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The Soul of Rumi: A New Collection of Ecstatic Poems
Contributor(s): Barks, Coleman (Author)
ISBN: 0060604522     ISBN-13: 9780060604523
Publisher: HarperOne
OUR PRICE:   $16.19  
Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats
Published: September 2002
Qty:
Annotation: Coleman Barks, the man most responsible for making the 13th-century Sufi mystic the bestselling poet in America, presents a one-of-a-kind volume that captures Rumi's beloved passion, daring, and insights into the longing of the heart.
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Poetry | Ancient & Classical
- Poetry | Subjects & Themes - Inspirational & Religious
- Religion | Islam - Sufi
Dewey: 891.551
LCCN: 2001024621
Physical Information: 0.86" H x 6.28" W x 9.26" (1.12 lbs) 448 pages
Themes:
- Cultural Region - Middle East
- Religious Orientation - Islamic
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
Inside A Lover's Heart There's Another World, And Yet Another

Rumi's masterpieces have inspired countless people throughout the centuries, and Coleman Barks's exquisite renderings of the thirteenth-century Persian mystic are widely considered the definitive versions for our time. Barks's translations capture the inward exploration and intensity that characterize Rumi's poetry, making this unique voice of mysticism and desire contemporary while remaining true to the original poems. In this volume readers will encounter the essence of Sufism's insights into the experience of divine love, wisdom, and the nature of both humanity and God.

While Barks's stamp on this collection is clear, it is Rumi's voice that leaps off these pages with a rapturous power that leaves readers breathless. These poems express our deepest yearning for the transcendent connection with the source of the divine: there are passionate outbursts about the torment of longing for the beloved and the sweet delight that comes from union; stories of sexual adventures and of loss; poems of love and fury, sadness and joy; and quiet truths about the beauty and variety of human emotion. For Rumi, soul and body and emotion are not separate but are rather part of the great mystery of mortal life, a riddle whose solution is love. Above all else, Rumi's poetry exposes us to the delight that comes from being fully alive, urging us always to put aside our fears and take the risk of discovering our core self:

No one knows what makes the soul wake up so happy Maybe a dawn breeze has blown the veil from the face of God.

These fresh, original translations magnificently convey Rumi's insights into the human heart and its longings with his signature passion and daring, focusing on the ecstatic experience of the inseparability of human and divine love. The match between Rumi's sublime poetry and Coleman Barks's poetic art are unequaled, and here this artistic union is raised to new heights.


Contributor Bio(s): Barks, Coleman: -

Coleman Barks is a renowned poet and the bestselling author of The Essential Rumi, Rumi: The Big Red Book, The Soul of Rumi, Rumi: The Book of Love, and The Drowned Book. He was prominently featured in both of Bill Moyers' PBS television series on poetry, The Language of Life and Fooling with Words. He taught English and poetry at the University of Georgia for thirty years, and he now focuses on writing, readings, and performances.