Has someone ever helped you with a favor and then reminded you time and again about it to the point you wish you never accepted the offer? Or has being shy ever caused you or people you know problems? Or have you ever been frustrated that someone got away with something that they should have been punished for doing? Fortunately, in this episode Dareen shares with us a few Lebanese proverbs to help you express your feelings in these and other situations.
Lebanese Arabic Transcript and English Contextual Translation
1
مرحبا. أنا دارين. بحلقة اليوم رح نحكي عن الأمثال اللبنانية المحلية، والقصص الطريفة اللي وراها، واللي بتتناقل قصصا الأجيال لبعدين تصير على كل لسان.
Hello. I am Dareen. In today’s episode we will talk about the local Lebanese proverbs and the funny stories behind them. These stories are passed on to generations until they later become on everyone’s tongue.
2
أول مثل راح نحكي عنو بيقول “بلا مداس ولا جميلة الناس”. كلمة مداس بتعني صباط.
The first proverb we will talk about says, “No shoes and no people reminding us of favors.” The word Mdes means shoes.
3
أما قصة هالمثل فبتقول إنو كان في عريس ظروفو المادية على قدو. فطلب من صديقو الغني بالضيعة إنو يستعير منو مداس جديد ليلبسو بنهار عرسو. وهيك صار.
As for the story of this proverb, it says that there was a groom whose financial situation was limited, so he asked his rich friend in the village to lend him new shoes to wear on his wedding day. And so did happen.
4
ولكن بنهار العرس، صار صديقو يمشي قدامو ويقلو “انتبه من الجورة“، و”انتبه من الوحل“، و”انتبه ما يتوسخ المداس”. انزعج العريس كتير، وبين على وجو الإحراج. فقرر الصديق يستعمل غير طريقة لينبه العريس ويخليه ينتبه لمداسو. قام رقص قدام العريس وغنالو:
دعس مطرح ما بدك المداس مداسي ولا يهمك
امشي بالوحل. .امشي بالمي وخلي البسمة عتمك
But on the day of the wedding, his friend started to walk in front of him and tell him, “Watch out for the hole”, “Watch out for the mud”, and “Careful not to dirty the shoes.” The groom was very annoyed, and embarrassment appeared on his face. Thus, the friend decided to use a different way to alert the groom and make him pay attention to his shoes. He got up, danced in front of the groom, and sang to him:
Step wherever you want The shoes are mine, so do not worry
Walk in the mud… Walk in the water And keep the smile on your mouth
5
قام العريس شلح المداس، وأعطاه ياه لصديقو وقال: “بلا مداس وجميلة الناس”. وكفى مشي حافي. وصارت هالجملة مثل بيتداولوه الناس لما حدا يقدملن خدمة، ويضل يربحن جميلة فيها. وجملة ” يربحن جميلة ” هي جملة شعبية بتعني يذكرن بالمعروف اللي قدملن ياه.
The groom then took the shoes off, gave it to his friend, and said, “No shoes and no people reminding us of favors”, and he continued walking barefoot. This sentence became a proverb used by people when someone does them a favor and keeps reminding them of it. The sentence “Yrabbehon Jmeeleh” is a popular expression that means reminding them of the favor he did to them.
6
تاني مثل بيقول ” اللي استحو ماتو”. وهالمثل بينقال للأشخاص اللي بعدن بيستحو، وبيتركو حقن خجلا من الناس أو من المجتمع. فبقولو “اللي استحو ماتو”.
The second proverb says, “Those who were shy died.” And this proverb is said to individuals who still feel shy, and they give up their rights ashamed of people or of society; so they say “Those who were shy died.”
7
قصة هالمثل بتقول إنو من زمان ما كان في حمامات للاستحمام بكل بيت. كانت الحمامات عامة، وموجود بكل حي حمام واحد.
The story of this proverb says that long ago, there were no showers for bathing in every home. Bathrooms were public, and there was one bathroom in each neighborhood.
8
بإحدى المرات، كانت النساء عم تتحمم وبيولع حريق كبير بالحمام. فاضطرو الستات يطلعو بلا تيابن من الحمام للشارع، خوفا من الاحتراق. أما الستات اللي خجلو واستحو، فماتو حريق بقلب الحمام. ومن هون صارت الناس تقول “اللي استحو ماتو”، كدليل على إنو الإنسان لازم يعمل الأنسب والصح وما يستحي أحسن ما تروح عليه.
One time, there were women bathing when a big fire broke out in the bathroom. Thus, the women had to get out of the bathroom to the street without their clothes on in fear of burning. As for the women who felt shy and ashamed, they died burning inside the bathroom. From here, people started saying “Those who were shy died” as a proof that a person must do what is appropriate and right, without feeling shy, before he is doomed.
9
المثل الثالث بيستعملوه لما يكون حدا مرتكب غلطة أو جريمة، ويقدر يهرب منا بالحيلة، ومنقول “شمع الخيط وهرب”، كدليل إنو قدر يهرب من العقاب بدون ما حدا يلقطو.
The third proverb is used when a person has committed a mistake or a crime, and he manages to escape from it through a trick; so we say “He waxed the thread and fled.”
10
قصة هالمثل إنو أحد الملوك حكم على مجرم بالموت. وطبعا سمحلو بطلب أخير قبل تنفيذ حكم الإعدام. فقام المجرم طلب بكرة خيطان وقطعة شمع حتى يشمع الخيط. وكلمة يشمع الخيط يعني يصير يدوب شمع ويحطو على الخيط.
The story of this proverb says that one of the kings sentenced a criminal to death, and of course, he allowed him a final request before the execution of the death sentence. The criminal asked for a spool of threads and a piece of wax in order to wax the thread. The expression yshame‘ al-khet means to start melting wax and placing it over the thread.
11
جابولو الغراض. فقام طلب من حارسو إنو يساعدو بإنو يمسك طرف الخيط. وصار هو يمشي ويشمع الخيط، ويبعد شوي شوي. ومع المسافة بطل حدا شايفو، فقام ترك الخيط وهرب. ومن هون صرنا نقول “شمع الخيط وهرب”، كدليل على الذكا والحيلة للهروب.
They got him the stuff. So, he asked his guard to help him by holding the tip of the thread, and he started walking and waxing the thread; moving away a bit by bit. With distance, no one could see him anymore, so he let the thread go and fled. From here, we started saying “He waxed the thread and fled” as an indication of intelligence and cunningness for escaping.
12
هلأ رح ننتقل لمثل بيقولوه الناس لبعضن وكأنو سؤال، وهو “قمحة والا شعيرة؟” وهالمتل هو للإستفسار عن أي حدث عم بصير مع الإنسان حاليا. وبمجتمعاتنا الحالية بيعتبرو إنو القمحة هي الخير، لأنا بتصير خبز ومناكلا ، وبتدل على نجاح الشي اللي عم يعملو هالشخص. والشعيرة هي الشر أو فشل الشي، لأنو منكبا ومنطعميا للحيوانات. لهيك منسأل “قمحة والا شعيرة؟”
And now we will move to a proverb that people say to each other as if it is a question, which is “Wheat or barley?” This proverbs is to inquire about any event happening to a person currently. Our current societies consider that wheat is the good because it becomes bread, and we eat it. It also indicates the success of the thing that this person is doing. And the barley is the evil or the failure of the thing because we dispose it and feed to animals. This is why we ask “Wheat or barley?”
13
أما حكاية هالمثل، بتعود لزمن كتير قديم. فالمصريين القدماء، كانو يستعملو طريقة زراعية غريبة لتحديد جنس المولود عند السيدة الحامل. فكانو يجيب وعائين ويحطو فين تراب. ويحطو بأول وعاء حبوب قمح، وبتاني وعاء حبوب شعير، ويحطولن بول من هالسيدة اللي ناطرة المولود.
The story of this proverb dates back to a long time ago. The ancient Egyptians used a strange agricultural method to determine the baby’s sex for a pregnant woman. They used to bring two pots and put soil in them. They would put in the first pot wheat seeds and in the second pot barely seeds and add to them urine from this woman waiting the newborn.
14
فإذا نبتت حبوب القمح بالأول، معناتا جنس المولود أنثى. وإذا نبتت حبوب الشعير بالأول، معناتا جنس المولود ذكر.
If the wheat seeds grew first, it means the sex of the baby is female, and if the barley seeds grew first, it means the sex of the baby is male.
15
والغريب بالموضوع إنو نسبة كبيرة من الدراسات والأبحاث العلمية، لاقت إنو هالطريقة لتحديد جنس المولود فيا كتير من الصحة.
And the strange thing about this is that a big percentage of studies and scientific researches found that this method for determining the sex of the baby has much validity.
16
بالمختصر، كانو المصريين يعتبرو إنو الأنثى هي رمز الخصوبة والإنجاب، متل حبة القمح. لهيك كانو يفرحو إذا بيطلع القمح بالأول. على عكس مجتماعتنا هلأ، اللي بتفرح لولادة الصبي أكتر من البنت. لهيك بيفضلو يسمعو “شعيرة” بدل “قمحة”.
In short, Egyptians used to consider that the female is the symbol of fertility and reproduction like a grain of wheat. So, they would rejoice if the wheat grew first contrary to our society now, which rejoices in the birth of the boy more than the girl. This is why they prefer to hear “Barley” instead of “Wheat”.
17
أما آخر مثل لليوم فهو مشهور كتير بالضيع وبقول ” شوفة المليح تسبيح”. وكلمة مليح باللغة العربية معناتها الوجه الحسن والحلو. وتم تناقل هالكلمة مع الوقت لتصير كلمة مليح بتدل أيضا عالشي اللي بخير. أما كلمة تسبيح، فيعني ذكر كلام الله كنوع من رد العين، أو إبداء الإعجاب بشي حلو.
As for the last proverb for today, it is very famous in villages and it says, “Seeing beauty is like praising.” And the word mleeh in Arabic means the pretty and beautiful face. This word was later passed on and used as a word that also indicates when things are fine. As for the word tasbeeh, it means mentioning the words of god as a type of keeping away the evil eye or to express admiration for something beautiful.
18
وأصل هالمثل بيعود لأحد الرجال اللي كانو يحبو يتمشو بشارع الحمرا، اللي هو أحد أشهر الشوارع السياحية والتجارية بالعاصمة بيروت. هالرجال اسمو أبو نصار، وكان يحب يتمشى بهالشارع ويتفرج عالستات الحلوين.
The origin of this proverb goes back to one of the men who loved to walk in Hamra street, which is one of the most famous tourist and commercial streets in the capital, Beirut. This man’s name is Abu Nassar, and he used to love walking in this street and looking at beautiful ladies.
19
بيوم من الإيام، شافو شاب لأبو نصار عم يتطلع بصبية حلوة كتير ومبتسم. فبقرب ليه وبيقلو: “يا عم بو نصار، صرت ختيار وبطل عندك ضراس، وبعدك بتطلع بالصبايا؟!” فبيرد عليه أبو نصار، ” يا عمي، شوفة المليح تسبيح.”
One day, a young man saw Abu Nassar looking at a very beautiful young girl while smiling, so he came closer to him and said: “Uncle Bu Nassar, you have become an old man, and you no longer have molars. And you still look at young girls?!” Abu Nassar replied to him, “Seeing beauty is like praising!”
20
متل ما ذكرت قبل، يسبحو يعني يذكرو جمل شعبية متعارف عليا متل “ما شاء الله” أو “سبحان الخالق”. وهيك، بكون عم يشكرو ربن لأي شي مميز وكامل وجميل.
As I have mentioned before, ysabho means to say popular and well known expressions such as “MashaAllah” or “Sobhan Al-khaleq”. This way, they would be thanking their God for anything special, perfect, and beautiful.
21
خلصت حلقتنا لليوم اللي خبرتكن فيا قصص بعض الأمثال المشهورة بلبنان وبالعالم العربي. بتمنى تكونو حفظتوون، وتبلشو تستعملوون بلغتكن العربية.
Our episode for today is over in which I told you the stories of some famous proverbs in Lebanon and the Arab world. I hope you have memorized them, and that you start using them in your Arabic language.
22
أنا دارين. لاقوني بحلقة جديدة قريباً.
I am Dareen. Meet me in a new episode soon.
Comprehension Questions (try to answer the questions while speaking out loud to yourself and using full sentences in Lebanese-Arabic)
- How would you describe the story of the groom in your own words?
- What is a situation in which you might be able to use one of the proverbs in the episode?
- Why did the criminal request wax and a spool of thread?
- What is the Egyptian myth behind the proverb “Wheat or Barley?”
- What is a situation in which being shy has or could have cost you dearly?
Vocabulary table
| # | Lebanese Arabic | English Transliteration | English Translation |
| 1 | يستعير | Yest‘eer | Borrows |
| 2 | لسان | Lsan | Tongue |
| 3 | صباط | Sobat | Shoes |
| 4 | إحراج | Ihraj | Embarrassment |
| 5 | حافي | Hafeh | Barefoot |
| 6 | وحل | Wahel | Mud |
| 7 | بسمة | Basmeh | Smile |
| 8 | حي | Hay | Neighborhood |
| 9 | بكرة خيطان | Bakaret Khitan | Spool of threads |
| 10 | شمع | Shame‘ | Wax |
| 11 | وعاء | Wi‘a’ | Pot |
| 12 | نبتت | Nabatit | Grew/Sprouted |
| 13 | خصوبة | Khosoobeh | Fertility |
| 14 | ختيار | Khityar | Old man |
| 15 | ضراس | Dras | Mollars |