|
A rolling stone gathers no moss is an old proverb, credited to Publilius Syrus, who in his ''Sententiae'' states, ''People who are always moving, with no roots in one place, avoid responsibilities and cares.'' As such, the proverb is often interpreted as referring to figurative nomads who avoid taking on responsibilities or cultivating or advancing their own knowledge, experience, or culture. Another interpretation equates "moss" to "stagnation"; as such the proverb can also refer to those who keep moving as never lacking for fresh ideas or creativity. ==In English== The conventional English translation appeared in John Heywood's collection of ''Proverbs'' in 1546. ''Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable'' also credits Erasmus, and relates it to other Latin proverbs, ''Planta quae saepius transfertus non coalescit'', or ''Saepius plantata arbor fructum profert exiguum'', which mean that a frequently replanted plant or tree (respectively) yields little fruit.〔(''Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable'' ), ''sub. title'' "Rolling Stone".〕 It appears that the original intent of the proverb saw the growth of moss as desirable, and that the intent was to condemn mobility as unprofitable. The contemporary interpretation of equating moss to undesirable stagnation has turned the traditional understanding on its head: Erasmus's proverb gave the name "rolling stone" to people who are agile (mobile) and never get rusty due to constant motion. "A day in the moss" refers to cutting peat in bogs or mosses.〔http://gelvinca.ning.com/profiles/blogs/a-day-in-the-moss〕 Metaphorically this refers to hard work in preparation for winter. An itinerant "rolling stone" will not likely feel the timely need to apply for access to a community's peat bog.〔Dictionary of the Scots Language Sc. 1825 J. Mitchell Scotsman's Library 118: "Any gentleman, whether possessing property or not, who was popular, and ready to assist the poor in their difficulties, might expect a day in the moss, as they were wont to term it, and could have them longer for payment." http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/moss〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「A rolling stone gathers no moss」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|