- English translation
'Steer clear of trouble and run a ditch between you and it.' 'I'll do that, and sing it on its way besides.'
- Literal wording
He said: 'Keep far from evil and put a channel between you and it.' He said: 'And I will sing to it, too.'
- Meaning and lesson
The saying urges avoiding trouble by every possible means. The first speaker advises keeping away from evil and putting a water channel between yourself and it as a barrier. The second speaker accepts this and adds one more step: singing to the evil as well, so that it goes past peacefully and leaves you alone.
The force comes from the reply raising the stakes rather than disagreeing. Singing is not welcome or celebration of evil but an extra courtesy to send trouble on its way unharmed. The rhyming pair of verbs makes the exchange memorable and shows how far a cautious person will go to stay clear of harm.
- When it is used
Use it to press someone to stay well away from a quarrel, bad company, or a brewing problem, stressing that no precaution is too much. Quoting both lines keeps the effect of the second speaker outdoing the first.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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