Silen

Colorized version of the spanking scene in Silen

Silen is an illustrated German poem (a picture story) by Wilhelm Busch, originally published in Die Haarbeutel in 1878. Busch was 46 when he drew this.

The story is metaphoric and narrates an encounter of two characters from Greek/Roman mythology: Silen, a corpulent Dionysus-like figure, and Amor (Eros, Cupid), the god of love, a young naked boy with wings. Silen is Busch's take at the classic motif of Punished Cupid.

Meter

The work is set in metric, unrhyming verse. The meter is a elegiac distich; the first line of each pair is a dactylic hexameter and the second line is a dactylic pentameter. Each pair of lines is accompanied by an illustrating drawing in Busch's typical cartoon style.

This form of verse was used in antiquity for the composition of elegies and other tragic and solemn verse, as well as love poetry that was sometimes light and cheerful.

Synopsis

Silen has spent some pleasant time with a nymph (note: Dionysus stereotypically had nymphs in his retinue) and wine. He climbs his donkey, takes his thyrsus (note: the thyrsus was Dionysus's attribute, a giant fennel staff topped with a pine cone, a sacred instrument used at religious rituals and fetes) and rides off. He rides with some difficulty as he is quite drunk. On his way, Amor hides behind a bush to play a trick on him. Amor plays his pan flute, then shoots an arrow at Silen's donkey (note: the word Lausbub is used here, which means rascal, scallywag, prankster. Instead of the usual bow, Amor is using a blowgun, which seems to have been a popular child's toy in Busch's days). The donkey, hit in his rear end, bucks off Silen. Silen tries to catch Amor, but fails because Amor can fly off. Silen then pretends he has gone to sleep. Amor falls for the trick, comes near to tease him, and is caught. Silen punishes the little prankster, with visible pleasure. He spanks Amor, in the head-between-legs position, with his thyrsus. Meanwhile, the donkey has relieved himself of, and onto, Amor's arrow. After the spanking, Silen displumes Amor by plucking the feathers from his wings. He then rides triumphantly off on his donkey, taking Amor's blowgun, pan flute, and feathers with him. Amor, beaten and defeated, is left behind, crying.

The story

Behold, Silen sits in the well-formed nymph.
He likes to empty the jug, what he had already done several times.
(Siehe, da sitzet Silen bei der wohlgebildeten Nymphe
Gern entleert er den Krug, was er schon öfters getan.)

Finally, however useful, however, he climbs the ass
Although this was not entirely without appeal. Endlich aber jedoch erklimmt er den nützlichen Esel,
Wenn auch dieses nicht ganz ohne Beschwerde geschah.

He almost forgets the Thyrsus what he is accustomed all his life;
Would be the same away from him, were it to him terribly fatal. - Fast vergißt er den Thyrsus, woran er sein Lebtag gewöhnt ist;
Käme derselbe ihm weg, wär’ es ihm schrecklich fatal. -

So he rides away and does not claim to art;
Soon time he sits so soon again then another. Also reitet er fort und erhebt auf Kunst keinen Anspruch;

Bald mal sitzet er so, bald auch wieder mal so.

Hark, who sings like there? Of course, the rascal Amor;
But the donkey raises very serious concern the ear. :Horch, wer flötet denn da? Natürlich, Amor der Lausbub;
Aber der Esel erhebt äußerst bedenklich das Ohr.

Worse than Flötengetön is the silent acting Pustrohr;
Blows you back, so what is flying out front lace. Schlimmer als Flötengetön ist das lautlos wirkende Pustrohr;
Pustet man hinten, so fliegt vorne was Spitzes heraus.

Ungern feels the pain the honest serving beast of burden;
But the rider also has some stories do not like. Ungern empfindet den Schmerz das redlich dienende Lasttier;
Aber der Reiter hat auch manche Geschichten nicht gern.

Easy to get caught the bird by cunning and clever stalk; Leicht erwischt man den Vogel durch List und schlaue Beschleichung

If he noticed but he flieget most of it. Wenn er es aber bemerkt, flieget er meistens davon.

Some reaches, the purpose of deceiving experienced adjustment;
Apparently the body is asleep, but the soul is awake. Mancher erreichet den Zweck durch täuschend geübte Verstellung;
Scheinbar schlummert der Leib, aber die Seele ist wach.

Schnupp! He has caught him. Loud shrieks the annoying bird,
While the bar handy sounding touches the cheek. Schnupp! Er hat ihn erwischt. Laut kreischt der lästige Vogel,
Während der handliche Stab tönend die Backe berührt.

Evil is noted to be the bird entrupft the spring;
First, she seems beautiful to him, secondly he uses it as well. Übel wird es vermerkt, entrupft man dem Vogel die Feder;
Erstens scheint sie ihm schön, zweitens gebraucht er sie auch.

Homeward rode Silenus and plays flute on the lovely,
Of course various kinds, but mostly you düdellütt! Heimwärts reitet Silen und spielt auf der lieblichen Flöte,
Freilich verschiedenerlei, aber doch meistens düdellütt! Jump to: Main Page • Micropedia • Macropedia • Icons • Time Line • History • Life Lessons • Links • Help
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