Coleman Barks has translated this splendiferous new volume of Rumi poems to celebrate the great mystic's 800th birthday. UNESCO has named 2007 the "Year of Rumi."
Here you will find 90 poems, 83 of which have not been previously published. In the introduction, Barks talks traveling to Iran with fellow poet Robert Bly where Barks received an honorary doctorate in Persian language and literature from the University of Tehran. Pondering the Khajou Bridge in Isfahan, he comes to a deeper appreciation of Rumi as a bridge-builder between people, especially due to his love of all religions.
Barks sees in these poems an appreciation for music and the silence of the heart. Many of them bring us to a place where we can enter a fresh immersion in silence and its ample bounties. Another theme throughout the collection is love. In "New Blossoms", the poet notes:
"Your loving alertness is a lantern.
Keep it protected from wind
that makes it crazy."
How do you use your loving attention and how do you prevent it from leaking away? That is one of the special challenges of the spiritual path.
In "The Wave of That Agreement", Rumi harkens back to our divine nature and challenges us to savor it in times of epiphany:
"Every second a voice of love
comes from every side.
Who needs to go sightseeing?
We came from a majesty,
and we go back there."
In "We Cannot Decide", Rumi salutes the only beauty that takes his breath away and leaves him speechless:
"There has never been beauty like yours.
Your face, your eyes, your presence.
We cannot decide which we love most,
your gracefulness or your generosity".
God's graces are numberless, and his traces are in all that he has generously bequeathed to us. Both gifts elicit surrender and adoration.
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CONTENTS
Introduction
- BRIDGE, POEM, AWARENESS MOVING THROUGH... 1
- TRAVEL NOTES... 13
The Poems
1. A BOWL FALLEN FROM THE ROOF... 27
2. A STORY THEY KNOW... 28
3. HARVEST... 29
4. INHALE AUTUMN, LONG FOR SPRING... 30
5. LEAVES ABOUT TO LET GO... 32
6. A LIGHT WITHIN HIS LIGHT... 34
7. A KING DRESSED AS A SERVANT... 36
8. AS THE SKY DOES IN WATER... 37
9. THE TIME OF DIVULGING... 38
10. EMPTY... 41
11. NICKNAMES... 42
12. NEW BLOSSOMS... 43
13. SPLIT THE SACK... 44
14. ANY SPRIG OF AN HERB... 46
15. SECRET PLACES... 48
16. DOORSILL... 49
17. FLIGHTPATHS... 50
18. MUSIC AND SILENCE... 51
19. EARSIGHT... 52
20. THE TALKING... 53
21. CURRENCY... 54
22. WATER FROM THE WELL OF THE SOUL... 56
23. ANOTHER INVITATION... 57
24. THE ONE WHO LEFT... 58
25. DISCIPLINES... 59
26. PIECES OF A BROKEN CUP... 60
27. SPILLED SPEECH... 62
28. SOUL HOUSES... 64
29. THE WAVE OF THAT AGREEMENT... 66
30. CALM IN THE MIDST OF LIGHTNING... 67
31. AVALANCHE... 68
32. PURE SILENCE... 69
33. WHAT FEAR OF LOSS... 70
34. A MOUNTAIN NEST... 71
35. MILES OF RIVERSIDE CANEBED... 72
36. SOLOMON AND THE WIND OF SPEAKING... 74
37. A MIXED-BREED APPLE... 75
38. NO EXPECTATIONS... 76
39. MOUNTAINTOP TROUGH... 78
40. WHAT YOU GAVE... 80
41. YOUR TURN AT DICE... 81
42. HOLIDAY WITHOUT LIMITS... 82
43. OUTDOORS AND THE PASSION OF THE GRASS... 84
44. A PREPOSTEROUS GUESS... 86
45. ASLEEP AND LISTENING... 87
46. PEARL... 88
47. GREEN WRIT... 89
48. LOOK AT A FOUNTAIN... 90
49. DESOLATION... 91
50. THE DANCE OF YOUR HIDDEN LIFE... 92
51. LET THE SOUP SIMMER... 94
52. THE ONLY OBLIGATION... 95
53. BUTCHER AND SHEEP... 96
54. I SEE THE FACE... 97
55. THE MEETING... 98
56. THE LIVING DOUBLENESS... 100
57. THE VALUE OF THIS MOMENT... 102
58. OCEAN LIGHT... 103
59. LIKE A FIG... 104
60. GONE FOR GOOD... 105
61. TWO LOVINGS... 106
62. TALKING TO THE LUCK-BIRD... 107
63. ALIVE WITH SCRIPTURE... 108
64. FAINT LAMENT OF FORM... 110
65. THIS HIGH MEADOW... 112
66. GRANTED... 114
67. SALADIN’S LEAVING... 116
68. WHAT YOU HAVE DESPISED IN YOURSELF... 117
69. WINTER OR SUMMER... 118
70. ABRAHAM AND ISAAC... 120
71. I ASK ONE MORE THING... 122
72. SEEDS AND RAIN... 124
73. ONE BEING INSIDE ALL... 125
74. STRUCK TENT... 126
75. OPEN WINDOW... 127
76. FULL SUN... 128
77. I ROCKED MY OWN CHEST... 129
78. YOU SHALL NOT SEE ME... 130
79. A BEAUTIFUL WALK INSIDE YOU... 132
80. LEAVING... 134
81. ENERGY YOU CAN SPEND... 136
82. ONE THING I DID WRONG... 138
83. A NORTHERN WIND... 139
84. MIDNIGHT AND SUNRISE... 140
85. THE CREATION WORD... 141
86. WE ARE THE SUN... 142
87. YOU MAKE YOUR OWN OIL AS YOU COOK... 143
88. A HUNDRED AND ONE... 144
89. WE CANNOT DECIDE... 145
90. A WAKING TOWN... 146
References... 147
Photo Credits... 149
About the Versificator... 150
Cover... 151
Copyright... 152
About the Publisher... 153
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Review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
HarperOne, 2007, Hardcover, $17.95, ISBN: 9780061338168
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=17278
Download: http://www.bearsite.info/General/Philosophy/Rumi%20-%20Bridge%20to%20the%20Soul.pdf
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The original posting was made at http://hojja-nusreddin.dreamwidth.org/107936.html