- English translation
The snake charmer never forgets his son's death, and the snake never forgets losing her tail.
- Literal wording
The snake charmer does not forget the death of his son, and the snake does not forget the cutting of her tail.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying pictures two old enemies: a father whose son was killed by a snake, and the snake itself, which escaped his revenge with only its tail cut off. Each carries a lasting injury from the other, so neither can let the quarrel go, and both stay alert for a chance to strike back.
Applied to people, it holds that the root of a hostility does not fade with time. However distant the original wrong, the injured parties keep it alive in memory, and any apparent calm between them remains uneasy because the grievance on each side was never truly settled.
- When it is used
Fitting when someone wonders why an old feud still flares, or when warning that reconciliation with a party you have truly harmed may be fragile. It is a wry, cautionary remark about grudges, usually said about two sides who have each suffered at the other's hands.
- Register
- Colloquial Arabic
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: The snake charmer never forgets his son's death, and the snake never forgets losing her tail.