GR translation: serai

[Mike Jing]

The king and "the other kings" in the text allude to the Biblical
Magi, also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings.  And
as others mentioned, it has to do with the birth of Christ story.

On Wed, Jun 29, 2016 at 12:48 PM, Simon Bryquer <sbryquer at nyc.rr.com> wrote:
> #2 Your dealing with a king=sultan.
>
> More likely to find a king ( when kings or sultans still existed in the world of palaces) in a serai than a caravanserai ( essentially an inn for traveling commoners).
>
> SB
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-pynchon-l at waste.org [mailto:owner-pynchon-l at waste.org] On Behalf Of Mike Jing
> Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2016 12:05 PM
> To: Pynchon Mailing List <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> Subject: GR translation: serai
>
> V131.19-28   The true king only dies a mock death. Remember. Any
> number of young men may be selected to die in his place while the real king, foxy old bastard, goes on. Will he show up under the Star, slyly genuflecting with the other kings as this winter solstice draws on us?
> Bring to the serai gifts of tungsten, cordite, high-octane?  Will the child gaze up from his ground of golden straw then, gaze into the eyes of the old king who bends long and unfurling overhead, leans to proffer his gift, will the eyes meet, and what message, what possible greeting or entente will flow between the king and the infant prince?
>
> From the OED:
>
> serai, n.1
>
> 1. a. In various Eastern countries, A building for the accommodation of travellers; a caravanserai.
>
> 2. A Turkish palace; esp. the palace of the Sultan at Constantinople.
>
> Weisenburger chose meaning #2 in the Companion, but #1 seems to make more sense to me, since it looks like the infant is still in a stable (his ground of golden straw).
>
> Comments?
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