- English translation
It's mine, and still I don't get to enjoy it.
- Literal wording
It stays my property, and it does not bring me ease or enjoyment.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying voices the frustration of owning something in name only. The goods or money truly belong to the speaker, yet some obstacle, often another person's control, keeps them from the untroubled enjoyment of what is theirs. The speaker is denied benefit, not choosing to hoard, so it is not a remark about stinginess.
Its sting lies in the gap between ownership and rightful, wholesome benefit. Often voiced as a rhetorical protest, roughly 'so it's mine, and I can't enjoy it?', it objects to an unfair arrangement, and can be said in one's own voice or about anyone barred from enjoying their wealth.
- When it is used
Suited to a complaint by someone, or about someone, whose property, earnings, or inheritance is under their name but controlled or consumed by others. It fits family disputes, guardianship, or interference, and usually carries a tone of grievance rather than neutral description.
Cite or copy proverb
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