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Is this a proverb?

从 acdibble, 2010年12月5日

讯息： 9

语言: English

acdibble (显示个人资料) 2010年12月5日下午7:30:13

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 (显示个人资料) 2010年12月5日下午7:57:32

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 (显示个人资料) 2010年12月5日下午9:48:41

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 (显示个人资料) 2010年12月5日下午9:52:45

How about this for a free translation?

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

acdibble (显示个人资料) 2010年12月5日下午10:11:25

Well I translate it more literally as:

I regaled the devil and he gave me a fable.

sudanglo (显示个人资料) 2010年12月6日上午10:30:14

Fablo='fable'; fabelo=fairy tale.

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

Donniedillon (显示个人资料) 2010年12月6日下午5:43:32

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 (显示个人资料) 2010年12月6日下午5:55:36

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 (显示个人资料) 2010年12月7日上午2:58:55

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

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