The Seafarer is an ancient English poem. It is told from the voice of a lonely sailor, suffering the hardships and trails of the sea. However, he willingly suffers, knowing that a blessed eternal life is a much better existence than a happy, material life on earth. The poem tells about the uselessness of material goods, because you cannot take them with you into the afterlife. The author thinks that it is much better to live a frugal and humble life on earth to ensure a peaceful afterlife than to live a gluttonous life and be doomed to hell. This reminded me of Siddhartha's journey. Siddhartha amasses great wealth, but is unhappy with himself. He feels shallow and finds his new habits disgusting, so much that he almost commits suicide. Instead, he decides to give up his possessions and focus on gaining spiritual comfort rather than living in material luxury. The idea of a humble life seems to parallel many religious ideals, from Buddhism to Christianity.
"The Seafarer." Beowulf and Other Old English Poems. Trans. Constance B. Hieatt. 2nd Ed. New York: Bantam Books, 1988. 117-20.
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4 comments:
I agree that this sound a lot like Siddhartha. He is never happy when he is rich and has everything he ever wants. In fact that is one of the lowest points in his life (so far). I don't think that Buddhism and Chrisitianity are the only religions with this basic idea. I have even seen books with no religous background or orgin with this theme. Good job finding something that relates.
This poem sounds like a good choice, as it connects so well to what we're reading in class right now. I agree very much with the idea of living a life devoid of excessive material posessions, even if I don't believe in reincarnation or an afterlife. But besides how it connects to Siddhartha, what did you personally think of the poem?
This poem sounds very interesting. I enjoyed your use of vocabulary, it really spiced up you blog post. For your analysis,that i especially liked, it was very efficient but you didn't write a whole paper on it. Your connection to Siddhartha was insightfull and very well put.
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