The Decameron, Volume II
Page 17
us, the following be the rule of our discourse; towit, that it be of such as by some sprightly sally have repulsed anattack, or by some ready retort or device have avoided loss, peril orscorn." The rule being heartily approved by all, the queen rose anddismissed them till supper-time. So the honourable company, seeing thequeen risen, rose all likewise, and as their wont was, betook them totheir diversions as to each seemed best. But when the cicalas had hushedtheir chirping, all were mustered again for supper; and having blithelyfeasted, they all addressed them to song and dance. And the queen, whileEmilia led a dance, called for a song from Dioneo, who at once came outwith:--'Monna Aldruda, come perk up thy mood, a piece of glad tidings Ibring thee.' Whereat all the ladies fell a laughing, and most of all thequeen, who bade him give them no more of that, but sing another. QuothDioneo:--"Madam, had I a tabret, I would sing:--'Up with your smock,Monna Lapa!' or:--'Oh! the greensward under the olive!' Or perchance youhad liefer I should give you:--'Woe is me, the wave of the sea!' But notabret have I: wherefore choose which of these others you will have.Perchance you would like:--'Now hie thee to us forth, that so it may becut, as May the fields about.'" "No," returned the queen, "give usanother." "Then," said Dioneo, "I will sing:--'Monna Simona, embarrel,embarrel. Why, 'tis not the month of October.'"(1) "Now a plague uponthee," said the queen, with a laugh; "give us a proper song, wilt thou?for we will have none of these." "Never fear, Madam," replied Dioneo;"only say which you prefer. I have more than a thousand songs by heart.Perhaps you would like:--'This my little covert, make I ne'er it overt';or:--'Gently, gently, husband mine'; or:--'A hundred pounds were none toohigh a price for me a cock to buy.'" The queen now shewed some offence,though the other ladies laughed, and:--"A truce to thy jesting, Dioneo,"said she, "and give us a proper song: else thou mayst prove the qualityof my ire." Whereupon Dioneo forthwith ceased his fooling, and sang onthis wise:--
So ravishing a light Doth from the fair eyes of my mistress move As keeps me slave to her and thee, O Love.
A beam from those bright orbs did radiate That flame that through mine own eyes to my breast Did whilom entrance gain. Thy majesty, O Love, thy might, how great They be, 'twas her fair face did manifest: Whereon to brood still fain, I felt thee take and chain Each sense, my soul enthralling on such wise That she alone henceforth evokes my sighs.
Wherefore, O dear my Lord, myself I own Thy slave, and, all obedience, wait and yearn, Till thy might me console. Yet wot I not if it be throughly known How noble is the flame wherewith I burn, My loyalty how whole To her that doth control Ev'n in such sort my mind that shall I none, Nor would I, peace receive, save hers alone.
And so I pray thee, sweet my Lord, that thou Give her to feel thy fire, and shew her plain How grievous my disease. This service deign to render; for that now Thou seest me waste for love, and in the pain Dissolve me by degrees: And then the apt moment seize My cause to plead with her, as is but due From thee to me, who fain with thee would sue.
When Dioneo's silence shewed that his song was ended, the queen accordedit no stinted meed of praise; after which she caused not a few othersongs to be sung. Thus passed some part of the night; and then the queen,taking note that its freshness had vanquished the heat of the day, badeall go rest them, if they would, till the morning.
(1) The song is evidently amoebean.
--Endeth here the fifth day of the Decameron, beginneth the sixth, wherein,under the rule of Elisa, discourse is had of such as by some sprightlysally have repulsed an attack, or by some ready retort or device haveavoided loss, peril or scorn.--
Still in mid heaven, the moon had lost her radiance, nor was any part ofour world unillumined by the fresh splendour of the dawn, when, the queenbeing risen and having mustered her company, they hied them, gentlysauntering, across the dewy mead some distance from the beautiful hill,conversing now of this, now of the other matter, canvassing the stories,their greater or less degree of beauty, and laughing afresh at divers oftheir incidents, until, the sun being now in his higher ascendant, theybegan to feel his heat, and turning back by common consent, retracedtheir steps to the palace, where, the tables being already set, andfragrant herbs and fair flowers strewn all about, they by the queen'scommand, before it should grow hotter, addressed themselves to theirmeal. So, having blithely breakfasted, they first of all sang some daintyand jocund ditties, and then, as they were severally minded, composedthem to sleep or sat them down to chess or dice, while Dioneo andLauretta fell a singing of Troilus and Cressida.
The hour of session being come, they took their places, at the queen'ssummons, in their wonted order by the fountain; but, when the queen wasabout to call for the first story, that happened which had not happenedbefore; to wit, there being a great uproar in the kitchen among the maidsand men, the sound thereof reached the ears of the queen and all thecompany. Whereupon the queen called the seneschal and asked him whobawled so loud, and what was the occasion of the uproar. The seneschalmade answer that 'twas some contention between Licisca and Tindaro; butthe occasion he knew not, having but just come to quiet them, when hereceived her summons. The queen then bade him cause Licisca and Tindaroto come thither forthwith: so they came, and the queen enquired of themthe cause of the uproar. Tindaro was about to make answer, when Licisca,who was somewhat advanced in years, and disposed to give herself airs,and heated to the strife of words, turned to Tindaro, and scowling uponhim said:--"Unmannerly varlet that makest bold to speak before me; leaveme to tell the story." Then, turning to the queen, she said:--"Madam,this fellow would fain instruct me as to Sicofante's wife, and--neithermore or less--as if I had not known her well--would have me believe that,the first night that Sicofante lay with her, 'twas by force and notwithout effusion of blood that Master Yard made his way into Dusky Hill;which I deny, averring that he met with no resistance, but, on thecontrary, with a hearty welcome on the part of the garrison. And such anumskull is he as fondly to believe that the girls are so simple as tolet slip their opportunities, while they wait on the caprice of father orbrothers, who six times out of seven delay to marry them for three orfour years after they should. Ay, ay indeed, doubtless they were welladvised to tarry so long! Christ's faith! I should know the truth of whatI swear; there is never a woman in my neighbourhood whose husband had hervirginity; and well I know how many and what manner of tricks our marrieddames play their husbands; and yet this booby would fain teach me to knowwomen as if I were but born yesterday."
While Licisca thus spoke, the ladies laughed till all their teeth wereready to start from their heads. Six times at least the queen bade her besilent: but all in vain; she halted not till she had said all that shehad a mind to. When she had done, the queen turned with a smile to Dioneosaying:--"This is a question for thee to deal with, Dioneo; so holdthyself in readiness to give final judgment upon it, when our stories areended." "Madam," replied Dioneo forthwith, "I give judgment without moreado: I say that Licisca is in the right; I believe that 'tis even as shesays, and that Tindaro is a fool." Whereupon Licisca burst out laughing,and turning to Tindaro:--"Now did I not tell thee so?" quoth she. "Begonein God's name: dost think to know more than I, thou that art but asucking babe? Thank God, I have not lived for nothing, not I." And hadnot the queen sternly bade her be silent, and make no more disturbance,unless she had a mind to be whipped, and sent both her and Tindaro backto the kitchen, the whole day would have been spent in nought butlistening to her. So Licisca and Tindaro having withdrawn, the queencharged Filomena to tell the first story: and gaily thus Filomena began.
NOVEL I.
--A knight offers to carry Madonna Oretta a horseback with a story, buttells it so ill that she prays him to dismount her.--
As stars are set for an ornament in the serene expanse of heaven, andlikewise in springtime flowers and leafy shrubs in the green meadows, so,damsels, in the hour of rare and excellent discourse, is wit with itsbright sallies. Which, being brief, are much more proper for ladies thanfor men, seeing that prolixity of speech, where brevity is possible, ismuch
less allowable to them. But for whatever cause, be it the sorryquality of our understanding, or some especial enmity that heaven bearsto our generation, few ladies or none are left to-day that, when occasionprompts, are able to meet it with apt speech, ay, or if aught of the kindthey hear, can understand it aright: to our common shame be it spoken!But as, touching this matter, enough has already been said byPampinea,(1) I purpose not to enlarge thereon; but, that you may knowwhat excellence resides in speech apt for the occasion, I am minded totell you after how courteous a fashion a lady imposed silence upon agentleman.
'Tis no long time since there dwelt in our city a lady, noble, debonairand of excellent