Afghan Proverbs Part I

A

* آب رفته به جوی بر نمی گردد
o Transliteration: "Aab-e rafta ba joy bar na'me gardad."
o English Translation: What is done cannot be undone.

* آزموده را آزمودن خطاست
o Transliteration: "Aazmoda ra aazmodan khata'st."
o English Translation: It is a mistake to try the tried one.

* ارزان بی علت نیست و قیمت بی همت(hekmat)
o Transliteration: "Arzaan bay ellat nest, qimat be hekmat."
o English Translation: Cheap things don't come without problems; expensive things don't come without effort.

* از بد بدتر شد
o Transliteration: "Az bad badtar shud!"
o English Translation: It got even worse!

* از بد بدتر اش توبه
o Transliteration: "Az bad bad'taresh toba."
o English Translation: Fear the worst.

* از آدم بیکار خدا بیزار
o Transliteration: "Az adam-e bekar khoda bezar."
o English Translation: Even God is fed up of workless(lazy} people.

B

* با چل چل سگ دریا مردار نمیشود
o Transliteration: "Ba chal-chale saggh darya mordar namaisha."
o English Translation: The river won't get dirty just by the leap of a dog.

* باری کج به منزل نمی رسد
o Transliteration: "Bar-e kajj ba-manzel na-merasad."
o English Translation: A tilted load won’t reach its destination.

* باصلح گفتن دنیا آرام نمی شود
o Transliteration: "Ba solha-goftan dunya aram namishawad."
o English Translation: The world will not find rest by just saying "Peace."

* باحلوا گفتن دهان شیرین نمی شود
o Transliteration: "Ba halwa goftan dahan shirin namishawad."
o English Translation: The mouth can not taste sweet just by speaking sweetly.

* با ماه نیشینی ماه شوی، با دیگ نیشنی سیاه شوی
o Transliteration: "Ba mah nesheen mah shawe -- ba deg nesheni siah shawe."
o English Translation: If you sit with the moon, you will become like the moon. If you sit beside a cooking pot, you will become black.
o English Equivalent: A man is known by the company he keeps.

* بدبختها ها سرخود یاد ميگيرند، خوش بختها سر دیگران میبینند
o Transliteration: "Bad bakhta sare khod yaad megeeran, khosh bakhta sare deegaran."
o English Translation: Unfortunates learn from their own mistakes, and the lucky ones learn from others' mistakes.

* بعد از هر تاریکی روشنایی است
o Transliteration: "Ba'd az har tariki, roshanai ast."
o English Translation: After every darkness is light.

D

* دیوارها موش دارد موشها گوش
o Transliteration: "Dewar ha mush darad, mush ha gosh."
o English Translation: Walls have mice, mice [have] ears.

* دوست آنست که دست آدم را در پریشان حالی ودرماندگی اش بگیرد
o Transliteration: "Dost an ast ke dest-e Adam ra dar pereshan hali o dar mandagish bigirad."
o English Translation: A real friend takes the hand of his friend in overwhelming worry and fire.

* دوتربوز دریک دست گرفته نمیشود
o Transliteration: "Du tarbuz da yak dest grefta na-mesha."
o English Translation: Two watermelons can’t be grabbed in one hand.

*
o he who tries to walk on water will drown.


G

* گل پشت و روی ندارد
o Transliteration: "Gul pusht o rui na-dara."
o English Translation: The flower has no front or back.

H

* هرتاریکی از خود روشنی دارد
o Transliteration: "Har tariky az khood khow rooshnay darad."
o English Equivalent: Every cloud has a silver lining.

* هرچیز به اندازه
o Transliteration: "Har chiz ba andaza."
o English Translation: Everything with moderation.

* هرسخن جایی و هرنقطه مکانی دارد
o Transliteration: Har sokhan jayee va har noqta makani darad."
o English Translation: Every word has a place and every dot a coordination.

* هر جای که سنگ است, به پای بز لنگ است
o Transliteration: "Har jaye ke sang as, ba pai e boz e lang as."
o English Translation: Every rock strikes the feet of disabled goat.

J

* جنگل که در گرفت، تر و خشک میسوزد
o Transliteration: "Jangal ke dar greft, khusk o tar mesoza."
o English Translation: If a forest catches fire, both the dry and the wet will burn.

* جوینده یابنده است
o Transliteration: "Joyenda yabenda st."
o English Translation: The seeker is a finder.