Aiva madziva ava mazambuko
What used to be pools/lakes are now fords/bridges.
Tsanagudzo
Zvinhu hazvirambi zvakadaro muhupenyu hwemunhu. Nhasi ungava nerugare asi mangwana unokwanisa kushaya zvawanga unazvo, kana kuva murombo nhasi asi wozowana makomborero kana kushanda, zvinozoita kuti ukanganwe nhamo yawaiva nayo.
What the Words Say
What used to be pools/lakes are now fords/bridges.
What It Means
There is no permanent condition in life. Fortune may favour you today but might equally desert you tomorrow. Conversely, you may be in dire need today but good fortune may come your way tomorrow. Simply put, things change.
Cultural Context
The proverb uses imagery from waterways whereby seasons or even years taught our ancestors that there is no permanent state, since where they could not cross due to lakes or pools of water at one point was easy to cross at another period due to a bridge or ford built there or erected naturally.
How It's Used
This proverb is applied in two ways. When things are going well for you, be humble and respect others for there is always the possibility that it could all change against you. It can also be used for hope when things are particularly not going your way as a reminder that your state should not be and is not permanent as it can change due to your calculated and strategic efforts or a stroke of luck.
Related Proverbs
number 22, 23, 155