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A History of Wickedness/TheMartyrdom of Saint Appolonia (a poem)
Published Mar 3, 2023
Updated Mar 3, 2023
Culture
1 min
Culture
Published Mar 3, 2023
Updated Mar 3, 2023
1 min
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A History of Wickedness/TheMartyrdom of Saint Appolonia (a poem)
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A History of Wickedness/The Martyrdom of Saint Appolonia
When it came to the Passion play the schoolmaster could count on
the cooperation of the well-to-do butchers of the town,
and for the crucifixion scene, that of the local joiners' guilds.
But the signs in Fouquet's miniature are ambiguous.
Despite the mischievous angel hosts and the mouth of Hell
We cannot be certain the scene we're witnessing
is merely playacted torture or a real execution.
The enormous tongs are definitely an exaggeration, though the show
was almost certainly enjoyed by those who themselves
had sufferings to recount; each pulling of an incisor or molar
taking their minds temporarily off their own troubles.
When the tension began to subside, scornful guffaws
could be heard from the crowd. The performers hadn't
always managed to turn the board unnoticed so as to
ensure that, to the unanimous amazement of the spectators,
the blows raining down on the dummy would burst
the pigs’ bladders filled with cow's blood.
©Anna Bentley 2022 for the English translation
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