Chichibio and cranes

CAN’T WE USE CLASSICAL ITALIAN WRITERS TO TEACH ENGLISH?

LET’S TRY!

Story telling of a short story written by one of t= he most famous Italian writer, Giovanni Boccaccio.= http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_= Boccaccio#Il_Decameron_.281349_-_1351.29

This short story is one of the stories that composes the DECAMERONE.=

Ten people, seven young girls and three boys, are together on the hi= ll near Florence, trying to escape the danger of the plague in 1348 and decide to invent stories to = pass their time. Isn’t it an example of Circle Time Modality?

This is one of them.

A short reduction translated in Englis= h.=

CHICHIBIO E L= A GRU/ CHICHIBIO AND THE CRANE

= ;

Chichibio and the crane.=

There lived in Florence= a noble citizen called Messer Corrado, generous with everyone and a good kn= ight; he enjoyed himself with dogs and birds all the day, not to mention his more= appreciated works.

One day, close to Peretola, he took a b= eautiful crane with his falcon, and finding it young and fat, sent it to a skilled c= ook, whose name was Chichibio, with the order to roast it with care and serve it= for dinner.
Chichibio took it and immediately started cooking it; and when cooking was almost at the end, a pleasant smell spread around.

There came a little girl from the district, which was called Brunetta and the good Chichibio was really in love with her; she entered the kitchen and, smelling the smell of cranes and seeing the crane on the flames, she b= egan begging Chichibio a thigh. -- Absolutely not- Chichibio replied, - I can not.
Donna Brunetta was really upset and finally sai= d:
-- In witness of God, if you are not giving it to me, I swear that I’= m not going to look at you in the face anymore.
And so they went forward fighting. Until Chichibio, to not to see Brunetta angry, cut a thigh and gave it to her.<= o:p>

The crane was brought in this way, without a thigh, to Conrad’s table where there was a friend of him, a= nd Corrado, very surprised, called Chichibio and asked him what had happened to the thigh of the crane.

The good man answered immediately:
-- Lord, the cranes have one thigh and leg.
-- How the devil they don’t have a thigh and a leg? -- Corrado said. = – Is that perhaps the first crane I see?

-- Messere, - insisted Chichibio - is exactly as I say. And I will show you this on the live birds whenever you want.
Corrado, to do not make speeches in front of an invited, wanted to cut short and concluded:
-- Okay, we will see tomorrow, and I’ll be pleased if you’re ri= ght.

But I swear you that if it is other= wise, I will mess you up so that you’ll remember me until you live.
Nothing else was said that evening, but next morning, as soon as the sun ro= se, Corrado, whose anger was not reduced during the night, got up even fuller o= f anger and ordered to saddle the horses. Then he asked Chichibio to mount above a hack and led h= im on the banks of a river where, and at the beginning of the day, they always saw the cranes.
-- Now we will see those of us lied yesterday evening - said threatening. <= br> Chichibio, seeing that the anger of Conrad was still alive and was to prove= his lie, rode filled with fear next to the boss without knowing what to do.

Chichibio would have run fast as his l= egs would carry him, if he could, but, because unfortunately he could not, he l= ooked now in front, now back, now next, and in everything that appeared to him he= seemed to see the cranes planted on two good legs.
However once in the vicinity of the river, he managed to see before the oth= er twelve cranes which were all on a single leg as usually do when sleeping. <= br> He therefore hastened to show Corrado saying:
-- Messere (Sir in old Italian language), you can see very well that yester= day evening I told you the truth. The cranes have one thigh and one foot: look there.
Corrado Looked at him a little and then replied:=
-- Wait, and I will show you they have two.
And closer to the birds, shouted:
-- Oh! Oh!
At that cry the cranes put down the other foot and, made few steps, started escaping.

Corrado then turned to Chichibio sa= ying:
-- What do you think of it , rascal? Do not you = find that they have two?
Chichibio, half stunned, not knowing in which world he was, replied:
--Yes Messere, but you did not have shouted "oh, oh" to that last night: if you had cried so it would have sent out the other thigh and the o= ther foot.

Corrado liked this answer so much that= all his anger converted into a laugh and joy, and said:
-- You are right, Chichibio, I had had to do so.
And Chichibio, with his ready answer, escaped the danger and reconciled himself with his master.

Giovanni Boccaccio