Page 108 - THE DECAMERON: 100 Days on 100 Etchings by Petru Rusu
P. 108
“Caterina and the Nightingale“
An older gentleman and his wife have a lovely little night, Caterina not only fusses about the heat, she keeps
daughter late in life. Caterina grows up to be wondrously her mother awake, too. Which means that the following
beautiful and charming. At this time, a handsome young night she gets her bed on the balcony. Ricciardo climbs
man called Ricciardo often visited their house. The old to the balcony and spends the whole night with her there.
gentleman, called Lizio, gave Ricciardo free range of his They fall asleep together, completely naked, with Caterina’s
premises and never thought twice about it. But Ricciardo, hand covering Ricciardo’s private bits. Guess who finds
naturally, falls in love with Lizio’s beautiful daughter. Pretty them like that in the morning? Lizio jokes with his wife that
soon, they figure out that the feeling is mutual. Now, they Caterina has caught her nightingale in her hand (the word
have to find a way to “be together.” Since Caterina’s an for “bird” in Italian is “uccello,” which is also a euphemism
only child, she’s watched closely. Ricciardo suggests that for the male you-know-what). Lizio turns out to be a level-
she find a way to sleep out on the balcony overlooking headed guy. Ricciardo is wealthy and well-born, so he’ll
the garden, and he’ll manage to climb up and join her. make them marry before the boy tries to leave the house.
Caterina complains to her mother that she can’t sleep In fact, Lizio makes them marry right there on the spot,
because it’s so hot in the house. Can she make up a bed naked and all. They go back to bed and have sex two more
on the balcony outside her father’s room and sleep there? times, since they’d done it “only” six times the previous
It would be cooler and, you know, the nightingale could night. Ultimately, they have a proper wedding celebration in
sing her to sleep. Dad is pretty grouchy about this request: the days that follow and spend a lifetime together “caging
nightingales? Why does she need nightingales? So the next the nightingale” in perfect happiness.
“Caterina and the Nightingale” retrieved from publicly source: shmoop
DECAMERON 108 <https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/decameron/summary/fifth-day-fourth-story>
