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The folklore of Yemen is a rich lode whichhas been only sparsely mined. The southern part of the ArabianPeninsula is especially rich in the varieties of folk literature(poetry, proverbs, stories, songs) because these are still part of alive tradition. One of the benefits stemming from the long isolationof the region is that the folklore has been preserved and revived asin no other country of the Middle East. Only a few foreign scholarshave come to Yemen to study various aspects of the oral literature.The bulk of the documentation is coming from Yemeni scholars withnumerous new books every year.
The proverb is an integral part of everydayspeech in Yemeni society. Many proverbs have already been recorded,some of which share in the wider tradition of the Arab World and someof which are more or less universal. The largest volume publishedthus far is the major work of Qadi Isma'il al-Akwa' [See AIYSNewsletter, #18, pp.7-8 (1985)]. The most recent edition to thegenre is an Arabic text edited by Shaykh Muhammad 'Uthman Thabital-Adimi, Al-Tharwa al-Yamaniya min al-amthal al-sha'biya[Yemeni Heritage from Traditional Proverbs]. This waspublished in 1989 by the author (no publisher indicated) in a nicelybound edition of 496 pages. The book was printed in Beirut, despitethe ongoing war there. The proverbs are arranged in alphabeticalorder and numbered consecutively for each letter of the Arabicalphabet. The compiler provides notes on some of the more difficultterms and twists of meaning, although the details are not aselaborate as in the work of Qadi al-Akwa'.
The fun of reading through a book ofproverbs is the range of subjects covered. Some of the examples havea distinct Yemeni flavor. For example, "The Marib dam was destroyedby a mouse" (sud Ma'rib akhrabuh fa'r ), a reference to thelegend that this great architectural wonder of the ancient world washumbled by a small mouse. Many of the proverbs express commonwitticisms that easily translate. Thus, "The road to honor is fullof thorns" (tariq al-'izz mushwiq). Or, "The owner of thehouse knows what's in it" (sahib al-bayt adra bi-ma fihi ). Or, "One hour like honey, another like an onion" (sa'a 'asalwa-sa'a basal ).
Many proverbs recorded in this volume (as inmost published collections) refer to women, usually not in aflattering manner. Perhaps this is due to the fact most complierstend to record proverbs from men. While women indeed have their ownproverbs and retorts, the men who collect proverbs tend to beignorant or to deliberately ignore these. Some sentiments cross theborders of the peninsula, such as "A woman's weapon is her tongue"(silah al-mar'at lisanuha ). Some are innocent yet poignent,such as "a weapon in the hand of an old woman" (silah bi-yad 'ajuz), i.e., in the hands of someone unable to use it.
One refreshing aspect about this particularvolume is that the author is not reluctant to record examples of whatmight be called barnyard humor in another context. Thus, when yousee someone fooling around with magic, you can say "The Devil pissedin his ear" (shakh Iblis fi udhunih ). Or, one that I wantput to memory for the appropriate occasion: "In the donkey suqI don't worry if I hear a fart" (suq al-himar wa-la tubalibi-dartuh).
If you are looking for a quick andentertaining way to steep yourself in Yemeni culture, then startreading through this volume of proverbs. But act quickly, as it willprobably disappear from the market before you know it.