(Pg. 3)
"Lu Rucculane e Lu Lettese"
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In Lettomanoppello there is an annual contest for poetry written in dialect. It is called the "Concorso di Poesia Dialettale Gustavo De Rentiis," in honor of Gustavo De Rentiis, now deceased, a long-time mayor of Lettomanoppello and principal of the town's middle school, who published in 1984 a book of dialect verses about people and events in Lettomanoppello, titled " 'ntorn'a stu cambanine" (Around This Bell Tower). Lucia D'Alfonso of Lettomanoppello obtained permission from Signor De Rentiis' family for us to publish material from the book. Below, from 'ntorn'a stu cambanine, is an amusing dialogue in verse form, an argument in dialect between a Lettese and a Roccalano over whose town has the better saint. Costantino Conte provided the translation, and we would like to thank him, Lucia D'Alfonso, and the De Rentiis family for making it possible to publish this little dialogue for all to enjoy.
I' nn'arriv'a capi gna va stu fatte:
a tutte le pajise acqua vecine,
da Manuppelle, a La Serre, A Rapine,
nen ze po fa' na feste gna va fatte.
E feste a Turre?...Piogge a cataratte;
ccusci a Le Scafe e a Sante Valentine;
e la gente ch'ha messe le quatrine...
mbe! che decisse tu?...ce neme schiatte.
Dope abbijje le feste de Lu lette;
e come pe miracule e maggie
vacce a capi...lu tempe s'aremmette.
Hue! Vu n'avet'avute mai nu smacche!
Ma che sapete co strehunerie,
u v'avet'accurdate...nghe Bernacche?
LETTESE:
Eh! Che sti ddice', rucculane me?!
E ce cride a Bernacche segneri?
Ma se quille n'z'acrede da pe sse!...
E le lettise mo ci avess'a i?
Ma quand'a quelle che tu vu sape,
pe stu tempe che fa sempre accusci...
certe che ci ha da esse' nu perche,
e forse te le posse spieha' i'.
I can't understand how it happens.
In all the villages nearby, from
Manoppello to Serramonacesca, to Rapino,
we can't have a holiday as it should be.
Is there a holiday at Turrivalignani?...It pours;
the same at Scafa and at San Valentino,
and the folks who put their money into it...
well, what can you say? They're going to go bust.
Then comes the holiday of Lu Lette;
and as if it were a miracle, or magic--
go and understand it--the weather turns good again.
Hey! Don't you ever have trouble?!
Have you knowledge of black magic, or
did you sign a pact with the devil?
LETTESE:
Hey! What are you saying, Rucculane of mine!
Do you believe in the devil?
But if that one doesn't even believe in himself...
should the Lettese have anything to do with him?
Now, just what is it you want to know?
About the weather always doing like this,
of course there must be a reason,
and perhaps I can explain it to you.
che come chiste nen ce ne sta cchiu
pe sti pahise luntane e vicine;
E la Madonne de la Cunicelle,
sse Sante vostre (ne mm'acride tu?)
da sole se le mette a lu taschine.
RUCCULANE:
Oh, giuvino', te vojje parla avante:
le lettise sta sempre p'arefutte.
Che curagge, pero; che genta bbrutte!
Mo n'ce lassete cchiu manche le Sante.
LETTESE:
Hue! Genta bbrutt'a nu?! Mo te scucuzze!
Guardete 'ntorne! Pare nu giardine!
Guarde ste giuvenotte e signurine:
le mejje fiure de tutte l'Abbruzze.
RUCCULANE:
Pecche tenete chela Madunnelle,
hulete cummanna' pure a lu sole;
v'acredete, pero sol'a parole,
de pote' fa' lu tempe bbrutte e bbelle.
Forse vu nen sapete che a La Rocche
teneme lu gluriose San Dunate,
e Sante Marteme, che sci lavdate!
e chiste e Sante grosse che n'ze tocche.
the likes of whom are not found anywhere
around these villages, far and near.
She is the Madonna of the Little Icon.
Whew! That saint of yours (do you believe me?)
would fit in her pocket.
RUCCULANE:
Oh, young man, I am talking to you straight:
You Lettese always know how to talk back.
But what gall, you ugly folk!
You don't even leave our saint alone.
LETTESE:
What! We ugly folk?! I'll knock your head off!
Look around! Lu Lette looks like a garden!
Look at the young men and young ladies:
They are the best bloom of all Abruzzo.
RUCCULANE:
Because you have this Madonna,
you want to command even the sun,
you believe, but they're just words,
that you can make fine and bad the weather.
Perhaps you don't know that at La Rocca
we have the glorious San Donato
and San Marteme, you ignoramus!
This one saint is so big you can't touch him.
de San Dunate, tant'arenumate,
mbe, te pare che quelle (sci scannate!)
pijje e le ficche dentre a na saccocce?
LETTESE:
Che sci capite, rucculane me?
che la Madonne (o Ddie, che coccia fine!)
le tenesse a ddavere nu taschine,
pe mettece sse santarille te?
Nu hulavame di' che la Madonne,
sci, la Madonne e come na reggine;
e che davante a esse ce se 'nchine
tutte quante le Sante de stu monne.
RUCCULANE:
Mo sta' a vede: le "piozze" de Lu Lette
ca vo' refutte' a nnu genta civile!
LETTESE:
Pecche n'te piace lu pesce d'abbrile?
RUCCULANE:
Vu sete bbone sole a fa sespette.
LETTESE:
Nu redeme accusci, senza fa' danne.
of San Donato, so renowned,
well, do you think that one (who was beheaded!)
can be taken and stuck into a pocket?
LETTESE:
What do you know, Rucculane mine?
You think the Madonna (Oh God what a fine head!)
would have to have a pocket,
to put this little saint of yours inside?
What I meant was that the Madonna,
the Madonna is like a queen;
and that before her bow down
all the saints of this world.
RUCCULANE:
Now look at you, you "crazy" from Lu Lette'
who thinks he can talk back to a civilized person!
LETTESE:
Why can't you take a joke?
RUCCULANE:
All you are good for is mischief.
LETTESE:
We laugh like this without doing harm.
Vu sete gne le serpe velenose.
LETTESE:
Hue! Ruccula'! A nnu sse cose?!
Vattenne va', se nno t'acchiappe 'n ganne!
You are like poisonous snakes.
LETTESE:
Hey Rucculane! To us you say these things?!
Go, get going, or I'll catch you by the throat.
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