L'ABBICHINO DE LE DONNE (Womens Abacus)



La donna, inzino ar venti, si è contenta
Mamma, l'anni che ttiè ssempre li canta:
Ne cresce uno oggni cinque inzino ar trenta,
Eppoi se fermassino a quaranta.

Dar quarantuno impoi stenta e nun stenta,
E ne dice antri dua sino ar cinquanta;
Ma allora, che aruvina pe la scenta,
Te la senti sartà ssubbito a ottanta.

Perché, ar cresce li fiji de li fiji,
Nun potenno esse ppiù donna d'amore,
Vò ffigurà da donna de conziji.

E allora er cardinale o er monziggnore,
Che j'allisciava er pelo a li cuniji,
Comincia a recità da confessore.

English

Women, till the age of twenty, if mother agrees
Always declare their age:
They count one every five until they are thirty,
And then they stop counting until forty.

From forty-one onwards they barely move,
Declaring two more, until they are fifty;
But then, spoilt by time,
They suddenly reach the age of eigthy.

Because, as the children of their children grow,
No longer being women of love,
They wish to appear as women of wisdom.

And then, cardinals and bishops
Who used to be in friendly terms with them,
Start playing the role of the confessor.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 11, 2023

1:00 min read
190

Quick analysis:

Scheme AAAA AAAA BCB CBC XXAA XAXX XXD XDC
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,109
Words 198
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 3, 3, 4, 4, 3, 3

Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli

 · 1791 · Rome

Giuseppe Francesco Antonio Maria Gioachino Raimondo Belli was an Italian poet, famous for his sonnets in Romanesco, the dialect of Rome. more…

All Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli poems | Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli Books

0 fans

Discuss the poem L'ABBICHINO DE LE DONNE (Womens Abacus) with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "L'ABBICHINO DE LE DONNE (Womens Abacus)" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Dec. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/16122/l'abbichino-de-le-donne-(womens-abacus)>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    December 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    7
    days
    9
    hours
    52
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote a famed poem about the Crimean War?
    A Alfred Lord Tennyson
    B Alfred Douglas
    C Alfred E. Neuman
    D Oscar Wilde