Customer Reviews

Rumi: The Book of Love: Poems of Ecstasy and Longing

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Rumi needs no praise from me and Barks' translation is beautiful, mysterious, and urgent. I find his introductions to the many sections especially moving. My only problem is that I ordered the book after I bought Barks' "The Essential Rumi," which changed me. This book has many overlaps. I'd have preferred to see more original translations, but as a first introduction, you can do no better.

How can I put into words the absolute wordless dimension this collection of poems creates within me?

The commentaries and introduction sections by Coleman Barks are valuable as well beyond words.

The reader would gain insights simply by picking it up and thumbing to any page and just read, read! My daughter and I tried this, we would bring up topics and then say "And what does Rumi say?" and I would read whatever the first words were that I saw in front of me.

They were always universally fitting.

I loved it, just like I love this book.

Wordless, speechless, love-filled - inspired.

This collection of Rumi's poetry moved me like none of his other work. I have already given copies away several times over. You wont regret it!

I am not exactly sure how to critique poetry; however, I think that Rumi is great! Yes, I just used and exclamation mark. No, I do not use said punctuation often. That is how good Rumi is.

Rumi was a Persian Sufi who wrote incredibly deep poems regarding spirituality, faith, religion, and love. The most surprising thing I found among his poetry was his use of individual lines within whole poems. For example, look at his poem:

Think that you're gliding out from the face of a cliff
like an eagle. Think you're walking
like a tiger walks by himself in the forest.
You're most handsome when you're after food.

Now, rewrite the second line, so that it looks like this:

Like an eagle, think you're walking.

In this phrase, Rumi captures the beauty and the mystery of the eagle in flight. The eagle does not think it is flying, as in it does not think it is doing anything extraordinary. It is simply moving in time and space in the easiest and most fluid manner it knows how. For humans, we walk. This is the beauty of it; this is the beauty of the New Testament story regarding walking on water. Jesus tells his Peter not to think about the water, just walk; just be.

Rumi fills page after page with beautiful and simple ideas of love and of just letting go of everything that holds us back. However, I will let Rumi argue for himself and leave here two of my favorites:

THE ALLURE OF LOVE
Someone who does not run
toward the allure of love walks
a road where nothing lives.
But this dove here senses
the love-hawk floating above
and waits and will not be driven
or scared to safety.

UNTITLED
No better love than love with no object,
no more satisfying work than work with no purpose.
If you could give up tricks and cleverness,
that would be the cleverest trick!

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This has been my favorite book for years - it can transport the reader straight into the world of soul. rumi is the best and i love these translations. perfect, definately worth having even for people who are not-so-much-into poetry

This is a very deep and beautiful book. It is astonishing that the sayings of this man in 13th century are ahead of our time in 21st. Almost every page is a lesson in life and business ... "keep moving though there is no place to get to ... move within but not the way fear makes you move".

This is a wonderful collection of poems written by the Sufi mystic Rumi who lived in the 13th century and translated in a modern manner by the poet Coleman Barks. The result is an accessible and magical work which makes the reader reflect upon Rumi's idealization of his teacher Shams, the union with the Divine, the contemplation of the natural world and love's different aspects.

Joyce Akesson, author of Love's Thrilling Dimensions, The Invitation and Majnun Leyla: Poems about Passion

Having read Rumi gave me the sensation of being enveloped and rocked by all of existence. The discovery of the Self, the recovery of wholeness whithin a " great whole". When we were born, we were torn from wholeness; in love we have all felt ourselvess returning to original wholeness. That is why his poems create images that have the ability transform us. After reading some of his poems, I was able to reach a sense of reconciliation with the totality of the world; perhaps even with our past, present, and future . We are the theater of embrace of opposites, and the only way to resolve this is through acceptance.It seems important to me that a more whole, and therefore more human form of expression, like his poetry, should become visible in our time. His poetry, is a glimmer of hope, simbolized for me by his infinite wisdom and divine knowledge of "the One" who dwells whithin him, whose form has no knowable boundaries, who encompasses him on all sides, fathomless as the abysms of the Earth and vast as the sky.

Received book in great condition; arrived really fast. Would buy from this seller again!

As with all Rumis poetry and Coleman Barks translations this is a goose bump inducing beauty. I love Rumi and this is no exception.