The Parliament of Poets: An Epic Poem
Epic Poetry Reading, Selections 2015 – 2017
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A shaman-like tale or chant, a story, a Journey toward healing the psyche of the planet, drawing from and evoking all of the great spiritual and wisdom traditions and regional civilizations.
If the old exclusivisms evolved into the exclusivism of the Enlightenment, from the moon, together, we can see universality…
As a global epic tale, I am speaking to the entire planet, not merely the Western world. While the whole is always more than the sum of its parts, I gratefully acknowledge my indebtedness to such writers and thinkers as the historian Arnold Toynbee, Carl Jung, Huston Smith, Aldous Huxley, Joseph Campbell, and many others of open and universal sensibility. Campbell, especially, wrote on shamanism and myth and their power to heal the tribe through a visionary experience and tale. Campbell also wrote repeatedly about the overview Image of Earthrise, rising above the horizon of the moon, as the great new mythic Image and Symbol for our time. I hope that my epic tale might be judged worthy of the best in their thinking and work.
“It’s very contemporary, in some ways, and very much old school… This is really some cool stuff, I have to say, and I’m not just saying that, just to say it. It really is, and when you hear some of his epic poetry and poetry, hopefully you’ll agree and want to grab a copy of The Parliament of Poets. If you’ve done any study of classic epic poetry, this fits the bill. And don’t let that turn you away. It’s really good stuff.” —Introduced by M. L. Liebler, Poet, Department of English, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
The Parliament of Poets, set partly on the moon at the Apollo 11 landing site, the Sea of Tranquility, and around the world.
Apollo calls all the poets of the nations, ancient and modern, East and West, to assemble on the Moon to consult on the meaning of modernity. The Parliament of Poets chooses one of its own, the Poet of the Moon, and sends him on a Journey to the seven continents to learn from all of the spiritual and wisdom traditions of humankind. On Earth and on the Moon, the poets teach him a new global, universal vision of life.
The book has twelve chapters, each with three to five cantos, more than forty throughout. I’m going to read excerpts from only four cantos tonight. To suggest the scope of the book, it is set partly on the moon and in Australia, India, Cambodia, Burma, Tibet, China, Japan, Africa, France, England, Russia, the Middle East, Central and South America. First, a selection from the very beginning of Book I, chapter one, set on the moon, already at the Apollo 11 landing site, followed by selections from elsewhere in the book.
REVIEWS
“A remarkable poem by a uniquely inspired poet, taking us out of time into a new and unspoken consciousness…” —Kevin McGrath, Lowell House, South Asian Studies, Harvard University
“A great epic poem of startling originality and universal significance, in every way partaking of the nature of world literature.” —Hans-George Ruprecht, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
“Mr. Glaysher has written an epic poem of major importance… Truly a major accomplishment and contribution to American Letters.” —ML Liebler, Department of English, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
“Glaysher is really an epic poet and this is an epic poem! Glaysher has written a masterpiece… I strongly recommend Frederick Glaysher’s poem.” —James Sale (UK), The Society of Classical Poets
“And a fine major work it is.” —Arthur McMaster, Department of English, Converse College, Spartanburg, South Carolina
“I’m extremely impressed with the quality and depth of the writing. So well written. It’s almost like a stepping stone into all this world lit that people might otherwise never touch.” —R. J. Fox, Kerrytown BookFest, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
YouTube Playlist – Epic Poetry Readings and Workshop. Copyright (c) 2012-2017 Frederick Glaysher.
