Say Nothing: Poems of Jalal al-Din Rumi in Persian and English (Hardcover) Review

This small, handsome, bilingual volume of inspired verse by a Sufi icon and a giant of Persian literature, Muhammad Jalal al-Din Balkhi (known in the West as "Rumi" and in the East as "Maulana") is an excellent introduction to the poet and his poetry, written specifically for the 2007 celebration of the 800th anniversary of his birth and, generally, for the growing contemporary Western interest in Eastern literature.

Rumi's "Divan-e Kabir" ("Works") fills 10 volumes, while this book provides just an introductory selection of 44 poems/620 lines including rubaiyat (quatrains) and ghazals (longer poems of from 5 to 15 couplets) which alternate here.Skilled English translations and the clear, amply-spaced Farsi script of the original poems appear on facing pages.These bilingual page-spreads provide aesthetic, authentic, inspiring and useful texts for both English-speaking students of Persian literature and/or Farsi language and for Farsi-speaking students of poetry or English language.

Most readers will be interested in the poetry itself for its radically spiritual Sufi themes that contrast with the radical materialism of contemporary Western life.Rather than give commentary here, and in keeping with Rumi's emphasis on direct experience, I urge readers to buy or borrow the book and read it through or dip into it again and again to share Rumi's inspired quest for "something beyond your grasp,/ the wisdom beyond definition,/ hidden in the hearts of men of God."Poems are listed on the Contents pages by their opening lines:"Love is my only companion...," "Let Love, the Water of Life, flow in my veins...," "If you long to be purified...," "Seek the art of loosening knots...," "All that pure ruby wine...," "If a tree could move...," "We are from above...," "I am your friend...," etcetera.The end-of-couplet refrain, "Say nothing," in "I'm a slave of the Moon" on page 55 provides the title of the entire volume.

The front matter includes a useful 5-page commentary by a Sufi scholar at Boston College, the translator's 11-page discussion of her work of linguistic transposition, and a 14-page introduction to the lives of Rumi and his soul-mate in their search for transcendence, Shams of Tabriz. Back matter includes 24 pages of illuminating Notes for the poems, a bibliography of 15 "Suggestions for Further Reading," and a list of Primary Persian Sources.

If you read this little "vade mecum" you will surely want to travel much farther on the Sufi road with Rumi. "Hush!Enough chatter in the sea, about the pearls in His sea./ If you want to be a pearl diver, don't waste your breath."



Click Here to see more reviews about: Say Nothing: Poems of Jalal al-Din Rumi in Persian and English (Hardcover)

Product Description:
Translations of Rumi's poetry have been enthusiastically received by the English-speaking world. He speaks directly to the heart, allowing readers to feel that they know him intimately. And yet, the full flavor of his lightness and humor, his wordplay, and his Islamic references has often gone untranslated. Rumi's poetry is direct and immediate, but it's also measured, subtle, and nuanced in a way that earlier translations have seldom conveyed. It was, above all, a spoken poetry. Say Nothing captures the rich and varied tones of a mature voice that retains its youthful capacity for exaltation and revelation.This fully annotated, bilingual (Persian and English) editioncontains both short quatrains and longer ghazals, alternating forms that reflect the shifts in Rumi's moods and inspirations. Along with poems of ecstatic flight and equally ecstatic mourning, there are moments of terse commentary, challenging dialogs, and confrontational questioning. Extensive notes allow readers to delve more deeply into the multiple meanings of Rumi's words.

Buy cheap Say Nothing: Poems of Jalal al-Din Rumi in Persian and English (Hardcover) now Get 32% OFF

Rumi and the Whirling Dervishes [Paperback] Review

There is no shortage of books on Rumi and his poetry.I highly recommend books written by Prof. Annemarie Schimmel on Rumi and his great mystical poetry which is deeply rooted in Islamic mystical tradition.Friedlander deserves special thanks on making accessible to the reader the day-to-day life of Mevlevi dervishes.Photographs of Whirling dervishes are very appealing and appropriately placed throughout this book.This book also provides a short walk through the historical development of Mevlevi order through centuries.Various practices and forms that the Mevlevi order has taken and described in this book makes Rumi's figure more holistic, real, and accessible for any Western reader.

There is also an implied view in this book for the one who want to "know" and "see" on the diversity and variety of views within Islamic tradition.Sufism is one of the main mystical traditions within Islamic currents.Mevlevi order is one of the threads in Sufism.The universality of Sufis in their practices and communication with other traditions outside Islam is an example of the actuality and essence of Islam (glimpsed in this book) which goes very contrary to what we all hear from media (which, now-a-days is exclusively focused on the negative elements of the world).We need more of these types of books (to fill the gap that exists in the popular media) on all faith based traditions of this world.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Rumi and the Whirling Dervishes [Paperback]

Product Description:
Beautifully illustrated with rare photographs of dervishes, tells the tale of the Sufi order and poet, mystic Mevlana Jalalu'ddin Rumi. Offers a special section devoted to Mevlevi music, and introductions by Annemarie Schimmel and Seyyed Hossein Nasr.

Buy cheap Rumi and the Whirling Dervishes [Paperback] now

Cuba: The Morning After: Confronting Castro's Legacy [Paperback] Review

Yes, Cuba is a charming and seductive place to visit.But as any one of the thousands of desperate migrants from that troubled land can tell you, it is a brutally hard place to live.Those women the tourist meets stolling along the seawall aren't out there for the view or the exercise.They are locked in a heart-wrenching struggle to eck out another day's subsistence using the only thing the state hasn't stolen from them (yet).
So it is a dirty job, but someone has to look past the charm and facade of today's Cuba and examine the cruel reality of Castro's legacy objectively.Numbers don't lie--they are what they are.That Cuba's numbers are horrible is not the fault of the author; those numbers (and the human suffering they entail) are the fault of Castro and the legions of boot-licks who have kept him in power, lo these many years.Left-wing American journalists, academics, democrat politicians, and celebrity activists figure prominently in that group, to their shame.
Mark Falcoff did this dirty job about as well as anyone could have expected.It's always a challenge to study a closed society such as Cuba's, where important facts are hidden away, crucial incidents are covered up or denied, and the official story is always a deliberate lie. I've studied Cuba closely for years, and I have always hoped that the long-sufering Cuban people would one day have a brighter future, free of Castro's suffocating bite.I was as disheartened as the previous reviewers were to be confronted with the ugly facts, but there they are.Complaining about them won't help.
Those who really care about Cuba should thank Mr. Falcoff for the 'heads up' this book provides.I hope our policy makers are aware of the information and analysis this book provides, and have some kind of plan to deal with the societal implosion the book predicts.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Cuba: The Morning After: Confronting Castro's Legacy [Paperback]

Product Description:
A major study of U.S.-Cuba relations warns that America is ill-prepared for the serious dilemmas and even threats posed by a post-Castro Cuba.

Buy cheap Cuba: The Morning After: Confronting Castro's Legacy [Paperback] now