- English translation
From one stumbling stone into a steep drop, and still, my heart, don't you grieve.
- Literal wording
From a brick-stone to a downhill slope, O heart, do not grieve.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying describes a run of misfortunes in which escaping one trouble lands a person in another, often a worse one. The first image is any stone a traveler might trip over, not specifically a baked brick, and the second is a sloping descent on the road, so the picture is of footing that keeps getting worse.
The closing address to the heart is ironic rather than consoling. Telling the heart not to grieve mocks the situation, since consolation sounds absurd when setbacks follow one another without pause.
- When it is used
The saying is applied to a person beset by misfortunes that come one after another, where each escape from a small obstacle leads straight into a larger difficulty. Its closing phrase carries mockery, so the speaker describes the plight with grim irony rather than sympathy.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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