Book Release: “In Praise of Greed: A Satire in Rhyme” Written by Jeremias de Decker c. 1666 / Translated by Nicholas Siefert c. 2026

Nicholas Siefert is a research engineer by day and part-time writer, translator, and science blogger. He found this poem after researching his New Amsterdam ancestor, Johannes de Decker, Jeremias’s cousin.

In Praise of Greed is a modern English translation of Lof de Geldsucht by Jeremias de Decker (1609-

1666), who was a prominent poet of the Dutch Golden Age, known for his deep moral convictions and sharp social insight. A close friend of Rembrandt, de Decker frequently celebrated the artist in his poetry; in return, Rembrandt painted a celebrated portrait of the poet (1655), which serves as the inspiration behind the cover.

Lof de Geldsucht 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 mora agency from Lady Greed’s perspective.