- English translation
You who trip your way here in the dark, come back in daylight and take a good look.
- Literal wording
O you who come by night and keep stumbling, come by day and look.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying pokes at someone who keeps stumbling through repeated obstacles and danger to reach something they prize. The night is figurative, not advice about when to travel: stumbling in the dark suggests both the hardship they accept and the poor visibility that lets the goal seem grander than it really is.
By urging a return in daylight, meaning plain sight, the speaker implies that a clear, unhurried look would expose the object as ordinary or unworthy. The labor spent on it is therefore out of proportion, and the remark gently punctures that misplaced devotion.
- When it is used
Say it to someone pouring effort, risk, or worry into chasing something that would plainly disappoint on closer inspection. Because it addresses them directly, it can sound teasing or deflating rather than neutral: a wry nudge to judge the prize clearly before sacrificing more for it.
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- Colloquial Arabic
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: You who trip your way here in the dark, come back in daylight and take a good look.