leonardian:

STORY TIME!

Avendoti io più volte fatto con mia lettere partecipe delle cose che di qua sono accadute, non m’è partito tacere a una novità accaduta nel giorni passati, la quale…
Avendoti io più volte…
Essendomi io più volte col lettere rallegrato teco della tua prospera fortuna, al presente so che come amico ti costristerai con meco del misero stato nel quale il mi trovo. E questo è che nel giorni passati sono stato in tanti affanni, paure, pericoli e danni insieme con questi miseri paesani, che avam d’avere invidia ai morti.
E certo io non credo che poi che gli elementi col lor separazione disfeciono il gran caos, che elli riunissino lor forza, anzi rabie, a fare tanto nocimento allo omini, quanto al presente da noi s’è veduto e provato, in modo ch’io non posso immaginare che cosa si possin più accrescere a tanto male.
In prima fummo assaliti e combattuti dall’impeto e furore de’ venti, a questo s’aggiunse le ruine delli gran monti de neve, i quali hanno ripieno tutte queste valle e conquassato gran parte della nostra città.
E non si contentando di questo, la fortuna con subiti diluvi d’acque ebbe a sommergere tutta la parte bassa di questa città. Oltre a di questo s’aggiunse una subita pioggia, anzi ruinosa tempesta, piena d’acqua, sabbia, fango e pietre insieme avviluppati con radici, sterpi e zocchi di varie piante.
E ogni cosa scorrendo per l’aria discendea sopra di noi, e in ultimo uno incendio di foco, il quale parea condotto non che da venti, ma da 30 milia diavoli che ‘l portassin, ha abbruciato e disfatto tutto questo paese, e ancora non è cessato. E que’ pochi che siano restati, siano rimasi con tanto isbigottimento e tanta paura, che appena, come balordi, abbiamo ardire di parlare l’uno coll’altro.
Avendo abbandonato ogni nostra cura, ci stiamo insieme uniti in certe ruine di chiese, insieme misti maschi e femmine, piccoli e grandi, a modo di torme di capre e se non fussi certi popoli che ci hanno soccorso di vettovaglia tutti saremmo morte di fame.
So che come amico ti contristerai del mio male, come già col lettere to mostra i con effetto rallegrarmi del tuo bene.

Having often made you, by my letters, acquainted with the things which have happened, I think I ought not to be silent as to the events of the last few days, which…
Having several times…
Having many times rejoiced with you by letters over your prosperous fortunes, I know now that, as a friend you will be sad with me over the miserable state in which I find myself; and this is, that during the last few days I have been in so much trouble, fear, peril and loss, besides the miseries of the people here, that we have been envious of the dead.
And certainly I do not believe that since the elements by their separation reduced the vast chaos to order, they have ever combined their force and fury to do so much mischief to man. As far as regards us here, what we have seen and gone through is such that I could not imagine that things could ever rise to such an amount of mischief, as we experienced in the space of ten hours.
In the first place we were assailed and attacked by the violence and fury of the winds; to this was added the falling of great mountains of snow which filled up all this valley, thus destroying a great part of our city.
And not content with this the tempest sent a sudden flood of water to submerge all the low part of this city; added to which there came a sudden rain, or rather a ruinous torrent and flood of water, sand, mud, and stones, entangled with roots, and stems and fragments of various trees.
And every kind of thing flying through the air fell upon us; finally a great fire broke out, not brought by the wind, but carried as it would seem, by ten thousand devils, which completely burnt up all this neighbourhood and it has not yet ceased. And those few who remain unhurt are in such dejection and such terror that they hardly have courage to speak to each other, as if they were stunned.
Having abandoned all our business, we stay here together in the ruins of some churches, men and women mingled together, small and great, just like herds of goats. The neighbours out of pity succoured us with victuals, and they had previously been our enemies. And if it had not been for certain people who succoured us with victuals, all would have died of hunger. Now you see the state we are in. And all these evils are as nothing compared with those which are promised to us shortly.
I know that as a friend you will grieve for my misfortunes, as I, in former letters have shown my joy at your prosperity…

[ NOTE: This is part of a collection of fictitious letters and stories Leonardo wrote, imagining he was travelling Asia Minor and Armenia, with quite accurate descriptions of the regions. The “how” or “why” has been a big question that recently may have found an answer: scientists have been trying to determine Leonardo’s ancestry, from his reconstructed fingerprint no less, due to tantalising puzzle-piece evidence in the shape of a last will that could well point to his mother having been one of the many slave girls brought to Italy from that region… ]

(via caravaggista)