Al-Asma'i said: This is because the lame dog cannot mate with the healthy ones due to its weakness, so it delays and waits for the last of them to finish. It does not sleep until none remain, then it mates and sleeps.
This proverb is used to describe delaying the fulfillment of one's needs. Al-Hutay'ah said:
Why didn't you come to us after the lame dog had fallen asleep and every fire had been extinguished?
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The closest English equivalents—based on meaning, not literal translation—are:
Better late than never.
This is suitable if the visit or action came after a long delay.
At the eleventh hour.
This is suitable if the focus is on the action occurring after a long wait or very late.
He waited until the coast was clear.
This is very close to Al-Asma'i's explanation, because the limping dog waits until the other dogs have finished.
Last to act / He came long after everyone else had gone. These are descriptive expressions closer to the atmosphere of the verse.
As for the verse:
Did you not come to us after the limping dog had fallen asleep and every fire had died out?
Its meaning is: You came to us very late at night, after everyone had settled down and gone to sleep.
Therefore, a literary translation close to this would be:
You came to visit only after even the limping dogs had fallen asleep and every fire had died out.
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قال
الأصمعي: وذلك أن الظالع منها لا يقدر أن يعاظل مع صحاحها لضعفه فهو يؤخر
ذلك وينتظر فراغ آخرها فلا ينام حتى إذا لم يبق منها شيء سفد حينئذ ثم نام.
يضرب، في تأخير قضاء الحاجة. قال الحطيئة:
| ألا طرقتنا بعد ما نام ظالع الكلاب وأخبى ناره كل موقد |
