Today we read S’i’ fosse foco, by Cecco Angiolieri. Francesco Angiolieri (and to this day Francescos are sometimes nicknamed Cecco) is an early example of the archetype of the rich, spoiled young man about town, generally up to no good. Or at least that’s the character he created in his poetry. He is always complaining that his father is stingy with money; he glorifies wine and women; he apparently spends most of his time gambling. Although we know that his life was… adventurous, he was probably exaggerating. He is writing, after all, in the tradition of comic poetry. In this particular, and extremely famous, poem he imagines what he would do if he had carte blanche: destroy the world, play tricks on everybody, killing his parents (for inheritance I guess).
But, most of all, he’d apparently enjoy having his pick of the most beautiful women. And here is a contemporary musical rendition, by the famous singer-songwriter Fabrizio De André: The original: S’i’ fosse fuoco, ardereï ’l mondo;
s’i’ fosse vento, lo tempestarei;
s’i’ fosse acqua, i’ l’annegherei;
s’i’ fosse Dio, mandereil’en profondo;
s’i’ fosse papa, allor serei giocondo,
ché tutti cristïani imbrigarei;
s’i’ fosse ‘mperator, ben lo farei
a tutti tagliarei lo capo a tondo.
S’i’ fosse morte, andarei a mi’ padre;
s’i’ fosse vita, non starei con lui:
similemente faria da mi’ madre,
S’i’ fosse Cecco, com’i’ sono e fui,
torrei le donne giovani e leggiadre:
le zoppe e vecchie lasserei altrui.\ The music in this episode is Paganini’s Caprice No. 24, recorded by Elias Goldstein (Viola) and Christina Lalog (Piano) (in the public domain).
