October 6, 2009
- From the teachings of the Great Souled Sam -
“I have many names, and none of them matter. Names are not important. To speak is to name names, but to speak is not important. A thing happens once that has never happened before. Seeing it, a man looks upon reality. He cannot tell others what he has seen. Others wish to know, however, so they question him saying “what is it like, this thing you have seen?” So he tries to tell them. Perhaps he has seen the very first fire in the world. He tells them, “It is red, like a poppy, but through it dance other colors. It has no form, like water flowing everywhere. It is warm, like the sun of summer, only warmer. It exists for a time on a piece of wood, then the piece of wood is gone, as though it were eaten, leaving behind that which is black and can be sifted like sand. When the wood is gone, it too is gone.” Therefore the hears must think that reality is like a poppy, like water, like the sun, like that which eats and excretes. They think that it is like to anything they are told it is like by the man who has known it. But they have not looked upon fire. After a time, fire is as common as grass and clouds and the air they breathe. They see that, while it is like a poppy, it is not a poppy, while it is like water, it is not water, while it is like the sun, it is not the sun, and while it is like that which eats and passes wastes, it is not that which eats and passes wastes, but something different from each of these apart or all of these together. So they look upon this new thing and they make a new word to call it. They call it ‘fire’.”
“If they come upon one who still has not seen it and they speak to him of fire, he does not know what they mean. So they, in turn, fall back upon telling him what the fire is like. As they do so, they know from their own experience that what they are telling him is not the truth, but only a part of it. They know that this man will never know reality from their words, though all the words in the world are theirs to use. He must look upon the fire, smell it, warm his hands on it, stare into its heart, or remain ever ignorant. Therefore “fire” does not matter, “earth” and “air” and “water” do not matter. “I” do not matter. No word matters. But man forgets reality and remembers words. The more words he remembers, the cleverer do his fellows esteem him. He looks upon the great transformations of the world, but he does not see them as they were seen when man looked upon reality for the first time. Their names come to his lips and he smiles as he tastes them, thinking he knows them in the naming. The thing that has never happened before is still happening. It is still a miracle. The great burning blossom squats, still flowing, upon the limb of the world, excreting the ash of the world, and being none of these things I have named and at the same time all of them, and this is reality – the Nameless.”
- from Roger Zelazny’s “Lord of Light” (pgs 31-33 )
(for what it’s worth, my take on Zelazny’s work is neatly summed up here.)
This is good writing, and I do feel inspired to read more…
I guess this is why I like epic simile so much, because ‘like’ just don’t cut the mustard for important things. This whole passage is of course epic simile, trying to describe something important.
- ‘So, Homer, what was it /like/ when the two armies met?’
- ‘Well, my son, you know that little cove down the way, past the beach where the fishermen land their boats? And you know how in winter, a storm can be lashed up like you’d never imagine, so the sky is white with spray, and when the waves strike the rock they climb twenty times the height of a man, and yet the rocks always somehow stand fast, shattering the water into a thousand rainbows, when no mortal could hope to save himself?
Well… it was a bit like that.’ ;-D
*
Fire is as common as grass, but here’s the rub: what do we do with things that /have been/, but are presently not with us (or at least, mighty elusive)?
That’s when I guess we need Words.
Comment by speedbird — October 6, 2009 @ 7:04 am
Speedbird, have you not read this book? YOU of all people need to read this, you’d totally dig it. It’s sci-fi mythology at it’s best, probably Zelazny’s best work (not including the Amber chronicles cause there’s too many of ‘em).
Seriously, do yourself a favor and pick this up used on amazon. I’m sure there’s plenty of copies for cheap in the UK. I’m sure you’ll love it.
This is good writing, and I do feel inspired to read more… ;)
Definitely, but what about the thing that’s ALWAYS with us? Can words be used for that? The closest I can come up with is “the absolute”, “the deathless”, or “the tao”. But,
“The tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named
is not the eternal Name.”
Ain’t nothing wrong with words and names, but there’s at least some thing to which they cannot be applied.
Comment by Ian — October 6, 2009 @ 9:04 am