همّ يضحّك وهمّ يبكّي
Hamm yedahhak we hamm yebakki
Translation: Some bad news makes you cry and some makes you laugh
Meaning: Some things are so bad that you just have to laugh. When so many things go wrong your frustration may turn to amusement, because your fate is just too unbelievable. Think of a day when your car wouldn't start, you lost your wallet, and then also got into a fight with a friend, for example. Even though this proverb is relevent today, it has mostly fallen out of usage.
Source: Egyptian Proverbs, (Al-Ahram Center for Translation and Publishing, 1986) by Ahmed Taymour Pasha
Translated by: Nabil Shawkat
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