Today I was looking for some simple fun, but since I am incapable of having complete simple fun without a lesson to learn or to impart, I have translated two texts from The Book of Errors, Il libro degli errori in Italian, so this is Bora Mici's original translation from Italian into English of The Best Man in the World and Who Is In Charge? by the famous Italian children's author Gianni Rodari. His texts often feature plays on words and little lessons in morality or grammar, or sometimes both, dispensed with great humor. Both of these stories spoke to me on this cloudy day at the end of October, the first truly chilly day, as the leaves turn bright reds and yellows, the colors of rust. I thought we could all take a moment to gather our thoughts and reflect on what truly matters in life.
 |
| Oscar Kokoschka, Self-Portrait of a "Degenerate Artist" 1937 |
The Best Man in the World, L'uomo più bravo del Mondo in Italian language, translated by Bora Mici
I know the story of the best man in the world, but I don’t know if you will like it. Should I tell it to you anyways? I’ll tell it.
His name was First, and ever since he was little, he had decided, "First in name and in actuality. I will always be the first in everything."
And instead he was always last.
He was the last one to be afraid, the last one to run away, the last one to speak lies, the last one to do mean things. In fact, he was so behind everyone that he did not even do anything mean.
His friends all came in first at something. One of them was the best thief in the city, another one was the best at being arrogant, a third was the most inane on the block. He, on the other hand, was the last one to say silly things, and when it was his turn to say something senseless, he kept quiet.
He was the best man in the world, but he was the last one to get wind of it. He was so behind that he did not even know it at all.
 |
| Pablo Picasso, The Happy Family, 1917 |
I asked a little girl, “Who is in charge at home?”
She keeps quiet and looks at me.
“Come on, tell me, who is in charge at your house, mommy or daddy?”
The girl just looks at me and does not respond.
“So, will you tell me? Tell me who is the boss.”
Again, she looks at me perplexed.
“Don’t you know what it means to be in charge?”
Yes, she does know.
“Don’t you know what boss means?”
Yes, she does know.
“What’s the problem then?”
She looks at me and keeps quiet. Should I get angry? Or maybe she is mute, the poor thing. Now she runs away, indeed. She runs all the way to the top of the field, and from up there, she turns around, sticks her tongue out and shouts toward me, laughing, “No one is in charge because me love each other.”
