Ligurian:
# Luiggi Stallo (sec. XIX)

O l’ea de Sampedæña, delegaçion chi gh’à dedicou un caroggio. Mazzinian e garibaldin, membro da Soçietæ Filantròpica Umanitäia, into quæ ambito, do 1854, o l’é stæto tra i promotoî do settô alimentari in favô di operäi, basou in sce l’acquisto de matëie primme (patatte, gran e fæñe, riso, euio, vin, lemi, etc. e carbon ascì), tramite un caiâ accheuggeito tra i soçi, con obbligaçioin de 50 lie l’uña. O l’ea o primmo passo verso e ciù organizzæ cooperative de consummo, ch’avian un gròsso desviluppo dex’anni apreuvo. O Stallo l’ea à favô de unna democraçia popolare basâ in sciô voto universâ, diriti di ciù pövei, educaçion e coltua, progresso soçiale di operäi. Stæto accaxonou de sediçion, pe unna tentativa de sollevo à l’epoca da partensa do Carlo Pisacane, e acciappou da-a poliçia a-i 29 de zugno do 1859, o l’é arriescio à scappâ, ma proçessou in seu assensa (co-o Mazzini e o Antonio Mosto) e condannou à dex’anni de prexon. Tra i carabinê zeneixi o l’à parteçipou de persoña e volontäio a-e guære garibaldiñe. Do 1868 ô trovemmo fondatô e primmo prescidente da «Società M.S. dei Volontari italiani di San Pier d’Arena» e da «Associazione Reduci delle patrie battaglie». O no l’é stæto eletto torna l’anno apreuvo, perché a-i 7 de luggio do 1869 ô trovemmo detegnuo inta çittadella de Lusciandra, e do 1870 à Gaeta. Stæto sciortio d’in prexon, dòppo a spediçion franseise o l’à criticou con fòrsa o Garibaldi, con pubricâ un volumme in Fransa, à Chambery, do 1871, Verità e calunnia in faccia al generale Giuseppe Garibaldi. Reminiscenze di un volontario italiano in Francia e apreuvo à sto fæto chì o l’é stæto allontanou da-e assoçiaçioin e emarginou. Do Stallo se conosce ascì un poemmeto in italian intitolou: L’orfanella di un volontario italiano morto a Mentana il 3 novembre 1867 (Genova, Tipografia Economica, 1877).

Sta Vixon, ch’a se inseisce inta sveuga euttoçentesca di lunäi, a contëgne ascì, dòppo o testo poetico, un lunäietto pe-o 1853 e, a-a dreitua, stæti azzonti à man, i prexi de corree tra despæge localitæ do Regno de Sardegna. O lenguaggio deuviou da-o Stallo, con tutte e seu conçescioin à l’italian, a-o zeneise da borghexia, o fa pensâ a-o Pedevilla, ma chì coscì e critiche a-a Gexa catòlica e a-i regnanti son due comme tutto e dan à divedde areo a reixe mazziniaña e massònica do seu autô, co-a fæ inte unna divinitæ ch’a se piggia a-o cheu a causa di patriòtti italien, e a scombatte da-a mæxima parte do pòpolo, comme inte stròfe de l’Inno de Mameli. Pe-a seu scritua elaborâ, i referimenti erudii (tra i seu modelli a-a dreitua Dante, ò o Petrarca de I Trionfi ), a cua formale, o poemmetto o no l’ea de seguo destinou a-o pòpolo, ma o serviva à tiâ da-a parte di mazzinien quella borghexia inluminâ e fornia de unna çerta instruçion, ch’a foïse in condiçion d’apprexâlo e scompartîne i ideali. L’emigrou do titolo o l’é, ciæamente, un exiliou repubrican che, con l’espediente ciùfito abuxou da vixon, into gio de ottantun sestiñe metricamente perfette, o revedde o passou e o profetizza i avvegnimenti futui, scin à imaginâ i Stati Unii d’Euröpa, e a-a dreitua quelli do Mondo, retti à Repubrica Democratica; unn’atra demostraçion de comme, à quelli tempi, a lengua zeneise a poeiva vegnî à taggio pe trattâ di argomenti elevæ e à spanze propaganda de ògni meña, pe-a seu capaçitæ de arrivâ de lengê à tutti.

O patriòtta o vedde e anime de tutti i martiri do libeo pensceo, à partî da-i sòliti Giordan Brun e Galileo, ma o mette con lô ascì Dante, tegnuo pe nemigo da Gexa e do Papato, e, insemme, Savonareua, Cola da Rienzo, Masaniello, e atri, tutti conscideræ martiri da futua libertæ, e dapeu, comme l’é lògico, tutti i carbonari implicæ inti varri sollevi e stæti fuxillæ. À sta vixon ne vëgne apreuvo unn’atra, quella di tiranni antighi e moderni, che fan gazibba pe eliminâ o libealiximo, e son commandæ da òmmi de gexa, comme o paddre Gusman l’inquixiçionäio, in favô de unna dua represcion, tanto che o paddre Rhotaan, o parla in favô de reforme pe imbroggiâ ciù ben i libeali, con spantegâ a descòrdia e e divixoin into campo avversäio. Stæta passâ sta vixon ascì, o patriòtta o vedde vegnî avanti i òmmi armæ de compagnie, che representan i pòpoli da tæra, ogniduña con unna bandea contrassegnâ da un segno scimbòlico. De fronte a-a bandea ch’a profetizza i Stati Unii d’Euröpa, inte tutti scenta «ògni pascion pe-a tæra sò natia» ch’a saià sostituia da l’amô universale pe l’umanitæ. E chì vëgne da domandâse perché beseugneiva ëse patriòtti, se l’é de za destin che o patriottiximo o se deslengue inte un ciù generico e sperso amô pe-i Stati Unii d’Euröpa, ò pe di ancon ciù lonten Stati Unii do Mondo. I doî personaggi mensunæ verso a fin, che suscitan mai tante speranse de reneuvamento millenaristico inte l’autô, Luigi e Giuseppe, pâ che seggian o Garibaldi e o Luiggi Napolion, che da lì à un pittin o diventiâ Impeatô di franseixi, segondo unna proçedua no guæi democratica, in tradî e aspettative di patriòtti de sa e de là de Arpe; ma se sa che no tutte e «vixoin» dan into segno.

English translation:
# Luigi Stallo (19th cent.)

He was from Sampierdarena, a neighborhood that dedicated an alley to him. He was a follower of Mazzini and Garibaldi, and a member of the Humanitarian Philanthropic Society, within which, in 1854, he was among the promoters of the food sector in favor of workers, based on the purchase of raw materials (potatoes, wheat and flours, rice, oil, wine, legumes, etc., and also coal), through capital raised among the members, with bonds of 50 lire each. It was the first step towards the more organized consumer cooperatives, which would develop considerably ten years later. Stallo was in favor of a people’s democracy based on universal voting, rights of the poorest, education and culture, and social progress for workers. Accused of sedition for an attempted insurrection at the time of Carlo Pisacane’s departure, and captured by police on June 29, 1859, he managed to escape, but was tried in his absence (with Mazzini and Antonio Mosto) and sentenced to ten years in prison. He was among the Genoese Carabinieri and participated in person and as a volunteer in Garibaldi’s wars. In 1868 he is the founder and first president of the societies “Società M.S. dei Volontari Italiani di San Pier d’Arena” and “Ass.ne Reduci delle patrie battaglie”. He was not elected the following year, because on July 7, 1869 he was imprisoned in the citadel of Alexandria, and in 1870 in Gaeta. After leaving prison, he strongly criticized Garibaldi after the French expedition, publishing a volume in Chambery, France, in 1871, titled Truth and Slander in the Face of General Giuseppe Garibaldi. Memories of an Italian Volunteer in France and as a result of this he was removed from the associations and ostracized. Of Stallo we also know of a poem in Italian titled L’orfanella di un volontario italiano morto a Mentana il 3 novembre 1867 (Genoa, Tipografica Economica, 1877).

This Vixon, which follows in the nineteenth-century fashion of calendars, also contains, after the poetic text, a small calendar for 1853 and even, added by hand, the rates of coaches between different places in the Kingdom of Sardinia. The language used by Stallo, with all its concessions to the Italian, to the Genoese of the bourgeoisie, makes one think of Pedevilla, but here the criticism of the Catholic Church and the rulers is very harsh and makes one fully understand the Mazzinian and Masonic roots of its author, with his faith in a deity who takes to heart the cause of Italian patriots, and fights on the same side of the people, as in the stanzas of the Italian anthem, l’Inno di Mameli. Because of its elaborate writing, scholarly references (among its models even Dante, or the Petrarch of The Triumphs ), and formal care, the poem was certainly not intended for the people, but served to attract to Mazzini’s cause that enlightened and educated middle class who were in a position to appreciate it and share its ideals. The emigrant of the title is, of course, a republican exile who, with the rather abused expedient of the vision, in the space of eighty-one metrically perfect sestines, reviews the past and prophesies future events, even to the point of imagining the United States of Europe, and even those of the World, ruled as a democratic republic. Another demonstration of how, in those days, the Genoese language could be useful in dealing with lofty subjects and in spreading propaganda of all kinds, because of its ability to reach everyone easily.

The patriot sees the souls of all the martyrs of freedom of thought, starting with the usual Giordano Bruno and Galileo, but he also adds Dante, as he is considered an opponent of the Church and the Papacy, and in addition Savonarola, Cola da Rienzo, Masaniello, and others, all considered martyrs of future freedom, and then, as is logical, all the Carbonari involved in the various insurrections who were shot. This vision is followed by another, that of ancient and modern tyrants, who plot to eliminate liberalism, and are commanded by churchmen, such as Father Gusman the inquisitor, who is in favor of harsh repression, while Father Rhotaan speaks in favor of reforms to better deceive the liberals, spreading discord and divisions in the opposing camp. Vanishing even this vision, the patriot sees advancing armed men of companies, representing the peoples of the land, each with a flag marked with a symbolic sign. In front of the flag prophesying the United States of Europe, “all passion for their native land” disappears in everyone and is replaced by universal love for humanity. And here one wonders why one would need to be a patriot, if it is already fated that patriotism will dissolve into a more generic and faded love for the United States of Europe, or towards some more distant still United States of the World. The two characters named towards the end, Louis and Joseph, who raise so many hopes of millenarian renewal in the author, seem to be Garibaldi and Louis Napoleon, who will shortly thereafter become emperor of the French, following an undemocratic process, betraying the expectations of patriots on both sides of the Alps. But it is known that not all “visions” get it right.