Truly, in a town half of whose income is derived from art-hunting tourists, and where every vagabond offers himself, in consequence, as a cicerone, it is no sign that “all is well—nobly and purely well—with a people,” because a coachman who had been asked which was Donatello’s Saint George by about five hundred English “fares,” and nearly as many American young ladies—of
whom many of the latter told him all they knew about it—should have picked up such a tale. In fact, while I have been amazed at the incredible amount of legend, superstitious traditions, and incantations existing among the people, I have been struck by their great ignorance of art, and all pertaining to it; of which, were it worth while, I could cite convincing and amusing instances.
“But as regards a vast proportion of the ‘sweet and light’ writing on the Renaissance and on Italy which is at present fashionable,” writes Flaxius, “I am reminded of the ‘esthetic axe’ems’ of an American writer, the first of which were:
“‘Art is a big thing. Always bust into teers wen you see a pictur.’
“‘Bildins and churches arn’t of no account unless they drive you clean out of your census.’”
THE WITCH OF THE ARNO
“Il spirito usci dal fiume a un tratto,
E venne come Dio l’aveva fatto,
E presentando come un cortegiano
Alla donna gentil la destra mano,
‘Scusate,’ disse si io vengo avanti
E se vi do la mano sensa guanti.”—Paranti.
The following, as a French book of fables says, is “a poem, or rather prose rhymed:”
“Two pretty maids one morning sat by the rushing stream. It murmured glittering in the sun; it seemed to sing as on it run, enchanting while a wantoning, as in a merry dream.
“Said one unto the other: ‘I wish, and all in truth, that the glorious dancing river were as fine and brave a youth. Its voice is like an angel’s, its drops of light like eyes so bright are beautiful I wis. Oh, ne’er before, on sea or shore, did I love aught like this.’
“A voice came from the river: ‘For a love thou hast chosen me; henceforward, sweet, for ever thine own love I will be. Wherever there is water, of Florence the fairest daughter, by night or day or far away, thou’lt find me close by thee.’
“She saw bright eyes a shining in dewdrops on her path—she returned unto the palace, she entered in a bath. ‘How the water doth caress me; ’tis embracing me, I vow! M’abbracia, mi baccia—my lover has me now. Since fate has really willed it, then to my fate I bow.’
“Seven years have come and vanished, seven years of perfect bliss. Whenever she washed in water, she felt her lover’s kiss. She washed full oft, I ween; ’twas plain to be seen there was no maid in Florence who kept herself so clean.
“Little by little, as summer makes frogs croak in a ditch, there spread about a rumour that the damsel was a witch. They showed her scanty mercies; with cruelty extreme, with blows and bitter curses, they cast her in the stream. ‘If she be innocent, she’ll sink, so hurl her from the Arno’s brink; if guilty, she will swim!’
“Up rose from the sparkling river a youth who was fair to see. ‘I have loved thee, and for ever thine own I’ll truly be.’ He took her in his arms; she felt no more alarms. ‘Farewell to you all!’ sang she; ‘a fish cannot drown in the water; now I am a fish, you know—the Arno’s loving daughter. Per sempre addio!’”
The foregoing is not literal, nor do I know that it is strictly “traditional;” it is a mere short tale or anecdote which I met with, and put into irregular metre to suit the sound of a rushing stream. I take the liberty of adding to it another water-poem of my own, which has become, if not “popular,” at least a halfpenny broadside sold at divers street-stands by old women, the history whereof is as follows:—I had written several ballads in Italian in imitation of the simplest old-fashioned lyrics, and was anxious to know if I had really succeeded in coming down to the level of the people, for this is a very difficult thing to do in any language. When I showed them to Marietta Pery, she expressed it as her candid opinion that they were really very nice indeed, and that I ought for once in my life to come before the public as a poet. And as I, fired by literary ambition, at last consented to appear in this rôle, Marietta took a ballad, and going to E. Ducci, 32 Via Pilastri, who is the Catnach of Florence (I advise collectors of the really curious to buy his soldo publications), made an arrangement whereby my song should appear as a broadside, the lady strictly conditioning that from among his blocks Signore Ducci should find a ship and a flying bird to grace the head and the end of the lyric. But as he had no bird, she took great credit to herself that for five francs she not only got a hundred copies, but also had specially engraved for the work and inserted an object which appears as flying to the right hand of the ship. The song was as follows:
LA BELLA STREGA.
Nuova Canzonetta di Charles Godfrey Leland.
Era una bella strega
Che si bagnava alla riva;
Vennero i pirati
Lei presero captiva.Il vento era in poppa
Sull’ onde la nave ballò
La donna lacrimante
Al capitan parlò.“O Signor capitano!
O Capitano del mar!
Darò cento ducati,
Se tu mi lasci andar.”“Non prenderò cento ducati,
Tu costi molto più
Io ti vendrò al Sultano,”
Disse il Capitano,
“Per mille zecchini d’oro
Vi stimi troppo giù.”“Non vuoi i cento ducati
Ebben tu non gli avrai,
Ho un’ amante amato
Non mi abbandona mai.”Essa sedè sul ponte
Principiò a cantar,
“Vieni il mio amante,”
Da lontano il vento
Si mette a mugghiar.Forte e più forte
La tempesta ruggio,
Gridava il capitano:
“Io credo che il tuo amante
E il vento che corre innante,
Ovvero il diavolo.”Forte e più forte
La procella urlò,
“Sono rocce davanti,
E il vento vien di dietro
Benvenuto sei tu mio amante!”
La bella donna cantò.
“Vattene al tuo amante
All’ inferno a cantar!”
Disse il Capitano
E gettò la donna fuori,
Della nave nel mar.Ma come un gabbiano
Sull’ onde essa voló.
“O mio Capitano,
Non sarai appiccato,
Ma sarai annegato:
Per sempre addio!”