E RAGAIO’ DE CAR
(rope attachment stick that was in the back of the old ox-drawn carts)
by Luigi Rusticali
Joke in Romagna dialect of a participant in the 100Km Passatore di Russi (RA) who did not complete the race stopping at Borgo San Lorenzo. (May 26, 1978)
| Fata testa cl’ha la zent che cun poch alenament la cred che arivér a Fèèza, aviendas da Firèèza travarsend tot la muntagna d’in Tuscana, zò in Rumagna, la sea com la pasigieda o poc piò che una piseda. |
What head does those people have? than with little training believes that getting to Faenza, starting from Florence crossing the whole mountain from Tuscany to Romagna, both as a walk or a little more than a piss. |
| Quel ch’av stegh par racunté (al né brisul dismité) le e fatt d’chi tri incusciènt che tra tott i cuncurrent cun e zaian so in tla spala i spereva d’fé la “Cola”. |
What I’m going to tell you (no nonsense) it is the story of those three unconscious than among all competitors with a backpack on his shoulders they hoped to overcome the Colla. |
| Arivé ch’a fosm’in piaza e pinsir d’chi tri magnaza e fo quel d’una magneda bela, bona e poc “saleda”. A dmandesum a un suldé s’us putess avsèn armughé e propi gnanc a fel a posta us dasett, pronta l’arsposta: “sempre dritto per di li, dopo l’angolo, si, si!” |
When we arrived in the square (ed, Signoria) the thought of those three eaters was to make a feast beautiful, good and slightly salty. We asked a soldier if you could eat nearby and not even to do it on purpose he gave us the answer promptly: “Always straight for them, after the corner, yes, yes! “ |
| L’era un bus d’un ustariott quatar zoll e un can e tott, c’us cundeva l’insaleda ogni tant c’un la licheda. Quand c’un gnera pù e padrò e piseva in t’un cantò. |
It was a tavern hole four onions and a dog that served us salad every now and then with a lick. When then the master was missing pissed in a corner. |
| A pert i schirz e al dismité un quert d’ora e piò ui avlé mo is purté dal fiurinten ch’al pareva d’al tachen. |
Except for jokes and nonsense it took more than a quarter of an hour but they brought us Florentines that looked like turkeys. |
| L’era e bòtt ca semia in piaza, pin e stomach, straca la faza, l’era mei noi piò pinsé che fra poch as sresum avié par fé zent e piò chilomit a risgh d’fé sol di sfurz ad gomit. E par sbatar la magneda preparend la camineda as mitesum in tì scalè d’un palazz cl’era alé avsè. |
It was one o’clock and we were in the square with a full stomach and tired face, it was better not to think about it anymore because we would soon be leaving to do a hundred and more kilometers at risk of having nausea and vomiting. And to digest the food eaten preparing the walk we got on the steps of a building nearby. |
| Mo chi clomb, acsè a zil squert, i cagheva a pett avert, e i cavèll, cul la baroza, ch’iera alé sota la loza, par paura d’nos fé pera i fasett na grand mardera. |
But those doves, so in the open air they pooped in large quantities and the horses, with the biroccio who were there under the porch from the fear of not being outdone they soiled everything with dung. |
| Ma e temp, prest e paseva. Tri quert d’ora ui amancheva. Talco, oli e dla pumeda cun dla roba canfureda che la piaza d’Signureia la pareva na farmazea e da e fié ch’iaveva drì it faseva imbambinì. |
But time passed quickly. Three quarters of an hour left. Talc, oils and ointments with other camphored things than the Piazza Signoria it looked like a pharmacy and the stench that was around there was a head spin. |
| Ma ecco sota e grand strisò, cum ch’e foss un grand plutò, is dasé, al quatar, la mola augurend d’pasé la “Cola”. I cureva, chi burdlett, com ch’iandess drì de stalett. T’tiva voia d’dì : Va pian ! Mo i cureva cum un can. |
But here it is under a big banner as if it were a great platoon they kicked off at four with the hope of overcoming the Glue. Those kids ran as if they were behind the stable. You wanted to say: go slowly! But they ran like dogs. |
| Nec i nostar tri spurtiv is pruveva d’fé i cativ, mo parché pu fé de sforz quand che tsé che t’an e al forz. L’era poch ch’as semia avié che e cminzé za la farté! Me, an avleva dì: ahi, ahi! Nenc s’aveva un grand sfargai. C’sa putevia ormai piò fé, um tucheva d’ralenté e ch’ietar dù i rugeva: “Dai! Un po’ ad talco e guarirai!” |
Even our three sportsmen they tried to show their muscles but why make an effort when you know you don’t have the strength. Shortly after we left the omelette started immediately! I didn’t mean: ouch, ouch! even if I had a big irritation (groin rubbing). What could I do? I just had to slow down and the other two shouted: come on! Put some talcum powder and you will heal. |
| Cun la forza ad vulunté a cminzett a sgambitlé, mo la mi veluzité l’an andeva piò d’acsé; e fò acsé che in che mument am staché da cl’etra sent. Ogni tant, long a la stré im avleva dé da bé (cum as fal a rifiuté tot cl’a generusité). |
With willpower I started tripping but my speed it was no more and so it was that moment I detached myself from all the others. Every now and then, along the way they wanted to give me a drink (how can you refuse so much generosity) |
| La mi panza, pora stela, l’am pareva na mastela. Adess ch’a sera da par me am duveva urganizé: cun e cambi d’al mudann a guaré un bel po’ e malann e quand ch’a fott a e “Pass dal Cros” a cardé d’sintì una vos; par quest, che in tla disesa am amulé a corsa stesa. Quel che me incora a cardeva l’era d’ciapé chi du ch’scapeva. |
My belly, poor thing it looked like a tub. Now that I was alone I had to organize myself: with the change of underwear I fixed some of the ailment and when I was at the Passo delle Croci I thought I heard a voice and for this, in the descent throws me in a fast run. What I still believed was to join the other two who fled. |
| Dop quatr’or cha camineva dis incora un gn’amancheva. A tent gropp a pasé dnenz pr’arivé a Borg San Lurenz parché se! Porca vigliaca l’era ora d’cambié l’acqua. |
After four hours I was walking ten were still missing (editor’s note, kilometers) I overcame many groups to get to Borgo San Lorenzo because yes! For misery it was time to pee. |
| Arivé ch’a fò in zité a spereva sol d’truvé qualcadon cl’andess pr’in la che me am avleva ander a ca (tent chilomt d’longa stré im aveva fatt sudé). Finalment alé in t’na piaza a truvé la “machinaza”. An gn’avleva pinsé piò am ritiré e a salté sò. |
When I got to town I was just hoping to find someone going that way that I wanted to go home (many kilometers of long road they made me sweat) Finally, in a square I found the macchinaccia (editor’s note, the support one) I didn’t want to think about it anymore I retired and jumped up. |
| Nenc ch’iet du, partiti in tromba i’eva fatt ssciupé la bomba; ui era poch da fes dla gloria l’era znina la vittoria. Da par me a dgeva: “basta, st’an l’é l’ultum da pudesta”. E parché l’é ch’an voi piò fe acsé tanta cumpassiò! |
Even the other two, who left in trumpet they had blown up the bomb there was little glory to be done the victory was small. Alone I said: enough this is the last runner. The reason is that I don’t want anymore make a lot of compassion. |
| E che inciò um vegna a cmandé s’aiò voia d’caminé parché me, in chev dla fola, an gnin dèg una cariola! |
And that nobody comes to ask me if I want to walk because I, at the end of the story, I tell you a wheelbarrow! |
| (e nomar meletarsent) | (the number one thousand three hundred of the year 1978) |
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