How dangerous was it to be a jester? - Beatrice K. Otto

Prevodilac: Ivana Krivokuca Lektor: Milenka Okuka

10th century jester Jing Xinmo

Dvorska luda iz 10. veka, Đin Sinmo,

may have overstepped when he got chased by a dog,

možda je preterao što je kada ga je jurio pas,

then teasingly told the Chinese emperor

nakon toga zadirkivao kineskog cara

that he shouldn’t let his kids go around biting people.

da ne treba da pušta svoju decu da ujedaju ljude unaokolo.

The emperor took offense and trained an arrow on Jing.

Car se uvredio i uperio strelu u Đina.

But instead of begging for his life, Jing cracked another joke.

Umesto da moli da mu poštedi život, Đin se ponovo našalio.

Luckily, this pun landed— so the emperor’s arrow did not.

Srećom, ta igra reči je pogodila metu, pa careva strela nije.

Contrary to common belief,

Nasuprot uvreženom mišljenju,

jesters weren't just a medieval European phenomenon,

dvorske lude nisu bile samo srednjovekovna evropska pojava,

but flourished in other times and cultures.

već su bile učestale i u drugim vremenima i kulturama.

The first reliably recorded jester is thought to be You Shi,

Smatra se da je prva dvorska luda koja je pouzdano dokumentovana bio Jo Ši

of 7th century BCE China.

iz 7. veka p.n.e. u Kini.

He declared that, as a jester, his words could not give offense.

Govorio je da, kao dvorska luda, ne može da vređa svojim rečima.

This privilege was important to the jester’s position—

Ta privilegija je bila važna za položaj dvorskih luda,

but was sometimes violated.

ali ponekad bi bila prekršena.

Jesters had unique relationships to power:

Dvorske lude su imale jedinstvene odnose sa moći:

they could be viewed as objects of mockery

mogle su biti posmatrane kao predmet podrugivanja,

and also as entertainers and trusted companions.

ali i kao zabavljači i pouzdani pratioci.

People became jesters by various routes.

Ljudi su postajali dvorske lude na različite načine.

They could be appointed due to physical or neurological differences,

Mogli su biti postavljeni na to mesto zbog fizičkih ili neuroloških razlika,

plucked from a pool of entertainers, or recruited by a traveling courtier.

bili bi odabrani među zabavljačima, ili bi ih regrutovao putujući dvoranin.

Such was the case when a royal servant

Takav je bio slučaj kada je kraljevski sluga

wrote King Henry VIII’s chief minister in the 1530s.

pisao glavnom ministru kralja Henrija VIII 1530-ih godina.

He recommended a young boy to replace the king’s aging jester, Sexten,

Preporučio je jednog mladića kao zamenu za kraljevog ostarelog ludu Sekstena,

with the assurance that he’d be much more pleasant than Sexten ever was.

uveravajući ga da će on biti prijatniji nego što je Seksten ikad bio.

Some jesters boasted unique talents, like Roland the Farter,

Neke lude su se dičile jedinstvenim talentima,

kao, na primer, Roland Prdač, sa dvora Henrija II iz 12. veka.

of Henry II’s 12th Century court.

Every Christmas, he performed a special routine,

Svakog Božića je imao naročit ustaljeni nastup,

the finale of which was a simultaneous jump, whistle, and fart.

čije bi finale predstavljalo istovremeni skok, zvižduk i prdež.

Additionally, jesters could influence important decisions.

Sem toga, lude su mogle uticati na važne odluke.

For example, if the clowns of the Tübatulabal nation

Na primer, ako bi klovnovi nacije Tubatulabal

of the Sierra Nevada mountains

sa planina Sijera Nevade

thought a chief was leading poorly,

smatrali da poglavica nije dobar vođa,

they could apparently get the elders to appoint a new one.

mogli bi da ubede starešine da postave novog poglavicu.

And, of course, Jing Xinmo knew how to sway the Chinese emperor.

I, naravno, Đin Sinmo je znao kako da utiče na kineskog cara.

A local magistrate once requested that the emperor stop trampling farmland

Lokalni magistrat je jednom tražio od cara da prestane da gazi obradivu zemlju

during his hunting sprees.

dok je u lovu.

Infuriated, the emperor had the magistrate hauled before him.

Car je pobesneo i tražio da dovedu magistrata pred njega.

Jing facetiously suggested that the magistrate be put to death immediately

Đin je šaljivo predložio da se sudija odmah pogubi

and that the emperor let the peasants starve

i da car pusti da seljaci gladuju

instead of harvesting the land and paying taxes,

umesto da skupljaju plodove i plaćaju poreze,

all so he could gallop about freely.

samo da bi on mogao slobodno da galopira.

Presumably seeing the absurdity of his own behavior,

Verovatno uvidevši apsurdnost svog ponašanja,

the emperor laughed and pardoned the magistrate.

car se nasmejao i pomilovao magistrata.

In 1596, a French man was condemned to death.

Godine 1596, jedan Francuz je osuđen na smrt.

But Mathurine, one of the relatively few female jesters on record,

Ali Maturin, jedna od relativno retkih ženskih luda o kojima postoje podaci,

intervened in return for payment.

intervenisala je za novčanu nadoknadu.

With her help, the man’s wife successfully pleaded with King Henry IV

Uz njenu pomoć, supruga tog čoveka uspešno je izmolila kralja Henrija IV

for her husband’s life.

da poštedi život njenog muža.

Although rare, jesters were sometimes fired or even killed

Mada se to retko dešavalo, lude bi nekad bile otpuštene ili ubijene

for taking their mockery or criticism too far.

kada bi preterale sa ruganjem ili kritikama.

In 1638, Scottish jester Archy Armstrong

Godine 1638, škotska luda Arči Armstrong

worsened his already contentious relationship

pogoršao je prethodno već narušen odnos

with the Archbishop of Canterbury.

sa kenterberijskim nadbiskupom.

The Archbishop had recently revised the Scottish Book of Common Prayer—

Nadbiskup je prethodno izmenio Škotski molitvenik,

an act that garnered strong opposition and incited riots.

što je izazvalo oštro protivljenje i podstaklo nerede.

Taking the opportunity to further humiliate him,

Iskoristivši priliku da ga dodatno ponizi,

Archy asked the Archbishop, “Who’s the fool now?”

Arči je upitao nadbiskupa: „Ko je sada luda?“

For which he was banished from the court.

Zbog toga je proteran sa dvora.

Three years later, after the Archbishop’s arrest,

Tri godine kasnije, nakon hapšenja nadbiskupa,

a pamphlet began circulating that ridiculed him,

počeo je da kruži pamflet koji ga je ismevao,

which was said to be the work of none other than Archy.

a za koji se govorilo da je delo nikog drugog do Arčija.

Meanwhile, some jesters openly mocked their royal bosses without consequence.

Neke lude su se pak otvoreno rugale svojim kraljevskim šefovima bez posledica.

11th century Persian jester Talhak suggested the sultan was a cuckold,

Persijska luda iz 11. veka, Talhak, sugerisao je da je sultan rogonja,

implying his wife was unfaithful to him.

nagoveštavajući da mu je žena neverna.

One day, as the sultan rested his head on Talhak’s knee,

Jednog dana, dok je sultan odmarao glavu u Talhakovom krilu,

he is said to have inquired, “What is your relation to cuckolds?”

navodno ga je pitao: „Kakav je tvoj odnos prema rogonjama?“

To which Talhak replied, “I am their pillow.”

Na to je Talhak odgovorio: „Ja sam im jastuk.“

And when 19th century Persian shah asked whether there was a food shortage,

A kada je persijski šah iz 19. veka pitao da li postoji nestašica hrane,

jester Karim Shir’ei joked,

luda Karim Širej se našalio:

“Yes, I see Your Majesty is eating only five times a day.”

„Da, vidim da Vaše Veličanstvo jede samo pet puta dnevno.“

Even when rulers were considered divinely appointed,

Čak i kada je za vladare smatrano da ih je bog imenovao,

some jesters managed to speak truth directly to power,

neke lude su uspevale da direktno vlasti govore istinu

and reveal— in so many riddles, jokes, or skits—

i razotkriju – kroz razne zagonetke, šale i skečeve –

who the real fools were.

ko su prave lude.