Meaning & Analysis
The pleasures of illicit love and strong drink seem enjoyable at first—often at night—but by the next morning (or later), their effects are regretted or prove worthless.
Insights
Ephemeral Pleasures
This proverb warns that fleeting indulgences—whether sensual love or intoxication—bring temporary satisfaction but lead to regret, emptiness, or harm when their effects wear off.
Illusion versus Reality
There is a sharp contrast between initial allure and eventual disappointment. The proverb exposes how immediate gratification often masks future consequences, urging a wary attitude toward seductive but transient delights.
Moral and Physical Cost
It suggests that both illicit love and excessive drinking exact a price: morally, in terms of self-respect or reputation, and physically, in hangover or loss. The pleasures are 'good' only while they last, and soon turn to nothing or even pain.
Historical Symbolism
Wine and harlots have long symbolized temptation, excess, and moral danger in Western literature and scripture. Their pairing here intensifies the warning, portraying two classic forms of self-indulgence that ancient and early modern societies viewed with suspicion.
Cultural and Literary Resonance
Numerous early modern texts echo this theme, with variations on the consequences of nocturnal pleasures. The recurring pattern is the sweetness of the night giving way to the bitterness or emptiness of the morning—echoed in quotes from the 16th and 17th centuries and captured by Ray: 'sweet for a season, but last a short Time.'
Psychological and Physiological Dimensions
The proverb captures the psychological arc of indulgence: anticipation, enjoyment, then regret. It also hints at physiological truths—the hangover after wine, the emptiness or shame following transactional love—reminding us of the mind-body connection in human experience.
Implicit Social Critique
Beneath the surface is a critique of societies that pursue pleasure without thought for consequences. The proverb stands as a warning against hedonism, emphasizing wisdom, self-restraint, and foresight.
Rhetorical Devices
Parallelism
The paired structure ('love of a harlot and wine of a flagon') creates a balanced, memorable rhythm, underlining the similarity between the two temptations.
Antithesis
The opposition between 'good' in one moment and 'nought' in the next heightens the sense of reversal and fleetingness, giving the proverb a moral sting.
Temporal Reversal
The play on times of day (evening/morning) dramatizes the shift from pleasure to regret, making the lesson vivid and relatable.
Transcription
Quotations
(flagon or bottle)
The loue of a whore, and the wine of a bottle at night is good, in the mornyng naught.
The wine of a Flaggon, and the loue of a Whore, At euening is rich, at morning is poore.
The love of a woman, and the wine of a bottle, in the Evening is good; in the morning is spoyl'd.
The love of a woman and a bottle of wine, Are sweet for a season, but last for a time.
The Love of a Woman, and a Bottle of Wine, Are sweet for a Season; but last a short Time.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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