Customer Reviews

Dark Night of the Soul

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

John of the Cross is, for me, quite simply the crucial Christian contemplative; his dark night spirituality is still the absolute state of the art for anyone beyond the feel-good phase of a life of prayer. My copy of the excellent Cavanaugh-Rodriquez translation of John's collected works (which is the definitive scholarly translation, in my opinion, not the Peers version) is so well-thumbed it has to be be held together by tape. But I've always hesitated to recommend the works of John of the Cross even to people I am sure would benefit by his wisdom, because his writing is extremely difficult, a somewhat windy, dry, and arcane 16th-century style, dense with scriptural allusion and theological citation, repetitive, and, in several cases, literally unfinished. Mirabai Starr is clearly the gifted editor John has been waiting for. Her poet's ear and mystic's heart are just what was needed to bring the depth, lucidity, and loving essence of John's most famous work into a form that is accessible at last to a wider range of contemporary seekers. Her translation of "The Dark Night," and her beautiful and wise introduction, are exquisitely lucid. The language is fresh, the pacing crisp, and even the most difficult passages are made clear and musical, capturing both the joy and the genuine, sometimes terrifying challenge of the soul's journey into the deepest mysteries of God, into what T.S. Eliot, another Christian mystic who could sometimes use a translator, called "a condition of complete simplicity, costing not less than everything." Mirabai has shown us both the simplcity, and the absolute cost, of the deepest spirituality, in this gorgeous gift of a book, this labor of love, which seems to me to be destined to become a classic.

Next to Holy Scripture that is, but then again I do not consider the Bible to be compared with any other human work.

PROS - The first time I read DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL I couldn't understand it, but could tell it contained something worth study. The second time I read it, I began to glimpse that it spoke of something beyond me, but extremely important. The third time I read it, it made my theology feel like that of a preschooler. I finally went to stay in a monastery for a few days so I could be tutored in understanding this book. The next time I read it, it began to make sense. Though it is still over my head, today this is my all time favorite book, no matter who does the translation.

CONS - That being said, translation is very important to understanding this book. John was distinctly Christian. Any attempt to universalize his writings might yield something of value, but of far less value than John intended. Mirabai Starr's translation minimizes Christian references intentionally.

VERDICT - I personally give this and all other translations 5 stars. I am happy to have this translation in my library. However, it lacks some of the punch of others I have studied.

A great book with a very open mind on the form of the divine. A must read for persons seeking to deepen and mature their spiritual journey in the way of Christ. Get it!! It helps to know Spanish to read the whole poem in the begining.

this little book just blew my mind and heart. i only finished it yesterday, but my heart has been burning with the pain and bliss of the fire of gods love since reading it. awesome.

always interesting. starts slowly and then just blasts off into the stratosphere on the ignition of chapter ten!

this book is largely about the pain of the dark night of the soul.

1. suffering is difficulty (definition)
2. suffering is neither here nor there.
3. suffering is in what you do. (cause/solution)

God does not cause suffering, rather suffering is in what we do. it is not here nor there. not in earthquakes, pain, or death. suffering is in what you do.

thank you mirabai, thank you, thank you, thank you!

love, from, snow-flake. xxx

Dark Night of the Soul was of tremendous help during a time when I lost two very dear friends: both of them very young. This presented a "crisis of faith" for me and this book helped me to walk in faith during a time when these two deaths made no sense at all in this world. Not a "quick read" at all, but one well worth it!

St. John of the Cross was deeply Catholic. The translator has purposefully tried to remove this book from its Catholic roots and make a more universally acceptable translation. That may be fine for non-Catholic readers, though it does lessen the real truths behind what St. John wrote, but I would not recommend this translation to Catholic readers.

I give the spanish version a 5 star rating but this english version a 1 star.

At least she gave us some warning in the preface and introduction but personally; when John writes "El diablo" I see no reason to impose your own beliefs into a translation and make "The devil" = "the fragmented self".

I feel I might re-translate all of "Les Miserables" and make it say what I think it should say in english! How about that!

Translate, let us think for ourselves.

I participate in a Christian prayer practice in the contemplative tradition. After reading two of Father Thomas Keating's books, in which he refers to St. John of the Cross, I wanted to read Dark Night of the Soul. A friend in my prayer group, one with many years of practice behind her, saw me buying the book at a church book sale and said, "Don't be discouraged if you find it difficult. I didn't have much luck with it." I was very pleased that I had excellent "luck" with it, and I suspect the translation may be the reason. Although I most certainly do intend to read another translation, I never have. However, I will say this: I find Spanish (and French) to have a direct and emotive feel to them that translators frequently do not capture in English, because the character of English is so different. For me, this translation does have an authentic Spanish feel to it.

While I happen to share an opinion with other reviewers that dressing Satan in the outfit of the "fractured self" is a bit silly, squeamishness about the existence of hell, evil, and demonic entities is, at this time in history, pervasive even among Christians. I will not say this squeamishness is harmless, in that only the truth can set you free; but, some people simply cannot cope with a world view that includes Hell and evil personified, because it is too terrifying for them. If the book is more accessible to them without Satan, why not? "In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity." (St. Augustine?)

The point is, St. John of the Cross is giving a map for the territory in which the dedicated contemplative may soon travel. He is trying to equip the seeker with the knowledge needed to sustain hope during the dark night. His book was not meant as an academic or an intellectual exercise. You may need this information. So my advice would be to get the translation you can understand. I understand this translation, and so I like it. In any case, union with God does not come through opinions, beliefs, certainties, thoughts, or preferences. Dogma may get you to the trailhead, but it will not help you get any further. As for how "Catholic" St. John of the Cross was, remember he was imprisoned BY church authorities for the reforms he was trying to institute. He was not released by them, but escaped. So whose Catholic was he?

The personal journey is the way into the collective. We do it for ourselves, then we help others. John and Miribel have synergy and speak through each other beautifully. A ringing translation for Now.

Catholicism has 2000+ years of history - not just that of the Vatican. There is a rich history of mysticism throughout the centuries, and St. John's writings on the path to enlightenment through his faith is certainly one of the best books ever written on the journey of the soul to God.