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Books : Religion & Spirituality : Islam : Sufism
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Rumi is sympathetically presented by these translators, who it is clear, absolutely love him and desire nothing less than to share him with you. The interesting introduction to their little book gives solid if sometimes slightly out-of-date information about the period. The framework of dramatic upheaval and invasion they paint is currently questioned by scholars who think Rumi and his family had left Samarkand some three years before the Mongols destroyed it. They focus, quite correctly, on Rumi's relationship with Shams of Tabriz, a key figure in Rumi's spiritual development. Here he is romantically described as "although of shabby appearance and rough manner ... a highly advanced Sufi walking the spiritual path of love ...". However, Franklin Lewis in his outstanding study, Rumi: Past and Present, East and West, shows that Shams was an eloquent author and engaging speaker, well-versed in the philosophical and theological discourse of his day.Rumi is appropriately described as "the sun that warms and transforms hearts, attracting people from all creeds, classes and religions." At the end of the book there is a small section of "Terms and Symbolism" that explain what Rumi meant when he used the terms Lover, Beloved, Drunkenness, etc. Although this firmly anchors Rumi's work in its origins, readers have not been invited or guided to go any further. The translators unfortunately do not clarify what their objectives were in producing this little work.
The "Roba'is" or quatrains presented here have been translated from the respected Persian scholar Forouzanfar's critical edition of Rumi's Divan--which Lewis regards as the closest we have to the corpus of what Rumi originally wrote. These would have benefited by being presented in some order, perhaps under subject headings. As it is, the 100 quatrains are simply presented one after the other without offering any time for "digestion". The sometimes inelegant English also serves to interrupt the flow and arouses irritation, eg "First he tempted me with infinite caresses. He burnt me in the end with pain and sorrow." "It is time for prayer, time to find what is your real need." For all this, Whispers of the Beloved, once one learns how to handle its quirks, is crammed with enough profundities to keep one going for a very long time. --Amar Hegedus
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No translator could do greater justice to the gorgeous simplicity of Rumi's poetry than Coleman Barks has done here. These exquisite renderings of the 13th-century Persian mystic's words into modern free verse capture all the "inner searching, the delicacy, and simple groundedness" that characterise Rumi's poetry while remaining faithful to the images, tone and spiritual message of the originals. Barks's introductions to each of the 27 sections (described as "playful palimpsests spread over Rumi's imagination", and "meant to confuse scholars who would divide Rumi's poetry into the accepted categories") are themselves wonderful achievements of a poetic imagination; searching explanations of unfamiliar concepts and funny stories provide colourful background and frame the selections as no dry historical exegesis could.While Barks's stamp on this collection is clear, it in no way interferes with the poems themselves; Rumi's voice leaps off these pages with an ecstatic energy that leaves readers breathless. There are poems of love, rage, sadness, pleading and longing; passionate outbursts about the torture of yearning for his beloved and the sweet pleasure that comes from their union; amusing stories of sexual exploits or human weakness; and quiet truths about the beauty and variety of human emotion. More than anything, Rumi makes plain the unbridled joy that comes from living life fully, urging us always to put aside our fears and take the risk to do so. As he says: "The way of love is not / a subtle argument. / The door there is devastation. / Birds make great sky-circles / of their freedom. / How do they learn it? / They fall, and falling, / they're given wings." --Uma Kukathas
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Sufism is often regarded as the mystical branch of Islam, but among Sufis it has always been considered the heart of Islam. In this brief but dense introduction, one of the foremost scholars on Sufism opens up the tradition of the Sufis to the secular Western reader. While many introductions to Sufism reveal only the "intoxicated" Sufism of paradoxical parables and poets drunken with love for God, Sufism is also balanced by a sober side. William Chittick presents both sides, touching on the major beliefs and practices of Sufis through the ages. What distinguishes Chittick's work is that he draws directly from his vast knowledge of original Sufi writings. He introduces us to Arabic terms which if merely translated into English would mislead the reader. Instead, he describes the nuances of a few key terms that deliver the reader beyond our usual understanding and into the minds and hearts of Sufi mystics, philosophers, and theologians. Chittick's writing can be difficult, tossing off words like "supererogatory" and "deracinated", but a patient reading will reward with an understanding of the subtlety and dynamism that Sufism brings to the Islamic tradition. --Brian Bruya
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