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The Soul of Rumi: A New Collection of Ecstatic Poems Kindle Edition

by Coleman Barks (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.6 192 ratings

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The Soul of Rumi collects the poetry of the thirteenth century Persian mystic that explores the divine from the teachings of Sufism.

Rumi’s masterpieces have inspired countless people throughout the centuries, and Coleman Barks’s exquisite renderings are widely considered the definitive versions. His 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.

Rumi’s voice leaps off these pages with a rapturous power, expressing 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.

Barks’s 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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When Rumi was born in Afghanistan in 1207, it was a time of tremendous political turmoil in the Near East. Paradoxically, it was also a time of "brilliant mystical awareness," writes translator Coleman Barks in The Soul of Rumi. This brilliance shines through in every passage, as Barks celebrates the ecstatic nature of Rumi's poetry. Barks (The Essential Rumi) has been given much credit for leading modern Westerners to this astounding poet. His sensitivity to the reader is evidenced in how he organizes the poetry according to themes. Since Rumi is often quoted at public gatherings, such as weddings and memorial services, this makes referencing especially easy. In the section entitled "When Friend Meets Friend," readers find the poem "The Soul's Friend": The most living moment comes when those who love each other meet each other's eyes and in what flows between them then. To see your face in a crowd of others, or alone on a frightening street, I weep for that. Barks offers a gracefully rendered introduction to each section, providing personal and historical background of the poetry. Elegantly designed and printed on cream-colored, heavy-stock paper, this is a delight for Rumi fans. --Gail Hudson

From Publishers Weekly

The Islamic mystical poet Rumi (1207- 1273) improvised the evocative poems which his followers wrote down. Translator Coleman Barks's The Essential Rumi won the Persian writer American fans, some of whom revere the poet as a religious guide. Now Barks is back with The Soul of Rumi: A New Collection of Ecstatic Poems. The giant volume includes part of Rumi's 64,000-line Masnavi, as well as many short poems and Barks's copious, informal, personal commentary.

From Booklist

Coleman Barks' translations of Rumi's poems have been instrumental in making Rumi the cultural icon he has become in America. That is in part due to Barks' willingness, even eagerness, to downplay the Islamic foundation of these ecstatic poems. Barks portrays Rumi as a universal mystic, which may arouse the ire of scholars but doesn't dent the appeal of Barks' versions. This new collection, mostly of poems Barks hasn't previously tackled, is likely to maintain that appeal. Presenting the poems in small thematic groups, Barks may not be as concerned with historical context as are Philip Dunn and his associates in The Illustrated Rumi [BKL F 1 01], but he offers the very best of Rumi's beautiful and challenging imagery. The metaphorical representation of fana, the annihilation into God, is brought into particularly compelling focus: "A moth flying into the flame says with its wingfire, try this." Many may never know the Qur'anic verses reflected in Rumi's lines, but as long as Barks is translating them, they will remain popular in English. John Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“The gold of Rumi pours down through Coleman’s words. The words leap off the page and dance!”

From the Back Cover

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.

About the Author

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.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003V1WU26
Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins e-books (December 14, 2010)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 14, 2010
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4002 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 622 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #659,190 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #67 in Sufism (Kindle Store)
- #73 in Middle Eastern Poetry (Kindle Store)
- #193 in Middle Eastern Literature (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.6 192 ratings

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Jalal Al-Din Rumi
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Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (Persian: جلال‌الدین محمد رومی‎‎), also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī (جلال‌الدین محمد بلخى), Mawlānā/Mevlânâ (مولانا, "our master"), Mevlevî/Mawlawī (مولوی, "my master"), and more popularly simply as Rumi (1207 – 17 December 1273), was a 13th-century Persian poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic. Rumi's influence transcends national borders and ethnic divisions: Iranians, Tajiks, Turks, Greeks, Pashtuns, other Central Asian Muslims, and the Muslims of South Asia have greatly appreciated his spiritual legacy for the past seven centuries. His poems have been widely translated into many of the world's languages and transposed into various formats. Rumi has been described as the "most popular poet" and the "best selling poet" in the United States.
Rumi's works are written mostly in Persian, but occasionally he also used Turkish, Arabic, and Greek, in his verse. His Mathnawī, composed in Konya, is considered one of the greatest poems of the Persian language. His works are widely read today in their original language across Greater Iran and the Persian-speaking world. Translations of his works are very popular, most notably in Turkey, Azerbaijan, the United States, and South Asia. His poetry has influenced Persian literature, but also Turkish, Ottoman Turkish, Azerbaijani, Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu, as well as the literature of some other Turkic, Iranian, and Indo-Aryan languages including Chagatai, Pashto, and Bengali.
Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Molavi (Masnavi Manavi Molavi) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
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Carol Welch

"The Soul of Rumi: a New Collection of Ecstatic Poems" scores big thanks to Coleman Barks wonderful commentaries

Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2013

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I have loved Rumi's writings for a long time, but because the Persian mystic's poetry is steeped deeply in his ecstatic love affair with God, the meanings of his poems are often lost to even the most advanced readers of his poetry. However, Coleman Barks, a retired professor of english and poetry at the University of Georgia has done an exceptional job of translating this collection of Rumi's poems. But Bark's translation of Rumi's poetry is not all that makes this collection exceptional. It is Bark's commentaries on the poems that opens each chapter. The commentaries explain Rumi's relationship with his friend and mentor Shams of Tabriz, speaks of the times in which Rumi lives and explains the poems in each chapter in a thoroughly understandable way. Bark's commentaries are delightful and engaging and the reader can feel his voice jump off the page. I wholeheartedly recommend "The Soul of Rumi" to readers who would like to gain a clearer and deeper meaning of Rumi's poetry and vision, and translator Coleman Barks offers up this clearer and deeper meaning in an interesting and efficient way. .

4 people found this helpful

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anonymous

Such a blessing.

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2022

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This book is full of beautiful translations of Rumi’s poetry that help you feel the deep essence of the Soul.

One person found this helpful

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Voltaire

The alchemy of RumiÃ*s vision brought to life

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2001

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Jelaluddin Rumi has become familiar to Western readers who seek out ecstatic poetry, as more and more translations and commentaries are offered on perhaps this greatest of mystical writers. But as they say, it takes one to know one, and Coleman BarksÕ masterpiece is the obvious product of an attuned heart and poetic soul.
This volume is one of the clearest and most vibrant illustrations of the Ôwild heartÕ Rumi was and is. It is difficult to find superlatives which do justice to the beauty and towering vision this work contains. Every verse, every line seems to open, in some disarmingly simple way, vast new vistas of possibilities for the human spirit.
How good is this book? The highest accolade that can be given Barks is that his brief section introductions, frequently fodder in other volumes exploring Rumi, here are powerful and transformative in their own right. Each one sets up the following verses in a natural and seamless flow. BarksÕ light shines brightly, even in the rarefied company he keeps.
Get this volume and devour it. Then get another copy and give it to someone who is ready for the infinite freedom it open-handedly offers...

34 people found this helpful

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Carey Peck

There's Never Enough Rumi

Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2019

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I prefer Hafez, and for spiritual depth Jami - but this is a masterful translation of so many terrific poems from the master. I have read from it to audiences often, and it is always welcomed - even to those new to the genre.

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Unqualified Reviews

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2017

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Definitely an interesting read.

Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2009

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This book is the best collection of Rumi poems I have read so far. I have read about 3 or 4. It covers a diverse range of topics and the 4th part of the masnavi is excellent so far (i'm about half way through). Of all my Rumi books, I am happiest with this one and sad that it is nearing the end.

3 people found this helpful

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Leanne Thomas

coleman barks, what a gift you are!

Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2017

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the way coleman barks collaborates with rumi and the original english translators makes rumi come alive in me, and i’ve loved his translation-collaborations for over 20 years. you’ve done it again, coleman! you are a gift as you give this gift. thank you.

Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2010

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This book had some great lines and remarkable phrases. However, it can be too much if you sit down and read it all. This book is great if read in parts, otherwise, its just too much at once and you forget the great ideas beause so many new ones come back atcha!

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Shatakshi

It is the heart of Rumi

Reviewed in India on January 14, 2022

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Works like Masnavi & longings resonating from the heart of one friend to another cannot be reviewed / contemplated by mere intellect. This book is exceptional & a boon for non Persian readers like me. In the words of Rumi "Every prophet is a beggar calling ‘something for God’s sake! Please lend something to God. Though all the doors of heaven are open to them, they beg for pieces of bread. They eat the bread they get, but they didn’t ask from appetite. In fact don’t say they eat bread, they eat light. Every experience begs like a dervish for us to come out and give something"

One person found this helpful