I'm sure all cultures have their own metaphorical symbolisms for certain occasions, like in English, "Make hay while the sun shines" - You got the b@$#%$^ chance, go do it!
Or, "Not all that glistens is gold"; as a child I lived in area where deep gold mining is now history. In school recesses we'd find rocks with lovely 'gold', yep! It shone nicely - iron pyrites!!
Now, there is another, "Empty vessels make the most noise." The Lagoon does not have such a boat of which I am aware, and the only other context that "vessel" has, in my literal mind is something from which one drinks.