Meaning & Analysis
When a cup is filled to the brim, one must carry it with the utmost steadiness and care to avoid spilling its contents.
Insights
Humility in Prosperity
When one achieves the greatest measure of success, power, or wealth (the 'fullest cup'), they must act with the most significant degree of humility, caution, and self-control ('bear it evenest') to avoid a disastrous downfall.
The Burden of Abundance
The proverb highlights that abundance and great fortune bring their own unique challenges and responsibilities. Managing success requires more discipline and prudence than managing scarcity.
Caution Against Complacency
It serves as a warning that the moment of peak achievement is also the moment of greatest vulnerability. Pride, arrogance, or carelessness can easily lead to the loss of everything one has gained.
The Paradox of Success
The proverb serves as a timeless warning against the hubris that often accompanies success. It reflects a classical understanding of fortune as a precarious state, where those at the pinnacle of power or wealth are most vulnerable to a sudden fall, a concept central to Greek tragedy and Renaissance morality plays.
Psychology of Hubris
Psychologically, the proverb counters the natural human tendency toward overconfidence and recklessness during periods of great fortune. It advocates for heightened self-awareness and emotional regulation precisely when one is most tempted to abandon them.
Cultural Symbolism
The imagery of the cup connects to deep-seated cultural symbols of one's 'lot' or destiny, such as in the biblical phrase 'my cup runneth over'. The proverb leverages this symbolism to deliver a moral lesson on managing abundance with grace and care.
Rhetorical Devices
Extended Metaphor
The 'fullest cup' serves as a potent metaphor for peak success, wealth, or power, while 'bearing it evenest' symbolizes the practice of humility and careful self-management.
Parallelism
The parallel structure created by the superlatives 'fullest' and 'evenest' powerfully links the condition (maximum fortune) to the required action (maximum care), making the advice clear and memorable.
Imperative Mood
The proverb is structured as a command or piece of direct advice, giving it a strong, didactic tone that emphasizes its moral weight and urgency.
Transcription
Quotations
When the Cup's full carry it even.
When the cup's full carry it even.
A full Cup must be carried steadily.
Cross References
Annotations
- When you have arrived at Power and Wealth, take a care of Insolence, Pride, and Oppression.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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