Tellus Tales

There was a poor but good little girl who lived alone with her mother, and they no longer had anything to eat. So the child went into the forest, and there an aged woman met her who was aware of her sorrow, and presented her with a little pot, which when she said, “Cook, little pot, cook,” would cook good, sweet porridge, and when she said, “Stop, little pot,” it ceased to cook.

C’era na vota na picciridda duci duci, ca n’avìa nenti ri mangiari e stava sula cu so macci. N’Iornu sta picciridda, Iu nda campagna, e docu, attrovau na vicchiaredda ca canusceva a situazioni, e chista, ci dici attruvari na pignata ca quannu sinteva “cucina, pignatedda, cucina” cucinava, e sia finiva quannu sinteva “Tagghila, pignatedda, tagghila”.

The girl took the pot home to her mother, and now they were freed from their poverty and hunger, and ate sweet porridge as often as they chose.

A picciridda sa puttau a casa, e ci fici passari a fami a so macci e a idda, picchi mangiavano sempri porridge.

Once on a time when the girl had gone out, her mother said, “Cook, little pot, cook.” And it did cook and she ate till she was satisfied, and then she wanted the pot to stop cooking, but did not know the word. So it went on cooking and the porridge rose over the edge, and still it cooked on until the kitchen and whole house were full, and then the next house, and then the whole street, just as if it wanted to satisfy the hunger of the whole world, and there was the greatest distress, but no one knew how to stop it.

Quannu a picciridda si ni iu ri casa, so macci ci spiau a sta pignata npocu ri porridge, picchi vuleva manciari, ma nun cia fici chiù a firmàlla. A pignata accuminciau ad allinchirisi fino a quannu u porridge accuminciau a nesciri, allinchennu tutti i casi ro paisi.

At last when only one single house remained, the child came home and just said, “Stop, little pot,” and it stopped and gave up cooking, and whosoever wished to return to the town had to eat their way back.

Cu tuttu u paisi allinchiutu ri manciari, appi a turnari a picciridda, ca ci rissi a pignata ri tagghialla, e chista cia finiu, ma tutti chiddi ro paisi àppiru manciari tuttu du porridge ndo paisi.

A German fairy tale. From ‘Grimm’s Fairy Tales’ by the Brothers Grimm. 1812.

(Na fiaba tedesca re frati Grimm) – Tradotto in siciliano da William Sinatra.