TR4.1373 “Lǒ, Tróǐlús, měn séyn thǎt hárd ǐt ís TR4.1374 Thě wólf fǔl ánd thě wéthěr hóol tǒ hávě; TR4.1375 Thǐs ís tǒ séyn, thǎt mén fǔl ófte, ǐwýs, TR4.1376 Mǒte spénděn párt thě rémenǎnt fór tǒ sávě; TR4.1377 Fǒr áy wǐth góld měn máy thě hértě grávě TR4.1378 Ǒf hým thǎt sét ǐs úpǒn cóvěytísě; TR4.1379 Ǎnd hów Ǐ méne, Ǐ shál ǐt yów děvýsě:
Line Information
- Differences among the manuscripts and editions:
- English translations (Windeatt: 1998): You see, Troilus, people say “it’s hard to have the wolf full and the sheep unharmed”. That’s to say, that one must very often spend part to save the remainder. For with gold one can always make an impression on the heart of a man set on covetousness. I’ll tell you what I mean.
- Japanese translations (Sasamoto: 2012): いいですか、トロイルス様、人びとはこうおっしゃいます、狼の飢えを満たしながら、雄羊を欠かずに飼うことは難しいと。すなわち、確かに、よくあることですが、残りを救うために一部を犠牲にしなければなりません。だって強欲に取り付かれている人の心なんて人はいつだって金で刻めますもの。それはどういう意味か、これから申し上げましょう。
- Chinese translations (Fang: 1956): 特罗勒斯，俗语说，狼和羊不易两全；这就是说，一件事物往往不得不牺牲一部分以保全其余的部分。贪婪的人可以用金钱去引诱；我的意思是这样，让我讲给你听。
Word Information
- Etymology: OE
- Addresser: Criseyde
- Addressee: Troilus
- Adjectives with which juxtaposed: ful
- Counterpart in its source (Fil): N/A
- Noun(s) (NPs) modified: animals (wether: sheep)
- Attributive/ Predicative: predicative
Information in Previous Studies
- OED: Not quoted
- MED: (Quoted) 3. (a) Of persons, animals, or parts of the body: safe, unharmed, uninjured; stonden ~, to be unharmed; — also in proverbs; (s.v. hōl(e, adj.(2))
- Commented in other previous works:
- Windeatt (2003: 254): The wolf ful and the wether hool to have: To have the wolf full and the sheep (wether) unharmed
- Fisher (1989: 498): wether hol: sheep healthy
- Benson (1987): N/A
- Davis et al. (1979): Not quoted
- Donaldson (1975: 923): hool: whole
- Baugh (1963): N/A
Possible Definitions
unharmed, uninjured
Comments from the Editor
The proverb ‘it is hard to have the wolf full and the sheep whole’ is a proverb not recorded elsewhere.