proverb · Legacy record
Seabirds, stay out from the land; we won't have good weather while you're on the sand.
Seabirds, stay out from the land; we won't have good weather while you're on the sand.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying addresses seabirds on land as a sign of poor weather. It gives their location a forecast through a direct appeal to stay away.
What the words are saying
The birds are spoken to as if their absence could change conditions, but the supplied gloss instead describes a claimed response to storms. A useful explanation keeps sign and cause separate. Neither interpretation proves why particular birds are on sand.
Everyday example
A reader distinguishes noticing birds on land from claiming they caused or reliably predicted bad weather.
When to use it
Use it to explain animal-based lore without confusing cause and sign.
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What it does not mean
No universal seabird response or dependable forecast from location is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 620; PDF page 90
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.