04-18-2017, 02:21 AM
Alloyed Motives
Electrum! Gleaming yellow-white
pale alloy silver-golden quite
a tale you have to tell us.
In Lydia, where you occurred
in nature, royal will conferred
its stamp upon you, its preferred
material for coinage.
More sturdy than soft gold alone
more silver added by the throne
than in the native alloy shone
less golden but official.
So Earth’s first coinage standardized
by royal fiat first devised
a cheat all nations since have prized
that’s called inflation.
In time far-traveled traders learned
to value local coins they earned
as if all-silver...
while mercenaries offering
their swords for hire to a king
or city-state demanded
a count of coins before they’d fight
sized as if silver, yellow-white
struck from electrum.
Electrum! Gleaming yellow-white
pale alloy silver-golden quite
a tale you have to tell us.
In Lydia, where you occurred
in nature, royal will conferred
its stamp upon you, its preferred
material for coinage.
More sturdy than soft gold alone
more silver added by the throne
than in the native alloy shone
less golden but official.
So Earth’s first coinage standardized
by royal fiat first devised
a cheat all nations since have prized
that’s called inflation.
In time far-traveled traders learned
to value local coins they earned
as if all-silver...
while mercenaries offering
their swords for hire to a king
or city-state demanded
a count of coins before they’d fight
sized as if silver, yellow-white
struck from electrum.
Non-practicing atheist