The Proverbial Tongue: A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bush

 A Bird in the Hand is worth Two in the Bush

 

 

The next proverb on the list is:

    3. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

A proverb that advises you to keep what little you have instead of letting it go in search of something more, and possibly more uncertain, for you might end up with nothing.

The book offers equivalents in German, French and Portuguese:

German

-         Ein Sperling in der Hand ist besser als zehn auf dem Dache (a bird in the hand is better than ten in the roof)

French

-          Mieux vaut moineau en cage que poule de léau que nage (better have a sparrow in a cage than a water hen that can swim)

-          Moineau à la main vait mieux que grue qui vole (better have a sparrow in the hand than a flying crane)

-          Un bon aujourd’hui vaux mieux que deux demain (a good today is worth more than two tomorrows)

-          Un oiseau dans la main vait mieux que deux dans la haie (a bird in the hand is worth more than two in the hedge)

-          Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l’auras (One “have” s worth more than two “will haves”)

Portuguese

-          Mais vale um pássaro na mão que dois a voar (better have a bird in the hand than two flying)

-          Mais vale um toma que dois te darei (a “have this” is better than two “I will give you”)

-          Nunca deixes o certo pelo duvidoso (never give up something certain for something doubtful)

 

Other equivalents I found online:

 

Spanish

-          Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando (better to have one bird in the hand than one hundred flying)

 

Finnish

-         Parempi pyy pivossa kuin kymmenen oksalla (better to have a hazel grouse in the hand than ten on the branch)

 

Polish

-          Lepszy wróbel w garści niż gołąb na dachu (better to have a sparrow in the hand than a pigeon on the roof)

 

Swedish

-          Bättre en fågel i handen än tio i skogen (better to have a bird in the hand than ten in the forest)

 

Italian

-          Meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani (better to have an egg today than a chicken tomorrow)

 

Bulgarian

-          не оставяй питомното, за да гониш дивото (do not leave the tame to chase the wild)

 

Hungarian

-          Ki sokat markol, keveset fog (he who grabs a lot will grab little)

-          Jobb egy lúdnyak tíz tyúknyaknál (one goose neck is better than ten chicken necks)

 

I find it interesting that so many of these involve birds. I suppose birds have always been a symbol of freedom and wilderness, as well as difficult animals to hold tight in your hands, so perhaps it does make sense that they should come up in so many of these.

I also noticed that, while in English you’d say, “a bird in the hand is worth…”, other languages will put it as “a bird in the hand is worth more than…”, “a bird in the hand is better than…”, or “better to have a bird in the hand than…”. It’s a small difference, I know, but I found it interesting. I wonder if such proverbs should be translated into English as “worth” or “worth more than”/“better than”? I wonder if following the “rules” of English proverbs will make the translation better understood by the target culture or if maintaining the original structure will make it more obvious what is being said by the source culture.

How would you translate these types of proverbs? More closely to the target culture formulae or as similar to the source culture’s expression as possible?

And does your language/culture have an equivalent to this particular proverb?