proverb · Legacy record
Rainbow in the morning sailor's warning; rainbow at night sailor's delight.
Rainbow in the morning sailor's warning; rainbow at night sailor's delight.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The rhyme treats a morning rainbow as a warning and an evening rainbow as reassurance for sailors. It distinguishes its signs by time of day.
What the words are saying
The supplied gloss switches to a red sky, a different observation from a rainbow. A useful explanation keeps those cues separate and does not transfer the red-sky account as verification of this rhyme. Neither a location nor a precise period of expected weather is supplied.
Everyday example
A reader notices that the source words concern a rainbow while the accompanying gloss concerns sky colour.
When to use it
Use it to discuss the stated rainbow contrast without merging a different rhyme.
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What it does not mean
No universal rainbow forecast or navigation guidance is established.
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
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 602; PDF page 87
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.