living in Turkey were included in this edition.

This collection of proverbs is a little of the folklore’s gold reserve being used nowadays. The works of various authors, magazines, direct conversations with elderly local inhabitants, and the archives of the compiler are the basic sources used for the compilation of this book.

The proverbs are divided by topic, although this division is perhaps somewhat artificial as many of them could be used in several different situations.

This book could be used as a reference handbook for those studying Abkhazian folklore, as well as for students of the English language.

Professor Oleg Shamba

Roger Jesse. From the translator.

The song says: “what a wonderful world.” It is multifaceted and exciting, and how many nationalities and peoples inhabit it. And each with its own unique culture, customs and traditions that are passed on from generation to generation. National proverbs and sayings reflect the wisdom and experience of the people, accumulated over centuries.

Abkhazia is an ancient country with a highly developed culture, in which countless very apt and memorable expressions naturally arose. Abkhazians call their country “Apsny”, which translates as “Country of the Soul”. Passed on from generation to generation spiritual heritage“Apsuara”, a kind of moral code that still has a huge impact on all aspects of people’s lives.

Over the course of thousands of years, Abkhazia has experienced many wars and various invasions, resulting in a situation where the majority of ethnic Abkhazians live outside their native country. However, they still maintain very strong ties with their homeland, and this is also reflected in the proverbs. 15 years after the 1992-93 war. with Georgia for independence, Abkhazia was finally recognized by its powerful neighbor Russia and thus received the opportunity for peaceful existence and development.

After several years spent in Moscow, having moved to Abkhazia, I have the opportunity to observe the life of the country as if from the inside. Unless you are a Hollywood star, it is impossible to imagine a wedding for 800-1000 people, which would not be complete without traditional mamalyga (a kind of porridge made from corn grits), adjika (a very hot seasoning made from red pepper and garlic), chacha (a homemade drink like vodka ) and, of course, excellent wine from local grapes.

The first thing that pleasantly surprised me about Abkhazia was the extraordinary hospitality of the local people, but even before that I was amazed by the breathtaking beauty of the country: snow-capped mountains, wooded gorges and valleys, countless lakes and rivers and kilometers of sea coast with clean beaches. The subtropical climate is another plus, especially after Moscow. It is not surprising that so many proverbs reflect the wonderful nature here: singing mountains, dancing rivers, sparkling sea. But the main thing, of course, is people, their character, relationships and their connection with the Motherland.

I moved here to escape the hustle and bustle of civilization, in search of a place where I could spend the rest of my life in leisurely relaxation. This is probably why one of the most attractive proverbs for me is “don’t do work until it screams,” which I heard from my Abkhaz friend Timur Pachulia.

I am grateful to fate for bringing me together with a number of Abkhazians who had a significant influence not only on my life here, but, I would say, on my way of thinking. One of them is the author of this book, Oleg Shamba. It was he who introduced me to many wonderful proverbs that reveal the essence of Abkhazia better than anything I had encountered before. Oleg Bagratovich's scientific works on folklore reflect the spirit and greatness of the Abkhaz people. The tireless activity of the “Abkhaz Dal” - Oleg Shamba in collecting, translating and popularizing folk proverbs deserves great respect and reading. I share his conviction that Abkhaz proverbs and aphorisms should become the property of world civilization. I believe that this publication will contribute to this goal.

I think I was lucky enough to find that very place on earth where my soul came into perfect harmony with my body. I hope that this book, in our difficult times, will help you get closer to a state of inner peace and well-being, as well as develop a philosophical attitude towards life. Blessed be Abkhazia - the country of the soul of “Apsny”.

Professor Roger Jesse

From the Translator

As the song says, it’s a wonderful world. It’s exciting and varied, and includes many nations each with their own culture, traditions and customs which have usually been created and then passed on from generation to generation. The proverbs and sayings of a nation reflect the wisdom and experiences of its people, accumulated through the centuries.

Abkhazia is an ancient country with a highly developed folk culture, and has naturally produced a large number of memorable expressions arising from this culture. The Abkhazians call their country “Apsny” which means “the land of the heart and soul” and is intended to include a wide range of deep meanings. Each generation has passed on their spirit heritage “Apsuara”, some kind of code of ethics which still influences all aspects of their lives.

For thousands of years this multinational country has survived numerous wars and other disasters, which have created the situation whereby the majority of ethnic Abkhazians now live outside the country. Nevertheless, they still maintain a very strong connection with their motherland, and this has found its reflection in many of the proverbs in this book. Some fifteen years after the 1992-93 war for independence from Georgia, Abkhazia has at last been recognized by its powerful neighbor Russia, and thus has received the opportunity for its peaceful development.

Having lived in this country for quite a while, after several years in Moscow, I have had the opportunity to experience rather close contact with different aspects of Abkhazian life. Unless you are a Hollywood star, it is difficult to imagine a wedding reception organized for 800 - 1000 guests. The menu includes traditional mamalyga (a type of corn porridge), adjika (a very hot spice puree made from peppers and garlic), cha-cha (a homemade vodka-type drink) and excellent wine from local grapes - again homemade of course.

The welcoming hospitality of the local people is one of the first pleasant things I noticed here, but the very first thing was the breathtaking beauty of this country - snow-capped mountains, wooded valleys, countless lakes and rivers, and many kilometers of coastline, with beaches and all that lovely sea. The sub-tropical weather is another big plus, particularly after Moscow! No wonder so many of the country’s proverbs celebrate the wonders of nature here, and mention for example the singing mountains, dancing rivers, and shining sea. The other major subjects are the character and close ties

of the people themselves, and of course their motherland and all its delights and wonders.

I moved to this country looking for a place far from the rat race, in which to spend the rest of my life relaxing in a quiet and lazy manner. That’s why the most appealing proverb for me is “Don’t do the job until it starts to scream,” which I heard from my good friend and neighbor Timor.

I’m grateful that fate has already put me in contact with a number of Abkhazians who have had an influence not only upon my life here, but even upon my way of thinking - my soul, if you like. One of these people is the author of this book, Oleg Shamba. Oleg has acquainted me with a set of charming proverbs which reveal the essence of Abkhazia better than anything I had met before. His research papers on folklore reflect the spirit and grandeur of the Abkhazian people. The indefatigable activity of Oleg Shamba - the “Abkhazian Dal”* - involving the collection, translation and popularization of national proverbs deserves great respect and honor. I share his belief that Abkhazian proverbs and aphorisms deserve to become the cultural property of the civilized world. I believe that the present edition will promote this purpose.

I think I was lucky to find the exact place in the world where my soul is now in complete harmony with my body. I hope this book will also help you at this stressful time to achieve a similar state of internal tranquility and well-being, and to perhaps develop a more philosophical attitude towards life. So God bless you, Abkhazia - the country of the heart and soul “Apsny”.

Professor Roger Jesse

* Vladimir Dal was an outstanding Russian linguist of the 19th century, who created one of the most important and complete Russian explanatory dictionaries.

Book 1. About the Motherland and the people.

ABOUTHOMELANDANDTO THE PEOPLE

THE MOTHERLAND AND ITS PEOPLE

. He who loses his homeland loses everything.

He who loses his motherland loses everything.

Those who do not have a homeland do not have God.

If you have no motherland, you have no God.

The homeland is more valuable than gold.

The motherland is worth more than gold.

Without Apsny there would be no Abkhaz.

Can’t be an Abkhazian without Apsny.

When there is a war for the homeland, there is no need for an invitation.

When your motherland is at war, no invitation to participate is required.

Happy is the one who says with pride that he is an Abkhaz.

Happy is he who can proudly say he is Abkhazian.

Like Abkhazia, the Creator did not create anything.

God has not created anything better than Abkhazia.

When an Abkhaz dies, his soul goes straight to Abkhazia.

When an Abkhazian dies, his soul goes straight to Abkhazia.

Abkhazia has been the land of Abkhaz since ancient times.

Since ancient times Abkhazia has been the land of Abkhazians.

If you lose your language, your homeland will not forgive you.

If you lose your native language, the motherland will not forgive you.

Wherever an Abkhaz is, his homeland is Apsny.

Wherever an Abkhazian might be, his motherland is Apsny.

Those who are buried in their homeland have peace of mind.

Whoever is buried in the motherland has a quiet soul.

Our homeland is washed with the blood of Abkhazians.

Our motherland is washed by the blood of Abkhazians.

Blessed is the one who laid down his life for his homeland.

He who gives his life for his motherland is blessed.

There is nothing better than your homeland.

There is nothing better than your motherland.

When a son dies for his homeland, the mother does not cry.

When a son dies for the motherland, his mother does not cry.

And the birds return to their homeland.

Birds come back home to their motherland.

And a handful of native land is great wealth.

A handful of your native soil is of great value to you.

You will only find out in a foreign land what your homeland is worth.

You only realize the value of your motherland when you are on foreign soil.

Everyone has one homeland and one mother.

Everyone has one motherland and one mother.

They protect their homeland.

The mind preserves the motherland.

Your own patskha is better than someone else's palace.

Your home is better than a stranger’s palace.

Whoever died for his homeland is immortal.

He who died for the motherland is immortal.

The path to the homeland is the shortest.

The way to your motherland is the shortest.

The coals of the native hearth do not go out.

The native hearth never stops burning.

Those who return to their homeland are innocent.

He who comes back to his motherland is innocent.

And the bones of the Mukhajirs cry for their homeland.

Even the bones of exiles cry for their motherland.

A person who has lost his homeland is a bird without wings.

The person who has lost his motherland is a bird without wings.

In a foreign land, one dreams of the fire of one’s native Apatsha.

In a foreign land you dream of the fire in your own hearth.

The homeland is like a mother, a foreign land is like a stepmother.

Your native land is your mother, a foreign land is your stepmother.

. You can live without eyes, but you can’t live without your homeland.

. It is possible to live without eyes, but impossible to live without your motherland.

Those who fight under their native sky triple their strength.

When fighting under the native sky, force trebles.

. He who does not love his homeland does not love himself.

. He who does not love his motherland does not love himself.

If there is an omnipotent one, it is the people.

If anyone is omnipotent, it is the people.

The people are the source of wisdom.

The people are a source of wisdom.

He who loves the people cannot be killed by a bullet.

He who loves the people cannot be taken by a bullet.

People's power is shaking the world.

The force of the people moves the world.

Your homeland can lose you, but you cannot lose it.

The motherland can lose you, but you cannot lose her.

The land where you were born is paradise, and its springs are honey.

The land where you were born is paradise, and its springs are honey.

. Whoever betrayed his homeland is rejected by the people, but Satan respects him.

. He who betrays his motherland, the people reject and Satan respects.

And the frog dreams of his swamp being the biggest.

And each frog dreams that its pond will be the biggest.

Spare no effort for the Motherland and people.

Don’t grudge power to defend the motherland and its people.

Woe and destruction to the people whose younger people stop honoring their elders.

Grief and ruin to the people when the young will cease to respect their elders.

The word of the people is an inexhaustible spring.

The word of the people is an inexhaustible spring.

Happy is the one whom the people have endowed with love.

Anyone to whom the people have allocated love is happy.

The power of the people destroys the rock.

The force of the people can pull down a mountain.

The people pay for the misdeeds of the princes.

The people pay for the services of princes.

A bad son is only a son to his father and mother, but a good son is a son to all the people.

A bad son is only a son to his father and mother, but a good one is a son to all the people.

Whoever the people condemned will not see anything good.

He whom the people have condemned will never see anything good.

A tree that people curse dries up.

The tree which the people dam dries up.

What people said “yes” to, don’t say “no”.

If the people have said "yes", don't say "no".

He who lives for the people is a relative to all the people.

He who lives for the people is a relative of all people.

The family doesn’t know the hero, but the people do.

His family does not know a hero, but the people do.

If you don’t divide the people, you’ll never win.

If you don’t separate the people you will never win.

And the big sea consists of drops.

The wide sea consists of drops of water.

If you throw a hat at the people, everyone will trample on it.

If you throw your cap to the people, everyone will trample on it.

ABOUT FRIENDSHIP

FRIENDSHIP

If you want to test a friend, look at him in anger.

Ifyouwanttotestafriend, lookcloselyathiminanger.

A person is held by a person, like a fence with stakes.

One person supports another like the fastenings between fence posts.

Your father died - don’t lose his friends.

When your father dies, do not lose his friends.

An unreliable friend is worse than a traitor.

An unreliable friend is worse than a traitor.

Count your friends not by the feast.

Do not count your friends by drinking sessions.

Get to know a friend before you get ready to travel, a neighbor before you start building a house.

Learn who your friend is before beginning a journey, learn who your neighbor is before building a house.

If your faithful friend is wearing your shirt on fire, don’t throw it off.

If your loyal friend turns into a burning shirt, do not throw it away.

A tree is held together by its roots, and a person is held together by its friends.

The tree survives through its roots, and the person through his friends.

A friend is only good until you expect help from him.

A man is a good friend until you ask him for help.

He who is not loved by his friends is no better than a dead man.

He who is not loved by friends is no better than a dead person.

If you want to test a friend, lend him money.

If you wish to test a friend, lend him some money.

It is better to have a smart enemy than to have a stupid friend.

It is better to have a clever enemy than a silly friend.

There is no friendship between a wolf and a goat.

Friendship never occurs between the wolf and the goat.

Those who are friends with wolves cannot work as a shepherd.

If you have wolves as friends, it is impossible to work as a shepherd.

A good friend is better than a bad brother.

A good friend is better than a bad brother.

Better than a bad friend is a good staff.

A good walking-stick is better than a bad friend.

What you do for a friend is all yours.

What you have done for your friend is all yours. ...

A friend's water is sweeter than an enemy's honey.

A friend’s water is sweeter than an enemy’s honey.

Do not tell your friend with a grin about his shortcomings.

Don’t speak with a smile to your friend about his shortcomings.

The main thing in friendship is equality.

The main thing in friendship is equality.

The enemy of your enemy is your friend.

The enemy of your enemy is your friend.

He who betrayed a friend made an enemy.

He who betrays his friend acquires an enemy.

Fish grows in water, and man grows among friends.

A fish grows in water, and a person among friends.

Whoever is easy in friendship - look at his pedigree.

If he is superficial in friendship, look at his family tree.

Separation brings friends together, but an evil tongue separates them.

The separation of friends pulls them together, the wicked tongue separates them.

If you are unlucky with your wife, get a divorce; if your friends betray you, shoot yourself.

If you are unlucky with your wife, divorce her. If friends betray you, shoot yourself.

Men's friendship with women is impartial.

A man's friendship is impartial.

The stingy and unhappy have no friends.

Greed and misfortune have no friends.

If a cat and a mouse are friends, don’t look into the barn in vain.

If a cat becomes friends with a mouse, do not look in the barn.

In times of joy, be with your friend; in times of sorrow, stay ahead.

When you're happy, be together with a friend. At a time of grief, be ahead of him.

Friend, give me your grief, I will bear it.

Friend, give me your grief. I will overcome it for you.

He who does not value friendship will be easily defeated by the enemy.

If a man does not appreciate friendship, the enemy will easily defeat him.

ABOUTTRUDEANDLAZY

WORK AND LAZINESS

Labor feeds a person, but laziness spoils him.

Work feeds a man, and laziness spoils him.

Rather than sit around for nothing, it’s better to waste time.

Rather than sit idle, better to walk about aimlessly.

If you want fame, respect your work.

If you want glory, respect work.

Bread must be kneaded before baking.

Before baking bread, you must knead it.

What is sown on time comes up on time.

Sown in time will sprout in time.

Whoever sat down at the table hoping for a neighbor did not eat anything for dinner.

If you sit at the table relying on your neighbor, you will go hungry.

What is easily acquired is easily lived.

That which is obtained without effort is easily lost.

A calloused hand is good in all matters.

The calledoused hand is suitable for all tasks.

Anyone who has not worked in the sun in the summer will have a cold boiler in the winter.

He who has not worked in the sun in summer will have a cold pot in the winter.

Whoever gets honey from the hives is the first to dip his finger into it.

He who gets honey from beehives is the first to dip a finger in it.

Boast about your harvest when the corn is in the barn.

Show off your crops when your corn is in the barn.

. What you put in the cauldron is what your spoon will take out.

. What you have put in a pot your spoon will take out.

He who works eats.

If you don't work, you don't eat.

A bad worker has a crooked plow.

For a bad worker the plow is always blunt.

The head works, but the hands feed.

Your head does the work, and your hands feed you.

He who knows how to make money also knows how to spend.

He who knows how to earn knows how to spend.

If a person does his favorite job, he forgets fatigue.

If a person enjoys his work, he forgets his weariness.

A good worker can squeeze water out of a stone.

The good worker will squeeze out water from a stone.

Good work never goes away.

The mark of good work does not vanish.

Whoever works in the spring will not go hungry.

He who works in the spring does not remain hungry.

What you sow in the spring, you will reap in the fall.

What you sow in the spring, you will reap in the autumn.

A good owner is not looking for work.

The good farmer doesn’t need to look for work.

A good ox under a yoke is recognized.

The worth of an ox is learned from its yoke.

What a day you missed, you won’t make it in a year.

Work not done on the right day will not be made up for in a year.

Rest without labor is like food without seasoning.

Rest without work is like a meal without seasoning.

Before you get on the horse, take care of the saddle.

Before riding a horse, think about a saddle.

Sleepy and sweet.

The dreams of the tired are sweet.

What you store in the summer will be useful in the winter.

What you store in the summer will be useful in the winter.

What you have been thinking about all year, manage to do in a day.

What you have thought of all year, you will manage to do in a day.

What you cannot do at sowing time, you cannot do at harvest time.

What you don’t sow, you won’t be able to harvest.

Collaborative work lengthens life, work under pressure poisons life.

Amicable work extends your life, but work under pressure poisons it.

Then the extracted piece is sweet.

A morsel earned by hard work is sweet.

Work like a peasant, eat like a noble.

Work like a farmer, eat like a prince.

A man is famous for his work.

A person is honored for the work he does.

What is not made by hand has no taste.

That which is not grown by your own hands has no taste.

He who has not worked does not value the work of others.

He who doesn’t work doesn’t appreciate the work of others.

He who knows how to work, knows how to rest.

He who knows how to work knows how to rest.

You won’t be able to swallow even a piece without difficulty.

Without effort you won’t swallow even a morsel.

The calloused hand does not ask for alms.

The called hand does not run.

Those who know it are not afraid of work.

Anyone who knows work is not afraid of it.

Any business has its deadline.

Any business has its time.

Anyone who wants to sleep peacefully at night must work during the day.

He who wishes to sleep easy at night should work in the afternoon.

What you sow is what you reap.

As you sow, so shall you reap.

The thing that you keep putting off has no end.

Work which you postpone has no end.

Talking is easy, but doing is difficult.

It is easier to speak than to do.

And little things don’t come without difficulty.

Even small things are not achieved without effort.

Anyone who doesn't sweat in the summer freezes in the winter.

If you aren't sweating in the summer, you'll be cold in the winter.

A job you don't love has no end.

Unloved work has no end.

If you are not useful to yourself, you are also useless to others.

Not being useful to himself, he is useless to others.

And the ant lives by its labor.

Even the ant lives by its work.

Anyone who wants to eat must want to work.

He who wants to eat should want to work.

He who works in the morning laughs during dinner.

He who works in the morning laughs in the evening.

Anyone who is waiting for someone else's dinner will be left without breakfast.

He who waits for another"s supper will go without a breakfast.

Anyone who is ashamed of work is stupid.

Anyone who is ashamed of work is silly.

He who does not count money does not honor his work.

He who doesn’t consider money doesn’t respect work.

If you appreciate what is, there will also be what is not.

If you appreciate what you have, you will also get what you don’t have.

He who does not lift heavy things will not lift light things.

He who won’t lift anything heavy won’t lift anything light.

A smart person relies on his work, but a stupid person relies on faith.

Clever relies on his work, and silly relies on his belief.

What a person has worked for, he values.

If you work for something, you will appreciate it.

What you carry home is never heavy.

What you carry home is never heavy.

He who dines without bothering does not know the taste.

If you have dinner without working hard, you will not taste it.

The stone that is needed in the house is not heavy.

The stone which is necessary in your house is not heavy.

A lazy person has short arms when working.

An idler has short hands for work.

Sloth is cute.

To the idler the autumn is lovely.

In spring there are songs, in winter there is grief.

Songs in the spring, grief in the winter.

Thinking about a debt cannot pay a debt.

You cannot pay your debts with your dreams.

A tree not planted by you is easily cut down.

The tree is not planted by you is easily cut.

He who lives by dreams has an empty barn.

He who lives by dreams has an empty barn.

The sloth is hot in summer and cold in winter.

The idler is hot in the summer and cold in the winter.

When a sloth goes to work, a good worker returns from work.

When the idler goes to work, the good worker is coming back.

Those who shy away from work strive to find a warm place.

He who avoids work hopes to find a cushy job.

You can't scratch your back with someone else's hand.

Another's hand will not scratch your back.

The wolf loves the lazy shepherd.

The wolf loves the lazy shepherd.

The swamp is a spring for the lazy buffalo.

Even a god is a spring to a lazy bull.

A lazy woman is always busy.

The lazy woman is always occupied.

A lazy person puts off his work until tomorrow.

The idler puts off his work until tomorrow.

A lazy person cannot find work.

The lazy person can never find work.

The lazy person has many holidays.

The lazy have many holidays.

The lazy horse needs a whip.

A lazy horse needs the whip.

The wolf's job is to take, and the shepherd's job is to protect.

The business of a wolf is to take, and that of a shepherd to keep.

Book 2. About love, kindness and happiness.

ABOUTLOVE,KINDNESS AND HAPPINESS

LOVE, KINDNESS AND HAPPINESS

. Make a good sign and throw it in - it won’t go to waste.

. Do a kind deed and throw it into water - it won’t be lost.

No one can pay for a mother's love.

No one can pay for a mother’s love.

A man dies for his friends, and a woman for her loved one.

A man perishes for his friends, a woman for her loved one.

Love hides many flaws.

Love hides a multitude of faults.

Where there is no love, there is no happiness to be found.

True love knows no fear.

True love does not know fear.

Warmth of the heart is better than beauty.

Kindness is better than beauty.

The beginning and end of everything is humanity and love.

The beginning and the end of all is humanity and love.

A mother's resentment towards her children is like spring rain.

The insult of a mother to her children is similar to a spring rain.

Love has no flaws.

Lovehasnofaults.

Love is pursued by jealousy.

Love is pursued by jealousy.

A lover forgives everything.

Love forgives everything.

The day for lovers is short.

For lovers, the days are always short.

The one you love has no secrets.

Love has no secrets.

Loving eyes do not look around.

Loving eyes do not look around.

Double love cannot fit in one heart.

Double love cannot be found in one heart.

The one you love glows.

The one you love is shining.

Doing evil is not heroism; heroism is doing good.

It is not heroic to do harm, it is heroic to do good.

Haste in love is blindness.

Haste in love is blindness.

Love's pain is incurable.

The pain of love is incurable.

A quarrel between lovers is like summer rain.

The quarrels of lovers are like a summer rain.

Whoever loves you does not mock you for your shortcomings.

The one who loves you does not sneer at your faults.

Where there is no love, joy cannot be found.

Where there is no love, there is no happiness.

For lovers, winter never comes.

For lovers the winter never comes.

Lovers can get along in the desert too.

Lovers get on even in a desert.

Love is the greatest gift in life.

Love is the biggest gift in life.

Even animals feel who loves them.

Even animals can feel that they are loved.

Those who love fit on one board.

Lovers can find room even on one board.

For a loving woman, a hut is a palace.

For the loving woman, a hut is a palace.

Lovers quarrel - making peace is not difficult.

Lovers will quarrel, but make up easily.

The one you don't love is always the odd one out.

Whom you do not love is always superfluous.

In love, mediation is not needed.

In love an intermediary is not necessary.

Better than the most beautiful is the one who loves you.

The woman who loves you is better than the most beautiful one.

You can't buy fate, you can't find happiness abandoned.

You can’t buy destiny, and you can’t find happiness being given away.

The unfortunate one earns, the happy one benefits.

The unhappy earns, the happy uses.

Happiness is only found.

You can meet happiness only once.

If a happy person sticks a dry stick into the ground, it will be covered with leaves.

If the happy person thrusts a dry stick into the earth, it will become covered in leaves.

A happy horse gallops without a bridle.

A happy person’s horse will skip without a bridle.

Whoever becomes jealous of someone else's happiness will himself become unhappy.

He who begins to envy another"s happiness will become unhappy himself.

With gostemishappiness.

A guest brings happiness.

You cannot build your own happiness on misfortune.

You can't build your happiness on the misfortune of others.

Finding happiness is not as difficult as maintaining it.

To find happiness is not difficult, but it is difficult to keep it.

Happiness goes where laughter is heard.

Happiness goes where laughter can be heard.

God himself will take revenge for the good.

For a kind person, God will take revenge.

Even a dog doesn’t forget a good thing.

Even a dog does not forget kindness.

The happiness of one does not shine for the other.

Happiness cannot travel from one person to another.

Those who are afraid of grief will not find happiness.

Happiness will not find anyone who is afraid of grief.

Don’t shy away from your own happiness, and don’t look for someone else’s.

Don’t avoid happiness, but don’t look for it in strangers.

A handful of happiness is better than a pound of intelligence.

Better to be happy than to be clever.

May your horse have strength, and may mine have happiness.

I wish power to your horse, and happiness to mine.

Where there is no conscience, there is no happiness.

Where there is no conscience, there is no happiness.

The happiness of a donkey is that he does not know that he is a donkey.

A donkey is happy because he does not know that he is a donkey.

The lame man's wife is lame, but for him she is golden.

A lame man has a wife who limps, but to him she is gold.

Whoever has done good will meet him ahead.

If you have shown kindness, it will meet you ahead.

Happiness and goodness have more than one path.

Happiness and kindness do not walk the same road.

He who has not seen grief will not see happiness.

He who has not seen grief cannot see happiness.

Anyone who doesn't love children doesn't love anyone.

Anyone who does not love children does not love anybody.

You cannot create your own happiness by force.

You cannot create your happiness violently.

If you love a child, love his cry.

When you love a child, you grow fond of their crying.

ABOUTUMEANDSTUPIDITY

WISDOM AND STUPIDITY

Wisdom has boundaries, stupidity is limitless.

Wisdom has limits, stupidity is boundless.

A raven saw a man with a gun and thought: “If he’s headlong, he won’t shoot at me, and if he’s a fool, he won’t hit me.”

A raven saw a person with a gun and thought “If he’s clever he won’t shoot me, and if he’s a fool he’ll miss.”

Rather than pretending to be a fool, it is better to pretend to be smart.

Rather than pretending to be a fool, it is better to pretend to be clever.

One of the signs of a sage is patience.

One sign of a wise man is patience.

It’s not the fool who sows in the attic, but the fool who helps him.

The fool is not he who sows seeds in the attic, but the person who helps him.

The tongue that says stupid words is not to blame, it is the head that is to blame.

The tongue is not responsible for silly words, the head is guilty.

The human mind is a frenulum of the tongue.

The wisdom of a person is a bridle on his tongue.

Speak your word to someone who knows its worth.

Speak words only to one who knows their value.

Language is not a gun or a dagger, but how many lives it has cut short.

Language is neither a gun nor a dagger, yet how many lives has it destroyed?

The mind is not in the gray hair, but in the head.

Wisdom is not found in gray hair, but in the head.

The stingy man always insists on who gave what to whom.

The wise man tells the people that he has seen it in his life.

Greed always reminds people about their good deeds.

The wise man tells people what he has seen in life.

A sieve cannot carry water far.

You can't carry water very far in a sieve.

Don’t stop a liar from speaking, but check it later. Listen to a hundred people, trust one.

Do not prevent a liar from speaking, but then check. Listen to a hundred people, but believe only one.

A rolling stone is not covered with moss.

A rolling stone gathers no moss.

What happened to me is only to blame for my tongue.

Whatever happens to me, only my tongue is guilty.

The donkey did not grow horns, he thought that his youth had not passed.

Because the donkey's horns had not grown, he thought that he was still young.

Don't irritate a bald man - don't think about the comb.

Don’t irritate a bald person - don’t mention a comb.

Look at the audience, and then begin your speech.

Look at your audience, and then begin your speech.

Better is the scolding of a wise man than the praise of a fool.

The abuse of a wise man is better than the praise of a fool.

If one sheep jumps into the abyss, the whole herd will follow.

If one sheep jumps off a cliff, all the flock will follow her.

Praise be to a fool that there is water in a jug.

Praise for a fool is like water for a jug.

The stupid scattered, and the smart collected.

Silly scattered, and cleverly collected.

The goat became friends with the wolf and did not return home in the evening.

If a goat makes friends with a wolf, it will not return home in the evening.

The pheasant hid his head and left his tail.

The pheasant hides its head, but its tail remains visible.

They lifted a bull into the attic because there was salt there.

A bull was lifted into an attic because salt was there.

Death came from the cat's jokes to the mouse.

From the jokes of a cat, the death of a mouse occurs.

First look at the blanket, and then stretch your legs.

Don’t cover your feet before you can see a blanket.

The poor man is proud that he is not afraid of thieves.

A poor man is proud that he is not afraid of thieves.

He received power for a short period of time, cutting off a hundred heads in a day.

He was given power for only a short time, but cut one hundred heads that day.

From the mouth of a bad person is a bad word.

From a bad mouth, bad words come.

For a wise person, deafness is not a hindrance.

To the wise person, deafness is not a hindrance.

Help a fool with advice, give medicine to a dead person.

Giving advice to a fool is like giving medicine to a corpse.

A jug without a bottom will not be filled with water.

A jug without a bottom will not be filled with water.

A chatterbox's tongue hurts if he doesn't speak.

If a talkative man doesn’t speak, his tongue is painful.

He didn’t know anything, but he taught others.

He knew nothing, but taught others.

Every business requires intelligence and skill.

Each business demands mind and ability.

If there were no fools in the world, who would feed the wise?

If in the world there were no fools, who would feed wise men?

After thinking, say something, after looking around, sit down.

Having thought, tell; having looked around, sit down.

Seen - believe, heard of - check up.

Strength is better than intelligence and cunning.

Mind and cunning are better than force.

Praise the old and take the new.

Praise the old, and take the new.

Education is the guest, mind is the host.

A smart head is good even without a hat.

A clever head is good even without a cap.

If the head is stupid, there will be no rest for the legs.

A silly head gives no rest to the feet.

There would be a head, but there would be a hat.

If there is a head, there will always be a hat.

If there were no fool, who would the judge profit from?

If there were no fools, from whom would the judge profit?

You can't burn the house with boiling water.

Boiled water will not burn a house.

The fool is convinced that he knows everything.

The fool is convinced that he knows everything.

How much you know, I have long forgotten.

All that you know, I forgot a long time ago.

Where there is a spring, it is not necessary to dig a well.

When the donkeys fought, they said “donkey” to each other.

When donkeys fight, they call each other “donkey”.

He who has little strength has a long tongue.

He who has not got enough power has got a long tongue.

Talk little, do a lot.

Speak little, do much.

A fool will create for a smart cause.

The fool will create work for a clever person.

You can't catch fish without wetting your pants.

You will not catch fish without soaking your trousers.

If you expose your head to someone who doesn’t know how to shave, keep some cotton wool in your pocket.

If you let a bad barber shave your head, keep a tissue in your pocket.

He who can endure, can bring him closer.

He who can suffer is worthy of your friendship.

He who knows a lot has great patience.

He who knows much has a lot of patience.

Where there is an intelligent person, there is respect.

Where the clever person is, there is also respect.

The language of the people is medicine.

The words of the people are a medicine.

Without a head and a big body, it's worth nothing.

Without a head even a big body is worthless.

Where there is no head, there are orphan legs.

Where there is no brain, the feet are orphans.

To commit great stupidity, you do not need great intelligence.

A big mind is not necessary in order to make a big nonsense.

One crazy person threw a stone into the water, but fifty smart people couldn’t pull it out.

One madman threw a stone into the water, fifty clever people could not pull it out.

Don't consider yourself better than others, but don't consider yourself worse than others.

Do not consider yourself better than others, but do not consider yourself worse.

For the crazy, life is a comedy, for the thinking it is a tragedy.

For the mad, life is a comedy; for the sane, it is a tragedy.

A smart person will get through the eye of a needle.

A clever person will pass through the eye of a needle.

A stupid leader will destroy his people.

An unwise ruler will ruin his people.

A wise person is known in dispute, on the road and in misfortune.

A wise man is revealed in dispute, in travel, and in misfortune.

A wise person chooses a remedy for an illness, a wise person avoids an illness.

The clever choose a cure for illness, the wise avoid illness.

A sage always lacks knowledge.

A wise man never has enough knowledge.

Wisdom and cunning will blow up the fortress.

Wisdom and cunning will blow up a fortress.

A wise man wants to learn a lot, but a fool wants to teach others.

Wise wishes to learn, and silly wishes to teach.

A smart person praises others, but a fool praises himself.

A clever person praises another, and a fool praises himself.

Where there is intelligence, there is respect.

Where there is mind, there is also respect.

A smart person is content with what he has.

The clever person is content with what he has.

The strong will defeat one, the smart will defeat a hundred people.

The strong will beat one person, the clever will beat one hundred.

Don't look at how small the head is, what's in it is important.

Don’t worry if the head is small, the main thing is what’s in it.

A smart girl doesn't need protection.

The clever girl does not require protection.

Where they know you, your mind is respected, and where they don’t know, your clothes are respected.

Where you are known, they respect your mind, and where you are not known, your clothes.

The stupid one will get you involved.

A silly person will always involve you in some business.

The mind sees further than the eyes.

Strength is temporary, but mind is permanent.

Power is temporary, and mind is constant.

It is better to be deprived of wealth than intelligence.

It is better to have mind than money.

There is no such mind that would not fit in the head.

There is no such mind which would not find room in a head.

And the mind rusts if it is inactive.

A mind rusts if it stays idle.

Wolves do not like a smart shepherd.

Wolves do not love the clever shepherd.

Where intelligence ends, stupidity begins.

Where cleverness ends, stupidity begins.

Where there is quarrel and noise, intelligence is not valued.

Intelligence isn’t appreciated in quarrels and shouting.

Money can't buy intelligence.

Money can't buy intelligence.

After the misfortune, I lost my mind.

After misfortune comes wisdom.

For a fool, wealth is destructive.

For the fool, even wealth is ruinous.

When a fool gives advice to a wise man, the devil mocks.

When the fool gives advice to a wise man, the devil sneers.

A man who thinks a lot speaks little.

Much thinking involves little speech.

The hedgehog mocked the one from whom he himself descended.

The hedgehog sneered at his forefathers.

It's stupid to teach that you can treat a dead person.

Teaching a fool is like curing a dead person.

The fool laid the blame on his friend, the smart one laid the blame on himself.

The fools blame his friend, the clever man blames himself.

A smart housewife has a rooster laying.

For a clever mistress, even a cock lays eggs.

Anyone who did not know how to cross the bridge was carried away by the river under the bridge.

When someone did not know how to cross over the bridge, the river carried him under.

An intelligent person puts up with whatever situation he finds himself in.

The clever person is content with his position in life.

Those who could not curb their horse began to whip the saddle.

He who could not bridle a horse began to whip a saddle.

A person is recognized not by his beard, but by his mind; has a beard and a goat.

A person is known not by his beard, which even a goat has, but by his mind.

ABOUTCOURAGEANDCOWARDSCOURAGE AND COWARDICE

Whoever pushed the king is not afraid of the courtier.

He who pushes the tsar is not afraid of guards.

Those who rely on their own strength do not threaten.

He who depends upon his strength does not threaten.

If a person is cowardly, then he is afraid of his own heartbeat.

If a person is cowardly, he is also afraid of his own heartbeat.

A frightened dog barks at the stars.

A frightened dog barks at the stars.

And a mosquito sometimes overcomes a lion.

And a mosquito sometimes overcomes a lion.

Those who fall into the water are not afraid of the rain.

After falling in water, you are not afraid of rain.

Every dog ​​is brave at his own hearth.

Each dog is brave at the hearth.

When the goat was given vodka, he ran into the forest to kill the wolf.

When a goat was given vodka to drink, he ran into a wood to kill a wolf.

Those who did not meet the troops considered themselves brave.

He who has not met an army considers himself brave.

If you give up the road to your enemy, you will be left without a road and without shoes.

If you give a road to your enemy, you will remain without road and without shoes.

And in death, courage is necessary.

In death, courage is also necessary.

Anyone who is wrapped in a banner cannot be considered dead.

He who has been wrapped in a banner is not considered dead.

Whoever does not dare to give his head for his homeland is like a dead man.

He who does not dare to give his life for the motherland is like a dead person.

Whoever goes to the mountains should not be afraid of the climb.

He who goes to mountains must not be afraid of climbing.

Anyone who has been bitten by a snake is afraid of the rope.

He who has been bitten by a snake is afraid of a rope.

Better than a cowardly army is one brave man.

One courageous man is much better than a cowardly army.

Courage and heroism are limitless.

Courage and heroism are without limit.

The brave man's arrow does not ricochet.

Arrows from the brave do not ricochet.

Cowardice and courage are incompatible.

Cowardice and courage are incompatible.

A hero dies once, but a coward dies many times.

The hero dies only once, but the coward many times.

Everyone knows the hero, few know him.

Everyone knows a hero, but he only knows a few.

A brave man's finger will shoot.

Even the finger of a courageous man can shoot.

Death is afraid of the hero.

Death is afraid of a hero.

A healer can heal a wound, but no one can heal cowardice.

A doctor will cure a wound, but nobody can cure cowardice.

Even glory does not wash away the shame.

Even glory does not wash off shame.

Not everyone who picks up a gun knows how to shoot.

Not all who aim a gun are able to shoot.

Fear not the one who talks a lot, but the one who acts quickly.

Don’t fear the one who speaks a lot, but the one who acts quickly.

A horse recognizes a brave man by his knees.

A horse knows a brave man by his knees.

For a strong muscle, even a stone is a weapon.

For a strong muscle, even a stone is a weapon.

Bravery is half the battle.

Bravery is half of victory.

You can't scare a cat with a mouse.

You can't frighten a cat with a mouse.

You won't scare a dog with a bone.

You can't frighten a dog with a bone.

Better than the gun of a coward is the stick of a brave man.

Better the stick of a brave man than the gun of a coward.

What is fear, ask a hare who was scared by a dog.

About fear, ask a hare who was frightened by a dog.

A coward is a disgrace to a man.

The coward will shame a hundred people.

Where there are no cats, there is plenty for mice.

When the cat's away, the mice will play.

Fear is the source of vices.

Fear is a source of vices.

He is cowardly and afraid of his own shadow.

A coward is afraid of his own shadow.

The powerless one swings first.

The weak raise their arm first.

He who is on a horse is not afraid of dogs.

When on a horse, you are not afraid of dogs.

The one who was afraid of hot things fell into the fire.

The one who was afraid of heat fell in the fire.

He who was afraid of death ended up where he was buried alive.

The one who was afraid of death was buried alive.

. "The end of the universe!" - rumor spread, the worm was the first to gouge out its eyes.

. “The end of the world!” - on hearing this rumour, the worm was the first to prick out its eyes.

Do not put a young man who has fallen off a donkey onto a horse.

If a young man has fallen from a donkey, do not put him on a racehorse.

He reasoned bravely until he met the army.

He praised bravely until he met an army. ...

Escape on time is the art of a coward.

To run away in time is the art of the coward.

When the enemy flees, there are many heroes.

When the enemy gets away, a lot of heroes appear.

When you see a dog, you remember a stick.

As soon as you see a dog, you think of a stick.

Before his death, the mouse was playing with the cat's tail.

Before death the mouse was playing with the cat’s tail.

The heart of the brave is dearer than strength.

A brave heart is more valuable than force.

Book 3. About shortcomings and vices.

ABOUT DISADVANTAGES AND VICES

FAULTSANDSINS

A woman has little strength, but a lot of cunning.

A woman has little force, but a lot of cunning.

The wind destroys mountains, and gossip destroys human relationships.

The wind destroys mountains, and gossips destroy human relations.

Where there is an evil person, the flowers fade.

Where a malicious person appears, flowers start to wither.

It's good when money serves, but bad when it rules.

Money is a good servant but a bad master.

He who does not know the extent of his belly will be disgraced.

He who does not know the measure of his stomach will be embarrassed.

Two nuts cannot fit in one pig's mouth.

Two nuts in the mouth of one pig don’t have enough room.

Two dogs fought over one bone.

Because of one bone, two dogs were fighting.

Praise the rich man's dog.

Even a rich man’s dog is praised.

Those who are used to taking away cannot give.

He who is used to taking cannot give.

To the greedy and grave.

Even a tomb is narrow for the greedy.

The miser will skim the oil out of the water.

The miser can even make butter from water.

A rich miser is worse than a beggar.

A rich miser is worse than a beggar.

Don't be proud that you are rich today.

Don’t be proud just because you are rich today.

The greedy eyes are hungry.

Even a greedy person’s eyes are hungry.

The one who chased the stranger had to share his own.

If you pursue a stranger's wealth, you will have to share your own.

Wine reveals flaws.

Wine reveals your faults.

He who drinks a lot talks a lot.

He who has drunk a lot speaks too much.

Where the wine went into comes out a mystery.

Where wine has entered, secrets escape.

Good comes from God, bad comes from man.

Good things come from God, bad things from a person.

Where there is drunkenness, the mind disappears.

Where drunkenness is, the mind vanishes.

He who undertakes everything does not manage to achieve anything.

He who undertakes everything has no time for anything.

What one woman knows, the whole world knows.

That which one woman knows, all the world will know.

Why is bad fame worse than bad deeds?

Is a bad reputation worse than a dishonourable deed?

A person with little opportunity has great needs.

A person with minor potential has major requirements.

He who thinks bad things will end badly.

He who thinks about bad things will come to a bad end.

You can't hide a cough and bad habits.

Coughs and bad habits cannot be hidden.

A thief will remain a thief, no matter what he stole - a chicken or an egg.

A thief will always be a thief, no matter what he has stolen - a hen or an egg.

A lively cow's horn will soon break off.

If a cow butts, its horn will soon break off.

He who has a bad product speaks sweetly.

Anyone who sells bad goods speaks sweetly.

Prison recognizes the thief's habits.

Prison knows the habits of the thief.

Even clothes can't hide a bad woman.

Even clothes will not hide a bad woman.

A bad cow has big horns.

A bad cow has big horns.

The neighbor's chicken lays eggs twice.

Your neighbor's hen lays eggs twice a day.

A bad person carries a quarrel.

A bad person brings a quarrel.

From afar the mountains are without blemish.

From far away even mountains appear flawless.

Not everything that blooms smells good.

Not everything that blossoms smells good.

Pop praised paradise, but he himself was in no hurry to go there.

The priest praised paradise, but did not hasten there himself.

Even when he farts, some are convinced that he hears the sound of the pipe.

When he farts he is convinced he hears the sound of violins.

The grave will correct the hunchback, and the stick will correct the rude one.

A tomb will correct a hunchback, and a stick will correct a rude person.

The snake changes its skin, but not its heart.

The snake changes its skin, but not its heart.

He who bears bad things ends up in bad things himself.

Evil comes to he who thinks evil.

Envy is a disease of the heart.

Envy is illness of the heart.

From the outside it is as beautiful as the day, from the inside as dark as the night.

As bright as day outside, as black as night inside.

There is no village without vor.

There is no village without its thief.

ABOUT LANGUAGE AND WORD

LANGUAGEANDWORDS

If you are afraid, don’t speak, but if you said, don’t be afraid.

If you are afraid, do not speak, but if you have spoken don’t be afraid.

The language of the servant.

Language is the servant of the mind.

Language is the mediator of the heart.

Language is the intermediary for the heart.

With a sweet tongue you can open the fortress gates.

It is possible to open the castle gates with a sweet tongue.

A tongue without bones, no matter what you force, it will say everything.

The tongue is loose, and tells what you force it to tell.

Those who have a long tongue have little strength.

He who has a big mouth has little force.

Fear not the gun, but the evil tongue.

Be not afraid of a gun, but of a wicked tongue.

A lamb with a sweet tongue sucks two queens.

The lamb with a sweet tongue sucks two sheep.

The spoken word cannot be reversed.

You can't take back a spoken word.

A bullet will kill one, but a word will kill hundreds.

The bullet will strike one, but the word is hundreds.

He who thinks clearly speaks clearly.

He who thinks clearly speaks clearly.

A man is restrained with a word, and a donkey is restrained with a rope.

A person can be kept by a word, and a donkey by a rope.

The rope is good long, but the word is short.

A good rope is long, and a good word is short.

Finish your speech before anyone asks for it.

Finish your speech before you are asked to.

If there is no guilt, then the tongue is bold.

If you are not guilty, your tongue is brave.

There is no need for a long speech at a set table.

At the laid table a long speech is not necessary.

Whoever talks a lot, lies come through in his speech.

If you speak too much, your speech will include lies.

A crooked word will ruin things.

A bad word can spoil any deed. ...

If you don't know how to speak, at least learn to be silent.

If you are not able to speak, at least learn to be silent.

An extra word bores a man; too much wine takes away his legs.

A superfluous word annoys everyone, superfluous wine makes them legless.

A good story shortens the journey.

A good story shortens the journey.

ABOUT TRUTH AND LIES

TRUTHANDLIES

The liar's house burned down - no one came to help.

If a liar's house burns down, nobody comes to help.

Where money has power, there is no truth to be seen.

Where money has power, truth cannot be seen.

The truth is more expensive than gold.

Truth is more expensive than gold.

If you want to see the truth, look at the world from all sides.

If you want to see the truth, look at the world from different sides.

You can't tame a pheasant, you can't stop a liar from lying.

It is impossible to tame a pheasant or to change the custom of a liar.

If you lied today, you lost trust tomorrow.

If you lie today, you won’t be trusted tomorrow.

Not everyone who groans is seriously ill.

Not everyone who groans is really ill.

What the eyes see is always true, what you hear is half a lie.

What your eyes see is always the truth, what you hear is half a lie.

The liar's son died of joy.

The liar's son died from happiness.

If you appropriated someone else's inheritance, they will appropriate yours too.

If you have appropriated another's inheritance, yours will be appropriated as well.

If a joke is without a grain of truth, then it has no listeners.

If a joke is without some truth, you won’t find any listeners.

Lies have a hundred languages, truth has one.

Lies have a hundred languages, truth has only one.

Better seen once than heard many times. . It is better once seen than many times heard.

No matter how hard you try, the truth cannot be hidden.

No matter how hard you try, you can’t hide the truth.

There is a palm-sized distance between truth and lies.

Between the truth and a lie the distance is about a palm.

The lame truth overtakes the lie.

The lame truth overtakes a lie.

A joke is half the truth.

Each joke is a half of the truth.

Untruth digs a grave for truth, and often ends up in it itself.

The lie digs a tomb for the truth, and often ends up there itself.

Believe what you see, check what you hear.

Seen - believe, heard - check up.

The bigger the lie, the better the little truth.

A small truth is better than a big lie.

For a donkey, all truth is good.

For a donkey any truth is good.

And a liar sometimes tells the truth.

Sometimes even a liar speaks the truth.

He who is accustomed to lying does not blush.

He who is used to lying does not blush.

A liar does not believe someone else's oath.

The liar does not trust another's oath.

A liar's tongue is always ahead of his mind.

The liar's language is always ahead of his mind.

A half-truth is a lie.

Half-truth is a lie’s relative.

The road to government is wide.

The road for truth is wide.

Those who don’t want the truth pretend to be deaf.

He who does not want the truth pretends to be deaf.

To whom the truth is bitter, lies are sweet.

To whom the truth is bitter, the lie is sweet.

ABOUT FAMILY, PARENTS AND CHILDREN

THE FAMILY, PARENTS AND CHILDREN

When they offered to bring the most beautiful thing, the crow brought her crow.

When requested to bring the most beautiful thing, a crow brought her chick.

Choose a bull by its horns, and a wife by its pedigree. . Choose a bull by its horns, and a wife by her family tree.

A roaming wife is rot in the bones of a husband.

An idle wife for a husband is like decay in his bones.

Those who are not destined to get married have a flaw in every bride.

He who has no wish to marry finds a defect in each bride.

The father's son taught how to live with a woman.

A son teaches his father how to live with a woman.

Without a father - poverty, without a mother - orphanhood.

Without a father there is poverty, without a mother there is orphanage.

The lamb can recognize its mother by her voice.

A tree feels bad without branches, and a woman feels bad without children.

The tree suffers without branches, and the woman - without children.

A family without children is a tree without roots.

A family without children is like a tree without roots.

As you honor your father and mother, so will your children honor you.

As you respect your father and mother, so your children will respect you.

Scold your daughter, and instruct your daughter-in-law.

Scold your daughter, but edify your daughter-in-law.

A good wife's husband will not go on a journey without provisions.

With a good wife the husband will never travel without supplies.

You will never repay your mother's debt if you fry an egg in the palm of your hand.

A mother’s debt you will never repay, even if you fry eggs on your palm.

A wife can both enrich and ruin.

A wife can both enrich and ruin.

You can always consider yourself young while your father and mother are still alive.

Wolf cub.

The cub of a wolf is a wolf.

For those who have an unreliable wife, their stepmother is precious.

For a man with an unreliable wife, the road is a stepmother.

The son is catching a mouse.

The son of a cat hunts a mouse.

A man without a wife is a horse without a bridle.

A man without a wife is like a horse without a bridle.

Before the wedding - a nightingale, after the wedding - a crow.

Before the wedding, a nightingale; after the wedding, a crow.

Don't tell your wife the secret of your soul.

Don’t tell your wife the secrets of your soul.

The orphan is forced to cut his own belly button.

The orphan has to cut his own navel.

The horse paints the saddle, and the wife paints the family.

A horse adorns a saddle, a wife adorns a family.

A house without a woman is like a hearth without fire.

A house without a woman is like a hearth without fire.

Mother and father are for the children, and the children are for themselves.

A mother and father are for children, and children are for themselves.

An unloved wife, like a borrowed horse.

An unloved wife is like a borrowed horse.

In a large family, the crust of bread does not go stale.

In a large family the bread crust does not harden.

When those who do not love divorce, they also divide the fragments of the jug.

When the unloving get divorced, they divide even a jug’s splinters.

Every mother is soft.

The hedgehog is soft to its mother.

A tree with extensive roots is not afraid of drought.

A tree with vast roots is not afraid of a drought.

Looking at the mother, the daughter is a matchmaker.

Before proposing to the daughter, look at her mother.

The only child has a hundred names.

The only child has a hundred names.

The daughter is a guest in the house.

A daughter in the house is a guest.

The widow knows her husband's worth.

The widow knows the value of her husband.

It is better to receive five guests than to amuse one child.

It is better to have five visitors than to entertain one child.

What the father leaves goes back to the son.

What the father leaves, comes back to the son.

A drowning old woman called her mother for help.

The drowning old woman called to her mother for help.

Don't trust your wife or weapons.

Do not trust your wife or a weapon.

He who rejects his mother will be buried without tears.

If you reject your mother you will be buried without tears.

A close-knit family does not need wealth.

Wealth is not necessary for a happy family.

A good wife will make her poor husband rich.

With a good wife, a poor husband becomes a rich man.

Just as you honor your parents, so your children will honor you.

The more you respect your parents, the more your children will respect you.

ABOUT OLD AGE AND YOUTH

OLDAGEANDYOUTH

He who has no teeth, his food has no taste.

If he does not have teeth, his food has no taste.

It’s better to sleep with a young man in an apatsha than to count money with an old man.

It is better to sleep with the young than to count money with the old.

Only the horns of the old bull are beautiful.

An old bull has only one beautiful thing - his horns.

A person in his youth eats as much as he lifts with his right hand.

A person in his youth eats as much as his right hand can lift.

Youth is a time of courage, old age is a time of reflection.

Youth is a time for courage, old age is a time for reflection.

Whoever is born once will die one day.

He who was born once will die once.

What you acquired in youth cannot be acquired in old age.

What you acquire in your youth, you won’t have in your old age.

Ask an old man the price of youth.

Ask an old man about the price of youth.

Ask an old man what a tooth is worth.

Ask an old man what his tooth is worth.

Death does not choose by age.

Death does not choose his victim by age.

An old dog should not be given milk.

An old dog isn’t given milk to drink.

He who wishes to die does not die soon.

He who wishes to die will not die soon.

Honor the elders in your youth so that you can be honored in your old age.

Respect old men in your youth, then you will be respected in your old age.

After God the elder speaks.

After God, the oldest speaks.

Youth is red with strength, old age with intelligence.

Youth uses force, old age uses wisdom.

A man loses his patience in old age, and a woman loses her beauty.

A man loses his patience in old age, and a woman loses her beauty.

A lot of work in youth, respect in old age.

If you work hard as a youth, in old age you will have respect.

Beauty is temporary, youth is fleeting.

Beauty is temporary, youth soon passes.

Whether good or bad, you can’t bring back the past.

Whether good, whether bad, you will not return to your past.

There are few Old Worlders.

The elderly do not have enough peers.

In old age, it is not medicine that heals, but attention.

In old age the treatment is not medicine, but attention.

With old age and impotence.

With old age comes powerlessness.

Birth and death do not choose the day.

Birth and death do not choose a day.

Death is good in time.

Death in time is good.

Life is temporary for everyone.

Life is temporary for all.

You understand the value of an elder when he is not there.

You will understand the value of an old person when he is no longer present.

Death gives birth to the dawn.

The death of a day gives rise to a new dawn.

While a person is alive, you don’t know his price.

While a person is alive, you will never know his real value.

For those who are close to death, they change their character.

For whom death is close, the character changes.

Debt and loan never grow old.

Debt and loan do not grow old.

All people are born the same, but die differently.

All people are born equal, but die differently.

Whose death you wish will not die soon.

He whose death you wish won’t die soon.

Birth is the beginning of death.

Birth is the beginning of death.

Don't laugh at the old age of someone whose youth you have not seen.

Do not laugh at old age, whose youth you did not see.

. Life, like day and night, has two sides.

. Life, like the day and the night, has two sides.

ABOUT LIFE'S CONCERNS, GRIEF AND SADNESS

LIFE'S TROUBLES, GRIEF AND SADNESS

Rust eats up iron, grief eats up the heart.

Rust eats iron, grief eats the heart.

Convictions the doors are wide.

For trouble, the doors are open wide.

Trouble comes easier than it goes.

Trouble comes easier than it leaves.

What a blind man needs is two eyes.

What is necessary for the blind is two eyes.

Getting married is not walking on water.

To get married is not the same as to fetch water.

Someone else's grief is a sigh, but personal grief is a disaster.

Another's grief is a sigh, and your own is a disaster.

Even a golden bed does not help the patient.

Even a golden bed does not help the sick.

Those who were afraid of the wound died from coughing.

He who was frightened of a wound died of a cough.

You cannot face death with your eyes open.

You will not meet death with open eyes.

The one who is carried away by the river does not hear the cry of people.

The one who is carried away by the river does not hear people shouting.

The one to whom you are in debt is your king.

The person you are in debt to is like a tsar to you.

You can't stop a horse by its tail.

You can't stop a racehorse by holding its tail.

A large tree and a sliver will come in handy.

Even a twig from a big tree is useful.

He who rejoices in little things awaits him great things.

Big things wait for those who are happy with small.

What does a wolf care how much a lamb costs?

A wolf doesn’t care how much a lamb costs.

Take your bread and salt with your relatives, but don’t think of trading with them.

Be hospitable to your relatives, but do not do business with them.

What you lost in the mountains, don’t look for it by the sea.

What you lost in the mountains, do not search for in the sea.

Those who have not eaten bitter will not understand sweet.

He who did not eat bitter will not understand sweet.

Before you enter, think about how to get out.

Before you enter, think how to leave.

Take your time when choosing between life and death.

Take your time when you choose between life and death.

If you are unlucky and eat hominy, you will break a tooth.

If you're unlucky, you can break a tooth eating even mamalyga.

There is no enemy more terrible than disease.

There is no enemy more awful than illness.

There is a cure for all diseases, only for old age and death.

Medicine is available for all illnesses except old age and death.

Happiness comes with wealth, sorrow comes with poverty.

Happiness with riches, misery with poverty.

Any shoe fits a beggar's size.

To the beggar, shoes can be any size.

Only death makes everyone equal.

Only death makes us all equal.

When you are sick, you feel sorry for yourself, but when you recover, you feel sorry for what you spent.

When you are ill you are sorry for yourself, but when you have recovered you are sorry for wasting money.

Whoever shares his piece will not go hungry.

He who shares his food will never remain hungry.

Don’t teach someone to cry whose mother has died.

Do not teach someone to cry whose mother has died.

Crying and laughter stand in the same row.

Crying and laughter stand in one line.

Those who are not born are not mourned.

Do not mourn over someone who was not born.

ABOUT UPBRINGING AND EDUCATION

UPBRINGINGANDEDUCATION

It is difficult to educate a person, but it is easy to spoil a person.

To bring up is difficult, but to spoil is easy.

A good teacher makes an old book seem new.

With a good teacher, an old book seems new.

Until you learn a little, you won’t understand a lot.

If you won't learn the simple, you will not understand the complicated.

He has no knowledge of age.

Knowledge has no age.

The more a person knows, the more he does not trust himself.

The more a person knows, the less he trusts himself.

Rather than knowing a little about everything, it’s better to know about one thing, but that’s good.

It is better to know a lot about one thing than to know a little about a lot of things.

You can tell a student from a teacher.

The student is recognized because of his teacher.

You can’t seat a good guest in just any place.

The good visitor will sit in any place you offer him.

He learns late.

It’s never too late to study.

A shy person is also a guest in his own home.

A shy person acts like a guest even in his own house.

Respect your elders as well as yourself.

Respect the elderly as well as yourself.

Bad upbringing means a future without prospects.

Bad upbringing means a future without any prospect.

You may be hungry, but feed the elder first.

Even if you are also hungry, first feed those who are older.

An ill-mannered person will not become a good person later.

An ill-mannered person will never subsequently become a good person.

Raise your eldest son in such a way that you can raise your younger son.

Bring up your elder son so that he could bring up your younger.

And the bear will let you go if you ask kindly.

Even a bear will release you if you ask politely.

The world is colored by the sun, and man by education.

The world is beautiful because of the sun, and a person because of their education.

A lot of scrapers will destroy.

Too many caresses spoil a child.

Work for others, learn for yourself.

Work for another, study for yourself.

Education is the guest, mind is the host.

Education is the visitor, the mind is the owner.

The son taught his father how to eat.

The son taught the father how to eat.

When you teach someone and you learn yourself.

When you teach someone you also learn yourself.

A good upbringing is already half of your destiny.

Good upbringing is already half of your destiny.

Don’t criticize behind your back and don’t praise to your face.

Do not run someone down behind their back, and do not praise them to their face.

Don't teach an eagle to fly or a fox to steal.

Do not teach an eagle to fly, or a fox to steal.

It’s better to be last in good things than to be ahead in bad things.

It is better to be last but good than first but bad.

And the sea has a shore, but knowledge has no boundaries.

The sea has the coast, but knowledge has no borders.

At home - as you want, and at a party - as the owners want.

At home do as you want, but on a visit do as your hosts want.

Knowledge has no return.

Knowledge has no return.

Book 4. And sometimes this happens...

AHAPPENSANDSUCH...

IT COULD HAPPEN LIKE THIS...

Whoever dug a hole for someone else ended up in it himself.

He who digs a trap for another will fall into it himself.

The undertaker died and was left without a coffin.

There was no coffin left for the undertaker.

Fair words are not always needed.

Fair words are not always necessary.

He who is envious of other people's happiness dries up.

Envy of another"s happiness dries you out.

He groomed donkeys for a coin and bought soap for a dime to wash his hands.

A man earns five kopeks for castrating a donkey, then buys soap for ten kopeks to wash his hands.

The mouse itself could not get through the gap, but wanted to drag the egg capsule through.

The mouse couldn’t climb through a crack itself, but still wanted to get her moneybox through after her.

Having no brother, the pillar hugged.

Not having a brother, he embraced a column.

The royal cupbearer, dying, complained not about death, but about the fact that there would be no one to replace him.

A dying butler complained not of death, but that there would be nobody to replace him.

The man on foot mocked the horsemen.

The pedestrian sneered at the horseman.

A man survived at sea, but choked in a drop.

He was rescued from the sea, then choked to death on a drop of water.

A man has a hat on his head, and he is looking for it.

He is searching for the cap already on his head.

A dying old woman asked for strawberries in winter.

The dying old woman asked for a wild strawberry in the winter.

The old woman said: “There is no time, there is no time even to die.”

The old woman said “There is no time, even to die there is no time.”

The goat's owner didn't even get the tail.

Not even the tail was left for the owner of the goat.

The ax used to build the house was then thrown into the yard.

The ax which was used to build the house was thrown out into the rubbish bin.

Those who were without trousers laughed at those who had holes in them.

A man without trousers laughed at someone whose trousers were full of holes.

The head is not wounded, but the plantain is applied.

His head wasn’t wounded, but it was bandaged anyway.

The bridge he hoped for broke beneath him.

The bridge he hoped for has broken under his weight.

They force you to dance.

If you have to, you will learn to dance.

The man who fell from the tree was bitten by a snake.

As soon as he fell from a tree, a snake bit him.

Grandmother imagined that she was dancing, and she began to get angry, why they didn’t clap her hands for her.

An old lady imagined she was dancing, and got angry because no one was clapping.

The unlucky man became an undertaker, people stopped dying.

With my luck, if I became an undertaker, people would stop dying.

They couldn’t see the bottom in the muddy water and they said it was bottomless.

If they can't see to the bottom of muddy water, people say that it is bottomless.

When the bottom of the basket caught fire, the handle laughed.

When the basket began to burn, the handle laughed.

The husband was taken to prison, and the wife gave him a sample to buy a dress.

The husband was being taken to prison, and the wife showed him the material for her new dress.

The toothless old man was treated to nuts.

The toothless old man was given nuts as a treat.

In the absence of a dog, a wolf was taken for hunting.

Due to the lack of a dog, a wolf was taken on a hunting trip.

Anyone who wants a fight gets a stick in their hands.

Someone who thirsts for fights will always manage to get a stick in his hands.

A person cannot do without teeth, but when they become sick, they are pulled out and thrown away.

We think we can’t do without teeth, but as soon as they start to hurt, we pull them out and throw them away.

A log fell on a bear - it didn’t roar, a mountain fell - it didn’t roar, but a leaf fell - it roared.

A log fell but the bear did not roar, a mountain fell but the bear did not roar, but a leaf fell and the bear began to roar.

When a beggar was given a horse, he refused, saying that he did not have a saddle.

When a beggar was given a horse he refused it, saying that he did not have a saddle.

When there is not enough hay, the calf becomes voracious.

When there is not enough hay, even the calf is considered greedy.

The one who was hanged on the bridge shouted that he couldn’t swim.

Someone hung from a bridge shouted that he couldn’t swim.

There was a bear in the forest, and they traded its skin.

The bear was still in the wood when its skin was sold.

When the mouse fell ill, the cat was called to treat it.

When a mouse fell ill, a cat was called to treat it.

The rich man, having gone bankrupt, remembered the poor man.

The rich man, having lost everything, remembers the poor man.

Even a dog doesn’t pick up a bad person’s leftovers.

Even a dog doesn’t want leftovers from a bad person.

He who chose a lot took the worst wife.

The most choosy people marry the least choosy.

Ioselush is ashamed.

Even the donkey is ashamed of its ears.

He doesn’t love his own children, but caresses strangers.

He doesn’t want his own children, but caresses those of strangers.

When an ant dies, it gains wings.

When the ant perishes, it gets wings.

Having been burned by the hot, he blew on the cold.

If you're burnt on hot, you will blow even on cold.

A familiar crooked road is shorter than an unfamiliar straight path.

A familiar winding road is shorter than an unfamiliar direct way.

The cat, without getting the cheese, said that it was rotten.

A cat, not getting any cheese, said that it was rotten.

The bee knows the value of flowers.

The value of flowers is known by a bee.

And father and son find that they cannot share.

A father and son can always find something to argue about.

Those who did not evaluate themselves did not get a place.

He who has no confidence in himself will not get a decent job.

When the sea became jelly, there was no spoon.

When the sea liquid became jelly, there weren’t enough spoons.

Those who did not have their own home, taught others how to build.

Someone without a house shouldn’t teach others to build.

At the top of the tree, cherries are always bitter.

On the top of a tree a cherry is always bitter.

He who loves cream will grow a buffalo in his pocket.

Someone who loves cream will manage to raise a buffalo in his pocket.

He did not throw off anyone who did not mount his horse.

He who has never ridden a horse has never been thrown from one.

Whoever escaped from the lion was caught by the jackal.

He escaped from a lion, only to be caught by a jackal.

He who did not have a horse promised a foal.

A man without a horse promised someone a foal.

The fox stuck out its tail as witness.

The fox suggested its tail as a witness.

Angry at the fleas, he burned his bed.

Angry with fleas, the man burnt his bed.

When the princess died, the serf cried instead of the prince.

When the princess died, instead of the prince her servant cried.

He who chooses for a long time gets the worst.

He who spends too long choosing will get the worst.

If the petitioner invited you to visit, then he will present you with bird’s milk.

If a beggar invites you to visit, you may be given bird's milk.

The innocent one was silent, the guilty one shouted.

Innocent was silent, guilty shouted.

They did not hire the blacksmith, saying that he was left-handed.

The blacksmith didn't get the job because he was left-handed.

When combs became more expensive, the bald man was indignant.

When hairbrushes rose in price, the bald man was indignant.

The owner laments what was stolen, and the thief laments what is left.

The owner is distressed about what was stolen, and the thief about what he left.

The crow, taking revenge on the crow, killed the blackbird, saying: “And you are black.”

A crow, to get revenge on a raven, killed a blackbird, saying “You’re black too.”

Where the cart is pressed harder, it begins to creak.

The more you put into a cart, the more it begins to creak.

Relying on the neighboring guys, the girl, who got married, returned home.

Having counted upon the neighboring men, the girl who was married came back home.

During his lifetime, his relatives idolized him, but when he died, there was no one to bury him.

During his lifetime his relatives idolized him, and now he has died there is nobody to bury him.

To whom poverty sticks, it will not leave until the end of his life.

If poverty sticks to you, it will remain with you until the end of your life.

And the toad hopes that his teeth will erupt.

Even the toad hopes that one day its teeth will appear.

Stops the infection.

Infection stops an infection.

And the burdock grows with the rose.

Even with a rose the nettle grows.

A horse on four legs stumbles.

Even having four legs, the horse can still stumble.

He was afraid of death, but ended up where he was buried alive.

Having feared death, he was buried alive.

The nose mediated between the eyes.

The nose mediates between the eyes.

What the wolf's head is thinking about, the tail knows.

The wolf's tail knows what the head is thinking about.

The forester had a son, but there were no boards for the cradle.

When a son was born to the forester, there were no boards for a cradle.

The buffalo that was stolen gave four buckets of milk.

That buffalo which was stolen gave four buckets of milk a day.

Although the crow had a crooked leg, it was able to fly first.

Even though the crow had a curved leg, it was the first which managed to fly off.

The road was found when the cart overturned.

They only found the road when it turned the cart over.

When the shepherd died, they looked under his shirt to see if there was any cheese.

When the shepherd died, they looked under his smoke to see whether he still had any cheese.

When the beggar was given flour, he asked for the pot.

When the beggar was given flour, he asked for a pot as well.

They brought a yoke to the bull, he said: “I am a cow”; They brought the milk pan, he said: “I am a bull.”

A bull was given a yoke, and said “I am a cow”; it was given a milk pail and said “I am a bull”. ...

A small key opens a big door.

The small key opens the big door.

When a person doesn’t want to, he won’t even notice the stones on the shore.

If a person doesn’t want to, he won’t notice pebbles even on the beach.

It is easier to stop the rain than a girl getting married.

It is easier to stop the rain than a girl who is going to get married.

You scream into the jug, and he will scream at you.

If you shout into a jug, it will shout back at you.

They saved us from being drunk with wine.

The drunk was cured by wine.

She bit the snake who pulled her out of the fire.

He was bitten by a snake he had pulled out from a fire.

Whoever failed to control the horse had his saddle whipped. . He who did not cope with a horse whipped the saddle.

ABKHAZIANSSURE, WHAT…

ABKHAZIANSARESURETHAT...

Whoever does evil is for himself, and whoever does good is also for himself.

He who does harm does it to himself, and he who does good also does it to himself.

Those who make jugs attach a handle to either side.

The potter attaches the handle to a jug where he wishes.

Putting a bad rider on a good horse is like putting a saddle on a donkey.

Putting a bad rider on a horse is the same as putting a saddle on a donkey.

You can’t lift an armful of brushwood without bending your back.

Not having bent your back, you won’t lift even an armful of brushwood.

If you look closely at the milk, you will find black spots.

If you stare at milk, you will find black spots on it.

No matter which end of the dirty stick you grab, you will get dirty.

No matter which end of a dirty stick you hold, you will still get dirty hands.

Those who endured a lot managed to see a lot.

He has seen a lot who has suffered a lot.

The donkey knows the way back.

The donkey always knows a way back.

He who hurried lost his blind son.

He who hastened had a blind son.

A guest in the house is God in the house.

A guest in the house is like God in the house.

Anyone who has not been to Abkhazia has not seen the Caucasus.

Anyone who hasn’t been to Abkhazia hasn’t seen the Caucasus.

And death retreats if you face it bravely.

Even death recedes if you dare to meet her.

The dog even barks at the king.

A dog barks even at the tsar.

Those who have never been sick think that all pains are similar.

He who was never ill thinks that all pains are similar.

A chicken can only lay an egg, but that is enough.

A hen can only lay eggs, but that is enough.

Even honey is not sweet for the sick.

For the sick, even honey is not sweet.

When trouble comes, the gates open on their own.

When trouble comes, the gates open by themselves.

Those who are on the shore are not afraid of big water.

When ashore, you are not afraid of deep water.

If an egg breaks, you can't make it whole.

If an egg breaks, it can’t be made whole again.

A person must see a lot, hear a lot, work a lot, but talk a little.

A person should see a lot, hear a lot, and work a lot, but should not speak a lot.

Spring is red with flowers, and autumn is red with harvest.

Spring is good for flowers, autumn is good for crops.

He who lives well has a rooster that lays eggs.

For a person living well, even a cockerel lays eggs.

It's easy to destroy, difficult to build.

It is easy to demolish, but difficult to build.

You recognize an ox by its neck, a cow by its milk.

Judge a bull by its neck, and a cow by its milk.

You can even take the millstone to Mecca and grind it there.

Though you take millstones to Mecca, they should still grind there.

What boils easily cools quickly.

That which easily begins to boil, quickly cools down.

If you chase two hares, you won't catch either.

If you chase two hares, you will not catch either of them.

The weight on someone else's shoulder seems light.

Weight on another"s shoulder seems light.

Don't put a spoon where your plate is not.

Where your plate is absent, do not put your spoon.

There must be both good and bad in life.

In life there should be both good and bad.

Corn, without passing through the millstones, will not become flour.

Corn not having passed through millstones does not become flour.

What is stored in the heart will be reflected on the face.

What is kept in the heart is reflected in the face.

Men are looking for a beautiful woman, but an ugly woman is looking for a husband.

Men look for a beautiful woman, but an ugly woman looks for a husband herself.

Even if Abkhazians are separated, we are close in heart.

Even if Abkhazians are separated, we are close in our hearts.

Where there is no lion and the monkey reigns.

Where there is no lion, a monkey is king.

AbkhazAbkhazia was born.

An Abkhazian was born in Abkhazia.

Having done a bad thing, don’t wait for a good one.

There is no person whom everyone loves.

There is no one who is loved by everyone.

He who dreams of death does not die for a long time.

He who dreams of death will live a long time.

For Abkhazians, the door is always wide open for guests.

An Abkhazian’s door is always wide open to guests.

A good horse doesn't need a whip.

It is not necessary to whip a good racehorse.

A snake leaves its mark even without legs.

The snake, even without feet, leaves a trail.

There is nothing like which there is nothing.

There is nothing to which there is nothing similar.

It is not wealth that destroys a person, but the pursuit of it.

A person is ruined not by wealth, but by the pursuit of it.

When a rose begins to smell fragrant, it begins to fade.

When the rose starts to smell sweet, it starts to wither.

What's yours, the best.

Mine is better than yours.

A hungry man knows the price of bread.

The hungry know the price of bread.

You don't throw a stick at a tree without fruit.

People don’t throw a stick at a tree without fruit.

It's hard to earn money, easy to spend.

Money is difficult to earn, but easy to spend.

Eating a little helps to save your health.

To keep your health, eat only a little.

Abkhazians can value peace and reconcile others.

Abkhazians can appreciate the world and can reconcile others.

If there is no beginning, then there is no end.

If there is no beginning there is also no end.

You can't buy good things cheap.

Goodthingsdon'tcomecheap.

If there was someone to work and someone to eat, there would be someone.

It's hard to find someone for work, but easy to find someone for a feast.

There is no need for an intermediary between the mouth and hands.

Between the hands and the mouth no intermediary is necessary.

A bad doctor gives a good doctor more work.

The bad doctor gives more work to the good doctor.

Strong laughter is followed by crying.

Strong laughter is followed by crying.

Even if you tear off the skin of a jackal, it will still remain a jackal.

Even if you tear off the skin from a jackal, it will still remain a jackal.

The branches themselves bend towards the goat, which is not destined to die.

If a goat mustn’t die, even branches bend down for it.

Spending a little is difficult, but spending a lot is easy.

Having a little, it’s hard to spend, but having a lot, it’s easy.

Those who deserve to have a monument erected do not need it.

Anyone who deserves to have a monument does not desire one.

A bad carpenter will come into the forest, all the trees will tremble.

If a bad carpenter enters the wood, all the trees will begin to tremble.

The swineherd always hears the grunting of a pig.

The swineherd always hears the grunting of a pig.

Until a person dies, his work will not be known.

Until a person dies, his work does not become known.

If the judge takes a bribe, then the thief does not turn pale.

If the judge took a bribe the thief does not turn pale.

When the horse tips over, the rider will fall.

Until the horse overturns, the horseman won’t fall.

And the forest has ears, and the field has eyes.

A wood has ears, and a field has eyes.

If a woman wants to cheat, she will deceive a hundred men.

If a woman wants to use cunning, a hundred men will be cheated.

The world is a ladder: one goes down, the other goes up.

The world is a ladder: one falls, another rises.

Better an egg today than a chicken tomorrow.

Better to have an egg today than a hen tomorrow.

You can't hide fire in cotton wool.

In cotton wool you will not hide fire.

The best keeper of a secret is the one who doesn't know it.

The best keeper of a secret is the person who does not know it.

In its hole, even a mouse feels like a lion.

A mouse feels like a lion in its own mouse-hole.

It is easy to turn sweet into bitter, but difficult to turn bitter into sweet.

It’s easy to turn sweet into bitter, but difficult to turn bitter into sweet.

Those who borrow money and do evil will someday have to pay.

You will have to pay back sometime if you borrow money or cause harm.

No matter how much you jump, you cannot jump over yourself.

However many you jump over, you can’t jump over yourself.

Hand and mouth find each other easily.

The hand and the mouth find each other easily.

Until you see the best, you won't know the worst.

Until you have seen the best, you won’t understand the worst.

Where there is no high, the low becomes high.

Where the high is not present, the low becomes high.

You can't escape fate.

From destiny you will not escape.

A well-fed person will not understand a hungry person.

A full person will not understand the hungry.

Both good and bad are impermanent.

Both bad and good are temporary.

A bottomless jug cannot be filled with water.

A bottomless jug cannot be filled with water.

When the first leaves fall, there is no point in laughing for the rest.

When the first leaves fall, there is nothing for the rest to laugh about.

The drop wears away the stone.

Droppedstonesharpens.

Silurs know stones.

The force of a river is known by its stones.

You can't clap with just one hand.

You can't clap with one hand.

Thief won't interfere.

For the thief, even the moon causes trouble.

To a bird flying out of its cage, the world seems like paradise.

The world seems a paradise to the bird who has escaped from a cage.

Those who are not enemies with wolves are not shepherds.

You can't be a shepherd if you make friends with wolves.

Until the goat wags its tail, the goat will not approach.

All the while the nanny goat doesn’t wag her tail, the billy goat will not approach her.

Other people's food has a special taste.

Food always tastes special in someone else’s home.

The bed knows the secrets of husband and wife.

The bed knows all the secrets of the husband and wife.

And the stone will burst if it is heated.

Even a stone will crack if it is heated too much.

Gold has no arms, no legs, but does everything.

Gold has no hands and no feet, but can do everything.

What a person gets for free is not valued.

If you get something for nothing, you don’t appreciate it.

He who did nothing was not mistaken.

If you do nothing, you make no mistakes.

Only a dead man doesn't worry about anything.

Only a dead person has nothing to worry about.

The stricter the laws, the less they are followed.

The stricter the laws, the less people observe them.

As is the face, so is the heart.

The face reflects the heart.

The goats are not for the shepherd, but the shepherd is for them.

Goats don't need a shepherd, but the shepherd needs goats.

The powerless is good not of his own free will.

If a powerless person is kind, it is not of his own will.

Happiness and wealth do not form brotherhood.

Happiness and wealth do not form a brotherhood.

If the cart doesn’t bring firewood, it will go to the firewood itself.

If a cart won’t bring firewood, it will be turned into firewood itself.

If by means of a voice it was possible to construct a house, who would do this better than a donkey?

If small rivers did not merge, the big ones would not be proud.

If small rivers did not merge, big rivers would not feel proud.

A good neighbor doesn't need a fence.

A fence is not necessary between good neighbors.

There is no pain that time cannot soften.

There is no pain which time does not soften.

A rat in a barn will not die of hunger.

A rat in a barn will not die of hunger.

You can't fence a garden with just one stake.

With one stake you will not fence a garden.

. If the horse under you is good, then the long journey will become close.

. If you have a good horse under you, even a long journey becomes short.

A cat that meows a lot will not catch a mouse.

The cat who mews a lot will not catch a mouse.

WISE ABKHAZIANS ADVICE:

WISEABKHAZIANSADVISE:

Don't do the job until she screams.

Don’t do the job until it starts to scream.

Don't count the profit first, but the costs.

Don’t first consider profit, but expenses.

Go to bed without eating, get up without debt.

Go to bed hungry, get up without debts.

Eat your breakfast yourself, share your dinner with a friend, and give your supper to an enemy.

Let your enemy have a bad neighbor.

Let your enemy have a bad neighbor.

Don't quarrel with the boatman when you cross the river.

When you are crossing the river by boat, don’t swear at the boatman.

Don't call on death, it will find you itself.

Do not call death, she will find you yourself.

Having done something bad, don’t expect anything good.

If you've done something bad, don't wait for something good to happen.

If you haven't raised a horse yourself, don't lend it to him.

Don’t lend a horse to someone who has never raised one before.

Whatever happens to you, do not forget that you are an Abkhaz.

Whatever happens to you, do not forget that you are Abkhazian.

Treat your horse like a relative, but ride it like an enemy.

Look after a horse as if it was a relative, but sit down on it as if it was an enemy.

Whose boat you are sitting in, sing his songs.

In a boat, sing songs which the owner likes.

If you don't see the bottom, don't go into the water.

If you can’t see to the bottom, don’t go in the water.

Today's egg is better than yesterday's chicken.

Today’s egg is better than yesterday’s chicken.

If you learn to listen, you can talk about a lot.

If you learn to listen, you can tell a lot.

What the wind has carried away, do not chase after it.

Do not chase after anything that the wind has carried away.

If someone once became your enemy, do not take him as a friend.

If he was once your enemy, do not accept him as a friend.

Don't stick your finger into a snake's hole.

Do not put a finger in a snake hole.

Don’t teach a nightingale to sing or a fish to swim.

Do not teach a nightingale to sing, or a fish to swim.

Talk about a dead person either well or nothing.

Never speak ill of the dead.

They do not look at a given horse's teeth.

Never look a gift horse in the mouth.

If you don’t find out what’s going on, don’t be offended, don’t go on an unfamiliar journey, don’t interfere in someone else’s business.

If you don’t know what the problem is - don’t take offense, don’t do anything rash, and don’t interfere.

Don't talk about your headache to someone who doesn't have a headache.

Don’t talk about your headache to someone who hasn’t got one.

Having hoped for what will happen, do not lose what is.

You may have ambitions, but don’t lose what you’ve got already.

Don't laugh at someone who is worse than you, and don't envy someone who is better.

Do not laugh at anyone who is worse than you, and do not envy anyone who is better.

If you hope for what will happen, don’t go into debt.

Even if you have ambitions, do not incur any debts.

Don’t run after your shadow, you won’t catch up anyway.

Do not run after your shadow, you will never catch it up.

They said, do a lot.

Speak a little, do a lot.

Don't cut the branch under you, you'll fall with it.

Do not cut a branch you are sitting on, or you will fall with it.

If you can't close a door, don't open it.

Don’t open a door which you cannot close.

Don’t tell your wife that you can’t trust the whole village.

Don’t trust your wife with anything that you cannot tell the whole village.

When you quarrel, leave the way for a truce.

When you argue, leave a way for a cease-fire.

Don't do something today that you will regret tomorrow.

Don’t do today what you will regret tomorrow.

If you want to be a good guest, praise the host.

If you wish to be a good visitor, praise your host.

If you are going to a wedding, leave your grudge at home.

If you're going to a wedding, leave your insults at home.

Conduct the horseman to the horse, and the pedestrian to the gate.

See a horseman to his horse, and a pedestrian to the gate.

What you don’t wish for yourself, don’t wish for anyone else.

Don’t wish for others what you don’t wish for yourself.

Don't run when dogs bark, don't stop when you hear a rooster crow.

Do not run to a barking dog, and do not stop when you hear a singing cockerel.

Not waking up the sleeping bear.

Do not awake a sleeping bear.

Don't regret what you spent on treatment.

Do not regret spending money on your health.

Where there is a spring, there is no need to dig a well.

Where there is a spring, it’s not necessary to dig a well.

Wear the kind of hat that those around you wear.

Wear a cap similar to that which everyone wears.

You can't make a fence with just one stake.

You can't make a fence with one stake.

Do not hide from the rain under a walnut tree, thinking that its leaves are wide - you will get wet; Don’t leave from under the pear, thinking that its leaves are small - you will remain dry.

Do not hide from the rain under a nut tree, thinking that its leaves are wide - you will get wet; do not run away from under a pear tree, thinking that its leaves are small - you will remain dry.

Contents.

CONTENTS

From the compiler 3

Fromthecompiler 5

From translator 7

From the translator 11

Rodineinarode 15

The motherland and its people 15

Friendship 23

About work and laziness 28

Workandlaziness 28

LoveKindness 39

Love, kindness and happiness 39

About intelligence and stupidity 47

Wisdomandstupidity 47

About courage and cowardice 62

Courageandcowardice 62

About shortcomings and vices 69

Faultsandsins 69

About language and word 75

Language and words 75

About truth and lies 78

About family, parents and children 82

Family, parents and children 82

About old age and youth 88

Oldageandyouth 88

About everyday worries, grief and sadness 93

Life's troubles, grief and sadness 93

About upbringing and education 97

Upbringing and education 97

Something like this happens... 101

It could happen like this... 101

Abkhazians are confident that... 115

Abkhazians are sure that... 115

Wise Abkhazians advise: 131

Wise Abkhazians advise: 131

ABKHAZ PROVERBS

Compiler and editor

Shamba Oleg Bagratovich

Illustration on the cover by artist A. Beletsky

Subscribed for publication on 02/17/09. Format 70 x 90½. Offset paper. Times typeface. Offset printing. Conditional oven l. 5.7. Circulation 1000 copies. Price is negotiable.

ОPrinted in the offset laboratory of the Abkhaz State University, Sukhum, Kelasur, ASU.