- English translation
Like being glad over a hoopoe: the nearer it seems, the farther it flies.
- Literal wording
Like the joy over the hoopoe: every time it comes close, it goes far away.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying pictures a person who spots a hoopoe nearby and is thrilled at the thought of catching it; the joy is the watcher's, not the bird's. Each step closer only makes the wary, quick bird flit farther off, so the excitement rests on a prize that slips away just as it is approached.
Applied to people, it describes rejoicing over something believed to be nearly obtained when it is actually remote or out of reach. It cautions that apparent closeness can deceive, and that gladness founded on such nearness is likely to end in disappointment.
- When it is used
Use it about someone celebrating a goal, deal, or reward that looks within reach but keeps receding, such as a promised payment that never arrives or a chance that vanishes on approach. It suits gentle teasing or a sober warning against premature delight.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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