212. Montagnes zamés zoinde, domounde zoinde. (Les montagnes ne se rencontrent jamais, les hommes se rencontrent.)
“Mountains, only, never meet; men meet.”—We are certain to encounter friends and enemies under the most unlikely circumstances.—[Mauritius.]
213. Mounn ouè défaut les-zautt, yo pas ni zié pou ta yo. (Les gens voient les défauts des autres, ils n’ont pas d’yeux pour les leurs.)
“Folks see the faults of others; they have no eyes for their own.”[88]—[Martinique.]
[88] This proverb, not being of true Creole origin, receives a place here as an illustration of effective patois. In Louisiana we never say ta yo, but so quenne....Were all proverbs used by the Creole-speaking people included in this collection, it would be considerably longer. Nearly all familiar English proverbs have received Creole adoption, with slight modifications; for example, instead of “putting the cart before the horse,” the Mauritian negro mette çarette divant milét, puts the cart before the mule—an animal with which he is more familiar.
214. Moustique pitit; més lhére li çanté vous zoréye plein. (Le moustique est petit; mais quand il chante, votre oreille en est pleine.)
“The mosquito is little; but when he sings, your ears are full of him.”—[Mauritius.]
215. Napas éna fromaze qui napas trouve so macathia. (Il n’y a pas de fromage qui ne trouve son pain bis.)
“There’s no cheese but what can find brown bread.”[89]—[Mauritius.]
[89] That is to say, whoever has a bit of cheese can always find a bit of brown bread to eat with it. There never was a girl so ugly that she could not find a husband.