There is a disgraceful chasm (exemplified by a quote by Harlen Ellison: "To die a-flaming with the rest of the world...empty") between the Homeric and the Mahabharatan that ties me up in knots of silence, unable as I am to pronounce certain words properly that I have only ever read (and not heard.)
Does one epic shadow another or are they irreconcilable? Does only one truly convey the role of the citizen in society? We want the cultures to compete. I was taught the value of human ideals and the joy of pursuing heroic excellence in the face of irreducible fate. But is that particular folly like presenting the 'I'-Formation against a perpetually unrolling scroawl?
The rhapsode Bhero Ram Gujar Bhopa has memorized seven nights' worth of verses. He begins:
She cracked this week,
Drained bank accounts,
Stole a co-worker's driver's license,
Faked a 911 call about being stuffed
Into a car trunk by two black men.
She boarded a flight
With her 9-year-old daughter
And went to Disney World.
