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I Saw Myself
I saw myself
I was the Beloved
I made the world
I myself seek it Travelling into the stark deserts of Kutch, I Saw Myself explores the contemporary presence of epic love legends of the region, such as Sohini-Mehar and Sasui-Punhu, brought to throbbing verse by the powerful eighteenth-century Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai. As the authors travel to villages to meet folk singers and lovers of Latif's poetry, immersing in sessions that stretch into the night, they unearth a unique, thriving love-soaked ethos in which the call to oneness rings out like a defiant manifesto for our divisive times. Retelling epics along with other tales and historical events that created the field of experience from which Shah Latif's poems sprang, I Saw Myself brings into English a selection of his finest poems. A spell is cast, of story and song, of metaphor and meaning. The insights that emerge are subtle, even startling, radical at times, solace-giving at others, but always deeply meaningful.
I was the Beloved
I made the world
I myself seek it Travelling into the stark deserts of Kutch, I Saw Myself explores the contemporary presence of epic love legends of the region, such as Sohini-Mehar and Sasui-Punhu, brought to throbbing verse by the powerful eighteenth-century Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai. As the authors travel to villages to meet folk singers and lovers of Latif's poetry, immersing in sessions that stretch into the night, they unearth a unique, thriving love-soaked ethos in which the call to oneness rings out like a defiant manifesto for our divisive times. Retelling epics along with other tales and historical events that created the field of experience from which Shah Latif's poems sprang, I Saw Myself brings into English a selection of his finest poems. A spell is cast, of story and song, of metaphor and meaning. The insights that emerge are subtle, even startling, radical at times, solace-giving at others, but always deeply meaningful.
440 pages, Hardcover
Published August 10, 2019
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 24, 2021
3.5/5
It took me almost 1.5 years to read this book. It was not because the book is bad but because it can be read intermittently and I took my time, abandoning it once in a while. It is a soothing reading experience so I often read it after stress-filled days. I have been following Shabnam Virrmani's journey with the Kabir Project for quite some time. So, when I saw the title of their book, I was genuinely intrigued.
This is my first touch with Sufi written poetry so I claim to be no expert. The book is an amalgam of various works of Sindhi poet, Shah Abdul Latif's poetry including the Risalo explained with social context to the time when they were written. It was beautiful to be introduced to these works and you can clearly feel the heartfelt efforts poured in by the authors.
However, I do feel the book could be improved further. Sometimes, I found the summary of various stories got a bit repetitive and could be written in a more concise form. Also, some of the readers would benefit if the translations were written alongside the original text.
Nevertheless, I would highly recommend the book to people who are interested in mysticism in general and Sufism in particular. Reading this book was a lovely experience!
It took me almost 1.5 years to read this book. It was not because the book is bad but because it can be read intermittently and I took my time, abandoning it once in a while. It is a soothing reading experience so I often read it after stress-filled days. I have been following Shabnam Virrmani's journey with the Kabir Project for quite some time. So, when I saw the title of their book, I was genuinely intrigued.
This is my first touch with Sufi written poetry so I claim to be no expert. The book is an amalgam of various works of Sindhi poet, Shah Abdul Latif's poetry including the Risalo explained with social context to the time when they were written. It was beautiful to be introduced to these works and you can clearly feel the heartfelt efforts poured in by the authors.
However, I do feel the book could be improved further. Sometimes, I found the summary of various stories got a bit repetitive and could be written in a more concise form. Also, some of the readers would benefit if the translations were written alongside the original text.
Nevertheless, I would highly recommend the book to people who are interested in mysticism in general and Sufism in particular. Reading this book was a lovely experience!
Displaying 1 of 1 review