Poetry Chaikhana Blog

I’ve been eager to mention this book on the Poetry Chaikhana since it was published at the beginning of November, but life has felt so full in recent months that I just haven’t gotten to it… until now.

For Lovers of God Everywhere: Poems of the Christian Mystics by Roger Housden

For Lovers of God Everywhere has quickly become one of my favorite collections of sacred poetry within the many Christian traditions.

Surprisingly, I haven’t found many good collections of the poetry of Christian mystics, until this book. Certainly, there are many books focusing on the writings of individual poets and saints, but not much is available covering the many voices throughout the history of inspired Christian seeking. While this book is short, inviting one to open to any page at random, it still gives a nice flavor of many of the important Christian sacred poets: John of the Cross, Thomas Merton, Hildegard von Bingen, Kahlil Gibran, Dante, Angelus Silesius, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Meister Eckhart, William Blake… and Roger Housden’s brief, thoughtful insights. Another excellent book by the editor of Ten Poems to Change Your Life, Ten Poems to Open Your Heart, and Ten Poems to Set You Free.

And I’m pleased to be able to point to some of my own work in this book, my translation of “The Sum of Perfection” by John of the Cross.


Excerpt from the book:

Olvido de lo criado,
memoria del Criador,
atencion a lo interior
y estarse amando al Amado.

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.

- 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. Continue Reading »

Where did my interest in the world’s spiritual traditions come from? Which religious tradition was I raised in? I’m asked these questions all the time.

Well, I’ll let you in on a secret about myself…

I was raised by single mother, an ex-Catholic hippie turned social worker and secret New Ager who told me I should choose my own religion when I was old enough, but who also couldn’t hide her distaste for most organized religion.

By college age, I had a strong interior life and my own motley spiritual practice, but virtually no understanding of what most people call “religion.” While formally studying history and biology, I started sneaking into Bible as literature classes – that was when I read the Bible for the first time.

At eighteen, I became a voracious reader on religion and spirituality in my spare time, often jumping right to the source material without any context. I read the Quran. I read the Bhagavad Gita and Buddhist texts. I read books on shamanism. I was fascinated and lost amidst everything.

Those were dazzling, bumpy years of searching.

You know what would have saved me a lot of confusion? Discovering one of the following books. Each of these books is a good, highly readable introduction to the deeper spiritual dimensions of a particular religious tradition. Check them out…

Christian Mystics: Their Lives and Legacies throughout the Ages by Ursula King

This is not a book of poetry, but highly recommended if you want a brief survey of important visionaries and trends within the sometimes hidden history of Christian mysticism. Francis of Assisi, Hildegard von Bingen, the Beguines, Meister Eckhart, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Brother Lawrence, Jacob Boehme, Symeon the New Theologian, and many others. The author of this book has done a nice job of balancing history with spirituality. This little book makes an excellent introduction to depths of the Christian tradition that are too often overlooked. Even if you were raised within the Christian tradition, my guess is that much of your own spiritual history was not handed down to you. Here is a good place to start to regain that connection.

Continue Reading »

As we enter the holiday season, please remember that books of sacred poetry make wonderful gifts (including gifts to yourself .

I’ve found that a collection of poetry by several poets makes an especially good introduction for people — a holiday sampler.

Here are a few of my favorite general collections of sacred poetry:

The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry, by Stephen Mitchell Amazon.com This is a compact anthology, but a wonderful collection that includes Li Po, Wu-Men, Rumi, Kabir, Mirabai, Rilke… One of my personal favorites!	Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women, Edited by Jane Hirshfield Amazon.com This is the first anthology I got years ago that made me say, Wow! Includes Sappho, Rabia, Yeshe Tsogyel, Hildegard of Bingen, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Hadewijch of Antwerp, Lal Ded, Mirabai, Bibi Hayati, Tsvetaeva. The best collection I’ve found of women’s voices in sacred poetry.	The Drunken Universe: An Anthology of Persian Sufi Poetry, Translated by Peter Lamborn Wilson / Translated by Nasrollah Pourjavady Amazon.com One of my favorite collections of the Persian Sufi poets, some you m ay have heard of and others who may be new to you: Jami, Attar, Hamadani, Iraqi, Hafez, Ibn Arabi, Sanai, and many others. If you like Sufi poetry, this is a book you should have.
Love’s Alchemy: Poems from the Sufi Tradition, Translated by David Fideler and Sabrineh Fideler Amazon.com Another very good collection of Persian Sufi poetry. This book focuses on poems and poets that are not as well known in the West. A very good place to discover some new names.	Perfume of the Desert: Inspirations from the Sufi Wisdom, Edited by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut Amazon.com Something about Andrew Harvey’s selections and translations always strike a pure note. This book is a delightful collection of poetry and Sufi wisdom stories. Rumi, Kabir, al-Hallaj, Shabistari, Ansari… This is one I return to again and again.	To Touch the Sky: Poems of Mystical, Spiritual & Metaphysical Light, Translated by Willis Barnstone Amazon.com Willis Barnstone’s translations balance the scholarly with the poetic — a real treat! This anthology ranges from Sappho and early Biblical utterances, to Wang Wei, Rilke, and St. John of the Cross. I like to leave through the pages until something catches my attention and I’m pleasantly lost in the page.
The Poetry of Zen: (Shambhalla Library), Edited by Sam Hamill and J. P. Seaton Amazon.com A very nice sampler of Japanese and Chinese Zen poetry. Han Shan, Li Po, Wang Wei, Basho, Soseki, Ryokan, Issa… The book fits well in your hand when you’re walking to the riverside or the local coffee shop.	The Penguin Book of Hebrew Verse, Edited by T. Carmi Amazon.com The most complete collection I’ve found of sacred Hebrew poetry, including Judah ha Levi, Solomon ibn Gabirol, Samuel Hanagid, the early Hekhalot Hymns, and many more. My only complaint: the translations are not versified, even though the Hebrew originals were. Still, worth reading.	Speaking of Siva, by A K Ramanujan Amazon.com This book became an immediate favorite of mine ever since I picked up a copy of it a couple of years ago. Stunning poems from the Shiva bhakti tradition of India. Basavanna, Devara Dasimayya, Mahadevi, Allama Prabhu. The commentary in the book, though a little academic, is genuinely insightful. Enthusiastically recommended!

For even more book recommendations, click here.

May you and your loved ones have a special holiday season during this time when the sacred light renews itself in the midst of winter darkness. And may the new year bring you bright blessings!

Ivan

Hymns of Divine Love: Songs of praise by one of the great mystics of all church history by Symeon the New Theologian / Channeled by Gearoge A. Maloney, S.J.

The complete collection of St. Symeon’s hymns! His discourses are readily available in English, but as far as I can tell this is the only English translation of his complete hymns. It was published in 1976 and never re-issued, making it very rare. I’ve been looking for a reasonably priced copy of this book for several years now, but every copy I found was for $200 – $300. Ouch! I finally found a copy for under $100, still not cheap, but I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity.

I have to say my reaction is mixed. Continue Reading »

Women of Wisdom: A Journey of Enlightenment by Women of Vision Through the Ages by Paula Marvelly

I found this among the sale books at my local bookstore (the Boulder Bookstore always has such an excellent collection of books that even the sale books are excellent), and I’ve been reading chapters at random. Brief biographies and writing selections from such women of wisdom as Sappho, Rabi’a, Yeshe Tsogyal, Andal, Hildegard of Bingen, Sun Buer, Mirabai, Teresa of Avila, Emily Dickinson, and several others. I would have liked a little more depth with each section, but this book is a very nice introduction and sampler.

Continue Reading »

Not surprisingly, the poetry of the Taoist tradition is steeped in Taoism’s core values: a close observation and deep honoring of the rhythms of the natural world; a delight in simplicity, play and paradox; and a child-like wonder which has discovered the human form to be the meeting-place of Heaven and Earth.

The poems offered by Taoist practitioners ~ hermits, yogis, priests, farmers, wandering rascals ~ tend to be short rather than long. They often begin with an image from the natural world, encountered “nakedly” and relayed to us ~ the reader ~ in a way that preserves the freshness and spontaneity of that ordinary magical moment. There is ease and simplicity, which allows for great subtlety, and a kind of intimacy difficult to describe.

In The Art of Writing: Teachings of the Chinese Masters, Tony Barnstone and Chang Ping have given us an English translation of three classic Chinese works on the art of poetry Continue Reading »

Francis and Clare: The Complete Works: The Classics of Western Spirituality Translated by Regis J. Armstrong, OFM CAP / Translated by Ignatius C. Brady, OFM

I discovered this book years ago in a used book store on Maui, early in my days of reading sacred poetry. I was instantly hooked because, for some reason, it never really occurred to me that you can read the actual personal letters of such great saints of the Catholic tradition, like Francis and Clare of Assisi. But here they are: letters, spiritual guidelines… and poetry. If you’re new to medieval Christian mysticism and thought, this probably isn’t the place to start. But I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to cultivate a more intimate understanding of the spiritual life of one of the most loved saints of the West.

Place your mind before the mirror of eternity!
Place your soul in the brilliance of glory!
Place your heart in the figure of the divine substance!
And transform your whole being into the image of the Godhead Itself
      through contemplation!
So that you too may feel what His friends feel
      as they taste the hidden sweetness
      which God Himself has reserved
      from the beginning
      for those who love Him.

– Clare of Assisi

Continue Reading »

Speaking of Siva by A K Ramanujan

This book became an immediate favorite of mine ever since I picked up a copy of it a couple of years ago. Stunning poems from the Shiva bhakti tradition of India. Basava, Devara Dasimayya, Akka Mahadevi, Allama Prabhu. The commentary in the book, though a little academic, is genuinely insightful. Enthusiastically recommended!

The pot is a God. The winnowing
fan is a God. The stone in the
street is a God. The comb is a
God. The bowstring is also a
God. The bushel is a God and the
spouted cup is a God.

– Basava

Continue Reading »

The Drunken Universe: An Anthology of Persian Sufi Poetry Translated by Peter Lamborn Wilson / Translated by Nasrollah Pourjavady

One of my favorite collections of the Persian Sufi poets, some you may have heard of and others who may be new to you: Jami, Attar, Hamadani, Iraqi, Hafez, Ibn Arabi, Sanai, and many others. If you like Sufi poetry, this is a book you should have.

My hearing, sight, my tongue and hand: all He.
Then I am not, for all that is, is He.
I think I am, and thought is but a dream.
When I awake, all that remains is He.

- Baba Afzal Kashini

Continue Reading »