Meo Patacca
Encyclopedia
Meo Patacca or Roma in feste ne i Trionfi di Vienna ("Rome
in jubilation for the Triumphs of Vienna
") is the name of a poem in rhyme
s written by Giuseppe Berneri (1637 - 1700).
, (the Italian
dialect
spoken in Rome
) of the 17th century, and is important because it reveals some elements of both the language
and the lifestyle of the Roman people in that period.
It relates the story of a sgherro or a mercenary, who, at the news of the siege of Vienna
, decides to organize an expedition to help free the city. The siege really took place in 1683 when the Ottoman
army, led by Kara Mustafa Pasha (Bassà in the poem) besieged Vienna
for two months.
Just before leaving, however, it is reported that Vienna is free from the siege, so the collected money is then spent to organize a big party.
The poem is composed of 1245 octaves
, collected in 12 cantos. In the last verse or Canto
there is an account of the religious fanaticism
of the time such as in the following: on a weak pretext, the people besiege the Jewish ghetto
, accusing the Jewish people of having helped the Turks
.
Particularly important for modern scholars, are the descriptions of places, customs, habits and in general the way of life of the Roman people of the time.
The poem was first published in 1695. A second edition was published in 1823 with the title Il Meo Patacca ovvero Roma in feste nei trionfi di Vienna. Poema giocoso nel linguaggio Romanesco di Giuseppe Berneri. Romano Accademico Infecondo ("The Meo Patacca or Rome in Jubilation for the Triumphs of Vienna. Playful poem in the Romanesco language by Giuseppe Berneri, Roman scholar of the Accademia degli Infecondi"). This edition, with 52 illustrations and engravings by Bartolomeo Pinelli
, was published by L. Fabri in Via Capo le Case n° 3"
A play inspired by the Meo Patacca, titled Un pranzo a Testaccio o Il matrimonio di Marco Pepe ("A lunch in Testaccio or The marriage of Marco Pepe"), was performed in 1835 at the Pallacorda Theatre.
In the 19th century the character
of Meo Patacca was played by two famous actor
s, Annibale Sansoni and Filippo Tacconi, nicknamed "il Gobbo" ("the Hunchback
").
The poem was also made into a movie, directed by Marcello Ciorciolini, and interpreted, among the others, by Mario Scaccia and Gigi Proietti
.
He walks around in the city, meditating on the next move and finds himself in Piazza Navona
with its fountain
(canto 3, octave 21):
And then, later in the same canto, octave 29:
Meo overcomes Marco Pepe and wins the duel and Calfurnia is beaten up by Nuccia, amazed and incredulous as to Calpurnia’s wickness. Now that he has become the head of a troupe of swordsmen, with banners and flags, he collects his fighters, and in the presence of the Roman crowd, makes peace with Nuccia. The Roman nobility furnishes him with equipment and means. As he is about to set off, news arrives that the siege of Vienna has been broken and even more, the Austrians have taken Buda in Hungary. So, although he is jealous that he has not had a share of the battle, Meo decides to open the celebrations with a grand show, fireworks and lights in Via del Corso:
Note: the above is a pun
, as Race (Corsa in Italian) sound like the feminine
of Corso (meaning main street).
When definitive news of a victory finally reaches Rome, there are more celebration. Meo acquits himself with valour from all the situations in which he finds himself and the poem ends with the wedding of Nuccia and Meo.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in jubilation for the Triumphs of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
") is the name of a poem in rhyme
Rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
s written by Giuseppe Berneri (1637 - 1700).
The poem
This poem is written in RomanescoRomanesco
Romanesco or Romanesque is a regional language or sociolect subsumed within the Italian language spoken in Rome. It is part of the Central Italian dialects and is thus genetically closer to the Tuscan dialect and Standard Italian....
, (the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
spoken in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
) of the 17th century, and is important because it reveals some elements of both the language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
and the lifestyle of the Roman people in that period.
It relates the story of a sgherro or a mercenary, who, at the news of the siege of Vienna
Battle of Vienna
The Battle of Vienna took place on 11 and 12 September 1683 after Vienna had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months...
, decides to organize an expedition to help free the city. The siege really took place in 1683 when the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
army, led by Kara Mustafa Pasha (Bassà in the poem) besieged Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
for two months.
Just before leaving, however, it is reported that Vienna is free from the siege, so the collected money is then spent to organize a big party.
The poem is composed of 1245 octaves
Octave (poetry)
An octave is a verse form consisting of eight lines of iambic pentameter or of hendecasyllables . The most common rhyme scheme for an octave is abba abba....
, collected in 12 cantos. In the last verse or Canto
Canto
The canto is a principal form of division in a long poem, especially the epic. The word comes from Italian, meaning "song" or singing. Famous examples of epic poetry which employ the canto division are Lord Byron's Don Juan, Valmiki's Ramayana , Dante's The Divine Comedy , and Ezra Pound's The...
there is an account of the religious fanaticism
Religious fanaticism
Religious fanaticism is fanaticism related to a person's, or a group's, devotion to a religion. However, religious fanaticism is a subjective evaluation defined by the culture context that is performing the evaluation. What constitutes fanaticism in another's behavior or belief is determined by the...
of the time such as in the following: on a weak pretext, the people besiege the Jewish ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
, accusing the Jewish people of having helped the Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
Particularly important for modern scholars, are the descriptions of places, customs, habits and in general the way of life of the Roman people of the time.
The poem was first published in 1695. A second edition was published in 1823 with the title Il Meo Patacca ovvero Roma in feste nei trionfi di Vienna. Poema giocoso nel linguaggio Romanesco di Giuseppe Berneri. Romano Accademico Infecondo ("The Meo Patacca or Rome in Jubilation for the Triumphs of Vienna. Playful poem in the Romanesco language by Giuseppe Berneri, Roman scholar of the Accademia degli Infecondi"). This edition, with 52 illustrations and engravings by Bartolomeo Pinelli
Bartolomeo Pinelli
Bartolomeo Pinelli was an Italian illustrator and engraver.-Life:Pinelli was born and died in Rome, the son of a religious statues modeler. Pinelli was educated first in Bologna and then at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. He lived in a poor quarter of Rome...
, was published by L. Fabri in Via Capo le Case n° 3"
A play inspired by the Meo Patacca, titled Un pranzo a Testaccio o Il matrimonio di Marco Pepe ("A lunch in Testaccio or The marriage of Marco Pepe"), was performed in 1835 at the Pallacorda Theatre.
In the 19th century the character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
of Meo Patacca was played by two famous actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
s, Annibale Sansoni and Filippo Tacconi, nicknamed "il Gobbo" ("the Hunchback
Hunchback
Hunchback may refer to one of the following.*A derogatory term for a person who has severe kyphosis*The Hunchback of Notre Dame*Hunchback , an arcade and computer game from the 1980s*The Hunchback, a 1914 film featuring Lillian Gish...
").
The poem was also made into a movie, directed by Marcello Ciorciolini, and interpreted, among the others, by Mario Scaccia and Gigi Proietti
Gigi Proietti
Luigi "Gigi" Proietti is an Italian actor, director, dubber and singer.-Early life:He was born in Rome to Romano Proietti, a man from Umbria, and Giovanna Ceci, a housewife. During his youth he was keen on singing and on playing guitar, piano, accordion and double bass in several roman night clubs...
.
Story
The action of the poem begins with the arrival of a messenger in Rome with the news that Vienna has been besieged by the Turks. Meo Patacca, the greatest of all swordsmen in Rome, gets the brilliant idea to amass a troupe of brave and battle-hardened mercenaries (Sgherri arditi e scaltri) to break the siege and save the city. Nuccia, with whom he is in love and wants to marry, begs him not to leave and go to war. In a tearful scene, she manages to make him waver in his intentions and that leaves him worried and anxious.He walks around in the city, meditating on the next move and finds himself in Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona is a city square in Rome, Italy. It is built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in 1st century AD, and follows the form of the open space of the stadium. The ancient Romans came there to watch the agones , and hence it was known as 'Circus Agonalis'...
with its fountain
Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi
The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or "Fountain of the Four Rivers" is a fountain in Rome, Italy, located in the urban square of the Piazza Navona...
(canto 3, octave 21):
| Original | Roughly translated |
|---|---|
| Ce so' poi sopra quattro cantonate, | On top there’re four sections, |
| Et altrettante statue, una pe' parte; | And equal number of statues, one in each part; |
| Ce stanno iofamente qui assettate | They’re here beautifully sitting |
| Se i posti da sedè glie fece l'arte. | As if Art placed them there in their seats. |
| Questi so' fiumi con le fogge usate, | Those are rivers each with his attitude, |
| Assai famosi in tell'antiche carte: | Very famous in the ancient maps: |
| Nilo, Gange, Danubio, e c'è di più, | Nile Nile The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major... , Ganges, Danube Danube The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway.... , and there's more, |
| Detta rio de la Platta, il gran Pegù. | Known as Río de la Plata Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and... , the Great Pegù. |
And then, later in the same canto, octave 29:
| Original | Roughly translated |
|---|---|
| Et ecco, che già tutto v'ho mostrato, | And now, that I've shown you all, |
| Sol resta a dirvi, che fu autor famoso | It only remains to be said, who’s the famous sculptor |
| Di quest'opera granne, (et io m'inchino | Of this great work, (and I bow |
| Alle sue grolie), il Cavalier Bernino. | At his glory), Cavalier Bernini Gian Lorenzo Bernini Gian Lorenzo Bernini was an Italian artist who worked principally in Rome. He was the leading sculptor of his age and also a prominent architect... . |
The conclusion
Some time before, Meo had beaten up Calfurnia, a soothsayer, who had given him an answer to a dream, because he was not completely satisfied with her interpretation of the dream. Offended, Calfurnia decided to vindicate herself and get back at Meo so she plots to gossip to Nuccia about Meo. This induces another swordman Marco Pepe to challenge Meo to a duel.Meo overcomes Marco Pepe and wins the duel and Calfurnia is beaten up by Nuccia, amazed and incredulous as to Calpurnia’s wickness. Now that he has become the head of a troupe of swordsmen, with banners and flags, he collects his fighters, and in the presence of the Roman crowd, makes peace with Nuccia. The Roman nobility furnishes him with equipment and means. As he is about to set off, news arrives that the siege of Vienna has been broken and even more, the Austrians have taken Buda in Hungary. So, although he is jealous that he has not had a share of the battle, Meo decides to open the celebrations with a grand show, fireworks and lights in Via del Corso:
| Original | Roughly translated |
|---|---|
| Più ch'in ogn'altro loco, assai gustosa | More than in any other place, very funny |
| Rescì 'sta festa in una strada ritta, | Was this party in that straight road, |
| Longa un miglio, et in Roma assai famosa; | A mile long, and in Rome very famous; |
| Pe' nominata antica, il Corzo è ditta. | Since ancient times, Corso is how it's called. |
| Nel Carnevale è piena 'sta calcosa | During Carnival Carnival Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party... is full this one |
| Di gente così nobil, come guitta, | Of people so noble, and so cheap, |
| A diluvio le maschere ce vanno, | Like rain the masks go there, |
| E la Curza, li Barbari ce fanno. | And the Race, the Barbarians run. |
Note: the above is a pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
, as Race (Corsa in Italian) sound like the feminine
Grammatical gender
Grammatical gender is defined linguistically as a system of classes of nouns which trigger specific types of inflections in associated words, such as adjectives, verbs and others. For a system of noun classes to be a gender system, every noun must belong to one of the classes and there should be...
of Corso (meaning main street).
When definitive news of a victory finally reaches Rome, there are more celebration. Meo acquits himself with valour from all the situations in which he finds himself and the poem ends with the wedding of Nuccia and Meo.