Meaning & Analysis
An intoxicated person often seems to avoid injury in situations, like falls or accidents, where a sober person would likely be harmed.
Insights
The Irony of Fortune
The proverb serves as an ironic commentary on the unpredictable nature of fate. It suggests that luck or grace is not always distributed according to merit, as the reckless and unaware are sometimes protected while the cautious may suffer.
The Virtue of Non-Resistance
Metaphorically, the drunkard's physical limpness symbolizes the benefit of non-resistance. It suggests that in certain crises, letting go of rigid control and being mentally or physically 'loose' can be a surprising form of self-preservation.
Paradox of Vulnerability
The proverb highlights a paradox where a state of profound vulnerability—lacking judgment and coordination—paradoxically becomes a shield against consequences, questioning conventional wisdom about safety and risk.
Providential Protection
The proverb reflects a long-held belief in a protective force, often personified as 'Fortune' or attributed to divine providence, that watches over those in a vulnerable or witless state. This aligns with the broader cultural trope of the 'protected fool' who survives despite their lack of caution.
Physiological Truth
This folk observation has a plausible physiological basis. An intoxicated person's muscles are often relaxed during a fall or impact, which can lessen the severity of injuries compared to a sober individual who instinctively tenses up, thereby increasing the risk of fractures and sprains.
Psychological Bias
The proverb's endurance may be partly explained by confirmation bias. People tend to remember the surprising and counter-intuitive instances of a drunk person escaping injury, while overlooking the far more common cases where intoxication leads to serious harm.
Rhetorical Devices
Irony
The core of the proverb is its situational irony, where a state of heightened risk (drunkenness) unexpectedly results in safety, subverting the logical expectation that recklessness leads to injury.
Hyperbole
The use of 'seldom' (or 'never' in early quotations) is a deliberate overstatement. While drunk people frequently come to harm, the hyperbole emphasizes the shocking and memorable instances where they do not.
Paradox
The proverb functions as a paradoxical observation on life's unfairness and unpredictability, challenging the straightforward moral assumption that irresponsible behavior is always punished.
Transcription
Quotations
The horse unto the bottome quickly sunke, And had for company his burthen drowned, If fortune that helps frantike men and drunke, Had not him safe conveyd to Affricke ground.
There is an oulde Prouerbe, and now confirmed true, a Druncken man neuer takes harme.
They say yet, drunken men neuer take harme.
(never catcheth harme).
(neuer takes harmes).
Boys, nor drunken men, do euer come by any harm.
Drunken folks seldom take harm.
[As in 1670 Ray].
God takes Care of Fools, and drunken Men.
Annotations
- Taken from the strange Escapes that both these sort of People meet with.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.