Traditional Jamaican proverb · taught in St. Mary
Chikin meri, aak de nier.
When the chicken is merriest, the hawk is near.
In your happiest moments, stay watchful — danger comes without warning.
two-clause parallelism, no linking word
Two clipped halves set side by side with no when and no is between them; you supply the link yourself, and the prey is named before the hunter.
This one is taught in St. Mary.
The grammatical categories this description uses — clause type, mood, and the sound patterning noted where it carries the proverb — follow Unseth's framework for describing a proverb rather than only translating it.
The proverb is folk material. The description of how it is put together follows the framework in the work above; the translation and the commentary are mine.
Hear it, and collect the rest →