1904 · PDF PAGE 2
The Sword of Song
THE SWORD OF SONG CALLED BY CHRISTIANS THE BOOK OF THE BEAST ALEISTER CROWLEY SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF RELIGIOUS TRUTH BENARES 1904
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
FOLLOW A WORD THROUGH THE COLLECTION
Search the corpus.
Phrase search ignores case and repeated whitespace. All-words search finds whole words anywhere on the same page. OCR errors can affect results.
50 matching pages
Page 1 of 31904 · PDF PAGE 3
The Sword of Song
…NDA METTEYA AND TO THOSE FOOLS WHO BY THEIR SHORT-SIGHTED STUPIDITY IN ATTEMPTING TO BOYCOTT THIS BOOK HAVE WITLESSLY AIDED THE CAUSE OF TRUTH I DEDICATE THESE MY BEST WORDS.
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
1904 · PDF PAGE 9
The Sword of Song
… tossed himself Off from the top of tower. Moral: don’t spoil such an excellent sport as an Ample estate with a church and a courtesan! “Truth, that’s the gold”12 But don’t worry about it! I, you, or Simpkin13 can get on without it! If life’s task be work and love’s (the soft-lippèd) ease, Death be God’s glory ? discuss with Euripides ! * The numbered notes are given at p. 48 † Bacon, “Essay on Truth,” line 1. ‡ “Childe Roland to the dark Tower came.”—BROWNING. Curious posi- tion of poet. What is Truth? said jesting Pilate: but Crowley waits fo…
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
1904 · PDF PAGE 120
The Sword of Song
…cho Brahe as the One Guide? How far the Buddha had he reverenced the Vedas with blind faith? Or how far can we proceed even from partial truth, unless a perfectly open mind be kept regarding it, aware that some new pheno- menon may possibly overthrow our most fun- damental hypotheses ! Give me a reasonable proof of some (intelligent) existence which is not liable to sorrow, and I will throw the First Noble Truth to the dogs without a pang. And, knowing this, how splendid is it to read the grand words uttered m ore than two thousand y ears ago: …
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
1904 · PDF PAGE 38
The Sword of Song
…s mere ratiocination, Of twenty other things as well, The first of which is concentration ! Here most philosohers agree ; Claim that the truth must so intend, Explain at once all agony Of doubt, make people comprehend 350 355 260 365 370 375 380 385 The Advaitist position. Mind’s superior functions. Does truth make itself in- stantly appa- rent ? Not reason.
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
1904 · PDF PAGE 41
The Sword of Song
…tice tends To holy thoughts (the holy deeds Precede success) and reverent gaze Upon the Ancient One of Days, Beyond which fancy lies the Truth. To find which I have left my youth, All I held dear, and sit alone Still meditating, on my throne Of Kusha-grass,48 and count my beads, Murmer my mantra,49 till recedes The world of sense and thought—I sink 475 480 485 490 495 500 505 510 Fact replacing folklore, the Christian snig- gers. Let him beware. For I speak subtly. Results of prac- tice. The poet abandons all to find Truth.
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
1904 · PDF PAGE 39
The Sword of Song
THE SWORD OF SONG 32 As by a lightning flash, solve doubt And turn all Nature inside out : And, if such potency of might Hath Truth, once state the truth aright, Whence came the use for all these pages Millions together—mighty sages Whom the least obstacle enrages ? Condemn the mystic if he prove Thinking less valuable than love ? Well, let them try their various plans ! Do they resolve that doubt of man’s ? How many are Hegelians ? This, though I hold him mostly true. But, to teach others that same view ? Surely long years develop reason.45 Af…
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
1904 · PDF PAGE 111
The Sword of Song
…asant. It is this desire inherent in me for continued consciousness that is responsible for it all, and this leads us to the Third Noble Truth. (3) S ORROW’S CEASING.—The ces sation of desire is the cessation of sorrow. This is a simple logical inference form the second Truth, and needs no comment. (4) T HE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH.— There is a way , to be cons idered later, of realising the Third Truth. But we must, before we can perceive its possibility on the one hand, or its necessity on the other, form a clear idea of what are the Buddhist ten…
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
1904 · PDF PAGE 83
The Sword of Song
…ha, in the midst of the Five Hundred Thousand Arahats, “the wicked Jehjaour had joined himself with Mara to prevent the discovery of the truth. And in Mara’s fall he fell. At that m oment all the currents of his continued and concen- trated Hate recoiled upon him and he fell into the Abyss of Being. And in the Halls of Birth he was cast out into the Lowest H ell— he becam e a clergy man of the Church of England, further than he had ever been before from Truth and Light and P eace and Love; deeper and deeper enmeshed in the net of Circumstance, …
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
1904 · PDF PAGE 84
The Sword of Song
…, with few, few exceptions, you would not only cease to talk of the wickedness of causing death, but y ou would perceive the First Noble Truth, that no existence can be free from sorrow ; the second, that the desire for existence only leads to s orrow ; that the ceas ing from existence is the ceasing of sorrow (the third) ; and you would seek in the fourth the Way , the Noble Eightfold Path. “I know, O Arahats, that y ou do not need this instruction : but m y words will not stay here : they will go forth and illum inate the whole system of ten …
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
1904 · PDF PAGE 6
The Sword of Song
INTRODUCTION III If the student has advanced spiritually so that he can internally , infallibly perceive what is Truth, he will find it equally well symbolised in most external faiths. It is curious that Browning never turns his wonderful faculty of analysis upon the funda- mental problems of religion, as it were an axe laid to the root of the Tree of Life. It seems quite clear that he knew what would result if he did so. We cannot help fancy ing that he was unwilling to do this. The proof of his knowledge I find in the following lines:— “I hav…
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
1904 · PDF PAGE 90
The Sword of Song
…ool,” they laughed back—nay, even his maiden queen. For she would not any should know thereof. Yet all were right, both he and they. But truth ran quickly about; for that was the House of Truth; and Mercury stood far from the Sun. Yet the Suggler was ever in the Sign of Sorrow, and the Fig Tree was not far. So went our Father to the Fool’s Paradise of Air. But it is not lawful that I should write to y ou, brethren, of what there came to him at that place and time; nor indeed is it true, if it were written. F or alway doth this Arcanum differ fr…
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
1904 · PDF PAGE 40
The Sword of Song
…f wave-swept sea confront me. Nay ! Looms yet the glory through the grey, And in the darkest hours of youth I yet perceive the essential truth, 430 435 440 445 450 455 460 465 470
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
1904 · PDF PAGE 29
The Sword of Song
…le, fertile as the teeming spawn Of pickled lax or stickleback, Came ancient rituals,7 whack ! whack ! Of Rosy Cross and Golden Dawn.8 * Truth-lover. 5 10 15 20 25 30 Poem dissimi- lar to its pre- decessor. Will it lead some- where this time? Reflections on the weather, proper to be- ginning a con- versation in English. Autobiography of bard. Lehrjahre. Wanderjahre. “The magician of Paris.” How clever I am !
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
1904 · PDF PAGE 59
The Sword of Song
…mmands with that grim humour of his, is: Avoid Intoxication. But what is intoxication? unless it be the loss of power to use perfectly a truth-telling set of faculties. If I w alk unsteadily it is ow ing to nervous lies—and so for all the phenomena of drunkenness. But a lie involves the assump- * Quoted in “Science and Buddhism”, s. IV , note. † “Ship me somewhere East of Suez, where a man can raise a thirst.”—R. KIPLING. ‡ “While as for Quilp Hop o’ my Thumb there Banjo-Byron that twangs the strum-strum there.” —BROWNING, Pachiarotto (said of …
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
1904 · PDF PAGE 82
The Sword of Song
… “Kabbalah Unveiled.” correct deductions.’ ‘Yes, y ou can, if only your logical methods are unsound. That’s the Christian way of getting truth.’ ‘True!’ replied the sage, ‘but precious little they get. Learn, O Mahabrahma (for I penetrate this disguise), that all existin things, even from thee unto this grain of sand, possess Three Characteristics. These are Mutability, Sorrow, and Unsubstantiality.’ “ ‘All right for the sand, but how about Me ? Why , the y define me as unchange- able.’ ‘You can define a quirk as being a two-sided triangle,’ re…
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
1904 · PDF PAGE 48
The Sword of Song
… : materialise What spiritual fact you choose, And all such turn to folly—lose The subtle splendour, and the wise Love and dear bliss of truth. Beware Lest your lewd laughter set a snare For any ! Thus and only thus Will I admit a difference ’Twixt spirit and the things of sense. What is the quarrel between us ? Why do our thoughts so idly clatter ? I do not care one jot for matter, One jot for spirit, while you say One is pure ether, one pure clay. I’ve talked too long : you’re very good— I only hope you’ve understood ! Remember that “conversi…
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
1904 · PDF PAGE 28
The Sword of Song
… I deem not so. Once for my fellow-creature’s need ! The rest of life, for self-control,81 For liberation of the soul !82 This once, the truth ! In future, best Dismissing Jesus with a jest. Ah ! Christ ascends ?83 Ascension day ? Old wonders bear the bell84 away ? Santos-Dumont, though ! Who can say ? 745 750 755 760 765 770 775 780 The reader may hope. Summary. Reader dis- missed to chapel. Future plans of poet. Jesus dismissed with a jest. The Jest.
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
1904 · PDF PAGE 36
The Sword of Song
…of change. So far, no farther, gentle youth ! The mind can see. So much, no more. So runs the premiss major plain ; Identical, the Noble truth First of the Buddha’s Noble Four! The premiss minor. I deplore These limitations of the mind I strain my eyes until they’re blind, And cannot pierce the awful veil * In Memoriam † All is Sorrow 270 275 280 285 290 295 300 305 Bard is pleased with himself. Poetee mani- fests a natural irritation. Sabbé pi Duk- kham ! † Beyond thought, is there hope ? Maya again. Vision of the
original embedded textRead original & transcription →
1904 · PDF PAGE 13
The Sword of Song
…ish up ! As by a posset of Hunyadi38 Clear mind! Was Soudan of the Mahdi Not cleared by Kitchener ? Ah, Tchhup ! Such nonsense for sound truth you dish up, Were I magician, no mere cadi, Not Samuel’s ghost you’d make me wish up, Nor Saul’s (the mighty son of Kish) up, But Ingersoll’s or Bradlaugh’s, pardie ! By spells and caldron stews that squish up, Or purifying of the Nadi39 Till Stradivarius or Amati Shriek in my stomach ! Sarasate, Such strains ! Such music as once Sadi Made Persia ring with ! I who fish up No such from soul may yet cry: V…
original embedded textRead original & transcription →