Ligurian:
# Anton Giulio Brignoe Sâ (1605–1665)

O Anton Giulio Brignoe Sâ o l’appartegniva à uña de ciù potente famigge da Repubrica; nasciuo do 1605 e mòrto do 1665, pensatô, poeta, comediògrafo e òmmo politico, sostegnitô de unna ciù grande autonomia da Repubrica de Zena verso a Spagna. Inta segonda parte da seu vitta, do 1649, o l’à renonçiou à tutti i incarreghi politichi e o l’à piggiou i òrdeni saçerdotali, con finî pe fâse gexuita do 1652. Autô de comedie plurilingue, I due anelli simili e Li comici schiavi, segondo l’usansa do seu tempo, o gh’à portou a seu veña satirica e polemica. Inte unn’euvia comme Li comici schiavi poemmo attrovâ a mascara zeneise do Capoâ Berodo, o sordatto farabolan ch’o s’avvanta de incredibile avventue, e destinou tutte e vòtte à ëse misso a-o landon, progenitô de atre mascare ligure, comme Barudda e Monòdda, popolen rattelloxi e sciätoin.

O tiatro còmico do Seiçento o l’ea de soventi plurilingue e pe commun ògni personaggio o l’ea unna mascara, caratterizzâ da un diverso dialetto. O personaggio ciù ammou da-o pubrico zeneise o l’ea o Capoâ, o sordatto falampi, ch’o finisce delongo pe fâ de fottifigue. Quande peò e comedie vegnivan portæ a-o de feua de Zena, a parte do Capoâ, ò de atre mascare zeneixi, a vegniva traduta in italian ò a-a dreitua levâ da mezo, e sto fæto in caxon segge de alluxoin politiche localistiche de quæ e tiate do Capoâ ean farçie, segge pe-i zeughi de poule e doggi sensci, che ghe gustava a-i zeneixi d’aloa, ma che feua de Zena ean incomprenscibili. Sto fæto o dà raxon ascì da nisciuña popolaritæ do tiatro zeneise e de seu mascare into resto d’Italia, ancon oua desconosciui.

E atre doe mascare caratteristiche zeneixi, che tornan delongo into tiatro do Seiçento e che son arrivæ, con de variante, fiña tòsto a-i nòstri giorni inti Carrossezzi de Carlevâ, ean o vegio leppegon e raixo co-a servetta zoena e ammaiçiâ, chi ghe dà delongo o liscio. O Brignoe Sâ o repiggia i doî personaggi inta seu comedia I due anelli simili e o î fa esprimme con tutta a vivessa e l’axillo che son neçessai a-a scituaçion. Inte sta scena, o vegio Pasquâ o ciamma a-a seu figgiòssa Gianchinetta de sposâlo, tanto da schivâ de pagâ de deutta à un eventuale pretendente.

Pâ che o Brignoe Sâ o l’agge scrito ascì quarche poexia còmica, de quæ sta chì, piña de sensci doggi e alluxoin eròtiche ò dòtte comme e tiate do Capoâ a-o tiatro, e stæta dedicâ à unna seu ammante tròppo caistiosa, a l’é un exempio.

[^1]: Inta grammatica latiña o caxo genitivo o ven avanti o dativo. L’autô o veu dî che con sta dònna o deve ëse lesto à dâ, avanti de deuviâ i «genitali».

[^2]: «Löro» o l’é o clascico nomme do pappagallo; Inte sto caxo o reciamma o nomme de l’öo.

[^3]: O «Donato» o l’é unna clascica grammatica latiña. Sta dònna chì gh’é cao piggiâ in man o «Donato», avanti che o «Furioso»…

[^4]: «se no menæ e moen (pe tiâ feua palanche), poei anche menâ i pê (pe anâvene).»

[^5]: «i pagai» fan pensâ à l’atto de «pagâ»; e oæ (oræ) reciamman a poula «oro».

[^6]: A Marfisa a l’é unna dònna guerrezzea di poemmi cavallereschi franseixi; inte sto caxo pe mandâla «à gambe levæ», a «lansa» a dev’ëse d’öo.

[^7]: «no sò se s’ammuggia de ciù à sommâ (stâ insemme), ò à spartîse.»

English translation:
# Anton Giulio Brignole Sale (1605–1665)

Anton Giulio Brignole Sale belonged to one of the most powerful families of the Republic of Genoa. Born in 1605 and died in 1665, he was a thinker, poet, playwright and politician, an advocate of greater autonomy of the Republic in relation to Spain. In the second part of his life, from 1649, he renounced all political appointments and took priestly orders, eventually becoming a Jesuit in 1652. He authored multilingual comedies, The Two Similar Rings and The Comic Slaves, according to the custom of the time, and he transfused his satirical and polemical vein into them. In a work such as Li comici schiavi we can come across the Genoese character of Corporal Berodo, the bumbling soldier who produces incredible boastfulness, destined to be punctually mocked, forerunner of other Ligurian masks, such as Barudda and Monòdda, quarrelsome and confused commoners.

Comic theatre in the 17th century was often multilingual and usually each character was a mask, characterised by a different dialect. The most popular character with the Genoese public was the Caporale (corporal), the fanatical soldier, who always ended up making a bad impression. However, when comedies were performed outside Genoa, the part of the corporal or the other Genoese masks was translated into Italian or even suppressed. This was due both to the local political allusions with which the corporal’s tirades were stuffed, and also to the puns and double entendres, which the Genoese liked at the time, but which were incomprehensible outside Genoa. This also explains the lack of popularity of Genoese theatre and its masks in the rest of Italy, which are still overlooked to this day.

The other two characteristic Genoese masks, which always returned in 17th-century theatre and which have survived, with variations, almost to the present day in masked carnival parades, were the lustful, miserly old man with the mischievous young servant girl who always rejects him. Brignole Sale takes up the two characters in his comedy I due anelli simili and makes them express themselves with all the vivacity and liveliness that the situation calls for. In this scene, old Pasquale asks his goddaughter Bianchinetta to marry him, to avoid paying the dowry to a possible suitor.

Brignole Sale also seems to have written a few humorous poems, of which this one, full of double entendres and erotic or learned allusions like the corporal’s tirades at the theatre, and dedicated to one of his overly exorbitant mistresses, is an example.

[^1]: In Latin grammar, the genitive case precedes the dative. The author therefore means that with this woman one must be ready to give before using the “genitals”.

[^2]: “Loro” is the typical name for parrots; in this case, it recalls the echoes the name of gold.

[^3]: “Donato” is a classic Latin grammar. This woman would sooner pick up the “Donato” than the “Orlando Furioso”…

[^4]: “if you don’t move your hands (to get money out), you may as well move your feet (to leave)”.

[^5]: the word “pagai” suggests the act of “paying”; “orate” suggests the word “gold”.

[^6]: Marfisa is a warrior woman from the French chivalry poems. In this case, the spear has to be made of gold in order to send her fleeing.

[^7]: “I don’t know whether one accumulates more by summing (being together), or by dividing.”