Bobo la bilancia
"There is a rhyme my mother-in-law recited 40 years ago and there are still locals who know it but the final lines vary. The first four lines have a sort of See Saw Marjory Daw rhythm. I learnt this on the Island of Elba Tuscany and the nearest I can get on internet is Seta Moneta." -Janet
Bobo la bilancia
Bobo the Scale
Nursery Rhyme
Nursery Rhyme
(Italian)
(English)
Bobo la bilancia,
il bimbo* è andato in Francia,
In Francia Gaeta,
ci sono le belle donne
che filano la seta,
La seta e la bambagia,
La seta e la bambagia,
Ambarabà si chiama
Maria Luisa che mangia
i fichi che son maturi
Insieme ai canguri.
Bobo the Scale,
The Child has gone to France
To France, Gaeta,
There are beautiful women
Who spin the silk,
Silk and cotton,
Silk and cotton,
Her name is Ambaraba,
Maria Luisa who eats
Figs that are ripe
Together with the kangaroos.
Notes
*or "babbo" = father
**Ambarabà is a nonsense word
(Note: there's a well-known rhyme called Ambarabà ciccì coccò.)
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Thanks to Janet for sending us this rhyme! Translation by Lisa and Monique.