Page 188 - THE DECAMERON: A Visionary Journey in 100 Stories and 100 Etchings by Petru Russu

cautious in the future. However, his simple nature made him an easy target The Eighth Day | The Fourth Novell
The Decameron Buffalmacco and Bruno, after amusing themselves with the gatekeepers, An elderly Provost from Fiesola's Cathedral fell in love with a
for more pranks, ensuring he remained the butt of many jokes in their circle.
Storyteller: Emilia

followed Calandrino at a leisurely pace. When they arrived at his door, they
widow named Piccarda, who despised him. Imagining he was
heard him thrashing his wife. Pretending they had just arrived, they called
with her, he was caught in bed with her maid, an ugly and
out to him. Calandrino, flushed, sweaty, and out of breath, appeared at
the window and invited them up. They went up, feigning anger, and saw
to his disgrace and punishment.
Calandrino in the parlor, surrounded by stones, looking exhausted. His deformed woman, by Piccarda's brothers and the Bishop, leading
wife lay in a corner, weeping bitterly, with disheveled hair, torn clothes,
and bruises.

After surveying the room, they asked, "What is this, Calandrino? Are you
building a wall with all these stones? And what happened to Monna Tessa?
It looks like you've beaten her! What on earth is going on?" Calandrino,
too spent from carrying the stones and beating his wife, couldn't reply.
Buffalmacco continued, "No matter how upset you were, Calandrino, you
shouldn't have played such a dirty trick on us. Taking us to the Mugnone
to find this rare stone, then leaving us without a word, like fools! We won't
forget this, and you won't fool us again."

With effort, Calandrino replied, "Comrades, don't be angry. I found the
stone! When you were saying, 'Where is Calandrino?' I was just ten paces
away, and you didn't see me. I went ahead and came here." He showed
his bruises and continued, "Even though I was carrying these stones, the
gatekeepers didn't say a word to me. But when I got home, this woman
saw me, and everything lost its virtue in her presence. I went from being
the luckiest man to the unluckiest in Florence. That's why I thrashed her,
and I don't know why I didn't do worse."

Calandrino, kindling with fresh wrath, was about to start beating his wife
again when Buffalmacco and Bruno, suppressing laughter, held him back.
They assured him that his wife was not to blame but that he should have
kept her away that day. They suggested that luck wasn't on his side or
he intended to cheat them by not showing them the stone. Finally, they
convinced him to forgive his wife and left him to rue the ill-luck that had
filled his house with stones.
1985 HAND COLORED AQUA TINTA / AQUA FORTE
29,5X19,5 CM. | 11¾X7½ IN. (IMAGE SIZE).
184
The Decameron