Brilliant, Felicia! You recognized that "na pompina" in the fragment of the rhyme; it didn't even occur to me. This rhyme is widespread in European tradition; I remember an Italian version from the 70s in which the mother and daughter consider the sexual virtues of representatives of various political parties (instead of occupations). Nothing to do with magic, alas, but nevertheless highly amusing.
Sabina
Sabina Magliocco
Professor and Chair
Department of Anthropology
California State University - Northridge
18111 Nordhoff St.
Northridge, CA 91330-8244
"Burning the candle at both ends lights up my life."
-----Original Message-----
From: Society for The Academic Study of Magic [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Felicia
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2007 4:55 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Magical Chant
Geraldine,
I wonder, since you recall this chant from the school playground, if
it's not a fragment of a children's game called "Lazy Mary" which has
been around for at least a century and contains the words "na pompina"
(from the Sicilian dialect). In the game, one child is chosen to be
Mary/Marie and the rest dance around singing: "Lazy Mary will you get
up today".
Mary answers "No no Mother I won't get up today".
The tune may heard, here:
http://www.bobshannon.com/stories/songs/lazymary.mid
It's originally from a naughty little Sicilian ditty. "Pompina" is a
play on words. "Pampa" is a rustic Italian dialect while
"pompa" is the fireman's pump or double-entendre referring to penis &
sexual intercourse. "Pompina" is what the mother
in the song calls her lustful daughter when the girl tells her mother
that the moon over the sea (luna mezz'u mare) makes her want to get
married.
Her mother asks, who can we give you to? (a cu te dare)
The daughter replies, "Mother, what do you think?" (Mamma mia pensace
tu).
The mother then considers different occupations of men, including the
Butcher, the Baker, the Shoemaker, the Farmer, the Carpenter and the
Gardener.
For each type she considers, the mother uses a variation on a
theme-for example:
If I pick for you the fisherman (Se te piglio lu pesciaiole), he'll
go, he'll come (isse vai isse vene), he'll always have his fish in his
hand (sempe lu pesce mane tene). If he gets an idea in his head (Se ce
'ncappa la fantasia) he'll "fish" you (te pesculia). She repeats this
theme for each choice, changing the double entendre of what each has
in his hand and what he'll do with it.
Eventually, the mother decides "you'd better marry a fireman, he'll
come and go, go and come...sempe la pompa mane tene (always with his
pump in his hand)... te scuppettea (he'll pump you)". The song ends
with the exasperated daughter pleading to find her a GIRL to marry
(trovame 'na uagliotta* ca me voglio marità)!
*uagliotta variously spelled guagliotta or vagliotta is slang for girl
(ragazza or giovinetta in Standard Italian)
More info, here:
http://www.bobshannon.com/stories/lazymaryback.html
Good luck on your search,
Felicia Swayne-Heidrick
On Oct 25, 2007, at 8:25 AM, Geraldine wrote:
Thanks Dan,
I'll check it out.
I had assumed the line was a common chant as I remember hearing it in
the school playground as a child. (different location!). I'll rummage
through the Folklore Journals again - I seem to recall a connection a
couple of years ago.
Regards
Geraldine Lambert
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