Meaning & Analysis
The proverb literally describes someone getting out of bed very late in the morning, around nine or ten o'clock, with the ironic addition 'whether it is daytime or not'—at a time when it is obviously and fully day.
Insights
Indolence and Luxury
The act of rising late symbolizes a life of indolence and luxury. It serves as a critique of a lifestyle so detached from the rhythms of work and nature that the person is humorously indifferent to the time of day.
Disregard for Reality
The phrase 'Day, or day not' metaphorically represents a willful disregard for reality and responsibility. It characterizes a person who lives by their own whims, ignoring the obvious facts and obligations that govern the lives of ordinary people.
Marker of Social Class
Waking up at ten o'clock is presented as a distinct marker of high social status. Unlike laborers who must follow the sun, 'Great Personages' can afford to create their own timetable, turning the natural day into a matter of personal convenience.
Social Status and Labor
This proverb reflects a pre-industrial worldview where daily life was dictated by daylight. For most people, rising with the sun was a necessity for work, especially in agriculture. Rising late was therefore a conspicuous symbol of wealth and social status, signifying a life of leisure free from the obligations of manual labor.
Satirical Commentary
The phrase "Day, or day not" introduces a sarcastic commentary on the self-importance of those who rise late. It mocks the individual's detachment from the natural world, suggesting they are so far removed from common experience that they can feign ignorance of something as obvious as the morning sun.
Psychology of Privilege
The proverb touches on the psychological state of willful ignorance or self-indulgence. By acting as if the time of day is a matter of opinion rather than a fact, the late-riser asserts their own schedule over the natural order, reflecting a mindset of privilege and entitlement.
Rhetorical Devices
Irony
The primary device is irony, expressed in the phrase 'DAY or day not'. Stating this at ten in the morning is deeply sarcastic, mocking the late-riser's feigned or genuine detachment from the normal course of a day.
Hyperbole
The phrasing exaggerates the person's indifference to an absurd degree. This hyperbole enhances the satirical critique of their leisurely and self-absorbed lifestyle.
Satire
The proverb functions as social satire, using humor and ridicule to comment on and critique the behaviors and attitudes associated with the privileged classes of the 17th century.
Transcription
Quotations
The English say, to rise about nine a-clock, day, or day not.
When the Sun is got up high, as Great Personages rise late; at Ten a clock, Day, or day not.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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