- English translation
Like the holy fools, a new mood every hour.
- Literal wording
Like the majdhubs: every hour in a different state.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying likens a fickle person to the majdhub, a figure seen as simple or unbalanced yet honored by many as a saint; English has no exact term, and 'holy fool' only approximates it. Such figures were known for erratic speech and behavior, so the comparison stresses constant, unpredictable changes of state.
In practice it targets someone whose heart, mood, or position never settles. The point is not literal madness but inconsistency: the person cannot be counted on to hold the same view or attitude from one moment to the next.
- When it is used
Said of someone whose opinions, moods, or commitments keep shifting, often in frustration at not being able to rely on them. Applied to a person, it criticizes their reliability. Its imagery may seem mocking toward mentally ill or revered ecstatic people, so it suits informal talk, not polite settings.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Like the holy fools, a new mood every hour.