“Satirical lyrics”
“Satirical Lyrics” from Antología poética / Francisco de Quevedo; edición de Roque Esteban Scarpa - By Francisco De Quevedo y Villegas (1580-1645) , edited by Esteban Scarpa, translated by Griffin Brown.
Mighty knight
It's Mr. Money .
Mother, I humble myself to gold:
He is my lover and my beloved,
because he was so in love,
constantly yellow;
So, doubloon or single,
he does everything I want,
mighty knight;
It's Mr. Money.
He was born in the Indies, honored,
where the world accompanies him,
coming to die in Spain
and then buried in Genoa;
and, well, he who brings him to the side
It is beautiful, even if it is fierce,
mighty knight
It's Mr. Money .
He is handsome and like gold;
He has broken color;
he is a person of great value,
as Christian as Moor;
because it gives and takes away decorum
and breaks any law,
mighty knight
It's Mr. Money .
They are their main parents,
and is of noble descent,
because in the veins of the East
all bloods are real;
and, well, it is he who makes equals
to the duke and the rancher,
mighty knight
It's Mr. Money .
But who does not marvel?
see in his limitless glory,
which is the least his house,
Lady Blanca of Castile?
But, then it gives the low chair
and makes a coward a warrior,
mighty knight
It's Mr. Money .
His noble coats of arms-
They are always so important
that without their royal shields,
there are no family crests;
and, well, to the same oaks
greed is given to its miner,
mighty knight
It's Mr. Money .
For importing into deals
and for giving such good advice
in the homes of the old
cats protect you from other cats;
and, well, he breaks modesty
and softens the most severe judge,
mighty knight
It's Mr. Money .
And such is his majesty,
although his duels are many,
that having made quarters,
does not lose his authority;
but, well, it gives quality
to the nobleman and the beggar,
mighty knight
It's Mr. Money .
I never saw ungrateful women
to your liking and purpose,
that on the faces of a coin
they make these faces cheap;
and so he makes the bravado
from a leather bag,
mighty knight
It's Mr. Money .
He is valuable in any land
-Look how clever he is!-
their shields in peace,
Those same shields in war;
and, well, he buries the poor man
and makes the stranger his own,
mighty knight
It's Mr. Money .
This poem, mimicking the culture of money-centered living that was the societal norm in late 17th to early 18th century Spain: the time period and location in which this poem was written. The narrator correlates money, or the connected wealth, with a lover to showcase the absurdity that is the insanity of placing the amount of pressure to be ‘high status’, which could only be achieved through gaining money and wealth.
During the course of the poem, the author uses repetition to emphasize the ’savior’ aspect of money being able to sustain your needs, as well as to create a critical and satirical tone. Contextually, this makes total sense culturally, as during this time period, the Spanish people were coming out of a very difficult time financially as the 17th century came to an end, and part of their desire for a lavish, comfortable lifestyle likely stemmed from the need for stability after such a hard time for them and those before them. After any time period in which the economy was poor there was always a large group of people in search of jumping economic classes, and were willing to make intense sacrifices, such as sacrificing love to focus on money, to do so.
Further, the repeated reference to money as a ‘mighty knight’ further portrays this narrative, showing that money is seen as superior in value to the average human, surpassing them to occupy a similar level of ‘nobility’ as knights.
This poem is rich in contextual and cultural, economic themes that are vastly valuable to acknowledge a formerly unknown literary work and perspective to English speakers; it expands our mental barriers and can help us with our relationship with money and the needed balance between it and human relationships.
Poem Courtesy of https://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra/antologia-poetica--39/
