The man whose riches satisfy his greed by Solon - Poem for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Year C

The Englewood Review of Books curates a weekly series of classic and contemporary poems that resonate with the themes of the lectionary readings. Here is one of the poems for this coming Sunday (More poems for the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Year C can be found here)

The man whose riches satisfy his greed

Solon

to accompany the lectionary reading: Luke 12:13-21

The man whose riches satisfy his greed

Is not more rich for all those heaps and hoards

Than some poor man who has enough to feed

And clothe his corpse with such as God affords.

I have no use for men who steal and cheat;

The fruit of evil poisons those who eat.

Some wicked men are rich, some good men poor,

But I would rather trust in what’s secure;

Our virtue sticks with us and makes us strong,

But money changes owners all day long.

*** This poem is in the public domain,

and may be read in a live-streamed worship service.

Solon (ca. 630 – ca. 560 BC) was an Athenian statesman, constitutional lawmaker and poet. He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic and moral decline in Archaic Athens. His reforms failed in the short term, yet Solon is credited with having laid the foundations for Athenian democracy. (via Wikipedia)