Asif Hacılı’s book “Ahıska Türk Folkloru” records 719 Ahıska proverbs; all of them are in our Proverbs section. We give translations only for those checked with a native speaker: an invented translation spoils a proverb more irreversibly than having none. Here are twelve of them.
- Aac dibindən su içər. — A tree drinks water from its own root — stay true to your roots.
- Ana kimi yar olmaz, vətən kimi dövlət. — No friend like a mother, no wealth like a homeland.
- Aac əkənə rəhmət oxunur. — One who plants a tree is remembered with blessings.
- Adam adi ilə tanınur. — A person is known by their name.
- Aır gazan gec gaynar. — A heavy cauldron boils slowly — big things take time.
- Allah bin dərt vermiş, bin bir də dərman. — God gave a thousand ills and a thousand-and-one cures.
- Ağlamağınan gülməx bacı-qardaşdır. — Weeping and laughter are brother and sister.
- Ayın on beş güni qaranlıq, on beş güni aydınlıq. — Half the month is dark, half is bright — good follows hardship.
- Əmanətə xəyanət olmaz. — A trust must never be betrayed.
- Atılan ox geri dönməz. — A loosed arrow never returns.
- Aşığa sinək səsi saz gəlir. — To a lover, a gnat’s buzz sounds like music.
- Avi meşədən küsmüş, meşənin xəbəri yox. — The bear sulks at the forest, and the forest has no idea.
Know a proverb that is missing here, or remember one differently? Record an elder in Oral history — so the proverb is kept together with the voice.