Como Decía Mi Tía Graciana: Refranes Mexicanos

Por Miguel Lagunas

Every family has proverbs and sayings that are passed down through the generations, and author Miguel Lagunass family is no exception. In Como deca mi ta Graciana, Lagunas shares proverbs from a Mexican family matriarch, illustrating the secret to happiness, how to live harmoniously with others, and respect for others. Although Graciana was not a real person, her sayings, advice, and proverbs have been passed down through many generations and have become daily sayings in many Spanish-speaking households.

Como deca mi ta Graciana is translated in both English and Spanish so that you can enjoy these proverbs in both languages. In Como deca mi ta Graciana, you will read such proverbs as

A la feria muchos van, pero a ver y no a comprar (Many go to the fair, but to look and not to shop);

A la fruta dura, el tiempo madura (Time ripens hard fruit; time matures immaturity); and

A la hija muda, su madre la entiende (A quiet daughter is understood by her mother).

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: iUniverse
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 12 ene 2012
• ISBN: 9781462069415

Miguel Lagunas

Born in Mexico City, Miguel Lagunas came to the United States in 1956 and served in the US Army. He graduated from the University of Louisville with a degree in electrical engineering and is the cofounder of many nonprofit Hispanic organizations in Louisville. He has nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He currently lives with his wife, Maria, in Kentucky.

Vista previa del libro

Como decía

mi tía Graciana

refranes mexicanos

Miguel Lagunas

iUniverse, Inc.

Bloomington

Como decía mi tía Graciana

refranes mexicanos

Copyright © 2011 by Miguel Lagunas

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-4620-6940-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-6942-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-6941-5 (e)

Printed in the United States of America

iUniverse rev. date: 12/22/2011

En cada refrán hay una verdad (In each saying there is truth)

En tus apuros y afanes, escucha consejos de refranes (In your struggles and troubles, listen to the advice of proverbs)

La persona que es curiosa, tiene un refrán para cada cosa (The curious person has a saying for each thing)

Prologue

When I was a child there was no doubt in my mind that my Aunt Graciana existed, since my mom used to mention her daily. While growing up and after my parents and friends asked me, I also have asked myself: Who is, or was Aunt Graciana?

I never knew her. As an adult I have not been able to do an in-depth study of who Aunt Graciana was. I definitely know that my mother was born in Pachuca in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico and that my grandmother Golina left Tia Graciana to look after my mother when she came to Mexico City to work as so many immigrants did at the beginning of the twentieth century. When my dear Golina settled in the Federal District she sent for her daughter, my mother. There she met my father and they married creating a family that never again returned to live in Pachuca. I am proud to have been born and raised in Mexico City but more proud of the proverbs of my Aunt Graciana.

My mother Má Toli never forgot the teachings of her aunt Graciana. Every so often with phrases and proverbs she used to teach us saying As my aunt Graciana used to say and citing a proverb that corrected our actions, she told us how to live in peace and harmony with others. Examples of that education are innumerable. With this text I have tried to immortalize all those sayings. It is difficult to remember all the proverbs and for that reason this is a dynamic book. I want to say that it can continue growing.

All Spanish speaking families have an Aunt Graciana known in each family by a different name. I would personally appreciate if everyone who reads this book sends proverbs that are not currently in this initial edition so that they can be included in future editions. This would transform it into an educational and international book. I believe that many modern parents would benefit from being able to educate the new generations with the morals of our ancestors.

Myself, including those in my family have been educated with these proverbs. My brothers, sisters and I will carry that education to our graves.

Prólogo

Cuando yo era niño no había duda en mi mente de la existencia de mi Tía Graciana pues mi mamá la mencionaba a diario. Al crecer y después de que mis parientes y amigos me preguntan, yo mismo me he preguntado: ¿Quién es, o era, la Tía Graciana?

Yo nunca la conocí. Ya de adulto no he podido investigar a fondo quien era la Tía Graciana. Por seguro sé que mi madre nació en Pachuca en el estado de Hidalgo en México pero mi abuela Golina se la encargó a la Tía Graciana cuando Golina vino a la ciudad de México a trabajar como tantos inmigrantes lo hacían a principios del siglo veinte. Cuando mi Golina se estableció en el Distrito Federal mandó a traer a su hija, mi madre. Allí ella conoció a mi padre y se casaron formando una familia que nunca regresó a vivir a Pachuca. Yo estoy orgulloso de haber nacido y crecido en el DF pero estoy más orgulloso de los refranes de mi Tía Graciana.

Mi madre Má Toli nunca se olvidó de las enseñanzas de su tía Graciana. Con frases y refranes nos educaba diciéndonos a cada rato Como decía mi Tía Graciana y mencionando un refrán que rectificaba nuestras acciones y nos decía como vivir la vida en paz y con armonía para todos. Ejemplos de esa educación son innumerables. Con este texto he tratado de inmortalizar todos esos refranes. Es difícil recordar todos los refranes por eso este libro es un libro vivo. Quiero decir que puede seguir creciendo.

Todas las familias de habla hispana tienen una Tía Graciana conocida en cada familia con un nombre diferente. Yo personalmente agradecería que cada uno de los lectores nos manden refranes que no estén en esta edición inicial ahora para incluirlos en nuestras ediciones futuras. Esto lo convirtiría en un libro educacional e internacional. Creo que muchos padres modernos se beneficiarían al poder educar a las nuevas generaciones con la moral de nuestros antepasados.

Nosotros, en mi familia nos hemos educado con esos refranes. Esa educación la llevaremos mis hermanos, hermanas y yo hasta la tumba.

A life of proverbs

Prof. Manuel F. Medina

University of Louisville

I knew about Aunt Graciana when I met Miguel many years ago on my arrival to Louisville. The proverbs used to appear in the column of the monthly bulletin of the now inactive Louisville Latin-American Club. With time, I realized that the list of proverbs, expressions and sayings turned out to be a complete body of work compiled by Mr. Miguel throughout his life.

The book presented here represents the editorial effort of a Mexican who learnt to listen to the snippets of wisdom impregnated in the culture, shared across generations, disseminated orally and passed from parents to children. Proverbs are good for educating in a way that the moral is at the same time easy to remember and effective in its instruction, one that will be reinforced by constant repetition. A child learns the the lazy works twice as much or that no matter how early you get up you cannot make the sun rise any sooner. An elderly person can recite nonstop these pieces of advice, warnings, and wisdom learnt throughout his/her life. A young person listens to popular and family voices that instruct on how live according to his/her region’s ideology. The proverbs will also help the youth choose his/her own lifestyle which will generally follow the set path or at least one delineated verbally by popular expressions framed within his/her inner being. A conscious desired to learn proverbs is not necessary. Proverbs trap us and don’t allow us to escape. Sayings and popular expressions from certain homes, accompany forever those who hear them being recited frequently within their home environment. Proverbs operate like the collective memory of a people and have lasted due to their unmatched ability to preserve in a short and concise phrase the traditions of the people.

Miguel Laguna’s project possesses the unique feature of becoming the first successful attempt at clinging to a distant culture when he migrated to the United States, specifically to Louisville, to take university courses. Secondly, it represents his desire to share elements of his culture with the new world he adopted and of which he has been a part of for many years. The book is a perfect example of a text that operates in the virtual border between both cultures. Miguel tries to unite them through his book.

He invested a great deal of time specifically in making the proverbs native to Spanish and Mexican culture and by extension Latin American culture, which can also be appreciated by those who do not have a good command of the Spanish language. The task of translating carries with it an effort to transmit the cultural connotation that attached to the linguistics, allows the original message to be communicated with the greatest accuracy possible in the language in which it is transposed into. Miguel has conducted thorough research in order to deliver the best translation possible. And with this book, he has achieved it. But probably, the best thing that has been realized with the compilation of this book is its ability to transport (literally and metaphorically) the wisdom passed from generation to generation from his native Mexico to this Kentuckian land that for decades he adopted as his second home. As my aunt Graciana used to say develop self-denial, affection, dedication and give to your two homelands.

Una vida en refranes

Prof. Manuel F. Medina

University of Louisville

Conocí a la Tía Graciana cuando conocí a Miguel hace muchos años cuando llegué a Louisville. Los refranes aparecían en la columna mensual del boletín del ahora pasivo Club Latinoamericano de Louisville. Con el tiempo, me di cuenta que la lista de refranes, expresiones y dichos resultaba una corpus entero de obra recopilada por don Miguel a lo largo de toda su vida.

El libro que aquí se presenta constituye el esfuerzo editorial de un mexicano que aprendió a escuchar los retazos de sabiduría impregnados en la cultura, compartidos a través de generaciones y diseminados oralmente y pasados de padres a hijos. Los refranes sirven para educar de una manera que la lección resulte a la vez fácil de recordar, y eficaz al enseñar una lección que permanecerá con el que la escucha de manera repetida, constante e incesante. Un niño aprende que el que el vago trabaja dos veces o que no por mucho madrugar amanece más temprano. Un anciano puede recitar sin parar los consejos, advertencia y sabiduría aprendidos durante toda su vida. Un joven escucha las voces populares y familiares que lo instruyen a vivir según la ideología de su región y que le ayudarán a seleccionar su propio estilo de vida que generalmente seguirá el camino marcado o por lo menos delineado verbalmente por las expresiones populares enmarcadas dentro de su ser. No importa si existía voluntad de aprenderlas o no. Los refranes nos atrapan y nunca nos dejan escapar. Los dichos y expresiones populares de cierta casa, acompañan para siempre a los que los oyen recitados con frecuencia dentro del espacio en que crece. Los refranes operan como la memoria colectiva de un pueblo y se han perpetuado por su capacidad inigualable de poder en una frase breve y corta postergar las tradiciones de los pueblos.

El proyecto de Miguel Lagunas posee la particularidad de haberse convertido en un intento fructífero de primero aferrarse a una cultura que quedó distante cuando él emigró a los Estados Unidos, particularmente a Louisville, a cursar sus estudios universitarios. En segundo lugar representa su afán de compartir elementos de su cultura con el mundo nuevo que adoptó y del que ha formado parte desde hace tantos años. El libro constituye un ejemplo perfecto de un texto que opera en la frontera virtual que limita a ambas culturas. Miguel trata de unirlas a través de su libro. Invirtió mucho tiempo precisamente en hacer que los refranes originarios del español y de la cultura mexicana y por extensión latinoamericana puedan ser apreciados por aquellos que no dominan el español. La tarea de traducir conlleva un esfuerzo de transmitir la connotación cultural que unida a la lingüística permite que el mensaje original se pueda comunicar con la mayor fidelidad posible en la lengua a la que se la transpone. Miguel ha realizado labor a fondo de investigador para poder entregar la mejor traducción posible. Lo ha logrado. Pero probablemente, lo que mejor haya llevado a cabo con la compilación de este libro sea poder transportar (literal y metafóricamente) la sabiduría pasada de generación a generación en su originario México a esta tierra kentuckiana que él hace décadas adoptó como su segunda tierra. Como decía mi tía Graciana revela su abnegación, cariño, dedicación y entrega hacia sus dos patrias.

A bodas y niño bautizado no vayas sin ser invitado (Attend weddings or baptisms only if you are invited)

A buen entendedor pocas palabras bastan (A good listener needs few words)

A burro viejo, aparejo nuevo (Dress up an old mule with a new harness)

A caballo regalado no se le mira el diente (Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth)

A cada capillita le llega su fiestesita (Every dog has it’s day)

A cada pajarito le gusta su nidito (Each little bird likes his own little nest; (A man’s home is his castle))

A cada pez le llega su vez (Every fish gets its turn)

A cada santo le llega su fiesta (Every saint gets his feast)

A casa de tu tía mas no cada día ( Don’t overstay your welcome, even if it is at your relative’s house.)

A casas viejas puertas nuevas (New doors for an old house)

A César lo que es del César y a Diós que te vaya bien! (Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.)

A comer sé tú el primero, a pelear ni el postrero (Be the first one to eat but the last to fight)

A comer y a misa, una vez se avisa (To eat and to Mass one is called only once)

A costillas de los enfermos comen los deshonestos (The dishonest eat at the expense of the sick)

A cualquiera se le muere un tío (Anyone can lose an uncle)

A cuenta de los gitanos hurtan muchos castellanos (Many Spaniards pilfer and blame the gypsies)

A Dios rogando y con el mazo dando (God helps those who help themselves)

A donde el corazón se inclina el pie camina (The foot walks towards where the heart is pointing)

¿A dónde va Vicente? Adonde va la gente (Monkey see, monkey do)

A ese santo le sobran veladoras (That saint has more than enough candles)

A falta de gallina, bueno es el caldo de habas (When there is no chicken, bean soup is good)

A falta de tortillas, hay que comer pan (When there are no tortillas, one must eat bread)

A fuerza ni las gallinas ponen (Not even hens lay eggs when forced)

A fuerza ni los zapatos entran (Not even a small shoe will fit when forced)

A ganado flaco no hay que apurarlo (One must not rush a skinny cow, (You can’t force someone who doesn’t know))

A gato viejo, ratoncita tierna (A young mouse for an old cat, (a young woman for an old man))

A gran pecado gran misericordia (Great mercy for great sins)

A gran salto, gran quebranto (Big jumps, big disappointments)

A grandes males, grandes remedios (Big problems, big remedies)

A grandes riesgos, grandes desilusiones (Big risks, big disappointments)

A granero robado, échale cerradura y candado (Double-lock a robbed storeroom)

A jugar y perder, le corresponde pagar y callar (He who gambles and loses must pay and keep quiet)

A la buena mujer con un marido le basta (A husband is enough for a good woman)

A la casa vieja, no le faltan las goteras (An old house does not lack leaks)

A la feria muchos van, pero a ver y no a comprar (Many go to the fair, but to