In Praise of Greed: A Satire in Rhyme

In Praise of Greed: A Satire in Rhyme is a modern English translation of Lof de Geldsucht by the seventeenth-century Dutch poet Jeremias de Decker. In rhymed couplet like the original, In Praise of Greed is a sustained, ingenious voice-portrait of Greed personified. It dredges up both classical and Christian authorities, scientific breakthroughs, Dutch seafaring, and forces the reader to think about wealth, ambition, and moral agency from an unfamiliar perspective—“through Greed’s glasses.” The poem is both timely and timeless. In an age of renewed public debate about wealth, inequality, and the meaning of work and vocation, De Decker’s long-poem stages a nuanced interrogation of both “good” vs. “bad” striving. In addition to Lof de Geldsucht, the text contains a translation of Jeremias de Decker’s Notes to the Reader as well as two of his shorter poems (On the Comet-Gazers & The Flower that Bloomed Too Soon). Because the poem is heavily allusive (De Decker cites and paraphrases over two hundred classical, biblical, and early modern sources), there are explanatory notes and brief textual annotations that identify sources, offer concise historical context, and point readers to primary passages (e.g., passages from Seneca, Palingenius’ Zodiacus Vitae, Saavedra’s Emblems, Appian on Lucullus, etc.). These notes are designed to make the poem accessible without slowing the reading experience. In summary, In Praise of Greed: A Satire in Rhyme is a lively, erudite satire that brings ancient and early modern voices into poetic conversation, refracted by a persona that delights in irony.