Meaning & Analysis
One should reserve judgment on whether a day has been good or 'fair' until it has concluded, as unforeseen events can still occur before nightfall.
Insights
Judgment of a Life
The proverb metaphorically equates a 'day' with a human life. It suggests that a person's character, legacy, or fortune cannot be truly assessed until their life is complete, as final actions or revelations can alter their entire story.
Completion of Endeavors
It serves as a caution against celebrating success prematurely. Any project, venture, or plan is vulnerable to failure until it is fully completed and its outcomes are secured.
The Peril of Premature Certainty
The proverb warns against overconfidence and the folly of assuming a positive outcome based on early signs. It advocates for patience and acknowledges that fortune can be fickle and unpredictable.
Primacy of the Final Outcome
It emphasizes that the ultimate result is the only true measure of success. Initial progress or apparent good fortune is meaningless if the endeavor ends in failure.
Classical Wisdom
This proverb echoes the ancient Greek wisdom, famously articulated by Solon to King Croesus, that one should 'call no man happy until he is dead.' It reflects a deep-seated classical and medieval understanding of fortune's volatility (fortuna volubilis).
Agrarian Sensibility
The imagery suggests roots in an agrarian society, where the success of a day's labor is highly dependent on unpredictable factors like weather. A promising morning could be ruined by an afternoon storm, making evening the only true time for assessment.
Psychological Prudence
The proverb acts as a psychological corrective to confirmation bias and overconfidence. It encourages a mindset of cautious realism, reminding us that early positive data does not guarantee a successful conclusion and that vigilance is required until the very end.
Rhetorical Devices
Extended Metaphor
The 'day' serves as a powerful and simple metaphor for any finite period of effort or existence, such as a project, a journey, or an entire lifetime.
Antithesis
The proverb is structured around the temporal antithesis of 'day' (the ongoing process) and 'night' (the conclusion), creating a memorable and stark reminder to withhold judgment.
Imperative Mood
The use of the imperative 'Praise' gives the proverb the direct, memorable force of a command or a piece of essential advice.
Transcription
Quotations
Me ought not preyse to moche the daye. tyl euen be come.
At euen men shulde the fayre daye praisen. As who shuld saye: before night be come, we cannot praise the fairenes of the daye, bycause there maye come in an houre, that cam not all the day before. And euen so it is of mans lyfe.
Ruisse [praise] the fair day at even.
Praise day at night and life at the end.
Praise a fair day neither morn or noon, but at night.
One ought not to commend the day, before the evening be come.
[As in a1598 Ferg.]
Ruse the fair Day at Night.
Commend not a Thing, or Project, 'till it has had its full Effect.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.