If a beggar asks for charity, people bluntly tell him that he is able-bodied and should work to earn, but if an important person accepts their invitation, they spend their entire fortune hosting them.
This couplet holds up a sharp mirror to society's double standards and hypocrisy. When someone genuinely destitute asks for help, we dismiss them with cold moral lectures about hard work, yet we will gladly bankrupt ourselves hosting lavish feasts just to flatter the wealthy and powerful. It is a poignant, stinging observation on how vanity so easily trumps genuine compassion.
Interpretation note: meanings and explanations may be AI-assisted and should not replace a primary text or scholarly edition. See the editorial policy.
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