Source

Concerning the Source and Origin of Monks 

Pluto (the devil) bore a pregnancy with great discomfort 

His gut was full of poisonous dung 

When finally it poured out, erupting, his belly distended 

It was not a load of a simple substance. 

For, from his shredded anus, hooded brothers  

Sprung forth, diverse in vestment, color, disposition. 

Pluto marveled at such a portent from his womb, 

Marveled that he had begotten such evil: 

And at the same time, inspecting his offspring with turned face 

Common and unusual, his new progeny: 

“I see that, truly not in vain, my innards  

were stirred up with such torment a short while ago” he recalled 

“Behold! I have given birth to an evil that supersedes in guilt the ghosts 

And all whom the palace of the ruler of the Styx holds. 

Alas for me if [they are] together in one order, at the same time 

Let me divide them, I myself will expel them from my kingdoms.” 

He said and, laughing, scattered onto all the planet 

So many monks, the guilt and destruction of the world. 

Translation: Christina Moss