REH Word of the Week pelf
Sunday, October 4, 2009
posted by Barbara Barrett
pelf
noun
1. Money or riches
[origin: ca. 14th century; Middle English, from Angle-French pelfre booty]
HOWARD’S USAGE:
Aye, play their game if you would wish to rise,
Conform yourself to standard rote and rule,
But when you’ve reached the pinnacle of pelf
Some day take down an old book from the shelf,
And scanning pages, years, with curious eyes,
Remember one who signed himself A Fool
[from "On With the Play"; to read the complete poem, see The Collected Poetry of Robert E. Howard, p. 439 and A Rhyme of Salem Town, p. 46]
