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Open Secret: Versions of Rumi
These quatrains and odes reveal a most human and accessible side of the great poet and mystic. They are the personal records of one man's encounter with the Divine.
97 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
November 24, 2022
3.5/5 stars
really beautiful and impactful, but a bit outdated
really beautiful and impactful, but a bit outdated
July 26, 2008
Mawlānā Jalāl-ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī (Persian: مولانا جلال الدین محمد بلخى), also known as Mawlānā Jalāl-ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī or, just "Rumi" as we know him. He is one of the most important minds and spirits I have ever read.
Coleman Barks always delivers his amazing talent for translation and zeal for truth which is, in the modern era, almost unparalleled.
His "Roman title" or his namesake, belies an understanding of how similar all religions are at their heart.
My favorite quote, which I carry in my wallet still, and have since I was seventeen, says one of the truest things (I believe) ever penned.
"The clear bead at the center changes everything.
There are no edges to my loving now,
It's been said that there is a window
That opens from one mind to another,
But if there is no wall,
There is no need
For the fitting of a window or a latch."
Read him. Read him. At all costs.
Coleman Barks always delivers his amazing talent for translation and zeal for truth which is, in the modern era, almost unparalleled.
His "Roman title" or his namesake, belies an understanding of how similar all religions are at their heart.
My favorite quote, which I carry in my wallet still, and have since I was seventeen, says one of the truest things (I believe) ever penned.
"The clear bead at the center changes everything.
There are no edges to my loving now,
It's been said that there is a window
That opens from one mind to another,
But if there is no wall,
There is no need
For the fitting of a window or a latch."
Read him. Read him. At all costs.
December 17, 2020
“In these pages many mysteries are hinted at. What if you come to understand one of them?”
My professor gifted me this book and I absolutely love it. These short poems are beautiful and heart wrenching. I’ve read this book so many times, It’s like I crave this every now and then just like I crave chocolates or something.
My professor gifted me this book and I absolutely love it. These short poems are beautiful and heart wrenching. I’ve read this book so many times, It’s like I crave this every now and then just like I crave chocolates or something.
June 30, 2009
Saved my sanity....not kidding.
December 26, 2012
Lived on my nightstand for years~!! A favourite~ forever.
January 9, 2022
Rumi will always be one of my favorite poets.
February 7, 2014
A now-deceased friend "regifted" this book to me years ago. It was my first exposure to Rumi, and to Persian mystical poetry. I've read every poem dozens of times. Only much later did I learn that the translator performed these poems to live music; had I known, I would have been there. To say they changed my life is a gross understatement. These poems are life itself.
September 2, 2008
This is one of my favorite books of Rumi's, quite possibly because it was the first one I read. It is personal and profound, and leaves the reader yearning to join with Rumi in seeking the connection to the Beloved.
Read
July 26, 2009great book !
December 7, 2009
I read and re-read Rumi monthly. As a poet and one who sees "God" in all things, I promote this collection of poems to those who believe that the spirit lies in all things.
January 6, 2010
Rumi is one of my all time favorite poets and Coleman Bark the best translator in my opinion.
October 24, 2021
I’ve always loved Rumi; his poems speak to me of love for his companion Shams and his oneness with the universe. They were written in what is now Afghanistan in the 13th century, but they transcend time and place and resonate with me, an American living today, all these years later.
Sometimes the line blurs between Rumi’s love for an individual and his love of humanity, all things, or “God”. I embrace this, it does not need to be either-or and is in fact more meaningful to me with the ambiguity. Besides, haven’t we all felt a little closer to the world and the rest of humanity in the euphoria of love?
Like Whitman’s writing in “Leaves of Grass” it’s clear to me Rumi was inspired and enlightened; this is a great collection. There are many longer poems that I love but which I will not extract (“Who Says Words With My Mouth”, “The Drunk and the Madman”); instead I offer quotes.
On love:
“I would love to kiss you.
The price of kissing is your life.
Now my love is running toward my life shouting,
What a bargain, let’s buy it.”
“Daylight, full of small dancing particles
and the one great turning, our souls
are dancing with you, without feet, they dance.
Can you see them when I whisper in your ear?”
“You don’t have “bad” days and “good” days.
You don’t sometimes feel brilliant and sometimes dumb.
There’s no studying, no scholarly thinking having to do with love,
but there is a great deal of plotting, and secret touching,
and nights you can’t remember at all.”
“Come to the orchard in Spring.
There is light and wine, and sweethearts in the pomegranate flowers.
If you do not come, these do not matter.
If you do come, these do not matter.”
“During the day I was singing with you.
At night we slept in the same bed.
I wasn’t conscious day or night.
I thought I knew who I was,
but I was you.”
“Since we’ve seen each other, a game goes on.
Secretly I move, and you respond.
You’re winning, you think it’s funny.
But look up from the board now, look how
I’ve brought in furniture to this invisible place,
so we can live here.”
“The minute I heard my first love story
I started looking for you, not knowing
how blind that was.
Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere.
They’re in each other all along.”
Lastly this one, which has a cozy feel to it:
“The news we hear is full of grief for that future,
but the real news inside here
is there’s no news at all.”
On brotherhood, enlightenment, and oneness:
“Inside the Great Mystery that is,
we don’t really own anything.
What is this competition we feel then,
before we go, one at a time, through the same gate?”
“The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want. Don’t go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open. Don’t go back to sleep.”
“The mystery does not get clearer by repeating the question,
nor is it bought with going to amazing places.
Until you’ve kept your eyes
and your wanting still for fifty years,
you don’t begin to cross over from confusion.”
“In pain, I breathe easier.
The scared child is running from the house, screaming.
I hear the gentleness.
Under nine layers of illusion, whatever the light,
on the face of any object, in the ground itself,
I see your face.”
“When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn’t make any sense.”
On friendship:
“Stay in the company of lovers.
Those other kinds of people, they each
want to show you something.
A crow will lead you to an empty barn,
a parrot to sugar.”
“Spend less time with nightingales and peacocks.
One is just a voice, the other just a color.”
On going with the flow:
“Do you think I know what I’m doing?
That for one breath or half-breath I belong to myself?
As much as a pen knows what it’s writing,
or the ball can guess where it’s going next.”
Lastly, on self-knowledge:
“For years, copying other people, I tried to know myself.
From within, I couldn’t decide what to do.
Unable to see, I heard my name being called.
Then I walked outside.”
Sometimes the line blurs between Rumi’s love for an individual and his love of humanity, all things, or “God”. I embrace this, it does not need to be either-or and is in fact more meaningful to me with the ambiguity. Besides, haven’t we all felt a little closer to the world and the rest of humanity in the euphoria of love?
Like Whitman’s writing in “Leaves of Grass” it’s clear to me Rumi was inspired and enlightened; this is a great collection. There are many longer poems that I love but which I will not extract (“Who Says Words With My Mouth”, “The Drunk and the Madman”); instead I offer quotes.
On love:
“I would love to kiss you.
The price of kissing is your life.
Now my love is running toward my life shouting,
What a bargain, let’s buy it.”
“Daylight, full of small dancing particles
and the one great turning, our souls
are dancing with you, without feet, they dance.
Can you see them when I whisper in your ear?”
“You don’t have “bad” days and “good” days.
You don’t sometimes feel brilliant and sometimes dumb.
There’s no studying, no scholarly thinking having to do with love,
but there is a great deal of plotting, and secret touching,
and nights you can’t remember at all.”
“Come to the orchard in Spring.
There is light and wine, and sweethearts in the pomegranate flowers.
If you do not come, these do not matter.
If you do come, these do not matter.”
“During the day I was singing with you.
At night we slept in the same bed.
I wasn’t conscious day or night.
I thought I knew who I was,
but I was you.”
“Since we’ve seen each other, a game goes on.
Secretly I move, and you respond.
You’re winning, you think it’s funny.
But look up from the board now, look how
I’ve brought in furniture to this invisible place,
so we can live here.”
“The minute I heard my first love story
I started looking for you, not knowing
how blind that was.
Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere.
They’re in each other all along.”
Lastly this one, which has a cozy feel to it:
“The news we hear is full of grief for that future,
but the real news inside here
is there’s no news at all.”
On brotherhood, enlightenment, and oneness:
“Inside the Great Mystery that is,
we don’t really own anything.
What is this competition we feel then,
before we go, one at a time, through the same gate?”
“The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want. Don’t go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open. Don’t go back to sleep.”
“The mystery does not get clearer by repeating the question,
nor is it bought with going to amazing places.
Until you’ve kept your eyes
and your wanting still for fifty years,
you don’t begin to cross over from confusion.”
“In pain, I breathe easier.
The scared child is running from the house, screaming.
I hear the gentleness.
Under nine layers of illusion, whatever the light,
on the face of any object, in the ground itself,
I see your face.”
“When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase each other
doesn’t make any sense.”
On friendship:
“Stay in the company of lovers.
Those other kinds of people, they each
want to show you something.
A crow will lead you to an empty barn,
a parrot to sugar.”
“Spend less time with nightingales and peacocks.
One is just a voice, the other just a color.”
On going with the flow:
“Do you think I know what I’m doing?
That for one breath or half-breath I belong to myself?
As much as a pen knows what it’s writing,
or the ball can guess where it’s going next.”
Lastly, on self-knowledge:
“For years, copying other people, I tried to know myself.
From within, I couldn’t decide what to do.
Unable to see, I heard my name being called.
Then I walked outside.”
Read
January 29, 2022There are those who believe that poetry can't be translated, who believe that a poem must be read in its original language to be fully appreciated. I don't know whether or not I agree, but I can think of a number of examples that support this argument - the most egregious example being the Coleman Barks "translations" of Rumi.
Above is a version of a Rumi poem "translated" by Coleman Barks ("translated" in quotes because Barks can neither read nor speak Persian). Below is a literal translation of the same poem.
The poems of Rumi are sacred, and the "translations" of Coleman Barks are profane - as any act of cultural erasure intended to secularize content for an undiserning audience would be considered profane. I urge everyone to seek out better translations, and to read more about these faux-translations here: Persian Poetics
Out beyond ideas
of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field.
I'll meet you there.
Above is a version of a Rumi poem "translated" by Coleman Barks ("translated" in quotes because Barks can neither read nor speak Persian). Below is a literal translation of the same poem.
Beyond kufr and Islam there is a desert plain,
in that middle space our passions reign.
When the gnostic arrives there he'll prostrate himself,
not kufr, not Islam, nor is thereany space in that domain.
The poems of Rumi are sacred, and the "translations" of Coleman Barks are profane - as any act of cultural erasure intended to secularize content for an undiserning audience would be considered profane. I urge everyone to seek out better translations, and to read more about these faux-translations here: Persian Poetics
May 31, 2022
This is a selection of Rumi's work chosen and translated/interpreted by Moyne and Barks. I enjoyed the poetry, but it did feel a bit disjointed and did not quite work for me as a whole. I have read the first two books of The Masnavi and want to read more of Rumi's more accessible poetry, but I am struggling to find a collection that works for me. I will keep this and dip in and out of it again, but on first reading I was not that impressed.
April 15, 2018
This was a little book I happened to pick up on a whim and wasn't for a class of any sorts. It was fun to actually read something like this and not feel like I was going to have to write a paper on it or be quizzed on it in class. It takes me a while to unpack poetry, but I really enjoyed reading some more Rumi.
If I had more time, I would reread this to see if I could dig into it a little more.
If I had more time, I would reread this to see if I could dig into it a little more.
January 11, 2023
For the final book of #asianpacificamericanheritagemonth, I yearn for Rumi. The way our discourse leaves out West Asia perpetuates an us vs them divide. The "Middle East" is a colonial invention. I wanted to read an Edward Said book (Palestinian cultural critic) but I ran out of time, and so sharing some poems of Rumi, which I do periodically because his words dance to me.
October 30, 2023
There are a few poems here that I like (The Elusive Ones; Folded into the River), and one that pissed me off (An Empty Garlic), and I keep trying to like Rumi because I think I'm supposed to, but most of his writing doesn't reach me. Seems forced, or too ethereal; there's something distasteful about a lot of it. I'll probably keep trying, as I inherited several volumes from a dear friend...
July 16, 2019
An amazing approach to romanticism and reality at the same time . The writer is able to express all his notion in very attention taking way and everything here is open to interpretations. Rumi,as always one of his kind ❤️.
May 16, 2024
I picked this up at a secondhand book store because I have been really appreciating Rumi lately --
"Le tthe beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground."
Lots of gems here...
"Le tthe beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground."
Lots of gems here...
September 6, 2019
Rumi remains relevant today. I will certainly go back to read certain poems over and over again.
December 30, 2019
Some incredibly deep and rich poetry and insights. However, often very confusing, which leads me to believe the book is best in its untranslated form.
March 24, 2020
When I want to feel inspired this is what I gravitate towards! Not something to read all at once but definitely in pieces.
September 15, 2020
Amazing. Originally read for pleasure and then turned it into a school assignment. Some of the best love poetry I've ever read.
April 8, 2022
Rumi wills always be one of my favs.
July 3, 2025
ru了mi了
January 3, 2023
A collection of beautiful poems in the Persian bhakti tradition.
Apparently this collection is suspect in that Islamic references have been removed and Christian references added. The New Yorker wrote an article on it here:
https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-...
What a shame. I can't imagine the hubris involved...
Apparently this collection is suspect in that Islamic references have been removed and Christian references added. The New Yorker wrote an article on it here:
https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-...
What a shame. I can't imagine the hubris involved...
August 6, 2014
Just reread this poetry collection!
--------------------------------
One of the professors in a philosophy of literature class opened each class meeting with a poem from this book, and thus I was introduced to the poetry of mysticism.
--------------------------------
One of the professors in a philosophy of literature class opened each class meeting with a poem from this book, and thus I was introduced to the poetry of mysticism.
April 29, 2007
duno how legit this translation is...but as with much of rumi..its one of those books u can read over n over again...short and sweet...
June 6, 2012
Sublime
July 5, 2014
This book is a great read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews