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Sunday 9 September 2012

Any Ladin Speakers?


The area around the Dolomites is a wonderful place for wood carving. There is a long tradition of fine carving stretching back centuries, when churches were filled with devotional items. Now, rather like fine embroidery, the decline in church commissions continues to take its toll. Next week, I'll show you some fabulous carved dolls but today I was wanting to get to the bottom of these carvings we came across in the mountains. We saw many children being carried up mountin paths in papooses - many of whom I guessed, with a little consolation, weighed more than my 15 kilo pack. And here is a delightful depiction - however, it seems to be associated with a biblical quotation, and that in the local dialect of Ladin. Dut l'e rua a compiment. Can anyone translate that for me, please?

After a long day's hard climbing, this carving nearly brought me to tears - I realized just how much we had depended upon each other to get up and down those tough screes. The inscription on this reads: Faje che che l ve disc. Which I thought meant something like Do that which he told you - am I close?
Thank you very much to Rosella for these translations: Dut l'è rua a compiment means Everything was finished (the last words of Christ on the cross) and Faje che che l ve disc means Do whatever he tells you (from the scriptures Matthew 23, 1-12)

1 comment:

  1. Dut l'è rua a compiment EVERYTHING WAS FINISHED
    (the last words of Christ on the cross)
    Faje che che l ve disc DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU
    (from the scriptures Matthew 23, 1-12

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