Italian Popular Tales Part 40

It happened one night that the story-teller had a great mind to sleep, and Azzolino asked him to tell stories. The story-teller began to relate a story about a peasant who had a hundred bezants. He went to market to buy sheep, and had two for a bezant. Returning home with his sheep, a river that he had crossed was greatly swollen by a heavy rain that had fallen. Standing on the bank he saw a poor fisherman with an exceedingly small boat, so small that it would only hold the peasant and one sheep at a time. Then the peasant began to cross with one sheep, and began to row: the river was wide. He rows and crosses. And the story-teller ceased relating. Azzolino said: "Go on." And the story-teller answered: "Let the sheep cross, and then I will tell the story." For the sheep would not be over in a year, so that meanwhile he could sleep at his leisure.

The story pa.s.sed from the _Disc. Cler._ into the Spanish collection _El Libro de los Enxemplos_, No. 85. A similar story is also found in Grimm, No. 86, "The Fox and the Geese."

[19] The word translated bank (_bancu_) is here used to indicate a buried treasure. The most famous of these concealed treasures was that of Ddisisa, a hill containing caves, and whose summit is crowned by the ruins of an Arab castle. This treasure is mentioned also in Pitre, No.

230, "The Treasure of Ddisisa," where elaborate directions are given for finding it.

[20] See Pitre, vol. IV. p. 401, and _Nov. fior._ p. 572.

[21] See _Disc. Cler._ ed. Schmidt, pp. 64 and 147, where the story is as follows: A certain tailor to the king had, among others, an apprentice named Nedui. On one occasion the king's officers brought warm bread and honey, which the tailor and his apprentices ate without waiting for Nedui, who happened to be absent. When one of the officers asked why they did not wait for Nedui, the tailor answered that he did not like honey. When Nedui returned, and learned what had taken place, he determined to be revenged; and when he had a chance he told the officer who superintended the work done for the king that the tailor often went into a frenzy and beat or killed the bystanders. The officer said that if they could tell when the attack was coming on, they would bind him, so that he could not injure any one. Nedui said it was easy to tell; the first symptoms were the tailor's looking here and there, beating the ground with his hands, and getting up and seizing his seat.

The next day Nedui securely hid his master's shears, and when the latter began to look for them, and feel about on the floor, and lift up his seat, the officer called in the guard and had the tailor bound, and, for fear he should beat any one, soundly thrashed. At last the poor tailor succeeded in obtaining an explanation; and when he asked Nedui: "When did you know me to be insane?" the latter responded: "When did you know me not to eat honey?" See also references in Kirchhof's _Wendunmuth_, I.

243.

[22] In the original the admonitions are in the form of a verse, as follows:--

"_Primu:_ Cu' cancia la via vecchia pi la nova, Le guai ch' 'un circannu dda li trova.

_Secunnu:_ Vidi a.s.sai e parra pocu.

_Terzu:_ Pensa la cosa avanti chi la fai, Ca la cosa pinsata e bedda a.s.sai."

[23] See _Disc. Cler._ ed. Schmidt, pp. 61 and 141. This story is also found in the _Gesta Romanorum_, cap. 103; Gonz., No. 81, where copious references by Oesterley and Kohler may be found; in Nerucci, No. 53; and in a distorted version in Ortoli, p. 118: see also _Giornale Napoletano della Domenica_, August 20, 1882; Pitre, "_I Tre Pareri_," and _Notes and Queries_, London, February 7, March 14, 1885.

[24] See Note 1 of this chapter.

[25] In the original, what the husband, wife, and king, say, is in verse, as follows:--

"Vigna era e Vigna son, Amata era e piu non son; E non so per qual cagion, Che la Vigna a perso la so stagion."

"Vigna eri e Vigna sei, Amata eri e piu non sei: Per la branca del leon La Vigna a perso la so stagion."

"Ne la Vigna io son intrato, Di quei pampani n' tocato; Ma lo guiro per la corona che porto in capo, Che de quel fruto no ghe n' gustato."

This story is also found in Pitre, No. 76, "_Lu Bracceri di manu manca_"

("The Usher on the Left Hand," _i. e._, of the king, who also had one on his right hand); _Pomiglianesi_, No. 6, "_Villa_;" and, in the shape of a poetical dialogue, in Vigo, _Raccolta amplissima di Canti popolari siciliani_. Secunda ediz. Catania, 1870-1874, No. 5145.

The story is told of Pier delle Vigne by Jacopo d'Aqui (XIII. cent.) in his _Chronicon imaginis mundi_, and of the Marchese di Pescara by Brantome, _Vie des Dames galantes_. These versions will be found with copious references in Pitre and Imbriani as cited above: see also, _Cantilene e Ballate, Strambotti e Madrigali nei Secoli XIII. e XIV._, A cura di Giosue Carducci, Pisa, 1871, p. 26. The story is discussed in an exhaustive manner by S. Prato in the _Romania_, vol. XII. p. 535; XIV.

p. 132, "_L' Orma del Leone_."

[26] For the Oriental versions see _Essai sur les Fables indiennes_, _par_ A. Loiseleur Deslongchamps, Paris, 1838, p. 96; _Das Buch von den sieben weisen Meistern_, aus dem Hebraischen und Griechischen zum ersten Male ubersetzt von H. Sengelmann, Halle, 1842, p. 40 (_Mischle Sandabar_), p. 87 (_Syntipas_), _Tausend und Eine Nacht_, Deutsch von Max Hab.i.+.c.ht, Von der Hagen und Schall, Breslau, 1836, vol. XV. p. 112 (Arabic); _Li Romans des Sept Sages_, nach der Pariser Handschrift herausgegeben von H. A. Keller, Tubingen, 1836, p. cx.x.xviii.; _Dyocletia.n.u.s Leben_, von Hans von Buhel, herausgegeben von A. Keller, Quedlinburg und Leipzig, 1841, p. 45. All students of this subject are acquainted with Domenico Comparetti's masterly essay _Ricerche intorno al Libro di Sindibad_, Milan, 1869, which has recently been made accessible to English readers in a version published by the English Folk-Lore Society in 1882. The Persian and Arabic texts may be consulted in an English translation, reprinted with valuable introduction and notes in the following work: _The Book of Sindibad; or, The Story of the King, his Son, the Damsel, and the Seven Vazirs_, From the Persian and Arabic, with Introduction, Notes, and an Appendix, by W. A.

Clouston. Privately printed, 1884 [Glasgow], pp. xvii.-lvi.

[27] For the original version in the various forms of the Western _Seven Wise Masters_, see Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, p. 162; Keller, _Romans_, p.

ccxxix., and _Dyocletia.n.u.s_, p. 63; and D'Ancona, _Il Libro dei Sette Savi di Roma_, p. 121. To the references in D'Ancona may be added: _Deux Redactions du Roman des Sept Sages_, G. Paris, Paris, 1876, pp. 47, 162; Benfey, in _Orient und Occident_, III. 420; _Romania_, VI. p. 182; _Melusine_, p. 384; and _Basque Legends_, collected by Rev. W. Webster, London, 1879, pp. 136, 137.

[28] See Grimm, No. 33, "The Three Languages;" Hahn, No. 33; _Basque Legends_, p. 137; and _Melusine_, p. 300. There is a verbose version in the _Fiabe Mantovane_, No. 23, "_Bobo_."

[29] See Herodotus, with a commentary by J. W. Blakesley, London, 1854, I. p. 254, n. 343. For the literature of this story, and for various other Italian versions, see _La Leggenda del Tesoro di Rampsinite_, Stanislao Prato, Como, 1882; and Ralston's notes to Schiefner's _Tibetan Tales_, p. xlvii.

[30] For the story in the _Seven Wise Masters_, see D'Ancona, _op. cit._ p. 108; Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, p. 146; Keller, _Romans_, p. cxciii., and _Dyoclet_. p. 55.

Besides the popular versions in Italian, the story is also found in Bandello, I., XXV., who follows Herodotus closely.

[31] For the story in the _Seven Wise Masters_ see D'Ancona, _op. cit._ p. 120; Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, p. 158; Keller, _Romans_, p. ccx.x.xvii., and _Dyoclet._ p. 61. Literary versions of this story are in Straparola, II. 11; _Pecorone_, II. 2; Malespini, 53; Bandello, I. 3; and Sercambi, XIII. See Pitre, IV. pp. 407, 442.

[32] The literature of this famous collection of tales will best be found in an article by Wilhelm Pertsch, "_Ueber Nachschabi's Papagaienbuch_" in the _Zeitschrift der deutschen morgenlandischen Gesellschaft_, Bd. XXI. pp. 505-551. Prof. H. Brockhaus discovered that the eighth night of Nachschabi's version was nothing but a version of the _Seven Wise Masters_ containing seven stories. Nachschabi, in preparing his work, used probably the oldest version of the _Seven Wise Masters_ of which we have any knowledge. Professor Brockhaus made this discovery known in a brief pamphlet ent.i.tled: _Die Sieben Weisen Meister von Nachschabi_, Leipzig, 1843, of which only twelve copies were printed. The above, except the Persian text, was reprinted in the _Blatt. fur lit. Unterhaltung_, 1843, Nos. 242, 243 (pp. 969 _et seq._); and, in an Italian translation, in D'Ancona's _Il Libro dei Sette Savi di Roma_.

The Persian version of Qadiri (a compend of Nachschabi's) is the one most frequently translated. The German translation: _Toutinameh_. Eine Sammlung pers. Marchen, von C. J. L. Iken, mit einem Anhange von J. G.

L. Kosegarten, Stuttgart, 1822, is easily found. The Turkish version is elegantly translated by G. Rosen: _Tuti-nameh, das Papagaienbuch_, eine Sammlung orientalischer Erzahlungen nach der turkischen Bearbeitung zum ersten Male ubersetzt von G. Rosen, Leipzig, 1858, 2 vols.

[33] The preservation of the frame of the _cukasaptati_ in Italian popular tales is only paralleled, to our knowledge, by the preservation of the _Seven Wise Masters_ in a Magyar popular tale. See _La Tradizione dei Sette Savi nelle Novelline magiare_. Lettera al Prof. A. D'Ancona di E. Teza, Bologna, 1864.

It is possible that the Italian stories containing the frame of the _cukasaptati_ may have been developed from the story in the _Seven Wise Masters_ which is found in both the Oriental and Occidental versions.

The spirit of Folk-tales seems to us averse to expansion, and that condensation is the rule. We think it more likely that it was by way of oral tradition, or from some now lost collection of Oriental tales once known in Italy.

[34] It is in the work by Teza mentioned in the last note, p. 52.

[35] See Pitre, vol. I. p. 23. The three stories in one are called _Donna Viulanti_ (Palermo) and _Lu Frati e lu Soru_ (Salaparuta).

[36] See Chapter I. note 7.

[37] The Italian versions are: Pitre, No. 78, "_Lu Zu Viritati_" ("Uncle Truth"); Gonz., No. 8, "_Bauer Wahrhaft_" ("Farmer Truth"); _XII. Conti Pomiglianesi_, p. 1, "_Giuseppe 'A Vereta_" ("Truthful Joseph," the version translated by us); p. 6, another version from same place and with same name; and in Straparola, III. 5. References to Oriental sources maybe found in Kohler's notes to Gonz., No. 8, and Oesterley's notes to _Gesta Rom._ cap. 111.

In addition to the Oriental elements mentioned in the third chapter, Stanislao Prato has discovered the story of Nala in a popular tale from Pitigliano (Tuscany), see S. Prato, _La Leggenda indiana di Nala in una novella popolare pitiglianese_, Como, 1881. (Extracted from _I Nuovi Goliardi_.)

CHAPTER IV.

LEGENDS AND GHOST STORIES.

[1] It is the LXXV. novel of the _Testo_ Gualteruzzi (Biagi, p. 108): _Qui conta come Domeneddio s' accompagn con un giullare_. The Lord once went in company with a jester. One day the former went to a funeral, and the latter to a marriage. The Lord called the dead to life again, and was richly rewarded. He gave the jester some of the money with which he bought a kid, roasted it and ate the kidneys himself. His companion asked where they were, and the jester answered that in that country the kids had none. The next time the Lord went to a wedding and the jester to a funeral, but he could not revive the dead, and was considered a deceiver, and condemned to the gallows. The Lord wished to know who ate the kidneys, but the other persisted in his former answer; but in spite of this the Lord raises the dead, and the jester is set at liberty. Then the Lord said he wished to dissolve their partners.h.i.+p, and made three piles of money, one for himself, another for the jester, and the third for the one who ate the kidneys. Then the jester said: "By my faith, now that you speak thus, I will tell you that I ate them; I am so old that I ought not to tell lies now." So some things are proved by money, which a man would not tell to escape from death. For the sources and imitations of this story see D'Ancona, _Le Fonti del Novellino_, in the _Romania_, No. 10, p. 180, (_Studj_, p. 333). To D'Ancona's references may be added the following: Grimm, 147, "The Old Man made young again"; Asbjrnsen and Moe, No. 21 [Dasent, _Pop. Tales_, No. XIV.], _Ny Samm._ No. 101 [Dasent, _Tales from the Fjeld_, p. 94, "Peik"]; Ralston, _R. F.

T._ p. 350; Simrock's _Deutsche Marchen_, Nos. 31^b (p. 148), 32; _Romania_, No. 24, p. 578, "_Le Foie de Mouton_" (E. Cosquin, _Contes pop. lorrains_, No. 30); Brueyre, p. 330; and an Italian version, which is simply an amplification of the one in the _Cento nov. ant._, in the recently published _Sessanta Nov. pop. montalesi_, Nerucci, No. 31.

[2] See _Jahrbuch_, VII. pp. 28, 396. The professional pride of the smith finds a parallel in an Irish story in Kennedy, "How St. Eloi was punished for the sin of Pride." Before the saint became religious he was a goldsmith, but sometimes amused himself by shoeing horses, and boasted that he had never found his master in anything. One day a stranger stopped at his forge and asked permission to shoe his horse. Eloi consented, and was very much surprised to see the stranger break off the horse's leg at the shoulder, carry it into the smithy and shoe it. Then the stranger put on again the horse's leg, and asked Eloi if he knew any one who could do such a good piece of work. Eloi tries himself, and fails miserably. The stranger, who is Eloi's guardian angel, cures the horse, reproves the smith for his pride, and disappears. See Brueyre, p.

329, and Blade, _Agenais_, p. 61, and Kohler's notes, p. 157.

[3] Bernoni, _Punt._ I. p. 1, "_I cinque brazzi de Tela_." See Benfey, _Pant._ I. p. 497, where the same story (without the coa.r.s.eness of the Italian version) is related of Buddha, who tells the hospitable woman that "what she begins shall not end until sunset." She begins to measure linen and it lengthens in her hands so that she continues to measure it all day. The envious neighbor receives the same gift, but before she begins to measure the linen, she thinks she will water the swine; the bucket does not become empty until evening, and the whole neighborhood is inundated. See Benfey's parallels, _ut. sup._ pp. 497-98, and Grimm, No. 87, notes.

[4] These four legends are in Pitre, _Cinque Novelline popolari siciliane_, Palermo, 1878. In the third story, "_San Pietru e s c.u.mpari_," St. Peter gets something to eat from a stingy man by a play on the word _mussu_, "snout," and _cu lu mussu_, "to be angry." For a similar story see Pitre, III. 312. A parallel to the first of the above legends may be found in Finamore, No. 34, IV., where are also some other legends of St. Peter.

Since the above note was written, some similar legends have been published by Salomone Marino in the _Archivio per lo Studio delle Tradizioni popolari_, vol. II. p. 553. One "The Just suffers for the Sinner" ("_Chianci lu giustu pri lu piccaturi_") relates how St. Peter complained to our Lord that the innocent were punished with the guilty.

Our Lord made no answer, but shortly after commanded St. Peter to pick up a piece of honey-comb filled with bees, and put it in the bosom of his dress. One of the bees stung him, and St. Peter in his anger killed them all, and when the Lord rebuked him, excused himself by saying: "How could I tell among so many bees which one stung me?" The Lord answered: "Am I wrong then, when I punish men likewise? _Chianci lu giustu pri lu piccaturi._"

Another legend relates the eagerness of St. Peter's sister to marry.

Thrice she sent her brother to our Lord to ask his consent, and thrice the Lord, with characteristic patience, answered: "Tell her to do what she wishes."

A third legend explains why some are rich and some are poor in this world. Adam and Eve had twenty-four children, and one day the Lord pa.s.sed by the house, and the parents concealed twelve of their children under a tub. The Lord, at the parents' request, blessed the twelve with riches and happiness. After he had departed, the parents realized what they had done, and called the Master back. When he heard that they had told him a falsehood about the number of their children, he replied that the blessing was bestowed and there was no help for it. "Oh!" said Adam in anguish, "what will become of them?" The Lord replied: "Let those who are not blessed serve the others, and let those who are blessed support them." "And this is why in the world half are rich and half are poor, and the latter serve the former, and the former support the latter."