320. * Toutt joué c’est joué; mais cassé bois dans bonda macaque—ça pas joué. (Tout [façon de] jouer c’est jouer; mais ce n’est pas jouer que de casser du bois dans le derrière du macaque.)
. . . . . . . . [137]—[Martinique.]
[137] This ridiculous observation is unsuitable for translation. Nevertheless we have an English, or perhaps an American, proverb equally vulgar, which may have inspired, or been derived from, the Creole one. In the English saying, the words “joking” and “provoking” are used as rhymes. The moral is precisely similar to that of [No. 322].
In old days the Creole story-teller would always announce his intention of beginning a tale by the exclamation “Tim-tim!” whereupon the audience would shout in reply, “Bois sec;” and the story-teller would cry again, “Cassez-li,” to which the chorus would add “. . . . dans tchu (bonda) macaque.” Thus the story-teller intimated that he had no intention of merely “joking,” but intended to tell the whole truth and nothing else—“a real good story”—tois fois bonne conte!
321. * Toutt jour c’est pas dimanche. (Tous les jours ne sont pas le dimanche.)
“Every day isn’t Sunday.”—[Louisiana.]
322. Tou jwé sa jwé; me bwa là zòrè sa pa jwé. (Tout [façon de] jouer c’est jouer; mais enfoncer du bois dans l’oreille n’est pas jouer.)
“All play is play; but poking a piece of wood into one’s ear isn’t play.”—[Guyane.]
323. * Tout macaque trouvé so piti joli. (Tout macaque trouve son petit joli.)
“Every monkey thinks its young one pretty.”—[Louisiana.]