by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861)
The Italian Cook and the English Maid
Language: English
From beef-steak pies up to fricassees Alessandro is a master. And from bread and butter puddings to boiled apple-dumplings, An artist. Only -- he doesn't like Wilson to interfere. She declares that he repeats so many times a day: "I've been to Paris -- I've been to London -- I have been to Germany -- I must Know." Also he offends her by being of opinion that: "London is by far the most immoral place in the world." (He was there for a month once.) And when she talks of the domestic happiness enjoyed in England. He shakes his head disputatiously, and bids her "Not to take her ideas of English domestic life from the Signor and Signora -- who were quite exceptions -- He never saw anything like their way of Living together certainly, though "He had been to Paris, and been in London, and been in Germany -- No, the Signor was an angel, and there was the truth of it -- Yes the Signora was rather an angel too -- she never spent Two thousand scudi on her dress, as he had seen women do -- So the Signor might well be fond of the Signora -- But still for a Signor to be always sitting with his Wife in that way, was most extraordinary and "He had been to Paris, and been to London" and so on 'da capo'- So poor Wilson's head goes round she declares, and she Leaves the field of battle from absolute exhaustion.
Authorship:
- by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 - 1861), from letters written by E. Browning in Florence to her sister Henrietta in England, between 1846 and 1859  [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Dominick Argento (1927 - 2019), "The Italian Cook and the English Maid", 1983 [voice and piano or orchestra], from Casa Guidi, no. 2. [ sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-10-24
Line count: 25
Word count: 240