Dictionary of Proper Names
Selected from Glossary and Index of Proper Names in Sri Aurobindo’s Works (1989/1996)
E
Ecbatana now officially named Hamadan, a city at the foot of Mt. Elvend (or Alvand) & northeast of Behistun, in west-central Iran. The Greeks called it Ecbatana. It was one of the Median capitals under Cyrus II the Great (d. 529 BC), & later the summer residence of Achaemenid & Pārthian kings.
Eddington Sir Arthur Stanley (1882-1944), British astronomer, physicist & mathematician. He was a pioneer in the fields of relativity, cosmology, & the internal constitution of the stars. He was also a writer on science & the philosophy of science.
Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), American inventor & a genius of technology. He held over a thousand U.S. & foreign patents, including those on the incandescent electric lamp, phonograph, & motion-picture projector.
Edur Idar is c.60-70 km west of Dongurh, c.90 km SE of Deesa, c.200 km SW of Chitore, c.300 kms north of Baroda, & c.40 km NE of Vijāpur, & c.60km NE of Gujāria. It was recaptured by Bāppā Rāwal because it belonged to his father the Guhilot king Mahendra II. Around 1257, Rao Sonamji, originally of Sametra, younger son of Rao Shevji of Mandore (Mārwād), conquered a large tract along the river Sabarmati from Mosar in the north to Vāsna state near Sadrā, Ahmedabad, & founded a dynasty that ruled his kingdom from Idar. In 1729, when Abhay Singh, Raja of Jodhpur, was Moghul Subedār of Gujarat, & his brother Bakht Singh was the conqueror of Nagar, two other brothers, named Ananda Singh & Rai Singh, established themselves at Idar by force of arms. The Peshwa & the Gaekwad forced Raja Sheva Singh to cede part of his territories, & pay tribute to the Gaekwad in exchange for receiving tributes from some other minor States. Early in 1902, British Justice hung Idar State round the neck of Pratāpsingh (son of Takhtsingh, the Maharaja of Jodhpur) & Regent of Jodhpur 1895-98 – because in 1901-02 he helped the Octopus annexe Kabul & China, & “because he belonged to the Ahmadnagar branch of the (original) Idar family, & was selected by right & merit to succeed to the vacant gādi of Idar”. On accession to this gādi Pratāpsingh was made Hon. Maj.-Gen., Hon. Commandant of the Indian Imperial Cadet Corps, & Hon. ADC to the King-Emperor of the British Empire. He was granted a 15-gun salute & permission to maintain a grand ‘army’ of 54 cavalry, 100 infantry & 21 guns. [Buckland]
In 1901, Idar State comprised 884 villages with a population of 168,557, covering 4,323 square km. Since 1948, Idar is part of Sābarkānthā district, Gujarat.
Edward II historical play by Marlowe. Edward II was king of England (1307-27).
Edward IV (1442-83), descendant of Edward III, king of England (1461-83) but spent 1470-71 in exile. He revived English monarchy, sea power, & foreign trade.
Edward VII (1841-1910), King of Great Britain & Ireland & Emperor of India from 1901, gave his name to the Edwardian period in dress & English literature, in poetry it was an age of Victorianism lingering on & reaction to it in the work of men like Kipling, A.E., & Yeats.
Einstein Albert (1879-1955), born in Germany of Jewish parents, theoretical physicist, best known for the formulation of the relativity theory. He was one of the most creative intellects in human history, & was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize for physics for his photoelectric law & work on theoretical physics. He became an American citizen in 1940. Interestingly, Einstein held that “Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind.” [Readers’ Digest, Nov.1973]
Elegy (An) Elegy (Written) in a Country Churchyard, by Thomas Gray.
Elements of Politics by Henry Sidgwick.
Eleusinian (Mysteries) holy religious rites of Greece held at Eleusis; they dealt with the legends of Demeter, Kore (Persephone), & Dionysus.
Eleusis city of Attica in Greece, NW of Athens, at the mouth of the river Cephisus.
Elgar, Sir Edward (William) (1857-1934) stimulated a renaissance in English music.
Master of Elibank A.W.C. Oliphant Murray (1870-1920), ‘Master’ is a title given to certain Scottish peers. Liberal M.P. (1900-12): Undersecretary of State for India (1909-10): Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (1910-12).
Elinourse & Juga collection of poems by Chatterton
Eliot Thomas Steams (1888-1965), American-English poet, playwright, critic, leader of the modernist movement in poetry.
Eliot, George Mary Ann Evans (1819-80), Victorian novelist who developed the method of psychological analysis that is characteristic of modem fiction.
Elizabeth Elizabeth I of England (15331603), queen of England (1558-1603). In the 45 years of her reign, England produced Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, Francis Bacon, Walter Raleigh & other notable figures, & colonization was begun.
Ella, an interlude poem by Chatterton.
Ellis, Havelock Henry H. Ellis (1859-1939), English writer, physician & sexologist.
The Elohim Hebrew name of God.
Elsass-Lothringen German equivalent of Alsace-Lorraine (q.v.).
Elysium/ Elysian or Elysian Plain/ Fields, the pre-Hellenic paradise for heroes favoured by the gods; in Virgil part of Hades & a happy abode for the righteous dead.
Emerson Ralph Waldo (1803-82), American lecturer, poet, essayist, leading exponent of New England Transcendentalism.
Emmett Robert Emmet (1778-1803), Irish patriot evoked as hero of Irish lost causes. In July 1803 he started a march on Dublin Castle. The rebellion turned into a brawl & Emmet fled. He was captured, tried & hanged.
Empedocles (c.490-430 BC), Greek philosopher, statesman, poet, & physiologist.
Empire Anglo-Indian evening paper of Calcutta, contemporary of Bande Mataram.
Enceladus hundred-armed son of Uranus & Ge, hurled down by Athene & held under Mount Aetna which quakes when he stirs & erupts when he breathes.
Endymion king of Elis; Selene, goddess of Moon, bore him 50 daughters.
Endymion poem (1818) by John Keats which opens with “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever”. It was criticised, among others, by Stephen Phillips.
An Enemy of the People play by Henrik Ibsen on sewage contamination.
Enghien Louis-Antoine-Henri de BourbonConde, duc d’Enghien (1772-1804). Suspecting he was a part of a conspiracy against him, Napoleon had him kidnapped, court-martialled, & shot. This ended all hope of reconciliation between Napoleon & the House of Bourbon.
Englishman Anglo-Indian daily issued from Hare Street, Calcutta, founded in 1821 by J. H. Stocqueter under the title of The John Bull in the East, & edited by him.
Enna in central Sicily was the site of the rape of Persephone (Kore). See Demeter.
Ennius, Quintus (239-169 BC), Latin epic poet, dramatist & satirist, father of Latin poetry. Virgil, Lucretius & Ovid borrowed freely from Ennius.
Ennosigaios ‘earth-shaker’, Poseidon; who, by striking the earth with his trident, creates earthquakes, chasms, valleys, springs & river-beds.
Enoch Arden collection of poems by Tennyson.
Eoan of/ from Eos, goddess of Dawn.
Epeus (1) Greek who built the Wooden Horse in Trojan War; (2) son of Endymion.
Ephesian Heraclitus as native of Ephesus, city in Asia Minor.
Epictetus (c.55-c.135), Phrygian Stoic philosopher remembered for the religious tone of his teachings, which commended him to numerous early Christian thinkers. He wrote nothing; his teachings were set down by his disciple Arrian.
Epicurus (341-270 BC), Greek author of an ethical philosophy of simple pleasure, friendship, & retirement. Schools of his philosophy survived up to 4th century AD.
Epigoni sons of the Seven (Heroes) Against Thebes. Ten years after the fathers of the Seven died at Thebes, & long before the Trojan War, the Heroes avenged their fathers under the leadership of Adrastus, the only surviving hero of the Seven. They conquered Thebes & gave the kingdom to Thersander, one of the Epigoni.
Epipsychidion Shelley’s poem (1821), inspired by Emila Viviani (known as Pisa); it is part spiritual autobiography, part praise of ideal love.
Epirus ancient province of Greece, on the Ionian Sea; derivative:
Epirote Erasmus, Desiderius (c. 1466-1536): Roman Catholic Dutch priest; scholar of the northern humanist Renaissance he wrote in Latin with keen, often malicious, humour.
Eratosthenes of Cyrene (c.276-194 BC): Greek scholar & poet; he wrote on literature, theatre, mathematics, astronomy, geography, & philosophy. He is credited with measuring correctly the circumference & tilt of the earth & the size & distance of the sun & the moon.
Erebus Greek for Primeval Darkness, sprung from Chaos; it is that part of the underworld, regarded as the abode of the Erinnyes (q.v.), through which the souls of the dead go to Hades.
Erin poetic name of Ireland, from Eire, its Gaelic name which was adopted in 1937 by the Irish Free State, a republic comprising 26 counties of southern Ireland.
Erinny(e)s Greek goddesses of retribution, three winged maidens with snakes in their hair, who pursued criminals, drove them mad, & tormented them in Hades.
Eros Greek god of Love, known as the son of Aphrodite & Ares, originally portrayed as a beautiful winged youth armed with bow & arrows, he tended to be shown younger & younger until, by the Hellenistic period, he was an infant.
Erse Scots/Scottish Gaelic, offshoot of the Irish language, & member of the Goidelic group of Celtic languages which are spoken in NW Scotland & the Hebrides.
Eryx ancient city in Sicily, famed for its temple to Aphrodite.
Esarhaddon Esar-Haddon (680-669 BC), a most powerful king of ancient Assyria.
Esau elder of the twin sons of Isaac [s/a Jacob].
Esperanto fake language, designed like Volapuk as an international language, created in 1887 by Ludwik Zamenhof, Polish oculist.
Essay on Criticism best known of Alexander Pope’s satirical verses that include The Rape of the Lock & The Dunciad [s/a Shakespeare]. He attracted the notice of a bookseller who published his Pastorals in 1709 in the sixth part of Tonson’s Poetical Miscellanies. At the time Pastorals was published, the Heroic Couplet style in which it was written was a moderately new genre of poetry, & earned Pope instant fame. By this time Pope was already at work on his more ambitious poem Essay on Criticism in the same style designed to create a rebirth of the contemporary literary scene. The Essay, first published in 1711, is an attempt to identify & refine his own positions as a poet & critic. The poem was said to be a response to an on-going debate on the question of whether poetry should be natural, or written according to predetermined artificial rules inherited from the classical past. It began with a discussion of the standard rules that govern poetry by which a critic passes judgment. The Essay commenced on the classical authors who dealt with such standards, & the authority that he believed should be accredited to them. He discusses the laws to which a critic should adhere while critiquing poetry, & points out that critics serve an important function in aiding poets with their works, as opposed to the practice of attacking them. The final section discusses the moral qualities & virtues inherent in the ideal critic, who, Pope claims, is also the ideal man.
Essence of Vedanta English translation of Vedantasāra, by Sadānanda (q.v.). It is one of the best known epitomes of Shankarāchārya’s Adwaita.
Essene Jewish brotherhood in pre-Christ Israel that considered monastic life the ideal way to practice the Laws God gave to Moses; they believed in the immortality of the soul & divine punishment for sin, but not the resurrection of the body.
Ethiope poetic form of Ethiopian, native of Ethiopia (ancient Abyssinia). The name Abyssinia, although never official, was formerly widely applied to the country.
Etruscan native of ancient Etruria, now forming Tuscany & part of Umbria.
Eucken, Rudolf Christoph (1846-1926), popular German idealist philosopher, interpreter of Aristotle, & author of works in ethics & religion. His work attained wide popularity, & he was awarded the 1908 Nobel Prize for literature.
Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736), Austrian general, greatest strategist of his time, hence major influence on rulers & generals like Frederick II the Great & Napoleon.
Euhemeros or Euhemerus, Euhemeros, Evemerus (c.300 BC), established the tradition of seeking an actual historical basis for extra-terrestrial beings & events.
Eumachus a wealthy Trojan, brother of Creusa (q.v.).
Euphrosyne ‘cheerfulness, mirth, merriment’, daughter of Zeus & Eurynome; one of the three Graces, the other two being Aglaia & Thalia. They are personifications of beauty & charm, & often associated with the Muses, Dionysus, Eros, & Aphrodite.
Euripides (c.484-406 BC), youngest of three greatest Athenian tragic poets (the other two being Aeschylus & Sophocles).
Europe “If we consider the past of humanity so far as it is known to us, we find that the interesting periods of human life, the scenes in which it has been most richly lived & has left behind it the most precious fruits, were precisely those ages & countries in which humanity was able to organise itself in little independent centres acting intimately upon each other but not fused into a single unity. Modern Europe owes two-thirds of its civilisation to three such supreme moments of human history, the religious life of the congeries of tribes which called itself Israel &, subsequently, of the little nation of the Jews, the many-sided life of the small Greek city states, the similar, though more restricted, artistic & intellectual life of mediaeval Italy. – There is a story in the Jewish Scriptures which relates that when God wished to show himself to Moses, he could only, owing to the spiritual imperfections of the Jewish prophet, reveal safely to him His hinder parts. Moses would have died if he had seen the front of God; he had not the dharanam, the soul-power to support that tremendous vision. The story well illuminates the character of materialism generally, & to its aggressive modern form, European thought & civilisation, it applies with a quite overwhelming appositeness....” ― “Christ from his cross humanised Europe.” [SABCL 15:263; CWSA-12:58-63; SABCL 17:83]
European Enlightenment Webster’s Dictionary: Enlightenment: A philosophic movement of the 18th century marked by questioning of traditional doctrines & values, a tendency towards individualism, & an emphasis on the idea of universal human progress, the empirical method in science & the free use of reason. Philosophy: (a): a pursuit of wisdom (b): a search for a search for a general understanding of values & reality by chiefly speculative rather than observational means (c): an analysis on the grounds & concepts expressing fundamental beliefs. Speculative: (a): involving, based on, or constituting intellectual speculation; theoretical rather than demonstrable. (b): marked by questioning curiosity. [G&C. Merriam Co., USA; Indian Edition, 1985, pp.375-76, 854, 1109]
Sri Aurobindo: In ancient Greece the word philosophy stood for philos: one who has an affinity for or a strong attraction to Sophia: wisdom, & sophos: the wise. That was when in Indian & in Greek philosophy, “the first question for thought was the problem of the One & the Many”. Indian philosophy never lost its double function: it “sought the Truth not only as an intellectual pleasure or the natural dharma of the reason, but in order to know how man may live by the Truth or strive after it” & never lost “its intimate influence on religion, the social ideas, the daily life of the people, its immense dynamic power on the mind & actions of Indian humanity”. The “Greek thinkers, Pythagoras (582-507), Socrates (407-399) , Plato (428/347), the Stoics (308BC) & Epicurus (341-270), had also this practical aim & dynamic force, but it acted only on the cultured few because Greek philosophy, losing its ancient affiliation to the Mystics, separated itself from the popular religion”. ― “Heraclitus (537-475) shows us that the ancient system of sacrifice in Greece had a psychological significance, purification of the soul as well as propitiation of higher & helpful powers, & was therefore in all probability mystic & symbolical; for purification was, as we know, one of the master ideas of the ancient Mysteries. In the development of Judaism by the prophets & by Jesus, while the old physical symbols were discouraged & especially the blood-rite, the psychological idea of sacrifice was saved, emphasised & equipped with subtler symbols, such as the Christian Eucharist…. But Greece with its rational bent & its insufficient religious sense was unable to save its religion; it tended towards that sharp division between philosophy & science on one side & religion on the other which has been so peculiar a characteristic of the European mind. Here, too, Heraclitus was, as in so many other directions, a forerunner, an indicator of the natural bent of occidental thought. Equally striking is his condemnation of idol-worship, one of the earliest in human history: ‘he who prays to an image is chattering to a stone wall’. The intolerant violence of this protestant rationalism & positivism makes Heraclitus again a precursor of a whole movement of the human mind. It is not indeed a religious protest such as that of Mahomed against the naturalistic, Pagan & idolatrous polytheism of the Arabs or of the Protestants against the aesthetic & emotional saint-worship of the Catholic Church, its Mariolatry & use of images & elaborate ritual; its [of Heraclitus’ protestant rationalism & positivism] motive is philosophic, rational, psychological. Heraclitus was not indeed a pure rationalist. He believes in the Gods, but as psychological presences, cosmic powers, & he is too impatient of the grossness of the physical image, its hold on the senses, its obscuration of the psychological significance of the godheads to see that it is not to the stone, but to the divine person figured in the stone that the prayer is offered…. When it was too late, some attempt was made to re-spiritualise the old religion, & there was the remarkable effort of Julian (q.v.) & Libanius (q.v.) to set up a regenerated Paganism against triumphant Christianity; but the attempt was too unsubstantial, too purely philosophic, empty of the dynamic power of the religious spirit.” This was catastrophic for Europe, for, “as ordinarily Philosophy alone can give light to Religion, & save it from crudeness, ignorance & superstition, so Religion alone can give, except for a few, spiritual passion & effective power to Philosophy, & save it from becoming unsubstantial, abstract & sterile.” [SABCL 16:340-65]
That catastrophe burst on Europe in the 18th century by the turmoil created among Europe’s ‘cultured few’, the intellectually advanced, the truth-seekers, the scientists, tormented by the stifling crudeness of dogmatic & doctrinaires Christianity. On one side came Protestantism, Calvinism & a host of others – phenomenon common in every religion in human history. The mantra of truth-seeking scientific scholar created by European Enlightenment may be thus defined: The anti-spiritual reasonings of my ‘corporeal mind is the only lamp’ the sole reliable revealer of the true nature of everything & everyone in the universe, for it alone can systematically gather, organise, & critically interpret all relevant verifiable truths, especially the ultimate Truth & Purpose of Evolution. This mantra developed what might be called Anti-Spiritual Scientific Research & Scholarship, ASRS. It began its humanitarian crusade at home relegating its spiritual & cultural heritage to museums & universities – sanitising the popular mind & life (see Lucifer).
And when ASRS’s charity turned to captive natives of European colonies, it was infuriated to find that Hindu Hindus have imbibed with their mother’s milk the habit of surrendering to their past spiritual & cultural civilisation, in spite of waves upon waves of its Orientalists, Philologists, Antiquarians, Archaeologists, Explorers, Writers, Indologists, etc., labouring to inculcate their own habit ‘imbibed with their mother’s milk’, to Enlighten them.
John Dowson: “Of history, in the true sense, Sanskrit possesses nothing, or next to nothing… So I have gleaned from many European writers, & have sought to present our knowledge of the religion & mythology of Ancient India. My mainstays throughout have been the ‘Original Sanskrit Texts’ of Dr. Muir &...Prof. H.H. Wilson, including his translation of the Rig-Veda, & more especially of the Vishnu Purana, republished with additional notes by Dr. Fitz Edward Hall. I have also levied numerous contributions from the writings of Williams, Max Müller, Röth, Böhtlingk, Lassen, Weber, Whitney, Wollheim da Fonseca, & many others too numerous to mention.” And Dowson’s introduction declares: “Comparative philology & mythology go hand in hand; & as the language of the Vedas has proved the great critical instrument in the construction of the science of philology, so the simple myths of the Vedic hymns furnish many clues for unravelling the science of mythology.” [A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology & Religion, Geography, History, & Literature Dictionary]
Among C.E. Buckland’s most notable Orientalist are: (1) Böhtlingk Otto Von (1813-1904) studied at St. Petersburg, Dorpat, Berlin, Bonn & returned home to Petersburg, 1842: gained fame as a Sanskritist: published Grammaire Sanskrite 1840, Dissertation sur Vaccent Sanskrite, 1843, edition & German translation of Śākuntalam de Kālidāsa, Chrestomatàie Sanskrite, 1877: 7-volumed Sanskrit Dictionary in collaboration with Röth & Weber, 1852-75. (2) Hann Georg Bühler (1837-98): educated at Hanover & Gottingen: graduated in Oriental languages & Archaeology, 1858: studied Sanskrit at Paris, Oxford (London): Superintendent of Sanskrit Studies, Poona, 1855: Prof. Oriental Languages, Elphinstone College, Bombay, 1863 [where Dr Bhandārkar obtained his M.A.in 1866]: Educational Inspector, Bombay Presidency, 1868, 1872: edited Sanskrit texts: deputed to collect [confiscate] Sanskrit texts: discovered [impounded] over 5000 [Hindu] manuscripts. which the British-Indian Govt. distributed among British Universities & Collections, & Indian Societies & Institutions [in Europe of course]: left India 1880: did important work [towards European dominance] as an epigraphist: wrote on Hindu inscriptions: brought out, with Sir Raymond West, a digest of Hindu Law: wrote a Sanskrit Primer, editions of Sanskrit works: published a Glossary of the oldest Prakrit dictionary: collaborated in the series of Sacred Books of the East: translated the Laws of Manu: Prof. Indian Philology & Archaeology, Univ. of Vienna: edited an Encyclopaedia of Indo-Aryan Philology: contributed his Indische Paleographie, 1896: member of Royal Asiatic & other learned Societies: drowned in Lake Constance, 1898.” (3) William Dwight Whitney (1827-1894) studied Sanskrit at Yale 1949-50: attended lectures of Weber at Berlin & Röth) at Tübgen: Prof. Sanskrit, Yale 1854, & Comparative Philology from 1870: Secretary 1857 & President from 1884 of American Oriental Society: published Sanskrit works & translations: head of School of Vedic Studies in U.S., edited Atharva Veda, wrote on Language & Study of Language, Oriental & Linguistic Studies, wrote on Oriental subjects: contributed to Röth’s & Böhtlingk’s Sanskrit Dictionary: was opposed to the native system of Sanskrit grammar.”
Sanjeev Sanyal: “One of the persistent misconceptions about Indian history is that Indians have somehow never conceived themselves as a nation & consequently never cared about their history. This idea was repeated by colonial-era officialdom for obvious political ends. As Sir John Strachey put it, in late 19th century, ‘The first & most essential thing to learn about India is that there is not, & never was an India.’…. Winston Churchill said that ‘India is a geographical term. It is no more a united nation than the equator.’ A corollary to this point of view was the argument that: Since Indians were never conscious of their nationhood, they did not care for their history or their freedom. There is more than enough evidence to show that Indians have long been conscious of their history & civilisation. Indeed, from very ancient times, Indians have gone out of their way to record their times as well as to create linkages to those who came before them [See Orion, & Arctic Home]…. Till early 20th century, it was believed that India was inhabited by aboriginal stone-age tribes till around 1500 BC when Indo-Europeans called ‘Aryans’ invaded the subcontinent from Central Asia with horses & iron weapons. Indian civilisation was seen as a direct result of this invasion. Although the date was entirely arbitrary & not backed by any evidence, this theory appeared to fit the pattern of later Central Asian invasions as well as explain certain linguistic similarities between Indian & European languages. Most importantly, it was politically convenient at that time as it painted the British as merely latter-day Aryans with a mission of civilize the natives.” [Land of the Seven Rivers – A Brief history of India’s geography, 2012]
Although the protracted labour of Muirs, Wilsons, Halls, Williams, Müllers, Röths, Böhtlingks, Lassens, Webers, Whitneys, Fonsecas, Bühlers, Deussens, Dowsons could not throw everything Hindu into mankind’s forgettable history, its limited success shouts out in the life & creations of Europeanised Hindus. Tilak c.1904: “In the flush of modern education, the younger generation has hardly any regard for India's cultural heritage. Educated youths…are so apathetic that would prefer to ignore religion & culture altogether. I sometimes think that the advent of Swaraj or the continuation of Christian domination hardly makes any difference, if none is going to stand for culture & religion. Swaraj has a purpose in so far as it makes us god-fearing & conscious of the heritage of our blood. Modern education makes us eager for a Swaraj which would satisfy simply our animal instincts & appetites.” [S.L. Karandikar: 204]
Sri Aurobindo: “Is this then the end of the long march of human civilisation, this spiritual suicide, this quiet petrifaction of the soul into matter?” After all, if the scientific view is correct, why not? An evolution that started with the protoplasm & flowered in the orangutan & the chimpanzee, may well rest satisfied with having created hat, coat & trousers, the British Aristocrat, the American capitalist & the Parisian Apache. For these, I believe, are the chief triumphs of the European enlightenment to which we bow our heads. For these Augustus created Europe, Charlemagne refounded civilisation, Louis XIV regulated society, Napoleon systematised the French Revolution. For these Goethe thought, Shakespeare imagined & created, St. Francis loved, & Christ was crucified. What a bankruptcy! What a beggary of things that were rich & noble! . . . Europe boasts of her science & its marvels. But an Indian cannot content himself with asking like Voltaire, as the supreme question, ‘What have you invented?’ His glance is at the soul; it is that into which he is accustomed to inquire. To the braggart intellect of Europe he is bound to reply, ‘I am not interested in what you know, I am interested in what you are. With all your discoveries & inventions, what have you become? Your enlightenment is great, – but what are these strange creatures that move about in the electric light you have installed & imagine that they are human?’ Is it a great gain for the human intellect to have grown more acute & discerning, if the human soul dwindles? . . . But Science does not admit the existence of soul. The soul, it says, is only an organised republic of animalcules. And it is in the mould of that idea Europe has recast herself; that is what the European nations are becoming, organised republics of animalcules, – very intelligent, very methodical, very wonderful talking & reasoning animalcules, but still animalcules. Not what the race set out to be, creatures made in the image of the Almighty, gods that having fallen from heaven remember & strive to recover their heritage. Man in Europe is descending steadily from the human level & approximating to the ant & the hornet. The process is not complete but it is progressing apace, & if nothing stops the debacle, we may hope to see its culmination in this twentieth century. After all our superstitions were better than this enlightenment, our social abuses less murderous to the hopes of the race than this social perfection. . . . It is a very pleasant inferno they have created in Europe, a hell not of torments but of pleasures, of lights & carriages, of balls & dances & suppers, of theatres & cafés & music halls, of libraries & clubs & Academies, of National Galleries & Exhibitions, of factories, shops, banks & Stock Exchanges. But it is hell all the same, not the heaven of which the saints & the poets dreamed, the New Jerusalem, the golden city. London & New York are the holy cities of the new religion, Paris its golden Paradise of Pleasure.” [CWSA 1:545-46]
Eurotas (now Iris), river in south Peloponnesus. Sparta was on its banks.
Eurydice a nymph, wife of Orpheus.
Euxine Greek name for the Black Sea.
Evangeline narrative poem (1847) by Longfellow about British expulsion of the French Acadians from Nova Scotia.
Dr. Evans-Wentz, W.Y. of Jesus College, Oxford; wrote The Tibetan Book of the Dead, Tibet’s Great Yogi Milarepa, Tibetan Yoga & Secret Doctrines, & The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation.
The Eve of St. Agnes poem by John Keats based on a legend that maidens were allowed to have a sight of their future husbands on the eve of St. Agnes’ feast day.
Expansion of England by Sir John Robert Seeley published in 1883.
Ezekiel The Book of Ezekiel, one of the major prophetical books of the Old Testament. The priest Ezekiel received his prophetic call in the fifth year of the first deportation to Babylonia (592 BC) & was active until at least 571 BC. The Book, in its final form, contains 44 chapters, exhibiting a threefold theme. Chapter 34 continues the prophecies of restoration & hope begun in the previous chapter.
Ezra, Pound (1885-1972), American poet, critic, editor, & translator, considered one of the foremost American literary figures of the 20th century. Pound was a chief architect of English & American literary modernism, a movement characterized by experimentation in literary form & content, exploration of the literary traditions of non-Western & ancient cultures, & rejection of the traditions of the immediate past.