Annotations, Ch 30
Maneno mema hutowa nyoka pangoni- Pleasant words will draw the snake from its hole.
Adhabu ya kaburi aijua maiti- The torture of the grave is only known by the corpse.
Dawa ya moto ni moto- Fight fire with fire.
Maji ya kifufu ni bahari ya chungu- Water in a coconut shell is like an ocean to an ant.
Mchele moja mapishi mengi- Rice is all one but they are many ways of cooking it.
Mfukuzwa kwao hana pakwenda- He who is expelled from home has nowhere to go.
Kila mlango na ufunguwo wake- Every door with its own key.
La kuvunda halina rubani- There is no incense for something rotting.
Mavi usioyala,wayawingiani kuku? - Why drive the birds away from the dung you don’t eat?
Msema pweke hakosi- One who talks to himself cannot be wrong. (i.e. No one’s there to correct him.)
Kitanda usicho kilala hujui kunguni wake- You can’t know the bugs of a bed you haven’t slept on.
Mwacha asili ni mtumwa- He who renounces his ancestry is like a slave.
Kipya kinyemi ingawa kidonda- A new thing is a source of joy. (As I understand this phrase, the new thing may not be an unambiguously good thing).
Hapana marefu yasio na mwisho- There is no distance that has no end.
Lila na fila hazitangamani- Good and evil will never mix.
Mtoto akililia wembe mpe- When a child cries for a razor give it to him. (i.e. Let him learn by experience.)
Heri kufa macho kuliko kufa moyo- It is better to lose your eyes than to lose your heart.
Kila ndege huruka na mbawa zake- Every bird flies with its own wings.
Kupoteya njia ndiyo kujua njia- To get lost is to learn the way.
See the site mwambao (dot) com/methali (dot) htm for more proverbs.