Behind the middle Nut
The refrains: “To the Fool ’tis all one” and “The Wise One bindeth”
In short
“To the Fool ’tis all one” and “The Wise One bindeth” are the two refrains of the Foolsbible (German: “Dem Narr ist dies egal”, “Der Weise verbindet”). Each occurs more than two hundred times; together they form an antiphon like the refrain of Psalm 136.
Numbers
| “To the Fool ’tis all one” | 200+ times |
| “The Wise One bindeth” | 200+ times |
| For comparison: “for his mercy endureth for ever”, Psalm 136 | 26 times |
What begins as a punchline becomes a beat and finally a mantra. Some pages consist only of the two lines in alternation until the words lose their sense and gain a new one. In the freely readable first phase alone, the Fool’s refrain occurs 202 times and the Wise One’s 189 times.
Questions
How often does “To the Fool ’tis all one” appear?
More than two hundred times.
What is the German original?
“Dem Narr ist dies egal” and “Der Weise verbindet”.