The Drowned Book: Ecstatic and Earthy Reflections of the Father of Rumi

by Bahauddin, Coleman Barks, John Moyne

The Lost Words of the Sufi Master and Father of Rumi Bahauddin, Rumi's father, was not only a major force in the development of Islamic spirituality, but also a deeply influential force in his son's life. In this, the first ever substantial English version of a wonderful but virtually unknown book, Bahauddin proves to be a daring, spiritual genius. His voice comes through the delightful, passionate craft of Coleman Barks, who transforms the Persian translations of John Moyne into fresh spiritual literature.

Genres: Poetry, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Religion, Islam

192 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2004

Reviews

[Bambino · Rating 1 out of 5]

well, i feel i must copy/paste my review of the other disaster by Mr. Barks (The Essential Rumi). both books share the same serious problem. my review, unlike most of what i write, is very apt:

this is some very serious shit we're talking about. shame on who ever edits a book this way. shame on Coleman Barks - for allowing it to be marketed the way it is.

it went like this.
the library extended towards me her big multicoloured hand - revealing this book (1997 edition).
i had heard about Rumi countless times but had never read any translation of his work (i was, however, familiar with Sufi culture).

now, i get home and i bite the book by the jugular. nice little introduction to Rumi's life and a good clean note about the organization of the book. the poems come as i expected - wise and witty, filled with the same profound, fresh and relaxed notion of holy that i had found in Sufi tales. so i ate the first pages, in ecstasy.

however, the novelty effect disappeared at the same time my want for more revelations increased my critical perspective. some poems started to confuse me and many started to disappoint me - it was like each poem set off in too many directions at the same time. something was just wrong and not old, not oriental. but i kept on going because, ocasionally, one of the poems would feed me the right way.

eventually i had to stop and investigate the usual suspect - translation.
in the middle of my investigations i found a book that followed the same pattern as this one.
title: The Drowned Book
author: Bahauddin (Rumi's father)
translators: Coleman Barks & John Moyne

now this book was more sensitive about the whole issue i'm trying to tackle - it had a note about the translation. it was explained that Mr. Moyne translated from persian and then Mr. Barks would try to wrap himself in emptiness and be a righteous vehicle to Bahauddin's wisdom. nothing wrong with that - except for the degree of freedom that Mr. Barks indulged in. example:

Moyne's translation: Songs are like bottles with variations in their forms and colors, such as Baghdadi, Samarkand yellow, red or crystal.

Barks's version (designated in the book as second translation!): Glasswork takes many shapes. The inward Baghdad curve with its translucent yellow, the Samarkand crimson, the spherical crystal flasks of Bokhara. So it is with music and poetry: sama should have an elegant variety.

fodasse! even Galland would see such translation freedom as excessive. apparently, the content of the book was translated from persian to english, and then from english to barksian. and from what i read about the The Essential Rumi, the same free process of "translation" was applied to it.

now, there is nothing wrong with such creative freedom. i have made that same exercise many times - crafting poems out of literal translations of chinese poems. but i'm not going up to my friends, with such chinese inspired creations, and say: check out this poem of mine. that would be disgustingly dishonest! as it would be wrong to present my creations as chinese poetry.

that kind of dishonesty is the big problem here. this book consists of free form poetic ramblings by Coleman Barks over translations of Rumi's work made by John Moyne. and to label it otherwise is a very serious offense to us readers and to Rumi's legacy, to persian culture, to truth, to everything.

in this world of ours, sometimes, culture is the only worthy and safe rock in this great and perilous sea of shit and money madness. and to fool people into swimming towards a rock that, after all, is nothing but a mirage, is just wrong. someone might drown.

in itself, what Mr. Barks and Mr. Moyne did in this book is an amazing effort, worthy of applause and admiration. but to go allong with the editorial scam of labeling this as Rumi's work is unforgivable. i will have nothing to do with it - apparently, my time to read Rumi is yet to come.

[John Fredrickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read, but it is not Rumi. It is an interesting blend of spirituality with a strong dose of earthiness from an author who has little compunction from disclosing his desire for a woman with a good curvy form.

The feel of the writing is a strange mix, somewhere between that of an ecstatic, abundantly overflowing Whitman, a dry intellectual who wants to talk about spiritual matters, and a lover looking forward to his next lay. Very different.

[David Jacques · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this honking that somehow it would be like Rumi. But his father’s book was more like a journal and a how-to guide rolled into one. It is the key and we are the lock. It’s very personal and touches on all aspects of his life. Very interesting and well worth the read!

[Minion_0.0.7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Animals, humans, birds, insects, everything lives within God’s qualities. There is a tameness in lust or love, for companionship or conversation, telling secrets over a table, walking the street laughing together, all of it takes place inside the mystery of 2:255, which says, There is one living being, only one.”

This collection of reflections and poems attributed to Bahauddin, father of Rumi, invites the reader into a space where the sacred and the everyday constantly overlap. The Drowned Book does not flow like a narrative but instead like water seeping into unexpected places, quietly shifting the reader’s perspective. Many of the passages linger on ordinary acts, eating bread, doing laundry, noticing the fragrance of an invisible flower, while pointing toward something vast and divine. What emerges is a vision of spirituality that is rooted not in lofty abstraction but in daily life.

There are moments of true beauty here. Poems such as The Fragrance of an Invisible Flower, Forgiveness and Highness, and The Praise-Place illuminate the subtle, often fragile connections between human beings, God, and creation. Bahauddin’s voice is at once earthy and transcendent. I particularly appreciated how the text continually circles back to dignity, forgiveness, and choice, reminders that spiritual growth often begins in simple, deliberate gestures. My notebook is full of lines that pulled me back to a stiller, more reflective state of mind.

That said, my experience of the book was mixed. While many pieces resonated deeply, others felt weighed down by a kind of heavy-handedness. At times, the tone veers toward the didactic, and in some passages, there are undercurrents that feel dated or even misogynistic. This unevenness makes the collection harder to sit with consistently. Still, the beauty of the language and the resonance of its imagery carried me through. I ended the book with more questions than answers, but perhaps that is precisely the point. Spiritual writings of this kind rarely offer certainty; instead, they invite us to dwell in mystery.

Overall, The Drowned Book was not flawless, but it was thought-provoking and often beautiful. For readers interested in exploring early Sufi thought and experiencing the atmosphere that shaped Rumi, this book is worth the time.

[Cep Subhan KM · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book of Rumi's father. I enjoy the book but hate the fact that it is not the complete edition but a selected edition instead. Unfortunately, I couldn't find other editions for the same text.

[Niel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh! Bahauddin, an eternal flame.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bahauddin was the great poet Rumi’s father. When I saw this book, I was struck by the fact that he had ecstatic poetry of his own, as I had always heard that Rumi’s inspiration derived from Shams and his own insights, and was unaware that he had a paternal influence as well. From the commentary to this excellent volume the translators state, “Many have spoken of four modes of consciousness. This awake state, dreaming, dreamless sleep, and a fourth way with no name that in its pure beingness includes the others in itself. As I have worked on the poetry of Bahuddin’s son Rumi these past twenty-eight years…, I have been drawn to the transcendence, the spacious freedom, the alternative reality of Rumi’s visionary poetry. Bahauddin’s notebook comes from a different region. Plainer, less ecstatic, more practical, presumptuous, deadpan, zany. The Rumi-Shams place is an illuminated goldmine, a light shaft of revelation. Bahauddin’s is more like the garden toolshed that also serves as a makeshift meditation room, very eccentric and very authentic. I love them both.” (133) I will not attempt to comment further, but will instead list below my favorite passages.


“The Quality of What Dies and the Grandeur of the Unmanifest” – “You cannot have two foundations. Either you stand and act from your heart and soul, or your life will flow from the animal soul, the nafs, your lust and greed and forgetfulness, which are characteristics of what dies and does not surrender to receive the compassion of God.” (24)

“Motion and Stillness” – “I say this to myself alone: when you feel crushed, those around you look broken. When you glow, darkness turns to black light. If you hurt, even the comforts you are offered wound you. As you prosper, your failures prove to be just the right thing, perfect.” (36)

“Cut Cords” – “Wisdom brings a wholeness which understands its own ignorance. Someone with a little knowledge denies this, but those who study their lives long and diligently know they do not know anything.” (61)

“Individual Bargains” – Very early one morning I rose and went to the mosque to try and change the bargain made with my soul. Several observations came to me as I did this. One was that early morning is a fine time to be up. The second was that there are places where demons attack people like packs of dogs and other places where the influences are more angelic and helpful. The third was that human beings, men especially, are likely to absorb the demonic qualities and then gather around wealth. We should be wary of rich people. You may not see the threat. It’s not physical. The damage they do happens in your heart.” (67)

“Lust Alone Does Not Create” – “Grief is better than happiness, because in grief a person draws close to God. Your wings open. A tent is set up in the desert where God can visit you. Wealth that arrives in grief is what we spend in joy. The soul is greater than anything you ever lost.” (79)

See my other reviews here!

[Vijay Varadan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up The Drowned Book a couple of months ago when I bought a bunch of Rumi's books translated by Coleman Barks. I started of reading Rumi's "The Book of Love", but found that I needed something a little less esoteric, less poetic, less abstruse. Bahauddin's work is primarily prose, considerably exoteric and easier to grok, yet definitely just as beautiful in expression as his son's writings. Bahauddin quotes extensively from the Quran (which I'm completely unfamiliar with) and his style is very direct. I highly recommend reading this book.

[Kristen (belles_bookshelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"No reality but you, only you."

This is less like the poetry of Rumi, and more like thoughts on life written in a beautiful, flowing, lilting prose. Reading some of these is like reading the summary of a dream.

[Howard Cincotta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as research for a story. If you have any interest in Rumi, read this.

[Pete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another regular book of poems/sayings that grow in me.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the titles for all the short passages.

I like that the page numbers are included from the Maarif.

Love the title of the book itself.

[David Corbet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an interesting read. I would recommend it to anyone search for spiritual depth.

[Ghadeer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An honour to peek into a beautiful mind :)

[soul · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent read! The thoughts of Bahauddin Walad truly justifies him to be the father of Rumi.