Seta moneta (Filastrocca)
Seta moneta (Filastrocca)
Silk Money
Counting-out Rhyme
Counting-out Rhyme
(Italian)
(English)
Seta moneta,
Le donne di Gaeta*,
Che filano la seta,
La seta e la Cambagia** ;
Giovanni che mi piace,
Mi piace Giovanni,
Che fa cantare i galli,
Li galli e le galline,
Con tutti li pulcini.
Guardo nel pozzo
Che c'è un gallo rosso.
Guarda in quell' altro,
Che c'è un gallo bianco.
Guarda sul letto,
Che c'è un bel confetto.
Guarda lassù,
Che c'è un cuccurucù.
Silk money,
The women of Gaeta*
Who spin silk,
Silk and cotton wool ;
Giovanni, that I like,
I like Giovanni,
Who makes the roosters sing,
The roosters and hens,
With all those chicks.
I look in the well,
What's there, a red rooster.
Look in that other one,
What's there, a white rooster.
Look on the bed,
What's there, a fine sugared almond
Look up there,
What's there, a cock-a-doodle-doo.
 - Italian Children's Songs - Italy - Mama Lisa's World: Children's Songs and Rhymes from Around the World
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Notes
*A city in central Italy
**"Cambagia" is a dialect term, for the Italian word, "bambagia", which in English is cotton wool.
Note: "Moneta" can also be understood as "change".
Game Instructions
The way to play "Seta moneta" is: with the child "riding" the adult's knees, the adult holds the child's hands and makes a push and pull "sawing" movement.
Thanks and Acknowledgements
This rhyme can be found in The Counting-out Rhymes of Children (1888), by Henry Carrington Bolton. Translated by Lisa Yannucci and Monique Palomares.
Grazie mille!
