Before we wade, in our teeming millions, into the riotous disorder that 2024 is sure to bring, I thought it might be nice to “cleanse our timelines” for a moment in the clear air of a serene and ancient vastness where the vital spirit of remote antiquity still touches the living.
Here, then, is Batzorig Vaanchig with a paean to his ancestor Genghis Khan. Lyrics below.
Blessed by the eternal sky,
Born of the steppe,
Everywhere in blue-skied Mongolia,
His name resounds in the world,
The courageous Mongol Genghis,
The sublime lord Genghis.
Even in burning wounds,
A mind strong as steel,
Like temporal swords,
As powerful as a planetary bird,
The courageous Mongol Genghis,
The sublime lord Genghis.
Blessed by the sky above,
Possessed half the world,
Engrained is his spirit,
In the majestic and mighty world.
The courageous Mongol Genghis,
The sublime lord Genghis.
5 Comments
The instrument reminds me of what Serbs call a gusle. Not quite my cup of tea, although I can see why you like this piece Malcolm.
I’ll confess to mixed feelings about the lyrics. As they say the past is a foreign country where people do things differently. You can’t maintain twenty-first century moral standards for the thirteenth. Still: “Some evil men would be less dangerous if there were no good in them at all.” (La Rochefoucauld, Maxims)
I listened to the composition a second time Malcolm, worried that I was being a philistine. It does have a real charm, especially the instrumental aspect. Probably I need to be more open to the vocal component, which in a Western guise would come off as contrived but makes sense in the Mongolian context.
I think it’s refreshing to see people honoring their ancestors, instead of spitting on their graves.
I appreciate the setting and the principle of honoring of ancestors. I imagine the acoustics up there are remarkable. I liked the instrumental breaks better than the throat singing, which I’d need to develop an ear for. Strange to hear myself think that inasmuch as I love Dylan’s voice, throughout his careening career. My own voice was strong when young, but nothing like this and is long gone now due to abuse and neglect. I don’t intend any contrariness here, but it’s interesting to me to point out that Jeffrey Epstein is said to have revered Genghis Khan for his ‘contribution to the gene pool’, which is reputed to have been a driving interest of the late Mr. Epstein (contributing to the gene pool as a benefactor of humanity and avid transhumanism activist). Of course he was himself not likely to have had any but a smidgeon of old Khan’s dna, while this fellow likely does. I also suspect that the Genghis of his tune is a deified mythologized version of the carbon-based ancestor, a sublimated and sanctified stand-in for a role model God-man.
To ” “cleanse our timelines” for a moment in the clear air of a serene and ancient vastness where the vital spirit of remote antiquity still touches the living.” is a beautiful sentence I cannot fail to respond to, such a desperately needed emollient for our souls every day lately… and having read Genesis 1 this morning, where darkness, the ‘already-there’ hiddenness of God, was over the face of the Deep, the spirit of God was also there, hovering over waters, etc. What could be more serene, vast, ancient? And vital to bear into this particular new year to face what you describe in your first line? Thanks for the post.
mharko,
I’m glad you liked that sentence. When I saw that scene, it seemed to capture in a single tableau everything that is missing, and that our souls yearn for, in this greasy, crawling snakepit of a modern world.