proverb · Words worth keeping
The hen’s eyes are with her chickens.
The hen’s eyes are with her chickens.
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
Care often directs attention toward those who depend on us. Notice their needs without assuming that concern requires constant supervision or leaves no room for independence.
What the words are saying
The hen’s eyes follow her chickens, making attention a sign of practical care. The image recognises that a dependent person’s safety or needs may remain in a caregiver’s thoughts even while another task is underway. A useful reading asks what kind of attention is needed and how that responsibility can be shared. It should not make care an exclusively female duty or demand permanent vigilance from one person. Dependence changes over time, and good support can include giving someone space to learn, act and ask for help.
Everyday example
Adults caring for children agree who will supervise an activity so that one person is not expected to notice every need alone.
When to use it
Use it to recognise attention involved in a caring responsibility.
What it does not mean
Concern should respect autonomy and realistic limits. Sharing care is not a failure of affection.
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 30; French section, paragraph 595; source wording: Là où sont les poussins la poule a les yeux.
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.