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This section concludes “How Colma was” a collection of
proverbs and rhymes in colmese dialect, that is to say in the
vernacular spoken in this particular area of Piedmont, but with a
marked presence of terms and idiomatic expressions typical of the
Colma area. These proverbs, “magic sentences” which talk about the
time, of the peasant’s calendar and according to the customs of the
place. Many of them have been dear to those who, in the past,
interpreted with wisdom the signs of the nature, in a way to give
benefit to their own farm work and their farms.
Proverbs
• Pasqua ca la vena quand la veuja la ven
semp cun la feuja
No matter when Easter comes, plants come into leaves
in any case
(At Easter, either it is low or high, the plants come in
any case into leaves)
• S'al fioca an s'la feuja, l'inver al da
nen neuja
If it snows upon the leaves, winter won’t cause too
much annoyance
(The premature snow falls, when leaves have not yet completely
fallen down from trees, are a good omen for a mild winter)
• Santa Lucija al pas ad na furmija
Saint Lucy comes with the pace of an ant
(It refers to the duration of the day. On Saint Lucy’s
day, December 13th, days are drawing out again, in the same
way as the pace of an ant, that is in an unperceivable way)
• A San Lurens l'ua a la tens
On Saint Lawrence’s day, the grape starts ripening
(On Saint Lawrence’s day, August 10th, the grape starts
to change into a darker colour)
• Se al su al turna andrè, adman matina
jumma l'acqua ai pè
If the sun comes back, tomorrow morning we will have water
which arrives at our feet
(If the sun is covered in the afternoon and appears at sunset,
the morning after it will rain)
• Se al tempural al ven da Ast, pia l'asu
e gavij al bast. Se al ven da Casa, pia i beu e va a laurà
If the storm comes from Asti, take your donkey and leave
his pack-saddle out. If it comes from Casale, take your
oxen and go to plough
(Atmospheric disturbances which come from Asti, let’s
say from the west, are presaging a storm. Those coming from
Casale, north west, have not consequences so serious to
prevent from working the land)
• Quand la lun-a a la al reu, o vent o breu
When the moon has a halo, either wind or rain come
(The halo around the moon, sign of a unclear atmosphere,
is a presage of wing or rain)
• Smen-a a Mars, smen-a a Avrì, fin-a
a Mag tij veghi nen a v-ni
Sow in March, sow in April, until May you won’t see
anything
(Though you anticipate the sowing in March instead of April,
until May sprouts will not appear)
• Se al pieuv a l'Assension, al ciresi ai
bej baron
If it rains during the Ascension Day, you will have plenty
of cherries
(The rain, during the Ascension Day period, increases the
production of cherries)
• Nebia auta la spussa ad pauta, nebia basa
bel temp la lasa
High fog smells of mud, low fog leaves nice weather
(When the fog is high, that is to say it covers the sun,
it brings bad weather. On the other hand if it is present
only in the valleys and you can see the top of the hills
it will leave fine weather)
• San Giacu e Sant'Ana sal pieuv le tanta
mana
If it rains on Saint James’ or Saint Ann’s,
it rains a lot of godsand
(If it rains on Saint James’ or Saint Ann’s,
on July 26th, it is an excellent remedy for the crop)
• S'al pieuv al di d'la ramuliva, al pieuv
set duminchi ad fila
If it rains on the Palm Sunday, it will rain for the following
seven Sundays
Short way of speaking
• Mej in asu viv che‘n dutur mort
Better a donkey alive than a dead doctor
• Quand che la merda la monta an scagn, ò
la spussa o la fa dan
When the “shit” attains a higher rank, either
smells or causes harm
• Nanca in can al men-a la coua par nen
Neither dogs wag their tails for nothing
• Mort in Papa ass nu fa nat
No one is indispensable in this world
(Once dead a Pope, another will come)
• Tut al ven a taj, anche al jogi par pla
l'ai
Everything can be useful, also the nails necessary to peal
the garlic
• Tant furtunà che se as buteisa a
fa i capè ai nassriju tuc sensa testa
He is so lucky that if he started making umbrellas, everybody
would be born without a head
• Mija ad neuvi bon-i neuvi
No news, good news
• Chi al travaija mangia paija, chi al fa
nen mangia fen
Those who work eat straw, those who don’t do
anything eat hay
• Ciamà as fa nen a pcà
It is not a sin to ask for something
• Lengua an buccà a Rumma as va
With your mouth close, you will go far away
• Lengua jutmi se no a-taji
Help me tongue or I’ll cut you!
• A le mej n-andà che sent andumma
It is better just a “I’ll go” then one
hundred “Let’s go”
• Cula vegia ai rincarsiva murì parchè
gnu parava ju-na tuc i dì
The old lady was sorry to die out because she was learning
a new thing everyday
• Al è durà da Nadal a San
Steu
It lasted from Christmas to Saint Stephen
• Sercà l'asu e jessi a cavà
Looked for a donkey and found a horse o
• In pari al manten des fieuj, des fieuj
i manten-u nen in pari
A father maintains ten children, ten children do not maintain
a father
• In poch a prum al fà mal a ‘nciun
A little for each one does not harm anybody
• Furtunà c'me in can a-n cesa
Lucky as a dog in a church
• Nui summa da Sgnan, lon ca fuma nen in
ceu lu fumma ‘a d'man
We are from Rosignano, the things we don’t do today,
we’ll do them tomorrow
• A le c'me cui ad Pundastura, quand'a le
neuc aij ven la cura
It is like those from Pontestura, who bustle about when
it is by the time it is night.
Rhymes to entertain and put
to sleep children
• Rata birata, la cuua di na rata, rata neira
fa candejla, pan e peus, sciò sciò sciò
galet
With the child on your knees, keeping him by hands,
you swung him forward and backward and then you shook him
by pulling once a hand and the other at the end of the rhyme
• Cuschì le l'ugin bel cuschì
lè sò fradè. Custa lè l'ureggia
bela custa le sò surela. Custa la la bucca dal fra
e cust a le al campanon da sunà
You pointed out to the child the right eye, then the
left one; afterwards the right ear and then the left one;
further on the mouth and finally by taking the nose between
the fingers, you shook to the right and then to the left
to simulate the swinging of the bell
• Tucca Gigin che pansa dura, a j'ho l'ambulin
cal fa pagura
While you changed the baby, to make him laugh, you
tickled him on the belly
• Pin pin butalin, cust le veuj e cust le
pin
Hobby to entertain the little children. You hid a little
object in your fist and, by presenting both fists closed,
you decided who was going to be it in a way to guess in
which fist there was the object
• An bucca a mi, an bucca a ti, an bucca
al can…..am!
Rhyme used to let lazy children eat
• Lumaga lumaghin fa sorti i to curnin, iun
par mi, iun par ti, iun par la vegia strija, si no al diau
at porta vija
You repeated aloud keeping among the fingers a snail:
by touching alternatively the antenna, which were immediately
retired, you waited until the snail expanded them once again
• Na vota jera in om ca l'andava su dal dom.
La truà na preja uissa a glià mangiala par
sausissa. L'ha truà in papè ammardà
e glià mangialu par frità. A le andach
an poc pu n-su la truà na crava morta. La pià
ieuc e la fach dui bischeuch, la pià al gambi la
fach du stanghi, cun la cua la fach na scua. Po le andac
su dal camin e la cagà an-tal parulin
(Singsong to amuse children)
• Giuanin pet pet sigala al fava l'aviatur,
ai mancava la benzina, al pisava antal mutur
(Singsong to amuse children)
• Nana naneta, la mama le audacia a messa,
al papà le andacc a bosc e al nin se pisasi a dos
(Singsong to amuse children)
• Sangiut gut gut, la ran-a an tal pus, la
ran-a la crija, sangiut va vija
(Singsong to amuse children)
• La Marianna la va an campagna
cun trei euv an tla cavagna, iun par mì, iun par
ti, iun par la vegia strija che al diau a glia porta vija
(Cantilena per divertire i bambini)
• Batista tira la lista, la lista sa scianca,
Batista an sla banca, la banca la droca, Batista an sla
fioca, la fioca la zela, Batista an tla padella, la padella
la fris, Batista an tal ris, al ris a le ceuch Batista an
tal beuch, al beuch le fourà Batista a le scapà
(Singsong to amuse children)
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