Dissertation on Birds of Prey and the Sport - the Falconry Heritage ...

practice of falconry does not carry certain connotations on its own in a poem-wealth,
leisure time, nobility. After examining Folgore's use of this pastime, it will be interesting
to note its similarity, if not its point of view, with a much earlier condemnation of the
trappings of wealth, written by Uguccione da Lodi.
The corona dei mesi hearkens back to the tradition of the Provenqal plazer, and is
aimed at a brigata, whose description in the introductory sonnet paints them as typical
carefree young wealthy folk. The corona della settimana describes the life and pastimes
of a young man of the nobility. Both sets of poems offer a survey of medieval
recreational pastimes for the nobility, and encourage liberality with money.
Di ~etternbre:~~
Di settembre vi do diletti tanti:
falconi, astori, smerletti e sparvieri,
lunghe, gherbegli, geti con carnieri,
bracchetti con sonagli, pasti e guanti;
bolz' e balestre dritt' e ben portanti,
archi, strali, pallotte e pallottieri;
sianvi mudati girfalchi ed astieri
nidaci e di tutt' altri ucce' volanti,
che fosser buoni da snidar e prendere;
e l'un all'altro tuttavia donando,
e possasi rubare e non contendere;
quando con altra gente rincontrando,
le vostre borse sempre aconce a spendere,
e tutti abbiate l'avarizia in bando.
The hunting birds that Folgore lists are those seen commonly elsewhere in literary
references, and evokes the hunting scene by mentioning accoutrements of the sport-
leashes, jesses. He emphasizes the joy to be found in all types of hunting birds, "mudati,"
caught after their first moult, or "nidaci," raised in captivity. Associated with the courtly
33 From Contini, 414.