proverb · Source-linked selection
The bud becomes a rose and the rose a hip.
The bud becomes a rose and the rose a hip.
In print by 1857 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A rose passes through successive forms rather than remaining at one admired stage. The image invites attention to development, time and changing kinds of value.
What the words are saying
The bud, flower and hip belong to a sequence in which one form gives way to another. Read the movement as a reminder that an attractive stage does not remain fixed. A later stage may serve a different purpose rather than merely representing loss. When considering a changing situation, ask what has ended and what new possibilities have appeared. The proverb supplies an image of succession, not a timetable for people or a judgement that later life has less worth.
Everyday example
A gardener appreciates a rose in flower and later notices the different appearance of its hips instead of expecting the bloom to last.
When to use it
Use it to reflect on changing stages without treating one stage as the only valuable one.
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What it does not mean
Do not turn a plant’s sequence into a rigid account of human lives or an insult about age.
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 (French-language collection)
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1857 AD · industrial
In print by 1857: recorded in A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857) (1857 AD)
Printed page 31; French section, paragraph 623; source wording: Le bouton devient rose et la rose gratte-cul.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.