Rumi: The Book of Love: Poems of Ecstasy and Longing
by Mawlana Jalal-al-Din Rumi, Coleman Barks
|
|
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
discuss this book
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
lists with this book
Where's the love? Add this book to your favorite list.
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 132)
Read in April, 2008
BURNT KABOB
Last year, I admired the wines. This,
I'm wandering inside the red world.
Last year, I gazed at the fire,
This year I'm burnt kabob.
Thirst drove me down to the water
where I drank the moon's reflection.
Now I am a lion staring up, totally
lost in love with the thing itself.
Don't ask questions about
longing. Look in my face.
Soul drunk, body ruined, these two
sit helpless in a wrecked wagon.
Neither knows how to fix it.
And my heart, I'd say it was more...more
Last year, I admired the wines. This,
I'm wandering inside the red world.
Last year, I gazed at the fire,
This year I'm burnt kabob.
Thirst drove me down to the water
where I drank the moon's reflection.
Now I am a lion staring up, totally
lost in love with the thing itself.
Don't ask questions about
longing. Look in my face.
Soul drunk, body ruined, these two
sit helpless in a wrecked wagon.
Neither knows how to fix it.
And my heart, I'd say it was more...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in September, 2008
"All I know of spirit
is this love."
I don't often get into volumes of poetry, but I feel like Lynda Barry made me. I came to this book looking for poetic imagery, and I found it, but I left it feeling so much more overwhelmed and opened to all the happenings of the universe. Reading the love poems out-loud to my sweet wife, and we passed the poems back and forth. "What sort of person says that he or she wants / to be polished and pure, then complains / about being handled rou...more
is this love."
I don't often get into volumes of poetry, but I feel like Lynda Barry made me. I came to this book looking for poetic imagery, and I found it, but I left it feeling so much more overwhelmed and opened to all the happenings of the universe. Reading the love poems out-loud to my sweet wife, and we passed the poems back and forth. "What sort of person says that he or she wants / to be polished and pure, then complains / about being handled rou...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in December, 2007
I got this book for Christmas, from my boyfriend. We usually read a couple of poems and then talk about them. Awwwww. Before you puke from the preciousness, let me tell you that the poems, in my opinion, are usually indirect enough that we have very good conversations. And, despite the title, it's not all about "I looked in your eyes and felt the beating of my heart." I think it's closer to the true nature of love. But I'm not going to write about that here - if you want to know m...more
Like this review?
yes
1 comments
i'm sure these are fairly loosely translated as barks doesn't speak persian...but the gist of the poem is there. i read a couple of these a day for a long time. very spiritual, good advice kinda poems. my favorite is the one about the chickpea. there's also an audio cd where barks reads rumi poems to sufi music. kinda corny but i like it.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Have this in my bag for when I'm waiting on line anywhere.
"A thousand half loves
must be forsaken to take
one whole heart home."
"A thousand half loves
must be forsaken to take
one whole heart home."
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2008
Let the lover be disgraceful, crazy,
absentminded. Someone sober
will worry about things going badly.
Let the lover be.
absentminded. Someone sober
will worry about things going badly.
Let the lover be.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
recommends it for:
Everyone
Fantastic. Rumi is absolutely my favorite poet. This version of his poetry is very well translated and well presented.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in December, 2004
Good for those who still wants to believe that there is indeed enough love in this world. Is there?
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
