Chapter 21 Stubborn Pierre

Stubborn Pierres & Italian Fairy Tales A farmer is going to Piera.It was catching up with the windy and rainy weather, and the road was almost impossible to walk.But the farmer had something important to do. He lowered his head against the wind, rain, thunder and lightning and continued to move forward. He met an old man and said to him, "Hello! Where are you going in such a hurry? Good man." "To Piera," replied the farmer, walking on. "You should at least say 'God bless'." The farmer stopped, looked at the old man in front of him and said loudly: "If God blesses, I will go to Pierre; if God does not bless, I will still go."

In fact, that old man is God.He said to the farmer, "Well then, you will not go to Piera in seven years, now jump into the pond and stay in it for seven years." Immediately the farmer turned into a frog and jumped into the pond. Seven years have passed.The farmer came out of the pond, became a man again, put on his hat, and went on the road again. After walking a few steps, the old man appeared again last time. "Good man, where are you going?" "To Pierre." "You should say 'God bless'." "If God blesses, that's fine; if not, I know the punishment, and I'll jump into the pond by myself."

After that, he never spoke again. (Bieira area) Those Stubborn Souls, the Biellese A farmer was on his way down to Biella one day. The weather was so stormy that it was next to impossible to get over the roads. But the farmer had important business and pushed onward in the face of the driving rain. He met an old man, who said to him, "A good day to you! Where are you going, my good man, in such haste?" "To Biella," answered the farmer, without slowing down. "You might at least say, God willing." The farmer stopped, looked the old man in the eye, and snapped, "God willing, Im on my way to Biella. But even if God isn't willing, I still have to go there all the same."

Now the old man happened to be the Lord. "In that case you'll go to Biella in seven years," he said. "In the meantime, jump into this swamp and stay there for seven years." Suddenly the farmer changed into a frog and jumped into the swamp. Seven years went by. The farmer came out of the swamp, turned back into a man, clapped his hat on his head, and continued on his way to market. After a short distance he met the old man again. "And where are you going, my good man?" "To Biella." "You might say, God willing." "If God wills it, fine. If not, I know the consequence and can now go into the swamp unassisted."

Nor for the life of him would he say one word more. (Biellese) NOTES: "Those Stubborn Souls, the Biellese" (I biellesi, gente dura) from Virginia Majoli Faccio (Lincantesimo della mezzanotte, [Il Biellese nelle sue leggende], Milan, 1941), Valdengo, Piedmont. This tale is also found in Trieste, starring the Friulians (Pinguenti, 51). Copyright: Italian Folktales Selected and Retold by Italo Calvino, translated by George Martin, Pantheon Books, New York 1980