Much Ado, Then Nothing — Samoan Proverb Tee

<p><strong>E tetele a Pesega, 'ae matua i le Oo.</strong> "There is much water flowing past Pesega, but it disappears in Oo."</p><p>Pesega is a mountain brook near Apia that runs mostly dry, its water eventually vanishing into a swamp called Oo. This alagaupu is spoken of anything that looks impressive or forceful on the surface but comes to nothing in the end — much ado about nothing, a mountain made from a molehill. It shares its meaning with the proverb of the rain that sounds fierce at night but proves mild by morning, and is echoed by the harmless hiss of the snake that only looks threatening.</p><