DIFFERENT CULTURES SHARE SIMILAR PROVERBS

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Yesterday, while reading The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham, I came across this proverb: ‘You can lead a horse to the water, but you can’t make him drink.’

The reading reminded me of a similar Sicilian proverb: ‘Quannu u sceccu un voli viviri ie inutili friscarici’ (When a donkey doesn’t want to drink, it is useless to whistle at it).

In the past, Sicilian farmers used to take their donkeys to the watering trough. Sometimes, the donkey was reluctant to drink. In this case, the master whistled at it to make it thirsty. Usually, after a short whistle, the donkey drank his fill. However, it could happen that the animal stubbornly refused to drink. Continuing to whistle was of no avail.

What is the meaning of the above-mentioned proverbs? When someone does not want to do something, they will not do, despite your insistence. In this case, you had better give up trying to convince them.

Different countries, different customs, but folk wisdom is the same wherever you go!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)

– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)

– Travels of the Mind (English edition)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (edizione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (edizione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SICILIAN PROVERB: CUMU VENI SI CUNTA (WE WILL TELL THE STORY OF AN EVENT AFTER IT HAS HAPPENED)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

The literal translation of this Sicilian proverb ‘We will tell the story of an event after it has happened’ does not fully express its meaning.  The hidden meaning is ‘Wait until an event or a situation really happens, and then you can tell the story about it. Do not create a future event in your mind. You have to live your life here and now. The future does not exist, because we do not know what is going to happen tomorrow.’

This proverb recalls the ‘Carpe diem’ (Seize the moment) by the Latin poet, Horatio, The Song of Bacchus by Lorenzo dei Medici, and The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

Having in mind the old Sicilian proverb ‘Cumu veni si cunta’, we will learn not to be involved in situations or happenings that do not exist yet. We will live our life here and now!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)

– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)

– Travels of the Mind (English edition)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (edizione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (edizione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

AN EDUCATIVE SICILIAN PROVERB

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

The proverb is this:

Quannu a fortuna nun ti dici, iettiti ‘nterra e accampa fafaluci

When luck is not on your side, you had better go to the countryside and pick up snails.

Do good and bad luck exist or are they just illusions? We don’t know. However, if there is a proverb about fortune, it means that countless past generations have come into contact with both good and bad luck.

What to do in case of persistent hard luck? According to popular Sicilian wisdom, instead of fighting against hard luck, we had better give up our aims, at least temporarily. Instead, we should go to the countryside, look for snails, and collect them. In this case we would do something useful, instead of wasting energy to fight against bad luck.

Snails are a delicious food. Assuming one knows how to cook them!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

A VERY OLD, PERHAPS OUTDATED, ITALIAN PROVERB

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Chi tanti anni vol campar

Del dottor non si deve mai fidar.

He who wants to live for many years

Must never trust the doctor.

In my opinion, the best medicine is living in contact with nature, breathing pure air, jogging in the forest, or swimming in the ocean. Also, yoga and other holistic disciplines are useful in keeping the body and mind in good health.

Every time I went to my doctor’s office in Enna to ask for a medical certificate to go to the gym or to the swimming pool, I found the waiting room packed with people waiting to have prescriptions filled. If all those patients practiced a sport in the open air, the doctor’s waiting room would be less crowded and the National Health Service would save a lot of money!

Indeed, body and mind are connected. Mens sana in corpore sano (sound mind in sound body) the Romans said. I agree with this maxim and, following the aforementioned Italian proverb, I stand aloof from doctors and medicines as much as I can.

Ettore Grillo author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily

– A Hidden Sicilian History

– The Vibrations of Words

– Travels of the Mind

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

THREE USEFUL SICILIAN PROVERBS

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

1)- Pi rumpiri c’è sempri timpu (there is always time to break up).

You do not need to rush when you want to break up a friendship or a relationship. You can wait for a while.

2)- Bon timpu e malu timpu un dura tuttu u timpu (neither bad weather nor good weather lasts forever).

The proverb is an allegory of life, which passes through sunshine and storms. Sometimes it flows smoothly and other times stormy; but it is worth living to the fullest.

3)- Duppu acchianata c’è a scinnuta (after the climb there is the descent).

It means that bad situations will turn into good opportunities. On the other hand, life is made of ups and downs. In the end, everything will be alright. You just need faith in yourself and in your good luck.

Ettore Grillo author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily

– A Hidden Sicilian History

– The Vibrations of Words

– Travels of the Mind

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo