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In the Children/ Kid thread, wwh, bless his soul, mentions going to hell--
It it a line from an Irish blessing
What are you worried about?
There are only two things you need to worry about:
Are you healthy or are you ill?
If you are healthy, you have nothing to worry about.
If you are ill, there are only two things you have to worry about:
Are you getting better or are you getting worse?
If you are getting better, you have nothing to worry about.
If you are getting worse, you only have two things to worry about:
Will it kill you? Or will you just be ill?
If it just make you sick or even sicker, you have nothing to worry about.
If it will kill you, you just have two things to worry about:
Will you go to heaven or will you go to hell?
If you are going to heaven, you have nothing to worry about.
If you are going to hell, you'll be so busy greeting old friends and family, you have nothing to worry about!
aside from such flippery, the irish have made some valuable contribution to English-- not just vocabulary, but writers-- so as we approach march 17th--maybe some of the contributions...
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From : The Mentor Book of Irish Poetry
By Katherine Tynan (1861-1931)
"Any Woman"
I am the pillars of the house;
The keystone of the arch am I.
Take me away, and roof and wall
Would fall to ruin utterly.
I am the fire upon the hearth,
I am the light of the good sun,
I am the heat that warms the earth,
Which else were colder than a stone.
At me the children warm their hands;
I am the light of love alive.
Without me cold the hearthstone stands,
Nor could the precious children thrive.
I am the twist that holds together
The children in its sacred ring'
Their knot of love, from whose close tether
No lost child goes a-wandering.
I am the house from floor to roof,
I deck the walls, the board I spread;
I spin the curtains, warp and woof,
And shake the down to be their bed.
I am their wall against all danger,
Their door against the wind and snow.
Thou whom a woman laid in a manger,
Take me not till the children grow!
wow
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and here i was thinking along the lines of the the adage:
You might as well be hung for a sheep as for a lamb--
a common irish adage-- that says a good deal about irish philosophy-- but is incomprehensible to many!
(but somehow we have enough sheep knowledgable people here that many will understand it!)
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Anonymous
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You might as well be hung for a sheep as for a lamb--
and what *does* it mean? my guess (without really knowing that a sheep is worth more than a lamb, at market) would be that it's akin to "If you're going to go down, you might as well go down shooting", but i suppose it could translate more broadly to putting your heart and your backbone into everything you do, kind of a carpe diem sentiment.
am i even close?
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yes-- you've got the idea--
In for a penny, in for a pound-- would capture it too, but it has the idea if you are going to do something-- do it in a big way... no matter the consequences! After all, its easier to get forgiveness than permission! -- my personal philosophy. My boss is all to familiar with it!
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In case anyone thinks I've reformed ... herewith all such disspelled :
"Grace Before Beer"
F. R. Higgins (1896-1941)
For what this house affords us,
Come praise the brewer most --
Who caught into a bottle,
The barley's gentle ghost --
Until our parching throttles
In silence we employ --
Like geese that drink a mouthful,
Then stretch their necks with joy!
wow
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Dear wow: to add to your many kindnesses, please tell me if "twist" which I have not heard for years referring to a lady in perhaps insuffiently respectful terms, of Irish derivation? Perhaps a bit of etymology?
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"twist"
No No dear Bill, the twist in the poem is similar to a "rope"---for lack of a better word -- of embroidery thread . That kind of thread bought in small amounts and precut then sort of braided into an loop kinda' thing.
Not too good an explanation. Sorry.
There is another kind of twist ... more modern ?? Maybe tsuwm or Max or Cap K or of troy who appears to know more Irish than I do...can help
All atwizzle in a tizzy ... memory going ... brains leaking out ears ...
wow
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Hey ! Did I just coin a word?
atwizzle : in state of mixed confusion, frustration, inability to access memory for facts.
Well? Did I? Did I?
{Oh, oh, oh ... so excited till shot down emoticon but nice while it lasts.}
wow
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Sorry Wow, your word: atwizzle : in state of mixed confusion, frustration, inability to access memory for facts.has exactly the same definition as: normal: in state of mixed confusion, frustration, inability to access memory for facts.
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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