Meaning & Analysis
A person who is doing well or eating well ('faring well') cannot resist boasting about their good fortune ('crying roast meat') to everyone.
Insights
Critique of Boastfulness
The proverb criticizes the inability to enjoy success quietly. It points to a character flaw where personal satisfaction is derived not from the success itself, but from the act of making it public, highlighting a lack of humility and discretion.
The Need for External Validation
It suggests that an insatiable need for public recognition drives some individuals. Their good fortune feels incomplete or invalid until it is acknowledged or envied by others, turning personal experience into a social performance.
The Folly of Indiscretion
The act of broadcasting success is portrayed as a form of foolishness. It implies that loudly advertising one's prosperity can attract negative consequences, such as jealousy, unwanted solicitations, or ill will.
Historical Symbolism of Luxury
Historically, 'roast meat' symbolized significant wealth and luxury, not an everyday meal. To 'cry' it was to publicly broadcast one's prosperity, an act of social signaling that could be seen as either celebratory or, more often, as a vulgar display by the newly successful.
Psychology of Insecurity
The proverb astutely identifies a psychological need for external validation. The person who 'cries roast meat' cannot fully enjoy their good fortune internally; their satisfaction is dependent on others knowing about it, revealing an underlying insecurity masked by boastfulness.
Cultural Precursor to Social Media
This proverb is a 17th-century precursor to the modern phenomenon of curated lives on social media. The act of 'crying roast meat' is analogous to posting images of lavish meals or vacations, reflecting a timeless human impulse to perform success for a public audience.
Warning Against Attracting Envy
By loudly announcing one's good fortune, a person invites envy, resentment, or even unwanted attention from those who might wish to take advantage. The proverb serves as a subtle warning that discretion is a key component of preserving good fortune.
Rhetorical Devices
Metaphor
'Roast meat' serves as a potent metaphor for any form of success, wealth, or good fortune, translating an abstract concept into a tangible, desirable symbol of prosperity.
Ironic Tone
The structure 'You cannot... but you must...' employs a sarcastic or critical tone, framing the act of boasting not as a choice but as an uncontrollable, negative compulsion.
Auditory Imagery
The proverb creates a vivid sensory contrast between the private act of 'faring well' (enjoying a meal) and the loud, public act of 'crying' about it, effectively highlighting the subject's lack of restraint.
Transcription
Quotations
(Cannot you).
(Cannot you be content to).
(Can't you).
I will begin with the Tale of a Wenching Companion, who could not fare well but he must cry roast-meat.
To cry roast meat.
You must never be slovenly, never be out of humor, fare well and cry Roast-meat.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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