Book Description
Rumi has never been more popular among American readers. Here is a pocket-sized collection of his inspiring poetry, small enough to take anywhere. The Pocket Rumi Reader contains selections from four previously published books, as well as new translations of Rumi's short lyric poems Kabir and Camille Helminski, and others. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A mystical yet earthy poetic voice
"The Pocket Rumi Reader, " edited by Kabir Helminski, collects poetry written by Mevlana Jalaludin Rumi, described in the book's introduction as "a thirteenth-century Islamic saint."The poetry is divided up into three sections: rubaiyat (a form of lyric poetry), ghazels (another poetic form), and selections from Rumi's "Mathnawi" (a collection of couplets).The translations (from Persian) are by Helminski and others.

Rumi's great theme throughout this book is the relationship between humankind and the divine.The poetry is full of rich imagery and marvelous turns of phrase; many of the poems have a parable-like quality.The book is very much rooted in Islamic tradition; along the way Rumi mentions Muhammad, sufis, dervishes, the Quran, and Quranic figures such as Jesus and Mary.But the book also attains a universal quality; Rumi's insights and observations strike me as particularly relevant to Christians and Jews, and at times his voice even reminds me of the Taoist, Buddhist, or Greek Stoic traditions.

Rumi effectively draws on the tangible phenomena of the world in his poetic imagery: an oyster shell, apples, iron, grapes, a reed flute, and buttermilk are among the things the reader encounters.At his best he invites us to view such down-to-earth things with a fresh new perspective.Some of the individual poems that struck me the most are as follows."This Marriage": a beautiful wedding blessing."Intellect is a Shackle": conveys a potent spiritual lesson."To Clutch at Madness": a celebration of the unconventional path, this poem reminded me of some of Emily Dickinson's work."Consider" includes the insight, "Because of a fractured leg,/ God bestows a wing.""Boil Nicely Now" is a delightful yet powerful piece that draws a mystical lesson from a housewife's cooking of chickpeas.In this poem particularly, Rumi skillfully carries out a metaphor to a truly stunning conclusion.

This book shows Rumi to be a master of poetic language.I was especially intrigued with his use of dialogue in certain poems.Many poems deal with the state of being on a spiritual quest.Indeed, Rumi seems to be pointing the way towards a deeper spirituality and humility that transcend religious legalism and conventionalism.I recommend this book to spiritual seekers of any (or no) theological orientation, and also to anyone who loves poetry that can transcend time and culture as it speaks to us with an invigorating freshness. ... Read more

Book Description
A powerful interpretation of Rumi and his message of divine love and union.

A penetrating antidote to today's spiritual crises, The Way of Passion presents Rumi's magnificent visions of spiritual surrender and mystical union. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

An amazing piece of work!
Through his exquisite writing, using Rumi's work as a vehicle, Andrew Harvey has given us a handbook to the inner courts of the soul. The depths of his observations will take you about as far as the written word can. It is not enough to just read this book. One must then go back and meditate one's way through it to truly absorb its richness. To do less would be to smell the fragrance of the wine but never taste it. Truly, this masterful study is a veritable banquet for the searching soul.

FINE RUMI POEMS & SPIRITUAL INSIGHTS
One viewpoint: Harvey is clearly inspired and explores many of Rumi's pieces in a heartfelt way. Excellent reading! It's healthy to spend time with Rumi and contemplate on his ideas--and humor. Rumi is among the top, top spiritual writers available. He understands--as does Harvey--what's important in Soul's journey Home.
(I'd suggest, to fill out this book's perspective, reading Twitchell's Shariyat-Ki-Sugmad (I and II).)

Come On Baby - Light My Fire!
The Divine Love, Divine Passion, Divine Power, and Divine Truth of Rumi are all explained here by Andrew Harvey.True to the book's title, Harvey has truly created a delightful celibration of Rumi and his works.If you are on your path, or even if you have wondered off the path into the dark forest, Harvey has provided a clear roadmap to the next level of transformation.This map comes repleat with warnings of speed traps, and roadsigns - telling of Rumi and Shams "wildness, violence, and ferocity" as they traveled down their path, drinking wine, and going ever onward, toward the Sun.Just enjoying moments of Divine Grace.

A mystic for our time
As one with a lifelong interest in mysticism, I have been reading Rumi for forty-five years now. Unfortunately, I cannot yet read the originals, and I have had to intuit the sense in some rather bloodless interpretations. Harvey, however, seems to hit it just right. To the degree that we can speak of these things during a person's lifetime, he seems to me to be a genuine mystic himself, passionate and full-blooded as the real thing usually is. Six months ago, I gave a copy of this to a much younger friend who had discerned the via negativa with no external guidance before we met. He rejoices in the book and is delighted to find words that exactly mirror his own untaught discoveries. I do not normally gush over such books. I was rigorously trained in Catholic theology and philosophy, hold a graduate degree in East Asian religion and identify myself as a Christian. I am not expert in Islam, though I know far more than the average reader, having edited one work on Rumi. So I tend to cast a jaundiced eye over most work like this. But if I were forced to reduce my library to a scant hundred volumes, The Way of Passion would still find an honored place. Rumi, though heterodox like all mystics, spoke powerfully not only to the Sufis of his time but to orthodox Muslims, Jews and Christians. Though Harvey certainly does not rank with Rumi, his interpretation can speak meaningfully to all persons of good will who do not barricade themselves behind denominational lines. On the basis of this book alone, I would read anything that Harvey writes.

A Celebration of Rumi
Rumi is one of the greatest spiritual mystics andpoets who we can read today.This book is awonderful guide, both through some of Rumi'spoetry, and in gaining insight into Rumi's life. This book is one of my favorite books in mylibrary. Andrew Harvey has clearly experienced the passion of Rumi himself, and is able to guide the reader through profound waters with skill.I found his commentary to be a bonus to the experience of reading Rumi. ... Read more

Book Description
Why is a 700-year-old mystic named Jelaluddin Rumi the best-selling poet in America? The answer to that question is simple: Coleman Barks.

From his immensely popular translation of Rumi to his featured appearances on public television, this award-winning poet has almost single-handedly brought ecstatic Sufi poetry into the mainstream of English-language readers. On I Want Burning, listeners will join Barks in an inspired evening featuring three literary legends of the 14th century Middle East: Jelaluddin Rumi, Hafiz (all-time favorite poet of the Persian world), and Lalla, the astonishing Kashmiri woman poet, singer, and dancer.

Includes more than 50 poems, accompanied by vocals, pan flute, harmonium bells, and hand drums. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Beautiful Rumi
This is the best Rumi CD I have ever heard. There is exquisite depth of feeling in the performance.

god's voice
There is something surreal yet very earthy about listening to Barks read his translations of this mystical work. The simple beauty in these poems set to music or chanting in some of the verses is soul stirring.

What can you add to "I Want Burning?"
The title says it all.This is the opposite of cool, aloofness.This is broken open ecstacy.This elegant poetry, written centuries ago, is still fresh, evocative, poignant.The images of dancing under the night sky, of a breath on the face of your beloved, of a trail of tiny footprints evidencing the spiritual journey will stay with you.Coleman Barks' explanations add layers of depth and the musical accompaniment, heightens the urgency.At times, you can feel the universe moving around you.

A disappointment
Coleman Barks may be a brilliant translator, but this CD was a disappointment, mostly because of the slip-shod music production. Something more rehearsed, with better sounds and creative energy would have been nice. The mood of the text is completely contradicted by the cheesy music. And for anyone that says, "well, I bet you couldn't do better." Try me. (I'm a music producer and Rumi enthusiast, and I have half a mind to see just what I can do. Give me a call Mr. Barks - w w w . m i n d s p e a k . c o m

Coleman Barks captures the spirit of Rumi, Hafiz, and Lalla
Colemen Barks captures the spirit of Rumi, Hafiz, and Lalla. I enjoy the Spiritual Essence revealed in his reading so much, that I have 3 copies of this, and have sent it to several friends. I have a copy for the car, the house, and the garden. Coleman has said he Becomes what Rumi has written when he recites this wonderful poetry. Yes, and it is apparent. A shiver runs the spine at the Recognition revealed in these readings. ... Read more

Amazon.com
The 13th century Sufi mystic Jalal al-Din Rumi was a storyteller whospoke like a songwriter--in metered prose and rhyming verse. Whatever thetranslation (and there have been many), his words always seem to fall likelilting petals, drifting in a delicate pattern toward some grounded truth. Thissensually illustrated version offers yet another new translation in whichreaders will find a mixture of Rumi's parables and poetry interwoven into eachstory. Thus, readers will start off firmly planted in Rumi's straightforward,storytelling voice. Then, about four paragraphs down, the translators willinsert one of his ecstatic poems, then the tone will return to the story voice.It may seem like choppy editing, but it actually swirls and circles around likea joyful Sufi dancer. The chosen tales are all spiritually inspirational, asRumi always is, yet they are also a pleasure to read as simple stories told by amaster. The illustrations and attentive design artfully enhance the grace andfluidity of Rumi's words. --Gail HudsonBook Description
One of the world's best-selling poets, 13th century Sufi mystic Jalaluddin Rumi has inspired and enlightened thousands with his playful, passionate work celebrating the sacred in everyday life. Now, the spiritual wealth of Rumi's stories and poetry in translation are restored to their authentic settings as delightful teaching tales and are accompanied by rare and wonderful art i nthe Sufi and Islamic tradition ranging throughout the history of Islam. This fresh rendering brings new life to this incomparable literature, which has transcended time, place, culture, and religion to speak directly to the hearts and souls of contemporary readers. With a foreward by Huston Smith. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

An Amazing Book
This is a great book. It is professionally translated and the words flow naturally. The introduction is powerful and it has a lot of useful information about the book content and the spiritual life of Rumi. The illustrations are carefully chosen and relevantly placed giving you a persian medeivial aura. Rumi was a great sufi poet who lived in the golden age of the Islamic civilization. His poetry is a guide to spirituality and wisdom. It is deep,simply-written and interesting. Anyone who reads this book will enjoy it.

The Illustrated Rumi : A Treasury of Wisdom from the Poet of the Soul
a masterpiece!!!

Inspiring, contemplative, rich
This book is beautiful if only for the artwork, but couple that with the unique parables of Rumi and this is a rich treasury to be enjoyed and savored.

Common heritage of mankind
The ultimate source of Rumi`s work is the original work of Mathnawi, in Persian, it has a delicate taste of poetic dimension too, but even without the poetic contribution, Richard A. Nicholson has translated all the 6 volumes of Mathnawi with an excellent translation, eloquent, lovely and elegant. Rumi is an ocean, "The illustrated Rumi" is a very nice sampling taken from these six volumes. The illustrations are taken from the early islamic art, most of which, one has to remind himself, were performed bofore the Renaissance. It has a taste of Arabic Nights in the pictures, what is more important though is the quality of the samples. Nicholson has the best work accomplished, and I recommend it to anybody, to me that book deserves to be written with gold and silver. Still Illustrated Rumi will give an idea of Rumi, especially with the wonderful introduction of Huston Smith, who himself is a leader in religious studies, this book is like cream de la cream of Matnawi as an introduction. The book is worthy of being read carefully at least once. I would recommend reading this book to those people left undecided between a foot long sandwich and a glimpse of the soul.

A Translation Worthy of the Master's Works
For those who know Rumi, here at last is a translation and presentation whose majesty match the wisdom of the message. For those who do not yet know Rumi, this exquisite book opens a window to insights that will always be treasured. ... Read more

Book Description
The first English translation of the rubais of Rumi

• Presents 233 of the most evocative of Rumi’s 1,700 rubais

• Shows that the mystical embrace is the way to directly experience the Divine

Rumi is well known for the over 44,000 verses that appear in a 23-volume collection called the Divan-i Kebir. Yet Rumi also composed 1,700 rubais, short aphorisms and observations, whose depth and message belie their brevity.

The form of rubais first became well known through the 11th-century collection The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. But unlike Khayyam, who like most poets would sit and carefully craft each word, Rumi would compose and speak his poems through the spontaneous “language of poetry” that poured from his lips as he traveled the streets of Konya, Anatolia (present-day Turkey). Very few of Rumi’s rubais have been translated into any of the languages of the contemporary Western world. Now, Nevit O. Ergin, the translator of the complete Divan-i Kebir, and Will Johnson present here 233 of the most evocative of Rumi’s 1,700 rubais.

Rumi’s poetry expresses profound and complex truths in beautiful yet simple language. He reveals that by going deep into the interior of our heart and soul, we can arrive at a place in which we once again merge and connect with the divine. This mystical quest, Rumi contends, is the birthright of us all. Anything less than a complete dissolving into the world of divine union will not provide the satisfaction and peace that we all seek. The simple, yet profound spiritual truths and visions contained in The Rubais of Rumi lead the way to the path of reconnection to the direct energies of God. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A recommended pick for any collection strong in Rumi wisdom.
Rumi is known for over 44,000 verses that appear in a 23-volume collection, yet Rumi also composed nearly two thousand rubias (short observations). His rubias were primarily oral and spontaneous as he journeyed through Turkey, so unlike his other collected verses few have been translated into English, until now. Nevit Ergin is translator of Rumi's 44-volue set and he and Will Johnson together present over two hundred of Rumi's best rubias, making this a recommended pick for any collection strong in Rumi wisdom. ... Read more

Book Description
Mystical scholar Andrew Harvey offers fresh interpretations of more than 250 selections from Rumi's major works.

The works of Sufi mystic and poet Jalad-ud-Din Rumi have been revered in the East for centuries. Now, Western seekers and lovers of poetry are discovering Rumi in unprecedented numbers. Harvey uses these poems, quotations, and parables from Rumi's major works, the Discourses, the Diwan, the Mathnawi, the Odes, and the Rubiyat, as well as excerpts from his letters to re-create the stages of the spiritual journey into Love.

Anyone interested in spirituality will find Light Upon Light a rich source of guidance, encouragement, and profound inspiration.

Thirty-five evocative black-and-white photographs by Eryk Hanut complement and illuminate the text. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Now How Much Would You Pay?!
At first glance I thought Andrew Harvey was great and I rushed out and bought a bunch of his books -- bad move, yes I know. But how do I explain the problem? Anything I say, you could simply rhetorically write off. What if I let Andrew Harvey do it for me!

This from his website:

"Spiritual direction

Andrew is booking appointments for spiritual direction - via the phone only
­ in 50 minute sessions.

'For me as a believer in the direct connection to the divine, spiritual
counseling is about helping people to empower themselves and claim their own
truth and divine identity. I am not a guru. I share what I know as a fellow
seeker and spiritual friend. Ideally people would sign up for not less than
3 sessions, and no more than 10.'

After booking a session, we need to receive payment prior to the phone call.
You will need to call Andrew, we will give you the number once we confirm
the appointment. We require 24 hours notice of any cancellation to receive a
refund.

Please note: Consultations are not a substitute for legal, medical, or
psychological advise. Please consult a licensed professional in these
matters."

love, love, love although it is very difficult
I was amazed how Rumi loved God.His example and perseverance is worth emulating in the now fast-faced world.This work is a must for every student of the truth.If a reader will read between the lines, he will realized the synthesis of things.

A beautiful, passionate work.
This is a beautiful, inspiring work, filled with passion, ecstacy, joy, and longing.The photographs throughout the book are both moving and meditative. ... Read more

Book Description
Takahiro Abe is an ordinary, well-adjusted, proper young man. In his freshman year in High School he fell in love with Rumi Asai, an anything but ordinary, Yaoi Moe Otaku girl. Rumi is utterly convinced Takahiro and Shunsuke Chiba, Abe's best friend from middle school are in love with each other and is letting her Fujoshi Fantasies run wild! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A verrrrry funny manga!!!!
I just picked up this manga today, and I'm so glad I did it is one of the funniest manga I've read in a while.It's all about a guy who falls in love with a yoai fangirl.She gets nosebleeds from imagining that he's in love with his best friend.He wants her to like him, and spends most of the volume trying to tell her that he's strait and he likes her.It's a very funny manga for anybody that knows or is a yoai fangirl.It's worth the bucks you shell out for it, and you can't say that about just any manga. ... Read more

Book Description
Drawing on a vast array of sources, from writings of the poet himself to the latest scholarly literature, this new anniversary edition of the award-winning work examines the background, the legacy, and the continuing significance of Jalal al-Din Rumi, today's bestselling poet in the United States. With new translations of over fifty of Rumi's poems and including never before seen prose, this landmark study celebrates the astounding appeal of Rumi, still as strong as ever, 800 years after his birth. ... Read more

Book Description
There are almost no authoratative books readily available for the general reader that provide, in clear and accessible language, an introduction to the spiritual perspective illuminating Rumi's magical poetry. In this beautifully illustrated work, William C. Chittick, a leading scholar of Sufism and Rumi, opens doors that give us access to the inner sanctum of Rummi's thought. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Poetic enlightenment
Rumi (as he is known in the West), was known as Jelaluddin Balkhi by the Persians and Afghanis, from where he was born in 1207. Rumi means 'from Roman Anatolia', which is where his family fled to avoid the threat of Mongol armies. Being raised in a theological family, Rumi studied extensively in religion and poetry, until encountering Shams of Tabriz, a wandering mystic, with whom he formed the first of his intense, mystical friendships, so intense that it inspired jealously among Rumi's students and family. Shams eventually disappeared (most likely murdered because of the jealousy); Rumi formed later more mystical friendships, each with a different quality, which seemed essential for Rumi's creative output. Rumi was involved with the mystical tradition that continues to this day of the dervish (whirling dervishes are best known), and used it as a personal practice and as a teaching tool.

This book has a deliberate task: 'The design of this book is meant to confuse scholars who would divide Rumi's poetry into the accepted categories.' Barks and Moyne have endeavoured to put together a unified picture that playfully spans the breadth of Rumi's imagination, without resorting to scholarly pigeon-holes and categorisations.

'All of which makes the point that these poems are not monumental in the Western sense of memorialising moments; they are not discrete entities but a fluid, continuously self-revising, self-interrupting medium.'

Rumi created these poems as part of a constant, growing conversation with a dervish learning community. It flows from esoteric to mundane, from ecstatic to banal, incorporating music and movement at some points, and not at others, with the occasional batch of prose.

'Some go first, and others come long afterward. God blesses both and all in the line, and replaces what has been consumed, and provides for those who work the soil of helpfulness, and blesses Muhammad and Jesus and every other messenger and prophet. Amen, and may the Lord of all created beings bless you.'

From the lofty sentiments...

'There's a strange frenzy in my head,
of birds flying,
each particle circulating on its own.
Is the one I love everywhere?'

...to the simple observations...

'Drunks fear the police,
but the police are drunks too.
People in this town love them both
like different chess pieces.'

Some poems take very mystic frameworks, such as the Sohbet. There is no easy English translation of Sohbet, save that it comes close to meaning 'mystical conversation on mystical subjects'. These poems become mystically Socratic, by a series of questions and answers, very simple on the surface, yet leading down to the depths of meaning.

In the middle of the night
I cried out,
"Who lives in this love
I have?"
You said, "I do, but I'm not here
alone. Why are these other images
with me?"

Rumi also has an elegant series called the Solomon Poems, in which King Solomon is the embodiment of luminous divine wisdom, and the Queen of Sheba is the bodily soul. This sets up a dynamic tension that gets played out in the poetry (in extrapolation from the Biblical stories from which they were first derived)

Rumi reminds us that, in the face of love and truth, even the wisdom of Plato and Solomon can go blind, but there is vision in this blindness.

In the conclusion of this volume, Rumi's poetry of The Turn (the dervishes) is presented, as a place of emptiness, where the ego dissolves, and opens a doorway to the divine to enter. The night of Rumi's death in 1273 is considered 'Rumi's Wedding Night', the night he achieved full union with the divine that he had sought so often in poetry and mystical practice.

There is much to be gained in the contemplation of this frequently overlooked poet.

... Read more

Book Description
'The pen would smoothly write the things it knew But when it came to love it split in two, A donkey stuck in mud is logic's fate - Love's nature only love can demonstrate.'Rumi's Masnavi is widely recognized as the greatest Sufi poem ever written, and has been called 'the Koran in Persian'. The thirteenth-century Muslim mystic Rumi composed his work for the benefit of his disciples in the Sufi order named after him, better known as the whirling dervishes. In order to convey his message of divine love and unity he threaded together entertaining stories and penetrating homilies.Drawing from folk tales as well as sacred history, Rumi's poem is often funny as well as spiritually profound.Jawid Mojaddedi's sparkling new verse translation of Book One is consistent with the aims of the original work in presenting Rumi's most mature mystical teachings in simple and attractive rhyming couplets. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Good but not Quite There
The translation is a little off on some parts, in my opinion, but other than that it is good.It is a mid-level book of Sufi Anecdotes written in symbolic couplets.It is not for beginners.One should, before reading this, study theology and jurisprudence (the Creed of Imam Tahawi and Maqasid are good for theology and jurisprudence).On top of that, The Book of Illumination and al-Hikm (Sufi Aphorisms) by Imam ibn 'Ata'illah should both be read before delving into the Masnavi.Otherwise the reader will not understand anything.

True to the original in both spirit and form
Though excited about this fresh translation of the first book of the Masnavi in a rhymed and metered format, I must admit I was a bit skeptical at first about its faithfulness to the original. Recently, though, I had the chance to go over portions of the translation with my father, who is very well versed in Farsi and in Rumi's works, and we were positively surprised by how much this rendering is loyal to Rumi's masterpiece in both spirit and form. May Mr. Mojaddedi be inspired and energized to carry out the monumental task of making the Light of all six of the Masnavi's books available to the English-speaking public in its original and delightful rhymed couplet form.

This is a major and much-needed translation of Rumi
If you visit Konya, and see Rumi's tomb, with his father and son and other family members buried nearby, in a gorgeously illuminated mauseleum-mosque, with its supernal light and its electric energy of peace and vastness, you see Rumi is no pop-figure but drenched in traditions of Islamic Sufism that brings out its deepest and most original heart, the Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) true teaching... compassion, love, and adherence to God's world above and beyond this one through right action and sincerity, wild daring, discipline and spiritual transformation.

Rumi's Masnavi is a true companion on this Path, and Rumi a true indicator of this Path, and for those without Persian, we've relied on the Victorian (though unrhymed and much interpolated) masterpiece of Nicholson (and later revisions by Arberry) and the rather haphazard fragments either "translated" or "rendered" in new, modern versions by contemporary poet-scholars.

With this new translation by Jawid Mojaddedi we have a sensational new take on Rumi, whose original (as indicated by its title) is in rhymed couplets (Masnavi means "rhymed couplets"), and which ranges from praise-poetry to stories, both high and low, to long stretches of ecstatic gnostic realization and "revelation" filled with light.This new translation keeps it all, and in a flowing smoothness that is truly remarkable, drenched (as in the original) in remembrance of Allah (the same One God of us all).

It's eminently readable, and you feel you're getting closer (by the fidelity and sincerity of the translator, direct from Persian this time!) to Rumi's actual tone and intention.

I'm a cheerleader for this translation (and have no qualms calling it this, since it is), it's a sweet gift to us, and attests to Rumi's saintliness after all these centuries.He's reached us in our mire, and now in a voice that sings in poetic tune to lift us from it (from mineral to plant, from plant to animal, from animal to angel)!

May our intrepid and courageous translator be given strength and inspiration to continue until all six books of this world treasure, this rare compendium of spiritual truths, are as superbly translated and made available.

Fresh breath for a master
This is a superb translation by a true expert. So many of the "translations" of Rumi are actually rewordings of the old Brits' English translations - done no doubt with the best of intentions and enjoyable to read - and should not be called translations at all. So much time has elapsed since Coleman Barks began his love affair with Mevlana; why on earth hasn't he used that time to learn Persian and Arabic? Then his translations could be true and poetic.

So, this one is really precious. May Mojaddedi the translator live long and keep putting out more and more of the Mesnevi. Why does amazon put this new translation, the most important Rumi publishing event of the last half century, way down the list when you search under "Rumi"? If I were marooned on a desert island, this is the book I would want with me. ... Read more

Book Description
The spiritual influence of Jelaluddin Rumi (1207-1273) is increasing among people of diverse beliefs throughout the western world. Rumi is now recognized here in the West, as he has been for seven centuries in the Middle East and Western Asia, as one of the greatest literary and spiritual figures of all time. Rumi is a spokesman for the religion of love in the language of the heart. Recent translations of Rumi's work have brought forth a variety of different qualities, exploring the subtlety, grace, and electricity of his verse. This book presents his spiritual teachings concisely and comprehensively, in a translation that touches heart and mind. The Mathnawi, from which these selections have been taken, is one of the greatest spiritual masterpieces ever written. Its content includes the full spectrum of life on earth, as well as the vertical dimension to the highest levels of metaphysics and cosmic awareness. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Beautiful
I love this collection of Rumi's poetry. It's a simple, beautiful introduction to one of my favorite teachers and poets.

Rumi was a first-rate lover of God!
This book very quickly introduced me to Rumi whom I now consider one of the great spiritual teachers in my life. He loved God so deeply and his words exude this love in a way which is infectious. Helminski has done agreat job of breaking out small fragments from the larger body of Rumi'swork and has presented them in a format for easy assimilation. Eachbite-sized piece though, is extremely profound and capable of capturing theattention for a lifetime of purposeful remembering. I never feel bored withRumi's writings and refer to his words often to find that spiritualrefreshment to make it through, what would otherwise be, trying days.Helminski's translation seems superior to other translations I have read ofRumi's words. Though I'm not capable of comparing it to the orignal,Helminski's translations sing for me like no others do. A most rewardingbook and now a valued frequent companion for me. ... Read more

Book Description
'You don't seek guidance from those drunken men,So why insist they mend their rags again?God's lovers stand beyond all faiths, as theyAre shown by God Himself a higher way.'Book Two of Rumi's Masnavi is concerned with the challenges facing the seeker of Sufi enlightenment. In particular it focuses on the struggle against the self, and how to choose the right companions in order to progress along the mystical path. By interweaving amusing stories and profound homilies, Rumi instructs his followers in a style that still speaks directly to us. In this volume, stories such as 'Moses and the Shepherd', 'The Foolhardy Man who Trusted a Bear's Good Intentions' and 'Mo'awiya and Satan' are among the most popular in the entire Masnavi.The most influential Sufi poem ever written, the six books of the Masnavi are often called 'the Qur'an in Persian'.Self-contained, as well as continuing the journey along the spiritual path, Book Two is here translated into rhyming couplets in the style of Jawid Mojaddedi's prize-winning translation of Book One. ... Read more

Book Description
This book (previously published as I Am Wind, You Are Fire ) celebrates the extraordinary career of Persia's great mystical poet, Rumi (1207-1273), through the story of his life, along with an enlightening examination of his ecstatic verse. Rumi lived the quiet life of a religious teacher in Anatolia until the age of thirty-seven, when he came under the influence of a whirling dervish, Shams Tabriz, and was moved to a state of mystical ecstasy. One of the results of this ecstasy was a prodigious output of poems about the search for the lost Divine Beloved, whom Rumi identified with Shams. To symbolize this search, Rumi also invented the famous whirling dance of the Melevi dervishes, which are performed accompanied by the chanting of Rumi's poems. Professor Schimmel illuminates the symbolism and significance of Rumi's vast output and offers her own translations of some of his most famous poems. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

This is not the work of Rumi, it's only the author's interpretations and historical recollection
I expected to get a transcript of the actual works from Rumi to read and interpret myself. That is not the case with this book. While it does provide the historical context (that's why I gave him 2 stars instead of 1), the author feeds his views and opinions in front of the actual text by Rumi. My opinion of the author's style is poor, at best.

Reductionist Rumi
I am not sure I should write this review, since I have been unable to finish the book so far. The author's pedigree is also intimidating. Yet this book is a cold emotionless dissection, mostly uninteresting except for an academic who has long lost the sense of who or what he's studying. The book takes Rumi apart like a corpse on a slab. To get through it so far, I've escaped periodically to Coleman Bark's Essential Rumi. His brief introduction and forward alone provides more insight into what Rumi is about than the three-quarters of the book I've managed to struggle through so far.
Prodded on by the other reviews to the suspicion that I may have missed something here, I plan to finish the book and reread it again. Yet I should warn others that reading this book as an introduction to Rumi may be like viewing a bearskin rug as an introduction to wildlife. After a reread, I will revisit this review, perhaps reedit it at that time.
Sept.07

One of the best introductions to the life and works of Rumi you can find
Origninaly called "I am wind, you are fire" This is perhaps one of the best introductions to the life and works of Rumi around by one of the greatest scholars of Rumi in our modern times (sadly professor Schimmel has now passed away)

The book is well documented and easy to read covering the basics of Rumis life and teachings both placing them in their correct historical and religious context; none of this modernist revisionist Rumi poetry that is being passed around as the great mans works this is an authentic biography of his life.

Exellent read, check out Iqbal, Arberry and Nicholson after this book.

Excellent
There are a number of writers on Islamic topics that are excellent from differing perspectives.There are only two Western authors, however, that I have any respect for when it comes to the subject of Islamic spirituality.One of them was Frithjof Schuon, and the other is Annemarie Schimmel.

With all of the fuss about Rumi and the whole New Age Sufi thing, it is all too easy to forget that Rumi was a Muslim (sometimes I suspect that too many people would like to forget it).Rumi was the sort of person that he was because he was a Muslim, and not in spite of that fact.Professor Schimmel places Rumi squarely in the Islamic perspective, which is where he belongs.This book provides the best short introduction to his life and thought within that context that I have run across, and I recommend it highly to anyone interested in his life and work.

Very enlightening
An excellent piece of writing on the life and poetry of Rumi. Gives a biographical sketch as well as outlines the technicalities of Rumi's prose, his beliefs and ideas as rendered in poetry. One of the most moving book's I've ever read. ... Read more

Book Description
The spiritual masterpiece of the Persian Sufi tradition—in a brilliant new translation

The longest single -authored “mystical” poem ever written, the Masnavi-ye Ma’navi, or “spiritual couplets,” is the masterpiece of the Persian Sufi tradition. Its author, Jalaloddin Rumi, was a poet and mystic of the highest attainment, but he was first and foremost a spiritual teacher, and his Masnavi is a ladder to the spiritual world, leading the reader to the ultimate goal of the Sufi path—union with God. Alan Williams’s translation into blank verse beautifully conveys the poetry of the original Persian couplets, while his introduction discusses how the modern reader might approach Rumi’s writing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

absolutely superb
At last, a translation of Rumi's Masnavi which, without ever being pedantic or obscure, is both faithful to the original Persian and to Rumi's teaching. I highly recommend it. This is only the first book of the Masnavi, though (the title is incomplete and misleading) and I am looking forward to the translations of the next five books. A brilliant and moving piece of work. ... Read more

Book Description

The poetry of the medieval Persian sage Rumi combines lyrical beauty with spiritual profundity, a sense of rapture, and acute awareness of human suffering in ways that speak directly to contemporary audiences.

Trained in Sufism—a mystic tradition within Islam—Rumi founded the Sufi order known to us as the Whirling Dervishes, who use dance and music as part of their spiritual devotion. Many of Rumi’s poems speak of a yearning for ecstatic union with the divine Beloved. But his images bring the sacred and the earthy together in startling ways, describing divine love in vividly human terms.

This volume draws on a wide variety of translations—from the early twentieth century to the present—of Rumi’s deeply moving, sensually vibrant poetry.

Customer Reviews (3)

A Beautiful Edition of Beautiful Poetry
A great collection of Rumi's poetry from 7 different translators, some with a very literal, scholarly style of translation and some with a more free-verse style.This is a great introduction to Rumi and will also be well-loved by those of us more familiar with his poetry.Has some great footnotes about Sufi mysticism and teachings.I love the beauty of this little book, from the calligraphry on the cover to its sewn-in ribbon bookmark.The compact size of the book makes it easy to carry into coffeehouses for inspirational reading.

Really Enjoyed it!
This was a wonderful read on poetry, and I especially enjoyed the creative imagery, the recognition of the meaning and value of work and the subtle weaving metaphors as the author worked to uncover the underlying truths of all of our lives.

Superb Imagery, Timely Topics, Insightful Poetry
This poetry book is among my top favorites. The poetry of Rumi gleams and sparkles with meaning for modern times... amazing as it was written in the 1240s A.D.The natural imagery usedis always surprising. He never fails to capture human emotions and the human condition, using original and sometimes highly provocative but very 'on-target' terms.

The subject matter of each poem is varied, although the theme of the book is 'work' ... it really is about much, much more than work. I can not praise the themes of the poems and contents of this book enough. One outstanding poem uses "grapes" as imagery. Rumi describes for the reader, "How It Is with Grapes". When they are immature they jostle competetively in the bunch ... after maturing, the grapes soften, the skin rips open and become one juice. Rumi reassures us, it is just the same with humans. We are also told some grapes grow stone-hard but the secret to that sour tightness remains hidden. What is more important is ... that we grow ... with each breath ... through the help of the heart master.

Another poetic masterpiece is "Die Before You Die". We are told about a riddle, that the opener and that which is opened are the same ... Rumi states, "The day and the daily bread that comes are not to be worshiped for themselves. ... That it is the ocean inside the fish that bears it along, not the riverwater. ... The time-river spreads and disappears into the ocean with the fish." "Be one of G-d's fish who receives what it needs directly from the ocean around it - food, shelter, sleep, medicine." In conclusion, "A seed breaks into the ground. Only then does a new fig tree come into being. *That's* *the* *meaning* *of* *die* *before* *you* *die*." This is truly phenomenal poetry that has been tested over time. It is 800 years strong and still filled with enlightenment and human insight into the phenomenon called "Life".
Erika Borsos (erikab93) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Elegant simplicity
I have had my copy of Rumi for some time.I have just recently picked it up again.While I had several old favorites, my dog-eared pages marking them, I found some new ones that now captivate.

The elegant simplicity--spare verse, carefully crafted structure--of these poems is mesmerizing. Enigmatic and ecstatic they will lift your spirit.

Solid Sufi (ecstatic religious) poetry
Birdsong contains 53 short poems that are reworkings of the translation by A. J. Arberry, a major scholar of Sufism.

Not all of the poems have anydirect relationship to birds, rather the birdsong of the title refers to acommon metaphor in mystic traditions e.g. The Conference of the Birds, amajor Sufi work.

Barks, as usual, provides excellent translations; hetruly makes the poetry of Rumi accessible to the average reader (ascompared to some scholarly translations that are precise but no longerpoetry or that require technical vocabulary).

His selection of poems isalso excellent; they are poems that encourage meditative thought.Anexample: "Stars burn clear / all night till dawn. / Do that yourself,and a spring / will rise in the dark with water / your deepest thirst isfor. "

All I want now to do or hear is poetry!
Rumi is brilliant in his acuteness. Birdsong only makes me want to learn and read more about this impressionable thinker.His words truly hold the essence of life.Recommneded to all who adore poetry.

Where's Rumi?
Persian period of that time is complex and formal. Mowlana is a master of poetry as well as a master of Sufi.His depth, artistry, and complexity is missing.I also find it a little deceptive to call oneself a"translator" when one does not read or speak the language fromwhich he is supposedly translating.

An excellent introduction to a medieval master.
Although any work this short is going to have shortcomings, this is anexcellent introduction to the precision, wisdom and wit of Rumi.A greatgift and a great read. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good introduction to teaching story and poetry
This book is an excellent introduction to stories and poetry of Rumi, Shams (and even Rumi's son).The translations are secondary translations i.e. reworkings into free verse older more scholarly and literal translations.As such they make the works more readily accessable to the non-scholar.The stories provide a pleasant mix of relatively rare tales (stories that are quite specifically Sufi) and stories that appear in a variety of guises in different cultures and religions.The poems run from short lyrical pieces to stories in verse form - a nice cross section of Rumi's work.I have read several of Coleman Barks' translations - all enjoyable - and would recommend this book as a nice starting point. ... Read more

Book Description
Rumi is perhaps the only example in world literature of a devoted prose writer who suddenly burst forth into poetry during middle age to become a truly great mystical poet for all time. This book, a long-overdue reckoning of his life and work, begins with a description and examination of the
living conditions in 13th-century Persia. Building on this context, Afzal Iqbal proceeds to fully analyze the formative period of Rumi's life leading up to 1261--when he began the monumental work of writing the Mathnawi. Toward the end of the book, Iqbal more generally investigates Rumi's thought
and includes translations of those portions of the Mathnawi that have been hitherto unavailable in English. Combining an unparalleled familiarity with the source material, a total and critical understanding of the subject, and a powerful and readable prose style, this is an extraordinary study of a
truly remarkable poet and mystic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Compulsory reading for those seriously interested in Rumi.
There has been a glut of books on Rumi in the past few years, many of them of dubious authenticity or quality; this assessment applies especially to the "free" translations of his poetry which have been such a big hit in the West! I think those poetical translations are not doing justice to the message of Rumi since they are so far removed from many of the original Persian poems.

This book then is a welcome change. It is quite an old book but its republishing is an important event in the world of Rumi studies, in my opinion.

For a start this book, though perfectly accessible to the lay person, is primarily a scholarly endeavour and as such much more concerned about relaying the events of Rumi's life and his message as accurately as possible than in selling copies!

It is unique of all the books I have read on Rumi to date in that it tries to look, in depth, at his early life and how that affected him later when he met Shams Tabrizi and was moved by Divine Love to compose ecstatic poetry.

Thus we have a detailed chapter on the political conditions of the area(Afghanistan) in which he lived; then we have an exposition about his father (who himself was a very famous Muslim scholar and jurisprudent as well as a Sufi) who, as this book shows, had a major influence on Rumi's development and later ideas. We also then are introduced to the other people who influenced Rumi in one way or another, his teachers and his family and friends.

The sections on Rumi's life are detailed too: his life is divided into three sections: his birth, childhood, migration to Konya and early training as an Islamic scholar under his father and other famous teachers; his period following his father's demise as a prominent scholar, and Sufi teacher himself (he was an heir to his father's position); and then the period of his meeting with Shams and afterwards for the remainder of his life. This latter period is also further sub-divided based on his various works and mystical states as evidenced by his poetical output. Most other works on Rumi tend just to concentrate on this last period of his life.

After this the major poetical works of Rumi are discussed in, more or less, chronological order of writing. Thus the Divan-e-Shams-e-Tabrizi, his great collection of ecstatic lyrical poems in praise of Shams is dealt with first followed then by an explanation of his magnus opus, the Masnavi. Then the author discusses Rumi's overall message. The final section looks at sections of the Masnavi which RE Nicholson, in his great translation of the Masnavi, decided to translate into Latin as he believed them (erronously) to be of a pornographic nature. In fact, when one reads the English translations here, one sees that Rumi simply uses examples of human sexual behaviour to underline an important teaching point of Sufism.

For those who are interested in Rumi's message and life in earnest, and not in the suspicious "New-Age" fad which the spurious translations of his works seem to have started (and which he, being a pious Muslim, would no doubt be horrified by!), this book is a must.

Dr. Iqbal needs to be congratulated for trying to bring Rumi's message across as it is! ... Read more