How dare you act as if those humble and caring musicians are “annoying” or less than people simply because you dislike their melodies! If it weren’t for these noble bards singing our praises, I doubt any of us would find the courage and motivation to face our dangerous missions!
You should all be GRATEFUL that there are individuals within Italy who recognize your efforts and genuinely try to please you by celebrating your deeds through song, instead of putting a bounty on your head and hunting you down! Yet, you find them ANNOYING! Do you suggest we silence them, take their earnings, and destroy their livelihood by forcing them to abandon their instruments and flee? Is that your idea of compassionate, humane, and grateful behavior towards fellow human beings, especially those as kind as these gentle bards?
Do any of you truly believe it’s easy to stand all day, playing the lute for meager coins that may never materialize due to the world’s abundance of selfish and inconsiderate individuals? Consider the added risk of assault or even death at the hands of those they only seek to entertain. This is a remarkably perilous profession, undertaken only by the most courageous. And how do you repay this bravery when their only request is a few Florins? You dismiss them! You push them away, make them drop their lutes, and ultimately drive them to despair, causing them to succumb to the very fears they confront daily.
Do you imagine they are unaware of your attempts at discretion? Do you believe their intentions are malicious? NO! They are simply oblivious to your covert operations! Like children, they only wish to bring you joy, and like neglectful parents, you respond with harsh words and actions undeserved even by criminals, let alone good men striving to earn an honest living.
You should all be ashamed. The bards have done nothing—NOTHING, I say!—to warrant your disdain and mistreatment, other than existing and trying to survive, as all living creatures do. You and your concerns are not the center of the universe, around which all other lives and problems must constantly revolve, desperately trying to stay out of your way.
Honestly, how different are your actions from those of the Pazzi, or the Spaniard himself? Robbing innocent people of their money, jobs, even lives, for reasons as trivial as inconvenience or personal whim?! Aren’t we supposed to be better than this, to avoid staining our blades with innocent blood? Yet, that is precisely what I see here. Al Mualim would have eliminated you long ago if he weren’t already unhinged.
For shame, indeed. Reflect on the meaning and repercussions of your cruel thoughts and actions in quiet contemplation until you recognize the error of your ways and move towards enlightenment. Only then can you truly preach “Liberta!” for the bards.
