For quite a few years, this was the most accessible version of Rumi's Masnavi available on the market. The language is dated, almost Victorian, which may put off some readers who are burned out on works in the style of Fitzgerald's "Omar Khayyam." Also, it is an abridgement, and Whinfield will at times collapse large portions of the work into a half page.

On the whole, though, for the general reader the work doesn't suffer much from these two possible shortcomings. Rumi's unique, teasing genius comes through on almost every page, challenging the reader to look at everyday things from a different viewpoint. Whinfield's notes are sufficient without being intrusive.

I read this version several years ago, and as I find that Rumi is best appreciated in small portions, I still like to keep the book handy as bedside reading. Whatever your opinion on Rumi, whether skeptical or reverent, you will enjoy this book.

This is a abridged translation of Jalaludin Rum's masterpiece "Masnavi i Ma'navi", which was written over a period of 43 years. The Masnavi is not only an important work in the corpus of Persian literature, but more significantly a classic in Sufism and in world religious thought.

As such it is a "must read" for anyone interested in better understanding why we are here and what our purpose in life is.

Rumi (1207-1273 CE) was born in Balkh in modern day Afghanistan. His family fled the Mongol invasion to Konya in Turkey, where he later founded the Mevlevi Sufi Order (commonly known in the West as the "whirling dervishes") as an outgrowth of his encounter with a wandering Sufi - Shams.

The Masnavi is collection of stories and poems dealing with the central issue of life. Readers familiar with mystic strands in other religions will find much resonance here - common threads, common themes and common conclusions which reinforce the view that man's different religions are construct of man rather than of the Divine.

EH Whinfield was born in England in 1835 and died in 1922. Educated at Rugby (an English "public" school -- a private school in US terminology), he received an MA from Magdalen College at Oxford (1859). He was also in the Bengali Civil Service (1859(?)-1879(?)) which no doubt gave him the opportunity and perhaps introduction to Rumi. Also a barrister -admitted to Middle Temple 1872.

He also translated several other important Sufi works, Khayyam's 'Rubaiyat', Shabistani's 'Gulshan i Raz', and Jami's 'Lawa'ih'.

It's not clear from this edition when the translation dates from (my guess is 1880's -1890s). The language is a bit dated, but still the power of Rumi's thought comes through. Whinfield has provided explanatory footnotes, including Quranic and Hadith references as well as to his other translations. These are quite valuable in helping the reader place the Masnavi in an Islamic focus.

All commentary I have seen suggests that Whinfield was a pretty faithful translator of Rumi - rather than recasting the work in his own words.

One further note for those who buy the book. A "Gueber" is a Parsee (Zoroastrian) - one of the religions recognized by Islam as Divinely inspired, e.g. "people of the book".

Fereydoun Kia's translation of these beautiful poems elicits the very essence of the divinity of love. The intimacy and passion displayed should kindle the warmth of a knowing blush from lover and beloved alike. Enlightened, inspired, Divine!

These Rumi translation are open and welcoming. They are not just for lovers. Rumi speaks of self-love, and platonic love. These sensual poems are not so concrete that they are difficult to interpret. Read them to a lover and watch them blush and smile. See in their eyes a hint of recognition. After all poetry is a brilliant way to make love!

Chopra's selections, of some of Rumi's most passionate poems, are a delight for the heart and soul! The new translations by Farsi scholar Fereydoun Kia are very deep and moving. There is NO OTHER poet with as much passion for the heart, mind and soul as Rumi. His longings for love are our longings and desires yet his expressions will carry you away and fill you up. These favorite selections of Chopra's will seep into your heart and soul.

Share these poems with your lover, by the fire, in each other's arms, and feel the magic of Rumi weaving his spell!

Persian period of that time is complex and formal. Mowlana is a master of poetry as well as a master of Sufi. His depth, artistry, and complexity is missing. I also find it a little deceptive to call oneself a "translator" when one does not read or speak the language from which he is supposedly translating.

Birdsong contains 53 short poems that are reworkings of the translation by A. J. Arberry, a major scholar of Sufism.

Not all of the poems have any direct relationship to birds, rather the birdsong of the title refers to a common metaphor in mystic traditions e.g. The Conference of the Birds, a major Sufi work.

Barks, as usual, provides excellent translations; he truly makes the poetry of Rumi accessible to the average reader (as compared to some scholarly translations that are precise but no longer poetry or that require technical vocabulary).

His selection of poems is also excellent; they are poems that encourage meditative thought. An example: "Stars burn clear / all night till dawn. / Do that yourself, and a spring / will rise in the dark with water / your deepest thirst is for. "

Rumi is brilliant in his acuteness. Birdsong only makes me want to learn and read more about this impressionable thinker. His words truly hold the essence of life. Recommneded to all who adore poetry.

Amazing that Coleman Barks credits himself as translator of Rumi, despite apparently never having even read Rumi's writing in the original Persian. R. Nicholson, whose translations from the original Farsi Barks cribs (sorry - "rephrases") in several books, himself admits: "I do not, of course, pretend to have understood everything..." No such humility encumbers Barks, however. Apparently, his unique spiritual insights into Rumi make reference to the original writings unnecessary. At worst, this is the channeling approach to translation. At best, it is postmodernist orientalism. The scholar Nicholson writes that "no writer can fairly be judged by fragments, however fine..." Barks seems to agree, writing that his poems are "buckets lifted from a whole, whose connectedness runs its vast and intimate course..." To get a glimpse of that course, take a look at the translation Nicholson recommends, Whinfield's Masnavi, still in print through Octagon Books, under the title "Teachings of Rumi". The New York Times equates Barks's Rumi success with Kahlil Gibran's popularity in the sixties. That's good for Barks, at least financially. Whether he accurately conveys the teaching of the poet whom even contemporary Sufis refer to as "Our Master," or even approaches the literary value of that original, is another matter.

Before judging the quality of Like This note that Barks titles them "versions by Coleman Barks." Barks does not read Rumi in the original but rather produces secondary translations through working with scholars who can read the original. If you are looking for a translation which carries the flavor of the original language, these translations are not for you. If, however, you are interested in reading poetry that tries to maintain original images and make them understandable to the Western mind, then you will find that Barks achieves his goal very well.

Like This contains 43 odes originally translated by John Moyne, a linguist at CUNY; Coleman Barks has then used in skill in English poetry to make version of these poems. What is most evident in his versions is that he has spent many years with the material and has developed a "sense of it" without mistaking that "sense of it" with being a Sufi Master.

If you have an interest in Sufi or religious ectastic poetry, this volume is well worth your time. If you are a 12th-13th century Persian scholar they are not. An example: "There's a tradition that God can be seen / in the color red. In the lights / that come from red hair!" - interesting thought which arouses in me, at least, a healthy curiousity regarding the tradition.

must rea

This is a great introduction to Rumi's life and work (and his relationship to Shams). I'd give this to friends who don't yet know his work. It may not please scholarly readers, though, who want a more exact translation, but these 'free' translations are very moving.

This book is an excellent introduction to stories and poetry of Rumi, Shams (and even Rumi's son). The translations are secondary translations i.e. reworkings into free verse older more scholarly and literal translations. As such they make the works more readily accessable to the non-scholar. The stories provide a pleasant mix of relatively rare tales (stories that are quite specifically Sufi) and stories that appear in a variety of guises in different cultures and religions. The poems run from short lyrical pieces to stories in verse form - a nice cross section of Rumi's work. I have read several of Coleman Barks' translations - all enjoyable - and would recommend this book as a nice starting point.

This is a book of passion. The love poems are not just will be read, but they will deeply touch your heart. Go for it. Enjoy reading this wonderful book by a natural lover who touched my heart.

The words "Sufi mystic" might make you expect Rumi's poetry to be impenetrable or even weird. How wrong that assumption would be! There are definitely gaps of time and culture in reading this 13th century master's works, but his verses are more fresh than much modern poetry that tries to be "deep." There is humor here, too, the gentle kind of someone who enjoyed life and used poetry to describe the surprises that simple things can bring to a day. The simple is celebrated and often becomes a spiritual lesson.

This is a thin volume which would be a good introduction for new readers. Skim the introduction or skip it altogether and dive right into the master's work!...

Rumi was born in Afghanistan, wrote in Persian and lived most of his life in the region of Konya, Turkey. There he inspired the whirling dervish sect that still turns as a form of spiritual meditation. He was and is loved by people of many nationalities and faiths. As much as I'm sure gets lost in translation, there is still much of beauty and insight in Rumi's writing.

Professor Schimmel has done us all a great service with this book. It places Mowlana in the context of his society, Islam, and of course Sufi. Such a relief from some of the popular books which present such a 2-dimensional view of Mowlana.

In our culture descriptions of things are often confused with the things themselves, emotion or any deep feeling is thought of as spiritual and very isolated examples of larger processes are trotted out and obsessively promoted as the whole process. This book, which has some wonderful poems, suffers from all the above faults. If this were simply a book of poems by Barks detailing his personal experiences, I'd like it a lot more. But it purports to be something different: a Sufi perspective by Rumi. Well, to quote the contemporary Sufi Teacher Idries Shah: "Not every round thing is a cake!" To pull out the more intense, excitable elements in Rumi and arrange them to fit a cultural predisposition for the bizarre and supernatural, brings to mind Rumi's own admonition. "Don't look at my outward form, but take what is in my hand." Here we have the descriptions and the exotic (the outward form) but none of the intent(the specific tools designed to free the human being from the prison of appearances). A much more balanced perspective on Rumi and his work is contained in the Octagon Press book by Afzal Iqbal--The Life & Work of Jalaluddin Rumi.

I may not know a cake from a cow-pie, but if Coleman is cooking I'll take two helpings please! And serve it up on audio...straight from the lover's lips is best...images clear as mountain air, accent thick as pine tar, and voice sweet as peach nectar. YUM...YUM That's the way I like it. During my first listen, I felt the music on this audio to be a little too over-powering for some of the readings, but it has grown on me. Now I love even the quirkiest of the pieces. He may not be the chef for you, but he is the word gourmet for me.

This is not a book for the non-scholar or the non-serious. It is a technical look at the poetry of Mowlana. It places him where he belongs as one of the world's great poets. If you are serious and really want to know more about the poetry of Mowlana or of Persian poetry in general, buy it and read. Thank you Dr. Keshavarz. This is a real contribution to field.