Federigo

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Federigo=92s = Falcon

from the = Decameron

Giovanni = Boccaccio,

translated by Mark Musa and = Peter=20 Bondanella

There was once in Florence a young man named Federigo, the son of = Messer=20 Filippo Alberighi, renowned above all other men in Tuscany for his = prowess in=20 arms and for his courtliness. As often happens to most gentlemen, he = fell in=20 love with a lady named Monna Giovanna, in her day considered to be one = of the=20 most beautiful and one of the most charming women that ever there was in = Florence; and in order to win her love, he participated in jousts and=20 tournaments, organized and gave feasts, and spent his money without = restraint;=20 but she, no less virtuous than beautiful, cared little for these things = done on=20 her behalf, nor did she care for him who did them. Now, as Federigo was = spending=20 far beyond his means and was taking nothing in, as easily happens he = lost his=20 wealth and became poor, with nothing but his little farm to his name = (from whose=20 revenues he lived very meagerly) and one falcon which was among the best = in the=20 world.

More in love than ever, but knowing that he would = never be=20 able to live the way he wished to in the city, he went to live at Campi, = where=20 his farm was. There he passed his time hawking whenever he could, asked = nothing=20 of anyone, and endured his poverty patiently. Now, during the time that = Federigo=20 was reduced to dire need, it happened that the husband of Monna Giovanna = fell=20 ill, and realizing death was near, he made his last will. He was very = rich, and=20 he made his son, who was growing up, his heir, and, since he had loved = Monna=20 Giovanna very much, he made her his heir should his son die without a = legitimate=20 heir; and then he died.

Monna Giovanna was now a widow, and as is the custom among our women, = she=20 went to the country with her son to spend a year on one of her = possessions very=20 close by to Federigo=92s farm, and it happened that this young boy = became friends=20 with Federigo and began to enjoy birds and hunting dogs; and after he = had seen=20 Federigo=92s falcon fly many times, it pleased him so much that he very = much=20 wished it were his own, but he did not dare to ask for it, for he could = see how=20 dear it was to Federigo. And during this time, it happened that the = young boy=20 took ill, and his mother was much grieved, for he was her only child and = she=20 loved him enormously. She would spend the entire day by his side, never = ceasing=20 to comfort him, and often asking him if there was anything he desired, = begging=20 him to tell her what it might be, for if it were possible to obtain it, = she=20 would certainly do everything possible to get it. After the young boy = had heard=20 her make this offer many times, he said:

=93Mother, if you can arrange for me to have Federigo=92s falcon, I = think I would=20 be well very soon.=94

When the lady heard this, she was taken aback for a moment, and she = began to=20 think what she should do. She knew that Federigo had loved her for a = long while,=20 in spite of the fact that he never received a single glance from her, = and so,=20 she said to herself:

=93How can I send or go and ask for this falcon of his which is, as I = have=20 heard tell, the best that ever flew, and besides this, his only means of = support? And how can I be so insensitive as to wish to take away from = this=20 gentleman the only pleasure which is left to him?=94

And involved in these thoughts, knowing that she was certain to have = the bird=20 if she asked for it, but not knowing what to say to her son, she stood = there=20 without answering him. Finally the love she bore her son persuaded her = that she=20 should make him happy, and no matter what the consequences might be, she = would=20 not send for the bird, but rather go herself for it and bring it back to = him; so=20 she answered her son:

=93My son, take comfort and think only of getting well, for I promise = you that=20 the first thing I shall do tomorrow morning is to go for it and bring it = back to=20 you.=94

The child was so happy that he showed some improvement that very day. = The=20 following morning, the lady, accompanied by another woman, as if going = for a=20 stroll, went to Federigo=92s modest house and asked for him. Since it = was not the=20 season for it, Federigo had not been hawking for some days and was in = his=20 orchard, attending to certain tasks. When he heard that Monna Giovanna = was=20 asking for him at the door, he was very surprised and happy to run = there. As she=20 saw him coming, she greeted him with feminine charm, and once Federigo = had=20 welcomed her courteously, she said:

=93Greetings, Federigo!=94 Then she continued: =93I have come to = compensate you for=20 the harm you have suffered on my account by loving me more than you = needed to;=20 and the compensation is this: I, along with this companion of mine, = intend to=20 dine with you=97a simple meal=97this very day.=94

To this Federigo humbly replied: =93Madonna, I never remember having = suffered=20 any harm because of you. On the contrary, so much good have I received = from you=20 that if ever I have been worth anything, it has been because of your = merit and=20 the love I bore for you; and your generous visit is certainly so dear to = me that=20 I would spend all over again that which I spent in the past; but you = have come=20 to a poor host.=94

And having said this, he received her into his home humbly, and from = there he=20 led her into his garden, and since he had no one there to keep her = company, he=20 said:

=93My lady, since there is no one else, this good woman here, the = wife of this=20 workman, will keep you company while I go to set the table.=94

Though he was very poor, Federigo, until now, had never before = realized to=20 what extent he had wasted his wealth; but this morning, the fact that he = found=20 nothing with which he could honor the lady for the love of whom he had = once=20 entertained countless men in the past gave him cause to reflect. In = great=20 anguish, he cursed himself and his fortune and, like a man beside = himself, he=20 started running here and there, but could find neither money nor a = pawnable=20 object. The hour was late and his desire to honor the gracious lady was = great,=20 but not wishing to turn for help to others (not even to his own = workman), he set=20 his eyes upon his good falcon, perched in a small room; and since he had = nowhere=20 else to turn, he took the bird, and finding it plump, he decided that it = would=20 be a worthy food for such a lady. So, without further thought, he wrung = its neck=20 and quickly gave it to his servant girl to pluck, prepare, and place on = a spit=20 to be roasted with care; and when he had set the table with the whitest = of=20 tablecloths (a few of which he still had left), he returned, with a = cheerful=20 face, to the lady in his garden, saying that the meal he was able to = prepare for=20 her was ready.

The lady and her companion rose, went to the = table=20 together with Federigo, who waited upon them with the greatest devotion, = and=20 they ate the good falcon without knowing what it was they were eating. = And=20 having left the table and spent some time in pleasant conversation, the = lady=20 thought it time now to say what she had come to say, and so she spoke = these kind=20 words to Federigo:

=93Federigo, if you recall your past life and my virtue, which you = perhaps=20 mistook for harshness and cruelty, I do not doubt at all that you will = be amazed=20 by my presumption when you hear what my main reason for coming here is; = but if=20 you had children, through whom you might have experienced the power of = parental=20 love, it seems certain to me that you would, at least in part, forgive = me. But,=20 just as you have no child, I do have one, and I cannot escape the common = laws of=20 other mothers; the force of such laws compels me to follow them, against = my own=20 will and against good manners and duty, and to ask of you a gift which I = know is=20 most precious to you; and it is naturally so, since your extreme = condition has=20 left you no other delight, no other pleasure, no other consolation; and = this=20 gift is your falcon, which my son is so taken by that if I do not bring = it to=20 him, I fear his sickness will grow so much worse that I may lose him. = And=20 therefore I beg you, not because of the love that you bear for me, which = does=20 not oblige you in the least, but because of your own nobility, which you = have=20 shown to be greater than that of all others in practicing courtliness, = that you=20 be pleased to give it to me, so that I may say that I have saved the = life of my=20 son by means of this gift, and because of it I have placed him in your = debt=20 forever.=94

When he heard what the lady requested and knew that he could not = oblige her=20 since he had given her the falcon to eat, Federigo began to weep in her=20 presence, for he could not utter a word in reply. The lady, at first, = thought=20 his tears were caused more by the sorrow of having to part with the good = falcon=20 than by anything else, and she was on the verge of telling him she no = longer=20 wished it, but she held back and waited for Federigo=92s reply after he = stopped=20 weeping. And he said:

=93My lady, ever since it pleased God for me to place my love in you, = I have=20 felt that Fortune has been hostile to me in many things, and I have = complained=20 of her, but all this is nothing compared to what she has just done to = me, and I=20 must never be at peace with her again, thinking about how you have come = here to=20 my poor home where, while it was rich, you never deigned to come, and = you=20 requested a small gift, and Fortune worked to make it impossible for me = to give=20 it to you; and why this is so I shall tell you briefly. When I heard = that you,=20 out of your kindness, wished to dine with me, I considered it fitting = and right,=20 taking into account your excellence and your worthiness, that I should = honor=20 you, according to my possibilities, with a more precious food than that = which I=20 usually serve to other people; therefore, remembering the falcon that = you=20 requested and its value, I judged it a food worthy of you, and this very = day you=20 had it roasted and served to you as best I could; but seeing now that = you=20 desired it in another way, my sorrow in not being able to serve you is = so great=20 that I shall never be able to console myself again.=94

And after he had said this, he laid the feathers, the feet, and the = beak of=20 the bird before her as proof. When the lady heard and saw this, she = first=20 reproached him for having killed such a falcon to serve as a meal to a = woman;=20 but then to herself she commended the greatness of his spirit, which no = poverty=20 was able or would be able to diminish; then, having lost all hope of = getting the=20 falcon and, perhaps because of this, of improving the health of her son = as well,=20 she thanked Federigo both for the honor paid to her and for his good = will, and=20 she left in grief, and returned to her son. To his mother=92s extreme = sorrow,=20 either because of his disappointment that he could not have the falcon, = or=20 because his illness must have necessarily led to it, the boy passed from = this=20 life only a few days later.

After the period of her mourning and bitterness had passed, the lady = was=20 repeatedly urged by her brothers to remarry, since she was very rich and = was=20 still young; and although she did not wish to do so, they became so = insistent=20 that she remembered the merits of Federigo and his last act of = generosity=97that=20 is, to have killed such a falcon to do her honor=97and she said to her=20 brothers:

=93I would prefer to remain a widow, if that would please you; but if = you wish=20 me to take a husband, you may rest assured that I shall take no man but = Federigo=20 degli Alberighi.=94

In answer to this, making fun of her, her brothers replied:

=93You foolish woman, what are you saying? How can you want him; he = hasn=92t a=20 penny to his name?=94

To this she replied: =93My brothers, I am well aware of what you say, = but I=20 would rather have a man who needs money than money that needs a = man.=94

Her brothers, seeing that she was determined and knowing Federigo to = be of=20 noble birth, no matter how poor he was, accepted her wishes and gave her = in=20 marriage to him with all her riches. When he found himself the husband = of such a=20 great lady, whom he had loved so much and who was so wealthy besides, he = managed=20 his financial affairs with more prudence than in the past and lived with = her=20 happily the rest of his days.

Finding Common = Ground

Federigo and Monna Giovanna live in fourteenth-century Italy. But we = share=20 with them some basic human problems. In your reading notes, you may have = commented on some of the lovers=92 difficulties listed here:

=95 Federigo loves someone who doesn=92t love = him.

=95 Giovanna must cope with a dying son=92s = wish.

=95 Giovanna has to ask a favor of someone she has = ignored=20 and rejected.

=95 Federigo has to deal with the discovery that a = noble=20 gesture was actually a terrible mistake.

Try to find some=20 contemporary examples of these lovers=92 problems. Think about how the = lovers in=20 this story might be treated by a contemporary writer or filmmaker. How = are the=20 problems faced by Federigo and Monna Giovanna both similar to and = different from=20 the problems faced by lovers today? How would their story differ if it = were=20 retold=97as, say, the story of Joan and Fred=97and reset in the world of = today? Make=20 a list of the differences and similarities that most intrigue you. What = actors=20 would you cast to play Giovanna and Federigo in a movie? Present your = findings=20 to other groups in your class.

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