Ligurian:
# Nicolò Baçigalô (1837–1904)

De grande coltua, conoscitô de lengue clasciche e de prinçipæ lengue moderne, o l’é stæto Tesoê do Commun de Zena e o se dilettava ascì de arte figuative e reçitaçion; quarchidun di seu testi tiatrali, comme à exempio I Manezzi pe maiâ unna figgia, son vegnui à ëse cavalli de battaggia do Gilberto Govi. A seu euvia, ciù che atro à carattere burlesco, a l’à avuo unna grande influensa in sce tanti autoî, che identificavan, e de vòtte identifican ancon, a poexia zeneise co-a battua vorgâ e o senso doggio. O grande successo de l’euvia do Baçigalô o testemònia o momento che a lengua zeneise a vëgne à ëse pe in davei «dialetto», into senso de unna lengua subordenâ à unn’atra de ciù grande prestigio, e ömai destinâ solo che à di uxi de pöca importansa, con l’approvaçion do pubrico d’aloa; l’involuçion do zeneise a se vedde ciæa ascì da-o ponto de vista lescicale e scintattico; tanto che comparisce sempre ciù de soventi i italianiximi, fiña a construçion da frase a l’é de spesso modellâ in sce l’italian. À tutti i mòddi, o Baçigalô o l’arriësce o mæximo, de belle vòtte, à ëse un poeta convinçente, da-a veña melancònica e pensamentosa, comme into caxo di sunetti dedicæ a-a Rivea Ligure. Tra i seu testi ciù conosciuti; a verscion parodistica de l’ Eneide, O pappagallo de moneghe, Montecatini, Inni civili, O canto da rumenta.

Into poemmetto Montecatini (1902), o Baçigalô o descrive a ben conosciua localitæ termale, destinaçion caa a-a borghexia zeneise, e o n’approfita pe deliniâ personaggi e maccette caratteristiche, ben ben aggiuttou da-o træto birichin do disegnatô Giöxeppe Garuti, dito Pipein Gamba, dito ascì Pipinus da Modona, avvoxou pe-e donniñe vestie Belle Époque, à quelli tempi tegnue pe provocante.

O vixitatô o comensa à distingue e conosce personaggi anche inlustri:

A serie de tipi a continua, e con lê i mocchetti satirichi:

Da quello che pâ, peò, o sciô Nicolin o no l’anava da quelle bande solo che pe passâ e ægue:

Inta segonda meitæ de l’Euttoçento a produçion tiatrale do Nicolò Baçigalô a se presenta desimpegnâ areo, de solo intrategnimento, a-a reçerca de façili effetti còmichi; i seu personaggi son pöco de ciù de di stereòtipi convençionali: o vegio mogognon, l’intrigoso, o raixo, a servetta ammaiçiâ, i zoeni innamoæ; quarchedun de sti chì o repiggia de figue do tiatro tradiçionale baròcco do Seiçento, ma inte un contesto areo despægio, inte un zeugo tiatrale desganciou da ògni realitæ, un mondo à parte, ch’o fonçioña da pe lê. Tutte e mainee, sti travaggi son de un çerto interesse, se no atro inta construçion de l’intresso perfettamente scandio e ascì into lenguaggio, pe commun ciù sccetto e idiomatico che inte poexie de sto mæximo autô.

Inta çelebre Piggiâse o mâ do Rosso o cartâ (1870), l’intrigoso Pippo Manezzi, con tutto ch’o l’é in boña fede, o l’accaxoña de gròsse bæghe à chi o l’incontra, ma sorvetutto à lê mæximo, pe-a seu smangiaxon de voei «fâ do ben» à tutti i conti. A l’ea uña de ciù riescie interpretaçioin do Govi, a-o prinçipio da seu carrea, ma dapeu a l’é stæta da maniman abbandonâ; quello che peu interessâ à niatri moderni, de sta comedia, o l’é o mecaniximo tiatrale, implacabile comme un releuio. Da tegnî conto, tra l’atro, do zeneise perfetto, pe ninte æguou, e esprescivo comme tutto.

English translation:
# Nicolò Bacigalupo (1837–1904)

He was a highly educated individual, a connoisseur of classical and major modern languages. He was Treasurer of the Municipality of Genoa, an amateur of figurative arts and acting, and some of his plays, such as I manezzi pe maiâ ’na figgia, became workhorses of Gilberto Govi. His work, mostly burlesque in character, had a great influence on a great many authors, who identified, and sometimes still identify, Genoese poetry with the cheap double entendre joke. The great success of Bacigalupo’s work testifies to the moment when the Genoese language truly became a “dialect”, in the sense of a language subordinate to another of greater prestige, and now destined only for uses of little importance, with the approval of the audience of the time. The decline of Genoese is also evident from the lexical and syntactic point of view. While Italianisms appear more and more frequently, sentence construction is also often traced back to Italian. However, Bacigalupo also sometimes manages to be a fairly convincing poet with a melancholic and pensive vein, as in the cycle of sonnets dedicated to the Ligurian Riviera. Among his best-known texts, the parody version of the Eneid, O pappagallo de moneghe, Montecatini, Inni civili, O canto da rumenta.

In the poem Montecatini (1902), Bacigalupo describes the well-known spa resort, a favorite destination of the Genoese bourgeoisie, and takes the opportunity to portray stereotypical characters and caricatures, brilliantly aided by the mischievous stroke of cartoonist Giuseppe Garuti, also known as Pipein Gamba, also known as Pipinus da Modona, famous for his Belle Époque style sketches of damsels, which were considered provocative at the time.

The visitor begins to discern and even recognize famous people:

The review of stereotypical characters goes on, and with it the satirical jabs:

Apparently, however, o sciô Nicolin was not just going there to pass the waters:

In the second half of the nineteenth century, Nicolò Bacigalupo’s theatrical production is thoroughly disengaged, pure entertainment, seeking easy comic effects. His characters are nothing more than conventional stereotypes: the grumpy old man, the schemer, the miser, the mischievous servant girl, the young lovers. Some of these take up figures from the traditional Baroque theater of the seventeenth century, but in an entirely different context, in a theatrical game disengaged from all reality, a world apart, functioning on its own. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that these works are of some interest, if only in the construction of the perfectly paced plot and also in the language, usually more blunt and idiomatic than in the poems of this same author.

In the famous Piggiâse o mâ do Rosso o Cartâ (1870), the meddlesome Pippo Manezzi, although in good faith, causes great trouble for others, but especially for himself, because of his eagerness to want to “do good” at any cost. It was one of Gilbero Govi’s most successful performances early in his career, but was later gradually abandoned. What may interest us moderns about this play is the theatrical mechanism, relentless as clockwork. Also to be taken into account is the perfect Genoese, not at all watered down and highly expressive.