How Italian immigrants were called abroad?
In Switzerland, Italian immigrants used to be called ZYDROONESCHITTLER, lemon- shaker.
The epithet sends back to the famous poetry of Wolfgang Goethe which inspired the Sehnsucht, the nostalgia of many German artists towards Italy:
«Kennst du das Land, wo die Zitronen blühn,
Im dunklen Laub die Goldorangen glühn,
Ein sanfter Wind vom blauen Himmel weht,
Die Myrte still und hoch der Lorbeer steht,
Kennst du es wohl?
Dahin! Dahin
Möcht ich mit dir, o mein Geliebter, ziehn! ».
«Knowst thou the land where lemon-trees do bloom? / And oranges like gold in leafy gloom / A gentle wind from deep blue heaven blows,/ The myrtle thick, and high the laurel grows / Knowst thou it, then? / Tis there! tis there, /O my belovd one, I with thee would go!».
However, back from its second travel, the great writer would have picked also some other features of the sunny and romantic Italy:
« Noch ist Italien, wie ichs verließ, noch stäuben die Wege,
Noch ist der Fremde geprellt, stell er sich,
wie er auch will.
Deutsche Rechtlichkeit suchst du in allen Winkeln vergebens,
Leben und Weben ist hier, aber nicht Ordnung und Zucht;
Jeder sorgt nur für sich, ist eitel, misstrauet dem andern
».
«Italy is just how I left it,/ the roads are still dusty,/foreigners are still cheated/ wherever they are. /No matter how hard you look for a German sense of justice you wont find any./ Instead you will find life and movement but not order and self discipline;/ Everyone just looks after himself,/ is vane, mistrusts others and the people who run the state similarly/ only look after themselves…».
Source: Gian Antonio Stella, Siamo tutti emigranti
