- English translation
I've made things comfortable for you, indoors and out, yet you still turn away from me. What will bring you around?
- Literal wording
Outside and inside, I have spread furnishings for you, yet you are leaning away; what will straighten you?
- Meaning and lesson
The saying expresses frustration when care and attention meet with emotional distance. Someone has worked to make another person comfortable, yet that person remains unreceptive and does not return the affection being offered.
Its closing question conveys the giver's bewilderment: if these efforts have not drawn the other person closer, what else could? The contrast is between making someone welcome and being unable to win their warmth in return.
- When it is used
Use this when someone remains distant despite another person's attentive care, particularly in a close relationship. It voices the caring person's hurt or exasperation, rather than offering advice to keep trying.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: I've made things comfortable for you, indoors and out, yet you still turn away from me. What will bring you around?