Papposilenus - Momus

Papposilenus, ugly satyr of the forest

Flat-faced, ears of horse, strapped to donkey, drunk as lord

Papposilenus, tutor to the wine-god

Bald, beef-lipped, bushy-eyebrowed, fat

Priapic buffoon, autodidact

You said «The best thing for a man is never to be born

Or die as soon as possible»

I completely disagree for I believe, you see

That life is wonderful

Papposilenus, with your flabby breasts and shaggy thighs

We laugh at you for sure, but when you’re drunk you’re wise

Papposilenus, you can tell us tales for five days straight

Pillows pushed up the tunic of the shabby actor who plays you

Like a pregnant woman swaddled in a hairy body-stocking

Funny yet shocking, bald, beef-lipped, bushy-eyebrowed, fat

But the biggest shock of all is how little you love life

You’d throw it away like that, you say

At the drop of a hat, you say

And the world still spins in space

Like a stupid wooden top

And we cling to it like ants

Trying to resist the centrifugal force

And you would say: «Use your brains

Make for the central place

Or never get on the damn thing in the first place!»

«The best thing for a man is never to be born

Or die as soon as possible»

I completely disagree for I believe, you see

That life is wonderful