От прирожения звери, ходящие в пустыни, знають ямы своя; птици, летающие по возъдуху, ведають гнезда своя; рибы, плавающие по морю и в реках, чують виры своя; пчелы и тым подобныя боронять ульев своих, — тако ж и люди, игде зародилися и ускормлены суть по бозе, к тому месту великую ласку имають.
“Beasts wandering in the wilderness know their own dens; birds flying through the air know their own nests; fish swimming the seas and rivers sense their own pools; bees and their kind guard their own hives — so too do people cherish greatly the place where they were born and raised.”
People, like all living creatures, feel a deep, natural attachment to their native land — an early expression of Belarusian patriotism.
— Francysk Skaryna, Belarus
Source: Francysk Skaryna, preface to the Book of Judith (Bivlia Ruska), Prague, 9 February 1519
More Proverbs from Belarus
The sun will look into our window too.
Hard times will pass and better days will surely come; do not despair when there is no hope.
Better late than never.
Doing something after a delay is preferable to never doing it at all.
Do not carry water to the spring.
There is no sense bringing something to a place that already has plenty of it.
There is no tale without a grain of truth.
Even exaggerated stories and jokes usually contain some real truth at their core.
Do not come to another parish with your own custom.
Respect the traditions and rules of a place you are visiting rather than imposing your own.
Hunger is no aunt; you will eat even stolen food.
Real need overrides pride and principle; desperation drives people to do what they normally would not.