Meaning & Analysis
A person who properly cares for sheep and bees will find that their wealth increases continuously, as these animals produce valuable goods (wool, lambs, honey, wax) on their own, regardless of whether the owner is awake and working or asleep.
Insights
The Value of Wise Investment
The proverb is a powerful metaphor for wise investment. Sheep and bees represent assets that generate returns independently of constant effort. It advises that choosing the right ventures and managing them well leads to wealth that grows on its own.
Harnessing Natural Productivity
It illustrates the principle of harnessing self-sustaining systems. By setting up the right conditions—caring for the animals—one can benefit from natural processes of growth and production that continue automatically, symbolizing the power of working smart over working hard.
Effortless Accumulation
'Thrift comes in' symbolizes the steady, almost automatic, accumulation of prosperity. It suggests a state of financial security where income is not solely dependent on active, daily labor, but flows from well-managed, productive assets.
Agrarian Economic Symbols
Historically, sheep and bees were quintessential assets in agrarian economies. Sheep provided wool, meat, and milk, representing stable, tangible wealth. Bees offered honey (a primary sweetener before sugar was common) and wax (for candles), valuable commodities. Owning both signified a diversified, self-perpetuating source of prosperity.
Principle of Passive Income
The proverb is an early articulation of the economic principle of capital investment and passive income. The sheep and bees are the 'capital stock' that generates a continuous 'flow' of returns (thrift) without constant, direct labor, illustrating a foundational understanding of making assets work for the owner.
Psychology of Security
The proverb taps into the deep-seated human desire for financial security and freedom from relentless labor. The image of wealth accumulating even during sleep is psychologically powerful, representing an ideal state of effortless abundance and the ultimate reward for wise preparation.
The Importance of Stewardship
The phrase 'keeps well' is crucial, implying that this effortless income is not a matter of luck but the result of initial diligence, skill, and proper stewardship. It underscores that passive systems require careful setup and maintenance to function effectively.
Rhetorical Devices
Antithesis
The direct contrast between 'sleep' and 'wake' powerfully emphasizes the continuous, uninterrupted nature of the prosperity generated by the sheep and bees.
Symbolism
The proverb uses sheep and bees as concrete symbols for any self-sustaining, productive asset, making an abstract economic principle tangible and easy to understand.
Alliteration and Assonance
The balanced structure and repetition of 's' and 'p' sounds in 'Whoso keeps', 'sheep', and 'sleep' create a rhythmic, memorable quality that enhances its proverbial nature.
Transcription
Quotations
For it is an olde sayinge: he that hath both shepe, swyne, and bees, slepe he, wake he, he maye thryue.
(The Proverb .. Wo so keep).
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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