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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
I have a love-hate relationship with Rumi. Much of his work is not to my taste, but occasionally I stumble across a poem/paragraph/image that takes my breath away. This Rumi collection seems to have a greater concentration of breath-taking pieces than others I've encountered.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Along with the Tao Te Ching, I have this book on my little breakfast nook, and read a few pages every morning over breakfast...beyond essential.
I have never read a more playful, silly translation of Rumi's poetry. This has both good and bad aspects. On the plus side, Coleman Barks helped me understand the playfulness of Rumi's work. He helped rescue Rumi from the New Age calendars and greeting cards, showing me a side that is silly and wild and unattached to a heavy dogma. On the "negative" side, as many have said, you cannot really "translate" Rumi and where many translations do echo the beauty and flow of his original poetry, this particular one does not. It's actually more like reading an old comedy routine (if stand-up comics had existed in the 1200's!). So, not really my cup of tea, but still entertaining and interesting.
Rumi is a favorite poet my love and I share. His words are almost always teaching something new. I feel reading his works brings one a step closer to enlightenment...
I read the poems that I like, but it's not the kind of book that you read from page one until the end.
Rumi's poetry speaks to my heart. I either laugh, cry or sigh. He is the master of the succinct message in poetry form.
I don't always get the metaphors and imagery, but I love Rumi's advice in poetry form.
I was 53 pages in before I knew I'd finish this book. These are the lines that compelled me to keep reading:
Love moves away.
The light changes.
I need more grace
than I thought.
Love moves away.
The light changes.
I need more grace
than I thought.