Spiritual Verses: The First Book of the Masnavi-Ye Ma'navi

By Rumi and Jela'd-din Rumi

Book Overview

The spiritual masterpiece of the Persian Sufi tradition in a brilliant new translation

The longest single-authored "mystical" poem ever written, the Masnavi-ye Ma'navi, or "spiritual couplets," is the masterpiece of the Persian Sufi tradition. Its author, Jalaloddin Rumi, was a poet and mystic of the highest attainment, but he was first and foremost a spiritual teacher, and his Masnavi is a ladder to the spiritual world, leading the reader to the ultimate goal of the Sufi path-union with God. Alan Williams's translation into blank verse beautifully conveys the poetry of the original Persian couplets, while his introduction discusses how the modern reader might approach Rumi's writing.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140447911
• ISBN13: 9780140447910
• Release Date: August 2007
• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

The Masnavi

That is the best translation of the Masnavi I have ever seen. It consists both the original idea and the rhyme.

Good but not Quite There

The translation is a little off on some parts, in my opinion, but other than that it is good. It is a mid-level book of Sufi Anecdotes written in symbolic couplets. It is not for beginners. One should, before reading this, study theology and jurisprudence (the Creed of Imam Tahawi and Maqasid are good for theology and jurisprudence). On top of that, The Book of Illumination and al-Hikm (Sufi Aphorisms) by Imam ibn 'Ata'illah should both be read before delving into the Masnavi. Otherwise the reader will not understand anything.

This is a major and much-needed translation of Rumi

If you visit Konya, and see Rumi's tomb, with his father and son and other family members buried nearby, in a gorgeously illuminated mauseleum-mosque, with its supernal light and its electric energy of peace and vastness, you see Rumi is no pop-figure but drenched in traditions of Islamic Sufism that brings out its deepest and most original heart, the Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) true teaching... compassion, love, and adherence to God's world above and beyond this one through right action and sincerity, wild daring, discipline and spiritual transformation. Rumi's Masnavi is a true companion on this Path, and Rumi a true indicator of this Path, and for those without Persian, we've relied on the Victorian (though unrhymed and much interpolated) masterpiece of Nicholson (and later revisions by Arberry) and the rather haphazard fragments either "translated" or "rendered" in new, modern versions by contemporary poet-scholars. With this new translation by Jawid Mojaddedi we have a sensational new take on Rumi, whose original (as indicated by its title) is in rhymed couplets (Masnavi means "rhymed couplets"), and which ranges from praise-poetry to stories, both high and low, to long stretches of ecstatic gnostic realization and "revelation" filled with light. This new translation keeps it all, and in a flowing smoothness that is truly remarkable, drenched (as in the original) in remembrance of Allah (the same One God of us all). It's eminently readable, and you feel you're getting closer (by the fidelity and sincerity of the translator, direct from Persian this time!) to Rumi's actual tone and intention. I'm a cheerleader for this translation (and have no qualms calling it this, since it is), it's a sweet gift to us, and attests to Rumi's saintliness after all these centuries. He's reached us in our mire, and now in a voice that sings in poetic tune to lift us from it (from mineral to plant, from plant to animal, from animal to angel)! May our intrepid and courageous translator be given strength and inspiration to continue until all six books of this world treasure, this rare compendium of spiritual truths, are as superbly translated and made available.