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It’s mystic poetry at its best—with a few Persian recipes thrown in for good measure. Coleman Barks’ translation
The Essential Rumi is, well, essential for anyone interested in the vast dreamlike orchards of mystic poetry. Rumi, through the 21st century words of Coleman Barks, uses vivid imagery (transformed into wondrous metaphors upon closer reading) that both tickles feet and boggles the mind—at least at first glance. The book opens with the chapter “The Tavern:” poetry which speaks about the joys of drunken revelry, how we are all intoxicated by life anyway, pedagogic pieces in praise of the wonderful feeling of warm cheeks and lightheadedness. From there, the poems turn to “Bewilderment:” the natural feeling of love. A poem included in this section is “I Have Five Things to Say,” a piece that speaks of love as “…the true religion. All others/ are thrown away bandages beside it….” Love is a dance, in which the entire world should participate. The chapter follows this poem with many others revolving around almost the same theme. The next chapter, “Emptiness and Silence” is a compilation of poetry before meeting the beloved: the lack of fulfillment and yet the presence of the great hunger to fill the void. The “beloved” here may be a religious entity or a true person—whichever the reader chooses to allow the mystic poet to be inhaled into life. It defines the hunger we continuously feel as that which makes us human; from the poem “Only Breath,” Rumi writes:“Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu/ Buddhist, sufi, or zen. Not any religion/ or cultural system. . . . only that/ breath breathing human being."
These, among other life changing chapters and poems are cactuses: the only living things in the vast desert we call the 21st century—true wisdom. One may read and reread Rumi in the entire course of one’s life and still have the urge to go through the pages once more. The Essential Rumi also boasts recipes that Coleman Barks has collected to get the reader into the mystic Persian flavor of life. You have in the collection great poetry, stories and food to boot. What else could you possibly need?
Published: February 03, 2008