Context:

He learned it from his mom (according to him, she would say it a lot) when he was “around four or five years old,” when he was in Jerusalem. He said that you would use this proverb to tell somebody to “follow through while the opportunity still exists.”

Text:

Original Script: اضرب الحديد وهو حامي

Transliteration: Odrob al hadid ou houeh hami

Literal Translation: Hit the iron while it’s hot

Smooth Translation: Hit the iron while it’s still hot

Thoughts:

When I first heard the proverb from him two years ago, when I was trying to find a summer job, I did not need an explanation to know that he was telling me to follow through without delay; the image of a blacksmith shaping red-hot iron, as well as the common knowledge that hot metal is easier to shape than cold metal, got the point across. Until he explained it to me today, I thought that one would say it to tell someone to follow through while it is still fresh, or to not stop something while you are already in the right mindset. I would often use it to justify why I could not stop midway through something–I did not want to have to heat up the iron again. Even if I had not heard my informant’s explanation, I would still think that this proverb shows that there is an imperative in Arabic culture to finish what you started in a time-efficient manner.

Context:

He learned it when he was in elementary school in Jerusalem. “You hear it all the time,” he remarked, and stressed that it was common to hear when you put off work because this proverb is used to tell somebody to not procrastinate.

Text:

Original Script: بالنهار تركت بيتها، وبالليل حرقت زيتها

Transliteration: Bil nhar tarkat bait-ha, ou bil lail har’at zeit-ha

Literal Translation: During the day, she left her house, and during night burnt her oil

Smooth Translation: During the day she left her house, and during the night she burnt her oil

Thoughts:

I remember first hearing this proverb from him when I was in middle school. Unsurprisingly enough, I had procrastinated, and I was finishing my work at night with my desk light on. As soon as I processed the Arabic, I realized it as a remark of my subpar time management. It was also fitting because I was also having to work under artificial light because I did not take advantage of the natural daylight. This proverb shows a cultural aversion towards poor time management (if there is work to do, one should do it in the day, and then rest at night).