Cid bec, mét frigi, do locht...

Cid bec, mét frigi, do locht,
airige for nech do chéin;
cid métithir slíab do locht,
nocha n-airige fort féin.

(although * small * size * of mite * for * a fault / you notice * on * someone * to * distance / although * as sizeable (as) * a mountain * for * a fault / not * you notice * on you * self)

Though a fault be small, a trifle,
you see it on another at a distance;
Though a fault be the size of a mountain,
You do not see it on yourself.

A sententious verse first edited by Kuno Meyer and published in ZCP vol. 1. The poet Dáibhí Ó Bruadair (c. 1625 - 1698) echoed the biblical sentiment (Matt. 7:3) of the first couplet in a leathrann of his own: “A chéillidh dochí an teimheal / ar rosc cháich don chéadshilleadh” (You’re careful in a glance to see the blemishes in others’ eyes).

Topics: Verse Maxims & Wise Counsel