Parables and Portraits

Biblical legends, Greek myths, and Zen masters meet with wry insight in Stephen Mitchell’s reimagined fables and portraits.

A revised edition of the first book of poems by Stephen Mitchell, the renowned translator of Rilke's poetry, The Book of Job, and the Tao Te Ching. The volume gathers prose parables and verse portraits, pairing classical fables with reflections on historical figures like Montaigne and Spinoza.

Mitchell brings biblical patriarchs into company with Zen teachers and legendary artists, observing each encounter through an ironic and contemplative lens. These parables depict Cinderella talking with her fairy godmother, Achilles dining with the tortoise, and Saint Jerome working peacefully beside a sleeping lion.

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• Mythological Retellings: Sisyphus rolls his heavy boulder up the mountain out of devoted love for the stone rather than punishment, unaware he could simply step aside.
• Biblical Retellings: The Prodigal Son finds peace caring for clean swine after years of despair, ultimately taking a solemn vow never again to harm a wandering fly.
• Meditation and Buddhism: Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of wisdom, rests atop an imperturbable lion resembling an overgrown family dog while wielding a two-edged sword of discernment.
• Multiple POV: Diverse voices speak across eras and realms, from a reflective Vermeer portrait in a blue dress to an anxious angel perched atop a decorated Christmas tree.
• Also by This Author: Meetings with the Archangel.