Wine Of Reunion |
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BOOK
REVIEW by Willard Manus The subtitle
of this captivating, dual-language little book is the Arabic Poems
of Rumi. Just published by Michigan State University Press, the
book contains forty translations (by Nesreen Akhtarkhavari and Anthony
E. Lee) of some of Rumis Arabic verses from his magnum opus, Divan
Shams-e Tabrizi. None of them has been published in English before. As the translators
explain, Rumi was devastated, paralyzed with grief. For years, he
searched for Shams, hoping to bring him back to Konya, but he never found
him. In his inconsolable bereavement, Rumi poured out his thoughts and
emotion in poetry, which became a vehicle for his love. In these poems,
he tells about the agony that burned his soul. Rumi finally found some
peace in realizing that his love for Shams was still inside him, and he
returned to his clerical and teaching duties. |