Analysis of ER LOGOTENENTE (The Lieutenant)

Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli 1791 (Rome) – 1863



Come intese a ciarlà der cavalletto,
Presto io curze dar zor Logotenente:
"Mi' marito... Eccellenza... è un poveretto
Pe carità... Ché nun ha ffatto gnente".

Dice: "Mettet'a ssede". Io me ce metto.
Lui cor un zenno manna via la gente:
Po' me s'accosta: "Dimme un po' gruggnetto,
Tu' marito lo vòi reo o innocente?"

"Innocente", dich'io; e lui: "Ciò gusto"
E detto-fatto quer faccia d'abbreo
Me schiaffa la man-dritta drent'ar busto.

Io sbarzo in piede, e strillo: "Eh sor cazzeo..."
E lui: "Fijola, quer ch'è giusto è giusto:
Annate via: vostro marito è reo".

As soon as I heard about the judicial punishment
I hurried to the Lieutenant:
"Your Excellency, my husband is a poor fellow...
For goodness sake...he didn't do anything wrong".

He says: "Sit down". I sit.
He waves the other people away:
Then he comes close to me: "Now tell me, pretty face,
Do you want your husband guilty or innocent?"

"Innocent" I say; he says: "I'm glad";
And straight away that loathsome fellow
Tucks his right hand inside my corset.

I jump up, and shout: "Hey you fool..."
He says: "My dear, fair's fair:
Go away: your husband's guilty".


Scheme AAAA AAAA ABA CAB AADX AXCA ADA XBA
Poetic Form
Metre 110111 1101111 11111 1111111 11110111 10111101011 1111111 111111011 1111011 111111 11111110 1010111111 1101111010 1101110 11111010010100 11010010 111011010110 1101101101 111111 110101001 111111111101 111110101100 100111111 010111010 111101110 11101111 111111 10111010
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 1,142
Words 201
Sentences 20
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 3, 3, 4, 4, 3, 3
Lines Amount 28
Letters per line (avg) 29
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 101
Words per stanza (avg) 24
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:02 min read
106

Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli

Giuseppe Francesco Antonio Maria Gioachino Raimondo Belli was an Italian poet, famous for his sonnets in Romanesco, the dialect of Rome. more…

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