Jan 25 2009
Two Book Recommendations: The Joyous Soul and Turkish Sufis
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Quarreling with God: Mystic Rebel Poems of the Dervishes of Turkey Translated by Jennifer Ferraro / Translated by Latif Bolat |
This is an excellent sampling of poetry of Turkish Sufis, most of whom haven’t been translated into English until now. You’ll find a few poems by well-known figures, like Yunus Emre, but many other stunning works by names you’re less likely to have heard of, such as Ummi Sinan, Kul Himmet, Seyh Ibrahim Efendi, and Niyazi Misri. Recommended.
They say the Sufi way
is to give one’s life away.
The Sufi way is to become a sultan
on the throne of the soul.
In the station of the Path,
it is to destroy appearances.
In the station of Reality,
it is to become a guest
in the innermost palace of the heart…
- from The Sufi Way, by Seyh Ibrahim Efendi
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The Soul is Here for its Own Joy: Sacred Poems from Many Cultures Edited by Robert Bly |
Another good, wide-ranging selection of sacred poetry gathered by Robert Bly. From Hafiz to Freidrich Holderlin, Mirabai to Mirza Ghalib, Rumi to Rilke. A very good book to pick up, open to a random page, and then disappear…
The Footprint
In this world of infinite possibility
I look around for the second step
of desire–
All I see is one footprint!
- Mirza Ghalib
Bliss says:
we are all melting into one another
like a popsicle in the Sun–
it is messy
it is fragrant and full of color–
enjoy it as a Child would!
do not grab a napkin
or clean
do not worry about the result
but be in the moment
tasting the juices of Life
Bliss says:
Obama is a
Sufi
Karma
Jnana Yogi
and is
surrounded
by invisible help–
the Violet Flame
of Freedom
the Peace of
Gandhiji and Kwan Yin
the love of Divine Mother
the conviction of Martin Luther
Yogananda–
and his daughters
his daughters
are Starlight
Bliss says:
the Earth calls to yu
like a distant drum
right beneath yu
Bliss says:
change right now
without moving a muscle
shift into a Dragon of Love