- English translation
However you look on me, my dear, that is how I will look on you.
- Literal wording
Just as you see me, O fair one, I see you.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying expresses a principle of mirrored conduct: the speaker promises to regard and treat the other person exactly as that person regards and treats them. Seeing stands for esteem, attention and behaviour, not physical sight, so the line turns an exchange of glances into a pledge of matching response.
The address 'ya jamil' calls to someone affectionately or familiarly rather than remarking on looks. Because the match runs both ways, the phrase can sound like warm reassurance that kindness will be returned, or a teasing or gentle warning that coldness will meet coldness, depending on tone and relationship.
- When it is used
Fits personal exchanges where someone states plainly that their attitude will track the other person's: offering loyalty to a friend who has been loyal, or quietly signaling that indifference or slights will be answered in kind.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: However you look on me, my dear, that is how I will look on you.