Take me as godfather." The man asked, "Who art thou?" "I am Death, and I make all equal." Then said the man, "Thou art the right one, thou takest the rich as well as the poor, without distinction; thou shalt be godfather." Death answered, "I will make thy child rich and famous, for he who has me for a friend can lack nothing.

Meaning: The rhyme promises wealth at burial to someone needy at marriage. It contrasts the beginning of a household commitment with an end at which wealth cannot be enjoyed in the same way.

Meaning: Earthly possessions lose their comparative importance in the imagined final judgment. Money and a small amount of hay are placed on the same level.

Meaning: Bags stand for possessions or money, and the saying suspects that apparent affection follows wealth. It invites scrutiny of interested attention rather than proving that wealthy people cannot be loved, or that every friendship contains a concealed bargain.

Meaning: The timing of death cannot be treated as an appointment people can count on controlling. The calendar image expresses uncertainty about life’s duration, encouraging awareness of limits without making a prediction about any individual or demanding constant urgency.