- English translation
If the pay appeals to you, you'll be out in the furrows at first light.
- Literal wording
Whoever was pleased by the hire-wage went early to the crop row.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying links desire for a reward with readiness to work. Anyone who truly wants the wage earned through hired labor shows it by setting out early and taking their place in the crop rows before others. Wanting the pay is measured by action, not by talk.
More broadly, it can nudge someone who wants a result to put in the effort first, or note approvingly that real motivation shows itself as promptness. The Arabic ties eagerness specifically to wages and labor.
- When it is used
Use it when someone wants the benefits of a task but is slow to begin, or to commend a worker whose early start shows how much they value the pay.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: If the pay appeals to you, you'll be out in the furrows at first light.