Marcello Dudovich' Postcards_3

Above and in the following pictures: postcards from the series Pinocchio Innamorato (Pinocchio in Love, Zenit postcards, 1917).

Pinocchio is in love/
like a cat with Lelè/
who scolds him every moment because/
he doesn't want to soldier.

Pinocchio is the fictional character conceived by Italian writer Carlo Collodi (real name: Carlo Lorenzini) as the protagonist of the novel Le Avventure di Pinocchio - Storia di un burattino (The Adventures of Pinocchio - Story of a puppet; first Italian edition: 1883). Pinocchio was designed for the first time by Italian engineer and graphic Enrico Mazzanti.

Desperate, the little poor/
cries and begs a bit of love/
his pain will be in vain/
if he will not go to war.

Finally won by the shame/
he decides to say yes/
he goes, he enlists at that moment/
and he gets a beautiful kiss in prize.

Happy and proud, in every corner/
to those who have not heard/
he bears the announcement/
of the great decision.

A day has not yet passed/
and a perfect bersagliere/
enters the quarters/
among the yippees! and the hurrays!

Bersaglieri are the high-mobility light infantry corps of the Italian Army.

He leaves soon...and of his girlfriend/
to stop the emotion/
he promises to her with passion/
to come back as a winner.

Above and in the following pictures: postcards from the series Pinocchio Guarito (Healed Pinocchio, Eureka postcards, 1918).

It's two days that Pinocchio/
is not well at all/
he has a great fire in his blood vessels/
he doesn't want to play.

Lelè, who understands,/
opens wide his little mouth;/
she sees, alas, his white tongue/
and thinks what to do.

Without wasting time/
she prepares a tisane/
but Pinocchio finds the beverage bitter/
and he doesn't want it.

The little mommy, patient every moment/
puts him to bed/
covers him pretty well/
and sends for the doctor.

Soon the professor comes/
he analyses the patient/
and exclaims: undoubtely/
there is a serious indigestion.

Ah! - then the mommy sighs/
If you knew how I fight!.../
but he is very and very greedy/
that nobody can!

After two weeks/
of atrocious anxiety, of ups and downs/
the brat striding/
enters on the mend.

Beware! - the little mommy says -/
woe to you if in the future/
you'll be still found out/
to eat candies!

Now fever has disappeared/
the appetite is back/
Pinocchio has already leaved/
his sickbed.

And, in the presence of his friends/
who have come to visit him/
Lelè makes him swear/
not to be greedy anymore.

Pious hope!...As the wolf/
loses his hair but not his bad habit/
the little boy doesn't use his judgement/
and comes back to his old love.

And, one fine day, still/
Lelè surprises Pinocchio:.../
she thinks it over for a while, then she turns a blind eye on him/
and with the other eye...she looks over there.

Il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio (the wolf loses his hair but not his bad habit) is Italian for The leopard can't change his spots.