The Light of Asia
1879
- poetry
- buddhas
- buddha (the concept)
- buddhism
- bouddhas
- poésie
- bouddha (le concept)
- bouddhisme
- asia, religion
- gautama buddha
The story
In this poetic masterpiece, Sir Edwin Arnold describes the life and teachings of Buddha. The man who was to become known as Buddha to the world was born as Prince Gautama of India but he rejected the worldly riches and abandoned the reigns of power when he embarked on a journey to discover the meaning of life. This poem reveals Buddha's life from the Buddhist perspective but you don't have to be a Buddhist to appreciate this poetic work. As you read about Buddha's journey you will embark on your own course of discovery. First published in 1879, the book has become a classic and has been published in many editions and many languages. Not only is it deeply philosophical in nature, but because of its poetic form and its narrative of the dramatic incidents in Siddhartha's life, it is delightful and absorbing reading.
What it’s like
Long, measured blank-verse lines unfold like a slow illuminated manuscript, with the Indian-palace and forest-hermitage world rendered through lush, jewel-bright imagery: lotus ponds at dawn, sandalwood smoke, the glare of noon over dusty roads, the cool dark of a banyan grove. The voice is elevated and devotional without being severe, closer to a sung parable than a dramatic epic, and it moves at a contemplative, stately pace, pausing for long reflective passages on suffering, desire, and release. Its emotional register is serene and quietly awed, with a gentle melancholy running beneath the palace scenes as a young prince turns away from luxury toward a stranger kind of peace. Sensory violence is absent; the hardest moments are grief at a sickbed or a death glimpsed on the road, handled with restraint and sorrow rather than horror. The arc follows a seeker growing from privileged restlessness into calm, luminous understanding. It suits a slow Sunday morning, a reflective evening with a cup of tea, or a comfort reread for those who enjoy devotional and philosophical poetry, and it will reward readers curious about Buddhism, Indian settings, or Victorian verse that aims for wonder rather than irony.
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