The Divine Enchantment

The Divine Enchantment is John Neihardt's earliest narrative poem, first published in 1900. The poem is divided into ten cantos, and uses a variety of rhyming styles.

Introduction

When the Princess Devanaguy falls into a deep trance-like sleep, she is visited by the god Vishnu: who causes her to fall pregnant with his holy child, Christna.[1]

Devanaguy's sleep is prolonged supernaturally by Vishnu: allowing the god to relate to her his divine secrets through a series of ecstatic visions. Among the mysteries revealed to Devanaguy, she is shown how the gods will shortly powerfully intervene directly in human affairs. When the princess finally re-awakens she is awestruck by her experiences, and bursts into a spontaneous rhapsody of praise.[2]

Notes

1. Neihardt, John. The Divine Enchantment. New York: White & Company, 1900. p. 14.
2. Neihardt, John. The Divine Enchantment. New York: White & Company, 1900. pp. 14-46.

External links

• The Divine Enchantment at the Internet Archive.
• The Divine Enchantment public domain audiobook at LibriVox.