ان فاتك الميرى اتمرغ ف ترابه

En fatak el miri etmarragh fi torabo

Translation: If you miss the wagon of government service, drop to the ground and roll in the dust of its trail

Meaning: When government service was established, in the second half of the nineteenth century, as a well-paid, long-term profession with pension, everyone wanted to be part of it. Being a member of the government service, or miri, placed you above the peasant class and half-way through to the elite. Some government jobs, especially those with the railway service, even came with a uniform, to add to one’s status. So a whiff of the dust of government jobs was something to look forward to.

Source: Egyptian Proverbs, (Al-Ahram Center for Translation and Publishing, 1986) by Ahmed Taymour Pasha,

Translated by: Nabil Shawkat