I thought of the people before me who had looked down at the river and gone to sleep beneath it. I wondered about them. I wondered how they had done it--it, the physical act.I simply wondered about the dead because their days had ended and I did not know how I would get through mine.

Meaning: The saying contrasts an Argus-like watcher at home with a mole abroad. It pictures someone sharply observant in familiar surroundings but much less perceptive elsewhere.

Meaning: An observer who appears inattentive may still be aware of what is happening. The cat’s momentary wink warns against treating a brief lapse in visible attention as proof that nothing has been noticed.

Meaning: Someone's belief may have been produced by what they want to be true, rather than by good evidence that it is true.

Meaning: The rhyme presents a spring ague as medicine fit for a king. It gives a feverish illness a surprising positive value rather than simply treating it as misfortune.