- Literal translation
If you are patient, you will make halva out of unripe grapes.
- Natural translation
Be patient and even what is unusable now will turn into something sweet.
- Functional meaning
Used to argue that patience is productive rather than passive: the unripe thing is not discarded, it is worked on and ripens into something better.
- Usage context
The expression frames patience as active transformation: the unripe grape becomes halva through continued work. Current situations of use have not been independently attested.
- Community
- Unknown
- Region
- Unknown
- Historical period
- Disputed
Disputed: The period and authorship are disputed: the hemistich circulates as an anonymous proverb and is also attributed to named classical poets in different collections. The reviewed sources here do not settle it, so no period is stated.
What supports this meaning
Functional meaning
Locator: s.v. «گر صبر کنی ز غوره حلوا سازی»
The dictionary gloss supports the reading that patience transforms an unusable state into a good one, rather than simply postponing it.
Claim: VerifiedExpert review evidenceContent lead, 2026-08-18Restricted, compatible with this use. Cite the headword and volume only. Do not reproduce the entry text.
Compared with
No reviewed comparison includes this meaning yet.
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Be patient and even what is unusable now will turn into something sweet.