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Kurdish Proverbs

The wit and wisdom of Kurdish sayings — each proverb with its translation and meaning.

Eger xêr bê welatekiwê bigihije hemi cihê welat.
If goodness comes to a land, it reaches every corner of it.
Em dibêjin bavê me ji birçiyan di mire, ew dîbe hûn çima birinç kî jê re çênakin
We say our father is dying of hunger; he asks why we did not cook him rice.
Erd birinc be, av rûn be
May the ground be rice and the water be oil.
Erd birinc be, av rûn be, ku xwedi tunebe zû xelas dibe.
Even if the ground were rice and the water were oil, without an owner it would soon be exhausted.
Êş hat Şamê, ecelhati mirin.
The plague came to Damascus; only those whose hour had come died.
Eyarê bênamûsa firehe
The shameless man's hide is thick.
Eyba reş, fedya giran
A black disgrace brings heavy shame.
Ez çi dibêjim bilûra mi çi dibêje
What I say and what my flute says are two different things.
Ez ezim tu tuye.
I am me, and you are you.
Fala qereçîya lihev derdikeve
The gypsy's fortune-telling is always the same; sooner or later it hits the mark.