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Is this a proverb?

de acdibble, 5 décembre 2010

Messages : 9

Langue: English

acdibble (Voir le profil) 5 décembre 2010 19:30:13

Mi regalis la diablon, li donacis al mi fablon.

I was wondering if this sentence is a proverb and what the English would be if it were.

Donniedillon (Voir le profil) 5 décembre 2010 19:57:32

I would translate as:

I entertained the devil, he told me a fable.

I have no idea what this might actually mean in actual use though. Perhaps, "if you hang out with a bad person, he will lie to you"? Similar to, "If you play with fire you will get burned"?

bagatelo (Voir le profil) 5 décembre 2010 21:48:41

I would interpret as meaning that the devil, as the father of lies, will only tell you what you want to hear to your destruction. The moral of the story being avoid the devil/flatterers/sycophants/demagogues.

The Genesis account of Satan's lies to Eve spring to mind.

bagatelo (Voir le profil) 5 décembre 2010 21:52:45

How about this for a free translation?

I dallied with the devil and he spun me a tale.

acdibble (Voir le profil) 5 décembre 2010 22:11:25

Well I translate it more literally as:

I regaled the devil and he gave me a fable.

sudanglo (Voir le profil) 6 décembre 2010 10:30:14

Fablo='fable'; fabelo=fairy tale.

The first is moral instruction, the second is of dubious veracity.

Donniedillon (Voir le profil) 6 décembre 2010 17:43:32

sudanglo:Fablo='fable'; fabelo=fairy tale.

The first is moral instruction, the second is of dubious veracity.
Just curious, where did you find that distinction? There is no distinction in the Lernu! Vortaro, and I didn't find it in Benson either.

darkweasel (Voir le profil) 6 décembre 2010 17:55:36

Donniedillon:
sudanglo:Fablo='fable'; fabelo=fairy tale.

The first is moral instruction, the second is of dubious veracity.
Just curious, where did you find that distinction? There is no distinction in the Lernu! Vortaro, and I didn't find it in Benson either.
Try reta-vortaro.de.

acdibble (Voir le profil) 7 décembre 2010 02:58:55

A fable in the sense of it has a moral at the end?

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