Ligurian:
# Poulo Foggetta (sec. XVI)

O Poulo Foggetta, che za a-i seu tempi o l’ea tegnuo pe-o ciù importante di poeti in zeneise, o l’é de longo apprexou ascì da-i critichi da giornâ d’ancheu, segge pe ëse stæto o primmo à dâ un pittin de recatto a-a grafia e a-a lengua, dòppo un muggio de tempo ch’ean stæte lasciæ in desandiamento, segge pe-a viva pascion politica e morale de seu poexie. E sta chì a l’é quella che, in giornâ, a dà ciù inti euggi a-o lettô.

O deuvio da lengua zeneise, dapeu, o l’ea pe-o Foggetta unna partia importante do seu programma de restöraçion di antighi valoî; da-o seu ponto de vista, i cangiamenti da lengua en o segno che i costummi descazzan: «no è maraveggia za se cangiamenti de lengue e d’ògni cösa femmo ancheu / perché à fâ cangi tutti avviæ semmo», o ghe dixe, e chì a poula «cangi» a veu dî segge «cangiamenti», segge pòiçe de cangio; comme dî che i cangi inta lengua en tutt’un co-o viçio de fâ di debiti e co-o vive d’usua, vitta da parasciti, ch’a no l’à ninte da scompartî co-e virtù repubricañe di antighi zeneixi, comm’o î veddeiva o Foggetta.

E seu poexie en, pe unna gran partia, o tentativo de addesciâ i seu conçittadin da-a pötronaia, ma i tempi da grandixe de Zena, «moere de regni e de çittæ» ean omai finii. Stæta arrægâ da-a scituaçion istòrica, ancon ciù che da-e magagne di seu çittadin, a Repubrica a s’ea inandiâ à contâ de longo de meno sorve a scena do mondo.

A-o de là de l’impegno çivile do Foggetta, beseugna mensunâ dapeu a seu bravua d’artista, inta pinessa do scignificato de sta poula; çerti sunetti contëgnan di momenti che son tòsto de pittue imprescioniste: no se peu ascordâ a descriçion de un attacco di Barbareschi in Rivea, con dònne, òmmi, figgeu che vëgnan acciappæ pe ëse fæti scciavi; l’anscëtæ, a poia de quelli meschinetti, o sciato de quella scituaçion son reixi da meistro.

Pe finî, no se peu ascordâ o Foggetta d’inspiaçion «petrarchesca», co-o seu sunetto o ciù avvoxou: Maitiña, a figgetta boña fiña da cangiâ l’ægua savoia in ægua doçe, solo che co-a seu presensa. Podama o ciù bello omaggio a-a bellessa femminiña inta lettiatua zeneise de tutti i tempi.

[1] O poeta o l’alludde a-e cadeñe che serravan l’intrâ do Pòrto Pisan inte l’etæ de mezo, stæte portæ a Zena in segno de trionfo dòppo a vittöia da Melöia (1283) e appeise a-a Pòrta Sovraña. O ne parla inte unna seu poexia o De Franchi ascì. L’an dæte in derê a-a çittæ toscaña a-o tempo do fascio, con unna çeimònia de reconçiliaçion.

Inte sta avvoxâ poexia, l’aristocratica figua diviña di poemmi omerichi, a rhododàktylos héos, l’öroa co-e die de reusa, a dechiña scin a-o nòstro mondo e a se incarna inte unna figgetta do pòpolo, Maitiña («a mattin», fòscia un nomme pròpio, à quelli tempi, coscì comme in ancheu acciammemmo unna figgetta «Aurora»).

L’indifferensa di zeneixi verso a poexia, verso o ben commun, e sorvetutto a seu adoaçion pe-i dinæ e o luscio vëgnan piggiæ de mia da-o Foggetta.

Inte st’atra sunettessa, o Foggetta o propoñe un seu remedio a-a desoccupaçion, mascime de classe elevæ; se se armesse de galee se porriæ dâ un mestê, quello da guæra, a-i zoeni che van in gio pe Zena «à moen scrollando», sensa unn’instruçion e sensa dinæ – ch’ean ciammæ «scavissi» e doveivan ëse ben ben – de mainea che porrieivan schivâ a prexon, guägnâse o pan e dâ lustro a-a naçion.

O Foggetta o confronta Zena con Veneçia, e o paragon o l’é tutto à vantaggio de l’antiga nemiga de Zena; Veneçia, modello de union tra i çittadin da piggiâ à exempio, a l’é l’unica potensa italiaña ch’a l’arma e a mantëgne de galee, pe defende l’Italia «meza mòrta» e «A Santa Fede» contra i Turchi, con tutto che i seu çittadin son fòscia ciù pövei che i zeneixi. A poula «virtù» – l’é ciæo – a se deve intende into senso latin de «qualitæ d’ëse òmmo»: lealtæ, coraggio, savei mantegnî a poula dæta, amô pe-o ben commun, e no into senso moralistico e sessuale de «castitæ».

À un sunetto do giurista Ambreuxo Spinoa, ch’o l’exortava à scrive in italian in cangio che in Zeneise, perché o porrieiva coscì superâ Omero (segondo unna tradiçion, nasciuo à Smirne) e Virgilio (ch’o l’ea de Mantoa), o Foggetta o responde à sta mainea.

English translation:
# Paolo Foglietta (16th cent.)

Paolo Foglietta, already considered the most important Ligurian language poets in his time, is still appreciated even by today’s critics, both for being the first to bring some order to the spelling and language after a long time when they had been abandoned to decadence, and for the lively political and moral passion of his poems. And this is precisely what most strikes the reader today.

The use of the Genoese language, then, was for Foglietta an important part of his programme of restoration of ancient values; from his point of view, changes in language are a sign that customs are decaying: “it is no wonder already if we change languages and everything we do nowadays / because we are all used to making changes”, he says, and here the word “cangi” means both “changes” and exchange policies, bills of exchange; as if to say that changes in language are one and the same thing with the vice of making debts and living by usury, a life of parasites, which has nothing to do with the republican virtues of the ancient Genoese, as Foglietta saw them.

His poems are, for the most part, an attempt to rouse his fellow citizens from sloth, for the days of the greatness of Genoa, “mother of kingdoms and cities” were over. Forced by the historical situation, even more so than by the wickedness of its citizens, the Republic was on its way to counting less and less on the world stage.

Beyond Foglietta’s civic commitment, we must also mention his skill as an artist, in the full meaning of this word; some sonnets contain moments that are almost impressionist paintings; the description of a barbarian attack on the Riviera is unforgettable, with women, men and children being captured to be made slaves; the anxiety, the fear of those poor people, the confusion of that situation are masterfully rendered.

Finally, we cannot forget the “Petrarch-inspired” Foglietta, with its most famous sonnet: Maitiña, the little girl capable of changing salt water into fresh water just by her presence. Perhaps the most beautiful homage to feminine beauty in Genoese literature of all time.

[1] The poet alludes to the chains that closed off access to the Port of Pisa in the Middle Ages, brought to Genoa as a sign of triumph after the victory of Meloria (1283) and hung on the Porta Soprana. De Franchi also alludes to them in one of his poems. They were returned to the Tuscan city during the Fascist era, in a ceremony of reconciliation.

In this famous poem, the aristocratic divine figure of the Homeric poems, the rhododàktylos héos, the rose-fingered aurora, descends to our world and is embodied in a little girl of the people, Maitiña (“the morning”, perhaps a proper name in those days, just as in today’s world we can name a little girl “Aurora.”)

The Genoese people’s indifference to poetry, to the common good, and above all their adoration of money and luxury are the object of Foglietta’s screeches.

In this other sonnet, Foglietta proposes his own remedy for unemployment, especially of the upper classes; if galleys were to be built, a trade – that of arms – could be given to the young men who went around Genoa “swinging fists”, without an education and without money, who were called “troublemakers” and had to be many, so that they may avoid prison, earn their keep and give lustre to the nation.

Foglietta compares Genoa with Venice and the comparison is all to the advantage of Genoa’s ancient adversary; Venice, a model of unity among citizens to be taken as an example, is the only Italian power that builds and maintains galleys to defend “half-dead” Italy and “the Holy Faith” against the Turks, although its citizens are perhaps poorer than the Genoese. The word “virtue” – it is clear – should be understood in the Latin sense of “quality of being a man”; loyalty, courage, keeping one’s word, love for the common good, and not in the moralistic and sexual sense of “chastity”.

To a sonnet by the jurist Ambrogio Spinola, who urged him to write in Italian instead of Genoese, because in that way he could have surpassed Homer (according to one tradition, born in Smyrna) and Virgil (who was from Mantua), Foglietta replied as follows.