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The Maltese and Gozitans have kept their wisdom and tradition, not to mention humour, safe in the form of Proverbs that have survived from generation to generation. Here are listed a few, and their literal translation.

RAGEL U MARA (Man and Woman)

MARA SA DAHKET BIX-XITAN.
A woman has even cheated the devil.

ID-DBIELET TWAL IKARKRU T-TRAB, IMMA D-DBIELET QOSRA JKARKRU L-ERWIEH.
Long skirts carry dust, but short skirts carry away souls.

MARA GHANDHA SEBAT ERWIEH.
A woman has got seven souls.

RAGEL JAHLEF U MARA TIBKI TEMMINHOMX.
Believe not a swearing man and a weeping woman.

RAGEL U QATTA TIBEN TNEJN.
A man and a sheaf of straw make two.

IN-NISA XAGHARHOM TWIL U S-SENS QASIR.
Women have got long hair and short sense.

SESS U MHABBA (Sex and Love)

AHJAR XIH U GHAREF MILLI ZAGHZUGH U IBLEH.
Better (marry) an old but wise man than a young but foolish man.

BAQRA TAJBA TINBIEGH F'PAJJIZHA.
A good cow gets sold in its own country.

BEWSA MINGHAJR TAGHNIQA DONNHA WARDA MINGHAJR FWIEHA.
A kiss without a hug is like a flower without fragrance.

META DDAHHAL IC-CURKETT TAT-TIEG, TGHADDAS RASEK GHAL KULL M'HU MEHTIEG.
Once you put on the wedding ring you must submit to all that is necessary.

JEKK IR-RAGEL JIKXEF KARUSU, IL-MARA TIEHDU GHAL FLUSU.
If the man lets a woman know what he has got in his saving box, she will marry him for his money.

IL-GRAZZJA AQWA MILL-GMIEL.
Charm is stronger than beauty.

MIN IHOBB IBATI.
He who loves suffers.

L-IMHABBA GHAMJA.
Love is blind.

MIN JITBELLAH GHALL-MARA JKUN WASAL GHALL-HALA.
He who makes a fool of himself on account of a woman is well nigh ruined.

IL-MARA LI MA TIFHIMX B'DAQQA T'GHAJN MA TIFHIMX B'DAQQA TA' PONN.
A woman who does not understand by a look of the eye won't understand by a box of the fist.

MIN JISMA MILL-MARA, WICC ALLA QATT MA JARA.
He who follows his wife's advice will never see the face of God.

ZWIEG MINGHAJR NAMUR, KONSEGWENZI U DULUR.
Marriage without love-making means sad consequences and sorrow.

BOGHOD MILL-GHAJN, BOGHOD MIL-QALB.
Far from the eye far from the heart.

TIHUX GHARUSA SABIHA GHAX IKOLLOK THARISHA.
Don't marry a good-looking bride for you'll have to watch her.

FEJN THOBB IL-QALB JIMXU R-RIGLEJN.
Where the heart loves, there the legs walk.

HU RAGEL AKBAR MINNEK U MHUX ZAGHZUGH JIXBA' MINNEK.
Marry a man older than you and not a younger man, who will tire of you.

IR-RAGEL TIGIEGA U L-MARA SERDUQ, ID-DAR TINQALEB TA' TAHT FUQ.
When the husband is a hen and the wife is a cock, the house is topsy-turvy.

IZ-ZWIEG LAGHQA GHASEL, BITTIJA MRAR.
Marriage is a lick of honey and a barrel of bitter.

HAJJA (Life)

IL-BNIEDEM QATTA XEWK.
Man is a faggot of thorns.

KULHADD TAD-DEMM U L-LAHAM.
We are all flesh and blood.

ID-DINJA HMERIJA: DAK LI TARAH SABIH FIL-GHODU TARAH IKREH FILGHAXIJA.
The world is nonsense: what looks beautiful in the morning looks ugly in the evening.

FID-DINJA PINTA HELU U BITIJA MORR.
In this world a pint of sweetness and a barrel of bitterness.

MIN MA JGARRABX IL-HAZIN MA JAFX IT-TAJJEB.
He who has had no experience of evil cannot know the worth of what is good..

GAWDI GHAX MID-DINJA M'GHANDNA XEJN.
Enjoy yourself, for there is nothing in the world we can call our own.

ILLUM JIEN U GHADA INT.
Today me, tomorrow you..

WARA L-MALTEMP JIGI L-BNAZZI.
After bad weather comes fine weather.

M'HEMMX WARDA BLA XEWK.
There is no rose without thorns.

MEWT (Death)

HADD MA JIEHU XEJN MIEGHU.
No one takes away anything with him.

IL-MEWT MA TAHFIRHA 'L HADD.
Death spares no one.

MEWT TA WIEHED HAJJA T'IEHOR.
One man's death is another man's life.

QUDDIEM IL-MEWT KULHADD XORTA.
We are all equal before death.

IL-MEWT ISSEWWI KOLLOX.
Death rights everything.

ZGUR IL-MEWT.
Only death is certain.

FLUS (Money)

BIL-FLUS TAGHMEL TRIQ FIL-BAHAR.
With money you can build a road in the sea.

IL-FLUS TAGHMEL IL-FLUS, WIL-QAMEL TAGHMEL IL-QAMEL.
Money begets money, and fleas beget fleas.

BLA FLUS LA TGHANNAQ U LANQAS TBUS.
Without money you can neither hug nor kiss.

BIL-FLUS HADD MA JIXTRI IL-GENNA.
You cannot buy heaven with money.

MORE PROVERBS

IL-MISTOQSIJA OHT IL-GHERF.
Asking is the sister of knowing.

ILSIEN TA MARA JXOQQ IL-GHADAM.
A womans tongue cracks bones.

TRID TOQTOL IL-BRIMBA BIEX TNEHHI L-GHANQBUTA.
You must kill the spider to get rid of the cobweb.

GHALL-BEJJIEGH GHAJN WAHDA U GHAX-XERREJ MITT GHAJN.
The seller has one eye, the buyer, one hundred

AHJAR WEGGHA MINN DEMGHA.
Better an ache than a tear.

IL-LIGI MHUX GHAS-SINJUR.
The law is not made for the rich.

KULL TAJRA TIFRAH BRIXHA.
Every bird is proud of its feathers.

TAGHMILX ZALZA QABEL TAQBAD IL-HUT.
Dont make sauce before catching fish.

TMIEM TAJJEB ISEWWI KOLLOX.
All is well that ends well.

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