Priapea IX
Why is my privatest part unclothed, you ask?
Consider this: no god conceals his own weapon.
The lord of the world possessing the thunderbolt
holds it openly; a covered trident is not given
to the god of the sea. Mars doesn't conceal
the sword, his source of power. Steady Athena's
spear isn't hidden in a fold. Does it shame
Apollo to carry golden arrows? Is it Diana's
habit to disguise her quiver? Does Alcides
conceal his knotty club's power? The winged god
doesn't hide his rod under a tunic. Who
has seen Bacchus stretch his robe over his
slender thyrsus? Who has seen Cupid hide his torch?
Therefore don't reproach me because my prick is
always exposed. Without this weapon I'd be
defenseless -- dismembered as well as disarmed.
Notes on Priapea IX:
The meter of the poem is elegiac.
In line 3, the god alluded to is Jove.
In line 4, the god alluded to is Neptune.
In line 9, Alcides is Hercules.
In line 10, the winged god is Mercury.
