Alchemical Poetry Loves Alchemy Poems From The Sufi Tradition

Translated from the Persian by David and Sabrineh Fideler For years, Rumi has been the best-selling poet in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. ..... Click the link for more information.. Love's Alchemy opens the door onto Rumi's colleagues in the Persian mystical tradition. Translated from the classical Persian by husband and wife team of David and Sabrineh Fideler, Love's Alchemy includes selections from all the major Persian Sufi poets, some of whom are famous in the West, such as Hafiz Hafiz (hafez`) [Arab.,=one who has memorized the Qur'an], 1319–1389?, Persian lyric poet, b. Shiraz. His original name was Shams al-Din Muhammad. He acquired the surname from having memorized the Qur'an at an early age. , but many of whom are not. This is not the kind of poetry book one reads quickly, absorbing feelings and images. Rather, the poems in Love's Alchemy are like a fine merlot, meant to be imbibed slowly--you begin by sniffing their aroma; then hold them up to the light and savor their color; inhale their bouquet; hold the words in your mouth, let the taste of them sink into your pores; feel them warming your throat, let their wisdom spread through your veins and into the depths of your heart. This is how they were meant to be read--and re-read--with thought and reflection that allow the poems to challenge the reader's perception of the worldly and the divine, with a sudden gestalt Gestalt (g?shtalt`) [Ger.,=form], school of psychology that interprets phenomena as organized wholes rather than as aggregates of distinct parts, maintaining that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. of insight, with depth of feeling, and with appreciation for the many layers of meaning contained in each phrase. While the poems are completely accessible on their own, the Fidelers have included a very useful short guide to understanding Sufi poetry Sufi poetry has been written in many languages, both for private devotional reading and as lyrics for music played during worship, or dhikr. Themes and styles established in Arabic and mostly Persian poetry have had an enormous influence on Sufi poetry throughout the Islamic world. in their introduction, as well as a glossary of important terms, a discussion of issues in translation, a guide to the various forms of Persian poetry, and notes on individual poems in the appendices. Of most interest to the general reader is the introductory material about the themes and the meanings of particular images that were common in the Persian mystical tradition. Also interesting is the discussion of the structure of the poems in the book, all of which take the " "ruba'i" form. Ruba'i are four line poems which condense con·dense v. con·densed, con·dens·ing, con·dens·es v.tr. 1. To reduce the volume or compass of. 2. To make more concise; abridge or shorten. 3. Physics a. a depth of meaning into a few words; good ones weave many layers of meaning into each line. The poems presented in Love's Alchemy clearly are among the best. The translation, though, gives pause. Compare, for instance, the literal translation This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details. This article has been tagged since September 2007. and the Fidelers' rendition as cited in Appendix 1, their discussion of issues in translating from classic Persian to modern English Modern English n. English since about 1500. Also called New English. Modern English Noun the English language since about 1450 Noun 1. . Literal translation: Today, like every day, we are ruined - ruined. Don't open the door of thinking; pick up a lute lute, musical instrument that has a half-pear-shaped body, a fretted neck, and a variable number of strings, which are plucked with the fingers. The long lute, with its neck much longer than its body, seems to have been older than the short lute, existing very early ..... Click the link for more information.. There are a hundred kinds of prayer, bowing and prostration prostration /pros·tra·tion/ (pros-tra?shun) extreme exhaustion or lack of energy or power. heat prostration see under exhaustion. pros·tra·tion n. . For the one whose prayer niche is the beauty of the Friend Fidelers: Today, like every day, we are ruined and lonely. Don't retreat, fleeing your emptiness through the doorway of thinking. Try making some music instead. There are hundreds of ways to kneel in prayer Hundreds of ways to open toward the heart of the Friend's beauty. It seems to me that the Fidelers have lost something of the rhythm, the immediacy, the simple beauty, and depth of possible interpretations in their more abstract rendering. With the literal translation the reader has an immediate, intuitive grasp of the poem's meaning akin to the flash of insight one gets while reading a haiku haiku (hi`k), an unrhymed Japanese poem recording the essence of a moment keenly perceived, in which nature is linked to human nature. . That first understanding is mellowed and deepened upon re-reading and reflection. But with the Fidelers' translation, the first intuitive understanding Intuitive understanding is comprehension without any necessary contemplation or explanation. When designing products it is useful to think as the "naive user", someone who will use the product but has no knowledge of how to use it. is lost, while the reader is led to the philosophical, religious conclusions that, we assume, spoke most loudly to the Fiderlers themselves. The poem remains insightful and thought-provoking, but certain aspects clearly have suffered. As I read the poetry in Love's Alchemy, I couldn't help but wonder how many other poems might have been stronger, more direct in their impact, more reflective of the author's skill at layering meaning, if the Fidelers had chosen to be more literal in their translation rather than emphasizing the philosophical and religious insights that were, admittedly, the raison d'etre for the poems. I couldn't help but think that the Fidelers are better translators, and better Sufis, than they are poets. Nonetheless, I found the poetry to be well worth reading. Indeed, Love's Alchemy is the sort of book that readers are likely to come back to over and over, reading only a poem or two at a sitting, taking the time to digest each one slowly and thoroughly. For those who are looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. ..... Click the link for more information. an introduction to the world of Sufi poetry, it is an excellent doorway. For those who want to explore their own spirituality, it is a sure source of food for thought. For those who simply want to enjoy some classical Persian poetry, there may be better translations available, although they are not likely to contain a wider or more representative selection of poems. Pamela K. Taylor, Reviewer

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