The Drop That Became the Sea: Lyric Poems [Paperback]

Yunus Emre (Author), Kabir Helminski (Author), Refik Algan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 12, 1999

     This collection of poems introduces a general readership to Yunus Emre (1240-1321), called the "greatest folk poet in Islam." An unlettered Turkish shepherd who sang mystical songs that are still popular today, he was the first in a great tradition of Turkish Sufi troubadours who celebrated the Divine Presence as the intimate Beloved and Friend. Yunus's verse conveys the spirit and philosophy of Islamic mysticism in simple, earthy language.

Editorial Reviews

Review

     "The songs that sing to us from these pages are fresh and simpleand as deep as the Sea itself. What better to say of a book than it came when it was needed." —Impressions

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Turkish

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (September 12, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 093966030X
• ISBN-13: 978-0939660308
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.2 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #741,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sufi poetry for "common folk" - a must read, March 6, 1998

By 

M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Drop That Became the Sea: Lyric Poems (Paperback)

Generally when we think of Sufi and Hindu devotional poetry a small set of names come to mind - Attar, Rumi, Kabir, Mirabai ...; Yunus Emre is certainly not among those names although he deserves to be. He composed in a Turkic language, a language family noted for its love of language, its wordplay and doubling. This is poetry of the highest quality with a down to earth touch resonating with divine love imagery. A must read for anyone interested in religious poetry, bhakti poetry or Sufism.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars another priceless gem by a great Master & contemporary of Rumi's, September 17, 2005

By 

Yasmin Mansoor "all for superb products" (Palo Alto, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Drop That Became the Sea: Lyric Poems (Paperback)

This was such a gem to discover that I felt the need to add to the only 2 reviews included so far. If you like Rumi and other such poets, I think you will equally adore this book despite their having very different styles. The best way to give you a quick sense of Yunus is that when Rumi asked him what he thought of Rumi's 6-book masterpiece, the Mathnawi, he simply said "It's a little long. I would have written it differently." "Oh, how so?" Rumi asked. "I would have written: I came from eternity, clothed myself with skin and bones and called myself 'Yunus'." What I love about these priceless treasures is that you get more and more from them each time you read them so the power and delight are literally endless - my ideal type of book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A deep personal mysticism, March 4, 2008

By 

Ivan M. Granger from the Poetry Chaikhana (Boulder, CO, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Drop That Became the Sea: Lyric Poems (Paperback)

I found this book by accident. I had read a single poem by Yunus Emre and, transfixed, I blindly ordered this book of translations by Helminski and Algan. This "sea" is beautiful and deep. His poetry expresses a deep personal mysticism and humanism and love for God. If you like Rumi, do yourself a favor and read this too.