"You never get tired of watching two things: fire and moving water."
From what culture, or what source, does this saying come from?
From what culture, or what source, does this saying come from?
Where doth this saying cometh from?
- Thread starter Exir
- Start date
I googled the saying and found nothing about its origins, although plenty of sites had sayings of the same gyst...
*sorry* grammar police side must correct: "From where doth this saying cometh?"
*sorry* grammar police side must correct: "From where doth this saying cometh?"
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2007
- Messages
- 634
- Reaction score
- 89
- Location
- Beverly Hills
- Website
- kbloginla.wordpress.com
Actually it should be, "From where doth this saying come?" or better yet, "Whence cometh this saying?"
I grew up listening to way too much archaic English in church.
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2005
- Messages
- 2,199
- Reaction score
- 868
- Location
- yonder
- Website
- paprikapink2.blogspot.com
Perhaps it's from yer grandpa, Exir?
My mom grew up in Oklahoma and I'm often finding that things I think are sayings, she just made them up...or versie vicie. Like "damnation"...I thought my mom invented that.
My mom grew up in Oklahoma and I'm often finding that things I think are sayings, she just made them up...or versie vicie. Like "damnation"...I thought my mom invented that.
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2005
- Messages
- 18,805
- Reaction score
- 4,600
- Location
- Caledonia
- Website
- derekpaterson.net
I've never heard or read that saying before. Which is probably why it makes no sense to me. Who would ever say such a thing, and why?
-Derek
-Derek
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2007
- Messages
- 4,200
- Reaction score
- 194
- Location
- Behind the windmills of your mind
- Website
- www.linguisticworld.com
I heard Red Adair say it several years ago in an interview. I know he didn't coin it but it brought laughter from his audience. He was the foremost oil well firefighter.
It must be derived from old Zen teachings known as the contemplative mind. Moving water, pouring rain and fire are among the soothing concentrators .
The show and movie "Kung Fu" popularized and (mis)interpreted many Zen sayings. Perhaps it was on one of the old shows.
Anyway, maybe that helps.
The show and movie "Kung Fu" popularized and (mis)interpreted many Zen sayings. Perhaps it was on one of the old shows.
Anyway, maybe that helps.
Hey, cometh isn't difficult -- it means "comes". No great mystery.
doth means does
hath means has
The words (and the grammar) are the same. What changed (ca. 17th century) was pronunciation. (That's also when they stopped pronouncing the K in words like knee and knife.)