Rumi The art of loving - Book Report/Review Example

Rumi: The Art of Loving Introduction Ancient and medieval Persians are credited with having made a great contribution to modern day literature. Much of their literature is in verse as they had great love for poetry. Any Persian scholar, whether in literature or even metaphysics, medicine or science was expected to have sound literary knowledge and skill in poetry and was supposed to be able to write in verse form. Many of the works of these gifted literary icons continue to have as large an impact as when they were written, hundreds oif years ago. Many lovers of poetry concur that the middle ages Persian poet Jalaluddin Rumi is one of the greatest mystical poets of his time and of all time. His poems come in different literary styles such as odes, eulogies and quatrains. Many scholars who study the nature of Rumi’s poetry come to a conclusion that his teachings are universal and ecumenical. Unlike many literary figures of his time, the poet was convinced that religion was a personal experience that was not limited to logic. The open-mindedness of the poet makes his poems a great read. Rumi ably verbalizes the personality and personal growth and development of an individual in a manner that is clear and direct. His failure to offend anyone in his poetry is evident that even today, Rumi’s poems are read, recited and quoted everywhere; from churches to mosques to synagogues and even in music performances. In addition, his emphasis on the dignity of human life and bold approach to contemporary issues make him appeal greatly to many lovers of literature. The Art of Living Rumi visualizes love as the basis of existence; as the fuel that propels the engine of life. His poetry looks in depth the various purposes of love in life and comes to the conclusion that it is the source of sustainable joy, immense compassion, mystery and creativity. The book Rumi: The Art of Loving is an anthology of Rumi’s poems. It is an original translation of the poetry and hence not much is lost in the translation. The book is divided into two basic Parts. The first part, Messenger from the Sun, looks into the poet’s life while the second, The Path of Love in the Ocean of Life, gives the poet’s vision and thought. The reader therefore gets the ability to understand the context of the poetry better. The second part has 145 quatrains of Rumi which are broadly categorized into 12 chapters each of which is based on a different theme. The first chapter, On the Pain and Joy of Longing, looks in depth the pains that individuals go through in their daily lives. It also looks into the power of longing and the extremes that one may go for love and longing. The passion at which the poet expresses his ideas makes the chapter powerful and attractive. It is a chapter that generally brings out the general theme of the book. The Search; Who Am I? is the second chapter in the second part of the book. It aids the reader in self awareness and appreciation of self. Hough written hundreds of years back, the reader easily identifies with the setting of these poems and appreciates the fact that personality issues affecting people have been similar throughout history. The other chapters on the book are equally moving The Beloved’s Face is a collection of love poems as is Die to Yourself. The Art of Living gives the reader the reasons to appreciate life and the skills on how to live it. It portrays life as simple or complex as the liver would want to make it. It takes a peep into the challenges that many face in the living and different results of tackling the same differently. The subsequent chapters Night Secrets, Water of Life, Fire of Love, Unity and Union and Peaceful Mind look into different issues in everyday life and the poet’s take on the same. The poems are written in a unique Oriental style that makes the book especially interesting to a reader used to Western Poetry. The poems are a selection and translation of authenticated Persian edition of Jalaluddin Rumi’s book Divan-e Shams. The authors of the book attempts to have the reader enjoy the stylistic devices of theoriginal work by maintaining the rhythm and cadence of the poems. The book also gives a glossary of all symbolic terminology (Furuzanfar andBadi-uz-zaman). He also references original sources of the poems. The book gives new insight to a classical poet who was a master in his game and whose style remains a source of awe. In the book, Rumi becomes the master who teaches the reader how to love. The title is therefore quite suitable for the anthology. We get to see love from a whole different perspective. Rumi first defines love as the first step to meeting God. He goes ahead and outlines the relationship between love and religion. He proposes that it’s through love that the divine love spirit is born. In other words, love begets greater love. He outlines the omnipotence of God concluding that nothing is impossible before God and essentially God is love. It therefore follows that with love all is possible. The poet goes ahead to give his take on what is required in order to love (William, 2008). He feels that one has to accept to be loved. He explicitly suggests that love is a give and take situation and can never be one way. The poet is of the opinion that once one accepts love they learn from the same, grow and develop. Though their demands, aspirations and expectations may never be met and they may get hurt from love that is not reciprocated, love itself is never the cause of the hurt but wrong approach and selfishness. Rumi urges the read not to dwell in the past but to appreciate the good times. He further implores one whose love has turned sour or gone unreciprocated not to give up but to take the experience as an opportunity for growth and development (Ross 2010) Finally, Rumi outlines the concepts of the problems arising from the difference between what one knows is true about love and what the society teaches one about loving. He suggests that when a newborn enters the world he has no experience on what to fear or hate and therefore the first emotions he develops are of love. The grown ups are far better trained on how to love and recognize love in others yet they sometimes chose not to do so. Conclusion As the name suggests, the anthology is about love and how and why to love from a master’s perspective. It is an anthology that looks at the love factor in many different settings. It also intends to correct errors of opinion on love and build confidence in loving. Rumi is convinced that a life without love is empty (Ross, 2010) He writes “Leap into the fires of love” He further states that once you experience the ecstasy of the fire of love, it would be impossible for you to live without its flames. This anthology is among the best collection of love poems anywhere. It is of great value in everyday experience and is also entertaining, philosophical and informative. For the lovers of poetry, Rumi remains a beacon of excellence and an icon of the Persian Reconnaissance. The anthology goes far to honor his memory. Works Cited Jalaluddin Rumi (Author) Sham, Rasoul (Translator). Rumi: The Art of Loving Rumi Poetry Club, 2012. Print. Heaven, Ross. Love's Simple Truths: Rumi's Path of the Heart, http://www.shamanswell.org/shaman/loves-simple-truths-rumis-path-heart. 2010. Net Furuzanfar, Badi-uz-zaman. Kulliyat-e Shams, 8 vols., Tehran: Amir Kabir Press, 1957-66. Critical edition of the collected odes, quatrains and other poems of Rumi with glossary and notes. Print Harmless, William. Mystics, Oxford University Press, 2008. Print http://www.dar-al-masnavi.org/about_divan.html Read More