- English translation
Work done by a master hand for someone dear to him.
- Literal wording
The work of one who is skilled, for one whom he loves.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying praises a task carried out with real mastery and care. It pictures an expert craftsman putting his full skill into something made for a person he loves, so nothing is skimped and every detail is attended to. The result is work of the highest quality.
The two halves close on the rhyming words طب and حب, giving the line a tight, memorable ring. Here طب means a person expert at a craft, not medicine or a physician. Competence supplies the skill, while affection for the recipient supplies the will to use all of it.
- When it is used
Said when admiring something finished with exceptional skill and evident devotion, such as fine handiwork or a carefully prepared meal. The focus is the quality of the work, not romance; the loved one is simply the beneficiary who inspires full effort.
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How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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