The Meaning and Use of Sudanese Proverbs
11.5 Poverty and Wealth
\VVVVVV'4a+ا مEVVVVVV2 oا ,AVVVVVV7 ) VVVVVVW' ,AVVVVVV7 VVVVVV'
Munn satar musliman satarhu Allah yaom al-qiyama
Whoever guards a Muslim will be guarded by God on the day of Judgement (686) The proverb encourages people not to expose others' affairs or let them be publicly known. In the Sudanese culture, individual's mistakes are considered personal matters and other people should not talk about them to insult or disgrace the person.
ن4'LVVVVVV9 _ VVVVVVQ+ا G34VVVVV5+ا Al-mabi al-s'uloh' nadman
He who rejects reconciliation will regret it (687)
This proverb is commonly used to advise peacemaking in the Sudan, especially where tribal conflicts are dominant. In rural areas where people share grazing ground and water resources, conflicts are part of daily life. Tribal leaders or local authorities always try to solve such problems in peaceful ways. Any party that refuses help to find solutions will be blamed or even isolated by others, as peacemaking is essential to the rural community.
)2,VVVVVآ _'4VVVVVW5+ا
Al-musamih' kaream
The tolerant one is generous (688)
Tolerance is encouraged by culture and religion. This proverb is used to encourage peaceful relationships within the community.
When he utters nonsense, it may be considered as wisdom and people listen to him.
Money is thus an important means to make friends and to gain power.
This section views poverty and wealth as seen by Sudanese proverbs.
G5َH T;Mٌ G5ُآ 42 Tُآ
kul ya kumi gabul fami
Eat, my dress, before my mouth (365)
In Sudanese traditional stories, people accredit this proverb to Sheihk Farah wad Taktok, one of the famous historical characters known for his wisdom. The story says that Sheikh Farah was invited for a feast. When he went wearing the normal clothes of a poor man, the owner of the house who had invited him paid him no attention. He sat with poor people and ate with them. He then returned to his home, put on valuable clothes, and came back to the same place. When the owner of the house saw him this time he welcomed him and honoured him. He invited him to sit where the rich people sat and ordered rich food for him. The man himself was standing to serve the Sheikh. The Sheikh then put his sleeve in the food, and quoted this proverb speaking to his own dress to explain to his host that he . His aim was to encourage him to treat all people equally.
People quote this proverb to criticize those who honour the rich and disrespect poor people.
I have found a similar story in Aesop's fables. It seems that many different nations claim that this story belongs to them. This is explained by the fact that people’s attitude toward similar situations could be the same.
)VVVV2اد 4VVVV' k@VVVV[+او )VVVV2اد 4VVVV' ,VVVVaP+ا
Al-faqur ma daim wa al-ghina ma daim Neither poverty nor wealth last long (692)
People use this proverb to comfort the poor and to warn the rich not to count on their wealth, as conditions might change at any time.
ZVVVVVX 4VVVVV' ,VVVVVaP+ا Al-faqur ma a'eab
Poverty is not shame (693)
This proverb is used to comfort poor people.
k@VVVVV[+ا TVVVVV5`3 4VVVVV' ,VVVVVaP+ا TVVVVV5`3 4VVVVV5+ا
Al-ma bih'mal al-faqur ma bih'mal al-ghina
He who does not endure poverty will not endure wealth (695)
The proverb observes that a person who cannot be patient in difficulties will not tolerate wealth, as he might change quickly and become too proud of his new life.
VVVVVlو \VVVVV3,[+ا GVVVVVH k@VVVVV[+ا Al-ghina fi al-ghurba watan Wealth is a home abroad (696)
This proverb notes that if a person has a fortune and has to live away from his home country, his wealth compensates him as he might not need others' help.
4VVVVVVV342 E5VVVVVVVW" ن4;VVVVVVV. ى,VVVVVVVaP+ا Al-faqri d'uban jismoo yaba
A poor man is rejected even by his body's flies (697)
This proverb claims that no one likes the poor. There is some exaggeration in it.
مE@+43 ُ4UX )A2
Yatim a'ashau bi-al-noam
He finishes his dinner by sleeping (700)
This proverb describes the situation of a poor person who does not have enough food for himself and his children. Therefore, he tells stories to his children to get them sleep. This proverb is used to describe extreme poverty.
\VVVVVV3,b lEVVVVVV+ا GVVVVVH ,VVVVVaP+ا Al-faqur fi al-watan ghurba
Poverty at home is estrangement (694)
This proverb observes that a poor person might feel like a stranger in his own homeland, as most of the time poor people do not have so many friends as rich ones.
LVVV+و 0"EُX 894آ E+و G@[+ا 83 ْLٌFzو 0َ<ُ+ ن4آ E+و برL+ا =VVVW'ا
Amsik walad al-darib wa lao kan luta wa akhud bit al-ghani wa lao kanat a'uja Keep to the safe road even if it is winding and marry a rich man's daughter even if she is imperfect (698)
A secure winding road is better than a short dangerous one and marrying a woman from a rich family will economically secure your life. People use this proverb to encourage marriage from rich families even if their daughters are not perfectly healthy and polite women.
T` 3 @2 4' TR وL@ِX 45+ا
Al-ma-a'indu h'aeal ma yanut bilh'eal
He who does not have power should not jump high (701)
This proverb advises that a weak person should not jump very high for he does not have the strength to do so. The word power is used in this proverb to emphasize health on the one hand and wealth on the other hand. The one who does not have wealth should not pretend to have powers to help others or do other things. The proverb might be used to mock a poor person for pretending to be rich.
G@VVVVVb 2LVVVVV+ا VVVVV' 4VVVVV2,aH
Fagrean min al-dayan ghani
A poor man without debts is rich (703)
If a poor person is content with what he has and nobody asks him to pay a debt, he has to consider himself a rich person.
ﻪﻧﻮﻴﻌﺑ ﻞﻛﺎﻳ ﻱﺮﻘﻔﻟﺍ
Al-faqri yakul ba'yanu
The poor man eats with his eyes (704)
A poor person sees people enjoy themselves with good food and other pleasures of life, but he is not able to have the same things because of his poverty. This proverb describes how the destitute enjoys himself only by looking at things.
ﻩﻮﺑﺃ ﻦﻔﻛ ﺎﻣ ﻩﺪﻨﻋ ﺎﳌﺍ
Al-ma-a'indu ma kaffan abu
He who has nothing does not enshroud his father (705)
A person who does not have money will not be able to prepare ceremonies or grave-clothes for his father. This proverb is used to excuse poor people when they fail to do things for lack of money.
كLVVVVVI2 كLVVVVV2إ GVVVVVH 4VVVVV5+ا Al-maffi ieadak yikeadak
What is out of your hands plots against you (706)
Anything that is out of your reach (money or wealth) acts against you, for you might be compelled to ask other people for it even if they are your enemies. This proverb is used to
show the bitterness of need.
0@U+ا _5ٌW2 ل45+ا
Al-mall yisamih al-sheana
Money makes ugly things look beautiful (708)
If a person is rich people consider his bad deeds as good ones. This proverb is used to emphasize that money is more valuable than people are.
وLVVV7 VVV' ,VVVFأ ل4VVV5+ا Al-mall akhear min siydu
Wealth is better than its owner (709)
The point of this proverb is that if a person has money, he will find many people around him even if he does not give them anything. If the circumstances of the same person change and he becomes poor, people scatter away from him and he will not find them when he needs them. People use this proverb to emphasize the fact that people attracted by wealth rather than by the person’s character.
pVVVVV7 م4VVVVVM ل4VVVVV5+ا Al-mall giyamm seaff
Money is a sword's prop (710)
This proverb means that as the sword can stand up only with the help of a prop, money also enables a person to stand by himself and supports him to do what he wants. Just as a person can protect himself with his weapon, he can use his money to protect himself for money will make this defense more effective.
=VVV+4' رLVVVM كر4VVVMو
Waqarak gadur malak
Your respect is according to your wealth (711)
This proverb means that people respect you according to the amount of money that you have. It is used to point out that most people measure others by their material assets.
,Fٌدإ 4' ة,F+و ,nAHأ 4' 49L+ا GH
Fi al- duniya ma iftakhar wa lil akhra ma iddakhar
He was neither proud of his life nor preserved anything for the day after (712) People quote this proverb to describe a person as one who has wasted his life in this world and has done no good to be rewarded for in his life after death.
ﻩﺭﻮﺤﺴﻣ ﺍﻮﻟﻮﻘﻳ ﺖﻨﺟ ﻥﺎﻛ ﻩﺭﻮﺘﺴﻣ ﺰﻌﻟﺍ ﺓﺎﺒﺤﻗ
Gah'bat al-a'iz mastoara kan jannat yagoolu mash'oara
An adulteress from a wealthy family is sheltered and if she goes mad, they say she is bewitched (714)
As rich families are respected in their community, no one dares to talk negatively about them. People might hash up their mistakes and address it as misfortune. This proverb reflects in an ironic way rich people's mistakes. It says that if a woman from a rich family happened to commit adultery, people would try to cover the mistake unlike a woman from a poor family, who would be punished and all her family would have to be named and shamed for her mistake. Moreover, madness in a wealthy family would be concealed as bewitchment. This proverb is used to criticize favouritism toward the rich and to condemn injustice towards the poor.
ء4VVVVVVVW 5+ا عا,VVVVVVVI+ا ZVVVVVVVJD 4VVVVVVVU;[+ا عا,VVVVVVVI+ا
Al-kura' al-ghabsha tajeab al-kura' al-malsa A dusty leg brings a clean soft one (715)
This proverb means that when a poor person visits a rich one, the latter will come to visit him as well. It is used to remind people not to limit their social relationships within their own social status.
= X ,WN2 كL@ِX 45+ا
Al-ma-a'indak ya'sar a'leak
What you do not have oppresses you (717)
This proverb means that anything whatever its value becomes a problem for you if you do not have the means to possess it. People use this proverb to apologize for their inability to do something because of poverty.