Fellini Satyricon (Fellini – satyricon)

The earth has not dragged me down into the abyss,

nor has the sea engulfed me with its raging storms.

I fled from the law and escaped the arena.

I've even stained my hands with blood,

only to end up here, destitute,

exiled from my country, abandoned!

And who condemned me to this solitude?

He who bears the mark of every known vice,

who by his own admission should be banished - Ascyltus!

He won his freedom through whoring and keeps it the same way.

He gambled away his youth.

He sold himself as a woman, even when approached as a man.

And that shameless Giton?

On the Day of the Virile Toga he wore a woman's stole.

His mother had already convinced him not to act like a man.

In jail he was a whore,

capable of forsaking the oldest of friendships.

Shame on him!

He's a disgrace!

And now, wrapped in each other's arms,

they spend entire nights together...

and laugh at me.

But it won't end here, I swear!

I loved you, Giton, and I still do.

I can't share you with others, because you're a part of me.

You are me, you are my soul.

My soul belongs to you.

You're the sun, the sea, the gods.

That smug Ascyltus has made off with his prey.

I must find you no matter what,

or I'm no longer a man!

Ascyltus!

Encolpius is looking for me. He seeks revenge.

I took his little friend away with a conniving trick.

Well, that back-alley murderer deserved to be tricked.

Like a bird of prey, he carries off anything shiny.

While he slept, drunk with wine,

I stole Giton out from under him,

and we spent the sweetest of nights together.

Friendship lasts as long as it's convenient.

That's how I see it.

At first the boy tried to deny me his flower.

Perhaps he wished to sleep.

But I drew my sword and told him,

“lf you're Lucretia, you've found your Tarquin!”

Today a famous actor - famous for this! -

offered to buy him,

so I gave up my little slave.

Then, as I wandered the city,

an upstanding older gentleman approached me

and brought me here to the baths.

In a dark corner he began fondling me and wouldn't stop!

But I see Encolpius coming, livid with anger.

I must defend myself or flee.

Looking for me, Encolpius? Here I am.

Where's Giton?

Where is Giton?

I'll kill you, you whore! - I sold him.

- Where is he? - I sold him to Vernacchio, the actor.

Applaud, applaud.

And with this I punish my offending arm.

Who is more fortunate

than we who can witness our divine Caesar's new miracle?

Come!

Caesar, with his great soul...

and Eros, with his thousand charms, came down to Earth.

Vernacchio...

I denounce you before all. You must stop your performance.

Oh, we have a new master!

That boy is mine. You must give him back to me.

Are you a cavalier? A senator?

Come up, handsome youth. All are welcome in my house.

Come!

Wait.

First I want you to meet my family

and my slaves.

Watch out for the dog!

Giton, come quickly.

But he's beautiful, and meaty too!

He cost me 35 denarii.

A suckling pig of the same weight would cost more.

Listen, Vernacchio.

I know you're a famous actor,

and I've just seen proof of your many talents,

but I repeat: The boy is mine.

That bastard who sold him to you had no right to do so.

So do not appeal to the law. It's useless.

Giton's coming with me.

I'll buy the boy for 40 sesterces.

I'll make it 45.

For 60 I'll buy the boy.

Sir, this boy is better than a wife,

and what freeman would sell his wife?

He's tidy, he's wise.

I always come home to a lighted fire.

I've trained him in the great art of the stage.

You'll see how well he'll play female roles:

Helen of Menelaus, faithful Penelope, Cornelia.

Such a treasure has no price.

I'll give you what you paid for him and no more.

Giton's leaving with me.

That's enough!

Vernacchio, your behavior has grown intolerable.

We already took away your benches for jesting about Caesar,

yet you continue to stir up trouble?

Let the young man have his slave back,

or tomorrow I'll burn down your theater.

It's not true -

Be careful, Vernacchio. We're tired of your arrogance.

Have pity, sir. Don't destroy my theater, I beg you!

Vernacchio is meek and obedient.

Caesar knows that.

Look who's over there.

Calpurnia, where shall we stay?

Where else? Here, my beautiful boys.

There he is.

Come, let's visit the little sisters. Come!

Come here!

You've chosen an auspicious day.

You wanted a fertile bride?

This liver's reddish-brown color

indicates that this woman is pregnant.

Hold on, Blue Eyes. Have you heard of me?

Everywhere! You're very famous!

Giton!

Well, well, my honorable brother...

what's this?

One blanket for the two of you?

Ascyltus, there's little chance of us being friends again,

so let's divide up our shared property

and go our separate ways.

We're both students of literature,

yet we've become the laughingstock of the whole city.

Why did you run off today while our teacher was speaking?

What else could I do? I was starving.

I'll go my own way so as not to compete with you.

Fine! Let's divide up our stuff.

That's mine, and so is this.

The mirror's mine.

That's mine!

And now let's divide up the boy.

- You must be joking. - We'll let him decide.

You.

Ganymede...

Narcissus...

Apollo, who turned the young man's shadow into a flower.

All the myths speak to us of love...

of unrivaled unions.

But I took into my heart a cruel guest.

I'm a poet.

You might ask, “Why are you dressed so poorly?”

That's precisely why.

A passion for art never made anyone rich.

I don't know why, but poverty is always a sister to genius.

My name is Eumolpus.

The masterpieces in this gallery reveal our current malaise.

No one can paint like this today.

What brought on this sorry state?

Lust for money!

Once upon a time...

man's ideal was virtue pure and simple.

That's why the liberal arts flourished.

Eudoxus grew old studying the stars from a mountaintop.

Lysippus drew the same model his whole life...

and starved to death.

But we, with our drinking and whoring around,

don't even recognize the masterpieces before our eyes.

Where is dialectics now? What happened to astronomy?

Where is philosophy, which once showed us the way?

Don't be surprised that the art of painting is dead

when we find more beauty today in a pot of gold

than in the works of Apelles or Phidias -

those crazy Greeks!

His land provides everything:

wool, lemon, peppers.

You want hen's milk? He'll have it. And what was he before?

Believe me, you'd never have accepted a piece of bread from his hands.

Now he's so rich, he himself doesn't know how much he has.

And he thinks he's a poet!

There isn't a drop of poetry in his verses.

And you know what this bastard calls me?

“Colleague,” “brother,” “soul mate,” he says.

I have the best seat at his table.

I drink his own wine, not that served to other guests.

As a Roman citizen you've escaped torture,

but you won't escape a beating from my slaves!

Your mouth is a cesspool!

You'll be flogged! I'll see they break your back, you dog!

I broke your pimp son's back!

I'll have you thrown you in jail!

You should be hanged!

It doesn't matter. Even Venus was cross-eyed.

Ah, Eumolpus, you're here too.

My brother, your presence fills me with emotion...

because you're like me...

- You're too kind. - ...a man of talent.

We poets know true friendship. - Who are you two?

You must do the wine the honor of trying it.

Fish must swim,

but thanks to the gods, I needn't buy a thing.