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A Year with Rumi: Daily Readings
Coleman Barks has played a central role in making the Sufi mystic Rumi the most popular poet in the world. A Year with Rumi brings together 365 of Barks's elegant and beautiful translations of Rumi's greatest poems, including fifteen never-before-published poems.
Barks includes an Introduction that sets Rumi in his context and an Afterword musing on poetry of the mysterious and the sacred. Join Coleman Barks and Rumi for a year-long journey into the mystical and sacred within and without. Join them in recognizing and embracing the divine in the sublime, in the ordinary, and in us all.
Barks includes an Introduction that sets Rumi in his context and an Afterword musing on poetry of the mysterious and the sacred. Join Coleman Barks and Rumi for a year-long journey into the mystical and sacred within and without. Join them in recognizing and embracing the divine in the sublime, in the ordinary, and in us all.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published October 31, 2006
About the author
Coleman Barks
90 books229 followersColeman Barks is an American poet. Despite the fact that he admittedly speaks no Persian, he is world-renowned as a translator of Rumi and other mystic poets of Persia. Barks taught literature at the University of Georgia for three decades. He makes frequent international appearances and is well-known throughout the Middle East. Barks's work has contributed to an extremely strong following of Rumi in the English-speaking world. Due to his work, the ideas of Sufism have crossed many cultural boundaries over the past few decades. Coleman Barks received an honorary doctorate from Tehran University in 2006.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
December 26, 2021
On the way you may want to look back, or not,
but if you can say, There is nothing ahead,
there will be nothing there.
but if you can say, There is nothing ahead,
there will be nothing there.
January 21, 2015
I bought and started "A Year with Rumi" on the morning of January 1, 2014 and finished on the evening of December 31, so for me, this truly was a year-long experience. I couldn't be happier that I did it.
Coleman Barks is the preeminent translator of Rumi's texts and has compiled a wonderful collection here. Each piece is thought-provoking; many days are more challenging than they are melodic or calming. Barks very, very loosely organizes poems in accordance with the Northern Hemisphere seasons -- for example, there are poems of rebirth in the spring and of changing colors in autumn -- but it's not rigid. There were times when I wished there'd been a little more logic, or at least readily apparent logic, to the order of the pieces. Overall, however, it was a good flow.
Not all pieces are home runs, and to be honest, there is some filler at times. With 366 days to cover and a relatively small amount of space to give to each, that's to be expected, but it's sometimes disappointing to hit an uninspiring section for a few days. If you stick with it, however, you're quickly rewarded. Of course you are; it's Rumi.
Reviewing Rumi's writing seems ridiculous, so I won't. What I will say is that you have to be someone who can appreciate the beauty in someone else's spirituality in order to experience Rumi, so if you've never read him, look up some of his work to sample before committing to a year-long adventure. If you're one to roll your eyes at declarations of love for God or someone with any Islamophobic leanings, 1) move along and 2) grow up.
Bottom line: I found this to be a very enjoyable, grounding, relaxing yet thoughtful experience for 2014. I recommend it to others with the ability to stick with it and who are willing to put aside ten or fifteen minutes every day for real reflection.
Coleman Barks is the preeminent translator of Rumi's texts and has compiled a wonderful collection here. Each piece is thought-provoking; many days are more challenging than they are melodic or calming. Barks very, very loosely organizes poems in accordance with the Northern Hemisphere seasons -- for example, there are poems of rebirth in the spring and of changing colors in autumn -- but it's not rigid. There were times when I wished there'd been a little more logic, or at least readily apparent logic, to the order of the pieces. Overall, however, it was a good flow.
Not all pieces are home runs, and to be honest, there is some filler at times. With 366 days to cover and a relatively small amount of space to give to each, that's to be expected, but it's sometimes disappointing to hit an uninspiring section for a few days. If you stick with it, however, you're quickly rewarded. Of course you are; it's Rumi.
Reviewing Rumi's writing seems ridiculous, so I won't. What I will say is that you have to be someone who can appreciate the beauty in someone else's spirituality in order to experience Rumi, so if you've never read him, look up some of his work to sample before committing to a year-long adventure. If you're one to roll your eyes at declarations of love for God or someone with any Islamophobic leanings, 1) move along and 2) grow up.
Bottom line: I found this to be a very enjoyable, grounding, relaxing yet thoughtful experience for 2014. I recommend it to others with the ability to stick with it and who are willing to put aside ten or fifteen minutes every day for real reflection.
December 8, 2019
https://leiturasdelaura.blogspot.com/...
SPOILER FREE
O poeta persa Rumi é um dos marcos da literatura mundial, tendo influenciado gerações de escritores, não apenas poetas. Quem acompanha o blog sabe que eu curto o autor também.
Esse foi meu primeiro livro do Rumi com tradução para o inglês e no formato Kindle. E posso dizer que curti a experiência. De forma geral, a tradução ficou bem interessante, e a seleção feita pelo Coleman Barks foi bem feita, tem muita coisa muito boa.
Por ser uma seleção para durar um ano inteiro, ela é um tanto longa, mas eu não fiz o proposto, que era ler um por dia, dependendo do dia, claro que li mais de uma poesia. Mesmo assim, o livro durou alguns meses na minha mão, até porque poesia não é para ser lida aos montes de uma vez.
O livro também tem uma introdução e um posfácio bem interessantes, que também valem a leitura.
De forma geral, eu sempre indico a leitura de Rumi, exceto quando a tradução é realmente ruim, infelizmente esses casos existem. Mas, não é esse o caso, pode pegar esse volume e se fartar sem medo!
SPOILER FREE
O poeta persa Rumi é um dos marcos da literatura mundial, tendo influenciado gerações de escritores, não apenas poetas. Quem acompanha o blog sabe que eu curto o autor também.
Esse foi meu primeiro livro do Rumi com tradução para o inglês e no formato Kindle. E posso dizer que curti a experiência. De forma geral, a tradução ficou bem interessante, e a seleção feita pelo Coleman Barks foi bem feita, tem muita coisa muito boa.
Por ser uma seleção para durar um ano inteiro, ela é um tanto longa, mas eu não fiz o proposto, que era ler um por dia, dependendo do dia, claro que li mais de uma poesia. Mesmo assim, o livro durou alguns meses na minha mão, até porque poesia não é para ser lida aos montes de uma vez.
O livro também tem uma introdução e um posfácio bem interessantes, que também valem a leitura.
De forma geral, eu sempre indico a leitura de Rumi, exceto quando a tradução é realmente ruim, infelizmente esses casos existem. Mas, não é esse o caso, pode pegar esse volume e se fartar sem medo!
January 19, 2019
This book is the mastermind and the responsible one in making Rumi as famous as he is now in US. Rumi has become pop-culture phenomenon because of this book. However, there is something you need to know about Coleman Barks before we can even talk about this book. "Barks does not speak or read Persian; his 'translations' are therefore technically paraphrases. Barks bases his paraphrases entirely on other English translations of Rumi which include renderings by John Moyne and Reynold A. Nicholson. In addition, while the original Persian poetry of Rumi is heavily rhymed and metered, Barks has used primarily free verse. In some instances, he will also skip or mix lines and metaphors from different poems into one 'translation'."
If you are an avid reader and Sufi follower as Mawlana Rumi, you would notice that this poetry book is lacking, as if those poems are translated not in any care of Rumi's soul. There is huge absence of tawhid or creed in 85% of them as if Rumi was polytheism and not a Muslim poet. There is a dearth of beautiful nuances of Persian language. I used to work with Persian speakers and that language is more beautiful and poetic than Arabic as it has rhythms that is like no other, in my eyes, hence this whole book was missing that. As if you cook Persian food without saffron, rose water and sumac, it is pushing the boundary of blasphemous.
Hence, the low rating I am giving this book is not because of Mawlana Rumi but because of the distorted of the translation works. One of a Sufi lecturer that taught me two years ago in Rihla by Deen Intensive, Feraidoon Mojadeddi informed us that the best translator for Rumi would be those collection of Masnavi by Jawid Mojaddedi. He told us, if you translate a text without understanding the language which the text is written in, only 50% of the meaning is carried correctly true. My apologies if this whole review leaves you queasy, but kindly do not gift me this book. I will shred it and use the cover as bookmark, maybe that can breath new life to this book as it is in dire of one.
If you are an avid reader and Sufi follower as Mawlana Rumi, you would notice that this poetry book is lacking, as if those poems are translated not in any care of Rumi's soul. There is huge absence of tawhid or creed in 85% of them as if Rumi was polytheism and not a Muslim poet. There is a dearth of beautiful nuances of Persian language. I used to work with Persian speakers and that language is more beautiful and poetic than Arabic as it has rhythms that is like no other, in my eyes, hence this whole book was missing that. As if you cook Persian food without saffron, rose water and sumac, it is pushing the boundary of blasphemous.
Hence, the low rating I am giving this book is not because of Mawlana Rumi but because of the distorted of the translation works. One of a Sufi lecturer that taught me two years ago in Rihla by Deen Intensive, Feraidoon Mojadeddi informed us that the best translator for Rumi would be those collection of Masnavi by Jawid Mojaddedi. He told us, if you translate a text without understanding the language which the text is written in, only 50% of the meaning is carried correctly true. My apologies if this whole review leaves you queasy, but kindly do not gift me this book. I will shred it and use the cover as bookmark, maybe that can breath new life to this book as it is in dire of one.
January 4, 2010
I only spent about a half-year with Rumi, but that was because the poetry is so wonderful and Rumi's voice so startlingly fresh that I raced through this splendid volume. If you haven't run across this remarkable 15th Century poet before, this fat volume is a good place to start. You'll find an arresting image, thought, or musing on nearly every page.
October 22, 2009
My favourite book of poems, I read them 3 years ago and I like to read them again every couple of years. Regardless that Rumi lived in the 13th century, his poems are modern and relevant to our time, their meaning did not change with time and their beauty speaks with the heart.
December 31, 2020
This is … so many things: Beautiful, profoundly moving, radiant, transcendent. I also found it heartbreaking at times while somehow, often consoling in the same breath.
I actually started reading this in 2019, but missed so many days that I started it over in 2020. And a more propitious time for me to have chosen to read this I can't even imagine, for so many reasons. This book has been one of the things that has helped sustain me in a very difficult year. I plan to read it all over again in 2021, and possibly beyond.
Since I'm posting this on Dec. 31, and because I can never think of a better way to recommend or to express the essence of a written work than to share some of it, here is an excerpt from the book. Fittingly, these are the December 30 and December 31 readings. I am particularly partial to the first line (which puts me so much in mind of Leonard Cohen's song "Love Itself" - one of my most beloved songs of all time, and if you don't know it: Go find and listen to it!), and also to the final half of the poem:
"Say Who I Am (1)
I am dust particles in sunlight
I am the round sun.
To the bits of dust I say, Stay.
To the sun, Keep moving
I am the morning mist,
and the breathing of evening.
I am wind in the top of a grove,
and surf on the cliff.
Mast, rudder, helmsman, and keel,
I am also the coral reef they founder on.
I am a tree with a trained parrot in it's branches.
Silence, thought, and voice."
"Say Who I Am (2)
The musical air coming through a flute,
a spark off a stone, a flickering in metal.
Both candle,
and the moth crazy around it.
Rose, and the nightingale
lost in fragrance.
I am all orders of being, the circling galaxy,
the evolutionary intelligence,
the lift and the falling away.
What is and what isn't.
You who know Jelaluddin,
you the one in all,
say you I am.
Say I am you."
Obviously, I highly, highly recommend <3
I actually started reading this in 2019, but missed so many days that I started it over in 2020. And a more propitious time for me to have chosen to read this I can't even imagine, for so many reasons. This book has been one of the things that has helped sustain me in a very difficult year. I plan to read it all over again in 2021, and possibly beyond.
Since I'm posting this on Dec. 31, and because I can never think of a better way to recommend or to express the essence of a written work than to share some of it, here is an excerpt from the book. Fittingly, these are the December 30 and December 31 readings. I am particularly partial to the first line (which puts me so much in mind of Leonard Cohen's song "Love Itself" - one of my most beloved songs of all time, and if you don't know it: Go find and listen to it!), and also to the final half of the poem:
"Say Who I Am (1)
I am dust particles in sunlight
I am the round sun.
To the bits of dust I say, Stay.
To the sun, Keep moving
I am the morning mist,
and the breathing of evening.
I am wind in the top of a grove,
and surf on the cliff.
Mast, rudder, helmsman, and keel,
I am also the coral reef they founder on.
I am a tree with a trained parrot in it's branches.
Silence, thought, and voice."
"Say Who I Am (2)
The musical air coming through a flute,
a spark off a stone, a flickering in metal.
Both candle,
and the moth crazy around it.
Rose, and the nightingale
lost in fragrance.
I am all orders of being, the circling galaxy,
the evolutionary intelligence,
the lift and the falling away.
What is and what isn't.
You who know Jelaluddin,
you the one in all,
say you I am.
Say I am you."
Obviously, I highly, highly recommend <3
December 31, 2020
Over the last year I spent each morning reading one of these poems. It has been a joy. Some days I forgot and read the poem later in the day. Some days it was the first thing. As the year progressed, I learned how to start my day with ease, without anxiety, and with a smile. Even the sad poems, the deeper thought provoking poems...all left me with a smile.
August 20, 2012
I have been re-reading these short writings of the 13th century poet, Rumi, for three or four years; the length of each one is ideal for a thoughtful drift into sleep each evening. His poetry obliterates all dogma of any one religion in favor of innate wisdom which explains why it is read and quoted the world over.
A quote from May 27
..."At night before sleeping you take off the tight shoes,
and your soul releases into a place it knows.
Dream and glide deeper."
A quote from May 27
..."At night before sleeping you take off the tight shoes,
and your soul releases into a place it knows.
Dream and glide deeper."
August 22, 2020
A collection of 366 poems by Sufi mystic poet Rumi. The collection contains a wide range of poems, some very sensual and beautiful, some silly and a few beyond my comprehension or appreciation. Rufi’s poems reflect on themes from many traditions, including Zen, Islam, Tao and Judaism. Many of the poems were uplifting; many gave me much to ponder. I read the book twice and will read it again.
December 16, 2019
Love starting each day with Rumi.
January 26, 2015
Born in Afghanistan in the early thirteenth century, Rumi and his family moved to what is now Turkey where he wrote these mystic Sufi poems. Mr. Barks’ interpretations present the poems in an accessible, modern format (he provides some background and an explanation of his working methods in the introduction).
The modern poet Robert Bly talks about “leaping” poetry, which is what these poems do -- taking the reader with them in their abrupt but poignant transitions between images and ideas:
“Solomon lifts his morning cup to the mountains./Sit down in this pavilion,/and don’t listen to religious bickering./Be silent as we absorb the spring.” Dark Sweetness
“The morning wind spreads its fresh smell./We must get up to take that in,/that wind that lets us live./Breathe, before it’s gone.” Morning Wind
“I swear by the one who never says ‘tomorrow’,/as the circle of the moon never agrees/to sell installments of light./It gives all it has.” The Polisher
“Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round/in another form. The child weaned from mother’s milk/now drinks wine and honey mixed./God’s joy moves from unmarked box to unmarked box,/from cell to cell. As rainwater, down into flowerbed./As roses, up from ground.” Unmarked Boxes
“Walk to the well./Turn as the earth and the moon turn,/circling what they love./Whatever circles comes from the center.” Whatever Circles
The modern poet Robert Bly talks about “leaping” poetry, which is what these poems do -- taking the reader with them in their abrupt but poignant transitions between images and ideas:
“Solomon lifts his morning cup to the mountains./Sit down in this pavilion,/and don’t listen to religious bickering./Be silent as we absorb the spring.” Dark Sweetness
“The morning wind spreads its fresh smell./We must get up to take that in,/that wind that lets us live./Breathe, before it’s gone.” Morning Wind
“I swear by the one who never says ‘tomorrow’,/as the circle of the moon never agrees/to sell installments of light./It gives all it has.” The Polisher
“Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round/in another form. The child weaned from mother’s milk/now drinks wine and honey mixed./God’s joy moves from unmarked box to unmarked box,/from cell to cell. As rainwater, down into flowerbed./As roses, up from ground.” Unmarked Boxes
“Walk to the well./Turn as the earth and the moon turn,/circling what they love./Whatever circles comes from the center.” Whatever Circles
December 31, 2017
My favorites:
January 11: Backpain
January 17: Love Moves Away
February 25: My Worst Habit
May 4: The Most Alive Moment
July 20: People Want You to Be Happy
August 29: Harsh Evidence
September 11: Dance
October 14: Autumn Rose Elegy
October 31: Undressing
November 6: Unmarked Boxes
November 22: The Guest House
December 23: Cry Easily
January 11: Backpain
January 17: Love Moves Away
February 25: My Worst Habit
May 4: The Most Alive Moment
July 20: People Want You to Be Happy
August 29: Harsh Evidence
September 11: Dance
October 14: Autumn Rose Elegy
October 31: Undressing
November 6: Unmarked Boxes
November 22: The Guest House
December 23: Cry Easily
January 5, 2013
A superb introduction to not only the Sufi poet but to Coleman Barks as well. Some of the poems did prompt to reflect and meditate on current scenes in my life, yet not all the poems hit home... which is fine because that is what poetry tends to do.
Read
February 28, 2010Everything that is important I learn from this book!
September 27, 2011
I enjoyed the poems in this book a lot. They are some of the best Rumi poems.
January 5, 2014
Rumi is timeless! No matter how many times I read through this day book--there is something new that hits me. I enjoy spending the year with his beautiful words and elegant thoughts.
Rumi rocks!
Rumi rocks!
March 10, 2016
This was my first introduction to Rumi; life changer. Really beautiful, powerful words.
December 27, 2009
I start my day with it.
December 31, 2014
What a journey, reading Rumi' s beautiful words of wisdom has been a true pleasure.
Read
January 29, 2022There are those who believe that poetry can't be translated, who believe that a poem must be read in its original language to be fully appreciated. I don't know whether or not I agree, but I can think of a number of examples that support this argument - the most egregious example being the Coleman Barks "translations" of Rumi.
Above is a version of a Rumi poem "translated" by Coleman Barks ("translated" in quotes because Barks can neither read nor speak Persian). Below is a literal translation of the same poem.
The poems of Rumi are sacred, and the "translations" of Coleman Barks are profane - as any act of cultural erasure intended to secularize content for an undiserning audience would be considered profane. I urge everyone to seek out better translations, and to read more about these faux-translations here: Persian Poetics
Out beyond ideas
of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
there is a field.
I'll meet you there.
Above is a version of a Rumi poem "translated" by Coleman Barks ("translated" in quotes because Barks can neither read nor speak Persian). Below is a literal translation of the same poem.
Beyond kufr and Islam there is a desert plain,
in that middle space our passions reign.
When the gnostic arrives there he'll prostrate himself,
not kufr, not Islam, nor is thereany space in that domain.
The poems of Rumi are sacred, and the "translations" of Coleman Barks are profane - as any act of cultural erasure intended to secularize content for an undiserning audience would be considered profane. I urge everyone to seek out better translations, and to read more about these faux-translations here: Persian Poetics
December 5, 2019
A lover looks at creekwater
and wants to be that quick to fall,
to kneel all the way down in full prostration.
A lover wants to die of his love,
like a man with dropsy who knows
that water will kill him, but he cannot deny
his thirst. A lover loves death,
which is God's way of helping us evolve
from mineral to vegetable to animal,
each onward form incorporating the others.
Then the animal becomes Adam,
and the next stage will take us beyond
what we can imagine into the mystery
of We are all returning
Do not fear death. Spill your jug into the river.
Your attributes will disappear,
but the essence moves on.
Your shame and fear are like felt layers
covering coldness. Throw them off
and rush naked into the joy of death.
and wants to be that quick to fall,
to kneel all the way down in full prostration.
A lover wants to die of his love,
like a man with dropsy who knows
that water will kill him, but he cannot deny
his thirst. A lover loves death,
which is God's way of helping us evolve
from mineral to vegetable to animal,
each onward form incorporating the others.
Then the animal becomes Adam,
and the next stage will take us beyond
what we can imagine into the mystery
of We are all returning
Do not fear death. Spill your jug into the river.
Your attributes will disappear,
but the essence moves on.
Your shame and fear are like felt layers
covering coldness. Throw them off
and rush naked into the joy of death.
December 31, 2018
A Year with Rumi
I have now completed my year with Rumi. I must confess I read him every six out of seven days. Some days were elegant. Some days were so poignant I copied the poem and hung it on my bathroom mirror. Some were so thought provoking I journaled on them in deep thought. Some were head scratchers and I have no idea what he was writing about. It was good for my soul. It was also good to see that not everything Rumi wrote spoke to my soul. I had placed him on a pedestal and while he is still up there, I now have a healthier view of him. This was a good exercise and I may repeat it again in 2019.
I have now completed my year with Rumi. I must confess I read him every six out of seven days. Some days were elegant. Some days were so poignant I copied the poem and hung it on my bathroom mirror. Some were so thought provoking I journaled on them in deep thought. Some were head scratchers and I have no idea what he was writing about. It was good for my soul. It was also good to see that not everything Rumi wrote spoke to my soul. I had placed him on a pedestal and while he is still up there, I now have a healthier view of him. This was a good exercise and I may repeat it again in 2019.
July 15, 2019
As much as I’ve loved reading anything with Rumi poetry, this was not my favorite collection. In fact, it became so laborious to read it day by day, I finally quickly read through the rest, selecting the poems I was drawn to read. There were 2 or 3 old favorites - especially Guest House and the one with the line about kissing the ground.
There were 15 -20 new ones that were lovely and the kind of Rumi poem I usually love. That means there were close to 300 I was not crazy about.
I would recommend any other collection by him.
There were 15 -20 new ones that were lovely and the kind of Rumi poem I usually love. That means there were close to 300 I was not crazy about.
I would recommend any other collection by him.
October 17, 2021
This book has 365 of Rumi's poems, one for each day of the year. I would consider purchasing this but found it hard to remember to read a new poem each day, and I certainly didn't connect with very single one of the 45ish poems I read over the time I had the book (I typically read a few each morning since they are short). However, I did add a handful of poems to my stingy collection of favorite poetry, which I feel very grateful for, and I remain awed by Rumi's ability to speak meaningfully to humans 700 years into the future.
August 24, 2023
Those who don’t feel this Love
pulling them like a river,
those who don’t drink dawn
like a cup of spring water
or take in sunset like supper,
those who don’t want to change,
let them sleep.
This Love is beyond the study of theology,
that old trickery and hypocrisy.
I you want to improve your mind that way,
sleep on.
I’ve given up on my brain.
I’ve torn the cloth to shreds
and thrown it away.
If you’re not completely naked,
wrap your beautiful robe of words
around you,
and sleep.
pulling them like a river,
those who don’t drink dawn
like a cup of spring water
or take in sunset like supper,
those who don’t want to change,
let them sleep.
This Love is beyond the study of theology,
that old trickery and hypocrisy.
I you want to improve your mind that way,
sleep on.
I’ve given up on my brain.
I’ve torn the cloth to shreds
and thrown it away.
If you’re not completely naked,
wrap your beautiful robe of words
around you,
and sleep.
February 21, 2019
I tried to read one entry per day, but clearly did not always do that. They were interesting, sometimes thought-provoking, but would probably be more impactful if I knew more about Rumi and his beliefs, use of symbols, way of life, etc. So maybe after reading a biography, I will pursue it again...
June 20, 2019
Rumi's epigrammatic and poetic shorts are justifiably admired but like many other writers and artists whose work has been criticized recently for sexism or racism, in terms of the former it does not hold up well. Furthermore, Rumi's flaws in this regard do not require scrutiny even when you try to view the sexism as symbolic. It's just out there - bald, unwavering.
July 27, 2019
Every morning, over the last year, I have started my day with Rumi. And I am better for it. There were many times I had to read the daily poem more than once, and even then there were times that I'm not sure I fully grasped it. There were other days that it just immediately resonated. Highly recommend! Now, on to a year of Mary Oliver. :)
May 7, 2021
I've reached a point where I think I've read every day in this book over the past two years (caught up with the months I missed last year), but I continue to read it regularly. :) Beautiful, beautiful writing and wonderful insights. I love that there are days where the verses are perfectly fitted to the day I'm having, or at the very least give me a lot to think about...
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