Wednesday, April 7, 2010

The King of the Place

"A mountain of grated cheese

Is seen standing alone in the middle of the plain,

A kettle has been brought to its summit...

A river of milk gushes forth from a cave

And goes flowing through the town

Its embankments are made of ricotta...

The king of the place is called Bugalosso,

They have made him king because he is the laziest,

Like a haystack he is big and fat...

And from his arse manna comes forth

And when he spits, out come marzipans,

Instead of lice, he has fish in his head."

Bergola contra la Bizaria, (16th Century).

[cited in Carlo Ginzburg, The Cheese and the Worms, (1976).]

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