Giacomo di cristallo
"Once, in a distant city, a transparent child was born. Through his limbs, one could see as through the air and water. He was made of flesh and bone, yet appeared to be made of glass, and if he fell, he wouldn't shatter but might at most get a transparent bump on his forehead. You could see his heart beating, you could see his thoughts darting like colorful fish in their tank.
Once, by mistake, the child told a lie, and immediately the people could see a ball of fire behind his forehead: he told the truth again, and the ball of fire dissolved. For the rest of his life, he never told another lie.
Another time a friend confided a secret to him, and immediately everyone saw a black ball rolling restlessly in his chest, and the secret was no longer a secret.
The child grew up, became a young man, then a man, and everyone could read his thoughts and guess his answers before he even opened his mouth when they asked him a question.
His name was Giacomo, but the people called him “Giacomo di cristallo,” and they loved him for his loyalty, and around him everyone became kind.
Unfortunately, in that country, a fierce dictator came to power, and a period of oppression, injustice, and misery began for the people. Those who dared to protest disappeared without a trace. Those who rebelled were shot. The poor were persecuted, humiliated, and insulted in a hundred ways.
The people remained silent and endured, fearing the consequences.
But Giacomo could not be silent. Even if he didn’t open his mouth, his thoughts spoke for him: he was transparent and everyone read behind his forehead thoughts of outrage and condemnation for the injustices and violence of the tyrant. In secret, the people repeated Giacomo's thoughts to each other and found hope.
The tyrant had Giacomo di cristallo arrested and ordered him to be thrown into the darkest prison.
But then something extraordinary happened. The walls of the cell where Giacomo was imprisoned became transparent, and after them the walls of the prison, and finally even the outer walls. The people passing by the prison saw Giacomo sitting on his stool, as if the prison itself were made of crystal, and continued to read his thoughts. At night, the prison radiated a great light around it, and the tyrant in the palace had all the curtains drawn to avoid seeing it, but nonetheless he couldn’t manage to sleep. Giacomo di cristallo, even in chains, was stronger than him, for the truth is stronger than anything, brighter than day, more terrible than a hurricane."
Gianni Rodari, Favole al telefono
"Once, in a distant city, a transparent child was born. Through his limbs, one could see as through the air and water. He was made of flesh and bone, yet appeared to be made of glass, and if he fell, he wouldn't shatter but might at most get a transparent bump on his forehead. You could see his heart beating, you could see his thoughts darting like colorful fish in their tank.
Once, by mistake, the child told a lie, and immediately the people could see a ball of fire behind his forehead: he told the truth again, and the ball of fire dissolved. For the rest of his life, he never told another lie.
Another time a friend confided a secret to him, and immediately everyone saw a black ball rolling restlessly in his chest, and the secret was no longer a secret.
The child grew up, became a young man, then a man, and everyone could read his thoughts and guess his answers before he even opened his mouth when they asked him a question.
His name was Giacomo, but the people called him “Giacomo di cristallo,” and they loved him for his loyalty, and around him everyone became kind.
Unfortunately, in that country, a fierce dictator came to power, and a period of oppression, injustice, and misery began for the people. Those who dared to protest disappeared without a trace. Those who rebelled were shot. The poor were persecuted, humiliated, and insulted in a hundred ways.
The people remained silent and endured, fearing the consequences.
But Giacomo could not be silent. Even if he didn’t open his mouth, his thoughts spoke for him: he was transparent and everyone read behind his forehead thoughts of outrage and condemnation for the injustices and violence of the tyrant. In secret, the people repeated Giacomo's thoughts to each other and found hope.
The tyrant had Giacomo di cristallo arrested and ordered him to be thrown into the darkest prison.
But then something extraordinary happened. The walls of the cell where Giacomo was imprisoned became transparent, and after them the walls of the prison, and finally even the outer walls. The people passing by the prison saw Giacomo sitting on his stool, as if the prison itself were made of crystal, and continued to read his thoughts. At night, the prison radiated a great light around it, and the tyrant in the palace had all the curtains drawn to avoid seeing it, but nonetheless he couldn’t manage to sleep. Giacomo di cristallo, even in chains, was stronger than him, for the truth is stronger than anything, brighter than day, more terrible than a hurricane."
Gianni Rodari, Favole al telefono
dado
14 oct 21
DeRank ™: 13,67
Loading comments slowly
