Italian Folktales (15 page)

“Human, human, I smell a human.”

But his mother quieted him down with food. In the morning she rose at daybreak and softly awakened the young lady, advising, “Flee before my son gets up and take along this chestnut as a souvenir of me, but crack it open only in a serious emergency.”

She walked all day long and was overtaken by night on top of another mountain. She spied a cottage, and an old lady on the doorstep said, “I would gladly lodge you, but I'm Lightning's mother, and poor you if my son came home and caught you here!” But then she took pity on her and hid her. Lightning arrived soon afterward:

“Human, human, I smell a human.”

But he didn't find her and, after supper, went to bed.

“Flee before my son wakes up,” said Lightning's mother in the morning, “and take along this walnut, which might come in very handy.”

She walked all day long and was overtaken by night on top of another mountain. There stood the house of Thunder's mother, who ended up hiding her. Thunder too came in saying:

“Human, human, I smell a human.”

But neither did he find her, and in the morning she went off with a hazelnut as a present from Thunder's mother.

After walking for miles and miles she reached a city whose princess, she learned, would soon marry a handsome young man staying at her castle. The young lady was sure that was her own husband. What could she do to prevent the marriage? How could she get into the castle.

She cracked open the chestnut and out poured diamonds and other jewels, which she went off to sell under the princess's windows. The princess looked out and invited her inside. The young lady said, “I'll let you have all these gems for nothing, if you allow me to spend one night in the bedchamber of the young man staying at your palace.”

The princess was afraid the young lady would talk to him and maybe persuade him to flee with her, but her maid said, “Leave everything to me. We'll give him a sleeping potion and he won't wake up.” They did just that, and as soon as the handsome youth went to sleep, the maid took the young lady into his bedchamber and left her. With her own eyes, the young lady saw that his was none other than her husband.

“Wake up, my love, wake up! I've walked all over for you, wearing out seven pairs of iron shoes, seven iron mantles, and seven iron hats: and I've wept seven bottles of tears. Now that I've finally found you, you sleep and don't hear me!”

And that went on till morning, when, at her wit's end, she cracked the walnut Out rolled exquisite gowns and silks, each lovelier than the other. At the sight of all these wonderful things, the maid called the princess, who simply had to have them all and therefore granted the young lady another night with the youth. But the young lady was taken into the bedchamber later than the last time and brought out earlier in the morning.

Nor was this second night any more fruitful than the first. The poor girl cracked the hazelnut and out came horses and carriages. To acquire them, the princess again let her spend the night with the young man.

But by this time he had grown tired of drinking what they brought him every night, so he only pretended to swallow it while actually emptying the glass over his shoulder. When the young lady began talking to him, he made out as if he were sleeping, but the moment he was sure it was his wife, he jumped to his feet and embraced her. With all those horses and carriages they had no problem getting away and back home, where there was a grand celebration.

 

They put on the dog and high did they soar,

They saw me not, I stood behind the door.

 

(
Colline del Po
)

20

A farmer was on his way down to Biella one day. The weather was so stormy that it was next to impossible to get over the roads. But the farmer had important business and pushed onward in the face of the driving rain.

He met an old man, who said to him, “A good day to you! Where are you going, my good man, in such haste?”

“To Biella,” answered the farmer, without slowing down.

“You might at least say, ‘God willing.'”

The farmer stopped, looked the old man in the eye, and snapped, “God willing, I'm on my way to Biella. But even if God isn't willing, I still have to go there all the same.”

Now the old man happened to be the Lord. “In that case you'll go to Biella in seven years,” he said. “In the meantime, jump into this swamp and stay there for seven years.”

Suddenly the farmer changed into a frog and jumped into the swamp.

Seven years went by. The farmer came out of the swamp, turned back into a man, clapped his hat on his head, and continued on his way to market.

After a short distance he met the old man again. “And where are you going, my good man?”

“To Biella.”

“You might say, ‘God willing.'”

“If God wills it, fine. If not, I know the consequence and can now go into the swamp unassisted.”

Nor for the life of him would he say one word more.

 

(
Biellese
)

21

There was once an apothecary, who was a widower with a dear and beautiful daughter named Stella Diana. Every day Stella Diana went to a sewing mistress to learn how to sew. The mistress had a terrace full of potted flowers and plants, and Stella Diana would go out each afternoon to water a pot of marjoram she particularly liked. Facing the terrace was a balcony where a young nobleman stood and gazed at her. One day he spoke:

 

“Stella Diana, Stella Diana,

How many leaves show on your
maggiorana?
”

 

The girl replied:

 

“Noble, handsome knight,

How many stars twinkle in the night?”

 

He said:

 

“Stars cannot be counted, so many are there.”

 

Then she said:

 

“See my marjoram you must not dare.”

 

The nobleman disguised himself as a fishmonger and went to hawk his fish under the sewing mistress's windows. The mistress sent Stella Diana down to buy a fish for supper. The girl picked out a fish and asked the fishmonger how much it was. He told her the price, but it was so high she said she would not take the fish. Then he said, “For a kiss, I would let you have it for nothing.”

Stella Diana gave him a quick kiss, and he gave her the fish for the sewing mistress's supper.

In the afternoon when Stella Diana appeared in the midst of the plants on the terrace, the nobleman said to her from his balcony:

 

“Stella Diana, Stella Diana,

How many leaves show on your
maggiorana
?”

 

She replied:

 

“Noble, handsome knight,

How many stars twinkle in the night?”

 

He said:

 

“Stars cannot be counted, so many are there.”

 

Then she said:

 

“See my marjoram you must not dare.”

 

Then the nobleman said:

 

“For only one tiny fish

You gave me a nice little kiss.”

 

Realizing he had made a fool of her, Stella Diana angrily withdrew and immediately went to work to make a fool of him. She dressed as a man, buckling a jewel-studded belt of rare beauty around her waist. Then she mounted a mule and sauntered up and down the street past the nobleman. He spied the belt and exclaimed, “What an exquisite belt! Would you sell it to me?” Mimicking a man, she told him she would sell it at no price. He said he would do anything to have the belt. “Well,” she said, “plant a kiss on my mule's tail, and I'll
give
you the belt.” The gentleman really liked that belt, so he looked all around to make sure no one was watching, kissed the mule's tail, and went away with the belt.

The next time they saw each other, the usual words were exchanged between the terrace and the balcony.

 

“Stella Diana, Stella Diana,

How many leaves show on your
maggiorana?
”

 

“Noble, handsome knight,

How many stars twinkle in the night?”

 

“Stars cannot be counted, so many are there.”

 

“See my marjoram you must not dare.”

 

“For only one tiny fish,

You gave me a nice little kiss.”

 

“To get a belt without fail,

You kissed my mule right on his tail.”

 

That quip cut the nobleman to the quick, so he put a word in the ear of the sewing mistress and received permission to hide under her steps. When Stella Diana came down the steps, the youth reached up and grabbed her by the skirt. The maiden screamed:

 

“Mistress, mistress,

The steps do grab me by my dress!”

 

In the afternoon this dialogue took place, with Stella on the terrace and the nobleman on the balcony:

 

“Stella Diana, Stella Diana,

How many leaves show on your
maggiorana?
”

 

“Noble, handsome knight,

How many stars twinkle in the night?”

 

“Stars cannot be counted, so many are there.”

 

“See my marjoram you must not dare.”

 

“For only one tiny fish,

You gave me a nice little kiss.”

 

“To get a belt without fail,

You kissed my mule right on his tail.”

 

“Mistress, mistress,

The steps do grab me by my dress!”

 

This time Stella Diana was cut to the quick. She thought to herself, Now I'll fix you! By bribing his manservant, she got into the youth's house one night and appeared before him completely veiled in a sheet and carrying a torch and an open book. At the sight of that ghost, the youth shook with fear:

 

“Death, my love, I am young and patient,

Go instead to auntie who's cross and ancient.”

 

Stella Diana put out her torch and left. The next day the duet resumed:

 

“Stella Diana, Stella Diana,

How many leaves show on your
maggiorana?
”

 

“Noble, handsome knight,

How many stars twinkle in the night?”

 

“Stars cannot be counted, so many are there.”

 

“See my marjoram you must not dare.”

 

“For only one tiny fish,

You gave me a nice little kiss.”

 

“To get a belt without fail,

You kissed my mule right on his tail.”

 

“Mistress, mistress,

The steps do grab me by my dress!”

 

“Death, my love, I am young and patient,

Go instead to auntie who's cross and ancient.”

 

At this latest jest, the youth thought to himself, Enough is enough! I'll get even with her once and for all. No sooner said than done: he went to the apothecary and asked for Stella Diana's hand in marriage. The apothecary was delighted, and they drew up the marriage contract at once. As the wedding day drew nigh, Stella Diana began to fear that her bridegroom would take revenge on her for all her pranks. She thus decided to make a life-size pastry doll that resembled her to a tee. In place of the heart, she put a bladder filled with whipped cream. On retiring to her room after the wedding, she placed the doll in bed wearing her own nightcap and gown; then she hid.

The bridegroom came in. “Ah, here we are by ourselves at last! The time has come to avenge myself for all the humiliations I suffered at your hands.” He unsheathed a dagger and thrust it into the doll's heart. The bladder burst, and whipped cream spurted everywhere, even into the bridegroom's mouth.

“Poor me! My Stella Diana's blood tastes so sweet! How could I have killed her? Ah, if only I could bring her back to life!”

Out jumped Stella Diana, as sound as a bell. “Here is your Stella Diana. I'm not dead, God forbid!”

Overjoyed, the bridegroom embraced her, and from that time on they lived in perfect harmony.

 

(
Milan
)

22

There was once a young man who spent his days in the cafés challenging people to a game of billiards. One day in a certain café he met a foreign gentleman.

“Shall we play billiards?” proposed the youth.

“Let's do.”

“For what stakes shall we play?”

“If you win, I'll give you my daughter in marriage,” replied the stranger.