- English translation
Tell the donkey he's invited to the wedding, and he'll answer: 'So it's carrying people or hauling rubbish, then.'
- Literal wording
'O donkey, the wedding is inviting you.' He said: 'Either for forced labor or for dumping dirt.'
- Meaning and lesson
The saying portrays someone so used to being overlooked that a pleasant invitation strikes them as a disguised summons to work. The donkey hears about a celebration and knows at once that it faces forced, unpaid labor, either carrying riders or hauling away rubbish, never joining the festivities as an honored guest.
In use, it points to people whose company is never sought for its own sake and who matter only when their effort is required. It can voice resigned awareness of one's own lowly treatment, or criticize those who approach a neglected person purely to exploit their service.
- When it is used
Used about, or by, someone ignored until a dirty or tiring job comes up, so friendly gestures read as a request for labor. Suits wry self-pity or sharp remarks about exploiters; aimed at another person, it can sound belittling, likening them to a beast of burden.
- Register
- Colloquial Arabic
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Tell the donkey he's invited to the wedding, and he'll answer: 'So it's carrying people or hauling rubbish, then.'