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The minute I heard my first love story by Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi (1207 - 1273) Timeline English version by Coleman Barks Original Language Persian/Farsi Muslim / Sufi 13th Century 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.     -- from Open Secret: Versions of Rumi, Translated by Coleman Barks / Translated by John Moyne Amazon.com	Themes   Lover and Beloved   Sound       Recommended Books Delicious Laughter: Rambunctious Teaching Stories from the Mathnawi of Jelaluddin Rumi, Translated by Coleman Barks East Window: Poems from Asia, Translated by W. S. Merwin The Essential Rumi, Translated by Coleman Barks A Garden Beyond Paradise: Love Poems of Rumi, by Jonathan Star / Shahram Shiva The Hand of Poetry: Five Mystic Poets of Persia, with Lectures by Inayat Khan, Translated by Coleman Barks More >>
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Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

I really like this brief excerpt of a Rumi poem as rendered by Coleman Barks. Without wasting a word, it beautifully suggests the mystic realization that occurs with the recognition that the Beloved is already present within. Devotion suddenly collapses inward in self-fulfilment. There is no "I" and "Thou," only union.

Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2011 by Ivan M. Granger.
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