«لَا طَالْ تُوتِ الشَّامْ وَلَا عِنَبِ الْيَمَن»

The saying describes a person who attaches himself to two hoped-for prizes at the same time and, because his attention and effort are split, ends up empty-handed, missing out on the first prize and the second alike.

The imagery pairs mulberries of al-Sham, the traditional name for the greater Syrian region, with grapes of Yemen, two places far apart. The verb طال here means reaching or getting hold of something, not lengthening. The fruits simply stand for two separate desired gains, with no symbolic value of their own; grasping toward both means obtaining neither.

Apply it to someone who wavered between two jobs, offers, partners or plans, tried to keep both within reach, and ended up losing each of them. It fits as a dry remark on how such a double pursuit turned out.