THE
PSONGS
OF
NICHOLAS THE SENIOR
Nicholas goes on the lam
Psong 56
I went to the funeral of lmy friend today, O Money: I was obliged to sneak in wearing a disguise, like some mortal enemy of the family.
2mI peered into the coffin, and truly he was dead as a doornail; his face was like wax, and he was smiling like an idiot.
3What is there to smile at in death? Surely, ndeath means that it is all over, and all the Money in the world can do you no good.
4Truly, a man is completely out of it when he no longer needs Money, and his loving relatives do not even put any coins in his pocket.
5I thought I would weep when I beheld his dead face; but I did not, for it came to me that he should be weeping for me instead.
6Yes, truly it is so: ohe is history, and pI am still today’s headline, a pawn and a fool for the wicked ambitions of others.
7And so I find that I cannot mourn him: instead. I mourn for myself, while I can, because now that he is gone, there will be no one to mourn me but me.
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Psong 56 / 66