Storyneeds...everybody needs a story
Find stories to improve your life & work
  • HOME
  • About
  • Introducing
    • Mussolini's Gran Sasso Rescue
    • The War is Over Please Come Out
    • The Heroic Impostor
    • Hack Heaven
    • The Hitler Diaries
    • Lincoln's Dream
    • Modigliani's Heads
    • Giorgio Perlasca
    • Rider on the Storm
    • Mountain Hero
    • Resusci Anne and L'Inconnue
    • The Bucket Rider
    • Cupid and Psyche
    • Pygmalion and Galatea
    • Arachne
    • Charlemagne and the Ring
    • Theseus and the Minotaur
    • Ramses III by Herodotus
    • The Ronald Opus Case
    • Operation Mincemeat
    • Agent Zig Zag
    • The Elephant and the Blind Men
    • The Little Hunchback
    • The D-Day Crosswords
    • Burke and Hare
    • France Investigates Airport Gaffe
    • Orange County Woman Swims to the Soviet Union
    • the Christmas Truce
    • The Man Who Lost His Path
    • Shattered Glass
    • Correcting The Record
    • Jimmy's World
    • Pearls Before Breakfast
    • Rider on the Storm
    • Zimbardo Stanford Experiment
  • Picture Blog

The Clowns' Prayer

8/26/2014

0 Comments

 
The Clowns' Prayer


"We thank you our good Protector for having given us once again the strength to put on the best show on earth.
You who protect men, animals, and sideshows,
You who make lions as docile as men and men as courageous as lions,
You who who lend angel wings to our acrobats, help us to never go without bread and without applause,
We ask for your protection, but if we were unworthy, if something were to happen to us, let it be after the show and, at any rate, please remember to save the animals and the children first.
You who allow dwarves and giants to be equally happy,
You who are the one true and only safety net of our dangerous numbers, let us always have a tent over our head, a runway, and a spotlight.
Protect us from the nails of our women, that we may protect ourselves from those of the tigers on our own, give us the strength to make men laugh, to withstand their deafening laughter, and let them believe that we are happy.
The more I feel like crying and the more they enjoy themselves, but it's not important, I forgive them, partly because they don't know any better, partly because of my love for you, and partly because they bought a ticket.
If my buffoonery serves to lighten their burden, let this face of mine be even more ridiculous, but help me to carry it around with indifference.
There are so many people who enjoy making mankind miserable that we have to suffer in order to make it laugh; send me someone able to make me laugh as I make others laugh."*


*This is my translation as I was unable to find one. "The Clowns' Prayer" was recited by Toto' in the 1953 film "Il piu' grande spettacolo del mondo" (The most comical show in the world) directed by Mario Mottoli. The original is

"Noi ti ringraziamo nostro buon Protettore per averci dato anche oggi la forza di fare il più bello spettacolo del mondo. Tu che proteggi uomini, animali e baracconi, tu che rendi i leoni docili come gli uomini e gli uomini coraggiosi come i leoni, tu che ogni sera presti agli acrobati le ali degli angeli, fa' che sulla nostra mensa non venga mai a mancare pane ed applausi. Noi ti chiediamo protezione, ma se non ne fossimo degni, se qualche disgrazia dovesse accaderci, fa che avvenga dopo lo spettacolo e, in ogni caso, ricordati di salvare prima le bestie e i bambini.Tu che permetti ai nani e ai giganti di essere ugualmente felici, tu che sei la vera, l'unica rete dei nostri pericolosi esercizi, fa' che in nessun momento della nostra vita venga a mancarci una tenda, una pista e un riflettore. Guardaci dalle unghie delle nostre donne, ché da quelle delle tigri ci guardiamo noi, dacci ancora la forza di far ridere gli uomini, di sopportare serenamante le loro assordanti risate e lascia pure che essi ci credano felici. Più ho voglia di piangere e più gli uomini si divertono, ma non importa, io li perdono, un pò perchè essi non sanno, un pò per amor Tuo, e un pò perchè hanno pagato il biglietto. Se le mie buffonate servono ad alleviare le loro pene, rendi pure questa mia faccia ancora più ridicola, ma aiutami a portarla in giro con disinvoltura. C'è tanta gente che si diverte a far piangere l'umanità, noi dobbiamo soffrire per divertirla; manda, se puoi, qualcuno su questo mondo capace di far ridere me come io faccio ridere gli altri."
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    A Different Dictionary
    Animals
    Art
    Creativity
    Crime
    Fables
    Faith
    Love
    Myths
    Nasrudin
    News-based
    Others-55-word-stories
    Others-short-stories
    Poetry
    Quotations
    Reviews
    Scribblings
    Speeches
    Supernatural
    War
    Writing-advice

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    August 2022
    February 2022
    June 2020
    March 2020
    May 2019
    February 2019
    September 2018
    September 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    November 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    July 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    February 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    August 2013

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.