The local gentry are holding a grand banquet for a newly appointed prefect, and many musicians are here to entertain the party.
In the midst of the revelry, a singer intoned: “Out with the old, in with the new; out with the evil star, in with the lucky star!”
The prefect was highly flattered. ”Who composed that?” he asked.
”It is an old custom in our town to sing this when a new prefect arrives. It is the only couplet I know,” replied the singer.
Allegorical Meaning
This bureaucratic satire exposes three layers of institutional hypocrisy:
The Illusion of Uniqueness
The prefect’s vanity (“quite pleased”) stems from believing the praise (“fortunate star”) was composed specifically for him. This mirrors how leaders often mistake ritual flattery for genuine admiration.
Systemic Insincerity as “Tradition”
The performers’ revelation that “this single verse has been reused for generations” unveils how:
- Hollow rituals become entrenched as “tradition”
- Critical thought is replaced by mechanical repetition
- Truth is sacrificed for convenience
The Bureaucratic Blind Spot
The prefect’s shocked inquiry (“Who wrote this?”) highlights leaders’ willful ignorance of systemic falsehoods. The craftsman’s blunt reply underscores how elites benefit from unexamined traditions while lower tiers enable the charade.
Ultimately, the parable condemns social structures where:
- Empty praise is institutionalized
- “Custom” justifies intellectual laziness
- Those in power choose not to see the machinery of their own validation
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