Gaelic Proverbs: Wealth and Poverty (1906)
Collected by the Gaelic Revival Association of Ottawa, Ontario
This collection of Irish proverbs was meticulously compiled by Edmund P. Stanton, the Gaelic Revival Association’s language instructor and vice-president, as well as chief clerk of Canada’s Postal Service. Found in one of the only surviving society papers, this treasury gives a glimpse into the language that was being taught and spoken in Ottawa at the time. Stanton believed these proverbs revealed the true character of the Irish mind, introducing his collection by writing:
“For the bulk of Irish or Gaelic proverbs it may safely be said that in felicity of expression, in terseness of phrase, in epigrammatic quality, in compactness of thought, and quick shrewd seizing of a situation with a corresponding readiness to express it, it is hard to beat them… [these proverbs] it is the duty of those imbued with the spirit of the Gaelic movement not only to cherish but to use.”
Wealth and Poverty
Níl gaol ag aoinne le duine bocht - The poor have no relations
Scadán ar fhód fuar i bhfad suas ón tine - A herring on a cold sod, and far from the fire
Ag dul síos den ghrian, is mairg nach mbíonn rud aige - Woe to him who has nothing in his bag at sundown
Searbhghlór an té bhíos lom - How harsh is the voice of the poor
Lia gach boicht bás - Death is the poor man’s doctor
Gabháil den tua seo i mbaic a mhuinéal don té tabharfadh a chuid go léir do mhac nó d’iníon - Better an axe straight to his neck, who, for the sake of child or chick, will leave himself without a speck
Go saibhir réir a aonta - The rich man can do as he likes
Duine gan stór bíonn sé ‘na spórt ag ainnis an tsaoil - The poor are the sport of the world
Ní hí an ainnis ach an tarcaisne leanann í - Need is not the worst, but the contempt for it
Ní thuigeann an sách an seang - A full stomach doesn’t understand a lean one
D’fhoirfeodh rud ar bith d’fhear noichte - Any clothes will fit a naked man
Is maith leis na mnáibh dealbha na bláthaí - A poor woman thinks sour milk lovely
Is deacair do sac folamh seasamh - It is hard for an empty bag to stand upright
Adapted from prose into list format based on: Gaelic Revival Association of Ottawa. 1906. Ottawa University Review. Vol 8 no 9 (June).
For citation, please use: Gaelic Revival Association of Ottawa. 1906. “Gaelic Proverbs: Wealth and Poverty.” Ó Dubhghaill, Dónall. 2024. Na Gaeil san Áit Ró-Fhuar. Gaeltacht an Oileáin Úir: www.gaeilge.ca
