- English translation
The mouse was offered two pounds of sugar to deliver a letter to the cat. 'Handsome pay,' it said, 'but a tough job.'
- Literal wording
They said to the mouse: 'Take two ratls of sugar for yourself and carry the letter to the cat.' He said: 'The wage is good, but there is hardship in it.'
- Meaning and lesson
The saying describes a task that carries a generous reward but exposes whoever undertakes it to serious peril. A mouse sent to a cat, called here by هِرّ, a word kept mostly for proverbs rather than everyday talk, is a vivid picture of an errand that may well end in destruction.
The humor lies in the mouse's calm, polite reply. Rather than refusing outright or naming the obvious danger, it praises the pay and mildly mentions مشقة, mere 'hardship', when the errand really means risking death. This ironic understatement exposes how badly the reward is outweighed by the risk.
- When it is used
Say it when someone is offered an attractive payment or reward for a task that is dangerous or potentially ruinous, especially to signal wry reluctance: the incentive is welcome, but the risk makes accepting unwise. It suits humorous or ironic refusals and cautionary comments.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: The mouse was offered two pounds of sugar to deliver a letter to the cat. 'Handsome pay,' it said, 'but a tough job.'