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Islamic Mystical Poetry: Sufi Verse from the Early Mystics to Rumi
New to Penguin Classics-a transcendent selection of poetry from the early Islamic era.
Poetry has been the most powerful vehicle for conveying Sufism-the mystical dimension of Islam-from the early flowering of mystical Islam in Baghdad to the later heights it reached through Jalaluddin Rumi (d. 1273) and Jami (d. 1492). Starting with the writings of eighth-century mystics, this anthology moves through the twelfth century with Ibn Arabi in Spain and Ibn Farid of Cairo, then onto the Maghrib prayer of Abul Ala Al Maari, Aynul quddat Hamddhani of Persia, Yunus Emre of Turkey in the fourteenth century, and many others, culminating in the early twentieth century. The result is a soaring collection of verse from across the Islamic world and over centuries of inspiration.
Poetry has been the most powerful vehicle for conveying Sufism-the mystical dimension of Islam-from the early flowering of mystical Islam in Baghdad to the later heights it reached through Jalaluddin Rumi (d. 1273) and Jami (d. 1492). Starting with the writings of eighth-century mystics, this anthology moves through the twelfth century with Ibn Arabi in Spain and Ibn Farid of Cairo, then onto the Maghrib prayer of Abul Ala Al Maari, Aynul quddat Hamddhani of Persia, Yunus Emre of Turkey in the fourteenth century, and many others, culminating in the early twentieth century. The result is a soaring collection of verse from across the Islamic world and over centuries of inspiration.
388 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
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June 29, 2019
This is a beautiful compilation of Sufi poets including Rumi of course, but also lesser known Sufi poets such as Yunus Emre (who is a folk hero in Turkey, where he lived just as a Rumi had, and was a noble jurist like Rumi before he became a poet), Mansur Hallaj, who was burned at the stake for saying the words, “I am the Truth,” and Rabia Basri, an 8th century female Sufi poet who is quoted above. She was the first Sufi who said that God should be loved for His own sake and not out of fear. For those of you spellbound by the poetry of Rumi, I would explore so many of the other true Sufi poets with this anthology! Each Sufi poet is given a wonderful introduction also!
In
my soul
there is a temple, a shrine,
a mosque, a church
where I kneel.
Prayer should bring us to an altar where no walls or names exist.
(Rabia Basri, 9th century Sufi poet)
In
my soul
there is a temple, a shrine,
a mosque, a church
where I kneel.
Prayer should bring us to an altar where no walls or names exist.
(Rabia Basri, 9th century Sufi poet)
March 24, 2015
RABIA BASRI
MANSUR HALLAJ
When the stallion of loneliness rides over you
And the scream of despair swallows Hope, Take the armour of humility in your left hand
And sword of tears in your right hand And be wary of your ego
And careful of the hidden revenge
And when you have to migrate in darkness
Take shelter under the torch of purity. Tell the Beloved: You see my broken state,
Forgive me before our destined meeting. O my Love, be not separate from me,
Do not abandon me before fruition
ABU SAID IBN ABIL-KHAIR
In search of martyrdom the Ghazis go
To fight Faith’s battles: do they then not know
That martyred lovers higher rank, as slain
By hand of Friend, and not by hand of Foe?
Let no one of Thy boundless Grace despair;
Thine own elect shall ever upward fare:
The mote, if once illumined by Thy Sun,
The brightness of a thousand suns shall share
SHEIKH ABDULLAH ANSARI OF HERAT
O Lord
We appear like
Desperate lovers,
And in our hearts
We are sleep-soiled;
Our breasts full of fire
Our eyes full of water;
Sometimes we burn
In the fire of our hearts;
Sometimes we are drowned in tears
AHMAD JAM
Each who has seen Your beauty fine
Utters honestly, ‘I have seen the Divine.’ Everywhere Your lovers wait for grace,
Remove Your veil, reveal Your face!
I am in the ocean and an ocean is in me;
This is the experience of one who can see. He that leaps into the river of Unity,
He speaks of union with his Beloved’s beauty
SANAI GHAZNAVI
So long as this world exists,
I do not want the pain of Love,
But I love Love and cannot break the vows of Love! So long as the story of Love and lovers adorns this world My name shall be written boldly in the book of Love. The name of ‘drunkard’ from the puritans I’ve got,
Still I love and am obedient to the command of Love! Their heart is caught in the snare of the Beloved’s curls, Those who ride with beauties in the field of Love! I will play in this field of Love till eternity.
I have trapped my heart in the curls of Love! In this world, my Love is the reason for goodness; Since He is the reason for goodness,
I became the goodness of Love!
NIZAMI GANJAVI
One night desperate Majnun prayed tearfully,
‘O Lord of mine who has abandoned me,
Why hast Thou “Majnun” called me?
Why hast Thou made a lover of Leila of me?
Thou hast made me a pillow of wild thorns,
Made me roam day and night without a home.
What dost Thou want from my imprisonment?
O Lord of mine, listen to my plea!’
The Lord replied, ‘O lost man,
With Leila’s love I have your heart filled;
Your Love of Leila is my will.
The Beauty of Leila that you see
Is just another reflection of me
FARIDUDDIN ATTAR
O You who have revealed
My hidden sorrow to the world,
Who am I that I received
Your fragrance in my soul?
I am stricken by sorrow.
Cast a glance this way,
For it’s You who know
My secret, and with my heart You play! O Love of mine,
In the hope of seeing You I roam.
In the valley of separation,
Eternally, I’ve made my home.
It’s You who know the cure
Of my pain.
I’ve reached the limit, give me
The balm of Your love again.
Attar’s soul is dishevelled
Like Your dark hair;
Bring him together, make him whole
And save his scattered weary soul
---
UMAR IBN AL-FARID
Give me excess of love and so increase me
In marvelling at Thee; and mercy have
Upon a heart for Thee by passion seared.
And when I ask of Thee that I may see Thee
Even as Thou art, in Thy reality,
Say not, ‘Thou shalt not see,’ but let me see.
Heart, thou didst promise patience in love of them
MOHYUDDIN IBN ARABI
Their abodes have become decayed, but desire of them is ever new in my heart and decayeth not.
These tears are shed over their ruined dwellings, but souls are ever melted at the memory of them.
Through love of them I called out behind their riding-camels, ‘O ye who are rich in beauty, here am I, a beggar!
I have rolled my cheek in the dust in tender and passionate affection: then, by the true love which I owe to you, do not make hopeless
One who is drowned in his tears and burned in the fire of sorrow with no respite! 6. O thou who wouldst kindle a fire, be not hasty! Here is the fire of passion. Go and take of it!
JALALUDDIN RUMI
Through Love, bitterness becomes sweet.
Through Love, bronze turns into gold.
Through Love, dregs turn to tasteful wine.
Through Love, pain turns into a balm.
Through Love, the thorns become the rose.
Through Love, vinegar turns to wine.
Through Love, the cross becomes a throne.
Through Love, the burden becomes a fortune. Through Love, the prison becomes a garden. Through Love, the garden becomes an oven. Through Love, the fire turns to light.
Through Love, the demon becomes a fairy.
Through Love, the stone becomes butter.
Without Love, wax turns into steel.
Through Love, sorrow becomes happiness.
Through Love, the follower becomes the leader. Through Love, the sting becomes honey.
Through Love, the lion becomes a mouse.
Through Love, illness becomes health.
Through Love, a curse becomes a blessing.
Through Love, the thorn becomes a needle.
Through Love, the home is lit up.
Through Love, the dead man becomes alive. Through Love, the king becomes a slave
IRAQI
When I kissed the earth in supplication
A cry came forth from the earth:
You have stained my face
With this supplication of lies!
O unfortunate I that did not have the fate
Of your enemy’s life,
As your friend I bow my head
To feel the blow of your knife!
When I visited the gambling den
I saw kind and truthful men.
When I visited the mosque and temple
I got nothing but deceit
SA’DI SHIRAZI
I sit on the throne of the heart;
That is the style of my poverty!
I am dust on my Beloved’s path;
That is my elevated state!
No need to visit the mosque for me;
Your eyebrow is a prayer arch for me.
Sa’di, why this pilgrim’s garb?
Why, indeed, this ritual of hajj?
Look at my Beloved’s face;
That is the true worshipper’s place
MAHMUD SHABISTARI
Being is the sea, speech is the shore,
The shells are letters, the pearls knowledge of the heart. In every wave it casts up a thousand royal pearls
Of traditions and holy sayings and texts.
Every moment a thousand waves rise out of it,
Yet it never becomes less by one drop.
Knowledge has its being from that sea,
The coverings of its pearls are voice and letters. Since mysteries are here shown in an allegory,
It is necessary to have recourse to illustrations:
I have heard that in the month Nisan
The pearl oysters rise to the surface of the sea of Uman. From the lowest depths of the sea they come up And rest on the surface with opened mouths.
The mist is lifted up from the sea,
And descends in rain at the command of ‘The Truth’. There fall some drops into each shell’s mouth,
And each mouth is shut as by a hundred bonds.
Then each shell descends into the depths with full heart, And each drop of rain becomes a pearl.
The diver goes down to the depths of the sea,
And thence brings up the glittering pearls.
The shore is your body, the sea is Being,
The mist Grace, the rain knowledge of the Names. The diver of this mighty sea is human reason,
Who holds a hundred pearls wrapped in his cloth. The heart is to knowledge as a vessel,
The shells of knowledge of the heart are voice and letters…
SULTAN VELED
YUNUS EMRE
AMIR KHUSROW DEHLAVI
I asked, ‘What’s bright as the Moon?’
‘My beautiful face,’ was the answer.
I said, ‘What’s sweet as sugar?’
‘My speech,’ was the answer.
‘What is the way of Lovers?’ I asked
‘The way of loyalty,’ was the answer.
I said, ‘Don’t be so cruel to me.’
‘It’s my job to behave thus,’ was the answer. ‘What is death for Lovers?’
‘Separation from me,’ was the answer.
‘What is the cure for life’s ills?’
‘To gaze upon my face,’ was the answer. ‘What is spring, what autumn?’
‘Only my changing beauty,’ was the answer.
‘Who is the envy of the gazelle?’
‘My swift gait,’ was the answer.
‘Are you a fairy or a houri?’
‘I am the Lord of Beauty,’ was the answer.
‘Khusrow is helpless,’ I said.
‘He is my devotee,’ was the answer
ASHIQ PASHA
HAFIZ SHIRAZI
MAGHRIBI
SHAH NIMATULLAH
King and beggar are one, are one.
The hungry and sated are one, are one.
Sorrowful I am and drink the dregs.
The dregs, sorrow and cure, are one, are one.
There is none but One in this world.
Speak not of two, God is one, is One.
I have seen a thousand mirrors,
But the Beloved’s face is one, is one.
We are stricken by one who’s fair and tall,
But the stricken and the illness are one, are one.
A drop, the sea, the wave and the four elements
Are without doubt in our sight but One, but One.
QASIMUL ANWAR
KABIR
The Moon shines in my body, but my blind eyes cannot see it: The Moon is within me, and so is the Sun.
The unstruck drum of Eternity is sounded within me; but my deaf ears cannot hear it.
So long as man clamours for the ‘I’ and the ‘Mine’, his works are as naught:
When all love of the ‘I’ and the ‘Mine’ is dead, then the work of the Lord is done.
For work has no other aim than the getting of knowledge: When that comes, then work is put away.
The flower blooms for the fruit: when the fruit comes, the flower withers.
The musk is in the deer, but it seeks it not within itself: it wanders in quest of grass
---
All jewels are made of the same gold;
We give them different names.
Some call it prayer, others Namaz;
Some say Hindu, some say Muslim.
He reads the Veda, he the Qur’an;
He is a Mullah, he a pandit,
The vessels are of the same earth made;
We give them different names.
Says Kabir: They are misguided all;
God is far away from all
Who waste their time
Who argue and name call.
---
The river
And the wave are the same.
When it rises up, it’s water;
When it subsides, it’s water.
Otherwise it cannot be.
You call it wave, you see,
But other than water it cannot be.
The Creator is the world
And the world the Creator
ABDUR-RAHMAN JAMI
I am so drunk that wine drips from my eyes;
My heart so burns that I can smell its roasting!
If my Beloved comes unveiled at midnight,
An ageing puritan will rush out of the mosque.
I saw your face at dawn and missed my prayer:
What use is supplication when the Sun has risen?
If a drop of Jami’s pain falls into the river
The fish will jump out burning with pain
SARMAD
SULTAN BAHU
I am no accomplished scholar,
Nor a judge, nor doctor of law;
My heart neither hell desires,
Nor my soul to heaven aspires.
I do not fast as required,
Nor am I the pure, praying kind.
All I want is union with God
I care not for the false or true
---
God is not up there, my friends,
Nor in the Kaaba does He reside;
He is not in learned books,
Nor inside the minaret He hides.
He is not in Ganga, Jamuna,
Nor He in Benaras abides.
Don’t get lost in searching for Him.
Find yourself a truthful guide!
BABA BULLEH SHAH
SHAH ABDUL LATIF BHITTAI
SHAH NIAZ
MIAN MUHAMMAD BAKSH
MANSUR HALLAJ
When the stallion of loneliness rides over you
And the scream of despair swallows Hope, Take the armour of humility in your left hand
And sword of tears in your right hand And be wary of your ego
And careful of the hidden revenge
And when you have to migrate in darkness
Take shelter under the torch of purity. Tell the Beloved: You see my broken state,
Forgive me before our destined meeting. O my Love, be not separate from me,
Do not abandon me before fruition
ABU SAID IBN ABIL-KHAIR
In search of martyrdom the Ghazis go
To fight Faith’s battles: do they then not know
That martyred lovers higher rank, as slain
By hand of Friend, and not by hand of Foe?
Let no one of Thy boundless Grace despair;
Thine own elect shall ever upward fare:
The mote, if once illumined by Thy Sun,
The brightness of a thousand suns shall share
SHEIKH ABDULLAH ANSARI OF HERAT
O Lord
We appear like
Desperate lovers,
And in our hearts
We are sleep-soiled;
Our breasts full of fire
Our eyes full of water;
Sometimes we burn
In the fire of our hearts;
Sometimes we are drowned in tears
AHMAD JAM
Each who has seen Your beauty fine
Utters honestly, ‘I have seen the Divine.’ Everywhere Your lovers wait for grace,
Remove Your veil, reveal Your face!
I am in the ocean and an ocean is in me;
This is the experience of one who can see. He that leaps into the river of Unity,
He speaks of union with his Beloved’s beauty
SANAI GHAZNAVI
So long as this world exists,
I do not want the pain of Love,
But I love Love and cannot break the vows of Love! So long as the story of Love and lovers adorns this world My name shall be written boldly in the book of Love. The name of ‘drunkard’ from the puritans I’ve got,
Still I love and am obedient to the command of Love! Their heart is caught in the snare of the Beloved’s curls, Those who ride with beauties in the field of Love! I will play in this field of Love till eternity.
I have trapped my heart in the curls of Love! In this world, my Love is the reason for goodness; Since He is the reason for goodness,
I became the goodness of Love!
NIZAMI GANJAVI
One night desperate Majnun prayed tearfully,
‘O Lord of mine who has abandoned me,
Why hast Thou “Majnun” called me?
Why hast Thou made a lover of Leila of me?
Thou hast made me a pillow of wild thorns,
Made me roam day and night without a home.
What dost Thou want from my imprisonment?
O Lord of mine, listen to my plea!’
The Lord replied, ‘O lost man,
With Leila’s love I have your heart filled;
Your Love of Leila is my will.
The Beauty of Leila that you see
Is just another reflection of me
FARIDUDDIN ATTAR
O You who have revealed
My hidden sorrow to the world,
Who am I that I received
Your fragrance in my soul?
I am stricken by sorrow.
Cast a glance this way,
For it’s You who know
My secret, and with my heart You play! O Love of mine,
In the hope of seeing You I roam.
In the valley of separation,
Eternally, I’ve made my home.
It’s You who know the cure
Of my pain.
I’ve reached the limit, give me
The balm of Your love again.
Attar’s soul is dishevelled
Like Your dark hair;
Bring him together, make him whole
And save his scattered weary soul
---
UMAR IBN AL-FARID
Give me excess of love and so increase me
In marvelling at Thee; and mercy have
Upon a heart for Thee by passion seared.
And when I ask of Thee that I may see Thee
Even as Thou art, in Thy reality,
Say not, ‘Thou shalt not see,’ but let me see.
Heart, thou didst promise patience in love of them
MOHYUDDIN IBN ARABI
Their abodes have become decayed, but desire of them is ever new in my heart and decayeth not.
These tears are shed over their ruined dwellings, but souls are ever melted at the memory of them.
Through love of them I called out behind their riding-camels, ‘O ye who are rich in beauty, here am I, a beggar!
I have rolled my cheek in the dust in tender and passionate affection: then, by the true love which I owe to you, do not make hopeless
One who is drowned in his tears and burned in the fire of sorrow with no respite! 6. O thou who wouldst kindle a fire, be not hasty! Here is the fire of passion. Go and take of it!
JALALUDDIN RUMI
Through Love, bitterness becomes sweet.
Through Love, bronze turns into gold.
Through Love, dregs turn to tasteful wine.
Through Love, pain turns into a balm.
Through Love, the thorns become the rose.
Through Love, vinegar turns to wine.
Through Love, the cross becomes a throne.
Through Love, the burden becomes a fortune. Through Love, the prison becomes a garden. Through Love, the garden becomes an oven. Through Love, the fire turns to light.
Through Love, the demon becomes a fairy.
Through Love, the stone becomes butter.
Without Love, wax turns into steel.
Through Love, sorrow becomes happiness.
Through Love, the follower becomes the leader. Through Love, the sting becomes honey.
Through Love, the lion becomes a mouse.
Through Love, illness becomes health.
Through Love, a curse becomes a blessing.
Through Love, the thorn becomes a needle.
Through Love, the home is lit up.
Through Love, the dead man becomes alive. Through Love, the king becomes a slave
IRAQI
When I kissed the earth in supplication
A cry came forth from the earth:
You have stained my face
With this supplication of lies!
O unfortunate I that did not have the fate
Of your enemy’s life,
As your friend I bow my head
To feel the blow of your knife!
When I visited the gambling den
I saw kind and truthful men.
When I visited the mosque and temple
I got nothing but deceit
SA’DI SHIRAZI
I sit on the throne of the heart;
That is the style of my poverty!
I am dust on my Beloved’s path;
That is my elevated state!
No need to visit the mosque for me;
Your eyebrow is a prayer arch for me.
Sa’di, why this pilgrim’s garb?
Why, indeed, this ritual of hajj?
Look at my Beloved’s face;
That is the true worshipper’s place
MAHMUD SHABISTARI
Being is the sea, speech is the shore,
The shells are letters, the pearls knowledge of the heart. In every wave it casts up a thousand royal pearls
Of traditions and holy sayings and texts.
Every moment a thousand waves rise out of it,
Yet it never becomes less by one drop.
Knowledge has its being from that sea,
The coverings of its pearls are voice and letters. Since mysteries are here shown in an allegory,
It is necessary to have recourse to illustrations:
I have heard that in the month Nisan
The pearl oysters rise to the surface of the sea of Uman. From the lowest depths of the sea they come up And rest on the surface with opened mouths.
The mist is lifted up from the sea,
And descends in rain at the command of ‘The Truth’. There fall some drops into each shell’s mouth,
And each mouth is shut as by a hundred bonds.
Then each shell descends into the depths with full heart, And each drop of rain becomes a pearl.
The diver goes down to the depths of the sea,
And thence brings up the glittering pearls.
The shore is your body, the sea is Being,
The mist Grace, the rain knowledge of the Names. The diver of this mighty sea is human reason,
Who holds a hundred pearls wrapped in his cloth. The heart is to knowledge as a vessel,
The shells of knowledge of the heart are voice and letters…
SULTAN VELED
YUNUS EMRE
AMIR KHUSROW DEHLAVI
I asked, ‘What’s bright as the Moon?’
‘My beautiful face,’ was the answer.
I said, ‘What’s sweet as sugar?’
‘My speech,’ was the answer.
‘What is the way of Lovers?’ I asked
‘The way of loyalty,’ was the answer.
I said, ‘Don’t be so cruel to me.’
‘It’s my job to behave thus,’ was the answer. ‘What is death for Lovers?’
‘Separation from me,’ was the answer.
‘What is the cure for life’s ills?’
‘To gaze upon my face,’ was the answer. ‘What is spring, what autumn?’
‘Only my changing beauty,’ was the answer.
‘Who is the envy of the gazelle?’
‘My swift gait,’ was the answer.
‘Are you a fairy or a houri?’
‘I am the Lord of Beauty,’ was the answer.
‘Khusrow is helpless,’ I said.
‘He is my devotee,’ was the answer
ASHIQ PASHA
HAFIZ SHIRAZI
MAGHRIBI
SHAH NIMATULLAH
King and beggar are one, are one.
The hungry and sated are one, are one.
Sorrowful I am and drink the dregs.
The dregs, sorrow and cure, are one, are one.
There is none but One in this world.
Speak not of two, God is one, is One.
I have seen a thousand mirrors,
But the Beloved’s face is one, is one.
We are stricken by one who’s fair and tall,
But the stricken and the illness are one, are one.
A drop, the sea, the wave and the four elements
Are without doubt in our sight but One, but One.
QASIMUL ANWAR
KABIR
The Moon shines in my body, but my blind eyes cannot see it: The Moon is within me, and so is the Sun.
The unstruck drum of Eternity is sounded within me; but my deaf ears cannot hear it.
So long as man clamours for the ‘I’ and the ‘Mine’, his works are as naught:
When all love of the ‘I’ and the ‘Mine’ is dead, then the work of the Lord is done.
For work has no other aim than the getting of knowledge: When that comes, then work is put away.
The flower blooms for the fruit: when the fruit comes, the flower withers.
The musk is in the deer, but it seeks it not within itself: it wanders in quest of grass
---
All jewels are made of the same gold;
We give them different names.
Some call it prayer, others Namaz;
Some say Hindu, some say Muslim.
He reads the Veda, he the Qur’an;
He is a Mullah, he a pandit,
The vessels are of the same earth made;
We give them different names.
Says Kabir: They are misguided all;
God is far away from all
Who waste their time
Who argue and name call.
---
The river
And the wave are the same.
When it rises up, it’s water;
When it subsides, it’s water.
Otherwise it cannot be.
You call it wave, you see,
But other than water it cannot be.
The Creator is the world
And the world the Creator
ABDUR-RAHMAN JAMI
I am so drunk that wine drips from my eyes;
My heart so burns that I can smell its roasting!
If my Beloved comes unveiled at midnight,
An ageing puritan will rush out of the mosque.
I saw your face at dawn and missed my prayer:
What use is supplication when the Sun has risen?
If a drop of Jami’s pain falls into the river
The fish will jump out burning with pain
SARMAD
SULTAN BAHU
I am no accomplished scholar,
Nor a judge, nor doctor of law;
My heart neither hell desires,
Nor my soul to heaven aspires.
I do not fast as required,
Nor am I the pure, praying kind.
All I want is union with God
I care not for the false or true
---
God is not up there, my friends,
Nor in the Kaaba does He reside;
He is not in learned books,
Nor inside the minaret He hides.
He is not in Ganga, Jamuna,
Nor He in Benaras abides.
Don’t get lost in searching for Him.
Find yourself a truthful guide!
BABA BULLEH SHAH
SHAH ABDUL LATIF BHITTAI
SHAH NIAZ
MIAN MUHAMMAD BAKSH
December 10, 2019
A thoughtful book that starts with an intelligent overview of Sufi poetry, its forms and its images.
The selections and translations vary in interest and subtlety. Some of the simpler poems do not rise above devotions-- hymns. The longer poems articulate much more complex relationships between poetry, love, and the Divine.
There are many translations of Sufi poetry on the market and these can range from the literal and dead to the creative and fantastical, to the point where they are written in the spirit of Sufism and have no relation to the originals. Not so much divinely drunk as poetically pissed. The internet abounds with such objects. Rumi has authored many works he never imagined whilst pursuing Shams al-Din. The translations in Jamal's book are readable and fairly accurate. An example would be this:
Beat not your drum that none can hear;
Plant bravely your banner in the desert's heart.
My son, it behoves not to beat the drum under a blanket;
Place your flag like a brave warrior in the midst of the plain.
The prosaic translation lacks life. Then again, a pity that "none can hear" is substituted for the objective and lively image of "under a blanket." The use of familiar objects it typical of Rumi. Sometimes there are subtle changes. Rumi's original Persian imagines being the "bezel" in the "lover's ring", a container, not the "jewel", the flash gemstone, as stated in the English translation. Generally, Islamic Mystical Poetry offers cogent and sensitive translations that preserve the mood of the originals.
A readable and useful source book for ideas and images. A kaleidoscope of comparisons that fit together like Islamic, patterned tiles.
The selections and translations vary in interest and subtlety. Some of the simpler poems do not rise above devotions-- hymns. The longer poems articulate much more complex relationships between poetry, love, and the Divine.
There are many translations of Sufi poetry on the market and these can range from the literal and dead to the creative and fantastical, to the point where they are written in the spirit of Sufism and have no relation to the originals. Not so much divinely drunk as poetically pissed. The internet abounds with such objects. Rumi has authored many works he never imagined whilst pursuing Shams al-Din. The translations in Jamal's book are readable and fairly accurate. An example would be this:
Beat not your drum that none can hear;
Plant bravely your banner in the desert's heart.
My son, it behoves not to beat the drum under a blanket;
Place your flag like a brave warrior in the midst of the plain.
The prosaic translation lacks life. Then again, a pity that "none can hear" is substituted for the objective and lively image of "under a blanket." The use of familiar objects it typical of Rumi. Sometimes there are subtle changes. Rumi's original Persian imagines being the "bezel" in the "lover's ring", a container, not the "jewel", the flash gemstone, as stated in the English translation. Generally, Islamic Mystical Poetry offers cogent and sensitive translations that preserve the mood of the originals.
A readable and useful source book for ideas and images. A kaleidoscope of comparisons that fit together like Islamic, patterned tiles.
February 2, 2023
Just beautiful! A great variety of poets and I liked the translations
January 11, 2017
Buku ini mengambil masa kira-kira enam bulan untuk disusuri sambil disela karya puisi mistik/sufi yang lain - tetapi perjalanannya tetap memukau dan memikat meski sering diserkup kebingungan. Masakan tidak buku ini merentangi puisi yang ditiup melalui seruling tokoh besar dalam ranah sufi dari Rabiatul Adawiah yang 'merintis' makna cinta ketika tasawuf sebelumnya lebih dikenali dengan makna takwa hakiki seperti yang hidup dalam hayat Hassan al-Basri hinggalah kepada ranah sufi yang subur di tanah Parsi, Turki dan Hind yang kini mengisi wilayah Pakistan, India, Kashmir dan Bangladesh.
Puisi dalam bentuk syair, mathnawi dan ghazal yang disusun oleh Mahmood Jamal ini sebenarnya terjemahan daripada ramai sarjana, pengarang dan penterjemah, sekali gus menjadikan setiap karya yang difahami akan berdepan dengan variasi cara penterjemahan serta interpretasi mereka. Hal ini sebenarnya memberikan cabaran tetapi sekaligus kenikmatan tersendiri dalam melayari lautan isyq (cinta) hakiki yang pengalaman kerohanian itu cuba diungkapkan dalam bahasa yang dalam.
Kita mungkin biasa dengan tokoh seperti Mansur Hallaj, Sanai, Nizami, Attar, Ibn Arabi, Maulana Rumi, Iraqi, Sa'adi, Yunus Emre, Hafiz dan Abdul Rahman Jami tetapi buku ini memungkinkan kita melihat dari celah pintu mistik yang dibuka untuk berkenalan dengan Mahmud Shabistari, Ashiq Pasha, Qasimul Anwar, Sarmad, Babu Bulleh Shah, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai dan Shah Niaz. Bagaimanapun di sebalik tradisi dengan latar wilayah yang luas dari Basrah hingga Tanah Punjab, karya mereka memiliki nafas yang sama - cinta yang bertiup dari seruling diri yang melagukan melodi kerinduan terhadap tanah yang terpisah.
Membaca buku ini sekali bacaan saja tidak cukup kerana lautan hakikat kewujudan bukan saja terlalu luas, bahkan ia terlalu dalam untuk dilayari atau diselami dengan bekalan diri yang terlalu tipis. Justeru karya yang terkandung dalam buku ini adalah karya yang perlu disusuri sepanjang kita menelusuri jalan hayat yang ada.
Puisi dalam bentuk syair, mathnawi dan ghazal yang disusun oleh Mahmood Jamal ini sebenarnya terjemahan daripada ramai sarjana, pengarang dan penterjemah, sekali gus menjadikan setiap karya yang difahami akan berdepan dengan variasi cara penterjemahan serta interpretasi mereka. Hal ini sebenarnya memberikan cabaran tetapi sekaligus kenikmatan tersendiri dalam melayari lautan isyq (cinta) hakiki yang pengalaman kerohanian itu cuba diungkapkan dalam bahasa yang dalam.
Kita mungkin biasa dengan tokoh seperti Mansur Hallaj, Sanai, Nizami, Attar, Ibn Arabi, Maulana Rumi, Iraqi, Sa'adi, Yunus Emre, Hafiz dan Abdul Rahman Jami tetapi buku ini memungkinkan kita melihat dari celah pintu mistik yang dibuka untuk berkenalan dengan Mahmud Shabistari, Ashiq Pasha, Qasimul Anwar, Sarmad, Babu Bulleh Shah, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai dan Shah Niaz. Bagaimanapun di sebalik tradisi dengan latar wilayah yang luas dari Basrah hingga Tanah Punjab, karya mereka memiliki nafas yang sama - cinta yang bertiup dari seruling diri yang melagukan melodi kerinduan terhadap tanah yang terpisah.
Membaca buku ini sekali bacaan saja tidak cukup kerana lautan hakikat kewujudan bukan saja terlalu luas, bahkan ia terlalu dalam untuk dilayari atau diselami dengan bekalan diri yang terlalu tipis. Justeru karya yang terkandung dalam buku ini adalah karya yang perlu disusuri sepanjang kita menelusuri jalan hayat yang ada.
June 2, 2012
I’m always hesitant when I find a collection of sacred poetry put out by a classics publisher like Penguin. They can be excellent references, but I expect their translations to be stiff and rather academic. So I was pleasantly surprised by Penguin’s Islamic Mystical Poetry — while some of Mahmood Jamal’s translations bring the mind to appreciative, stunned silence, most don’t read like masterpieces of the art. Even so, they have a direct, modern fluidity that is inviting to the tongue. His rhyme, in places, can sound too simple, occasionally evoking sing-song, rather than poetic revelation, but that’s a minor criticism, given how readable these poems are. These are not dusty translations only your great-grandfather could love.
Where this collection really shines is in the breadth of poets gathered together within its pages, those well-known in the West, and many less-well-known. Rabia, Hallaj, ibn ‘Arabi, Rumi, Iraqi, Shabistari, Kabir, Baba Bulleh Shah, Umar ibn al-Farid, Yunus Emre, and many more. This is an excellent sampling of Sufi poetry from Africa to Afghanistan.
Other general collections of Sufi poetry, like The Drunken Universe and Love’s Alchemy might have more arresting translations, but Penguin’s Islamic Mystical Poetry is highly recommended for its broad range of Sufi poets, some hard to find in English translation, as well as for it’s approachable translations.
This one belongs on your bookshelf.
I witnessed my Maker with my heart’s eye.
I asked, ‘Who are You?’ He answered, ‘You!’
For You one cannot ask, Where?
Because where is Where for You?
You do not pass through the imagination
Or else we’ll know where You are.
You are He who is everywhere
Yet You are nowhere. Where are You?
In my annihilation is my annihilation’s annihilation
And You are found in my annihilation.
– Mansur al-Hallaj
Table of Contents
Rabia Basri
Mansur Hallaj
Abu Said ibn Abil-Khair
Sheikh Abdullah Ansari of Herat
Ahmad Jam
Sanai Ghasnavi
Nizami Ganjavi
Fariduddin Attar
Umar ibn al-Farid
Mohyuddin ibn ‘Arabi
Jalaluddin Rumi
Iraqi
Sa’di Shirazi
Mahmud Shabistari
Sultan Veled
Yunus Emre
Amir Khusrow Dehlavi
Ashiq Pasha
Haviz Shirazi
Maghribi
Shah Nimatullah
Qasimul Anwar
Kabir
Abdur Rahman Jami
Sarmad
Sultan Bahu
Baba Bulleh Shah
Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai
Shah Niaz
Mian Muhammad Baksh
Where this collection really shines is in the breadth of poets gathered together within its pages, those well-known in the West, and many less-well-known. Rabia, Hallaj, ibn ‘Arabi, Rumi, Iraqi, Shabistari, Kabir, Baba Bulleh Shah, Umar ibn al-Farid, Yunus Emre, and many more. This is an excellent sampling of Sufi poetry from Africa to Afghanistan.
Other general collections of Sufi poetry, like The Drunken Universe and Love’s Alchemy might have more arresting translations, but Penguin’s Islamic Mystical Poetry is highly recommended for its broad range of Sufi poets, some hard to find in English translation, as well as for it’s approachable translations.
This one belongs on your bookshelf.
I witnessed my Maker with my heart’s eye.
I asked, ‘Who are You?’ He answered, ‘You!’
For You one cannot ask, Where?
Because where is Where for You?
You do not pass through the imagination
Or else we’ll know where You are.
You are He who is everywhere
Yet You are nowhere. Where are You?
In my annihilation is my annihilation’s annihilation
And You are found in my annihilation.
– Mansur al-Hallaj
Table of Contents
Rabia Basri
Mansur Hallaj
Abu Said ibn Abil-Khair
Sheikh Abdullah Ansari of Herat
Ahmad Jam
Sanai Ghasnavi
Nizami Ganjavi
Fariduddin Attar
Umar ibn al-Farid
Mohyuddin ibn ‘Arabi
Jalaluddin Rumi
Iraqi
Sa’di Shirazi
Mahmud Shabistari
Sultan Veled
Yunus Emre
Amir Khusrow Dehlavi
Ashiq Pasha
Haviz Shirazi
Maghribi
Shah Nimatullah
Qasimul Anwar
Kabir
Abdur Rahman Jami
Sarmad
Sultan Bahu
Baba Bulleh Shah
Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai
Shah Niaz
Mian Muhammad Baksh
February 6, 2023
So here I am, still on my poetry journey, and by attempting to read more diversely, I've picked up this book on a topic I wouldn't really ever find myself reading about usually. The collection is an in-depth exploration of the spiritual aspects of Sufi poetry, with a focus on the themes of love, devotion, and the search for truth and understanding. It's a book on Islam, on God and mysticism.
Sheikh Abdullah - Ansari Of Herat:
O Lord
We appear like
Desperate lovers,
And in our hearts
We are sleep-soiled;
Our breasts full of fire
Our eyes full of water;
Sometimes we burn
In the fire of our hearts;
Sometimes we are drowned in tears
The poems in this collection are beautifully written and offer a glimpse into the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of Sufism. Mahmood Jamal provides an excellent collection of poems from some of the greatest Sufi poets in Islamic history and provides background and context to each of the famous poets. The poems are all filled with symbolic and metaphorical language that illustrate key concepts of Sufism, such as the Lover, the Beloved, Wine, and the Tavern. Some poems also offer a more personal insight into the poet's journey to transcend worldly emotions and ties.
However, the poems themselves did become a bit repetitive as they mostly all revolved around the same themes. And whilst I get that these themes are central to Sufism, and this, of course, is a book about that, I did feel unengaged towards the end as they all seemed to blend into one another. They just weren't distinctive enough for me.
Overall, this book is a solid choice for those looking to explore Sufi poetry, but may not be the most engaging read for those seeking variety in themes and styles. I would give it a 3/5 stars.
Sheikh Abdullah - Ansari Of Herat:
O Lord
We appear like
Desperate lovers,
And in our hearts
We are sleep-soiled;
Our breasts full of fire
Our eyes full of water;
Sometimes we burn
In the fire of our hearts;
Sometimes we are drowned in tears
The poems in this collection are beautifully written and offer a glimpse into the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of Sufism. Mahmood Jamal provides an excellent collection of poems from some of the greatest Sufi poets in Islamic history and provides background and context to each of the famous poets. The poems are all filled with symbolic and metaphorical language that illustrate key concepts of Sufism, such as the Lover, the Beloved, Wine, and the Tavern. Some poems also offer a more personal insight into the poet's journey to transcend worldly emotions and ties.
However, the poems themselves did become a bit repetitive as they mostly all revolved around the same themes. And whilst I get that these themes are central to Sufism, and this, of course, is a book about that, I did feel unengaged towards the end as they all seemed to blend into one another. They just weren't distinctive enough for me.
Overall, this book is a solid choice for those looking to explore Sufi poetry, but may not be the most engaging read for those seeking variety in themes and styles. I would give it a 3/5 stars.
March 4, 2015
Beautiful words from inspiring souls. I was already familiar with Rumi, but I discovered favorites such as Maghribi, Mansur Hallaj, Mahmud Shabistan and Rabia Basri. I bought this at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and after gazing at the beautiful calligraphy, arabesque and old copies of Attars poetry with amazing illustrations, reading these verses added more aesthetic pleasure to my experience. These are the type of verses that dig into you deeper and deeper after repetition, until they reveal transparency. I can only wonder how sublime they must sound in the original Arabic, but these translations are splendid.
June 14, 2016
Really fascinating to read! Some poets I wanted to read everything of theirs aloud...other poets I only skimmed, but I found it all to be really interesting. Glad the editor of this collection added biographies of each of the poets, footnotes where possible and included an introduction about the main concepts and structure of Sufi verse.
July 28, 2014
Some things, such as this, cannot be translated.
July 12, 2020
My fav poets are Rabia al-Basri and Fariduddin Attar. Rabia was the first one to introduce the idea of loving God, rather than judging God. Her ghazal were all straightforward, and all got the best finishing touch. I don't know how to describe it, but I feel more relatable to hers than other poets.
I could understand Fariduddin's metaphors better. And his way with words was amazing. He guided you through the Path of God in amazing ways. He made you think this world is just a... Metaphor. It's just you and your God. Nothing else matters.
Though I prefer if the poems were arranged according to themes. But I understand why the translators decided to arrange according to time period - I could see the evolution of those poets in writing those poems.
I could understand Fariduddin's metaphors better. And his way with words was amazing. He guided you through the Path of God in amazing ways. He made you think this world is just a... Metaphor. It's just you and your God. Nothing else matters.
Though I prefer if the poems were arranged according to themes. But I understand why the translators decided to arrange according to time period - I could see the evolution of those poets in writing those poems.
April 5, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially because it contained many Sufi/mystic poets and not just the likes of Rumi and Hafiz. The only downer are some of the translations, they made some of those beautiful verses seem almost too simple and rid it of its magic.
But then again, no translation would ever do justice to the words written by those great poets.
Overall, it made me hungry for more, so brb as I will be diving deeper into the mystic domain.
But then again, no translation would ever do justice to the words written by those great poets.
Overall, it made me hungry for more, so brb as I will be diving deeper into the mystic domain.
August 14, 2022
My favourite aspect of Sufi poetry is how it can be read both on a carnal-secular level as well as mystical-spiritual. I’m beginning to think there’s very little difference between these anyway.
This is a well put together book - with a generous breadth in terms of the poets included, and a solid & to the point introduction. The genius/subtlety of translations varied, as expected.
This is a well put together book - with a generous breadth in terms of the poets included, and a solid & to the point introduction. The genius/subtlety of translations varied, as expected.
June 1, 2024
To read more of: Sheikh Abdullah Ansari of Herat, Umar Ibn Al-Farid, Rumi, Hafiz, Kabir.
July 8, 2014
Skirting on the edge of orthodox Islam, and often beyond it, the great Sufi poets of the medieval and early modern eras produced both beautiful verse and an inspiring record of humanity’s search after God. They were obsessed with the idea that God is love, they loved Him so dearly that they sometimes felt united with their Beloved, and they despaired that this feeling was so fleeting. Persecuted by other Muslims, Sufi mystics often moved to the Balkans, where state power was weaker and the multicultural mix of Christians, Jews, and Muslims was more amenable to their shocking, sometimes heretical, ways of talking about their spirituality. The language and experiences of the Sufi mystics have a lot in common with that of medieval Christians, especially with Spanish mystics like St. Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) or St. John of the Cross (1542-1591).
Read my full review here: http://wordsbecamebooks.com/2014/06/2...
Read my full review here: http://wordsbecamebooks.com/2014/06/2...
March 31, 2019
"Love is most illumined by silence."
- Jalaluddin Rumi
"Knower and known are one and the same."
- Mahmud Shabistari
"So when I speak I speak of only You
And when silent, I yearn for You."
- Rabia Basri
"There is none other in this desert, but only I,
Tell me what is this echo and noise ?"
- Mahmud Shabistari
"Time is one imaginary point, and that ever passing away,
You have named it the fleeting river."
- Mahmud Shabistari
"The night is but an empty black pot
If you haven’t tasted the sweetness offered by night."
- Jalaluddin Rumi
"I call You and You call me;
Did I say I am You
Or did You speak through me ?"
- Mansur Hallaj
"I am in the ocean and an ocean is in me"
-Ahmad Jam
"You have infused my being
Through and through"
- Rabia Basri
"You are dressed in my meaning."
- Mansur Hallaj
"When I come near You, fear drives me away
But Love deep in my soul makes me reckless."
- Mansur Hallaj
"Being is the sea, speech is the shore,
The shells are letters, the pearls knowledge of the heart."
- Mahmud Shabistari
"Immersed in pain, lost, amazed and dazed
I move from wilderness to wilderness."
-Mansur Hallaj
"My soul is mingled with Thee, dissolved in Thee,
A soul to cherish as it has Thy perfume !"
-Jalaluddin Rumi
"I turn to You in longing and sorrow;
You for whom my heart is caught in the talons
Of a flying bird."
-Mansur Hallaj
"Enter the tumultuous night
And from its ocean gather gifts unnamed."
- Jalaluddin Rumi
"I lost myself in finding You
Till you annihilated me in You."
-Mansur Hallaj
"The two, light and darkness, cannot be united.
Like the past, the future month and year exist not,
What is there but this one point of the present ?"
- Mahmud Shabistari
"The night of separation, whether long or short,
In it, my friend, only the longing for You."
-Mansur Hallaj
"My fleeting life has come and gone –
A wind that blows and passes by.
I feel it has been all too brief,
Just like the blinking of an eye."
- Yunus Emrei
"You were the hidden secret of my longing,
Hidden deep within my conscience, deeper than a dream."
-Mansur Hallaj
"It’s true that Love is full of pain
But it is also the solace of the Pure."
- Abdur-Rahman Jami
"You have learnt so much
And read a thousand books.
Have you ever read your Self ?
You have gone to mosque and temple.
Have you ever visited your soul ?"
- Baba Bulleh Shah
"Everything is but illusion, like a mirage;
I know I do not exist, yet the doubt persists."
- Shah Niaz
"In His love
The heart hath life. Longing for Him, the soul
Hath victory. That heart which seems to love
The fair ones of this world, loves Him alone."
- Abdur-Rahman Jami
"Like a flute I sing the song of separation from You,
Yet it’s true that You are near to me at each instant."
- Abdur-Rahman Jami
- Jalaluddin Rumi
"Knower and known are one and the same."
- Mahmud Shabistari
"So when I speak I speak of only You
And when silent, I yearn for You."
- Rabia Basri
"There is none other in this desert, but only I,
Tell me what is this echo and noise ?"
- Mahmud Shabistari
"Time is one imaginary point, and that ever passing away,
You have named it the fleeting river."
- Mahmud Shabistari
"The night is but an empty black pot
If you haven’t tasted the sweetness offered by night."
- Jalaluddin Rumi
"I call You and You call me;
Did I say I am You
Or did You speak through me ?"
- Mansur Hallaj
"I am in the ocean and an ocean is in me"
-Ahmad Jam
"You have infused my being
Through and through"
- Rabia Basri
"You are dressed in my meaning."
- Mansur Hallaj
"When I come near You, fear drives me away
But Love deep in my soul makes me reckless."
- Mansur Hallaj
"Being is the sea, speech is the shore,
The shells are letters, the pearls knowledge of the heart."
- Mahmud Shabistari
"Immersed in pain, lost, amazed and dazed
I move from wilderness to wilderness."
-Mansur Hallaj
"My soul is mingled with Thee, dissolved in Thee,
A soul to cherish as it has Thy perfume !"
-Jalaluddin Rumi
"I turn to You in longing and sorrow;
You for whom my heart is caught in the talons
Of a flying bird."
-Mansur Hallaj
"Enter the tumultuous night
And from its ocean gather gifts unnamed."
- Jalaluddin Rumi
"I lost myself in finding You
Till you annihilated me in You."
-Mansur Hallaj
"The two, light and darkness, cannot be united.
Like the past, the future month and year exist not,
What is there but this one point of the present ?"
- Mahmud Shabistari
"The night of separation, whether long or short,
In it, my friend, only the longing for You."
-Mansur Hallaj
"My fleeting life has come and gone –
A wind that blows and passes by.
I feel it has been all too brief,
Just like the blinking of an eye."
- Yunus Emrei
"You were the hidden secret of my longing,
Hidden deep within my conscience, deeper than a dream."
-Mansur Hallaj
"It’s true that Love is full of pain
But it is also the solace of the Pure."
- Abdur-Rahman Jami
"You have learnt so much
And read a thousand books.
Have you ever read your Self ?
You have gone to mosque and temple.
Have you ever visited your soul ?"
- Baba Bulleh Shah
"Everything is but illusion, like a mirage;
I know I do not exist, yet the doubt persists."
- Shah Niaz
"In His love
The heart hath life. Longing for Him, the soul
Hath victory. That heart which seems to love
The fair ones of this world, loves Him alone."
- Abdur-Rahman Jami
"Like a flute I sing the song of separation from You,
Yet it’s true that You are near to me at each instant."
- Abdur-Rahman Jami
April 11, 2020
I had thought that I might put this aside for a while and come back to it later but then I realised that I'd never finish it under any circumstances. And so, contrary to my usual practice, I'm adding an unfinished book to my shelves. I'm adding it because I don't want to forget to avoid it in future. I'm adding it because of the favourable reviews which it in no way deserves. Is this truly the best that Penguin could do by way of an anthology of Sufi poetry? There are many anthologies 'out there' of individual poets and multiple poets, old translations, new translations... I've read most, possibly all, of them. I can't fathom why the poets included in this volume didn't deserve fresh translations for a 21st century readership. Some translations are new (and some of those are truly dismal) and some are so ancient they creak at the joints and should never have been given a second airing. It doesn't matter to me as I was just visiting old friends but anyone who's new to the subject should avoid this anthology at all costs. It's painful.
May 19, 2024
(2.5) It was interesting and insightful to read the poems of notable Sufi mystics across Arabia, Persia, Turkey, and India. I have only been familiar with the works of Persian mystics like Attar, Rumi, and Hafiz, who were included in this collection.
I thoroughly enjoy Sufi poetry and also appreciate the short bios introducing each poet before their works. However, I believe the collection could benefit from being more concise. Sufi poetry often employs similar imagery and metaphors to convey spiritual love, longing, and transcendence. After reading many poems with similar styles, it became challenging to differentiate each poet's distinct voice, leading to a sense of monotony.
Another challenging aspect was the inclusion of Ashiq Pasha. His bio mentions that he was an orthodox Muslim, but my understanding of Sufism is that it often critiques or diverges from orthodox practices. His poems felt out of place in this collection, making me question his classification as a Sufi poet.
I thoroughly enjoy Sufi poetry and also appreciate the short bios introducing each poet before their works. However, I believe the collection could benefit from being more concise. Sufi poetry often employs similar imagery and metaphors to convey spiritual love, longing, and transcendence. After reading many poems with similar styles, it became challenging to differentiate each poet's distinct voice, leading to a sense of monotony.
Another challenging aspect was the inclusion of Ashiq Pasha. His bio mentions that he was an orthodox Muslim, but my understanding of Sufism is that it often critiques or diverges from orthodox practices. His poems felt out of place in this collection, making me question his classification as a Sufi poet.
May 22, 2023
Excerpts
When the Sun of your face shone,
The atoms of the two worlds came to life.
When that Sun cast its shadow far and wide
From that shadow all things emerged alive,
Each atom shone like the Sun
From the light that your bright face bestowed.
-Maghribi
With your black lashes,
Many doubts in Belief you have sown.
Come, with your languid eyes
Give me that grief that makes me feel alone!
-Hafiz Shirazi
May you forever bloom,
For in the garden of my sight
No flower I see
Can match your beauty
Flowering free
-Hafiz Shirazi
When the Sun of your face shone,
The atoms of the two worlds came to life.
When that Sun cast its shadow far and wide
From that shadow all things emerged alive,
Each atom shone like the Sun
From the light that your bright face bestowed.
-Maghribi
With your black lashes,
Many doubts in Belief you have sown.
Come, with your languid eyes
Give me that grief that makes me feel alone!
-Hafiz Shirazi
May you forever bloom,
For in the garden of my sight
No flower I see
Can match your beauty
Flowering free
-Hafiz Shirazi
September 13, 2024
Towards the end the poets were repetitive. Discussing the same ideas over and over. I give it three stars because it chronologically shared the work of Muslim mystical poets throughout history but I felt like it lacked variety. Not enough poets from other countries and the poets at the end were copying the Persian poets from the past.
May 21, 2020
Super
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
July 16, 2021Partially read, partially enjoyed.
October 23, 2021
Great selection of Sufi mystical verse, in all its ecstasy and exuberance, from the well known like Rumi, to some lesser known poets as well.
July 28, 2024
تُحفة🩶.
Sa'di, if you destroy an idol,
Then destroy the idol of the Self.
💚💛🧡.
كتاب رائع✨.
Sa'di, if you destroy an idol,
Then destroy the idol of the Self.
💚💛🧡.
كتاب رائع✨.
September 10, 2021
After jumping back into some Taoist and Desert Father literature, this is right up my alley. I found this accessible and engrossing. Every verse a spark of magic and deeper living.
August 12, 2024
They got being, non-being, and monism before Spinoza or Hegel. Cracked.
September 18, 2015
A great survey of Sufi poetry from around the 9th century through the 20th. The common themes are Love, the beloved, wine, and the tavern. I especially enjoyed the introduction on Sufism and explanation of the common themes apparent in the works.
I purposely read this volume and Islam In Focus together, providing a very interesting and diverse insights.
The poetry is everything, though and can be enjoyed completely on it's own strength aesthetically as a literary art form. Beautiful and thought-provoking.
I purposely read this volume and Islam In Focus together, providing a very interesting and diverse insights.
The poetry is everything, though and can be enjoyed completely on it's own strength aesthetically as a literary art form. Beautiful and thought-provoking.
October 18, 2014
Novel the concept of love poems to God/Allah, the motif of drunkenness, and the rejection of dogma and orthodoxy in favour of urging a personal relationship with God centred on love and oneness e.g. some say that they are not Muslims, Christians, nor Hindus. Some of this poetry was beautiful and I can see how it is the 'soul' of the Islamic world. Much more palatable to me than any other religious texts I have read thus far.
November 18, 2015
I picked this up because I wanted to read Bulleh Shah's work. What I found was an amazing collection of beautiful, awe-inspiring poetry. My only complaint is that it is too heavy on Rumi, but then again who doesn't love Rumi? I'm a now a fan of the Sufi poets. I want to read more!!!
March 23, 2015
A fair collection of poems, many of them rare and not found elsewhere.
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