- English translation
A mouse dropped from the ceiling, and the cat cried, 'God protect you!' The mouse answered, 'Keep away from me. I'd sooner let the demons possess me.'
- Literal wording
The mouse fell from the ceiling, and the cat said to it, 'The name of God be upon you.' It said, 'Leave me alone, and let the demons ride me.'
- Meaning and lesson
The saying ridicules care that comes from someone who stands to gain from the person they claim to protect. The cat's protective blessing, the customary formula spoken over someone who falls or is startled, is not kindness but a hunter's interest in its prey, and that 'concern' is the mouse's greatest danger.
The mouse's reply shows that the victim sees through the pretense. In folk belief, afarit (demons or spirits) may afflict someone who suffers a fright or fall, yet facing them seems safer than accepting protection from the one who means to devour it. Any misfortune is preferable to a predator's goodwill.
- When it is used
Use it to expose someone whose show of concern serves their own appetite, such as a creditor, rival or exploiter fussing over a person's welfare. It is pointedly sarcastic and casts that person as a predator, so applying it to a real person implies a serious accusation of self-interest.
- Register
- Colloquial Arabic
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: A mouse dropped from the ceiling, and the cat cried, 'God protect you!' The mouse answered, 'Keep away from me. I'd sooner let the demons possess me.'