Bastianelo Once upon a time there were a husband and wife who had a son. When he grew up, he said one day to his mother, “Do you know, Mother I would like to marry!” “Very well, marry! Whom do you want to take for a bride?” The son answered, “I want the gardener’s daughter. “She is a good girl; I am willing,” said his mother. He went and asked the girl and the parents if they could get married. All was merry but in the midst of the wedding dinner the wine gave out. When the young husband cried, “There is no more wine!” the bride, to show that she was a good housekeeper, at once went to get some. She carried the bottles to the cellar, turned the cock on the wine keg, and, waiting for the bottles to fill, began to think, “Suppose I should have a son, and we call him Bastianelo, and he should die. Oh, how I should grieve! Oh, how I should grieve!” Thereupon she began to weep and wail, and wine ran all over the cellar floor. When the others saw that the bride did not return, her mother said, “I will go and see what the matter is.” So she went into the cellar, and saw the bride, with a bottle in her hand, weeping while the wine ran over the cellar. “What it is that makes you weep?” “Ah! Mother, I was thinking that if I had a son and I should name him Bastianelo, and he should die, oh, how I should grieve! Oh, how I should grieve!” At this the mother, too, began to weep, and weep, and weep. And the wine ran all over the cellar. When the people still at the table saw that no one was bringing the wine, the groom’s father said, “I will go and see what is the matter. Certainly something has happened to the bride.” He found the cellar full of wine, and the mother and bride weeping. “What is the matter?” he asked. “Has anything wrong happened?” “No,” answered the bride, “But I was thinking that if I had a son and should call him Bastianelo, and he should die, oh how I should grieve. Oh how I should grieve!” At this the father, too, began to weep. All three wept, and the wine ran all over the cellar. When the groom saw that neither the bride nor the mother nor father came back, he decided, “Now I will go and see what the matter is.” He went in the cellar and saw all the wine running over the cellar floor. He hastened to stop the flow of wine, and then asked, “What is the matter that you are all weeping, and have let the wine run all over the cellar?” The bride admitted, “I was thinking that if I had a son and called him Bastianelo, and he should die, oh, how I should grieve! Oh, how I should grieve!” The groom was astonished. “You stupid fools!” Are you weeping at this and letting all the wine run into the cellar? Have you nothing else to think of? It shall never be said that I married such one as you! I shall travel forth into the world, and until I find three fools greater than you I shall not return here.” So the young man had a bread cake made for him, took a bottle of wine, a sausage, a change of clothing, and made up a bundle, which tied on a stick and carried over his shoulder. Day after day he journeyed and journeyed, but found no fools. At last, worn out, he was undecided whether to go on or turn back. But then said, “Oh, it is better to try a little longer.” So he went, and shortly saw a man in his shirtsleeves at a well, all wet in perspiration and water. “What are you doing sir, that you are so covered with water and in such a sweat?” “Oh, let me alone!” the man answered. “I have been here a long time drawing water to fill this pail and I cannot fill it.” “What are you drawing the water in?” he asked the man. “In this strainer.” “What are you thinking of, trying to draw water in a strainer? Just wait!” The young man went to a house nearby and borrowed a bucket. With this he returned to the well and filled the pail. “Thank you, good man. God knows how long I should have had to remain here!” “Here is one,” said the young man, “who is a greater fool than my wife.” He continued his journey, and after a time saw a distance a man in his shirt who was jumping from a tree. He drew near and saw a woman under the same tree holding a pair of pants. When he asked them what they were doing, they said they had been there a long time. The man was trying on the pants and did not know how to get into them. “I have jumped and jumped,” said the man, “until I am tired out, and I cannot imagine how to get into those pants.” “Well,” said the traveler, “you might stay here forever. You would never get into them this way. Come down, now, and lean against the tree.” He took the man’s legs then and put them into the pants. After he had done this, he asked, “Is this right?” “Very good, bless you,”” said the man. “If it had not been for you, God knows how long I should have had to continue jumping.” Now the traveler said to himself, “I have seem two fools greater than my wife.” And he went on his way. As he approached a city he heard a great noise. When he drew near he asked what it was all about, and learned that there was a wedding. It was the custom in the city for brides to enter the city gate on horseback. This time there was going on a great discussion between the groom and the owner of the horse, for the bride was tall and horse was high. They could not get through the gate, so the wedding would have to be called off. Hence the bride cried, man the groomed cried. What to do. The traveler said wait, “Wait.” He turned to the bride and slapped the top of her head so that she lowered it. At the same time he kicked the horse. They passed through the gate into the city. In return for this help, the groom and the owner of the horse asked the young man what present they could give him. He answered that he did not wish for anything, and to himself counted, “Two and one make three! That is enough! Now I will go home.” This he did, and said to his wife, “Here I am, my wife; I have seen three greater fools than you. Let us remain in peace and think of nothing else.” Now they went on with the wedding celebration, and always after that they lived in peace. After a time the wife bore a son whom they named Bastianelo---but Bastianelo did not die. He still lives with his father and mother. This story is from Italy. Fun facts about Wine: Wine can be made from any fruit. There are some wine that are made from oranges and grapefruit, raspberry, and strawberry, even pears, and apples. More fun facts about Wine: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_wine en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine Fun facts about grapes: nutrition-and-you/grapes.html Fact: Before machines for making wine, people of the farming village that grew the grapes used to gather together and stand in big tub like containers and stomp their feets down on the grapes, they basically walked on top of the grapes to squeeze out the juice of the grapes. Video of How Wine is Made: https://youtube/watch?v=TlsQMqYtokA
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 15:30:51 +0000
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