«اِلْقَدِيمَهْ تِحْلَى وِلَوْ كَانِتْ وَحْلَهْ»

Here the 'old one' is a wife a man has already left behind, whether by walking away or by formal divorce; the saying concerns her, not old things or places in general. It claims that, once she is behind him, she becomes desirable to him again, however unattractive she may have seemed.

The weight falls on the concessive clause, sharpened by the Arabic rhyme of tiḥla (grows sweet) with waḥla (mud). Mud is about the lowest comparison available, used to insist that no flaw in her looks cancels her renewed pull. The claim concerns the husband's changed view, not any change in her.

Fits discussion of a man whose feelings turn back toward a wife he has left or divorced. Its harsh verdict on her looks degrades women and can insult a real person, so present it as a recorded attitude, not advice or fair judgment.