Page 229 - THE DECAMERON: A Visionary Journey in 100 Stories and 100 Etchings by Petru Russu

by the noise made by her husband, she called him, and asked what The Ninht Day | The Seventh Novell
he and Pinuccio were arguing about. "Do you not hear," replied the Storyteller: Pampinea
husband, "what he says he has done to Niccolosa this very night?"
"Tush! He lies in the throat," returned the good woman: "he has not With some reason, Iit is concluded that dreams do not always
lain with Niccolosa; for at the time he might have done so, I lay beside turn out to be lies. Talano de Molese dreamed that a wolf tore
her myself, and I have been wide awake ever since; and you are a fool his wife's face and throat. He told her about the dream and
to believe him. You men take so many cups before going to bed that advised her to keep herself out of danger; she refused to do so
then you dream, and walk in your sleep, and imagine wonders. It's a and faced the consequences
great pity you do not break your necks. What does Pinuccio there?
Why does he not stay in his own bed?"

Whereupon Adriano, in his turn, seeing how cleverly the good woman
concealed her own and her daughter's shame: "Pinuccio," said he, "I
have told you a hundred times, that you should not walk about at night;
for this bad habit of yours of getting up in your dreams and relating
your dreams as truth will get you into trouble some time or another:
come back, and God send you a bad night." Hearing Adriano thus
confirm what his wife had said, the host began to think that Pinuccio
must be really dreaming; so he took him by the shoulder, and began
shaking him, and calling him by his name, saying: "Pinuccio, wake up,
and go back to your bed." Pinuccio, taking his cue from what he had
heard, began as a dreamer would be likely to do, to talk incoherently;
1985 HAND COLORED AQUA TINTA / AQUA FORTE
whereat the host laughed heartily. Then, pretending to be aroused by
29,5X19,5 CM. | 11¾X7½ IN. (IMAGE SIZE).
the shaking, Pinuccio uttered Adriano's name, saying: "Is it already day,
that you call me?" "Yes, it is," said Adriano: "come here." Whereupon
Pinuccio, making as if he were very drowsy, got up from beside the
host, and went back to bed with Adriano. The next morning, when When Pamfilo had finished his story, and everyone had praised the
they were up, the host laughed and made merry about Pinuccio woman's quick thinking, the queen asked Pampinea to tell hers; and
and his dreams. And so the jest passed from mouth to mouth, while thus Pampinea began: "A while ago, my dear ladies, we talked about
the gallants' horses were groomed and saddled, and their valises the truths that dreams reveal, which many of us dismiss; for this reason,
adjusted: which done, they drank with the host, mounted and rode even though the topic has been discussed before, I will not hesitate to tell
to Florence, no less pleased with the manner than with the matter of you what happened to a neighbor of mine, because she did not believe
the night's adventure. Nor, afterwards, did Pinuccio fail to find other a dream her husband had.
means of meeting Niccolosa, who assured her mother that he had
unquestionably dreamed. For which reason the good woman, recalling I don't know if you knew Talano di Molese, a man worthy of honor;
Adriano's embrace, considered herself the only one that had watched. who, having married a young wife - Margarita by name - as fair as any
other, but unmatched for whimsical, fractious, and perverse humors, so
much so that she would do nothing at the suggestion of another, either
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