Meaning & Analysis
Recalling past difficulties, such as sorrows or dangers, brings a sense of pleasure or happiness once those challenges have been overcome.
Insights
Narrative and Identity
The proverb suggests that overcoming adversity is central to building a meaningful personal narrative. Past sorrows are reframed as essential chapters in a story of triumph, and the joy comes from recognizing oneself as the resilient protagonist who endured and grew stronger.
Confirmation of Safety
Memory of past suffering serves as a powerful confirmation of present security. The joy is a feeling of profound relief and gratitude for having survived, transforming the trauma of the past into a testament of present well-being.
Wisdom Through Suffering
The proverb implies that wisdom is forged through hardship. The 'joyful' remembrance is an appreciation for the difficult lessons learned and the character developed through adversity. The sorrow was the price paid for valuable experience.
Classical and Literary Heritage
Originating in classical antiquity and cited by Erasmus, the proverb reflects a long-standing philosophical and literary tradition, seen in works from Virgil's Aeneid to Shakespeare, where recounting past struggles serves to ennoble the present and frame hardship as a crucial part of a heroic journey.
Psychology of Resilience
This proverb encapsulates the psychological concept of cognitive reframing, where individuals reinterpret past negative events from a position of safety. The joy stems not from the memory of pain itself, but from the empowering narrative of survival, resilience, and personal growth that emerges from it.
The Value of Contrast
The proverb highlights the principle of perceptual contrast. The pleasure of the present moment—safety, peace, or success—is intensified when juxtaposed with the memory of past danger or sorrow. The darkness of the past makes the light of the present seem brighter.
Cultural Ambivalence of Memory
The proverb's sentiment contrasts sharply with its cross-referenced opposite, 'The revealing of griefs is a renewing of sorrow' (R89). This tension reveals a nuanced cultural understanding of memory: remembrance can be either a source of triumphant joy or a trigger for renewed pain, depending on context and psychological distance.
Rhetorical Devices
Paradox
The proverb is built on the stark juxtaposition of 'sorrow' and 'joyful'. This paradoxical pairing creates a memorable and thought-provoking statement that captures a complex emotional truth.
Abstract Language
The use of abstract concepts like 'remembrance', 'sorrow', and 'joy' lends the proverb a universal, philosophical weight, allowing it to apply to a wide array of personal and collective experiences.
Narrative Condensation
The proverb functions as a concise summary of a narrative arc. It encapsulates an entire story—of conflict, endurance, and resolution—within a single, impactful phrase.
Transcription
Quotations
Jucunda malorum praeteritorum memoria.
Labours ones done, be swete .. after paynfull labours and perils the remembraunce of them is to him ryght pleasaunt.
Remembrance of the paine that is past is sweete.
The remembrance of the peril past delighteth.
Ye will recount to vs in order dew All that aduenture, which ye did assay For that faire Ladies loue: past perils well apay.
Sad sorrow past, delights to be rehearsed.
Griefe past is joyfull.
It is much joy to think on sorrows past.
It will be a great comfort for mee to remember these things hereafter.
After an age of woes it proues at last A sweete content to tell of dangers past.
That which is hard to endure, is sweet to remember.
And according to the proverb, the remembrance of dangers when they are over is very pleasant.
That, which was bitter to endure, may be sweet to remember.
Shakespeare Citations
All these woes shall serve For sweet discourses in our time to come.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.