I have this book called Love Letters to the Universe, essentially a book of quotations. This is one:

John Huston on seeing an old crone sitting on the curb in a town in Ireland, asked "What is life to you?" She, "A sigh between two mysteries." - Source Unknown

What do you all make of it, in terms of authenticity, etc. etc.?
An féidir Gaeilge a chur ar an méid a dúirt an tseanbhean?

I read in Jessica Powers' biography "Winter Music" that her uncle Frank used to say "He solved the great mystery" when someone died. Jessica and Frank grew up in my mother's central Wisconsin community which was peopled by Irish immigrants. Frank was probably of the first generation born in America, approximately in the 1860s.
My uncle Mike, who was born in the 1930s and grew up in the same community, used to say it too.

Jessica wrote a poem:

"The Great Mystery

My uncle had one sober comment for
all deaths. Well, he (or she)
has, he would say, solved the great mystery.

I tried as child to pierce the dark unknown,
straining to reach the keyhole of that door,
massive and grave, through which one slips alone."

I'm sure I've heard dying referred to as "solving the great mystery" by other Irish people but I can't remember any other references.

¿Osna idir dhá rúndiamhair?

An tusa atá ann, a Chaitríona? Is maith liom sin. Tá ceist agam, áfach: cá bhfuil an difríocht idir rúndiamhair agus mistéir?

Osna idir dhá rúndiamhair.
Osna idir dhá mhistéir.

Is fearr liom an dara ceann ar an gcluais, ach níl mé cinnte faoin semantic baggage!

If I had to make a guess, I'd say that rúndiamhair implies the need for faith - rún + diamhair - an intended mystery. Whereas mistéir is simply unexplainable.

Is dócha go bhfuil an ceart agat, gur focal creidimh é. Ach ní intended mystery an bhrí atá leis go bunúsach, dar liom, ach dark mystery, obscure secret. Ciallaíonn "rún" "secret, mystery" chomh maith le "intention".

O Ros na Rún go Rún Osna Rún, mar a déarfadh Jenny.

Céard faoi ‘Osna idir dhá rún’ mar sin? Is brea liom focail le níos mó ná brí amháin ag baint leo. De gnáth ní thaitníonn focail atá ro-ghar don Bhéarla liom. Mothaím saigheas Béarlachas ag baint leis. Le ‘rún’ tá baint ag an bhfocal le ‘runes’ agus le mothucáin gar don chroí agus mar sin is fearr liomsa é.

Dennis a bhleachtaire, tá níos mó ná riamhaire amháin againn anseo agus nuair atá na gasúir ag obair ar cheann amháin, caithfidh mé ceann eile a úsáid. Níl mé in ann m’ainm féin a úsáid ar an gceann eile mar faighim fógra go bhfuil sé tógtha. Ní féidir rudaí a choinneáil faoi rún uaitse!

quote:

O Ros na Rún go Rún Osna Rún

AGOA!

quote:

‘Osna idir dhá rún’

Fáinne óir ort! Tá sé sin go hiontach!

Anois, cén Ghaeilge a chuirfeá ar an gceist What is life to you? (Meas tú an é John Huston a dúirt é sin dáiríre? Agus le seanbhean a bhí suite ar cholbha an chosáin?)

Building on the phrasology from a poem I learned in school which had the line:

Ní tusa domsa mí an tséin, ach mí an léin 's an duifin.
You, to me, aren't the month of hapiness, but the month of depression and darkness.

So I'd make it:

Cén saol duitse?

Is aoibhinn liom an téacs gorm a úsáid! : )

Casta.

"Cad é an saol, dar leat?" a bheadh agamsa.

"What sort of life have you" an ciall a bhainfidh mé as "Cén saol duitse"

Casta do deimhin! Ní hionann "What do you think life is?" agus "What is life for you?" Braithim go bhfuil meascán de "What is life?" (ceist ghinearálta) agus "What is your life?" (ceist phearsanta) sa dara ceann. An mbeifeá sásta glacadh le "Cad é an saol duit?" Moltaí eile ag éinne?

Aontaím leat. Céard é an saol seo duitse? nó Céard ‘tá sa saol seo, meas tú? FRC

Isn't that just the same as:

Cén saol duit(se)?

I've just contracted "Cad é an" to "Cén".

quote:

I've just contracted "Cad é an" to "Cén".

Ach níl sé sin indéanta. Is ionann cén agus cé an. Ciallaíonn "cén saol" which life. Is minic a bhíonn saghas rogha i gceist nuair a thosaíonn abair le "cén": Cén duine a chonaic tú? Cén lá? Cén chaoi (go maith, go dona, cuíosach gan a bheith maíteach, etc.) a raibh sé?