Women in Praise of the Sacred (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Edited by poet and Zen devotee Hirshfield (see The October Palace , below), this anthology collects poetry by women from 43 centuries and many countries that speaks to matters of the spirit, from an Osage woman's planting initiation song ("I have made a footprint, a sacred one") to Maria de' Medici's poem to the virgin ("We mortals reign but over dreams and shadows") to the musings of medieval martyrs and fully lay contributions from Marina Tsvetaeva, H.D. and Emily Dickinson. The poems, whether deriving from oral or written tradition, are ecstatic in the original sense of the word, that of being placed outside the body; they express the wish for reunion with a deity, whether manifested in a mystical, human or natural form. One of the remarkable aspects of the volume is the tendency of the poetry to embrace the sacred and the worldly simultaneously. Another is the power of the women's emergent conversation: though they are separated by vast distances of eon and geography, the collective energy of their monologues is transformative. Especially notable are work by Mirabai (1498-1565?), a northern Indian bhakti poet; many other Asian writers are represented. The translators include Hirshfield, Arthur Waley, Langston Hughes, Robert Bly and A. K. Ramanujan. Hirshfield has provided excellent introductory notes for all of the writers.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Efforts to explore the poetry of the sacred have focused primarily on the writings of male poets in the recent Judeo-Christian tradition. Recently, some collections have brought in a few women and have broadened their coverage to include other periods and cultures, most notably The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry , edited by Stephen Mitchell ( LJ 11/1/89). But Hirshfield's current collection brings together poems exclusively by women, poems in which, as Hirshfield tells us in the preface, "spiritual experience and spirit (in the sense of animating courage) seem to go together." Here is an astonishing array of women writers from the 22nd century B.C.E. poet Enheduanna to Nelly Sachs and Anna Akhmatova. Clear, readable translations are provided where appropriate, many of them the work of the editor, a poet herself. Highly recommended for all libraries with any interest at all in poetry.
- Judy Clarence, California State Univ. Lib., Hayward
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (January 19, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060925760
• ISBN-13: 978-0060925765
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,348 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #17 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Inspirational & Religious
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  #50 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > United States > 20th Century

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great way to become familiar with poets all periods !, December 12, 1998

By A Customer

I love this book for a number of reasons. Firstly, a short biography preceeds each set of poems. This lends backround to the art and the effect of such is dramatic and important. Context is everything. Secondly, the selections are awesome and seem to translate well into English. Lastly, a portrait is painted of women *over time* experiencing the many different ways of relating to spirit, from longing to ecstacy to regret. This is one of my all-time favorite books. Even if you have no previous interest in poetry but do in women's spirituality, invest in this one. You won't be disappointed.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profound understanding of mysticism, May 1, 2001

By A Customer

An amazing book, of value to poets, mystics, seekers, feminists... Not only is the poetry astounding and breathtaking, but the editor Hirshfield displays a profound understanding of the similarities and differences among the mystical traditions of different cultures and religions. Her introductory essays on the poets she anthologized are worth the price of the book all by themselves.

Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, February 27, 2008

By	Ivan M. Granger from the Poetry Chaikhana (Boulder, CO, USA) - See all my reviews

This is the first anthology I got years ago that made me say, Wow! Includes Sappho, Rabia, Yeshe Tsogyel, Hildegard of Bingen, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Hadewijch of Antwerp, Lal Ded, Mirabai, Bibi Hayati, Tsvetaeva. The best collection I've found of women's voices in sacred poetry.