|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
PSICOANALISI E FAVOLE|
Si racconta che una volta,
tanto tempo fa, c'era nell'Isola dei Cavoli una casa
piccina in cui viveva una vedova con un solo figlio
un po' matto, ed erano così poveri che spesso non
avevano nulla da mangiare. Il figlio, grande, grosso
e sgraziato, si chiamava Pietro, ma tutti lo
chiamavano Pietropazzo. Siccome Pietro di mestiere
faceva il pescatore, tutti i giorni andava a
pescare e lo faceva dalla mattina alla sera, ma era
tanto sfortunato che non pigliava mai nulla.
Quando tornava a casa, di lontano cominciava a
gridare:
Corri mammetta con pentoloni,La sua mamma, credendo che finalmente avesse preso qualcosa, correva in casa a cercare i recipienti e li metteva in fila sull'uscio, ma Pietro non aveva nemmeno un pesciolino e la prendeva in giro piegandosi in due dalle risate, e facendo le boccacce tirava fuori la lingua che era lunga un palmo. Lì vicino c'era il palazzo del re dell'Isola dei Cavoli, che aveva una figlia ancora bambina, la principessa Giulia, bellissima e piena di grazia. Quando sentiva Pietropazzo che arrivava gridando: Corri mammetta con pentoloni,correva alla finestra e si divertiva tanto che moriva dal ridere. Quando Pietro vedeva che lo prendeva in giro si infuriava e gliene diceva di tutti i colori, ma Giulia vedendolo così goffo e arrabbiato rideva ancora di più. Questa scena si ripeteva ogni sera da tanto tempo, quando un giorno il povero Pietro pescò un enorme Pescetonno. Era tanto contento che saltellava e ballava sulla spiaggia, cantando: Buona cenettaMa il pescetonno, quando si vide in trappola, parlò così: Fratel
Pietro, per cortesia,
libera me dalla prigionia! Quando il mio corpo sfamato ti avrà, avrai vinto la tua povertà? Fratel Pietro, se mi volessi di grazia salvare,Pietro continuò a camminare verso casa, e il pescetonno che ormai si sentiva mancare il fiato, con un filino di voce gli parlò ancora: Il pesce magico non devi ammazzarePietropazzo sentiva un po' di compassione per il gran pesce moribondo, e incuriosito per i suoi discorsi tornò in riva al mare e spingendolo con le mani e con i piedi riuscì lo rimise in acqua. Lì per lì il Pescetonno scomparve, perché doveva riprendersi, ma poi tirò la testa fuori dall'acqua e disse: Prendi la barca e comincia a remarePietro lo fece, e quando si fu allontanato dalla riva il pesce gli disse di inclinare la barca finché il bordo sfiorasse il pelo dell'acqua: allora innumerevoli pesciolini e pescioloni di tutte le specie saltarono nella barchetta di Pietro riempiendola fino a farla quasi affondare, ma lui non pensava al pericolo e non stava nella pelle dalla gran contentezza. Tornato a riva, si caricò sulle spalle una enorme quantità di pesci e corse verso casa, gridando: Corri mammetta con pentoloni, Sentendo la sua voce il pesce accorse, mise la testa a fior d'acqua e disse: Messer Pietro, gentil pescatore, che desideri?Pietro rispose: Che la principessa aspetti
un bambino,
Con un cenno
della testa il Pescetonno gli fece capire che il suo
desiderio era realizzato, e Pietropazzo tornò a
casa, dove, scapato com'era, non ci pensò più. Dopo
qualche tempo alla principessa Giulia cominciò a
crescere la pancia, ma sua madre non pensò che fosse
incinta, perché era poco più che una bambina, e fece
venire le donne più esperte in queste cose perché la
visitassero e vedessero se aveva qualche grave
malattia. Le donne non ebbero dubbi e dissero che
Giulia stava benissimo e al momento giusto
avrebbe avuto un bambino. sì, che mi faccia un figliolino. La regina si sentì morire, e dovette andare a dirlo al re, che per poco non svenne per questo duro colpo. Poi in segreto fece tutte le indagini per scoprire chi era stato, ma inutilmente; pensò di uccidere la principessa, ma la regina che le voleva tanto bene lo supplicò di aspettare almeno il parto, e siccome anche il re amava la sua unica figlia si lasciò convincere. Quando fu il tempo, nacque un bambino tanto bello che il re non ebbe cuore di far eseguire la sentenza di morte, e decise di aspettare un altro anno, avendo in mente di indagare ancora per scoprire chi era stato a violare la principessa. Il bambino cresceva bello e forte, ed era così allegro che non se ne trovava uno che gli stesse a pari; quando ebbe un anno il re, sperando di scoprire suo padre, ordinò che tutti i maschi dell'Isola dei Cavoli, belli e brutti, giovani e vecchi, poveri e ricchi, venissero a palazzo portando un frutto o un fiore, o qualche altra cosa che potesse far piacere al bambino. Così arrivavano tutti portando qualcosa, passavano davanti al re e poi andavano a sedersi secondo la loro posizione. Mentre andava al palazzo reale un giovane si imbattè in Pietropazzo, e gli disse:"Dove vai Pietro? Perché non vieni al palazzo come tutti con un frutto o un fiore, e non obbedisci al comando del re?". Pietro rispose: "E che vuoi che ci faccia io in mezzo a quella bella compagnia? Non vedi che sono povero, non ho nemmeno una veste per coprirmi, e vorresti che io mi mettessi fra tanti signori e cavalieri? Non voglio venire". Allora il giovane prendendolo un po' in giro gli disse: "Vieni con me, ti darò io una veste: chissà che il bambino non sia tuo?". Così Pietropazzo andò a casa del giovane e si vestì, poi colse una mela e andò con lui al palazzo, salì le scale ma si mise dietro un uscio, in modo da rimanere nascosto e non farsi vedere da nessuno. Quando tutti furono giunti e si furono messi a sedere, il re ordinò che portassero il bambino nella sala, pensando che se c'era il padre la voce del sangue lo avrebbe tradito. Venne la balia con il bambino in braccio e tutti lo accarezzavano, porgendogli chi un fiore, chi un frutto, chi l'uno e l'altro, ma il bambino li respingeva con la manina. La balia che passeggiava avanti e indietro passò anche vicino all'uscio del palazzo, e in quel momento a Pietro cascò di mano la mela, che rotolò in terra. Il bambino ridendo si piegò con la testa e con tutto il corpo per prenderla, tanto che per poco non cascava dalle braccia della balia, ma lei non ci fece caso e continuava ad andare di qua e di là, finché non capitò ancora vicino all'uscio e il bambino rise festoso indicando la mela. La balia la raccolse e gliela diede, il re se ne accorse e domandò alla balia chi c'era dietro a quell'uscio, e lei rispose che c'era uno straccione. Il re lo fece chiamare e guardandolo da vicino lo riconobbe, mentre il bambino aprì le braccine e si buttò al collo di Pietropazzo coprendolo di baci. Vedendo questo il re sentì che si raddoppiava il suo dolore, e mandati tutti gli altri a casa condannò a morte Pietropazzo con sua figlia e il bambino. La regina allora, saggia e prudente, gli disse che non era bene che un re si macchiasse del sangue del suo sangue, era meglio che ordinasse una botte, grande il più possibile, per metterceli dentro e buttarli in mare, perché senza troppo patire andassero al loro destino. Al re piacque il consiglio e dopo aver fatto fare la botte e averceli messi dentro tutti e tre con una cesta di pane, un fiasco di buona vernaccia e un barile di fichi per il bambino, li fece buttare in alto mare, pensando che battendo contro qualche scoglio sarebbero annegati. La povera principessa si sentiva sbattere violentemente dalle onde del mare in tempesta, e non vedendo né il sole né la luna piangeva a dirotto per la sua sciagura. Non avendo latte per il bambino che spesso si metteva a piangere, gli dava da mangiare i fichi, e così lo addormentava, Pietro invece non si preoccupava di nulla e pensava solo a mangiare pane e a bere vernaccia, finché vedendolo così Giulia disse: "Oh, Pietro! Tu vedi come io che sono innocente subisco questa pena per colpa tua, e tu ridi come un pazzo, e mangi e bevi, senza pensare che pericolo corriamo". Pietro le rispose: "Non è colpa mia se ci è successo quello che ci è successo, la colpa è tua, perché mi ridevi dietro e mi prendevi sempre in giro. Ma sii contenta, perché presto usciremo dalla botte". "Credo che tu dica bene", disse Giulia, "che usciremo dalla botte, perché si romperà su uno scoglio e noi annegheremo". "Zitta," disse Pietro, "perché io ho un segreto, che se tu lo sapessi resteresti a bocca aperta dalla meraviglia, e forse ti piacerebbe". "Ma che segreto hai Pietro," disse lei, "che possa tirarci su e liberarci da questo pericolo?" "Io ho un pesce," disse Pietro, "che fa quello che io comando e non c'è nulla che non farebbe se sapesse che si rischia di morire, è stato lui a farti rimanere incinta del mio bambino". "Questa cosa è proprio bella", disse Giulia, "se davvero è come dici. Ma come si chiama il pesce?", "Si chiama Pescetonno", rispose Pietro, "Comandagli di obbedire a me come obbedisce a te", disse la principessa, "digli di fare quello che io gli dirò". |
It is told that
once upon a time, in the Isle of Coco, there was
a teeny weeny house, in which there lived an
old widow with her crazy son, and they
were so poor that often they had nothing to
eat. The son, who was tall, big and clumsy, was named Mat, but everyone called him Madmat. Madmat was by trade a fisherman, so he went everyday to fish, and he did it from dawn till dusk, but he was so unlucky that he could never catch anything. Coming home, from afar he would cry: Mommy,
bring cans, pans, and dish,
Plates and buckets, are my wish, Mat has got a lot of fish! His mother, thinking that he finally had caught something, went running into the house looking for the containers and put them all in a row in front of the door, but Madmat didn't even have one little fish. While teasing her he split his sides with laughter, made funny faces and stuck out his incredibly long tongue. Near their house stood the palace of the king in which there lived the little princess Juliet, beautiful and full of grace.When she heard Madmat coming and crying: Mommy,
bring cans, pans, and dish,
Plates and buckets, are my wish, Mat has got a lot of fish! she ran to her window and found him so painfully funny that she died laughing. When Madmat saw her making fun of him, he became furious and yelled a string of bad words at her, but Juliet, seeing him so enraged, laughed more and more. This scene had been going on every evening for a very long time, but when it happened that one day Madmat caught a huge Tunafish. He was so happy that dancing and hopping about the beach he sang: Delicious supper
for me and mother! Delicious supper for me and mother! But the Tunafish, seeing himself caught in the trap, spoke this way: Brother
Mat, if you please,
of this prison set me free! For once you have eaten me a vain profit will you see! Mat shook his head: he needed to eat the fish, not to listen to him rattling on. So he put the fish on his shoulder and headed on home, but after having walked a bit he heard the Tunafish say to him: If
you save me I will teach you
to catch any fish in the ocean blue. Mat didn't stop walking home, and the Tunafish, who by that time was short of breath, whispered: By
my magic art and virtue
I shall make your wishes come true. Madmat took pity on the big dying fish, so he came back and pushed him with all his might into the sea allowing him to return to the water. As soon as the tunafish had recovered his strength, he brought his head to the surface of the water and told him: Lower your little boat in the
sea,
paddle and quickly follow me! Mat did it, and when he got far from the shore, the Tunafish told him to lean the boat so as to skim the water with its edge: then numberless fish, little and big, of every kind, started jumping into Mat's little boat and stuffing it so that it was nearly sinking. But Madmat didn't think of the danger and he couldn't contain himself for his great happiness. After having come back to the seashore, he put a huge quantity of fish into his net and threw them over his shoulder running home crying: Mommy,
bring cans, pans, and dish
A vain profit will you see! Mat has got a lot of fish! That evening the mother, unable to bear the jokes of her crazy son anymore, pretended not to have any care in the world, but when she heard him coming near with the same old tune, she changed her mind and ran preparing the containers in front of the door. How happy she was seeing Mat filling them all! And as they were not enough, Mat and his mother went running here and there to get plates, boxes, buckets, cans, pans, pots, dishes and glasses, while fish of every kind and size were wriggling about all over the place. The princess Juliet, who was as always at her window, seeing Madmat so clumsy and busy, laughed even more than usual. Hearing her laughter he raised his eyes, saw her and felt terribly angry. But instead of yelling more mean and ugly words at her, he rushed to the seashore and began to call the Tunafish. Hearing his voice, the fish ran, skimmed the surface of the water with his head and asked him: What is your order, Mat?
He answered: I
simply wish that
be with child by me the princess . With a nod the Tunafish made him understand that his wish had been granted, and Madmat went back home without a care in the world. As time passed princess Juliet's belly began to swell, but her mother didn't think she was expecting a baby, since the princess was but a little girl. So she spoke about these matters with very knowledgeble women, and asked them to visit the princess to see if she had a serious illness. The women had no doubt and said that Juliet was quite fine and at the right moment she would bear a child. The queen nearly died, and she had to go to tell the king, who almost swooned with this hard blow. The king secretly held every kind of inquiry to determine who was the father, but it was all in vain. The king thought of killing the princess, but the queen begged him to wait at least until the birth, managing to convince him. When the time came, a child so lovely was born that the king didn't have the heart to execute the sentence, and he decided to wait a bit longer. However in the back of his mind he always wanted to discover the father. The child was growing up to be beautiful and strong, and he was so cheerful that no one held a candle to him. After one year the king, hoping to reveal the father, ordered all of the men in the Isle of Coco, noble and peasants, handsome and ugly, young and old, rich and poor, to come to his palace, for the first birthday of his grandson: everyone was required to bring fruit or a flower for the child. So they all arrived, passed before the king and sat down to the right, to the left, and down the hall according to their rank. Going to the royal palace a young fellow ran into Madmat, and asked him: "Where are you going Mat? Why don't you obey the king's order and come to the palace with a small gift?". Madmat answered: "Whatever do you think I can do among that fair company? Don't you see I'm poor and ugly, I haven't even got a garment to cover myself with? Do you really think that I could fit among so many gentlemen and knights? I won't come". Then the young fellow teasing him a little said: "Come with me, I'll give you a garment. Maybe the child is yours, heaven only knows!". So they all arrived, passed before the king and sat down to the right, to the left, and down the hall according to their rank. Going to the royal palace a young fellow ran into Madmat, and asked him: "Where are you going Mat? Why don't you obey the king's order and come to the palace with a small gift?". Madmat answered: "Whatever do you think I can do among that fair company? Don't you see I'm poor and ugly, I haven't even got a garment to cover myself with? Do you really think that I could fit among so many gentlemen and knights? I won't come". Then the young fellow teasing him a little said: "Come with me, I'll give you a garment. Maybe the child is yours, heaven only knows!". So Madmat went to his house and got dressed, then he picked up an apple and followed his friend to the palace; he went upstairs, but he stood behind the door, so as to be seen by no one. When all of them had arrived and had sat down, the king ordered to bring the child into the hall, hoping that the guilty one would be someway discovered, due to the bond between father and child. The nurse came with the child in her arms and everyone cooed over him, offering either a flower or fruit, but the child pushed everyone away with his little hand. Going to and fro the nurse also came to the door: in that very moment Mat's apple dropped from his hand rolling on the ground. Laughing the child cocked his head and bent his body to get it, nearly falling from the nurse's arms, but she didn't noticed this and went on walking to and fro. Then she arrived again at the door, and the child laughing cheerfully pointed at the apple: the nurse picked it up and gave it to him. Becoming aware of this the king asked: "Nurse, who is there behind the door?". She answered: "Just a ragamuffin, Your Majesty!". The king ordered that he be brought forward and looking closely at him recognized the ragamuffin as Madmat. Meanwhile the child smiling flung his little arms around his father's neck and covered him with kisses: Madmat blushed. Seeing this the king felt his blood boiling and, after having sent home all of the others, he condemned Madmat, the princess and their child to death. But the queen, wise and prudent as she was, told him it was not right for a king to stain his hands with his own blood. Rather he should order an enormous barrel, put them inside and throw them into the sea, allowing destiny to take its course without them suffering too much. The king liked this advice and as soon as the barrel was made he put them all together inside, with a basketful of bread, a flask of good Chianti and a crate of raisins and figs. They were thrown into the high seas, and everyone thought that crashing into a rock they would surely drown or become some fish's dinner. The poor princess felt herself violently shaken by the billows of the stormy sea, and seeing neither sun nor moon she was desperate, sobbng for her misfortune. The child often cried and she gave him raisins and figs, so that he would sleep. But Madmat didn't worry about anything and was only thinking of eating all the bread and drinking all the wine. At last, seeing him in this way, Juliet said: "Oh, Mat! Don't you see, innocent as I am, it is your fault that I suffer this punishment? And you're laughing like a madman, eating and drinking, without caring about the danger we are in!". Madmat answered her: "It's not my fault what happened to us, it's your fault, 'cause you laughed and mocked me and you were always making fun of me! But be happy, because we'll soon get out of the barrel". "I think you're quite right", said Juliet, "We'll get out of the barrel because it will break against a rock and we'll drown". "Shut up", said Mat, "because I've got a secret, and if you knew my secret you'd stand gaping out of wonder and maybe you'd really like it". The princess said: "And whatever could this secret be, Mat, which could free us from this danger?". He answered: If
you wish that I speak,
give me raisins and figs! The princess Juliet took raisins and figs and graciously fed him, and Madmat told her: "Seriously, Juliet, I have a fish, who always does what I wish and order, and there is nothing he wouldn't do if he knew that we run the risk of dying. It is because of his magic art and virtue that you became with child by me". Then Juliet said: "This is a very curious story, Mat, if you're telling the truth. But what is the name of this fish?". "He is named Tunafish", Mat answered. She said: "If you please, Mat, tell him to obey me as he obeys you, tell him to do what I ask him". |
