DIALOGUES
OF THE HALF-DEAD:
HANK HU
AND THE OGOS PROJECT
Deep
under the sewers and metro tubes of Taipei lies the grim realm of Ogos. Linked to Hades by a network of
passages, Ogos, it is now believed, is visited nightly by the shades of the
ancient dead: the Greeks and Romans who lived before the advent of
Christianity. And yet the ancient
dead are not the only ones to be found there. No, Ogos is a liminal region: many of the souls that stray
there nightly are not dead but merely straying. They are the souls of sleeping Taipei students--those poor
students who every day study themselves into a numb torpor, the victims of a
Draconian educational regime.
Under constant pressure of hideous exams, worked every day into a state
near death, Taipei's students flop down every night on their beds and succumb
to a fitful sleep--the troubled sleep of the unsatisfied, the sleep of youth
unfulfilled. The students' aching
souls, once seeing their chance to stray, leave the sleeping bodies behind and
flit to that other world below, the gloomy realm of Ogos. There they wander in a daze, meeting
other student souls and engaging in brief exchanges, sometimes in perfect
Chinese, but more often in twisted English--the souls, as it were, exorcising
deep below the city at night the difficult English vocabulary they've had to
memorize in cram schools during the day.
But is this
understanding correct? What, beyond
this exorcism, might be the meaning of their brief exchanges? Do the students' sleeping words reveal
something of Ogos--a place no one may visit while awake? Or do they perhaps reveal something of
the workings of the human soul itself, something of our makeup?
Enter Hank Hu. This child prodigy, known by many for his pioneering work in
catatonic linguistics, determined early in 2002 to investigate the mutterings
of the wandering souls. And with
the help of generous grants from the Taipei city government and Academia
Sinica, Hu has finally been able to fulfill his dream: to make actual audio
recordings of the dialogues of these ghostly sleepwalkers.
But how was it possible? How record verbal exchanges between
souls--exchanges that took place in the underground caverns of Ogos? Here Hu's daring and ingenuity proved
crucial. His plan, which he
presented to the city government in February 2003, involved drilling deep under
the surface of the earth at fourteen different points around the city. Where the drills actually succeeded in
breaking into Ogos' subterranean passages, ultra-sensitive microphones would be
carefully lowered. Then, with
time, the muttering of the sleeping souls would be heard.
Hu had his critics. Most said it was foolish to believe
that the speaking of souls could be picked up by normal microphones. Many foresaw a costly and fruitless
experiment that would end only in ridicule for the city and any other
organization that would fund it.
Nonetheless the grants came through. And after more than a year of planning
and hard work, Hu attained his first success on the night of August 19th, 2003,
when the first snatch of oneiric dialogue was picked up.
"Will you dissuade him?" said
one voice.
"Yes, I will torment him,"
replied another.
This initial success made headlines around
the world. Hank Hu's project was
suddenly a matter of international controversy. The skeptics remained unpersuaded; in fact their attacks
only increased. Ogos itself didn't
come forward to speak in Hu's defense.
After that first exchange captured on tape, many nights passed with
nothing: the realm of Ogos remained silent. Hu's critics began to charge that the first recorded
exchange was the result of a flaw in the system, or, worse, an obvious case of
chicanery. Then on September 4th
more dialogue was picked up, this time various soul exchanges. Hu was vindicated. Since then, of course, there have been
repeated successes, most notably the strange "Night of the Laurels"
and then, very recently, the humorous song or poem now known as "The Epic
of Ken the Garbage Man."
The strangeness and variety of the
exchanges recorded in Ogos is perhaps what strikes us most. What can these recordings tell us about
the wandering souls? About the
experience of oneiric wandering itself?
While the experts continue to debate, Hu has his own theories, and both
his closeness to the project and his previous work in catatonic linguistics
have given these theories a certain weight.
The question that has repeatedly been put
forward--that as to why the wandering souls of Taiwanese students should speak
so often in English--was addressed by Hu early on, in a September 22nd
interview with Time magazine.
"I believe the souls are trying to exorcize English," he
said. "They're trying to get
rid of it, like a body might reject an organ donated from another body. English is a foreign language with a very
different linguistic structure from Chinese. It's very difficult for us to learn it, and these souls were
shaped early in life by speaking Chinese, or Taiwanese, with their
parents. So the English they have
to learn in school is resisted; it is an aggravation to them. When they wander at night I believe
they try to exorcise English by using it in strange ways, by spitting it out of
their mouths in twisted and bizarre sentences."
Another problem that has challenged
researchers is the fact that so many of the souls' dialogues are so brief, usually
being simply a question followed by an answer. It was recognized early on that this was not the normal
manner waking people communicate.
But still there is no compelling explanation as to why the wandering
souls so often speak to each other this way. Hu himself has no explanation for it.
Still, these are relatively minor matters,
according to Hu. They are merely
linguistic, or psychological. The
most striking aspect of the material recorded so far, he insists, is its strong
connection with the myths of ancient Greece and Rome. In fact there are numerous instances where names or words
from Greek myth appear. One of the
most famous bits of discourse yet recorded is an eccentric retelling of part of
the Homeric epic The Odyssey. There is no
reason such material should appear.
"This is a very exciting aspect
indeed," Hu said in a recent interview with Taipei Times. "If these students were all studying Greek mythology
during the day it would make sense, but of course they aren't. Where then does it all come from?"
Although he can offer no certainties, Hu
has a hypothesis he's working on: "I've said many times that I think
there's something major happening here, that what we might have is a demonstration
of some kind of communication between the wandering souls of the Taipei
students and the shades of ancient Greeks and Romans. This would be extraordinary if we could prove it
somehow. Of course there's always
been talk of the link between Ogos and Hades, but most have scoffed it off as
mere popular fantasy. Still, look
at what we have here. How can we
explain all the references? The
centaurs, the laurels, the narrative of Odysseus? And most interesting is the recent case where a soul
actually introduces himself as Archilocus. Where is all this coming from?"
The world waits for an answer to that
question. To add to the debate and
speculation, Hu's long-awaited first book on the wandering Taipei souls is due
out next month. It will be
published in Chinese by Cheng Shang Publishing in Taipei and an English
translation will be simultaneously published by Harvard University Press in the
U.S. The book is titled The
Ogos Project: the First Six Months. Our readers can be
certain a review will be forthcoming here in the pages of Golden Thread.
Eric Mader,
Golden Thread,
January 4, 2004
* * *
Taipei child prodigy
Hank Hu in his office at
the Ogos Project
Research Center.
* * *
Recorded English Utterances
of the Wandering Souls for the Period August 19th, 2003 to December 31st, 2003;
Provided by Hank Hu
First
recording: 10:14 p.m., August 19th, 2003.
"Will you dissuade him?"
"Yes, I will torment him."
From the night of September 4th-5th.
"Did you spit that on the floor?"
"I never spit on the floor. You outrage me."
"Will we huddle in this small cave
here?"
"Shut up! Don't you smell the heady perfume?"
"Hey, for three dollars! Three dollars
only!"
"Stop grunting."
"I'm an actor of gruesome roles. I'm acting you now."
"He's a coward."
"He's really a savage."
"What is that foul statue there?"
"It's a statue of cruel Eric."
"Do you think he's massive and
strong?"
"[answer unclear]"
September 19th-20th. Called "THE NIGHT OF LAURELS"
"Why do you always put laurels on your
head?"
"Because laurels herald my luck."
"Are you drowsy?"
"No, just clamoring for a piece of
laurel."
"Where's the kindling?"
"In the laurel on my hideous head. Find
it there, friend."
"Does laurel gladden your heart?"
"No, I'm not a ewe."
"Who's the owner of those rams?"
"That man who put laurels on his head
over there."
"Why is he outraged?"
"Someone said he will be a laurel
thief."
"Are you crazy? You can't milk a billy goat!"
"In the name of laurel, I order you to be
a female billy goat!"
September 22nd-23rd.
"He was roaring."
"No, he wasn't. He was just belching."
"Why are you grinning like that?"
"I slackened her zipper."
"Are you chuckling at me?"
"No, I just thought. . . you've gotten a little wider."
"Why are those men leering at me?"
"It's because of your clothes. Look at your zipper."
"I gave him diluted lemonade and he was
angry."
"I can't believe it. He never drinks undiluted
lemonade."
"Next time I will ask him first."
"Next time you can order him to make it
himself."
"I watched Finding Nemo. This is a story about the love of a father. Actually I thought at first that this
movie was a little boring, but finally I discovered that it was updating our
discrimination. A father should
seldom show love to his son."
"Why are you praying?"
"Because it's not the rock above us that
is at risk."
October 1st-2nd.
"She was groping around in the
dark."
"No, she was trying to fix the
chimney."
"Seventy-eight, seventy-nine, eighty. . .
."
"Why is he braying?"
"He's hanging from the wall, why do you
think?"
"What are all these coals here?"
"It's because a girl tried to fix the
chimney."
"Was he hissing?"
"No, it wasn't him. It was the man who wears the laurel cap
hiding in the pasture."
"That girl is out of your range."
"And you think she's in your range,
huh?"
"Who is that vile laurel boy?"
"He's a vegetarian and his name is
Hermes."
"Did you hear about the slaughter in that
room?"
"Yes, they were doomed the minute the
exam was over."
October 3rd-4th.
"We'll subdue that desolate place."
"Why is she a pitiless woman?"
"Look at her younger brother, you'll
understand what is irresistible anger."
October 8th-9th.
"Mr. Teng is in a trepidation."
"It's because he has just broken the
dragon glass."
"Does he have vigilance?"
Sure.
He has been trained by his wife for a long, miserable time."
"Taiwan is a godforsaken place."
"Only in school it's a godforsaken
place. We have to get out of
school."
October 14th-15th.
"I tend my flocks by putting them in someone
else's stomach."
October 29th-30th.
"Why are you spearing coins?"
"I'm under tax investigation."
"How many have you speared?"
"Millions and millions."
November 11th-12th.
"Why is he shuddering?"
"He just managed to escape from he pieces
of dragon vase."
"Who's the corpse over there?"
"It is ex-Mr. Tang."
"Tang?"
"Yes."
"Was it his wife who hesitated at the
vase store?"
"Yes."
"Why did she hesitate?"
"She says she had the sixth sense."
"The spit was flying through the door
into the hall."
"Leaving Aeaea they found the wax wasn't
enough and there were no bees on the sea.
Three Sirens came into their sight, but they had no idea how to solve
the situation. So finally Odysseus
decided to sacrifice himself.
Tying a rope to his foot, he jumped into the sea, the unluckiest of men
with no wax in their ears. But two
of his waxless crew joined him.
"After passing
the Sirens they pulled in the rope.
The body of one was all devoured, just a foot was left. The body of one was dead from reaching
the deadline of his oxygen containers, which are called lungs. Odysseus only had a small bite on his
thigh.
"Then Odysseus suddenly became
insane; he ordered them to turn toward the Wandering Rocks. But as they came close the Rocks really
wandered, so he turned south again.
"They went into the straits to
fight the two monsters. And then
Odysseus suddenly pulled out a huge ball of wax which he had hidden. He threw the wax into Charybdis'
throat, so that the seabed had to endure much weight. Coming to the Scylla, he pulled out six big cats. Scylla came out of her cave to eat the
men, but her puppy heads started to go after the cats.
"Once the cats were all eaten,
Odysseus was upset. He sat in the
stern as they left the strait. He
was mourning the dead cats."
November 14th-15th.
"What is that Mrs. Tang doing
recently?"
"She stays home. Still brooding over her vase."
"What are the temptations in our society
now?"
"Many think the underworld is better than
heaven."
November 19th-20th.
". . .cross the trench in my heart."
December 3rd-4th.
[Note: The following poem was chanted by a
large group of souls, and not once only but nearly three times in its
entirety. Near the middle of the third
chanting of the poem some of the soul voices began to flag in their chanting
and finally only two can be heard on the last recorded stanza, the poem's tenth
stanza. Although we have made many
efforts, we can find no source for this poem, which seems not to have been
composed by a Taiwanese. Why the
souls should have wanted to chant it, and to chant it repeatedly is still
unclear. We've entitled the poem
"The Epic of Ken the Garbage Man." --Hank Hu.]
Ken, Ken, the garbage man
His dad found him in a garbage can
This is the tale of Ken and Fran
Ken, Ken, the garbage man
Stan, Stan, old policeman
Found a baby in a garbage can
He yelled to the mom but off she ran
Stan, Stan, old policeman
Stan, Stan, old policeman
Took the baby from the garbage can:
"I'll raise him up to be a man,"
Said Stan, Stan, old policeman
Ken, Ken, the garbage man
He's the son of the cop named Stan
Stan found Ken in a garbage can
Ken, Ken, the garbage man
Ken, Ken, the garbage man
If dumping garbage is your plan
Then just call Ken cuz he's your man
Ken, Ken, the garbage man
Ken, Ken, the garbage man
If you've got garbage for the garbage can
Ken can take it if anyone can
Ken, Ken, the garbage man
Fran, Fran, born in Iran
Moved to town with her Koran
Ken saw Fran by a garbage can
He fell in love with Fran from Iran
Fran, Fran, born in Iran
Ran from Ken the garbage man
Said he smelled like a garbage can
Fran, Fran, born in Iran
Ken, Ken, the garbage man
Cried for Fran to his dad Stan
Stan told Ken to make a plan
Ken, Ken, the garbage man
Ken, Ken, the garbage man
"Why not study the Koran?
Then I'll learn the faith of Fran,"
Said Ken, Ken, the garbage man
Ken, Ken, the garbage man
Now he studies the Koran
All to win the love of Fran
Ken, Ken, the garbage man
Fran, Fran, born in Iran
She heard Ken quote the Koran
"If you ask me, Ken's quite a man,"
Said Fran, Fran, born in Iran
Fran, Fran, born in Iran
Married Ken and his Koran
They moved in with Ken's dad Stan
Fran, Fran, born in Iran
Ken, Ken, the garbage man
Fathered a boy with his wife Fran
Together they chose to name him Dan
Ken, Ken, the garbage man
Dan, Dan, Muslim postman
He's the son of Ken and Fran
He knows by heart the whole Koran
Dan, Dan, Muslim postman
Dan, Dan, Muslim postman
If mailing letters is your plan
Then just call Dan cuz he's your man
Dan, Dan, Muslim postman
Dan, Dan, Muslim postman
If chanting suras is your plan
Dan will help as best he can
Dan who knows the whole Koran
This is the tale of Ken and Fran
Of Ken and Fran and Dan and Stan
If you've got nothing for the garbage can
Then use this tale of Ken and Fran
December 15th-16th.
"The undead souls sob. Loyal guards to Draco Malfoy."
"Who are those frail Orcs?"
"They're skin-deep friends of Bugtail. Did you know it?"
"Why have you been in that cavern
there?"
"Because I can't stand the din."
"They put my bag in the satchel, the
leather one."
"They left your bag in the locker and
took the satchel. The satchel was
theirs."
"They stole my bag."
"You lost your locker key. They are not thieves."
"The southerly is trouble both on land
and sea."
"Who is that grim girl?"
"The pretender to your tender
saber."
December 22nd-23rd.
"Why is the surface all red?"
"We're passing through the Taiwan
Strait."
"Where did you store the cockroach
antennae?"
"In the recesses of the moon, as you
instructed."
December 30th-31st.
"She is the nectar girl. Many men wallow in their dreams because
of her."
"Why are you hacking the Christmas tree
to pieces?"
"There was chaos in the town."
"Sure there was. Whirlpools in the ground are not
unusual."
"My name's Archilocus. Do you come here often?"
"Get away from me."
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