From: GORDON,ANDREW M [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Subject: Re: FW: FW: Translation needed**
 
Hi, Murray,

     That's the first thought that occurred to me about this 
proverb. The male organ is equated with a fool in many languages 
(vide "shmuck"), and donkey or ass also equals fool.  And 
masturbation is considered a waste.
     Of course, as another old saying goes, "When correctly 
viewed, everything is lewd."

                   Best,
                   Andy

On Thu May 01 20:51:24 EDT 2008, Murray Schwartz 
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Dear Psyarters,
> 
> I am having psychoanalytic thoughts about this proverb.  Does it 
> unconsciously have to do with masturbation?
> 
>   --Best, Murray
> 
> From: Licia Filingeri [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Subject: Re: FW: Translation needed**
>  Caro Bernardo,
> yes, babbo in italian is homely,tender manner to say father...but 
> also
> babbo ( particularly in Sicily) means babbeo,from vulgar 
> Babb??jus, later
> B??bbius sciocco, foolish...as a donkey!So the sentence could 
> also
> mean:To wash the head to the foolish person is a vain 
> effort...but also:
> to wash the head of the father is a vain effort!
> Licia
> Il giorno gio, 01/05/2008 alle 17.03 -0400, Bernard X Bovasso ha
> scritto:
>> In a message dated 5/1/2008 8:13:26 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
>> [log in to unmask] writes:
>>         From: Licia Filingeri [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>>         Subject: Re: Translation needed
>>                 Dear Norm, I think that the language is vulgar 
>> italian
>>         (volgare
>>         italiano, the volgare is the language spoken in Europe
>>         beginning from
>>         the VIII century, derived from Latin, and source of 
>> romance
>>         languages
>>         (lingue romanze); in italy, we have  late some written 
>> things,
>>         the best
>>         with I Fioretti di S.Francesco e La Divina commedia di 
>> Dante
>>         Alighieri.
>>         I have the impression that the sentence is in some 
>> italian
>>         regional
>>         dialect, perhaps Sicily?Do you have some ancestor in 
>> Italy, in
>>         Sicily?
>>         In any case , it means:Who washes the head to the donkey 
>> is
>>         losing any
>>         effort
>>         Here some sentences in italian and italian dialects:the
>>         proverbio is in
>>         mani italian dialects.
>>         Very cordially, have a good spring!
>>         Licia Cara Licia;
>> Doesn't "babbo" mean "father" in Italian, whereas "babbo" qua
>> Siciliano means "donkey." That would mean "Who washes the head 
>> to the
>> *Father* is losing any effort." E vero!
>> Bernard X Bovasso
>> 
>>                                 Quie samunat sa conca ad s'ainu, 
>> perdet trabagliu et sabone,
>>         (altr.)
>>         perdet sa lisc??a et s'istentu. Ital. Chi lava la testa
>>         all'asino perde
>>         il ranno ed il sapone. Si dice ad uno che mai si emenda. 
>>                 Lavar la testa all'asino. Lat. Asino caput 
>> lavare. Sa sedda
>>         istat male
>>         ad s'ainu. Ital. ...
>>                    * A lavar la testa a l'aseno, se perde aqua e 
>> anca saon.
>>                    (Variante: A lavar la testa al molton, se 
>> perde aqua e anca
>>         saon.)
>>                    A lavar la testa all'asino (al montone) si 
>> perde acqua e
>>         sapone.                 A lavar la testa all'asino ci 
>> rimetti il ranno e il sapone.
>>                 A lavar la testa all'asino ci si rimette acqua e 
>> sapone         Tabarchino: Lav?? a testa a l'??ze se ghe rimette 
>> lesc??a e son         Inglese: Terere is no washing a blackmoor 
>> white         Sardo: Chie samunat sa conca a s'ainu, perdet 
>> trabagliu e
>>         sabone
>>         (op..... sa l??scia e s'intentu)                         
>> 25) A lavare a capu allu ciucciu se perde l'acqua e lu.
>>         sapune.
>>                 = Lavare la testa all'asino ?? tempo sprecato.
>>                         Licia Filingeri
>>                 [log in to unmask]
>>                                                                  
>>        Il giorno mer, 30/04/2008 alle 22.20 -0400, Norman 
>> Holland ha
>>         scritto:
>>         > Hi, PSYARTers,
>>         >         > Can s0meone help me with a translation of 
>> this sentence
>>         which appears
>>         > on a piece of majolica that has been in my family for
>>         decades?
>>         >         > Chi lava el capo a lasino si perdi ogni 
>> fatiga.
>>         >         > The picture shows a man washing the head of 
>> a donkey.  That
>>         explains
>>         > the first part, but the second?  This is evidently 
>> some sort
>>         of
>>         > proverb or folk saying, but what does it mean?         
>> >         > And what language is this?
>>         >         > Warmly, Norm
>>         >         > [log in to unmask] 
>> ______________________________________________________________________
>> 
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> 
> 



--
Professor Andrew M Gordon
Department of English
PO Box 117310
University of Florida
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Director, Institute for the Psychological Study of the Arts 
(IPSA)

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