The roar of Rumi - 800 years on (BBC) {800th birthday TODAY}

[eppur_se_muova]

By Charles Haviland
BBC News, Balkh, northern Afghanistan

For many years now, the most popular poet in America has been a 13th-century mystical Muslim scholar.

Translations of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi's - better known as Rumi - verse are hugely popular and have been used by Western pop stars such as Madonna.

They are attracted by his tributes to the power of love and his belief in the spiritual use of music and dancing - although scholars stress that he was talking about spiritual love between people and God, not earthly love.

Rumi, whose 800th birth anniversary falls on Sunday, was born in 1207 in Balkh in Central Asia, now part of Afghanistan.

I came here to see whether he has much resonance in his native country which, under the Taleban, went so far as to ban music.
***
more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7016090.stm

[Redstone]

1. "The most popular poet in America? How did I miss that?

Redstone

[The Traveler]

2. I dunno ...

Where ya been, man? (And how have you been doing?)

Poetry seldom makes the best seller's list, so when an author's work maintains high sales levels over a period of around a decade that is significant. I've read quite a bit of Rumi's work and some of it is really powerful, moving stuff.

[CTyankee]

7. I missed it entirely until I took a course in Mysticism in 2002.

It was part of a Master's degree program. His poetry, as recently transcribed by Coleman Barks (who has recorded his transcriptions), is captivating.

Here is one of his short verses:

"I want to be where
your bare foot walks,

because maybe before you step,
you'll look at the ground.
I want that blessing."

[Bicoastal]

3. THIS is probably the most popular poet in America.

Sorry to break it to you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktzvNvYReMo&mode=related&search=

[Mojorabbit]

4. One of my favorites

A sample....

___________________________

"Let the waters settle - you will see stars and Moon mirrored in your Being."

~Rumi
________________________________________
We are the night ocean filled
with glints of light. We are the space
between the fish and the moon,

while we sit here together.
Rumi
____________________________
"Water! There! There!" It's that There!
that keeps him asleep. In the future, in the distance,

those are illusions. Taste the here and the now of God.

This present thirst is your real intelligence,
not the back-and-forth, merciful brightness.
Discursiveness dies and gets put in the grave.

This contemplative joy does not.
Scholarly knowledge is a vertigo,
an exhausted famousness.

Listening is better.
Rumi

[cali]

5. I love Rumi

He's certainly one of my favorite poets; by turn, light hearted and profound, his work is as timeless and fresh today as it was centuries ago when he wrote it.

[Bluerthanblue]

6. the man who inspired the whirling dervishes-

has spoken to my heart often.

Everything you see has its roots in the Unseen world.

The forms may change,

yet the essence remains the same.

Every wondrous sight will vanish,

Every sweet word will fade.

But do not be disheartened,

The Source they come from is eternal -

Growing, branching out, giving new life and new joy.

Why do you weep? -

That Source is within you,

And this whole world

is springing up from it.

The Source is full,

Its waters are ever-flowing;

Do not grieve, drink your fill!

Don't think it will ever run dry -

This is the endless Ocean!

From the moment you came into this world

A ladder was placed in front of you that you might escape.

From earth you became plant,

From plant you became animal.

Afterwards you became a human being,

Endowed with knowledge, intellect, and faith.

Behold the body, born of dust - how perfect it has become!

Why should you fear its end?

When were you ever made less by dying?

When you pass beyond this human form,

No doubt you will become an angel

And soar through the heavens!

But don't stop there.

Even heavenly bodies grow old.

Pass again from the heavenly realm

and plunge into the vast ocean of Consciousness.

Let the drop of water that is in you become a hundred mighty seas.

But do not think that the drop alone

Becomes the Ocean -

the Ocean, too, becomes the drop!
~Rumi

[CTyankee]

8. I have heard Coleman Barks, his recent translator, read this one in his deep Georgia accent:

What was said to the rose that made it open was said
to me here in my chest.

What was told the cypress that made it strong
and straight, what was

whispered the jasmine so it is what it is, whatever made
sugarcane sweet, whatever

was said to the inhabitants of the town of Chigil in
Turkestan that makes them

so handsome, whatever lets the pomegranate flower blush
like a human face, that is

being said to me now. I blush. Whatever put eloquence
language, that's happening here.

[Bluerthanblue]

11. that's

beautiful-

I've never heard him, but i'll keep my "eye" out for Mr.Barks

Thanks!

[alfredo]

9. I enjoy his poetry.

[Kali]

10. instead of creating fundamentalist violent Muslims through invasion

we should have been encouraging Sufism.

The Mevlana Madrassa in Konya, Turkey




The Tomb of Rumi (in the Madrassa)

[ljm2002]

12. I'm with you on Sufism...

...having read many books about them (highly recommend Idries Shah, who has written several popularizations of Sufi ideas). But I'm not sure how useful it would be for us to "encourage" Sufism. Sufis, like Christian mystics, tend to veer away from the official, mainstream church doctrines, and are viewed as suspect by most in their respective religious establishments.

More's the pity.

[CTyankee]

13. Another reason to yearn for going to Turkey. Thank you for the pictures!

How beautiful! I have a trip planned in my head for Turkey and now I know where to go for Rumi, who is a beloved poet to me!

[Kali]

16. Turkey is EFFING fantastic

I want to go back so bad. What a magical country. (Konya is pretty conservative and honestly kind of an ugly city - you can do the 3 main sights there in a day.)

[uppityperson]

14. happy birthday RUmi and thank you.

I like Rumi and the music set to his poetry

[Mojorabbit]

15. Another snippet

which is relevant to our times

The Worm's Waking

This is how a human being can change:

There's a worm addicted to eating grape leaves
Suddenly, he wakes up, call it Grace, whatever,
something wakes him, and he's no longer a worm.

He's the entire vineyard, and the orchard too,
the fruit, the trunks, a growing wisdom and joy
that doesn't need to devour.