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.
216. Napas rémié fimié sec. (Ne remuez pas le fumier sec.)
"Don't stir up dry manure."--Said to those who desire to resurrect forgotten scandal.--[_Mauritius._]
217. Napas vous sangsie qui a monté làhaut moi. (Ce n'est pas votre sangsue qui montera sur moi.)
"Your leech isn't going to climb on me." That is: you shan't take advantage of me.--[_Mauritius._]
218. Napas vous laliane darzent qui a monté làhaut mo tonelle. (Ce n'est pas votre liane d'argent qui montera sur ma tonnelle.)
"It isn't your silver creeper that is going to climb over my summer house."[90]--[_Mauritius._]
[90] Said by young girls to those whose advances are disagreeable. _Khè lanmou pas ka sauté_ ("heart-of-love does not yet leap") would be the more polite response of a Martinique girl.
219. * Napas zoué av difé; wou a boulé vous çimise. (Ne jouez pas avec le feu; vous vous brûlerez la chemise.)
"Play with the fire and you'll burn your shirt." This proverb appears to be current wherever any form of the patois prevails.--[_Mauritius._]
220. Nîon doight pas jamain mangé calalou. (Avec un seul doigt on ne peut jamais manger du calalou.)
"You can't eat calalou with one finger."[91]--[_Hayti._]
[91] The West Indian _calalou_ is made almost precisely like our _gombo_-soup. The word is of African origin according to Turiault.
221. Nhomme mort, zhèbes ka lever douvant lapôte li. ([Quand] un homme [est] mort, l'herbe pousse [lit.: s'élève] devant sa porte.)
"When a man is dead, the grass grows tall before his door."--[_Trinidad._]
222. Nououi chouval pou baille zofficié monté. (Nourir des chevaux pour les donner à monter aux officiers.)
"Feed horses for officers to ride." To be the victim of one's own foolish liberality.--[_Martinique._]