Saturday, October 13, 2018

The Maxims of Zagłoba “Mammon” (Continued) pg. 39





Mammon: “Nerwus[1],” “Nerwon,” the Marshall also called it
Radecki, Bismarck, Moltke, Bisdat perished[2] in its tracks
The virtue of the most sublime people- that’s cash money
A maiden will become an old widow for a coin
For silver Judas cruelly betrayed Jesus
Brother killed brother, son, father, the mean-spirited, the world
Money: Plaster of gold[3] virtue and balsam of love
Money: That paradise, purgatory, and Hell of humanity
For gold talent is found among fools
Money changes clever people into beasts
And by contrast, the most common of asses
Grew in seconds to the wisdom of the prophets
For money all kinds of wounds are healed
Piracies and frauds are deemed honorable
            Gold is the secret key to all fortresses
            It is the more direct hope, it is the broad back
            He who casts a penny, although perhaps a splendid fool
            Emerges a delegate of the people, evidently wise
            In a word: Heaven and earth are purchased for a puse of gold
            But Mammon: From death no one ever got anything[4]



[1] Literally “a nervous person”
[2] Literally “rotted”
[3] Crossed out in original
[4] Literally “extracted”

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