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I turn the wheel that spins. I delight to see the high come down and the low ascend. Mount up, if thou wilt, but only on condition that thou wilt not think it a hardship to come down when the rules of my game require it.

Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy

PhilosophyHistory

The story behind the card

Boethius, a Roman scholar and senator, rose to head the civil service under Theodoric, the Gothic king who ruled Italy. Accused of treason, a charge he denied, he wrote The Consolation of Philosophy in prison around 524 while awaiting execution. In the book, Lady Philosophy visits him and lets Fortune speak for herself: her defence is that she never pretended to be constant. The image of her wheel, lifting kings up and dropping them, became one of the most copied pictures of the Middle Ages. The punchier version that circulates online, about rising up on Fortune's spokes, comes from the 2002 film 24 Hour Party People, not from Boethius.

Türkçe oku
Dönen çarkı ben çeviririm. Yüksektekinin inip alttakinin yükseldiğini görmek bana zevk verir. İstersen çık; yeter ki oyunumun kuralları gerektirdiğinde inmek sana ağır gelmesin.
Boethius, Felsefenin Tesellisi

Romalı bir bilgin ve senatör olan Boethius, İtalya'yı yöneten Got kralı Büyük Teoderik'in hizmetinde devlet idaresinin başına kadar yükseldi. Kendisinin reddettiği bir vatana ihanet suçlamasıyla hapse atıldı ve Felsefenin Tesellisi'ni 524 dolaylarında, idamını beklerken yazdı. Kitapta Felsefe bir kadın kılığında onu ziyaret eder ve Talih'i kendi ağzından konuşturur: Talih'in savunması, değişken olduğunu hiçbir zaman gizlemediğidir. Kralları yükseltip düşüren Talih çarkı, Orta Çağ'ın en çok resmedilen imgelerinden biri oldu. İnternette dolaşan ve Talih'in tekerleğinin parmaklarına tutunup yükselmekten söz eden daha çarpıcı biçim ise Boethius'a değil, 2002 yapımı 24 Hour Party People filmine aittir.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: The Consolation of Philosophy
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