Leporello

" la giovin principiante " ..

prime-time girl

The Honourable Reader, undoubtedly a Opera-lover in his spare time, might remember the famous "1003 in Spain" scene from Don Giovanni, when Leporello was spilling the beans to Elvira:

(..)

ogni villa, ogni borgo, ogni paese

è testimon di sue donnesche imprese.

Madamina, il catalogo è questo

Delle belle che amò il padron mio;

un catalogo egli è che ho fatt'io;

Osservate, leggete con me.

In Italia seicento e quaranta;

In Almagna duecento e trentuna;

Cento in Francia, in Turchia novantuna;

Ma in Ispagna son già mille e tre.

V'han fra queste contadine,

Cameriere, cittadine,

V'han contesse, baronesse,

Marchesine, principesse.

E v'han donne d'ogni grado,

D'ogni forma, d'ogni età .

Nella bionda egli ha l'usanza

Di lodar la gentilezza,

Nella bruna la costanza,

Nella bianca la dolcezza.

Vuol d'inverno la grassotta,

Vuol d'estate la magrotta;

È la grande maestosa,

La piccina e ognor vezzosa.

Delle vecchie fa conquista

Pel piacer di porle in lista;

Sua passion predominante

È la giovin principiante.

Non si picca - se sia ricca,

Se sia brutta, se sia bella;

Purché porti la gonnella,

Voi sapete quel che fa.

The Halloween week-end at The Count's country-house offered us various plots and sub-plots going on simultaneously. This blogger of yours would be extremely happy to recall it and to turn into a chronicle at least the highlights of the most recent gathering of the Praia Tribe. Hélas! the combined devastating effects of incipient "Alzheymer" and post-hangover syndrome are to be reckoned with. One of the undercurrent narratives, though, I do remember alright.. it was like a remake of Bertolluci's "Stealing Beauty", that amazingly poetical elegy of the Young Woman (played by Liv Tiller) at the once-in-a-life-time supreme point of her physicality.. Lonesome wolves us, with Giovanni-like honourable careers, could only witness in awe the freshness of skin, body and mind and mumble about how Time had past. Tabu involved apart ("Thou shell not look with lubricious eyes the dauhgter of a Friend!"), there was a pungent nostalgic tone colouring the rooms, a bit like "The Secret Garden" for adults with no illusions left. The tender flesh of prime-time girls were no longer for their yellowish wobbling teeth.. but the celebration of Youth was sincere and good-humoured.