Customer Reviews

Stations Of Desire: Love Elegies From Ibn 'Arabi And New Poems (Ibis Editions)

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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.

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.

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.