تبات نار تصبح رماد لها رب يدبرها
Tebat nar tesbah ramad, laha rabb yedabbarhah
Translation: At night fire, in the morning ash. God wishes it so.
Meaning: This is definitely a saying that originated in country life, with imagery of bonfires and an existence that depends on the bounties of nature. The tone is melancholic but hopeful, and the connotation is that “this too shall pass.”
Source: Egyptian Proverbs, (Al-Ahram Center for Translation and Publishing, 1986) by Ahmed Taymour Pasha,
Translated by: Nabil Shawkat
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