Caterina and the Nightingale
Intro
- Storyteller: Filostrato
- Filostrato admits that he's been the King of Pain for the previous day—and they've teased him plenty for it—so he wants to make it up to them by telling a pleasant story.
Story
- An older gentleman and his wife have a lovely little daughter late in life. Caterina grows up to be wondrously beautiful and charming.
- At this time, a handsome young man called Ricciardo often visited their house. The old gentleman, called Lizio, gave Ricciardo free range of his premises and never thought twice about it.
- But Ricciardo, naturally, falls in love with Lizio's beautiful daughter. Pretty soon, they figure out that the feeling is mutual. Now, they have to find a way to "be together."
- Since Caterina's an only child, she's watched closely. Ricciardo suggests that she find a way to sleep out on the balcony overlooking the garden, and he'll manage to climb up and join her.
- Caterina complains to her mother that she can't sleep because it's so hot in the house.
- Can she make up a bed on the balcony OUTSIDE HER FATHER'S ROOM and sleep there? It would be cooler and, you know, the nightingale could sing her to sleep.
- Dad is pretty grouchy about this request: nightingales? Why does she need nightingales?
- So the next night, Caterina not only fusses about the heat, she keeps her mother awake, too.
- Which means that the following night she gets her bed on the balcony.
- Ricciardo climbs to the balcony and spends the whole night with her there. They fall asleep together, completely naked, with Caterina's hand covering Ricciardo's private bits.
- Guess who finds them like that in the morning? Lizio jokes with his wife that Caterina has caught her nightingale in her hand (the word for "bird" in Italian is "uccello," which is also a euphemism for the male you-know-what).
- Lizio turns out to be a level-headed guy. Ricciardo is wealthy and well-born, so he'll make them marry before the boy tries to leave the house.
- In fact, Lizio makes them marry right there on the spot, naked and all. They go back to bed and have sex two more times, since they'd done it "only" six times the previous night.
- Ultimately, they have a proper wedding celebration in the days that follow and spend a lifetime together "caging the nightingale" in perfect happiness.