Meaning & Analysis
Do not be wasteful with high-quality hay by creating 'orts'—scraps or leftovers that animals refuse to eat. It is a direct instruction to use valuable fodder completely and efficiently.
Insights
Warning Against Waste
The proverb is a powerful metaphor for resourcefulness, warning against squandering any valuable asset, such as time, opportunities, relationships, or advice. 'Good hay' symbolizes anything of worth, and making 'orts' of it means to waste it through neglect or carelessness.
Scorn and Ingratitude
To 'make orts' implies a sense of disdain or picky rejection of something perfectly good. Metaphorically, it warns against arrogance or foolishness, where one might scorn a valuable gift or opportunity, failing to recognize its true worth until it is gone.
Missed Opportunities
It serves as a caution against failing to seize favorable circumstances. By treating a valuable opportunity ('good hay') with indifference, one effectively discards it, turning a potential gain into a wasted remnant ('orts').
Agrarian Roots
Originating in an agrarian context where hay was a vital resource for livestock, the proverb underscores the severe consequences of waste. Its wisdom is rooted in the practical necessity of careful stewardship for survival, lending it a tone of serious, practical advice.
Moral Judgment
The proverb serves as a moral judgment against those who, in times of plenty, scorned valuable things. The 1640 quotation, 'Hee's well served, for hee hath oft made orts of better hay', shows it being used to imply that current misfortune is a just consequence for past wastefulness and ingratitude.
Psychological Warning
Psychologically, the proverb cautions against the human tendency to devalue what is abundant or easily obtained. It highlights a cognitive bias where familiarity breeds contempt, leading one to treat valuable opportunities or resources with a carelessness they will later regret.
Rhetorical Devices
Metaphor
The core of the proverb is the metaphor where 'good hay' represents any valuable resource and 'orts' (leavings) symbolize waste born of carelessness or scorn.
Archaism
The use of the archaic and specific term 'orts' lends the proverb a rustic, authentic flavor. This specificity makes the image more concrete and memorable than a generic phrase like 'do not waste things'.
Imperative Mood
The proverb is structured as a direct command ('Make not...'), giving it an authoritative and advisory tone that strengthens its function as a piece of practical wisdom.
Transcription
Quotations
Hee's well served, for hee hath oft made orts of better hay.
(To make orts).
(Make no Orts).
Annotations
- leavings
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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