The Essential Rumi, New Expanded Edition

Listed as very good used. Book cover was near perfect. Not a single mar on any pages I could see. Great quality at the price.

As one involved in meditation as a path to enlightenment and quite well read in the subject I greatly enjoyed this volume of Rumi's poetry. As poetry on its own it stands head and shoulders above most poetry written in the English language. That is saying a lot as English has produced some magnificent works both historically and contemporarily. Rumi can easily be compared to Shakespeare in quality although their subject matter was quite different. Shakespeare of course dealt with egoic human nature while Rumi is more concerned with the mystical Spirit of all things. For the uninitiated some of the symbolism may take a while to understand but I think anyone who is considering this volume would be acquainted with such symbols as a door or a window or even the capital "K" King, or Friend as compared to friend. Although Rumi is 13th century Muslim many of his references are to the transcendent figures of Christianity. Many Christians may never have thought of the symbolic relationship of Jesus and his donkey but Rumi explains it very succinctly. Christianity of course has its own areas of mystical thought but for the most part have been banned by the Church as heretical simply because they erase the necessity of intermediaries between man and God, ie. the power structure of the priesthood. Look to the Gnostic Writings of the early church to see how similar they are to mystical thinking universally. Some of the words uttered by Jesus in the Gnostic Gospels might seem quite incomprehensible to our modern, indoctrinated minds. Of course in mystical thought, of which Rumi is a paramount figure, man's approach to God is direct. "The Kingdom of Heaven is Within" and " To know one's Self is to know God " are but two basic examples. Over and above the mystical thinking exemplified in this volume, it is highly erotic and at times, perhaps mainly to the Western mind, down right hilarious. Imagine a cook's responses to the objections of the chickpea in being boiled in water. The cook's responses turn out to be quite reasonable in themselves, not to mention the spiritual understanding involved. It is no wonder that Rumi is the most read poet in America today (by children of the '60's?) and it is said that Coleman Bark's translations are much of the reason. I can not comment on that as I have only begun to read the work of other translators and am yet unable to intelligently compare and contrast but I will say that the translations of Coleman Bark have enabled a deep chord to be struck within me by this writer and poet in 13th century Farsi. I would highly recommend this volume to anyone exploring the Spiritual, as I would also recommend this volume to anyone who either loves poetry itself or thinks of poetry only as something to be taken or left. If you are one of the latter it may introduce you to a whole new view of literary expression. As with most all poetry it does demand time of contemplation to fully grasp its beauty and meaning. Rumi will always occupy of place of importance in my library, non-fiction of course.

Nice addition to my library.

Some people meditate. Some people read biblical devotionals. Some people attend services from wise leaders of whatever faith, spirituality, or life's approach they hold. I read Rumi. Raised conservative Christian, later much more liberal Christian, considered both atheism and agnosticism, rejector of touchy-feely "spirituality" that teaches me no more than a good bumper sticker or a good episode of Oprah, ravenous reader about other traditions--Rumi fills my needs without compromising anything I hold dear or forcing anything I find empty. Reading Rumi brings me peace, understanding, clarity, goals both concrete and ideal, causes me to think deeply about the nature of wisdom, the spirit, the relationship of the human to the divine and humans to one another. Add to this fondness of Rumi the fact that this edition is translated and curated by Coleman Barks, one of the pre-eminent Rumi translators and scholars and one of the only whose background is related to poetry and textural analysis along with languages and historical contextualizing (full disclosure: I know Barks professionally and have admired his work in other areas as well as this one, but I do not know him well enough to make me predisposed to this text over another, at least not that I am consciously aware of). I am neither a language expert nor a Rumi expert, but from other translations I have read, this edition of Barks reflects that scholarly excellent but adds also the ability to retain the poetry and subjective wisdom of Rumi without a slavish adherence to word-for-word translation. I often open this text as I eat breakfast, a pencil in one hand and a cup of coffee or bagel in the other.

I love Rumi. I am Persian. In September of 2012, I created a photographic gallery of Rumi quotations and used a few of the quotes from Coleman Bark's book with direct permission from the author - I thought it was so cool that he emailed me back and was gracious about it. This book has been sitting on my nightstand for months. I pick it up in between other books, read a page or two, let it sink and then go back to it a few nights later .... it's been slow. The translation is great but the content is very hard to put into context.... it's like reading about another person's dreams.... they make very little sense except a few moments in time when something clarifying and brilliant happens. That's how I feel about this book. I enter a convoluted dream of someone else and emerge with maybe a few words of wisdom. I attribute it mainly to my own lack of appreciation and understanding of Rumi and wish I could grasp it even more but I will keep reading it. Among all Rumi books, I do believe this is one of the best ones from all the reviews but you be the judge. Here's one of my most favorites quotes by Barks from his translations: "What you seek is seeking you." Beautiful!

Reading The Essential Rumi is like sitting beside a warm fire with a wise, joyful friend who whispers truths you didn't know you were ready to hear. Coleman Barks’ translation doesn’t just preserve Rumi’s brilliance—it breathes life into it. This expanded edition feels like discovering a hidden room in a beloved home. With more than 80 new poems, each page invites quiet reflection or sudden, unexpected joy. Rumi's words dance between the earthly and the divine, somehow grounding you while also pulling you toward something higher. What I love most is that these poems don’t require academic analysis—they speak straight to the heart. Whether you're heartbroken, curious, or just trying to slow down in a noisy world, Rumi offers something timeless and deeply human. Not just a book of poetry—it’s a companion for the spirit.

Everything as expected, thank you!Everything as expected, thank you!

Excellent

Enjoy reading the poems. Great stuff.

Love this poetry, no complaints

Brilliant philosophical reading