82. C’est pas toutt les-jou guiabe n’empòte you pauve nhomme. (Ce n’est pas tous les jours que le diable emporte un homme pauvre.)
“It isn’t every day that the devil carries off a poor man.”—[Martinique.]
83. Cé souliers tout-sêl qui save si bas tinî tous. (Ce sont les souliers seuls qui savent si les bas ont des trous.)
“It’s only the shoes that know if the stockings have holes.”—[Trinidad.]
84. Chaque bêtè-à-fè clairé pou nânme yo. (Chaque mouche-à-feu éclaire pour son âme.)
“Every fire-fly makes light for its own soul;” that is to say, “Every one for himself.”—[Martinique.]
85. Chatt pas là, ratt ka baill[35] bal. (Absent le chat, les rats donnent un bal.)
“When the cat’s away the rats give a ball.”—[Martinique.]
[35] Baïll (to give) affords example of a quaint French verb preserved in the Creole dialect,—bailler. It can be found in Molière. Formerly a Frenchman would have said, “Bailler sa foi, bailler sa parole.” It is now little used in France, except in such colloquialisms as, “Vous me la baillez belle!”