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The Kabir Book: Forty-Four of the Ecstatic Poems of Kabir
 
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The Kabir Book: Forty-Four of the Ecstatic Poems of Kabir [Paperback]

Robert Bly (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)


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Book Description

February 1, 1993
Forty-four of the Ecstatic Poems of Kabir

"Kabir's poems give off a marvelous radiant intensity. . . . Bly's versions . . . have exactly the luminous depth that permits and invites many rereadings, many studyings-even then they remain as fresh as ever."
-The New York Times Book Review


Editorial Reviews

Review

Are You Looking For Me? I Am In The Next Seat
At Last The Notes Of His Flute Come In
Between The Conscious And The Unconscious, The
The Bhakti Path Winds In A Delicate Way
Clouds Grow Heavy; Thunder Goes
The Darkness Of Night Is Coming Along Fast, And
Don't Go Outside Your House To See Flowers
The Flute Of Interior Time Is Played Whether We Hear It Or Not
Friend, Please Tell Me What I Can Do About This World
Friend, Wake Up! Why Do You Go On Sleeping
The Guest Is Inside
Have You Heard The Music That No Fingers Enter Into
The Holy One Disguised As An Old Person In A Cheap Hotel
The Hopeful Spiritual Athlete
How Hard It Is To Meet The Guest
How Much Is Not True
I Don't Know What Sort Of A God We Have Been Talking About
I Have Been Thinking Of The Difference Between Water
I Know The Sound Of The Ecstatic Flute
I Married My Lord, And Meant To Live With Him
I Played For Ten Years With The Girls My Own Age
I Said To The Wanting-creature Inside Me
I Talk To My Innder Lover, And I Say, Why Such Rush?
Inside This Clay Jug There Are Canyons And Pine
It Is Time To Put Up A Love-swing
Knowing Nothing Shuts The Iron Gates; The New
Let's Leave For The Country Where The Guest Lives!
Listen Friend, This Body Is His Dulcimer
My Body And My Mind Are In Depression Because
My Inside, Listen To Me, The Greatest Spirit
Oh Friend, I Love You, Think This Over
The Small Ruby Everyone Wants Has Fallen Out On The Road
Student, Do The Simple Purification
Swan, I'd Like You To Tell Me Your Whole Story
There Is A Flag No One Sees Blowing In The %sky-temple
There Is A Moon In My Body, But I Can't See It!
To Be A Slave Of Intensity
What Comes Out Of The Harp? Music!
What Has Death And A Thick Body Dances Before
When My Friend Is Away From Me, I Am Depressed
Why Should We Two Ever Want To Part
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

Language Notes

Text: English, Hindi (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 71 pages
  • Publisher: Beacon Press (February 1, 1993)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0807063797
  • ISBN-13: 978-0807063798
  • Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #162,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
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1 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Kabir Book, April 1, 2000
By 
This review is from: The Kabir Book: Forty-Four of the Ecstatic Poems of Kabir (Paperback)
We all have our various standards in choosing spiritual poetry. My own approach is decidedly non-academic; the test for me is whether it resonates inside me. (A tuning fork will begin to resonate when another with identical pitch is struck near it. I read widely in spiritual literature, and wait until I begin to feel that "tuning fork" or God-Self inside resonate with the God-Self that is outside.)

I have read this book many times and still tears fill my eyes to the point that I can't see. I have heard Kabir's metaphors quoted by other spiritual teachers - for example, the fish swimming in the ocean that believes it is thirsty - but never knew the source. Now I have a whole book of metaphor and poetry from someone who apparently experiences life as I do:

"When my friend is away from me, I am depressed; nothing in the daylight delights me, sleep at night gives no rest, who can I tell about this?...."

Robert Bly has written a short section in the back of the book titled "Some Rumors About Kabir," which is written in an accessible way--his language is never inflated or difficult. This is quite appropriate considering the opinion Kabir himself expressed regarding "religious academics" who have an outward religious appearance while having "deep inside, a loaded gun." I especially like the story of how Kabir blasted the 1500 meditators for refusing Mirabai's female presence at their gathering. "You know what I see in this hall?" Kabir asks. "1500 male egos!"

I have learned that not all poetry attributed to Kabir was actually authored by him. Apparently there was a practice in which later poets would write poems and attribute them to Kabir. My other Kabir books (those with hundreds of pages) have plenty of poems in them that do not resonate. For me, a very high percentage of the Robert Bly translations resonated.

"What Kabir talks of is only what he has lived through. If you have not lived through something, it is not true" (Poem 28)

Roberty Bly wrote in his afterward that he did not translate some of Kabir's poems for which he did not have correlative experiences. He also wrote "I love his poems, and am grateful every day for their gift." Perhaps it is this honesty, and genuine appreciation as a like-hearted seeker, that makes this little book of 44 poems so powerful.

This is a great book of poetry written in very accessible language. You will like it!

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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Ecstasy... and Agony, April 5, 2002
By 
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This review is from: The Kabir Book: Forty-Four of the Ecstatic Poems of Kabir (Paperback)
When I discovered the Kabir Book, it was like a breath of fresh air. Is this a spiritual book? Sure, yes. But it is also hilariously funny and entertaining, if you ask me.

Finding Kabir was great. This ancient sage skewers all kinds of religious dogmas and funky practices. It is comforting to know that he pursued his path and still snickered at stern, narcissistic people who shaved their heads and wore uncomfortable burlap. Kabir's sarcasm and satire is especially timely in light of recent corrupted interpretations of yoga, Buddhism, Sufism and other spiritual/religious approaches.

In essense, Kabir offers something of a "Newage Treatment Plant." If you like metaphysics without a bunch of gunk polluting it, then Kabir is for you.

I have one concern. Robert Bly states that he has changed the wording and content of poems to make them understandable to a contemporary audience. I've heard that much is lost and possibly even corrupted with such a translation. I'm not sure where Kabir ends and Bly begins.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Moving Spiritual Experience, February 4, 2001
By 
L. Wolf (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Kabir Book: Forty-Four of the Ecstatic Poems of Kabir (Paperback)
When I was younger I lived in an ashram for 5 years. Our holy book was the Guru Granth Sahib. It mainly contains the writings of the 10 Sikh Gurus. However, among the non-guru writings were those of Kabir. Ironically, I enjoyed his the most. We had a practice of maintaining a continuous reading of the holy book. That meant I would often end up reading for two hours in the middle of the night. That vigil was sometimes hard, but I would always feel joyful when reading Kabir's passages. Sometime after I left the ashram, Robert Bly released this work. I found that it captured the essence of Kabir's spirit. Whenever I read it, it touches a space in me that expands my spirit. This is a very special book that I have given to many friends.
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