One of the great mystics of all time, Muhyiddin Ibn al-'Arabi was a prolific author who wrote on every aspect of medieval Islamic thought. Michael Sell's STATIONS OF DESIRE contains the first translations of Ibn 'Arabi's TURJUMAN into modern poetic English. Sells, one of the most distinguished contemporary translators of classical Arabic poetry, carries into his translations the supple, resonant quality of the original Arabic. The book also includes a selection of Sell's original poems, which are modeled on the Turjuman and serve as a further commentary on the medieval odes and their extension into the present climate of poetry.
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Islamic poetry is enjoying an influx of readers in English, but poems by such Sufi saints as Rumi and Ibn 'Arabi have suffered from terrible translations. Sells, who has proven his talents in the highly regarded anthology Early Islamic Mysticism (1996), is confident enough to include some of his own poems, inspired by Ibn 'Arabi's love elegies, alongside his versions of the master's work, and his deftly wrought, spare verses are quite good in their own right. But Ibn 'Arabi is the star here, and these translations show the twelfth-century Muslim mystic at his very best. This is truly beautiful love poetry, and the oft-posed question of whether the beloved in it is God or a human quickly becomes irrelevant. Furthermore, by invoking the Beloved in both genders, Ibn 'Arabi invokes love that transcends gender and identity, and flies in the face of the stereotype of Islam as inherently sexist. Love for God and romantic love each is, as Ibn 'Arabi writes, "a garden among the flames." Truly a collection to be treasured. John Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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"Quietly elegant ... The love [Ibn 'Arabi] evokes is variously human and divine, elevating in the former case and grounding in the latter. In between the two major parts of Ibn 'Arabi's work, surprisingly, appear eleven poems by Sells himself, but the effect of this interjection is less audacious, less disruptive than one might think: Sells's compositions, clearly written from the present day, successfully connect our own time to that of the 800-year-old verses that flank them." --SaudiAramco World
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Making a great poetry accessible to modern readers,
By A Customer
This review is from: Stations Of Desire: Love Elegies From Ibn 'Arabi And New Poems (Ibis Editions) (Paperback)
People might have different views of Sells' own poetry, but no one can disagree that he is a great translator. I have read many translations of Arabic poetry, and I must say that Sells' translations are the best. They perfectly convey the rhythm, the poignancy, the beauty of the original language. Ibn Arabi's poems are great in Arabic, but it's a challenge to render them into modern English and still retain their status of great poetry. Sells has done a wonderful job. I think he deserves a national award for his excellent translations that bring a beautiful literature to the modern reader.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Insightful Introduction to Ibn 'Arabi,
By Tebes "Buchlieber" (Niagara Region, ON) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Stations Of Desire: Love Elegies From Ibn 'Arabi And New Poems (Ibis Editions) (Paperback)
The translation and the introduction were my favourite aspects of this book. Michael Sells provides an insightful understanding of Ibn 'Arabi's era, outlook, philosophy, mystical quest and religion. He handles the poetry with a reverent touch, capturing the philosophical and mystical silence of the tone one might find in the original. This is the kind of translation that might influence one to pursue learning Arabic in the hopes of reading the original.
The translations were great but I wish there was more of a commentary following each poem. There is so much more to these poems and I found this book only cursory in its approach. Again, the introduction provided a profound grounding in Sufism, highlighting major influences amongst them, the Qu'ran, Majnun, Ghahyal and 'Umar. It would have been nice to trace these influences, how in each poem they contributed to the greater vastness of 'Arabi's work. What I didn't appreciate was Sells inserting his own poetry into the work. As a reader, I felt interrupted, the flow was marred by these efforts. I merely skipped his poems to continue reading 'Arabi - which is what this book should be completely dedicated to. It would be like going to see a concert and half way through the performance, a groupie of the main act took over the stage to sing a few songs. In their own context, namely a book of his poetry, I might have appreciated Sells's own artistic endeavors but not in this circumstance. If you can find this book at the library, I recommend reading the intro, the translation and the glossary. Skip Sells' own poetry. It is a good, insightful read but not enough to satisfy.
9 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
good translator,
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This review is from: Stations Of Desire: Love Elegies From Ibn 'Arabi And New Poems (Ibis Editions) (Paperback)
1.The language the translator uses when talking about the prophets is disrespectful.
2.The translator's own poems are rubbish. 3.He is a good translator. Ibn Arabi's poems are full of desire and love.
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