CHAPTER XX. Babbalanja Quotes From An Antique Pagan; And Earnestly Presses It Upon The Company, That What He Recites Is Not His But Another’s

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# CHAPTER XX. Babbalanja Quotes From An Antique Pagan; And Earnestly Presses It Upon The Company, That What He Recites Is Not His But Another’s ## Overview This chapter, titled "CHAPTER XX. Babbalanja Quotes From An Antique Pagan; And Earnestly Presses It Upon The Company, That What He Recites Is Not His But Another’s," is part of the novel [Mardi: And a Voyage Thither](arke:01KG8AJ8ZNB03D0FWFP362WQEN). It was extracted from the file [mardi_vol2.txt](arke:01KG89J1954N2G0NAERBNJXEX9) and is part of the larger collection [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW). The chapter spans from line 2592 to 2741 of the source text. ## Context This chapter follows [CHAPTER XIX. They Go Down Into The Catacombs](arke:01KG8AJQT1BDEB9CENNW36B4J3) and precedes [CHAPTER XXI. They Visit A Wealthy Old Pauper](arke:01KG8AJQT1HQKQ09Y4C1J2WMPA). The narrative focuses on the character Babbalanja, who shares philosophical quotes from an ancient pagan source with his companions. He emphasizes that the wisdom he imparts is not his own but comes from this external text, prompting discussion about the nature of virtue, religion, and happiness. ## Contents The chapter contains three distinct chunks of text. In the first chunk, the characters stop for lunch by a spring, and Babbalanja becomes engrossed in reading a book. He shares a passage emphasizing a happy life, a peaceful conscience, and righteous actions, regardless of external circumstances. The second chunk continues this discussion, with Babbalanja quoting further from the text and debating the nature of religion and its motivations. He highlights that true religion stems from reverence for Oro and love for humanity, and its reward is intrinsic. The third chunk details Babbalanja's struggle with the profound wisdom he has encountered, expressing his feeling of being lost and his desire to diminish himself to the "unchangeably true." He questions the ultimate meaning and presence of "Tekana" and "Ephina" within Mardi.

description_generated_at

2026-01-30T20:49:00.390Z

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gemini-2.5-flash-lite

description_title

CHAPTER XX. Babbalanja Quotes From An Antique Pagan; And Earnestly Presses It Upon The Company, That What He Recites Is Not His But Another’s

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2741

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2026-01-30T20:47:38.723Z

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structure-extraction-lambda

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01KG89J1954N2G0NAERBNJXEX9

start_line

2592

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null

title

CHAPTER XX. Babbalanja Quotes From An Antique Pagan; And Earnestly Presses It Upon The Company, That What He Recites Is Not His But Another’s