"The monkey could nourish its young, before there were any avocadoes."[4]--[_Martinique._]
[4] The Avocado was the name given by the Spanish conquistadores to the Persea gratissima, whose fruit is the "alligator pear." But M. Turiault again traces the Spanish word back to the Carib word Aouacate.
6. Azourdi casse en fin; dimain tape langouti. (Aujourd'hui bien mis; demain en langouti.)
"Well dressed to-day; only a langouti[5] tomorrow."--[_Mauritius._]
[5] The langouti was the garment worn about the loins by male slaves in Mauritius--who were wont to labor otherwise naked. In Creole both _caser_ and _taper_ signify "to put on," with the difference that _caser_ generally refers to good clothes. In colloquial French _tapé_ means "stylishly dressed," "well-rigged-out," etc.
7. Azourdi soûle bon temps, dimain pagayé. (Aujourd'hui soûl de plaisir, demain la pagaye.)
"To-day drunk with fun, to-morrow the paddle." Allusion to slavery discipline.--[_Mauritius._]
8. Azourdi tout marmites dibout làhaut difé. (Aujourd'hui toutes les marmites sont debout sur le feu.)
"All the cooking-pots are on the fire now." One man is now as good as another:--this proverb evidently refers to the abolition of slavery.--[_Mauritius._]
9. Azourdi tout femmes alle confesse, més lhére zautes tourne léglise dìabe zétte encore pécé av zautes. (Aujourd'hui toutes les femmes vont à confesse; mais quand elles reviennent de l'église le diable leur jette encore des péchés.)
"All the women go to confession now-a-days; but they no sooner return from church, than the devil piles more sins upon them."--[_Mauritius._]
10. Babe canmarade ou pris difé, rousé ta ou. (Quand la barbe de ton camarade brûle, arrose la tienne.)
"If you see your neighbor's beard on fire, water your own."[6]--[_Martinique._]
[6] "Take example by the misfortune of others." I much doubt the Creole origin of any proverb relating to the _beard_. This one, like many others in the collection, has probably been borrowed from a European source; but it furnishes a fine sample of patois. In Louisiana Creole we would say _to quenne_ instead of _ta ou_. The Spanish origin of the Creole _quenne_ is obvious.
11. Babiez mouche, babiez viande. (Grondez les mouches, grondez la viande.)