The River Song—Ballad for Saddhartha

I was called to the river,
To listen from the shore,
My search was finally over,
No need to wander anymore,
What the rivers say,
We must all find our own way,

I’ve questioned many preachers,
And scoured many books,
Met with masters on a mountain,
Talked to scholers and crooks,
But the truth I came to know,
Was found in the river’s flow,

At the river,
Every ripple,
Continues down stream,
Every question,
Fades away,
Like a dream

I have known so much pleasure,
Still, I suffered many years,
A servant to desire,
Brings lonliness and fear,
But the one I came to know,
Released me to the rivers flow.

Oh, jnana jnana
Jnana jnana, oh oh

Hermann Hesse’s 1922 novel, Siddhartha, chronicles the spiritual journey of a young man for spiritual enlightenment in India. Siddhartha’s quest for self-discovery occurs during Gautama Buddha’s lifetime. Hesse’s ninth book was written in a straightforward, poetic style in German and has been translated into more than 40 languages. The novel has been published in 88 different editions and has sold millions of copies.