mercoledì 24 dicembre 2014

Chichibio and the crane - part 1

From  DECAMERONE (1349-1351) by Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375),the novel “Chichibio and the crane”


(leggi in italiano) -- 日本語へ
Boccaccio writes the Decamerone in the Italian language from circa three hundred called “vulgar”. What will follow is a summary, in contemporary italian, from a novel suitable for advanced students.

A long time ago, in Florence, lived a noble called Sir Corrado Gianfigliazzi, a rich banker famous for being generous and very good at hunting with a falcon.
foto da internet
One day, when he was hunting in the country near Florence, his falcon got a young and fat crane to the joy of Sir Corrado. He gave it to his excellent venetian cook called Chichibio and ordered him to cook it and serve it for dinner.
Chichibio,usually very clever in cooking, prepared the crane with great care so that when the cooking is almost done, the whole kitchen is filled with a delicious aroma that Brunetta, the girl that Chichibio fell in love with, can’t resist.
Brunetta, entered the kitchen and when she sees the crane, asked Chichibio if she can eat a thigh, but Chichibio told her:” I am sorry, but i can”t give it to you! It is for the master and his guest”. Brunetta praised him for a long time but then threatened him:”if you don’t give it to me,i promised i will not look at you anymore”. Finally Chichibio surrenders, cuts one of the thigh of the roasted crane and gives it to her, then he serves the crane to Sir Corrado and his friend guest.

                                                                 translated by IsabelleWanlin Hocquet



Messer: o messere form used in italian language circa four hundred means “Master” a title used for polite form
falcone: a type of hawk, rather big, used in the old times for hunting.


When Brunetta speaks with Chichibio she uses the formal form “il voi’ instead of ‘il lei’. It was, in fact, in the past, the most used form for courtesy and respect, while today we use only “ il Lei”. But “il Voi” is still used in many parts of southern Italy.



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