Last Hour o' Work

Since St. Patrick's Day is coming and the Irish are world-renowned for their zesty and poignant quotes, toasts and proverbs, I thought it apropos to take some time to go over the best of the best as far as the Irish go. I love all form of word play, so I can easily dedicate a solid hour to digging some of my favorites up to share.

We'll start with my very favorite these days, which just so happens to have dropped from the lips of Irish scribe, Samuel Beckett. It's from his short play, "Krapp's Last Tape" and I've condensed it a tad, ramping up the intensity a bit.

"Perhaps my best years are gone. But I wouldn't want them back. Not with the fire in me now."

Some William Butler Yeats, following suit. This is called "A Drinking Song" and I think it is simply beautiful:

Wine comes in at the mouth
And love comes in at the eye;
That’s all that we will know for truth
Before we grow old and die.
I lift the glass to my mouth,
I look at you and I sigh.

Jonathan Swift takes a moment to pipe in with a toast:

"May you live all the days of your life."

And some lighter toasts and proverbs with a bit more humor and mischief:

God is good, but never dance in a small boat.

But the greatest love--the love above all loves,
Even greater than that of a mother...
Is the tender, passionate, undying love,
Of one beer-drunken slob for another.

Here's to Eileen O'Hara,
For her life it held no terror.
Born a virgin.Died a virgin.
No runs, no hits, no errors.

9 more minutes left of "work". Which reminds me of another Irish proverb, which makes me feel a little guilty, although only fleetingly so, about neglecting my work responsibilities.

The work praises the man.

Only fleetingly guilty I say because I am not a man.