Poetry · Chapter
The Lord's Prayer on a Coin explained
The narrator examines a quarter-eagle coin inscribed with the Lord's Prayer, noting grammatical oddities and praising the frankness of the pious mind that would join prayer and coin.
What happens
The narrator examines a quarter-eagle coin inscribed with the Lord's Prayer, noting grammatical oddities and praising the frankness of the pious mind that would join prayer and coin.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Corruption
The poem critiques the blending of religious piety with money, suggesting hypocrisy in inscribing a prayer on currency.
Deception and Self-Deception
The narrator points out grammatical errors in the inscription, hinting at a self-deceptive or careless piety.
Key passages
“Upon this quarter-eagle’s leveled face, The Lord’s Prayer, legibly inscribed, I trace.”
I see the Lord's Prayer clearly written on this coin.
The narrator observes the inscription on the coin.
““Our Father which”—the pronoun there is funny, And shows the scribe to have addressed the money—”
The use of 'which' is odd and suggests the scribe was speaking to the coin itself.
The narrator comments on the grammatical oddity.
““Which art in Heaven”—an error this, no doubt: The preposition should be stricken out.”
The phrase 'in Heaven' is a mistake; the preposition should be removed.
The narrator points out a grammatical error in the inscription.
“I only have designed To praise the frankness of the pious mind Which thought it natural and right to join, With rare significancy, prayer and coin.”
I only want to praise the honest piety that thought it fitting to combine prayer and money.
The narrator sarcastically praises the frankness of combining religion and currency.