Golden Verses of Pythagoras (English and French Edition) [Paperback]

Fabre D'Olivet (Author), Nayan L. Redfield (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1992

Translated by Nayan Louis Redfield. Contents: Discourse Upon the Essence and Form of Poetry; The Golden Verses of Pythagoras; Examinations of the Golden Verses.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing, LLC; 2nd edition (January 1, 1992)
• Language: English, French
• ISBN-10: 1564592766
• ISBN-13: 978-1564592767
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,625,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The book is Pythagoras plus d'Olivet, a remarkable formula., October 13, 1999

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A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Golden Verses of Pythagoras (English and French Edition) (Paperback)

Having read the 1975 Samuel Weiser edition of d'Olivet's 1813 edition, translated into English a century later, I found the book both magical and mathematically philosophical. The cult of Pythagoras is relatively unknown today. "Pythagoras, in conceiving this spiritual hierarchy, as a geometrical progression, considered the beings which compose it under harmonious relations, and based, by analogy, the laws of the universe upon those of music. He called the movementof the celestial spheres, harmony, and made use of numbers to express the faculties of different beings, their relations and their influences." While this is a difficult sentence construction, the reader senses the elementary calculations that Pythagoras saw as the essence of the construction of the universe. D'Olivet, however, takes the analysis of a single poem translated more than a millenium ago by Lysis, a Pythagorian disciple, further.In his analysis of the poem, section by section, he draws upon his own extensive experience with Asian and Middle Eastern religions. Essentially, d'Olivet expands the significance of Pythagoras's verses to a universal interpretation. D'Olivet was a man declared a non-person by Napoleon and after serving time went in to French house arrest, basically. He was also condemned by the Pope for his spiritual expansion of theosophy. This slim volume is filled with quotable quotes, historical references, and multi-cultural values. D'Olivet is remarkably contemporary. He is ultimately a Unitarian-Universalist, and I hope that his work is considered valuable to any seminary teaching Unitarian points of view. This is a combination of a remarkable rediscovery of Pythagoras, who is mainly known for one geometric theorum, as a key philosopher and theosophist. It is also the discovery of an obscure French philosopher and theosophist who deserves a story of his own. "When Lysis wrote in Greece, there had been no one as yet who doubted either the existence of the gods, or that of the Universe, or made the distinction between good and evil, vice and virtue."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Gateway of Theurgy, July 24, 2005

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OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Golden Verses of Pythagoras (English and French Edition) (Paperback)

_These are the legendary Golden Verses of Pythagoras, as translated (with inspiration) into the French by Fabre D'Olivet, and then into the English (with equal inspiration) by Nayan Louise Redfield. The first portion of the book is the poetic translation of the thirty-six verses themselves. One page gives the original Greek text, the opposite side gives the French translation, while the English translation appears at the bottom of both pages. The second portion of the book gives detailed examinations verse by verse.

_It is this second part that is of the greatest value to the student. You see, the verses were written in the manner of all ancient wisdom literature- there are at least two levels of meaning. Many people can read these verses as nothing more than moral instruction on how to live a virtuous life. They are that, but they are also more besides. D'Olivet broke with tradition and revealed the esoteric meaning of every verse. These deeper meanings reveal the deep perennial wisdom that forms a large part of the preparation, purification, and perfection of the adept. Yet, simple reading and intellectual knowing of these principles is not enough- they must become a part of your very soul. That is why Pythagoreans through the ages read and contemplated on these verses and their deeper meaning every day of their lives down through the ages.

_An interesting side note is the fact that D'Olivet was repeatedly persecuted by Napoleon I. This persecution was not because the tyrant thought that D'Olivet was a fake (Napoleon was raised around the occult and knew the real thing when he experienced it.) No, D'Olivet was persecuted because Napoleon recognized that he was a true Theurgist in the highest sense- one who seeks to align his being and will so closely with God that they are inseparable, and thereby help to achieve God's Will and Divine Harmony on earth by his workings. The work of such an adept is seldom in sympathy with the work of a tyrant.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Golden Indeed!, September 19, 2005

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An Avid Reader (Sausalito, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Golden Verses of Pythagoras (English and French Edition) (Paperback)

These transcendent verses elucidate the mysteries and wisdom of ancient literature-With this remarkable book, the secret teachings behind the literal delineations come alive with D'Olivet's interpretations. Esoteric philosophy is revealed in every verse! This luminous work is filled with history and transcultural philosophy and is incredibly readable.