Words of Paradise: Selected Poems of Rumi

by Ed. Abdulla Rafico

Jalaluddin Rumi, the great Sufi mystic born in 1204, wrote poetry as a means to express and teach divine illumination. He believed that we have the potential, if we surrender ourselves to the power of love, to live in a condition of infinite bliss. His poems reflect the universal desire for something greater than ourselves; a psychic and spiritual energy which radiates love and draws us to our true nature. This expression of passionate yearning for the Beloved is timeless. Words of Paradise features poems from the Divan to Shams-e Tabriz, odes to the inspirational and mysterious figure who changed Rumi’s life and led him to spiritual enlightenment; from the Ruba’iyat, which are brief lyric pieces of a set form; and from the Mathnavi-e Ma’navi, the Poem of Inner Meanings, which, through its esoteric teachings, offers moral and spiritual knowledge. 

In this collection of poems, selected for their intimacy and lyricism, Raficq Abdulla captures the metabolic, transformative energy of the original. Through rhythm and powerful imagery, he recreates the ecstatic state, full of joy and bewilderment, which Rumi considered so crucial to reach enlightenment. Each page is illustrated with miniatures and decorations from Islamic manuscripts, including ancient Mathnavis. The intricate patterns which match the words reflect the true spirit of the poems, and illuminate the teachings of one of the world’s greatest mystics.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Classics, Religion

109 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Zanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice thing to have, to take out of the shelf and open and look at. The pictures and page borders are so surpassingly lovely.

I am not very happy with the translation. I know Iranian poetry is 'untranslatable' but I did not find this version very pleasant to read aloud. But probably I just am not the best reader of Rumi, however translated

I think Rumi's narrating spirit moves, it dances and knows no stillness. Its home, food and breath is the divine apprehended directly in the body. Shelter, clothing and adornment are bestowed upon the lacking lover by the heights of his ecstasy in worship. The movement from desire to bliss or agony or both depends on the barest material support: wine (or intoxicating passion) and the presence or absence (real or imagined or divine) of the beloved. It needs no wealth.

A beggar smiled at me and offered me alms
In a dream last night, my heart leapt with delight.
The beauty and grace shining from his tattered
Presence took me by storm until I woke at dawn.
His poverty was riches, it covered my body in silk.
In that dream I heard the beckoning sighs of lovers
I heard soft cries of agonised joy saying "Take this,
Drink and be complete!" I saw before me a ring
Jewelled in poverty that nested on my ear
From the root of my surging soul a hundred tremors
Rose as I was lifted and pinned down by the surging sea
And heaven cried out in bliss and made a beggar of me

Divan 2015


I feel this restlessness allows a joyous apprehension of nature's dynamism. But rather than lingering on the poignancy of the ephemeral (as is common in Japanese traditional poetry) or celebrating cycles of renewal, Rumi's focus is on purpose and climax. Destruction does not lead to rebirth, rather it is a sacrifice for final bliss:

Passing, passing
The blossom gives way to the fruit;
Both are necessary,
One passes into another.
Bread exists to be broken
To sustain its purpose,
The grape on the vine
Is wine in the making,
Crush it and it comes alive

Mathnavi I, 2930

[Edita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seated here attached to the present of this royal place
We are a singing joy, you and I.
Two in form two in figure, two to the outward eye
We're one in one, yon and I.
The grove's verdant green picked in birdsong
Treats us kindly with a trace of eternity
As we enter the garden, you and I.
The unnumbered eyes of the stars gaze on us.
We turn on them the moon's face, you and I.

You and I, refined with joy, more than you and I.
Set apart from the dross of empty words, you and I,
We are, you in I and I In you, the envy of gorgeous
Birds of paradise when we melt in secret laughter.
You and I, the mystery is you and I as we sit
Together in this royal place, yet in this cusp
Of being in the shade of common bliss we are one
You and l.

[Preili Pipar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Võibolla see luule ei jõudnud mulle päris kohale ja ei puudutanud mind nii palju, kui oleksin lootnud, aga see raamat ise füüsiliselt on väga ilus ja mõnus kätte võtta.
Kõik need iidsed pildid ja millised detailid. Lihtsalt ava misiganes lehekülg ja emotsioon on garanteeritud :)

[Ala'a Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب ممتع وجميع ورائع وملئ بكلمات الحب والعشق والحياة ..
الكتاب عبارة عن مجموعة مختارة من أشعار جلال الدين الرومى فى الحب والحياة والعشق وأمور كتيرة
الجميل بالكتاب هو فن الكتاب نفسو ! الكتاب يعتبر فن بحد ذاته
الصور الجميلة مع كل قصيدة وجزئية
والتنسيق الجميل .. انا وقعت فى عشق هذا الكتاب ! ()

مجموعة مختارة من القصائد الى عجبتنى :

(1) :

Once again to open to the melody
Of the reed of good fortune, listen;
Sing my soul, dance my heart,
Clap your hands and stamp your feet.
The dark shafts of a mine are now glowing
Ruby-red, and the world is festive with welcome,
The table is set for the coming celebrations.
We are drunk on Love, blatant with hope
And adoration of the Beloved's cheek
Fresh as a meadow in spring.
He is the sea, we are the seas mist;
He is the treasure, we are dilapidated beggars;
We are mere hapless particles in the radiant
Light of the sea. I am so amazed, so bemused,
Do not scold me for being boastful,
If you only knew how I am enjoyed
By the Beloved! With the light of Mustapha
I am ready to split the moon.

(2) :

Your beauty is glory in nakedness, the melt
Of smooth skin unsullied with petulant jewels
And the spoiling touch of silk. Your delicate face
Is as pure as the milk of the full moon.
هاى الجزئية جميلة جدا ()

(3) :

Music opens our hearts and surely ensnares
With echoes that spill from celestial spheres;
And faith far beyond the impaled cast of thought
Turns ugly dissonance to honey by angels brought.

Adam's children tuned and so coarsely tied
Hear with him the angels' songs and smiling sigh.
We remember them, even faintly, as yearning
Heartbeats of the sweet soul's original learning

Oh, music feeds the calling souls of lovers,
Music raises the spirit from its earthly covers.
The ashes grow bolder and shed their fur
Listen with stillness that only souls can share.

الحديث عن الموسيقى وجمال الموسيقى ()
...

[Akemi G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the reprint of Words of Paradise: Selected Poems (2000). It seems Raficq Abdulla translated directly from the original Persian. And although the book is pocket size, it comes with many color pictures of Persian art. I love them. (Yes, yes, I said the same here about Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyat translation.)

I love Rumi's poems for many reasons, and his bold and unexpected use of words is one of them.

A beggar smiled at me and offered me alms
In a dream last night, my heart sprang with delight . . .

The first line catches your attention and confuses you, right?

And this is Love--the vertigo of heaven
Beyond the cage of words . . .

Some people insist Rumi is talking about divine love, and it has nothing to do with our sexuality. I'd say that's a puritan-like narrow view that condemns our natural passion--our God-given feelings.

[Skylar Burris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I very much admire Rumi's poetry, but of all the collections I have read so far, this was the least impressive. I don't know if it was the translator or the selection, but most of these simply did not touch me in the way Rumi's poetry usually does, and some seemed even stilted in places. The book itself is beautifully illustrated and presented and would make a nice coffee table book. If you are just now introducing yourself to Rumi, I would suggest reading another collection instead, perhaps the Essential Rumi (Coleman Barks).

[RayDavis · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Music opens our hearts and surely ensnares
With echoes that spill from celestial spheres;
And faith far beyond the impaled cast of thought
Turns ugly dissonance to honey by angels brought.

Adam's children tuned and so coarsely tied
Hear with him the angels' songs and smiling sigh.
We remember them, even faintly, as yearning
Heartbeats of the sweet soul's original learning

Oh, music feeds the calling souls of lovers,
Music raises the spirit from its earthly covers.
The ashes grow bolder and shed their fur
Listen with stillness that only souls can share."

Mathnavi IV, 733

[lauraღ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am ready to split the moon.

Really lovely stuff. I of course can't comment on the translation quality (from some of his notes I do think I wouldn't have minded a bit more literal translation and a little less lyricism... though as I said, the poetic language was really beautiful) but I enjoyed it a lot.

[Ala'a Tawfiq · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent...

[Kemi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a wonderful book of poems...Jalaluddin Rumi was remarkable....<3

[Ravi Sai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book very much,for it gave me an orgasmic feeling as long as I read the marvellous lyrics of those ghazals.

[Bernard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Prachtig vormgegeven boekje met mooie platen.
Lastig voor mij te lezen maar ik vond wel wat opvallends:
p. 47 'wanneer de zon verrijst, is de maan gespleten'
In de noten staat dat dat uit de Koran komt en wel 54:1
'The Hour has drawn near and the moon was split ˹in two˺.'
de toelichting luidt:
' The Meccan pagans challenged the Prophet to have the moon split in two if he wanted them to believe in him. The moon was split, and then re-joined, as reported by several eyewitnesses, but still the pagans refused to believe, calling this miracle “sheer magic.”

Heel bijzonder, volgens de Koran en het commentaar van www.quran.com is de maan daadwerkelijk gespleten, en weer 'gelijmd'. Daarvan bestaat geen bewijs uit andere bronnen.
Wel komt de zinsnede 'gespleten maan' voor in pre-islamitische poëzie (één van de belangrijkste Arabische kunstvormen) hier het Arabisch
انشق‭ ‬القمر
Rev William St Clair Tisdall: “It is interesting also to note that some verses of the Quran have, without doubt, been taken from poems anterior to Muhammad’s assumption of the prophetic office, in proof of which two passages in the Sab‘aa Mu‘allaqat of Imru‘ al-Qais etc. are quoted, in which several verses of the Quran occur, such as, ‘The hour has come, and shattered is the moon.’ It was the custom of the time for poets and orators to hang up their compositions upon the Ka‘bah and we know the Seven Mu‘allaqaat were so exposed.

[Kendall Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rumi as translated by Raficq Abdulla is beautiful. The flip from devotion to God to lusty analogy is quite interesting and not in my usual wheelhouse, but lines like: “make it infinite beyond/The curving snake of passing time and space./Learn to die in the infinitely elusive moment.” are just lovely. “Oh for a friend to know my burning state/That our souls may mingle and contemplate.” Read, enjoy, and introspect.

[Dunja Tomić · Rating 4 out of 5]

''Our daily sun is but a working star in a galaxy of stars,
Our inner sun is One, the dancing nuance of eternal light.
You must be set alight by the inner sun.
You have to live your Love or else
You''ll only end in words.''

[Kelli Pullisaar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rumi luule on kõige ilusam kingitus inimkonnale.

[Judie Mcmath]

When listening to the words of Rumi, I always end up saying to myself……that was so obvious…..but I could never have thought of it myself.

[Charles Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful poems. I am better for having read them. I wish I could read them in the original language, but I trust the translator did a great job.

[Jess Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I feel bad for Rumi, because some translations of his poems are awful and it's not his fault. This book, in english, is just that.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raficq Abdulla's translation brings Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī's poetry to life with brilliant imagery. A 13th century Sufi mystic, Rumi uses poetry to take you to another time and dimension - a time devoid of the notion of time, and a dimension devoid of the notion of space. I would definitely like to read this once again, this time while reading the author's notes about each poem to guide me.

Divan 2313:

My mind is but a pillow
Indented by the flow of your passing thoughts.


Mathnavi II, 1750

The religion of the heart is not a stark monument of stone;
Lovers of God have no religion save yearning for Me alone.


Mathnavi I, 2930

Passing, passing
The blossom gives way to the fruit;
Both are necessary,
One passes into another.
Bread exists to be broken
To sustain its purpose,
The grape on the vine
Is wine in the making.
Crush it and it comes alive.


Divan 981

These words of mine are not stones
To pick and throw at passing fancies.
They're yeast-sounds, bread waiting
To be broken whilst they're still fresh.
Leave them overnight and they become
Hard as rusting bolts, not fit for eating.
My verse is harboured in lovers' hearts,
Expose it to the indifferent world
Busy with its traffic and it chokes to death.
Like a fish it swims in the lover's blood,
Land it on the rocks and it gasps for life
Then slowly dies, cold and stiff as an icicle.
You must be rich with metaphors,
Like an ore of gold waiting to be mined
If you are to digest my words
When they're fresh. Know this,
My friend, it's nothing new,
These words are turned to bliss when you
Read them with your own imagining heart.


Mathnavi I, 109

Language is too precocious, too impudent, too sane
To stop the molten lava of Love which churns the blood...


Mathnavi II, 578

I will only to an open heart a story tell...


Divan 2760

I said to my heart, this stranger who embellishes me:
"Why do you behave in such an unruly manner?"
My heart replied with silent music:
"Why don't you join me in Love,
Extract the worn-out teeth of words
Become one with delight?"


Divan 2865

Spend not your time with cold faces in dead places
Or else your breath will freeze your breast and heart.


Divan 2865

If you're obtuse and heavy as burdened clay enclosed
By gravity, you'll never lift off and circle the sky:
Come as fine as a thousand dancing particles of dust,
So float and find your feet in the silken path of light.


Mathnavi II, 2923

Be careful
With your counterfeit truths,
Like false coin to the real,
Is their value to be measured.


Mathnavi VI, 634

You are tied up in nots,
But beyond your cautious nots
You must see and say what
Really is without not knowing.


Ruba'iyat (reference unknown)

Don't flounder in the preambles of the past
Wounded with regrets; don't let autumnal
Nostalgia blind you to the sounds and scents
Of the present's Spring; you're a native of
The pellucid moment, make it infinite beyond
The curving snake of passing time and space,
Learn to die in the infinitely elusive moment.