Once upon a time there was an apothecary; he was a widower and had a beautiful and dear daughter named Stella Diana. Every day she went to learn sewing by a teacher. In the house of this teacher there was a terrace full of pots of flowers and plants, and every afternoon Stella Diana went to water a pot of marjoram she liked a lot. In front of the terrace, there was a balcony, where a young man stood facing. And the young gentleman said to her one day:
“Stella Diana, Stella Diana,
How many leaves does your marjoram have?”
And the girl answered him:
“Oh handsome noble knight,
How many stars is there in the sky?”
And he:
“The stars of the sky can not be counted.”
And she:
“My marjoram should not be looked at.”
The gentleman then disguised himself as a fishmonger and went under the teacher’s windows to sell fish. The teacher sent Stella Diana to buy her a fish to fry for dinner, and she got out and asked the fishmonger how much it cost. He said the price, but it was such a large sum that Stella Diana said he did not want it. Then he said: “ For a kiss, I give it to him for nothing.”
Stella Diana gave him a quick kiss and he gave her the fish for the teacher’s dinner.
In the afternoon when Stella Diana appeared among the vases of the terrace, the gentleman from the balcony said to her:
“Stella Diana, Stella Diana,
How many leaves does your marjoram have?”
And the girl answered him:
“Oh handsome noble knight,
How many stars is there in the sky?”
And he:
“The stars of the sky can not be counted.”
And she:
“My marjoram should not be looked at.”
Then the Lord told her:
“For a single fish
You gave me a little kiss”
Stella Diana, understood the joke, got angry and withdrew from the terrace, and immediately thought of answering him with another joke. He dressed like a man and put on his waist a beautiful precious belt; he climbed on the back of a mule and began to walk the street where the gentleman stood. He saw the belt and said: “ How beautiful! Would you sell it to me? “ But she, making a man’s voice, told him she was not selling it for any price. He said he would do anything to have that belt; and she: “ Then kiss the tail of my mule and I will give you the belt.”
The gentleman really liked that belt and, looking around him that no one saw him, he kissed the tail of the mule, took the belt and left.
When they saw her on the terrace and he was on the balcony, there was the usual dialogue.
“ Stella Diana, Stella Diana, how many leaves does your marjoram have? “
“ Oh beautiful noble knight, how many stars are there in the sky?”
“ The stars of the sky can not be counted.”
“ My marjoram should not be looked at.“
“Stella Diana, Stella Diana, how many leaves does your marjoram have?”
“Oh beautiful noble knight, how many stars are there in the sky?!”
“The stars of the sky can not be counted.”
“My marjoram should not be looked at.”
“For a small fish, you gave me a nice little kiss.”
“ To gain a belt, you kissed the tail of my mule.”
Hearing the joke, the gentleman remained really bad. He decided to get along with the teacher and asked her to hide under the stairs. When Stella Diana climbed the ladder, the young man, below, pulled her skirt. The girl shouted:
“Master lady, teacher,
The ladder pulls my dress!”
And from the terrace to the balcony, that dialogue was held that afternoon:
“Stella Diana, Stella Diana, how many leaves does your marjoram have?”
“Oh beautiful noble knight, How many stars is there in the sky?”
“The stars of the sky can not be counted.”
“My marjoram should not be looked at.”
” Stella Diana, Stella Diana, how many leaves does your marjoram have?”
“Oh beautiful noble knight, how many stars is there in the sky?”
“The stars of the sky can not be counted.”
“My marjoram should not be looked at.”
“For one small fish, you gave me a nice basin.”
“To gain the belt, you kissed the tail of my mule.”
“Master lady, teacher! The ladder pulls my dress!”
This time it was Stella Diana who got sick and thought: “Now I’ll show you!” With a tip to the servant he managed to enter the house one night and appeared with a sheet on his head, a torch in his hand and an open book. When he saw that ghost, the young man began to tremble and said:
“I am young, my beautiful Death
Go instead to my aunt, who is older.”
Stella Diana turned off the flashlight and left. The next day the duet continued:
“Stella Diana, Stella Diana, how many leaves does your marjoram have?”
“Oh beautiful noble knight, how many stars is there in the sky?”
“ The stars of the sky can not be counted. “
“ My marjoram should not be looked at.”
“Stella Diana, Stella Diana, how many leaves does your marjoram have?”
“ Oh beautiful noble knight, how many stars is there in the sky?”
“ The stars of the sky can not be counted.”
“ My marjoram should not be looked at.”
“ For one small fish, you gave me a little kiss.”
“To gain the belt, you kissed the tail of my mule.”
“ Master lady, teacher! The ladder pulls my dress!”
“ I am young, my beautiful Death! Go instead to my aunt, who is older.”
After this new insult, the young man said to himself: “This time I can not stand anymore. I will find a new way to take revenge.” And having said that, he went to the apothecary to ask for Stella Diana’s hand. The father was very happy and they immediately signed the deal. The day of the wedding was approaching and Stella Diana was afraid that the groom would still harbor revenge intentions for all her jokes. She thought of getting a doll of dough, as big as she was, that resembled her in all respects, and instead of the heart put a bladder full of milk honey. When she retired to her room after the wedding, she put the doll in bed, with his cap and shirt, and hid herself.
The groom entered. “ Ah, we’re alone at last! The time has come to avenge me of all the mortifications you have given me. “ And he drew a dagger into the doll’s heart. The bladder burst and the milk honey splashed everywhere: even in the mouth of the groom.
“Ah poor me! How sweet is the blood of my Stella Diana! And I killed her! What have I done! Ah, I could never revive her!”
Then Stella Diana jumped out, as healthy as a fish.
“Here I am, I’m your Stella Diana, I’m not dead!”
The groom embraced her happily and happily, and from then on they happily continued to live.