The nights of Straparola, volume 1 [of 2]Straparola, Giovanni Francesco
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The nights of Straparola, volume 1 [of 2]
Straparola, Giovanni Francesco
Fairy tales -- Italy; Tales -- Italy
For a while the princess sat brooding in silent grief and suspense,
trying in vain to hit upon some plan by which she might rescue her
husband from his piteous fate, and at last she caught up her child in
her arms and tried to comfort herself with him and to still his weeping.
The child, mindful of the fair apple he had been playing with, continued
to cry; so the mother, to appease him, gave him at last the apple of
fine gold. When the covetous Siren, who was still watching the galley,
saw this apple, and perceived that it was much fairer than either of the
others, she at once demanded it as a gift from Doralice, and she begged
so long and persistently, and at last made a promise to the princess
that, in return for the gift of this apple, she would bring Fortunio
once more into the light, and show him from head to foot; so Doralice
took the apple from the boy, in spite of his chiding, and gave it to the
Siren. Whereupon the latter, in order to carry out her promise, came
quite close to the galley, bearing Fortunio upon her back, and having
raised herself somewhat above the surface of the water, showed the
person of Fortunio from head to foot. Now, as soon as Fortunio felt that
he was quite clear of the water, and resting free upon the back of the
Siren, he was filled with great joy in his heart, and, without
hesitating for a moment, he cried out, ‘Ah! would that I were an eagle,’
and scarcely had he ceased speaking when he was forthwith transformed
into an eagle, and, having poised himself for flight, he flew high above
the sail yards of the galley, from whence—all the shipmen looking on the
while in wonder—he descended into the ship and returned to his proper
shape, and kissed and embraced his wife and his child and all the
sailors on the galley.
Then, all of them rejoicing at the rescue of Fortunio, they sailed back
to King Odescalco’s kingdom, and as soon as they entered the port they
began to play upon the trumpets and tabors and drums and all the other
musical instruments they had with them, so that the king, when he heard
the sound of these, was much astonished, and in the greatest suspense
waited to learn what might be the meaning thereof. And before very long
time had elapsed the herald came before him, and announced to the king
how his dear daughter, having rescued her husband from the Siren, had
come back. When they were disembarked from the galley, they all repaired
to the royal palace, where their return was celebrated by sumptuous
banquets and rejoicings. But after some days had passed, Fortunio betook
himself for a while to his old home, and there, after having transformed
himself into a wolf, he devoured Alchia, his adoptive mother, and
Valentino her son, in revenge for the injuries they had worked him.
Then, after he had returned to his rightful shape, he mounted his horse
and rode back to his father-in-law’s kingdom, where, with Doralice his
dear wife, he lived in peace for many years to the great delight of both
of them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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