Meaning & Analysis
The proverb literally refers to the Roman goddess of love, Venus, suggesting that wherever she goes, she leaves behind a beautiful and pleasant scent as a tangible sign of her divine presence.
Insights
The Lingering Effects of Love
The 'exquisite perfume' symbolizes the lasting, positive impression or delightful memory left by an experience of profound love, beauty, or passion. It suggests that the afterglow of such encounters lingers long after the person or event has passed.
Idealization of Romance
The proverb can be interpreted as a commentary on idealization. The intangible 'perfume' represents the romanticized memory of love, which is often more perfect and less complex than the reality, capturing the essence of the experience without its flaws.
Evidence of Presence
The scent serves as subtle but undeniable proof of a significant presence or event. It implies that true beauty and love leave an indelible, though not always visible, mark on the world and on the soul.
Classical Allusion
Rooted in classical mythology, the proverb alludes to the belief that deities, like the Roman goddess Venus, leave a divine, fragrant scent (ambrosia) as a sign of their presence. This concept was a recognized literary trope in the Renaissance, used to evoke grandeur and idealize beauty.
Psychology of Memory
The proverb's power lies in its connection between scent and memory, a phenomenon known as the Proustian effect. The 'perfume' is a metaphor for the powerful, involuntary way that memories of love, beauty, or intense passion are triggered and relived long after the event.
Cultural Antithesis
The cross-reference 'The devil always leaves a stink behind him' creates a powerful moral and aesthetic binary. This contrast highlights a deep-seated cultural tendency to associate good with pleasant sensory experiences and evil with foulness, linking divinity to beauty and corruption to repulsion.
Rhetorical Devices
Symbolism
'Perfume' serves as a powerful symbol for the intangible yet potent memory and influence of love and beauty.
Mythological Allusion
The proverb uses Venus, the Roman goddess, as a direct allusion and personification of the abstract concepts of love, desire, and beauty.
Sensory Imagery
The proverb relies on vivid sensory imagery, appealing directly to the sense of smell to evoke the powerful, lingering nature of love's memory.
Transcription
Quotations
Venus, who (as the Greeke Poetes affirme) never departed from any place not leaving an exquisite perfume and odorous smell behind her in token of her presence.
This sacrifice (whose sweet perfume descending From Venus’ altar to your footsteps bending) Doth testify that you exceed her far.
Cross References
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.