The Rumi Collection: An Anthology of Translations of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi (Shambhala Classics) [Paperback]

Kabir Helminski (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Shambhala Classics | Publication Date: November 14, 2000

Here is a wonderfully rich introduction to the work of the great mystical poet, featuring the leading literary translations of his verse. Translators include Coleman Barks, Robert Bly, Andrew Harvey, Kabir and Camille Helminski, Daniel Liebert, and Peter Lamborn Wilson. The Rumi Collection also includes a biography of Rumi by Andrew Harvey, as well as an introductory essay by Kabir Helminski on the challenges of translating Rumi into English.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

America's bestselling poet, 13th-century Sufi bard Rumi, would feel as overwhelmed as the rest of us when trying to pick out just the right collection of his translated masterpieces. To the rescue comes Kabir Helminski, a modern-day Sufi who has wrapped up a sampler of Rumi's inspirational poems. Let's not object that about half of the translations are from Kabir's own hand (in cooperation with his wife, Camille) since they are excellent in their own respect and are accompanied by pieces from the likes of Robert Bly, Coleman Barks, and Andrew Harvey. As editor, Helminski spans the range of Rumi's oeuvre, from the contemplative "Stay Close, My Heart" to the ecstatic "Drowned in God" to the whimsical "Animal Cookies." The magic of Rumi is his imagery. The journey to God comes cloaked in such guises as a tailor, bread, buttermilk, a surgeon, chickpeas, the edge of a roof, a beggar, a jar, and an elephant's dream. Two of the tastiest treats are "Eating Poetry" and "Love Is Like a Lawsuit." --Brian Bruya --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Persian --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (November 14, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570627177
• ISBN-13: 978-1570627170
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 0.7 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #546,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The pleasurable pain of Love, April 6, 2004

By 

DustyFeet "dustyfeet" (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rumi Collection: An Anthology of Translations of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi (Shambhala Classics) (Paperback)

I greatly enjoy the poetry of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi. His poems move me to action -- they put a smile on my face -- bring a sigh to my heart. I have at least half a dozen if not more books by the Mevlana.

Of all these books, this is perhaps one of my favourites. Many recent authors have taken to reinterpreting the Sufi Master; but I feel that in those works, the original author's message becomes intermixed with the translators'.

In this translation, the translator has attempted to keep close to the original intent and writing of the Mevlana, yet not getting into difficult English like earlier translations by R.A. Nicholson.

The result, to me at least, is a more powerful spiritual punch and deeper tug at one's heart-strings.

If you love the poetry of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, this is one book you should add to your collection, so at least you get a better feel of his voice.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasing Compact Volume of Beautiful Poetry, August 2, 2007

By 

K. Draper (oklahoma) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rumi Collection (Shambhala Library) (Hardcover)

Rumi was an incredibly prolific 13th century Persian poet and theologian whose writings continue to have world-wide appeal and resonance in our modern world. I was fortunate to receive this lovely book, and immediately began to read.

It was like drinking the coldest, most thirst-quenching water that goes immediately to the heart and soul. It was like diving into a refreshing ocean and finding pearls and sparkling treasures. Devoid of the kind of pretension, arcane language and obscure meaning that dull much poetry, it speaks with directness and immediacy, yet is astonishingly imaginative.

A perfect introductory collection, it is nicely edited, prefaced and largely translated by Rumi expert Kabir Helminski. Other translators are also included, such as Robert Bly, a poet whose work I enjoy and whose translations of the German poet Rilke I respect. It is both packed and compact, and it has a useful ribbon to mark your place. Whether you are a novice or a Rumi-ologist, you are sure to enjoy this book. It also makes lovely gift.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Spring Breeze Has Brought Autumn Back from the Grave, November 28, 2008

By 

Lawrence (Christchurch NZ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rumi Collection (Shambhala Library) (Hardcover)

In the West we hear little of the beauty and wisdom of Islamic tradition. Jalalud-din Rumi, the founder of the Mevleviyya Sufi Order, has at least become known to us by name, even if we see only distorted snippets of his poetry.

If you've heard the name or you've seen quotations you like and want to find out more, this book is the best place to start. (The paperback is sure to reappear.) The editor Kabir Helminski, the only Westerner to become a Master of the Mevleviyya Order, is uniquely placed to create an accessible Beginner's Guide that does at least something like justice to the whole Rumi.

Some excerpts come from Rumi's vast output of lyric poetry, often extemporised in a state of rapture. (Remember that in the original the poems rhyme throughout, are written in intricate Persian metres, and were meant to be sung, not spoken.)

Others come from Rumi's great work the "Masnavi". Nothing like it exists in the West: we'd have to get Chaucer, Shakespeare, St Teresa and William Blake to collaborate. It contains poetry, philosophy, spiritual guidance, but above all teaching stories. Muslims understood the complexity of the learning process about a thousand years before anybody in the West realised. Some things are too subtle to learn directly; and some the mind, with its ingrained habits and patterns, actively resists learning. A story can smuggle in a message that would be rejected in any other form.

The final source is a book called "Fîhî ma Fîhî", records of Rumi's day-to-day talk with people who came to see him. Here we see Rumi as he was: a devout practising Muslim, a professional expert on Muslim Sacred Law like his father before him.

If Buddhist spirituality can be austere and bleak, with Rumi we are in a world of light, beauty and flowers. 5 stars because this is an ideal introduction; but remember this is a teensy bouquet from Rumi's vast and crowded garden.