Fiction Pictures Poetry

Selected Poems of Rūmī (2011) by Jalāl’l-Dīn Rūmī & the States of Grace

“The soul says to her base earthly parts, ‘My exile is more bitter than yours: I am celestial.’”

cg fewstonSelected Poems of Rumi by Rumi

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Selected Poems of Rūmī (2011) by Jalāl’l-Dīn Rūmī is a collection of poems originally researched, collected and translated from Persian by Professor Reynold A. Nicholson, who died before the book’s publication in 1950 under the title Rūmī: Poet and Mystic (1207-1273).

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The most recent publication in 2011 includes memorable poems, such as “Remembered Music,” “The Grief of the Dead,” “The Unregenerate,” “The Love of Woman,” “The Truth within Us,” “Asleep to the World,” “The Man who Looked Back on his way to Hell,” “The Beauty of Death,” “The Evil in Ourselves,” “Beware of Hurting the Saint,” “Forms Vitae,” “The One True Light,” “The Shepherd’s Prayer,” and “The Progress of Man.”

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Jalāl’l-Dīn Rūmī, Iranian Poet and Scholar (1207-1273)

As an Iranian poet and mystic who often cites or references the Qurān (Koran), Rūmī often focuses on an idyllic transformation towards peace and love: “Oh, music is the meat of all who love, / Music uplifts the soul to realms above. / The ashes glow, the latent fires increase: / We listen and are fed with joy and peace” (p 3).

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One of the best-selling poets in the United States and in the world, Rūmī also portrays God as the One Ultimate Being over all religions founded by ignorant humans who appeared to be searching blindly in the dark for answers and truths they failed to understand unless they can reach a kind of enlightenment often described as becoming the “Perfect Man” who is one with God (sometimes called “Love”), who calls out: “Feel with me, with me be one” (p 2).

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The process and journey of the transformations within a human being Rūmī often focuses on in his poetry can be best described in his poem “The Progress of Man”:

“First he appeared in the realm inanimate;

Thence came into the world of plants and lived…

Again the wise Creator whom thou knowest

Uplifted him from animality

To Man’s estate; and so from realm to realm

Advancing, he became intelligent…

So this world

Seems lasting, though ’tis but the sleeper’s dream;

Who, when the appointed Day shall dawn, escapes

From dark imaginings that haunted him,

And turns with laughter on his phantom griefs

When he beholds his everlasting home” (pgs 88-89).

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In the Introduction (based on Professor Nicholson’s notes), the “Perfect Man” is explained thus: “The Divine Mind, which rules and animates the cosmos as an Indwelling Rational Principle (Logos), displays itself completely in the Perfect Man… Whether prophet or saint, the Perfect Man has realized his Oneness with God: he is the authentic image and manifestation of God and therefore the final cause of creation, since only through him does God become fully conscious of Himself” (p xvi).

To achieve the enlightened state Rūmī often uses his poetry to preach (which is not a recommendation for contemporary writers of poetry, albeit many writers of this modern era remain ignorant to how political bias in their poetry, non-fiction and fiction does in fact resemble and sound like “preaching”):

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“O Reader, how many an evil that you see in others is but your own nature reflected in them!

In them appears all that you are—your hypocrisy, iniquity, and insolence.

You do not see clearly the evil in yourself, else you would hate yourself with all your soul.

Like the Lion who sprang at his image in the water, you are only hurting yourself, O foolish man.

When you reach the bottom of the well of your own nature, then you will know that the wickedness is in you” (p 27).

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Remember this, O Reader, the next time you attack someone and call them bad names (like “idiot,” “moonbat,” “racist,” “fag,” “bigot,” “slut,” “snowflake,” or “libtard;” in all truth, name-calling is for children; insulting people with cruel, verbal attacks is not for educated, responsible adults.) Rūmī reminds us: “Love and tenderness are human qualities, anger and lust are animal qualities” (p 9).

Despite preaching in his poetry, Rūmī seeks the experimental rather than promoting quarrels among the various religions, although he does heavily base his beliefs on Islam, including Sūfī pantheism and monism:

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“Ascend from materiality into the world of spirits, hearken to the loud voice of the universe” (p 52).

“The soul says to her base earthly parts, ‘My exile is more bitter than yours: I am celestial’” (p 54).

“The number of locks upon a treasure are the proof of its high value.

The long windings of the way, its mountain-passes, and the brigands infesting it, announce the greatness of the traveller’s goal…

“The blind religious are in a dilemma, for the champions on either side stand firm: each party is delighted with its own path.

Love alone can end their quarrel, Love alone comes to the rescue when you cry for help against their arguments.

Eloquence is dumbfounded by Love: it dare not engage in altercation” (p 81).

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Rūmī does force the reader to look deeply within and without, to contemplate on the Self and the Universe, and whether what is seen is beautiful or ugly, Rūmī has an answer for this as well:

“The power of the artist is shown by his ability to make both the ugly and the beautiful.

If I develop this topic, so that question and answer become lengthy,

The savour of Love’s mystery will go from me, the fair form of Piety will be disfigured” (p 68).

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CG FEWSTON

cg fewston

The American novelist CG FEWSTON has been a Visiting Scholar at the American Academy in Rome (Italy), a Visiting Fellow at Hong Kong’s CityU, & he’s a been member of the Hemingway Society, Americans for the Arts, PEN America, Club Med, & the Royal Society of Literature. He’s also a been Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) based in London.

He’s the author of several short stories and novels. His works include A Fathers Son (2005), The New America: A Collection (2007), The Mystics Smile ~ A Play in 3 Acts (2007), Vanity of Vanities (2011), A Time to Love in Tehran (2015), Little Hometown, America (2020); A Time to Forget in East Berlin (2022), and Conquergood & the Center of the Intelligible Mystery of Being (2023).

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He has a B.A. in English, an M.Ed. in Higher Education Leadership (honors), an M.A. in Literature (honors), and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing & Fiction. He was born in Texas in 1979.

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A TIME TO FORGET IN EAST BERLIN 

BREW Book Excellence Award Winner

BREW Readers’ Choice Award Winner

“A spellbinding tale of love and espionage set under the looming shadow of the Berlin Wall in 1975… A mesmerising read full of charged eroticism.”

Ian Skewis, Associate Editor for Bloodhound Books, & author of best-selling novel A Murder of Crows (2017)  

“An engrossing story of clandestine espionage… a testament to the lifestyle encountered in East Berlin at the height of the Cold War.”

~ Lone Star Literary Life Magazine

“There is no better way for readers interested in Germany’s history and the dilemma and cultures of the two Berlins to absorb this information than in a novel such as this, which captures the microcosm of two individuals’ love, relationship, and options and expands them against the blossoming dilemmas of a nation divided.”

~ D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

A Time to Forget in East Berlin is a dream-like interlude of love and passion in the paranoid and violent life of a Cold War spy. The meticulous research is evident on every page, and Fewston’s elegant prose, reminiscent of novels from a bygone era, enhances the sensation that this is a book firmly rooted in another time.”

~ Matthew Harffy, prolific writer & best-selling historical fiction author of the “Bernicia Chronicles” series

“Vivid, nuanced, and poetic…”

“Fewston avoids familiar plot elements of espionage fiction, and he is excellent when it comes to emotional precision and form while crafting his varied cast of characters.”

“There’s a lot to absorb in this book of hefty psychological and philosophical observations and insights, but the reader who stays committed will be greatly rewarded.”

~ The Prairies Book Review

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LITTLE HOMETOWN, AMERICA

“Readers of The Catcher in the Rye and similar stories will relish the astute, critical inspection of life that makes Little Hometown, America a compelling snapshot of contemporary American life and culture.”

“Fewston employs a literary device called a ‘frame narrative’ which may be less familiar to some, but allows for a picture-in-picture result (to use a photographic term). Snapshots of stories appear as parts of other stories, with the introductory story serving as a backdrop for a series of shorter stories that lead readers into each, dovetailing and connecting in intricate ways.”

~ D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

“The American novelist CG FEWSTON tells a satisfying tale, bolstered by psychology and far-ranging philosophy, calling upon Joseph Campbell, J. D. Salinger, the King James Bible, and Othello.”

“In this way, the author lends intellectual heft to a family story, exploring the ‘purity’ of art, the ‘corrupting’ influences of publishing, the solitary artist, and the messy interconnectedness of human relationships.”

~ Lone Star Literary Life Magazine

GOLD Winner in the 2020 Human Relations Indie Book Awards for Contemporary Realistic Fiction

FINALIST in the SOUTHWEST REGIONAL FICTION category of the 14th Annual National Indie Excellence 2020 Awards (NIEA)

“Fewston’s lyrical, nostalgia-steeped story is told from the perspective of a 40-year-old man gazing back on events from his 1980s Texas childhood…. the narrator movingly conveys and interprets the greater meanings behind childhood memories.”

“The novel’s focus on formative childhood moments is familiar… the narrator’s lived experiences come across as wholly personal, deeply felt, and visceral.”

~ The BookLife Prize

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cg fewston

American Novelist CG FEWSTON

 

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This is my good friend, Nicolasa (Nico) Murillo, CRC, who is a professional chef & a wellness mentor. I’ve known her since childhood & I’m honored to share her story with you. In life, we all have ups & downs, some far more extreme than others. Much like in Canada, in America, the legalization of marijuana has become a national movement, which includes safe & legal access to cannabis (marijuana) for therapeutic use & research for all.

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In these stressful & unprecedented times, it makes good sense to promote & encourage the state or condition of being in good physical & mental health.

To learn more you can visit: Americans For Safe Access & Texans for Safe Access, ASA (if you are in Texas).

The mission of Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is to ensure safe and legal access to cannabis (marijuana) for therapeutic use and research.

Link: https://www.safeaccessnow.org/

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Stay safe & stay happy. God bless.

 

Nico Murillo Bio ~ Americans & Texans for Safe Access ~ Medical Cannabis

 

 

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1 comment on “Selected Poems of Rūmī (2011) by Jalāl’l-Dīn Rūmī & the States of Grace

  1. Pingback: Expert Poets: Emerson and Whitman | CG FEWSTON

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