Author Koh Lin ◦
Such is life…
Is a spoken phrase, that comes from the English translation of the French phrase “C’est la vie”. This in turn is said to be from the Italian phrase “Cosi va’l mondo!” (in the book A Grammar of the Italian Language, written in 1762 by Pietro Bachi (1787-1853).
“Cosi va’l mondo!” also translates to “That’s how the world goes!”, and more commonly “That’s life!” or “Such is life!”
The phrase brings with it a sense of resignation or philosophical acceptance, in particular when something disappointing has happened, such as a missed opportunity or a minor setback, and an indicatiion that you have moved on.
It is said that Australia’s most infamous bush ranger, Ned Kelly, said it just before his excution in 1880, his last words or “so the story goes”.
Another English interpretation of the phrase / saying is “That’s the way the cookie crumbles”.
Throughout my childhood I was often subjected to feelings of melancholy. Sometimes they would surface in nightmares that my parents would try and rouse me from, as I lay screaming and flaying my body in bed. I was often medicated to try and relieve me from those nightmares, although my parents eventually had to stop the medication, with the fear of addiction.
That period of my life I talked about in my poem Another Time, Another Life. One of those nightmares I remember in particular, was I was walking along a railway track, and then I would hear a train in the distance. It was getting louder and closer, yet I kept on the railway track. I remember thinking I could just jump off the track and avoid getting hit by the train, but I couldn’t. And as the train got louder, faster and closer, I tried to outrun the train. When I look back at those dreams, I remember the only way I was saved was by my father and mother waking me up.
It was strange, I had friends, but did they really know me… I was outwardly cheerful, but inwardly depressed. There was a time I was taking a long walk home from my brother’s party in Balmain Sydney. I look back and remember, I felt very lonely. As I walked, there was a devil on my back telling me to do it… but a little voice in my head kept saying, “Don’t do this to your mother and your father!”. That kept me safe that night.
Those were “black dog” days, where I could not see a future… but looking back now, it was part of my journey…
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