Table of Contents
Title
Content

Mouse Head

Carlos Alberto Jáuregui Didyme-Dôme

The Fictile Word

First publication: September 1997

http://badosa.com/n002-en

Once upon a time, in a nearby land, there were (in plural) so many poets and wise men that on one occasion, in a meeting of bards, a lion came in, ate one, and nobody noticed. If one said «Lion», it was just to rhyme with try on or iron. The records are not clear about the particular. Nobody missed the verses of the devoured one, nor did panic reign. Another one occupied his place in the polemic of the day: that if the verse of Mr. so and so was a copy of someone else’s... and to support their opinions they quoted other poets they had not read either. It went back to Mr. what’s-his-name in Greece and someone else in the late Spanish neoclassic period. Someone pulled out a verse from an encyclopedia, like a stuffed rabbit from the hat of the magician, and he quoted it wrong. One brought Latin phrases that had no relevance, and another was offended because of the «poor use of the language of Caton, the singer of love» (without doubt he was referring to Catulo). The ambience turned sour and they said to each other, without realizing how right they were: «ignorant», «you have warm water in the attic». Somebody that had a dictionary of synonymous, resuscitated with mouth to mouth respiration and a vigorous cardiac massage, the word vapid; then he read it out loud, pausing to sign. Meanwhile the lion was stuffing himself magnificently and, once his belly was full of Illustrious, «Byzantine style», he felt inspired to write some verses while digesting them.

English translation: Tatiana Botero (© 1997)