The Light of Hermes Trismegistus

Reviews

“I have to go back forty years to Stanley Lombardo’s pitch-perfect renderings of Parmenides and Empedocles to match Stein’s resourceful lucidity and poetic nimbleness. His commentaries are rigorous and impeccable, and the translations are an exaltation unto themselves. Stein has sounded the depths. These are more than documents, they are vitalities.” “In alignment with the spirits of Thomas Taylor and G. R. S. Mead, Charles Stein has devoted decades to a meticulous deep reading and research of the works collected now in The Light of Hermes Trismegistus, and the translations that have resulted are highly considered, musical, and shapely. We are thrice blessed with Stein’s illuminating, fresh, and detailed commentary and his offering of a profound and original philosophical view of a possible past, present, and future of the Hermetic texts.” “Charles Stein’s translations from the Hermetic tradition have the wildness and directness of great poetry, the precision and depth of profound philosophical inquiry, and the spiritual intensity and devotion that only comes from practice and experience in a number of sacred traditions.” “This collection and commentary delivers what only the right poet’s translation can: it recovers the vital Western sources of Being in a poiesis true to our moment in time. ‘The text itself is the secret,’ as Stein takes from Henry Corbin, and here in these sacred renderings the secret is: the text itself is Hermes--for our eyes now.” “In this embarrassment of riches, Charles Stein’s electrifying translation of Parmenides is alone worth the price of admission, but there is so much more. The generous essays following each work--taking us along a deep journey into their unique poetic value--make his brilliant translations stand out all the more. While there is a certain irony in calling this a timely book, Stein offers us the kind of knowledge we should be hungering for.” "Hermes Trismegistus is at once an energetic deity in ancient mythology and an enigmatic figure credited with writing a body of texts in the ancient world. This book presents newly translated texts that translator Charles Stein subsequently explores for connections and ideas relevant to contemporary times. Highly recommended as an unusual grouping of Hermetic texts as well as a source of contemplations on those texts for more advanced readers." “Charles Stein’s translations are an activation within the history of magic and the magic of historiography. In his hands these esoteric works are not mere artifacts but living things that maintain a vital charge made easily accessible within anyone’s open ‘poetic wallet.’ This anthology’s purse ultimately is a vast portmanteau of the Hermetic treasure house that delivers inspiriting news renewed and unpacked with each reading.” Expand reviews