proverb · Words worth keeping
March wind and May sun, Make clothes white and maids dun.
March wind and May sun, Make clothes white and maids dun.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying contrasts weather whitening clothes with darkening the complexion of people outdoors. It ties seasonal exposure to appearance in a gendered image.
What the words are saying
March wind and May sun are given different effects on cloth and skin. A careful reading treats this as the verse’s comparison rather than verified advice about laundry or sun exposure. It should not make light or dark skin a measure of beauty or worth, or treat appearance as a young woman’s duty. The useful discussion concerns how the saying frames its observations and expectations.
Everyday example
A reader identifies the contrast without adopting a judgment that one complexion is preferable to another.
When to use it
Use it critically to discuss appearance in seasonal language.
What it does not mean
This is not sun-exposure or laundry advice, and skin tone does not determine worth.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 1027 · March
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English