From the Mixed Up Files of a Sicilian Man
- Pasquale Puleo
- Oct 5, 2022
- 1 min read
Sicilian is my native language. Yet, to survive in an Italian academic system and in a melting pot American society, I acquired Italian and American English language skills.
However, in my early melting pot experience, I often wrote in Sicilian to keep my native roots nourished.
I wrote the following poem in pseudo-sicilian and dedicated to my fiancee’ and future wife, Consiglia:
Stu cucciolettu accucciatillu
Quannu fa’ friddu e non ci sugnu
E siccume un cucciolettu beddu
E bonu non avi numi
Lu chiamiamu Valentinu
E ugni vota che veni
U quatturdici Febraiu
Divinta simpri piu’ beddu
e bonu
Si ogni tantu fa’ u cattivu
Lu perduniamu
E tuttu turna
Comu prima
Questo cuccioletto accuccialo
Quando fa’ freddo e non ci sono
E siccome un cuccioletto bello
E buono non ha nomi
Lo chiamiamo Valentino
E ogni volta che viene
Il quattordici Febbraio
Diventa sempre piu’ bello
E buono
Se ogni tanto fa il cattivo
Lo perdoniamo
E tutto torna
Come prima
Hug this little puppy
When it’s cold and I’m not there
And since this beautiful
And good puppy has no names
We call him Valentino
And every time it comes
On the fourteenth of February
It gets more and more beautiful
And good
If he does a bad deed every now and then
We forgive him
And it all returns
Like before
As far as I know, the Sicilian language is recognized by UNESCO as an official European language with its own unique linguistic structure and grammar.
it is nice to know that, to solidify its unique historical and cultural presence, Andrea Camilleri, a renowned author of over 100 novels and best known for his ‘Montalbano’ stories around the globe, utilized the Sicilian language to express his embedded Sicilian sentiments.
Sicilian language is indeed a universal language that extrapolates suffering but finds a way to be humbly alive.
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