YEZNIG BALIG'S POETRY

BRAIN STORMING

By Yeznig Balig
Translated from Armenian by Daniel Janoyan
Glendale, California, July 1, 1998

No matter how much a donkey is trained,
It can never be babptized as a horse.
 
Preaching to a stupid person
Is like giving glasses to a blind person.
 
If let hungry and without food for a few days,
Even a lamb will turn into a savage in a few days.
 
He who makes haste in making wine,
Will surely sell vinegar in the market place.

He who becomes the subject of some gossip,
Means that, without doubt, he has some sort of worth.
 
One would rather be tortured, yet be free
Than live as a slave with a stomach that is full and not free.
 
With riches one can buy titles and glory
While with irreproachable character, honor and respect.
 
If every individual cleans his rubbish,
The world will become an ornament of the universe.
 
In order to protect your rights,
You need to keep your sword without rust.
 
A nation is not built by mere speeches
But by looking for solutions for its problems.
 
A realistic person listens to the voice,
While the superstious, hears the voice.
 
There are things you cannot do until you learn them,
And there are things you cannot learn until you do them.
 
When you attribute your failiures to others,
It means you have surely failed.
 
A fish, newly taken out of the water,
And when put along with its new arrival,
Will after a few days surely rotten.
 
By simply getting hold of a needle and thread,
You can't be a tailor overnight.
 
Your dream will become a reality
When your mind is awake and open.
 
The sun light spreads over the dark,
While the light of books clears blurred minds.
 
He who gets married by falling in love for outer looks,
Is like a fellow who buys wallnuts for the sake of the shell.
 
He who considers himself to be a lamb,
Should stay away from all wolves.
 
If you reside in a house with low ceilings,
You will one day surely become hump-backed.
 
There are masks that need no faces,
And there are faces, that need no masks.
 
If you are unable to catch fish with your torn net,
Don't ever put your blame on that very same torn net.
 
In order to succeed besides having the will and determination,
It seems one also needs to be fortunate and lucky.
 
When your life's boat is led by passion,
Wild waves will dance around you and your emotion.

One who is double faced is like the moon,
Always keeping its one side dark.

You will always have fish on your table,
If you sew your net with threads of determination.

No matter how they look at things,
Pessimists will always see the rainbow black.

A bee needs to make honey.
A man needs to sew linen.
While an intelligent and brave person
Needs to build friends and a good name.

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