Difference between revisions of "The Saga of Kalaman the Seeker"
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| − | A philosophical epic poem, of anonymous authorship, about the [[tortle|tortle]] monk Kalaman and his search for the "true face of reality". Kalaman is a character similar to Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha or the historical Buddha, in that he comes from a place of privilege and comfort, discovers the evil in the world, seeks to know why, and finds enlightenment. The difference is that there is a lot more action-adventure in Kalaman's story. After going through many trials and tribulations, physical and spiritual, as well as dialogues with wise persons of myth and history, Kalaman concludes that it's all a game, so relax and enjoy it. The poem runs to 14,006 lines, divided into 1,705 8-line stanzas called ''lynnings'' and a few uneven coda stanzas, in a meter similar to Anglo-Saxon alliterative-accentual meter. An excerpt from near the poem's climax, translated by Gary Wilkens: | + | A philosophical epic poem, of anonymous authorship, about the [[tortle|tortle]] [[monk]] Kalaman and his search for the "true face of reality". Kalaman is a character similar to Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha or the historical Buddha, in that he comes from a place of privilege and comfort, discovers the evil in the world, seeks to know why, and finds enlightenment. The difference is that there is a lot more action-adventure in Kalaman's story. After going through many trials and tribulations, physical and spiritual, as well as dialogues with wise persons of myth and history, Kalaman concludes that it's all a game, so relax and enjoy it. The poem runs to 14,006 lines, divided into 1,705 8-line stanzas called ''lynnings'' and a few uneven coda stanzas, in a meter similar to Anglo-Saxon alliterative-accentual meter. An excerpt from near the poem's climax, translated by Gary Wilkens: |
<poem> | <poem> | ||
"Lo did Kalaman, wasted world-weary wanderer, | "Lo did Kalaman, wasted world-weary wanderer, | ||
Latest revision as of 02:19, 24 July 2020
A philosophical epic poem, of anonymous authorship, about the tortle monk Kalaman and his search for the "true face of reality". Kalaman is a character similar to Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha or the historical Buddha, in that he comes from a place of privilege and comfort, discovers the evil in the world, seeks to know why, and finds enlightenment. The difference is that there is a lot more action-adventure in Kalaman's story. After going through many trials and tribulations, physical and spiritual, as well as dialogues with wise persons of myth and history, Kalaman concludes that it's all a game, so relax and enjoy it. The poem runs to 14,006 lines, divided into 1,705 8-line stanzas called lynnings and a few uneven coda stanzas, in a meter similar to Anglo-Saxon alliterative-accentual meter. An excerpt from near the poem's climax, translated by Gary Wilkens:
"Lo did Kalaman, wasted world-weary wanderer,
sit himself down by the side of the sea,
til greatly grew the green grass over
til it covered him cold. Caifus came,
beseeched his brother, begged, bargained,
yet wise was he not to Kalaman's weighty worries.
Still stayed the silent shell-man,
trying the toll of the troubling truths."
Other famous segments of the poem, often set to music by bards, include "Kalaman and the Sea Serpents," " Kalaman Quizzes the Devil, " and "Kalaman Sees the Unseen" . While some claim Kalaman is based on a historical person, most scholars agree he is entirely fictional.
