What the Thunder Said

The title of the final part of the poem refers to a story from the Upanishads, sacred Hindu texts.

The first part of Part V is built on three ideas:
(i)   the aftermath of the crucifixion of Christ, and the escape to Emmaus of two of the disciples;
(ii)  the fall of empires and civilisations, particularly in Eastern Europe;
(iii) the Chapel Perilous, a feature of Grail legends, in which the Grail Knight is confronted with terror and threat of death.

We are at the darkest and most dangerous point on our journey through the Waste Land: however, a flash of lightning brings thunder and rain, offering hope that life can return. The Thunder's message is that we must practise charity, self-restraint and compassion: notwithstanding this positive message, the poem concludes (as it began) with a warning that our spiritual rebirth may be a painful experience.

• In the chaos following the betrayal and crucifixion of Christ, his disciples flee across a rocky waterless waste land. They are refused help by villagers. They are tantalised by the drip drop sound of water, but there is none to be found.
• Two disciples imagine that a third person is present. Is it the resurrected Christ, or merely an illusion?
• Cries of suffering are heard. Cut to a vision of hooded hordes, an invading army that brings to mind both the barbarians who brought about the fall of the Roman Empire, and the Bolshevik Revolution. Destruction of the world's cities and civilisations.
• Cut to a chapel in the mountains surrounded by graves. It is a nightmare scene of death, decay and dry desert.
• A cock crows, heralding lightning and rain. Peals of thunder ring out from the Himalayas. The sound of the thunder is interpreted in words: its message is that we should be giving, compassionate and self-controlled.
• The Fisher King assembles his final thoughts, apparently random lines which call back to previous images in the poem.
• The poem ends with a restatement of the Thunder's message, and a hope for spiritual peace.

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