Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Australia
(Australia)

Francis Brabazon

Timeline (1907 - 1984)

Poems by Francis Brabazon
Books - Links

Francis Brabazon, Francis Brabazon poetry, Muslim / Sufi, Muslim / Sufi poetry, poetry, poetry, Secular or Eclectic poetry

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Francis Brabazon was born in London. His father was inspired by the utopian ideals of William Morris, and moved the entire family to the Australian countryside when Francis was still a boy.

As Francis grew into adolescence, he grew to love the natural world that surrounded him, and he began to write his first poetry.

Francis was still a teenager when the famous droughts and rabbit plagues that affected large portions of Australia wiped out the family farm, and the entire family moved to Melbourne. In the city, he was exposed to many of the great artists of the time, and he soon saw his life as a quest to discover and express beauty through art.

In the 1940's, he became interested in Eastern spirituality and soon became a student of a Sufi shaikh. With the death of his Sufi teacher in the early 1950's, Brabazon became the head of the Sufi Movement in Australia.

About this time, Francis Brabazon met the Indian spiritual master Meher Baba, who had become the leader of the Sufi Movement that Brabazon belonged to. Brabazon made several trips to India to be with Meher Baba, eventually staying with him for ten years.

Meher Baba was a great lover of the ecstatic Sufi poets, like Hafiz and others, and he encouraged Francis Brabazon to write poetry along similar lines. Brabazon came to be known as "Meher Baba's poet."

Perhaps his best-known work is Stay With God, a book-length poem of devotion to Meher Baba and the spiritual path. In Dust I Sing, another much-loved (but hard to find) collection, is composed of Sufi ghazals written in English.

Poems by Francis Brabazon

	Dawn is a Friend
	Our drop souls are of the ocean of Truth
	The world is being run on time
	We have waited all night for you, and now the dawn is come.
	Once God, that Great Being, (from Stay With God)
	The Dawn-Song Of His Mouth (from Stay With God)

Recommended Books

	Francis Brabazon: Poet of the Silent World - A Modern Hafiz, by Ross Keeting Amazon.com
	In Dust I Sing, by Francis Brabazon Amazon.com
	Stay with God: A Statement in Illusion on Reality, by Francis Brabazon Amazon.com
	The Water Carrier: A Mosaic of the Poet, Brabazon, by Robert Rouse Amazon.com

Related Links:

	REALnothings - Francis Brabazon page http://www.REALnothings.com/Brabazonpage.htm A brief introduction to Brabazon, with several poems. Also includes Brabazon's brief Art As Practice of Devotion manifesto. Part of a good site by Max Reif dedicated to Meher Baba and the sacred poetry he loved and inspired.
	Meher Baba's Poet: Francis Brabazon http://indians.australians.com/meherbaba/francis.htm A good, brief biography of Francis Brabazon by Ross Keating.
	Love Street Books - Francis Brabazon http://www.lovestreetbookstore.com/books-by-francis.htm A good source for hard-to-find books of poetry by Francis Brabazon.
	Nadaom http://www.Nadaom.com Website of Raine Eastman-Gannett (Rani Didi), a devotional singer who was mentored by Francis Brabazon. A CD of Francis Brabazon's songs and stories are available on the site.

Please support the Poetry Chaikhana, as well as the authors and publishers of sacred poetry, by purchasing some of the recommended books through the links on this site. Thank you!

Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Francis Brabazon

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Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World