See a penny, pick it up, All day long you'll have good luck.

A forum for translations, translation challenges etc. Good place to increase your conlang's vocabulary.
Post Reply
User avatar
eldin raigmore
korean
korean
Posts: 6352
Joined: 14 Aug 2010 19:38
Location: SouthEast Michigan

See a penny, pick it up, All day long you'll have good luck.

Post by eldin raigmore »

There's a common rhyme in English-speaking countries that goes something like:
"See a penny and pick it up:
"All day long you'll have good luck.
"See a penny and let it lie:
"You'll need that penny before you die!"

For some versions it's a "pin" instead of a "penny".
And for some the last line is something like "That very day you'll die!" or something else much more dire than "You'll need that penny/pin before you die".

[hr][/hr]

When I've tried to say this rhyme to L2-English-speakers, they seem not to understand what it's about.
What about folks on the CBB? Do all or most our L1-English-speakers get it? Do any or many of our English-as-L2-speakers get it?
For CBBeans who are well-versed in other languages, what are similar proverbs (or nursery-rhymes or whatever) in your own languages?

ObConLang; How would your conspeakers say this in your conlang (if they even would)?
Iyionaku
mayan
mayan
Posts: 2102
Joined: 25 May 2014 14:17

Re: See a penny, pick it up, All day long you'll have good l

Post by Iyionaku »

I'm German; for me, I don't really get what there would propably be not to get. Unless it's from some movie or something like that, it's pretty straightforward without its meaning obscured in any ways. In German, there is a similar phrase; its literal meaning and also its figurative meaning are different, but it's propably said in a very similar context.

Wer den Pfennig nicht ehrt, ist die Mark nicht wert.
[vɛɐ̯ deːn ˈ͡pfɛnɪç nɪçt ʔɛɐ̯t, ʔɪst di ˈmaɐ̯k nɨçt vɛɐ̯t]
who.NOM DEF.MASC.ACC penny NEG revere.3SG, COP.3SG DEF.FEM.ACC mark NEG worthy
Who doesn't revere the Pfennig, is not worthy to have the Mark.

(Mark is the ancient German currency; it was divided into 100 Pfennige, hence the proverb)
Wipe the glass. This is the usual way to start, even in the days, day and night, only a happy one.
User avatar
Creyeditor
MVP
MVP
Posts: 5091
Joined: 14 Aug 2012 19:32

Re: See a penny, pick it up, All day long you'll have good l

Post by Creyeditor »

There is also a similar:

:deu: German
Spare in der Zeit, dann hast du in der Not.
/ʃpaːʁə ʔɪn deɐ̯ t͡saɪ̯t̚ dan hast duː ʔɪn deɐ̯ noːt/
save in DEF.F.SG.DAT time, then have.2SG you in DEF.F.SG.DAT times.of.need
Save (money) in time, then you will have it in times of need.

This one and Iyionaku's version I think are similar in different aspects to the English one. Iyionaku's is pretty overtly about a penny, whereas mine stresses he difference in time between keeping the money and profiting from it. I must admit that I like Iyionaku's better, because it rhymes. I was really confused as a child about mine because it doesn't. I was always expecting some word that rhymes with Zeit instead of Not.
Creyeditor
"Thoughts are free."
Produce, Analyze, Manipulate
1 :deu: 2 :eng: 3 :idn: 4 :fra: 4 :esp:
:con: Ook & Omlűt & Nautli languages & Sperenjas
[<3] Papuan languages, Morphophonology, Lexical Semantics [<3]
Salmoneus
MVP
MVP
Posts: 3030
Joined: 19 Sep 2011 19:37

Re: See a penny, pick it up, All day long you'll have good l

Post by Salmoneus »

I've only directly encountered a variant form, promulgated in the novels of Terry Pratchett:

See a pin and pick it up,
All day long you'll have a pin.



To the Germans: I believe the English saying used to be used literally - that is, it's about literally picking up pennies from the floor (or pins, or other potentially useful or valuable things), rather than more general advice about the importance of investment and prudent financial management.
User avatar
Creyeditor
MVP
MVP
Posts: 5091
Joined: 14 Aug 2012 19:32

Re: See a penny, pick it up, All day long you'll have good l

Post by Creyeditor »

Good to know. Actually Iyionaku's version is used in these situations, IINM.
Creyeditor
"Thoughts are free."
Produce, Analyze, Manipulate
1 :deu: 2 :eng: 3 :idn: 4 :fra: 4 :esp:
:con: Ook & Omlűt & Nautli languages & Sperenjas
[<3] Papuan languages, Morphophonology, Lexical Semantics [<3]
User avatar
Lao Kou
mongolian
mongolian
Posts: 5089
Joined: 25 Nov 2012 10:39
Location: 蘇州/苏州

Re: See a penny, pick it up, All day long you'll have good l

Post by Lao Kou »

eldin raigmore wrote:"See a penny and pick it up:
"All day long you'll have good luck.
"See a penny and let it lie:
"You'll need that penny before you die!"
I've never seen/heard the last two lines of this 'til now, which does put a slightly different spin on it. So:
Salmoneus wrote:I believe the English saying used to be used literally - that is, it's about literally picking up pennies from the floor (or pins, or other potentially useful or valuable things), rather than more general advice about the importance of investment and prudent financial management.
I've always taken it literally -- finding a coin on the street and picking it up is good luck. Works a lot of the time, but if nothing else, it makes me smile inside (though the near-rhyme still grates).

For pithy penny advice on fiscal prudence, I'd run with, "A penny saved is a penny earned." or "Take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves."
道可道,非常道
名可名,非常名
User avatar
eldin raigmore
korean
korean
Posts: 6352
Joined: 14 Aug 2010 19:38
Location: SouthEast Michigan

Re: See a penny, pick it up, All day long you'll have good l

Post by eldin raigmore »

Salmoneus wrote:I've only directly encountered a variant form, promulgated in the novels of Terry Pratchett:
See a pin and pick it up,
All day long you'll have a pin.
[:D] [:)] [xD] Lolirl@t!

----------

Thanks, everybody so far!
User avatar
Reyzadren
greek
greek
Posts: 684
Joined: 14 May 2017 10:39
Contact:

Re: See a penny, pick it up, All day long you'll have good l

Post by Reyzadren »

L1-English-speaker: Nope, I've never heard of this rhyme.
Bilingual: Nope, I don't think there's a similar proverb.
Conlang: You ask for it, you got it. In a literal context:

:con: griuskant (without the conscript)

oc jiska muir, zher kauzar.
/ɔtʃ 'dʒiska 'muir, ʒər 'kauzar/
if see-V shininess, then take-V-IMP
If you see shininess, take it.

Because, if you see something that is shiny on the floor, why not pick it up? "Ooh, shiny!"
Image conlang summary | Image griushkoent thread
User avatar
eldin raigmore
korean
korean
Posts: 6352
Joined: 14 Aug 2010 19:38
Location: SouthEast Michigan

Re: See a penny, pick it up, All day long you'll have good l

Post by eldin raigmore »

Reyzadren wrote:....
Conlang: You ask for it, you got it. In a literal context:
:con: griuskant (without the conscript)
oc jiska muir, zher kauzar.
/ɔtʃ 'dʒiska 'muir, ʒər 'kauzar/
if see-V shininess, then take-V-IMP
If you see shininess, take it.


Because, if you see something that is shiny on the floor, why not pick it up? "Ooh, shiny!"
[:)]
User avatar
Lambuzhao
korean
korean
Posts: 5405
Joined: 13 May 2012 02:57

Re: See a penny, pick it up, All day long you'll have good l

Post by Lambuzhao »

Creyeditor wrote:There is also a similar:

:deu: German
Spare in der Zeit, dann hast du in der Not.
/ʃpaːʁə ʔɪn deɐ̯ t͡saɪ̯t̚ dan hast duː ʔɪn deɐ̯ noːt/
save in DEF.F.SG.DAT time, then have.2SG you in DEF.F.SG.DAT times.of.need
Save (money) in time, then you will have it in times of need.

This one and Iyionaku's version I think are similar in different aspects to the English one. Iyionaku's is pretty overtly about a penny, whereas mine stresses he difference in time between keeping the money and profiting from it. I must admit that I like Iyionaku's better, because it rhymes. I was really confused as a child about mine because it doesn't. I was always expecting some word that rhymes with Zeit instead of Not.

There are a few of these in :us-pa: :deu:, but the pin one stands out in my memory:

:us-pa: :deu:

Wammern Schpel uf em Bodem leie sēnt sie mit em Kopp gēǧich em bedeits Glick.
INDEF.ANIM.SG needle.SG PRP DEF.N.DAT.SG floor lie<INF> see<PRS>PL 3SG.F.NOM PRP DEF.N.DAT.SG head.SG tóward REL.DAT.SG mean<PRS>3SG good.luck.SG
When someone sees a needle lying on the floor, it with it's head towards {you} means Good Luck.

Apparently, the opposite is also true:

Wann en Schpel uff em Bodem leit, un mer sēnt sie mit em Kopp gēǧich em hot mer unglich.
ADV INDEF.N.SG needle.SG PRP PRP DEF.N.DAT.SG floor lie<PRS>3SG CNJ 1PL.NOM see<PRS>PL 3SG.F.NOM PRP DEF.N.DAT.SG head.SG tóward REL.DAT.SG
have<PRS>3SG 1PL.DAT unlucky.SG
If a needle lies on the floor, and we see it with it's head towards {us}, for us this means bad luck.

They also talk about the Glick/Unglick of finding money on the street, but I'm not getting into that now. Bobbeli is going ufflein.
Discuss amongst yerselves:

:roll:

Q.V. :
https://books.google.com/books?id=TeaAA ... an&f=false

'Tis interesting, tho.
:wat:
User avatar
Dormouse559
moderator
moderator
Posts: 2945
Joined: 10 Nov 2012 20:52
Location: California

Re: See a penny, pick it up, All day long you'll have good l

Post by Dormouse559 »

Your :us-pa: :deu: reminds me that I learned a corollary to "see a penny". It's only good luck to pick up a penny if it's heads-up. Tails-up is bad luck. I have the impression there might have been a rhyme explaining that, too, but if there was, I can't remember it.
Iyionaku
mayan
mayan
Posts: 2102
Joined: 25 May 2014 14:17

Re: See a penny, pick it up, All day long you'll have good l

Post by Iyionaku »

Creyeditor wrote:There is also a similar:

:deu: German
Spare in der Zeit, dann hast du in der Not.
/ʃpaːʁə ʔɪn deɐ̯ t͡saɪ̯t̚ dan hast duː ʔɪn deɐ̯ noːt/
save in DEF.F.SG.DAT time, then have.2SG you in DEF.F.SG.DAT times.of.need
Save (money) in time, then you will have it in times of need.

This one and Iyionaku's version I think are similar in different aspects to the English one. Iyionaku's is pretty overtly about a penny, whereas mine stresses he difference in time between keeping the money and profiting from it. I must admit that I like Iyionaku's better, because it rhymes. I was really confused as a child about mine because it doesn't. I was always expecting some word that rhymes with Zeit instead of Not.
It's a different kind of poetry in my opinion. You can see a parallelism between the first half of your sentence and the second. Also, it has a clear meter (trochee) so it's valid even if not rhyming I think.
Wipe the glass. This is the usual way to start, even in the days, day and night, only a happy one.
User avatar
eldin raigmore
korean
korean
Posts: 6352
Joined: 14 Aug 2010 19:38
Location: SouthEast Michigan

Re: See a penny, pick it up, All day long you'll have good luck.

Post by eldin raigmore »

How about “A stitch in time saves nine” from Poor Richard’s Almanac (Ben Franklin)?

———

I don’t think “A niche in time saves Stein”, from “Loint of Paw” by Isaac Asimov, is really a proverb.


————————

Or how about “Make hay while the sun shines”?
User avatar
Znex
roman
roman
Posts: 1036
Joined: 12 Aug 2013 14:05
Location: Australia

Re: See a penny, pick it up, All day long you'll have good luck.

Post by Znex »

Trying a rhyming translation:

:con: Yorkish
See ei penning, tek tha scift, heil the daw, tha'sk hae guith gift.
/sɪə̯ ə pʰɛnɪnk | tʰɛk θa scɪft | çeːl ə‿t.tɒː | θask (ç)ɛa̯ cʏə̯θ cɪft/
see IDEF penny | take 2SG.POSS share | whole DEF day | 2SG=FUT.AUX have good luck
See a penny, take your share, The whole day, you'll have good fare.
:eng: : [tick] | :grc: : [:|] | :chn: :isr: :wls: : [:S] | :deu: :ell: :rus: : [:x]
Conlangs: Hawntow, Yorkish, misc.
she/her
Khemehekis
mongolian
mongolian
Posts: 3883
Joined: 14 Aug 2010 09:36
Location: California über alles

Re: See a penny, pick it up, All day long you'll have good luck.

Post by Khemehekis »

The New York cartoonist Roz Chast once published a cartoon with variations. One was: "Find a penny, let it be/Someone may need it more than me". Another was: "Find a penny, walk right past/You never know who had it last".
♂♥♂♀

Squirrels chase koi . . . chase squirrels

My Kankonian-English dictionary: 86,336 words and counting

31,416: The number of the conlanging beast!
User avatar
lsd
greek
greek
Posts: 740
Joined: 11 Mar 2011 21:11
Contact:

Re: See a penny, pick it up, All day long you'll have good luck.

Post by lsd »

:con: 3SDL
h»2¬JÁ2®½c®NNv®¬Sh»Nv¬¯uÁH
(you seeing disc seen as quarter and having to be taken by you for giving smile to you...)
rather than rhymes, 3SDL prefers epanalepsis...
Post Reply