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Words of the Hujusmodian Prophet
Posted: 29 September 2005
Word Count: 108
Related Works: Earth People •
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Words of the Hujusmodian Prophet
The text which follows is a modern English version of the inscription on a vellum manuscript found in 2000 in a midden on the island of Blinkbonny off the west coast of Scotland.
There is an irregular tear across the middle of the manuscript sheet; the missing portion has not been found.
1. Three Words are wiser than all others.
2. They are the eagle, lion and whale among words; the chief, the peerless, the perfect among words.
3. And any one of them alone is mighty, but together they are of words the paragon, sublime triunity.
4. And the Words are these
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Comments by other Members
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.jpg) lang-lad at 15:42 on 01 October 2005
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.......................................................................ha! .......... ah ......sublime
eliza
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 Tina at 07:48 on 08 October 2005
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Hi James
I think it would almost be an anti-climax if we knew the words or is that the point and I am just being fatuous?
How wonderful to have such a mystery uncovered - the meaning of life - an enigma.
To touch something like this in the everyday world in which we live is to stop -
"what is this life if full of care" et al.
and just contemplate for moment on the bigger picture and we all need more of that so thanks
Tina
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 James Graham at 14:45 on 08 October 2005
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Hi Tina, thanks for your comment - and Eliza, for your sustained exclamation. This 'poem' is a bit of an oddity, to say the least. A bit of a game too, even a tease. The prophet seems to have been afraid the Words would be anything but an anti-climax, and either made sure they were destroyed or never even wrote them down at all.
However, I can throw some light on the mystery by announcing that a second torn piece of manuscript vellum has indeed been found. The inscription on it reads:
Ah! The moon was full.
Now it has waned. |
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James.
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Tina at 07:54 on 09 October 2005
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Very Tao Te Ching!
Let us hope it isnt a warning!
Tina
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engldolph at 12:44 on 09 October 2005
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Hi James,
Captured for me a reminder of the remarkable power of single words...casting us back to a time where words were not so plentiful and carried a different kind of mystery and power..rather than our era where we devour thousands of words a day, and through that, can sometimes feel the dilution of words.. also a good reminder for poets to use less rather than more..to put each word in your palm before putting on the page..
I also liked the way you link earth/sky/sea to three archytypal animals and then to three words ...there were elements and creatures before there were words (although the new testament would like us to think otherwise..in the bginning was the Word)
enjoyed
Mike
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Ticonderoga at 17:41 on 10 October 2005
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Lovely tease......a bit like some of the games Peter Ackroyd plays in The Pato Papers. I love the long, slow build we're having the pleasure of being party to in the constuction of this mythos. Great addition.
t'other Mike
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James Graham at 19:49 on 10 October 2005
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Hujusmodian scholars are generally agreed that the Words almost certainly don't exist. We may never know whether the Prophet actually had three Words in mind but decided against writing them down - or whether he wrote the preamble hoping the Words would come to him, but...they never did. Prophet's block.
James.
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James Graham at 20:01 on 10 October 2005
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During the last quarter of the Moon the Prophet seems to have returned to his incomplete prophecy and decided it was a product of temporary madness. A wise prophet?
James.
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James Graham at 12:25 on 23 October 2005
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This is past its use-by. We can only speculate - but not for very long - that the prophet decided not to write the words down, or burned them, because at the time of the full moon he had been a bit out of his tree. He realised too that even if the words - or at least the claims he made for them - were flapdoodle, they could easily spark off yet another new religion, with half of humanity all fired up with them and the rest damned.
So...now for something completely different. Well, not right away. Before the next full moon.
James.
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Epona Love at 18:00 on 23 October 2005
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Stumbled aross this... definatly awoke a curiosity in me... and my sense of humour... also loved the ongoing comments... I guess the full moon affects us all in odd ways... if you are planning to start a new religion it may actually be one that would appeal to my own need to find madness in an all too factually based world! Very interesting idea for a poem.
Emma x.
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Dreamer at 18:26 on 23 October 2005
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You realise of course that this was the Hunter's Moon and next month is the Beaver's Moon.
Should be something appropriate.
Brian.
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James Graham at 21:59 on 24 October 2005
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Brian - Beaver's Moon - I like that. They deserve a Moon. Castor fiber - might have been one, in a former life.
Thanks for your comment, Emma - glad you enjoyed the whimsicality of this.
James.
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