Monument to the poet Trilusso, in Roman dialect. Piazza Trilusso, Rome
For some fun political puns, look here
In the Shade
While I read my usual paper,
Sprawled in the shade of a [tree]
I see a pig and I say to him: “Goodbye, swine!”
I see a donkey and I say to him: “Goodbye, ass!”
Perhaps these beasts won’t understand me
But at least I have the satisfaction
Of saying things as they stand
Without fear of ending up in prison.
| Thanks to a tip from Ross, I have for some time been following a very funny fotolog by Francesco Rabaglia, aka Papa Fan (papa is Italian for pope, differentiated from papà – dad – by the stress). It’s hard to see the humor unless you understand Italian well: basically the writer is putting funny captions in heavily “Germanized” Italian on photos of Pope Benedict (also known in Italy as Papa Ratzi).
A few days ago he published an original poem, translated here with permission. Keep in mind that this is not quite normal Italian – there are no Ks in Italian, but they are often used in humor and comics to denote a German accent.
| Io zone joseph ratzinger, zon ztate porporato |
|
I am Joseph Ratzinger, I was empurpled [made cardinal] |
| i signori kartinali poi mi hanno kandidato |
|
the lord cardinals then made me a candidate |
| per difentare pape e komandar tutto il papato |
|
to become pope and command all the papacy |
| e per piu’ di tre motivi me lo zone meritato |
|
And for more than three reasons I have earned this |
| il primo è ke ho koperto kolui ke era indagato |
|
The first is that I covered he who was under investigation |
| per motivi di stupro e di abuso reiterato |
|
for reasons of rape and repeated abuse |
| su pimpi e su minori, da parte del prelato |
|
of children and minors, on the part of the priesthood |
| dimentikate tutto: il fatto non c’è ztato |
|
Forget all that: the fact never occurred |
| zekonde: io zono zolo un umìle servitoreh |
|
Second: I am a humble servant |
| nella distesa vigna che zta a kaza del signoreh |
|
in the extensive vineyards of the house of the Lord |
| produce fino autoctono in krante quantitah |
|
producing local wines in great quantity |
| ne bevo fenti litri ad ogni messa qui in città h |
|
I drink twenty liters at every mass here in town |
| per terzo poi io kredo ke zi debba ritornare |
|
For third, then, I believe we must return |
| alla messa tridentina abrogando la volgare |
|
To the Tridentine mass, abrogating the vulgar / Vulgate |
| linguaccia italiana ke io ti foglio tagliare |
|
horrible Italian language that I want to cut |
| kozì recito latino e vi pozzo coglionareh |
|
So I recite Latin and can make fools of you. |
|
Deirdré Straughan on Italy, India, the Internet, the world, and now Australia
