# Epigraph explained — Vikram and the Vampire

> Chapter companion for Vikram and the Vampire by Richard F. Burton.

## What happens

The chapter presents two epigraphs: a quote from Lamartine criticizing fables for diminishing humanity, nature, and God, and a verse from the Rig-Veda about perception, understanding, and the paradoxical nature of wisdom.

## Themes in this chapter

### Wisdom and Folly

The Rig-Veda verse contrasts the perceptive 'one who had eyes' with the 'blind' who cannot understand, highlighting the theme of wisdom versus folly.

### Religion and Superstition

Lamartine's critique of fables and the Rig-Veda's sacred verse both engage with religious and superstitious frameworks, questioning their impact on understanding.

## Key lines

> Les fables, loin de grandir les hommes, la Nature et Dieu, rapetissent tout.

Fables, rather than elevating humanity, nature, and God, diminish everything.

_Lamartine's critique suggests that fables reduce rather than enhance our understanding of the world and the divine._

> One who had eyes saw it; the blind will not understand it. A poet, who is a boy, he has perceived it; he who understands it will be his sire’s sire.

Only those with insight can perceive the truth; the ignorant cannot grasp it. A youthful poet has comprehended it, and whoever truly understands it becomes the ancestor of their own father.

_This Rig-Vedic verse emphasizes the paradoxical nature of wisdom, where understanding transcends age and lineage._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/vikram_and_the_vampire_se/chapters/epigraph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/vikram_and_the_vampire_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/vikram_and_the_vampire_se/chapters