You lot ready for the Tmazight ⵣ proverbs thread?? Here it comes!

PS: the following proverbs and sayings are still commonly in use in Adrar n' Nafussa. I only know these because my family use them regularly. If any of you know of any others please share!

PS 2: I will write each proverb in arabic script, Latin, and tifinagh. The translation and the context will follow in English.

1. "الي مي يتِتّ سوفوس انّس، مي اسّتشاينت اتشِيوِن انّس"

"Elli mi ytet sofoos'nnes, mi essetshayent etshewen'ennes"

ⵉⵍⵍⵉ ⵎⵉ ⵢⵜⵜ ⴰⵙ ⵓⴼⵓⵙ ⵏⵏⵙ, ⵎⵉ ⵉⵙⵙⴻⵜⵛⴰⵢⴻⵏⵜ ⵉⵜⵛⵉⵡⴻⵏ ⵏⵏⵙ

Literally: "who doesnt feed himself with his own hands, his servants/slaves wouldn't feed him"

Meaning:
someone should earn their own bread, and eat from the work of their own hands and not rely on others.

2. "مي يتقّيما آك سوف كان إيطغاغن انّس"

"mi yetteqqima ag soof, kan eṭɣaɣen'ennes"

ⵎⵉ ⵢⴻⵜⵜⴻⵇⵇⵉⵎⴰ ⴰⴳ ⵙⵓⴼ ⴽⴰⵏ ⵉⵟⵖⴰⵖⴻⵏ ⵏⵏⵙ

Literally: "nothing remains in a valley except its rocks"

This ohne has 2 meanings:

1. In the hardest of times, only the strongest and the most steadfast survive.

2. Also means that no one will benefit you or have your back, except your own people.

Context:
That's because valleys in Libya are usually dry except for once in a year...

when they suddenly start flowing with strong and scary streams. A lot of people drowned or were swept away by those valleys. (and actually still are)

3. "يرزاس آشّاو انّس"

"Yerzas ashaw'ennes"

ⵢⵔⵣⴰⵙ ⴰⵛⵛⴰⵡ ⵏⵏⵙ

Literally: "he/she broke smo's horn"

Used for when A is full of himself and B humbled him or put him back in place. That's because bulls or sheep with horns consider themselves stronger than their peers!

4. "بن آدم ام تزدايت، كل ما يمغر يتقّ أول"

"BinAdem am tizdayt, kol ma yemɣer, ytig ool"

ⴱⵏⴰⴷⴻⵎ ⴰⵎ ⵜⴻⵣⴷⴰⵢⵜ, ⴽⵓⵍ ⵎⴰ ⵢⴻⵎⵖⴻⵔ ⵢⵜⴳ ⵓⵍ

Literally : "A human is like a palm tree, he grows a new heart, the older he gets"

The context is rather interesting!

That's because some palm trees grow some sort of a little bud right at their roots that is called "the heart of the palm tree" (it's the white part in the picture) it grows back whenever it is cut.

5. "ايفاسّن انّس امقردشن"

"Eefassen'nnes mqirdshin"

ⵉⴼⴰⵙⵙⴻⵏ ⵏⵏⵙ ⵎⵇⴻⵔⴷⵛⴻⵏ

Literally: "His hands are used to the aqerdash"

Context : "aqerdash | آقرداش" is this tool that is used to make raw wool smoother for further processing...

This procedure آقردش precedes turning the wool into thin threads and requires a lot of hand work (i very much enjoyed watching my grandma use this!)
Therefore, this proverb is used to describe someone who has a light hand or always does good work, or who is generally gifted.

6. "مي يتتشارا آسِقرس"

"Mi yettetshara asigris"

ⵎⵉ ⵢⵜⴻⵜⵛⴰⵔⴰ ⴰⵙⴻⴳⵔⴻⵙ

Literally: "it doesnt fill a feeding bag"

Meaning : a feeding bag is this https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feedbag 

Used for when something has no or little benefit.
Also used to describe a short person .

7. "مي غرس أودم"

"Mi ɣris oodem"

ⵎⵉ ⵖⵔⵙ ⵓⴷⴻⵎ

Literally: "he doesn't have a face/visage"

Usage: to describe a shameless person.
Identical in meaning to the libyan saying : صحيح وجه

8. "فلان د آمجر"

"d' amjer"

ⴷ ⴰⵎⵊⴻⵔ

Literally: "he is a sickle"

Usage: to describe an envious person whose evil eye should be feared.

Context: A sickle or a reaping hook is an agricultural tool with a lot of (dangerously) curved blades, typically used for harvesting.

This is a sickle | آمجر called منجل in arabic.

Y'all have probably noticed the many agricultural references. Most nafussis used to be farmers or shepherds, if not merchants.

9. "آنوغّي ن ايزم د آس، د آنوغّي ن اوغرزول د آسوقّاس"

Anooɣɣi n eezm d' ass, d anooɣɣi n' ooɣerzool d' asoggas"

ⴰⵏⵓⵖⵖⵉ ⵏ ⵉⵣⴻⵎ ⴷ ⴰⵙ, ⴷ ⴰⵏⵓⵖⵖⵉ ⵏ ⵓⵖⴻⵔⵣⵓⵍ ⴷ ⴰⵙⵓⴳⴳⴰⵙ

Literally: "a quarrel of a lion lasts a day, and that of a dog lasts a year"

Meaning: a rational person should not bear a grudge against someone for long. Forgive and forget people.

A lion symbolizes majesty, strength, courage and most importantly rationality. Dogs are cowards.

10. "اسّنغ آمان انّس ماني نغّلِن"

"isnegh aman ennes mani neghlen"

ⵉⵙⵙⵏⴻⵖ ⴰⵎⴰⵏ ⵏⵏⵙ ⵎⴰⵏⵉ ⵏⴻⵖⵍⴻⵏ

Literally: "I know where his water flows into"

Meaning: I know what he means, I know his intentions

10. "أول انّس يتشيت آمنيش"

"ool'nnes yetsheet amnish"

Literally: "His heart was eaten by a (male) cat"

ⵓⵍ ⵏⵏⵙ ⵉⵜⵛⵉⵜ ⴰⵎⵏⵉⵛ

Usage: is used on someone who's lost the will to do something. Who has maybe been discouraged, or put off.

12. "آم صفّيت"

"am siffit"

ⴰⵎ ⵚⴻⴼⴼⵉⵜ

Literally: "(as high) as Siffit"

Usage: used on anything that is big or located on a high location. Also to descibe a tall Person.

this is Siffit. The only Roman monument in elGal3a. More context in the next tweet:
: @NaZz_mag

Siffit is built on the highest hill in Elgal3a, so that you can see it from every where inside the town! and up to some point in the past it was the highest place, so people used it for comparison :)

this saying however, is very Yefren/gal3a specific.

Oh btw, this Monument has been well preserved until Gaddafi Forces targetted it in 2011 as they were attacking elgal3a. The battle was named "معركة صفيت"

13. "آف آكوردي يسلوغ آحولي"

"Af acordi yeslooɣ a7ooli'nnes"

ⴰⴼ ⴰⴽⵓⵔⴷⵉ ⵢⴻⵙⵍⵓⵖ ⴰⵃⵓⵍⵉ

Literally: "he ruined his a7oli because of a flea"

Usages:
1. for when smo is always in a rush so that they end up doing things wrong.
2. on people who act exaggeratingly &

clumsily in Situation that require rationality & sensibilty.

Context:
In the past, when it was fleas season ppl cleaned their garments from fleas that hung on them by bringing them close to a fire. doing this wrong might cause the wool garment to catch fire!
this is an a7oli:

14. "آيد الي اييگ اشّنونْ إيل أوكرشون"

"ayed elli ayeeg eshnoon eel ookershoon"

ⴰⵢⴻⴷ ⵉⵍⵍⵉ ⴰⵢⵉⴳ ⵉⵛⵏⵓⵏ ⵉⵍ ⵓⴽⴻⵔⵛⵓⵏ

"that's (what happens) when you make a foal feel important"

Usage: when u honour or respect smo who doesn't deserve this honour or respect

15. "آل تشوشا انّس"

"al tshoosha'nnes"

ⴰⵍ ⵜⵛⵓⵛⴰ ⵏⵏⵙ

"up to his tshoosha"

Usage: for when smo is very busy, or when they're stuck deeply in a Problem.

tshoosha is a lock of hair left on a baby's head after shaving. Couldn't find a picture that demonstrates it :(

16. "آترّاس مي يتاقل تاوالت انّس"

"aterras mi ytagel tawalt'nnes"

ⴰⵜⴻⵔⵔⴰⵙ ⵎⵉ ⵢⵜⴰⴳⴻⵍ ⵜⴰⵡⴰⵍⵜ ⵏⵏⵙ

"a man doesn't hang his word"

Meaning: a good person stands to his word/does not break his promise.

17. "امّاك أوستو گـ أوژِطّا"

"ammak oostoo ag oozi66a"

ⴰⵎⵎⴰⴽ ⵓⵙⵜⵓ ⴰⴳ ⵯⵣⴻⵟⴰ

"like the threads of the Azi66a"

Usage: for when things are in equal length or are alligned nicely.

this is an azi66a:

so it's a traditional weaving machine used for making most wool garments in all NA including the a7oli & Tlaba. The word Azi66a is not only used for the machine, but also for thwe entire weaving process.

As you can clearly see from the pictures the threads are perfectly alligned