Francesco's description matches a picture of a tub gurnard
(Triglia lucerna) which I have just found in a little
encyclopedia of marine life. Further clarifications may be
available in Tom O'Neill's 'Montale's Fishy Petrarchism',
MLN 106 (1991).
George
On Wed, 25 Nov 1998 15:19:45 MET Francesco Caviglia
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Sono un pescatore ligure, ancorche' un po' fuori sede.
>
> The "gallinella di mare" is definitly a fish that lives among the
> rocks. It's rather fat and rests most of the time on the see bottom.
> I'm sure it can't fly under any circumstances.
> When ashore its color turns to a sort of red. The 'fat' shape, the
> color and a "crest" of spines are probably at the origin of the name
> (the same fish - or at least a very similar one - is called
> 'pesce cappone', that is the common denomination in Genoa dialect).
> It's a most tipical prey for fishing nets in Liguria.
> I think Montale had both 'gallinella' and 'cappone' at his disposal
> and decided that the 'gallinella' caught in the net was far more
> poetic.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > Date: Wed, 25 Nov 1998 03:17:02 PST
> > Subject: Bird or Fish?
> > From: "rossella riccobono" <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Reply-to: [log in to unmask]
>
> > Cari colleghi/e,
> >
> > I have a question for this very useful colloquia site and perhaps
> > somebody can help me find an answer.
> > I am working on Montale and have come across a dilemma about the
> > identity of the 'gallinella di mare' of 'I morti'.
> >
> > Battaglia (1966ff) registers different meanings:
> > the crucial ones here are the following:
> >
> > 1. type of fishing bird, a species being the 'gallinella d'acqua'. No
> > mention is made of 'gallinella di mare', however.
> >
> > 2. type of fish, popular in the Mediterranean especially on rocky areas
> > -- and this fits with the Ligurian coast.
> >
> > The lines read:
> >
> > 'come la gallinella
> > di mare che s'insacca tra le maglie'
> >
> > It seems to me more logical to identify this misterious being as a fish
> > 'che s'insacca tra le maglie', and I would do so if Montale's well known
> > passion for birds didn't put a doubt in my mind.
> > Could a bird 'insaccarsi tra le maglie' whilst fishing?
> > Can anybody help?
> >
> > Rossella Riccobono
> >
> >
> > ______________________________________________________
> > Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
> >
> Francesco Caviglia
> Romansk Institut
> Aarhus Universitet
> Tel (voice) (45) 8942 1934
> Fax (45) 8616 3861
> e-mail [log in to unmask]
----------------------
G.Talbot
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