Poetry for the Spirit: Poems of Universal Wisdom and Beauty (Paperback)

~ Alan Jacobs (Editor) "Then was not non-existent nor existent: there was no realm of air, no sky beyond it..." (more)
Key Phrases: trans anon, Lucien Stryk, Cave of the Heart, Arthur Waley (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Spanning 4,000 years of world literature, this expansive anthology gathers 600 poems by more than 250 poets. In addition to hundreds of masterworks in English, there are verses translated from Sanskrit, Egyptian, Hindi, Persian, Hebrew, Chinese, and Homeric Greek, including selections from the great epics and meditations, such as the Rig Veda, Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, and Tao Te Ching. The writers represented here range from ancient and medieval greats (Homer, Lu Yun, Dante, Rumi, Judah Halevi) to the metaphysical poets, including Donne; from the mystics and religious poets (Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, Hopkins) to more secular visionaries (Blake, Shelley, Whitman, Dickinson, Yeats, Rilke, Stevens, and Ginsberg). The range of themes is equally wide, so whatever path your journey may take, Poetry for the Spirit will open your mind and touch your heart.

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Watkins (July 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842931091
• ISBN-13: 978-1842931097
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #870,670 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rich and expansive, January 16, 2007

By	Nancy Hayden "Sacredwoods" (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This collection lives up to the title, providing a rich and expansive corpus of poems that leads one on a journey of discovery -- through the eyes of poets across the ages and continents -- of that which resonates across time and space at the core of all human spirits. A joy to give away as well as to keep. The organization according to time eras juxtaposes that which is culturally familiar side by side with the unfamiliar to startle one into the realization of the commonality and continuity of the voice of wisdom, beauty, and spiritual transcendence.