Rumi: Bridge to the Soul: Journeys Into the Music and Silence of the Heart Hardback - 2007

Originally released in 2007, "Year of Rumi," to coincide with the poet's 800th birthday, by the pre-eminent Rumi poet Coleman Barks.

In Rumi: Bridge to the Soul, Coleman Barks--who holds an honorary doctorate in Persian language and literature by the University of Tehran for his decades-long translations of Rumi--has collected and translated ninety new poems of mystical poetry, most of them never published before in any form. The "bridge" in the title is a reference to the Khajou Bridge in Isphahan, Iran, which Barks visited with Robert Bly in May of 2006--a trip that in many ways prompted this book. The "soul bridge" also suggests Rumi himself, a master of Sufism who crosses cultures and religions and brings us all together to listen to his words, regardless of origin or creed.

Open this book and let Rumi's poetry carry you on a spiritual journey into the interior silence and joy of the spirit, the place that unites conscious knowing with a deeper, more soulful understanding.

This landmark collection journeys into the heart of Rumi's teachings:

• Ninety New Poems: Discover a treasure of Rumi's work, with most of these ninety pieces translated and published for the very first time by his pre-eminent interpreter, Coleman Barks.
• A Bridge Between Cultures: Inspired by a journey to the Khajou Bridge in Iran, Barks explores Rumi's power to unite all faiths and people through the universal language of the soul.
• The Poetry of Silence: Journey beyond words into the interior silence and joy of the spirit, a central theme in Rumi's mystical verses that Barks illuminates throughout this collection.
• Authoritative Translation: Presented by a celebrated poet who holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Tehran for his lifetime of work translating Persian language and literature.