Italian Proverbs that Grandma and Grandpa taught Auntie Rose, dad etc.
as she remembers years later:
Greetings Mary and Peter !
May you enjoy this bright day ! Enjoy your beautiful home, Peter, -
especially after a long week of accommodations at different
locations, sitting in on lectures which were perhaps only indirectly related to
your highly developed engineering skills. Nonetheless "carbon footprint "
surfaces more and more in the scientific arena with the growth of population and
the scarcity of resources. Prudent foresights are needed to sustain this
planet. "Energy Audits" will become increasing popular.
The Italian proverbs I tried to document as I recall from my
parents, were passed on by word of mouth. They have a very distinct cultural
origin.
For example, the one I mentioned: "Aqua passata non macina piu' il mulino."
As
an agrarian people, each planted his own parcel of wheat. The wheat had to be
brought to the mill to be ground into flour. Literally, the proverb would be
translated "Passed water does not grind any longer at the mill." Socially,
this saying was applied when someone belabored a point, especially a negative
one .
. . it would caution the individual to "stop.' In other words "enough!" Each
proverb carries much wisdom.
Regards to each of you and all the folks.
Prayers &
Love, Auntie Rose
Greetings Peter John !
As I mentioned in previous e-mail, each of these proverbs
originates from a cultural setting quite different from what we experience here
in
the USA.
Nonetheless, the meaning is applicable. For example:
Dove arrivo pianto lo sprocco.
When planting was done row on row by hand (usually by the
women) they often became tired by the end of the day. Simply they
would plant a "twig" to mark the place where each had left off the
previous day, so the point to start planting was marked for the following
morning. This can be applied to any given task.
Fa bene e scorda, fa male e pensa
Do good and forget; do evil and think !
Ha cambiato la testa per la coda.
He exchanged the head for a tail. This means the individual
used poor judgment. . . a failed outcome.
Foregoing are just a few examples. My greatest regret in
life is that I never had the opportunity to teach Italian in a classroom
situation. I wrote and passed the NYS qualifying exam for teachers of Italian
when I
was at
Hunter College.
Regards to Mary and all the folks.
Prayers
& Love, Auntie Rose