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A few days after the soldier's departure, there was a rumor that other Germans were coming to town. |
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Co juorre doppe chi zi n'era iute lu suldate, pi lu paese zi cuminzette a dice ca onne stave arrivenne l'ieltre tedesche. |
People went crazy. Everyone tried to hide in the best possible way the few things they had left. Most people were hiding furniture and non-perishable food in the fields. They would dig deep holes in which the valuables were hidden.
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La iente z'impazzette cumpletamente. Tutte chiente onne circave d'annasconne li poche cose chi i'ere arimaste gnà meglie puteve. Quase tutta la iente annascunneve li mubbilie e la rrobbe pi maggnè chi zi mantineve di cchiù, 'n campagne. Zi scavave cierte fuosse affunne e dentre ci z'annascunneve la rrobbe. |
My husband was nervous because we were all running back and forth to hide things. I tried not to make him angry and said to him:
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Marìtime stave nirvuse picchè facevame una continuazione a i scappenne a na vie e n'antre p'annasconne li cose. I circave di nin farle arraiè e i diceve:
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- It doesn't matter if we suffer as long as we come out alive from all this.- |
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- Gni fa niente si stame na nzè scommete, baste chi ni scime nchi l'ossa sane - |
And instead...December 8, 1943, the day of the Immaculate, I got ready to go to church. I put on the only new suit and shoes I had saved for the holidays. S., the smallest of the children, seeing me coming down the stairs, ran toward me and said: |
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E 'mmece.. Lu otte di diciembre di lu millnuvicientequarantatrè, lu iuorre di la 'mmaculata, mi priparive pi i a la messe. Mera misse l'uniche e sole vistite buone e l'uniche scarpe che m'ere aripuoste pi li feste. S., lu figlie cchiù cirille, gnà mi vidette scegne li schiele, mi currette ncontre scacchienne l'uocchie e dicenne: |
- How beautiful is this mother of mine! -
He was six year old and was the best of them all. He was always hungry, and when he used to see bread in the pantry he used to jump with joy.
One time, the night before I had baked bread, there were three bread loaves in the pantry. When he got up that morning and saw the bread, opened his eyes wide, stepped back and said:
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- Quant'è belle chetta mamma me! -
Tineve sei anne e ere lu chiù bbunate di tutte chiente. Tineve sempre fame e quanne videve ca dentre a lu stipe ci stave lu pane, saltave pi la cuntintezze.
Na volte, la sera prime era fatte lu pane e dentre a lu stipe ci stave tre panielle. Quanna z'alzette la matine appriesse e vidette tutte culle pane, scacchiette l'uocchie, zi dette arrete e dicette:
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- This is the way I would always like to see this pantry, full of bread.-
That day, before I went out, he came near me and kissed me.
When I came out from the mass, I went home, my house was full of people. S. and other children had been playing near the monument. One of the children had brought something that exploded.. S. had a small wound like a pimple right under his throat but was not complaining.
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- Accuscì vulesse vidè sempre cutte ttipe, cchine di pane. -
Culle iuorre, prime di scì, mi minette vicine e mi vascette.
Quanna scive da la messe e ariive a la case, la truvive chiene di iente. S. 'nziembre nchi ieltre vagliune, z'era misse a iucuà vicine a lu munumente. Une di lore era purtate coccose chi era scuppiate. S. nin zi lamintave e tineve na frute, cirelle, gnè nu fruscele, ecche sotte, 'nganne.
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He was lying on the bed and when I entered the room he stretched his arms toward me and said:
- Forgive me, mom, I didn't touch that thing, it was ***** who brought it.- |
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Stave allunguate sobbre a liette e gnà ntrive stinnette li vracce e mi dicette:--------
- Pirdoneme mamme, i nin la so tuccuate chella cose, è state ***** chi l'ha purtate. - |
- Don't worry, don't be afraid, everything will be all right.-
He closed his eyes as if he wanted to sleep.
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- Gni fa niente, n'avè paure ca mo ti passe tutte cose. -
Chiudette l'uocchie come si zi vuleve addurmì.
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We began to wander how we could take him to the hospital: we put him in a
cradle and raised it to carry him out of the house. At that moment he opened
his eyes again and said to me: |
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Cuminzemme a vidè gnà putavame fa pi purtarle a lu spidale: lu mittemme dentre a la cunele e l'alzemme pi scì da la case. Proprie nculle mumente riaprette l'uocchie e mi dicette: |
- Mother, I think I am dying, because it hurts so much.- |
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- Mamma me, i creca mi ttienghe murenne picchè cucchie dilore è troppe forte. - |
He closed his eyes again. Three other boys that were playing with him also died: two sons of ***** and *****, and the one who had brought the bomb.
From that moment on I couldn't care less about the war, the hunger, the losses. We lived one day at a time until the end of the war, which left Fallo in poverty and despair. |
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E arichiudette l'oucchie. Nziembre chi isse zonne murette altre tre vvagliune: li du figlie di ***** e *****, culle ch'era purtate la bomme.
Da culle mumente nin mi nin mpurtette chiu niente di la guerre, di la fame e di li privaziune. Z'accuntintavame di campà a la iurnate finché zi finette la guerre e lassette lu Falle 'miezze a la miserie e a la disprazione. |
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