- published: 07 Mar 2012
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The Decameron, also called Prince Galehaut (Italian: Il Decameron, cognominato Prencipe Galeotto) is a 14th-century medieval allegory by Giovanni Boccaccio, told as a frame story encompassing 100 tales by ten young people. Boccaccio probably began composing the work in 1350, and finished it in 1351 or 1353. The bawdy tales of love in The Decameron range from the erotic to the tragic. Tales of wit, practical jokes, and life lessons contribute to the mosaic. In addition to its literary import, it documents life in 14th-century Italy.
The book's primary title exemplifies Boccaccio's fondness for Greek philology: Decameron combines two Greek words, Greek: δέκα déka ("ten") and Greek: ἡμέρα hēméra ("day"), to form a term that means "ten-day event". Ten days is the time period in which the characters of the frame story tell their tales.
Boccaccio's alternative title, Prencipe Galeotto (Prince Galehaut), refers to Galehaut, a fictional king portrayed in the Lancelot-Grail who was sometimes called by the title haut prince ("high prince"). Galehaut was a close friend of Lancelot and an enemy of King Arthur. When Galehaut learned that Lancelot loved Arthur's wife, Guinevere, he set aside his own ardor for the queen in order to arrange a tryst between his younger friend Lancelot and Guinevere. At this meeting the Queen first kisses Lancelot, and so begins their love affair.
Alone I sit at the edge of my life
At night I fly towards my destiny in the dark
I am one with the stars, one with cosmos
The power that gave me my chance to breed
My pain inside tells me
I cannot go on here
I have to kiss the demons that welcomes me
I have no guilt, I have no fear
Darkness calls my name, I gather strength
My shadow fades and I feel weaker
My eyes are closed. I see the utter dark
It fills my soul with power. My shadow arise
I fall into it and walk in the shade of stars
The stars!
I have no guilt, I have no fear
Darkness calls my name, I gather strength
I am the left mankind. I represent wisdom
I am superior. I hold your strings and rule your life
It's mine
I became the one I always wanted to be
I felt cosmos calling and the lords gave me my shadow
I have to kiss the demons that welcomes my arrival
I have no guilt, I have no fear
Darkness calls my name, I gather strength
Power
Evil