De dwaasheid die de wijsheid dient
De brief voor de Koning“De dwaasheid die de wijsheid dient” is the name Tirillo gives to his role as King Unauwen’s jester: folly, in his account, can serve wisdom. The phrase captures the contrast between his comic office and the thoughtful conversation he offers Tiuri and Piak.
Meaning and Self-Definition
Tirillo introduces himself as the king’s jester and describes himself with the phrase. Its force lies in the apparent contradiction: the figure associated with foolishness presents that foolishness as serving a wiser purpose. The words define his role, but the scene gives them a serious setting rather than treating them as a joke.
The Garden Invitation
Tirillo appears unexpectedly in the room, dressed in the colours of the rainbow, with bells on his white cap. He invites Tiuri and Piak to sit with him in the garden, where they may talk or remain silent, as they prefer. Although he acknowledges that this is not a time for jokes, he still offers the companionship of the jester, making the phrase’s tension between levity and seriousness part of the encounter.
The Story of the Rainbow
After the three sit on a low wall and watch the river and the city across it grow dark, Tirillo begins a tale about a man who sees a magnificent rainbow like a high, rounded bridge touching the earth at both ends. The man sets out to find the rainbow’s end so that he can cross to the other side of the earth. The tale begins as an image of pursuit, linking Tirillo’s reflective role to the rainbow-filled setting; the passage does not yet disclose where the man’s journey leads.
