1 A few dead flies in perfume
make all of it stink,
and a little foolishness
outweighs a lot of wisdom.
2 Sensible thoughts lead you
to do right;
foolish thoughts lead you
to do wrong.
3 Fools show their stupidity
by the way they live;
it's easy to see
they have no sense.
4 Don't give up your job
when your boss gets angry.
If you stay calm,
you'll be forgiven.
5 Rulers do some things that are terribly unfair: 6 They honor fools, but dishonor the rich; 7 they let slaves ride on horses, but force slave owners to walk.
8 If you dig a pit,
you might fall in;
if you break down a wall,
a snake might bite you.
9 You could even get hurt
by chiseling a stone
or chopping a log.
10 If you don't sharpen your ax,
it will be harder to use;
if you are wise,
you'll know what to do.
11 The power to charm a snake
does you no good
if it bites you anyway.
12 If you talk sensibly,
you will have friends;
if you talk foolishly,
you will destroy yourself.
13 Fools begin with nonsense,
and their stupid chatter
ends with disaster.
14 They never tire of talking,
but none of us really know
what the future will bring.
15 Fools wear themselves out—
they don't know enough
to find their way home.
16 A country is in for trouble
when its ruler is childish,
and its leaders
party all day long.
17 But a nation will prosper
when its ruler is mature,
and its leaders
don't party too much.
18 Some people are too lazy
to fix a leaky roof—
then the house collapses.
19 Eating and drinking
make you feel happy,
and money can buy
everything you need.
20 Don't let yourself think about
cursing the king;
don't curse the rich,
not even in secret.
A little bird might hear
and tell everything.
1 Thuzi dzakafa dzonuhwisa zwizholo zwakabipa,
saikoko bulengwe butukununu gokulila butjenjedu ne gudzo.
2 Moyo we ntjenjedu unolinga zwakalulwama,
koga we tjilengwe unolinga zwakabipa.
3 Nenguba tjilengwe tjiyenda mu zila, atjina mano,
koga tjoyenda tjilakidza mmwe ne mmwe kuti tjilengwe.
4 Ha mbusi ekugwadzila moyo, usibhude pa uyapo,
ngoti kugadzikana kozwimba milandu mikulu.
5 Kuna bubi gwandakabona mu shango,
godwa pa kuleyanya kwe babusi,
6 bulengwe gowanika mu mamo manjinji a pezhugwi,
koga bafumi bali mu mamo a pasi.
7 Ndakabona balanda bakatatha mbizi,
ne makulukota betshamba ne gumbo se balanda.
8 Iye unotsha gomba unowowila mu lili,
ne nyoka inowoluma iye unowothuka guma.
9 Iye uno pkhwanya mabgwe unowokubadziwa ndiwo,
naiye unophapha hwuni unowokubadziwa ne mbatsha dze hwuni.
10 Shathu ha lakapuma, ngono nthu asakalikuswa,
wakafanila kushingisa masimba,
koga butjenjedu gobhatsha nthu kubhudilila.
11 Ha nyoka ingaluma isathu ikalapiwa,
nlapi haatjina nshingo.
12 Matama e nlomo we ntjenjedu anompa gudzo,
koga milomo ye tjilengwe inotjibulaya.
13 Tjotanga ne kuleba bulengwe tjikanopedza tjileba bubi
gwe bupengo.
14 Tjilengwe tjobalabala, akuna unoziba kuti mangwana kowobeni,
hakuna ungaleba kuti kowoshingikalani shule kwatjo.
15 Kushinga kwe tjilengwe kotjinyadza kwatjinopelela
tjisingatjazibe zila inoyenda ku nzi nkulu.
16 Yee mme wee! Mapalala imwi shango ha mambo wenyu ali itojana,
ne makulukota enyu ana nzano mangwanana.
17 Wakakombolegwa iwe shango, ha mambo uwo akazwagwa mu nsha we bushe,
ne makulukota enyu ebe ne nzano mu tjibaka tjakalingisana,
kuti ba sime, kusikuti balaladze.
18 Nge busimbe denga le ng'umba lowila,
ne kusazwibhatila ne maboko ng'umba ino na.
19 Nzano wakathamigwa kushatha,
ne nkumbi we zhambi wakathamigwa zipisa butjilo,
ne mari i dabilo ye tjimwe ne tjimwe.
20 Ne mu nkumbulo uwo, usitongolonga mambo bhiso,
kene uli mu ng'umbana iyo ye bulalo usilonge bafumi bhiso,
ngobe nyuni ye phepo inga senga hwi lilo,
kene tjimwe tjina mapapilo tjingasenga matama awo.