Acht ropa airdirc-se...

Acht ropa airdirc-se, maith limm cen co beinn acht óenlá for domun.

(but * that I were * famous - emphatic * good * with me * without * that * I be * but * one day * on * earth)

If I were famous, I’d gladly have just one day on earth.

Spoken by Cú Chulainn in the “Youthful Exploits” section of the Táin, on the day that he first took up a grown man’s weapons. A proverbial version of this sentiment, found in the Fiannaíocht and elsewhere, says “Is buaine bladh ná saol.” (Fame is more enduring than life.) The late daredevil Evel Knievel framed a milder but colorful version of this sentiment: “Bones heal, chicks dig scars, pain is temporary, glory is forever.”

Topics: The Characters Speak