The Cat i’ the Adage
The adage: “the cat loves fish, but doesn’t like to wet its paws.”
Shakespeare’s characterization of the adage: “Letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would’ / Like the poor cat i’ the adage.”
It seems to me that Shakespeare got it backwards: the adage is about letting “I would” wait upon “I dare not”, isn’t it? About the desire to do being subservient to the fear of doing?
The cat, it’s said, is fond of fish; It has a fresh fish snacking wish. But fish in pools, not on a dish It rarely will attempt to take. To wet it’s paws seems a mistake And so it won’t its hunger sake.
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