Dialect Poetry of Southern Italy (Italian Poetry in Translation Book 2)

The Pig and the Donkey

A poor, lean donkey stood and watched his friend,
the pig, hauled to the slaughterhouse. “Dear brother!”
the donkey brayed, “farewell, farewell It’s over.
We’ll never meet again. This is the end!”
The pig replied, “Now, don’t act like an ass
Be philosophical: life is a passage.
For all we know it may yet come to pass
we’ll meet again in some bologna sausage.”
(Translated by John Du Val)