Time is unpredictable and does not yield. It is also said, "It is unpredictable and does not yield." "Unpredictable" (أَنْكَب) comes from "calamity" (النَكْبَة), meaning it brings many calamities. The correct interpretation is that it comes from "inclination" (النَكْب), meaning it deviates from righteousness and does not remain on one path. "Unpredictable" (أَنْكَث) means it frequently undoes and breaks what it has established and untied, similar to "will yield" (أَلْبَ) in meaning.
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The proverb "Time is fickle and unyielding" (or: unfailing and unyielding) means that time is fickle and unstable, never remaining constant or unchanging. It undoes what it builds and alters circumstances.
The closest English proverbs to this meaning are:
Times change.
Nothing stays the same forever.
Fortune is fickle.
The wheel of fortune turns.
Every tide has its ebb.
The closest English proverb to the spirit of the Arabic proverb is:
Fortune is fickle.
Or:
The wheel of fortune turns.
Both express that time does not remain constant, but rather it tends to change and overturns what it has settled upon.
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ويروى " أنكث لا يلث "
أنكب : من النكبة أي كثير النكبات والصحيح أن يقال : أنكب من النكب وهو الميل يعني أنه عادل عن الاستقامة لا يقيم على جهة واحدة وأنكث : أي كثير النكث والنقض لما أبرم وألث مثل ألب في المعنى
Saturday, June 6, 2026
Thinner than a thread of falsehood. أدق من خيط باطل
There are two interpretations: one is that it refers to dust particles that appear in sunlight and enter through a crack in the house; the other is that it is the thread that comes out of a spider's mouth, which children call "devil's sniffing." This second interpretation is better. Al-Jawhari said: "A thread of falsehood, the sun's saliva, and devil's sniffing are all the same." Marwan ibn al-Hakam was nicknamed "A Thread of Falsehood" because he was tall and unsteady, so he was given this nickname due to his thinness. A poet said of him: "May God curse a people who ruled over others like a thread of falsehood, giving to whomever he pleased and withholding from whomever he pleased." A tall person is also nicknamed "The Shadow of an Ostrich," just as he is nicknamed "A Thread of Falsehood."
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The proverb "Thinner than a spider's thread" is used to describe something extremely fine and delicate, whether referring to a spider's thread or the fine specks of dust seen in sunlight.
There is no exact English equivalent, but some of the closest expressions are:
As thin as a spider's thread.
As fine as a hair.
Hair-thin.
As delicate as a cobweb.
Thin as a cobweb.
The best equivalent that preserves the proverb's figurative meaning is:
As thin as a spider's thread.
If you want the closest English expression in meaning without being bound by the image, you can say:
Hair-thin.
Or:
As fine as a hair.
It indicates extreme precision and delicacy, as indicated by the Arabic proverb "more precise than a false thread".
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فيه قولان : أحدهما أنه الهباء يكون في ضوء الشمس فيدخل من الكوة في البيت والثاني أنه الخيط الذي يخرج من فم العنكبوت ويسميه الصبيان مخاط الشيطان وهذا القول أجود وقال الجوهري : خيط باطل ولعاب الشمس ومخاط الشيطان واحد وكان لقب مروان بن الحكم خيط باطل وذلك أنه كان طويلا مضطربا فلقب به لدقته وفيه يقول الشاعر :
لحا الله قوما ملكوا خيط باطل على الناس يعطي من يشاء ويمنع
والطويل أيضا يلقب بظل النعامة كما يلقب بخيط باطل
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The proverb "Thinner than a spider's thread" is used to describe something extremely fine and delicate, whether referring to a spider's thread or the fine specks of dust seen in sunlight.
There is no exact English equivalent, but some of the closest expressions are:
As thin as a spider's thread.
As fine as a hair.
Hair-thin.
As delicate as a cobweb.
Thin as a cobweb.
The best equivalent that preserves the proverb's figurative meaning is:
As thin as a spider's thread.
If you want the closest English expression in meaning without being bound by the image, you can say:
Hair-thin.
Or:
As fine as a hair.
It indicates extreme precision and delicacy, as indicated by the Arabic proverb "more precise than a false thread".
٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠٠
فيه قولان : أحدهما أنه الهباء يكون في ضوء الشمس فيدخل من الكوة في البيت والثاني أنه الخيط الذي يخرج من فم العنكبوت ويسميه الصبيان مخاط الشيطان وهذا القول أجود وقال الجوهري : خيط باطل ولعاب الشمس ومخاط الشيطان واحد وكان لقب مروان بن الحكم خيط باطل وذلك أنه كان طويلا مضطربا فلقب به لدقته وفيه يقول الشاعر :
لحا الله قوما ملكوا خيط باطل على الناس يعطي من يشاء ويمنع
والطويل أيضا يلقب بظل النعامة كما يلقب بخيط باطل
Finer than flour. أدق من الطحين
This is the active participle of the passive participle, meaning finely ground. The preceding phrase refers to fineness. This is from the words of the poet Al-Hutay'ah, addressing his mother:
You have held sway over your sons until... you have left them finer than flour.
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The Arabic proverb "fineer than flour" refers to extreme fragmentation, weakness, and utter annihilation, as in Al-Hutay'ah's verse, meaning: You humiliated and weakened them until they became utterly feeble.
The closest English equivalents, according to the context, are:
Ground to dust.
Crushed to dust. — This is the closest equivalent in terms of both imagery and meaning.
Crushed to powder.
Reduced to nothing.
Eliminated or weakened to the point of insignificance.
Beaten to a pulp.
Completely exhausted or crushed (if the intention is humiliation or defeat).
Therefore, the best equivalent for the proverb in the context of Al-Hutay'ah's verse is:
They were ground to dust.
Or:
You crushed them to powder.
Both convey the meaning of "You left them finer than flour," that is, weaker and more humiliated than imaginable.
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هذا أفعل من المفعول وهو المدقوق وما تقدم فمن الدقة وهذا من قول الشاعر الحطيئة يخاطب أمه :
وقد ملكت أمر بنيك حتى ... تركتهم أدق من الطحين
You have held sway over your sons until... you have left them finer than flour.
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The Arabic proverb "fineer than flour" refers to extreme fragmentation, weakness, and utter annihilation, as in Al-Hutay'ah's verse, meaning: You humiliated and weakened them until they became utterly feeble.
The closest English equivalents, according to the context, are:
Ground to dust.
Crushed to dust. — This is the closest equivalent in terms of both imagery and meaning.
Crushed to powder.
Reduced to nothing.
Eliminated or weakened to the point of insignificance.
Beaten to a pulp.
Completely exhausted or crushed (if the intention is humiliation or defeat).
Therefore, the best equivalent for the proverb in the context of Al-Hutay'ah's verse is:
They were ground to dust.
Or:
You crushed them to powder.
Both convey the meaning of "You left them finer than flour," that is, weaker and more humiliated than imaginable.
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هذا أفعل من المفعول وهو المدقوق وما تقدم فمن الدقة وهذا من قول الشاعر الحطيئة يخاطب أمه :
وقد ملكت أمر بنيك حتى ... تركتهم أدق من الطحين
more stealthy than a cat أدب من ضيون
Ḍayūn: The male cat. The correct form should be Ḍayn, but this is an irregular correction. Its diminutive is Ḍayyīn, and some say Ḍayyūn. The poet said: Adab at night to his neighbor, from Ḍayūn, creeps to a farnab.
(Al-Qarnab: The mouse, or the jerboa, or the offspring of the jerboa, and its beginning is a fatha on the qāf or a kasra on the fā’)
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The proverb "more stealthy than a cat" is used to describe someone who moves and creeps furtively at night, as the word "cat" (in the verse I quoted) refers to a male cat that moves silently at night.
There is no exact English equivalent, but the closest parallels in terms of meaning and imagery are:
As stealthy as a cat.
To creep around like a cat.
To move with catlike stealth.
Like a cat stalking its prey.
So, if you want a natural English proverb that corresponds to the Arabic image, the best equivalent is:
As stealthy as a cat.
Or, if the focus is on stealthy movement at night:
He creeps around like a cat in the night.
This is closer to the meaning of “literature from Dion” as it was used among the Arabs, even if it is not a fixed, inherited English proverb.
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الضيون : السنور الذكر وكان القياس أن يقال : ضين وهذا من التصحيح الشاذ وتصغيره ضيين وبعضهم يقول : ضييون قال الشاعر :
أدب بالليل إلى جاره من ضيون دب إلى فرنب
( القرنب : الفأرة أو اليربوع أو ولد الفأرة من اليربوع وأوله قاف مفتوحة أو فاء مكسورة )
(Al-Qarnab: The mouse, or the jerboa, or the offspring of the jerboa, and its beginning is a fatha on the qāf or a kasra on the fā’)
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The proverb "more stealthy than a cat" is used to describe someone who moves and creeps furtively at night, as the word "cat" (in the verse I quoted) refers to a male cat that moves silently at night.
There is no exact English equivalent, but the closest parallels in terms of meaning and imagery are:
As stealthy as a cat.
To creep around like a cat.
To move with catlike stealth.
Like a cat stalking its prey.
So, if you want a natural English proverb that corresponds to the Arabic image, the best equivalent is:
As stealthy as a cat.
Or, if the focus is on stealthy movement at night:
He creeps around like a cat in the night.
This is closer to the meaning of “literature from Dion” as it was used among the Arabs, even if it is not a fixed, inherited English proverb.
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الضيون : السنور الذكر وكان القياس أن يقال : ضين وهذا من التصحيح الشاذ وتصغيره ضيين وبعضهم يقول : ضييون قال الشاعر :
أدب بالليل إلى جاره من ضيون دب إلى فرنب
( القرنب : الفأرة أو اليربوع أو ولد الفأرة من اليربوع وأوله قاف مفتوحة أو فاء مكسورة )
creepy than a beetleأدب من قرنبى
It is a small creature resembling a beetle
The poet said:
O servants of God, my heart is captivated by the most beautiful of those who walk, and the ugliest of them in marriage
It creeps upon her insides every night like a scorpion, climbing a flat, sandy hill
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The proverb "more creepy than a beetle" (referring to creeping, not to manners) is used to describe someone who crawls or moves slowly and stealthily, or who clings to something excessively. A beetle is a small insect similar to a lily.
There is no exact English equivalent, but the closest equivalents in meaning are:
He crawls like a beetle.
To creep around like a bug.
To cling like a limp.
To crawl on all fours.
If the intention is to convey the proverb's figurative meaning, the best equivalent is:
He creeps around like a beetle.
Or, in the context of excessive clinging:
He clings like a limp.
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وهي دويبة شبه الخنفساء
قال الشاعر
ألا يا عباد الله قلبي متيم بأحسن من يمشي وأقبحهم بعلا
يدب على أحشائها كل ليلة دبيب القرنبى بات يعلو نقا سهلا
The poet said:
O servants of God, my heart is captivated by the most beautiful of those who walk, and the ugliest of them in marriage
It creeps upon her insides every night like a scorpion, climbing a flat, sandy hill
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The proverb "more creepy than a beetle" (referring to creeping, not to manners) is used to describe someone who crawls or moves slowly and stealthily, or who clings to something excessively. A beetle is a small insect similar to a lily.
There is no exact English equivalent, but the closest equivalents in meaning are:
He crawls like a beetle.
To creep around like a bug.
To cling like a limp.
To crawl on all fours.
If the intention is to convey the proverb's figurative meaning, the best equivalent is:
He creeps around like a beetle.
Or, in the context of excessive clinging:
He clings like a limp.
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وهي دويبة شبه الخنفساء
قال الشاعر
ألا يا عباد الله قلبي متيم بأحسن من يمشي وأقبحهم بعلا
يدب على أحشائها كل ليلة دبيب القرنبى بات يعلو نقا سهلا
lower than a shoelace. أدنأ من الشسع
This is from the root meaning baseness, if they pronounce it with a hamza. If they omit the hamza, they say: closer to a person than his shoelace, meaning something very close to him.
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If the intended meaning is “lower than a shoelace” (with a hamza), meaning the most despicable and vile thing imaginable, there is no common literal equivalent in English. However, the closest proverbs and expressions are:
As low as they come.
Extremely vile and base.
Lower than a snake’s belly. (Colloquial) The lowest of the low.
A low-down person.
So, the proverb can be translated according to its meaning as:
He is as low as they come.
However, if the intended meaning is “closer to a person than their own shoelace” (without a hamza), meaning very near, the closest English equivalent is:
Closer than your own shoelaces. (Explanatory formulation)
Or:
Close at hand.
Right under your nose.
Therefore, based on the explanation I have given, the best equivalent for “lower than a shoelace” is:
As low as they come.
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من الدناءة هذا إذا همزوه فإذا تركوا الهمز يقولون : أدنى إلى المرء من شسعه للشيء القريب منه جدا
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If the intended meaning is “lower than a shoelace” (with a hamza), meaning the most despicable and vile thing imaginable, there is no common literal equivalent in English. However, the closest proverbs and expressions are:
As low as they come.
Extremely vile and base.
Lower than a snake’s belly. (Colloquial) The lowest of the low.
A low-down person.
So, the proverb can be translated according to its meaning as:
He is as low as they come.
However, if the intended meaning is “closer to a person than their own shoelace” (without a hamza), meaning very near, the closest English equivalent is:
Closer than your own shoelaces. (Explanatory formulation)
Or:
Close at hand.
Right under your nose.
Therefore, based on the explanation I have given, the best equivalent for “lower than a shoelace” is:
As low as they come.
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من الدناءة هذا إذا همزوه فإذا تركوا الهمز يقولون : أدنى إلى المرء من شسعه للشيء القريب منه جدا
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