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Francis Brabazon Australia (1907 - 1984) Timeline Muslim / Sufi Secular or Eclectic Poems by Francis Brabazon Books - Links |
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
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In Dust I Sing | Stay with God: A Statement in Illusion on Reality | Francis Brabazon: Poet of the Silent World - A Modern Hafiz | The Water Carrier: A Mosaic of the Poet, Brabazon |
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.