And Now—Finished or Not Finished
It was a beautiful morning, sparkling with sunshine and glory because the tricolor was waving from the windows of every house and the people in the streets had joy in their eyes and a smile on their lips. On the terrace of a handsome mansion, a terrace of marble decorated with exotic plants, at the end of which was a large stained-glass window, a man of mature age and military bearing was stretched out in a reclining-chair. He was smoking a large meerschaum pipe and blew out such puffs of smoke that it seemed as if he were trying to obscure the sun. By his side was a soldier awaiting orders, and near by was a stand on which a magnificent green parrot stood, scratching his head with his claw and rolling his big yellow eyes.
“Heh! What do you say to that, Duretti? Are we or are we not great? Today that we can say we have made Italy?”
“Now you see
Italy
The general has made so free…”
chattered the wretch of a parrot.
“Be quiet, Coccorito; if you keep on with that nonsense I won’t give you any sunflower seeds for a week. I’d like to know who trained him to be so impertinent during my absence. If it were not…”
General Win-the-War started to get up, but a sudden twinge of pain made him cry out and keep still in his chair. After biting his lips for five minutes he began again to suck the mouthpiece of his pipe, and after smoking up the air for another five minutes he said:
“Heh! My dear Duretti, it is a great satisfaction to fight for the greatness of one’s country, and if it were not for that cursed Austrian shot which broke my leg I should like…”
But Coccorito wouldn’t let him finish and began to sing in his horrible voice:
“Every day,
Pé—pé—pé,
When he grew great,
The soldiers he ate,
Ho, ho, ho!
He broke his leg,
Or so he said,
’Tis gout, you know,
Won’t let him go…”
The general groaned and threw with all the strength he had left his big meerschaum pipe at the bird. Coccorito would have come to a sad end if the god of parrots had not, as he always did, held his protecting hand over his tuft. The pipe grazed his head and fell in the street, while he, with a strong tug at his light brass chain, flew off and perched himself on the window-sill of the floor above, where he laughed loudly and cried:
“Ha, ha, ha!
The general to the front set out,
Felt a blow and down he fell,
Because he suffers from the gout.
He says his leg he broke—well, well—
For his King, for Italy
He broke his leg—he, he, he, he!”
But Coccorito could now sing in peace and be as insolent as he liked because the general was no longer paying any attention to him, for two excellent reasons. First, because, in spite of his high rank, he was not great enough to reach up to the second-floor window; second, and more important, because at the moment that his pipe fell in the street a carriage stopped in front of the house and out of it got a gentleman, a lady, and…a small box they were carrying, and it was against this box that the strange projectile fell, making such a clatter that the lady couldn’t help uttering a few words of protest. Win-the-War, who never allowed any one to outdo him in courtesy, found it necessary to explain matters, and with the help of his orderly got up from his chair and dragged himself to the railing of the terrace.
“Pardon me, I beg you.… You are right to protest, but my pipe…fell.… I threw it.… In short, it is all the fault of my parrot, who upset me and the pipe. Coccorito, show them at least…so that the lady and gentleman may not believe…”
“But don’t imagine such a thing, General. Don’t bother yourself…it is no matter.”
“Ha, ha, ha!
The general to the front set out,
Felt a blow and down he fell,
Because he suffers from the gout.
He says his leg he broke—well, well—
For his King, for Italy
He broke his leg—he, he, he, he!”
Coccorito began again.
“Oh, you wretch! Did you hear him?”
“Don’t apologize, General. I beg your pardon. Does old Geppetto live here?”
“Yes, sir, on the floor above. Ring the second bell.”
“Thank you.”
“Not at all.”
Old Geppetto was getting ready to mend an old table the legs of which were red with worm-holes and had in hand a piece of seasoned wood, a splendid piece. He was going to cut it with a hatchet and he had lifted up his hand holding the shining tool, when who knows what queer thoughts made his arm fall heavily. Did he perhaps remember that other famous piece of wood from which the sprightly little old man had shaped the wonderful puppet which had brought him so much bother and trouble? And what had become of him? Why had he sent no news of himself since he had gone out into the world like a real boy? Perhaps the poor little old man would have preferred to have him still at his side, a puppet as he used to be, and of wood out of which he had made him, than to be left thus alone in the last years of his life. He had tried so often to make another Pinocchio, but he had never been able to finish his work. His hands trembled; his eyes were no longer what they used to be, and even the wood—certainly it was the truth about the wood—wasn’t what it used to be.
When he heard the bell ring he felt his heart beat, and he ran to open the door, swaying from side to side like a drunken man.
“Who’s there?”
“It’s I, Geppetto. Don’t you recognize me?”
“My Fatina!”
“Yes, indeed, your Fatina who has come to introduce her husband, the Bersaglierino, to you, and to see how you are, and to bring you somebody you are fond of, very fond of,” she replied, as they entered.
He gave her a long, questioning glance from beneath his spectacles; then he spied Pinocchio mischievously hiding behind Fatina and the Bersaglierino.
“Oh, Fatina! Fatina! How did they bring my poor puppet to such a state?” sobbed Geppetto as he looked at Pinocchio. “What under the sun is all this machinery and these contraptions? I made him of wood, all of wood, and so splendidly that no one was ever able to imitate him. Why did you let them abuse him in this way? Wouldn’t it have been better if you had let him stay a real boy than to bring him back to me in this condition?”
And the dear little old man couldn’t contain himself and gave vent to his sorrow in loud weeping.
Fatina and the Bersaglierino could find no words to comfort him with and looked at him compassionately, their own throats tightening. When Papa Geppetto had grown a little calmer he took his puppet in his arms and examined him carefully all over, shaking his head and drawing his lips tightly as if he wished to keep his sobs from bursting out again. He saw the artificial legs, the arm with its steel spring and the tweezers for hands; he saw the large silver plate which supported the breastbone—admired all this up-to-date mechanism, but was not in the least satisfied. The poor little old man preferred his wooden puppetall of wood to the marrow…and he no longer recognized his old Pinocchio.
“Oh, Fatina!” he said, sighing, “who brought him to such a state?”
“Our country, dear friend.”
“Our country?” and for a moment he stood there, his eyes wide open with surprise. “Our country, did you say, Fatina?” Then he was lost in thought again.
While the old man was bending over Pinocchio, Fatina and Bersaglierino quietly slipped out of the door. Papa Geppetto was again alone with his beloved puppet in the same room where he had first carved the little fellow out of pine wood.
Don’t you remember how Pinocchio first broke up everything before he ran away? How he knocked over the
chest, rummaged the wardrobe, broke the mirror, upset the little table, turned over the chairs, pulled the pictures off the walls, and tore down the window-curtains? And don’t you remember how he left everything in a mess and ran out into the street wrapped in a flowered chintz curtain?
Well, Pinocchio was home again, and Papa Geppetto had long ago repaired the things Pinocchio had broken. Everything was in good order except Pinocchio himself. That was what worried the old man. He did not care much about the mirrors, wardrobes, or window-curtains, but he did care about his little puppet friend whom he loved.
It was getting dark and old Geppetto sat down in a large armchair and held Pinocchio on his lap. As the shadows began to gather and the room to get darker, Papa Geppetto began to nod and soon closed his eyes. With his arms clasped around Pinocchio, he went to sleep.
If you could now step quietly into the room, you would see both of them asleep. The old man’s head was resting on Pinocchio’s head, and Pinocchio’s on Geppetto’s shoulder.
The little puppet was sleeping quietly, but the old man was not. He seemed to be having a bad dream, judging from his sighs and groans.
“Oh, Pinocchio!” he said, aloud, in his sleep, “why did you run away and go to the war? Just look at you! No legs, and one arm gone! I wish you were my dear wooden puppet again.”
Then the old man sighed, but kept on sleeping.
After about two hours Papa Geppetto awoke. It was now quite dark, but not so dark that the old man could not see that some change had come over Pinocchio. He looked down at the little sleeping puppet and what do you think he saw? Not artificial legs and an arm. Oh no! Pinocchio was just as he was when he was first made. Pinocchio was again the little wooden puppet!
Papa Geppetto was so overcome with joy that he caught up Pinocchio in his arms and hugged him so tight he nearly smothered the little fellow. And Pinocchio threw his arms around the old man’s neck and kissed the top of his bald head.
PINOCHIO IN AFRICA, by Cherubini
Translated by Angelo Patri
PREFACE
Collodi’s “Pinocchio” tells the story of a wooden marionette and of his efforts to become a real boy. Although he was kindly treated by the old woodcutter, Geppetto, who had fashioned him out of a piece of kindling wood, he was continually getting into trouble and disgrace. Even Fatina, the Fairy with the Blue Hair, could not at once change an idle, selfish marionette into a studious and reliable boy. His adventures, including his brief transformation into a donkey, give the author an opportunity to teach a needed and wholesome lesson without disagreeable moralizing.
Pinocchio immediately leaped into favor as the hero of Italian juvenile romance. The wooden marionette became a popular subject for the artist’s pencil and the storyteller’s invention. Brought across the seas, he was welcomed by American children and now appears in a new volume which sets forth his travels in Africa. The lessons underlying his fantastic experiences are clear to the youngest readers but are never allowed to become obtrusive. The amusing illustrations of the original are fully equaled in the present edition, while the whimsical nonsense which delights Italian children has been reproduced as closely as a translation permits.
CHAPTER 1
Why Pinocchio Did Not Go To School
One morning Pinocchio slipped out of bed before daybreak. He got up with a great desire to study, a feeling, it must be confessed, which did not often take hold of him. He dipped his wooden head into the cool, refreshing water, puffed very hard, dried himself, jumped up and down to stretch his legs, and in a few moments was seated at his small worktable.
There was his home work for the day, twelve sums, four pages of penmanship, and the fable of “The Dog and the Rabbit” to learn by heart. He began with the fable, reciting it in a loud voice, like the hero in the play: “‘A dog was roaming about the fields, when from behind a little hill jumped a rabbit, which had been nibbling the tender grass.’
“Roaming, nibbling.—The teacher says this is beautiful language. Maybe it is; I have nothing to say about that. Well, one more.
“‘A dog was roaming about the fields—when he saw—run out—a rabbit which—which—’ I don’t know it; let’s begin again. ‘A dog was running about eating, eating—’ But eating what? Surely he did not eat grass!
“This fable is very hard; I cannot learn it. Well, I never did have much luck with dogs and rabbits! Let me try the sums. Eight and seven, seventeen; and three, nineteen; and six, twenty-three, put don two and carry three. Nine and three, eleven; and four, fourteen; put down the whole number—one, four; total, four hundred thirteen.
“Ah! good! very good! I do not wish to boast, but I have always had a great liking for arithmetic. Now to prove the answer: eight and sever, sixteen; and three, twenty-one; and six, twenty-four; put down four—why! it’s wrong! Eight and seven, fourteen; and three, nineteen; and six—wrong again!
“I know what the trouble is; the wind is not in the right quarter to-day for sums. Perhaps it would be better to take a walk in the open.”
No sooner said than done. Pinocchio went out into the street and filled his lungs with the fresh morning air.
“Ah! here, at least, one can breathe. It is a pity that I am beginning to feel hungry! Strange how things go wrong sometimes! Take the lessons—” he went on.
Listen! A noise of creaking wheels, of bells ringing, the voices of people, the cries of animals! Pinocchio stopped short. What could it all mean?
Down the street came a huge wagon drawn by three big mules. Behind it was a long train of men and women dressed in the strangest fashion. Some were on foot, some on horseback, some sat or lay on other wagons larger and heavier than the first. Two Moors, their scarlet turbans blazing in the sun, brought up the rear. With spears at rest and with shields held before them, they rode along, mounted on two snow-white horses.
Pinocchio stood with his mouth open. Only after the two Moors had passed did he discover the fact that he had legs, and that these were following on behind the procession. And he walked, walked, walked, until the carriages and all the people stopped in the big town square. A man with a deep voice began to give orders. In a short time there arose an immense tent, which hid from Pinocchio and the many others who had gathered in the square all those wonderful wagons, horses, mules, and strange people.
It may seem odd, but it is a fact that the school bell began to ring and Pinocchio never heard it!
CHAPTER 2
Pinocchio Assists In Welcoming The Circus
That day the school bell rang longer and louder perhaps than it was wont to ring on other days. What of that? From the tent came the loud clanging of hammers, the sounds of instruments, the neighing of horses, the roaring of lions and tigers and panthers, the howling of wolves, the bleating of camels, the screeching of monkeys! Wonderful noises! Who cared for the school bell? Pinocchio? No, not he.
Suddenly there was a loud command. All was still.
The two Moors raised the tent folds with their spears. Out came a crowd of men dressed in all sorts of fine clothes, and women in coats of mail and beautiful cloaks of silk, with splendid diadems on their heads. They were all mounted upon horses covered with rich trappings of red and white.
Out they marched, and behind them came a golden carriage drawn by four white ponies. In it was the big man with the deep voice. There he sat in the beautiful carriage with his dazzling high hat and his tall white collar. He wore a black suit with a pair of high boots. As he rode on he waved his white gloves and bowed right and left. The band with its trumpets and drums and cymbals struck up a stirring march, and a parade such as the townsfolk had never seen before passed out among the crowds that now filled the square.
The marionette could not believe his eyes. He rubbed them to see if he was really awake. He forgot all about his hunger. What did he care for that? The wonders of the whole world were before hi
m.
The parade soon reentered the tent. The two Moors, mounted upon their snow-white horses, again stood at the entrance. Then the director, the man with the loud voice, came out, hat in hand, and began to address the people.
CHAPTER 3
Pinocchio Among The Wild Animals
“Ladies and gentlemen! kind and gentle people! citizens of a great town! officers and soldiers! I wish you all peace, health, and plenty.
“Ladies and gentlemen, first of all, let me make a brief explanation. I am not here for gain. Far be it from me to think of such a thing as money. I travel the world over with my menagerie, which is made up of rare animals brought by me from the heart of Africa. I perform only in large cities. But to-day one of the monkeys in the troupe is fallen seriously ill. It is therefore necessary to make a short stop in order that we may consult with some well-known doctor in this town.
“Profit, therefore, by this chance, ladies and gentlemen, to see wonders which you have never seen before, and which you may never see again. I labor to spread learning, and I work to teach the masses, for I love the common people. Come forward, and I shall be glad to open my menagerie to you. Forward, forward, ladies and gentlemen! two small francs will admit you. Children one franc, yes, only one franc.”
Pinocchio, who stood in the front row, and who was ready to take advantage of the kind invitation, felt a sudden shock on hearing these last words. He looked at the director in a dazed fashion, as if to say to him, “What are you talking about? Did you not say that you traveled around the world for—”
Then, as he saw one of the spectators put down a two-franc piece and walk inside, he hung his head and suffered in silence.
Having passed two or three minutes in painful thinking, the forlorn marionette put his hands into his pockets, hoping to find in them a forgotten coin. He found nothing but a few buttons.
The Pinocchio Megapack: 4 Classic Puppet Tales Page 32
