# لا صوت لمن تنادي- لا حياة لمن تنادي



## powerful_118

What is the meaning o(
In English لا صوت لمن تنادي


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## Josh_

Hmm.  A little more difficult than it appears.  I guess a translation could be "_no voice for the one who call (out)_," or as sentences like these are usually in the plural "_no voice for those who call (out)._"  That is probably the best translation, but it is lacking since the verb is in the feminine.  So, if we wanted to translate it strictly, perhaps "_no voice for her who calls (out)_" although that sounds kind of awkward.


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## elroy

We are in desperate need of context.

We do not know, for example, whether تنادي is third-person singular feminine or second-person singular masculine.  Also, is this a standalone sentence, or is it part of a larger sentence or context?


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## Josh_

To me it sounds like a general statement, so I was fairly sure it was not second person (that's why I translated it as third person feminine), but of course more context is always helpful.


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## ayed

I have often heard : *لقد أسمعت لو ناديت حياً*** ولكن لا حياة لمن تنادي*
It is said when you always advise someone not do something and doens't take your adivce.All of a sudden , he faces it.


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## WadiH

ayed said:


> I have often heard : *لقد أسمعت لو ناديت حياً*** ولكن لا حياة لمن تنادي*
> It is said when you always advise someone not do something and doens't take your adivce.All of a sudden , he faces it.


 
Yes, there's a mistake here; it's لا حياة لمن تنادي not لا صوت.


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## Saleh Al-Qammaari

ayed said:


> I have often heard : *لقد أسمعت لو ناديت حياً*** ولكن لا حياة لمن تنادي*





ayed said:


> It is said when you always advise someone not do something and doens't take your adivce.All of a sudden , he faces it.​


 
Yes, I heard it many times in this way or in somewhat similar extent. It is always said as a comment in the framework of reproaching some one for that one's non-respondig to orders, rules, etc.

Regards!


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## Mahaodeh

It's *قد* أسمعت لو ناديت حيا, a verse of poetry for Al Mutanabbi.


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## powerful_118

Is there an expression like that in English?


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## xebonyx

How about:
He who says what he likes, shall hear what he doesn't like.

I don't know if this captures the full essence of the Arabic proverb, though, as it doesn't explain the consequence.


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## Maped40

Can anyone give a precise translation of the verse?
Is the meaning parallel to the phrase "preaching in the desert"?


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## Mahaodeh

xebonyx said:


> How about:





xebonyx said:


> He who says what he likes, shall hear what he doesn't like.
> 
> I don't know if this captures the full essence of the Arabic proverb, though, as it doesn't explain the consequence.




No, it doesn't; that is similar but not the same as another Arabic proverb "من تدخل فيما لا يعنيه لقي ما لا يرضيه" - that who interferes with what does not concern him will find what does not please him.

There is an Iraqi proverb that sort of catches the meaning in your proverb: اليّ يريد الغوا يصبر على أحّو literally "that who wants allurement should put up with 'brrrr'" (as in, if you want to wear a summer shirt in winter because it's cool you will have to put up with the cold).




Maped40 said:


> Can anyone give a precise translation of the verse?





Maped40 said:


> Is the meaning parallel to the phrase "preaching in the desert"?




The exact translation is: "you have made your voice heard if you had spoken to the living...... but there is no life in that that you call".  It's sort of the opposite of "preaching in the desert", the latter means that it's your mistake for speaking where you can not be heard while the former clearly states that you did the right thing; it's the other party that is ignoring you.


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## Maped40

Thanks for the explanation


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## WadiH

Maped40 said:


> Can anyone give a precise translation of the verse?
> Is the meaning parallel to the phrase "preaching in the desert"?


 
It means you're wasting your breath (because the other person is not paying attention or does not want to listen).

This is the correct translation.  Guaranteed .


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## WadiH

Mahaodeh said:


> It's *قد* أسمعت لو ناديت حيا, a verse of poetry for Al Mutanabbi.


 
لقد أسمعت لو ناديت حياً
مفاعيلن مفاعيلن فعولن

ولاكن لا حياة لمن تنادي
مفاعيلن مفاعيلن فعولن

This is a variation of the وافر metre.  So لقد and not قد .  Generally, a verse cannot start with something like قد أسمعت (three long sections ْقدْ أسْ مع) in Classical Arabic poetry, though it does occur in vernacular poetry.

It's also not by Al-Mutanabbi.
http://www.alqabas.com.kw/Final/NewspaperWebsite/NewspaperPublic/ArticlePage.aspx?ArticleID=282562


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## Mahaodeh

Oh boy, then the article I read a while ago was all messed up! just shows that most of the time you can not depend on information from the internet.


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## ayed

powerful_118 said:


> Is there an expression like that in English?


 
I think the equivalence in English is this:
_* to flog a dead horse._ 
*_flogging a dead horse_.


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## nboutahar1

There are many phrases and idioms that go with * لا حياة لمن تنادي
It falls on deaf ears, You're preaching in the desert, No sign of life, You're talking to a corpse ...
*


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## Bigtime

Or you could say,
You're beating a dead horse.


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## GoldBug

There's an expression in English that appears to come close the the Arabic expression:

*"A Lone Voice in the Wilderness*" or *"A Voice Crying (out) in the Wilderness"

*As in:  *"Despite his impassioned pleas for constitutional reform, he was a lone voice in the wilderness" *_* (not only was he the only one demanding reform, no one was even listening to him)

*_It's mostly a literary term, but most native English speakers would have no problem understanding what it means.


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## iraq

you could say in english: you're talking to walls, or you're calling for a dead person.


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