- English translation
I went home to my father's place for some rest, but the wind and the gusts had already arrived ahead of me.
- Literal wording
I went to my father's house to rest; the air and the wind beat me there.
- Meaning and lesson
This is said of an unlucky person whose misfortune catches up with them wherever they go, even when all they want is a little rest. The father's house is pictured as a natural refuge, yet the air and wind are already there when the speaker arrives; they stand for misfortune taking the place first, not actual weather.
The point is that a change of place does not shake off bad luck. Ill fortune seems to accompany the person, or even to run ahead of them, so that even the modest hope of a quiet break comes to nothing.
- When it is used
Apply it to someone dogged by ill fortune, especially when a retreat meant to bring relief turns out to hold fresh trouble. It can be spoken in the first person about one's own luck, as the saying is framed, or applied to another person whose bad luck follows them everywhere.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: I went home to my father's place for some rest, but the wind and the gusts had already arrived ahead of me.