book data
160 ratings,
4.51
average rating, 30 reviews
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published
September 24th 2002
by Penguin (Non-Classics)
binding
Paperback, 384 pages
isbn
0142196126
(isbn13: 9780142196120)
description
In this transcendent collection, Daniel Ladinsky-best known for his gifted and best-selling translations of the great Sufi poet Hafiz-brings together ...more
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avg 4.51
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
the absolute best thing about this book is the variety. how each of these mystics can talk along the same lines about God. i love that this isn't the normal white/black view of God. they speak of God who comes to them in the night and cures their loneliness. who nestles them against His breast and loves them. they speak of a God that so many people don't get to experience. the title threw me for a bit...after reading the book, highlighting and filling the margins with my thoughts like mad, i sat...more
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1 comment
Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
people who love God
This beautiful book came my way recently. What a wondrous new opportunity to listen in on these twelve voices in their interactions with God. So far I have been listening to Rabia of Basra (c. 717-801), a much revered Islamic saint who was sold into slavery at a young age and forced live and work in a brothel until she was finally freed at age 50.
It is possible to see traces of this history in many of her writings, which speak of living with beauty and dignity in the midst of the str...more
It is possible to see traces of this history in many of her writings, which speak of living with beauty and dignity in the midst of the str...more
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I'm not much of a reader of religious poetry unless you count Rumi or Hafiz. But, my boss gave me this book ages ago, and I was enchanted from the beginning.
Little trinkets from Rumi, Hafiz, Mira, Rabia, and Tukaram. Endless pages are dogeared and marked and starred and highlighted - I've read this book a hundred times.... each time I love it more.
I love this one by Tukaram:
"I think the moon
is pregnant again
I
hope she won't
su...more
Little trinkets from Rumi, Hafiz, Mira, Rabia, and Tukaram. Endless pages are dogeared and marked and starred and highlighted - I've read this book a hundred times.... each time I love it more.
I love this one by Tukaram:
"I think the moon
is pregnant again
I
hope she won't
su...more
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My favorite poem in this book:
"God and I are like two fat people in a tiny boat...we keep bumping into each other and laughing"
This is a fantastic book of people from every walk of life and religion writing about their experiences with a higher power.
"God and I are like two fat people in a tiny boat...we keep bumping into each other and laughing"
This is a fantastic book of people from every walk of life and religion writing about their experiences with a higher power.
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03/09/09
Renaissance
is currently reading it
I'm looking forward to this publication which was a gift to me from my wife after her recent yoga retreat.
It contains a variety of poems from various thinkers such as St. Thomas Aquinas, Kabir, Tukaram, and St. Francis of Assisi.
It contains a variety of poems from various thinkers such as St. Thomas Aquinas, Kabir, Tukaram, and St. Francis of Assisi.
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3 comments
Read in September, 2005
recommends it for:
ministers, the open-minded religious, those seeking words for a diety they're not ready for
I was taking an intensive class in seminary on Sexuality in Ministry (taught by minister and sexologist Debra Haffner) when a classmate from Cyprus brought this book to the table. It took two years, but I found a copy on a remainder table at a bookstore in Ottawa, Ontario and it has been a favorite of mine ever since. I use it for inspiration, for readings that just fit, for laughter in the face of trouble, and for that special brand of irreverence that is so critical to balanced religious li...more
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Fun translations, although I have to wonder about the accuracy of some of them, even though they seem to keep to the spirit of the poems.
Funny, touching, interesting, and full of life.
Funny, touching, interesting, and full of life.
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Truly beautiful. This is a collection of religious poetry from Sufi, Catholic, Protestant, and other traditions. Some classic names, some new to me.
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great collection from all religions and walks of life, some achingly beautiful ones in here.
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01/05/09
Dawn
added it
Read in January, 2006
Inspirational and beautiful.
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06/26/07
LB
added it
Haven't finished this one yet, but I love what I have read so far. Similar to I Heard God Laughing (they were edited and I think translated by the same guy). Seeing God through the eyes of these mystics fills me with something I can't put to words. It's something like hearing the echo of my own heart. A deep recognition, beyond personal experience (does that make sense?). Oh well, I said it couldn't be put into words. See for yourself...
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Read in July, 2008
An incredible collection of non-traditional faith-oriented poetry from the 8th through the 17th centuries. These are masterfully translated from their original tongues and at times can be downright racy in expression of the authors' intense relationships with their higher powers. Spans several religious traditions (although some were considered contrary to or even heretical to the official dogma).
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Read in January, 2005
Marvelous rendering of poems from 12 of the world's great poets and mystics....
I am
a hole in a flute
that the Christ's breath moves through,
listen to this
music.
Hafiz
I am
a hole in a flute
that the Christ's breath moves through,
listen to this
music.
Hafiz
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Read in July, 2007
recommended to Mary by:
Leanne Smith
I'm reading it slowly. It's amazingly healing. Quite delightful! and profound. Where have these poems been hiding?
Half the poets are Sufi and half are Catholic, 6 of each. They share a wonderful sense of humor and insight into the Love of God.
Half the poets are Sufi and half are Catholic, 6 of each. They share a wonderful sense of humor and insight into the Love of God.
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone
It's very cute and fun. Although Ladinsky has come under fire because his translations are just that -- very liberal reinterpretations of the original text -- I think for some of the voices it works on many levels. For some, it didn't.
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Read in January, 2006
This is a book that I/we frequently flip through to read a poem for a day or meal. The readings are generally short (ranging from 5 lines to 1.5 pages long) and usually leave me with something to reflect on.
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Daniel Ladinsky should get a nobel for poetry translation. This book is a great intro to his fantastic modern translations of classic mystic poets -- his translation of Hafiz's the gift is also amazing.
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