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Tales From Rumi: Mathnawi Selections For Young Readers (2010)

by Rumi(Favorite Author)

4.07 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

Poetry

publisher

Tughra Books

review 1: Rumi: child prodigy born in Afganistan in 1207, moved to Turkey while young, founded the order of the Dervishes (Whirling Dervishes), based on the belief that dancing released the soul from the prison of the body and allowed it to join in union with the divine source.The Mathnawi functions as a bible for the Sufis. Values include turning away from the sins of lust and pride.___________________"Exertion is giving thanks for god's blessings." (21)"Can a cock who crows too soon expect peace?" (21)"Life, like a stream of water, is renewed and renewed,Though it wears the appearance of continuity in form.That seeming continuity arises from its swift renewal,As when a single spark be whirled round swiftly,It seems to the eye a continuous line of fire." (28)"Past and future are wh... moreat veil God from our sight.Burn up both of them with fire! How longWilt thou be partitioned by these segments as a reed? (39)Every man takes refugee in some form of service,And chooses for himself some asylum. (44)Be not weak of heart,Nor yet sluggish and lax as water and mud;But if thou tamest umbrage at every rub,How wilt though become a polished mirror? (46)Distinguish well true dawn from false dawn,distinguish the color of the wine from that of the cup;So that, instead of many eyes of caprice,One eye may be opened through patience and constancy.Then you will behold true colors instead of false,And precious jewels in lieu of stones.But what is a jewel? Nay, you will be an ocean of pearls;Yea, a sun that measures the heavens! (53)Doing kindness is the game and quarry of good men,A good man seeks in the world only pains to cure.Wherever there is a pain there goes the remedy,Wherever there is poverty there goes relief.Seek not water, only show you are thirsty,That water may spring up all around you. (62)What is it that charms vain men but vanity?What else pleases the foolish but folly? (65) Stench of pride, stench of lust, stench of greed,All these stink like onions when a man speaks.Though thou swearest, saying, "When have I eaten?Have I not abstained from onions and garlic?"The very breath of that oath tells tales,As it strikes the nostrils of them that sit with thee. (83)Eat the words of wisdom, for veiled lightIs not accepted in preference to unveiled light. (92)Men in pain have to time for other thoughts. (98)I gather beauty even from the thorn of disgrace. (107)Calamity may avert a greater calamity, ... loss may ward off a more grievous loss. (108)One must judge of the hidden by the manifest. (111)In the world there is nothing absolutely bad; ... evil is only relative. (113)So, when the mighty phoenix hovers over your head,Causing your soul to rumble at the motion of its wings,You venture not to stir from your place,Lest that bird of good fortune should take wing.You hold your breath and repress your coughs,So as not to scare that phoenix into flying away.And if one say a word to you, whether good or bad,You place finger on lip, as much as to say, "Be silent."That phoenix is bewilderment, it makes you silent;The kettle is silent, though it is a boiling all the while. (152)To tell an angry man of his faults one needs to have a face as hard as a mirror, which reflects his ugliness without fear or favor. (155)He who has once embraced a living mistress will never put up with a dead one. (156)"The world is carrion, and they who seek it are dogs;" and the Koran says, "The present life is no other than a pastime and a sport; but the future mansion is life indeed."Love has naught to do with five senses or six sides,Its only aim is to be attracted to the Beloved! (160)When the wind blows the grass off the water, The water then shows forth its own purity.Behold the bright and fresh sprays of coral,And the princely fruits growing in the water of life! (162)'Tis reason, sense, perception, thought, and life.In the old women, life is infused. (164)Since, then, the principle of soul is knowledge,He who knows most is most full of soul.Knowledge is the effect flowing from soul;He who has most of it is most godlike.Seeing then, beloved, that knowledge is the mark of soul,He who knows most has the strongest soul. (165)Men's bodies are like pitchers with closed mouths;Beware, till you see what is inside them.The pitcher of this body holds the water of life,Whilst that one holds deadly poison.If you look at the contents you are wise;If you look only at the vessel you are misguided. (170)The form misleads, but the inner meaning guides. (170)To the truly spiritual, who have drunk of god's wine ... , death is an occasion for rejoicing, not for wailing. (172)__________________Why did god create pain? p. 26, 87Do humans have free will? p. 34, 147, 148, 149Does god think you are flawed? p. 38References to murdering children, p. 49; dead children are candy for god p. 104Reason, p. 59, 151Do not make friends with fools, p. 61Masochism, p. 70, 87, 141Sexism, p. 71, 77Racism, p. 106, 115Willful ignorance, p. 72Art, p. 73Consequences of doing good, p. 75Self-righteousness/Holier than thou condescension, p. 77Why you shouldn't eat babies, p. 80-81Why pray? p. 105Habit, p. 119Slavery, p. 149___________________As a music therapist, I dislike the story of the harpist (beginning p. 34) because in order to be at peace with his god he has to give up music. That's a damn shame.___________________
review 2: Muy bueno. Rumi tiene un sentido del humor sutil, algunos cuentos son para pensar, otros tienen propósitos moralizantes. Pero muy disfrutable el libro, algunos cuentos podrían contarse a niños, otros son más para adultos. Otros más tienen un sentido místico filosófico.Un clásico de la literatura persa, muy popular en medio oriente, pero casi desconocido en occidente. A pesar de que el Mathnawi está considerada la segunda mejor obra literaria después del Corán, por muchos musulmanes, es difícil encontrar traducciones de la obra completa. less

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