Hello, everyone. As some of you may know Iraq is a country with a long history that goes back thousands of years. Since its inception, many proverbs came out and have been shared around the country. In this post, I will start with a literal translation and then attempt to translate the meaning of which as well as the story behind it.
A crow tells another: your face is dark
This one comes from the fact that crows are often thought of as a source of misfortune. It is kinda like saying "The pot calls the kettle black" but in this case, both would be miserable and jinxed.
They killed four and he is still getting ready
This one comes from a folks tale. It is said that there was a war breaking between two tribes in the countryside of Iraq. One tribe attacked another, killing one of their men. So to fight back the other tribe gathered its men and went to respond. The other tribe, however, one of their men was a coward.
So, as the fight broke between the two tribes, the man's wife was calling for him to join, to which he would respond "I am getting ready". The old men were also calling for him and he would say the same response. Eventually, the fight died down and four were killed.
When the man's wife was asked about where he was, she responded "They killed four and he was still getting ready"
This saying is used to describe a coward who doesn't aid their friend during a fight.
The stone you don't like could break your skull
This proverb is shared whenever someone shares their dislike of someone prematurely based on appearance alone.
He entrusted a cat with a piece of meat
This proverb is shared whenever someone entrusts something to a person who is untrustworthy, or can't be trusted with that specific item. Like trusting money with a thief or a gun with a maniac.
The point of the proverb is to say that the item entrusted will be either used, lost, or become unusable.
He runs when dinner is Malva
In Iraq, Malva was a plant worthless in price. It would grow everywhere. The running part in the proverb refers to working hard, so in translating the meaning it becomes: He works hard and dinner is worthless. So basically someone working hard and getting little to no reward.
After Iraq/Kuwait war, Iraq faced a lot of sanctions, so many people resorted to eating this plant from the ground or making soups with it.
The funny part is that this plant has actually grown in price to match that of potatoes here. And it was discovered to have many other benefits, which caused its price to go up. So while the proverb is still used, its meaning isn't as strong as before.
A mirror to your face but a thorn to your back
This one is often used to describe someone who would compliment you to your face but in your back, they'd talk shit about you, Basically a hypocrite.
The end
Did you like any of these? Do you have similar proverbs where you're from? Share in the comments below.