A very old b & w card from Italy, posted but undated (the stamp is missing), which suggests a cadence for repetitive work based on the actions of washerday women:

Translated thus, the text reads:   
    2. TEXT
    1. In the field half gray and half black
    2. it remains a plow without oxen , it seems
    3. forgotten, among the light vapor .
    4. And timed by the millpond it comes
    5. the splashing of lavender
    6. with thick thuds and long chants :
    7. the wind blows and the bush snows ,
    8. and you still don't go back to your country!
    9. when you left, how I remained!
    10. like the plow in the middle of the fallow land.

or paraphrased: 

In the half-plowed and half-not field ( half gray and half black : the gray half is the one not yet plowed, while the black half is the one in which the earth has been turned over by the plow) there remains an abandoned plow ( without oxen ) which seems forgotten, in the mist ( steam : gives the impression of smoke rising from the ground).
The cadenced rhythm (rhymes with forgotten in v.3 – internal rhyme – and indicates the monotonous and always the same rhythm of the washerwomen's work) comes from the ditch ( gora ) where the washerwomen rinse their clothes in the water ( lapping – onomatopoeia and rhyme interna - are ) with frequent ( thick ) thuds ( thuds ) and long popular songs ( long chants – thick-thuds/long-thuds.

As mentioned before it is an old card, which inevitably shows some signs of wear, and as I don't understand Italian that is all the information that I can give you!

We are just starting to list (slowly!) a whole pile of ship-based postcards and photographs, so please 'save' us so that you can see them all. 


I'm having a clearout and new to Ebay, so please bear with me if I get anything wrong: the card(s) were copied on a scanner so the edges may not be quite as crisp as they appear 'on screen', and the card(s) will possibly be showing some signs of wear after all this time.  

Any questions do please ask, but please note that I only check my mail once a day (poor old eyes!) so do be patient.

Posted in a card-backed envelope (up to six cards) within the UK mainland, please enquire about the postage to offshore islands.  I'll get a cost for postage to Europe and list it.  The Rest of the World postage: guess that you will have to ask me, and I'll quote for Economy Mail (think that's 12 weeks).  Alternatively, collect in person by appointment from Liskeard in Cornwall, UK (approx. 25 miles from Plymouth).

Combined postage if you purchase more than one item. 

I have lots of cards to list (mainly topography), so please ask if you are seeking something particular.