#sicilian proverbs

[alexandra-arena]

Ogni m'pidimentu è giuvamentu.

Sicilian Proverb, English translation: Every obstacle is a blessing in disguise.

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NIGURU CCU NIGURU UN TINGI (BLACK DOES NOT DYE BLACK)

The proverb means that if two people are equally cunning, they cannot cheat each other; if two men are equally strong, they cannot prevail against each other, and so on. We could construct other similar proverbs, for example, ‘White does not dye white’, or ‘yellow does not dye yellow’, and so on. However, if we want to give a more philosophical interpretation to this very beautiful Sicilian…

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A MEANINGFUL SICILIAN PROVERB: CORI ALLEGRU DIU L’AIUTA (GOD HELPS CHEERFUL PEOPLE)

God is happiness and joy. Can you ever imagine a sad God? Of course not! According to the proverb, God helps cheerful people. He created man to be happy, not sad. I once wrote in one of my books, The Vibrations of Words, that life is like a painting. If you are happy and cheerful you will paint a beautiful picture, otherwise the result will be the opposite. According a Buddhist friend of mine,…

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U MIGLIU TIMPU IE CHIDDU CA VENI (THE BEST TIME IS THE TIME TO COME)

The Sicilian language has no future tenses. I do not know if there are other languages in the world without future tenses. Those I have studied so far all contain future tenses. Even Latin, from which Sicilian comes, has future tenses. As for Sicilian, even the term ‘future’ does not have a corresponding word which it can be translated into. To express a future idea we use adverbs, nouns, and…

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A SICILIAN PROVERB: CU ANNASCI TUNNU UM PO MORIRI QUATRATU (WHO IS BORN ROUND CANNOT DIE SQUARE)

The proverb is rather fatalistic. It means that every human being comes into the world with his genetic heritage, which will remain unchanged throughout his life. However, the proverb does not seem to consider the importance of the environment in which one lives and the conditioning that comes from family and society. Sometimes, a person with a low IQ can excel if he has studied hard or if he…

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A SICILIAN PROVERB TO KEEP IN MIND: A FARINA SI SPARAGNA QUANNU A CASCIA E’ CHINA (FLOUR SHOULD BE SAVED WHEN THE CHEST IS FULL)

This proverb was quoted by Great-grand-father to accustom his family members to leading a balanced and frugal life. As for me, since I was a greedy and always hungry child, my mother kept repeating it to me non-stop. At that time, most of Enna’s families used to make bread in their home wood-burning ovens. Of course, even then there were bakeries that sold bread, but they weren’t as numerous as…

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A SICILIAN PROVERB TO MEDITATE ON: CAVADDU GASTIMATU CI LUCI LU PILU (CURSED HORSES HAVE GLOSSY COATS)

The Sicilian verb, ‘gastimare’ cannot be translated into other languages literally. It has a negative connotation, for it includes backbiting, curse, evil eye, and ill feeling. The word, cavaddu (horse) is a metaphor for someone you hate. Since you rage mounts more and more, you cast curses against the person you hate, but the more you persist in acting this way, the more healthy and flourishing…

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U MURTU NSIGNA A CHIANCIRI (THE DEAD PERSON TEACHES YOU TO CRY)

The Sicilian proverb, U Murtu nsigna a chianciri (The dead person teaches you to cry), means that there is only one master in life. It is life itself. There is no better teacher than life! Just as the death of a loved one makes a person who has never cried cry, so the various life situations teach how to behave. The proverb does not rule out the teachings you can get in schools and universities.…

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