Meaning & Analysis
The proverb states that if luck (personified as Fortune) is on your side and you actively pursue it, you may win her favor; but if luck fails or you miss the opportunity, you are left empty-handed—having only a parting glimpse as she passes by.
Insights
Active Pursuit and Agency
Success requires both luck and effort: to 'go about her' is to act and seek opportunity, while simply waiting is insufficient. Those who make no attempt or miss their chance are left with nothing but disappointment.
Ephemeral Nature of Opportunity
Fortune is fleeting, and her favor can be won only by those ready to seize the moment. If you hesitate or fail, you witness her departure—symbolized by 'kissing her tail'—with regret.
Fortune’s Caprice
The whimsical image of Fortune’s 'tail' highlights her unpredictable, sometimes mocking character—she may bestow favor suddenly, but is just as quick to leave the inattentive or unlucky behind.
Historical Symbolism
Fortune has long been personified as a woman who moves swiftly and unpredictably. Renaissance emblem books and proverbs frequently caution that her hair (opportunity) can only be grasped from the front, not as she passes—emphasizing the irretrievability of lost chances.
Literary and Cultural Resonance
Similar images recur in many languages, such as the Latin 'Occasio calva' (Opportunity is bald at the back), highlighting the folly of missed chances and the pain of regret. The proverb’s playful, slightly ribald tone is characteristic of popular early modern English wit.
Psychological Dimensions
The proverb underscores human tendencies toward both ambition and regret: the go-getter is rewarded by Fortune, while the passive or unlucky are left with only the bitterness of a lost opportunity—'kissing her tail' is a graphic metaphor for coming too late.
Rhetorical Devices
Personification
Fortune is vividly personified as a woman to be wooed, chased, or missed, animating the abstract concept of chance.
Humor and Wordplay
The cheeky phrase 'kiss her tail' employs humor, innuendo, and visual punning to make the proverb memorable and wry.
Parallelism
The proverb’s structure contrasts two scenarios—success through pursuit, and failure through neglect—reinforcing the lesson through balanced, memorable phrasing.
Transcription
Quotations
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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