The Soul of Rumi: A New Collection of Ecstatic Poems

ISBN: 0060604530

Author: Coleman Barks

Condition: Used

Inside A Lovers Heart Theres Another World, And Yet AnotherRumis masterpieces have inspired countless people throughout the centuries, and Coleman Barkss exquisite renderings of the thirteenth-century Persian mystic are widely considered the definitive versions for our time. Barkss translations capture the inward exploration and intensity that characterize Rumis 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 Sufisms insights into the experience of divine love, wisdom, and the nature of both humanity and God.While Barkss stamp on this collection is clear, it is Rumis 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, Rumis 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 Rumis 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 Rumis sublime poetry and Coleman Barkss poetic art are unequaled, and here this artistic union is raised to new heights.