Italian Satirical Poetry

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 cittàh

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.

Monument to the poet Trilusso, in Roman dialect. Piazza Trilusso, Rome

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.