meaning: "a green wound is soon healed"

Question

What does this saying mean? My English teacher gave it to us, but I could not find its meaning online. Please provide sources, if possible.

Answer 1

Modifying 'wound', the adjective 'green' has this meaning:

7. Unaltered by time or natural processes; fresh, new.
   ....
   b. Of a wound: recent, fresh, unhealed, raw. Freq. fig. Now arch. and rare.

["green, adj. and n.1". OED Online. December 2015. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/81167?rskey=J0s1dA&result=2&isAdvanced=false (accessed January 11, 2016).]

The meaning of the proverb, however, is more difficult to unravel. It is based on the idea that a wound, if fresh, will heal quickly, while a wound that has persisted (or festered) will take a long time to heal.

The proverb is cautionary, and would commonly be followed or preceded by an admonition, or an implied admonition would be understood from the context of the wound. For example,

green wounds heal quickly, if they're taken care of.

Or, in the case of a wound to the emotions or psyche,

don't brood for a long time about your husband's infidelity: green wounds heal quickly if you only let them.