You are here

Judaism, Christianity & Islam> Sufism, Islam & Rumi> Islamic Poetry & Literature> Islamic Mystical Poetry
click image to enlarge

Islamic Mystical Poetry

Sufi Verse from the Early Mystics to Rumi
By:
Mahmood Jamal
336 pages
Paperback Book
Publisher: 
Penguin
 | 
November, 2009
ISBN:
9780140424737
Quantity: 
0
Is this available? When?
We are currently out of stock of this item. You can purchase it now. It is one of these 3:

  • A regular stock item, already on order
  • A "special order only" item, which we can order in for you. For these, please expect a delay of up to 3 weeks in addition to our normal delivery times.
  • A forthcoming title (note publication date above)

Contact us:
Phone us: (from Vancouver area) 604-732-7912
(from elsewhere in Canada or U.S.) 1-800-663-8442
Email us: thefolks@banyen.com
$25.00 CAD
Banyen's Description: 

Sufism is the mystical dimension of Islam and poetry has ever been the most powerful vehicle for conveying Sufi ideas. Islamic Mystical Poetry includes a selection of poetry ranging from the ninth to the twentieth century, representing the peak of Islamic mystical writing. 

My heart has become capable of every form: it is a pasture for gazelles and a convent for Christian monks,

And a temple for idols and the pilgrim’s Kaaba and the tables of the Torah and the book of the Qur’an.

I follow the religion of Love: whatever way Love’s camels take, that is my religion and my faith.

            —Mohyuddin Ibn ‘Arabi

Geographically covering most of the Islamic world, the selection include poems from the greatest of the greats: Rabia Basri, Mansur Hallaj, Ansari of Heart, Sanai Bhaznavi, Fariduddin Attar, Inb ‘Arabi, Jalalluddin Rumi, Mahmud Shabistari, Sultan Veled, Yunus Emre, Amir Khusrow, Hafiz, Kabir, Jami, Sarmad, Bulleh Shah, and a number of others.

With titles like “The Face of Beauty,” “The Heart is a River,” “I am so Drunk,” and “The Moon Shines in My Body,” these poems have resonated down the centuries with many hearts. Reflecting both private devotional love and the attempt to attain union with God and become absorbed into the Divine, many poems in this edition are imbued with the symbols and metaphors that unfold the central ideas of Sufism: the Lover, the Beloved, the Win and the Tavern; while others are more personal, echoing the poet’s battle to leave earthly love behind.

 

 

The fire of the rose’s cheek

 

 

Burnt the nightingale’s heart;

 

 

The laughing flame

 

 

Tormented the devoted moth…

 

 

 

 

 

The Sufi that yesterday

 

 

Was ranting against wine and cup,

 

 

Took a sip last night

 

 

Got drunk and became wise!

 

 

            —Hafiz

 

 

These translations capture the passion of the original poetry and are accompanied by an introduction on Sufism and the common themes, including suggested further readings.

 

 

Publisher’s Description: 

New to Penguin Classics-a transcendent selection of poetry from the early Islamic era.
Poetry has been the most powerful vehicle for conveying Sufism-the mystical dimension of Islam-from the early flowering of mystical Islam in Baghdad to the later heights it reached through Jalaluddin Rumi (d. 1273) and Jami (d. 1492). Starting with the writings of eighth-century mystics, this anthology moves through the twelfth century with Ibn Arabi in Spain and Ibn Farid of Cairo, then onto the Maghrib prayer of Abul Ala Al Maari, Aynul quddat Hamddhani of Persia, Yunus Emre of Turkey in the fourteenth century, and many others, culminating in the early twentieth century. The result is a soaring collection of verse from across the Islamic world and over centuries of inspiration.

Sufism is the mystical dimension of Islam and poetry has been the most powerful vehicle for conveying Sufi ideas. Islamic Mystical Poetry includes a selection of poetry ranging from the eighth century AD to the earlier part of the twentieth century, culminating with Iqbal (d.1938), and geographically covering most of the Islamic world.

Community Reviews

Login or Register to post a review