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Shantih shantih shantih
NarratorThe Waste Land · V. What the Thunder Said
V. What the Thunder Said
Section 5 of 5
After the cascade of fragments in multiple languages, the poem closes with the formal ending of an Upanishad. Whether this is genuine transcendence or another fragment shored against ruins remains the poem's ultimate ambiguity.
Why This Matters
The poem's final word — a Sanskrit benediction meaning "the peace which passeth understanding," repeated three times.
peacesanskrittranscendence
The Attainment: The Vision of the Holy Grail
Edward Burne-Jones, 1895 · Public Domain