Blaise Pascal, Penseé 347: “Man is but a reed, the most feeble thing in nature; but he is a thinking reed. The entire universe need not arm itself to crush him. A vapor, a drop of water suffices to kill him. But, if the universe were to crush him, man would still be more noble than that which killed him, because he knows that he dies and the advantage which the universe has over him; the universe knows nothing of this. All our dignity consists, then, in thought. By it we must elevate ourselves, and not by space and time which we cannot fill. Let us endeavor, then, to think well; this is the principle of morality.”

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Gaelic: Canan Nan Gaidheal -- Karen Matheson



In Scotland, you can find out how to write "cucumber" or "banana" in Gaelic just by going into a grocery store and looking for the signs. I asked a Scottish cabbie if he knew anyone who spoke Gaelic. He said he ex-wife was from the islands, that she spoke it, and that the other barbarians out there spoke it as well. If you want to read the lyrics to this song, which is about resisting linguistic tyranny (English--not Gaelic, unless you're the cab-driver) go to this link:

Celtic Lyrics Corner
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1 comment:

  1. Jeremiah HenryMarch 15, 2012 at 8:26 PM

    Well my little sign didn't come out quite right, but you get the idea. The emphasis is clearly on the Irish noun, not the English (Bhaile Átha Cliath being the Irish name for Dublin).

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